I am impressed that Afghanistan has managed to create a new constitution. I haven’t had a chance to get my hands on it, but I wonder how different it is from the 1964 constitution, which was the last functioning one in the country. I think settling the language issue is key, as it is one of the markers of ethnicity, and one of the big dividing forces in the country. How the Hazaras will be treated is still an open question, as is the role women will play. As the BBC article correctly notes, the country still lacks the rule of law and the warlords and Taliban hold a great deal of power. I think the presidential model is a good one for now, and may turn out to be a good choice in the long run if a truly multi-party state develops. I would have like to have seen more flexibility in the ability to transition to a parliamentary style of government by building in evaluation time points. Overall, it’s a good and important first step towards stabilizing the country.
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New Books added
A few new books added to our sidebar items. One is on mystical poetry and symbolism in Islamic literatures, by Annemarie Schimmel. Another is a theoretical framework for understanding some of the issues plaguing Muslim majority societies. It covers a wide-range of disciplines including religion, economics and history. The newest one is a discussion of the stories of Joseph/Yusuf found in the Hebrew Bible and in the Qur’an.
Alls Quiet on the Western Front
Today is a slow news day. There is not too much to speak about, either that or I have to admit that I am just lazy. Here is article that would not be so interesting but for the fact that it comes out of Saudi Arabia " Another imam renounces his support for terrorists" I wonder what kind of torture this imam had to endure to change his mind. The dreaded Saudi Police probably threatened to shave him and have him acknowledge a woman. Not to be outdone in the reformation, Pakistan too, gets into the act Ulema to be…
IIA Conference – Construction of the Other Panel
Here are my notes from the Construction of the Other Panel. Please keep in mind that this is a stream of consciousness capture of my interpretation of what they had to say. (sorry for the terrible formatting – no time to fix it right now)