Hate Politics and the Critical Faith Theory As the midterm elections get closer, the debate on whether or not it is appropriate to teach the Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools is likely to intensify. It is the most contentious and indeed most misconstrued sociopolitical issue facing America since the ‘abortion debate.’ According to the […]
By Tamar Chapidze and Andreas Umland Over the last two decades, Georgia and Ukraine have become close geopolitical allies vis-à-vis both Russia and the West. In 1997, Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova created between themselves a multilateral consultative forum that, in 2001, was upgraded into the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development, better known […]
The Druze religion is a very ancient religion that is proven in the Bible and the New Testament. It started from the days of Jethro, the priest of Median in the Bible. At that period of time, the religion consisted of tribes and united ethnic groups. It wasn’t a religion that emerged of the boundaries […]
Dr. Reza Aslan is an internationally acclaimed American writer and scholar of religions and author, most recently, of the Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. Dr. Aslan is also the founder of Aslan Media, an online journal for news and entertainment about the Middle East and the world, and co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of […]
(Pictiure from Tribeca Films/New York Times) Oh dear. In a (quite positive) review of the new film War Witch, which is set in an anonymous Sub-Saharan African country (but was filmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and clearly is intended to evoke that country’s conflicts), Stephen Holden drops this little observation: “Superstition, witchcraft, exorcism, […]
It may be a small cause — the World Hijab Day Facebook page has around 8,000 likes — but there’s no denying the reasoning behind the campaign: “Better Awareness. Greater Understanding.” Women worldwide, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, are invited to spend a day in hijab to experience modest dress (and because we’re in the 21st […]
Perhaps appropriately (as it contains ‘Black Friday’) this has been somewhat of a dark week. The Church of England decided against allowing women to become bishops, and Saudi Arabia (according to Al Arabiya/AFP) now sends husbands an SMS when their wives leave the country.
There was a brief moment in time, back in the early 1990s, where the idea of Russia becoming a real democracy did not seem ridiculous. By now, that illusion has passed. Corruption passes for governance, civil society functions albeit under strict scrutiny, and elections are less than free and fair. Needless to say dissent is […]
Understanding Israel is a video-interview series created by Rob Lattin for the Foreign Policy Blogs. By speaking to the people on the inside and on the ground, each episode seeks to intimately expose viewers to the important and controversial topics affecting Israel today. Evangelical Christians make up one of America’s largest sects of Israel […]
Pakistan’s prospects careen from bad to worse, but there is still some possibility that it might one day evolve in a more liberal and moderate direction Events over the last few weeks have amply demonstrated the growing decrepitude of the Pakistani state, providing fresh justification for its perennial ranking at the top of the world’s […]
Much of the feedback I receive from the various articles I post questions why U.S. foreign policy is so defensive/aggressive. Let me begin by saying that I am far from being an expert on most of these matters. While I did serve in the military and as a diplomat, I never reached a level where […]
As most Christians around the globe wrap up one of their faith’s biggest holidays, it seems like an apt time to reflect on the place and protection of religion in the world today. Inevitably at Christmas time, stories of persecuted Christians make the rounds of Western newspapers and news agencies and in some places, that […]
Hinduism is a religion of festivities. Pomp, color, dance and music, assortment of delicacies, traditional costumes and merry making are usually associated with most Hindu festivals. Janmashtami- celebration of Lord Krishna’s birth, epitomizing the grandeur of Hindu festivities was observed in India on September 1. The Janmashtami celebrations, like most Hindu festivals, have come to […]
In the Muslim world, Turkey and Iran are usually perceived as standing on opposite sides. Turkey stands for secularism, while the Shia clerics dominate the Iranian politics. Turkey is a “friend of the West”, and is also a Muslim country that has normal relations with Israel. While Iran, if it is not in the news […]
Anytime there is a Shia rebellion in the Arab world, Iran gets excoriated. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have blamed Iran for fomenting Shia unrest in their country, and now Yemen is following the same footsteps. A leading Yemeni religious leader has accused Iran of inciting violence in the north of the country, where a predominantly […]