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Climates of the Muslim World

I have nothing against military dictatorships if they happen to be installed in one of the most unstable and fragile flashpoint countries in the world such as Pakistan. During his tenure as President of Pakistan. Pervez Musharraf has done and said the right things. He has been very critical of the extremist elements in Pakistani society and seems intent on seeing a modern and tolerant Pakistan take root. He is fighting an uphill battle against the MMA, while he tackles education reform, closes madrassas, and tries to reign in boombastic imams. He has had to deal with secretarian violence and…

The Magic Bullet [Updated]

I believe that many of the issues facing the Muslim world revolve around questions of using intellect, and I believe intellect can only be exercised in an environment where knowledge is freely available and given. I believe education – not indoctrination passing itself off as the highest of human endeavors – is the basis for any level of positive discourse in the ummah. The Arab Human Development Report published last year came to similar conclusions, and the indication is that this year’s report will come to similar conclusions. If you look at what we call the “golden” periods of Islamic…

Gaza and Obama

Haroon says Obama is silent, and that’s bad. MJ Rosenberg says Obama is silent, and that’s good. As a matter of political principle, as painful as it is for me to say it, Obama must be silent. He is absolutely correct; with three weeks before his inauguration the US cannot be seen as speaking with a forked tongue. Bush is absolutely, 100% wrong now, as he has been on most of his Israel policy. It’s been bad for Israel, it’s been bad for Palestinians, and it’s been bad for the US. However, we must respect the Office of the President,…