On The Eve of The Anniversary of the Yum Kippur / Ramadan War and the Cold Peace between Egypt & Israel
The last time the first day of Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah coincided was thirty three years ago; that was the year of the “war to end all wars” according to Anwar el Sadat which started on Yum Kippur or the tenth of Ramadan. I celebrated the first day of Ramadan this year at the house of Jewish friends joining them for their Rosh Hashanah dinner to break my fast. On the way back from dinner I was reflecting on an Al Jazeera TV news program that I saw a while back which showed images of Sadat’s first moments visiting Israel and then the famous pictures of Sadat, Begin and Carter and their big hand shake. The Jazeera program focused on the failure of the normalization between Egypt and Israel and had two guests, the former Israeli ambassador to Cairo and an Egyptian writer. The anchorwoman did not hide her delight at the failure of normalization; the Israeli guest did not seem to have much coherent to say and was not allowed to say much anyhow. The Egyptian guest was full of solidarity with the Palestinians and rejection of the peace process, full of slogans from the Nasser era about Egyptians never forgetting their Arabism. There was really no debate, an Israeli complaining about the Egyptian Government failure to push normalization and an Egyptian complaining about the Egyptian Government for pushing normalization.

Barking Up The Wrong Tree in Israel and Lebanon
How, then, can the world act to change the situation? The first is to acknowledge the essential humanity of each side. Israelis are not demons, nor are the Hizbollah fighters or Palestinians. Until we accept the value of every human life, white or brown, Jew or Muslim, it will be far too easy to dismiss horrific collateral damage and civilian loss of life as sad but unavoidable.

Avoiding a Clash of Civilizations
For the bloodshed in the Middle East to stop, the only superpower in the world, the U.S., must do more talking and less fighting. America must dialogue with the international community, even with our enemies like Syria and Iran, which it accuses of supporting terrorist groups in the region.

Irreconcilable Narratives from 1967 to 2006
European media including CNN International which is in competition with BBC World rather than Fox News and most people I talked to believe Israel’s version of the events on Lebanon but not Gaza. A relatively small minority buys the current hostility as part of the WoT, indeed most don’t see Iraq’s war as part of WoT either. There is a fair amount of sympathy for the Palestinians but not necessarily Hamas and Hezbollah is negatively viewed as a repressive terrorist organization that provoked Israel and was responsible for so much kidnapping, death and destruction for many years. The view of Israel is less glowing and there is tremendous sympathy with the Lebanese people and anger at both Hezbollah and Israel for killing civilians.

The Israelyville Horror
By Mohja Kahf Have you ever seen Poltergeist? Or The Amityville Horror? The family that moves into the house in each of those movies thinks they are innocent. Why oh why do they keep getting hit in the face with...

"Dear Tarek...." A Letter From Palestine
The Palestinian Dilemma: Nasrallah the Undisputed Sayyid? HEBRON, Occupied West Bank - The Palestinians are not sure which way to turn and what to hope for, or if to hope for anything at all. However, one thing is for sure...

Why Syria Is a Target: The Deception of the 'Cedar Revolution'
Before this starts sounding like a left wing bashing of American power politics, it may serve the wider population to know of just who benefits from the growing rift between Beirut and Damascus.

The Mehlis Countdown
By Bilal El-Amine Four Generals It astounds how much political drama a country as tiny as Lebanon is capable of producing, with consequences not only for the region but the world (and we haven’t a drop of oil!). There were,...

Lebanon Update: After the Elections
By Bilal El-Amine I. Syria Strikes Back The first order of business of Lebanon’s new prime minister within 24 hours of getting parliament’s vote of confidence was a visit to Damascus. Fouad Siniora was a lifelong friend and confidant...

Lebanon Elections: Aoun and the Muslim Tsunami
In the short time between his return to Lebanon on May 7 and the elections this month, Aoun pulled a political somersault—with a double twist—that left many people utterly puzzled as to what he was up to.

The Lebanese Elections: Voters Reject Disarming Hizbullah
In an unprecedented show of solidarity, the south’s Shia—70% of the population here—came out in force to defy US (and, to many, also Israeli) demands to disarm the Hizbullah-led resistance.

Breaking the Vicious Circle of Anti-Americanism and Islamophobia
By Louay M. Safi Anti-Americanism and Islamophobia share a common denominator: they both serve as a strategic weapon in the war of ideas between Muslim and Western extremists and bigots. On one level, anti-Americanism and Islamophobia stem from ignorance, deception,...

Will the US Finally Live Up to Its Lofty Ideals? The Case for a More Aggressive Pro-Democracy Stance in the Arab World
In demonstrating our renewed commitment to the promotion of democracy in the Arab world, we would be well-advised to start with Egypt, whose President, Hosni Mubarak, has been in power for nearly a quarter-century, thanks, in large part, to US support.

We Are All Lebanese Today
Conspiracy theories take so much effort that they deplete the energy needed to think straight. And anyone who is thinking straight will know that those who killed Hariri want to tear out those pictures of the Beirut of today.

Massacre of 84 Muslims in Thailand Puts Spotlight on Prime Minister’s Contempt for Human Rights
That eighty-four Thais have been killed by their own security forces – most of them suffocated as a result of being crammed into the narrow confines of trucks as they were brought to an army detention center – should serve as a warning to all ASEAN citizens.

Globalizing Dissent: Arundhati Roy in Seattle
Praising the American people for coming out in protest to the Iraq war in huge numbers, Roy stressed the importance of confronting the threat of empire-building.

Choking on Genocide in Darfur
What is happening in the Darfur region of Sudan is genocide. This is the official MWU. No lawyers were involved. Don’t let the State Department and the Holocaust Museum throw dust in your eyes.

Warming Up to a Dictator
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair want us to think that Gaddafi's conversion on the road to Washington and London was due to the fear that he would end up in the same jail cell as Saddam Hussein.

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.

Refugee Realities, American Realizations
However, my feelings of fear and shock turned to anger as I observed how the U.S. government was handling the situation—unlawfully detaining hundreds of people, greatly restricting refugee movement to the U.S., and invading Afghanistan, a country that supposedly harbored Bin Laden (someone who the U.S. still has yet to find). I decided that, as an American—especially as an American who now understood a little about refugee realities—that I had to take a stand against these atrocities.

Meet The New Saddam: Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is a country where human - rights abuses are occurring on “a massive scale” - financed in part by the American taxpayer.

Islam’s Invisible Frontier: The Muslims of Chinese-Occupied East Turkestan
If I were to announce that a Muslim country, slightly smaller than the size of Iran – but still three times the size of France – blessed with bountiful oil reserves, a rich culture and a long attachment to Islam, was suffering brutal torment, one would justly be disturbed. Perhaps all the more so because one might not know which country I refer to. That, indeed, is the greatest tragedy of Chinese-occupied East Turkestan, bounded to the east by China, the south by Tibet, and the west by Pakistan and the newly-independent Central Asian states, emerging from Russian domination.

September 11 and History
Twelve hundred years later, we come across another document, The Declaration of Independence which proclaims the “self-evident” truth that “all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” It is time to ask again how faithfully have we upheld this self-evident truth in this our United States, and, more pertinently, in our policies towards Africa, Latin America and Asia?

The Essence of Duplicity: The Reaction to Mahathir's Comments on Jews
Mahathir's speech, taken as a whole, included a plea for tolerance and unity among Muslims, for stepping away from dogmatism and violence—including suicide bombings--and toward a common vision that is worthy of the Prophet Muhammad's message.

Manpads and Wooden Carrots
I am all for banning weapons. Like the time we banned weapons from the Bosnia conflict till all the Muslims were cleansed from the desired areas. Then we brought in the big bombs to punish the bad guys. It was a very complicated war, and ordinary people should not try to understand it, any more than they should try firing missiles at aircraft.

Just a Piece of Cloth: The Headscarf Confounds Germany
It felt as if they hanged a wooden board on my neck with the inscription, “asylum seeker” (that’s how the majority in this country sees foreigners). The events of the twentieth century that brought catastrophe to Germany have made this into a land of “locals” and “strangers.” Unfortunately, the lessons of the past have gone by barely noticed.

War Criminal to Head Islamic Conference? Bangladeshis Oppose Chowdhury Nomination
In spite of two war crimes cases, and witnesses who charge him with forming death squads in 1971, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury is a rehabilitated and powerful man. Alleged to be a “crime godfather” with a private paramilitary, Chowdhury is now the Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Affairs Advisor. But the startling news is that Bangladesh has nominated him to be Secretary General of the OIC.

'We Have to Believe the Worst': Indonesia's War in Aceh
In the small province of Aceh, the Indonesian military (TNI), one of the most brutal armies in the world, has begun its largest military operation since the 1975 invasion of East Timor, and many are fearing the worst.

Road Map to Where?
The recent events in the Middle East are eerily familiar. Palestinians rise up in an Intifada. After some time, a man named “Bush” declares war on the weakened country of Iraq. Subsequently, he declares a victory. Soon thereafter, Palestinians and Israelis are in the midst of “peace accords” that are supported more from exhaustion than from a desire for real peace. We could be talking about the Oslo Accords or the current road map.

The View from Lahore: What Pakistanis Think of Iraq's Liberation
“But war is not some kind of harmless video game,” insists Mohsin, a computer science student (and an enthusiastic video game player himself). Referring to General William Wallace’s statement early in the war-‘The enemy we are fighting is different from the one we had war gamed against’- he says, “Personally I would have liked George Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney to be embedded with journalists in the front lines to get a taste of what it feels like to be on the receiving of an artillery barrage rather than miles away in the comfort of the White House enjoying live television coverage”.

Like Father, Like Son?
The omnipresent neo-conservative kingmakers are at it again, this time with the eloquent and dashing Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, eldest son of the former Shah of Iran.

Through Different Lenses
Why do so many people around the world, the vast majority of the people on this planet, see things so differently from the majority of Americans when it comes to Iraq?

African Americans Say No to War; Rep. Maxine Waters Condemns Perle’s, Cheney’s War-Profiteering, Bush’s Cuts on Education, Vets, Healthcare
Although they make up one-third of troops serving in the U.S. military services, a recent Gallup poll showed that two thirds of African Americans oppose the war in Iraq. But the black community has not played a prominent role in the anti-war movement, until now.

America in Wonderland
I’m sure that many Americans were shocked and awed by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his patently absurd reference to the Fourth Geneva Convention in regard to the American POWs. I’m not sure how the man manages to keep a straight face during his speeches. Perhaps that’s why he’s often seen darting away from the cameras. President George W. Bush also could not help but offer his own share of non sequitur logic and commented that if Iraq is holding POWs then he expects them to be treated well.

Death Before Dying: A Retired Lebanese Officer Tells Why He Is Going to Iraq
I could no longer take sitting around for hours as if drugged, or like an idiot, in font of the satellite TV channels, watching my people being killed by bombing raids, or under the rubble of their destroyed homes.

Sweet Songs of Sorrow
"Terror's Children" is Sharmeen Obaid's delightful offering to world peace and understanding. I urge you to see it if you can. There are moments of brilliance scattered all over this film. A group of little girls slap makeup on a friend and make her the bride in a make belief wedding. Then they march down the street in a colorful procession. One skinny five year old girl bursts out into a jiggling dance, proving once again that women the world over were born to boogie.

Turkey's Imperial Troops: How George Bush's War Is Threatening Democracy in Turkey
By Emrah Göker When the Turkish Grand Assembly rejected the joint resolution which would allow U.S. troops in the country and send Turkish troops to Northern Iraq two weeks ago, antiwar groups all around the world cheered and applauded...

Vive la France? The World Pulls for the French
By Ahmed Nassef Much of the United States movement against war in Iraq revolves around calling for further inspections and demanding Security Council approval before any invasion. On the surface, this seems like a reasonable strategy, given the fact that...

Saudi King Admits to Deal with Devil, Qaddafi Claims; Crown Prince Abdullah Tells Him to Mind Own Business
By Ahmed Nassef Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi is to Arab League summits what Old Faithful is to Yellowstone National Park. More than just being counted on to spew hot air (most of his colleagues in the League are quite...