News and Analysis (8/10/07)

Newsweek correspondent Vivian Salama notes how current security-based racial profiling is mirroring the past and denigrating American principles of liberty, justice and equality:

• Track Record Doesn’t Inspire Confidence (Washington Post)

With Bush’s surge and ham-fisted diplomacy in Iraq failing, he now seeks the once “irrelevant” UN to help broker political deals with Iraq and its neighbors:

• U.S. Seeks U.N. Help With Talks On Iraq (Washington Post)

Government discrimination and incompetence compounded by the flight of Muslim community leaders to Pakistan at the time of partition are cited as factors for the disadvantaged state of India’s Muslims:

• Why do Indian Muslims Lag Behind? (BBC News)

After allegation from exiled PM Benazir Bhutto over “30 million ‘missing’ voters” Pakistan’s supreme court orders Musharraf to produced a complete list of voters in 30 days:

• Court Keeps Pressure on Musharraf (BBC News)

Principle of Arabic-school forced to resign after groups pressure and distort the meaning of the word “Intifada” written on a t-shirt:

• Under Fire, Arabic-Themed School Principal Resigns (New York Times)

Allegations of more abuse by Saudi Arabia’s religious police come from Shi’a pilgrims charging they were being beaten in Mecca “because of their nationalities and the fact that they were holding Shi’ite-style prayers”:

• Pilgrims Accuse Saudi Religious Police, Want Trial (Reuters/Washington Post)

Alejandro

Alejandro Beutel is program assistant for the Minaret of Freedom Institute with expertise in religious freedom, democratization and security issues.