Study the Quran

Ali Sina argues that studying the Quran is essential for those who want to understand the roots of Islamic terrorism.

Dissembling Clarke

Deroy Murdoch takes apart Dick Clarke.

Australia hasn't caught "the Spanish Disease"

John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, says Australia is in Iraq for the long haul.

Hijacked?

From "The Trouble With Islam," by Irshad Manji -- Page 42

We said that our [Muslim] faith had been "hijacked." I couldn't stand this metaphor. It implied that Islam itself was a plane cruising toward some haven of human rights, and that, had September 11th not happened, the passengers of Air Koranistan would have reached their wondrous address with nary a bump. As if our religion were an innocent bystander in the violence perpetrated by Muslims. Being self-critical means coming clean about the nasty side of the Koran, and how it informs terrorism.

Miller dumps on Arlen Specter

John J. Miller writes about why Arlen Specter is arguably the worst US Senator.

Jim DeMint: Limited Government Man

George Will writes about why Jim DeMint should be elected to the US Senate from South Carolina.

Islam's Golden Age 750 to 1250

From "The Trouble With Islam," by Irshad Manji -- Pages 51-52

In Iraq, the heart of the Islamic empire, Christians worked alongside Muslims to translate and revive Greek philosophy. In Spain, the western rim of Islam's reach, Muslims developed what one Yale historian calls a "culture of tolerance" with Jews. Together, all of these communities gave us the precursor to globalization ---- the interconnectedness of technology, money, and people. Muslims traded vigorously with non-Muslims, pioneering a system by which checks could be prepared in Morocco and cashed in Syria. The back-and-forth of commerce cultivated a hopping traffic in ideas as well. Let me highlight a handful of Islam's contributions to Western culture. The guitar. Cough syrup. The university. Algebra. In the southern Spanish city of Cordoba a sexually spunky woman named Wallada organized literary salons where people analyzed dreams, poetry, and the Koran. They debated what the Koran proscribed for men and women. But what is a man? And what is a woman? They debated those questions too. This was a time in which one could even discuss the Koran's implications for hermaphrodites, people born with the genitals of both sexes.

Ibn Rushd

From "The Trouble With Islam" by Irshad Manji - Page 55-56

Maimonides had a Muslim equal only nine years older than he ---- the philosopher, physician, mathematician, and fellow Cordoba native Ibn Rushd (often known by his Latin name, Averoes). Inside Spain, Ibn Rushd championed the very freedom to reason that Maimonides epitomized further east, daring to differ with the theocrats. Prompted by the rise of a ferocious Islam in his midst, Ibn Rushd argued that "philosophers are best able to understand properly the allegorical passages in the Koran on the basis of their logical training. There is no religious stipulation that all such passages have to be interpreted literally." Amen to that. And why stop there? More than any other European of the time, Muslim or otherwise, Ibn Rushd spoke up for equality between the sexes. In his judgment, "the ability of women is not known" because they're "relegated to the business of procreation, child-rearing, and breast-feeding." He presciently warned the custodians of civilization that treating women like "a burden to the men" is "one of the reasons for poverty." With audacity like that, Ibn Rushd became a "burden" to the hyper-Muslim powers-that-be. They exiled him to Marrakech, Morocco, and on the eve of the thirteenth century, Ibn Rushd died under suspicious circumstances.

Irshad Manji

From Page 3 of Manji's "The Trouble With Islam"

Not solely because of September 11, but more urgently because of it, we've got to end Islam's totalitarianism, particularly the gross human rights violations against women and religious minorities. You'll want to assure me that what I'm describing in this open letter to you isn't "true" Islam. Frankly, such a distinction wouldn't have impressed Prophet Mohammad, who said that religion is the way we conduct ourselves toward others ---- not theoretically, but actually. By that standard, how Muslims behave is Islam. To sweep that reality under the rug is to absolve ourselves of responsibility for our fellow human beings. See why I'm struggling? As I view it, the trouble with Islam is that lives are small and lies are big. Totalitarian impulses lurk in mainstream Islam. That's one hell of a charge, I know. Please hear me out. I'll show you what I mean, as calmly as I can.

A Setback, not a Defeat for Europe

Tech Central Station has a good article about Europe.

Europe Sobers Up?

Ralph Peters says Europe is waking up.

Kerry becomes a bit more isolationist

John Fund writes that Kerry's support from foreign leaders, real or imaginary, won't help him in November.

Say goodbye to the New Europe

Christopher Caldwell laments the falls of "New Europe."

The EU in doubt about terrorism strategy

The aftermath of the Madrid bombing shows that the EU is struggling in its attempt to deal with terrorism.

John Kerry can't get his story straight

Mark Steyn has written another witty column about John Kerry.