war

As Pakistan begins an all-out air and land assault on its own people and its president asks America for drones, we must ask: can Pakistan succeed in defeating the Taliban when America has not?

I'm hoping that a new president and an old story can lead us to a change we can believe in a believable change in ourselves and for all those who suffer in that region of the world where our faith has its roots.

Lots of us watch in shock, horror and anger at the ongoing attacks on Gaza and the Palestinian territories. The killing of any civilian, Palestinian or Israeli, is wrong. It is condemned and must be stopped immediately. This is something made clear in Islam as well as international law

I could not believe my eyes and ears as I watched vice-president Dick Cheney saying "so?" There was a look on his face which said a lot. He was responding to an ABC News reporter who told him, "two-thirds of Americans say it's not worth fighting." Cheney's response came before the question even finished: "So?"

"O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for God, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to Piety: and fear God. For God is well-acquainted with all that ye do." (Quran 5:8)

Nowhere is death and destruction more evident than in the Muslim world, particularly Afghanistan and Iraq. But death and destruction are only part of the impact of 9/11 on the Muslim world.

War and terrorism are human failings. Some Muslims are twisting some portions of the Quran to justify their actions. At the same time there are many non-Muslims are misunderstanding certain verses about the Islamic conduct of war when it is forced upon them.