A R A B I C A ارابيكا

By Kristen Gillespie

A DEATH IN LIBYA
Al Jazeera broadcast footage of what appears to be a deceased Muammar Gaddafi, naked to the waist and lying in his own blood in the middle of a street in Sirte as the mosques issued the call to prayer in the background. "This is the end of Gadafi and the end of the Gadafi regime," the Al Jazeera presenter says, speaking over the footage. "It is the end of the war in Libya, and perhaps this will inspire the Libyan people to build a new and modern state," he said.

Dima Khatib tweets: "The tyrant is gone after 42 years, 1 month and 20 days'

Mohammed al-Ahmari says from Qatar, "We congratulate the Libyans, Arabs, Muslims and the world for the end of evil in Libya."

A LETTER IN JORDAN
Jordan's King Abdullah sent a letter to the newly appointed head of the intelligence services, ordering him to "support the reform process," as "our tireless efforts to translate our vision requires a comprehensive reform effort." That includes, the king wrote, respecting the personal freedoms and human rights of citizens. The king did not outline concrete measures to this end, and the General Intelligence Department did not comment on the letter's contents.

A FATWA IN SAUDI ARABIA
Access to Allah is not free, according to Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, who issued a fatwa banning Islamic pilgrims from visiting the holy city of Mecca without a permit from the Saudi government. The sheikh also banned sleeping on the ground, stressing that Islam promotes "civilized behavior."

A SPAT IN SYRIA
One of Syria's official newspapers, A-Thawra, attacked the Arab League for suggesting earlier this week that Damascus hold a national dialogue with the opposition, a gesture received by Western journalists and officials as too little, too late. But Syria's envoy to the Arab League slammed the "conspiracy" against the country, with A-Thawra piling on: "The Arab League has become a tool of injustice aiming to destabilize Syria."

A QUESTION IN BAHRAIN
While Bahrain's Shiite youth leaders deny they have an Islamist agenda in their goal to bring down the ruling Sunni Al Khalifa family, Facebook groups promoting the revolution have a decidedly Islamist slant to them. Here is an invitation to an "informational session" by the Youth Movement to learn more about Islam.