M. Junaid Levesque-Alam

M. Junaid Levesque-Alam writes about Islam and America at his Web site, Crossing the Crescent. A regular Foreign Policy In Focus contributor, he has also been published in AltMuslim.com, CounterPunch, and TheNation.com. He lives in New York.

How to Prevent Chaos in Pakistan

The eruption of democratic defiance among Arabs has discredited neoconservatives and al-Qaeda alike, shattering their shared assumption that Muslims need violent prodding to reclaim their dignity. Ten weeks of protests won Tunisians and Egyptians what 10 years of bloodshed could not purchase for Pax Americana or its archenemy in Iraq or Afghanistan: a spirit of … Continue reading “How to Prevent Chaos in Pakistan”

A Specious Compromise on Cordoba

You are not terrorists. Your religion is not evil. Your project is not a monument to murder. But since some believe otherwise, I propose a compromise: Get out. That is the message adopted by some liberals and their allies in the wake of smoldering conservative rage over the Cordoba House proposal. Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, … Continue reading “A Specious Compromise on Cordoba”

Bin Laden’s Rising Influence In America

American leaders are always trying to assess Osama bin Laden’s level of influence over Muslims. They should look at his influence over their own countrymen. The aversion to a proposed Muslim center near Ground Zero shows that it is Americans, not Muslims, whose thinking the terrorist leader has most successfully recast to his advantage. The … Continue reading “Bin Laden’s Rising Influence In America”

The Curious Case of Omar Khadr

As a child, I sometimes browsed magazines in my doctor’s waiting room. One day while flipping through the pages I came across a photograph of a beaming young woman enjoying a picturesque view of a meadow. Underneath the photo in a small box was a message in black and white — issued, I thought, by … Continue reading “The Curious Case of Omar Khadr”