Latest update: 23/03/2011

- Islam - Muslims - US Congress - USA

The Islam charm offensive: young Muslims react after their 'loyalty to the US' is questioned

It's not easy being a Muslim in the United States. Many are suspected of being terrorists, after the Fort Hood shootings and the failed attack on Times Square. But things could be about to get even more complicated. Congress, which has a Republican majority, plans to launch an inquiry to how loyal American Muslims are to their country. Critics say it smacks of McCarthyism, while young Muslims are starting to take to the streets on an Islam charm offensive.

FOCUS

By Guillaume MEYER / Natalie HANDEL

Programme prepared by Kate Williams, Marie Billon and Patrick Lovett

23/05/2012 - CANADA

Students in Quebec march against tuition fee hike

Student protests in the Canadian province Quebec are into their fourth month. Hundreds were arrested at marches to mark 100 days since the protests began. Students are demonstrating against an 80 percent rise in tuition fees in Quebec, the Canadian province that has until now enjoyed the country's lowest rates for higher education.

23/05/2012 - EGYPT

Egyptians head to the polls

Egyptians go to the polls in the country's first truly contested presidential election on Wednesday. With an array of candidates to choose from, voters will decide who's the best man to lead them through the last phase of the country's troubled democratic transition that began with Egypt's revolution in January last year. Cairo correspondents Kathryn Stapley and Sonia Dridi talked to some of the activists whose protests in Tahrir Square changed the course of Egypt's history.

22/05/2012 - EGYPT

A troubling time for Egypt's Coptic Christians

Egyptians go to the polls tomorrow to vote for a new president for the first time since Hosni Mubarak was ousted during the revolution last year. Two of the front-runners in the presidential race with a realistic chance of winning are devout Islamists, which is troubling for Egypt's Coptic Christians. They are Egypt's largest religious minority and many of them don't think any of the candidates are capable of protecting them from the religious violence that has been steadily increasing.

22/05/2012 - WEST BANK

'The Battle of the Empty Stomachs'

Palestinians nicknamed it "the battle of the empty stomachs". For weeks, 1,600 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails refused food and drink in what became the longest ever mass hunger strike. Israel finally capitulated and a deal was reached, allowing those in isolation back onto the general wards, and visas for those family members wishing to visit from Gaza. In exchange, prisoners agreed not to carry out "security activities" such as recruiting for terrorist missions.

21/05/2012 - SERBIA

Serbia's new president - nationalist or not?

Serbia has elected a new president - and it's not the one that most people were expecting. Tomislav Nikolic has unseated Boris Tadic, the man in power since 2004. Observers are worried about the new head of state, who used to be part of the ultra-nationalist Radical Party. He once said he would prefer to be allied with Russia than join the EU, but he has since toned down the rhetoric, saying he will take Serbia to Europe after all.

Comments (2)

McCarthy

by Anonyme - 20/02/2011 - 02:00

It is my understanding that McCarthy has been more-or-less vindicated by documents released by the ex-USSR, that the Soviets had mole agents in the State Department, at Los Alamos, Hollywood, etc., including the Rosenbergs.

report abuse

Wrong Analysis

by Anonyme - 17/02/2011 - 18:03

Your video article was good until the Associate Professor was brought in to comment about the story. His assessment of the right is, well, wrong!
1. The Arizona shooter was not a right wing conspirator. He hated authority, despised politics and was never found to be a member of a right wing or conservative political group nor the famed Tea Party.
2. The Arizona shooting does not provide proof to rise in right wing violence. The United States has seen in the past years the Fort Hood shooting (Palestinian Muslim), the Fort Dix plot (illegal Albanians in this country), the Little Rock recruiting shooting (Muslim convert), the LA bomb plot, the Miami plot, the Christmas Day bombing plot, the Bronx plot and the Toronto 18 plot (who wanted to behead the PM, I know this one was Canadian), the Trolley Square shooting and I am sure I am missing more. All of these plots had something to do with Islamic zealots. Furthermore, we have seen (2010) a leftist assassination attempt on the life of the Missouri State Governor. Now the ‘right winged Tea Party conspiracy’ that your Associate Professor speaks of spawns from the repeated attempts by our government to defame our returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan and name them as co-conspirators with the Tea Party movement as a threat to National Security (thank you Department of Homeland ‘security’ Director Napolitano). There was a bulletin issued by DHS around some dubious ‘plot’ about abortion (not sure what that is about) and hating the government. The reality is that the United States has seen no real rise in violence from the right. Nothing near the problem the United States had during the 1990’s were groups upset about Ruby Ridge and Waco formed a loose confederation, the Patriot Movement, that hated the Federal government and acted on their hatred. No the real violence currently gripping the United States of America is due to the poor economy, as any police officer in this country will tell you.
3. The Tea Party has no founding principles of being against the Islam-ization of the United States. It was founded because of the obscene spending and taxation in this country. It is centered on fiscal policy and has branched out into reforming the powers of the federal government (Constitutionalism) and securing the southern border with Mexico. It appears your professor just likes to use the term ‘Tea Party’ as a buzz word for right wing radicals. He did notably miss a group (term) in his tirade about Fox News, Republicans and the Tea Party movement. I am surprised he didn’t mention “Talk Radio” since this term has been thrown around as a polemic word since the mid-Late 1990’s and is viewed by liberals and leftists as the true 5th column. Your guest so sorely was trying to describe in this country fear of Muslims when the true fear is that of Talk Radio hosts.

Please note, I am a conservative have participated in Tea Party Rallies and I DO NOT condone Peter King’s attempt to investigate the Muslim community here in the United States. It stinks of discrimination that the German-American community went through during WWI and is flat out wrong!

report abuse