Closing the Week 10 – Women's Day, Prayer, Reverberations, Nones, News, Dutch
Top posts on Closer this week
- Zwarte Piet, Black Pete – The Documentary
- Haremfeminisme: Het blanke elitaire feminisme?
- Het Al Qaeda Spook – De Intieme ideologische Relatie tussen Inspire en Wilders
International Women’s Day
tabsir.net » Rape and the Gender Gape
For International Women’s Day, it is important to reflect on issues that are of significant impact on women around the world. Let’s start with a beginning, the Genesis one. The original creation story familiar to Judaism, Christianity and Islam starts out with man alone. Not only is the first man not like other animals, which he has no problem naming, but he has no family: no nurturing mother, no moral father, no brothers or sisters. He was formed as a lump of clay with breath and a spirit connection to the divine. Even the presence of God, his creator father figure, was not enough for this lonely man. Surely this garden paradise was hell for the man alone.
emel Celebrates International Women’s Day – YouTube
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVxxDwozS7Q]
International Women’s Day was celebrated by emel, the Muslim Lifestyle Magazine, with a special issue featuring inspirational women who support and uphold the rights of women. Covering issues such as acid violence, FGM, forced marriage, domestic violence, poverty, and war, the magazine interviews some of the most prominent Muslim women in the field.
Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi: Muslim Women Take Back the Mic on International Women’s Day
In the last few years, Muslim women have begun pushing back against the monolithic “Muslim Woman” to celebrate the joys of our context and the challenges therein. We’ve seen a Muslim woman — Tawakkul Karman — win the Nobel Peace Prize for her pro-democracy work in Yemen, and another Muslim woman — Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy — win an Oscar for amplifying the courageous voices of acid attack survivors in Pakistan.
International Women’s Day 2013: 7 Sadly Disturbing Truths About Women’s Bodies (HOW YOU CAN HELP)
But we’re not done fighting yet.
Women across the globe are still face horrifying abuse and health risks, including sexual exploitation and genital mutilation, devastating injustices that are in our power to eliminate in this lifetime.
Read through the seven disturbingly sad truths women face and find out how you can get involved in improving the lives of women around the world.
Marlies ter Borg on International Women’s Day | WISE Muslim Women
In Haarlem, Holland we celebrate International Women’s Day with a big meeting in the local concert hall. Dutch women from Turkey, Morocco and South America join with women from Dutch parentage in debate, concert and dancing to emphasize what we have in common.
I myself will remember the women in North Africa and the Middle East now engaged in a heroic struggle side by side with their men.
I have published an anthology of Bible and Qur’an stories, called Sharing Mary, a wonderful Jewish woman loved by Christians and Muslims alike.
I would like to point to two admirable women in my anthology.
Prayer & New site: Reverberations
Introducing Reverberations « The Immanent Frame
We are pleased to announce the launch of Reverberations, a new digital forum on prayer produced in conjunction with the SSRC’s New Directions in the Study of Prayer initiative. Reverberations will serve as a hub for communication among participants in the New Directions in the Study of Prayer project, a platform for a broader set of academic and public engagements, and a space within which a wide range of resources and materials related to the practice of prayer will be compiled, curated, studied, and explored. The forum will host a prayer blog authored by a diverse group of scholars and journalists and will publish original longer-form writing, interviews with researchers and journalists studying prayer, and a range of other essays & exchanges.
Reverberations | Prayer, Imagination, and the Voice of God—in Global Perspective
TML: They don’t think of themselves as doubting God, but they are extremely articulate about how God is present through the human. They know that there are Catholics, Hindus, and Muslims, and it’s very difficult for a smart, university-educated person to say, “Hindus have culture, but we don’t, we have truth.” So you are committed to having truth, but you also have culture. You also know that if God is talking to you in your mind, first of all you have God. But at the same time, you are aware that you are mistaken some of the time. Holding both of these simultaneously is the modern predicament—the awareness of the uncertainty of your knowledge.
SBA: That’s fascinating. And it runs up against the typical critique of evangelicals, especially by Dawkins and the new atheists, that evangelicals are turning away from the modern predicament, away from ambiguity and rational discernment.
TML: Yes. And the new atheists are not exceptionally articulate about the limitations of human knowledge. These guys are just seeing a different beyond, a different more, whatever it is. It took me a while to recognize how sophisticated people were about belief. My own preconception was that belief was a proposition rather than an attitude. And I remember doing research for When God Talks Back and being in this prayer group with a bunch of women, and they were all so clear about their awareness of the possibility that they were wrong—not about whether God exists, but about whether God is present right here. So in fact as you bring God closer you become more aware that He might not be present. You allow yourself to tolerate the uncertainty, because the uncertainty is very clear. You give yourself the real literal text, but you interpret it in a way that makes it flexibly fictional even though it’s nonfiction. You are saying things like, “this is a love letter written to me,” but you’re sitting in a room with ten people, all of whom cognitively see the same text, but also believe that it is God’s specific, unique love letter written to each individual self.
Reverberations | The Higher Power
“Prayer” is not a good word among many adult survivors of clerical sexual abuse. I learned this at the first meeting of survivors I attended in the Chicago area last winter. These survivors have largely broken with the church. They associate “prayer” with the authority of the church and with the church’s determination, as they see it, to deny their experience. “Prayer,” when it is attached to the idea of “healing,” is especially toxic because it appears to insist on closure. “Pray to be healed” sounds like a command. “What’s a better word than prayer?” I asked. The word this group agreed on was “spirituality.” Here’s where I had to confront and rethink some old assumptions about praying and about religion.
Reverberations | Prayer and Worldmaking
For many Spanish Catholics, the Reconquista undertaken by the Roman Catholic monarchs remains the foundational pillar within the edifice of Spanish identity and history. From this perspective, the transformation of mosque into cathedral and the displacement of Muslim salat by Roman Catholic mass are not simply historical events to be reassessed and revised, but rather, remain essential to the symbolic architecture of the Spanish soul. For Muslim visitors, in contrast, the mosque stands as the embodiment and expression of a highly celebrated period within the history of Islamic societies, an inheritance that is as much theirs as it is Christian Europe’s. For some, the enchanting beauty of the sanctuary solicits a passional response which seeks to find expression in prayer. In both cases, the turning to God in prayer is made across a dense fabric of historical relations, and carries both the burdens and the possibilities that this history offers.
Reverberations | What Prayer Can and Cannot Do
My interest in prayer has to do with what prayer can or cannot do. Mine is the quest of the doubter who would believe. I want to know what efficacy there is in prayer.
Can our prayers change the outer world? I suspect not, but I’m interested in stories that claim otherwise.
The Papal Prayer Machine | (A)theologies | Religion Dispatches
Following the pontiff’s request that all Catholics “continue to pray for me, for the Church, and for the future pope,” the Knights naturally asked for prayers. Breaking new ground, however, they proposed that these prayers might not merely be spoken at home, declaimed during mass, or formed in the privacy of one’s thoughts. The prayers for Benedict and his successor should, instead, be put on display in the growing global commons of the Twitterverse. According to their press release, the Knights were “encouraging people to send their prayerful support to Pope Benedict XVI directly by tweeting ‘I am praying for you’ and the hashtag #prayerforthechurch to the pope’s twitter account.”
Nones
Sean McCloud: Nones, Somes and the Combinativeness of American Religious Practices
In January, NPR’s Morning Edition resurrected the October 2012 Pew Poll suggesting that 19.6 percent of Americans had no religious affiliation, dubbed them “nones” and described this as a rising trend. The week-long radio series, titled “Losing Our Religion,” started with discussion of the poll and then quickly veered into the classic Henry Luce journalism style of attempting to discuss social trends through select personal narratives. While I was struck with how the journalists tended to use the same default terms, such as “God” and “faith,” as their interviewees, the aspects I found most interesting were the assumptions behind the concept of “nones” itself.
Losing Our Religion: The Growth Of The ‘Nones’ : The Two-Way : NPR
This week, Morning Edition explores the “nones” — Americans who say they don’t identify with any religion. Demographers have given them this name because when asked to identify their religion, that’s their answer: “none.”
What does spirituality mean in America today? « The Immanent Frame
What does “spirituality” mean in America today, and how can social scientists best investigate it?
News
Burkinis to help Muslim Swedes take the plunge – The Local
The small Swedish town of Emmaboda has vetoed a petition to introduce women-only hours at the municipal swimming pool, and instead wants to start selling burkinis to its observant Muslim female bathers.
A woman’s journey out of faith, family and fear – The Washington Post
On a summer night in a Western town of flat fields and hazy sunsets, a young woman stood outside a Greyhound bus with a ticket in her hand and a backpack over her shoulder. Boarding the bus, she said later, would be the hardest thing she had done in her 18 years.
Kyrgyzstan Considers Banning Girls from Traveling Abroad | EurasiaNet.org
A lawmaker in Kyrgyzstan is pushing a resolution that would ban young women from leaving the country without their parents’ written consent.
Turkey: Mothers’ Group Works to Broaden LGBT Tolerance | EurasiaNet.org
For retired Sule Ceylan, who is now an artist, the realization that her grown son was gay initially hit her in a similar way. “It was really bad,” remembered Ceylan. “I wanted him to live a false life. I was thinking this can’t go on like this.”
The Iranian female activists have followed the footsteps of the scandalous Ukrainian FEMEN movement, flashing their breasts in protest against the hijab headscarf, women wear in the Islamic world.
Spain’s Supreme Court overturns city’s ban on full-face veils | Islam | World Bulletin
The case against Lleida – all of whose justifications for the ban were ruled unfounded – was brought by the Watani Liberty and Justice Association.
Mosques and Marriages: Manifestations of Patriarchy and Misogyny in the Western, Muslim Context
I don’t think the dynamics are specific to Muslims or Islam, but are symptoms of a silent, implicit system of patriarchy that is endemic to Western society and seeps into all aspects our lives.
ALL Muslims should renounce their religion immediately in favour of Christianity or atheism – it would be better for them and for everyone else, controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders said in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Australian interview with controversial anti-islamic Dutch politician Geert Wilders, interviewed before he visited Australia in February 2013. Wilders advocates the stopping of migration of muslims to the West, amongst many other anti-islamic views. This interview raised many complaints to the ABC after it was broadcast on 13 Feb 2013.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l_AzeFnyw4]
Facebook Rumi: How a Muslim mystic became a popular meme | What Would Muhammad Do?
If you’ve been following on social media, center-of-heart-rumi
you have probably had someone forward you an image or a meme
with a wise and poetic saying from the famed Sufi poet Rumi.According to many accounts, Rumi became the best-selling poet in the English language in the 1990?s, continuing onto today.
Today, his popularity now seems to have spilled over onto social media.
Dutch
Marokkaanse organisaties dreigen steun aan PvdA in te trekken
Marokkaanse organisaties hebben aan PvdA-voorzitter Spekman een brief geschreven waarin ze aankondigen Marokkaanse-Nederlanders sterk te zullen adviseren om niet op de PvdA te stemmen, wanneer de PvdA in de Eerste Kamer steun geeft aan het wetsvoorstel om de kinderbijslag en de uitkeringen voor nabestaanden in Marokko stop te zetten.
Het wetsvoorstel zal door PvdA minister Asscher aan de Eerste Kamer worden voorgelegd.Marokkaanse organisaties zullen de brief ook overhandigen aan hun lokale PvdA-afdeling. Hieronder de brief, die is ondertekend door Mohammed Rabbae en Abdou Menebhi.
Lokum.NL | Turkse man ondergedoken na kritiek op antisemieten – Lokum.NL
De inwoner van de Arnhemse wijk Broek die vorige week openlijk afstand nam van antisemitische uitspraken van Turkse jongeren, heeft deze week enige tijd ondergedoken gezeten. Dit hebben verschillende bronnen bevestigd aan het NTR-programma De Halve Maan.
Mehmet ?ahin, die de Turks-Nederlandse jongeren uit de wijk onder meer huiswerkbegeleiding gaf, ging in het NTR-programma Onbevoegd Gezag openlijk in tegen de anti-joodse sentimenten die de jongeren uitten. De jongeren zeiden dat ‘Hitler goed werk had gedaan’ en dat het vermoorden van vrouwen en baby’s goed was als het om joden ging.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPSVVoo5jDU]
Het is vandaag Internationale Vrouwendag. Een prima gelegenheid om iets over mijn moeder te vertellen.
Buurt vreest ‘spookmoskee’ De Baarsjes – BINNENLAND – PAROOL
Een spookmoskee voor de deur, dat vrezen huiseigenaren rond de plek in De Baarsjes waar de Westermoskee moet komen. Projectontwikkelaar Manderen jubelt dat de eerste paal van de moskee nog deze maand de grond in gaat. Het stadsdeel is sceptisch.
‘Turkije hoort echt niet bij de Europese Unie’ – Buitenland – VK
opinie Het getuigt van wijsheid als we de onderhandelingen met Turkije over toetreding tot de EU stoppen. Dat schrijven ChristenUnie-Kamerleden Gert-Jan Segers en Joël Voordewind.
Klein deel Amsterdamse moslima’s bereid tot geweld – AT5 Echt Amsterdams Nieuws
Een kleine groep Amsterdamse moslima’s is bereid zelf geweld te gebruiken als hun geloof wordt bedreigd.
Nederlandse moslimjongeren willen tegen Assad vechten – Nederland – TROUW
Steeds meer moslimjongeren in Nederland willen naar Syrië om daar te vechten tegen het regime. Dat is ook een gevaar voor de veiligheid van Nederland, zegt het Contactorgaan Moslims en Overheid (CMO) woensdag.
Islamitische organisaties zijn bezorgd over ronselen van jongeren voor strijd in Syrië
Het Contactorgaan Moslims en Overheid (CMO) krijgt verontrustende signalen dat steeds meer jongeren in Nederland zich aangetrokken voelen tot deelname aan de gewapende strijd in Syrië. Het CMO is bezorgd over de ronselpraktijken en ziet daarin een veiligheidsrisico voor Nederland.
Het CMO stuurt daarom een brief naar zijn aangesloten organisaties en imams met de oproep om hieraan aandacht te besteden. Dat laat het CMO weten in een persbericht.
K: Triodos moet islamitische universiteit volgens zijn eigen criteria de wacht aanzeggen
In een eerder artikel vestigde ik er de aandacht op dat Triodos Bank in 2003 de Islamitische Universiteit van Rotterdam (IUR) heeft gered van een faillissement; en dat de bank nog steeds geldschieter is van deze instelling. In dat verband belichtte ik de kwalijke opvattingen van rector Ahmet Akgündüz, die een fervent pleitbezorger is van de orthodoxe sharia en in vele boeken ijverig de gronden aanvoert voor het schenden van fundamentele mensenrechten in een islamitische staat.
Al-Jazeera interviewt bekeerde ex-PVV’er
Nadat de afgelopen dagen enorm veel gespeculeerd werd over de bekering van oud PVV’er Arnoud van Doorn, heeft hij vandaag nogmaals bevestigd aan al-Jazeera.net dat hij officieel bekeerd is tot de Islam. In een gesprek met al-Jazeera.net geeft Van Doorn te kennen dat hij al een tijd bezig was met het bestuderen van de Islam.
CDA moet nadrukkelijker kiezers en nieuwe leden gaan werven onder moslims in de grote steden. Dat adviseert de werkgroep CDA & Islam.
Nieuws.nl – ‘Meer moslims bekeren zich tot christelijk geloof’
(Novum) – Steeds meer moslims in Nederland bekeren zich tot het christelijke geloof. Vooral mensen uit Iran stappen vaak over, concludeert het Nederlands Dagblad zaterdag uit een rondgang langs kerkgemeenten en landelijk opererende stichtingen. Landelijke cijfers zijn er echter niet.
Kipslachter moslims riskeert bewust boete
Kippenslachter Clazing in Zevenhuizen riskeert bewust een geldboete door niet te slachten volgens nieuwe eisen van de EU. Clazing is een middelgrote slachterij in Nederland waar alle kippen op Islamitische wijze worden geslacht.
Moskeebestuur Deventer blij met azan
De Centrum Moskee gaat dagelijks oproepen tot gebed. Een peiling onder omwonenden pakte positief uit voor de moskee. Het bestuur is blij, maar reageert gelaten: ,,Het voelt niet als winnen of verliezen.”
PVV wil verbod dagelijkse azan in Deventer
PVV-baas Geert Wilders vraagt het kabinet dit zo snel mogelijk te verbieden. Hij typeert het nieuwe fenomeen als een ‘imperialistische moskee-oproep, tekend voor de islamisering van ons land’. Ook wil Wilders van de ministers Plasterk en Asscher weten of ze zijn visie delen dat dit schadelijk is voor de integratie. “En zo niet, waarom niet?”, vragen Wilders en fractiegenoot Joram van Klaveren. Ze vinden moskeeën en azan niet thuishoren in Nederland. De PVV gaat er vanuit dat ook moslims klok kunnen kijken. “Denkt u ook niet dat de oproep tot islamitisch gebed totaal overbodig is omdat er in Nederland gewoon klokken hangen en verondersteld mag worden dat ook moslims kunnen klokkijken.”
Elsevier.nl – Zorgen om antisemitisme onder Nederlandse jongeren
Binnen- en buitenlandse organisaties maken zich zorgen om de antisemitische uitspattingen van jongeren in Arnhem. Ze vragen premier Mark Rutte (VVD) onderzoek te doen naar recente vormen van Jodenhaat.
