Reader’s Links for May 23, 2020

Daily Links Post graphic

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

82 Replies to “Reader’s Links for May 23, 2020”

  1. Egypt Security Forces Kill 21 Militants in North Sinai
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2298506/egypt-security-forces-kill-21-militants-north-sinai

    “Egypt said Saturday that security forces killed 21 militants in two separate raids in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula.

    The Interior Ministry said the militants were plotting attacks during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which begins Sunday and marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

    It said two Egyptian officers were wounded in the raids.

    It said security forces exchanged fire with extremists as they stormed a farm used as a hideout, killing at least 14 militants. In a simultaneous raid, security forces killed seven militants in a shootout as they stormed a house used as a hideout in another area, the ministry said. It added that police found weapons, explosive devices and suicide belts.

    Egypt has been battling militants in the northern part of Sinai Peninsula for years, but the insurgency became far more deadly after the 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, amid nationwide protests against his brief rule.

    An ISIS affiliate based in the Sinai has carried out high-profile attacks in recent years, mainly targeting security forces and Egypt’s Christian minority.”

  2. Migrant laborers in Qatar protest over unpaid wages
    https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/593467/World/Mena/Migrant-laborers-in-Qatar-protest-over-unpaid-wages

    “Scores of migrant laborers took to the streets in one of the neighborhoods of the capital Doha late on Friday in protest over unpaid wages.

    The images and videos of the protest posted on social media platforms prompted the government to acknowledge it.

    On Saturday the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affair issued a statement, saying: “In response to the late settlement of salaries, a small number of expatriate workers conducted a peaceful protest in the Msheireb area on May 22.

    The ministry said it was investigating the incident in coordination with competent bodies and will ensure employers pay the wages in the next few days.

    “Following an immediate investigation (the ministry) has taken steps to ensure that all salaries will be promptly paid in the coming days, the ministry said in the statement carried by state news agency QNA.

    The ministry said it would impose penalties against companies violating the labour law, the agency added without details.

    “The Development Ministry calls on employers and companies to necessarily follow its instructions on their legal obligations during the virus outbreak,” the ministry said.

    Expatriate workers make up for 90 percent of Qatar’s population as the country completes dozens of mega-projects ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

    But the coronavirus and its devastating economic impact have left many workers sick and others unemployed, unpaid and at the mercy of employers, according to an AFP report. — Agencies”

  3. Tunisia: Migrant boat capsizes off coast, leaves one dead and six missing
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/migrant-boat-capsizes-tunisia-coast-leaves-one-dead-and-six-missing

    “A boat from Tunisia carrying migrants bound for Italy capsized on Saturday, leaving one person dead, Tunisian authorities said, adding that six other people were missing at sea.

    The boat sank off the coast of Thyna near the port of Sfax in the morning, Moez Triaa, a spokesman for Tunisia’s civil protection unit, told AFP.

    A total of 20 people were on board the stricken boat, he said. The body of one of them was retrieved from the sea while search operations were underway for six other passengers, Triaa added.

    He said that authorities arrested 11 people aboard the vessel, while two others managed to escape.

    Thousands of young Tunisians and sub-Saharan Africans attempt the often-deadly sea crossing to Europe each year, driven by high unemployment at home…”

  4. Turkey envoy slams US senators for Uyghurs comments
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200523-turkey-envoy-slams-us-senators-for-uyghurs-comments/

    “Turkey’s Ambassador to US, Serdar Kilic, hit back Friday at two American senators for comments regarding Ankara’s treatment of Uyghurs.

    Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Jim Risch, shared a news report on Twitter that claimed Ankara reversed some of its support for Uyghurs and Turkish police are questioning refugees fleeing China’s crackdown.

    “It’s shameful that Turkey assists China in violating Uyghur human rights,” the Idaho Republican said in remarks accompanying the tweet Wednesday.

    In retort to Risch, Kilic said:

    Senator, common sense based on facts and realities suggest that what really shameful is to see the Chairman of such an important Committee subscribe to unsubstantiated and biased allegations incriminating a key Ally, without even questioning whether there is any truth into them.

    Massachusetts Democratic Senator Edward Markey shared the same report Thursday and accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “abusing extradition requests to target his critics around the world.”

    “As Beijing pushes its own extradition and intimidation campaign against minorities, Turkey should rededicate itself to the protection of persecuted Uyghurs,” wrote Markey.

    In his response to Markey, Kilic regretted that “some” Congress members are quick to appeal to biased allegations against Turkey.

    Believe me Mr Senator, nothing can match the level of abuse Turkey and Turkish authorities are subjected to by some members on the Hill. This tweet clearly displays yet again that some of them don’t even hesitate to subscribe to unsubstantiated and biased allegations to that end,

    Kilic replied on Twitter.”

  5. Libya’s grand mufti thanks Qatar, Turkey
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200523-libyas-grand-mufti-thanks-qatar-turkey/

    “Libya’s Grand Mufti Sadiq Al-Ghariani thanked Qatar and Turkey for their support of the Libyan people’s stability. In contrast, he attacked the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accusing it of killing Libyans with its drones in support of the militias of the coupist Major General Khalifa Haftar.

    “I salute the prince, government, and people of the brotherly country Qatar, as it has been supporting the Libyan people all this time, and ever since the outbreak of the blessed revolution (in 2011). Qatar has a clear position. It sincerely seeks stability, bringing parties together and reformation,” announced Al-Ghariani in a video published on the Libyan Fatwa House’s Facebook page on Wednesday evening.

    He continued: “May Allah reward Qatar with good, as it has made its best. May Allah reward it best for what it has provided to us. I also salute and thank the president, government, and people of the brotherly country Turkey, especially after signing the joint security cooperation agreement with the legitimate Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA).”

    “This agreement is a successful step. Unfortunately, it is late. It would have been better if it was signed during the first month of battles so that we could have avoided the convoys of the martyrs when UAE’s aircraft were flying (over Libya) for eight or nine months,” added Al-Ghariani.

    He further indicated: “May Allah reward the Turkish president with good. He has implemented this agreement’s requirements at the best, bearing the suffering, hostility, and an internal and external confrontation from the opposition that has attacked him.”

    “The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and major and European countries have waged a fierce economic and political war against the Turkish currency and economy to turn the Turkish people against their president,” pointed out Libya’s grand mufti.

    He noted: “Nevertheless, the Turkish president, may Allah reward him well, is a statesman who knows what he wants. He knew that among Turkey’s interests is supporting just causes wherever they are. Therefore, he supported the Libyan issue with all that he could, and he moved between capitals in support of the Libyan issue. The Turkish president gave the agreement a legal legitimacy that no one can challenge, and he registered it at the United Nations.”

    The grand mufti recommended that: “We must stand with them, and deal positively with the other terms of the agreement towards them. Turkey should have a priority in our economic relations, security cooperation, and oil and gas exploration, as it has priority before any other country.”

    In contrast, Al-Ghariani attacked the UAE, stating that it claims: “It wants stability and reconciliation, but it is sending us drones and killing our people.””

  6. Libya’s Haftar seeks to rouse forces against Turkey
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security/libyas-haftar-seeks-to-rouse-forces-against-turkey-idUSKBN22Z0W1

    “Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar called on his forces on Saturday to rally against Turkey, which has helped his Tripoli-based rivals turn the tide of a military conflict around the capital.

    Recent advances by forces aligned with the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), including the seizure of a key air base, have thrown a year-long offensive on Tripoli by Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) into jeopardy.

    They have also drawn a threat by the LNA, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, to carry out a massive air campaign in retaliation.

    On Saturday the GNA forces pressed forward in some outlying districts of Tripoli, where they say they have had to pick their way through mines and other explosive devices laid by the LNA.

    The LNA said it had withdrawn from some areas, but had also staged an ambush at Yarmouk military camp in Tripoli and killed or captured rival combatants.

    Haftar, in an audio message addressed to his forces, urged them to battle the “colonial” intervention by Turkey until its defeat, in a reference to one-time Ottoman control of Libya.

    “You are creating glory while fighting the odious coloniser greedy for our wealth,” he said. “And you are waging war on all fronts, a war in which there is nothing but victory.”

    Haftar’s comments were released as U.S. President Donald Trump appealed for a rapid de-escalation of the conflict in Libya in a call with Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan.

    Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said separately his country had “changed the balance” in Libya and averted a “full-blown civil war.”

    “The only solution in Libya is a political solution and Haftar needs to understand this,” he said in a TV interview.”

  7. Syrian doctor in Germany accused of war crimes
    https://www.thelocal.de/20200523/syrian-doctor-in-germany-accused-of-war-crimes

    “A Syrian doctor living in Germany is being investigated on suspicion of carrying out crimes against humanity at a military hospital in the war-torn country.

    Federal prosecutors suspect the man of beating and torturing men arrested by the Syrian regime while working as a doctor in the hospital in the city of Homs, a report in Spiegel magazine Friday said.

    The federal prosecutor’s office in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe declined to comment when approached by AFP.

    The man, identified only as Hafiz A., reportedly moved to Germany in 2015 and now lives and works as a doctor in the state of Hesse.

    Two witnesses told investigators that the man and a colleague withheld medication from an epileptic patient and then forced him to take a pill that caused his condition to rapidly deteriorate.

    The doctor and other men finally beat the patient to death, the witnesses have alleged. His family is said to have found his body the next day with bloody wounds on his face and holes in his skull.

    Two further witnesses, former doctors at the military hospital, said the man had also intentionally operated on an opponent of the regime without anaesthetic.

    He is also alleged to have poured alcohol onto another man’s genitals and then set him on fire.

    The accused has informed his lawyer that he denies all the accusations, the report said.

    According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, at least 60,000 people have been killed under torture or as a result of terrible conditions in detention centres since the start of the uprising against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in March 2011.

    In April, the first court case worldwide over state-sponsored torture by the Assad regime opened in Germany.

    The two defendants are being tried on the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows a foreign country to prosecute crimes against humanity.

    Germany has taken in more than 700,000 Syrian refugees since the start of the conflict.”

  8. Anti-anti-lockdown | German police water-cannons Antifa counter-protesters in Hamburg

    Hamburg police made several arrests and deployed water cannons against Antifa counter-protesters participating in an unauthorized rally against anti-lockdown demonstrators.

    + comments on the YT page

  9. EU agency wants ‘IS’ returnees charged with war crimes
    https://www.dw.com/en/eu-agency-wants-is-returnees-charged-with-war-crimes/a-53546679

    “A new report from an EU-backed genocide investigation body says adding war crimes and genocide to terrorism charges for ‘IS’ fighters returning to the EU will lead to tougher sentences and “more justice” for victims.

    Former “Islamic State” (IS) fighters who returned to Europe from conflicts in Iraq and Syria should be charged with war crimes along with terrorism, said a report released Saturday by the EU-backed “Genocide Network.”

    According to the network, many so-called returning foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) affiliated with IS only face charges under domestic terrorism laws in their EU home countries, which come with a statute of limitations that sets a time limit to prosecution.

    However, “core international crimes,” like genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes, can be prosecuted without a statute of limitations and be added to domestic terrorism charges. Culminating charges can lead to stiffer sentencing, the report said.

    The Genocide Network said in the report that the legal basis for prosecuting former IS members should be amended, arguing the group’s activities in Iraq and Syria fulfilled legal criteria under international humanitarian law as an “organized non-state armed group.”

    “Therefore, its members and foreign terrorist fighters could be responsible for committing war crimes and other core international crimes.”

    Tougher sentences

    The Genocide Network is supported by Eurojust, an EU agency based in the Hauge comprised of prosecutors from member states.

    Eurojust said 20 cases that went to trial following this procedure in five countries, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, led to “significantly higher” sentences.

    In one example, a German jihadist who posted a video of himself cutting the ears and nose of a dead Syrian soldier was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison for the war crime of “outrage upon personal dignity.”

    In another case, a Dutch jihadist fighter was sentenced to over seven years in the Netherlands for sharing a picture of himself on Facebook laughing next to a crucified man.

    EU solidarity on genocide

    The report also cited a study from 2018 by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation based in London estimating there were over 13,000 people in Europe associated with IS, including former fighters, women, and children.

    The report coincides with Saturday’s “5th EU Day against Impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

    On the “5th EU Day against Impunity, we show the world that we care — not only about European citizens, but about humanity as a whole. It is our joint responsibility to bring justice to the countless victims and people affected by armed conflicts,” Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran?said in a press release Saturday.”

  10. Eid Message from The Royal Family

    The Earl and Countess of Wessex were pleased to join volunteers at Shah Jahan Mosque on Thursday, where they helped pack food parcels and recorded this message.

  11. (Not from a position of supplication, but of strength and unity.)
    Eid Greetings from [Israeli] Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin (Likud) at the Knesset in Arabic 20 May 2020 [and at the end in Hebrew: Happy Holidays!]