Ever hear this argument:

Ancient religious texts like the Koran contain outdated ethical concepts. The Old Testament has brutal laws and violent passages. As a result Christians and Jews don't follow them. Muslims are the same as Christians and Jews; they pick what works and reject what doesn't work. Why should Islam be considered any worse than other religion or cult?

The short answer is that Islam is not similar to anything else, including religions such as Christianity. As far as the Koran having any outdated ethical concepts, that is impossible.

Hardly had the final shots been fired at Fort Hood and hospitals were filling up with the wounded that the media rushed to assign blame for the massacre, not of course to Nidal Malik Hassan, who had opened fire aiming to kill as many soldiers as possible, but on the US Army and on his fellow soldiers.

Completely ignoring his Islamic ideology and Palestinian Arab background, the media speculated that he might have been suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, even though he had never served in a combat zone, that he was angry over being deployed to Iraq, even though he had a history of pro-terrorist postings predating that, and finally that he had been bullied by other soldiers for being a Muslim, a claim that has since emerged as completely baseless.

Spotlight on Iran Week of October 29 - November 5

Highlights of the week

• The student vs. the ayatollah: a math student stood up to the Supreme Leader, criticizing him during a meeting in Tehran.
• The question of relations with the US is cropping up once again ahead of the anniversary of the US embassy takeover in Tehran.
• In-principle decision by the Regime Expediency Discernment Council: the capital will be relocated from Tehran within about two decades.
• Cleric in each school and separate textbooks for boys and girls: more examples of the increasing Islamization of the education system. 
• Freedom of the press, Iran-style: authorities shut down yet another reformist daily

On October 31, the Saudi daily Al-Watan published an article about an unprecedented crisis in Yemen-Iran relations, against the backdrop of the continued war between the Yemen government and the Houthi rebels in the Sa'da region of northern Yemen, and the Yemen government's accusations against Iran for its support for the rebels. The article indicates that apprehension is increasing in Saudi Arabia about the ramifications of Iran's activity in Yemen and in the Red Sea.

Following are details and excerpts from the article:

"Tehran Aims to Turn Yemen into a Regional Arena for Conflict, as Part of Its Ongoing Dispute with Several Countries in the Region"