Islamic History Series Please start with part 29a Muhammad b. Idris al-Shafiʿi (d. ~820), who I just mentioned in the last entry, is the third legal theorist (founder of the Shafiʿi madhhab) you need to know something about. Born in Gaza in or around 767, his family moved to Mecca when he was still a … Continue reading Islamic History, part 29b: Early Islamic Law (c. 700 – c. 850) — Shafiʿi and Ibn Hanbal
Author: DWD
writer, blogger, lover, fighter
Islamic History, part 29a: Early Islamic Law (c. 700 – c. 850) — Abu Hanifah and Malik
Islamic History Series This has been a long time in coming, and there's a simple reason for it: I haven't had the time to write it. Sorry. Here's the thing: the study of Islamic Law is its own discipline and it's one that I don't have a whole lot of familiarity with. I can give … Continue reading Islamic History, part 29a: Early Islamic Law (c. 700 – c. 850) — Abu Hanifah and Malik
Burundi is going from bad to worse
The escalating violence in Burundi escalated a little faster last week, when 100 people were killed in clashes in Bujumbura between Friday and Saturday. The US State Department took the step of issuing a warning cautioning US citizens to avoid traveling to Burundi if possible, which suggests that Washington, at least, thinks that the situation … Continue reading Burundi is going from bad to worse
The unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia
For the past couple of weeks, the Ethiopian government has been killing dozens of people, many of them students and farmers, protesting a plan to expand the country's capital, Addis Ababa, into surrounding rural areas of the country's Oromia region. The Oromo, who inhabit Oromia and are the largest of Ethiopia's almost innumerable (seriously, there … Continue reading The unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia
What’s coming next in the Central African Republic?
On Sunday and Monday, voters in the Central African Republic, which has been in a state of civil war for the better part of three years, voted on a constitutional referendum intended to try to bring about an end to the fighting. Preliminary results suggest that the referendum passed overwhelmingly. There were a few outbreaks … Continue reading What’s coming next in the Central African Republic?
All over but the actual hard work
Representatives from both of Libya's dueling governments showed up in Shirkat, Morocco, today to sign an agreement to implement a national unity government. Here are the details: Under the deal, a nine-member presidential council will form a government with the current, eastern-based House of Representatives as the main legislative [body] and a State Council as … Continue reading All over but the actual hard work
SATSQ, Saudi anti-terror coalition edition
Brookings' Bruce Reidel asks an important question: Are the Saudis finally getting serious about the anti-ISIS fight? Obviously it's still early, but so far? No: At least two nations said they were taken by surprise by the Saudi announcement that they were part of a 34 nation coalition. Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said he … Continue reading SATSQ, Saudi anti-terror coalition edition
Well, it had a good run
Yemen's seven-day ceasefire looks at the moment like it's going to last a couple of days at most: A ceasefire between Yemen's Houthi group and a Saudi-led alliance was in danger of collapse on Wednesday, each side accusing the other of violating the truce, as peace talks went into a second day in Switzerland. Brigadier … Continue reading Well, it had a good run
Today in South Asian history: the Indo-Pakistani War and Bangladesh Liberation War both end (1971)
India and Pakistan have fought no fewer than four major wars since the two nations came into being in 1947. Where their 1971 war stands out from the others is that it had nothing (directly, at least) to do with the disputed region of Kashmir. In fact, the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War was really the final … Continue reading Today in South Asian history: the Indo-Pakistani War and Bangladesh Liberation War both end (1971)
Nigeria can’t deal with one Islamist insurgency, and now it’s got to deal with a second one
Nigeria is struggling to deal with Boko Haram, the jihadi insurgent organization that was the world's deadliest terror group in 2014 and hasn't really let up this year. President Muhammadu Buhari's plans to have defeated Boko Haram by the end of the year are totally kaput, the multi-national coalition that was supposed to contain and … Continue reading Nigeria can’t deal with one Islamist insurgency, and now it’s got to deal with a second one
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 