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Monday, February 29, 2016

Turkey, Kurds and the US

By Robert Olson February 26, 2016 There is no question that tensions between Turkey and the US have increased substantially as a result of differences over to what degree the US is supporting the Syrian Kurdish nationalist Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed affiliate, the People's Protection Units (YPG), which are the strongest political and most effective forces fighting the Islamic State (IS) and some of its affiliated groups in Syria. The PYD/YPG are also the strongest entities among the 14 competing Kurdish nationalist organizations in Syria. The principal issue at hand is Turkey's stance that the US and the US-led coalition against IS are supporting the PYD/YPG forces, which recently have been mobilized under the name Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), comprising Arabs,...

After Elections, Iranian Women's Demands Are Forgotten

By Massoumeh Torfeh 28 Feb 2016 Iran's parliamentary elections this year included the highest number ever of women candidates from the combined reformist-moderate camp. Supporters of President Hassan Rouhani joined forces with the reformists presenting a combined list of 30 candidates for Tehran, eight - less than one-third - of which are women. More or less, the same pattern was seen across the country. Photos of women candidates were branded around on campaign posters and the reformist media hailed this as a major success. Despite persistent attempts by women to find a voice in the politics of the Islamic Republic, their presence has been minimal and, for the most part, cosmetic. It is now almost the norm that at important historical...

A Test for Iran’s Future

By Ramin Jahanbegloo February 29, 2016 Elections in an illiberal country like Iran are not merely a political show, since the outcome serves as a test for the balance among the country’s power centres. On Friday, February 26, Iranians went to the polls to elect members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (ICA). These elections are part of a general process that also elects the 88 members of the Assembly of Experts (Assembly). This was the first time since 1979 that the two political bodies were elected simultaneously. The Assembly is in charge of selecting the next Supreme Leader. Given the poor health of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the new Assembly, elected for an eight-year term, is likely to pick his successor. These were the...

What Muslims Face In US

By Zeenat Khan February 28, 2016 AT A time when Muslims who are living in America are facing ongoing verbal attacks from Donald Trump, a Republican frontrunner for the 2016 presidential nomination, American president Barack Obama’s first visit to a US mosque in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 3 has sparked new debates. The recent terrorist attacks have put the Muslims in a tough spot and they have to defend their identity as Muslims and explain away that there is a monumental difference between the terrorists and the good Muslims. In his speech, Obama talked about the positive role Islam has played in the nation’s history. He denounced the violence and the anti-Muslim rhetoric that is on the rise since the deadly attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California in 2015. He also emphasised...

The Persistence of Poverty in the Arab World

By Fraus Masri 28 Feb 2016 2016 ushered in the revamped United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which built on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted in 2000. Poverty eradication is the number one developmental goal of both the MDGs and SDGs. Over the past two decades, global efforts have been successful as the number of people living in poverty declined by more than half, from more than 1.9 billion in 1990 to 836 million in 2015. Despite such progress, the Arab world continues to lag in its efforts to combat poverty. In fact, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), between 2010 and 2012, the percentage of the population in the region making less than $1.25 a day increased from 4.1 percent to 7.4 percent (PDF). Previously, countries in the region...

The Islamic State and the Evolution of the Afghan Insurgency

By New Delhi Times Bureau Feb 29th, 2016 Once an up and coming rebel group, the Islamic State today stands at the frontline of rebel militant groups in the world. The mounting pile of beheaded corpses and the elongating bloody trails are just one of the proofs of the surging power of this zealot organisation. With the world becoming a hotbed for politico-religious expeditions by militant groups, ISIS is fast gaining stronghold in countries beyond Iraq and Syria. Decreeing a global caliphate, ISIS has since 2014 claimed its authority, political and religious, over Muslims across the world and has been concentrating all its efforts in this direction. While the organisation has been condemned by religious and political leaders of the world for its actions against Islam as well as against...

The Clergy’s Power in Pakistan

By Yasser Latif Hamdani February 29, 2016 In the last two weeks, the Council of Islamic Ideology’s (CII) chief Maulana Sherani has declared that a woman cannot seek Khula from her husband without his permission. Jamia Binoria’s Mufti Naeem has called Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy a Fahash Aurat(immoral woman) on television. Maulana Fazl ur Rahman has re-emerged as the foremost champion of the country’s constitution and ideology. The Maulana has called the pro-women law passed by the Punjab Assembly as being against Islam and the constitution. Despite their past failures at the polls, the politico-religious parties and their allies have managed to gradually tighten their grip around Pakistan’s neck. It is always the mainstream and...

Salman Taseer's Killer Mumtaz Qadri Hanged

Photo: Taseer's killer Mumtaz Qadri hanged First Iran Vote after Nuclear Deal Gives Reformists Momentum Islamist Group Kills 30 in Twin Blasts in Somali Town ---------- Pakistan Salman Taseer's Killer Mumtaz Qadri Hanged Lahore Court Sentences Brothers to Death Over 'Honour' Killing Activist of banned outfit arrested in Islamabad Wife of former ISI operative claims Nawaz Sharif received money from Osama Bin Laden Pathankot JIT to complete air base attack probe this week: Tariq Fatemi Pakistani troops off to UN mission ---------- Mideast First Iran Vote after Nuclear Deal Gives Reformists Momentum Erdoğan: Turkey Will Not Allow a Terrorist Corridor In North Syria Election Results: Principlists Win Iran,...

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