VEILED : Plans for burqa ban win ground
A large majority of citizens is apparently in favour of introducing a nationwide ban on burqas for Moslem women in Switzerland according to an opinion poll. More than 60% of […]
What Will Israel Become?
JERUSALEM — Uneasiness inhabits Israel, a shadow beneath the polished surface. In a violent Middle Eastern neighborhood of fracturing states, that is perhaps inevitable, but Israelis are questioning their nation and its future with a particular insistence. As the campaign for March elections begins, this disquiet looks like the precursor […]
Turkey orders extradition of president’s rival Fethullah Gulen over terrorism claims
LAMIAT SABIN THE INDEPENDENT Saturday 20 December A Turkish court has issued an arrest warrant for dissident and self-imposed exile Fethullah Gülen as he is accused of running an “armed terrorist group” to allegedly overthrow the government. Mr Gülen, who was once an ally of current president […]
Inside Isis: The first Western journalist ever given access to the ‘Islamic State’ has just returned – and this is what he discovered
The first Western journalist in the world to be allowed extensive access to Isis territories in Syria and Iraq has returned from the region with a warning: the group is “much stronger and much more dangerous” than anyone in the West realises. Jürgen Todenhöfer, 74, is a renowned German journalist […]
Celebrate Christmas, Pakistan!
Source: The Express Tribune Blogs By Ahson Saeed Hasan, The writer is a Washington DC based journalist who has written extensively on US foreign policy and South Asian affairs. He tweets @tweetingacho […]
Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community condemns Peshawar School Attack and Prays for Victims
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad labels attack as ‘barbaric’ and to have ‘left humanity in despair’ During his weekly Friday Sermon, delivered at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in London, the […]
How fares the global war on terror?
by Rami G. Khouri SUMMARY: Summary Is the global war on terror (GWOT) that the United States launched in 2011 after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks succeeding or failing? After 13 years of GWOT, events this year emphasize the significant development of militant and terror groups who now carry out […]
US credibility on the line
The Daily Star U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Rome Sunday ahead of talks on the Middle East peace process, or what is left of it. But if America genuinely wants to be seen as a […]
After Boston, Little Change in Views of Islam and Violence
people-press.org: 45% say Muslim Americans Face ‘A Lot’ of Discrimination Overview The public’s views of whether Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence have changed little in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. Currently, 42% say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence […]
Pakistan’s Old Curse
NY times: LONDON — Only a week ago, the Red Mosque seemed a nearly untouchable bastion of Islamist extremism in Pakistan, a notorious seminary in central Islamabad known for producing radicalized, and sometimes heavily armed, graduates. On Friday evening, though, the tables were turned when hundreds of angry protesters stood at […]
It wasn’t the final atrocity
Dawn.com: by Pervez Hoodbhoy — THE gut-wrenching massacre in Peshawar’s Army Public School has left Pakistan aghast and sickened. All political leaders have called for unity against terrorism. But this is no watershed event that can bridge the deep divides within. In another few days this episode of 134 dead […]
Beyond Russia: Geopolitical hot spots in 2015
No political actor dominated the global stage in 2014 like Vladimir Putin. He meddled in Ukraine and successfully annexed Crimea, but now Putin looks like he overplayed his hand. Tough sanctions from the West and plunging oil prices have left Moscow with a scary currency crisis. The fear is that […]
Muslim Groups are Putting Their Faith in Food Banks to Help the Poor
Ali Jawad, a 22-year-old business student and regular volunteer at a Muslim food bank in London, sees a constant stream of people picking up packaged goods to feed themselves over […]
Student Raises Thousands for Homeless Hero Who Offered Her Money
Dominique Harrison-Bentzen declined his generous offer, but was so moved by the gesture that she started a campaign to raise enough money to help him get a flat. She called […]
Canada: Liberal Leader Rules Out Coalition
Justin Trudeau rules out coalition with NDP, says ‘immediate action’ needed on climate change Mark Kennedy, Postmedia News | December 19, 2014 | Last Updated: Dec 19 9:51 PM ET More from Postmedia News Liberal leader Justin Trudeau ruled out a coalition government, called climate change a serious threat and promised […]
PHD POTENTIAL: Switzerland’s Indian migrants as agents of change
PHD POTENTIAL Switzerland’s Indian migrants as agents of change By Anand Chandrasekhar DEC 19, 2014 – 11:00 India must recognise and tap the potential of its brainy returnee migrants (Keystone) The value of India’s migrants is often judged by their ability to send remittances back home. But perhaps their worth should […]
Iraq Kurds press fightback as top rebel reported killed
NAHYAT AL-AYADHIYA, Iraq: Kurdish forces pressed their biggest offensive against the Islamic State group so far on Friday, buoyed by US reports that IS supremo, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi’s top aide in Iraq has been killed. Kurdish peshmerga forces were securing the surroundings of Mount Sinjar after breaking a months-old siege […]
Arabs are trapped between heroism and deviance
Summary SUMMARY by Rami G. Khouri Those elites and foreign powers were caught off guard four years ago today, on Dec. 17, 2010, when Mohammad Bouazizi set himself on fire in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid, when he became exasperated by the mistreatment he experienced at the hands […]
Teaching tolerance through Islam
tulsaworld.com: Each time I see a news headline with a link between Islam and terrorism my heart sinks. As I watched and read about the hostage situation in Sydney, I […]
Pakistan takes on the Taliban as grief over Peshawar school massacre gives way to rage
The Independent: The grief has given way to rage. Three days after Pakistan suffered its worst ever terrorist attack, with the massacre of 132 schoolchildren in Peshawar, the country has hit back. In the tribal areas of North Waziristan and Khyber along the Afghan border, Pakistani jets strafed militant targets […]