munaeem

[munaeem]

Game Over for Urban India? UAE's New Golden Visa Could Change Everything for the Elite

A New Era of Visa Accessibility So, what’s this buzz about the UAE’s new Golden Visa? Picture it: the United Arab Emirates has rolled out a fresh incentive that’s shaking things up for Indian professionals. Gone are the days when rich investors were the only ones getting a foot in the door. Now, the UAE is pivoting with a nomination-based Golden Visa that opens the floodgates to a wider audience…

[munaeem]

Traffic Tickets and Deportation: Indian Immigrants at Risk

The topic of politics and immigration is always buzzing. Recent events have made it even sharper, particularly around the targeting of Indian immigrants. You might have heard about it, but let me break it down for you. Picture this: you’re an Indian student. Perhaps you are studying in the States and living your life. The occasional traffic ticket is just a minor inconvenience, right? Well, not…

[munaeem]

The Jet Set: Iran's Game-Changing Embrace of Chinese Warplanes

So, picture this: it’s 2023, and the world is buzzing with rumors of military pacts, high-stakes diplomacy, and shifting alliances. In the middle of it all is Iran, shaking things up by signing a whopping deal with China for 36 advanced J10C fighter jets. It sounds like something out of a geopolitical thriller, doesn’t it? But wait—this isn’t fiction; it’s reality, and it has significant…

[munaeem]

The Pakistani Army's Complex Role in 1971: Power, Politics, and the Making of Bhutto's Pakistan

By Munaeem Jamal – January 4, 2025 The year 1971 remains one of the most consequential in Pakistan’s political history, fundamentally reshaping the relationship between civilian leadership and military power. The Pakistani Army’s role during this tumultuous period was paradoxical—simultaneously serving as the instrument of state repression that led to national dismemberment and as the catalyst…

[munaeem]

She Left the Church for Love—But He Wouldn’t Leave the Mosque

Why are Christian women always the ones who convert? She grew up singing in the church choir.He memorized the call to prayer before he learned to ride a bike.They met at university—two souls wrapped in different scriptures. And when they fell in love, it felt holy. Until it didn’t. Because when it came to marriage, only one of them had to let go of their faith. Guess who? The quiet trend of…

[munaeem]

The Ireland Paradox: Deconstructing Antisemitism Claims Through Comparative Analysis

Does Ireland’s post-colonial solidarity with Palestinians represent Europe’s most virulent antisemitism? Alternatively, does this characterization reveal more about the conflation of political criticism with religious prejudice? This provocative question requires rigorous examination beyond inflammatory rhetoric. It is essential to consider South Asian experiences of partition. We should also…

[munaeem]

When Religion Fuels Conflict: A Call for Compassion

Friday night, 11:47pm. A synagogue in Brooklyn is humming with Hebrew song. Just a few blocks away, a Palestinian grandmother in Bay Ridge clutches her phone, scrolling through images of rubble in Rafah. Neither of them knows the other exists. But they both whisper prayers into the same New York sky.] And somewhere online, someone types:“Am Chai Yisrael. Israel forever… Gazans can go cry a…

[munaeem]

When Faith and Depression Collide

Why mental illness is still misunderstood in religious communities She was told it was a spiritual attack.That maybe she hadn’t prayed hard enough.That if she fasted, forgave, and praised through the pain—it would lift. But it didn’t. And now, on top of the despair gnawing at her chest, she felt guilt. Deep, bone-heavy shame. Because how could a true believer feel so broken? In many faith…

[munaeem]

The Last Flight: My Mother’s Journey Through a Country That Had Stopped Loving Us”

The year was 1974. The borders were closed, the war was long over, and the sky was about to shut too. By then, East Pakistan had become Bangladesh. The slogans had faded, but the resentment lingered. For people like us—Urdu-speaking, marked by history—we were suddenly aliens in the only home we had ever known. My father worked for the Red Cross and chose to stay behind in Chittagong. His…

[munaeem]

How Leaders Sell a Ceasefire as Victory—Even When It’s Not

The latest Iran-Israel ceasefire was barely signed before it was spun. On Israeli channels, it was “a strong deterrent message.” In Tehran, it was “a heroic resistance to Zionist aggression.” And in Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s camp quietly circulated phrases like ‘historic broker’ and ‘tough but fair.’ But if you looked beyond the podiums—into the homes still boarded up, the children still…

[munaeem]

The Illusion of Victory: How Politicians Manufacture Truth in Real Time

—and why we keep falling for it It started with a single word: “obliterated.” Said once, it might sound like resolve.Said twice, like emphasis.Said on every channel, by every MAGA loyalist in Donald Trump’s orbit—it started to sound like a script. Iran’s nuclear program, they swore, had been “completely and totally obliterated.”The claim echoed across podiums, news hits, press releases.No…

[munaeem]

Trump’s “Obliterated” Lie and the Truth That Refuses to Stay Bombed

“We obliterated Iran’s nuclear program.”No, you didn’t.But nice try. They All Said the Same Word. Over and Over. It was eerie—like watching a badly rehearsed stage play. One by one, Donald Trump’s allies trotted out onto our screens and repeated it like a mantra:“Obliterated.”Iran’s nuclear sites had been “obliterated.” Totally. Completely. Decisively. Or so we were told. But as Jen Psaki…

[munaeem]

How Retail Credit Cards Turn Everyday Shoppers into Lifelong Borrowers in America

Back in March 2024, the Biden administration tried to throw consumers a lifeline. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued a new rule. This was done under the White House’s watch. The rule will limit late fees on credit cards. No more $32 penalties. From now on, banks could charge just $8. It sounded like a win. Especially for low-income borrowers and anyone already teetering…

[munaeem]

More Than a Babysitter: The Grandmothers Who Raise Us

More Than a Babysitter: The Grandmothers Who Raise UsSome women don’t just help—they hold the whole beginning. Raahima is only 15 months old.She doesn’t know many words. But she knows who to call when she’s hungry.When she’s sleepy.When her little world feels too loud or too bright. She calls for Dadi. Not because someone told her to.Because since the day she was born, Dadi has been her…

[munaeem]

Her First Word Wasn't Mama—It Was Immi

Her First Word Wasn’t Mama—It Was ImmiSome loves are so early, they feel like memory itself. The first time Raahima said a word, it wasn’t “Ammi.”It was “Immi.” Soft. Certain. Like her heart already knew where it belonged. Her mother, recovering from a complicated surgery, was resting in silence when Raahima was born. But Raahima didn’t wait. She entered the world with a full head of hair.…

[munaeem]

Financial Anxiety Is the New Normal—And We’re All Hiding It

I have a job. I have a roof. I still can’t sleep.I’ve never missed a rent payment.I don’t have debt collectors calling me.But at 2 a.m., I lie awake wondering if I’ll be okay a year from now.They say I’m middle class.I’ve got a job at the post office. My wife teaches third grade.Together we bring in about $70,000. On paper, we’re doing fine.But lately, fine feels like a house built on sand.It’s…

[munaeem]

Libya Wasn't Liberated. It Was Left in Pieces.

Introduction: The War That Disappeared In 2011, NATO jets flew over Libya, dropping bombs in the name of humanitarian intervention. The goal, we were told, was to stop a massacre. The leaders of the United States, France, and the United Kingdom promised to protect civilians and help Libya build a new democracy. Muammar Gaddafi was killed. The regime fell. But peace never came. What followed…