A Request
I have an opinion on the whole “Cordoba House” issue, but it isn’t well informed. I’d like it to be. Therefore, I’m requesting reading material or other evidence on, among other issues, the nature of Islam and of this project. I also want a translation suggestion for the Koran (or however you care to spell it). Preferably a scholarly translation which takes the time in extensive footnotes to explain its word choices, and was not translated by anyone who might have motive to use translation to obscure, marginalize, or emphasize for certain effect.
Take as granted that I have read most everything web-present Objectivists this side of ARI have written on blogs since this issue became contentious.
Please recommend anything you consider relevant to the issue.
I’ve mostly tried to steer clear of this story, but here’s an article that addresses some misconceptions that a lot of the commentary fails to clear up—or deliberately overlooks:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/07/polls-reporting-on-ground-zero-mosque.html
Use an older translation. Gutenberg has this: http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2800/pg2800.html, which comes with footnotes.
It also has one that give three translations, by three different people, side-by-side, but without footnotes: http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/16955/pg16955.html