Aziz Poonawalla: November 2008 Archives

The historic victory of Barack Obama has left the various factions within the Republican Party scrambling to lay claim to conservatism's mantle. I for one am rooting for the technocrats at The Next Right, the pragmatists at The American Conservative, or the crunchy conservatives at Culture 11 to prevail over the political hacks like RedState. All of these various factions are attempting to unite, launching a ten-point action plan for rebuilding the Republican Party, but their plan is focused exclusively on process rather than principle. Nowhere is there a comprehensive definition of what conservatism actually is, around which everyone can rally.

The only point of concensus between them seems to be the abortion issue, with the basic pro-life position seen as a litmus test for the American Right as a whole. And even on that issue, there are dissenters, pro-life proponents who supported Obama like Douglas Kmiec and the Pro-Life Pro-Obama organization, which taps into the evangelical movement's dissatisfaction with the polarized politics offered them by the GOP. These types are treated as pariahs within what remains of the conservative movement.

Presently, the Right is focusing on the campaign promise by Obama to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which would remove all legal barriers to abortion at the state and federal level. Even the normally restrained Larison can't help but portray Obama as a "radical pro-abortion extremist" for promising to sign it, and speculate darkly about the bill forcing the closure of Catholic hosptals. That last bit is particularly misleading; the Catholic bishops have said that they would rather close all Catholic hospitals than be "forced" to perform a single abortion therein, which is a straw man argument since the bill does not in any way mandate that a doctor perform an abortion. The bishops warn that closing the hospitals would disproortionately impact the poor, which is certainly true; why then are they threatening to hold the poor's health care hostage to a hypothetical that would never occur anyway? This is abortion-scaremongering, nothing more.

Given the narrow focus of the Right around being dogmatically pro-life (and reflexively anti-Obama), it's hard to imagine how the Republican Party will succeed in building the kind of broad coalition needed to expand beyond its increasingly limited geographic base. But is there really an alternative? The Republican Leadership Council, a collection of moderate GOP politicians, is trying to argue that the GOP should return to its fiscal and libertarian roots, and disavow explicit religious and social litmus tests. The nickname of the "failure caucus" for their efforts gives a sense of the uphill climb they face, and it's true - only the social and cultural issues are enough to excite the conservative base, as evidenced by the still-astonishing success and enduring popularity of Sarah Palin.

Amidst all this is something genuinely new - the argument that there is such a thing as a "secular right". Notable pundits who seem to be promoting such a concept are Republican iconoclasts like John Derbyshire and Heather McDonald. This is in some sense a repackaging of the same general "Republican coalition minus the religious conservatives" that is advcated by the RLC. There's even a Wikipedia entry, but it is rather sparse. The new Secular Right blog, meanwhile, has a picture of David Hume and a paean to "human flourishing", but not much else in terms of unifying principle or broad vision.

Can such a thing truly exist? What separates the secular right from the secular left, or even run-of-the-mill libertarians? In discussion of the new concept at Talk Islam, Willow ponders whether secular humanism is compatible with the secular Right, or whether humanism is itself a purely Left phenomenon. And it should be noted that many of the new proponents of the Secular Right also have more than a passing belief in transhumanism, which has its own supernatural and spiritual aspects. These are all interesting questions but I confess to being skeptical whether the stranglehold on the Right of the social and religious wing can seriously be weakened. The best place for a secular right to flourish may well be the political Left. The same might even be true of conservatism itself.

Related reading: Here at Beliefnet, Douglas Kmiec responds to questions about Obama and the FOCA, among other aspectso fthe abortion issue. Also, at Crooked Timber, John Holbo talks about liberalism and conservatism in the American context.

Obama will renominate currently-serving Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to the same position within his Administration. This is a pretty high-profile move that I think speaks volumes about Obama's willingness to put policy and experience first and ideology second. Gates will be tasked with ending the war in Iraq, the opposite of what his job was under Bush, but thats the job of the SecDef, to implement the President's vision as the civilian leader of our armed forces. 

Sumbul Ali-Karamali, author of the book The Muslim Next Door, writes of an encounter with someone who subscribes to the fallacy that Islam and muslims are inherently anti-Semitic:

I recently spoke on Islam and my new book at a local senior center. As members trickled in, a white-haired man approached me and announced, "I have never known an Arab or a Muslim who wasn't anti-Semitic."

I replied, "I'm not anti-Semitic and I have many Jewish friends."

"Congratulations," he said sardonically.

I sighed and smiled wryly.

"You know, " I said, "when Arab Muslims conquered Jerusalem in 638, they invited the Jews - who'd been banished by the former Christian rulers - back to live and worship in the city. They left the Christians free to live and visit the holy places, too."

Seeing no response on his still face, I continued. "In the seventh century, Muhammad urged his followers to fast on Yom Kippur, in solidarity with the Jews. The Qur'an states that fasting is prescribed for Muslims, just as it was prescribed for those (the Jews) before them."

After a pause, he said, "Thank you. I didn't know that." Turning, he shuffled to his seat.

I couldn't spare the time then, but later I grieved that Islam is perceived as anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism has no place is Islam, just as Islamophobia has no place in Judaism. For their time, these two religions sought to decrease violence and bigotry in the world. The weight of history, if we can but remember it, is on the side of pluralism.

Ali-Karamali then goes on to point to specific examples throughout history of muslim tolerance, especially towards Jews, often in stark contrast to the Christian realms. The point here is not to point to the forgotten glories of pluralism in the past, but to recognize that the admitted fact of modern anti-Semitism by muslims is a function of the modern age and not, as her interlocutor implied, something embedded within the fabric of Islam itself.

Self-styled experts on Islam will point to various pieces of evidence from the Qur'an or historical record, of course. The most often-invoked example is the famed verse from the Qur'an which allegedly refers to Jews as "apes and pigs" (5:60). However, a simple look at the surrounding verses, even in common translation, reveals that the Qur'an makes no such insult whatsoever. Much is also made of a single Jewish tribe, the Banu Qurayza, who the Prophet SAW is said to have slaughtered; in reality, the Qurayza betrayed Muhammad SAW in an wartime alliance and conspired with his enemies to have him killed. The Prophet SAW left their fate in the hands of an arbitrator, whom the Qurayza approved. That arbitrator decided the Qurayza men would be beheaded and the women and children spared. It was brutal by our modern standards - but considering the fate of Dresden or Hiroshima, perhaps not as brutal as it could have been.

The evidence of historical muslim tolerance and pluralism, especially in contrast to  Christendom, is not a matter of debate. The historical record of Islamic tolerance towards the Jews is important to reiterate and emphasize, because it shows that a modern articulation of religious pluralism can be made within an Islamic context, and provides ammunition against those muslims who seek to use hatred and fear of Jews to their own evil ends. This is a battle you would expect Jews to support, as we mainstream muslims seek to reclaim the language of faith from an extremist minority.

Unfortunately, in that battle against muslim anti-Semitism, Jewish Islamophobia plays an obstructing role. A great example is the response to Ali-Karamali's piece by my Beliefnet colleague, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, who accuses her of whitewashing Islamic history:

Even if one makes a solid case for the relative merits of Islam over Christianity vis a vis the past treatment of Jews, which is entirely appropriate, we can not ignore the second-class status imposed upon Jews even under the crescent. Of course, as Ali-Karamali proudly points out, Jews were honored as people of the book, but they were hardly equal citizens. Jews were also relegated to the status of protected minorities forced to pay a Jewish head tax.

A good comparison may be to the status of Black Americans living under Jim Crow laws in more tolerant communities. Her failure to point that out turns her reflections on Muslim anti-Semitism into little more than patting her own tradition on the back, and misses an important opportunity for the kind of balanced exploration which is needed if she wants to be heard by those she hopes to convince.

This deeply saddens me. For a learned man such as Rabbi Hirschfield to equate the flowering of Jewish civilization in the classical Islamic period with the barbaric Jim Crow laws of the 20th century, is to betray a shocking ignorance of Jewish and American histories alike. It seems that the rabbi has been reading too many polemics by Bat Ye'or instead of gripping historical memoirs like Memories of Eden, the story of the Jews of Baghdad (recently and expertly reviewed in the London Review of Books by Adam Shatz - highly recommended). Far from Rabbi Hirschfield's grim invocation of the dreaded Dhimmitude, Shatz points out that that the Jewish community played an outsized and prosperous role in Iraqi society:

Recent polemics - and pro-Israeli websites - have made much of the indignities of Jewish life under Ottoman rule, seeking to expose the 'myth' of Muslim tolerance. This tolerance, it's argued, is a euphemism for dependence on the goodwill of capricious, if not cruel Muslim overlords. The memoirs of Iraqi Jews, however, tell a very different story: Shamash, who was born in 1912 and spent the last twenty years of her life recording her memories of 'my Baghdad, my native land', is not alone in describing her family's life before the arrival of British troops in World War One as 'paradise'. Memories of Eden provides as sumptuous an account of the world of the Baghdadi Jewish elite as we're likely to get.

[...]

Jewish life under the Ottomans wasn't without its hardships: few Jews lived in palaces like the Shamash family, and as members of a non-Muslim 'millet' community they were obliged to pay a discriminatory tax, but they were mostly left to look after their own affairs, and further advance seemed inevitable. The vast majority lived in cities, apart from a handful of Kurdish Jews. As bankers, traders and money-lenders the wealthier members of the community had made themselves indispensable: so much so that Baghdad's markets shut down on the Jewish Sabbath, rather than the Muslim day of rest. By the 19th century, Baghdad was famous for its Jewish dynasties - the Sassoons, the Abrahams, the Ezras, the Kadouries - with their empires in finance and imports (cotton, tobacco, silk, tea, opium) that stretched all the way to Manchester, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Rangoon, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

When Balfour announced Britain's support for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, leaving Mesopotamia for the kibbutz was the furthest thing from the minds of Baghdad's Jews. 'The announcement aroused no interest in Mesopotamia, nor did it leave a ripple on the surface of local political thought in Baghdad,' Arnold Wilson, the civil commissioner in Baghdad, reported to the Foreign Office after a meeting with a group of Iraqi Jewish notables. Palestine, they had said, 'is a poor country and Jerusalem a bad town to live in'

What of Dhimmitude, then? was it really second-class status as the good rabbi claims? Any number of excellent historical and academic resources are available for the casual reader to inform themselves and draw their own judgments. But even the worst excesses of the dhimmi system can not, in conscience or honest sincerity, be equated even remotely to the true barbaric evil that was Jim Crow.

The truth of why the muslim world today is host to the infection of anti-Semitism is a complex one. Anti-Semitism is a European import, and the complex interplay of post-colonialism, the fall of the Ottomans, and the founding of Israel all play a role in its transmission to the muslim polity. However, while no one can or should deny that anti-Semitism is a modern problem that must be faced head-on without apology, those who insist on tying it to the Islamic faith are themselves, in a way, perpetuating this status quo. Islamophobia is no answer to anti-Semitism, but rather its ally. In this, Jews and muslims must stand together in opposition.

Related reading: excellent essay on the "new" anti-Semitism by eminent historian Bernard Lewis. Also, see the entry in Wikipedia on the Millet system in the Ottoman empire.

Talk Islam and City of Brass seem to have been the first to report on Iranian blogfather Hossein Derakshan's arrest in Tehran last week, but the A-list bloggers are now awakening to the story, as are some of the journalist bloggers, which bodes well. There's a great short piece in the IHT about Derakshan, also known as Hoder (amalgam of his first/last names), that provides more detail on Derakshan's views - excerpt:

Derakhshan also favored a nuclear-armed Iran. "We need it as a deterrent," he argued, not against Israel, but against the United States, which organized a coup in Iran in 1953 and which still maintained a strong military presence in the region. (But he opposed, on environmental grounds, Iran developing nuclear power plants.) If war were to break out between Iran and the United Statse, he said, he would fly home to fight for his country.

Derakhshan had first visited Israel the previous year and had been invited back to address a conference on "Reform and Resistance in the Middle East" at Ben-Gurion University. For Iran, he favored reform, not resistance: "The system is democratic enough to permit change through elections. We can gradually change Iran. We are already doing it."

It is not clear why Derakhshan flew home this time, despite being warned in the past that he might be arrested for his blogs. However, those blogs have in the past year turned sharply pro-Iranian government and anti-West.

In the interview in Jerusalem two years ago, he said Ahmadinejad did not have the intellect to convince people who can think. "He's street smart and has good social communication skills. But he can't respond to sophisticated questions," he said.

But in a blog posted two months ago, he wrote: "Ahmadinejad's brilliant strategy of dismissing Israel and smiling to the U.S. has divided the U.S. at all levels and that's a big achievement compared to (former President Mohammed) Khatami's weak and failed U.S. strategy that led to Iran being part of the 'axis of evil.' Now the same Bush administration has officially opened the diplomatic line. Please get over Ahmadinejad's scruffy look, prayers, and plain language and see these achievements."

An Iranian Web site reportedly close to that country's intelligence community, Jahan News, claimed that Derakhshan had admitted during initial questioning to spying for Israel but said that his confession included several "intricate points."

I am greatly disturbed by the tidbit about him having confessed - which strongly suggests he's been abused and possibly tortured. Of course for a regime that engages in torture, confessions for any crime come quite easily - which is why Obama's pledge to stop all torture is so important in regaining our American moral authority, which would be very useful in applying pressure on Iran right now.

Make no mistake - Hoder's life is in serious danger. Iran just executed a businessman on similar charges of spying.

I'm not particularly keen to judge another man's faith, so I pass no judgement on Michael Jackson's conversion to Islam. However, I will note that Islam is big enough to contain me and Jackson within itself.

Check out the discussion about Jackson's conversion at Talk Islam.

UPDATE (2/13/09): Jackson's lawyer denies it.

Celebrated blogger Hossein Derakshan is literally the godfather of the Iranian blogsphere. Iran is one of those countries where speaking out requires courage, and where speech is anything but free. He has been living in Canada recently, but returned to...

I am pleased to announce the launch of Planet Islam, an aggregator of posts from blogs from around the Islamsphere, including muslim blogs as well as non-muslim ones that post on issues related to Islam and muslims. Planet Islam is...

Obama has announced another top-level appointment, Eric Holder, who served as deputy Attorney-General under Clinton and now will be (pending Senate confirmation) the nation's lead lawman. The relevant and important information about Holder is his record and reputation:A New York...

Hillary Clinton will be Secretary of State in the Obama Administration. This is significant for many reasons, not least of which because Hillary is perfect for the job and is supremely qualified for it. Arguably, the more important reason will...

Takfir is what excommunication is called in Islam - the process of declaring someone to be outside the faith. This is a pernicious concept because it is usually used by self-appointed guardians of the faith to try and impose their...

One of the singular best references about Islam, in all its complexity and diversity and nuance, is an online and free collection of essays and reference articles: Oxford Islamic Studies Online. It builds on the classical Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam,...

At Talk Islam, a great discussion has ensured (as tends to happen over there) about analogizing between Islam and other religions, especially when talking about "reformations" or about labels. Abu Noor points out, those both within and without Islam that...

This is truly a historic achievement for India and the world: India's first unmanned lunar probe has landed successfully on the moon, a milestone for the country's 45-year-old space programme. The moon-landing on Friday is part of a two-year mission...

Awesome.Parents are outraged about the messages they're hearing from a doll. It's Fisher-Price's "Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo" doll.Some people claim they can hear it mumble "Satan is king" in one track; then clearly speak "Islam is...

This is simply beautiful - a collection of photos between "52 blue" and "48 red". There's no better example of purple politics than this - and it's exactly in line with what Obama has been talking about, about there being...

Obama's private election night photos are up on Flickr - I really love this sequence in particular....

I argued earlier that the evidence for an Obama mandate is compelling, especially in comparison to President Bush, who claimed a mandate and political capital after the 2004 election. Some may ask why a mandate matters, or that the margin...

Newsweek is doing a seven-part story on the 2008 campaign which provides all manner of fascinating behind-the-scenes perspectives. The installment on the period of time spanning the debates is notable for the discussion of how the Otherization of Obama proceeded...

Incredible. North Carolina is now officially for Obama, bringing his EV total to 364 and total number of states flipped from red to blue to nine. Missouri is the sole remaining state to be counted, with a margin of mere...

Christof at Intermodality blog points out that Obama is the first Urban president in modern times, whose home is within walking distance of public transport: Obama lives only four miles from the center of the third largest city of the...

Emannuel Rahm has accepted Obama's offer to be Chief of Staff:"The chief" is sometimes known as the second most powerful person in Washington. The job has vast authority, as the boss of the hundreds of aides who work directly for...

A young woman votes in the second runoff of the Iranian Parliamentary elections this past April (via Faith Today).Iran is not our enemy. The reaction from Iranians to Obama's election has been one of cautious optimism and anticipation:Iranians reacted positively...

First, let's see how I fared - my Electoral College prediction of 310 EVs for Obama was obviously on the pessimistic side. Still, I called this election for Obama last Friday, so for me it was never a question of...

Word cloud from Wordle.net of President-elect Barack Obama's victory speech at Grant Park, Chicago, on November 4th 2008. This is history....

It is now 9PM EST and polls have closed in the critical states IN,VA, GA, FL, OH, NC, PA, MO, and CO (among others). VA is neck and neck, NC is marginally Obama and IN is marginally McCain. GA has been called for...

Polls just closed in Indiana. Results will be posted to the Indiana Secretary of State's website. Manically refresh that page starting now......

Voting began in New Hampshire as early as midnight last night, so it's not surprising that the earliest results are already in. In Coos County, Barack Obama leads John McCain 15-6, and in Carroll County Obama is ahead 17-10. So,...

With one hour to go before the polls close in Indiana and the first returns start trickling in, the  exit polls are already being leaked. Ignore them. Mark Blumenthal notes that there are numerous problems with exit polls, including overstating...

Happy election day! (Some crazy towns in New Hampshire started voting at midnight). Courtesy of Nate Silver's simulations, here's how McCain might win. The most plausible (but still improbable) scenario: Obama takes all the Gore and Kerry states, and...

Reihan Salam, poet-pundit at The American Scene, provides some perspective on today: here's the thing: America is a strange, diverse, sprawling country, and our elections reflect that fact. There are loyal black Democrats in California who will turn out for...

In my projection, I gave McCain Nevada by default without really thinking about it. However, looking at the poll trends, it looks clear that Nevada is not even going to be close. Nevada has 5 electoral votes so it won't...

If you haven't already done so, please do take Beliefnet's exit poll - and chime in here on comments with how you voted and why, if you like....

In my projection, I detailed why I think Obama might pull an upset win in Indiana, a statet hat went for Bush over Kerry by 20 points and hasn't voted Blue since 1964. It should be noted that after voting...

I'm watching Obama cast his vote at a school in Chicago live on TV right now. It's taking him forever - how long does it take to mark the "straight democratic ticket" ? :)I think it's wonderful Obama has taken...

As I noted in my statement on free speech, the best answer to bad speech is not to restrict speech, but more speech. In other words, refute it, don't silence it. This is why in my coverage of the Obsession...

Here's your chance to chime in and share who you voted for (or will vote for tomorrow), and why. What were the issues that mattered most to you? Take Beliefnet's exit poll and tell the world! And let's see how...

Believe me, the title of this post is mild praise compared to what these subhuman animals deserve:An Islamist rebel administration in Somalia had a 13-year-old girl stoned to death for adultery after the child's father reported that three men had...

I paid $2.24 per gallon this morning to fill up my Elantra. It's bizarre to see a total bill for a fill-up under $25. The truth is that gas prices have decreased remarkably over the past month or two, despite...