Last week, Melbourne newspaper readers were greeted by the news that a group of Arab youths had formed a gang called, of all things, Arabian Soldiers Arab Defenders and were squabbling with their rivals on the other side of the city. The story was accompanied by three gangsters of supposedly Middle Eastern appearance with their...Read More

Now that the Turkish government seems to have come to terms with the idea of a woman wearing a scarf on her head, they can move on the bigger and more ambitious projects: The country’s powerful Department of Religious Affairs has commissioned a team of theologians at Ankara University to carry out a fundamental revision...Read More

The Age reports today: THE rapid growth of faith-based schools under the previous federal government has threatened the social cohesion of the nation, according to Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s most senior education adviser. The frank comments of Professor Barry McGaw, appointed this month to be the new head of the National Curriculum Board, contrast...Read More

PBS’ documentary Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy is one of the most fascinating and worthwhile documentaries I’ve seen in quite some time. Based on the book of the same name by Yergin and Stanislaw, the series describes the evolution of the world economy from the early 20th century until now. The first...Read More