Minaret of Freedom Weblog

Vice President Cheney uses his “thoroughgoing secrecy, persistence of focus, tactical flexibility in service of rigid aims and close knowledge of the power map of government” to consolidate more executive power and block intra-administration efforts to close down Guantanamo and end torture in interrogations:

• Pushing the Envelope on Presidential Power (Washington Post)

Iraqi court sentences “Chemical Ali” to death and gives two others life-sentences; justice is little more than “a footnote” to ordinary Iraqis caught up in ongoing civil war:

• Saddam’s Cousin Sentenced to Death (Al-Jazeera)

After clashes between Lebanese army and Fatah Al-Islam continue in Nahr El-Bared, fighting shifts to nearby Tripoli between Islamist militants and local law authorities:

• Army Slays Six Militants in Tripoli (Daily Star Lebanon)

A look at three Muslim Americans serving in the US military:

• Serving America’s ‘Muslim army’ (BBC News)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai slams civilian deaths caused by US/NATO forces, Associated Press body count lists civilian deaths by US/NATO forces higher than Taliban attacks on innocents:

• NATO’s Civilian Toll Riles Karzai (Los Angeles Times)

The man behind the curtain: A look into Vice President Cheney’s crucial role in crafting American policies:

• ‘A Different Understanding With the President’ (Washington Post)

Iran moves closer to totalitarianism as state-imposed “cultural revolution” cracks down on “labor leaders, universities, the press, women’s rights advocates, a former nuclear negotiator and Iranian-Americans” out of fear of US-sponsored “regime change”:

• Iran Cracks Down on Dissent, Parading Examples (New York Times)
• Hard Realities of Soft Power (New York Times)

Both the New York Times editorial board and a former secret surveillance court judge slam the Bush administration for its erosion of human rights and civil liberties standards at home and abroad in its fight against terrorist networks:

• White House of Mirrors (New York Times)
• Ex-Surveillance Judge Criticizes Warrantless Taps (Washington Post)

In spite of Hamas’ attempts to maintain a democratic unity government, Fatah ignores call and receives further political and economic support from Israel, Arab and Western states:

• Top Official of Hamas Is Rebuffed Over Talks (New York Times)

“If it bleeds, it leads” an inside look into the military’s spin on the Haditha massacre:

• A Marine Tutorial on Media ‘Spin’ (New York Times)

Citing recent GAO report, New York Times editorial slams Bush administration’s disregard for the rule of law as a “formula for autocracy” and calls on Congress to rein in its executive power abuses:

• Don’t Veto, Don’t Obey (New York Times)

While VP Cheney suggested abolishing oversight unit of National Archives after it objected to VP’s persistent resistance to routine scrutiny…

• Agency is Target in Cheney Fight on Secrecy Data (New York Times)

…the CIA reveals some of its dirty laundry from the 1950s to 1970s, revealing kidnappings, assassination attempts and surveillance of domestic political opposition movements:

• CIA to Air Decades of Its Dirty Laundry (Washington Post)

Greater media and personal freedom allow Saudis to fight back against abuses of state-imposed and strict interpretation of Islam:

• An Unprecedented Uproar Over Saudi Religious Police (Washington Post)

“Some well intended but misguided politicians insist that the balance between law and security must always favor security. But they miss the mark, for there is no balance to be struck. Terror thrives at law’s demise, reveling in its impotence. Law is security; lawlessness invites terror.” – Joseph Margulies, Northwestern University Law Professor

• Where Law Reigns, Terror Withers (Christian Science Monitor)

Grand jury abuse continues:

• Ex-Professor’s Contempt Citation Prolonged (Washington Post)

Review of Tariq Ramadan’s new book on Muhammad (PBUH) is a sincere attempt to apply principles from the Prophet’s life to modern social and political challenges for Western Muslims:

• The Prophet of Moderation: Tariq Ramadan’s Quest to Reclaim Islam (New York Times)

Fatah arrests elected Hamas officials and destroys institutions affiliated with the party in the West Bank, Hamas responds that such actions “could lead to Fatah’s downfall”:

• A Leader of Hamas Warns of West Bank Peril for Fatah (New York Times)

In wake of massive corruption and rising violence, Iraqi Shi’a VP hands in resignation, shows signs of political fraying within community:

• Top Iraqi Officials Growing Restless (Washington Post)

Seeing the power of faith in politics, US military strategists prod Iraqi religious leaders to incite hope and reconciliation, not divisiveness:

• US Military’s New Iraq Strategy: Religious Conciliation (Christian Science Monitor)

Transfer of FBI agents to counterterrorism cases from street crime and abuse national security letters makes America less safe and less free:

• As FBI Fights Terrorism, Other Prosecutions Drop (Christian Science Monitor)

Former US Ambassador for international religious freedom finds that all of the worlds major faiths must respect and protect each other’s right to freely worship, even in spite of major theological disagreements:

• The World’s Predominant Faiths Should Protect Religious Freedom For All (Christian Science Monitor)

In the aftermath of the Gaza fighting, ordinary Palestinians and members of Hamas begin the task of removing debris and reconstruction: 

• Inside Gaza, a Landscape Marked by Violent Change (Washington Post) 

Political advisor to former PM Ismail Haniyeh argues that external attempts to isolate Hamas have backfired and also calls for Palestinian political unity and outside political engagement with Hamas: 

• Engage With Hamas (Washington Post) 

• What Hamas Wants (New York Times) 

Muslim law enforcement agents in France and an American military chaplain navigate the sensitive relationship between their relationship with their country and their relationship with their faith: 

• When the Anti-terrorism Cop is Muslim (Los Angeles Times) 

• Muslim Face of the US Marines (BBC News)