Muslim reformer’s ‘heresy’: The Islamic state is a dead end
Abdullahi Ahmed an-Naim has seen what can happen to an Islamic reformer: His mentor was executed in 1985 in Sudan; he himself had to flee the country. Still, the self-described "Muslim heretic" has no trouble traveling the Islamic world spreading his controversial message: There is no such thing as an Islamic state. A secular...Report issued on Muslim-West relations
Washington Interfaith leaders from the worlds of government, religion, academe and civil society gathered at a roundtable organized by the World Economic Forum and Georgetown University, on the occasion of the official U.S. launch of the first "Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue." The report is the first of...Deterrence: Mother’s milk of nuclear proliferation
French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced last week that he was cutting France's total nuclear capability to fewer than 300 warheads. This, he said, was a return to Charles de Gaulle's vision of minimal deterrence that would create "strength from weakness." His speech was not only, or even primarily, about French nuclear weapons. It...
A third American war in the making?
April 4th, 20080 The U.S. Congress, the U.S. media, the American people, and the United Nations, are looking the other way as Cheney prepares his attack on Iran. If only America had an independent media and an opposition party. If there were a shred of integrity left in American political life, perhaps a third act of naked aggression a third war...‘Fitna’: Dutch leader’s anti-Islam film brings strife
Far-right politician Geert Wilders's latest attempt to air the controversial video has been delayed by U.S.-based website host Network Solutions. The Hague It's a lurking provocation in Europe's sometimes rocky encounter with its burgeoning Muslim population: For months, a popular, flamboyant far-right Dutch...Easter message from Michel Sabbah
Jerusalem Patriarch challenges the world to build societies, not destroy...War on Iran may be near
Every horror movie has that "Oh shit!" moment, when the hero or heroes are huddled in some creepy hideout, and suddenly something happens that tells you that the monster is just around the corner, or just about to attack. In "Jurassic Park" it was the pulsing ripples in a cup of water, heralding the arrival of a T-Rex. In "Jaws" it...Heads to the right
It is still unclear whether the terrorist who entered the Mercaz Harav yeshiva on Thursday night and killed eight of its students knew exactly what place he was entering. But the thousands of people who walked behind the coffins on Friday knew very well. "The flagship of religious Zionism" was the common expression used, the "holy of...Islamic law in non-Muslim countries
Recently, Reverend Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England, delivered a speech about the inevitability of having an Islamic legal system implemented in Britain. His words caused a media frenzy, as some individuals and organizations politicized his statements, shifting the focus from a legitimate...Canada’s response to Israel’s actions in Gaza biased, ignorant and ineffective
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier issued a news release expressing his concern about the escalating violence in the Gaza Strip. It does nothing to help resolve the situation and only demonstrates that the Canadian government is only putting out more face-saving rhetoric for the international community and to...Neo-cons fine-tune Iran angle
WASHINGTON (IPS) A new report published by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) think-tank purports to show the reach and scope of Iranian influence across the Middle East, but stops short of drawing conclusions about Tehran's intentions or grand strategy. Co-written by AEI fellows Fred Kagan and Danielle Pletka, and Kagan's...Secret Omar Khadr witness disclosed
A never-before-disclosed American eyewitness to the furious battle in Afghanistan where Omar Khadr allegedly tossed a grenade has cast doubt on whether the teenager was an "unlawful" combatant, his defense team said this week. Britain's Prince Harry sits on his camp bed at FOB Delhi, in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan The...Survey challenges Western view of Islam
A huge survey of the world's Muslims released this week challenges Western notions that equate Islam with radicalism and violence. The survey, conducted by the Gallup polling agency over six years and three continents, seeks to dispel the belief held by some in the West that Islam itself is the driving force of radicalism. It shows...Europe headed for new security deal with Israel
BRUSSELS (IPS) The European Union is considering new steps to deepen its cooperation on scientific research with Israel, despite admitting that previous funds earmarked for that purpose have gone to firms operating illegally in the Palestinian territories. Between now and 2013, the Israeli government is to contribute 440 million...U.S.-Arabs: Finding mutual respect
DOHA One of the useful new trends in the Middle East is the proliferation of weapons of mass conversation, exemplified by the non-stop international and regional conferences that are hosted in places like Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other aspiring capitals of talk. Some gatherings are useful and enlightening, including the fifth......
Brits may use sharia bonds for public spending
LONDON Britain is set to become the first Western nation to issue bonds approved by Muslim clerics in line with sharia, which outlaws conventional loans involving interest payments. But the move could see the ownership of public buildings and other assets switched into the hands of wealthy Muslim businesses and individuals, many...British government deletes reference to Israel’s flouting of nuclear guidelines in Iraq dossier
The full extent of government anxiety about the state of British-Israel relations can be exposed for the first time today in a secret document seen by the Guardian. The document reveals how the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) successfully fought to keep secret any mention of Israel contained on the first draft of the......
UNICEF warns of ‘time bomb’ for Somali children
GENEVA Thousands of children in war-torn Somalia risk dying from the insecurity, famine and sickness as the country's humanitarian crisis worsens, the United Nations children's agency warned this week. Somalian child suffering from the famine"Unless we are able to address the very basic needs of water and food you will see a time bomb...Democracy charade undermines rights
Washington The established democracies are accepting flawed and unfair elections for political expediency, Human Rights Watch said this week in releasing its World Report 2008. By allowing autocrats to pose as democrats, without demanding they uphold the civil and political rights that make democracy meaningful, the United States, the...Love yourself this Valentine’s Day
Yardley, PA Valentine's Day is fast approaching and if you listen closely you'll hear America heave a collective sigh of resignation (from the couples who must run out and buy obligatory gifts) and gloom (from the singles who feel like hiding sulkily under the covers). Yes, many people dread this seemingly benign holiday more than a...Security Council loses credibility over Iran, Israel
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) The 15-member U.N. Security Council (UNSC) is set to lose its credibility once again as it prepares to impose a third set of sanctions on Iran while failing to pass any strictures on Israel for its continued heavy-handed repression of Palestinians in Gaza. "Many ask whether the UNSC still......
Iran’s war on drugs; three decades of failure
TEHRAN In an attempt to check the effects of strong new varieties of illicit drugs that are flooding the market, the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has revived some of the punitive methods seen in the early days of the Islamic Revolution. Yet neither punitive action nor the continued use of preventive strategies introduced...Pre-emptive nuclear strike a key option
The West must be ready to resort to a pre-emptive nuclear attack to try to halt the "imminent" spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, according to a radical manifesto for a new NATO by five of the West's most senior military officers and strategists. Calling for root-and-branch reform of NATO and a new pact drawing......
Israeli pianist Daniel Barenboim takes Palestinian citizenship
JERUSALEM Daniel Barenboim, the world renowned Israeli pianist and conductor, has taken Palestinian citizenship and said he believed his rare new status could serve a model for peace between the two peoples. "It is a great honor to be offered a passport," he said after a Beethoven piano recital in Ramallah, where he has been active...OPEC rejects U.S. calls for more oil
ABU DHABI OPEC has dismissed further calls by the U.S. to boost oil output, saying the global market is well supplied. Abdullah al-Attiyah, the Saudi oil minister, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday: "I don't think there is a need to increase because the market is well supplied." Sam Bodman, the......