ISIL/ISIS

How is the South different from other regions of the United States? What kind of issues are most important to Southern voters? How does this affect national politics? What other regional political predispositions can you think of? How important do you think regional issues are in modern politics?

*Do you agree or disagree with Colin Kaepernick and the other NFL players decision to kneel during the national anthem? Is this act unpatriotic? Is their stance protected under the Bill of Rights? As a member of the military community do you feel offended or proud? Do you feel they are heroes or villains? Should the executive branch weigh in? Should the players be fined or is this unfair?
*Explain the various duties and responsibilities of the Speaker of the House. What advantages does this position give the majority party? Do you think the image of the speaker of the House as the “Second Most Important Person in the Government” is true? Why or why not?

*Should the qualification for president that requires a person to be a natural-born citizen of the Untied States be changed? Explain your answer. Should presidents be limited to two terms in office? What are the best reasons for retaining the Twenty-Second Amendment? What are the best reasons for getting rid of it?

*What are the express powers of the President as laid out in the constitution? How have these been expanded in the years since the Constitution was written? What are executive orders? What is executive privilege? What role does the President play in the national budget procedure? Are there limits to these powers, and if so what are they? Does the President have the kind of power often associated with office in the public mind? Why does this “illusion of Presidential government” exist?

*You have reviewed a number of articles about ISIS. Please post your comment (at least 250 words) about:

1- Why ISIL/ISIS has attracted much attention?

2- Can we consider ISIL/ISIS a Salafi movement? How similar and how different from other Salafi groups in Arabia?

3- What US should do about ISIL/ISIS?

*Many people in the Middle East argue that men are raised by their mothers (women!), and, therefore, what is going is on the Middle East is co-responsibility of both men and women. Please read and watch the learning objects above (5-1 to 5-5) and post your opinion about the “provocative” Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy on “women in the Middle East”. (Your post should not be less than 250 words). Please reply to 2 other postings on this discussion.

*In reading about Mut’a marriage, the most important thing to remember is that there is no true equivalent of this arrangement in Western societies, which is why the subject of Mut’a is somewhat difficult for many students to grasp. Many students feel that Mut’a could be a good institution if ,and only if, it is properly regulated; otherwise, it is far too probable that it would be abused — both by men seeking sex, and by women who want to live off the dowries they earn through the Mut’a. Despite the fact that Mut’a is said to be just as valid as a long-term marriage, many people believe that it exists to serve those who want to enjoy the benefits of marriage (i.e., sex for men and financial security for women), without making an actual commitment to one another. Others see the Mut’a in many ways a glorified form of prostitution. Many others disagree and see the Mut’a as legal marriage and kids born in a temporary marriage are legitimate kids and have same rights and duties of children out of permanent marriage