Islam

(By Mustafa Habib) A secret deal was done between the tribes of Anbar and Sunni Muslim extremists this week – the result has seen extremists withdraw from Fallujah. But questions remain: Will PM Nouri al-Maliki still react with military force? How did Al Qaeda manage to take over a city like Fallujah in just two […]

Iraq

Iraq’s Real Problem: A US Occupation legacy of Sectarian Politics

contributors

(By Mohammed Alomari) Violence in Iraq is again in the news. The biggest problem we face about what is going on in Iraq is the disinformation campaign to which we have been subjected since the 2003 invasion and occupation. Iraq, which had its infrastructure and institutions demolished in 2003, was rebuilt on political and sectarian […]

Dissent

How Egypt’s Revolution veered toward Authoritarian Crackdown

contributors

(By Mohammed Fadel) In response to a December 24 bombing in the town of Mansoura, the Egyptian government declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. The decision, which came despite the fact that an al-Qaida affiliated group—Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis—took responsibility for the blast, was a depressing, even inevitable conclusion to the disastrous course of events […]

Christianity

Tripoli Residents Protest as 80,000 Rare Books in Lebanon Torched by Salafis

Juan Cole

(AFP) Angry Lebanese protest over attack on priest’s library (via AFP) Hundreds of Lebanese took to the streets of the northern city of Tripoli on Saturday to protest the torching of a decades-old library owned by a Greek Orthodox priest. The demonstrators held up banners that read “Tripoli, peaceful town” and “This is… —– […]

al-Qaeda

Iraq’s Sunni Civil War

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) The attempt launched earlier this week by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) to take and hold city quarters in Falluja, Ramadi and Khalidiya in al-Anbar province has provoked an enormous political crisis in Iraq. The insurgents and supporters chased police and soldiers away from their stations, burned […]

al-Qaeda

Iraq: Government assault as Sunni Extremists Take al-Anbar City Quarters

contributors

(By AFP) Clashes kill 32 civilians in Iraq’s Anbar (via AFP) Fighting killed at least 32 civilians on Friday in the Anbar province cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, where Al-Qaeda-linked militants took over areas this week, security officials said. Police and tribesmen in both cities are battling militants from… AFP reports

Iraq

Iraqi Troops sent by Shiite PM al-Maliki arrest Sunni Parliamentarian, kill his Brother

Juan Cole

(AFP reports) also at the Jordan Times Iraq forces arrest Sunni MP, kill brother and guards (via AFP) Iraqi security forces on Saturday raided the home of a Sunni MP who backs anti-government protesters, arresting him and sparking clashes that killed his brother and five guards, police said. The raid threatens to inflame widespread discontent […]

Dissent

“Terrorism” tag is tool of Political Repression in Egypt

contributors

(By Human Rights Watch) (New York) – The Egyptian government’s designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization appears to be aimed at expanding the crackdown on peaceful Brotherhood activities and imposing harsh sanctions on its supporters. The government should promptly reverse the decision and stop interfering with the Brotherhood’s health, education, and other […]

Featured

Benghazi Consular attack was Local, not al-Qaeda: NYT Correspondent Demolishes GOP Talking Points

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) David D. Kirkpatrick at the New York Times has settled the controversy over events in Benghazi on September 11, 2012, by actually going to Benghazi and digging into the story. Admittedly, it was a somewhat dangerous assignment, but Kirkpatrick risked it. The take-away of this careful investigation, depending on a range of […]