Reader’s Links for October 31, 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 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

123 Replies to “Reader’s Links for October 31, 2019”

    • I screamed when I saw “Sen. Kennedy”.
      This nice man from LA, poor thing, such an awful name. Flashbacks, gotta get over it…

  5. California’s Facing More Rolling Blackouts, But Thank God They’ve Saved Us From Plastic Straws

  6. ISIS vows revenge against US for Baghdadi killing
    https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/isis-appoints-ibrahim-al-quraishi-as-new-leader-confirms-baghdadis-death

    “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) confirmed on Thursday (Oct 31) that its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a weekend raid by US forces in northwestern Syria and vowed revenge against the United States.

    Baghdadi, an Iraqi militant who rose from obscurity to become the head of the ultra-hardline group and declare himself “caliph” of all Muslims, died during the swoop by US special forces.

    ISIS, which held swathes of Iraq and Syria from 2014-2017 before its self-styled caliphate disintegrated under US-led attacks, had previously been silent about Baghdadi’s status.

    It confirmed his demise in an audio tape posted online and said a successor it identified only as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi had been appointed.

    Aymenn al-Tamimi, a researcher at Swansea University focusing on ISIS, said the name was unknown but could refer to a leading figure in ISIS called Hajj Abdullah whom the US State Department had identified as a possible successor to Baghdadi.

    An ISIS spokesman addressed the United States in the tape.

    “Beware vengeance (against) their nation and their brethren of infidels and apostates, and carrying out the will of the commander of the faithful in his last audio message, and getting closer to God with the blood of polytheists,” he said.

    Baghdadi’s death is likely to cause ISIS to splinter, leaving whoever emerges as its new leader with the task of pulling the group back together as a fighting force, according to analysts.

    Whether the loss of its leader will in itself affect the group’s capabilities is open to debate. Even if it does face difficulties in the leadership transition, the underlying ideology and the sectarian hatred it promoted remains attractive to many, analysts say.

    ISIS also confirmed the death of its spokesman Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir…”

  11. Protesters plan Halloween-themed mask protest in Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong party district

  13. Libya: LNA Thwarts GNA Attack in Tripoli
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1970246/libya-lna-thwarts-gna-attack-tripoli

    “The Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, said it was responding to an attack by forces of Government National Accord (GNA) in Saladin axis south of Tripoli.

    The army announced it thwarted a militia attack in Saladin, pointing out that violent clashes led to their retreat. It also announced the death of two members of the militia led by Abdul Ghani al-Kikli, known as “Ghaniwa”, in al-Nagleyya axis. Those members were the last top commanders that Ghaniwa relies on during the battles.

    LNA accused militias loyal to Fayez al-Sarraj, chairman of the Presidential Council, of smuggling prisoners to participate in the clashes inside Tripoli, which coincided with the United Nations’ confirmation that hundreds of immigrants were released from detention centers.

    The residents of the capital, especially those in the vicinity of Abu Slim center, were surprised by the influx of migrants to the streets, carrying their bags, amid security tension and the sound of heavy artillery from the city center.

    An LNA official said that the release of the migrants in this way means GNA is attempting to raise the concerns of international organizations in the hope that they will pressure the army to accept the ceasefire in Tripoli.

    The official, who asked not to be identified, predicted that some of these would be on their way to join the armed militias, in an attempt to compensate GNA’s heavy casualties during recent clashes in Tripoli.

    Both, the government of Sarraj and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) did not issue any statement on recent developments.

    UN refugee agency, UNHCR, announced that at least 200 of the migrants made their way to a center for processing resettlement cases set up in Tripoli, where they were seeking access.

    The International Organization for Migration (IOM), another UN agency, said 600 had been released from Abu Slim center.

    “Their safety is of major concern as armed clashes continue in Tripoli,” announced IOM.

    The Organization said it was concerned about their fate, especially as clashes intensified in the city, and that its teams were working in coordination with UNHCR and the World Food Program (WFP) to provide essential assistance and relief to Abu Slim migrants.

    The migrants were seen near the center surrounded by guards and covering their heads, and after two hours later, residents began posting online pictures of them on the streets.

    It is still unclear why the migrants were released or where they will be transferred to, with several thousands held in detention centers that are officially run by the Tripoli government. However, migrants, aid workers, and human rights defenders said the centers were effectively controlled by armed groups.

    Several detention centers have recently been closed after international pressure, while migrants intercepted at sea by the EU-backed Libyan coastguard are being released instead of being transferred to detention centers.

    The UNHCR center, known as the Gathering and Departure Facility (GDF), has been plagued by problems since it opened last year.

    More than 880 immigrants at the GDF arrived “informally” after fleeing from another center in Tripoli that was hit by an airstrike killing over 50 of them last July, UNHCR Special Envoy Vincent Cochetel told Reuters.”

  14. Morocco Sentences 4th Man to Death Over Killing of Nordic Hikers
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1970396/morocco-sentences-4th-man-death-over-killing-nordic-hikers

    “A Moroccan court has sentenced a fourth local man to death for the ISIS-linked murder of two Scandinavian university students hiking in the Atlas Mountains.

    In an appeals hearing, the court also confirmed death sentences for terrorism and murder it had previously imposed on another three Moroccans over the young women’s brutal slaying.

    All four defendants had claimed allegiance to the ISIS group.

    The ruling late Wednesday toughened the initial life sentence imposed in July on 33-year-old plumber Khaiali Abderahman, condemning him to death.

    Maren Ueland, 28, of Norway, and Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, of Denmark were knifed to death in their tent last December, and the murderers posted video of the slayings online.

    Morocco only rarely carries out death sentences. Its last execution was in 1993.”

  16. African Leaders Call on Arab Investors to Rival Chinese, Russians
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1970261/african-leaders-call-arab-investors-rival-chinese-russians

    “Leaders of three African countries said that Saudi Arabia could play a pivotal role in the process of transformation and development in the Dark Continent, pointing to the great historical links with the Arab world and the Kingdom in particular.

    Speaking on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) currently held in Riyadh, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said he had a positive discussion with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about investing in Africa.

    “So far we are not real partners. We have to restore old business ties. There are many opportunities that offer mutual prosperity and enable us to move forward as our parents and grandparents did,” he said during a session entitled, the Future of Business in Africa, within the FII forum.

    Kenyatta urged the Arab world not to believe what is published in social media and television about Africa being the continent of diseases and wars.

    “Can’t you see what the Chinese and the Russians saw? Africa is a land that is transforming, evolving and changing… It is a continent that seeks to overcome conflicts, offer investment opportunities, and end corruption altogether,” he emphasized.

    “Let us be able to collaborate with each other as developers and partners. We have cultural similarities with Saudi Arabia and the world,” he added.

    According to the Kenyan president, African countries are working hard to fight corruption and boost the investment climate.

    “We are focusing on strengthening the anti-corruption tools and the investigation and research departments,” he noted, underlining efforts to speed up the digitization process and to launch an intensive campaign for the population to talk about the negative aspects of corruption and how to combat it.

    Nigerian President Mohammed Buhari said that Africa was moving towards peace, stability, and security, which are the mainstay of investment.

    He stressed that his country was working hard to fight corruption through accountability and the follow-up on administrative efforts, saying: “We have recovered millions of dollars and assets from outside the country.”

    Mohamed Issoufou, President of the Republic of Niger, touched on the African Free Trade Area launched last July.

    “This free zone within Africa is the largest in the world for free trade. It is located in a region with one billion consumers, including 300 million from the middle class,” he said.

    Issoufou added that Saudi Arabia had an excellent role in Africa in development, health, and education.

    “We have strong relations with Saudi Arabia and our cooperation is excellent. We have priority sectors such as infrastructure, while the Saudi Investment Fund is contributing to the construction of the Kainji Dam, which provides energy and electricity,” he remarked.”

  21. Turkey slams French parliament’s decision on Syria operation
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191031-turkey-slams-french-parliaments-decision-on-syria-operation/

    “Turkey condemned Thursday decisions by two houses of the French Parliament on its anti-terror operation in northern Syria, Anadolu reports.

    In a written statement, the Foreign Ministry said: “We strongly condemn and reject decisions by the French Senate and National Assembly about Operation Peace Spring.”

    “It is obvious that France took this decision after its plan to establish a terrorist state in Syria failed,” it added.

    The statement also said France’s Parliament and government showed once again that they side with the PYD/YPG which are the Syrian offshoots of the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union.

    It also stressed that no country in the world can give a lesson to Turkey in terms of fighting against Daesh, also known as ISIS…”

  23. Virtual mufti: Dubai launches ‘first ever’ artificial intelligence-powered fatwa service
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/10/31/dubai-launches-first-ever-artificial-intelligence-powered-fatwa-service

    “Dubai launched the “world’s first” Artificial Intelligence (AI) fatwa service this week.
    The AI-powered program, called ‘Virtual Ifta’, takes religious questions over an internet chat and responds with the appropriate fatwa, or Islamic ruling, Gulf News reported.

    It is currently able to deliver a religious ruling for roughly 200 questions related to prayer, Tariq Al Emadi, Head of Fatwa Section, Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), told Gulf News.

    The service replaces the traditional approach by which an Islamic scholar answers a question face-to-face or over the phone.

    Virtual Ifta was officially launched by IACAD at The Boulevard, Emirates Towers in Dubai on Tuesday, where a three-day exhibition allowed visitors to experience the new service.

    Currently still in its first pilot phase, Virtual Ifta is available online on the IACAD website in English and Arabic.

    In its later phases, the AI service will be available on Whatsapp and cover more topics such as fasting, ablution and others, Gulf News reported.

    On the IACAD website the service is available by clicking on the “Chat with us” icon.

    After selecting the question’s topic, a message reads: “Dear Questioner, the answers to your questions are generated automatically using AI technology. Despite taking precautionary measures, errors are always possible. Please contact us in the event of any error. May Allah reward you.”

    Grand Mufti at IACAD, Mohamad Ayada Ayoub Al Kobaisi, said Virtual Ifta will help deal with the large amount of fatwas received by the department – around 130,000 a year, according to Khaleej Times.

    Concerning the accuracy of the fatwa generator, Al Kobaisi was quoted by Khaleej Times as saying: “[If] the virtual assistant is not 85 percent sure about the topic/question asked, it will not respond.”

    In this case, the AI-powered service will give the user the option of similar questions or ask for the question to be rephrased.”

  24. Migrants in Greece living in ‘horrible’ conditions, says Europe rights watchdog
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-greece-asylum/migrants-in-greece-living-in-horrible-conditions-says-europe-rights-watchdog-idUSKBN1XA1O0

    “A European human rights watchdog on Thursday slammed living conditions as “horrible” for thousands of asylum seekers in overcrowded Greek camps, including waits spanning several hours for food and toilets and a lack of access to medicine.

    Dunja Mijatovic, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, said she had witnessed people queuing for food or to use a bathroom for more than three hours at refugee camps for asylum seekers on two Greek islands.

    “The people I have met are living in horrible conditions and an unbearable limbo,” she told a news briefing, saying the migrants were struggling to cope with overcrowding, lack of shelter, poor hygiene conditions and substandard access to medical care.

    Greece is currently struggling with the biggest resurgence in refugee arrivals since 2015, when more than a million people crossed into Europe from Turkey via Greece. About 34,000 asylum seekers and refugees are currently being held in camps on the Aegean islands close to Turkey.

    Although the conservative government has started moving more people to the mainland, the surge in migrant arrivals means they are being replaced as quickly as they depart.

    “I saw children with skin diseases not treated. I heard about no medications or drugs at all available to these people. No access to health, no proper access to health and many other things that are really quite shocking for Europe in the 21st century,” Mijatovic said.

    The government has broadly blamed the overcrowding on a haphazard approach by the former leftist administration, which lost the election held in July. It plans to move as many as 20,000 asylum seekers to the mainland by the end of the year.

    Late on Thursday, the Greek parliament approved legislation amending the asylum process, a bill which rights groups say could restrict protection for asylum seekers.

    The government says the new legislation seeks to codify and clarify what are now a disparate set of rules into one rulebook, and to deport those whose applications have been rejected.

    Several NGOs, and the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, have expressed misgivings about the legislation, saying it weakens the protection of refugees.

    Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament before the vote that the bill was also meant to send a clear message:

    “Enough is enough, enough with those people who know that they are not entitled to asylum and yet they attempt to cross into and stay in our country,” he said.

    “Those people will be quickly returned to Turkey… or to their country and will lose all the money they gave the despicable traffickers”.”

    • Migrants’ situation in Aegean ‘explosive’, Council of Europe
      http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/politics/2019/10/31/migrants-situation-in-aegean-explosive-council-of-europe_1778b66b-5c01-4b22-a764-9ba9f43cd000.html

      “The Council of Europe on Thursday called on Greece to urgently transfer asylum seekers currently on its Aegean islands and to improve living conditions in its reception centers, which it called ”explosive” and on the verge of a catastrophe.

      ”The situation of migrants, including asylum seekers, in the Greek Aegean islands has dramatically worsened over the past 12 months. Urgent measures are needed to address the desperate conditions in which thousands of human beings are living,” Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovi? said at the end of a five-day visit to Greece during which she visited reception facilities in Lesvos, Samos, and Corinth.

      A statement said that the Commissioner was appalled by the unhygienic conditions in which migrants are kept in the islands.

      “It is an explosive situation. There is a desperate lack of medical care and sanitation in the vastly overcrowded camps I have visited. People queue for hours to get food and to go to bathrooms, when these are available. On Samos, families are chipping away at rocks to make some space on steep hillsides to set up their makeshift shelters, often made from trees they cut themselves. This no longer has anything to do with the reception of asylum seekers. This has become a struggle for survival,” Mijatovic welcomed the Greek government’s decision to transfer 20,000 migrants from the islands to the mainland by the end of this year and called for its implementation as a matter of urgency.

      “However, without lifting the geographical restriction, this plan is unlikely to significantly reduce the overcrowding in the islands,” she said.”

  26. Moroccan Courts Record 33,686 Child Marriage Requests in 2018
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/10/285787/moroccan-courts-child-marriage/

    “Mohamed Abdennabaoui, President of the Prosecutor General’s Office spoke about the alarming number of child marriage in Morocco at the opening of a two-day conference on underage marriage on Tuesday, October 29 in Marrakech.

    Abdennabaoui announced that courts recorded 33,686 child marriage requests in 2018.

    Cited by Moroccan television channel, 2M the prosecutor said that the number “raises questions about measures taken on these requests by the various judicial services, including public prosecutors offices.”

    He recalled that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has issued several circulars, including circular number 20 related to child marriage.

    The prosecutor said that the circulars called on judicial institutions to “not hesitate” in rejecting any requests for marriage that does not take into account the interests of the minor or minors involved.

    Abdennabaoui added that public prosecution office is conducting a study on the issue of underage marriage. The study will conduct an urgent investigation into the issue with the aim of fighting against it.

    The study also aims to address all means that circumvent the law to “legalize child marriage.”

    It will also address legal and judicial aspects raised in relation with sexual violence, forced marriage, domestic violence, and other issues linked to child marriage.

    Currently, child marriages can be legalized in Morocco if the family gets a waiver for the minor.

    The number of waiver requests for minors increased to 41,669 in 2015 compared to 38,331 in 2007, the Moroccan High Commission of Planning (HCP) said earlier this year.

    A study from organization “Droit & Justice,” said that 30,000 female minors get married each year in Morocco.

    The organization revealed in January that of the 33,253 marriage contracts signed in 2009 and 35,152 in 2013 in Morocco, a total of 30,000 involved females under the age of eighteen.

    The study cited the influence of traditional customs as the main reason behind the increase of child marriage in Morocco.”

  27. Turkish court dismisses case against ex-military chief
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkish-court-dismisses-case-against-ex-military-chief/1632246

    “Turkey’s Constitutional Court dismissed a case on Thursday against Ilker Basbug, the 26th chief of the general staff of Turkey, citing the failure to prosecute.

    The ex-military chief was accused of plotting attacks against the Turkish government to pave the way for a military coup as well as being part of an alleged “deep state” organization called Ergenekon.

    The original Ergenekon conspiracy probe, dating back to 2007, led to trials of military officers, politicians, academics, and journalists in 2013, but later the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned hundreds of convictions in the case.

    Turkish authorities said the 2013 Ergenekon trial was based on fabricated evidence and blamed the prosecutors, who were FETO members, of trying to purge the military of rival officers.

    FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016 which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

    Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.”

  29. Italy renews deal with Libya to block migrants
    https://www.thelocal.it/20191031/italy-renews-deal-with-libya-to-block-migrants

    “Italy has renewed a controversial agreement signed in 2017 with Libya to block illegal migrants trying to leave from the North African country’s coast.

    Libya, wracked by conflict since the 2011 uprising that killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi, is a major transit route for migrants, especially from sub-Saharan Africa, and often to Italy across the Mediterranean.

    Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio told parliament on Wednesday that the 2017 deal with Libya would be automatically extended for another three years from November…”

  30. Hate crimes increase in Sweden: Here’s a breakdown of the stats
    https://www.thelocal.se/20191031/hate-crimes-increase-in-sweden-heres-a-breakdown-of-the-stats

    “The number of hate crimes reported in Sweden grew in 2018, according to new figures from the Swedish crime statistics agency. But few cases ever go to court.

    A total of 7,090 crimes reported to the police last year were identified by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) as being linked to hate motives in their latest report.

    That’s an 11 percent increase compared to the last report from 2016, and 29 percent on 2013.

    The motives were broken down as follows:

    Xenophobic/racist: 69 percent (4,870 reports)

    Sexual orientation: 11 percent (760 reports)

    Islamophobic: 8 percent (560 reports)

    Christianophobic: 4 percent (290 reports)

    Anti-Semitic: 4 percent (280 reports)

    Other anti-religious motives: 4 percent (260 reports)

    Transphobic: 1 percent (80 reports)

    Compared to 2016, anti-Semitic hate crimes saw the biggest increase (up by 53 percent between 2016 and 2018) followed by hate crimes linked to a person’s sexual orientation (37 percent).

    The proportion of cases in relation to agitation against a population group (hets mot folkgrupp) almost doubled in the same time period, increasing from around 640 to around 1,160 offences – that’s an 82 percent increase, or in other words an increase from 10 percent of all hate crimes to 16 percent.

    The majority of these incidents were committed against a backdrop of Afrophobia, anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, as well as sexual orientation, said Brå in the report, which was released on Thursday.

    Part of the increase is believed to be explained by several campaigns aiming to raise awareness of hate crimes committed online, which has led to more people reporting such incidents when they occur.

    Violent crimes (which include homicide, assault and violence against a public servant) linked to hate crime on the other hand dropped five percent according to the report, from 810 such cases in 2016 to 772 last year.

    On the whole, the proportion of violent crimes compared to the total number of hate crimes has fallen from 18-21 percent in 2008-2011 to around 11-13 percent since 2015. In the same period, criminal damage/graffiti linked to hate crimes has increased from less than 11 percent to 15-16 percent from 2015 onwards.

    It remains rare for hate crimes to lead to criminal charges.

    The more than 6,000 reported incidents in 2016 had a person-based clearance rate – which means that a person was prosecuted or granted a waiver of prosecution – of only three percent as of June 2019.

    But the clearance rate varies depending on a number of factors, for example the nature of the offence and how hard it is to investigate or link to a suspect: anti-Semitic hate crimes had a clearance rate of nine percent, while for incidents linked to anti-Roma motives, none of the suspected offences saw a person prosecuted.

    Brå noted that apart from assault and unlawful threats, most of the types of offences that make up the hate crime statistics generally have a clearance rate of 0-5 percent, regardless of whether or not they are linked to hate crimes. “However, without also analysing how police and prosecutors work with the investigations, no definitive conclusions can be drawn about the reasons for the size of the clearance rate,” stated the report.”

    • Islamophobia and the Muslim Brotherhood hoods:
      CAIR USA has many credibility issues. CAIR USA was listed as a terrorist entity by the UAE when they were listing front groups related to the Muslim Brotherhood hoods and others.

      CAIR USA has been identified as an unidentifided co-conspirator in the Holy Land Relief Foundation terrorism funding trials. CAIR USA has attempted to have its name removed from the list of unidentified co-conspirators, but its request was refused. The FBI has also stated that CAIR is not an appropriate partner and the FBI has suspended all formal contacts.

      The parent organization of CAIR CAN is CAIR USA. CAIR CAN was formed to fund CAIR USA. CAIR CAN is now NCCM-the National Council of Canadian Muslims. The head of CAIR CAN is Ishaan Gardee, he has testified to Parliament that CAIR CAN has no relationship to CAIR USA, although CAIR CAN and CAIR USA claim to be partners with one another.

      Mr. Gardee attended the 2016 conference organized by the Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of th OSCE. The Conference was to address a Holistic Approach to addressing INTOLERANCE and Discrimination again Muslims in the OSCE Region. The head of a group with direct and longstanding ties to Islamist ideology goes to a conference on intolerance against Muslims!
      When a report on Islamophobia is based on information from organizations which have a vested interest in promoting the concept…….
      Perhaps there should be alarm bells how some academics work in Canada on the issue of Islamophobia.
      Islamists, when arrested should not have special protection above any other group of individuals in Canada.