French court ruling makes Muslim couple married again
BBC Nov 17, 08 12:02 PM CST
(Newser)
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France has overturned a lower court decision annulling a Muslim couple’s marriage on grounds that the bride lied about being a virgin, the BBC reports. That means the couple is married again—whether they like it or not. Husband and wife both accepted the original decision, but it sparked a public outcry; some feminists slammed it as “a real fatwa against the emancipation of women.”
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Islamic scholar's theory enrages Muslims
Wall Street Journal Nov 15, 08 8:45 CST
(Newser)
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An Islamic professor's belief that Muhammad probably never existed has Muslim groups seething, the Wall Street Journal reports. The German convert to Islam says he cast a critical eye over historical records and found little to indicate the prophet was a real person. Muhammad’s name didn't appear on coins until 60 years after Islam emerged, he notes.
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Fraction under mistaken impression much greater than 5-10% nationally: poll
Houston Chronicle Oct 30, 08 2:01 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Nearly a quarter of Texas voters still believe Barack Obama is a Muslim, the Houston Chronicle reports. Polling shows 23% of registered voters there buy internet-fueled rumors the Democrat is hiding his Islamic faith—compared to just 5-10% of voters nationwide. The same poll gives John McCain a comfortable lead over Obama, at 51%- 40%.
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Koran quotes discovered in music track
BBC Oct 20, 08 6:00 CDT
(Newser)
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Sony has held up distribution of a top video game after the discovery that it contains quotations from the Koran in a background music track, reports the BBC. Copies of Playstation 3 game LittleBigPlanet have been recalled and Sony has apologized. A modified version will be released next month. The Koran quotes were discovered by a blogger, who warned that their use alongside music could be considered deeply offensive.
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28 million DVDs inserted into newspapers in key battleground states
CNN Oct 16, 08 5:37 CDT
(Newser)
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A DVD on Muslims packed with violence and inserted into newspapers in key swing states is being viewed as a not-so-subtle attack on Barack Obama, reports CNN. Entitled Obsession , the production appears to capitalize on erroneous impressions that the Democratic candidate is Muslim and may be soft on terrorism. Some 28 million of the DVDs were inserted as advertisements into 70 newspapers last month, primarily in key campaign battleground states such as Florida, Ohio and Colorado.
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Lawsuit-loving, anti-Semitic eccentric behind false rumors
New York Times Oct 13, 08 8:37 CDT
(Newser)
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The pernicious rumors that Barack Obama is secretly a Muslim can be traced to one man, the New York Times reports: Andy Martin, a failed lawyer and politician known for his anti-Semitic comments and frivolous lawsuits. In 2004 Martin released a press release calling Obama a Muslim, and he has since been quoted heavily by most proponents of the theory. “Everybody uses my research as a takeoff point,” he says.
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Callers link candidate to Hamas, imply he is a Muslim in calls
Guardian (UK) Oct 3, 08 12:15 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The ugly tactic of “push polling” has resurfaced in key swing states, as fake pollsters seek to influence voters with scam questions that present an unfavorable view of Barack Obama, the Guardian reports. On one call, a Jewish voter in Pennsylvania says, she was asked if she would vote for Obama if she knew he was supported by the militant organization Hamas. "It is scare tactics," she said. "It is terribly underhand."
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Pakistani feminists also angry at president for 'shameful' behavior
Christian Science Monitor Oct 2, 08 12:32 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Asif Ali Zardari’s overly-friendly interaction with Sarah Palin earned Pakistan’s president a fatwa from a conservative mosque for salacious behavior, not to mention the scorn of feminists who accuse him of objectifying the US vice-presidential candidate, the Christian Science Monitor reports. At the UN last week, Zardari told Palin she was “gorgeous,” continuing, “Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you.”
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Web-based game, where aim is to 'wipe out the Muslim race,' hard to regulate
Guardian (UK) Sep 11, 08 3:24 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Muslim Massacre , a Web-based game where players aim to “wipe out the Muslim race,” has earned widespread condemnation from Islamic groups, the Guardian reports. In the game, the US has declared war on Islam and the unnamed “American hero” slaughters terrorists and civilians alike to face Osama bin Laden, Muhammed—and ultimately Allah.
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Black dancer with Muslim name ordered to dance to prove ID
Associated Press Sep 10, 08 4:50 CDT
(Newser)
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A member of New York's Alvin Ailey dance troupe with a Muslim name was forced to dance for Israeli airport cops in a holding cell to prove his identity, AP reports. "It was embarrassing," said Abdur-Rahim Jackson. "The only time I'm really expected to dance is when I'm performing."
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OPINION
What some conservatives call tacit admission was subtle allusion
Chicago Tribune Sep 8, 08 4:03 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Reports that Barack Obama mistakenly revealed his “Muslim faith” in a television interview are ridiculous, Frank James writes in the Chicago Tribune . Talking with George Stephanopoulos about suggestions he is a Muslim, Obama agreed “that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith.” Stephanopoulos corrected him, saying “Christian faith,” and Obama corrected the apparent gaffe, setting conservative blogs abuzz.
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Militants take family hostage, trade fire with Indian forces
Times (UK) Aug 27, 08 1:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Militants who snuck into Indian-administered Kashmir from neighboring Pakistan were holding a family hostage today in after killing several people yesterday, the Times of London reports. Tensions are high in Jammu, some 300 miles northwest of New Delhi; Muslim groups in the area have long agitated for independence from Hindu-dominated India, or a handover to Muslim-dominated Pakistan .
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Iranian president's comments meant to reassure hardliners
Associated Press Aug 20, 08 2:07 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Israel “a germ of corruption” to be “removed soon” in comments on his presidential website today, the AP reports. While the outburst is nothing new for the Iranian leader, the posts were probably meant to reassure hawks enraged by the vice president’s comments last week that Iranians are “friends of all people in the world—even Israelis.”
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