'Gay Girl in Damascus' Missing

Amina Arraf—who blogs under the name Amina Abdallah on the prominent “Gay Girl in Damascus” blog—has gone missing, allegedly abducted from the streets in Syria. Abdallah, an English teacher who holds dual American and Syrian citizenship, has been an outspoken anti-government protester and an icon of the current Syrian uprising. Her family members believe she was kidnapped by Syria’s security services. The government has been brutally cracking down on protesters, and plans on retaliating “with force” to restore control in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour. The country’s ambassador to France resigned Tuesday to protest the violence, a blow to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.