Bird’s-Eye: Thousands killed, and no clear explanation anywhere. We start with Wikipedia, which gives as clear a summary as we can find anywhere. The Big Picture has a memorably horrible visual summary of the chaos, and Al Jazeera looks at how Islam is involved: not as a cause, but as a (potential) solution. It’s a story interesting in itself, and fascinating to consider how impossible it would be to run on CBC, or NBC, or your local MSM TV network.
* 2010 South Kyrgyzstan riots Wikipedia
The 2010 south Kyrgyzstan riots are ongoing clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan, primarily in the cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad, in the aftermath of the ouster of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev…. The clashes left some 300,000 people internally displaced and the Uzbek leaders wanted the UN peacekeeping force to intervene because they didn’t trust the Kyrgyz forces any longer. Another 100,000 refugees have crossed the border into Uzbekistan.[41] Ethnic Uzbeks also threatened to blow up an oil depot in the city if they didn’t get guarantees of protection. The UN said there was enough ground to believe that the attacks were orchestrated. Kyrgyz officials told the media they had detained a suspected person behind the violence in Jalalabad.[42]
* Ethnic attacks in Kyrgyzstan – The Big Picture
* Kyrgyz Seek Islam’s Healing Touch Al Jazeera
It is rare for government officials to turn to religious leaders, or imams, for help. But as ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks attempt to reconcile in the wake of ethnic violence, government officials in Kyrgyzstan are hoping that Islam will help smooth tensions.
