Religion and Global Society
24 March 2017
Assessing the Threat of Islamic-Related Terrorism (1)
It’s no secret that stoking the fear of “Islamic terrorism” was one element of candidate Trump’s successful campaign and the prime motivation behind his attempt (so far unsuccessful) to ban travel to the US from six Muslim nations. That fear is real. In the 2016 Survey of American Fears, Chapman University found that people’s top fear was “government corruption” (60.6%).…
13 March 2017
Globalists versus Nationalists
When President Donald Trump announced his first refugee ban, Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz fired back that his company would hire 10,000 refugees. In turn, this ignited a social media firestorm from conservatives vowing to boycott the brand. Though Starbucks disputes this will have any effect on its bottom line, it does underscore in graphic terms what we all know –…
04 January 2016
Comparative Politics: From Juntas to Democracy
![From an article (9/1/15): “A New Year in Egypt: The Significance of President Sisi’s Speech.” Sisi was addressing the leading Islamic scholars at the al-Azhar University in Cairo, calling for an “Islamic revolution.” At one point he said, “It’s inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire umma [Islamic world] to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing and destruction for the rest of the world. Impossible!”](/media/k2/items/cache/53bed31cb74891ae64a31e4c592ef86d_S.jpg)
Now using the 2008 edition of Ghannouchi’s book (The Public Freedoms in the Islamic State, Damascus), I’m behind in my translation (plenty of changes, plus new material), but I’m still close to three quarters done. Also, it’s plunged me into political theory – hence this blog! Keep reading – this is more fascinating than you might think. I’m using a…
16 March 2015
Eschatology and Violence
You can’t escape it. Watch the news on TV or look at any paper’s headlines these days and you’ll read about the latest atrocities committed by the “Islamic State,” ISIL, ISIS or Da’esh (Arabic acronym). Before I dive into the heart of the issue, I want to recommend some good reading on “The Islamic State.” The glamorous Queen Rania of…
17 February 2015
Islamophobia Sows Fear
We may never know exactly why one angry white man burst into his neighbor’s apartment and “executed” three Muslim students with shots in the head. We do know, however, that it shook up the whole region and, in fact, much of the Muslim world too, if the social media are any indication. Two days after, the Turkish prime minister chastised…
09 January 2015
Charlie Hebdo: Avoid Two Pitfalls
Like you, I’ve been glued to the media since Wednesday’s dastardly killings at the headquarters of the satirical French weekly. The outpouring of solidarity the world over has been impressive. The slogan “Je suis Charlie” has lit up both the streets and the social media. At first glance, this is understandable. Such a heinous crime against journalism (even if it’s…