religion

Montréal (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – In March 1896, William Hechler, the Anglican chaplain at the British Embassy in Vienna, came across a book titled Der Judenstaat (The State for Jews). Hechler belonged to a centuries-old Protestant movement that aimed at gathering Jews in Palestine and converting them to Christianity. The book’s author, journalist Theodor Herzl, […]

Alawites

Understanding the Violence against Alawites and Druze in Syria after Assad

The Conversation

By Güneş Murat Tezcür, Arizona State University (The Conversation) – In July 2025, clashes between the Druze religious minority and Sunni Arabs backed by government-affiliated forces led to hundreds of deaths in Sweida province in southern Syria. Israel later launched dozens of airstrikes in support of the Druze. This eruption of violence was an eerie […]

Druze

Israel is exploiting the Vacuum left by southern Syria’s sectarian Clashes and a weak State

The Conversation

By Rob Geist Pinfold, King’s College London (The Conversation) – Several days of bitter sectarian fighting in the south of Syria brought the fledgling government in Damascus dangerously close to direct conflict with Israel, after Israeli warplanes launched strikes against government buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on July 16. The United Nations and a […]

Asian-Americans

Zohran Mamdani’s last Name reflects Centuries of intercontinental Trade, Migration and cultural Exchange

The Conversation

By Iqbal Akhtar, Florida International University (The Conversation) – When Zohran Mamdani announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City, political observers noted his progressive platform and legislative record. But understanding the Democratic candidate’s background requires examining the rich cultural tapestry woven into his very surname: Mamdani. He takes the name from his father, […]

Christianity

What do the Bible, the Quran and the Torah say about the Justification for War?

The Conversation

By Robyn J. Whitaker; Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University, and Suzanne Rutland, University of Sydney (The Conversation) – Wars are often waged in the name of religion. So what do key texts from Christianity, Islam and Judaism say about the justification for war? We asked three experts for their views. The Bible Robyn J. Whitaker, […]

History

Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century Judge and Ambassador, travelled further than Marco Polo. The Rihla records his Adventures

The Conversation

By Ismail Albayrak, Australian Catholic University In our guides to the classics, experts explain key literary works. (The Conversation) – Ibn Battuta, was born in Tangier, Morocco, on February 24, 1304. From a statement in his celebrated travel book the Rihla (“legal affairs are my ancestral profession,”) he evidently came from an intellectually distinguished family. […]

Asian-Americans

After Mamdani Victory, Progressives Call for Primary Challenges to Democratic Establishment

Common Dreams

“The establishment has never been more weak than they are now,” one advocate told potential progressive candidates. “You need to run.” By Julia Conley | – ( Commondreams.org ) — New York state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s victory over disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary was quickly dismissed by some […]

Iran

Israel’s Attacks have Exposed Iran’s Weaknesses, but it is in Little Danger of Collapsing

The Conversation

By Farhang Morady, University of Westminster The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that his country’s campaign in Iran “could certainly” lead to regime change. In an interview with Fox News on June 15, he called the government in Tehran “very weak” and added that, given the opportunity, “80% of the [Iranian] people would […]

Featured

Iraqi Shiites Demand Expulsion of US Troops after Israel Attacks Iran

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Israeli-Iranian War of 2025 has put Iraq in an extremely difficult situation. The country’s Shiite majority sympathizes with Iran and with the Palestinians, and resents Israel’s use of Iraqi airspace to attack their Shiite neighbor. On Sunday the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Soudani met with Thomas Seiler, the […]