We generally agree with the thrust of leftist Israeli commentator Uri Avnery's argument here, but he makes a few glitches which are all the more embarrassing in a piece which attempts to set the historical record straight (and which actually… Read moreUri Avnery weighs in on papal controversy
You knew that it would. But an interesting glimmer of hope is that in Egypt, where Muslim-Coptic tensions have exploded into violence all too recently, both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Coptic hierarchy are urging people to chill out. In… Read moreAnti-papal backlash gets worse
A military court in Jordan Sept. 13 convicted 10 people in two cases involving conspiracies to kill “Americans training Iraqi police” at the Muwaqqar barracks outside Amman. The court said the defendants were found guilty of “conspiring to carry out… Read moreTerror convictions in Jordan
From London Class War, July 26: HezBollocks and IsRabies: A Class War Federation statement on the War in Lebanon Class War is appalled at the carnage that is occurring in the Middle East. We are also disappointed but not surprised… Read moreUK Class War bashes “leftist” Hezbollah cheerleaders
A radical offshoot from the PKK seems to be emulating al-Qaeda tactics. From Reuters, Aug. 29: Kurdish rebels warn of “hell” ANTALYA, Turkey – A shadowy Kurdish rebel group threatened on Tuesday to turn Turkey into “hell” after a two-day… Read moreKurdish Liberation Hawks take war to Istanbul
Helicopter-borne Israeli commandos raided a supposed Hezbollah stronhold in the Bekaa Valley Aug. 20 in what Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called a “naked violation” of the UN-backed truce. Three Hezbollah guerrillas were reportedly killed in a dawn firefight with… Read moreFighting in Bekaa Valley—despite Lebanon ceasefire
Irshad Manji, the notorious “Muslim Refusenik” who supposedly advocates a principled, pluralist and secular Islam, has an op-ed in the Aug. 16 New York Times—where she once again betrays her disturbing flirtation with the very imperialism that fuels the fundamentalist… Read moreIrshad Manji’s myopia
Lebanese scholar Gilbert Achcar writes via e-mail: “Many of you have certainly seen an interview allegedly done with [Hezbollah leader] Hassan Nasrallah by a Turkish radical left newpsaper… I have enquired about it, and a source in Beirut in close… Read moreCounterpunch prints “fraudulent” Nasrallah interview
We have noted a growing number of Turkish writers to face prosecution for their words. The latest is, especially perversely, charged in connection with a work of fiction. From The Guardian, July 24: In Istanbul, a writer awaits her day… Read moreAnother Turkish writer faces persecution
Note, of course, that her work was banned. From Middle East Times, July 31: ANKARA — Duygu Asena, a renowned Turkish journalist and writer who devoted much of her work to promoting women’s rights, has died at the age of… Read moreDuygu Asena, Turkish feminist writer, dies at 60
The first one we’ve all heard about. From DPA, July 30: Muslim charged in Jewsh center shooting A Muslim man who allegedly killed a woman and wounded five others inside a Jewish community centre in Seattle, Washington, gained entry by… Read moreJew-haters reap Lebanon windfall
From Lebanon’s Daily Star, July 19: Latest targets of air blitz: milk and medicine BEIRUT: Israel switched gears in its military campaign against Lebanon Monday and Tuesday, launching a series of debilitating air strikes against privately owned factories throughout the… Read moreIsrael targets Lebanon’s infrastructure; Deep Purple unawed
