religion

( The Times of Israel ) – As we wait anxiously to see whether the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas will take hold and become permanent—ending the massacres in Gaza and bringing the hostages home—we find ourselves in the midst of Sukkot, the festival of fragile dwellings [or “Feast of the Tabernacles”]. During Sukkot, […]

Authoritarianism

The 6 Superpowers that Faith Communities bring to nonviolent Struggle

Waging Nonviolence

While religion has far too often been a tool of authoritarianism, faith institutions and communities have also been the life force of so many freedom movements. Maria J. Stephan ( Waging Nonviolence ) – In June, Catholic Bishop Michael Pham of San Diego, who fled Vietnam as a 13-year-old refugee in 1980, was part […]

Arab World

Why the Saudi-Pakistan Bilateral Defense Pact is unlikely to Revive Muslim Unity

Abdullah al-Ahsan

Chicago (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – When Israel launched an attack on Doha in September 2025, Arab and Muslim leaders convened an emergency summit. They condemned Israel’s “blatant violation of international law” and praised Qatar’s restraint. However, the joint statement, like so many before it, contained no concrete measures. CNN called it a “wordy […]

Featured

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Abuse of History for Politics

Yoram Meital

Beersheba (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – After his address to an almost empty hall at the UN, Benjamin Netanyahu found a warmer reception at a Shabbat gathering in the Israeli Consulate in New York. There, the Prime Minister chose to “reveal” what he presented as a forgotten historical truth. “The Arabs expelled us from […]

Christianity

Is Trump Christian America’s Golden Calf?

Liz Theoharis

( Tomdispatch.com ) – It was a moment somewhat like this, 30 years ago, that turned me into a biblical scholar. In the lead-up to the passage of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, political and religious leaders quoted scripture to justify shutting down food programs and kicking mothers and their babies off public assistance. Those […]

Environment

‘Green Islam’: how Muslims are powering environmental Action across the World

The Conversation

By Eva F Nisa, Australian National University and Faried F Saenong, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) (The Conversation) – As the world grapples with myriad environmental problems, a growing number of studies shows the role of religion is key. Religion influences people’s worldviews, including how we think about nature and our roles within it. This […]

Featured

Saudi Arabia in Modern History

Marc Martorell Junyent

Book Review – David Commins, “Saudi Arabia: A Modern History” (Yale University Press: New Haven and London, 2025). Munich (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – The rise of Saudi power in the eighteenth century is not easy to explain. There are few sources, and most of them are highly partisan, remarks David Commins, a professor […]

Abbasid Empire

Scientists prove Extensive Viking Silver Trade with Abbasid Empire from British Silver Hoard

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Northeastern England fell to the Vikings in 865, and they held it for several decades. They not only had what is now Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Durham but points south to the town of Bedale on the way to York. In 2012 archeologists found a silver and gold treasure hoard in Bedale […]

Far Right

Christian Nationalism’s Plot on Civil Society: The Seven Mountains Mandate

Matthew Boedy

Oakwood, Ga. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – A concerning story out of Georgia offers a window into the rise and possible demise of an all-encompassing strategy of Christian Nationalism finding unheralded success in the Trump era. On July 10th federal regulators filed a complaint “seeking the seizure of Georgia lender First Liberty Building & […]