News and Analysis (4/8/13)

The brawl in which seven Buddhists and a Muslim died broke out in a “severely overcrowded Indonesian detention center” whose homeless Rohingya inmates get no “welcome mat rolled out to them…. The country has a long track record of trying to avoid resettlement of refugees, whatever their religious beliefs, and that’s unlikely to change soon” …

• How Myanmar’s Buddhist-Muslim Conflict Has Reached into Indonesia (Christian Science Monitor)

… and four Christians and a Muslim die “ when hundreds of angry Copts who had attended a funeral service at St. Mark’s Cathedral spilled out into the streets of Cairo, chanting “With our blood and soul we will sacrifice ourselves for the cross”:

• Egyptian Copts and Muslims Clash Again, in Central Cairo (Reuters)

“The president’s office said earlier this week that it was not involved in the legal action against Youssef, and that it recognizes the ‘importance of freedom of expression’” …

• Egyptian Court Dismisses Lawsuit to Ban Comedy Show  (Christian Science Monitor)

… and the chief Egypt’s chief prosecutor is being pressured to step down …

• Egyptian Court Urges Top Prosecutor to Step Down (Christian Science Monitor)

… so if the Muslim Brotherhood wants to arrest entertainers without incurring condemnation from America, they should let the Israelis teach them how it’s done …

• As Singer Oday Khatib Awaits Israeli Military Trial, Testimonials Pour in from Around the World (Ramallah Cafe)

… and ditto for intimidating journalists:

• Ground-breaking Israeli Journalist Amira Hass Accused of Incitement (Ramallah Cafe)

With neither breakthrough nor breakdown at the talks, all sides except Israel still want a diplomatic solution:

• Powers and Iran Fail to End Nuclear Deadlock in Almaty (Reuters)

In Afghanistan both sides continue to slay combatants and noncombatants alike …

• Afghan Children ‘Killed by Nato Air Strike in Shigal’ (BBC)
• Afghan Attacks Kill U.S. Diplomat, Soldiers, Others (Reuters)

… and the death of a U.S. diplomat brings a question back to haunt teh new US Secretary of State:

• Mr. Kerry, How Do You Ask a Woman to be the Last to Die in Afghanistan?  (Christian Science Monitor)

“Hamas officials played down the campaign — a stance adopted in the past that allows the group to distance itself from a controversial crackdown while at the same time instilling fear in those it targeted”:

• Hamas Shaves Heads of Gaza Youths with Long Hair (AP / abc News)

“The bloggers, who deny they are atheists … want a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamic party, for campaigning against Bangladesh’s independence more than four decades ago”:

• Bangladesh: Hardline Muslims Rally in Support of Anti-blasphemy Laws  (Christian Science Monitor)

While Muslim women must struggle to get their Islamic right to divorce …

• Are Sharia Councils Failing Vulnerable Women? (BBC)

… a Muslim feminist fighting to free Islamic traditions “from the conservative interpretations that have helped construct this very incorrect image of the oppressed Muslim woman” says a woman’s decision to veil can be liberating …

… while a Femen activist in Tunisia insists she didn’t mean to be provocative when she exposed her breasts in support of the Ukrainian “Topless Jihad”:

• Young Tunisian Woman Who Scandalized Muslim Hardliners by Baring Breasts Fears for Her Life (AP / Washington Post)

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