tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316729430043137852011-11-27T18:29:51.781-05:00On Islam and On LibertyAlihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.comBlogger121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-30182302243530729522007-12-29T01:36:00.001-05:002008-01-03T14:48:40.192-05:00

I have just finished reading Rose Wilder Lane's splendid little book Give Me Liberty. Here are some of the key aspects that attracted my attention that I wish to shed some light on:(1) On the Separation of "Mosque and State": I came across this passage on pp. 10:The Reformation reduced the power of the State, the priests, so that common men were free to think and speak as they pleased.This

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-89665275386979602802007-12-25T12:56:00.000-05:002007-12-25T13:03:45.501-05:00

Following up on my Lord Acton on Muslims Post, I will be posting more such threads to shed light on some of the literary and popular views (positive or negative) of the champions of liberty on Islam. Coming up will be a long thread on Rose Wilder Lane's book on Islam and the Dicovery of Freedom, and another shorter one on Laurence M. Vance's article Mises on Islam, just to name two. Stay put!

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-18927733406149244872007-12-21T00:35:00.000-05:002007-12-24T00:09:48.805-05:00

I came across this passage in John Dalberg-Acton's ("Lord Acton", 1834-–1902) book The History of Freedom (pp. 186):If we give our admiration to tolerance, we must remember that the Spanish Moors and the Turks in Europe have been more tolerant than the Christians.It is worth noting that the other two instance in which "Mohammedans" (i.e., Muslims) were mentioned were in regards to the "Catholic

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-72239980081084666602007-12-01T19:41:00.000-05:002007-12-01T19:47:39.424-05:00

I recently came across this video of Congressman Ron Paul. If Muslims think hard enough about their religion, it should not be hard that one of them rise to the level of discourse that this honorable politician displays.

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-10104968218390458612007-11-23T00:30:00.000-05:002007-11-23T01:16:03.682-05:00

I recently came across a January 2005 article in The Atlantic entitled "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Islam" by Sage Stossel. It is a flashback on whether "democracy [can] take root in a predominantly Islamic part of the world". It is an overview of Atlantic contributions on the topic from the early to the late twentieth century. The highlight of the article is the conclusion:How democracy

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-72809495360818869432007-11-22T01:16:00.001-05:002007-12-01T23:15:30.498-05:00

It is very sad to hear many people believe that Islam condones suicide attacks. I find this very odd for several reasons. Firstly, suicide itself is never condoned in Islam. Taking one's own life is a big no-no:Destroy not yourselves. Surely God is ever merciful to you. Qur'an 4:29Secondly, there are instructions in the Qur'an that specifically prohibit terrorism (i.e., the killing of non-combat

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-25468634811679593272007-11-17T14:26:00.000-05:002007-11-23T00:54:56.880-05:00

Hit and Run's commenter kolohe has recently asked me a few interesting questions about Islam. In the discussion, kolohe pointed me to a translation of the Qur'an by Dawood. Having not read that particular translation, I suggested that Muhammad Asad's commentary is probably way better. Admiring Asad myself, I gave kolohe some background about Asad that I thought to share with readers of

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-67613254092360572572007-11-07T00:12:00.000-05:002007-11-23T00:55:57.664-05:00

There is only one rule in Libertarianism. If you agree with it, then you are a libertarian. This one rule is the Non-Aggression Principle (NAP). It states:no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, nor to delegate its initiation.Are you a Libertarian?

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-53077840407846381572007-10-29T09:26:00.001-04:002007-11-23T00:56:48.488-05:00

Commenter mnuez expresses the widely held, and misconceived, view of libertarians as soulless. In a recent comment, s/he says:When it comes to soullessness, I can't think of any group of people to whom that term applies more than to many of you, kindhearted Libertarians...... I'd ask you to look in the mirrors and note the lack of empathy in your eyes for your tens of millions of suffering

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-21506914091275829372007-10-28T00:18:00.000-04:002007-11-23T00:57:41.337-05:00

Imad A. Ahmad, president and director of Minaret of Freedom, was interviewed by Reason Magazine's Tim Cavanaugh back in 2003. They discussed Islam, liberty, the Western and Islamic civilizations, and the possible bridges that exist between them, especially a focus on Islam and libertarian principles. The interview can be found here. I will be taking comments and discussing with blog visitors, so

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-42521274985394318832007-10-26T01:00:00.000-04:002007-11-23T00:59:18.536-05:00

Commenter Neu Mejican over at Reason Magazine's blog brought to my attention (here) a speech by M. Zuhdi Jasser on The Synergy of Libertarianism and Islam. Thanks NM!Commentary by iih on the notion of the necessity of spirituality to libertarianism ("spirituality" is not necessarily "religion". An atheist can still be a very spiritual person even though s/he does not believe in God):Mr. Jasser

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-331672943004313785.post-28881226623964901902007-10-25T23:25:00.000-04:002007-11-23T01:00:00.212-05:00

So, we have heard a lot about "Islamofascism" (see this for one view, and this for a counter-view). In fact, Islamofascism Awareness Week is currently underway on some 150 American college campuses (see a reaction by the libertarian-leaning Minaret of Freedom Institute). Well, it turns out that "fascism" is not the only suffix that can be appended to "Islamo". This (informal) "blog" will focus on

Alihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007324923129277298noreply@blogger.com8