Reader’s Links, February 1, 2020

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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

131 Replies to “Reader’s Links, February 1, 2020”

  1. Germany: Several arrested at anti-police brutality rally in Berlin

    Several arrests were made as clashes broke out at an Antifa anti-police brutality rally in east Berlin on Friday night.

    Footage shows the protesters marching with banners decrying the “police state,” lighting flares and clashing with police as several were arrested.

    The rally took place between Wismarplatz and Ostkreuz. According to local reports, a total of 18 protesters were arrested, including three for defying a ban on masks. Three police officers were reportedly injured, although not severely.

    The demo was held in response to the death of a 33-year-old woman who was shot during a police operation, where she allegedly threatened officers with a knife.

    • Antifa Terrorgruppen verhindern Demokratie in Berlin – Rotfaschisten schauen zu.

      AfD-Fraktionschef Pazderski hat im Abgeordnetenhaus Maßnahmen gegen den Demokratienotstand gefordert:

      “Wir brauchen öffentliche Räumlichkeiten zur Durchführung eines Landesoparteitages. Die Machenschaften der linksextremistischen ‘Antifa’ müssen unterbunden werden!”

  2. DAILY MAIL – France’s left-wing elite are accused of cowardice for failing to support 16-year-old girl facing death threats after she insulted Islam online

    The girl, known as Mila, said Islam is ‘a s*** religion’ and the koran is ‘full of hate’
    Her lawyer Richard Malka has accused the left of failing to defend secular values
    She has been pulled out of her sixth-form high school in Lyon, south-east France

    France’s left-wing elite have been accused of cowardice for failing to support a 16-year-old girl who has faced death threats after she insulted Islam online.

    The girl, known as Mila, said Islam ‘is a s*** religion’ and the Koran is ‘full of hate’ in an outburst online after she repeatedly rebuffed a Muslim’s advances.

    She has been removed from her sixth-form college in Lyon, south-east France, by police ‘for her own safety’ and has faced a torrent of insults and threats to rape and kill her.

    The teenager’s lawyer, Richard Malka, told The Times thather plight has been completely ignored by the left, which would usually leap to her defence.

    ‘It is the left that traditionally defends secularism in this country,’ he said. ‘It saddens me that it has not done so in this case.’

    ‘She has been stuck at home for two weeks without being able to go to school. She is only a teenager and the sky has fallen on her head.

    ‘No human rights association has protested or expressed solidarity with the girl whose life has suddenly been plunged into hiding.’

    He also accused ministers of being fearful of upsetting France’s five million Muslim citizens, claiming their inaction amounted to a betrayal of values laid down by Voltaire, the 18th-century champion of free speech.

    Mila told French publication Bellica how she feels ‘the whole of France wants me dead’ after no one stood up for her following the attacks, and as though she can ‘no longer set foot in my high school, and I can’t even change my high school’.

    ‘I am not racist, not at all,’ she continues. ‘You cannot be racist towards a religion. I said what I thought, you will not make me regret it. There are still people who will get excited, I clearly don’t give a damn, I say what I want, what I think.’

    In the aggravating video, uploaded to her Instagram profile adorned with LGBT flags, Mila also says she hates all forms of religion. She uses the profile to publish videos of herself singing.

    Her angry video also came after she was told she had ‘insulted our God Allah, the one and only’ and that it was hoped she would ‘burn in hell’.

    The Director of the French Council of Muslims, Abdallah Zekri, alleged Mila had ‘reaped what she had sown’ earlier this week, but was forced into an embarrassing retraction following public outcry.

    The French justice minister, Nicole Belloubet, has also been criticised after she failed to come to the teenager’s defence, and instead accused her of breaching a legal concept that does not exist, ‘freedom of conscience’.

    When she was told that none exists in French Law, Ms Belloubet apologised for her words and professed they had been a ‘mistake’.

    The prosecutor’s office in Vienne, near Lyon, is understood to be investigating the comments on Mila’s profile in an attempt to identify the perpetrators.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7955359/Frances-left-wing-elite-accused-cowardice-failing-support-16-year-old-girl.html

  3. Richard: The Dems in Virginia are proving that they are not only attacking the Second Amendment they are also going after the First Amendment and are introducing Bills that will drive the small businesses out of business (there goes the Middle Class, (a Class the Marxists hate). These bills will also drive the large companies out of Virginia and will either fuel the movement to have counties switch to being part of West Virginia or drive any farmer that can afford to, to move to another more business friendly state.

    Democracy dies in darkness in Virginia
    By Hans Bader January 31, 2020

    The Virginia legislature is moving toward passage of laws that could fundamentally transform the state’s laws in an anti-employer direction. But the content of that legislation is being hidden from voters, because the amended text of the bills has not been posted long after they were approved by key committees.

    Yesterday, a subcommittee of the House of Delegates approved a bill dealing with sexual harassment in small businesses. It did so on a party-line 5-to-2 vote, suggesting the bill could pass the state legislature. A lawyer argued earlier this month that the bill, HB 1418, would change the definition of sexual harassment used in lawsuits in troubling ways, allowing employers to be sued over a single offensive comment, and potentially raising First Amendment issues.

    But to see whether that is true, it would be helpful to read the current version of the bill. But it is not available to the public. The committee approved a “substitute” bill for the original. But that substitute is not available on the legislature’s web site. Instead, when I clicked on the link to the bill’s current text, here is what I got this afternoon:

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/01/31/democracy-dies-in-darkness-in-virginia/

  4. Trump refuses to invite Democrats to USMCA deal signing, hands out souvenir pens
    By Rusty Weiss February 1, 2020

    The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal, to borrow a term from former Vice President Joe Biden, is a “big blanking deal.” (Biden of course used an obscenity in his version, but you get the general idea.)

    Perhaps to show his gratitude to Democrats for branding him a cheater and a threat to national security, Pres. Donald Trump chose not to invite them to the ceremonial signing. He did, however, make a conciliatory gesture to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by handing outs souvenir signing pens to those who were invited. Imitation, after all, is the highest form of flattery.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/02/01/trump-refuses-to-invite-democrats-to-usmca-deal-signing-hands-out-souvenir-pens/

  7. RE VIRUS: I’m following the Twitter handle – ?? Jennifer Zeng@jenniferatntd. She also has good video clips.

    For the text in Chinese, click the link & translate button.

    ” At present, the CCP strongly suppresses those who publish “rumors”. Netizens who shot the funeral home in Wuhan Fifth Courtyard in a short time and removed eight bodies were arrested immediately. But the biggest rumor in the near future should be “People’s Daily” reported that “Shanghai Institute of Drug Research and Wuhan Institute of Virology have found that the proprietary Chinese medicine Shuanghuanglian oral liquid can inhibit the new coronavirus”. The news caused a large number of people with unknown truth to gather at pharmacies around the country to buy the oral solution, causing the danger of the epidemic to spread again. “

  10. A bill aiming to ban sex-reassignment surgery and puberty-blocking medication for minors in South Dakota cleared a House committee Jan. 22, and is set to be debated in the House of Representatives.

    HB 1057 would make it a Class 1 misdemeanor for doctors to dispense puberty-blocking drugs to those under the age of 16 for the purpose of changing or affirming the perception of their sex, and lists a number of surgical procedures including castration, vasectomy, and hysterectomy that doctors would not be allowed to perform on minors.

    The bill was set to be debated in the House on Monday, but the House deferred the debate to another day.

    https://angelusnews.com/news/nation/bill-to-ban-transgender-surgery-for-minors-advances-in-south-dakota/

    • Excellent. They should also ban all LGBTQs and Queenees from story-tellings.
      And reform curriculum for elementary school students by way of removing sex education.

  11. A modern wedding in France. You can tell it is modern, because the males and females are not seggregated.

  12. Michelle Malkin Announces ‘America First’ Event — Says AFPAC, Not CPAC, Will Expose Conservative Inc., Open Borders Inc., and Cancel Culture

    Conservative legend Michelle Malkin has announced that she will be speaking at an event taking place during CPAC weekend, alongside more dissident right-wing voices who have been “cancelled” by the gatekeepers in Conservative Inc.

    The America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) will take place on Friday, February 28.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/michelle-malkin-announces-america-first-event-says-afpac-not-cpac-will-expose-conservative-inc-open-borders-inc-and-cancel-culture/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=weekend

    Richard: Looks like we will see the propaganda media talk about the civil war among the conservatives and ignore the way the libs are eating each other alive and threatening to riot if their pick for the Dem nominee doesn’t win.

  14. It Begins… DNC Leaders Discuss Rules Changes to Stop Bernie Sanders at Convention

    Earlier this week, Nina Turner, the national co-chairwoman of the Bernie Sanders campaign, was absolutely furious over the appointment of Hillary Clinton lackeys John Podesta and former Rep. Barney Frank to the rules committee that will oversee the party platform at their nominating convention.

    They were right.

    Democrat Party leaders are plotting their strategy to stop Bernie Sanders at the DNC Convention in Milwaukee.

    According to Lee Fang — The party leaders are considering a mid-election rule change to reintroduce first round superdelegates in order to stop Bernie Sanders, who party operatives fear will enter convention with the most voter support.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/it-begins-dnc-leaders-discuss-rules-changes-to-stop-bernie-sanders-at-convention/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=weekend

  18. BEIJING, Feb 1 (Reuters) –

    * China reported an outbreak of a highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 bird flu at a farm in Shaoyang city of the southern province of Hunan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Saturday.

    * The case occurred on a farm with 7,850 chickens, 4,500 of which have died of the bird flu.

    * The authorities have culled 17,828 poultry following the outbreak.

    https://www.reuters.com/article/health-birdflu-china/china-reports-h5n1-bird-flu-outbreak-in-hunan-province-idUSL4N2A10GC?utm_source=reddit.com

  19. MY BLOOD BOILING – I can only see one group responsible and that would be the First Nations and their sub-nations. They have access to many protected lands. RCMP once told me they are involved in weapons trafficking, all kinds of bad stuff.

    Chinese customs officers seized over 12 tons of illegally trafficked beaver genitals in the country’s biggest-ever smuggling case involving animal parts.

    A total of 94 bags holding thousands of penises each were seized onboard a Canadian ship transporting most wood products and minerals.

    Approximately 400,000 to 600,000 beavers must have been killed to produce the 12.7 tons of penises, Xinhua News Agency reports.

    According to state media, beaver penises are used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure erectile dysfunction and increase sexual vigor.

    The Chinese General Administration of Customs gave a long press conference this morning to justify why it seized what many Chinese perceive as legitimate medicine.

    https://naijatell.com/odd/chinese-authorities-seize-12-tons-of-beaver-penises-smuggled-from-canada/

    • I commented on this story a few days ago, Sassy. It disgusts me that the Chinese are paying Canadian poachers to kill a half-millon beavers and noone notices. Including the CBC.

  20. CBC – We still don’t know what to call this coronavirus

    Calling the pneumonia-like illness that started in Wuhan, China “the coronavirus” is problematic, but coming up with a better name is also tricky.

    • CBC – How to confront racism sparked by coronavirus fears

      Despite the low risk of transmission in this country, Chinese-Canadians have become the targets of xenophobic comments in recent days, both online and offline.

    • CBC – How does coronavirus quarantine in Canada work?

      The next steps for Canada’s coronavirus patients include two weeks of monitoring in isolation and quarantine for those who’ve been in close contact with them, infectious disease physicians say.

    • CBC- Get the facts on coronavirus

      Information about the coronavirus outbreak is spreading fast, but what do we actually know about the illness? CBC News medical contributor and family physician Dr. Peter Lin breaks down the facts about what it is, where it came from, how it spreads and what you can do to protect yourself.

    • CBC-Quizzing B.C. on coronavirus facts

      The B.C. Centre for Disease Control put out a series of tweets in an attempt to clear up some popular misconceptions, so CBC Vancouver sent out reporter Rafferty Baker to see if people are getting the message.

  21. FYI to Any Candidate Holding an Open Death Wish: Hillary Clinton Is Angling for a VP SlotvFor the adventurous candidate out there–
    Hillary Clinton is angling for a VP slot on the Democrat Party ticket.

    That would be a very bold choice.

    read more at

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/02/fyi-to-any-candidate-harboring-an-open-death-wish-hillary-clinton-is-angling-for-a-vp-slot/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=weekend

      • Related:
        “Time to Investigate Real Russian Colluder Nancy Pelosi”
        by Judi McLeod – December 28, 2019

        Excerpt:

        From Swords to Plowshares

        In a speech entitled “From Swords to Plowshares”, delivered in the House of Representatives on June 4, 1992, Pelosi cheered the arrival of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to San Francisco’s Presidio as a tenant:

        “The National Park Service is actively seeking ideas for programs and tenants at this spectacular site,” Pelosi said. “Last month, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev visited the Presidio to propose that the Gorbachev Foundation use be located at the Presidio when the army leaves. In his words, `it is wonderful and symbolic that a military base is being converted for use by the people’.” (Canada Free Press, June 29, 2010)

        How much more Russian Collusion does it get than that?

        “As the cold war ends,” Pelosi continued, “it is, indeed, fitting that this army garrison—one of the oldest in the United States—will be transformed to a monument of peace, environmental preservation and recreation as a global park.”

        “Less than a year after Pelosi’s fawning words, Gorbachev and his 100% American, pre-funded $3.5 million Gorbachev Foundation moved into a white, shingled bayfront house at the historical Presidio overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.”….
        https://canadafreepress.com/article/time-to-investigate-real-russian-colluder-nancy-pelosi

        “Why is it continuing?” Tucker Carlson
        Christopher Story has the answer.

        “Christopher Story: Lenin’s Satanic World Revolution”
        Vision Liberty – June 3, 2015
        Christopher Story – Fatima 2000: World Peace Bishops Conference held in Hamilton, ON, Canada.

  25. Virginia House Majority Leader Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria), the first African American and first woman to hold that position, called Falwell’s suggestion “laughable.” “Suggestions of giving up parts of our Commonwealth are laughable — our diversity is our strength.” Virginia Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D), whose district includes Falls Church and parts of Alexandria and Fairfax County, reacted by saying, essentially, good riddance. “Just when you think you have heard it all,” Saslaw said in a text message. “I am sure there are a fair amount of people who would be delighted with Falwell moving to West Virginia.”

    —- Just what was giving the reporter, his editor, and the elected officials so much amusement, as quoted in
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/01/28/west-virginias-governor-virginia-counties-leave-your-blue-state-join-west-virginia/ ?
    See:
    https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/west-virginia-invites-frederick-county-va-to-become-part-of-the-state/ (with video interview referencing an agreement made 150 years ago)
    http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hcr8%20intr.htm&yr=2020&sesstype=rs&i=8&houseorig=h&billtype=cr Providing for an election to be had, pending approval of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a majority of qualified citizens voting upon the proposition prior to August 1, 2020, for the admission of certain counties and independent cities of the Commonwealth of Virginia to be admitted to the State of West Virginia as constituent counties, under the provisions of Article VI, Section 11 of the Constitution of West Virginia

  28. Conservatives in Dominican Republic Fear Becoming ‘Hostage’ to China’s Belt and Road
    BEIJING, CHINA – MAY 1: China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Dominican Republic’s Chancellor Miguel Vargas during a signing ceremony on May 1, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Damir Sagolj – Pool/Getty Images)
    Damir Sagolj – Pool/Getty Images
    Frances Martel1 Feb 2020121
    7:09

    A senior leader of one of the Dominican Republic’s most prominent conservative political parties told Breitbart News he is concerned the island nation, just a little over 200 miles from the United States, could become a “hostage” in China’s growing bid for hegemony.

    In an interview with Breitbart News, the vice president of the National Progressive Force – a socially conservative, pro-U.S., small government party – Pelegrín Castillo said recent remarks by Chinese Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Zhang Run urging the country to allow China to bid to develop one of the nation’s most strategic ports was alarming and shockingly disrespectful of the Republic’s internal affairs. Zhang is openly advocating for the country to open a public bidding war for the development of the Manzanillo Port, rather than sign an agreement with U.S. developers that would keep China’s “Belt and Road” workers out of the area.

    “That project is very easy, it is not a large project, we have built the largest ports in the world, seven of the 10 largest are in China,” Zhang said in an interview in mid-January. “It’s a little port and since I arrived in the country they are talking about it.”

    “For me, it is easy that they establish a project, that they [the Dominican government] convene a commercial, public, free, transparent bidding for all countries and that their companies participate according to the rules of the market,” he insisted. “In alliance with local companies, well, with all kinds of methodology, but that it gets done.”

    Zhang also said that China had offered Santo Domingo a $600 million credit line to rebuild its increasingly faulty electric grid, but “the ball is in the Dominican court.”

    https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2020/02/01/conservatives-in-dominican-republic-fear-become-hostage-to-chinas-belt-and-road/

  32. Arkansas: Muslim who shot two soldiers claims that as a terrorist, he shouldn’t have been tried in state court

    Feb 1, 2020 4:00 pm By Robert Spencer 13 Comments

    Appeals of this kind tie up the Infidel’s resources, and although this one failed, the courts are so crazy these days that one never knows.

    Also, Abdulhakim Muhammad has a point. Attacks like his are not criminal cases. He is a soldier in a war. He should be regarded as such.

    https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/02/arkansas-muslim-who-shot-two-soldiers-claims-that-as-a-terrorist-he-shouldnt-have-been-tried-in-state-court

  33. Screaming Chinese Reporter in Wuhan #wuhan #coronavirus #letterfromwuhan

    Chinese government is trying to track him down…

  35. Florida: FBI identifies motive for Pensacola shooting as “jihad”

    Feb 1, 2020 5:00 pm By Robert Spencer 14 Comments

    It is astounding that seventeen years after 9/11 that it would be newsworthy that the FBI called a jihad attack “jihad,” but the denial and willful ignorance have been pandemic, and made into official U.S. policy during the Obama administration. This is a small step back to sanity for the still largely clueless and corrupt FBI. Much more is needed.

    https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/02/florida-fbi-identifies-motive-for-pensacola-shooting-as-jihad

  37. Burka Ban for Universities in Northern Germany Hampered by Green Party
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/202002011078202004-burka-ban-universities-northern-germany/

    “A debate in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein was prompted by one of the country’s largest and oldest universities, located in Kiel. It asked state authorities to create a rule allowing them to enforce a ban on wearing traditional Muslim garments covering the body and face after struggling to forbid a student from donning them.

    The Green Party in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany has blocked attempts to ban wearing full face covers at local universities following almost a year of discussions. The political party’s spokesman, Lasse Petersdotter, stated to the outlet Die Welt that their group in the state legislature had voted unanimously against a corresponding amendment to the law. The party cited religious freedom, which is enshrined in the country’s constitution. The state’s party leader, biologist Ann-Kathrin Tranziska, noted that a cosmopolitan society based on the rule of law is characterised by the fact that religious symbols can be freely displayed.

    The proposed ban became an apple of discord for the so-called Jamaica coalition in the state’s parliament, which also includes Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). These two parties want to see a burka and niqab ban included in the university law.

    The debate around changing the regulations for universities goes back to the case of a Muslim student at Kiel’s Christian Albrechts University, considered to be one of the oldest and most famous in Germany. It forbade the student to wear a full face veil in classes. Nevertheless, the student always went with her face covered to the university. Therefore, the university asked the state to create a regulation that would make it possible to issue and enforce an official ban on such religious attire.

    At least 16 countries, both European and Asian, have imposed laws prohibiting face coverings in public settings, including Germany’s neighbour, the Netherlands. The corresponding law that rules out wearing face-covering garments in government buildings, public transport, and other state institutions entered into force there last year.

    Among the European states that have gone down the path to banning such clothing are France, the first EU country to introduce the ban in 2010, Austria (2017), Denmark (2018), and Belgium, where a ban on face-covering garments became law in 2015, but was suspended two years later by the European Court of Human Rights concerning burkas and full face veils.”

  38. Saudi Arms Ship Faces Growing Opposition in European Ports
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/02/01/2193661/saudi-arms-ship-faces-growing-opposition-in-european-ports

    “Lawsuits, protests and other actions are planned in several European ports to oppose this week’s return of a Saudi Arabian state-owned cargo ship that has previously ferried tens of millions of dollars’ worth of arms to fuel its war in Yemen, Amnesty International said…”

  40. Egypt Sentences Ashmawy, 36 Others to Death
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2110101/egypt-sentences-ashmawy-36-others-death

    “The Cairo Criminal Court on Saturday sentenced Hisham al-Ashmawy, a former special forces officer turned extremist, and 36 others to death after they were convicted of terrorism, court officials said.

    Dubbed Egypt’s “most wanted man” by local media, Ashmawy was returned to Cairo in May last year after his capture in 2018 by the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the city of Derna, eastern Libya.

    He was convicted on several charges including plotting a 2014 attack that killed 22 military guards near the frontier with Libya, and involvement in an attempt to kill a former interior minister in 2013, a military statement said.

    The former special forces officer, who is in his 40s, was dismissed in 2012 over his radical views.

    He joined Ansar Beit al-Maqdis based in the restive Sinai of eastern Egypt but broke off after the group pledged allegiance to the ISIS group in November 2014.

    Known by his nom de guerre “Abu Omar al-Muhajir”, Ashmawy announced the formation of an al-Qaeda-aligned group, Al-Mourabitoun in Libya, in July 2015.

    The other 36 defendants tried with him were also convicted of terrorism charges, the court ruled on Saturday.

    Their cases were referred to the Grand Mufti. Egyptian law requires any capital sentence to be referred to him for an opinion before executions can take place.

    The court set a new session for March 2 to confirm the convictions after receiving the Mufti’s non-binding opinion.

    In November, a military court had already sentenced Ashmawy to death in another terrorism case. Egyptian civilian and military courts had also sentenced Ashmawy to death in absentia before his extradition.”

  41. ‘Iranian Hackers’ Attack Egypt Health Ministry Website
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2110121/%E2%80%98iranian-hackers%E2%80%99-attack-egypt-health-ministry-website

    “Hackers, claiming to be from Iran, attacked on Saturday Egypt’s health ministry.

    The hackers posted images of Iranian flags at the website, reported the German news agency (dpa).

    A Google search of the ministry leads to a message: “Hacked by Bax 026 of Iran.”

    A health ministry source said authorities were exerting efforts to resolve the cyberattack, reported Egyptian media.”

  43. Arab League Rejects Trump’s Mideast Plan
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2110441/arab-league-rejects-trumps-mideast-plan

    “The Arab League rejected US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan at a meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo on Saturday, saying it would not lead to a just peace deal.

    The Arab League will not cooperate with the United States to execute the plan, a communique said. Israel should not to implement the initiative by force, it said.

    The pan-Arab bloc convened in Cairo days after the US unveiled its plan which is seen as favoring Israel.

    The meeting brought together Arab senior officials including Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, and the United Arab Emirates’ minister of state for foreign affairs.

    In a statement released afterwards, the League said it “rejects the US-Israeli ‘deal of the century’ considering that it does not meet the minimum rights and aspirations of Palestinian people.”

    Arab states also vowed “not to … cooperate with the US administration to implement this plan.”

    They insisted on a two-state solution that includes a Palestinian state based on borders before the 1967 Six-Day War – when Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza – and with east Jerusalem as its capital.

    The US plan suggests that Israel would retain control of the contested city of Jerusalem as its “undivided capital” and annex settlements on Palestinian lands.

    Trump said Palestinians would be allowed to declare a capital within annexed east Jerusalem.

    Abbas said on Saturday “there will be no relations” with Israel and the US including on security cooperation following their “disavowal of signed agreements and international legitimacy.”

    He said the Palestinians remain committed to ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a state with its capital in East Jerusalem.”

  44. Houthis possess weapons similar to Iran’s: UN report
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/588054/World/Mena/Houthis-possess-weaponssimilar-to-Irans-UN-report

    “Yemen’s Houthi rebels are in possession of new weapons similar to those produced in Iran, according to a UN report obtained by AFP on Friday, in potential violation of a UN arms embargo.

    The crisis in Yemen pits the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels against government forces supported by a Saudi-led military coalition.

    Some of the new weapons, which the rebels have possessed since 2019, “have technical characteristics similar to arms manufactured in Iran,” said the report, which was compiled by a panel of UN experts tasked with monitoring the embargo.

    The panel didn’t say whether the weapons were delivered to the Houthis directly by the Iranian government, which has repeatedly denied sending them arms.

    “In addition to the previously known weapon systems, they used a new type of Delta-design uncrewed aerial vehicle and a new model of land attack cruise missile,” the document said.

    The weapons, as well as commercially available parts constituting some of the weapons, potentially violated the embargo, according to the document.

    The experts separately added that the Houthi rebels’ claim that they carried out the attacks against two key Saudi oil installations on Sept.14 was “unlikely.”

    Several countries, including the United States, have ruled out the Houthis’ ability to conduct such an attack, and instead accused Iran, which has denied involvement.

    The panel additionally said that it had identified a “Houthi network involved in the repression of women who oppose the Huthis, including through the use of sexual violence.”

    “Violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law continued to be widely committed by all parties in Yemen with impunity,” the report said.

    The war in Yemen has claimed tens of thousands of lives, most of them civilians, according to non-governmental groups. — AFP”

  45. Sudanese youths accuse UAE security firm of duping them into protecting Libyan oil fields
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-security-firm-accused-luring-sudanese-emirate-protect-libya-oilfields

    “When Abdul Rahman Alzaki, who works as a teacher in Khartoum, read an advertisement last September looking for security guards in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a salary of around 8,000 AED ($2,175) per month, he thought his dreams had come true.

    The 34-year-old IT engineer, who was looking for a better life for his family, went to visit the Amanda travel agency in the centre of the Sudanese capital that had placed the advertisement.

    He was told the work was for the Emirati security firm Black Shields and would be located in Abu Dhabi or another UAE city.

    Following several job interviews, Alzaki paid around 80,000 Sudanese pounds ($950) to Amanda after he was told the 8,000 AED salary had been confirmed and that the travel agency would transport him to the UAE.

    He travelled to the Emirates on 19 January.

    However, Alzaki’s dream soon turned into a nightmare after he discovered that he would in fact be receiving three months of military training and then be sent to Libya, to protect oil refineries and strategic locations in the area held by the eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, or Yemen.

    Alzaki’s story is the same one for all 50 young Sudanese men who were evacuated from the UAE on Tuesday as a result of the exposure of the deception.

    The returnees disclosed that hundreds of their fellow nationals have been used by Black Shields to protect Emirati oilfields in Libya, as well as other facilities in war-torn Yemen.

    Around 3,000 Sudanese are believed to have been deceived by Black Shields, which sub-contracted companies such as Amanda to advertise for the Emirati company.

    Sudanese travel agencies in Khartoum working as sub-contractors for Black Shields have pocketed millions of Sudanese pounds from youths who answered the adverts amid high unemployment in Sudan.

    Middle East Eye approached Black Shields for comment but had received no reply at time of publication.

    ‘Human trafficking’
    Speaking to MEE on his arrival back at Khartoum airport on Tuesday, Alzaki said: “When we reached the Emirates we realised that we had been cheated, as the company had taken our passports, mobile phones and everything, and sent us to a military training camp called Zayed Military City.” The camp is located in Abu Dhabi.

    Alzaki’s sister Fayza told MEE she considered the deception a crime and called on Sudan’s government to stand with the victims.

    “I do believe what happened is a kind of an attempt to use the Sudanese youth as mercenaries,” she said.

    “This is clear human trafficking and this company should be held accountable for that.

    “Our transitional government is supposed to defend our rights and protect us and our dignity, especially after the Sudanese revolution.”

    MEE visited the Amanda travel agency in downtown Khartoum on Wednesday, but the agency was closed and phone calls to the manager “Hozaifa” and other employees of the agency went unanswered.

    Dozens of job seekers were waiting outside the agency in order to try to get their money back.

    Ayman Khalifa told MEE that he paid 5,000 Sudanese pounds ($55) to the agency as fees for a medical check.

    “Me and a lot of others here have paid part of the fees to the agency and given them our passports, but you see now we can’t get anything, it’s definitely a kind of cheating,” he said.

    Boraey Mohamed Ahmed believes that they have been subjected to extensive cheating by mafia companies working between the UAE and Sudan.

    “It’s not only about Amanda, as there are many travel agencies, advertising agencies and medical centres (to do the medical checks) who are all working together as one network to bring the people to Black Shields,” he said.

    Libya oilfields
    Wearing the official uniform of UAE army, Ahmed Mustafa told MEE that they had been told by their colleagues in the camp, and those who they met earlier during the interviews for the job, that they had been sent to work to protect oilfields in Libya, while others were sent to protect other facilities in Yemen after they finished the training.

    The UAE is among several countries supporting Haftar in his campaign to oust the UN-recognised government in Tripoli.

    “We made contact with the Black Shields company through the Sudanese sub-contracting agency called Amanda, and we paid between 80,000 and 120,000 Sudanese pounds ($950 to $1300),” said Mustafa.

    “However, immediately after we arrived in Sharjah airport, they took us to a military camp in the UAE and we understood that they were intending to send us to Libya.”

    For Mohamed Algizouli, another victim, the story dates back to last October when he read an advertisement placed by some travel agencies in Khartoum announcing that security guard job opportunities were available in the UAE.

    Algizouli told MEE that he paid all his savings of 120,000 Sudanese pounds ($1,300) to travel there and get the job, but he been devastated when he reached the UAE.

    “From day one when we arrived, the representative of Black Shields took all our belongings and prevented us from contacting anyone, so we become isolated in the military training camp of Zayed Military City,” he said.

    “After many complaints, they allowed us to open our phones to talk to our families for only one hour.

    “So we discovered everything and we knew from our colleagues who arrived in the UAE before us that they were now protecting the oilfield of Ras Lanuf in northern Libya, while others were sent to Yemen to protect some Emirate facilities there.”

    ‘Down, down UAE’
    Circulation of the story on social media has ignited protests against the UAE and its policies in Sudan and in the region.

    Thousands of Sudanese pro-democracy protesters have waged a wide campaign on social media against UAE policies, calling on the government to maintain the dignity of the Sudanese, especially after last year’s revolution.

    On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters demonstrated in front of the UAE embassy in Khartoum and the Sudanese ministry of foreign affairs, calling for the return of the Sudanese youths.

    The protesters have delivered a memorandum with their demands to the newly appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Omar Gamareldin. Gamareldin promised that all the victims will return to Sudan.

    The protesters chanted anti-Emirate slogans, and also called for the return of Sudanese soldiers from the war in Yemen.

    Last year, Sudan announced it was withdrawing the majority of its troops fighting alongside UAE forces in Yemen, with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok confirming that the country’s forces fighting there had been reduced to 5,000.

    “Where’s the Sudanese dignity, down, down UAE, the Prince Zayed (Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan) should fall,” the protesters chanted.

    ‘Exploiting the poverty of our youth’
    Protester Atif Ahmed told MEE that they would continue demonstrating in front of the embassy until all the Sudanese victims had returned from the UAE.

    “It’s totally unacceptable, after the sacrifices during the Sudanese revolution in order to maintain the dignity of the Sudanese people, that we see what is happening these days with the Emirate, it’s really a kind of humiliation for us,” he said.

    Marwa Hassan, another demonstrator, also criticised the policies of the UAE on Sudan and the region as whole.

    “Why do they want to use our people as mercenaries in Yemen and Libya, we have nothing to do with their interests in these countries, why are they exploiting the poverty of our youth to use them badly like this,” she shouted.

    For its part, the Sudanese government has said that it is closely monitoring the situation and is in contact with UAE authorities to guarantee the safety of the Sudanese youths.

    It also said that the issue would not affect ties between the two countries.

    “The Sudanese government is in intensive discussion with the UAE authorities to follow up on the situation of the Sudanese who are believed to have signed unclear contacts with a security firm in the UAE, some of whom were sent to Libya to work as security guards in the oil fields in Libya,” it said.”

  46. US election 2020: Some Muslims in Iowa will caucus in their own mosques
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-election-2020-iowa-muslims-caucus-mosques

    “As soon as communal prayers ended at a mosque in Des Moines on Friday, Imam Jaaphar Abdul Hamed turned to worshippers to remind them that the state’s caucuses to pick the Democratic presidential nominee is on Monday.

    Such announcements are a common fixture during election season, and are usually followed by instructions to find voters’ exact precinct on caucus night.

    But those who attended Friday prayers at the Muslim Community Organization were told that the mosque’s green and yellow building, along with four other Muslim houses of worship in the area, will host caucus-goers for the first time in the history of the state.

    Unlike a primary, participants don’t just vote and go. They have to stick around and try to solicit support for their candidate. That’s why the location of the caucus is especially important.

    They are typically held in schools, halls and churches, but this year, mosques have also been added to the list.

    The Democratic Party introduced the concept of “satellite caucuses” to make it easier for Iowans who cannot make it to their specific precinct to still participate in the process.

    “The satellite caucus allows participants to participate from locations where they are required to physically be on caucus night, as well as from locations where they may feel more familiar and comfortable,” the party says in its rules.

    Worshippers at the Muslim Community Organization seemed thrilled by the idea of politicking at their own mosque. They said caucusing at the venue could increase voter engagement, and the familiarity of the location could put participants at ease.

    ‘Safe environment’
    Sabriya Khan, a project manager who was at Friday prayers, said caucusing at mosques demonstrates the political presence of the Muslim community in Iowa.

    “It will help with Muslim turnout,” she told MEE. “I think it’s a way to show the relevance that we’ve already had, but we’ve had to prove so many times – that we are consequential.”

    She added that caucusing, which involves cheering, giving speeches and convincing undecideds to join one’s favourite candidate’s group can be an “intimidating process” that would be soothed by the “safer environment” at the mosque.

    “In this safe environment that we’re used to coming to amongst people who become your family, you are able to have more of an opinion in front of them,” Khan told Middle East Eye.

    Abdul Hamed, the imam of the mosque, echoed Khan’s comments. He said hosting the caucus on Monday would motivate Muslims who are sceptical of politics to participate in the elections.

    “Selecting this mosque to be a centre for the caucus is a step in the right direction because if you look at the majority of people that will come here, they are Muslims,” Abdul Hamed told MEE. “This is another way of involving Muslims in the political process.”

    Iowa, a mostly rural state of just over 3 million people, plays a major role in presidential elections as the first primary contest in the nation.

    Winning Iowa would be a major boost for the Democratic candidates looking to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the general elections.

    And with the typically low number of caucus-goers, which stood at 171,517 people in the 2016 Democratic contest, the state’s Muslim minority can play a role in choosing the winner on Monday night.

    Candidates seem to be aware of the weight of the Muslim vote and are courting the state’s Muslim community.

    A Bernie Sanders’ campaign volunteer stood outside the Muslim Community Organization on Friday asking worshippers leaving the building to choose the Vermont senator on Monday.

    Congresswoman Ilhan Omar also delivered a brief speech in favour of Sanders at the same mosque after Friday prayers.

    The 42 mosque
    The Muslim Community Organization, known locally as the 42 mosque because it sits on 42nd Street, is nestled between residential homes and a row of shops near downtown Des Moines.

    Even without a large dome and tall minaret – the distinctive architectural features of a mosque – its bright colours help it stand out in the neighbourhood where many snow-covered lawns have become a planting ground for presidential campaign yard signs.

    On Friday, the men’s prayer room was packed with more than 100 worshippers.

    Abdul Hamed told MEE that Islam encourages political involvement, stressing that there is “no contradiction” between the religious purpose of the mosque and its serving as a caucus location.

    “When the Prophet built his mosque, he didn’t build it just for salah (prayer),” the Imam said.

    “He built it for everything that has to be with the social life of the Muslim community during that time. That’s where he had the meetings, the shura (council), education. The mosque is a place for everything that concerns Muslims.”

    Imtiaz Khan, a Muslim worshiper, also said it was encouraging that Muslim Americans can participate in the political process “within the community” at their own mosque.

    “The masjid should be involved because even during the prophet’s time, all the decisions were made in the mosque,” Khan said.”

  47. Syrian rebel spokesperson arrested in France for war crimes
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syrian-rebel-spokesperson-arrested-france-war-crimes

    “A senior Syrian rebel commander suspected in the disappearance of a number of prominent human rights activists has been arrested in France.

    Islam Alloush – a former spokesperson for Jaish al-Islam, a group largely based in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta – was detained in the city of Marseille, a judicial source told AFP on Friday.

    The arrest follows the filing of a criminal complaint last year by human rights groups against members of Jaish al-Islam, accusing them of war crimes including torture and kidnapping…”

  50. China orders 200 mln masks from Turkey
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/china-orders-200-mln-masks-from-turkey-151627

    “China has put in orders for a total of 200 million protective face masks from Turkish medical firms over the past 10 days, as the country wrestles an outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

    Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Fatih Arpac?, a stakeholder in a medical firm based in Aegean ?zmir province, said as a “surprising” turnout of events, Chinese firms ordered a total of 200 million face masks in one go.

    “It is surprising to us as China is one of the biggest face mask producers in the world. Turkey produces a total of 150 million face masks in one year. But they wanted 200 million face masks,” he said.

    “Demands keep coming not only from China, but also from other countries such as Italy, the Netherlands, France, Poland and Germany. We work 24 hours a day to meet this demand. We also work on Sundays.” Arpac? said.

    As a respiratory illness, the virus can be transmitted through the air, with a protective mask covering the mouth and nose being a popular precaution against infection.

    With mask stocks dwindling in China, demand in the country for the face-gear has skyrocketed since the virus erupted late last year.

    One of the countries Beijing has turned to meet this demand was Turkey, where producers have since boosted activity.

    Arpac? said his company alone would make an initial shipment of 250,000 masks to China, adding that the requested numbers were very high, considering the firm’s capacity.

    China is one of the world’s biggest protective medical mask producers, but has lately been hard pressed to meet domestic demand.

    The novel coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan city in central China, is said to have been transmitted to humans from animals, particularly bats.

    The death toll in China from the novel coronavirus outbreak has climbed to 213, the National Health Commission said Friday.

    Some 9,692 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV, have been reported in China.

    The virus has raised alarms globally, with cases reported across Asia, Europe, the U.S. and Canada.

    Travelers from China are being screened for the virus at airports worldwide. Several airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan and other parts of China.

    At an emergency meeting Thursday, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international emergency.”