International Politics and Economy

By By Kian Sharifi ( RFE/ RL ) – Iran’s parliamentary elections on March 1 witnessed a historically low turnout, in a blow to the legitimacy of the clerical establishment. The official turnout of 41 percent was the lowest for legislative elections since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Critics claim the real turnout was likely even […]

Democracy

Israeli Peace Activists agree War must end with some form of Democracy for All

The Conversation

By Atalia Omer, University of Notre Dame | – (The Conversation) – The months since Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, have been excruciating ones for Israeli peace activists. As the country rallies behind the war effort, critics have been arrested and condemned by opponents who say the attacks proved how misguided the peace movement […]

nationalism

My Malaysia Ordeal shows how Religion can Fuse with Nationalism to Silence Dissent

The Conversation

By Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University | – (The Conversation) – I hadn’t expected my book tour in Malaysia to end with a confrontation with men who identified themselves as police in a Kuala Lumpur airport. I arrived in the Muslim-majority country in early January 2024 to promote the Malay translation of my […]

Dissent

Aaron Bushnell Sacrificed himself to Stop Gaza Genocide: “I won’t be Complicit”

Azam Saeed

Connecticut (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Despondence, mixed with commitment, courage, and action, can be a starter for epochal change. Aaron Bushnell set himself afire on Sunday, a telling decision by a serving USAF airman, saying that he refused to be complicit in the Gaza genocide. His martyrdom could well make such a contribution […]

censorship

Islamophobia: Defending Rutgers’ Center for Security, Race and Rights from Senate Judiciary Committee

Committee on Academic Freedom

Committee on Academic Freedom | Middle East Studies Association of North America | Senator Richard Durbin Chair, Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate fax: (202) 228-0400 Senator Lindsay O. Graham Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate fax: (202) 224-3808 Dear Senators Durbin and Graham: We write on behalf of the Middle […]

Featured

The Battle for the Soul of Judaism: Tribalism, Amalek and the Axial Age Universalism of Isaiah

Brian Victoria

Kyoto (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Viewers of Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Vladimir Putin may have been surprised by Putin’s lengthy reference to the historical founding of Russia. What does that have to do with Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine one might ask. Yet, as any student of history, let alone a diplomat, […]

Israel/ Palestine

The leading ‘Day After’ Plans for Palestine-Israel are doomed: Progressives can Do Better

Waging Nonviolence

Andy Bichlbaum The Palestine solidarity movement has been an important voice for justice in recent months. It has mobilized millions behind the call for a desperately needed ceasefire, and has successfully pressured some key politicians, like Bernie Sanders, to take a stronger stand against Israel’s relentless bombing of Gaza. That said, the Palestine solidarity movement, […]

Climate Crisis

In our National Crisis, We need Public Voices of Optimism — not Gadflies circling a Black Hole

Bahman Fozouni

Sacramento (Special to Informed Comment) – Who is a public intellectual? What role should they play? Searching the internet yields several answers. Alan Lightman’s The Role of the Public Intellectual offers a thoughtful discussion of different visions of the public intellectual and their role and responsibilities. I have opted for a broader description, but with […]

Arab Americans

Biden, Whitmer join in condemnation of Wall Street Journal column accusing Dearborn, MI, of Muslim Radicalism

Michigan Advance

By: Jon King – ( Michigan Advance ) – Reaction to a Wall Street Journal opinion piece about Dearborn intensified through the weekend, as President Joe Biden and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined the chorus of condemnation. The WSJ op-ed, “Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital,” alleged thousands of residents in the predominantly Muslim city, including […]