Tag Archives: Islamism

Egypt in the Crosshairs

Posted on February 19, 2016 by nervana111

I wrote this long essay for the Winter 2016 edition of The Journal of the International Security Affairs ( subscription only), but for convenience I republish it here.   Egypt is now facing a complex asymmetrical war on various fronts. On November 10, 2014, … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Islam, Libya, Middle East, Politics, Terrorism | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Suleiman Khater: Egypt’s Fake Hero

Posted on January 12, 2016 by nervana111

Iranian stamp honouring Suleiman Khater for killing Israelis   Sinai October 1985 — Egyptian conscript Suleiman Khater killed 7 Israeli civilians, including 4 children, during their vacation in Ras Burqa, in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. In December 1985, Khater was tried … Continue reading →

Posted in Diary of Aak, Egypt, Short Comments | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Few Thoughts on Syria’s Zahran Alloush

Posted on December 27, 2015 by nervana111

Zahran Alloush Credit Amer Almohibany/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Last Friday, Zahran Alloush, the powerful leader of the Army of Islam, one of the many rebel groups fighting the Assad regime in Syria, was killed in an air strike by … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Islam, Middle East, Politics, Syria | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Will Canada entice us to embrace liberal secularism?

Posted on December 12, 2015 by nervana111

Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau  personally welcome Syrian  refugees via his Twitter’s account This weekend, Canada has dominated my timelines on both Facebook and Twitter. The images of the Canadian PM warmly welcoming Syrian refugees arriving in his country are rightly … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam, Middle East, Short Comments | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

San Bernardino and Gun Control

Posted on December 8, 2015 by nervana111

Photograph of Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik- via  Breitbart.com The horrific massacre in San Bernardino, California, that killed 14 people and wounded 21, has now been officially labeled as a terrorism investigation. The New York Times (NYT) Editorial Board appealed … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Terrorism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The world’s failed war on terrorism

Posted on November 28, 2015 by nervana111

Initially published in Egypt’s Ahram       This Cartoon by Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune sums up my thoughts about our disunity in fighting terrorism   Sinai, Beirut, Paris, Bamako, and Tunis: the latest terror attacks across three continents are a … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Egypt, Islam, Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Maryam Namazie and the Illiberal Student Union

Posted on September 27, 2015 by nervana111

The Warwick Students’ Union has barred human rights campaigner and leader of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, Maryam Namazie, from giving a talk on campus, because, they say, she is “highly inflammatory and could incite hatred.” Now a petition … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Islam | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Iran Deal: A potential kiss of death for liberalism in the Middle East

Posted on July 21, 2015 by nervana111

Initially published in Egypt’s Ahram. After 12 years of diplomatic proposals and 20 months of tough negotiations, theocratic Iran and world powers have reached a nuclear deal that, regardless of its potential advantages, is undoubtedly a victory for smart illiberalism and … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Iran, Middle East, Politics, Syria | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Violent Islamism: Our amazing disgrace

Posted on July 3, 2015 by nervana111

Initially published in Egypt’s Ahram Friday’s carnage on three continents, in which scores of people died in Tunisia, Kuwait, and France has appalled the global community and reinforced international condemnation of the Islamic State (IS), which has claimed responsibility for them. … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The New Old Wafd

Posted on May 28, 2015 by nervana111

Egypt’s oldest nationalist party, the Wafd Party, is facing a deep and challenging internal conflict. Despite intervention by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a new internal election, and a formal announcement that the crisis is over, the party’s internal problems … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments