In The News

Muslims Unite! A New Reformation Will Bring Your Faith into the Modern Era

Salman Rushdie August 11, 2005
The British government's strategy of relying on traditional, but essentially orthodox, Muslims to help eradicate Islamist radicalism is ineffective, writes Salman Rushdie. Traditional Islam is a broad church that includes millions of tolerant, moderate believers – as well as those at odds with the cultures among which they live. What is truly needed to combat terrorism, says Rushdie, is a...

Iran Vows New Steps to Enrich Uranium

Thomas Fuller August 10, 2005
Iran has announced its intention to break the remaining seals on uranium-converting equipment at the Isfahan nuclear facility. The decision comes shortly after its government rejected a package of incentives offered by Europe to curtail nuclear activity. In the developing world, there appears to be more sympathy for Iran's cause. On Tuesday, led by Malaysia, developing countries of the...

The New Chauvinism

George Monbiot August 10, 2005
Following the bombings in London last month, a national consensus has emerged in Britain that a renewed sense of patriotism is necessary to combat terrorism. Codes of citizenship and a shared belief in Britain's values, proponents argue, will reduce the risk of domestic terrorism. While patriotism makes citizens less likely to attack one another, it may also make the state more inclined to...

Ilm by Rote

Sanjay Suri August 10, 2005
When Muslim students are released from British public schools in the afternoon, they quickly head home and change into their religious garb in preparation for their second school – the madrassa. With close to a thousand madrassas across the country, an overwhelming number of Muslim children in Britain are receiving a strong Islamic education in their evening schools. The children are required...

The Web as Weapon

Susan B. Glasser August 9, 2005
Islamic militants are often perceived as having an "anti-modernity" platform. Yet certain terrorist leaders are placing an increasing importance on the control and dissemination of information related to their activities. As a result, the internet has emerged as a vital tool of terrorism, creating a union between technology and fundamentalism. More than anyone, Abu Musab Zarqawi, the...

Is Nuclear Diplomacy with the Mullahs Possible?

August 8, 2005
After calling an agreement drafted by European officials "unacceptable," Iran has announced its plans to resume uranium enrichment activities. Despite Tehran's claims that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, the general consensus is that Iran is building a bomb. If the nation succeeds in developing nuclear arms, the power structure in the Middle East would be...

Terrorists Turn to the Web as Base of Operations

Steven Coll August 8, 2005
When Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida operatives were hiding out in Afghanistan in the 1990s, they were one of the first to adapt to the new technologies of globalization, communicating via commercial satellite telephones and producing video propaganda with hand-held cameras. Today, nearly four years after the 9/11 attacks, al-Qaida has become the first guerilla movement in history to "...