I am feeling that shiver of excitement that I feel every time I discover a connection.

The Islamic proscription against depicting human forms, especially that of the Prophet, has never been as strong in the Safavid Empire (Persia/Iran) as it was in the others (Ottoman and Mughal). Knowing this, it is perhaps not surprising that an Iranian woman artist named Oranous can openly paint a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed.

The local paper tells me that some students on the campus of George Washington University are in trouble today because they put up fliers advertising National Islamo-facism Awareness Week. The fliers, which start off by exclaiming "Hate Muslims? So Do We!!!" goes on to list several "stereotypical features" of Muslims, such as their "lasers in eyes" and "peg-leg for smuggling children and heroin."