In this section, Crescent International will highlight news and events that do not attract much media Attention. We will provide our brief analysis. Hyperlinked references will be provided for confirmation, corroboration and crediting purposes.
After decades of sanctions and incessant imperialist attempts at sabotage, Islamic Iran has managed to develop indigenous economic sectors that have helped it to resist the illegal sanctions regime.
The vitality of this strategy in resisting external economic sabotage was once again highlighted by Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Addressing members of the administrative government in Tehran on August 23, Imam Khamenei stated that “economic planning for the country should not wait for removal of sanctions or the result of elections in another country… national production is key to employment, welfare, reducing inflation & increasing national currency’s power. An obstacle to production is unneeded imports like luxury products. Last year, half a billion dollars were spent to import a certain luxury US mobile brand. The Government must stop this.”
Islamic economics is about increasing production and improving the welfare of society. Imam Khamenei’s directive on this topic is proposing a paradigm shift in the field.
Muslim and non-Muslim countries which took bold steps to challenge neo-liberal economic dogmas have succeeded in overcoming great obstacles created by the contemporary economic order.
The Rabhar’s advice is a reminder of the necessity to adopting alternative economic policies.
Courtesy: PressTV
The past week has been a political fiasco for Muslim “leaders” in the US peddling the adaptation of mainstream US political dogmas.
After spending years kissing-up to the US political elite, often compromising Islamic principles when it clashed with secular dogmas, Muslims calling for “working within” the US system have had to face an embarrassing reality. The system completely disregards Muslim grievances.
On August 20, Joe Biden’s campaign officially disavowed Linda Sarsour, a leftist-Muslim US pundit masquerading as a Muslim political leader.
Biden’s campaign disavowed Sarsour simply because she criticized Israeli crimes in Palestine, even though Sarsour was a strong advocate of Americanism and a promoter of the Democratic Party’s ruling class.
Commenting on the latest developments regarding Sarsour, Canadian Muslim author and intellectual, Bilal Muhammad pointed out that “in the end, you Muslims are last in a long line of corporations, banks, lobbies, media, and constituents. Is it a surprise?... Your so-called “friends” think that your hijab is sexist, your views on marriage are oppressive/abhorrent/backwards, your faith is superstitious, and that you are all antisemitic.”
At the time of publication of this report, Middle East Eye reported that Ashley Allison, national coalitions director for the Biden campaign, apologized to Sarsour in a private call.
Sarsour’s fall was not the only crucial event which took place in the petty political scene of pro-establishment Muslims in the US.
English speaking segment of the Muslim Ummah was outraged after the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, of which Hamza Yusuf is a member, issued an official statement endorsing the UAE-Zionist treaty. Over the past several years, Yusuf has established a solid track record of being an admirer of autocratic Sheikhdoms in the Persian Gulf.
Faced with outrage, Yusuf later issued a vague statement retracting his backing.
Commenting on Hamza Yusuf’s targeting of the media, 5Pillars editor Roshan Muhammed Salih said: “I find Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s clarification on his alleged support for the UAE-Israel deal highly problematic. Firstly, I am glad that he said he doesn’t support the deal. Alhamdulillah for that. But instead of directing his ire at the UAE institute which allegedly misrepresented him, he blames the media for correctly quoting them.
“Should the media have directly contacted him to verify the quote? No, I don’t think they needed to. Hamza Yusuf is a member of that UAE institute, openly supports it and Abdullah bin Bayyah is his teacher. So, it was reasonable to assume the statement was authentic.
“And the very fact that Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is blaming the media suggests to me that he is attempting to deflect attention away from the real culprits – the UAE authorities he is associated with who have just made peace with Israel.
“What he should have done is resign from the UAE institute which misrepresented him and denounce the Israel deal. But he has not done that which frankly speaks volumes.”
Hopefully Yusuf and Sarsour’s embarrassments will force US Muslims to rethink the pathetic pro-establishment narratives and methodologies they have adopted.
Courtesy: Middle East Eye
The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to challenge the Monroe Doctrine, an arrogant policy dating back to the 19th century.
In US foreign policy calculus, the Western Hemisphere (South America) is regarded as its exclusive sphere of influence.
On August 20, Washington based al-monitor reported that “Colombia’s President Ivan Duque claimed… that the government of President Nicolas Maduro in neighboring Venezuela was working to acquire missiles from its ally Iran.”
While there has been no official confirmation from Tehran or Caracas, the policy would not be a surprise as both countries face Washington’s imperialist destabilization policies.
The US has infested Iran’s immediate neighborhood with military bases and hostile autocratic regimes. It would not be geopolitically unreasonable for Iran to entangle the US in its own neighborhood.
Courtesy: www.al-monitor.com
Qatar’s TV channel, Al Jazeera, reported that “President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced… that Turkey discovered its biggest ever natural gas field holding 320 billion cubic metres (11.3 trillion cubic feet) in the Black Sea, and more could be found as the country works to provide it by as soon as 2023. If the gas can be commercially extracted, the discovery could help Ankara cut its current dependence on imports - from countries such as Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan - for a substantial amount of its energy needs.”
Erdogan is known to make grandiose statements and his pronouncements should not be taken at face value.
However, if the news of significant Turkish natural gas discovery is even partly true, this has a potential to alter geopolitical engagements on several fronts.
Currently Turkey avoids pushing policies which would irritate Russia or the authoritarian regimes it backs in Azerbaijan and Central Asia.
Ankara is highly dependent on Russia for energy supplies. If Turkey breaks its dependence on gas from Russia, it is logical to expect greater Turkish involvement in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Turkey is seen positively by the broader population with whom it shares common ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious roots.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
