Sun 25 July 2021: Twenty years have passed since the US invasion of Afghanistan, President George W Bush’s response to the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, the responsibility for which was laid at the door of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. Bush accused the Taliban government in Kabul of harbouring […]
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Sat 24 July 2021: The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced yesterday that it has regained its observer status at the African Union. Until 2002, the colonial state was an observer member of the Organisation of African Unity, until the latter was dissolved and replaced by the African Union. Who has decided to readmit Israel to the […]
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Tue 20 July 2021: Europe’s identity crisis is not confined to the ceaseless squabbles by Europeans over the EU, Brexit, or football. It goes much deeper, reaching sensitive and dangerous territory, including that of culture and religion. Moreover, once again, Muslims stand at the heart of the continent’s identity debate. Anti-Muslim sentiments are rarely framed […]
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Wed 30 June 2021: The recent Israeli attack on worshippers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque attracted major international attention and condemnation. The resultant military offensive on the largely civilian population in the Gaza Strip killed 250 Palestinians, including women and children, and destroyed homes and infrastructure. Such was the revulsion at the violence inflicted by Israel […]
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Sun 27 June 2021: A longstanding recipient of US military aid, Israel has developed a domestic arms industry and become a key global supplier. Last month, as Israel bombarded the besieged Gaza Strip for the fourth time in 12 years, the United States approved a $735m arms sale to Israel. The approval was criticised by […]
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Wed 23 June 2021: Go along with me on a thought experiment for a few minutes. Imagine that British police forces permitted a crowd of thousands to march through an area of London with a high Jewish population chanting “Death to the Jews” and other similar violently bigoted obscenities. Imagine such a group of racists […]
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Sat 05 June 2021: Elections are generally meant to be competitive affairs, with candidates and political parties vying for the public’s attention over the weeks and months prior to voting. Whilst not all elections are close run affairs, there should be a sense of competition, uncertainty even. When an election is, however, like a football […]
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Wed 26 May 2021: Turkish solidarity with the Palestinian people, especially during Israeli military offensives, is common. The offensives launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip in 2008, 2012 and 2014 saw remarkable Turkish political, popular and media solidarity. The most recent assault led to people taking to the streets in several Turkish cities, especially […]
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Tue 25 May 2020: The Pan-Arab colors are black, white, green and red. Individually, each of the four Pan-Arab colors were intended to represent a certain Arab dynasty, or era. The black was the color of the banner of Muhammad; white was used by the Umayyad Caliphate; green was used by the Fatimid Caliphate; and […]
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Tue 25 May 2021: On 2 October 1187, Ayyubid Sultan Salah Al-Din (known in the West as Saladin) liberated Jerusalem from the Crusaders nearly a century after they captured the holy city from the Fatimid Caliphate What: Saladin’s liberation of Jerusalem Where: Palestine When: 2 October 1187 The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem With a cry of ‘Deus vult!’ […]
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