In The News

Muslim Pop Culture on the Rise in Indonesia

Solenn Honorine April 8, 2010
Due to the economic crisis that hit Indonesia in the late 1990s, the government of longtime dictator Suharto fell and gave rise to democratic elections. Along with democracy came religious freedom, which for many Indonesians has meant becoming more devout Muslims. As a result, Muslim pop culture, whether manifested in books, television shows, movies, ringtones, or otherwise, has become a central...

Moscow Bombing: The Black Widows’ Global Roots

Richard Weitz March 31, 2010
The recent Moscow Metro bombings are symptoms not only of radical Islam as a global force, but also a consequence of Russia’s long-standing policies toward Muslims within its sphere of control, according to security expert Richard Weitz. Chechen rebels faced with fighting an imposing and well-equipped Russian army turned to guerilla warfare and then terror tactics to carry on their fight for...

Northeast India: Boiling Pot of International Rivalry – Part II

Bertil Lintner February 19, 2010
In Northeastern India, an icy and barren Tawang valley serves as the epicenter of a half a century old rivalry between India and China, writes journalist Bertil Lintner. The valley lies within the Indian state Arunachal Pradesh, or “Land of the Dawn”, which is claimed by China as part of Southern Tibet. Both India and China dispute the territorial boundaries in this area and fought a war in the...

The French Burqa Ban: Culture Clash Unveiled

Sadanand Dhume February 8, 2010
France’s recent proposal to ban the burqa from public places suggests a conscious decision to engage with Islam over values as well as security. In contrast to other Western nations, the French government believes that the burqa represents not just a personal choice but also a symbol of a fundamentalist political agenda that endangers women’s rights and sometimes their personal safety. Many...

Americans’ Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push

Jeffrey Gettleman January 21, 2010
Uganda, a Christian majority nation, hosted three American evangelicals in March 2009 who gave talks describing the gay agenda and its threat to Bible-based values and the traditional African family. The men, widely discredited in the US, spoke to large, rapt audiences, but claim they did not intend what followed a month later: the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 which threatened to hang...

How to Let Islam and the West Live in Harmony

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono November 23, 2009
The recently-re-elected president of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, says that religiosity will continue to rise in coming years. But it will come against the backdrop of rising multiculturalism and tolerance as people realize that cooperation and democracy can help transcend global challenges like climate change and terrorism. To ensure this tolerance is secured, Yudhoyono calls for the...

Globalization Unchecked: How Alien Media is Suffocating Real Culture

Ramzy Baroud November 23, 2009
Globalization is creating “cultural schizophrenia” in developing nations, which lack the ability to protect their traditional ways of life against the constant bombardment of a dazzling and well-packaged Western culture. The author, reflecting on his travels in the Muslim world − a Muslim family watching a barely-clad Beyonce on MTV or Turkish youths playing an American video game that involves...