News and Analysis (6/8/11)

In Saleh’s absence, the “opposition coalition, the Joint Meeting Party (JMP) …  includes the main Islamist Islah party, socialists, Nasserists and some newer independent parties.” Beyond the general objective of a political solution to the crisis, “details of the expected duration or specific areas of negotiation remain unclear”:

• Yemen: Political Talks Open as Saleh Recovers in Riyadh (BBC)

As Syrians flee to Turkey in fear of retribution for the deaths of Syrian soldiers, “France 24 issued a statement saying it was possible the station had been manipulated and said it would sue those responsible if so”:

• If Syria’s Ambassador to France Didn’t Resign on TV, Who Did? (Christian Science Monitor)

The ADL says the man behind the ‘mosque study” is also behind “Anti-Muslim, Anti-Immigration And Anti-Black Materials, As Well As New World Order-Style Conspiracy Theories” and “Proposed Legislation That Furthering Or Supporting Adherence To Shari’a ‘Shall Be A Felony Punishable By 20 Years In Prison”:

• Right-Wing Media Hype Mosque Study Co-Written By Anti-Muslim Activist With History Of “Bigotry” (Media Matters)

Officiating at Weiner’s wedding, Bill Clinton warned it is “easy to distrust [politicians], whatever their religion.” Weiner’s defense of  Zionist brutality should have been a red-flag to his Muslim bride:

• Huma Abedin, Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Unflappable Wife (Washington Post)

While women in the revolt complain that “the rebels appointed only one woman to the interim administration in their de facto capital of Benghazi”:

• Taboo-breaking Women Among Gadhafi’s Biggest Fans (AP / Boston Globe)

The postponement of elections in Mindanao is popular, but the postponement of elections in Tunisia aimed at giving 81 new parties a chance to organize could be a slippery slope for the nascent democracy:

• Tunisia’s Interim Government Delays Election (BBC)

“Gingrich’s changing relationship with the Muslim community mirrors a similar evolution in the Republican Party at large”:

• Newt: For Shariah Law Before He Was Against It (Salon)

“The Brotherhood has built its considerable following, and honed its impressive organizational wherewithal, by striving in the shadows against a police state’s full force,” but its newly recognized political arm, operating in the open, will require new skills:

• After Years in the Dark, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Struggles in New Role (Atlantic)

She used someone else’s Facebook photo and none of her “friends” has ever met her in person:

• ‘A Gay Girl in Damascus’ Called into Question — Real or Not? (Washington Post)

ImadadDean