"who is it that will lend to allah a beautiful loan... ?"

While the original concept of a Jubilee comes from the Bible, we can certainly find similar teachings in the Quran: Who is he that will Loan to Allah a beautiful loan? for (Allah) will increase it manifold to his credit, and he will have (besides) a liberal Reward. (57:11)

The idea behind the current project is elegantly simple: "A bailout of the people by the people. We buy debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of collecting it, we abolish it. We cannot buy specific individuals' debt - instead, we help liberate debtors at random through a campaign of mutual support, good will, and collective refusal."

For more info, check out:

Rolling Jubilee

The People's Bailout

OWS: What’s Next in Faith Based Community Organizing: A Rolling Jubilee

Occupy Oakland: Debt Resistance! The People’s Bailout, AKA the Rolling Jubilee

white people mourning romney

First came the binders full of women... now there are the white people mourning romney. 

And of course there are the more extreme responses:

Jezebel: Twitter Racists React to ‘That Nigger’ Getting Reelected
Floating Sheep: Mapping Racist Tweets in Response to President Obama's Re-election

Loonwatch: For the Radical Right, Obama Victory Brings Fury and Fear 

The Grio: Man allegedly kills himself, family, over paranoia about Obama re-election 

And from four years ago:

you are here to wake up

Judging from sites like Esoteric Tube it seems like there is a growing genre of videos involving monotone voice-overs on top of sparse electronic music put together with provocative sequences of images (frequent choices include fractals, time lapsed nature scenes, astronomical and microscopic pictures) where the message is faintly New Age-y, spiritual-but-not-religious, conspiratorial, mildly anti-government and anti-corporate. One of the first such clips I've seen was Zeitgeist. Another film which is oddly beautiful and simple called "You Are Here to Wake Up" is below. I especially like the references to "They Live" and "The Matrix": 

 

love, gnosis & other suicide attempts

Amir Sulaiman's poems in Love, Gnosis & Other Suicide Attempts are simultaneously spiritual and sensual; threatening and vulnerable. Sulaiman's voice is between a flood and a firestorm. In the spirit of Rumi and Attar, his poems engage sensuality with a kind of religious devotion and engage religious devotion with sensuous fervor. He exposes the reader to the pleasure found in suffering; the ecstasy found in brokenness. Love, Gnosis & Other Suicide Attempts is often frighteningly gorgeous; other times humbly surrendering, but always honest.

admiral general haffaz aladeen on the virtues of dictatorship

I've had issues with Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy before and watching "The Dictator" certainly didn't ease those concerns. At the end of the day he is still a Jewish man making fun of Arabs/Muslims/Islamicate people through buffoonish portrayals (The Dictator, Borat and arguably Ali G). Even in Bruno, where Baron Cohen plays a gay Austrian fashion reporter, he didn't take a break from making fun of Arabs ( see: Ayman Abu Aita, Bruno's "Terrorist," Threatens Legal Action) Even so, I just saw The Dictator last night and had to admit that this scene was pretty funny. 

the face of imperialism

For more: The Art of Leon Kuhn

when savages unite

Mark Gonzalez, a Chicano Muslim spoken-word artist responds to Pamela Geller's racist ad campaign (what is the product? who is buying? who is selling?) by making some "beautiful" connections between indigenous struggles everywhere.

zain malik on w. kamau bell's totally biased

Debbie Schlussel, an insane blogger, has recently been crafting some bizarre claims that Zain Malik, a Muslim member of the boy band, One Direction, is a "pimp" for Islam by enticing young girls to participate in jihad. Schlussel's theories were expertly and entertainingly skewered on W. Kamau Bell's new show, Totally Biased.

  

The Sun: One Direction's Zayn branded a ‘pimp’ for Islam 

Mirror: One Direction’s Zayn Malik accused of ‘boyband Jihad’ and ‘pimping Islam’ on fans 

See also: 

w kamau bell on muslims, the tea party and milkshakes 

w. kamau bell - ending racism in about an hour 

race to fame  

brazilian president dilma rousseff takes on islamophobia in un speech

Loonwatch: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff Takes on Islamophobia in UN Speech

why the american raj is under seige

Loonwatch: Why the American Raj is Under Seige

muslim "savages"

Eight examples of the ‘uncivilized savages’ Pamela Geller is talking about by Sami Kishawi

pastafarian facebook page leads to blasphemy arrest in greece

HuffPost: Pastafarian Facebook Page Leads To Blasphemy Arrest In Greece

muslims are no different

Muslims are no Different, or why Bill Maher’s blood libel is Bigotry by Juan Cole

are muslims nuts?

In spite of the provocative title, Are Muslims Nuts? by Haroon Moghul is actually one of the more thoughtful and thought-provoking discussions of the whole Innocence of Muslims affair that I've seen.

azhar ahmed and the limits of free speech

The current controversy over the film Innocence of Muslims has got me thinking about the ways in which the West has its own taboos and sacred cows which potentially trump freedom of speech. One very recent example is the case of Azhar Ahmed, a 19 in West Yorkshire who was convicted of posting an offensive message on Facebook in the wake of the deaths of six UK soldiers in Afghanistan.

BBC News: Azhar Ahmed convicted of offensive Facebook message

The Guardian: Azhar Ahmed – charged with treason over Facebook comments?

"bow your head!"

Ape Central: BOW YOUR HEAD!: Michael Clarke Duncan Has Passed Away
Guardian: Michael Clarke Duncan obituary

islamic poultry for latino tables

NYT: Islamic Poultry for Latino Tables (Yes, They Have Chilies, Too)

jumah at the dnc

The Bureau of Indigenous Muslim Affairs is holding a Jumah Prayer at the Democratic National Convention along with a series of other Muslim events. I'm hoping the conspiracy theories don't get too thick.

totally radical muslims

Totally Radical Muslims Presents: Islamophopia, A Bitchin’ Zine! seems like an amazing project. I wish I could get a copy.

said no one, ever.

hat-tip to Perennial Reflection