Iraq is a country that always remains on center stage in the Arab region. In the past few years, there has been more news coming from Iraq, especially after the invasion of the U.S. in 2003. The situation becomes worse with every passing day, and it is almost like a civil war in Iraq. Now that the U.S. forces left Iraq in December 2011, the new established Iraqi government faces the same issues and problems.

Now, after one year of withdrawal of the American forces, the situation has become a lot more difficult for the local administration and government. The civil war has taken bad shape in Iraq, and there are practically two armed forces ready to fight each other, one of them is loyal to the central government, and the second one is lead by Kurdish regional leaders. Both of these armies have arms, and they have also fired at each other. Now the situation is tense, and the American officials that are sitting in Baghdad are looking to intervene and make the situation peaceful and acceptable for both the major forces.

The situation becomes more sectarian and violent after the issuance of arrest warrants by Shiite government headed by Nuri kamal al-Maliki against Tariq al-Hashimi, Sunni vice president. After this issue, the Sunni community feels more disheartened, and they are more against the government. They are also demonstrating rallies and protests against the government especially after the Jumma prayer. These issues are getting worse with every passing day.

Now there is another debate that is heating up in Iraq, that people are asking for the division of Iraq in three different parts according to three sects, Shiite, Sunni, and Kurd. This debate is making the situation more critical as now everyone wants their own part where they can live according to their sect. This situation is also very critical for the other countries. Turkey has already been worried as they have a large Kurd community living there. So if the Kurds in Iraq get separate places, then they may also demand the same.

On the other hand, the public security in Iraq is very poor, and the people are worried to leave their homes. Last Monday there was an explosion, that killed ten people and injured 46. This is destabilizing the nation. This incident targeted the government officials from both sects. No organization has accepted responsibility for the blast, so if the situation remains the same, there are few chances of any reconciliation between both the parties, and the bloodshed will be increased in coming months.

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Jawad Ahmad

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American Muslims for Palestine, the Asian Law Caucus, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Jewish Voice for Peace have issued a joint press release cautiously welcoming a statement by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency in response to complaints about the anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic advertisements that Pamela Geller's so-called American Freedom Defense Initiative has placed on San Francisco buses.

The SFMTA has said that although the First Amendment prevents it from removing them, Geller's advertisements have "no value in facilitating constructive dialogue or advancing the cause of peace and justice". The statement went on to commit the SFMTA to directing all resulting advertising revenue to the SF Human Rights Commission.

It would, of course, have been preferable if the SFMTA had defied Geller and taken her on in the courts. She pursued her lawsuit in New York on the basis that the city's Metropolitan Transport Authority had previously allowed ads critical of Israel and that she was being discriminated against. The SFMTA, however, has a policy of refusing all political advertising, so Geller's case would surely have been much weaker here.

Still, at least Geller's money will be going to support an organisation that really does defend freedom.

See Adam Serwer. "Who's behind the anti-Islam ads on MTA and Muni?", Mother Jones, 15 August 2012

And Sheila Musaji, "Bus ads: Of savages and idiots", The American Muslim, 15 August 2012

Also "Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs: Bus ads inspired by Ayn Rand's racist views of Arabs and Muslims?", Loonwatch, 14 August 2012

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Over the past few days, Britain has been preoccupied with the prosecution and imprisonment of nine Muslim men (eight Pakistanis and one Afghani) on charges of being part of a child sex exploitation ring. Much has been said about the religious and ethnic background of the defendants, not to mention their victims, who were all white minors suffering from social problems, to the point that all issues became tangled up and intertwined; criminal considerations, religious and ethnic backgrounds and racial sensitivities. The result was heated discussions that mostly inclined towards unfair generalization, the promotion of a stereotyped image of Islam and false accusations against it.

Osman Mirghani analyses the response to the Rochdale "grooming" case.

Asharq Al-Awsat, 19 May 2012

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