Downtown bar scene

This is a critique of an article on the demise of the downtown Cairo bar scene The article in question seems to have more or less lifted the essence of an earlier article. They’re all tagged on my delicious under Cairo and probably beer or bar. too busy to look them up at the moment.
Anyway, [...]

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Radio on Religious Descrimination

Radio program segment on religious freedom in Egypt.

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Morality Police

Thanks to the Arabist for this link.
Self-appointed enforcers of Islamic law are becoming more common in Egypt, a Sunni Muslim nation with a population well above 70 million. Unlike the state-sanctioned morality police of conservative theocracies such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, Egypt’s enforcers are ordinary people who take it upon themselves to offer religious [...]

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Of Veils and Segregation

I posted this ages ago when a monaqqaba won a case against AUC because they were barring entry with a face veil. To the comments there i would like to add that the reason i am sorry AUC lost the battle is because AUC is a private institution. It’s not a public park, street or [...]

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Why I Hate Ramadan – Ramadan Rant

I found this unposted piece of writing from last year. I’ve done the editing but havent bothered to change much. Though it’s a little dated to my mind, i think all of the meaning is still there. It’s quite different from the general direction of this blog and i hope it will not offend too [...]

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Saudi divorce over face?!

i found this to be absolutely hilarious.
Since it’s in Arabic, briefly: Woman got fuming mad, left her husband’s house because he purportedly tried to sneak a glance at her face while she was asleep. Funnily enough, they;’ve been married for some 30 years and have children. Now, i know that Khamees (e)Msheit is one of [...]

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Pakistan: Islam’s Fault

UPDATE: oops! forgot the link.
I just read a pretty interesting article in the National Geographic that takes a look at Islam in Pakistan and its relationship to both fundamentalist Islam and violent Islamists, entitled “Struggle for the Soul of Pakistan”. I have always, since my insect-observing science-obsessed nerdy childhood had a certain affection for NG [...]

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Niqab in Philly

Peter Spiro on Opinio Juris brings up the large number of niqab-covered women in Philadelphia, and points to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer on them.

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Amnesty and Abortion

I’ve always found abortion to be one of those areas where i am unable to make a judgment, or support one side over another. For one thing, i dont know what it’s like to conceive and bear a child. While fascinating, perhaps even magical, it seems like altogether way too much trouble. More importantly, i [...]

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“Losing My Jihadism”

Someone pointed me to this article in the washington post by a writer (and apparently former imam) who tried salafism and decided the violence wasnt for him. He advocates Islam’s need for a reformation. Needless to say, he’s rather unliked.

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veil accolade

argh!
umm.. err.. uhhh.. umm.. sigh..
argh!
It’s a recent music video called: “You’ve taken on the veil; bravo!”
Do i have to elaborate? i’m sorry, am at a loss.

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Silverstein on Islamists

Just caught an article in the March Harper’s by Ken Silverstein. It’s one of the most measured looks at “Islamist” movements/parties in the region and the West’s (particularly, the US) approach to dealing (or, rather, decidedly not) with them.
Naturally, he touches on the oxymoronic so-called “Bush Doctrine”:
Notwithstanding President Bush’s new “forward strategy of freedom,” the [...]

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Court: AUC can’t ban niqab

While i am generally for personal freedoms, i draw the line at niqab. Primarily because, at the risk of sounding like a government, i do believe that it does cross into that zone where it transgresses others’ security (or senses thereof). I, personally, do not feel safe in the presence of people whose faces i [...]

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Active Islam (Qaeda and MB)

A round up of some recent stuff on Active Islam.
First, the super-evil al-Qaeda. Bruce Reidal from the brookings institute (and a 29-year career in the CIA and political intelligence and security posts) writes in Foreign Affairs on the resurgence of al-Qaeda across the globe and what the US, NATO and other allies should do about [...]

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