by: Jim McCluskey, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed (Photo: VA Comm / Flickr) War has been problematic since Roman times, especially after the rise of Christianity. “Thou shalt not kill” did not seem to leave much wiggle room. Yet, it was recognized that people have a right to defend themselves when under lethal attack. Saint Augustine suggested a solution in his theory of a Just War. This was developed by St. Thomas Aquinas in the Middle Ages and his tenets for a Just War have been more or less accepted every since by those who concern … Continue reading A Just War?

Reports of a Stalinist revival have been exaggerated Coverage suggesting Russia and Ukraine are nostalgic for Stalinism reveals the media’s reliance on tired surface imagery Colin Graham guardian.co.uk Media reports suggesting Russia and the Ukraine are nostalgic for Stalinism merely fall back on easy-to-reach conclusions. Photograph: Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters Stalin, or Stalinism, whichever you prefer, is back in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, it would appear. During the past few weeks, the Russian and Ukrainian press haven’t been able to put the brutal dictator’s name down. Much of this commentary and reporting has been related to the … Continue reading Stalinist revival?

Theology – truly a naked emperor In the words of Robert A Heinlein, ‘Theology … is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn’t there’ Terry Sanderson guardian.co.uk The question: What is theology? In my work as president of the National Secular Society I sometimes receive manuscripts from people who have come up with what they imagine is the definitive refutation of Christian claims. “Publish this,” they say, “and Christianity will end within a year!” (See here for an example.) I find these turgid tomes no more convincing than the ones that they seek to … Continue reading Theology – a naked emperor?

The balance of freedom Religious freedom is becoming ever-more hotly-debated. Where should we draw the line between rights and responsibilities? Inayat Bunglawala guardian.co.uk I was invited by the public theology think tank, Theos, to take part in a panel discussion at the Commonwealth Club in London on Tuesday night entitled “How much religious liberty can a liberal society afford?”. The event was arranged on the back of the publication in March of a new Theos report “Free to believe? Religious freedom in a liberal society”, which argues that while religious freedoms are an “essential and fundamental” part of our democratic … Continue reading Religious freedom is becoming ever-more hotly-debated

dawn.com Obama’s revised approach is expected to implicitly repudiate the 2002 “Bush Doctrine” asserting the right to wage pre-emptive war against countries and terrorist groups deemed a threat to the United States. –Photo by AP WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s new national security doctrine will make clear that the United States does not consider itself to be at war with Islam, a top adviser said on Wednesday, reports Reuters. The White House on Thursday plans to roll out Obama’s first formal declaration of national security goals, which are expected to deviate sharply from the go-at-it-alone approach of the Bush era that … Continue reading Obama’s doctrine to make clear no war on Islam

Read and burn by Nadeem F. Paracha A rundown of books we can expect to see on our shelves in coming years… Solved! The BB Assassination By Liver Stone According to this fantastic new book on the enigmatic Benazir Bhutto assassination, famous Hollywood director, ISI spy, and Musharraf fan, Liver Stone, proves that the former Pakistani PM was killed by a 2.2 air rifle pellet that was fired from the third floor of a paan shop in Siberia in the former Soviet Union in 1962. The pellet then traveled for many years across Europe and Central America and hit BB … Continue reading Great Books coming out soon!

Fazlullah reportedly killed in clash: Afghan police dawn.com “Maulvi Fazlullah was killed in direct clash with Afghan border police…last night,” said Mohammad Zaman Mamozai, chief of the Afghan border force for the eastern region. — File Photo by AP ASADABAD: A top leader of Pakistan’s Taliban may have been killed in a clash with Afghan forces near the border, a senior Afghan police officer said on Thursday. Maulvi Fazlullah, the head of a Taliban faction in the Swat Valley, was reportedly killed along with six of his comrades in the Barg Matal district of Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, which lies close … Continue reading Mullah Fazlullah DEAD?

 <!– Posted أبريل 29th, 2010 by saeedhassan –> <!– in page 26 الاولى جريدة المدينة مقالات ليوم –> الجمعة, 30 أبريل 2010 الاميرة بسمة بنت سعود بن عبد العزيز بحثت وبحثت في أروقة صفحات التاريخ، وبين كتب السيرة النبوية وفي سير الصحابة والتابعين، فلم أجد مسمى هيئة الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر، ولم أجد لها ذكرا إلا في القرآن الكريم عامة للناس أجمعين، «الآمرين بالمعروف والناهين عن المنكر» وهذا مصطلح عام يأمر به الله كافة المسلمين، الأمر بالمعروف وهنا أتوقف عند كلمة المعروف، ما هو تفسير القرآن واللغة العربية للمعروف: هي كلمة تدل على الرقة واللطافة والحوار بشتى أنواع … Continue reading التاريخ والهيئة والمصداقية

Pakistan’s antisocial networking To oppose the Facebook ban in Pakistan is to be accused of blasphemy by the rabble-rousing right Kamila Shamsie guardian.co.uk, Have they not heard the phrase “going viral”? That was my first response to hearing that the Lahore high court had placed a temporary ban on Facebook in response to its Everybody Draw Mohammad Day! page. Sure enough, the ban brought the page to the attention of millions, and – as some found ways around it and others uploaded the offending images on alternative sites – led to a subsequent ban on BlackBerry services, proxy servers, YouTube … Continue reading Are Mullahs on Facebook Haraam?