Hey! Thats My Hummus!

In this episode, we discuss gender in two very different contexts. From the New York World: On the morning of October 12, Melissa Franchy boarded the B110 bus in Brooklyn and sat down near the front. For a few minutes she was left in silence, although the other passengers gave her a noticeably wide berth. But as the bus began to fill up, the men told her that she had to get up. Move to the back, they insisted. We then switch gears and discuss transgendered children in the context of a little boy who was recently admitted to the Girl Scouts of America. If you enjoy this episode or previous ones, please consider giving us a quick review on iTunes.

In this episode, we discuss why Muslims don't get their drink on and petting zoos. I think that pretty much sums it up.

It's the most reflective time of the year. For Mike and the Tribe, at least. We talked about Yom Kippur in this episode and then switched gears and discussed those crazy kids fighting corporate greed or... something. Just so you know, we'll be back next week because, what, Shiny has another observance this weekend?! Yes, really. Our next episode will be dedicated to questions you might have for our resident Muslim (me... no, I will not be talking about myself in the third person today). E-mail us at hey@heythatsmyhummus.com or via Twitter or Facebook.

From the Holy Book of Wikipedia: Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im ("Days of Awe") which occur in the fall. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on the first two days of Tishrei. Oh, who else is not sure what all that means? Mike fills in all the needed details. Mostly. Make sure you listen to the part about bees. Also in this episode we discuss the recent ejection of a lesbian couple from a Southwest Airlines flight for engaging in behavior deemed inappropriate for its "family friendly" environment.

An article in the WSJ entitled "Jewish Donors Warn Obama on Israel" prompted a discussion about identity politics. Here's an excerpt from the article: Jewish donors and fund-raisers are warning the Obama re-election campaign that the president is at risk of losing financial support because of concerns about his handling of Israel. The complaints began early in President Barack Obama's term, centered on a perception that Mr. Obama has been too tough on Israel. And since we're talking about politics, we thought we'd dissect the possibility of a new slogan for the Tea Party given a recent audience outburst at a GOP debate in Tampa, Florida. What should happen, the moderator asked hypothetically, if a healthy 30-year-old man who can afford insurance chooses not to buy it -- and then becomes catastrophically ill and needs intensive care for six months? When Dr. Paul ducked, fondly recalling the good old days before Medicare and saying that we should all take responsibility for ourselves, Blitzer pressed the point. "But, Congressman, are you saying the society should just let him die?" At that point, the rabble erupted in cheers and whoops of "Yeah!"

You ever wonder whether someone is a Jew or not a Jew? There's an app for that. Or was in France for a while, anyway. In this episode of HTMH: "'Jew or Not Jew' app riles anti-racism group" PARIS - A French anti-racism group has threatened to sue Apple over an iPhone application called "A Jew or Not a Jew?" that allows users to consult a database of celebrities and public figures to determine whether they are Jewish or not. SOS Racisme said the application, sold for 0.79 euro cents ($1.07) on the Apple Store France, violates France's strict laws banning the compiling of people's personal details without their consent. (From CBS NewsWorld, September 14, 2011) And on a more local (and slightly more morbid) note, we discuss the movement for clemency regarding Troy Davis, a man convicted of murdering a Savannah police officer in 1989 and sentenced to the death penalty. (UPDATE: As of our recording, the clemency hearing was scheduled, but this morning's news' reports indicate that clemency was denied to Mr. Davis by the state of Georgia and that the execution is scheduled for tomorrow.)

We're baaaaack. On August 30th, a young Muslim woman visiting Playland amusement park in Rye, New Jersey was asked to remove her head covering before riding on a roller coaster. She refused, a crowd gathered, and, several minutes later, thirteen people were arrested. Find out what happened in those several minutes, what we think about what happened, whether Carol Anne went into the light and what we think about visible expressions of faith in the latest episode of the Hey! That's My Hummus!

You're just going to have to listen to find out what we talked about in this episode. Sorry, but we have to put our feet down about something around here. No synopses for very special episodes. Okay. Fiiiine. I'll give you a hint. SEASON FINALE!!!!! What? Podcasts have season finales. Maybe even a cliffhanger, too. You're totally going to listen now.

In light of the recent conviction of Warren Jeffs, Mike and I talked about polygamy and its place in modernity. And completely forgot to talk about how gross Warren Jeffs really is. I also read an op-ed piece entitled "Legacy of a Society That Believes in Nothing" from the U.K. Daily Mail that was posted on a friend's Facebook wall. The author argue that the core issue of the U.K. riots lies in an overly secular society and further postulates, "without religion, we are all a little less human."

We discuss the recent violence and chaos which has troubled Great Britain over the past week sparked by the shooting death of a citizen by law enforcement. We also delve into a recent report by the Pew Research Center titled "Rising Restrictions on Religion," which talks about religious tolerance (and intolerance) in the countries around the world.

It's no secret that Ramadan is this month and that Faiqa's fasting, but did you know that Shiny also fasted this week? Relax, he's not converting, it was actually a Jewish observance called Tisha B'Av. Learn all about our similarities and differences in this super special "going hungry" episode where we discuss the hows, whats and whys of fasting in our traditions.

Since Faiqa is at BlogHer '11 this week, we've decided to put together a compilation of two segments from past shows: the first is the reason for the namesake of the podcast -- the great hummus debate. Our pilot episode had this topic span over two, fifteen-minute segments, but we've cut it down to just one. And then we look back at our discussion about the advent of a Muslim superhero in the Batman comic book series -- and the prevalence of religious diversity within the superhero world.

Do Jews have to wear certain clothes when they worship? Is the concept of heaven and hell present in Judaism? Why does Mike keep kosher? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie roll lollipop? Tastes great or less filling? All these (mostly) and more answered by our very own resident Jew, Shiny. Thanks to all our listeners who submitted questions!

On this episode, we talk about the recent controversy at Dollywood where a patron was asked to turn her t-shirt inside out for fear that its message might offend other parkgoers. We also discuss the passing of musician Amy Winehouse and people's reactions.

Things get a little heated as our hosts discuss the suspected Islamist terrorists attack in Norway and allegations of Israeli spies in New Zealand.