Visible Minorities: Salute to the Author of Cartels of the Mind
Ivan Parker Hall, author of landmark book Cartels of the Mind: Japan’s Intellectual Closed Shop, died in Berlin on February 1, 2023, at age 90.
Tag Archives: Islam
Somalia’s Al-Shabab Under Pressure
For years the internationally-recognized government of Somalia, based in Mogadishu, has been in a running battle with the Al-Shabab insurgency, but recent advances by the Somali Armed Forces, backed by the US military, as well as division within the Islamist movement itself, appears to have put Al-Shabab on the back foot.
Ilhan Omar Calls Out Republican Islamophobia
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on Sunday contended that some of her Republican Party critics—led by US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy—are trying to oust her from the US House Foreign Affairs Committee because she is a Muslim refugee from Somalia.
Russia Looks East to Overcome Sanctions
Economic sanctions and corporate boycotts have not caused the rapid collapse of the Russian economy, as some Western commentators had hoped. Sanctions are, however, pressuring economic lifelines for the Russian people and forcing Moscow to embrace Eurasian ties.
Muslim Families Face Home Demolitions in Uttarakhand
Residents across Banbhoolpura region of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand are holding candlelight marches, sit-ins, and collective prayers to resist a High Court order authorizing the demolition of over 4,500 homes, ostensibly to make room for a railway. Behind this legal battle, some critics believe there lay political motives aimed at sweeping away the Muslim minority.
International Peacekeepers Abandon Mali
France and the United Kingdom have ceased support for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, the deadliest currently in operation. These withdrawals followed a decade of fruitless attempts to end hostilities between the West African nation’s government and its rebel Islamists.
Punitive Demolition of Homes and Evictions in India
The latest report of the Housing and Land Rights Network on forced evictions in India has pointed to the new disturbing trend of “demolitions as a punitive measure” by various state governments.
The Secret Bombing of Somalia
Largely outside of the public view, the United States has been prosecuting an intermittent, fifteen-year-long bombing campaign in Somalia which has killed an estimated 2,000-3,000 people, including dozens of noncombatants. US actions could be considered tantamount to a secret war about which most people are unaware.
Ineffective Responses to Genocide in Myanmar
A year and a half after the brutal military coup, responses to the crisis in Myanmar remain muted, including towards the ongoing genocide of the Rohingya people.
Food Crisis in Yemen Threatens Millions
As the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to dominate international headlines, Yemen is mired into one of the worst food crises on the planet.
