A Muslim Candidate for a Christian Party

Another example of why one cannot paint the world black and white – A Muslim candidate for a political party with an overt Christian leanings. Many conservative Muslims share a lot of values with their Christan counterparts, the same applies for liberal minded Muslims. As John Stewart once said about the Muslim and non-Muslim Europeans, “May be we are not that different after all.”

The Illusionist (01)

There are many way to read and many lessons to learn from Eisenheim the Illusionist, this is one. Eisenheim returns after many years to get the thing that he covets the most. He has patience, skill, conviction and a strong belief in his cause. Eisenheim triumphs in the end because he has a plan. What everyone see and hear is an illusion but that is secondary to the pursuit. What matters is to find a cause which one can devote one’s energies to and live for it. This is the story of Einsenheim the Illusionist.

Tragedy in Virginia Tech

This is to commemorate the sad and tragic event that happened in Virginia Tech the day before yesterday. Our heards, minds and prayers go to the victims of the tragedy. Here are some links which have more information on the tragedy.

• Names of Victims at Virginia Tech
• Bush Offers Condolences at Virginia Tech
• Jamaicans at Virginia Tech join in remembrance
• American Muslims Offer Condolences to Families of Virginia Tech Victims
• Timeline: How the Virginia Tech Shootings Unfolded

The Man known as Vonnegut

People have already written many things about Kurt Vonnegut, one of the iconic writers of our age. Now that Mr. Vonnegut is gone. He was one of those rare individuals who believed in human decency. Many people have put their faith in technology and that it will solve all of our problems without realizing that without proper ethics and self-policing people are likely to use it for wrong ends. An incident that left a lasting impression on him was the bombing of Dresden and although a soldier in WW II, the theme of absurdity and futility of war permeates his work, most famously elaborated in Slaughterhouse Five. He equally criticized the tendency of some religions to manipulate people and was even the honorary president of the American Humanist Association. Some sort pessimism about the human race also permeates his work. Time and again the human race has fell short of its moral standards. “So it goes.”