Clipmarks | arifsali's clips

"Muslim world"

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:37:23 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Makes a lot of sense, I would read the whole article at the source.

Clip Source: newsweek.washingtonpost.com

If the American public very wrongly holds American Muslims responsible for the tragedy in Fort Hood, a major problem in my mind is the narrative that Muslims as a community and many well-meaning Americans, including President Obama, have promoted. That is, the concept of the "Muslim world." The idea reached its climax during the President's much vaunted speech to the Muslim world from Cairo earlier in the year. I argued then, that the appellation of a "Muslim world" is facile.

Muslims are as ethnically, socially, ideologically and politically as diverse as any religious group in the world. Of course they share a religious tradition, and will advocate for human rights abuses affecting co-religionists globally. And, of course, as a minority, Muslims in America must work to present a unified voice.

But when we give in to the conception of a monolithic Muslim world crossing national boundaries, then the equation changes quickly.

Tags: muslims, united states

Thousands of Muslim American soldiers

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:07:50 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ultimately, this use – or misuse – of fear and rumour over Hasan's Islamic faith should be moot in light of the record of the thousands of Muslim American soldiers who have served and made sacrifice – such as Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, awarded the prestigious Purple Heart and Bronze Star and praised by Colin Powell, who now rests in Arlington cemetery after giving his life to protect and serve his country in Iraq. There are currently 20,000 Muslims serving with honour in the US military, according to the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council. If Hasan's faith is ultimately proven to be the misguided inspiration for his violence, then the brave and patriotic service of thousands of Muslim American soldiers renders him an isolated and aberrant exception.

Tags: army, muslims, united states

Fear and hatred of Islam

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:02:50 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: twitter.com

Heed this very Christian pastor when he says: fear and hatred of Islam b/c of what happened at Ft. Hood is against the God of love.

Tags: muslims, united states, religion

12 Google Wave Invitations

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:26:00 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: I can give out 12 to fellow clippers if you are still enthusiastic enough. First priority to those who are already following me on Clipmarks.

FYI, I don't use Wave, it is not useful for me at the moment.

Clip Source: wave.google.com

Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation
and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.

Tags: google, wave

Clinton in Pakistan encounters widespread distrust of U.S.

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:04:34 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: The last sentence speaks volume.

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

The discontent is not just from radicals, even college students and respected journalists question Washington's intentions in Pakistan. Some liken U.S. drone missile strikes to terrorism.

Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan - Every time Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to win over Pakistanis during her three-day charm offensive last week, they fired back a polite but firm message:

We don't really trust your country.

Some of the most biting criticisms came from well-mannered university students and respected, seasoned journalists, a reflection of the breadth of dissatisfaction Pakistanis have with U.S. policy toward their country.

"You had one 9/11, and we are having daily 9/11s in Pakistan," Asma Shirazi, a journalist with Geo TV, told Clinton during the Islamabad town hall meeting.

Tags: pakistan, terrorism, united states

The other side of Angelina Jolie

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:24:12 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: i48998.posterous.com

Tags: hollywood

10 Fascinating Recently Discovered Photographs

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:53:12 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: listverse.com

Scopes Trial

Taken: 1925
Discovered: 2005

Florence Nightingale

Taken: 1858
Discovered: 2006

Jonathan

Taken around: 1900
Discovered: 2008

Lincoln’s Second Inauguration

Taken: 1865
Discovered: 2008

Neil Armstrong’s Face

Taken: 1969
Discovered: 2009

New York City

Taken: 1848
Discovered: 2008

King Edward VII

Taken: 1909
Discovered: 2009

Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan

Taken: 1888
Discovered: 2008

Peter Schiff

Taken: 1939
Discovered: 2008

Phineas Gage

Taken: Around 1850
Discovered: 2009

Tags: history, photos

Religious sensitivities on all sides

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:35:16 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: The reason I'm clipping this is because religious sensitivities are back in the news and Muslims are not the only one apparently offended all the time. The other reason I'm clipping this is because I've been watching Curb Your Enthusiasm (not this episode though) and I think Larry David should have folded his show last season. The episodes in the new season are utterly ridiculous and not funny. Like Seinfeld, his show has always been brilliant though but I think he has lost it by now.

Clip Source: newsbusters.org

HBO's hit series "Curb Your Enthusiasm" has pushed the comedic envelope for many years, but what happened in Sunday's episode was so disgraceful it's already received comment from the Catholic League's Bill Donohue.

The set-up is the show's star and producer Larry David is taking some medication that is making him urinate quite forcefully.

It's so powerful that while urinating in his assistant's bathroom, he accidentally splashed some of it on a picture of Jesus Christ hanging on a nearby wall.

Tags: comedy, entertainment, tv

People give birth and die on Facebook (internet actually)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:56:19 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: The thing about Facebook and Twitter is that unlike earlier times on the Internet, these two companies have shaped the perception of people connected to each other more closely than ever before. Everyone is on-line on FB or Twitter or both!. Not that people were not connected earlier via email or email groups (and some exclusively still are), but FB and Twitter are humongous instant messenger type services where everyone perceives as something where you know others are on (email does not give a perception that you are on and individual instant-messenger were always individual).

So as Facebook comes up with ideas on what to do with people who are dying on the internet, I think they should also come up with some special arrangements when people are born. I'm not talking about some FB application (I hate them and they are annoying). There is no denying that babies are being born on Facebook every day (it sounds weird but that is a truth).

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Facebook has announced that it will be giving friends and family the option to "memorialise" the profiles of members who have died.

It follows some cases of members receiving updates about dead friends.

If a user is reported as deceased, Facebook will remove sensitive information such as status updates and contacts.

Tags: facebook, internet, life

What kind of couples are most likely to have a happy marriage?

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:12:31 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The secret to a happy marriage for men is choosing a wife who is smarter and at least five years younger than you, say UK experts.

These pairings are more likely to go the distance, particularly if neither has been divorced in the past, according to the Bath University team.

The researchers studied interviews of more than 1,500 couples who were married or in a serious relationship.

Five years later, they followed up 1,000 of the couples to see which had lasted.

They found that if the wife was five or more years older than her husband, they were more than three times as likely to divorce than if they were the same age.

If the age gap is reversed, and the man is older than the woman, the odds of marital bliss are higher.

Tags: marriage, men, women

How do you know what you know about Islam?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:56:15 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: ismailimail.wordpress.com

Professor Asani poses the question, “How do you know what you know about Islam?” He offers an insightful analysis of the modern-day “clash of ignorances” and briefly discusses the serious consequences of cultural and religious illiteracy for a world that is multicultural, multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-religious.

Professor Asani problematizes traditional textual and devotional approaches to studying religion as static and limited. Instead, he advocates a “contextual approach” to the study of religion that promotes an understanding of Islam and Muslim communities within their particular cultural, socio-political, and economic contexts. Through pointing out the co-existence of diverse conceptions and experiences of Islam worldwide, Professor Asani suggests the importance of asking questions such as, “Which Islam? Whose Islam? In which context?”

Introduction from Professor Ali Asani’s forthcoming book “Infidel of Love: Exploring Muslim understandings of Islam” (forthcoming 2009)

Tags: islam, muslims, book

Waziristan musician prays for Taliban defeat

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:08:50 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.dawn.com

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Mohammad Akbar says he prays every day for the Pakistani army to crush the Taliban so he can make sweet music once more without fearing for his life.

‘I recite from the Holy Koran every morning and pray for the success of the military operation and when they are defeated I will buy another rubab’: musician Mohammad Akbar, pictured here sitting in queue to register with authorities in Dera Ismail Khan after fleeing his native South Waziristan. —Photo by AFP

‘They smashed it into pieces and warned me of serious consequences if I ever played it again,’ said Akbar as he recalled the day two years ago that the Islamists forced him to give a recital of his rubab — a traditional lute-like instrument that is popular in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The 39-year-old was speaking in the dusty town of Dera Ismail Khan where he fled with his wife and seven children to escape a major offensive by the army against the Tehrik-i-Taliban in neighbouring South Waziristan.

Tags: taliban, pakistan, music

Egypt cleric 'to ban full veils' - custom has nothing to do with the Islamic faith

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:42:24 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Egypt's highest Muslim authority has said he will issue a religious edict against the growing trend for full women's veils, known as the niqab.

Sheikh Mohamed Tantawi, dean of al-Azhar university, called full-face veiling a custom that has nothing to do with the Islamic faith.

Although most Muslim women in Egypt wear the Islamic headscarf, increasing numbers are adopting the niqab as well.

The practice is widely associated with more radical trends of Islam.

The niqab question reportedly arose when Sheikh Tantawi was visiting a girls' school in Cairo at the weekend and asked one of the students to remove her niqab.

The Egyptian newspaper al-Masri al-Yom quoted him expressing surprise at the girl's attire and telling her it was merely a tradition, with no connection to religion or the Koran.

Tags: egypt, islam, women

Muslim space for social, cultural and spiritual contemplation

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:46:52 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: In Central Asia, Tajikistan

Clip Source: www.theismaili.org

Tags: muslims, culture, religion

'Can We Confront Others with Principles We Don't Even Uphold?'

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:30:55 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.spiegel.de

Many would argue that the integration of immigrants in Europe has been a failure. Dutch sociologist Paul Scheffer, 55, spoke with SPIEGEL about cultural reciprocity, the need for self-criticism and why tolerance cannot be based on fear.

SPIEGEL: Mr. Scheffer, immigrants are widely seen as a problem in Europe today. Or can you name a country that is dealing successfully with immigration?

Scheffer: In the past few years, I have visited the areas where most of the immigrants live, cities like Lyon, Rotterdam, Berlin, Birmingham and Malmö. I see the same social problems everywhere: segregation, high unemployment, cultural alienation.

SPIEGEL: If integration has gone wrong, we have to ask: Who is to blame? The conventional answer would be: the host society, because it hasn't accepted the immigrants. Do you agree?

Scheffer: I am not interested in assigning blame. I see a pattern that we know from the history of the United States.

Tags: europe, united states, immigration