Five Talk Islam blog posts that have enduring high interest and have continued to draw readers to this blog.
Latest Updates: Taha Abdul-Basser RSS
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johnpi
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johnpi
In several of the discussions about Taha Abdul-Basser’s letter on apostasy, there has been some disapproval expressed that it was a private communication and should not have been published on the Web.
Joe Klein of Time magazine has been raising similar complaints about Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com who recently published several private communications of Klein’s.
Here’s Klein:
What I have seen from him, ad nauseum, are intemperate attacks in which he questions the character of–no, it’s worse than that: he slimes–anyone who has the temerity to disagree with him.
I agree with Greenwald on some things, and appreciate his insights on others. But he is a thoroughly dishonorable person–as he proved by releasing my private emails…
Greenwald’s response, in part:
When you write for 4 million people in a national political magazine and constantly go on TV to opine, outbursts that you have about politics at a beach party or in a club of a few hundred journalists aren’t “private” and the entire world isn’t obligated to honor the demand that it stay secret.
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johnpi
Islamophobes jump on apostasy angle of Fathima Rifqa Bary story.
This is the first I’m hearing of it, but both stories are referencing a Washington Times article that was published back in April about Harvard’s Muslim chaplain Taha Abdul-Basser’s ‘great hikma in capital punishment for apostasy‘ comment. Talk Islam is the original source of the quote being used in these stories. Abdul-Basser has never denied the comments are his, and he has issued a response to the publication of the comments (see the Washington Times article) trying to distance himself from their implications.
I suspect it is only a matter of time before we are hearing about Mr. Abdul-Basser’s comments on TV and radio.
The larger question that both Abdul-Basser and Anwar al-Awlaki (former Muslim chaplain at George Washington University, now Al Qaeda supporting and al-Shabab recruiting renegade imam in Yemen) prompts is who or what organization is responsible for recommending candidates for Muslim chaplains at colleges and universities in the US? Whether it is the board of directors of an organization or a subcommittee of the board that makes recommendations to the full board – those individuals need to be dumped/fired/dismissed and we need to start over with new people who won’t choose chaplains who enable or outright advocate a dark vision of Islam…
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johnpi
Taha Abdul-Basser, meet Rabbi Manis Friedman. He has got your back in the effort to resist “the hegemonic modern human rights discourse” and other manifestations of ‘Westoxification’:
Rabbi Manis Friedman of the Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies, Minnesota, was responding to questions by a Jewish American magazine as part of its ‘Ask the Rabbis’ feature, when he said, “The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle).” He also dismissed “western” concepts of morality saying, “I don’t believe in western morality, ie, don’t kill civilians or children, don’t destroy holy sites, don’t fight during holiday seasons, don’t bomb cemeteries, and don’t shoot until they shoot first because it is immoral.”
Too bad the West can be so hypocritical on these matters, but at least the latent core values and conceit of concern about living them gives ground for advocacy and political activism…
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razib, murtad fitri
the taha abdul-basser story in forward:
Abdul-Basser’s e-mail was circulated through an e-mail list and subsequently posted April 3 on the blog Talk Islam, from which it was picked up by several other blogs. On April 14, The Harvard Crimson, a student-run daily, published an article about the controversy. One week later, on April 21, it remained the paper’s most viewed, most commented-upon article online.
they quote aziz….
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thabet
Announcement: Muslims Against The Hegemony Of Human Rights Discourse
London, New York, Dubai: To combat the deleterious effects of human rights discourse, which may lead to difficult questions for us to answer, a new group has been lauched today. Muslims Against The Hegemony Of Human Rights Discourse will seek to undermine the evil, negative, and corrosive efforts of The Human Rights Lobby (which is more real than The Israel Lobby, richer than The Arms Lobby, and far more corrupting than The Oil Lobby).
Our first act will be to demand that the US administration continue its cultural practice of locking up Muslims, torturing them, kidnapping them, and detaining them without trial for lengthy periods. We support these acts in recognition of the US government’s continued efforts to rebutt the hegemony of human rights discourse, and counter nefarious practioneers from The Human Rights Lobby.
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johnpi
On the listservs, there is an uproar developing over comments made by Harvard Muslim Chaplain Taha Abdul-Basser (his blogger profile here) in response to an email query about apostasy stating that apostates should be killed – though they can only be killed by a legitimate “Muslim governmental authority and can not be performed by non-state, private actors.”
Concerned Muslims who are Harvard alums (or not) are being encouraged to write to Harvard and complain. Some are calling for his removal. Below the fold, the message fragment that is being forwarded around:
