Reader’s Links, July 29, 2018

Daily Links Post graphic

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

135 Replies to “Reader’s Links, July 29, 2018”

  1. “Is She Just MAKING This Up?!” Bongino GOES OFF on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

    • Why is it that every image of her reeks of fanaticism on her behalf? Is there an inherent truth being displayed? Or is she just your typical political opportunist?

  2. From Daesh to ‘Diaspora’: Tracing the Women and Minors of Islamic State

    • 41,490 international citizens from 80 countries became affiliated with IS in Iraq and Syria.

    • In the first global dataset of its scope and detail, up to 4,761 (13%) of these were recorded to be women, and 4,640 (12%) of these minors.

    • Eastern Asia saw the highest proportion of recorded IS-affiliated women and minors at up to 70%, followed by Eastern Europe (44%); Western Europe (42%); the Americas, Australia and New Zealand (36%); Central Asia (30%); South-Eastern Asia (35%); Southern Asia (27%); Middle East and North Africa (MENA, 8%); and sub-Saharan Africa (<1%).[…]

    IS affiliates and status after the fall of the ‘caliphate’

    • This report is the first to map out in detail the diverse trajectories of IS foreign affiliates after the fall of the ‘caliphate’: from those who were killed in Syria and Iraq; executed by IS from within their own ranks; detained by regional authorities; involved in detainee exchanges; repatriated to their home nations; in third-party countries; or whose status is simply unknown.

    • We recorded up to 7,366 persons have now returned to their home countries (20%), or appear to be in repatriation processes to do so.

    • Only 256 (4%) of total returnees are recorded as women, accounting for up to 5% of the women who travelled to Syria and Iraq.

    • Up to 1,180 (17%) of total returnees are recorded as minors, accounting for up to 25% of minors who travelled to, or were born in, Iraq and Syria.

    • South-Eastern Asia saw the highest proportion of female and minor returnees at up to 59%, followed by Western Europe (55%); Central Asia (48%); Sub-Saharan Africa (33%); Eastern Europe (18%); Americas, Australia New Zealand (8%); Southern Asia (<1%); and MENA (<1%). There were no returnees accounted for in Eastern Asia.[…]

    Concerns about women and minors going forward

    • Women and minors are poised to play a significant role in carrying forward the ideology and legacy of IS after the physical fall of its ‘caliphate’ in late 2017.

    • Much attention has rightfully focused on Iraq and Syria, but Libya, Afghanistan and the Philippines have also proven notable countries for women and minors in IS and remain under-examined.

    • Women and minors affiliated with and inspired by IS have already demonstrated their prominence as security threats, with numerous foiled and successful attacks plotted and carried out globally.

    • There is a risk that many IS orphans will become stateless and fall through the cracks of repatriation and rehabilitation efforts.

    • Women and minors detained in Iraq and Syria require specific attention including their access to fair trial, and potential to radicalise while detained.
    […]
    ===========================================

    https://icsr.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Women-in-ISIS-report_20180719_web.pdf

    ============================================
    https://icsr.info/2018/07/23/from-daesh-to-diaspora-tracing-the-women-and-minors-of-islamic-state/

  3. Iran’s currency drops 14 percent in one day on sanctions fears (DW,Jul 29, 2018)
    https://www.dw.com/en/irans-currency-drops-14-percent-in-one-day-on-sanctions-fears/a-44871431

    “The Iranian rial has hit a new record low, dropping past 100,000 rials to the US dollar. The currency is down 50 percent since April — just before the US pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal.

    Iran’s currency hit a record low on Sunday of 100,000 rials to the dollar as concerns grow of a deepening economic crisis due to the imminent return of full US sanctions.

    The Iranian rial fell to 112,000 to the dollar from 98,000 a day earlier on the thriving currency exchange black market, according to Bonbast, one of the most reliable sites for tracking the currency.

    Other websites said the dollar was exchanged between 108,500 and 116,000 rials.

    Down 50 percent

    The rial has lost half its value against the dollar in just four months, having broken through the 50,000-mark for the first time in March.

    The currency started its latest freefall a month before US President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, in which six world powers lifted sanctions on Tehran in return for the curtailment of its nuclear program.

    Washington is to reimpose its full range of financial measures in two stages on August 6 and November 4, forcing many foreign firms to cut off business with Iran.

    The US has also told countries they must halt imports of Iranian oil from Nov. 4 or face their own US sanctions.

    Iran is also experiencing a deep economic crisis which is likely to worsen if its oil exports fall by as much as two-thirds by this year, due to the revived measures.

    Turning to dollars

    The economic uncertainty has forced more Iranians to turn to dollars as a safe way to store their savings. It has also triggered street protests and a public outcry over alleged profiteering and corruption.

    Last week, the government replaced the country’s central bank governor Valiollah Seif, blaming his policies for exacerbating the rial’s fall. Meanwhile foreign exchange restrictions have been eased to combat black market trading.

    The central bank, meanwhile, has blamed “enemies” for the lack of confidence in the currency and a rapid rise in the prices of gold coins…”

    • Florida Police Officer Dies After Being Shot By An Illegal Alien, Police Say

      So much for that pension…

  4. Justice Department won’t disclose details on Mueller ethics waiver
    By JOSH GERSTEIN 12/12/2017 05:07 AM EST
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
    The Justice Department is refusing to reveal details of the process that led up to former FBI Director Robert Mueller being granted an ethics waiver to serve as special counsel investigating the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

    In response to a POLITICO Freedom of Information Act request, the agency released a one-sentence memo Friday confirming that Mueller was granted a conflict-of-interest waiver in order to assume the politically sensitive post.

    The waiver is believed to relate to Mueller’s work in recent years as a partner at the WilmerHale law firm, which also represented former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and White House adviser Jared Kushner, who is also President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

    https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/12/justice-mueller-ethics-waiver-russia-291707

  5. COLUMBUS (WCMH) — A man indicted on kidnapping, rape and weapons charges is out of jail, free on a personal recognizance bond. Now, it’s possible all charges against him could be dropped.

    Dwight Orr Jr. is accused of raping 18-year-old Garon Hall at gunpoint. Hall, who is the only witness in the case, later committed suicide.

    “The case the State has, has been substantially weakened,” Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien told NBC4’s Tom Sussi.

    Without Hall’s testimony, O’Brien said charges against Orr might be dropped.

    “I don’t want to comment on how we access it Tom, simply because we’re in the process of accessing where we’re at without the victim. Obviously, we understand our case in substantially impaired without a victim in a sexual assault case,” O’Brien said.

    https://www.nbc4i.com/news/investigates/man-indicted-on-kidnapping-rape-charges-out-on-bond-after-victim-commits-suicide/1323899247

  6. Congressman Ghomer made a report on Muller and his past history of behaviour for his fellow Congressmen. It is long, and some of it we know, but there are bits in there that I didn’t know and it certainly demonstrates a pattern of behaviour that explains a lot of what we are seeing in the Mueller probe.

    One of the things that somehow escaped me was that it was Muller himself who purged all references to radical Islam and signs of radicalization from FBI training manuals, forced senior agents who had been trained in these techniques out and then ordered the green FBI agents to investigate every person who reports a potential Islamist terrorist for Islamophobia before following up on the report itself…

    Long reading, but makes a lot of sense:

    https://1zwchz1jbsr61f1c4mgf0abl-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gohmert_Mueller_UNMASKED.pdf

    Also, after reading that report, this news article makes a lot of sense:

    WASHINGTON — Three powerful Russian businessmen who control the country’s largest commercial bank have filed the second of two defamation lawsuits in connection with a salacious intelligence report involving President Donald Trump.

    The lawsuit, filed October 3 by Pyotr Aven, Mikhail Fridman, and German Khan, alleged that the intelligence report, known commonly as the Steele dossier, harmed their professional reputations and “[impaired] business opportunities that resulted from the blatantly false and defamatory statements and implications about them.”

    The suit, filed in U.S. federal court in Washington, D.C., targets the private Washington-based research and intelligence firm Fusion GPS, founded by a former Wall Street Journal reporter. The dossier was compiled by a former British intelligence agent initially for Trump’s Republican rivals, and funding for the report was later taken over by Democratic opponents.

    https://www.rferl.org/a/steele-dossier-trump-russia-alfa-bank-fusion-gps-aven-fridman-khan/28774687.html

  7. KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) –
    This is a heads-up for any Bank of America customer: You might be getting questions about your citizenship status and even have your accounts frozen with no warning.

    KCTV5 News heard about this happening when one of our longtime photographers, Josh Collins, told us what happened to him.

    He had received a mailer claiming to be sent by Bank of America that asked for personal information and citizenship information.

    However, he has been a Bank of America customer for 20 years and was born a U.S. citizen, so he figured it could be a scam and that the bank would follow up if it was legitimate.

    The next thing he knew, his accounts were frozen without notice.

    “They only do that to people’s accounts for people trying to flee the country,” he said. “We’re not criminals. We didn’t do anything wrong.”

    When he found out his card was declined and when he called Bank of America to find out why, they told him his account was frozen.

    “The first question is, ‘Oh, we sent you something in the mail a few weeks ago,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘Yeah, I remember getting something that didn’t look real.’ And they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, we need to know if you’re a citizen.’ You know, I was born and raised in Kansas like Superman. I said, ‘How much more American can you get?’”

    The bank representative told Collins he would have access to his accounts the next day,

    “So, we get up in the morning,” he said. “Card doesn’t work again. So, my wife — being the patient one — calls and they said, ‘Well, your cards have been lost or stolen.’”

    http://www.kctv5.com/story/38753295/bank-of-america-questioning-customers-citizenship-freezing

  8. A popular political news outlet is unwilling to side with conservatives under any circumstance, even if the circumstance is forced child marriage.

    “A tug-of-war between the ruling Social Democrat-Green Party coalition and the opposition over the government’s role in managing or eradicating the practice — which predominantly affects young girls, and in some cases boys, from immigrant backgrounds — is emblematic of a broader struggle to find a balance between efforts to integrate a large number of new immigrants and preserve a Swedish way of life,” wrote Politico.

    The avowedly left wing website said that right wingers have “seized on the issue” to climb in the polls.

    https://bigleaguepolitics.com/politico-criticizes-swedish-conservatives-for-opposition-to-islamic-child-marriage/

  9. An illegal alien from Mexico assaulted a U.S. Border Patrol agent after he illegally crossed the border in South Texas.
    A Laredo Sector agent attempted to arrest an illegal immigrant after he crossed the border near Rio Bravo, Texas. The agent responded to sensor indicators and observed to migrants who had illegally crossed. The agent detained one of the subjects but the other fled back across the river to Mexico, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from Laredo Sector Border Patrol officials.

    https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2018/07/29/border-patrol-agent-assaulted-by-mexican-migrant-at-border/

  10. British police and intelligence agencies are using children as spies in covert operations against terrorists, gangs and drug dealers.

    A committee of the House of Lords revealed the practice while raising the alarm over government plans to give law enforcement bodies more freedom over their use of children.

    Some of the child spies are aged under 16, the committee says, adding that it was worried about proposals to extend from one month to four the period of time between each occasion that child spies go through a re-registration process.

    “We are concerned that enabling a young person to participate in covert activity associated with serious crime for an extended period of time may increase the risks to their mental and physical welfare,” said the committee, chaired by Lord Trefgarne, a former Tory government minister.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/19/british-intelligence-uses-child-spies-in-covert-operations

  11. Police drop charges against two men accused of raping a schoolgirl, 14, who was assaulted in two separate attacks on the same night
    Khurram Rahi and Mohammed Ismaeel were due to face trial for alleged rapes
    A 14-year-old girl said that Rahi, 27, raped her at Witton train station in July
    She also claimed she was attacked by Ismaeel, 22, at 2am the following morning
    Today British Transport Police said the case had been discontinued and the pair released without further action due to insufficient evidence

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5622293/Police-drop-charges-against-two-men-accused-raping-schoolgirl-14.html

    • Today British Transport Police said the case had been discontinued and the pair released without further action due to insufficient evidence

      I am only able to suppose that the hyper-advanced, ultra-modern forensic concept of a “DNA Rape Kit” made all involved begin to quiver at the knees.

  12. 2 hour long video – a documentary-maker started to make a documentary video about the Magnitsky Act, and when he started editing the video, he began to notice that some things were not adding up. So, he went back over everything and got something very different than the official story.

    This is important because during the Helsinki summit, Putin had offered Trump to interview the 12 Russians indicted by Mueller if, in return, Putin’s people can interview Bill Browder.

    Bill Browder is an American rich guy who made a lot of money in Russia, Magnitsky worked for him, and a lot of shady stuff happened resulting in Magnitsky’s death in a Russian prison. Bill Browder has spun this as a whistleblower being killed by the very Russian cops whom he accused of strealing $230,000,000 USD.

    As such, it has lead to legislation both in the US and EU, based on Browder’s version of events. Needless to say, the documentary found the real version may have been quite different, hence Putin’s desire to have a chat with Browder.

  13. Palestinian girl, 17, who was jailed for eight months after she was filmed kicking and slapping Israeli soldiers is freed from prison
    Activist Ahed Tamimi accepted a plea deal at Israeli military court earlier today
    She was recorded kicking and punching Israeli soldiers in West Bank last year
    They did not respond to her provocations but she was still arrested for assault
    Her and her mother have now been freed and are returning to the West Bank

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6003615/Palestinian-teenager-jailed-slapping-soldiers-leaves-prison-spokesman.html

    • This is far more common than the MSM allows you to know and occurs all over Africa and anywhere polluted by it(Haiti). The “stones” in the video are typical in size of those used for stoning everywhere. In desert states they like to bury you to the knees or thighs so that the head is more exposed and the ideal ‘shot” much cheered by spectators (who IMHO lose all human status by being such) is when some hits the head so hard that it explodes into a gory finale to the matinee show. Humanity has left the dark ages but the failed leftovers that remain still do their “thing”.

      • The left in their goal of world domination is returning the world to a high tech Dark Age.

  14. Carmel police are investigating after anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered at a Hamilton County synagogue.

    According to a statement from the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, the crime happened Saturday at Congregation Shaarey Tefilla in the 3000 block of West 116th Street.

    Images of the graffiti shared online show a large Nazi flag and other symbols spray painted on the shed for the synagogue’s garbage container.

    https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/07/29/carmel-synagogue-tagged-anti-semitic-graffiti/858786002/

  15. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is meeting with one of the Fab Five from Netflix’s smash hit “Queer Eye” for a special Pride-themed brunch.

    Antoni Porowski, the show’s food and wine expert, will sit down with Trudeau at a brunch reception in Montreal in August. The pair is expected to discuss the “importance of Pride and Canada’s contributions to the world today,” according to the Liberal party.

    Trudeau’s party is using the event as a fundraiser. Anyone who donates to the party is entered for a chance to win return airfare and two passes to the event.

    https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/justin-trudeau-to-brunch-with-queer-eye-star-1.4032023

  16. MOROCCO -Rocking the foundations of Islam

    A Moroccan court has recently banned a book named “Sahih Al-Bukhari…The end of a legend” by Rachid Aylal, which openly criticises the famous hadith collection.
    Some Moroccans are outraged by the censorship, others by the content.

    The verdict, which was returned by a court in Marrakesh, mentions that the governor of the city has deemed some of the book’s pages a threat to the “spiritual security” of the citizens, saying the contents contradict common religious norms.

    The ruling is the latest in a series of bans witnessed by the Moroccan arts and culture scene recently. A few months ago, Kama Sutra, a piece by artist Khadija Tanana, was removed from the Tetouan Centre of Modern Art. Kama Sutra includes illustrated sex positions inspired by the renowned Arab heritage book “The Perfumed Garden” by Tunisian Mu?ammad Al-Nafzawi. The removal of Tanana’s piece was widely seen as staggering by Moroccan intellectuals.

    Following the release of his book about Al-Bukhari, Rachid Aylal became the target of vicious threats. Some of these threats were made in public while other critics ridiculed the contents of the book. Aylal revealed that his book-signing event in Marrakesh had also been barred upon the order of the city’s governor.

    Mostafa bin Hamza, head of the Baath Islamic Institute for Sharia Studies, has undermined the book and labelled its writer “ignorant”. He has also offered a financial reward to anyone producing a work of research that acclaims Al-Bukhari, unlike Aylal’s book which strips the prominent Sheikh of his sacred aura.

    Defamation and death threats

    After the book was banned, Aylal had no option but to depend on a few trusted associates to handle delivery of the book to buyers in utter secrecy. They would conceal copies of the book to avoid confiscation, a process that Aylal has described as a “struggle”.

    “The book will be delivered to buyers, whenever and wherever they want, despite the ban and against all the odds,” says Aylal, who has since managed to increase the number of secret distributors.

    Commenting on the verdict, Aylal said: “If the book of Sahih Al-Bukhari is considered to be Islam, then the Prophet – peace be upon him – did not fully deliver the message. According to this logic, for 200 years after his death Muslims remained without the full version of Islam and it was Al-Bukhari who made it complete.”

    “Even before the book was published, I began receiving dozens of death threats on a daily basis, phone messages from anonymous numbers and fake Facebook accounts on Facebook,” admits Aylal. “I don’t know why these people think that Islam is represented by a single person.”

    “Some people are trying to drag Morocco down into a swamp, suppressing a whole range of freedoms. But it won?t work. Morocco chose its path a long time ago and there is no way back… especially with the 2011 Constitution, which was a huge victory for Moroccans.”

    Repression or “spiritual security”?

    Political researcher Marwan bin Fares sees “spiritual security” not as a scientific concept, but rather a term that is used to serve the state’s religious and political interests. According to bin Fares, the definition of spiritual security in Morocco is ambiguous. “It has been used in the context of maintaining social order while dealing with religious minorities such as Shias, Kharijites and Christians, among others. It also is used by institutions such as the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, the Mohammadia League of Scholars, as well as institutions affiliated to the state that tow the official line.”

    Meanwhile, Amazigh writer Ahmed Assid believes that “spiritual security” does not refer to the safety of all Moroccans, but only some of them: the Sunni Muslims.

    Sunni Islam, he continued, is the official religion of the state that is protected by the term spiritual security, which at the same time persecutes other Muslim sects, as well as different religions and ethnicities. Assid said this violates freedom of belief, among other freedoms acknowledged by the constitution.

    “Mythological legends”

    The introduction to the 283-page book, which was published by Dar Al-Watan, describes many legends and stories cited by Sahih Al-Bukhari as “mythological”, claiming that not even the Salafists are unanimous in upholding them.

    The book consists of five chapters featuring a variety of research that delves into contentious issues. “My work tackles the religious heritage and the real status of Al-Bukhari,” Aylal explains. “The Prophet prohibited the documentation of hadith through the narration of Al-Darimi, the sheikh of Al-Bukhari. The Prophet said, ‘Do not write anything about me except what is in the Koran and whoever has written something about me shall erase it’. Even Umar bin Khattab burned a writing surface that had borne sayings attributed to the holy Prophet.”

    “Why was documentation of the Sunnah delayed for around 100 years after the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him, if they are as significant to the Sharia as Salafist sheikhs and others argue?”

    Aylal claims that Salafists do not regard the Sunnah as detailed interpretations of the Koran, but rather as a doctrinal source that overrules the Muslim holy book. Theoretically speaking, they are the second source of Sharia after the Koran, yet practically they are undisputedly the prime Sharia source for Salafists, while the Koran is merely perceived as a complementary work.

    Aylal wonders whether “we are dealing directly with the sayings of the Prophet, or with narrators’ interpretations of what the Prophet said”, reminding us in the process that the mental and intellectual abilities of each narrator differed.

    Nothing to do with the Koran

    “The worst crime of the hadith is that it causes Muslims to abandon the book of Allah, replacing it with a doctrine and work of reference for faith and worship,” says Aylal. “We will end up with a different religion based on the hadith, which has nothing to do with the Koran except for formalities.”

    Aylal attempts in his book to define hadith, saying the Islamic doctrine should be based on what Allah, not the Prophet said. It refers to verses of Koran that read, “Such are the signs of Allah, which we rehearse to you in truth: then in what exposition will they believe, after rejecting Allah and his signs?”

    “Allah – there is no deity except Him. He will surely assemble you for [account on] the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. And who is more truthful than Allah in statement.”

    The writer stresses that Sahih Muslim, which is considered to be the second most authentic hadith collection after Sahih Al-Bukhari, relied on narrators from six different generations, the majority of whom Sheikh Muslim did not meet. Assuming he was honest, Aylal wonders, how could he verify the credibility of the other five narrators whom he never met?

    Why Al-Bukhari?

    Aylal says that his research on Al-Bukhari was triggered by his interest in “criticising the religious heritage that we have inherited from our parents and grandparents.”

    He believes that Sahih Al-Bukhari is the product of myths and dreams that had enthralled Al-Bukhari since his childhood. Historians believe he lost his sight at a young age. Afterwards, Ibrahim Khalilullah appeared to his mother in a dream, telling her, “Allah has given your son back his sight for your frequent weeping and praying.”

    Aylal says that Al-Bukhari’s biography was largely inspired by his sacred status and book, citing some hadith sayings that he believes are fake, including one that says the Prophet attempted to commit suicide.

    Aylal’s book also highlights another hadith narrated by Abu Huraira, a companion of the Prophet, according to which the latter cursed his followers. The cited hadith reads: “O Allah! If I should ever abuse a believer, please let that be a means of bringing him near to You on the Day of Resurrection.”

    The book also explains that contrary to what Allah told the Prophet in Sura Ad-Duha, “And He found thee in need and made thee independent”, a hadith narrated by Aisha and cited by Al-Bukhari reads, “Allah’s Messenger died while his iron armour was mortgaged to a Jew for thirty sas of barley”.

    “Fragile freedoms, embattled by the regime”

    The artist KhadijaTanana has been shocked by the ban imposed on the book, following so soon after the censorship of her own “Kama Sutra” work. “Everything that is happening in Morocco springs from a bleakness – the result of strict education based on faulty religious beliefs,” she says. “This is a real setback. We fear for our fragile freedoms, embattled by the regime.”

    Tanana said the term “spiritual security” was invented by the regime for fear of the Islamists. “How can a society develop while mouths are muzzled and hands are tied?” she asks.

    Moroccan writer and intellectual Bouzid El-Ghali echoes similar sentiments. “It’s strange that such a ban has been imposed by a government that includes ministers, including the Human Rights Minister, who were once led the fight for freedom… and today they are more oppressive than those they once panned… freedom of expression cannot be attained by banning books, regardless of their contents.”

    However, writer and novelist Shakib Arig believes the ban has actually done the writer a huge favour, saying he does not see it as a setback. “Despite Wahhabist attempts to disrupt the cultural scene, Morocco can pretty much claim to be at the intellectual forefront of the Arab world.” 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    The Moroccan Association of Human Rights has deplored the ban on the book, saying it takes Morocco back to the inquisition era. Human rights activist Tarek Saoud feels the ban has made taboos more dominant and restricted free writers and thinkers. He also questions why the state has not opened an investigation into the threats received by Aylal.

    To conclude, human rights activist Rachid Antid points out that books inciting terrorism, including some by Ibn Taymiyyah, are available at every bookstore. “The war against enlightenment is waged by state officials and not just extremist organisations and parties.”

    https://en.qantara.de/content/spotlight-on-sahih-al-bukhari-rocking-the-foundations-of-islam

    • Why an Arab NATO is problematic. Morocco, Saudi, Qatar are all modern, exemplary Sunnis. Who pay Western public relations firms lots & lots.
      ……….
      The reason for the spat [between Morocco and Saudi Arabia], which has the potential for dramatic and undesirable consequences, is multifold. According to some experts, Morocco and Saudi Arabia are competing as beacons of moderate Islam, which ultimately means competing foreign policies and lack of cohesion in coordinating commitments.

      That explanation, however, is inaccurate, as Morocco has sought to steer clear of regional rivalries and conflicts by developing its identity as an African, rather than a Middle Eastern, state. If that is indeed the reasoning, a friendly competition could push both countries to develop strong educational and cultural institutions that would benefit both regions.

      If taken too far, however, this would be both futile and damaging as the countries share important goals and interests. Each could be a leader in their respective regions, working closely together on resolving common concerns and complementing each other’s strengths. Nevertheless, it is impossible to deny that Morocco has pursued an independent foreign policy, including refusing to participate in the blockade of Qatar, and indeed maintaining a growing trade relationship with that country.

      This has irked Saudi officials, including the head of the General Sports Authority, Turki al-Sheikh, who attempted to strong-arm Morocco into following Riyadh’s lead through public comments as well as through Saudi Arabia’s support for the North American joint World Cup 2026 bid, in opposition to Morocco’s bid.

      The proximate cause of the cooling in relations came out of that chain of events. Al- Sheikh, unhappy about Rabat’s continuing relationship w Doha and the supposed insufficiency of Moroccan forces in Yemen, put a great deal of energy into underscoring those grievances and supporting Donald Trump’s odd interest in the World Cup by hosting parties for EU, Middle Eastern, and FIFA officials and lobbying countriesM/b> that would otherwise have sided with Morocco but ended up voting for the US instead.

      And PTrump was happy. He owed MbS a favor. And Bibi owed PT a favor. And the White Helmets will be fine.

      …Rabat, which considered these moves to be acts of betrayal, found itself too busy to participate in the Saudi-led emergency session on Yemen that took place on June 23. These developments could be damaging to the fragile balance of powers in Yemen. Iran is sure to delight in such public disagreements and to perceive the growing distrust as a sign the coalition is weakening, in Yemen and elsewhere.…
      https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/arab-nato/

    • Morocco looked away from the Arab world during the Arab Spring. Positioned itself as the intellectual leader of the African world. Now it’s back in the Arab fold. I guess.

      Identity issues, poor thing.

  17. A breakdown of the various shitte organizations taking over Syria.
    The Model of Iranian Influence in Syria

    Iran is the dominant actor in Syria. It dictates the fighting on the ground by the pro-Assad coalition, controls the Syria-Iraq and Syria-Lebanon border crossings, and tailors the re-organization of areas and communities based on an ethnic element. Iran wields much – and often decisive – influence on the pace of fighting, in consultation with Russia and Assad.

    A multi-tiered approach – including control of the Syrian central axis, territorial contiguity, and logistical and commercial axes – is used by different military groups and militias comprising an Iranian fighting force. Israel, which enjoys intelligence supremacy in Syria, is currently ignoring the presence of Iran’s proxies and the other forces under Iranian command in southern Syria.

    http://www.inss.org.il/publication/model-iranian-influence-syria/

  18. Australia: Brisbane demo pounces on alt-right activist Lauren Southern’s visit

    Protesters gathered outside the Brisbane venue where alt-right activist Lauren Southern was giving a speech on Sunday night.