Juan Cole

Women’s classes at Shiite Mosques Shiite women in Iraq are attending lessons in mosques, according to Ashraf Khalil, writing in Women’s eNews. Khalil does not know it, but there is a long tradition of women’s literacy based on religious classes in Iraq. Elizabeth Fernea discovered literate women actually leading other women in ritual commemorations in […]

Most of them are People who Come from the Area and have certain Sympathies . . . Barbara Ferguson reports that ‘ Major Jewish organizations are lobbying the Senate to approve a bill that would authorize federal monitoring of government-funded Middle East studies programs throughout US universities. ‘ Ori Nir of the Forward gives a […]

Our Oil is Sweet, but They Let the Terrorists Kill Us Newsday reports that 9 more Iraqi civilians were killed in attacks throughout Iraq on Thursday, including four dead at the hotel in Basra and a cameraman for al-Arabiyah satellite television who was killed by US troops by accident. It quotes an Iraqi, ‘ “The […]

Iraq One Year Later: Welcome to the Quagmire My essay “Welcome to the Quagmire” is at Salon.com today.

Attention: Readers of Soldiers of Fortune Magazine Walter Pincus writes for the Washington Post about a new contract being let by the US government for a private mercenary force to guard the Green Zone, the headquarters of the American administration of Iraq in Baghdad. ‘ The threats that the private security force will be asked […]

Zawahiri Cornered? I know that the mass media is concentrating on the firefight in Waziristan, where the Pakistani army has pinned down some 400 fighters, who are putting up fierce resistance. Although they are said to be al-Qaeda, I doubt it is known for sure who exactly they are. There is speculation that Ayman al-Zawahiri […]

Rosen: “Furious Survivors Attacked Cameramen” Nir Rosen, intrepid Baghdad-based reporter has thoughtful reflections in the Asia Times on the huge car bombing of the Mount Lebanon Hotel on Wednesday.

Moroccan Radical Cell suspected in Madrid Bombing ash-Sharq al-Awsat: The Madrid bombings shed new light on persons wanted before, on suspicion of being involved in the Casablanca bombings of 16 May. Among them is Ammar Azizi, whose name has already been mentioned in the list of top al-Qaeda suspects compiled by Spanish judge Balthazar Garzon. […]

Bombings in Baghdad and Basra The Washington Post reports Thursday, in the wake of the huge car bomb in Karrada, Baghdad, on Wednesday that demolished the Mount Lebanon Hotel and surrounding buildings:: “Near Baqubah, a machine-gun toting man opened fire on a small bus carrying employees of a U.S. funded radio and TV station, killing […]