Day: August 19, 2011

The Question-Driven Life

Source: NY Times August 18, 2011 The Question-Driven Life By DAVID BROOKS Rift Valley, Kenya We are born with what some psychologists call an “explanatory drive.” You give a baby a strange object or something that doesn’t make sense and she will become instantly absorbed; using all her abilities — […]

Watch Your Step While Washing Up

Source: The New York Times The smallest room in the house can be a dangerous place. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year about 235,000 people over age 15 visit emergency rooms because of injuries suffered in the bathroom, and almost 14 percent are hospitalized. More than […]

S&P faces U.S. probe on mortgages

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly overrating mortgage-backed securities, whose meltdown led to the 2008 financial crisis, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation. The sources confirmed to CNN that Justice Department attorneys interviewed current […]

Dozens killed in suicide attack at Pakistani mosque

Source/Credit: AFP/Friday:19.8.2011/ JAMRUD, Pakistan (AFP) – A suicide bomber struck a crowded Pakistan mosque on Friday, killing 43 people and wounding more than 100 during Ramadan prayers, in the country’s deadliest attack for three months. Blood was splattered across the mosque’s main hall and walls, while the building’s doors and […]

China, US underline cooperation and trust

BEIJING – Amid doubts over the prospects of a harmonious China-US relationship, the world’s two largest economies delivered strong messages of cooperation during US Vice-President Joe Biden’s visit to Beijing. “In facing a complicated and fast-changing world, cooperation is the only correct choice for the two countries,” Chinese Vice- President […]

Teaching tolerance

Muslim history is full of glorious examples of large hearted tolerance not only between Muslims but also in dealing with non-Muslims. Muslim rule in Spain provides perhaps the most outstanding example of progressive tolerant society, ready to open its arms to all people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, driven by persecution […]

Sermons with humor

Jakarta Post: The expression “Alhamdulillah” is sprinkled throughout Muhammad Nur Maulana’s sermons during episodes of Islam Itu Indah (Islam is Beautiful). The Makassar ustad’s (teacher) show airs every morning on TransTV. His other signature expression — widely imitated by viewers — is “Jamaah… Oh… Jamaah [congregation]”, to which listeners respond […]

Delusion, denial and ‘Dr’ Liaquat

Source/Credit: The Express Tribune By George Fulton | August 17, 2011 The subject line read “Aamir Liaquat Exposed”. To be honest, I was reluctant to click open the link my friend sent. Having just eaten dinner, I was disinclined to see the good ‘doctor’ laid bare. My mind had wandered to far […]

Was Jesus Crucified? Ahmed Deedat vs Dr. Floyd E. Clark

Whereas, Dr. Floyd E. Clark stays mostly off the subject and indulges in emotional rhetoric to preach to the converted, Ahmed Deedat despite being a Sunni Muslim realizes that Sunni position about Jesus’ crucifixion is not defensible, so he nicely orchestrates all the arguments, which the Founder of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, had written […]