Can Islam be Criticized?

By Jan McDaniel | 07/03/09

French President Sarkozy has reaffirmed his apostasy from the Church of Cultural Relativism by backing a law against burqas.  The wearing of the burqa offends his sense of gender equality, which is an indispensable part of French culture.    He is asserting the superiority of French cultural norms over Islamic ones, thereby violating the first rule of the CCR.  But France has a precedent for this.  They have refused... read more »

Apostasy

By Jan McDaniel | 07/02/09

I am an apostate according to the Church of Cultural Relativism, which is functionally the  dominant religion of our country and Europe.  Most liberal Christians and Jews belong to the CCR, Muslims mostly do not.  I am an apostate because I believe in discrimination.  This is my pitch to get you to join in the rebellion against the CCR.       I parted company with the CCR because its members refused to... read more »

Zakat

By Jan McDaniel | 07/01/09

The Obama administration is concerned that the federal government may be restricting Muslims’ right to contribute zakat (alms) as they are required to do.  Inquiring minds want to know—who are the recipients of this money?   As Jerry Gordon notes, quoting the Mission Islam website: Zakat recipients would include the poor and needy, administrators of Zakat, debtors, converts to Islam, bondsmen, wayfarers and those... read more »

Religion of Peace

By Jan McDaniel | 06/30/09

Critics of traditional Islam generally fall into one of two categories. Those who believe that Islamic reform can lead to a reduction of the conflict between Islam and the West, and those who do not. I believe the problems between traditional Islam and liberal democracy can be reduced through the reform of Islamic law. The outlines of the necessary reform have already been drawn. Founded by Mahmoud Taha in Sudan in the last half of the 20th... read more »

The Meaning of Words

By Jan McDaniel | 06/27/09

When a person chooses to believe that any text is divine, he is putting those words into a special category which no other words share.  These words have special meaning and are given special respect.  The believer’s faith hangs on his ability to maintain his belief in the truth of these special words.    The closer the link is between the words and a divine source, the more important the believer’s need... read more »

Will Mousavi Undercut the Protesters?

By Jan McDaniel | 06/25/09

While the confusion on the ground becomes more dense, the issues at stake become more clear. Mousavi has been captured by a revolutionary movement he does not support. While he issues statements in support of the 1979 Khomeini revolution, many protesters in the streets of Iran and in foreign countries call for the destruction of it.  These protesters are challenging the legitimacy of Khomeini’s notion of Vilayat al Faqih, the... read more »

Identity Politics

By Jan McDaniel | 06/25/09

“Somebody who looks like me.”  How many times did candidate Obama use that line?  And how effective was it?  Judge Sotomayor’s appeal to identity politics was more subtle.  Dr. Mamoun Fandy kicks it up a notch to “White men need not apply.”    Obama's speech at Cairo University and every word, full stop, and comma in it would not have had this impact or interest -- or even a little... read more »

Europe Betrayed

By Jan McDaniel | 06/24/09

This is how the national identity of Europeans is being betrayed by its academics.  The same process is under way in America.    The name of the research project is Eurislam, and an explanation of the project has been published-- Finding a Place for Islam in Europe.      The notion behind the project is that Islam can be incorporated into Europe and this 1.4 million Euro, three year long project will prove... read more »

Talk to Your Muslim Friends

By Jan McDaniel | 06/23/09

Tell them you have concerns about their religion.  If you are immediately dismissed or politely evaded, that is not a good sign.  If they ask what your concerns are, a good place to start is chapter 9, verse 29 of the Koran, Haleem translation:   Fight those of the People of the Book who do not [truly] believe in God and the Last Day, who do not forbid what God and His Messenger have forbidden, who do not obey the rule of... read more »

There is Nothing Un-American About Islam?

By Jan McDaniel | 06/22/09

“There is nothing un-American about Islam. The best ideals of America are the best ideals of Islam," said Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, who in 2006 became the first Muslim to be elected to Congress. “We have a message: Muslim Americans are as American as apple pie," Lalani said. "Ignoring us is the politics of exclusion and exclusion, I would suggest, is un-American.”  This was the scene as... read more »