Category Archives: Ethics

G!D the “misogynist” and other cyclical lepidopterisms

By bananabrain | Published: May 6, 2010
thanks to the delightful sonia from pickled politics, i ended up in a jolly discussion over at butterflies and wheels on feminism and religion. they seem to have closed the comments for some reason, but i still thought it was an interesting subject and thought i’d continue it here if anyone (like ophelia benson or [...]
Also posted in Blogosphere, Esoterica, Exegesis, Feminism, Hermeneutics, Human Rights, Interfaith, Jewish Extremism, Moral relativism, Obscurantism, Secularism | 8 Comments

a few good rabbis?

By bananabrain | Published: January 18, 2010
for those of you who aren’t aware of it, this has not been a good couple of years for the orthodox, “strictly-”orthodox and ultra-orthodox communities. corruption around kosher slaughterhouses and conversions, sex scandals, money-laundering, drug smuggling, you name it. all the usual justifications are made, of course, all the usual people accept them and all [...]
Also posted in Activism, Education, Interfaith, Politics | 3 Comments

Western Adaab and Arab Ethics

By Faisal | Published: January 17, 2010
An important Saudi liberal Ibrahim al-Buleihi’s take on Arabs and the West. Shown on Al-Arabiya TV in 2005. hat/tip: Sam
Posted in Ethics | 3 Comments

Welcome (but overdue) news from America

By Yossarian | Published: October 11, 2009
Obama has finally announced the end of the shameful “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the US military reports today’s Wall Street Journal: WASHINGTON–President Barack Obama on Saturday pledged to end a 16-year-old policy banning gay people from serving openly in the nation’s military, in a gesture to a group that provided a major source of [...]
Also posted in International Affairs | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Two women

By Faisal | Published: July 13, 2009
Consider two women. The first is Wajeha al-Huwaider from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: The single mother of two rails against a system she says treats women as emotionally and intellectually handicapped. “If I wanted to get married, I would have to get the permission of my son,” she says. She is 45; her son, 17. Saudi women like her are pushing [...]
Also posted in Moral relativism | Leave a comment

Propaganda TV

By Shikwa | Published: July 2, 2009
The terrible repression of ordinary Iranians and reporters continues unabated in Tehran. The latest news to emerge is that the Canadian-Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari who was covering events for Newsweek has apparently ‘confessed’ to participating: in a Western media effort to promote irresponsible reporting in Iran. The whole thing started after Maziar gave Channel 4 News footage [...]
Also posted in Anti Fascism, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights, International Affairs, Islamism, Politics | 5 Comments

The hijab, Sarkozy and all that

By Zorro | Published: June 25, 2009
Sarkozy’s call for a ban on the veil has indeed opened up a number of issues and perspectives, even if he may well have had his own motives for doing so! We have had the normal reaction on the left to condemn him, the reaction from the right in the UK to call for a ban [...]
Also posted in Anti Fascism, Anti Muslim bigotry, Democracy, Exegesis, Freedom of Expression, Hermeneutics, Human Rights, Islamism, Politics, Secularism, Sharia | 4 Comments

Why Sharia doesn’t seek the Sharia to be enforced by the State

By Zorro | Published: June 17, 2009
It seems that the Islamists, and some anti-Islamists, are getting into the debate involving the implementation of Sharia with certain assumptions in mind. 1. There is such a thing as The Sharia! This is simply not true. Muslim scholars do not have a single detailed rule of Sharia that they agree upon. They agree on broad principles [...]
Also posted in Exegesis, Islamism, Secularism, Sharia | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Islamist Economics and the Capitalist System – Riba!

By Zorro | Published: June 11, 2009
"Islamic" economic 'thinkers' and Islamist political activists ranging from the terror crew (Bin Laden et al), to the "moderates" often like to have a rant at the evil Capitalist economic system, and specifically interest based banking. They often equate the above with the Islamic prohibition on Riba - usually vaguely translated as usury.
Also posted in Exegesis, Hermeneutics, Islamism, Sharia | 5 Comments