JERUSALEM: Jerusalem-born Palestinian photojournalist Muhammed Muheisen photographed the funeral of an Israeli soldier during the Second Lebanon War. In one of his photos, soldiers – who may normally appear to the Palestinians as brutish and heartless – were pictured crying and hugging as they mourned the loss of a friend. Muheisen was taken aback by …

My secretary walked in disturbed, saying there was a pig outside who wanted to meet me. “What is so strange about that? I asked. “Pigs come here every day. But this is a real pig, she said. Are there still any real pigs left? Has the government not culled them all? I wondered. I don …

OXFORD, England: Many learned people have stood in this hall and spoken of the values that are shared between the Abrahamic faiths. That is not my purpose today. I want to talk – I hope in a spirit of humility and respect – from my perspective as Foreign Secretary, about the political process of building …

With all the talk of “green shoots of economic recovery, America’s banks are pushing back on efforts to regulate them. While politicians talk about their commitment to regulatory reform to prevent a recurrence of the crisis, this is one area where the devil really is in the details – and the banks will muster what …

CAIRO: It’s official: the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the A H1NI flu pandemic just as Egypt announced its eleventh and twelfth cases, which, by press time Friday had reached 15. In her briefing on Thursday Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO, explained that the virus is entirely new and that …

GENEVA: The debate over the integration of the Muslim community into Swiss society is not new and has long been the subject of considerable political tension. The most recent controversy is no different and has already fuelled a heated discussion on whether the construction of minarets in Switzerland should be banned. The Democratic Union of …

CAMBRIDGE: Public-opinion polls show that citizens in many democracies are unhappy with their leaders. This is particularly true in Great Britain, where a number of members of Parliament have used their housing allowances to enhance their income, sometimes legally and sometimes not. Some analysts predict that only half of Britain’s MPs will be returned in …

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Netanyahu s economic peace plan is not a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it is a step in the right direction. However, an economic peace plan should not merely aim to improve the per capita GDP of Palestinians in the occupied territories. In order to be an effective catalyst for peace, …

PARIS: In each of the 27 states of the European Union, the campaign for the just concluded elections for the European Parliament occurred in an atmosphere of indifference, with voters, candidates, and the media focusing mostly on domestic issues. Perhaps for precisely this reason, the abstention rate (an average of 57 percent), was the highest …

CHICAGO, Illinois: Dystopian predictions of Ray Bradbury in the science-fiction novel “Fahrenheit 451 not withstanding, it turns out that enhancing communication technologies can empower rather than enslave the masses. Indeed, the past century of Iranian history, complete with its revolutions and democracy-building, has been intertwined with the evolution of mass media. The campaign for the …

To provide some practical suggestions, it is necessary to break down the Israeli settlers movement into its three basic constituencies. In doing so, some interim solutions can realistically be made to satisfy the American demands, meet the Palestinian and Arab requirements for resuming negotiations, and to provide Netanyahu with a face saving way out that …

PRINCETON: Now that the economic crisis looks less threatening (at least for the moment), and forecasters are spying “green shoots of recovery, an ever more encompassing blame game is unfolding. The financial crisis provides an apparently endless opportunity for unmasking deceit, malfeasance, and corruption. But we are not sure quite who and what should be …

Amidst the whirlwind of activity surrounding President Obama s diplomatic efforts to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict, one issue has stood out among others as particularly contentious. The renewed statements by President Obama, Secretary Clinton and the rest of the US administration on ending Israeli settlement activity has caused considerable discord on how to find common …

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s voters have handed a clear defeat to the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance. In a smoothly run and peaceful election, the pro-Western March 14 alliance emerged with a clear majority of 71 seats, compared to 58 seats for its rivals. The results elicited a nearly audible sigh of relief from Arab capitals, as well …

After treading the red carpet at the Oscars in Los Angeles in February, the child stars of “Slumdog Millionaire are on the streets: Mumbai authorities have demolished their flimsy shelters only three months after promising them real houses. Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Rubina Ali Qureshi are just two of some 60 million slum-dwellers in India …

TEHRAN: Iranians will go to the polls on June 12 to elect a new president. While some argue that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election is a foregone conclusion, the outcome is, in fact, not at all clear. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly said in public settings that he will not declare his preference …

JERUSALEM: This past Sunday, Jerusalem celebrated the opening day of “Education Transcends Walls , a week-long focus on education in honor of Jerusalem Day – the Israeli anniversary of the “reunification of the city following the 1967 war. The event featured a wide array of performances, concerts and panels discussing and honoring the achievements and …

CHICAGO, Illinois: Islam and the Muslim world have both become critically important in the national and international affairs of America. The lack of American Islamic scholars creates a barrier to properly understanding Islam and its relationship to modern American society. Twenty years ago, it was enough for medical doctors and engineers doubling as mosque presidents …

CAMBRIDGE: Although the American economy is continuing to decline, it is no longer falling as fast as it was at the beginning of the year or in the weeks after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. In that sense, it is reasonable to say that the worst of the downturn is now probably …

AMMAN: The main conclusion emerging from the Obama-Abbas meeting last week is that the United States continues to be dead serious about its demand that Israel immediately freeze all settlement activities. Considering all the hot button topics, some might argue that issues of withdrawal, Jerusalem, and the Palestinian right of return, ought to be much …

I decided not to attend Obama’s address at Cairo University, because the invitation I received stipulated very clearly: “Please limit personal items. For security reasons, do not bring bags. Signs and banners are not permitted. Now it so happens that these were the very the things I had intended to take with me to the …

NEW YORK: President Barack Obama has extended an open hand of friendship in his landmark Cairo speech to the Muslim world – seeking to engage Muslims with a commitment of mutual respect. No one can doubt his sincerity. From his first days in office, he has emphasized the importance of embarking on a new chapter …

It was at Cairo University s Festival Hall that the great diva of Egyptian song, Um Kulthoum, held her greatest concert triumphs in the 1950s and 1960s. In the hall with a massive beige dome that made it look like an elegant concert hall or even opera house, she moved educated, influential Egyptian men and …

CAIRO: Under the majestic dome of Cairo University’s grand hall on Thursday, US President Barack Obama’s gave his uplifting address to the Muslim world, meeting heightened expectations and his own aims. No doubt Obama’s main objective was to improve the image and perception of the US in Muslim-majority countries and among the American-Muslim community, which …

NEW YORK: It is a chilling thought that exactly twenty years after the “Tiananmen Massacre few young citizens of the People’s Republic of China have much idea of what happened on that occasion. Many unarmed Chinese citizens were killed by People’s Liberation Army troops on June 4, 1989, not only in the vicinity of Tiananmen …

WASHINGTON, DC: Since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005, US policy toward Lebanon has evolved into a robust one whose mantra – a sovereign and independent Lebanon – is now the cornerstone of the US-Lebanon relationship. This policy has translated into tangible levels of support for state institutions that potentially can …

Judging by the standing ovation President Barack Obama received when he reached out to the Muslim world at Cairo University, his words have been accepted as balm on hurt wounds. Towards the religion of Islam he was respectful: “I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the …

NEW YORK: US President Barack Obama is being criticized for choosing Cairo as the venue for his speech to the Muslim world. According to some human rights and pro-democracy activists, this validates autocratic governance in general and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak s regime in particular. Yet, where would these critics suggest he give his speech? …

WASHINGTON, DC: Anti-Americanism was and still is like a religion within Muslim societies, starting over six decades ago with the unlimited American support for Israel and selective authoritarian regimes, and continuing due to the military intervention in two Muslim countries. Conspiracy theories flourished within Muslim societies regarding the United States, but the 2008 presidential campaign …

I believe that the only benefit of Obama’s visit to Egypt is in choosing Cairo University as the venue from which to reach out to the Muslim world. The world will watch as global media put Cairo University in the spotlight. The university has suffered from negligence over the past three decades; the last important …