(New York Times) Neil MacFarquhar - The sudden gain in votes by Islamist parties in recent elections in Pakistan, Bahrain, Morocco, and Turkey is being viewed as a sign that voters - at least in those few countries that actually allow free elections - want to assert pride in their faith to the outside world. "Arab and Muslim populations think the war against terrorism is nothing but a war against Islam, the culture of Islam, the Arab culture," said Professor Muhammad Darif of Hassan II University in Morocco. "The Islamist parties have been able to exploit this."
2002-11-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive