News and Analysis 6/27/24

A poor Egyptian man saved $1,030 by going to Hajj illegally. It cost him his life:

• For Many Muslim Pilgrims, a Dangerous Unauthorized Hajj Is the Only Option (CNN)

Israeli war crimes continue:

• A Palestinian Was Shot, Beaten and Tied to an Israeli Army Jeep. The Army Says He Posed No Threat (AP)
• Shati Massacre – Ten Members of Haniyeh’s Family Killed, Including Sister (Palestine Chronicle)
• Israel Air Raid on Gaza Clinic Kills Senior Palestinian Health Official (Aljazeera)
• Israel Continues Its Deadly Assault on Gaza, as Lebanon Tensions Rise (New Arab)

“[T]he sole Reformist candidate. Pezeshkian’s overall approach to management was straightforward: economic matters should be dealt with by experts and not by political appointees” …

• How Iran’s Presidential Contenders Want to Approach the Economy (Amwaj Media)

… and Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi has become “the first [hardliner] to back out in order for hard-liners to coalesce around a unity candidate in the vote to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi“:

• First Candidate Drops out of Iran Presidential Election, Due to Take Place Friday amid Voter Apathy (AP)

KLP “said it has engaged in dialogue with the US company but has not received satisfactory assurances that it was able to reduce the risk of violating the rights of individuals”:

• Norwegian Pension Fund Dumps Caterpillar over Gaza War Risks (Aljazeera)

The Sri Lankan “government’s Department of Examination determined the students had worn hijabs, which could have allowed them to conceal Bluetooth earpieces”:

• Sri Lanka Blocks Exam Results over Muslim Head Coverings (Human Rights Watch)

Since the government’s decision “to prosecute the writer over comments she made about Kashmir 14 years ago … more than 200 Indian academics, activists and journalists have signed an open letter calling on the government to withdraw the decision”:

• Arundhati Roy Wins PEN Pinter Prize amid Prosecution Threat over Kashmir Comments (The Guardian)

“Several music acts dropped out of the 2024 SXSW lineup in response to the Army sponsorship, citing the U.S. military’s relationship with Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza”:

• SXSW Drops U.S. Army and Weapons Manufacturers as Sponsors After Pro-Palestinian Protests at 2024 Festival (Variety)

$14 million spent by AIPAC played a role in Bowman’s defeat, but so, less appreciated, so did his frequent contradictory stances on the Palestinian issue:

• Pro-Israel Money and Flip-flops on Palestine: How Jamaal Bowman Lost His Primary Election (Middle East Eye)

From Harvard to Berkeley, Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students, as well as Jewish students, feel vulnerable:

• Harvard Task Forces Release First Recommendations on Antisemitism, Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim Bias (Harvard Crimson)
• Federal Investigators to Look into Anti-Palestinian, Arab and Muslim Discrimination at BUSD (Berkleyside)

ImadadDean