EAST CAROLINA – A recent federal grant to provide Michigan libraries with a collection of books, films and other resources about Muslims in the United States and around the world is stirring debates after an Eastern Carolina congressman urged lbraries to reject the books.
“It is appalling to me that a federal agency like the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is wasting taxpayer money on programs like this,” US Rep. Walter Jones told Havelok News.
“It makes zero sense for the US government to borrow money from China in order to promote the culture of Islamic civilizations.”Well, that's a relief! From the sound of those titles, one could easily get the impression that this was another admixture of da'wa and useful idiocy.
The “Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys” was developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and American Library Association.
The grant would be given to around 50 Michigan libraries and its state humanities council.
Each library will receive 25 books, three films and a year of access to Oxford Islamic Studies Online.
Book titles include: “The Butterfly Mosque: A Young American Woman’s Journey to Love and Islam,” “The Story of the Qur’an,” “Muhammad,” and “A Quiet Revolution: The Veil’s Resurgence, from the Middle East to America.”
The NEH says it wants to provide resources "to enhance libraries' collections and their capacity to engage audiences" in an attempt to give the public trustworthy resources about Muslim beliefs and practices...
Update: The Story of the Qur'an is by Ingrid Mattson, a Muslim "revert" and former ISNA chief who's said to be waging "stealth jihad." Hard to see how that book is likely to "bridge" cultures.
Update: Lest you think this "bridge building" endeavour is limited to Michigan, home of Dearbornistan, here's the long list of libraries throughtout the U.S.--842 of 'em, according to this NEH presser-- that applied for and were deemed worthy of receiving the cache of
Update: I see from this NEH booklet that the Muhammad book mentioned in the onIslam article is Muhammad: A Short Introduction by Jonathan A.C. Brown. In the book's first chapter, Brown advises readers: "Do not be surprised by the reverent tone of the section that follows - you are stepping into Muslim shoes now."
Swell.
Of course, I'd have no trouble with this sort of reverence/footwear had it been balanced by a book by say, Ibn Warraq or Robert Spencer.
1 comment:
Where's that much-vaunted "wall of separation" between church and state when you need it?
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