MetaFilter posts tagged with islam

freedom

plexi — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:31:15 -0800

On a sunny May morning, six plainclothes police officers, two uniformed policemen and a trio of functionaries from the state prosecutor's office closed in on a small apartment in Amsterdam. Their quarry: a skinny Dutch cartoonist with a rude sense of humor. Informed that he was suspected of sketching offensive drawings of Muslims and other minorities, the Dutchman surrendered without a struggle.

"I never expected the Spanish Inquisition," recalls Gregorius Nekschot, the cartoonist.

Islamic Banking - a compelling mix of religion and finance

Mutant — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:40:00 -0800

While western banking institutions continue to reel from the credit crunch, Islamic banking, with assets approaching one trillion dollars, is growing at roughly 20% pa by offering Sharia compliant - and only Sharia compliant - financial products. But compliance to Sharia law in matters financial is not easy (previously). Sharia law, derived from The Koran, is central to all aspects of Islamic life including, of course, financial affairs. Devout Muslims are forbidden from investing in businesses dealing in alcohol, tobacco, pornography, weapons or pork. Further constraining Islamic Bankers, financial products offering interest (making money from money, "riba") or allowing the holder to profit from speculation (uncertainty or gambling, "gharar") are expressly forbidden by The Koran. Considering such restrictions one might think cash is the only Sharia compliant investment. But such thinking is deeply rooted in the mindset of Anglo American capitalism. Indeed, Islamic Banking - ethical investment by definition - offers devout Muslims a wide range of Sharia compliant, financial products. Murabaha is a transaction where all profit earned by the seller must be revealed to the purchaser. Sharia compliant Ijara mortgages are structured in this manner, where a property, acquired and owned by a bank, is paid off by the purchaser via fixed monthly payments broken down as rent plus equity. And lest one think Islamic banking incapable of recognising business realities, Tawliyah or Wadiah - selling at cost or at loss respectively - are Sharia compliant transactions. Sukuk is a Sharia compliant bond. It works by, for example, purchasing then leasing out land with capital paid in. Profits are returned to the Sukuk holder instead of interest. Such vehicles allows investors to realise regular return on their capital, but not by the receipt of interest. Sukuk is superior to many Western fixed income products, as there are always physical assets underlying the structure. Takaful - Sharia compliant insurance - pools the financial resources of a group of Muslims, and allowing them to claim benefit when needed. The five principles of Takaful encourage mutual cooperation, personal responsibility and foster community. With these basic structures almost any retail financial product can be offered in a Sharia compliant manner. And Islamic banking is big business; HSBC, Barclays and many other western insitutions now offer Islamic financial products. Finally, western governments have caught on as well - England and Hong Kong both have plans to issue Islamic bonds, hoping to tap into offshore oil wealth.

NYT Op-Ed labels Obama "muslim apostate"

flotson — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:33:34 -0800

An opinion piece by Edward N. Luttwak in the May 12 Sunday New York Times declares that Obama is an apostate under Islamic law (Sharia), and thus that an Obama Presidency would compromise US relations with the Middle East. This Sunday, Clark Hoyt, the NYT ombudsman, was sorry.

(3E 'DDG 'D1-EF 'D1-JE

hadjiboy — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:03:38 -0800

Come, take a ride and look at some of the Islamic Art of the past. Or, you could call it Art of the Islamic World if you're so inclined. If not, then how about taking into account some of the major milestones of Islam throughout the centuries, from past till present (more examples here), including the art of Calligraphy and Architecture. Not to mention the Arab world's contribution to music, both old and new. [Previously mentioned, here, here, here, and here, with a wonderful comment from nickyskye as usual]

Not Just a (Fundamentalist) Mormon Thing

msalt — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:09:57 -0800

Plural marriage, less publicized, in other faiths: polygamy among Black Muslims in Philadelphia; Rastafarianism; Judaism. Polyandry in Tibetan Buddhism. Polyandry, of course, is the practice of a wife having multiple husbands.

The Rebellion Within

homunculus — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:15:19 -0800

The Rebellion Within: An Al Qaeda mastermind questions terrorism.

The Jihad Will Be Televised

digaman — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:44:42 -0800

NewsFilter: Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID - Conn.) strikes a decisive blow against another Islamic terror front group: YouTube.

"It is easy to take parts of any holy book and make it sound like the most inhuman book ever written"

Flackjack47 — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:04:27 -0800

A Saudi national has made a short film intended to illustrate how all religions can be depicted as preaching violence. The Daily Telegraph reports that "Schism" is Raed al-Saeed's answer to Geert Wilder's "Fitna".

gastronomic convergence

dhruva — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:18:34 -0800

The Mexican kitchen's Islamic connection :"When Mexico’s leading writer, Nobel Prize laureate Octavio Paz, arrived in New Delhi in 1962 to take up his post as ambassador to India, he quickly ran across a culinary puzzle. Although Mexico and India were on opposite sides of the globe, the brown, spicy, aromatic curries that he was offered in India sparked memories of Mexico’s national dish, mole (pronounced MO-lay). Is mole, he wondered, “an ingenious Mexican version of curry, or is curry a Hindu adaptation of a Mexican sauce ?” How could this seeming coincidence of “gastronomic geography” be explained ?"

Indonesia bans YouTube and MySpace

BobsterLobster — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:39:22 -0800

As a result of the Dutch film Fitna, Indonesia has blocked several websites including MySpace and YouTube. This follows hot on the heels of a new bill which could see people face six years of jail time or a 1 billion rupiah fine for being caught sending out porn, “false news” or racial or religious slurs on the Web. The Indonesian government will start censoring the Internet next month with specialised software. Very disappointing for a country which had a reasonably free press.