November 8, 2007

Political Islam Gets Switzerland's Goat

The face of European populism is, these days, white and bristly. And it answers to a comic name. Meet "Zottel," the billy goat mascot of the Swiss People's Party (SVP). Zottel, the party's "bleating" heart, was conscripted to enli...

September 26, 2007

Muslims, Footbaths and the Common Good

"Washbasins" (read: Muslim footbaths) are back in the news. These refer in particular to washing stations installed in public restrooms to accommodate the five-times-daily ablutions required for prayer. The website for the Muslim Students' ...

September 16, 2007

Will Quebec Decide to 'Reasonably Accommodate' Islam?

As religious prescriptions for living lately have come to be infused into daily life in novel and provocative ways, the question is often posed: Has the presence of Islam changed the face of social relations in the West? The question has especially a...

September 8, 2007

Cabbies, Dogs, and Ritual Purity

First the good news: The sightless Bruce Gilmour (pictured here with his mangy coot of a Golden Retriever), denied service "a hundred times, maybe 150 times" by Muslim cab drivers since he acquired his first guide dog in 1984, was awarded $...