In The News

The Limitations of a Dialogue of Civilizations

Sarah Eltantawi April 4, 2005
The phrase "clash of civilizations" may be a popular framework for understanding the conflicts between the United States and the Middle East, but in the end it hinders the progress of peace and democracy, writes Sarah Eltantawi. The idea of a stiff binary – "West" versus "Muslim world" – with opposite and irreconcilable cultural poles, is unnecessarily divisive....

The First World Leader

Timothy Garten Ash April 4, 2005
The death Saturday of Pope John Paul II has released a global outpouring of grief and celebration of the life of one of the 20th century's most prominent figures. According to this Guardian commentary, the pope – born Karol Kojtyla – played the role of more than a religious figure, but an international political entity. His involvement with world leaders and his native Poland proved...

La liberation d’un prisonnier ne prefigure pas un repit au Xinjiang

Dru C. Gladney March 30, 2005

Prisoner's Release Does Not Herald a Xinjiang Spring

Dru C. Gladney March 30, 2005
The recent release of a Uyghur businesswoman from a Chinese prison may have appeased the visiting US Secretary of State, but the gesture also underscored the continual frictions between China and its Uyghur ethnic minority. Beijing's official stance is that Muslim Uyghurs separatists pose a terrorist threat, but as Dru C. Gladney suggests, this may actually be a case of so-called "...

Where Faith Is a Healer

Madeleine Bunting March 28, 2005
While secularism has taken hold in Europe, the story in the rest of the world has been quite different. Seemingly different regions, such as the Americas and the Middle East, have experienced substantial increases in religiosity. Africa is no exception: Christianity and Islam are expanding dramatically, and traditional African religions are experiencing a renaissance. A forthcoming BBC report...

Scholars Urge Debate on Women's Role in Prayer

Hera Diani March 24, 2005
When Amina Wadud led mixed-gender prayers last Friday, she struck two birds with one stone: Not only is mixed-gender prayer prohibited in Islam, but women under Islamic law are forbidden from leading services. With the event, Wadud, a professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, sparked tremendous debate across the breadth of the Islamic world, stirring discussion as far as...

Social Change in Qatar, One Degree at a Time

Otto Pohl March 24, 2005
Qatar is not known for being a liberal democratic country – indeed, there is little room for political dissent. Surprisingly though, this small Middle East country is pushing through one of the world's most revolutionary experiments in higher education. With increasing security restrictions limiting access for foreign students to attend top US universities, Qatar has decided to import...