Fatima is Fatima, By Ali Shariati - Part 1/5

The words you are about to read are from a lecture I gave at the Husseiniyeh Irshad. To begin with, I had wanted to comment upon the research of Professor Louis Massignon concerning the personality and complicated life of Fatima. I had wished to refer to the deep and revolutionary influence her memory evokes in Muslim societies and the role she has played in the breadth of Islamic transformations. These remarks were intended particularly for my university students participating in ‘History and Knowledge of Religions’, ‘The Sociology of Religions’, and ‘Islamology’.

As I entered the gathering, I saw that, in addition to the university students, many others had come. This spoke of the need for a more urgent response to the problem. I agreed to answer the pertinent question of womanhood so extremely important today for our society.

Women who have remained in the ‘traditional mould’ do not face the problem of identity while women who have accepted the ‘new imported mould’ have adopted a foreign identity. But in the midst of these two types of ‘molded women’, there are those who can neither accept their hereditary, traditional form5 nor surrender to this imposed new form. What should they do?

They want to decide for themselves. They want to develop themselves. They need a model, an ideal example, a heroine. For them, the problem of ‘Who am I? and who do I become?’ are urgent. Fatima, through her own ‘being’, answers these questions.

Isreal Killing Children in Gaza (Photos +18)

All are killed by US made weapons and
the direct support of US government!

More than Fifteen million US dollars
given by US taxpayers to Israel
each day for their military use
4 billion US dollars per year

Mohammed’s Sword

The Pope’s Evil Legend

Mohammed’s Sword

By URI AVNERY

Since the days when Roman Emperors threw Christians to the lions, the relations between the emperors and the heads of the church have undergone many changes.

Constantine the Great, who became Emperor in the year 306–exactly 1700 years ago–encouraged the practice of Christianity in the empire, which included Palestine. Centuries later, the church split into an Eastern (Orthodox) and a Western (Catholic) part. In the West, the Bishop of Rome, who acquired the title of Pope, demanded that the Emperor accept his superiority.

Muhammad Iqbal, By Ali Shariati

If one were to reconstruct the form of Islam, which has been made to degenerate over the course of history, re-assemble it in such a way that its spirit could return to a complete body, and transform the present disorientated elements of Islam into that spirit, as if the trumpet of Israfil were to blow in the 20th century over a dead society and awaken its movement, power, spirit, and meaning, it is then that exemplary Muslim personalities like Muhammad Iqbal would be reconstructed and reborn.

Less Jobs, More Wars (video)

While the battle between Obama and Clinton continues, and may continue for a while, it is critically important we start getting out the message about McCain. We don’t want the only story line to be about Democrats fighting.

And thanks to Joe Scarborough, we now have a brilliant McCain campaign slogan: Less Jobs. More Wars.

For two months, we’ve been trying to come up with a good name for our Issues ‘08 campaign, and there it is! Jason, Leda, Philip and Lissette jumped into action and put together these two fantastic short videos.

We need $100,000 immediately (like in the next week), so we can continue making these high impact videos, full-time, around the clock.

Can you chip in $50? We’ve got to start now.

My Lord, Grant Me . . .

My Lord, grant me the grace that my Faith (Iman) will not provide me with fame and wealth. Grant me the power to give away my wealth as well as my fame for the sake of my Iman. So that I may be of those who take the money from the world and work for Deen, nor of those who take the money from the Deen and work for the world.

Ali Shariati

Very Beautiful Art, American Indians (photos)

US Interests and Israel

Although it is not often reported by the press, a large proportion of American diplomatic and military experts have long held that U.S. support of Israel is often contrary to and, in fact, extremely damaging to U.S. interests.

Sami Yusuf - Hasbi Rabbi

Soliders returned from Iraq -(photos)

Attention: Hillary Clinton & John McCain