Sultan Shahin sees New Age Islam as part of a global effort by believers to reclaim Islam from the religious right, and address the questions and conflicts which confront believers in the twenty-first century. “Islam,” he argues, “is a spiritual experience; a system of beliefs through which believers seek to live a meaningful life. For the Islamists, though, religion is primarily a tool through which they seek power. In practice, they worship power, not Allah.” In a recent essay, Shahin argued that the Islam of the neo-fundamentalists was in fact a “a completely new religion” theologically founded “on a wilful … Continue reading New Age Islam Battles Fundamentalists in Cyberspace

What do Americans need to know about Pakistan? How about everything? How about anything? If you’re an American, chances are that “You don’t know Pak.” A friend of mine was an alum of a top university, claimed to have an IQ of 160, and claimed to read ten newspapers a day. He once asked, “Is your Mom okay in Pakistan? I hear there’s lots of unrest in Ramallah.” And I said, “Um, that’s Palestinian territory, not Pakistani territory.” The Economist, the Washington Post, Newsweek and countless others have spotlighted Pakistan as “the most dangerous place in the world.” Yet no … Continue reading “You Don’t Know Pak”: On American Ignorance of ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Place’

The tide is turning on counter-terrorism laws – but can the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation keep up? A change has come. Judges know it; they have been gradually dismantling the architecture of Labour’s counter-terrorism measures, and one by one, the verdicts have been damning. Control orders, imposed on a terrorist suspect where there is ‘reasonable suspicion’ but no known case against them? A violation of the right to a fair trial, the House of Lords said last June . Stop and search powers used under the Terrorism Act to apprehend people where there is suspicion – not necessarily … Continue reading A New School on tackling terrorism

By Syed Saleem Shahzad  ISLAMABAD – With its biggest drone attack to date in Pakistan, the United States has sent a clear message of its renewed determination to destroy Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuaries in the Pakistan and Afghanistan border areas.  Pakistan government officials say that nine unmanned US drones on Tuesday evening fired 19 missiles on Dattakhel village in the Degan area of North Waziristan, across from the Afghan province of Khost, killing at least 31 people and injuring many more.  Security officials who spoke to Asia Times Online say the prime target is believed to have been Afghan Taliban … Continue reading US fires off new warning in Pakistan

By Anil Netto  PENANG – Malaysia’s charismatic opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is in the dock again on sodomy charges in a suit that threatens to reverse the startling revival in his political career.  “Sodomy II Starts”, trumpeted the headline of the English-daily government-linked Star newspaper on Wednesday – heralding the beginning of another season in which a litany of explicit terms from court proceedings will be reported in the media.  On Wednesday, key prosecution witness Saiful Bukhari, a former junior Anwar aide, startled the court when he testified that Anwar had asked him “Can I f*** you?” when they were … Continue reading Anwar trial another black eye for Malaysia

By Kaveh L Afrasiabi  On the same day Iran launched a rocket named Simorgh(Phoenix) into space, Tehran pulled its diplomatic engagement with the West back from the brink, saying it was prepared to accept a nuclear “fuel-for-fuel” proposal and exchange three Americans held in Iran with Iranians imprisoned in the United States.  On Tuesday, in an interview with Iranian television, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said Iran had “no problem” with a deal proposed last autumn under which Iran would relinquish most of its partially enriched uranium to be processed in the West before it was returned as nuclear fuel. He also said he … Continue reading Iran launches new phase in nuclear crisis

But on being come in sight of his enemies, he was astonished at their numbers, and thought to forbear fighting, and wear out time. But Marius, whom Serto-rius had sent out of Spain to Mithridates with forces under him, stepping out and challenging him, he prepared for battle. In the very instant before joining battle, without any perceptible alteration preceding, on a sudden the sky opened, and a large luminous body fell down in the midst between the armies, in shape like a hogshead, but in colour like melted silver, insomuch that both armies in alarm withdrew. This wonderful prodigy … Continue reading Extract from the Military Records of General Luculus written by Plutarchus etc