Parties of God: The Bush Doctrine and the Rise of Islamic Democracy

Another story picked up from the March issue of Harpers that is interesting (and very long reading) about how the US and Bush have given rise to a different democracy in Muslim countries.
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Among the precepts of the “Bush Doctrine”—as loyalists to the current president call the set of foreign-policy principles by which they, and no [...]

Losing My Jihadism - Mansour al-Nogaidan

I missed this the when it first ran in the Washington Post, but stumbled on it the other day when I was catching up on old emails from friends.
BURAIDAH, Saudi Arabia: Islam needs a Reformation. It needs someone with the courage of Martin Luther.
This is the belief I’ve arrived at after a long and painful [...]

How To Squeeze Jihadi Culture Out of Pakistan - Vali Nasr

Vali Nasr, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, presented a view of how the US could “help” Pakistan wipe out its jihadi problem in the Christian Science Monitor. He is also the author if “The Shia Revival: How Conflicts with Islam Will Shape the [...]

Problem, Not Solution - Dr. Hasan-Askari Rizvi

Dr. Hasan-Askari Rizvi, a noted defense and political analyst in Pakistan, shared an interesting insight into Pakistan’s extremist problem in today’s Daily Times.
The military is drawing flak for its expanded role in the political and other non-professional domains. The intensity of anti-army feeling and the frequency of its expression are unprecedented in post-1971 Pakistan.
The slogans [...]

Bomb Defused Outside Potter Launch In Pakistan

Pakistan police say they have defused a bomb outside a shopping center where the latest Harry Potter book was scheduled to be launched.
Karachi police investigation chief Manzoor Mughal says the man behind the “immature” bomb plot phoned police after having an apparent change of heart because of the many children at the site.
“Police have foiled [...]

A Reminder

CAIR, a very controversial Muslim organization in the United States, has started a great ad series that emphasizes that all Muslims are not bad people and EVERY religion struggles with extremists in different forms.

It’s not just the American Muslims that condemn all acts of terrorism, but Muslims around the world. Don’t judge our religion [...]

Dealing with Siege and Hostage Situations - Farhatullah Babar

This Op-Ed piece was printed in today’s The News, written by former Pakistan People’s Party Senator Farhatullah Babar, it provides an interesting look into dealing with sieges and hostage situations and what the government needs to do.
According to some newspaper accounts the number of hard-core militants holed up in Lal Masjid were no more than [...]

Craig Cohen Online at the Washington Post

The Washington Post had Craig Cohen, Deputy Chief of Staff at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, online to discuss and answer questions about the Pakistan Army’s raid on Lal Masjid and the impact it will have on President Musharraf’s Presidency and the future of Pakistan.
I followed it online until about midnight Pakistan time, [...]

Say It Ain’t So Nic Robertson - Part I

This is the first part of a review of Nic Robertson’s anti-Pakistan “journalistic piece” called “Pakistan: The Enemy Within.” This series will review the broadcast, questions that were not addressed about the madrassas and extremism and the key players that have kept this problem alive within Pakistan and in the region. It should be [...]

Pictures from the Seige

A collection of pictures of the continued siege at Lal Masjid in Islamabad from domestic and international media outlets, including CNN, BBC, Dawn, and The News.