Samina Yasmeen, The University of Western Australia Tensions between former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and the current coalition government are coming to a head. Khan made a speech in the northern city of Rawalpindi near Islamabad on Sunday, August … Continue reading What’s the dispute between Imran Khan and the Pakistan government about?
Elaine Unterhalter, UCL In August 2021 the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, and since then secondary education for girls in the country has been banned. However, there have been reports of clandestine girls’ schools operating despite the ban. Teenage girls … Continue reading The history of secret education for girls in Afghanistan – and its use as a political symbol
Mathew Guest, Durham University This autumn’s Brazilian presidential election offers a glimpse of how 21st century populist leaders are using religion to enthuse their support base. The incumbent, right-wing firebrand Jair Bolsonaro, rose to power in 2018 with support from … Continue reading Brazil: how populist politicians use religion to help them win
Haroro J. Ingram, George Washington University; Amira Jadoon, United States Military Academy West Point, and Andrew Mines, George Washington University An overnight raid conducted by U.S. special forces in Syria has resulted in the death of the leader of the … Continue reading Islamic State leader killed in US raid – where does this leave the terrorist group?
Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University A Sri Lankan working in Pakistan, Priyantha Kumara, was lynched by a mob of hundreds of people on Dec. 3, 2021, over allegations of blasphemy, or sacrilegious act. After being assaulted, he was … Continue reading Understanding the history and politics behind Pakistan’s blasphemy laws
Kambaiz Rafi, UCL and Scott Lucas, University of Birmingham In late August 2021, the US completed its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year occupation. The Taliban retook the country with shocking speed. The Islamic fundamentalist political group was … Continue reading What’s next for Afghanistan? Two experts make predictions
Sippi Azarbaijani Moghaddam, University of St Andrews It was April 1995, and I was preparing to travel to Afghanistan for my first volunteer post with a UK charity. I had travelled to London to meet the Afghanistan director for the … Continue reading What my 20 years in Afghanistan taught me about the Taliban – and how the west consistently underestimates them
M Niaz Asadullah, University of Malaya Sejak Taliban kembali berkuasa, ada kecemasan dari berbagai pihak bahwa masyarakat Afganistan akan mengalami “Islamisasi” – termasuk sektor pendidikan. Banyak orang khawatir bahwa sekolah-sekolah akan ditutup atau perempuan tidak diizinkan bersekolah. Hal ini dapat … Continue reading Taliban bisa belajar dari sistem madrasah di Indonesia untuk memperluas akses sekolah bagi perempuan di Afganistan
Hossam Metwally case: how exorcism can become a cover for domestic abuse Helen Hall, Nottingham Trent University The sentencing of Hossam Metwally for poisoning his partner, Kelly Wilson, in a series of “exorcisms” was always likely to attract attention. The former … Continue reading How exorcism can become a cover for domestic abuse
Jeremy Stoddard, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Diana Hess, University of Wisconsin-Madison The phrase “Never Forget” is often associated with the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But what does this phrase mean for U.S. students who are too young to … Continue reading What schools teach about 9/11 and the war on terror
Mohammed Abbasi 