News and Analysis (7/28/20)

Hajj pilgrims honor the sacrifice of Abraham, and “the Maryland Hajj ended with rented sheep ambling in small petting enclosures and a station where Eldadah said families donated a total of $2,000 to Americans in need”:

• COVID-19 Denied Her a Pilgrimage, So This Maryland Muslim Woman Made a Drive-Thru Version (WAMU)

“President Erdogan is helping China repatriate Muslim dissidents by sending them to third countries before they return”:

• How Turkey Is Sending Muslim Uighurs Back to China Without Breaking Its Promise (Telegraph)

Israel cut off the British charity’s aid to the most deprived Palestinians by using refusal to discriminate against children of militants to pretend that Islamic Relief is a “terrorist organization”:

• Islamic Relief to Contest Israeli ‘Terrorism’ Allegations in Court (The Guardian)

Never shy about taking credit for its military operations, “Hezbollah denied its fighters had engaged in any attack along the border,” but scandal-ridden Netanyahu needs a war:

• Lebanon Accuses Israel of Provoking Border Escalation (Washington Post)

Ayesha and Reza got engaged to be married in January, 2017. Then Donald Trump came between them:

• Married Couple Affected by Muslim Travel Ban, Pandemic Constraints (NPR)

As Israel increasingly sidesteps the PA as its enforcement arm, some Israeli conservatives fear it is accelerating an “advance towards … establishment of one Israeli-Palestinian state with equal citizenship for all inhabitants”:

• Israel’s Nightmare: The Dissolution of the Palestinian Authority (Aljazeera)

The “NGO Foundation for Media Professionals” alleges contempt of court as government-mandated “slow internet speed makes telemedicine, or online consultation, impossible” during the Covid crisis …

• Supreme Court Asks Centre to Verify Jammu and Kashmir’s response on 4G curb (Hindustan Times)

… while “Indian Army, Border Security Forces, paramilitary forces and similar organisations” no longer need a a “no objection certificate” to from Jammu and Kashmir’s home department to acquire or requisition land”:

• India Eases Rules for Security Forces to Acquire Land in Kashmir (Aljazeera)

The Pakistan Press Foundation sounds the alarm over moves to crush freedom of the press and of expression in multiple attacks on journalists, new media, and even textbooks:

• Outcry over Rangers ‘Raid’ on Karachi Press Club (Pakistan Press Foundation)
• Senior Journalist Matiullah Jan Abducted in Broad Daylight and Released After Twelve Hours (Pakistan Press Foundation)
• ‘Playing with Law Won’t Be Allowed’ (Pakistan Press Foundation)
• Pakistan’s Supreme Court Takes Notice of ‘Objectionable Content’ on YouTube, Other Social Media Platforms (Pakistan Press Foundation)
• Punjab Government Bans 100 Textbooks (Pakistan Press Foundation)

The facility “is said to be riddled with coronavirus cases, according to rights activists, raising further concerns about her deteriorating health”:

• British-Australian Academic Jailed in Iran Is Moved to Remote Prison (NY Times)