Riaz Haq writes this data-driven blog to provide information, express his opinions and make comments on many topics. Subjects include personal activities, education, South Asia, South Asian community, regional and international affairs and US politics to financial markets. For investors interested in South Asia, Riaz has another blog called South Asia Investor at http://www.southasiainvestor.com and a YouTube video channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkrIDyFbC9N9evXYb9cA_gQ
What is Om Puri's Legacy? Will he be remembered first and foremost as an accomplished actor? Or as a vocal peace activist pushing for better India-Pakistan ties through greater cultural contacts? Why was he so viciously attacked by right-wing Indian media? And mightily harassed by Hindu Nationalist trolls on social media? Did the mounting stress from these actions contribute to his death?
Om Puri
Is the US intelligence report on Russian campaign to influence US elections convincing? Did Donald Trump win because of the Russian disinformation campaign against Hillary Clinton? Why did US DNI Gen Clapper say "people living in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"? Was he referring to covert American campaigns to influence elections in other countries?
Why is the Sharif family having so much difficulty documenting the money trail in the Panama case hearing in Pakistan Supreme Court? Was it because the money to buy London Mayfair flats did not come from legitimate sources? Who has the burden of proof in the case? The accusers (PTI) or the accused (Nawaz Sharif and family)? Can the Supreme Court judges reverse the burden of proof in money laundering cases in Pakistan?
Has Modi Demonetization been a disaster? What does the latest data show? Why did FMCG and motorcycle sales decline in November? Was it the impact of sudden demonetization of 86% of the currency in circulation? What will be its impact on India's GDP?
Viewpoint From Overseas host Misbah Azam discusses these question with Riaz Haq (www.riazhaq.com).
How does India feel about China-Pakistan Economic Corridor called CPEC? Is Modi government involved in disrupting CPEC? Is insurgency in Balochistan a part of Indian efforts to sabotage China’s short direct access to the Indian Ocean? What does the Times of India editorial titled “Engage the Dragon on Balochistan” say about thinking in Delhi?
Why did President Barack Obama wait to visit a mosque until his eighth year in office? Was this decision triggered by a leading Republican candidate Donald Trump’s attacks on Muslims? What did Obama say about attacks on Muslim Republicans?
What is the primary elections process prior to general elections in the United States of America? Who are the likely 2016 general elections candidates of Democratic and Republican parties? Who is most likely to win?
Viewpoint From Overseas host Misbah Azam discusses these questions with panelists Ali H. Cemendtaur and Riaz Haq (www.riazhaq.com)
Barack Obama's victory is truly a historic moment for all Americans and a great example for the world at large. Mr. Obama's margin of victory was the largest since Lyndon Johnson's election as president in 1964. And if he runs the country as well as he ran his campaign, he does have a chance of becoming a very successful leader of the greatest nation on earth.
Obama's election represents a turning point for the people of color in the US. It is noteworthy that, in spite of their labeling of US as racist, the Europeans have yet to elect a person of color to the highest office in their lands.
A poll today asked both white and black American parents, "Can your child grow up to be president of the US?" Over 70% of blacks responded in the affirmative versus only 46% of whites.
Regarding McCain, I would say that he is a hero and a class act, even in his defeat. He was gracious and said, "This is an historic election. I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans, for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.
"I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too," McCain added.
"Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country, and I applaud him for it and offer him his sincere sympathy his beloved grandmother did not see him on this day," he said.
I believe Americans have very high expectations of their new president. They are looking for more than "change". I think they are looking for a "revolution". With two wars, a sputtering economy and ballooning national debt, it'll be tough for Obama to deliver on the promise of peace and prosperity any time soon. Obama will have to manage these expectations to succeed, after the initial euphoria is over. Though he has the goodwill of Americans and the world, his honeymoon period will not last long.
In terms of preparing to govern, I find that Obama's first appointment is not very encouraging.
President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday offered the job of White House chief of staff to Democratic Congressman Rahm Emanuel, who reportedly accepted the offer. This is Obama's first and most important appointment.
The White House Chief of Staff is an extremely powerful position, setting the agenda and controlling access to the president.
Rahm Emanuel's appointment as White of House Chief of Staff has drawn widespread criticism from those who want real change. Emanuel, with close connections to AIPAC, was a leading supporter of Bush's Iraq invasion. In Congress, Emanuel has been a consistent and vocal pro-Israel hardliner, sometimes more so than President Bush. He has strongly reacted to the mildest of criticism of Israel. In June 2003, for example, he signed a letter criticizing Bush for being insufficiently supportive of Israel. "We were deeply dismayed to hear your criticism of Israel for fighting acts of terror," Emanuel, along with 33 other Democrats wrote to Bush. The letter said that Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian political leaders "was clearly justified as an application of Israel's right to self-defense".
According to a report in Jerusalem Post, Emanuel is the Chicago-born son of Israelis. The 48-year-old Emanuel is a member of the Orthodox Jewish community of Chicago and grew up speaking Hebrew with his father, a pediatrician who was a member of Irgun, the Jewish resistance in Palestine that committed acts of terror and atrocities against the Palestinians to drive them out in 1948. During the Gulf War in 1991, Emanuel went to Israel to serve as a civilian volunteer. Emanuel holds dual citizenship of US and Israel.
Rahm Emanuel's father, Benjamin, yesterday refused to comment on the report that his son was appointed White House chief of staff. He told Haaretz that he would only comment after speaking to his son.
"Obama is a pro-Israeli leader and will be a friend to Israel," he said, adding that he was pleased with Obama's election. He also said his son is the namesake of Rahamim, a Lehi combatant who was killed. Lehi was described as a terrorist organization by the British authorities and United Nations mediator Ralph Bunche. The Israeli government banned the organization under an anti-terrorism law passed three days after Lehi assassinated UN mediator Folke Bernadotte. Lehi was also responsible for the assassination of Lord Moyne along with other attacks on the British authorities and Palestinian Arabs.
Obama will need all his skills and a set of close aides to prioritize and focus on a few key things, and not be distracted by the cacophony and chaos of his fellow Democrats in Congress from different wings of his party. He will be tested on both domestic and international fronts. There is a lesson for Obama from the early days of Clinton administration's first term that was marred by missteps leading to the defeat of Clinton's healthcare agenda and the loss of Democratic majority in Congress during his first term. Obama needs to avoid the temptation of trying to do too much too quickly in his first 100 days.
Here's are two video clips about "Who is Rahm Emanuel?"
It looks as though it’s back to the bad old days for Arab Americans By James Zogby
The 1980s were a difficult time for Arab Americans. Politicians returned our contributions, rejected our endorsements, and many effectively hung “No Arab Americans allowed” signs on their campaign doors. Back then, we called it “the politics of exclusion”.
We fought back. We organized, worked hard, and we emerged victorious – or, should I say, somewhat victorious? I now feel a bit tentative about our progress because what happened to Mazen Asbahi is causing me to wonder whether the politics of exclusion might not again be rearing their ugly head. Here’s what has happened:
On July 25, the Barack Obama campaign announced the appointment of Mazen Asbahi to further their outreach efforts to Arab Americans and American Muslims. As a young and accomplished corporate attorney, Mazen was largely unknown to many in both communities. He quickly introduced himself to leaders and activists nationwide to involve them in the Obama campaign.
I was delighted to meet him. He is the father of three, and I found him to be passionate about both his family and his new assignment. He had been successful in his short career as an attorney, but he told me that he felt that this new position provided him with an important opportunity to give something back to his country and his community. In the brief time he held his position, we spoke almost daily. He learned so much and did so much to make Arab Americans and American Muslims feel included in the campaign.
Then it happened. A shady website, Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report, that monitors Muslim activism and organizations, revealed that eight years ago Mazen had been on the board of the Allied Assets Advisors Fund. Also on the board was Jamal Said, described as “a controversial imam in a fundamentalist Illinois mosque”. In fact, Mazen was on this board for only two weeks before his discomfort with some of the things being said about the group led him to resign.
This brief association appears to be the main “allegation” against Mazen. The other charge is that he, like thousands of other Muslim American students, was a member of the Muslim Students Association, an established and respected group found on most US campuses. But because an anti-Muslim blogger with a penchant for exaggeration and error called the Muslim Students Association a “wahhabist front”, this charge against Mazen was also thrown into the mix.
In the days that followed, the charges became fodder for extremist right-wing bloggers, whose descriptions of Mazen neither he nor those of us who had come to know him could recognise. As has become standard practice these days, the major media (in this case, the Wall Street Journal) picked up the non-story and began to prepare an “expose”. Concerned that this would escalate, Mazen and the campaign agreed to terminate his position. Mazen issued a statement, saying: “I am stepping down from the volunteer role I recently agreed to take on with the Obama campaign as Arab-American and Muslim American coordinator in order to avoid distracting from Barack Obama’s message of change.”
The entire affair has left many in the Obama campaign, and in both the Arab American and American Muslim communities, feeling saddened and troubled. Several observations can be made and questions raised about this situation in which we now find ourselves operating.
The combination of bigoted websites, their echo-chamber bloggers, irresponsible mainstream media outlets, and fear and ignorance about all things Arab and Muslim have produced an oppressive environment detrimental to the full political participation of Arab Americans and American Muslims.
Who is behind the shadowy website “Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report” that “revealed” the story? And what is their agenda? And why are right-wing commentators like Debbie Schlussel, Michelle Malkin, Steven Schwartz, Daniel Pipes, Frank Gaffney, and David Horowitz not held to account for the misinformation they spread, and the intolerance they promote?
Malkin, it should be remembered, threw a fit over Rachel Ray’s wearing a kaffiyeh in a Dunkin Donuts ad. Schlussel attempted to Muslim-bait the former Secretary of Energy, Spencer Abraham. Gaffney drove a decent young Muslim American out of the Bush White House because of an unfounded allegation about his father, and Pipes has made a career out of harassing outstanding scholars like Georgetown University’s John Esposito. If we allow the likes of these to define Arab Americans and American Muslims, and to determine their fitness to serve, then we are heading back to the politics of exclusion.
The failure of these obsessively anti-Arab, anti-Muslim characters to discern between genuine “bad guys” and people like Mazen does a grave disservice to all Americans. It is a shame that no one in the mainstream media has the wisdom or courage to see them for what they are, or question their credibility.
Back to Mazen and the Obama campaign. To his credit, Mazen has been as graceful and thoughtful in adversity as he was upon assuming his post. He remains committed to Obama’s election, and to empowering his community. And because he didn’t want to become the issue, he stepped aside and will find other ways to serve. Despite this regrettable setback, the Obama campaign will continue its outreach efforts.
But, we must ask, what about the fate of the next Arab American or American Muslim to seek such a position of service? If we are to advance as a nation we must not allow a return to “the bad old days”. And if we are to take advantage of the incredible resources provided by the Arab American and American Muslim communities, then we must include them – not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it is so critically important in our efforts to engage the world in which we live.
