The area on the Mediterranean coast known as Lebanon has been a battleground for thousands of years, long before it became a sovereign state in 1943, with Beirut as its capital. But only since the 1970s has it become a victim of almost permanent violence between its various religious factions, who have often enlisted […]
It is sickening and disheartening that European governments and individuals collaborated with Nazi Germany in the mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust. But it is downright revolting that collaborators with blood on their hands are still being honored by their native lands. This adds insult to injury. The problem is exemplified by two recent incidents. […]
Why is Canada Post, a Canadian government agency, delivering a newspaper that defames Jews and denies the Holocaust? I asked myself that troubling question yesterday after the postman delivered a batch of mail. Among the letters and flyers stuffed into my mailbox was Your Ward News, a quarterly which claims to be “the world’s largest […]
Medically-assisted suicide finally may be legalized in Canada, following a unanimous Supreme Court ruling last September that Canadian adults have a right to end their lives with the help of physicians. With this historic verdict, Canada’s parliament may yet enact legislation allowing terminally ill Canadians to end their lives in dignity. Kathy Wardle, I’m certain, would […]
Though generally supportive of Israel, Jews in the United States are distancing themselves from it, claims American scholar Michael Barnett. “American Jews are losing their love for Israel,” he said in a speech yesterday at the University of Toronto’s Monk School of Global Affairs. “It’s palpable and everybody is talking about it.” As American Jews […]
University professors enjoy the benefits of academic freedom and free speech. These cherished concepts are essential ingredients in the unhindered exchange and flow of ideas. Joy Karega, a non-tenured assistant professor of rhetoric and composition at Oberlin College, a liberal arts institution in the state of Ohio, made an utter mockery of these hallowed principles […]
Much to its credit, the International Criminal Court in The Hague has set an important precedent, having laid charges against a jihadist accused of destroying historic properties in a legendary African town on the edge of the Sahara desert. It’s the first time the ICC has addressed the issue of cultural destruction as a war […]
Chinese President Xi Jinping recently visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran. The central object of his trip was to promote the Belt and Road Initiative, which will revive the ancient Silk Road. “Since China and Saudi Arabia forged diplomatic ties 26 years ago, our relationship has developed by leaps and bounds, with mutual political trust […]
Current efforts by the United States and Russia to achieve a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria’s five-year-old civil war hang by a thread. Periodic clashes are still breaking out. Two of the major combatants, Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front, have been excluded from the partial ceasefire and presumably will keep on fighting. The uncertainty […]
Anwar al-Awlaki was a lucky guy, at least until his luck ran out. Born into an elite Muslim family from Yemen, he was a member of the lucky sperm club. His father, Nasser, was a government minister and president of a university. Anwar, his son, was superbly educated and possessed the gift of the gab. […]