Studies

Two historical trends have been significant to the Middle East’s socio-political development and will continue to shape the region’s future: a long-term Muslim determination to resist Western

According to Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed El Baradei the idea that the Muslim Brotherhood, which gave birth to the terror organizations Hamas, al Qaeda and in the United States CAIR, is in no way an extremist

With violent protests, riots and revolutions under way in the Arab world, many observers are scratching their heads trying to figure out what to make of it all. Some are proclaiming it a

As Egypt's much-anticipated moment of crisis arrived and popular rebellions shook governments across the Middle East, Iran stands as never before at the center of the region. Its Islamist rulers are within sight of dominating the region. But revolutions are hard to pull off and I predict that Islamists will not achieve a Middle East-wide breakthrough and Tehran will not emerge as the key powerbroker. Some thoughts behind this conclusion:

An echo of the Iranian revolution: On reaching power in 1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini sought to spread Islamist insurrection to other countries but failed almost everywhere. Three decades had to go by, it appears, before the self-immolation of a vendor in an obscure Tunisia town could light the conflagration that Khomeini aspired to and Iranian authorities still seek.

Part of a Middle Eastern cold war: The Middle East has for years been divided into two large blocs engaged in a regional cold war for influence. The Iranian-led resistance bloc includes Turkey, Syria, Gaza, and Qatar. The Saudi-led status quo bloc includes Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, the West Bank, Jordan, Yemen, and the Persian Gulf emirates. Note that Lebanon these very days is moving to resistance from status quo and that unrest is taking place only in status quo places.

Israel's peculiar situation: Israeli leaders are staying mum and its near-irrelevance underlines Iranian centrality. While Israel has much to fear from Iranian gains, these simultaneously highlight the Jewish state as an island of stability and the West's only reliable ally in the Middle East.
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Whenever I discuss or lecture on "women in Islam” or more specifically "honor killings” the apologists always say "honor killings is a culture thing, it’s not Islamic.” My personal favorite is when I

Americans, Canadians and Europeans must brace themselves for a massive increase in the number of Muslims living in North America and the European Union during the next 20 years,

The number of Muslims in Canada is predicted to triple over the next 20 years, sparking a debate among moderate Muslim-Canadians about whether the country is ready to deal with the

A new and comprehensive report by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life reveals that the United States — indeed, the world — will see a dramatic increase in the population

Frank Gaffney presents a key primer on the Muslim Brotherhood today at Big Peace: Suddenly, Washington is consumed with a question too long ignored: Can we safely do business

According to Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the Muslim population in Spain will increase by around 82% by 2030. Currently, Muslims make up just over 1 million of the country's