netwmd - 2011 - December

Archive for December, 2011

Flash: What, Me Pessimistic? Egyptian Election Outcome is Worse Than I Expected

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Since last February I have predicted that the Muslim Brotherhood would win elections in Egypt. People have thought me very pessimistic. Now the votes are starting to come in and … it’s much worse than I thought. But my prediction that the Brotherhood and the other Islamists would gain a slight majority seems to have been fulfilled and then some. According to most reports the Brotherhood is scoring at just below 40 percent all by itself.

Why worse? For two reasons:

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Posted in Arab/Muslim World, Dictator Watch, Egypt, Elections, Extremists, Islam | No Comments »

Overviewing Shi’a-Sunni Conflicts

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi*

As we approach the end of the first year of what has been called the “Arab Spring,” it is worth examining the nature of Shi’a (Shiite)-Sunni relations in the Middle East. Indeed, commentators such as Patrick Cockburn have been warning that “since the start of the Arab uprisings this year, Shi’a-Sunni hostility has deepened again wherever the two communities seek to live side by side.”

To discuss this issue, a country-by-country survey is useful wherever there are significant Shi’a-Sunni divides in the population.

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Posted in Arab/Muslim World, Extremists, Foreign Policy, Islam, Philosophy / Ideology | No Comments »