Cemeteries & Funerals

Cruz criticizes Hochul for wearing head scarf at slain officer’s funeral In a social media back-and-forth, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York replied to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas that 'anyone with basic decency' would respect the officer’s Muslim faith.

(NY Times) As New Yorkers mourned the victims of a mass shooting last week in a Midtown Manhattan office building, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, inserted himself into the discourse. His comments concerned a photo taken on Thursday of Gov. Kathy […]

Children & Teens

Islamic center writes ‘community support letter’ for Somali immigrant convicted of raping a 12-year-old Minnesota law allows Qalinle Ibrahim Dirie to be released from prison in 2033 and remain on probation for the rest of his sentence.

(Alpha News) A Somali immigrant living in the United States has been sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old girl in Minneapolis last year. After the conviction, an Islamic center in St. Paul wrote a “community support letter” for the […]

Christians

Report: After war with Israel, Iran seeks Jewish targets in Europe, increases arrests Islamic Republic has increased convictions and executions of minorities, including Iranian Jews, a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom finds

(Times of Israel) Iran is increasing its efforts to carry out attacks against Jewish targets in Europe, as well as ramping up its persecution of minority religions, including Jews, within the Islamic Republic, according to a report by the United States Commission […]

Books

Mahmood Mamdani, credited with shaping son Zohran’s thinking, wrote of ‘moral equivalence’ between 9/11 and US war on terror Zohran Mamdani has said he edits his father's speeches and writings and has described his father as an intellectual influence

(Free Beacon) New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s father wrote shortly after 9/11 that there was a “moral equivalence” between the al Qaeda attack and retaliatory U.S. bombing of Afghanistan. “There is an eerie similarity between the American bombing of Iraq […]

Government & Politics

Zohran Mamdani’s pro-Palestinian positions drove 83% of his new voters in the NY primary, poll shows The poll was commissioned by IMEU Policy Project, a pro-Palestinian advocacy nonprofit.

(JTA) Zohran Mamdani’s advocacy for Palestinians was a motivating factor for most of the New Yorkers who voted for him in the mayoral primary, new polling from a progressive research group suggests. Most voters who showed up for Mamdani were inspired by […]

Government & Politics

Shapiro rebukes Mamdani for failing to condemn ‘blatantly antisemitic’ extremists The Pennsylvania governor told JI: ‘When supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can't leave room for that to just sit there’

(Jewish Insider) Inside a coffee shop in this small town of 8,500 people, hundreds of miles from the bustle of Manhattan, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro made his first public comments about Zohran Mamdani, criticizing the New York City Democratic mayoral candidate for […]

Government & Politics

Report: More than $25m in US Homeland Security grants went to radical groups with terror ties The Middle East Forum identified 'misuse of taxpayer dollars on a grand scale,' the think tank’s executive director told JNS.

(JNS) The U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent more than $25 million to extremist groups with ties to Islamist terror groups between 2013 and 2023, according to a new report from the Middle East Forum. Gregg Roman, executive director of the think […]

Government & Politics

Mamdani says he will ‘discourage’ the term ‘globalize the intifada’ Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee in the race for mayor of New York City, moved to distance himself from comments that sparked outrage during the primary.

(NY Times) Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, told an influential group of business leaders on Tuesday that he would not use the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which has been seen as a call to violence against Jews, […]

Academics & Education

Elise Stefanik takes CUNY chancellor to task for hiring chief diversity official from CAIR: ‘Unacceptable to New York taxpayers’ Felix Matos Rodriguez said Saly Abd Alla, a former civil rights director for the pro-Hamas group, still works for the public university system

(Free Beacon) Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) grilled City University of New York (CUNY) chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez over the school’s decision to hire Saly Abd Alla, a former employee of the pro-Hamas Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), as its chief diversity officer. “In 2021, you hired […]

Immigration

Five Iranians nabbed at US northern border as terror fears grip small towns All detainees had previously attempted illegal border crossings and are now awaiting deportation proceedings

(Fox) A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesman confirmed Tuesday that five Iranians were arrested while attempting to illegally cross the U.S. northern border with Canada. “On July 1, Border Patrol Agents from the Champlain, New York Station responded to suspicious activity […]

Government & Politics

Ted Cruz unveils bill to designate Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, anticipates bipartisan support Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates already consider the Hamas-affiliated organization to be a terrorist group

(Free Beacon) Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) is set to introduce legislation that would formally designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, financially crippling the global Islamist group and sanctioning its violent offshoots worldwide, according to a copy of the bill […]

Government & Politics

DC Circuit allows feds to withdraw from plea deal with accused 9/11 plotters The federal government had entered into a controversial plea deal with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and co-defendants Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al Hawsawi in 2024, when they accepted life in prison.

(Courthouse News) A D.C. Circuit panel ruled Friday that the United States can back out of a plea deal with the accused mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and his two co-defendants, setting back the already long-running case and opening the door for […]

Academics & Education

State Department official defends canceling visas of pro-Palestinian academics The official testified at an ongoing trial that Trump’s deportation drive targets antisemitism and support for terrorism, not ideology or speech.

(Politico) A top State Department official vigorously defended the Trump administration’s drive to cancel the visas of pro-Palestinian academics, arguing that the effort does not abridge free speech and targets students who are supporting terrorism or promoting antisemitism. John Armstrong, State’s top […]

Academics & Education

4 Muslim women had their hijabs removed during arrests at an ASU encampment. A new report by ASU police sheds more light on the incident A newly released, nearly 300-page police report shows not every law enforcement official was on board with removing a Muslim woman's hijab during an arrest.

(KPNX) A newly released, nearly 300-page report from the Arizona State University Police Department sheds light on law enforcement actions during the April 2024 pro-Palestinian demonstration that led to the arrest of 69 individuals and sparked outrage after officers forcibly removed hijabs […]

Academics & Education

Mahmoud Khalil seeks $20 million — or an apology — from Trump for 3-month detention Khalil filed a claim against the government on Thursday in a bid to stop its continued deportation campaign against pro-Palestine protesters on college campuses.

(Courthouse News) After 104 days in federal immigration custody, a stint that forced him to miss the birth of his first child, Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is seeking $20 million from the Trump administration for his “politically motivated arrest,” according to his […]

Academics & Education

Trump officials used shadowy website to target pro-Palestinian academics for deportation, court records show The unsealed court records also reveal how deeply involved Trump aide Stephen Miller was in the effort to revoke the visas of pro-Palestinian academics.

(Politico) As the Trump administration identified pro-Palestinian academics to target for deportation, it relied heavily on an anonymously-run pro-Israel website that has been criticized for doxxing, according to newly unsealed court documents and testimony at an ongoing trial. To support President Donald […]

Academics & Education

Trump admin waffles in court on whether pro-Palestinian foreigners have full First Amendment rights It’s a central question in the first major trial of Trump’s second term.

(Politico) A trial on a First Amendment lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s drive to deport pro-Palestinian academics quickly confronted a thorny legal issue Monday: whether foreigners in the U.S. enjoy the same free speech rights as American citizens. The administration’s stance on […]

Academics & Education

Trump’s effort to deport pro-Palestinian activists goes to trial The case challenging the administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian academics marks the first major trial of Trump’s second term.

(Politico) At least five times in recent weeks, federal judges have forcefully rejected President Donald Trump’s efforts to deport pro-Palestinian student activists, issuing one stinging ruling after another to declare the efforts unconstitutional — with one judge comparing the deportation drive to […]

Government & Politics

‘Sick’: Jewish group slams Mamdani over Chanukah video The leading New York City mayoral candidate faces backlash after sharing a video critics say mocks the Jewish holiday.

(JNS) A Jewish advocacy organization has strongly criticized New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani — a Democratic Socialist and current New York state assemblyman — after he shared a video the group says disrespects Chanukah and Jewish traditions. StopAntisemitism took to […]