Halal Meat...

...the availability of halal meat is not a secret plot to impose Sharia law. My Muslim friends who do not insist on eating halal meat nevertheless tell me that it tastes better.

http://www.newsy.com/videos/meat-myths-of-halal-hysteria-debunked/

11 Things You Always Wanted to Know about My Turban,,,

Sikhism is little known and widely misunderstood. Sikhs, in spite of their distinctive clothing, are often misidentified.

A good article about the turban can be found here.

More About Hijabs...

Good video with this article from the LA Times: Click Here.

From across the pond, a Muslim woman wins a Bake Off and faces abuse. Click Here.

And just to provoke a little thought, in this picture from the Rio Olympics, which of these women is oppressed by men? (Hint: It could be either, neither, or both).

 

What Aaron Told Me

A Canadian reporter recounts his interviews with the ISIS sympathizer killed by police in an apparent attempt at a suicide bombing.

Read it here.

Fears About Syrian Refugees

"ISIS will come for our women”. That’s how one resident expressed his fears about the proposed settling of refugees in the US state of Montana.

Around 100 refugees could be moving to the American West thanks to a local group in Missoula who were inspired to help after seeing the photo of a drowned Syrian boy whose family had fled the conflict.

But people in the neighbouring rural county are not happy. A local politician told the BBC they want a guarantee refugees will not be a threat - and he warned of a culture clash between any Muslim refugees from Syria and the predominantly white local population.

Watch the video here.

Saudi Wahabism

This article in the New York Times takes interesting look at the conservative Islam of Saudi Arabia.

Japanese Emperor Hints at Resignaton...

Fascinating report from NPR.

Not Unrelated...

A blog post about listening.

Here's the pull quote:

If there’s one question I get asked more than any other question, it’s this: How do I listen to someone when I disagree with them?

There are many ways to answer this. It takes a lot of forgiveness, compassion, patience, and courage to listen in the face of disagreement. I could write pages on each of these principles, but let's start with the one thing that makes forgiveness, compassion, patience, and courage possible.

We must work to hear the person not just the opinion.

 Click here to read it all. You won't regret it.

Grant Hardy says "Not all religions can be true, or even equally true, but they can all be legitimate. By that I mean I can understand what you believe and that you have reasons to believe it even if I do not agree with you."

That may not be an exact quote.

Religion in the Classroom

The 2016 Republican Party platform includes a plank to "incorporate elective Bible classes" into public high schools. As one who teaches the topic of religion and religions in a publicly funded college setting, I'm aware of the tightrope between information and indoctrination, description and devotion. This article expresses some of the issues.

Why Muslims are the World's Fastest-Growing Religious Group

In a nutshell: birthrates.

Click here to see the statistics.

Tikkun Olam

Nice article about Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish philanthropist who built schools for black children in the American south in the early 20th century.

The article is occasioned by the release of a documentary movie about Rosenwald. Here's the trailer:

Men in Hijabs

The hijab is the most visible and, perhaps, controversial symbol of a Muslim woman's faith. A sign of Qur'anically mandated modesty, the hijab is seen by some women as liberating. By others it is seen as oppressive. I've posted quite a few articles and videos about the hijab in this blog. (Here, and here for example).  I've posted a link to a video about non-Muslim women experiencing life as hijabis for a day. But this is something new. Iranian men wearing hijabs in solidarity with women who are required by the government to wear the covering.

Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project

A wealth of information here.

The Ideas Behind ISIS

This is an important article from the Atlantic Council. It examines the ideology that underlies the terrorist group called ISIS.

Muslim Refugees Convert to Christianity

Interesting article here.

Don't miss the video here.

The United States of Islamophobia.

Good article from foreignpolicy.com

Here's a quote to get you started:

A study released last year by consulting firm 416Labs showed that over 25 years of coverage and headlines, the portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the New York Times was more negative than cancer, alcohol, and cocaine. The study found there are no positive words in the top 25 associations with Islam and Muslims, and only 8 percent of headlines about those subjects carried a positive connotation. Cancer fared better at 17 percent.

Does This Reliquary Contain the Buddha's Parietal Bone?

Cool article here.

Extremism

Business Insider has a good article detailing the methods Daesh (ISIS) uses to recruit converts online. It references this article from the New York Times, which tells the story of Alex, a young American woman recruited by Daesh. Both are worth reading.

Follow a link from the Business Insider page to read "A Course in the Art of Recruiting" a manual developed by Al-Qaeda and apparently used by Daesh.

On the subject of extremism, this report from the Carnegie Endowment is a must read.

Christian Ramadan Drummer

I love these interfaith stories...

American Mosques are Actually a Great Deterrent Against Violent Extremism

Politicians and Islamphobes tell us that American mosques are breeding grounds for radicalism. This article from Huffpo says "not so much."

Pull quote:

A 2012 CUNY Law School report, “Mapping Muslims: NYPD Spying And Its Impact On American Muslims,” found that “surveillance of Muslims’ quotidian activities has created a pervasive climate of fear and suspicion, encroaching upon every aspect of individual and community life.”

“Surveillance has chilled constitutionally protected rights—curtailing religious practice, censoring speech and stunting political organizing,” the report said. The surveillance also “severed the trust that should exist between the police department and the communities it is charged with protecting.”

Funding Islamophobia

The Fear, Inc. website has been around for a while.

A more recent article from the Guardian tells the report released by CAIR and University of California, Berkeley, on how Islamophobia is promoted by some deep-pocketed donors.

Click here to go to the University of California, Berkeley website where you can download a pdf file of the entire report.

Not All Muslims are Alike...

Attempts to humanize Muslims may have the opposite effect. From the article:

Is there really something wrong, however, with bearded, camel-riding, falafel-loving, alcohol-shunning, conservative Muslims who meet their fully veiled wives through arranged marriages and who passionately campaign against the U.S. government’s crimes? Of course not, but these videos unwittingly imply that there is something to dislike, if not fear, about them. They also marginalize the many Muslims around the world who identify with these “bad” qualities.

Read the whole thing here.

Seva = Service

A Sikh motto says "pray, work, give."

This article is a good example of how the Sikhs live out the giving part of that motto.

Orlando

This week brought another horrible mass shooting, this time at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The killer has been identified as a Muslim.

The New York Times story, with videos, can be found here.

Since the event there have been reports that the killer, though nominally Muslim, was in fact not religious. Although he claimed allegiance to ISIS (and, apparently, other, competing Islamic terrorist groups) his motivation seems to have been complex. He was violent, homophobic, possibly conflicted about his own sexuality.

See the Time magazine story, with more video, here.

In response, there have been interfaith expressions of sympathy and condolences for the victims' families, not the least from Muslims.

Another story with video, this one from Huffpo.

Of course there are some religious folk who use the incident as an opportunity to peddle hate in God's name.

Like this sicko. I wonder where he was radicalized.

The Southern Baptist Convention's response seems torn between sympathy and legalism...

I don't necessarily agree with the spin of this story, but the facts can be found in it nonetheless.

But many, perhaps most responses from religious groups have been supportive.

Read what happened when an Orthodox Jewish Congregation went to a gay bar.

Five Little Known Facts about the Publication of the Book of Mormon

1. The first portions of the Book of Mormon available to the public were pirated.
Using E. B. Grandin’s printing office in the evenings and on Sundays, Palmyra newspaperman Abner Cole printed a newspaper that caused some stir in the neighborhood. Cole felt called to spread enlightened thought to Americans. Writing under the pseudonym of Obediah Dogberry, he presented to his readers the first chance to read portions of the Book of Mormon. First Nephi, chapter 1; parts of First Nephi, chapter 2; and parts of Alma, chapter 43 were published in three of his January 1830 issues.
When the Smith family learned that Cole was printing unauthorized excerpts from the Book of Mormon, they sent for Joseph Smith, who was living in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Joseph Smith successfully convinced Cole to stop pirating the text, but the excerpts printed in Cole’s Reflector still represent the first time any Book of Mormon text was available to the public.

Click through for the rest...

Where Were They Radicalized?

Huffpo has an op-ed piece about a hate group in Texas. The article raises my new favorite questions when learning of any religious extremist: Where were they Radicalized?

Inforgraphic: Light Ceremonies in Many Religions

 The imagery of light plays an important role in many faiths. If you have trouble reading this infographic, scroll to the bottom and click "source."




Source

Ramadan in Finland

Islam's month-long fast presents special challenges (and requires some compromises) in a land where the sun never sets...

Cultural Advisers (sic) in Hollywood

Hollywood's depictions of Muslims feed Islamophobic stereotypes. According to an article in the Deseret News that may be changing.

May. Be.

Point/Counterpoint

I found both of these articles on the same day.

On the one hand, Michael Shermer argues that religion does not increase morality. Morality has increased only by secular, Enlightenment values.

On the other hand, Megan Brandsrud reports that religion is good for one's health and well-being.

I'm not wholly convinced by either argument. Together, however, they point out the fact that religion is a mixed bag. To use Charles Kimball's terms: authentic religion increases human well-being; corrupt religion is destructive of the human spirit.

The Many Faces of Atheism

An article in the Calgary journal about "how atheists are establishing community, advocating for causes, and promoting interfaith discussions."

Click here.

Islamophobia: What would you do?

This has been around a while. In 2010 John Quinones did an episode of "What Would You Do?" dealing with Islamophobia in a Texas bakery.

Recently, it happened, unstaged, in an Ice Cream Parlor in Orange, California...

Check out this link.

Muslim in America

I can't believe I never posted this! Nine short stories about life as an American Muslim...

Click here!

Who Made It OK to Hate Muslims?

Islamophobia is a useful tool for political gain employed by both major American parties.

Catholics, and Muslims, and Mary (Oh, My)!

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is mentioned more times in the Qur'an than in the New Testament. The 9th Surah is devoted to her. Here is an article about a shrine to Mary in Lebanon that has become a "symbol of unity" for Christians and Muslims.

100 Years of Hijab Fashion

The hijab, the Muslim head covering, is a contentious issue. Basically, it is a form of the "modest dress" commanded by the Qur'an. Some western societies want to ban it. Many non-Muslims assume that it is a sign of women's subjection. For some Muslim women  it is empowering.

Read the article here.

What Not to Say to a Pagan

Here's a decent little article. Though it it is geared toward pagans, the general principles apply to conversation with anyone of a different religion: Ask; Don't assume.

Mahavir Jayanti

A major Jain festival. Click here

At the Intersection of Religion and Technology

Read about a Buddhist robot.

Sikhism and Islamophobia

A light-hearted look at a serious problem. Click here.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is Not a Religion

Court declares that the FSM is "satire not sacred." Read about it here.

While the court decision is correct, it raises some interesting questions. Not least among them: what is a religion?

Vaisakhi

Click here for a good article explaining the meaning of Vaisakhi, a central celebration in Sikhism.

The Adhan and the Levee Camp Holler

Read all about it...


Click here.

Learning the Lessons of Muhammad

Click here for  a good report from NPR about an Imam who seeks to counter extremism by teaching young Muslims about the life of the prophet Muhammad.

I didn't know that Muhammad dyed his hair. Really.

Islamophobia

This website documents incidents of Islamophobia.

Waris Ahluwalia

Actor, jewelry designer, model Waris Ahluwalia was not allowed to board an airplane because he refused to remove his turban, an article of his Sikh faith.

Read more about it here.

The Hijab

Article and audio report on why Muslim women choose to wear the covering, or choose not to.

Growing Up Jain

Jains don't make the news much. Here is a decent piece about what it is like to grow up in this tiny religion dedicated to ahimsa, the principle of non-harm.