In The News

Islamic State Militants Find a Foothold in Chaotic Libya

Maggie Michael February 20, 2015
Civil war, religious divides and power vacuums in Iraq, Syria and now Libya have made it easy for Islamic State terrorists to take patchy control, attracting new recruits while targeting oil facilities, banks and other businesses and government offices. Well publicized violence swiftly subdues the divided citizens: The Islamic State released a video showing the beheading of a group of Coptic...

Alienated Muslim Youth Seek Purpose, Thrills in Joining Jihad

Joji Sakurai February 19, 2015
Adolescents grapple to find an identity during a stage of human development described by psychologist Erik Erikson. Those who don’t succeed in feeling good about their role in society blame others and may hold a grudge against their community. They also make ideal targets for recruiters of criminal and extremist groups. “Religious fervor rarely has much to do with what draws people to join such...

Islam and the West at War

Roger Cohen February 17, 2015
The West, led by the United States, invaded Afghanistan and Iraq to eliminate dictatorial and extremist forces. Civil war has raged in Syria since early 2011; not long afterward, Islamic State terrorists took advantage of a power vacuum to assert rigid controls and slaughter Christians, Shia Muslims, Muslim troops from nearby countries as well as journalists and aid workers. The conflict’s roots...

The Fight Against ISIS After the Death of Jordan’s Pilot

Aaron David Miller February 6, 2015
The civilized world is repulsed by the war crimes committed by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq: rape and coerced marriages for young girls; numerous beheadings of aid workers, journalists as well as the organization’s own foot soldiers who question orders; the execution of a young Jordanian pilot by burning him alive. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Aaron David Miller suggests the war...

Tunisia Remains Arab Spring’s Lone Success Story

Chris Miller February 5, 2015
The wave of protests that swept through the Middle East in 2011, known as the Arab Spring, rocked governments and ended a handful of dictatorships. Citizens of those countries anticipated a new era in the region’s politics amid the power of activism. “All of the revolts of 2011, except for Tunisia’s, have ended in tragedy,” notes Chris Miller, PhD candidate at Yale University and research...

Germany’s Nationalist Movement Rides on a Wave of Islamophobia

Frank Griffel January 29, 2015
Nationalists in Germany are making Islamophobia a scapegoat for troubles, with protests in Dresden and support spreading throughout the country. Political, business and cultural leaders are determined to block parties with xenophobic rhetoric, explains Frank Griffel, professor of religious studies at Yale University. Adolf Hitler published Mein Kampf in 1925, exposing his ideology and anti-...

Charlie Hebdo Attack Spurs EU Anti-Terror Projects

January 20, 2015
The European Union seeks to partner with Muslim-majority nations on security and boost their Arabic language skills after the attacks in Paris. The plans – in response to attacks on newspaper offices and a Kosher grocery, both in Paris, leaving 17 dead – were announced after talks by 28 EU foreign ministers. Protest rallies condemning Charlie Hebdo cartoons were held in Chechnya, Palestine and...