Clinton Pressed on Benghazi; Abu Shagur Reaches Deal
Karim Mezran and Eric Knecht of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center argued in US News that the international community must "offer whatever assistance the Libyan government needs" as it struggles to reign in militias and form a national army and police force. On Tuesday, ...
State Dept. to Consult Congress on Egypt Aid
State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland explained that due to concern from Congress over the recently-announced $450 million of assistance pledged to Egypt, the State Department is "going to have to work with the Congress in the coming days ...
October 2, 2012
Category: Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Legislation, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political transition, Protests, Reform, Sectarianism, Secularism, Women
POMED Notes: Beyond Dichotomy, Building a New Egypt
The Woodrow Wilson Center International Center for Scholars hosted an event on Wednesday (9/26) entitled “Beyond Dichotomy: Building a New Egypt,” featuring Wilson Center Senior Scholar Margot Badran. Over the past year in Egypt she saw how a society which has been polarized for several decades along the lines of “the religious” and “the secular” has witnessed a decrease in significance of such categories. According to Badran, such distinctions are ...
September 27, 2012
Category: Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Reform, Secularism
September 24, 2012
Category: al-Qaeda, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Libya, Parliament, Policymakers, Political transition, Protests, Reform, Secularism
Libyan Sufi Mosque Destroyed by Hardliners
Armed men bulldozed a Sufi shrine in Tripoli on Saturday in the middle of the day, in what some have called the most blatant sectarian attack in Libya since the fall of Gaddafi. The Sha'ab mosque had housed ...
Ghannouchi Calls for Protest to Defend Revolution
Ennahdha leader Rached Ghannouchi called on Tunisians to protest on Friday to “protect the revolution and things considered sacred” in part due to the outrage against an art exhibit many found insulting to Islam. “We support freedom of expression and ...
June 14, 2012
Category: Articles, Featured, Freedom, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Protests, Secularism, Tunisia
Rajab’s Detention Extended; Opposition to Saudi-Bahrain Union
Prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who was recently arrested for "inciteful" tweets, had his detention extended by another week. His lawyer, Mohamed al-Jishi, said Rajab is facing two trials: one on May 16th for his tweets, and ...
May 14, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Featured, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, NGOs, Saudi Arabia, Secularism
POMED Notes: Islamism and the Arab Spring
On Monday, the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Reserve Officers Association hosted a discussion titled “Islamism and the Arab Spring.” While many of the protest movement associate with the Arab Spring appeared to be largely secular in nature, Islamist parties have been winning elections across the region, causing unease and uncertainty both domestically and abroad. This turn of events has divided U.S.policymakers and analysts. A question posed was “how ...
Debates On the Veil Polarize Moroccan Society
Souleyma Haddaoui, writing for Oumma, is concerned that "devout women" wearing (French) the veil may be discriminated against, citing two young girls who could not take an exam to enter college because they were veiled. Haddaoui views the debate as another type of "intrusion" ...
POMED Notes: Tunisia’s Islamists Struggle to Rule
On Wednesday, the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a discussion entitled “Tunisia's Islamists Struggle to Rule.” The panelists discussed the political situation in Tunisia. Tunisia’s Islamic Ennahda Party, winner of the first elections since the popular uprising that overthrew President Ben Ali in early 2011, dominates the Constituent Assembly and ruling coalition government. However, Ennahda is grappling to balance the intense struggle between ...
April 26, 2012
Category: Elections, Event Notes, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Secularism, Tunisia
Kuwait Parliament Provisionally Passes Death Penalty for Blasphemy
On Thursday, Kuwait's parliament provisionally passed a legal amendment that would make blasphemy a crime punishable by death. Forty-six members of parliament (MP), including cabinet ministers, voted in favor of the amendment which could come into effect after another round of voting and government approval. In the first round of voting, four Shiite MPs voted against the law, a pro-Shiite Sunni lawmaker abstained, while two MPs refused to vote. Recent tweets by ...
No Sharia’a Law in the New Tunisian Constitution
A performance by Tunisian Association for Drama Arts was was interrupted when members of the Salafi movement disrupted the cultural events and damaged equipment in the main theater of the city on Bourguiba Avenue. The protests lead by the radicals group gathered thousands of Tunisian who ...
March 26, 2012
Category: Elections, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Legislation, Political transition, Protests, Secularism, Tunisia
Analysis of Tunisian Law Regarding Freedom of the Press
Reporters Without Borders (RWB) published an 8 page analysis of law No.2011-115 dated 2 november 2011, relating to freddom of the press, printing and expression. The analysis commented on the separate articles of the law, highlighted the positive achievements, also made necessary recommendations. RWB is approved the article 1 that described freedom of expression as "the freedom to exchange, publish and receive any kind of information, opinions and ideas”. However, RWB added that "this stated principle should be confirmed ...
“The Role of Religion Will Be Determined by The People” – FRIDE
FRIDE released a report this month discussing the role religion will play in the ongoing transitions to democracy across the MENA region. The report discussed the emergence of Islamist parties into the political sphere, some new and some established, and the implications of the ideologies on their political decisions. Religion has always been " a major force of Arab Politics." According to the report, the success of Islamist parties can be attributed to their ...
February 24, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Countries, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Libya, Morocco, Political Islam, Political transition, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Secularism, Tunisia, Yemen
Tunisia: Secular and Islamist Students Clash at University
Hundreds of Tunisian students clashed at a university over Islamists students' demands for segregated classes and the right for women to wear full-face veils. Witnesses stated that the demonstration at Manouba university near Tunis broke down into fighting ...
November 29, 2011
Category: Featured, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political transition, Protests, Secularism, Tunisia
Tunisia: Optimism Expressed About Elections
As Tunisia's historic elections quickly approach, the international community has shown signs of optimism regarding the electoral process and outcomes. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) wrote in the Wall Street Journal that "although overshadowed by other events in the region, Tunisia's ...
October 20, 2011
Category: Democracy Promotion, Elections, Featured, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform, Secularism, Tunisia
Turkey Seeks “Axis of Democracy” with Egypt
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu envisioned an "axis of democracy" in the region by aligning with Egypt. He said “this will not be an axis against any other country — not Israel, not Iran, not any other country, ...
Reuters Report: Erdogan is “The Strongest Man in Turkey”
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is regarded as the "the strongest man in Turkey" by Reuters in a recent report. This is a title that has stemmed from a variety of sources including rapid economic growth, massive job creation, and a pool of voters that essentially " him shape what kind of democracy" Turkey becomes. His Justice and Development Party (AKP) won their third election with over 50% of the ...