Do yourself a favor and watch Last Jew in Afghanistan, a short documentary in which "[Zebulon] Simantov, a Jewish resident of Kabul, explains why he remains despite his increasing solitude." I post this as a tribute to all my Sephardic friends, who, like the ancient Christian communities of the Middle East, exemplified by the Syriac communities of eastern Turkey, are being cut off from their roots. Indeed, it is no idle boast, Zebulon is a brave man, a courageous man making a stand, not in a violent or defiant way, but in an authentically human and admirable way.What Zebulon says of Islam, though he has no use for "the donkey Taliban" who pervert Islam, finds resonance in the teaching of the church, which "regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all- powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion" (Nostra Aetate, par. 3).
This puts me in mind of a post from quite awhile back: What Job teaches us, or lessons from a Muslim.
On an unrelated note, I am very happy with the judgment of the members of the University of Notre Dame community who belong to Communion and Liberation on Pres. Obama giving the school's commencement address next month. It exemplifies well what Fred expressed when commenting on Suzanne's Cahiers post: "This culture war is a totally inadequate reaction to the problem of education."