In The News

Turban Chaos

Ranvir Nayar September 14, 2004
France’s 5,000 to 25,000-strong Sikh population joins French Muslims in protesting the controversial Law of Secularism, which bans the wearing of religious symbols in public schools. Upon returning to school campuses, Sikh students wearing turbans were denied access, despite previous assurances from French authorities that they would be the exception to the rule. Defiant parents are preparing to...

Purity of Chinese Language Debated

September 13, 2004
Since China has opened its economic gates to the rest of the world, a wave of foreign words, ranging from yinqing (engine) to maidanglao (McDonalds) has flooded into its vernacular. While some linguists praise the development as evidence of Chinese vitality and openness, others fear the language is losing its purity. A solution, some propose, would be to enforce the National Language Law of the...

Islamic Groups Cautious over Bombing Blame

Salim Osman September 13, 2004
A recent suicide attack in Indonesia has once again fueled controversy over the connection between religious fundamentalism and terrorism. Many Indonesian Islamic groups condemned the attack, which was most likely the work of the militant group, Jemaah Islamiah. Few of the religious critics, however, actually took the step of publicly censuring the suspected fundamentalist group. The...

Wedding Vows Can Lock Danes Out of Their Homeland

Richard Bernstein September 10, 2004
Even if it is love at first sight, beginning a life together in Denmark is a lengthy, maddening ordeal for mixed Danish-foreign couples. New immigration laws which, opponents argue, are the strictest in the European Union, have barred over 1,000 recently married couples from living in the country. Many of these couples have opted to live across the bridge in Malmo, Sweden. This was not the...

Massacre Draws Self-Criticism in Muslim Press

John Kifner September 9, 2004
The recent rash of violence, most notably a Russian school siege, has made terrorist activities a consistent presence in world headlines. In reaction to the latest tragedy, several Arab media members have spoken out ardently against violent Muslim fundamentalism. Remarking that Muslim groups orchestrated the majority of recent attacks, commentators openly condemned terrorist activities as...

The Great Reverse – Part III

Anna Greenspan September 8, 2004
While headlines in the West bemoan job outsourcing to China and India, they ignore a far more profound economic shift: the growth of business partnerships between these two rising economies. In the final installment of our three-part series, "The Great Reverse," globalization scholar Anna Greenspan writes that leaders and entrepreneurs in both Asian countries are bridging political...

First-Class Brand, But Will it Travel?

Ellie Paynter September 7, 2004
Expanding business operations to foreign markets presents many challenges, and in the image-conscious fashion industry, marketing is essential. With the opening of a store in Saudi Arabia, and plans for future locations in Hong Kong and Dubai, luxury store Harvey Nichols has its sights set on international brand recognition. The UK retail group, which allots 40 percent of its budget to public...