Contributor’s links post for May 3, 2019

Daily Links Post graphic

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 must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

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

125 Replies to “Contributor’s links post for May 3, 2019”

  1. UAE supports Haftar’s offensive against Tripoli ‘militias’ (memo, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190503-uae-supports-haftars-offensive-against-tripoli-militias/

    “The UAE said yesterday that “extremist militias” were controlling the Libyan capital which its ally Khalifa Haftar is fighting to capture from forces allied to Libya’s internationally recognised government, according to Reuters.

    The UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been supporting Haftar in his assault on Tripoli which he launched early last month.

    Haftar’s offensive all but wrecked UN-backed efforts for a peace deal between the rival factions to end eight years of conflict.

    “Priority in Libya [is] to counter extremism/terrorism and support stability in long drawn out crisis,” UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a Twitter post…”

  2. Watchdog: Hundreds of media workers killed in Syria (memo, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190503-watchdog-hundreds-of-media-workers-killed-in-syria/

    “Hundreds of media workers have been killed and/or detained in Syria since conflict erupted in that country in 2011, a UK-based watchdog reported Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

    During this period, 695 media workers — including numerous foreign nationals — have been killed, while 421 were detained by the Syrian regime, according to a report released by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, which is marked on May 3.

    A total of 546 press workers, including five foreigners, were killed in attacks by the Assad regime, while 20 others were killed by Russian airstrikes, the SNHR reported.

    Four journalists were killed by the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is closely affiliated with the PKK terrorist group, according to the report.

    “The SDF has suppressed journalists and arrested and tortured dissenters in areas under its control,” the report reads.

    Meanwhile, 64 journalists — including two women and three foreigners — were killed by Daesh terrorists, while 32 others were killed by armed opposition groups, according to the NGO.

    The report goes on to assert that at least one journalist was killed in an attack by a U.S.-led military coalition, while 28 others were killed by unknown armed groups operating in the war-torn country.

    Since the Syria conflict began in 2011, 1,136 media workers have been abducted, 421 of whom have yet to be released, the SNHR report notes.

    Of 180 countries, Syria currently ranks 174th on a press freedom index compiled by Reporters without Borders, a Paris-based NGO that advocates for press liberties.”

  3. Stalemate persists in Tripoli after overnight fighting, more civilians flee (memo, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190503-stalemate-persists-in-tripoli-after-overnight-fighting-more-civilians-flee/

    “Heavy fighting raged overnight in the battle for the Libyan capital Tripoli, with neither faction able to secure gains on the frontlines as an offensive by eastern commander Khalifa Haftar entered its fifth week, Reuters reports.

    Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied to a parallel administration based in Benghazi, has in the past week brought up more troops and heavy guns to the frontline.

    But it has been unable to breach the defences in the city’s southern suburbs of forces loyal to the internationally recognized government in Tripoli.

    Libya has been in a state of chaos since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011 after 40 years in power by insurgents backed by NATO air power.

    The battle for Tripoli has all but wrecked UN-backed efforts for a peace deal between the rival factions, and has disrupted the oil industry of a country that is one of Africa’s largest producers.”

  4. Ramadan 101: What NOT to say to your Muslim co-worker when they are fasting (alaraby, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/blog/2019/5/3/what-not-to-say-to-muslim-co-workers-during-ramadan-1

    “Every year, as the month of Ramadan arrives, my colleagues will ask with eager curiosity what fasting entails and why I do it. I’ll happily answer their questions as it allows me to impart some knowledge on Islam and about my beliefs and lifestyle.

    However, not everyone’s reaction is the same. Here are some of the most common comments that get thrown at me. If you know of a Muslim co-worker who’s fasting this year please avoid saying any of the following:

    I don’t know how you can fast, I could NEVER do that:

    Although this may come across as a compliment, the unnecessary praise makes me feel a little uncomfortable.

    Fasting is not the same as living through a drought or in poverty. I’m fortunate enough to be able to eat a nutritious and filling meal at the end of every single day. Yes, fasting requires a certain amount of discipline, but like dieting and exercising, anyone can do, if they try.

    Surely you can drink water though, right?

    A quick Google search on fasting during Ramadan will reveal that no, you can’t drink water, yet this is the most frequently asked question.

    My answer to this is usually met with gasps of horror and admiration. It’s worth remembering that Muslims only fast during the daylight hours, so I won’t dehydrate myself or die.

    That’s not safe – you’re starving yourself!

    This is probably the most condescending remark because it’s said so flippiantly. In fact, there are numerous health benefits of fasting, if you do it correctly.

    Take me for instance – I’ve been doing this for 20 years and guess what, I’m still alive and healthy(ish)!

    Why don’t you just eat? No one will know…

    Statements like this undermine the sacrifices that millions of Muslims make when they fast. The reward of fasting lies solely on the fact that it is an act that only God will know about, as you can easily pretend to fast in front of others.

    Hence, eating secretly makes a mockery of the entire concept. Stop trying to be the devil on my shoulder – it won’t work.

    I feel so bad eating in front of you!

    Bearing in mind that most non-Muslims don’t believe in the evil eye, this is the most puzzling statement of all. Please don’t eat your desk lunch secretly in fear that a starving Muslim will yank it out of your hand – they’re fasting not starving lions.

    You’re so lucky, you’re going to lose so much weight!

    Yes, there are studies to show fasting can help aid weight loss but that’s not why we do it. A seemingly positive statement like this might sound fine but again, it undermines the sanctity of Ramadan by implying there are only superficial benefits to doing it.

    What you could say instead…

    Why do Muslims fast?

    I really enjoy discussing Ramadan and the wisdom behind fasting and welcome genuine questions about it. It’s only through conversations like these that Muslims can educate others and remove stereotypes and presumptions.

    Do you need any support during this month?

    Fasting at work can be hard, especially if you’re the only Muslim in the team so by offering support you are taking off some of the load.

    What are you going to eat tonight?

    There’s nothing a fasting person loves more than to talk about food. Chances are they’ve been daydreaming about the iftar meal from the moment that got into the office so they’ll be more than happy to indulge you with their meal plans.

    Sami Rahman is a freelance writer based in London.”

    • So I guess it would also not be right, just while we are busy controlling what actual folks in their own countries can say near muslims who decide to skip lunch, “Hey why not show how devout you really are and not eat for a month or two”?

    • Now we are being schooled on what we are allowed to say?Not to mention having to carry this scum because it is too weak to do its job properly,i know,i have had some,and they can fuck off.

  5. Six civilians killed in Yemen in suspected al Qaeda bombing (reuters, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/six-civilians-killed-in-yemen-in-suspected-al-qaeda-bombing-idUSKCN1S91UD

    “At least six civilians, including children, were killed in Yemen on Friday when a roadside bomb believed to be planted by al Qaeda went off in the country’s southeast, a Yemeni security official said.

    At least six others were wounded in the blast, the second attack in less than a week in al-Qatn village in the vast Hadramaut region

    Al Qaeda’s local affiliate in Yemen, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), has taken advantage of a civil war between the Iran-aligned Houthi group and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s Saudi-backed government to strengthen its position in the impoverished country.

    AQAP operates in several provinces in south and eastern Yemen, including in Abyan, Shabwa and al-Bayda.”

  6. China putting minority Muslims in ‘concentration camps,’ U.S. says (reuters, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-concentrationcamps/china-putting-minority-muslims-in-concentration-camps-u-s-says-idUSKCN1S925K

    “The United States accused China on Friday of putting well more than a million minority Muslims in “concentration camps,” in some of the strongest U.S. condemnation to date of what it calls Beijing’s mass detention of mostly Muslim Uighur minority and other Muslim groups.

    The comments by Randall Schriver, who leads Asia policy at the U.S. Defense Department, are likely to increase tension with Beijing, which is sensitive to international criticism and describes the sites as vocational education training centers aimed at stemming the threat of Islamic extremism.

    Former detainees have described to Reuters being tortured during interrogation at the camps, living in crowded cells and being subjected to a brutal daily regimen of party indoctrination that drove some people to suicide.

    Some of the sprawling facilities are ringed with razor wire and watch towers.

    “The (Chinese) Communist Party is using the security forces for mass imprisonment of Chinese Muslims in concentration camps,” Schriver told a Pentagon briefing during a broader discussion about China’s military, estimating that the number of detained Muslims could be “closer to 3 million citizens.”

    Schriver, an assistant secretary of defense, defended his use of a term normally associated with Nazi Germany as appropriate, under the circumstances…”

  7. Egypt receives third Type 209 submarine from Germany (ahram, May 3, 2019)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/330997/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-receives-third-Type–submarine-from-Germany.aspx

    “Egypt received its third Type 209/1400 submarine from Germany at a ceremony in the German city of Kiel on Friday.

    The commander of the Egyptian navy Ahmed Khalid raised the Egyptian flag on the submarine, S43, in the ceremony that broadcast on Egyptian state television.

    Egypt first signed a deal with Berlin to buy two German-made Type 209 submarines in 2011, ordering two more in 2014.

    It received the first one, S41, in December 2016 and the second, S42, in August 2017.

    The Type 209/1400 has a range of 11,000 nautical miles and a top speed of 21.5 knots. It is equipped with missiles and torpedoes.

    The submarines are manufactured by the German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.”

    • It’ll probably take a long time for those who experience objective existence to finally realize that ignorance, in all of its varieties and extravagances, no longer is the socio-intellectual kiss-of-death it once was (for however brief few centuries that indecent fad persisted).

      In the PoMo Prog world of actionable verbal violence and butt-hurt feelings, fact has nothing to do with anything. At times, it’s almost as if being at the farthest possible remove from this gritty, shirtsleeve reality is held as a most lofty ideal.

      It is without any risk of even happenstance error to say that Ilhan Omar is not on speaking terms with this contemporaneous manifestation of a four dimensional space-time continuum commonly known as reality.

  8. Saudi Arabia Tells Mosques to Lower Call to Prayer, Causes Controversy (moroccoworldnews, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/05/272246/saudi-arabia-mosques-adhan/

    “The Saudi ministry said that the loud sound of the adhan is a source of disturbance to some people and interferes with other calls to prayer.

    Days before the holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs has given instructions to lower the sound of the Muslim call to prayer, the adhan, because of complaints from people who live near mosques who said that it disturbs them.

    In a video posted on Twitter by the ministry, Minister of Islamic Affairs Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Ash-Shaikh said that the call to prayer is an obligation but not at the expenses of others.

    Al Ash-Shaikh explained that lowering mosques’ loudspeakers is important so they will not overlap with nearby mosques’ loudspeakers. He said, “It is causing confusion to the worshipers and residents of the nearby neighborhood to the mosque, and loses its prestige and spirituality.”

    Many Saudis agreed with the ministry’s decision and called for the government to impose fines on mosques that did not respect the guideline.

    Others opposed to the ministry’s arrangement argue that the adhan should be loud, especially during Ramadan, saying it gives them spiritual comfort.

    The ministry has also given instructions to “set the sound level to four because of mosques’ proximity to each other, in order to prevent disturbance and interference with other adhans, which disrupts worshipers in other mosques.””

  9. The Biggest Mosque in Africa is Now in Algeria, Not Morocco (moroccoworldnews, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/05/272265/biggest-mosque-africa-algeria-not-morocco/

    “The China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has announced on Chinese state television CGTN the imminent opening of the Djamaa El Djazair, or the Great Mosque of Algiers, a controversial billion dollar mega-project.

    The mosque in Algeria will be the third largest in the world by area and the largest in Africa, making it bigger than the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca.

    The mosque complex covers a total area of 400,000 square meters, with a capacity for 35,000 people in the prayer hall. The space includes a park, a public square, a cultural center, a staff housing area, a religious school, a fire station, and a library.

    Of the mosques in the world, the two largest by area are the Imam Reza Shrine (600,000 square meters) in Mashhad, Iran, and Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (416,000 square meters) in Muscat, Oman.

    The minaret of the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca, previously the tallest in the world, measures 200 meters. In comparison, the Great Mosque of Algiers now boasts the world’s tallest minaret, at a height of 265 meters.

    Commissioned by ex-Algerian President Aziz Bouteflika, construction of the mosque depended on foreign expertise and labor. It was designed by German architects KSP Juergen Engel Architekten and engineers Krebs und Kiefer International and was built by Chinese company CSCEC. Construction started in 2012.

    At an estimated cost of MAD 10.8 billion ($1.15 billion), the project is controversial.

    Controversy
    Algeria has struggled with corruption, unemployment, and inequality. Its economy relies heavily on oil and petrol resources. The country has been trimming its spendings, especially since a drop in oil prices in 2014. Mass protests early this year led to Bouteflika’s resignation, as Algerian people demanded economic opportunities and political change, after years of discontent.

    Despite the country’s economic instability, building the Great Mosque was a priority for Bouteflika.

    One reason may be that the mosque would serve as a memorial to his 20-year reign. Many describe the mosque however as a megalomanic vanity project.

    Larger than the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, it may also have symbolized Algeria’s rivalry with Morocco. The countries have complex diplomatic ties and regularly clash, particularly over the Western Sahara region. The border between the two countries has been closed since 1994.

    Another motivation for the giant mosque in Algeria may have been the government’s desire to control Islamic insurgency. As a symbol of national religious identity, the Great Mosque serves to strengthen the regime.

    In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the rise of Islamic organizations threatened the government in Algeria. At the time, some mosques promoted opposition to the regime, preaching the Islamist political agenda to alienated Algerians who felt the country offered no prospects.

    According to Kamel Chachoua, an expert on religion at the Institute of Research and Studies on the Arab and Muslim World in Marseille, the decision to build the mosque was “a means to cut ground from under the feet of the Islamists. It’s the idea of creating a national Islam after the terror of 1990s gave [Islam] an unhinged image […],” he told BBC News.

    Towering over Algiers, the finished Great Mosque is certainly a striking architectural landmark.”

  10. Morocco’s BCIJ Dismantles 8-Member Terror Cell in Tangier (moroccoworldnews, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/05/272209/morocco-bcij-member-terror-cell-tangier/

    “Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) dismantled a new terror cell of eight members in Tangier on Friday morning.

    A statement from the BCIJ said that the suspects are aged between 20 and 31.

    BCIJ also seized several electronic devices and military uniforms during the arrest.

    Based on a preliminary investigation, police believe the suspects shared propaganda to promote extremism.

    The suspects were also allegedly planning attacks to undermine the stability of the country. BCIJ put the suspects in custody for further investigation to determine any further possible suspects involved in the cell.

    The arrests come after another similar operation to dismantle a six-member pro-ISIS cell in Sale, Rabat’s twin city, on April 23.

    The suspects, aged between 22 and 28, had allegedly been gathering in a mosque to plan terror attacks to undermine the security and stability of the country.

    On the same day, BCIJ arrested another suspect in Dakhla, southern Morocco, for his alleged ties to the six-member terror cell.

    BCIJ has dismantled several terror cells throughout the year. The success of the security forces against ISIS has gained Morocco a strong reputation for security and anti-terrorism.

    Morocco introduced BCIJ in 2015 to reinforce its security strategies after the 2003 terror attack in Casablanca and the 2011 terror attack in Marrakech.”

  11. BBC – Jayda Fransen sentenced over Belfast Islam speech

    A former deputy leader of Britain First has been sentenced to 180 hours community service over a speech she made in Belfast.

    Jayda Fransen, 33, was found guilty of stirring up hatred during a speech about Islam in August 2017.

    She was also convicted for separate comments at a peace wall in the city.

    Convicting Fransen, of Moat Avenue in Donaghadee, County Down, a judge said her words were “a general, vehement attack against a religious group”.

    The speech was made during the “Northern Ireland Against Terrorism” event two years ago.

    Britain First leader Paul Golding, 37, and two other English men, John Banks and Paul Rimmer, were previously acquitted on similar charges.

    They were accused of using threatening, abusive or insulting words intended to stir up hatred or arouse fear.

    During the trial, defence lawyers argued that each of the accused was entitled to freedom of expression, no matter how offensive their speeches may be.

    ‘Baying for blood’

    The court heard that Fransen told those gathered at the rally that there was no moderate version of Islam and that “these people are baying for our blood”.

    She added: “Islam says every single one of you wonderful people here today deserves to be killed.”

    Those attending the rally were then told it was time for the world to come together against “the one common enemy”.

    The judge told the court: “I’m satisfied these words were intended to stir up hatred and arouse fear.”

    He also found her guilty over a separate, filmed incident at a Belfast peace wall in December 2017.

    On that occasion, the court heard that Fransen declared the “Islamification” of Britain would lead to similar walls to separate the two sides.

    During sentencing on Friday, a defence lawyer for Fransen said she had now made her home in Northern Ireland.

    He also said she intended to lodge an appeal.

    He told the court no actual violence was occasioned as a result of Fransen’s conduct.

    Sentencing her, the judge said the words she used were “unlawful”, adding that normally a custodial sentence would be imposed.

    Fransen replied “Yes” when the judge asked her if she understood she would be returned to court if she did not properly fulfil the community service order.

    Afterwards, Fransen called her conviction “a mistake” and a “wrong move”.

    “I think the sentence today probably reflects the fact that it was a bad decision,” she said.

    She said she had no remorse and that what she had said was “factual”.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-48147994

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

    jihad watch : British Activist Sentenced for Denying Existence of Moderate Islam

    https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/05/british-activist-sentenced-for-denying-existence-of-moderate-islam

    • Can they tell us exactly who was “stirred to hatred”by this statement,and what atrocity they committed?In fact where is the victim?

  12. CII warns of ‘complications’ in setting age limit for marriage (tribune, May 3, 2019)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1965169/1-cii-warns-complications-setting-age-limit-marriage/

    “ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) said on Friday any legislation to ban child marriage would lead to complications, suggesting to the government to instead launch an awareness campaign to discourage the trend of early marriages.

    The CII gave its inputs on two bills, one approved by the Senate that fixes the age limit for marriage of a girl at 18 years, while another bill which remains pending in the National Assembly. The panel urged the government to address the causes, which lead to the marriage of under-aged girls.

    “The better way to tackle the practice of child marriage is to start an awareness campaign among the masses instead of passing legislation,” the CII said. “Legislating against child marriage and setting the age limit will lead to many complications,” it added.
    The CII deliberated on the matter in its 212th meeting, held in September last year. During the discussion on a bill, which was originally moved by then senator Seher Kamran, the CII’s research department presented a 10-page detailed report.

    The report detailed age limits for marriage in 12 Muslim countries, along with the opinion of leading Islamic scholars for and against setting the age limit. After a three-hour debate, the session agreed with [the late] Mufti Muhammad Shafi that the trend of under-age marriage should not be encouraged.

    The CII agreed that under-age marriages create problems. It concluded that “legislation on this matter would also lead to many complications. It urged the government to initiate an awareness campaign with the support of religious scholars to curb this trend. It also called on the government to take solid steps to eliminate the causes, which compelled some families to marry minor girls.

    The CII is an official panel of scholars, whose function is to advise parliament on whether laws are in consonance with Islamic injunctions. The statement on Friday came days after the Senate passed the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

    The bill, which proposes that the minimum age for marriage be set at 18 was passed amid noisy opposition from religious parties and some members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). Some of the opposing senators had argued that the bill should be sent to CII before being tabled in the house.

    A similar bill was also tabled in the National Assembly by a PTI lawmaker a day after the Senate passed the anti-child marriage bill. The bill in the National Assembly also faced strong opposition from members of the ruling party.”

  13. Controversial Indian preacher Zakir Naik charged with money laundering (khaama, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.khaama.com/controversial-indian-preacher-zakir-naik-charged-with-money-laundering-03875/

    “A controversial Indian preacher Zakir Naik who is currently living in exile has been charged with money laundering by Enforcement Directorate (ED), a financial crimes investigation agency.

    The charge sheet was reportedly filed in a special court in Mumbai on Thursday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

    The 53-year-old Naik is accused of acquiring $28 million worth of criminal assets with Enforcement Directorate saying assets worth millions of US Dollars have been identified as proceeds of the crime.

    According to India’s Enforcement Directorate, the Islamic International School building in Chennai, three godowns, 10 flats, two buildings, land in Pune and Mumbai, 10 bank accounts, and investments in mutual funds are among the attached properties identified by the agency, The Hindu reported.

    Naik has also been accused by the agency of using funds from dubious sources to buy property in India as well as in Dubai and London.

    Naik was banned from entering the UK in 2010 for “unacceptable behaviour”, and because of his speeches, by then-home secretary (and now Prime Minister) Theresa May, according to a report by BBC.

    The report also adds that Mr Naik’s fundamentalist approach to religion has long been controversial with many detained al-Qaeda followers have reportedly told officials that he was a huge influence on them.”

  14. Turkey boycotts NATO’s change of command ceremony (aa, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-boycotts-nato-s-change-of-command-ceremony/1469184

    “Turkey boycotted NATO’s change of command ceremony on Friday to protest against the participation of a Greek Cypriot representative, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

    Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti handed over the charge of the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe to Tod D. Wolters at the ceremony held in Mons, Belgium.

    On Thursday, Turkey informed NATO it will not attend the ceremony if an invitation to Greek Cyprus administration, which is not a NATO member, is not withdrawn, said the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

    Turkish authorities also informed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg about the situation, the source added.”

  15. Stones thrown, clashes in Modena ahead of Salvini visit (ansa, May 3, 2019)
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/05/03/stones-thrown-clashes-in-modena-ahead-of-salvini-visit_764b79db-8f45-48c6-9133-5b891d449f78.html

    “Anarchist and anticapitalist squatters protested against Friday’s visit to Modena by far-right League leader Matteo Salvini by throwing stones at and clashing with police.

    Police responded with a baton charge.

    One person was arrested.

    The young leftist protesters shouted “let us pass” and “let’s free ourselves of racism”.

    It was one of three demos planned to protest the visit of the anti-migrant Euroskeptic leader.”

  16. Veiled Moroccan woman barred from gym (ansa, May 3, 2019)
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/05/03/veiled-moroccan-woman-barred-from-gym_5e44ac0b-a0e2-46ad-9d4a-12decca3542e.html

    “A 28-year-old Italian woman of Moroccan origin was barred from a gym at Mirandola near Modena on Friday because she was wearing a veil.

    The woman, who works as an interpreter, appealed to the city council.

    “The owner,” she wrote to the mayor, “refused my membership because I dress in a not very western way”.

    “I asked for clarification and he replied that in his gym he doesn’t let in nuns or Batman, alluding to the veil that covers my head.””

  17. Denmark agrees law against ‘antidemocratic’ foreign donations (thelocal, May 3, 2019)
    https://www.thelocal.dk/20190503/denmark-agrees-law-against-antidemocratic-foreign-donations

    “The Danish government plans to put together a list of foreign-based donors which it will bar from making political donations.

    After reaching agreement with the parliamentary ally the Danish People’s Party (DF), the government will legislate against what it called “persons and organisations abroad which counteract and undermine democracy and fundamental freedom and human rights”.

    The agreement will provide for the government to place entities on a list of benefactors banned from giving money to Danish religious communities, organisations or societies.

    “We must do all we can to prevent antidemocratic persons, who have completely destructive views of our Danish freedoms, from attempting to exert their influence on Denmark by supporting organisations here,” Minister for Immigration and Integration Inger Støjberg said in a ministry press statement.

    No specific entities or donors which could be encompassed by the new rules were named by the ministry.

    According to the text outlining the agreement between the government and DF, assessment of which donors to include on the list will be based on “investigation and information from open sources, such as information from websites, research reports, social media, news media etc.”

    A formal proposal for the new law will put to parliament in the 2019/20 session with a view to the new rules taking effect in 2021, according to the agreement text.”

  18. Biden doesn’t think China is a threat to the U.S., many say otherwise