By Daniel Lincoln, University of Alberta (The Conversation) – The wheels of history have been turning rapidly in the Middle East over the last year. For a significant period of time, Iran’s status as a rising power within the region has been regarded as a consistent reality in assessing Middle Eastern geopolitics. But events since […]
Archives for December 2024
For Christmas: The Persian Poet Nezami’s Story of Jesus Finding Virtues even in the Lowliest
On Christmas Day, I like to recall the significance of Jesus and the nativity for Muslims. I’ve talked about Rumi, Attar, and other mystics. Today it is Nezami’s turn. The great Persian poet Nezami (1141-1209) was from the city of Ganja in northwestern Iran when it was ruled by the Seljuk Empire. That was the […]
Archiving as resistance to Genocide Denial in Gaza
Eleftheria Kousta ( Waging Nonviolence ) – After the war and genocide in southeastern Bosnia in 1993, two very important forces shaped the society that emerged. One was the denial of war criminals and genocidal actors, who smeared and discredited victims to evade accountability. The second was the uphill battle of the survivors to not […]
Repression of Climate and Environmental Protest is intensifying across the World
By Oscar Berglund, University of Bristol and Tie Franco Brotto, University of Bristol (The Conversation) – Climate and environmental protest is being criminalised and repressed around the world. The criminalisation of such protest has received a lot of attention in certain countries, including the UK and Australia. But there have not been any attempts to […]
The Great Sufi Qushayri on “Responding to Evil with the Greatest Good” (Peace on Earth, Good Will toward Men in Islam)
In honor of the season’s ‘Peace on Earth, Good Will toward Men”
Palestinian Christians call on Western Churches to ‘Humanize’ the Children of Gaza
By Jane Barter, University of Winnipeg (The Conversation) – The human rights group, Amnesty International, recently issued a report concluding that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide. The war in Gaza has led to widespread calls for a ceasefire. This situation, and its ripple effects globally, have also raised questions and reckonings among varied […]
Israel invades and Occupies more of Syria, as World stands By
( Code Pink ) – The United States, Turkey and Israel all responded to the fall of the Assad government in Damascus by launching bombing campaigns on Syria. Israel also attacked and destroyed most of the Syrian Navy in port at Latakia, and invaded Syria from the long-occupied Golan Heights, advancing to within 16 miles […]
Pope Francis: “I Think of Gaza, of so much Cruelty, of the Children Machine-Gunned”
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On the Sunday before Christmas, Pope Francis said, “May the weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound!” according to Kristina Molare at the Catholic News Agency. The Pope continued, in a clear condemnation of the Israeli government, “With sorrow I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty; of the children […]
Russia Moving Military Assets To Africa After Syria Setback
By Maja Zivanovic and Jean Fernand Koena ( RFE/RL ) – Russia is reducing its military footprint in Syria and shifting some of its assets from the Middle Eastern country to Africa, flight data and satellite imagery analyzed by RFE/RL appear to show. Moscow seems to have withdrawn a significant amount of military equipment from its […]
© 2025 All Rights Reserved