C L O S E R

Wetenschap in de media: wiskunde

Posted on July 31st, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Soms is het lekker zeuren hoe media omgaan met wetenschappelijk onderzoek. Nu is moslims en islam een onderwerp dat het altijd wel goed doet, maar een mooi ander onderwerp is ook de wiskundekwaliteiten van meisjes. Nu wisten de media recent te melden dat Meisjes even goed zijn in wiskunde als jongens. Doet het altijd goed. Het haakt aan bij de ‘koude-grond-nature-nurture’ debat, iedereen kent wel verhalen over verschrikkelijke wiskundeleraren en het heeft ook een heel hoog ‘zie je wel’ gehalte. Nu zijn er gelukkig altijd mensen die niet zomaar klakkeloos alles aannemen, maar over het algemeen kan ik er niet veel vinden.

Terwijl er toch nog wel wat meer op te merken valt aan het onderzoek. Als we zien dat het onderzoek wordt gebruikt als argument om te beweren dat jongens inderdaad beter zijn in wiskunde, maar ook om aan te tonen dat dat niks uitmaakt, moet je toch al gaan vrezen dat er ergens iets aan de hand is. Het hoeft niet te betekenen dat het slecht onderzoek is; mensen gaan nu eenmaal graag met die resultaten aan de haal die hun mening bevestigen.

Nu klopt de weergave in de NL-se kranten wel, maar het is onvolledig. Wat men vergeet te melden namelijk is dat de variantie onder jongens hoog is; dus de afwijking van het gemiddelde. Terwijl de conclusie dat jongens en meisjes het even goed doen, gebaseerd is op het gemiddelde. Dat klopt dus wel, maar de kans is dus groter dat jongens het heel goed doen óf heel slecht dan bij meisjes.

Nog een ander punt dat niet genoemd is in de media, maar wel als heel belangrijk wordt gezien door de auteurs heeft betrekking op de testen zelf. Men heeft gebruik gemaakt van testen die door scholen zelf worden afgenomen en waarin vragen op vier niveaus worden gesteld. Zij kwamen tot de ontdekking dat er nauwelijks vragen op de twee hoogste niveaus worden gesteld. Wat dit betekent is niet helemaal duidelijk. Is dit een nivellering omlaag van de inhoud van het onderwijs? Maar ook: wat betekent dit dan als je op deze manier de wiskunde kwaliteiten van mensen gaan meten?

Nou weet ik ook wel dat het komkommertijd is, maar moet dat nou ook betekenen dat dergelijke onderwerpen zo mager behandeld worden?

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Protected: Trouw, hetNieuws| nederland – Gedumpte vrouw kan sneller naar Nederland

Posted on July 31st, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Morocco.

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Protected: Trouw, hetNieuws| nederland – Gedumpte vrouw kan sneller naar Nederland

Posted on July 31st, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Morocco.

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BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey's ruling party escapes ban

Posted on July 30th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey’s ruling party escapes ban
Turkey’s ruling party escapes ban
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in parliament, 15 July 08
PM Erdogan insists he does not have an Islamist agenda

Turkey’s Constitutional Court has decided not to ban the ruling AK Party, accused of undermining the country’s secular system.

But the judges did cut half the AKP’s treasury funding for this year.

The AKP, which won a huge poll victory last year, denies it wants to create an Islamist state by stealth. It called the case an attack on democracy.

The powerful military sees itself as the guardian of the modern secular state founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Court president Hasim Kilic said the financial sanctions imposed on the AKP were a “serious warning”.

Narrow decision

At least seven of the 11 court judges would need to vote in favour for the party to be banned. But six judges wanted a ban and five did not want to do so.

MP Suat Kinklioglu speaks of the AK Party’s relief at the court’s decision

“I hope the party in question will evaluate this outcome very well and get the message it should get,” Mr Kilic said.

After the ruling, Turkey’s Labour Minister Faruk Celik was quoted as saying it was a “victory for Turkish democracy”.

The court case followed a series of confrontations between the AKP, which has Islamist roots, and the secular elite. Turkish secularists have staged huge anti-AKP rallies.

The party’s attempt to allow Islamic headscarves to be worn at universities was highly controversial.
Last month the constitutional court said the move to lift the existing headscarf ban violated the secular constitution.Since the 1960s, more than 20 parties – mostly pro-Islamist or pro-Kurdish – have been shut down by the courts for allegedly posing a threat to Turkey’s secularist principles.

However, this is the first time that a closure case has been brought against a governing party with a huge parliamentary majority.

EU officials expressed some relief at the court’s ruling on Wednesday.

“It is positive. Turkey is living a tense situation and we very much hope that the decision by the court will contribute to restore political stability,” said Cristina Gallach, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, quoted by Reuters.

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BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey’s ruling party escapes ban

Posted on July 30th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey’s ruling party escapes ban
Turkey’s ruling party escapes ban
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in parliament, 15 July 08
PM Erdogan insists he does not have an Islamist agenda

Turkey’s Constitutional Court has decided not to ban the ruling AK Party, accused of undermining the country’s secular system.

But the judges did cut half the AKP’s treasury funding for this year.

The AKP, which won a huge poll victory last year, denies it wants to create an Islamist state by stealth. It called the case an attack on democracy.

The powerful military sees itself as the guardian of the modern secular state founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Court president Hasim Kilic said the financial sanctions imposed on the AKP were a “serious warning”.

Narrow decision

At least seven of the 11 court judges would need to vote in favour for the party to be banned. But six judges wanted a ban and five did not want to do so.

MP Suat Kinklioglu speaks of the AK Party’s relief at the court’s decision

“I hope the party in question will evaluate this outcome very well and get the message it should get,” Mr Kilic said.

After the ruling, Turkey’s Labour Minister Faruk Celik was quoted as saying it was a “victory for Turkish democracy”.

The court case followed a series of confrontations between the AKP, which has Islamist roots, and the secular elite. Turkish secularists have staged huge anti-AKP rallies.

The party’s attempt to allow Islamic headscarves to be worn at universities was highly controversial.
Last month the constitutional court said the move to lift the existing headscarf ban violated the secular constitution.Since the 1960s, more than 20 parties – mostly pro-Islamist or pro-Kurdish – have been shut down by the courts for allegedly posing a threat to Turkey’s secularist principles.

However, this is the first time that a closure case has been brought against a governing party with a huge parliamentary majority.

EU officials expressed some relief at the court’s ruling on Wednesday.

“It is positive. Turkey is living a tense situation and we very much hope that the decision by the court will contribute to restore political stability,” said Cristina Gallach, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, quoted by Reuters.

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Foreign Policy: The World’s Top 20 Public Intellectuals

Posted on July 29th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Foreign Policy: The World’s Top 20 Public Intellectuals

In their previous issue FP named the world’s top 100 public intellectuals and asked readers to vote for those they deem most deserving of the top honors. Now, 500,000 votes later, they have published the results. And yes, as has been proven numerous times already internet rankings are an inherently dangerous business. Whether offering a hierarchy of countries, cities, or colleges, any such list—at least any such list worth compiling—is likely to generate a fair amount of debate.

The people they included were there in large part because of the influence of their ideas. But part of being a “public intellectual” is also having a talent for communicating with a wide and diverse public. This skill is certainly an asset for some who find themselves in the list’s top ranks. For example, a number of intellectuals—including Aitzaz Ahsan, Noam Chomsky, Michael Ignatieff, and Amr Khaled—mounted voting drives by promoting the list on their Web sites. Others issued press releases or gave interviews to local newspapers. Press coverage profiling these intellectuals appeared around the world, with stories running in Canada, India, Indonesia, Qatar, Spain, and elsewhere.

No one spread the word as effectively as the man who tops the list. In early May, the Top 100 list was mentioned on the front page of Zaman, a Turkish daily newspaper closely aligned with Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. Within hours, votes in his favor began to pour in. His supporters—typically educated, upwardly mobile Muslims—were eager to cast ballots not only for their champion but for other Muslims in the Top 100. Thanks to this groundswell, the top 10 public intellectuals in this year’s reader poll are all Muslim. The ideas for which they are known, particularly concerning Islam, differ significantly. It’s clear that, in this case, identity politics carried the day.

The top 20:

1. FETHULLAH GÜLEN -Religious leader • Turkey – An Islamic scholar with a global network of millions of followers, Gülen is both revered and reviled in his native Turkey. To members of the Gülen movement, he is an inspirational leader who encourages a life guided by moderate Islamic principles. To his detractors, he represents a threat to Turkey’s secular order. He has kept a relatively low profile since settling in the United States in 1999, having fled Turkey after being accused of undermining secularism.
2. MUHAMMAD YUNUS – Microfinancier, activist • Bangladesh – More than 30 years ago, Yunus loaned several dozen poor entrepreneurs in his native Bangladesh a total of $27. It was the beginning of a lifetime devoted to fighting poverty through microfinance, efforts that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Over the years, his Grameen Bank, now operating in more than 100 countries, has loaned nearly $7 billion in small sums to more than 7 million borrowers-97 percent of them women. Ninety-eight percent of the loans have been repaid.
3. YUSUF AL-QARADAWI – Cleric • Egypt/Qatar – The host of the popular Sharia and Life TV program on Al Jazeera, Qaradawi issues w .eekly fatwas on everything from whether Islam forbids all consumption of alcohol (no) to whether fighting U.S. troops in Iraq is a legitimate form of resistance (yes). Considered the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Qaradawi condemned the September 11 attacks, but his pronouncements since, like his justification of suicide attacks, ensure his divisive reputation.
4. ORHAN PAMUK – Novelist • Turkey
5. AITZAZ AHSAN -Lawyer, politician • Pakistan
6. AMR KHALED -Muslim televangelist • Egypt
7. ABDOLKARIM SOROUSH – Religious theorist • Iran
8. TARIQ RAMADAN -Philosopher, scholar of Islam • Switzerland (also a position in the Netherlands) – One of the most well-known and controversial Muslim scholars today, Ramadan embodies the cultural and religious clash he claims to be trying to bridge. His supporters consider him a passionate advocate for Muslim integration in Europe. His critics accuse him of anti-Semitism and having links to terrorists. In 2004, Ramadan was denied a U.S. visa to teach at Notre Dame, after the State Department accused him of donating to Islamic charities linked to Hamas.
9. MAHMOOD MAMDANI – Cultural anthropologist • Uganda – Born in Uganda to South Asian parents, Mamdani was expelled from the country by Idi Amin in 1972, eventually settling in the United States. His work explores the role of citizenship, identity, and the creation of historical narratives in postcolonial Africa. More recently, he has focused his attention on political Islam and U.S. foreign policy, arguing that modern Islamist terrorism is a byproduct of the privatization of violence in the final years of the Cold War. He teaches at Columbia University.
10. SHIRIN EBADI -Lawyer, human rights activist • Iran -Iran’s first female judge under the shah, Ebadi founded a pioneering law practice after she was thrown off the bench by Iran’s clerical rulers. Having initially supported the Islamic Revolution, she cut her teeth defending political dissidents and campaigning for the rights of women and children. A fierce nationalist who sees no incompatibility between Islam and democracy, Ebadi became the first Iranian to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.
11. NOAM CHOMSKY – Linguist, activist • United States
12. AL GORE – Climate change activist, politician • United States
13. BERNARD LEWIS -Historian • Britain/United States
14. UMBERTO ECO -Novelist, semiologist • Italy
15. AYAAN HIRSI ALI – Activist, politician • Somalia/Netherlands – A fierce critic of Islam’s treatment of women, the Somalia-born Hirsi Ali is known for her full-throated defense of the West, reason, and freedom. Her public rebellion against her Islamic upbringing has come with a steep cost: death threats and around-the-clock protection. She first received notoriety for penning Submission, a film renouncing the subjugation of Muslim women. (The film’s director, Theo van Gogh, was murdered by a Muslim fanatic in Amsterdam in 2004.) After being elected to the Dutch parliament in 2003, Hirsi Ali resigned her post three years later over a scandal involving false information on her citizenship application.
16. AMARTYA SEN – Development economist • India
17. FAREED ZAKARIA – Journalist, author • United States
18. GARRY KASPAROV – Democracy activist, chess grandmaster • Russia
19. RICHARD DAWKINS – Biologist, author • Britain
20. MARIO VARGAS LLOSA -Novelist, politician • Peru

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Kennislink – Maria voor moslima's

Posted on July 29th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

Maria is één van de meest populaire heiligen. Onder katholieken is Maria bedevaartsbestemming nummer één. Zij is drie keer zo populair als haar zoon Jezus en andere mannelijke heiligen. De meerderheid van de bezoekers is ook vrouw. Toch zijn het niet alleen katholieke vrouwen die de Heilige Maagd bezoeken. Ook moslima’s vereren Maria en bezoeken Maria-heiligdommen. Vaak hebben katholieken en moslims dezelfde beweegredenen om Maria op te zoeken. Terwijl ‘het christendom’ en ‘de islam’ steeds vaker tegenover elkaar lijken te staan, hebben deze Maria-vereersters weinig problemen met het delen van hun heilige. Dat blijkt uit onderzoek van antropologen Willy Jansen (hoogleraar Gender Studies aan de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen) en Meike Kühl (MA-student aan de Universiteit Utrecht). Zij bestudeerden moslima’s in Duitsland, Turkije en Portugal die Maria-heiligdommen bezoeken.

Prof. dr. Willy Jansen en Meike Kuhl publiceerden dit onderzoek in het meest recente nummer van The European Journal of Women’s Studies (nr 15, 2008). Hun artikel heet ‘Shared Symbols: Muslims, Marian Pilgrimages and Gender.’

Het artikel is bewerkt voor Kennislink en hier te lezen: Kennislink – Maria voor moslima’s

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Kennislink – Maria voor moslima’s

Posted on July 29th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

Maria is één van de meest populaire heiligen. Onder katholieken is Maria bedevaartsbestemming nummer één. Zij is drie keer zo populair als haar zoon Jezus en andere mannelijke heiligen. De meerderheid van de bezoekers is ook vrouw. Toch zijn het niet alleen katholieke vrouwen die de Heilige Maagd bezoeken. Ook moslima’s vereren Maria en bezoeken Maria-heiligdommen. Vaak hebben katholieken en moslims dezelfde beweegredenen om Maria op te zoeken. Terwijl ‘het christendom’ en ‘de islam’ steeds vaker tegenover elkaar lijken te staan, hebben deze Maria-vereersters weinig problemen met het delen van hun heilige. Dat blijkt uit onderzoek van antropologen Willy Jansen (hoogleraar Gender Studies aan de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen) en Meike Kühl (MA-student aan de Universiteit Utrecht). Zij bestudeerden moslima’s in Duitsland, Turkije en Portugal die Maria-heiligdommen bezoeken.

Prof. dr. Willy Jansen en Meike Kuhl publiceerden dit onderzoek in het meest recente nummer van The European Journal of Women’s Studies (nr 15, 2008). Hun artikel heet ‘Shared Symbols: Muslims, Marian Pilgrimages and Gender.’

Het artikel is bewerkt voor Kennislink en hier te lezen: Kennislink – Maria voor moslima’s

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Dragan Dabic.com – la me nie lache

Posted on July 24th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Blogosphere.

We kennen het verhaal zo langzamerhand dus dat ga ik niet meer uitleggen. Maar wat me verbaast is de sullige wijze waarop sommige media overal intrappen. Geenstijl.nl wist te melden dat Karadzic een eigen website had. Keurig gevolgd door de Telegraaf (of is het andersom?). En hey zelfs ‘s avonds bij het journaal. En wat te denken van de kritische websites zoals LWH en Aboutmedia die een en ander slaafs over nemen?

Wat doe je als je een website tegenkomt? Stap 1, ga naar de WhoIs informatie. En nee, pak niet de eerste beste hit in google lazy bastard, maar kijk eens wat verder dan je neus lang is (de essentie van deze post eigenlijk).Stap 2, check de namen, adressen en (in dit geval vooral) de registratiedatum: 22-7-2008. Als ik u nog moet uitleggen, waarom dat zo opmerkelijk is, check dan nog even de eerste link in dit stukje.

En zo bloggen we maar verder, de meesten onder ons zonder ook maar een klein beetje verstand van zaken maar wel heel veel grote meningen.

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Protected: AD.nl – Utrecht Stad – 17-jarige verdacht van autobranden

Posted on July 24th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News, Public Islam.

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Israel 'troubles' Bulldozer attack and lynching mob

Posted on July 23rd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

16 hurt in bulldozer attack in J’lem | Israel | Jerusalem Post
For the second time in three weeks, an Arab bulldozer driver from east Jerusalem rammed his construction vehicle into a city bus and several cars on a central thoroughfare in the capital on Tuesday, wounding 15 people before being shot dead by a Druse border police officer and a civilian passerby.

Youths injure two Arabs in Jerusalem assault | Israel | Jerusalem Post
Several hours after Tuesday’s terror attack in Jerusalem, a group of youths assaulted two east Jerusalem residents, Army Radio reported.

According to eyewitnesses, two battered and bleeding Arabs barged into the yard of a family sitting shiva (the seven-day Jewish mourning period), followed by a mob of furious yeshiva students.

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Israel ‘troubles’ Bulldozer attack and lynching mob

Posted on July 23rd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

16 hurt in bulldozer attack in J’lem | Israel | Jerusalem Post
For the second time in three weeks, an Arab bulldozer driver from east Jerusalem rammed his construction vehicle into a city bus and several cars on a central thoroughfare in the capital on Tuesday, wounding 15 people before being shot dead by a Druse border police officer and a civilian passerby.

Youths injure two Arabs in Jerusalem assault | Israel | Jerusalem Post
Several hours after Tuesday’s terror attack in Jerusalem, a group of youths assaulted two east Jerusalem residents, Army Radio reported.

According to eyewitnesses, two battered and bleeding Arabs barged into the yard of a family sitting shiva (the seven-day Jewish mourning period), followed by a mob of furious yeshiva students.

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Protected: De Koran lezen als ongelovige – DePers.nl

Posted on July 22nd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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Channel 4 – Faith and belief – Seven Wonders of the Muslim World

Posted on July 21st, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Channel 4 – Faith and belief – Seven Wonders of the Muslim World
Pilgrims in MeccaThis week-long series traces the history and message of Islam by following the journeys of six pilgrims to Mecca.A series of intimate, 10-minute portraits, explores the lives and beliefs of six young people whose usual places of worship are beautiful and historic mosques across the Muslim world. The films accompany them as they leave their homes and families, follow them as they travel to Saudi Arabia, and share their responses to the culmination of their journey of a lifetime – the pilgrimage to Mecca, where the prophet Muhammed was born.

Within decades of the death of Muhammed, Islam spread fast and its history can be traced through the flowering of exquisite Muslim architecture. Over the next few hundred years, fabulous mosques from Spain to Iran, and from Turkey to Mali formed a focus of Muslim life, as they continue to do today. The Seven Wonders of the Muslim World starts its journey at six of these locations and completes it at the mosque towards which all practising Muslims turn when they pray.
The seven wonders:

1. The Grand Mosque in Mecca is the largest mosque in the world. At its centre is the Kaaba, a cubic building covered in a gold-embroidered black cloth towards which Muslims turn as they pray. Every year, millions of people perform the Hajj – the pilgrimage during the 12th month of the Islamic year – and many others make the pilgrimage at other times of year, which is called the Umrah.

2. The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Islam’s third holiest city is situated next to the Dome of the Rock. This iconic golden dome can be seen from all over Jerusalem. Al-Aqsa, dates from the late 7th century, making it one of the oldest mosques in the world.

3. The Alhambra in Granada, Spain, which dates from the 13th century, was designed by Muslim architects and built by the Muslim rulers of El Andaluz, or Andalucia. It was inspired by Qur’anic descriptions of paradise as an oasis, with trees, fountains and buildings.

4. The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, lined with blue tiles and reflecting the Byzantine church architecture of 400 years ago, expresses the sumptuousness of the Ottoman Empire and represents the zenith of Muslim architecture.

5. The Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali is the tallest mud-built mosque in the world. Its thick walls and many roof supports make it dark and simple inside. Every Friday, people in this huge but poor country come into the city to pray here.

6. The Imam Mosque in Esfahan, Iran, is magnificent in its design and decoration. Built in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was a stunning statement of Persian imperial power, and incorporates a pool, colleges and communal space, as well as the mosque itself.

7. The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan was built in 1673 and is a wonderful example of Mughal architecture. The building’s openness is in line with the Islam of the Indian subcontinent, which has traditionally been accommodating to all sects.

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World Conference on Dialogue

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

World Conference on Dialogue

The world today is unfortunately witnessing painful phenomena that make sleepless the sagacious people of all religions, sects and creeds. This is clearly seen in many aspects. In fact, mankind suffers from family disintegration and moral decay, environmental pollution, wars and conflicts that made the hearts of wise men bleed and constitutes an extremely disturbing incident that urges all people to seek salvation of mankind from its excruciating pains.

The whole world looks forward to the followers and leaders of religions and cultures to make substantial contribution in the salvation of mankind from the dangers that surround it and threaten its future as well as presentation of effective solutions.

In fact, religions and considerable cultures possess a joint viewpoint in detecting the danger of contemporary challenges. In consideration of the keenness for cooperation in whatever makes man happy, the Heavenly revealed Message sent to achieve a great objective represented in the Hadith ( Prophets are like brothers belonging to one father but to different mothers; their Lord is one but their particular legislatures are different ).

Furthermore, religions have agreed with considerable philosophies on certain areas that can be exploited for making further advancement in wider horizons in the fight of vices, moral decay, family disintegration, and spread of atheism as well as other conflicts.

Dialogue among sagacious people of all nations is the most effective way for pinpointing the areas of agreement, the seeking for their exploitation, promotion as well as formulating of common programs of action. The fruitful dialogue is one that is based on common human aspects and seeks to achieve the best types of acquaintance, coexistence and cooperation with others despite the difference with them in religions and cultures. With the dialogue that aims at deepening the culture of coexistence, we can marginalize the forces that still instigate actively hatred and call for inflaming dispute, malice, selfishness, and conceitedness.

The UN has adopted 2001 as Dialogue Year among civilizations as well as for confrontation of the campaigns for promoting hatred and inflaming conflicts. Hence, the General Assembly of the UN has issued an (International Document for Dialogue among Civilizations). This confirms the fact that the nations all over the world desire the process of holding and supporting dialogue as well as rejecting the calls for conflict and clash of civilizations.

Today the Muslim World League (MWL) holds the (World Conference on Dialogue) under the direction of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in confirmation to the significance of the world dialogue and in following up of the Appeal of Makkah Al-Mukarramah adopted by the (International Islamic Conference for Dialogue) convened at the vicinity of the Holy Mosque in Makkah Al-Mukarramah under his direct patronage.

Furthermore, the International Islamic Conference for Dialogue has confirmed that dialogue does neither aim at uniting religions nor mixing them up , as difference is destined by the will and wisdom of Allah, and that such difference necessitates due cooperation and acquaintance that target achieving positive coexistence.

In fact, this august World Conference on Dialogue is hopefully anticipated to answer adequately certain pressing questions pertaining to the significance of dialogue as well as making it an essential means for understanding and solution of problems as well as confrontation of challenges that threaten the world today and removal of impediments that obstruct its promotion and exploitation among mankind for alleviating the tense of the world problems. However, failure to establish truth and justice is rightly considered a major cause for inflaming conflict and threatening world peace. Therefore, it is essential for mankind today, if they really desire salvation, to follow the way of positive dialogue among followers revealed Messages, cultures and civilizations with a view to achieving interest of all mankind.

Objectives of the World Conference on Dialogue

The MWL seeks through this great gathering of the followers of religions, creeds and civilizations to achieve the following objectives:

· Confirm the significance of religion as a basic rectifier for human communities.

· Highlight both successes and failures of dialogue experiments, as well as embark upon ///commence effort from a united viewpoints that enhance and promote the future of dialogue.

· Study thoroughly the obstacles that impediments that stands in the way of those promoting and prevents them from achieving the desired results of dialogue.

· Coordinate internationally world attitudes as well as confront positions contradicting sharply with mankind districts and social norms as well as values.

· Inculcate in the minds of people the noble ethical values and desired social practices as well as confront immorality and various vices as well as family disintegration.

· Confront the conflict calls that promote the clash among nations and peoples.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| overigeartikelen – Geen hagelslag op Turks brood

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| overigeartikelen – Geen hagelslag op Turks brood

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

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Bin Laden's Dissidents – SPIEGEL ONLINE

Posted on July 18th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism.

Bin Laden’s Dissidents: Turning their Backs on Jihad

If one imagines al-Qaida as experts have characterized it — as a system of terror franchises with branches worldwide — then there is clearly an uprising taking place among many branch managers. They are distancing themselves from the icons of terror, and from their goals and methods. So far, it apparently remains an internal process, disputes within the various groups that have been smoldering for some time and are now rising to the surface. And there is little to indicate a causal connection between this development and the United States-led war on global terrorism.

Bin Laden’s Dissidents: ‘Things Are Slowly Changing’

It is a heavy blow to bin Laden and Zawahiri when one of the founders of their network describes al-Qaida’s ideology and the attacks of Sept. 11 as mistakes. “Dr. Fadl is fundamentally questioning their theological authority,” says Lawrence Wright, who describes the history of al-Qaida in his book, “The Looming Tower.” In a recent piece for the New Yorker, Wright wrote “Fadl repeatedly emphasizes that it is forbidden to kill civilians — including Christians and Jews — unless they are actively attacking Muslims.” Wright believes that the terrorist organization faces the greatest challenge in its history.

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Bin Laden’s Dissidents – SPIEGEL ONLINE

Posted on July 18th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism.

Bin Laden’s Dissidents: Turning their Backs on Jihad

If one imagines al-Qaida as experts have characterized it — as a system of terror franchises with branches worldwide — then there is clearly an uprising taking place among many branch managers. They are distancing themselves from the icons of terror, and from their goals and methods. So far, it apparently remains an internal process, disputes within the various groups that have been smoldering for some time and are now rising to the surface. And there is little to indicate a causal connection between this development and the United States-led war on global terrorism.

Bin Laden’s Dissidents: ‘Things Are Slowly Changing’

It is a heavy blow to bin Laden and Zawahiri when one of the founders of their network describes al-Qaida’s ideology and the attacks of Sept. 11 as mistakes. “Dr. Fadl is fundamentally questioning their theological authority,” says Lawrence Wright, who describes the history of al-Qaida in his book, “The Looming Tower.” In a recent piece for the New Yorker, Wright wrote “Fadl repeatedly emphasizes that it is forbidden to kill civilians — including Christians and Jews — unless they are actively attacking Muslims.” Wright believes that the terrorist organization faces the greatest challenge in its history.

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A Reporter at Large: The Rebellion Within: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker

Posted on July 18th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism.

A Reporter at Large: The Rebellion Within: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker

It is, of course, unlikely that Al Qaeda will voluntarily follow the example of the Islamist Group and Zawahiri’s own organization, Al Jihad, and revise its violent strategy. But it is clear that radical Islam is confronting a rebellion within its ranks, one that Zawahiri and the leaders of Al Qaeda are poorly equipped to respond to. Radical Islam began as a spiritual call to the Muslim world to unify and strengthen itself through holy warfare. For the dreamers who long to institute God’s justice on earth, Fadl’s revisions represent a substantial moral challenge. But for the young nihilists who are joining the Al Qaeda movement for their own reasons—revenge, boredom, or a desire for adventure—the quarrels of the philosophers will have little meaning.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| overigeartikelen – Het probleem is juist dat ze te weinig Marokkaans zijn

Posted on July 18th, 2008 by martijn.
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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| overigeartikelen – Het probleem is juist dat ze te weinig Marokkaans zijn

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Protected: Nederlands Dagblad – 'Importbruid kan haar koffers gaan pakken'

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Protected: Nederlands Dagblad – ‘Importbruid kan haar koffers gaan pakken’

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Protected: nu.nl/algemeen | Rotterdam onderzoekt Turkse organisaties

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