News and Analysis (12/7/19)

Duaa 17, a student at Oshkosh High School, terrified and crying like the rest of her classmates after stabbing and shooting, led 100 students to seek refuge in her nearby mosque:

• A Wisconsin Student Opened the Doors of her Mosque as a Shelter for over 100 Kids after a Stabbing, Shooting at School (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Realizing the prospect of a catastrophic war between the world’s top oil-exporting countries, Gulf states are their foreign policy with Iran …

• Taken to Brink by Trump, Gulf States Are Backpedaling on Iran (Bloomberg)

… and U.S. economic sanctions towards Iran used to promote Trump’s foreign policy objective are not succeeding in achieving Trump’s foreign policy goals …

• Assessing US Policy Toward Iran (Atlantic Council)

… to the contrary by pressuring Russia to cancel its plans to convert the Fordow nuclear facility for medical purposes, the U.S. leaves Iran the option to use them for other purposes:

• Russia Upsets Effort to Save 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal (VoA)

An elderly man explained to the angry mob “that destroying the temple to avenge the Babri Mosque would be against the injunctions of Islam” and contradicts he policies of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):

• The Muslim Who Saved a Hindu Temple from a Mob in Pakistan (Al-Jazeera)

Scholars are concerned that by conflating two different things undermines the fight against actual anti-Semitism and ” obscures and denies” the existence of Israeli Muslims and Christians:

• Call of 129 Jewish and Israeli Scholars to French Parliament About Resolution on Anti-Semitism (Scribd)

Palestinian officials take exception to ICC chief prosecutor’s assertion that “stipends to the families of those killed or imprisoned as a result of the Israel-Palestine conflict could constitute a war crime”:

• Misleading Narrative’: ICC War Crimes Report Angers Palestinians (Al-Jazeera)

“A North Carolina man has been convicted of a charge he anonymously threatened to lynch a Muslim-American man who ran for a state Senate seat in Virginia”:

• Man Convicted of Death Threat Against Muslim Candidate (AP / US News)

Turkey’s president explained that the negative media portrayal of Islam and the rise far-right appear to be in line with rising anti-Semitism and hate- crime in Europe:

• Erdogan Condemns Associating Islam with Terrorism (Anadolu Agency)

“American officials said that Mr. Soleimani’s release was a low price to pay for Mr. Wang’s freedom because Mr. Soleimani was expected to be released from prison as early as next month under a plea agreement”:

• In Prisoner Swap, Iran Frees American Held Since 2016 (NY Times)

The similarities between “India’s increased oppression of the people of Kashmir” and “Israel’s decades-long, brutal oppression of the Palestinians” are openly embraced by the Indian government”:

• Is Kashmir India’s Palestine? (Counterpunch)