The right to change one's religion
From the Code of Hammurabi to the Code of Maimonides, most major systems of law have affirmed that apostasy must be punished.In the renowned code of the Roman emperor Justinian…
The "Limits to Growth" revisited
Since the Cold War's end, all kinds of barriers have come down, and the world economy has fundamentally changed. Until 1989, the global market encompassed between 800 million and one…
Benazir Bhutto's gamble
As the initial shock of the terrorist attacks against Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto fade, it is becoming clear that they were a political boon for her, triggering a wave…
WITH A GRAIN OF SALT: Japan learnt nothing!
Egyptians who visit Japan must certainly feel both estranged and alienated, for it is a country entirely different from our own and so is its lifestyle.They are organized, clean, polite…
Little Mosque creator behind the scenes
This year marked the premiere of a new comedy on Canadian television: Little Mosque on the Prairie. The show - recalling the popular 1970s television series Little House on the…
Cry, Beloved Burma
Religious orders of monks have been the face of Burma ever since Buddhism was introduced here more than 1,000 years ago. For a monk to involve himself in politics or…
The right of the bond
In her article The right and the return (Ha aretz, October 3), Ruth Gavison discusses what is again becoming the watershed in the interrupted dialogue between the Palestinians and Israel.…
Signing for Islam
CAIRO: With his index finger pointing to the heavens and a perpendicular thumb, the man next to the imam at a Cairo mosque signals the message of Islam to the…
Religion, culture cannot excuse female inequality, says Cherie Blair
LONDON: Religion and culture are no excuse for the suppression of women s rights, the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a keynote speech Wednesday. Cherie…
