Habib Siddiqui

The RSS agenda of Hindu Rashtra draws heavily on the superiority of Aryan race and greatness of Brahmanical values. The ideology constructed by this organisation tells us that Aryans are the superior race. The whole foundation of the concept of Hindu nation as the teacher-leader of the World derives from twin and inseparable notions of the racial theory, promoted by British and Brahmanism, clothed in the language of Hinduism. This came to fore once again when the spokesmen of Garbh Vigyan Sanskar (Uterus Science Culture), an offshoot of Arogya Bharati (health wing) of RSS, committed to creating  Uttam santati , (Best Progeny) based on ancient Indian knowledge of Ayurveda outlined their plans. The claim is that by following the proper instructions as put together by this outfit; one can get the children, which are tall and fair, despite their parents not being so. RSS has many wings one of them being Arogya Bharati (health wing). It has devised meticulous plans for the couples to...

Muslims around the world are observing Ramadan. But observing it in Buddhist Myanmar is becoming very difficult, esp. for the Rohingyas who have been targets of genocide for many years. Many of their mosques and schools have been burned by fascist Buddhists. So they must walk miles to participate in congregational prayer services like the Tarawih that are held in a mosque. They are harassed, raped and killed to ethnically cleanse them from their ancestral homes in northern Rakhin (Arakan) state of Myanmar. Not a day goes by without some Rohingyas killed, raped, harassed or victimized in this den of Buddhist intolerance and hatred. The RVision reported lately that the military raided Bossara (Thawan Chaung) village of Southern Maungdaw and arrested an entire family including women and children on 26th May 2017. Military personnel along with police arrived and besieged the entire village of Bossara (Thawan Chaung), where they falsely accused a Rohingya family by keeping their own m...

I just got the news that Myanmar's ultra-nationalist, call it more properly fascist, Ma Ba Tha movement announced Sunday (May 28) it was rebranding under a new name, days after Buddhist authorities banned the network which has been accused of stoking Islamophobia. They have been doing actually worse than stoking Islamophobia. On Sunday the group released a statement saying they would use a new name: the Buddha Dhamma Philanthropy Foundation. "We urge all members in all regions and states around the country to work for the country, people and religion using the name of the Buddha Dhamma Philanthropy Foundation," said the statement, signed by its monk leader Tilawka Biwuntha. Here below are my comments that I posted to the news: What a joke this fascist organization Ma Ba Tha is making to the word 'philanthropy' by changing its name! What has philanthropy to do with fascism that not only instigates mass murder of a vulnerable minority religious community but als...

Here is the link to Uri Avnery's recent article on Trum visit to Israel.

We thought that we had seen enough of Buddhist intolerance and religious bigotry in Myanmar. Think again. The Buddhist majority Sri Lanka is not far behind in such criminal acts. A manhunt is on in Sri Lanka for a hard-line Buddhist leader after a series of attacks on mosques and Muslim-owned businesses that authorities accuse him of encouraging. President Maithripala Siresena had vowed to investigate anti-Muslim hate crimes after assuming power in 2015, however, attacks have escalated over the past two weeks. Another Muslim shop in the town of Kahawatte was reportedly burned to the ground this week by unidentified attackers. Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General-Secretary Galagoda Atte Gnanasara has encouraged his Buddhist supporters to lead another campaign against Muslims following the deadly Aluthgama riots in June 2014, which attempted to create disunity between Buddhists and Muslims. Less than 10 percent of Sri Lanka's population of 20 million are Muslim. The majority are Si...

Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski  died on Friday at a hospital in Virginia. He was 89. He was an extraordinary intellectual, a brilliant strategist. He was President Carter’s national security adviser from 1977 to 1981, and a trustee at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Like his predecessor Henry A. Kissinger, Dr. Brzezinski was a foreign-born scholar (he in Poland, Mr. Kissinger in Germany) with considerable influence in global affairs, both before and long after his official tour of duty in the White House. In essays, interviews and television appearances over the decades, he cast a sharp eye on six successive administrations, including that of Donald J. Trump, whose election he did not support and whose foreign policy, he found, lacked coherence. Mr. Brzezinski was nominally a Democrat, with views that led him to speak out, for example, against the “greed,” as he put it, of an American system that compounded inequality. He was one of the few foreign policy exp...

President Donald Trump had an eventful week visiting Saudi Arabia, Israel and some European cities including the Vatican City where he met with the Pope. He was bestowed with the highest civilian/national award in the Kingdom. There, as brilliantly noted by the veteran journalist Robert Fisk , Trump said he was not in  Saudi Arabia  to “lecture” – but then told the world’s Islamic preachers what to say, condemned “Islamist terrorism” as if violence was a solely Muslim phenomenon and then announced like an Old Testament prophet that he was in  “a battle between good and evil” . There were no words of empathy, none of sympathy, absolutely not a word of apology for his racist, anti-Muslim speeches of last year, let alone the ‘Muslim-ban'. As expected, the Saudi invitation of Muslim leaders/rulers did not include some of the Shi’ite majority countries, thus allowing Trump to blame Shi’ite Iran – rather than the Sunni extremist Daesh – for “fuelling sectarian violence”. H...

Sweden’s ambassador-at-large for human rights, Annika Ben David, has been in Burma this week on her first official visit to the country. On Monday, she visited the DVB studio in Rangoon, where she spoke with Kimberley Phillips about a range of human rights challenges facing Burma amid its ongoing democratic transition, from concerns about press freedom and women’s role in the peace process to the still-unfolding conflicts and humanitarian crises in the country’s border regions. You can view here interview by clicking here .

India is increasingly becoming unsafe for women . Four women were gang-raped and a man from their family was shot dead by six highway robbers on the Jewar-Bulandshahr road near the Yamuna Expressway, around 68 km from the national capital, on Thursday, the police said. According to a  report , the incident took place when the family of eight people was travelling in a car from Jewar, near Greater Noida, to Bulandshahr to visit a relative in hospital. The car reportedly stopped after hitting a metal object in the middle of the road around 1.30 am. Soon after the robbers surrounded the car and started looting cash and valuables from the family. After that they dragged out the women and gang-raped the women. When the man tied to save them, he was shot dead. Love Kumar, senior superintendent of police of Gautam Budh Nagar, told Hindustan Times that an FIR was registered against unknown men. The police teams were working on the case. He added that the medical examination result...

A US court has issued an arrest warrant against Bikram Choudhury, the Indian-American perverted yoga guru who was ordered in 2016 to pay over USD 7 million in connection with a sexual harassment case, a media report said. Choudhury, the millionaire founder of global fitness business, has not paid the amount and last year claimed he was nearly bankrupt. Authorities believe the 69-year-old has hidden his assets and left the country, the ABC News reported. According to the report, the warrant allows authorities to arrest him if he returns to the US or, possibly, in Mexico. In January last year, a jury determined that Choudhury had sexually harassed and then unfairly fired Minakshi "Miki" Jafa-Bodden, his onetime lawyer. He was ordered to pay nearly USD 6.5 million in punitive damages in addition to USD 924,000 in compensatory damages. Jafa-Bodden was general counsel to Bikram's Yoga College of India but was fired after refusing to cover up allegations that Bikram had r...

The Temple Mount and the Western Wall will remain part of Israel forever, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, a day after President Donald Trump left the country without an announcement that he would move the US Embassy to the capital. Speaking to a Knesset session marking Jerusalem Day and the 50th anniversary of the annexation of the city, Netanyahu said he wanted to make one thing clear: “The Temple Mount and the Western Wall will forever remain under Israeli sovereignty. To read more, click here .

Sissi's Egypt has banned 21 websites, including the main website of Qatar-based Al Jazeera television and prominent local independent news site Mada Masr, accusing them of supporting terrorism and spreading false news. Such a measure against free media is not unexpected with a neo-pharaoh who rules Egypt. The blockade is notable in scope and for being the first publicly recognized by the government. It was heavily criticized by journalists and rights groups. The state news agency announced it late on Wednesday. Individual websites had been inaccessible in the past but there was never any official admission. Reuters found the websites named by local media and were inaccessible. The move follows similar actions taken on Wednesday by Egypt's Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which blocked Al Jazeera and other websites after a dispute with Qatar. Qatar said hackers had posted fake remarks by its emir criticizing U.S. foreign policy but Saudi and UAE stat...

Here below is an article by Seif Da'na, a professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. ============= On this day, Israel is celebrating what it calls " Jerusalem Day ", when it occupied East Jerusalem at the end of the 1967 war with Syria, Egypt and Jordan . The annual celebration is a day when right-wing, mostly young Israelis rampage around East Jerusalem's Old City, carrying Israeli flags and shouting anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racist slogans. Some of the chants include calls for the death, destruction, and complete elimination of Palestinians in Jerusalem , such as "Death to the Arabs". Large groups often parade through the Muslim Quarter of the old city and provoke residents by banging on Palestinian stores and homes. Israel - which captured the western half of Jerusalem in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war - frames the day as the "reunification" of the east and west of its capital. Israel's occupat...

In their continued struggle to handle the narrative surrounding one of the most calamitous US airstrikes in modern history, Central Command (Centcom) has now admitted that they killed at least 105 Iraqi civilians in an attack on Mosul’s residential neighborhood. That’s the most they’ve been willing to admit to so far, despite reports repeatedly putting the toll in excess of 230 . Even this admission is a major step forward, as while officials said they “ probably ” did the attack, they also totally omitted this death toll from their official statement on civilian deaths in March. Even two months later, and even admitting to less than half the actual death toll, Centcom was still full of excuses, claiming they destroyed the buildings while targeting two “ISIS snipers” on the roof, and accusing ISIS of having filled the building with explosives so it was kind of their fault too. They offered no evidence for either of these claims, and survivors of the destruction of the buildings ha...

Last year Arundhati Roy's article on Kashmir problem appeared in the Outlook India . Here below it is reposted. ----------------- The people of Kashmir have made it clear once again, as they have done year upon year, decade upon decade, grave upon grave, that what they want is azadi. (The “people”, by the way, does not mean those who win elections conducted in the rifle sights of the army. It does not mean leaders who have to hide in their homes and not venture out in times like these.) While we denounce—as we must—the gunning down of unarmed protesters by the security forces, the attacks on ambulances and hospitals by policemen, and the blinding of teenagers with pellet guns, we have to keep in mind that the real debate cannot only be about the violation of human rights by Indian security forces in the Kashmir valley. Egregious though they are, those violations are the consequence—the inevitable and unavoidable consequence—of the militaristic suppression of a people’s struggle ...

KINSHASA ( Reuters ) - Supporters of a jailed Christian sect leader on Wednesday attacked the prison in the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo where he was being held, freeing him and about 50 other inmates, the government said. A police officer and five attackers were killed in the raid on Kinshasa's Makala prison, said government spokesman Lambert Mende, who gave no further details. Ne Muanda Nsemi, a self-styled Congolese prophet and leader of the Bundu dia Kongo movement, was arrested in March after a series of deadly clashes between his supporters and police. The clashes have compounded tensions since President Joseph Kabila refused to step down when his mandate expired in December and added to fears of instability and civil conflict. Residents heard gunfire near the prison at around 4 a.m. (0300 GMT) and saw prisoners wearing blue shirts with yellow collars in the streets. One prisoner, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters more than 4,000 inmates h...

Was the terrorist act in Manchester a blowback? Ex-congressman Ron Paul thinks so. To view his argument, click here .

BJP is on a roll and has won many of the Indian states' legislative assemblies including Assam, next to Bangladesh, showing its ugly fascist Hindutvadi face. The state has a significant population of minority Muslims many of whom sent their children to madrasas for education. It is worth noting here that the Madrassa Education Board was established as long back as 1934 and has been regulated since. There are more than 700 schools under this board. Assam's current deputy chief minister is Himanta Biswa Sarma, a die-hard Hindutvadi, of the BJP government wants to stop madrasas in Assam. He has no moral qualm to grant Rs 10 crore to the schools run by Vidya Bharati, a sister organization of RSS, the Hindutvadi fascist organization. The minister’s fixation with government-run madrassas is an example of his recent fondness for promoting Hindutva than a real intent to reform education. A few months ago, Sarma announced that state-run Madrassa schools would be closed only on Sunda...

Human Rights Watch has demanded the Defence department come clean on past air strikes in Iraq and Syria and the extent of civilian casualties. The department has begun a new attempt at transparency making fortnightly reports available on its website. The day before the federal budget in early May, it's first report carried a brief descriptions of seven strikes in Mosul, Iraq, between April 18-30, but did not specifically mention any civilian casualties. The second report was due to be released on Monday. Human Rights Watch spokeswoman Elaine Pearson said the reports were a good first step and urged the department to provide backdated reports from the past two and a half years. She called on Defence Minister Marise Payne to detail any past investigations carried out into civilian casualties and the outcomes. "We urge you to immediately release details on civilian casualties caused by Australian air strikes, and if you are not collecting such information, to start do...

This evening, while listening to the PBS Newhour, I was simply amazed to listen to the commencement speech of a young Afghan student studying in the USA. Her name is Mahsheed Mahjor, a graduate of the class of 2017 from Muhlenberg College, PA. She delivered her student address at commencement on hardships and inequities around the world, the role of citizenship and the value of her education. Hers was a very powerful speech, which must be listened by many. I have not heard too many of her kind. It is really worth listening to this young girl who is already so wise at such a young age. Simply impressive! You can hear her speech by clicking  here .

Major Nitin Gogoi, who tied a civilian to an army jeep as a human shield in Kashmir, has been awarded by the Indian Army for counter-insurgency operations. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has awarded Gogoi with a commendation card for 'sustained efforts' on counter-insurgency operations. "Major Gogoi has been awarded Chief of Army Staff's Commendation Card for sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations," Army spokesperson Aman Anand said. This news is simply shameful! It bares the ugly side of Indian occupation of Kashmir. Shame on India and its army chief! The army had come in for criticism one the video was out, with reports saying that the act constituted a war-crime. Sources said Major Gogoi was given the award during Gen Rawat's visit to Jammu and Kashmir last week. The Army Chief's 'Commendation Card' is considered a prestigious award and is given for distinguished services and devotion to duties. A video, showing the man tied ...

Today while browsing the Internet, I was surprised to see an article in defense of Tulsi Gabbard, the hypocrite congresswoman from Hawaii.  It was probably posted by a staffer working for Tulsi. It was a shameful display of indefensible argument for Tulsi to support a controversial petition HR 608. I have reviewed Tulsi's hypocrisy in the past quite thoroughly and find her insincere and opportunist. The interested reader may like to click here to read my points of view on Tulsi.

Robert Fisk  writes for the  Independent , where this column originally appeared. Here is the link to his latest article on Trump's visit of the Middle East.

It is safe to assume that when President Donald Trump lands in Israel Monday, he will not have been briefed on the irrefutable evidence that, nearly 50 years ago – on June 8, 1967 – Israel deliberately attacked the USS Liberty in international waters, killing 34 U.S. sailors and wounding more than 170 other crew. All of Trump’s predecessors – Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama – have refused to address the ugly reality and/or covered up the attack on the Liberty. It is not too late for someone to fill Trump in on this shameful episode, on the chance he may wish to show more courage than former presidents and warn the Israelis that this kind of thing will not be tolerated while he is president. A new book by Philip Nelson titled: Remember the Liberty: Almost Sunk by Treason on the High Seas , is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand what actually happened...

Dr. Zareena Grewal is an Associate Professor American Studies and Religious Studies at Yale University. She is a historical anthropologist and a documentary filmmaker whose research focuses on race, gender, religion, nationalism, and transnationalism across a wide spectrum of American Muslim communities. Her first book, Islam is a Foreign Country: American Muslims and the Global Crisis of Authority (NYU 2013), is an ethnography of transnational Muslim networks that link US mosques to Islamic movements in the post-colonial Middle East through debates about the reform of Islam. Her latest article on President Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia appeared in the Atlantic and can be read below. ======================= “I chose to make my first foreign visit a trip to the heart of the Muslim world,” President Trump said in Riyadh on Sunday, in a speech billed as a call to Muslims to promote a peaceful understanding of Islam and to unite against terrorists. Riyadh is the capital of S...