The Latest - Islamism
Morsi Retreats, a Little
The Post reports that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s repeal of part of his controversial decree has not quelled protests. “Opposition leaders called for more protests after Morsi refused to cancel a... more...
Islamists are Worse Than Dictators
Who is worse, President Mohammed Morsi, the elected Islamist seeking to apply Islamic law in Egypt, or former President Hosni Mubarak, the dictator ousted for trying to start a dynasty? More broadly... more...
Analysts: Egypt’s Military Won’t Buck the Brotherhood
Egypt's military played a decisive role in the 2011 uprising that ended the rule of dictator Hosni Mubarak in the face of a popular uprising. The generals are likely to stand aside this time, however, as... more...
A Conservative Split Over the Middle East
Mitt Romney’s speech on foreign affairs this week was surprisingly moderate. Rhetorically it was full of sound and fury but, on closer examination, it signified no major change of policy. Romney affirmed the timetable... more...
How the Rushdie Affair has Inspired Some Fine Arab Writing
Amid all the uncertainty wrought by the Arab Spring, one consequence was entirely predictable: that it would unleash a glut of hastily-written books trying to make sense of it all. A new... more...
Islamist’s Win in Egypt Leaves US Uncertain
Egyptians celebrated Sunday the election of their country's first freely elected president - Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, who becomes the first Islamist head of state of the Arab world's most populous nation. more...
In Attempt to Garner Votes, Obama is Ignoring the Palestinians
Tuesday evening, it seemed like deja vu, when U.S. President Obama "dropped by" a meeting at the White House between his chief of staff, Jacob Lew, and a group of Orthodox Jewish leaders. more...
Se Fatwa e Sermoni Si Fanno su Twitter
Mohammad al-‘Arifi ha un milione e 500 mila follower su Twitter e di professione fa l’imam in Arabia Saudita. Insieme a ‘Aidh al-Qarni e Salman al-Odah (oltre un milione di seguaci nel mondo dei cinguetti virtuali)... more...
Wahhabi Intolerance in the 21st Century
In early 2011, along with a handful of other American journalists, I interviewed Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon in Jerusalem. Ayalon pressed the need for recognition of Israel on the part of the Palestinian leadership–but not in English or Hebrew. more...
‘Saudi Clerics Use Social Media to Spread Hate’
Saudi clerics have toned down calls for violence in the decade since the September 11 attacks, according to a new report on social media in the kingdom, but still regularly use web technology to disseminate religious rulings hostile to women. more...
Facebook Fatwas: Saudi Clerics On Social Media
Mr Al-Oudah and other Saudi clerics are the subject of a fascinating report by The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a conservative American non-partisan institution. more...
Saudi Muslims Venting Radical Beliefs on Facebook
A growing number of Wahhabi Muslims in Saudi Arabia are now expressing their radical views on social media sites like Facebook, according to a new study. more...
A Peak Inside Saudi Social Media
The Foundation for the Defense of Democracy released an unprecedented survey yesterday of the Saudi social media sphere—a vast space on Twitter, Facebook, and a host of blogs, message boards, and mobile applications. more...
If You Oppose Wife-Beating, Please “Like” This Post
You need some cognitive dissonance to harness modern media to spread the word that the earth is flat and the sun revolves around it. Yet that's one of many incongruous uses of the Internet surfaced in "Facebook Fatwa: Saudi Clerics, Wahhabi Islam and Social Media,"... more...
Saudi Clerics Adopt Social Media
According to a report published by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Saudi clerics are increasingly becoming important figures in Arab social media. more...
Into the Fray: From Potentate to Puppet?
The current situation – in which Islamic Action Front has just over 5% of the seats in parliament – portrays a deceptive picture of its real political clout. As Jonathan Schanzer observes in The Wall Street Journal: more...
The Eurozone Crisis is Eroding Our Democracy. How do We Withdraw Our Consent From Being Governed?
Something even bigger is going on. It's not just global competition for jobs, but also fierce competition between systems of government. more...
In America, a Home-Grown Jihad
“In Europe and elsewhere,” says Daveed Gartenstein Ross, “the Islamist movement is rooted in wider conflicts between Muslim immigrants and the societies they live in. In the U.S., those conditions do not exist in the same way—study after study, after all, has shown that Muslims are wealthier than average.” more...
Fox’s Favorite Muslim Radical
Whether or not the demonstration actually happens Thursday, the Choudary phenomenon is at least as much about the laziness -- and, arguably, irresponsbility -- of the media as it is about Islam. Says terrorism analyst Daveed Gartenstein-Ross: "One lesson from our experience with would-be Quran burner Terry Jones is that when fringe or relatively fringe figures ... are given a great amount of media exposure, it generally increases their power rather than diminishing it. Unfortunately, the media either has not absorbed that lesson, or else does not want to." more...
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