And how could I forget the Secret Santa in school? Exciting was not only what gift was in the bag. It was at least as exciting which classmate gave you the gift. By the way, Christmas memories didn’t stop at our front door. At the request of my brother, who was a true Christmas fan, […]
Fatah top dog: Christmas is “permanent Palestinian symbol. This tree is the symbol of the first Palestinian, Jesus”
Saying that Jesus was the first Palestinian is a tacit admission that there is no Palestinian nationality, since Jesus is not considered by anyone to be the father of a race of people. This is just political posturing which will appeal to the professional victimhood industry: to be “Palestinian” is to be oppressed, you see, […]
Hugh Fitzgerald: A Muslim In Germany Just Loves Christmas — So What? (Part One)
This tale by Said Rezek is a story of one hyper-tolerant Muslim and his family that are meant to reassure us: As a Muslim I like to go to Christmas markets, eat Stollen and as a child I even got presents. Surprised? That’s not the half of it. Muslims shy away from Christmas markets as […]
Christianity Today touts ancient forged document as basis for “Muslim-Christian peace today”
Christianity Today has been taken in by sharpies who aren’t telling it the truth. Mark Durie is right: the document that this story is primarily about is “pious propaganda.” The ancient covenant Muhammad supposedly made with Christians, known as the Achtiname, is indeed supposed to have been written by Muhammad around 628 to the monks […]
Hugh Fitzgerald: A Few Questions for Shahid Shafi
These questions should ideally be addressed to Dr. Shahid Shafi at a public hearing, in the most courteous, non-confrontational, we-just-want-to-clarify-a-few-things manner — not that, given his pattern thus far, he is likely to answer them. Here are some questions that come to mind: 1. Dr. Shafi, in saying your five daily prayers, you — and […]
France: Muslim cleric says it’s “impossible” that “Allah allows us to kill someone…Islam is a religion of peace”
The Qur’an forbids Muslims to kill other Muslims (4:92), but of course Cherif Chekatt did not set out in Strasbourg to kill Muslims, but non-Muslims. Kamal Naghchband was, alas, collateral damage, but at his funeral, the imam Eyup Sahin seized the opportunity to enunciate some general principles: “Do you think that Allah allows us to […]
UK: Muslim migrant who raped teen spared deportation due to Christian conversion judge agreed was fake
Britain today is a comic opera worthy of Gilbert and Sullivan, but no one is laughing. “Iranian asylum seeker who raped a 17-year-old spared deportation due to Christian conversion judge accepted was faked,” by Robert Verkaik, Telegraph, December 15, 2018: An Iranian asylum seeker who raped a teenage girl has been spared deportation even though […]
Khaled Beydoun: The Saudi Regime Does Not Represent Islam (Part Two)
He has also liberalized Saudi society. It may seem from a Western perspective to be a minor matter, but it was huge for the Saudis: giving women the right to drive represents an enormous step forward, in curbing the misogyny of mainstream Islam. At the same time, recognizing that he would have to proceed cautiously […]
Khaled Beydoun: The Saudi Regime Does Not Represent Islam (Part One)
Khaled Beydoun, author of a preposterous book about “Islamophobia,” has taken to the pages of Al Jazeera (the media mouthpiece of the government of Qatar, now at daggers drawn with Saudi Arabia) to deplore what he sees as blaming Islam for the murder of Khashoggi. The Khashoggi affair is yet another reason for the world […]
Forward op-ed: “From the river to the sea” just means that “Palestinians” want a “secular democratic state”
“That’s how the call for a free Palestine ‘from the river to the sea’ gained traction in the 1960s. It was part of a larger call to see a secular democratic state established in all of historic Palestine. Palestinians hoped their state would be free from oppression of all sorts, from Israeli as well as […]