MUST-READS

• Terrorism Warning
  US warns of terrorist attacks on American schools across Middle East

  The US issued a security warning against terrorist attacks on western schools in the Middle East, including one in Cairo's south district of Maadi. The warning from the US State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security cited an "anonymous" post on a jihadist website, which it said "encouraged attacks against American and other international schools in the Middle East, including western teachers employed at these schools."

  • McClatchy - Obama administration ramps up security amid threats
• Bahrain
  Bahrain court bans opposition group for three months

  A court in Bahrain has suspended leading Shia opposition group al-Wefaq a month before parliamentary elections are due, their defence lawyer says. Abdullah al-Shamlawi told the Associated Press al-Wefaq's activities will be frozen for three months. The group had planned to boycott the elections, claiming the government did not try to reconcile with them following their anti-monarchy protests.

• Faith and Terrorism
  Opinion: How strong is link between faith, terrorism?

  The notion that there is a one-to-one correlation between religious beliefs and behavior may seem obvious and self-evident to those unfamiliar with the study of religion. But it has been repeatedly debunked by social scientists who note that "beliefs do not causally explain behavior" and that behavior is in fact the result of complex interplay among a host of social, political, cultural, ethical, emotional, and yes, religious factors.

  • Lawfare Blog - The Sectarian Apocalypse
• Gulf Arab Capital Outflows
  Gulf Arab states saw $780 mln in fund outflows due to Fed taper-IMF

  Capital outflows from Gulf Arab states have totalled only about $780 million since the U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled its plan to wind down asset purchases in May last year, a small fraction of the money leaving other emerging markets, according to a study by the International Monetary Fund. The IMF study, published on Monday, appears to confirm that because of their large current account and state budget surpluses, the Gulf oil exporters are seen by international investors as better equipped to handle a period of rising interest rates than most areas of the world.

• American Muslims
  9 Famous Americans You Probably Didn’t Know Were Muslim

  Still, there are more than 2.5 million American Muslims, making it the third-largest religion in the US. While Muslims account for just 0.8% of the population, they have faced rising discrimination and prejudice since the 9/11 attacks 13 years ago. With the rise of groups like the Islamic State now seeking to promote their brand of violent extremism, that may be unlikely to end anytime soon. A recent poll reported that 62% of American's didn't personally know a Muslim, so here's a list of 9 Muslim Americans you probably will know.

• Women in Sports
  Basketball more than just a game for Saudi women

  Almaeena says basketball is becoming popular among Saudi girls because it offers the camaraderie of a team sport. Basketball is also seen as more societally acceptable since girls can practice in loose, conservative clothes, and the sport can be played indoors and outdoors. From its humble beginning at Jiddah United, the sport has grown into a network of teams in different cities. No formal league exists but women's teams play in privately organized tournaments against a handful of other private schools, universities and club teams across the kingdom.

• Saudi Statistics
  Shoura slams Statistics Agency

  The Shoura members said that the Statistics Agency was not providing accurate figures on the number of unemployed women, creating confusion in chalking out a plan to increase their numbers in the work force.

• Syrian Kurds
  Meet America’s newest allies: Syria’s Kurdish minority

  But as much of the rest of Syria ripped itself apart in a vicious civil war, Syria's Kurdish minority spent three years quietly building a series of mini-states in the north of the country. They refer to these three enclaves as Rojava. Until recently, some outside observers saw them as something of a success.

• Saudi-Kuwait
  Kuwait Said to Deny Work Permits for Saudi Chevron Staff

  Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members face increasing pressure to scale back oil output as a supply glut from the U.S. and other countries and slower demand growth have pushed down the price for Brent crude, a global benchmark, by more than 20 percent this year. Asia’s market is becoming flooded as the U.S. imports less oil.

  • Al Arabiya - Saudi king holds talks with visiting emir of Kuwait
• Saudi-Egypt
  Masked men burn 2 Saudi Arabia consulate cars in Egypt

  Masked men set fire to two cars belonging to the consulate of Saudi Arabia in the Egyptian city of Suez on Friday morning, local security sources and the state news agency reported.

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