In The News

Zarqawi Built Global Jihadist Network on Internet

Scott Shane June 9, 2006
Since April 2004, when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi posted his first communiqué on a jihadist website, the militant leader has used the Internet as a successful and deadly tool. Creating a worldwide network, Zarqawi’s volunteers post messages from their leader and videos of militant acts, like beheading, on multiple servers to avoid delays in downloading, also making it difficult for the material to be...

Islam and the West

June 8, 2006
Such a dichotomous opposition of terms as the “West” and “Islam” will inevitably be loaded with misunderstanding and contention. If words alone perpetuate misconceptions, then political, strategic and cultural relations between the two entities can be expected to be more complex. In discussing the current crises of understanding between countries like Iran and Iraq, and the US and Great Britain...

Arabs Split Over Zarqawi – Hero or Ruthless Killer?

June 8, 2006
The death of Al Qaeda’s commander in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, gives US president Bush something to crow over, but what are its true implications? Arabs themselves show conflicting opinions on Zarqawi and his legacy. For some, he was a freedom fighter, for others he tarnished the name of Islam. When one extremist leader dies, it is worth remembering, another just as bad or worse can take his...

Islamic Militia Ends Somali Warlords’ Rule

Xan Rice June 6, 2006
After 15 years of battles between warlords and the Union of Islamic Courts, an Islamic militia has secured full control over the Somalian capital of Mogadishu. Some of the city’s citizens expect the Union to create and maintain a stable administration capable of improving conditions in a country that has lacked effective government since the overthrow of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. However,...

Extremism Isn’t Islamic Law

Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid May 26, 2006
The Koran is clear: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” (2:256). Yet the government of Afghanistan came close to executing a Muslim man who had converted to Christianity. Bowing to international pressure, the government ruled that the man was insane and called off the trial. The man’s life was spared, but using the Koran to justify the death penalty for apostasy in Muslim society remains...

Don’t Exaggerate Iranian Threat

Thomas W. Lippman May 25, 2006
Most world powers want to prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons. Yet at the same time, those opposed to Iran nuclear capability cannot resort to unrealistic fears. For example, US policy should not focus narrowly on the threat that nuclear Iran poses for Israel. Without nuclear weapons, a military confrontation would inevitably turn in Israel’s favor: Israel has state-of-the-art...

As Death Stalks Iraq, Middle-Class Exodus Begins

Sabrina Tavernise May 23, 2006
Ongoing violence in Iraq forces middle class and wealthy citizens to abandon homes and confess a lack of faith in the newly forming government. Murders of teachers, sanitation workers and even children are routine. Businesses often receive warnings to leave, parents withdraw their children from schools in record numbers, and families move to countries like Jordan and Syria. About 7 percent of...