Egypt,Islamists, and the Internet: The Case of the Muslim Brotherhood and Its Rhetoric of Dialectics in Ikhwanweb

This essay offers an ideological analysis of the rhetoric of the Islamist Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in its official English‐language Web site, Ikhwanweb, between 2005 and 2010 — years preceding the Egyptian uprising of January 2011. The purpose was to examine the ideology manifest in the rhetoric and uncover the instrumental function the rhetoric served. Analysis brought forth a post‐Islamist ideology manifest through a rhetoric of dialectics. The instrumental function of the Egyptian MB's rhetoric in Ikhwanweb was to alter Western societies' monolithic understanding of Islamism — radical, undemocratic, inflexible. The cyber‐rhetoric was also used as a means to disapprove certain Western agents' support for authoritarian regimes. During Mubarak's rule, Ikhwanweb was used as a communicative medium to demonstrate to the West the Egyptian MB's need to be valued — respected regardless of ideological differences, understood rather than essentialized, stereotyped, and prejudged, and supported as a pragmatic, political entity within Egypt.     

Selective Saber Rattling by Iraqi Politicians

Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi stunned the Iraqi and American political establishment with his comeback success in Iraq's 2010 election. Speculation immediately began to focus on how his coalition could have won the most seats, focusing on disaffection with the status quo. But the answer could come from a tactic Allawi has repeatedly used: tying his domestic political opponents to countries that Iraq has clashed with in the past, to reignite old hatreds and fears. This article investigates, not only how Allawi and even his rivals have adopted such a strategy, but also how our current understanding of the diversionary theory of conflict needs to be modified to see how politicians in other places play this wag the dog game.     

The Sustainable Development of Kuwaiti Sabkhas

“Sabkha” is an Arabic term commonly used in foreign languages to denote a salt flat, a shallow depression. Sabkhas normally occur near sea level or at the underground water level. They usually are encrusted with a salt crust layer, the thickness of which depends on the location of the sabkhas and the evaporation rate. Sabkhas are one of the prominent surface topographical features in the Kuwaiti coastal zone, occupying an area of about 769.4 km², equivalent to 4.3 percent of the nation's total area. Due to their presence in the most important locations near the coastline, they are a most suitable setting for exploitative human activities. Sabkhas have attracted development proponents, particularly after the increased economic growth, and urgent need for homes and housing facilities. The most significant developments in the sabkha lands are urban development, agricultural forestation, and nature reserves. This study has revealed that there are environmental hazards related to the use of sabkha lands, including salt weathering, soil salinization, tree damage and depletion of natural reserves, the deterioration of nebakha (formation and growth around plants in the desert where groundwater is available for vegetation; the usual dune forms that occur in such instances are isolated mounds around individual plants) fields, and semikarstic (an area of irregular limestone in which erosion has produced fissures, sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns) solution holes. Therefore, use of such lands should take into account scientific investigation and selection among the different development fields. Such a fragile environment obliges us to consider nature conservation, a non‐disruption or depletion of sabkhas' limited natural resources, and their environmental components. The concept of the sustainable development should prevail in the use of such sabkhas.     

Education and Empowerment: Lessons and History of the Christian Education Network in Israel and Palestine

Beginning in the 1850s, Christian missionary organizations established schools in Ottoman Palestine. A variety of networks developed over the years, principally those of the Anglicans and Catholics. Initially, these schools provided an education emphasizing European Christian values and subjects. Over time, however, a slow process of indigenization occurred. The first fruits of this process are illustrated by young leaders like Emil Tume and Tewfik Tubi who were prominent in the political opposition in Israel's first years of statehood. Another generation produced such notables as author Raja Shehadeh and Hanan Ashwari. In today's Israel and the Palestinian territories, the best schools, from a standpoint of matriculation, are Christian private schools that are open to all communities. Through this history, the article examines the development of a Christian school network and the political activism, involvement, and empowerment they engendered. It also provides a case study of the Rosary Sisters' school system.