Minaret of Freedom Weblog

“The conflation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism is a long-term strategy and the effect on the Australian media is obvious. It is a proven way to silence critics, ensure questions remain unanswered and media coverage muted” …

• Why Are Australia and Its Media So Fearful of Debate on Israel’s Treatment of Palestinians? (The Guardian)

… as exemplified by Israel’s stranglehold on FaceBook and Pay Pal and the smear campaign against an activist-journalist-photographer’s coverage of Israeli human rights violations:

• Israel/Palestine: Facebook Censors Discussion of Rights Issues (Human Right Watch)
• Rights Groups to PayPal: End Discrimination Against Palestinians (Aljazeera)
• I Filmed a Settler Pogrom. Now the Israeli Media Is Smearing Me (972)

The Hazaris demand the right to defend themselves from terrorists the Taliban cannot control. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never abridged the right of his people to keep and bear arms; why do the Taliban?

• Islamic State Claims Mosque Blast in Kunduz, Afghanistan, that Killed Nearly 50, Injured Dozens (Washington Post)

A Muslim feminist wonders whether her thoughtful article on the hijab was “an unwitting continuation of the tradition of Western colonizers who condemned the veiling of women while they invaded and plundered foreign lands”:

• The Inconsistency of American Feminism in the Muslim World (New Yorker)

In the cities women could go to schools and get jobs with the corrupt puppet government, but in the rural areas the U.S. only brought death:

• ‘Everyone Here Hated the Americans’: Rural Afghans Live with the Taliban and a Painful U.S. Legacy (Washington Post)

Academics accuse Professor David Miller’s critics of using “false allegations and the weaponisation of the positive impulses of anti-racism so as to silence anti-racist debate”:

• Chomsky and Pilger among 400 Academics to Back Uni Professor over Israel-Palestine Views (Morning Star)

“Afghan textbooks teach different schools of Muslim religious law separately. They also keep religion out of secular subjects.” Not so in Pakistan:

• Comparing Textbooks: Even Afghanistan Scores Better than Pakistan (Middle East Soccer)

“Security forces in Indian Kashmir have detained more than 300 people for questioning in recent days as they try to stem a wave of targeted killings that has spread panic among minority groups”:

• Hundreds Detained in Security Crackdown in Kashmir-Indian Police Officials (Reuters)

Iran continues it’s proxy face-off with the U.S. in Iraq at the ballot box, directly negotiates with the Taliban, and meets with Syria’s dictator even as it is a major player in the civil war there:

• Caught Between US and Iran, Iraqis Face Choices in Elections (AlJazeera)
• Iran’s Foreign Minister Holds Talks with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad (AlJazeera)
• War Still Rages in Syrian Border Town at Heart of Iran’s Regional Ambition (The Guardian)
• Afghanistan Dispatches: ‘Iran Has Entered into Direct Negotiations with the Taliban and Has Now Signed an Agreement with Them’ (Jurist)

Israel trains Panamanian police how to recognize people who deserve to die: They look like Arabs:

• Israeli-Run Police in Panama Used Targets Depicting Arabs during Training (Palestine Chronicle)

Frances Haugen last worked at Facebook “on tracking Chinese participation on the platform, surveilling, say, Uyghur populations around the world” …

• ‘Terrifying’: Facebook Whistleblower Cites Violence in Myanmar and Ethiopia, Spying by China and Iran (CNN)

… and reports that “Facebook was well aware of incendiary anti-Muslim narratives being promoted on the platform in India” …

• Facebook Aware of Anti-Muslim Content in India, but Took Little Action, Alleges Whistleblower (Scroll)

… as Time magazine asks:

• Is India Headed for an Anti-Muslim Genocide? (Time)

Palestinian human rights group accuses PayPal of denying services to West Bank and Gaza Palestinians “while providing full access to Israeli settlers living illegally in the West Bank”:

• PayPal Engaging in ‘Digital Discrimination’ by Denying Services to Palestinians: 7amleh (The New Arab)

As “tensions mount between Iran and Azerbaijan over Baku’s ties with Israel, a major arms supplier” …

• Iran ‘Concerned’ by Israeli ‘Presence’ in the Caucasus (AlJazeera)
• Pakistan and Iran Discuss Border Security, Afghanistan (AlJazeera)
• Washington Welcomes News of Direct Talks Between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Official Aays (CNBC)

… is in talks with Russia, Pakistan, and even Saudi Arabia; will the U.S. be next?

• Iran Looking for ‘Big Jump’ in Russia Relations with Moscow Talks ()

“Israeli acknowledgement of its nuclear capabilities would likely force it to join Iran as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)”:

• Concern About Iran Prompts Israel to Weigh Acknowledgement of Its Own Nuclear Weapons (Middle East Soccer / Substack)

No group has claimed credit for the killings of a pharmacist, a street food vendor, and a cab driver:

• Suspected Rebels Kill Three Civilians in Kashmir (AlJazeera)

His family is pleading with Iran to let Baquer Namazi, in need of “surgery to open a near complete blockage of the two main arteries that supply blood to his brain, … leave the country”:

• Outlook for Iran’s Longest-Held Americans Echoes Broader Relationship: Dismal (NY Times)

The man Donald Trump called a “hostage” turns out to be a would-be bigamist who sought to marry a younger Iranian woman while secretly married to a U.S. permanent resident who had filed domestic violence charges against him:

• US Navy Vet Who Pursued Bride in Iran Had a Hidden Marriage (VoA)

Everyone agrees saving lives is good thing, but the U.S. Congress is only interested in saving Israeli lives, not Palestinian ones:

• What the Iron Dome Means to Us Palestinians (Israel-Palestine News)

Iran will not go back to talks unless Biden proves he is “serious”:

• Iran Told U.S. to Unblock $10 Billion to Start Nuclear Talks (Bloomberg)

Stand With Kashmir accuses Twitter, Facebook and Instagram of censoring Kashmiris with no other means of expression “by removing content, blocking important accounts that provide information, and restricting the reach of content”:

• Social Media Giants Accused of ‘Silencing’ Kashmir Voices (Aljazeera)

“Washington has lent Riyadh critical support since the initial Saudi-led intervention. Now, the United States “has a responsibility to help clean up the mess it helped create'”:

• Accomplice to Carnage: How America Enables War in Yemen (Foreign Affairs)

“I strongly condemn this vandalism and urge the administration, especially Jammu and Kashmir Police, to identify the culprits so they can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law” — Omar Abdullah, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference VP:

• Temple Desecrated in Kashmir’s Anantnag, J&K Police Launch Probe (India Today)

“Young evangelicals remain to be convinced of Christian Zionism. And they very well may not be”:

• Young Evangelical Support for Israel Drops by Half in 3 Years – Study (Israel-Palestine News)