Sectarian violence had been absent in Afghanistan, where an Islamic Brotherhood Council of Shia and Sunni clerics was long established to maintain harmony between the communities. Yet, regional players and developments carried the sectarian epidemic across the boarders of the unstable country:
- Why Have Afghanistan’s Shias Been Targeted Now? (BBC News)
- At Least 55 Dead in Kabul Suicide Attack on Shia Pilgrims (The Guardian)
“The sanctimonious murderers of Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti in the name of Islam, as well as the self-righteous, insult-hurling ‘Christian’ crowd in California –the former persecuting Christians and the latter, Muslims,— both groups, by Abrahamic standards, are guilty of blasphemy” — Pushcart Prize winner Shadab Zeest Hashmi:
- Muslims in the Middle (Washington Post)
As pundits suspect Turkey’s “interest on the predicaments of the Muslim population” in Africa hints at neo-Ottomanm ambitions, “Turkish officials posit that their country remains a diplomatic bridge between East and West and not a power with imperial designs”:
- Turkey – Shouldering the Pains of Muslims on Continent (All Africa)
Hassan Nasrallah insists on his militia’s right to keep and bear arms and reiterates his support for Assad’s regime accusing the United States of seeking to destroy Syria “to make up for its defeat in Iraq” and reproaching the Syrian opposition for allowing itself to be “used” by the United States to undermines Assad’s regime because of its support for Hezbollah and other anti-Israel groups:
- Hezbollah’s Nasrallah: Our Weapons are Increasing (Christian Science Monitor)
Israeli concerns that others in the region besides themselves might have nuclear weapons escalate as Prince Turki al-Faisal declares “that because efforts to convince Israel and Iran to forgo nuclear weapons failed, ‘it is our duty towards our nation and people to consider all possible options, including the possession of these weapons’:
- Report: Saudi Arabia to Consider Acquiring Nukes (Jerusalem Post)
Kuwait awaits fresh parliamentary elections after the recent resignation of it’s Prime Minster, while Bahrain remains at stalemate and delays political reform through fooling around with secondary concerns:
- Kuwait Dissolves Parliament; Elections Next (CBS News)
- Bahrain to Hire ex-U.S. Police Chief for Reforms (Reuters)
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