Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Top U.S. military leader: ‘I want to understand White rage. And I’m White.’
By Alex Horton
Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, admonished lawmakers over questions about critical race theory at a Wednesday hearing, saying it is important for leaders to be well-versed in many schools of thought. “I’ve read Mao Zedong. I’ve read Karl Marx. I’ve read Lenin. That doesn’t make me a communist,” Milley told the House Armed Services Committee. “So what is wrong with understanding … the country which we are here to defend?” Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) criticized reports that the U.S. Military Academy at West Point teaches a course involving the theory, which broadly explores the idea that racism reaches beyond individual prejudice and affects minorities at the institutional level, particularly in criminal justice. A guest lecturer at the academy included phrases such as “White rage,” Waltz claimed, and he pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the nation’s first Black Pentagon chief, to investigate further. Soon after, when the committee gave Milley a chance to expand, he launched into an impassioned defense of inquiry about U.S. society and its racial dynamics. He emphasized that the U.S. Military Academy is a university. “I want to understand White rage. And I’m White,” Milley said, focused on learning more about the mostly White, mostly male mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. “What is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America. What caused that?” Milley asked. “I want to find that out.” Only one elective course at the academy, “Politics of Race, Gender, and Sexuality,” includes critical race theory in its syllabus, Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the university superintendent, said in a letter provided to Waltz. About 23 cadets take it a year, mostly by cadets majoring in political science, Williams said. Milley said he was offended that critics, among them GOP lawmakers and right-wing commentators like Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have accused the military of being “woke or something else because we’re studying some theories that are out there.” Republicans for months have raked military and Pentagon leaders over policy and personnel changes, such as relaxing hair restrictions for women and reversing bans on open transgender service, as distractions fueled by a liberal agenda. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) had questioned the curriculum at the academy, later prompting the comments by Milley. After the hearing, Gaetz took a swipe at Milley on Twitter: “With Generals like this it’s no wonder we’ve fought considerably more wars than we’ve won.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/republicans-joint-chiefs-chairman-critical-race-theory-congress/2021/06/23/84654c34-d451-11eb-9f29-e9e6c9e843c6_story.html‘Shhhh...don’t say a word’: Child abuse case rocks Pakistan’s clergy
Seventy-year-old Aziz ur Rehman, a scholar at one of the top Islamic institutions in Pakistan's second largest city of Lahore, has confessed he forced a student to perform sexual acts in return for a promise to let him take an exam after he was caught cheating. Rehman is now in police custody. The case involving Rehman, who’s a Mufti, which means he’s among the highest echelons of the clergy, can become a test case for Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government on how to tackle a politically sensitive matter, experts said. “What I am concerned about is all those kids who are still studying at that madrassah (seminary). We don’t know how many of them have been abused in the same way, ” said Dr Kishwar Enam, a pediatrician who works with underge victims of assault and is affiliated with multiple NGOs. “Authorities must immediately screen all the students for any signs of abuse. We can already see many supporters of this mufti are coming forward in his defence — this clearly means many of them could can even be involved in a similar crime,” she told TRT World. Jamia Manzor Al-Islamia, where Rehman has been a teacher for many years, is home to more than 500 kids between the ages of 8 and 25 who come from poor families and remote towns and villages. Both Rehman and the student who leaked the video hail from a region in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan. It’s difficul to estimate how rampant sexual abuse is in the 20,000 seminaries spread aross the country as most cases are never reported because victims and their families are too scared to come forward, said Rana Asif, a childs rights activist who has assisted street children since the early 2000s. “One way to look at the stats is that in the last year there were 2,690 cases of sexual abuse involving children. And out of every 100 cases that we deal with, between 10 and 20 percent involve kids from the seminaries,” he told TRT World. Sahil, an NGO, said it recorded 42 cases of sexual abuse or assault that took place within a religious insitution in Pakistan. It collected the information from the crime reported in the newspapers. Assault at the hands of a cleric hasn’t come as a shock for many. In Europe, North America and Australia, Catholic churches have faced a storm of criticism for trying to hide systematic abuse at the hands of priests. In Pakistan, generations have grown up hearing stories about a friend, sibling or a cousin who was molested by a religious tutor — even if the recitation classes were taken in their own homes. It’s only recently that cameras in mobile phones have helped capture some of the most heinous violations. With such videos going viral, many more students are coming forward to share their own tales. But Pakistani courts do not consider videos as admissible evidence, making the job of the police difficult when it comes to building a case, said a senior police official. “Conviction rate in cases of violence against children is low because the witnesses, in most instances, change their statements. For a long time we have been recommending that it’s time to update our criminal justice system,” he told TRT World. ‘Everyone has to go through it’ Even if a child in a seminary dares to come forward to complain about abuse, he’s very often told to keep his mouth shut and not to discuss it with anyone, said Sabookh Syed, a journalist and researcher, who is at the forefront of reporting on child abuse stories concering clerics. “The clerics twist an Islamic concept to justify this silence. They say you are supposed to cover up other people’s mistakes and if you do that Allah will similarly whitewash your sins.” Over a period spanning 15 years, Syed has investigated multiple instances of abuse in seminaries. He said there’s a deliberate attempt at the top leadership to cover up child molestation and abuse. “If things go really out of control at a madrassah, do you know what they ask teachers to do? They ask them to fast twice a week. They think fasting helps reduce sexual appetite. If the abuse continues then they ask all the teachers and students to fast!” One factor that is usually not considered is also that studies have repeatedly shown that rape is not always sexually motivated, but about power, control and violence. Child abuse workers such as Rana Asif said that it’s routine that a teacher or caretaker found to be involved is fired. However, the matter is hushed up and the accused cleric is never prosecuted. “Even though such abuse is a non-compoundable offence, parents of the kids end up compromising with the mosque or seminary administration. That’s why the conviction rate is so low.” The boy who was sodomised by Aziz ur Rehman recorded the video of the act more than a year ago. He had reportedly informed his parents and the seminary administration but was asked not to talk about it. He has been in hiding ever since the video was leaked on Twitter on June 14. “I personally know of 2 cases where a child was molested inside a seminary. In both cases the kids were forced by the parents to go back to the same seminary. Some parents don’t even recognise child sexual assault as something that’s improper. They say ‘hota he sab ke saath, koi baat nahi’ (it is not a big deal, everyone has to go through it),” said Dr Enam, the pediatrician. Even in the case of the senior cleric, Aziz ur Rehman, police officers fear that the family of the boy might end up forgiving the cleric. “This cleric was really confident that he could have negotiated some sort of a deal with the family of the student if he wasn’t arrested and had a bit more time,” Shoaib Khurram Janbaz, a senior police officer who is part of the investigation, told TRT World. “He even sent a delegation of local elders and clerics (known locally as a jirga) to the student’s parents to request that he be forgiven.” It’s common in parts of Pakistan’s rural areas to reach out-of-court settlements at the behest of influential people in a village or a town. “We are trying our best to make a strong case. But if the victim reaches a compromise then there’s a possibility that Aziz ur Rehman will walk free,” said Janbaz. A state of disbelief Madrassahs in Pakistan are charity-run boarding houses, which offer free meals, lodging and education to some of the poorest children who would otherwise end up on the streets. “Parents think they are sending their kids to a better place. I don’t think any other class of citizens is respected more than the religious scholars in our society,” said Syed, the journalist. The grinding schedule of theological and religious lectures turns even weak and shy students into fearsome debaters — at least on matters of religion. “So when a seminary student goes back to his village and eloquently presents his views and confidently drives forward a narrative, his poor parents and people around him are in awe. Parents are even more thankful to the institution,” said Syed. Pakistani religious institutions and leaders extend their influence around the world. Scholars such as Maulana Abul A’la Maudidi have left a deep imprint on the Muslim Brotherhood. Missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat’s Maulana Tariq Jameel has millions of followers globally. This along with a belief that clerics are doing God’s work leave people in a state of disbelief when sexual scandals come to light, said Syed. “These clerics can be very learned men. But being very smart and knowledgeable doesn’t absolve you from a crime. What we see is that top scholars are not ready to publicly condemn what has happened in this case.” Aziz ur Rehman is also a senior leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Pakistan’s largest religious political party headed by influential cleric Maulana Fazal ur Rehman (no relation with Aziz). Aziz ur Rehman’s affiliation with the party was suspended, only after his arrest. Fazal and other religious leaders are facing criticism for not issuing any statements condemning the cleric or willing to accept that abuse occurs in some of the seminaries. Instead, religious scholars see the entire episode as another attempt by the secular class to lobby against them. “People like Aziz ur Rehman must be given a harsher punishment than any other criminal because they represent Islamic schools,” said Maulana Zahid Qasmi, a leading scholar of the Deobandi sect, who is also a member of the board that oversees religious schools in the country. “At the same time, I’d add that this case must be treated as an individual’s act and should not be used to malign madrassahs or Islam,” he told TRT World. In 2019, Pakistan was roiled by a series of assaults on children in a city called Kasur. Public pressure forced the government to adopt the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Act — a law against child abuse named after a young girl who was brutally raped and killed. While laws have been passed and multiple state-run bodies have been setup to counter child abuse, lack of enforcement and resources have not helped in reducing the cases of abuse, child rights activists said. It’s all the more complicated when authorities have to deal with madrassahs. “The state institutions, which deal with child protection policies, hardly have any reach when it comes to religious schools,” said Afshan Tehseen, Chairperson of National Commission of Rights of Child, a federal body. This is concerning because “the isolated environment of religious schools makes children even more vulnerable to abuse,” she told TRT World. Some activists such as Dr Enam and Rana Asif have tried to organise seminars in seminaries on educating kids about abuse and how to avoid it. They are advocating for child protection committees and dedicated officials for hearing complaints in schools and seminaries. “But many of the madrassahs won’t even let us come near their gate,” said Dr Enam. https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/shhhh-don-t-say-a-word-child-abuse-case-rocks-pakistan-s-clergy-47739
China is buying Muslim leaders’ silence on the Uyghurs - Imran Khan’s Axios interview is another example of this worrying trend.
By Alex
Ward@AlexWardVoxalex As the world increasingly speaks out against China’s genocide of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, the quietest voices continue to belong to the leaders of Muslim-majority countries.
Look no further than Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s interview this week with Axios’s Jonathan Swan. Swan asked why the premier, who often speaks out on Islamophobia in the West, has been noticeably silent on the human rights atrocities happening just across his country’s border.
Khan parroted China’s denial that it has placed roughly 2 million Uyghurs in internment camps and then evaded the issue over and over again. “This is not the case, according to them,” Khan said, adding that any disagreements between Pakistan and China are hashed out privately.
That’s a jarring statement. Instead of offering a pro forma “Yes, of course we’re concerned by this” before moving on, Khan chose instead to minimize the problem altogether.
Why would Khan do such a thing during a high-profile interview, with his self-enhanced image as a defender of Muslims on the line? The prime minister gave the game away later in the interview: “China has been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times, when we were really struggling,” Khan told Swan. “When our economy was struggling, China came to our rescue.”
China has given Pakistan billions in loans to prop up its economy, allowing the country to improve transit systems and a failing electrical grid, among other things. China didn’t do that out of the goodness of its heart; it did so partly to make Pakistan dependent on China, thus strong-arming it into a closer bilateral relationship.It’s a play China has run over and over through its “Belt and Road Initiative.” China aims to build a large land-and-sea trading network connecting much of Asia to Europe, Africa, and beyond. To do that, it makes investment and loan deals with nations on that “road” — like Pakistan — so that they form part of the network. The trade, in effect, is that China increases its power and influence while other countries get the economic assistance they need.
That relationship has helped Pakistan avoid economic calamity. But as of right now, it doesn’t have the funds to pay China back. That could spell trouble for Pakistan, as China has a history of taking a nation’s assets when it doesn’t pay its debts, like when it took over a Sri Lankan port in 2018. To avoid a similar fate, and perhaps keep the money flowing, Khan likely didn’t want to badmouth China in public. “China is Pakistan’s only lifeline out of debt,” said Sameer Lalwani, director of the South Asia program at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC. Look elsewhere in the world and the story is essentially the same. Even the leaders of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — who often portray themselves as the defenders of Islam and of the ummah, the global Muslim community — are choosing to prioritize their economic relationship with China over standing up for the Uyghurs. In the short term, they may get more funds from the relationship with China, but in the long run, the price they pay is in their reputation.China is buying Muslim leaders’ silence on the Uyghurs George Mason University’s Jonathan Hoffman, who studies Middle Eastern politics and geopolitical competition, told me Khan’s statements are in line with the trend of Muslim leaders turning away from China’s gross human rights abuses. They “represent a broader pattern in the region where the plight of the Uyghurs is sidelined as China has quickly become the largest oil consumer, trade partner, and investor,” he told me.That helps explain some of the actions by Muslim-majority nations and their leaders in recent years, which Hoffman wrote about in May for the Washington Post:In 2019, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt were among 37 countries that signed a letter to the U.N. Human Rights Council praising China’s “contribution to the international human rights cause” — with claims that China restored “safety and security” after facing “terrorism, separatism and extremism” in Xinjiang... When Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited China in 2019, he declared that “China has the right to take anti‐terrorism and de‐extremism measures to safeguard national security.” And a March 2019 statement by the Saudi‐based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) praised China for “providing care to its Muslim citizens.” The most egregious example of how China has bought loyalty, compliance, and silence, though, may be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In 2009 — as Chinese authorities cracked down on Uyghurs amid ethnic violence in Xinjiang, and long before there were credible reports of arbitrary imprisonment, torture, and forced labor — the Turkish leader spoke out about what was happening. “The incidents in China are, simply put, a genocide. There’s no point in interpreting this otherwise,” Erdoğan said. But now his tune has changed. In January, Turkish police broke up a protest led by local Uyghurs outside China’s consulate in Istanbul, and the government stands accused of extraditing Uyghurs to China in exchange for Covid-19 vaccines. Why such a shift? You guessed it: Money. The Turkish economy was in a downturn well before the coronavirus pandemic, but China has come to the rescue. Erdoğan and his team have sought billions from China in recent years, and China became the largest importer of Turkish goods in 2020. Saying anything negative about the Chinese government — especially on the Uyghur issue — could sever the financial lifeline China provides. That said, the pressure from the pro-Uyghur public in Turkey has forced a slight shift in the Erdoğan regime’s rhetoric in recent months. In March, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his administration has brought up the plight of the Uyghurs in private discussions with Chinese officials. Still, that falls far short of what the world should expect from Muslim leaders. https://www.vox.com/2021/6/23/22545232/axios-pakistan-khan-china-uyghurs-belt-road
There will be an increase in terror incidents when the Pakistan policy in the Afghan peace process is not correct – says Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
He said that there will be an increase in such incidents when the Pakistan policy in Afghan peace process is not correct and some terror organisations are active across the border. I had demanded on the floor of the Assembly that whatever this government is doing covertly and through the backdoor should be brought before the representatives of the people. The government should tell us what its policy is. The Speaker has also accepted our demand and after the budget session the opinion of other parties will also be made known.
Regarding meeting of President Zardari with Pervez Ilahi, Chairman PPP said that we are very thankful to Pervez Ilahi who visited Zardari Saheb to inquire about his health. We had achieved many successes in government with Pervez Ilahi’s party and when we increased the buying price of wheat, PML-Q not only appreciated it but itself demanded an increase in buying price thus benefitting growers in Punjab as well.
Chairman PPP said that the government has done injustice to the people of Pakistan and the business community by legislating beyond the demands of FATF. This government has made the situation difficult for the business community and common man by such legislations. This legislation was forcibly passed and also could not take Pakistan out of the grey list. The business community was already suffering due to Covid-19 and continues to do so now because of this legislation.
Regarding proposed APC of the opposition, Chairman Bilawal said that he has already spoken to Shahbaz Sharif about the government’s measures for rigging in the elections, the opposition needs to work together against it. We should not allow the government to rig the elections.
Chairman Bilawal said that he is planning to visit entire Punjab soon and people are contacting him from all over Pakistan to join the PPP. He said that our doors are open for everyone who wants to get rid of the failed and unjustified government. He said that Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has been tasked with contacting everyone who has raised Jeay Bhutto slogan even at the time of his grandfather, mother or worked with his father, he is ready to work with them all. There will be an increase in party’s support base and such people are in contact with the party.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25159/ښ
پی ٹی آئی حکومت افغان امن معاہدے کے حوالے سے پسِ پردہ جو کچھ کر رہی ہے اسے عوامی نمائندوں کے سامنے لایا جائے، چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا مطالبہ
پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے پارلیمنٹ ہاؤس اسلام آباد میں بدھ کے روز میڈیا سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے لاہور میں دہشتگردی کے واقعے کی سخت ترین الفاظ میں مذمت کی۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ اگر پاکستان کی افغان امن کرائسز میں پالیسی درست نہیں ہو گی تو ایسے دہشتگردی کے واقعات میں اضافہ ہو سکتا ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ سرحد کے اس پار افغانستان میں کئی دہشتگرد تنظیمیں پہلے ہی کام کر رہی ہیں۔ انہوں نے ایوان میں مطالبہ کیا تھا کہ یہ حکومت جو کچھ چھپ چھپا کر بیک ڈور پر کر رہی ہے اس عوامی نمائندوں کے
سامنے لانا چاہیے۔ حکومت کو بتانا چاہیے کہ اس کی پالیسی کیا ہے؟
اسپیکر اسمبلی نے ہمارا مطالبہ تسلیم کر لیا ہے اور بجٹ سیشن کے بعد دیگر پارٹیوں کی آراءبھی سامنے آجائیں گی۔ صدر زرداری سے پرویز الہیٰ کی ملاقات کے بارے میں چیئرمین پی پی پی نے کہا کہ وہ پرویز الہیٰ کے شکرگزار ہیں کہ انہوں نے صدر زرداری کی طبیعت معلوم کرنے کے لئے ملاقات کی۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ جب ہم حکومت میں تھے تو پرویز الٰہی کی پارٹی کے ساتھ مل کر متعدد کامیابیاں حاصل کی تھیں اور ابھی بھی ہم نے جب گندم کی قیمت میں سندھ میں اضافہ کیا تو پی ایم ایل کیو نے نہ صرف اسے سراہا بلکہ پنجاب میں بھی مطالبہ کیا کہ گندم کی سپورٹ قیمت میں اضافہ کیا جائے جس سے پنجاب کے کاشتکاروں کو فائدہ ہوا۔
چیئرمین پیپلزپارٹی نے کہا کہ اس حکومت نے ایسی قانون سازی کرکے بزنس کمیونٹی اور عوام کے ساتھ ذیادتی کی جس کا ایف اے ٹی ایف نے نہیں کیا تھا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ حکومت نے اس قانون سازی کے ذریعے تاجروں اور عام شہریوں کی زندگی میں مشکلات پیدا کر دی ہیں۔ ایف اے ٹی ایف کے نام پر زبردستی قانون سازی کی گئی لیکن اس کے باوجود ایف اے ٹی ایف کی گرے لسٹ سے نہ نکل سکا۔ تاجر کمیونٹی کوڈ 19 کی وجہ سے پہلے ہی مشکلات کا شکار تھی اور اب قانون سازی کی وجہ سے مشکلات کا شکار ہے۔ اپوزیشن کی مجوزہ اے پی سی کے بارے میں چیئرمین بلاول نے کہا کہ وہ کافی پہلے شہباز شریف سے اس سلسلے میں بات کر چکے تھے کہ حکومت انتخابات میں دھاندلی کرنے کے لئے اقدامات کرنا چاہتی ہے۔ اپوزیشن کو چاہیے کہ وہ مل کر اس کے خلاف کام کرے۔
ہمیں اس حکومت انتخابات میں دھاندلی کرنے کی اجازت نہیں دینا ہوگی۔ چیئرمین بلاول نے کہا کہ وہ جلد ہی پورے پنجاب کا دورہ کرنے کا ارادہ رکھتے ہیں اور راجہ پرویز اشرف کو پہلے ہی یہ ذمہ داری سونپ دی گئی ہے کہ ان لوگوں سے رابطہ رکھیں جو پیپلزپارٹی میں شامل ہونا چاہتے ہیں۔ ہمارے دروازے ہر اس شہری کے لئے کھلے ہیں جو اس ناکام اور ناجائز حکومت سے پیجھا چھڑانا چاہتے ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ راجہ پرویز اشرف کو ذمہ داری دی گئی ہے کہ وہ ہر اس آدمی سے رابطہ کریں جس نے ان کے نانا کے وقت اور ان کی والدہ کے وقت جئے بھٹو کا نعرہ لگایا ہے اور ان کے والد کے ساتھ کام کیا ان سب سے رابطہ کریں کیونکہ میں ان سب کے ساتھ کام کرنا چاہتا ہوں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ آنے والے دنوں میں پارٹی کی حمایت میں اضافہ ہوگا اور کشمیر سے لے کر گوادر تک پارٹی میں شمولیت میں خواش مند افراد سے پارٹی کا رابطہ ہے
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25161/