January 15th, 2007 — Uncategorized
In their reporting of the controversy surrounding Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Khalifah conference, a number of Australian media outlets have reported that the group is banned in the United Kingdom.
First, The Age reported:
Hizb ut-Tahrir is banned in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia and most Muslim countries in the Middle East because of alleged links to terrorism, including the bombers behind the 2005 London attacks.
January 15th, 2007 — Uncategorized
The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom have released a fascinating paper [PDF] on the state of Islam and Muslims in the Russian Federation.
According to this study, Muslims have a much higher birthrate than the Slavic component of the society, with Russia set to become increasingly “Islamic” over the coming decades. Although there is no “Muslim lobby” in Russian politics, the demographic shifts will almost certainly lead to an increased Islamic or Muslim influence on Russian society and politics (including foreign policy). This will, the report warns, lead to increased tensions between Slavs and Muslims; tensions which are already becoming evident.
January 15th, 2007 — Uncategorized
Godwin’s Law states that, “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.” Except in the rare cases where a comparison to the Nazis or Hitler is apt, it is usually a certain sign that a person has lost the argument and is now attempting to invoke what Leo Strauss termed the reducto ad Hitlerum (reducing everything down to Hitler) argument.
It is therefore not surprising to see that a member of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) has likened Sheikh Taj ad-Deen al-Hilaly to Adolf Hitler.
A PROMINENT Muslim leader has likened Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali to Adolf Hitler, saying the outspoken mufti is doing as much damage to Islam in Australia asthe German dictator did to Christianity.The Australian Federation of Islamic Council’s legal adviser, Haset Sali, labelled the sheik’s recent diatribe on Egyptian television against Western “liars and oppressors” as insane and said the comments had horrified thevast majority of Australian Muslims.
“He has been about as helpful to Islam in Australia as Adolf Hitler was to Christianity during the Second World War,” Mr Sali said.
January 14th, 2007 — News
Canada’s CBC network recently launched a new sitcom called Little Mosque on the Prairie that centers on some Muslims who have moved to a rural part of Canada (thus the name). CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, believes that the series will break down stereotypes and improve relations between Canada’s Christian majority and the Muslim community.
Muslim blogs and forums have been abuzz with commentary on the sitcom, with many believing that this is something of a positive step for Muslims and Islam, whilst others are less than enthusiastic about its significance. Certainly, as Aqoul have pointed out, there was lots of hype surrounding its launch, with some Imams also reported to have told their followers to make sure they watch it. It’s therefore not surprising that it drew an impressive two million viewers for the debut.
Readers can watch the entire episode below.
January 11th, 2007 — News
After beating Borat and Kenny the portable toilet cleaner to win Ralph Magazine’s prestigious Funny Man of the Year award, things were looking up for Sheikh Taj al-Din al-Hilali, the controversial Sydney cleric. But sadly it seems that — yet again — controversy has struck with Australia’s Channel Seven reporting that Sh Taj has issued something of a spray on Egyptian television.
Speaking in Arabic on Egyptian television Sheik al-Hilali said, according to a Seven Network translation, that white Australians arrived in the country shackled as convicts.
“We (Muslims) came as free people. We bought our own tickets. We are entitled to Australia more than they are,” he said.
January 11th, 2007 — News
“Please Sir, can I have some more?” asks Dr Ameer Ali, formerly the handpicked head honcho of the PM’s handpicked Muslim advisory board. This time, Dr Ali is asking for cash and a bit of encouragement from the government to help oppose Hizb ut Tahrir. It takes two to quango and the government isn’t giving moderates enough resources.
“There is a possibility they will fall into Hizb ut-Tahrir’s trap, so we have to be careful. But it’s a democratic country, and anyone can organise a conference.
“We need resources to counter it, and we have none. The Muslim Reference Group doesn’t exist any more. The Government should encourage moderates to promote themselves as an alternative, and allocate resources for this.”
The government the government, the government… It’s always the government’s fault for not providing enough cash, not enough quangos, and not enough hugs and encouraging pats on the back (”Come on lads, you can do it.”)
January 6th, 2007 — Reviews
I remember, one afternoon in 2004, watching TV in my aunt’s sitting room in a small West Bank village. Much of the night before had been taken up speaking about the current toxic situation in the region, my family regaling me with tales of redemption, betrayal and fear. All told with a hefty serve of humour. I could tell that in some ways, peculiarly enough, there were people in other parts of the world who took their situation more seriously than themselves.
My feelings were confirmed when the next day I sat in front of the TV, flicking channels and finally settling on one of the many music stations taking the Arab world by storm. This one was called “Superstar”, not to be confused with the pan-Arab Idol show of the same name, and it ran music videos and concert clips 24/7, SMS messages of love and flirtation scrolling constantly across the bottom of the screen in gaudy technicolour. A family friend later confirmed that they were watching Mazzika, another of these music channels, more than Al-Jazeera. It all seemed very bizarre to me, but I concluded that in such times of trouble, no matter how misguided it seemed, music videos, with their cheeky storylines and buffed, good-looking and impossibly happy actors, obviously served as an antidote. Forget occupation and war — Nancy Ajram had a new album out.
January 4th, 2007 — Uncategorized
As one would expect, the execution of Saddam Hussain has prompted a lot of debate and discussion on Arab and Muslim websites and blogs. As there is evidently continued interest in the issue, here’s a quick listing of some of the more interesting links and articles we’ve come across. Feel free to suggest others in the comments and we’ll add them.
Abu Eesa offers an Islamic perspective on what took place, writing, “I’d never have ever thought it possible for there to be such a sadness, such support and such unity of feeling from the general Muslims around the world at the death of a man who oppressed and butchered thousands of people during his reign.”
January 4th, 2007 — News
Michael J. Totten’s blog demonstrates how the medium can be used to bring a depth of reporting that one doesn’t ordinarily find in the so-called mainstream media. Totten has no corporate backing, relying instead on donations and, I presume, the sale of his freelance writing and photography yet one can only be impressed by his work. His latest Hanging with Hezbollah piece is a good example of that:
The first time I met Hussein Naboulsi, Hezbollah’s media relations liaison, he was perfectly friendly. But he later threatened me with physical violence because I cracked a joke about Hezbollah on my blog. On another occasion I was detained for two hours by Hezbollah because they suspected one of my photojournalist colleagues was a Jew. A reporter friend (and I’ll keep his name out of this) was harassed because of an entirely innocuous article he wrote about them for a mainstream left-wing American magazine. Chris Allbritton, who works on occasion for Time magazine, wrote the following on his blog during the July War: “Hizbullah is launching Katyushas, but I’m loathe to say too much about them. The Party of God has a copy of every journalist’s passport, and they’ve already hassled a number of us and threatened one.”
It’s worth a read (and a bookmark).
January 2nd, 2007 — Society
The New York Times has a piece on the “illusion” of free will.
Mark Hallett, a researcher with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said, “Free will does exist, but it’s a perception, not a power or a driving force. People experience free will. They have the sense they are free.
“The more you scrutinize it, the more you realize you don’t have it,” he said.