Atheism and Pancasila
Atheism does not violate Pancasila. All Indonesians may consciously and rationally choose their own beliefs. The country’s very foundation protects their right to do so.’ Alexander Aan, a civil servant […]
Filipinos protest military ties with US
Press TV: The Saturday protest, organized by the leftist New Nationalist Alliance (Bayan), was staged to denounce the ongoing negotiations between Manila and Washington to deploy more US troops and […]
Middle East Religious Tolerance: Only In Israel
In Arab countries around the Middle East, the Christian population is decreasing. In Pakistan, Shiites and Sunni engage in bloody battles, and the Ahmadiyya are not even allowed to call themselves Muslims. The one country in which members of religious minorities enjoy respect of their rights and care for their […]
The religious case for legalized abortion
Credit: Washington Post Religious leaders have been in the forefront of the movement for abortion rights for more than fifty years, advocating for women to be able to make their own moral decisions. Leaders of all faiths should offer their counsel compassionately, competently, and justly to individuals and to families. […]
I Disclose … Nothing
Cret: Newyork Times: IN New York and a growing number of American cities, diners are encountering sanitary grades in restaurants’ windows — A, B or C. That system is an example of helpful disclosure, researchers say: information that is simple and comprehensible, important to recipients and easily acted upon. I […]
US-Iran: A long game with pitfalls
Source: Asia Times. A report by a Washington think-tank focuses on the pros and cons of a “long game” between the United States and Iran, centered on sanctions, arms control and regime change. The authors argue – not necessarily on a sound basis – that time will give Tehran the […]
The Iranian oil embargo blowback
Credit: Asia Times By Pepe Escobar If the sorry parade of European poodles – or what analyst Chris Floyd delightfully dubbed Europuppies – had any understanding of Persian culture, they would have known that blowback for their declaration of economic war in the form of an Iranian oil embargo would […]
Egypt Islamist MP scolded for religious reference
A newly elected Islamist deputy was scolded on Monday for adding a religious reference to the swearing-in oath at the opening session of Egypt’s first post-revolution parliament. The deputies started to be sworn in one by one, pledging to “preserve the safety of the nation and the interests of people […]
Iran could ban EU oil exports next week -lawmakers
By HASHEM KALANTARI AND ROBIN POMEROY | REUTERS on ARABNEWS TEHRAN: A law to be debated in Iran’s parliament on Sunday may halt oil exports to the European Union as early as next week, foiling an EU plan to phase in an oil embargo gradually to help its struggling economies […]
Prince Charles lauds Kingdom’s hosting of Hajis
By ARAB NEWS LONDON: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the British throne, opened the exhibition of “Haj: Journey to the Heart of Islam” in London’s British […]
Arabs to Davos: Invest in us, don’t fear us
By REUTERS ARABBEWS DAVOS: Leaders of the Arab Spring sought to assure the world’s elite in Davos that the rise of political Islam is not a threat to democracy, and pleaded for help creating jobs and satisfying the hunger of their people for a better life. Politicians, activists and entrepreneurs […]
You Will Laugh Really Hard Watching This Funny Or Die Video Slamming Bank Of America
Sorry Bank of America, but this is just so funny. Funny or Die made a video poking fun at Bank of America for flip-flopping on their $5 debit card fee. Basically, the video collects a bunch of “personal stories” from “BofA customers” about how the bank treated them. Read more:
Holy bans only
While in a Karachi park a frenzied, self-righteous TV show host chased couples out on a date filming them without their consent last week, in Lahore the Punjab assembly passed a resolution seeking a blanket ban on music concerts in educational institutions. Both are despicable acts of moral policing in a country which […]
Pakistan: Hate Campaign against Ahmadis of Satellite Town, Rawalpindi
Banners and posters containing hate content and threats against Ahmadi Muslims are being displayed at many significant places in Satellite Town area of Rawalpindi city adjacent to the Pakistani capital […]
Life Beyond Earth? Underwater Caves in Bahamas Could Give Clues
ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2012) — Discoveries made in some underwater caves by Texas &M University at Galveston researchers in the Bahamas could provide clues about how ocean life formed on Earth millions of years ago, and perhaps give hints of what types of marine life could be found on distant planets […]
Following Genetic Footprints out of Africa: First Modern Humans Settled in Arabia
ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2012) — A new study, using genetic analysis to look for clues about human migration over sixty thousand years ago, suggests that the first modern humans settled in Arabia on their way from the Horn of Africa to the rest of the world. Led by the University of […]
NASA’s Kepler Announces 11 Planetary Systems Hosting 26 Planets
Source: NASA. NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered 11 new planetary systems hosting 26 confirmed planets. These discoveries nearly double the number of verified Kepler planets and triple the number of stars known to have more than one planet that transits, or passes in front of, its host star. Such […]
How foreigners’ daily lives change when they live in Japan
TOKYO — Your daily life changes when the environment around you changes. Many people who go abroad find their daily routine changing to adapt to the environment, sometimes without being aware of the change. The website MADAME RiRi, which covers offbeat and interesting topics in Japan and around the world, […]
Mulla Nasruddin rescues the moon!
Nasruddin was looking at the image of the moon in a well. He thought it was a recompense to take out the moon from the well. Therefore, he threw a rope inside the well and swung it a few times. Incidentally, the tip of the rope got caught to a […]
Hollande stresses fiscal fairness.
France 24. Two days after US President Barack Obama put tax reform at the heart of his re-election campaign, France’s Socialist nominee François Hollande pledged to raise levies on banks, big firms, and the rich to plough the country out of debt. Hollande’s plans include scrapping a host of tax […]