Despite lecturing political science at the University of the Free State, I do occasionally give lectures on Islam to students in our Faculty of Theology. This prompted an earnest theology student who aims to become a priest to seek me out. The young man came to my office and apologized but he explained that I Read More >
Egypt
What is Causing Radicalism in the MENA?
The emergence of Al-Qaeda as a global terrorist organization carrying out devastating strikes across the USA, Europe, Middle East and Africa shed a spotlight on terrorism, and by extension on radicalism. The attention has intensified with the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), its atrocities and the regional surge in Read More >
Implications of the Muslim-Christian Education Gap in Africa
A recent study by the Pew Research Centre has revealed that there exists a considerable Muslim-Christian education gap in sub-Saharan Africa. Whilst Christians average six years of formal schooling, for Muslims the figure is fewer than three years[i]. Much of the reason for this gap lay in the colonial past on the part of the Read More >
The particular role of religion in Islamic State
Religion, specifically Islam, is central to the identity of Islamic State (IS). It was on the basis of religious doctrine that IS separated from Al Qaeda. It is on the basis of his belonging to the same tribe as the Prophet Muhammed that Al-Baghdadi has legitimised his claims of leadership of the Muslim ummah. Moreover Read More >
The American Tradition of Orderly Political Transition
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, November 9, Donald J. Trump crossed the necessary threshold of 270 electoral votes and became the President-elect of the United States of America. At noon on Friday, 20 January 2017, Mr. Trump will take the oath administered by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on the west Read More >
Do African Lives Matter for African Leaders?
Africans have grown accustomed to the West ignoring their suffering. This is hardly a new phenomenon. Consider the fact that Belgian King Leopold II’s atrocities were historically ignored in Europe at the time and barely get a footnote in recent European books on its African colonies. To be clear, 15 million Congolese were murdered and Read More >
Daesh’s Retreat / “تقهقر “داعش
يتناول صمويل ماريرو (المسئول التنفيذي بمركز الشرق الأدنى وجنوب آسيا للدراسات الاستراتيجية التابع لوزارة الدفاع الأمريكية) تحليلا بعنوان: “تقهقر داعش: مؤشرات تصدر القاعدة المشهد المتطرف في العالم”، ويؤكد المقال أن تراجع سيطرة تنظيم داعش على مناطق تمركزه الرئيسية في سوريا والعراق لا يعني نهاية التنظيم أو القضاء عليه تمامًا؛ حيث سيقوم التنظيم بالتمركز في بؤر Read More >
Counter-Terrorism Policies in Egypt: Effectiveness and Challenges
This paper attempts to provide a comprehensive analysis of the national policies adopted by the Egyptian government to counter domestic terrorism since the election of president el-Sisi in June 2014. It argues that the dispersal of the Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins in Raba’a square and al-Nahda square in August 2013 unleashed a more complex wave of Read More >
China is Diving into the Gulf, But For How Long?
It’s getting harder for Beijing to sell the story of non-interference in affairs of sovereign states.Like most other major global powers that have preceded it, China is becoming entangled in the Middle East. A friendlier region to its interests than its own neighborhood in East Asia, China found in the Middle East an attractive zone Read More >
Countering Violent Extremism In The MENA Region
According to the Soufan Group’s latest report, between 27,000 and 31,000 foreign fighters (FFs) had travelled to Syria and Iraq as of December 2015. More than half (16,000) come from the MENA region. Five years after the Arab uprisings, these figures contrast with the commitments made by the governments in the region to establish a Read More >