My friend, Micah Schwartzman, recently posted what I thought to be a great piece by Dahlia Lithwick. Another friend, Pascale Ghazaleh, asked me why I thought it was great. Its greatness comes from her sincere call — which I read as being directed largely to the North American Jewish community — that it is time to listen. As she put it, “bombing people to oblivion” is not a solution.

My friend, Micah Schwartzman, recently posted what I thought to be a great piece by Dahlia Lithwick. Another friend, Pascale Ghazaleh, asked me why I thought it was great. Its greatness comes from her sincere call — which I read as being directed largely to the North American Jewish community — that it is time to listen. As she put it, “bombing people to oblivion” is not a solution.

Or so says Mormon theology, if this article from TruthOut is to be believed. So it turns out that Romney was not only kissing Sheldon Adelson’s butt for money, but also because he thinks they are part of a holy if not sacred lineage. Adelson’s holy lineage apparently makes it OK for the family values party to accept millions of dollars from a casino magnate: who cares what you do if you have the right descent? This is just another good reason, I’d say, to favor the exclusion of religion from public debate.

And, I will happily say, thank God I am a Muslim, where God teaches us that the only relevant distinction among human beings is in moral excellence:

“Ya ayyuha al-nasu, inna khalaqnakum min dhakarin wa untha wa ja`alnakum shu`uban wa qaba’ila li-ta`arafu inna akramakum ‘inda allahi atqakum” — “O people! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. The noblest among you in God’s sight is the most mindful of God.” Quran, al-Hujurat (the Chambers), 49:13.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi is one of the most influential and controversial contemporary Sunni clerics.  He may have the distinction of being loathed equally by  the anti-Muslim right and the Islamic right, whether jihadi or non-jihadi. I recently have written two articles, one of which has been published, while the other is forthcoming, which deal with his views on the political rights of women and the theological fate of non-Muslims in the next life, respectively.  Here is a link to two of his fatwas that reflect his theological views on Muslim-non-Muslim relations (the substance of which I discuss in the book chapter on the fate of non-Muslims in the next life) and the other on secular relations between Muslims and Jews and Christians.  In this second fatwa, he reiterates the centrality of secular “justice” as being the touchstone that governs Muslim relations with Jews and Christians, going so far as to mock those Muslims who view the Arab-Israeli conflict as a kind of religious conflict over contradictory religious views.  At the same time, he insists on the inviolability of Palestinian rights as a matter of justice, and that, if the Jews wish to stake their claim to Palestine on religious grounds, then Muslims have the right to oppose them on Islamic grounds.  I hope to translate these two fatwas at some point in the future, but for now, I hope simply to make the Arabic versions of the two fatwas more widely available.

Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East maintains useful information to consumers seeking to avoid purchasing goods that violate Palestinian rights.  I encourage everyone to contact Canadian Tire and explain to them that you will take your business elsewhere until it ceases selling goods manufactured in illegal Israeli settlements.

Canadian Tire sells products from the Israeli company Keter Plastic, which manufactures some of its products in illegal Israeli colonies. Use the resources below, and use your own economic power to bring a stop to Canadian Tire’s unethical behaviour. Factsheet – Why boycott Canadian Tire Learn about Canadian Tire, its ties to Israel, and why boycotting Canadian Tire is the appropriate and ethical thing to do. Email Action Alert to Canadian Tire Make your voice heard today. Click on this link to send an email to Canadian Tire executives to let them know you disagree with their investments in Israel. List of Canadian Tire stores to boycott Use this list to identify the Canadian Tire store closest to you. Then use the resources below to make your voice heard. Tell your local Canadian Tire manager that you’re boycotting If Canadian Tire doesn’t know that you’re boycotting, it does no good. Click on this document (MS Word format) to open a letter that you can print and take down to your local Canadian Tire store today. See the letter that CJPME sent to Canadian Tire executives Click on this document to see the letter that CJPME sent to Canadian Tire executives. Print and send a letter to Canadian Tire executives Click on this document (MS Word) to open the letter to Canadian Tire executives. Customize it with your own information, print and send it today.