EU

• July 24, 2013

  The Promise and Peril of Gestures of Peace

  I was about to publish the piece below one day ago. It was based on a press conference of the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, July 21, 2013. But just two days later, the same Foreign Ministry spokesperson contradicted his own statement that America had been invited to the inauguration. This is a highly unusual development that I will analyze below, and the story may still be unfolding. But first read this piece:

   

  Return the Gesture: Invite President Rowhani of Iran to the White House 

  The Foreign Ministry of Iran has invited the European Union and the United States
  to attend the inauguration of President Rowhani on August 4. The evidence of history suggests that the smart thing for the United States to do is seize the moment and quickly return the friendly gesture. The White House should invite President Rowhani to the White House on September 21, the …

• November 4, 2009

  Radical Cleric Calls for Peace in Germany

  Mohammed El Fazazi has written an open letter to the Muslims of Germany calling for peaceful means of protest. Fazazi was one of the preachers who previously radicalized three of the 911 hijackers in a Hamburg mosque and is currently imprisoned for his role in radicalizing the group responsible for the Casablanca attacks of 2003.

  He writes that his time in prison has made him reflect on his beliefs and see how violence doesn’t work.

  • He calls for Muslims in Germany to seek change through civilian, peaceful methods of resistance, “means of peaceful demonstrations, strikes and protests that are far removed from indiscriminate attacks, the killing of innocent people with the argument of killing kuffar, or non believers.”
  • He says “the strength of the argument lies not in a rifle bullet, in violence or in explosive belts. Those won’t bring about change.”
  • “As for those in the streets of Hamburg

  …