Author Archives

Zia H Shah

He is a physician practicing in Upstate New York. He is the Chief Editor of the Muslim Times, which has more than 43,000 followers in Twitter. He is also Chair of Religion and Science for the Muslim Sunrise, the oldest Muslim publication in North America. He has authored more than 400 articles on Islam, Christianity, Secularism and Religion & Science. Follow in Twitter: @The_MuslimTimes

Obama v Bush: A tale of two state visits

From the archives:   Obama v Bush Entourage Obama‘s entourage was believed to consist of about 500 people – including 200 secret service agents. The Obamas, whose US security codenames are Renegade andRenaissance, were also reportedly joined by a team of medics, chefs and White House staff. The Bushes, whose alternate US identities […]

Obama urged to investigate Bush torture claims

A campaign group has said the US president should order a criminal investigation into alleged torture sanctioned by the Bush administration. Human Rights Watch (HRW) says there is “overwhelming evidence” of torture ordered by George W Bush. The former president has defended some of the techniques, saying they prevented attacks […]

Germany Is Missing Its Chance in Africa

During her 2007 trip to Liberia, Angela Merkel received a white chicken as a traditional welcoming gift. In Germany, most people think of wars, poverty and hunger when they think of Africa. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s stopover on the continent, where she will travel to three countries in just three days, is unlikely to […]

Tank Deal Reveals New Arms Exports Approach

A secretive plan to sell tanks to Saudia Arabia has caused a furor within Germany’s governing coalition, members of which are demanding an explanation. The deal, which violates a tradition of avoiding weapons sales in conflict areas, signals a fundamental shift in German arms trade. Is Chancellor Angela Merkel’s foreign […]

Veteran lawyer Raja Aziz Addruse dies at 75

KUALA LUMPUR (July 12, 2011): Raja Aziz Addruse, one of Malaysia’s most respected lawyers, passed away at about 1pm today at his residence in BukitTunku, here. He was 75. Raja Aziz who hailed from Chemor, Perak, had recently sought treatment in Singapore for cancer-related ailment and was reported to be […]

Pakistan ‘punished’ in Pipelineistan

Before the end of 2011, Pakistan will start working on its stretch of the IP (Iran-Pakistan) gas pipeline – according to Asim Hussain, Pakistan’s federal minister for petroleum and natural resources. The 1,092 kilometers of pipeline on the Iranian side are already in place. IP, also known as “the peace […]

PM’s UK visit to steer KL-London ties to new heights

LONDON:The official visit by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to the United Kingdom beginning Tuesday is an opportunity for both sides to take stock of the current state of bilateral ties with an eye towards steering them to new heights.Describing Kuala Lumpur-London ties as substantial and multi-faceted, Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK […]

The Good Short Life

I HAVE wonderful friends. In this last year, one took me to Istanbul. One gave me a box of hand-crafted chocolates. Fifteen of them held two rousing, pre-posthumous wakes for me. Several wrote large checks. Two sent me a boxed set of all the Bach sacred cantatas. And one, from […]

President’s brother shot dead in Kandahar

Taliban claims responsibility for death of Ahmed Wali Karzai, considered the ‘super governor’ of southern Afghanistan. Ahmed Wali Karzai, half brother to the Afghan president and one of the most powerful men in the country, has been killed by one of his own bodyguards, according to a member of his security team. […]

Women Nudged Out of German Workforce

Germany is a place where gender stereotypes remain engrained in the mind, and in key institutions across society. Only about 14 percent of German mothers with one child resume full-time work, and only 6 percent of those with two. Europe’s economic powerhouse, does not lack pluck: it rebounded from two […]

Cyprus naval base blast kills 12, shuts down power plant

Smoke rise above Cyrprus’ primary electricity generator that was damaged by an explosion’s concussion wave near the Evangelos Florakis naval base in Mari, Cyprus, on Monday. (AP) NICOSIA: Cyprus’s defense minister and army chief resigned after munitions dump blast that killed 12 people on Monday, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said. […]