أرشيف الوسم : middle east

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday defended the Israeli government’s decision to support a proposal that enshrines in law Israel’s status as the “Jewish homeland”, despite criticism from President Reuven Rivlin. Critics fear that the move will come at the price of democracy and institutionalize prejudice against minorities, including Arabs. “The aim of this law is to guarantee the …

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the French parliament would be making a “grave mistake” if it chooses to recognize the state of Palestine when it votes on the matter on December 2nd. “Do they have nothing better to do at a time of beheadings across the Middle East, including that of a French citizen?” he said, …

Human rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday published a report titled “There Is No Freedom Here: Silencing dissent in the UAE”, criticizing the nation for its treatment of activists and use of repressive tactics to silence the government’s critics. In the report, the NGO reveals how dissidents are harassed, arrested, and even tortured, maintaining a climate of fear since 2011, …

Egyptian Internet startup ElWafeyat.com is part of a looming pan-Arab tech renaissance with incubators and start-up funders spanning from Abu Dhabi to Cairo. Cairo-based ElWafeyat.com, which roughly translates to “deaths” in Arabic, is an online alternative to traditional paid newspaper obituaries, is creating a social-network-type website with pictures, posts and pages for friends and family to memorialize their deceased loved …

European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini on Monday stated that she would like to see a state of Palestine by the time her five year term ends. She added that for it to happen will require the EU to get more involved with the Middle East than it has been in the past. The former 41-year-old Italian foreign minister …

Bosnian-Canadian Imam Zijad Delic, doing press rounds for his new book “Canadian Islam: Belonging and Loyalty” preached the idea of the integral relation between Islam and Canada. The once-controversial imam, now seen as a progressive leader, said that Canada and Islam “complement” one another. “There is no contradiction”, he said. His new book comes hot on the heels of rising …

By Ramzy Baroud What if the so-called Islamic State (IS) didn’t exist? In order to answer this question, one has to liberate the argument from its geopolitical and ideological confines. Flexible Language Many in the media (Western, Arab, etc) use the reference “Islamist” to brand any movement at all whether it be political, militant or even charity-focused. If it is …

Winnipeg’s Islamic Social Services Association (ISSA) on Monday issued a new handbook to help prevent Canadian Muslim youth from being influenced by extremist groups and become foreign fighters in the Middle East. The book was unveiled by the ISSA in conjunction with several Muslim organizations and with input from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). According to ISSA President Shahina …

The Syrian regime will not begin talks on ending the Syrian civil war as long as extremists are tearing through the country, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday. “We cannot start any political solution while terrorism is still rampant in Syria”, he said. His statement has seemingly ended the prospects for resuming peace …

On Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticized Western powers on their blunders in the Middle East, but signaled Iran’s commitment in securing an agreement on its nuclear program. Speaking at the UN headquarters only days after the US widened its aerial campaign against Islamic State (IS) extremists from Iraq to Syria, Rouhani said that regional moderate forces with international backing …