A Sputnik Moment for U.S. Foreign Policy

Feb 02

NY Times Photo Gallery on Egypt Protest Huffington Post, Feb 1, 2011 Florida Times Union, Feb 2, 2011 A Sputnik Moment for U.S. Foreign Policy The Jasmine Revolution has led to the ouster of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the autocratic leader of Tunisia and has sparked similar revolutionary fervor from Algeria to Egypt. The success in Tunisia has emboldened protestors...

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Person of the Year

Dec 29

Professor, father, author, activist, citizen, Muslim. The man who made 2010 a turning point for Northeast Florida. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Parvez Ahmed slept in. After teaching a late-night investment class at the University of Pennsylvania, and working in his home office until after midnight, he took the rare luxury of sleeping past 8 a.m. His parents,...

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Is Islam Compatible with American Values?

Dec 05

On Oct 9, 2010, the Clay County chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State organized a lecture on “Is Islam Compatible with American Values?” I was invited to speak at the Fleming Island Public Library. What happened at the event is well summarized in a letter to the editor by Rev. Harry Parrott, President of the local chapter of AU....

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Mr. Obama Goes to India

Nov 13

Mr. Obama Goes to India Huffington Post, Nov 5. 2010 Also in Florida Times Union, Nov 12, 2010 On the heels of a bruising election, President Barack Obama is undertaking his longest foreign trip that will take him to several Asian countries including India. Some media accounts of this trip, primarily Fox News and its affiliates, has focused on an un-sourced report...

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Clarity Missing in Debate over Free Speech

Nov 05

In AltMuslim. October 27, 2010 Juan Williams is neither a racist nor a bigot. But by perpetuating negative stereotypes he breached the ethics of fairness, crucial ingredients to succeed as a journalist. His firing from NPR, while admittedly handled in a clumsy way, was ultimately the right action. At a time when public discourse has descended to freighting levels of...

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