Salim Muwakkil -- All Articles -- In These Times

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Salim Muwakkil

- Features
- 24 Aug 09
The ‘Post-Racial’ President

Barack Obama navigates a world where color still matters. more

vol. 33, iss. 09 obama, race
- Views
- 16 Jun 09
Government-Assisted Terrorists

On May 20, federal and New York City authorities arrested four men on charges of plotting domestic terrorist attacks.… more

vol. 33, iss. 07
- Views
- 30 Apr 09
The Irony of Obama’s Boycott

America's first black president refused to attend a U.N. conference on racism. more

web only international, obama
- Views
- 26 Mar 09
African-Americans Back Burris

The African-American community's unified efforts to retain Roland Burris as the lone black U.S. senator has chastened national Democrats,… more

vol. 33, iss. 04 congress, politics, race
- Views
- 26 Feb 09
Will Holder Hold Cops Accountable?

Eric Holder, the first African-American attorney general, takes over a Department of Justice (DOJ) that has been AWOL in… more

vol. 33, iss. 03 civil rights, criminal justice, race
- Views
- 10 Feb 09
Justice for Jon Burge’s Victims?

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald dominates the news these days for his arrest and probe of Illinois Gov. Rod… more

vol. 33, iss. 02 criminal justice, race
- Views
- 25 Dec 08
Al Qaeda Plays the Malcolm Card

When media reports emerged that al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, disparaged President-elect Barack Hussein Obama as a… more

vol. 33, iss. 01
- Views
- 27 Nov 08
Proud of Obama … For Now

Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States on Nov. 4. What was once a… more

vol. 32, iss. 12 elections, obama, race
- Views
- 09 Oct 08
An Exemplar of Reconciliation

Almost unnoticed, Imam W.D. Mohammed died of heart disease and diabetes on Sept. 9 in his modest home in… more

vol. 32, iss. 11 race, religion
- Views
- 23 Sep 08
The War We Won’t Talk About

The war on drugs has gotten little traction during this presidential campaign. The last time it was even mentioned… more

vol. 32, iss. 10 drugs, elections, race
- Views
- 14 Aug 08
Getting Messy With Jesse Helps Obama

I find it hard to believe that the Rev. Jesse Jackson was unaware the Fox News mic was hot… more

vol. 32, iss. 09
- Views
- 15 Jul 08
Chicago’s Olympic Dreams Undeserved

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has set his sights on winning the gold for his city. The International Olympic… more

vol. 32, iss. 08
- Views
- 17 Jun 08
Israel’s Openly Secret Nukes

Foes of nuclear proliferation got two disturbing bits of news last month. One was the May 26 report by… more

vol. 32, iss. 07
- Views
- 13 May 08
The Vendetta Against Black Men

Despite the rise of Sen. Barack Obama, black men remain in the bull's-eye of governmental repression and police brutality.… more

vol. 32, iss. 06
- Views
- 10 Apr 08
A Speech Even Condi Could Love

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently called race-based slavery a "birth defect" that still troubles our nation. Her words… more

vol. 32, iss. 05
- Views
- 18 Mar 08
The Man or the Movement

In writing a book about Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor, I wondered whether it was the people or… more

vol. 32, iss. 04
- Views
- 14 Feb 08
How Black is Obama?

How can racism still be a problem if so many white Americans are willing to support a black man… more

vol. 32, iss. 03
- Views
- 05 Feb 08
Nas: Whose Word Is This?

The rapper Nas has thrust the word "nigger" back into the limelight by making it the title of his… more

vol. 32, iss. 02
- Views
- 13 Dec 07
Come on Cosby, Stop Hatin’

Cosby makes blanket indictments of an entire class of black people and offers only exhortations from the sidelines more

vol. 32, iss. 01 race
- Views
- 23 Nov 07
Harold Washington Remembered

Washington's candidacy forged political unity among Chicago's notoriously fractious black community and helped bring the city's feuding Latino groups (including Mexicans and Puerto Ricans) together more

vol. 31, iss. 12 race
- Views
- 16 Oct 07
Jena and the Post-Civil Rights Fallacy

Around the country, black males face a criminal justice system that incarcerates them more than eight times the rate of whites more

vol. 31, iss. 11 civil rights, race, social justice
- Views
- 11 Sep 07
Smearing Israel’s Critics

Former DePaul professor Finkelstein joins a growing list of academics censored for criticizing the Holy Land's foreign policy more

vol. 31, iss. 10 censorship, middle east
- Views
- 23 Aug 07
The Counterproductive War on Gangs

The conclusion of the report, "Gang Wars: The Failure of Enforcement Tactics and the Need for Effective Public Safety Strategies," persuasively argues that punitive policies of policing that specifically target gangs increase rather than decrease gang violence more

vol. 31, iss. 09 prison, race
- Views
- 26 Jul 07
The Squandering of Obama

Political masterminds have transformed the candidate from a political visionary into an electoral product like every other presidential aspirant more

vol. 31, iss. 08 elections, race
- Views
- 30 Jun 07
Entrapping Inflated Threats

Terrorist "plots" exposed by the administration have been notable for their lack of credible threat and the whiff of political opportunism more

vol. 31, iss. 07 intelligence, national security, terrorism
- Views
- 08 Jun 07
Entrapping Inflated Threats

Was the terrorist plot to blow up JFK Airport a threat or a joke? more

vol. 31, iss. 07 conspiracies, government, national security
- Views
- 22 May 07
Blaming Hip-Hop for Imus

Instead of blaming rappers for vulgarity, social resources should be channeled to combat the conditions that create those lyrics more

vol. 31, iss. 01 art, media, race
- Views
- 19 Apr 07
Globalism with Combat Boots

The United States launched a deadly air attack against Somalia last February, using the war on terror as a… more

vol. 31, iss. 05 africa, military, military
- Views
- 03 Apr 07
Slavery and the State of Denial

On Feb. 24, Virginia's state assembly voted unanimously to express "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery. Legislators… more

vol. 31, iss. 04 race
- Views
- 13 Mar 07
For Israel’s Sake

The more we examine the disaster that is the Bush administration's Middle East policy, the more apparent becomes the… more

vol. 31, iss. 03 middle east, war on terror, weapons
- Views
- 01 Feb 07
Baracks Black Dilemma

The day after the national celebration of King Day, Sen. Barack Hussein Obama (D-Ill.) announced he was forming a… more

vol. 31, iss. 02 elections, race
- Views
- 21 Dec 06
The Caracas Consensus

Hugo Chávez's landslide reelection on December 3 reinforced Latin America's status as the primary outpost of opposition to the… more

vol. 31, iss. 01 elections, south america
- Views
- 30 Nov 06
The CBC and Speaker Pelosi

Progressive members of the Congresssional Black Caucus poised to chair committees, meanwhile "Blue Dog" and "New" Democrats pulling the party to the center. more

vol. 30, iss. 12 elections, politics, race
- Views
- 14 Nov 06
Farrakhan Steps Back

Farrakhan's failing health causes the Nation of Islam to look to the future. more

vol. 30, iss. 11 activism, race, social justice
- Views
- 21 Sep 06
The Neocons Lexicon

Republican term "Islamofacism" conflates the war on terro as a battle between the Enlightenment and Theocracy. more

vol. 30, iss. 10 politics, religion, war, war on terror
- Views
- 08 Sep 06
Corporal Punishments Hidden Costs

Corporal punishment of children linked to later interpersonal violence. more

web only civil rights, medical & health, race
- Views
- 22 Aug 06
The Reparations Bandwagon

Hurricane Katrina opens eyes to the need for reparations to repair the race/class divide. more

vol. 30, iss. 09 politics, race
- Views
- 03 Aug 06
Police Torture and the Need for Repair

Special prosecutors Edward Egan and Robert Boyle report that Chicago Police led by Commander Jon Burge likely tortured dozens. more

web only corruption, criminal justice, government, race
- Views
- 27 Jul 06
A Terrifying Distraction

Government entrapment leads to the unlawful arrest of seven Hatian men falsely accused of terrorist actvity. more

vol. 30, iss. 08 civil liberties, government, race, terrorism
- Views
- 13 Jul 06
The Persecution of the American Taliban?

John Walker Lindh was misunderstood and mislabeled as an "American Taliban." more

web only civil liberties, race, religion, war on terror
- Views
- 20 Jun 06
Black Politics Paradigm Paradox

The recent elections of Cory Booker and Ron Dellums display two divergent philosophies of progressive government more

web only elections, politics, race
- Views
- 12 Jun 06
Diplomatic Hypocrisy in the Middle East

In May, President George W. Bush and an adoring Congress offered lavish support for a unilateral plan by Israel… more

vol. 30, iss. 07 elections, international, middle east, politics
- Views
- 19 May 06
Science: The Drug Wars Latest Victim

The war on drugs is an attack on rationality. Reason lost yet another skirmish recently when the Food and… more

vol. 30, iss. 06 criminal justice
- Views
- 27 Apr 06
Black Men: The Crisis Continues

Why Salim Muwakkil just can’t stop writing about black men’s plight
more

vol. 30, iss. 05 race
- Views
- 08 Apr 06
The Israel Lobby and its Discontents

A working paper by John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard University, titled "The… more

web only international
- Views
- 31 Mar 06
The Battle for Fred Hampton Way

In early February, Chicago Ald. Madeline Haithcock proposed to name one city block in honor of Fred Hampton, the… more

vol. 30, iss. 04 race
- Views
- 14 Mar 06
The Kanye West Effect

Unlike many in my demographic cohort, I don't hate rap. In fact, I consider hip-hop the most important musical… more

web only
- Views
- 21 Feb 06
Islam vs. the West: Clashing Sensibilities

Were it plausible, I would suggest that al Qaeda and American neo-conservatives planted the cartoons published last fall in… more

vol. 30, iss. 03 religion
- Views
- 29 Jan 06
Black History Month Matters

While reading an interesting story in the New York Observer about the overwhelming whiteness of the magazine industry, I… more

vol. 30, iss. 02 race
- Views
- 19 Jan 06
Reflections on Tookie’s Execution

Last month's execution of Stanley Tookie Williams is part of a grotesque revenge ritual that likely will deepen the… more

web only criminal justice
- Views
- 21 Dec 05
What’s the 411 on 9/11?

In early December, the 9/11 Public Discourse Project--a private group formed by 9/11 Commission members after their official term… more

vol. 30, iss. 01
- Views
- 10 Dec 05
Torture in the Homeland

Torture is much in the news these days. "We do not torture," President George Bush declared last month, after… more

web only civil liberties
- Views
- 19 Nov 05
Jump-Starting a Movement

Many participants returned from the Millions More Movement event in Washington D.C. convinced that the October 15 rally was… more

vol. 29, iss. 26 race
- Views
- 07 Nov 05
Give Me Cognitive Liberty

Psychoactive drugs offer access to varied states of consciousness; restriction of this access is a fundamental form of repression.… more

vol. 29, iss. 04 criminal justice
- Views
- 18 Oct 05
Katrina, Cosby and Class Divisions

Hurricane Katrina made clear that poverty and blackness remain too intertwined to be coincidental. But while too many black… more

web only economy, race
- Views
- 07 Oct 05
Accepting the Slurs

How do black players on the NFL's Washington Redskins reconcile their team spirit with the racial slur that is… more

vol. 29, iss. 22 race
- Views
- 07 Sep 05
Katrinas Racial Wake

Hurricane Katrina and its disastrous aftermath have stripped away the Mardi Gras veneer and casino gloss of the Gulf… more

web only administration, environment, race
- Features
- 05 Aug 05
Keep the Voting Rights Act Alive

Extraordinary remedies are still required to protect minority enfranchisement more

web only congress, race
- Views
- 21 Jul 05
So Very Sorry

Occasionally I speak publicly about the racial disparities that afflict the prison-industrial complex. I often end my talks with… more

vol. 29, iss. 18 criminal justice, race
- Views
- 16 Jun 05
Black Men: Missing

The overwhelming absence of Black men has always been one of the most distressing facts about life in America's… more

vol. 29, iss. 16 race
- Views
- 21 May 05
Millions More Amassing

The Republican Party's "full spectrum dominance" of the national government and most of the corporate media has produced an… more

vol. 29, iss. 14 activism, race
- Views
- 09 May 05
Black Clergy Rebuff Bush

During the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Rev. Al Sampson helped to organize Chicago’s Black Mobilization… more

vol. 29, iss. 13 administration, race
- Views
- 11 Apr 05
The GOPs Quest for Color

Insistent complaints from right-wing pundits about the media’s liberal bias have been effective. Now even the most extreme right-wing… more

vol. 29, iss. 12 politics, race
- Views
- 10 Mar 05
The Clash of the Cults

The war on terrorism declared by the United States on radical Islamists is little more than a proxy battle… more

vol. 29, iss. 09
- Views
- 02 Feb 05
The Persistent Taint

This is the time of year when the subject of race is almost mandatory for a black commentator. The… more

vol. 29, iss. 07
- Views
- 20 Dec 04
Gary Webb, Word Warrior

In September 1998, Esquire ran an article chronicling the sad saga of investigative journalist Gary Webb, who had uncovered… more

vol. 29, iss. 04
- Features
- 17 Nov 04
A Unified Front

Three days after the reelection of President George W. Bush further marginalized the African-American community, two of black America’s… more

vol. 29, iss. 01 politics, race, social justice
- Views
- 04 Nov 04
Cornel West: Public Intellectual

Cornel West may be America’s best-known public intellectual. He’s a professor of religion at Princeton University, where he has… more

vol. 28, iss. 25 education, politics
- Views
- 01 Oct 04
The Right Choice for Terror

President George Bush is “the best recruiting sergeant ever for al Qaeda,” said Sir Ivor Roberts, the British ambassador… more

vol. 28, iss. 24
- Views
- 13 Sep 04
Black Muslims and the Sudan

It has taken a genocide in Darfur, where hundreds of thousands have been killed in a brutal campaign of… more

vol. 28, iss. 23
- Views
- 07 Sep 04
Keyes’ Ideological Quest

Alan Keyes, the conservatives’ black attack dog, has been dispatched to Illinois to sully the image of Barack Obama,… more

vol. 28, iss. 21
- Views
- 05 Aug 04
The Best and Worst of Times

Barack Obama wowed them with his speech during the Democratic National Convention. Not only is he likely to make… more

vol. 28, iss. 20
- Features
- 21 Jul 04
Prioritize Civil Rights

Democrats need to redress the social and economic inequalities expressed in the United States’ foreign and domestic policies more

vol. 28, iss. 18
- Views
- 28 Jun 04
Hip-Hop Cops

“Police Secretly Watching Hip-Hop Artists” read the headline of the Miami Herald article that put the spotlight on a… more

vol. 28, iss. 17 race, social justice
- Views
- 10 Jun 04
Black Journalisms Bright Light

Vernon Jarrett, who died on May 23, was a black journalist who covered the African-American story so doggedly he… more

vol. 28, iss. 16 media, race, social justice
- Views
- 21 May 04
Dungeons and Demons

Among the questions raised by the spiraling scandal of U.S. abuse at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison is this one:… more

vol. 28, iss. 15 civil liberties, war in iraq
- Views
- 06 May 04
McKinney Rises Again

Cynthia McKinney’s March 29 announcement that she would run for her old congressional seat gave a shot of electoral… more

vol. 28, iss. 14 elections, politics, race, social justice
- Views
- 15 Apr 04
The Blame Game

Heightened public interest in the workings of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, better known… more

vol. 28, iss. 12 administration, international, middle east
- Views
- 04 Apr 04
Shades of 1983

As I surveyed the throng gathered March 16 in Chicago’s Hyatt Hotel to celebrate the primary victory of Illinois… more

vol. 28, iss. 11 elections, politics
- Views
- 13 Mar 04
The International Wrong

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) seems to be the only governmental body concerned about the Bush administration’s controversial role… more

vol. 28, iss. 10 administration, elections, international, politics, race, social justice, south america
- Views
- 02 Mar 04
The End of Third World Solidarity?

The Bush administration has been a disaster for America’s global image. Its cavalier dismissal of international treaties and diplomacy… more

vol. 28, iss. 09 activism, international, politics, race, social justice
- Views
- 17 Feb 04
Homegrown Terrorists

When the deadly toxin ricin was found February 3 in the mailroom of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.),… more

vol. 28, iss. 08 technology
- Views
- 02 Feb 04
Reparations Suit Leaves Opening

Chicago has become the de facto center of the slavery reparations movement. Alderman Dorothy Tillman organized the first national… more

vol. 28, iss. 07
- Views
- 21 Jan 04
Racist Slurs Taint U.S. Sports

The sports media spoke in a unified voice of praise in January when Joe Gibbs was named new coach… more

vol. 28, iss. 06
- Views
- 26 Dec 03
Assessing Sharpton

The Rev. Al Sharpton already has won his race. The New York-based activist ostensibly is one of the nine… more

vol. 28, iss. 04
- Views
- 15 Dec 03
Farrakhan and the Beefs of Rap

Television viewers could be forgiven for rubbing their eyes in dismay when they happened upon a conversation between Minister… more

vol. 28, iss. 03
- Views
- 10 Nov 03
Worthy of the Land of Lincoln

Barack Obama has emerged out of Chicago’s boisterous mix of black and progressive politics as a candidate who just… more

vol. 28, iss. 01
- Views
- 17 Oct 03
Racial Bias Still Haunts Media

The fight to contain the monopolistic impulses of the corporate media has galvanized media activists. Their efforts have borne… more

vol. 27, iss. 26
- Features
- 01 Oct 03
The Bushite Strategy ...

A September report by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that more than 1.3 million additional Americans fell into poverty… more

vol. 27, iss. 24
- Views
- 15 Sep 03
The GOP’s Texas Power Grab

One of the major goals of the “southern strategy” pioneered by the Republican Party during the 1968 presidential campaign… more

vol. 27, iss. 23
- Views
- 08 Sep 03
The Devil and Daniel Pipes

The Bush administration’s war on terrorism has done little so far but increase the ranks of potential terrorists. And… more

vol. 27, iss. 22
- Views
- 15 Aug 03
The Summer of Civil Rights

The four major civil rights organizations—the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Urban League… more

vol. 27, iss. 21 civil liberties, race, social justice
- Views
- 11 Aug 03
When Warriors Dissent

“If… more

vol. 27, iss. 20 military, politics, war in iraq
- Views
- 04 Aug 03
Intelligence Report

One of the most under-reported findings of the joint congressional inquiry into the suicide hijackings of 9/11, published July… more

vol. 27, iss. 20 administration, congress, war in iraq
- Views
- 15 Jul 03
Affirmative Denial

One of the primary reasons I support the congressional bill to study the feasibility of reparations for the descendants… more

vol. 27, iss. 18 civil liberties, congress, judiciary, race, social justice
- Views
- 20 Jun 03
The End of Race?

I’m not sure if many Americans have noticed, but the concept of race has taken some devastating hits in… more

vol. 27, iss. 17 media, race, social justice
- Views
- 06 Jun 03
Neocon Convergences

A funny thing happened while following the money trail of the neoconservatives who have hijacked U.S. foreign policy. The… more

vol. 27, iss. 16 politics, race, social justice
- Views
- 28 May 03
Biowar and the Apartheid Legacy

Just as the threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction now seems a neocon-concocted mirage, word has begun leaking… more

vol. 27, iss. 15 africa, technology
- Views
- 09 May 03
The Progressive War

Among the many effects of the terrorism attacks of September 11, 2001, was the ideological shift they provoked among… more

vol. 27, iss. 14 international, politics
- Views
- 29 Apr 03
Throwing Away the Key

The Department of Homeland Security, the new cabinet post with the Teutonic inflection, was created last January to assuage… more

vol. 27, iss. 13 civil liberties, judiciary, race, social justice

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Salim Muwakkil

vol. 33, iss. 09 obama, race

web only international, obama

vol. 33, iss. 04 congress, politics, race

vol. 33, iss. 03 civil rights, criminal justice, race

vol. 33, iss. 02 criminal justice, race

vol. 32, iss. 12 elections, obama, race

vol. 32, iss. 11 race, religion

vol. 32, iss. 10 drugs, elections, race

vol. 31, iss. 11 civil rights, race, social justice

vol. 31, iss. 10 censorship, middle east

vol. 31, iss. 09 prison, race

vol. 31, iss. 08 elections, race

vol. 31, iss. 07 intelligence, national security, terrorism

vol. 31, iss. 07 conspiracies, government, national security

vol. 31, iss. 01 art, media, race

vol. 31, iss. 05 africa, military, military

vol. 31, iss. 03 middle east, war on terror, weapons

vol. 31, iss. 02 elections, race

vol. 31, iss. 01 elections, south america

vol. 30, iss. 12 elections, politics, race

vol. 30, iss. 11 activism, race, social justice

vol. 30, iss. 10 politics, religion, war, war on terror

web only civil rights, medical & health, race

vol. 30, iss. 09 politics, race

web only corruption, criminal justice, government, race

vol. 30, iss. 08 civil liberties, government, race, terrorism

web only civil liberties, race, religion, war on terror

web only elections, politics, race

vol. 30, iss. 07 elections, international, middle east, politics

web only international

web only

web only criminal justice

web only civil liberties

web only economy, race

web only administration, environment, race

web only congress, race

vol. 29, iss. 18 criminal justice, race

vol. 29, iss. 14 activism, race

vol. 29, iss. 13 administration, race

vol. 29, iss. 12 politics, race

vol. 29, iss. 01 politics, race, social justice

vol. 28, iss. 25 education, politics

vol. 28, iss. 17 race, social justice