Reader’s Links for October 26, 2020

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

141 Replies to “Reader’s Links for October 26, 2020”

  1. Saagar Enjeti: Wall Street Billionaire CAUGHT Paying Epstein Millions After Visiting Private Island

  2. Vanity Fair Writer Suggests Amy Coney Barrett Would Support Executing Women Who Get Abortions

    A Vanity Fair writer is trying to suggest Judge Amy Coney Barrett could possibly see “a scenario in which abortion should be punishable by death” because the Supreme Court nominee did what any fair-minded judge should do and refuse to answer how she would rule in hypotheticals.

    Vanity Fair’s Bess Levin called Barrett’s refusal to say how she would rule in hypothetical cases before any slightly similar case came before her a “schtick,” even though just about every previous Supreme Court nominee has said something similar. Barrett even quoted Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan’s confirmation hearings in which she said the same. Kagan’s refusal to answer hypotheticals was based on former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s own statement from her 1993 confirmation hearings, in which she said during her opening statement that a nominee should give “no hints, no previews, no forecasts” about legal issues they might face before the court. Of course, Ginsburg didn’t strictly adhere to that “rule,” offering hints, previews, and forecasts as to how she would rule on numerous hot-button issues including abortion.

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/vanity-fair-writer-suggests-amy-coney-barrett-would-support-executing-women-who-get-abortions

    • Vanity Fair – who reads it anymore? who pays for it?
      A toy for some “prog” oligarch.
      Like The Atlantic, now owned by Steve Jobs’ widow.

  3. The Coming Taiwan Test
    Joe Biden is a sure bet to fail it.
    by Jed Babbin

    Most presidents are tested by a foreign policy crisis soon after they are elected. On April 1, 2001 — less than three months into George W. Bush’s first term — a Chinese fighter, after making two dangerously close passes, rammed a U.S. Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft over international waters, causing it to make an emergency landing on China’s Hainan Island.

    The Chinese pilot was killed, but the U.S. crew survived and were held hostage by the Chinese until a vaguely worded statement by the Bush administration placated China sufficiently to release them.

    The Beijing regime of Xi Jinping, having crushed the last element of democracy in Hong Kong, is ratcheting up its threats against democratic Taiwan to a level unseen in decades. China believes Taiwan to be a renegade province that should be forced to submit itself to the Beijing government.

    The next test — for Trump or Biden — is likely to be over Taiwan.

    https://spectator.org/the-coming-taiwan-test/

  4. Hunter Biden Is Just the Tip of the China Iceberg
    Beneath lie serious threats to the security of our tech and military information.

    Thanks to a statement from a former Hunter Biden associate and leaked emails that were never supposed to see the light of day, we now know that former Vice President Joe Biden may have been involved in his son’s business dealings with China. This is concerning, since one of his affiliated investment firms directly supported a Chinese company accused of the espionage of nuclear technology in the United States.

    This episode demonstrates the great lengths to which China seems willing to go to influence U.S. public policy and get ahead of its military. But this example is far from an anomaly. It only scratches the surface of what the People’s Republic has been doing to counter American military superiority for years.

    https://spectator.org/biden-china-nasa/

  5. Biden Says He Will Collaborate With China If Elected
    By Allen Zhong
    October 26, 2020 Updated: October 26, 2020
    Print

    Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said he will collaborate with China in two major areas.

    “Our approach to China will focus on boosting American competitiveness, revitalizing our strengths at home, and renewing our alliances and leadership abroad,” the former vice president wrote in an article published on Oct. 22 in a lesser-known Chinese newspaper in New York.

    “We’ll work to collaborate with China when it’s in our interest, including on public health and climate change.”

    He made a similar commitment during the presidential debate with President Donald Trump on the same day.

    “I’m going to rejoin Paris Accord and make China abide by what they agreed to,” he said.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/biden-says-he-will-collaborate-with-china-if-elected_3552985.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2020-10-26-2

  6. Joe Biden Should Be Getting Nervous – The FBI Just Requested An Interview With Hunter Partner Bobulinski

    Joe Biden Should Be Getting Nervous – The FBI Just Requested An Interview With Hunter Partner Bobulinski
    By Adam Casalino|October 23, 2020
    Joe Biden Should Be Getting Nervous – The FBI Just Requested An Interview With Hunter Partner Bobulinski
    Share
    What’s Happening:

    Joe Biden might think the Hunter bombshell story is safely buried.

    After all, the MSM has done their best to sweep it under the rug.

    But that doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, things are heating up, bigly.

    Hunter’s former partner, Tony Bobulinksi, emerged to provide documents that seem to back up what was on the laptop.]

    He has even offered to meet with the FBI to tell them everything he knows.

    https://thepatriotjournal.com/biden-fbi-request-interview/?utm_source=gjwhg&utm_medium=email

  7. Chinese Company Gave $5 Million ‘Forgivable’ Loan to Biden Family”: Emails
    By Adam
    October 24, 2020
    or some families, ‘public service’ pays very, very well. One of those families looks to be the Bidens.

    According to an email sent to ‘Sinohawk’ CEO Tony Bobulinski, that has been provided to U.S. Senate investigators, a top official with the now-bankrupt Chinese energy company CEFC, offered to wire $10 million into an account. $5 million of that was to be designated as a non-secured, forgivable loan to the BD (Biden) family.

    Peter Schweizer says this gives the Chinese significant leverage over the Biden family.

    https://insidescooppolitics.com/archives/2957

  8. Code Name ‘Project Hanson’: Insider Documents Reveal How Hunter Biden Associates Helped Chinese Military Contractor Acquire Michigan Dual-Use Manufacturer

    In September 2015, the Obama-Biden administration approved the sale of a strategically sensitive Michigan manufacturer, Henniges Automotive, to a firm connected to Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and a Chinese military contractor that was on an American watch list because of its close ties to the People’s Liberation Army. Hunter Biden’s equity fund, backed by the Communist Chinese government, and the Chinese contractor, Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), needed special approval for the deal from the Committee of Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) because Henniges produced technology with potential military use.

    AVIC entities have been sanctioned by the United States on five separate occasions since 1993 and the addition to the watch list–a major red flag—occurred less than a year-and-a-half before they co-purchased Henniges with the Biden-led Chinese joint venture known as Bohai Harvest RST (BHR). The fact that CFIUS approved the deal is alarming given that Henniges owns numerous facilities in the United States that are now controlled by a Chinese military front company.

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/10/23/code-name-project-hanson-insider-documents-reveal-how-hunter-biden-associates-helped-chinese-military-contractor-acquire-michigan-dual-use-manufacturer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+breitbart+%28Breitbart+News%29

  9. Cross-Border Terrorism Unacceptable, S Jaishankar During India-US Joint Talks | Breaking News

  10. Yemeni Drones Hit Airbase in Southwest Saudi Arabia
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/10/26/2376607/yemeni-drones-hit-airbase-in-southwest-saudi-arabia

    “The Yemeni military carried out retaliatory attacks on an airbase in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern province of Asir, using domestically-manufactured combat drones.

    Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, told Yemen’s al-Masirah television that “the attack hit aircraft hangars accurately”.

    “The attack was in response to the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and blockade on the Yemeni people,” he added.

    The airbase, which is located in the vicinity of Khamis Mushait City, belongs to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).

    Yemeni forces regularly target positions inside Saudi Arabia in retaliation for the Saudi-led war on Yemen, which began in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall a former regime and eliminate the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

    According to estimates by the US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), the Saudi-led war has killed more than 60,000 Yemenis since January 2016.”

  11. Islamic Awakening Assembly Blasts Insult to Prophet Muhammad
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/10/26/2376618/islamic-awakening-assembly-blasts-insult-to-prophet-muhammad

    “The World Assembly of Islamic Awakening condemned the offensive actions and remarks made in France about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Islam.
    In a statement on Sunday, Secretary-General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening Ali Akbar Velayati denounced the insults to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the 21st century as “modern bigotry”.

    After the international condemnation of a French magazine’s move to publish defamatory cartoons of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, the dual-standards resulted in the promotion of such heretical and anti-religious ideology in the educational system of France, the statement added.

    The assembly also described extremism and insults to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as two sides of a coin used by Zionism and the global arrogance against Islam.

    The unforgivable sin committed in France in the guise of freedom of expression and modernity has harmed the feelings of Muslims and advocates of freedom and justice in the world, the statement added, saying it will lead to stronger Muslim unity.

    The World Assembly of Islamic Awakening condemns such a grave crime and insult, and calls on all Muslims to remain vigilant and thwart the anti-Islamic plots, it concluded.

    In recent weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron has attacked Islam and the Muslim community, accusing Muslims of “separatism,” and claiming that “Islam is a religion in crisis all over the world.”

    Macron has also approved the publication of blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Muhammad and stressed that his country would not give up the insulting cartoons despite harsh criticisms from Muslims.

    Moreover, French teacher Samuel Paty raised controversy last week and provoked anger over showing defamatory cartoons of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad to his students. Paty was decapitated by an 18-year-old assailant, identified as Chechen Abdullakh Anzorov, who was shot dead by police soon after the killing.

    Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has censured attempts by French politicians to link Muslims and Islam with terrorism, amid growing anti-Islam sentiment due to hostile policies adopted by the European state.

    The French interior ministry said a total of 73 mosques, private schools, and workplaces had been shut down since January “in the fight against radicalization.”

    Last week, French police stormed a mosque in a densely-populated suburb in the northeast of Paris, as part of a crackdown on Muslims in the wake of the French teacher’s beheading.

    The interior ministry said the mosque in Pantin, which has some 1,500 worshipers, would be shut for six months.”

    Macron’s Anti-Islam Comments Sign of His Political Crudeness: Iran’s Shamkhani
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/10/26/2376853/macron-s-anti-islam-comments-sign-of-his-political-crudeness-iran-s-shamkhani

    “Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani lambasted French President Emmanuel Macron for attacking Islam, saying that his disrespect for the divine religion is an indication of “his crudeness in politics”.

    “Macron’s irrational behavior in public #AntiIslamism shows his crudeness in politics, otherwise he would not have dared to embrace Islam in his quest for leadership in #Europe. I suggest that he read more history and not rejoice in the support of a declining America & #Zionism,” Shamkhani tweeted on Monday…”

  12. Negotiating Table A Trap, Iran’s Top General Warns
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/10/26/2376930/negotiating-table-a-trap-iran-s-top-general-warns

    “The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces slammed the enemy’s bid for negotiations with Iran as a tactic to force the Islamic Republic to surrender to the US.

    Addressing a videoconference on civil defense on Monday, Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri dismissed the idea of negotiations with the US as a nonstarter.

    “The enemy’s purpose is to make the Iranian nation cave in to the strategies and polices imposed by the US,” the general warned.

    “They want to bring Iran to the negotiating table, but the result of such negotiations has been already determined, and that is Iran’s surrender to the US,” Major General Baqeri added.

    The top commander underscored that capitulation runs completely counter to the goals of the Islamic Republic.

    Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected the idea of direct negotiations with the US, stressing that Washington must first resume honoring its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and lift the sanctions on Tehran.

    Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has ruled out the notion that ‘settlement of Iran’s problems hinges on rapprochement with the US.’

    Negotiation with the US will by no means solve Iran’s woes as Washington’s main objective is to hinder Iran’s progress, American officials are liar and deceitful, and, moreover, the US itself is plagued with crises, Imam Khamenei said in 2016.”

  13. Arab Coalition Destroys Armed Houthi Drone Fired at Saudi Arabia
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2587021/arab-coalition-destroys-armed-houthi-drone-fired-saudi-arabia

    “The Saudi-led Arab coalition intercepted and destroyed on Monday an armed drone fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen towards Saudi Arabia.

    Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki accused the terrorist Houthis of deliberately aiming the aircraft at civilian locations in southern regions of the Kingdom.”

  14. US Issues Fresh Iran-Related Sanctions Targeting State Oil Sector
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2587961/us-issues-fresh-iran-related-sanctions-targeting-state-oil-sector

    “The United States on Monday imposed fresh Iran-related sanctions targeting the country’s oil sector, including the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum, in Washington’s latest action to increase pressure on Tehran.

    The US Treasury Department in a statement said it was slapping sanctions on key actors in Iran’s oil sector for supporting the Quds Force, the foreign paramilitary and espionage arm of the Revolutionary Guard Corps blacklisted by the United States.

    “The regime in Iran uses the petroleum sector to fund the destabilizing activities of the IRGC-QF,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

    Tensions between Washington and Tehran have soared since Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal struck by his predecessor President Barack Obama and began reimposing US sanctions that had been eased under the accord.

    The minister of petroleum, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and National Iranian Tanker Company were also blacklisted alongside other individuals and entities in Washington’s move on Monday, which freezes any US assets of those blacklisted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.

    The Treasury also imposed sanctions on Mahmoud Madanipour and United Arab Emirates-based Mobin International Limited, accusing them of entering into an agreement with Venezuelan state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) to ship gasoline obtained from NIOC to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

    The British-based companies of Madanipour, Mobin Holding Limited and Oman Fuel Trading Ltd were also blacklisted.

    Mobin International and Oman Fuel have said they were the owners of the cargo aboard several tankers confiscated by US authorities in August.

    The US Justice Department said the cargo was destined for Venezuela, whose oil industry is also under US sanctions, but the companies denied in court filings that Venezuela was the destination.

    Iran has sent two other flotillas carrying fuel to gasoline-short Venezuela, and they entered the South American country without US interference.”

  15. Muslims ‘Not Persecuted’ in France, Says Country’s Muslim Council
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2587926/muslims-not-persecuted-france-says-countrys-muslim-council

    “Muslims are “not persecuted” in France, the French Council of the Muslim Faith said Monday, in wake of President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial statements.

    “France is a big country, Muslim citizens are not persecuted, they freely construct their mosques and the freely practice their religion,” said the council, which acts as an official go-between for the state and observant Muslims.

    Macron has vowed to take the fight to radicals after the October 16 beheading of a history teacher who had shown cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed to pupils in a class discussion on free speech.

    But a backlash against his comments saw protests in Muslim-majority countries over the weekend, with people burning pictures of Macron in Syria and setting fire to French flags in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

    Boycotts of French goods are under way in supermarkets in Qatar and Kuwait, with further calls to spurn French products in Jordan, Turkey and other states.

    The head of the CFCM, Mohammed Moussaoui, urged French Muslims on Monday to “defend the interests” of the nation in the face of the international outcry.

    “We know that the promoters of these campaigns say they defend Islam and the Muslims of France, we urge them to be reasonable… all the smear campaigns against France are counterproductive and create division,” he said.”

  16. Iran Suggests ‘Oil for Goods’ Plan to Circumvent US Sanctions
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2586906/iran-suggests-oil-goods-plan-circumvent-us-sanctions

    “Iran is proposing an oil for goods plan to circumvent the US sanctions on its oil sales and restrictions on trading with dollars.

    Over the past two weeks, the official exchange rate declined, following the tightening of sanctions on the Iranian banking network, which prompted the government to take urgent measures by pumping between $50 and $75 million per day to the market.

    However, it seems that the government’s attempt came late as prices continued to increase, which directly affected the availability of basic commodities in the market.

    Last week, Minister of Oil Bijan Zanganeh unveiled a new barter plan to solve the issue of oil sales, which was approved by President Hasan Rouhani.

    Rouhani accepted the proposal of the Ministry and the Central Bank to create a “unified channel” for importing goods in exchange for oil, adding that it is a classic method to increase foreign trade.

    “We will start operations next week,” announced Zanganeh during a joint press conference with the governor of the Central Bank.

    US President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran as part of the maximum pressure strategy to reach a comprehensive agreement, that includes modifying Iran’s regional behavior and restricts its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

    During the joint press conference, governor Abdolnasser Hemmati indicated that the US took the decision to block Tehran’s monetary and banking transactions.

    He noted that the barter agreement will solve this issue, expecting the country to witness a “major development” in foreign trade.

    Hemmati said that the central bank saved about $18.5 billion during the last seven months, despite the decline in oil prices.

    The growing trend of exports of crude oil and products, and the acceleration of non-oil exports in recent months, created better conditions for the supply of foreign exchange for imported goods, he said.

    The governor also stated that exchange of oil for the basic and essential commodities will increase, leading to a growth in foreign trade, noting that the Ministry of Industry will help import necessary production goods.

    The officials did not disclose information about the countries willing to exchange oil for goods, however, over the past months, China, Venezuela, and Syria have been associated with Iranian attempts to circumvent the sanctions.

    A few days ago, Tehran announced it will be purchasing weapons based on its needs, after the lifting of the UN arms embargo.

    European political circles supporting the nuclear deal downplayed the US opposition to lifting the arms embargo, as they predicted slim chances of concluding arms purchase deals with Iran’s crippling economy.

    On Friday, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) concluded its plenary meeting by agreeing to revise its standards to further strengthen the global response to proliferation financing related to weapons of mass destruction.

    FATF announced it was keeping Iran and North Korea on its blacklist with their status unchanged.

    The US Treasury issued a statement saying that FATF agreed to revise its standards after North Korea and Iran established complex and elaborate networks, including front and shell companies to evade US and UN financial sanctions and to access and move funds to further their dangerous purposes.

    The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an international policy-making and standard-setting body dedicated to combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism and proliferation.”

  17. Bodies of Moroccans, Egyptian migrants found in fertiliser shipment in Paraguay
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201026-bodies-of-moroccans-egyptian-migrants-found-in-fertiliser-shipment-in-paraguay/

    “Paraguayan officials say workers discovered the remains of seven people — apparently would-be migrants — in a shipment of fertiliser from Serbia, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Saturday.

    Three of the men were Moroccan and one was from Egypt, the chief investigator, Marcelo Saldivar, revealed. The other three had not yet been identified.

    The shipment left Serbia on 22 July and the migrants apparently had hoped to get off at some point along the journey, which came to an end in the South American nation…”

  18. Turkey’s Erdogan says it’s time for two-state solution in Cyprus
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201026-turkeys-erdogan-says-its-time-for-two-state-solution-in-cyprus/

    “Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday it was time for a realistic proposal about a two-state solution on the divided island of Cyprus to be discussed and added that the parameters of the current talks were not sustainable.

    Cyprus was split after a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. The European Union admitted the island into the bloc in 2004, represented by the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government in the south.

    Its north is a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state only recognised by Ankara…”

  19. Insulting Muslims is an abuse of free speech, Iran’s Zarif says
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201026-insulting-muslims-is-an-abuse-of-free-speech-irans-zarif-says/

    “Insulting Muslims is an “opportunistic” abuse of free speech, Iran’s foreign minister said on Monday, in an apparent reference to remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron perceived to be critical of Islam.

    “Muslims are the primary victims of the ‘cult of hatred’,” the minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tweeted, without directly addressing Macron.

    “Insulting 1.9B Muslims—& their sanctities—for the abhorrent crimes of such extremists is an opportunistic abuse of freedom of speech. It only fuels extremism,” he added.

    Macron, who led a tribute to a history teacher beheaded this month by a Chechen teenager for showing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in class, declared war on “Islamist separatism”, which he believes is taking over some Muslim communities in France.

    Unlike some Muslim countries, Iran’s clerical rulers have not called for a boycott of French goods. But several Iranian officials and politicians, including the heads of parliament and the judiciary, have condemned Macron for “Islamophobia”, according to Iranian state media…”

  20. Libya demands French President Macron apologise to Muslims across the globe
    https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/10/26/libya-demands-french-president-macron-apologises-to-muslims

    “Libya has slammed Emmanuel Macron’s recent Islamophobic comments and demanded an apology from the French leader, Arabi21 reported.

    The Libyan foreign ministry strongly condemned Macron’s recent controversial remarks on Islam, describing them as highly offensive and an insult to the Prophet Muhammad.

    In a statement to Arabi21, the spokesman for Libya’s ministry of foreign affairs, Ahmed Al-Qeblawi said Macron’s insulting comments was designed to fuel hatred for the sake of political gains and called on him to apologise to the Islamic world.

    The statement rejected claims of that Macron’s comments were covered by the right to free speech, noting that the European Court of Human Rights in 2018 declared that insulting the Prophet is not considered part of free expression.

    It called on the French president to refrain from further provocative statements and urged him to issue a statement to more than a billion Muslim, including millions of French Muslims.

    France considers religious satire to fall under freedom of expression, while many Muslims consider any perceived attack on their prophet as a grave offence…”

  21. Muslim Council of Elders denounces ‘campaign against Prophet Muhammad’
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/389293/Egypt/Politics-/Muslim-Council-of-Elders-denounces-campaign-agains.aspx

    “The Muslim Council of Elders denounced during a meeting on Monday what it described as “a systematic campaign” against the Prophet Muhammad and the sanctities of Islam under the slogan of freedom of expression.

    The council also denounced the recent killing of a French teacher as well as the stabbing and attempted murder of two Muslim women near the Eiffel Tower.

    “All these incidents are abhorrent terrorism, no matter who committed them or what their motives were,” the council said.

    Monday’s meeting, which was held via video conference and headed by the grand imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayyeb, comes amid heightened tension over recent remarks made by French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron, about Islam.

    The council said that freedom of expression comes with the social responsibility of respecting the rights of others and does not allow for exploiting religions for political purposes or for electoral campaigns.

    The council called on Muslims in the West to adhere to the principles of coexistence and peace, as well as to enhance their contribution towards development in their countries.

    Earlier this month, Macron gave a controversial speech where he announced that France has put in place a strategy to fight what he called “Islamic separatism” within the country, and said he would send a bill to France’s parliament early next year to that effect.”

  22. ‘We Are Broken’: 6 Dogs Killed in Attack on Morocco Animal Aid
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/10/323749/we-are-broken-6-dogs-killed-in-attack-on-morocco-animal-aid/

    “An unidentified perpetrator killed six rescued dogs and poisoned a dozen more on Saturday in an attack on Morocco Animal Aid (MAA), an animal welfare association and community project in Agadir.

    The dogs were healthy former strays, neutered and vaccinated by MAA and living at the association’s rented property in the town of Asserssif.

    Photos and video footage from the scene are graphic.

    Corinna Lein, the general manager at MAA, told Morocco World News on Monday that two of the dogs who died after eating poisoned meat had adoptive homes waiting for them….”

  23. Racism in France: Two Jordanians Severely Beaten for Speaking Arabic
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/10/323706/racism-in-france-two-jordanians-severely-beaten-for-speaking-arabic/

    “A man and a woman beat two siblings from Jordan in Angers, western France, amid mounting racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia in the European country.

    The siblings told the Jordanian website Roya News on Sunday that the two attackers targeted them when they heard them speaking Arabic at a bus stop.

    The two attackers yelled at the brother and sister, telling them, “This is France and not for you,” and beating them “severely.”

    A photo of one of the siblings shows severe injuries to his nose and eyes.

    Muhammad Abu Eid and his sister Heba thanked the French police for their help as well as the assistance they received from the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Spokesperson of Jordan’s foreign ministry Dhaifalah Ali Al Fayez said the Jordanian embassy is following up on the complaint the two siblings filed against the attackers.

    King Abdullah II of Jordan also called the victims of the attacks, expressing support.

    French police also opened an investigation after two women wearing the hijab, the Muslim veil, were victims of a stabbing attack near the Eiffel Tower on October 18.

    The attacks come as Islamophobia and xenophobia are intensifying in France following the murder of teacher Samuel Paty on October 16.

    Paty displayed offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during a lesson on freedom of expression. A man from Chechnya murdered Paty in response, saying he “avenged” the insults to the prophet.

    Emmanuel Macron condemned the murder but blamed the attack on Islam.

    He said that France “would not give up our cartoons.” He also said the murder was done because “Islamists want our future.”

    Ahead of the murder, Macron said Islam is in crisis across the world, angering millions of Muslims.

    In response, thousands of Muslims, particularly in the Arab world, decided to boycott French products.

    Several countries, including Morocco, also denounced the systematic use of the offensive cartoons against Islam in the wake of Paty’s murder.

    France responded to the campaign, calling on Arab countries to stop the boycott and describing the campaign as “attacks” from a “radical minority.””

  24. Pakistan condemns France over blasphemous cartoons
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2269996/pakistan-condemns-france-over-blasphemous-cartoons

    “Pakistan condemned on Monday the republication of blasphemous caricatures in France and the Islamophobic remarks of French President Emmanuel Macron, with lodging strong protest with French ambassador, followed by the passage of resolutions in both house of the parliament.

    The resolutions in the Senate and the National Assembly were passed unanimously, as the lawmakers from both sides of the divide calling for recalling Pakistan’s ambassador in Paris in protest, saying that the French president had hurt the sentiments of billions of Muslims around the globe.

    Earlier, the Foreign Office said in a statement, that France’s ambassador was summoned to the foreign Ministry, where he was handed by a demarche by the special secretary for Europe, condemning the publication of blasphemous sketches and the Islamophobic comments later made by Macron.

    “It was further conveyed that Pakistan strongly condemned equating Islam with terrorism, for narrow electoral and political gains,” it said, adding that such provocative statements and actions fanned hatred, hostility and confrontation, imperilling efforts for harmony among various segments of society.

    Pakistan said that freedom of expression should not be misused as means to attack or hurt public sentiments or religious beliefs and fan inter-religious hatred. At a time of rising racism, intolerance and populism, it added, there was a need for promoting harmony among peoples and communities…”

  25. Blasphemy issue being taken to OIC: Ashrafi
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2270023/blasphemy-issue-being-taken-to-oic-ashrafi

    “Special Representative of the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony, Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, has said the issue of blasphemous caricatures would be taken up at the forum of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

    In a tweet on Monday, he said France had hurt the sentiments of Muslims in the month of Rabiul Awwal, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan had already raised this issue at every forum. Ashrafi said that love for Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) was part of our faith.

    Meanwhile, speaking at a joint press conference with several Christian, Hindu and Sikh leaders, Ashrafi said that it was unfortunate that Islamophobia was on the rise in the world, adding that Pakistan was taking this issue to the OIC.

    He called for legislation by the United Nations against Islamophobia and to prevent blasphemy against all the religions. “We have contacts with all the Islamic countries and the international Islamic organisations, including the OIC, in this regard,” he added.

    “Prime Minister Imran Khan has raised his voice in the OIC and the United Nations regarding the sanctity of the Holy Prophet (PBUH),” Ashrafi told reporters. “These issues cannot be stopped unless legislation is enacted globally. Pakistan is taking a resolution in the OIC,” he added.

    Ashrafi emphasised that there should be peaceful protests against the blasphemy. “It is not appropriate to cause vandalism and damage our own country,” he said. He told reporters that interfaith harmony councils were being formed at the union council level.

    At the press conference, the representatives of the minority communities also condemned the republication of blasphemous caricatures in the name of freedom of expression in France and the Islamophobic comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron.

    “The Christian community in Pakistan condemns the statement of the French president. The Christian community will raise its voice against the French president’s move at every forum,” Bishop Azad Marshall told the press conference.

    Separately, a conference under the auspices of National Commission for Interfaith Dialogue also condemned the blasphemous cartoons in France. “No world leader will be allowed to blaspheme against any prophet,” said Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shah. “No religion allows insult to other’s religion.”

    Maulana Asim Makhdoom strongly condemned the incident that took place in France. “No community tolerates this desecration of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The president of France has hurt the sentiments of billions of people.”

    Speaking on the occasion, Sardar Bishan Singh said that such acts against the prophets, saints and Sufis could not be tolerated. Commenting on the blasphemous acts in France, he called it a conspiracy to undermine the world peace. “Such actions hurt not only Muslims but all religions,” Singh said.”

  26. Prophet’s cartoons ‘immoral’, grand mufti Jerusalem
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/politics/2020/10/26/mohammeds-cartoons-immoral-grand-mufti-jerusalem_8906e059-b218-4062-a271-d60a1e6b7ba2.html

    “Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, has condemned the recent publication by a French paper of ”offensive caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed” as ”immoral and savage”, the Wafa news agency reports. According to Wafa, Hussein believes the caricatures – whose publication was defended by President Emmanuel Macron – were produced by a ”group that hates Islam, Muslims and their symbols”. Hussein also said that ”all civil and divine laws prohibit offending religions and their symbols” and asked at the same time for the ”promulgation of an international law banning offences against religions and their symbols” with punishments for transgressors.

    The Grand Mufti warned that the further publication of similar material ”fosters hatred between people and leads to conflicts between communities”. Images of the protest last night in the Palestinian refugee camp of Kalandya near Ramallah, in the West Bank, were published on social media. Similar demonstrations were also held over the past few days in Gaza and Jaffa.

    Meanwhile Morocco has joined other Arab countries that have criticized the cartoons on Mohammed. The Moroccan government expressed in a joint statement of the ministers of foreign affairs, cooperation and Moroccans abroad that ”the freedom of expression can’t justify provocations and offensive attacks against Islam”. At the same time, the statement said, ”the kingdom of Morocco condemns today any barbaric act and of violence perpetrated in the name of Islam”.

    France has been criticized over the past few days by numerous Arab countries after the French president defended Charlie Hebdo’s caricatures on Mohammed. The statements followed an attack against history teacher Samuel Paty who was beheaded ten days ago in a banlieue in Paris after he showed the cartoons to his students.”

  27. Migrants: EU-NA accords violate human rights – Oxfam
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/politics/2020/10/26/migrants-eu-north-africa-accords-violate-human-rights-oxfam_025000bb-82fd-418a-959e-cbecb668d036.html

    “”The externalization of the control of European borders delegated to North-Africa, without stopping deaths at sea, is causing the violation of human rights, not only in Libya”, Oxfam said in a newly released report.

    ”The first to pay a very high price are the most vulnerable parts of the population of Tunisia and Morocco, together with thousands of people fleeing countries like Syria, Eritrea, Sudan, the Ivory Coast and Libya, who are trying to reach Europe”, the organization said in the report ”A real common interest” published on Monday.

    The report focuses on the consequences of the migratory phenomenon in two countries, like Tunisia and Morocco, where arbitrary pushbacks and systematic discrimination against migrants occur on a daily basis, the organization said.”

  28. EUROPRAVDA – Europe’s Muslims being treated like Jews before WWII, says Erdogan

    Turkey’s president calls for a boycott of French products in a growing row over Emmanuel Macron’s remarks about Islam

  29. Exclusive: EU taps Chinese technology linked to Muslim internment camps in Xinjiang
    https://www.dw.com/en/exclusive-eu-taps-chinese-technology-linked-to-muslim-internment-camps-in-xinjiang/a-55362125

    “In the fight against coronavirus, the EU is using thermal cameras produced by Chinese tech giant Hikvision. The firm has been linked to the oppression of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang province.

    Two EU institutions are using technology produced by China’s Hikvision, a firm that has been accused of providing surveillance equipment to Muslim internment camps in the country’s northwest Xinjiang province.

    Hikvision describes itself as “the world’s leading video surveillance products supplier.”

    The Chinese tech giant has its European base in the Netherlands and has not been subject to any EU sanctions or blacklist measures.

    Officials at the European Parliament and the European Commission acquired the company’s thermal imaging cameras as part of the fight against the spread of the new coronavirus.

    The gadgets can detect a high temperature or fever, which is a common symptom of COVID-19.

    Anyone with a temperature of more than 37.7°C (99.86°F) is denied entry…”

  30. More than 20 people killed in post-election unrest Guinea over past week
    https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20201026-more-than-20-people-killed-in-post-election-unrest-guinea-over-past-week

    “A total of 21 people have been killed in unrest in Guinea following a disputed presidential election last week, state television reported on Monday, as international envoys attempted to soothe tensions in the West African nation.

    The RTG state news channel said that 21 people had been killed since October 19, including officers of the security forces — six fewer than figures compiled by the opposition which claims 27 have died.

    President Alpha Conde, 82, won a hotly contested October 18 election according to official results announced Saturday, setting the stage for a controversial third term.

    But his main opponent Cellou Dalein Diallo, 68, disputes the results. He claimed victory last week, citing data his activists gathered at individual polling stations.

    Diallo’s self-proclaimed victory led to a week of clashes between supporters and security forces across the nation.

    The government had previous put the number of dead at 10…”

  31. Austrian military imam fired after allegedly sympathizing with jihad
    https://rmx.news/article/article/austrian-military-imam-fired-after-allegedly-sympathizing-with-jihad

    “A well-known imam, Abdulmedzid Sijamhodzic, has been expelled from the Austrian army after the government said evidence came to light that he supports jihadists.

    Muslims such as Sijamhodzic, who mostly stem from Balkan countries, have been working in the Austrian army for many years, and a large hare of them came to Austria as refugees during the Yugoslav wars. In response, the Austrian army thus decided to create the post of military imam.

    Now, the position is turning out to be a problem after serious allegations prompted Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner to immediately expel Sijamhodzic from Austria’s armed forces.

    He is suspected of publicly expressing his sympathy for a Bosnian jihadist movement, according to Czech news portal Echo24.

    “Cooperation with him is terminated with immediate effect until further notice,” Tanner said.

    According to information from Austria’s top daily Kronen Zeitung, the imam originally from Bosnia published photos on Facebook with a former general of the Yugoslav army, who is considered a war criminal, and gave “likes” to suspected jihadists.

    Minister Klaudia Tanner said a thorough investigation had been launched. If the allegations are confirmed, further action will follow.

    “I do not understand such behavior and I will not tolerate such behavior under my leadership,” she said. However, she said cooperation with the Islamic community will continue.

    According to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Tanner has taken an important step. “It is clear that political Islam has no place in our country and we will continue to take strict action against it,” said Kurz.

    But much earlier, MP from FPÖ party Reinhard Bösch, said the army imam shared jihadist videos and had contacts with war criminals. So far, those specific remain unsubstantiated.

    The dismissed imam, Sijamhodzic, resolutely denied the allegations of Islamism on Friday.

    “I have never shared jihadist videos on my Facebook page, nor do I share this ideology,” he told Mittagsjournal on Ö1. As part of the multicultural image of the Austrian army in 2015, Sijamhodzic even gave a ceremonial speech on the national holiday at the oath of new recruits. His performances are often publicized too.”

  32. France is the battleground in a ‘war between two civilizations’, warns philosopher Éric Zemmour
    https://rmx.news/article/article/france-is-the-battleground-in-a-war-between-two-civilizations-philosopher-eric-zemmour-says

    “Islam as a political movement is waging a war against Europe and France on their own territory, French philosopher and writer Éric Zemmour said in a political talk show on French news channel CNews.

    “This is a war between two civilizations, and we have made the madness of allowing millions in, and the result is that now we have a confrontation of two civilizations on our own soil,” Zemmour said. He added that the Western way of life is a daily source of frustration and resentment for those propagating Islamism.

    “For someone living in the Islamic sphere – which has dominated the world for the better part of the Middle Ages – it is a daily humiliation… All the modern amenities of our time such as the telephone and the automobile are the products of the Judeo-Christian sphere,” he said.

    Zemmour also pointed out that a distinction must be made between Islam as a religion and Islam as a political movement.

    “I distinguish between islam with a small ‘i’ and Islam with a capital ‘I'”, Zemmour said. “The small caps islam is a religion just like any other… while Islam with a capital ‘I’ is a civilization, and even more than that, a political force which advances a revolutionary, subversive policy. Islam wants to take revenge on Europe, on France in particular, on the former colonial powers on the Christian world, and so on.”

    Zemmour believes that eventually, migrants from Muslim countries will transform Europe into what many of them were fleeing in the first place.

    “There are millions of people who came from the Arabic-Muslim and African sphere who came to Europe, fleeing the conditions created by their Islamic civilization. For better or worse, [that civilization] has both goof and bad things,” Zemmour said. “They come to Europe, and while many among them want to have the European lifestyle, there is a large number of them who want to import the very Arabic-Muslim civilization whose products they fled.”

    “This is why I say that this is a force that transcends the individuals. This is a historical force that is advancing which even goes beyond individual reason.”

    Zemmour’s remarks come following a number of recent high-profile Islamic terrorist attacks, including the gruesome beheading of history teacher Samuel Paty in Paris by an 18-year-old Islamic terrorist who was Paty’s student. The student was taking revenge against Paty for his decision to show his class cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in a lesson on freedom of expression.

    Zemmour, one of France’s most prominent intellectuals, is the author of “The French Suicide” and is known for his strong opposition against continued immigration to France.

    In a previous interview, he compared immigration in his country to a “demographic tsunami” and said he believes current immigration and integration policies have failed.”

  33. YEESS!!! Cops and Military Police in Trieste, Italy take off their helmets and join the AntiCovidReligious Tyranny protesters!! Woot!! – RadioSavana X2 Tweets
    Barhardt – October 26, 2020
    https://www.barnhardt.biz/

    Trieste: NO ALLA CHIUSURA #Italy #lockdown #coprifuoco #curfew #protest #manifestazione
    Younes Amir Hamouilli – Streamed 4 hours ago

  34. EGYPT – Muslim Council of Elders denounces ‘campaign against Prophet Muhammad’

    The Muslim Council of Elders denounced during a meeting on Monday what it described as “a systematic campaign” against the Prophet Muhammad and the sanctities of Islam under the slogan of freedom of expression.

    The council also denounced the recent killing of a French teacher as well as the stabbing and attempted murder of two Muslim women near the Eiffel Tower.

    “All these incidents are abhorrent terrorism, no matter who committed them or what their motives were,” the council said.

    Monday’s meeting, which was held via video conference and headed by the grand imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayyeb, comes amid heightened tension over recent remarks made by French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron, about Islam.

    The council said that freedom of expression comes with the social responsibility of respecting the rights of others and does not allow for exploiting religions for political purposes or for electoral campaigns.

    The council called on Muslims in the West to adhere to the principles of coexistence and peace, as well as to enhance their contribution towards development in their countries.

    Earlier this month, Macron gave a controversial speech where he announced that France has put in place a strategy to fight what he called “Islamic separatism” within the country, and said he would send a bill to France’s parliament early next year to that effect.

    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/389293/Egypt/Politics-/Muslim-Council-of-Elders-denounces-campaign-agains.aspx