Strollerderby : muslim

Foster Mom Loses Job When Muslim Charge Converts

JeanneSager — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:26:00 GMT

A Muslim teenager's conversion to Christianity has prompted British officials to strip her evangelical foster mother of all responsibilities after ten years fostering kids for the government.

The woman, who has fostered eighty kids in the past decade, says she's being persecuted as a Christian. What's more - she says she tried discouraging the girl, now seventeen, from switching religions.

Not named because of legal reasons, the foster mother told the British Daily Telegraph that she offered the girl alternatives to living a Christian lifestyle, despite her own church-going practices. The caregiver attends an evangelical church and says family services was aware the girl had chosen to attend with her. They were OK with it, until the girl was baptised.

"I offered to take her to friends or family. But she said to me from the word go: 'I am interested and I want to come [to church]'," the woman told the Telegraph. Her case against the government - an attempt to regain her "job" as a foster mother (which did provide her income), is being funded by the Christian Insitute, which has charged the government with violations of both the girl's and women's right to religious freedom.

I'd tend to agree that a child of sixteen making a religious conversion is markedly different from a child of five or six (it's one reason I've always argued for baptism later rather than at birth). Teens have some sense of the gravity of decisions, and they're also relatively open to change. Teenagers like to make big decisions and take some control of their own lives. The fact that this girl had a troubled childhood, pushing her out of her home and into foster care, would understandably make her more willing to make a change in her life - especially one that would please a caregiver.

Does that mean the caregiver MADE her do it? Maybe. Maybe not. But maybe this could have all been avoided if the government either a. placed her in a home with a Muslim foster family or b. provided some means for the child to attend Muslim services, then checked up to see why she wasn't attending. At sixteen, she could have answered for herself.

She has answered for herself since. The girl is back with her own parents now and says she supports her former caregiver. She's staying a Christian, and she doesn't regret it.

So what do you think?

Image: BeliefNet

Fox Asks, “Would You Want Terrorists Living in Your Backyard?”

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:30:00 GMT

In response to President Obama’s executive order to close Guantanamo, give the remaining detainees fair trials, and ban torture (you know, the kinds of basic civil liberties that have governed civilized societies since the Magna Carta), Fox News has responded with unprecedented fear mongering.

As you can see in the clip below, they sent a reporter to Pennsylvania, armed with photos of apparently Muslim men—some in turbans, some simply dark-skinned. They showed these photos to people on the street and asked, “Would you want terrorists living in your backyard?”

Let's quickly unpack a few blatant problems with this question. First, the vast majority of the remaining men at Guantanamo have been held for seven years with ever being charged with a crime. The Pentagon admits that only five percent of them were picked up on a battlefield, and has already cleared many of them for release. They are no more convicted terrorists than I am.

And who said anything about housing Guantanamo detainees in a backyard? If these men are brought to the U.S., they will be housed in maximum security prisons. America’s criminal justice system is the best in the world. Federal courts have convicted 145 people on international terrorism charges since 9/11—while Guantanamo’s military commissions have made all of TWO convictions.

Perhaps most egregious of Fox was to associate photos of random dark-skinned men with terrorists. Let’s remember that many men who look exactly like the people in these photographs are American citizens. Their kids attend school with the same kids who watched this outrageous segment on Fox.

Knowing that this level of irrational fear and hatred exists in millions of families in the U.S., those parents who do not watch Fox News have a special responsibility to teach their children tolerance and the courage to impart tolerance to their peers.

The best part of this clip is at the end, when the anchors all decide that the remaining Guantanamo detainees should be held at Alcatraz—you know, with all those West Coasters who hate America. Um, I hate to be a nitpicker, but Alcatraz is a theme park. Would you rather have suspected terrorists held at a theme park than at a maximum-security prison?

Photo: viralpolitics.com

Dad Finds Daughter Abducted During Bosnian War

JeanneSager — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:01:00 GMT

It's been sixteen years since Muhamed Becirovic saw his family, abducted by Serbian soldiers at the start of the Bosnian war. But the Bosnian Muslim - now living in Germany - never gave up hope.

Now Red Cross workers, using DNA samples, have reconnected the father with one of his two little girls, now living with a foster family in Serbia. Senida was nine months when last seen by her father; she's now sixteen and goes by the name Mila.

She's also a Serbian. And a Christian.

She's known nothing of her father for the past sixteen years, nothing of his life or her heritage. Now she faces the biggest question of all - should she stay with what she knows? Or join her biological father in another country, taking on a new life?

It's the kind of story that tears at a parents' guts. Becirovic has rebuilt his life since losing his wife and two daughters after fighting broke out while he was working out-of-town, and ethnic Serbs took control of his hometown. By the time he finally got to his home, the building was demolished, his family gone. He's spent more than a decade and a half trying to find them, even if that meant discovering they were among the bodies dumped in the mass graves created during the Bosnian war. He's also since become a permanent resident of Germany, remarrying a German woman and fathering another daughter.

But a third daughter can't possibly replace his elder two. Finding Senida would seem like a dream come true.

But what of Senida? She's no longer a baby, and she says she doesn't want to move to Germany. “Of course I am very happy to have found my family and my roots. But at the moment it is all too much for me," she told the Sunday Times.

Is it fair for a child to be uprooted from everything that she knows? With the long history of the region, pitting Serbs against Bosnians and Christians against Muslims, it's hard to say how much of this child's biological heritage can really take hold over what she has been raised to believe. It's akin to a child raised evangelical Christian in America suddenly learning she's an Orthodox Jew - and her biological parents believe nothing of the born again, Jesus loving faith she's been raised to hold so dear. Doesn't nurture trump nature in this case?

By the time kids reach a certain age, biology can hold only so much sway in their lives. Heritage is more environmental and less what one is born with at sixteen. Not to mention the utter lack of relatable moments between father and daughter in this situation because of such a large chunk of their lives spent apart.

For the Becirovics, what should be one of the happiest days of their lives is fraught with confusion. Unfortunately, they're still a family torn apart by war.

Image: USIP

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Make Your Own Religious Doll

Brett Singer — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Doll Creation Station allows people of all religious persuasions to make dolls featuring the accoutrements of their faith. To be fair, the site only offers Christian, Jewish and Muslim dolls, but the company suggests that you "Check back with us as we expand into other religious and ethnic markets."

The best seller at the moment is "Set 3J", which is the Jewish doll.

The set comes with "a Jewish themed t-shirt and matching denim skirt, socks and shoes," as well as a "matching Magen David bracelet set for you and your doll as well as a silver plated matching Magen David necklace set for you and your doll!" But wait! There's more! "Dress your doll in a satin white and gold trim Queen Esther costume with gold crown and sceptre, and play Shabbat with a 10 piece wooden toy Shabbat Set that includes challah, wine, and candles."

Maybe it's just me but "Let's play Shabbat" doesn't really have the same appeal as "Let's play house." But again, maybe that's just me.

Also, if I were a more observant Jew, I wonder if I might be slightly offended by the idea of "playing" a religious ritual. Do Catholic children "play communion"? Also, is it fair to lump all of Christianity together? And what exactly does a "butterfly hooded sweatshirt" have to do with being Christian? (The Muslim doll sets include a "2 piece Hijab", which is more specific to the doll I suppose.) Will the atheist doll come with a copy of "The God Delusion"? (I'll go out on a limb here and say that I don't think they will ever make an atheist doll. Although it would be funny if they did.)

The idea of dolls that better reflect the way the world actually looks is not a new one and it is important. But I always thought the point was more physical than spiritual – that is, all dolls shouldn't have blonde hair and white skin. The company does plan to expand to include other ethnicities, and offers a choice of hair color and type, so part of the pitch is definitely "a doll that looks like you." But another part of it is "a doll that shares your faith."

Would anyone out there buy a religious doll for their child?

Source: dollcreationstation.com

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Citing Quran, Algerian Authorities Promote Breastfeeding

Kate Tuttle — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:00:00 GMT

With all the anti-Muslim slurs heard around the U.S. this past summer and early fall (we're looking at you, Sarah Palin), it's nice to hear about the progressive, humane side of Islam. Apparently, breastfeeding rates among mothers in Algeria have arrived at a dismal new low -- according to a 2006 survey, just 6.9% of women studied nursed their babies for six months -- prompting the government to launch an initiative to try to increase the number of women breastfeeding their babies. And for backup, they called in the Quran (or Koran, spellings vary), Islam's holy book.

Apparently, unlike the Christian Bible, which talks a lot about various dietary restrictions and lots of genealogical stuff, the Quran has a vaguely La Leche League bent, and in one sura (Al-Baqarah: 233) even lays out the ideal nursing duration -- two years, just as the World Health Organization suggests! In the same verse, it says that a divorced father should pay the mother of his children if she nurses them, or provide a wet-nurse for them if she can't or won't nurse them. Sounds fair to me!

Now I know what book to bring with me on the plane when we fly home for Thanksgiving next week, in case some nosy know-it-all questions my nursing my screaming toddler...oh well, it was a nice idea while it lasted. In the non-religious aspects of the government's pro-breastfeeding advocacy,

Family Minister Nouara Djafar has called for several measures to be introduced to protect the breastfeeding rights of working women. She would like the law to require companies employing more than 30 women to set aside special areas for nursing and for women to have what is called a "feeding hour", whereby mothers of infants would be permitted to arrive at work an hour later than their colleagues and leave an hour earlier.

Parents Freaked Over Pro-Islam Doll

Jen Chaney — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:02:00 GMT

I am starting to think that some parents have far more vivid imaginatons than their children.

People in Oklahoma and Pennsylvana are apparently upset about the Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo Doll. Upset? Why, are these people anti-cuddling? Concerned about cooing? No. They claim the doll utters pro-Muslim messages.

Specifically, Fox News reports that the doll says, "Islam is the light." She also says, "Satan is king." Exactly what Satan's royalty status has to do with Islam remains a mystery.

The same Fox story also quotes one incredulous Okahoma resident who says, "There's no markings on the box to indicate there's anything Islamic about this doll." Now my guess is that's because the doll really doesn't promote Islam, or at least wasn't intended to. But let's play along for a second. Under circumstances that involved better labeling (and presumes that the accusations about the doll's rhetoric are accurate), what should the packaging say? "Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo Doll: She Sure Loves Allah!" Or how about "The Doll That Knows Satan Rules!"

In all seriousness, stores in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania have yanked the doll from their shelves. If there was indeed a product malfunction that makes her say things she isn't supposed to, that's may be the right move. But all this concern about "scary Islamic messages" -- not to mention the implication that celebrating the devil's awesomeness is somehow synonymous with being a Muslim -- is more than a little offensive.

Unfortunately, the manufacturer of the toy, Fisher Price, has referred calls to its parent company, Mattel. And Mattel won't comment on or clarify the doll's remarks. Meanwhile, some Cabbage Patch Kids have already tried to teach Baby Cuddle and Coo the first rule about doll club: You don't talk about Islam.

Image: MyFoxKC.com

Should Countries be Allowed to Ban Women from the Olympics?

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:15:00 GMT

Some women’s rights activists are calling to ban Saudi Arabia and Brunei from the Olympics—unless they start allowing women to participate. Right now, Saudi Arabia and Brunei are the only two countries that forbid women from competing in the Olympics. The two countries justify the ban on the grounds that some conservative Muslims see women’s sports as a sin.

But, since every other Muslim sends women to the Olympics, this view on female athletes is clearly not endemic to Islam. As a blogger at Muslimah Media Watch notes, “Considering that most Muslim countries allow women to participate, Saudi Arabia and Brun have no excuse to exclude women, other than misogyny of course. And in the meantime, all Muslims will once again be labeled as misogynist.”

Some activists within Saudi Arabia, such as Wajeha Al-Huwaider, have started a grassroots movement to end the ban on female participation.

Do you think that Saudi Arabia and Brunei should be banned from the Olympics until they allow women to participate, or would such a move be a denial of religious freedom?

Photo: Jezebel

Teacher Held For Teddy Bear Name

Kelly Mills — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 23:40:00 GMT

Hey, here's a real treat of a story: A British teacher in the Sudan is being held by authorities after allowing her class of seven-year-olds to name a teddy bear they used for a class project. The name they chose by vote? Mohammad. So while the kids were learning about animals and taking turns bringing the bear home on weekends and keeping a journal about the adventures of Mohammed, they were supposedly commiting blasphemy. Or at least the teacher Gillian Gibbons was. Of course Gibbons had no idea the bear name project would enrage anyone, and her fellow teachers at Unity say she just made an innocent mistake. There are reports that young men have started gathering outside the station where Gibbons is being held, and her colleagues are afraid for her safety. She could also receive up to three months in prison and a fine.

I think the story ends like this: Ultimately, the authorities, the young men, and all those who condemned Gibbons realized that the outrage over a teddy bear named by seven-year-olds was ludicrous. Once they came to their senses, everyone understood that insane fundamentalism in any religion (and it certainly isn't limited to Islam, just ask the Reverend Phelps) runs so counter to the most basic teachings of these religions that it becomes itself a kind of blasphemy, and a perversion of faith. That no god, prophet, or religion worth following would demand serious retribution for a teddy bear's name. Well, when that dawned on everyone, a new kind of understanding was born, and people began to live in a great deal more harmony than before. And kids learned stuff in school projects besides, "My teacher blasphemed when she let us name that bear."

That is how it ends, right?

Move Over Barbie: Salma Is a Muslim Alternative

Kelly Mills — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 21:03:00 GMT

Sukmawati Suryaman used Barbie as the inspiration to create a more modest doll for Muslim children. Salma wears long-sleeved prayer dresses, abayas, and head scarves, "making Salma's conservative clothing more familiar to [Indonesian] children than the glittering, pop-star inspired outfits donned by dolls such as Barbie and Bratz." Of course, sequined hot pants, boas, stilettos and a bra top aren't exactly familiar to my kid, but that hasn't stopped Mattel. Maybe since Salma's whole body is covered, she can just get away with a bizarrely proportioned face or something. Suryaman hopes Salma will "inspire virtue in Muslim girls."

See, now there I take issue. Does that mean Barbie doesn't inspire virtue in our children? Why, credit card Barbie waits until she marries Ken...to pay off her enormous debt, because shopping is fun! And there's, um, that Barbie that scoops poop. I mean, that's pretty virtuous. Barbie teaches values like the importance of not being quite as slutty as Bratz. Um, what else does she teach kids again?

Photo: Reuters/Supri