As the town of Kobane teeters before the IS onslaught despite US airstrikes, Kurds press for a deeper Turkish involvement, but Erdogan insists an escalation must be part of the fight against the Asad regime” …
- US-led Coalition Struggles to Stop Islamic State Offensive on Turkey-Syria Border (Christian Science Monitor)
- Kobani: Anger Grows as Turkey Stops Kurds from Aiding Militias in Syria (Guardian)
- Embattled Kurds Key in Fight Against Islamic State (AP / abc News)
- Riots in Turkey Kill 21 over Failure to Aid Besieged Syrian Kurds (Reuters)
- Islamic State: Why Turkey Is Hesitating to Prevent Fall of Kobane (Christian Science Monitor)
… and IS signals it is ready and wiling to use control of the water supply to squeeze the population on the land it occupies as the Israelis have used water to squeeze the Palestinians on the land it occupies …
- Islamic State Jihadists Are Using Water as a Weapon in Iraq (Washington Post)
… and issues rules for domestic journalists, forcing them to swear allegiance to al-Baghdadi and clear all reports with his media bureau and prohibiting them from speaking al-Arabiyya, al-Jaxeera, Orient, or having any contact with any “international and local satellite TV channels …. in any way”:
- Isis Releases 11-point Guide for Journalists (Independent)
“[Y]ou certainly don’t have to believe in Angels, God, Angelic military forces…. However what you do have to do is allow … texts to speak without projecting a particular meaning on to them detached from the text and the context…. [S]hallow misinterpretations of religious and irreligious extremists almost always lead to … violence”:
- An Open Letter to Atheist Muslims – or – Is The Quran A Violent Text Or Is Your Reading A Tad Off? (joebradford.net)
“It’s the indifference of good people that is bringing us down”:
- Skaters Leap to Aid of Muslim Women, Lecture Public for Ignoring Abuse (Sydney Sunday Morning Herald)
Kassig’s former cell-mate says that to some of the “captors, I had the feeling that it made no difference” whether the hostages were Muslim or not, explaining their expressed willingness to behead the converted aid worker …
… while in the Central African Republic, Christians have no compunction against beheading a local Muslim cab driver:
“The attackers – armed and some dressed in police uniforms – … dragged the women from their cars before raping them. There was a chorus of outrage. Many [human rights] campaigners in Afghanistan – where women who are raped sometimes find themselves [punished for adultery – … wanted the executions to go ahead” …
… while in Saudi Arabia, “a former athlete and advocate for girls’ sports … thinks that attitudes may be changing…. ‘There’s a lot more acceptance of women’s involvement in sports today than there used to be a decade ago,’” she says, and there are reports of plans under consideration for “sections in stadia for female spectators”:
Islam is not monolithic. Afghanis, Pakistanis, and Palestinians in the occupied territories prefer Jewish law (stoning to death) to punish adultery, but the majority elsewhere prefer Islamic law (a lashing and prohibition against their future marriage to chaste Muslims):
- Ben Affleck and Bill Maher Are Both Wrong About Islamic Fundamentalism (Washington Post)
“In an urgent action statement, Amnesty called for his immediate release, saying ‘the charges against him do not constitute a recognizable criminal offense’”:
- US-Egyptian Detainee Moved to Cairo Hospital (AP / abc News)
As negotiators meet to try to iron out differences over details in the resolution of the dispute of Iran’s nuclear program before the Nov. 24 deadline, Rouhani insists Iran will not give up its right under the nonproliferation treaty to veto particular individuals assigned to the inspection teams:
- U.S., Iran, EU to Meet in Vienna as Nuclear Deal Deadline Looms (Reuters)
- Iran President: Differences Remain on Nuclear Deal (AP / abc News)
- Iran Defends Refusal to Let in U.N. Nuclear Expert (Reuters)
“Monday’s gunfire and mortar shelling was one of the worst violations of a 2003 cease-fire between India and Pakistan”:
- India, Pakistan Trade Gunfire in Kashmir. What Happened to the Relationship Reset? Â (Christian Science Monitor)
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