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America’s Quest to Win Over Muslim Youth With Rap

Mohammed Abbasi

  The U.S. has spent the past decade conducting hip-hop diplomacy. Is it working? HISHAM AIDI A rapper performs at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2012. (U.S. Embassy Kabul/Flickr) For several years now, American and German officials have struggled with how best to respond to Deso Dogg. The Ghanaian-German artist, whose legal name is Denis Cuspert, gained popularity during the mid-2000s as a pioneer in Germany’s gangsta-rap scene, performing with DMX and recording tracks like “Gangxtaboggy,” “Daz Iz Ein Drive By,” and “Meine Ambition Als Ridah.” In 2010, following a car crash, he embraced Islam and began documenting his Malcolm … Continue reading America’s Quest to Win Over Muslim Youth With Rap

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Honey Hunting Tradition of Nepal from 11,000BC!

Mohammed Abbasi

The amazing honey hunters who risk their lives in the foothills of the Himalayas to collect honey from the hives of the world’s largest honeybees Honey hunters are based in the hilltop village of the Gurung tribe, in central Nepal’s Kaski district The honey hunters use smoke, ladders and rope to precariously balance and stab at the honey to collect it However, the tribal way of life is in jeopardy due to decreasing bee populations and climate change Tribes are now facing a loss in their way of life, partly due to government intervention in honey exports The tribal leaders … Continue reading Honey Hunting Tradition of Nepal from 11,000BC!

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Israel’s War on American Universities

Mohammed Abbasi

  Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel addresses the audience during the Annual Meeting 2014 of the World Economic Forum at the Congress Centre in Davos, January 23, 2014. (Photo: Jolanda Flubacher / World Economic Forum)The banning of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Northeastern University in Boston on March 7, along with a university threat of disciplinary measures against some of its members, replicates sanctions being imposed against numerous student Palestinian rights groups across the country. The attacks, and the disturbingly similar forms of punishment, appear to be part of a coordinated effort by the Israeli government and the … Continue reading Israel’s War on American Universities

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Useful Idiots of the Corporate Elite

Mohammed Abbasi

  Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr)There are a whole lot of useful idiots in America. Yesterday, a caller called into my radio show, and echoed Congressman Paul Ryan’s recent comments, blaming the black community for poverty in America. He threw out a Fox So-Called News phony statistic, arguing that “73 percent of African-American women in this country ages 17-35 have children without a man in the house, and the majority of this group of people live in the cities.” First of all, that is … Continue reading Useful Idiots of the Corporate Elite

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Past crimes haunt Afghan progress

Mohammed Abbasi

  As Afghanistan heads for presidential elections on April 5, people are asking if the country’s massive legacy of human-rights violations will be swept under the carpet yet again by the new government.  Civil society activists in Bamiyan city – capital of the central province by the same name where the Taliban in 2001 destroyed two ancient Buddha statues – seem particularly interested in what the presidential candidates have to say about “transitional justice”.  The term refers to the set of judicial and non-judicial measures, including criminal prosecution, truth commissions and institutional reforms, which a country implements to redress past human-rights … Continue reading Past crimes haunt Afghan progress

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The Trojan Mullahs for TTP

Mohammed Abbasi

Most terrorist organisations rely on propaganda to divide masses, and convolute issues which demand clarity as a prerequisite for progress. The psychological aspect of a war or an insurgency cannot be undermined, at least not without facing serious consequences. Unlike the state, the TTP has learned from its experiences. Every contest between the TTP and the armed forces of Pakistan has resulted in the latter emerging decisively victorious. This imbalance of power has compelled the terrorists to look beyond their guns for strength, and they have successfully discovered it; in us. The TTP is heavily reliant on inaction from the … Continue reading The Trojan Mullahs for TTP

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Or How To Start A War With Iran!

Mohammed Abbasi

Fixing the Facts To Create a Crisis With Iran By Gareth Porter – Book Excerpt Fictitious WMDs created a pretext for launching the ill-fated and destructive war with Iraq. Gareth Porter, an investigative reporter and frequent contributor to Truthout, writes a compelling book, “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare,” that argues that similar tactics were created to justify a war with Iran. Fortunately, if negotiations are successful, the fate of “shock and awe” will be avoided in Iran. Yet, as if with Iraq, no one is being held accountable for the bellicose war cries based on flawed and disingenuous “justifications.” The following excerpt, US … Continue reading Or How To Start A War With Iran!

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Mullahs, Money & Blasphemies!

Mohammed Abbasi

As in most cases, the events surrounding the arson of a Hindu temple in Larkana had a monetory aspect that is becoming clear. On Saturday night, gangs of hooligans burnt a Hindu temple to the ground after allegations of blasphemy were levelled at a young man from the local Hindu community, specifically that he was burning pages of the Quran. At this point one must ponder if religious minorities in this country are ignorant, insane, or just incurably stubborn since they apparently can’t stop burning pages of the Quran where everyone can see them. They must be suicidal to do … Continue reading Mullahs, Money & Blasphemies!

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Ah! The Muslim woman

Mohammed Abbasi

    The occasion was an event held to mark International Women’s Day, a couple of days after it is celebrated on March 8 every year. The venue was a public university in Islamabad. The organisers were girl students and women teachers of a department within the university. The audience included mostly students and some teachers, both women and men. The participants, who presented a variety of performances, ranging from songs and poems to speeches and mimes, comprised bold and bright girl students from the university. The event had to conclude with a panel discussion on this year’s theme for … Continue reading Ah! The Muslim woman

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The death of revolution

Mohammed Abbasi

By Lewis H Lapham  [The full version of this essay will appear in “Revolution,” the Spring 2014 issue of Lapham’s Quarterly.]  In case of rain, the revolution will take place in the hall. – Erwin Chargaff  For the last several years, the word “revolution” has been hanging around backstage on the national television talk-show circuit waiting for somebody, anybody – visionary poet, unemployed automobile worker, late-night comedian – to cue its appearance on camera. I picture the word sitting alone in the green room with the bottled water and a banana, armed with press clippings of its once-upon-a-time star turns in America’s political … Continue reading The death of revolution