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  1. More info on the Imam…..

    Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is a Sufi
    Muslim. He is not Shi’ia. He is not Sunni, and certainly
    he is not Wahhabi Sunni. He is Sufi, and Sufism is
    materially different than the other two major schools of
    Islam. Sufis have, historically. respected, if not
    honoured other religions, and teaches that all religions
    are part of one great religion.
    If one can get over the “kum-bye-ya” nature of Sufism
    one can understand that there is a great chasm
    between the teaching of the Shi’ia Imams, the Sunni
    Imams and Imams who teach Sufism. The Sunnis are
    nearly 90% of the Islamic world, and as followers of the
    Hanifa, Shafi, Hanibal and Malik schools of thought
    they can and they do pursue Islam within secular
    societies. The only major exception here is the
    Wahhabi sect that came out of the desert in the
    Arabian Peninsula and is the sect most closely
    associated with the Royal Family in Saudi Arabia.
    The Shi’ia split with the Sunnis centuries ago over the
    question of who can and who will succeed Mohammed.
    The split too place in 661 when the 4th Caliph was
    assassinated. To the Shi’ia, the Imam is virtually
    infallible in all matters of doctrine, and it is important to
    note that the Shi’ia and the Sunni have not only split
    over the lineage question down from Mohammed but
    have split over interpretations of the Koran.
    The Suffis are the mystics of Islam, and although the
    Suffis believe that their sect goes back directly to
    Mohammed, the split did not take place until the 10th
    century. According to CARM… the Christian
    Apologetics and Research Ministry…

    The Sufi mystic must follow a path of
    deprivation and meditation. There are various
    forms of abstinence and poverty. Worldly
    things are renounced and a complete trust in
    God’s will is taught. The goal is to attain to a
    higher knowledge and experience of Allah.
    The mystical focus meant that the Qur’an could
    be interpreted in different ways and so Sufism
    taught that the Qur’an had mystical meanings
    hidden within its pages. Out of this mysticism
    a type of pantheism developed among some
    Sufi believers. Pantheism is the teaching that
    God and the universe are one. Of course, the
    orthodox Muslims, called the Sunni, reject this
    idea since they claim that Allah is the creator
    of the universe and distinct from it.
    In part, Sufism arose as a reaction to the
    growing Islamic materialism that had
    developed in the Empire at that time. Islam
    had achieved great power and geographical
    scope and with it, the material gain was great.

  2. Nobody mentioned the crime against the Bangladeshi cab driver, living in this country for 30+ years since he was a kid. Maybe there is nothing to say. If there is any kind of “silver lining” (note the irony, please) to being stabbed and slashed because you are a Muslim, maybe it is that it gives a galvanizing horrific image to the hate talk about Muslims unleashed because of the proposed Cultural Center/Mosque.

    I am really disturbed to see the lack of leadership on this Center thing. Whatever you think about the wisdom of the Imam and his people on pushing for this location, I the only one with balls I think is Bloomberg, though his rough tone is not helping. The shit spilling from politicians is appalling. What I heard is that Cardinal Doyle was going to be trying to talk to officials and the Imam. THAT would be showing some leadership. Try to cool down the talk, to find middle ground, some compromise within what it means to be American, free, free to worship and also to recognize that 9-11 is a still a huge, gaping, bleeding hole from which people haven’t recovered. It is really sad I think that our leaders aren’t leaders. I am really, really dissapointed with Obama on this. I think he is a sad bit of a washout. Where is the heart? The passion? The compassion? People poo poo politicians but I think there is nobility in somebody that can forge reasonable compromise which involves truly entering into the hearts and minds of both sides.

  3. “Except for the higher end ones (Bosch & F&P) they are besically all alike and most likely use the same innards.”

    Dave;

    Not true at all. As I said above, Kitchen-Aid appliances are very well-made, both from a design and fabrication POV. Just take a look at the guage of metal and you can see the difference.

    Slopey:

    LG = Lucky-Goldstar.

  4. Snaps, small plug. I know they’re expensive, but I LOVE my two-drawer Fisher Paykel. No problems in nearly 6 years, it is quiet as a mouse, has a delicate, an eco and a heavy cycle from which to choose, and most important, I rarely use both drawers, making it quite a water & energy-efficient little thing. Oh, and if you’re lazily inclined, you can actually use one drawer as clean storage and just empty and fill the other as you go along. So for small kitchens, it’s extra storage! Brilliant.

  5. By Butterfly on August 26, 2010 11:05 AM

    dave, people CAN change you know! i’ve decided from now on to only fart rainbows and to stop being a negative nellie
    *rob*

    By Butterfly on August 26, 2010 11:37 AM

    snappy all dish washers are pretty much the same.
    vile machines that do nothing but re-circulate germs and cause parvo, salmonella, and ring worm. much better and more efficient to wash by hand.

    *rob*

    He didn’t even make it to Wendy’s yet.

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