For January: No God but God by Reza Aslan

For January, we have chosen Reza Aslan's No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam,

Though it is the fastest-growing religion in the world, Islam remains shrouded in ignorance and fear for much of the West. In No god but God, Reza Aslan, an internationally acclaimed scholar of religions, explains this faith in all its beauty and complexity. Beginning with a vivid account of the social and religious milieu in which the Prophet Muhammad forged his message, Aslan paints a portrait of the first Muslim community as a radical experiment in religious pluralism and social egalitarianism. He demonstrates how, after the Prophet’s death, his successors attempted to interpret his message for future generations–an overwhelming task that fractured the Muslim community into competing sects. Finally, Aslan examines how, in the shadow of European colonialism, Muslims developed conflicting strategies to reconcile traditional Islamic values with the realities of the modern world, thus launching what Aslan terms the Islamic Reformation. Timely and persuasive, No god but God is an elegantly written account of a magnificent yet misunderstood faith.

For Your Sunday Contemplation

It's been a tough week where I have been stunned to hear pundits opine that lawmakers who take a pro-torture stance will have the political advantage in upcoming elections. Can we put politics aside and talk morality? Here's a group of folks trying to make this point. For your contemplation -- and action-- today, please visit the National Religious Campaign Against Torture website and consider endorsing their statement of conscience Torture is a Moral Issue and either take action on supporting the Geneva Conventions at the NRCAT site and/or through Amnesty. Amnesty International is an Adjunct Member of NRCAT.

Tags: torture, religion, Amnesty International

Your Eritrean Soundtrack

On the look out for ways to make reading a long book (I Didn't Do It for You : How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation) easier, I found some samples for the Eritrean singer Faytinga. According to the National Geographic World Music site, the songstress,

bases her music on the traditional sounds of Eritrea's Kunama ethnic group, and her songs are a reflection of her nation's struggle for independence.

Wow! Great stuff from the first a capella sample to the more syncopated grooves! I want this album!

Now for the soundtrack that isn't... One of our Esteemed Readers recalled a previous Eritrean Prisoner of Conscience case that we had taken action on last year and I went sleuthing around to find the details. The case concerns the Christian singer, Helen Berhane, who has been detained incommunicado since May 13, 2004. She is one of many members of banned evangelical churches who have been detained without charge or trial on account of their religious beliefs. This Guardian article also provides some detail on fellow muscians campaigning on her behalf and this article from Freemuse adds a bit more on the shutting down of two music stores.

By the way, I was please to discover Freemuse, an independent international organization advocating freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide. Check it out!

Technorati Tags: Eritrea, music, religious freedom, censorship

Do-it-yourself Death Penalty Vigil

UPDATE: Of course we are thrilled with the indefinite delay for this execution. Let's see if we can leverage this into a real moratorium!

Last night we gathered to vigil against the death penalty on the eve of the execution of Michael Morales. Except it didn't happen. It remains to be seen if the warden can find a lethal injection procedure that works by the end of today, but for those who missed our vigil or who feel they need to take a moment out of this evening for some additional reflection, light a candle and follow the links...

(For the religiously inclined, a prayer from Sister Helen Prejean and/or Psalm 25)

Governor George Ryan's speech announcing the commutation of the sentences of 167 Illinois death row inmates:
"I Must Act"

A poem by Jimmy Santiago Baca:
"I am offering this poem"

A President's Day quote to ponder: "There is no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending." -- Abraham Lincoln

Then visit the Amnesty site to take action.