Islam
15/04/2008 > JORDAN
YouTubers will be let down by the Queen of Jordan
The latest member of the YouTube community is none other than Queen Rania of Jordan. In an effort to challenge western stereotypes about the Arab world, the net-surfing monarch decided to launch an online debate. Yet, after attracting almost 5000 responses, she seems to have lost interest in the scheme. Read more...
The contributors
28/03/2008 > NETHERLANDS
Fitna is just a really bad film
A few months ago we announced that Dutch politician Geert Wilders was preparing an anti-Islamic film that would "add fuel to the fire". Yesterday, the long awaited video made its debut online. We ask our Observers what reaction it might provoke in their countries, from Holland to Pakistan. After all the fuss, maybe not that much. Read more...
The contributors
11/03/2008 > INDONESIA/ USA
"Obama never studied in an Islamic madrassa"
Rully Dasaad, a fellow pupil at Barack Obama's primary school - labeled as an "Islamic madrassa" by the conservative American media - tells us about their childhood growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the polemic that it's causing now. Read more…
The contributors
26/02/2008 > THE NETHERLANDS
A film to fuel the fire
An image of the Koran taken from the film. The text says: “Warning: this book contains shocking images”. Published 26 Jan. 08 by De Telegraaf
The extreme-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has announced the imminent release of his new “anti-Koran” film. Although no one has seen the documentary yet, every one is already anticipating a second round of the Danish cartoons controversy. Read more…
The contributors
21/01/2008 > WORLD
Ashura around the world
The ‘tenth day', or Ashura, is an important event in the Muslim calendar, commemorating the death of Imam Hussein and celebrated all over the world by followers of Islam. Some of the festival-goers slash their backs and chests with knives and whips to show that they share the pain of their martyr. Here are some videos of ceremonies all over the world, from Bangladesh to Washington, with comments and photos from our Observer Nasim in Afghanistan, who attends the event in Kabul each year. Read more...
The contributors
