In The News

Turkey Saying No to Accepting G.I.'s in Large Numbers

Michael R. Gordon December 4, 2002
Turkey’s newly elected government, which has strong Islamic roots, announced its decision to deny access to substantial number of American GI’s in case of war against Iraq. The government reached this decision, officials reported, because of the need to take into consideration public sentiment, even though Turkey considers America to be a very close ally. The agreement is a product of a long...

Freeze on Thai Labour Going to Gaza Strip

December 4, 2002
Governments of some developing countries encourage and tangibly assist their citizens who are willing to serve as laborers overseas. In Thailand's case, though, the safety of Thai laborers abroad is also garnering the government's attention. After three Thai workers were involved in a shooting in the Jewish settlement of Dolah last week, the Thai government is taking action. The Labor...

Turkey Saying No to Accepting G.I.'s in Large Numbers

Michael R. Gordon December 4, 2002
America may be the only superpower left in the world, but it still needs the assistance of other countries to achieve its goals on the world stage. In the latest chapter of the war on terrorism, Turkey’s newly elected government, which has strong Islamic roots, announced its decision to deny access to large numbers of American soldiers in case of war against Iraq. The government reached this...

Islam, Disney Style

Amina Elbendary November 28, 2002
UK-produced Muhammad (Pbuh) The Last Prophet, a story that traces the life of Mohammad and the birth and rise of Islam, arrives in theaters after overcoming impediments over Islamic law's ban on depicting the Prophet and other notable figures. The cartoon tells the story of Muhammad through the voice of Malek, the father of a little girl who, eager to sell her sheep's wool in the market...

Whither Arab Independence?

Basheer M Nafi November 27, 2002
What does America's effort to clamp down on Iraq mean for the Middle East as a whole? According to historian and Islamic scholar Basheer M Nafi, the US-led, UN-sanctioned weapons inspection project is simply another attack on the already brittle sovereignty of Arab nation-states. Writing in Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly, Nafi argues that "Western imperialism has made a comeback in the...

Arab Journalist Certain Tape Was Made by Bin Laden

November 14, 2002
The U.S. military’s mission to catch Osama Bin Laden after the attacks of 9/11 has met with little success. Of particular interest has been the surfacing of a new audio tape in which a voice, supposedly Bin Laden’s, praises the bombing attacks in Indonesia and promises further vengeance upon the United States. The identity of the voice has been verified by Gulf officials and Muslim activists as...

Arab States See Resolution As Way to Avoid War

Roula Khalaf November 10, 2002
The UN resolution calling on Iraq to disarm has been marked by an unusual unanimity of the Security Council, but that may not last long. Diplomats quoted by the Financial Times say the ambiguities could shatter the unanimity of the Council if Iraq plays by the rules for a while and inspectors report 80 per cent compliance. "If Iraq makes sufficient progress most members of the Security...