Mobarak of Egypt under pressure of Gaza crisis

While Syria, Iran, Qatar, Turkey an Jordan clearly condemn Israel, and sometimes clearly support Hammas against Israel, yet the government of Egypt and Saudi Arabia have not clarified their position. Egypt with Mobarak is severely under pressure of public opinion in Egypt and Arab and Islam world.

People see him as a traitor to Arab Islam and Egypt. Even these days his life is in real danger and he seldom appears in public. Egypt has ten kilometers direct border to Gaza. Mobarak can lesson this pressure by transferring medical and philanthropic aids to Gaza strip. But he like Israel wants to put the highest pressure on Hammas to get submitted. A goal which does not seem to be achieved even in far future.

Filed under: Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Middle East, muslim, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Gaza

Iraq, Turkey up anti-PKK cooperation

Iraq and Turkey agree to continue a joint effort against Kurdish Workers Party militants operating along their shared mountainous border.

«Iraq is in a serious fight with terrorism, as we are as well. Terrorism is a common issue for us,» said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after meeting with his visiting Iraqi counterpart Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday.

Erdogan an al-Maliki also agreed to hold regular meetings to discuss the latest developments in fighting Kurdistan Workers› Party (PKK) Insurgents.

Filed under: Iraq, Turkey

The Middle East’s Water Crisis

The River Jordan has flowed freely for thousands of years, its name immortalized in the Hebrew Bible and its lush upper reaches once known as the gates to the Garden of Eden. This summer, however, large sections of this storied river were reduced to a trickle, the water so low that grass fires spread freely across the Jordan Valley between Palestine and Jordan. Steadily drained over the past half century to quench the thirst and grow the crops of the people of Israel, Jordan, Syria, and the Palestinian territories, the Jordan River has been dealt a deathblow recently by a severe drought and by yet another tributary dam, this one on the Jordanian-Syrian border

Filed under: Arab, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Islamic countries, Jordan, Lebanon, Middle East, muslim, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkey, Yemen

Democracy meets moderate Islamists wishes

A quick look at the Islamic countries reveals the fact that moderate Islam coordinates democratic values. In fact if democracy establishes in these countries, moderate Islamists will gain more than anybody else. They will receive the freedom of activities and get ride of cruel dictators which limits their freedom. here is more concrete examples:
In Egypt if a free and just election happens, moderate Islamists will surely achieve at least their minimum rights. Maybe they can win majority of seats of parliament.
In Turkey the situation of Islamists is better. Any time that a free election is performed the winner is an Islamic party like Adalat, Fazilat and Refah. And whenever the military forces prevent free election, the Islamists stand in weaker position.
In Pakistan if general Mosharaf issue the permission of a really free election Islamists will gain more benefits and the freedom of activity.
In Europe Moslems gain a lot of the democratic atmosphere and whenever an undemocratic decision”n like the laws against Hijab” is taken, Islamist will lose more than any body else.
Who is against democracy in Islamic countries?
1- The dictator rulers who feel unsafe about free democracy. They know that in a free democratic election they won’t win.
2- The United States of America! It is surprising if one says that the U.S.A is always at the side of dictators and stands against democracy in Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran and any other Islamic country.

Filed under: Afghanistan, Africa, albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, economical, Egypt, india, indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Islamic countries, Jordan, Khatami, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, malaysia, Middle East, Morocco, muslim, nigeria, Oman, pakistan, palestine, political, politics, Qatar, Religion, Salam Press, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Iraq’s Kurds meet Turkish delegation in Baghdad

Iraq’s senior Kurdish leader met with Turkish officials Tuesday in Baghdad, a news agency reported, the first direct talks between the two sides in four years. The meeting between Kurdish regional president Massoud Barzani and a Turkish envoy occurred as tensions are high after Kurdish rebels killed 17 Turkish soldiers on the Turkey-Iraq border earlier this month. Kurdish authorities condemned the Oct. 3 attack. But Turkey has been pressuring them to cut supply lines to the rebels and arrest and hand over rebel leaders.

Filed under: Iraq, Middle East, Turkey, Baghdad, Iraq's Kurds, Kurd, Kurds

Water: A Source of Middle East Peace?

by Václav Havel
The global financial crisis may be grabbing all the headlines, but resolving it should not be allowed to crowd out other vital issues. In the Middle East, for instance, Israelis and Palestinians – as well as many others around the world – are beginning to believe that the negotiations to determine the long-term status of Palestine are going nowhere. The situation may be more promising than it appears, but one cannot deny that hope for real changes on the ground has faded since talks were relaunched two years ago. This loss of faith is, sadly, establishing a dynamic that will itself inhibit the concessions that are needed if a permanent agreement is to be found. Because an impasse beckons, it is vitally important to work on those areas in which intensive negotiations have the potential to produce quick results. Fresh water is one such area.

Filed under: Iraq, Middle East, Syria, Turkey, water

What Every American Should Know About the Middle East

Most in the United States don’t know much about the Middle East or the people that live there. This lack of knowledge hurts our ability to understand world events and, consequently, our ability to hold intelligent opinions about those events. For example, frighteningly few know the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and most think the words “Arab” and “Muslim” are pretty much interchangeable. They aren’t. So here’s a very brief primer aimed at raising the level of knowledge about the region to an absolute minimum.

Filed under: Afghanistan, Africa, albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, economical, Egypt, india, indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Islamic countries, Jordan, Khatami, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, malaysia, Middle East, Morocco, nigeria, Oman, pakistan, palestine, political, politics, Qatar, Religion, Salam Press, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Religion

Flags of the Middle East nations

Filed under: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Middle East, Oman, pakistan, palestine, Qatar, Salam Press, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Islam and Democracy

In the article “Islam and Democracy,” by John Esposito and John O. Voll discuss the complexity of democracy in the contemporary world. In particular, there focus is on the involvement of the multiple groups in the twentieth century political seen. They argue that many of these groups “identify themselves explicitly as Islamic” as a way to enter the political scene. Once in, they take a democratic form, however, they aroused considerable controversy. Esposito and Voll argue that

Filed under: Afghanistan, Africa, Bahrain, economical, Egypt, india, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Islamic countries, Jordan, Khatami, Kuwait, Lebanon, Middle East, Morocco, Oman, pakistan, palestine, political, politics, Qatar, Salam Press, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Turkey says it will push ahead with Iran gas deal

IRAN. Turkey’s Energy Minister said yesterday the country would push ahead with a planned deal to produce and export gas from neighbouring Iran, saying cancellation of the deal was “out of the question”. Turkey and Iran failed to conclude expected energy accords during a visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Turkey in August. The US, which is seeking to isolate Tehran over it nuclear programme, opposes the plan. “It is of the question that the natural gas deal with Iran will be suspended. I will go to Tehran to sign when the text of the deal is ready,” Hilmi Guler said.
Under the deal, Turkey’s state-owned petroleum company TPAO will explore in Iran’s South Pars field and gas will be piped to Turkey for consumption or re-export to European markets.

Filed under: Iran, Turkey