Ghaffar Hussain is a writer, consultant and commentator on Cultural and Identity related issues as well as Middle Eastern and South Asian politics
Pakistan: Real change or plus ça change?
Good news is rarely reported from Pakistan - but, over this past weekend, the country did reach a milestone
- 14 May 2013
Election season in Pakistan
That Pakistan is having successive elections is a good a thing. But, regardless of the outcome of the forthcoming election, not much will change there as far as the key issues go
- 30 April 2013
Major Canadian terror plot thwarted
Canadian authorities have reported that a major al-Qaeda-backed terror plot has been foiled in that country
- 23 April 2013
The Boston bombings: The Chechen connection
The exact journey of the Boston bombers towards terrorism will remain the subject of speculation for a while yet. But what can we conclude thus far?
- 22 April 2013
No such thing as society
The words “there is no such thing a society” do not, as some claim, refer to a kind of selfish individualism in which fellow citizens and the collective good are ignored
- 17 April 2013
After the Arab Spring: Algeria's standing in a new world
Algeria has the potential to emerge from the Arab Spring as a regional power. This may be good news for western states, but it's bad new for Arab revolutionaries
- 25 March 2013
The systematic obliteration of Islam's cultural heritage
It's a sad reality that we can expect most Muslims to continue focusing on cartoons and YouTube videos whilst Islam's cultural heritage is systemically wiped out
- 22 March 2013
Muslim mob burns Christian homes in Pakistan
Until Pakistan's politicians are prepared to speak out against the country's outmoded blasphemy laws, it will continue its slow descent back to the middle ages
- 11 March 2013
Now and then: Mogadishu, Tehran, and Kabul
Pictures can tell a 1000 words. Here are three to show just how recent the phenomenon of extremism is in the Middle East
- 27 February 2013
Atheists face increased discrimination around the world
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is being confronted with a detailed report highlighting the widespread discrimination and prejudice faced by atheists around the world
- 26 February 2013
Lessons from the recent Birmingham terrorist plot
Britain, with it's culture of free-speech and anti-establishment activism, is a fertile breeding ground for extremism. It will remain so until we develop a sense of national cohesion
- 22 February 2013
The collapse of Al-Jazeera's credibility
“Before the beginning of the Arab Spring, we were a voice for change...a platform for critics and political activists throughout the region. Now, Al-Jazeera has become a propaganda broadcaster.”
- 18 February 2013
The war against Valentine's Day in South Asia
The fact that people prioritise campaigning against Valentine's Day in a part of the world with so many problems is absurd and disturbing
- 14 February 2013.png?1360748684)
Pakistan's favourite conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories are present in all cultures but are more prevalent in cultures in which political or religious dogma guides thought and behaviour. Pakistan is the perfect example
- 13 February 2013
There's more to the Arab world's malaise than dictators
The ongoing 'Arab Winter' is showing that there was always more than dictatorships to blame for the Arab world's malaise
- 10 February 2013
Latest on the blog
- NY Democrat pleads with Republican not to share document proposing confiscation of guns
- Sunday Times blood libel cartoon, on Holocaust Memorial Day no less
- Palestinian jailed for Facebook like
- 'Muslim Patrol' vigilantes attempt to control London streets
- Saudi cleric who raped and killed daughter receives small fine
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