Oil money exports hardline ideology
Malise Ruthven: How the Saudis used oil money to export a hardline ideology that fuels Islamist terror Since the 1970s, when rising oil revenues enabled the Saudis to export the Wahhabi brand of fundamentalist Sunni Islam, Saudi Arabia has been a major exporter of ideas and values that differ from those espoused by Osama bin Laden [...]
Muslims to pray just three times a day
Turkey: Fatwa allows Muslims to pray just three times a day Turkish Muslims will be allowed to pray only three times a day from Wednesday instead of the usual five – without fear of committing a sin.
A member of the scientific council of Istanbul University, Muhammad Nour Dughan, has issued a controversial fatwa or religious edict [...]
Once, I laughed at Sufis
A perennial feature of classical Sufi manuals like Imam Al Qushayri’s Principles of Sufism or Imam al-Jilani’s The Secret of Secrets is the sheer number of anecdotes they quote. I remember trying to read these books many years ago and coming away with a vague sense of disbelief. Sufis taming lions in the wilderness; Sufis [...]
Muslim televangelist
Islam’s Up-to-Date Televangelist The rhythmic clapping began the minute Amr Khaled stepped through the door of the packed Crystal City ballroom. Surrounded by security guards, the Egyptian preacher had to weave his way through the crowd — men both cleanshaven and bearded, women both fashionably coifed and dressed in conservative Islamic dress – that had come [...]
Urban myths that bear repeating
Urban myths are folklore that are thought to be true by those circulating them. These myths are not necessarily false, but they are often distorted, exaggerated, or sensationalized. An effective urban myth is designed to provoke an emotional response from the audience, instead of an intellectual one.
Take for example, this urban myth that has been [...]
Recent Comments