Arab World

Six jihadists arrested near Syrian border

by Taylor Luck | Dec 08, 2012 | JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — Authorities have arrested six jihadists along the northern border over the past 48 hours, officials said on Saturday, amid a reported rise in attempts by Islamic militants to infiltrate Syria. According to a security source, authorities arrested four […]

Rebels may use chemical weapons: Syria (Video of the ‘Free Syrian Army’ threatening the use of chemical weapons on the Alawite community)

THE Syrian government has warned that rebels could use chemical weapons in their fight against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, and insists that the regime would never unleash such arms on its own people. British Foreign Secretary William Hague, however, said there was evidence the Damascus government could actually employ chemical […]

Israeli soldiers flee Palestinian mob

December 7, 2012 (JTA) — Israeli soldiers fled an angry Palestinian mob in Hebron. The troops, on a routine patrol in Hebron’s H1 area around Jewish homes in the city on Thursday afternoon, encountered Palestinian officers who would not let them through, Channel 2 reported. A crowd began to gather […]

Both Arab and Jew lived in the original Palestine. Why, Moshe Dayan asks, can’t they do so again? – The Long View: Our Middle East Correspondent interviews a feminist, patriot and widow who is nostalgic for a time of much greater harmony in the region

by Robert Fisk, The Independent “I was born here and I have a right to live here – the same thing goes for the Arab population” On the wall of the flat is a photograph of a beautiful young woman with long, dark hair. She is sitting on a lawn […]

Syria’s elite used to believe the bureaucracy would continue even after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. After Makdissi’s defection, that has changed – The real reasons for the “dismissal” of a Syrian spokesman

by Robert Fisk, The Independent “I am not with the regime – I am a civil servant,” Jihad Makdissi told me proudly. The Syrian foreign ministry spokesman believed in the institutions of governance, convinced that – come what may in Syria – the framework of bureaucracy would continue even after […]

The bumpy road to Arab constitutions

By Rami G. Khouri The Daily Star STORY SUMMARY The assorted political crises in Egypt, Tunisia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria and other Arab states show very clearly why credible constitutions are such important documents. These two elements of orderly contestation and genuine citizenship are missing in most Arab countries, which is […]

Muslim world’s condition

Source: Dawn.com MYRIAD problems afflicting Muslims today are of our own making. The combined GDP of a billion plus Muslims living in some 56 sovereign Muslim states is less than that of Japan. Barring a few countries like Malaysia and Turkey, most Muslim states are underdeveloped. Pakistan has seven million […]