Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Nasim Ahmed
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Weaponised definition of anti-Semitism is a ‘tool’ to undermine free-speech
The highly controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism has been repeatedly abused to suppress criticism of Israel and stifle pro-Palestinian activism at UK universities, a startling new report has found. Produced by the European Legal Support Centre and the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies, the...
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Israel’s occupation of Palestine has long exceeded any temporary military necessity
A new UN study has concluded that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories is illegal. “The Legality of the Israeli Occupation” looked at Israel’s extended control over the Palestinian Territories to see if it breaches international law. The report analysed the applicable rules and principles, including the UN Charter,...
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Trapped in a legal black hole, Palestinian refugees in Turkiye dream of going home
Istanbul has become home to thousands of Palestinian refugees who have fled from the war in Syria over the past decade. I spoke to refugees Mahmoud Mohammed Hamid, Fatima Yusuf, Jummah Farhan and many others in the popular city about their plight. As stateless Palestinians, they are part of...
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Bank account closures have affected British Muslims for decades, with little political reaction
The closure of Nigel Farage’s bank account at Coutts, a prestigious private bank in London, sparked a political and media frenzy, exposing the glaring hypocrisy and double standards within the British Establishment. For decades, prominent UK charities, pro-Palestine civil society groups and respected British Muslims have faced the abrupt...
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US proposal to rescue Israel is as offensive as it is ridiculous
“Why is the US paying for Israel’s peace?” is a reasonable question to ask in light of recent rumours in Washington over the latest proposal to rescue the occupation state from the brink of disaster. The sentiment was widely shared in response to a recent article by Thomas Friedman...
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What did we learn from Fridman’s podcast with Netanyahu, Harari and El-Kurd?
One could do a lot worse than interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, author Yuval Noah Harari and Palestinian poet and activist Mohammed El-Kurd, if one wanted to offer viewers a balanced view of what is often called the Israeli-Palestine conflict. The three individuals loosely represent the three main...
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US behaving like ‘thought police’ with pro-Israel resolution denying apartheid
The two major political parties in the US have waded into the debate about whether or not Israel is a racist state by passing a non-binding resolution pledging loyalty and support to it. Democrats and Republicans employed the symbolic power of Congress in a move intended to counter the...
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Thomas Friedman is one step closer to abandoning Zionism
I have long held a deep fascination with the intellectual journey of individuals who undergo profound conversions. Religious or political, witnessing the gradual evolution of ideological stances, culminating in the decisive act of severing one’s personal Gordian knots, is truly captivating. With my background, profession and personal interest, I...
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Anti-BDS bill shielding Israel will have ‘profound detrimental’ impact on UK, says top lawyer
A top lawyer commissioned by the UK Labour Party to provide legal advice on the government’s new anti-boycott bill has warned that it will have a “detrimental impact” on Britain. The legal advice was given to the Labour Party ahead of yesterday’s second reading of the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill. However, despite the stark warning about the repercussions, Labour...
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Israel’s state archive exposes Zionist efforts to enlist Nazis against Britain
Efforts by Zionist militias to recruit Nazi Germany in the fight against the British Mandate authorities in Palestine have been revealed in newly-released transcripts in the Israel State Archive. The documents, which were released to the public last month, include information on what Haaretz has called the “dark chapter”...
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Europe is shielding Israel under guise of combating anti-Semitism, new report finds
The chilling repercussions of the highly controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism have been revealed in a recent report by the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC). Titled “Suppressing Palestinian Rights Advocacy through the IHRA Working Definition of Anti-Semitism”, the report by the independent Dutch-based organisation uncovered...
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The promotion of an anti-Muslim figure by a Labour MP exposes the ‘hierarchy of racism’ in the party
The UK Labour Party’s claim that it has a “zero tolerance” policy towards racism has to be questioned after pro-Israel Christian Wakeford MP used social media to promote an Islamophobic figure. The Bury South Labour MP, who defected from the Conservatives last year, has sparked a debate about whether...
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Foreign Affairs magazine: Israel apartheid and Jewish supremacy - Part Two
Unsurprisingly, last month’s article in the Foreign Affairs magazine, which laid down the facts about Israel’s apartheid system and Jewish supremacy, generated strong debate and criticism. Writing in the prestigious American journal, authors Michael Barnett, Nathan Brown, Marc Lynch and Shibley Telhami, claimed that Israel presides over a “One-State...
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Shielding Israel from criticism is not part of US strategy for combating anti-Semitism
Supporters of Israel advocating for the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism have suffered a major blow in their ongoing effort to shield the apartheid state from criticism, following the release of a strategy document by the White House detailing its plan to combat the rise...
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Remembering the Tantura Massacre
Read through the Tantura Massacre in which up to 200 Palestinians were massacred by Israeli troops...
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Westminster hears that Tunisia is ‘killing of the last remnants of the Arab Spring’
Tunisian’s troubling slide back into authoritarianism and the crushing of democracy by President Kais Saied was the focus of a private briefing this week between British parliamentarians, family members of the head of Ennahda Movement, Rached Ghannouchi, legal experts and journalists. Organised by Forward Thinking on the back of...
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Algeria: A populist leader challenging our notions of what is possible in the Middle East
Much has been said and written about the rise of populism around the world and the threat it poses to traditional politics, dominated as it has been by the centre right and centre left. As the new wave of populism sweeps across various continents, the Middle East has been...
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Sudan bloody war shows UAE is an agent of chaos and instability
In 2019, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a paramilitary organisation called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) pledged over $1bn to help stabilise the Sudanese Central Bank in the aftermath of the economic crisis and protests which led up to the ouster of dictator, President Omar Al-Bashir. “We put...
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Foreign Affairs magazine lays down the facts about Israel apartheid and Jewish supremacy
The remarkable pace by which the term “apartheid” has moved from the margins of the Israeli-Palestinian debate to its centre was on powerful display this weekend. The prestigious American magazine, Foreign Affairs, widely considered one of most influential foreign policy magazines shaping Washington’s thinking, added its weight behind the...
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The dark, Islamophobic world of a UAE ‘dirty smear campaign’
A “smear campaign” alleged to be orchestrated by the United Arab Emirates and executed through a Geneva-based private intelligence firm has apparently been peddling hateful misinformation associated with anti-Muslim conspiracy theorists, an article in New Yorker Magazine has revealed. In “The dirty secrets of a smear campaign”, which is...
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In rushing to consensus, UK media failed in its duty during Labour anti-Semitism row
I’ve been watching the fallout from KC Martin Forde’s first public interview since the release of his report examining the handling of anti-Semitism complaints within the UK Labour Party. I’ve also been listening to British-American broadcaster Mehdi Hasan discuss his new book, Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating,...
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We cannot begin to defeat authoritarianism without first combatting Islamophobia
Discrimination and outright hatred towards Muslims have risen to “epidemic proportions”, the UN said while issuing a warning to mark the first anniversary of the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. Launched on the third anniversary of the Christchurch Mosque shootings in New Zealand, in which 51 Muslim worshippers were...
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UK Labour owes an apology to pro-Palestinian British Jews ‘purged’ from the party
It seems a long time since UK’s Labour was accused of “purging Jews” from the party over allegations of anti-Semitism. But does the party and its leader Keir Starmer owe an apology to anti-Zionist Jewish members for the way they have been treated? Near universal concern over Israel’s metamorphosis into an anti-democratic apartheid regime suggests that an apology is long overdue. British Jews...
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Israel’s ‘right to exist’ challenged in expert testimonies
“Israel’s right to exist” has been challenged in expert testimonies by leading scholars Professor John Dugard and Professor Avi Shlaim. Dugard is an advocate of the High Court of South Africa. He has served intermittently as Judge of the International Court of Justice. His other high-profile appointment was at...