Quoting Iran's official news agency, Agence France-Presse reported on 6 January that General Muhammad Hejazi, Iran's Deputy Chief of Staff, had just announced that, if asked, the Islamic Republic of Iran was "prepared to provide military equipment … [Read more...] about The Sunni-Shiite Divide Widens
Contributor: J. Millard Burr
Egypt, Qaradawi & Qatar’s Balancing Act
Egypt's Al-Ahram reported on 13 December that Al-Azhar's Supreme Clerical Committee, the paramount advisory body of one of Islam's most influential religious and academic institutions, had just voted to accept the resignation of the noted Muslim … [Read more...] about Egypt, Qaradawi & Qatar’s Balancing Act
The Sunni-Shia Rapprochement: What Went Wrong?
On November 20, 2013, news from Pakistan was replete with articles deploring the recent explosions of Sunni-Shia "sectarian violence." Incidents were reported in Rawalpindi and Multan, two heavily populated provinces, and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the … [Read more...] about The Sunni-Shia Rapprochement: What Went Wrong?
Shall We Kiss Egypt Goodbye?
"You left the Egyptians, you turned your back on the Egyptians, and they won't forget that." Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Quoted by Kelly McParland, National Post (Canada), 8 August 2013. In mid-August 2013 Egyptian newspapers reported that following … [Read more...] about Shall We Kiss Egypt Goodbye?
Egypt’s Muslim Sisterhood
The perdurability of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan al-Muslimun) is explained by more than a half-century's effort to penetrate and control the professions (doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, etc.); the influence of Muslim clerics and their control … [Read more...] about Egypt’s Muslim Sisterhood
Northeastern Syria; The Kurdish Minority and The Oil Card
In a thought provoking essay titled "The P-Word" published in the American Thinker blog, Ben Cohen offers a précis of the history of a multi-ethnic multi-cultural Middle East. He suggests that a solution to the present Syrian cataclysm would be "to … [Read more...] about Northeastern Syria; The Kurdish Minority and The Oil Card
Islamic Dawaa: The Obama Connection?
In a recent report on Egyptian television Tahani al-Gebali -- the former Chancellor of and present advisor to the Constitutional Court of Egypt -- made the astounding claim that, "the reason the United States cannot fight the international … [Read more...] about Islamic Dawaa: The Obama Connection?
Springing Backward – The Muslim Brotherhood Revolutions
Introduction: Revolutions, some messier than others, strive for progress and a better future. Not so in the Middle East. There revolutions are used to spring backward. In 2011, Egyptians poured to the streets, risking their lives in quest for a … [Read more...] about Springing Backward – The Muslim Brotherhood Revolutions
Could Gen. Dostum Keep the Taliban out of Northern Afghanistan?
We learn in the New York Times, that the US is the latest to put Uzbek warlord Abdur Rashid Dostum on its payroll. With bags of cash channeled through Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the Central Intelligence Agency pays up to $100,000 a month to … [Read more...] about Could Gen. Dostum Keep the Taliban out of Northern Afghanistan?
The Arab Impasse & Syria and Egypt Are Dying
The Arab Impasse By J. Millard Burr* ACD/EWI Exclusive The Arab Spring has failed. The Sunni Renaissance has floundered. And all in the space of three years. In a review of Arab history, one searches in vain for a comparable epoch of chaos and … [Read more...] about The Arab Impasse & Syria and Egypt Are Dying