February 24, 2010 |
The following is research published today from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch Series, Inquiry and Analysis, and the MEMRI TV Project.
*Special Dispatch Series
Special Dispatch No. 2824—Saudi Arabia/Women's Topics
Prominent Saudi Cleric: Supporters of Gender Mixing Should Be Killed
On February 22, 2010, prominent Saudi cleric 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Barrak published an article on the Nur Al-Islam website (www.islamlight.net) denouncing as apostates those who regard the mingling of men and women to be permissible, and saying that they should be killed.
The article, which due to Al-Barrak's status is considered a binding fatwa, appeared after months of intense public debate on the issue of gender mixing in the recently inaugurated King Abdallah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Seeing that KAUST is the flagship of King Abdallah's development program, hurling accusations against it is considered criticism of him.
To read the full dispatch, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3995.htm.
Special Dispatch No. 2823—Egypt/Democratization in the Arab & Muslim World
Former IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei Discusses His Aspirations to Run for the Egyptian Presidency, States: The Middle East Peace Process Is a Joke
In a recent TV interview, former IAEA director-general Mohamed ElBaradei said he would be prepared "to embark on the adventure of Egyptian politics, on the obvious condition that there [would] be free elections." ElBaradei, whose name has been circulated as a possible candidate in the 2011 presidential elections in Egypt, said that the "entire constitutional framework" needs to be changed to one that is "based on democracy and... social justice."
ElBaradei, whose third and final term as IAEA director-general ended in November 2009, talked about the state of the Arab and Islamic world, saying: "We Arabs have become our own enemies… Arab and Islamic civilization," he said, was "undergoing a stage of degeneration" and "has become a burden on the world."
On the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, ElBaradei said: "I consider it to be a joke... We've been talking about this peace process for over twenty years, yet all we see is the erosion of the Palestinian cause."
On Iran-U.S. relations, he talked about the need to break down the psychological barrier and mistrust between the two countries. ElBaradei ventured his view that "[Iranian] President Ahmadinejad – just like all the other Iranian leaders – wants a comprehensive settlement of Iran's relations with the West." Iran and the U.S. are "like two big elephants assuming the positions before they copulate, in order to achieve a better settlement."
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2395.htm.
To read the full dispatch, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3994.htm.
Special Dispatch No. 2822—Urdu-Pashtu Media Project
Report in Indian Website about the Haqqani Network of the Taliban in Afghanistan: "The Haqqani Network has More Than 12,000 Well-Trained Fighters, Including a Good Number of Suicide Bombers"; Reveals Next Generation of Haqqani Network Commanders
Jalaluddin Haqqani on right in the image; image courtesy: rediff.com
In a latest report published by an Indian website, it has been revealed that the Haqqani Network, which forms the backbone of the Taliban in Afghanistan, has over 12,000 trained militants under its command.
The report, titled "Haqqani Network: Chasing the Shadows," was published by the website rediff.com. It also reveals for the first time the identities of Haqqani Network’s next generation of commanders.
The Haqqani Network was recently blamed for the December 30, 2009, suicide attack on the CIA’s operations base in the Khost province of Afghanistan.
To read the full dispatch, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3992.htm.
*Inquiry & Analysis Series
Inquiry & Analysis No. 591—Syria/Egypt/Inter-Arab Relations
Syrian Daily Challenges Egypt's Status in Arab World
By: N. Mozes*
Introduction
In recent years, and especially since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri, Syria-Egypt relations have been very tense, owing to essential disagreements on the issues of Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran – to the point of a 'cold war' between the two countries. Even today, when Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Egypt's allies in the moderate camp, have drawn closer to Syria, Egypt has not changed its positions, and along with Iraq it continues to constitute an opposition to Syria within the Arab world. In fact, in the past year, it has acted as the main buffer thwarting Syria's efforts to draw close to the Arab countries and to form with them a solid front based on the approach of resistance to Israel and the U.S., which Syria is championing.
The tension between Syria and Egypt is evident in the statement of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad that "anyone who is party to the siege on Gaza is responsible for [spilling] Palestinian blood." Another reflection of it is the failure of the Saudi efforts to arrange a meeting between President Assad and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, as recently revealed by Saudi Foreign Minister Sa'ud Al-Faisal.
In addition, the last two months have seen numerous articles in the Syrian daily Al-Watan that lambasted the Egyptian regime and featured personal attacks on President Mubarak. Most of the criticism pertained to Egypt's policy vis-à-vis Gaza, Israel, and the Palestinian reconciliation efforts. The main thrust of the articles was that the Egyptian regime is acting contrary to the will of the Egyptian people and of the other Arab countries, and has therefore lost its right to rule Egypt and play a leading role in the region.
Presumably, it is no coincidence that these attacks were published in the daily Al-Watan, which is close to the Syrian regime but is not a government daily. By using it, the Syrian regime can criticize Egypt while maintaining the appearance that the criticism does not reflect the official Syrian stance – thereby possibly avoiding an escalation in the tension between the two countries.
The proliferation of anti-Egyptian articles in the Syrian press in the last two months – and the increase in their virulence – can be attributed to Syria's desire to position itself as the leader of the Arab world and as the shaper of its agenda, especially in the lead-up to the Arab summit at the end of March. Possibly, it perceives that with Jordan and Saudi Arabia drawing close to the Syrian camp, Egypt is now weaker and more vulnerable to attack.
It should be noted that, so far, the Egyptian press has not responded to the criticism; it seems that Egypt prefers to keep silent, at least for now.
To read the full dispatch, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3993.htm.
*From MEMRI TV
MEMRI TV Clip No. 2266
Egyptian Intellectual Tareq Heggy: I Support Dialogue with Israelis over the Boycotting of Israeli Goods
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2266.htm.
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