Guest Thinkers — May 21, 2010

Drawing Mohammad

Husna Haq at The CSM explains why she is and other Muslims are so offended by depictions of Mohammad and why it’s no surprise Pakistan has banned Facebook for the rest of May.

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Husna Haq at The CSM explains why she is and other Muslims are so offended by depictions of Mohammad and why it’s no surprise Pakistan has banned Facebook for the rest of May. “In Islam, as in Judaism, iconography is prohibited out of fear that creating images of sacred figures could lead to dependence on, and even worship of, icons rather than God.”

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Culture & Religion

Picturing Mary: Yesterday and Today

Christmas may be Jesus’ “birthday,” but, as any mother will tell you, his mother Mary really deserves the applause. Providing the humanity half to join with Christ’s divine side, Mary volunteered to play a part from the Incarnation to the Crucifixion to the Resurrection as everything from an active participant to an interested bystander, depending on your interpretation of Christian scripture.

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Thinking

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World map highlighting the Brandt Line, dividing the Global North and Global South across continents.

Strange Maps

The Brandt Line gave us the Global North and South. It needs an update.

In 1980, Willy Brandt drew a line across the map that still influences how we think about the world.

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