Islamists

Police using batons, dogs and water cannons broke up a protest by thousands of Islamists marching through Turkey's capital, Ankara, to challenge Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz's effort to curtail religious education. Witnesses said police repeatedly charged demonstrators outside the Education Ministry after hours of protests. The Anatolian news agency said 11 people were hospitalized. Estimates of the crowd size ranged from 6,000 to 15,000.

CAIRO - Egypt unveiled a proposed draft of a new constitution Wednesday amid criticism from liberals and human rights groups that the document is tilted toward Islamic law and endangers the democratic ideals of the uprising that last year overthrew Hosni Mubarak. The partial draft, which was opened for public review, immediately revealed the battle lines between Islamists and secularists over the nation's character. Dominated by ultraconservative and moderate Islamists, the 100-member assembly that wrote the charter made it clear that civil and religious rights would be shaped through the prism of Islam.

The Egyptian military stamps itself as protector of the nation, but behind this carefully tended mythology the army controls a multibillion-dollar business empire that trades in products not normally associated with men in uniform: olive oil, fertilizer, televisions, laptops, cigarettes, mineral water, poultry, bread and underwear. Estimates suggest that military-connected enterprises account for 10% to 40% of the Egyptian economy. It is an opaque realm of foreign investments, inside deals and privilege that has grown quietly for decades, employing thousands of workers and operating parallel to the army's defense industries.

TRIPOLI, Libya - Egypt slipped further into political disarray Wednesday when a judge suspended upcoming parliamentary elections and referred the country's much-criticized electoral law to the highest court. An administrative judge struck down a decree by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi to hold staggered elections for a lower house of parliament slated to begin April 22. The court, citing concerns over the recently amended electoral charter, asked Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court to review the law. The ruling appeared likely to delay the elections and highlighted the struggle between Morsi and the largely secular opposition.

CAIRO - The well-tailored spy and the dueling Islamists are out. Egypt's election commission Tuesday upheld its decision to disqualify three key presidential candidates: Omar Suleiman, former intelligence chief and vice president; Khairat Shater, onetime political prisoner and Muslim Brotherhood financier; and Hazem Salah abu Ismail, an anti-Western ultraconservative preacher. The outcome was largely expected after the candidates appealed the commission's Saturday ruling.

CAIRO - The Muslim Brotherhood chose a religiously conservative businessman as its presidential candidate Saturday, a provocative move expected to upset liberals and deepen the ruling military's suspicion over the growing political power of Islamists in Egypt. Khairat Shater, who was jailed for years under former President Hosni Mubarak, was selected after weeks of debate over whether the organization should field a candidate in the May election. The Brotherhood, which controls the parliament, had long promised not to run a contender to allay public fear that Islamists would dominate the government.

Re "A Central Pillar of Iraq Policy Crumbling," Oct. 9 This article assumes there is a unified insurgency and that it is somehow directly connected to Sunni political participation. In fact, there are various faces of the insurgency in Iraq, including that of the Islamists with Abu Musab Zarqawi. Meanwhile, Iraqi Sunnis in a larger sense realize that they have to participate to make progress within their country. The real fight will be between the Sunni tribal structure and the Islamists.

CAIRO - Clashes erupted across Egypt over President Mohamed Morsi's decree expanding his authority, a move that sharpened lines between Islamists and those who fear the president is stealing power in order to edge the country closer to Islamic law. Offices of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, which Morsi headed before he became president, were set ablaze Friday in Alexandria and reportedly in Suez and Port Said. Pro- and anti-Morsi demonstrators battled in Cairo and towns in the south.

Re “ Gunman's brother denounces family ,” Nov. 10 Abdelghani Merah's book, “My Brother, This Terrorist,” should be considered for a prize for the wisdom and courage exemplified by his denouncement of the hateful indoctrination to which he was subjected by his family of religious extremists. What is odd, though - and what makes Merah's expression of outrage so noteworthy - is that so few other Islamists speak out against the intolerant adherents of their religion who preach hatred and incite the killing of innocent people in God's name.

PARIS -- France will gradually increase the number of soldiers deployed in the fight against Islamist insurgents in the West African nation of Mali to 2,500, a Defense Ministry official told journalists on Tuesday.  The report suggests that France was prepared for a larger and longer campaign in its former colony than previously thought. The official, said to be close to Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, told Agence France-Presse that the buildup of French forces in Mali would be "progressive.