A new Turkish game show challenges a Muslim imam, a Greek Orthodox priest, a rabbi and a Buddhist monk to convert one of 10 atheists to their religion of choice, with new converts winning a trip to Mecca, Jerusalem or Tibet. Plus eternal salvation, presumably.
Islam 
Why Sarkozy wants to ban the burqa
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made waves with his calls to ban the burqa from being worn in public. His sentiments are caught up in a collision of French feminism, nationalism and secularism.
Ethiopian troops return to Somalia
Less than a year after fleeing in the face of an Islamist insurgency, Ethiopian forces have come back to help prevent a moderate government from collapsing at the hands of militant Islamists.
Is the burqa a prison?
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has declared the Islamic burqua a sign of the “subjugation” and “submission of women”. But what if a woman chooses to wear it of her own accord? asks Salon’s Broadsheet.
Obama: still a Muslim
A working paper [PDF] from Duke University has found it’s very difficult to convince the 11% of Americans who still believe Barack Obama is a Muslim that he is, in fact, a Christian.
Obama subtly sticks up for Muslim women
Obama’s statement in Cairo that “I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal” is a subtle but strong statement in support of Muslim women, says Tracy Clark-Flory.
VIDEO: Obama addresses the Middle East
President Obama’s address in Cairo offered an eloquent case for American values and global objectives, said The Washington Post. Watch what they were talking about.
The myth of the “Muslim World”
The naive conception of all Arabs and Muslims as one unified body — the so-called “Muslim World” — has afflicted United States foreign policy in the Middle East for generations, says Ramzy Baroud.
Does Facebook lead to adultery?
Indonesia’s media have worked themselves into a frenzy after Muslim clerics recommended creating rules on Muslims can use Facebook, amid concerns the site could lead to illicit affairs, adultery or “worse”.
Guy Rundle: Walking out on Ahmadinejad highlights West’s hypocrisy
Ahmedinijad’s analysis is spot on. Europeans did kill the Jews.
How a Sufi spiritual pledge becomes an act of terrorism
According to a report in today’s Australian, my simple act of formally pledging allegiance to a Sufi order (known in Arabic as a “bay’ah”) has just been declared a “Muslim terrorist vow”, writes Irfan Yusuf.
Keysar Trad: UK is right to recognise polygamy
Recently, the UK government gave formal recognition to a human practice that dates back to the Old Testament. It was a mature decision, writes Keysar Trad.
FOI documents: AFP changed its tune on Haneef
Sifting through the FOI materials in the case of Dr Mohammed Haneef, a number of things become clear, writes Greg Barns.
News Corp’s strategic wahhabi alliance
Griffith University’s Islamic Research Unit is not the only beneficiary of Saudi largesse, writes Irfan Yusuf.
Drawing a line – Islam and money in Australian Universities
Begging for Saudi funding. Bankrolled by intolerant Wahhabism. With these messages, The Australian confirms itself as the London Sun in journalist drag, writes Binoy Kampmark.
An inflated attack of Griffith Uni’s Wahhabi boost
Today’s Australian claims Griffith University in Brisbane “practically begged the Saudi embassy to bankroll its Islamic campus for $1.3 million.” And what was the size of the bankroll? A measly $100,000, writes Irfan Yusuf.
Islam and democracy: six speakers, four brains
Tonight sees the first Australian Intelligence Squared debate. The sell-out debate topic is “Islam is incompatible with Democracy”, and it should be interesting, writes Irfan Yusuf.
