Ramadan is the holy month for Muslims, and what follows it is the long marathon of Şevval, a time for Muslims to carry out one of the Five Pillars of Islam, the pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj. It is incumbent upon all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to make the journey, wherever they are on the globe, to visit Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia once in their lifetime during the Hajj season. Read more

Can expanding global economic partnerships that reach beyond cultural divergences be enough to repair the damage caused by Islamophobia within the European outlook in the post 9/11 world? Significant changes underway in the halal food sector can explain some ways it can and already has. Read more

One of Iran's greatest philosophers, Omar Khayyam (18.06.1048-4.12.1131), rejecting any restrictions on the human mind, exclaims in his Rubaiyat, "You in the black cassock! Do not throw rocks at those who would like to learn the world". He sought to redefine the world, humankind and the essence of existence on his own terms. Read more

When describing his own exile, Athenian tragedy writer Euripides (480 BC) wrote, "There is no greater sorrow on Earth than the loss of one's native land". Unfortunately, past centuries have been unable to erase the truth of this statement from the fate of humanity. The world's gloomy past still follows today's states and peoples like a shadow. Read more

In 2nd century AD Alexandria during the Roman Empire, Ptolemy, the Egyptian astronomer and geographer, observing that the rock in his palm fell straight down, came to realize that the sun and the earth must also be governed by the same force. In the Almagest, he developed the theory that the earth is the center of the universe, with the sun, moon, and stars revolving around it. Read more

For most people the five interlocking Olympic rings represent sport's oldest and most prestigious summit. However, controversies revolving around certain Olympic host countries, medals won and lost, and the views vocalized by some athletes in the past has certainly politicized the athletic event. Most notably, the Munich, Moscow and Los Angeles Olympics come to mind. Read more