Why let Chicago, Detroit and New York have all the fun? Hawaii corruption by the party of crime also deserves <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ex-hawaii-senator-sentenced-to-40-months-for-taking-bribes/ar-AAZeUqu">a little attention</a>.


	English announced he was retiring last year due to health issues. His retirement will have to take place behind bars.

<blockquote>
	
		Former Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English, 55, pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud in February, admitting he accepted bribes from a Hawaii business owner in exchange for shaping legislation that would benefit a company involved in publicly financed cesspool conversion projects...

	
		English “peddled the power and influence of his position as a Hawaii State Senator and Majority Leader to enrich himself and betray the trust bestowed upon him by those he was elected to serve,” U.S. prosecutors said in a sentencing memo urging the judge to send him to prison for three-and-a-half years.

	
		The sentence, a little more than three years, must send a “stern and lasting message” that corruption of elected officials will be punished, the memo said.
</blockquote>


	Not all that long ago, English was <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/news/hawaii-obamas-birthplace-and-refuge/">praising</a> Obama.

<blockquote>
	
		“Hawaiians love Obama,” says J. Kalani English, a Democratic state senator. “He is one of us — he understands what aloha is, he understand what mana is.”&nbsp;
</blockquote>


	Obama and English both understand<a href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/07/feds-want-former-hawaii-lawmaker-who-took-bribes-to-spend-more-than-3-years-in-prison/"> "mana"</a> really well.

<blockquote>
	
		English pleaded guilty in February and&nbsp;admitted to accepting cash and other payments&nbsp;totaling more than $18,000 from Honolulu businessman Milton Choy. English leaked documents related to a wastewater working group to Choy in exchange for cash payments. He also accepted more money to first introduce, and then kill a bill that could have benefitted Choy’s business.

	
		“As the investigation progressed it became astoundingly clear that no matter the legislative ask, the answer from English would almost certainly be ‘yes.’ English’s behavior signaled that it was systemically normal for him to accept, and indeed expect, financial benefits in return for legislative favors,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Sorenson wrote in a sentencing memorandum Friday.
</blockquote>


	And the party may just be<a href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/02/honolulu-businessman-milton-choy-had-been-working-for-years-with-feds-on-legislative-bribery-case/"> getting started</a>.

<blockquote>
	
		Choy is a prolific donor, as are his immediate family members and business associates. Choy, his family members, and his employees from various companies have donated more than $356,000 to political campaigns since 2014, according to campaign finance data. Of that, Choy has contributed more than $160,000 to the elections and reelections of numerous Democrats.

	
		Choy himself has donated to 55 campaigns — including 29 sitting lawmakers — since 2014. Money has gone to former Gov. Neil Abercrombie and current Gov. David Ige. He has most recently contributed to former Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s campaign for governor, and to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s campaign.
</blockquote>


	Culture of corruption.

Hawaii Senate Dem Majority Leader Gets 3 Years in Prison for Bribery

Why let Chicago, Detroit and New York have all the fun? Hawaii corruption by the party of crime also deserves a little attention.


	English announced he

Hawaii Senate Dem Majority Leader Gets 3 Years in Prison for Bribery

Dumping the country's oil reserves was the only strategy to lower energy prices that Biden would accept. He continues blocking domestic drilling and taxes remain high. The practical impact&nbsp;of the reserve releases was negligible and, worse still, 5 million barrels of oil from the reserve were actually <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/oil-from-u.s.-reserves-sent-overseas-as-gasoline-prices-stay-high">exported abroad</a>.

<blockquote>
	
		More than 5 million barrels of oil that were part of a historic U.S. emergency reserves release to lower domestic fuel prices were exported to Europe and Asia last month, according to data and sources, even as U.S. gasoline and diesel prices hit record highs.

	
		About 1 million barrels per day is being released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) through October. The flow is draining the SPR, which last month fell to the lowest since 1986.&nbsp;
</blockquote>


	Considering the scale of even the national use, 20 million a day, there was never going to be much of an impact here.

<blockquote>
	
		U.S. officials have said oil prices could be higher if the SPR had not been tapped.
</blockquote>


	Ah, the hypothetical.&nbsp;


	Anyway the oil went all over.

<blockquote>
	
		The fourth-largest U.S. oil refiner, Phillips 66&nbsp;PSX.N, shipped about 470,000 barrels of sour crude from the Big Hill SPR storage site in Texas to Trieste, Italy, according to U.S. Customs data. Trieste is home to a pipeline that sends oil to refineries in central Europe.

	
		Atlantic Trading &amp; Marketing (ATMI), an arm of French oil major TotalEnergies&nbsp;TTEF.PA, exported 2 cargoes of 560,000 barrels each, the data showed.

	
		Cargoes of SPR crude were also headed to the Netherlands and to a Reliance&nbsp;RELI.NS&nbsp;refinery in India, an industry source said. A third cargo headed to China, another source said.
</blockquote>


	Yes, the story wouldn't be complete without China. Much like the PPP disaster, the government efforts invariably only punish Americans and reward Communist China.

Barrels of Oil Released by Biden From Reserve Were Sent to China

Dumping the country's oil reserves was the only strategy to lower energy prices that Biden would accept. He continues blocking domestic drilling and taxes

Barrels of Oil Released by Biden From Reserve Were Sent to China

Racist DOJ official&nbsp;Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke announced that the Biden administration is targeting Arizona for trying to prevent non-citizens from voting.


	At issue is an Arizona law asking voters to show proof of citizenship. What should be an elementary and common sense requirement is being opposed by the Biden administration, officially on technical grounds, but as a practical matter because it is trying to protect voter fraud.


	Why fight against asking voters to show a legal right to vote unless...


	1. They are your voters


	2. You believe that they don't have a legal right to vote


	“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is dedicated to protecting voters in the state,” said U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona. “We are proud to join the Civil Rights Division in bringing this lawsuit to ensure that all eligible citizens in Arizona have the opportunity to register to vote and exercise their fundamental right to participate in our elections.”&nbsp;


	Voters have the right to vote. And they have the right to protect the legitimacy of their vote by passing common sense voter tests to fight fraud.

Biden Administration's Racist DOJ Official Seeks to Protect Non-Citizen Voting in Arizona

Racist DOJ official&nbsp;Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke announced that the Biden administration is targeting Arizona for trying to prevent non-

Biden Administration's Racist DOJ Official Seeks to Protect Non-Citizen Voting in Arizona

Democrats want to make the midterms about abortion. There's one big problem. Americans are upset about the economy and don't care about abortion.&nbsp;


	In the latest <a href="https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/MonmouthPoll_US_070522/">Monmouth poll</a>,&nbsp;33% of Americans rank inflation as their top concern while 15% list gas prices. 9% mention the economy and 6% grocery prices. And only 5% list abortion.


	Over 70% list various economic concerns. Social hot button issues are on the back burner. So is national security. And the second amendment.


	57% also say that the actions of the federal government have hurt them, only 8% say that they have helped them.


	So much for the abortion or BLM or gender identity midterms. When people can't afford to eat or drive, they don't care about the hot button issues.

33% of Americans Worry About Inflation, 15% Gas Prices, 5% Abortion

Democrats want to make the midterms about abortion. There's one big problem. Americans are upset about the economy and don't care about abortion.&nbsp;

33% of Americans Worry About Inflation, 15% Gas Prices, 5% Abortion

For the past few years, the entertainment industry inhabited a strange world in which massive amounts of streaming programming were unleashed on an unprecedented level. Led by Netflix, Amazon&nbsp;and followed by tradiitional&nbsp;industry competitors like Disney&nbsp;and HBO Max, the sheer amount of money being spent was astronomical, in the billions, and the hours of programming, the number of shows made it Peak TV.


	And then Netflix and its business model crashed.


	In the familiar Dot Com pattern, a whole lot of money was chasing the promise of endless growth that would usher in its own business model. Now the crash <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-07-04/the-age-of-peak-tv-is-ending-an-age-of-austerity-is-beginning">has ended Peak TV.</a>

<blockquote>
	
		The sudden decline in Netflix’s share price&nbsp;and the&nbsp;growing fear of a recession&nbsp;have forced&nbsp;Hollywood into a new period of fiscal austerity. This manifests in ways big and small. A TV director who made&nbsp;$4 million a year is now getting $750,000. Mid-budget movies are being shelved. Broadcast TV budgets have dropped more than 30%...

	
		This is a significant departure from&nbsp;the last few years when&nbsp;media companies tripped over themselves to produce any halfway decent idea. The industry made 559 scripted shows last year, up more than 200 since 2013, the year “House of Cards” debuted...

	
		But the age of peak TV is coming&nbsp;to a close, and that will impact&nbsp;almost every sector of an industry where budgets, valuations and strategic plans were predicated on a booming&nbsp;market for new programming.&nbsp;

	
		Just a few months ago, any production company with a few credits to its name was suddenly worth&nbsp;hundreds of millions of dollars. (It helped if you were aligned with a celebrity like&nbsp;Reese Witherspoon&nbsp;or LeBron James.) Now many of the companies looking to raise capital or sell themselves are&nbsp;having a harder time.
</blockquote>


	Did Hollywood nuke its own business model?


	Streaming was supposed to be the future. Hollywood cannibalized its theatrical business for streaming. Every studio either tried to become Netflix or market to it. Or both.


	What's the future now? The plan to have every studio sell membership to its gated subscription service looks increasingly shaky especially in a troubled economy. Amazon and Netflix still want to be the dominant platform. Hollywood tried to compete with them and the result broke everyone.&nbsp;


	The entertainment industry can't grow further without China. And China wants to grow its own industry. And investors will now be skeptical of dot com promises of infinite growth.&nbsp;


	 
	&nbsp;

Hollywood Nuked Itself

For the past few years, the entertainment industry inhabited a strange world in which massive amounts of streaming programming were unleashed on an

Hollywood Nuked Itself

<div>
	
		In recent days, Chairman Fuad Muradov of the State Committee on the Work with the Diaspora, who has the rank of a minister in Azerbaijan, visited the State of Israel, where he met with Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs Nachman Shai.&nbsp; His visit has great significance for Israeli-Azerbaijani bilateral relations and this in turn will affect not only the Jewish American community, but also the trilateral relationship between Israel, Azerbaijan and the United States.

	
		Any potential cooperation between the State Committee on the Work with the Diaspora and Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs will positively affect the American Jewish community.&nbsp; According to the internal minutes of the meeting put out by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, “22% of American Jews avoid wearing or displaying Jewish items in public.&nbsp; 81% of young Jews in Europe see anti-Semitism as a threat to their security.”&nbsp; Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs has a mission of “uniting the Jewish people around a sense of shared fate and destiny, with Israel at its center thriving alongside secure Jewish communities around the world, which are connected to the Jewish heritage and the State of Israel.”

	
		Interestingly, Azerbaijan’s State Committee on the Work with the Diaspora has a similar mission, as they also seek to establish close cooperation with Azerbaijanis living outside of Azerbaijan and keep them connected to their homeland.&nbsp; There are 18 Azerbaijani houses operating in 12 different countries across the globe, from Munich, Barcelona, and Brussels to Cairo, Thessaloniki and Warsaw.&nbsp;&nbsp; Just like the Jewish community in America operates summer camps for their Diaspora youth, hoping to keep them connected with Israel, Azerbaijan does likewise as well.

	
		According to Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry, “Azerbaijan is a secular Muslim majority country, which also has a Christian and Jewish community.&nbsp;&nbsp; Israel was the seventh country to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence.&nbsp; For 28 years, Israel has an embassy in Baku.&nbsp;&nbsp; In 2021, Azerbaijan opened up a Tourism and Trade Office in Israel, with an embassy expected soon.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

	
		Lev Spivak, the representative of the Azerbaijani Jewish community in Israel who heads the Aziz organization and who accompanied Chairman Muradov around Israel, claimed in an exclusive interview that the main reason for his visit was to meet with Israeli Minister Nachman Shai: “In the meeting, everything interested both sides.&nbsp; They spoke about their plans and work.&nbsp; They found many things that are similar, yet also things that are different and they compared all their notes to the smallest details.&nbsp;&nbsp; They want to continue such meetings.&nbsp; They discussed campuses abroad, student life and many other technical things related to Azerbaijan and Israel.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

	
		Muradov also met with Israel’s Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Oded Forer, Israel’s Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, as well as Minister of Housing and Construction Elkin Ze’ev, members of the Azerbaijani-Israeli Inter Parliamentary Friendship group led by Elina Bordach Yalova and much more.

	
		Muradov’s meetings with them focused on the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Israel, Azerbaijani-Israeli cooperation, Israeli investment opportunities in Azerbaijan and other future projects.&nbsp;&nbsp; It was noted that the positive impression of Azerbaijani Jews for their native country created a very positive opinion about Azerbaijan in Israel about the values of tolerance and multiculturalism in the country.&nbsp; This has also influenced the American Jewish community, as Azerbaijan helped to rebuild a Chabad House in the US that fell victim to an arson attack.&nbsp;&nbsp;

	
		While in Rishon Le-Tzion, Spivak noted that he held discussions to make the city a twin city of Ganja, one of the most important cities in Azerbaijan: “Afterwards in the evening, there was an event in the evening with people from all over Israel and also the Mayor Roma Peretz.”&nbsp; He also visited the synagogue of Rabbi Shmuel Simantov and presented him an award, alongside many other prominent Azerbaijanis.&nbsp; He did this in honor of the 30th&nbsp;anniversary of the Azerbaijani-Israeli relationship this year.

	
		Muradov's&nbsp;visit came one week after former Israeli Communication Minister Ayoob Kara was one of 22 foreign experts to come to Azerbaijan to speak on a panel at the prestigious Ada University.&nbsp; &nbsp;At Ada University, the Honorable Kara did everything in his power in order to promote Israeli technology in Azerbaijan, offering it as a solution to Azerbaijan's landmine problem.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

	
		One may ponder, how will all of this affect the trilateral relationship between the United States, Azerbaijan and Israel?&nbsp; For starters, Azerbaijan is a full partner of the American Jewish community in countering domestic anti-Semitism, as the Azerbaijani government has a strong stance against all forms of bigotry and promotes multiculturralism as the ideal model.&nbsp; &nbsp;In return, the American Jewish community assists the Azerbaijani community whenever they face prejudice in the Diaspora.&nbsp;&nbsp; This in turn strengthens Azerbaijan’s position in the United States and thus Azerbaijani-American relations, as there is power in numbers in any democratic society, especially in one that is based on interest groups like in the United States.

	
		In the United States, the Azerbaijani community is not that big and thus has a minimal impact on US foreign policy.&nbsp;&nbsp; However, when the Jewish community in America unites with the Azerbaijani community, then the Azerbaijani community will be better able to enhance the relationship between Azerbaijan and the US.&nbsp; Stronger Azerbaijani-American relations will allow America to find a suitable replacement for Russian oil, without offering sanctions relief to the Islamic Republic of Iran, who routinely chants "Death to America" and "Death to Israel," while threatening Israeli tourists vacationing in Turkey.&nbsp; &nbsp;Azerbaijan could also potentially be a solution for the global grain crisis that was caused by the war in the Ukraine.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Thus, better Azerbaijani-American relations could benefit the United States and the world entirely, and this visit assisted in this.&nbsp;&nbsp;

	
		Rachel Avraham is the CEO of the Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy and the editor of the Economic Peace Center, which was established by former Israeli Communication Minister Ayoob Kara.&nbsp; She is the author of Women and Jihad: Debating Palestinian Female Suicide Bombings in the American, Israeli and Arab Media.
</div>

Azerbaijani Chairman Muradov’s Israel Visit

In recent days, Chairman Fuad Muradov of the State Committee on the Work with the Diaspora, who has the rank of a minister in Azerbaijan, visited the State of

<div>
	
		The Economic Peace Center of former Israeli Communication Minister Ayoob Kara together with the Association for the Society and Culture, Documentation and Research of Yemenite Jewry and Aziz, one of the Azerbaijani Jewish groups in Israel, recently held an event titled “From Jewish community in Azerbaijan to Yemenite Jews: A History of Two communities” at the Yemenite Jewish Museum in Netanya, Israel.&nbsp; Azerbaijan’s Tourism Attaché in Israel Jamilyeh Talibzadeh alongside prominent members of both the Azerbaijani and Yemenite community in Israel attended the event.&nbsp;

	
		As editor of the Economic Peace Center, I was one of the speakers and organizers of this event.&nbsp; At this event, some people asked me, why should Yemenite and Azerbaijani Jews have a joint event together?&nbsp;&nbsp; After all, the two communities are very different from each other.&nbsp;&nbsp; However, I decided to have this joint event because I believe that we have more strength and more power if we stand united with each other and do joint events with others that are very different from us.&nbsp; This is the best way to build alliances, by celebrating differences and uniting around them rather than using it to divide us.&nbsp;&nbsp;

	
		Now, we Jews are celebrating Lag B’Omer, where we remember that the students of Rabbi Akiva perished in a plague due to their lack of love and respect for one another.&nbsp;&nbsp; In the eyes of G-d, love and respect for fellow man was considered a greater value than Torah scholarship, which is why he buried the Torah knowledge of 24,000 great students just out of their lack of respect and love for the other.&nbsp; Considering this, it is important to promote Azerbaijan’s multiculturalism policy as a model that others should emulate, as the multiculturalism policy of the late Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev and his successor President Ilham Aliyev seeks to support every ethnic and religious group in the country, believing that celebrating all ethnicities and religions together is what makes us great.

	
		As I said in my talk, “Azerbaijan does not seek to assimilate its minorities like America and Europe in the past.&nbsp; Rather, they accept them the way that they are, viewing their culture and faith to be a valuable contribution to the country.&nbsp; The Jewish community in Azerbaijan has greatly benefited from this reality.&nbsp; While Jewish students in American, Canadian and European universities suffer from systematic anti-Semitism, Jewish students studying on Azerbaijani universities do not.&nbsp; While many Jews in America fear wearing Star of David necklaces due to fears of anti-Semitism, Jews in Azerbaijan do not have such worries.&nbsp; In fact, it is so safe for Jews in Azerbaijan that the local Jews there do not even lock up the synagogues at night.&nbsp;&nbsp; Even the State of Israel is not that safe for Jews, as the riots on the Temple Mount and the recent series of terror attacks have demonstrated.”

	
		Dr. Yigal Ben Shalom, the head of the Association for the Society and Culture, Documentation and Research of Yemenite Jewry stressed that like Azerbaijani Jewry, Yemenite Jewry has ancient roots: “Jews arrived in Yemen before the destruction of the First Temple.&nbsp; They believed in the prophesy of Jeremiah that the temple would be destroyed.&nbsp; That is one version.&nbsp; The other one is that they are descendants of the Queen of Sheba, who came to Jerusalem to visit King Solomon.&nbsp; There, they maintained their tradition and followed the ways of the Bible.&nbsp; Later on, there would even be a Jewish kingdom in Yemen for 300 years.”

	
		However, he noted that this kingdom was later on taken over by the Byzantines and then Islam afterwards became the dominant religion in Yemen: “The Jews then became dhimmis.&nbsp;&nbsp; But, they maintained their faith and created great philosophy.”&nbsp; He noted that in the 1600’s, the Jews were ethnically cleansed from their homes and sent to Mawza: “Close to a third of the Jewish population in Yemen was eradicated.”&nbsp;&nbsp; When they returned, Dr. Ben Shalom emphasized that the Jews found that the synagogues were burnt and many things that were important to them disappeared.&nbsp;&nbsp; According to him, the situation improved a bit under Ottoman rule and then there was the Aliyah to Israel: “30 percent of Yemenite Jews were in Israel before the country was established.”

	
		Lev Spivak, the head of Aziz, spoke afterwards and noted that the event was held on the birthday of the late Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev: “For us Azerbaijanis, he is like Herzl, Jabotinsky and Ben-Gurion all in one.&nbsp;&nbsp; He also established Azerbaijan.&nbsp; Today is his 99th&nbsp;birthday.”&nbsp; Spivak then stressed that Azerbaijani Jews also have an ancient history exactly like Yemenite Jews: “The first Jews came to Azerbaijan after the destruction of the First Temple.&nbsp;&nbsp; The city of Shushan where the Megillah of Esther is today in Azerbaijan.”&nbsp;

	
		According to Spivak, this is the legacy of the Mountain Jews, although Azerbaijan also has a Georgian, Ashkenazi and other Jewish communities as well: “Many Ashkenazi Jews arrived with the arrival of the oil and they have a completely different culture.”

	
		Afterwards, prominent Middle East scholar Dr. Mordechai Kedar spoke about the difference between being Jewish in Azerbaijan and being Jewish in Yemen: “On the surface, there is not much of a difference.&nbsp; Both are Muslim countries.&nbsp; But when you look at what actually happens in the area, Azerbaijan is light years away from Yemen.&nbsp;&nbsp; They are on two separate planets.&nbsp; In Yemen, Jewish orphans were forced to become Muslim.&nbsp; Thus, if the mother and father die, the child is forced to become Muslim.&nbsp; This is something terrible.&nbsp;&nbsp; There, they used to marry off the girls very young before puberty.&nbsp;&nbsp; They did this not because it needed to be this way but because the Muslims there used to abduct young girls and abuse them.”

	
		However, Dr. Kedar noted that this did not happen in Azerbaijan: “It is a different world there.&nbsp; Their status in the Diaspora was completely different.&nbsp; They are doing great economically, socially and in every aspect.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;They are both Muslim, so why the great difference?&nbsp; The difference is that in Yemen, they are Arab.&nbsp; In Azerbaijan, they are not Arab.&nbsp; Islam was born in the Arab world and adopted the culture of the Arab world.&nbsp; This means that in the Arab world, they treated the Jews according to the traditions of the Arab tribes of the desert, who lived in order to survive.&nbsp; In this culture, anyone who is foreign is an enemy.”

	
		“But in Azerbaijan, this culture does not exist,” he stressed.&nbsp; “Islam is not part of the local culture.&nbsp;&nbsp; They became Muslim by the sword.&nbsp; As a result, they barely practice Islam.&nbsp; Unlike the Arabs, their roots are not Muslim.&nbsp;&nbsp; Therefore, they don’t have a problem with the Jews.&nbsp; When you have a people that was not originally Muslim and converted by the sword, then they don’t adopt the hatred and the jealousy of the Jews.&nbsp; This is why the Jewish experience in the Caucuses is very different from the Arab world.&nbsp; They are more multi-cultural and Turkic there.&nbsp; That concept is very well-rooted there.”&nbsp;

	
		Dr. Dana Barnett, the director of Israel Academia Monitor, in her talk spoke about the rise of anti-Semitism in academia in Europe, America and even Israel.&nbsp; However, she noted the lack of anti-Semitism in Azerbaijani academia: “There, the Jews live quietly.&nbsp; For this reason, it is very important that diplomatic relations continue to develop between the two countries for many years to come.”

	
		In conclusion, Azerbaijan’s Tourism Attaché in Israel Jamilyeh Talibzadeh declared: “I would like to tell a story about the late Heydar Aliyev.&nbsp; In my office, I met a rabbi from America.&nbsp; He told me an episode about old times.&nbsp; He said, ‘I regularly visit Azerbaijan and every time, I learn new things.’&nbsp;&nbsp; What was interesting for me is that during the Soviet period, Jewish people could not celebrate the holidays so freely like they would like to.&nbsp; All of the Soviet republics had strict limits and restrictions for celebrating holidays.&nbsp; And when it came to Passover, there was a decree from the Soviet Union to destroy all of the machines cooking matza.”

	
		“But unlike in other Soviet republics, this rabbi himself saw this old machine, almost an ancient machine, for making matza,” she proclaimed.&nbsp; “It was during the years when Heydar Aliyev was in the leadership of the country.&nbsp; This shows how he assisted Jewish people and helped to preserve their culture and holidays.&nbsp; They could celebrate their own holidays and make matza for Passover, which is very important.&nbsp; Today, this unites two nations, two peoples.&nbsp; These traditions came from old times and we are going to keep it and to develop it so the ties between both countries flourish.``&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

	
		Rachel Avraham is the editor of the Economic Peace Center, which was established by former Israeli Communication Minister Ayoob Kara. She is also the author of "Women and Jihad: Debating Palestinian Female Suicide Bombings in the American, Israeli and Arab Media." 
</div>

Yemenite and Azerbaijani Jewry

The Economic Peace Center of former Israeli Communication Minister Ayoob Kara together with the Association for the Society and Culture, Documentation and

A recent survey put out by Fox News found that six in ten Americans believe that Iran poses a threat to America’s safety. These Americans are backed up in their convictions as they recently witnessed the Iranian Revolutionary Guards threatening a British warship. This came after Iran attacked a Japanese tanker, had its proxies attack an international airport in Saudi Arabia and seized a British ship.&nbsp; As tensions flare in the region, it is of critical importance to recall that Iran does not merely pose a threat to the US in the Persian Gulf. The Mullahs can also harm America via their proxies in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Given this fact, it is of utmost importance that Americans pay attention to how the Islamic Republic is entrenching itself in Syria.


	A recent report issued by the Safadi Center found that:

<blockquote>
	
		there has been increased infiltration by Iran-supported militias along the border with Israel. Four Lebanese Hezbollah bases were established in Southern Syria over the past year, three of them in Zara and one of them in Quneitra.&nbsp;
</blockquote>


	The report claims that Hezbollah utilizes these bases in order to train new volunteers and to store weapons and armaments for the terror group. According to the Safadi Center, Hezbollah and the Iranian regime are increasingly spreading out along the Golan Heights, thus posing a strategic threat to the State of Israel:

<blockquote>
	
		This is done in order to realize the regional ambitions of the Iranian regime, which seeks to establish a Shia Crescent from Tehran to the Mediterranean Sea.
</blockquote>


	“Hezbollah is not satisfied with providing training bases for the regime and its volunteers,” Mendi Safadi, the head of the Safadi Center for International Diplomacy, Research, Public Relations and Human Rights, states. He continues:

<blockquote>
	
		They also established militant groups and security cells in Daraa and Quneitra in order to obtain wide deployment in the region via families that support recruiting children.&nbsp; This is done so that they can obtain comprehensive military control over the border in the Hermon region till Swaida via the Golan Heights and the Jordanian border. Hezbollah has recruited in recent months hundreds of residents of the Quneitra region.&nbsp; In addition, other secret groups have done special training on rockets in the military academy in Aleppo and Lebanon, where participants received from Hezbollah a monthly salary of 120,000 Syrian liras in addition to military uniforms for combat missions so that they can fight alongside the Syrian military.
</blockquote>


	The report issued by the Safadi Center has been confirmed by Syrian Kurdish dissident Sherkoh Abbas, who affirms that Iran and Hezbollah not only are more and more entrenched along the border with Israel but are increasingly taking over all of Syria. He states,

<blockquote>
	
		Iran is in charge of Syria. Assad is a figurehead for Syria but the people who run the day to day operations in Syria are Iran. They have bases throughout the country. We see their influence in all of Syria in general. In fact, they have been working on changing the character of Syria so that it will be Shia and the demographics are changing in favor of groups allied with Iran. They are shipping in oil tankers, weapons and people. It is a fact.
</blockquote>


	“It is beyond the Israel border,” Abbas adds, stressing that:&nbsp;

<blockquote>
	
		Iran started not just now. They supported groups and are building up their influence slowly in Syria, economic to military. Now, they fully control Syrian day to day life. It is not so easy to detect anymore. They gave citizenship to people, changed neighborhoods and they let people economically rely on them. People began to rely on them. It is not easy to detect like an army. They look Syrian. They dress like Syrians. They learned to speak Syrian Arabic. They embedded themselves in Syrian society. What Iran is doing is more a threat to Syria and the whole Middle East for they are embedded in Syria.
</blockquote>


	Abbas proclaims that eventually all of the ethnic and religious cleansing that is occurring in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen will be a nightmare for the world to manage for a number of reasons:

<blockquote>
	
		This is firstly because of the refugee displacement and also the changing the landscape of the Middle East. Where are you going to strike? They are embedded in schools and hospitals. It is important for the US and Israel to realize that they need to address the Syrian issue. Any political solution is in favor of Iran. The Iranians view Syria as a way to bypass sanctions and use its ports, airports and seaports and energy sources to make it a market or to bring it from there to Iran. This is the only way to bypass the international community. Unfortunately, the US, Israelis and Europeans have not recognized it. They can put sanctions on Iran but Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq serve its needs.
</blockquote>


	Abbas also notes that as Iran extends its sphere of influence, it puts pressure on groups that are traditionally friendly to the US, such as the Christians, Kurds, Yezidis, etc. He also declares that this creates more disgruntled Sunnis, which can lead to the reemergence of ISIS or something worse: 
	&nbsp;

<blockquote>
	
		They will make ISIS look moderate. The sooner the US and Europeans address the issue and recognize Syria as a failed state and try to have Iran’s influence reduced as well as Russia’s, there will be a better Middle East for them with less radical Islam and a smaller refugee crisis. It will allow certain sectors of Syria to prosper. That has the potential to make the Middle East safer versus burying ones head in the sand.&nbsp; Now is the time to recognize these failed states as such and to support your true allies in these areas and to make sure other people don’t go the same way as Assad by finding a way to let them rebuild. That is something that needs to be addressed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</blockquote>


	Given that this is the reality, US President Donald Trump should not just apply more sanctions on Iran. He also needs to address how Iran is taking over Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, where it is establishing a Shia Crescent. He needs to tackle how Turkey is increasingly building an alliance with Iran.&nbsp; This reality makes it pivotal for the US to keep a presence in Syria, especially as Turkey threatens to engage in a military operation if it can't come to an agreement with the US. Such a military operation combined with the Iranian threat in the rest of Syria would transform the entire Kurdish region into another Afrin, where ISIS is presently reemerging. The only way to avoid such a scenario is for the US to go after Iran’s proxies in the same manner that they go after the Iran regime itself - and to not abandon Syria to Iran.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;


	Rachel Avraham is a political analyst working at the Safadi Center for International Diplomacy, Research, Public Relations and Human Rights.&nbsp; She is the author of “Women and Jihad: Debating Palestinian Female Suicide Bombings in the American, Israeli and Arab media.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

How Iran is Taking Over Syria

A recent survey put out by Fox News found that six in ten Americans believe that Iran poses a threat to America’s safety. These Americans are backed up in

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		About four years ago, in August 2014,&nbsp;ISIS began slaughtering the Yezidis in Iraq&nbsp;and committed a genocide against this ancient community, massacring over 5,000, abducting 7,450 women and girls who were then sold into sexual slavery and driving over 500,000 out of their ancestral homes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Although the Yezidi genocide has received widespread international recognition due to the indisputable evidence that has been presented including the existence of mass graves, witness testimonies and ISIS publications online inciting against Yezidis and documenting massacres of them, four years on, the Yezidis have not yet received justice for the horrific atrocities that were committed against them.&nbsp;&nbsp;The question remains, why is this the case and when will there be justice for the Yezidi people?

	
		In Iraq and Syria, where the crimes of the Yezidi genocide were perpetrated, it is unlikely that the Yezidi victims will get justice.&nbsp;&nbsp;In Syria,&nbsp;rebels allied with Turkey&nbsp;have destroyed Yezidi holy sites and forcefully converted Yezidis in Afrin to Islam.&nbsp;&nbsp;There are also reports of Yezidis being forced to wear the hijab in these areas.&nbsp; So far, Turkey’s allies have been able to act against the Yezidis in Afrin with impunity, without any interference from the outside world.&nbsp;

	
		Unfortunately, the Syrian regime is part of the problem rather than the solution when it comes to putting an end to radical Islamism within Syria.&nbsp;&nbsp;They are an ally of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, who systematically oppresses women and minorities both within their own country and in countries that fall under their influence due to the creation of a radical Shia Crescent from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.&nbsp; Furthermore, according to local sources within Syria, while the Kurdish authorities that liberated areas from the yoke of ISIS are attempting to promote women’s rights in those areas today, the Syrian regime has not followed suite in the areas that they control, doing virtually nothing to advance the status of women and minorities within the country.&nbsp; If anything, the plight of women and minorities under Assad’s control is one step above the plight of women and minorities under the control of ISIS and other radical Islamist groups.&nbsp; This works to worsen the plight of Yezidis in Syria.

	
		Unfortunately, Yezidis in Iraq have not really fared much better.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to&nbsp;Human Rights Watch, in Iraq, trials of ISIS terrorists have been fundamentally flawed with numerous due process violations.&nbsp;&nbsp;Although the Iraqi government does offer financial compensation for every Yezidi victim released from ISIS captivity and recently&nbsp;converted a Kocho school, which was the site of many atrocities against the Yezidis, into a museum commemorating the Yezidi genocide, Yezidi leader Sheikh Mirza Ismail reiterated that Yezidis living on Mount Shingal still are not given the opportunity to return to their homes and to rebuild their lives.

	
		&nbsp;“Yezidis in Mount Shingal still have no basic human services such as hospitals, schools, jobs, clean drinking water, food and most importantly, safety and security,” he proclaimed.&nbsp;“The displaced Yezidis in KRG cannot go back to Shingal because most of their homes were destroyed by ISIS.&nbsp;&nbsp;Most of the Yezidi villages on the southern side of the mountain are still booby-trapped with explosives.&nbsp;&nbsp;The present plight of the Yezidi people in the Middle East is worse than you can imagine especially in Iraq and Syria while the Yezidis in Iran and Turkey have been mostly annihilated by the regimes in both countries.”

	
		The lack of security experienced recently by the Yezidis in Mount Shingal was highlighted when a&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Yazidi-leader-killed-in-air-strike-by-Turkey-four-years-after-genocide-565111&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535537219386000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEIt593gyAwgZJazQH1JILZegvgPA" href="https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Yazidi-leader-killed-in-air-strike-by-Turkey-four-years-after-genocide-565111" target="_blank">Turkish airstrike killed several people soon after a ceremony commemorating the Yezidi genocide</a>&nbsp;in Kocho.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;According to Ismail, “The Turkish airstrikes destroyed three cars and killed several Yezidis including Mam Zaki, whom the Turkish government accused of being a PKK member.&nbsp;&nbsp;Zaki was a Yezidi from Turkey and came to Shingal in order to fight against ISIS. OK, let us say that Zaki was PKK.&nbsp;&nbsp;How about the other Yezidis?&nbsp;&nbsp;There are thousands of armed PKK militias in Qamishli, Hassakeh and other areas in Syria.&nbsp;&nbsp;Why are the Turkish airstrikes only against the Yezidi regions in Shingal and Afrin?&nbsp;&nbsp;No, Turkey is not after the PKK.&nbsp;&nbsp;The regime of Erdogan the dictator is following in the Ottoman’s footsteps in order to destroy the indigenous Yezidis.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

	
		Unfortunately, the international community has not been able to help the Yezidis either.&nbsp;&nbsp;In instances where the authorities in the home country cannot rely upon the local government to address massive human rights abuses in a fair manner, usually the victims have the option of turning to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.&nbsp;&nbsp;But unfortunately for the Yezidis,&nbsp;neither Syria nor Iraq are parties to the Rome Statute, which according to international law means that their case cannot be brought in front of the International Criminal Court at The Hague unless the UN Security Council Mandates that it should be done.&nbsp;&nbsp;Unfortunately for the Yezidis, neither Russia nor China are likely to permit the UN Security Council to mandate that the Yezidi genocide case be brought before the International Criminal Court at The Hague.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This brings the Yezidis back to square one when seeking justice for the genocide that they survived.&nbsp;&nbsp;

	
		“The Yezidi people have faced 74 genocides by Muslims because the Yezidis do not want to change the faith that was given to us by God,” Ismail proclaimed.&nbsp; “How can the Yezidis receive justice when the makers of international law do not have respect for the international law that they wrote?&nbsp; The benefits of international law and human rights do not apply to all peoples in the world.&nbsp; Those two types of important benefits apply to some nations to get what they deserve and those two types of benefits are also abused by its own creators in order to destroy some nations such as the Yezidis, Zoroastrians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, etc.&nbsp; If the UN and five permanent Security Council members wanted to free 3,000 Yezidi women, who are still enslaved in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Muslim countries, they could press those countries and order them to hand over the Yezidi women and children.&nbsp;&nbsp; Hundreds of young Yezidi women and children were transferred to Turkey alone from Syria by ISIS while ISIS is losing control in Syria.”&nbsp; &nbsp;

	
		Given the obstacles Yezidis face in getting the international community to assist them, some Yezidi victims have turned to German courts in order to obtain justice.&nbsp; However, this is a poor substitute for the Hague. There cannot be comprehensive justice for all victims of the Yezidi genocide without action being taken by the UN Security Council on this matter.&nbsp; But unfortunately, power politics is preventing the implementation of justice for victims of the Yezidi genocide.&nbsp;&nbsp; Given this horrific reality, while the Yezidi people are constantly striving to obtain justice, when they will actually be able to obtain justice despite these obstacles remains an open question mark.

	
		Rachel Avraham is the President of the Dona Gracia Mendes Nasi Center for Human Rights in Middle East (under formation).&nbsp;&nbsp;She is also a political analyst at the Safadi Center for International Diplomacy, Research and Public Relations and is a contributing writer at the Haym Salomon Center. Avraham is the author of “Women and Jihad: Debating Palestinian Female Suicide Bombings in the American, Israeli and Arab Media.” 

	
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</div>

Justice for Victims of Yezidi Genocide?

About four years ago, in August 2014,&nbsp;ISIS began slaughtering the Yezidis in Iraq&nbsp;and committed a genocide against this ancient community, massacring

There are numerous uncanny parallels between Erdogan and Sheikh Hasina, two democratically elected dictators who are hostile towards the State of Israel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;


	According to Plato, “Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Indeed, whether we are speaking about Adolph Hitler, Ayatollah Khomeini or Hamas in Gaza, each of these tyrannical regimes originally was democratically elected before unleashing their dictatorial horrors.&nbsp;&nbsp;As the days go by, this also appears to be the case with both Erdogan’s government in Turkey and Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh, who are both dictators that were democratically elected and&nbsp;have demonstrated hostility towards Israel as well as America.


	While Erdogan initially rose to power democratically, in recent times, there have been reports that he has managed to stay in power via suppressing the media, arresting critics and engaging in massive voter fraud.&nbsp;&nbsp;Turkish Jewish dissident Rafael Sadi proclaimed that Erdogan has ruthlessly repressed critics, jailing thousands of journalists.&nbsp;&nbsp;Indeed, in recent times, the jailing of an American pastor that caused intensive diplomatic problems for Turkey with the US and the crashing of the Turkish lira is merely the tip of the iceberg regarding Erdogan’s persecution of those opposed to his dictatorial rule.&nbsp;&nbsp;Other victims include Gulenists, secular Turkish military officers, Alevis, Kurds, etc. According to Sadi, aside from persecuting those opposed to him and being vocally opposed to the US administration, Erdogan has managed to stay in power by spreading hatred against Israel, even though Israel and Turkey have $6 billion worth of trade, Israel purchases Kurdish oil via Turkey and the Haifa port renovation is being done via a Turkish company: “Israel is the friendliest partner of Erdogan.&nbsp;&nbsp;With Israel hatred and hostility, he can get at least 50% of the votes.”&nbsp;&nbsp;


	Erdogan has a long record of promoting hatred against Israel.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not too long ago, he proclaimed: “The spirit of Hitler is apparent in some Israeli officials.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Furthermore, when the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city, Erdogan declared: “Those who think that they are the owners of Jerusalem today will not even be able to find a tree to hide behind tomorrow.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Erdogan was referencing a Hadith of the Prophet Muhammed: “The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In fact, in the 1980’s, Erdogan even wrote, directed and played the leading role in an anti-Semitic play called: “Freemasons, Communists, Jews.”&nbsp;&nbsp;


	Statements like this have the effect of spreading anti-Semitism within Turkey.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to Turkish journalist Uzay Bulut, when Turkey entered into the Kurdish held city of Afrin in Syria, Turkish social media compared the Kurdish fighters there to “servants of Jews,” “bastards of Jews,” “underbred Armenians and Jews,” “Crypto-Jews, Armenians and Greeks,” and other derogatory anti-Semitic statements.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to Arutz Sheva, one even had the audacity to assert: “Allah willing, Hans, Georges, and Jewish and Armenian dogs will be cleansed from the area.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Furthermore, after Israel implemented new security measures following the murder of a Druze body guard, dozens of Turkish assailants attacked the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Turkey, throwing rocks at the synagogue, kicking its doors and threatening worshippers.&nbsp;


	Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh has a similar background.&nbsp;&nbsp;Like Erdogan, she was also democratically elected initially but following the 2014 sham elections, she lost her democratic legitimacy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ever since, she has managed to stay in power by repressing critics, persecuting minorities and of course, engaging in anti-Israel rhetoric.&nbsp;&nbsp;She has condemned Trump for moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and accused Israel of engaging in massive human rights violations along the Gaza border.&nbsp;&nbsp;In addition, Bangladesh has no diplomatic relations with Israel and Sheikh Hasina is opposed to them happening until the Palestinians obtain independence.&nbsp;&nbsp;


	However, Sheikh Hasina is known for persecuting the Hindu minority within her country, suffered a huge set-back in relations with the US after the car of a US envoy was attacked and students started to protest en masse against her government and yet, she still has very warm relations with Erdogan.&nbsp;&nbsp;Indeed, when Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reelected not too long ago after massive voter fraud, Sheikh Hasina gave 100 kilograms worth of mangos as a gift to the sultan-in-chief and she has coordinated some of her anti-Israel positions with Erdogan’s government.&nbsp;&nbsp;


	How should people respond to these two democrats turned despots?&nbsp;&nbsp;The best way to respond is to go on the aggressive and to call both dictators out on the human rights abuses that they commit against their own people.&nbsp;&nbsp;After all, although two anti-Israel despotic birds of a feather stick together, the voices of the oppressed and the downtrodden continue to rise up together against the yoke of tyranny and they will gladly be the West’s allies.&nbsp;&nbsp;


	Rachel Avraham is the President of the Dona Gracia Mendes Nasi Center for Human Rights in Middle East (under formation) and is a political analyst at the Safadi Center for International Diplomacy, Research and Public Relations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She is the author of “Women and Jihad: Debating Palestinian Female Suicide Bombings in the American, Israeli and Arab Media.”

Hasina and Erdogan: Two Anti-Israel Birds of a Feather

There are numerous uncanny parallels between Erdogan and Sheikh Hasina, two democratically elected dictators who are hostile towards the State of Israel.

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		Former American Ambassador Caroline Kennedy once proclaimed: “The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means that we have to have an independent judiciary, judges that can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing.” In the United States and other democratic countries across the globe, an independent judiciary is a pivotal part of the democratic system. Without the existence of an independent judiciary that&nbsp;is willing&nbsp;to stand up to the powers that be for the cause of&nbsp;justice, a society cannot be called democratic.&nbsp;

	
		Judicial independence&nbsp;in the country of&nbsp;Bangladesh&nbsp;has come&nbsp;under attack in recent days. The Bangladeshi government under Sheikh Hasina&nbsp;has inserted the 16th&nbsp;amendment into the constitution, which empowers the parliament to remove supreme court justices if allegations of incapability and misconduct are proven to be true.&nbsp; However, this provision is problematic for a number of reasons. Bangladeshi Chief Justice Surendra Kumer Sinha, a Hindu, ruled that the amendment was illegal, stressing that&nbsp;“judges are neither subject to periodic elections nor to censure. They serve until they reach the age of retirement. They may be removed only for proven misbehavior or incapacity or gross misconduct.”

	
		He continued:

	<blockquote>
		
			In their day to day functions, judges wield tremendous pressure.&nbsp;They are to review decisions of both the legislative and executive branches. For judicial independence, it requires a guarantee that the judiciary is free from any interference.&nbsp; Judges can be removed following a due procedure. They cannot be&nbsp;removed&nbsp;or&nbsp;punished&nbsp;for&nbsp;bona&nbsp;fide&nbsp;errors&nbsp;or&nbsp;for disagreeing on&nbsp;a&nbsp;particular&nbsp;interpretation&nbsp;of&nbsp; law. Also, the judges act according to ethical standards and are held accountable if they fail to do so. International law clearly establishes that judges can only be removed for serious misconduct or incapacity. Disciplinary proceedings must be conducted by an independent and impartial body.
	</blockquote>

	
		Unlike the US Congress, which has a strong system of checks and balances in place during judicial&nbsp;impeachment proceedings&nbsp;to&nbsp;ensure that the political dictates of the day do not&nbsp;interfere with judicial independence, Bangladesh’s system of checks and balances has been compromised ever since Sheikh Hasina rose to power and especially since the contentious 2014 elections, when Sheikh Hasina scrapped the provision that a neutral caretaker government should oversee elections and when 153 MP’s were selected instead of being elected. This dramatic move&nbsp;has put the Hasina&nbsp;government at odds&nbsp;with the Bangladeshi&nbsp;Supreme Court.&nbsp;According to Shipan Kumer Basu, head of the Hindu Struggle Committee, “No opposition was allowed to contest the election against Awami League MP’s. [Chief Justice]&nbsp;Sinha declared that the present government is not valid. The sticking observation that the Chief Justice gave was that each and every citizen has the right to vote, which was flouted in the last election. So the government is not authorized to function anymore. The government now finds itself in a fix and by any means wants to repeal that observation.”

	
		Since Bangladeshi democracy was so severely&nbsp;compromised in the last election, the Bangladeshi Supreme Court justice wants an independent body of judges -- and not the Bangladeshi Parliament -- to oversee the removal of justices. Chief Justice&nbsp;Sinha is not convinced that the dictates of the MP’s political parties won’t affect the outcome of any proceedings. His fears are justified by the fact that the ruling Awami League has already called for Sinha’s resignation due to his stance on this particular ruling and no other reason.

	
		Basu believes the fact that Sinha&nbsp;is&nbsp;a Hindu plays a significant role in how Sheikh Hasina’s government is presently treating him:

	<blockquote>
		
			The ruling party appointed the Chief Justice themselves. She wanted to show that she is secular. But if we look back, we will find that Sheikh Majibor Rahaman was a person who did not want a separate state at all. He wanted to be part of Pakistan. He wanted to become the chief minister of the state. He is a co-conspirator of the great Calcutta killings in 1946, where more than 20,000 Hindus were massacred. The Awami League has its origins in the Muslim League.&nbsp; So the roots of the party is in no way linked to the freedom struggle of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina is the successor who promised to follow in her father’s footsteps. By appointing the chief justice from the minority community, she engaged in political appeasement. If the Chief Justice was a person from the majority community, the government would not have the audacity to speak out against him. The situation in the country needs a turnaround.
	</blockquote>

	
		If Bangladesh continues to target a chief justice because of his faith and his opposition to a certain government position due to his support for maintaining an independent judiciary, what&nbsp;little that remains of Bangladeshi democracy will cease to exist. Once this happens, a dictatorship that persecutes minorities and gives a green light to radical Islamists to do likewise will fill the void.
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Bangladesh’s Independent Judiciary in Peril

Former American Ambassador Caroline Kennedy once proclaimed: “The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means that we have to have an

<div>
	
		In Iraqi Kurdistan, promoting the empowerment of women and girls is considered very important.&nbsp; It is for this reason that for her 20th&nbsp;birthday, Pakistani women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai, who won the Nobel Peace Prize after the Taliban almost murdered her for promoting female education in 2012, visited Iraqi Kurdistan in order to promote female education among the refugees who fled ISIS. In her speech, she thanked the Kurdistan Regional Government for the work they are doing empowering young girls: “You are all doing great work. I would like to thank you all for empowering young girls and giving them the opportunity to share their ideas, develop their skills and to be the leaders of today and tomorrow.”

	
		During the meeting between the Kurdish Prime Minister and Malala Yousafzai, Barzani suggested that Malala should be in touch with the Kurdish Women’s High Council as part of her work promoting the empowerment of women and girls. The Kurdish Prime Minister made this suggestion for he cares about women’s rights, even though it is not something popular in the Middle East.&nbsp;

	
		This is best demonstrated by his government’s efforts in rescuing Yezidi women and girls.&nbsp; So far, the Yezidi Kidnaping Affairs Office, which is part of Kurdish Prime Minister’s Office and has a mission to rescue Yezidi women and girls who were enslaved by ISIS, managed to rescue&nbsp;3,600 Yezidis. The Kurdish Prime Minister is very dedicated to this issue. As the Kurdish Prime Minister proclaimed to the commander of the Yezidi female fighters, “Even if I have to sell my jacket, I will rescue every single Yezidi.”

	
		In addition, the Kurdish Prime Minister has donated to Malala Yousafzai’s organization for he supports her mission of empowering refugee girls and women who have been unable to study due to the existence of conflicts and wars. However, the meeting between Kurdistan’s Prime Minister Nichervan Barzani and Malala Yousafzai is merely one example of how the Kurdish authorities empower women and girls.

	
		There is a young woman named&nbsp;Maryam Barootchian, who lost her family during Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons attacks upon the Kurds. She was adopted by an Iranian family but after her adopted father passed away, she sought to locate her birth parents.&nbsp; Due to a DNA test, she learned for the first time that she was Kurdish and this led her to Iraqi Kurdistan, where to this day she is searching for her biological parents. During the search for her family, Kurdish Prime Minister Nichervan Barzani is financially assisting her and making sure that all of her needs are met for he seeks to empower her and to support her as she searches for her real parents.&nbsp;

	
		For Nichervan Barzani, empowering Kurdish women and girls is a top priority. Since 2008, the Kurdistan Regional Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Nichervan Barzani amended the Iraqi Personal Status Law, which was used as an excuse to justify honor killings, and ratified Article Eight on the Elimination of Domestic Violence, which outlaws all gender-based violence. As a result of these measures, honor killings in Iraqi Kurdistan are considered intentional homicide and due to the changes in the law, the number of honor killings in Iraqi Kurdistan has significantly decreased since the Kurds got autonomy. In addition, the Kurdish authorities outlawed all forms of forced marriages and female circumcision, restricted polygamy and reformed the inheritance law in order to guarantee a fair share for females.

	
		“By revising and introducing these laws, the differences in the protection of women rights between the Kurdistan Region and other parts of Iraq have become immense,” Kurdish Prime Minister Nichervan Barzani proclaimed. “These laws have enabled the Kurdistan Regional Government to take practical and systematic steps to curb violence against women. The government has established a directorate for combating violence against women and established shelters for women under threat. It has also established courts and appointed special prosecutors within police stations to investigate cases related to violence against women.”

	
		The statistics highlight that there has been an improvement in the plight of women in Iraqi Kurdistan. For example, in 2015, there were 565 recorded cases of violence against women in Iraqi Kurdistan. However, in 2012, there were 1300 recorded cases of violence against women in the Kurdish region of Iraq.&nbsp; This implies that there has been a significant reduction in the level of violence against Iraqi Kurdish women since the introduction of laws that punish perpetrators for assaulting, raping and murdering women. Although it took time for the laws to influence the actions of the population and in the beginning, there was not a strong reduction in the level of violence against women, in the long term, the results have been positive.

	
		In contrast, in Iraq, where the laws of the land still let rapists off the hook if they chose to marry their victims, Al Akhbar reported that 14,000 women were killed due to gender-based violence between 2003 and 2015. These statistics are likely to be significantly lower than the actual figure because in the non-Kurdish areas of Iraq, women have been kidnapped, raped and killed systematically both by jihadist groups like ISIS and the Shia militias on a regular basis. In addition, 1 in 5 Iraqi women has been beaten by her husband and Iraqi law offers the woman little protection from this. Following the eviction of ISIS from Mosul, there is some hope that things will get better in the rest of Iraq as well. However, unless the Iraqi government distances themselves from Iran and takes similar measures to combat violence against women that the Kurdish authorities have taken, the likelihood that things will significantly improve is slim.

	
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</div>

Empowering Women and Girls in Kurdistan

In Iraqi Kurdistan, promoting the empowerment of women and girls is considered very important.&nbsp; It is for this reason that for her 20th&nbsp;birthday,

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