Item one: Dealing with a demographic threat.
HRW: Jordan turning away Palestinian refugees from SyriaHuman Rights Watch report finds that Jordanian authorities have been singling out Syrians of Palestinian origin, sending them to holding facilities; reports of sharp spike in flow of refugees, 2,300 in one day.Jordanian authorities have been turning away Syrian refugees of Palestinian heritage or threatening to deport those who have arrived in Jordan from Syria over the past year, according to a report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW). In addition, reports coming out of northern Jordan suggesting a sharp spike in the number of Syrians seeking refuge over the last few days, with more than 2300 arriving Tuesday, Arab media outlet Al-Jazeera reported Wednesday.
Item two: Confronting religious fanaticism
An Egyptian university student was fatally stabbed as his girlfriend looked on after three suspected Islamic militants confronted the couple in a park and told them they should not be together if they are not married, security officials said Wednesday.The murder is fueling fears that vigilante groups may be seeking to strictly enforce Islamic mores, emboldened by the election of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. Moderate Muslims along with liberal and women''s groups worry that Morsi''s presidency will slowly eradicate Egypt''s entrenched secular traditions and change the social fabric of the mainly Muslim nation of 82 million people.The student, 20-year-old Ahmed Hussein Eid, was attacked on June 25 in the Red Sea city of Suez east of Cairo while he was with his girlfriend in a quiet park that is a favorite spot for romantic rendezvous, according to the officials. It was not immediately clear what the two were doing when challenged by the three men who arrived on a motorbike.
Item three: Coexistence a la Haaretz
Item four: UNRWA promotes Islamism, religious discrimination, terror and violence.
...Here is a poem about how Zionists raped Palestine and how the author will return to Jaffa. There are essays about the beauty of becoming a martyr. There are stories of young men who asked their parents for permission to wage jihad and who died heroically. All of these can be found in official UNRWA school websites. Many of the school logos include the wreath symbolizing the UN. Some girls'' school sites, like this Bureij girls'' junior high school seem to have not a single student without a hijab.And all of them directly contradict what UNRWA''s stated educational standards are.Are Palestinian Christians forced to attend mandatory Quran classes run by UNRWA? Should the UN be in the Islamic education business? How much of UNRWA''s budget goes towards "religious education?" Are Western donors to UNRWA even aware that they are funding these lessons?
Item Six: Gaza Women Petition High Court of Justice to Pray at Al-Aqsa
Six women from Gaza appealed to the Supreme Court on Wednesday to be allowed to pray at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque...The women, all over the age of 50, claim that Israel is discriminating against them on the basis of their Muslim faith. The petitioners cite Christian women in Gaza, who are allowed access to holy sites within Israel. Gisha, an Israeli NGO that deals with Palestinian freedom of movement and is representing the women, argued that Christian women aged 35 and over are allowed access to Israel based on government-set quotas, whereas Muslim women are categorically denied...The Court, however, seemed unimpressed...“The state has the right to control its gates, freedom of religion notwithstanding,” said Justice Miriam Naor, who presided over the three-judge panel. The judges refused to acknowledge Gisha’s argument that the state had an obligation to treat non-citizens equally. “Where is it written that a state must implement equality outside its borders? Does Israel have an obligation to let in all the citizens of the world?” asked Justice Uzi Fogelman. But Sari Bashi, director of Gisha, said the Supreme Court had acknowledged Israel’s special humanitarian obligations toward the Gaza Strip back in 2008.“Gaza is not a country, Gaza is not an enemy state. Gaza is an area which we believe is under occupation...Our claim today was that...the state [cannot] discriminate based on religious beliefs. If Israel chooses to fulfill its obligations towards Gaza by allowing Christians to pray in Jerusalem, it must also allow Muslims to pray in Jerusalem.”
Item Seven: Yehuda Glick Criminally Charged for Transporting a Goat for Paschal Sacrifice Purpose (in Hebrew)
Have you joined the dots?
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