Contributor’s links for May 15, 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

142 Replies to “Contributor’s links for May 15, 2019”

  1. Deep State Brennan Tosses Corrupt FBI Director Comey Under the Bus but Evidence Shows They Conspired Together

    The Deep State is starting to eat each other. Former Obama CIA Director John Brennan is attacking former fired FBI Director James Comey. But evidence shows these crooks worked together in their Deep State coup.

    Yesterday the former US Attorney for Washington DC, Joe diGenova, told Laura Ingraham on her show Ingraham Angle that Comey and Brennan are in serious trouble and better be lawyered up.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/deep-state-brennan-tosses-corrupt-fbi-director-comey-under-the-bus-but-evidence-shows-they-conspired-together/?utm_source=TGPemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:553016019&utm_campaign=Auto%20Send%20from%20The%20Gateway%20Pundit%20on%20May%2015,%202019%20at%2011:06:06%20AM

    • The Deep State is starting to eat each other.

      Does this mean that the Deep State pig is getting a bit long-in-the-tooth? Or is the long pig finally in the teeth of storm political wood chipper? Maybe both!?!

      • It’s “Abdul” Brennan – watch the pig metaphors. You’ll be denounced for Hate Speech.
        Bring it on!
        He says.

  2. Tlaib’s Anti-Semitic Hate Elicits Stunning Support From Democrats
    The Left sets into Jew-hate overdrive.
    May 15, 2019
    Ari Lieberman

    Just when we thought the Democratic Party could stoop no lower into Corbynism, we are treated to comments made by Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich), which were stunningly breathtaking in terms of their sheer mendacity and revisionism. In a podcast interview with Yahoo’s Skullduggery, Tlaib noted that she always has a calming feeling when thinking of the Holocaust because it was her Palestinian ancestors who provided safe haven for the Jewish survivors of post-Holocaust Europe. Then she lamented about the high cost her ancestors endured because of their alleged benevolence toward the Jews, and cited the loss of their homes, land, livelihood and human dignity as examples.

    Tlaib, who is an avid supporter of the anti-Semitic BDS crew, ended her revisionist version of history by hoping for a one-state solution. This is a pernicious euphemism for flooding Israel with millions of hostile Palestinian “refugees” and their descendants, and is a common refrain for those wishing for Israel’s destruction.

    Tlaib’s lies were so outrageous and revisionist that it’s difficult to believe that her interviewers allowed them to go unchallenged but unchallenged they went. Perhaps their lack of challenge was a function of ignorance or perhaps something more nefarious was at play; either way, it is incumbent on those interested in furthering the truth to rebut these fabrications whenever they rear their ugly heads.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273768/tlaibs-anti-semitic-hate-elicits-stunning-support-ari-lieberman

  3. Dems Build New Religion Around Mueller Report
    May 15, 2019
    Daniel Greenfield

    Religious people have their holy books. Democrats have the Mueller Report.

    And now 20 House Democrats, who haven’t been getting enough attention, will launch a frantic effort to spread the word of their prophet, Robert Mueller, far and wide by declaiming from his works and calling on all to hear.

    More than 20 House Democrats will stage a marathon public reading of the entire redacted Mueller report beginning Thursday at noon, and likely ending in the early morning hours of Friday.

    And they say the Democrats in Congress aren’t doing anything.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/273783/dems-build-new-religion-around-mueller-report-daniel-greenfield

  4. Ep. 980 They’re Turning on Each Other. The Dan Bongino Show 5/15/2019.

  5. VOA – Another White House Iftar Without US Muslim Organizations

    U.S. President Donald Trump hosted an iftar at the White House Monday evening, the meal that ends the daily fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

    As with last year’s reception, the guest list included diplomats from the Muslim world but none from the American Muslim community.

    As White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports, the White House iftar event highlights the divide between many American Muslims and the president.

  6. Savage Cartoon On Deep State Perpetrators’ Despair As Trey Gowdy Offers Advice To Barr’s Prosecutor [VIDEO]

    Former congressman Trey Gowdy spoke with Sean Hannity Monday night about AG William Barr appointing “bulldog” U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate the origins of the Russia collusion hoax. As part of that discussion, Gowdy publicly provided Durham a tip, saying: “So whoever’s investigating this, tell them to look for emails between Brennan and Comey in December 2016.”

    https://viralbuzz247.com/savage-cartoon-on-deep-state-perpetrators-despair-as-trey-gowdy-offers-advice-to-barrs-prosecutor-video/

    video at site

    • That’s a cute artistic touch sticking all of those darts into the wall around that bullseye with Trump’s unperforated picture.

  7. A Florida man called police to report a comedian of Middle Eastern descent who he believed had told a joke that showed support for terrorism.

    Standup comic Ahmed Ahmed, who is of Egyptian descent, poked fun at negative stereotypes of Muslims during a set at Off The Hook Comedy Club in Naples, Florida, on Saturday night.

    “Clap if you’re from the Middle East,” Ahmed said, according to a clip posted on the club’s Facebook page.

    After a smattering of cheers, Ahmed slyly responded: “All right. We got a handful of us in in here, nice. But, hey, it only takes one of us … to tell a joke.”

    At least one member of the audience didn’t get the punchline.

    The man called the Collier County Sheriff’s Department and told a deputy that Ahmed was organizing people of Middle Eastern descent to possibly commit terrorism.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-man-calls-police-comic-ahmed-ahmed-after-middle-east-n1005976

    • “Clap if you’re from the Middle East.”
      “All right. We got a handful of us in in here, nice. But, hey, it only takes one of us … to tell a joke.”
      “Clap if you are a Socialist.”
      “Sorry, I meant Cuck if you’re a Socialist.”

    • But, hey, it only takes one of us …

      But, hey! Wouldn’t it have been hilarious if one of this threatening asshole’s bum chums in the audience tried to light off a bomb vest at that exact moment?

      Best of all would be that the detonation was incomplete and only popped off the guy’s head like a Champagne cork while spattering everyone laughing at this sick fuck with copious amounts of gore.

  8. The FBI is investigating anti-fascist activists for an alleged plot to buy guns from a Mexican cartel in order to “stage an armed rebellion” at the southern border, according to an unclassified document obtained by The Chicago Tribune.

    The FBI document, from December of 2018, warns of militant antifa activists planning to “disrupt security operations” at the U.S.-Mexico border. The group allegedly planned to buy guns from a Mexican cartel associate known as Cobra Commander, in order to “stage an armed rebellion at the border.”

    https://washingtonmatrix.com/articles/fbi-investigating-antifa-for-plotting-to-buy-guns-from-cartel-for-armed-rebellion

  9. Conservatives Condemned for Rejecting ‘Racism’ Definition of Islamophobia (breitbart, May 15, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/05/15/conservatives-condemned-for-rejecting-definition-of-islamophobia/

    “The Conservatives have come under fire from Muslim groups and Labour MPs for reportedly refusing to adopt a working definition of ‘Islamophobia’ proposed by an all-party Parliamentary group (APPG).

    The definition, as put forward by the British Muslims APPG in December, determined that “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness”, reports The Guardian.

    While the definition has been accepted and adopted by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and even the Scottish Conservatives, the Conservative Party in England and Wales have yet to adopt the definition due to concerns that it would negatively impact free speech and restrict legitimate criticism of Islam as a belief system, or of Islamic countries. As such, the Conservatives are appointing two advisors to develop a new, less controversial, definition of Islamophobia.

    The government has been advised by the Equalities Office that by British law, Islam is a religion and not a race, illustrating one of the issues with the suggestion that Islamophobia be recognised as a type of racism.

    The concerns about free speech were also highlighted by Martin Hewitt, Chair of the National Police Chief’s council, who said that the definition was “too broad as currently drafted, could cause confusion for officers enforcing it and could be used to challenge legitimate free speech on the historical or theological actions of Islamic states”.

    The senior officer has warned the definition, if adopted, could even impact counter-terrorism operations in future, The Times reports.

    Sayeeda Warsi, the former Chair of the Conservative Party, dismissed Hewitt’s concerns as “irresponsible scaremongering”. She said “a non-legally binding working definition” would not negatively impact free speech or hinder the police in doing their job.

    Freedom of speech did not appear to be a concern for the authors of the report even from the very beginning, as Breitbart London reported in April 2018 when the call for submissions to contribute to the definition dismissed it as “possibly outside the scope of this report”.

    UKIP London Assembly Member David Kurten criticised Baroness Warsi and others working on the report for their choices of participating bodies for the report, stating at the time: “MPs and Lords on the APPG should not be looking for feedback from groups which want to stop discussion or criticism of Islamic texts.

    “In a free and healthy society, open discussion and debate are essential, and they should be actively seeking to allow freedom of speech, thought and conscience, rather than making rules and definitions which are likely to curtail the freedoms which have been hard won over centuries of British history.”

    Having now completed its report, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said Wednesday it was “truly astonishing the government thinks it knows better than Muslim communities”.

    The statement from the MCB added: “If this free speech rationale is true, it would mean that the government believes that defining the racism that targets Muslims or expressions of Muslimness somehow impinges on free speech. Defining antisemitism does not do so, but defining Islamophobia does.”

    Labour MP and Chair of the British Muslim APPG Wes Streeting said “the lack of humility and self-reflection is astonishing. Given their abject failure to tackle racism within their own party, why does this Conservative Government believe they have the credibility to write their own definition rather than one backed by huge numbers of Muslims.”

    Labour’s shadow equalities minister Naz Shah said: “The Conservative Party is in denial about Islamophobia and other forms of racism in its ranks, and that denial flows from the very top. If Theresa May refuses to adopt the definition of Islamophobia, the message she sends to the Muslim community will be heard loud and clear.”

    The criticism of the Conservatives may come as something of a deflection attempt by Labour to offset their own ongoing and major scandal about anti-semitism. The party and its leader Jeremy Corbyn have both been accused in the past of anti-semitic behaviour.

    In a Facebook post in 2014, Ms Shah suggested that Israel be moved to the United States to give Palestinians “their land back”. Ms Shah also compared the actions of the Israeli government to those of Hitler, an anti-Semitic trope.

    One Labour branch member also famously dismissed the controversy of anti-semitism out of hand, saying there had been too much talk of “antisemitism this, antisemitism that”.”

    • Here we have it “truly astonishing the government thinks it knows better than mozlem communities”.this is about “blasphemy” nothing else,we have no laws on “blasphemy” nor do we need any,this is about mozlem supremacy imposing itself upon the british public ,yet another Islamic control over their prospective slaves.they will not stop until we destroy them.

  10. “Enemies Within Series: Philip Haney – The Ties That Bind”
    Sharia Crime Stoppers – Published on May 15, 2019
    Phil Haney, former Founding member of DHS and author of See Something, Say Nothing.

    Phil Haney tells us about the deadly links between the Sri Lanka bombings, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Deoband Movement, and the Islamic State.

  11. Spain Arrests 11 Over Mediterranean Migrant Trafficking (breitbart, May 15, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/05/15/spain-arrests-11-over-mediterranean-migrant-trafficking/

    “Spanish police say they have arrested 11 people suspected of forming part of a human trafficking ring transporting migrants across the Mediterranean Sea in small boats unfit for the open water.

    Police said Wednesday that the suspects recruited Moroccan adults and minors seeking to reach Europe.

    Police said the migrants had to each pay 3,500-6,500 euros ($3,922-$7,284) to be packed into a small dingy “without any safety measures.”

    Once in Spain, police say, the migrants were taken to safe houses run by the trafficking ring where they were forcibly kept until the payment of another 1,000 euros. After paying, they were given clothes, a mobile phone and a bus ticket to another destination in Spain or Europe.

    Spain has become the biggest entry point for unauthorized migration to Europe.”

  12. Swedish Justice Minister Labels Populist EU Campaign ‘Spirit of Goebbels’ (breitbart, May 15, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/05/15/swedish-justice-minister-labels-populist-eu-campaign-spirit-of-goebbels/

    “Swedish Justice and Migration Minister Morgan Johansson of the Social Democrats has labelled a new European Parliament election poster campaign by the populist Sweden Democrats as being in the “spirit” of former Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels…”

  13. Iran ‘on Cusp of Full-Scale Confrontation With Enemy’ – IRGC Commander (sputniknews, May 15, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201905151075037735-iran-military-confronatation-enemy/

    “US-Iran tensions have been running high in recent weeks, with reports emerging in the media that Washington had plans to send 120,000 American troops to Tehran’s neighbour Iraq, as well as a US move to remove its non-emergency from the embassy in Baghdad, citing security threats.

    Major General Hossein Salami, who was appointed head of the force in April, claimed on Wednesday Iran was “on the cusp of a full-scale confrontation with the enemy” as cited by Fars News agency.

    Major General Hossein Salami, who was appointed head of the force in April, claimed on Wednesday that Iran was “on the cusp of a full-scale confrontation with the enemy”, as cited by Fars News agency.

    DETAILS TO FOLLOW”

    • Major General Hossein Salami

      Allah in an Indy car! How the hell did he get that name?

      Did he tape one inside his undies before hitting the disco?

  14. US Charges Chinese Hackers With Cyber Crimes: The Sequel | China Uncensored

  15. DiGenova: Comey, Clapper and Brennan will have to pay the ‘Barr bill’

  16. Support for Tommy Robinson even stronger after day in court | Jessica Swietoniowski

  17. Charming’: Sheriff shares heartwarming story of one Resister’s ‘tolerance’ toward his two Trump-shirt-clad daughter

    No one is immune from the Resistance’s wrath. Not even kids, apparently.

    Williamson County, Texas, Sheriff Robert Chody tweeted today about his recent White House tour with his two daughters. His daughters were really excited about it — which seems to have rubbed one guy the wrong way:

    Williamson County Sheriff Chody
    ?
    @SheriffChody

    My family and I literally took a tour of the White House just hours ago. My daughters were in such awe that they wanted these shirts. 12 &14 years old. Moments ago some adult male screamed as he drove by flipping them the bird calling them Nazi’s.#Tolerance @realDonaldTrump

    https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2019/05/15/charming-sheriff-shares-heartwarming-story-of-one-resisters-tolerance-toward-his-two-trump-shirt-clad-daughters-pic/

  18. ISIS announces new India and Pakistan provinces, casually breaking up Khorasan (thedefensepost, May 15, 2019)
    https://thedefensepost.com/2019/05/15/islamic-state-pakistan-province-al-hind/

    “Islamic State, in a continuation of its Wilayah restructuring, causally announced the creation of a Wilayah Pakistan on Wednesday, May 15 when claiming two attacks in Pakistan. This followed the creation of Wilayah al-Hind (India) in a May 10 statement claiming an attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

    A statement issued on May 15 claimed a gun attack on a police officer in the Mastung area, about 40 km south of of Quetta in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. A traffic police officer was shot and killed by unknown gunmen in that area on May 12.

    A second statement quickly followed, with ISIS claiming a gun attack on “elements of the Taliban movement” also in Quetta. This may refer to what The Nation reported as an attack on a group of laborers on May 14 that killed three people and injured a fourth.

    Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, has been rocked by ethnic Baloch separatist, Islamist and sectarian insurgencies for years.

    Recent deadly incidents include a May 13 bombing in Quetta that killed four police officers and wounded nine people. A faction of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for that attack, while on May 12, gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in the port city of Gwadar, killing five people. That attack was claimed by the separatist Baloch Liberation Army.

    Islamic State Pakistan and India Provinces
    The two attacks claimed by ISIS were the first attributed to the new “Wilayah Pakistan” – past ISIS attacks in Pakistan have been claimed in the name of “Wilayah Khorasan,” a historical area of Central Asia that includes parts of modern Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

    A few days before the throwaway mention of a new Pakistan province, ISIS announced a new “India Province” in the same manner.

    A statement on May 10 attributed an attack in Amshipora village of Shopian district in Indian-controlled Kashmir to Wilayah al-Hind. ISIS claimed a clash between its fighters and security forces, although in reality it could have been an Indian operation that killed the militant Ishfaq Sofi in a pre-dawn gun battle, reportedly following a tip off about his whereabouts.

    Like the attacks in Pakistan, ISIS has previously attributed attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir to Wilayah Khorasan.

    ISIS gave no information about the exact geographic extent of the new al-Hind and Pakistan provinces.

    On May 14, ISIS issued several claims for attacks in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Kunduz provinces, all attributed to Wilayah Khorasan. This suggests that, for the time being at least, Khorasan Province still exists but is much reduced geographically.

    In an April 29 video, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi mentioned that pledges of allegiance from the Khorasan region had been received, without going into details. It’s unclear if these claimed pledges of allegiance had any link to the creation of the two new provinces.

    Through 2014, various militants, including former members of al-Qaeda and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan commanders, defected to ISIS, leading up to the announcement of Islamic State Khorasan Province by ISIS spokesperson Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in a January 2015 speech. Since then, ISKP has carried out hundreds of attacks, killing and wounding thousands of people.

    Attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir were previously attributed to so-called Islamic State Jammu & Kashmir, which pledged allegiance to ISIS in December 2017. As early as February 2016, ISIS expressed an intention to expand to Kashmir. While a smaller organization, some of their attacks had been claimed by ISIS under Wilayat Khorasan.

    ISIS reorganizes affiliates
    The creation of Pakistan and al-Hind provinces follow significant recent restructuring of ISIS provinces. In July 2018, ISIS upgraded their affiliate in East Asia to a full Wilayah, and later that year merged multiple Wilayah in countries that contained more than one into a single entity covering the entire country. This was most noticeable in Iraq and Syria where more than a dozen provinces become just “Wilayah Sham” and “Wilayah Iraq,” but Yemen and Libya were also rationalized.

    In an August 2018 speech Baghdadi mentioned a Central Africa Province; this was confirmed only last month, when ISIS attributed an attack on Congolese soldiers at Kamango in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Wilayah West Africa, much the same as the “announcement” of the new India and Pakistan provinces.

    In the recent video of Baghdadi – the first time he has appeared on camera in five years – he is seen looking over documents covering various ISIS provinces, including the never-before-mentioned Wilayah Turkey, although ISIS has not yet claimed any attacks for this apparent province.

    The restructuring of provinces by ISIS could be part of a broader push to reinforce its capabilities and present its strength as a global terror organization following the loss of territory in Iraq and Syria. Along with restructuring provinces, it launched the “Vengeance for Sham” operation, Baghdadi appeared publicly for the first time in five years, and ISIS claimed the massive deadly terror attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.”

    • ISIS is a good fit for Pakistan.
      – Competition between gangs, bleed each other out.
      – High-density target.
      India is a nuclear power…
      …just sayin' - not that anyone would wish for anything bad to happen anywhere.
      Least of all for Asia Bibi's sake.

  19. Saudi Arabia Demands UN to Disarm Houthi Militias (aawsat, May 15, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1724031/saudi-arabia-demands-un-disarm-houthi-militias

    “Saudi Arabia urged the United Nations Security Council to take urgent measures to disarm the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen and prevent an escalation in regional tensions.

    Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates submitted complaints to the UN over the dangerous targeting of four commercial tankers of the UAE’s Fujairah coast and its threat to the security and safety of international marine navigation, as well as the attack against oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia.

    In an address to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and head of the Security Council, Saudi Ambassador to the UN Abdallah al-Mouallimi said that seven drones targeted Saudi infrastructure, adding that they were flown by the Houthis in Yemen towards the pumping stations in Al Duwadimi and Afif.

    The attack targeted the East-West pipeline that transports Saudi oil from Yanbu port to the rest of the world, he went on to say.

    At a time when the Houthis claim full responsibility to this attack, deeming it a “victory”, such a development will only lead to further escalation in the region, he warned.

    Mouallimi stressed that Saudi Arabia supports the efforts exerted by UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths and redeployment team to implement the Stockholm agreement on Yemen, warning, however, that such attacks undermine these efforts.

    He reiterated that Riyadh calls for the implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions that should deter the Houthis from using the Hodeidah port as a platform for several of their terrorist attacks.

    He also demanded that immediate measures be taken to tackle the Houthis’ weapons caches to disarm this terrorist militia and avert an escalation in regional tensions and attacks.”

  20. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt Urge Qatar to Stop Funding Terror Groups (aawsat, May 15, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1724001/saudi-arabia-bahrain-egypt-urge-qatar-stop-funding-terror-groups

    “Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt called on Qatar Wednesday to stop funding terrorist groups and respect the rights of migrant workers.

    The three countries made the demand before the UN Human Rights Council’s Review on Qatar.

    In its speech to the Council, Saudi Arabia called on Qatar to take the necessary measures to stop its financing of the terrorist groups and to take the necessary measures not to give terrorist groups media platforms to spread fanatical ideas of terrorism.

    The Kingdom also urged the removal of obstacles that hinder Qatari citizens and expatriates working in Qatar from performing the Hajj pilgrimage and Umrah.

    Saudi Arabia expressed deep concern over the tragic humanitarian situation of hundreds of Qatari families of Al-Ghufran clan as the Qatari government withdrew citizenship from members of Al-Ghufran clan, confiscated their money and property and discriminated against them with forced displacement in addition to robbing them of their rights to return home.

    For its part, Bahrain demanded that Qatar to take the necessary and immediate measures to remove barriers hindering access to justice for migrant workers, to apply the necessary standards to ensure their protection from abuse and exploitation, to punish offenders and to ensure that they receive their wages in a timely manner.

    Manama appealed to Doha to implement reforms to develop the contractual system to improve labor recruitment procedures and to intensify efforts to prevent forced labor.

    It also called on the Qatari authorities to fully implement the National Plan of Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and to ensure that victims reach justice.

    Egypt urged Qatar to take steps and steps to sever all forms of communication with individuals, organizations and terrorist or extremist entities, and stop providing financial, financial or moral support to them.

    It also called on Doha to stop providing various forms of support to media platforms that disseminate hate speech and justify violence or incitement to it, whether in Qatar or abroad.

    It urged the Qatari authorities to end all arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances against a number of Qatari nationals, including members of the ruling family.

    Egypt demanded that Qatar to commit to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and to adopt legislation to combat violence against women, including protection of migrant women, and to take immediate measures to end the arbitrary deprivation of citizenship of some Qatari citizens and to restore nationality to those arbitrarily deprived.”

    • Saudi Arabia expressed deep concern over the tragic humanitarian situation of hundreds of Qatari families of Al-Ghufran clan as the Qatari government withdrew citizenship from members of Al-Ghufran clan, confiscated their money and property and discriminated against them with forced displacement in addition to robbing them of their rights to return home.

      What?!? No right of return?!? Wait until the Paleostinians hear about THIS!

      Oh … wait. This is Muslims fucking up each other. Nothing to see here, folks. Now move along.

  21. UAE Sentences Lebanese Hezbollah Suspects to Jail (aawsat, May 15, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1723986/uae-sentences-lebanese-hezbollah-suspects-jail

    “The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court sentenced on Wednesday four Arab nationals to life in prison for planning to commit terrorist crimes and vandalism against key national establishments.

    The defendants were convicted after being charged by the State Security Prosecution, said the United Arab Emirates news agency (WAM).

    The court also sentenced them to deportation at the end of their jail term, ordered the confiscation of all their telecommunication devices, computers and mobile phones, and held them responsible for all legal fees.

    The court also sentenced two Arab nationals to 10 years in prison for the same crimes, and ordered their deportation after the end of their jail term, as well as the confiscation of their telecommunication devices, computers and mobile phones, and held them responsible for all legal fees.

    The court fined one suspect AED3,000 for owning an unlicensed air rifle, and acquitted five others, all of Arab nationalities.

    The State Security Prosecution charged 11 people with forming a terror cell affiliated to Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as planning acts of terrorist and vandalism against key national establishments, and possession of explosives and remote detonators.”

  22. Targeting oil installations is terrorist act rejected by Islam: Sudais (saudigazette, May 15, 2019)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/566464/SAUDI-ARABIA/Targeting-oil-installations-is-terrorist-act-rejected-by-Islam-Sudais

    “Head of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais on Wednesday denounced the malicious aggression on the two pumping stations of Saudi Aramco in Dawadmi and Afif regions of Riyadh province.

    Sheikh Sudais considered “the blatant aggression and the despicable terrorist acts by the corrupt forces” as a failed attempt to undermine the security enjoyed by Saudi Arabia.

    “It was a futile attempt carried out by a group mired in corruption and misguidance to undermine the country’s capabilities,” the sheikh said.

    “The timing of the miserable attack in the holy month of Ramadan, the month of good and blessings, the month of fasting and performance of night prayers, the month of the Holy Qur’an, and the month of submissiveness, is a clear indication of the misguided approach of this group, which does not take into account the sanctity of time, rights and interests and it flouts the values of Islam,” he added.

    “Allah Almighty says: ‘And cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation.’ They disregard the sacred and international covenants and conventions that criminalize such acts,” Sudais said.

    He praised the constant vigilance of Saudi security personnel, their instinct, full readiness and dedication to protect the homeland, the citizens and religious interests as well as to confront all those who attempt to cause harm to the security and safety of the country.

    Sheikh Sudais stressed that those acts of sabotage would only increase the Saudi people’s determination, cohesion and cooperation with their leaders. “Moreover, this heinous behavior will not diminish the will of our soldiers, but will increase their determination to defend the religion against those who dare to attack our homeland and its citizens,” he said.

    Sheikh Sudais concluded his remarks by praying to Allah Almighty to “protect the country, the land of the Two Holy Mosques, from all evils and strengthen its safety, peace and stability and provide it with prosperity.”

    He also prayed to Allah to protect its leadership and grant success to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman in the service of Islam, Muslims and the holy land and to give victory to the soldiers and security personnel.”

  23. REVEALED: UK propaganda unit has secret plans to target French Muslims (mee, May 15, 2019)
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-uk-propaganda-unit-draws-plans-work-france

    “A shadowy UK government propaganda unit that privately declares that it works to “effect behavioural and attitudinal change” among British Muslims has drawn up plans to begin operating in France.

    The Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU), which is based at the Home Office in London, generates films, social media, websites, leaflets and news stories that are intended to influence public opinion while concealing the British government’s role in their creation.

    Now, documents seen by Middle East Eye show that RICU has awarded a contract to a consortium of communications companies which had demonstrated its ability to operate in France.

    The contract makes clear that while these companies are expected to be able to influence Muslim public opinion in France as part of a covert counter-extremism programme, the ultimate aim of the programme would be to encourage the French authorities to develop their own propaganda initiatives on the RICU model.

    “RICU-I [RICU International] expects to see evidence of increased political will to tackle terrorism, and a recognition and willingness to act on UK priorities,” the documents say.

    It is unclear from the documents whether RICU operations in France have actually begun, or whether the programme is being developed in the hope of securing French co-operation in the future.

    However, the documents shed further light on other countries in the Middle East, Europe and Asia where RICU is already working.

    Last year MEE reported that the unit was involved in projects which used rap music and graffiti to attempt to influence the thinking and behaviour of youths in Tunisia, Morocco and Lebanon.

    The documents show that by the end of 2018, RICU operations had been underway in Jordan, Algeria and Pakistan. The unit has also organised a number of events in Finland and the Netherlands.

    The papers also show that the consortium which won the contract was expected to demonstrate an ability to operate in at least four other countries in addition to France: Belgium, Kenya, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

    The documents do not disclose the details of the operations being planned for each country, other than to make clear that they involve the development of social media strategies, video production, web development, writing blogs, “paid promotion on Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat”, leafletting schools and “maintaining a stream of communications, products and materials”.

    Lead role
    The lead role played by RICU in a number of European Union-level strategic communications projects is already known.

    Last year MEE established that RICU was working with the British Council on a European Union-funded project which used what were termed “buffer organisations” to drive a social media and rap music campaign entitled Ala Khatrek Tounsi – Because You Are Tunisian – to promote a sense of Tunisian national identity among the country’s youth.

    The EU funds RICU work in Tunisia, Lebanon and Morocco through a counter-extremism programme called “Strengthening Resilience”.

    Details about RICU’s involvement in EU-level counter-extremism work were also revealed in 2017 by Hans Das, the head of the European Commission’s Terrorism and Radicalisation Unit, who told a conference in London that the unit was running a strategic communications network providing “support and consultancy to other member states”.

    In recent years RICU has said privately that its work in the UK is conducted “at an industrial scale and pace”. Covert projects that have previously come to light include:

    Setting up an organisation that held face-to-face talks with university students without disclosing that it represented the government.

    Posting short films and images on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with no acknowledgement of UK government involvement.

    Leafletting 760,000 homes in areas of the UK with large Muslim populations, without any of the recipients being informed that they had been published and distributed on behalf of the government.

    Establishing a public relations agency to push news stories to journalists, without disclosing in any way that the agency was being operated and funded in accordance with a government contract.

    Some of the communications are made public through civil society groups, but with RICU saying privately that it always retains editorial control.

    Earlier this year RICU fought a successful court battle to prevent it being obliged under freedom of information law to disclose how it seeks to influence the arts in Britain.

    RICU was established in 2007 as part of the Office of Security and Counter Terrorism at the UK Home Office. A number of people involved in its creation and management say it was inspired by a Cold War-era British propaganda unit, the Information Research Department.

    While RICU helps to deliver the UK government’s controversial counter-radicalisation programme, known as Prevent, its messaging is aimed not just at individuals thought to be at risk of being drawn into extremism, but at the country’s Muslim population.

    ‘Prevent audiences’
    Other documents seen by MEE show that RICU uses the terms “primary target audience” or “Prevent audiences”, which it defines as Muslims aged 15-39, particularly males.

    The documents seen by MEE were written by a small team of civil servants with the assistance of a former British army officer who specialised in military “information operations” in Afghanistan.

    One contains the claim that RICU is the most advanced strategic communications unit in the world: “No other country currently has capabilities as well developed as those of RICU.”

    Together, the papers make clear that RICU is not only running propaganda operations outside the UK, but wishes also to persuade the UK’s allies that they should be more deeply engaged in such operations themselves.

    One document says that the principle object for the private sector contractor carrying out the work “is providing RICU International with the delivery architecture and capability to build the capacity of our partners to deliver strategic communications, in the UK and overseas”.

    It adds: “The key objective of delivering these communications activities is increasing the will, confidence and capacity of our partners to deliver these communications independently.”

    While RICU’s methods were developed for use in the UK, and “designed iteratively over several years”, the Home Office “considers the approach to be based on a set of core strategic principles which can be applied in other contexts”.

    However, the ultimate aim of RICU’s overseas operations appears to be to bolster its work within the UK: private sector contractors have been told that their operations are expected to “deliver impact in UK priority areas”.

    ‘A fig leaf for the causes of extremism’
    Several activists working in Muslim communities in France told MEE they were surprised to learn of British government plans for counter-radicalisation campaigns in France, and said they were concerned that such initiatives could serve to further alienate communities already subjected to scrutiny and suspicion.

    Fateh Kimouche, the editor of Al-Kanz, a website reporting on issues affecting French Muslims, questioned the effectiveness of counter-radicalisation campaigns.

    He compared them to efforts made in France in the 1980s and 1990s to influence and integrate Muslim communities via a national network of community youth centres known as Maisons des Jeunes et de la Culture (MJC).

    “If a person becomes radicalised, will graffiti and rap suffice?” Kimouche told MEE.

    “We should be asking questions about the foreign policies of Western countries. Rather than this type of initiative, why not stop weapons in Saudi Arabia?”

    Houria Bouteldja, a French-Algerian activist, said that French Muslims had long been the target of state policies that sought to shape and create a “moderate” French version of Islam.

    Bouteldja, who is a spokesperson for the Indigenous Party of the Republic (PIR), a political party which campaigns on anti-racism issues, added that one consequence of counter-radicalisation campaigns was the creation of “behaviours of guilt and self-criticism” in targeted communities.

    “The fact that this is now becoming a transnational programme is concerning. The fight against radicalisation has become a fig leaf for the real causes of extremism,” she told MEE.

    “We will spend our time criticising ourselves rather than states and their policies.”

    ‘Diaspora communities’ targeted
    The documents say that requirements of the contract include being able to “build networks of civil society organisations” in the countries in which they operate, in order to share information about countering violence and extremism.

    Those organisations are to “focus on working with diaspora communities in each country which have most impact/influence on the UK”.

    The contract to run RICU’s operations in France, Belgium, the Middle East and North Africa was won by a consortium headed by Adam Smith International (ASI), a London-based foreign aid contractor.

    Two years ago the founders of ASI were compelled to stand down when the British government froze future contracts after the contractor was found to be using leaked official documents to secure commercial advantage.

    ASI was subsequently accused of allowing British aid money to be paid to militant groups in Syria, a claim it denied.

    The overseas contract is understood to have been one of three contracts issued late last year. A second was for further RICU operations in the UK, while the third was for a programme of evaluation.

    MEE understands that one member of the consortium led by ASI is a London communications company, Breakthrough Media, which has worked closely with RICU for several years.

    Last year Breakthrough Media faced criticism in Australia for running a number of campaigns without making clear it was funded by the federal government.

    Subsequently, the company began operating in Australia under a new name, Zinc Network, which it has since also adopted in the UK.

    The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for a comment.

    The UK Home Office confirmed that the contract had been awarded to ASI, but declined to explain what work RICU was doing in France, or may be doing in the future.

    In a brief statement, the department said: “We work with many international partners to share lessons and experiences in support of the aims of the Home Office.”

    ASI said only that it was “setting systems in place”, but said that under the terms of its contract with RICU it could not elaborate on what it was doing, or where it was operating.

    Zinc Network did not respond to requests for a comment.”

  24. NR: Ever hear a grasshopper squeal?

    In North Korea, Worst Drought in Decades Adds to Food Crisis

    North Korea’s Kaepoong town. The country has received just 2.1 inches of rain this year — the lowest level since 1982, the official Korean Central News Agency said.

    MAY 15, 2019 SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said on Wednesday that it was suffering its worst drought in 37 years, adding to a food crisis that the United Nations said would worsen in coming months without urgent outside aid.

    The country has received just 2.1 inches of rain this year, or 42.3 percent of the average, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said, adding that it was the lowest level since 1982. The news agency said weather conditions for heavy rain were not expected until the end of this month.

    The report followed a joint announcement from two United Nations relief agencies this month that about 10 million North Koreans, or 40 percent of the population, were facing “severe food shortages” after the country had its worst harvest in a decade last fall.

    The two groups, the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization, warned that North Korea’s early season crops like wheat and barley, which will be harvested next month, were likely to suffer from “widespread low rainfall and lack of snow cover, which left crops exposed to freezing temperatures during winter.”

    In recent weeks, the North’s news media has reported that party officials and workers were in an “all-out struggle” to find new water sources and mobilize pumps and irrigation equipment to save the crops.

    United Nations sanctions imposed since the North’s fourth nuclear test in 2016 have sharply reduced the country’s exports, raising questions about how much foreign currency reserves it has to finance food imports, and North Korea remains in a standoff with Washington over its nuclear weapons program.

    No report of mass starvation has emerged yet from North Korea, and the prices of rice, corn and other staples remain stable. The United Nations agencies said that the government was already reducing rations, which millions depend on for daily nutrition, and that it expected the situation to worsen during the lean season from June to September “if no proper and urgent humanitarian actions are taken.”

    A famine in the 1990s resulted in the deaths of two million people, according to some estimates. Although the situation has since improved, the country has had chronic food shortages. But the situation turned worse again in the past year, and in February, North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Song, issued an unusual appeal for urgent food aid.

    United Nations relief agencies have appealed annually for donations to help alleviate widespread malnutrition among children and nursing mothers in North Korea. But they have dwindled in recent years as the North has financed its nuclear weapons program with resources Washington said should have been used to feed its people.

    North Korea’s state propaganda tells citizens that their economic difficulties are caused by international sanctions that Americans have created to “strangle” their country.

    After the latest talks with Washington broke down, North Korea vowed not to buckle to international pressure even if its people had to survive on “water and air only,” state media said. Mr. Kim said Washington had until the end of the year to show more flexibility or his country would seek an alternative to diplomatic negotiations. In the past week, North Korea has resumed short-range missile tests and, analysts say, may launch longer-range missiles if Washington does not ease sanctions.

    South Korea is seeking to provide humanitarian food aid to North Korea as a good-will gesture that it hopes will help the North refrain from weapons tests and return to the negotiating table. Mr. Trump supports South Korea’s efforts to provide aid, according to the office of President Moon Jae-in of South Korea.

    United Nations sanctions against North Korea do not ban humanitarian aid for the country. But after North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan in 2017, South Korea faced pressure to reconsider its plan to donate $8 million to the World Food Program and United Nations Children’s Fund to help North Korea’s malnourished children and pregnant women.

    The sanctions have banned the export of coal, iron ore and other key North Korean products, as well as drastically cut oil imports. They have deprived the regime of important sources of income, as well as undercut its ability to import food to alleviate chronic food shortages.

    Since the famine in the 1990s, millions of North Koreans have learned to fend for themselves by securing their own food through unofficial markets. But millions of others still depend on the ration system, including soldiers and workers in state-run factories. Tho latter group, including the elites, are believed to suffer more from international sanctions than those dependent on market activities.

    NR: North Korea’s shrimpy kung fu glasshoppel cran gro engrage in srome hypoxyphilic autogenesis whire the Master Of The Deal treaches the rittle Bastard How To Squeal.

    Let’s send this murdering, tyrannical, psycho shit several million more tons of famine relief that, as usual, will be diverted to feed his troops (something that every-fucking-one and their motherfucking’s son fucking well knows). Look on the bright side, there’s absolutely ZERO FUCKING PROOF this or ANY-FUCKING-THING ELSE has done shit to deter his nuclear ambitions.

    With all those positive indicators out there for every-fucking-body to see, ask yourself punk “What could possibly go fucking wrong?”

    Speaking of a ridiculously menacing, bad actor…

    T = 00:03:10 – some profanity

  25. Moroccan Applicants for Schengen Visas Face Wait Times Through September (moroccoworldnews, May 15, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/05/273180/moroccan-applicants-schengen-visas/

    “Moroccan passport holders hoping to travel to Europe this summer might have to push back their plans, according to a recent Medias24 report. Appointments for Schengen visas from Italy, France, and Spain are booked through June, July, and August in Morocco.

    Visa appointments for Spain are booked for over six months, while Italy and France have slots open by the end of August. According to the report, these wait times have been increasing. In February, the wait time to apply to a French visit averaged 40-60 days.

    The report noted, however, that the wait times only affect applicants for a short-stay Schengen visa, not a student visa or long-term visa.

    The delays in the visa process point to an insufficient response on the part of European consular services to growing demand. The Schengen area, which comprises 26 European nations with shared visa and travel policies, has increasingly been a favorite destination for Moroccan travelers.

    The number of Schengen visa applications by Moroccan passport holders has increased steadily since 2010, reaching a high last year of 662,578 applications.

    That made Morocco seventh out of 169 countries in the number of short-stay Schengen visa applications. About 80% of applicants received visas—a higher number than any other nation in the MENA region.

    Most Schengen states (including the Spanish, French, and Italian consulates) contract companies to hold and manage visa appointments. One of these subcontractors, like TLS Contact or BLS International, might receive 3,000 requests for a visa appointment per day.

    According to the report, subcontractors like TLS are large enough to accommodate this number of applicants. This means that the delay in appointments results from slowdowns at a higher level, where consulates are reluctant to adjust to and accommodate heightened demand.

    However, applications are unlikely to slow. For many Moroccans, a Schengen visa is still worth the wait.”

  26. Greece acquits Turks accused of terrorism (hurriyetdailynews, May 15, 2019)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/greece-acquits-turks-accused-of-terrorism-143456

    “A Greek court on May 15 acquitted nine Turkish citizens of terrorism-related offenses, citing a lack of evidence, a judicial source said, according to Reuters.

    Greek police had arrested the eight men and one woman in dawn raids in central Athens, days before a state visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an to Greece in December 2017.

    The suspects had planned to launch rockets at both sides of Erdo?an’s convoy as he traveled through Athens on Dec. 7, Greek media had reported at the time.

    Greece’s anti-terrorism units raided apartments in central Athens on Nov. 28, 2017 detaining the suspects. A Greek court on Dec. 4 ordered the arrest of the nine Turkish citizens.

    Authorities at the time suspected links to the DHKP-C, an outlawed militant group behind a series of suicide bombings in Turkey since 1990.

    The detainees had denied any wrongdoing, and prosecutors had suggested they should be acquitted. The judicial source provided no further details on the outcome of the case.

    Greece and Turkey, although NATO allies, have often been at loggerheads over issues including Aegean territorial rights and the ethnically divided island of Cyprus.

    Tensions rose further when eight Turkish army officers commandeered a helicopter and fled to Greece in the wake of the failed coup attempt in July 2016 in Turkey. Greek courts have repeatedly rejected extradition requests from Turkish authorities.”

  27. europravda – Frans Timmermans on the climate: “Why are we not introducing a Co2 tax for all companies in Europe?”

  28. BBC – Inside the school for transgender children

    A school believed to be the first in the world predominantly for transgender children and their siblings opened in Chile last year.

    It is named after the Mexican transgender politician Amaranta Gómez Regalado, and caters for children aged between 6 and 17.

    Many of the students dropped out of their previous schools once they began to transition.

    They learn traditional subjects like maths, science, history, English and art and take part in state exams.

    The BBC’s Gender and Identity reporter Megha Mohan reports.

  29. Rep. Jim Jordan demands the release of secret memorandums

    Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan (R) tells FOX Business’ Lou Dobbs the secret memorandums will highlight the coordinated effort among House Democrats to systematically go after President Trump.

  30. the gateway pundit – Trump White House Launches Website for Victims of Tech Censorship — Where You Can Add Your Name and Tell Your Story

    Today the White House launched a website for Americans to share their stories on bias from tech companies. They may be surprised with the number of Americans who add their name. The tech giants are not just targeting popular conservative accounts they are shadowbanning and censoring content from tens of thousands of influential conservative Americans.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/trump-white-house-launches-website-for-victims-of-tech-censorship-where-you-can-add-your-name-and-tell-your-story/