Author: Alejandro

Slim majority of Iraqi parliamentarians, cutting across sectarian lines, signed a draft bill capping current levels of US-led occupation forces and requiring a timetable for withdrawal: Iraqi Lawmakers Back Bill on U.S. Withdrawal (Washington Post) Musharraf’s big brother measures against Pakistan’s judiciary and press freedom are met strong resistance: Karachi Braced for Judge Protests (BBC…

Secularists’ real fears of a growing public manifestation of Islam in Turkey are at the local level, not the national level: On Turkish Streets, Local Battles Over Islam’s Role (Christian Science Monitor) Young democracy activists from American and Egypt agree on little from the public role of Islam to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: Young Americans and…

Although Muslim women suffer under sexist and culturally skewed interpretations of Islam, nascent Muslim civil society institutions are stepping in to address and prevent domestic violence:  For Some Muslim Wives, Abuse Knows No Borders (Washington Post)  Suddenly evicted from his home in Anbar province, a shaykh periodically visits his home and patiently waits for the…

While Fareed Zakaria quotes Abdullah Gul asking if his party’s harmonization of Turkish law with European standards of human rights is the “sharia” feared by the Turkish secularists … A Quiet Prayer for Democracy (Washington Post) … Daniel Hummel compares tensions between Secularism and Islam in Turkey with those in Indonesia: Turkey, Indonesia’s Uneasy Ties…

Ruling Islamic-oriented AK party withdraws its candidate for Presidency after Turkish Parliament failed to reach a quorum: Gul Withdraws from Turkey Poll (Al-Jazeera) New York Times editorial criticizes Bush administration’s lack of support for Democracy in Egypt: Denial and Democracy in Egypt (New York Times) Using an article blaming Islamic values on blocking development as…

Grassroots engagement and successful economic policies that helped significantly lift Turkey’s economic welfare make the Islamic-oriented ruling party popular among many Turks: Turks Find Much to Like In Ruling Party (Washington Post) At Iraq conference in Sharm El-Shaikh Rice discusses bilateral issues with Syrian, counterpart, Iran’s Foreign Minister issues a strongly worded statement denouncing American-led…

Turkish Constitutional Court strikes down Islamic-oriented party’s presidential bid, described by some constitutional law experts as “unfortunate” and denounced by Prime Minister Erdogan as a “bullet fired at democracy”: Court Cancels Presidential Vote, Early Elections Loom (Zaman) Turkey: PM Lashes Out at Constitutional Court (Adnkronos International) “Instead of improving ourselves, we are returning back to…

Amid reports of the alleged death of Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub Al-Masri, US National Counterterrorism Center releases annual report showing a 91% increase in terrorist attacks inside Iraq: Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader ‘Killed’ (BBC News) U.S. Cites 91 Percent Rise In Terrorist Acts in Iraq (Washington Post) While the legal standoff over the…

Strife Iraq is worsened by allegations that PM Maliki’s cabinet fired some of the nation’s top police and army commanders based on sectarian considerations: Maliki’s Office Is Seen Behind Purge in Forces (Washington Post) Iran’s decision to send high-level official on Iraq conference sends reassuring message that “some diplomatic doors remain open” between Tehran and…

While an independent film powerfully highlights the death of an innocent Afghan to raise questions about the US’ use of indefinite detention and torture, 82 inmates at Guantanamo are cleared of charged, but still detained and the US-backed Ethiopian government continues to indefinitely detain American-Muslim: Down a Dark Road (Washington Post) 82 Inmates Cleared but Still Held…