Too often we are tempted into thinking how wrong other people's religions and scriptures are, rather than focusing on what's right about our own.

We act like some of our politicians during election campaigns rather than following the teachings of our own holy books. Breaking the trend, author Dr. Ejaz Naqvi provides an objective, topic-by-topic review of the two most read books in the world-the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran.

"The Quran: With or Against the Bible? "addresses the key themes of the Quran and answers commonly asked questions in search of finding common ground: Who wrote the Quran?
Who is the "God" of the Quran?
What is the Quranic view of the prophets, especially Moses and Jesus?
What does the Quran teach about interfaith relations?
Does the Quran promote peace and harmony between Muslims and the People of the Book, or does it promote violence?
How does the Quran compare to the Bible on important themes like worshipping God, the prophets, human rights, moral values, and fighting for justice and human dignity?
Does the Quran render women as second-class citizens?

Dispelling major myths, "The Quran: With or Against the Bible?" systematically analyzes and compares the similarities in the paths of guidance the two scriptures have bestowed upon mankind.

This book is about the history of the conflict between Shia sects, how different sects originated and what are the basic beliefs of world known Usuli Shia sect i.e. State religion of Iran, and how it differs from the True Shia religion. Usuli sect was founded only 10 centuries ago, and only 5 or 6 so-called Shia scholars accepted it in 4th and 5th Hijra century. After that for many centuries Shia scholars and public hated this man-made religion. Only few centuries ago Allama Hilli and his company propagated it again, and he was the first to call himself Ayatollah (which is forbidden in Islam). Baqir Behbahani used power and all other tactics to suppress the Shia religion and occupied shia institutions and mosques, so Usuli sect dominated. What are the true teachings of Shia Islam. The religion presented and practiced by Iranian government is not the Tru Shia Islam, infact they are the biggest enemies of Allah, Infallibles asws and Muslims.

Through the use of a roman-a-clef, the author is able to create compelling caricatures that take on a life of their own. - Guardian ____________ Anarchic, erudite and rollicking, with a septuagenarian protagonist like no other, The Selected Works of Abdullah the Cossack is a joyride of a story set against a kaleidoscopic portrait of one of the world's most vibrant cities. Abdullah, bachelor and scion of a once prominent family, awakes on the morning of his seventieth birthday and considers launching himself over the balcony. Having spent years attempting to compile a 'mythopoetic legacy' of his beloved Karachi, the cosmopolitan heart of Pakistan, Abdullah has lost his zeal. A surprise invitation for a night out from his old friend Felix Pinto snaps Abdullah out of his funk, and saddles him with a ward - Pinto's adolescent grandson Bosco. As Abdullah plays mentor to Bosco, he also attracts the romantic attentions of Jugnu, an enigmatic siren with links to the mob. All the while Abdullah's brothers' plot to evict him from the family estate. Now he must to try to save his home - or face losing his last connection to his familial past.

Does the lethal use of drones pose any new or difficult moral problems? Or is the controversy over these weapons merely a distraction from deeper questions regarding the justice of war and the United States' bellicose foreign policy? Opposing Perspectives on the Drone Debate pulls no punches in answering these questions as five scholars square off in a lively debate over the ethics of drones and their contentious use in a point-counterpoint debate. The contributing authors are some of the foremost thinkers in international affairs today, spanning the disciplines of philosophy, sociology, political science, and law. Topics debated range from the US's contested policy of so-called "targeted killing" in Pakistan's tribal regions to fears over the damaging effects such weaponry has on our democratic institutions to the more abstract moral questions raised by killing via remote control such as the duty to capture over kill.

This book carefully and thoroughly analyses the legal questions raised by the phenomenon of terrorism, and past and recent efforts to fight it, from the perspective of international humanitarian law (IHL). The objective is to substantially contribute to a better understanding of the issues surrounding the content and applicability of IHL as it applies to terrorism as well as to analyse and contextualise the current debates on these controversial and critically important questions. While due heed is paid to doctrinal debates, particular emphasis is placed on the practice of social actors, particularly, although not exclusively, States. The analysis of their actual conduct as well as their expectations about the interpretation and application of the law is crucial to establishing an interpretive consensus on when and how IHL is relevant to regulate acts of terrorism. The approach of the book is analytical and discursive, rather than prescriptive. Thus the reader will find the relevant rules of IHL and other legal regimes as regards terrorism, but also the debates over their application, the contradictions in State practice and the impact these may have upon IHL's evolution and implementation. The aim is to provide legal practitioners, as well as those in military, political and academic circles, with a useful reference point. Hopefully the book will also prove useful to other readers who will find its content and easy-to-read style an encouragement to getting acquainted with a topical subject, traditionally thought to be reserved for legal specialists. This book was cited with approval by the US Court of Appeals in Salim Ahmed Hamdan v United States of America, 16th October 2012

This book presents insights from several countries in Latin America and beyond on how to organize critical sectors, such as education, roads and water, to improve quality, access and affordability. The innovative, multi-disciplinary studies in this volume discuss the outcomes of decentralization, school autonomy, participatory budgeting at the local level and other accountability mechanisms. Rich quantitative analyses are complemented and enhanced by insights from interviews and quotes from those on the front lines: politicians, bureaucrats and service providers; as well as a variety of case-studies focusing on wider political economy questions, on the intricacies of political competition and governance reform, and on public spending efficiency in countries as varied as Colombia, Peru, Chile and Uruguay. As the authors demonstrate, Latin America has much to share with the rest of the world in terms of governance and public service delivery experiments and learnings.

This study analyzes the pervasive rhetoric of victimhood in European culture since 1968. In a radically fragmented public sphere, individuals perceive themselves as dissociated from all others, while at the same time they feel similar to everyone else. Where genuine solidarity and communality is attenuated, people present themselves as victims to garner media attention, create fragile social bonds, or escape supposed marginalization and oppression. Fatima Naqvi commences with interpretations of Sigmund Freud, Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, arguing that contemporary discourse continues a trajectory mapped in the early 20th century--in the shadow of Nazism. In a series of paradigmatic readings of Rene Girard, Peter Sloterdijk, Michael Haneke, Anselm Kiefer, Christoph Ransmayr, Friederike Mayrocker, Michel Houellebecq, Giorgio Agamben, and Elfriede Jelinek, she traces the on-going fascination with victimhood and the desire for victim status in the West. She looks at the way in which such cultural anxiety expresses itself; at how victim rhetoric calls itself into question; and, finally, at how it perpetuates itself in the moment that it becomes philosophically ungrounded.

This book challenges the growing assumptions about the exercise of jurisdiction over international crimes - that legal impediments are invalid in the face of the imperative to prosecute crimes of this gravity. Six principal impediments to the exercise of jurisdiction over international crimes are individually and comparatively analysed from the perspective of their historical origins, the policy contexts justifying them, and the legal arguments used by courts and commentators to either uphold the barrier to prosecution or to reject its application so that prosecution remains unhindered. These six impediments are: (1) Amnesties; (2) Pardons; Statutes of Limitation; (4) Immunities; (5) Ne bis in Idem (double jeopardy); and (6) Abuse of process. The author proposes that an approach based upon an 'interests analysis', derived from policy oriented approaches to international law, provides a reasonable, coherent, and transparent means for courts to resolve the question of jurisdiction when faced with competing rules or principles such as those forming the basis of the research. Each chapter contains a theoretical evaluation of one of the mentioned impediments, as well as a comprehensive and up to date discussion of relevant case-law from both world-wide domestic and international jurisdictions. This volume builds upon Yasmin Naqvi's expertise as a scholar and a lawyer working for the Chambers of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. She has also held positions at the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, and as a legal consultant on transitional justice and special procedures at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Among the Horticultural Crops, Fruits and Vegetables (FV) are of primary - portance as the key source of essential components in an adequate and balanced human diet. FV have supported largely the daily food requirement of mankind since ages and even before man learned to grow cereal crops systematically. Over the years, growing FV has been the mainstay of rural economy and has emerged as an indispensable part of agriculture world over, offering farmers a wide range of crops in varied topography and climate. In certain parts of the world, FV are the major dietary staple. Apart from being a rich source of vitamins and minerals, this sector also contributes significantly in economy of the region or the nation. The increased income from per unit area of FV is far ahead and can not be compared with that of cereal crops. A recent survey by the Economist revealed that the world population has - creased by 90 % in the past 40 years while food production has increased only by 25 % per head. With an additional 1. 5 billion mouth to feed by 2020, farmers worldwide have to produce 39 % more. Looking at the load of the future food requirement, the global increased production of FV during last few years has absorbed the additional food requirement and accordingly the eating habits are also changing and shifting - wards more consumption of these commodities worldwide.

Explores Haneke's historically complex film as a reflection on purity, ideology, violence, and child-rearing. White ribbons and black pedagogy - Michael Haneke's award-winning film The White Ribbon (2009) is a multilayered reflection on purity, ideology, violence, and child rearing. In this tense black-and-white whodunit, mysterious events occur in a small town on the German-Polish border in 1913-14. A tripwire fells the doctor's horse; a farmhand's wife falls through the floor of a shed; a barn goes up in flames; the baron's son is terribly beaten; a girls takes claims to clairvoyance; a mentally disabled boy is tortured and maimed. While the film unfolds on the eve of the First World War, the violence evokes other historical moments: the breakup of the multi ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire, the rise of National Socialism, the emergence of 1960s German terrorism, and religious fundamentalism post 9/11. Fatima Naqvi's book looks at Haneke's technique of combining various histories in the digital era. It also reflects on the guise of literariness and historical authenticity in which the director clothes this fictional film. It meditates on the film's inscription techniques and its ability to appeal to international audiences. Naqvi shows that The White Ribbon bespeaks a certain historical "translatability" into historical and aesthetic contexts outside of Germany-in marked contrast to the historical specificity it conveys on a surface level.

Cohabiting couples and those entering religious-only marriages all too often end up with inadequate legal protection when the relationship ends. Yet, despite this shared experience, the linkages and overlaps between these two groups have largely been ignored in the legal literature. Based on wide-ranging empirical studies, this timely book brings together scholars working in both areas to explore the complexities of the law, the different ways in which individuals experience and navigate the existing legal framework and the potential solutions for reform. Illuminating pressing implications for social policy, this is an invaluable resource for policy makers, practitioners, researchers and students of family law.

Easy-to-use, handheld echocardiographic equipment has recently become a reliable, faster, lower-cost initial assessment option for cardiologists and other healthcare providers. Point-of-Care Echocardiography: A Case-Based Visual Guide clearly explains and demonstrates how to incorporate and effectively employ this new technology in your practice. Real-life images from actual outpatient consultations and in-patient evaluations provide step-by-step guidance on using handheld echo to arrive at a definitive diagnosis and/or to exclude other possible diagnoses. Focuses on the use and application of the latest handheld echocardiography devices for screening and initial diagnosis at point of care. Includes clinical case studies with history, physical exam, a wide range of normal and abnormal laboratory, ECG and imaging findings along with multiple images and video clips obtained with handheld system by an expert cardiologist. Features 169 echocardiographic images and 48 videos depicting use of point-of-care echo and its cardiovascular imaging findings. Provides an overview of cardiac and vascular anatomy and physiology and imaging techniques, tips, nuances, and limitations of handheld systems. Covers normal and abnormal findings and when to refer for further study. Discusses and demonstrates how to perform transthoracic echocardiography for assessment of cardiac and valve function, intravascular volume, ultrasound imaging to detect pericardial and pleural effusion, during pericardiocentesis and imaging assessment of vascular connections to the heart. Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures and videos from the book on a variety of devices.

Given the importance of livestock to the global economy, there is a substantial need for world-class reference material on the sustainable management of livestock in diverse eco-regions. With uncertain climates involving unpredictable extreme events (e.g., heat, drought, infectious disease), environmental stresses are becoming the most crucial factors affecting livestock productivity. By systematically and comprehensively addressing all aspects of environmental stresses and livestock productivity, this volume is a useful tool for understanding the various intricacies of stress physiology. With information and case studies collected and analyzed by professionals working in diversified ecological zones, this book explores the influence of the environment on livestock production across global biomes. The challenges the livestock industry faces in maintaining the delicate balance between animal welfare and production are also highlighted.

Spanning five decades and twenty-four films, director Michael Haneke's career is one of the most significant in the history of European art cinema. However, critical reception has long lagged behind his output. By the time Haneke (b. 1942) emerged into the international spotlight as a cinematic visionary with the 1989 Cannes premiere of The Seventh Continent, he had worked in filmmaking for two decades, producing seven feature-length films.As many of his films aired solely on Austrian and German television, they remained unknown to audiences outside the German-speaking world until 2007, when the first comprehensive Haneke retrospective took place in the United States. Michael Haneke: Interviews presents some of Haneke's most profound interviews to English speakers. The volume features seventeen articles, fourteen of which have been translated into English for the first time, and all of which provide a detailed, eloquent commentary on his films and worldview. This book represents the most extensive collection to date of interviews with the filmmaker, spanning his entire oeuvre - from his earliest television films to his so-called "Glaciation Trilogy" of the 1990s, from the notorious dark satire Funny Games to its similarly notorious 2007 Hollywood remake, and from his French films of the 2000s to his Oscar-winning drama, Amour, and his most recent feature, Happy End.

There is an intrinsic conflict between creating secure systems and usable systems. But usability and security can be made synergistic by providing requirements and design tools with specific usable security principles earlier in the requirements and design phase. In certain situations, it is possible to increase usability and security by revisiting design decisions made in the past; in others, to align security and usability by changing the regulatory environment in which the computers operate. This book addresses creation of a usable security protocol for user authentication as a natural outcome of the requirements and design phase of the authentication method development life cycle.

The language of frames suggests the need to rethink self and other in fostering ethical relationships as a foundation for peaceful existence. Educational writers and practitioners from many parts of the world, including New York, Denver, Minneapolis, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Israel, and Canada offer their perspectives on peace as an aim of curriculum. Possibilities for learning about peace conceived in terms of Jonathan Lear's (2006) notion of "radical hope" are illustrated in the contexts of diverse settings and challenges: the aftermath of apartheid in South Africa, re-imagining post-colonial history curricula in Zimbabwe, exploring the meanings of truth and reconciliation and restorative justice in Canada, examining the quality of pedagogic relationships in elementary school classrooms, attending to experiences of gay and lesbian students in schools, experiences of marginalized students, children's experiences of civic engagement, Islamophobia in high schools and teacher education classes, fraught relationships between Palestinian and Jewish students in a teachers' college in Israel, and the inclusion of First Nations culture and knowledge in Canadian teacher education classes. As whole and in each of its parts, Framing Peace encourages us to think about peace as an urgent and fundamental responsibility of curriculum at all levels of education.

The language of frames suggests the need to rethink self and other in fostering ethical relationships as a foundation for peaceful existence. Educational writers and practitioners from many parts of the world, including New York, Denver, Minneapolis, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Israel, and Canada offer their perspectives on peace as an aim of curriculum. Possibilities for learning about peace conceived in terms of Jonathan Lear's (2006) notion of "radical hope" are illustrated in the contexts of diverse settings and challenges: the aftermath of apartheid in South Africa, re-imagining post-colonial history curricula in Zimbabwe, exploring the meanings of truth and reconciliation and restorative justice in Canada, examining the quality of pedagogic relationships in elementary school classrooms, attending to experiences of gay and lesbian students in schools, experiences of marginalized students, children's experiences of civic engagement, Islamophobia in high schools and teacher education classes, fraught relationships between Palestinian and Jewish students in a teachers' college in Israel, and the inclusion of First Nations culture and knowledge in Canadian teacher education classes. As whole and in each of its parts, Framing Peace encourages us to think about peace as an urgent and fundamental responsibility of curriculum at all levels of education.

The Islamic perception of the socio-economic process is dynamic and its insistence on social justice is uncompromising. To produce the best social structure, according to this view, man's economic endeavours should be motivated by a meaningful moral philosophy. In the face of the challenges presented by the modern world, the practice of Islamic economics raises many complex and profound issues. These are addressed in this highly important work, which must be considered essential reading for all those who live in the vision of the 'right'. First published in 1994.

Will China remain stable and what will be the intentions of her leaders? Can Japan map out a new role for the worlds largest economy, another Meiji Revolution? Will Indonesia be able to hang together as it attempts, once again, to find some formula for a nation-state from its very disparate elements? Is India doomed to struggle on in a mire of social and economic problems or will possible recognition of its new hegemonic role in South Asia by the U.S. and the West generally, bring a new era? Will Pakistan overcome its current crisis of identity, somehow synthesizing intensification of Islamic values (whatever that may mean) and nationhood with falling off the precipice of fanaticism? Can Thailand, once again, exhibit that special knack of riding the crest of any wave that strikes the area- or is a fundamental new step toward modernization too difficult? Through Asian Eyes: U.S. Policy in the Asian Century evaluates these issues through the Asian perspective.