Headline News 17/06/2016

Headlines:

• Trump Pushes Expanded Ban on Muslims Entering the U.S.
• Islamophobia Rising in Germany Following Influx of Muslim Refugees – Study
• India’s NSG Membership to Touch a Raw Nerve in Pakistan: China’s Official Media

Details:

Trump Pushes Expanded Ban on Muslims Entering the U.S.

Donald Trump called for outlawing immigrants from areas of the world with a history of terrorism as part of his proposed temporary ban on all Muslims entering the United States - a radical rewriting of U.S. counterterrorism policy that he argued was essential to protect the peace and security of women and gays in particular. The Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee escalated his already controversial rhetoric about immigrants in the wake of Sunday’s massacre at a gay nightclub, even though the shooter was born in New York. Trump accused American Muslims of harboring terrorists and blamed them for the Orlando attack as well as for last December’s shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. “The Muslims have to work with us,” Trump said in a speech Monday afternoon in New Hampshire. “They know what’s going on. They know that [Orlando gunman Omar Mateen] was bad. They knew the people in San Bernardino were bad. But you know what? They didn’t turn them in. And you know what? We had death and destruction.” In a speech laden with falsehoods and exaggeration, Trump was antagonistic and pugnacious, in stark contrast with his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who also spoke Monday about combating terrorism. Trump denounced President Obama and Clinton for “deadly ignorance” and warned that they were endangering lives with weakness and indecision. “We need to tell the truth also about how radical Islam is coming to our shores,” Trump said. He added, “We need a new leader. We need a new leader fast. . . . They have put political correctness above common sense, above your safety and above all else. I refuse to be politically correct.” While Trump was fiery and combative, Clinton was cool and collected. Trump outlined a racially charged overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws and a nationalistic, defensive posture in fighting terrorism, while Clinton advocated continuing and in some cases enhancing existing policies from the Obama administration in which she served. The former secretary of state said Monday that the terrorist threat is “metastasizing” and vowed to root out “lone wolves” who might carry out attacks and to ramp up the air campaign targeting Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria. Trump mentioned Clinton 19 times in his speech, tearing into her with so much gusto that one Clinton ally, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) tweeted: “Donald, you need to shut up. Give the American people time to grieve.” Trump, however, argued that this is exactly the kind of “politically correct” leadership style that has made the United States susceptible to attacks from radical jihadists. “The current politically correct response cripples our ability to talk and to think and act clearly,” he said. “We’re not acting clearly, we’re not talking clearly, we’ve got problems. If we don’t get tough, and if we don’t get smart, and fast, we’re not going to have our country anymore. There will be nothing - absolutely nothing - left.” Trump’s accusations about Muslims and call to ban followers of the world’s fastest-growing religion from entering the country – the first outlined in December in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting - galvanized Republican primary voters, who saw in him a strong and decisive leader who would protect the country and take the fight to the enemy. Peter Wehner, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, said Trump relies on appeals to ethnic nationalism because he is ignorant about the nuances of counterterrorism policy. He said “racial resentment” is the basis of Trump’s appeal to voters. [Source: The Washington Post]

While the mainstream US media abhors Trump, US voters adore him, and this explains Trump’s popularity. There is a growing Republican base that despises Islam and is willing to rally around a leader who will take the clash of civilizations to the next level.

Islamophobia Rising in Germany Following Influx of Muslim Refugees – Study

Germany is seeing a rise in Islamophobia, according to a new study which highlights the tensions surrounding the recent influx of refugees. More than 40 percent of residents said they believe Muslims should be forbidden from coming to Germany. The study – conducted by researchers at the University of Leipzig in co-operation with the Heinrich Boell Foundation, the Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation, and the Otto-Brenner foundation – surveyed a total of 2,420 Germans. The 40 percent who said Muslims should be banned from coming to Germany is significantly higher from 2009, when just one-fifth expressed the same sentiment. In addition, every second respondent said they sometimes feel like a foreigner in their own country, due to large number of Muslims living in Germany, according to Reuters report. That number is compared to 43 percent in 2014 and 30.2 percent in 2009. Unsurprisingly, members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party were most likely to favor stopping Muslims from coming to Germany. The anti-immigration party, which supports a full ban on minarets and the burqa, has described Islam as incompatible with the German constitution. Meanwhile, Green voters were most likely to disagree with the statement that Muslims made them feel like foreigners. Slightly more than 80 percent of the study's respondents wanted the government to not be too generous when examining asylum applications. Almost 40 percent of respondents in the former East Germany agreed with the statement that foreigners only come to the country to take advantage of its social welfare benefits. That's compared to about 30 percent in the former West Germany. Meanwhile, a study published in May found that 60 percent of citizens agreed with the idea that there is “no place for Islam in Germany.”  Chancellor Angela Merkel has passionately disagreed with such statements, championing an open-door policy for those fleeing war and persecution. That policy has led to widespread criticism from many, with an April poll by FG Wahlen showing public support for Merkel at the lowest of her third term, which began in 2013. Nearly 4 million Muslims – about 5 percent of the population – live in Germany. The country welcomed more than 1 million migrants last year amid Europe's refugee crisis, most of whom were Muslims fleeing Syria's civil war. [Source: RT].

This is hardly surprising given the negative media coverage regarding the role of Islam in German society. The question that Muslims in Germany need to ask is how long before the host population turns on them. The Germans have a notorious past—the host nation turned against the Jews during the 1930s and early indications are that circumstances appear to be moving in the same direction.

India’s NSG Membership to Touch a Raw Nerve in Pakistan: China’s Official Media

Vehemently opposing India’s NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) bid, Chinese official media in first comments since China’s objection said that New Delhi’s membership will not only touch a “raw nerve” in Pakistan and increase a nuclear arms race but also “jeopardise” Beijing’s national interests. An op-ed commentary in state-run Global Times titled “India mustn’t let nuclear ambitions blind itself” said New Delhi’s NSG membership will set off a nuclear confrontation in the region. “India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers in the region, keep alert to each other’s nuclear capabilities. India’s application for NSG membership and its potential consequences will inevitably touch a raw nerve in Pakistan, its traditional rival in the region. “As Pakistan is not willing to see an enlarging gap in nuclear power with India, a nuclear race is a likely outcome. This will not only paralyse regional security but also jeopardise China’s national interests,” said the commentary, the first write-up on the issue since Beijing’s opposition to India’s bid. “The US and some NSG members have given a push to India’s membership bid, but the reported opposition from most countries, especially China, seems to have irritated India,” it said. “Beijing insists that a prerequisite of New Delhi’s entry is that it must be a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) while India is not. Despite acknowledging this legal and systematic requirement, the Indian media called China’s stance “obstructionist”,” the commentary said. “The deliberations of the US are also clear. With India’s NSG membership, the US, the world’s largest producer of nuclear power, can sell its nuclear technology to India. A US company is set to build six nuclear reactors in India, an agreement made between the two countries during Modi’s recent visit to the US,” it said. Beyond cooperation in the nuclear sector, the US views India as a “balancing actor in its pivot to the Asia-Pacific strategy”. Its supply of nuclear technologies to enhance India’s deterrence capability is to put China in check, it said. “What is missing in US and Indian motives are concerns for regional security. So far, South Asia is still facing the harsh reality that the region is mired in the nuclear confrontation,” it said. “China insists on peaceful development. A peaceful regional and global environment is in the interests of all stakeholders. China’s concern about India’s inclusion into the NSG comes out of the security dynamic in South Asia. “Only when New Delhi and Islamabad take another step forward in their nonproliferation commitments can the region avoid being dragged into a nuclear confrontation,” it said. [Source: Pakistan Today].

India’s admission into the NSG will enable New Delhi to divert fissile fuel towards the production of nuclear weapons and this will upset the nuclear balance in Asia. Pakistan is not the only country that is impacted. China’s minimum nuclear deterrence will be compromised, and this will set off a new nuclear arms race in Asia.