“الدين معاملة”: Do Unto Others
We hear the above term a lot, and some suspect that it is derives from the Hadith of the Prophet of Islam (Peace Be Upon Him). However, most are confused as to its origins, given that it appears in...
Category: Religion
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn: Reflections In the Aftermath of the Connecticut School Shooting
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into...
2012 LFF Dispatch 1: The House with a Turret, The Horses of God, Wolf Children
In the third year of the Great Patriotic War a nameless boy and his sick mother make their way back to their home in Ukraine. The train they travel on rumbles like artillery fire, a fellow passenger...
On Benghazi, Cairo and American Foreign Policy as Theatre of the Absurd
The developments of this week were truly remarkable: Alleged protests outside the US embassies in Benghazi* and Cairo that culminated in the killings of four US diplomats – and all of it allegedly...
On the Year of the Semiautomatic Firearm: Guns in 2012 America
So, where will next week’s public shooting(s) happen, America? Or should I be asking about tomorrow? This afternoon perhaps? What precisely is going on these days? I spent several hours yesterday...
True Blood: Time for the True Death?
My response thus far to the fifth season of True Blood on HBO has been one of overwhelming ennui. The show appears to have long-ago passed its ‘use by’ date, and right now it’s skulking in the...
Sex Online? The Ultra-Orthodox Rally Against the Internet
In New York yesterday, forty thousand Haredim (“ultra Orthodox”) and Hassidic male Jews crammed into Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets, in an asifa (rally) against the Internet. It was a...
North Carolina’s Amendment One and the Fight for the State’s Soul
Next Tuesday, May 8, the citizens of North Carolina will go to the ballot to participate in the state’s 2012 primary elections. But they’ll also have the opportunity to vote for or against a...
The Threat of Women’s Autonomy: The Vatican’s Crackdown on Nuns
Working to eradicate poverty! Promoting better healthcare! The Catholic Church has been responsible for some atrocious things over the centuries, but working towards economic justice and helping sick...
Why Liberals Should be Nervous about Santorum’s Super Tuesday
When I heard yesterday that Sarah Palin was already talking about a potential presidential bid in 2016, I saw the writing on the wall: The Republican establishment isn’t even pretending to care...