Karen Armstrong: The Role of Religion in the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Karen Armstrong's talk at the Capitol in Washington, DC with a 20-minute or so Q&A period is being distributed by the Council for the National Interest Foundation.

The talk is basically a summary of positions she has laid out in her book The Battle for God. Her prime contention is that intra-religious battles about how to react to modernity result in social identities which, in situations of stress and political conflict, emerge into fundamentalist political movements.

She takes a little more time to deal with Christian fundamentalists, but she address Jews and Muslims as well.

This talk is a great way to address people who say things like "Those people are always fighting" or "God said there would always be war" or "God says we must do such and such (politically)."

The program is 78 minutes long.

Film: Gaza Strip, by James Longley

Update: James Longley has made this film available for free. Please consider donating to support the work. Also, read the comment he made regarding Israel's July 2014 attacks on Gaza.


Gaza Strip from James Longley on Vimeo.

The documentary film Gaza Strip by James Longley runs 74 minutes. The special features include some striking still shots, a map of the Gaza Strip showing the extent of Jewish settlements in 2002 and a narrated audio track by James Longley, which I have not yet heard.

You can also read other reviews of the film.

The film includes profanity in Arabic which is then translated into the English subtitles.

The film includes a segment describing Israeli use of a gas weapon which caused neurological symptoms. I had never heard that before.

Another amazing scene is a large number of children standing around and taking cover every 10 seconds or so as gunfire breaks out, but otherwise acting as if it was normal.

The most unbearable scene is a dialog where Muhammad Hijazi, a thirteen-year old boy who appears frequently in the documentary, talks about what he thinks might happen to him after death. He relates the conversation he imagines might take place between him and God and his assignment to Hell or, perhaps, purgatory.

The film's footage was shot in 2001 (I think).

As I was watching it, I was thinking that most of my previous office co-workers would not be able to handle the truth of this movie. The Palestinians Longley interviews express a deep pessimism combined with a determination to resist.

I purchased my copy from Amazon.com.

James Longley has also directed Iraq in Fragments. He is currently working on a documentary film about Iran.

Film: The Refusal-Story of Franz Jägerstätter, a martyr for justice

THE REFUSAL - Story of Franz Jägerstätter from GNV Team on Vimeo.

I purchased this DVD at the School of the Americas Watch rally in Columbus, Georgia, USA in November 2008. The movie was originally released in West Germany in 1971. This DVD has English subtitles available on-line, but no extra features. It runs for 95 minutes. The DVD label includes the web site for the Center for Christian Nonviolence. I spoke with John Carmodi of the center on January 26, 2009, and he told me that the web site's store was being rebuilt and it should be available again shortly. In the meantime, people who want the DVD can call 302.235.2925. [May 13, 2009-New English language translation of Franz Jägerstätter letter's and writings from prison].

Sonbolight Kids Web Site Focuses on Materials for Children to Enjoy Eid

While there are only a few items currently available from the sonbolightkids.com web site, I hope that Muslims support it in the hope that it develops into a quality supplier of decorations and children's activities materials for Eid.

Review: The Great Influenza by John M Barry

John M. Barry´s list of works in worldcat.org shows that he is able to make a popular, general audience book about topics that academic historians might write articles and monographs the general public would avoid, like the way Ken Burns does with PBS films.

Both Believer and Infidel-Herman Melville

And how nobly it raises our conceit of the mighty, misty monster, to behold him solemnly sailing through a calm tropical sea; his vast, mild head overhung by a canopy of vapor, engendered by his incommunicable contemplations, and that vapor - as you will sometimes see it - glorified by a rainbow, as if Heaven itself had put its seal upon his thoughts. For, d'ye see, rainbows do not visit the clear air; they only irradiate vapor. And so, through all the thick mists of the dim doubts in my mind, divine intuitions now and then shoot, enkindling my fog with a heavenly ray. And for this I thank God; for all have doubts; many deny; but doubts or denials, few along with them, have intuitions. Doubts of all things earthly, and intuitions of some things heavenly; this combination makes neither believer nor infidel, but makes a man who regards them both with equal eye.

This amazing passage appears at the end of Chapter 85 of Moby Dick, entitled "The Fountain." It's a (surprise!) lengthy speculation on the breathing apparatus of the sperm whale. And just when you're wondering why you are reading it, you get this wonderful insight from the author, Herman Melville.

Here's an earlier blog entry I did with a Moby Dick quote.

2013-12-25: The Lettered Wayfarer posted a quote from Moby Dick with a thoughtful introduction.

O God! by Mehdi Alavi

O God! by Mehdi Alavi

I reviewed this one in 2001. I've started to add my reviews to Amazon.com, and then I discovered a review I wrote in 2001. Eek!

Labyrinths by Ayman Fanous and Tomas Ulrich

Dr. Ayman Fanous attended University of Virginia with me in the early 1990s. In addition to being a genuine human being, a gad'a, an ibn nas, he was an accomplished musician and played the `uud in various venues.

He has been able to continue making music, and I was fortunate enough to get his latest album. Lately, he has been combining his classical guitar with Tomas Ulrich's cello. The latest CD is entitled Labyrinths, and its out on konnex records, konnex-records.de. I purchased my copy from squidco.com.

Free the P

Free the P is a compilation of hip hop and spoken word performances to renew the spirit of resistance and self-evaluation for all activists for justice. There are two songs with a lot of Arabic lyrics, and the remainder use English. There are some "Eastern" musical features, but most of the artists' sounds are familiar to North American hip hop fans.

The bottom line for me is that the CD kept my interest, raised my pulse and kept the car moving.

A warning. There is some profanity and some use of the N-word. Immortal Technique's song "The 4th Branch" is an example of this.

It can be purchased from http://www.freethep.com.

Dissonance and Harmony: Arabic Music Goes West

Dissonance and Harmony: Arabic Music Goes West was broadcast on Georgia Public Television November 2. Catch it on your local station. It is not available on the PBS site.

Herman Melville-Philosophers Have a Broken Digester

From the Princeton full-text version of Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

But, perhaps, to be true philosophers, we mortals should not be conscious of so living or so striving. So soon as I hear that such or such a man gives himself out for a philosopher, I conclude that, like the dyspeptic old woman, he must have "broken his digester."

I added another Moby Dick quote in a later blog entry.

Review: A Season in Mecca by Abdellah Hammoudi

A Season in Mecca: Narrative of a Pilgrimage. Abdellah Hammoudi. Translated from the French by Pascale Ghazaleh. New York: Hill and Wang; 2006. ISBN-10: 0-8090-7609-8. www.fsgbooks.com

Amnesty International Report on Women

Amnesty International has released a report entitled "Egypt: Women Targeted by Association." A local Amnesty International member requested that I translated some letters to Gihan Ibrahim Abdelhamid, the longest-held female administrative detainee in Egypt, into Arabic. I've attached them to this blog entry in case you wanted to use them yourself. The report does not include instructions on how to send the letters, but in sha Allah I'll get that information and updated the blog entry.

Arabic religious letter (MS Word, TIF)
Arabic secular letter (MS Word, TIF)
English religious letter
English secular letter

Update April 20, 2011

Boston Globe Web Site Features Photos of Ramadan Observance Worldwide

The Boston Globe's The Big Picture by Alan Taylor has a 35-photo collection of Ramadan observance around the world.

Film: War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death

Film: War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, produced by The Media Education Foundation and narrated by Sean Penn, is a 72-minute documentary documenting how mainstream media, contrary to right-wing commentators, generally supports U.S. militarism. The documentary shows how long it took for U.S. media outlets to begin to question the government's narrative in Vietnam. Of course, the situation with regards to the 2nd Iraq war is much worse. Watch it and feel your righteous rage!

Film: No End in Sight: Iraq's Descent into Chaos

No End in Sight: Iraq's Descent into Chaos, the Inside Story from the Ultimate Insiders is a 102-minute documentary detailing the errors (deliberate sabotage?) the U.S. did in Iraq from the beginning of its occupation in 2003 until the film's end in 2007. A great summary for those who have not been following this crime from the beginning.

Film: The Fog of War by Errol Morris

The Fog of War, by Errol Morris, is a series of interviews and commentary with Robert S. McNamara. Slate.com published a review which best explains the value of this film-that even a person at the center of the U.S. wars of imperialism and the brutality of modern warfare can remain lost in the fog some 40 years later.

Review: Haleem & Kaleem's Eid Gifts by Fawzia Gilani

Haleem & Kaleem's Eid Gifts (ISBN 978-983-065-253-5) by Fawzia Gilani and illustrated by Muslimah Williams. Published by A.S. Noordeen, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. First published 2008.

The author sent me the copy I read, so I cannot comment on purchasing from the Halalco book site, although I believe I've made successful purchases from it in the past.

The story is engaging, the morality is simple and important and the illustrations are attractive. The book meets my criteria for Muslim children's media.

Review: Ismat's Eid by Fawzia Gilani-Williams

Ismat's Eid (ISBN 978-81-8146-405-7) by Fawzia Gilani-Williams and illustrated by Proiti Roy. It is published by Tulika Publishers, Chennai, India.

I read it in English, but it is also available in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati and Bangla. The author sent me the copy I read, so I cannot comment on purchasing from the Tulika web site. As of September 22, 2008, I did not find it at astrolabe.com or IslamicBookstore.com.

I like this story a lot. It celebrates Eid, it shows Muslims hard at work, and it shows a Muslim family performing kind deeds for each other and laughing together. The illustrations are excellent as well.

Although I've never seen this before and I have no idea how helpful this is, the book is rated for listening to by children four years and older and for reading by children six years and older.

Film: A Garden in Cairo

The United States public TV show e² opened its third season with an excellent episode entitled "A Garden in Cairo" about the Aga Khan Foundation project to establish the Azhar Park in Cairo, Egypt and the impact of the project on the surrounding neighborhoods.