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.
Daesh re-imposes itself in Iraq with mobile groups
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200418-daesh-re-imposes-itself-in-iraq-with-mobile-groups/
“Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officials have warned that the killing of Daesh leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, in a US raid on 26 October did not undermine the group’s capabilities and threats.
The officials indicated that the group maintained the cohesion and integrity of its organisational structure and the leadership and control system within it. In addition, many of its branches are still practicing their military and security activities in several countries.
Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi replaced Al-Baghdadi, and the forces fighting Daesh depend on what is being rumoured about Al-Qurashi’s ineligibility to lead the group in the post-Al-Baghdadi period, and the continuing splits affecting the first row of the group’s leadership, which witnessed “systematic” differences between two intellectual trends after Al-Baghdadi failed to
To some extent, the group still enjoys relative freedom of movement through “mobile groups” that continue to launch low-level attacks in fragile security areas of Iraq and Syria, compared to its deadly attacks before taking control of the city of Mosul in northern Iraq in 2014, then its expansion to large areas in the two neighbouring countries, Iraq and Syria.
There are US doubts about Al-Qurashi’s ability to carry on the activities of the group’s fighters with an impressive momentum that draws the attention of the world to their presence and failure to defeat them, maintain the cohesion and unity of the group’s structure and prevent its disintegration.
In August 2018, the Pentagon reports indicated that Daesh still has at least 30,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
However, some figures released by US counterterrorism officials stated that the group still has at least 14,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria, after losing control over Al-Baghuz area in the Deir ez-Zor countryside, near the Syrian-Iraqi border in March 2019.
Other figures indicate that there are still more than 18,000 Daesh fighters, a few months after the group lost control over that area, which is the last region of its control in Iraq and Syria, after the events of Mosul in 2014.”
Crowd in Texas chants ‘fire Fauci’ at anti-lockdown protest
Lauren Edmonds
27-34 minutes
Protestors at an anti-lockdown rally in Texas yelled ‘fire Fauci’ in a targeted chant against President Trump’s top medical advisor, as thousands of Americans defied stay-at-home and social distancing orders at rallies.
Meanwhile, anti-Trump activists launched counter-protests outside of the president’s properties and laid body bags on the ground.
Hundreds of protestors gathered at the capitol building in Austin on Saturday to fight the state’s coronavirus stay-at-home orders. The Texas protest was organized by Owen Shroyer and attended by Alex Jones from Infowars.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8232457/Woman-organized-anti-lockdown-rally-New-Jersey-arrested-violating-stay-home-orders.html
Libya Foreign Ministry: ‘Britain stands with GNA’
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200418-libya-foreign-ministry-britain-stands-with-gna/
“The British government confirmed its support for the internationally-recognised Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, while expressing its support for the ongoing ceasefire efforts in the country.
This came during a telephone conversation between the British minister of state for the Middle East and North Africa, James Cleverly, and the GNA’s minister of foreign affairs, Mohamed Taher Siala, according to a statement issued by the Libyan Foreign Ministry on Thursday evening.
The ministry indicated that Cleverly stressed during the phone call that his country: “Stands by the legitimate government’s side, and supports the ceasefire implementation efforts.”
The two ministers deliberated over the latest developments regarding the battles on the ground, and discussed: “A sustainable ceasefire, as well as the harsh humanitarian and economic conditions facing the Libyans.”…”
Tens of thousands defy Bangladesh lockdown for imam’s funeral
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/4/18/tens-of-thousands-defy-bangladesh-lockdown-for-imams-funeral
“Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Bangladesh on Saturday for the funeral of a top Islamic preacher, despite a nationwide lockdown as coronavirus cases surge.
Police had agreed with the family of Jubayer Ahmad Ansari, that only 50 people would attend the funeral in the eastern town of Sarail because of the risk of spreading the disease.
But local police chief Shahadat Hossain said officers were helpless to stop the crowds who came to honour the 55-year-old popular preacher and seminary head, who died on Friday.
“People came in waves,” he told AFP.
Organisers said some 100,000 attended the funeral. Aide to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Shah Ali Farhad, also said more than 100,000 were present.
Bangladesh imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 26 as coronavirus spread across the country of 168 million people.
The health department said the number of cases had risen by more than 300 on Saturday to about 2,200, while nine more deaths in one day took the toll to 84.
Authorities have conducted few tests and experts say the number of cases is higher than officially recognised.
New rules ban more than five people taking part in prayers in the country’s 300,000 mosques…”
Yemen’s UAE-backed southern separatists warn of ‘imminent’ war with government
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/4/18/yemens-southern-separatists-warn-of-imminent-war-with-government
“Yemen’s Emirati-backed separatist movement, the Southern Transitionary Council (STC), warned on Friday that tensions with the Saudi-backed government are rising to the point where a war between the two sides is “imminent”.
In a statement, the STC said it had informed the ambassadors of major countries to Yemen as well at the UN envoy Martin Griffiths that: “The outbreak of war is imminent” after “violations by the government” that have prevented a “sustainable political agreement” between the two sides.
The STC accused the internationally-recognised government of attempting to regain control of southern governorates in violation of the ceasefire agreed in November.
The southern governorate of Abyan has witnessed unprecedented escalations in recent days, after the separatists sent hundreds of troops to the area in what it says was to “strengthen its sovereignty” against the government.
The STC also accuses the government of trying to regain control over Aden, which was seized by the secessionists in August in a brutal battle.
The Riyadh Agreement power-sharing deal agreed in November was designed to unify Saudi-backed government and UAE-backed separatist forces, but since March, frequent clashes have signalled the agreement is faltering.
Another source of tension has been the geostrategic Socotra island, where UAE-backed militias have clashes with government forces.
UAE’s involvement in Yemen, consisting of backing a wide range of southern separatist forces, is seen as an attempt to consolidate its influence over the Red Sea.
Meanwhile ceasefire negotiations between the government and the Houthi rebels is nearing completion despite continuing military activities on several fronts, Martin Griffiths said on Friday.
“We are redoubling our efforts to bridge the outstanding differences between the parties,” he said, adding that he feared fighting would continue on the ground until agreement was reached on the proposals.
The city of Marib, east of the capital of Sanaa, he said “remains the center of gravity of this war”.”
Moroccan Ambassador Announces 16 New Muslim Cemeteries in Italy
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/04/299955/moroccan-ambassador-announces-16-new-muslim-cemeteries-in-italy/
“The Moroccan Ambassador to Italy Youssef Bella announced yesterday the creation of 16 new cemeteries for Muslims who died from COVID-19 in Italy.
The creation of these burial spaces is the fruition of collaboration between the Moroccan embassy in Rome and the general consulates across Italy with Moroccan and Italian NGOs, this Bella told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
The 16 new Muslim burial spaces add to the 48 which existed prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, bringing the total number of Muslim cemeteries in the European country to 64.
The new cemeteries are located in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Lombardy, Campania, Sicily, Abruzzo, Sardinia, Piedmont, Veneto, and Alto-Adige.
This measure allows Italy’s Muslim community to bury their deceased family members in a religiously appropriate manner, after pandemic travel restrictions made it impossible for Muslim families to repatriate loved ones’ remains to their home countries, the ambassador added.
The Moroccan diplomat added that residents of the province of Lombardy can now bury their deceased in the cemetery of Milan, while the cemetery of Rome for Muslims receives COVID-19 victims from the whole country.
Bella emphasized on the engagement of Italian authorities in helping to croueate Muslim cemeteries. According to Bella, this reflects the esteem and respect that the Muslim community enjoys with Italians, as well as their integration into their local environment.
Meanwhile in neighboring France, the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) has submitted two official requests to the country’s authorities to make available burial spaces for Muslims who died from COVID-19 in the country.
The CFCM, as an elected body, is the highest public representative of Islam in France.
Without a solution on offer, CFCM President Mohamed Moussaoui said that Muslim families are living amid anxiety, worry, misunderstanding, and regret.
“Today we are facing a serious crisis which calls for urgent intervention by the public authorities,” Moussaoui added.
In the press release titled “Let’s not add to the pain of the families suffering from the inability to honor their deceased,” the CFCM urged bereaved families who face difficulties finding burial places to immediately approach the Regional Council of the CFCM via its platform at 01 45 23 81 39.
Morocco’s efforts
Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Residing Abroad (MREs) announced on April 3 its decision to cover the funeral costs of low-income MREs and of those who do not have Islamic funeral insurance.
The diplomatic move follows the prohibition of international travel to and from Morocco, leaving MREs who die abroad without customary funeral services and burial ceremonies in their home country.
“This new measure aims to adapt the mechanism for the repatriation of remains to current conditions, with the aim of providing all the support to the MRE and their families during this particular conjuncture, which requires that everyone demonstrates the spirit of citizenship, responsibility, solidarity, and understanding,” the ministry explained in a statement.
In a similar initiative, the Consulate General of Morocco in New York City expressed solidarity with Moroccan expatriates living in the US amid the pandemic. The consulate announced in an April 6 statement that it will cover funeral costs for low-income members of the Moroccan diaspora who die from COVID-19.
The Moroccan consulate added that it will also cover the cost of funerals for expatriates who do not have insurance in the US.”
Turkey ‘neutralizes’ 3 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-neutralizes-3-pkk-terrorists-in-northern-iraq-153985
“Turkish fighter jets “neutralized” three PKK terrorists as part of counter-terrorism operations in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on April 18.
The terrorists, who were detected by reconnaissance and surveillance activities, were neutralized in Avashin-Basyan region of northern Iraq, the ministry said on Twitter.
“Our anti-terror operations against the PKK terror group continues resolutely,” said the ministry.
Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralized” in statements to imply terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
PKK terrorists often take shelter in northern Iraq to plan cross-border terrorist attacks in Turkey.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.”
Coronavirus outbreak in Sweden raises fears of ‘blind spot’ in some communities
https://www.thelocal.se/20200418/swedens-foreign-population-more-at-risk-of-the-coronavirus
“eople in Sweden with foreign backgrounds are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, according to the country’s Public Health Agency, raising fears that a “blind spot” is masking the spread of the coronavirus in some communities.
Earlier this week, the country’s Public Health Agency reported that Somali-born residents in Sweden were over-represented among those in need of hospital care for COVID-19, as were people born in Eritrea, Finland, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and the former Yugoslavia.
“For us the main signal is really that we need to reach those groups better with different kinds of messages to help protect them,” state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told AFP, conceding that authorities don’t know the reason for their over-representation.
Stockholm accounts for over 40 percent of Sweden’s more than 13,000 COVID-19 cases.
Figures released last week by the capital showed that some poorer neighbourhoods had up to three times as many cases per capita.
Those municipalities are home to several of Sweden’s “vulnerable areas,” a designation originally assigned by Swedish police to socio-economically disadvantaged areas with high levels of crime.
More than 550,000 people live in these 61 areas, according to a 2019 report commissioned by the local rights group the Global Village.
On average 74 percent of people in these areas had immigrant backgrounds, meaning they or both their parents were born abroad. The national average was 24.9 percent.
Local authorities have therefore been stepping up information efforts in these areas, distributing material in 26 languages other than Swedish.
Reaching out
In a municipal building in Jakobsberg — a suburb northwest of Stockholm — a group of seven teenagers are preparing to walk their rounds in the neighbourhood to inform locals of the risks of COVID-19 and what they need to do to limit its spread.
Donning green vests, they head out into the April sun, carrying flyers with information about the disease and taking up positions on streets and squares to approach pedestrians.
“Primarily we are trying to reach those who might not understand what gets reported in the Swedish news,” 17-year-old Mustafa Jasem tells AFP.
“There are some areas here in Jakobsberg that are vulnerable, that have problems, and where news and information doesn’t reach,” Warda Abdalla, also 17, adds.
Teenagers hired by the municipality hand out information flyers in different languages to local people on April 9, 2020 in Jakobsberg, near Stockholm: AFP
The flyers are in various languages: Russian, Finnish, Arabic, Tigrinya, Somali and Persian to name a few.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the teenagers worked for the municipality, meeting once or twice a week for outreach projects as “youth ambassadors”.
Sofia Quell, the local coordinator for segregation and integration, says the youth ambassadors are just one way authorities are trying to connect with hard-to-reach groups.
“It’s not just about printing the information in different languages, but also about figuring out which channels of information people are comfortable with,” she explains, adding they also rely on sporting clubs and cultural organisations to improve communication.
Teenagers hired by the municipality prepare information flyers in different languages to hand out to local people in Jakobsberg, near Stockholm: AFP
‘Blind spot’
Information is key to Sweden’s strategy, as the country has not imposed the harsh lockdown orders seen elsewhere in Europe.
It has instead urged citizens to take responsibility and practice social distancing. Authorities have also banned gatherings of more than 50 people and barred visits to nursing homes, but have not closed shops, bars and restaurants, and primary schools remain open.
In late March, the Swedish-Somali Medical Association reported that of the first 15 deaths in Stockholm, six were people of Somali origin.
Jihan Mohamed, a doctor and association board member, told broadcaster SVT that information had not been available in Somali early on.
But she said there were other reasons why that group might be at particular risk.
While Sweden has one of Europe’s highest rates of single-person households, in the Somali community “multiple generations can live in the same apartment and that can be a factor.
“At the same time we know that public health is generally worse in vulnerable areas,” she noted.
Hamid Zafar, an Afghan-born former school principal in Gothenburg, agreed, writing in an op-ed in newspaper Goteborgs-Posten that lack of information was not the main problem.
Rather, Zafar argued it was authorities’ lack of insight into cultural differences.
He noted for instance that the recommendation to refrain from visiting elderly relatives would be inconceivable among certain immigrant communities.
A distrust of authorities could also play a role, but the authorities’ real “blind spot” was that immigrant communities sometimes have their own social networks, power hierarchies and authority figures.
He also noted that Swedish authorities strongly discouraged people from travelling at Easter, but failed to mention the risks of cramped housing or living with elderly relatives.”
44 suspected Boko Haram jihadis found dead in Chad prison
https://www.dw.com/en/44-suspected-boko-haram-jihadis-found-dead-in-chad-prison/a-53176232
“In Chad, 44 suspected members of the jihadi group Boko Haram have been found dead following a recent arrest. Coroners have said they suspect the prisoners ingested a substance to cause heart and breathing complications.
A group of 44 suspected members of the jihadi group Boko Haram were found dead in prison in Chad’s capital city of N’Djamena on Saturday, the AFP news agency reported, citing police authorities.
The dead were among 58 suspected jihadis who were arrested during a recent operation against the Boko Haram carried out near Lake Chad, the country’s chief prosecutor Yousssouf Tom said on national television.
“Following the fighting around Lake Chad, 58 members of Boko Haram had been taken prisoner and sent to Ndjamena for the purposes of the investigation,” he said.
“On Thursday morning, their jailers told us that 44 prisoners had been found dead in their cell,” Tom said.
Initial signs point to mass suicide
An investigation to determine how they died is underway, the prosecutor said. Autopsies had already been conducted on four bodies. Coroners suspect the prisoners ingested a “deadly substance” that induced heart and breathing complications.
The 58 suspects were scheduled to go before a criminal court on Thursday.
The recent operation near Lake Chad was carried out between March 31 and April 8 in response to a large-scale attack on an army base near the lake that left 100 soldiers dead. At least 52 soldiers and 1,000 jihadists were killed in the counter-operation.
Many Boko Haram fighters have hideouts in the area around Lake Chad, where they also have access to the neighboring countries of Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger.
Since 2009, the jihadi group has fought to establish an Islamic state in northeast Nigeria. The fighting has resulted in some 35,000 deaths and displacement for over 2 million people in the region in recent years.”
“Slogans of the Party: “War is peace / freedom is slavery [and] ignorance is strength.” – Comrade Mayor
@BilldeBlasio
is ready to help KGB you ass into jail!”
Tony Shaffer – April 18, 2020
https://twitter.com/T_S_P_O_O_K_Y/status/1251564847025860608
Bill de Blasio – Discover the Networks
https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/bill-de-blasio/
Bill de Blasio – KeyWiki
https://www.keywiki.org/Bill_de_Blasio
“Doctors banned from prescribing potential COVID-19 drug”
Brisbane Times – Lydia Lynch – April 8, 2020
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/doctors-banned-from-prescribing-potential-covid-19-drug-20200408-p54ic1.html
“‘RESIST’ crowd freaks out over the word LIBERATE”
by Dianny – April 18, 2020
http://patriotretort.com/resist-crowd-freaks-out-over-the-word-liberate/
“Retirement funds for federal, military retirees may soon be investing in China defense firms” by Christine Dolan – April 15, 2020
https://justthenews.com/government/security/pension-funds-federal-military-retirees-may-soon-be-investing-china-defense
“FULL VIDEO: Mountain goats take over Welsh town in coronavirus lockdown”
EnterTainMent – March 31, 2020