International Affairs

Ehud Olmert’s nightmare is at hand. Not only does the former Israeli prime minister now really have to fight those corruption charges. He also faces the realization of his fears that the Palestinians might give up on a two-state solution in favor of a struggle for equal rights that would mean, as he put it, the “end of the Jewish …

Sir Allama Muhammed Iqbal, one of the greatest poets and thinkers of the last century, once said that “ there would be no peace in the world if there was no peace in Afghanistan”- a  deeply entrenched tribal society known for sacrificing precious lives to preserve their rights and dignity  .  Those in and around Afghanistan understand the extremely complex …

So the Pope won’t be visiting Gaza on his trip to the Holy Land next month. The Holy Father’s spokesman has told the Israeli press that he’ll refrain from visiting Gaza regardless of attempts to persuade him otherwise. ‘Refrain’ is a telling choice of words: “the Pope will refrain from visiting Gaza….” It smacks of abstinence, as in abstaining from …

ISTANBUL, Apr 7 (IPS) – On his first visit to a Muslim country this week, U.S. President Barack Obama proposed “a new chapter” in U.S. engagement with the Islamic world. He drew much praise, while some remain skeptical. “The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam,” he told the Turkish Parliament in capital Ankara Monday. …

Dutch TV show exonerates Osama bin Laden ‘Devil’s Advocate’ jury finds no proof he was behind Sept. 11 By Scott Roxborough April 9, 2009, 12:37 PM ET Hollywoodreporter.com In the conclusion Wednesday night to the show “Devil’s Advocate” on Dutch public broadcaster Nederland 2, the jury of two men and three women, along with the studio audience, ruled that there …

A fascinating survey of the evolution of the concept of jehad. HE highest form of jehad is to speak the truth in the face of an unjust ruler.” This one saying of Prophet Muhammad suffices to demolish the myth about jehad, fostered, alike, by the fundamentalists and very many in the West and, not to overlook, in India. Ijtihad (reason) …