Saudi Arabia

Dr. Sa‘d al-Dīn Ibrāhīm, chairman of Ibn Khaldūn Center for Development Studies reports on his paper that was presented to a conference that was held in Rome under the title: ’The Cross, the Crescent and the Ballot Box.’ Ibrāhīm’s paper discussed Islam and democracy. In the following lines Ibrāhīm refers to what he believes to be the Christian opposition of democracy at a certain period of time and foretells that the change that took place in the Catholic Church’s stance can also take place in Arab countries, asserting that the problem of democracy is not related to Islam but to the Arab identity and some Arab rulers.

Translation is a way of promoting the culture of tolerance, combating terrorism and fighting stereotypes.

A non-Muslim academic established an Islamic center in Oxford. The following lines present an interview with Dr. David George Browning in which he gives information about the center and the surrounding circumstances.

In his interview with al-Sharq al-Awsat, Shaykh Yūsuf al-Qaradāwī reveals the reasons why he is forbidden from entering the U.K., expressed his opinion about the unremitting Western offenses against Islam and called on Muslim countries to react to the offenses.

The World Conference of Religions for Peace has welcomed an inter-religious dialogue initiative that has been called for by the Saudi King after his meeting with the Catholic pope last November.

The article presents a Mark Steyn article published in an American weekly magazine National Review which rejects the Evangelization of moderate Muslims in the West because it can deprive Islam of moderate leaders who can carry out reformation in Islam.

The controversial movie ’Fitna’ aroused heated discussions concerning Arab-West and Islam-West relations. The airing of the controversial movie, caused Western and Arab countries to reconsider their relationships with each other. The conditions of Muslims have become more prominent and the activities of missionary groups in Islamic countries have become subject to heated discussions, especially in West African countries that are known as the Arab West.

Islamophobia vs. Westophobia; two postmodern terms. The article presents Muslims’ points of view toward the issue. Dialogue and moderation seem to be the key issues for eliminating the two terms used by fundamentalists on both sides, as most of the people in the following text explained.

The following lines present a review of Rev. Colin Chapman’s book ’Whose Promised land?’ translated into Arabic as la-Quds li-man?’ [Whose Jerusalem?].

The Egyptian press relentlessly covers the national and international reactions to Geert Widers’ film ’Fitna’. A young man in Saudi Arabia has made a movie to respond to ’Fitna’. He used shots that showed British solders filming Iraqis being tortured and simultaneously displayed Biblical texts that could, if literally interpreted, be understood as an invitation to violence.