See this Noble Savagery post.

The Crazy Palestinian’s page was one of my first introductions to the way of looking at design that is permaculture.

In other news, I’ll be in Denver, Colorado next week for a cool uncle’s memorial service.  There may be juggling.

A big problem with the Progressive Islam discourse is that many of you North Americans seem to think you are the world. You arent! The term "Progressive Islam" didnt start in North America, the term "Progressive Muslim" did not start in North America. "Progressive Islam" was a movement long before the founders of PMU discovered the term (and I use the word "discovered" in the same way that colonialists used it to talk of parts of the world they'd never seen and suddenly landed on).

And since the term didnt start in North America, i doubt it will be killed in North America. Eteraz, while the PMU started, formed its board and stuctures, then died a death that was sometimes slow and somtimes fast, the term "Progressive Muslim" was still being used and continually debated in other parts of the world. In South Africa, for example. With the debaters mostly being blissfully unaware of the shenanigans of the PMU. And why should they care? After all, they were using the term before the PMU was conceived, before Omid Safi even conceived his book. And it always meant to them something different to what it meant to the "big-tenters" of the PMU.

Ali Eteraz has declared Progressive Islam "dead."

I guess we should board up the windows and close up shop. I'll call Kecia Ali, Omid Safi and Ebrahim Moosa and let them know. Someone call Naeem Jeenah over in South Africa and Abdennur Prado in Spain, the world needs to know! An American blogger has decided it is all over! Sheesh, we all thought we were in this for the long haul. We really should have asked Ali Eteraz about it first.

Forgive the sarcasm, but I feel a bit like the Geico cavemen: "Sorry we couldn't get those changes to you sooner!" I recall when PMU first got together one member said that everything we do will be for 3 generations from now, maybe longer.

Nothing is more fun than listening to the US government try to deflect our attention away from the Saudis towards Iran as if Iran were the source of all that is scary.  Not that the Saudis are the source of all that is scary, but dagnabit if they don't give it all they got!  Those wacky Saudis.  Watch this exquistely painful interview with the head of a British Muslim school that uses books saying that all other religions are worthless, etc….  

Every year we hear ridiculous insults, stupid questions, naive lunacies, and straight out racist bull. Lets collect the worst and funniest stuff said about Islam and Muslims this year. Put it in the comments section. Then we'll sort out the top 10 lunacies said about Muslims this year, put them in a poll and let readers vote on what is the absolutely most stupid and insulting thing said about Muslims this year!

Collect them all!

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.

Before we move on to other subjects, here's a round-up of reaction about the Pope's speech that I found interesting:

George Friedman of StratFor, has a very interesting take on the whole thing, calling it "A Deliberate Move", saying:

"Let's begin with the obvious: Benedict's words were purposely chosen. The quotation of Manuel II was not a one-liner, accidentally blurted out. The pope was giving a prepared lecture that he may have written himself -- and if it was written for him, it was one that he carefully read. Moreover, each of the pope's public utterances are thoughtfully reviewed by his staff, and there is no question that anyone who read this speech before it was delivered would recognize the explosive nature of discussing anything about Islam in the current climate. There is not one war going on in the world today, but a series of wars, some of them placing Catholics at risk."

You can read the whole commentary at: http://halldor2.blogspot.com/2006/09/limits-of-tolerance.html

Tariq Ramadan, who has been referred to Europe Islam's Martin Luther King, weighs in with:

"...Throughout the Muslim world, religious leaders, presidents, politicians and intellectuals joined their voices with protesting masses angered by a perceived “insult” to their faith ... Whatever the judgements of these scholars and intellectuals, one would have hoped that they adopt a more reasoned approach in their critical remarks..."

You can read his commentary at: http://www.digitalnpq.org/articles/global/114/09-19-2006/tariq_ramadan

Daniel Pipes, yes, Daniel Pipes; I said interesting, not necessarily "positive contribution to the discussion" weighs in with a predictable--but not-so-incendiary-as-you'd-expect op-ed, includiing some interesting (as promised) comments, including:

• "First reflection: Benedict has offered elusive comments, brief statements, and now this delphic quotation, but he has not provided a much-needed major statement on this vital topic of Islam. One hopes it is in the offing...."
• "In the Italian original, however, Benedict says only sono rammaricato, which translates as "I am disappointed" or "I regret."

You can read his whole piece at: http://www.danielpipes.org/article/3968

[To complete the picture in terms of academics and thinkers, and if you haven't already, please don't forgot to check out my post about Karen Armstrong's comments on the issue at: http://ifaqeer.blogspot.com/2006/09/karen-armstrong-on-popes-speech.html ]

Bo Register, someone I know on the Internet (which is to say rather well, intellectually) in trying to understand what I have been mumbling about The Pope's speech, just responded with some simple words that capture the same thing with an elegance that is only possible when we one does away with the academic language, and the anguished long discussions, and so on. His translation of my words was, simply, that I:

"...really, really wish y'all would stop feeding the bears...."

Now, them's words most North Americans should understand, so to speak.

Reproduced below is Karen Armstrong's op-ed on the Pope's recent speech. It captures on of the threads going through my head--discussed this very thought with my brother on Friday, for example. And these are much needed words. Words that might help explain the "Why" to non-Muslim audiences.

In the Muslim world/communities, I fear even these words will only add fuel to the fire The Holy Father has lit--whether out of naivete, ill-advisedness ("stupidity" seems inappropriate for such a respected person), or malice, I know not. Though the article below makes the case that it is a mixture of all three: