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November 2015
An open letter to President Obama by an American Muslim pdf
The nihilistic assaults on Paris
By Dr. Habib Siddiqui: What is surprising is the level of sophistication in planning and execution of Friday (Nov 13) simultaneous assaults that had not been seen since the 2008 attacks in Bombay, India. It was the worst attack on a European city since the Madrid bombings in 2004, when 190 people were killed and more than 1,800 wounded, in four coordinated attacks on commuter trains. The assaults in Paris took place against the background of two major ongoing international crises: the Syrian conflict and the war against Daesh, and the refugee crisis that now besets Europe. No wonder that they have sparked a cycle of blame and outrage that has become bleakly familiar.The possibility that one of the attackers was a Syrian migrant or had posed as one is sure to further complicate the already vexing problem for Europe of how to handle the unceasing flow of people from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Read More
10 Reasons why the Paris terrorist attack could be a false flag operation
By Binu Mathew : The Paris terrorist attack that killed 129 people is a horrific, heinous and barbarious act. We should strongly condemn the incident and demand that thorough investigation should be conducted and the perpetrators should be booked and given exemplary punishment so that such incidents may not be repeated anywhere again. Even before the investigations began, in fact an hour after the attack took place, French President Hollande blamed the attack on ISIS. Later ISIS themselves came forward and claimed that they carried out the attack. This may well be the case. But we cannot forget the fact that anyone can claim to be an ISIS and take responsibility of the attack. Even if the claim was made by the ISIS themselves that doesn’t prove that they carried out the attack. They can falsely take claim on the attack, to boost their image as the best terrorist group around, a claim that will fill their coffers with terrorist sympathizers from around the world. So, the ISIS claim cannot be taken in its face value, but must the thoroughly investigated. Read More
Obama's escalation in Syria
Dr. Stephen Zunes: President Obama’s announcement that he would send up to 50 U.S. Special Forces to "train, advise and assist" armed militia fighting forces of the so-called “Islamic State” in Syria marks an escalation in U.S. military involvement in that country. It also raises some serious legal, political, strategic, ethical, and constitutional questions and may open the way to a far larger and dangerous military entanglements in the future. Despite the absence of the requisite approval of Congress, the United States has been engaged in regular airstrikes in that country for more than a year as well as arming, training, and funding “moderate” rebel groups with little strategic gain to show for it. Read More
Myanmar’s Election – an analysis
By Dr. Habib Siddiqui: Last Sunday Myanmar (previously Burma) held its first contested vote since 1990. Since achieving independence from Britain in 1948, the country had a very difficult start. Military has ruled the country for more than half a century since 1962. Although an election was held in 1990 in which the National League for Democracy (NLD), the opposition party of Suu Kyi, daughter of Aung San, considered the father of the nation (who was murdered by his rivals six months before independence) came out as the winner, the military refused to cede power. Suu Kyi spent most of the next 23 years under house arrest, becoming an iconic figure at home and abroad. To put pressure on the hated military regime, she was even granted a Nobel Prize for peace. Read More
Is Genocide Occurring in Myanmar’s Rakhine state?
By Dr. Habib Siddiqui: Recently, the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law Schoolhas published a legal analysis for Fortify Rights, a human rights organization based in Southeast Asia,on the subject of genocide. The 78-page legal analysis — Persecution of the Rohingya Muslims: Is Genocide Occurring in Myanmarﾒs Rakhine State? A Legal Analysis — draws on nearly three years of research and documentation provided to the Lowenstein Clinic by Fortify Rights, including eyewitness testimonies, internal government documents as well as UN data, reports, and information. Read More
Why Netanyahu Needs Holocaust Revisionism and Israeli-Palestinian Violence
By Stephen Zunes: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's October 20 speech claiming that Hitler had not planned to exterminate Jews until a prominent Palestinian cleric pressured him to do so, while outrageous, is consistent with the longstanding narrative of the right-wing government and its U.S. supporters. Read More
India planned covert military attack on Pakistani nuclear reactor
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Indian Express reported on Oct 26, 2015 that the United States warned Pakistan in 1984 about an Indian military attack on the Pakistani nuclear reactor at Kahuta. The paper said that the US warning came in US President Ronald Reagan’s letter to General Zia-ul Haq, President of Pakistan. Last week, the US State department declassified its top-secret documents from 1984-85 which focus on the Pakistani nuclear program. Read More
Muslims feel more vulnerable in India: Dr Zafar-ul-Islam
Renowned Muslim scholar and Indian civil society member Dr Zafar-ul-Islam has said that Muslims all over India including Jammu and Kashmir are concerned about the situation which has worsened after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister. He said that not only Muslims, but Christians are also feeling uncomfortable and there is a dire need to run a campaign to build a sense of confidence among minorities. Read More
Scientists express concern over rising intolerance in India
Indian writers and scientists expressing concern against the spread of intolerance and communal hatred in India. In a petition to the President, the scientists have warned that this statement may be followed by stronger actions "akin to the award winners of Sahitya Akademi." A group of scientists from academic institutions across the country and abroad have signed a petition addressed to the President expressing their concern over recent incidents of intolerance, polarization and spread of communal hatred resulting in the death of innocent people and rationalists. Read More
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