On education and radicalism (part 4)

Last update: Thursday, October 4, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

Straight Talk with Sheikh Shaheed SatardienIt is noteworthy that just a few years ago, the main Muslim organisations in the UK stated publicly that ‘home-grown’ Islamic terrorism would be impossible. When this was proven to be untrue (by the London Tube bombings in July 2005) they said that the ‘home-grown’ terrorists were simply “disaffected youth”.

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American style

Last update: Thursday, September 27, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

There I sat, on the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 al-Qaeda terrorist attacks, contemplating the previous day’s testimony of General Petraeus and US Ambassador Crocker before Congress regarding the ongoing conflict in Iraq. After listening and considering their statements and responses to questions, I was struck by several things that were said, as well as some issues which were not discussed.

On education and radicalism (part 3)

Last update: Thursday, September 27, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

Straight Talk with Sheikh Shaheed SatardienIt could be argued that extremists are generating micro-cultures, where peer-pressure and environmental controls, allied with specific scriptural interpretations, can create the emotional dissonance necessary to abandon a sense of perspective outside of the perceived ‘will of God’.

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American style

Last update: Thursday, September 20, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

Having been back in the States for more than a week now, I thought I would depart from my usual discourse on US politics and discuss how it feels to be back in my native land after spending most of the past year living, studying and working in Dublin.

On education and radicalism (part 2)

Last update: Thursday, September 20, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

Straight Talk with Sheikh Shaheed Satardien I believe that Islam has a tremendous amount to offer the ‘West’, and that the qualities of the West can be of great benefit to Muslims. But both of these developments can only be realised with a mutual interaction where the barriers of suspicion and mistrust are dissolved by familiarity. Inter-action will enable the West to recognise the diversity of Islam beyond the media stereotypes and enable Muslims to realise that the West is not a cultural contaminant or morally decadent.

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American style

Last update: Thursday, August 30, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

The dirty business of US politicking Did I ever mention that tomorrow, August 31st, is my birthday? Probably not, because I'm old enough now that I try to forget it.

Muslims and migration (pt 2)

Last update: Thursday, August 30, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

You must show respect before insisting on itEvery migrant community brings with it cultural baggage in the form of its language, religion and customs. Such luggage serves as a reminder of the familiar in an unfamiliar environment. For a stranger in a strange land, the migrant culture is a haven of stability amid the chaos of the unknown in the new environment.

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American style

Last update: Thursday, August 23, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

While I believe that US Vice President Dick Cheney was the primary architect behind the scenes, designing many of the Bush Administration’s disastrous and shortsighted foreign and domestic policies, both he and President Bush needed many willing accomplices in order to carry out these policies.

Muslims and migration (pt 1)

Last update: Thursday, August 23, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

The spectre of an unstoppable horde, teeming over the horizon with conquest in their hearts, has been a subconscious bogeyman since the time of the Mongol invasions. Genghis Khan’s nomadic horsemen were a new weapon – one that terrorised villages, towns and cities wherever they went. Khan’s army was a parasitic blight on the contemporary civilisation until the development of castles and big walls provided an effective defence, at least for a time. In Ireland, this bogeyman took the form of Vikings pillaging coastal and riverside towns in their longboats. The natives responded with round towers and walled towns. So the notion of unwelcome ‘guests’ has a long history.

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American style

Last update: Thursday, August 16, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

Last week I pointed to the extremely influential role the US Vice President Dick Cheney has played in the Bush Administration’s misguided and dangerous policies. Make no mistake, Cheney’s dangerous influence over the president’s policies have not been limited to the defence and foreign policy arenas.

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American style

Last update: Thursday, August 9, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

In last week’s column, I attributed much of President Bush’s personal motivations for refusing to acknowledge his administration’s many mistakes to what I believe is the disease of untreated alcoholism. The rest of it is linked to the political philosophy of Karl Rove – such that political leaders should never show any sign of weakness, lest their opponents seize upon this and go on the offensive.

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American style

Last update: Thursday, August 2, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

In last week’s column I neglected to mention one other political motivation for President Bush’s refusal to yield or seek a compromise with opponents of his domestic and/or foreign policies (including the Iraq war). That is because this political motive is also closely linked to what I believe are his personal motives.

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American Style

Last update: Thursday, July 26, 2007, 00:00 | © Metro Éireann

Since arriving here in Ireland last September, one of the questions I have been asked most frequently is: “Why does President Bush continue to insist that the US must remain fighting in Iraq, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that the situation there is not improving and that the US public wants its soldiers out?”

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American style

In my previous column I listed a number of questions and concerns I had with the Catholic Church’s absolute opposition to the use of abortion, and its condemnation of Amnesty International’s accep-tance of the United Nations Human Rights Court’s rulings on permissible human rights exceptions. I also noted that the Catholic Church appeared to leave some room for exceptions as regards the use of the death penalty in John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae.

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American style

This week I would like to discuss what for many people is a very sensitive subject – that is, a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion.

Conference told ‘greater efforts needed’ to stop trafficking

THE legalisation of brothels in the Netherlands seven years ago has not stemmed the trafficking of women into the ‘sex industry’, a Dutch anti-trafficking expert said last week.

Charles Laffiteau’s Republican politics, American style

Back in the States, the 2008 Presiden-tial race could get even more interesting than it already has been. What was already looming as the most wide-open Presidential contest in over 80 years could become even more so if former Senator and Law & Order TV star Fred Thompson jumps into the Republican race next month, as I fully expect him to.

Schools at the frontline of a new Ireland

Reporter SANDY HAZEL reflects on her series that documented the responses of second level schools to their increasingly diverse school communities

First Prev 1 2 3 ... 11 12 13 Next Last