Falluja



The mother of Iraqi boy Mostapha Fadhl, 6, cries at his coffin before a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, April 29, 2004. Mostapha Fadhl and Mostapha Salah, 7, both refugees from Fallujah, were killed during a shootout between...

The Killings in Southern Thailand: A Long History of Persecution Unrecorded



Thailand’s troubles in the Southern provinces go back to its own past and the imperial legacy of the Thai kingdom.

Hug Noam Chomsky



The whole question of recognizing the right of a state to exist was invented solely for Israel. People, on the other hand, have a right to exist. So the people who live on the land—Israelis and Palestinians—have a right to live in security and peace.

Andalusian Agony



For Muslims, Spain is not a country; it is an idea, a deep-seated fascination. Spain, for Muslims, is like a memory we have from childhood that, as we continue to grow older, we constantly keep reshaping to suit us.

The Prices of Milk and Oil



The fair market value of oil ought to be somewhere between the price of antique mahogany and polished diamonds, I postulated. Hail the mighty cartel!

Back to Bloody Work: The Indonesian Army Inches Its Way Back into National Politics



After the debacle of the recent elections in Indonesia, the country was in for another unsuspected surprise: the nomination of ex-General Wiranto, former Head of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), to the position of being the main candidate of the GOLKAR party that has shocked the country by staging a miraculous comeback to the stage on Indonesian politics.

The Desert



I am unaware of walking on this immense sandy plateau. I am literally becoming a part of it.

Voices on the Waves: Act Two



SHAYKH: The old man will be the vehicle. It could have been any of our sacred traditions. The Hadith says, “There are as many ways to Allah as there are human souls.” But because the old man is as he is, we will enter through the door of Islam. I will speak with him in his dreams.

Voices on the Waves: Act One



HABEEB: Television is from the shaitan. It is from the devil. Instead of living, people watch others living, in a little box.

God and New York



It was the first sweltering, humid, muggy day in New York, at least since I had moved in January. 84 degrees on a Monday, and Manhattanites everywhere emerged from their apartments in airy blouses, skirts, flip flops featuring colorfully painted toe nails and a variety of shoes and accessories, like hot pink sneakers and bright yellow feather earrings.

Why the Arab World Can Thank Bush



Of the myriad reasons that President George W. Bush gave for invading Iraq, the one that Arabs believed the least was that U.S. troops would install democracy in the Middle East. But last week, as I followed the news coming out of Iraq, I couldn't help wonder if Bush really did do it all for democracy.

Can Sharon Win By Force?



For the past decade, political leaders—Israeli, Palestinian, American, European and Arab alike, have had one point of agreement with peace activists around the Israel-Palestine conflict. That was the axiom that “neither side would triumph by force.” But now, the dangerous duo of George Bush in the White House and Ariel Sharon in the Prime Minister’s office has embarked on their attempt to prove this false.

Time to Listen to Muslim Silent Majority in US



Most Muslim American institutions today, from local mosques to national advocacy groups, reflect an ultraconservative Muslim agenda not shared by most within their community, which at an estimated 6 million now equals the size of the American Jewish community.

Scary, Scary John Kerry, and Ralph?


It is true that Ralph Nader may not be the answer to all that ails us, but he is at this moment the only Presidential candidate willing to challenge the status quo we call American politics. A vote for John Kerry may amount to a vote against a vile Bush administration, but it is also a vote cast in support of a degraded structure that continues to ignore the majority of the American people.

Drawing Caterpillar Out of Its Corporate Cocoon: Company Should Examine Its Role in Mideast Violence



Caterpillar bulldozers are not given to Israel as construction equipment but explicitly as weapons.

Imagine-Life: New Organization to Highlight Israeli Human Rights Violations



A non-profit organization called Imagine-Life has been founded by concerned Americans of different religious and ethnic backgrounds who felt that basic human rights should apply to all individuals without discrimination.

Exiled by Large, Luminous Eyes



Max is the son of a village imam. He feels bad about selling liquor. Whenever he has time, Max tells Zee how he would like to pull out of this business and open a grocery store. “Next year, God willing. Next year,” he says as Zee nods his head in affirmation.

Leading into Darkness: The Unveiling of the Bush Reelection Strategy



A string of disturbing events over the past week may point to the Bush campaign’s real reelection strategy.

No One Can Stop This War Machine



It is well known by now that the US forces in Iraq have no sense of direction or purpose. Short of biding their time and cutting their losses before the fateful handover deadline in June, the American army – and its allies – are busy with the task of keeping themselves alive above all else.

Justice Is a Process—Not an Event



We must courageously rectify our double standards and hypocrisies before they continue to be employed as ammunition by pernicious characters to further a cause towards our “liberation.”

What We Can Learn from Rwandan Muslims



By Mona Eltahawy Ten years ago this week, for 100 hundred days between April and July 1994, the world watched as militia from the Hutu majority of Rwanda massacred members of that country’s Tutsi minority and moderate Hutus. Rwandans,...

Without you



Without you I was the heart with no beat Fiercely drumming By day and night A beat that did not rise

Cairo Journal: Happiness is a Relative Thing



“You can say I’m 60,” he mumbles from behind shy, hazel-speckled eyes. “Yes, say 60,” he repeats, nodding his head. “Or do you think that’s too little for me? Maybe 65 or 70,” he volunteers.

Looking for “Good” Muslims: Rand Study Recommends New Approach to Dealing with Islam



In March, the California-based Rand Corporation released a report entitled “Civil Democratic Islam” that attempts to present a strategy for US and European policymakers on how to best deal with Islam in the post-9/11 climate.

No Sex Please. We're Muslims.



The guidelines for modesty were published by the All Islamic Modesty Conference of 1979, and they can not be discussed any further.

Enough with the Prudes: Bring on “Sex and the Umma”



When did the prudes take over Islam? Why do we Muslims burst into a chorus of "Astaghfirullah!" when sexual topics come up for conversation? A glimpse into the Islamic past reveals a different tone!

Sex and Sexuality: Dealing Effectively with Islamic Double Standards



Many contemporary Muslims are unwilling to acknowledge either the existence of the double standard or, even more troublesome, its roots in the key source texts of Islam.

Celebrating the Sexual Impulse



Our sexuality is a part of who we are and when we rejoice in our existence we rejoice in all dimensions thereof.

Embracing the Shia Tide: Can Sunnis Succeed Where the US Is Failing?



Having ruled over the Shias in both the former British and the Ottoman colonial administrations, the Sunnis have to assess and strategically consider their options alongside a regional Shia power with significant mineral and energy resources that remain the envy of the west.

A Film That Challenges Itself and Islam



“Jihad” is a remarkable film – brave, open and honest. Francois Truffaut said that: "For me a great film is one that simultaneously expresses an idea of the cinema and an idea of the world." “Jihad” truly is a great film in those respects and should be seen by people regardless of their faith (or lack thereof).

When Pakistan Hanged Its Prime Minister



April 4th came and went quietly. I am separated by more than 20 years and thousands of miles, so the day Pakistanis hanged their prime minister was like any other April day in Washington. It was chilly but pleasant.

Faith is Not a Formula



Walking away that night I was left with only one impression--that I am going to hell.

Lynching: An American Tradition Comes to Iraq



Not long ago, similar scenes were rather regular occurrences in the United States despite having been erased from our collective memory.

Eye on the Prize: Transnational Corporations on the Middle East



Indeed, for “a small handful of neo-conservative thinkers” and their corporate allies, no doubt “Iraq and Palestine are only the beginning,” unless the people of the Middle East in solidarity with progressives in Western democracies are able to stop them.