International Political Will

Going by FOX News and their cadre of extremist Judeo-Christian ideologues that pose as “journalists” (Bill Kristol, Sarah Palin, Karl Rove, et. al.), one might believe certain myths are true:

Islam is a violent religion.
Muslims are terrorists (but not Joe Stack).

Isolated in the U.S., where contact with Muslims is rare (or non-existent), it’s difficult to find [...]

Part of the reason I like political comedians, like Jon Stewart or Bill Maher, is because they often use humor to expose truths.
Bill Maher’s documentary Religulous looks at extremism and its literal interpretations of scripture. He clearly is attempting to get viewers to reevaluate their beliefs and abandon religious extremism. Maher bemoans religion as unfounded [...]

I wonder how that appeasement tastes to Obama right about now.
First he boldly proclaims the US demands a freeze of Israeli settlements. Netanyahu and the Israeli right-wing tell the U.S. president to go f**k himself.

In only a matter of weeks, Obama bends over on the Israeli settlement issue and lets Netanyahu have his way with [...]

Foolishly, for years I assumed “globalization” meant the spread of ideas, commerce, communication, and interaction between people around the world. I thought the shared experience of movies, fashion, and eventually language could overcome cultural and religious differences. I believed that it signaled a new era for mankind – that people would have friends in different [...]

If ever there was a symbol of the conflict between female education and tradition in Central and South Asia, this was it.
One of my students from the slums of Mumbai (where full black burqas are not uncommon), 15-year-old “Sally” takes the train to school everyday. Her parents had no idea that she was secretly meeting [...]