“Whether or not armed conflict is imminent, Sinai leaders say they have increasingly taken on tasks the state is not performing;” but that their courts “are not imposing corporal punishments … and are only arbitrating disputes among people who agree in writing to adhere to the decision of the scholars”:
- In Egypt’s Sinai Desert, Islamic Militants Gaining New Foothold (Washington Post)
“Although state religious officials in Malaysia say preventing citizens’ exposure to “un-Islamic” books, authors and entertainers is a moral necessity, opposition leaders offer a different view: It’s largely about political power”:
Ghannouchi insists “that the Islamists of Ennahda, which dominates the government, share power with two centre-left parties” that won 33 percent of the seats in the assembly” so that Tunisia is governed not by Islamists but “by a coalition … in which the secular partners have as much weight as their Islamist partner”:
“[A]bout 1,200 bearded Brotherhood activists marched through downtown Amman on Friday to press for the elections law to be changed,” shouting, “Revolution is headed to Ammanâ€:
- Jordan’s Powerful Muslim Brotherhood Says It Is Boycotting Upcoming Parliamentary Elections (Washington Post)
The Saudi defense Minister and Egypt’s Morsi “said they talked about their shared ‘moderate Sunni’ Muslim views. When asked Friday in the Cairo press conference if the comment was directed at Shiite-led Iran, Morsi said: ‘I did not mean at all for that to be a veiled message to anyone,’ ” yet the comment calls the Brotherhood’s inclusiveness into question:
- Egypt and Tunisia’s Leaders Meet Post-Revolt (Chron.com)
“Balci asserts a paradox that secular westerners may find reassuring: the very forces that have created more public expressions of faith, and have made religion a more prominent part of Turkish politics, are reducing support for the idea that Islamic law should rule the country; as Islam has gotten more prominent, Islamism has lost strength”:
- A Case for Not Fearing Islamism (Atlantic)
“The German Medical Association said it opposed the ban because it could drive circumcision underground with greater risk of infection through poor hygiene, but advised doctors not to carry out the operation until the legal situation was cleared up”:
“Turkey is not a fully mature democracy. We still have lots of problems to fix here before fighting for democracy elsewhere†— a retired Turkish businessman:
- In Syria: Why is Turkey Reluctant to Take the Lead? (Christian Science Monitor)
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