News and Analysis (12/26/13)

Egypt kicks off its new campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood by formally naming it a terrorist organization …

• Egypt’s Rulers Slap Terror Label on Muslim Brotherhood (Christian Science Monitor)
• Bomb Injures Five After Egyptian Government Escalates ‘War on Terror’ (Guardian)

… and by arresting 16 men suspected of “”promoting the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood group, distributing its leaflets, and inciting violence against the army and police” in connection with a bombing the Brotherhood has condemned:

• Egypt Arrests Muslim Brotherhood Supporters Under Terror Law (Reuters / Yahoo)

“Three ministers had resigned after learning their sons were among dozens of people detained on December 17 as part of the investigation into corrupt procurement practices…. Erdogan responded by replacing half his cabinet with loyalists on Wednesday while investors took fright, and the lira currency fell further … to an all-time low”:

• Protesting Turkish Prosecutor Piles Pressure on PM (Reuters)

“Many Muslims point to the significance of Jesus’ life in the Quran and in their faith for why they celebrate Christmas.” Writes one Egyptian-American woman, “Christmas, like Ramadan, is the perfect interfaith footbridge for Muslim-Christian fellowship”:

• Muslim-Americans Increasingly Celebrate Christmas (al-Arabiya)

A “Palestinian official called the finding ‘politicized’ and said an investigation would continue”:

• Russia Says Arafat Died of Natural Causes (Reuters)

“At least 34 people were killed in three bombings in Christian areas of Baghdad on Wednesday, including a car bomb that exploded as worshipers were leaving a Christmas service, Iraqi police and medics said. Elsewhere in Iraq, at least 10 people were killed in three attacks that targeted police and Shi’ite pilgrims, police said”

• Christmas Bombings Kill 34 in Iraq (Reuters)

“It said they were attacked by a Christian militia known as anti-balaka in the capital Bangui on Wednesday”:

• CAR Unrest Kills Six Chad Peacekeepers in Bangui  (BBC)

“The wife of a UK businessman who went missing in Dubai has accused the Serious Fraud Office of providing Iranian prosecutors with detailed personal information about her husband, including the address from which she believes he was abducted”:

• Wife of UK Businessman Who Vanished in Dubai Demands Answers from SFO (Guardian)

In the video Weinstein seems to criticize the U.S. government for refusing to negotiate his release, but it is “impossible to tell how much Weinstein’s statement, made under the duress of captivity, was scripted by his captors”:

• American Hostage, Abducted in Pakistan, Calls for Help in Al Qaeda Video (Christian Science Monitor)

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