Despite Ban’s call for Israel to comply with International Law on settlements, Palestinians prohibited from visiting relatives held in Israeli prisons protest:
- UN Chief Urges Israel to Halt Settlements (AP / Times-Leader)
- Angry Palestinians in Gaza Hurl Slippers at Vehicle Carrying UN Chief (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
 The recent terrorist act in Norway performed by a devout Christian was not labelled as an act of Christianity. “The media instead described the attacker as a ‘far right-wing’ extremist who was inclined by a ‘Neo-Nazi’ type of philosophy”:
- International Media Equally Biased Against Muslims & Islam (Two Circles)
Also in Norway, a band  that sings “To hell with Muhammad and the Mohammedans†and their “unforgivable customsâ€, and ends by saying “Norway will awaken†is nominated  to win a prize:
“Finance experts from [Freedom and Justice and Nour] say they envision the creation of an index of sharia-compliant companies as part of a new Islamic economy, with banks and insurance companies that adhere to Islamic principles working alongside conventional institutionsâ€:
- Egyptian Officials Look to Set up Islamic Index (Financial Times)
The FJP “has dissapointed rights advocates” who “view the investigations as an affront to civil society, and were counting on the recently-elected lawmakers to use their new legislative power as a counter-balance to the country’s military leadership” …
… but criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood’s ability to insure security following fatal clashes after a soccer match is unfair since the military rather than the newly elected parliament is still in charge:
- RPT-Egypt Brotherhood Blames “Invisible” Hand for Violence (Reuters)
- As Egypt Mourns Deaths of 74 Soccer Fans, Activists Blame Military, Police for Deadly Riot (AP / Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
- Egypt Braces for Further Unrest After Football Violence (Guardian)
Scott Peterson argues that Iranians are like Americans in their intense national pride and their belief in their own exceptionalism and in fighting tyranny and their commitment to spirituality and individualism:
- Iran-US Tensions: 5 Ways Americans and Iranians are Actually Similar (Christian Science Monitor)
“His remarks reflected a growing sentiment within the Obama administration that its approach to Iraq, where the official end of U.S. combat operations came 16 months before the final U.S. troop withdrawal in December, may provide a useful model for winding down operations in Afghanistan”:
- Panetta: U.S., NATO Will Seek to End Afghan Combat Mission Next Year (Washington Post)
Leave a Reply