November 2020
Saudi FM denies Netanyahu visited Saudi Arabia
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan denied Israeli media reports Monday that a meeting occurred between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), in the Saudi town of Neom. Israel’s Army Radio and Kan Radio both claimed that the Israeli Prime Minister and the head of Israel’s spy agency, the Mossad, Yosef Meir Cohen, secretly flew to Neom from Tel Aviv to meet Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince. Read More
United Nations panel calls for end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The United Nations has overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for Palestinian self-determination and end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory since 1967. The resolution was approved on Thursday by the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee — the committee that deals with human rights and humanitarian affairs. It was passed 163 to 5, with 10 abstentions. Read More
‘Macron is doing to Muslims what the Nazis did to the Jews’
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Pakistan’s minister for human rights has accused Emmanuel Macron of treating his country’s Muslim population like Jews in Nazi Germany, after the French president called for new measures to crack down on Islamic extremism, RT reported Sunday. Minister Shireen Mazari did not hold back with her criticisms of Macron’s insistence that Muslim leaders in France agree to a “charter of republican values,” among other policies aimed at discouraging ‘radicalism’. Read More
Any plot to sabotage China-Pakistan Economic Corridor won't succeed: Beijing
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: China said Friday that any scheme to sabotage China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) won't succeed. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian pointed out that the CPEC is a pilot program under the Belt and Road Initiative that will not only boost economic development in the two countries, but also promote interconnectivity and common prosperity in the region.
"We are confident in the successful construction and operation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with the support from the international community and joint efforts with Pakistan," the spokesperson said. "We also believe that any scheme to sabotage the construction of the corridor will not succeed." Read More
Saudi Arabia is pressuring Pakistan to recognize Israel?
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Saudi Arabia is pressuring Pakistan to recognize Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday quoting a Pakistani journalist. The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday: Prominent Pakistani journalist Mubasher Lucman believes that Saudi Arabia is one of the countries pressuring Islamabad into recognizing Israel, he said in an interview with an Israeli TV network, i24 News. Lucman's statement follows Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement that Islamabad has been placed "under pressure" by the United States, and other unnamed countries, to recognize Israel. Read More
China is fortifying defenses across all Ladakh border: Hindustan Times
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Contrary to media reports, the Peoples Liberation Army is not moving back from Finger 4 on the north bank of Pangong Tso in disputed Galwan Valley and the PLA is widening and carpeting a road between Finger 6 and Finger 8 to enable faster deployment of troops, according to Hindustan Times. Read More
25 Russian peacekeepers’ posts established in Nagorno Karabakh
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Russian peacekeepers have deployed 25 observation posts in Nagorno Karabakh for observing the preservation of the ceasefire. Armenian news agency quoted a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry as saying that the deployment of peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh continues in line with the November 10 decree of the Russian President. Read More
Is India-Pakistan Conflict Eternal?
By Syed Rifaquat Ali: Narendra Modi and Imran Khan will leave a name in the history of mankind if they solve the Kashmir problem as greatest ever statesmen of our era. Let Kashmir not be a ground for eternal conflict between India and Pakistan. Let us live in peace and harmony and for the good of people in the Asian continent. Read More
Russia to build naval base in strategically vital Sudan
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: President Vladimir Putin has approved the setting up of a Russian Navy logistics hub on the Red Sea, lying between Africa and Asia, tasking the Ministry of Defense with signing a previously discussed agreement with Sudan, RT reported Monday. The proposal to establish a facility in the North-African country, for which Putin gave the green light on Monday, was brought forward by the Russian government last week. Read More
12 killed as India, Pakistan exchange fire in disputed Kashmir
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Indian and Pakistani troops clashed anew in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, leaving 12 people dead, including three Indian and one Pakistani soldier, and wounding at least 36 on both sides, the Associated Press quoted officials as saying. Read More
China threatens India with ‘Liquid Bomb’ that could be much more dangerous than Ladakh standoff
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: After troubling India militarily in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, Beijing could now hurt the South Asian country by drying up the crucial rivers that flow into the country through Tibet, as China is going ahead with building mega-dams on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo, which flows from Tibet into northeast India, according to Eurasia Times. Read More
Why Putin virtually forced Armenia to surrender to Azerbaijan?
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced on Monday night that he has "painfully" signed an agreement with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Russia to end the war with Azerbaijan. Russian President allowed the fighting to continue as Armenia suffered heavy losses? Many analysts believe, Putin perhaps wanted to punish Armenia for its pro-US and pro-NATO policies. Read More
Violent protests erupt in Armenia rejecting the Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Chaotic scenes erupted inside Armenia's parliament in the early hours of Tuesday as protesters angry at the Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal with Azerbaijan seized control of its chamber to denounce the country's leadership as they lynched the parliament speaker, Daily Sabah reported. Hundreds of people stormed into the building after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced the agreement to end six weeks of fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Read More
Islamophobia disguised as secularism in France, says opposition leader Melenchon
Daily Sabah: Anti-Muslim hatred is being disguised as secularism in France, a French opposition leader said in criticism of the Emmanuel Macron-led government, which recently came under fire for policies against French Muslims. "There is hatred toward Muslims under the guise of secularism in this country. Secularism does not mean to hate a religion," Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the France Unbowed movement and an MP from a Mediterranean region with a large Muslim population, told the BFM-TV channel earlier this week. Read More
France’s fanatical secularism, persecution of Muslims, and its assault on freedom of religion
USCMO: The US Council of Muslim Organizations, on behalf of our member institutions and American Muslims, has studied France’s mushrooming crisis with Islam and Muslims, born out of its increasingly extremist form of secularism, laïcité, and issues the following two-part statement and call: (1) We are appalled by the French government and its President Emmanuel Macron for their massive, indiscriminate, and chauvinist crackdown on the Muslims of France and its presumptuous attack on the entire religion of Islam, in general. (2) We call on all Muslims, and their communities and nations, to boycott France economically and censure it politically until it rescinds its new tyrannical law of “separatism.” Read More
Armenia agrees to end war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said Monday night that he has "painfully" signed an agreement with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Russia to end the war with Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Daily Sabah reported. "I have signed a statement with the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan on the termination of the Karabakh war," Pashinyan said in a statement posted on his Facebook page, calling the move "unspeakably painful for me personally and for our people." Read More
“The World is bigger than five”
Turkish President Erdogan questions efficiency of global system tilted against poor countries
The Turkish president on Monday called for a change of approach in times when the current global system is failing to respond to crises occurring all around world, especially amid the coronavirus outbreak. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the remarks at the 12th Ambassador Conference held in the capital Ankara. Stressing the existing global system favored a handful of strong actors over righteous masses and rich over poor people, the president said this system could no longer continue and systematic change was needed. Read More
Pakistan-Russia for joint military exercise begin
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The 5th round of military exercise of Pakistani and Russian forces began on Sunday. A contingent of 150 Russian forces arrived in Pakistan on Thursday to participate in the two week exercise named ‘Bruzhba-5’ (Friendship-5). The Russian troops, which include 70 special forces, are participating in the exercise that would continue till 21st November. Read More
Putin, Macron express concern on Nagorno-Karabakh fighting as Armenia suffers loses
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed in a phone call the ongoing fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh and expressed their concern about the involvement of extremists from Syria and Libya in the conflict, Tass quoted the Kremlin press office as saying Saturday. "While discussing Nagorno-Karabakh, they expressed deep concern about the ongoing large-scale hostilities in the conflict zone and increasing involvement of extremists arriving from Syria and Libya into it," the statement says. Read More
8th round of China-India military talks also failed to end Ladakh deadlock
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Chinese and Indian military officials held 8th round of high level military talks Friday to end months-long deadlock in Ladakh. There was no official word yet on the outcome, but India has maintained that China must disengage completely from all flashpoints in eastern Ladakh. Read More
Three Muslims re-elected to the US House of Representatives
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Three Muslim candidates were re-elected to the House of Representatives in Tuesday's election. Ilhan Omar won in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District and Rashida Tlaib won in Michigan's 13th Congressional District. In Indiana, Rep. Andre' Carson (D) won his re-election bid for the 7th District. Read More
Texas physician accused of making anti-semitic and Islamophobic Facebook posts
Dallas Observer: A North Texas pathologist is under fire for an alleged series of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic Facebook posts. Dr. Michael Robles, a physician of almost 20 years who primarily works in Carrollton, allegedly made these comments on the Facebook page of Jihad Watch, a blog run by anti-Muslim writer Robert Spencer. A press release by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations details many of these posts and includes a computer file with screenshots of comments (allegedly made by Robles). Read More
The French Crisis is self-made
By Dr. Habib Siddiqui: France is in crisis or so it seems from the latest reports in the media. For the last couple of weeks, the secular fundamentalist state has been in a state of alert since the beheading of a middle-school teacher in a Paris suburb by an 18-year-old attacker who was apparently angry with the teacher showing a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad (S) in class. On Thursday, October 29, 2020 a Tunisian man was shot and arrested by police after he had killed three people in a church in the French city of Nice. Read More
Anti-France protests draws tens of thousands across Muslim world
Abdus Sattar Ghazali: A rift between the Muslim world and France is widening, as leaders and the public in Muslim countries respond to the October 2 speech of President Emmanuel Macron saying Islam was “in crisis” globally. The fallout deepened with renewed Macron support to show caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad and anti-France demonstrations on Friday in several Muslim countries. Tens of thousands of Muslims, from Pakistan to Lebanon to the Palestinian territories, poured out of prayer services to join anti-France protests on Friday, according to media reports. Read More
Malaysia’s Mahathir slams lopsided freedom of speech
Yenisafak: Malaysia’s former premier Mahathir Mohamad on Friday slammed social media giants Facebook and Twitter for “deliberately” deleting parts of his statement on Islamophobia with reference to several discouraging acts in France. “FB [Facebook] and Twitter had… requested the administrators of my Facebook and Twitter accounts to remove the postings. Despite attempts to explain the context of the posting, they were removed,” Mahathir said in a blog. Read More
‘China has further transgressed into Indian territory in Ladakh’
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: India and China will hold eighth round of military-level talks next week to resolve the ongoing standoff along the border in eastern Ladakh amid reports that China has occupied more territory in the disputed area. India and China are locked in an over five-month-long bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh that has significantly strained their ties. Though both sides held a series of diplomatic and military talks to resolve the row, no breakthrough has been achieved to end the standoff. 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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