The opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi has threatened Bashir with an “Arab Spring”-type revolution, but it is clear that such a revolution would reshuffle the deck, but would not change the cards where governance is concerned. Bashir has already announced his own intentions to impose more Sharia, as well as a plan of cultural and linguistic […]
Iran: Seeking nuclear weapons a “great sin”
Then, why the secrecy and subterfuge on the nuclear program? In all likelihood, somewhere around the time of an Iranian nuclear test, we’ll hear about the other side of the coin, a monumental “BUT…” and some claim of extenuating circumstances. “Iran says making nuclear bombs a ‘great sin’,” by Caroline Copley for Reuters, February 29: […]
Singer Erykah Badu banned from Malaysia over temporary “Allah” tattoo
Badu deserves partial credit if she got a tattoo (rather, temporary body art) in non-Roman characters and actually knows what it says, unlike so many hipsters with “exotic” tattoos that may actually say “I have gout.” The case is also a study in how multiculturalist arrogance — the presumption of open-minded enlightenment — can actually […]
Indonesia: Rival “militant Islamic groups” clash
The very idea of jihad to impose Sharia is ultimately the Achilles heel of Islamic governance. Since Sharia is a total system of government for every aspect of life, there can always be more to enforce. Someone will always want more of it, or want to do things differently, and someone will always be willing […]
Yemen: Al-Qaeda inflicts 80 lashes on 4 people accused of drinking alcohol
Now, remember: you can’t suppose that of these tenets of Sharia that keep being enforced in locations far removed from one another actually have anything to do with Sharia. They only happen in extreme cases, you see, or under “extreme interpretations” of Sharia. You’re not supposed to notice that wherever there is a resurgence of […]
Egypt: Copts protest disappearance of Christian girls… again
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Coptic Pope Shenouda III warned in 1976: “There is a practice to convert Coptic girls to embrace Islam and marry them under terror to Muslim husbands.” This practice has reportedly intensified since the revolution. “Egypt’s Copts protest ‘disappearance of girls’,” by Mohamed Abdel Salam and […]
Afghanistan: “NATO officials promised to meet Afghan nation’s demand of bringing to justice, through an open trial”
Afghanistan takes a breather from its self-immolation in rage to issue a statement. Who in the U.S. military establishment will be the fall guys? The people who followed orders? The people who gave them? And who will conduct the trial, and what range of punishments are possible? NATO must know full well that it is […]
Secretary of State Clinton: Arming Syrian rebels could help al-Qaeda and Hamas
Lessons learned from Libya? Perhaps not, based on further comments below, but the apparent increase in discretion applied to this conflict is welcome. “Clinton: Arming Syria rebels could help Al-Qaeda,” from Agence France-Presse, February 27: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday warned against the US arming rebels in Syria because such a move could […]
Indonesian Red Cross resists Islamic supremacist demands to abandon cross logo
It is a reach for the board member to claim the symbol has nothing to do with Christianity, but he is quite right that, at least on paper, Indonesia still functions on certain principles of pluralism enshrined in the Pancasila doctrine. Of course, even that has its revisionist movement. The objections to the symbol have […]
Pakistan: “Armed men from the local Sunni community” open fire on bus full of Shi’ites, killing 18
“There’s still a tendency to see these things in Sunni-Shia terms. But the Middle East is going to have to overcome that.” – Condoleezza Rice, January 2007 But the mutual Islamophobia continues, and transcends geography. “Gunmen open fire on bus in Pakistan, 18 killed,” by Jibran Ahmad for Reuters, February 28: PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – […]