Contributor’s Links post for February 4th, 2019

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Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We muse use it while we can.

About Eeyore

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

158 Replies to “Contributor’s Links post for February 4th, 2019”

  2. Israel: Terrorists Work for European-Funded Groups Promoting BDS (breitbart, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2019/02/03/israel-terrorists-work-for-european-funded-groups-promoting-bds/

    “In a damning report released Sunday, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry said that there are more than 100 links between terrorist organizations Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and NGOs promoting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, some of which are recipients of millions of euros in funding from European states and philanthropic funds.

    The report entitled “Terrorists in Suits” also found that more than 30 terror operatives belonging to Hamas and the PFLP are in senior positions in those NGOs, with 20 of them having served time in prison for terrorism-related crimes, including murder.

    According to a statement released by the ministry, the evidence reveals that “boycott organizations and terrorist designated organizations raise finances together, share the same personnel, and showcases that contrary to popular belief, these officials have not abandoned their support for terrorism, but instead, continue to maintain organizational, financial, and active ties with terrorist groups.”

    Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the research “reveals the true nature and goals of the BDS movement and its connection to terrorism and antisemitism.”

    “Terrorist groups and the anti-Israel boycott campaign have united in their goal of wiping Israel off the map. Terrorist groups view boycotts as a complementary tactic to terror attacks,” he said.

    “When people talk about the goals of the BDS movement, they don’t bother to read official statements from its leaders,” Erdan said. “If you do, it becomes clear that goals of its leaders are the same as the leaders of Palestinian terror organizations. BDS rejects Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State within any borders. They want to see Israel wiped off the map.”

    The report gave examples of terror operatives working on behalf of NGOs, including Laila Khaled, a PFLP member who hijacked civilian planes in the 1960s and 1970s, and was involved in planning terrorist attacks in Jerusalem as recently as 2011. Khaled recently called for all forms of resistance, especially “armed struggle,” against Israel. She fundraises for BDS organizations in Europe and South Africa.

    Mustafa Awad was another example given. Awad, who is currently in prison for his involvement in several terror organizations including PFLP and Hezbollah, has been the representative for Samidoun, a US-based NGO that promotes boycotts against Israel and advocates the release of Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails, including those convicted of murdering civilians.

    Rani Sourani is a PFLP operative who doubles as the director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. PCHR calls to boycott Israel and between 2014 and 2017 received $1.5 million in funding from European states. The groups legal department provided counsel to Hamas in 2017.

    Salah Hammouri, a convicted PFLP terrorist who in 2005 attempted to assassinate then-chief rabbi Ovadia Yosef, is a field researcher at Adameer, an organization promoting BDS.

    “I urge all governments and financial institutions to investigate the activities of these BDS organizations, and immediately end all funding and support which they provide to them,” Erdan said.”

  3. French Police Caught on Tape Saying to ‘Shoot’ Yellow Vests (breitbart, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/02/04/french-police-caught-tape-shoot-yellow-vests/

    “An investigation has been launched in Tolouse after officers were caught on tape saying they wanted to “shoot” violent Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vest) protesters.

    The footage comes from the Yellow Vest protest on Saturday, January 12th, where protesters and hooligans clashed with police for nearly 16 hours and was recorded at the police command room where officers were watching the scenes of violence unfold on several monitors, broadcaster France 3 reports.

    Several officers are heard in the recording including both female and male officers with one male officer saying, “The fuckers! There’s one on the ground there,” and another commenting, “What a bunch of bastards!”

    A female officer is then heard saying, “we have to shoot!” to which another male officer replies, “When I tell you to, line up two or three rounds.”

    While the video was recorded on January 12th, it was not released until January 31st by the Vigi police union which commented on the audio saying “the words of the policemen have exceeded their thoughts,” and that the officers reacted out of surprise and shock at the video feed they were watching.

    The Haute-Garonne prefecture released a statement announcing an investigation saying, “This scene of rare violence provoked the emotion of people watching these images live, resulting in spontaneous comments.

    “The Departmental Directorate immediately opened an administrative investigation for breach of professional secrecy and concealment, so that all light is shed on these facts.”

    The leaked recording comes after police have been criticised for their tactics during the Yellow Vest protests, in particular, the use of “flashball” ammunition which is thought to be responsible for some of the most serious injuries.

    French doctors have also spoken out about the injuries suffered by Yellow Vest protesters saying that the number of serious injuries, which have included several losing eyes and hands, has been unprecedented.

    The theme of police brutality and violence was highlighted in the most recent “Act XII” protest with Yellow Vests denouncing police tactics.”

    • RT -Who’s at fault for Yellow Vests protests? Macron blames..

      Who is at fault for Yellow Vest protests raging in France since November? For President Emmanuel Macron it’s not actual economic problems or his own decisions, but the right, the left, social media and, of course, ‘Russes’.

  5. Erdogan Urges Trump to Fulfill Promise on US Withdrawal From Syria – Reports (sputniknews, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201902041072094072-usa-turkey-syria-troops-withdrawal-erdogan/

    “Turkey expects US President Donald Trump to deliver on his promise to pull US military out of Syria in the near future, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

    “Mr. Trump has vowed that the United States would leave the east of the Euphrates. We hope that this promise will be fulfilled in the near future. We do not want to live under threat and are ready to do everything necessary to eliminate it”, Erdogan told the Turkish TRT broadcaster.

    The buffer zone in the north of Syria should be controlled by Turkey and it will do everything possible to maintain security in the area, the Turkish president noted…”

  6. Pope Francis’ Historic First Visit to the UAE: Day 2 (VIDEO) (sputniknews, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201902041072099557-pope-francis-uae/

    “The Roman Catholic pontiff landed in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), marking the first time a pope has visited the Arabian Peninsula.

    The pope is expected to participate in several events during the three-day trip.

    He will meet leading Muslim clerics and hold an open-air mass for some 135,000 Catholics.

    In honour of the visit of Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi, the Global Conference on the Human Brotherhood was organised, to which religious leaders from around the world were invited. This event takes place within the framework of the Year of Tolerance officially announced in the UAE.”

      • THE SAUDI GAZETTE – Vatican, Al-Azhar sign document on fighting extremism

        DUBAI — The Vatican and Egypt’s Al-Azhar mosque and university signed on Monday a document on fighting extremism, Al Arabiya TV reported.

        The document was signed in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, during the historic visit of Pope Francis to the Arabian peninsula.

        Pope Francis, the first leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics to visit the Arabian Peninsula, attended an interfaith meeting in the UAE on Monday as part of his outreach to Muslims.

        The pontiff arrived in a modest black Kia at Abu Dhabi’s presidential palace, where he was welcomed with a lavish military parade. Officers fired 21 shots in the air, while jets flew overhead leaving white and yellow trails — the colors of the Vatican City flag.

        The pope’s highly publicized 48-hour visit to the United Arab Emirates will also include an open-air mass on Tuesday for 135,000 of the Muslim country’s million Catholic residents, set to be the largest public gathering in the country’s history.

        Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zaye said on Monday that UAE rulers were “delighted” to meet the pontiff “in our homeland of tolerance”.

        “We discussed enhancing cooperation, consolidating dialogue, tolerance, human coexistence and important initiatives to achieve peace, stability and development for peoples and societies,” he tweeted. — Agencies

        http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/558434/World/Mena/Vatican-Al-Azhar-sign-document-on-fighting-extremism

        ====================================================

        VATICAN’S ZENIT ORG – Abu Dhabi: Historic Document Signed by Pope Francis and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar

        ‘Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together’

        Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar on February 4, 2019, signed the Document on “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.” The signing following the Holy Father’s speech to the Global Conference of Human Fraternity in Adu Dhabi, a key element in the Holy Father’s February 3-5 apostolic visit to the United Arab Emirates.

        “The document represents an important step forward in the dialogue between Christians and Muslims and is a powerful sign of peace and hope for the future of humanity,” said a statement from Alessandro Gisotti, Interim Director of the Vatican’s Press Office.

        Earlier today, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told journalists, including Zenit’s Deborah Lubov, that the importance of this day is dialogue among religions, especially Christianity and Islam, promoting peace and combatting fundamentalism.

        The press office statement continued:

        “The Document is a vibrant appeal to respond with good to evil, to reinforce interreligious dialogue and to promote mutual respect in order to block the road to those who add fuel to the fire of the clashes between civilizations. At Abu Dhabi, Francis and Al-Tayyib have together indicated a way of peace and reconciliation on which not only Christians and Muslims can walk, but all people of good will.

        “The Document is courageous and prophetic because it confronts, and calls by name, the most urgent issues of our day on which those who believe in God are encouraged to question their own conscience and to confidently assume their own responsibility so as to give life to a more just and united world.

        “With unambiguous words the Pope and the Grand Imam declare that no one is ever authorized to exploit God’s name to justify war, terrorism or any other form of violence. In addition, they affirm that life must always be safeguarded and, at the same time, that the rights of women are to be fully recognized, and every discriminatory practice in their regard rejected.

        “Before humanity, wounded by so many divisions and ideological fanaticism, the Pontiff and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar demonstrate that promoting a culture of encounter is not a utopia, but is the necessary condition for living in peace and leaving for future generations a better world than the one in which we live.”

        ==============================================

        A DOCUMENT ON

        HUMAN FRATERNITY

        FOR WORLD PEACE AND LIVING TOGETHER

        INTRODUCTION

        Faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved. Through faith in God, who has created the universe, creatures and all human beings (equal on account of his mercy), believers are called to express this human fraternity by safeguarding creation and the entire universe and supporting all persons, especially the poorest and those most in need.

        This transcendental value served as the starting point for several meetings characterized by a friendly and fraternal atmosphere where we shared the joys, sorrows and problems of our contemporary world. We did this by considering scientific and technical progress, therapeutic achievements, the digital era, the mass media and communications. We reflected also on the level of poverty, conflict and suffering of so many brothers and sisters in different parts of the world as a consequence of the arms race, social injustice, corruption, inequality, moral decline, terrorism, discrimination, extremism and many other causes.

        From our fraternal and open discussions, and from the meeting that expressed profound hope in a bright future for all human beings, the idea of this Document on Human Fraternity was conceived. It is a text that has been given honest and serious thought so as to be a joint declaration of good and heartfelt aspirations. It is a document that invites all persons who have faith in God and faith in human fraternity to unite and work together so that it may serve as a guide for future generations to advance a culture of mutual respect in the awareness of the great divine grace that makes all human beings brothers and sisters.

      • DOCUMENT

        In the name of God who has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and who has called them to live together as brothers and sisters, to fill the earth and make known the values of goodness, love and peace;

        In the name of innocent human life that God has forbidden to kill, affirming that whoever kills a person is like one who kills the whole of humanity, and that whoever saves a person is like one who saves the whole of humanity;

        In the name of the poor, the destitute, the marginalized and those most in need whom God has commanded us to help as a duty required of all persons, especially the wealthy and of means;

        In the name of orphans, widows, refugees and those exiled from their homes and their countries; in the name of all victims of wars, persecution and injustice; in the name of the weak, those who live in fear, prisoners of war and those tortured in any part of the world, without distinction;

        In the name of peoples who have lost their security, peace, and the possibility of living together, becoming victims of destruction, calamity and war;

        In the name of human fraternity that embraces all human beings, unites them and renders them equal;

        In the name of this fraternity torn apart by policies of extremism and division, by systems of unrestrained profit or by hateful ideological tendencies that manipulate the actions and the future of men and women;

        In the name of freedom, that God has given to all human beings creating them free and distinguishing them by this gift;

        In the name of justice and mercy, the foundations of prosperity and the cornerstone of faith;

        In the name of all persons of good will present in every part of the world;

        In the name of God and of everything stated thus far; Al-Azhar al-Sharif and the Muslims of the East and West, together with the Catholic Church and the Catholics of the East and West, declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; [... "path" in Arabic means "sharia" ... ] mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard.

        We, who believe in God and in the final meeting with Him and His judgment, on the basis of our religious and moral responsibility, and through this Document, call upon ourselves, upon the leaders of the world as well as the architects of international policy and world economy, to work strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and of living together in peace; to intervene at the earliest opportunity to stop the shedding of innocent blood and bring an end to wars, conflicts, environmental decay and the moral and cultural decline that the world is presently experiencing.

        We call upon intellectuals, philosophers, religious figures, artists, media professionals and men and women of culture in every part of the world, to rediscover the values of peace, justice, goodness, beauty, human fraternity and coexistence in order to confirm the importance of these values as anchors of salvation for all, and to promote them everywhere.

        This Declaration, setting out from a profound consideration of our contemporary reality, valuing its successes and in solidarity with its suffering, disasters and calamities, believes firmly that among the most important causes of the crises of the modern world are a desensitized human conscience, a distancing from religious values and a prevailing individualism accompanied by materialistic philosophies that deify the human person and introduce worldly and material values in place of supreme and transcendental principles.

        While recognizing the positive steps taken by our modern civilization in the fields of science, technology, medicine, industry and welfare, especially in developed countries, we wish to emphasize that, associated with such historic advancements, great and valued as they are, there exists both a moral deterioration that influences international action and a weakening of spiritual values and responsibility. All this contributes to a general feeling of frustration, isolation and desperation leading many to fall either into a vortex of atheistic, agnostic or religious extremism, or into blind and fanatic extremism, which ultimately encourage forms of dependency and individual or collective self-destruction.

        History shows that religious extremism, national extremism and also intolerance have produced in the world, be it in the East or West, what might be referred to as signs of a “third world war being fought piecemeal”. In several parts of the world and in many tragic circumstances these signs have begun to be painfully apparent, as in those situations where the precise number of victims, widows and orphans is unknown. We see, in addition, other regions preparing to become theatres of new conflicts, with outbreaks of tension and a build-up of arms and ammunition, and all this in a global context overshadowed by uncertainty, disillusionment, fear of the future, and controlled by narrow-minded economic interests.

        We likewise affirm that major political crises, situations of injustice and lack of equitable distribution of natural resources – which only a rich minority benefit from , to the detriment of the majority of the peoples of the earth – have generated, and continue to generate, vast numbers of poor, infirm and deceased persons. This leads to catastrophic crises that various countries have fallen victim to despite their natural resources and the resourcefulness of young people which characterize these nations. In the face of such crises that result in the deaths of millions of children – wasted away from poverty and hunger – there is an unacceptable silence on the international level.

        It is clear in this context how the family as the fundamental nucleus of society and humanity is essential in bringing children into the world, raising them, educating them, and providing them with solid moral formation and domestic security. To attack the institution of the family, to regard it with contempt or to doubt its important role, is one of the most threatening evils of our era.

      • We affirm also the importance of awakening religious awareness and the need to revive this awareness in the hearts of new generations through sound education and an adherence to moral values and upright religious teachings. In this way we can confront tendencies that are individualistic, selfish, conflicting, and also address radicalism and blind extremism in all its forms and expressions.

        The first and most important aim of religions is to believe in God, to honour Him and to invite all men and women to believe that this universe depends on a God who governs it. He is the Creator who has formed us with His divine wisdom and has granted us the gift of life to protect it. It is a gift that no one has the right to take away, threaten or manipulate to suit oneself. Indeed, everyone must safeguard this gift of life from its beginning up to its natural end. We therefore condemn all those practices that are a threat to life such as genocide, acts of terrorism, forced displacement, human trafficking, abortion and euthanasia. We likewise condemn the policies that promote these practices.

        Moreover, we resolutely declare that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding of blood. These tragic realities are the consequence of a deviation from religious teachings. They result from a political manipulation of religions and from interpretations made by religious groups who, in the course of history, have taken advantage of the power of religious sentiment in the hearts of men and women in order to make them act in a way that has nothing to do with the truth of religion. This is done for the purpose of achieving objectives that are political, economic, worldly and short-sighted. We thus call upon all concerned to stop using religions to incite hatred, violence, extremism and blind fanaticism, and to refrain from using the name of God to justify acts of murder, exile, terrorism and oppression. We ask this on the basis of our common belief in God who did not create men and women to be killed or to fight one another, nor to be tortured or humiliated in their lives and circumstances. God, the Almighty, has no need to be defended by anyone and does not want His name to be used to terrorize people.

        This Document, in accordance with previous International Documents that have emphasized the importance of the role of religions in the construction of world peace, upholds the following:

        The firm conviction that authentic teachings of religions invite us to remain rooted in the values of peace; to defend the values of mutual understanding, human fraternity and harmonious coexistence; to re-establish wisdom, justice and love; and to reawaken religious awareness among young people so that future generations may be protected from the realm of materialistic thinking and from dangerous policies of unbridled greed and indifference that are based on the law of force and not on the force of law;

        Freedom is a right of every person: each individual enjoys the freedom of belief, thought, expression and action. The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings. This divine wisdom is the source from which the right to freedom of belief and the freedom to be different derives. Therefore, the fact that people are forced to adhere to a certain religion or culture must be rejected, as too the imposition of a cultural way of life that others do not accept;

        Justice based on mercy is the path to follow in order to achieve a dignified life to which every human being has a right;
        Dialogue, understanding and the widespread promotion of a culture of tolerance, acceptance of others and of living together peacefully would contribute significantly to reducing many economic, social, political and environmental problems that weigh so heavily on a large part of humanity;

        Dialogue among believers means coming together in the vast space of spiritual, human and shared social values and, from here, transmitting the highest moral virtues that religions aim for. It also means avoiding unproductive discussions;
        The protection of places of worship – synagogues, churches and mosques – is a duty guaranteed by religions, human values, laws and international agreements. Every attempt to attack places of worship or threaten them by violent assaults, bombings or destruction, is a deviation from the teachings of religions as well as a clear violation of international law;

        Terrorism is deplorable and threatens the security of people, be they in the East or the West, the North or the South, and disseminates panic, terror and pessimism, but this is not due to religion, even when terrorists instrumentalize it. It is due, rather, to an accumulation of incorrect interpretations of religious texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and pride. This is why it is so necessary to stop supporting terrorist movements fuelled by financing, the provision of weapons and strategy, and by attempts to justify these movements even using the media. All these must be regarded as international crimes that threaten security and world peace. Such terrorism must be condemned in all its forms and expressions;
        The concept of citizenship is based on the equality of rights and duties, under which all enjoy justice. It is therefore crucial to establish in our societies the concept of full citizenship and reject the discriminatory use of the term minorities which engenders feelings of isolation and inferiority. Its misuse paves the way for hostility and discord; it undoes any successes and takes away the religious and civil rights of some citizens who are thus discriminated against;

      • Good relations between East and West are indisputably necessary for both. They must not be neglected, so that each can be enriched by the other’s culture through fruitful exchange and dialogue. The West can discover in the East remedies for those spiritual and religious maladies that are caused by a prevailing materialism. And the East can find in the West many elements that can help free it from weakness, division, conflict and scientific, technical and cultural decline. It is important to pay attention to religious, cultural and historical differences that are a vital component in shaping the character, culture and civilization of the East. It is likewise important to reinforce the bond of fundamental human rights in order to help ensure a dignified life for all the men and women of East and West, avoiding the politics of double standards;

        It is an essential requirement to recognize the right of women to education and employment, and to recognize their freedom to exercise their own political rights. Moreover, efforts must be made to free women from historical and social conditioning that runs contrary to the principles of their faith and dignity. It is also necessary to protect women from sexual exploitation and from being treated as merchandise or objects of pleasure or financial gain. Accordingly, an end must be brought to all those inhuman and vulgar practices that denigrate the dignity of women. Efforts must be made to modify those laws that prevent women from fully enjoying their rights;

        The protection of the fundamental rights of children to grow up in a family environment, to receive nutrition, education and support, are duties of the family and society. Such duties must be guaranteed and protected so that they are not overlooked or denied to any child in any part of the world. All those practices that violate the dignity and rights of children must be denounced. It is equally important to be vigilant against the dangers that they are exposed to, particularly in the digital world, and to consider as a crime the trafficking of their innocence and all violations of their youth;

        The protection of the rights of the elderly, the weak, the disabled, and the oppressed is a religious and social obligation that must be guaranteed and defended through strict legislation and the implementation of the relevant international agreements.
        To this end, by mutual cooperation, the Catholic Church and Al-Azhar announce and pledge to convey this Document to authorities, influential leaders, persons of religion all over the world, appropriate regional and international organizations, organizations within civil society, religious institutions and leading thinkers. They further pledge to make known the principles contained in this Declaration at all regional and international levels, while requesting that these principles be translated into policies, decisions, legislative texts, courses of study and materials to be circulated.

        Al-Azhar and the Catholic Church ask that this Document become the object of research and reflection in all schools, universities and institutes of formation, thus helping to educate new generations to bring goodness and peace to others, and to be defenders everywhere of the rights of the oppressed and of the least of our brothers and sisters.

        In conclusion, our aspiration is that:

        this Declaration may constitute an invitation to reconciliation and fraternity among all believers, indeed among believers and non-believers, and among all people of good will;

        this Declaration may be an appeal to every upright conscience that rejects deplorable violence and blind extremism; an appeal to those who cherish the values of tolerance and fraternity that are promoted and encouraged by religions;

        this Declaration may be a witness to the greatness of faith in God that unites divided hearts and elevates the human soul;

        this Declaration may be a sign of the closeness between East and West, between North and South, and between all who believe that God has created us to understand one another, cooperate with one another and live as brothers and sisters who love one another.

        This is what we hope and seek to achieve with the aim of finding a universal peace that all can enjoy in this life.

        Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019

        His Holiness Pope Francis Great Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyib

        https://zenit.org/articles/abu-dhabi-historic-document-signed-by-pope-francis-and-grand-imam-of-al-azhar/

    • Pope and Grand Imam Jointly Condemn Terrorism in ‘Name of God’ (breitbart, Feb 4, 2019)
      https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2019/02/04/pope-and-grand-imam-jointly-condemn-terrorism-in-name-of-god/

      “Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Ahmed a-Tayyeb signed a joint declaration Monday, condemning “acts of murder, exile, terrorism and oppression” carried out in God’s name.

      We “resolutely declare that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding of blood,” the document reads. These tragic realities are the consequence of a deviation from religious teachings.”

      “We thus call upon all concerned to stop using religions to incite hatred, violence, extremism and blind fanaticism, and to refrain from using the name of God to justify acts of murder, exile, terrorism and oppression,” the two leaders declared.

      “God, the Almighty, has no need to be defended by anyone and does not want His name to be used to terrorize people,” they said.

      The nearly 3,000-word text, titled “Declaration on Human Fraternity for world peace and living together,” was signed in Abu Dhabi Monday by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University in Cairo during a global conference on the same topic.

      The document asserts the importance of religious faith for human existence, as well as the “transcendental value” of human life from conception until natural death.

      “In the name of God and of everything stated thus far; Al-Azhar al-Sharif and the Muslims of the East and West, together with the Catholic Church and the Catholics of the East and West, declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard,” the text declares.

      The leaders call upon “intellectuals, philosophers, religious figures, artists, media professionals and men and women of culture” to rediscover and promote “the values of peace, justice, goodness, beauty, human fraternity and coexistence in order to confirm the importance of these values as anchors of salvation for all.”

      This declaration also highlights a “a distancing from religious values” as one of the most important causes of the crises of the modern world, giving way to “materialistic philosophies that deify the human person and introduce worldly and material values in place of supreme and transcendental principles.”

      “The first and most important aim of religions is to believe in God, to honour Him and to invite all men and women to believe that this universe depends on a God who governs it,” it states. “He is the Creator who has formed us with His divine wisdom and has granted us the gift of life to protect it.””

  7. Swedish Woman Who Sabotaged Afghan Man’s Deportation Becomes Film Character (sputniknews, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/viral/201902041072097294-sweden-deportation-activist-flight/

    “The Afghan man whose expulsion Swedish student Elin Ersson sabotaged was sentenced for gross abuse and domestic violence; this fact is not mentioned in the film made in her defence. Meanwhile, Ersson is facing trial, and may be punished with a prison sentence of up to six months at worst.

    Monday marks the start of a trial against Elin Ersson, who this summer stopped the expulsion of a 59-year-old Afghan, by livestreaming her own onboard protest from a plane bound to Istanbul. Ersson boarded the aircraft with a ticket purchased by the activist group “Sit-in in Gothenburg” and refused to sit down until the man was let off.

    Flights are not allowed to take off until all passengers are safely in their seats. Ersson’s interference may thus be punished by fines or a maximum prison term of six months as a violation of the Aviation Act. The 21-year-old denies the crime, the newspaper Aftonbladet reported.

    Just before the start of the trial, a film adaptation of Ersson’s action was released. In the short film “Grounded”, Elin Ersson is played by Josefine Frida Pettersen, best known as Noora from the Norwegian television series “Shame”. The film was shot by the company Naughty Step, and Ersson herself is mentioned as one of the producers.

    The ten-minute short portrays Ersson solving problems in a superhero-like fashion. She boards the plane at Gothenburg airport Landvetter and refuses to sit down until the Afghan slated for expulsion leaves the plane. More passengers stand up, and finally the captain orders the Afghan and his companions to leave the plane. Ersson herself is then escorted out to the storming applauds of the passengers.

    In the subtitles, people are encouraged to “stand up to injustice” like Elin Ersson. The film also contains a link to the NGO Ordinary Heroes, which celebrates Ersson’s deed. In a clip on the organisation’s Facebook page, Ersson tells about her commitment to immigration and humanity.

    “I care about this issue because of the growing number of Nazis in Europe”, Ersson said. “I stood up for someone I didn’t even know because it was a humane thing to do. In these times, when everything in the world is so inhumane, you have to use your privileges to help out the others, Ersson explained.

    However, the film doesn’t mention anything about the background of the 59-year-old Afghan, whose expulsion Ersson managed to stop. The man was previously sentenced to a nine month-sentence for domestic violence against his own wife and children. Additionally, the man said himself during the police investigation that he wanted to go home to Afghanistan, the news outlet Nyheter Idag reported.

    Ersson’s case has triggered polarising reactions in Scandinavia and has been called “tear activism”. On YouTube, the film received almost twice as may down-votes, with users accusing Ersson and the producers of “virtue-signalling” and twisting the plot to match their narrative.

    “He was a wifebeater and a criminal. This is the dumbest disinformation possible”, one user wrote.”

  8. Finland Wants More Migrants to Leave, Doubles ‘Sweetener’ Aid (sputniknews, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/201902041072100174-finland-migrants-repatriation/

    “Starting from January, asylum seekers leaving Finland can receive up to 5,000 euros in cash or subsidies in what the Migration Service has dubbed the “cheapest option”.

    As the repatriation rate has dropped, Finland has decided to double its financial aid to rejected asylum seekers voluntarily leaving the country, national broadcaster Yle reported.

    To obtain the maximum sum, eligible candidates must hail from the countries with the highest proportion of asylum seekers in Finland, such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. The reward for leaving the country has been raised to 5,000 euros ($5,725).

    “We want to encourage them to go home. There are thousands of people in the country with rejected asylum applications. They don’t have a residence permit and supporting them is becoming expensive”, Migration Service official (Migri) Tarja Rantala, who manages the voluntary return project, told Yle.

    According to Rantala, this is an expensive process, which asylum seekers can draw out further by re-applying, citing other circumstances. By contrast, sending ineligible applicants home would save a lot of time, effort and money. Returning rejected migrants home is always the cheaper option for the state coffers, she stressed.

    “One night in a reception centre costs 50 euros. That’s 5,000 euros in a hundred days,” Rantala explained.

    From 2016 to 2018, Finland granted a total of 3.8 million euros ($4.35 million) to 4,181 persons to leave the country. In the same period, Finland spent an extra 1.5 million euros ($1.72 million) on plane tickets for returning migrants, according to Rantala.

    Nevertheless, she admitted that the threshold for leaving the country becomes higher the more time people spend in Finland. According to her, some have already spent several years in the country, have acquired a network of useful contacts and even obtained unofficial jobs.

    The recent attempt to make leaving a more lucrative option in asylum seekers’ eyes has been made amid a marked drop in the number of voluntarily returnees. In 2018, only 646 people availed themselves of this option, less than half compared with 1,422 in 2017.

    Since 2015, the peak of Europe’s migrant crisis, several thousand “new arrivals” have dropped off the Finnish officials’ radar. These individuals are estimated to have either stayed in the country illegally without a permit or left for another European country. A recent report estimated that up to 8,000 rejected migrants may still be living in Finland as “undocumented people”.

    Between 2016 and 2018, EU member states returned 5,100 people to Finland whose asylum applications were initially rejected in Finland.”

  9. ISIS killer’s wife sues British spies for £1million saying she was beaten and shackled after she visited her husband in Somalia (dailymail, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6664187/ISIS-killers-wife-sues-British-spies-1million-saying-beaten-visiting-husband.html

    “The wife of a jihadi who fought with ISIS is seeking up to £1million in compensation over claims she was shackled, whipped and interrogated by British intelligence officials.

    Muna Abdule says MI6 operatives mistreated her and quizzed her over husband Abdelqadir Mumin.

    Her accusations include that a mystery man called ‘The British interrogator’ interrogated her in Somalia in 2013 with information she claims must have come from the UK.

    She also claims she was hit with metal cables, and humiliated, the Daily Mirror revealed.

    If proven she could receive up to £1million in compensation.

    Court papers say: ‘She says she was hooded in a manner which made it painful for her to breathe. She was threatened with being killed… She was frightened and slept little.’

    Mrs Abdule lives in Berkshire while her husband who is linked with Mohammed Emwazi – known as executioner Jihadi John – is banned from the country…”

    • “She also claims she was hit with metal cables, and humiliated, the Daily Mirror revealed.”

      Lucky gal … To get that, I usually have to pay extra!

  10. Philippine police: 5 church bombing suspects in custody (abcnews, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/philippine-police-suspects-church-bombing-custody-60824923

    “Five suspected Abu Sayyaf militants accused of involvement in the deadly bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral in the southern Philippines have surrendered to authorities, the national police chief said Monday.

    Police Director-General Oscar Albayalde said the five would be charged with murder and attempted murder for their role in the Jan. 27 attack at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Sulu province’s Jolo town, which killed 23 people and wounded about 100 others.

    Police have said the attack was carried out by two Indonesian suicide bombers. Police said the suspects taken into custody had escorted the two Indonesians around Jolo and to a meeting with an Abu Sayyaf commander, Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, who has been accused of plotting and funding the attack.

    Police said the five suspects were led by a suspected local militant identified as Kammah Pae, who has denied any involvement in the bombing.

    The attack has renewed terrorism fears across the Philippines and the national police have been placed on full alert and security has been strengthened in churches, shopping malls and other public areas. President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered troops to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, leading to a renewed military offensive in the south that has included air strikes and gunbattles…”

  11. Iran’s revolutionaries have mixed feelings, 40 years later (abcnews, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/irans-revolutionaries-mixed-feelings-40-years-60824813

    “Forty years after he defected from the shah’s Imperial Guard to join the Islamic Revolution, Mohammad Reza Tajik, like many Iranians from that time, looks back wistfully at the youthful excitement they felt and the losses they suffered since then.

    Working in his woodshop in Tehran, he recounted the deaths of his brother in Iran’s 1980s war with Iraq and of a friend last year in Syria’s long civil war in which Iran is involved.

    “No, we did not achieve what we wanted,” the 60-year-old former soldier said, his shop warmed in the fierce Tehran winter by a simple wood-fired stove. “Things have changed and revolutionary values have worn out. Today, unfortunately, we still suffer from discrimination, favoritism, corruption and lying, even more than that time.”

    As the 40th anniversary of the revolution approached, a reporter from The Associated Press walked through the streets of Tehran to speak to those who were alive then about the world-changing moment that saw Iran exchange 2,500 years of monarchy for an Islamic Republic.

    They offered a mixed view that is now common in the country as long-standing economic problems worsen amid the U.S. decision last spring to withdraw from the nuclear deal that Iran struck with world powers in 2013. Iran’s currency, the rial, has depreciated rapidly since then, making prices for groceries and clothes skyrocket. Its crucial oil sales remain threatened, and trust in its leadership has eroded.

    “Problems do exist, but I relate them to the mismanagement of the officials not the revolution itself,” Tajik said. “The revolution was a correct thing and should have happened, but it has been diverted from its path by the people in power.”

    Only a few steps down the alley from Tajik’s shop, another former revolutionary felt differently.

    Now a barber, 67-year-old Bashir Nahavandi was a taxi driver when the revolution took hold. He gave protesters free rides and took part in demonstrations against what he called the irreligious and immoral rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

    “I am not dissatisfied with my current situation or my job and income,” he said, sweeping up his shop. “It is true that some people are complaining about high prices, but they should put things in perspective and be more tolerant.”

    He praised leaders for protecting Islam and enforcing the law that makes it mandatory for Iranian women to wear the hijab.

    “We are Muslims, after all, and religion is our priority,” Nahavandi said. “Even piles of money would be worthless if the religion is ignored and not respected.”

    Walking along bustling Enghelab, or Revolution Street that once was named after the shah’s father, Reza Shah, 79-year-old retired university professor Ali Soltani recalled the day that protesters pulled down a statue of Reza Shah at Enghelab Square.

    Soltani, who has written books on Persian literature and Islamic teachings, called poverty the biggest challenge the country faces today. While life under the shah had at least three social classes — the rich, the middle class and the poor — Iran today is simply separated between the haves and the have-nots, he said.

    “We were really hoping that problems would be solved, but they were not. … Newspapers and authorities themselves are now admitting to large-scale embezzlements that are taking place in the country,” he said. “Today, you see that a part of the people do not even have some bread to eat. What can they do?”

    Another former revolutionary, 70-year-old Mohsen Fat’hi, has been a bookseller on Enghelab Street since 1977. During the uprising, he made gasoline bombs, sold banned books and reprinted pamphlets with statements from Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenini, the exiled cleric who eventually became the country’s supreme leader.

    For all the risks Fat’hi took in supporting the revolution, he described himself today as disappointed.

    “We were seeking a better life, but unfortunately we could not get it,” Fat’hi said. “Today we are looking for meat and chicken and are unable to afford.”

    Surrounded by his books, Fat’hi said he has given up on supporting the revolution he once fought for.

    “We were after ideals that were never fulfilled. Why should I continue to back it?” he asked. “Our passport was valuable. We had credibility and reputation in the world. We have lost everything.””

    • “We are Muslims, after all, and religion is our priority,” Nahavandi said. “Even piles of money would be worthless if the religion is ignored and not respected.”

      That’s all you need to know about the filth in Iran. They are not freedom loving American wannabes as the west likes to portray them. They are simply vanilla muslims. Empty handed, empty hearted and empty headed.

      • “That’s all you need to know about the filth in Iran.”

        As ibn ‘Sultan (correctly pronounced: I been insultin’) said about “moderate” [spit] Islam:

        These descriptions are very ugly, it is offensive and an insult to our religion. There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that’s it.

        — Recep Tayyip Erdogan

        So there it is. What else to say, eh? Straight from the horse’s @ss mouth. “[U]gly”? “Offensive”? “[A]n insult”? Who £ü¢kiñg cares?!?

        Sunni? Shiite? All distinctions without a difference. “Moderate” Muslims are the ocean that terrorist fish swim in. End. Of. Story.

        For Islam, terrorism isn’t a bug, it’s a feature.

  12. 7 Iranian pilgrims wounded in shooting attack in Iraq (abcnews, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bus-carrying-iranian-pilgrims-iraq-attack-60817201

    “Police and medical officials say seven Iranian Shiite pilgrims traveling in central Iraq were wounded when their bus came under attack by unidentified gunmen.

    The officials said late Sunday that the bus carrying 10 pilgrims was north of the capital of Baghdad when gunmen opened fire.

    They say the wounded passengers were taken to a hospital, including a woman who was in serious condition. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.”

  13. Bahraini footballer pleads in court against deportation (BBC, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47113179

    “Bahraini footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi has urged a court in Bangkok not to extradite him to his home country.

    Al-Araibi, who had been playing in Australia after being granted asylum there, was arrested in Thailand when he arrived with his wife on honeymoon.

    He is wanted in Bahrain, where he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in jail for vandalising a police station.

    Al-Araibi says he is innocent and that he was tortured in Bahrain for his political opposition.

    The Bangkok court extended his detention by 60 days, during which he can file an objection against the extradition request.

    The BBC’s Jonathan Head in Bangkok said Al-Araibi arrived at court in leg shackles, shouting: “Please don’t send me to Bahrain”.

    He told the court he rejected the extradition request, saying he was detained and tortured for opposing the government, before he fled to Australia more than four years ago.

    Former Australian football captain Craig Foster and other campaigners were at the court to support the player.

    “Your wife sends her love! Hakeem, Australia is with you, mate,” Mr Foster shouted.

    The player was given refugee status by Australia in 2014, the same year he was sentenced in absentia by Bahrain to 10 years in prison for vandalising a police station.

    Campaigners from the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) say he is at grave risk of torture if he is deported.

    Appeals for his release have been made by the international football body FIFA and by the International Olympic Committee, as well as several governments, including Australia, where he plays for a Melbourne club.

    Bahrain insists that his trial was fair and that he should return home if he wants to launch an appeal against the conviction.”

    • Well, the worship of The One Penis, aka Submission of the Dogs, (which permits the dominant male to a harem), is a simplest test to see if Hakeem Al-Araibi is still a muslim. To determine that, if he had had the power, he would turn out exactly like the dictators he complains about.

      Diversity means a diversity of cultures and laws. For all muslims, the Sharia is mandatory.

      Worship of The Vaginas, aka Submission of the Lions, (which permits the dominant females to run the harem), is a simple test to see if he is a Cuck. Therefore, Hate Thought and Hate Crimes are as real a religion to him as for the Angel Jibreel existing.

      Islam or Marxism therefore, will determine which country he is the best tool for. Going back to his Creator.

      “He shouted “don’t send me to Bahrain”. Supporters shouted back: “Australia is with you” and “Your wife sends her love””
      https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/04/hakeem-al-araibi-bahrain-thailand-court-extradition

      Two legal systems. One where truth is a lie, and the other where truth doesn’t matter.

    • Why didn’t he check to find out if Bahrain has an extradiction agreement with Thailand before planning a honeymoon there? What about dual-citizen policies?

      Darwin Award.

  14. FGM ‘increasingly performed on UK babies’ (BBC, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47076043

    “Female genital mutilation (FGM) is increasingly being performed on babies and infants in the UK, the Victoria Derbyshire programme has been told.

    FGM expert and barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman said it was “almost impossible to detect” as the girls were not in school or old enough to report it.

    In one report, in Yorkshire, a victim was just one month old.

    The National FGM Centre said it was “not surprised” that victims may be younger now.

    Charity Barnardo’s and the Local Government Association – which together run the centre – said its community engagement was “key to protecting girls”.

    Their comments follow the first UK conviction for FGM.

    The mother of a three-year-old girl was found guilty at the Old Bailey on Friday of mutilating her daughter. Her partner was acquitted.

    FGM includes the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

    Laws ‘circumnavigated’
    Dr Proudman said there was “a lot of anecdotal data which shows FGM is now being performed on babies.

    “These girls are not at school, they are not at nursery, and so it’s very difficult for any public authority to become aware,” she added.

    “By performing it at such a young age, they’re evading the law.”

    In response to a Freedom of Information request, West Yorkshire Police said a quarter of its FGM reports (17) between 2015 and 2017 involved victims aged three or under.

    The National FGM Centre said there was “anecdotal evidence from some communities that FGM laws can be circumnavigated by performing the procedure on girls at a much younger age”.

    “The girls are unable to report, the cut heals quicker and prosecution is much harder once evidence comes to light and the girl is older.

    “There needs to be much greater recognition of this issue across different areas of the UK.”

    ‘Worried about being branded racist’
    Experts say authorities need a more joined-up approach when dealing with FGM.

    It is claimed children’s services can be unsure when to intervene. Doctors are not always reporting it to the police – and even if they do, officers do not always know what to do.

    “People are concerned about cultural sensitivities, worried about being branded racist, and it’s being performed on a very private area,” Dr Proudman said, explaining why it has taken many years for the first UK conviction to arrive.

    Figures seen by the Victoria Derbyshire programme show that 939 calls were made to emergency services to report FGM between 2014 and 2018.

    But the Crown Prosecution Service has only received 36 referrals for FGM from the police since 2010.

    One 2015 report by City, University of London estimated 137,000 women and girls in England have been victims of FGM…”

  15. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has reportedly launched a gold-backed cryptocurrency called “PayMon” – the Persian word for covenant – in cooperation with four local banks and the Ghoghnoos Company, in a move made following international sanctions.

    According to the Financial Tribune, the country has launched the gold-backed cryptocurrency in cooperation with the Parsian Bank, the Bank Pasargad, Bank Melli Iran, and Bank Mellat. An over-the-counter (OTC) cryptocurrency exchange called Iran Fara Bourse is also expected to adopt the cryptocurrency.

    The news outlet quoted Valiollah Fatemi, director at Ghoghnoos, who revealed the PayMon was set to be used to tokenize the financial institutions’ assets and properties.

    Gold the backbone
    —
    Iran Unveils Gold-Backed Cryptocurrency https://t.co/Vf8lLGmHgm

    — Bitcoin, Gold, Silver & Geopolitics (@Super_Crypto) February 2, 2019
    According to Ghoghnoos, a total of one billion PayMon tokens are set to be issued initially. The move comes months after international sanctions started crippling the country’s economy by forcing payment networks such as that of SWIFT from offering services to its institutions.”
    https://www.cryptoglobe.com/latest/2019/02/iran-launches-gold-backed-cryptocurrency-paymon/

  17. WaPo Super Bowl ad is a timely reminder: You’re building that – and it’s got some weird backstory
    By J.E. Dyer February 3, 2019

    Liberty Unyielding’s Howard Portnoy had a great article on Sunday about the Washington Post’s Super Bowl ad, in which he pointed out some of the, er, journalistic challenges the Post has yet to overcome. The ad, narrated by Tom Hanks (who played WaPo editor Bill Bradlee in the 2017 film The Post), pays “tribute to the importance of journalism and journalists throughout history and today.”

    But as HP observes, WaPo too often has accuracy problems that produce a skewed view of major political issues, such as – among other things – conflating “immigrants” and “aliens,” as if their status in U.S. law is the same. The errors of fact and expression often go uncorrected.

    Since a 30-second Super Bowl slot runs $5.25 million, and WaPo’s ad is basically a vanity blurb (there’s very little chance it will earn back the cost in new subscriptions or increased advertising interest in WaPo), it’s worth reminding readers why WaPo can afford to throw money away like this.

    The short version is that Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and regular contestant now for “World’s Richest Man,” bought the Washington Post Company in 2013. Before he bought it, WaPo the newspaper was seeing catastrophic losses in traffic and revenue. The Washington Post Co.’s other properties were keeping the whole enterprise – privately owned by the Graham family – afloat. But the paper was in bad financial shape.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/02/03/wapo-super-bowl-ad-is-a-timely-reminder-youre-building-that-and-its-got-some-weird-backstory/

  20. Nick Sandmann: The Truth in 15 Minutes

    2 weeks ago, the mainstream media, politicians, church officials, commentators, & celebrities rushed to judgment to wrongfully condemn, threaten, disparage & vilify Nick Sandmann based solely on a few seconds of an out-of-context video clip.

    It only takes 15 minutes to learn the truth. Here it is.

  22. The Nazification of the Democrats

    In America’s current political climate, Democrats are making frequent use of terms they understand poorly at best. To silence debate and criticism, Democrats routinely employ labels such as “Fascist,” “Nazi,” or “racist” to shut down and intimidate their political targets. Ironically, however, as Democrats engage this way they are quickly adopting the very characteristics of those groups they supposedly despise.

    Most notably, the Democrats increasingly display anti-Semitism along with their hostility to Christianity, traditional American values, and individual liberty. The recent revelation that Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted in 2012 that Israel had “hypnotized the world” is a clear indication of where the Democratic Party is headed—and why Americans should worry.

    Beginning with Omar’s tweet about Israel “hypnotizing” the world, the congresswoman’s sentiment is a common theme in Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf. In the 1925 screed that became the centerpiece of Nazi thought, Hitler routinely accuses Jews of undertaking a “campaign of lies” while lamenting the supposed “ignorance of the broad masses” and “narrow-mindedness of the upper classes” about Jews . While Democrats and the Left routinely attempt to distance their hatred of Israel from anti-Semitism, their opprobrium of the Jewish state similarly parallels that of the late Nazi führer. In Mein Kampf, Hitler accuses Zionists of wanting a Jewish state in order to have a “central organization for their international world swindle.” Omar sounds exactly like a real Nazi.

    https://amgreatness.com/2019/02/03/the-nazification-of-the-democrats/

    • In the case of the new Democrats, the party is dangerously close to embarking on a path guided by genuine Nazi sentiment.

      Richard: No they aren’t dangerously close to embarking on the path of genuine Nazi sentiment, they are several miles down that path. So far down it that if us unlikely they will be able to change course. We are seeing signs that some of the Dems leaders are going to try and remove the more radical new comers from their party. What they are ignoring is that the current leadership has already moved the Dem Party so far left that the thinking people are already leaving their party. If I am reading the mood of the public right the only way the Dems can regain power is through the use of force. On a small scale they are already resorting to violence and their use of force will continue to increase as they loose more and more power.

      • Yep.
        In fact their paths have converged. But this time Christians are going to be swept up at just about the same time as Jews.

        If we can stay united, we’ll be in better shape. That means avoiding disputatious elements that serve only the enemy.

  24. New York City subway shooter is an MS-13 gang member, report says

    The unidentified gunman wanted by police in the murder of a man on a New York City subway platform Sunday afternoon reportedly is a member of the violent MS-13 gang.

    Law enforcement sources told NY1 the shooter belongs to MS-13 and the victim was a member of the 18th Street gang, one of MS-13’s rivals. An interactive map created by the New York Daily News shows both gangs have been active in the area where the killing happened.

    The revelation comes as police search for two persons of interest seen in a graphic video of the shooting that has been circulating on social media. Police also have released an image of one of the persons of interest — the suspected shooter — fleeing the 90th Street-Elmhurst Avenue subway station in the Queens borough.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/nyc-subway-shooter-is-an-ms-13-gang-member-report-says

  25. Court of appeal judges have overturned a two-year suspended sentence on a London teen who attacked a car with a large ‘zombie’ knife in broad daylight, ordering he be imprisoned for three and a half years.
    There was public outcry after Joshua Gardner was given the suspended sentence for committing the attack in May 2018 in Croydon, south London, when he was 17 years old.

    At the time of the original sentencing in November 2018, Judge Anuja Dhir QC handed down the original sentence based on the defendant having “reduced… culpability” after the court had heard Gardner had been “kidnapped” weeks prior, the judge also taking into account the youth’s difficult upbringing.

    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/01/30/london-zombie-knife-attacker-soft-sentence-overturned-jailed/

  26. CBC – Trudeau, Legault and diversity in Quebec | The Weekly with Wendy Mesley

    Quebec Premier François Legault is trying hard to get Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to support his controversial French values test for newcomers.

    Trudeau needs Quebec votes to win a second term, and Legault is extremely popular in Quebec.

    But requiring immigrants to speak French and accept currently undefined Quebec values could be dicey for a prime minister who touts diversity.

  27. CBC Pravda – Canadians should expect election interference, former CIA director warns | The Weekly

    ( 12 min 57 )

    Former CIA director Leon Panetta says Canadians should expect foreign interference in this year’s election — like what happened in the U.S in 2016.

    A new cyber bill would give Canada’s Communications Security Establishment broad powers to counterattack if the election is targeted by a foreign adversary, but Bill C-59 is stuck in the Senate and might not pass until June. Will it be too late?

    + comments on the YT page —

  28. Appeals Court: Police Don’t Need A Reason To Place Americans On ‘Suspicious Person’ List

    Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled that police do not need a reason to place a person on the Suspicious Person List.

    The ruling explains how President George W. Bush created fusion centers whose primary mission was to identify “suspicious Americans.”

    In October 2007, President George W. Bush issued a National Strategy for Information Sharing concerning terrorism-related information. The Strategy created fusion centers that would ensure Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) were disseminated to and evaluated by appropriate government authorities, and identify requirements to support a unified process for reporting, tracking, and accessing SARs. The nationwide effort to standardize this information sharing was called the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative.

    According to the ruling, Americans can be considered suspicious for doing things like taking pictures of public art, buying a computer, practicing their religion, etc.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-02-03/appeals-court-police-dont-need-reason-place-americans-suspicious-person-list

  29. ‘You’ve humiliated us!’ Iran sends DIRE warning to EU as tensions SOAR (express, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1082400/iran-news-world-war-3-iran-eu-iran-nuclear-sanctions

    “IRAN’S top judge said today Tehran would never accept the “humiliating conditions” set by the European Union for non-dollar trade intended to evade US sanctions, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

    France, Germany and Britain have opened a new channel for non-dollar trade with Iran to get around the sanctions, reimposed on Iran after President Donald Trump’s decision in May to exit a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six major powers.

    Sadeq Amoli-Larijani said: “After nine months of procrastination and negotiation, Europeans have created a mechanism with limited capacity only for food and medicine.

    “Iran will never accept their strange and humiliating conditions of joining the FATF (the Financial Action Task Force) and negotiations on its missile programme.”

    A French, British and German statement on Friday made no mention of any preconditions, although the European powers must now establish a budget and define its rules before the mechanism can be operational.

    Welcoming their move, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday Tehran would also have to set up a mirror company. The two sides are to hold talks this week on the process.

    The European statement said they expected Iran to swiftly implement all elements of its FATF action plan.

    “FATF is not a precondition, it’s a strong expectation,” said a senior European diplomat, dismissing any suggestion that ballistic missile talks had anything to do with creating the mechanism.

    Iran has threatened to pull out of the nuclear deal unless the European powers enable it to receive economic benefits. The Europeans have promised to help companies do business with Iran as long as it abides by the deal.

    New US sanctions have largely succeeded in persuading European companies to abandon business with Iran, and Washington said it did not expect the EU effort – known as INSTEX, or Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges – to change that.

    Even as European powers have worked to preserve the nuclear deal, relations with Tehran have been worsening. The EU this month imposed its first sanctions on Iran since the nuclear pact, in response to assassination plots on European soil.

    They are also considering whether to push for sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile programme if talks between the two sides on the issue do not progress.”

    • This drivel is just an ordinary prelude to any dealings with [Twisted-]Ragheads. Camels, rugs, virgins, hudnas.

      They’ll utter dreadful curses, throw shoes at you, on and on. When you think you’ve reached an agreement, it collapses and it’s Round-2.

      NEVER buy anything in the souk in an Arab country. If you must, hire an intermediary. All I brought out of Egypt and Lebanon were gifts given to me.

  31. Nearly half of French and Germans say Islam ‘clashes with their values’, along with more than a third of Americans and Britons, poll finds (dailymail, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6666067/Nearly-half-French-Germans-say-Islam-clashes-values.html

    “Almost half of people in France and Germany believe there is a fundamental clash between Islam and the values of their society, a poll has found.

    Around one in two French and Germans also said they would ‘mind a little’ or ‘mind a lot’ if one of their close relatives were to marry a Muslim.

    However, barely a quarter of people in either France or Germany said they were familiar with the teachings of Islam.

    The YouGov survey also polled Britons and Americans with only 13 per cent of people in the UK saying they had a ‘favourable’ view of Islam.

    The poll also indicated that more than a quarter of people in Britain and Germany do not personally know any Muslims.

    In the survey of more than 1,000 voters in each country, people were asked if Islam was ‘generally compatible with the values of society in your country’ or whether there was a ‘fundamental clash’ between them.

    In Germany some 47 per cent chose ‘fundamental clash’, along with 46 per cent in France, 38 per cent in Britain and 36 per cent in the United States.

    Only 20 per cent of Germans and 22 per cent of French respondents said Islam was ‘generally compatible’.

    YouGov’s Joel Rogers de Waal said: ‘Substantial portions of Western respondents in the survey perceived a clash between Islam and the values of society in their country.

    ‘General impressions of Islam were comparatively less favourable than that of other world religions among significant numbers of Western respondents.

    ‘For instance, all four Western samples had a discernibly higher number of respondents who felt unfavourable to Islam, compared with other religions.’

    In Germany eight per cent said they had a ‘very favourable’ or ‘fairly favourable’ view of Islam, compared to 53 per cent who had an unfavourable opinion.

    The numbers were similar in France where 10 per cent expressed a favourable view of Islam, with 49 per cent unfavourable.

    For comparison, Christianity was seen favourably in Germany by 41 per cent to 16 per cent and in France by 35 per cent to 15 per cent, with many expressing no opinion.

    Some 59 per cent in France and 63 per cent in Germany told the pollster they were either ‘not very familiar’ or ‘not at all familiar’ with Islamic teaching.

    An equal number, 72 per cent in each country, said they were either ‘very concerned’ or ‘fairly concerned’ about the ‘possible rise of extremism’ in Islam.

    Asked about their relatives marrying a Muslim, the largest single group in each country – including Britain and the U.S. – said they would not mind.

    However 48 per cent of people in Germany and 47 per cent in France said they would either ‘mind a lot’ or ‘mind a little’, along with 33 per cent in the United States and 27 per cent in Britain.

    When asked whether they personally knew a Muslim, 41 per cent of Americans said they did not, compared to 27 per cent in Britain, 26 per cent in Germany and 17 per cent in France.”

  32. Deadly car bomb blast in Somalia’s capital, say police (abcnews, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/deadly-car-bomb-blast-somalias-capital-police-60826026

    “Somalia’s homegrown extremist rebels, al-Shabab, have claimed responsibility for a car bomb explosion on Monday that killed at least seven people in Somalia’s capital.

    Al-Shabab said its website that the attack was aimed at a gathering of government officials and security and intelligence personnel.

    At least nine people were also injured in the blast by an explosives-laden car parked near a mall close to Mogadishu’s local government offices in the Hamarweyne district, said Police Capt. Mohamed Hussein.

    Al-Shabab, who are linked to al-Qaida, have been ousted from Mogadishu and most other urban centers in the south and central areas of the country, but the group continues to carry out deadly suicide attacks in Somalia and neighboring countries.”

  34. Rights groups urge UN to press China over Uighur detentions (abcnews, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rights-groups-urge-press-china-uighur-detentions-60828209

    “Some leading advocacy groups are calling on the United Nations to take action to help prod the Chinese government to end the “mass detentions” of Muslim Uighurs in western China.

    Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other groups have appealed to the Human Rights Council — the top U.N. human rights body — to launch an “international fact-finding mission” in the western Xinjiang region where such detentions have occurred.

    The appeal comes as China’s human rights record is expected to come up for discussion at the next council session, from Feb. 25 to March 22.

    China is among the council’s 47 member states.

    The rights groups say a number of U.N. rights officials and experts have been denied repeated requests for access to Xinjiang.”

  35. Iraqi president slams Trump’s remarks about staying in Iraq (abcnews, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraqi-president-slams-trumps-remarks-staying-iraq-60828248

    “Iraq’s president hit back at Donald Trump Monday for saying U.S. troops should stay in Iraq to keep an eye on neighboring Iran, saying the U.S. leader did not ask for Iraq’s permission to do so.

    “We find these comments strange,” said Barham Salih, speaking at a forum in Baghdad.

    Trump’s comments added to concerns in Iraq about America’s long-term intentions, particularly after it withdraws its troops from Syria. Trump has angered Iraqi politicians and Iranian-backed factions by arguing he would keep U.S. troops in Iraq and use it as a base to strike Islamic State group targets inside Syria as needed.

    In an interview with CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” he said U.S. troops in Iraq were also needed to monitor Iran.

    “He didn’t ask Iraq about this,” Salih said Monday. He said U.S. troops were in Iraq as part of an agreement between the two countries with a specific mission of assisting in the fight against the Islamic State group and combatting “terrorism.” He said the Iraqi constitution forbids the use of Iraq as a base to threaten the interests or security of neighboring countries…”

  36. British SAS Troops Told to Stop Putting Punisher Skulls on Their Helmets
    Posted by Rich Johnston February 4, 2019 5 Comments

    The Daly Star reports that British SAS soldiers have been banned from wearing The Punisher logo badges on their helmet as it looks too much like the Nazi Germany SS Death’s Head image.

    SAS troopers picked up the imagery after serving alongside US Navy Seals in Iraq, with troopers being handed one by their squad after their first combat kill.

    The paper quotes ex-Sergeant Trevor Coult, head of the foundation For Our Veterans as saying, “The Ministry of Defence should be doing everything in its power to support the SAS, not messing around telling them what they can and can’t wear on operations. This is politically correct nonsense and it ludicrous.”

    https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/02/04/british-sas-troops-told-to-stop-putting-punisher-skulls-on-their-helmets/

    • They could use a history lesson.
      Grandma might show them the family photo album. All the young cousins, uncles, brothers maimed or dead. The price paid in their own blood, fighting that specific symbol.

  37. HOUSTON (AP) — The U.S. government is preparing to begin construction of more border walls and fencing in South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, likely on federally owned land set aside as wildlife refuge property.

    Heavy construction equipment is supposed to arrive starting Monday. A photo posted by the nonprofit National Butterfly Center shows an excavator parked next to its property.

    https://m.chron.com/news/texas/article/US-prepares-to-start-building-portion-of-Texas-13587426.php?ipid=mobbreaking

  40. Man wants to sue his parents for giving birth to him ‘without his consent’ as part of ‘anti-natalist’ movement that says having children is morally wrong
    Raphael Samuel, 27, has compared having children to ‘kidnapping and slavery’
    On his Facebook page he sends anti-natalist posts to hundreds of followers
    He intends to sue his parents despite having a ‘great relationship’ with them

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6664843/Man-wants-sue-parents-giving-birth-without-consent.html

  43. When Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, was arrested in Canada on Dec. 1 through an extradition warrant from the United States, American media described in detail how the company had apparently conspired to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.

    Huawei has long been involved in helping terrorist states and seemingly seeking to thwart U.S. sanctions. Meng is the daughter of Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei.

    As details of Huawei’s complicity with Iran emerge, it is time to look back on the Clinton family and its close relationship with Huawei. When their connection was first exposed more than a decade ago, it just seemed like another shady Clinton deal. But now, it becomes clear that Huawei has been central to the Iranian efforts to evade first U.N. and then U.S. sanctions.

    The Clintons were apparently conspiring with the enemy.

    Huawei has long been a bad actor in undermining U.S. foreign policy. The company has had a deep and long term relationship with the Clinton family.

    https://www.westernjournal.com/dick-morris-clintons-made-money-huawei/

  44. EU worried about online hate in Italy

    Commissioner presents evaluation of Code of Conduct

    (ANSA) – Rome, February 4 – The European Commission on Monday expressed concern about the amount of hate speech transmitted online in Italy.

    European Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova stressed, however, that hate speech against migrants “is not just widespread in Italy, but in other member States too”.

    “We are following this with great concern and we are working actively to combat it,” Jourova added as she presented the fourth evaluation of the EU Code of Conduct countering illegal hate speech online.

    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2019/02/04/eu-worried-about-online-hate-in-italy_ff08da48-57c6-4bfa-ba7a-6b06aac4351d.html

  45. euronews – Hungary opposes EU-Arab League cooperation due to migrant concerns

    On Friday, Hungary vocalised their opposition to a compromise between the EU and the Arab League over concerns about migrants.

  46. FINLAND – Oulu bans asylum seeker visits to schools

    The city of Oulu has temporarily banned asylum seeker and refugee visits to schools and daycare centres as investigations into sexual abuse of minors continue.

    Oulu has decided to temporarily discontinue asylum seeker visits to local schools and daycare centres.

    The city’s ban of the integrational visits organised by the Red Cross and other charitable groups is based on an ongoing investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of underage girls by a number of asylum seekers and refugees in Oulu.

    Mika Penttilä, the city’s Head of Education and Cultural Services, said the decision was driven by parental concerns.

    “We have agreed with the organisers that no such visits will take place at the moment. People have approached us about these visits to find out whether they pose a security risk,” Penttilä said.

    Deputy police chief Arto Karnaranta however said police have not been informed of any safety risks related to the school visits.

    Expert criticism

    Experts interviewed by Yle said they had been surprised by the ban.

    Rajkumar Sabanadesan, who came to Finland as an asylum seeker, said he considers Oulu’s decision to be outright stupid.

    “One of the basic principles that has been discussed recently is that problems with migrants can only be solved by integrating them with the majority population. This ban is going exactly the opposite direction,” the Tampere-based entrepreneur and consultant said.

    “The decision punishes a group of people for crimes that certain individuals are suspected of,” Sabanadesan added.

    Similarly, Mikko Lehtonen, professor of media culture at Tampere University, said stopping the visits seems ill-considered.

    “The city wants to look decisive. However the message that they are now sending may create more problems and not solve any,” he said.

    “If I were a member of a migrant group, this ban would send me the message that the so-called native culture does not necessarily want me to be part of theirs,” he added.

    Lehtonen also said it was disconcerting that Oulu views all asylum seekers as a separate but homogeneous group, saying that “this view of the world is almost racist.”

    Meanwhile, Non-Discrimination Ombudsman Kirsi Pimiä said decision-makers should closely consider the relevance and proportion of such decisions and actions. “Prejudice is about associating an individual’s negative traits with the group they represent,” Pimiä said in an email.

    However, Oulu’s decision is not discriminatory because there is no common right to visit schools or daycares, Pimiä added.

    More information to come

    Penttilä from the city administration emphasised that the ban is temporary and that Oulu will conduct fact-based discussions on asylum seeker visits and security risks with parents.

    Penttilä said he acknowledges that the ban has raised many questions.

    “I don’t want my decisions to contribute to creating confrontation,” he said.

    https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/oulu_bans_asylum_seeker_visits_to_schools/10623356

  48. Corbyn holds talks with rising star of the US Congress Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – but discussion about ‘peace, prosperity and justice’ gets her into trouble for speaking to an ‘anti-Semite’.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6666263/Corbyn-holds-talks-rising-star-Congress-Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez.html

    The Labour leader revealed the call with Ms Ocasio-Cortez last night, revealing the pair talked about tackling billionaires and spreading prosperity.

    She tweeted about the meeting to her 2.8million followers, insisting it was a ‘wide-ranging conversation’ about ‘furthering peace, prosperity and justice’.

    Mr Corbyn and Ms Ocasio-Cortez – seen by some as a future presidential candidate for the Presidency – share a socialist platform and many Labour activists want to copy her grassroots campaign techniques in the UK.

    (much more at link)

  49. Dartford ‘acid attack’ – Police called as three hurt by ‘NOXIOUS SUBSTANCE’ thrown at car (express, Feb 4, 2019)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1082064/acid-attack-Dartford-police-victims-hospital-noxious-substance-Tesco-express-uk

    “A SUSPECTED acid attack outside a Tesco in Dartford has led police to cordon off the area.

    According to reports two men on a motorbike smashed a car window and threw a “noxious substance” towards a car. Three people were injured and have been taken to hospital although one has already been discharged. Officers arrived at 5pm at the shop in Henderson Drive and are still at the scene.

    A witness told the Daily Mirror: “Two boys on the moped smashed a car window and when they were stopped they sprayed the victim’s eye.

    “There were police, fire and ambulances attending the scene.

    “I saw them all go past my flat.”

    Kent Police have cordoned off a section of the road and closed the pedestrian pathways around the store.

    In a statement, the police said: “Kent Police is investigating reports of an assault with a noxious substance in Dartford.

    “At around 3.40pm on Sunday, February 3, officers were called to a location in Keyes Road, Dartford.

    “It is alleged that a noxious substance was thrown in the direction of a car by two men riding a motorcycle.

    “The driver of the car has been taken to hospital, along with a passenger and a member of the public who was close to the vehicle.

    “One person has since been discharged. It is being treated as an isolated incident.”

    “Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting reference 03-1016.”

    The UK has one of the highest rates of acid attacks in the world per capita according to Acid Survivors Trust International.

    As of last summer, the UK had seen over 2,000 acid attacks in less than three years with most cases occurring in London.”