DENPASAR Indonesia — After 20 years in exile, José María Síson was arrested in Utrecht, Holland, Aug. 28 and charged with ordering the murder of two dissidents of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Although he now calls himself a “consultant” to Asia’s oldest rebel movement, Síson is widely perceived to be the leader of the CPP and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), both of which he founded nearly 40 years ago. His arrest has given rise to a whirlwind of opinions, with some experts stating that it could be a severe blow to the [...]
The strict morality of life in Ramallah, where honor killings might be performed when pregnancies occur outside of marriage, means navigating the issue of sex is extremely fraught. Young people must balance the images they receive from the outside world and their continual anxiety about committing sin if they should follow their natural urges before marriage. RAMALLAH, West Bank — On first glance, the city of Ramallah in the West Bank appears boring: conservative and chaste. Most women wear headscarves and quickly avert their eyes when men are watching. There is nothing flirtatious about the gesture. In the course of [...]
RABAT, Morocco — Elections in Morocco that were projected to hand large gains to a moderate Islamic party on Friday ended with a record low voter turnout and only incremental changes to the parliament’s makeup. The Justice and Development Party (PJD), Morocco’s largest opposition party, was expected to increase its representation from 42 seats to as much as 80 in the 325-seat parliament, but only managed to win 47 seats, despite competing in more districts than in the previous election. The record low voter turn out was widely interpreted as a sign that Moroccans are dissatisfied with the current government [...]
