science, development & faith

New knowledge networks are attempting to make sense of a world dominated by tradition and belief, yet hungry for equity and justice. From Cairo to Islamabad via London, Ehsan Masood maps its emerging ideas, debates and institutions.
Thursday 25th June

Tariq Ramadan's project

Ehsan Masood, 25 June 2009
The Islamic thinker's "Radical Reform" reveals the skill and care that informs his search for influence 
Sunday 29th April

The wages of punditry

Ehsan Masood, 29 April 2007
The partnership between policy-makers and development specialists can endanger the latter's intellectual independence and increase the risk of bad outcomes, says Ehsan Masood.
Thursday 12th April

Pakistan: The army as the state

Ehsan Masood, 12 April 2007
Pakistan’s economy and institutions are deeply penetrated by the country’s army, a new book and documentary film reveal. Ehsan Masood reports for openDemocracy.
Tuesday 27th March

A German vision: greening globalisation

Ehsan Masood, 27 March 2007
A plan to link climate-change policy with biodiversity loss renews the twenty-year-old idea of sustainable development, says Ehsan Masood.
Wednesday 7th March

Muslims and multiculturalism: lessons from Canada

Ehsan Masood, 7 March 2007
Canada is tuning into Europe's debate on Muslims. But it doesn't want to abandon its own model for living with diversity – at least for now, reports Ehsan Masood.
Thursday 22nd February

'National Geographic': the world in Arabic

Ehsan Masood, 22 February 2007
The leading educational and scientific magazine "National Geographic" is launching an Arabic edition aimed at young readers. A perfect match, says Ehsan Masood.
Wednesday 7th February

Africans and climate change

Ehsan Masood, 7 February 2007
The world’s leading climate scientists have spoken. But science on its own is not enough to convince Africa’s heads of state that they need to act on global warming, finds Ehsan Masood.
Friday 26th January

The world's thirst

Ehsan Masood, 26 January 2007
A solution to the world's water crisis may lie in the sewers of 19th-century England and America, says Ehsan Masood.
Tuesday 9th January

Urdu's last stand

Ehsan Masood, 9 January 2007
A new education policy in Pakistan signals a shift from the idea of Urdu as the country's everyday working language, says Ehsan Masood.
Wednesday 13th December

Pakistan's education gamble

Ehsan Masood, 13 December 2006
Are private schools the answer to the crisis in Pakistani education? Ehsan Masood reports on a controversial reform proposal.
Wednesday 29th November

The upside of down

Ehsan Masood, 29 November 2006
If the world is at last alert to global warming, it is thanks in part to a remarkable group of researchers. Ehsan Masood salutes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Wednesday 15th November

Which way home? Diasporas and development

Ehsan Masood, 15 November 2006
How should developing countries relate to their diaspora communities? Ehsan Masood tracks a growing discussion with vital policy implications.
Tuesday 31st October

British Muslims: ends and beginnings

Ehsan Masood, 31 October 2006
Muslim citizens bruised by the British government's punitive new tone towards them need to register the lessons of the last generation and not merely the last month, says Ehsan Masood.
Tuesday 17th October

Physics in revolution

Ehsan Masood, 17 October 2006
Cosmology is hot, string theory is not. But wherever you hang your hat, the teaching of science must keep pace with the subject’s moving intellectual frontiers, says Ehsan Masood.
Monday 2nd October

The cost of freedom in the digital age

Ehsan Masood, 2 October 2006
Creative commons, open source and open access are becoming influential buzzwords of the digital age. But are they a just reward for creative endeavour, asks Ehsan Masood.
Monday 18th September

Pope Benedict XVI: science is the real target

Ehsan Masood, 18 September 2006
A deeper reading of Pope Benedict's Regensburg speech suggests a message that Catholics and Muslims can share, says Ehsan Masood: that modern science must make room for theology.
Monday 4th September

The global politics of cricket

Ehsan Masood, 4 September 2006
England gave the world cricket. But the power to shape the game's rules is moving to the nations of the developing world, says Ehsan Masood.
Monday 21st August

Big media, small world

Ehsan Masood, 21 August 2006
The corporate media is worried about falling audiences among people of non-western backgrounds. It only has itself to blame, says Ehsan Masood.
Tuesday 1st August

Millennium Development Goals: back to school

Ehsan Masood, 1 August 2006
A global target for all of the world's children to have a primary school education is within sight. But world leaders do not deserve the credit, says Ehsan Masood.
Monday 17th July

The aid business: phantoms and realities

Ehsan Masood, 17 July 2006
A new Action Aid report on the negative aspects of technical assistance to developing countries tells only half the story, says Ehsan Masood.
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