Ilhan Omar… Anti-Semitism or Islamophobia?

by with No Comment CultureFeatured

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s recent remarks about Israel’s involvement in US affairs has sparked outrage in our government. In one of her statements to Congress, she said, “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country.” Without ever attacking Jews or Judaism itself, she has been labelled as “anti-Semitic.” Pro-Israel lobbying groups quickly went up in arms to attack her, and multiple people have called for her to be removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee. President Trump even tweeted a response in which he called her comments reflective of a “dark day for Israel.” A picture of Omar has gone viral that depicts her in front of the burning buildings from 9/11.

Despite receiving an inordinate amount of criticism, Omar has not retracted her comments or stepped down from her position on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Plenty of Democrats have voiced their opinions against her, despite belonging to the same party. Several days after Omar’s remarks, a resolution was passed to denounce anti-Semitism and overall hate, which includes anti-Muslim rhetoric as well.

I recently spoke to someone who highlighted something I had never thought of before. When someone says something against Jews or Judaism, they are labelled as anti-Semitic. The use of the prefix “anti” indicates that the person who is committing the action is in the wrong. They are against something that they should not be against. When there is anti-Muslim rhetoric; however, it is most often labelled as Islamophobic. The suffix “phobia” implies that it is not necessarily wrong for someone to be against Islam. In fact, the use of this term categorizes Islam as something to be afraid of, like the dark or spiders. A person who is Islamophobic is seen as a good person who is rightly afraid of something, whereas an anti-Semite is a bad person who is against something good. The usage of these terms are not an accident, and it is clear that there are political associations with both words.

Ilhan Omar brought to light an important matter concerning our country’s undying loyalty to a foreign nation, yet she was attacked for doing so. The U.N. recently found that Israel intentionally shot children, journalists, and the disabled during protests in Gaza; yet, we see more outrage when someone questions our national loyalty than the murder of innocent people. It is clear that there is a major issue with the way that the US blindly supports Israel and its policies, and I hope that Ilhan Omar will not be the last one to call attention to this problem.

Similar Read: Ideas Make This Country Great

GHWB

George HW Bush and the American Dream

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

“The ‘American Dream’ means giving it your all, trying your hardest, accomplishing something. And then I’d add to that, giving something back. No definition of a successful life can do anything but include serving others.”

That quote from George HW Bush struck me even as a kid as my concept of a model life, and his life truly was an ultimate example of a life well lived.

There was no shortage of privilege – but also no sign of resting on his family laurels. The son of a wealthy bank executive turned Senator, he was shot down in the Pacific at 19 years old – only returning to Yale to begin school after the war.

George HW Bush could’ve live a charmed life any way he wished, and chose to live a charmed life in service to his country. As an ambassador to China and the UN, as head of the CIA, he proved to be one of the most successful commanders in chief in American history – evident at the time for his management of the surprisingly successful first war in Iraq, and his wisdom in bringing it to a quick end once the initial objectives had been achieved.

He would also be one of the most exemplary ex-presidents of modern history. As press scrutiny laid bare the foibles of the 20th century’s presidents, his example of personal character as a husband and father seems matched only by President Obama’s.

He lived his life to the fullest for 94 years, and left the world as he lived – selflessly, but on his own terms. Among family and friends.

God bless, Sir… heaven surely awaits.

HIDDEN GENOCIDE… INTERNMENT CAMPS IN 2018?

by with No Comment Diversity & InclusionFeaturedGlobalRace Relations

History

The Uighur people are old. They have been in China for thousands of years and have a rich history filled with khans, empires, slavery, courage, and now genocide. Xinjiang is one the largest and most significant administrative regions of China. It borders eight countries. India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan – and only recently, was the population of Xinjiang mostly inhabited by the Uighur.

The majority of Uighurs are Muslim, and Islam is an essential part of their daily life and identity. The language of the Uighur is part of the Turkic group of Altaic languages, making the Uighurs the oldest Turkic people of Central Asia. Because Xinjiang sits at the crossroads of the famous silk road, Its region has been booming economically and thus has brought the region into the spotlight, and also has had a push of new residents from central areas of China where the Han Chinese reside.

Throughout its long history with China, Xinjiang has had short spells of autonomy and occasional independence, but this all changed in the 18th century when the region came under the Chinese rule. In 1949, an East Turkestan state was declared, but it was short-lived, as later on that year Xinjiang officially became part of Communist China.

Because of this tug and pull of power and influence, in the 90’s, support for separatist groups increased, and its influence only grew after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This fall led to the emergence of independent Muslim states in Central Asia. However, the rise of Islamic sentiment was suppressed by Beijing, and with its suppression, demonstrators and activists were forced underground. 

What’s Happening Now

As of now, China is being accused of detaining more than a million Uighur Muslims. The U.N. has openly stated that this type of detainment resembles “a massive internment camp, shrouded in secrecy, a sort of no-rights zone.”

From the reports that are coming in through various news outlets, it is stated that the camps are currently stationed in the western region of Xinjiang. The government of China denies that such camps even exist, but inadvertently state that there are established locations named “vocational education and employment training centers” which are built to help criminals who have committed petty crimes and are need to be “rehabilitated,” so they can be reintegrated into society.

China claims that this crackdown is to maintain the peace and to prevent terrorism from finding a solid footing to grow and flourish. A government can spin the story in any form it wishes too. It is one of the great perks of being part of such a powerful establishment, the story is what they make it out to be, not what it indeed IS.

Conclusion

The documentaries and articles of the Uighur people and this ongoing struggle are plenty and heartbreaking. It needs to be cracked open like the tale of the Rohingya people was so that way the whole world can pay attention and make the “great sleeping dragon” as China is aptly known to be rudely shaken from its nap.  

The Rohingya Massacre: A Crisis the West Rather Not Cover

by with One Comment FeaturedGlobal

The United Nations considers the Rohingya people the “most persecuted minority group in the world.” It’s time we start paying attention. 

[Silent] Genocide: The Rohingya Massacre… We originally published this article on 11 September 2017. The crisis has unfortunately worsened since then. If you haven’t heard about the Rohingya Massacre, likely due to the West and major news orgs choosing not to cover it, please read our short piece below to catch up on a story everyone should know about. 

I was scrolling through my newsfeed last week and noticed some of my friend’s updates and funny videos from Labor-Day weekend. While scrolling, I also saw that one of my friends had posted a link from The Economist talking about the Rohingya genocide that is currently taking place in Burma (Myanmar). In a short blurb above the article, she wrote in capital letters, “WHY ISN’T ANYONE TALKING ABOUT THIS!”

I’ve known about this conflict prior to seeing her post, but she made a good point – why isn’t this being discussed on major news networks? I have read time and time again about the intensity and cruelty that is taking place at this moment across the world in Burma, and it sickens me to know that just this year alone 1,000 Rohingya have been killed in a new crackdown by the Myanmar state. 

Here is a breakdown of what started this conflict and why this is happening…

The Rohingya are Muslims. They are indigenous to Burma’s Rakhine province in the North-West Region that borders the South Asian country, Bangladesh. There are approximately 2 million Rohingya, of which, 1 million are currently living in Burma today.

Despite having historic ties to the land of Burma that have lasted for centuries, the Rohingya people were rendered stateless in 1982 by a highly controversial citizenship law that deliberately excluded them as one of Burma’s natural, and thereby legitimate, ethnicities. Because of this, the Rohingya people have been falsely and cruelly classified as foreigners in their own homeland.

If this was not difficult enough the Citizenship Law of 1982 has since become the staging grounds for the rising tide of Islamophobia in Burma. Biased government led initiatives are being fueled by a strategically planted hatred for Muslims and are designed to alienate the native Rohingya from Burmese Buddhist life.

One of the main initiatives involves the denial of the title “Rohingya” from public discourse. Instead, the incorrect term “Benjali” is being pushed on the Rohingya people to make them seem like foreigners and Muslims to the Burmese people. 

Because of this, the Rohingya people have been pushed to the literal fringes of Burmese society where they are extremely vulnerable, and where human rights abuses are mounting up and becoming quite difficult to document.

Since the violence has started the Rohingya people have been forced to flee to neighboring states, such as Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia. They’ve unfortunately been met with further hostility. Those governments have rejected them and relegated them to a life of complete neglect in refugee camps, which inevitably increases the very real threat of human trafficking. 

In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” These words should ring loud and true for anyone who considers themselves a citizen of the world, and they cannot be ignored just because what you see makes you uncomfortable or helpless. We all belong to this planet and when anyone tries to force one person or a group of us to disappear via genocide, we ALL need to come together and say it loud and clear – that it is NOT OK, and that IT WILL NOT BE IGNORED. I too at times feel that my voice is lost in the multitude of noise that is generated in this busy world we live in; however, that will not stop me from yelling, writing, and talking about issues like the Rohingya genocide because they deserve our attention. The people of Rohingya need and deserve justice, and they’ll never get it if the people who know about the issue refuse to discuss it and bring it to other peoples attention. 

The United Nations considers the Rohingya people the “most persecuted minority group in the world.” It’s time we start paying attention. 

Last year we shared a similar story about 8,000 Muslims who were killed in a designated U.N. “safe haven.” Read about it here: Unknown Genocide

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“1995: 8,000 Muslims Killed in U.N. Safe Haven”

by with No Comment FeaturedGlobalInternational

This week marks the 22nd anniversary of the genocide in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, where 8,372 Muslim men were killed in an area that was designated as a U.N. “safe haven.” Most of their bodies were thrown into mass graves, and some of their bodies are still being discovered today. Countless women, many of whom were the wives and mothers of the men killed, were tortured and raped by Serbian soldiers. This genocide has been called the worst mass murder in Europe since World War II.

My grandfather was born and raised in Bosnia, so as you can imagine, I heard about this massacre at a very young age. I recall learning about the Srebrenica massacre in high school, but it wasn’t called a massacre. My history textbook devoted just two sentences in a sidebar mentioning the massacre, and they referred to it as an “ethnic cleansing.” The word “cleansing” implies that the killing of 8,372 Muslims made Bosnia purer. I couldn’t help but think that if the victims were a group other than Muslims, the coverage and the historic context of this massacre may have been dramatically different.

Winston Churchill said, “History is written by the victors.” This was obvious to me considering that our history textbook devoted multiple sections to other genocides, notably the Holocaust. Are the numbers between the Holocaust and the Srebrenica genocide comparable? No. But both involved large groups of people being killed for no other reason besides their religion. The Holocaust is a well-known historic occurrence that almost everyone can recall learning about in school; yet, the Srebrenica genocide is something obscure-sounding that most people have never even heard of before.

Let’s switch gears and fast-forward to 2017. ISIS (or ISIL) is in the Middle East systematically massacring a minority religious group called the Yazidis (ISIS is responsible for killing many other people and groups of people, but their massacre of the Yazidis is the only one officially classified as a genocide by the U.N.). A minority group is being systematically killed for no other reason besides their religion. After the Holocaust, the world said, “NEVER AGAIN.” Fifty years later, the genocide at Srebrenica happened, and much of the world didn’t even know, let alone bat an eye. Twenty-two years later, in a world abundant with media outlets and 24-hour news cycles, much of the world doesn’t know about a genocide happening right in front of them. If we don’t know enough about our history to learn from it, how can we prevent it from happening again?