The debate concerning Islam and Muslims in the US is a very heated one - sometimes beyond metaphors. The fear that Sharia will rule in the land of the free is a strong one, so much so that there has been more than one attempt to legally ban 'sharia'. Newt Gingrich, former House speaker who led the Republican takeover... Continue Reading →
Jihad Beyond Islam: open access book
I am pleased to inform you that my publisher Berg has decided to join the Social Science Open Access Repository and to make my first book, Jihad Beyond Islam(2006) available legally for download with no costs but strictly under the Creative Common License. In this first work I discussed through an anthropological approach how we... Continue Reading →
9/11 commemorations: ritualizing and celebrating civilization rhetoric
Yesterday the tenth anniversary of 9/11 was commemorated in New York. Yet the commemorations started more than one week in advance with newspapers, TVs and magazine building up the momentum. There is little need to summarize the incredible amount of special dossiers, reports, commentaries and documentaries which have been written during these days for a... Continue Reading →
What was Osama bin-Laden for Muslims?
bin-Laden is dead. A decadent symbol has been assassinated. For some time before his demise, his influence on contemporary terrorism had been on the wane. Most likely Osama had little choice but to agree to retire to his Pakistani prison under the ‘supervision’ of the Pakistani secret services and Taliban tribes. I did not write... Continue Reading →
Generation without future, a future without generations: the endless suffering of Afghan children
Nine and a half have passed since the US and allies invaded Afghanistan. American and European soldiers (among whom the most affected are the British) sacrificed their lives for political games, international interests and local corruption, as well as strategic failure. While an unstoppable abacus precisely tracks each soldier’s death, little is really known about... Continue Reading →