CRIMES AGAINST MUSLIMS RISE IN USA

Hate crimes against Muslims across the United States spiked last year, according to new statistics released by the FBI, a rise which experts say was partially fueled by anti-Muslim rhetoric of Donald Trump, the US president-elect.  

Anti-Muslim hate crimes shot up 67 percent in 2015, compared with the year before, according to the bureau’s Hate Crime Statistics report issued on Monday. At least 257 of hate crime incidents against Muslims took place in 2015 while 154 happened in 2014.

“That is the highest number since 2001, when the al-Qaeda attacks on New York and elsewhere drove the number to its highest ever level, 481 hate crimes,” said Mark Potok with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a civil rights organization that tracks hate crimes.

“I wasn’t surprised to learn that anti-Muslim hate crime statistics spiked in 2015.” said Jordan Denari Duffner, research fellow at The Bridge Initiative, a research project on Islamophobia at Georgetown University.

“The official FBI statistics confirmed what many of us predicted – that anti-Muslim acts, many of them violent, were on the rise,” Duffner added.

Hate crimes overall grew by 6.8 percent in 2015 to a total of 5,850 incidents reported throughout the year, compared with the 5,479 incidents reported in 2014.

The FBI defines a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”

Reports of hate crimes and racially motivated violence against minorities have further increased in the United States after the election of Republican candidate Trump as president.

There was a spate of hate crimes reported on social media and to police last week that targeted Muslims, Latinos and African Americans.

Trump’s supporters have been accused of numerous attacks following his election victory last week, including racist graffiti, death threats and physical assaults.

Trump’s campaign had been hit with many controversies since its inception in early 2015. He repeatedly made disparaging remarks against minorities in the US. His comments include a call to ban all Muslims from coming to America as well as stopping Mexican migrants by building a long wall along the US-Mexico border.

Despite all this, the billionaire businessman still managed to stun the world by defeating the heavily-favored Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, in the November 8 election.

Trump tells supporters to ‘stop it’

Trump told his supporters in an interview on Sunday to stop attacks against Latinos and Muslims.

“I am so saddened to hear that,” Trump told CBS’ “60 Minutes” program, when the host told him Latinos and Muslims were facing harassment. “And I say, ‘Stop it.’ If it -- if it helps, I will say this, and I will say right to the cameras: ‘Stop it.’“

Trump has been criticized during his presidential campaign for his inflammatory language against Muslims, immigrants, women and other groups.

The SPLC civil rights organization has monitored a rash of racially motivated violence in campuses around the country.

“I think this is absolutely clearly a result of Trump’s election,” Mark Potok, a senior fellow at SPLC, told the Guardian last week. “Donald Trump has ripped the lid off Pandora’s box.”

Editorial

MUSLIMS

Muslims have become victims of all kinds of hate crimes across the world especially in the West.

The hatred of Muslims cannot be justified by any reason.

Indeed, hatred of Muslims cannot be substantially different from the hatred of “Black” people or the hatred of Indians.

The Insight believes that it is the duty of all those who have a commitment to the preservation of world civilization to stand up and defend all Muslims who have become victims of hate campaigns.

Unfortunately none of the leading politicians in Ghana is standing up for the rights of Muslims.

What we hear are a few Muslim politicians urging the Muslim community to vote for them because they are also Muslims.

Our view is that it is not enough to be a Muslim. Those who crave for Muslim solidarity must themselves stand up for Muslims everywhere including Palestine.

NPP has competent people to lead Ghana – Akufo-Addo

NPP Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo Addo

By Jonas Nyabor

Nana Akufo-Addo, the 2016 flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has said that the party has the best team to lead the country and steer it to sustainable economic development.

He said he will assemble competent people who will serve in various government positions if he is voted as President at the December 7 polls.

He added that, his team is ready and able to lead the country.

While addressing a rally at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, Nana Akufo-Addo said the pool of diverse skills and talents available in the NPP makes it easier for the party to effectively govern the country if given the opportunity.

“The New Patriotic Party has men and women who are ready, willing and able to provide this country the kind of governance that will bring prosperity  to the mass of our people.”

“We are going to do well; not to go and fill our pockets when we come to power. That is not why we are coming into office; to steal the money of the people of Ghana.”

He further stated that, the NPP has “a big plan for the development of our country. A plan that is going to bring jobs and prosperity to all parts of Ghana, and in the Upper East Region, agribusiness is going to be our focus.”

He noted that “we are going to create the conditions of all year-round farming. If Burkina Faso can do it, so can we also do it in the Upper East Region and create prosperity and jobs for our people.”

He said the priority areas of an NPP government will include Education and Health, where the NPP will effectively execute its 2012 campaign promises of free Senior High School education policy, and the strengthening of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The NHIS “will receive new strength, so we can provide healthcare that is affordable and accessible for all Ghanaians”.

“Apart from the education of the children, we are going to revive in full, adult education; so that adults who did not have the opportunity to go to school will also benefit from knowledge and education. We want to have a nation where everybody can improve on their lives and circumstances. That is what we are fighting for, and that is why we are going to restore the allowances for teacher trainees.”

We will build on Nkrumah's good works - Greenstreet

Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, CPP Presidential Candidate

By Illiasu Abdul Rauf

The presidential candidate of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) says the party would build on the good works of Kwame Nkrumah as took undertook a vigorous campaign to Tamale.

He sent his 'Sankofa' message throughout the three Northern Regions to enable him garner votes for the December 7 elections. 

Ivor Kobina Greestreet and his team arrived in the regional capital Saturday evening after campaigning in more than 10 constituencies of the region including Saboba, Tatale, Mion, Gushegu Nanton, Savelugu, Tolon and Zabzugu.

This is his second visit to the region in his campaign dubbed "Sankofa" where he is playing up to the amenities and infrastructures of former president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's CPP administration.

The CPP presidential nominee routinely visited traditional rulers of each constituency visited to ask for their blessing and support.

He appealed to the chiefs to assist bring back a CPP government as it is was the only option to save the country's fast sinking economy, an appeal some chiefs pledged to consider.

At the regional capital the team visited the Chief of Sagnarigu Ambassador Naa Andani Yakubu where they held a large rally and introduce its parliamentary candidate Zalia Issah to the Chief and the constituents.

The Chief in an overt show of joy lauded the party for choosing an accessible and good candidate to the represent the constituency and said he wished Mrs Issah wins the parliamentary seat.

His tour is set to continue through Kumbugu, Yunyoo, Naregu, Salaga North/South,Bukpurugu, Walewale, Daboya and Yahaya Kubore constituency.

Zoomlion demands proof of GHc 448m corruption allegations

Robert Coleman, Zoomlion Communications Manager

By Delali Adogla-Bessa

Waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, has denied allegations it is engaged in a corrupt scheme with government to siphon over GHc 448 million for its management of Youth Employment modules despite the cancellation of an initial contract.

According to Zoomlion’s Communications Manager, Robert Coleman, the contract the company has been operating with since 2006 is still binding.

On the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Coleman explained that Zoomlion was pre-financing its work for government, with funding from financial institutions, for the management and payment of the persons under the module.

“There is no financial institution that will pre-finance a job like this for you without seeing a legal document from your side of the divide,” he noted.

The allegations surfaced when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) accused government of creating a corrupt scheme worth over GHc 448 million as payment to Zoomlion, for the management of the Modules despite the cancellation of their contract.

The People’s National Convention (PNC), also said it had stumbled on some documents which confirm that government had a GHc450 million contract with Zoomlion and about GHc62 million has so far been paid the company illegally for no work done.

Produce canceled contract

But Mr. Coleman challenged the critics to produce documentation to the effect the contract had been cancelled.

“I was very confident because I have seen the contract that we have been consistently signing; and I know that there is absolutely no documentation to the effect that the contract has been abrogated or terminated,” he stated defiantly.

“We have a document that we have been working with; so we are extremely surprised that people are saying that the contract has been terminated. As I speak to you now, we have a valid contract we are working with.”

“We know that we have a binding contract. We know that per the terms of the contract that we are expected to execute, we are doing it and therefore we are working and we don’t have any problem with the working document,” Mr. Coleman added.

Could Sanders Have Beaten Trump?

Bennie Sanders

By Stephen Lendman

We’ll never know despite lots of guesswork suggesting it. He’s a footnote in the sordid history of US presidential politics – part of the dirty system like all other duopoly power candidates.

In return for supporting Hillary after campaigning against what she represents, Democrats rewarded him with a low-ranking leadership position, choosing him as outreach chairman in charge of winning over blue-collar Trump supporters.

He lied calling it a “heavy responsibility to help shape the priorities of the United States government.”

He lied again, saying he’ll do “everything (he) can to make sure that the budget that leaves the United States Congress is a budget that represents the needs of working families and a shrinking middle class and not billionaires.”

How when his self-styled independent socialist credentials are phony. His congressional voting record proves it.

He supports deplorable Democrat party policies 98% of the time – including imperial wars; economic policies resulting in an unprecedented wealth disparity, high unemployment and underemployment, and an unaddressed protracted Main Street Depression; along with police state laws reflecting growing tyranny, as well as other disturbing policies.

Among the leading candidates to succeed Obama, Sanders was worst in my judgment – and here’s why.

Like Obama, he’s a longstanding con man, winning support with empty promises, breaching them consistently in office. Rhetorically endorsing progressive change, most often he’s for dirty business as usual in practice.

GW Bush left office with a near-record low approval rating. Obama exceeded his worst policies, yet enjoys support from 56% of the electorate, based on early November polling, most backers ignoring his betrayal, his war on humanity and other high crimes.

Sanders is Obama with a white face. His phony populism matches the president’s, their blackguard agenda concealed, backing what they claim to oppose – representing hypocrisy, not progressive change.

Washington’s criminal class is bipartisan, Sanders like all the rest, pretending to be different.

His disturbing record speaks for itself – supporting phony war on terror, devastating imperial wars, drone killings, Israel’s war on Palestine, along with no criticism of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other tyrannical regimes responsible politicians would denounce.

He’s more opportunist than populist – the only Senate member publicly supporting universal healthcare – then voted with Democrats for Obamacare. His no vote would have killed what Ralph Nader at the time called a “pay or die” system – a rationing scheme benefitting insurers, drug companies and large hospital chains.

His idea of revolutionary change is business as usual with a facelift, old wine in new bottles, phony lofty mumbo jumbo – sham democracy, not the real thing.

If he meant what he said, he’d renounce money-controlled duopoly power politics, leave the Democrat party, and run as a true progressive independent.

Instead, he’s a populist in name only, profiting from pretense, part of a debauched system, power brokers intend keeping unchanged.

Like Obama, a Sanders presidency would likely fool most people most of the time – instead of widespread disapproval, maybe erupting in unrest, a similar reaction awaiting Trump if he fails to deliver for supporters, aside from orchestrated street protests now.

In hindsight, maybe Democrats regret not choosing Sanders, easily controlled to do their bidding – maybe president-elect today if they hadn’t gone for Hillary.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.