Britannia Radio

MEMRI Daily: March 25, 2011

The following is research published today from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch Series and the MEMRI TV Project. Special Dispatch No. 3705—Turkey/Inter-Arab Relations Articles in Arab Press: Erdogan's Position on the Arab Uprisings Stems from His Bid for Regional Influence Recent articles in the Arab press have criticized Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his inconsistent position on the uprisings in the Arab world, namely his support for the Egyptian uprising versus his indifference, or even opposition, to the protests in Libya and Iran. Columnists wrote that this inconsistency stemmed from the fact that his positions were not based on moral ideals or concern for the suffering of the peoples, but rather on bare political interests, primarily his desire to increase Turkey's influence and establish it as a key regional player. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5136.htm. Special Dispatch No. 3704—Jordan Jordanian Government Daily: Israel Is To Blame for the Renewal of Palestinian Violence Against It On March 24, 2011, the day after a bomb exploded in Jerusalem and after the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel resumed, the Jordanian government daily Al-Dustour, in an editorial, blamed Israel for the renewal of Palestinian violence against it. The editorial, titled "Israel Is Responsible," stated that Israel was continuing its aggression towards the Palestinian people and also continuing to impede the peace process, and noted that "violence will [continue to] breed violence." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5135.htm. Special Dispatch No. 3703—Bahrain Shi'ite Bahraini Cleric to Demonstrators: Our Revolution Will Lead to a State of the Mahdi Following are excerpts from a Shi'ite Bahraini cleric delivering a speech before demonstrators, which aired on the Internet on March 18, 2011. To view the clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2871.htm. Bahraini Cleric: "There are two matters in our Bahrain that I cannot explain. The first matter is the growing stupidity, which is gnawing the ideology of the Khalifa family down to the marrow. The Arabic language has failed to come up with a term to describe the stupidity of that corrupt family." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5134.htm. Special Dispatch No. 3702—Bahrain/Inter-Arab Relations Leading Sunni Scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: The Revolution in Bahrain Is a Shi'ite Sectarian Revolution Following are excerpts from a sermon delivered by Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, which aired on Qatar TV on March 18, 2011. To view the clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2873.htm. Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: "Several people have been asking a question: 'You have been talking about the Tunisian revolution, about the Egyptian revolution, about the Libyan revolution, and about the Yemeni revolution, but there is one revolution that you did not talk about.' I asked them: 'What revolution?' They said: 'The Bahrain revolution. Why didn't you talk about it?' I said to them: 'To be honest, the Bahrain revolution is different from the other revolutions, because it is a sectarian revolution." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5133.htm.