The Dartmouth Observer |
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Commentary on politics, history, culture, and literature by two Dartmouth graduates and their buddies
WHO WE ARE Chien Wen Kung graduated from Dartmouth College in 2004 and majored in History and English. He is currently a civil servant in Singapore. Someday, he hopes to pursue a PhD in History. John Stevenson graduated from Dartmouth College in 2005 with a BA in Government and War and Peace Studies. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He hopes to pursue a career in teaching and research. Kwame A. Holmes did not graduate from Dartmouth. However, after graduating from Florida A+M University in 2003, he began a doctorate in history at the University of Illinois--Urbana Champaign. Having moved to Chicago to write a dissertation on Black-Gay-Urban life in Washington D.C., he attached himself to the leg of John Stevenson and is thrilled to sporadically blog on the Dartmouth Observer. Feel free to email him comments, criticisms, spelling/grammar suggestions. BLOGS/WEBSITES WE READ The American Scene Arts & Letters Daily Agenda Gap Stephen Bainbridge Jack Balkin Becker and Posner Belgravia Dispatch Black Prof The Corner Demosthenes Daniel Drezner Five Rupees Free Dartmouth Galley Slaves Instapundit Mickey Kaus The Little Green Blog Left2Right Joe Malchow Josh Marshall OxBlog Bradford Plumer Political Theory Daily Info Andrew Samwick Right Reason Andrew Seal Andrew Sullivan Supreme Court Blog Tapped Tech Central Station UChicago Law Faculty Blog Volokh Conspiracy Washington Monthly Winds of Change Matthew Yglesias ARCHIVES BOOKS WE'RE READING CW's Books John's Books STUFF Site Feed    |
Friday, August 23, 2002
More on Islam Jon Eisenman agrees with me when he says that "forced reading of [the New Testament] would cause uproar among atheists, ACLU members, and other unsavories." Then isn't it a little confusing when these "unsavories" don't make a sound when UNC assigns the Koran? Are some religious texts more equal than others? However Jon, I don't disagree with you. In fact, I definately believe that understanding and learning about Islam is necessary for Americans today. We are fighting a war against people who use Islam to justify their actions. We clearly need to understand their ideology - it is foolish and dangerous not to. But, I don't think American Universities are actually doing that. Like I said before, instead of worrying about how terrorists use Islam to justify 9/11, Academia is worried about Americans ill-treating and misrepresenting Islam. The former is clearly a greater threat and problem than the latter. This is why translations of the Koran used by such Academics omit embarassing scriptures that may give us the "wrong" idea. If we are to truly learn about our enemy's ideology, we will have to look to someplace other than the multicultural fantasy lands inhabited by University professors. The weakening of academia that Jon talks about is now not just a matter of standards in education. It is dangerous. |