Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Nasim Ahmed
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If we are really serious about destroying ISIS, why is our policy so misguided?
I have been watching a bit more television than usual, certainly more than I expected to in this blessed month of Ramadan. I was gripped, in part due to the never-ending conversations about Islam; partly because I despair at the rhetorical belligerence of neo-cons like Douglas Murray; and also,...
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RAND Corporation predicts a bleak future for Israel
The unsustainability of Israel’s occupation is acknowledged almost universally, yet its permanence is the only reality known to most Jews and Palestinians. Its supposed temporary nature has not prevented Israel from becoming more entrenched in its occupation, thus making any future peace deal unviable. This unbridgeable divide is reflected in...
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Charleston Church killings: is the 'war on terror' narrative costing American lives?
Following the tragic killings in Charleston Church, many noticed, once again, the striking difference between the mainstream media and political establishment’s coverage of violent crimes perpetrated by Muslims and those carried out by non-Muslims. It reinforced the widely held perception of media prejudice in the labelling of violence committed...
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How America keeps alive the ghost of the inquisition in Guantanamo Bay
A church apologist in the early fifteenth century, writing approvingly of the Inquisition, declared, “We persecuted the seeds of evil not only in men’s deeds, but in their thoughts.” The statement is emblematic of the centuries-old system of oppression that targeted thoughts, actions and beliefs of those deemed by...
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The Henry Jackson Society and the Degeneration of British Neo-conservatism
A new report by Spinwatch, a public interest investigation group, provides an in-depth scrutiny of The Henry Jackson Society and the Degeneration of British Neo-conservatism; it examines the history, activities and politics of the right-wing think tank, which is a leading exponent of neo-conservatism in Britain. Based at the University...
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Curtailing free speech and activism comes at a great cost to us all
Millions of Muslims around the world are buying dates for the coming month of Ramadan. Many will be careful not to purchase those produced by Israel in occupied Palestinian land. This growing act of solidarity is in no small part the result of sustained campaigning by organisations linked to...
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We need to challenge Israeli exceptionalism
On 15 May millions of Palestinians will be commemorating 67 years of the Nakba, the episode in their history described as the “catastrophe”, with the creation of the state of Israel on their land and subsequent ethnic cleansing. To astute observers, the seven decades of continued violence against, and dispossession...
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Egypt's junta has no intention of letting the people be free
My previous article on Egypt examined how “the heart of the Arab world” has been locked into foreign dependency since its formation as a modern nation state. I argued that Egypt, for decades, has endured “development of underdevelopment”; the process has fostered poverty and the impoverishment of Egyptian society...
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Is the Muslim vote a growing factor in British politics?
Britain’s Muslim community is sufficient in number to have a significant impact in the coming general election. Muslim voters are an “untapped resource” with the potential to seal the outcome of at least 32 constituencies; that would be more seats than the Liberal Democrats, UKIP and Green Party combined,...
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The heart of the Arab world is in need of a transplant
What better way to begin a series of articles on Egypt than to start by examining the country’s composition to explore why it’s teetering on the brink of being a failed state. The descent of Egypt and the region as a whole into what is increasingly looking like the Middle...
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It's time for liberal Jews to admit that liberal Zionism is bankrupt
To be a freier is anathema to Israelis. The Yiddish word is translated loosely as “sucker”, which doesn’t really do justice to its broader and more significant connotations. “Don’t be a freier” is practically the 11th commandment in Israel and the fear of actually being one plays into every...
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If Cameron Stout was Kareem Salah everyone would know of the plot to assassinate Obama
What would the reaction be if a Muslim was known to have plotted to assassinate the president of the United States? How could we even approximate of the level of outrage and hysteria that would follow if, God forbid, some lunatic from the Muslim fringe was indeed attempting to...
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If I were a Palestinian I'd be pleased with Netanyahu's victory
Benjamin Netanyahu has won a resounding electoral victory despite the fact that he has become a caricature of Israeli rejectionists and the best efforts of “anyone but Bibi” political campaign, which reportedly received $350,000 from the US State Department to unseat him. But is this really a disaster for...
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Sabotaging Washington's foreign policy on Iran isn't the only way that Israel harms US interests
Whether it’s with friend or foe, Israel bears no cost for its extreme political brazenness. Such chutzpah is normally the privilege of superpowers, which are able to pursue national interests with bare-faced conceit. Though it’s usually not the most effective way to wield power and influence, superpower status grants...
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Will exploitation of fear and vilification of Europe be the winning formula in the Israeli elections?
We all remember the infamous comical moment when Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the UN back in 2012 and made his fabricated case for striking Iran. In his desperation to convince the international community, he even drew the famous red line and warned of a ticking nuclear time bomb. It turns out...
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Freedom of speech is too valuable to be lost through pro-Israel legislation
With the appalling rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes across Europe, arguably as a consequence of political decisions being implemented elsewhere, there is an urgent need to separate Jews and Judaism from the colonial policies of Israel. This is evident by the growing numbers of Jews who are distancing themselves...
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The rise of 'pro-Israelism' in American politics
The US-Israel special relationship is acknowledged universally as the unswayable force of politics in the Middle East. The theme is confessed ritually by every US president and Israeli prime minister, who have all claimed, more or less, that “the bond between Israel and the United States is rooted in...
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Can Egypt escape the grip of its authoritarian past?
When Egypt’s 25 January Revolution began in 2011 calling for the removal of the regime, few anticipated the speedy dismissal of the man who had held the reins of power for four decades. Fewer still would have predicted that in the space of two years the Egyptian military would...
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BDS is gaining traction in Britain
The academic boycott of Israel was the theme of a discussion at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) this week. An event organised by the student union and hosted by SOAS Palestine Society attracted a large audience as part of the campaign to secure a yes...
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What does the deepest level of political hypocrisy look like?
One could be forgiven for thinking that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is God’s unique way of revealing the depth of human hypocrisy. It’s not just that the US State Department has threatened to withhold its annual $400 million economic aid to the Palestinians in response to the PA’s bid to...
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2014 will be remembered as the year that Israel revealed itself to be an apartheid state
There is no doubt that 2014 will be remembered as one of the most tragic in Palestinian history. There are reasons to believe, though, that the year was also a game changer, not least because the international campaign for recognition of a Palestinian state and the simultaneous de-legitimisation of...
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The interest of the 'only democracy in the Middle East' is to block democracy in the Middle East
The so-called ‘Arab Spring’ has certainly reinforced the perception that the Middle East is a hotbed of intractable conflicts. Israel has never ceased to use this stereotype to its advantage, reminding the world that it is a beacon of democracy surrounded by hostile countries. The truth, however, is far...
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Why did the Arab dream turn into an Arab nightmare?
Almost four years into the so-called Arab Spring one could be forgiven for thinking that it hasn’t been worth it, judging by the death and destruction that has taken place. Moreover, one can argue quite convincingly that democracy is an alien concept to the region and thus provide a...
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Does the EU really want a two state solution?
The global campaign for recognition of Palestinian statehood is a desperate measure to resuscitate the two-state solution, which is in terminal decline. If, as many believe, such a solution is already drawing its last breath, why does the European Union keep dithering in its recognition of a Palestinian state?...