Many, including UNÂ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hope that Russia’s plan for Syrian abandonment of its chemical weapons will avert an intervention that could turn into a world war …
- UN Chief Hopes US-Russia Syria Talks Will Succeed (AP / abc News)
… but Obama’s measured, yet ultimately unconvincing speech on Syria …
- The Morning Plum: Obama Is Conflicted on Syria. That’s a Good Thing (Washington Post)
- Americans Respond to Obama Pitch for Syria Strike (NPR)
… overlooked some critical facts, such as that not everyone is convinced by the “evidence” that Asad was behind the attack, that any strike may provoke retaliation, and even war-hungry Israel is concerned that an attack will undermine U.S. credibility in its long-term struggle against Iran:
- Assad Did Not Order Syria Chemical Weapons Attack, Says German Press (Guardian)
- Leaked Iranian Letter Warned US that Syrian Rebels Have Chemical Weapons (Christian Science Monitor)
- Russia May up Iran Arms Sales if U.S. Strikes Syria  (AP / Portland Press Herald)
- Is Israel Pushing for a Strike on Syria? (Christian Science Monitor)
As the Egyptian crackdown on religious Muslims now takes aim at the 55,000 “unlicensed” (!!!) preachers …
… critics warn that the interim government’s appointees “to rewrite the country’s constitution … [look] set to repeat the mistakes of the past few years”:
- Is Egypt repeating the same mistakes that led to its political impasse? (Christian Science Monitor))
“In court, the trendy clothing retailer argued that the hijab, worn by Muslim women as a sign of modesty, would negatively affect sales. But the judge said in writing ‘Abercrombie failed to offer any evidence from those four months showing a decline in sales’”:
Want an education? Show us some skin! Two girls said, “[W]e would happily show the men at security our faces so they could check them against our IDs, but they won’t let us” and a third protests, “It is a personal choice and I find it absolutely shocking that this has been brought in at a college in Birmingham city centre when the city is so multicultural”:
- Birmingham College Bans Muslim Students from Wearing Religious Veils for ‘Security Reasons’ (Daily Mail)
Islamophobes “once wrote a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, demanding that he fire and deport Mr. Afzal,” but the practicing Muslim chief prosecutor who  is “Britain’s national czar on violence against women” stands firm, “I was born in Birmingham, England, and I’m not going back there”:
Women, Dalia Mogahed says, “’as mothers, teachers, scholars and community leaders play a vital role’ in educating young Muslims to have a strong understanding that the Islam of the Quran is in opposition to the ideology of Al Qaeda”:
- How Muslim Women Are Waging a Jihad for Peace (Daily Beast)
The court rejected both her claim “that the sight of bare-chested male pupils breached her religious modesty” and “that accepting the school’s offer that she herself could wear a full-body “burkini” swimsuit in the pool would expose her to discrimination among her peers”:
- German Court Orders Muslim Girl to Join Swim Class (AP /abc News)
In part inspired by the Hasidic artist Matisyahu, Sabri turned to “anaasheed,†a variety of hip-hop “with religious Islamic themes, that are beginning to appeal to a broader audience” such as his recent hit, I believe in Jesus that asks “Why does our religion always have to cause division?”
What does it say of the media that the “best analysis of Syria’s conflict” comes from news satire?
- No Kidding: Read The Onion If You Want to Understand Syria (Christian Science Monitor)
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