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Reflections |
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Introducing equanomics January 2009 – Governments need to rethink their economy policies to
make them more equitable and responsive to citizens’ needs. Read on The audacity to dream January 2009 – If we suspend scepticism and take up Barack Obama’s invitation to
dream of change, what Natural born warriors January 2009 – Does scientific evidence that war is hardwired into
human society mean that we are doomed to live in perpetual conflict? Read on The love laboratory January 2009 – Can science make us more attractive and appealing?
Let’s put it to the test. Read on Pale imitations January
2009 – Why is fairness so coveted in societies with darker skin.
Read on The great Santa controversy January 2009 – It’s the western world’s greatest childhood
controversy: does Santa Claus exist? The answer is both comforting and
disturbing to the children among us and within us. Read on In the name of equality January 2009 – Society is becoming more equal but our surnames –
borrowed from fathers and husbands – lag behind. Is there a fairer system? Read on What’s the difference between Obama and an Arab? November
2008 – John McCain has furnished compelling proof that Barack
Obama is not an Arab: the Democrat is a family man.
Read on Ramadan for drinkers November 2008 – With
booze in short supply, the month of fasting can be a thirsty wait for some
Muslims. Read on The God veto November 2008 – Belief
in the sacredness of the holy land has long bedevilled the quest for peace. It’s
time to challenge the ‘God veto’. Read on Forecast: dry, becoming drier November 2008 – There’s
more than enough fresh water in the world to sate our thirst. The problem is
getting it to where it is desperately needed. Read on
Readers’ comments November 2008 – Readers
air their views on Obama and the Arabs, the fishy
controversy surrounding Hitler’s favourite dish, ‘Eve teasing’ in The September 2008 – Does Obama’s choice of running mate mean he’s shaping up to be
just another establishment candidate for the White House? Read on Inverting the pyramids September 2008 – The
world isn’t short on wacky theories about An untenable state of affairs September 2008 – With neither a two-state or bi-national solution
imminent, Palestinians and their Israeli allies should attend to civil
rights. Read
on Disarming the bomb in the basement September 2008 – The human cost of cluster bombs Katleen Maes September 2008 –
Cluster bombs continue to hurt people and their livelihoods years after they
were dropped. Read on The ICC and Tom Kenis
September 2008 – The ICC
indictment of Hawks, doves and lame ducks August
2008 – In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the standoff between hawks and doves
has long rendered the quest for peace a lame duck. Read on Fixing August
2008 – Finding an uncontroversial host for the Olympics is a tricky business.
The games need a permanent site on neutral territory. Read on Seeing through the climate change hot air August
2008 – The climate change debate has become shrouded in hot air. We need to
step back and look at the larger picture. Read on Imagine... if the kids took over August
2008 – The future would look very different if we put the peace process in
the hands of Palestinian and Israeli children. Read on And in other Muslim news August 2008 – A recent survey found that two-thirds
of media coverage of British Muslims was negative. The time is ripe for other
news. Read
on Mo-town record August
2008 – Twenty thousand Muhammads in one place is
not a world record, it is an everyday reality. Read on Readers’ comments August 2008 – A selection of readers’ comments on
miracles, the food crisis, the spirit of Moroccan law, a clash of
civilisations in Manhattan, the importance of reading between the signs, and
more. Read
on Why Muslims don’t pig out July 2008
– Muslims may sing odes to alcohol and even abandon religion, but pigs will
fly before most will allow pork to pass their lips. Read on Contemplating God-free zones July 2008
– There is a misperception among the religious that a ‘godless society’ robs
modern life of its soul and substitutes the material for the magical. Read on The clash inside July 2008 – The stubbornly persistent ‘clash of
civilisations’ theory ignores the abundant clashes within ‘civilisations’ and
the alliances that traverse them. Read
on Obama’s eastern promise July 2008 – Barack Obama’s first name derives from the Arabic for
‘blessing’, but if he becomes president will he be a boon or a curse for the Hillary’s curse of the pharaohs June 2008 – Hillary Clinton seems to suffer from the
age-old pharaoh’s curse afflicting women seeking to lead a nation. Read
on Found: the dustbin of history June 2008
– An ancient Egyptian rubbish dump offers fascinating glimpses into life in
the City of the Sharp-Nosed Fish. Read on 2048: a peace odyssey May 2008
– Male feminist pigs? May 2008
– Some regard possession of a vagina as crucial for membership in the
feminist movement. But can't a man be a feminist too? Read on The Big Sneeze May 2008
– Hay-fever season is coming early this year. It's time for sufferers to
ready for battle - but finding effective relief is no sneezing matter. Read on Extinguishing old flames May 2008
– Like someone who hitches up with a despised old flame after years apart,
I'm kicking myself for having taken up smoking again. Read on Raising April 2008
– In a divided world, finding an uncontroversial host for the Olympics is a
tricky business. The solution could be to create a permanent Olympic village
on neutral international territory. Read on Signs of the times April
2008 – The man behind the prophet April
2008 – Muhammad was one of the most influential figures in human history. But
who was the man behind the icon? Read on In search of Arab authors April
2008 – The Arab world is in desperate need of more novelists in the English
language to bring home the realities of the region through fiction. Read on Hell hath more fury March
2008 – Why is it so many people seem to be hell bent on silencing others?
Neither should the Quran be banned nor the film
attacking it. Read
on Ad lib March
2008 – Want to fulfil your dreams and be happy? Why not ad
liberate yourself today? Now available in convenient 30-second doses.
Beware of side effects. Read on Our true colours? March
2008 – The idea that we might all be knee-jerk DNA political reactionaries is
far-fetched and dangerous – politics should be about persuasion. Read on What the readers say March
2008 – Some more readers’ reactions to articles on Diabolic Digest. Read on
The migrants’ almanac February
2008 – For those tired of the endless polarised debate on immigration, there
is a breed of migrants that no political or cultural frontier can hold back. Read on Visionary democracy February
2008 – With one eye on the next elections, it is tempting for democratically elected
leaders to focus on the short term. Is it time to consider longer terms in
office? Read
on Cif’s angels and demons January
2008 – I’m accused of being everything from a neocon
‘Uncle Tom’ to an ‘Islamofascist’. Does this mean
I’m doing my job properly? Read on Death in fast motion January
2008 – Grief at the loss of a loved one knows no cultural boundaries but
increasing mobility may be making death a lonelier affair. Read on Sleeper cells December
2007 – Statistics reveal that more young people are succumbing to cancer. How
do people in the prime of life cope when these sleeper cells go on the
rampage? Read on Sheikh with laughter December
2007 – With Osama bin Laden unlikely to branch out into comedy, it’s important
to give westerners a taste of Muslim humour. Read on Perils of the moral high ground November
2007 – The US Congress’s cynical manipulation of the Armenian genocide is
hypocritical and a slur on the memories of those who perished. Read on Inside an American harem November
2007 – Forget the ‘mystical’ East. In the 21st century, the harem meets the
American dream. Read
on Voices in the wilderness November
2007 – Even with a Nobel peace prize, there’s a limit to what Al Gore can do,
and so a group of determined eco-worriers are making plans ... Read on What the readers say November
2007 – Here are more reactions from readers. Read on Faith and punishment August 2007 – In Islam,
apostasy and faithlessness are sins, but they are not worldly crimes. Those
who claim otherwise are making a mistake. Read on Our economic alchemy August 2007 – JK
Rowling’s billion-dollar success is certainly awe inspiring, but has she
earned too much money? Read on A song for the deaf August 2007 – I’m sick of
hearing the same old tune about how Muslims are silent in their condemnation
of terrorism. Time for a song. Read on A Christian jihad? August 2007 – Many in the West fear the
threat posed by political Islam. But there is a more ominous menace closer to
home. Read
on What the readers say July 2007
– Here is another selection of readers’ comments. Read on Uri
Avnery v Khaled Diab – One state or two? July 2007 – Could a
‘one-state’ solution end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Read on
A history of violence July 2007
– British-born ‘jihadis’ have been wreaking havoc
at home and abroad for generations, lured by a heady mix of idealism, romance
and rebellion. Read on The other right of return July 2007
– Palestinians have not been the Sex and the medina July 2007
– The time is ripe for a Middle Eastern sexual revolution and there are signs
that a quiet one is in progress. But will young Arabs openly stand up for
their right to get laid? Read on The
Muslim faithless July 2007
– Ridiculing and questioning Islam, Muhammad, the Qur’an
and religion in general is an ancient tradition in Muslim countries. Read on A war on error June 2007
– It is time to dispel the myths surrounding Muslims – namely, that we are
all terrorist anti-feminist teetotallers. Read on A war on error (2) June 2007
– It is time to dispel the myths that conservative Muslims often propagate
about 'the west'. Read on Small bombs, big trouble Katleen
Maes June 2007
– There are renewed hopes of an international treaty on cluster munitions –
although the only way forward is to ban them. Read on Testing times June 2007
– Across Europe, the real challenge when dealing with minority groups is not
integration but marginalisation. Read on Arab League should enter uncharted territory
with April
2007 – The Arab League’s reaffirmation of the Saudi Peace Plan is a good step
in the right direction, and the Israelis should seize the opportunity it
offers. The Arabs can boost the prospect for peace by recognising The War on Error begins April 2007 – The War on Error seeks to shatter the myths
about ‘us’ and ‘them’ distorting the views of one another held by
‘Westerners’ and ‘Muslims’. This series takes a number of misconceptions on
both sides and deconstructs them. Read on and Readers’ reactions The rotten Apple which killed my iPod April 2007
– One bad Apple update spoilt Khaled Diab’s iPod and the lack of
support he received has put him right off the company. Read on Some more readers’ comments April
2007 – To mark 25 issues of Diabolic Digest, here is another selection of
readers’ comments. Read on Speaking the language of unity March
2007 – Elio Di Rupo, the flamboyant chief of the Walloon Parti Socialiste, has called
for a network of bilingual schools in Deniers of March
2007 – International Women’s Day –
A tale of two sisters March 2007
– To mark International Women’s Day (8 March), Khaled
Diab reflects on the status of women in February
2007 – Some 15 years after the Madrid conference which launched the now
defunct Israeli-Palestinian peace process, former statesmen and stateswomen
from both sides got together to try to revive the quest for peace. What we
now need is to complement this crème-de-la-crème peacemaking with a gritty ‘Madrid
for the people’, Khaled Diab
argues in a letter to former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo
Ben-Ami, one of the figures who spearheaded the initiative. Read on Arabs
and Israelis held hostage by a common enemy February
2007 – Salom Now! And METalks are two experimental initiatives
which sought to rewrite the script of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and
give ordinary people a starring role in the quest for peace. Those involved
experienced profound changes to their outlook and took the first steps
towards forging a new, more inclusive narrative for the Part I
– War and
elusive peace Part
II – Talking under
fire Part
III – Dangerous liaisons Part
IV – Constructive
ideas Part V
– Let’s
talk about you and ME Part
VI – Terrorised
by a common enemy Part
VII – Existential
angst Part
VIII – Moving
forward Saddam
Hussein: In
desperate pursuit of a hero January
2007 – The US-UK occupation of Part I
– Anti-heroics
and wishful thinking Part
II – Champion
or villain of the Arab cause? Part
III – The
dead don’t talk Part
IV – Emulating
history How
I learned to start worrying and hate the bomb November
2006 – With North Korea’s recent nuclear test and Iran’s suspected nuclear
designs, Khaled Diab
explains why he learned to start worrying and hate the bomb and suggests how
the proliferation of nuclear weapons can best be arrested – and reversed. Read on Tripping down memory lane November
2006 – Khaled Diab goes
tripping – mentally and physically – down memory lane and discovers the
multi-layered nature of reality. Cultural pie and civilisational mash Between the reel
and the surreal Back to
(sur)reality
Pitch gender battles in Iran October 2006
– Jafar Panahi’s Offside
is a football film that is about almost everything but the beautiful game. It
is onside and on target when it comes to providing a farcical and perceptive
insight into the position of women in contemporary Iranian society. Read on Over to the reader September
2006 – Diabolic Digest is two years old and to mark the occasion, here
is a selection of reader comments about the journal and the issues it has
raised. Read
on Using a carrot and stick for peace September
2006 – Given the fragile situation in Salom now! Mobilising the untapped power of Arab and Israeli
peaceniks August
2006 – Arabs and Israelis have a common way of greeting people and it is to
wish them ‘peace’. As advocates of violent solutions chalk up another victory
in the Middle East and the international community fails the test again in Part I – Silent world Part II –
Peace begins
at home Crisis in From complete failure to
comprehensive solutions The beautiful game as a political football July 2006
– Kofi Annan would like
the UN to become more like the FIFA World Cup. While there is something to be
said for the beautiful game’s potential for uniting people and resolving
conflicts bloodlessly, it might be premature to scrap the UN and replace it
with a football May
2006 – Most Egyptians are justified in their conviction that I: Restoring faith in national unity II: Sacred unity III: Privatising faith May 2006
– The ‘silent march’ was a moving expression of popular sentiment at the tragic
murder of a teenager who has become known simply as Joe. But calls for more
police and ‘zero tolerance’ will not prevent a repeat of this tragedy. People
need to realise that the system does not have all the answers and it is time
for citizens to take on more personal social responsibility. Read on Getting to the grassroots of the By Khaled Diab and Katleen Maes April
2006 – The new Kadima party’s election victory in Part I: Getting
to the grassroots of the Middle East conflict Part II: The end of the road for
unilateralism? Graven images and poor reflections February
2006 – It is perplexing that a few crude cartoons can spark an international
crisis overshadowing war, political oppression and economic and social
injustice. It has
hurt the image of Muslims and reflects poorly on their tolerance, while
unmasking the uglier face of western prejudice. Read on and readers’
comments Abuses freedoms and we all lose February
2006 – It is not freedom of expression that is under threat, but the right to
human dignity, argues Tom Kenis. Read on Extraordinary renditions
–
The playwright and the president January 2006 – Jeff Sommers, Khaled Diab and Charles Woolfson
explore the dynamics between playwright and president as American foreign
policy stands in the dock. Read on
Extended analysis
Dressed to kill –
Under the cloak of Bush’s foreign policy
December
2005 – Jeff Sommers, Khaled
Diab and Charles Woolfson
expose what lies beneath the cloak of Conversion is not a crime December
2005 – Muriel Degauque has the dubious distinction
of being the first white European female suicide bomber. Shocking as this is,
suggestions that we have reached a dangerous turning point and that converts
are brainwashed fanatics and their partners are comic-book villains are
unfair to the vast majority of converts and to non-converts married to
Muslims. Read on Walk first, then surf December
2005 – Trying to level the cyberspace playing field without addressing
poverty, illiteracy, disease and unfair trade practices is an exercise in
futility. Read on A revision of Salman Rushdie’s vision –
We need ijtihadis,
not jihadis September
2005 – Salman Rushdie’s
proposed Islamic Reformation touches on the urgent need for reform in most
Muslim societies. But his vision needs serious revision if it is to work. Read on Vrij
van angst By Katleen Maes September 2005 – EEN zonnige lentedag in april, in de
vroegere grensstreek tussen Noord- en Zuid-Jemen. Drie meisjes van 11 hoeden
schapen in een idyllisch berglandschap. Plotseling struikelt een van hen,
haar voet zit vast in een gat in de grond. Nog geen vijf seconden later, een
enorme knal. Ze heeft in het gat een landmijn geraakt, verstopt in een wit
gemarkeerde en dus - zo dachten de meisjes - veilige zone. Ze had geluk,
enkele uren later was ze in het ziekenhuis, levend en wel, al mist ze nu een
been en enkele vingers. Read on Between democrat and autocrat September
2005 – Hosni Mubarak may
be a semi-authoritarian ruler, but he takes his legacy seriously and has a
genuine vision for a democratic future for Outcomes of the unexpected September
2005 – To an alien visitor, it would look like a full-blown election. But we
mortals expect Hosni Mubarak
to win the election. But, asks Khaled Diab, what if the unexpected occurs… Read on and readers’
comments Egypt 2008 September
2005 – Hosni Mubarak dies
suddenly in 2008 and the presidency is up for grabs, KM peers into the
future… Read on From nature to naturalisation July 2005
– This month, Not a love letter to the Egyptian president January
2005 – Faced with the grim prospects of prolonged political virginity, Khaled Diab decides to make
President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak
an indecent proposal. Read on and readers’ comments The language placebo January
2005 – To hear some politicians speak, one would think that language and
culture were the panacea for all Mine child December
2004 My sweet
child, everything’s going to be just fine I’ll take
your hand, if you’ll take mine Makeshift
games in the sand is all you can afford No
wonder, poor thing, you look so bored Well,
come over here and play with me I’ve got
the best toys a poor kid’ll ever see: Bright,
alluring, the colour of your fantasies and dreams Step
right up and check out the fluorescent yellow gleam Read on Raising a new olive branch December 2004 – Following the loss of Yasser Arafat – for decades, the international face of
the Palestinian struggle for statehood – it is time for the Palestinians to
rethink radically how they defend their cause. Read on Home truths about the home secretary October 2004 – David Blunkett
– like his boss – is growing blind to what his party stands for. In fact,
some of the home secretary’s recent pronouncements have sent a chill down Khaled Diab’s spine. Read on Taking up peace, putting down arms September 2004 – Sistani
won his peaceful protest in Najaf. But Gandhian methods in the August 2004 – The latest Egyptian diplomatic
initiative to revive the peace process is sustained by a belief that the art
of the possible will pave the way for the wishful. However, an Egyptian
presence in the Gaza Strip will not expedite peace and may have dire
long-term consequences. Read on Why I want to live in an EU superstate August
2004 – The idea of an EU superstate gets Khaled Diab’s vote. He thinks
Europeans should stop thinking in terms of ‘national sovereignty’ – keep the
culture, drop the rest. Read on Why set menus for By Katleen Maes May 2004
– “Why all the fuss?” was the question recently asked on the pages of the
Globe and Mail, a liberal Canadian daily, regarding US President George
Bush’s support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s latest unilateral
blow to prospects for peace in the Middle East. Read
on A state of pragmatism March
2004 – As one of the original six founders of the European Union, Alternative peace plan for Katleen
Maes and Khaled Diab February
2004 – THE Why anti-religious dress codes are no road to
liberty February
2004 – The French government has proposed a law that will ban Muslim girls
from wearing headscarves in school. Such a ban will not help the cause of
multicultural tolerance in the EU. Read on Veiled intentions January
2004 – Some prominent politicians – first in Digital dreams for the worldwide web of
poverty December
2003 – Trying to create a true World Wide Web by targeting the 90% of the global
population lacking internet access may seem like a commendable aim. However, it is a case of
putting the computer before the cart. Read on Migrating from the margins November
2003 – As a reflection of A state of conscience Khaled Diab and Katleen Maes November
2003 – Building a single homeland for Israelis and Palestinians may be the
only viable solution to the decades-old conflict in the long-term. Read on Burning issues September
2003 – Belgian trains are about to become off-limits to smokers and the
debate over extending the ban to other public spaces simmers on in Somewhere over the rainbow May 2003
– Sporting an Afro December
2001 – If I were to let my hair grow, I’d be sporting quite a respectable
Afro within a matter of months. Not so my wallet, however. While A Greek tragedy June 2000
– A bigoted tragedy at Beware the Arab? April
2000 – Khaled Diab looks
at the Arab stereotypes that are terrorising people’s common sense. Read on |
ã2008 – Khaled Diab.
Unless otherwise stated, all the content on this website is the copyright of Khaled Diab.