A Year at a Glance

Entertainment too had its share in the coverage. FIFA World Cup 2006, Germany, was a major highlight of the year. As for cinematic events, IOL closely followed the Cannas Film Festival and the Cairo International Film Festival.

1427 also witnessed the birth of the Euro-Muslims Department. It is the new section that IOL launched to handle issues of Muslims living in Europe, such as integration and citizenship.

The political scene was rife with events all year long. One of the biggest events of the year was the Lebanon War, which shook the foundations of the Middle East. In July, Israel launched a preemptive strike against Lebanon. The war raged for 35 days, leaving more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, killed. It also paved the world for Condoleezza Rice's New Middle East Project. IOL had continuous coverage with daily news from the battlefield, culminated in a special page covering all aspects of the crisis.

On the other hand, the Living Shari`ah Department presented their take on the Lebanon War by offering the juristic issues related to the crisis. IOL was also there, on the ground, helping the traumatized victims through its psychological guide.

This brought IOL to the rest of the political scene in the Middle East. This included the Iranian nuclear situation, Iraq's being on the brink of civil war, and the opposition rallies in Lebanon. Later in the year, there was also Saddam Husain's execution followed by Bush's new strategy for Iraq.

1427 also witnessed some tensions between Islam and the West. They started early in the year with Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, releasing several cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This sent Muslims fuming in protests all around the world. IOL was committed to have the complete picture from all sides of the story, culminating in the special coverage entitled Danish Cartoons: Trying to Understand.

Following the cartoons, IOL initiated the project Muhammad: A Mercy for All as a part of its constructive response to the controversial cartoons of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is IOL's way of introducing the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his message of Islam as a way of life to peoples worldwide.

This was followed later in the year with the Pope's remarks about Islam by quoting a 14th century Byzantine emperor who wrote that everything Muhammad brought was evil and inhuman, "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." IOL took the initiative to counter the Pope's remarks. It worked to present all the information regarding this incident as well as providing the real view of how Islam was spread. This led to the creation of A Pope in Crisis folder.

The next clash between Islam and the West came with Jack Straw, former foreign minister of the UK, when he raised issues regarding niqab. This was followed by many politicians, including Tony Blair voicing their concerns that niqab is a barrier to the integration of Muslim women in the British society. This even spread further to othercountries in Europe, including the Netherlands.

The Health & Science Department also had a busy year. With the spread of the bird flu virus across the world seeming unstoppable, IOL had extensive and special coverage of the pandemic. Working with the WHO, IOL presented all the relevant information regarding the virus. IOL also offered coverage of the Scientific Signs in the Qur'an and Sunnah conference in Kuwait.

As in previous years, IOL was also involved in the World AIDS Day Campaign 2006 to promote awareness and fight the stigma surrounding HIV. In addition, IOL took part inthe ongoing debate on evolution. IOL hosted two renowned experts, one pro and the other against evolution, who answered the readers' questions in two separate sessions.

On the social side, IOL's Family and Youth 4 the Future departments came up with ways to handle sexual harassment, and to try to offer a cure for society of this ailment. The first initiative came from Youth 4 the Future's special coverage on the relationship between young men and women and how they see each other. To wrap it up, the Family Department probed deeper to analyze this social problem. This was achieved through a number of articles such as Sexual Harassment: A Reality Check, Beyond Crudeness, Communication Between Men and Women, and many others.

"Never did I imagine myself worshiping God in such a dedicated manner! But as soon as I found that the Qur'an is the direct word of Allah and that Muhammad is our role model, I realized I would have to do both of these things — fast as well as pray." These are Musa's words in the diaries he wrote on his first days in Islam. The Discover Islam Department was interested during 1427 in presenting a couple of touchy stories of new Muslims, giving them a platform from which they can speak up and narrate their experiences on their way to Islam.

However, it was not all about politics and social problems. In the world of movies, The Da Vinci Code was the highlight of the year. Much uproar has been made in the media about the religious controversy surrounding the book and then the movie. The Art & Culture Department presented a review of the Dan Brown book and another of the movie.

As for cultural distinctions in celebrating certain events, IOL made a cultural panorama displaying the cultures of celebrating these occasions. Ramadan, Muslim `Eids: `Eid Al- Fitr and `Eid al- Adha, Christmas, and Hajj were on the top of the list.

One of the most important highlights for IOL's 1427 is also the launch of its online radio shows. The Youth Department headed the launch and has been offering a weekly live broadcast. Topics range from serious issues to fun issues that are relevant and important to Muslims worldwide. The radio shows have been a great success, garnering their own audience that log in weekly especially for the shows. This laid the foundation for a stronger online radio community expected in the coming year.

The year 1427 was indeed a very busy year. Now, however, IOL has its eyes on 1428. We are looking forward to more coverage from all over the world. There are exciting things coming in 1428 besides the expanded radio broadcasts. That is not all, there are many more surprises that IOL is offering in 1428.

From here on, the sky is the limit!