In The News

The Economist: Saudi Arabia Will Finally Allow Women to Drive

September 29, 2017
On September 26 Saudi Arabia announced an end to its longstanding ban on female drivers. As the lone country in the world “to have such a stricture … [the law has become] a symbol of the ultraconservative kingdom’s repression of women.” As the Economist observes, “For many Saudi women, the change is long overdue.” Saudi Arabia adheres to strict interpretations of sharia law and tribal customs....

BBC: Iraqi Kurds Decisively Back Independence in Referendum

September 27, 2017
BBC News reports that 92 percent of the people of northern Iraq, including Kurds and non-Kurds, favor pursuing independence for Kurdistan in a non-binding referendum. Turnout was more than 70 percent. Iraq’s prime minister, urging a cancellation of results, encouraged dialogue. “Kurdish leaders say the ‘Yes’ vote will give them a mandate to start negotiations on secession with the central...

Huffington Post: As Rohingyas Flee Myanmar, India Needs To Drop Religious Criteria in Its Refugee Law

Nafees Ahmad September 26, 2017
Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees are fleeing violence in Myanmar and heading to Bangladesh, with 30,000 people trapped near the border, reports Nafees Ahmad for the Huffington Post. Meanwhile, India’s prime minister has announced plans to deport 40,000 Rohingya refugees, and India’s Supreme Court is reviewing a plea by two asylum seekers to reverse the decision. Conservatives who support...

The Economist: Muslims in Egypt Are Trying to Preserve Its Jewish Heritage

September 17, 2017
Egypt’s Jewish community, about 80,000 before World War II, has been whittled down to 20 in recent years. The Economist describes an organization made up of Muslims and Jews, Drop of Milk, that is making a concerted effort to “preserve Egypt’s Jewish heritage.” The nation has a contentious past after four devastating wars with Israel, forced conversions and “Jews who worked alongside Egyptians...

The Economist: The Saudis May Be Stretching Out Hand of Peace to Old Foes

September 12, 2017
The protracted hostility between Saudi Arabia and Iran’s Arab allies may be cooling. The Economist observes that historically “the [Saudi] kingdom has been [on the] front of Sunni Islam’s anti-Shia dogma.” Following his ascension to the throne in 2015, “King Salman bin Abdelaziz and his young son and defence minister, Muhammad, set their sights on rolling back Iran’s influence from the region by...

New Statesman: Mosul Has Fallen, But Islamic State Is Far From Defeated

Shiraz Maher July 20, 2017
The Islamic State held Mosul for only a short period, entering in July 2014. Waging battle since October 2016, a coalition of troops has resumed control of what was once Iraq’s second largest city. “Yet the battleground defeats by the Iraqi army and the US-led Western coalition (which includes the UK, Germany and France), as well as Kurdish forces, have done little to dent the triumphalism of the...

Human Rights Watch: Philippine Officials Propose "Muslims Only" ID

Carlos H. Conde July 6, 2017
The Philippines is considering expansion of a program that issues mandatory ID cards for Muslims with the goal of identifying what one official calls “undesirable individuals and terrorists.” Muslims make up about 11 percent of the nation’s population of 10.7 million. The proposal is in response to ongoing fighting with ISIS-affiliated militants taking Christians hostage in Mindanao and forcing...