In The News

Private Schools Asked to Revise Textbooks

Mohsen Rashid June 15, 2004
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), all private schools – regardless of the curricula they teach – might soon come under the strict control of Islamic social and religious codes. This article in the Khaleej Times reports that all private schools have been ordered by the Ministry of Education and Youth to revise their textbooks in order to disallow ideas and concepts contrary to Islamic teachings....

New Violence, Old Problem

Neil MacFarquhar June 6, 2004
The last two terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabian soil left over two dozen people dead, including 25 foreigners. In both attacks, the corpse of a Westerner was dragged behind a car in apparent celebration. As gruesome as this sounds, writes Neil MacFarquhar, it is only a symptom of the times in Saudi Arabia. The ruling House of Saud, he says, officially maintains that the terrorists responsible...

Islam and West: Time for Enlightened Moderation

Pervez Musharraf June 2, 2004
The events of the recent past have brought the Muslim world to a state of emergency, writes Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan. The world perception of Muslims as violent extremists has placed the moderate and peaceful faithful – the “innocent multitudes” – at odds with the world. The proliferation of suicide bombers and the events of 9/11 have bred a deep fear in the West of Islam and its...

Looking After Number One

Abbas Ali May 28, 2004
The American occupation in Iraq has the Iranian government torn in two different directions: their obvious interest in guiding the shape of the neighboring government is at odds with not wanting to cooperate with the United States. Iran’s ties to Iraq are ancient and critical. Holy sites and burial grounds that are among the most sacred to Iranian Muslims are located in Iraq, and studies of the...

Waking Up to the Terror Threat in Southern Thailand

John R. Bradley May 27, 2004
An insurgent movement within the Thai Muslim community has led to over 200 deaths in southern Thailand this year. The presence of the expensive, brand-new Yala Islamic College, primarily funded by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, is not unrelated to this violence, says this article in Singapore’s Straits Times. The 1,500-some students there dress in traditional Arab garb and are taught a strict...

Human Rights Climate 'Worst in 50 Years'

Simon Jeffery May 26, 2004
Amnesty International has pronounced 2003 as the worst year for humanitarian law and human rights in 50 years. AI noted that the war in Iraq and actions across the globe stemming from the American anti-terror policy have led to unrest worldwide, especially in the Middle East. Long-standing international conflicts, as in Chechnya, Northern Ireland, or the Sudan, figured into the picture, but the...

US Nation-Building Abroad – Part I

Dilip Hiro May 26, 2004
In hindsight, it is now clear that Washington's declaration of an end to the Iraq war last year was premature, at best. Although Saddam Hussein was driven from power, Iraqis have yet to experience the democracy, freedom, and economic improvements promised by US President George W. Bush. In the first installment of a multi-authored, three-part series on US nation-building efforts in Iraq...