Month: August 2009

Israel Begins Sell-Off of Refugees’ Land

TZIPORI, Israel — Amin Muhammad Ali, a 74-year-old refugee from a destroyed Palestinian village in northern Israel, says he only feels truly at peace when he stands among his ancestors’ graves.   The cemetery, surrounded on all sides by Jewish homes and farms, is a small time capsule, transporting Mr Muhammad Ali — known to … Continue reading “Israel Begins Sell-Off of Refugees’ Land”

Afghan Military Translators Risk Low Pay, Death

Murtaza "Jimmy" Farukhi was killed while on patrol with the U.S. Marine Corps on Sep. 9, 2008, at the age of 23. He was not a soldier, but a local translator employed by Columbus, Ohio-based Mission Essential Personnel (MEP). Farukhi was one of 24 MEP translators killed and 56 injured since the company’s contract with … Continue reading “Afghan Military Translators Risk Low Pay, Death”

J Street’s Muslim Funding for Peace

News reports and right-wing blogs have been repeating reports which claim that Muslims and Arabs are among the donors to the J Street political action committee (PAC) which lobbies American policymakers to work on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and helps raise campaign funds for candidates who share the views of J Street … Continue reading “J Street’s Muslim Funding for Peace”

Role of US Militarism in Ahmadinejad’s Rise

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s widely disputed second term as Iran’s president began on Wednesday August 5. Many of his compatriots – a great majority in the author’s opinion – consider his second term as illegitimate. He and his supporters in the military are continuing their crackdown on the reformist leaders, common people protesting the gross violations of … Continue reading “Role of US Militarism in Ahmadinejad’s Rise”

Friday: 2 Iraqis Killed, 7 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 4:19 p.m. EDT, Aug. 14, 2009 Friday was relatively peaceful for the first time in weeks. The recent surge in attacks has alarmingly included the prayer day as a main target. Last Friday, there were over 400 casualties reported. Only two Iraqis were killed and seven more wounded today. Instead, the break has given greater emphasis to a protest organized by the country’s journalists.