10 facts about Islamic Sharia Law

This past Sunday Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of Libya’s National Transitional Council, said, “We, as an Islamic state, have adopted the Islamic Sharia as the main source of legislation as such, any law that runs contrary to the Islamic principles of the Islamic Sharia is legally void”.

You could hear the collective gasp of many in the West who after spending billions of dollars to help liberate Libya were left wondering after Jalil statements, if they had actively helped to create another oppressive Islamic regime? Chairman Jalil, has since then, sought to assure and calm Western leaders that this is not the case but only time will tell however here are 10 facts we all should know about sharia law.

1. In Arabic Sharia means, “the clear, well trodden path to water.”
2. Sharia law is derived from a combination of sources including the Qur’ an, the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad and the rulings of Islamic scholars.
3. Sharia law seeks to regulate the actions of muslims and puts the actions into five categories, obligatory, recommended, permitted, dislike and forbidden.
4. Sharia law sets out rules of conduct for women and men.
5. Sharia manuels are often divided into four parts: laws relationg to personal acts of worship, laws relating to commercial dealings, laws relating to marriage and divorce and penal laws.
6. The Qur ‘an the primary source of Sharia law was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed over 23 years.
7. They are two agreed upon derived sources of Sharia law; scholarly consensus (ijma) and legal analogy (qiyas).
8. Sharia law does not require women to wear the burqua.
9. Several countries, with the largest percentage of muslims Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan have secular constitutions and laws with limited Islamic provisions.
10. Crimes under Islamic laws can be broken down into 3 major categories Haad Crimes (most serious), Tazir Crimes (least serious) and Qesas Crimes (revenge crimes restitution).

John Edwards admits he’s Quinn’s father, finally..

There was never a doubt.  He knew he was the kid’s father and we knew it too.

To deny having an affair is one thing but to actually deny your own child that’s pretty low and despicable.

And yes, I will be reading The Politician by Andrew Young. And who wouldn’t want to read this book after reading excerpts like the one below I’m actually considering rooting for the made- for-TV movie!

Hunter’s pregnancy: According to Young, Hunter called him in May 2007 to say she was pregnant. Young says that when he informed Edwards, the senator told him to “handle it,” to which he replied: “I can’t handle this one.” Young writes that Edward unloaded on Hunter as a “crazy slut,” said they had an “open relationship,” and put his paternity chances at “one in three.” Young says that Edwards asked him for help persuading Hunter to have an abortion. Young writes that Hunter believed the baby to be “some kind of golden child, the reincarnated spirit of a Buddhist monk who was going to help save the world.”

Seriously, who would’ve thought Edwards was so grimmy? And what’s with the golden child,buddhist monk comment..really?!!!

Pat Robertson deserves a hell on earth for his hateful comments

 

This isn’t the first time Pat Robertson has spewed such disgusting, despicable comments but I hope it isn’t the last time he feels the warth of Americans and the global community for afflicting even more damage on the already depressed and downtrodden Haitian people. 

 

 

Jackson’s father, acting more like a manager than a grieving dad

 

Today CNN’s Don Lemon gave Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson’s father, another chance to redeem himself and act like grieving father instead of a promotion manager.

Did he take that chance? NO.  He got on television once again and acted like a moron. So I have to say it again.. JOE JACKSON IS A MORON and it appears he wants to cash in on his son’s death and the resulting publicity.

Anyway, a few hours ago Lemon interviewed Jackson and once again he greeted Lemon laughing and smiling and as Lemon questions him about his grief he has the audacity to declare that he’s crying on the inside and right in the middle of all this is a serious looking Al Sharpton. 

Is Jackson high?

 Look, I’m black and I understand we mourn in different ways of that there is no doubt. Funerals in black communities across the globe are celebrated in ways that I’m quite sure many cultures would find a bit strange. However they are some omnipresent themes at most of the Christian black funerals I’ve attended. Alcohol is served. There’s lots of food and drinks and at some funerals mourners may even start dancing and singing at the grave side as a way of celebrating the life of the deceased.

That’s different. But that’s how many of us mourn in the black community.

However,  Joe Jackson’s isn’t mourning in that way or a different way, he simply isn’t mourning. The man doesn’t even appear sad!  I’ve seen more emotion from people who have lost a beloved family pet!

This man appears to be more concerned about all the press he’s getting, all the positive press his son is getting and the fact that he could use the press to his advantage and the advantage of his friends! There’s only one thing Joe Jackson should be concerned about right now and that is the fact that he just lost his son who happened to be a superstar and I haven’t seen one moment when he appears to be genuinely upset about his lost. Instead of acting like a grieving parent, he’s acting like a manager that has lost his biggest client.

Mousavi’s wife may have been arrested..

The wife of outspoken Iranian opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi may be under detention in Iran.

According to some unconfirmed reports circulating the web, Zahra Rahnavard who has been likened to Michelle Obama by many Iranians, may have been detained by the Iranian government after she called for the immediate release of those who had been arrested since the beginning of the protests.

If she has been detained we can only assume that Mousavi may be next on their list.

Mark Sanford was in Argentina all along..

So Gov Mark Sanford was really in Buenos Aires, Argentina instead of  hiking the Appalachian Trail!

Again, his wife didn’t know, his kids didn’t know and his staff had no clue where he was why couldn’t he tell them that he was taking an ‘exotic’ trip?

Well, Buenos Aires is known as the gay capital of South America!

I’m watching his press conference about this incident and dude is crying..seriously crying..can you believe this…he’s talking about him letting down his loved ones..now he’s talking about God!!! WTF!!! This entire situation is weird it just makes you more curious about what he really did in Argentina!

 

 

If Iranians pursue democracy, expect hundreds more Neda Soltans

For the past week, I,  like so many of you, have been riveted to my seat as I’ve watched the infancy of yet another Iranian revolution play out right before my very eyes.

Americans have devoured and disected every image, parsed ever morsel of  information and formulated their own opinions on what is taking place in that Middle East country. And as Iranians have turned to Twitter and Facebook we’ve publicly followed and encouraged them while simultaneously praising their bravery in disobeying their governments’ bans.

Iranians have inspired us and made us extremely hopeful that for the first time since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the majority in the country were finally prepared to take the first steps towards establishing a true democratic state.

However, as the week wore on and protesters’ calls fell on deaf ears many of us suspected that their demands would be rebuffed, at Friday prayers Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed a crackdown was immenient.

This past Saturday millions of us watched as grainy videos uploaded to Youtube made their way into our living rooms via national news channels showing demonstrators being beaten and attacked in the streets as they defied their Supreme leader and rallied in support of Mousavi.

But after all of this I am still unsure of  how far these supporters are willing to go in support of  Mousavi and if  the movement I’m watching on tv and the internet has really morphed into a pro democracy crusade similar to the one that occurred in Lebanon? 

I sense this is no longer about an election.

I believe this is no longer about deposing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and appointing Mir Hussein Moussavi.

And I know that the majority of protesters do not want the Islamic Republic to fall.

But what do they really want and are they willing to continue to spill their blood and sacrifice their lives in pursuit of a democratic state if that is truly their demand?

So far the death toll, as reported by the Associated Press, stands at 19. 

However like most movements that oppose oppressive regimes expect that total to increase. And undoubtedly a critical point will be reached when leaders and protesters, enforcers and supporters start to play a dangerous game of chicken.

In Iran this game has been occurring at various levels for the past 30 years. The battle between democracy and despotism, modernity and tradition may finally have come to a head this past week but in the past these drives have been crushed and the reformers have always backed down.

But this time the elites and intellectuals, leading the movenment appear to have significant support among the mases and that could lead to significant societal change.

And if we are currently witnessing a regime change in Iran unfortunately and inevitably that means there will be hundreds more Neda Soltans. I don’t know if the protesters or the ruling elites and clerics are really prepared to accept that reality.

Has change finally come to the middle east?

 

 We’ll soon find out how willing the Iranian people are to take those first crucial steps towards normalizing their  relationship with the West and the United States.

The last time I got this excited, for the middle east, was way back in 2005 during Lebanon’s Cedar Revolution.

And now that same excitement coupled with anticipation is killing me.

Last year, young people in the US finally stepped up and put their votes where their mouths and hearts have been for a very long time.  Young people all across the United States worked their butts off, convinced their friends, families and in some cases coworkers to vote for and support a candidate that many pundits had declared as having a snow ball chance in hell of winning the American presidency.

But most importantly millions of  those young people showed up at the polls on voting day showing that with unparalleled determination, hard-work and just a bit of luck change is indeed possible even at the highest levels of power.

And for the past few weeks we’ve been watching a replay of that same process in Iran.

Iran’s young people have catapulted their version of Barack and Michelle Obama unto the world stage by openly displaying their support for underdog presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Dr. Zahara Rahnavard.

Obama won the election because he was able to harness and direct the energies and passion of millions of young people. Mousavi is hoping that their efforts coupled with the current  economic conditions in Iran and the desire for positive changes amongst the Iranian people will be enough to topple the country’s current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Can Mousavi accomplish the same thing? Maybe. It’s certainly looking like he has a real shot at winning but it is a long shot. Nevertheless I’m willing to argue that his chances are much better than Obama’s were that’s for sure..lol

And what happens if he does?  Would a Mousavi win have any influence on Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hoseyni Khamenei  the ’real’ leader of  Iran? Maybe.  According to some reports it appears Ayatollah Khamenei is willing to work with Mousavi although the two men were once fierce rivals for the affections and adulations from the previous and first Supreme Leader Ayotallah Khomeini.

However it appears Khamenei is willing to put the past behind him and Mousavi appears to be a realist and if elected he intends to pursue a pragmatic approach on the international stage and he’s even said it!

So should Mousavi win we could finally see direct talks, (remember what Obama said during the election?) or we could see multi-lateral talks but chances for constructive and significant diplomacy undoubtedly increase with a Mousavi presidency.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you should start planning a trip to Iran or that President Obama will be visiting Iran anytime soon but should Mousavi win we can definitely expect a thaw in US-Iranian relations.

How significant a thaw? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see… 

Americans are uniting to stop a nuclear armed Iran

Have you seen this public service announcement (PSA) asking Americans to support economic sanctions against Iran?

The 35 second PSA was created by the non-partisan, coalition United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has been running on CNN for the past few days.

According to UANI’s website their primary objective is  ’ to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.’

UANI hopes to initiate grassroots opposition against a nuclear armed Iran and the danger that poses to the region and the world by inviting average citizens to create UANI chapters in their communities and to send messages to their leaders and elected officials, the press and Iranian companies.

It seems that every group in the world is looking to duplicate Obama’s success in rallying and coalescing grassroots support for their particular agenda, policy or candidate. Unfortunately Obama’s success wouldn’t be easily duplicated.

 

Abortion clinic in Kansas to be closed forever!

This is a tough one for me and I really, really don’t know how I feel about this one.

After Dr. George Tiller was allegedly murdered by 51-year-old suspected anti-choice terrorist,  Scott Roeder on May 31st his family has decided to close his Kansas, Women’s Health Care Services Inc, clinic forever.

According to one of Tiller’s lawyers, the family is ’proud of the service and courage’ shown by Dr. Tiller and they will continue to honor his death by contributing to private charities.

While I understand and respect the family’s decision to close the clinic I can’t help but wonder if  Dr. Tiller’s memory, honor and courage wouldn’t have been better served by keeping the clinic open?

Dr. Tiller is the fourth doctor and eighth abortion clinic worker to be killed in the United States or Canada since 1977. Abortions became legal in the United States in 1973.

But as Dr.Warren Hern, a provider of abortion said, “What doctor, what reasonable doctor would work there? Where does it stop?”