Category Archives: Irrational religious authority
Another religious psycho curses ‘unbelievers’ except this time its a Jew
I’m sad to report that irrational religious authority in Israel can be as hate filled, venomous and counter peace when they are Jewish as they are when they are Muslim. Not as often certainly and not genocidaly so, but nonetheless this is repugnant.
From Israel Matzav:
Rabbi Yosef curses the ‘Palestinians’
Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, the Shas party’s spiritual leader who once advocated ‘land for peace,’ cursed ‘moderate‘ ‘Palestinian‘ President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen and the ‘Palestinians’ in his Saturday night Torah class.
Senior Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, in his weekly lecture on Saturday night, said that he hope Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas and the people he represents would disappear. “May Abu Mazen and all those evil people be utterly destroyed. May G-d strike them, and the evil Palestinians, with a plague,” he said.
JPost
:
Shas veteran Yehuda Avidan responded by saying that anyone who knows Yosef knows that there is no one who wants and seeks peace more than him. Avidan explained that the rabbi sees the Palestinians as Israel’s enemies but wants there to be peace.
Until now Yosef has steered clear of commenting on anything related to diplomatic negotiations. At the end of the 1980s Yosef ruled that the country should seek peace, even at the price of painful concessions, given the supremacy of the Jewish value of ‘pikuakh nefesh’ (saving of life).
I don’t believe that the Rabbi needs defending. I believe that he is being quite sensible.
Morocco gives 6 months in jail for eating during Ramadan
In a post from a couple of days ago, there is a screen shot of a McDonald’s with a sign that says they will not serve Muslims during Ramadan. Below, is the video from which that screen shot was taken. Keep in mind, that while this is systemic in as much as the state itself imposes these charges, in Spain, France and other nations where Muslims reach a certain critical mass, sharia law to one degree or another is imposed on the Islamic community by appointed sharia police and somewhat unabashedly. In fact, many Canadian Imams have been quoted as saying they will obey Canadian law so long as it does not conflict with Islamic ones, which of course, they do in pretty much any and every meaningful way.
Islam: the Religion of Peace Village in suburban Toronto
While this story is 3 years old and all things considered, it probably has more relevance today.
Giving Peace a chance in Muslim suburbia
VAUGHAN -Before dawn in this sprawl north of Toronto, McDonald’s is locked and Tim Hortons is empty. The fake mountain of Canada’s Wonderland, the amusement park, peeks from the gloom. Across the street looms the white minaret of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at mosque.
By National Post, October 6, 2007.
VAUGHAN -Before dawn in this sprawl north of Toronto, McDonald’s is locked and Tim Hortons is empty. The fake mountain of Canada’s Wonderland, the amusement park, peeks from the gloom. Across the street looms the white minaret of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at mosque.
A speaker in the parking lot crackles and broadcasts the Arabic call to prayer. Suddenly, silent life fills the dark streets. Men dressed in the long white shalwar camise of their native Pakistan and women in head scarfs emerge from their brick homes.
The only sound is the squeak of hundreds of soles on the asphalt. At the mosque, couples separate: women to their basement prayer hall, men headed upstairs. Before sunrise on this day of Ramadan, they are coming to pray.
Welcome to Peace Village, Canada’s first Islamic subdivision, where all 260 homes belong to members the Ahmadiyya sect, who flooded to Canada in the 1980s after persecution in Pakistan. It looks ordinary, with basketball nets and minivans in the driveways, until you notice the street signs: Mahmood Crescent, Ahmadiyya Avenue and Noor-Ud-Din Court.
“There is nothing like this in North America,” boasts Naseer Ahmad, a real estate agent from Pakistan who dreamed up this community of Islamic dream homes (including oak stairs and central air conditioning) on the edge of Toronto. “You have a mosque, and people are walking to enjoy their faith.”
The houses, with some modifications, such as increased ventilation (for spicy food) and separate living rooms for women and men, are so successful that, six years after Peace Village opened, Mr. Ahmad plans to double the mosque’s size and is now selling 55 townhomes, 1,700 square feet each, for around $350,000 with a garage and a yard, as “Peace Village Phase II.” Continue Reading →
Kissing Cousins
Thank you KitmanTV for arranging this
Muslim fasting causes retarded babies.
Anyone surprised? From BBC
Pregnant women told not to fast during holy Ramadan
By Divya Talwar BBC Asian Network
Fasting is not advised in pregnancyPregnant women who fast during Ramadan could be putting the health of their unborn baby at risk, according to a new study.
Fasting during the month is one of the five pillars of Islam, although pregnant women are exempt if it poses a risk to their health.
However, some Muslim women still choose to fast, despite the health implications.
Aanisa Butt, 32, fasted during both of her pregnancies.
“I wouldn’t fast every day, I would do one day of fasting followed by a day of rest. Doing alternate days helped me keep my energy levels up,” she said.
Continue reading the main story
Related stories
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and a time when Muslims across the world fast from dawn until sunset.
“When Ramadan falls in the summer, it can be really difficult to stay without food and water the whole day and if you’re pregnant it is even more hard,” said Aanisa.
“But I wasn’t worried about my health or my baby’s. I think Allah gives you strength and he protects your unborn child.”
Aanisa Mum-of-two who fasted during both pregnancies during Ramadan
Although Aanisa gave birth to two healthy sons, if women fast for long hours during their pregnancy it can result in problems for their unborn child.
A study by scientists in the United States, based on census data from the US, Iraq and Uganda, found that pregnant women who fast are likely to have smaller babies who are more prone to learning disabilities in adulthood. Continue Reading →
Two people assaulted in France for eating during Ramadam. One was not even Muslim
This is a machine translation from the French article here. I will try and get a better translation done later. Still, you get the jist.
Assaulted because they did not respect Ramadan [+ quick history]
Par Jeannot le 23 août 2010 By Jeannot August 23, 2010
![Assaulted because they did not respect Ramadan [+ quick history]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4920008603_7314742aa9_t.jpg)
A man who was lunching on the terrace of a restaurant in central Lyon was assaulted for not respecting Ramadan
He breakfasted on the terrace of a restaurant in central Lyon, the weekend of Aug. 15, when three youths pounced on him because he does not respect the fasting month of Ramadan. The father of Senegalese origin, living Venissieux, was struck in the head with a glass bottle, then hit with a chair.
Transported to the hospital with a fractured skull at the back, the victim has been trépanée. The attack was filmed by a CCTV camera, but the bad images do not identify the attackers. The Lyon prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation. According to our information, the manager of Kebab, fearing reprisals, would testify under X.
Three days later, a young Jewish woman who wore a complaint after being assaulted in a large area of Toulouse. . The victim claimed to have been taken to task by two teenagers who accused him of buying food during fasting.
The young woman would then argued that she was Jewish, which would only intensify the anger of his attackers, who, after having called a “dirty Jew”, allegedly hit on the head, by the heavy fall.
A vigil attended the scene without intervening. When questioned by investigators about the reasons for its passivity, the man explained that he respected Ramadan and so was anxious to leave in order to eat, from the sunset.
Kissing Cousins: exposing the tragic genetic consequences of cousin marriage
From The Daily Mail U.K.
The greatest taboo: One woman lifts the lid on on the tragic genetic consequences of when first cousins marry
By Tazeen Ahmad
Last updated at 12:47 PM on 22nd August 2010Sitting in the family living room, I watched tensely as my mother and her older brother signed furiously at each other. Although almost completely without sound, their row was high-octane, even vicious.
Tazeen Ahmad files a courageous and controversial report on one of the great taboos of modern Britain
Last updated at 12:47 PM on 22nd August 2010Sitting in the family living room, I watched tensely as my mother and her older brother signed furiously at each other. Although almost completely without sound, their row was high-octane, even vicious.
Three of my uncles were born deaf but they knew how to make themselves heard. Eventually, my uncle caved in and fondly put his arm around his sister.
My mum has always had a special place in her family because she was the first girl to live beyond childhood. Five of her sisters died as babies or toddlers. It was not until many years later that anyone worked out why so many children died and three boys were born deaf.
Today there is no doubt among us that this tragedy occurred because my grandparents were first cousins.
Tazeen Ahmad files a courageous and controversial report on one of the great taboos of modern Britain
My grandmother’s heart was broken from losing so many daughters at such a young age. As a parent, I can’t imagine what she went through.
My family is not unique. In the UK more than 50 per cent of British Pakistanis marry their cousins – in Bradford that figure is 75 per cent – and across the country the practice is on the rise and also common among East African, Middle-Eastern and Bangladeshi communities. Continue Reading →
Canada: Muslim group considers suit against ‘islamophobes’ who discover it’s roots in Muslim Brotherhood
From The Edmonton Sun
Local Muslim association faces rumour campaign
By ANDREW HANON, Edmonton Sun
Last Updated: August 19, 2010 9:16pm
- Issam Saleh, chairman of the Muslim Association of Canada’s Edmonton chapter, sits in a prayer room at the Rahma Mosque on Thursday. (AMBER BRACKEN/EDMONTON SUN)
A letter to the editor in a west-end newspaper suggesting a local Muslim association has ties to extremists could be the final straw in an increasingly shrill campaign against a proposed Islamic school in Lessard.
The chairman of the Muslim Association of Canada’s Edmonton chapter says the organization is considering suing a tiny handful of “people exhibiting Islamophobia” who are spreading distortions and outright falsehoods about the organization.
“Very much so,” said Issam Saleh. “Our lawyers are compiling a case and we’re considering legal action.” Continue Reading →
Sharia in Chechnya: women attacked for not wearing head scarves
From The Province, courtesy TROP
Women targeted in Chechnya
Reuters August 22, 2010
Many women in Russia’s volatile Chechnya region said on Friday they had been harassed and some physically harmed by bands of men for not wearing head scarves during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Against the backdrop of a spreading Islamist insurgency, many fear that growing interest in radical Islam could fuel separatism in the volatile North Caucasus, where the Kremlin watches uneasily as sharia law eclipses Russian.
Residents and witnesses told Reuters that bearded men in traditional Islamic dress have been roaming the streets both on foot and in cars since Ramadan started on Aug. 11, demanding bare-headed women wear a head scarf. Continue Reading →
Muz Bunny
From the time when we had freedom to mock irrational religious authority
Daisy digs in her heels over Victory Mosque
From The New York Post, courtesy TROP
Imam’s wife ‘won’t cave’ on Ground Zero mosque, blames GOP
By JENNIFER FERMINO
With Post Wire Services
Last Updated: 10:27 AM, August 20, 2010
Posted: 1:14 AM, August 20, 2010
The defiant wife of the cleric behind the planned mosque near Ground Zero vowed yesterday to go ahead with the project — calling it a “history-making moment” in the fight against “Islamophobia.”
Daisy Khan, who founded the project along with her husband, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, said the increasing opposition — which she blamed on Republicans — has only caused organizers to become more committed.
“There is too much at stake, constitutional rights, the development of the Muslims here, how the world is watching the United States. We tell people America upholds religious freedom. We should not compromise those values,” she said in an interview with The Washington Post.
Daisy Khan, wife of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the moving force behind the planned mosque near Ground Zero, had strong words about the project yesterday.
WHITE HOUSE AGHAST OVER ‘SECRET MUSLIM’ POLL
RUDY ASKS MOSQUE TO MOVE IN ‘HEAL’ APPEAL
VIDEO: MOSQUE DEBATE ON GOOD DAY NEW YORK
The furor surrounding the planned mosque and Islamic cultural center two blocks from Ground Zero has “only strengthened our supporters. None of them have caved. They are circling the wagons around us. They know they could be next.”
“We have too important a moment to back down. We have to take our opponents and transform them. We have to convince people that not all Muslims are extremists,” she said.
“We have to educate them on being able to distinguish between us and on the issue of Islamophobia.”
Khan spoke out about the mosque while her husband is in the Middle East on a goodwill trip sponsored by the US State Department.
Throughout the interview with columnist Sally Quinn, Khan repeatedly stressed the importance of moving forward with the project, which has stirred debate all over the country.
“What gives me strength [is that] we are in a history-making moment. Our ideals must prevail. We have to fight for a bigger society,” said Khan.
She said that she and her husband had received death threats and have informed the police.
Khan said the organizers “will have a dialogue” with the families of 9/11 victims, but added about the mosque site: “It is private property. To walk away without taking everything into consideration would be irresponsible.”
Instead of creating enemies, she said, she hopes this controversy will help people better understand Islam.
“We are debating about having a healing dialogue, building bridges, and this whole thing has turned into the opposite of what we have envisioned,” she said.
Khan said she is completely taken aback by the opposition.
She expressed surprise that “a community center for everyone in the neighborhood, to scale up and build up people of all religions, has become so skewed.”
The clamor around the mosque has become so deafening, she said, she’s afraid to turn on the TV.
“It’s hard to see yourself portrayed this way daily. But to me, it’s an indication that the post-9/11 controversy is not finished. It’s not over and neither is the healing. This is a teaching moment. A healing moment,” she said.
She blamed partisan strife for stirring up people’s emotions.
“It’s hard for us to imagine we are in the thick of a controversy like this. The Republicans are really going after us,” she said.
The uproar over the mosque, said Khan, shows that “there is still healing that needs to happen. There are bigger issues here and it’s also about how Muslims are perceived. When will Muslims be accepted as plain old Americans?”
“This is a bigger fight. This is a defining moment for us.”
Addressing one of the more controversial aspects of the project — who will pay the big bucks for its completion — she said that the fund-raising has not begun yet.
“On the advice of our attorneys, we wanted to clear the civic hurdles first,” she said.
Khan said that she and her husband have been talking to Muslims all over the United States about the project.
“It’s a major concern of the Muslim communities because it has sparked anti-Islam and anti-mosque feelings everywhere. Six mosques have already been prevented from being established. We have to be careful about every step we take. There are huge stakes in this,” she said.
She claimed that there has been little interest in her project from Muslims outside the United States, but said that might change since her husband began his tour of the Middle East.
A State Department spokesman said that Rauf might speak about the mosque during the tour.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he talks about the ongoing debate within the United States, as an example of our emphasis on religious tolerance and resolving questions that come up within the rule of law,” said department spokesman P.J. Crowley.
Rauf — who has been on several State Department tours, including two under former President George W. Bush — is not allowed to fund-raise on the trip.
Sharia comes to Berkeley; first Muslim College Zaytuna, to open this fall
Zaytuna to open this fall
Scholars Plan U.S.’ First Four-Year Accredited Islamic College
Sunday, May 17, 2009 
AP
Imam Zaid Shakir, a Muslim scholar and teacher, plans to soon open Zaytuna Institute, an American Muslim think-tank/educational institution.
The ultimate purpose of Zaytuna College is to become the bulwark for a wholly new construction of Islam, one firmly rooted in traditional Islamic teachings, yet uniquely and unapologetically American.
PLAINSBORO, N.J. — A group of American Muslims, led by two prominent scholars, is moving closer to fulfilling a vision of founding the first four-year accredited Islamic college in the United States, what some are calling a “Muslim Georgetown.”
Advisers to the project have scheduled a June vote to decide whether the proposed Zaytuna College can open in the fall of next year, a major step toward developing the faith in America.
Imam Zaid Shakir and Sheik Hamza Yusuf of California have spent years planning the school, which will offer a liberal arts education and training in Islamic scholarship. Shakir, a California native, sees the school in the tradition of other religious groups that formed universities to educate leaders and carve a space in the mainstream of American life.
“As a faith community our needs aren’t any different than the needs of any other faith community,” Shakir told the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals, as he sought donations at a recent conference near Princeton, N.J. “As Muslims, we need to develop institutions to allow us to perpetuate our values.” Continue Reading →
Muslim sues Disneyland over headscarf
From The Telegraph U.K.
Muslim woman sues Disneyland over headscarf
A Muslim woman is suing Disneyland, accusing the company’s California theme park of discrimination for telling her she could not serve customers if she chose to wear a headscarf.
Published: 5:53PM BST 19 Aug 2010
Imane Boudal is now bringing Disney before the US Equal Opportunity Commission Photo: AP
Imane Boudal, 26, asked her employers at Disneyland’s Grand Californian Hotel several months ago whether they would permit her to wear a headcovering while working as a hostess, a spokesman for a worker’s union said.
But when no reply was forthcoming, she decided to don the headscarf anyway, timing her decision with the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Leigh Shelton, a spokesman for the Unite Here Local 11 union said.
“Disney told Boudlal that if she wanted to work as a hostess she had to remove her hijab because it did not comply with the ‘Disney Look,’” the spokesman said. Continue Reading →
Australian judge orders Muslim woman to remove niqab in court
From The Daily Mail U.K.
Muslim woman who hasn’t shown her face in public for 18 years ordered to remove veil to give evidence in Australian court
By Richard Shears
Last updated at 1:11 PM on 19th August 2010
An Australian judge has ordered a witness to remove her niqab, a veil which leaves only the eyes visible. (File photo)
A strict Muslim woman who says she has never shown her face in public, has been ordered by a female judge to remove her veil when she gives evidence in an Australian court.
District Court judge Shauna Deane said in the Western Australian Supreme Court today that in the interest of a fair trial against a man accused of fraud, she should not be allowed to wear a niqab, which allows only the eyes to be seen.
The 36-year-old woman, known only as Tasneem, said she was a strict Muslim and it was against her religion to show her face anywhere except in the confines of her home. Continue Reading →