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| Microscope |
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| Redefining the Globalisation Debate |  |
Farooq Khan
Until now, the globalisation debate has been shaped by the proponents of capitalism and the antiglobalisation movement who derive their ideological inspiration from the political ideals of socialist philosophy. However, all of this is about to change as a new ideological storm emerges on the horizon to redefine the intellectual borders of the globalisation debate.
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| Abu Ghraib |  |
Dr Abdullah Robin
Dr Abdullah Robin looks beyond US foreign policy and individual culpability to argue that the
torture and prisoner abuse in Iraq is the result of a fundamental inconsistency within western
philosophy.
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| Searching for Happiness in Western Societies |  |
Salman Ahmed
'The premise that personal happiness is tied to economic and material progress is at the core of
Western culture and society.Though it appears to be a self evident truth, many studies and
evidences indicate that levels of anxiety, depression and general unhappiness are increasing in
Western societies even though these societies may be becoming wealthier.To understand why
this is occurring it is necessary to examine how human needs are met and attitudes and
behaviours are influenced in western societies.
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| War on Terrorism |  |
Sajjad Khan
Britain and America have waged an aggressive war against terrorism (WOT) in the last three years, but
to this day have failed to define their opponent in a transparent or meaningful fashion.WOT is a fundamental
misnomer, and is an unhelpful term in assessing threat, measuring progress or fundamentally
evaluating the very basis of the campaign.Though there have been specific political gains and military
victories since September 11th 2001, these have been more than offset by larger strategic and political
losses.Three years on, the WOT looks as far away as ever in achieving its challenging objectives.
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| The BNP |  |
Jamal Okae
Jamal Okae discusses anxiety about the threat of the BNP and the possible success of measures that
target them. He argues that the thinking represented by the BNP should be confronted intellectually,
not legally. He also suggests that proposed legislation concerning incitement to religious hatred poses
just as much risk to relations between different communities as the BNP.
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| Dear Gandhi |  |
Akmal Asghar
"If he were alive today, how might Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest apostle of non-violence, challenge Osama Bin Laden's worldview?" Lord Bhikhu Parekh's imaginary dialogue between them in April's edition of Prospect magazine explores their arguments and motivations. Differing with them both, non-violent political and intellectual struggles in the Muslim world have been caught in their cross-fire, marred by underlying assumptions of Islam and the Muslim world. How would these struggles answer Lord Parekh's 'Gandhi'?
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| Letter to Dr Carey |  |
Dr Abdullah Robin
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, was widely criticised for his critical comments
about Islam during an address at the Gregorian University, Rome, 25th of March 2004. One of his claims
was that: "very few Muslims understand reality and they do not understand that coming to terms with
globalisation is one of the greatest challenges facing them".We beg to differ, and anyone wishing to see
a Muslim understanding of globalisation should read the article on the subject in this edition by Farooq
Khan.As for the main thrust of Dr Carey's speech, regarding Islam's "opposition to practically every
other world religion" and its "association with terrorism and death", the reader is directed to the open
letter of rebuttal by Dr Abdullah Robin.
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| Apathy Wins by a Landslide |  |
Sajjad Khan
The problem of voter apathy has long been recognised within democratic societies due to their
Lockean tradition of consent. But only in recent years has it attracted the necessary political attention.
Apathy as a phenomenon should however not be confused with a rejection of the status quo, the latter
in itself is a positive development for societies even if it sometimes generates unpalatable results.
However attempts thus far to reduce apathy have been largely cosmetic and risk doing nothing to
enhance the quality of political debate within society.
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| Counting the Cost for Pensioners |  |
Jamal Okae
As the population of the UK ages, discussion among policy makers of the implications for the elderly
has increasingly entered the mainstream.The huge changes in the social landscape of Britain over the
20th century have resulted in greater isolation and deprivation for the elderly. Jamal Okae examines
some of the demographic changes that have occurred over the past decades and their impact on government
policy. He also discusses social and political implications of Islam's view towards inter-generational
responsibilities.
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