Word: islam
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...persevered in flushing the Taliban out of power in Afghanistan rather than starting a war in Iraq, there would have been more international resolve to stop the likes of North Korea from developing a nuclear bomb. But now the Muslim world believes the West has declared war on Islam, and rogue nations have learned that the possession of nuclear bombs can serve as a deterrent to the U.S. At least during the cold war we had two superpowers in opposition whose fear of each other made for peace for everyone, but today danger lurks everywhere, especially in buses...
...violent responses to the Pope's speech reflect the belief of jihadist groups, such as al-Qaeda, that their religion mandates the use of any means necessary, including suicide bombers and the mass killing of civilians, to bring about the world's submission to Islam. In an Oct. 12 "Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI," 38 distinguished Islamic religious authorities, including Grand Muftis in Turkey, Egypt, Russia, Syria, Kosovo, Bosnia and Uzbekistan, wrote that "jihad ... means struggle, and specifically struggle in the way of God. This struggle may take many forms, including the use of force." The signers...
Nonetheless, the open letter was framed in respectful terms and was welcomed at the Vatican. It is noteworthy, however, that the Pope has not retreated from his challenge to Islam. Moreover, under his leadership, the Vatican has taken a much stronger line in insisting on "reciprocity" in relations with Islam. Mosques proliferate throughout cities in the West, while any expression of non-Islamic religion is strictly forbidden in many Muslim countries. In the Vatican and elsewhere, the feeling has been growing that the way of tolerance, dialogue and multicultural sensitivity can no longer be a one-way street. In fact...
...Although long regarded as a bastion of moderate Islam, Indonesia has experienced a religious revival since 1998, when democracy activists helped end the 32-year rule of strongman Suharto. Given unprecedented space to express their religiosity, members of the nation's 210 million Muslim population have built thousands of religious schools and mosques, some of which adhere to more conservative interpretations of Islam. The spiritual flowering has also emboldened radical elements, who have orchestrated a series of bombings that have claimed hundreds of lives in Jakarta and the resort island of Bali since 2002. And despite the fact that...
...have to guard against people who want to turn Indonesia into another Saudi Arabia," says Syafi'i Anwar, executive director of the International Center for Islam and Pluralism in Jakarta. "But in this political climate, if you say you are against the Shari'a bylaws, people say you are a bad Muslim, so no wonder so many are afraid to speak...