51. Muslim Rebel Sisters: At Odds With Islam and Each Other

Comment #174556 by RamziD on May 2, 2008 at 4:31 pm

Vinelectric,

I am an Arab-American, and I have been friends with many women who "choose" to wear the veil. While it may hold true for some or many women of the muslim religion who reside in Western countries that they choose to wear the veil, it is not so true for those that are from non-western countries. There is immense social pressure for a woman to cover-up, otherwise she is considered not a "true muslim" at best or a whore at worst. There is a feeling of guilt and shame that they are instilled with if they don't obey this norm. Much like the same way catholics are brought up with an innate sense of guilt/sin and that they can never be "worthy".

52. Muslim Rebel Sisters: At Odds With Islam and Each Other

Comment #174531 by RamziD on May 2, 2008 at 3:27 pm

Manji doesn't think any nominal Islamic country practices "true Islam". In her view their Islam is a mutation perverted by Arab tribal cultures. she meant she would have rebelled had she been brought up in the Muslim world because she loathes Islam as it is practiced in these places

Where exactly is this "true islam" that Ms. Manji alludes to practiced? Radical islam is seen in all the Arab countries as well all the non-Arab ones (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Sudan, the Phillipines, Iran, etc.) To say that the Arabs "perverted" islam is a slander against Arab people. Islam itself is perverted, just like all other religions.

53. Gods and earthlings

Comment #163398 by RamziD on April 18, 2008 at 9:47 am

Good article!

Glad to see RD given some space in an American newspaper.

54. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162776 by RamziD on April 17, 2008 at 12:45 pm

Al-Rawandi,

Correction noted. I agree, it is a scary thought.

Not that any graduate from one of those universities should be automatically disqualified from having a government job, but 150 of them?! Talk about disproportionate. I can't believe that 150 graduates of regent or liberty university are more qualified than those from Yale, Harvard, Stanford, etc. This shows an obvious inclination for the Bush administration to pick members that are biased towards their "christian view" of the world.

55. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162763 by RamziD on April 17, 2008 at 12:23 pm

Whitepearl, there's no point trying to get noticed for a job in the Bush administration now -- they are one their way out. ;-)

I saw on a Bill Maher clip (I can't verify it's accuracy), that something like 150 graduates of regent university (Pat Robertson's law school... doesn't even deserve to get capitalized) have been participants in GW Bush's government at some point during his tenure. Scary thought if true. The U.S. needs to urgently address their educational problems. It is becoming out of hand.

Edit: A quick Google search finds this article which includes the same information: www.slate.com/id/2163601/

56. Richard Dawkins' secular army must be stopped. God is behind some of our greatest art

Comment #160301 by RamziD on April 13, 2008 at 11:05 pm

I don't think RD has ever denied the effect religion has had on the arts. The journalist in this article seems to be implying that RD would prefer to do away with biblical writings altogether. I think he has made it clear, though, on many occasions that the bible should be appreciated in a literary sense, if nothing else. He has also stated that all religions should be taught about in schools. Again, the author seems to be implying that the goal is to exterminate all signs of religion, and that is not true.

57. The Atheist Next Door

Comment #157924 by RamziD on April 9, 2008 at 6:48 pm

I wish I hadn't just seen that clip, Zeke. How infuriating. What on Earth could that woman have won a Pulitzer Prize for? She has about as much eloquence as a Southern Baptist minister.

58. The books that inspire me

Comment #157587 by RamziD on April 9, 2008 at 9:59 am

I'll attest, like others, that "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" by Carl Sagan is a must read.

Also, can't help but chuckle that at the beginning, Lala Ward was presented as "Mrs. Dawkins, Lala Ward". I wonder if the host was aware of his error and if Lala was insulted :)

59. The Atheist Next Door

Comment #157583 by RamziD on April 9, 2008 at 9:44 am

For those of you who do not live in the US, you might not appreciate that this news report was at least a step in the right direction towards presenting atheists in a positive light. In a country where atheists are widely despised because we are distrusted, the first step is to show religious people that "Yes, the atheists do live next door and they are normal just like you" (if you will grant the viewpoint that religious people are normal... sorry, couldn't resist). While it may seem obvious to us to the point that we are insulted when someone else comes to this "grand conclusion", we must realize that this is the harsh reality in the US and it will take some time and effort before the zeitgeist is changed.

60. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #150292 by RamziD on March 26, 2008 at 4:58 pm

Best Wishes, Richard!

Keep up all the good work!

61. Creation college seeks state's OK to train teachers

Comment #99190 by RamziD on December 15, 2007 at 9:12 pm

Nice way to alienate all the Texans who are staunchly opposed to this, Quill. Not what I would expect from a rational thinker. As we all know, there are ignorant, self-deluded people all across the United States that are bringing this country down.