Prominent Figures Join 5-Day Hunger Strike in front of White House for Ceasefire

The New York Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today denounced the blanket condemnation made by New York City Mayor Eric Adams against a pro-Palestinian rally that took place in Times Square yesterday. On Sunday, Mayor Adams responded to the rally with a tweet, stating that the protestors were “spreading hatred” and that he found it “deeply troubling this group of extremists express support for terrorism.”

In a strong and unequivocal response to the ongoing attacks in Israel, President Joe Biden issued a statement this morning, reaffirming the United States' unwavering support for Israel's security. President Biden condemned the "appalling assault" against Israel by Hamas fighter from Gaza, while emphasizing that terrorism is never justified.

In a decisive move, the United States Department of State announced today the imposition of sanctions on a transnational procurement network known to be linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This network, consisting of five entities and two individuals based in Iran, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, has been actively involved in acquiring sensitive components for Iran’s one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program.

Bangladesh, on Thursday, strongly condemned Israeli forces for a raid and attacks on innocent Muslim worshipers at the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The Foreign Ministry, in a statement, condemned the attack, saying Israeli forces on Wednesday morning used violence against worshipers and civilians during prayers.

Another earthquake struck the border region of Turkey and Syria on Monday, just two weeks after the area was devastated by a larger quake that killed more than 47,000 people and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

More than two dozen US-based charitable organizations are on the ground in Turkey and the Syrian border to support earthquake victims. The ASH Foundation USA began its relief efforts in Turkey. Over the last three days, hot meals have been organized for 3,000 people daily in Malatya one of the areas affected by the earthquake. It introduced Bangladeshi "Mehmankhana" in Chittagong, organized by the Alhaj Shamsul Haque Foundation, where all hungry people participate regardless of party-like-religion-caste-gender. On February 17th, Foundation Chairmen Nasir Uddin told the Muslim News Network that ten generators were distributed in Turgut, Adina. On February 18th, "Mehmankhana" will continue to hit the most affected areas. Victims can get containers, solar water heaters, solar room heaters, hygiene products, and sanitary pads through a program run by the foundation. The Chairman of the Foundation Engineer, Muhammad Nasir Uddin, monitors all the work directly from the field.

News had just broken of the catastrophe in Turkiye and Syria around the time Zakat Foundation of America’s founder and executive director, Halil Demir, got a call from his sister in Gaziantep, Turkiye.

Monday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Cooperative Foundation and five of its board members, the Deputy Minister of Intelligence and Security, and four senior IRGC commanders in Iran under human rights authorities. Today’s action, in coordination with both the United Kingdom and European Union, targets a key economic pillar of the IRGC, which funds much of the regime’s brutal suppression; as well as senior security officials coordinating Tehran’s crackdown at the national and provincial levels.