The many shades of Islam
Not all interpretations justify and drive terrorism – but some do
Sufi
Iran’s new push to erase its millennia of Jewish history
The story of the biblical queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai is among the most dramatic and moving in the Old Testament: After the pair learn of a plot to destroy the Jews hatched by the evil vizier...
Op-eds
USCIRF Denounces Iran’s Religious Freedom Violations
Religious freedom conditions in Iran “remained egregiously poor” in 2019, according to an annual report released by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Tuesday. The report...
Policy Briefs
A pope and a grand imam
Pope Tawadros II had planned to spend last week on retreat in a monastery near Alexandria. But then Mohammed bin Salman, on a three-day visit to Egypt, asked to see him. The Saudi Crown...
Op-eds
A bloody day in London town
“The Kafir’s Blood Is Halal For You, So Shed it.” That’s just one of the catchier headlines in a recent issue of ...
Op-eds
What went wrong in Pakistan
Pakistan was meant to be a model, an example for other nations to emulate. It was founded after World War II, as the sun was set...
Op-eds
Tracking freedom’s enemies
If I were to ask an intelligent person like you what happened in the 20th century, or the 19th or the 18th, you could probably sum up the most significant developments. But if I asked you what is...
Op-eds
Skirmishes on the Indian front
What do you make of this month’s attacks on Pathankot Air Force Station and Bacha Khan University? My guess is you don’t know -- you’ve heard next to nothing about either....
Op-eds
Divided We Fall?
“Divide and conquer” describes an age-old military concept: If your enemies are fighting among themselves, they can’t effectively battle you. Phillip II of Macedon, Julius Caesa...
Op-eds
Saudi Textbooks Propagate Intolerance
Here we go again. According to a new government report, Saudi Arabia published yet another year’s worth of public school textbooks that promote hateful ideas. This represents only the...
Op-eds
Victory Without Soldiers?
With the war in Syria becoming ever more complex and murderous, it’s worthwhile to revisit a guiding principle of Barack Obama: The use of American military power is likely to do more harm...
Op-eds
Salafi Jihadism in the North African Regional Context
Chairmen Poe and Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Members Sherman and Deutch, distinguished members of the subcommittees, it is an honor to appear before you today to discuss the threat of jihadist terroris...
Legislative Testimonies
Springtime for Salafists
Rampaging Islamist vigilantes are cracking down on free expression -- and ruining Tunisia's Arab Spring.
Op-eds
Iran Pastor Facing Death for Apostasy
Iran has scheduled a September court date for evangelical Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, whose incarceration for practicing Christianity reaches the 1,000-day mark on Sunday. In an email to T...
Op-eds
Egypt Must Resist Relapse to Despotism
Since President Hosni Mubarak fell in February, Egypt has become a freer country in many ways. But the ruling military council is continuing his tradition of using the threat of an Islamist takeo...
Op-eds
Review: The Globalization of Martyrdom: Al Qaeda, Salafi Jihad, and the Diffusion of Suicide Attacks
One clear blind spot in the contemporary study of terrorism is the role religious ideology plays as a motivating force and driver of strategy. In the scholarship on suicide missions in particular...
Op-eds
The Worst of Time
Henry Luce would have been mortified. The founder of Time magazine believed Americans had a responsibility to stand up to the enemies of freedom and democracy. He saw the 20th century as "t...
Op-eds
The Gray Lady Whitewashes Black Muslims
Islam is frequently cited in the media as the fastest growing religion in America. Perhaps in recognition of this trend the New York Times recently featured an Arts & Ideas section profile of...
Op-eds
Jihad in Istanbul
By Walid Phares There is no doubt about it: the final target in the terrorist attacks against the Jewish synagogues of Neve Shalom and Beth Israel in Istanbul, beyond the Jewish communit...
Op-eds
Portrait of a Wahhabi
By Stephen Schwartz On Thursday, June 26, I testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, chaired by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz). My topic was &...