UAE names first minister of state for happiness
Source: Al Jazeera A woman will lead the United Arab Emirates’ attempt to secure happiness for its citizens after being named the country’s first ever minister of state for happiness. […]
Republicans Prefer Blunt Talk About Islamic Extremism, Democrats Favor Caution
Source: Pew Research Centre Most Americans say religion doesn’t cause violence, but rather that violent people use religion to justify their actions Half of Americans say the next president should be careful not to criticize Islam as a whole when speaking about Islamic extremists, while four-in-ten want the next president […]
Sikh actor demands Mexican airline change staff behavior
Source: Religion News Service UPDATE: Waris Ahluwalia boarded a flight from Mexico City to New York on Wednesday morning (Feb. 10) after Aeromexico officials agreed to better train their employees […]
A plan must be made for ‘life after Isis’ in the Middle East
In the Second World War, Allied leaders planned for the post-war world – a ‘United Nations’ – years before the conflict ended. We must do the same for the Middle East. Robert Fisk @indyvoices Monday 8 February 2016 183 comments Government troops walk past Isis flag in recaptured Syrian town […]
God was ‘vital for the development of civilisation’ as we know it
A new study has suggested that belief in all-powerful Gods is absolutely vital for the development of civilisation Divine: amateur photographer Jeremy Fletcher took the image of a God-like cloud as he strolled beside The Wash at sunset Photo: KNS Group By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor 7:27PM GMT 10 Feb 2016 […]
To lead a moral life we’re better off without religion
Source: Prospect A survey carried out in 2014 found that most people in Britain think that religion does more harm than good. Only a quarter think the opposite. But is […]
Expert details importance of teaching religion in public schools
Source: The Tennessean A Texas expert on religion in public school textbooks waded into Tennessee’s ongoing discussion about how to appropriately teach world religions, specifically Islam, during a Tuesday night forum. […]
Italian Foreign Minister Gentiloni: ‘The Toughest Crisis in EU History’
Interview Conducted by Walter Mayr WWW.SPIEGEL.DE DPA/Guardia di Finanza An image provided by Italy’s Guardia di Finanza showing the rescuing of a refugee boat in the Mediterranean last April Italy is adament that the rest of the European Union must do its part to solve the […]
The Hate Preachers: Inside Germany’s Dangerous New Populist Party
Getty Images The Alternative for Germany was born as an anti-euro movement. But it has since positioned itself far to the populist right. Despite its efforts at maintaining respectability, the party’s extremist flank is wide open. The settling of accounts with Frauke Petry, head of Germany’s right-wing populist Alternative for […]
Palestinians call on Oscar nominees to reject Israel propaganda trip
Palestinian human rights activists are calling on Oscar nominees not to accept travel vouchers supplied by the Israeli government as part of the gift bag that will be given to the nominees in the acting and directing categories. A statement from the Israeli ministry of tourism boasted that its initiative […]
UAE names women ministers for happiness, tolerance
UAE’s five newly appointed women ministers: Jameela Salem Al Muhairi as Minister of State for General Education (top left), Shamma AlMazrui as Minister of State for Youth Affairs (lower left), Ohood Al Roumi as Minister of State for Happiness (center), Najla Al Awar as Minister of Community Development (top right), […]
Aleppo siege spells doom for West’s goals in Syria — analystsY
By AFP – Feb 09,2016 – JORDAN TIMES In this February 5, 2016 file photo, Syrians walk towards the Turkish border at the Bab Al SalamA border gate, Syria (AP photo) PARIS — The siege of Aleppo has taken the West even further from achieving its key goals […]
Unconscionable and deserving punishment
Feb 09,2016 – JORDAN TIMES EDITORIAL As if Syrian refugees’ plight were not already unbearable, a grim dimension is added to it: the estimation that no less than 10,000 Syrian children who entered Europe are still unaccounted for, their whereabouts unknown. According to the EU criminal intelligence agency Europol, these […]
Daesh and education
Feb 09,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Mahmoud N. Zidan Many people might think that the words Daesh and education are intrinsically antithetical, and they would be right if they were referring to education in our region in an abstract way. But education in the region, it is sad to admit, is […]
The collapse of the Geneva talks
Feb 09,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Hasan Abu Nimah Not many observers were surprised by the quick collapse of the Syria peace talks last week. It would have been a bigger surprise if the Geneva talks, organised by UN special representative Staffan de Mistura, had lasted any longer, let alone accomplished […]
North Korea ‘executes’ army chief of staff Ri Yong-gil
Source: BBC North Korea has executed its army chief of staff Ri Yong-gil, according to unconfirmed South Korean media reports. Senior officials in North Korea have previously been absent from […]
All aboard the Super Tuesday train: New Hampshire winners and losers
Source: BBC Ten candidates chugged in to New Hampshire after the Iowa caucuses with hopes of success. But now that the primary results are in, who has a ticket on […]
Nelson Mandela’s grandson’s conversion to Islam
Source: BBC Mandla Mandela’s conversion to Islam sparks South Africa ‘disquiet’ The Congress of Traditional Leaders in South Africa (Contralesa) told the BBC that being Muslim could affect his ability […]
‘Violence more common’ in Bible than Quran, text analysis reveals
Source: Independent The Old Testament was found to be more than twice as violent as the Quran An analysis into whether the Quran is more violent than the Bible found […]
Why people confess to crimes they didn’t commit
Scientists finding answers– An economics professor made the audacious suggestion a few years ago that the medieval practice of trial by ordeal “worked” because innocent people were more likely than […]