Minority Watch # 11, Feb 15, 2008

Let noble thoughts come from all quarters

An understanding, not judgement

Minorities in the News

1. Iraq Shias

"Iraqi Shiites see the mediocrity of their own leaders" comments Abd Al-Hussein Shaaban in The Daily Star, February 07, 2008, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=88760

2. Bahais in Egypt

'A question of faith" by Gamal Nkrumah in Al-Ahram Weekly, Jan 31, 2008, http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/882/fr2.htm

3. Armenians and Turkey

On Feb 6, 2008, The Daily Star reports about a legal against in the US against insurance companies for claims dating back to the final stages of the Ottoman Empire. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=88729.

4. Muslims in UK

Text of the Feb 7 speech of The Archibishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams where he observed that the introducation of sharia laws in UK "seems unavoidable" is availabel at: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/1575 and a BBC survey of Sharia laws in different parts of the world see, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7235357.stm.

5. Arabs in Israel

Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit announced that his ministry will submit a proposal to build a new Arab city with the Galilee region as the possible location, report Ha'aretz, Feb 13, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/953649.html

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Minority Watch # 10, Feb 1, 2008

Let noble thoughts come from all quarters

An understanding, not judgement

Minorities in the News

1. Bedouins in Israel

Bedouin village of Attir-Alhiran in the south is faced with demolision to pave the way for the construction of a new Jewish neighborhood, reports Ha'aretz, Nov 18, 2007, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/925221.html

2. Shias in Bahrain

Bahrain denies claims of torture of Shias, reports The Daily Star, Jan 18, 2008, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=88118

3. Shias in Iraq

On the eve of the Ashura ceremony, a suicide bomber attacked a shia gathering in a mosque in Diyala province northeast of Baghadad, reports The Daily Star, Jan 18, 2008, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=88133

4. Bahais in Egypt

On January 29, a court in Cairo allowed the Bahais to leave their religion blank in official documents, reports The Jordan Times, January 30, 2008, http://jordantimes.com/?news=5353

Articles, Books, Reports, etc.

1. Israel and Druze
"Israel's state-Druze rift"" by Dominic Moran in ISN Security Watch, Nov 16, 2007, http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=18363

2. Egypt and Bahai
Prohibited Identities: State Interference with Religious Freedom, report by Human Rights Watch and EIPR report, Nov 2007, http://hrw.org/reports/2007/egypt1107/

3. Lebanon and Shias

"The reinvention of Lebanese Shiite history" commentary by Hussain Abdul-Hussain Commentary in The Daily Star, January 21, 2008, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=88206

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