Disunity and distress
The Daily Star Ten years after the death of Yasser Arafat, and the situation for Palestinians is at its direst in years, and any hope of unity between different factions […]
War with Isis: The forgotten, plucky Kurds under siege in their enclave on Syria’s border with Turkey
Robert Fisk visits Rumeilan, where its people strive to extract oil, produce asphalt and continue the struggle against the Islamist militants The skies are grey-black from the oilfields and refineries […]
Internal Review Finds Widespread Failures by Secret Service in White House Breach
Source: NY Times: An intruder was able to climb a fence and enter the White House in September because of a succession of “performance, organizational, technical” and other failures by the Secret Service, according to a damning review of the incident by the Department of Homeland Security. More:
Policy Brief: Reimagining Human Rights in Pakistan
<!–0–> Jinnah Institute Source By Asad Jamal A rising graph of extremism in Pakistan has triggered alarm on the plummeting standards of human rights protections and entitlements across the country. The recent burning of a Christian couple by a 1,500 strong mob on the outskirts of Lahore underscores the gravity […]
Latin America Is Losing Its Catholic Identity
NY TImes: These are heady days for Roman Catholics in Latin America. For the first time, one of their own is serving as pope, providing a visible reminder of the importance the region plays in the global church. But after a century in which nearly all Latin Americans identified as […]
Pope Francis Is Considering Making Marriage Annulments Cost-Free
Huff Post: VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis considers eliminating church charges for marriage annulments, revealing he once fired an official who tried to charge thousands of dollars for one. […]
Punish Pakistan for un-Islamic blasphemy laws –
Toronto Star (Nov 13, 2014) column more:
Iran: New Law Proposes 74 Lashes for Dog Owners
New Iranian Law Proposes 74 Lashes for Dog Owners A new law proposed in Iran would make walking, owning or selling a dog a crime punishable by 74 lashes and a fine of $370 to $3,700. Sun, November 9, 2014 Clarion Project An Iranian woman stands in front of a […]
Germany- Koln: Soccer Hooligans take up battle against Salafists
German Football ‘Hooligans’ Take Up Battle Against Salafists A group of nearly 5,000 football hooligans gathered in the city of Cologne to protest the spread of Islamic extremism in the country. By Soeren Kern, Mon, November 10, 2014 German football ‘hooligans’ rally against Salafists and Islamism in Germany. A […]
A Muslim Reflection on Global Crisis
BY AMAAR AHMAD As conflicts rage around the world and innocents suffer in the Gaza crisis, Ukraine-Russia tension continues, and sectarianism boils over in Iraq and Syria , one wonders if history is repeating itself. Just as in 1914, now a hundred years after Word War I, small conflicts have […]
Freud and the Middle East
NOV. 11, 2014 Thomas L. Friedman ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — When trying to make sense of the Middle East, one of the most important rules to keep in mind is this: What politicians here tell you in private is usually irrelevant. What matters most, and what explains their […]
The anesthesia of familiarity: There should be a Creator of Our Universe
Epigraph Allah is He Who raised up the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then He settled Himself on the Throne. And He pressed the sun and the […]
Latin America Is Losing Its Catholic Identity
These are heady days for Roman Catholics in Latin America. For the first time, one of their own is serving as pope, providing a visible reminder of the importance the region plays in the global church. But after a century in which nearly all Latin Americans identified as Catholic, the […]
How The Gender Pay Gap Harms Women’s Retirement
Forbes: by Divya Raghavan — Women make up nearly half the U.S. workforce, receive more college degrees than men and are the sole breadwinners in four of 10 American households. Yet, they earn less than men at virtually every job — a persistent problem known as thegender pay gap. And […]
Annual Penguin India Lecture: Decoding Dan Brown
Additional Reading Author Dan Brown: Science And Religion Are Partners If the Atheists and the Christians Debate, Islam Wins! Da Vinci code and the search for the Holy Grail
The Army Is Making Me Choose Between My Faith and My Country
Huff Post: All my life, I’ve dreamed of serving my country. But when I tried to enlist in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at Hofstra University, I was told I couldn’t because of my religious beliefs. I follow the Sikh faith, which requires that I keep my hair […]
Russian Christians Urge President Of Pakistan To Pardon Asia Bibi
christiansinpakistan.com: Russian Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has sent a letter to the President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain, pleading him to pardon the blasphemy convict Asia Bibi. Asia Bibi is a Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy. The letter was published on the Patriarchate website. The primate of the […]
Mecca under threat: Outrage at plan to destroy the ‘birthplace’ of the Prophet Mohamed and replace it with a new palace and luxury malls
The site in Mecca where the Prophet Mohamed is said to have been born is about to be “buried under marble” and replaced by a huge royal palace. The work […]
Canada: Ahmadi Muslims hope to stop homegrown terrorism through national campaign
Source: citynews.ca A local Muslim group is reaching out to thousands of youths across the country in the hopes of stopping homegrown terrorism before it starts. Leaders in the Muslim community […]
Isis in Syria: In the shadow of death, a few thousand Christians remain to defy militants
BY ROBERT FISK, THE INDEPENDENT Just 15 miles from the frontline of Isis, which persecutes their faith, the Christians of Qamishli gathered in the Church of the Holy Virgin for the wedding of Malek Aissa and Ilana Hacho. The bride was a priest’s sister, the bridegroom a computer engineer, and […]