July 2008 Middle East Special
Iraqis resisting US capitulation
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Iraq's key Shiite and Sunni leaders have rejected a new open-ended security agreement with the United States that envisages permanent US military bases, immunity to American military personnel and security contractors if they killed civilians and allowing the United States to detain Iraqis indefinitely. Read Moreﾠ
‘In search of independent media
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The New York Times revealed last April that in summer 2005, confronted with a fresh wave of criticism over Guantanamo Bay the Bush administration prepped some 75 retired military officers to serve as paid television commentators. The Bush administration has used the retired military officers, many of whom had conflicting ties to defense contractors, as media Trojan to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks, the New York Times pointed out. Read Moreﾠﾠ
Pew surveys and the politics of demography
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life today released the second report of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey on June 23, 2008 which again uses its 2007 flawed report about the population of Muslims in America. Read Moreﾠﾠ
October 2008
Playing Al-Anbar roulette in FATA
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Borrowing a page from Al-Anbar experiment, the US has advised Pakistan to enlist tribal leaders in the border areas in the fight against the Taliban, as part of a broader effort to bolster Pakistani forces. Many experts point out that the experiment as it played-out in Iraq had produced disastrous results in El Salvador where it further polarized the populace and turned the people against the US efforts. Tellingly, the consequences of the Anbar model are emerging in the volatile Federally Administered Areas (FATA) where even national army is seen as an occupying army by many fiercely independent-mind tribesmen. Read More
January 2009
Will Obama policies bring real change for the Muslim World?
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: In a bid to repair relations with the Muslim world that were damaged under the Bush administration, President Barack Obama told the Muslim world Tuesday that “Americans are not your enemy.”In an interview with Al-Arabiya TV channel, Obama said: “My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy — we sometimes make mistakes — we have not been perfect.” Read More
The untold reasons of the Israeli massacre of Palestinians in Gaza
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The year 2009 began for the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza with an all out air, land and sea assault from the Israeli armed forces. With an overt support of Bush administration, meaningful silence of President-elect Barak Obama and complicity of the US client Arab regimes, Israeli massacre of Palestinians in Gaza continues for the 10th day today (January 5, 2009) with air strikes, naval bombardment and ground forces assault on unarmed men, women and children. After week-long massive air strikes against the unarmed Palestinians, the Israeli launched a ground assault on Saturday. The Israeli onslaught, in which depleted uranium is reportedly being used, has so far killed more than 500 Palestinians and injured about 2,500. Read More
April-July 2009
Well crafted speech with little substance for the Muslims
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Contrary to the expectations aroused by the White House about his outreach speech to the Muslim world, Obama continues long war against terror which he has renamed as “violent extremism.” He described extremism (read terrorism) as the first issue. “The first issue that we have to confront is violent extremism in all of its forms.” Unlike his predecessor, George Bush, he did not mentioned terrorism a single time during his 55 minute speech. Read More
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s denies shooting US officials
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist under U.S. detention, appeared on July 6, 2009, in the New York court of U.S. District Judge Richard Berman who had ordered prosecution to bring her in court against her wishes. Dr Aafia, 37, is in US custody facing charges of an alleged attempt to shoot American personnel in Afghanistan. Read More
December 2009
Pakistan faces new crisis as Supreme Court throws out amnesty for President Zardari
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The strife-torn Pakistan was plunged into a fresh political turmoil on December 16 after its Supreme Court overruled a corruption amnesty that had protected leading political figures including President Asif Ali Zardari. In a severe blow to the US-client government of President Zardari, Pakistan’s Supreme Court has declared the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) as unconstitutional and ordered the government to reopen money laundering case against him in Switzerland. Read More
Plight of the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: December 16 marks the 38th anniversary of the breakup of Pakistan when the Eastern wing of the country emerged as Bangladesh after an India-backed secessionist movement. The occasion calls for highlighting the plight of about 250,000 so-called Biharis or stranded Pakistanis still languishing in unsanitary camps in Bangladesh. Read More
The Politics of Minaret
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: In a referendum on November 29 the Swiss voters approved a ban on the construction of new minarets on mosques. Under Switzerland’s system of direct rule, the referendum is binding. Switzerland’s 400,000 or so Muslims, most of whom come from Kosovo and Turkey, are legally barred from building minarets as of now. Read More
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