When schoolgirls dream of jihad, society has a problem (Guardian)

Don’t underestimate the role of the burqa ban in turning teenagers into would-be militants. The influence of repressive and discriminatory legislation on vulnerable young minds should not be ruled out.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/03/schoolgirls-jihad-society-problem-france-burqa-ban

The abortition ministry of dr. Willie Parker (Esquire)

In Mississippi, there is only one clinic where a woman can go if she needs an abortion. The state is trying to close it down. At that clinic, there is a doctor who tends to the needs of these women, and he has to fly in from out of state to do it. There is no shutting him down.

http://www.esquire.com/features/abortion-ministry-of-dr-willie-parker-0914?src=soc_fcbks

Obesity: Africa’s new crisis (Guardian)

Fat is no longer just a developed world problem. Forget those tired old clichés beloved by the aid industry. Today more people in poorer countries go to bed each night having consumed too many calories than go to bed hungry.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/21/obesity-africas-new-crisis

Still stateless, still suffering: It’s time for European leaders to take action (Open Democracy)

Life without a nationality means life in limbo. Statelessness is a man-made phenomenon which afflicts millions across the globe. It demands international attention.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/chris-nash/still-stateless-still-suffering-it%E2%80%99s-time-for-european-leaders-to-take-action

The Destruction of Mecca (New York Times)

The dominant architectural site in the city is not the Sacred Mosque, where the Kaaba, the symbolic focus of Muslims everywhere, is. It is the obnoxious Makkah Royal Clock Tower hotel, which, at 1,972 feet, is among the world’s tallest buildings. The initial phase of Mecca’s destruction began in the mid-1970s. Innumerable ancient buildings, including the Bilal mosque, dating from the time of the Prophet Muhammad, were bulldozed. The old Ottoman houses, with their elegant mashrabiyas — latticework windows — and elaborately carved doors, were replaced with hideous modern ones. Within a few years, Mecca was transformed into a “modern” city with large multilane roads, spaghetti junctions, gaudy hotels and shopping malls.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/opinion/the-destruction-of-mecca.html?_r=1&referrer=