“Islam believes fundamentally that the spiritual and material worlds are inextricably connected. Faith is a force that should deepen our concern for our worldly habitat, for embracing its challenges, and for improving the quality of human life.” More →

March 11, 2016

Some Turkish Alawites say their concerns are driven less by sympathy for the Assad regime than by a fear of what might replace it. More →

January 4, 2013

As Mideast turmoil spreads, a professor of international affairs says we are witnessing changing interpretations of religion and “a struggle over which interpretations have authority over whom.” More →

February 23, 2011

Read Bob Abernethy’s extended interview with WASHINGTON POST correspondent Anthony Shadid: Q: You write at one point about the failure of the occupation in Iraq. What happened? What went wrong? A: I guess at one level I think we never … More →

October 14, 2005

As Iraqis get ready to elect a new parliament and write a new constitution, we discuss the role of religion in Iraq with Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international affairs and Middle Eastern studies at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. More →

January 28, 2005

The new governing council in Iraq met this week, a first step toward creating a constitution and holding elections. The council includes representatives of all the country’s major religious and regional groups. But on the ground, U.S. forces continue to take casualties almost every day. More →

July 18, 2003

As U.S. officials debate who should run Iraq after the war, one reality is the division between the two main branches of Islam, Shi’ite and Sunni. Dr. Phebe Marr, a historian and expert on Iraq, joined us to discuss the future of the conflict.
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April 4, 2003

Read more of Bob Abernethy’s interview with Dr. Phebe Marr, an Arabist and leading specialist on Iraq, about religion and politics in post-war Iraq and the origins of the split between Shii and Sunni Muslims. More →

April 4, 2003