We generally agree with the thrust of leftist Israeli commentator Uri Avnery's argument here, but he makes a few glitches which are all the more embarrassing in a piece which attempts to set the historical record straight (and which actually calls out the Pope on a scholarly glitch). As the Catholic Encyclopedia informs us, Constantine was declared Caeser by his troops in 306, but did not actually become emperor of Rome unitl the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in October 312. But the more important matter is that Avnery overstates his case—and therefore risks delegitimizing it. It is true that Jews and Chrisitians were generally treated better in the medieval Islamic world than Jews and Muslims were in the contemporaneous Christian world. But the tolerance of dhimmis in the conquered territories doesn't mean those territories weren't conquered by the sword. Yes, when the Crusaders took Jerusalem in 1099, they carried out a general massacre of the populace, Muslims and Jews alike. In contrast, when the Muslims under Caliph Omar took Jerusalem in 638, there was no bloodshed. But this was only after an 18-month siege following the defeat of the Byzantine armies at the Battle of Yarmouk. Funny how the very same event is cited by those who wish to debunk the notion of Islam as a region of peace (e.g. the Islam: Spead by the Sword timeline at the pro-secular Iranian.ws wesbite). History, it seems, is in the eye of the beholder. From Media Monitors Network, Sept. 24:

From JTA, Sept. 24:

A synagogue in the southern city of Astrakhan was vandalized twice within a few hours early Friday. In one attack, assailants threw a Molotov cocktail at the synagogue, setting its door ablaze. A guard at the building quickly put out the fire. Another synagogue was vandalized in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, where vandals threw stones at a shul shattering several windows. Criminal investigations were launched into both attacks.

More than 55 heads of state attended the 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, held Sept. 15-16 in Havana, Cuba. Cuban foreign minister Felipe Perez Roque called the meeting of the 118-member organization an "unprecedented success." The summit's final document expressed support for several countries opposed by the US government: the group said it backed Bolivia and its president, Evo Morales, against "external forces seeking to destabilize the country"; viewed with concern the "aggressive policies of the US" against Venezuela; rejected the US trade embargo against Cuba; and asserted Iran's right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Thousands of Puerto Ricans rallied in the northwestern town of Lares on Sept. 23, the anniversary of the 1868 Grito de Lares ("Cry of Lares"), an uprising against Spanish rule. The events also marked the first anniversary of the death of independence leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios, who was killed in an assault by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the farmhouse where he was living clandestinely. The ceremony in Lares was largely devoted to remembering Ojeda and Socialist Front leader Jorge Farinacci, who died of cancer in August 2006. Organizers said attendance was up this year because of anger over the killing of Ojeda.

Even as the administration of President Vicente Fox renewed its pledge to find a negotiated solution to the crisis in Oaxaca, some 4,000 protesters left the state capital Sept. 21 on a planned two-week cross-country march to Mexico City, where they intend to establish an encampment outside the Senate to press their demand for the ouster of Gov. Ulises Ruiz.

What are we to make of this? Iran's ayatollahs have issued both fatwas for and against nuclear weapons in recent months, while the country's National Orchestra performs a Nuclear Energy Symphony. Is Ahmadinejad saying what he really thinks here? Or is this just intended for consumption by his useful idiots, no more real than his recent transparently bogus disavowal of anti-Semitism? From BBC Monitoring (not online), Sept. 21:

Are domestic Islamophobes starting to emulate the tactics of their counterparts in India? Note that this comes on the heels of the atrocious mosque desecration in Maine. From AP, Sept. 23:

Shots were fired at a mosque in Melbourne, Florida as worshippers celebrated the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but no injuries or arrests were reported, authorities said Saturday.

Tell us again how the anti-Semitic upsurge is all in our imagination. We keep forgetting. From KNBC, Los Angeles, Sept. 22:

ENCINO, Calif. -- Two flags depicting Nazi swastikas were draped over a freeway overpass in Encino on Friday, on the eve of the Jewish High Holy Days.