Category Archives: War on Terror

Glenn Greenwald brings facts and reason to ‘Real Time’, ruins Bill Maher’s night

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Scott Roth

Last night Bill Maher had Glenn Greenwald on his show. Maher, a self-professed atheist who thinks religion is poison but thinks Israel is wonderful got a big surprise.

Posted in Media, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 88 Comments

New York mayoral candidates debate police spying on Muslims and Brooklyn College BDS panel

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Alex Kane

Seven candidates for New York City mayor gathered on Sunday at a one-of-a-kind forum devoted to Muslim community issues. The debate focused on a range of issues, from police surveillance of Muslims to school holidays to the Brooklyn College BDS panel. While most candidates spoke out against police surveillance of Muslims, only two said the program was unconstitutional. And the front-runners in the race–Christine Quinn and Bill de Blasio–did not denounce the expansive surveillance program. Above, from the left, is Public Advocate Bill de Blasio; Comptroller John Liu; City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; and Rev. Erick Salgado.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, US Politics, War on Terror | Tagged | 3 Comments

Islamophobic ‘Foreign Policy’ article compares Boston bombing and Palestinian resistance to occupation

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Deanna Othman

Yair Shamir’s May 1, Foreign Policy article “Our Shared Islamist Enemy: From Boston to Israel, radicals are attempting to destroy Western culture” endeavors to draw baseless parallels between the Boston Marathon bombings and the resistance of Palestinians against the Israeli occupation, what he inaccurately portrays as an “aggressive and offensive jihad, unconnected to any particular conflict or borders, which conjoins Islamist terror groups around the world.” His unabashedly Zionist agenda rears its head through this opportunistic attempt to play into the media circus surrounding the Boston bombings.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Media, US Politics, War on Terror | 16 Comments

Legal fight continues against NYPD spying on Muslims: an interview with civil rights lawyer Jethro Eisenstein

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Alex Kane

Jethro Eisenstein has battled the New York Police Department’s civil rights violations for 42 years. Now, the civil rights lawyer is taking the fight to the NYPD’s expansive program of spying on the Muslim community. Mondoweiss’ Alex Kane sat down with Eisenstein to discuss the lawsuit against the NYPD surveillance program, the police department’s history of spying on dissidents, the Boston bombings and proposals on the table to rein in the excesses of the NYPD.

Posted in US Politics, War on Terror | 9 Comments

Close Guantanamo now

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Adam Horowitz

Morris Davis, the Chief Prosecutor for the Terrorism Trials at Guantanamo Bay for more than two years, has authored a petition at Change.org calling for President Obama to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. He writes: “If any other country were treating prisoners the way we are treating those in Guantanamo we would roundly and rightly criticize that country. We can never retake the legal and moral high ground when we claim the right to do unto others that which we would vehemently condemn if done to one of us.”

Posted in Activism, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 9 Comments

Terrorist bombing

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Katie Miranda
Posted in Middle East, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 5 Comments

6 facts you should know about the Guantanamo Bay hunger strike

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Alex Kane

The situation at Guantanamo continues to deteriorate. Here’s 6 facts you should know about Guantanamo Bay and the ongoing act of protest most of the prisoners are participating in.

Posted in Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 5 Comments

Treatment of Boston suspect exposes ‘Muslim exception’ to Constitution

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Alex Kane

Islamophobia has reared its ugly head post-Boston bombings. This time, though, the major purveyors of it aren’t right-wing bigots. Instead, it’s the U.S. government and a general tolerance for the violation of Muslims’ civil rights. The treatment of Dzokhar Tsarnaev, the main suspect in the Boston bombings, is a case study in how there’s a “Muslim exception” to the U.S. Constitution. This “Muslim exception” is rooted in Islamophobia.

Posted in US Politics, War on Terror | Tagged | 24 Comments

‘FEMEN’ and the suppression of native voices

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Roqayah Chamseddine

I loathe the premise that people of colour should be ‘grateful’ that others are taking notice of their subjugation, or that they should bite their tongues and clench their fists and instead show gratitude because their varied plights are being in some way ‘acknowledged‘ by others.

Posted in Arab Spring, Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 36 Comments

Returning to Iraq after war and exile

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Banen Al-Sheemary

Ten years ago today, Banen Al-Sheemary remembers sitting in front of the television watching the sky turn bright yellow from the massive blasts as the US invaded Iraq. She had left the country with her family during the 1991 U.S. invasion. She returned to Iraq in 2012.

Posted in Iraq, Media, Middle East, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 36 Comments

Muslim community under siege: Groundbreaking report documents how NYPD surveillance chills free speech and activism

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Alex Kane

The NYPD’s blanket surveillance of Muslim communities has chilled the exercise of constitutional rights and has strained community ties, placing an entire religious community under siege by the police, according to a groundbreaking report. From its impact on curtailing religious practices and free speech to how it affects Muslims on college campuses, the report, titled “Mapping Muslims: NYPD Spying and its Impact on American Muslims,” paints a disturbing picture of how a police force with no accountability has targeted an entire religious community.

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, US Politics, War on Terror | 8 Comments

Following Rand Paul’s historic filibuster there is room for common cause in challenging killer drones

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Medea Benjamin

While progressives have all sorts of reasons to dislike Rand Paul’s Tea Party, small government libertarian views, killer drones is one issue on which progressives should make common cause with Paul and his growing legions of supporters. After all, it’s not about the messenger but the message. And compared to the Democratic Senators who have, with few exceptions, remained either silent or support of President Obama’s killer drones, Rand made a heroic stand. In gratitude, progressives should “Stand with Rand.”

Posted in US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 10 Comments

AIPAC gives its seal of approval to Islamophobe Steven Emerson

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Alex Kane

Steven Emerson, a key member of what has been termed the “Islamophobia network,” appeared Sunday at an officially scheduled session at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) annual conference. Emerson, the head of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, has been a lead pusher of anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S. since the 1990s.

Posted in Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 6 Comments

Pentagon issues new combat-related medal for drone operators

Posted on February 14, 2013 by David Samel

It’s award season, with the recent Golden Globes and Grammy telecasts and lots of buzz about the upcoming Oscars, so it’s no wonder that the Pentagon didn’t want to be left out of the fun. That’s why they’ve come up with a new medal to award for “extraordinary achievement” in the field of drone warfare.

Posted in US Politics, War on Terror | 9 Comments

Hey Girl, You’ve Made My Kill List: Five Valentines Day drones for that special someone

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Roqayah Chamseddine

Five drone-themed Valentine’s Day cards.

Posted in US Politics, War on Terror | 3 Comments

Mali: Between the ‘curse of Jefferson’ and the ‘spirit of Timbuktu’

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Mbaye Lo

The continuing violence in Mali highlights one of the vital challenges facing humanity: the perpetual wars over property acquisition, corporation creeds—the Curse of Jefferson and its radical adversaries from the religious extremists. Both are a clear hindrance to the human potential to break away from perpetual war, and live up to the goodness in all humanity—the spirit of Timbuktu. Challenging the ethical roots of these institutionalized creeds and religious violence is crucial if the current culture of human ‘expendability’ is to be reversed, and the art of life and peace is to be cherished and cultivated.

Posted in War on Terror | 5 Comments

Code Pink ‘filiflustered’ Brennan confirmation hearing for CIA chief

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Annie Robbins

Code Pink literally stole the show at John Brennan’s confirmation hearing on Thursday forcing Senator Diane Feinstein to halt the proceedings, clear the chambers and call for their removal.

Posted in US Politics, War on Terror | 14 Comments

Lawsuit filed against NYPD wants restrictions on surveillance targeting Muslims

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Alex Kane

A lawsuit filed this week as part of a long-running civil liberties case against the NYPD is seeking new restrictions on how the police can carry out surveillance operations targeting Muslims. The suit claims that the NYPD has violated federal guidelines on how the police can monitor political activity and requests than an independent monitor be appointed to oversee the department’s efforts aimed at what they say are terrorists.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, War on Terror | 1 Comment

10 questions to ask John Brennan at his CIA confirmation hearing

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Medea Benjamin

John Brennan’s confirmation hearing to become head of the CIA will take place at the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, February 7. If CODEPINK had a chance to question John Brennan as his hearing on Thursday, here are some questions we would ask.

Posted in US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 7 Comments

From Islamophobic surveillance to ‘stop and frisk’: Organizers decry criminalization of their communities in NYC

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Alex Kane
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A packed house gathered in an Upper West Side church January 29 to hear about the connections between Islamophobia and police “stop and frisk” policiees in New York City. The event, organized by the Jews Against Islamophobia Coalition, was testament to the burgeoning coalition between Black and Latino groups working on “stop and frisk,” Muslim activists working on Islamophobia and Jewish activists supporting that work.

Posted in Activism, Israel/Palestine, US Politics, War on Terror | 6 Comments

Drone warfare panel brings home the civilian carnage U.S. policy produces around globe

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Alex Kane

Surgical strikes, terrorists and high-level militants–those are the buzzwords most Americans are accustomed to thinking about when a conversation turns to drone warfare. But the audience who attended the Culture Project’s panel on drone warfare last night in New York got a much different take. It was a discussion that bluntly said that drones are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians and are the cause of visceral hatred against the U.S.

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Media, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 14 Comments

Tonight in NYC — Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control with Medea Benjamin

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Adam Horowitz

Mondoweiss is excited to co-sponsor this important event on Monday, January 28 in New York City: Blueprint for Accountability: Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control.

Posted in Activism, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 9 Comments

UN investigation to probe ‘unlawful killings’ by drones in Palestine, Pakistan and Yemen

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Alex Kane

The United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Ben Emmerson, has announced an investigation into US, UK and Israeli drone strikes. The areas covered by the investigation include the occupied Palestinian territories, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan, the main countries that bear the brunt of drone strikes.

Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | 16 Comments

Neocons never go away–Marco Rubio hires Jamie Fly, ultra-hawk on Iran

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Alex Kane

Potential future presidential candidate Marco Rubio has hired neoconservative operative Jamie Fly as his counselor for foreign and national security affairs. Fly, a former Bush administration official, is an ultra-hawk on Iran.

Posted in Iran, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Neocons, US Politics, War on Terror | 17 Comments

The reviews are in: ‘Zero Dark Thirty makes me hate muslims’

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Adam Horowitz

The film ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ is now showing in theaters nationwide and reactions are starting to appear on social networks. In addition to provoking anti-Muslim hatred, the film is also promoting drone warfare over its official Twitter account.

Posted in Media, US Policy in the Middle East, US Politics, War on Terror | Tagged | 103 Comments