Posted on Thu, April 14, 2011 at 21:32 pm CEST
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Will Turkey’s Next Constitution be a Societal Covenant Imbued with Respect for Differences?

Agreeing upon the rules for how they are going to live together, with mutual respect for differences, is the fundamental challenge that faces… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Human Rights • Islamism • Kurdish People • PKK • Sunni Islam • Turkey 
Posted on Wed, April 13, 2011 at 19:10 pm CEST
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Syrian Revolt Spreads to Ruling Alawite Tribes

The popular uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad is still spreading… Continue reading

Topics: Alawis • Arab Spring • Democracy • Syria • Syrian Revolution • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Tue, April 12, 2011 at 17:13 pm CEST
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The Fading Masquerade: Ergenekon and the Politics of Justice in Turkey

On the afternoon of March 30, 2011, Zekeriya Öz, the chief prosecutor in the controversial Ergenekon investigation, was abruptly… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Ergenekon • Islamism • The Media • Turkey 
Posted on Tue, April 12, 2011 at 02:03 am CEST
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Egypt Goes Full Circle: Back to Imprisoning Bloggers

The group that began the Egyptian revolution had just two important priorities before setting to overthrow the Mubarak regime… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Human Rights 
Posted on Mon, April 11, 2011 at 18:54 pm CEST
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What Country in the World Has the Most Journalists Imprisoned?

What country in the world has the most journalists imprisoned? The answer might surprise you. According to a recent study… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Ergenekon • Human Rights • Neo-Ottomanism • The Media • Turkey 
Posted on Sun, April 10, 2011 at 20:57 pm CEST
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Grand Mufti Claims Egypt’s Islam Is Moderate, But For How Long?

Well, without getting into things like official clerics endorsing suicide bombings, here’s what they don’t tell you… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Egypt • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood 
Posted on Sun, April 3, 2011 at 11:12 am CEST
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Arab Spring: Male-on-Female Atrocity in Gaza

Last month, at least eight Muslim Palestinian female journalists were physically beaten with clubs, iron chairs, and fists, stabbed, and tortured… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Gaza and Westbank • Hamas • Human Rights • Islamism • The Media 
Posted on Sat, April 2, 2011 at 19:33 pm CEST
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Syrian Revolution Takes Off – Where is American Support?

As of today, one can say that the revolution in Syria must be taken seriously. Not only were the demonstrations large but also they… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Syrian Revolution • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Thu, March 31, 2011 at 00:39 am CEST
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Syria: Bashar al-Assad to Demonstrators: Surrender or Die

Nowadays, Western officials and journalists seem to think nowadays that if you are a Middle East dictator and people start demonstrating… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Syria • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Mon, March 28, 2011 at 17:16 pm CEST
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The Obama Administration Will Do Zero to Criticize or Undermine the Syrian Dictatorship

It’s official. The Obama Administration won’t do anything at all to help the Syrian people against the Bashar al-Asad dictatorship… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Syria • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Sun, March 27, 2011 at 14:50 pm CEST
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Turkey: Less Democracy But An Alternative

For several years I’ve been telling you that under its current Islamist regime, Turkey has become less and less of a democratic state… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Human Rights • Islamism • Turkey 
Posted on Sun, March 27, 2011 at 01:12 am CET
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Turkey’s Regional Leadership in the Middle East: Principle or Realpolitik?

In stark contrast to its support for the protest movements in Egypt and Tunisia, Turkey has abstained from taking a principled, democratic stand… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Islamism • Jasmine Revolution • Libya War • The Middle East • Turkey 
Posted on Fri, March 25, 2011 at 22:06 pm CET
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Arab revolts and Turkey’s new ‘old Kemalists’

The Arab revolts of 2011 awakened interest in the Turkish model, exemplifying an Islamist-rooted party building a liberal democracy… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Armenia • Democracy • Islamism • The Middle East • Turkey 
Posted on Fri, March 18, 2011 at 20:24 pm CET
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Bahrain Demolishes Statue at Pearl Roundabout, Site of Anti-Government Protest

Security forces in Bahrain on Friday demolished the Pearl Monument, a landmark that had been the site of massive recent anti-government protests… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Bahrain • Democracy 
Posted on Fri, March 18, 2011 at 18:24 pm CET
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Yemen Declares ‘State of Emergency’ after Protest Massacre

President Saleh announces state of emergency after dozens are killed in a crackdown on anti-government protests. Witnesses… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Yemen 
Posted on Thu, March 17, 2011 at 21:52 pm CET
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Egyptian Politics Get Dangerously Messy

The issue now is a March 19 referendum on the constitutional changes proposed by a small army-appointed panel. The panel was… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood 
Posted on Thu, March 17, 2011 at 19:06 pm CET
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Hamas’ Violent Crackdown on Youth Protest

Hamas police, dressed in civilian clothes, broke into Al-Katiba yard in Gaza city and attacked protesters who had gathered there… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Gaza and Westbank • Hamas • Islamism 
Posted on Sun, March 13, 2011 at 01:57 am CET
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Turkey Remains an “Angry Nation” but could still serve as a Democratic Inspiration

Turkey remains an “Angry nation”, tormented by the many ghosts of its history, some of which still lurk in the shadows. Its political system… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Europe • Human Rights • Islamism • Kurdish People • Turkey 
Posted on Fri, March 11, 2011 at 19:36 pm CET
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Amr Moussa: Meet Egypt’s Next President?

It’s now official. The Egyptian presidential election will pit Amr Moussa against Muhammad ElBaradei. It’s hard to see a… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Israelism • Democracy • Egypt • Egyptian Revolution • Islamism 
Posted on Thu, March 10, 2011 at 01:49 am CET
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Ending Turkey’s nightmare

The arrest of prominent journalists in Turkey on March 3, among them a recipient of the International Press Institute’s “World Press Freedom Hero” award… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Ergenekon • Islamism • The Media • Turkey 
Posted on Wed, March 9, 2011 at 20:40 pm CET
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Egypt and the Middle East: Romanticism Meets Reality

The projected million-women march turned out just 400 and they were harassed and in some cases attacked. Meanwhile, thousands of Muslims and Christians… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Global Islam • Jasmine Revolution • Libya War • The Middle East 
Posted on Wed, March 9, 2011 at 18:27 pm CET
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Egypt: Women Suffer Assault and Derision at Tahrir March

The romanticism of the Egyptian Revolution meets the reality of Islam dominated society. Read this report by Ali Abdel Mohsen about the Million Women March… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Egypt • Egyptian Revolution • Global Islam • Human Rights 
Posted on Mon, March 7, 2011 at 20:27 pm CET
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Arab Liberals Worry About an Islamist Egypt; Western Observers Claim There’s No Threat

while Western observers ridicule the fear of an Islamist Egypt, a lot of Arab writers are very worried. In fact, here are three articles that display such concerns… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood 
Posted on Mon, March 7, 2011 at 00:07 am CET
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Iran to Ban Keeping Pet Dogs, Considered a “Blind Imitation” of Western Culture

Keeping pet dogs, considered to be unclean (Najes) in Shi’ite law, is viewed as an expression of the corrupting influence of the West… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center • Iran • Sharia Law • Shi'ism • Shia Islam 
Posted on Sun, March 6, 2011 at 21:32 pm CET
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Iran: Growing Criticism as Opposition Leaders Remain Under Arrest

In recent days, there has been growing criticism from the reformist camp over the continuing arrest of reformist opposition leaders… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Human Rights • Iran • Shi'ism