One of the most controversial, and yet indisputable, observations that can be made about the current state of global affairs is that Islam has problems with violence and aggression. (That’s not redundant – cultural and political aggression without physical violence are possible, and troublesome.)
Russia is on a long-term holiday that started two weeks ago and ends on Monday, January 12. At that time, the banks and the stock exchange will reopen, and it’s feared that both the ruble and the Moscow stock exchange will fall sharply.
On Monday, The New York Times Editorial Board seemingly demonstrated how furious it was with the Egyptian government’s stance on gay rights. Egypt had just acquitted twenty-six allegedly homosexual men on “debauchery” charges, and the Editorial Board worries they are now “likely to suffer a lifetime of public scorn.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi delivered a speech on New Year’s Day 2015, in anticipation for the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, which ended Saturday evening. In his address, al-Sisi highlighted the necessity for reformation within the ummah, or Islamic nation.
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who married Hollywood superstar George Clooney in September, claimed Egypt threatened her with arrest due to a report she released that was critical of the country’s judicial system. Such claims had previously led to the arrest and conviction of three al-Jazeera journalists. However, Egypt wants proof from Clooney the government issued the warning.
Radical jihadist group Ansar al-Sharia kidnapped twenty Egyptian Christians in Sirte, Libya, which is 310 miles east of Tripoli. Identities were not released, but experts believe they were Coptic Christians.
Hamas’s popularity within Gaza surged to its highest levels during the summer Gaza War, but is now fading after what was essentially a Hamas defeat in the war.
Hamas, the Sunni Islamist terror group that controls the Gaza Strip, has denied that the government of Qatar has stopped financing its activities, contradicting a report last week in Arab media that claimed Doha had ceased its funding of the jihadist group in an attempt at detente with Egypt.
Qatar has temporarily suspended its close relationship with Palestinian terror group Hamas, according to an Arabic newspaper. The policy comes as Doha has attempted to strengthen its relationship with the new government of Egypt under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Egyptian authorities have raised their terror alert status to the highest level and are reportedly prepared for potential attacks on Christmas and New Year’s Eve from radial Islamic groups in the nation’s places of worship.
