Reader’s links for Feb. 8 – 2016

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In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

This way, under the various posts of the day, conversation can take place without as much ‘noise’ on the various links and articles and ideas in the main posts and all the news links being submitted can be seen under these auto-posts by clicking on the comments-link right below these ones.

Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

86 Replies to “Reader’s links for Feb. 8 – 2016”

    • Hi yucki 🙂 thanks for your article on the disgraceful, racist UN in a link I cannot find now.

      Re “How many sleeps till Obama joins IS, ISIS, HAMAS or the UN (pretty much the same things if I’m allowed a tiny little exageration and subjecitivy) officially”:

      Could someone create a calendar, like for example the “Advent Calendar” (24 sleeps to Christmas), or like the little calendar on the side of this blog: “Islamic Terrorists Have Carried Out More Than 27762 Deadly Terror Attacks Since 9/11…” etc.

      • I’ve been looking for a such a count-down link. Some grand graphics, champaign corks popping, piglets flying…
        I visit a grim site called “MAD”. Here’s how it describes itself:
        A one-topic blog: how is it that the most imminent and lethal implication for humankind – the fact that the doctrine of “Mutually Assured Destruction” will not work with Iran – is not being discussed in our media?
        http://www.madisdead.blogspot.co.il/2016/01/time-left-until-obama-leaves-office.html

        • It didn’t work with the Soviets either, while we refused to prepare for a nuclear war the Soviets spent billions to prepare for one.

  1. Trump’s Ban on Muslims: The Discussion the Media Won’t Have

    Trump’s call to ban the entry of Muslims to the U.S. seemed to indicate that it should be temporary, until the American leadership has figured out what in the complex reality of the Muslim world – religious, political, economic, cultural, and so on– contributes to turning a significant portion of Muslims into jihadi operatives at war with the United States.

    Despite numerous terrorist attacks carried out by extremist Muslims inside the United States, Americans have not turned against their Muslim neighbors; on the contrary, Americans and Europeans in general have continued to be accommodating, tolerant, even protective, of Muslims in their midst, in keeping with their secular and liberal democratic values.

    Americans have watched the unabated spread of terrorism and warfare in the name of Islam; the intensity of hatred in Muslim countries directed towards the United States; the attacks on Americans by extremist Muslims, and the betrayals by Muslim countries that have been receiving American assistance, such as Pakistan.

    The elite in Muslim-majority states is mostly, if not entirely, responsible for the wretched state of affairs that has left those states at the bottom of the list of countries when measured in terms of economic development, human rights, gender equality, education, freedom and democracy.

    For the elite in third world societies, a getaway to America has meant a readily available exit to avoid being held accountable for their misdeeds.

    Herein lies the irony of a Trump’s proposed ban: it would greatly affect the Muslim elite and, consequently, compel them to begin taking responsibility for how they have mismanaged their societies and impoverished their people.
    http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7364/trump-ban-muslims

  2. Pentagon orders commanders to prioritize climate change in all military actions

    The Pentagon is ordering the top brass to incorporate climate change into virtually everything they do, from testing weapons to training troops to war planning to joint exercises with allies.

    A new directive’s theme: The U.S. Armed Forces must show “resilience” and beat back the threat based on “actionable science.”

    It says the military will not be able to maintain effectiveness unless the directive is followed. It orders the establishment of a new layer of bureaucracy — a wide array of “climate change boards, councils and working groups” to infuse climate change into “programs, plans and policies.”

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/7/pentagon-orders-commanders-to-prioritize-climate-c/

  3. Dutch step up border controls as migrant flows continue

    AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Netherlands has stepped up the monitoring of traffic crossing its frontiers, a government minister said on Monday, as countries across Europe move to tighten border controls in response to an unprecedented migration crisis.

    The move follows a decision last September to deploy mobile border guard units along roads and railways lines to intercept migrants and separate them from asylum seekers.

    “Those measures helped, but we were still seeing a rising number of smugglers being arrested, and you are seeing more people coming from safe countries, who aren’t eligible for asylum,” state secretary Klaas Dijkhoff told reporters.

    The Netherlands received 200,000 immigrants last year, which fueled a backlash against immigration in a country that was once known for the generosity of its open-borders policy. In the 1960s, a period of high growth, the country opened its borders to migrant workers from Turkey and Morocco.

    https://ca.news.yahoo.com/dutch-step-border-controls-migrant-flows-continue-132012001.html

  4. Russian Hackers Moved Currency Rate With Malware, Group-IB Says

    Hackers used malware to penetrate the defenses of a Russian regional bank and move the ruble-dollar rate more than 15 percent in minutes, according to a Moscow-based cyber-security firm hired to investigate the attack.

    Russian-language hackers deployed a virus known as the Corkow Trojan to infect Kazan-based Energobank and place more than $500 million in orders at non-market rates in February 2015, Group-IB told Bloomberg, without identifying individuals behind the attack. The resulting rate swing prompted a Russian central bank investigation last year into potential market manipulation.

    Malicious software of the type used in the attack can open a back door into computers via seemingly legitimate websites or files and then force them to carry out hackers’ orders. Corkow, which regularly updates itself to evade detection by anti-virus programs, has infiltrated 250,000 computers worldwide and infected more than 100 financial institutions, according to Group-IB, which investigated the attack on behalf of Energobank.

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-08/russian-hackers-moved-currency-rate-with-malware-group-ib-says

  5. Satellites Show Mystery Construction at Iran’s Top-Secret Military Site

    Newly released satellite images of Iran’s top-secret Parchin military complex reveal that even as Iran was working to negotiate a nuclear deal, it was apparently working to hide its atomic work of the past and hedge its bets for the future.

    Forecasting site Stratfor.com says the images published Monday show Iran building a tunnel into a heavily guarded mountain complex inside the Parchin facility, some 20 miles southeast of Tehran, while also working to erase signs of alleged high-explosive testing at another area on the site.

    “We’re not saying they’re cheating on the nuclear deal,” Stratfor analyst Sim Tack told The Daily Beast. “The images show Iran was going through the motions to hide what it’s done before, and it is still…developing facilities that the IAEA may or may not have access to,” Tack said, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/08/satellites-show-mystery-construction-at-iran-s-top-secret-military-site.html

  6. Greek stock market falls sharply on banking sector meltdown

    Athens (AFP) – Bank shares crashed on the Athens stock exchange Monday, losing a fifth of their value within hours, as the government was seen facing an impossible choice between further austerity and social unrest.

    The FTSEB index of financial stocks was down over 20 percent in midday trading, helping pull the overall market index more than 7 percent lower.

    The Athens stock exchange had already lost 8.89 percent of its value last week, with the banking index taking a beating with a drop of 24.3 percent

    http://news.yahoo.com/greek-stock-market-falls-sharply-banking-sector-meltdown-001624353.html

  7. Russia shuts down two more banks

    Moscow (AFP) – Russia’s central bank said Monday it had revoked the licenses of two more banks as part of government efforts to consolidate the sector as economic troubles mount.

    Russia’s 67th lender by assets, Intercommerz had failed to adequately assess risks despite the poor quality of its assets, the central bank said.

    “At the same time the bank was involved in dubious transactions,” it added.

    The Bank of Russia also said it had revoked the license of a smaller lender, Alta-Bank.

    The country’s 186th bank by assets, Alta-Bank had failed to meet its obligations to creditors, the central bank said.

    The Russian authorities have been trying to clear the banking sector of hundreds of fragile banks which are often found to employ doubtful or illegal practices.

    http://news.yahoo.com/russia-shuts-down-two-more-banks-093516555.html

  8. North Korea rocket launch may spur U.S. missile defense buildup in Asia

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – North Korea’s latest rocket launch might kick off a buildup of U.S. missile defense systems in Asia, U.S. officials and missile defense experts said, something that could further strain U.S.-China ties and also hurt relations between Beijing and Seoul.

    North Korea says it put a satellite into orbit on Sunday, but the United States and its allies see the launch as cover for Pyongyang’s development of ballistic missile technology that could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon.

    Washington sought to reassure its allies South Korea and Japan of its commitment to their defense after the launch, which followed a North Korean nuclear test on Jan. 6.

    The United States and South Korea said they would begin formal talks about deploying the sophisticated Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, to the Korean peninsula “at the earliest possible date.”

    South Korea had been reluctant to publicly discuss the possibility due to worries about upsetting China, its biggest trading partner.

    http://www.oann.com/north-korea-rocket-launch-may-spur-u-s-missile-defense-buildup-in-asia/

  9. Russian firepower helps Syrian forces edge toward Turkey border

    BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian army advanced toward the Turkish border on Monday in a major offensive backed by Russia and Iran that rebels say now threatens the future of their nearly five-year-old insurrection against President Bashar al-Assad.

    Iranian backed-militias played a key role on the ground as Russian jets intensified what rebels call a scorched earth policy that has allowed the military back into the strategic northern area for the first time in more than two years.

    “Our whole existence is now threatened, not just losing more ground,” said Abdul Rahim al-Najdawi from Liwa al-Tawheed, an insurgent group.

    “They are advancing and we are pulling back because in the face of such heavy aerial bombing we must minimize our losses.”

    The Syrian military and its allies were almost five km (3 miles) from the rebel-held town of Tal Rafaat, which has brought them to around 25 km (16 miles) from the Turkish border, the rebels, a residents and a conflict monitor said.

    http://www.oann.com/russian-firepower-helps-syrian-forces-edge-toward-turkey-border/

  10. Greece says will have refugee centers open by Feb. 15 deadline

    ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece said on Monday it would have migrant registration centers running by next week, under pressure from EU partners threatening to sideline it from passport-free travel unless it does more to contain refugees.

    European Union interior ministers have urged Athens to do more to control the influx of migrants, some threatening exclusion from the Schengen zone as the crisis increasingly divides bloc members.

    Authorities are struggling to manage an increasing flow of migrants arriving on the country’s islands, while still navigating an exit from one of the worst debt crises in decades.

    Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said Greece would meet a mid-month deadline to complete five “hot spot” centers to register refugees on the Greek islands which are closest in proximity to Turkey, and two relocation centers on the mainland.

    “The Defence Ministry has undertaken a pledge to complete the work for the centers by the 15th (of February),” Kammenos told reporters.

    http://www.oann.com/greece-says-will-have-refugee-centers-open-by-feb-15-deadline/

  11. WTF? via twitter:

    https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/696608581240619008
    The New York Times Verified account@nytimes
    Pentagon to offer plan to store eggs and sperm to retain young troops
    http://nyti.ms/1Ppj6H9

    ********

    OT…http://www.naturalnews.com/052896_Zika_virus_Rockefeller_Foundation_purchased_online.html

    Confirmed: Zika virus can be purchased over the internet; origins linked to Rockefeller Foundation

    Confirmed: Zika virus can be purchased over the internet; origins linked to Rockefeller Foundation

    Sunday, February 07, 2016

    (NaturalNews) Over the last several days, the alternative media has revealed astonishing details about the true history of the Zika virus.

    Natural News set out to investigate Zika virus origins and availability more deeply.

    We’ve now been able to confirm three astonishing facts about Zika virus (h/t to others in alt. media who initiated this line of investigation):

    1) YES, Zika virus traces its origins back to the Rockefeller Foundation. (More explanation below.)

    2) YES, Zika virus can be purchased online. We were able to find two suppliers who offer three different strains of the virus to qualified level-2 biohazard laboratories.

    3) It appears to be conceivable that a bioterrorist organization could set up a level-2 biohazard lab and use it to acquire Zika virus in a deliberate attempt to use it as a weapon against humanity. There do not appear to be adequate safeguards in the industry to prevent this from happening.

  12. Twelve men who repeatedly gang-raped and abused white schoolgirl they saw as ‘utterly worthless’ are jailed for 140 YEARS – but ringleader remains on the run after fleeing to Bangladesh

    12 men abused girl when she was 13 and 14 , Bradford Crown Court heard

    In one of the brutal attacks she was raped by five of the men in succession

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3437252/Twelve-men-repeatedly-gang-raped-abused-vulnerable-teenage-schoolgirl-saw-utterly-worthless-jailed-total-140-YEARS.html#comments

  13. New Hamas Music Clip Encourages Suicide Bombings on Israeli Buses

    A new music video released by Hamas encourages suicide bombings on Israeli public transportation, Israel’s Channel 2 reported on Sunday.

    The six-minute clip — titled “Blow Off the Roof of the Bus” — features several Hamas members singing in front of a bombed out Israeli bus. The message of their song is summarized in its chorus: “Gird yourself, o most honorable of men, with an explosive belt, because nothing will satisfy the intifada except blowing up buses.”

    Interspersed in the video are depictions of the planning and execution of a suicide bus bombing, presenting the terrorist as a hero and compassionate father.

    http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/02/07/new-hamas-music-clip-encourages-suicide-bombings-on-israeli-buses-video/

  14. IRAQ – IS militants execute more than 300 in Iraq’s Mosul

    BAGHDAD, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) — Islamic State (IS) extremist militants executed more than 300 people over the past few days in the IS-held city of Mosul in northern Iraq, a Kurdish security source said on Sunday.

    “All those executed were ex-police, ex-army members and civilian activists, who were accused by Daesh (IS group) of collaborating with the Iraqi security forces,” said Mahmoud Soorchi, spokesman of Hashd Wattani, or National Mobilization, tasked with liberating Mosul from IS occupation.

    He did not specify when the executions took place.

    “The mass executions proved that Daesh militants have real fears from Mosul residents who are against the group’s extremist Islam,” Soorchi told Xinhua.

    Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, is the capital of Nineveh province. The city has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces fled, abandoning their weapons and posts.

    http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-02/08/c_135085037.htm

  15. Turkey: Merkel meets PM Davutoglu to discuss refugee crisis

    Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Ankara with full military honours

  16. Austria urges Frontex to send migrants back to Turkey

    Austria will extend its border controls if Turkey does not take back refugees picked up at sea on their way to Greece, Chancellor Werner Faymann said in an interview with the daily Oesterreich. He had earlier said that migrants picked up on Greece’s external EU border should be sent back directly to Turkey because this was the only measure that would make a radical enough impact.

    “Frontex must pick up the people fleeing to Greece. We have to save all of them, but then these people should be sent directly to Turkey,” Social Democrat Faymann said on Oesterreich’s website.

    Faymann said this approach was “the only totally effective measure to break the human trafficking” of migrants, Austrian daily Kronen Zeitung reported.

    Austria is set to introduce a new border management system at Spielfeld, a key crossing point on its southeastern border with Slovenia, which aims at speeding up applications and making the country less attractive to asylum seekers.

    More such border management facilities on other routes may be needed if Turkey does not respond to his proposal, the chancellor was quoted as saying.

    Austria, which has a population of 8.4 million and last year received 90,000 applications for asylum, has said that the number of refugees it will accept this year will be limited to 37,500

    http://www.dailysabah.com/syrian-crisis/2016/02/08/austria-urges-frontex-to-send-migrants-back-to-turkey

    DAILY MAIL – ‘Send them all back’: Austrian chancellor demands EU border patrols return every migrant picked up trying to reach Greece to Turkey

    Chancellor Werner Faymann wants all refugees sent back to Turkey
    Said police should save those crossing the sea, but then deport them
    Austria ‘will extend border controls if Turkey does not take them back’
    Faymann said it’s the only thing that would make radical enough impact

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3436831/Send-Austrian-chancellor-demands-EU-border-patrols-return-migrant-picked-trying-reach-Greece-Turkey.html

  17. GERMANY – Village faces investigation over anti-refugee Tiger tank

    Authorities in upper Bavaria are investigating the appearance of a mock Nazi Tiger tank in a carnival parade that was marked with the words “asylum defence”.

    Shocked carnivalgoers at the Fasching celebration watched as the tank – in reality a car with a cardboard structure built on top of it – rolled through the town of Steinkirchen bei Pfaffenhofen.

    As well as the anti-refugee slogans, the fake tank also bore the Balkenkreuz symbol seen on Nazi armoured vehicles.

    After photos were published online, the OCV Steinkirchen association, which organizes the parade, faced a hail of criticism.

    But they insisted that there were no far-right tendencies among their members – and that in fact some refugees were members of the organization themselves.

    A police spokesman said that they did nothing to stop the Panzer rolling through the town, and that while they had suspected it might infringe the law on inciting religious hatred they didn’t want to limit artistic freedom during the parade.

    Photos taken by officers during the parade will be passed to state prosecutors for examination, they said.

    http://www.thelocal.de/20160208/village-faces-investigation-over-anti-refugee-tiger-tank

  18. BREITBART – Al Jazeera ADMITS Editing Tommy Robinson Interview To EXCLUDE Criticism of Muhammed, Claims ‘Not Acceptable Broadcasting Standard’

    […]An Al Jazeera spokesman told Breitbart London: “Inside Story is a pre-recorded programme, and on many occasions our editorial staff make decisions on what to include or omit based on what is editorially relevant and acceptable to broadcasting standards to the particular debate being aired in the episode in question.”

    Apostasy from Islam is in fact a crime in Qatar, punishable by death.

    Attempting to convert Muslims to another religion is also a crime in the country, and the penalty for committing blasphemy in Qatar is seven years in jail, and there is a 1-year prison sentence for defamation of Islam by producing or promoting defamatory imagery.

    Religious criticism on websites is censored and the censorship office of the Qatar General Broadcasting and Television Corporation monitors all imported foreign broadcasting for religious content show in the country.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG1pzNiL6RY

    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/02/08/exposed-al-jazeera-cuts-facts-about-muhammad-israel-and-death-penalty-from-tommy-robinson-interview/

  19. France: Right-wing activists demand release of General Piquemal

    Dozens of right-wing activists staged a protest in front of the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Monday, demanding the release of former French General Christian Piquemal along with four other protesters who were arrested after taking part in a banned Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA) march in Calais on Saturday.

    SOT, (French): “I deplore that a former general was humiliated in this way. I am angry because I am sick [of it]. The detention of the four young people is unacceptable.”

    SOT, protester (French): “It’s a shame. I am elected by the Front National, and I’m proud of the Front National.”

    SOT, protester (French): “I am ashamed, I am ashamed of the government, I am ashamed.”

    • FRANCE -‘Govt big mistake’: Frmr French general faces prison after arrest at PEGIDA rally

    • REBEL MEDIA EXCLUSIVE: Liberals to build refugee camps on Canadian military bases

      Ezra Levant reports this Rebel EXCLUSIVE: The Canadian military has been ordered by Justin Trudeau’s Liberals to draft plans to house more than 6,000 Muslim migrants on a long-term basis at military bases, according to documents obtained exclusively by The Rebel.

  20. SAUDI ARABIA – Saudis Mock Morality Police For Arresting A Mascot

    Saudi Arabia’s morality police are already known for harassing women while trying to enforce a strict version of sharia law that requires women to cover their hair and bans makeup. But one of the latest incidents allegedly involving the religious police was so absurd that even Saudis accustomed to the stern policies mocked it: They arrested a mascot.

    Specifically, according to local reports, the morality police arrested a man for wearing a giant cartoon-like costume that depicted a woman showing some skin. Using the hashtag #TheMoralityPoliceArresingADummy social media users across the country made fun of the arrest and circulated pictures of the alleged lawbreaker sitting in the back of a morality police car, still in costume, Vocativ discovered.

    The arrest took place last Thursday, when a man wore the getup for the opening ceremony of a branch of a candy store chain in Kharaj city near the capital Riyadh, the Saudi news website Sabq reported. According to Sabq, an unnamed source who works at the chain said the “dummy” was arrested for not complying with the sharia dress code.

    Hundreds of social media users saw it as a great opportunity to mock the morality police, with some photoshopping pictures of the giant costume to make it more conservative:

    Others took the incident seriously, and called for an end to the morality police. “It’s awful that it’s 2016 and these idiots still have any authority,” a Saudi user wrote. “Strip them of their power.”

    A major concern for many was how the alleged incident made Saudi look to other nations. The morality police “is hurting us in front of the world,” someone wrote. “You made the world laughing at us, you animals,” another tweeted.

    The morality police, known formally as The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, is a religious entity responsible for ensuring Saudi citizens live according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law. That includes imposing strict dress codes, preventing the genders from mixing, banning alcohol and barring women from driving cars.

    http://www.vocativ.com/news/281026/saudis-mock-morality-police-for-arresting-a-mascot/?PageSpeed=noscript

  21. NYT – Pakistan’s Hand in the Rise of International Jihad

    […]scores, even hundreds, of foreign fighters left the tribal areas to fight against President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Tribesmen and Taliban members from the area say fighters traveled to Quetta, and then flew to Qatar. There they received new passports and passage to Turkey, from where they could cross into Syria. Others traveled overland along well-worn smuggling routes from Pakistan through Iran and Iraq.

    The fighters arrived just in time to boost the sweeping offensive by ISIS into Iraq and the creation of the Islamic State in the summer of 2014.

    If these accounts are correct, Pakistan was cooperating with Qatar, and perhaps others, to move international Sunni jihadists (including 300 Pakistanis) from Pakistan’s tribal areas, where they were no longer needed, to new battlefields in Syria. It is just another reminder of Pakistan’s central involvement in creating and managing violent jihadist groups

    […]The madrasa, a longtime instrument of Pakistani intelligence, has been training people from the ethnic minorities of northern Afghanistan alongside its standard clientele of Pashtuns. The aim is still to win control of northern Afghanistan through these young graduates. From there they have their eyes on Central Asia and western China. Pakistani clerics are educating and radicalizing Chinese Uighurs as well, along with Central Asians from the former Soviet republics.

    No one has held Pakistan to account for this behavior. Why would Pakistan give it up now?

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/opinion/sunday/pakistans-hand-in-the-rise-of-international-jihad.html

  22. Video – Row, Row Your Boat into ISIS Land
    A new video from ISIS plays down jihad and emphasizes the idyllic lifestyle in the Islamic State, via a leisurely father and daughter boat ride.

    VIDEO CLIPS BELOW

    There’s no doubt the idea of the Islamic State is very attractive for many Muslim’s around the world. Behold – a caliphate was established in which every Muslim can plant roots and where sharia is the order of the day.

    Because of this many Muslims relocate to ISIS territory and others donate money to the Islamic state.

    Nevertheless, of late it seems not everything is rosy in the Islamic state and people, particularly in the West, are not so thrilled at the prospect of giving up a life of luxury to move to Islami- State land, especially when it is in the context of jihad.

    Apparently, many Muslims understandably conceive the idea of jihad as something equating to certain death.

    As a result, it is now tougher for ISIS to recruit fighters and therefore the organization has changed tactics. Instead of calling Muslims to join a jihad, ISIS is using a new slogan “migrate (hijrah) to the Islamic State.”

    Jihad today, especially as viewed by ISIS, is a violent struggle against infidels or Muslims that are not properly implementing the laws of sharia.

    http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/video-%E2%80%93-row-row-your-boat-isis-land

  23. Copenhagen terrorist had Quran during attacks

    Nearly one year after gunman Omar El-Hussein killed two people Copenhagen, new details have emerged about the terror attack.

    Radio24syv revealed that Omar El-Hussein, a Danish citizen of Palestinian origin, was carrying a copy of the Quran when he was shot and killed by police in the wee hours of February 15, 2015, information that had been kept secret by Danish authorities.

    According to the radio station, at the time of his death El-Hussein had a Quran on him with a bookmark at Surah 21, ‘The Prophets’, which contains verses about disbelievers of Islam.

    A theologian and expert on the Quran at the University of Copenhagen said that although one cannot definitively prove that the 22-year-old El-Hussein was inspired by the scripture, the location of the bookmark could be significant.

    “One can imagine that El-Hussein considered his actions to be a continuation of the the Quran’s verses on punishing the wicked,” Thomas Jøhnk Hoffmann told Radio24syv.

    An official report on the February 14-15 terror attack – in which El-Hussein first fired at least 30 shots at a free speech event, killing one, and then killed a volunteer security guard outside of Copenhagen’s Great Synagogue – made no mention of the gunman’s Quran.

    The Danish National Police declined to comment to Radio24syv on why the information wasn’t included, saying that “the involved authorities gave a description that was as precise as possible” in their report.

    Former Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET)head Hans Jørgen Bonnichsen said that withholding the information made little sense from a practical standpoint.

    “I have a hard time seeing that it would have been out of consideration for the investigation. But it could be that one did not want to contribute to equating Islam with terror and that one wanted to guard against revenge attacks in the days after [the twin shootings],” he told Radio24syv

    El-Hussein was born in Copenhagen to Palestinian parents who fled to Denmark via a refugee camp in Jordan. Just two weeks before he spread terror through the Danish capital, the 22-year-old was released from prison for a stabbing offence.

    It was behind bars that El-Hussein is thought to have become radicalized. He was on multiple occasions flagged up by prison authorities for expressing “extreme” views on Islam and at one point shared a cell with an inmate who openly supported the Islamic State, but PET said that it had “no reason to believe that the now deceased 22-year-old offender was planning attacks” based on the information from the Danish Prison and Probation Service.

    In addition to the revelation about El-Hussein’s Quran, TV-2 also reported that seven of the 21 shots fired by police and security guards from within the targeted Krudttønden cultural cafe got stuck in the cafe’s window as the gunman opened fire on a free speech event from the outside.

    It is unknown if the shots were unable to pierce through the windows because of inadequate ammunition or because of the angles from which the shots were fired, but a Danish People’s Party spokesman said that the revelation is proof that Danish police were ill-prepared for a terror attack.

    “The police should have been ready to withstand a terror attack, and they clearly were not prepared. Denmark has been high on the list of countries that terrorists want to attack, so it is thought-provoking that officers didn’t have ammunition that could shoot through glass. It seems completely useless,” Peter Kofod Poulsen told Politiken.

    http://www.thelocal.dk/20160208/copenhagen-terror-gunman-had-quran-when-he-was-shot-dead

  24. More Reps Back Bill to Designate as Terrorists Muslim Brotherhood
    A campaign by Clarion Project readers is helping advance the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act. THANK YOU!

    Momentum for the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act continues to grow in Congress, thanks in part due to Clarion Project readers contacting their representatives. Five more members of the House of Representatives signed on in what could be a seminal moment in the fight against Islamism.

    The additional five cosponsors are Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO); Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK); Rep. Curt Clawson (R-FL); Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC) and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA). There are now a total of 20 supporters in the House of Representatives and two in the Senate, including the introducers. Two presidential candidates, Senator Ted Cruz and Dr. Ben Carson, endorsed designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

    The legislation explicitly identifies the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) as U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entities and includes evidence tying them to a Hamas support network.

    If passed, the bill would state that Congress believes the Muslim Brotherhood fits the State Department’s criteria of a FTO. The secretary of state would be required to designate the Brotherhood within 60 days or to provide a detailed report explaining why it does not.

  25. United Nations: ISIS Has 34 Affiliates Worldwide
    The Islamic State has spread its wings internationally including the Philippines, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Libya and Nigeria.

    By the end of last year, 34 organizations had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said February 5. That number will continue to rise in 2016, he warned.

    “The recent expansion of the [Daesh] sphere of influence across west and north Africa, the Middle East and south and southeast Asia demonstrates the speed and scale at which the gravity of the threat has evolved in just 18 months,” he said.

    The secretary general added ISIS is the wealthiest terrorist organization, with revenues of up to $500 million in 2015.

    The private counter-terrorism company IntelCenter puts the number of affiliates and supporters at 43:

    1. al-I’tisam of the Koran and Sunnah [Sudan] – 1 Aug. 2014 – Support

    2. Abu Sayyaf Group [Philippines] – 25 Jun. 2014 – Support

    3. Ansar al-Khilafah [Philippines] – 14 Aug. 2014 – Allegiance

    4. Ansar al-Tawhid in India [India] – 4 Oct. 2014 – Allegiance

    5. Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) [Phillippines] – 13 Aug. 2014 – Support

    6. Bangsmoro Justice Movement (BJM) [Phillippines] – 11 Sep. 2014 – Support

    7. Jemaah Islamiyah [Philippines] 27 Apr. 2015 – Allegiance

    8. al-Huda Battalion in Maghreb of Islam [Algeria] – 30 Jun. 2014 – Allegiance

    9. The Soldiers of the Caliphate in Algeria [Algeria] – 30 Sep. 2014 – Allegiance

    10. al-Ghurabaa [Algeria] – 7 Jul. 2015 – Allegiance

    11. Djamaat Houmat ad-Da’wa as-Salafiya (DHDS) [Algeria] 19 Sep. 2015 – Allegiance

    12. al-Ansar Battalion [Algeria] 4 Sep. 2015 – Allegiance

    13. Jundullah [Pakistan] – 17 Nov. 2014 – Support

    14. Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) [Pakistan/Uzbekistan] Video – 31 Jul. 2015 – Allegiance

    15. Tehreek-e-Khilafat [Pakistan] – 9 Jul. 2014 – Allegiance

    16. Leaders of the Mujahid in Khorasan (ten former TTP commanders) [Pakistan] – 10 Jan. 2015 – Allegiance

    17. Islamic Youth Shura Council [Libya] – 22 Jun. 2014 – Support

    18. Jaish al-Sahabah in the Levant [Syria] – 1 Jul. 2014 – Allegiance

    19. Martyrs of al-Yarmouk Brigade [Syria] – Dec. 2014 – Part of IS – Allegiance

    20. Faction of Katibat al-Imam Bukhari [Syria] – 29 Oct. 2014 – Allegiance

    21. Jamaat Ansar Bait al-Maqdis [Egypt] – 30 Jun. 2014 – Allegiance

    22. Jund al-Khilafah in Egypt [Egypt] – 23 Sep. 2014 – Allegiance

    23. Liwa Ahrar al-Sunna in Baalbek [Lebanon] – 30 Jun. 2014 – Allegiance

    24. Islamic State Libya (Darnah) [Libya] – 9 Nov. 2014 – Allegiance

    25. Lions of Libya [Libya] (Unconfirmed) – 24 Sep. 2014 – [Support/Allegiance]

    26. Shura Council of Shabab al-Islam Darnah [Libya] – 6 Oct. 2014 – Allegiance

    27. Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid (JAT) [Indonesia] – Aug. 2014 – Allegiance

    28. Mujahideen Indonesia Timor (MIT) [Indonesia] – 1 Jul. 2014 – Allegiance

    29. Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSCJ) [Egypt] – 1 Oct. 2014 – Support

    30. Okba Ibn Nafaa Battalion [Tunisia] – 20 Sep. 2014 – Support

    31. Jund al-Khilafah in Tunisia [Tunisia] – 31 Mar. 2015 – Allegiance

    32. Central Sector of Kabardino-Balakria of the Caucasus Emirate (CE) [Russia] – 26 Apr. 2015 – Allegiance

    33. Mujahideen of Tunisia of Kairouan [Tunisia] 18 May 2015 – Allegiance

    34. Mujahideen of Yemen [Yemen] – 10 Nov. 2014 – Allegiance

    35. Supporters for the Islamic State in Yemen [Yemen] – 4 Sep. 2014 – Allegiance

    36. al-Tawheed Brigade in Khorasan [Afghanistan] – 23 Sep. 2014 – Allegiance

    37. Heroes of Islam Brigade in Khorasan [Afghanistan] – 30 Sep. 2014 – Allegiance

    38. Supporters of the Islamic State in the Land of the Two Holy Mosques [Saudi Arabia] – 2 Dec. 2014 – Support

    39. Ansar al-Islam [Iraq] – 8 Jan. 2015 – Allegiance

    40. Boko Haram [Nigeria] – 7 Mar. 2015 – Allegiance

    41. The Nokhchico Wilayat of the Caucasus Emirate (CE) [Russia] – 15 Jun. 2015 – Allegiance

    42. al-Ansar Battalion [Algeria] – 4 Sep. 2015 – Allegiance

    43. al-Shabaab Jubba Region Cell Bashir Abu Numan [Somalia]- 7 Dec. 2015 – Allegiance

    http://www.clarionproject.org/news/united-nations-isis-has-34-affiliates-worldwide

  26. Would-Be London Mayor: No Memory of ISIS Killer
    George Galloway, infamous for his support of extremist organizations, says he has no recollection of the killer joining his trip to Gaza.

    George Galloway hopes to become mayor of London in three months but right now he is defending himself from the accusation that a leading ISIS killer joined a convoy he organized to Gaza in 2009.

    “There were 500 people on that convoy and George can’t ever remember laying eyes on this guy. It’s possible he was there but George doesn’t remember meeting him,” a campaign spokesman told ITV News.

    The man in question is Alexanda or Alexe Kotey, who worked closely with the infamous Jihadi John. The half Ghanaian, half Cypriot grew up in London.

    A convert to Islam, Kotey is believed to have beheaded up to 27 prisoners along with three accomplices.

    http://www.clarionproject.org/news/would-be-london-mayor-no-memory-isis-killer

  27. German Police Conduct ISIS-Linked Raids in Mainz
    The police did not find actual evidence of planned attacks in the raids on two apartments. One of the suspects has reported ties to the Islamic

    Police officer conducted raids in two apartments in Mainz in western Germany in what appears to have been a search for jihadis with possible links to the Islamic State.

    While no material was found suggesting plans for a terror attack, it appears at least one of the residents of the apartments was connected to ISIS.

    The man in question is a 32-year old known only as Bassem. Investigators believe he may have been a commander for ISIS in Syria.

    http://www.clarionproject.org/news/german-police-conduct-isis-linked-raids-mainz

  28. Lifting the Veil of Silence: FGM in India
    Female genital mutilation is practised in one Muslim community in India. For the first time, women are speaking out. Sania Farooqui reports.

    [New Delhi, India] The United Nations General Assembly observed February 6 as International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. According to the latest UNICEF report, at least 200-million girls and women have undergone FGM in 30 countries across the world.

    A country that is not yet on that list is India, where the practice of Female Genital Mutilation has been carried out for years among the Muslim Bohra community. For the first time, women from this community have come forward and spoken against this practice.

    “I was seven when a local midwife circumcised me. I remember that it was very painful. My mother and my grandmother took me to a dingy house in Bhindi Bazar, a Bohra community – dominated area in Mumbai. That house belonged to a local midwife. I was made to sit inside and they lifted my dress and pulled down my underwear. I was told it would be something very quick and would hurt just a little bit. The midwife, took a blade out and used it to cut a thin layer of my clitoris. At that time, I remember feeling that pain, but eventually it went away and I also forgot about it.”

    http://www.clarionproject.org/news/lifting-veil-silence-fgm-india

  29. Czech govt paid $6 million ransom for two women held in Pakistan: report (tribune, Feb 8, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1042429/czech-govt-paid-6-million-ransom-for-two-women-held-in-pakistan-report/

    “PRAGUE: The Czech government paid a $6-million (5.4-million-euro) ransom to secure the release last year of two women kidnapped in Pakistan, the Respekt weekly reports in its Monday edition.

    Czech psychology students Hana Humpalova and Antonie Chrastecka, both 24 at the time, were seized by armed men in March 2013 in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, near the borders with Afghanistan and Iran.

    The pair had entered from Iran as tourists and were escorted into Pakistan by a tribal policeman.

    In a video released shortly after their kidnapping, the two young women had pleaded for the release of Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, jailed in 2010 in the United States on charges of terrorist links.

    After two years in captivity, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka announced the women’s release and return to Prague on March 28, 2015.

    Negotiations with the kidnappers on the payment of a ransom were carried out by the Czech state’s security council, according to Respekt.

    “The talks weren’t easy, but in the end, none of us wanted to assume responsibility for the death of two young girls,” the weekly quoted an anonymous participant in the negotiations as saying.

    “The decision to hand over the ransom was taken unanimously,” the source added.

    Government spokesperson Martin Ayrer told AFP that Sobotka “will not be commenting on this report”.

    The Respekt report comes just days after five Czech men, who were kidnapped in Lebanon last July, were freed into the care of Lebanese security forces.

    Their release appeared to be tied to the detention of a Lebanese man in Prague, with a Lebanese security official telling AFP: “The release of the five Czechs… is the final part of an exchange deal, (that) includes the release of the Lebanese detainee in Prague, Ali Taan Fayyad.”

    That release, announced on February 2, received an indignant reaction from the US ambassador who said Prague’s actions would encourage “terrorists and criminals”.”

  30. Somalia drought leaves 50,000 children ‘facing death (BBC, Feb 8, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35522643

    “More than 50,000 children in Somalia “face death” because of the ongoing drought there, the UN says.

    A stark warning issued by the UN’s humanitarian office, Ocha, said the malnutrition situation is “alarming”.

    It added that nearly one million Somalis, one in 12 of the population, “struggle… to meet their food needs”.

    The drought in Somalia has been partly caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon which has affected east and southern Africa.

    The worst-affected areas of the country are parts of Puntland and the self-declared republic of Somaliland.

    Many of those in need of help are people who have been displaced by years of conflict in the country.

    In all 4.7 million people, nearly 40% of the population, need some sort of humanitarian assistance.

    As the drought is intensifying there “many more people risk relapsing into crisis,” said the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator in Somalia Peter de Clercq.

    Highlighting the condition of the children, he said that 58,300 will die “if they are not treated”.
    Mr de Clercq appealed for more funds so they can be helped quickly.

    In neighbouring Ethiopia more than 10 million people need food assistance following the failure of the rains.

    And Zimbabwe has declared a state of disaster in some drought-affected areas of the country.

  31. Dubai Ruler Says Emirates to Privatize Government Services (abcnews, Feb 8, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dubai-ruler-emirates-privatize-government-services-36788108

    “Dubai’s ruler said Monday the United Arab Emirates will privatize some government services in the oil-rich country, as well as create a state minister position devoted to ensuring the happiness of its citizens.

    Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the UAE’s prime minister, made the comments on Twitter after appearing at the World Government Summit being hosted in his city-state. He also announced that some government ministries would be merged, while also creating a minister of state position to oversee tolerance in a country that is home to many faiths and ethnicities.

    “It is a beginning of a new journey of achievement and giving to the people and we ask Allah to help us to serve and take care of them,” one message read.

    The series of tweets sent out to coincide with the summit did not offer a timeframe for when the plans would be implemented. However, they come amid a monthslong push by the 66-year-old ruler focused on happiness in his emirate, which is known for its futuristic skyscrapers and a liberal disposition compared to the rest of the largely conservative Arabian Peninsula.

    The United Arab Emirates is a federation composed of seven autonomously ruled emirates. The ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, serves as the country’s president. In his tweets Monday night, Sheikh Mohammed said the changes in the federal government came after he consulted with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s crown prince.

    This isn’t the first time Sheikh Mohammed has turned to Twitter to make a major announcement. Last week, he posted messages to Twitter saying he wanted a young person under 25 to serve as a UAE government minister to oversee youth issues.”

  32. Canada IS airstrikes: Trudeau announces 22 February end date (BBC, Feb 8, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35526255

    “Canada will stop bombing targets in Syria and Iraq belonging to the militant group known as Islamic State by 22 February at the latest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said.

    Speaking in Ottawa on Monday, he said air strikes alone did not secure lasting stability for local people.

    Mr Trudeau, who was elected in October, promised to withdraw six fighter jets from the region during his campaign.

    But Canada will keep two surveillance planes in the region, he said.

    It will also keep refuelling aircraft in the area and will increase the number of Canadian soldiers training local troops who are fighting Islamic State (IS).

    “It is important to understand that while air strike operations can be very useful to achieve short-term military and territorial gains, they do not on their own achieve long-term stability for local communities,” Mr Trudeau said.

    “Canadians learned this lesson first hand during a very difficult decade in Afghanistan where our forces became expert military trainers, renowned around the world.”

    He said Canadian armed forces would instead allocate more military resources to training Iraqi security forces so that “a murderous gang of thugs who are terrorising some of the most vulnerable people on Earth” could be defeated.

    Mr Trudeau’s move has been criticised by the opposition, whose leader Rona Ambrose in parliament accused the government of “stepping back from the fight against IS when our allies are stepping up”.

    “The reality is that when we talk about Canada’s new approach to fighting IS… Canada is backing away,” she said.

    But Mr Trudeau is adamant that his announcement on Monday makes sound strategic sense.

    “Call us old-fashioned, but we think that we ought to avoid doing precisely what our enemies want us to do. They want us to elevate them, to give in to fear, to indulge in hatred, to eye one another with suspicion and to take leave of our faculties,” he said.

    Many Canadians have lost enthusiasm for overseas military missions after a decade of involvement in Afghanistan that ended in 2011, correspondents say. More than 150 Canadian soldiers were killed over that period.”

  33. Syria ‘exterminating detainees’ – UN report (BBC, Feb 8, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35521801

    “The Syrian government has carried out a state policy of extermination against thousands of detainees, UN human rights investigators say.

    They accuse President Bashar al-Assad’s regime of crimes against humanity, in a report for the UN Human Rights Council.

    The study says both loyalist and anti-government forces have committed possible war crimes.

    Many detainees were tortured, some were beaten to death, and others died from lack of food, water, or medical care.

    The findings come from interviews with hundreds of witnesses and cover the period since the start of anti-government protests in March 2011.

    The report says thousands of detainees have been killed while in the custody of warring parties during that time….”