Seven years after the U.S. invasion of Fallujah, there are reports of an alarming rise in the rates of birth defects and cancer. But the crisis, and its possible connection to weapons deployed by the United States during the war, remains woefully under-examined.

On November 8, 2004, U.S. military forces launched Operation Phantom Fury 50 miles west of Baghdad in Fallujah, a city of 350,000 people known for its opposition to the Saddam regime.

The United States did not expect to encounter resistance in Fallujah, nor did it initially face any in the early days of the war. The first sign of serious hostility appeared in April 2003, after U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne division fired into a crowd of protesters demonstrating against the occupation and the closure of their local school building, killing 17 civilians and injuring 70. The following February, amid mounting tensions, a local militia beheaded four Blackwater employees and strung their bodies from a bridge across the Euphrates River. U.S. forces temporarily withdrew from Fallujah and planned for a full onslaught....

Read more...

by admin

As an agnostic, I have some questions about Islam, but those of other faiths here are welcome to answer. I know I have a lot of questions, but you can answer as many or as few as you like, thank you. Don’t try to convert me, as I consider all religions epistemologically flawed.

1) Why is circumcision carried out when it is not mentioned in the Qur’an? The benefits are statistically negligible, which are outnumbered by the risks. Most importantly, this is a human rights issue as a baby cannot give consent. If he grows up and wants to cut it off later, then fine, but why proceed with an irreversible and unnecessary procedure?

2) If you believe that Islam is the one and true religion, what does that mean for people who believe in Christianity or Judaism or those who believe in a polytheistic religion or atheists? Are they all going to hell? Out of so many religions in the world, how would you reason and argue that your religion is the right one to an undecided person?

Read more...