by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Armed opposition groups operating inside Syria may have violated international humanitarian law by committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Arguably, some members of the Syrian troops may also have committed similar violations. However, the self-incriminating evidence released by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups is simply overwhelming. The evidence used Read more
Continue ReadingAla A. Alryyes. A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar Ibn Said. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2011. xii + 222 pp. $19.95 (paper), ISBN 978-0-299-24954-0; ISBN 978-0-299-24953-3. Reviewed by Hilary Green (Elizabeth City State University) Ala Alryyes has made a valuable contribution to the understanding of the religious and intellectual lives of enslaved Read more
Continue ReadingUri Rubin. Muḥammad the Prophet and Arabia. Farnham: Ashgate, 2011. getr. Zählung (XIV, 346 S.). ISBN 978-1-4094-0846-8. Reviewed by Konstantin Klein Der Schwerpunkt der Forschung Uri Rubins (Tel-Aviv-Universität) liegt auf dem frühen Islam und dabei vor allem auf dem Koran, dessen Exegese (tafsīr) und der frühen islamischen Überlieferung (sīra und ḥadīth). Im Jahr 2005 erschien Read more
Continue ReadingFor six days, representatives of member states of the United Nations talked about their most pressing issues. One after one, they addressed mostly an empty hall updating the General Assembly about their achievements and reminding the world about the problems that must be solved. Leaders of the Islamic world were present, although not all key Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* For the second time in several months, Russia and China have vetoed a UNSC resolution concerning Syria. The double veto last Saturday especially irritated U.S. and European leaders because they thought that the Arab League’s proposal was revised several times to meet Russia’s demands. Russia argued that Western states rushed the Read more
Continue Reading“While Turkey is training and supplying Syrian rebels, whom the Syrian regime calls terrorists, Syria is providing military support to the Kurdish rebels, whom the Turkish regime calls terrorists.” by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Up until two years ago, Turkey’s status and influence were the envy of its neighbors. It was enjoying a thriving democracy at Read more
Continue ReadingMegan Kate Nelson. Ruin Nation: Destruction and the American Civil War. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2012. 400 pp. $69.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-8203-3397-7; $24.95 (paper), ISBN 978-0-8203-4251-1. In an attempt to reconceptualize the destruction caused by the American Civil War “as an imagined state, an act of destruction, and a process of change,” Megan Kate Read more
Continue ReadingThe month of August has been an eventful one for the Islamic world and the Middle East. Chang in that part of the world is happening so fast that the media could hardly keep pace with it. NAM member and observers states The crisis in Syria remains the top issue. Headlines about the conflict there Read more
Continue ReadingFour must read books: The Battle for the Arab Spring: Revolution, Counter-Revolution and the Making of a New Era. By Lin Noueihed and Alex Warren. Yale University Press; 350 pages; $28 and £18.99. The Rise and Fall of Arab Presidents for Life. By Roger Owen. Harvard University Press; 248 pages; $24.95 and £18.95. The Syrian Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Tunisian governing partners are engaged in a sterile debate over the form of government for the post authoritarian regime era. During its ninth congress, Ennahda threw its support behind a parliamentary system whereas leaders of other political parties prefer a modified presidential model. Subsequently, the interim government threatened to hold a Read more
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