NO Arab university among the top 400 in the world

The failure of Arab universities to make it to the Best 400 list is indeed a source of frustration for a region that pins big hopes on the potential contributions of higher education to national development. A glimmer of hope amid the university gloom

The publication of the THES-QS World University Rankings for 2008 brings unhappy news for aspiring institutions of higher education in many regions, including the Arab world. According to the rankings, not one Arab university is among the top 400 in the world. The THES-QS report comes on the heels of the Academic Ranking of World Universities compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Institute of Higher Education, which offers an equally dismal assessment of Arab universities against global benchmarks.

Democracy meets moderate Islamists wishes

A quick look at the Islamic countries reveals the fact that moderate Islam coordinates democratic values. In fact if democracy establishes in these countries, moderate Islamists will gain more than anybody else. They will receive the freedom of activities and get ride of cruel dictators which limits their freedom. here is more concrete examples:
In Egypt if a free and just election happens, moderate Islamists will surely achieve at least their minimum rights. Maybe they can win majority of seats of parliament.
In Turkey the situation of Islamists is better. Any time that a free election is performed the winner is an Islamic party like Adalat, Fazilat and Refah. And whenever the military forces prevent free election, the Islamists stand in weaker position.
In Pakistan if general Mosharaf issue the permission of a really free election Islamists will gain more benefits and the freedom of activity.
In Europe Moslems gain a lot of the democratic atmosphere and whenever an undemocratic decision”n like the laws against Hijab” is taken, Islamist will lose more than any body else.
Who is against democracy in Islamic countries?
1- The dictator rulers who feel unsafe about free democracy. They know that in a free democratic election they won’t win.
2- The United States of America! It is surprising if one says that the U.S.A is always at the side of dictators and stands against democracy in Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran and any other Islamic country.

What Every American Should Know About the Middle East

Most in the United States don’t know much about the Middle East or the people that live there. This lack of knowledge hurts our ability to understand world events and, consequently, our ability to hold intelligent opinions about those events. For example, frighteningly few know the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and most think the words “Arab” and “Muslim” are pretty much interchangeable. They aren’t. So here’s a very brief primer aimed at raising the level of knowledge about the region to an absolute minimum.

Flags of the Middle East nations

Islam and Democracy

In the article “Islam and Democracy,” by John Esposito and John O. Voll discuss the complexity of democracy in the contemporary world. In particular, there focus is on the involvement of the multiple groups in the twentieth century political seen. They argue that many of these groups “identify themselves explicitly as Islamic” as a way to enter the political scene. Once in, they take a democratic form, however, they aroused considerable controversy. Esposito and Voll argue that

The National Flags of the Asia

The National Flags of the Asian States.
Click on the flag to see a larger image and a flag description, click on the country name to see a country’s profile.

Reform movements in Middle East

The young generation living in Middle East nations thinks and lives differently from their traditional fathers and mothers. They can hardly tolerate traditional customs, rules and values of their governing rulers which have never been updated. They criticize traditions and customs and even some religious beliefs.
Yet the young generation does not want to pay the price of revolutions. They prefer to go forward in a safe and democratic way. But there are some great hindrances which block the way. First, the modern dictators who feel their power at risk. Second, the United States of America which supports these dictators in different ways. The common characteristic of Mideast dictators is their close relationship to United States of America. Regretfully In Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Persian Golf, all Arab dictator rulers have a close relationship to US and are supported by west.
On the other side none of reform movements in the Middle East are supported by west or US. This is the common characteristic of these democratic movements.

The role of Saudi Arabia in Islamic world and Middle East

Saudi Arabia has a unique role in Islamic world and the Islamic world requires a powerful active Saudi Arabia to solve its severe difficulties.
    Firstly, Saudi Arabia is ideologically the main base of Islam where the holy cities of Mecca and Medina are located there. So many Islamic nations have a respectful toward Saudi Arabia.
    Secondly, in the geographical aspect, Saudi Arabia is the Widest Islamic country located at the heart of Islamic nations. And it has land or water borders to at least 14 Islamic nations.
    Thirdly and Economically, Saudi Arabia is the wealthiest Islamic country in the world. The ownership of large proportion of world oil deposits and besides the large outcome of religious traffic has placed Saudi Arabia among the wealthiest countries in the world.
    All these factors have risen up the role of Saudi Arabia. It means that the governors of this country should appreciate these valuable gifts and try to close Islamic nations together to make a powerful union. Saudi Arabia should activate its diplomacy to solve main problems of Islamic world like the problems of Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Sudan.
     I doubt if one says Saudi Arabia has played its full role as an elder brother for Islamic nations up to now. A quick look at Islamic world in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Afghanistan reveals the fact that unfortunately Saudi Arabia has not only neglected its high role but also it had worked as a crisis builder for those nations which forgets democratic rules and stands in the way of democratic justice and human rights.

Islamic beliefs honor Women

Los Angeles District

Have you ever walked through a mall and seen a woman with a veil covering her hair? What crossed your mind? Did you think she was one of the many wives of a rich Saudi Arabian oil sheik? Did you feel sympathy for her because some man forced her to dress that way? Or did you shrug your shoulders and decide it was just one of life’s mysteries? The veiled women are Muslims who have adopted the Islamic dress code for modesty. Islam is one of the world’s largest monotheistic (belief in one God) religions. Almost one billion people in 40 countries are Muslims, with Arabs less than 20 percent of the total.
Contrary to popular belief, women and men are regarded as equal in Islam, but with different responsibilities. This difference, however, doesn’t mean women can’t undertake similar tasks or responsibilities. A woman is recognized as an independent individual entitled to work, own a business, obtain an education, and participate in government .In fact…

Bahrain aims to take Middle East IT lead

Bahrain has signed a multi-million dollar deal with IT giant Cisco in a bid to become the Middle East’s hub for information technology.

The government is teaming up with Cisco after a memorandum of understanding was signed by the two parties aimed at improving Bahrain’s ability to operate in the global marketplace, boost the economy and win new direct foreign investment.

US-based Cisco has agreed to establish an internet data centre in Bahrain and to establish an office in Manama, with up to 10 staff, reported Gulf Daily News on Tuesday. FULL TEXT