WHY SHOULD ONLY THE SHI'A HAVE PURPLE FINGERS?:

Egypt passes its first democratic test: But did the vote to change the constitution go far enough? (Jon Jensen, March 21, 2011, Global Post)

As the popular uprisings sweeping across the Arab world turned increasingly violent over the weekend, from ongoing clashes between rebel and loyalist forces in Libya to the brutal state crackdowns on protesters in both Bahrain and Yemen, the region’s most populous nation passed its first major hurdle toward forming a democratic government.

Over 18 million Egyptians cast ballots in a constitutional referendum on Saturday, in a vote largely heralded as free and fair and marked by an unusually high turnout.

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