CODEPINK: Condi has blood on her hands. (Look at the vid, Condi smiles through it all, “LOL PROTESTERS!”)

Take a look at this series of photos from Lawrah Boosh’s trip to Saudi Arabia:

Lawrah is happy and unaware. Yet she becomes a little timid and begins looking around for someone to help her.

Desperation shows in her eyes! Finally, she screams out in horror! Meesus Boosh has been caught by a niqabi!!!

Regardless of one’s feelings toward the niqabi/veil, the setup of these pictures is unfortunate. And hilarious. Thankfully, Laura avoided the Muslim compulsion to veil her and seems to be happily sporting red lipstick and sprayed-in-place hair everywhere she goes in the Middle East. Proper Amreekan. USA!

Attack on Bhutto convoy kills 100. Are you @#$*ing kidding me? ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE… for what?

This group has now become a huge blog sensation (Muslims Against Sharia has compiled a long list proving it). Most of the reaction is predictable:

• Ultra-conservative scumbags idiots who hate Islam say Islam cannot be reformed and even “anti-Shariah Muslims” cannot be trusted.
• Mainstream Muslims say Islam cannot be reformed and the site authors are not Muslim.
• Investigative minds notice some anti-Islam bloggers are on the authors list and therefore determine that the members are not Muslims, but actually a front for conservative groups to take down Islam.

My own reaction is around the third one. I’m an anti-Shariah muslim who is suspicious. (Unlike some critics, I don’t believe shariah = Islam.) I’ve discussed the group elsewhere and even gotten in touch with the group’s president but I’m not really much closer to understanding their position.

My take so far is that I don’t agree with their definition of “Muslim”; I think that by legitimizing inaccurate translations and concepts in the Quran, they will “embolden” anti-Islam activists; I wonder why they consider it preferable to try to edit the Quran rather than simply encourage people to stop believing in it altogether (may be à la “The True Furqan”); I believe it might be more accurate to call their group “Muslims Against the Quran” (because their quarrel is with the source itself) … and so on.

The president has done a not-so-good job at (defensively) defending himself and his org. all over the web. His defense (at Ali Eteraz) of a co-author who has called for Islam to be banned is almost totally nonsensical. I’ve complained before about liberal Muslims teaming up with conservative non-Muslims to advance their causes and it seems that trend will never cease.

I’m still having a hard time following their logic:

• They state: We are Muslims, we believe in the Quran, we are peaceful
• But: The Quran commands Muslims to kill all other people
• Therefore: Many parts of the Quran are false or corrupted
• Yet, inexplicably: “Islam is peace; Islam is love; Islam is light.”

Meh.

The September edition of National Geographic Magazine has a great article about the sad and interesting situation in Pakistan.

You can read it online here: Struggle for the Soul of Pakistan.

It highlights all of the terrible things happening there, the usual “so-called Muslim” idiocy: gang rapes, corruption, injustice, murder… Interestingly, these “so-called Muslims” are the ones the Quran speaks of in 2:11-12. They are troublemakers and criminals of the highest degree, yet they are oblivious to that fact. Instead, they see themselves as doing God’s work. I’d like one of those idiots to explain how making death threats against a man like Edhi is anywhere near “Islamic”.

“I’m a Muslim,” says Edhi, “but my true religion is human rights.”

Yet it shows an optimistic angle, too. Pakistanis are not mindless terrorists or hopelessly backward morons. (Surprise!)

“Yes, there are extremists here,” says Pakistani novelist Mohsin Hamid. “But they are a small minority in a nation of 165 million people. Most of us want nothing to do with violence.”

I love Pakistan and miss it a lot This article brought back good (and bad) memories and reminds me of how much we have yet to accomplish as a species.

Suggested Reading: Social Justice: The first pillar of Islam

I originally wrote this as a comment on Just Another Angry Black Muslim Woman?’s post: Stop Trying To ‘Save’ Africa, but it ran a bit too long, so…

I think it’s interesting how he sees every (white) activist as having an agenda of some sort, either they’re just “jumping onto fashionable social causes”, “wracked with guilt” about the Middle East or only for “affirming one’s cultural superiority”. I find it quite arrogant of him to think that the majority of white people who support “African causes” are so shallow.

What about the people who were supportive of the causes decades ago? Whose “cultural superiority” is being affirmed by, say, Iman, one of the celebrities from the “I Am African” campaign? I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate being told that, by participating in yet another ’save Africa’ campaign, she’s actually promoting white/Western superiority and confirming the stereotype of Africa as a black hole of disease and death.

He finishes up the article with: “I hope people will realize Africa doesn’t want to be saved. Africa wants the world to acknowledge that through fair partnerships with other members of the global community, we ourselves are capable of unprecedented growth.”

Does he REALLY think that all those activists are suggesting we just throw money at Africa (and adopt all their babies) and hope they get their act together, regardless of their political condition and with a blind eye to the negative affect of our own nations/govts? From my conversations with many activists and interested people, I’ve not met any who have such a naïve view.

Reading closely, it seems he only wants more attention to be given to the native African efforts to help Africa. Although, wouldn’t it have been a better use of time to write an article about an African effort, rather than a “white people are not genuine in their concern for Africa” criticism? His article seems tainted with the same bias he is railing against.

Should white people be banned from Africa, since they might be there only to affirm their superiority and get a dancing villager story? Is there a test that can be done to see who sincerely cares about Africa? Should only black people be involved in African affairs? Does Africa even need outside help? Ehh…

It might be that he’s looking in the wrong place for news about Africa. I’d suggest ignoring the mainstream media (like all thinking folks) and turning to the independent media who is free to highlight any native African efforts and news and not mention Brangelina once. You can get plenty of good news — and bad news — from alternative sources, don’t depend on the “Big Three” for accurate reports about anything.

written by a white girl who does not endorse the superiority of any culture and is ticked-off that her concern for all human beings might be construed as racist or condescending. To anyone Mr. Iweala has deemed insincere: don’t stop caring about any good cause. But if you really ARE a racist and in it for your own ego, go jump off a cliff.

Onion Study: Iraqis May Experience Sadness When Friends, Relatives Die

Generation Chickenhawk Max Blumenthal’s must-see vid exposing conservative hypocrites.

BlueGrassRoots took a trip to the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum. And took pictures. Thank God!

… are created equal [vid]. An Australian comedian attempts to follow up on “Shaikh” Hilali’s comment about putting masking tape over his mouth. Yeah, raise your fist to him, “Shaikh”, good on ya, mate …

Found on PM’s World