An open letter to Mubashir Lucman

On April 21, 2011 the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced the verdict on Mukhtar Mai’s case. According to the verdict, the initial judgment of the Lahore High Court was upheld and five out of six accused in Mai’s gang rape were acquitted. Various news channels covered the acquittal including several […]

500 militants break out of Afghan prison

Kandahar, Monday Almost 500 Taliban prisoners escaped through a tunnel in an audacious overnight jailbreak in south Afghanistan which the president’s office called a security “disaster”. The Taliban said it was behind the operation to free the prisoners using a massive underground tunnel in its heartland of southern Kandahar, and […]

Syria’s unrest: Between myth and reality

Syrian authorities blame foreign conspirators and Salafists, but analysts say the uprising is spontaneous. If the Syrian government is to be believed, the protests sweeping the country are the work of “foreign conspirators” and amount to an armed insurrection by Salafists, members of a hardline, puritanical Islamic movement. But analysts and […]

Natural Antimalarial Therapies may be lost for ever

Plants in East Africa with promising antimalarial qualities—ones that have treated malaria symptoms in the region”s communities for hundreds of years—are at risk of extinction, according to research released in anticipation of World Malaria Day. Scientists fear that these natural remedial qualities, and thus their potential to become a widespread […]

Radical religion teachers must go: Govt

Deputy National Education Minister Fasli Jalal says he has witnessed strong indications of radicalization of junior and high school students across Indonesia, adding that it was carried out by Islam religion teachers. “We have seen these radical teachers teaching students the wrong way. We must do something to neutralize [the […]

Dutch secret missions in Africa

Dutch forces have for several years been training soldiers in Mali, Senegal and Chad in their fight against al-Qaeda militants—without the Dutch parliament being informed. The covert mission is part of the United States war against terrorism, according to Dutch newspaper AD, which cites documents from the US Congress and […]