Stomach problems? Try fresh, tasty camel wizz!

In Islam’s body of literature, there is a reputable story that Prophet Muhammad prescribed camel urine for stomach problems. Variants of the story are relayed by both Mohamed al-Bukhari and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (respected compilers of such tales). Of course, I am paraphrasing in the below cartoon. This comic and some juicy context will be…

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The Drawn Sword of Allah: meet Islam’s greatest general

Khalid ibn al-Walid was, like Omar, a companion of the Prophet who had fought against Muhammad’s followers in the early days of the revelations—notably, at the Battle of Badr. Ibn al-Walid was destined to convert and become one of Islam’s greatest generals. The broad-shouldered soldier’s soldier and genius battlefield tactician whose nickname was the “Drawn…

To convict an unfaithful spouse of adultery in Islam, four witnesses need to have watched them shag

Islam mandates a draconian punishment for those convicted of adultery: stoning to death. This sounds terrifying, but the good news is that a conviction for adultery is more easily avoided than you might expect because four witnesses are required to prosecute the libertine in question. According to a prophetic tradition brought to us by Abu…

This 19th Century slave-owner is more enlightened than Trump’s choice for Supreme Court Justice

The idea of the Wall of Separation between church and state was introduced by Thomas Jefferson, the United States’ third president, in his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists. The United States was in fact founded on (thought not always faithful to) the idea of religious tolerance. Jefferson realized what many others did at the…