January 2020
China fears fallout from India’s citizenship law in Muslim Xinjiang
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The adoption of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which excludes citizenship for Muslim migrants who had illegally entered India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh before December 2014, is fuelling anxiety in China, The Hindu reported Tuesday. An un-named Chinese official told The Hindu that Beijing apprehends that the law, if it alienates Muslims in India, could have repercussions in volatile Muslim Xinjiang province which faced separatist violence. Read More
CAA is first big step towards Savarkar’s Akhand Hindu-Rashtra
By Shariq Us Sahah: The Citizenship (Amendment)Act, 2019 (CAA) is being vaguely labelled as Anti-Muslims. Though it is certainly designed to exclude and disparage Muslims to become lesser rights holder in India, the Act’s design reflects to a larger nefarious social agenda. Read More
Amid mounting anti-Modi demonstrations, India threatens to seize Pakistan administered Kashmir
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Indian police baton-charged protesters Sunday (Jan 12) in Kolkata to stop them reaching Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cavalcade as nationwide protests against a bitterly disputed citizenship law entered a second month. Tens of thousands staged protests through the night in the eastern city of Kolkata to denounce Modi’s weekend visit to the capital of West Bengal state, whose local rulers have strongly opposed the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Read More
Millions Come into Streets for Slain Gen. Soleimani in Biggest Rallies in Iran’s History (And no, They weren’t Coerced)
By Juan Cole: On Monday, Iran witnessed the largest crowd actions in its history, as millions came out into the streets of cities large and small in a combination of mourning and protest on behalf of assassinated military commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani. On Monday morning, the slain figures’ bodies were brought to Tehran, the capital, for a major funeral ceremony at Tehran University. The Iranian press reported that millions came out in the streets in Tehran alone, and there certainly were at least a million. Read More
After Soleimani killing, Iran's proxy war to impact Afghanistan and Pakistan
By Shamil Shams: While it's unlikely that Iran will directly attack the US over the killing of Qassem Soleimani, it could attempt to indirectly harm US interests in Afghanistan. If this happens, Pakistan could be drawn into the conflict. Read More
The threat of war inflates stock holdings of military contractor CEOs
by Sarah Anderson: EOs of major U.S. military contractors stand to reap huge windfalls from the escalation of conflict with Iran. This was evident in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. assassination of a top Iranian military official last week. As soon as the news reached financial markets, these companies’ share prices spiked, inflating the value of their executives’ stock-based pay. Read More
The Saga of Nehru Family
By Syed Rifaquat Ali: Cock-eyed Bhartiya Janta Party looks at the Congress Party as one family Party: the Gandhi family. It is human nature to pinpoint the shortcomings and pick holes in others, and overlook the merits and positive attributes. Read More
Wagging the Dog: Trump does it this time
By Dr. Habib Siddiqui: The assassination of General Soleimani came with Trump's approval rating languishing at 42.4%, according a model by FiveThirtyEight, and he is the first US president to face an impeachment trial while running for reelection. Interestingly, Trump is not the only POTUS bombing or killing someone of high value when domestic politics shows a high a disapproval rating at home. The trend has repeated many times since at least the time of Bill Clinton (1993-2000). During the Monica Lewinsky scandal in 1998 and 1999, President Bill Clinton initiated bombing campaigns in Sudan and in Iraq, and critics claimed he was trying to divert attention. Read More
War With Iran
By Chris Hedges: The targeting of General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, may temporarily bolster the political fortunes of the two beleaguered architects of the assassination, Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but it is an act of imperial suicide by the United States. There can be no positive outcome. It opens up the possibility of an Armageddon-type scenario relished by the lunatic fringes of the Christian right. Read More
Reaction to General Soleimani's Assassination in Pakistan, and West Asia
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Pakistani senators have expressed concern over the fall out of tension between the US and neighboring Iran in the aftermath of killing of General Qasem Soleimani. Senator Raza Rabbani told the Senate Friday that the America’s killing of Soleimani has given rise to new tensions in the region. He said the worsening US-Iran relationship could have implications for Pakistan's national security. Senator Sherry Rehman said the Iranian general's killing could trigger a "serious crisis-like situation" in the Middle East. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reached out to Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa in the aftermath of the assassination of Iranian General Soleimani. “Pakistan’s Chief of Staff General Bajwa and I spoke today [Friday] about US defensive action to kill Qasem Soleimani,” said Pompeo on Twitter, adding the “Iran regime’s actions in the region are destabilizing and our resolve in protecting American interests, personnel, facilities, and partners will not waver”. On its part, Pakistan army’s media wing tweeted: Regional situation including possible implications of recent escalation in Middle East was discussed, while the General Bajwa emphasized need for maximum restraint and constructive engagement by all concerned to de-escalate the situation in broader interest of peace and stability. Read More
2019: Another challenging year for American Muslims
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: i. Republican candidate’s letter calls for Rep. Ilhan Omar to be hanged. ii. Muslim NJ mayor detained at JFK airport. iii. Flight of two Muslims canceled because crew 'didn't feel comfortable' flying with them. iv. 40% of Muslim Students in California Experience Bullying, Discrimination. These stories symbolize the dilemma of the seven-million American Muslim community which remains at the receiving end with President Trump’s demonization of Muslims to bigotry, to hate crimes, to widespread discrimination, to media coverage that links Islam with terrorism. Read More
Do Muslims matter in Modi’s India?
By Dr. Habib Siddiqui: Since sweeping to power for the second time in May of 2019, Narendra Modi and his BJP government have delivered within six months what they have been promising to their chauvinistic Hindutvadi supporters. Kashmir’s special status as a state is gone with Article 370. The site for the historic Babri Masjid is now cleared for building a Hindu temple – the Ram Mandir. Read More
The Saga of Nehru Family
By Syed Rifaquat Ali: Cock-eyed Bhartiya Janta Party looks at the Congress Party as one family Party: the Gandhi family. It is human nature to pinpoint the shortcomings and pick holes in others, and overlook the merits and positive attributes. Read More
Coming to the defense of the persecuted is noble and not bullying
By Dr. Habib Siddiqui: On Friday, December 27, 2019, a resolution titled “Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar” was passed with an overwhelming majority of votes during the 74th session of UN General Assembly at its 52nd resumed meeting, held at the UN headquarters in New York.This resolution follows the UN’s Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar report (dated 22 October 2019) that declared Myanmar is failing in its obligations under the Genocide Convention to prevent, investigate and enact effective legislation criminalizing and punishing genocide. Read More
Onward, Christian Fascists
By Chris Hedges: The greatest moral failing of the liberal Christian church was its refusal, justified in the name of tolerance and dialogue, to denounce the followers of the Christian right as heretics. By tolerating the intolerant it ceded religious legitimacy to an array of con artists, charlatans and demagogues and their cultish supporters. It stood by as the core Gospel message—concern for the poor and the oppressed—was perverted into a magical world where God and Jesus showered believers with material wealth and power. The white race, especially in the United States, became God’s chosen agent. Imperialism and war became divine instruments for purging the world of infidels and barbarians, evil itself. Capitalism, because God blessed the righteous with wealth and power and condemned the immoral to poverty and suffering, became shorn of its inherent cruelty and exploitation. The iconography and symbols of American nationalism became intertwined with the iconography and symbols of the Christian faith. Read More
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
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