By Sarah Aziza | ( Waging Nonviolence) | – – With just over a month to go before the inauguration of Donald Trump, Muslim activists are working to block the president-elect’s long-standing pledge to crack down on their community. Trump has proposed banning Muslims from entering the United States, voiced his support for the surveillance […]
Could Iraqi Parliament Recognition of Shiite Militias re-Tribalize the Sunnis?
By Ibrahim Saleh | (Baghdad) | Niqash.org | – – Although many Sunni politicians tried to block the passage of a November law that legitimized Iraq’s Shiite volunteer militias, some did not. They want the 30,000 or so Sunni volunteer fighters to get their share too. In late November, the Iraqi government passed the controversial […]
Can Faith and Modernity coexist under Muslimism?
By Neslihan Cevik | (Socialtrendsinstitute.org) | – – There is a new brand of Muslim religious orthodoxy on the rise in places like Turkey, which seeks to engage modernity through the sincere religious belief of individuals. Neslihan Cevik uses the term “Muslimism” to set it apart from other trends. Neslihan Cevik's new book, Muslimism in […]
The last Time we had a President bored by Intel Briefings, we got 9/11
By Ronald Stockton | (Informed Comment) | – – Former CIA head and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta recently said that if President Elect Trump refuses intelligence briefings and something bad happens, he would be responsible. These are ominous words. I just finished Panetta’s memoir, Worthy Fights. Two things stood out. First, that much of […]
In Aftermath of Trump’s Win, More Than 1,000 Hate Crimes in a Month
TeleSur | – – Over one-third of the incidents made mention of President-elect Donald Trump. Over 1,000 hate crimes have been reported since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, the rate dropping since the days after election day but over a third of them still making reference to Trump. Most of the incidents were […]
Trump Taps Man More Far-Right Than Netanyahu to Be Israel Envoy
TeleSur | – – The U.S. president-elect choose David Friedman, who runs a group supporting ultra-right Jewish settlers in Palestine, as his ambassador to Israel. President-elect Donald Trump will nominate far-right bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel as Friedman said he looked forward to taking up his post, a step that could […]
The Thin Line Between Political Censorship and Fighting Fake News in Iran
By Mahsa Alimardani | (Global Voices) | – – The Iranian government is reportedly taking steps to expand regulations on large public news channels on the instant messenger Telegram. The move would apparently affect groups with more than 5,000 subscribers. It remains unclear, however, if state officials seek dramatic changes to controls on these online […]
Trump’s plan to drown World in Oil is a Planetary Nightmare
By Michael T. Klare | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | – – Scroll through Donald Trump’s campaign promises or listen to his speeches and you could easily conclude that his energy policy consists of little more than a wish list drawn up by the major fossil fuel companies: lift environmental restrictions on oil and natural gas […]
It’s the Economy, Stupid: Ending ‘Religious’ Violence in the Middle East
Moha Ennaji | (Project Syndicate) | – – FEZ – The escalation of radicalism, violence, and civil wars in the Middle East since the so-called Arab Spring revolts began in 2010 has exacted a massive toll in human lives and welfare. The need to build effective states that support peace, provide greater opportunity and prosperity, […]