News and Analysis (9/14/12)

The tragic death of an outstanding American diplomat and the accompanying loss of sensitive information  …

• Revealed: Inside Story of US Envoy’s Assassination (Independent)

… in a “lightly-guarded consulate in a quiet residential area” was more a consequence of the administration’s  failure to understand that not everyone in Libya welcomed foreign military intervention than a riot provoked by the trailer for a propaganda film …

• Blowback (Oped News)

… confusion over which Omid Safi cuts …

• 12 Essential Points About the Offensive Film on the Prophet Muhammad, and the Subsequent Reactions in Libya & Egypt (Religion News Service)

… as Islamic scholars and political leaders  explain why violence is an un-Islamic response to attacks on the Prophet ..

• Blasphemy Riots: Less About Theology, More About Power Plays (Christian Science Monitor)
• Egyptian President Says Muslims Must Protect Embassies; Protesters, Police Clash Anew in Cairo (AP / Washington Post)

… and American religious leaders of many denominations condemn hat speech even as they defend free speech:

• In Wake of Anti-Muslim Video, U.S. Religious Leaders Condemn Violence, Affirm Free Speech (Haaretz)

… while the cast and crew of the film deplore deception involved in their recruitment for the project, exposing post-production insertion of insults to Muhammd not in the script …

•  Anti-Muslim Film Was Cast as Low-budget ‘Arabian Desert Adventure’ (LA Times)

… and an actress duped into participating in the film threatens to sue it duplicitous its producers  …

• Cast of Anti-Islam Film Slams Filmmaker for Deception (Hollywood Reporter)

… including the man who recently posed as an Israeli-American named “Sam Bacily” but is actually a “maverick” Coptic Christian con artist named Nakoula Basseley Nakoula:

• U.S. Identifies Anti-Muslim Filmmaker (AP / USA Today)
• Alleged Anti-Muslim Film Producer Has Drug, Fraud Convictions (LA Times)

The bill allows government to “eavesdrop on Americans’ phone calls and e-mails without a probable-cause warrant so long as one of the parties to the communication is believed outside the” US and is interpreted so that “as long as the real target is al-Qaida” they can wiretap purely domestic e-mails and phone calls without getting a warrant from a judge”:

• House Approves Sweeping, Warrantless Electronic Spy Powers (Wired)

When the U.S. sarcastically responded to Ikhwanweb’s sympathetic tweet with “have you checked out your own Arabic feeds? I hope you know we read those too,” Ikhwanweb snapped back with “ it will be more helpful if you point out exactly the Arabic feed of concern”:

• Snark Flies in US Embassy-Brotherhood Twitter Spat (AP / abc News)

Rounding up the usual suspects?

• Libyan Authorities Claim Arrests Related to Killing of US Ambassador in Benghazi (Guardian)
• Consulate Attack Lifts Lid Off Libya’s Security Problems (Christian Science Monitor)

ImadadDean