August 2017

Michael Chase of ACLU speaks at the UMA civic education forum
The United Muslims of America (UMA) held its civic education forum on August 27, 2017 at the Chandni Restaurtant Newark CA. Michael Chase, Board member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Northern Califronia was invited to speak. Michael Chase has been mostly involved in issues involving government surveillance, police misconduct, immigrants' rights, racial justice, and free speech. Read More   Watch You Tube Videos

China-India border standoff ends: India pulls troops from disputed area
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The border dispute between China and India ended Monday (August 28, 2017) as India agreed to China's demand to pullout troops from the disputed Doklam territory. India said on Monday it had agreed with China to pull back troops to end a months-long face-off along a disputed Himalayan region. Read More

Civil advocacy groups denounce Trump's pardon of Shariff Arpaio
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Civil rights groups  and Democrats Friday (August 25, 2017) condemned President Donald Trump's decision to pardon former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of disobeying a court verdict ordering his agency to stop racially profiling Latinos. A joint statement was issued by leading civil rights and racial justice organizations condemning Sheriff Joe Arpaio pardon.  Read More

An Open Letter to Mr. Kofi Annan By Dr. Habib Siddiqui
Dear Mr. Annan, I am very disappointed with your statement, dated August 25, 2017, concerning the latest violence in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. You stated, “I am saddened to hear of the loss of life of members of the security forces. The alleged scale and gravity of these attacks mark a worrying escalation of violence. No cause can justify such brutality and senseless killing. Perpetrators should be held to account.” Read More

Flirting with neo-Nazi fascism is dangerous!
By Habib Siddiqui: America is imploding, or so it seems. In the last couple of weeks we saw a wave of top-level hirings, firings, resignations and feuds. And then, we also witnessed neo-Nazi violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. First came the not-too-well publicized rally by white supremacists on the University of Virginia campus bearing torches and chanting white nationalistic – or more correctly Christian fascist - slogans. The march was a precursor to a much larger, nastier and virulent rally in Charlottesville the next day where a 32-year old woman was killed by a neo-Nazi activist. Read More

Beijing: Chaos if China follows India's  logic and enters Indian territory
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: There will be "chaos" in the Leh region if they follow India's "ridiculous" logic and enter the Indian territory in Kashmir to disrupt construction projects along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), China said Tuesday (August 22). "If we tolerate India's ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour's home can break into his neighbour's house," foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying was quoted as saying by the  Indian newspapers. Read More

Burqa stunt failed to stir anti-Muslim sentiments in Australian Senate
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Perhaps taking cue from the Trump fomented rising tide of ultra-rightists, Neo-Nazis and white supremacists,  Australia’s rightwing One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson Thursday (August 17) staged a burqa stunt to stir anti-Muslim sentiments. Pauline Hanson Thursday appeared in the Australian Senate clad in 'burqa' but drew rebuke from the Attorney General George Brandis, who said: “Senator Hanson, I’m not going to pretend to ignore the stunt that you have tried to pull today by arriving in the chamber dressed in a burqa when we all know you are not an adherent of the Islamic faith." Read More

Saudi Arabia wants out of Yemen war: Mid East Eye
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Saudi Arabia's crown prince has told two former US officials that he "wants out" of the two-year war he started in Yemen, and that he is not against US rapprochement with Iran, Al Jazeera reported Tuesday (August 15) quoting leaked emails published by Middle East Eye. Read More

White supremacists celebrate President Trump's muddy remarks about the Charlottesville riots
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: White nationalists and neo-Nazis celebrated President Donald Trump's remarks about the protests in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday (August 12), in which he denounced violence "on all sides" rather than explicitly condemning white supremacism, the Business Insider reported. The founder of the Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi and white supremacist website that considers itself a part of the alt-right, celebrated the fact that Trump "outright refused to disavow" the white nationalist rally and movement, the Business Insider said. Read More

Sikkim standoff escalates: China threatens to enter into Kashmir or Kalapani in Uttarakhand
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: A day after editor of leading Chinese newspaper Global Times said military action was inevitable if Indian troops did not withdraw from China's soil in Doklam, Beijing has issued another threat saying what would India do if China enters Kashmir or the Kalapani region in Uttarakhand. Wang Wenli, Deputy Director General of the Boundary and Ocean Affairs of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the visiting Indian journalists, "The Indian side has also many tri-junctions. What if we use the same excuse and enter the Kalapani region between China, India and Nepal or the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan. Read More

Turkey and Qatar stage joint military exercises amid Doha blockade
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Turkish and Qatari navies have carried out a joint exercise as Qatar's economic blockade by Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries entered into third month. The Qatari military said the exercise was aimed at exchanging information, training senior military officials, and improving coordination between the two forces to boost security. Brigadier Hadi Rashid Al Shahwani, commander of the exercise, said that the "Iron Shield" included training of leaders to assess the situation, planning, control and coordination between the two forces. Read More

American Muslims alarmed at Minnesota mosque bombing
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The seven-million strong American Muslim community is alarmed over Saturday’s mosque bombing in Minnesota, which the community sees as a further evidence of an anti-Muslim backlash that has worsened in recent months. A blast caused by what the FBI called “an improvised explosive device” rocked the Dar Al Farooq Center before dawn Saturday (August 5), just as a small group of Muslim worshipers had gathered for the day’s first round of prayers. Read More

It’s high time for stopping the slow-burning genocide in Myanmar
By Habib Siddiqui: Every day I receive dozens of emails. Most of these emails (at least 30) are about Myanmar’sinhuman treatment of the minorities. It is simply depressing to read thesad stories of their extermination, aptly termed the slow-burning genocide by Dr. Maung Zarni, a fellow human rights activist. Read More

China again warns Indian on border dispute as Sikkim standoff continues
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: India must withdraw its troops on the Doklam plateau or “face consequences”, said Liu Jinsong, Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi on Thursday. The Hindu newspaper said that Jinsong 's remarks mark a serious escalation in rhetoric over the ongoing tensions between the two countries, as their armies continue a six-week long stand-off near India-Bhutan-China tri-junction off Sikkim. Read More

Amid Sikkim stand-off, Chinese troops enter into Indian territory, Barahoti
By Abdus-Sattar Ghazali: Chinese troops entered one kilometer into Indian territory and threatened shepherds grazing cattle in the Barahoti area of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, Indian officials said on Monday, July 31. The transgression took place on the morning of July 25 when a group of shepherds was asked to vacate the land by troops of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the officials were quoted by the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency. The incident comes in the backdrop of a prolonged standoff between Chinese and Indian troops at Doklam near Sikkim, the PTI pointed out. Read More

The Politics of American Muslim demographics
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: On Thursday July 26, PEW Research Center released the findings of its 2017 survey of U.S. Muslims which estimated the population of American Muslims at 3.35 million. This estimate is projection of Pew's survey of 2011 which estimated the population of American Muslims at 2.7 million that was actually a projection of the Pew survey of 2007. Read More

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