This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Terrorist bombs target Shias in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 47
• Nearly 60 dead in four days of deadly ethnic clashes in Bangladesh
• The 'Harlem Shake' is shaking up the Mideast

Terrorist bombs target Shias in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 47

The two Karachi bombs blew apart several apartment buildings (AFP)

The Taliban terror jihad against Shia Muslims in Pakistan continued on Sunday when two terrorist bombs, planted in a Shia neighborhood near a Shia Muslim mosque, exploded, killing 47 and injuring hundreds. The first bomb was planted in a vehicle and exploded via a remote signal. The second bomb exploded shortly thereafter. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP - the Pakistan Taliban) has apparently applauded the bombings, but claim they weren't responsible. TTP-linked Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), has been perpetrating one Shia Muslim bloodbath after another (see "18-Feb-13 World View -- Protests boil across Pakistan after mass slaughter of Quetta Shias"), and is suspecting of Sunday's bombing, but they haven't yet claimed responsibility. There is a rising fury among the Shia Muslims in Pakistan that the government is either in league with TTP to kill Shias, or at the least is afraid of TTP. Dawn (Karachi) and BBC

Nearly 60 dead in four days of deadly ethnic clashes in Bangladesh

When the Indian subcontinent was partitioned into Pakistan and India in 1947, what is now known as Bangladesh was made part of Pakistan, and called East Pakistan. With East and West Pakistan separated by the vast expanse of India, the two regions didn't get along. The 1947 Partition war was a generational crisis war for (West) Pakistan, but not for East Pakistan. In 1971, East Pakistan fought a liberation war from (West) Pakistan, resulting in independence for Bangladesh. (See "FBI will aid Bangladesh investigation of border guard officer massacre" from March, 2009.)

But the 1971 war was actually an ethnic generational crisis civil war between the market and government dominant Bahari minority versus the Bengali majority. This was also a proxy war between Pakistan, who sided with the dominant Baharis, and India, who sided with the Bengalis. During the war, as many as 3 million people were killed, and hundreds of thousands raped, allegedly by the Baharis, supported by the West Pakistan army. When the war ended, the Bengalis got revenge with brutal violence against the defeated Bahari minority, including rapes, mutilations, butchery, torture and murder. Associated Press, December 20, 1971

Today, Bangladesh is in a generational Awakening/Unraveling era, and a war crimes conviction, and there is a war crimes tribunal in progress to prosecute perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have been massing for weeks to protest economic conditions. But the conviction last week of Delwar Hossain Sayedee for war crimes in 1971 has triggered new ethnic violence. Soldiers are being deployed to control the spreading violence between demonstrators and police, which has resulted so far in 58 casualties.

So, (West) Pakistan is in a generational Crisis era, and we can expect that violent attacks by Sunni Taliban-linked terrorists against Shia Muslims to lead to a new civil war. But Bangladesh is in an Awakening/Unraveling era, so the current clashes are expected to fizzle before long. Guardian (London)

The 'Harlem Shake' is shaking up the Mideast

The "Harlem Shake," a viral dance craze invented by Australian teenagers a few weeks ago, is being used by protesters in Tunisia and Egypt to demonstrate against Islamist governments. In Tunisia, Salafists tried unsuccessfully to stop the filming of a staging of the Harlem Shake at a Tunis school last week. However, the staging was completed, and video footage, which shows participants smoking, dancing wildly in uncoordinated manner and simulating sexual acts, has spread on the Internet, attracting millions of views. Egypt's anti-Muslim Brotherhood protesters have copied the idea. A group of Egyptians posted videos of themselves on YouTube doing the "Harlem Shake" in front of the Giza pyramids, with one of them, wearing white underwear and a bow tie, dancing while riding a camel. A number of social media sites run by Salafists and other Islamist groups have denounced the "Harlem Shake" as indecent, with participants smoking, dancing wildly and simulating sexual acts. Middle East Online (London) and Daily Star (Beirut)

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