Muslim Calendar: Main Event of 2006

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are you watching this? Despite heightened censorship of world news in Iran recently, rest assured your educated populace and liberal movement understand the significance of this world's first. Any anal-retentive imams must be stewing over it. ("Her trip has received limited attention in Iran, although a few days before she was scheduled to blast into space, an Iranian TV channel aired a 70-minute interview with her.) source

A photogenic American Muslim female of Iranian heritage, Anousheh Ansari, is ready to become the world's first female space tourist, first Muslim female, and first Iranian in space tomorrow. Unlike Sharia-confounded Imams, Ansari is guiding other Iranians along the path of progress by example. Her spacesuit, in fact, displays the Iranian and American flags. Her hijab and nikab were long ago shed and she is in the international space station without a Sharia chaperone.

After emigrating to the United States in her teens, she went on to earn a bachelor's degree in electronics and computer engineering from George Mason University. Her master's degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University followed. The ride will cost Ansari about $20 million. A price she can certainly afford.

Mr. Ahmadinejad, Allah willing, womankind and Muslimkind take one of their largest steps in history on George Bush's watch tomorrow. Peace.