The war on women . . .

THE WAR ON WOMEN continues in the Middle East, and according to Roya Hakakian's article in the Washington Post, "How blaming the West hides a war on women", it developed to a fine art in Iran and has institutionalized misogyny in the Islamic fundies, and has put a killing frost in the Arab Spring.

The world cringed and turned away from Iran. Just then, the age of marriage was lowered to 9; the weight of a woman’s testimony in a criminal trial was halved against a man’s; divorce, abortion, inheritance and custody rights were slashed; several academic fields and careers were banned to women; and the Islamic dress code was reinstituted. Public spaces in Tehran, including buses, were segregated by gender, and the faithful’s fists pumped into the air, punctuating Friday prayers with “death to America” chants.

Nasty . . .

POOR YEMEN: OIL, FUNDIES AND RACISTS have their day in the scorching sun, and the country self-destructs, to the concern of Foreign Offices around the world. Poor Yemen, so far from God, and so close to Saudi and Iran.

ALJAZEERA has been providing yeoman service in following this sorry debacle. Ali Abdullah Saleh has run out of time and legitimacy in the Yemeni hearts and minds, and it looks like his count-down to "retirement" has started. It's how this is going to happen that keeps the ER's busy, like we see below.

That's gotta hurt. How much more pain will be endured? This may be determined in Riyadh and Tehran, because that's the way the Umma is, and the Sunni/Shi'a problem continues to fester.