INDIA
Political Front:
National level: Communist Party of India (Marxist) has asked government to implement Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act with sincerity in order to provide justice and equal opportunities to lower casts. Meanwhile Samajwadi Party Chief and former Defence Minister Mulayam Singh has asked government to call a Lok Sabha session to discuss China’s incursion in Indian Border States. As far as by-polls are concerned Congress has lost some of its seats in Delhi JD (U) while BJP has won seats from there. Despite strong opposition from various segments RSS has reiterated its commitment to Hindutva ideology. In terms of insurgencies causing domestic unrest PM Man Mohan Singh has declared Naxalite movement to be major threat to Indian security and blamed foreign actors for supporting such movements to destabilize the country. Lastly Kashmir remained on high alert as a result of some information of infiltration.
At the Regional Front NCP and Congress parties have started putting efforts to bring some mutually agreed solution of seats sharing in by polls in Maharashtra.
Geo-Strategic Front:
On one hand Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram during his visit to US, blamed Pakistan for its involvement in cross border infiltration. On the other hand Pakistan has approved South Asian train service (Dhaka-Delhi-Lahore) initiative taken by India on the same pattern as Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul plans. All the while Pakistan has rejected Indian protest over its Gilgit-Baltistan package and dam construction in Azad Kashmir.
National level: Communist Party of India (Marxist) has asked government to implement Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act with sincerity in order to provide justice and equal opportunities to lower casts. Meanwhile Samajwadi Party Chief and former Defence Minister Mulayam Singh has asked government to call a Lok Sabha session to discuss China’s incursion in Indian Border States. As far as by-polls are concerned Congress has lost some of its seats in Delhi JD (U) while BJP has won seats from there. Despite strong opposition from various segments RSS has reiterated its commitment to Hindutva ideology. In terms of insurgencies causing domestic unrest PM Man Mohan Singh has declared Naxalite movement to be major threat to Indian security and blamed foreign actors for supporting such movements to destabilize the country. Lastly Kashmir remained on high alert as a result of some information of infiltration.
At the Regional Front NCP and Congress parties have started putting efforts to bring some mutually agreed solution of seats sharing in by polls in Maharashtra.
Geo-Strategic Front:
On one hand Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram during his visit to US, blamed Pakistan for its involvement in cross border infiltration. On the other hand Pakistan has approved South Asian train service (Dhaka-Delhi-Lahore) initiative taken by India on the same pattern as Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul plans. All the while Pakistan has rejected Indian protest over its Gilgit-Baltistan package and dam construction in Azad Kashmir.
Social Front:
Indian Muslim women have maintained the custom of offering Salatut Tasbeeh in a gathering during the holy month of Ramadan in Lucknow inspite opposition from administration.
Economic Front:
Overall Indian economy has started improving. The IT industry in this regard has witnessed remarkable recovery after recession.
EAST ASIA
Indian Muslim women have maintained the custom of offering Salatut Tasbeeh in a gathering during the holy month of Ramadan in Lucknow inspite opposition from administration.
Economic Front:
Overall Indian economy has started improving. The IT industry in this regard has witnessed remarkable recovery after recession.
EAST ASIA
Political Front:
Malaysian PM has reiterated his commitment to transforming the party in order to win public support. Meanwhile the MIC- Malaysian Indian Congress President Samy Veller has asked former PM Mahatir Mohammad to stop interfering in nominating a Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Bagan Pinang by-election, slatted for Oct 11. Moving towards Philippines, lawmakers have expressed apprehension that a leadership vacuum would result in case of failure of elections next year. While an opposition leader proposed that power should be transferred to an interim President prior to elections in order to save country from instability. In the meantime; Philippine President Arroyo's spokesperson denied any plan of to declare martial law for the rest of her term, and that automated polls will be conducted, as scheduled, next year. In the meantime the Philippines and the country’s largest Muslim rebel group moved closer to resuming peace talks after the two sides signed an agreement to form a new foreign observer team.
Geo-Strategic Front:
Despite Cambodian government’s deployment of riot police at Thai-Cambodian border; “yellow shirt” protestors launched demonstrations according to their plan and came in direct confrontation with villagers and police. In the meantime Thai PM assured his public that they have lost no territory in the disputed Thai-Cambodian border area near Preah Vihear temple. Apart from this Thai PM has appreciated the US and European efforts to engage Myanmar in talks in order to bring political change, improve human rights and stem drug trafficking from the country. As far as the presence of US troops in Philippines is concerned the government defended its agreement with the United States on visiting forces as "important, useful and relevant" even while majority of senators in the country called for review of the treaty.
Social Front:
Indonesian rights activists as well as Christians strongly condemned a new Islamic law calling for adulterers to be stoned to death in the country’s staunchly conservative Aceh province. Meanwhile growing number of Afghan asylum seekers has become serious source of concern for Indonesian government. Amnesty International has repeated its call for Malaysia to stop using the penalty of caning altogether, after a court sentenced a Muslim to six strokes of the cane and a year in prison for drinking alcohol. Moving towards Thailand, military has been engaging more with Muslim communities and has turned to community development projects in attempt to win over the hearts and minds of locals. Educators in the Muslim Autonomous Region of Philippines have agreed that strengthening of Islamic schools, known as "Madaris" would lead to the attainment of lasting peace as well as economic development in the restive region of Muslim Mindanao. Flooding and landslides triggered by a tropical storm killed 11 people and displaced over 360,000 in five provinces in the Philippines. Lastly, the National Integration Council (NIC) in Singapore has called for arts groups to help promote interaction between locals and new immigrants.
Economic Front:
The Indonesian government, facing decreased exports in the economic revession is planning on attracting investment in the domestic industry. The Malaysian company, Universal Pacific Ltd has been given a 50-year concession by the Laos Government to develop a special economic zone near the newly-completed Laos-Thai railway line across the Mekong River. According to New York-based Global Source the Philippines' budget deficit would probably stay above 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) next year due to the lack of heightened revenue efforts and continued pump-priming activities to stir the economy. While Thailand's recession eased in the second quarter, as consumer confidence rose for the third straight month indicated by growing demand of agriculture products, electronics and auto-parts; yet economists suspect that political instability could overshadow recovery. In the meantime the unemployment figures in the country have dropped from one million to a normal level at 300,000 to 400,000 people. Singapore’s labor market has started showing signs of improvement; employment however remained at a decline. Lastly, Vietnam has been identified as one of the key markets for global investors, ranking number one on the top 10 emerging markets beyond the BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India and China) for investors over the next five years.
CENTAL ASIA
Political Front:
Azerbaijan prepares for upcoming municipal elections. Supporters of Yevgeny Zhovtis, the director of the International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law in Kazakhstan, have announced that they consider him a political prisoner. All the while Kazakhstan's opposition party leaders have slammed the idea of passing the bill, "The leader of the nation," based on the concept of life-long Presidency. Kyrgyzstan has established the Transit Center at Manas airport in Bishkek as a move to counter global terrorism.
Geo-Strategic Front:
Hungary has expressed her intention to enhance military education cooperation with Azerbaijan. In the meantime President of Azerbaijan paid successful visit to Kazakhstan. Also the Russian President arrived in Kazakhstan, kicking off a tour of the energy-rich Caspian Sea region; where they would hold a four-way summit with the leaders of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. Steppe Eagle-2009 international tactical exercises began in Almaty region that involved over 1.5 thousand soldiers from Kazakhstan, Great Britain and the USA. Consultations between the foreign ministries of Tajikistan and Kazakhstan on bilateral cooperation and interaction within international organizations, including the OSCE, were conducted in Dushanbe at the end of last week. Authorities of the Kyrgyz special services took part in the meeting with the President of Russia. No principle decisions on the Russian military base in Tajikistan have been adopted during Russian defense minister’s discussions with Tajik officials. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez paid a two-day visit to Turkmenistan and signed agreement with Turkmen President to enhance bilateral cooperation between them. During a bilateral meeting, President of Turkmenistan and his Russian counterpart discussed and reaffirmed the Turkmen-Russia strategic and economic cooperation in the light of the huge resource potential of the two countries. This year has seen a breakthrough in relations between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Social Front:
Religious themes have been part of textbooks of secondary school in Azerbaijan. The number of HIV/AIDS patients in Kyrgyzstan's Jalalabad region has increased by 150 percent since 2006. Currently growing number of Swine flu victims has become serious source of concern for the government. Meanwhile the first official regional Islamic school, or Madrasa, has opened in the southern Kyrgyz city of Batken. The re-registration of mosques, churches, and temples in Tajikistan has been proceeding despite a lack of participation by non-Muslim communities. Turkmen President's book "Herbs of Turkmenistan" received the diploma of the 22nd Moscow International Book Fair "for fundamental concept and high level research encyclopedia".
Economic Front:
Azerbaijan State Oil Company (SOCAR) exported 1.715 million tons of oil via Baku-Novorossiysk in Jan.-Aug. 2009, a rise of 1.9 times from the same period of 2008. Meanwhile Investments in Azerbaijan’s economy earmarked as part of the contracts on development of oil and gas fields have hit $37 billion. A loan worth 500 million US dollars has been presented to Kazakhstan by the Asian Development Bank. According to Central Bank of Russia Kyrgyzstan ranks among 10 top recipients of large money transfers from Russia. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have expressed intention to restore historic, economic ties. Turkmenistan's president insisted that his Central Asian nation has enough natural gas reserves to supply a planned pipeline that could reduce Western reliance on Russian energy exports. Uzbekistan has expressed intention to attract foreign investors for uranium deposits development. Meanwhile the forum of business circles of Uzbekistan and China took place in Tashkent on 7 September.
GCC- Gulf Cooperation Council
Political Front:
The Kuwaiti Cabinet has vowed commitment to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah's speech, addressed on the occasion of the last ten days of Ramadan, for the ultimate service of the country and its citizens.
Geo-strategic Front:
Foreign ministers of the GCC states held a consultative meeting on the sidelines of the 64th UN General Assembly session. In the meantime, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Chinese government have successfully concluded the first round of negotiations to establish a free tra
de zone between the GCC and China, in Saudi Arabia. The warming relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria received boost with the attendance of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad at the inaugural ceremony of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). All the while despite efforts by the US Embassy to ease visa process for Saudi students, glitches still exist. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed appreciation of the humanitarian efforts made by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Lastly, the volume of trade between China and Qatar has increased, and the cultural and political relations between the two sides have greatly improved.
Social Front:
At social front the GCC countries, seem highly concerned to combat multiple communicable diseases threat caused by the huge influx of people from the neighboring Arab countries. In Saudi Arabia, while the debate on stopping all commercial activity during prayer times continues, one local online newspaper in Hail province has decided to advocate for this pause by taking down its site for 20 minutes, five times a day. In the meantime Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has strongly criticized the Tash Ma Tash comedy series broadcast on an Arab satellite television during Ramadan. He termed it malicious adding that it targeted religion and damaged social cohesiveness. The Bahraini King provided more than 10,000 widows and orphans with Eid gifts. Likewise, Qatar National Bank (QNB) has extended its support to the Eid Gift project, an annual charity drive conducted by Qatar Red Crescent to help needy families in the country.
Economic Front:
Bahrain has been regarded as one of the best places in the world to do business. The annual inflation rate in UAE has witnessed a substantial fall this year settling at somewhere between 3.5pc and 4pc, while Abu Dhabi has emerged leading the recovery from the economic downturn in the Gulf. It now accounts for 23 per cent of all advertised jobs in the GCC. Meanwhile foreign investments in Qatar have increased by 42%.
FERTILE CRESCENT
Political Front:
Egypt has defended its role on Lebanese politics amidst accusations of hindering the formation of a new government. Meanwhile World envoys to the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO gave 22 out of 57 votes to Culture Minister Farouk Hosni in his bid to be elected the new director general, despite widespread charges of anti-Semitism against him. Moving onwards Iraq’s cabinet has approved a draft law paving the way for national elections in January, including a shift to an open list allowing voters to pick candidates and not just parties. Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced to launch the second round of parliamentary consultations of cabinet formation. On the first day of parliamentary consultations Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition and the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, refrained from renaming the head of the ruling majority Saad Hariri as prime Minister, projecting bleaker prospects for government formation.
Geo-strategic Front:
Iraq has asked Syria to stop militants using it as a base before initiating any kind of talks about restoring diplomatic ties. French President Nicolas Sarkozy voiced support for Lebanese President Michel Sleiman and his prime minister-designate as they struggle to piece together a new government. Meanwhile several rockets have been fired from Southern Lebanon in the territory of Israel though causing no casualties. As a result Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanon that Israel "will not hold back" when attacked and would consider the Lebanese government responsible for any assault on his country. The US has also condemned these attacks. Lebanon however has started looking towards Iran for weapons to counter any Israeli attack while emphasizing a need for unity among Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran to face the Israeli threat.
Social Front:
Iraq has been facing unprecedented water shortages threatening to turn its once fertile southern plateaus into desert, while raising fears of a substantial drop in domestic rice yields this year. Leading Lebanese Shiite scholar Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah has issued a fatwa, forbidding the normalization of ties with neighboring Israel.
Economic Front:
Lebanon received the equivalent of $298 million in foreign currency reserves on September 9 from a new program established by the International Monetary Fund.
TURKEY
Political Front:
The Justice Ministry is seeking comprehensive reform, with 2010 declared the judicial reforms year in Turkey, in a bid to raise its standards in compliance with EU membership criteria. Turkey's biggest media corporation, Doğan Yayın , has started to argue that a record fine of $2.5 billion by the government against it was arbitrary and violated press freedom. Neutral observers however expressed doubt about the media organization that has repeatedly ignored public interest for decades using the argument that “press freedom is in danger.” Despite PM’s commitment to resolve Kurdish issue by democratic initiative; he has reiterated that the Turkish military would continue its operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Meanwhile government has condemned opposition parties for not lending support to them over Kurdish issue despite support from a majority of the population. Three recent public opinion polls conducted by independent firms for the Ministry of Interior show that between 55 and 64 percent of Turks support the government's Kurdish initiative .
Geo-strategic Front:
Turkish role in bridging gap between Syria and the Western countries has been regarded as crucial by many observers. The two countries started to implement a mutual visa exemption procedure on 18 September. The Turkish foreign minister has also defined Iran as a neighbor, friend and a partner country. While on the other hand the US President Barack Obama's administration has notified Congress of a possible $7.8 billion sale of Patriot PAC-3 antimissile batteries and related equipment to Turkey, the only NATO ally, bordering Iran. Meanwhile at the domestic front Turkey's plan to buy a massive missile system, from the United States, has left experts wondering whom Ankara sees as a threat in the region and how the multi-billion-dollar project would be financed amid the economic recession. Turkish Foreign Minister however claimed that purchase of arms was for Turkish security and not against any foreign threat. Ongoing peace talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders have been progressing with cautious optimism that an agreement could be reached. The first ministerial meeting of the Turkey-Iraq Strategic Cooperation Council was held in Istanbul on 17-18 September.
Social Front:
Torrential rains paralyzed daily life throughout Turkey.
Economic Front:
Turkey's unemployment dropped to 13 percent in June, a 0.6 percent fall compared to the previous month. All the while according the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's (UNCTAD) annual review of investment trends, Turkey attracted 18.2 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) last year, moving it up five notches on the list of top recipients of FDI globe. But while the country now ranks 20th on the list of FDI recipients, it experienced a 17 percent decline in FDI inflows from its $22 billion peak in 2007. Despite all this; recently introduced mid-term economic program by Turkish government focuses primarily on economic growth.
______________________________________________________
Business and Politics in the Muslim World (BPM)refers to the project entitled, "Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World.' The blog development project has been undertaken and developed jointly by the Gilani Research Foundation and BPM as a free resource and social discussion tool.
Malaysian PM has reiterated his commitment to transforming the party in order to win public support. Meanwhile the MIC- Malaysian Indian Congress President Samy Veller has asked former PM Mahatir Mohammad to stop interfering in nominating a Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Bagan Pinang by-election, slatted for Oct 11. Moving towards Philippines, lawmakers have expressed apprehension that a leadership vacuum would result in case of failure of elections next year. While an opposition leader proposed that power should be transferred to an interim President prior to elections in order to save country from instability. In the meantime; Philippine President Arroyo's spokesperson denied any plan of to declare martial law for the rest of her term, and that automated polls will be conducted, as scheduled, next year. In the meantime the Philippines and the country’s largest Muslim rebel group moved closer to resuming peace talks after the two sides signed an agreement to form a new foreign observer team.
Geo-Strategic Front:
Despite Cambodian government’s deployment of riot police at Thai-Cambodian border; “yellow shirt” protestors launched demonstrations according to their plan and came in direct confrontation with villagers and police. In the meantime Thai PM assured his public that they have lost no territory in the disputed Thai-Cambodian border area near Preah Vihear temple. Apart from this Thai PM has appreciated the US and European efforts to engage Myanmar in talks in order to bring political change, improve human rights and stem drug trafficking from the country. As far as the presence of US troops in Philippines is concerned the government defended its agreement with the United States on visiting forces as "important, useful and relevant" even while majority of senators in the country called for review of the treaty.
Social Front:
Indonesian rights activists as well as Christians strongly condemned a new Islamic law calling for adulterers to be stoned to death in the country’s staunchly conservative Aceh province. Meanwhile growing number of Afghan asylum seekers has become serious source of concern for Indonesian government. Amnesty International has repeated its call for Malaysia to stop using the penalty of caning altogether, after a court sentenced a Muslim to six strokes of the cane and a year in prison for drinking alcohol. Moving towards Thailand, military has been engaging more with Muslim communities and has turned to community development projects in attempt to win over the hearts and minds of locals. Educators in the Muslim Autonomous Region of Philippines have agreed that strengthening of Islamic schools, known as "Madaris" would lead to the attainment of lasting peace as well as economic development in the restive region of Muslim Mindanao. Flooding and landslides triggered by a tropical storm killed 11 people and displaced over 360,000 in five provinces in the Philippines. Lastly, the National Integration Council (NIC) in Singapore has called for arts groups to help promote interaction between locals and new immigrants.
Economic Front:
The Indonesian government, facing decreased exports in the economic revession is planning on attracting investment in the domestic industry. The Malaysian company, Universal Pacific Ltd has been given a 50-year concession by the Laos Government to develop a special economic zone near the newly-completed Laos-Thai railway line across the Mekong River. According to New York-based Global Source the Philippines' budget deficit would probably stay above 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) next year due to the lack of heightened revenue efforts and continued pump-priming activities to stir the economy. While Thailand's recession eased in the second quarter, as consumer confidence rose for the third straight month indicated by growing demand of agriculture products, electronics and auto-parts; yet economists suspect that political instability could overshadow recovery. In the meantime the unemployment figures in the country have dropped from one million to a normal level at 300,000 to 400,000 people. Singapore’s labor market has started showing signs of improvement; employment however remained at a decline. Lastly, Vietnam has been identified as one of the key markets for global investors, ranking number one on the top 10 emerging markets beyond the BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India and China) for investors over the next five years.
CENTAL ASIA
Political Front:
Azerbaijan prepares for upcoming municipal elections. Supporters of Yevgeny Zhovtis, the director of the International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law in Kazakhstan, have announced that they consider him a political prisoner. All the while Kazakhstan's opposition party leaders have slammed the idea of passing the bill, "The leader of the nation," based on the concept of life-long Presidency. Kyrgyzstan has established the Transit Center at Manas airport in Bishkek as a move to counter global terrorism.
Geo-Strategic Front:
Hungary has expressed her intention to enhance military education cooperation with Azerbaijan. In the meantime President of Azerbaijan paid successful visit to Kazakhstan. Also the Russian President arrived in Kazakhstan, kicking off a tour of the energy-rich Caspian Sea region; where they would hold a four-way summit with the leaders of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. Steppe Eagle-2009 international tactical exercises began in Almaty region that involved over 1.5 thousand soldiers from Kazakhstan, Great Britain and the USA. Consultations between the foreign ministries of Tajikistan and Kazakhstan on bilateral cooperation and interaction within international organizations, including the OSCE, were conducted in Dushanbe at the end of last week. Authorities of the Kyrgyz special services took part in the meeting with the President of Russia. No principle decisions on the Russian military base in Tajikistan have been adopted during Russian defense minister’s discussions with Tajik officials. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez paid a two-day visit to Turkmenistan and signed agreement with Turkmen President to enhance bilateral cooperation between them. During a bilateral meeting, President of Turkmenistan and his Russian counterpart discussed and reaffirmed the Turkmen-Russia strategic and economic cooperation in the light of the huge resource potential of the two countries. This year has seen a breakthrough in relations between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Social Front:
Religious themes have been part of textbooks of secondary school in Azerbaijan. The number of HIV/AIDS patients in Kyrgyzstan's Jalalabad region has increased by 150 percent since 2006. Currently growing number of Swine flu victims has become serious source of concern for the government. Meanwhile the first official regional Islamic school, or Madrasa, has opened in the southern Kyrgyz city of Batken. The re-registration of mosques, churches, and temples in Tajikistan has been proceeding despite a lack of participation by non-Muslim communities. Turkmen President's book "Herbs of Turkmenistan" received the diploma of the 22nd Moscow International Book Fair "for fundamental concept and high level research encyclopedia".
Economic Front:
Azerbaijan State Oil Company (SOCAR) exported 1.715 million tons of oil via Baku-Novorossiysk in Jan.-Aug. 2009, a rise of 1.9 times from the same period of 2008. Meanwhile Investments in Azerbaijan’s economy earmarked as part of the contracts on development of oil and gas fields have hit $37 billion. A loan worth 500 million US dollars has been presented to Kazakhstan by the Asian Development Bank. According to Central Bank of Russia Kyrgyzstan ranks among 10 top recipients of large money transfers from Russia. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have expressed intention to restore historic, economic ties. Turkmenistan's president insisted that his Central Asian nation has enough natural gas reserves to supply a planned pipeline that could reduce Western reliance on Russian energy exports. Uzbekistan has expressed intention to attract foreign investors for uranium deposits development. Meanwhile the forum of business circles of Uzbekistan and China took place in Tashkent on 7 September.
GCC- Gulf Cooperation Council
Political Front:
The Kuwaiti Cabinet has vowed commitment to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah's speech, addressed on the occasion of the last ten days of Ramadan, for the ultimate service of the country and its citizens.
Geo-strategic Front:
Foreign ministers of the GCC states held a consultative meeting on the sidelines of the 64th UN General Assembly session. In the meantime, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Chinese government have successfully concluded the first round of negotiations to establish a free tra
de zone between the GCC and China, in Saudi Arabia. The warming relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria received boost with the attendance of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad at the inaugural ceremony of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). All the while despite efforts by the US Embassy to ease visa process for Saudi students, glitches still exist. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed appreciation of the humanitarian efforts made by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Lastly, the volume of trade between China and Qatar has increased, and the cultural and political relations between the two sides have greatly improved.Social Front:
At social front the GCC countries, seem highly concerned to combat multiple communicable diseases threat caused by the huge influx of people from the neighboring Arab countries. In Saudi Arabia, while the debate on stopping all commercial activity during prayer times continues, one local online newspaper in Hail province has decided to advocate for this pause by taking down its site for 20 minutes, five times a day. In the meantime Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has strongly criticized the Tash Ma Tash comedy series broadcast on an Arab satellite television during Ramadan. He termed it malicious adding that it targeted religion and damaged social cohesiveness. The Bahraini King provided more than 10,000 widows and orphans with Eid gifts. Likewise, Qatar National Bank (QNB) has extended its support to the Eid Gift project, an annual charity drive conducted by Qatar Red Crescent to help needy families in the country.
Economic Front:
Bahrain has been regarded as one of the best places in the world to do business. The annual inflation rate in UAE has witnessed a substantial fall this year settling at somewhere between 3.5pc and 4pc, while Abu Dhabi has emerged leading the recovery from the economic downturn in the Gulf. It now accounts for 23 per cent of all advertised jobs in the GCC. Meanwhile foreign investments in Qatar have increased by 42%.
FERTILE CRESCENT
Political Front:
Egypt has defended its role on Lebanese politics amidst accusations of hindering the formation of a new government. Meanwhile World envoys to the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO gave 22 out of 57 votes to Culture Minister Farouk Hosni in his bid to be elected the new director general, despite widespread charges of anti-Semitism against him. Moving onwards Iraq’s cabinet has approved a draft law paving the way for national elections in January, including a shift to an open list allowing voters to pick candidates and not just parties. Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced to launch the second round of parliamentary consultations of cabinet formation. On the first day of parliamentary consultations Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition and the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, refrained from renaming the head of the ruling majority Saad Hariri as prime Minister, projecting bleaker prospects for government formation.
Geo-strategic Front:
Iraq has asked Syria to stop militants using it as a base before initiating any kind of talks about restoring diplomatic ties. French President Nicolas Sarkozy voiced support for Lebanese President Michel Sleiman and his prime minister-designate as they struggle to piece together a new government. Meanwhile several rockets have been fired from Southern Lebanon in the territory of Israel though causing no casualties. As a result Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanon that Israel "will not hold back" when attacked and would consider the Lebanese government responsible for any assault on his country. The US has also condemned these attacks. Lebanon however has started looking towards Iran for weapons to counter any Israeli attack while emphasizing a need for unity among Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran to face the Israeli threat.
Social Front:
Iraq has been facing unprecedented water shortages threatening to turn its once fertile southern plateaus into desert, while raising fears of a substantial drop in domestic rice yields this year. Leading Lebanese Shiite scholar Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah has issued a fatwa, forbidding the normalization of ties with neighboring Israel.
Economic Front:
Lebanon received the equivalent of $298 million in foreign currency reserves on September 9 from a new program established by the International Monetary Fund.
TURKEY
Political Front:
The Justice Ministry is seeking comprehensive reform, with 2010 declared the judicial reforms year in Turkey, in a bid to raise its standards in compliance with EU membership criteria. Turkey's biggest media corporation, Doğan Yayın , has started to argue that a record fine of $2.5 billion by the government against it was arbitrary and violated press freedom. Neutral observers however expressed doubt about the media organization that has repeatedly ignored public interest for decades using the argument that “press freedom is in danger.” Despite PM’s commitment to resolve Kurdish issue by democratic initiative; he has reiterated that the Turkish military would continue its operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Meanwhile government has condemned opposition parties for not lending support to them over Kurdish issue despite support from a majority of the population. Three recent public opinion polls conducted by independent firms for the Ministry of Interior show that between 55 and 64 percent of Turks support the government's Kurdish initiative .
Geo-strategic Front:
Turkish role in bridging gap between Syria and the Western countries has been regarded as crucial by many observers. The two countries started to implement a mutual visa exemption procedure on 18 September. The Turkish foreign minister has also defined Iran as a neighbor, friend and a partner country. While on the other hand the US President Barack Obama's administration has notified Congress of a possible $7.8 billion sale of Patriot PAC-3 antimissile batteries and related equipment to Turkey, the only NATO ally, bordering Iran. Meanwhile at the domestic front Turkey's plan to buy a massive missile system, from the United States, has left experts wondering whom Ankara sees as a threat in the region and how the multi-billion-dollar project would be financed amid the economic recession. Turkish Foreign Minister however claimed that purchase of arms was for Turkish security and not against any foreign threat. Ongoing peace talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders have been progressing with cautious optimism that an agreement could be reached. The first ministerial meeting of the Turkey-Iraq Strategic Cooperation Council was held in Istanbul on 17-18 September.
Social Front:
Torrential rains paralyzed daily life throughout Turkey.
Economic Front:
Turkey's unemployment dropped to 13 percent in June, a 0.6 percent fall compared to the previous month. All the while according the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's (UNCTAD) annual review of investment trends, Turkey attracted 18.2 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) last year, moving it up five notches on the list of top recipients of FDI globe. But while the country now ranks 20th on the list of FDI recipients, it experienced a 17 percent decline in FDI inflows from its $22 billion peak in 2007. Despite all this; recently introduced mid-term economic program by Turkish government focuses primarily on economic growth.
______________________________________________________
Business and Politics in the Muslim World (BPM)refers to the project entitled, "Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World.' The blog development project has been undertaken and developed jointly by the Gilani Research Foundation and BPM as a free resource and social discussion tool.
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