A global pandemic is generally enough to trigger a broad transformation with significant impact. A pandemic, an “Arab Spring”, a war in Europe, a climate crisis, and a shift in energy sources and consumptions make global change a certainty. That certainty becomes clear when looking at how each nation-state is maneuvering to secure space in Read more
Continue ReadingAs in 2017, Trump refuses to acknowledge the presence of Muslim Americans. So we refer readers to the same comment from last year. And here is the Presidential Message on Ramadan 2018:
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* During the last of week of November, the Emir of Kuwait sent out formal invitations to all leaders of member states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, originally and still commonly known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), to attend the 38th summit (December 5, 2017). Read more
Continue ReadingISR Comment: Because of stories like this, Saudi Arabia wants to shut down Aljazeera The rift between four Arab governments and Qatar is a good thing for those interested in reduced level of violence in Islamic societies and the potential for serious reform in area of religious thought and practices. For nearly a decade now, Read more
Continue ReadingAnissa Daoudi* When ‘Algeria’ is mentioned, some people might have heard of the book Djamila and Picasso, others might have seen the film The Battle of Algiers depicting Algerian women playing an active role in the revolution. In the Arab collective memory, Algeria is known as the country of the three Djamilas, an Arabic name, Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia * Trump said many things that offended many people. Muslim Americans were among those offended by his comments on refugees, terrorism, and Islam. Now that he is elected to be the 45th president of the United States, should Muslims freak out? To answer this question, I include this essay, which I Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia * Abstract: Social labels and categories are exercise in control. They describe opponents, create boundaries, exclude social groups, justify discrimination, and promote persecution. They are imbued with sociopolitical power. Muslims used labels, internally for the first time, during the formative period of the community to privilege the elite and marginalize dissenters. Read more
Continue ReadingThe destruction of Syria by Margaret Kimberley* American and NATO aggressions must be opposed wherever they surface in the world. That statement ought to be the starting point for anyone calling themselves left, progressive, or anti-war. Of course the aggressors always use a ruse to diminish resistance to their wars of terror. In Syria and Read more
Continue ReadingLeaders of counties that are said to be the top 20 economies in the world met this weekend in China. We would like to summarize what happened and where each country stands–literally–relative to key global issues. It is said that a picture is more eloquent than a thousand words. In this particular case, the photo Read more
Continue ReadingAssad and Erdoğan in 2009 It has been reported for sometime now that Turkish and Syrian intelligence officials have met on many occasions. Now, some sources are revealing that those meetings were not just about coordinating efforts to combat common threats to both countries, namely the Kurdish separatist, but to arrange for political leaders to Read more
Continue Reading