Archives for International Relations

On the ‘Verticalization’ of Eschatology

On the ‘Verticalization’ of Eschatology
by | March 16, 2022 | No Comments

TEHRAN, Islamic Republic of Iran (August 1, 2007) – While waiting for half a dozen professors constituting the defense panel to finish reading the last draft of my dissertation (“The Power of International Quds Day in the Cyberspace (https://amzn.to/34xW2cU), FREE eBook here: www.elzistyle.com/qudsday), I have embarked on the translation into English of a Persian book on the mystical subtleties of supplication (du’a’) (“In the Presence of the Beloved”). For the past two days, however, I had to set aside the
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Exactly 23 Years Ago

Exactly 23 Years Ago
by | February 11, 2022 | No Comments

It’s exactly 23 years back. 1998. February 11. 3:12 am. “In a few moments, we will land in Mehrabad International Airport,” an IranAir flight attendant in navy blue hijab assured with a smile the drowsy passengers to a seven-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tehran. A score of fellow students from Mindanao and I were fetched by a minibus at the airport and transported to Qazvin, a city over 100 kilometers away. After taking a sumptuous breakfast in Karaj in
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The Power of the Minbar

The Power of the Minbar
by | September 15, 2021 | No Comments

Muscat, Oman (May 9, 2018) – In a recent post-Marawi conflict analysis workshop I co-facilitated, the third session was devoted to the identification of enablers and inhibitors of radicalization that leads to violent extremism. It can be noticed during the presentation that the madrasah and religious leaders or scholars (‘ulama) were identified in the three groups as either among the enablers, or the inhibitors, while at the same time, none of the three groups ever identified the institution of the
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Who is Papanok?

Who is Papanok?
by | November 15, 2019 | No Comments

Sunday, 22 July 2007 TEHRAN, Islamic Republic of Iran (22 July) –Barely an hour after signing in Friendster.com early today from a student dormitory for couples here in central Tehran, the first three persons who joined my ring of friends are of course my better half, Mamot, followed by sister Mayhanie, and then an anonymous Papanok (meaning ‘bird’ in Maguindanaon vernacular), thanks to its extraordinary vision. Since Papanok is flying with its wings of anonymity, I was curious to know its identity.
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5 Key Points of the Declaration of International Quds Day

5 Key Points of the Declaration of International Quds Day
by | September 15, 2019 | No Comments

To fully grasp the importance of the declaration of the last Friday of Ramadan as Quds Day, it is necessary to quote at some length the first message of Quds Day founder, which lays down the cornerstone of his conception of, and philosophy behind, the declaration, and the subsequent messages are based on these declarations. Thereafter, we will analyze the implication of the key points of the statements towards the Palestinian Question. “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
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