
> The National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies (NCEIS) is funded by the Australian Government to provide outstanding higher education level programs in Islamic studies. The University of Melbourne is collaborating with Griffith University and the University of Western Sydney to deliver a world-class, multi-disciplinary program from 2008.
> Public support for Pakistan’s military offensive against the Taliban may waiver as refugee numbers reach one million says Associate Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh. Click here to watch his interview with The Melbourne Newsroom.
> Listen to Ben MacQueen in a radio interview on the recent protests in Egypt for the program 'The Wire' on Sydney Radio 2SER.
> "For the past 1400 years or so, Muslims have been debating this issue of what exactly 'riba' is. And the vast majority of Muslims have come to the view that riba equals interest." - Prof Abdullah Saeed
Listen to Prof Abdullah Saeed discuss Islamic Banking on UniMelb's Upclose Podcast. Click here.
> Listen to Ben MacQueen interviewed on Radio Australia on the situation in Afghanistan. Click here.
> Listen to audio recording of Benjamin MacQueen's interview on 3RRR's breakfast radio program on the situation in Afghanistan and the policy of the Obama Administration. Audio available here.
New NCEIS online research paper available now by Riaz Hassan on Social and Economic Conditions of Australian Muslims: Implications for Social Inclusion. This and other papers available here.
The war in Afghanistan is at a tipping point. For the past 8 years, the NATO-led forces have been fighting doggedly against a highly resilient and surprisingly adaptable Taleban insurgency. However, the inability of the Bush administration to articulate a clear strategy beyond “search and destroy” missions has seen the operation stuck in a tail chasing exercise that requires fresh thinking and innovative new approaches.