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.
The Attempt to Impeach Trump is a Farce
Why Trump Supporters are Not Protesting in the Streets Over Impeachment
Ep. 1142 More Hidden Fireworks In The IG Report. – The Dan Bongino Show.
U.S. halts sending bomb-sniffing dogs to Jordan, Egypt as seven die
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-dogs/u-s-halts-sending-bomb-sniffing-dogs-to-jordan-egypt-as-seven-die-idUSKBN1YR20I
“The U.S. State Department said on Monday it has stopped sending explosive-detecting dogs to Jordan and Egypt over concerns of deaths of deployed dogs from causes like heat stroke and poisoning.
The decision came after the State Department’s Office of Inspector General identified in September the deaths of two dogs sent to Jordan, the largest recipient of the dogs. A second report released last Friday put the total deaths at seven.
Some 135 dogs are in the Antiterrorism Assistance Program, which helps eight countries with border and aviation security. Dogs already working in Jordan and Egypt will remain there while U.S. authorities demand measures to improve the animals’ conditions and handling, a State Department official told reporters.
Prompted by a hotline complaint after the September report, the Inspector General found that two more dogs sent to Jordan had died, one of heat stroke and another of poisoning from insecticide sprayed in or near the kennel.
Three of the 10 dogs sent to Egypt under the program also died: one of lung cancer, one from a ruptured gall bladder and the other from heat stroke, the report found.
The September report said Zoe, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, had died in 2017 from heat stroke while working at the Syrian border. Mencey, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, was euthanized in the United States in 2018 after he had been returned from Jordan for treatment of a tick-borne disease.
According to the September report, a veterinarian told the Inspector General’s office that “heat injuries are cases of negligence and improper care and are not accidental” and that dogs who die of heat stroke “suffer a terrible death.”
The Inspector General found that dogs were sent to the foreign partners without signed written agreements outlining standards of care and that there were no adequate follow-up checks on dogs’ wellbeing.
“Improving health and welfare is something that’s continual and gradual. It will not happen overnight, and that’s why improving kennel conditions, improving how many times they check on the canines – those are all things we’re actively working on,” another State Department official said.”
Jordan and Egypt, our “allies”.
Egypt court bans biopic series on Omar ibn Al-Khattab
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/358273/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-court-bans-biopic-series-on-Omar-ibn-AlKhatt.aspx
“Egypt’s State Council Administrative Court has ruled in favour of a lawsuit to ban the broadcast of the TV series Omar, based on the life of Caliph Omar ibn Al-Khattab, which was first screened in Arab countries several years ago.
The court said the ruling was based on a decision by the Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy in 1999, which stipulated that “religious figures” should not be depicted in any theatre, cinema or television work.
“The decision issued by the academy is an effective administrative decision issued by the competent legal body authorised to issue such decisions, as mandated by the constitution and the law,” the court said.
“Messengers and prophets have their reverence and respect in the hearts of society, so it is not acceptable that they be a subject of an artistic vision, imposed by the writer of the act or the actor’s personification, which certainly contradicts the truth of the character,” the court said.
The series Omar is based on the life of Omar ibn Al-Khattab, and depicts his life from 18 years old until his death. The series has faced controversy over its depiction the four Rashidun caliphs, Omar, Abu Bakr, Uthman, and Ali, and other important characters in Islamic history.
Omar ibn Al-Khattab, born in 584, was one of the most powerful and influential Muslim caliphs in history. He was a senior companion of the Prophet Muhammad and succeeded Abu Bakr as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate in 634.
He was a prominent chief of the Quraish tribe and one of the Prophet’s Muhammad fiercest enemies before converting to Islam, one year after the migration to Abyssinia in 616.
The depiction of religious figures in art work has been a subject of debate in Egyptian society for years.
In most art, TV and cinema work, messengers, prophets and prominent religious characters were often personified by an aura of light.
Omar was a 2012 historical Arab television drama miniseries that was produced and broadcast by MBC1. The series was directed by the Syrian director Hatem Ali and co-produced by Qatar TV.”
Turkey: Mayor nabbed for alleged ties to terrorist PKK
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-mayor-nabbed-for-alleged-ties-to-terrorist-pkk/1681841
“A local mayor in southeastern Turkey from an opposition party accused of terrorist ties was arrested over alleged links to an armed terror group, security sources said on Monday.
On Dec. 20, Feyme Filiz Buluttekin, the mayor of Diyarbakir’s Sur district, was temporarily suspended from her post as part of an anti-terror investigation, and was arrested for allegedly being a member of the terrorist YPG/PKK on Monday.
Buluttekin, a member of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), is also accused of spreading terrorist propaganda and insulting the Turkish state and nation.
Buluttekin attended the funeral of senior YPG/PKK member Mehmet Yakisir, who is known to have killed Eren Bulbul, age 15, in 2017.
She is also accused of attending the funerals of other terrorists as well as supporting their families and receiving instructions from YPG/PKK ringleaders.
Prior to the investigation, Buluttekin was sentenced to 10 months in prison for YPG/PKK propaganda.
HDP is accused by the government of having substantial links to the YPG/PKK terror group.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.”
Muslim world can forge renaissance: Turkish leader
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/muslim-world-can-forge-renaissance-turkish-leader/1681921
“Following on its rich history of science and culture, now the Islamic world can forge a new renaissance, said Turkey’s president on Monday.
“The Islamic world, which made Istanbul, Cairo, Damascus, and Baghdad centers of science and culture for centuries, can realize a resurgence that is worthy of its history,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a ceremony at Istanbul Airport honoring Fuat Sezgin, a Turkish scholar who documented contributions by Muslim scientists.
Saying that the history of humanity has come down to our day through scientific riches rather than wars, he said that history gives people the opportunity to embrace their past as well as build their future.
“We should never forget that we are members of a nation that has built such a great civilization from Samarkand to Cordoba,” he added.
Scientific history as presented today is largely European-based and has an orientalist perspective, said Erdogan, calling a perspective placing Europe at the center of scientific development starting 500 years ago misleading.
Restricting history to the West and ignoring Muslim scholars is ignorance, perhaps intentional, he said, citing famed Muslim scholars that pioneered fields from geometry to sociology.
During his speech, Erdogan also mentioned that passenger traffic at Istanbul Airport has already reached 50 million annually.
This puts the airport on track to attract 90 million passengers a year, and then 150 million, and eventually 200 million.
Istanbul Airport, whose first phase officially opened in October 2018, took over air traffic from the former main Ataturk Airport this April.
The new facility was named Airport of the Year this November by readers of U.K.-based International Airport Review magazine, beating out London Heathrow, Sydney, (Australia) and Changi (Singapore).
Who was Fuat Sezgin?
Born in the eastern Bitlis province in 1924, Sezgin studied at Istanbul University, where he earned his B.A. and later his Ph.D. in Arabic language and literature.
He continued his studies at Frankfurt University, Germany in 1960 following a military coup in Turkey.
He devoted considerable time to studying and listing scientific contributions made by Muslim/Arabic scholars throughout history. He wrote numerous books and articles.
The recipient of numerous international academic honors, Sezgin was also awarded Germany’s order of merit.
In 2010 he founded the Research Foundation for the History of Science in Islam to support activities of the Istanbul Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam.
In 2013, he also founded the History of Science in Islam Institute at Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University in Istanbul.
Sezgin knew over 20 languages. including Syriac, Hebrew, and German.
He died on June 30, 2018 at age 95.”
Turkey repatriates 110 foreign terrorists since Nov. 11
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-repatriates-110-foreign-terrorists-since-nov-11/1681763
“Turkey deported a total of 110 foreign terrorist fighters back to their countries since Nov. 11, according to the country’s Interior Ministry.
Turkey has been sending back foreign fighters to their countries of origin as part of its ramped-up efforts to repatriate terrorists.
According to a data compiled by Anadolu Agency, in Nov. 11- Dec.19, up to 21 German, 13 French, five British, two Belgian, two Dutch, two Moroccan, two Kosovar, one Danish, one U.S., one Greek, one Irish, one Australian and some other nationals of foreign fighters were deported from Turkey.
The wives and children of the foreign terrorist fighters were sent to their countries along with them.
The ministry did not mention whether all the foreign terrorists were linked to the Daesh/ISIS terror group.
There are some 1,200 foreign ISIS/Daesh members being held in Turkish prisons, and nearly 300 held from Turkey’s current anti-terror operation in northern Syria, including relatives of ISIS/Daesh members, the Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced on Nov. 4.
Turkey has criticized countries which resist repatriating terrorists by revoking their citizenship.
Ankara continues to deport foreign terrorist fighters to their countries of origin…”
11 migrants freed from refrigerated truck in Bavaria
https://www.dw.com/en/11-migrants-freed-from-refrigerated-truck-in-bavaria/a-51783636
“Police say the driver pulled over when he heard knocks coming from the other side of the truck. The migrants are from Afghanistan and aged 14 to 31.
Germany’s federal police force said on Monday that 11 migrants were freed from a refrigerated truck at a service station in Bavaria.
The migrants boarded the truck in Serbia and were found at a highway service station on Saturday. Police said that the migrants were aged 14 to 31, came from Afghanistan, and were taken into police custody.
Officials found the people when the driver pulled over near the southern town of Passau, adjacent to the Austrian border in Bavaria, after hearing knocking sounds coming from the truck’s trailer. The passengers said they were having problems breathing and were starting to suffer headaches.
Police say that the driver gave them credible assurances that he had no knowledge of the passengers.
The truck, which was on its way to Belgium, originated in Turkey and was reportedly loaded with fruit. Had it continued on to its destination, the situation could have turned fatal for the passengers. In October, 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead in a refrigerated truck in Essex, England.”
Syria regime forces surround Turkish army post in Idlib
https://www.france24.com/en/20191223-syria-regime-forces-surround-turkish-army-post-in-idlib
“Syrian government forces surrounded a Turkish observation post in Idlib province Monday after overrunning nearby areas in a push to take the last opposition bastion, a war monitor said.
The Idlib region in northwest Syria has seen an uptick in violence in recent days as regime forces supported by Russian airstrikes have launched a fresh assault to capture one of the largest urban centres in the area.
On Monday, regime forces surrounded one of 12 Turkish observation posts in the region, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
“Regime forces have surrounded the Turkish observation post in Al-Surman after capturing several towns and villages, including Jarjanaz and Al-Surman” in the southeast of the province, said the head of the Britain-based monitor, Rami Abdel Rahman.
The posts were established as per a September 2018 deal between regime ally Moscow and Ankara, which backs the rebels, to avert an all-out regime onslaught against the opposition bastion.
The jihadist-dominated Idlib region hosts some three million people including many displaced by years of violence in other parts of Syria.
The Damascus regime has repeatedly vowed to take back the area and bombardment has continued despite a ceasefire announced in August.
Since Thursday, regime forces supported by Russian airstrikes have taken control of dozens of towns and villages near the strategic city of Maaret al-Numan…”
Pope Francis meets with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Pope Francis and UN chief at the Vatican (19 Dec 2019)
In these turbulent and trying times, we must stand together for peace and harmony,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a joint press point with Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, in Vatican on Friday (20 Dec).
Guterres conveyed his “deep appreciation” for the Catholic leader’s “extraordinary service in promoting interfaith relations – including your landmark declaration with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar on human fraternity for world peace and living together.”
“This declaration is extremely important when we see such dramatic attacks on religious freedom and the lives of believers,” said Guterres.
Secretary-General also said “in these turbulent and trying times, we must stand together for peace and harmony. And that is the spirit of this season. And that is reflected in your vision, guidance and example. My deepest thanks to you, your Holiness, and my best wishes, to all those celebrating, for a Christmas in peace and a blessed new year.”
Pope Francis said, “confidence in dialogue between people and between nations, in multilateralism, in the role of international organizations, in diplomacy as a tool for understanding and understanding, is indispensable for building a peaceful world.”
He also appealed for action on climate change.
Pope Francis said “let us recognize ourselves as members of a single humanity, and let us take care of our land which, generation after generation, has been entrusted to us by God in custody because we cultivate it and leave it to our children as an inheritance. The commitment to reduce polluting emissions and for an integral ecology is urgent and necessary: let’s do something before it’s too late!
Red China More Dangerous than the Soviet Union
EXCLUSIVE – ‘OSS’ Counter Operation Initiated To Stop Coup
AFP – US lawmakers want Trump aide Stephen Miller fired over white nationalism emails
In hundreds of emails to far-right Breitbart website, Miller shares links and asserts a causal connection between immigrants and violence
Miller was an architect of the presidential decree barring nationals of several Muslim-majority countries from entering the US
Stephen Miller, one of Donald Trump’s most radical advisers, is known for his unswerving defence of a resolutely anti-immigrant policy. But a recently leaked trove of emails also shows him appearing to promote white supremacist views – prompting 25 Jewish members of Congress to demand his dismissal.
In a letter dated Friday, the lawmakers – all Democrats – wrote: “As Jewish members of Congress, we are calling on you to immediately relieve White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller of all government responsibilities and dismiss him from your administration.”
They added: “His documented support for white nationalist and virulently anti-immigrant tropes is wholly unacceptable.”
More than 100 Democratic members of Congress had issued a similar plea after the emails were published last month by a non-profit association that monitors hate groups, the Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC).
In all, the SPLC obtained more than 900 emails sent in 2015 and 2016 by Miller to editors at the far-right Breitbart news website.
In the messages – whose authenticity Miller has not denied – he notably shares links to far-right websites and asserts a causal connection between immigrants and violence.
He urges the Breitbart editors to call attention to The Camp of the Saints, a 1973 dystopian novel by French author Jean Raspail popular in far-right white nationalist circles. It paints a dark story of mass migration from the Third World leading to the destruction of Western civilisation.
Raspail’s thesis is reminiscent of the so-called Great Replacement theory popular among the far-right: that the white European population is being steadily replaced by darker-skinned non-European immigrants.
“I was horrified by those emails and the content, but unfortunately I was not surprised,” Kim Schrier, a Democrat from Washington state who was among the 25 signatories of the most recent protest letter, told NPR radio. “I don’t think any of us was surprised to hear that so much of the rhetoric” from Miller “was rooted in anti-Semitic, white nationalist rhetoric”.
The fact that Miller himself is Jewish changes nothing, Schrier added.
“His behaviour can still be white nationalist and anti-Semitic,” the congresswoman said. “It is hate-speak, and it is wrong, no matter who it comes from.”
Miller was an architect of the presidential decree barring nationals of several Muslim-majority countries from entering the US – one of the most controversial episodes of the Trump presidency.
For that and other reasons – including his equating of white nationalist marchers in Charlottesville, Virginia, with anti-racist demonstrators – Trump has been accused of racism and xenophobia, charges he has categorically rejected.
Miller appears to have taken the controversy in stride. On Fox News, the president’s favourite TV network, Miller insisted that the emails simply provided proof of his patriotism.
“There’s nothing wrong in any of my emails … unless being proud to be American and standing up for American citizens is a crime,” he said.
Attempting to turn the tables, he suggested that the Democrats’ calls for his dismissal aimed merely to “cover up the fact that there is … this vein of anti-Semitism that pulses through the Democratic Party”.
But Democratic lawmakers are not the only ones denouncing Miller’s views.
Last year, the rabbi of the California synagogue where Miller’s family once worshipped, Neil Comess-Daniels, sharply criticised the Miller-influenced policy of separating migrant children from their families at the border with Mexico.
“From the Jewish perspective, the parent-child relationship is sacrosanct,” he said in a sermon quoted by American news media. “Disrupting it is cruel. Mr Miller, the policy you helped to conceive and put into practice is cruel.”
Katie McHugh, the former Breitbart journalist who released Miller’s emails, went even further.
Describing herself in a CNN interview as a repentant former white nationalist, she said that Miller is “a white supremacist, I would say, because I believe his ideology is one of domination and control over people of colour.”
When the emails were published in November, the White House came to Miller’s defence.
A presidential spokesman, Hogan Gidley, asked why “so many on the left consistently attack Jewish members of this administration”.
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3043218/us-lawmakers-want-trump-aide-stephen-miller-fired
British schoolgirl finds cry for help in Tesco Christmas card
Thanks for posting this.
A Christmas “Present” from North Korea? – Zooming in