16th Annual UMAA Conference

UMAA2018 will take place at Edward Hotel & Conference center in Dearborn, Michigan from July 27th-July 29th. Room Information Rooms can be booked directly with the Edward at (313) 592-3622 under the UMAA room block. $109/night including Breakfast Saturday and Sunday morning.

Dodging UN and US designations: Hafez Saeed maintains utility for Pakistan and China

A recent upsurge in insurgent activity in Kashmir likely explains Pakistani and Chinese reluctance to crackdown on internationally designated militant Hafez Saeed and the network of groups that he heads.

Ex-Pakistani Prime Minister puts Pakistani military and China on the spot

Mr. Sharif’s remarks, moreover, stirred up a hornet’s nest because Pakistan is likely to next month be put on a watch list by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global financial watchdog that monitors the funding of political violence and money laundering worldwide. The remarks also put China in a difficult position.

Sunni and Shia Symposium at UCI

Salam Al-Marayati, President of MPAC, noted that he is very optimistic of where Muslims in America are heading, in particular making progress towards celebrating its diversity amongst Sunni and Shia Muslims. In his closing remarks, Dr. Soboh, Chairman of the Islamic Shura Council, offered sensible methods to create harmony, including visiting the other madhab’s masjid and praying together.

Liyakat Takim, “Shi‘ism in the American Diaspora: Challenges and Opportunities” in Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 38, no. 1, (2018): 73-86.

African American Twelver Shia Community of New York ” Brill Online

Few studies analyze minorities among the African American Muslims in the United States. The absence of ethnographic research shows that the current scholarship neglects the minority status of African American Twelver Shias.

US State Department Releases 2017 Report on Human Rights in Bahrain

On 20 April 2018, the United States (US) Department of State released its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) welcomes the report’s substantive section detailing the wide range of US human rights concerns in Bahrain, but urges the State Department to implement new policies that will work to ameliorate – rather than intensify – these serious abuses.

Click here for ADHRB Weekly Newsletter #248

The Saudi Export of Ultra-conservatism in the Era of MbS – an Update

Edited remarks at The Middle East and the Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University and the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, Washington DC 18-19 April 2018 There has long been debate about the longevity of the Saudi ruling family.

Sunni and Shia Islamic Thought: Prospects and Challenges

The Shia Muslim Council of Southern California is an umbrella organization of 15 Shia Islamic centers in the southern California area. It was established September 17, 2014. The current elected board members of the Shia Muslim Council are: President: Imam Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini Vice-President: Hajj Khalil Dewji Secretary: Dr. Fatima Hakkak Treasurer: Hajj MehdiReza Hirji Councilor: Sheikh Mujahid Abdul Karim Councilor: Br.

Saudis launch war on Qatif, calls for moratorium on executions in Bahrain – Voice of Bahrain

The “reformist” face of the Saudi crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) that appears to the West is a camouflage to a more sinister face of repression, dictatorship and state terrorism. The real face of the Saudi regime was laid bare this week when regime’s troops stormed the Eastern city of Qatif, raided many houses and detained scores of innocent people.