Check:

CBS News and Al Jazeera

"My name is Irshad Manji. I can't show you where I live. My home has bullet-proof windows and a lock on the mailbox to prevent letter bombs. My journey is about speaking out against injustice, no matter who's offended. As a Muslim, my faith is unshakable. But my conscience is being shaken. Terrorists are killing civilians under the banner of Islam. I won't abandon my God - or my voice."

Thus begins Irshad Manji's new PBS documentary Faith without Fear, a film which explores Manji's journey into Islam in the 21st century. On first glance, Faith without Fear mirrors the contents of Manji's internationally best-selling book, The Trouble with Islam Today. Like the book, the film deals with the injustices that are committed in the name of Islam. Yet for those of us who have followed Manji's work closely, Faith without Fear represents a significant departure in the public intellectual's thinking. In particular, Manji seems to have mollified her criticism of Islam-arguing that it is not so much the religion that is at fault, but rather the way in which some Muslims have interpreted their religion.

Faith without Fear comes across as a voyage of personal and collective discovery. The film documents Manji's quest for knowledge as she visits a number of countries and engages in conversation with an ideologically diverse group of people. These include Osama Bin-Laden's former body guard, fellow dissident Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Manji's own mother, who is a devout Muslim.

"This film began not as a critique of Islam but as a quest for the beauty in Islam," Manji explains. "I soon realized that to find the beauty of my faith, I needed to have basic questions addressed: Is the problem religion itself or the manipulation of religion? Does Islam contain the seeds of a solution to the horrors that are committed in its name? How much responsibility should mainstream Muslims take? Above all, if Islam never existed, what would the world be missing?"

Manji travels the globe in search of answers to these questions. In Yemen she tackles the problem of veiling, pointing out that it is a 7th century tribal tradition that was originally designed to protect women from being the spoils of war. Today, she argues, the very principle behind such an endeavour is being distorted when Muslims use the burqa and niqab (veil) as a means to keep modern women oppressed.

In Amsterdam, Manji explores the way in which repression of free expression in the ummah (Muslim community) is masquerading under the imperative of unity. Manji comes to the conclusion that if Muslims are going to accept the fruits of modernity, including their right to worship freely, then they must make room for debate and dissent. As Manji says, "When Muslims shield ourselves from that challenge, we declare we're incapable of growing, and that our faith is too. Islam deserves better from us." Finally, turning to Spain, Manji illuminates with much excitement an historical vision of Islam that Muslims can embrace in the 21st century-an Islam that is vibrant, tolerant, and intellectually dynamic. As Manji puts it, "This is the Islam that I love."

Another interesting component of Faith without Fear is Manji's focus on her mother. Whereas in her book The Trouble With Islam Today Manji describes a stern and abusive father who unwittingly showed her the difference between authority and authoritarianism, in the film Manji turns the lens on her devout mother who symbolizes the dignity and beauty that she is searching for in Islam. In one particularly raw scene, Manji and her mom are told to leave the premises of her mother's mosque. The episode clearly embarrasses and infuriates Manji's mother. But, as Manji explains, "Her dignified response in a moment of humiliation taught me important lessons about having faith without fear."

When asked what she thought was the most compelling aspect of the film, Manji replied, "My mom. She's a pistol in this film! Dynamic, funny, humane, humanizing. I can't say enough about her. And believe me, that's not because she agrees with everything I say and do, quite the opposite. Unlike me, she shows herself to be the kind of Muslim whom liberals and conservatives will have a hard time hating. More than anybody else I can think of, my mom represents the hope for Islam today."

There are aspects of Faith without Fear that may disappoint Manji purists. As noted above, whereas in the past Manji had argued that Islam cannot be differentiated from the collective behaviour of its adherents, today she believes that it is Muslims and not Islam that need to change. Moreover, the film sees Manji showing some unusual deference for her critics, such as Imam Syed Soharwardy who leads the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada and believes that Manji is undermining Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Lastly, in an omission that will surely raise some eyebrows, Manji, who has been open and outspoken about being a lesbian, chooses to leave out any discussion of her sexual orientation in the film. "The journey is already a provocative one," she explains, "I'd like to believe I've matured to the point where I can say no to a weapon of mass distraction."

Even Manji herself is grappling with the challenges and transformation that this movie engendered. "My integrity demands that I stand up to injustices that take place under the banner of Islam. My transformation requires that I have more reverence for Islam. Is there a healthy balance? Am I selling out one side or the other by trying to achieve such a balance? I'm still struggling with these questions."

There are no doubts that some will see these changes as a form of "selling out." But such a perspective would miss the big picture: Namely, that by approaching her subject matter with more reverence, Manji stands to gain a wider audience whose ears, minds, and hearts are open for a change. And while Manji has evolved as a thinker, her concern for human rights and dignity is as strong as ever. Faith without Fear pulls no punches with regards to the harrowing atrocities sanctified by Muslim extremists and the silence of moderates. It challenges its viewers to take responsibility for the wrongs perpetuated in the name of Islam, while simultaneously calling them to regain ownership of the spiritually and morally arresting power of their faith.

As Manji observes, "One of the most persistent criticisms of me is that I should question Muslims, not Islam. That's what I'm challenging myself to do in this film-without compromising intellectual freedom and human rights. By pushing myself to change, I'm extending an olive branch to my fellow Muslims. Whether they reciprocate will speak volumes about their open-mindedness."

In Faith without Fear, Irshad Manji remains the spiky-haired public intellectual who speaks truth to power, but now her indignation at the injustices carried out under the banner of Islam is grounded in respect and love for her faith. Joseph Campbell, the great scholar of mythology, wrote that all great journeys must go through three stages: separation, initiation, and a return. Going into the unknown, experiencing a transformation, and bringing back the prize of the quest. In this wonderful documentary, Manji takes us with her on a journey of discovery, we experience her transformation and reap the benefit of the boon of knowledge that she carries back with her.

This review is published with the permission of Voices-Unabridged

Clinton now closer to endgame

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0508/p01s03-uspo.html

Is this part of a harp? - Apollo Miletus
http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/image/58355180

The Silahtarağa Power Station was a coal-fired thermal power station located in Istanbul, Turkey. Ottoman Empire's first power plant, it served from 1914 to 1983. The site was converted into a university campus with two museums and several facilities for different purposes. It is renamed SantralIstanbul and reopened in 2007.


This is the control room of the Silahtaraga Power Plant, which was the first power station built in Istanbul in the period of the Ottoman Empire. It provided the city’s electricity since 1911 to 1983. It is located at the tip of the Golden Horn. Nowadays, it was transformed into a center for culture and arts.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tuzz/2468088932/

ZIZEK! is both an unforgettable lesson in philosophy and a compelling portrait of an intellectual maverick. Possessing the capacity to appeal to the uninitiated in a way no other philosopher before him could, Slavoj Zizek’s combination of high and low culture will fascinate even those who once believed philosophy to be a bore.
http://www.istanbulmodern.org/images/newsletter/sinema/nisan2007/14-22/14-22.html

to Janissary

Spain: Whistling Words Through The Mountains Of La Gomera
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Isidro Ortiz grew up with El Silbo and knows the right technique
Hundreds of years ago, the people on the small Canary island of La Gomera developed the whistled language El Silbo. Unique in the European Union, it is cultivated and maintained today for its significant cultural value.

Mountainous terrain, deep canyons and no cell phone at your fingertips? How can you communicate over long distances, where even loud shouting disappears into the distance? Well, several hundred years ago, the population on the small Canary island of La Gomera made a virtue of necessity. They developed a whistled language called El Silbo, from the verb silbar or "to whistle."

Today, El Silbo is only used rarely in day-to-day communication. Yet it was introduced as a mandatory subject in the island's grade schools in 1999. This has been a significant step in maintaining the language, says José Zenón Ruano from the Canary Islands education ministry.

"If the government of the Canary Islands hadn't taken the initiative to introduce this whistled language as a required subject at school, only very old people would still be able to speak it," Ruano says. "Today, it's these old people and the young who whistle on La Gomera and communicate using Silbo."


Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Pupils get together every year for the Silbo festival
It's assumed that early African settlers originally brought the whistling to this rugged mountainous island. In the 15th century then, the Spanish conquerors forced their language onto the islanders. Silbo is therefore a kind of whistled Spanish.

The sounds can be heard over great distances, so for example solitary shepherds and farmers used to be able to converse with each other without having to travel far. Rising and falling tones, trills and pauses serve as the basis of this communication.

Understanding through the law of exclusion

The Gomerans are proud of their cultural heritage and can count on political support. The Canaries' education ministry spends some 100,000 euros ($138,00 per year on various Silbo projects, such as a training course for teachers.

Trainee Mai Felipe Martin says only a limited number of vowels and consonants can be whistled. Silbo is therefore more difficult to understand than it is to speak. But listeners can quickly decide what is meant by the law of exclusion, she says.


Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The government is helping teachers learn Silbo
"When I was a child, it was easy for me to understand Silbo, but I also wanted to speak it," Martin says. "It was my own personal challenge to learn the whistling." She still has a few problems putting it into practice, though.

Some of the children on the island are already true professionals, though, like ten-year-old Lina. She knows quite a bit about the earlier practical uses of the language, which is unique in the European Union.

"There didn't used to be telephones and if you wanted to tell your grandfather to bring you something to eat, you could do it in Silbo," Lina says.

Today, whistling is also less expensive than a cell phone. Nine-year-old Andrea sometimes even talks to her friends after school in Silbo.

"That way, we have even more fun with each other," Andrea says.

Silbo as a form of resistance

Until Martin and her fellow trainees are ready to work as Silbo teachers, some of the older men are currently responsible for instruction. Isidro Ortiz grew up with the language. He recalls how it was in the past.


Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: La Gomera is one of the smallest of the Canary Islands
"When some inhabitants in La Gomera were being chased by the police Guardia Civil, people would quickly call in Silbo: Careful! Here's comes the Guardia Civil and is looking for you! Go hide!" Ortiz says.

During the Spanish civil war from 1936 to 1939, talented whistlers from both sides were employed for transmitting information. The whistled language was often used as a form of resistance against the authorities. This was also the case during the Franco dictatorship, which lasted until 1975.

Later, the spread of the telephone on La Gomera threatened the art of whistling. But this danger appears to be averted now, says the head of the island's cultural department Moisés Plasencia.

"I'm certain that UNESCO's general assembly will declare Silbo Gomero as an official cultural heritage in 2008," Plasencia says.

The application for oral heritage status at UNESCO is still running.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2738499,00.html

http://www.i-am-i.org/silbo.htm

Susanne Henn (August 2007)

Lisa, wouldn't you just love being their? What a fun group!

US advertises on Google to snare surfers

If you are searching the internet for information on terrorism in theMiddle East, you might come across the US state department.
Thedepartment is using Google's AdWords service to draw in internetsurfers searching for particular words - such as 'terrorism' - andredirect them to its own website.
In recent months, the USadministration has quietly been running the advert-isements for itsAmerica.gov site, which is intended to give foreign audiences theWashington take on US -foreign policy, culture and society.
Otherwords and phrases that trigger the adverts include 'Middle East peace','human rights', 'press freedom', 'renewable energy', 'food aid' and -apparently the most popular search the administration has paid for -'US elections'.
As is customary with Google's service, theadvertisements are geared to particular regions of the world. A searchfor terrorism on Google's sites in the UK, the United Arab Emirates andCanada yields the same advertisement for 'peace and security: creatingsecurity through improved relations and co-operation' and a link to theAmerica.gov page.
But similar searches on the Google sites in Israel, Egypt, China and France do not yield the same result.
'Weneed a very strong presence on the web; that's communications today,'says Jonathan Margolis at the Bureau of International InformationPrograms, the state department agency responsible for both taking outthe advertisements and the America.gov site.
'We are trying toengage, inform and influence foreign audiences. Before you can doeither of the last two you have got to find some way to engage them . .. We found that when you launch a website and if you want to attract atarget audience, Google ads are a very effective way of drawing peopleto the site.'
He says the state department is spending $25,000 to$30,000 (€19,000, £15,00 a month on the adverts, based on the numberof users who click on them, as well as about $15,000 a month foradverts for longer-standing US government Arabic and Farsi-languagesites.
He adds that the adverts for the Arabic and Farsi siteshave generated 300,000 views a month and that the US looks at theregions of the world in which to run the advertisements from month tomonth.
One focus is countries or regions with large expatriate populations.
However,as the US approaches the end of George W. Bush's time in the WhiteHouse, it has its public relations work cut out for it. Some 47 percent of people worldwide say the US has a negative influence, comparedwith 35 per cent who see it as positive, according to a poll of 17,500people in 34 countries released last month and commissioned by the BBC.