The Islamists and the Nazis

Paul Berman opines eloquently  in the WSJ about the Nazi influence on Isalmist antiSemitism. (Hat tip to David S.)

What You Can't Say About Islamism
American intellectuals won't face up to Muslim radicalism's Nazi past.
By PAUL BERMAN

In our present Age of the Zipped Lip, you are supposed to avoid making any of the following inconvenient observations about the history and doctrines of the Islamist movement:

You are not supposed to observe that Islamism is a modern, instead of an ancient, political tendency, which arose in a spirit of fraternal harmony with the fascists of Europe in the 1930s and '40s.

You are not supposed to point out that Nazi inspirations have visibly taken root among present-day Islamists, notably in regard to the demonic nature of Jewish conspiracies and the virtues of genocide.

And you are not supposed to mention that, by inducing a variety of journalists and intellectuals to maintain a discreet and respectful silence on these awkward matters, the Islamist preachers and ideologues have succeeded in imposing on the rest of us their own categories of analysis.

Or so I have argued in my recent book, "The Flight of the Intellectuals." But am I right? I glance with pleasure at some harsh reviews, convinced that here, in the worst of them, is my best confirmation.

No one disputes that the Nazis collaborated with several Islamist leaders. Amin al-Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem, orated over Radio Berlin to the Middle East. The mufti's strongest supporter in the region was Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Banna, too, spoke well of Hitler...more...

Forward: Lebron James Moves from One Jewish Owned Team to Another

Thank you to the blog at the Forward for making this clear:

"The Heat’s owner is Mickey Arison, an Israeli-born billionaire. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ owner, Dan Gilbert, is a Jewish-American mortgage magnate (he owns Quicken) who sent Cavs fans an epic letter last night promising to win a championship before LeBron does. He won’t, but you should be rooting for him to."

We talked around the shabbos table today about whether Gilbert was crazy for writing that letter. Yes we said, crazy like a fox. He deliberately is turning the NBA into a pro-wrestling-like-circus, promising a smackdown, and his strategy will undoubtedly magnify ticket sales and increase league revenue. We love it.

Is the NBA Miami Heat's Lebron James Jewish?

No, as far as we can tell Lebron James basketball superstar of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and now of the Miami Heat, is not a Jew. He was the NBA's Most Valuable Player this in 2009!

Yes, Lebron is going to Miami! And Lebron may be a Talmudist!

According to Time Magazine he is a fan of the Talmud. He nominates a businessman from Ohio for the TIME 100 list thusly:

LeBron James
The NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist is a past TIME 100 honoree
Jay Schottenstein, an Ohio business leader and philanthropist, has supported the translation and elucidation of the Talmud Bavli into English, Hebrew and French. The Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud is now utilized by more than 2 million people worldwide.

Never mind that the he uses the mysterious "elucidation" word instead of the more normal "commentary." And never mind that there is no way that they have sold 2 million copies of the Schottenstein Talmud. And mind you not that the fancy-bound book set is "utilized" by many Orthodox Jews mainly as an enhancement to the interior decoration of the bookshelves in their dens. And never mind that both the Life in Israel blog and Beliefnet have no idea why LeBron mentions the rich Jewish guy.

We have some theories, none conclusive, about why LeBron nominated Jay. You can rest assured that as soon as we solve this first rate mystery, we will let you know.

Meanwhile here is an update from the Sports by Brooks blog (warning - not very sophisticated):

It’s probably not likely that LeBron is ready to convert. At least not now, since he does have playoff preparations to worry about. Still, it’s interesting to wonder what changes would happen if King James joined the chosen people.
The Cavs’ in-game dances would exclusively feature the Horah. And concessions at Quicken Loans Arena would start serving Manischewitz wine. And instead of “Charge!”, the jumbotron would encourage fans to shout “L’Chaim!”

[repost from 5/4/09]

Times: Why does Peter Applebome hate Teaneck?

Sigh? We'd like to know two things. First why does this writer hate Teaneck? He tries so hard to find the cloud for this silver lining.

Second, what kind of a mayor do we have? He turns down an opportunity to be interviewed by the Times! No guts, no glory!

Brotherhood and Politics, Consorting!
By PETER APPLEBOME
TEANECK, N.J.

You’d like to think there’s just a feel-good story in the unlikely selection of Mohammed Hameeduddin as mayor of this diverse Bergen County town that is increasingly a stronghold of Orthodox Jews.

And, on balance, that’s probably the bottom line: a Muslim, who first got involved in local politics when his mosque was planning to expand, was picked by his fellow town council members, 5-to-2, as the town’s new mayor on July 1.

Gone Sailing

 

Yes it was hot out but it was a holiday weekend and our friends have a J24 sailboat and we just had to go out sailing on the Hudson River.

Some Democrats Get More Religion, Some Egyptians Want Less

Seems as if the Times is the best religion newspaper around this weekend.

Two more items:

Charles Blow, "Rise of the Religious Left," says:

According to a Gallup report issued last Friday, church attendance among blacks is exactly the same as among conservatives and among Republicans. Hispanics closely follow. Furthermore, a February Gallup report found that blacks and Hispanics, respectively, were the most likely to say that religion was an important part of their daily lives. In fact, on the Jesus question, nonwhite Democrats were roughly twice as likely as white Democrats to believe that He would return to earth by 2050...more...

And an article about secularism in Egypt, "Ismail Serageldin Seeks an Arab Age of Reason" by MICHAEL SLACKMAN, explains, "Ismail Serageldin, who directs the successor to the library of Alexandria, uses his position to counter what he calls 'pseudoreligious fanaticism.'”

Oy Vey: Evangelical Christians Buy the Beliefnet Internet Site

We are sad to see this happen. Beliefnet was a progressive and pluralistic enterprise. The Times reports:

On June 25, Mr. Murdoch’s News Corporation sold the pioneering religion Web site to the owners of Affinity4, a company run by evangelical Christians and, according to its Web site, is dedicated to “the sanctity of the family.” It is another owner and another incarnation for Beliefnet, an online magazine that has survived since 1999 by nurturing every aspect of our conflicted spirituality....more...

Hey Times, Are the iPhone iPad Religion and Atheism Apps Any Good?

The Times has a page one article on iPhone (work on iPad too) Religion and Atheism Apps.

It's more a piece about the culture wars in general with a hook into several iPhone apps. The apps appear from the descriptions and reviews on iTunes, to be electronic flash card files on the subject with nothing much creative in either the content or the presentation. But you won't read about whether they are good or bad apps in the Times.

Not a very good page one story.

To see a really fine presentation of content on the iPad, try out the free sample Wired Magazine app.

You say Bikini and We say Burqini

Muslims on the beach in Australia taking part in an outreach program called On the Same Wave, which started a year ago.

Two Orthodox Jewish women were seen swimming laps at the TSC last week in long dresses. That reminded us to repost this article.

Leave it to the Australians to invent the burqini. A young muslim woman became a Surf Life Saver. The Times reports, Australian Muslims Go for Surf, Lifesaving and Burqinis:

For her and other women, the biggest obstacle, she explained, was what they would wear. That was solved by a local fashion entrepreneur, Aheda Zanetti, who designs “dynamic swimwear and sportswear for today’s Muslim female.”

For Surf Life Savers, Ms. Zanetti, whose label is Ahiida, came up with a two-piece outfit made of spandex, form-fitting but fully covering, even the hair. Ms. Laalaa pulls her hair back into a bun and hides it under a bright red hood that is an extension of the long-sleeved yellow top...

[repost from 3/9/07]

Teaneck Has a Muslim Mayor - Mohammed Hameeduddin

From Ruthie Levy via Mimi:

Teaneck has elected a Muslim Mayor - Mohammed Hameeduddin.

The new deputy mayor is an Orthodox Jew, Adam Gussen.

We wish them the best.