religion

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – When a teacher in rural Augusta county, Virginia, decided to expose her students to the Arabic script (a piece of calligraphy writing out the Muslim profession of faith), the backlash from some furious parents so hinted at violence that county schools had to be closed for […]

Christianity

Muslims Shield Christians from al-Shabab Terror

contributors

Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) | – – “Al-Shabaab is a terrorist group that operates in Somalia and Kenya. Lately they have been attacking buses full of civilians, particularly non-Muslims. Cenk Uygur, host of the The Young Turks, breaks it down. “Their M.O. is a tried and terrifying one: Launch a raid, […]

Arab World

Christmas and Christians in the Middle East

Juan Cole

by Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Whether Christmas is joyous sad or nervous-making for Christians in the Middle East this year depends very much on the country in which they live. It should be noted that many of them follow Eastern traditions such that Christmas is not celebrated on December 25. The […]

Entertainment

British Muslim Family Not Allowed To Board Plane To Visit Disneyland: Are US visa officials Islamophobes?

Juan Cole

AJ+ | (Video Report) | – – “On a family trip to Disneyland, one British Muslim family wasn’t allowed to get on the plane. No reason was given. And they’re not the only ones. Their MP has taken their case to Prime Minister David Cameron, and the Council on American–Islamic Relations has called for an […]

Christianity

Would Syrian Refugee Baby Jesus be allowed to immigrate to the US?

Juan Cole

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 […]

Islam-hatred

Islamophobia in 2015: The Good, the Bad and the Hopeful

contributors

By the Bridge Initiative Team | – – Looking back at the last twelve months, it can initially appear that Islamophobia was pretty bad in 2015. And indeed it was. Attacks against Muslims in the United States and their institutions have occurred in rapid succession. Meanwhile, leading politicians and the voting public have expressed increasingly […]

Iraq

If Iraq can take Ramadi from ISIL/ Daesh, it will Need to reach out to Sunnis

contributors

By Balsam Mustafa and Scott Lucas | (The Conversation) | – – After days of mounting expectation, the Iraqi government finally announced a serious offensive to retake the city of Ramadi, the capital of western Iraq’s Anbar Province, from [the so-called] Islamic State [group] (IS). This is far from the first announcement of the imminent […]

Democratic Party

Is Clinton right that Trump is Helping ISIL?

contributors

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – During Saturday night’s Democratic debate, Sec. Hillary Clinton at one point alleged, “And we also need to make sure that the really discriminatory messages that Trump is sending around the world don’t fall on receptive ears. He is becoming ISIS’s best recruiter. They are going to […]

Bernie Sanders

Clinton: Trump chief recruiter for ISIL; Sanders: Take out Daesh First, Assad Later

Juan Cole

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 […]