The Mideast and Abroad

Psychology of A Hate Film

The narratives spun by various media sources regarding the recent Muslim protests suggest a very simple and essentialist explanation for the reasons behind the demonstrations. This approach unfortunately fits all too well with one of the sadder findings modern cognitive studies have shown: that while we believe that we appreciate diversity and respect others’ points of views, the truth is that we are driven to create and form groups and then believe that others are wrong just because they belong to other groups.

Muslims Care for the Heart of a Monk

A spiritual man, Fr. Mercurious knows the only guarantee is from the hand of God. At the same time, his surgery to prevent a heart attack was in the hands of Muslims.

A few weeks ago the forty year old monk in the Monastery of St. Makarious in Wadi Natrun had open heart surgery. Suffering from high cholesterol, his doctor advised this course of action at the earliest date possible.

“Urgent Need: Face-to Face Encounters, not Face-offs”

This week, on the 11th anniversary of 9/11, another unnecessary confrontation between Muslims and non-Muslim Americans unfolded, quickly becoming an international incident. Within 24 hours, it had resulted in the deaths of four Americans. The situation began as a group of protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy in Cairo and tore down the American flag. Media reports are connecting the attack to a trailer to a film titled Innocence of Muslims, produced by “Sam Bacile” (a pseudonym) in the U.S. that depicts the life of Muhammad in unflattering and vile ways. The film is allegedly connected to Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who made international headlines and helped fuel violence in the Middle East with his threats to burn a Qur’an, the sacred scriptures of Islam, but this is unconfirmed. What is clear is that in the wake of the uprisings in the Middle East over the film Jones has stated publicly that he supports the film, and that the Muslim protesters have connected him to it. In the most recent update, according to Religion Dispatches, a California man—named Nakoula Basseley Nakoula— claimed to be responsible for the film. He said that it was “intended to be a provocative political statement assailing the religion” of Islam. The possible connection to Jones, and related concerns, have been enough to lead not only to the attack in Egypt but also to an attack in Libya. There, eruptions over the film fueled an unstable atmosphere that allowed terrorists to attack and kill the U.S. ambassador. The violence has spread to Yemen, and perhaps sparked other protests across the Middle East as well.

Islamists, Muslim Youth Protest anti-Muhammad Film at US Embassy

To mark September 11, Muslims in Egypt stormed the US Embassy.

Actually, it is not that simple. Certain Copts who reside in the United States produced an amateur film purporting to expose the frails and falsities of Muhammad, and advertised its release for September 11. Word got back to Egypt, of course, prompting protest from religious institutions, Muslim and Christian alike. Salafi Muslims in particular called for a protest at the US Embassy, and they were joined by hardcore soccer fans in denouncing the film as well as the US government for allowing it to be made. The US Embassy, for its part, issued an official condemnation, calling the effort an abuse of freedom of expression.

Aslan Media at the Olympics: Week In Review

Have you been following the London games? If so then you know that in the last few days there has been a turn of events for the Middle Eastern and North African countries who have managed to win a medal or two. Below, Aslan Media’s Eman Jueid, who has been covering the games, offers another summary of the events that have recently taken place:

Sikhs and Muslims, Shootings and Burnings: A Call to Peaceful Contestation

Last Sunday morning, horrible news broke out of Oak Creek, Wisconsin and quickly spread through the media. As Sikhs gathered at the place of prayer and worship in a local gurdwara outside Milwaukee, a man walked through the parking lot and shot individuals before moving into the worship facility and shooting worshipers, including the community’s religious leader. At the end of the incident seven people were dead, including the suspect, who was killed by a police officer. Several others were wounded and three people remain in the hospital in critical condition.

Aslan Media at the Olympics: A Summary of the First Five Days

Five days into the London 2012 Olympics many athletes have won medals, have been defeated, or have continued training extremely hard in preparation to compete for what’s ahead. But just how well have Middle Eastern countries been doing so far? Aslan Media’s Eman Jueid is monitoring the progress of these athletes. Below she has compiled a summary of the happenings so far.

Escalating Pressure for the Blind Sheikh

On Thursday, July 26, the family of Omar Abdel Rahman ratcheted up their rhetoric in their awareness campaign to free their father. The family issued five demands to President Morsy and invited speakers to comment, some of whom threatened America harshly.

Otherwise known as the ‘Blind Sheikh’, Abdel Rahman is imprisoned in America for involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. His family claims Abdel Rahman’s arrest was political, as the US yielded to Egyptian demands to silence him from criticizing Mubarak. The family has conducted an open-ended sit-in protest outside the American Embassy in Cairo since August of last year.