Bright moments in the Dark Ages If “1001 Inventions” does nothing else, it teaches that “Dark Ages” is a misguided moniker. The period between the seventh century and the Renaissance was, in fact, a time of explosive creativity in the expansive Muslim world, which stretched from Spain to China. The breakthroughs in science, math, astrology…
Obama, once a critic of the state secrets doctrine, has invoked it repeatedly. But critics say his latest use of Bush’s favorite get-out-of-court-free card is different. The state secrets privilege—perhaps the most powerful weapon in the government’s legal arsenal—has a complicated history. For years, Democrats, including then-Sen. Barack Obama, accused the Bush administration of overusing…
The Good Muslim A Novel Tahmima Anam Maya Haque is one of the century’s most interesting characters: prickly, passionate, tender, selfless, headstrong, devoted, belligerent, idealistic, naive, wise. “The Good Muslim” is Maya’s story, rooted in her devotion to nation and family and particularly to her brother, the tormented Sohail Haque. “The Good Muslim” brims with…
14 August 2008 The New York Times provides a profile of Dutch multiculturalism and anti-Islam sentiment this week. In the wake of the tragedy in Norway and the sympathies killer Anders Behring Breivik with the anti-immigrant right in the Netherlands, attention has focused on “the sometimes violent European backlash against Islam and its challenge…
16 August 2011 The Utrecht Court of Appeals has determined that the Netherlands cannot require Turkish immigrants to undergo integration courses. The appeal follows a 2007 ruling that all immigrants must successfully complete integration courses, a decision which has been decided conflicts with an EU treaty which includes a statement disallowing discrimination between Turks…
