President Donald Trump extended the U.S.-Iran ceasefire indefinitely Tuesday and announced a three-week extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire Thursday after American mediation. Both remain fragile.

Iranian officials dismissed their extension as “meaningless,” saying the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports violates the original agreement. In Lebanon, Israel carried out fresh strikes within hours of Thursday’s announcement, killing two people, including a journalist.

Why it matters: The dual ceasefires are the closest diplomatic off-ramps since the U.S. and Israel began their war against Iran on Feb. 28, killing thousands in Iran and Lebanon. With the Strait of Hormuz still closed and Iranian negotiators refusing new talks, gas prices remain high. Lebanese officials appear more willing to negotiate with Israelis, as both sides held direct talks in Washington last week and agreed in principle to disarm Hezbollah.

Congressman introduces Mamdani Act to deport and denaturalize Muslims, socialists

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) introduced legislation Monday that would deport, denaturalize or bar from entry any noncitizen affiliated with or advocating for socialist, Marxist or Islamic fundamentalist movements. The bill is named after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — a Muslim, self-described socialist and naturalized U.S. citizen.

Why it matters: The legislation targets Muslim Americans by ideology and religious identity, stripping federal courts of oversight over deportation and denaturalization decisions. It also reflects a broader rise in Islamophobic rhetoric, as Roy posted “no more Muslims” on X in March with the hashtag #SaveTexas.

Hajj pilgrims begin arriving in Saudi Arabia while Iranians are barred

The 2026 Hajj season opened this week, with the first pilgrims arriving by air, sea and land in Saudi Arabia on April 18 from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Indonesia. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered full mobilization of security resources across Mecca and Medina. Iranian pilgrims, however, are barred. The Kingdom suspended visa processing for Iranian nationals and canceled all direct flights between the two countries.

Why it matters: The exclusion of Iranian pilgrims shows how geopolitical conflict is disrupting Islam’s fifth pillar this year. Iranian strikes hit U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom’s major oil refineries, sharply raising tensions between two countries that had only begun mending decades of mistrust in 2023.

Obama, Mamdani sing with Bronx preschoolers in first meeting

Former President Barack Obama met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time Saturday at a South Bronx pre-K center, where the two read to preschoolers and led a singalong that went viral online. Their meeting came days after Mamdani’s first 100 days in office and after U.S President Donald Trump accused him of “destroying New York.”

Why it matters: Mamdani is the first Muslim mayor of New York City. Obama’s public show of support could signal Democrats to follow the mayor’s lead. However, it came as Trump threatened to pull federal funding from the city, despite praising Mamdani publicly for months.

Kyrie Irving changes Instagram photo to Palestinian child reportedly blocked from school

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, 34, updated his Instagram profile picture Tuesday to an image of a Palestinian boy looking back at Israeli soldiers through a barbed-wire fence in the occupied West Bank. The photo depicts children in Umm al-Khair village blocked from school after settlers reportedly erected a fence along their route.

Why it matters: Irving is an NBA All-Star with 20.3 million Instagram followers and remains one of the most visible American athletes using his platform for Palestinian advocacy. The image he chose, a child with a schoolbook, speaks directly to the reality of Israeli occupation.

Quran verse and Hadith of the week: Steadfastness

Quran verse: وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ

“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth, lives and fruits — but give good tidings to the patient.” — Surah al-Baqarah, 2:155

Hadith: The Prophet ﷺ said: “How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks, and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him.” — Sahih Muslim 2999

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Iran has fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday, one day after announcing Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. Iranian officials said the reopening was coordinated with the deal, which is set to halt weeks of deadly fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The agreement follows direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington on Tuesday, their first since 1993.

Why it matters: The strait’s reopening caused global gas prices to plummet 10% within hours — a major breakthrough amid months of international economic instability. Since Feb. 28, the Iran war — including the Hezbollah-Israel conflict in Lebanon — killed thousands of civilians and wrecked global oil trade, driving up the cost of everyday goods.

Türkiye reels after rare school shootings

An eighth-grade student shot and killed nine people and wounded 13 others at a middle school in Türkiye’s Kahramanmaraş province Wednesday before taking his own life, officials said. Authorities said the suspect used firearms taken from his father, a former police officer, and fired into two classrooms.

The attack came one day after another school shooting in Şanlıurfa province, where a former student wounded 16 people before killing himself in a shootout with police.

Why it matters: The rare wave of school violence shocked Türkiye — 11 people were killed and 29 wounded in two back-to-back shootings. For comparison, there have been 60 reported attacks on K-12 schools in Türkiye since 1978, with 55 killed and 142 wounded. In the United States, there have been nearly 3,000 reported school attacks, with close to 950 killed and up to 2,600 wounded since 1978.

Pope Leo XIV opens Africa tour in Algeria to promote Muslim-Christian friendship

Pope Leo XIV began his 11-day Africa tour in Algeria on Monday, making the first-ever papal visit to the country. At the Great Mosque of Algiers, the 70-year-old American pontiff greeted worshippers with “Assalamu Alaykum” and paid tribute to those killed by France during Algeria’s war of independence.

The pope said he hoped to strengthen Muslim-Christian unity as he continued his tour in Cameroon on Wednesday, with further stops planned in Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

Why it matters: The visit is a notable gesture of interfaith diplomacy and historical reconciliation. Algeria’s former colonial ruler, France, was majority Catholic. Yet, despite that fraught history, fewer than 10,000 Catholics call Algeria home today, and their property and churches remain protected by the government.

Israel places Omar Suleiman and Bassem Youssef on ‘Antisemitic Influencers’ list

Israel has placed American Muslim figures Imam Omar Suleiman and comedian Bassem Youssef on its 2025 list of “Top 10 Prominent Antisemitic Influencers” — a designation both men sharply rejected. Suleiman, who has Palestinian ancestry, called the list an Israeli “hit list,” while both said their criticism targets Israeli government policy, not Jewish people.

Podcasters Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, who have become vocal critics of Israeli policy in Gaza, were also included.

Why it matters: The controversy is intensifying debate over the line between criticism of Israel and antisemitism, as the Israeli government and its allies continue to equate policy criticism with hatred of the Jewish faith.

Quran verse and Hadith of the week: On trials and patience

Quran verse:

أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُمْ مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلُكُمْ

“Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such trial has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you?”
— Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:214

Hadith:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever is patient, Allah will grant him patience. No one is given a gift better and more comprehensive than patience.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim

In January, Mohamad Altabaa, a third-year Texas Tech medical student, drove by an abandoned school, and had an idea.

“I don’t know how to explain it. The first time I came up to this building, I just saw the vision,” the 25-year-old recalled. “I didn’t see what it was, I saw what it could be.”

What he saw would have made the average person question his “vision.”

The Arnett Elementary School in Lubbock, Texas, had been closed for more than a decade. There was no electricity, gas or water, and even concerns about asbestos.

“Ninety-nine percent of people would’ve walked away,” Altabaa said.

His goal was ambitious: transform the deteriorating, six-acre campus not only into a mosque, but into a thriving Muslim community hub, the Unity Center, and have it open by Ramadan.

At the time, the holy month was 45 days away.

Altabaa called up the realtor and had built a rapport with him. Little did Altabaa know however, that several people were already bidding for the property, wanting to transform it into either sports or industrial complexes.

“He called me and said ‘If you guys don’t put a bid in today, it’s getting sold,” Altabaa recalled.

So he called up a wealthy community member.

“I literally asked ‘Do you trust me?’ and they said yes,” Altabaa explained. “I said okay, I need to buy a school.”

Altabaa secured his first donor in a three-minute phone call, and bought the property below market value.

“Glory to God, that’s how the whole thing happened,” he said.

Altabaa’s excitement was short-lived though. Reality set it the moment he stepped inside.

I don’t know anything about construction,” he said. “Turns out, the building was in way worse condition than we thought. We found seven gas leaks. Seven.”

Saadedine Habbal, head the Unity Center’s maintenance committee and Altabaa’s classmate, described the situation.

“The lights were just ancient, and the bathrooms, you could just tell no human would have wanted to go in there,” Habbal said.

Instead of turning back, the two medical students did what they do best: research meticulously. They gathered some more classmates and created a five-member maintenance team and divided each task.

One handled the tech side, another dealt with the gas leaks. Others did landscaping and got connected with contractors to make sure things were done professionally.

But the team was too small. So Altabaa turned to social media.

On Jan. 4, he posted an Instagram video about the property he bought and his vision.

It went viral, surpassing a million views.

“It changed everything,” he said.

People began showing up to help, not only from Lubbock, but from across the country, according to Altabaa.

“We were averaging 60-70 volunteers in a city where maybe 10 percent of the population is Muslim,” he recalled. “People flew in from parts of California, Chicago, New York, Denver, just to help.”

Even local, non-Muslim contractors lent their services at a discount, according to Habbal.

“We found them from the neighborhood or even previous attendees of the school,” Habbal said. “They gave us amazing prices because they wanted to see it happen – to see this place flourish again.”

They even got help internationally.

The center raised more than $100,000 from a Launchgood fundraiser, averaging $55 per donation according to Altabaa.

“We had people donating from Zimbabwe, Great Britain, London, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia,” he said. “That tells you this is a community project, built brick by brick.

Altabaa, like other Muslims his age, want to see mosques more than just prayer spaces.

“Mosques in Muslim-majority countries serve a very different purpose. You pray and leave,” he said. “But here (in the United States), we’re not a Muslim-majority country. We need spaces where people can hang out, relax and meet other Muslims.”

Because of the time crunch, Altabaa and his band of volunteers focused on the gymnasium because it was large enough for a prayer space, sports and community gatherings – a start to his vision.

They set up new lights, a professional sound system and even a game room, according to Altabaa.

He even told the local Muslim Student Association to make a wishlist of everything they wanted – which included a PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and a water fountain, to name a few.

“People asked if we’re going overboard,” he recalled. “I personally think that’s exactly the point.”

The Unity Center opened its doors on Feb. 18, the first day of Ramadan, and even held a community meal packing.

Both Muslims and non-Muslims made 30,000 meals for the homeless and had a barbeque.

On the first night of the holy month, Habbal estimated that more than 500 people filled the space for Taraweeh prayers.

What happened next, according to Altabaa and Habbal, showed them why they truly built this center from scratch.

“Right after we finished Taraweeh, we rolled up the carpets, and kids immediately starting playing basketball,” Habbal recalled. “We then put up a ping-pong table, set up the Nintendo Switch, and the uncles and aunties each had rooms to get together and drink tea.”

“It was a place of worship that immediately turned into a community center,” he added.

Despite the wide variety of support, though, not everyone has been excited about the Unity Center.

Texas has been dealing with Islamophobia, not only from far-right figures like Amy Mek – who called the initiative “expanding the Islamic conquest” and alleged that the center was tied to the Muslim Brotherhood – but even from the government.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim advocacy group in the country – a foreign terror organization in November 2025. The group has since sued the governor, claiming he is violating their First Amendment Rights.

These attacks, as Habbal sees it, are simply from skeptics who don’t really know Muslims.

“It’s easy to spread fear because fear sells,” he said. “But I urge people: come meet us. We want the same things in life… just come say hi and you’ll see we are exactly the same.”

The Unity Center is still renovating the six-acre campus, aiming to use it entirely, according to Altabaa.

Despite the hateful rhetoric and the work that lies ahead, Altabaa turns to his faith for continued inspiration.

“Our religion says that even if the Day of Judgement is tomorrow and you have a seed in your hand, plant it,” he said, referencing a Hadith, or saying, of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. “You might never eat from the fruit of that seed, but maybe your kids will. Maybe your grandchildren. Or, maybe nobody will. But you will plant it anyway.”

The U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire through Pakistani mediation Tuesday night. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had suspended “the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” calling it a “double sided ceasefire.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that negotiations will begin Friday in Islamabad.

Why it matters: The U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28, beginning a conflict that disrupted oil trade, damaged the global economy over 40 days and killed thousands across the Middle East, particularly in Iran and Lebanon. While the ceasefire is set for only two weeks, Vice President JD Vance flew to Pakistan on Friday for talks aimed at fully ending the conflict.

Israeli airstrikes kill 300 people across Lebanon in 10 minutes

The Israeli military struck cities across Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least 300 people and wounding more than 1,000 others in 10 minutes, according to Lebanese media.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called it a “surprise” attack on Hezbollah.

Why it matters: Wednesday’s strikes were among the deadliest attacks on Lebanese soil in modern history. The assault came just 12 hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would join the U.S.-Iran ceasefire. In response, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to pull out of negotiations.

Trump mocks Islam on Truth Social

On Easter Sunday, President Donald Trump posted a statement on Truth Social ordering Iran to “open the f---in’ Strait, you crazy b------s, or you’ll be living in hell,” before adding “Praise be to Allah.”

Why it matters: The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned Trump’s comments as “deranged” and “anti-Muslim,” noting his use of “Allah” — the Arabic word for God — in a profane post. The remarks also drew criticism from conservative Christians, many of whom supported Trump in the 2024 election.

100,000 Muslim worshippers attend Friday prayers after 40-day ban

An estimated 100,000 Muslims attended Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem on Friday, following a 40-day closure imposed by Israel.

Thousands had gathered at the mosque for dawn prayers the day before, according to the Jordanian Waqf, which administers the compound.

Why it matters: Al-Aqsa is Islam’s third-holiest site. Israel announced its closure on Feb. 28 — the first day of the Iran war and during the sanctified month of Ramadan. It was the site’s longest closure by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and drew condemnation from several Muslim-majority nations.

Mamdani fills 100,000 potholes across New York by 100th day in office

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked the filling of 100,000 potholes on Monday — his 100th day in office.

The 34-year-old filmed himself patching the final hole alongside city workers in Staten Island and shared the moment on social media.

Why it matters: Mamdani is New York City’s first Muslim mayor. He built a broad coalition of Muslim, Jewish, middle-class and immigrant voters during his campaign, pledging to improve daily life for New Yorkers. He told NBC News the milestone represented the most potholes the city’s Department of Transportation “had filled in over a decade.”

Quran Verse and Hadith of the Week

On Allah’s Mercy

Quran verse: قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهِ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ “Say: Oh My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” — Surah Az-Zumar, 39:53

Hadith: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah has one hundred parts of mercy, of which He sent down one part among jinn, humans, animals and insects, through which they show affection to one another. The remaining ninety-nine parts Allah has kept for the Day of Resurrection.” — Sahih Muslim 2752

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The United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, both sides said Tuesday night.

President Donald Trump announced his agreement to the proposal on Truth Social, saying that he will “suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”

Iran’s National Supreme Council released a statement saying it would begin negotiations in Islamabad on Friday.

However, they also warned “our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”

The de-escalating news came after U.S. forces struck Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil hub in the Persian Gulf.

On Tuesday morning, Trump gave the Iranians a deadline till 8 p.m. Eastern to agree to a ceasefire or “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

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President Donald Trump delivered his first address on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran at the White House Wednesday night, a conflict which has torn through his Republican base and brought his approval rating to an all-time low of 33 percent.

Nonetheless, he applauded Operation Epic Fury and said the U.S. “is winning bigger than ever before.”

Here are some statements he made:

The war will last another two to three weeks

Trump said that the conflict is expected to last another two to three weeks and vowed to “hit Iran extremely hard.”

“We are going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast,” he added.

Trump had originally said on Feb. 28 — when the war began — that it would last between four to six weeks.

He gave his address in the fifth week of the conflict.

The war was not waged for regime change

“Regime change was never our goal,” Trump said in the address, contradicting an earlier Truth Social post.

On Jan. 13, the president encouraged Iranians to “keep protesting” and that “help is on its way’ during deadly anti-regime demonstrations that had experts speculating about the Islamic Republic’s downfall.

Despite saying it was not the objective, Trump claimed that “regime change has occurred because of their [the Iranians] original leader’s death,” referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s killing by an Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28.

The Islamic Republic’s regime is largely intact, however.

Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, was elected in March to succeed him, and an intelligence source told the Washington Post that “consistent analysis” shows “that the regime is not in danger” and “retains control of the Iranian public.”

He claimed Iran is to blame for the gas price surge

Trump acknowledged the surge in gas prices Americans are dealing with as a result of the war, but blamed it on Iran.

“Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home,” he said. “This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict.”

Before the war began, the average gallon of gas in the U.S. cost between $2.80 to $2.90. At the time of Trump’s address, it had gone up to $4.06.

He ‘did what no other president was willing to do’

Trump said that his launching of the war against Iran was an action that previous leaders would not have dared to make.

“Essentially, I did what no other president was willing to do,” Trump said. “They made mistakes, and I am correcting them.”

He claimed that Israel would not have existed if he did not end President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal and called Iran the region’s “bully.”

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the decades-long Supreme Leader of Iran, was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 during the opening hours of a war aimed at taking out Tehran’s leadership and nuclear program.

One week later, Iran’s Assembly of Experts picked his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, to succeed him on March 8.

The 88-member clerical body selected the 56-year-old during one of the most dangerous moments in the Islamic Republic’s history. It marks the first time the leadership was transferred from father to son and follows the killing of his predecessor.

Mojtaba is virtually unknown to the Iranian public, but his influence runs deep within the regime’s political and religious system.

Who is Khamenei 2.0?

Mojtaba Khamenei was born in September 1969 in the Iranian city of Mashhad, one of the holiest cities for Shia Muslims.

By the time the Islamic Revolution occurred in 1979, his father was already a prominent cleric. He helped the first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, topple the Pahlavi monarchy and establish the current regime.

The following year, the Iran-Iraq War broke out, lasting for eight brutal years. Despite Mojtaba enlisting in one of the last years of the conflict, he began a lasting relationship with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The group is Iran’s elite military wing that protects the regime at all costs. As a result, it has influence throughout the political system.

After the war, though, Mojtaba officially left the military to continue decades-long religious studies at various seminaries in Qom, another major Shia center of learning.

Despite his background, he never held an official clerical position, according to the BBC, but he kept contact with the IRGC and began immersing himself in regime circles.

Mojtaba’s father opposed his son’s succession

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly told the Assembly of Experts in a 2025 meeting he would not want Mojtaba to succeed him, according to the New York Times.

The late supreme leader had feared that choosing his son could set a hereditary precedent resembling a monarchy; a system the revolution topped 50 years ago.

Nevertheless, Mojtaba’s strong ties to the IRGC are widely believed to be one of the main factors in his ascension.

How are the United States and Israel viewing his ascendancy?

Not favorably.

United States President Donald Trump called Mojtaba Khamenei “unacceptable” to Axios on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also against it.

When asked at a press conference Thursday about targeting Mojtaba, he said, “I wouldn’t take out a life insurance policy on any of the leaders” and called him a “puppet” of the IRGC.

Although both disapprove of Mojtaba, Trump and Netanyahu appear to have different plans for Iranian leadership.

Trump suggested the U.S. had some figures in mind to replace Ali Khamenei and not destroy the regime outright.

“Most of the people we had in mind are dead,” he said March 3, further indicating the disagreement, as Israel most likely killed them.

Netanyahu argued for decades that an Iran war should lead to regime change. Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah’s son, is reportedly his top pick.

Will he seek peace with the United States and Israel?

Mojtaba Khamenei will probably take a hardline stance alongside the IRGC, as many security officials see negotiations early in the war as a sign of weakness.

Moreover, the IRGC is behind most missile attacks targeting Israel, American bases across the Middle East and economic infrastructure in the Persian Gulf.

But a personal situation may also shape Mojtaba’s stance.

His mother, wife and daughter were killed alongside his father on Feb. 28, according to Iranian state media.

Therefore, it would be unlikely for the new supreme leader to seek immediate peace.

Eight months ago, the U.S. launched precise strikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities. It was during Iran’s 12-day war with Israel, which fell short of a full American entry.

The strikes were driven by Washington’s demand on Tehran to end its nuclear program.

A few months prior, in May 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran had 880 pounds of 60 percent enriched uranium - 90 percent is required for a nuclear warhead.

Tehran has maintained that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.

The issue has not been resolved and is causing the Middle East - still recovering from the effects of the Gaza war - to brace for another potential conflict.

Escalations amid negotiations

On Jan. 28, 2026, President Donald Trump warned on Truth Social that “a massive armada is heading to Iran,” and if Tehran didn’t “come to the table… the next attack will be far worse!”

Several warships, including the massive aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, were deployed to the Arabian Sea, off the southern coast of Iran, according to CENTCOM. The buildup has been widely reported as being far larger than that of the Iraq war.

In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his nation’s military has “their fingers on the trigger,” and would “immediately and powerfully respond” to an attack.

Despite the threats, particularly from Trump, American and Iranian diplomats have been holding de-escalation talks, first meeting in Oman earlier this month, then in Davos.

Another meeting is scheduled in Geneva on Thursday, nearly a week after Trump gave Tehran a deadline of “10-15 days.”

Does Trump want war?

His public statements suggest reluctance, preferring instead to force Iran into submission at the negotiating table through intimidation - though military action isn’t being ruled out.

At a White House breakfast last week, Trump responded to a reporter’s question on the issue of limited strikes instead of war.

He said he was “considering” limited strikes.

Predicting what will happen is tough, even for experts. However, former U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Dennis Ross, argued in a Politico op-ed that both sides don’t want a war, even Trump.

“He (Trump) thinks that he can use limited force for coercive purposes to achieve a deal and that the Iranians have an interest in keeping the conflict limited,” Ross wrote.

How does this matter for Trump politically?

Trump is flirting with the idea of some sort of military action. But another war in the Middle East could spike oil prices and wreak havoc on the U.S. economy, a crucial component of presidential approval.

Already dealing with public pressure on affordability issues and the Epstein files, Trump’s current ratings are less than 42 percent, according to Decisions Desk HQ. A war would surely push it lower.

At his State of the Union address Wednesday night, Trump said his “preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” before issuing another warning to Iran.

Trump has repeatedly framed himself in his second term as a peacemaker, although he has ordered strikes on several countries, even a full-on attack on Venezuela in January.

But he still claims credit for ending the war in Gaza through the establishment of his Board of Peace, and the Azerbaijan-Armenia and India-Pakistan ceasefire agreements.

Moreover, one of his campaign promises was to end “forever wars.” A full conflict, especially one with troops on the ground within Iran’s territory, would surely undermine his framing.

What’s next?

For the moment, Washington’s aggressive stance appears as leverage. However, Trump’s deadline is approaching, and despite the wishes of both governments to avoid war, a miscalculation could sow unavoidable repercussions.

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Emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) last month show convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein obtain multiple pieces of cloth from Islam’s holiest site in 2017, including part of the sacred Kiswa.

The disclosure drew condemnation, as the Kiswa, – the black and gold embroidered cloth that covers the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia – is deeply revered by Muslims worldwide.

Saudi authorities replace the kiswa annually. Pieces are typically gifted only to high-profile Muslims such as religious scholars and heads of state. Epstein was not Muslim.

The emails, dated February to March 2017, are part of 3.5 million files pertaining to Epstein-related documents released by the DOJ.

Three intermediaries – Aziza Alahmadi, CEO and founder of mobile gaming company Boss Bunny Games; Saudi contact Abdullah Al Maari; and Epstein associate Daphne Wallace – are shown discussing shipment logistics, an invoice and delivery to Epstein’s St. Thomas residence in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

However, they leave key questions unanswered, such as why Epstein likely bought them and whether they were authentic or complied with Saudi protocol.

The correspondence suggests it was arranged in advance and handled commercially.

A Feb. 1 email shows Maari writing to Wallace: “We will provide you the needful information of this shipment. I will let you know once we ship it.”

Subsequent emails discuss invoicing, with Wallace noting that “the value of the goods must be in US dollars,” according to the records.

The cargo was described as “artwork” being internationally shipped via British Airways, but the value listed in the mentioned invoice is not explained.

That same day, Maari sent attachments including images of cloth pieces with descriptions.

One image shows a green cloth bearing Arabic calligraphy “from inside the Kaaba. Where no one touched,” the file states.

Another shows a piece of the Kiswa described as the exterior cloth that people “pray while their hands on it.”

A third image shows a black and gold-embroidered that was “made from the same factory and material that covers the Kaaba.”

@Islamic could not independently verify the authenticity of the pieces.

In a March 7 email, Epstein himself wrote that it was “shipped from Saudi Arabia to FL.”

Wallace confirmed weeks later on March 21 that the shipment was delivered to Epstein’s residence.

“I am happy to confirm that the artwork was safely delivered to Mr. Epstein’s home,” she wrote. “His managers are taking care of the unpacking and will let him know when everything is ready for his review.”

The following day, Alahmadi, the Boss Bunny CEO, wrote directly to Epstein about one of the cloth pieces’ significance.

“The black piece was touched by minimum 10 million Muslims of different denominations, Sunni Shia and others.” she wrote.

“They walk around the Kaaba seven rounds then every one tries as much as they can to touch it and they kept their prayers, wishes, tears and hopes on this piece,” she continued. “Hoping after that all their prayers to be accepted.”

The emails do not explain why Epstein sought the cloth pieces or what he intended to do with them.

What is documented is that the shipment was facilitated primarily by Alahmadi and Maari.

How they became acquainted with the sex offender remains unclear, but they are mentioned repeatedly in the DOJ’s files.

They show hundreds of emails exchanged between Alahmadi, Epstein and associates from 2016 to 2018 not only regarding the cloth pieces but also gifts and requests to visit Epstein’s New York and St. Thomas residences.

Al Maari appears in 44 emails only discussing the shipment and is not shown writing directly to Epstein.

Although the files show the transfer logistics of the Kaaba cloth pieces, they do not explain who authorized it, nor whether Saudi protocol was followed

The Saudi government has not publicly commented on the emails.

In September, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a “Board of Peace” to govern the war-stricken Gaza Strip and help rebuild it.

One month later, a ceasefire was called in the Palestinian enclave, ending two years of war that killed more than 71,000 people and left over 120,000 wounded.

Fast forward to Wednesday, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who orchestrated the war, announced he will join the board.

Which exposes its absurdity and greatly undermines its credibility for multiple reasons.

Netanyahu’s war not only killed tens of thousands, but wreaked havoc on Gaza’s infrastructure and food supply.

Over 90% of the enclave’s buildings were destroyed in a 200,000 tonne bombing campaign, equivalent to six nuclear bombs.

Gazans faced famine from August to December 2025, killing more than 440 people.

To top it off, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 for allegedly using “starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population” between October 2023 to May 2024.

An alleged war criminal chairing a board of peace makes absolutely no sense.

Trump’s board of peace was first outlined in his 20-point peace plan for Gaza. It stipulated that the body would have “oversight and supervision” over a Palestinian technocratic committee that would run the enclave but would be at the lowest level of the administration.

Essentially, the board would have the final say, contradicting the peace plan, which states that the U.S. “recognizes” Palestinian statehood.

There is absolutely no recognition of this sort as the board stands, with Palestinians being at the lowest level of the administration, and Netanyahu at the top.

Rather, it is the complete opposite, as the prime minister stated in September “there will be no Palestinian state.”

The board’s system clearly has its flaws, and despite numerous Muslim-majority and Arab countries have been invited as co-chairs, such as Egypt, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and others, several European allies have declined.

France, one of the countries which pushed for the ceasefire and officially recognized Palestine as a state back in September, rejected its invitation, saying it would “replace the United Nations.”

Sweden and Norway, which also recognized Palestine, issued similar statements.

Inviting Netanyahu to the board makes it void of legitimacy.

“I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars,” U.S. President Donald Trump said in his November 2024 victory speech.

It was one of the pivotal promises made during his presidential campaign.

For a time, it appeared he was working toward fulfilling that promise.

Trump heavily pushed for last October’s ceasefire, which ended the destructive and internationally condemned Israeli war on Gaza, a specific pledge he made during his campaign.

He pushed for a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in May and brokered a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia in August over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

He tried twice, and is still trying, to end the war in Ukraine.

But by January 2026, the president has bombed seven countries over the span of a year, including most recently, Venezuela.

Here are those seven:

Venezuela
On Saturday, Trump announced on Truth Social that American forces carried out “successful strikes” in Caracas, targeting defense capabilities and capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, charging them with narcoterrorism in New York the following day.

He shared a video showing dozens of strikes hitting targets in the capital.

On Monday, a Venezuelan defense official told the New York Times that at least 80 people, including civilians and security forces, were killed in the attack.

At a press conference in Mar-a-Lago, Trump said the U.S. would administer the resource-rich South American country “for a period of time.”

He added that “we’re in the oil business,” claiming the U.S. would sell Venezuela’s oil to other countries.

The strikes followed months of attacks on alleged drug vessels off Venezuela’s coast, with U.S. officials accusing the government of smuggling illicit drugs into the country.

American forces also struck a Venezuelan port in December, just one week before Saturday’s attacks.

Nigeria
Trump ordered “powerful and deadly” strikes in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto state on Christmas Day, targeting what the U.S. claimed were ISIS-affiliated groups.

While no official death toll has been released, the strikes followed weeks of diplomatic pressure from Washington urging Abuja to address a so-called “Christian genocide” in the region.

Northern Nigeria has faced decades of instability, with insurgent violence killing nearly 60,000 Muslims and 125,000 Christians since 2009, according to a Catholic monitoring group.

The strikes marked the first known U.S. military action in Nigeria, according to Al Jazeera.

Iraq
Trump ordered airstrikes against ISIS targets across Iraq throughout March 2025, particularly in al-Anbar province, where the group’s second-in-command was killed, according to U.S. Central Command.

The president praised the strikes, writing “Today, the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed,” on Truth Social, adding they were carried out “in coordination” with Iraqi and Kurdish authorities.

ISIS rose to global prominence in 2014 after seizing large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Though the group now holds virtually no territory as of 2026, it continues operating through small cells and pockets across the region.

Somalia
At least 111 U.S. strikes targeted ISIS-Somalia positions across 2025 in the Horn of Africa nation.

Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda offshoot that pledged allegiance to ISIS in October, has fueled further instability in a country plagued by conflict since the 1990s.

Roughly 7,289 people were killed by militant groups last year, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

While Washington has not disclosed civilian casualties, at least 11 civilians, including seven children, were killed in December strikes, according to Drop Site News.

Iran
Trump ordered U.S. forces to strike Iran’s Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan nuclear sites on June 22 during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel.

Despite brokering a ceasefire the same day, he justified the strikes in a televised address, claiming Iran was nearing “weapons grade” nuclear capability.

No casualties were reported from the American strikes.

However, more than 1,100 Iranians and 28 Israelis were killed during the short war, according to both governments.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said the facilities were severely damaged.

Yemen
Yemen was Trump’s most-bombed country in 2025, with strikes largely targeting the northeastern regions controlled by the Houthis.

From 2023 to 2025, the Houthis attacked mostly Israeli-linked trade vessels in the Red Sea, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

U.S. strikes began under Biden but intensified under Trump, particularly during Operation Rough Rider in March, targeting weapons and air defenses.

On May 6, Trump declared a ceasefire with the Houthis, brokered by Oman.

The Houthis estimated around 500 fighters were killed, while Yemen’s Health Ministry reported at least 123 killed and 247 wounded.

Syria
Seventy ISIS targets across Syria were struck on December 19 during Operation Hawk Eye, following the killing of two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, according to CENTCOM.

Although ISIS did not claim responsibility for the killings, it remains active in eastern Syria, where less than 1,000 U.S. troops remain stationed by the Trump administration, according to the Pentagon.

Inpairs, a Muslim “dating” website founded in 2022, aims to modernize the traditional matchmaking role of what founder and CEO Zachariah Elkordy calls “WhatsApp aunties” for single Muslims seeking marriage.

As of December 2025, Inpairs has more than 5,000 registered users looking for a potential spouse.

Elkordy said the idea began with a single Instagram story in spring 2022, after several people asked him to set them up while he was studying in medical school.

“I had a series of weird weeks back to back where I would have people come and ask me if I could help them find somebody,” Elkordy recalled. “Not because I was known as a matchmaker, or anything like that. It was just people who were like ‘Hey Zach, you know a lot of people. Do you know anybody for me?’”

“By the fifth week, I had five people asking me,” he said. “So I posted something on my Instagram story like ‘hey, if anybody’s single and wants to get cuffed, send me a DM.’”

Elkordy soon found himself juggling hospital work with matchmaking.

“I was doing an overnight shift and helping sew up a gunshot wound” followed by messaging people “what are your height preferences?”

“It was the most ridiculous experience,” he continued, saying more than 70 people sent him direct messages.

He briefly considered hosting a “Muslim Love Is Blind”–style project or speed dating, but said he was dissatisfied with existing Muslim dating apps.

“There were a million Tinder knockoffs,” he said. “I was on Salams and didn’t find anything. I was on Muzz and didn’t find anything.”

Muzz and Salams did not immediately reply to Islamic for comment.

Elkordy’s frustration led to a different idea.

“You know what? I’m gonna have fun with it,” he said. “I’m gonna build a unique solution to this existing problem, which is that people are finding it difficult to meet other people.”

“I realized that in every Muslim subpopulation across the world, there is matchmaking; there’s some version of matchmaking,” Elkordy said. “You have these women all across Canada and the U.S. on these WhatsApp group chats spamming each other profiles of guys, and it’s the most inefficient thing in your life.”

“But it’s the closest thing we’ve had to modern matchmaking, and that’s where the idea of In Pairs came in,” he added.

By December 2022, Elkordy had created an Excel sheet and recruited a small team of four matchmakers by asking people how many couples they had previously set up. Through word of mouth and social media, more than 1,000 people registered for the service.

“The beta was pretty successful,” he said. The first “drop” — when In Pairs releases matches to users — came in January.

“There was a couple that found each other,” he said. “They got married, and the wife ended up joining Inpairs as one of our matchmakers because she appreciated the process.”

Two and a half years later, Elkordy, who got married during that time, has invested significant time and resources into building the company. “We’re releasing matches once a month,” he said.

What sets Inpairs apart from other services, Elkordy said, is its emphasis on depth over speed.

“Whereas other platforms will ask the minimum amount of information to get you on, we ask the minimum amount of information that we actually need to put together a solid match for you.”

That information includes ethnic background, age preferences, religious practice, passions, physical fitness and financial stability.

For Elkordy, compatibility means realism.

“If you’re setting up a marriage between two people in their mid-30s, and both of them are financially unstable, it’s a very difficult relationship to hold,” he said.

That approach has drawn interest from users.

One former user, a California woman who requested anonymity, registered in June after In Pairs visited her mosque to vouch for the service.

“You could only have three options at a time,” she said, explaining that it “takes the ‘analysis paralysis’ out of it.”

Compared with apps where users “swipe left or right on people based entirely on looks,” she said, “having a not-outdated matchmaking service that uses tech as fresh as AI is pretty cool.”

Although she ended her subscription in August, she said she spoke with one potential match.

“I did talk to one person, who, all things considered, was a great candidate. But he lives in Washington and I’m in California… I politely declined moving forward.”

Another California user, a male, said he joined after friends successfully found partners through the service.

He said he broadened his preferences when signing up, including accepting a one-year age gap and openness to marrying outside his South Asian culture.

“For some reason, the matchmaker kept pushing the far ends of my preferences,” he said. “It would always give me a 27-year-old from outside my culture and from outside California.”

“There hasn’t been a solid match yet,” he added, though he said he remains subscribed and is waiting for the app version of In Pairs. He said matchmakers could improve by better aligning matches with users’ stated preferences.

Elkordy acknowledged the feedback and said the company is working through such issues ahead of the app’s anticipated December release.

“This is a work in progress,” he said, adding that users are encouraged to explain why they reject a match. “When they do, we can figure out where we are getting things wrong, and where we are getting things right.”

He said Inpairs is also investing in artificial intelligence to improve matchmaking.

“We’re looking at our successful matches, unsuccessful matches, and then looking at our actual matchmaker data so we’re able to piece together this pretty robust matchmaker AI that’s supervised by the matchmaking and engineer teams,” he said. “We’re very invested in making sure that all the matches that go out are as good as we can get them.”

Despite the setbacks, the two users did say they would refer the service to their friends, with the female user describing the company as “a pretty valuable resource.”

Like other Muslim “dating” services, Inpairs faces stigma from some Muslims, as modern dating is discouraged in Islam.

Elkordy said the company addressed those concerns by seeking religious approval.

Inpairs, he said, is “the only service that went to an American Muslim jurist” to present its model.

He said multiple scholars “endorsed us publicly in front of hundreds of other sheikhs, and every mosque we’ve worked with has approved us.”

Growing up, I made sure to watch my words whenever my family called our Syrian relatives overseas. My mother, a Syrian Palestinian, would always warn me: “Be careful what you say. The government is always listening.”

My grandparents put it more bluntly. In Bashar al-Assad’s Syria, they said, “even the walls had ears.” It was a common phrase in the country for more than half a century.

Although I am half Egyptian on my father’s side, I have always felt a deep connection to Syria, despite the fact that I have yet to visit this wonderful country. My grandparents often spoke about its simplicity – the people’s warm and collectivist outlook, and the beauty of its landscape.

But they lived under the Assad regime’s yoke, a government that turned a once-thriving Middle Eastern country known for its textile industry and role as a trade hub, into one of the world’s most brutal police states.

It began with the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, a pan-Arab ultranationalist party that took control over Syria in a 1963 coup. One of the most powerful members of the party, then-Defense Minister Hafez al-Assad, overthrew his colleague, President Salah Jadid, ushering in decades of despotic and tyrannical family rule.

That ended on Dec. 8, 2024.

On that day, a diverse coalition of Syrian rebel factions entered the capital of Damascus. Assad’s son, Bashar al-Assad, who had ruled since 2000, fled to Russia.

And last week, Syrians celebrated the first anniversary of Assad’s ouster with Liberation Day.

Videos on social media showed crowds filling cities like Homs and Hama, waving the green, white, black and red-starred Free Syria flag. In Damascus, fireworks lit the sky around Umayyad Square late into the night.

It took Syrians 54 years of patience – 14 of which was a bloody civil war that killed more than 600,000 people – to finally take a breath of fresh air without fear.

For decades, Syrians lived knowing one slip up in a conversation about the hardships under the regime could lead to disappearance in the middle of the night. Latest figures estimate that more than 300,000 Syrians were kidnapped by security services under the Assad regime, never to return.

That fear defined daily life.

Syrians were also celebrating the return of faith to public life. Syria is a moderately conservative society, and under the Assad regime, religious expression and public worship were often restricted, even for Muslims and especially for Christians. Today, many Syrians can practice openly again.

More than anything, however, Liberation Day represents hope. A hope for normalcy, electricity around the clock, more jobs and the stability that many people around the world take for granted. It also represents a hope for Damascus to once again become a center of regional trade and prosperity, not a center for economic isolation and poverty.

That hope remains fragile.

When the rebels assumed control of Syria, the coalition leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, became president and created an interim government.

His background remains controversial, as he fought for Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria before splintering from the terror group after an alleged change of heart.

Despite this, many see him as a leader capable of stabilizing the country and balancing Islamic values with engagement with the West, which he is somewhat delivering. So far, the U.S. under President Donald Trump has lifted all economic sanctions against Syria that were levied during the Assad regime. Al-Sharaa even personally met Trump twice, the latest of which was at the White House last month, the first for any Syrian leader.

Trump told reporters “we all want Syria to become a successful country, and I believe he can do it,” adding that “we’ve all had rough pasts” in reference to al-Sharaa’s past al-Qaeda ties.

However, critics fear a new form of authoritarianism in Syria – an extreme, Islamist one – that would make many Syrians’ long fight for freedom be in vain. And they have good reason to be.

Aside from al-Sharaa’s past raising obvious concerns, particular incidents under his rule raise alarm.

Early this year, elements of his security forces killed nearly 1,500 people belonging to Shia Alawite minority, which the Assad family belonged to. And although al-Sharaa vowed to punish the perpetrators, including “even among those closest to us,” human rights organizations have criticized his government’s trials against suspects for lacking transparency.

Moreover, the constitutional declaration, which was signed in March and aimed to be used as Syria’s interim constitution, gives swathes of power to the executive branch, with observers arguing it could easily be used to undermine the rights of minorities.

Despite it all, one thing is certain: Syria is free of the Assad regime.

And whether or not the country will once again be ruled under another tyrannical regime is unclear. But for the first time in decades, Syrians can debate that future openly — without whispering, without fear and without worrying whether the walls are listening.

One week ago, an Afghan immigrant to the U.S., Rahmatullah Lakanwal, ambushed Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, critically injuring both. Tragically, Beckstrom would succumb to her injuries the following day.

U.S. President Donald Trump labeled it a “terrorist attack,” and days later, in an extreme and punitive measure, the State Department announced it would halt all visas and asylum applications for Afghan passport holders – an extreme decision that blames all Afghans for the actions of one individual.

Furthermore, the shooting fueled a wave of American politicians, primarily Republicans, to target an entire religion, Islam, because Lakanwal has a Muslim name.

Shortly after the attack, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said “We need to ban all Islamic immigrants and deport every single Islamist who is living among us just waiting to attack.”

His colleague, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), wrote on X “NBC is reporting the targeting of National Guardsmen was an act of Muslim terror by a non-American Muslim. Dark days ahead.”

The identity of the shooter gave American-Muslims a far too often fear. When over five million American Muslims hear about any shooting taking place, they find themselves hoping “I hope the attacker isn’t Muslim” because it is the complete opposite of what Islam means to them.

As a news outlet run by American-Muslims, @Islamic joins other Muslims nationwide in condemning both the attack simply because it has no place in the religion we cherish, and the Islamophobic rhetoric spewed by these politicians.

Our country’s five million Muslims – and the world’s two billion other followers of Islam – reject violence, believing Islam is a faith rooted in a loving devotion to God, to establish peace between peoples, to support justice and strive for good works.

These are principles constantly mentioned in Islam’s holy book, the Quran, in more than 500 verses.

It strongly condemns the killing of innocent people in Chapter 5 verse 32:

“Whoever unjustly kills a person, it is as if they killed all of mankind, and whoever saves one life, it is as if they saved all of mankind.”

We say with firm belief in Islam that the National Guards members were innocent victims of a heinous attack. They were targeted for serving and protecting their country, something our faith deeply honors.

The Islamic Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized this honor on multiple occasions.

He once told his companions “Whoever is killed protecting his property is a martyr; whoever is killed protecting his life is a martyr; whoever is killed protecting his religion is a martyr; and whoever is killed protecting his family is a martyr.”

Some of the most renowned Islamic scholars in history, such as Imams Yayha al-Nawawi and Ibn Hajar al-Askalani, interpreted this Hadith, or saying of Muhammad, as extending protection to one’s entire community and country, not only to Muslims. It is an interpretation held by virtually all Muslims today.

Moreover, Muhammad also stated that “Love for one’s country is part of faith.”

Therefore, Islam views those who choose to serve their nation, including the National Guard members targeted in last week’s attack, as honorable individuals. This faith, in no way, supports violence against anyone, especially those who dedicate their lives to serve and protect.

We stand in solidarity with the victims’ families and all U.S. service members, labeling the shooting as an attack on every American, and the safety and sanctity of the nation we call home.

We pray for the swift recovery of Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and for comfort and strength for the loved ones of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom.

Lakanwal must face justice for his heinous act, and @Islamic trusts the U.S. justice system to act swiftly and firmly so he is held fully accountable.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) visited the White House for a lavish welcome hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The ceremony was grand: the red carpet was rolled out, fighter jets roared overhead, and U.S. soldiers rode on horseback carrying American and Saudi flags. Later, an extravagant dinner brought Saudi officials together with high-profile guests, including soccer star Christiano Ronaldo, now playing for Saudi’s Al-Nassr F.C.

The Crown Prince’s visit came at a critical moment. After strained relations under President Biden, who vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah,” MBS sought to restore – and deepen – ties with Washington. This was his first U.S. visit in eight years, dating back to Trump’s first term.

Inside an Oval Office full of reporters asking questions, several topics were discussed by Trump and MBS. Among them were investments and technology.

Saudi Arabia plans to pour nearly $1 trillion into the U.S. over the next four years, particularly in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, nuclear energy and critical minerals – all central to the ambitious Vision 2030 plan. “We are going to increase that $600 billion” he said during the meeting, referring to a previous agreement, “to almost $1 trillion.”

So why does Saudi Arabia seek to invest that much money in the U.S.?

The answer lies in the Kingdom’s pragmatic push to move beyond its dependence on oil– nicknamed ‘black gold’ and expand its economic power in the region.

Oil was first discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938, and over eight decades later, the Kingdom now holds the world’s second-largest reserves, accounting for roughly 25% of the world’s supply. More than 55% of the government’s revenue still comes from oil, the main resource that has powered the modern world.

But MBS said in a 2016 interview with Al Alaribya: “Oil is not beneath the ground; it is in its people.” Some could argue he was explaining that prosperity depends on humanity itself, instead of a reliance on oil.

That philosophy is the foundation of Vision 2030, a plan to diversify the Saudi economy, society and position the Kingdom as a global tech and investment hub.

In that same interview, however, he also said that Saudi Arabia has “a case of addiction to oil” and “It disrupted the development of many sectors in the past years.” Vision 2030 aims to break that dependence by “diversifying the economy, empowering citizens, creating a vibrant environment for both local and international investors,” according to the plan’s website.

And according to the government, the plan is 85% either complete or on track as of October 2025.

Social reforms implemented by MBS were once unthinkable, but have reshaped the country. Women were allowed to drive in 2018 and could travel abroad without male guardian approval in 2019. Women were more free to enjoy public life, with economic participation jumping from 18% in 2016 to 37% in 2022.

The entertainment sector – which had severe limitations – has boomed since 2018. Some of the largest sporting, music and comedy events happened in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and coastal city of Jeddah. Megaprojects such as NEOM, the planned $500 billion futuristic city, aims to host nine million residents and have zero carbon emissions, showcases the Kingdom’s ambitions.

Technology, however, is the centerpiece, with experts saying Riyadh could be called the “Mideast’s Silicon Valley.” Saudi Arabia announced in 2024 it plans to invest $40 billion in AI through its Public Investment Fund (PIF), including a $10 billion in Google’s cloud hub. And as late as June, Saudi Arabia announced the creation of its own AI company, HumAIn, and launched the first-ever Arabic chatbot in August.

Trump emphasized AI repeatedly during the Oval Office meeting. “The agreements we are signing today in many areas - in technology and AI, in rare materials, magnet, etc – that will create a lot of investment opportunities.” This was exactly what MBS came for in regards to Vision 2030: American support for the ambitious plan.

Which came in the form of chips.

On Wednesday, the U.S. officially approved the sales of 35,000 advanced Nvidia chips worth $1 billion to HumAIn, a huge victory for MBS after U.S.-Saudi relations turned sour for years under the Biden presidency.

Whether Saudi Arabia truly becomes the Middle East’s Silicon Valley is unclear. But he is set on making it happen with Trump’s support.

Days after the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, one virtually unknown, 34-year-old immigrant and New York City Assemblyman began asking regular New Yorkers a simple question: “Did you vote for Donald Trump or not vote at all?”

Many paid no attention to him, but some did, giving him answers of frustration when it came to Democratic Party politics. Food and gas price hikes, expensive rent and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine were the most frustrating of all, and pushed people towards voting for Trump.

But one New Yorker gave an answer to the Assemblyman that would be at the forefront of his bid for mayor.

When asked about how he could vote Democrat in future elections, the man explained the left-wing party should “pay attention to the regular Americans and their economic needs.”

And one year later, on Nov. 4, 2025, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim and self-described Democratic Socialist, was elected to become the next mayor of New York.

“On January 1, I will be sworn in as the mayor of New York City,” Mamdani said during his victory speech at a Brooklyn theater full of supporters.” And that is because of you.”

The 34-year-old made history; with hundreds of millions of people across the globe having heard his name. He beat expected winner and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo twice–firstly in the Democratic primary and then in the election, and sidelining Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Mamdani became leader of the ‘capitalism capital of the world,’ and the city that experienced the horrors of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

So how did this virtually unknown, young politician make the impossible, possible?

1. The “New York for New Yorkers” slogan

In his official launching speech, Mamdani coined the slogan “New York for New Yorkers,” five words that he used to define his campaign, giving a Democrat, localized ‘America First’ feel.

“This campaign is about New York for New Yorkers—not for distant wars, not for out-of-touch elites, but for the families fighting to stay in their homes and afford this city we love.”

Affordability was at the heart of what he ran on. New York for New Yorkers, which he frequently said in clips and speeches, seemed like a breath of fresh air in a race where the media were laser-focused on candidate opinions’ on foreign affairs.

Cuomo’s staunch focus on foreign countries, namely Israel as being the first country he would visit, fell short with voters, as they had a different candidate they could vote for; a man for their city.

And Mamdani’s clever slogan paid off: A day after his victory, the slogan was described as a “stunningly successful message,” by the New York Times.

2. His campaign promises: affordability

Mamdani ran on affordability, a crucial part of daily life for New Yorkers, who live in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S.

The issue defined his campaign, promising rent freezing for 1 million stabilized households, where rent cannot exceed a certain amount per local housing laws. He said he will make city buses “fast and free” and provide funding for universal childcare for parents with 6-week old infants to 5-year-olds.

Throughout the campaign, he became laser-focused on these issues, and for good reason.

On average, New Yorkers spend 50% of their income on rent just to have a roof over their heads, a phenomenon called severe rent burden, where people have to sacrifice paying for other necessities of life like groceries, water and electricity just to have a roof over their heads.

Back in February, Mamdani explained in one of his many viral clips that “The median income for a rent stabilized household is $60,000 a year. Any rent hike could push them out of this city,”

In a city where 60% of households pay 70% above average compared to other Americans, Mamdani’s promise to freeze rent came as music to many ears. Especially when Cuomo’s counteroffer was to “accelerate housing construction” by building 500,000 new units over a 10-year period: not enough for struggling New Yorkers.

Mamdani’s promise to ensure New Yorkers can “ride fast, ride free,” also resonated deeply, as 1.4 million people, or nearly 17% of New York, use a bus to navigate the city. With the average speed of buses being 8 miles per hour and $2.90 per ride in a traffic-filled city, fixing the bus system would help many.

At one of his many Queens rallies, Mamdani attacked Cuomo, saying that the former governor would “jet to Israel,” while he would instead make “your bus to Astoria free and fast. New York for New Yorkers means free rides to work, school, everywhere—not tolls for the rich.”

The boldest promise he made however was on childcare. In his outspoken style, he explained at a Brooklyn daycare that “Universal childcare isn’t a luxury.”

“It’s what New Yorkers deserve to thrive. New York for New Yorkers means every parent works without worry—not choosing between daycare and dinner.”

He directly spoke to parents with tight budgets, amounting to nearly 40% of families that can pay up to $20,000 a year solely childcare.

3. His street interviews and viral clips garnered support from young voters

Mamdani’s street interviews became one of the most defining features of his campaign, helping him connect with young New Yorkers in a way his opponents couldn’t. He took to the sidewalks of the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, asking everyday people direct questions about their frustrations.

Those interviews went viral, showcasing average New Yorkers everyday struggles: “Rent’s killing me. Gas, food—everything up,” one truck driver said in a viral video. A mom in Queens said she didn’t vote because her “grocery bill doubled” and daycare had become unaffordable.

And one man gave a message that guided Mamdani’s entire run: “Pay attention to regular Americans and their economic needs.”

His campaign ads, however, were the ‘reel’ spotlight.

Mamdani would show himself speaking to an iPhone camera about his promises and New Yorkers’ frustration with the status quo in ways that caught the attention of young voters.

From quick and fresh videos, talking to the camera from the streets of New York to the underground subway system, Mamdani was virtually all across the city at once. Clips across TikTok, Instagram and X garnered more than 50 million views.

One of the most memorable of these clips was his Arabic ad, posted just days before Election Day.

“I know what you’re thinking — I might look like your brother-in-law from Damascus, but my Arabic needs some work,” Mamdani joked, while also talking about his favorite Palestinian dessert, Knafeh–entirely in Arabic, a language he is not fluent in.

That creativity and diversity in outreach helped him at the ballot box with young voters. Turnout among 18–29-year-olds reached historic highs for a non-presidential year, with roughly 75% voting for Mamdani—many as first-time voters.

4. The Islamophobic smear campaigns backfired–big time

Mamdani’s energetic and innovative approach to campaigning gained momentum, no doubt. And as his numbers in the polls kept rising, his opponents resorted to smear tactics in a way to level the playing field. They failed miserably.

He faced a wave of racist and Islamophobic attacks unlike anything seen in recent New York politics. The biggest smears began in June, when Cuomo’s PAC sent out flyers with Mamdani’s beard darkened.

Weeks later, Cuomo made a joke on WABC radio that Mamdani would “cheer” if another attack happened.

“God forbid, another 9/11 — can you imagine Mamdani in the seat,” he said.

And as the final weeks in the race came around, the attacks increased sharply.

According to the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, 35,000 Islamophobic posts targeted him in November alone. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) documented 127 violent threats in a single day.

But the attacks did not sway him. Outside the Bronx Islamic Center on Oct. 24, Mamdani directly addressed the hate, saying, “These racist, baseless attacks exemplify the Islamophobia Muslims face every day—but they won’t divide us.” The clip went viral, hitting 10 million views in two days.

The smear efforts ended up rallying communities around him, many of them immigrants who are too familiar with racism. It was the exact opposite of what his opponents wanted.

Moreover, Muslim turnout doubled on Nov. 4, with 97% voting for him. One-third of Jewish voters—and 43% under age 45—backed him as well, despite the smears of antisemitism because of his pro-Palestine views.

By Election Day, how the race unfolded became clear: while his opponents leaned on fear and bigotry, Mamdani stayed composed, focused on affordability allowing them to separate his character from Cuomo and Sliwa.

His slogan “New York for New Yorkers” remained at the forefront. And his slogan won.

Adil Abbuthalha founded Boycat two years ago, an ethical shopping application that divested tens of millions of dollars from Israeli-tied companies profiting off of war.

He explained that one of the biggest driving factors for creating the app was to help the average consumer “feel empowered and understand how to spend their money” by using alternative platforms that do not have relationships with giant companies.

Users have broadly echoed their approval, with thousands of reviews and 4.7 out of 5 ratings on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. One user’s review on Apple’s App Store wrote “It’s a different feeling when you spend money knowing it’s going towards companies maintaining ethical practices. Boycat makes that possible.” Another user wrote “the app is very informative and easy to use.”

But Abbuthalha’s aspirations have broadened since then. He explained that his ultimate goal is to create a global-reaching ethical system for consumers.

“We’ve told you what to boycott, but now it’s time to buy cot,” Abbuthalha said.

So he decided to continue with his favored approach: software.

“Software is huge,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is basically prove distribution works within the boycott system, and then onboard as many people into our system as possible, like we just want to platform as many alternatives that are high quality and can be global.”

In January, he began researching cybersecurity firms and found that many were operated by “former Unit 8200 veterans.”

Unit 8200 is Israel’s elite cybersecurity and intelligence division. The group has frequently been compared to the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). Some cybersecurity companies started by former Unit 2800 spies have been bought by larger U.S. companies in recent years, namely Google and Palo Alto Networks (PANW).

This has fueled ongoing debate in tech circles about Israeli influence on the American cybersecurity sector, according to Abbuthalha.

“There’s no such thing as privacy or security online anymore,” he said.

That concern led to the launching of BuyCat VPN in August, an alternative virtual private network with a “zero launch policy” that does not store nor sell user data. Abbuthalha said the service already has hundreds of users.

“BuyCat VPN is one of the first clean alternatives like this that has no spyware history, no shady ownership, and just privacy like that you can trust we will continue improving, continue growing,” he said. “It’s simply just a way for you to use it like that secret tunnel, and no one has access to it.”

For consumers unfamiliar with VPNs and cybersecurity, Abbuthalha explained how they protect internet users.

“A VPN encrypts your internet traffic so hackers, governments, or even your internet provider can’t see what you’re doing or what you’re visiting,” he explained. “It makes sure your location stays anonymous online, especially if you’re using public Wi-Fi. VPNs also help bypass censorship and firewalls by creating a secure, secret tunnel where whatever you send through it stays private and invisible.”

He said that VPNS are “attractive” for its wide range of utilities, particularly for “journalists, activists, businesses, and just everyday people who just want to watch a show safely.”

Without these services, people can expect their devices to be tracked, going to far as to ‘listen’ to words used nearby.

“If you whisper something to your phone saying, ‘I really want to buy a picnic basket or Ferrari,’ you’re gonna get ads that are all about picnic baskets or Ferraris,” he said.

Pricing for BuyCat VPN is roughly 10% less compared to other systems, according to Abbuthalha, “and we try to offer a lot of the same features.”

Annual subscription plans range from $38 to $57.

Users can sign up through the Boycat app or website, though a standalone app for the VPN are underway, according to Abbuthalha.

Abbuthalha compares online protection to road safety, calling it “the bare minimum seat belt for the internet” and that BuyCat is not only the “safe” approach, but the “most ethical.”

A June poll by YouGov showed that 84% of Americans are content with the U.S. government monitoring suspected terrorists. However, 56% are concerned about phone and internet data monitoring, and 71% are worried that extra surveillance suppresses political opinion.

While the polling shows that over half of all Americans are concerned about government surveillance, the U.S. government, since the Sept. 11 attacks, have drastically increased its surveillance against its own citizens.

Governmental agencies such as the CIA, FBI and ICE have expanded contracts with private data analysis corporations to increase such surveillance, buying company software that keeps tabs on citizens’ activity online. One of the most controversial of these corporations are none other than Palantir Technologies.

Founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel, Alex Karp and other investors, Palantir’s origins trace to counterterrorism efforts post-9/11. One of its first investors was the CIA’s venture capital arm, In-Q-Tel, embedding the company in U.S. intelligence operations early on.

Islamic interviewed a former Palo Alto Security Networks employee who specialized in data analysis to explain Palantir’s controversies. The source wished to remain anonymous out of fear for their safety.

The source described Palantir as a “data analysis company” that “takes all sets of data, all sets of signals, then predicts what could happen next with an individual.”

On paper, the explanation sounds nothing short of any online data company. However, the source explained that the name Palantir is derived from a key aspect of J.R.R Tolkien’s fantasy series Lord of the Rings: the “Seeing Stone of Sauron.”

“The name shows their Orwellian behavior,” the source said. “One of the first investors of Palantir was the CIA. I think they invested in this company so they could do things that the CIA couldn’t do.”

The source explained that effectively Palantir functions as an extension of government agencies, performing surveillance activities that corporations can achieve with fewer legal restrictions.

U.S. surveillance practices significantly expanded after 9/11 through legislation like the Patriot Act and expanded Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) powers, which allowed agencies to conduct widespread electronic surveillance with minimal judicial oversight. Much of the surveillance has been conducted in coordination with companies such as Palantir, according to the source.

These issues became one of the forefront of American issues in 2013, when former intelligence contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA) Edward Snowden exposed thousands of government documents showing mass surveillance on Americans via data and telecommunication companies.

Ever since, the issue of surveillance in the U.S. has only grown.

Into this environment, Palantir introduced Gotham, a platform integrating disparate datasets, enabling agencies to build comprehensive profiles and detect relationships across wide networks, according to The Conversation.

Palantir’s influence extends into law enforcement predictive policing. Wired revealed its role in controversial programs in Los Angeles and New Orleans, where Palantir tools identified “chronic offenders” based on data analytics, disproportionately affecting Black and Latino communities without transparent oversight.

These systems raise concerns about racial bias embedded in data and decision-making algorithms.​

Moreover, Palantir technology underpinned U.S. military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, helping identify insurgents and threats on the battlefield. Special Operations Forces campaigned to retain Palantir’s systems due to their effectiveness in combat intelligence, according to Business Insider.

Domestically, Palantir’s role in immigration enforcement has provoked significant controversy. Since 2014, the company has provided Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with the Investigative Case Management system, integrating FBI, DHS, financial, and social data sources to pinpoint undocumented individuals.

This brings us to 2025, when ICE awarded Palantir $30 million for ImmigrationOS, a platform offering real-time tracking and expedited deportations

This system enabled hundreds of arrests, including families during 2024 raids, underpinning widespread criticism from migration and human rights groups such as Mijente and Amnesty International.

According to the anonymous founder, Palantir’s analytic tools are like “AI X-ray machines” that detect seemingly benign behavior as potentially suspicious.

Much of the tools are allegedly used by governments to monitor citizens extensively, drawing predictive conclusions from all available signals, such as internet and app usage, according to the source.

“These people can help the government catch you if they find any ounce of suspicion about you, even if you’re legally doing nothing wrong,” the source added.

Privacy advocates warn Palantir’s centralization of data across agencies creates a dangerous “single point of failure” vulnerable to abuse. Many of these tools can be used through AI, which can misread or mis summarize someone’s actions as dangerous, even if legal.

Whistleblower Edward Snowden stated in a July speech that private AI companies now “run the algorithms of power,” outsourcing intelligence activities that evade constitutional safeguards.

With the alarms beginning to go off on this seeming breach of private protection and legality of extensive surveillance, some U.S. lawmakers pushed for oversight.

At the front of this initiative is the AI PLAN Act, introduced in March. It is designed to audit government contracts involving AI tools and enforce transparency.

However, critics argue these efforts are insufficient to counteract embedded structural risks. Polls reveal skepticism, with only 29% trusting government agencies to protect privacy despite 61% supporting AI’s role in national defense, according to PEW Research Center.

The Trump administration has heavily prioritized Palantir’s analytics in national security and immigration enforcement. A whopping $8 billion Army software contract with Palantir in August point to this. Moreover, Palantir secured an additional $113 million in contracts spanning Homeland Security, Pentagon and CDC, according to the New York Times.

The source explained however, that Trump has not been the first U.S. president to obtain assistance from software companies for warfare.

“Not just Trump, but even Barack Obama had a drone program that used scores to kill people,” the source said. “Now it’s created kill lists, and Palantir is used to create these lists.”

Palantir’s clients include the FBI, CIA, and the Israeli government, with access to data government agencies may not hold directly, often shared discreetly.

As the source reiterated, “That’s why this company is so scary.” He ultimately labeled Palantir “a crystal ball for governments.”

The source emphasized that as a result, American citizens should reducing digital exposure as much as possible

“Stop using WhatsApp, switch to Signal, avoid data brokers, reduce public data about yourself,” the source advised. “Use DuckduckGo.”

The source also advocated for people to come together in funding additional privacy-enhancing software.

“If the government can cancel a valid visa because it does not like what a person says, then anyone legally visiting, studying, or working in our country is in danger of politically motivated abduction,” said a group of lawyers with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., in a statement Tuesday. “This must end with Sami Hamdi.”

Sami Hamdi, a British political analyst and commentator, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Sunday at San Francisco International Airport. He had recently spoken at a CAIR California chapter gala in Sacramento and was boarding a flight to Tampa, Florida, to speak at another event that night.

Hamdi, a Muslim, was touring the U.S. on a valid visa, speaking at mosques and Islamic centers. His talks often criticized Israel’s war on Gaza and Zionism, themes that have defined his commentary for the past two years. He rose to prominence for his sharp criticism of U.S. and Israeli policy on several podcasts and media outlets.

Hamdi is also well-versed in international affairs. He is the founder of The International Interest, a geopolitical advisory firm that, according to its website, “advises on geopolitical environments and risks across the globe.”

Despite entering the U.S. multiple times without issue, the Trump administration’s explanation for Hamdi’s detention was brief.

“This individual’s visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal,” wrote Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, on X. “Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country.”

The U.S. State Department reposted her message, adding, “We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans. We continue to revoke the visas of persons engaged in such activity.”

Was Hamdi detained for supporting terrorism—or for his criticism of Israel?

A growing body of reporting indicates that his detention was influenced by far-right politicians and activists who are among the most vocal pro-Israel figures in the U.S.

Among them is Laura Loomer, who has called herself a “proud Islamophobe.”

Following Hamdi’s detention, Loomer wrote on X that he was a “Muslim Brotherhood official” and “jihadi foreign national,” without evidence, and praised his arrest. She has also repeatedly smeared New York mayoral candidate and American citizen Zohran Mamdani, another Muslim, calling him a jihadist and communist and demanding his deportation.

Amy Mak, another far-right activist, wrote on X on Oct. 22, days before Hamdi’s detention, that he was touring the U.S. “training U.S. Muslims in digital agitation, electoral sabotage, and political warfare in alignment with Muslim Brotherhood doctrine.”

The only “evidence” the Department of Homeland Security cited to justify the jihadist claims was a video clip of Hamdi speaking at a London mosque, where he allegedly called Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack a “victory.”

Hamdi, however, clarified his remarks in 2024 during an event in Canada, where he denounced Hamas.

“No one is saying October 7 was right,” he said. “People are saying October 7 was a natural consequence of the oppression that is being put on the Palestinians.”

Many intellectuals—Muslim and non-Muslim—have expressed similar views, none of whom have ties to jihadist movements. Some are even Jewish.

Jewish-American political scientist Norman Finkelstein in a March 2024 Sheerpost interview called Gaza a “concentration camp” and provided context to the deplorable situation in the enclave while also condemning the killing of civilians.

“Most of the young men who burst the gates of Gaza on October 7th, they had been born into a concentration camp, Finkelstein said. “And as of October 6th, the very high probability was that they were going to die in that concentration camp. I found it very hard to fastly condemn them. I said, condemn them [Hamas] because I don’t have any difficulty in condemning atrocities, the targeting of civilians.”

Masha Gessen, a Jewish Russian-American journalist, wrote in The New Yorker in December 2023 that “The Gaza Strip is a place where some two million people live in an open-air prison, cut off from the world by an Israeli blockade, and subject to regular military assaults. The attack was a desperate act of resistance against this suffocating occupation.”

In the same piece, Gessen denounced Hamas, calling them “a tyrannical power that attacked Israel and committed atrocities that we cannot yet fully comprehend.”

Moreover, the claim that Hamdi is a member of Muslim Brotherhood (a global Islamist organization designated a terror organization by many western and Muslim countries), is unfounded.

Hamdi’s family and legal team have firmly rejected the claim that he has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

“I affirm unequivocally that he has no affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood or any political or religious group,” Hamdi’s father, Mohamed Elhachmi Hamdi, wrote on X Sunday. “His stance on Palestine is not aligned with any faction there, but rather with the people’s right to security, peace, freedom and dignity.”

Hamdi’s past speeches and interviews show consistent support for democratic engagement—not violence. He has never promoted jihadist action but has instead encouraged Muslims to pursue change through elections and civic participation.

One of his most seemingly controversial statements came when he urged Muslims to “punish Zionism through elections,” specifically by voting against then–Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Muslims in America are in a situation where the stars are aligning,” he said at a California mosque in September 2024. “You have the power to punish the Democrats in the elections. If Kamala Harris loses because she supported Zionism, this will lead to the collapse of the Israel lobby.”

His message mirrors earlier comments on podcasts where he criticized politicians who prioritize Israeli interests over American ones.

After Tucker Carlson interviewed Sen. Ted Cruz in June, Hamdi said on The Thinking Muslim Podcast, “If Ted Cruz loses in Texas because Americans realize he’s Israel-first instead of America-first, that’s a signal to politicians that supporting foreign agendas over American interests has consequences.”

With the seemingly baseless allegations against Hamdi, a team of Muslim lawyers was created by CAIR and the Muslim Legal Fund (MLFA), arguing his detention was unlawful.

On Monday, the legal team said in a social media statement they met with him at an ICE facility and filed a federal habeas petition challenging the legality of his detention.

They also filed an emergency restraining order “to stop ICE from any attempts at secretly transferring him and to defend his right to free speech.”

Whether or not they will be successful is unknown. However, many pro-Palestinian voices who have been arrested by ICE since Trump came into office have been set free. The cases of Mahmoud Khalil, Mohsen Mahdawi, Rumeysa Ozturk and others were thrown out after judges ruled that there was simply little to no evidence they supported terrorism because of their pro-Palestine rhetoric.

The evidence that Hamdi is a jihadist or member of the Muslim Brotherhood is simply not there.

He is a well-versed political analyst whose expertise in global affairs and consistent advocacy for democracy directly contradict the government’s claims.

His criticism of Israel and support for the America First movement—urging citizens to prioritize domestic interests over foreign lobbies—are political positions, not threats to national security.

Detaining Hamdi for his speech sets a dangerous precedent that the Trump administration has created: one where lawful dissent and political critique are treated as crimes. His case is not about terrorism. Rather, it is about silencing a Muslim voice unafraid to challenge power.