C L O S E R

news@nature.com – Islam and science, 2006

Posted on November 6th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News, Uncategorized.

news@nature.com – Islam and science, 2006
ISLAM AND SCIENCE

In many countries with large Muslim populations the pendulum of power is swinging away from secular (but mostly undemocratic) government back to where it was for many centuries: to Islamist regimes, and Islamic law. What does this mean for Muslim scientists and science? For a very long time, Muslim states have scored badly on measures of science and technology. Will things be any better or worse under the new Islamist governments? Visit the newsblog to read and post comments on Islam and science.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| opvoeding_onderwijs – Gedragsproblemen / Met de schooljeugd gaat het prima

Posted on November 6th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| opvoeding_onderwijs – Gedragsproblemen / Met de schooljeugd gaat het prima

Posted on November 6th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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Press Gazette – Ex-Reuters editor studies effect of jihadi propaganda

Posted on November 5th, 2006 by .
Categories: International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Press Gazette -  Ex-Reuters editor studies effect of jihadi propaganda

By Zoe Smith
Thursday, 2 November 2006

In Jihad TV, a documentary to be broadcast on Channel 4 next week, Eedle investigates the jihadi propaganda machine and its impact on young Arabs and young British Muslims.

He told Press Gazette: “It is vitally important that people in Britain and America understand the motives and strategies of the people they are fighting, whether it’s Al Qaeda globally led by Osama bin Laden or the different insurgent groups in Iraq.”

(more…)

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Gebrek aan beschaving vs. vrijheid van meningsuiting

Posted on November 5th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Op de website van Wilders kunnen we het volgende lezen:Nazi-vergelijking door GroenLinks, Wilders verontwaardigd
Het gaat om dit artikel van Spunk: Let op: Tofik Dibi waarin Tofik Dibi stelt:

In zo’n debat moet je soms vies en hard durven schreeuwen. Dat zou ik ook anders doen dan Femke Halsema. GroenLinks mag harder zijn, bijvoorbeeld tegen zo iemand als Geert Wilders. Zeg maar gewoon dat hij een racist is! Als je zijn verkiezingsprogramma hebt gelezen kan je niets anders concluderen. Je krijgt rillingen van het Übermenschen-idee dat daaruit spreekt.’

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Protected: Waterland – De vrouwen van Samir A.

Posted on November 5th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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Protected: Antropologe Mary Douglas in NRC: We proberen te ontsnappen van het niets om ons heen

Posted on November 4th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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“Are you Canadian first, or Muslim?”

Posted on November 4th, 2006 by .
Categories: Young Muslims.

At SAFspace:“Are you Canadian first, or Muslim?” an impression of a visit of a delegation of Dutch mayors and the police service to learn something from the way ethnic and religious communities interact with the state society.

During the discussion they asked various questions about the Muslim experience in Canada. They seemed quite taken with the young Muslims on the panel. “Dutch Muslims aren’t like you!” the mayor beside me exclaimed. “They are not educated. They are…what do you call it…they are illiterate, many of them.” They marvelled at the way young Muslims had almost seamlessly merged into the public institutions and organizations of this country. How had we accomplished so much, they wanted to know.

Come on, dear mayor, you know better then that. Many Muslims are active in all kinds of political and student organizations and the amounts of Muslim youth in higher education is getting quite impressive (although it can and should be more, yes).

Or this question:

“Let me ask you something,” one of the mayors interjected. “Do you consider yourself Canadian first, or Muslim?” Someone else answered the question, and in retrospect I’m glad I didn’t, because as I thought about it later that day, its complexity became clear to me.

Well since one is a religious affiliation and the other a national one, these two don’t have to bite, I think.

But I don’t see that as problematic because I don’t imagine why I’d be forced to choose between being a Muslim and being Canadian. Each individual, Muslim or not, has various characteristics that make up a single identity. These characteristics intersect and diverge from one another. Sometimes they even clash. Part of living is learning how to reconcile the various aspects of one’s identity. Living in a secular context, a Muslim adapts the religious discourse she uses as well as her religious practice so that they fit into the society in which she chooses to live. Similarly, in a liberal democratic society, this same Muslim expects that the institutions of the state will lay a solid foundation for the very real protection of her right to freedom of expression and religion.

So I hope this post from SAFspace will be send to all the people of that delegation; they might learn something from and ask smarter questions.

1 comment.

She had it coming…

Posted on November 4th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

A lot to do about Hilali’s comments on rape and women. His comparison with meat is ridiculous of course:

If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it … whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat? The uncovered meat is the problem […]

Since when is rape the fault of women. Yes of course you can say women should be careful and but of course you should say that men should keep their hands (and whatever else) to themselves. Something like Hilali’s comments are also made about veiled women but then the other way around by the distinguished French scholar Bernard-Henry Lévi:

Our time is almost up, but BHL becomes the most animated I have seen him when I ask him about Jack Straw’s intervention on Muslim women and the veil. ‘Jack Straw’, he says, leaning close to me, ‘made a great point. He did not say that he was against the veil. He said it is much easier, much more comfortable, respectful, to speak with a woman with a naked face. And without knowing, he quoted Levinas, who is the philosopher of the face. Levinas says that [having seen] the naked face of your interlocutor, you cannot kill him or her, you cannot rape him, you cannot violate him. So when the Muslims say that the veil is to protect women, it is the contrary. The veil is an invitation to rape […]

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Neerlands hoop

Posted on November 4th, 2006 by .
Categories: Arts & culture.

Het boek van Laila Lalami, bij bloggers misschien beter bekend als Moorish Girl, is nu ook uit in Nederland. Haar boek Hope and other Dangerous Pursuits is vertaald als Hoop en andere gevaarlijke verlangens. In januari is zij in Nederland bij het Winternachten festival.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| podium – Radicale islam / Oorlog tegen het terrorisme werkt averechts (Podium)

Posted on November 4th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| podium – Radicale islam / Oorlog tegen het terrorisme werkt averechts (Podium)

Posted on November 4th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization.

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Retired minister dies after setting himself on fire over Islam, church official says – International Herald Tribune

Posted on November 3rd, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Retired minister dies after setting himself on fire over Islam, church official says -  International Herald Tribune

BERLIN: A retired Protestant minister died Wednesday of burns after setting himself on fire, apparently to express his concern over the spread of Islam, a church official said. (more…)

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In Memoriam: Clifford Geertz

Posted on November 3rd, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

‘man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun‘ is zo ongeveer de enige zin die ik me nog letterlijk kan herinneren uit mijn studie en in ieder geval één van de mooiste zinnen. Als ik toch eens zo mooi kon schrijven met zoveel inhoud…hmmm dan had ik vast een echte full time baan…

De zin is afkomstig van Clifford Geertz. Hij is afgelopen week op 80-jarige leeftijd in de VS overleden. Geertz is vooral bekend van de symbolische antropologie: Symbolen geven richting aan het handelen.Geertz ziet cultuur “een systeem van geërfde concepten, uitgedrukt in een symbolische vorm, door middel waarvan mensen hun kennis en attitude ten aanzien van het leven communiceren, bestendigen en ontwikkelen. Cultuur geeft mensen daarmee de mogelijkheid om betekenis toe te kennen aan de wereld waardoor deze begrijpelijk wordt. Antropologen moeten zich erop toeleggen die symbolen en de werking ervan te verklaren. (more…)

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Female Circumcision

Posted on November 3rd, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

On Fausta’s blog (via Myrtus) a report on an Ethiopian man who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for mutilating his 2 yr old daughter with a pair of scissors. Interesting is that while laws exist against FGM, he was sentenced for aggravated battery and cruelty to children, not under anti-FGM laws since the crime took place prior to the enactment of the laws. (more…)

1 comment.

Discriminatie: Welles – Nietes

Posted on November 2nd, 2006 by .
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

Er is nogal wat discussie over het SEO onderzoek De onderkant van de arbeidsmarkt vanuit werkgeversperspectief. Dit onderzoek zou uitwijzen dat opleiding veel belangrijker is dan afkomst voor de motivatie van een werkgever om iemand wel of niet aan te nemen. Wouter Bos gelooft het domweg niet en doet nogal badinerend over het onderzoek. Onderzoeksbureau E-quality verwerpt ook de uitkomsten en verwijst daarbij naar een onderzoek van Regioplan dat duidelijk zou aantonen dat discriminatie wel bestaat.

Laten we eerst eens kijken naar het SEO-onderzoek en dan het Regioplan onderzoek er naast leggen. (more…)

3 comments.

Cursing, incitement to hatred and internal politics

Posted on November 2nd, 2006 by .
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Several blogs have reported already about the sermon delivered by imam Fawaz Jneid of the As Soennah mosque, a Salafi mosque in The Hague. In this sermon he cursed Hirsi Ali and Van Gogh in a very brutal manner. One of the attendants was Mohammed B.; yes the guy who killed Van Gogh. According to Radio Netherlands (I suggest you read that article!):

In the recording of the sermon, Imam Fawaz calls Theo van Gogh a ‘criminal bastard’ and beseeches Allah to visit an incurable disease upon the filmmaker. He also condemns former Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali who was involved in writing the script for Submission. The imam asks Allah to make Ms Hirsi Ali go blind and give her cancer of the tongue and brain.

Two questions that immediately emerge is why do other Muslims not distance themselves from people like this imam and is this a hate speech? (more…)

1 comment.

In Memoriam: Theo van Gogh

Posted on November 2nd, 2006 by .
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues.

Today it is two years ago that Theo van Gogh has been assasinated by Mohammed B. Although there is no offical commemoration of his death, several webmagazins today are dedicated to Theo van Gogh, his death and his legacy. Very impressive is Peaktalks week of Van Gogh. In several articles Pieter Dorsman pays attention to the film Submission I and his relationship with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the monument for Theo van Gogh, the threat to free speech, the investigation of the attack and he has written a review of Buruma’s book Murder in Amsterdam. The articles might not all be really objective but in general they are fair and balanced.

One of the things that stands out of course, and Dorsman is very clear in that, is the issue of free speech. He quotes one of my favorite writers at Spiked,  Munira Mirza, who wrote:

Controversial issues require heated debates, not conformity of opinion. Projecting the worst-case scenario of race riots can end up encouraging a form of self-censorship. If people are given scare stories about public reaction, they may be less likely to stick their head above the parapet. This allows ill-informed opinions to reign and prejudices to fester. We need to have a much more positive conception of free speech, particularly the kind that ruffles feathers and arouses passions. A healthy democracy can only work if people are not afraid to disagree, even if that means taking a not-very-gentle tone.

(more…)

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Protected: de Volkskrant – Binnenland – Waarom Soumaya S. scheidde van Nouredine el F.

Posted on November 2nd, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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AD.nl – Nieuwe radicaal staat klaar

Posted on November 2nd, 2006 by .
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

AD.nl – Nieuwe radicaal staat klaar/
Patrick Pouw heeft gesproken met Redouane Boughabe, broer van één van de Hofstad-leden Fahmi. Het is niet de eerste keer dat deze jongen de krant haalt, het verhaal is min of meer hetzelfde hoewel Pouw er beter in is geslaagd de drijfveren van deze jongen weer te geven.

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Trouw, deVerdieping| podium – Opinie / Op alle scholen zijn er problemen met ouders

Posted on November 2nd, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

Trouw, deVerdieping| podium – Opinie / Op alle scholen zijn er problemen met ouders
Opinie / Op alle scholen zijn er problemen met ouders
door Annelies Buurmeijer

Negatieve verhalen over zwarte scholen krijgen ten onrechte veel aandacht. Je kunt je kind er best naartoe sturen.

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Trouw, deVerdieping| podium – Opinie / Op alle scholen zijn er problemen met ouders

Posted on November 2nd, 2006 by .
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

Trouw, deVerdieping| podium – Opinie / Op alle scholen zijn er problemen met ouders
Opinie / Op alle scholen zijn er problemen met ouders
door Annelies Buurmeijer

Negatieve verhalen over zwarte scholen krijgen ten onrechte veel aandacht. Je kunt je kind er best naartoe sturen.

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Eurozine: Lila Abu-Lughod – The Muslim woman. The power of images and the danger of pity

Posted on November 1st, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Multiculti Issues.

Lorenz has brought to my attention (via Disparate) an interesting article by Lila Abu-Lughod (The Muslim woman. power of images and the danger of pity) at Eurozine.com.

In the common Western imagination, the image of the veiled Muslim woman stands for oppression in the Muslim world. This makes it hard to think about the Muslim world without thinking about women, sets up an “us” and “them” relationship with Muslim women, and ignores the variety of ways of life practiced by women in different parts of the Muslim world. Anthropologist Lila Abu-Lughod emphasizes that veiling should not be confused with a lack of agency or even traditionalism. Western feminists who take it upon themselves to speak on behalf of oppressed Muslim women assume that individual desire and social convention are inherently at odds: something not borne out by the experience of Islamic society.

(more…)

1 comment.

Islamofobie – Het 'zij – wij' perspectief onder de loep

Posted on November 1st, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

Op haar weblog heeft Anja Meulenbelt een interessant stukje geschreven over Islamofobie als zelfbedieningswinkel. Ook al heeft het perspectief dus zeer zinvolle bijdragen te geven; uiteindelijk is veel te simplistisch, averechts en hanteert het grotendeels dezelfde uitgangspunten als de islam-bashers. Kort gezegd komt Meulenbelts uiteenzetting over islamofobie hier op neer:

(more…)

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Islamofobie – Het ‘zij – wij’ perspectief onder de loep

Posted on November 1st, 2006 by .
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

Op haar weblog heeft Anja Meulenbelt een interessant stukje geschreven over Islamofobie als zelfbedieningswinkel. Ook al heeft het perspectief dus zeer zinvolle bijdragen te geven; uiteindelijk is veel te simplistisch, averechts en hanteert het grotendeels dezelfde uitgangspunten als de islam-bashers. Kort gezegd komt Meulenbelts uiteenzetting over islamofobie hier op neer:

(more…)

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