Stories about Islam and the West:
No sane, free person would choose to wear a burka
I also told them that while in Afghanistan, I asked all of the many women I met there whether they liked wearing a burka. Not one said yes. In fact, they all said they hated it almost as much as they hated the Taliban. It's no wonder.
Licia Corbella, Calgary Herald, June 27
The new jihadi menu -- eat your kill
If anyone ever doubted the West faces sheer insanity in the fight against the most extreme of the Muslim extremists, consider a discussion that recently erupted on a jihadist Web site based on the writings of one of al Qaeda's leading theorists. The thrust of the debate was that Muslim fighters may be justified in cannibalizing U.S. soldiers if they find themselves with nothing else to eat.
Steven Edwards, Full Comment, National Post, July 2
Ex-VP of Arab group stands by controversial remarks
Mr. Shaban's latest comments angered Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, who drew attention to Mr. Shaban's original posts on Facebook. "He's hiding behind the plight of the aboriginals," said Mr. Fatah, a vocal critic of the CAF. "This is a very convenient shield behind which many Islamists hide."
National Post, July 3
No surprise burka-clad women didn't write in
A funny thing has happened in the last week following my column about how burkas should be banned in Canada. I have received a lot of mail about it and of all the letters sent to me directly about my opinion, only one was from a woman, which we ran as a letter to the editor. More significantly, however, not ONE letter came from a burka-or niqab-wearing woman. I don't find that at all surprising actually, and I believe it upholds my thesis, that women who wear burkas and niqabs are not free. They have no voice.
Licia Corbella, Calgary Herald, July 4
Fashion on trial: France debates whether women can wear niqabs
Parliamentary hearings to begin looking at whether Muslim head scarves are protected freedom of speech or instruments of male oppression
Globe and Mail, July 6
Show your 'burka pride'
In his June speech in Cairo, U. S. President Barack Obama said that Westerners should "avoid dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear." On the other hand, French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that burkas and niqabs, both of which cover the face, are a "debasement" of women and shouldn't be permitted in France. So who's right? Sarkozy, of course.
Barbara Kay, National Post, July 6
A better way to rid Canada of the burka
My ongoing unscientific survey of the Canadian commentariat suggests the "ban the burka" crowd is losing badly to the "it's a free society; wear what you want; just don't expect me to like it" crowd, both in numbers and in the substance of their arguments. But I've been surprised to see perhaps the most crucial question go largely neglected: Assuming Canada could and did ban the burka, would it work?
Chris Selley, Full Comment, National Post, July 7
Iran's religious elite calls election 'illegitimate'
Now, a growing rift among the country's religious elite could become the single greatest challenge to the theocratic leadership since 1979. After weeks of relative silence, some of Iran's leading ayatollahs and a religious body, the Assembly of Qum Seminary Scholars, have directly challenged Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, for endorsing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial victory in last month's elections.
Peter Goodspeed, National Post, July 7
Freedom includes being allowed to wear a veil
Unfortunately, the people who lash out at the niqab or burka are usually those who feel the most uncomfortable with it: journalists, politicians, intellectuals and feminists. Under the pretense of defending freedom of thought, they are actually legitimizing hate, thus generating the exact opposite of what they claim to defend.
Shelina Merani, Vancouver Sun, July 8
A target for hate
The question we Muslims have to ask is this: What do we gain by using our daughters, sisters and wives to carry the false burden of the hijab as if it were the flag of Islam?
Tarek Fatah, National Post, July 8
Islam's Double Standard
This week, more than 100 Muslims have died and thousands more have been arrested in China. Yet not a peep of protest has been heard on the streets of Cairo, Karachi or Tehran. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, it seems, is too busy imprisoning and herding Iranian Muslims to jail to hear the outcry in Xinxiang, while Egyptian religious leader, Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi, has also ignored the persecution of the Uighurs. China, after all is the trusted ally of the Arab world.
Tarek Fatah, National Post, July 9
Earlier: Stories about Islam and the West
Other stories from the past week:
'100 Huntley Street' says church money not used in alleged Ponzi scheme
The Canadian ministry behind "100 Huntley Street" said Thursday that church money was not misappropriated by two of the TV show's hosts who have been suspended over alleged links to a US$14.1-million Ponzi scheme. Any investments made by Ron and Reynold Mainse were "personal and private" in nature and did not draw from the ministry's 20,000-plus pool of donors, said Doug McKenzie, CEO of Crossroads Christian Communications.
Canadian Press, July 2
Earlier: Mainse brothers step down from Crossroads posts during Ponzi investigation
New Bible reminds Americans that God loves them just the way they were
In these days of changing religious demographics, low morale and polarized politics, the makers of a new Bible want to remind Americans that God and country go hand-in-hand in greatness.
Holy Post, National Post, July 2
An insidious cultural campaign
The Dead Sea Scrolls, which are being exhibited this week at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), have survived time, weather, sand -- and now the political storm caused by protests at their being toured by the Israel Museum, which houses the scrolls in Jerusalem.
Ed Morgan, National Post, July 2
Earlier: Stories about the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum
Can a heterosexual be a feminist?
For most of us who think this is a non-question -- or perhaps a condescending, divisive and highly ideological one -- it is nevertheless a question taken extremely seriously by the people who teach women's studies at UBC. Some academic feminists, not all, even suggest the answer is "No."
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, July 2
Sask. appeal court asked whether commissioners can opt out of same-sex marriages
The Saskatchewan government wants the province's highest court to weigh in on proposed legislation that would allow marriage commissioners to not perform same-sex marriages if it is contrary to their religious beliefs. Justice Minister Don Morgan said Friday that the government is referring legislative options to the Court of Appeal for its opinion on whether the proposals meet the requirements of the Charter of Rights.
Canadian Press, July 3
The priest, er, rabbi, er, guru of ecumenicism
"I am part of all I have met," said Ulysses in Tennyson's poem of that name, and the same could be said of Huston Smith. The ancient mythical Trojan and the contemporary religious teacher shared intensely lived lives, unthwarted by age or infirmity. . . . Tales of Wonder is filled with vignettes that shaped the author's life with the world's religions. Engaging those experiences with him provides readers with lenses through which they too can come to know the world's diverse faiths.
Wayne A. Holst, Globe and Mail, July 3
Sing no praise
Faith has always played a large role in Ms. Brueggergosman's life. The daughter and sister of Baptist priests, she has an honorary doctorate from Acadia University, attends Bible studies in the park on Tuesday evenings and begins every morning with her husband reading scripture. She says that even when the pain became overwhelming, her belief in God kept her calm throughout. "I know the next life is better," she says.
National Post, July 4
Designing a made-in-B.C. spirituality
British Columbia could be prime ground for starting a new religion rooted in a local vision
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, July 4
Celestial sirens in the cloister
Nuns in Renaissance Italy could express themselves, and turn rebellion positive, through music
Lynda Grace Philippsen, Vancouver Sun, July 4
Right-wing culture warriors are putting Palin's martyred political career up on a cross
Since posting this blog entry critical of Sarah Palin on Friday, I have been getting a lot of angry email from right-wing culture warriors. That's not particularly surprising. But what is surprising is the general tone. Many of my correspondents seem to be turning Palin into a sort of political Christ figure, who has been martyred for America's political sins.
Jonathan Kay, Full Comment, National Post, July 4
Emperor remains head of Shintoism in Japan
Shintoism continues to be a crucial cultural force in Japan, and is practised even by those who maintain they are not religious
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, July 4
Cross of the sickle: Ottawa plans monument to communism's victims
Three years ago, Jason Kenney -- then secretary of state for multiculturalism, now federal Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism -- says he met with the Czech and Slovak Association, who brought him to a small memorial for communism's victims they had built in a private Toronto park. It was a Christ-like figure crucified on a hammer and sickle. "I said to them, sort of half jokingly, 'Any chance we could move this to Ottawa as a national monument?'" he recalls. "They said, 'That's a brilliant idea, why don't we do that? Why don't we create a monument for the victims of Communism in Ottawa?' And we immediately got to work."
National Post, July 5
Winnipeg artist was best known for his bronze sculptures
Leo Mol was a sculptor whose bronzes earned a distinguished place on Parliament Hill, in Vatican museums and in his beloved home of Winnipeg.
Canadian Press, July 6
Teamwork puts oldest Bible online
1,600-year-old fragments come together digitally
CanWest News Service, July 7
Counsellor fights stereotypes while aiding gang youth
He seems the antithesis of someone who has signed on to run an anti-gang program. He regularly attends church, wears golf shirts and has an easygoing demeanour. His name is Jabari Lindsay, and he is project manager for Toronto's Youth Gang Prevention program.
Toronto Star, July 7
Eckhart Tolle needs a larger vision
If I were to design my own civil religion for Cascadia -- which is another term for the Pacific Northwest, the wondrous bio-region that includes B.C., Washington and Oregon -- there are some things I would definitely NOT include.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, July 7
Earlier: Veteran apologist tackles Tolle bestseller
Advise and Consent
Part of the reason for the low-profile of abortion as a political issue is the strong majority of the public in favour of legal access to the procedure. While in the United States neither the pro-choice nor pro-life side can consistently command a majority of public support, the issue is more settled north of the border. Depending on the question asked, somewhere between half and three-quarters of Canadians favour access. As a result of this 20-year consensus, attempts to limit access to abortion procedures have moved away from a general approach to a more narrow-cast legislative agenda.
Andrew Steele, Globe and Mail, July 7
Healthy pastor latest victim of swine flu
The latest Canadian victims of the pandemic virus that has claimed more than 400 lives worldwide include an apparently healthy pastor of a church in rural Manitoba -- a hockey-playing father who fell ill on Father's Day. The members of the Oakbank Baptist Church in Oakbank, a village just east of Winnipeg, were told at a church service on Sunday that Perry Chernesky had died from H1N1 at the age of 43.
Globe and Mail, July 8
High school teacher faces sexual exploitation charge
An Abbotsford Catholic high school teacher hailed on Facebook as "possibly one of the greatest teachers St. John Brebeuf has ever had" has been charged with sexually exploiting a student.
Vancouver Sun, July 8
Let the (Jewish) games begin
We Jews would like to be -- but are not -- a light-hearted people. We often indulge in humorous one-upmanship, a sparring instinct that bubbles up when social anxiety partners with ratiocination. But we are not by tradition physically playful, which requires a light heart. Physical playfulness after childhood emerges from cultural confidence and socially sanctioned joy in bodily exertion for its own sake. That has not been the normative Jewish condition.
Barbara Kay, National Post, July 8
The land of bloated budgets
To the extent that Middle America thinks about Canada -- which is not very much -- it's the softer, spendthrift, statist neighbour to the north. It's not unusual to hear us described as socialist, or at least some of our programs. So it would be a surprise to most Americans, and perhaps Canadians too, to realize that the United States could learn something from Canada about how to run a less statist economy.
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, July 9
July 9/2009
