Research And Information Network (RAIN)

Long out of the news, Iraq – you remember Iraq? – is falling apart. The “government” is in chaos, with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at war with Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, whom he accuses of “terrorism.” Days after ending his party’s participation in Parliament, an arrest warrant for al-Hashimi was issued. Sixteen of the VP’s [...]

see video: http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/islamophobia-and-antisemitism-same-message-different-minority Below are quotes which highlight the disturbing similarities between Islamophobic and Antisemitic messages.   Ten statements by ‘anti-jihad’ writer Robert Spencer and Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher are compared.   Julius Streicher was the editor of Der Stuermer, a Nazi paper that spread vicious Antisemitic propaganda from 1923-1945. As Nazi Party leader in [...]

Recently, in a New Republic article titled “The End of the Christian Right,” historian Michael Kazin confidently asserts that “the Christian Right is a fading force in American life, one which has little chance of achieving its cherished goals.”   I have lost count of how many times the Religious Right has been declared dead [...]

Four British citizens, referred to as Islamists by some reports, have confessed to making vague plans to blow up a toilet at the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The four reportedly got the idea from Inspire Magazine, released online by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).   Although blowing up a toilet normally falls into the [...]

The Obama administration is pushing to close an arms deal with Bahrain, despite the government’s nearly year-long crackdown against protesters and recent steps to block American NGOs from operating in the island kingdom.   A previous arms sale was suspended late last year after fierce opposition from human rights groups and members of Congress. But [...]

Palestinian protesters threw shoes and chairs at the convoy of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as it entered the Gaza Strip on Thursday, witnesses at the scene told DPA.   About 40 Palestinians waited for Ban on the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing with Israel, north of Gaza City. When his convoy of several [...]

This week’s Supreme Court hearing in the Julian Assange case has profound meaning for the preservation of basic freedoms in western democracies. This is Assange’s final appeal against his extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual misconduct that were originally dismissed by the chief prosecutor in Stockholm and constitute no crime in Britain.   [...]

Nobel Peace Prize officials were facing a formal inquiry over accusations they have drifted away from the prize’s original selection criteria by choosing such winners as President Barack Obama, as the nomination deadline for the 2012 awards closed Wednesday.   The investigation comes after persistent complaints by a Norwegian peace researcher that the original purpose [...]

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s highest court said on Thursday it would charge Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani with contempt of court for refusing to reopen a corruption case against his boss, President Asif Ali Zardari.   The Supreme Court said it would start the contempt trial on Feb. 13. If convicted, Mr. Gilani would face [...]

From the African Refugee Development Center:   On 30 January, the African Refugee Development Center (ARDC) submitted a report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).   This report demonstrates that Israel continues to ignore its international obligations towards asylum seekers and refugees and that various laws, policies and practices are [...]

The Israeli occupation authorities have issued notice of their intention to demolish a renewable energy project which generates electricity and represents the only source of lighting for the houses in a Palestinian village near Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The people of Al-Mnazel received the demolition notice advising of Israel’s plans to destroy the [...]

Gaborone, Botswana – Botswana produces some of the highest quality organic, free range beef in the world. Until early last year, the EU was an important destination for this high value product. Then, following a visit by EU veterinary inspectors, new requirements were imposed requiring that all beef exports be traceable to fenced ranches or [...]