K Subrahmanyam: Talking to Kayani India must find a way to engage Pakistan’s all-powerful Army chief K Subrahmanyam /  July 29, 2010, 0:01 IST India must find a way to engage Pakistan’s all-powerful Army chief To no one’s surprise, General Ashfaq Kayani, the chief of the Pakistan Army, got his tenure extended by another term of three years by the civilian government. The decision was formally announced by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani in a late night broadcast after he had consulted President Asif Ali Zardari, who also happens to be the chairman of the ruling party. After the recent … Continue reading India must find a way to engage Pakistan Army

Babylon & Beyond Observations from Iraq, Iran, Israel, the Arab world and beyond « Previous Post | Babylon & Beyond Home ISRAEL, LEBANON: Who is winning the intelligence war with Hezbollah? August 1, 2010 |  8:35 am In October 2009,  Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon, a former head of military intelligence, all but confirmed that Israel had intensified spying efforts in Lebanon because of Hezbollah and would stop when the Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim militant group was disarmed and Israel’s border with Lebanon was peaceful. The intelligence war continues unabated, as the Los Angeles Times reported in a front-page article Sunday, … Continue reading Winning the intelligence war with Hezbollah?

On vegetarianism in the Arab world By Issandr El Amrani I was alerted to Joseph Mayton’s latest piece on vegetarianism in the Arab world — Vegetarianism is not contrary to Arab culture — by Brian Whitaker, who comments further about on the issue in his blog. Both Joey and Brian are vegetarians, and in fact I think Joey is even vegan and certainly very evangelical about his food ethics. I’ve discussed this issue with both of them in the last — only a couple of months ago with Brian in Beirut, as I devoured keba nayeh (spiced raw meat, one of my … Continue reading Vegetarian Arabia

Anwar Al-Awlaki Lectures Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki was born in New Mexico, USA. His parents are from Yemen where he received the early part of his Islamic Education. He has served as an Imam in Colorado, California and Washington DC.He is also the Muslim Chaplain at George Washington University. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University, a M.A. in Education Leadership from San Diego State University and was working on a Doctorate degree in Human Resource Development at George Washington University.Imam Anwar currently resides in Yemen. Imam Anwar is the author of the following series of lectures: … Continue reading Anwar Al-Awlaki Lectures

Abu Bakr al Siddiq : His Life and Times This series of lectures covers the different aspects of the life of Abu Bakr (R.A.), including his life before Islam, during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.), and finally during his Khalifah. CD 1 | CD 2 | CD 3 | CD 4 | CD 5 | CD 6 | CD 7 | CD 8 | CD 9 | CD 10 | CD 11 | CD 12 | CD 13 | CD 14 | CD 15 | Continue reading Abu Bakr al Siddiq

The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Makkan Period) This 16 CD set is an outstanding collection of inspirational talks that introduces the life of Prophet Muhammad, the greatest human being to walk the face of the earth. In these talks, Imam Anwar al-Awlaki, author of the best selling series, The Lives of the Prophets, eloquently presents the Makkan period of the Prophet’s life in a detailed manner, deriving valuable lessons from it and thus making it relevant to our modern times. The series is primarily based on Ibn Kathir’s book on the Sirah. Some of the topics discussed include: The … Continue reading Life of the Prophet Muhammad (with MP3 links)

Plots in Pakistan’s press By Manzoor Ali,  Wearing army fatigues and a red cap, Zaid Hamid is perhaps Pakistan’s best-known television personality. The strategic affairs expert, who coined the term ‘Hindu Zionist’ to describe the hypothetical Indian and Israeli nexus against Pakistan, has become a household name across the country for his conspiracy theories on economic terrorism and Indian-U.S.-Israeli plotting. His Facebook page currently has a following of 66,000, among them students of expensive schools and even pop singers and fashion designers. Whether it is explaining Taliban militancy, Pakistan’s ever-present electricity crisis, Blackwater’s involvement in planning terrorist attacks, or plans … Continue reading Plots against Pakistan

Juhayman’s Sins Nasser Al-Huzeimi: My story with the so-called Mahdi By Khaled Al-Mushawah Published: Saturday 21 November 2009 Updated: Sunday 22 November 2009 Thirty years later, Juhayman’s movement still leaves Saudi and Middle Eastern communities in a state of shock. Accordingly, many have linked modern extremist movements to Juhayman’s thought, while on the other hand many believe that Juhayman was but a man with a naive perception of the state. The Majalla has held an interview with Nasser Al Huezzeimi, the man who refused to pledge allegiance to Al Mahdi and refrained from storming the Holy Mosque. Nasser Al-Huzeimi is … Continue reading Juhayman – Mahdi delusions