Nepal's official religion goes with the king

Nepal, which is now the world's newest republic, has not only abolished its monarchy, but has also rescinded the officially privileged status of Hinduism in the Hindu-majority country. Thus, the only country in the world where Hinduism used to be, until recently, a state religion, is now secular (BBC).

Dunkin' Donuts gives in to anti-Palestinian prejudice

After pressure from the right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin, Dunkin' Donuts has cancelled an online ad featuring TV host Rachael Ray wearing a keffiyeh.

Malkin described the piece of Arab men's headdress as "a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists".

According to Dunkin' Donuts, "no symbolism was intended" by the silk keffiyeh. Malkin has praised the company for its decision, saying that the picture of the scarf could have led to "the mainstreaming of violence" (BBC).

So my question is: what was Timothy McVeigh wearing when he perpetrated his terrorist act? And if he was wearing a shirt and trousers, should everyone now stop wearing shirts and trousers? Come on now.

If you disagree with Dunkin' Donuts's decision, please contact them.

Delhi madrasa teaches Sanskrit

A post-graduate Islamic seminary called Islami Academy is changing the definition of a traditional Islamic curriculum by including subjects such as Indian history, Indian culture, and comparative religion. The latter course focuses on the majority religion of India, Hinduism. According to Islami Academy's director, Abdul Haq Ansari, "The idea was to have a very scientific and holistic curriculum in the study of religion."

In order for the madrasa's students to be able to study ancient Hindu texts, they are given Sanskrit instruction by a teacher provided by the Indian government (Hindustan Times).

Deoband against eye donation

In an edict issued in April, Darul Uloom Deoband declared the donation or transplanting of eyes by Muslims undesirable. Their argument was based on the idea that humans are only temporary caretakers of their bodies, while ultimate ownership belongs to God. According to Deoband, a transplanted eye is impure. The edict added, however, that blood transfusion was permissible when it was needed to save lives (ExpressIndia).

What can I say? Using this logic, we could declare almost anything "undesirable". For example, how can we build a house of wood, when God is the ultimate owner of the forest? How can we wash anything using water, when God is its ultimate owner? The answer is simple: God gave us these things to use. According to the Qur'an, he appointed us His representative on earth. It is up to us to use our God-given conscience and intellect in order to utilise these resources in a responsible manner. And wasting an eye that could enable someone else to see is anything but responsible.

Deoband against eating beef when there's a ban in place

In an edict issued in April, Darul Uloom Deoband, an Islamic seminary in India, ruled that "Muslims must refrain from cow slaughter, beef eating or trading in cow hide" if they live in a place where a ban on cow slaughter is in effect. The Hindu-majority state of Uttar Pradesh, where Deoband is situated, banned the slaughter of cows in 2001.

According to Mufti Habibur Rahman of Deoband, "Meat eaters can opt for buffaloes, goats, chicken and fish. [The] Shariat doesn't allow for beef eating if it's prohibited under law."

Javed Anand, a Muslim community activist, commented that "Muslims should respect Hindu sentiments and avoid cow slaughter. [The] influential seminary's fatwa would go a long way in ensuring this" (Times of India).

A very sensible decision.

US car dealer happily clings to guns and religion

After Barack Obama said that disadvantaged and "bitter" working-class Americans were clinging to their "guns and religion", car dealer Mark Muller of Max Motors in Butler, Missouri felt so insulted that he launched a new promotion: a free gun with every car purchased at his dealership. As an alternative, he offered a US $250 (Canadian $247) petrol gift card. However, so far everyone who has bought a car from him under the promotion has chosen the gun over the free petrol, the only exceptions being "one guy from Canada and one old guy".

Muller was offended by Obama's words because, as he puts it, "We all go to church on Sunday and we all carry guns." According to Muller, "We're just damn glad to live in a free country where you can have a gun if you want to" (BBC).

My article in Eurozine

My article on the imprisonment of the Belarusian journalist Aliaksandar Zdźvižkoŭ over his reprinting of the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and the subsequent vilification of Muslims in some quarters of the usually liberal Belarusian opposition, which first appeared in the Belarusian magazine ARCHE in the January-February 2008 issue, has now been reprinted (in English translation and in shortened form) in Eurozine, which is an online magazine that publishes translations of articles first published by a network of European cultural magazines.

Do let me know what you think about the article!

US Evangelical magazine predicts European invasion of America

The Philadelphia Trumpet, a magazine published by the Philadelphia Church of God, based in Edmond, Oklahoma, is claiming that increased German investment in Latin America places the US in greater danger than "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Osama bin Laden and Vladimir Putin combined". The magazine argues that the recent spate of investment builds on groundwork laid by Nazis who took refuge in Latin America, and that "Germany’s takeover of Latin America would put European forces directly on the southern border of the U.S. and present an ideal scenario for a full-scale invasion of America".

Now being grumpy at "Old Europe" is one thing, but this is really out there. I know one shouldn't draw conclusions based on what one Evangelical church is saying, but the question is: to what extent will this sort of extreme nativism catch on?

Visitor profile, 15 April to 14 May 2008

Welcome to the fourteenth installment of Notes on Religion visitor profiles!

This month (15 April to 14 May 2008):

This month, Notes on Religion received 206 visits, that is, 255% more than the number received the previous month, alhamdu lillah. The average number of visitors during this period was seven a day.

Visitors came to Notes on Religion from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America. Most visitors (58%) came from the United States. Canada was next with 21%, while the United Arab Emirates came third with 4%. In sha' Allah, I'll quote all monetary amounts (if any are discussed) in US dollars along with Canadian dollars over the coming month.

In the US, the largest number of visitors (17%) came from New York.

In Canada, 47% of the visitors' ISPs were in Quebec.

The largest number of visitors this month (33%) were referred to Notes on Religion by Google. The most common Google search terms that brought visitors to the blog were 'anders bøtter' and 'luttwak'.

The most popular browser this month was Internet Explorer (46%). 87% of the visitors were Windows users.

Since the founding of the blog (15 March 2007 to 14 May 2008):

The total number of visitors during the year and two months was 1,600. The average number of visitors was four per day.

The largest number of visitors (36%) came from Canada. The second-highest number (34%) came from the United States. The United Kingdom came third with 5%.

Quebec accounted for 56% of the visitors' ISPs within Canada.

The biggest proportion of visitors (39%) was referred to the blog by Blogger. The most common search term entered by visitors who were referred to Notes on Religion by Google was 'natasha aliyeva'.

The most popular browser was Internet Explorer (50%). 91% of the visitors were Windows users.

Wait until they find out Obama is a Christian, says "scholar"

In a piece of wacky logic and the worst example of Orientalism I've ever seen in the New York Times, Edward Luttwak, a fellow with the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), has claimed that, if Muslims found out that Barack Obama "chose to become a Christian", they would try to kill him. According to Luttwak, the hope among many Americans that a victory by Obama in the general election would improve American relations with the Islamic world is "a mistake".

Luttwak disingenuously calls Obama "the son of the Muslim father" (sic), while Obama has written that his father had become an atheist before marrying Barack's mother. In Luttwak's words, this fact "makes no difference". But according to whom? Which Islamic scholar would say that a child born to an atheist father and an agnostic mother must practice Islam when he has grown up? Can Luttwack cite even one such scholar?

Further, Luttwak argues that "under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother's Christian background is irrelevant." This statement, I'm afraid, is a simple case of deception. There is nothing in the Qur'an about punishing apostates, so Luttwak strategically employs the words "based on". Secondly, I lived in Kuwait when a Kuwaiti Muslim converted to Christianity, changed his name to Robert Qambar, and was declared an apostate by conservative Kuwaiti Muslim groups. He fled to the US despite assurances of government protection, but eventually came back with his Christian wife and reconverted to Islam. During the discussion sparked by the case, it was said in the Kuwaiti media that the apostasy law does not apply to people born of at least one non-Muslim parent. In that case, how would they apply to someone born of one ex-Muslim and one non-Muslim parent?

More importantly, the entire premise of Luttwak's article is based on what may be charitably called a false assumption, and less charitably called a lie. He says "that most citizens of the Islamic world would be horrified by the fact of Senator Obama’s conversion to Christianity once it became widely known". As my wife, an American Muslim, said when she heard this, "it's not like Muslims live in a hole". I think most Muslims already know that Obama is a Christian. Hundreds of millions of Muslims speak English, and can follow the debates and discussions surrounding the race for the American presidency in the original language. Non-English-language media worldwide are also discussing Obama. All the fellow-Muslims I've spoken to about Obama support him and wish him well, without exception. Each one knows that he is a Christian.

Luttwak attempts to paint "most citizens of the Islamic world" as ignorant, irrational bigots. I am encouraged by the dozens of comments his article has generated on the New York Times website, almost all of which say that his argument is ridiculous. The amount of goodwill that has already been generated for Obama in the Muslim world is very considerable. Islam stands for justice, fairness, dignity, truth and peace. These are values that Obama espouses as well. It is these values that Muslims, like anyone else, want to see in a presidential candidate, especially one who is running for the leadership of the most powerful country in the world. So if Obama wins the election and then acts on these values of his, I think the United States will find millions of new Muslim friends around the world.

Deoband declares birthdays un-Islamic

Darul Uloom Deoband, possibly the most prominent Islamic seminary in South Asia, has issued an edict saying "It is unlawful to celebrate birthdays. It is a tradition of the West and has no importance in Islam. It is wrong to attend such... celebrations". A separate Deoband edict says that Muslims should not utter the phrase "Happy birthday".

In response to the edicts, Begum Naseem, a member of the executive committee of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said that

Birthday celebrations are wasteful expenditure especially in a poor country like India. Islam lays great stress on social reform... it strives to counsel people to avoid wasteful expenditure.

Another member of the Board, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangimahali, was in agreement with Begum Naseem. In his view, “Instead of spending money on celebrating birthdays, a man should offer food to the poor people."

Meanwhile, Yasoob Abbas, spokesman of the All India Shia Personal Law Board, remarked that “Such fatwas carry no weight... in fact Darul Uloom has made of a mockery of the fatwas" (Deccan Herald).

While being a Sunni, I tend to agree with Abbas. Islam certainly lays a great deal of emphasis on moderation in all spheres of life. However, to say that birthdays are "unlawful" simply based on the fact that they are "a tradition of the West" is slightly silly. Which "tradition of the West" is next? Jeans? Pizza? Living in Britain?

I think what the scholars of Deoband ignored in issuing these edicts is the role of 'urf (custom) in the Shari'ah. As long as a custom does not contradict Islamic principles, there is nothing un-Islamic about it, whatever part of the world it comes from.

Ontario conservatives for Lord's Prayer in legislature

The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party (a Canadian party name if there ever was one) is calling for a free vote in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on whether the assembly should abandon the current practice of starting each day with a recitation of the Lord's Prayer. An all-party committee in the legislature has been considering other ways to begin the day's business.

However, Ontario's PC Opposition Leader, Bob Runciman, says that 100 petitions totalling 23,000 signatures have been submitted calling for the daily recitation of the Lord's Prayer in the legislature to be preserved (Toronto Star).

Govt-Hizbullah clashes break out in Lebanon

After years of peaceful confrontation, the standoff between the pro-Western Lebanese government and Hizbullah has turned violent. When the government sent in the Lebanese army to dismantle a phone network operated by Hizbullah, the militant movement decided to fight back.

According to the head of Hizbullah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, "This decision was a declaration of war and the start of war on the resistance and its weapons. Our response to this decision is that whoever declares or starts a war, be it a brother or a father, then it is our right to defend ourselves and our existence." However, Nasrallah said that his movement would stop fighting if the army withdrew from the streets.

There is a danger of the armed conflict spilling over into mixed Sunni-Shi'ite neighbourhoods in Beirut. In one such neighbourhood, Sunnis chanted "God is with the Sunnis," while Shi'ites responded with the words "The Shi'ite blood is boiling". Lebanese army soldiers acted as a barrier between the two sides.

This may be the closest Lebanon has come to a new civil war since the last one ended in 1990 (New York Times).

Let's hope it blows over. I think Hizbullah should know that the support it enjoys among Sunni Arabs would evaporate were it to start a real civil war against the government. I don't think it can afford to risk that.

Muslim teacher in NY loses job because of hate campaign

Debbie Almontaser, a Yemeni-American teacher who led the drive to set up a new public school in New York called Khalil Gibran International Academy, was forced to resign her position as principal before the school opened its doors to new students. The reason was a campaign of Islamophobia unleashed by a group that called itself the "Stop the Madrassa Coalition". The group was, in some ways, orchestrated by the Islam basher Daniel Pipes.

The school's mission was to teach Arabic as a foreign language. Almontaser's plan was to have a student body that would be half Arab-American. In all other respects, the Gibran Academy was to be a regular New York public high school. Moreover, in its emphasis in Arabic, the school was similar to dozens of other schools in New York that stress a particular language, such as Spanish or Russian.

The campaign against the Gibran Academy (named after a Lebanese Christian poet) broke out when Pipes wrote an op-ed in the New York Sun, in which he argued that "Arabic-language instruction is inevitably laden with Pan-Arabist and Islamist baggage." He also called the planned school a "madrassa", which is simply the Arabic word for "school" but, as Pipes knows very well, means an "Islamic seminary" in English. More recently, Pipes has admitted that his use of the word "madrassa" was "a bit of a stretch" and a tool he used to "get attention".

Attention he did get: a group of people, including Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a trustee at City University of New York, gathered around Pipes, and formed the above-mentioned coalition. Having very little information about the planned school to go on, the Coalition to Stop the Madrassa dug into Almontaser's past and her personal activities, and used the information obtained to smear her online and in the media. What motivated them was a desire to stop what Wiesenfeld referred to as "soft jihad", that is, the promotion of "radical Islam", in Pipes's words, through "the school system, the media, the religious organizations, the government, businesses and the like". In other words, the mere teaching of Arabic was construed by the group as equivalent to the promotion of "radical Islam".

What helped the Coalition clinch its case was an interview with the New York Post, in which Almontaser explained that the word "intifada" meant "a shaking off". She was asked about the shirts because some teenaged members of an Arab-American women's group she belonged to had been seen selling T-shirts that said "Intifada NYC" on them. The Post misquoted Almontaser as saying that the girls selling the T-shirts had been "shaking off oppression".

That was too much for the city's Education Department to bear, and Almontaser was asked to resign by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, who added that she had until 8:00 am the next day to resign, because Mayor Michael Bloomberg wanted to announce her resignation "on his radio show". Almontaser resigned, but filed a lawsuit to try to get her job back. A panel of federal judges has recently ruled that the New York Post has misreported the comments she had made to the paper.

The school did open under the direction of a different principal, Danielle Salzberg, who does not speak Arabic and soon made a name for herself with her authoritarian methods. Meanwhile, Almontaser has been assigned to a school inspection job, and has been allowed to keep her principal's pay of US $120,000 (Canadian $121,722) per year. The Coalition to Stop the Madrassa, for its part, continues to protest against the existence of the school (New York Times).

Kashmir standardises the spelling of the name "Muhammad"

It is common in South Asia to spell the name Muhammad (when it is part of a man's name) as Mohd, or even Md. The practice is similar to the way William was once abbreviated "Wm." in English and Vladimir was shortened to "Vl." in Russian.

Now, Jammu and Kashmir is taking steps to combat the practice. The education department of the Indian state has issued an order to schools to record the first names of incoming students as "Muhammad", rather than the slightly distorted "Mohammed" or the abbreviated "Mohd" (Kolkata Telegraph).

I think it's a step in the right direction, provided the state doesn't start dictating the spelling of names in general.

Gülen schools promote moderate Islam in Pakistan

The Fethullah Gülen movement, led by a Turkish neo-Sufi, has been gaining international prominence in recent years due to its promotion of interfaith dialogue and moderate, apolitical Islamic practice. Apart from dialogue meetings with representatives of other religions, such as priests and rabbis, one of the movement's main activities is a network of schools that now covers over 80 countries.

The Gülen movement now has seven schools in Pakistan, where they are becoming increasingly popular with parents because of the way they promote Islam without preaching intolerance. Only one official, government-approved course on Islam is taught at the Gülen schools in Pakistan. However, the teachers encourage the practice of Islam in the student dormitories, and themselves act as an example of peaceful, practising Muslims. This is an approach that large numbers of Pakistani parents have been receptive to, given their frustrations with collapsing government-run schools, private Western-style schools that do not adequately teach Islam, and Islamic seminaries that are often tied (at least on the level of perception) with intolerance or even violence (New York Times).

I wonder how the recently opened Gülen school in Montréal is doing.

I'm back!

I can finally get back to this blog after two months of grading, exams, papers, articles, striking, etc. God willing, I'll try to get back to my old post-something-at-least-once-a-week schedule. :)

Visitor profile, 15 March to 14 April 2008

Welcome to the thirteenth installment of Notes on Religion visitor profiles!

This month (15 March to 14 April 2008):

This month, Notes on Religion received 58 visits, that is, 23% less than the number received the previous month. The average number of visitors during this period was two a day.

Visitors came to Notes on Religion from Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America. By far the largest number of visitors (48%) came from the United States. Canada and the United Arab Emirates tied for second place with 12%. In sha' Allah, I'll quote all monetary amounts (if any are discussed) in US dollars along with Canadian dollars over the coming month.

In the US, the largest number of visitors (29%) came from New York.

In Canada, 57% of the visitors' ISPs were in Quebec.

Most visitors this month (59%) were referred to Notes on Religion by Google. The most common Google search term that brought visitors to the blog was 'natasha aliyeva'.

The most popular browser this month was Internet Explorer (47%). 81% of the visitors were Windows users.

Since the founding of the blog (15 March 2007 to 14 April 2008):

The total number of visitors during the year and one month was 1,394. The average number of visitors was four per day.

The largest number of visitors (39%) came from Canada. The second-highest number (31%) came from the United States. The United Kingdom came third with 5%.

Quebec accounted for 57% of the visitors' ISPs within Canada.

The biggest proportion of visitors (42%) was referred to the blog by Blogger. The most common search term entered by visitors who were referred to Notes on Religion by Google was 'natasha aliyeva'.

The most popular browser was Internet Explorer (51%). 92% of the visitors were Windows users.

Visitor profile, 15 February to 14 March 2008

Welcome to the twelfth installment of Notes on Religion visitor profiles!

This month (15 February to 14 March 2008):

This month, Notes on Religion received 75 visits, that is, the same number as that received the previous month. The average number of visitors during this period was three a day.

Visitors came to Notes on Religion from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. The largest number of visitors (38%) came from the United States, and Canada came second with 35%. Visitors from other countries accounted for less than 1% each.

In the US, the largest number of visitors (18%) came from New York.

In Canada, 15% of the visitors' ISPs were in Quebec.

Most visitors this month (59%) were referred to Notes on Religion by Google. The most common Google search terms that brought visitors to the blog were 'congratulate kosovo' and 'religion of kosovo'.

The most popular browser this month was Internet Explorer (56%). 93% of the visitors were Windows users.

In the year since the founding of the blog (15 March 2007 to 14 March 2008):

The total number of visitors during the year was 1,336. The average number of visitors was four per day.

The largest number of visitors (40%) came from Canada. The second-highest number (30%) came from the United States. The United Kingdom came third with 5%.

Quebec accounted for 57% of the visitors' ISPs within Canada.

The biggest proportion of visitors (44%) was referred to the blog by Blogger. The most common search term entered by visitors who were referred to Notes on Religion by Google was 'ishaq nizami'.

The most popular browser was Internet Explorer (51%). 92% of the visitors were Windows users.