Search Results for:

VIPREG2024 1xbet promo code no deposit Malaysia

Are We Living in a Simulation? Bad Religion, Bad Media Combine in New Doc, ‘A Glitch in the Matrix’

…lation theory Mystwood is playing with—he is the universe, the universe is code, his code is part of the important bit, it’s all a simulation, and he’s ready to play. And, importantly, the rest of us might not matter. The language of programming in A Glitch in the Matrix is compelling and difficult. On the one hand, it is literal computer programming. On the other, intentional or not, the movie invokes the language of “deprogramming” that was comm…

Read More

Catholic Groups Leading Mifepristone Ban Are Part of Century-Long Tradition Who See it as Patriotic Duty to Protect the Family

…med in Catholic settings. Although Catholic officials expanded an existing code of medical ethics in 1948 to include directives on contraception and abortion, Catholic hospitals didn’t share a unified ethical code until 1971. Reports of hospitals in some dioceses performing abortions and providing contraception to patients led the USCCB to publish a new version of the ERDs and require every diocese to adopt them. This would prevent what Father O’R…

Read More

Expelled: Christian Student Claims Discrimination, But Judge Says No

…ntended she violated school policy and the American Counseling Association code of ethics. That code, by the way, is clear about what is expected from counselors: Counselors do not condone or engage in discrimination based on age, culture, disability, ethnicity, race, religion/spirituality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status/partnership, language preference, socioeconomic status, or any basis proscribed by law. Counselors…

Read More

Chatting with Myanmar’s Buddhist “Terrorist”

…s been in contact with Buddhist monks from Thailand’s southern border with Malaysia, where pitched battles have been taking place between Buddhists and the Muslim majority in that locale. Wirathu said it wasn’t just Buddhists who were concerned about Islamic extremists. He said that his fears were shared by some Muslims, and gave the name of a leader of the Muslim community in Mandalay who he said was in agreement with him. Later that day I talked…

Read More

Feisal Abdul-Rauf Still not Providing Leadership on Park51

…Abdul-Rauf’s return to the United States, first from an extended visit to Malaysia and then an a short State Department-funded trip to several Arab nations, reignites the questions about leadership at the Park51 Project. His return resulted in a coordinated media outreach that continues to confuse the issue and show that no one really seems to be in charge. Abdul-Rauf begins this media offensive by writing an op-ed in the New York Times, in which…

Read More

Interfaith: Whose Faith?

…t this did make me think about the phenomenon of interfaith as it is being promoted these days. First of all, this is not an idea promoted by the oppressed to invite others to celebrate their faith. It is something those already in power or with privilege extend to make an opening or orchestrate a collective. This means, those who do get invitations are usually at a disadvantage. If nothing else, it could be from the mere organizational standpoint…

Read More

The Politics of Anti-Gay Persecution: Gambia, Egypt, Jamaica, Russia, with a Helping Hand from US Religious Conservatives; Global LGBT Recap

…f a memorandum from President Obama charging US foreign policy agencies to promote LGBT rights said that US efforts have been important to activists promoting equality and facing persecution around the world. Read the Washington Blade’s report here. On Wednesday, the Daily Beast hosted an event called Quorum: Global LGBT Voices that featured interviews with more than 25 activists from around the world to talk about “what is happening on the front…

Read More

Forgiveness

…on, let us hope the offense of racism finds such recompense in America. In Malaysia and Indonesia, at the end of Ramadan there is a custom to seek forgiveness zahir and batin for offenses done knowing and unknowingly. We do not know all the time how our actions affect another person. So to keep the level of humanity in forgiveness straight let me say, in writing this blog, if I have offended anyone knowingly or unknowingly, please forgive me and a…

Read More

Debunking the Myth That Democracy Is “Incompatible” With Islam

…arily to small elites, in addition to tribal and social organizations that promote a culture of authoritarianism. Outside of the Arab world, there are long-term functional democracies in Turkey, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Malaysia. More recently installed democratic governments in Pakistan and Palestine further challenge old stereotypes about the links between Islamicate cultures and representative governments. Such facts on the ground clearly est…

Read More

Tajwid: To Read with Love… and Competence

…more if I had no knowledge of Arabic or of the Qur’an. A friend of mine in Malaysia was complaining that her local mosque had decided to go with an Egyptian hafiz rather than the basic eight by the local imam from his limited memorization. I don’t know why, she said, since most of us do not understand Arabic. Do they think they have to go with some Arab? I guess it must be difficult to stand and not understand, but I also think after more than 50…

Read More