Since Islam is predicated on law, variations in the interpretation of that law – along with geography and distinct legal schools – have all contributed to differences in the religion.
On February 11 a Syrian ceasefire was signed in Munich. Few are optimistic it will hold. Why? Because, argues one Middle Eastern scholar, world leaders are ignoring key realities.
Western commentators tend to see ISIS and al-Qaida attacks as fueled by ideology. But in Africa, such attacks are more often turf wars in the illicit drug trade.
The unfolding information about the Zika virus and saddening images of babies infected with microcephaly should really scare us all. The disease has spread “explosively” throughout the Americas, with 32…
Researchers are making 3D scans, architectural plans and detailed photographic records of cultural heritage sites around the world, knowing they could be destroyed at any time.
Turkey is the one of the U.S.’s most important allies in the Mideast, but recent actions such as the downing of a Russian fighter raise important questions about its reliability as a partner.
Australia has again failed to secure an invitation to a meeting of the International Syria Support Group that is trying to find a political solution to the conflict.
Thomas Jefferson would disagree with Trump’s call to bar one religious group from entering the country. But that’s not to say that Trump’s idea isn’t anything new in American history.
Winston Churchill famously suggested that: You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else. Speaking with his characteristic mix of the compassionate and cerebral…
To save mankind from the scourge of war… These eight words drawn from the preamble to the Charter of the United Nations have been ringing in my head for the past week. Most believe that they were penned…
The downing of Russia’s plane by Turkish military forces over the skies of the Syrian-Turkish border has added yet another layer of complexity to the vortex of conflict in the Middle East. Most of the…