“The moderate Islamist Ennahda party and the UGTT union are at loggerheads, a dispute that descended into days of riots recently as Tunisians vented their frustration over the country’s stagnant economy. Many blame Ennahda for doing too little to reduce unemployment and curb police abuses — the same complaints that drove Tunisia’s revolution”:
- Thousands Protest Tunisian Union Amid Tensions (AP / abc News)
Despite Mursi’s partial retraction of his controversial power-grab, the opposition persists in its objection to letting the majority decide on the new constitution, and Mursi’s reaction to the threat of violence reinforces the army’s intrusion into domestic affairs:
- Egypt Opposition Group to Boycott ‘Irresponsible’ Vote on New Constitution (Guardian)
- Egypt’s Opposition: Morsi Is Risking ‘Violent Confrontation’ (Christian Science Monitor)
- Top Morsy Aide: Small, Powerful Minority Behind Egypt’s Political Upheaval (CNN)
- Egypt Army Given Right to Make Arrests over Referendum (Reuters)
- Will Morsi’s Security Request Give Army Renewed Clout? (Christian Science Monitor)
According to a survivor of the wedding party massacre, no insurgents were killed, only his aged father and his infant son killed while nursing at the breast its mother, who has lost the use of her arm from the wounds she suffered:
- One Raid, Two Stories: Were Insurgents Killed? Or Just a Man’s Family? (AP / Washington Post)
Rashida [Bi] and Dev Shukla were used the money from their 2004 Noble Goldman Prize for the environment to establish the Chingari Trust. The fund, whose trustees are all female seeks to aid victims of the Bhopi gas leak and to bring the “responsible parties to justice, and [to prevent] future accidents”:
- Muslim, Hindu Women Struggle for Justice (Onislam)
“Muslim women often feel pressured to change their appearance or anglicise their name in order to access employment” …
… and that goes double for the headscarf:
After a billboard depicting “a woman covering a man’s eyes from behind” is taken down and four tourists receive summonses for alleged “indecent behavior,” PAS is accused of overzealous imposition of “hudud” laws intended for Muslims on non-Muslims, but the Islamist Party accuses its critics of fear-mongering:
- Non-Muslim Rights Incite Malaysia Uproar (OnIslam)
“Syrian rebels expect greater military help from Gulf Arab states after they announced a new command structure which aims finally to unite President Bashar al-Assad’s armed opponents” …
… and as they get closer to the presidential palace, Assad’s choices are to stay in place, flee to a third country (such as Iran or Venezuala) or, his most likely choice, “to retreat to the Alawite-populated mountains on the Mediterranean coast”:
- As Syria’s Rebels Close In, Assad Has Three Options (Christian Science Monitor)
“Monday’s announcement on state-run Press TV suggests technicians may have broken encryptions”:
- Iran: Data Decoded From CIA Drone Captured in 2011 (AP / abc News)
“Europe can have a very significant, bordering on game-changing, role, in reframing cost-benefit calculations for Israelis” — Daniel Levy, the director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations in London:
- On Europe’s Foreign Agenda: How to Handle Israel (Christian Science Monitor)
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