Reader’s Links, April 19, 2018

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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.

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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

142 Replies to “Reader’s Links, April 19, 2018”

  1. Bahrain Jails 25 Suspects for forming Terrorist Group (aawsat, Apr 19, 2018)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1242981/bahrain-jails-25-suspects-forming-terrorist-group

    “Bahrain on Thursday sentenced 25 citizens to prison for forming a terrorist group.

    They have been revoked of their nationality and are also charged with travelling to Iraq and Iran for weapons and explosives training and the attempted murder of police officers.

    The High Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced 10 of the defendants to life in prison, 10 to a decade behind bars and the other four to jail terms ranging from three to five years.

    Authorities on Wednesday also referred to trial seven Bahrainis accused of attacking an oil pipeline to Saudi Arabia in November…”

  2. US: Syrian Regime Still Retains Ability to Launch Limited Chemical Attacks (aawsat, Apr 19, 2018)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1242951/us-syrian-regime-still-retains-ability-launch-limited-chemical-attacks

    “The Pentagon said on Thursday that the Syrian regime still has the ability to carry out limited chemical attacks in the future.

    “They do retain a residual capability. It is probably spread throughout the country at a variety of sites,” said Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, joint staff director.

    There were no signs however that the regime was preparing to carry out a new chemical attack, he added.

    “They will have the ability to conduct limited attacks in the future, I would not rule that out. However, as they contemplate the dynamics of conducting those attacks, they have got to look over their shoulder and be worried that we’re looking at them and we’ll have the ability to strike them again, should it be necessary,” McKenzie said…”

  3. Four Saudi security officers killed in southern province (mee, Apr 19, 2018)
    http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/attack-kills-four-saudi-security-forces-southern-province-1844122007

    “Four Saudi officers were shot dead and four others wounded on Thursday when their checkpoint came under gunfire in southern Asir province, state media said.

    Three officers were instantly killed when the outpost came under attack, the Saudi Press Agency reported, without specifying who was behind it.

    “Security officials have succeeded in identifying a number of suspects involved in the crime and arrested two of them, both Saudi nationals,” SPA said…”

  4. Soros’s Foundation to Exit Hungary Amid Crackdown, Presse Says (bloombert, Apr 19, 2018)
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-19/soros-s-foundation-to-exit-hungary-amid-crackdown-presse-says

    “Billionaire philanthropist George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, which funds dozens of non-governmental organizations in Hungary, will move its staff out of Budapest amid a government crackdown on civil society, Austria’s Die Presse newspaper reported Thursday.

    OSF will move about 100 employees to Berlin, its president, Patrick Gaspard, told staff in Hungary, according to Die Presse. The charity didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment outside of business hours.

    The move follows the re-election of Prime Minister Viktor Orban for a third consecutive term earlier this month, after a campaign demonizing Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor Soros and promising a crackdown against NGOs he supports…”

  5. 91% of Moroccan Brains Flee for Western Countries, 74% Wish to Come Back (moroccoworldnews, Apr 19, 2018)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/04/244769/91-of-moroccan-brains-flee-for-western-countries-74-wish-to-come-back/

    “How to win back Moroccan brains? A recent study by Moroccan job portal ReKrute reveals how the brain drain phenomenon affects Morocco.

    According to ReKrute, 91 percent of Moroccan professionals aged 35 and below as tempted to work abroad, in search of better work conditions and quality of life, which includes health care and comfort.

    The study suggests that motivations vary on an individual basis, as many Moroccan companies fall short of employee expectations and do not put strong efforts into winning back the qualified people who have left for other countries.

    Young, well-trained Moroccan individuals set their sights on western countries, such as Canada, which attracts 37 percent of Moroccan professionals, making it the hottest destination, not only for Moroccans but for many citizens of the world, ReKrute emphasized.

    While thousands of high-qualified Moroccans look forward to emigrating to developed countries, 74 percent of Moroccans have already spent several years in foreign countries hope to go back to Morocco to put their talents and expertise to use in the kingdom. However, even these Moroccans hesitate before returning home, due to the unstable or less-stimulating work atmospheres.

    It is worth mentioning that a previous report issued by Moroccan outlet Medias24, indicates that Moroccan physicians and doctors, in particular, experience tough working conditions domestically–underpaid and under-equipped–which prompts them to emigrate.

    “After ten years of study, we are sent to faraway regions for miserable salaries and deplorable working conditions,” one Moroccan doctor stated. Facing such prospects, Moroccan medical professionals are increasingly choosing to remain abroad, rather than address the nation’s dire need for medical services.”

  6. Tariq Ramadan Confesses to Having Relations with Complainant (moroccoworldnews, Apr 19, 2018)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/04/244804/tariq-ramadan-confesses-to-having-relations-with-complainant/

    “Islamologist Tariq Ramadan denies all accusations of sexual relations with his first two complainants, but admits to having relations with the third.

    Ramadan’s lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, has acknowledged his client’s relations with one of the complainants. To date, five women have accused Ramadan of rape, but Ramadan’s defense indicated that the third incident is not what it seems, reports le360.

    Marie, Ramadan’s third complainant, relayed statements Thursday to French newsource Europe 1. She also provided investigators with a dress allegedly stained with Ramadan’s sperm. Tests are still being conducted to determine if there is a correlation between DNA samples.

    Up until now, the Islamologist denied having any relations with the first two women who accused him of rape. But when confronted with the third woman’s evidence, he admitted to having sexual relations with her, if not the kind of relation she has specified.

    “My client admits having a relationship with this woman, but not one like she describes,” stated Marsigny.

    On another note, Ramadan is currently suffering from multiple sclerosis, but his medical treatment thus far has not been deemed “incompatible” with prison detention. Ramadan has been imprisoned just outside of Paris since February.

    The 55 year-old theologian had banked hopes on being released due to his health condition. According to sources, he has suffered from “multiple sclerosis” since 2006,” informed doctors in a report filed with judges on Wednesday.

    While Ramadan’s current care is not incompatible with detention, experts insist that Ramadan would benefit from access to better care, including its drug treatment and four times weekly physiotherapy sessions.”

  7. Pakistan turns to China for high-end weapons: report (tribune, Apr 19, 2018)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1689509/1-pakistan-turns-china-high-end-weapons-report/ 

    “The downward trend in Pak-US relations has pushed Islamabad towards China for the procurement of high-tech weaponry as the United States has again become an unreliable supplier for weaponry, said a Financial Times report.

    “We have learnt over time that the Americans are terrible when it comes to honouring their promise,” a former minister told FT. “This was bound to end up in divorce.”

    On one hand, the US Congress approved the sale of eight fighter aircraft to Pakistan, on the other the price of the new F-16s was increased from US$270 million to US$700 million – putting it out of Islamabad’s reach. The move was a reflection of policymakers’ perceived ‘failure’ to tackle domestic extremism.
    US budget proposes $336m in civilian assistance, military aid to Pakistan

    For Pakistan, it was a confirmation that their long-term ally could not be relied upon as the primary source of advanced weapon systems, America’s growing closeness with India further confirmed it.

    Consequently, the country shifted its focus to China and jointly manufactured the JF-17 Thunder aircraft with complete transfer of technology. The jet rivals the US-made F-16 aircraft.

    The move validated a slow but steady tilt towards China for military procurement as US weapons exports to Pakistan has plummeted from US$1 billion to US$21 million since 2010, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).

    Although exports from China fell in the same period with a difference of US$233 million – US$747 million to US$514 million, it remains as the biggest weapons exporter to Islamabad. China is now selling and co-developing high-end systems for which Pakistan once depended on the US.

    The tumultuous relationship between Pakistan and the US deteriorated as the Trump administration suspended US$2 billion in military aid. FT observed that Trump needed Pakistan as he “recommits to the war in Afghanistan” but Islamabad was “less responsive than usual” to US demands.

    “The Trump administration’s decision to pursue sanctions against Pakistan, alongside Trump’s fiery rhetoric . . . can only push Pakistan further into the arms of Beijing — especially with Pakistan’s shift from US military supplies to Chinese military supplies” said Harrison Akins, a research fellow at the Howard H Baker Jr Centre for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee. He further observed that the move will make US mission in Afghanistan more difficult and costly.

    “We buy weapons from the Americans off the shelf, but they won’t share technology,” said Mushahid Hussain, chairman of the Senate’s defence committee. “Also, politics doesn’t get in the way of things, whereas the Americans, if they are angry with us, they stop everything.”

    The US has used ‘sale of weapons’ as a leverage to manoeuvre its network of military alliances and partnerships – but many of those allies are now looking towards China for weapons exports.

    According to Sipri, China saw an 88 per cent increase in its weapons sales between 2011-2015. “Twenty years ago, China did not have the technology to be able to compete with the west, but now there is not much difference,” says Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher at Sipri. “Many countries also see Chinese supplies as more secure, as Beijing does not tend to cut them off over awkward issues such as democracy or human rights.”

    “People are bored with the US — they have given up on the US. Let them stew in their own juice. Forget about them,” said Hussain.

    As the world explores China for weapons, its iron-brother Pakistan has been a buyer for decades – and it has the US to thank for. The relationship was initiated during 1965 war with India when the US placed an arms embargo on Islamabad. A dib in relationships between Pakistan and US leads to an increase in weapons export from China – from providing supplies and information for the development of nuclear weapons in the 1980s and 1990s to the sale of 20 M-11 missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

    An analyst at defence research company Jane’s IHS Markit Jon Grevatt told FT that during the last decade, China had “collaborated much more expansively with Pakistan, with the intention of providing its ally with a tactical, military-technical edge”.

    A-100 rocket launchers, HQ-16 air defence missile systems and VT-4 tanks are reportedly being tested in Pakistan…..”

  8. Jordan: activists launch anti-child marriage campaign (ansamed, Apr 19, 2018)
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/jordan/2018/04/19/jordan-activists-launch-anti-child-marriage-campaign_91f71487-3aa1-43be-9af1-ffbc85e45b39.html

    “Human rights activists launched a campaign to combat early child marriage in Jordan as the phenomena grows out of control due to rising poverty and arrival of refugees from neighboring countries.

    Over 10,000 girls under the age 18 are married in Jordan every year, according to figures provided by Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI), the organization behind the initiative against child marriage.

    Called “Nujoud” in reference to a notorious case of a Yemeni girl was coerced to marriage at the tinder age of 10 and got divorced months later, to become the youngest ever divorced in the world. Pundits for anti-child marriage are lobbying for the parliament to abolish an article in the law that allows marriage of children under age 18 and deprive judges from the right to make exemptions of marriage.

    Jordan’s tribal community has allowed for the early marriage to continue despite improvement in human rights law, as the parliament is dominated by conservative leaders, say human rights activists.

    The arrival of refugees from Syria has added to the phenomena, with families from the war stricken country often forced to marry their children to obtain legal rights and secure stable future for them in the new environment.

    The difficult economic situation has forced many families to marry their daughters for some financial gains and to avoid spending on them, but activists say such actions should be considered a crime.

    According to SIGI’s executive director Asma Khader “early marriage for financial gains could be considered human trafficking. Khader claim that figures indicate that “we have around 30 girls wed every day in Jordan who are under the age of 18″.”

  9. Police will not forcibly remove veils from women: Danish justice minister (thelocal, Apr 19, 2018)
    https://www.thelocal.dk/20180419/police-will-not-forcibly-remove-burqas-from-women-danish-justice-minister

    “A widely-discussed proposal to ban public wearing of face-covering garments including the burqa and niqab is set to be voted on in Denmark’s parliament.

    Minister of Justice Søren Pape Poulsen, who was scheduled to present the proposal in parliament for a first round of voting on Thursday, said that a passing of the proposal into law would not result in police forcibly removing women’s burqas.

    Women wearing the burqa in public would be fined or asked to go home, the minister told newspaper Politiken.

    “If they live nearby, they will be asked to go home,” Poulsen said.

    A further option would be for women to be accompanied to a police station, where they would be collected by a family member, he added.

    “I do not want police officers pulling items of clothing off people – burqas or otherwise. That is not going to happen,” he said, adding that police would “not be given such instructions”.

    But exact orders for how the new law would be enforced remain unconfirmed at the current time…”

  10. Syria returns Assad’s Légion d’honneur to France (france24, Apr 19, 2018)
    http://www.france24.com/en/20180419-syria-returns-assad-legion-honneur-award-france

    “Syria returned to France the prestigious Légion d’honneur it gave to President Bashar al-Assad, saying Thursday he would not wear the award of a “slave” to America.

    Assad was decorated with the Légion’s highest rank of Grand Croix, or Great Cross, by former president Jacques Chirac in 2001, shortly after taking power following the death of his father Hafez al-Assad.

    The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that “a disciplinary procedure for withdrawing the Légion d’honneur (Legion of Honour) is underway”.

    Syria said it had returned the award after France took part in air strikes at the weekend against regime targets over an alleged chemical weapons attack.

    “The ministry of foreign affairs… has returned to the French republic… the decoration of the Grand Croix of the Légion d’honneur awarded to President Assad,” said the Syrian foreign ministry.

    It said in a statement that the award was returned to France via the Romanian embassy in Damascus, which represents French interests in Syria…”

  11. Switzerland
    The replica of the statue of Christ the Redeemer has already been vandalized

    Installed on Tuesday at the Boulevard de Pérolles, the work was damaged only a few hours later. At 11:40 pm, the police, alerted by a witness, arrested a 24-year-old Syrian national. The base of the statue has been slightly damaged.

    According to the spokesman of the Friborg police Martial Pugin, who confirms information from Radio Freiburg, the vandal was seen beating at the monument. A painted wooden panel covering its base, on the Domino’s garden side, has been partially torn off. The vandal, an asylum seeker, was arrested and placed under provisional arrest. An investigation is in progress and a report will be sent to the Public Ministry.

    President of the Friborg-Nova Friburgo Association, the founder of the statue, Raphaël Fessler confirms that a complaint has been lodged on behalf of the Friborg Service of Culture and the Association, which is celebrating this year the bicentenary of the foundation of Nova Friburgo. According to him, witnesses have seen two other individuals involved in the depredations committed on the night of Tuesday. The president favors the thesis of gratuitous vandalism. He added that measures will be taken to make the premises more secure.
    https://www.laliberte.ch/info-regionale/fribourg/la-replique-de-la-statue-du-christ-redempteur-a-deja-ete-vandalisee-436341

  12. Jihadis and Drug Cartel at Our Border
    A nightmare on the horizon.
    April 19, 2018
    Michael Cutler

    The border that is supposed to separate the United States from Mexico must be made secure.

    There is no shortage of compelling reasons why this must happen, and the sooner the better, but today, given the lunacy of Sanctuary Cities and Sanctuary States and the globalist goals of politicians from both political parties, particularly the Democratic Party leadership, rational and reasonable thought processes have been supplanted by greed, corruption and cowardice- fear of upsetting party leaders or fear of alienating deep-pocketed campaign contributors.

    Indeed, it is irrational for any leader in the United States to refuse to take whatever measures must be taken to protect America and Americans from the rampant violence, corruption and potential for terrorists to traverse that highly porous border into the United States.

    Yet this is precisely the situation that exists today in the United States.

    Therefore, today we will consider some of the more compelling facts that demand that, for once and for all, the U.S./Mexican border be secured.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/269881/jihadis-and-drug-cartel-our-border-michael-cutler

  13. UK: “Teacher Handbook” Supporting Extremism?

    by Andrew Jones
    April 19, 2018 at 5:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12136/britain-teachers-extremism
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    Sweeping reforms in Britain’s education system are having an unintended dangerous consequence: the infiltration of extremist Muslim influence on the teaching of Religious Studies.

    This influence is visible in The Oxford Teacher Handbook for GCSE Islam, authored by a small team of educational specialists and Muslim community leaders. The purpose of the manual is to guide British teachers lacking in-depth knowledge of Islam to help their students pass the Religious Studies General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), the UK’s public examination for pupils at the end of Grade 11. This academic study of religions is an optional but relatively popular subject in British high schools — 322,910 students took the examination in 2017, out of a total GCSE cohort in all subjects of 3,694,771.

    The understanding of Islam — absorbed by a significant proportion of each year’s 300,000+ Religious Studies students (whose school chooses to take the Islam module) — is sufficient to create a national climate of opinion, given that the GCSE is a near-essential first stepping-stone to higher education and influential professions in British public life. It is therefore alarming that a portion of such influence has been granted to the Islamic scholar and activist, Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, a co-author of the Teacher Handbook, who oversaw his fellow authors’ contributions.

  14. Turkey’s Erdogan Threatens France

    by Uzay Bulut
    April 19, 2018 at 4:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12183/turkey-threatens-france

    Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an slammed French President Emmanuel Macron for his recent offer to mediate between Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), saying he hopes Paris will not ask Ankara to help when terrorists fleeing Iraq and Syria arrive in France:

    “With this attitude, France has no right to complain about any terrorist organization, any terrorist, any terrorist attack. Those who sleep with terrorists, welcome them in their palaces, will understand sooner or later the mistake that they made.”

    On April 7, hours after a man ploughed his van into pedestrians in Münster, Germany, Erdogan threatened France again, referring to the incident: :

    “France, [you are] being a stooge… providing support to the terrorism, you are hosting terrorists at the Elysée Palace… You are seeing what is happening in Germany, right? The same will happen in France. The West will not able to free itself from terror. The West will sink as it feeds these terrorists.”

    The Turkish government’s enabling violence in Syria and Iraq has apparently turned Turkey into a center for ISIS and other Islamist terrorists. Many of the jihadi terrorists who participated in deadly attacks in Manchester, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Stockholm and St. Petersburg in recent years had connections to Turkey. Some were caught there; others either traveled there to cross into Syria to join ISIS, or had lived there a while. Turkey has been routinely used by Islamists as a route into areas of Syria and Iraq to join ISIS. (See appendix for a list of such terrorists)

    • Possibly threatens Germany and certainly Greece even more. Be nice to step on that Turk.
      Even Putin, who’s trying to draw him as far away from the West as possible, can barely keep up a friendly appearance. He keeps his shark-grin pasted on.