“The video ridiculously sets images of our crew’s laptops, cameras and mobile phones against dramatic music. People who look beyond the propaganda though will see the video shows what we have been saying all along – that our crew were journalists doing their job” – Salah Negm, director of news for Al Jazeera English:
- An Egyptian propaganda video on journalists: So bad it’s funny. Then just sad (Christian Science Monitor)
“Robert Halfon, a Conservative MP, called on the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, to sack Batten for his comments, after it emerged the Ukip MEP had helped write a “charter of Muslim understanding”. The document calls on Muslims to sign a declaration rejecting violence and accepting the need to modify the Qur’an”:
“[W]e take comfort in the support given by our partners in the community, of all faiths and none, who have always stood firmly together to oppose hatred and division. We are working with the authorities in response to this incident, which has left many people in fear of intimidation and threats” –Â Dilowar Khan, ED of East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre:
- ‘Christian Patrols’ Warning in East London Investigated by Police  (Huffington Post)
Advocates of the proposed development undermine their own case. They say the high-rise is “a realization of a long-awaited dream and the vision of the members of the community, many of whom initially participated in the purchase of this property some twenty years ago. , but then, why didn’t they move for a zoning change before buying the property?
- Muslim Condo Complex in Thornhill Sparks Heated Debate (Toronto Star)
In his enthusiasm to accommodate Muslims, de Balsio wants to close schools not only the high holidays, but even for the Muslim New Year, a holiday so minor that many Muslims do not celebrate it all:
- Muslim Public School Holidays Will Be Observed in New York City, Says Mayor de Blasio on the Brian Lehrer Show (Huffington Post)
Syria misses its chemical weapons deadline, and notwithstanding Russian assurances, some wonder why Syria can’t be more like Libya in this respect. (For that matter, why can’t the U.S. and Israel be more like Libya in this respect?) …
- Syria Misses Chemical Weapons Handover Deadline (Reuters)
- Russia Says Syria Will Export Chemicals by March 1 (NY Times)
- Syria Vows Chemical Disarmament Despite Missed Deadlines (AFP / Google)
- Libya Says Chemical Weapons Destroyed (Guardian)
… but the Syrian mess goes way beyond chemical weapons, and with the intervention of outsiders a major part of the problem, what outsiders can do is hotly debated (Maybe another Libya, Iraq, or Afghanistan, isn’t such a great idea after all:
- Syria Children Maimed and Tortured by Assad Forces, Says UN Report (Guardian)
- Has Syria Policy Failed? Some See Signs of a More Forceful US Posture (Christian Science Monitor)
- Al Qaeda Disavowal of ISIS Opens Door to Other Jihadist Groups (Christian Science Monitor)
CAR civilians accuse Chadian “peacekeepers” (sic) of “atrocities that include arbitrary detentions, torture and executions”:
With the implementation of the Iranian partial settlement going so well, both the U.S. and Iran continue to talk tough, perhaps to keep the powerful pro-war forces at home at bay:
- Iran: US ‘Wishes Won’t Come True’ at Nuclear Talks (AP / abc News)
- US Warns France Against Business with Iran After Trade Trip to Tehran (Guardian)
“”Your headscarf is so pretty, Kiki,’ a well-meaning but culturally uneducated character says to one of Kamala’s friends. ‘But…nobody pressured you to start wearing it, right? Nobody’s going to, like, honor-kill you?’”
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