By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – In this political season in which Syrian refugees have become a political football, it is worthwhile remembering that baby Jesus is depicted by the Bible as being a Syrian political refugee not once but twice. In ancient times, “Syria” referred not to the area of the […]
Ghoul’s Glossary: A Donald Trump Translation Dictionary
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Constitution, US: 1. An time-consuming optional document that can be abrogated for lack of time. 2. syn. politically correct (s.v.) criminal: 1. syn. Mexican. 2. syn. Hillary Clinton. family: accomplices. (As in, the families of ISIL members must be killed.) fascism: (word not found in this […]
Obama: Is the Media Hyping the threat from Daesh/ ISIL?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – President Obama gave an interview on National Public Radio on Monday in which he attempted to reassure the US public about the threat of Daesh (ISIL, ISIS). Poor Obama was constrained to defend the point that “ISIL isn’t the Soviet Union” and we are not engaged […]
6 US Troops killed by Taliban Suicide Bomber in Afghanistan
Curated by Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – BBC Monitoring translates from Pushtu a report from the ‘Afghan Islamic Press’ from Kabul on 21 Dec., which says that “A suicide attack has been carried out on the Afghan and foreign forces in Bagram District of Parwan Province, in which . . . foreign […]
Clinton: Trump chief recruiter for ISIL; Sanders: Take out Daesh First, Assad Later
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The second Saturday-night Democratic debate had a lot of discussion on foreign policy. It is a shame that the Democratic National Convention put it on a Saturday, when its audience was much lower. Many Bernie Sanders supporters believe that the DNC supports Sec. Hillary Clinton and […]
41% of Trump Supporters want to bomb Aladdin and Jasmine
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Public Policy Polling asked US voters if they favored bombing “Agraba.” Some 30% of Republicans said “Yes!” Obviously, this is a a little bit of a trick, since voters being asked such a question assume it is a real policy issue. But wouldn’t you want to […]
Rural Fury over Arabic Script in World Cultures Module forces closing of Augusta, Va. Schools
AJ+ | (Video news report) | – – “VA’s Augusta County School District shut down over security concerns posed by parents who were angry about an Arabic calligraphy lesson. Officials didn’t mention a specific threat, but said that the “tone and content” of messages pouring in from the community and beyond was cause for extra […]
Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Wheaton College suspended a tenured professor of Political Science for quoting Pope Francis that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. So, do they? History Buff blog asked me what I thought, and this is what I told them: “Hebrew, the language of the Hebrew Bible, […]
No, GOP, you can’t win by Carpet-bombing
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – At the GOP debate Tuesday night, Ted Cruz came out swinging wildly. Blitzer: Senator Cruz, you have said you would, quote, “carpet bomb ISIS into oblivion,” testing whether, quote, “sand can glow in the dark.” Does that mean leveling the ISIS capital of Raqqa in Syria […]
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