What citizens of other countries are reading about the Middle East
By MEDIA LINEAnti-Houthi protesters demonstrate in Taiz, Yemen, on February 21.(photo credit: REUTERS)Gulf States concerned about YemenAl-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, February 17 The Houthi coup in Yemen that took place several weeks ago continues to concern the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) . Gulf states have already declared their opposition to the coup, describing it as an illegitimate takeover of the government.During the Arab Spring, the GCC was the body in charge of mediating the peaceful resignation of Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his replacement.To ensure the peacefulness of the presidential transition, Gulf states signed numerous agreements with the Houthi minority in Yemen – all of which have been violated and used to increase the rebels’ power.Gulf sources are now saying that the rules of the games have been changed. With increasing evidence pointing to Iranian involvement in the Houthi rebellion – meant to increase the Shi’ite foothold in the region – the GCC is not willing to settle on lax agreements.Gulf states have sent explicit messages to the rebels in Sana’a that they will do anything necessary to protect their borders. An anonymous Gulf source was quoted as warning Iran: “Those who think they can hide behind the Yemeni cloak should think twice.The violence of the Yemeni crisis will backlash, and no armor will protect them.” – Tarek al-HamidBaghdad sees first woman mayorAl-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 21In what is being perceived as a controversial move, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi appointed a new female mayor to head Baghdad – for the first time in the city’s history. The new appointee, Zekra Alwach, is expected to begin as early as next week. The new mayor, who is veiled, holds a doctorate in civil engineering, and has served as director-general of the Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry.She will oversee a city with a population of over 6.5 million, which has been prone to years of violence and terror attacks.The appointment comes in response to growing criticism regarding the failure of the central government in Baghdad to provide basic services to its citizens. The previous mayor was dismissed by Prime Minister Abadi, in hopes of creating a new future for the war-torn Iraqi capital. – Adel KazemIs Islamic State stronger than 70 countries?Al-Nahar, Lebanon, February 21 On June 9 of last year, the Iraqi city of Mosul fell into the hands of Islamic State. Before that, there was no presence of Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra or any other terrorist organization in the city, nor were there beheadings or slaughter videos like the one recently seen in Libya. Nearly two months later on August 8, the American Air Force began pounding Islamic State to prevent it from taking over the Mosul Dam and flooding Baghdad. Later, the Jeddah Conference was held with the participation of US Secretary of State John Kerry, and an “international front against terrorism” was launched; shortly thereafter, some 40 countries joined the alliance.More recently, jihadist terror attacks have swept the streets of Paris, Brussels, and Copenhagen, as well as parts of Libya, Nigeria and Sinai. This leaves me with only one question: Is it possible that an alliance bigger than that of the First and Second World Wars, much weaker than the one that brought down Saddam Hussein’s regime in nine days, is completely incapable of defeating Islamic State? Sadly, it seems as if the entire world – with all of its fighter jets, intelligence agencies and powerful armies – cannot stand up to the challenge. – Rajeh al-Houri To our brothers in the GulfAl-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt, February 21 Earlier this week, GCC secretary-general Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani issued a statement rejecting Egypt’s accusation of Qatari support of terrorism.Zayani claimed these allegations are unfounded and that all GCC members are fully cooperative in the fight against terrorism. His comments followed a tense Arab League meeting held in Cairo a day earlier, in which the Egyptian representative blamed his Qatari counterpart for funding terror in the region. In response, Qatar withdrew its ambassador from Cairo.Zayani should have kept his mouth shut. I truly hope our brothers in the Gulf understand that Egypt’s battle against terrorism is not a battle we can fight alone. Terrorism is threatening all Arab countries and Arab capitals, not just Cairo. Egypt is standing at the forefront of this war, fighting on behalf of its Arab and Muslim brothers – and without fully supporting Egypt, they will quickly find themselves targeted by the same terrorists.If the GCC continues to defend Qatar despite its blatant support for terror, its member countries will be the first to pay the price. They will make their bed, and they will lie in it; let’s not forget that. – Sliman Jawda The world’s most famous SaudiAl-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, February 21 Last week, a video capturing the speech of a Saudi cleric went viral on the web. It documented Sheikh Bandar al-Kahibari rejecting the theory that the earth revolves around the sun, claiming it is simply not true.What a shame for the Saudi people and the Muslim world at large! We much prefer the international community to see young Arab men and women as standing at the forefront of scientific research and technology, to see our young generation’s achievements in education and culture. Instead, we get this: Westerners believing that Arabs are ignorant human beings who cannot understand elementary science.To the sheikh, I have only one thing to say: You are an embarrassment to the Arab and Muslim world.In this day and age, where every non-Arab envisions Muslims as jihadists and members of Islamic State, more degradation is not needed. Let’s show the world the true face of Islam – its culture, education and scientific achievements – instead of giving a platform to those portraying us as underdeveloped human beings. – Abdul Rahman Al-RahsedThemedialine.org is an American nonprofit news agency covering the Middle East.
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