WASHINGTON, October 16, 2014 — In an interview with Al Hadath TV in June 2014, Sheikh Ahmad al-Qabisi, an Iraqi Sunni cleric, said, “if Sunni had strong leadership (Marja’) as Shia do, they could have gotten rid of all Shia in Iraq by now.” Al-Qabisi is well-known in Iraq as a Sunni intellectual cleric. He has accused Seyed Sistani for the killings in Iraq after he issued a fatwa encouraging...
WASHINGTON, October 9, 2014 — Hajj is a significant period where representatives from all Muslim and non-Muslim countries gather in Saudi Arabia. In a best case scenario, the gathering is used to share news, regroup, and plan for the upcoming year for the Muslim nations. Hajj 2014 is even more important because of the current divisions in the Muslim world. All Muslim nations must now deal with a hatred...
WASHINGTON, September 24, 2014 – As serious as the “Coalition against ISIS” sounds, the United States is very much alone in this fight. As many as 40 counties, including ten Arab nations, have agreed to help put an end to ISIS, but the support of those nations rings hollow based on past actions by these “coalition” nations. While we all should be hopeful, we must keep some facts in mind...
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2014 – Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting in Gaza since the Israeli occupation began in 1967, and Gaza has been under military siege since 2006. However, lack of interest in the conflict by neighboring Wahhabi governments has left Palestinians without active diplomatic and political support, resulting in the deaths of thousands Gazan’s and hundreds of Israelis so...
WASHINGTON, August 13, 2014 — Human rights NGOs, pro-humanity entities, and pro-democracy governments all discriminate, which is why not much has been accomplished in the world to protect human dignity and security. Every human rights activist claims to care for all and advocate for humanity, but in reality they work to satisfy their own interest groups; the recent attention to the Christian and...
WASHINGTON, June 8, 2014 — As tension and unrest rise in Iraq, the Maliki government has been blamed for running a Shia regime that has “marginalized Iraq’s Sunnis.” Based on this premise, some have concluded that the marginalization is the reason Iraq’s Sunnis are supporting ISIS and welcoming them in their neighborhoods. Although the Maliki government has shown a lot of weaknesses there are...
WASHINGTON, June 26, 2014 — “Mideast Shi’ites defy Iranian Domination?” was the title of a conference held by American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) on June 19 in Washington. It seems like the West is finally hearing what the Shia community has been trying to say. Shia Muslims across the globe have consistently insisted that they should not be associated with Iran...
WASHINGTON, June 13, 2014 — The United States is the world’s top donor of military and economic assistance, giving more than $50 billion annually to foreign countries. Developing countries, countries of strategic importance to the United States, and countries recovering from war are among the top recipients of US foreign aid. Since the world is undergoing many changes after the Arab Spring 2011,...
WASHINGTON, June 6, 2014 — Yemenis, like people of other Islamic countries, have struggled for social justice and freedom. During this process, some groups have gained power while others have been excluded for political reasons. Usually minorities are the most vulnerable to political exclusion, and once again, Yemeni Shia are paying the price of underrepresentation. READ ALSO: What‘s behind...
WASHINGTON, May 20, 2014 — SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, published a troubling report on the increased spending on arms by countries responsible for human rights violations. According to the report, China, Russia and Saudi Arabia are among 23 countries that have more than doubled their military expenditure since 2004. While developing countries are spending more on...