This is an update for readers of my old blog, on which I announced sometime back that I would be enrolling for a local community education course called “Understanding the Middle East and Islamic Culture.” I promised I’d report on my experience, despite expecting nothing exciting, such as turning the class into a “bull in the china shop” incident, as one subscriber put it.

As it happens, I was able to keep an even lower profile than I had intended; the class was unfortunately canceled for “lack of interest.” Imagine that, if you can: not being interested in the Middle East or Islamic culture. It’s unthinkable, at least in the post-9/11 era.

[Read more →]