The Mumbai terrorist acts in India’s financial capital left more than 180 people dead and 280 wounded. The Indian and European press is reporting that the violence has sparked widespread debate as to whether the terrorists should be considered and referred to as followers of Islam, but most of the American coverage of the attack is oblivious to what could potentially be a remarkable transformation in the Muslim world.

Immediately after the attacks, several Bollywood stars began to blog about the problem of associating Islam with terrorism. OneIndia’s web site reported that actor Aamir Khan wrote that terrorists are neither people of religion nor people of God.

“When will these politicians realise and admit that terrorists have no religion,” wrote Khan. “Terrorists are not Hindu or Muslim or Christian.”

Further, Khan attributes their actions to mental illness, not Islam.

“They are people who have gone totally sick in their head and have to be dealt with in that manner,” Khan wrote in his blog.

Another Indian news outlet, Rediff India, interviewed Idris Ali, the president of All-India Minority Forum, shortly after the attacks. Ali is well known in India’s Muslim community as an advocate for minority and Islamic issues as well as a harsh opponent of anti-terrorism laws. When asked about the relationship between the events in Mumbai and Islam, Ali said:

“What we must realize is Islam never propagates violence. The word Islam is derived from aslama, which means submission to the supreme power. And submission can never be achieved through bloodshed. Those 10 bloodthirsty men who slaughtered innocent Mumbaikars cannot be the followers of Islam. Had they read the Quran, they would have waved olive branches and not automatic guns.”

Echoing the thoughts of actor Khan, Ali also said, “Fanatics have no religion, terrorists have no creed. The only religion that radicals follow is carnage.”

Many Indians and Islamic believers not only refuse to call the terrorists Muslim but have also denied the dead gunman burial in their cemeteries because in their eyes the men who committed these acts are not Muslims.

In a recent article on India’s NDTV web site, Abdul Razzak, the president of Dawat-e-Islami, an international movement for the propagation of the Quran and Sunnah, is quoted as saying: “The killing of innocents is against Islam. They are bringing shame to 25 crore (or 250 million) Muslims of India. These men are not Muslims. Why should we give them place anywhere? There is no place for them in our hearts and in our cemeteries.”

Despite the fact that this movement to disown the Mumbai terrorists is widespread and gaining momentum in the Muslim world, most of the commentators in the U.S. are calling the events an Islamic attack. Michael Rubin, author of the National Review Online’s blog The Corner, typifies the dismissive tone of many of the American journalists who at least acknowledge the debate.

“While it’s fashionable to argue that terrorists in Mumbai do not act out of religion,” Rubin writes, “but are simply misguided, the fact of the matter is that they justify their actions in Islam.”

Rubin and the rest of the American media tend to argue that our focus should be on how terrorists describe their beliefs and not on whether their supposed fellow travelers recognize those beliefs as their own.

“For the purposes of policy and security, religion should be what its practitioners believe it to be rather than what academics or outside commentators say it is,” said Rubin. “It is much more important to determine how terrorists are brainwashed in madrasas, than passing judgment on whether what they believe conforms to what academics believe Muslims should believe.”

Rubin’s comments betray a contradiction at the heart of our attitudes toward religion generally and Islam in particular. Millions of Islamic practitioners are telling us that the terrorists aren’t Muslims, but outside commentators like Rubin are telling us (and people like Aamir Khan and Idris Ali) that they are. This contradiction points toward a fundamental misunderstanding of how religious movements work. At best, this means that writers like Rubin will continue to offer commentary that doesn’t reflect the greater religious and political implications of identifying Islam with terrorism. At worst, it means that the curse of mutual incomprehension between America and the Muslim world will persist for some time to come.

Originally posted on USC Knight Chair in Media & Religion Site.

A samurai-sword wielding assailant was shot dead in front of the Hollywood Scientology center. The guard who shot him said he was close enough to hurt them when he fired. Word is, he used to be a member, but not many details have been released, yet. The controversial, star-magnet church hit the media limelight again when anti-Scientology protesters demonstrated outside the preview of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” because Katie Holmes, wife of the religion’s most famous celebrity, Tom Cruise, has a starring role.

Kanye West gave his award to a fellow artist after he won at the American Music Awards Sunday night—among other interesting moments. Here’s the scorecard.

The first black presidency already may have sparked a rash of violence coming from white extremists. The Ku Klux Klan is making a comeback, and violent hate crimes have been on the rise in the three weeks following the election of Democrat Barack Obama, according to an L.A. Times article. Looks like to become post-racial we may yet need to iron out a few wrinkles.

Obama supporters are beginning to worry he’s not as far to the left as they hoped. Much of his future administration is shaping up to be Clinton and Bush holdovers, calling his campaign for change into question. Of course, he has chosen several close friends and associates to serve in his Cabinet or as senior advisers. And Wall Street, at least, seems to appreciate his pick for Treasury Secretary, though many of his views remain a mystery.

The Pope apparently doesn’t have much faith in interfaith conversations. In a letter to a scholar-politician, portions of which were published in an Italian newspaper, Pope Benedict XVI said “interreligious dialogue in the strict sense of the word is not possible,” though that hasn’t prevented the Vatican from meeting with Muslim leaders to find common positions on issues such as terrorism and religious freedom. Meanwhile, in Southern California, Jewish college students visited mosques as part of a national “twinning campaign” in which Jews and Muslims team up to fight Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

Citigroup: add one more bailout to the pile. The government has approved a deal to secure about $306 billion in loans and securities and to directly invest $20 billion in the company. It was the third time in three months the government has tried to contain the unraveling financial crisis.

Hollywood’s chewing its cheeks over the same-sex marriage ban. It’s a place that has celebrated free speech and weathered the McCarthyist witch hunts. Now Hollywood insiders who supported Prop 8 are being “outed.” Film Independent has gotten flak for defending Richard Raddon, the director of the L.A. Film Festival, who donated $1,500 to the Yes on 8 campaign. And the director of a nonprofit theater organization in Sacramento resigned after complaints of his donations to the campaign.

He looks like most Americans (well, African Americans). And you definitely can’t tell he is a Muslim by his appearance. So, it would be difficult to target him based on his religion.

“I look like a regular black man in Washington, DC,” said Omari West, a 35-year old American Sunni Muslim. “Do I get targeted as a black man, now that’s another case?”

Although West acknowledges that religious bigotry against Muslims exists in the United States, he believes the primary issue is still race.

Some Americans still “cling” to the inaccurate beliefs that Sen. Barack Obama is a Muslim or was sworn into Congress on the Koran instead of the bible. And as shown in a recent McCain rally, there is a portion of the American population who believes Obama is an Arab. And they’ll shout it as an insult to prove it.

West, who was born into his Islamic faith, says the Arab slur is a cover for their true beliefs.

“It’s no longer politically palatable for people to openly admit that they don’t favor a candidate because of his skin color. [African Americans] have gone through a long hard battle in this country to win the right of dignity and respect, at least in the public square.”

West attributes the veiled use of the word, Arab or Muslim, as a code word for “other” or an even more derogatory word used against Black people.

“It’s more convenient and less controversial for someone to call Obama a Muslim then it would be to call him the n-word.” That’s how the coding works.

West explained how that process occurs in multiple unconscious, yet subversive, psychological steps.

First, to tarnish Obama’s reputation, his enemies use his name Barack Hussein Obama to distinguish him and thereby paint him as an “other.” In the senator’s case, all three of his names are easily associated with the Islamic faith, said West.

“The name, Barack Hussein Obama, is of east African derivation,” said West. “It’s Arabic.”

West says the next stage is “to paint him as an enemy by associating him with Arabic and Muslim extremists.”

Obama’s middle name has received a lot of media attention because of its similarity to the notorious Saddam Hussein of Iraq. Hussein, who committed violent acts against his own people, was a Sunni Muslim.

“All of the Arab talk is code word for his skin color and voicing disapproval as a form of racial bigotry, which can’t be openly discussed,” said West.

West, who is an American-born Muslim, thinks that the veiled Arab attacks against Obama are working. He thinks the focus on race can be shown in Obama’s wavering support among union workers despite their leadership’s endorsement.

West, a graduate of Columbia’s law school and its undergraduate journalism school explained:

“Usually democrats are pro-labor because of the economic issues. They push for higher wages, unionization, etc. As a result, union workers generally vote Democratic. There is a question now whether the rank and file members will follow behind the union leaders and vote for Barack. The argument could be made that people care more about racial and cultural issues than economic.”

A recent New York Times article points to race as a reason for Obama’s lack of support from union members.

“I think race is playing a major part,” said Mac Davis Slade, a political activist with the painters’ union, to the NYT. “I think that’s why some people say, ‘Isn’t he a Muslim?’”

Although race and religion are being used against Sen. Obama, West said it is part of the reason he is supporting him for president.

“I do think those reasons – his race, culture, name and experience – go into making him the person that he is today. They are not separate from what he brings to the table. However, the most important reason is I think he’s the most competent person for the job,” said West.

The owner of his own international economic consulting firm, West explained that Obama was his choice because of his leadership on several issues like the war. He also admired the Senator’s qualifications as a legislator and his impact on international relations if elected.

In terms of overall voting patterns for Muslims, West thinks they historically lean right on moral issues such as abortion and gay marriage. However, in this election people of all religions will have to consider a hierarchy of issues, which include national security, education, civil rights and civil liberties. And on these political issues, West said Muslims lean left or Democratic. A 2007 Pew study confirms that only 11% of Muslims lean right or consider themselves Republican and 63% identify with the Democratic party.

“It’s not because we’re any less pro-life or in favor of gay marriage from a faith standpoint. There are other factors that our lives depend on in this race,” said West.

He hopes the next president sets a tone of tolerance, and encourages a sharing of ideas and strengths among people of difference. This leader would point to how the variation among faiths and traditions all come from the same source, God.

Quoting from the 49:13 verse in the Koran, West states, “We have created you of a male and a female, and made you tribes and families that you may know each other.” For him, this statement means we learn more about ourselves by encountering and understanding the “other.”

“We are all brothers and sisters under God,” says West, “we’re all viewed as equals.”

Will the real Sarah Palin please stand up? The Republican V.P. candidate made her first appearance on Saturday Night Live this weekend with a faux-surprise interruption of the opening sketch, in which Tina Fey, now famous for her impressions of the Alaska governor, was giving a press conference. Palin later bobbed her head to the beat and threw her hands in the air as a pregnant Amy Poehler rapped about Eskimos and shooting moose. Very funny, but at the same time, it seemed to me Palin was cringing throughout, like she was taking medicine for her sick campaign (see below).

Obama’s pushing for out-and-out socialism, McCain said over the weekend. By taxing the rich and redistributing the wealth through government programs, he is turning the IRS into a giant “welfare agency.” Obama responded quickly, telling an audience of 100,000 in St. Louis that “John McCain is so out of touch with the struggles you are facing that he must be the first politician in history to call a tax cut for working people ‘welfare.’”

Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama on Sunday. At the same time the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced his support for the Democratic presidential nominee, Obama set a fundraising record with $150 million in September.

As oil prices drop, so might hopes of transitioning to alternative energy, or so reports the Washington Post. On Friday the price of oil dropped to $71.85 a barrel, lower than it was one year ago before the rapid climb that led to record-high prices at the pump this summer. The idea is that consumers may get complacent when gas is cheaper and ease some of the pressure on auto manufacturers to build electric or other alternative-fuel vehicles. What would Joe the Plumber say? [Ed note—who cares? He's a fraud].

Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan called for greater interfaith friendship on Sunday and called organized religion a failure at a dedication ceremony for a mosque in Chicago. Farrakhan has been criticized before for making anti-Semitic remarks, but apparently has tried to tone it down in past years. Thousands of people of various faiths attended the event.

The new Robinson Crusoe just might be gay escapism, writes Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com. The title character and his sidekick Friday seem to have created a paradise for social outcasts in NBC’s new drama, and the two get along almost too well. But that’s just the hook for Havrilesky’s broader critique of the show, which she says may get monotonous after a few episodes despite good writing and solid acting. She also panned the new TV show Crash for reinforcing the same stereotypes and contriving the same almost-unbelievable scenarios that she says plagued the Oscar-winning film on which it is based.

Slate released an iPhone application for political junkies on Sunday. The online magazine’s Poll Tracker ‘08 delivers the latest state-by-state polls and election data directly to the phone. Would Google get moving on its mobile operating system already? Maybe we can get a phone for less than $500 again soon…

Off the Wall…Street Stocks everywhere seem to be suffering Humpty Dumpty’s fate. On Thursday, the Dow Jones plummeted a stunning near 700 points, and Friday brought a sharp descent to both European and Asian markets. Here’s hoping this October 29th doesn’t resemble the one the world saw in ‘29.

The Economist’s Verdict: Too Little Too Late…Yup, an Official Global Recession Though the world’s banks have been stitching in financial sutures, England’s self-described newspaper explains a widespread recession, if not depression, is pretty much unavoidable at this point.

But Back in LA…Bigotry and Malice out to Play Irvine City Council candidate Attorney Todd Gallingher, a Muslim convert, said a caller told him “‘I want to cut off your head just like all the other Muslims deserve,’” after finding out Gallinger was a Council of American-Islamic Relations employee. The city’s police department is investigating the threat.

The Insidious Disease That Turns Post-Prandial Bliss into Misery One percent or more of the country’s population could be suffering from celiac. The auto-immune disease caused by the ingestion of grains such as wheat, barley and oats could lead to more than an upset stomach. This piece explains it can also herald the onset of “anemia, infertility, osteoporosis and cancer.” In this case, it seems the only cure really is prevention in the form of a gluten-free diet.

Russian Cook May be Stirring the Iranian Nuclear Pot Though this doesn’t mean Russia is, as a country, aiding Iran in nuclear arms development, the investigation surrounding a Russian scientist’s possible illustration to Iran regarding the finer points of detonation is worrisome and the first admission from the part of a nuclear agency that the Middle Eastern country could be “receiv[ing] help from a foreign weapons scientist in developing nuclear arms.” Considering the statements Ahmadinejad has made in the last two years pertaining to what he says is a lack of nuclear arms development and Russia’s separation from the issue, this is no small matter.

“There’s no evidence that she’s Muslim, as far as we know… If she says she’s not Muslim, well, we take her at her word.”

Hillary did not lose the Democratic primary race last night. She can’t win the popular vote. Her win in Ohio and the squeaker in Texas merely blunted calls for her to do the right thing for the party and concede. Doing the right thing is not a concern for Hillary Clinton at this point. She kept herself in the race by running a full-bore negative campaign against her popular Democratic opponent that centered on goosed-up Karl Rove-style national security fear mongering. Break out the confetti and the balloons. If this is what we get from the Democratic woman candidate, what’s the point? Is it to beat the worst of the Republican men at their own game? She’s so deep into it now that she can’t even bring herself to say in a TV news interview that Barack Obama is not a Muslim. “There’s no evidence he’s Muslim,” was all she could manage to say, basically, and she said it twice because it works to her advantage to let Muslim haters remain delusional. There’s no evidence Obama’s from Mars either, Hillary, or that he’s a mass murderer. Thanks for the update. And so it continues. Aaahh, the pain.

Update: I said Hillary “can’t win” the popular vote. She can. It’s statistically possible and highly unlikely. See above post about the appearance, say, of a catastrophic YouTube of Obama in Waziristan.