The Guardian published an article by an Islamic expert, stating that Shia Muslims can no longer play the victim while turning a blind eye to crimes being committed in their name elsewhere. The article headlined ‘Shia Muslims must beware of hypocrisy’ suggests that Shia Muslims should not expect the world to take them seriously when they attempt to take the moral high ground regarding oppression. They should also be unflinching when it comes to self-criticism, if their real goal is to achieve justice and equality. Shia Muslims across the world constantly invoke the memory of the battle of Kerbala, because in our belief this epitomises standing up to oppression and injustice. It is crucial to note that they may not necessarily have a sectarian agenda in doing so – the horrific slaughter of the prophet's grandson, along with his children, is etched into our memory at a very young age and symbolises an eternal fight against tyranny – but what good is this conscience if we deliberately ignore the fundamental significance of that battle? Specifically that we must stand up to oppression wherever and whenever it takes place, and at all costs, the author concludes.
The Los Angeles Times reports that three prominent senators are calling for more U.S. military aid to Libyan rebels fighting the regime of Moammar Gaddafi, perhaps even targeting him directly, though others call for a more cautious approach. "I think the focus should now be to cut the head of the snake off. That's the quickest way to end this," Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Let's get this guy gone." Graham was joined by Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.), who just completed a visit to Libya, and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), in urging the U.S. to resume a leadership role in the air campaign against Gaddafi's forces.
The same news agency also pointed out that the international attempt to freeze Moammar Gaddafi's assets faces serious resistance in some countries: although the United States and the European Union have blocked access to more than $60 billion in Libyan overseas bank accounts and investments, other nations have done little or nothing to freeze tens of billions more that Gaddafi and his family spread around the globe over the last decade, according to U.S.,European and U.N. officials involved in the search for Libyan assets. In addition, Gaddafi has moved billions of dollars back to Tripoli since the rebellion began in mid-February. Several countries that have developed strong economic ties to Libya, including Turkey and Kenya, along with several other African nations, have balked at carrying out the freeze, which was mandated by U.N. Security Council resolutions in February and March. Three of the world's largest economies — India, China and Russia — have resisted U.S. and European efforts to expand the sanctions. They cite concerns that such action could halt payment to their own industries, suppliers or citizens who had worked in Libya.
The agency also referred to the events in Syria: with 300 protesters dead, Human Rights Watch has called for travel bans, the freezing of assets and other international sanctions against Syrian officials who had a role in violent crackdowns. The New York-based Human Rights Watch foundation also called for an independent investigation into the killings by Syrian security forces after a weekend escalation in the government's continuing crackdown against the nascent democracy movement. Syrian human rights activists say plainclothes and uniformed security officers killed 120 people in two days, bringing the number of civilians killed in weeks of unrest to more than 300.
The Washington post offers its readers an analytical historical overview of recent US policies in the Middle East. The author criticizes the efforts of the Obama administration, calling them fruitless. According to her, President Obama shamefully missed a turning point in history when he failed to champion the Iranian Green Movement in June 2009. It was both a moral and a geopolitical failing of enormous proportions. And he now seems to be repeating his most egregious foreign policy error. The author suggests that the American administration fails to see the difference between “the oppressor and the oppressed” in the region. In the end, the expert suggests that “our official policy should be regime change in Syria, and our actions (e.g., recall of our ambassador, a full-court press to isolate Assad’s government diplomatically and economically, fulsome support for anti-regime protestors) should be geared to that goal”.
