Free Republic

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A Chinese-owned fishing vessel with 18 crew members aboard was hijacked last week off the northeastern coast of Somalia, local authorities said Friday. An official in Xaafuun district in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland, where the vessel is being held, told journalists that the hijackers include the ship’s security guards, who later joined forces with armed men from the coastal region. The European Union’s anti-piracy naval force, Eunavfor Atalanta, brought global attention to the incident after issuing a statement on Thursday that confirmed the local maritime authorities had notified it and investigations revealed that armed men...

...Bangladesh has a reputation for moderate Islam, for democracy, and for promoting the rights of women. Indeed, women lead both major political parties, the governing Bangladesh National Party of prime minister Khaleda Zia and the opposition Awami League. Mainstream parties accept that they can only assume power through elections. Bangladesh is home to the Grameen Bank, cited as a model of development for the way that it empowers poor women through small scale loans, or "micro-credit." But the Islamist current, once marginal, appears to be growing. In 1998, when Osama bin Laden declared "Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders," few took...