“[T]he government-sanctioned campaign against … an Islamic scholar who … [called on] Muslims to discover the true meaning of the Quran, … interpreted based on the modern context in which believers live reveals that Sisi is more interested in “improving his government’s reception in the West” than in reform:
- Sisi Islam Reform: Blasphemy Case Against Reformist Islam El-Beheiry Undercuts Egyptian President’s Call for Muslim Religious Revolution (International Business Times)
Notwithstanding the vitriol hurled against them by “far-right organizations,” the residents of Islamberg practically define law-abiding citizenry. “Sheriff Thomas Mills … [says] that he couldn’t recall a time when law enforcers had responded to a civil or criminal matter in Islamberg during his 17 years as sheriff”:
- A Tranquil Muslim Hamlet in the Catskills – Until the Attack Plot (Reuters / Yahoo)
“According to the Court opinion, delivered by Justice Antonin Scalia, ‘an applicant need only show that his need for an accommodation was a motivating factor in the employer’s decision’ to show the employment decision violated Title VII”:
“[A]mid growing online criticism of Riyadh’s war in Yemen and poor government services at home, Saudi authorities are censoring the clerics, triggering a showdown that has been brewing since the early days of the Arab Spring.” The government now threatens to ban [dissenters] from preaching in mosques”:
- Saudi Arabia Presses ‘YouTube Imams’ to Toe the Line on Yemen (Christian Science Monitor)
“[I]nterrogators poured ice water on his genitals, twice videotaped him naked and repeatedly touched his “private parts†– none of which was described in the Senate report. Interrogators, some of whom smelled of alcohol, also threatened to beat him with a hammer, baseball bats, sticks and leather belts, Khan said”:
“After ten years in power, few governments anywhere can remain immune from corruption…. It is … saddening … to see such a record of accomplishment and change that the AKP demonstrated … being squandered due to its leader’s emerging loss of touch, … self-control, and … vision”:
- Can Turkey Survive ErdoÄŸan? (grahamfuller.com)
“[T]he oil-rich nation is split between two governments…. The rhetoric of officials across Libya suggests their commitment to finding a political-over-a-military solution is tenuous at best …, with hardline Islamists allied to Libya Dawn particularly skeptical of its benefits”:
- Libya Divided: How Can You Talk Peace When Each Side Is Resolved to Win? (Christian Science Monitor)
“Ritzheimer, a proud atheist who had served in the Marines Corps, wanted to share with Americans his view that “true Islam is terrorism,’ … but [w]hile the Phoenix mosque … had not organized a counter rally, a nearby Christian church did…. [S]upporters held signs preaching love and tolerance for all Americans” …
… And since then, the mosque has “said it was hosting a gathering that includes a multi-faith prayer service and speakers to ‘show that when one of us is mistreated, our community responds with a message of Love and Not Hate'”:
- Arizona Mosque, Site of Anti-Islam Protest, Holds ‘Love Not Hate’ Event (Reuters / Yahoo)
“Islamic State recruits [i]n France … average in their mid-20s, with female recruits tending to be even younger. Whatever they are looking for, Islamic State promises: Shariah law, a deeper purpose in life, a fight against a dictator, aid work, automatic weapons, pathological violence for those so inclined”:
- ISIS Rolls Out Slick New Recruitment Ads. Are They Working? (Christian Science Monitor)
