News and Analysis (8/8/14)

IS, which took advantage of the instability caused by American intervention into Iraq continues its assault on minorities and those Muslims who disapprove  of its actions. The latest victims are the Yazidis, trapped in the mountains with no food or water …

• Iraq Crisis: Who Are the Yazidis And Why is Isis Hunting Them? (The Guardian)

… while President Obama authorizes more military action as the solution:

• U.S. Bombs Islamic State After Obama Call to Prevent Iraq ‘Genocide’ (Reuters)

It’s back to business as usual between Gaza and Israel:

• Israel, Hamas Resume Attacks After Gaza Cease-fire Expires (Christian Science Monitor)

Recent violence between the People of Book is driven by political agendas and uniformed hatred, not by religious differences …

• The Less Well Muslims and Jews Actually Know Each Other, the More Hatred Grows (Reuters)

… and Muslims ask, “Would it be unreasonable to ask at this juncture whether our faith has been hijacked? Since when do Muslims evince intolerance towards other Peoples of the Book?”: 

• Islamists Can’t Be Speaking for Muslims (Gulf News)

West, “an elected commissioner at the time in the same county that Mohyuddin ran to represent — posted … [on] Facebook … an image showing a man with a double-barrel shotgun aiming, with eye closed. The caption read, How to wink at a Muslim.’” Mohyddin responded by inviting West to dinner:

• How One Muslim American in Tennessee Fought Prejudice Head-on (PRI)

After making comments on Facebook, questioning the contribution of Muslims to the American society, Bob FitzSimmonds resigned his position in the Republican party:

• Republican Official Resigns After Questioning the Contributions of Muslims to the ‘Fabric’ of America in Facebook Post (Daily Mail)

Now that Palestine’s UN status has been upgraded it can refile to accept ICC jurisdiction and then a preliminary investigation of war crimes in Palestine can begin and perhaps, eventually, “a court might decide just who has been committing war crimes in Gaza”:

• Justice for Gaza War Crimes? Only if Palestine Signs Up to ICC Jurisdiction (The Guardian)

“[T]he international development committee (IDC) argues that Israel’s policies – which include restrictions on building, access to water, and 3G and 4G for Palestinian mobile providers – are proving seriously counterproductive” …

• Israel’s Curbs on Development in Palestine Causing ‘Deep Resentment’ ( The Guardian)

… and a political activist opines that Palestine needs a “complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 and … a UN mandate to provide protection for the Palestinian population through a peacekeeping force”: 

• This is What Palestine Needs (Al- Jazeera)

“It is very important for us to take this message abroad, because what’s going on in this world, this is not Islam” said Samina Malik, who travels the world every year to meet with translators and spread the true message of Islam:

• Islamic Society Raises Awareness of Muslims’ Faith (The Columbus Dispatch)

Hanan Hameed