Arabic newspapers on the murder of an Italian activist and Iran

Arabic newspapers on Bahrain's recovery and threats against an Muslim British beauty queen.

Execution of Italian reporter is plain wrong

At a time when the Palestinian people are in a dire need for the support and compassion of the international community, some fringe Islamist groups are taking the most counter-productive measures in trying to draw attention to the Palestinian cause, noted the pan-Arab Al Quds al Arabi newspaper in its editorial.

The Gaza Strip-based Salafi group that abducted, then executed, the Italian journalist and activist Vittorio Arrigoni last week has committed a despicable crime. It portrays a segment of the Palestinian people as bloodthirsty, consumed with hatred and adverse to coexistence with those who adhere to faiths other than Islam.

"This Italian journalist had put his life on the line, choosing to move to the Gaza Strip and relay a live, impartial picture of the suffering of the Palestinian people under the siege imposed by the Israeli government. Instead of being abducted and killed, he should have been honoured."

Shedding the blood of innocents like this, whatever the reason, is abhorrent and condemnable.

"The Palestinian cause has made a lot of progress regionally and internationally, thanks to conscientious journalists who braved danger. They insisted to enter the Gaza Strip and convey an accurate image of the Israeli crimes during the 2008 attack and throughout the siege period. Every Gazan ought to be grateful to them."

Iran's two-faced stance on protests

Iran is going through a "credibility crisis" these days due to the double standards it has applied when issuing statements about the protests in the region, commented Mohammed al Saeed Idriss, a columnist with the Emirati Al Khaleej newspaper.

"Iran greeted with exaggerated enthusiasm what it termed the "democratic revolution" in Bahrain. It firmly and unequivocally denounce the involvement of the Peninsula Shield Force there, considering it "an occupation".Then Iran changed face again to condemn the people's protests in Syria and their just demands for reforms."

The Iranian ambassador to Damascus, Ahmed al Mousavi, was the first Iranian official to call the street protests in Syrian cities as a replica of "the sedition agenda" that played out in Tehran in June 2009. Then Iranian protesters took to the streets claiming that the presidential elections were rigged.

This double-standards attitude in describing pro-democracy demands as legitimate in one instance, and as "mercenary foreign involvement", in another, are undermining Iran's credibility and its regional relations.

Iran's bias against the Syrian people's right to freedom and dignity is "a major crime", and conspiring against any people's drive for justice is an even greater crime. It runs counter to the very principles that once pushed forward the Iranian Revolution.

Bahrain is recovering its earlier glow

In the midst of the political crisis in Bahrain, two important statements came out during the weekend, wrote Abeedli al Abeedli, the editor-in-chief of the Bahraini Al Wasat newspaper.

The leader of the National Union Rally, Sheikh Abdullatif Mahmoud, called in the sermon he gave on Friday for "a neutral probe" into the causes that led to the death of those who were detained by the authorities in the wake of the protests that rocked the island state in recent weeks.

Sheikh Mahmoud also stressed his complete rejection of any form of reprisal. "We warn against substituting the due interrogation process of the suspects for acts of revenge," he said.

For his part, the Bahraini foreign minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said the government has "no intention to disband any political association and elections will held according to the constitution, to fill the parliamentary seats that were left empty after the walkout of some MPs."

So, we have a religious Sunni leader defending the rights of all Bahrainis, not just a sect, and a key political figure dispelling all the suspicions of the political associations.

"Through such a natural embrace between the opposition and the government, Bahrain is recovering its glow. This is a call for everyone to roll up their sleeves and get to work."

Muslim beauty queen faces threats by mail

The Muslim British model Shanna Bukhari, who is participating in a beauty competition to represent Britain in the Miss Universe contest, said recently that she has been receiving "malicious mail" on her Facebook page, according to a report in the London-based Al Hayat newspaper.

The 24-year-old, of Pakistani origins, said that some of the mail she has received carried explicit threats, She noted that the senders were not limited to Muslims who were opposed to her participation, but also included members of racist and supremacist British groups.

One of the letters labelled Ms Bukhari as "a dirty Muslim", while another stated that England was "a country for whites". Letters stated the she in no position to represent Britain in the international beauty contest.

Citing the CCN Arabic website, the newspaper reported that if Ms Bukhari wins, she will be the first Muslim to represent Britain in the Miss Universe competition.

Since she started receiving the threats, Ms Bukhari said she hired a private security company to protect her during public events.

Self-described as "a committed Muslim", Ms Bukhari is planning to wear "a decent bikini".

* Digest compiled by Achraf A El Bahi