In The News

“Halal” Labels Experiencing a Supermarket Boom

Peter Ziegler April 13, 2007
Religions often provide strict guidelines on food choices and preparation. With more than 1.7 million Muslims spread throughout the world, food products that abide by the rules of Islam, labeled as “halal,” are the fastest growing segment in the food market. The world’s leading meat producers in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, New Zealand, Great Britain and the USA are prepared to...

The Rise in Extremism – Part II

Baladas Ghoshal April 3, 2007
For centuries, Islam in Southeast Asia was renowned for its adaptability to local practices and tolerance of other religions. Over the past three decades, however, fundamentalists have tried to homogenize Islam, introducing new tensions. The second article of this two-part series explores Arab influence on Islam throughout Malaysia and Indonesia, as fundamentalists reject tolerant and eclectic...

The Rise in Extremism – Part I

Fahad Nazer March 30, 2007
As the US and its coalition partners wage their war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, extremists emerge elsewhere in the world. This two-part series examines how governments of Muslim nations tangle with religious extremism within their own borders. In the first article, author Fahad Nazer describes Saudi Arabia’s efforts to confront militants fighting in the name of Islam. Walking a tightrope...

The Truth About Talibanistan

Aryn Baker March 27, 2007
The tribal region of Pakistan, just over the border of Afghanistan, is increasingly becoming a sanctuary for Taliban and other extremists – a mini-state beyond the control of governments that straddle it on either side. Tough, young extremists take control of villages that lack any means of defense. Meanwhile, the US and NATO troops stationed in neighboring Afghanistan lack authority to enter...

The Price of Progress: Transforming Islam’s Holiest Site

Hassan M. Fattah March 12, 2007
Mecca, birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed and Islam, is the destination for millions who arrive from every corner of the world for the religion’s annual pilgrimage, the hajj, required once of every fit worshipper. Steeped in history, the city has now become a target for tourism development, including malls, hotels with speakers that broadcast public prayers, fast-food restaurants and amusement...

Iran-Saudi Arabian Embrace: A New Beginning?

Dilip Hiro March 9, 2007
The US, struggling to control violence in Iraq, has ratcheted up its threat against neighboring Iran as a primary culprit. Longstanding US concerns about Iran defying the international community by developing nuclear weapons have recently been heightened by its accusation that the Islamic state has been supporting Shiite militias against Sunnis in Iraq’s ongoing civil war. Conservative US...

Talks With Taliban Still the Best Prospect

Bronwen Maddox February 28, 2007
Afghanistan was the base for planning the 9/11 attacks on the US, and the US invaded the nation not long afterward. But more than five years later, Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other extremist groups still wreak havoc throughout the country. “In the end, it will probably be necessary to deal with the Taleban or their sympathisers (if a distinction can really be made), as the Afghan and Pakistani...