by Michael Rubin*

ISTANBUL — Yesterday Turkey’s constitutional court overturned a new law that would have allowed women in the secular republic — established in 1923 by the Westernizing Mustafa Kemal Ataturk — to wear Muslim headscarves in universities.

It now appears all but certain that this summer the court will go even further when it decides a larger case against the country’s Islamic-rooted Justice and Development (AK) Party. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AK stand accused of violating “the principles of a democratic and secular republic.” Penalties could range from a suspension of the party’s public financing to its disbandment and the suspension of its leadership from politics. Such a development should be welcome in the United States.

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By Andrew Whitehead

On 31 May, Erica Mellon posted a blog entry to the “School Zone” titled “Friendswood superintendent: Islam presentation not meant for students”. (The “School Zone” blog is sponsored by the Houston Chronicle; Ms. Mellon is the Chronicle’s education reporter.)

In the blog post, Ms. Mellon quotes a letter by Trish Hanks, Friendswood Independent School District Superintendent. From the letter:

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By Phyllis Chesler

Every day, people send me the most worrisome and surreal newspaper accounts about Islamic gender and religious apartheid and the Islamification of Europe. To me, these clippings are prescient warnings; they describe patterns and the gathering storm. My informants live on five continents. Here’s a quick round-up of some of today’s clippings.

On June 5th, the GVB bus company in Amsterdam cancelled its annual Christmas party because too many of its workers do not celebrate Christian holidays. Employees union VTN were told that “the multicultural representation of the colleagues in the Christmas party is too one-sided.” Given budgetary restriction and multicultural sensibility, the union opted to gather their drivers together on a holiday all may celebrate, such as New Years.

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By Curtis R. Ryan

While democracy has proven to be a fragile and elusive form of politics in the modern Arab world, Islamist movements have flourished–ranging from grass-roots pro-democracy activism to militant jihadism and terrorism. Whether Arab politics witnesses more political liberalization in the near future will depend in large part on the nature of Islamist movements, as well as ruling regimes’ reactions to them. This article examines the broad range of Islamist alternatives within one of the more liberalizing Arab states–the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan–with a view to understanding the depth and breadth of Islamist forms of political mobilization.

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By Barry Rubin

Forget all the wimpy claptrap about Israel disappearing. Anyone who believes such nonsense has obviously never been to an Israeli soccer game.

One thing for sure: with Israelis so tough and determined over team loyalties, anyone who threatens our freedom and existence has pretty dim prospects.

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By Barry Rubin

Clearly, the conduct of negotiations by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s government with Syria, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas, has an Israeli political dimension. Yet it is easy to misunderstand this relationship.

Olmert’s unpopularity and personal involvement with strong corruption allegations give him an incentive to conduct such talks. His basic argument is: I’m engaged in such important efforts to achieve peace as to render unimportant all these other petty issues. Stop distracting me.

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by Daniel Pipes*

With the Democratic Party primaries over, American voters can focus on issues of political substance. For instance: How do the two leading candidates for U.S. president differ in their approach to Israel and related topics? Parallel interviews with journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, who spoke in early May with Democrat Barack Obama and in late May with Republican John McCain, offer some important insights.

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Parade and Concert Highlight Birthday Bash

By Fern Sidman

New York City’s fashionable Fifth Avenue was transformed in to a sea of blue and white as crystal clear blue skies, a searing sun, Israeli music and thousands of marchers and spectators were the order of the day on Sunday, June 1st at the 44th annual Salute to Israel parade. As Israel celebrated the 60th anniversary since its creation as a modern state, Jews and non-Jews spanning the globe made sure this party was held in grand style. As thousands of marchers representing a vast array of Yeshivos, Jewish Day Schools, synagogues, temples, service organizations, community centers, Jewish businesses and Israeli government agencies gathered on side streets awaiting their turn to join the parade, tens of thousands of spectators, holding Israeli flags lined both sides of Fifth Avenue all the way up to 86th Street to pay homage to the Jewish State.

Palestinian supporters protest.

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By Barry Rubin

Engagement doesn’t always produce marriage. In the U.S.-Iran case, diplomatic engagements have been repeatedly disastrous. Yet many think the idea of engagement was just invented and never tried.^[1]

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By Steven Shamrak

When I started my weekly Internet editorial letters six years ago, the term “Hasbara,” or pro-Israel propaganda, was dormant. Hasbara has become more visible, but fighting the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel propaganda is only the first step. The main and ultimate goal is to unite Jews and our genuine friends behind the true Zionist inspiration and create a Jewish state on all Jewish ancestral land, Eretz-Israel. Generally speaking, I believe that it is a waste of time to reply to accusations and fabrications of anti-Semitic or anti-Israel bigots, if there is a difference. We must focus on our own goals and actively pursue them.

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By Phyllis Chesler

In the late 1990s, I was asked to interview a group of female mental patients who had been raped on their state psychiatric ward by other patients. I traveled out to Nebraska to interview these women and to prepare my testimony. My planning sessions with their lawyers were fascinating–but not as moving as my meetings with the brave women themselves. The institutional abuse of our most vulnerable citizens in state care remains a crucial and unresolved problem.

I would welcome other such similar stories and even more: The remedies and just conclusions.

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