MUSLIM MAN ATTACKS TEXAN SYNAGOGUE

Malik Faisal Akram, 44, a British citizen, took hostages at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleville, Texas,  on Saturday, according to the FBI and media reports. He appears to have acted alone, according to the bureau.  
Akram was killed and none of the four hostages were seriously injured, according to USA Today.

You won’t read the words written above anywhere else!

Everybody else is writing “British man” attacks Texan synagogue.   But this is grossly misleading.  Until fairly recently, there were few Muslims in the United Kingdom.   The change came with liberal immigration reforms, which allowed in millions of Muslims, mostly from South Asia.  Some of these Muslims have become a serious security headache for the UK and for America.   British passport holders can enter the US without a visa.    Somewhere along the line the perpetrator of this heinous act, Malik Faisal Akram, was described as having “mental problems,” which is another way of deflecting attention from his Islamic faith.   As the next article shows, the West is in total denial on this issue.  Just remember – not all Muslims are terrorists but most terrorists are Muslims!

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The West’s Denial of Terrorists’ Islamic Motivation

Everyone would agree that people’s actions are led by their beliefs. But in the case of Islamically-motivated terrorism, the West reflexively pretends that the terrorists aren’t motivated by their beliefs.

Perhaps the most prominent example of this denial is former U.S. President Barack Obama’s refusal to use the term “Islamic terrorism,” opting instead to refer to it as “violent extremism” to create the impression that the attacks are not religiously motivated, but rather a thoughtless phenomenon. President Obama said:  “There’s no religious rationale that would justify in any way any of the things that they do.”

Here are three additional examples, though there are many other cases.

Less than three weeks after the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, in which U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan shouted “Allahu Akbar!” as he shot and killed 13 fellow U.S. service members, European and U.S. editions of Time Magazine featured a cover photo of Hasan with the title “Terrorist?” over his eyes. The U.S. Department of Defense’s 2010 report “Protecting the Force:  Lessons from Fort Hood” would later classify the attack as “workplace violence,” and makes no mention of Hasan’s religious beliefs.  In 2013, a U.S. Army judge would even limit prosecutors from introducing evidence that would establish Hasan’s motives as “jihadi.”

After the 2015 San Bernardino, California attack, in which married couple Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people and wounded 24 at a Christmas party held for county officials, investigators hesitated to refer to the attack as an act of terrorism even after it was known that the attackers had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State on social media on the day of the shooting.

San Bernardino shooter Tashfeen Malik (Source: From The MEMRI Archives: Reports On Pakistani School, Radical Mosque That Played A Role In CA Jihadi Tashfeen Malik’s Radicalization, MEMRI.org, December 6, 2015)

Yet another example is the May 22, 2017 attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, in which a Muslim suicide bomber named Salman Abedi killed 22 people and wounded over 1,000. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack almost immediately, but in her statement the following day, British Prime Minister Theresa May referred to the attack only as an act of “sickening cowardice.” Some media outlets even reduced the Manchester attack to a misogynistic attack on women and did not mention the bomber’s religious motives at all. U.S. President Donald Trump, who had bucked political correctness by using the term “radical Islamic terrorism” during his campaign, referred to the people behind the Manchester attack as “evil losers.”  (MEMRI, 1/22/2022)

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EUROPE

CHINESE GOVERNMENT BUYING UP EUROPE

A staggering 40% out of 650 Chinese investments in Europe in the years 2010-2020, according to Datenna [a Dutch company that monitors Chinese investments in Europe], had “high or moderate involvement by state-owned or state-controlled companies.”

When the Chairman of the UK parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, wrote that Chinese ownership of the British microchip plant, Newport Wafer Fab, “represents a significant economic and national security concern,” UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng responded that the deal had been “considered thoroughly.” Only after considerable pressure did British Prime Minister Boris Johnson agree to a national security review of the sale.

The European Court of Auditors, an EU institution that oversees EU finances, has found that gaining an overview of Chinese investments in the EU is difficult because of the lack of comprehensive data; it seems no one is recording it.  (“China: buying up Europe,” Judith Bergman, Gatestone, 1/14/2022)

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GERMANY WANTS GREATER ROLE IN EASTERN EUROPE

Without the participation of Germany and the EU, the USA and Russia open talks in Geneva on NATO activities in Eastern Europe and arms control measures. Moscow is insisting that NATO halt its eastward expansion and the military activities near Russia’s borders. Washington rejects this, but is prepared, for example, to scale back maneuvers in Eastern Europe. Berlin and Brussels are not involved. The “Normandy Format,” under which Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine have been unsuccessfully negotiating for seven years, has been currently put on ice. Western European powers are only included in the negotiation process within the NATO framework. The German government is engaging in frantic activities to exert more influence on the talks – so far also to no avail. According to experts, the United States could hardly win a war against both China and Russia.  This is why Washington is interested in a certain degree of a relaxation of tensions on the European front.  (German Foreign Policy, 1/10/2022)

Germany Nervously Tests the Indo-Pacific Waters A quiet frigate deployment is a sign of muddled policy toward Beijing, by Blake Herzinger, a civilian Indo-Pacific defense policy specialist and U.S. Navy Reserve officer. (Foreign Policy, 3 January 2022)

A single German frigate is making the rounds of Asia. With the ship now halfway through its mission, Berlin has created more questions than it has answered with its first foray into the region in two decades.  The German Navy’s deployment of the Brandenburg-class frigate Bayern, announced in January 2021 and dispatched that August, throws into relief Europe’s dilemma in the Indo-Pacific. Despite its public commitments to concepts such as human rights, democracy, and equality, Germany (like many others in Europe) is deeply dependent on China, a power that believes in none of these, for continued economic growth.  While the European Union and China traded sanctions in a rare escalation of tensions last year, EU members are taking great pains to avoid being dragged along by Washington into a direct confrontation with Beijing. But the capitals of Europe are unable to agree on a unified approach.


Germany’s decision to go it alone was a surprising one, given the potential opportunity to integrate with the British Royal Navy’s carrier strike group deployment earlier in the year, as the Netherlands elected to do with its own frigate. During the Bayern’s visit to Singapore last month, Germany’s chief of navy—Vice Adm. Kay-Achim Schönbach—indicated that the ship was selected specifically because it was a bit older and lacked the offensive punch of some newer vessels, to avoid the appearance of provocation. (https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/01/03/german-navy-indo-pacific-frigate-china-policy/)

France takes the EU helm at a crucial time

France on Saturday assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union,  a position that rotates every six months among the EU member states by Luke Coffey, Arab News (Zawya)

France on Saturday assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union, a position that rotates every six months among the EU member states. Holding this position is a big deal. With 27 members in the EU, each country has a long wait for their turn. It is an opportunity for member states to shape the policy agenda and promote their national interests on the European stage. Countries plan for months — sometimes years —for their opportunity. France last held the presidency in 2008. This time, its presidency comes at a difficult juncture for the bloc. The initial shock of the UK’s departure has still not fully settled down. There is a debate across much of Europe on what the EU’s future should be, but it is not accompanied by any political will to make the necessary reforms or institutional changes to address many of the EU’s shortcomings. No major treaty has been agreed on since the controversial Lisbon Treaty in 2009. The desire to add new members has stalled. France is also in the middle of a contentious presidential election campaign, with voting in April. The political power of the far right poses a real challenge to Emmanuel Macron’s re-election.   (1/4/2022)

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AFRICA

China cuts Africa lending 

China, Africa’s top lender, is taking a closer look at its lending policy on the continent. Xi Jinping announced last November that China will cut overall lending to the continent by one-third until 2024, as many African countries risk default due to COVID-induced economic crises. In the future, Xi also wants to prioritize cash for small businesses and green projects over more big infrastructure stuff, a riskier investment that can leave Beijing holding a bigger bag when debts go unpaid. China has long been accused of luring African countries into a “debt trap” by lending them cash with no political strings attached, but with fine print that allows Chinese companies to take control of strategic infrastructure – like Uganda’s Entebbe airport – if they get stiffed. What some view as “predatory” lending by Beijing also enables corruption, with Kenya’s famously overpriced Nairobi-Mombasa railway as a glaring example. A defensive Beijing says that the world’s poorest continent needs Chinese loans to build infrastructure, and that the IMF also gets tough on African governments. But needed or not, China’s investment strategy is becoming more cautious.  (Gzero Signal, 1/12/2022)

African countries disallow free movement of people How to break the logjam (16 Jan 2022, The Conversation)

Most African countries signed onto the Free Movement of Persons protocol in Addis Ababa in January 2018. Its rationale was set out clearly: the free movement of people – as well as capital goods and services – would promote integration and herald in a host of other benefits. These included improving science, technology, education, research and fostering tourism. In addition, it would facilitate inter-African trade and investment, increase remittances within the continent, promote the mobility of labour, create employment and improve the standards of living. Four years after its ratification, only a handful of relatively small African states have fully ratified the Free Persons protocol. Over 30 countries signed the protocol in January 2018. But only Rwanda, Niger, São Tomé and Principe, and Mali have fully ratified it.  (https://theconversation.com/african-countries-are-stuck-on-the-free-movement-of-people-how-to-break-the-logjam-174720)

“The United Nations has estimated that since 2011, Boko Haram has killed more than 15,200 Nigerians and forced 1.7 million others from their homes as it has sought to turn Nigeria into an Islamic nation ruled by Sharia law.”  (Catholicherald.co.uk, November 5, 2021; Nigeria)

On November 17, the U.S. removed Nigeria from its list of Countries of Particular Concern, meaning nations that engage in, or tolerate violations of, religious freedom. Nigeria was the country with the most Christians killed (3,530) for their faith in 2020….. “If the U.S. CPC list means anything at all – an open question at this point – Nigeria belongs on it.”  (Hammurabi Human Rights Organization, quoting Christian Solidarity, Nigeria)

(“The Persecution of Christians,” Raymond Ibrahim, Gatestone, 1/9/2022)

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DOES JAPAN ASPIRE TO BE A SUPERPOWER? Despite its “peace constitution,” Japan has a growing military footprint, by Alec Dubro, 3 Jan 2022, Foreign Policy in Focus, Extracts:

In early November, the German Navy frigate Bayern docked in Japan after two days of exercises with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Samidare.  No, it’s not the reestablishment of the Axis Powers, but it’s still significant.“ The Indo-Pacific is today one of the strategically most important regions of the world,” Gen. Eberhard Zorn, chief of Germany’s armed forces said at a Tokyo press conference. “Here, important decisions over freedom, peace and well-being in the world are being made. Deploying our frigate to the Indo-Pacific makes clear that Germany stands up for our common values.” In other words, the Germans are doing their part to contain China, just as the British, French and Dutch have done. And, of course, the Americans.  The Japanese Self-Defense Forces have been described as the world’s fifth most powerful military. In November 2021, Japan’s military budget of $47 billion was supplemented by an additional appropriation of $6.7 billion. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the ruling LDP had pressed for the supplement because of the ongoing threats not only from China but Russia and North Korea.  This comes as no surprise to the Americans. In their April high-level meeting in Washington, both Suga and President Biden declared their intention to increase Japan’s national defense capabilities to “further strengthen the US- Japan alliance and regional security.”Regional security implies a strategic force, something that flies in the face of Japan’s 1947 Peace Constitution. 

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HOMOSEXUALITY AND ISLAM

A heated debate is currently ongoing in the Arab and Muslim world regarding the LGBTQ+ community and its rights. The debate ensued following criticism in the West over Qatar’s treatment of this community and fear that gays visiting the country for the World Cup in November 2022 will not be safe. Another factor that sparked the interest in this issue was statements made by former Egyptian footballer Mohamed Aboutrika, who said that homosexuality contravenes Islam and human nature and is not a matter of human rights.

As part of the debate, harsh statements were made against gays and against Western attitudes that accept them, including by Islamic authorities such as Al-Azhar – the most prominent religious institute in the Sunni world – and the Saudi Mufti, as well as by media figures and social media activists. 

A handful of Arab writers opposed this incitement and called to stop it, among them Egyptian poet and journalist Mohamed Tolba Radwan. In an article titled “The Rights of Homosexuals in Islam” in the daily Al-‘Arabi Al-Jadid, he wrote that, while homosexuality is indeed forbidden in Islam, Allah did not impose any punishment for it in this world, and therefore there is no reason to hate gays but only to abhor the sin itself. He called to first of all stop the verbal and physical violence directed at gays by the authorities and societies in the Arab world, and only then discuss the issue of their status and rights.    (MEMRI, 1/12/2022)

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TO THE POINT

• Britain has sent troops and weaponry to Ukraine to help with its self-defence against Moscow, the Daily Mail reported. The soldiers are expected to teach their Ukrainian counterparts how to combat Russian tanks. The paper described the development as a clear signal to Vladimir Putin.  (The Week, 1/18/2022)

• Downing Street is drawing up plans to phase out England’s remaining pandemic restrictions in March, according to reports. A senior source confirmed to The Guardian that the PM was looking at ending mandatory self-isolation for positive Covid cases, replacing it instead with “guidance”. The paper said the “beleaguered” Boris Johnson wants to signal to his backbenchers that he is prepared to let the UK live with the virus. A World Health Organisation special envoy for Covid-19 has said there is now “light at the end of the tunnel” for the UK in tackling the disease.   (The Week, 1/18/2022)

• China is waging a trade war against Lithuania in order to test the West’s resolve to stand up to Beijing, according to the foreign minister of the embattled Baltic state. Gabriel Landsbergis told The Telegraph that Lithuania was being targeted with a “weapon of economic destruction” that could “basically be used in any other country and by any other non-democratic country that has issues with another country that it doesn’t like.”   (The Week, 1/18/2022)

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FINAL THOUGHT

A few days ago, Sky News led on Boris Johnson’s problems with drinking parties being held in 10 Downing Street during Covid.   The second news item was about Novak Djokovic, the world’s number one tennis player who tried to get around Australian restrictions on Covid.   And the third profiled Prince Andrew and the ongoing sexual abuse case against him.

All three news items have the same commonality at their root.   All three were about major public figures thinking they are above the law.

Nobody should be above the law.   That’s been a fundamental principle in the English-speaking world ever since the Magna Carta was signed in 1215.  That’s not the case everywhere.  For example, while the Magna Carta brought down Richard Nixon in 1974, French presidents cannot be prosecuted while in office.

The Bible teaches us that God is no respecter of persons.  “Then Peter opened his mouth and said, ‘In truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons . . .  (Acts 10:34, 21^st century KJV) 

The kings of ancient Israel were subject to the laws of the Bible, as were the people.

^“When he (the king) takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.   (Deuteronomy 17:18-20, NIV)

In Africa it’s very common for leaders to abuse their power.   But it’s not in their interests or the interests of the people.

Leaders need to remember they are equal before the law.




GROWING MUSLIM THREAT ON EUROPEAN STREETS

“When the accused arrives at Hyttegata, he no longer has a bow and arrow. In Hyttegata, five people are killed with stabbing weapons,” Norwegian police said in a statement on Monday. Braathen is a Muslim convert who had previously been flagged for signs of radicalization. (https://rss24.news/norway-attack-victims-were-not-killed-with-a-bow-and-arrow-say-police/)

^“You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.”   (Deut. 28:19)

The suspect in a bow-and-arrow attack, which turned out to be knife attacks, that left five people dead in Norway was a recent convert to Islam who had been contacted by police over fears he was being radicalized.  A 37-year-old Danish man has been charged after admitting to carrying out the deadly attack, which also left two others seriously injured in the town of Kongsberg, according to prosecutor Ann Iren Svane Mathiassen. Norwegian security services said that it appears to have been an “act of terror.”

Police were alerted to the incident just after 6pm local time on Wednesday. The attacker then “managed to escape an initial confrontation” with police before being detained “35 minutes after the attack began,” during which time the victims “were most likely killed,” the BBC said.  (The Week, 10/14/2021)

LEIGH-ON-SEA, England, Oct 15 (Reuters) – British lawmaker David Amess was stabbed to death in an Essex church on Friday by an assailant who lunged at him as he met voters, in what police said was a terrorist attack.

Amess, 69, from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party, was knifed repeatedly in the attack at about midday in the Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, east of London.

The Metropolitan Police, whose counter-terrorism unit are leading the investigation of the incident, said in a statement early on Saturday that they declared the fatal stabbing as a terrorist incident.

The early investigation has revealed a “potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism,” the police added.   (Reuters, 10/15/2021)

Amess’ Qatar links examined
Police investigating the murder of David Amess are examining his ties to the Gulf state of Qatar. The Conservative MP was chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on the country. The man being questioned over the stabbing is the son of a former prime ministerial adviser in Somalia, where the current leadership is backed by Qatar. The MP’s family have called on the public to “set aside hatred and work towards togetherness.”  (10/18/2021)

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ISLAMIZATION OF GERMANY

The city of Cologne, once a stronghold of Christendom in Germany, has authorized mosques in the city to begin sounding Muslim calls to prayer over outdoor loudspeakers. The move, ostensibly aimed at promoting multicultural diversity and inclusion, represents a significant step toward the cultural normalization of Islam in Germany. It is taking German multiculturalism into uncharted territory.

Critics say that comparing Islamic prayer calls to church bells is a false equivalence because the muezzin proclaims religious slogans such as “there is no god but Allah” and “Allahu Akbar” (“Allah is the Greatest”).  (Gatestone, 10/14/2021)

How Germany’s far-right gained, even as it lost         

On the face of it, Germany’s main far-right party should be licking its wounds. The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, dropped about 2 percentage points in last month’s elections from its showing in 2017, when it entered the country’s parliament for the first time and won the status of being the largest opposition party in the German Bundestag. With just about 10 percent of the vote, it has lost seats and will almost certainly no longer occupy the role of main opposition party as other more mainstream parties wrangle over the shape of the next government.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Both of Germany’s two traditional political mainstays — the center-left Social Democrats and center-right Christian Democrats — won less than 30 percent of the vote. The AfD can gain a stronger foothold in a context of deepening fragmentation in German politics. In the states that once comprised Communist-ruled East Germany, the AfD is solidifying its position as a major regional force. It is particularly popular among younger cohorts of voters, and the party could be in a position to dominate in future state elections in Saxony and Thuringia.

“I’m confident that sooner or later there is no way without the AfD,” Tino Chrupalla, one of the AfD’s co-leaders, told reporters last month. “It will certainly start on the state level.”

“The AfD is here to stay,” Matthias Quent, professor of sociology at Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, told the New York Times. “There was the widespread and naive hope that this was a short-lived protest phenomenon. The reality is that the far right has become entrenched in the German political landscape.”  (Ishaan Tharoor, Columnist, Washington Post, 19 Oct 2021)

In case of further escalation of the power struggle between the USA and China, German business circles go so far as to consider breaking up companies into different regional units or taking even more drastic steps, according to a comprehensive analysis elaborated by the Bertelsmann Foundation in cooperation with the Federation of German Industries (BDI). The analysis outlines five scenarios for the development of this US American-Chinese conflict, two of which – more cooperative ones – are deemed unlikely. A third scenario envisions the continuation of the status quo, while another two anticipate a further escalation of tensions. This would lead to clearly delineated blocs, a dramatic military buildup and an eventual erosion of the EU between the USA and China, its disintegration and possibly even its economic collapse. Some companies could feel compelled to completely decouple from the Chinese market and not ruling out withdrawal from the US, or even from the “European home market.” Initial signs of a new orientation can already be discerned in current corporate decisions.   (German Foreign Policy, 10/18/2021)

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IRAN NOW FULL MEMBER OF SCO

• In another blow to the US, after many years of Iran trying to be a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), SCO members finally agreed in September to elevate Iran’s status from “observer” to “full member,” even though the global financial watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force, had placed the Islamic Republic on its terrorism financing blacklist.
• The SCO is a political, military, economic and security alliance that currently includes China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. This alliance will likely… assist the mullahs of Iran to defy the West.
• In the face of these critical developments, the Biden administration has remained silent. (Gatestone, 10/16/2021)

Danish Islamic Scholar Criticizes The Taliban:  Your Goal Should Be To Liberate Humanity From The Filth Of Liberalism, The Injustice Of Capitalism.  (MEMRI, 10/19/2021)

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US

To be clear, the spending bill is actually the creation of a national debt so massive that it has the means to destabilize a democracy dependent on a functioning economy.

For the Chinese Communist Party, seeking to master the 21st Century as the one global superpower, it represents a strategic victory without so much as firing a single bullet. They know that an economically weakened America cannot possibly sustain its military leadership when it is burdened with paying down a massive debt. Our allies and unaligned nations recognize this threat, as well, and will reinvent their relationship with China if they believe America’s best days are in the past.

This recipe for an economic apocalypse comes at a time when new job creation has stagnated and the specter of a serious inflation has begun to emerge….  As historians will tell you if we have the wisdom to listen, no one escapes the devastation of a debtor nation. No one.   (Gatestone, Lawrence Kadish, 10/21/2021)

JOURNAL‘S COMMENT ON BIDEN

What a change of political fortune. In July President Biden was still on a honeymoon with voters, but now his job approval rating is underwater. His disastrous handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal undermined his campaign pledge of governing competence, and now inflation and shortages of workers and goods are weighing on public confidence in his economic policies. The Labor Department reported that prices kept rising in September, and Americans are noticing that they’re paying more for gasoline, food, houses, cars and more. (Wall Street Journal, 10/18/2021)

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TO THE POINT

• China linked to English schools — The Times has revealed that top private schools in England are making tens of millions of pounds from close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The board of Harrow International School Hong Kong includes four senior Communist Party members, while the website of one of Dulwich College’s nine associated Chinese campuses lists policies and procedures for turning children into party members. Tom Tugendhat, Tory chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said: “Education is one of Britain’s great exports but these reports are concerning.”  (The Week, 10/18/2021)

• “The journey towards addiction is often multi-layered and complex. But, by recognising what lies beneath addiction, we can help remove the taboo and shame that sadly surrounds it.”  The Duchess of Cambridge warns that addiction can happen to anyone in a landmark speech as part of the Forward Trust’s Taking Action on Addiction campaign. (The Week, 10/19/2021)

• Prince William has suggested that tech billionaires should focus on saving Earth from the impact of climate change rather than directing their resources into space tourism.  Speaking to the BBC’s Newscast podcast, the Duke of Cambridge told presenter Adam Fleming that “we need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live.” (The Week, 10/14/2021)

• The meteoric rise of a controversial television pundit has put him in prime position to replace Marine Le Pen as the biggest threat to Emmanuel Macron in next year’s French presidential election.  Dubbed the “French Trump” by Politico, Eric Zemmour is racking up “far more prime-time TV slots and front-page stories than many of his rivals.”  And while critics claim his “inflammatory rhetoric on immigration and Islam” is “degrading the public debate ahead of April’s election,” Zemmour is “on the rise in the polls,” said the news site.  (The week, 10/14/2021)

• “The numbers are staggering,” said Gino Hoel on Slate.fr. A landmark report published last week estimates that about 330,000 children were abused by clergymen and officials of the Catholic Church in France between 1950 and 2020. At least 3,000 priests and officials performed criminal acts, according to the 2,500-page review by Jean-Marc Sauvé, a former senior civil servant; about 90% of their victims were boys.   (The Week, 10/15/2021)

FRENCH TEACHER BEHEADED IN STREET

Flowers outside the Collège du Bois d’Aulne middle school as part of a memorial to the teacher who was killed in Eragny, a suburb of Paris, on Friday.Credit…Siegfried Modola/Getty Images

In an attack that sent France reeling, on Friday afternoon, October 16, in broad daylight, a French schoolteacher was beheaded on a suburban street for teaching his students a required lesson about free speech. Samuel Paty, 47, was murdered close to the school where he taught by an 18-year-old Chechen immigrant (identified only as Abdoulakh A.) who had come to France as a child refugee.

Abdoulakh then posted images of Paty’s severed head on his Twitter account along with insults aimed at French President Emmanuel Macron and French “infidels” and “dogs.” 

Witnesses reported hearing Abdoulakh shout “Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest)!” during the attack. Abdoulakh had been waiting for Paty before attacking him with a knife and inflicting him with multiple head wounds.

The attacker was killed by police after firing at them with an air gun.

Paty was a history and geography teacher, who had been threatened many times after educating his students in light of the ongoing Charlie Hebdo trial and showing them cartoons from the satirical magazine depicting Islam’s prophet Mohammed (he advised Muslim students to look away if they were offended).  (Clarion Project, 10/18/2020)

An entire community of immigrants, who enjoyed all the freedoms we had granted them, ambushed him . . . It is a racism condoned by imams who had called [the beheaded teacher] Paty “delinquent.”

“[T]here is the continuity of our submission. I am convinced that if we had known how to say no, we would not be here. They all bowed their heads out of fear of appearing racist or out of patronage.” — Élisabeth Badinter, author, Le Point, October 16, 2020.

If the French authorities do not take the many warnings to heart, even after a schoolteacher was beheaded in broad daylight by a terrorist shouting “Allahu Akbar,” it means that the fight is over and they might as well raise a white flag over the Eiffel Tower.   (Giulio Meotti, Gatestone, 10/20/2020)

Sheikh Ali Al-Yousuf Of The International Union Of Muslim Scholars: Killing Of French Teacher Paty Was In Keeping With The Ruling Of The Shari’a But It Should Have Been Done By The Islamic State, Not By Just Any Individual  (MEMRI, 10/20/2020)

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GERMANY

[BREXIT]:  In the Interest of German Industry

The German government breaks ranks with the EU consensus on the negotiations of a Brexit free trade agreement and demands that concessions be made to Great Britain. On Thursday, the EU heads of states and governments – with Germany’s endorsement – had unanimously increased pressure on the British government to unilaterally concede in the dispute over the agreement, however, Chancellor Merkel is now strongly pleading for “a compromise.” This change of course was triggered by London’s reiteration that it would rather settle for a no-deal Brexit, if the EU insists on its maximalist positions. A hard Brexit would bring serious disadvantages particularly for German industry, because, well ahead of China, the UK is its second largest investment site and its business on the British Isles has already been seriously affected by Brexit uncertainties. Confronted with the impact of the Corona crisis and economic risks due to the power struggle between the USA and China, Germany seeks to avoid further slumps. 19 Oct 2020, German-Foreign-Policy newsletter. (https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/8415/)

Secret NATO Drills: German Air Force trains in the event of nuclear war?
The German air force is currently working with NATO partners to work out the defense of the alliance’s territory using nuclear weapons
19 October 2020 (From German newspaper) Bild.de

If the situation would follow the most appalling scenario, and it comes to a nuclear war, we must be ready for this. 

The German air force is currently working with NATO partners to work out the defense of the alliance’s territory using nuclear weapons.

According to the DPA news agency, a secret Alliance exercise called Steadfast Noon began this week. At the same time, the operations of fighter-bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons are being practiced. The venue for the maneuvers this year was the Nørvenich airbase in North Rhine-Westphalia. Presumably, it is there that the American tactical atomic bombs B61 will be placed, according to unofficial data, stored at the base in Büchel (Rhineland-Palatinate)

At the same time, the Resilient Guard exercise continues in Büchel, where the Air Force is practicing defense of the airbase there. According to the Bundeswehr, operations with the use of Patriot missile systems are also being practiced there.

The B61 hydrogen bombs located in Büchel, if necessary, can take on board, in particular, the German Tornado aircraft, in order to take hostile forces out of the game. American nuclear weapons are also stored in Belgium, Turkey, and the Netherlands. Combat aircraft of the Air Forces of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy are also participating in the current exercises.

According to military experts, during the Persistent Noon maneuvers, which traditionally take place in October, the safe delivery of American nuclear weapons from underground storage facilities to aircraft and their placement there is being worked out. However, during the exercise, flights will be carried out without bombs. Information on a specific exercise scenario has not yet been released.

Today, the danger of war, during which nuclear weapons may be used, has grown significantly in comparison with the past 30 years. The reason is the termination of the INF Treaty. The United States, with the approval of NATO partners, withdrew from it in the summer of 2019, arguing that Russia has been developing medium-range missiles called 9M729 (NATO classification: SSC-8) for several years, thereby violating the agreement.

Will a new arms race start?

Military experts do not rule out that the world is on the verge of a new arms race. The United States is already working on a new mobile ground-based missile system, which was illegal during the INF Treaty. According to current plans, they should be equipped exclusively with conventional (that is, non-nuclear) warheads. But it is possible that the plans will be further adjusted.

In addition, the last major nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, the START III Treaty, expires on February 5, 2021. The parties are now negotiating its extension, but Moscow has recently made it clear that it will hardly be possible to reach an agreement with Washington under President Donald Trump.(https://112.international/politics/secret-nato-drills-german-air-force-trains-in-the-event-of-nuclear-war-55714.html)

A GERMAN PERSPECTIVE

What If Trump Won’t Go?

Europe Preparing for the Worst in Washington; Concern is growing in the European Union that Donald Trump might refuse to recognize the election results if he loses.  Preparations are underway for the worst-case scenario.  by Markus Becker, Christiane Hoffmann und Peter Müller 16.Oct.2020, Der Spiegel, Germany

A horror scenario is making the rounds these days in both Berlin and Brussels:  Should the outcome of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3 be close, incumbent Donald Trump could declare himself the winner when polls close, even if he is behind in the vote count. He could prematurely and unlawfully claim the presidency. (DS)

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USA

AFGHANISTAN DILEMMA

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, US President George W. Bush demanded that Afghanistan’s Taliban government surrender Osama bin Laden and end support for al-Qaeda. The Taliban refused.

On October 7, US bombs began falling on Taliban forces. NATO allies quickly pledged support for the US, and US boots hit the ground in Afghanistan two weeks later.

Thus began a war, now the longest in US history, that has killed more than 3,500 coalition soldiers and 110,000 Afghans. It has cost the American taxpayer nearly $3 trillion. US allies have also made human and material sacrifices.

Though the Taliban government quickly crumbled, its fighters kept fighting. A Taliban insurgency continues, and its forces are now believed to control nearly 20 percent of Afghan territory. Almost half of Afghan land is “contested.”

The Taliban is militarily stronger today than at any time since the start of the war, and there are now US soldiers serving in Afghanistan who were not yet born on September 11, 2001.

The dilemma remains

A large-scale US effort to defeat the Taliban everywhere in Afghanistan would prove costlier than the American public, and therefore any US president, is willing to bear.   (Gzero Signal, 10/22/2020)

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THREAT FROM AMERICAN EXTREME RIGHT — On October 19, 2020, the National Socialist Order (NSO), which was created by members of the international neo-Nazi network, AtomWaffen Division, released a one-minute video on its Telegram channel urging supporters to take action such as running-over protesters, or murdering politicians, to bring about a “new world.” The video, titled “National Socialist Order – A Step by Step Guide to Victory,” is a slick production in a retro television style, with black and white animated sequences and titles, and is narrated in a male voice.  (MEMRI 10/21/2020)

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FRANKLIN GRAHAM ON POLITICS 

Regarding the recent Democratic and Republican national conventions, Graham asserted that the Democratic Party is “opposed to faith.”

“The Democrats are really, if anything, they are opposed to faith.” Graham asserted.

Graham acknowledged that while his father, the late evangelist Billy Graham, was a lifelong democrat, even he saw the significant transformation within the Democratic Party as it became “a party of the left.”

“It’s a socialist party. They want socialism for this country,” Graham argued, according to CBN News.   (CBN, 9/3/2020)

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New Data Analysis Finds 353 Counties With 1.8 Million More Registered Voters Than Eligible Citizens by Mark Tapscott (Epoch Times, 10/18/2020)

Nope, no chance of voter fraud here, folks.

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THREAT FROM CCP

We are at risk of losing a war today because too few of us know that we are engaged with an enemy, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), that means to destroy us. The forces of globalism that have dominated our government (until recently) and our media for the better part of half a century have blinded too many Americans to the threat we face. If we do not wake up to the danger soon, we will find ourselves helpless.(Imprimis, 9/20/2020)

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VIOLENCE AHEAD?

As Election Day nears, voters are on edge.

In fact, almost three in four voters, 72 per cent, describe themselves as very or quite concerned about post-election violence, according to a poll conducted by JL Partners and The Independent.

Republicans in Washington are concerned far-left groups will stir up trouble after the election should Mr. Trump win – or say he won as a court battle begins. Democrats say it is the president who has been stoking trouble.   (The Independent, 10/22/2020)

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Chris Jackson / Canada Government

CANADA’S NEW OFFICIAL PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN

A new portrait of the Queen has been commissioned by the Canadian government. It will hang in schools, government buildings and embassies.

Even after resuming socially-distanced in-person engagements, and reopening Buckingham Palace for audiences, the royals haven’t had occasion to flaunt their stunning jewelry collection in some time – and may not for a while yet. This makes the reveal of Queen Elizabeth’s new official Canadian portrait, which features the monarch bedecked in precious stones from the King George VI Victorian Suite, all the more special.

Photographer Chris Jackson unveiled the portrait on Instagram, saying, “It was an incredible honor to have the opportunity to photograph HM Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the Canadian Government.”

He then went on to explain the significance of the jewelry and royal honors the Queen wears in the portrait, starting with the two badges affixed to her dress. These are the Canadian insignia as Sovereign of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit (per Canadian Heritage’s Instagram, the Order of Canada is the country’s highest civilian honor, instituted by the Queen herself in 1967). More interesting, perhaps, to those interested in royal history are the jewels: a tiara, necklace, earrings, and bracelet, all from the diamond and sapphire King George VI Victorian Suite.

The suite – then composed only of the necklace and earrings, made circa 1850 – was given to the Queen by her father, King George VI, as a wedding present in 1947. A matching tiara and bracelet were fashioned in 1963, and in 1990, the Queen took the whole suite with her for a royal tour of Canada – making it a particularly meaningful choice for this portrait.

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POPE ENDORSES SAME SEX CIVIL UNIONS

ROME — Pope Francis expressed support for same-sex civil unions in remarks revealed in a documentary film that premiered on Wednesday, a significant break from his predecessors that staked out new ground for the church in its recognition of gay people.

The remarks, coming from the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, had the potential to shift debates about the legal status of same-sex couples in nations around the globe and unsettle bishops worried that the unions threaten what the church considers traditional marriage — between one man and one woman.

“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” Francis said in the documentary, “Francesco,” which debuted at the Rome Film Festival, reiterating his view that gay people are children of God. “I stood up for that.”

Many gay Catholics and their allies outside the church welcomed the pope’s remarks, though Francis’ opposition to gay marriage within the church remained absolute.

His conservative critics within the church hierarchy, and especially in the conservative wing of the church in the United States, who have for years accused him of diluting church doctrine, saw the remarks as a reversal of church teaching.

“The pope’s statement clearly contradicts what has been the longstanding teaching of the church about same-sex unions,” said Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I., adding that the remarks needed to be clarified.   (NYT, 10/22/2020)

Matthew 23:9 – “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.”

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HOW ISIS RESPONDED TO COVID:  In early March, as coronavirus swept across Europe, Isis issued a surprising message to its members.   Adopting a safety-first approach, the terror group’s al-Naba magazine stopped encouraging attacks on western nations, instead advising its members not to travel to Europe, which it described as “the land of the epidemic.”

The group also told its followers to “put trust in God and seek refuge in Him from illnesses,” but to also “cover the mouth when yawning and sneezing” and to wash their hands frequently, Politico reports. Terror groups traditionally thrive in areas undergoing disruption and chaos. So how has Isis handled the past eight months? (The Week, 10/21/2020)

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The goal of socialism is communism.   Vladimir Lenin

KURDS ‘STABBED IN BACK’ BY US

The SDF was Washington’s main ally in Syria in the fight against ISIL [File: Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo]

The US President Donald Trump has announced that an ally of the United States, Turkey, may attack and invade another ally, the Kurds, who fought with the US against ISIS.

Kurds warn Turkish offensive will bring ‘chaos once again’

Several of Donald Trump’s most loyal Republican allies have turned on him over his decision to pull US troops out of north-eastern Syria. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said the withdrawal would benefit Russia and Iran, while Senator Lindsey Graham – usually an outspoken defender of the president – warned that abandoning the Kurds in the region to allow a Turkish military offensive would be “a stain on America’s honor.”

War zone — Turkish forces are already massing near the border with north-eastern Syria as US troops withdraw.  A spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said the area would soon “turn into a war zone.”

Civilian suffering — Trump’s rash decision opens the way for a vicious struggle between the Kurds and Turkey’s military, says Simon Tisdall, who warns of war crimes and fresh civilian suffering ahead.   (The Guardian, 10/8)

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PARIS POLICE KILLED BY ISLAMIST

The knife attacker who killed four of his colleagues at Paris police headquarters this week showed signs of radicalization and appears to have planned his assault, French authorities said on Saturday. France’s anti-terror prosecutor said several witnesses had said the attacker — a 45-year-old IT professional who had been working at the Intelligence Directorate of the Paris Police Headquarters since 2003 — had adhered to “a radical vision of Islam.”   He had converted to the religion about 10 years ago.   On Thursday he killed four of his colleagues in an attack that lasted less than 10 minutes in the centre of Paris near Notre-Dame cathedral before being shot dead by an armed officer.

The anti-terror prosecutor took over the investigation on Friday after police examined the attacker’s mobile phone and questioned his associates, including his wife.   On the morning of the attack, said the prosecutor at a press conference, the perpetrator had exchanged 33 text messages with his wife and all of a religious nature, ending with the phrase “Allahu akbar [God is great]”.   He sent the messages 30 minutes before he bought the knives used in the attack.

The prosecutor said that the attacker had probably had contacts with members of the Salafist movement, a radical form of Islam, adding that the investigations had revealed his “approval for certain atrocities committed in the name of that religion,” including the deadly assault in 2015 against satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and that he had changed his manner of dress over the past few months.

According to French media the attacker’s wife has described how he had begun hearing voices the night before the attack.   Over the past four years Paris has been hit by numerous large-scale and deadly attacks, including at the Bataclan theatre in November 2015 when extremists killed 130 people in the deadliest Islamist terror attack to strike France.  (Paris police attacker showed signs of radicalization, David Keohane, Financial Times, 10/5).

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Israel and Gulf states working on ‘historic pact’ to end conflict between them (Times of Israel * 5 Oct 2019)

Israel is reportedly negotiating with several Gulf states on a “non-aggression pact” between them as they face off against an increasingly emboldened Iran.   The deal, which Channel 12 news described as potentially “historic,” aims to put an end to the state of conflict between the Gulf states and Israel, and reportedly provides for friendly relations, cooperation in a variety of fields, and no war or incitement against each other.

Advancing the Israeli initiative, Foreign Minister Israel Katz met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month with several foreign ministers from Arab Gulf states, Channel 12 news reported Saturday night.   There was no immediate comment from the Foreign Ministry..   (https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-and-gulf-states-said-working-on-non-aggression-pact-as-they-face-iran/)

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Former MidEast envoy:   ‘anti-Iran alliance crumbling’
Times of Israel * 5 Oct 2019

Sensing US reluctance to respond forcefully to Iranian aggression in the region, and following the devastating September attack on its oil facilities blamed on Tehran, Saudi Arabia is quietly moving toward possible rapprochement with the Islamic Republic, according to multiple media reports.    The New York Times reported Friday that the Trump administration’s failure to react militarily to the September 14 missile and drone attack on Saudi oil facilities, which jolted global oil prices and temporarily knocked out nearly 6 percent of the world’s daily crude production, had led Riyadh to recalculate.

“The worst outcome for the Saudis is to move to a confrontation with Iran expecting the US to support them and find out they won’t,” Philip Gordon, a former White House Middle East coordinator, told the Times.   “This administration has shown it’s not really ready to take on Iran.”   . . . Saudi Arabia gave a “positive” response Friday to a truce offer from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and called for its implementation.   Saeed Shariati, a political analyst in Tehran, told the New York Times:   “We have reached the peak of Saudi-Iran tensions and both sides have concluded this balance of fear is detrimental to their interests.” (https://www.timesofisrael.com/saudis-said-moving-toward-detente-with-iran-amid-us-reluctance-to-act-militarily/)

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CHINESE LOANS TO FINANCE NEW ZIMBABWE CAPITAL IN POVERTY STRICKEN NATION

China has sunk her dragon claws deeper into Zimbabwe’s social, political and economic bone marrow by reportedly acquiring vast tracks of land in Mount Hampden, the new capital city of the country, thus effectively buying and owning it for a song, well before construction is even completed, Spotlight Zimbabwe, has been told.

Diplomatic and high level government sources at the ministry of lands, agriculture, and rural resettlement this week said Beijing had also struck a deal to provide the more than US$20 billion needed by government to develop the city, which is expected to house a new reserve bank, parliament building, international airport, government departments, presidential palace, shopping malls, five new opulent residential suburbs, and industrial sites.

Other features of the new city include a university, technology centre, schools, churches, hospitals, and official residences for the speaker of parliament and senate president. (Cynthia Goba, Zimbabwe News, 10/4)

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ISRAELI MAJORITY WANT MORE SECULAR STATE

A new survey by Hiddush, an Israeli organization that supports religious pluralism, shows that 57 percent of the Jewish Israeli electorate does not want the incoming governing coalition to include or depend on parties that are Charedi Orthodox, commonly referred to as ultra-Orthodox in the United States.  That 57 percent majority also wants the coalition to support religious freedom in Israel.

Thirty-four percent of Israeli Jews disagree:   They want the Orthodox parties in the coalition and are happy with current government policy, which gives Orthodox Judaism significant influence over Israeli law.   Charedi parties have been part of the Israeli government since 2015 and have sat in a series of coalitions throughout Israel’s history.

The survey’s finding is significant because some of the harshest rhetoric ahead of the election centered on religious issues.   Secular parties accused Orthodox parties of wanting to establish a theocracy in Israel.   Orthodox parties claimed that secular parties wanted to deprive Israel of its religious character.   The only reason for the election last week — Israel’s second in a year — was an intractable conflict between Orthodox and secular parties after the previous election in April.

Nearly all of those who voted for Blue and White, the centrist party led by Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, want a secular governing coalition.   Most voters for Netanyahu’s Likud Party (56 percent) support a coalition with Orthodox parties, while 44 percent favor a secular coalition. (https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/israelis-want-a-more-secular-ruling-coalition/)

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IRAN MOVES NEARER TO ISRAEL

Israel is fighting off Iranian expansion across the Middle East, but danger for the Jewish state lurks near its own borders.   Painstaking work by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and their loyal proxies has succeeded in laying the groundwork for a second Iranian front with Israel in the Golan Heights.

The first front is to Israel’s north in South Lebanon.   The Golan, which Israel won from Syria in 1967, lies further east.   Though Israel rules the skies, the Syrian land adjoining Israel’s border appears increasingly to belong to Iran.  (Jonathan Spyer, Wall Street Journal, 10/2)

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THREE MUSLIM LEADERS TO START TV NEWS CHANNEL

A leader of a country that has the death penalty for “blasphemy,” a leader who says he is a proud antisemite and a leader who threatens to invade foreign countries have united to push for a TV channel that will “fight Islamophobia.”   Pakistan’s Imran Khan, Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad, and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan met to propose a “BBC type English language TV Channel” that will “highlight Muslim issues,” Imran Khan said.

Khan tweeted that he met with his two counterparts on September 25 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.   The three decided to “jointly start an English language channel dedicated to confronting the challenges posed by Islamophobia and setting the record strait on our great religion.”   It’s unclear when he says “our” great religion if he means including other Muslim groups, such as Shi’ites or Ahmadis, both of which are routinely the victims of attacks in Pakistan.   Khan again tweeted about his meeting on September 30, claiming that this channel would be a “BBC type.” (Seth Frantzmann, MEF, 10/1)

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Israeli Security Cabinet to meet for first time in months, amid warnings of Iran threat.                                                                                    Security cabinet to convene Sunday as Liberman urges PM, Gantz to agree on unity, citing ‘national emergency’ and evoking Yom Kippur War; Islamic Jihad holds Gaza rally   (Times of Israel * 5 Oct 2019)

Members of the top forum will meet at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem in the afternoon.   In recent days Hebrew media has on several occasions quoted unnamed security officials as warning of the rising threat of an attack orchestrated by Iran.   The Blue and White party’s Gabi Ashkenazi, newly appointed head of the Knesset’s powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, also spoke Thursday of “many challenges in the security realm, some known to all and some that are only discussed behind closed doors.” Liberman noted in a Facebook post that the country on Sunday will mark 46 years since the Yom Kippur War, the most traumatic conflict in the nation’s history and one in which the country was caught off guard by its enemies, and said it was imperative to remember its legacy “of leadership and love of country.”

Meanwhile, the Islamic Jihad terror group on Saturday marked 32 years since its establishment, holding a rally in the Gaza Strip in which it showed off what it said was a new type of rocket. (https://www.timesofisrael.com/security-cabinet-to-meet-for-first-time-in-months-amid-warnings-of-iran-threat/)

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CATHOLIC CHURCH TO ORDAIN MARIED PRIESTS?

VATICAN CITY— Pope Francis formally opened a meeting of bishops that will debate whether the Catholic Church should loosen its 1,000-year-old requirement of celibacy for priests.

The potentially momentous debate pits those who say ordaining married men could relieve the church’s clergy shortage against those who warn that doing so would undermine the distinctive character of the priesthood.

In his homily on Sunday, at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope didn’t refer specifically to the celibacy debate, but called generally for innovation in the church’s ministry:   “If everything continues as it was, if we spend our days content that ‘this is the way things have always been done,’ then the gift vanishes, smothered by the ashes of fear and concern for defending the status quo.”   (“Pope opens debate on celibacy requirement for Catholic priests,” Francis X. Rocca, Wall Street Journal, 10/6)

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SCANDINAVIAN CRIME BOOSTED BY IMMIGRANTS

• “Most immigrants are not criminals, but when the immigrant population is overrepresented in almost every crime category, then there is a problem that we must dare to talk about.” — Jon Helgheim, immigration policy spokesman for the Norwegian party Fremskrittspartiet (FrP).
• “In the more than thirty years that the surveys cover, one tendency is clearer than all others, namely that the proportion of the total amount of crimes committed by persons with a foreign background is steadily increasing….” — Det Goda Samhället (“The Good Society”), Invandring och brottslighet – ett trettioårsperspektiv (“Immigration and crime – a thirty-year perspective”).   All statistics for the report were supplied by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.
• Unless Scandinavian political leaders begin actively to engage with the facts that these statistics describe, the problems are only going to become more intractable — to the point where they may be entirely unsolvable.   (Judith Bergman, Gatestone, 10/4)

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Why some Albertans want to separate from Canada                              by Robin Levinson-King,  BBC News, Calgary, Alberta, 4 Oct 2019

Today, Albertans’ common concerns can be summarized with three words: representation, equalization and oil.    Peter Downing, “a right-wing political muckraker” is hoping to spin this feeling of economic betrayal into a viable political movement, with the creation of Wexit Alberta.

The group is campaigning for the western province to separate from Canada and form its own nation (possibly alongside another western province).   It’s an old idea that has gained momentum as relations between Alberta and the rest of the country have deteriorated.

Many Albertans blame Mr. Trudeau’s policies for this turn of events, and Mr. Cooper, the Albertan political scientist who is also a separatist, says he is certain that if Mr. Trudeau is re-elected, Albertan separation will soon follow.       (Extracts from:  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49899113)

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TO THE POINT

• “The China of Xi Jinping boasts land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers that provide a strategic deterrent against the United States.   Beijing’s conventional forces on land, sea, and in air and space rival any on earth.”   (Pat Buchanan, 10/4)
• Nasr Al-Din Mufreh, Sudan’s Minister of Religious Affairs, said in a September 7, 2019 interview on Al-Arabiya Network (Saudi Arabia) that Sudan is pluralistic in its views, values, cultures, ideologies, Islamic schools of thought, and religions, and he called upon Jewish minorities that may have left Sudan to reclaim their Sudanese citizenship and return to the country, which he pointed out is now ruled by secular law.   On a same-day interview on Sudania 24 TV, Sudanese writer Haidar Al-Mukashafi said that the Jewish presence in Sudan dates back over a century, and he said that this may be evidenced by a rumor in the Sudanese city of Merow that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was born and raised in Sudan.   Al-Mukashafi said that Jews and other minorities may return to Sudan if reforms take place and if there are incentives to do so.   (MEMRI, 9/19)
• Fatemeh Azad, a 58-year-old Muslim woman who had converted to Christianity against her Muslim husband’s will and fled to Germany, was denied asylum there and deported back to Iran. There she was immediately arrested by authorities waiting for her plane to land . . .   “When Fatemeh made her asylum appeal, her lawyers argued that apostasy (conversion away from Islam) is punishable by the death penalty in Iran.”   This, however, was insufficient for Germany . . . — Persecution.org; July 25, 2019. (Gatestone 9/22)
• Prince Harry’s decision to take British newspapers to court may backfire on him.   The British Royal family has always maintained a policy of “no comment” on newspaper articles about them. After all, if you deny some, you are, effectively, admitting that others are true.   At the same time, royals have a symbiotic relationship with the press – they can’t live without all the publicity and the press can’t live without the royals, who provide lots of news that people are interested in.   Suing the papers may end that relationship.   If the papers back away from the royals, that could mean no publicity, life-blood of the monarchy.
• SWEDISH KING KICKS GRANDCHILDREN OUT OF ROYAL HOUSE . . . AND CHARLES WANTS THE SAME (headline in Daily Express, 10/7).   “The five children lose the status of royal highness and are not expected to perform official duties.”  (BBC)
• The death of a 19-year-old British man, killed on his motorbike by a lady driving on the wrong side of the road, is clear cut.   It was an accident, but some appropriate punishment must be found. However, the motorist, a 42-year-old mother, fled to the US to avoid a court case.   This was made possible by the fact that she has diplomatic immunity.   We understand that there must be laws on diplomatic immunity, but for traffic accidents like this? She will hardly face the death penalty if she goes back for a trial.   And the family needs some sort of closure after losing a son to an American lady who got confused and drove on the right (wrong) side of the road!   (Diplomatic immunity even helps diplomats avoid traffic fines and cost the UK taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.)
• The deaths of six elephants in Thailand was a tragic accident.   A baby in the herd fell down a waterfall.   The other five died trying to rescue her.   This kind of behavior is typical of elephants who are very caring of each other.
• I will not be posting a blog next week.

 

 

 

IS A MUSLIM BAN DISCRIMINATORY?

The fuss over the executive order relating to Muslims entering the US once again highlights just how ignorant most people are of history.   This is especially true of the left, who keep on repeating the mantra that discrimination is un-American.

Perhaps they have never heard of slavery, or maybe they just want to forget it as the Democrats were the party of slavery.

Anyway, discrimination has been common in American history, going right back to the first settlements in Jamestown and Massachusetts Bay.   Both colonies were founded by WASPs, for WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants).   The location of Jamestown was chosen to hide from Catholics intent on kidnapping Protestants.   At the time of independence from Great Britain, the thirteen colonies were 98% Protestant, 1% Catholic and 1% “Other,”  including Jews.

In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that African-Americans could not be American citizens.   Again, remember, by this time the Republicans were campaigning for the end of slavery, while the Democrats were in support; this blatantly racist decision was made by a Court that was siding with the Democrats.   Right up until the 1964 Voting Rights Act, Democratic politicians in the South deprived blacks of the vote; while the whites voted for the Democrats as the party that supported the Old (pro-slavery) South.

In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by Congress.   The law was against ethnic Chinese, as even Chinese from British territories were not allowed.   The Act was renewed in 1892.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has self-righteously announced that Canada will take in refugees America doesn’t want. Canada is another country going soft, also wallowing in ignorance of history.   His predecessor, Stephen Harper, apologized in 2006 for the 1923 Act of the Canadian parliament that banned Chinese immigration. Australia had a “White Australia” policy before 1972. Muslim countries routinely discriminate – it’s impossible for whites to settle in their countries and become citizens.   The same is true of most African countries.

As the first mosque was opened in the US in 1929, there were clearly few if any Muslim immigrants before that date.   Non-white immigration was strictly limited before the 1965 Immigration Act, which literally changed the face of America.

It should be remembered that in 1942, a Democratic president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, issued Proclamation No. 2537 “requiring aliens from World War II-enemy countries–Italy, Germany and Japan to register with the United States Department of Justice. Registered persons were then issued a Certificate of Identification for Aliens of Enemy Nationality.   A follow-up to the Alien Registration Act of 1940, Proclamation No. 2537 facilitated the beginning of full-scale internment of Japanese Americans the following month.”  (History magazine)

More recently, President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, banned Iranians (Muslims) from entering the US during the 1979-80 hostage crisis.

So, clearly, it is possible for the US president (and even Canadian and Australian governments) to put an end to Islamic immigration, if they want to.

And what about Europe?

A Muslim army tried to conquer Europe in the eighth century.   It was defeated in 732 at the gates of Paris, by the grandfather of the future Emperor Charlemagne.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Muslim armies tried to take Vienna, at the heart of Europe.   They were defeated by Catholic armies.

There is no record of Austrians demonstrating to let them in!   That had to wait until 21^st century liberalism, where half the population is besotted with ignorance of both history and comparative religion. The Catholics of 1683 knew that Islam was a pagan religion – they were terrified the Muslims might win and take over, ending their way of life.   Not so today’s churches who are more inclined to welcome immigrants and refugees.   Even the pope took in a family or two at the Vatican and has said that the building of walls is unchristian – it was walls in the Middle Ages that kept the pagans out, enabling citizens to stay safe.   It was Roman Catholics who built those walls.

In 1095, Pope Urban II called on the nations of Western Europe to launch a “Crusade” against Muslims who were killing and harassing Christians on pilgrimages to the Holy Land.   He called for Christian forces to retake the Holy Land.   Again, there were no demonstrations in the streets in support of Muslims – everybody knew the horror stories from the Middle East.   It’s true that Christians perpetrated horrendous acts against Muslims during the two centuries of the crusades, illustrating how the two religions cannot exist peacefully side by side.   This is another lesson not taught in today’s public schools!

It’s sad that the issue of immigration from Muslim lands has become a political football.   It would be a lot better if there were bipartisan agreement on the matter, but this is not going to happen. Consequently, the invasion will continue.   The Gatestone Institute revealed this week that Muslim immigrants arriving in Italy are shouting “Allahu Akbar” when they see the coast.   Why else would they be risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea when they could simply walk into a neighboring Muslim country?   They see themselves as part of the Muslim army that is going to conquer Europe and the West.

Unless the Church and a political populist come together to try and save Western civilization!

Could Donald Trump lead the charge?   Or is it more likely that a European figure like Charlemagne will emerge to unite Europe and defeat the Muslims?   The biblical Book of Revelation speaks of a final revival of the Roman Empire (Revelation 17:12-14) that will deal with the Islamic threat from the “king of the south” (Daniel 11:40-43).

Footnote:    I would like to write an eye-witness report from a couple of European countries on the Muslim invasion of the continent. If you can donate frequent flyer miles (60,000) or money to cover expenses, please contact me at rhodesmf@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATTACK IN MUNICH

Police investigate the scene of a stabbing at a station in Grafing near Munich.
CREDIT: REUTERS

A man in a Munich train station, shouting “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for “God is great”) stabbed four German nationals this morning, killing one.

The BBC’s report of the incident illustrates the total denial common in western countries.

“Police are looking for a possible Islamist connection,” it says on the website.   The perpetrator of the act was a “German national.”  This is misleading.   Hundreds of thousands have become German citizens in recent decades, but they came from the Middle East or North Africa and retain their religion, identifying more with it than with Germany.

More such incidents are likely to follow in the western democracies.

DENIAL HIDES THE TRUTH

Pedestrian attack in Nantes

In my last post, I mentioned an attack on pedestrians in France. I neglected to mention that this was preceded by a knife attack Saturday night on two policemen in Tours by a 20-year-old recent convert to Islam. On Monday night, shots were fired into a synagogue in Paris. Yesterday, the country witnessed a second car attack on pedestrians, this time in Nantes. Eleven people were injured, one of whom, a 25-year-old man, died later from his injuries.

“(Prosecutor) Tarrare described the man (the attacker) as a French-born son of North African immigrants, acted alone and had no religious motivations, but was upset at the treatment of Chechen children. He shouted ‘God is great’ to give himself courage to act, and not out of religious belief, Tarrare said.” (Fox News website).

Denial clearly continues unabated on both sides of the Atlantic.

Today, France deployed an additional 300 troops to police potential targets during the busy Christmas shopping season. 780 had already been deployed in major pedestrian and shopping areas, like Paris’ famous Champs-Elysees. Almost immediately, a heavily armed man was detained in a market place, again in the city of Nantes. That’s a total of five incidents in five days.

In New York, the murders of two policemen by a deranged Muslim has been turned into a black and white incident, a continuation of the Michael Brown/Eric Garner deaths at the hands of white policemen. The Islamic connection is being overlooked.

It’s the same in France. Following the second car attack on pedestrians, the police are focused on the driver’s history of mental problems. He may well have been suffering from mental issues but this does not rule out a connection with Islamic extremism. Shouting out “Allahu Akbar” may indeed have given him courage but could also reflect religious fanaticism.

ISIS and other extremist groups are very active on social media, encouraging sympathizers around the world to stage “lone wolf” attacks of the kind that France has witnessed over the last few days. However, it seems suspiciously likely official reactions to such attacks will divert attention away from the Islamic connection. We’ve seen this in the last few days in France, the US and Australia.

GROWING PROBLEM FROM TERRORISM

Pakistan and Jordan have both restored the death penalty in the last few days.   This is aimed at dealing with Islamic extremism, which threatens both countries.

It actually threatens every country. It’s just that most don’t realize it yet.

A week ago exactly, we witnessed the Sydney hostage siege, perpetrated by an Islamic extremist who had a black ISIS flag held up in the window.

The following day, the Taliban attacked a school in Pakistan, killing almost 150 people, most of them teenagers. Only a few weeks ago, it was said that the Taliban and al-Qaeda were not as bad as ISIS. Let’s face it – they all share the same ideology and are very keen on killing.

The internet is helping them. The violent extremists can communicate with each other. Websites encourage sympathizers in the West, of whom there are many, to perpetrate “lone wolf” attacks, to strike fear in people.

On Saturday, a lone wolf assassinated two policemen in their police car in Brooklyn, New York. This was supposedly in retaliation for the deaths of two black men, shot by white police officers. But the murderer here was a Muslim, heavily influenced by what he had seen on the web, urging people to stage lone wolf attacks.

The following day, Sunday, thirteen people were injured when a driver deliberately drove his car into a crowd in the French city of Dijon. As he ran over the pedestrians, he was shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great, in Arabic). A police spokesman said the driver was suffering from “psychological problems.”

This is a typical police response, denial of the ISIS connection to stop the spread of panic.

But, as these incidents become more frequent, there will inevitably be more panic.