Top 10 good news stories from the Muslim world in the last year, according to Juan Cole.
10. Saudi Arabia opened its first coeducational college campus, the King Abdullah Science and Technology University.
9. Qatar is on track to average 7.5 percent per annum growth for the next few years.
8. A Pew Forum on Religion and Life poll finds that American Muslims are unusual in the degree to which they are integrated into mainstream American society and demonstrate moderate attitudes, condemning religious extremism and violence.
7. The information revolution is making strides in the Arab world.
6. Albania has averaged 10 percent a year growth for each of the last four years, and was the fastest-growing economy in Europe in 2009.
5. The small Gulf oil monarchy of Kuwait took steps toward greater democracy and rule of law.
4. Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world at about 230 mn., had successful parliamentary elections in 2009, further consolidating the country’s decade-old democracy.
3. Turkey, which averaged 5.8 percent a year economic growth between 2002 and 2008, was slowed but not devastated by the world’s financial crisis.
2. Stability returned to Lebanon.
1. The greatest political awakening in Iran for 30 years.
johnpi 10:27 am on January 1, 2010 Permalink |
If anybody sees a Muslim writer or analyst doing a good news list for the year or decade just ending, please let know here. I haven’t seen any. It’s interesting that it takes a non-Muslim observer to get some perspective and put together a list like this.
manas 10:37 am on January 1, 2010 Permalink |
thanks for this.
Abu Noor Al-Irlandee 10:57 am on January 1, 2010 Permalink |
Why don’t you do it John ?I think few Muslims spend more time scouring the web for news from the Muslim world than you do. Unfortunately most of what you post here is bad news, but perhaps that’s just the nature of what is considered “news.”
Of course you come from a certain perspective, but so would anybody.
johnpi 11:02 am on January 1, 2010 Permalink |
You are absolutely 100 percent right about what I post here being derivative of what appears in the ‘news’, and I’ve also had a lot of doubts about it. My thought is that it is valuable to know what’s out there that is credible enough – or that the MSM is trying to extend credibility to – to affect peoples’ opinions. Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll think about it.
zahed 5:47 pm on January 3, 2010 Permalink |
We’ve been doing this for seven years… compiling my list for this year (late, for the first time due to the holidays) as we speak, to be published tomorrow, Monday, January 4th. Last year’s list is here
thabet 9:56 pm on January 1, 2010 Permalink |
Qatar is also the least corrupt Muslim nation, beating a number of EU states (Portugal, Spain and Italy), as well the darling of global capitalism, India.
manas 10:01 pm on January 1, 2010 Permalink |
May I take the liberty of rearranging the list?
More important later
===============
American Muslims are by and large still Muslims. (I dislike the orientalist language of Cole)
Albania has averaged 10 percent a year growth for each of the last four years, and was the fastest-growing economy in Europe in 2009.
The small Gulf oil monarchy of Kuwait took steps toward greater democracy and rule of law.
Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world at about 230 mn., had successful parliamentary elections in 2009, further consolidating the country’s decade-old democracy.
Qatar is on track to average 7.5 percent per annum growth for the next few years.
Turkey, which averaged 5.8 percent a year economic growth between 2002 and 2008, was slowed but not devastated by the world’s financial crisis.
Stability returned to Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia opened its ambitious King Abdullah Science and Technology University.