On “The Interview” program, on December 12 and 19, 2021, Al Jazeera broadcasted an interview with Dr. Wael Hallaq in two episodes about his book, The Impossible State: Islam, Politics, and Modernity's Moral Predicament. The book was published by Dr. Hallaq in English in 2012. It was translated by Dr. Amr Othman into Arabic, then it was issued by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in 2014, and…

The Turkish Ministry of Health has published a “Brief History of Vaccines in Turkey” on its Covid-19 vaccination information platform (https://covid19asi.saglik.gov.tr/EN-80228/brief-history-of-vaccines-in-turkey.html), which says that “vaccination (in fact, variolation) then in practice among the people of Istanbul” was described by the wife of a British ambassador, which was about 80 years before Edwards Jenner’s development of a vaccine.

 Up until the mid-eighteenth century, Islam was like a magnificent tree with strong, lush green branches that bore fruits all year long. The Islamic doctrine was the seed from which this tree was born, while the Islamic thoughts and rules about life were its roots. The law and authority of Islam was the lofty stem that emanated from these roots. The resulting prosperity, progress and strength in society were the…

An accelerating arms race in the Indo-Pacific is all but guaranteed now that China finds itself a target of new security arrangements – AUKUS and the Quad – aimed at containing its power and influence. The region has been re-arming at rates faster than other parts of the world due largely to China’s push to modernise its defence capabilities. In their latest surveys, the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies…