A Domestic Terror Law Could Quash Political Dissent in US [Al Jazeera]

When President Trump announced his intention to designate Antifa as a domestic terrorist organisation, his disregard for the upsurge of white right-wing extremist violence was obvious. So, too, was his objective -quashing political opposition to his administration.   Antifa, short for anti-fascist, is a far-left ideological movement opposed to fascists, neo-Nazis and far-right groups. A loose collective of individuals and local groups, it lacks a chain of command or designated leaders.  Followers of this decentralised movement engage mostly in nonviolent activities such as protesting, giving speeches, tracking fascist groups and hanging… Continue reading “A Domestic Terror Law Could Quash Political Dissent in US [Al Jazeera]”

U.S. Leadership Needed on Syrian Refugee Crisis [Wilson Center]

Sixty percent of Syria’s population are either refugees or internally displaced.  Of those thirteen million Syrians, nearly six million are refugees who fled to neighboring Middle Eastern nations—five times more than the one million in Europe and the U.S.  Unable to return home and with minimal, if any, access to education, jobs, and health care in host countries; Syrian refugees are trapped in a legal and economic purgatory. The challenge facing the international community is whether it will stand by and watch as a generation of Syrians is lost to… Continue reading “U.S. Leadership Needed on Syrian Refugee Crisis [Wilson Center]”

Building Resilience in the New Threat Paradigm [Rutgers University Miller Center]

Professor Sahar Aziz gave keynote opening remarks in the conference “Building Resilience in the New Threat Paradigm: Targeted Violence Against People of Faith” in June 2019 at Stockton University and hosted by the Rutgers Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience. Her remarks, entitled “Connecting the Dots of Hate: Islamophobia and Antisemitism,” analyzed the common stereotypes that perpetuate hate against Muslim and Jewish communities by far right wing groups.… Continue reading “Building Resilience in the New Threat Paradigm [Rutgers University Miller Center]”

Reporting Islam: Media, Policy and Politics [Northwestern University]

In an interdisciplinary convening of scholars, practitioners, and activists, Professor Aziz gave a presentation entitled “Depoliticizing Muslims: Countering Violent Extremism as a Racial Project” at Northwestern University in April 2019. Her comments are based on her academic articles on countering violent extremism available for download here.… Continue reading “Reporting Islam: Media, Policy and Politics [Northwestern University]”

Trump has threatened to declare a national emergency to build a wall. Is that legal? [PBS Newshour]

Emergency powers are usually used to address political crises in other nations such as the systemic violation of human rights, war, or a serious threat of abuse of weapons of mass destruction or nuclear weapons, said Sahar F. Aziz, director of the Center for Security, Race and Rights at Rutgers Law School in an email to PBS NewsHour. For example, Aziz said, emergency powers were invoked in response to opposition to stabilization efforts in the Balkans in 1997 and the wars in Syria and Yemen in 2012. The president doesn’t… Continue reading “Trump has threatened to declare a national emergency to build a wall. Is that legal? [PBS Newshour]”