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Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel is trying to hijack the Baloch struggle
As Israel loudly beat the drums of war one day before its unprovoked surprise attack on Iran, a small but significant piece of news slipped by almost unnoticed: The announcement of a new research project on the website of a Washington, DC think tank. On June 12, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) announced the launch of the Balochistan Studies Project (BSP). Significantly, in addition to mentioning Balochistan's abundance of natural resources 'such as oil, gas, uranium, copper, coal, rare earth elements and the two deep seaports of Gwadar and Chabahar', MEMRI's statement justifies the project's necessity by identifying the region as 'the perfect outpost to counter and keep under control Iran, its nuclear ambitions, and its dangerous relations with Pakistan, which may provide Tehran with tactical nukes'. MEMRI is well known for its selective translation of snippets of Arabic, Persian and Turkish-language media, screenshots from which often end up being shared as memes on social media platforms. Originally founded in 1998, the think tank has consistently peddled a pro-Israel agenda, with its founder, Colonel Yigal Carmon, having served in the Israeli Military Intelligence Corps for more than 20 years. Additionally, MEMRI has been involved 'unofficially' in intelligence gathering for the Israeli state since at least 2012. Given this context, MEMRI's creation of the BSP can be seen as an indication of an Israeli attempt to co-opt the Baloch national struggle against both Iran and Pakistan for Israel's geopolitical objectives. Given the strategic advantages that a successful co-optation of the Baloch cause would grant Israel, and the potential ramifications it would bear upon the resistance of stateless peoples within the region, including Palestinians as well as the Baloch, themselves, there is a need to examine the limitations of geopolitical thinking within national liberation movements. MEMRI's announcement of the BSP is riddled with logical inconsistencies and misinformation regarding the reality of exploitation and resistance in Balochistan. For example, centring the fact that the states of both Iran and Pakistan are currently fighting counterinsurgency campaigns in Balochistan, MEMRI's website calls for 'the international community' to 'understand that Balochistan is a natural ally of the West' – ignoring the fact that Western companies such as Barrick Gold and BHP Billiton have played key roles in enabling colonial resource extraction and ecological destruction in the region. Another example relates to the personnel involved in the project. One article on the BSP on MEMRI's website welcomes a 'renowned Baloch writer, scholar, and political scientist' called Mir Yar Baloch, whose X account 'has been defined as one of the most influential in the Subcontinent', as a 'special adviser'. In May of this year, Baloch made headlines for unilaterally declaring the independence of Balochistan in a series of posts on X, where he also announced to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India had 'the backing of 60 million Baloch patriots' after it launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. More than for his grand proclamations, Mir Yar Baloch is interesting for the amount of mystery that surrounds him, given his supposed status as an important and influential Baloch intellectual. Despite being profiled by a variety of news outlets – notably all Indian – none have deviated from regurgitating a biography for him as limited as that published in the MEMRI article. Significantly, however, more well-known Baloch activists have been quick to distance themselves from him. Niaz Baloch of the Baloch National Movement, for example, posted on X that there exists no consensus for a declaration of independence among Baloch leaders. Crucially, he also listed four 'fake accounts', including that of Mir Yar Baloch, that he stated 'should be reported and unfollowed immediately'. Baloch activists therefore speculate that Mir Yar Baloch is a fake persona created by a state with interests in the region to support its objectives. Balochistan is a region that spans the border between Iran and Pakistan, where both states are engaged in counterinsurgency campaigns that often spur tensions between them. Each has accused the other of fostering instability by sheltering militant groups across the frontier. Crucially, many Baloch people on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border view themselves as marginalised and systematically oppressed by the states that govern them. In this context, an Israeli overture towards supporting the Baloch cause opens the door to new avenues of entrenching Israeli influence in the wider West Asia region. Beyond Israel's infiltration of the Iranian state and security apparatus, demonstrated to devastating effect by the events of June 13, declaring overt support for the Baloch cause allows Israel to build relationships with secessionist groups in regions where Iranian and Pakistani political legitimacy is limited. Taking into account Israel's objective of containing and crushing Palestinian resistance, support for such groups also creates conditions that enable Israel to actively undermine efforts at transnational solidarity-building between Palestinians and other stateless populations, such as the Baloch. Any Israeli gesture towards Balochistan would also be scaffolded by Israel's strategic partnership with India, which has long positioned itself as a key supporter of the Baloch cause – a position that has notably undermined attempts at solidarity-building between the Baloch and stateless peoples forced to live under Indian rule, such as Kashmiris. In a substantive sense, it is notable that Mir Yar Baloch, who has tweeted in support of Israel and India, owes his public profile almost entirely to the Indian media. Furthermore, his messaging is overwhelmingly directed at Indian audiences. The BSP thus represents a case of India and Israel's strategic partnership manifesting in a projection of both Israeli and Indian cross-regional influence. I do not deny the relevance of geopolitics in strategising and building capacity for resistance, but elevating it to top priority can be harmful. A 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' approach risks undermining principled long-term alliances. History offers a warning: The Palestine Liberation Organisation's (PLO) alliance with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, a relationship described by Sadiq al-Azm as 'unprincipled', alienated Kurds and indirectly facilitated the development of relatively warm relations between Israel and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq. More recently, Iran's crackdown on Kurdish – and to a lesser extent Baloch – groups following its war with Israel cited fears of their possible collaboration with Israel as a pretext. A post-geopolitical approach to foreign policy formulation among stateless groups, therefore, would necessarily take into account the factory defect of nation-states: their necessary prioritisation of survival and the maintenance of a constellation of privileges and interests over a substantive struggle towards justice. In this context, a principled anticolonial inter- and transnationalism that looks beyond geopolitics does not represent a utopian ideal detached from the practicalities of struggle. Instead, it represents a form of long-term pragmatism in and of itself that pushes against the short-termist gains of privileging geopolitics above principles. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
New York Post
12-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Iranian fatwa crowdfunding effort claims to have raised $40M for bounty on President Trump's head
A crowdfunding effort that claims to have raised a $40 million bounty for the assassination of President Trump has been linked to a former employee of Iran's primary propaganda network. The campaign, organized by a group known as the 'Blood Covenant,' comes after multiple radical Iranian clerics issued fatwas, or death warrants, against Trump – denouncing him as an 'enemy of Allah' after the US military bombed three of Tehran's nuclear facilities last month. 'We pledge to award the prize to whoever can bring the militants and those who threaten the life of the Deputy of Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) to justice for their actions,' the Blood Covenant wrote on its website. Advertisement The unhinged message also included a Trump image in crosshairs. 3 Blood Covenant claims to have raised $40.3 million for anyone who assassinates President Trump. Blood Covenant operates 'under the aegis of the Iranian regime,' according to the US-based Middle East Media Research Institute think tank. Advertisement The think tank said that Blood Covenant quotes a verse from the Quran demanding Muslims 'strive with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allah.' 'This is a call to jihad, inviting believers to donate their money and sacrifice their lives,' MEMRI said in an analysis of the fundraising effort. 'The poster lends religious legitimacy to assassinating Trump. 'The fact that these calls to assassinate Trump are coming from above and being echoed in the street and through all strata of society, including in the Iranian media … reflects a broad religious and regime consensus strengthened by reiterated emphasis of the reward anyone carrying out the punishment against Trump can expect to receive — in addition to the $40.3 million, also Paradise and the status of a defender of Islam.' 3 Multiple Iranian clerics have issued fatwas against Trump in recent weeks. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement Max Lesser and Maria Riofrio, analysts with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, 'unmasked an Iranian national' Friday who they believe is involved in the Blood Covenant. 'The man apparently behind it, Hossein Abbasifar, appears to have once worked for Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the regime's main propaganda network,' they wrote in an analysis piece. FDD linked the fundraising campaign to Abbasifar using metadata on Blood Covenant's website. Lesser and Riofrio found that Abbasifar may have served as a specialist at the 'Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran' – a state-sponsored radio network. Advertisement The analysts noted that by attributing the creation of the Trump bounty website to specific individuals, the US government would be able 'to levy targeted sanctions against those responsible.' 'The US government has an opportunity to set an example by holding him accountable,' Lesser and Riofrio wrote. The White House and State Department did not respond to The Post's requests for comment. 3 Trump could sanction the organizers of the fundraising campaign. AP A senior State Department official told the Washington Free Beacon on Friday that the Trump administration is aware of the threats and committed to 'hold[ing] bad actors accountable.' 'This means using every tool at our disposal, including sanctions, to implement the president's maximum pressure strategy,' the senior official told the outlet. The bounty on Trump's head was promoted after Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, an Iranian cleric close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, issued a fatwa against Trump on June 29. Shirazi accused Trump of trying to kill Khamenei and declared the president to be 'an enemy of Allah.'
Memri
12-07-2025
- Business
- Memri
SUPPORT MEMRI RESEARCH TODAY – Donate To Our 2025 Summer Campaign
Following the 12-day Israel/U.S.-Iran war and with a possible resolution to the war in Gaza on the horizon, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) continues to provide vital research, primary source translations, original analysis, and vital early warning to the governments of the U.S. and its allies and to their counterterrorism officials, law enforcement agencies, militaries, and other authorities. As the region resets, with never-before seen changes and increased tensions, MEMRI's work is more important and more needed now than ever before. Meanwhile, the last Iranian proxy standing, the Houthis, are renewing their disruption of shipping in the Red Sea and their launching of drones and missiles at Israel; China continues efforts to expand to the South China Sea and Taiwan; and civil wars continue in Sudan and Libya. In all these arenas, MEMRI is working around the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, monitoring and translating, documenting its cutting-edge research, and providing open-source intelligence (OSINT). As always, our wide-ranging work focuses on the most recent and most critical events and developments in these regions. No other organization does the work that we are doing. But this work is resource intensive, and we need your help today. Your tax-deductible gift supports all of our vital work. YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION SUPPORTS MEMRI RESEARCH Since MEMRI's establishment nearly 30 years ago, we have become one of the world's most productive nonprofit think tanks focusing on the Middle East and South Asia and on threats from these regions to the U.S. and the West. Our research output equals or surpasses that of similar organizations many times our size with many times our budget. In the past decade, not one day has passed without new MEMRI research being posted on our website and sent out in emails to hundreds of thousands of subscribers. MEMRI research is filling a major void; in our 27th year, we again prove ourselves leaders in this field. But during these eventful times, our research and translation teams remain stretched to the limit. There is so much more of this primary source material that MEMRI needs to monitor, translate, and distribute. As we face so many more tasks this year, we continue to produce ever more research and distribute it to governments, legislatures, media, and you, our readers. We are appealing to you, our donors and readers, to help support our work. Areas we are closely monitoring, with a focus on statements by governments, terrorist and rebel groups, and their leaders, include: Iran: Following the war, Iranian regime officials and clerics ramp up their assassination threats against Trump, as they withdraw from all international nuclear oversight organizations and vow to double down on the country's nuclear program. At the same time, Iran's non-Persian ethnic groups call for the downfall of the Islamic regime and possibilities for a new future for the country. Qatar: Qatar, the foremost sponsor of terrorism worldwide that pretends to be a U.S. ally continues to pretend also to be an "honest broker" in negotiations, amid its ongoing efforts to buy influence in the West, including in U.S. higher education. Gaza and Lebanon: As Hamas continues to attempt to thwart the distribution of humanitarian aid that it once exclusively controlled – thus controlling Gaza's civilian population – the Lebanese government, under U.S. pressure, demands that Hizbullah disarm, but Hizbullah's compliance is not assured. Syria : Amid President Trump's lifting of all remaining U.S. sanctions on Syria, and removal of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham – the organization led by Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa that took over the country in December – from the list of designated terrorists, Syria appears to be interested in security arrangements with Israel. Yemen's Houthis: Ansar Allah (the Houthis), the last Iranian proxy left standing, resumes its disruption of shipping in the Red Sea and missile and drone launches towards Israel. Jihadi activity: There are increased threats and chatter about lone wolf attacks in the West, from ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and other jihadi organizations. Russia-Iran-China Alliance: The 12-day Israel/U.S.-Iran war laid bare the limits of Russia's and China's support for Iran, as neither came to Iran's defense during that time. Extremist imams and Islamist organizations in the U.S. and West: In addition to all these regions, MEMRI focuses on exposing the continuing extremism emanating from mosques and Islamist organizations in the U.S. We continue our mission to "bridge the language gap" and to make it possible for U.S. officials and the public to understand what is happening both outside the U.S. and inside it (such as in sermons in mosques). We are appealing to you, as a reader and donor who is aware of our vital work, to continue with a greater effort to support our work. Your donation will also support these special projects: MEMRI TV – The MEMRI TV project scours hundreds of channels and online broadcasting outlets – Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Turkish, Russian, Chinese, and Korean – for relevant, important content to record, translate, subtitle, and publish. To date, MEMRI TV clips, numbering nearly 12,000, have had over 350 million views across the web. No other research like this is being carried out by any intelligence community anywhere in the West. Lantos Archives on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial – Named after the late honorable Congressman and Holocaust survivor Tom Lantos, this project exposes Muslim antisemitism in the Arab and Muslim world and the West, and also monitors online propaganda, incitement, threats, and recruitment activity by violent neo-Nazi groups and individuals. It maintains the world's largest archives on these subjects. Our linguists and analysts – experts in the field – have been exposing extremism, antisemitism, and jihadi threats for over a quarter of a century, and have thwarted a number of actual planned attacks. We ask you today to help us continue our essential, unique, and vital work. We cannot do this without you. With gratitude,
Memri
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Egyptian-American Analyst Magdi Khalil: Israel's War with Iran Was Justified; I Am Honored to Be on MEMRI's Board of Advisors - MEMRI Does Great Work, Its Translations Reflect Mainstream Trends in the
Egyptian-American political analyst Magdi Khalil, on a June 21, 2025 episode of From Washington with Hafez Al Mirazi on YouTube, said that he believes Israel's war against Iran is a 'just war.' He said he considers it a great honor to be a member of MEMRI – Middle East Media Research Institute's board of advisors and added that he believes MEMRI is doing 'great work' with its translations. When the interviewer pushed back and noted that MEMRI was founded by Yigal Carmon, whom he claimed is a former Mossad official, Khalil responded that it is a respected American institution based in Washington, D.C. He reiterated: 'It is an honor to be part of MEMRI.' Khalil rejected claims that MEMRI is selective in its translations, using the worst that is said in Arabic media, taking statements out of context, and highlighting statements from minor, non-influential speakers, saying that MEMRI reflects mainstream views, which are reflected by the increasing extremist rhetoric of religious figures, though this trend is now declining in places like Saudi Arabia. He added that ultimately, it is MEMRI's mission to identify mainstream trends. Khalil emphasized that he is not an employee of MEMRI but a board member alongside distinguished American public figures and acknowledged MEMRI vice president Alberto Fernandez, who played a lead role in Alhurra TV.
Memri
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Visit The New MEMRI Webpage Featuring The Latest Research On The Iran-Israel War
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 17, 2025 – The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has launched a new webpage dedicated to covering the Iran-Israel War, including reactions from around the Middle East as well as worldwide. new webpage presents, in one convenient place, all the latest MEMRI research about the ongoing conflict with statements from Iranian military leaders, reactions from jihadi groups and other relevant actors, and updated on-the-ground developments, and more. The research is from MEMRI's Iran Studies Project, MEMRI TV Project, Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM), and Lantos Archives on Antisemitism, and other projects. Since Israel first struck Iran in the early morning hours of June 13, nearly 50 translations, analysis pieces, and clips have been posted on the page, and more are being added constantly every day. The MEMRI Iran Studies Project, led by native-born Iranians, operates 24/7/365, monitoring, translating, and analyzing content from Iranian TV, social media, websites, blogs, online forums, and more. At the same time, the MEMRI Trending page is continuing to highlight the most important news and trends in the Middle East and beyond, with tailored content on a broad range of issues, such as the "Iran-Israel War" section that also links to the new webpage. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today to MEMRI so that we can continue this vital work. ABOUT MEMRI Exploring the Middle East and South Asia through their media, MEMRI bridges the language gap between the West and the Middle East and South Asia, providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu-Pashtu, Dari, Turkish, Russian, and Chinese media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends. Founded in February 1998 to inform the debate over U.S. policy in the Middle East, MEMRI is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. MEMRI's main office is in Washington, DC, with branch offices in various world capitals. MEMRI research is translated into English, French, Polish, Japanese, Spanish, and Hebrew. MEMRI – Middle East Media Research Institute: MEMRI TV – Jihad & Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) – Cyber & Jihad Lab (CJL) – MEMRI Twitter: MEMRI YouTube: MEMRI Instagram: Contact Information: MEMRI media@ 202-955-9070
