Why do the “decimated” Ikhwan still inspire so much fear in the Middle East that it gave rise to a diplomatic rift with Qatar? Patrick Kingsley explores the question in interviews for the New York Times with various members of the now-banned and exiled Ikhwan, who believe that the group now “has little ability to exert control over even its own members, let alone the governments of the Middle East.” With a large number of Ikhwanis in prison and others in near-permanent exile, “the Brotherhood poses few practical problems for its enemies.” Instead, its real danger is in the groups it has inspired, including Tunisia’s Ennahda and Gaza’s Hamas, both of which “retain positions of prominence” even though “the original Egyptian group has been crushed.”

Also making news this morning:

• Over 200 Chinese Uyghur students at Al-Azhar have been detained since 4 July, allegedly over problems with their residency papers, and sent back to China. The story, which was earlier noted by Human Rights Watch, is continuing to get wide coverage in global media.
• ‘Live from Cairo’ by American novelist Ian Bassingthwaighte is set in 2011 during the Arab Spring, and follows the life of an Iraqi refugee’s attempt to reunite with her husband in Boston, Michael Upchurch writes for The Seattle Times.