by Ahmed Souaiaia In a speech given at the 2009 O’Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing conference, while attempting to highlight the advances in print and press technology, Jason Epstein, declared: “Retrograde Islam banned Gutenberg’s technology as satanic, confining its followers within a single book.” Granted, Mr. Epstein is a successful business person with a Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia President Nicolas Sarkozy of France has become the most vocal supporter of the ban on religious symbols worn by people in public (government) institutions; specifically, the ban on the headscarf worn by Muslim women. His foundation for this argument is this: France is for French and anyone wishing to live in Read more
Continue ReadingKafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror – A Public Defender’s Inside Account, by Steven T. Wax; Other Press; First Edition (June 3, 2008). ISBN-10: 1590512952. Hardcover, $22.89; 380 pages. Wax, the head of the Oregon Federal Public Defenders’ office, writes that when he volunteered to represent inmates at Guantánamo Read more
Continue ReadingPolitics of nuclear arms issue complex By Jacob Maxson For the Press-Citizen This week’s Q&A is with Dr. A. E. Souaiaia. He is a professor of Modern Religious Thought at the University of Iowa. He teaches and researches on the subjects of Islamic ethics and moral philosophy, Islamic law, human rights, and religion and politics. Read more
Continue ReadingIowa City Press-Citizen Q&A with Professor A. E. SOUAIAIA 1) Why is there a taboo against any visual depictions of the prophet? Western media has been reporting that Muslims’ reaction to the depiction of the Messenger Muhammad stems from the Islamic prohibition of visual representation of prophets. Such prohibition is couched in the explicit Qur’ānic Read more
Continue ReadingMuslims condemn cartoon-sparked violence By LYNN CAMPBELL AND SHIRLEY RAGSDALE REGISTER STAFF WRITERS February 7, 2006 Offensive cartoons of the prophet Muhammad tempt outrage, Iowa Muslims said Monday, but the religious leaders condemned the violence that continued Monday in protests around the world… Read full story on Des Moines Register ——————————————————————————— Transcripts of the Question Read more
Continue ReadingSunday, October 17, 2004 Afghanistan election raises questions By Jeffrey Charis-CarlsonFor the Press-Citizen This week’s Q & A is with Ahmed Souaiaia, assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Iowa. Q: Earlier this month, Afghanistan held its first presidential elections since the Soviet invasion more than 20 years ago. U.N. officials have reported Read more
Continue ReadingDemocracy: Historical Victim of “Operation Iron Hammer” With the stream of data coming from Iraq, any informed individual can conclude that the days ahead may be even harder to manage. With the rising death toll and spiraling violence that is spreading to formerly quiet areas, one does not need a CIA analyst’s opinion to surmise Read more
Continue ReadingBecause of the role the US finds itself in, and because of its economic and military weight, American politics is hardly a domestic or “private affair”. For this reason, countries of the world sometime pay more attention to elections taking place here than to others taking place within their own borders. Election results therefore, are Read more
Continue ReadingBy Ahmed E Souaiaia August 27, 2003 In one of his most recent remarks, President Bush acknowledged that “terrorists are gathering in Iraq” and he argued that “the more progress we make in Iraq , the more desperate the terrorists will become.” At first glance, there may appear to be some intelligent logic in that Read more
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