The Middle East Media Sampler 8/27/2012: Muslim Brotherhood Consolidates Power

From DG:

1) An emirate

The New York Times reported Egyptian President’s Move Ends Detention of Critic:

The controversy has sharpened Egypt’s political divides. His critics see Mr. Morsi’s treatment of the journalists as a broader test of the Islamists’ commitment to an inclusive state. At the same time, the Brotherhood has grown increasingly frustrated with the frequent attacks on the group in the news media, including wild distortions by some journalists. 

While Mr. Afifi’s release seemed likely to quiet some of the arguments, human rights advocates say Mr. Morsi’s new law does little to address the confusing, draconian nature of Egypt’s press laws. “Jail sentences for publishing crimes haven’t been abolished,” said Gamal Eid, a human rights lawyer. “What he did was deal with the detail and not the principle — the branch and not the root.”

Update Your Scorecard On Egypt -- Before Morsi And The Muslim Brotherhood's Next Power Grab

Barry Rubin writes about What Happened in Egypt, following the dizzying changes that have taken place in the past 12 months and the quantum changes in strategies, alliances and policies that have resulted.

Among just a few of the unpredictable zigzagging developments:

• In February 2011 the Mubarak regime fell. There was going to be a parliament elected in Egypt. The parliament was elected. Its election was invalidated. Today there is no parliament in Egypt.