The Islamic Reformation Unfolds!

The subject of Islamic Reformation is one that I have breached on several occasions during my years as an activist and a blogger. Below is a few highlights of what I have argued, coupled with a few new thoughts on this critical development in our human experience. 

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Al-Qaeda leader in Syria speaks to Al Jazeera

Al-Qaeda leader in Syria speaks to Al Jazeera – Middle East – Al Jazeera English.

Thanks to inaction by the Obama Administration and other Western leaders, Al-Qaeda now has made a pulpit and an operational base for herself in the Holy Land of Syria. Sunni Jihadis will listen and will flock to her, just as Shia Jihadis are listening to Nasrallah and are flocking to fight for Assad. But those who think that the showdown will be contained within Syria’s borders, or the region’s, are fooling themselves. Soon, the same Jihadis will realize the importance of the “external dimension” of this war and will take the fight to all corners of the world. This is a war of identity now, and the 1.5 billion Muslims on this Earth don’t all live in Syria and the Middle East. The different conditions they live under will not shield them from the fallouts, one way or another, the identity of each Muslim is at stake now. This moment in time has been long in the making. But we are here now. Welcome to the really Hot Phase of the Islamic Reformation.

A Realization

Barrel bombs being dropped daily on rebel areas in Aleppo, civilian installations such as schools and field hospitals are often targeted. Famine and denial of medicals services, including medicines and vaccines, are being used as weapons by the Assad regime in Eastern Ghouta and throughout the country. Worsening weather conditions have created a virtual nightmare for refugees in their tent encampments, especially in Lebanon, Jordan and along the long border with Turkey. Still, thousands are fleeing daily to nearby countries to escape bombardment and starvation.

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Critics question Catholic nun’s ‘alternative story’ on Syria civil war

Critics question Catholic nun’s ‘alternative story’ on Syria civil war | World news | theguardian.com.

I am quoted in this article about the visit of Assad propagandist and genocide denier, Mother Agnes:

…. But her supposed anti-Assad stance has been called into question. “The regime maintains tight controls over all religious institutions in the country: Islamic, Christian, Druze etc,” said Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian dissident and democracy activist living in exile in Washington. “Not a single appointment happens without its approval, even in-church appointments … Considering Mother Agnes’ position, she must have had regular contacts with ranking security officers.”