1st September

What an American Activist Discovered

September 01, 2024

News

Quick Bits

Over 37,000 people gathered in Dearborn, Michigan for the Arbaeen procession, commemorating the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (as) - grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (p).
Former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy appeared on Saudi state TV Al-Arabiya, sparking backlash from pro-Palestine supporters - particularly in the Arab world - who see it as a betrayal.
Several arrests were made at the University of Michigan after police shut down a pro-Pales-tine rally at The Diag. Police issued a statement warning about trespassing. The incident is currently under review.
Instagram permanently banned Columbia University’s Students for Justice in Palestine account with 124k followers, citing Meta's censorship.
After over a year of protests by BDS Boston and other groups, Elbit Systems shut down their location in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In her first interview since becoming Biden’s successor, Vice President Kamala Harris maintained her alignment with his policies on Israel and Gaza.

Watch

Real Stories from Ex-Fighters: What an American Activist Discovered

American Writer and Activist Hannah Smith shares her transformative journey across the globe, speaking with combantants and ex-fighters about their motivations and experiences with conflict and war. Her encounters challenged conventional Western narratives, offering new perspectives on global conflict by re-evaluating how people perceive "good" and "bad" sides in news coverage.

News

Over 37,000 people gathered in Dearborn, Michigan for the Arbaeen procession, commemorating the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (as) - grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (p). Dearborn’s procession emulates the original Arbaeen procession that takes place annually in Iraq’s holy city of Karbala, which drew over 21 million pilgrims this year. Similar processions are held in other communities across the West and around the world -paying homage to Imam Hussain’s divine sacrifice nearly 1400 years ago.

In a troubling escalation of government control over digital speech, the recent arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and the exodus of Rumble’s CEO Chris Pavlovski from Europe have sparked global concerns over the future of free speech online. Durov’s arrest by French authorities stems from Telegram's refusal to comply with European Union demands for stricter content moderation. Known for its commitment to privacy and free speech, Telegram has been targeted for allegedly facilitating illegal activities like drug trafficking and terrorism by failing to moderate content effectively.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has revealed that Facebook faced repeated pressure from the Biden Administration to censor certain COVID-19 content, particularly satire and humor. In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Zuckerberg admitted that the White House pushed the platform to remove posts related to the pandemic in 2021. Despite the pressure, Zuckerberg stated that the final decisions on content moderation rested with Facebook. He expressed regret over not being more vocal in resisting government demands, saying, "I believe the government pressure was wrong."

Instagram permanently banned Columbia University’s Students for Justice in Palestine account with 124k followers, citing Meta's censorship. The ban occurred amid growing pro-Palestinian protests on US campuses, particularly at Columbia, where the president resigned after criticism over her handling of the demonstrations. These protests call for an end to the US-backed war on Gaza, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians.

In 2020, the FBI charged Sayyid Muzzamil Zaidi and Asim Naqvi with charges involving transporting charity money to Yemen. After more than four years since the FBI initially opened the case, Sayyid Muzzamil Zaidi stood for his sentencing on August 13th. The content of what was discussed throughout the sentencing as well as the outcome sets a precedent for future investigations the FBI may conduct in targeting the Shia community as well as aspects of Khums - or Islamic Tax - and “freedom of speech.”

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been released from custody on €5,000,000 bail after being indicted, and is pending a court appearance. Durov has been charged with 12 counts of failing to cooperate with a French police investigation and complicity in a number of crimes, including drug trafficking, distribution of child pornography and fraud, according to the French charge sheet.

Last week, the office of Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, hosted a unique conference titled ‘The Road to Al-Aqsa Flood’, inviting Arab bloggers and influencers to experience modern-day Iraq. Many of them, having no memories of the Iraq war or ISIS years, were struck by the vitality and hospitality of Baghdad.

Today’s war updates:

Israeli forces threatened soldiers with prosecution for refusing to return to Ga-za; about 20 soldiers are involved.
Israeli forces targeted a humanitarian convoy in Ga-za, killing several despite prior coordination. Another convoy was shot at hours before.
Israel approved new maps for occupying the Philadelphi Corridor, aiming to impact ceasefire talks. Eight ministers supported the move.
Israeli forces detained 25 Palest-inians in the West Bank recently, with reports of assaults and home destruction. Over 10,300 Palesti-nians have been detained since October 7.
Over 670 Palestinians, including 150 children, have been killed in the West Bank and occupied al-Quds since October 7. The latest attacks killed at least 17.

Can you solve this?

Riddle

“I have no life but i can die what am I?”Reply with your guess. P.S: The answer to the last week’s riddle “A girl has as many brothers as sisters, but each brother has only half as many brothers as sisters. How many brothers and sisters are there in the family?” is “3 Brothers & 4 Sisters”. Did you guess it right?