Muslims living in the United States may be able to practice their faith more freely using the Survival Mosque, a portable, wearable prayer kit. The Survival Mosque sports an “American-flag façade that communicates patriotism, gas-mask, nose filters and an umbrella that surveys one’s back.” It even plays a speech by George Bush calling for tolerance. The artist behind the work is Azra Akšamija, who also designed a Frontier Vest that can be used as either a Jewish prayer shawl or an Islamic prayer rug. We Make Money Not Art sat down with Akšamija to talk about humor, wearable architecture, and Islamic cultural identity. —Brendan Mackie

It's time once again for Heeb's Chosen Issue (Fall 2007), when the sassy Jewish mag's editors ordain their favorite players in arts and entertainment. It's also, as editorial director Rebecca Wiener writes, "a great excuse to unleash our OCD tendencies" with a particularly careful selection process. If that doesn't scare you away, check out the issue's goods, among them an engaging profile of Joan Rivers, who is returning to her roots in the Manhattan comedy clubs, and a short piece about Dmitry, a 33-year-old Ukrainian-born Jew who finally goes ahead with his bris nearly 20 years after emigrating to the United States. The issue also features coverboy Jonah Hill (Superbad) and the Heeb Hundred, a roster of 100 up-and-coming members of the tribe. The print edition includes just 20 of the notably hip crowd, but you can assess the rest of the lineup at Heeb100.com. —Eric Kelsey

Here's an equation for you from the Vermont alt-weekly Seven Days:

Faith-based sex education + Unitarian Universalists = Eighth graders building genitals out of pipe cleaners and cotton balls.

-- Brendan Mackie

Over the last six weeks, Beliefnet has been charting the godliness of presidential candidates on its new blog, "God-o-Meter.” The website constantly tracks each candidate’s use of "God-talk," and then scores them on a range from zero (secularist) to ten (theocrat). The website supplements the candidate rankings with a series of religion-based news posts and a graph of their ranking over time. The eight Democrats average an even six, while the nine Republicans check in at a shade above seven. –Eric Kelsey

After years of toiling as a deliveryman, Susumu Hashimoto of Japan was finally able to fulfill a lifelong dream: he bought land for farming and began practicing natural agriculture. "I believe the farmer is the closest servant to God," Hashimoto told Lisa M. Hamilton of Orion.

The natural agriculture that Hashimoto practices is based on the philosophies of Mokichi Okada, who believed that healing the world begins with "relearning how to respect life." Natural agriculturists achieve this by creating a strong bond between farmer, land, and consumer. The labor is a mutual responsibility between farmer and consumer in which consumers support the farmers any way they can, from collecting payments to picking weeds.

Followers of this practice trust that the Earth will provide, and they, in turn, surrender to their environment. The food produced on this land is not only a means of sustenance, but also a shared sacrament. –Cara Binder

The landscape is littered with beautiful old churches, synagogues, and mosques—buildings that have helped form American’s moral and philosophical foundation. And, as people migrate from small towns and urbanites flock to sparkling-new megachurches, that foundation is crumbling. Literally. Common Ground, the National Park Service's publication, takes a look at these abandoned houses of worship, including a synagogue designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and makes a case for preservation.  –Anna Cynar

In its Autumn edition (a special double-issue), Himal Southasian a magazine published in Kathmandu, analyses fundamentalism in the region. The comprehensive package opens with an overview of Islam’s roots, and then examines those extremists who have decided to go out on a limb, like the militant Hindutvas in India or the Sinhala-Buddhists, a group of nationalists in Sri Lanka.  The issue’s coda is a positive one, though.  In "Archaeology and the Rejection of the Mono-Country,” an essayist argues for a renewed examination of South Asia’s varied history and archaeology, confident that a greater understanding of the past will spur future religious diversity and tolerance. —Julie Dolan