“The far-right fanatic said he was inspired by al-Qaida’s use of decapitation but noted that ‘beheading is a traditional European death penalty,’ adding, ‘The goal was not to kill 69 people on Utoya. The goal was to kill them all’†…
…as he enacts his self-scripted crusade that combines terrorism with modern-media theater:
- Chronicle of a Trial Foretold: Breivik Is Following His Manifesto’s Script (Christian Science Monitor)
- Why Does Norway’s Breivik Invoke the Knights Templar? (Christian Science Monitor)
Once praised for social service, resistance to Israel, and incorruptibility, Hamas now has among its critics a moderate who says they are “like a police state,” an militant who says they have “left Islamic Jihad alone on the battlefield,” and an “unemployed former shopkeeper” who charges that “only those who ‘pray in a Hamas mosque’ get work”:
- In Gaza, Hamas Rule Has Not Turned Out as Many Expected (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
With demonstrators planning days of rage to coincide with the Formula One races, an expert doubts Bahrain’s ability to guarantee security, but t he governments insists on proceeding as planned:
- Violence Flares as Bahrain Revs for Formula One Race (abc News)
- Bahrain Unable to Guarantee Safety for Formula One Says Former Met Officer (Guardian)
- Bahrain Braces for Wave of F1 Protests (Guardian)
Anyone who thinks Iranian women are passively submissive is not paying attention:
“The CIA is seeking authority to expand its covert drone campaign in Yemen by launching strikes against terrorism suspects even when it does not know the identities of those who could be killed”:
- CIA Seeks New Authority to Expand Yemen Drone Campaign (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
The desire to require marriages be registered with the state is one thing, but to invalidate a religiously valid marriage because it is not registered is an unwarranted state intrusion on religion inappropriate in a secular society:
“The liberal ideal may be to have political parties that represent economic or social ideologies, where communal identities do not matter in governance. But India is not currently headed that way”:
“God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves” (Qur’an 13:11). In Kenya and Nigeria, Muslims debate whether governmental discrimination or their own shortcomings are responsible for their status:
- Kenya: We Still Suffer Discrimination, Say Muslims (Nairobi Star / AllAfrica)
- Nigeria: Muslims and Democracy (I) (Daily Trust / AllAfrica)
The failure to resolve issues of oil rights and borders before separation laid down the path to war:
- Sudan Declares War on South Sudan: Will This Draw in East Africa, and China? (Christian Science Monitor)
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