New essays by French author Richard Millet, which say Anders Behring Breivik’s Norwegian massacre was the result of immigration and multiculturalism, have caused an uproar in France
Islam
Why the Islamists Are Not Winning in Libya
Despite electoral victories in Egypt and Tunisia, the Islamists concede they have not won the parliamentary polls in Libya. Here’s why
Destroying Timbuktu: The Jihadist Who Inspires the Demolition of the Shrines
The charismatic military leader of Salafist rebels in Mali may just be helping to found an Islamic caliphate, but he is also taking apart an ancient city’s heritage
Exclusive: French Officials Detail “Big Coup” Bust of Key Al-Qaeda Enabler
French counter-terror authorities tell TIME about a Tunisian arrested on suspicion of being a central figure in al-Qaeda’s activity on the internet and in the terrorist network’s recruitment, and fund-raising.
Lady Gaga, Deemed Satanic by Conservative Groups, Is Bullied Out of Indonesia
The show won’t go on. Lady Gaga this weekend announced that she is canceling a sold-out concert in Jakarta because of threats of violence from religious hard-liners. The gig, scheduled for June 3, was staunchly opposed by …
Sarkozy’s Xenophobia: French President Panders to the Extreme-Right
French economic growth is slowing, unemployment is rising, Greece is still a risk to default, and the crisis-rocked euro—while somewhat stabilized of late—is still not out of the existential woods. Yet despite those burning …
Fetih 1453: Blockbuster Turkish Epic Revels in Ottoman Past
With Turkey’s geo-political star in the ascendant, it’s fitting that the country’s biggest ever film, released in theaters there Feb. 16, celebrates what is perhaps the Mediterranean world’s most defining historical moment. Fetih 1453 (or “Conquest 1453″) is a $17 million, chain metal-clad, scimitar-waving retelling of the 15th …
Pakistan’s Sesame Street: Can an Urdu Elmo Aid a Blighted Nation?
For a 3-year-old who has yet to master the use of the personal pronoun, Elmo is a whiz at foreign languages. Already fluent in Chinese, German, Hindi, Spanish and Arabic, among others, the fluffy red icon has just picked up Urdu, …
Trouble in the Maldives: Will Islamists Take Over Paradise?
If the factions that unseated Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed this week hoped to sideline the former activist and dissident, they were sorely mistaken. A darling of the Western media, Nasheed has cut a defiant pose, …
Fashion Week in Pakistan: Can Couture Trump Conservatism?
Fashionistas the world over will look to the Big Apple as the spotlight falls on New York City ahead of the start of its glitzy Fashion Week this Thursday. But, away from the catwalks and cocktail parties of fashion’s North American capital, the industry struts its stuff in far more troubled frontiers. I attended Pakistan’s Fashion Week …
Firebombed French Paper Is No Free Speech Martyr
Okay, so can we finally stop with the idiotic, divisive, and destructive efforts by “majority sections” of Western nations to bait Muslim members with petulant, futile demonstrations that “they” aren’t going to tell “us” what can and can’t be done in free societies? Because not only are such Islamophobic antics futile …
No Bikes for You: Nigeria Bans Motorcycles in Terror-Struck City
Officials in Maiduguri, Nigeria’s seventh largest city and capital of northeastern Borno State, banned motorbikes earlier this week in a bid to curb militant activities borne on the backs of these ubiquitous vehicles.
Yet even though nearly 7,000 innocent Nigerians have now found their livelihoods on the wrong side of the law, the …
Refugee Case Highlights Global Plight of Ahmadi Muslims
Almost 100 Pakistani refugees, including dozens of children and a month-old infant, were freed from a Thai immigration prison on Monday, after a rights group put up a $150,000 bond for their release. The men, women and children, all members of Ahmadiya, a minority Muslim sect, were detained in police raids between December and …