The US government looks at possibly redoing status hearings for detainees in order to avoid a recent court ruling that determined the first round of hearings were not legal and delay other challenges from defense lawyers, while a lawyer for detainee Majid Khan decries the lack of court transparency, alleging that secrecy has been abused to cover up the brutal and extralegal means of his detention:
- U.S. Mulls New Status Hearings for Guantánamo Inmates (New York Times)
- Going to See a Ghost (Washington Post)
Some US military officials have declared Al-Qaeda in Iraq badly and possibly irreversibly crippled, however others within the military and intelligence communities caution against such a “mission accomplished†type of declaration, citing past cases of AQI’s ability to rebound and adapt to new situations…
- Al-Qaeda In Iraq Reported Crippled (Washington Post)
…Meanwhile several of Iraq’s largest Sunni militant organizations have formed an umbrella political coalition that seeks to establish a “technocratic, non-sectarian government†but also completely rejects the occupation and the laws and government established under it, and Sadrists reject yesterday’s statement from a rival Shi’a party calling for decentralization:
- Iraqi Fighters Form Political Group (Al-Jazeera International)
- Al-Sadr Bloc Rejects Federalism (Al-Jazeera International)
In Sudan, political troubles loom on the horizon as Southern Sudanese present their list of demands to the government in Khartoum after withdrawing their ministers, while Darfur rebel groups are scrambling to develop a common negotiating position in time for talks with the government:
- South Sudanese Present Demands (BBC News)
- Darfur Rebels Seek Pre-Talks Deal (BBC News)
Muslim interfaith activist Eboo Patel argues that Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s superficial and biased analysis of Islam, not only does injustice to the faith, but also undermines the very Enlightenment principles she claims to defend:
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali Vs. the West (Washington Post)
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