TESSA MULLER WRITES – The people of Pakistan are paying a steep price for their government’s equivocation in the War on Terror. Pakistan’s role in the War on Terror has long been a complicated one. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan expressed public support for the U.S.-led Coalition…
Full Article PAKISTAN: IS THE GOVERNMENT TRYING TO HAVE IT BOTH WAYS?
Disclaimer: To protect the privacy of the subjects of this article, the names of the interviewees have been changed. AIDAN SMITH-FAGAN WRITES — “It was a very atypical afternoon soccer game.” Will remembers the hushed tones in the voices of parents on the sidelines. It was unusually quiet and “parents…
Full Article AFGHANISTAN: THE STORY OF THE FOREVER WAR, TOLD BY MEN WHO SERVED THERE
NAWAF AL-SABAH WRITES- Although Colombia is the world’s top source of illicit drugs, traffickers have now made Asia a hub for both transportation and consumption. Interestingly, a few years ago, South Asian countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka became vulnerable regions for human trafficking due…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: IS THIS THE WAY TO RUN A DRUG WAR?
Following the brutal massacre in two mosques in New Zealand earlier this month, Asia Media staffers penned their thoughts on what it means to be an ally to the Muslim community, and how the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, exemplifies it. MUHAMMAD ALOTHMAN WRITES– “Welcome Brother,” the first…
Full Article NEW ZEALAND: ALLIES, THIS IS HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY
DIANA JABLONSKI WRITES — A total of 249 Malaysians and foreigners have been arrested in Malaysia for being suspected of recruiting terrorists through the use of social media. Social media platforms that were used include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. According to Deputy Home Minister Masir Kujat, 240 of those suspected…
Full Article MALAYSIA: OVER 200 ARRESTED FOR RECRUITING TERRORISTS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
BOBBY FRETZ WRITES — The world is no stranger to the terrorist organization Daesh, commonly known as ISIS. The group has been a topic of mainstream media for the last five years. With its dramatic uprising in Syria and Iraq in 2013, it might be common for people to view…
Full Article SOUTHEAST ASIA: ISIS TAKES TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO SPREAD RADICAL PROPAGANDA
TIARA SALVABILLA WRITES – In Indonesia, social media has become the norm of everyday life. People from all sectors of society have a smartphone, tablet, or laptop in-hand. Coupled with affordable data plans, Indonesia has become one of the fastest growing countries for internet use. With a population of over…
Full Article INDONESIA: EXTREMIST MUSLIMS DEMAND BALANCED TREATMENT BY FACEBOOK
LAMIYA SHABBIR WRITES- Good fences, it’s said, make for good neighbors. But what about walls? After a recent spate of terrorist attacks across Pakistan, the country’s army said it believes building a wall along the Afghan border could be good for both nations’ security. On March 31, at least 22…
Full Article PAKISTAN: AFGHAN BORDER WALL CONTROVERSY REMINISCENT OF TRUMP’S GREAT WALL
RYAN URBAN WRITES – The recent detention of two Singapore men under a decades-old law that allows people to be held for two years without trial shows just how worried – and ill-prepared – some countries are in the fight against modern terrorism. The men were detained under an old…
Full Article SINGAPORE: UNDER CAREFUL WATCH
RYAN URBAN WRITES – We need to remember this: The mass shooting in Orlando was one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The horrific mass shooting was an act of home-grown terrorism, committed by an even more sick and twisted character. And the tragedy is that something like it bodes to…
Full Article USA: AN INDIVIDUAL’S ACT OF HATE AND AN ACT OF TERRORISMERISA TAKEDA WRITES FROM PARIS – Everyone already knows what happened on the night of the night of November 13th in Paris. Social media, despite its questionable reliability, was the first to spread the word so widely about the horrible attacks. Instead of dwelling on this tragedy, I would like…
Full Article FRANCE: EXTERNAL THREAT … OR INTERNAL CONDITION?
SHUTING LI WRITES – Who are the Uighurs and why have they become such an issue in East Asia? Here is a simplified analysis – absent of ideology, slant and misunderstanding – that you won’t normally find in the mainstream news media. First of all, we must note that conflict in…
Full Article CHINA: Uighurs, the Under-Told StoryAUSTIN SZABO WRITES – The deaths of three reporters at the hands of Taliban gunmen Jan. 17 is the latest in a series of terrorist attacks designed to silence anti-Taliban reporting in the afflicted country. On Friday, a group of gunmen on motorcycles shot into the van of three Express Tribune…
Full Article PAKISTAN: Death of Tribune Staffers Underscores Dangers of ReportingLEXIE TUCKER WRITES – Social conduct dictates that people should avoid discussions of religion and politics, but should the media abide by these social laws too? This year will mark the 19th anniversary of the the Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth) doomsday cult’s toxic nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.…
Full Article JAPAN: Finally Facing A Touchy Subject