The latest election in Indonesia was not about radical Islam triumphing over pluralism.
Jakarta’s Election and Alternatives to US Policy Towards Muslims
read more
Religion
The War Over Blasphemy
Some countries are getting rid of outdated blasphemy laws, while others are ramping up persecutions.
What We Get Wrong about Religious Violence
Ignoring religion’s role in radicalization means we’re not attending to the needs of those most at risk of joining extremist groups.
Self-Immolations in Tibet
Western China’s Sichuan province, where most ethnic Tibetans reside, has recently become the epicenter of more than two dozen self-immolations by Buddhist monks, nuns, and lay Tibetans. These protests against the policies of the Communist regime in the region not only has stunned exiled Tibetans but has also shocked the world community. The latest self-immolation came on March 17when a 44-year-old Tibetan farmer set himself on fire in northwestern Qinghai province. There have now been 30 self-immolations since February 27.
Running Against Islam
Every political season has its hot-button issues. There’s race, abortion, lunar colonies. But the hottest hot-button issue these days, judging from comments by Republican presidential hopefuls as well as what happened during the 2010 mid-term elections, is Islam.
Nigeria’s Perfect Storm
Nigeria is facing a perfect storm of crises including a national strike, widespread protests, and sectarian violence in the north. Although the strikes, attacks, and protests raise the specter of another civil war in Africa’s biggest oil producer, the United States and the international community should avoid aggravating the situation by seeming to encourage a military solution.
Cuba’s Culture of Dissent
When the Cuban government released a number of dissidents earlier this year, human rights groups applauded the decision. But critics also took the occasion to paint Cuba once again as a society where a single word of criticism gets you shipped off to a dungeon, from which you will never return, reduced to being a statistic in an Amnesty International report. This belief may contain a kernel of truth. But in many ways it provides a cartoon version of Cuba, one that misses altogether the texture and reality of Cuban life, particularly its politics and its culture of dissent. And there is a culture of dissent.
Interview with Arthur Waskow
Arthur Waskow is a rabbi who founded and directs The Shalom Center in Philadelphia, a prophetic voice in Jewish, multireligious, and American life. He is the co-author of The Tent of Abraham and Freedom Journeys: The Tale of Exodus and Wilderness Across Millennia. He was also a resident fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies from 1963 to 1977. As part of our special focus on Islamophobia, he talks here with Foreign Policy In Focus about how to counter Islamophobia through interfaith dialogue and the religious tradition.
Interview with Farid Panjwani
In our special focus on Islamophobia, Farid Panjwani talks about the relationship between religion and citizenship, the impact of Sharia law, and the role of Muslim faith schools.
Interview with John Esposito
In a new special focus on Islamophobia, Foreign Policy In Focus interviews prolific author and professor John Esposito about prevailing political and media myths about Muslims and the Muslim world.