In its latest briefing, Marching in Circles: Egypt’s Dangerous Second Transition,
the International Crisis Group examines the current crisis.
Polarisation between supporters and opponents of ousted President
Mohamed Morsi is such that one can only fear more bloodshed; the
military appears convinced it has a popular mandate to turn the page on
Islamist rule; the Muslim Brotherhood, aggrieved by what it sees as the
unlawful overturn of its democratic mandate, seems persuaded it can
recover by holding firm. Urgent, simultaneous measures are needed to end
the violence, reintegrate the Brotherhood in the political arena and
define a more consensual roadmap. Read more>>>
A Buddhist mob has
attacked a mosque in the Grandpass area of the Sri Lankan capital,
Colombo, leaving at least five people injured. Buddhists and Muslims clashed after the attack, and police imposed a curfew in the area. Last month, a group of Buddhist monks had protested near the mosque, demanding it be relocated. In recent months, hardline Buddhist groups have mounted a campaign against Muslim and Christian targets. Several houses were also damaged in Saturday's clashes. Two of the injured were policemen guarding the mosque. Read more>>>
The defeat of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE)
and the regain of the LTTE controlled areas in the North-Eastern parts
of Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan army in the name of war against terrorism
and the war for the unification of Sri Lankan territory have, in number
of ways, paved way for the re-emergence of Buddhist ethno-religious
hegemony and sentiments in Sri Lanka. Number of incidents has been
justifying the exercise and dominance of majoritarian hegemony which
really targeting minority communities and their religious, linguistic
and cultural distinctiveness and identity. One of the minority groups
which severely affected by these hegemonic politics is the Muslim
community in Sri Lanka. Read more>>>
The shooting of the fifteen year old Pakistani girl last October, Malala
Yusufzai shocked and horrified many across the world – Muslim and
non-Muslim. The dominant narrative that has been promoted by the
mainstream media, human rights organisations, and Western governments
and politicians is that the attempted assassination of this young girl
by ‘Islamists’ in Pakistan was due to their opposition of her women’s
rights activism and advocacy of education for girls in the country.
Following the shooting, many institutions and personalities rallied to
her cause, praising her for bringing women’s education to global
attention, including former British Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy
for Global Education, Gordon Brown, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon,
and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. On the 12th of July, Malala was invited to address a gathering of youth at the UN
headquarters in New York where she advocated the need for free
compulsory education for every child. Read more>>>
