Cowbells and Minarets

Joan Z. Shore, 12.01.2009

Co-founder, Women Overseas for Equality (Belgium), columnist and author.

To say the Swiss are not trustworthy would be an understatement. But their massive vote against minarets is a different story.

The Real Reasons Why the Swiss Voted to Ban Minarets

Daniel Ammann, 12.01.2009

Business journalist and author of The King of Oil - The Secret Lives of Marc Rich

While the Swiss have voted to ban the construction of new minarets, against all expectations, this referendum had, in truth, little to do with minarets.

Switzerland's minaret ban receives tough reception in the Middle East

Meedan, 12.01.2009

Translated Middle East news and discussion

Switzerland's controversial referendum decision to ban the construction of new minarets for Swiss mosques has caused varying degrees of concern in the...

Debunking Darwin or fine-tuning Evolution? How Ardi research resonated in Middle East

Meedan, 11.30.2009

Translated Middle East news and discussion

The discovery of Ardi, the oldest hominid skeleton ever found, was big news for the science community around the world. But in the Middle East, the n...

Lieberman's Right on Fort Hood

Norm Stamper, 11.26.2009

Retired Seattle police chief, member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

When campaigning for John McCain Lieberman actually declared Sarah Palin fit to be president. Yet, when it comes to the Fort Hood slayings, Joe Lieberman is spot on.

An American Arab Thanksgiving

Ray Hanania, 11.25.2009

Chicagoland political columnist, consultant, author, standup comedian and radio talkshow host

Food has a special place in our hearts as Arabs, so Thanksgiving was the American holiday we most loved. Food symbolizes the essence of freedom, the ability to feed your family without fear.

Don't Let 'Allahu Akbar' Become A Pejorative

Jordan Sekulow, 11.24.2009

Democracy's 'War on Islam' is exactly the war Islamic terrorists have been hoping to ignite, and we must not let them succeed. It is time for peaceful, ordinary Muslim Americans to put their collective foot down.

Hijab Case: Why Bigoted Battery Makes For A Hate Crime

Ahmed Rehab, 11.24.2009

www.ahmedrehab.com

Amal Abusumayah, a 28-year-old American mother of four young girls, was going about her usual shopping when she was randomly treated to a dose of derogatory comments about her faith.

The Wages of Fear: Alibis and Lies

Joan Z. Shore, 11.24.2009

Co-founder, Women Overseas for Equality (Belgium), columnist and author.

Had it been a Christian or a Jew who slaughtered thirteen people in one mad frenzy, I doubt there would have been much psycho-analysis of the murderer and his motives. It was a ghastly criminal act, period.

Guests of God: 2.5 Million Muslims Worship in Makkah, Saudi Arabia in This Year's Hajj

Qanta Ahmed, MD, 11.19.2009

Board Certified Physician, Internationally Published Author, "In the Land of Invisible Women".

Never has there been a more important time for Muslims to engage in greater introspection, self-evaluation. We face a Muslim world rife with conflicts, sectarian hatred, misogyny and injustice.

Ft. Hood, Nidal Malik Hasan, and a Tell-Tale Business Card

Deanne Stillman, 11.19.2009

author of Mustang, Twentynine Palms

Should someone be thrown out of the army if their business card identifies the bearer as an "SOA" (soldier of Allah)? Probably not, but that, along w...

Itzhak Perlman to Perform at Lincoln Center to Help Rotary Eradicate Polio

Jim Luce, 11.17.2009

Thought Leaders and Global Citizens

"Polio is only a plane ride away." So began my sobering interview with Carol Pandak, Manager of PolioPlus for Rotary International about polio, a cr...

Japan's Shadow Leader Should Remember History Before Offering Comparative Religious Analyses

Mark Joseph, 11.14.2009

Mark Joseph is a producer, author, talk show host and editor of Bullypulpit.com

As President Obama arrives in Tokyo, he finds himself, strangely enough, at the epicenter of the latest in the war of words between Christianity and I...

Civilian Trials for Terrorists Highlight Differences Between Presidents

Brian Levin, J.D., 11.13.2009

Director, Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, California State University

For Obama, the ability to showcase our justice system in a case involving one of the world's most reviled accused terrorists represents an important opportunity to define America before history and the world.

Illinois GOP Orchestrates Smear Campagin Against Muslim Civic Organization CAIR

Naazish YarKhan, 11.12.2009

Content and Media Strategist, Editor, Writer, Educator

I am shocked, but should I really be? Yesterday the Illinois GOP issued a press release baselessly accusing a respected Islamic civil rights organization of being anti-Semitic.

The Charter For Compassion: Read, Affirm, Share

Amy Novogratz, 11.12.2009

Director of the TED Prize, an initiative of the TED Conference.

Today, the culmination of more than a year's work was unveiled as the Charter for Compassion was officially introduced in Washington, D.C. Read the Charter and join people around the world in affirming it.

Saudis Try to Put an End to Crazy Fatwas

Sabria Jawhar, 11.11.2009

Journalist

Nearly a year after Saudi King Abdullah warned religious scholars that issuing careless fatwas gives extremists credibility, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs has finally said enough is enough.

Cairo to Fort Hood: Broader Engagement at Home and Abroad

Qanta Ahmed, MD, 11.11.2009

Board Certified Physician, Internationally Published Author, "In the Land of Invisible Women".

Mass murders have become a depressingly familiar punctuation in the rhythm of modern day American despair.

Terrorism, Religious Extremism, and the Fort Hood Massacre

Michael J.W. Stickings, 11.10.2009

Founder and editor of The Reaction, a liberal political blog

Without rushing to prejudicial conclusions, after all, we do need to consider the possibility that Nidal Malik Hasan's Muslim faith played a major role, if not necessarily the dominant one, in what happened.

Making Sense of the Senseless

Parvez Ahmed, 11.12.2009

U.S. Fulbright Scholar and Associate Professor at University of North Florida

Why was Hasan not booted out of the service he so ungratefully and desperately wanted to leave? In the absence of concrete answers, the media is left to speculate.

A Muslim Soldier's View from Fort Hood

Kamran Pasha, 11.06.2009

Hollywood filmmaker, author of "Mother of the Believers"

I spoke today with a friend who is a Muslim soldier stationed at Fort Hood. He and Hasan prayed side-by-side at the mosque the morning of the massacre. He agreed to share his story with me if I granted him anonymity.