Commentaries by Mohamed ‘Arafa

Speaking at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 9, President Donald Trump made a headline-grabbing commitment: should Republicans maintain congressional control (House of Representatives and the Senate) in the upcoming November midterm elections, he would authorize a $5,000 cash distribution to every American adult, to be called the “Trump Dividend.” The next night, [...]

The most striking aspect of the Trump administration’s legal argument for the attack on Iran is that, in practical terms, it simply does not exist. When President Donald Trump announced that the United States was “at war,” he claimed the strikes were intended to eliminate “imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” yet offered no evidence [...]

On February 10, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order, “Pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement to Further American Economic and National Security” (FCPA EO), directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to halt enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) until new guidelines and policies are released. The aim of this move is to [...]

In 1996, when Professor Bernard Hibbitts first established JURIST, few could have foreseen the impact the project would have. Whether measured in terms of the individual lives it has touched, its global reach, or the impressions it has left on the landscape of online legal news coverage, JURIST’s role cannot be overstated. What began as [...]

Signed by President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2025, the executive order titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats” lays the foundation for yet another discriminatory policy targeting individuals from predominantly Muslim and Arab nations. This directive mirrors the controversial 2017 Muslim Ban, granting the [...]

It is unbearable to observe the events of the last few days in the Middle Eastern region, especially between Israel and Palestine with anything other than shock and horror. These events have left us deeply disturbed, our hearts heavy with the distressing images of death, destruction, and suffering, as we mourn all the dead. At [...]

To what extent can the United Nations (UN) prevent and control so-called anti-corruption campaigns that serve only to bolster the power of authoritarian regimes? As authoritarian power spreads, this is an increasingly urgent question. If the UN does not take measures to track and curtail illegitimate anti-corruption campaigns, it is the people whom these campaigns [...]

Rule of Law and Transitional Justice: A New Islamic Discipline “The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah . . . But indeed, if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an exercise of courageous [...]

In what may have been one of the most consequential decisions since the notorious Korematsu case of 1944, when the Supreme Court upheld the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the Court (in June 2018) voted 5-4 vote to uphold President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Like the Korematsu judicial ruling, Trump v. Hawaii raises [...]

In the wake of the world outrage at the viciousness of reporters’/journalists’ assassination (killing), lawmakers and human rights activists have said “enough.” Under the United States federal law, the Treasury Department is “empowered to prohibit entry into the U.S. and freeze assets of people considered responsible for corruption and human rights violations … effectively blocking [...]