by Mark Durie When Major Nidal Malik Hasan went on a shooting spree at Fort Hood on November 5, killing 13 and wounding 30, the question on everyone’s lips was ‘Why?’ Many speculated about his mental state, but a Pentagon report has asked why his supervising...
The recent shooting of Copts as they filed out from Church on January 6th in Nag Hammadi was allegedly triggered by accusations that a Coptic youth had violated a Muslim girl. What is striking about the circumstances of this attack and the allegation associated with...
By Mark Durie On December 1, 2009, Wafa Sultan and Daniel Pipes debated whether and to what extent a 'moderate' Islam is possible. Although both are opponents of Islamic radicalism, on this question they did not agree. Wafa Sultan argued that Islam is Islam, pure and simple,...
Dr Muqtedar Khan has written a recent opinion piece, ('Muhammad's promise to Christians', December 30, 2009), calling upon Christians and Muslims to 'tell and retell positive stories' about each other, and 'abstain from mutual demonization'. He follows his own advice by telling a nice story...
Major Nidal M. Hasan's Jihad Seminar Explained by Mark Durie These are explanatory notes on Major Hasan's seminar on 'The Koranic World View As It Relates to Muslims in the U.S. Military.' An earlier post surveyed some features of the seminar. These notes, put together while Pentagon...
Many recitations of the first chapter in the Quran, known as Al-Fatihah, have been posted on Youtube. One, which caught my interest, broadcasts the sweet voice of Sheikh Fahd Al Kanderi. At the same time, striking images are displayed in the background, and English translations...
The contents of a two-year old seminar presented by Major Nidal M. Hasan, the medico believed responsible for the Fort Hood massacre, were apparently recorded in the form of powerpoint slides. These slides are in one sense nothing new. They review the basics of Islam: the...
One of the pinnacles of the Bible is the Sermon on the Mount. Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, was an Australian who became famous for his leadership of prisoners of war on the Thai-Burma railroad. Jesus' Sermon on the the Mount affected him profoundly. He read it in...