June, 2009

• 3 June

  New Dream for Tear Drop Island

  Now that the dreaded Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE, which was all out to set up a separate Tamil state in the predominantly Tamil speaking North and East of Sri Lanka, is crushed the nation is celebrating the victory while northern Tamils remain disillusioned. There have been numerous sessions of peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and the …

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• 1 June

  The Victim Syndrome, the West, and the LTTE

  Alas! It is a great and terrible world. – the Lama in Kipling’s Kim. My purpose in this article is to argue that the West has done incalculable harm to Sri Lanka, though without any malevolent intent, through its over-indulgent attitude towards the LTTE. That attitude bred in the LTTE what might be called a victim syndrome which became a …

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• 1 June

  New Translation Prompts Debate on Islamic Verse By NEIL Mac FARQUHAR

  Dear friends,  this is a fascinating article. The commonsense of the matter is given in the Egyptian Grand Mufti’s view that the Koran , more specifically parts of it, should be read through “the prism of the era”, meaning that some Koranic provisions take into account varying cultural practises in different societies at different times. The most potent argument against …

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• 1 June

  LAST DAYS OF THIRUVENKADAM VELUPPILLAI PRABHAKARAN – Part 2 – By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

  Blunder But the biggest blunder of all was to believe wrongly that the LTTE could at some point deliver a crippling blow on the battlefront and exact a heavy casualty toll. This would demoralize the army and help reverse the process, he surmised. The politico – military situation deteriorated but Prabhakaran living in a fool’s paradise was pretty sure that …

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May, 2009

• 31 May

  LAST DAYS OF THIRUVENKADAM VELUPPILLAI PRABHAKARAN – Part 1 – By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

  Thiruvenkadam Veluppillai Prabhakaran is no more. The body of the 54-year-old supreme leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) was found on Tuesday May 19  near the Mullaitivu lagoon known as “Nanthikkadal” (sea of conches). He had gunshot wounds  in the head and forehead.  Thus ended the life of the man who was once described by the LTTE’s  political …

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• 31 May

  What is and isn’t Islam? By Nikolaos van Dam

  Jakarta – It is not only important to explain what Islam really is, but it is also important to make a distinction between what Islam involves, and what people have incorrectly associated with and attributed to it. What is the relation between Islam and the actions of people that practice the Muslim faith? In my opinion there are many things …

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• 31 May

  Tempestuous By: Kian Mokhtari

  The upcoming Presidential election in Iran has gripped the nation in unprecedented ways even by Iranian standards. Iran’s democracy has truly come of age given the appetite with which it is followed by the public from every walk of life.  Iranians are mesmerized by the prospect of their candidate of choice reaching the highly prestigious and cherished office of President …

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