Creative thinking in the United Arab Emirates

Goldsmiths, University of London has announced a landmark cultural collaboration with the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The partnership will develop a new master’s degree in Cultural and Creative Industries which will be taught in Abu Dhabi from September 2009. The course will cover arts administration with subjects including the management of exhibitions, galleries and events; marketing and media; educational and historical perspectives and project management.

Human rights & peace in the middle east – Arabism & radical Islam discrimination on the “other”

Human rights & peace in the middle east – Arabism & Islam discrimination on the “other”
[Analysis] Peace will prevail when economic, social and cultural rights are granted to all … The Middle East… conflicts…  For example:

* the Israel and [so called] “Occupied Territories” (Palestine) issue

* the conflict between Hamas and the Fatah; the Iraq conflict

* the conflict in Afghanistan

* conflicts within Saudi Arabia

* the security concerns, especially the nuclear threat, that Ahmadinajad’s Iran poses

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.

United Arab Emirates recognizes Kosovo

UAE is the first Arab country to recognize Kosovo and 51st overall. Although with a majority Muslim population, recognitions for the newborn Kosovo by Muslim-majority countries have been slow, partly due to the stronger lobbying by the Serb diplomacy.

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.