Author: Imran

Settlers damage Palestinian property (imposing “price tags”) in response to Israeli military and police action against them: Israel Acts to Cut Off Funds to Illegal Settlements (NY Times) …Meanwhile, fears remain that settlers would “use firearms in order to halt diplomatic processes and harm political leaders”: Israel Raises Security Concerns Amid Settler Unrest (LA Times)…

Political motivations undermine the global effort to thwart terrorist financing: Terrorism Financing Blacklists At Risk (Washington Post) Iraqis dismiss the idea a new US president will bring serious change to their lives: The U.S. Election, Viewed from Baghdad (LA Times) Facing the prospect of habeas corpus hearings, the government begins justifying Guantanamo cases narrower grounds:…

McCain continues to campaign with ignorance and bigotry: An ‘Idiot Wind’ (Washington Post) Illegally profiling of Muslim immigrants conducted by the Department of Homeland Security: Inquiry Targeted 2,000 Foreign Muslims in 2004 (NY Times) Using Sharia law for guidance, Islamic banking practices are quickly gaining popularity: Islamic Banking: Steady in Shaky Times (Washington Post) Hoping…

With provincial elections scheduled in January, Iraqi politicians remain committed to specific demands which help ensure Iraqi sovereignty: Senior Iraqi Leader Says Pact With U.S. Is Unlikely to Pass (Washington Post) “We don’t object to filters in school, libraries, or public places, but it’s a problem to decide what is suitable for an entire population…

Only five provinces remain in US control: US hands back province to Iraqis (Al Jazeera) “Without dialogue, we cannot have any sort of conclusion,” – Owais Ghani,  governor of the North-West Frontier Province Afghans, Pakistanis Opt to Talk to Taliban (Washington Post) The falling price of oil increases pressure on Arab markets: Slowdown in Persian…

As with with the cross-border raids into Pakistani, “the [U.S.] military’s argument is that ‘you can only claim sovereignty if you enforce it,’”–Anthony Cordesman … U.S. Calls Raid a Warning to Syria (Washington Post) … but Iraq unexpectedly rebukes Washington’s actions and Syria accuses the US of “conducting a planned act of ‘criminal and terrorist…

Reports indicate US forces illegally crossed into Syria to target insurgents: Syria and Iran Blame U.S. in Blast on Iraq Border (NY Times) “How can we possibly have a serious national unity dialogue with people who claim to be patriotic Palestinians in daylight hours while at night they coordinate with the Israeli army the next…

An Israeli-linked non-profit that doesn’t disclose its donors or board members demonizes Muslims by distributing propaganda filmswith a pseudonymous producer and production manager: Group Swamps Swing States With Movie on Radical Islam (Washington Post) Sunni group accuses US forces of killing senior party official “in his bed” and detaining five others: Iraqi Party Suspends Ties…

“Lepers. Untouchables. Politically radioactive” among the terms Muslims use to describe their treatment: US Muslim Voters are Election Year Outcasts (AP / Washington Post) Turkey continues to struggle between it’s liberal Islamic and authoritarian secular identity: Turkish Prime Minister’s Attempt to Lift Ban on Headscarves Ruled Anti-Secular (Guardian) Researching her master’s thesis on the status…

Mirroring the “Awakening” movement in Iraq: Pakistan Will Give Arms to Tribal Militias (Washington Post) Refusal to release documents potentially proving claims of torture threatens damage to ties with Britain: U.S. Pressed to Turn Over Detainee Papers (Washington Post) Babil province becomes the 12th out of 18 provinces that Iraqi forces hold primary responsible for…