Students at the University of Sheffield have donated four tonnes of goods to city charities. As...
page
Why Recent Graduates Should Join Code for America
page
Sympathy for the dodgy salesmen of Australian politics
page
Babel Rising
page
T.C. Boyle: Incorporating Environmentalism in Art
page
The Stone Roses confirm all planned shows to go ahead after Ian Brown calls Reni a 'c**t' onstage
How Al Qaeda Spins America's Image Abroad
Reza Aslan, religion scholar and Middle East Analyst, discusses how al Qaeda and related terrorist groups use the idea of "jihad" to distort the image of the United States in the eyes of global muslims.

Reza Aslan is a writer and scholar of religions. Born in Iran, he is currently a research associate at the University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy. He was a visiting assistant professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Iowa and the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction at the Iowa Writer's Workshop. A frequent media commentator, he is a graduate of Santa Clara University, Harvard University and the University of Iowa. He is the author of No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam and How to Win a Cosmic War: Why We're Losing the War on Terror, forthcoming in 2008

Aslan is speaking at the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival.
Share |
blog comments powered by Disqus

Tags

 

Related Articles

Dear America - From Osama Bin Laden
12 sep  |  Your information media, during the first years of the war, lost its credibility and manifested itself as a tool of the colonialist empires, and its condition has often been worse than the condition of the media of the dictatorial regimes which march in the caravan of the single leader. Bush talks about working with al-Maliki and his government to spread freedom in Iraq but he in fact is working with the leaders of one sect against another sect, in the belief that this will quickly decide the war in his favor. And thus, what is called the civil war came into being and matters worsened at his hands before getting out of his control and him becoming like the one who plows and sows the sea: he harvests nothing but failure...

In answer to the question about the causes of the Democrats' failure to stop the war, I say: they are the same reasons which led to the failure of former President Kennedy to stop the Vietnam war. Those with real power and influence are those with the most capital. And since the democratic system permits major corporations to back candidates, be they presidential or congressional, there shouldn't be any cause for astonishment - and there isn't any - in the Democrats' failure to stop the war. You're the ones who have the saying which goes, "Money talks."

[An extract from the latest Osama bin Laden video, which some claim to be a forgery] . . read more

Fatwa for a Swedish Cartoon
27 sep  |  A newspaper editor in Sweden has had a fatwa issued against him by Al Qaeda in Iraq after he published controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. The editor says he acted for freedom of speech. . . read more
Finally, Drink Recipes For Your "Osama Is Dead Party"
7 may  |  Finally, Drink Recipes For Your "Osama Is Dead Party" . . read more
South Park predicted Osama's death
3 may  |  The genius of the creators of South Park apparently knows no bounds, with them even possessing scary psychic abilities. Yes, it is official, South Park predicted to a tee Osama's death years ago - even knowing that he would be shot in the head by a Navy SEAL dropping from the sky. Amazing.

Should Matt Stone and Trey Parker join America's counter-terrorism forces or just stay in the business of state endorsed psychic predictions? Tell us and remember....Disqus!   . . read more

War on Terror or War on Islam?
3 oct  |  Somali-born author, feminist and former Dutch Parliament member Ayaan Hirsi Ali argues that America's "War on Terror" should more accurately be called a "War on Islam."  . . read more
War on Terror Becomes Laughable
29 oct  |  Is there NOTHING that Al Qaeda won't do? Are they really to blame for EVERY incompetent and malicious act? It seems that U.S. Republicans have become delusional in their persuit of convincing the World of the Enemy.  . . read more
A Volcano of Lies
9 may  |  A Volcano of Lies . . read more
President speaks on Osama bin Laden's death
2 may  |  Here President Obama announces the death of Osama bin Laden. These words and images will be seen again and again forever - similar as Obama describes when he said that "the images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory".

What do you think of Obama's statement? Will it stand the test of time and is it appropriate for the historical significance of the moment? Tell us and remember...Disqus!
 . . read more

Voices for Creative Non-Violence
3 dec  |  Voices for Creative Non-Violence . . read more
Laden's SEALs need hiding, Facebook knows what to do
13 may  |  By Stephen Myles

Today it has been announced by Defense-Secretary Robert Gates that security is being stepped up to protect the Navy SEALs who killed Osama Bin Laden.

The challenge has been picked up by Facebook who assures them that if they get an account with them that their privacy will be assured, as opposed to Google who Facebook tells us leaks information to the authorities. 

Julian Assange has told us that Facebook is actually the bad guy and that when WikiLeaks gets the identities of the SEALs he'll reveal them immediately, along with the identity of Santa which he says he's been sitting on for months.

A spokesmen from the Navy said that the SEALs "were as happy as Mel Gibson who is apparently back in the 'beaver', and that they just wanted more fish and places to frolic".

If you were a SEAL where would you hide from terrorists? Tell us and remember...Disqus!  . . read more

blogs   100words
student
student
 
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY!
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." -- Ronald Reagan (1986)