Why Jihadists Strike During Ramadan

Violent acts of jihadist terrorism during Ramadan, though newly popularized by IS (ISIS), have deeper and older theological roots  The holy month of Ramadan has for decades in the West been seized upon as an opportunity to reject division and promote interfaith dialogue-a month of peace. Celebratory White House and Downing Street iftars are commonplace […] Read more

China’s Escalating Repression of the Uyghurs

In recent months, China’s crackdown on the Uyghurs of northwest China’s Xinjiang province has ramped up, with Uyghur people being detained en masse. China’s heavy-handed rule over the Muslim minority Uyghurs of the Xinjiang Province in northwest China has taken a further authoritarian turn of late. In recent months, thousands of Uyghurs in the region […] Read more

Mohamed Hisham, A Public Atheist In Egypt | Troy Garnaut

Mohamed Hisham, an Egyptian atheist incurred the wrath of Egypt’s conservative Muslim population when he spoke publicly about his atheism on live TV. by Troy Garnaut “I am Mohamed Hisham, and I am a public atheist in Egypt.” The weary but determined eyes of a young man look into the camera as the asylum plea […] Read more

The Problem of Technological Stagnation | Taylor James Blake

Under what conditions does technological stagnation occur? As we battle various challenges what can history teach us about who poses a threat to progress? When does technological stagnation begin? Is it the day after new technology is created? I believe it to be defined by the point at which every problem begins to look more […] Read more

The Walled Cities of Academia Damage Young Academics

The world of academia is supposed to provide the tools through which academics enlighten, develop, and improve the world. However, is that always the case? By Kyrie Mason In a discussion with psychologist Jordan Peterson, art critic Camille Paglia briefly mentions a woman who wrote to her describing how she had been scoffed out of […] Read more

Who’s Afraid Of Cultural Appropriation?

The online harassment of Keziah Daum for ‘cultural appropriation’ of a Chinese dress underscores the escalating cultural segregation of society. Dr Christine Louis-Dit-Sully & Courtney Hamilton ‘I hope the concept of cultural appropriation is a passing fad’ – some wishful thinking from the author Lionel Shriver, at the Brisbane Writers Festival two years ago. For […] Read more

No Free Speech For Racists and Fascists?

As ever, the debate about ‘free speech’ continues to rage. But recently, I’ve seen it suggested that the only reason someone would defend freedom of speech for racists is if they were, themselves, racist. This just helps to demonstrate the point, however, that restricting freedom of speech for some people threatens everyone else. Many of […] Read more

The Missed Opportunity of Gonski 2.0

The Gonski 2.0 report is a missed opportunity which doubles down on what has caused declining achievement standards in Australian education. On Monday morning in Australia, the much-anticipated Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools was released to the public. More commonly referred to as Gonski 2.0, the second iteration of the report on education […] Read more

The Growing Tide of Violent Rhetoric Against Baha’is in Houthi Yemen

Yemen’s Houthis incite violence against Baha’is on social media.   On March 23, Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdel-Malek Al-Houthi made a speech in which he called the Baha’i faith a “satanic” movement that wished to “wage war” against Islam. On the same day of Al-Houthi’s speech, Houthi activist Ahmed Ayed published a tweet stating “we will […] Read more

The Fallacy of “Woke Anti-Science”

The claim that science is inherently untrustworthy because of past errors is fallacious and shows a lack of understanding of the scientific method. “Remember, science can’t be trusted because of the history of phrenology and eugenics”. Strange how nobody thinks science can’t be trusted because scientists once posited the existence of “ether” – the imagined […] Read more