5. Tunisia’s Muslim religious party, Ennahda, has pledged to retain the secular character of the Tunisian constitution. Leader Rashid Ghanoushi says that the party won’t try to make sharia or Islamic canon law the basis for the new constitution. Ghanoushi has praised the “Turkish model,” which his followers maintain developed under Ghanoushi’s own influence over […]
Omar Khayyam (87)
Hurry up, for you will be separated from the spirit. You will go behind the curtain of God’s mysteries. Have some wine, since you don’t know where you came from; be happy, since you don’t know where you’re going. Translated by Juan Cole from [pdf] Whinfield 87
Life of Omar Khayyam, Part 2 (Documentary)
Part two of “The Genius of Omar Khayyam”
Iraq Slams Saudis, Qataris for Plans to Arm Syrian Rebels
The meeting of the so-called ‘Friends of Syria’ group of nations in Istanbul on Sunday produced some heated exchanges over a key issue: whether to arm the Syrian rebel forces. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal gave an impassioned speech in which he said it was “a duty” to provide the Syrian opposition with weapons, and […]
Omar Khayyam (83)
Khayyam, you wove tents of wisdom, but fell into a campfire and suddenly burned up. The scissors of fate severed the guy ropes of your life, and the broker of destiny sold it off gratis. Translated by Juan Cole from [pdf] Whinfield 83
Tomgram: Michael Klare, Welcome to the New Third World of Energy, the U.S.
Michael Klare writes at Tomdispatch.com: A New Energy Third World in North America? How the Big Energy Companies Plan to Turn the United States into a Third-World Petro-State By Michael T. Klare The “curse” of oil wealth is a well-known phenomenon in Third World petro-states where millions of lives are wasted in poverty and the […]
Instruments of War Propaganda (Jamiol Cartoon)
This cartoon courtesy of Jamiol’s World. Congratulations to Paul Jamiol on the publication of his book of trenchant editorial cartoons from the past couple of years.
Life of Omar Khayyam, Part 1 (Documentary)
The life and times of a medieval poet and scientist, Omar Khayyam, Part 1, a documentary by Sadiq Saba:
Omar Khayyam (75)
That wine which can take on diverse forms in its essence sometimes becomes an animal, sometimes a plant. Don’t imagine that its being ever goes away. Its essence is always there even when its attributes are not. Translated by Juan Cole from [pdf] Whinfield 75
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