Misc

Sheik Yassin, feminist

The Associated Press reports:

Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin announced a major change in tactics Monday, saying the Islamic terrorist group will increasingly dispatch female suicide bombers in a “new beginning” for Palestinian women.

The sad and frightening thing is how many Palestinians will not recognize the black humor inherent in these words. (Via Roger L. Simon.)

As a partial antidote, The Washington Post reports on Irshad Manji, a genuinely feminist Muslim Canadian woman who has written a book denouncing the abuses against women and minorities in many Islamic societies.

In a quick-fire critique, not slowing for apologies, Manji asks questions she says other Muslims are asking in private but dare not ask aloud. “Why are we being held hostage by what’s happening between the Palestinians and the Israelis? What’s with the stubborn streak of anti-Semitism in Islam? Who is the real colonizer of Muslims — America or Arabia? Why are we squandering the talents of women, fully half of God’s creation?”