Religion, Nationalism, and Terror

Erlanger, Gaza Under Hamas: Quiet, Cut Off and Digging In, New York Times, September 8, 2007

GAZA CITY, Sept. 4 — Nearly three months after Hamas conquered the teeming streets of Gaza, a wary calm has taken hold. People stroll at all hours, car theft has practically stopped, even armed police officers are rarely seen.

After 18 months in which gun battles between Hamas and Fatah forces defined street life, Hamas has made it illegal to carry weapons in public or to fire them, even at weddings or funerals.

Tamer al-Bagga, who manages a beachside cafe, said people now patronized his business until “all hours of the night.” In June, people were hiding at home, keeping their children on the floor to avoid bullets. “Now we have security,” he said. “But with the closure, we have no money.”

Les islamistes marocains sous le contrôle du roi, Liberation, September 8, 2007

«La gestion des islamistes par Mohammed VI, c’est du cousu main. En dépit des efforts pour éradiquer les bidonvilles, il sait que le désespoir généré par la misère ne disparaîtra pas à court terme. Alors il travaille dans quatre autres domaines : la religion, l’intégration des modérés au système, les lois… et la contrainte», résume un proche du Palais.

Le Monde.fr : Les Marocains ont massivement boudé les urnes lors des élections législatives, le Monde, le 8 septembre, 2007

Un seul problème : les électeurs ne sont pas au rendez-vous… A Souissi, le quartier chic de Rabat, c’est encore pire. Les bureaux de vote sont restés quasi déserts toute la journée.

Vendredi soir, à 20 heures, quand Chakib Benmoussa, ministre de l’intérieur, est apparu à la télévision pour annoncer un taux de participation historiquement bas - autour de 41 % -, les Marocains tentaient de se consoler : “Au moins, on nous dit la vérité. C’est déjà un succès !”

US Viewed as Turkey’s ‘Greatest Threat’ - by Jonathan Bell, IPS, September 8, 2007

Nearly two-thirds of the Turkish public named the United States as their country’s greatest future threat, a recent Pew Global Attitudes Project survey has revealed – the highest percentage of any Middle Eastern or Islamic country polled.

The survey, which was also conducted in Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco and Israel, asked an open-ended question: “What country or groups pose the greatest threat to (survey country) in the future?” Turkey was the only country in which a majority of respondents pointed to the US.

Turkey, a US NATO ally and recipient of US and NATO security guarantees, also harbors the second-most negative attitudes towards the US, with 83 percent holding an “unfavorable” opinion of it – up 29 percent since 2002, the biggest drop in public opinion of the US in recent years.

U.S. official confirms voice on Al-Qaida tape is Osama bin Laden’s, AP,Haaretz, September 8, 2007

Technical analysis suggests the voice on a new Al-Qaida video aired by Al-Jazeera on Friday is that of Osama bin Laden, a U.S. intelligence official said.

The Al-Qaida leader appeared for the first time in three years in a videotape released ahead of the 6th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, telling Americans they should convert to Islam if they want the war in Iraq to end, according to a transcript of the video by ABC News.

“Initial technical analysis suggests that the voice on the videotape is indeed that of Osama bin Laden,” the U.S. official said, adding that he had no analysis of bin Laden’s physical appearance on the tape.

Bin Laden Predicts U.S. Failure in Iraq - washingtonpost.com, September 8, 2007

Addressing his message to “the people of America,” bin Laden predicted failure for U.S. forces in Iraq and warned against what he described as the continued oppression and humiliation of Muslims by the West.

“The blood of the Muslims will not be spilled with impunity,” he said.

The tape was undergoing technical evaluation by U.S. intelligence analysts, but an initial review indicated it was authentic. “The analysis suggests that the voice on the tape is indeed that of Osama bin Laden,” said a U.S. intelligence official, speaking on the condition that he not be identified by name.