Arab World news

As the Syrian conflicts escalates, showing little sign of abating, or of effective intervention, the whole world has been abuzz with the prospect of Syria slipping into a sectarian scenario reminiscent of Iraq and Lebanon.
Syria is a complex not homogenous landscape. 

A breakdown of the ethnic minorities and the religious sects of Syria uncovers a picture of confused and conflicting allegiences beset by an ambivalence in orientation toward the regime. The diverse make-up of the minorities of the country alone are not simple to decipher. To make matters more interesting, minority complex usually spawns secretive religious sects who dissemble or refuse to discuss their religion, in order to avoid persecution and so as to increase prospects of survival.

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Religious figures from different Egyptian Christian sects have taken opposing stances on the involvement of Copts in the planned protests on 25 January, one year after the start of the Egyptian uprising.

Some church leaders have called on Coptic Christians to boycott the demonstrations, while others have encouraged participation. In defense of the boycott, some church leaders say that the democratic transition is being conducted in accordance with the timetable set by the military council.

“Egypt is moving towards democracy, and the parliamentary elections were fair,” said Shubra al-Khaima Bishop Morkos. “What we need now is presidential elections and a new constitution.”

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An assertive new generation of women's rights activists is emerging in Libya - They helped smuggle weapons and ammunition to fighters during the revolution. Now, Libyan women have their own battle to fight - for empowerment.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," says Sara Mazik, from Women for Libya, a new group of women who have recently returned from exile. Women now head two ministries in the new government - health and social affairs.

Salha Soussi, smartly dressed in a head scarf, high heels and a modest black gown, is unimpressed. "That is not very good for us," she says. "But we are going to push for the inclusion of more women in the future. And we're going to make sure it happens." 

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Preliminary results of the first phase of parliamentary elections came in favor of its Freedom and Justice Party, followed by the Salafi Nour Party and the liberal Egyptian Bloc Coalition, the Muslim Brotherhood has announced.

The Brotherhood said that voters did not vote for the remnants of the disbanded National Democratic Party who formed new parties after the revolution, which means that the people have “isolated them politically,” as the Brotherhood put it.

In its seventh statement on Wednesday, the party said it received the most votes in the Fayoum governorate, followed by the Red Sea, Cairo and Assiut governorates, while competition against the Nour Party was fierce in the governorates of Alexandria and Kafr al-Sheikh.

The statement also said party candidates running individually in the elections have swept votes in several constituencies.

CAIRO — Two weeks before parliamentary elections billed as a first big step toward democracy, there are new signs that the generals ruling Egypt are trying to steer the transition to preserve their vast political and economic power.

A widening circle of critics say that new proposals from Egypt’s ruling military council suggest that the generals are backing away from a pledge to quickly hand over authority to elected leaders. They note that guidelines put in place by the generals have prolonged the transition to democracy, allowing them to stay in place as de facto rulers until after presidential elections that could be held as late as 2013.

At the time of writing, the situation in Syria is rapidly changing. On the 2nd November it was announced that the Syrian government agreed to stop all violence against protestors. However, there are new reports that there has been more conflict in the city of Homs. Colin Chapman has worked in the Middle East, for nearly twenty years and is the author of 'Whose Promised Land?' and 'Whose Holy City?' He shares some helpful insights about the context of the Syrian conflict and some thoughts and concerns about the future of Christianity in the country.

Christians within Syria have been deeply divided in their responses to the conflict which began in the spring this year. Before noting these different responses, we need to try to understand the background to the conflict and some of the significant developments since it started.

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The trial of Egypt's ousted leader Hosni Mubarak on charges of complicity in the killing of more than 800 protesters this year has been adjourned until December 28.

Mubarak's trial began nearly three months ago, and Sunday's lengthy adjournment was certain to frustrate leaders of the anti-Mubarak protest movement who want to see the former leader and his co-defendants -- his two sons, security chief and six top police officers -- brought swiftly to justice.

Mubarak stepped down in February after a popular uprising. Reformers are frustrated by what they see as the slow progress by Egypt's military rulers to liberalise the system.

The adjournment was meant to allow time for another court to rule on a request by lawyers for the victims to remove the three-judge panel in Mubarak's trial. That ruling is expected on November 3.

10 October 2011 - At least 24 people have been killed and scores more injured in clashes between mostly Coptic demonstrators and military police outside the state television building in central Cairo.

Essam Sharaf, Egypt's interim prime minister, called for a calm early on Monday morning as a curfew was imposed in central areas of the capital, including Tahrir Square.

Egypt's leadership also held an emergency meeting late on Sunday to discuss the situation, with clashes also reported in Alexandria, Egypt's second city. An emergency cabinet session is scheduled for Monday, a spokesman said.

The Copts say they were marching peacefully when thugs attacked them, drawing in the military police who used what activists described as unnecessary force.

5 September 2011 - In the gift shop of Damascus' Chapel of Ananias, a middle-aged Christian man called Sari explained who he thought was to blame for the stories of government brutality emerging from his country.
 
"All the international media are liars," he said. "Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN – they are all lying. There is no trouble here in Damascus."
 
Syria's more than 2 million Christians account for around 10 per cent of the total population and are just one minority in patchwork of different creeds. But in interviews this week, some of them said many in their community were uneasy about the anti-government protests convulsing their country.
 
According to one activist called Yusef, who used to be an organiser for his local church in Damascus, many Christians have no great love for the Assad regime. Yet large numbers are worried about what will happen if he falls.
 

02 August, 2011 - KIRKUK, Iraq — Fifteen people were wounded on Tuesday by a car bomb targeting a Syrian Catholic church in Kirkuk in northern Iraq, a police officer and a priest said.
 
The bomb exploded at the Holy Family church in the north of Kirkuk at about 5:30 am (0230 GMT), wounding 15 people including church staff and people in neighbouring houses, the high-ranking officer in the Kirkuk police said.
 
The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that 30 homes in the area were damaged.
 
Imad Hanna, a priest, said it was the first time the church had been targeted.
 
"Women, children and men from this neighbourhood were wounded in the explosion," he said, added that two of the wounded were in critical condition.
 
The wounded were taken to Kirkuk General and Azadi hospitals, he added.