Group items tagged

! This article shares 3 stories of women who have gone through the FGM procedure. They tend to consider FGM as the "Right of Passage" for young worn. Many women die in childbirth or have complications because of the results of FGM. 

Tunisia cut its economic growth forecast for this year to 3.5 percent, down from a previous forecast of 4.5 percent due to declines in foreign investment and tourism. Tunisia's government said in December the economy would grow 4.5 percent in 2012, but ongoing strikes have put off foreign investment, forcing it to cut its forecast. In 2011 the leaving of Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali sparked the "Arab Spring". This caused revolts, which shrank the economy to 1.8 percent in 2011. The supplementary budget also increased in spending of 1 billion dinars.

The following link is a blog entitled Saudi Women Driving. The blog posts about issues regarding the law against women driving in Saudi Arabia. The first blog post currently on the page is about a television interview with a man with extreme views on this law. He went as far as to say that not allowing women to drive is to protect them from the possibility of being raped if their car ever broke down.

This is hands down the most helpful article I have read when it comes to trying to get a grasp on the issues Saudi women face. It covers many bases including that of a woman who does not want women's rights to be changed and even goes so far as to wish great punishment on activists. The article includes some information on activists of varying degrees including a teacher, a blogger, a YouTube video maker, and more.

Kurdish soldiers recovered images of ISIL picking a baby girl down with a knife near her throat. It is unclear what happen to the child. Many other images were found in the phone like the terrorist group playing football with heads.

This article talks about how poetry is similar to the revolution because of the way it has transformed the people; the revolution has changed common moments and common people into inspiring times the way poetry changes common words into something extraordinary. It talks about how both poetry and revolution have been able to seek justice and tear down symbols of powers. For these revolution, poetry has been able to keep the needs and wants of the people alive and real.

Jabeur Khachnaoui, a terrorist of the attack on the Bardo museum had an older brother who at the same time was attending a rally against terrorism on the other side of town. The two brothers grew up in a family with three other siblings in Tunisia's impoverished southwest. They were close but ended up deeply divided in their outlooks.

There are risks that oil price might go down, including if the Iran nuclear deal works out and sanctions are lifted

Since the Turks shot down the Russian jet, there has been tension between the two countries. Now Russian men are searching for the gunman in Syria.

New York Times article with youtube videos of rebel fighters using Russian SA-7s to shoot down fixed and rotary wing aircraft

One issue that is repeatedly injected into 2016 Presidential race are the events that occurred in Benghazi. Politics aside, it is important to remember the profound effects that events within the Middle East have around the world and in our political discourse.

Upwards of 70,000 Syrian refugees move into Turkey as violence in the country increases. Russian airstrikes are helping Syria's government troops advance as Russia warns of a Turkish invasion into Syria-- continuing the tension between Turkey and Russia since the shooting down of a Russian fighter yet last year.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is under attack due to their leader being sentenced to death. The new regime seems to try and attack the organization from the top down by taking out the groups leaders. With the constant threat, Brotherhood supporters remain stedfast in their beliefs.

This article acknowledges the struggles the Brotherhood is now faced with, but paints a brighter future. The author predicts the organization will move back underground and rely on secret networks to thrive.

ISIS runs a help desk that gives information to jihadis when they need it. This must be shut down

Since the Syrian crisis involves the possibility of a president stepping down, it is being more and more compared to Egypt and Nasser's reign. Assad wants the comparisons to stop because he believes that the Syrian state is different than that of Egypt's.

UAE has told the UK to do something about the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist Party in Egypt. If David Cameron from UK does not do anything about the Brotherhood, the UAE has said it would block a billion-pound arms deal, stop inward investment and cut in tell cooperation with the UK.

This article from The Guardian describes what happened when Mubarak tried to shut down social media in the Egypt in 2011. It touches on many issues such as the protests following this event and the relation to censorship and freedom of speech.

This article gives a historical evidence of the many fractures in the Muslim Brotherhood. It also walks those internal issues all the way down to 2011 which is when the article was written.

Recently the Saudi Ministry of Defense website was cyber attacked via DDoS. Tensions between Iran and Saudi are evident as a back and forth of cyber attacks exchange. The attack is alleged to be a form of protest as Saudi continues its executions of people on charges of terrorism.