Exposing the Lies Behind War Propaganda

I recently read a review of The Seven Deadly Spins: Exposing the Lies Behind War Propaganda, by Mickey Z, and the book sounded too interesting not to mention. The author's seven deadly spins are right on the money but most Americans are in such a myopic state that they'll never see through the myths that Mickey Z sets out to deconstruct:

• Spin #1: The Sleeping Giant: The U.S. minds its own business, but the sleeping giant is eventually provoked.
• Spin #2: Good Wars: Once forced into war, the U.S. only does so in the name of Democracy and justice.
• Spin #3: U.S. vs. Them: Terrorists, evildoers and more-the U.S. has faced off against the worst humanity has to offer.
• Spin #4: Support the Troops: No matter what we think, we all unite behind our troops once the fighting starts.
• Spin #5: The Devil Made U.S. Do It: During war, even the U.S. has to play a little rough.
• Spin #6: Surgical Strikes: Those billion-dollar weapons can differentiate between the guilty and the innocent.
• Spin #7: Only Losers Commit War Crimes: Enemies of the U.S. must be brought to justice.

Another recent and very worthwhile book on how the media is used by the government to manipulate public opinion and undermine the democratic process is The Bewildered Herd : Media Coverage of International Conflicts & Public Opinion. The book is described as, "The most comprehensive and daring analysis and revelations of media motives, tactics, and mechanisms shaping domestic and world public opinion during international conflict coverage. For the first time, a work that contains all that should be known about the media's orientation of the public mind in democratic societies, why this manipulation takes place, and in what manner".

New Maliki Fiqh Resources

Starting in January 2005, SunniPath.com will begin offering an Introduction to Maliki Fiqh course, insha'llah. This course will cover essential acts of worship, namely the prayer and its necessary conditions, such as purification. The main text will be Imam Ahmad al-Dardir’s Aqrab al-Masalik ila Madhab Imam Malik, or The Nearest of Paths to the Juristic School of Imam Malik. This text is widely considered to contain only the dominant opinions of the Maliki school, and covers all of the aspects of jurisprudence, from ritual purification to inheritance law. It is hoped that in subsequent courses all of the chapters will be covered.

Lamppost Productions is now selling Ibn Ashir Recited (Al-Murshid Al-Mu'een) on CD along with an accompanying 94-page guide booklet. The CD contains a soothing recitation of the didactic poem of the 17th Century Northwest African Scholar, Sidi Abdul-Wahid ibn Ashir (1040 A.H.) recited by Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, an American graduate of the University of Qarawiyyin's Faculty of Shariah located in Fez, Morocco. Recitation is performed first in Arabic, and is then recited while being complemented by an English translation. This CD is the first in a series. Part One covers an introduction to doctrine, a summary of the Islamic faith, and a brief look at the fundamental jargon of Islamic Legal Theory. The booklet gives clarity to some of the sometimes complicated and at other times essential topics discussed in the CD translation. The commentary is based on some of the most authoritative commentaries written on the text.

Shaky Faith (Not) Propped Up By Material Artifacts

How clouded have the lines between modern religion and crass materialism become when people are using faith in material objects to overcome their doubts about the veracity of their own religion?

Museums warned on Bible-era relics
Israel says important artifacts may be forged
AP - December 29, 2004
"Scholars said the forgers were exploiting the deep emotional need of Jews and Christians to find physical evidence to reinforce their faith. "This does not discredit the profession. It discredits unscrupulous dealers and collectors," said Eric Myers, an archaeology professor at Duke University in North Carolina."

Dealers peddled fake Biblical artifacts, Israeli police say

What's ironic about this is that any faith that can be logically proven or is clearly demonstrable is not "faith" at all—at least not in the traditional Christian understanding. However, recent research that has undermined the historical accuracy of certain portions of the Bible have made some Jews and Christians desperate for answers. There's likely to be a lot more to come on this...

On The Merits of Blogging

A New Forum (Blogging) Inspires the Old (Books)
by Joshua Kurlantzick
The New York Times - December 15, 2004

Rumsfeld Remark Fuels Conspiracy Theories

I'd hate to be guilty of fueling conspiracy theories which, as the refuge of the disenfranchised and dispossessed, we already have way too many of. However, the recent remark by Herr Rumsfeld, where he said "the people who attacked the United States in New York, shot down the plane over Pennsylvania" , seems worthy of note. Conspiracy theorists are already having a field day with this one, but I mainly find it interesting because it's just another example of the Bush Administration stumbling, bumbling and tripping all over themselves but still managing to convince most American voters that they deserve to be in power. All of this serves as an ongoing commentary on the state of American oligarchy and a shameful statement about the intellectual rigor of most American voters. Stay tuned, since we probably ain't seen nothin' yet...

More US Latinas Embracing Islam

US Latinas seek answers in Islam
It surprises many of their friends and family, but some young US Latinas say Islam offers women more respect.

I can attest to the fact that in recent years the number of Hispanic converts in Florida seems to be growing rapidly.

Cool Technology - Cruzer Mini USB Flash Drive

Although USB Flash drives have been around for awhile, I finally purchased one a couple of weeks ago. I now consider these small devices, which are about the size of my thumb and hold between 128MB and 1024MB of data, to be about the greatest thing since the breech loading rifle. What prompted me to purchase one was the fact that my new laptop didn't come with a diskette drive, but only a DVD/CD drive. Therefore, if I had any data to transfer between PCs, I either had to copy it via the 'net, email it to myself or burn it to a CD. Even on devices that I use that have diskette drives, they're only limited to 1.44MB, which generally isn't enough for me—and they're so prone to failure as well. Also, all of the desktops and laptops that I use, both at work and at home, have a number of available USB dirves - which made a USB Flash Drive perfect for my needs.

After doing a little—but certainly not a lot of—research, I decided on the SanDisk 256 Cruzer Mini USB Flash Drive, which lists at $54.99 (although you should be able to easily find it for under $40.00).The reason that I decided on this brand, other than the fact that its price was roughly the same of other products of the same capacity, is that it's compatible with both USB 1.1 (which many somewhat older PCs still have) and USB 2.0 (which is the new standard). Even though I considered buying the 512MB or 1GB version, I just didn't think I'd ever need that much capacity—and so far I haven't.

Another nice feature is the fact that this device doesn't need any drivers. You simply insert it into an available USB drive and it automatically gets recognized as the next available drive letter. This takes about 30-60 seconds the first time you do it, but after that it's pretty much instantaneous. So far I've installed my SanDisk 256 Cruzer Mini in three different PCs (e.g. Dell desktop, Dell laptop and IBM laptop) and it has worked great everytime.

Enjoy...

Values Without Virtues Leaves Us Hooked on Gratification

Values without virtues leaves us hooked on gratification
by Chris McGillion
Sydney Morning Herald - December 22, 2004

“Twenty years ago, in After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory, one of the world's leading contemporary philosophers, the Scottish-born Alasdair MacIntyre, argued that when people are motivated not by a culture that encourages an internal concern to do good, but instead by one that operates on a system of external rewards, all the rules in the world are not going to prevent moral decay.”

Nader to Bush: Stop Destroying the Mosques of Iraq

An Open Letter to Bush: Stop Destroying the Mosques of Iraq
by Ralph Nader
December 9, 2004

Bernard Lewis - Scholar Combatant

Scholar Combatant
November 17, 2004

We Don't Live in a Clothing-Optional Society

Just when I thought I'd seen it all (no pun intended), the following article rather surprised me:

Students fight for right to bare all

I knew that some college campuses were rather liberal—and I've visited UC-Berkeley several times—but I didn't know any had gone this far. However, it seems that students at Vermont's Bennington College have been parading around sans vêtements since the 1960s. The college's new Dean is now seen as a prudish reactionary by many since he insists that "we don't live in a clothing-optional society". Well at least not yet, anyway. Gee, from reading the Western press, you'd think it was only Islamic societies that enforced dress codes. Students at the college defend the practice by insisting that campus nudity is "not hurting anyone". This slipshod and shallow view of morality seems to be on a rampage these days—and not just on college campuses. I'm sure that these students feel that, in practicing public nudity, they're getting back in touch with their natural state (fitrah), but in reality only a modern age completely sunken in nihilism could produce attitudes and actions so far removed from mankind's true fitrah. Scary stuff...

Dead-Check in Falluja

Dead-Check in Falluja
by Evan Wright
The Village Voice - November 24-30, 2004

"The priest had told him it was all right to kill for his government so long as he didn't enjoy it".

Warning: They drop a couple of f-bombs in this article.

Malta - Europe's New Arabic Connection

The latest issue of Saudi Aramco World magazine contains an interesting and unique article about Arabic influence on the Mediterranean island of Malta, especially its local Arabic dialect. Several years ago, I was informed that a dialect of Arabic still survives amongst the local Maltese population, but this is the first time I've come across any detailed information on it:

Europe's New Arabic Connection

Subscriptions to this well-written and beautifully illustrated magazine are free (yes, that's FREE) and it's quite often full of intelligent articles on little-known subjects about the Muslim World and Islamic culture, including art, history, literature, cuisine and history. In the Nov/Dec 2003 issue, they had an informative article on Mauritania's Manuscripts that should be fascinating to any traditionally-minded Muslim. Needless to say, I highly recommend this magazine to anyone interested in such topics.

Enjoy...