Minaret of Freedom Weblog

Press freedom advocates have sharply condemned Israel’s bombing of a Gaza building that housed the offices of Al-Jazeera and the Associated Press news agency, labelling it as “a brazen attempt to silence journalists covering the Israeli military’s ongoing offensive” …

• Israel Strike in Gaza Destroys Building With AP, Other Media (The National Herald)

… amidst international outrage sparked by headlines highlighting Israeli brutality and illegal war crimes against the Palestinian populace:

• Israeli Airstrike on Home in Gaza Kills 10+ People, Most of Them Children (CBS)
• Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinians at Nakba Day Marches, Wound 450 (Al-Jazeera)
• Israel’s Bombing of Gaza Apartment Buildings Could Be a War Crime, Human Rights Groups Warn (Business Insider)
• Tens of Thousands Protest Across North America in Solidarity with Palestine (TRT World)

As thousands marched peacefully through the streets of Paris in protest against Israeli atrocities, French riot police “fired tear gas and used water cannons against protestors supporting Palestinians” under he French interior minister’s blanket ban on protests in solidarity with Palestine:

• Police Fire Tear Gas on Banned Palestinian March in Paris (Associated Press)

On Saturday, police in Indian occupied Kashmir arrested at least 21 protestors for expressing solidarity with Palestinians, including a graffiti artist who “painted a simple mural in support of Palestine”:

• Kashmir Police Puts 21 Pro-Palestine Protestors Behind Bars (India TV)
• Kashmir Police Arrest Graffiti Artist over Palestine Mural (Al-Jazeera)

• Prominent Muslim Group to Boycott White House Eid Celebration over Stance on Israel-Gaza Violence (The Hill)
• US: Muslim Groups to Boycott Biden Eid event over Israel Support (Aljazeera)

U.S. and Iranian diplomats, currently negotiating via intermediary governments in Vienna, have indicated that an agreement is within reach under which Iran “could return to pre-sanctions production of almost 4 million barrels a day in as little as three month”:

• Iran Gears Up for Return to Oil Market as U.S. Talks Advance (Bloomberg)

Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s reversal on previously labelled “bitter rivals” Turkey and Iran comes with the realization that the Kingdom can no longer count on “US political and military backing”:

• Saudi Talks With Iran, Turkey Shows MBS Knows He Can’t Lean on the United States for Support (Business Insider)

Pakistani and Chinese “diplomats agreed to adopt a joint stance at all international forums for a peaceful resolution of the Palestine issue in the face of Israeli aggression” and China’s FM identifies the root cause as the injustice to the Palestinian people:

• Pakistan, China Discuss Latest Developments In Palestine (Yeni Safak)
• Chinese Foreign Minister Expounds On China’s Position On Palestinian-Israeli Conflict (The Edge Markets)

Netanyahu doesn’t think that 119 fatalities (including 31 children) and 830 injuries is enough; he promises more to come:

• ‘This Is Not Yet Over,’ Netanyahu Says, After Israel Hits Urban Areas Of Gaza (NPR)
• Deaths Rise As Palestinians Flee Heavy Israeli Fire in Gaza (Associated Press)
• Several Palestinians Killed by Israeli Fire in West Bank Protest (Al-Jazeera)

Prominent Democratic senators slam Biden’s “unwavering support for Israel’s security” (read: terrorism) policies even as he prevents the Security Council from calling for a ceasefire:

• Biden Followed Pro-Israel U.S. Precedent. but New Critics Shake The Status Quo (NBC)
• Biden Is Blocking a UN Statement Calling for a Ceasefire (Mondoweiss)

French President Macron sacrifices his people’s freedom of speech and assembly on the altar to Israel:

• Emmanuel Macron’s Government Has Banned Palestine Solidarity Demonstrations (Jacobin)

Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes “because they are built without permits” in a system that routinely denies Palestinians said permits is a system designed almost never to hold anyone accountable:

• Israel Has Chosen a Two Tiered Society. Violence is The Inevitable Result. (Washington Post)

On Eid al Fitr, Kashmiris have extended solidarity with Palestine by wearing Palestinian flags on their shirts:

• Kashmiris Show Solidarity With Palestinians on Eid (TRT World)

The US double standards on China’s oppression of Uygur Muslims highlights rather than excuses its culpability in the oppression of Palestinian Muslims:

• U.S. Crocodile Tears over Muslim Human Rights Fool No One (CGTN)
• US Funds Make Israel’s Bombardment of Gaza Possible. When Will They Be Halted? (The Guardian)

Iran’s Press TV reports that “Hamas says it has targeted the Israeli regime’s Iron Dome stations and an Israeli air base which is used by Israeli warplanes to bombard civilian targets in the besieged Gaza Strip”:

• Iran Says Hamas Is Targeting Iron Dome Sites, Airports (Jerusalem Post)

Israel’s cascade of bombings brought the “total deaths resulting from the raids on Gaza since Monday to 26, including nine children” Furthermore, at least “122 people have been wounded in the air strikes” and many are in critical condition:

• Israel Continues to Bomb Gaza After Air Strikes Killed Nine Palestinian Children (Middle East Eye)

In the face of Israel’s atrocities, the US policy of unconditional support persists as “Washington subsidizes Israeli actions, arms the Israeli military, provides political cover for Israeli activities, and pressures Arab nations to advance Israeli interests”:

• America’s Middle East Embarrassment: Underwriting Apartheid in the Palestinian Territories (Antiwar)

• Twitter Said It Restricted Palestinian Writer’s Account by Accident (Vice)

… and Facebook-owned Instagram has not only “censored content about Israeli aggression” but “removed posts and blocked hashtags about one of Islam’s holiest mosques” on the absurd grounds that “they were associated with “violence or dangerous organizations”:

• Instagram Labeled One of Islam’s Holiest Mosques a Terrorist Organization (BuzzFeed)

How a Ziojnist donor’s warning to a high level university official that hiring a scholar who has researched the Israeli occupation “would damage university reputation” led to a reversal of the university’s original decision to hire her:

• Did a University of Toronto Donor Block the Hiring of a Scholar for Her Writing on Palestine? (The New Yorker)

The United Kingdom announced measures to suppress the (BDS) campaign against Israel by banning the general public from launching their own boycotting campaigns against the apartheid state:

• UK Tries To Curb BDS As Israel’s Apartheid Status Become Impossible To Dispute (Middle East Monitor)

The official census states that “only four of Jammu and Kashmir’s 20 districts are Hindu majority, the rest being Muslim majority,” yet:

• Indian Govt Website Declares 97% Of Kashmiris Are Hindu (Global Village Space)

Sara Zemmahi was barred from running in a local election by “French President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling centrist party, the La Republique en Marche (LREM) party” after she was photographed in a hijab for a campaign flyer:

• Macron’s Party Bans Muslim Candidate For Wearing Hijab In Poster (Aljazeera)

Pakistan and Turkey are both calling for an emergency OIC meeting and for the UN to condemn Israeli brutality against innocent worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque citing “the killing  of children, as well as forced evictions”:

• Israeli Attack On Palestinians: Pakistan Backs Turkey’s Call For OIC, UN Meeting (The News)

Iran’s move to enrich uranium to 63%, which experts say “is a short technical step away” from weapons grade uranium, may complicate the ongoing Vienna talks:

• UN Watchdog: Iran Has Enriched Uranium To Highest Purity Yet (AP)

Insulted that the by the question posed to the former military prosecutor, Army captain in Iraq, and assistant U.S. Attorney, “What do you know about Sharia Law,” Muslims are even more insulted by his answer, “Nothing”:

• NJ Man Could Be the First Muslim Federal Judge. But a Question About Sharia Is Stoking Controversy (northjersey.com)

Violence against Palestinians rises in Jerusalem …

• More Than 300 Palestinians Hurt in New Round of Violence at Jerusalem Holy Site (Los Angeles Times)
• 300 More Palestinians Wounded In New Violence; Jerusalem Day March Is Canceled (NPR)

… and Hamas launched rockets into Israel as retaliation against “the crimes and aggression” in the Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah and at the Al-Aqsa Mosque…

• Hamas Fires Rockets at Jerusalem After Clashes at Mosque (Associated Press)
• Jerusalem Tensions: Rockets Fired as Unrest Spirals — Live Updates (Deutsche Welle)

… to which Israel responded by launching air strikes against Gaza on Monday, killing “nine Palestinians, including 3 children” according to the Gaza Health Ministry:

• Palestinians Report Several Killed in Israeli Air Raids on Gaza (Al-Jazeera)

A doctoral candidate in political science conducting interviews on American Muslim participation in politics found that “virtually every participant” referenced government surveillance and “its impact on their daily lives”:

• Hajer Al-Faham Finds American Muslims Are Under Watch, Even in Research (Penn Today)

Negotiations that could potentially save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are coming to a “crucial stage” according to the EU foreign affairs chief:

• EU’s Borell Says Iran Nuclear Talks Moving to Crucial Stage (Reuters)

The Taliban declare a 3 day ceasefire to “mark the three day Eid Ul-Fitr holiday” as US troops continue their withdrawal:

• Afghanistan: Taliban Declare Three-Day Eid Ceasefire (Al-Jazeera)

The NSF wants “to help victims understand that their anti-Muslim experiences and victimization are important to report to the authorities and are not experiences that should be tolerated by any members of a group”:

• UA Little Rock Receives Nearly $325,000 NSF Grant to Shine Light on Muslim Hate Crimes in Arkansas (News Wise)

“11 of the 16 Muslim employees of a coronavirus war room … suspended after [a] Bharatiya Janata Party leader … accused them of being complicit in a bed allocation scam on communal lines” are reinstated and the five others “refused to join back, saying they found the entire experience ‘traumatising'”:

• Bengaluru Civic Body to Rehire 11 Muslim Employees Suspended over Tejasvi Surya’s Allegations (Scroll)

The Sheikh Jarrah controversy highlights Israel’s apartheid position property rights: they are for Jews, not for Muslims and Christians:

• Palestinians Fear Loss of Family Homes as Evictions Loom (AP)

An Iraqi woman passed up the opportunity to escape the war zone, saying “I don’t want to be here while my children and grandchildren will face death by the airplanes, which will destroy everything”:

• Opinion: Islam and Other Religions Recognize Mothers’ Contributions (East Bay Times)

The viral video shows two female students “yelling racial slurs and profanities as they rip her hijab off her head,” provoking protests that “the school did not do enough to prevent it or to help the victim afterward”:

• North Penn School District Investigating Fight Involving Muslim Student After Cell Phone Video Goes Viral (WFMZ)

Can the West catch up with countries like Algeria, Nigeria, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bosnia & Herzegovina in the art of public female Qur’anic recitation:

• Muslim Women Are Reviving Tradition of Public Quran Recitation (Aljazeera)

As Israeli courts dawdle over Palestinian demands that their property rights be recognized, the violence  against the Arab under Israeli jurisdiction accelerates, both from settlers and Israeli forces …

• Conflict Between Israelis and Palestinians Continue in Jerusalem (NPR)
• Sheikh Jarrah: Israel Cracks Down on Palestinian Protests as Tensions Skyrocket (Middle East Eye)
• Evictions in Jerusalem Become Focus of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (NY Times)
• Israeli Investigation After 16 Year Old Palestinian Boy Shot Dead by Soldiers (Sky News)
• Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters Reacts to Evictions of Palestinians from Their Homes (Geo News)

… US Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s bill to prevent use of almost four billion dollars in annual US aid to Israel from going towards “abuses against Palestinian children, the destruction of Palestinian property, the removal of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank” provokes debate:

• In Washington, a Debate Grows Over Conditioning Aid to Israel (Al-Jazeera)

An Iranian lawmaker warned on Friday that Iran’s parliament would “further restrict UN nuclear watchdog’s access” to its nuclear facilities if significant progress was not made by May 24th:

• Iran To Restrict IAEA Access By May 24 If No Progress Made in Vienna Talks, MP Warns (Tehran Times)

In the face of Israeli forces arrests and “spraying skunk water, a chemically enhanced type of sewage water, and physically assaulting residents and solidarity protesters” …

• Palestinians Vow to Save Sheikh Jarrah Neighbourhood (Aljazeera)

… and in the face of the High Court’s contempt for their property rights, the owners insist that “these are our homes and the settlers are not our landlords”:

• Israeli Court Says Sheikh Jarrah Residents Must ‘Reach Agreement’ with the Settlers Trying to Evict Them (Mondoweiss)

A prominent advocate for Kashmiri freedom “denied proper medical care” passed away “in Indian jail under squalid conditions” similar to “thousands of Kashmiris” arrested under India’s “Public Safety Act”:

• Staunch Anti-India Kashmir Politician Dies in Police Custody (Washington Post)

A social science experiment finds German women discriminate against Muslim women who do not share their feminist beliefs while German men will discriminate against Muslim women in any case:

• The ‘Hijab Penalty’: Feminist Backlash to Muslim Immigrants in Germany (Penn Today)

A United Nations arbitrations committee will be examining apartheid charges against Israel after allegations from “Israeli left-wing NGOs” as well as by “the US based Human Rights Watch” made headlines:

• UN Committee to Examine Palestinian Apartheid Charges Against Israel (The Jerusalem Post)

“The International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) urged authorities in Chad” to abide “by the [Chadian] constitution and law, and the peaceful circulation of power via free and transparent elections”:

• Muslim Scholars Union Urges Chad to Hand Power to Civilians (Anadolu Agency)

A Human Right Watch report, like reports from many other sources, finds Israel’s crimes against Palestinians have reached a severity that merits calling them “crimes against humanity” …

• Yes, Israel Is Obviously an Apartheid State (The Nation)

… a fact reflected in numerous news stories of recent days:

• Israeli Security Guard Filmed Beating Palestinian Man in East Jerusalem (Times of Israel)
• Israel Settlers Set Fire to Palestine Farmland in Nablus (Middle East Monitor)
• Video Shows Israeli Settler Trying to Take over Palestinian House (Al-Jazeera)

Mohammad Deif, a top Hamas commander warned Israel against attacks on Palestinian residents on Sheikh Jarrah after the neighborhood “was raided by Israeli forces for the second night on Tuesday”:

• Hamas Commander Warns Israel over Occupied East Jerusalem Attacks (Al-Jazeera)

Palestinian families that historically demonstrated kindness towards their Jewish neighbors are now being forcibly evicted from East Jerusalem by Zionist hardliners determined to cleanse East Jerusalem of non-Jewish Palestinians:

• They’re Palestinians Facing Eviction in East Jerusalem. They May Have Helped Save My Family (Forward)

Shay Pinsker, head of offensive security at OP Innovate, a cyber security firm, believes the new wave of cyberattacks following the Nantaz centrifuge site explosion is an “Iranian attacker disguised as a Russian attacker”:

• Report: Iran Likely Behind Cyber Attacks on Israeli Supply Chain Companies (Algemeiner)

On Sunday, Israeli soldiers violently stormed the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem, launching tear gas canisters that caused “fires to break out in Palestinian-owned lands in the village of Fa’run”:

• Israeli Tear Gas Canisters Set Fire to Palestinian Lands near Tulkarem (Palestine Chronicle)

Rehab al-Horoub, a 60-year-old Palestinian woman, was shot and critically injured by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint before she “succumbed to her wounds on Sunday morning”:

• Elderly Palestinian Woman Shot by Israeli Forces near Bethlehem Succumbs to Wounds (Palestine Chronicle)

Both Muslim and Jewish elites of Andalusia “claimed a combined aesthetic intellectualism called ‘adab’ … [which] signified refined manners, a finely tuned aesthetic sensibility, and cultural sophistication in the form of surpassing knowledge of the arts and sciences, and control of the discourses reflecting and conveying such etiquette”:

• ‘Iberian Moorings’ Compares Muslim and Jewish Golden Ages (Cornell University)

In five years Tasawuf Underground has helped over “120 people … recruited from the streets” incapable of holding down routine jobs “to become entrepreneurs” including one ” former street busker … now enrolled in law school” teaching “Islamic knowledge to former drug addicts at a government-run rehabilitation facility”:

• Preacher’s Boarding School Gets Youths off the Street and into Islam (Reuters)

After twelve Israeli armed forces raided his home towards the end of April, Palestinian journalist and father of five Alaa Al-Rimawi was arrested as “Israel fears he may influence public opinion” on Palestinian elections. Rimawi says, “They held a barbecue inside my cell,” spitting on him and forcing him to eat:

• Israeli Soldiers Held BBQ in Prison Cell to Break Palestinian Hunger Striking Journalist Al-Rimawi (Middle East Monitor)

Since the beginning of the Vienna Talks, Israel has rapidly escalated its “Shadow war” against Iran with intent to thwart bringing Iran and the USA back to the nuclear deal:

• Israel’s ‘Shadow War’ And Plans to Scupper Iran’s Nuclear Deal (Al-Jazeera)

Under International law, Palestinian refugees and their descendants “deserve the right to return to Israel” yet “the Jewish state increasingly denies any historical, emotional, cultural or material ties of the Palestinians to their homeland” in an effort to mask its “colonialist mission of land grabbing and ethnic cleansing”:

• International Law Sides With Palestinian Refugees. But Can it Solve Their Plight? (+972 Magazine)

US continues to expand its unconstitutional surveillance efforts under the guise of counterterrorism and national security, systematically targeting “Blacks, immigrants, and Muslims” across the country:

• Broader US Government Surveillance Powers Won’t Make Us Safer (Al-Jazeera)

Imam Jamil Al-Amin, after converting to Islam in the 1970s, dedicated his life to working for “the spiritual upliftment and social resurrection of his community in Atlanta” Despite this, “Al-Amin remained the target of government surveillance” that eventually led to an unjust conviction:

• Freedom for Imam Jamil Al-Amin (Formerly H Rap Brown) is Closer than Ever (Hamzah Raza)

“The dismissal of Idrees Ahmad, teacher of a Kupwara school, and other two employees came as a strange shiver to the whole Kashmir society under the shade of Article 311 and neglecting all other disciplinary service rules” — Abdul Qayoom Wani, Former employee union leader and chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Civil Society Forum:

• In a First, Kashmir Teacher Dismissed in ‘Interest of Security of State’ (Hindustan Times)

With Israel refusing to allow Jerusalem residents to vote, President Abbas has “indefinitely postponed the first Palestinian election in 15 years”:

• Abbas’s Palestinian Election Theatre (The New Arab)

Lehava, a far right Israeli group that advocates for “complete expulsion of Palestinians” and opposes “interfaith marriage and Christmas” is slowly gaining political influence in Israel:

• Lehava: The Anti-Palestinian, Far-Right Israeli Group Marching in Jerusalem (Middle East Eye)

Despite threats from the Taliban, who have “warned they are no longer bound by an agreement not to target international troops”, the withdrawal of US Troops from Afghanistan “will run until September 11”:

• US And NATO Start to Formally Withdraw Troops From Afghanistan (BBC)