Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America's Tradition of Religious Equality by Martha Craven Nussbaum

Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America's Tradition of Religious Equality by Martha Craven Nussbaum

I earlier published a review of Professor Nussbaum's The New Religious Intolerance: Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age. That book skims through arguments she fleshed out in greater detail and with different historical examples in Liberty of Conscience.

I want to reproduce a few passages which described some aspects of U.S. history which I'd never heard.

U.K. Christian Theologian Keith Ward on Laws Prohibiting Blasphemy

Leonard Levy, in his book Blasphemy: Verbal Offense Against the Sacred, from Moses to Salman Rushdie, quotes Keith Ward as a person who, in the wake of the persecution of Salman Rushdie, changed his opinion from support of the United Kingdom's blasphemy laws to their rejection. I acquired the source document to understand Ward's views in more depth.

Film: Sin Visa (Director Ana Simoes)

Dr. Ramzi Salti, Lecturer at Stanford University and host of the radio show and blog Arabology, reviewed the Spanish film Sin Visa. I have not seen the film.

Sin Visa is an independent, poignant film that broaches the topic of immigration in a powerful, thoughtful and unique way. At a time when immigrants seem to be systematically portrayed en masse by so many media outlets, this film succeeds in humanizing the immigrant experience by reminding us all of the individuality and uniqueness of every immigrant that has ever crossed the border. ... read more ...

Meet the Qo'sbys: Halal in the Family by Aasif Mandvi

Comedian Aasif Mandvi has put together Halal in the Family, a series of short videos in the sit-com format about the Qu'osbys addressing various aspects of Muslim-non-Muslim interaction in the United States.
Information about the videos and some of the serious issues underlying them is available on the Halal in the Family website, Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Review: Redeployment by Phil Klay

Redeployment by Phil Klay (Twitter) (Penguin Books, Paperback, 9780143126829, 304pp.)

Author Phil Klay is scheduled to come to my city, Augusta, GA, on April 17, 2015. I intended to go and confront him, not because I knew anything about him or his book, but mostly because of my anger over the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the worldwide assassination program by drone and other global war on terror calamities. 'Murica's embrace of the movie American Sniper also increased my bitterness, which I expressed on Twitter. This one best sums up what I thought I'd feel about Phil Klay and his book:

Until #USA pols in #prison for #WarCrimes, any movie which focuses on psychological trauma of US soldiers is war propaganda #AmericanSniper
— Ayman Hossam Fadel (@aymanfadel) January 25, 2015

Review: The New Religious Intolerance: Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age by Martha C. Nussbaum

The New Religious Intolerance: Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age by Martha C. Nussbaum (Belknap Press, Hardcover, 9780674065901, 304pp.) Publication Date: April 2012

How can the industrialized, formally democratic societies of Europe and North America increase religious pluralism? European nations "have understood the root of nationhood to lie first and foremost in characteristics that are difficult if not impossible for new immigrants to share. Strongly influenced by romanticism, these nations have seen blood, soil, ethnolinguistic peoplehood, and religion as necessary or at least central elements of a national identity." (p. 13) Other nations, such as the United States and India, define "nationhood in terms of political ideals and struggles," thus somewhat opening the door. (p. 16)

"Tracks in the Snow" - Exhibit on Minnesota Muslims

"Tracks in the Snow" the Minnesota Muslim Experience http://t.co/rLuwK7uNQe
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) April 7, 2015

From the Duluth, Minnesota Zeitgeist Arts Café website:

Who are Minnesota Muslims? They are a small but rapidly growing part of the state’s community. Conservative estimates suggest that there are about 120,000 – 150,000 Muslims in Minnesota. Learn about the untold stories of this community at the Tracks in the Snow traveling exhibit featured at Zeitgeist Arts from April 4th through April 24, 2015.  ---- read more ----

Everyday Iran on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Women dishing up a family gathering lunch. #Qazvin, #Iran. Photo by Mehdi Bidel @mehdibidel #everydayqazvin #everydayiran #everydayeverywhere خانم‌ها در حال کشیدن غذای یک مهمانیِ خانوادگی. #قزوین، #ایران. عکاس: مهدی بیدل

A photo posted by Everyday Iran (@everydayiran) on Apr 1, 2015 at 12:08pm PDT

As elements of the United States government continue to press for war with Iran, perhaps the most effective action for peace is to remind people everywhere that the victims of war will overwhelmingly be everyday Iranians, not the stereotyped, cartoonish villains whom warmongers portray with their rhetoric. For this purpose, I ask people to follow and share the pictures of Everyday Iran on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.

Tweets by @everydayiran

Download 422 Free Art Books from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Open Culture

For lovers of art & art history, it's Eid! When I searched for available books in the thematic category "Islamic Art," there were 56 results. I'm downloading now Mirror of the Invisible World: Tales from the Khamseh of Nizami. Read the article at openculture.com, then check out the publications available for download.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is open seven days a week and is located in New York City, New York, United States of America.

Teacher Confronts Islamophobia with "The Garden of My Imaan" by Farhana Zia

"You mean a Muslim is coming here?!” http://t.co/OBr5Hpqvbu pic.twitter.com/gnIakR3qaf
— Teaching Tolerance (@Tolerance_org) March 19, 2015

Amy Vatne Bitliff used Farhana Zia's The Garden of My Imaan in her public middle school.

Then two days prior to Zia’s visit, one of my students who had really been pushing against the text said, “You mean a Muslim is coming here?! They chop people’s heads off. If she’s coming here, I’m not coming to school." ... read more ...

The level of fear and prejudice that fell from my student's mouths this week as we read a book about a Muslim American girl was staggering.
— Amy Vatne Bintliff (@amybintliff) October 16, 2014

As an anti-bias educator, preparing for Farhana Zia's visit has propelled students to explore anti-Muslim fear. We have all grown so much!
— Amy Vatne Bintliff (@amybintliff) October 16, 2014

Review: How Does it Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi

How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi (Penguin Press HC, The, Hardcover, 9781594201769, 304pp.)

The author relates the stories of seven Arab-American youth from Brooklyn, New York.

It's hard for me to relate to the stories in this book because I'm much older than the subjects, I've never lived in a place with a lot of Arabs (or great ethnic diversity) and I've never had the family, financial and legal struggles many of them had.

Nevertheless, the stories were engaging, and I read the book quickly. Each subject's story made me think about things differently, and I suspect each reader would draw unique lessons for himself or herself.

Review: Snow White: An Islamic Tale by Fawzia Gilani

Wood Turtle reviewed Snow White: An Islamic Tale by Fawzia Gilani. I have not read the book, although I have reviewed others she has published.

Could Film "Unmosqued" Generate Discussion at Your Masjid?

Professor Shabana Mir reported on the discussion which occurred at the masjid in her city following a screening of the film Unmosqued.

Merchants of Doubt Movie Trailer

I had reviewed the book upon which this documentary is based.

Walls of Freedom: Street Art of the Egyptian Revolution

Egypt officials seize books on revolution street art http://t.co/1aD8mTN3E2 #NewsfromElsewhere pic.twitter.com/XF0fjOkyAx
— BBC Monitoring (@BBCMonitoring) February 19, 2015

To purchase the English version of the book, visit the publisher's web page. The book has its own website. The Facebook page has ongoing developments, including the Egyptian government's efforts to erase the graffiti.

This article reports that the copies were seized in Alexandria over a fee dispute, not censorship.

Censor says Walls of Freedom book does not incite rioting but simply documents Egypt's revolutionary graffiti http://t.co/hhZkoVZPNI

— Mada Masr مدى مصر (@MadaMasr) February 23, 2015

Review: Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley

When I was a child, before DVRs and Tivo and even video cassette recorders, the first big TV event I remember was the ABC miniseries "Roots" based on Alex Haley's book of the same title. I have this memory (or imagination) of people looking at their watches and saying, "I know what you are telling me is important, but I gotta get home to watch the next episode of Roots." I thought I had watched it, but I had forgotten everything except Kunta Kinte's capture and somebody saying, "Lizzie, Lizzie." I was fortunate to acquire a minimally-scratched used recording of Avery Brooks's abridged narration of the 30th anniversary edition, which included an illuminating forward by Michael Eric Dyson.

Having read Alex Haley's first breakthrough book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and Marable Manning's biography of Malcolm X, in which Haley plays a prominent role, I felt like I heard the Nation of Islam's influence, especially in Haley's description of Kunta Kinte's village in The Gambia and his rejection of the descendants of African slaves whom he encountered.

So much has been written about this book. I strongly encourage readers of this blog to read or listen to a copy or at least watch the miniseries.

Review: The Eternal Nazi: From Mauthausen to Cairo, the Relentless Pursuit of SS Doctor Aribert Heim by Nicholas Kulish & Souad Mekhennet

The Eternal Nazi: From Mauthausen to Cairo, the Relentless Pursuit of SS Doctor Aribert Heim
By Nicholas Kulish & Souad Mekhennet
(Doubleday, Hardcover, 9780385532433, 320pp.)
Publication Date: March 25, 2014

I originally learned about this book following tweets regarding a January 10, 2015 newspaper article by Nicholas Kulish entitled "Old Nazis Never Die." Many twitter users came to the conclusion that escaped Nazis exerted strong influence in Egypt and Syria, and many attributed some of the animosity in those countries to the Zionist project to Nazi-style anti-antisemitism. A French film, which I have not seen, explores Nazis who fled to Egypt and Syria. See this article written by its director, Géraldine Schwarz, and published in Le Monde of January 2, 2015.

So I wanted to read this book to learn about this influence, but that is not its main focus. The authors focus on the process of denazification after World War II, from whose chaotic, unfocused, politicized origins emerged human rights laws and eventually war crime tribunals.

Review: The Secret World of Oil by Ken Silverstein

The Secret World of Oil by Ken Silverstein
Hardback, 240 pages ISBN: 9781781681374
May 2014

Note that the author of this book is not this Ken Silverstein, who writes in energy industry publications.

If you care about the poor or the environment, be prepared to vomit in your mouth at nearly every other page of this account of the oil and other resource extraction industries.

Ken Silverstein devotes a chapter to each of the following categories of players in this woeful tragedy: the fixers, the dictators, the traders, the gatekeepers, the flacks, the lobbyists and the hustlers.

Nadia's Ramadan - Film for Use in Public Schools

Unity Productions Foundation has produced a short film, Nadia's Ramadan, with a professionally made lesson plan, for use in public schools.

Please approach your children's public schools to see how this resource can best be utilized.


Nadia's Ramadan - Preview from Unity Productions Foundation on Vimeo.

Reclaiming Malcolm X & Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative

The Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative is sponsoring a series of programs under the label "Reclaiming Malcolm X." I don't want to try to summarize my impressions because I want you to listen to the programs as the recordings become available and participate in face-to-face or online discussions.