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Obama's Delay Defense

Jackson Diehl, The Washington Post | April 16, 2012

As this year's American presidential election looms closer, Barack Obama's foreign policy strategy has been simple: put off policy solutions until after the elections. ++ Obama has been willing to delay arms control negotiations with Russia and avoid military action against Syria and Iran. ++ Although buying time might serve his electoral needs, the number of civilian casualties in Syria has been increasing and the momentum gathered by the administration to collect support for further sanctions against Iran might be broken.

 

 
Tags: | foreign policy | Obama | elections |
 
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Fri, May 4th 2012, 06:53

Ismahil

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'):Rushdie's so-called blasphemy is the fabrciation of literalists whose piety can be respected but whose literalism assumes what may not be assumed: that the Creator of the Universe can be diminished by any human agency. Islam, like Judaism, is not an iconic creed (both are famously the opposite), but the philosophers of even such iconic religious expressions as medieval Christianity and classical Hinduism do not locate the divine literally in paint or carving, and that art, while it may for some kindle reverence, cannot be a medium for the soiling of the sacred. Art cannot blaspheme, because it is not in the power of humankind to demean or besmirch the divine.Now, I don't pretend to be an expert on the subtleties of Islamic theology but I was under the impression idolatry was as much a sin to Muslims as it is for Christians - even if the precise definition is enormously controversial both within, and between, faiths. Perhaps those who scream the loudest about blasphemy would care to ask themselves if Ms. Ozick doesn't have a point.
Tags: | '):Rushdie's so-called blasphemy is the fabrciation of literalists whose piety can be respected but whose literalism assumes what may not be assumed: that the Creator of the Universe can be diminished by any human agency. Islam | like Judaism | is not an iconic creed (both are famously the opposite) | but the philosophers of even such iconic religious expressions as medieval Christianity and classical Hinduism do not locate the divine literally in paint or carving | and that art | while it may for some kindle reverence | cannot be a medium for the soiling of the sacred. Art cannot blaspheme | because it is not in the power of humankind to demean or besmirch the divine.Now | I don't pretend to be an expert on the subtleties of Islamic theology but I was under the impression idolatry was as much a sin to Muslims as it is for Christians - even if the precise definition is enormously controversial both within | and between | faiths. Perhaps those who scream the loudest about blasphemy would care to ask themselves if Ms. Ozick doesn't have a point. |
 

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