Articles

The Malaysian government agreed to allow the Israeli cricket team play in an international cricket tournament in Kuala Lumpur which is participated by 22 countries. A notable exception is Pakistan which has one of the world’s best cricket teams. Pakistan is boycotting the tournament on the ground of Israeli participation.

‘What shocked you most in Bosnia?’ people keep asking me since I got back. Probably a reply bewailing the gutted houses or the glutted cemeteries or the vandalised mosques is what they expect.

With Greece, Armenia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia, China and others engaged, to varying degrees, in attacking Turkish interests or blocking Turkish influence in Europe and Central Asia, Turkey is not short of enemies.

A battle is coming to a head in Turkey. A battle which may release the republic from the clutches of the local and international Mafia or it may lose for Turks the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and lead to the eventual creation of a Kurdish entity- a second break-up of the Great Turkish state.

Travellers from Canada to the US have frequently encountered hostility and aggressive behaviour from US customs and immigration officials at the various land border crossing points. In recent months, this has escalated dramatically.

Like its neighbours Kazakhstan and Turkmenstan, Uzbekistan, too, hopes to kick-start its economy with the development of fuel and energy sectors.

Is the new Jewish State in occupied Palestine permanent? Have the Jews 'come to stay' in the Holy Land? What does the Qur'an say about the Jews' second return to Palestine from where they were driven out twice, first by Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, in 587 BC (they returned about 500 years later) and again by the Roman Emperor Hadrian after quelling the Bar Cochba rebellion in 135 CE? Since then Jews' settlement in Palestine has been restricted and at times they were barred from entering even Jerusalem except for performing religious rites.

The Anglo-Saudi friendship treaty (December 1915) opened up vast new opportunities for Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. He became the recipient of British largesse - 80,000 annually (60,000 annually plus a lump sum payment of 20,000). His task was to harass Turkish allies in eastern Arabia and to disrupt their supply lines.

Browsing through the index of any Year Book on the Middle East creates the immediate impression that it is either about a region on some other planet, or that the Arab world enjoys more than its share of political, economic and social cohesion as well as cooperation.

Although human rights activists groups have spoken out against the injustices by Burma’s military regime , SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council), little awareness of the brutalities against Burmese Muslims have concerned the Muslim world.