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The study presented here seeks to determine whether Kuwaiti Christians feel politically and socially integrated, isolated, or even threatened in Kuwait society, as well as to explore their political attitudes and primary social demands. At the same time, the study examines the attitudes and tolerance of Kuwaiti Muslims toward the Christian minority. To that end, two questionnaires were distributed to Christians and Muslims. The results suggest that Christians feel integrated into Kuwaiti society rather than isolated or persecuted. Other results suggest that they are also interested in participating in parliamentary elections and think they should have a quota of seats in the Kuwaiti parliament and a Christian minister in the government. The study also reveals that Kuwaiti Muslims harbor a high level of intolerance toward the Christian minority, which should be a red flag for Kuwaiti government and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Islamic banking in Oman. Topics discussed include Oman's moderate attitudes, Islamic banking had not previously been allowed in the country; Oman was the only country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the only country in the world with a Muslim majority, that did not allow Islamic banking; and the demands of the protesters centered on concerns that particularly troubled the large youth population of Oman.

The article discusses the impact of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder in the Middle East. Topics discussed include anti-Americanism among the world's Muslims, the impact of the Khashoggi affair on the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia and adoption of politico-military polices independent of the U.S. by Saudi Arabia.

The article offers author's opinion on how Mauritania's authorities have joined leaders of several other Arab states in accusing Qatar of fueling regional instability. It is mentioned that Mauritanian officials' anti-Qatar animus has been evidenced not only in rhetoric but in some concrete actions. The article also discusses the closure of two Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islamic universities and a gradual shift in the direction of prohibiting the Muslim Brotherhood.

The article focuses on Iran's efforts in Lebanon in 1979, with the fall of the revolutionary unity in the country. It says that the concerns regarding the ideology of the new regime divided factions against the shah under Ayatollah Khomeini. It says that the radicals and moderates have formed approaches to issues while optimizing their influence to promote agendas over Syria and Lebanon. It adds that the Islamic aspect of the 1979 revolution offered a resistance model for Muslims in Lebanon.

The article focuses on the public diplomacy programs of U.S. President Barack Obama towards the Muslim world in Pakistan and the ways on how to improve it to finally discredit the Al-Qaeda movement. The programs include 11 projects worth 400 million dollars, including three international exchange programs, language-training programs, and the overseas work of ambassadors and other State Department officials. It suggests that the U.S. diplomacy be conducted as a dialogue not a monologue to give the audience a chance to express their ideas and views. Accordingly, the U.S. must recognize the opinions of the target audiences before developing programs to address them. Furthermore, the Al-Qaeda narrative should be challenged and destroyed to encourage people not to join or support the movement.

The article uses independent data to show that Muslim authoritarianism may not be as rife and entrenched as many in the international-relations field seem to take for granted. The existence and dimensions of any modern-day democracy gap are not settled issues but constantly changing empirical questions. The analysis gives context to the excessively polarized debate in international relations about clashing civilizations and suggests it is more fruitful to look at countries in a less monolithic way.

The article presents a testimony on the global terrorist threat from al-Qaeda. It discusses the situation of the organization after the arrest of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. The organization's goal is to inspire the radicalized Muslims across the globe to join the movement's holy fight. The paper elaborates the remnants of the pre-9/11 al-Qaeda organization, the associates and affiliates of the organization, the locals of the propaganda and the home-grown Islamic radicals. It also discusses several suggestions in defeating al-Qaeda including the empirical judgment, the need to refocus the attention and efforts back to Pakistan and Afghanistan and the recognition that al-Qaeda cannot be defeated by the military alone.

The article focuses on global terrorism and violence caused by Muslim extremist groups. Terrorist attacks, suicide bombings, hostage-taking, and civilian deaths reflect anti-Americanism in the Muslim world. The Muslims take European colonialism as a threat to the Islamic identity. It is a challenge to Americans to diagnose the causes of extremism and terrorism. Suicide terrorism has become a common tactic by the Sunni and Shia militants to end American power in Iraq.

This article examines the implications of economic liberalization of Egypt for the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), the most significant socially-based fundamentalist group in Egypt, as of December 2005. The MB, established in 1928, has been transformed in lieu of expected results of economic-liberalization policies beginning with the infitah policies at the beginning of 1970s. Finding a link among the factors that might lead radicals to compromise and separate segments of the MB away from its societal base was attempted. During the transformation period, the MB began to disintegrate and to lose its lower-class base after the 1970s. After disintegrating, radical politics started to change the nature of the MB from religious ideology to class struggle, as in developed countries.

Focuses on globalization from an Islamist point of view, and presents the view of moderate Arabs and Muslims who entertain a more open, yet critical and cautious attitude toward globalization. Association of globalization with Americanization; Concern over the impact of globalization on Islamic cultural heritage; Argument from advocates of globalization.

Talks about Muslims in Great Britain. Details of bombing incidents during the visit of U.S. President George W. Bush in Great Britain on November 20, 2003; Statement from Denis MacShane, minister of the British government, regarding a choice for his Muslim countrymen; Discussion on a change in the British perception of the Muslims.

Talks about the U.S. policy of choice to meet the challenge of anti-Americanism and the radicalization of Muslims, especially in the Middle East. Democracy and the U.S. record; Skepticism expressed by Arabs and Muslims about the administration's policy pronouncements; Reasons for the so-called Middle East exception in the region.

Focuses on the fate of Islam in Western Europe. Challenges faced by Islam in Europe; Secularization of Muslims in Europe; Reason Muslims have resisted assimilation; Information on the Muslims' support for pluralism in Western Europe.

Examines the parliamentary elections in Egypt from October 18 to November 14, 2000. Basis of Egypt's electoral democracy; History and party performance of the National Democratic party; Interventions and success of the Muslim Brotherhood; Information on the Nationalist Unionist Progressive Grouping.