Reflections
2048:
a peace odyssey
May 2008 –
Male feminist pigs?
May 2008 – Some regard possession
of a vagina as crucial for membership in the feminist movement. But can't a man
be a feminist too? Read on
The
Big Sneeze
May 2008 – Hay-fever season is coming early
this year. It's time for sufferers to ready for battle - but finding effective
relief is no sneezing matter. Read on
Extinguishing
old flames
May 2008 – Like someone who hitches up with a
despised old flame after years apart, I'm kicking myself for having taken up
smoking again. Read on
Raising
April 2008 – In a divided world,
finding an uncontroversial host for the Olympics is a tricky business. The
solution could be to create a permanent Olympic village on neutral
international territory. Read on
Signs
of the times
April 2008 –
The
man behind the prophet
April 2008 – Muhammad was one of the most
influential figures in human history. But who was the man behind the icon? Read on
In
search of Arab authors
April 2008 – The Arab world is in desperate
need of more novelists in the English language to bring home the realities of
the region through fiction. Read on
Hell
hath more fury
March 2008 – Why is it so many people seem to
be hell bent on silencing others? Neither should the Quran
be banned nor the film attacking it. Read on
Ad
lib
March 2008 – Want to fulfil your dreams and be
happy? Why not ad liberate yourself today? Now available in convenient
30-second doses. Beware of side effects. Read on
Our
true colours?
March 2008 – The idea that we might all be knee-jerk
DNA political reactionaries is far-fetched and dangerous – politics should be
about persuasion. Read on
What
the readers say
March 2008 – Some more readers’ reactions to
articles on Diabolic Digest. Read on
The
migrants’ almanac
February 2008 – For those tired of the endless
polarised debate on immigration, there is a breed of migrants that no political
or cultural frontier can hold back. Read on
Visionary
democracy
February 2008 – With one eye on the next elections,
it is tempting for democratically elected leaders to focus on the short term.
Is it time to consider longer terms in office? Read on
Cif’s angels and demons
January 2008 – I’m accused of
being everything from a neocon ‘Uncle Tom’ to an ‘Islamofascist’. Does this mean I’m doing my job properly? Read on
Death
in fast motion
January 2008 – Grief at the loss of a loved one
knows no cultural boundaries but increasing mobility may be making death a
lonelier affair. Read
on
Sleeper
cells
December 2007 – Statistics reveal that more young
people are succumbing to cancer. How do people in the prime of life cope when
these sleeper cells go on the rampage? Read on
Sheikh
with laughter
December 2007 – With Osama bin Laden unlikely
to branch out into comedy, it’s important to give westerners a taste of Muslim
humour. Read
on
Perils
of the moral high ground
November 2007 – The US Congress’s cynical manipulation
of the Armenian genocide is hypocritical and a slur on the memories of those
who perished. Read
on
Inside
an American harem
November 2007 – Forget the ‘mystical’ East. In
the 21st century, the harem meets the American dream. Read on
Voices
in the wilderness
November 2007 – Even with a Nobel peace prize,
there’s a limit to what Al Gore can do, and so a group of determined
eco-worriers are making plans ... Read on
What
the readers say
November 2007 – Here are more reactions from readers. Read on
Faith
and punishment
August 2007 – In Islam, apostasy and
faithlessness are sins, but they are not worldly crimes. Those who claim
otherwise are making a mistake. Read on
Our
ecomonic alchemy
August 2007 – JK Rowling’s billion-dollar
success is certainly awe inspiring, but has she earned too much money? Read on
A
song for the deaf
August 2007 – I’m sick of hearing the same old
tune about how Muslims are silent in their condemnation of terrorism. Time for
a song. Read on
A
Christian jihad?
August 2007 – Many in the West fear
the threat posed by political Islam. But there is a more ominous menace closer
to home. Read
on
What
the readers say
July 2007 – Here is another selection of
readers’ comments. Read on
Uri Avnery v Khaled Diab –
One state or two?
July
2007 – Could a ‘one-state’ solution end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Read on
A history of violence
July 2007 – British-born ‘jihadis’
have been wreaking havoc at home and abroad for generations, lured by a heady
mix of idealism, romance and rebellion. Read on
The
other right of return
July 2007 – Palestinians have not been the
Sex and
the medina
July
2007 – The time is ripe for a Middle Eastern sexual revolution and there are
signs that a quiet one is in progress. But will young Arabs openly stand up for
their right to get laid? Read
on
The Muslim faithless
July 2007 – Ridiculing and questioning Islam,
Muhammad, the Qur’an and religion in general is an
ancient tradition in Muslim countries. Read on
A war on error
June 2007 – It is time to dispel the myths
surrounding Muslims – namely, that we are all terrorist anti-feminist
teetotallers. Read on
A war on error (2)
June 2007 – It is time to dispel the myths that
conservative Muslims often propagate about 'the west'. Read on
Small bombs, big trouble
Katleen Maes
June 2007 – There are renewed hopes of an international
treaty on cluster munitions – although the only way forward is to ban them. Read on
Testing times
June 2007 – Across Europe, the real challenge
when dealing with minority groups is not integration but marginalisation. Read on
Arab League should enter uncharted territory with
Israel
April
2007 – The Arab League’s reaffirmation of the Saudi Peace Plan is a good step
in the right direction, and the Israelis should seize the opportunity it
offers. The Arabs can boost the prospect for peace by recognising Israel
The War on Error begins
April 2007 – The War
on Error seeks to shatter the myths about ‘us’ and ‘them’ distorting the views
of one another held by ‘Westerners’ and ‘Muslims’. This series takes a number
of misconceptions on both sides and deconstructs them. Read on and Readers’
reactions
The rotten Apple which
killed my iPod
April 2007 – One bad Apple update spoilt Khaled Diab’s iPod
and the lack of support he received has put him right off the company. Read on
Some more readers’
comments
April 2007 – To mark 25 issues of Diabolic
Digest, here is another selection of readers’ comments. Read on
Speaking the language of
unity
March 2007 – Elio
Di Rupo, the flamboyant
chief of the Walloon Parti Socialiste,
has called for a network of bilingual schools in Brussels
Deniers of Egypt
March 2007 –
International
Women’s Day –
A tale
of two sisters
March 2007 – To mark International Women’s Day
(8 March), Khaled Diab
reflects on the status of women in
Madrid
February 2007 – Some 15 years after the Madrid
conference which launched the now defunct Israeli-Palestinian peace process,
former statesmen and stateswomen from both sides got together to try to revive
the quest for peace. What we now need is to complement this crème-de-la-crème
peacemaking with a gritty ‘Madrid for the people’, Khaled
Diab argues in a letter to former Israeli Foreign
Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, one of the figures who
spearheaded the initiative. Read on
Arabs and Israelis held hostage by a common enemy
February 2007 – Salom Now! And METalks are two experimental initiatives
which sought to rewrite the script of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and give
ordinary people a starring role in the quest for peace. Those involved
experienced profound changes to their outlook and took the first steps towards
forging a new, more inclusive narrative for the
Part I – War and elusive
peace
Part II – Talking under
fire
Part III – Dangerous liaisons
Part IV – Constructive
ideas
Part V – Let’s talk about
you and ME
Part VI – Terrorised by a
common enemy
Part VII – Existential
angst
Part VIII – Moving forward
Saddam Hussein:
In desperate pursuit of a hero
January 2007 – The US-UK occupation of
Part I – Anti-heroics and
wishful thinking
Part II – Champion or
villain of the Arab cause?
Part III – The dead don’t
talk
Part IV – Emulating
history
How I learned to start worrying and hate the bomb
November 2006 – With North Korea’s recent nuclear test and
Iran’s suspected nuclear designs, Khaled Diab explains why he learned to start worrying and hate the
bomb and suggests how the proliferation of nuclear weapons can best be arrested
– and reversed. Read on
Tripping
down memory lane
November 2006 – Khaled Diab goes tripping – mentally and physically – down memory lane and discovers the multi-layered nature of reality.
Cultural pie and civilisational mash
Between the reel
and the surreal
Back to (sur)reality
Pitch
gender battles in Iran
October 2006 – Jafar Panahi’s Offside is a football film that is about almost
everything but the beautiful game. It is onside and on target when it comes to
providing a farcical and perceptive insight into the position of women in
contemporary Iranian society. Read on
Over
to the reader
September 2006 – Diabolic Digest is two years
old and to mark the occasion, here is a selection of reader comments about the
journal and the issues it has raised. Read on
Using a carrot and stick
for peace
September 2006 – Given the fragile situation in
Salom now!
Mobilising the untapped power of Arab and Israeli peaceniks
August 2006 – Arabs and Israelis have a common way
of greeting people and it is to wish them ‘peace’. As advocates of violent
solutions chalk up another victory in the Middle East and the international
community fails the test again in
Part I – Silent world
Part II – Peace begins at
home
Crisis
in
From
complete failure to comprehensive solutions
July
2006 – Israel ’s massive onslaught against Lebanon – and before that Gaza
The beautiful game as a political football
July 2006 – Kofi Annan would like the UN to become more like the FIFA World
Cup. While there is something to be said for the beautiful game’s potential for
uniting people and resolving conflicts bloodlessly, it might be premature to
scrap the UN and replace it with a football League of
Nations . Read on
Egypt
May
2006 – Most Egyptians are justified in their conviction that
I: Restoring faith in national unity
II: Sacred unity
III: Privatising faith
Belgium
May 2006 – The ‘silent march’ was a moving expression of
popular sentiment at the tragic murder of a teenager who has become known
simply as Joe. But calls for more police and ‘zero tolerance’ will not prevent
a repeat of this tragedy. People need to realise that
the system does not have all the answers and it is time for citizens to take on
more personal social responsibility. Read on
Getting to the grassroots
of the Middle East conflict
By Khaled Diab and Katleen Maes
April 2006 – The new Kadima
party’s election victory in
Part I: Getting to the grassroots of the
Middle East conflict
Part II: The end of the road for
unilateralism?
Graven images and
poor reflections
February 2006 – It is perplexing that a few
crude cartoons can spark an international crisis overshadowing war, political
oppression and economic and social injustice. It has hurt the image of Muslims and reflects
poorly on their tolerance, while unmasking the uglier face of western
prejudice. Read on and readers’
comments
Abuses freedoms and
we all lose
February 2006 – It is not freedom
of expression that is under threat, but the right to human dignity, argues Tom Kenis. Read
on
Extraordinary
renditions –
The playwright and
the president
January 2006 – Jeff Sommers, Khaled Diab and Charles Woolfson explore the dynamics between playwright and president as American foreign policy stands in the dock. Read on
Extended
analysis
Dressed
to kill –
Under
the cloak of Bush’s foreign policy
December 2005 – Jeff Sommers, Khaled Diab and Charles Woolfson expose
what lies beneath the cloak of US President George W Bush’s foreign policy. Read
on
Conversion is not a
crime
December 2005 – Muriel Degauque
has the dubious distinction of being the first white European female suicide
bomber. Shocking as this is, suggestions that we have reached a dangerous turning
point and that converts are brainwashed fanatics and their partners are
comic-book villains are unfair to the vast majority of converts and to
non-converts married to Muslims. Read on
Walk first, then
surf
December 2005 – Trying to level the cyberspace playing
field without addressing poverty, illiteracy, disease and unfair trade
practices is an exercise in futility.
Read
on
A revision of Salman Rushdie’s vision –
We need ijtihadis, not jihadis
September 2005 – Salman
Rushdie’s proposed Islamic Reformation touches on the
urgent need for reform in most Muslim societies. But his vision needs serious
revision if it is to work. Read on
Vrij van angst
By
Katleen Maes
September 2005 – EEN zonnige
lentedag in april, in de vroegere grensstreek tussen Noord- en Zuid-Jemen. Drie
meisjes van 11 hoeden schapen in een idyllisch berglandschap. Plotseling
struikelt een van hen, haar voet zit vast in een gat in de grond. Nog geen vijf
seconden later, een enorme knal. Ze heeft in het gat een landmijn geraakt,
verstopt in een wit gemarkeerde en dus - zo dachten de meisjes - veilige zone.
Ze had geluk, enkele uren later was ze in het ziekenhuis, levend en wel, al
mist ze nu een been en enkele vingers. Read on
Testing Mubarak’s democracy
September 2005 – A young university student
decides to put Egyptian democracy to the test by joining an opposition party,
giving his support to one of the other presidential candidates and revealing
his real name in print. Read on
Between democrat and autocrat
September 2005 – Hosni Mubarak may be a
semi-authoritarian ruler, but he takes his legacy seriously and has a genuine
vision for a democratic future for
Outcomes of the unexpected
September 2005 – To an alien visitor, it would
look like a full-blown election. But we mortals expect Hosni
Mubarak to win the election. But, asks Khaled Diab, what if the
unexpected occurs… Read on and readers’
comments
Egypt 2008
September 2005
– Hosni Mubarak dies
suddenly in 2008 and the presidency is up for grabs, KM peers into the future… Read on
From nature to naturalisation
July 2005 –
This month,
Not
a love letter to the Egyptian president
January 2005
– Faced with the grim prospects of prolonged political virginity, Khaled Diab decides to make
President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak
an indecent proposal. Read on and readers’ comments
The
language placebo
January 2005
– To hear some politicians speak, one would think that language and culture
were the panacea for all
Mine
child
December 2004
My sweet child, everything’s going to be just
fine
I’ll take your hand, if you’ll take mine
Makeshift games in the sand is all you can
afford
No wonder, poor thing, you look so bored
Well, come over here and play with me
I’ve got the best toys a poor kid’ll ever see:
Bright, alluring, the colour of your fantasies
and dreams
Step right up
and check out the fluorescent yellow gleam Read on
Raising
a new olive branch
December
2004 – Following the loss of Yasser Arafat – for
decades, the international face of the Palestinian struggle for statehood – it
is time for the Palestinians to rethink radically how they defend their cause. Read on
Home
truths about the home secretary
October 2004 – David Blunkett – like his boss – is growing blind to what his
party stands for. In fact, some of the home secretary’s recent pronouncements
have sent a chill down Khaled Diab’s
spine. Read on
Taking
up peace, putting down arms
September 2004 – Sistani won his peaceful protest in Najaf.
But Gandhian methods in the
Gaza
August 2004 – The
latest Egyptian diplomatic initiative to revive the peace process is sustained
by a belief that the art of the possible will pave the way for the wishful.
However, an Egyptian presence in the Gaza Strip will not expedite peace and may
have dire long-term consequences. Read on
Why
I want to live in an EU superstate
August 2004 – The idea of an EU superstate gets Khaled Diab’s vote. He thinks Europeans should stop thinking in
terms of ‘national sovereignty’ – keep the culture, drop the rest. Read on
Why set menus for
By Katleen Maes
May 2004 – “Why all the fuss?” was the question
recently asked on the pages of the Globe and Mail, a liberal Canadian daily,
regarding US President George Bush’s support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon’s latest unilateral blow to prospects for peace in the Middle East. Read
on
A state of pragmatism
March 2004 – As one of the original six
founders of the European Union,
Alternative peace plan for Middle
East ‘should be put to the people’
Katleen Maes and Khaled Diab
February 2004 – THE
Why anti-religious dress codes are no road to liberty
February 2004 – The French government has
proposed a law that will ban Muslim girls from wearing headscarves in school.
Such a ban will not help the cause of multicultural tolerance in the EU. Read on
Veiled intentions
January 2004 – Some prominent politicians –
first in
Digital dreams for the worldwide web of poverty
December 2003 – Trying to create a true World Wide Web by
targeting the 90% of the global population lacking internet access may seem
like a commendable aim. However, it is a
case of putting the computer before the cart. Read on
Migrating from the margins
November 2003 – As a reflection of
A state of conscience
Khaled Diab and Katleen Maes
November 2003 – Building a single homeland for
Israelis and Palestinians may be the only viable solution to the decades-old
conflict in the long-term. Read on
Burning issues
September 2003 – Belgian trains are about to
become off-limits to smokers and the debate over extending the ban to other
public spaces simmers on in
Somewhere over the rainbow
May 2003 –