Habib Siddiqui

About 270 Palestinian protesters have been injured, mostly by tear gas, in confrontations with Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Most injuries were sustained in Beita village near Nablus in the north of the occupied West Bank where residents have held regular demonstrations since May, when Israeli settlers started to set up caravans and pave roads on a disputed hilltop. The Red Crescent said most of those injured on Friday across the occupied West Bank needed treatment for tear gas inhalation, while seven Palestinians were injured by live fire and about 50 by rubber-coated bullets. The Israeli army told AFP news agency a crowd of about 150 Palestinians in Beita threw rocks and burning tyres at soldiers, who responded “with riot dispersal means” and rounds of gunfire. In the south of the territory, Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at Palestinians in Beit Ummar mourning the death of Shawkat Khalid Awad...

Ben & Jerry’s co-founders have pushed back against claims of anti-Semitism following the company’s decision to stop offering its ice cream products in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, noting that they themselves are Jews. Writing in the New York Times, Bennett Cohen and Jerry Greenfield said they were “proud Jews” who view Israel’s occupation of the West Bank as a barrier to peace. “It’s possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as we’ve opposed policies of the US government. As such, we unequivocally support the decision of the company to end business in the occupied territories, which a majority of the international community, including the United Nations, has deemed an illegal occupation,” they argued, in an op-ed published on Wednesday. The move to pull Ben & Jerry’s from shelves in Israeli-occupied territories was in keeping with the firm’s “progressive values.” The iconic ice cream duo noted that, while they no longer have operational ...

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said the United States and its ally NATO should have talked to the Taliban years before when there was a huge number of foreign forces deployed in the country. “The Americans should have started talking to the Taliban from a position of strength when there were 150,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan,” Khan said on Friday. “That was the time to talk with them. Talking to them when there is an exist date given, and when there are few thousand troops left, how do they expect the Taliban would now compromise?” Khan said that majority of the three million Afghan refugees who are in Pakistan are “sympathizing and supporting the Taliban.” “To have a political compromise between the Taliban and the government, to have a compromise, an inclusive government that is the only solution. Now what the Taliban are doing or not doing has nothing to do with us. All we want is that there should be peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s interest is in peace there,” Khan sa...

Ben & Jerry’s decision to suspend its operations in the occupied Palestinian West Bank is an event that is proving critical to Palestinian efforts, which ultimately aim at holding Israel accountable for its military occupation, apartheid and war crimes. By responding to the Palestinian call for boycotting apartheid Israel, the ice cream giant has delivered a blow to Israel’s attempts at criminalizing and, ultimately, ending the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. What differentiates Ben & Jerry’s decision to abandon the ever-growing market of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank from previous decisions by other international corporations is the fact that the ice cream company has made it clear that its move was morally motivated. Indeed, Ben & Jerry’s did not attempt to mask or delude their decision in any way. "We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,...

(Reuters) – Heavy monsoon rains triggered landslides and flash floods in refugees camps displacing thousands of Rohingya Muslims in southeastern Bangladesh this week, U.N. and other officials said on Friday. At least six Rohingya, including three children, died in landslides and flooding while 15 Bangladeshis were killed and more than 200,000 stranded by flooding in Cox’s Bazar, said Mamunur Rashid, the district administrator. Nearly one million Rohingya live in crowded camps in the border district of Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee settlement, after fleeing a military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar in 2017. The refugees mostly live in shacks made of bamboo and plastic sheets that cling to steep, bare hills. TV footage showed flooded homes and muddy water cascading down steps and hillsides. Children played in chest-high waters. “This is like a nightmare,” said Rohingya Rokeya Begum. “I have never seen such flooding in the camps in four years. When the water came, there wa...

Witness to Turbulent American Democracy: The Paradox for Soul Searching of American Acclaimed Values • Written by Mahboob A. Khawaja, PhD. The Myriad Drama at the US Congressional Committee Hearings Nancy Pelosi, the US House Speaker wanted an independent and non-partisan congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021 Trump planned mobbed invasion of the US Congressional complex in Washington, D.C. Its aim was to undo the peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden- the President Elect according to the US Constitution. But Republicans subservient to Trump dictum refused this democratic process to allow the truth digging of the catastrophic events in modern American history. Was there a connection to America’s global warmongering and the domestic “terrorism” advanced by the Trump claimed presidency on January 6 insurrections at the Capitol complex? In every political culture there is peculiar psychology to see its own pros and nothing else. Should America and its turbulent democrac...

It’s been six months since the military coup in Myanmar where there’s grave concern over the widening impact of the deepening political, human rights and humanitarian crisis affecting the country’s people. Speaking to UN News, the organisation’s top aid official in Myanmar, Acting Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator Ramanathan Balakrishnan, described how people have been severely impacted across the country since the junta’s power grab on 1 February. “The situation in the country is characterized now by instability and a deteriorating socio-economic and security situation and to add to that we have a raging third wave of COVID-19,” said Mr. Balakrishnan in an exclusive interview. Highlighting the ongoing nature of armed resistance to State security forces “in several ethnic minority areas” including in the states of Shan, Chin and Kachin, the UN official said that more than 200,000 people had been uprooted from their homes there to date. Displacement swelling In Rakhine state before ...

New Delhi, India – Police and civil authorities in the Indian capital have demolished a makeshift mosque in a Rohingya camp, say the refugees, weeks after a massive fire had engulfed the settlement. The mosque, made up of tarpaulin sheets and bamboo sticks, was bulldozed at about 7am local time (01:30 GMT) on Thursday, at the camp located in New Delhi’s Madanpur Khader area in the city’s south, bordering Uttar Pradesh state. Nearly 300 refugees, most of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in neighbouring Buddhist-majority Myanmar, told Al Jazeera the structure was demolished despite their appeals to the authorities not to do so. The Muslim-majority Rohingya say they have been left without a place to worship. “The demotion began an hour after the Fajr prayers in the mosque,” Mohammad, 33, who wanted to be identified with his first name only for fear of reprisal, told Al Jazeera. “They first destroyed the toilets and washrooms, uprooted a water hand pump and then demolished the mosque ...

July 21, 2021 Press Release WASHINGTON—Today, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), along with 23 Members of Congress led a letter calling on Secretary of State, Antony Blinken to create a special envoy to combat Islamophobia. The letter addresses the rise in attacks against the Muslim community. “Anti-Muslim hate is on the rise both here at home and around the world,” Rep. Omar said. “This year has seen over 500 incidents of hate in the U.S.—and those are just the ones that have been reported. Last month, we witnessed a deadly attack wipe out three generations of a Muslim family in Canada. In countries around the world—from China to India to Myanmar—Muslim communities are being discriminated against. We must all stand united against this horrific rise in hate. I am proud to lead this letter with Congresswoman Schakowsky pursuing a Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Islamophobia, and am working legislation to formalize this position.” “Throughout the last decade w...

Europe’s identity crisis is not confined to the ceaseless squabbles by Europeans over the EU, Brexit or football. It goes much deeper, reaching sensitive and dangerous territory, including that of culture and religion. Once more, Muslims stand at the heart of the continent’s identity debate. Of course, anti-Muslim sentiments are rarely framed to appear anti-Muslim. While Europe’s right-wing parties remain committed to the ridiculous notion that Muslims, immigrants and refugees pose a threat to Europe’s overall security and unique secular identities, the left is not entirely immune from such chauvinistic notions. The right’s political discourse is familiar and is often condemned for its repugnantly ultra-nationalistic, if not outright racist, tone and rhetoric. The left, on the other hand, is a different story. The European left, notably in countries like France and Belgium, frame their ‘problem’ with Islam as fundamental to their supposed dedication to the secular values of the State...

America’s battle over “critical race theory” reminds us of an ugly truth about the enduring white supremacy that’s long defined this country. In a potent racist backlash moment against the rising Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, many states have moved in Orwellian “Big Brother” style to entirely ban discussions of structural and institutional racism from K through 12 and college classrooms. And much of the public is on board with this agenda, as July polling from Ipsos reveals that 36 percent of Americans support “a ban on CRT in public schools.” This includes 23 percent of Democrats, 34 percent of independents, and 54 percent of Republicans. The opposition is based on toxic ignorance. In the case of the one group in which a majority supports the CRT ban – Republicans – only an average of 30% of respondents can provide correct answers across 7 factual questions that Ipsos asked about CRT. This is hardly surprising – when has bigotry ever been about being factually informed about the ...

RAMALLAH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian teenager was killed and dozens were injured on Friday in clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. The Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that Mohammed Tamimi, 17 years old, was killed in the clashes at Nabi Saleh village northwest of the West Bank city of Ramallah. On Friday, clashes broke out in several West Bank towns and cities during Palestinian protests against Israeli settlement and confiscation of Palestinian lands. Eyewitnesses said that the fiercest clashes took place between dozens of Palestinians and Israeli soldiers at the villages of Beita and Beit Dajan south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that a total of 320 Palestinian protesters were injured by Israeli soldiers all over the West Bank after the soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber bullets and teargas canisters. Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that two Israeli soldier...

Three Israeli are suspected of setting fire to a Palestinian factory in the West Bank, as violence against Palestinian businesses continues in the region. Three Israeli youths are suspected of setting a Palestinian marble factory in the West Bank on fire on Thursday, according to local media reports. Two of the suspects claimed they were attacked, but Israeli authorities who are investigating say they may have been injured as they fled from the factory. A third suspect was treated at a hospital and then transferred to the Shin Bet security service. The marble factory in the village of Jamma’in is owned by Ghassan Damidi, who told Haaretz that in the middle of the night he was told his factory was on fire after a car drove into it. When he later arrived at the scene of the fire, he noticed a car driving away and when he went after it, the car crashed. One of the people in the car was wounded and the other two fled the scene. Damidi found a gas canister at the scene, and he estim...

Turkey on Sunday slammed a ruling by a top European Union court allowing the banning of hijabs under certain conditions as a "clear violation of religious freedoms", adding the move would exacerbate prejudices against Muslim women in Europe. The Luxembourg-based EU Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Thursday that companies in the bloc can ban employees from wearing a headscarf under certain conditions, if they need to do so to project an image of neutrality to customers. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement the ruling was a sign of rising Islamophobia, coming at a time when Muslim women in Europe are being subjected to increasing discrimination for their religious beliefs. "The ECJ decision, at a time when the Islamophobia, racism and hatred that have taken Europe hostage are rising, disregards religious freedom and creates a basis and legal cover for discrimination," the ministry said. On Saturday, the Turkish presidency's communication director Fa...

Israel has quietly started allowing Jewish prayers on the Temple Mount in recent months, in what would appear to be a major change to the status quo that has existed at the holy site since the Jewish state captured the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordan during 1967’s Six Day War, according to a report Saturday. Channel 12’s religious affairs reporter Yair Cherki filmed prayers at the site in recent days, as policemen — who in the past would eject any person suspected of prayer, and sometimes kicked people out for merely citing a biblical verse while speaking — passively looked on. “For months now, every morning this unofficial prayer quorum has been praying on the Temple Mount,” Cherki said. The worshipers gather without prayer books, tefillin or any other symbols of prayer that could draw unwanted attention from Muslims at the compound that houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque. But pray they do, with the cops turning a blind eye. The Islamic Waqf, which administers the compound, is aware of t...

European politicians and media groups voiced outrage Monday over reports that an Israeli firm supplied phone malware used by governments to spy on activists, journalists, lawyers and politicians in several countries. The NSO Group and its Pegasus malware -- capable of switching on a phone's camera or microphone and harvesting its data -- have been in the headlines since 2016, when researchers accused it of helping spy on a dissident in the United Arab Emirates. The leaked numbers are believed to be connected to people identified by NSO clients as potential surveillance targets. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the spying, if confirmed, was "completely unacceptable", while French government spokesman Gabriel Attal called it "extremely shocking. - Authoritarian regimes - But the claims that countries such as Azerbaijan, Hungary, India and Morocco, where authorities have cracked down on independent media, spied on dissident journalists at home an...

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has said that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that there should be a political settlement for lasting peace in the country. “There is no ultimate military solution, there has to be a political settlement for lasting peace in Afghanistan,” Khalilzad said in an interview with Hindustan Times. “It has been made clear to the Taliban that not only ourselves, but many countries in the region and beyond will not recognize, will not assist the government that takes power by force.” Khalilzad said that the United States will continue to support the Afghan government. “We have said that while forces withdraw, yes, that is ongoing. But we will support the Afghan security forces where the [US] President’s budget has asked for $3.3 billion in assistance for the Afghan security forces. We will provide economic support. We will provide humanitarian support,” he added. This comes as violence remains high in the country and many dis...

Gaza is just days away from 1 January 2020 - and the date by which the United Nations predicted that the Palestinian territory could be unlivable. The international agency came to that conclusion back in 2012 after calculating that Gaza’s infrastructure and social services would be unable to keep pace with its growing needs and population. Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. But compared to other global cities and regions, such as New York City and Hong Kong, it lags far behind when it comes to measures including unemployment, class sizes and lack of safe drinking water. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/2020-how-big-gaza-compared-to-us-new-york-hong-kong "

Ram Puniyani On the back of population control policy adopted by Assam, where those having more than two children will be barred from contesting local elections and will not considered for promotions in Government service, now UP is coming up with the similar bill, the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021. The claim is that this will control and stabilize the population of the state. Both these states are aiming at coercive measures, carrot on one side and stick on the other, to implement this norm. One believes that family welfare must be a part of country’s health planning. The forthcoming bill by these states is guided more by biases and perceptions rather than by the reality of Indian scene. As far as population control is concerned. India was among the foremost countries to introduce family planning measures right from 1952. Initially it was presented as family planning to control the number of children; later more appropriate word ‘family w...

Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an amalgam of Islamic scholars of Kashmir, headed by Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, on Friday, expressed strong resentment against the government decision to ban sacrifice of bovines on the occasion of Eid al-Adha (Bakra Eid), and urged the government to withdraw the ban. Eid al-Adha, popularly known as badi Eid (bigger Eid) in Kashmir, will be celebrated in July on 21-23. Sacrificing animals like lamb, cows, and camels is an important ritual on Eid al-Adha for the Muslims world over. In Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir, most Muslims sacrifice lambs on Eid al-Adha but some also sacrifice bovines. The MMU, in a joint statement, said it is surprised that sacrifice of bovine animals on the religious occasion of Eid is being termed "illegal" and disallowed under the garb of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The statement said the sacrifice of permitted animals, including bovines, is imperative to the celebration of Eid al-Adha. “Hence, it is...

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir have banned the sacrifice of animals during the upcoming Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday, in a ruling that is likely to further stoke anti-India anger in the disputed Muslim-majority region. An order issued on Thursday said the “illegal killing/sacrifices of cows/calves, camels & other animals” must be stopped, citing animal welfare laws. It’s unclear why the government issued a near total ban on sacrificing animals. Generally, cows are considered sacred in Hindu-majority India, and slaughtering them or eating beef is illegal or restricted across much of the country. Despite the ban on cow slaughter in Kashmir, beef is widely available across much of the Muslim-majority areas. Muslims traditionally mark Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, by offering special prayers and slaughtering livestock, usually a goat, sheep, a cow or a camel, to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s test of faith. The meat of the sacrificed animals is sh...

The Israeli government, for the first time since 2003, has failed to renew its controversial Citizenship Law. According to the Mossawa Center, a Haifa-based civil and human rights organization for Palestinian citizens of Israel, the Citizenship Law is “a racist form of collective punishment that prevents tens of thousands of Palestinian families from reuniting with each other.” In its most basic form, the law prevents the spouses of Palestinian citizens of Israel from gaining Israeli citizenship or almost any other form of legal status in the country, leaving those families that have not yet been forcibly separated by the law to live in constant fear of separation. To understand the real effects this law has on the daily lives of Palestinian citizens of Israel, their spouses, and their children, I spoke with Taiseer Khatib and his wife Lana who currently live in Acre, Israel with their three children. Taiseer was born in Acre, thus he has an Israeli citizenship. He received a degree i...

Amnesty International report highlights how Israeli police protect Jewish supremacism from any challenge by Palestinian citizens by Jonathan Cook Police made sweeping arrests of Israel’s large minority of Palestinian citizens after protests rocked the country in May during Israel’s 11-day attack on Gaza. Officers were documented beating demonstrators, and in some cases torturing them while in detention. Police also failed to protect the Palestinian minority from planned, vigilante-style attacks by far-right Jewish extremists. This was the damning verdict of an Amnesty International report published last week. The findings indicate that Israeli police view the country’s Palestinian minority, a fifth of the population, as an enemy rather than as citizens with a right to protest. The report echoes what Palestinian leaders in Israel and local human rights groups have long said: that the default policing of the Palestinian community in Israel is racist and violent. It reflects the same...