Current Events
Inaya Bajwa – The Public Trust The Uyghur people, a mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking ethnic group native to the Xinjiang region in northwestern China, are currently facing an ongoing genocide (as classified by the United Nations) by the Chinese government. The government has imprisoned an estimated 1.2 million Uyghurs, subjecting
Current Events
Ibrahim Safi – The Public Trust In 2025, the Washington lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs filed disclosures introducing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to US officials. Conducted by an Indian American individual named Vivek Sharma [1], its expenditure on foreign policies totaled $330,000. Despite the overwhelming evidence of their association,
Current Events
James Steinmetz – The Public Trust On February 28, 2026, the United States joined Israel in launching Operation Epic Fury against Iran [2]. The decision immediately put one of Donald Trump’s most prominent political claims to the test: that he opposed the costly, prolonged wars that had defined much of
Current Events
In late 2020, Morocco signed the Abraham Accords alongside Bahrain, the UAE, and Sudan, seeking to normalize Arab nations’ diplomatic ties with Israel [1]. Israel's long-standing ally, the United States, also took part in this so-called peace treaty [1]. Though the agreement's intentions were
Current Events
Sam Jarada – The Public Trust Introduction In a recent systematic review, the authors estimated the prevalence of mental health disorders like depression and anxiety to be 22.1% in high-conflict regions (1). This statistic underscores how crucial mental health support is. Yet, it prompts reactions focused on therapy and
Current Events
Ibrahim Safi – The Public Trust In July 2026, the House passed a United States-Israel defense technology cooperation initiative in a 216 to 212 vote, famously touted as the integration of the United States and Israeli militaries (U.S. Congress). This certainly appears to be one of the most consequential
Current Events
Inaya Bajwa – The Public Trust The niqab, a face veil worn by some Muslim women, is one of the most widely discussed and misunderstood forms of Islamic dress. Many women choose to wear it as an expression of faith, modesty, and personal religious conviction. Yet this choice continues to be
Current Events
Ibrahim Safi and Naafay Bajwa – The Public Trust After a vote from the Texas school board on June 26th 2026, several amendments were introduced to the Texas state education system (The Guardian). The most famous was the introduction of Bible studies in the curriculum for all public schools. Another amendment
Current Events
James Steinmetz – The Public Trust On July 15, the House held a vote on the “Massie Amendment.” The Massie Amendment was attached to the annual National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, the spending bill that funds the State Department, foreign aid, and related programs. If it
Current Events
Nicolas Maduro positioned himself as a close confidant to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, eventually succeeding him in 2013 (EBSCO). Maduro adopted many of his mentor’s beliefs. Most notably, the two men made known their disdain for American imperialism and Israeli terrorism in the Arab world. In 2009, Chavez severed
Dispatches from the Road
یہ پانی گِر رہا ہے سہی گِرنے پانی کی آسانی لیکن اس پانی کے گِرنے کی آواز نہیں خدا جب دل میں، تو پھر ہی I stand at the station at the end of the track The sky a union of blue and black Walking to the
Current Events
Sam Jarada – The Public Trust Introduction As a Palestinian and a Muslim, settler colonialism isn’t distant history. It’s a constant reminder of what I lost connection to: my homeland, my Palestinian family, and my identity. I feel deep sorrow that I couldn’t truly live there from a