Before declaring independence, Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci announced that 100 countries would quickly recognize its sovereign status. It seems he may have been a bit too optimistic.

Currently, 25 countries have or are in the process of recognizing the Republic of Kosova (Kosova being the preferred Albanian spelling). According to the website kosovothanksyou.com, a site created by two Kosovar Albanians to thank recognizing countries, another 28 countries are expected to eventually recognize Kosovo's sovereignty. But that still leaves Thaci short of his hopeful 100. The site includes a handy map showing recognizing countries in blue and potential recognizing countries in yellow:

The list of recognizing countries includes big names like the United States, France, Britain, and 12 others from the EU. But the list falls short on regional players -- Romania and Bosnia have both said they will not recognize Kosovo -- and on emerging global powers like Russia, China, and India. Predominantly Muslim Senegal is the only recognizing country in Africa, and recognition for Europe's new majority-Muslim state has been slow in the rest of the Islamic world too. Turkey and Afghanistan are the only other Islamic countries to have recognized Kosovo so far.

Even if Kosovo does hit the 100 country mark, that's still barely half the countries in the world. Though, I suppose fewer recognizing countries does mean fewer thank you notes.

We've posted about Hamas's "Jihad Mickey" in the past. Well, here's Hamas TV's latest cuddly form of indoctrination for Palestinian children -- a pink bunny that hates Jews:

But I, Assud [pink bunny], will get rid of the Jews, Allah willing, and I will eat them up."

The last 30 seconds of the video really say it all, though earlier the little girl has a nice little statement to make in her interview with the bunny:

Of course, Assud.  We will liberate al-Aqsa from the filth of those Zionists." 

I guess nobody's ever heard of the Waqf -- the Muslim religious council that administers the Temple Mount or Haram al-Sharif site that includes al-Aqsa.

Remember those controversial Danish cartoons from 2005 that depicted the Prophet Mohammed and aroused so much anger in the Muslim world? At least 50 people were killed in the ensuing worldwide riots. Well, the cartoons were republished in Europe today by Danish, Swedish, Spanish, and Dutch newspapers to emphasize freedom of speech and to protest an alleged plot to kill one of the cartoonists. This time, Danish Muslim groups seem to regard the reprinting as an internal, domestic issue and don't plan on internationalizing it. But I can't help thinking, here we go again.

The first time around, the publisher of the cartoons explained his motives in this New York Times op-ed:

By treating a Muslim figure the same way I would a Christian or Jewish icon, I was sending an important message: You are not strangers, you are here to stay, and we accept you as an integrated part of our life. And we will satirize you, too.

We'll see what the second round brings.

If you haven't yet read "A World Without Islam," the cover story for our January/February 2008 issue, you really should. Graham Fuller, the former vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council at the CIA, has penned a sweeping, thought-provoking essay that has already turned a lot of heads in the United States and beyond. Fuller takes a hypothetical question—What if Islam had never existed?—and walks us through an alternate history of the world as if Mohammed had never founded the third major monotheistic religion in the seventh century.

It's an intriguing thought experiment. With no Muslim faith, would Christianity rule the globe? Would the Middle East today be democratic and free? And the big question, of course: Would the attacks of Sept. 11 never have happened? The answer, according to Fuller, is none of the above. Wipe Islam from the sands of time, he says, and we'd wind up largely in the same place we are today.

Fuller, now an adjunct professor of history at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, is chock full of knowledge and insights on Islam and the Middle East and is eager to hear reactions to his essay. Send us any questions you have for him by this Friday, Jan. 25, and we'll publish his answers here on Jan. 31.

Nearly a year ago, Passport noted that Finnish PM Matti VanHanen, ever the classy guy, dumped his girlfriend via a text message. Ha, ha. But in the Muslim world, apparently there's a serious debate going on as to whether divorce by SMS is valid, and some countries have even had to explicitly ban the practice. In Egypt, however, the law remains unclear:

An Egyptian woman is seeking clarification from a court on whether her husband's declaration of divorce by text message is legally valid, a state-run newspaper reported on Thursday.

After missing a call from her husband on her mobile phone, Iqbal Abul Nasr received a text message from him saying "I divorce you because you didn't answer your husband," Al-Akhbar said.

In line with sharia (Islamic law) men do not need to go to court to file for divorce. A unilateral declaration of divorce by a man, repeated three times, formally ends a marriage.

Egypt actually has a hybrid legal system, meaning that contrary to what most people seem to think, sharia law is already in place in many areas of jurisprudence (though Christians have their own religious courts). A return of the caliphate is not nigh, but if you're a woman in a place like Egypt, the growing Islamicization of the country is bad news indeed. Let's hope the judge rejects this divorce-by-SMS nonsense, if he hasn't already.

EVAN AGOSTINI/Getty Images

You have to admire Bob Kerrey's skill as a political assassin. While casually shooting the breeze over the weekend with the Washington Post's Shailagh Murray after a campaign rally for Hillary Clinton, the former Nebraska senator and 9/11 commissioner had this to say about Barack Obama:

It's probably not something that appeals to him, but I like the fact that his name is Barack Hussein Obama, and that his father was a Muslim and that his paternal grandmother is a Muslim. There's a billion people on the planet that are Muslims, and I think that experience is a big deal."

Kerrey kept it going Monday on CNN:

[T]here is a smear campaign going on. And people are acting as if he's an Islamic Manchurian candidate. And I feel it's actually a substantial strength. He is a Christian. Both he and his family are Christians. They've chosen Christianity. But that connection to Indonesia and a billion Muslims on this Earth I think is a real strength and will add an awful lot of value in his foreign policy efforts. [...] I've watched the blogs try to say that you can't trust him because he spent a little bit of time in a secular madrassa.

The point Kerrey makes in these statements is, on the face of it, a nice one: Obama's diverse roots could be a real asset abroad. But if you think the Obama campaign is eager to receive compliments that include the words "Hussein" and "madrassa," especially from someone who has endorsed Hillary Clinton, then I have a bridge to sell you in New York City. (Also, it's worth noting that it wasn't a "madrassa" in any case.) Obama supporters and others recently jumped all over the Washington Post for running a front-page story about how rumors that the candidate is some sort of "closet Muslim" could hurt him politically. The critics accused the Post of essentially laundering a smear. But the point made in the story seems to be on solid ground: Americans simply aren't ready to elect a Muslim president or even someone falsely rumored to be Muslim. It shouldn't be this way, but it's simply a fact that associating Obama with Islam hurts him politically.

And thanks to Kerrey, this issue became the dominant political story of the week. The only thing many voters will hear is "Obama Muslim," even though the Illinois senator is a Protestant Christian. Emphasizing his father's African roots is standard fare for Obama, and it's one of the first items on his campaign bio. But the Muslim thing? That's a bit tricky given today's political climate.

Anne Applebaum rightly condemns Saudi Arabia's treatment of women, but I think she misunderstands the political dynamics in the kingdom. Writing about a truly abhorrent case in which a Saudi court ruled that a woman who had been brutally gang raped had to face  a punishment of 200 lashes and six months in prison, Applebaum opines:

Thanks to international pressure, the Saudi king has pardoned the woman. And now? In Saudi Arabia women still can't vote, can't drive, can't leave the house without a male relative. No campaign of the kind once directed at South Africa has ever been mounted in their defense.

The comparison of Saudi and South African apartheid, and the different Western attitudes to both, has been made before. Recently the journalist Mona Eltahawy argued that while oil is a factor, the real reason Saudi teams aren't kicked out of the Olympics is that the "Saudis have succeeded in pulling a fast one on the world by claiming their religion is the reason they treat women so badly." Islam, she points out, does take other forms in Turkey, Morocco, Indonesia and elsewhere. But Saudi propaganda, plus our own timidity about foreign customs, has blinded us to the fact that the systematic, wholesale Saudi oppression of women isn't dictated by religion at all but rather by the culture of the Saudi ruling class.

If you meet Saudi officials, you soon realize that many of them are actually Western-educated liberals. The oil minister, for instance, went to Lehigh and Stanford. The ambassador to the United States attended Texas and Georgetown. Before 9/11, more than 60,000 Saudis came to the United States each year. That number is now down to around 25,000. Still, in 2006, more than 11,000 visas were issued to incoming Saudi students. Think most of those kids don't absorb American culture and values while they're in college? Many of them go back and become high-ranking officials in Saudi Aramco or the government. They will tell you that widespread, systematic discrimination against women in their country is a tribal issue and has nothing to due with Islam. 

Some top leaders, such as Interior Minister Prince Naif bin AbdulAziz, are basically religious fundamentalists. But in general, the "Saudi ruling class" is a relatively liberal group sitting on top of a deeply conservative population. It's an elite that constantly jockeys with the religious establishment for power; sometimes the liberals win, and sometimes they lose. Certainly, Saudi Arabia's reformers move more cautiously than we in the West might like. But they know far better than we do what the traffic will bear. Remember: Before oil was discovered in 1938, Saudi Arabia was largely a land of tribal nomads and subsistence farmers. Just 70 years later, the country is a modernizing state and one of the linchpins of the global economy. This is a lot for any country to absorb. Give the Saudis time. They'll get there.

ISAM AL-HAJ/AFP/Getty Images

It's hard to avoid the impression that the teddy-bear imbroglio in Sudan was a piece of elaborate theater designed to give Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir a chance to magnanimously pardon the offender and thereby chalk up some brownie points with the West. Just scanning the headlines, one would have the impression that Bashir has courageously faced down the mob that was baying for the hapless schoolteacher's blood. Bashir's spokesperson is certainly cultivating that storyline:

There was a political risk in this decision. Although the pardon is a presidential prerogative, because of the rising feeling and tensions that have been generated many Sudanese will see it as unfair to them and that it might encourage others to do the same.The president considered the intentions behind the actions when he made this decision [to pardon]. 

The wise moderate in the midst of extremists—it's not a bad image to have as frustration grows over delays on Darfur peacekeeping. 

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Forgive for a moment a short trip down memory lane: Back in the last half of June, Hamas had just kicked Fatah out of Gaza, the surge wasn't working, a huge truck bomb decimated a Baghdad mosque, early leaders of the "Anbar Awakening" were killed in a suicide bombing, and one of U.S. President George W. Bush's steadfast Republican supporters broke ranks with him on Iraq. Not a great month by anyone's count, least of all President Bush.

Amidst these dismal headlines, the White House managed to regain control of the headlines with a big announcement on June 27. That day, Bush declared that he would appoint the first U.S. envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, a group of 57 countries that promotes "solidarity and cooperation among Islamic states."

Bush's aims for the appointment were simple:

[T]o "listen and learn" and share U.S. views with delegates from Muslim nations. The appointment is intended "to demonstrate to Muslim communities our interest in respectful dialogue and continued friendship," [Bush] said. 

Great, right? A small gesture, but nice all the same. Except for the fact that five months later, nada. Zip. Zilch. No envoy.

The gesture is obviously symbolic, a band-aid for a deeply wounded U.S. image in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world. But why even bother to announce such an appointment, which is supposed to express the United States' intention to reach out to Muslims and at least appear interested in their points of view, and then not do it? It seems so careless. I asked the White House's press office when we might be able to expect an announcement, and I was told in true Yogi Berra fashion, "when we announce it, we'll announce it." I got the feeling they forgot.  

June, 2007, was the month of unfulfilled promises, it seems. On June 5, Bush declared that he'd ordered Condoleezza Rice to cable every U.S. ambassador in an unfree nation with the following message: "Seek out and meet with activists for democracy. Seek out those who demand human rights." Sounds nice, right? The Post's Jackson Diehl checked in on the status of the cable in early August. It still hadn't been sent.

Take a gander at the map at right, posted by Marc Lynch. At the top of the poster, the text reads in red, "Federalism is our sole path to realize security and freedom." The top of the map portion is labeled, "The Kurdistan region." The light blue area is, "The center and the south." And at the bottom is the name of the Shaheed al-Mihrab Foundation for Islamic Revelation, a group that Marc describes as affiliated with Ammar al-Hakim's SCIRI/SIRI. As you can imagine, Iraqi Sunnis are none too pleased with this kind of artwork. Marc writes:

It was published on an Iraqi Sunni website and then spread like wildfire through the forums and other papers - whether it's authentic or not, it seems to have become one of those viral images and to have touched some exposed nerves. Can't help noticing that there are only two hands clasped together there, not three, and that the Sunni areas are kind of... dark. And small.

CHRIS HONDROS/Getty Images News

Since 2005, 69 Nigerian kids have been paralyzed by polio, and, surprising to many, these kids indirectly contracted the disease from the vaccine itself.

How? The oral polio vaccine contains a weakened form of the polio virus. Vaccinated kids pass the virus into the water, where unvaccinated kids can pick up the virus by playing in or drinking the water. Normally, this exposure gives unvaccinated kids some protection against polio. But in very rare circumstances, the virus can mutate into a dangerous form, causing the actual disease in unvaccinated kids.

Since this manner of contracting polio only happens when not enough kids are vaccinated, the solution is to vaccinate an even higher fraction of youngsters. But that could prove to be very challenging in Nigeria.

In 2003, there was a boycott of vaccination programs for nearly a year—which caused polio to jump to 12 new countries in 18 months—because some Muslim leaders in Nigeria said that the polio vaccine was a Western plot to sterilize Muslims. The belief reflects a general mistrust and skepticism of Western medicine that exists in many developing countries, where many believe that vaccines and drugs will sterilize people or infect them with HIV as part of a Western conspiracy to reduce the populations of certain races or religions. An earlier FP List, "The World's Stupidest Fatwas," mentions how some rural Pakistani mullahs have issued fatwas against the polio vaccine.

Stupid is still the right word. As the Nigeria case shows, the latest polio outbreak proved how these fatwas can be self-fulfilling prophecies: By boycotting the "dangerous" vaccine, some kids actually got sick from it, proving how "dangerous" the vaccine indeed is.

The only thing sadder may be health officials' delayed response. The World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control have known about the Nigerian outbreak since last year, but they kept silent about it until now. One specialist has said that the delayed reporting may have delayed a medical response.

MAXIM MARMUR/AFP/Getty Images

In an effort to kick-start its nascent space program, Malaysia is set to launch its first space-bound national into orbit on Oct. 10. In addition to the usual scientific studies and research assignments, the government of the predominantly Muslim country wants to make sure that its novice angkasawan (Malay for astronaut) does not forgo his duties as a devout Muslim. Thirty five year old Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (who is a doctor and part-time model), was chosen from among 11,000 eager hopefuls to accompany two Russian cosmonauts on a ten-day mission in the International Space Station. While he has been fasting for the month of Ramadan throughout his training, the strains of a zero-gravity environment might mean our astronaut will have to adjust his daily rituals during the mission. For a practicing Muslim who prays five times a day, would he have to pray 80 times every 24 hours, since the ISS will be circling the Earth 16 times each day? Plus, figuring out where Mecca is while you are in space must be no easy task.

In order to avoid confusion, Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development laid down some guidelines on how to observe Islam correctly while in space. For example:

During the prayer ritual, if you can't stand up straight, you can hunch. If you can't stand, you can sit. If you can't sit, you should lie down.

The guidelines also include useful tidbits on what to do if there is no water for washing rituals, or on the ill-fated chance that there is a death on board. And Malaysian Science Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis recently declared that Muszaphar is allowed to postpone his fasting until he returns back to earth.

So as he prepares to be his country's first galaxy representative, the thoughtful Muszaphar plans on bringing Malaysian food on board to share with his Russian shuttle cohabitants. But don't worry, he says:

We've made sure it's not very spicy so the Russians can eat it very well.

Getty Images Entertainment

Picture "women's Islamic dress." If you imagined a plain, black burqa, or even a black abaya accompanied by a niqab, you may be envisaging an outfit that could soon be a relic of the past. That's because the Islamic women's fashion industry around the world is taking off—in a big way. Aside from introducing abayas decorated with crystal beads, pearls, embroidery, satin flowers and other colorful adornments, designers are introducing dramatic new styles, fabrics, and colors to Islamic dress. For instance, British designer Sophia Kara offers an outfit composed of a "hooded abaya with a matching niqab, or face veil, in shocking pink over a salwar, or loose pants, printed with an ornate English floral motif" as part of her Imaan Collections. High-end designers including Hermés and Gucci are also trying to break into the Muslim market with scarves and other products.

What's the attraction? Perhaps it's about encouraging women to "experiment ... with ways to feel happy about themselves while holding on proudly to their faith," as Raja Rezza Shah, entrepreneur and director of the Islamic Fashion Festival, says. Perhaps even more than that, it's about the bottom line: The global Muslim fashion industry is estimated to be worth at least $96 billion, assuming that half the world's 1.6 billion Muslims dress modestly, and that they spend $120 a year (a conservative estimate) on this type of clothing. Some outfits even sell for $10,000—which is not all that surprising considering that several of the key markets for Islamic fashion include oil-rich states like the United Arab Emirates—and Muslim fashion shows have have been held in places from Tehran to Jakarta to the United States.

Islamic fashion is also not just restricted to Muslims. As with the burqini, which has gained popularity amongst non-Muslims, Muslim styles have begun to influence European street fashion. I'm willing to bet that this is an industry that's got a pretty bright future.

This article from the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Alawsat on a rehabilitation program the kingdom is running for former jihadists is nothing short of mystifying in its portrayal of the Saudis' attitudes. The article never really says what the young men going through the program have done, only that they have been detained for "security reasons." It does note that one detainee's "hands have been deformed as a result of being manipulated in a bombing incident." But if you were expecting harsh treatment from a country with one of the world's worst human rights records, think again. Terrorist rehabilitation doesn't sound so bad:

The Ministry of Interior has provided the grounds and facilities for the implementation of the rehabilitation program, which include football Pitches and swimming pools, among other recreational facilities. Additionally, there is also a library, research hall and classroom. Moreover, those in charge did not overlook the fact that the detainees are quite young in age, thus providing them with games, including PlayStation.

Sheikh Ahmad Jailan, the coordinator of the care program, recounts the story of one of the detainees who upon his release insisted on taking the PlayStation with him. He would not budge so that those in charge could do little but give in to his pleas, however only after consulting his colleagues first. The PlayStation was replaced by another one so that the rest of the detainees could still play. Officials at the Ministry of Interior do not hesitate to meet the requirements requested by the detainees, in addition to providing them with foodstuffs, including chocolates and sweets.

Remember, this is a country where last spring a man was beaten to death by religious police after being suspected of alcohol possession. The priorities of the rehabilitators seem pretty clear from their staffing:

The advisory program is comprised of four subcommittees: The Religious Committee, the Psychosocial Committee, the Security Committee, and the Media Committee. The number of religious specialists working in these committees is approximated at 160 personnel, while the social and psychological workers number 40. [my emphasis]

The educators also have an interesting definition of "success":

Thus far, it has recorded considerable success; 700 of the detainees were released on the recommendation of the committee after being thoroughly assessed.

I don't mean to get all Rudy Giuliani here, but I think most people would define success by what these guys do after they're released.