Islam Archives - Page 7 of 25 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Fear of an Islamic Planet

by John Feffer | Oct 4, 2011

It’s easy to make fun of Michele Bachmann: her history gaffes, her Christian extremism, her ludicrous political positions. Journalists, though, would be sad to see her leave the Republican primary race, since she can be reliably counted on to make an outrageous statement to enliven a slow news day. Last week, for instance, she blamed the Arab Spring on the Obama administration. “You want to know why we have an Arab Spring?” she asked her audience at a Republican Party fundraiser in New Hampshire. “Barack Obama has laid the table for an Arab Spring by demonstrating weakness from the United States of America.”

Bin Laden’s Gift to Islam: Giving Muslims Religious License to Kill Each Other

by Russ Wellen | Sep 29, 2011

Muslim soldiers, security officers, and government officials who support a tyrannical regime or an occupying force are legitimate targets for al Qaeda.

Probing for Soft Spots in a Terrorist’s Irrational Armor

by Russ Wellen | Sep 20, 2011

Are yet more infringements on civil liberties required to deter terrorists?

Christian and Muslim Extremists: Power-Mad Brothers Under the Skin

by Paul Mutter | Sep 6, 2011

About the only difference between the Islamist far-right and the Christian (and Jewish) far-right is the tone.

9/11 is No Excuse for Bashing Muslims

by J. Richard Cohen | Sep 5, 2011

On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we’ll be transfixed once more by images of the planes ramming into the World Trade Center and people, caught in the flames, leaping to their deaths. We’ll see pictures of the burning Pentagon and hear stories of the heroic firefighters and police officers who sacrificed their lives to save others.

Al-Qaeda Lost the Battle Long Ago

by John Feffer | Sep 5, 2011

Osama bin Laden didn’t live to see the 10^th anniversary of September 11. And his organization, according to many U.S. government insiders, is on its last legs since his death at the hands of U.S. Special Forces in May. “We’re within reach of strategically defeating al-Qaeda,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently observed. Others disagree, pointing to the strength of al-Qaeda in Yemen.

Islamophobia’s Poisoned Wellsprings

by Russ Wellen | Aug 29, 2011

The right has been conducting a campaign with deep pockets to instill fear and hatred of Islam in Americans.

Islamophobes Insinuate Their Way Into U.S. Intelligence

by Paul Mutter | Aug 1, 2011

Nonprofit groups and former intelligence analysts – most of whom have zero to no training in Islamic matters – have been raking in millions of dollars from their work outlining the supposed “Islamic” threat to America.

Norway: The Enemy Within

by John Feffer | Jul 26, 2011

Scandinavians have a dual reputation for tolerance and homogeneity: a population of pale, polite people who speak English perfectly. But that’s your grandfather’s Scandinavia. Over the last several decades, the region has become a great deal more diverse after a steady influx of immigrants from the east and south. And the tolerance has become considerably frayed with the more recent rise of several right-wing xenophobic parties.

Pepsi, Pot, Porn…and Politics

by Fouad Pervez | Jun 8, 2011

News sources have recently reported on an interesting assortment of materials at Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound. Not only was bin Laden living far from any cave on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, his house apparently had a large supply of Pepsi and Coke (inexplicably, Pakola wasn’t good enough), a significant stash of pornography, and marijuana plants on the property.