The following is courtesy of my other half. I’m biased, to be sure, but I found this to be quite touching.
-Fashion Mujahid

City between two rivers Ibrahim’s Iraq war

by Bashir al-Hamim

I am drowning in my own pain the world is different my hand is called. In the sea of blood I am lost afloat on a Qur’an that is dead, and a faith that has gone mad.

God forgive us, now a priest has killed himself because we are irrational. People, keep an eye out for public demands that a "Moderate Muslim" step forward to apologize for his suicide and declare that it is not a Qur'anic injunction to scare priests to suicide through our mere existence. Then keep an eye out for said "Moderate Muslim" to chastise the rest of us for not coming forward and speaking out against this terrible ontological crime!

Germany ponders pastor's grisly suicide

By BRIAN MURPHY, AP Religion Writer 34 minutes ago

We know this much: The 73-year-old pastor's last sermon focused on his fear that Christian Europe would be overwhelmed by Islam.

My fascination with this guy is both his background, his recent decision to become a Muslim, his naivete in getting himself involved this mess, and he's cute.

Everyone remembers the foiled plot that unfolded last month, but what most people may not know is that Don Stewart-Whyte (Abdul Waheed), age 21, is the brother of British model Heather Stewart-Whyte, both of them the children of a former Tory party agent.

A 60th birthday gala for the late gay rock star Freddie Mercury was canceled Thursday on the east African island of Zanzibar, where Mercury was born, after outraged Muslims threatened to disrupt it, Agence France Presse reported.

On Wednesday, organizers said they would continue with the planned Sept. 2 event despite fierce opposition from Islamists, who said the lifestyle of Queen's flamboyant lead singer was offensive to many on the overwhelmingly Muslim archipelago. Organizers said Thursday they have no choice but to call it off.

One common tactic to dissuade people from doing something, anything, is to argue that it's frivolous, that there are better things to do, that with all the human suffering out there, why in the world are you leading prayer/listening to music/talking about love, life, etc.?

I won't waste time talking about how idiotic that argument is, but I will ask why I've not seen that tactic used in another fashion. Why is it only used against folk who are working for more personal freedom, or simply enjoying life? Why not turn that "Don't you think you should be focused on the poor?" on the imam who screams for an hour about lipstick, MTV, or Naseeb? I don't hear anyone use those lines against the hateful characters calling for death to America/Israel/Asra Nomani/Irshad Manji/etc. We can't be pansies- I'm sick of progressives being pushed around. So, here's what I want y'all to do:

1. Next time you hear someone spouting hateful nonsense, just say: well, I'm sure that's very important, but we need to focus on poverty/public health/ education/human rights/just about anything else first.

2. As they sputter for a rejoinder, seize the reins of the conversation, and steer it towards your suggested topic, or one related. Bonus points if you can get people to donate to the charity of your choice.

3. Pass on this topic, and repeat when needed.

Good.

Now, I promised a little something on the Fashion Jihad, and I'm not one to break my promises. One of the stated goals of the Fashion Jihad was to make sure that all who participate in beautifying the believers are paid well and treated fairly. Since we're not going to get makers of "Islamic" clothing to go organic and fair trade anytime soon, I looked up a few places that do have organic, fair trade clothing, and weeded out those that lack the modest clothing us Muslims crave. I included some Islamic sites that have natural clothing, maybe we can work on them.

Key:
$ – downright cheap
$$- moderately priced
$$$ – slightly expensive
$$$$ – maybe if you mugged Madonna.

One World is Enough
http://www.one-world-is-enough.net/
Casual, some stuff for work (unless you're an accountant), some dresses for evening
$$

Mehera Shaw
http://www.meherashaw.com/boutique/HOME/cat/collections/fall-winter
Casual, some stuff for work (unless you're an accountant.), evening wear
$$$

Al-Farah
http://www.al-farah.com/
Casual, work (based in US)
$$

Primo Moda
http://www.primomoda.com/
Casual, work, formal
$$$

Artizara
http://artizara.com/webcart11/index.php
Casual, work, formal (based in US)
$$

Crescent Moon Boutique
https://www.crescentmoonboutique.com/default.aspx
Casual, work, formal based in US (they use black models!)
$$

You're young, female, and terrified by the very real prospect of being hit by a Hezbollah missile. What better way to deal with your trauma than to go and sign your name or write a nasty message on a shell about to be fired into Lebanon.  

(Never mind that the shell you signed is far more likely to kill a Lebanese child than a Hezbollah fighter, but anyway…)

This well-known photo is an interesting contrast to all the footage we've been seeing of gun-carrying Hezbollahi young men. The Hezbollahis are made to represent Arab/Muslim masculinity run amok, not only guilty of kidnapping, but also of penetrating the Israeli border time and again with erratic rocket attacks. Even their poorly aimed missiles—-erectile disfunction?—-still cause death and mayhem.

What a way to begin a blog.

I've been reading about the attacks on Lebanon for the past couple days now, my reaction going from shock to denial to anger, back to shock, denial and anger about the UN Security Council's refusal to do anything that would resemble them doing their job. I'm deeply worried about friends and family of friends in Lebanon and Palestine, furious at what was probably the U.S.'s call to do nothing while homes are destroyed and people are maimed and killed. The fact that there is nothing that citizens can do, it seems, to help, to protest, is the most infuriating part. There are no petitions to sign, no charities to give to, no protest songs to sing, only dirges to mourn the destruction of the land of cedar and Fairuz.