Islam
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Religion
Ex-Muslims of North America: A Dream Come True
Call me biased — I happily accept all charges of subjectivity in this matter. I am going to unabashedly revel in how amazing this is and nothing can stop me. This was so desperately needed and it finally exists. I’m talking about Ex-Muslims of North America. When I first became an apostate in 2006, the world of the ex-Muslim was far…
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Religion
“Inspirational” Biblical/Quranic Intersections: Abraham’s Sacrifice
[Content notice: child abuse, attempted murder, animal slaughter] Yesterday marked Eid ul-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, for Muslims all over the world. The other Eid (Eid al-Fitr, or the Feast of Fast-Breaking) marks the end of Ramadan. This one both commemorates one part of the story of Abraham, called Ibrahim in Arabic, and wraps up the many rituals of Hajj.…
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Religion
Four Myths About 9/11 & Muslims I’m Tired of Hearing
Palestinians didn’t celebrate 9-11; that was footage from 1991. This one is trotted out often by sympathetic, well-meaning folks who want to believe that no one could celebrate a tragedy like 9/11. They’re wrong: there is no evidence to support the claim that CNN was conspiring to make Palestinians look bad by airing old footage and plenty to support the claim…
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Religion
Never Forget: Reflections on a Dozen Years
[Content Notice: terrorism-related violence, anti-Muslim bigotry, anti-Semitism] Before my second day of high school, the reactions to me were more along the lines of confusion and pity than hostility. Lots of “you don’t have to wear that here, honey”s and “Are you fresh out of Iraq?”s and mistaking me for a pediatric cancer patient. The morning of my second day…
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Religion
Breaking News: Saudi Arabia is a Thing
No really. It’s a thing. I had no idea. Never mind that I’ve been to Saudi Arabia. That, even though I should have been way too young to understand, I picked up on the fact that my mother was being treated like a piece of meat by Saudi men for daring to expose her face while accompanied only by my…
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Religion
When the “Experiment” Never Ends
Tonight (or last night, depending on whom you ask, as the whole Hijri calendar thing is very complicated) marks the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. Too many people think that Ramadan is Muslim Christmas. It isn’t: Eid ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, is. Ramadan is more like Lent or Yom Kippur, except longer and involving…
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Religion
Scam Alert: Bacon Bullets
Revised to add in the information about the Sepoys. It has come to my attention that there exists a company called Jihawg Ammo (and no, I’m not linking them. you know what to do). If you happen upon their site, you will notice some pretty, ahem, questionable rhetoric. Some of it’s paranoid, at the very least. Is there really an “ever…
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Religion
Why Atheists Say “God” When They Have Sex
This NSFW post is part of the blog book tour for Greta Christina’s book of erotic short stories, Bending. Also, this was more than partially inspired by Chelsea Cain’s reading of her story on Bitch Magazine’s Popaganda podcast. Once upon a time, a veiled girl grew into a decidedly bare-headed young woman. As criticisms based on sexual pleasure were usually…
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