by Anna Borshchevskaya This article originally appeared in Operational Environment Watch. Click here to read the article in the original publication, along with the accompanying news excerpts. In the run-up to the Geneva peace talks on Syria scheduled for early November, mainstream Russian press typically provided brief dry reports on the Syrian conflict, similar to…
Read Moreby Anna Borshchevskaya The Wall Street Journal reported today that European jihadist fighters who joined the ranks of extremists among Syrian rebel fighters are beginning to return home. This poses a significant threat to the West, as some are suspected of plotting terrorist attacks according to American and European officials. Experts wrote about the impact…
Read Moreby Luis Arias Earlier this week Marvel Comics announced that the new Ms. Marvel would be a Pakistani-American Muslim from New Jersey. She is the first solo Muslim-American to be featured as the lead character in a monthly comic series. Her name will be Kamala Khan. While not the first Muslim character in Marvel’s universe, Kamala…
Read Moreby Nasser Weddady The rise and recent downfall of Imam Shamsi Ali, the former spiritual leader of New York City’s 96 Street mosque offers invaluable insights into the complexity of the internal dynamics shaping US Muslim communities post 9/11. His story includes all the ingredients that are currently at play in the struggle to formulate…
Read MoreBelow is a wrap- up from AIC’s fourth event in a six-part lecture Science and Islam series, Tomorrow’s World: Religion or Science: Dr. Khaleel Mohammed, Professor of Religion at San Diego State University: “Religion is what it is, science is what it is. If they work together in a complementary manner, we have a fine…
Read Moreby Anna Borshchevskaya On October 29, 2013, UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion Heiner Bielefeldt will present his annual report to the United Nations. On the heels of this event, The Venn Institute, Jubilee Campaign, International Christian Response, and International Christian Voice co-sponsored a panel discussion in New York City on October 28, The Persecution…
Read Moreby Anna Borshchevskaya The Foreign Policy Initiative held its annual forum today. It’s title, “Will America Lead?” is an important one. American leadership in the world is critical now more than ever–for if America, with its core values of freedom and democracy does not lead, who will fill the vacuum? Below are some comments from…
Read Moreby Anna Borshchevskaya This week marks not one but two dictators mentioned in the context of the Nobel peace prize. Syria’s Bashar al-Assad jokingly mentioned, as reported by the Lebanese Al-Akhbar, that he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize after it was awarded on October 11 to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)…
Read MoreBy Nasser Weddady The recent agreement between the United States, Russia, and Syria’s ruler Bashar Al Assad to hand over all of the Syrian chemical arsenal has been hailed by some as a major victory. On the face of it, the arsenal’s removal guarantees that atrocities such as the August 21st chemical attack in Damascus’…
Read Moreby Nasser Weddady Following an attack by a militant Islamic group al-Shabab on Kenya’s Westgate mall in Nairobi on September 21, which left at least 60 dead, a small group of ethnic Somalis peacefully demonstrated in Minneapolis, Menessota primarily to speak out against this terrorist group. For many, this was personal, as al-Shabab targeted their…
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