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January 23, 2005

Bush Haters in Turkey - Conning Conservatives

[Originally published in The Washington Times]

In a column on The Washington Times' Web site, dated Dec. 28, 2004, UPI International Editor Claude Salhani describes a startling assertion by a Turkish commentator. "We perceive George W. Bush like Osama bin Laden," Beyza Bilgin, a theology professor at Ankara University, is quoted as declaring, "Both think they have a mission [from God]."

Since Mr. Bilgin used the pronoun "we," the comment appears to convey a common point of view among Turks. Yet, as a Turk I strongly disagree.

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Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 3:26 PM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2005

In Defense of Mary the Virgin

[Originally published in Islam Online]

In their recent books entitled Mary: The Mother of Jesus and Mary: A Dogmatic Journey, two "Catholic" writers, the journalist Jacques Duquesne and the theologian Dominique Cerbelaud, display an overt disbelief in the virginity of Mary the mother of Jesus Christ. Mr. Duquesne argues that it is a belief that is "not compatible with science." Mr. Cerbelaud asserts that the faith in the virgin birth came about "for reasons that spring from collective psychology."

I believe both arguments to be inconsistent and based on a flawed understanding of science. Before explaining these, however, let me elaborate on why the virgin birth matters for me — since some non-Muslims might wonder why a Muslim cares about this controversy at all.

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Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 3:56 PM | Comments (5)

January 11, 2005

The Parliament of The World's Religions and The Axis of Theism

[Originally published in The New Pantagruel]

On July 7-13, 2004, in the beautiful city of Barcelona, there was an extraordinary international meeting that gathered some seven thousand people from all over the world. The meeting was for The Parliament of the World's Religions and the attendees were believers from all different kind of traditions. From many denominations of Christians, Jews and Muslims to Buddhist, Sikhs, Hindus or even self-proclaimed pagans, it was truly a global coverage of the world's faiths. During the seven days of the Parliament, hundreds of lectures, workshops, panels, concerts, prayers and rituals were performed.

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Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 5:11 PM | Comments (0)