When US Congress chases votes and not the law
The United States Congress’ historic vote to defy the president’s veto, thereby passing into law the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), may spark new hope for victims of state violence in general. By an overwhelming margin in both houses of the legislature, American senators and congressional representatives have defied Barack Obama, while playing […]
Turkey suspends 13,000 police over ‘Gulen links’
Turkey has suspended almost 13,000 police officers – more than five percent of the country’s entire police force – over suspected links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric blamed by Ankara for orchestrating a failed coup attempt. In a brief statement, the Turkish police headquarters said that 2,523 of the 12,801 suspended were police chiefs. […]
Battle for Mosul could spark ‘one of the largest man-made disasters’ in years, U.N. warns
CAIRO — Aid groups are racing to prepare for what they are predicting will be the largest humanitarian crisis in recent memory, with a million people expected to flee the northern Iraqi metropolis of Mosul once the country’s military and its foreign allies launch their offensive to seize the city from Islamic State militants. The […]
The fall and the rise of Morocco’s left
Rabat, Morocco – A new wave of radical left-wing parties in Morocco is growing with emerging groups offering fresh political alternatives to the main socialist party, which is in a state of decline. The rise of the far left comes after a dramatic fall in electoral support for the Socialist Union of Popular Forces Party […]
Afghanistan: Beyond reactive tactics and quick fixes
Afghanistan’s two key political leaders – President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah – today meet European Union representatives, 70 donor nations and 20 international organisations in Brussels, to review progress and agree on future assistance. As the Brussels conference gets under way, Afghanistan is increasingly fragile. Ghani and Abdullah jointly head the National […]
Maryland man accused of plotting attack on US service member for ISIS
BALTIMORE — A 24-year-old Maryland man has been charged in a plot to attack a member of the U.S. military on behalf of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, federal prosecutors said Monday. Prosecutors said Nelash Mohamed Das, a citizen of Bangladesh who came to the United States as a child two decades ago and lived in […]
Florida Synagogue Faces Hate Crimes On Rosh Hashanah
A synagogue in Florida was vandalized on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year holiday, according to media reports. Amid the two-day holiday – which celebrates the creation of the world in the Jewish religion – vandals spray painted Sunday “Free Palestine” across signs and areas of the Chabad of Parkland synagogue in […]
Where do American Muslims live?
Is France still a secular state?
“Being French means being European, white and Catholic.” One could be forgiven for thinking that this phrase is attributed to a thinker from Europe’s medieval period or even the time of the Crusades. However, this is 2016 and these are the words of Robert Menard, an elected French politician, mayor of the city of Beziers, […]
Inside Bulgaria’s Proposed Ban on ‘Radical Islam’
Twenty-year-old Aishe Emin is the only student who wears the hijab in her department at Sofia University. Her veil has attracted unwelcome attention since she moved to the Bulgarian capital two years ago, but in recent months she’s received more hostile comments and stares on and off campus. Her husband, Mustafa, who also attends the […]