Boys 'Flogged' During Shia Ritual in the UK
20/08/2008
A man whipped himself until he bled during a Shia Muslim religious ceremony, before allegedly forcing two boys to do the same, a court has heard. Syed Mustafa Zaidi, 44, is accused of encouraging the boys, aged 13 and 15, to beat themselves at a community centre in Manchester on 19 January.
(BBC News)
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Iran's War on Trade Unions
Peter Tatchell
20/08/2008
The anti-worker dictatorship in Iran has stepped up its attacks on labour activists, with a new wave of arrests and jailings. Among those recently jailed were two workers' rights campaigners, Sousan Razani and Shiva Kheirabadi. They have been sentenced to 15 lashes and four months in prison for the "crime" (under Iran's Islamic law) of participating in a May Day celebration in the city of Sanandaj earlier this year. The verdicts were issued by the criminal court of Sanandaj – branch 101.
(The Guardian)
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Hizbullah's 'Political Jujutsu': Using its Leverage in Lebanon
Brenda Gazzar
20/08/2008
The accord that Lebanon's Shi'ite Hizbullah group signed this week with some local Sunni factions to defuse sectarian tension is a strategic political move intended to signal its leverage and its ability to build bridges with even the most unlikely of allies, experts say.
(Jerusalem Post)
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Israel Reopens Key Gaza Commercial Crossing
20/08/2008
Israel has allowed food and other supplies to enter the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip through a key commercial crossing that had been closed for months, Israeli and Palestinian officials said on Tuesday. Israeli Defence Ministry official Peter Lerner said about 80 trucks would pass through the Kerem Shalom crossing in a trial run before it is officially reopened in accordance with an Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas.
(Khaleej Times)
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UNIFIL Says Graziano Was 'Misquoted'
Dalila Mahdawi
20/08/2008
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Tuesday clarified comments made by the Commander of UN peacekeeping force Claudio Graziano at a news conference at the UN's New York headquarters last Thursday over the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. UNIFIL deputy spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said on Tuesday that Graziano's comments regarding Israel had been "misquoted."
(Daily Star - Lebanon)
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43 Die in Algeria Bomb Attack
20/08/2008
A bomb attack east of Algiers killed 43 people and wounded 45 yesterday, in one of the bloodiest incidents in years in the country. The Interior Ministry said the attack had targeted a paramilitary gendarmerie training school at Issers, 55km east of the capital. The ministry said 42 of the dead were civilians and one was a gendarme - an armed paramilitary soldier. It said 13 of the injured were gendarmes, while the others were civilians.
(Gulf Daily News)
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Tuareg rebels to 'Lay Down Arms'
20/08/2008
Tuareg insurgents in the Saharan region of Niger and neighbouring Mali have decided to give up arms this week in favour of mediation, one of the group leaders have said. The move comes a day after Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, at a meeting in southern Libya urged rebel leaders to end the revolts in Niger and Mali.
(Al Jazeera)
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Arab Nations Need a Common Strategy to Resist Iran’s Ambitions
Ayman Safadi
20/08/2008
Ever since the 1979 revolution that brought the mullahs to power, Iran has been trying to position itself as champion of Muslim causes and the defender of the region’s interests against “imperialist” conspiracies. Its populist rhetoric has exploited every Arab and Muslim cause in constant attempts to win the support of disgruntled Arabs and Muslims. Iran’s actions, however, have belied its words. Its policies have shown that it is behaving like a regional bully seeking to subjugate its Arab neighbours.
(The UAE National)
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Jihadis Shift Attention to War in Afghanistan
Caryle Murphy
20/08/2008
In the wake of setbacks suffered by Al Qaeda in Iraq, Afghanistan is becoming the preferred destination for Muslims, particularly from Arab nations, seeking to wage jihad against the West. "You can predict that Afghanistan is reemerging as a battlefield," says Nicole Stracke, a security and terrorism researcher at the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center.
(CS Monitor)
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Jordanian Artist Wants to Build Statue in Sderot
Itamar Eichner
19/08/2008
Israel's embassy in Amman and the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem received an unusual requested this week: A Jordanian artist expressed his interest in visiting Sderot and building a statue of peace in the southern city along with local children. The artist, Ahmed Khalifa, is a sculptor and painter known for his enthusiastic support for peace with Israel, despite the treaty's unpopularity in Jordan. Khalifa does not shy away from openly maintaining contacts with the Israeli embassy, and in the past built statues for the Peres Center for Peace.
(Ynet News)
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Iran: Kurdish Achievements and Turkish Warnings
Meir Javedanfar
19/08/2008
These are very tense warnings from a president who is close the US, EU, and Iran. This is also a country which needs Iran for its energy resources. The very fact that Gül chose to make his warning public shows that as he said to Ahmadinejad, “the political area for a peaceful solution is getting narrower. We are approaching critical developments”. Indeed. Unfortunately.
(Middle East Analyst)
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Why Arab States Must Embrace Iraq
Roula Khalaf
19/08/2008
The road from Arab capitals to Baghdad is still slow and bumpy. But, driven by fear that a US withdrawal from Iraq will pave the way to even greater Iranian influence in a leading Arab state, it is a belated recognition of the Shia government in Baghdad and of the need to promote Shia-Sunni reconciliation more vigorously.
(Financial Times)
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Hezbollah Pays Grim Tribute to 2006 War with Israel
19/08/2008
A recording of slain Hezbollah military chief Imad Mughnieh's voice echoes around the charred remains of captured Israeli tanks as the Lebanese Islamists showcase their 2006 ‘victory’ over Israel. In a large car park in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, battle relics from the deadly 34-day conflict are arranged as grim exhibition artefacts while Mughnieh's pre-recorded voice orders his troops to open fire.
(AFP/Khaleej Times)
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PLO Calls for Haste in Resolving Issue of Detainees Linked to Nahr al-Bared Conflict
19/08/2008
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) representative to Lebanon Abbas Zaki on Monday called for a speedy solution to the issue of Palestinians held in connection with the Nahr al-Bared clashes. The PLO representative said that a settlement to the thorny issue was expected "soon." Hundreds of Palestinian, Arab and Lebanese citizens were arrested in the wake of clashes between the Lebanese Army and Al-Qaeda inspired Fatah al-Islam militants in the Northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared last summer which saw over 400 people killed, including nearly 170 Lebanese Army troops.
(Daily Star - lebanon)
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Containing Terrorism
Jameel Theyabi
19/08/2008
Despite the successes and achievements of Saudi security authorities in foiling great terrorism operations, terroristic thought is considered to be the greatest threat against young people and the country's future due to malicious minds working in the dark and trying to exploit religious interpretations for achieving their malignant objectives. Terrorism, its funding, and its supporters will not disappear without full social cooperation prompted by national and religious concern.
(Dar Al Hayat)
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