Palestinians & Jewish History

Palestinians Negate Jewish History Alex Grobman, Arutz Sheva (Israel), 10-5-2016 A recent speech by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reinforces the necessity for PA recognition to ensure genuine peace according to Itamar Marcus, the director of Palestinian Media Watch… In a speech in Morocco, Abbas described Jewish history in Jerusalem as a “delusional myth”, declaring

Zionism & Jewish Values

Former UK Chief Rabbi: Anti-Zionism is the new anti-Semitism By Ari Soffer, Aritz Sheva, 4/4/2016 Britain’s former Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has written a blistering oped slamming modern-day anti-Zionism as the “new anti-Semitism.” In his Newsweek article, published Sunday, Rabbi Sacks refers to figures showing how escalating anti-Semitism has left many Jews considering leaving Europe

Assad: Go back to the French Revolution

“Go back to the principles of the French Revolution” President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to the French daily Le Figaro Syrian Arab News Agency, 3-9-2013 Malbrunot: President Obama has postponed a military strike on Syria, how do you explain this? President al-Assad:Some have seen Obama as weak because of his decision to withdraw or

Between Sharia and International Law

Elham Aminzadeh: Iran’s top female politician I24 News, 13-8-2013 Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has appointed Elham Aminzadeh as Vice President for Legal Affairs – the first female to occupy the position in Iran’s history. Aminzadeh is a law and public policy professor at Tehran University. Like Rouhani, Aminzadeh earned her Ph.D from the Glasgow University

Does Israel Need A Chief Rabbi?

Ultra-Orthodox Candidates Elected as Israel’s Chief Rabbis By Jodi Rudoren, New York Times, July 24, 2013 JERUSALEM — In a victory for the ultra-Orthodox political parties that were shut out of Israel’s governing coalition this year, two candidates they backed were elected as Israel’s chief rabbis on Wednesday, defeating a rabbi who had promised, in

Libya & Legalized Revenge

Libya : Law & Legalized Revenge Jordan Times, May 28, 2013 TRIPOLI — Mohamed Al Megaryef, the president of Libya’s top political body, resigned on Tuesday to comply with a new law banning Qadhafi-era officials from government jobs. Megaryef was Libya’s ambassador to India in the 1980s under the regime of now slain dictator Muammar

God, The ‘Good’ Sadist

We in the West have become so used to dualistic (reductionist) thinking that it is sometimes difficult for us to perceive how to put more holistic viewpoints into practice. As Parker J. Palmer states in his book The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life, “We have not been well prepared

Don’t play God, be Human

A fundamental fault line runs through contemporary Islamic thought. That is, the fault line between a textually-based, and a conscience-based, ethics. This is the demarcation which progressive Muslim thought is straining to prevent becoming a barrier. Essentially, it is the dilemma between scripturalism – the recourse to the authority of a written text – and

How to be good

The treason of the intellectuals By Chris Hedges, Truthdig 31-3-2013 The rewriting of history by the power elite was painfully evident as the nation marked the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. Some claimed they had opposed the war when they had not. Others among “Bush’s useful idiots” argued that they had

A Bigot is a Bigot

Fear of bigotry, not Islam Sinem Tezyapar, Ynet News 29-3-2013 Islamophobia is defined as the irrational fear and intolerance of Muslims. But is it really irrational and baseless?