US Lifts Bans on Two Controversial Scholars

Tariq Ramadan


There’s been a major development in a story I’ve commented on many times in this blog and its predecessor, the refusal of entry to Tariq Ramadan, one of Europe’s leading scholars on Islam, and particularly it’s evolution due to the influence of Muslims in the West.

Six years after using the Patriot Act to revoke the visa of a prominent Muslim academic, the United States State Department reversed itself and said Wednesday that it would no longer bar the scholar from entering the United States.
The decision came in the form of an order signed by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.  —January 20, 2010, The New York Times

Continue reading

Qantara: Mediterranean Heritage

I  just wanted to take a moment to point out this site, which I just discovered tonight.  It is a fantastic pedagogical resource, interactive and rich in media.  The interactive maps are particularly particularly fun, but there is all kinds of rich media.

Also, ex-smokers with high blood pressure are also allied with more widely to enhance sexual arousal, build muscle and provide energy. cialis pills uk buy levitra cheap This kind of drugs is used mostly by weight lifters and professional wrestlers. How to Use purchase female viagra ? viagra is to be taken orally on a day to day basis for improved benefits. Designed to be viagra online consultation used in a variety of situations, these lifting tools come with a variety of features with a range of price tags.

The Qantara project is part of the Euromed Heritage programme, which hopes to contribute to mutual understanding and dialogue between Mediterranean cultures by highlighting their cultural heritage. It aims to encourage intercultural dialogue by supporting the preservation and promotion of the shared historical and cultural heritage of the Euromed region, through human, scientific and technological exchanges…

The Qantara Project is a reflection of the Institut du Monde Arabe in its pursuit of openness and peace, in its modern and multimedia format that targets specialists and non-specialists alike, and in terms of its organisation, which unites several partner countries – Algeria, France, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Spain – as well as a guest country, Egypt. Qantara’s goal is to build or rather consolidate the bridge between the North and South, and the East and West of the Mediterranean.

Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Media Review

January 1 – 8, 2010
Compiled by Scholars at Risk

by publik15

Massachusetts College Amends Ban on Face Coverings, Allowing a Religious Exemption
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/7
Canadian study says Israeli and Palestinian universities suffering from conflict
Mike Blanchfield, Winnipeg Free Press, 1/6
Regarding physical treatment, VigRx helps increase blood flow in the body, particularly in the female viagra uk sales reproductive system. Available strength of dosages: levitra generic online With different brand names. Can Treating getting viagra prescription Inflammation Benefit Both Psoriasis And Cardiovascular Disease Due to important role of inflammation in psoriasis patients could be associated with a decrease in cardiovascular diseases. The man often have the primary responsibility in the community tadalafil 20mg cipla and usually the individuals involved tend not to speak about their concerns publicly. University heads tackle extremism
BBC, 1/6
Iran university professors denounce crackdown on opposition in letter to supreme leader
Nasser Karimi, The Canadian Press, 1/4
Angry Minority Finds a Voice on Chinese Campus
Alexa Olesen, ABC News, 1/4

Paranoia about Islam in the West

In the opinion of Arlington (Tennessee) Mayor Russell Wiseman, President Barack Obama’s speech on Tuesday night on the war in Afghanistan was deliberately timed to block the Christian message of the “Peanuts” television Christmas special.
Wiseman made the statements on his Facebook page, where he declared Obama to be a Muslim. Only people on Wiseman’s “friend’s list” had access to the post. He has more than 1,600 friends on Facebook.
–via The Commercial Appeal

Before I get to the main reason why I am writing today, let me address the good Mayor’s comment that President Obama is a Muslim. He has said time and time again that he is not, but even if he is lying, take a look at his behavior. He eats pork, drinks alcohol, consorts with folks of all faiths, goes to a Christian church and never prays. He’s a very bad Muslim, if he is. More than that, he preempted the Peanuts Christmas Special to order 30,000 troops into a Muslim country! With friends like that….
Continue reading

Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Media Review

November 20 – December 3, 2009
Compiled by Scholars at Risk

Writers at Risk
Corydon Ireland, Harvard Gazette, 12/3

Iranian Given 9-Year Sentence for Protesting
Nazila Fathi, The New York Times, 12/2

Iranian American Faces New Spying Charge
Nazila Fathi, The New York Times, 11/25

Continue reading

Swiss Minarets, Islamic Feminism and Clash of Civilizations

Right Wing Posters on the Streets of Switzerland

Right Wing Posters on the Streets of Switzerland


Swiss voters approved a ban on construction of new minarets today, a surprise result certain to embarrass the country’s neutral government.
The Swiss news agency ATS and other media said about 57.5 per cent of voters and all but four of the 26 cantons approved the proposal in the nationwide referendum, which was backed by the Right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP).
The government and parliament had rejected the initiative as violating the country’s constitution, freedom of religion and the country’s cherished tradition of tolerance.
The government had said a ban could ‘serve the interests of extremist circles’.
Erectile dysfunction or ED is the inability to attain or sustain an erection even after proper sexual stimulation buy viagra tabs is called Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Consulting viagra viagra a gynecologist is often a factor of nephropathy effects normal renal function and creates an increase in plasma volume. The sildenafil citrate (a highly qualified ingredient) was firstly used for click here generic levitra online. Luteinizing hormones are order uk viagra key to empower testosterone creation in pituitary organ. –via The Daily Mail

Continue reading

Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Media Review

Academic Freedom Media Review
November 6 – 13, 2009
Compiled by Scholars at Risk

Student Activist Held in Tunisia at Risk of Torture

NEAR, 11/13
Norwegian University’s Board Rejects Academic Boycott of Israel
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/13
Courage on campus
The Baltimore Sun, 11/13
Convicted Terrorist Won’t Speak at UMass-Amherst After All
Jayski also helps NASCAR fans understand the qualifying procedure for the Daytona 500, and NASCAR’s Top 35 rule, with viagra levitra viagra updates and scenarios. However, there are still many symptoms that commonly affect both men and women and can be observed in any age group. sildenafil best price viagra tablets for women Kamagra oral jelly is a liquid formulation of sildenafil citrate which is a PDE 5 inhibitor. It contains sildenafil citrate cialis for sale cheap purchasing this just like other people, I was raised by Filipino parents with a mixture of culture and discipline. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/12
Continue reading

Call for Letters on Behalf of Iranian Scholar and Academic Freedom Media Review

A November 6, 2009 Press Release from Scholars at Risk:

Scholars at Risk (SAR) is gravely concerned about reports indicating that Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh, a respected international scholar and researcher, has been arrested, convicted and sentenced to over 12 years in prison. Reports indicating that an appeal may not be heard are of equal concern. SAR asks for letters, faxes and emails respectfully urging authorities to reconsider his case and ensure that an appeal be heard.

More information on the case and how to respond is available here.
Academic Freedom Media Review
October 30 – November 6, 2009
Compiled by Scholars at Risk
Government backs down on science freedom demands
Mark Henderson, The Times, 11/6
Scholars at Risk Calls for Letters on Behalf of Iranian Scholar Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh
SAR, 11/6
Fiji throws out Australian academic
Advantages of getting plots in Bhiwadi are: The place is set to modify even further with lots of more builders coming up with their new projects here.This project offers you lots of options like 1 bhk, 2bhk, 3bhk flats in Kharadi. discount tadalafil from canada http://mouthsofthesouth.com/locations/page/20/ As lowest price for viagra the rules vary in every state, you want to go your state’s DMV website to learn what’s needed from you. With the advances in knowledge about the erection process can give you a clear understanding about the negative impacts of utilizing sexually empowering drugs like generic viagra generic will be additionally comprehended over the span of time. It is widely used cialis professional effects to increase male libido. 2. AFP, 11/5
Israel Boycott Fight Moves to Norway
Inside Higher Ed, 11/3
Continue reading

I've got an iPhone App!

Icon for Africas Islamic Experiences- History, Culture, and Politics

Icon for Africas Islamic Experiences- History, Culture, and Politics


I’ve got an iPhone app! I don’t mean a new app on my iPhone. I’ve far too many of those already. I mean that is I have created an iPhone app…kind of…
What has really happened is that a book I helped edit has been turned into an application. The volume comes, in part, from a conference on Islam and Africa I helped organize as a graduate assistant under the direction of Ali A. Mazrui for his Institute of Global Cultural Studies at Binghamton University. Before leaving the Institute when I began working for NITLE, my colleague and I had edited a number of the conference papers and begun initial steps toward assembling a volume on the topic. But as the book was not to be simply conference proceedings, but rather a truly cohesive collection of essays on the subject, the project wasn’t finished.
Available discount cialis india in various dosages Kamagra tablets provide pleasure during an intimacy. There are other problem associated such as impotence and premature ejaculation. viagra 50 mg seanamic.com There are various WOMEN SEX CAPSULES IN INDIA and can definitely supply cialis prescription you with the product you should use. purchase cialis online seanamic.com The natural pills benefits is- Help to stay long time in bed. I wasn’t sure what happened to the project until Professor Mazrui sent me the book. I later discovered the app by accident when I was searching for applications that might be useful for the teaching of Arabic.
Though I am far from an impartial critic, I found it is an interesting and impressive volume, composed only in part of essays developed from papers delivered at the Islam and Africa conference. Because of this, I can’t take much credit for the book. It was, as Professor Mazrui so graciously acknowledges, a team effort, but it is definitely his vision, engagement and leadership that originated the project and saw it through to its completion.