“You’re gonna go back to the gas chambers!”

I’m no stranger to antisemitism. Like pretty much every other Jew who has grown up in a non Jewish environment, I’ve heard my fair share of insults and accusations. Many of the antisemites I have dealt with have attempted to hide their prejudice behind the guise of “anti-Zionism”, but there was nothing hidden about the
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Ashura, Karbala and the Crisis of Islam-State Relationships

With the Name of God, All-Merciful, Most Merciful Summary On Ashura day, 10th Muharram of the 61st Islamic year corresponding to 10th October 680 CE, Husain, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was killed at Karbala in Iraq by forces loyal to Yazid bin Muawiya, who had been appointed Caliph or political
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As We Remember 9/11, The Triple Threat is on the Rise

The eighteenth anniversary of the  9/11 attacks in America is a good time to take stock of how far Americans and humanity as a whole have come from that horrific incident that killed almost 3,000 innocent people in the United States.  During this interval, the threat of transnational terrorism and violent extremism from groups like
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The Art of Solidarity

Climate change is rapidly becoming a primary reason for forced migration, be it indirectly, as a result of conflict over resources, or directly, as a result of an unlivable environment. On the receiving end of these refugee flows, artists and activists have the power to help alleviate the social exclusion experienced by refugees in Europe.
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Concentration Camps do still exist. But not in Texas

In June, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made headlines by referring to the migrant detention centers on the US-Mexico border as “concentration camps.” She added that “never again” has to mean something, and that the Trump administration was falling short of this ideal. Her comments, which she recently doubled-down on, insinuating that these camps are comparable to
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The future of the Popular Mobilisation Units in Iraq

The role of the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU) remains a huge part of debate in Iraq. With the territorial war against ISIS now over, with the group now resorting to guerrilla tactics as an underground movement; questions are now raised about the PMU’s continued existence. Following the collapse of the Iraqi army that led to
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Klepto-Queens and Far Right Infighting

Earlier this year, the writer Sohrab Ahmari published a piece on the website of the religious-conservative magazine First Things explicitly attacking the worldview of another member of that tribe, David French. The subject in hand was the future of the American right. Can it be reconciled both to Donald Trump and to God? Ahmari’s piece
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Book Review: “Muslim Modernism – A Case For A Naya [New] Pakistan” by Nadeem Farooq Paracha

I recommend this concise and readable book, “Muslim Modernism – A Case for a Naya (New) Pakistan” by the leading Karachi-based Pakistani journalist, Nadeem Farooq Paracha, for those interested in the field, as it highlights key issues for debate. Paracha’s main points are that the Islam/state relationship was understood by different Pakistani political leaders, roughly
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The Yezidi Genocide, five years on

Saturday 3rd August marked the fifth anniversary of the Yezidi genocide that, according to the estimate of the United Nations, resulted in the murder of 5000 innocent people by ISIS terrorists. Thousands of women were enslaved and 3000 still remain missing. The genocide inflicted on the Yezidis is not the only one in in the
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El Paso’s Attack is White Homegrown Violent Extremism

A 21 year old white male suspect, Patrick Crusius, has been arrested in connection with Saturday’s attack in El Paso, Texas at a shopping center, in which multiple casualties and at least 20 fatalities have taken place. This incident illustrates the steady concern that we all face in the battle against the rising tide of
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