Salon.com > Islam http://www.salon.com Sun, 27 May 2012 13:20:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 The final unraveling of Afghanistan? http://www.salon.com/2012/02/28/the_final_unraveling_of_afghanistan/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/28/the_final_unraveling_of_afghanistan/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:17:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12446841 Is it all over but the (anti-American) shouting -- and the killing? Are the exits finally coming into view?

Sometimes, in a moment, the fog lifts, the clouds shift, and you can finally see the landscape ahead with startling clarity. In Afghanistan, Washington may be reaching that moment in a state of panic, horror and confusion. Even as an anxious U.S. commander withdrew American and NATO advisors from Afghan ministries around Kabul last weekend -- approximately 300, military spokesman James Williams tells TomDispatch -- the ability of American soldiers to remain on giant fortified bases eating pizza and fried chicken into the distant future is not in doubt.

No set of Taliban guerrillas, suicide bombers or armed Afghan “allies” turning their guns on their American “brothers” can alter that -- not as long as Washington is ready to bring the necessary supplies into semi-blockaded Afghanistan at staggering cost. But sometimes that’s the least of the matter, not the essence of it. So if you’re in a mood to mark your calendars, late February 2012 may be the moment when the end game for America’s second Afghan War, launched in October 2001, was initially glimpsed.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/02/28/the_final_unraveling_of_afghanistan/feed/ 39 Welcome to the first annual celebrity religion swap http://www.salon.com/2012/02/22/welcome_to_the_first_annual_celebrity_religion_swap/ http://www.salon.com/2012/02/22/welcome_to_the_first_annual_celebrity_religion_swap/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12378521 Muslims worldwide groaned upon hearing the news that Oliver Stone’s son, Sean, converted to Islam while filming a documentary in Iran.

Although we -- the collective 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide -- assume Sean Stone is a fine, upstanding man and sincerely wish him spiritual contentment, we earnestly ask Allah why Islam only attracts controversial celebs (in this case, the son of a controversial celeb) who further tarnish our already toxic brand name?

We plead to the heavens for an answer as to why he converted in Iran, of all places, which is currently the most feared and loathed country in America and about as popular as herpes.

We have patiently endured, oh, Allah.

We miraculously survived Mike Tyson, who converted to Islam while incarcerated, and then angrily threatened Lennox Lewis in an infamous interview: “I want your heart. I will eat his children. Praise be to Allah.”

Awesome.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/02/22/welcome_to_the_first_annual_celebrity_religion_swap/feed/ 26 What if Tim Tebow were Muslim? http://www.salon.com/2012/01/12/what_if_tim_tebow_were_muslim/ http://www.salon.com/2012/01/12/what_if_tim_tebow_were_muslim/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12114821 Tim Tebow's profession of faith has thrust the mixture of sport and religion into the national spotlight in a way that few can remember.

Students have been suspended for "Tebowing" -- dropping to one knee to pray, even if you're the only one doing it -- in a school hallway in New York. Rick Perry claimed that he would be the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses. "Saturday Night Live" lampooned Tebow’s fan-boy love for Jesus. In response, Pat Robertson has claimed that the skit demonstrates “anti-Christian bigotry.” His supporters even called for a boycott of HBO after a Bill Maher tweet made fun of Tebow and his relationship to Jesus after his Denver Broncos lost to the Buffalo Bills.

After an overtime upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend, Tebow's Broncos play the top-seeded New England Patriots on Saturday. For at least one more media cycle, there will appear to be no way to separate Tim Tebow – the person, the quarterback, the Christian – from his religion.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/01/12/what_if_tim_tebow_were_muslim/feed/ 287 Hateful campaign targets “All-American Muslim” http://www.salon.com/2011/12/12/hateful_campaign_targets_all_american_muslim/ http://www.salon.com/2011/12/12/hateful_campaign_targets_all_american_muslim/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=10315646 And now, a dispatch from the Department of Corporate Cowardice: The home improvement chain Lowe's has pulled its advertising from TLC's documentary series "All-American Muslim" (Sundays 10 p.m./9 Central) because ... Well, because ... It's baffling, really. I guess it's because the series portrays the vast majority of American Muslims as law-abiding citizens who just want the same right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness enjoyed by others. It's the 21st-century Muslim-American version of a show that might have run on network TV during the civil-rights era in hopes of persuading bigots that black folks weren't just looking to knock the white man down and take his women.

Lowe's immediately became the target of online boycott campaigns. On its corporate Facebook page, Lowe's said that: "It appears that we managed to step into a hotly contested debate with strong views from virtually every angle and perspective – social, political and otherwise – and we’ve managed to make some people very unhappy. We are sincerely sorry."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/12/12/hateful_campaign_targets_all_american_muslim/feed/ 129 How turkey came to our Thanksgiving table http://www.salon.com/2011/11/24/how_turkey_came_to_our_thanksgiving_table/ http://www.salon.com/2011/11/24/how_turkey_came_to_our_thanksgiving_table/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=10253115 My Pakistani and American Muslim social circles celebrate Thanksgiving each year alongside our Eid festivities and Super Bowl Sunday parties, featuring homemade guacamole dip, chips and samosas. But it wasn't always like this. For my family, this marriage between East and West was three decades in the making.

The 1980s:  An “Amreekan Holiday”

As a child, I often asked my mother what we were eating for Thanksgiving.

“Food,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“Are we eating a turkey?” I asked.

“No, only Amreekans eat turkey.”

Any immigrant or child of immigrants understands that “Amreekan” is a code word for “the mainstream,” which really means “white people.” In addition to celebrating Thanksgiving with a turkey, here are some other things we learned only “Amreekans” do:

  • Wear shoes inside the home
  • Receive “time out” as a valid form of punishment for unruly behavior
  • Talk back to elders
  • Have sex before marriage
  • Put grandparents in senior homes
  • Sleep over at friends’ homes
  • Tattoos
  • Christmas trees
  • Cable television
  • Shop at stores other than Ross, K-Mart, outlet stores, Marshalls and Mervyns (RIP)

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/11/24/how_turkey_came_to_our_thanksgiving_table/feed/ 21 Martin Peretz still allowed to sound off on Arabs for The New Republic http://www.salon.com/2011/10/06/peretz_tnr/ http://www.salon.com/2011/10/06/peretz_tnr/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:07:00 +0000 After the New Republic's editors took Martin Peretz's blog away from him, Peretz decided he wanted to do "a serious and long article for the print edition," and it looks like he has done a ... long article, at least. You will not be surprised to learn that the argument underlying his column is "I don't trust Arabs."

Martin Peretz used to own the New Republic, a venerable political magazine he purchased with his rich wife's money in order to finally be taken seriously as a political thinker, but the only political thought he has ever had is "I don't trust Arabs."

Because Peretz was the magazine's owner and "editor in chief," no one could stop him from constantly expressing his disdain for Arabs in print and online. But Peretz is now divorced from his wealthy former wife, and he has given up most of his ownership of the magazine. That ended his horrific blog. It did not end TNR's status as the place where Martin Peretz is inexplicably still allowed to publish his lengthy diatribes.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/10/06/peretz_tnr/feed/ 27 Let's help the NYPD cut costs http://www.salon.com/2011/10/05/nypd_cost_wall_street_profiling/ http://www.salon.com/2011/10/05/nypd_cost_wall_street_profiling/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:15:00 +0000 When the NYPD arrested hundreds of people participating in the Occupy Wall Street demonstration last weekend, in an echo of their illegal arrests during the 2004 Republican National Convention, the movement actually grew in size and scope, with thousands of people today participating and more to join later this week. The usual "sweep the hippies into jail because no one cares" strategy did not really work, this time. So here's the next tactic, which I imagine you'll be seeing in the Post (and probably the Daily News!) soon: The city will have to move against Occupy Wall Street because it's too expensive to allow them to continue.

Queens City Councilman Peter Vallone tested this line today, claiming the protests were actually making New Yorkers more vulnerable to terrorism!

"This is costing a lot of money, at a time when we are being warned that we may face revenge attacks from al-Qaida because of our recent drone strike,” said Councilman Peter Vallone of Queens.

Vallone, chair of the Public Safety Committee, said he'll be asking for an accounting at the end of it all.

"We're going to spend hundreds of thousands, maybe even $1 million on this that we don't have. Because of these protests, we might even wind up shutting down schools and firehouses because this is costing a lot of money." Vallone said.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/10/05/nypd_cost_wall_street_profiling/feed/ 10 Muslim Republican heckled as “terrorist” http://www.salon.com/2011/09/27/florida_gop_rejects_muslim/ http://www.salon.com/2011/09/27/florida_gop_rejects_muslim/#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:46:00 +0000 A few weeks ago I profiled Nezar Hamze, a Muslim activist and Republican in south Florida whose quest to join a local GOP committee prompted accusations that he is un-American and that Islam is incompatible with the Constitution.

Last night, the Broward Republican Executive Committee met to consider Hamze's application to become a voting member, a meeting that ended with him being called a "terrorist' by hecklers and an unprecedented 158-11 vote to deny him membership.

The usually perfunctory approval process for BREC membership was changed at the meeting in order to publicly vet Hamze and to then vote on his application using a secret ballot. He was the only one of 11 candidates rejected.

The Miami Herald was there:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/09/27/florida_gop_rejects_muslim/feed/ 53 Fear of a Republican Muslim http://www.salon.com/2011/09/08/florida_muslim_gop/ http://www.salon.com/2011/09/08/florida_muslim_gop/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:03:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/09/08/florida_muslim_gop A Muslim leader in south Florida is seeking to form the first Muslim Republican club in the area, drawing intense opposition from some within the GOP.

Nezar Hamze is the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of South Florida. He is also, he tells me, a longtime registered Republican who wants to "fight the myth of the Muslim vote being Democratic."

He is also the latest flashpoint in a battle over Islam within the GOP, seen most recently in the criticisms of Rick Perry for his ties to the Texas Muslim community and in Virginia, where a Muslim Republican candidate for the House of Delegates has come under attack.

In August, Hamze, 35, submitted an application to become a voting member of the Broward Republican Executive Committee, a body within which he would like to organize the Muslim Republican club.

"A lot of Muslims I know, their values really line up with the conservative values of the Republican party," Hamze says. "I'm a strict social conservative, a fiscal conservative, a very strict constitutionalist. The protection of civil liberties for all Americans is supreme."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/09/08/florida_muslim_gop/feed/ 59 New report maps the roots of Islamophobia http://www.salon.com/2011/08/27/islamophobia_report/ http://www.salon.com/2011/08/27/islamophobia_report/#comments Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:01:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/08/27/islamophobia_report In a 140-page report released Friday, researchers at the Center for American Progress have traced the origins of rising Islamophobia in the United States to what they call a "small, tightly networked group of misinformation experts guiding an effort that reaches millions of Americans through effective advocates, media partners, and grassroots organizing."

The report features profiles of some figures -- blogger and activist Pamela Geller and think tank denizen Frank Gaffney -- who will be familiar to regular Salon readers. It names Gaffney and four others as the leading "misinformation experts" who generate anti-Muslim talking points that spread in the media: Daniel Pipes of the Middle East Forum; David Yerushalmi at the Society of Americans for National Existence (who is also the architect of the anti-Shariah movement); Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch; and Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/08/27/islamophobia_report/feed/ 389 Tea Party people less popular than many other hated minority groups http://www.salon.com/2011/08/17/tea_party_poll_3/ http://www.salon.com/2011/08/17/tea_party_poll_3/#comments Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:45:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/08/17/tea_party_poll There is a shadowy group of malcontents in America today, plotting a grand takeover of our political institutions in order to completely remake the country according to their wishes. Despite the fact the members of this group are a small minority of the population, and an unpopular one at that, they seek to infiltrate the courts and the government at every level, in order to replace our long-standing system of law with their own extremist, undemocratic religious code. These true believers are especially dangerous because they think they're doing God's work, and you ignore them, or play down the threat they pose to America, at your own risk. This tiny band of fanatics is largely distrusted and despised by regular Americans, but a terrified media coddles them and pretends they're harmless. I am speaking, of course, of the Tea Parties, a group now officially less popular among Americans than Muslims.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/08/17/tea_party_poll_3/feed/ 99 Shariah foes seize on Perry’s ties to Muslims http://www.salon.com/2011/08/15/perry_geller_gaffney/ http://www.salon.com/2011/08/15/perry_geller_gaffney/#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:34:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/08/15/perry_geller_gaffney It looks like my story last week about Rick Perry's cordial relations with a group of Muslims has, as expected, generated alarm within the anti-Shariah wing of the Republican Party.

My piece explored Perry's long-standing friendship with the Aga Khan, the wealthy, globe-trotting leader of the Ismaili Muslim sect, which has a small but significant population in Texas. Perry and the Aga Khan have launched two joint projects, including a program to educate Texas schoolchildren about Islamic culture and history. I noted that this relationship set Perry apart from those members of the GOP field who consistently demonize Islam, and that some anti-Shariah/anti-Muslim activists might be skeptical of his ties to the Aga Khan.

Like clockwork, two anti-Shariah figures have now penned columns attacking Perry on exactly these grounds. But one anti-Shariah group, Frank Gaffney's Center for Security Policy, has dissented and says it has no problem with Perry's relationship with the Ismailis. The group's spokesman, Dave Reaboi, emailed Commentary's Alana Goodman:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/08/15/perry_geller_gaffney/feed/ 30 Debunking stereotypes of Muslim Americans http://www.salon.com/2011/08/06/gallup_muslim_americans/ http://www.salon.com/2011/08/06/gallup_muslim_americans/#comments Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:01:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/08/06/gallup_muslim_americans On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Gallup has released a major new study on attitudes of the Muslim community in the United States, as well as views of Muslims among other religious groups.

The report, which is based primarily on polling conducted in 2010, covers politics, social identity and religious engagement. And some of the results radically undermine popular stereotypes of Muslims Americans. They, for example, are the religious group that is most likely to reject attacks on civilians by individuals (like terrorists) or the military.

Muslim Americans are also more likely than any other religious group to report discrimination in the last 12 months.

For context and analysis of the report (.pdf), I spoke with Mohamed Younis, a Washington-based senior analyst at the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center.

What was the single most surprising result in this poll to you?

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/08/06/gallup_muslim_americans/feed/ 184 Chris Christie calls fears over Muslim judge “crap” http://www.salon.com/2011/08/04/christie_defends_muslim_judge/ http://www.salon.com/2011/08/04/christie_defends_muslim_judge/#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:05:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/08/04/christie_defends_muslim_judge New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie appointed Muslim-American judge Sohail Mohammed to the state bench this week and has no patience for his detractors.

"Ignorance is behind the criticism of Sohail Mohammed... He is an extraordinary American who is an outstanding lawyer and played an integral role in the post-Sept. 11. period in building bridges between the Muslim American community in this state and law enforcement," Christie told reporters.

When asked about fears that Mohammed could bring Sharia Law into his practice, Christie (who is known for his combative interchanges with reporters) snapped back:

"Sharia Law has nothing to do with this at all, it’s crazy!"

Watch a clip of the press conference below:

 

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/08/04/christie_defends_muslim_judge/feed/ 47 Fox: Why does Obama hate Easter and love Ramadan? http://www.salon.com/2011/08/02/obama_easter_ramadan_fox/ http://www.salon.com/2011/08/02/obama_easter_ramadan_fox/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:45:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/08/02/obama_easter_ramadan_fox Can we all agree that the worst thing about "Fox & Friends" is how clumsy and obvious they are with their political agenda? (Ok, the second-worst thing, after Steve Doocy's face. And voice. And the things he says.) Good propaganda is supposed to be sort of covert and insidious, right? Anyway, a couple months ago Fox attacked Obama for not issuing a "proclamation" for Easter, even though the president celebrates Easter every year with a massive party. If you wondered why they did this, the punchline came this morning, when Fox trashed Obama for issuing a proclamation... for Ramadan, the Shariah Easter!

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/08/02/obama_easter_ramadan_fox/feed/ 72 Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer fundraise on Norway attack http://www.salon.com/2011/08/01/pamela_geller_norway/ http://www.salon.com/2011/08/01/pamela_geller_norway/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:15:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/08/01/pamela_geller_norway As a writer, it sure sucks when someone murders a bunch of people based on your ideas. (I mean, I assume that sucks. Weirdly, it's never happened to me.) So you can understand why right-wing anti-Islam bloggers are all being kind of defensive, these days.

Anders Breivik, the anti-Islam terrorist who killed 77 people in Norway on July 22, read a lot of American anti-Islam bloggers, many of whom he cited in his lengthy manifesto. Breivik's favorites included Robert Spencer, a self-proclaimed expert on Islam whose "Jihad Watch" blog was quoted and cited in Breivik's manifesto, and Spencer's ally and collaborator Pam Geller, whose "Atlas Shrugs" was similarly recommended by the killer.

So some people have been like, "hey, wow guys, a crazy person took everything you write so seriously that he murdered a bunch of people, in the name of protecting his nation from the creeping 'Islamization' of Europe that you guys constantly crow about, maybe you guys should stop and think for a minute about the horrible, hateful things you all write, all the time." And Spencer and Geller have basically screeched back, "CENSORSHIP!!!!!"

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/08/01/pamela_geller_norway/feed/ 246 Right-wingers blame multiculturalism, abortion for Norway massacre http://www.salon.com/2011/07/25/norway_righties/ http://www.salon.com/2011/07/25/norway_righties/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:01:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/07/25/norway_righties After just about every professional conservative chatterer with a blog or a Twitter account rushed to blame Islamic jihadists for the bombing and gun massacre in Norway last Friday, it was revealed that the actual killer was, in fact, a white, Christian, Norwegian-born man, named Anders Breivik. It was further revealed that Breivik is, politically, more or less a Scandinavian Tea Partyer, obsessed with the imagined threat of the Islamification of Europe, and an avowed opponent of "multiculturalism."

Breivik is a psychopath, but he is a psychopath whose politics are indistinguishable from Pamela Geller's, to name one American right-winger whose work was approvingly cited by Breivik in his extensive writings.

While I don't expect a bunch of Islamophobic pundits to take responsibility for a massacre committed in their name, it would be nice if people maybe apologized a little bit for blaming Muslims, first?

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/07/25/norway_righties/feed/ 152 Arizonans enraged at Muslim word for dust storm http://www.salon.com/2011/07/22/haboob_arizona/ http://www.salon.com/2011/07/22/haboob_arizona/#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:55:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/07/22/haboob_arizona A few years back, Arizona got sick of the fact that Texas and Mississippi and Alabama were always the butts of the rest of the nation's jokes about halfwit xenophobic gun-toting pissed-off old white folk, and so The Grand Canyon State decided to really kick it up a notch, in terms of bad craziness and hatred. The tireless work of Governor Jan Brewer, State Senator Russell Pearce and Sheriff Joe Arpaio paid off! Thanks to those three, Arizona is no longer defined by its amazing geography, rich history, and rugged, independent residents. No, when you think of Arizona in 2011, you think of a bunch of armed racist morons.

Yet another example of the hysterical, small-minded stupidity of the people of the great state of Arizona made it to today's New York Times. With massive, dangerous dust storms sweeping through central Arizona, the populace is obviously very worried -- about MUSLIM WORDS.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/07/22/haboob_arizona/feed/ 106 Muslim lawmaker: Herman Cain is a “bigot” http://www.salon.com/2011/07/21/keith_ellison_herman_cain_islam/ http://www.salon.com/2011/07/21/keith_ellison_herman_cain_islam/#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/07/20/keith_ellison_herman_cain_islam Over the past few months, former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain has carved out a place as the most prominent anti-Muslim figure in the GOP presidential field, and, arguably, the country.

First, earlier this year, he promised he would not hire any Muslims to be in his future cabinet, subsequently repeating various versions of that pledge. Then, on a trip to Tennessee last week, Cain came out against the construction of a mosque project there. On Fox News Sunday, he expanded that stance, endorsing the idea that any American community could bar construction of mosques.

To get a response to Cain's new comments, I spoke to Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., who is one of two Muslim members of Congress and who has emerged in recent years as a loud anti-anti-Muslim voice.

"It seems like a week doesn't go by without Cain saying something incredibly offensive, so I can only guess that he's doing it on purpose," said Ellison. "He's probably figured out that he can get headlines if he says something really ugly, so he doesn't disappoint."

Ellison said he feels moved to address these issues because when people "start whipping up hatred against a certain group over the course of years, bad things happen. History teaches us that if you continue to stir the pot, stir the cauldron, it will not be long before something awful happens."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/07/21/keith_ellison_herman_cain_islam/feed/ 92 Herman Cain is the biggest bigot in the race http://www.salon.com/2011/07/19/cain_bigot/ http://www.salon.com/2011/07/19/cain_bigot/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:30:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/07/19/cain_bigot Herman Cain is a delightful character and the funniest person currently running for president. He is a former pizza mogul, which is very fun to make jokes about. He's also the biggest, most shameless bigot in the race, and we're talking about a Republican Party primary campaign.

Somehow, in a race featuring a woman whose entire pre-Tea Party political career was built on opposition to the existence of homosexuality, and a race that may soon feature a governor who proudly presides over the most racist capital punishment program in the nation, the black guy -- the Southern son of a domestic worker and a chauffeur, who worked his way to the top of corporate America before turning to public service -- has managed to be the most hateful, small-minded person running.

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