A Muslim lawyer has gone into hiding amid threats and a barrage of criticism after he publicly demanded the creation of Sharia courts in the country. A Muslim lawyer has gone into hiding amid threats and a barrage of criticism after he publicly demanded...

... reason to limit the Islamic community's ability to live by its own rules." As for Khasavov's appeal to establish Sharia courts, they already de facto exist in the Caucasus. No one in Russia, the United States, France or elsewhere can deny any two Muslims the right to settle their differences with the help of an imam. The only way governments can address this issue is not through violence but by offering a better alternative. The Russian government cannot sanction the practice of stoning, chopping...

... Bashar Assad's ouster. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Western and Islamic countries should increase pressure on Assad's armed opponents to stop attacks and try to avert what he said were deliberate efforts to sow discord between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. "There is now … a real threat of the conflict spilling over into Lebanon, where — given the history and ethnic and religious makeup of the population, and the principles on which the Lebanese state is based — it could end very badly,"...

... "foreign players." Abkhazia's leader, Alexander Ankvab, can't be too pleased. The cache was discovered during the investigation of the latest attempt on his life in February, and he had ruled out Georgia's role in the attack. Announcing that there are Muslim terrorists in Abkhazia who are associated with Georgia's plans to attack Sochi makes Ankvab look weak, Abkhazia look unstable and confirms what Tbilisi has been saying all along, "Russia is its own phantom menace." Paul Rimple is a journalist...

... twin bombing was organized,” an unnamed law enforcement official told RIA-Novosti. Dagestani President Magomedsalam Magomedov said in a statement on his website that the attack was aimed at disrupting bridge-building within the republic’s Muslim community. Tatyana Lokshina of Human Rights Watch pointed to a recent meeting between Sufi and Salafi leaders that was seen as a sign of reconciliation after years of tension. “Whoever’s behind this attack is possibly not content with...

... election will take place later this month. There is already some tension over the prohibition against some candidates and, unless resolved, it may lead to political violence at that time or in the aftermath. Instability in the region, especially with the Muslim Brotherhood in such a prominent role, highlights the broader threat to the region and the risk of a rerun of last year's violent clashes. All of that is more likely to keep some risk premium in the oil price and makes Saudi Arabia's declared target...