The UK Telegraph is reporting that potential terrorists, and even common criminals, have a new threat to worry about when trying to evade capture and it’s as plain as the nose on their faces. That’s right, new technology recently unveiled by British scientists places great emphasis on “nose analysis” as a credible means of identification for criminals. 

Its automotive industry may not be so hot right now, but there’s always the next best thing for Detroit - Islamic art! Enthusiasts rejoice! The Detroit Institute of Arts has opened a permanent gallery of Islamic art, showcasing approximately 170 works of art from the Middle East, Central Asia, India and the Mediterranean region. 

We knew it wouldn’t be long before he struck again. Muammar Gaddafi has taken a much needed break from his role as dastardly dictator of Libya and has begun issuing his own jihadist commands from high atop his bedazzled soapbox. This time, the audacious authoritarian has set his sights squarely on Switzerland and has launched a bitter diatribe against the chocolate capital of the world.

An anti-capitalist French political party has fielded a young female activist to run in the upcoming regional elections in Vaucluse. The decision has both right and left-wing politicians up in arms. The reason? The candidate, Ilham Moussaid, wears the hijab. 

Despite what we see on the news, not all political couples are doom and gloom. Take mayoral candidate and long-time Paterson resident, Andre Sayegh, and his Muslim-American fiance, Farhanna Balgahoom.

There is nothing that irks me more than a self-denying Arab - the kind of person who thinks that “Arab” is a dirty word, a label they don’t care to stoop beneath. I’ve met Egyptians who claim to be a race of their own - the same pure “Egyptian” race that Cleopatra and King Tut belong to. I once even met a girl from Lebanon who bristled with offense when I mentioned something about the two of us being Arab. ”I am not Arab,” she proclaimed. “I am Phoenician.” Yeah right, and I’m the granddaughter of Nefertiti. 

You know what I just can’t understand? Women who bring their beleaguered husbands and boyfriends shopping with them. These men walk around the mall as if they are being led into Hell itself. Especially the poor souls lingering awkwardly in lingerie shops, not wanting to look in any particular direction in case, who then inadvertently meet the eye of some lady holding panties up for size. 

Leila Ghannam is joining the ranks of the rising number of women entering governing positions throughout the world. The 35-year-old former intelligence officer is now the governor of Ramallah, the capital of the West Bank.

February 2010 took the cake for most happening month ever! Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, President’s Day, Black History Month, Worldwide Fashion Weeks. Here’s another: last month (and into the early days of March), Muslims around the world are celebrating the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (born in 570 CE). 

After the New York Observer‘s D.M. Levine wrote a story involving Mos Def sipping “a bottle of Rolling Rock” (a brand of beer), Mos Def valiantly defended the allegation in a letter to the editor, making proud Muslims all over these United States of America. Although the letter wasn’t posted on the Observer‘s website, the transcription from the print edition is below.