In The News

The Rise of Islamic Rap

Peter Mandaville August 19, 2010
Some South Asian Muslim youth in British cities, seeking art and music that reflect their own alienation, embrace the hip-hop and rap of urban black America. Styles and messages converge, as young Muslim teens blend cultural and political expression with their Islamic faith, explains author Peter Mandaville. Islamic fundamentalists warn against any music at all, let alone provocative hip-hop....

Ground Zero Mosque Debate Echoes Europe's Fears of Muslims

Robert Marquand August 19, 2010
Planning for an Islamic center, two blocks away from vacant lots that were once home to the World Trade Center, has been underway for months. The project steadily moved through an approval process until a handful of pundits and politicians raised public emotions by accusing planners of insensitivity. Changing demographics in Europe and the US ignite discomfort, fear, intolerance and extremist...

China Discovers World Expo Is No Olympics

Maura Elizabeth Cunningham, Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom August 17, 2010
After the dazzling 2008 Olympics, China had hoped to draw attention once again with the World Expo, exceeding previous World’s Fair records with visiting nations, exhibitions and attendance. But even before the Expo, Shanghai and many other cities around the globe already carry significant international cachet, displaying futuristic trends, or what Maura Elizabeth Cunningham and Jeffrey N....

The Age of Peace

Carolyn O’Hara August 2, 2010
Much attention is directed to nations with low birth rates and aging populations, blamed for diminished economic growth and strained government budgets. Another magazine, Foreign Policy, once even labeled the demographic phenomenon as a “Gray Menace.” But every cloud has its silver lining – and economics is not the only measure for quality of life. Developing nations with “youth bulges,” such as...

Veil Ban: Why Syria Joins Europe in Barring the Niqab

Kristen Chick July 27, 2010
Banning styles or behavior can backfire with teens and young adults, particularly when the young are confident about holding the higher moral ground. In an effort to preserve its secular culture, Syria is banning university students and teachers from wearing the niqab, or full-face veil. Syria is home to many religious sects, and officials view secular policies as the best approach for protecting...

Hollywood on the Danube

Dan Bilefsky July 19, 2010
Setting is an essential tool for movies to work their magic – and economic hard times require directors to innovate, finding inexpensive locales to stand in for high-cost cities already overrun with tourists. Besides having its own long tradition in producing filmmakers, Budapest offers low-cost, non-union crews and European allure, reports Dan Bilefsky for the New York Times. So the city, with...

Egyptian Group Wants to Censor Arabic Classic

Amro Hassan , Jeffrey Fleishman July 14, 2010
The collection of folktales known in English as “The Arabian Nights” are a classic work of globalization. For centuries, starting with the 9th, multiple storytellers traveled, spinning and elaborating the tales with themes and settings spanning ancient Mesopotamia, India, medieval Persia and Egypt. Arabic translators preserved the tales into book format, which later influenced modern writers of...