Aziz Ansari: Being funny is like having a superpower
Say the name Aziz Ansari and most people in this country will draw a blank. If you mentioned the cult US sitcom Parks and Recreation, then a small minority would recognise Ansari as Tom Haverford, aka Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani, the cocky if ineffective bureaucrat in parks administration. http://www.theguardian.com andrew […]
OPEN LETTER: THE HIJAB IS A REMINDER THAT GOD IS ABOVE ME
Source: World religion news By Nusrat Qadir Nusrat J. Qadir works with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on issues related to Islam. She is also a neonatal intensive care unit registered […]
Egypt’s President Turns to Religion to Bolster His Authority
Source: The New York Times CAIRO — When President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi opened a much-heralded extension to the Suez Canal in August, the official Friday Prayer sermon that week hailed […]
PM Trudeau condemns pepper-spray attack of Syrian refugees in Vancouver
The Star: The pepper spraying of Syrian refugees in Vancouver has prompted sweeping condemnation, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying it doesn’t represent Canada’s attitude toward migrants. Vancouver Police are […]
An island paradise you haven’t seen
Source: BBC Cuba’s wild, wild east Turquoise water. Sugary white sand. Lush tropical trees stretching back into a wide mountain range. When Christopher Columbus swung his ships into the arced […]
The stunning home of a ruthless king
Source: BBC Capital of a Global Empire Tamerlane was once one of the world’s most feared conquerors and kings. In the course of amassing his Eurasian empire in the late […]
Chaos and Violence: How New Year’s Eve in Cologne Has Changed Germany
Quelle: Facebook New Year’s Eve in Cologne rapidly descended into a chaotic free-for-all involving sexual assault and theft, most of it apparently committed by foreigners. It has launched a bitter debate over immigration and refugees in Germany — one that could change the country. By SPIEGEL Staff A lot happened […]
In new book, Pope Francis explains vision of compassionate Church
Reuters International JAN 10, 2016 – swissinfo.ch By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis calls in a new book for Roman Catholic leaders to be compassionate shepherds to a “wounded humanity”, not lofty scholars quick to condemn and exclude people who don’t obey Church teachings. The book, “The Name […]
Vandals destroy crosses at Israel Christian cemetery
By AFP – Jan 09,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal blesses the faithful during a religious service as part of an annual pilgrimage at John the Baptist Church near the Baptism Site along the Jordan River, on Friday (Reuters photo by Muhammad Hamed) OCCUPIED JERUSALEM […]
The danger of a weak Europe
Jan 10,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – In 1973, US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, following a period of American preoccupation with Vietnam and China, declared a “year of Europe”. More recently, after President Barack Obama announced a US strategic “pivot”, or rebalancing, towards Asia, many Europeans worried about American neglect. […]
Invitation to radicalisation
Jan 10,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – MUSA KEILANI One million Israeli settlers in the West Bank is the current target of the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, as reported by the Palestinian press. The expansion of existing settlements and the construction of new ones has been a priority of successive […]
This bird will out-dance you, because it has a built-in tutu
Source: BBC Birds-of-paradise are known for their extravagant courtship displays, but the parotia may be the best of them all. Only humans would invent ballet, with its lithe dance moves […]
Mosques oppose madrassa registration
Source: BBC An organisation of mosques says it “unequivocally” rejects government proposals to require madrassas in England to be registered and inspected. The Northern Council of Mosques, representing 400 mosques, […]
Trump urged to apologise to Muslim protester ejected from rally
Source: BBC The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has urged Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump to apologise to a Muslim protester ejected from one of his rallies. CAIR said Rose […]
The One Thing That Can Break Down Religious Barriers For Good
Source: Huffington Post “Is there hair under [your hijab]?” “Are there black Buddhists?” “[People suggested] I couldn’t have a concept of right or wrong without a perception of God in […]
Myanmar’s Peace Prize Winner and Crimes Against Humanity
Ny Times: SITTWE, Myanmar — SOON the world will witness a remarkable sight: a beloved Nobel Peace Prize winner presiding over 21st-century concentration camps. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the world’s genuine heroes, won democracy for her country, culminating in historic elections in November that her party won […]
‘Radical Islam’ Is for the GOP in 2016 What ‘Axis of Evil’ Was in 2003
Haaretz.com: Once upon a time, Republican leaders said the United States should push the Middle East toward democracy because Arab dictators were breeding Arab terrorists. Not anymore. In the party George W. Bush once ran, his fight-terrorism-with-democratization thesis has been largely orphaned. The new buzzword is “stability.” Donald Trump publicly […]
Asking what God would want really does seem to curb prejudice
Economist: A GOOD way to start an argument at a dinner party is to assert that religion divides people and inspires them to evil. There is plenty to support this contention: anti-Muslim pogroms by Hindus in India; the bombings and murders carried out by anti-abortion Christians in America; the long […]