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| September 8, 2011 |
| The Wire |
WikiLeaks discloses Qaradawi's extremism
Thurs. 8 Sep. 2011 @ 15.24 - Leaked embassy cables disclose extremist views of prominent Sunni cleric, including suggestion that Abbas be stoned for 'collaboration' with Israel, support for Hamas and suicide bombers, and rejection of inter-faith dialogue. The latest batch of US embassy cables leaked by the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks have uncovered further evidence of the extremist views of the prominent Sunni cleric Yousuf al-Qaradawi. Coverage of Qaradawi tends to omit his extremist views, emphasising instead the respect with which he is held in the Muslim world. Examples of this include The Guardian's reporting of his fatwah against Colonel Gaddafi, which portrayed him as a pro-democracy moderate, and the BBC's coverage of his appearance at a rally in Egypt, which simply described him as 'influential'. The leaked embassy cables appear to reveal Qaradawi's support for Hamas, suicide bombings against Israel and the stoning to death of those found guilty of 'collaboration' with the Jewish state. They also reveal his contempt for inter-faith dialogue. |
| The Wire |
Palestinian authorities fail to synchronise time zones
Wed. 7 Sep. 2011 @ 17.19 - West Bank and Gaza authorities fail to coordinate time zones between the two Palestinian territories. The limited nature of cooperation between Fatah and Hamas was outlined today in an article from the Reuters wire service. ''Palestinians face their hour of division' reports that time zones were changed in Gaza and the West Bank during the holy month of Ramadan to ease the daily fast which ends at sunset: At the end of Ramadan the West Bank returned to summer time. Gaza however chose not to do so, meaning that the two territories currently operate under different time zones. Confusing matters further, banks and universities within Gaza affiliated with the Palestinian Authority have been operating under the West Bank hours. |
| The Wire |
WikiLeaks details disappearance of Jewish communities from Iraq
Wed. 7 Sep. 2011 @ 13.15 - AFP reports leaked US embassy cable which highlights plight of Iraqi Jews. The AFP wire service has reported on the contents of a US diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks which alleges that there were only eight Iraqi Jews living in Baghdad in 2009. 'Only eight Iraqi Jews in Baghdad in 2009: cable' in which a US embassy staff officer speaks to a woman from the miniscule Jewish community, illustrates the effects of the long-term persecution of the minority in Iraq. The cable gives details of a meeting with a woman who counts herself as one of only eight remaining Iraqi Jews living in Baghdad. She claims that the community had numbered 20 people in 2003, but has declined due to 'old age, immigration, and sectarian violence'.' It notes the situation of the woman's family:
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| The Wire |
Iran hangs three men convicted of homosexuality Thurs. 8 Sep. 2011 @ 14.42 - Iranian execution of three men on charges of consensual homosexual acts brings attention to persecution of sexual minorities and increasing use of death penalty in Iran. The Guardian and The Independent today report that three men have been executed by hanging after being convicted of homosexuality in the Iranian Khuzestan province. The men, accused of 'lavat' - sexual intercourse between two men - were put to death on Sunday alongside three other convicts accused of unrelated crimes. Saeed Kamali Dehghan, writing for The Guardian, reports that:
The case has been deemed especially significant by human rights groups as accusations of homosexuality in Iran are usually accompanied by additional charges of sexual assault or rape. In this instance however, the men were executed for consensual relations. |
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