The cases of Pope Benedict and Osama bin Laden Private Papers After being accused of having a special vendetta against Muslims, Pope Benedict XVI is back in the spotlight for offending Jews, Protestants, and the Orthodox. In back to back moves, he formally removed restrictions from annually celebrating an old Latin Mass which includes prayers calling on God to "lift the veil … [Read more...]
Waning Support for Suicide-Attacks in the Muslim World?
FrontPageMagazine.com A recent poll released by the Pew Research Center indicates that, among other things, support for suicide-attacks—or, what are known in Islamic terminology as "martyrdom operations"—is on the decline in the Islamic world. There is no denying that there are a number of factors contributing to this new shift—not least of which is the fact that, … [Read more...]
John Doe in Perspective
FrontPageMagazine.com As a 6'3", 250 pound weightlifter of Middle Eastern descent, who sometimes wears a full beard, seldom wears a (perfunctory) smile, and who's last name is "Ibrahim"—a name that sometimes appears in rather "unflattering" headlines, such as the recent attacks in Glasgow—I don't mind telling you that, well, sometimes I get askance looks of "concern" whenever … [Read more...]
Seeking Sympathy from the Infidel
Zawahiri invokes the language of social justice National Review Online In an unprecedented effort to rally popular support, al Qaeda is apparently trying to refashion its image from an ultra-conservative, radical Islamist group with clear and precise goals — the ultimate being to implementsharia law around the globe — to what the liberal West has long had a soft spot for: a … [Read more...]
Islamic Apologetics
National Review Online Islamic apologist extraordinaire Karen Armstrong is at it again. In an article entitled "Balancing the Prophet" published by the Financial Times, the self-proclaimed "freelance monotheist" engages in what can only be considered second-rate sophistry. The false statements begin in her opening paragraph: Ever since the Crusades, people in the west have … [Read more...]