Today, the New York Landmark Preservation Committee voted unanimously to not grant landmark status to a Manhattan building, the site at which an Islamic and interfaith community center is to be built. If landmark status had been given to the obscure building, the plans to build the Cordoba House would have been put to a …
Illustrations of Islamophobia Part II (and a little bit of hope)
On another blog, I just came upon this speech given by Newt Gingrich. He discusses America's major security threats, namely "radical Islamists". He says clearly that we are not at war with terrorism--which is news to me. He claims that we are endangered by an Islamic threat. I obviously do understand that America has been …
Continue reading "Illustrations of Islamophobia Part II (and a little bit of hope)"
Arab poet Taha Muhammad Ali
I just stumbled on this video on YouTube of a poetry reading given by Taha Muhammad Ali, a renowned Palestinian poet. His poem, "Revenge", is beautiful in Arabic and English, and its message is one that we must often be reminded of--that hate should not breed hate. I think I'll be picking up his book, So …
Israel: Denying right to free speech
This report from Al Jazeera English discusses Israel's increasing crackdown on organizations and individuals who dissent against the government or support Palestinian causes. If other recent incidents have not compelled the American government to reconsider its support of Israel, than this must. Rather than cling to an increasingly false notion that Israel is the democratic …
Friedman questions the firing of CNN Middle East editor
Thomas Friedman's latest column about CNN's poor choice to fire Middle East editor Octavia Nasr.
JORDAN DENARI DUFFNER 