January 13, 2008 Mr Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Dear Mr President: We hear the news of the release of two of the FARC’s hostages with renewed hope for the future of Colombia. The release of Clara Rojas and Consuela Gonzalez is not only a joyous event for their…
Showing all posts tagged Islam
The high on empty rhetoric president
Michael Hirsh, Newsweek, January 14: A day after George W. Bush gave his big democracy speech and declared the opening of “a great new era ”¦ founded on the equality of all people”—a line he delivered at the astonishingly opulent Emirates Palace hotel, where most of the $2,450-a-night suites are reserved for visiting royals—the president…
Hating Islam (or any other religion)
In a Western democratic society, do we have the right to offend others, such as minority groups? A few recent cases in Canada – where right-wingers have upset Muslim groups for allegedly defaming their religion – have highlighted this paradox. Speech is never truly free in any society – and Jews, for example, are never…
More than Mahmoud
The Guardian’s Iran correspondent, Robert Tait, was kicked out of the country last week. His final dispatch paints an appropriately complex picture of the Islamic Republic: The scenes of boisterous revelry would not have been out of place in a crowded nightclub. In time to a throbbing beat, men and women of varying ages danced…
The Taliban on the march
A compelling essay in this week’s New York Times magazine about the jihadi threat inside Pakistan. Writer Nicholas Schmidle skillfully teases out the seemingly endless factions within the movement and the numerous reasons why Washington’s backing of President Pervez Musharraf has been a disaster for the region and the world.
The future is bleak
Leading investigative reporter Seymour Hersh: Barack Obama represents the only hope for the US in the Muslim world. We’re facing two or three decades of problems in the Mideast, with 1.2 billion Muslims. They say the surge [ in Iraq] has worked. But do you think someday we will get an oil deal in Iraq?…
Muslims in America
Forward, November 14: According to a national survey released by the Pew Research Center last spring, there are 2.35 million Muslims living in America today, which is chiefly the result of a major influx of Muslim immigrants that began in the 1970s. The current American Muslim population is roughly 65% foreign born, including 24% from…
Be afraid of the hype
The next time you hear something about the apocalyptic threat from Islamic terror, remember this: Almost all the terrorist attacks in the European Union in 2006 were unrelated to Islamist terror, a new report reveals — but the potential impact of an attack aimed at mass casualties made Islamist terrorism a top priority for European…
What do they really want?
Ibrahim El Houdaiby, Common Ground News Service, November 8: What exactly do Western governments and policymakers want from Islamists, i.e. individuals and groups who believe that their system of government should be based on Islamic principles? As a moderate Islamist keen to build bridges of understanding and communication with different people in the West and…