CSS Blog Network

Seek And Ye Shall Find, Sort Of

Post author By
Post date 15/10/2009
No Comments on Seek And Ye Shall Find, Sort Of

seektruth.org / imhalal.com

The latest addition to the search engine world is Imhalal.com, an Islam-based service:

According to the site: “ImHalal.com is search engine designed for Muslims to be able to continue their online activities in a safe and clean environment. Using ImHalal.com will prevent you from ‘accidentally’ bumping into explicit content.”

For example, if you search for “pig” or “beer” using the engine, you receive a warning telling you that your results may be haram (forbidden in Islam).

Search result for 'pig' from imhalal.com

The word “sex” gets you on level 2 of the site’s haram scale. “Porno,” sends you to level 3, which welcomes you with a very strong red message.

But ImHalal isn’t the only religion-based search engine I’ve recently encountered:

Seekfind.org provides “God-honoring and spiritually encouraging” content, making sure all results are Bible based.

If you search for “Darwin” (as in Charles), you’ll find articles questioning his mental health. “Abortion” gives you tons of “pro-life” links and arguments.

Both sites promote themselves as providing a safe framework for followers to search the Web in.

And perhaps they’re right. The World Wide Web is also the ‘World Wild Web.’

Tags Culture, Internet

Uncategorized

ISN Weekly Theme: Islam in Southeast Asia

Post author By
Post date 14/10/2009
No Comments on ISN Weekly Theme: Islam in Southeast Asia

Muslim girls walking to school in Indonesia, photo: Shreyans Bhansali/flickr

Islam, Islamic politics and religiously motivated violence are usually issues associated with the wider Middle East region or South Asia.

Less visible, yet no less significant is the presence of Islamic politics, tensions and political expression in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

A region marked by immense historical and religious diversity, by painful historical schisms, and in certain cases by an unrivaled dynamism and ability to marry Islam with modernity, Southeast Asia deserves closer inspection and more contextually sensitive analysis.

This week the ISN publishes a Special Report on the issue with a backgrounder on Islam in the region and a case study of the Abu Sayyaf Group in the Philippines.

We have a wealth of further information on the topic in our Digital Library and Current Affairs section- check out:

In our Digital Library, a National Bureau of Asian Research paper examines Islamism in South and Southeast Asia and discusses policy implications for the US.

An Al Naklah article looks at the role if Islam in Acehnese separatism.

In our Current Affairs section, an International Crisis Group briefing examines Indonesian Islamic terrorism and the role of Noordin Top in the July 2009 Jakarta bombings.

In our Links section, check out the website of the National Bureau of Asian Research which analyzes less visible issues related to Islam and Muslim societies in Asia.

And in our IR Directory, the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter Terrorism which trains and builds the capacity of enforcement and security officials from governments in the region and beyond.

Tags Southeast Asia, Terrorism, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Islam, Indonesia

Uncategorized

New Keyword: Nanotechnology

Post author By
Post date 09/10/2009
No Comments on New Keyword: Nanotechnology

We just added a new keyword to our content classification system: Nanotechnology. Now how is this relevant to the International Relations community, you may ask.

Chatham House, the venerable British IR institution, has just published three papers about the topic. They address the risks posed by this technology and examine transatlantic regulation efforts. You can download all three papers and more here.

But there is more to nanotechnology than its public policy aspect. In the coming years, I expect to see more papers on applications in the defense, energy, information and health sectors. To give you a taste, Security Watch published an article on Japan’s plans for a elevator into space based on nanotechnology a year ago.

Tags Technology

Living the Dream?

Post author By
Post date 06/10/2009
2 Comments on Living the Dream?

A young, poverty-stricken woman with no career prospects, living in a cramped apartment together with her extended family, dreams of a wealthy prince who would take her with him and allow her to live a comfortable life on his side. A fifty-something man in the West, so far unlucky with women but with a good job and a decent salary, dreams of getting married to a young, exotic beauty, undemanding and subservient. Seems like a match made in heaven? Well, it’s complicated…

Tags Culture, Switzerland, Women, Inequality, Developing countries

Resetting the Nuclear Disarmament Agenda

Post author By
Post date 05/10/2009
No Comments on Resetting the Nuclear Disarmament Agenda

Mikhail Gorbachev / Flickr - European Parliament

I’m on my way to the 3rd Geneva Lecture Series, which is hosting Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union.

The Series gathers high-level panelists to discuss contemporary topics. This afternoon, Gorbachev will talk about nuclear disarmament. His venue is highly symbolic. At a time when the world is deeply concerned about Iran’s motives and North Korea’s arsenal, they could not have chosen a better speaker.

Tags Politician, International Relations, Security, Nuclear proliferation