Islamophobia

It turns out that from a hard-right American evangelical point of view, the US public may have a choice between two Muslims, or two ‘may as well be Muslims’ for president this fall. Dr. Richard Land, a major leader of the Southern Baptist Convention has told Newsmax that Mitt Romney’s Mormonism is not an orthodox […]

Islam

Lyons: Islam, Women and the West

Juan Cole

Jonathan Lyons writes in a guest column for Informed Comment Islam, Women, and the West This essay is adapted from my latest book, Islam Through Western Eyes: From the Crusades to the War on Terrorism, newly published by Columbia University Press. For more information, please see the CUP catalogue, at the CUP catalogue or […]

Islamophobia

FBI Using “Community Outreach” events to Spy on Americans

Juan Cole

I sometimes talk to Muslim audiences. There is often an FBI agent in the audience and sometimes an ACLU representative. Maz Jobrani suggested at one such event that everyone else leave and let the two of them talk. Now it turns out that the agents often are there gathering information on participants and storing it, […]

Islamophobia

Muslim- and Liberal-Hater Breivik Confronted by Survivors in Open Court

Juan Cole

Norway’s mass murdered Anders Behring Breivik, a right wing white Christian supremacist who has confessed to killing 77 Labor Party youth activists and allegedly wounded 151 others, appeared in open court on Monday. The BBC reports: “One of those who witnessed his shooting spree on Utoeya was 20-year-old Bjoern Ihle from Oslo. “He aimed at […]

Iraq

Newt’s new Crusade against the Arab Spring

Juan Cole

Newt Gingrich’s poll numbers and fund-raising have improved recently, as the GOP faithful continue their quest for an ABM (not anti-ballistic missile but “Anyone but Mitt”). Gingrich in turn has begun trying out talking points again, which is good for pundits and stand-up comedians, but bad for everyone else. In his most recent foray on […]

Afghanistan

Islamic Law not a problem in Bush’s Afghanistan & Iraq, but a Problem in Libya?

Juan Cole

George W. Bush said of Iraq and Afghanistan,, “I’d like to be a president [known] as somebody who liberated 50 million people…” The 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan [pdf], drafted and passed under the rule of George W. Bush in that country, makes Islam the religion of state and forbids any law that contravenes the sharia […]

Islamophobia

London Riots: Its the Economy, Stupid (Not a Clash of Civilizations)

Juan Cole

The unfortunate riots in Tottenham in London tell us a great deal about the problems of immigrant communities, and what they say to us most eloquently is that people want to be treated with justice. They want to be treated in accordance with a rule of law, and not singled out for extra policing on […]

Islamophobia

Al-Tamimi: The Norway Attacks and the Paranoid Mindset

Juan Cole

Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi writes in a guest column for Informed Comment The Norway Attacks and the Paranoid Mindset It has emerged that Anders Breivik- who is suspected of killing at least 76 people in two attacks in Norway on Friday a week ago– was an avid user of online so-called “counter-jihad” forums. At one such […]

Bahrain

Top Developments in the Arab Spring this Weekend

Juan Cole

As usual, Friday was a big day for the popular Arab reform movements that are challenging dictatorial governments. 1. Syrian security forces are alleged to have killed about 20 protesters on Friday, as the demonstrations and rallies continue to be vigorous in places like Hama and Deir al-Zor. The one-party state, ruled by the Baath […]