Islamic Feminism--Violence in Thailand--Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process--This Week on CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Portal

May 21, 2010 FEMINISM IN THE MUSLIM WORLD In a Washington Post "On Faith" column, CFR's Isobel Coleman writes about her new book, Paradise Beneath Her Feet, in which she argues that Muslim women and men are using progressive interpretations of Islam to support women's rights, which could be one of the strongest forces for moderating extremism in the Middle East. Listen to Dr. Coleman's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call on Islamic feminism. ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN THAILAND CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick writes that the escalating standoff between Thai government troops and red shirt protesters reflects both a fundamental shift in Thai politics and a weak government. ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS In a recent trip to Israel, CFR's Walter Russell Mead blogged about the Middle East peace process and the difficult the situation in which the Palestinian Authority finds itself, as they are caught not just between hardline Palestinians and Palestinian nationalism but at the intersection of a power rivalry between Iran, Syria, Israel, and other regional states.

UPCOMING RELIGION AND FOREIGN POLICY CONFERENCE CALL 2010 Update on Religious Freedom Around the World Thursday, June 17 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. (ET) Speaker: Leonard A. Leo, Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Calls are limited to religious and congregational leaders and scholars. To register, email outreach@cfr.org.

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