Kersten the Islamophobe

Katherine Kersten's recent coverage on Shari'a incrementalism has been noticed by the local muslim community, and this naturally calls for some name calling (as well as some taqiyya) from Ahmed Tharwat:

Is it me, or has Star Tribune columnist Katherine Kersten used her forum at the paper to vent fear of Muslim Americans in our communities?

From the "flying imams" fiasco at the airport, to the cabdrivers facing off with the Metropolitan Airports Commission about transporting alcohol, to the current flurry of articles about plumbing adjustments to accommodate foot-washing at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Kersten's interest strikes me as paranoia, or even out-and-out phobia.

Of course. She speaks the truth about Islam, so she must be an Islamophobe. The real kicker in this commentary:

You can say all you want about Muslims

You sure can, just prepare yourself for titles such as "Islamophobe". Keep up the excellent work, Katherine.

Protest Alert

From our friends at the Anti-War Committee:

Mother’s Day Weekend Anti-War Protest

Saturday, 5/12 @ 12 noon Hiawatha & Lake St. Mpls.

The historic roots of Mother’s Day in the U.S. are a call for peace and justice. Join us in making sure that this Mother’s Day is the last Mother’s Day when U.S. troops occupy Iraq.

I hate to tell them, but the first Mother's Day in America was a call to honor the mothers of fallen solidiers in World War I by flying the flag. D'oh!

Oddly Buried Iraq Story

For whatever reason, today the Star Tribune did not feel it's necessary to put the Iraq Funding Bill vote on the home page. In fact, I had to go looking for it. Maybe there's something about the vote (or the headline) that makes the Strib uncomfortable-

Minnesota Democrats for, Republicans against pullout plan

When faced with another major war spending bill in the House Wednesday evening, members of the Minnesota delegation voted along party lines.

It passed 218-208. The Senate is expected to vote today

Anti-war Activists Promote Hate-Rap

Thanks to the Anti-War Commitee for the trip down Memory Lane I experienced while meandering through their web site. Imagine my "surprise" when I discovered the embedded You Tube video for Meen Er Habi on their Palestinian page. Perhaps on their next "solidarity trip" to "Palestine" they can see DAM in concert.

Moral Relevancy Op-Ed of the Day

This is one of the most inaccurate, poorly writen Op-eds I have seen in a long time. From the St. Cloud Times:

Islam is denigrated as the religion of terrorism. Christian Worldview Network's Dave Daubenmire claims suicide bombers kill "because they follow the Quran." This is about as fair as saying Christians exterminated American Indians because they followed the Bible.

Suicide bombers violate Islamic law. Muslim leaders repeatedly state this and express frustration that the media fail to say this.

I quote Daubenmire: "Murder is wrong because God said it is and the Bible teaches it." In fact, Muslims venerate the Scriptures that Christians call the Old Testament. They follow them more closely than we do, which is why they refuse to eat pork.

We don't need the Bible's commandments to teach moral values. They come from inside us. All civilized societies, including Muslim countries, prohibit murder.

Daubenmire exclaims, "How different would America be if the Pilgrims on the Mayflower were Muslim." History teaches otherwise.

Christian crusaders who wanted to wrest the Holy Land from Muslim "infidels" found a civilization far more advanced than Christian Europe.

I would wager a guess that the writer has never read the Quran, and has no idea that Dave Daubenmire is, in fact, correct. Nor has she read much history. No, her rant is a little moral relevancy parade from start to finish with a odd pit stop on Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I take from this that the writer has recently read Hirsi Ali's Infidel, but she ends her summary on Hirsi Ali thus:

This concerns me. Hirsi Ali's important message should not be exploited to bash Muslims.

There's your PC moment- telling the truth about Islam is bashing Muslims.

Anti-Semitism Running Wild on Campus

The U of M, not to be out done by any other schools, has this "charming" conference coming up next weekend:

Divest from Apartheid Israel Organizing Conference

Saturday, 4/28, 1-6 pm @ Carlson School of Management, U of M West Bank, Rooms L110, L114, L118 and L122.
Attend any of a variety of working groups to discuss how labor, student, religious, and political groups can work towards justice for the Palestinian people. Keynote speaker Farid Esack is a veteran of the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa and a former national commissioner on gender equality appointed by President Nelson Mandela. Farid Esack is currently the William Henry Bloomberg Visiting Professor at Harvard Divinity School. After the conference join us for a "Cafe Intifada", an intellectual salon with interactive theatre, where the audience becomes the occupied and occupier. Learn about the Israeli occupation of Palestine like never before. The “ Café” will be from 7-9 pm at the Bedlam Theatre Fireplace Room, 1501 South 6th St., West Bank, Minneapolis. Sponsored by the Coalition for Palestinian Rights (CPR) For more information: Click this link and scroll down