I watch the news a lot and I have noticed that a lot of the terms they use I have no clue what they mean. I just let them go through them and then I move on. So, I decided to look them up so that I can be "in the know" and competent when watching the news.
World News Terms:
(if you have one to add - just go to contact us and send it!)
Hezbollah - a political organization based in Lebanon. It follows a distinct version of Islamic Shi'a ideology developed by Ayatollah Khomeini - leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. It began to take shape in response to Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. This organization has 3 goals:
1. Eradication of Western Imperialism in Lebanon
2. Transformation of Lebanon's multi-confessional state into an Islamic state.
3. Complete destruction of the state of Israel.
Fatah - is a major Palestinian political party and the largest organization in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the center-left of the spectrum. It is mainly nationalist although not predominantly socialist. Fatah has maintained a number of militant groups since its founding.
In the January 25, 2006 parliamentary election, the party lost its majority in the Palestinian parliament to Hamas, and resigned all cabinet positions, instead assuming the role as the main opposition party. It has often since been described in the media as the more "moderate" party, although some dispute this due to its past and current actions and policies.
Hamas - a Palestinian Islamist organization that currently (since Jan 2006) forms the majority party of the Palestinian National Authority. Hamas is known outside the Palestinian territories for its suicide bombings and other attacks directed against Israeli civilians as well as military and security forces targets. Hamas' charter (written in 1988) calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and its replacement with a Palestinian Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Jihad - an Islamic term literally meaning struggle in the way of God and is sometimes referred to as a the sixth pillar of Islam, although it occupies no official status as such. It usually refers to military exertion against non-Muslim combatants. It is also termed as the "holy war". The primary aim of jihad is not the conversion of non-Muslims to Islam by force, but rather the expansion and defense of the the Islamic state.
Al Qaeda - is a militant Sunni Islamist organization, which has been deemed terrorist by the United Nations and a number of UN member-states. Its stated objectives are to eliminate foreign influence in Muslim countries, to eradicate those deemed to be "infidels" and to reestablish the Islamic caliphate (a theoretical federal government that would govern the Islamic world under Islamic law ruled by a Caliph). While Osama bin Laden is generally recognized as the groups leader, the Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri has also had a strong influence on the group's theory and practice.
Sunni Muslims - are the largest denomination of Islam. They are referred to as Ahl ul-Sunna "people of the example of Muhammed".
Shia or Shi'it or Shi'ism - thought to be the second largest denomination of the Islamic faith after the Sunni Denomination. However the mainstream Sunni Muslims consider it a minority sect that constitutes no more than 10% of the world Muslim population. Shias believe they adhere to the teachings of Muhammed and the religious guidance of his family. Sunni Muslims believe that Shias deviate from and even violate teachings of Muhammed.
Here is a map of Sunni and Shia Muslims. The Sunni is the light green and the Shia is the dark green.
LIST OF SOME WORLD DICTATORS
There are more than 70 countries ruled by dictators who exercise arbitrary authority over their citizens and who cannot be removed from power through legal means. Here is a list of a few (retrieved from a list in the Houston Chronicle as the worst 10):
SUDAN: Omar Al-Bashir, Age 63, in power since 1989
NORTH KOREA: Kim Jong-IL, Age 64, in power 1994
IRAN: Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Age 67, in power since 1989
CHINA: Hu Jintao, Age 64, in power since 2002
SAUDI ARABIA: King Abullah, Age 83, in power since 1995
BURMA (MYANMAR): Than Shwe, Age 74, in power since 1992
ZIMBABWE: Robert Mugabe, Age 82, in power since 1980
UZBEKISTAN: Islam Karimov, Age 69, in power since 1989
LIBYA: Muammar Al-Qaddafi, Age 64, in power since 1969
SYRIA: Bashar Al-Assad, Age 41, in power since 2000
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