News and Analysis 3/16/25

Trump attacks Houtis, Houtis retaliate, and Waltz threatens Iran, Iran responds, and experts opine:

Trump Has Ordered Airstrikes Against Rebels in Yemen. Here’s Why (AP)
Iran-backed Yemen Rebels Say Attacked US Carrier After Air Strikes (AFP / Yahoo)
‘All Options Are on the Table’ When It Comes to Iran, Mike Waltz Says (Politico)
Iran Will Not Start War but Will Respond to Threats with Force: IRGC Chief (Tehran Times)
Experts React: Trump Just Ordered Major Strikes Against the Houthis. What Does This Mean for Yemen, Iran, and Beyond? (Atlantic Council)

“The document says … Islamic jurisprudence is ‘the main source of legislation’, rather than ‘a main source’ and enshrines separation of powers and judicial independence, and guarantees women’s rights, freedom of expression and media freedom”:

Syria Leader Signs Temporary Constitution for Five-year Transition (BBC)

Israeli war crimes continue:

Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill 9, Including Aid Workers and Journalists (NPR)
Israel Enacts Exacting New Rules for Aid Groups Assisting Palestinians (Washington Post)
“António Guterres … warned that governments are employing racial profiling and discriminatory policies that undermine human rights, stating that when one group is attacked, ‘the rights and freedoms of all are at risk’”:
UN Chief Warns of Rising Islamophobia amid Widespread Anti-Muslim Government Rhetoric (Jurist)

How “Somali elders and activists … [use] Islam as both spiritual healing and a tool for advocacy against all forms of oppression”:

Muslim Women on the Margin: On Whose Authority Does Islamic Knowledge Rest (MDPI)

Calling “Khalil’s arrest … ‘kidnapping’ is not hyperbolic — in reality that is what it feels like to be abducted by ICE, and for families who spend hours or days not knowing where their loved ones have been taken or when they will see them again (if ever)”:

Khalil Case Shows How Migrant Justice and Palestine Solidarity Are Tied Together (Truthout)

Coming from a country where even a “rumor of beef possession” can put one “at the center of a mob lynching” eating at a McDonald’s in Thailand can be an unsettling experience: