The contrasts between different varieties of Islam, and Islamism, are not trivial—either in their teachings or the behaviour they inspire. The western world needs to know about them, if only to know which outcomes and shifts of policy are conceivable, and which are not. But woe betide any western strategist who thinks the problems of the Muslim world can b […].
Themes 1037
Islam and Power
There is a tension in the Islamic world between the desire for democracy and a respect for liberty. (It is a tension that once raged in the West and still exists in pockets today.) This is most apparent in the ongoing fury over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a small Danish newspaper. The cartoons were offensive and needlessly provoc […].
The Key To Arab Reform: Moderate Islamists
Before any significant political reform can take place in the Arab world, the United States and Europe need to begin engaging moderate Islamists, an action less thorny than it might seem because Islamists have embraced democratic procedures and have shown a strong commitment to the rule of law. For a long time Arab regimes have frightened the United States […].
Towards A New Islamic Discourse
Islam is portrayed sometimes as if it were a monolithic or uni-dimensional entity. Islam is undoubtedly the faith of transcendental monotheism , the belief in Allah (the one and only God), who transcends both man and nature. But monotheism does not lead to monism (the metaphysical doctrine that existence is a whole and one); on the contrary, it leads to pl […].
Democracy, Justice, Fundamentalism and Religious Intellectualism
An interview with Abdulkarim Soroush* by Ali Asghar Seyyedabadi Q. Let’s start the discussion with the [June 2005] presidential elections if you don’t mind. The outcome can be linked on two counts to issues of interest to you: one is the question of justice, since some people believe that the government that emerged from the elections is a product of the […].
Wary of Dissent, Tunisia Makes War on the Web
TUNIS — Lawyer Mohammed Abou wrote sharply about politics in a country where criticism of the government is generally dulled. His outlet was the Internet, the only venue available to politically combative Tunisians, provided they can get around electronic censorship. […].
Social, Religious & Political Dimensions of Prejudice: Reflection of a Muslim (I)
Who am I? Where do I come from? In two sentences, I am a South African Muslim male from an impoverished working class background who was reared in a gang-infested area by a single parent. Many of our neighbours were Christians and the debt collectors – of which there were always many – were invariably Jewish. Who am I? Where do I come from? In two senten […].
Islamic Civilization in Globalization: From Islamic futures to a Postwestern civilization
Abstract: Islam can be seen as a counter discourse to globalization, to the expansion of economic space and the fulfillment of the dreams of the social darwinists. However, even as Islam attempts to create new possibilities for globalism, national politics doom it to a politics of reaction, of reducing diversity and innovation. This is especially perilou […].
The Problem With Coercive Democratization
In a rare display of solidarity, Islamist and secular nationalist opposition leaders have joined forces with governments officials to denounce the U.S. democracy initiative as a blatant case of foreign intervention into the affairs of sovereign Arab states. […].
Panique, manipulation et valse médiatique
Le mardi 1er novembre 2005 à 23h 26, Decepticus poste sur le forum de Nawaat la transcription de la séquence du journal télévisé consacrée à la grève de la faim. Dans sa minutie, Décepticus poste la source de cette transcription : http://www.infotunisie.com/2005/11/011105-4.html Le lendemain, mercredi 2 novembre 2005, l’intégralité des propos du présent […].
Communiqué de presse du 1er novembre 2005 – بيــان غـرّة نوفمبر
و في سياق تكثيف حملة “حريّة التعبير في حِداد” مع اقتراب انعقاد مؤتمر القمة العالمي لمجتمع المعلومات ينشر منشطي “يزّي” سلسلة أولى من أشرطة الفيديو الرامية إلى لفت إنتباه الرأي العام لخطورة أوضاع الحريات في البلد المضيف للقمة تونس. Et afin d’appuyer et d’intensifier la campagne « La liberté d’expression en deuil », les animateurs de Yezzi.org diffu […].
Use the information summit to pressure the Tunisian authorities
The choice of Tunisia to host the November 16-18 second World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) has provoked much controversy. The idea behind the summit is to bridge the gap between rich and poor countries in a field that has proven to be one of the focal points of present and future progress. Tunisia, however, excels neither in informatics and rel […].
إضراب جوع – grève de la faim – Hunger strike
وإزاء هذا الوضع قررنا نحن ممثلي الأحزاب السياسية و الهيئات المدنية الممضين أسفله الدخول في إضراب جوع مفتوح بداية من يوم الثلاثاء 18 أكتوبر 2005 Pour exprimer leur refus de l’arbitraire et exiger le respect des droits politiques et humains du peuple tunisien, les signataires de cet appel, représentants d’associations de la société civile et de partis polit […].
Tunisians Launch Their Own Version of Kifaya
“Fock !” – yes, do a double-take. It’s a transliterated four-letter word, but not what you first think. “Fock” is part of the new online protest of Tunisians fed up with the censorship imposed by the regime of Zinedine Ben Ali (for background on the man whose ruled since when Ronald Reagan was still in office, see “Stamp of Myself” and “Ben Ali Family Valu […].
Tunisian Activists to Ben Ali : Enough !
Right now there’s an extraordinary online protest coming out of Tunisia. The website, Yezzi.org, is a collection of photos of Tunisians holding up signs in various languages, each with a message directed to Tunisian President Ben Ali. Though the phrase they use, “Yezzi, Fock !,” may appear to be a misguided attempt to curse out a certain swear word in the […].
Freedom of expression in mourning
Since we are physically unable to demonstrate within Tunisian public spaces, we will use the internet to organize permanent virtual demonstrations in order to express our total disapproval with the Tunisian dictatorial regime. À défaut de pouvoir manifester physiquement au sein des espaces publics tunisiens, nous mettons à profit l’espace que nous permet […].
Deterioration of rights situation in Tunisia
Tunisia is currently in the limelight of freedom of expression and other human rights groups as the country controversially is to organise the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) on 15-18 November. The decision to hold the summit in Tunis has been termed scandalous since Tunisian authorities prohibit any free circulation of information. […].
Globalized Islam
Muslims, like other immigrants, have come to the West in search of better economic opportunities. But are they bound to clash with their Western counterparts ? In this Globalist Interview, Olivier Roy — author of “Globalized Islam : The Search For a New Ummah” — explains that, due to globalization, these two groups actually have much more in common today t […].
