Essays

Muslim attitudes towards evolutionary science

by Ebrahim Moosa * Despite the combative relationship that some Muslims had with modern science during the colonial period, science still embodies the hope for the “future recovery” of Muslim societies, argues historian of science Ahmad Dallal. In order to come to grips with the human person in the context of modern science, I have Read more

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How different are the new constitutions of Tunisia and Egypt?

How different are the new constitutions of Tunisia and Egypt? by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* The two countries transformed first by the Arab Spring now have new constitutions. The two countries are similar in many ways. Yet, the processes of producing their respective constitutions and the substance of each document point to the forces that made Read more

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Geneva-1 Final communiqué of the Action Group for Syria; and the basis for Geneva-2 meeting

Geneva-1 was a meeting called by the Peace Envoy Lakdar Brahimi, 14 foreign ministers and heads of intergovernmental organizations attended. At the conclusion of that meeting, they issued a statement, which was then used as the basis for Geneva-2, which brought together, for the fist time, representatives of the Syrian government and representatives of one Read more

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Tunisia’s Ennahda movement, perhaps learning from the crises of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and AKP in Turkey, compromises to remain relevant

by Ahmed E. Souaiaia*   On January 14, Tunisians will celebrate their revolution, which ignited a wave of protest that swept most of the Arab world. For this third anniversary, the Salvation Front, representing key leaders from political parties and civil society, gave the Tunisian people and the Arab masses a set of rare gifts: Read more

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English Translation of the Tunisian Draft Constitution (post revolution)

The Tunisian National Constituent Assembly issued a draft constitution on Dec. 14, 2012. Civil society representatives in six of Tunisia’s 24 municipalities met with assembly members to discuss the text later that month. The National Constituent Assembly launched the initiative with the United Nations to “enhance citizens’ participation in the debate.” The following is a Read more

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Syria’s rebels’ premature harvest and the moral crisis of militarism

by Ahmed E. Souaiaia*   ISIS fighters executing a civilian     On November 14, 2013, Abd al-Kader al-Saleh, commander of the powerful Tawhid Brigades, died. He was injured in an earlier airstrike that killed several of his group’s top leaders. In a matter of days, al-Tawhid Brigades—one of the armed wings of the Muslim Read more

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The disintegration of Syria’s so-called “moderate” opposition forces and the prospects of a divided Syria

by Ahmed E. Souaiaia*   Future of Syria: not bringing this crisis under control now could divide Syria along ethnic and sectarian fault lines.   Since 2012, many observers and scholars familiar with the Syrian crisis have advised against arming Syrian rebels and warned about the risks of turning that country into a powder keg, Read more

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Text of constitutional amendments: First three parts (articles 1-83) of Egypt’s constitutional amendments adopted by the 50-member committee

(Arabic Text) Part 1: The state Article 1 The Arab Republic of Egypt is a sovereign state, united, indivisible and inalienable. Its governance system is democratic and based on citizenship and the rule of law. The Egyptian people are part of the Arab world, work toward its integration and unification. Egypt is a part of Read more

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Full Text of Iran-Powers Nuclear Deal

Full Text of Iran-Powers Nuclear Deal Geneva, 24 November 2013 Joint Plan of Action  Preamble The goal for these negotiations is to reach a mutually-agreed long-term comprehensive solution that would ensure Iran’s nuclear programme will be exclusively peaceful. Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek or develop any nuclear weapons. This comprehensive Read more

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