Free Republic

The term Islamism was coined to differentiate Islam as modern ideology from Islam as a faith. It became necessary to make this distinction after the Iranian revolution of 1979, which gave rise to the popular use of the term: "Islamic fundamentalism." The use of fundamentalism to describe Islam spread so fast that by 1990, the Concise Oxford English Dictionary defined fundamentalism as "the strict maintenance of traditional Protestant beliefs" and "the strict maintenance of ancient or fundamental doctrines of any religion, especially Islam." Ironically the more the media embraced Islamic fundamentalism as a term, the more scholars of Islam looked...

Our Abounding English Language By Richard Lederer English boasts by far the largest vocabulary of all languages, almost four times the number of words as its nearest competitor, German. As a result, English possesses a plethora of synonyms that allow greater nuances of meaning than are available in other tongues. The multitudinous choice of words in English offers both a delightful and daunting challenge to native and non-native speakers. In Sophie's Choice, the heroine, Polish-born Sophie, expresses mock horror at the infinite variety of English words: "Such a language! . . . Too many words. I mean just the word...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The world's whales, porpoises and dolphins have no standing to sue President Bush (news - web sites) over the U.S. Navy (news - web sites)'s use of sonar equipment that harms marine mammals, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, widely considered one of the most liberal and activist in the country, said it saw no reason why animals should not be allowed to sue but said they had not yet been granted that right.

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico is offering to help Iraq create new, democratic elections based on its experience in building a system that allowed the peaceful end to 71 years of single-party rule. Manuel Carrillo, coordinator of international affairs for the Federal Electoral Institute, said Tuesday that the help would be provided through the United Nations. Mexico's Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez first mentioned the proposal during a news conference on Monday in Bangkok, where he was accompanying President Vicente Fox at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Carrillo said his institute would help Iraq with "its knowledge and experience in terms...

Press Release Center of Peace Research (CIP/FUHEM) No War: The Multilateral System Must Be Reinforced Madrid, • The mounting war against Iraq is unjust. The explanations offered by the United States and its allies to justify this action are unsatisfactory and the reasons put forth do no justify the human and infrastructural costs that this offensive would cause. • A second UN resolution is very important, but its content could legitimate the use of force. Regardless of whether or not Iraq has weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the first option must be to negotiate and use all of the diplomatic...

In a press conference today that turned at times emotional, with the E.U. Economic Policy Advisory Board and the Senate Democratic Party Economic Union jointly presenting, credible evidence was revealed to the world that the Bush invasion of Iraq would lead to economic ruin for that country. Ima Doolittle, (D-Iraq) put the blame entirely at the feet of President Bush. "Our studies are conclusive, and accurate. Here is a country, Iraq, who's feeble economy barely keeps its citizens alive, about to be further reduced up to a full one-third." Citing the DNC Red Book, she continued, eyes ablaze. "The fact...