Seeing the trees: a close-up look at the voting in Egypt; a man votes for the first time because his son was killed in Tahrir Square and his wife refuses to vote for the same reason:
- One Egyptian Voter Cast a Ballot in Honor of His Son (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
The community service element of Islam fuels the Muslim Brotherhood’s advantage at the polls. “Some of the villages don’t even have sewage facilities. The education level is low. Water quality is weak. The Brotherhood has promised things, and in the past they have done them†— Shabban Abdel Reza, an Egyptian postal worker:
- Rural Voters Feel Pull of Political Islam (Foreign Times)
While the Prime Minister of Kuwait resigned on Monday after protesters and some deputies forced their way into parliament’s chambers, demanding that the prime minister quit earlier this month…
- Bahrain’s Opposition Calls on Government to Resign (Daily Star)
“We don’t want to impose anything on the people,†says Mohammad Shaqfah, the exiled leader of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. “[We have] always asked for freedom and democracy…. We will not replace one dictatorship with another. We are against dictatorshipsâ€:
- Iranian Mobs Storm British Embassy, Ambassador Compound in Tehran amid Rising Tensions (AP / Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
The “face of political Islam in this fledgling democracy is a 47-year-old pharmaceutical executive who favors tailored suits and stiletto heels,” a “mother of two [who] … felt compelled to emerge as a spokeswoman to cut down fears that Ennahda would curb women’s rights or mix conservative religion and politics”:
- Tunisia a Test for What ‘Moderate’ Islam Looks Like (AP / Washington Post)
“Taysir Al-Khatib, president of the Islamic society of Vermont in Colchester, questioned  the notion that some who wanted to observe Ramadan were looking for special favors. fasting throughout the day for Ramadan is no easy thing, he noted:
- Inmates, Vermont Prisons in Conflict over Muslim Prayer Services (Burlington Free Press)
“Growing at about 25% a year, this secular though predominantly Muslim country’s economy has transitioned from its post-Soviet background to a healthy market economy today, in spite of the challenges of discord in the region which has resulted in about 15% of its population being refugees and displaced people”:
- Azerbaijan’s Innovative Solution to Global Unemployed Muslim Youth (Huffiington Post)
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