religious dimensions

Following the attacks of September 11, President Bush stated that he would launch a “crusade” against terrorism. The word “crusade” with all the historical implications it has was understood, especially in the Arab and Islamic world, to mean a war against Islam or between Christianity and Islam. The topic has been given more space and focus with the now ongoing war on Iraq.

The Arab-West Report (AWR) offers weekly translations and summaries from the Arabic press on Arab-West relations including Islam and Muslim-Christian relations. The AWR aims to show these subjects in a wider context, including a variety of opinions from press material ranging from government-oriented, leftist, liberal and Islamist sources, which should help editors, journalists, academics, religious leaders, government officials and others balance the often one-sided presentation on these subjects. Subscribers can ask the service for articles or further research on topics related to the Egyptian media.
Editor-in-chief: Dr. Cornelis Hulsman.

Following the death of Amir Ibn al-Khattab last spring, there was speculation as to whether the foreign Islamist mujahidin would continue to play a large role in the Chechen struggle for independence from Russia. Khattab appears to have been replaced by a 35 year old Saudi, Abu al-Walid. Unlike the often flamboyant Khattab, al-Walid’ has a more reclusive style. Ample speculation surrounds him, incuding whether he exists at all. Al-Walid is an experienced and worthy successor to Khattab in the field. What remains to be seen is whether al-Walid can preserve the supply networks of volunteers and money under enormous international pressure is being applied to terminate these conduits.

Andrew McGregor works with Aberfoyle International Security Analysis, Toronto.

This article was first published in the Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, a journal published by the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI). The Institute is an independent research and policy institution, affiliated to the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at The Johns Hopkins University. It was inaugurated in 1996 as the first institute in Washington, DC, devoted to the study and analysis of the Central Asian, the Caspian Basin and the Caucasus.

Egyptian media: religious dimensions of the war against Iraq

Chechnya: Amir Abu al-Walid and the Islamic component of the Chechen war

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