Religious scholar opposes Christian leadership
CAIRO: During her appearance on the talk show “Manchet” with Gaber Al-Qarmouty, Islamic studies scholar, Souad Saleh stirred controversy after she said it is against the Islamic Sharia for a…
A need for more 'Inspired by Muhammad' campaigns
SEVILLE, SPAIN: The “Inspired by Muhammad” campaign was launched a few weeks ago to highlight British Muslims who are contributing to UK society. The campaign, sponsored by the UK-based Exploring…
China needs a service-sector revolution
BEIJING: China is getting its exchange-rate adjustment whether it likes it or not. While Chinese officials continue to mull the right time to let the renminbi rise, manufacturing workers are…
The return of the African Coup
NEW YORK: The conventional wisdom that sub-Saharan Africa has moved beyond military coups may be wishful thinking. In the past two years, Africa has seen successful coups in Niger, Guinea,…
Creative ideas threatened by continued settlement building
The Israeli settlement project in occupied Palestinian territory, which started from the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967, has always been one of the most contentious aspects of the…
A Hundred Weltpolitiks
NEW DELHI: Mao Zedong once famously called for the Chinese to “let a hundred flowers bloom.” Soon, however, he was recoiling from what he saw as a chaos of competing…
The return of the stiff upper lip
LONDON: Normally, British politics is a ferocious sport. Its parliamentary debates are often pugilistic and personal. The British media have been described as “feral” (a word used by Tony Blair,…
Iran shows Iron fist over lifestyle issues
People who follow Iranian political affairs are left puzzled over the recent wave of “Islamization” policies to enforce “morality” and “modesty” in public and private spheres. These measures, which can…
Israel and Turkey: What went wrong?
The now infamous Flotilla incident which resulted in the death of nine Turks has sparked a whirlwind of accusations and provocations between Israel and Turkey that has put the relationship…
Child mortality rates up in Africa despite UN push
NAIROBI, Kenya: Ten African countries have halved their poverty rates over the last two decades, but child mortality rates have increased in six sub-Saharan nations, a report on the UN's…