Monthly archive : "March, 2015"

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Interview with Muslim rock star Sami Yusuf

Interview with Muslim rock star Sami Yusuf

Kourosh Ziabari - Tehran Times: He is indubitably the greatest name in Islamic rock and pop music. Iranians feverishly call him their fellow citizen, but he has spent only his first 3-4 years of life in Iran. He immigrated to Britain with his parents when he was a child. He prefers to be simply called a Muslim artist, and not be associated with his national roots in order for his message to reach out to as many people across the world as possible instead of simply appealing to a certain nation or group of people. Referred to as “Islam’s biggest rock star” by the Time magazine, Sami Yusuf is a well-known singer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist who was has received widespread worldwide acclamation for his unique...

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The Torture Reports Indicates a Serious Rift between Senate and CIA

The Torture Reports Indicates a Serious Rift between Senate and CIA

Kourosh Ziabari: An eminent American journalist believes that the publication of the US Senate’s report on CIA’s “detention and interrogation program” indicates a growing rift between the legislative body and intelligence apparatus of the United States. Reese Erlich, who is the author of several books about the Middle East and US foreign policy, says that the torture methods used against the terrorism suspects following the launching of the War on Terror by President George W. Bush were endorsed and approved by the high-ranking White House and CIA officials and they were certainly aware of the extent and severity of the torture program used in the US’s overseas jails. The winner of the Society of Professional Journalists’...

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It Is Impossible to Address Terrorism Without the Role-Playing of Religion

It Is Impossible to Address Terrorism Without the Role-Playing of Religion

Kourosh Ziabari - Iran Review: The horrific actions being committed under the banner of religion, as manifested in the atrocities of the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), have made people across the world, especially youths, doubtful about the peaceful nature of divine religions and raised many questions on the relationship between Islam and terror, and the growth of what some have come to call Islamic fundamentalism. There are hardline commentators and pundits who capitalize on the mass killings and executions of civilians by the ISIS to propagate this belief that Islam is a religion of violence that preaches the killing of innocent people, and that Islam and peace are irreconcilable. They ignore the calls by...

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Estonia is One of the Most Advanced E-Societies in the World: Keit Pentus-Rosimannus

Estonia is One of the Most Advanced E-Societies in the World: Keit Pentus-Rosimannus

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: The standoff between the European Union (EU) and Russia over eastern Ukraine has not left Estonia unaffected. Sharing a 294-kilometer border with Russia, Estonia has felt threatened since Moscow increased its military presence in the region. The country is now looking for US and NATO backing to preclude the menace of a possible Russian aggression. Estonia’s airspace was violated by a Russian jet in December 2014, a charge that Russian officials vehemently denied. US President Barack Obama pledged in a speech in Tallinn that Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia will not lose their independence again. Pioneering a globally-reputed program of e-government and e-citizenship, Estonia is a dynamic and...

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