Opinion: ‘Assad Must Go’ Is the Wrong Solution
By Susanne Koelbl DER SPIEGEL The West insists that for any negotiations on an end to the Syrian civil war to happen, President Bashar Assad must first step down. The […]
Iraq’s Model City: Kirkuk Thrives in Sea of Corruption and Violence
It promises to be a quiet day. Only one guard is posted on the front line in the clay hills 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Kirkuk, in northern Iraq. […]
Obama arrives in Israel, vows undying U.S. support
Mar 20, 2013 – 14:51 By Matt Spetalnick and Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Making his first official visit to Israel, U.S. President Barack Obama pledged on Wednesday unwavering commitment […]
Green glass ceilings – How Muslim clerics turn jihadist
Source: Economist.com Green glass ceilings How Muslim clerics turn jihadist Mar 16th 2013 | BEIRUT |From the print edition WHY pious and peaceable Muslims turn to ultraconservative and even violent versions of the faith is a subject of great interest for scholars and policymakers. But so far little effort […]
Britain to Stick With Austerity Budget
LONDON — The British government said on Wednesday it was sticking to its plan of austerity despite the sluggishness of the economy, adding that it would take longer to start reducing public debt than it predicted just three months ago. George Osborne, the chancellor of the Exchequer, blamed the troubles […]
In Barrie we talk to each other
Building Bridges in Barrie, Ontario-2 Barrie by the Kempenfelt Bay is not a big town but it is beautiful and best known for its year round activities by the Lake […]
Tomas Young, Dying Iraq War Veteran, Pens ‘Last Letter’ To Bush, Cheney On War’s 10th Anniversary
Source: The Huffington Post The Huffington Post | By Nick Wing Posted: 03/19/2013 1:31 pm EDT Days after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Tomas Young, then a 22-year-old from Kansas City, […]
UN conference on women: some rights won, but more battles ahead
It may not sound like much, but the attempted insertion of the word “recalls” in place of “reaffirms” about previous women’s rights agreements by the Holy See in the first line of the proposed draft document set the tone for much of the negotiations at this year’s UN Commission […]
Religious Freedom and The American Foreign Policy
Huff Post: by Ken Blackwell: Religious Freedom in Egypt? Ask the Sphinx- If you follow the annual reports of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), you will read a sad catalog of persecution and discrimination against Christians, Jews and members of other religions around the world. It goes almost […]
Pope Francis was often quiet on Argentine sex abuse cases as archbishop
Washington Post: By Nick Miroff, Published: March 19 HURLINGHAM, Argentina — Father Julio Cesar Grassi was a celebrity in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. The young, dynamic, media-savvy priest networked with wealthy Argentines […]
Debate Between Leading Christians and Atheists and How Islam can Help?
Collected by Zia H. Shah MD – Twitter: @ZiahShah1 My Prologue for every recent debate, between the Trinitarian Christians and atheists: Christian apologists want to make a case for Christianity based […]
Blind Faith: Video-Blasphemy laws in Pakistan
vimeo: Excellent documentary where even Mr. Farooq Maududi accepts that this is wrong according to Islam. He states that State should be secular. It also details how these laws target […]
Muslims seeking reformation in Geneva
By Tarek Fatah, QMI Agency First posted: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 Noordin Mengal Noordin Mengal, left, and Mehran Marri, right, with columnist Fatah protesting in Geneva, Switzerland, which is hosting the annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The two young Balochistan leaders live in exile — Mengal […]
Religion Without God: Is there something called Religious Atheism?
The New York Review of Books: Before he died on February 14, Ronald Dworkin sent to The New York Review a text of his new book, Religion Without God, to be published by Harvard University Press later this year. We publish here an excerpt from the first chapter. —The Editors […]
Pakistan’s Extremist Democracy: By Ahmad Rashid
The New York Review of Books: This spring was supposed to open a new chapter in Pakistan’s tenuous embrace of inclusive democracy. At midnight on March 17, following constitutional rules, the Pakistan government of Asi Ali Zardari stepped down and the national assembly was dissolved, in preparation for national elections in […]
Akbar Zib, Pakistani Diplomat, Rejected In Saudi Arabia Because Name Means ‘Biggest D**k’ In Arabic- A Hoax: please see correction
Huff Post: According to reports, a well respected, high ranking Pakistani official has been rejected as ambassador to Saudi Arabia because his name, Akbar Zib, translates as ‘biggest dick’ in Arabic. Yes, that’s really what it translates as. Neal Ungerleider over at True/Slant helpfully tells us that Akbar is a common […]
Picture of the Day-Ice Drops
Ice Drops
Jordan’s King Finds Fault With Everyone Concerned
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK THE NEW YORK TIMES Published: March 18, 2013 CAIRO — King Abdullah II of Jordan leads one of the smallest, poorest and most vulnerable Arab nations. […]
Destruction of Historical Sites in Islam’s Holiest City-Why?
Source” the Atlantic Cities, by Zvika Krieger. A report by the Saudi British Bank (SABB), one of the kingdom’s biggest lenders, estimates that $30 billion will be invested in construction and infrastructure in Mecca over the next four years from local and foreign companies. Up to 130 new skyscrapers are […]