Sociological Images has an excellent post on Bill Maher’s recent “Burqa Fashion Show.” They draw out the latent assumptions of Maher’s criticisms, with a healthy discussion in the comments section.
Money Sense notes a recent study on the correlations between specific economic decisions and adherence to specific religious communities.
The Chronicle of Higher Education has an entertaining article about the mundane doings of Islamic Radicals in the tapes of the U.S. military.
Canada.com reports that the Ottawa School of Theology and Spirituality will have a course on popular music and theology. I’m hoping that Wilco will have a few of their finest tunes on the syllabus (“Jesus, Etc.” and “Theologians”).
Speaking of religion-related music, last fall saw the release of the Mountain Goats’ acclaimed new record, Life of the World to Come. Song titles are all bible verses. See Pitchfork Media’s review. Or read an interview about the project here.
In additional education-related news, The Harvard Gazette notes a course on reconfiguring the public discourse surrounding Islam and violence. I was reminded of Talal Asad’s comment that “The Torah is, of course, replete with God’s injunctions to his chosen people to destroy the original inhabitants of the Promised Land. But it would be incredibly naive to suggest that religious Jews who read such passages are thereby incited to violence.” (Formations of the Secular, 10 n. 11)
CBC reports on the enforcement of an anti-Valentine’s Day policy in Saudi Arabia. Evidently, no red goods, or anything else that alludes to the holiday, are allowed in public.
Recent Comments