Reader’s Links for November 28, 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

82 Replies to “Reader’s Links for November 28, 2020”

  1. US Aircraft Carrier Deploys to Gulf
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2652191/us-aircraft-carrier-deploys-gulf

    “US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was deployed to the Gulf this week according to the US Department of Defense.

    The US Navy confirmed on Saturday that the deployment was not related to any specific threat.

    Also, the CNN reported on Friday that the move came days before Iran’s top nuclear scientist was killed.

    It said the aircraft carrier may remain in the region until January, when President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

    For her her, spokeswoman for the US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said: “There were no specific threats that triggered the return of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group.”

    Commander Rebecca Rebarich added that the redeployment was related to a US drawdown in Iraq and Afghanistan, Reuters reported.

    “This action ensures we have sufficient capability available to respond to any threat and to deter any adversary from acting against our troops during the force reduction,” she noted.”

  2. 13 killed in Yemen clashes between separatists and pro-government forces
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/13-killed-yemen-clashes-between-separatists-and-pro-government-forces

    “Clashes between southern Yemeni separatists and pro-government forces in Yemen’s Abyan province killed 13 fighters, according to military sources.

    The infighting late on Friday between the nominal allies in the civil war against the Houthi rebels killed at least eight men from the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), including two officers, and five from the Yemeni government’s side, military sources from both sides told AFP.

    The STC withdrew from talks over a power-sharing deal with the Saudi-backed government of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in August.

    It has been allied with the Saudi coalition against the Houthis, but it also wants secession of southern Yemen.

    The relationship has shifted back and forth since August 2019, when the STC seized control of Aden, where the government had been operating from since the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, was taken by the Houthis at the beginning of the war in 2014.

    A deal struck in Riyadh in November 2019 was designed to mend the rift between allies.

    Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions displaced in Yemen’s conflict, which has triggered what the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.”

  3. ‘Insulting beliefs far from freedom’: Turkey’s president
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201128-insulting-beliefs-far-from-freedom-turkeys-president/

    “Decrying rising Islamophobia in Western countries, the Turkish president said Saturday that insulting people’s beliefs has nothing to do with freedom, reports Anadolu Agency.

    “You have been closely following the meanness in France towards the Prophet [Muhammad] under the label of ‘freedom of thought’,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a video message to the 23rd annual convention of the Muslim American Society.

    “Insulting people’s holy figures is far removed from freedom. Because the thought is different, the insult is different.”

    Stressing that ideological fanaticism has gained more ground, Erdogan said those who encourage insults towards the prophet and those who ignore attacks on mosques are trying to hide their fascism.

    Underlining that they use freedom of thought and the press while attacking sacred values, he said they cannot tolerate even the slightest criticism of themselves.

    Describing Islamophobia as a disease which spreads faster than the novel coronavirus, Erdogan said: “Cultural racism, discrimination, and intolerance have reached levels that cannot be concealed in countries that for many years have been hailed as cradles of democracy.”

    Highlighting that Islamophobia and xenophobia have turned into a trend that guides state policy and makes daily life difficult, Erdogan said the marginalization of Muslims due to their beliefs, language, names, or dress has become ordinary in many countries.

    He said Turkey, which strives to prevent ethnic and sect-based conflicts, does not hesitate to respond if anyone targets their sacred values.

    “We are trying to follow a balanced, fair, and self-confident policy that will set an example for all humanity, especially regarding religious freedoms. We do not interfere with anybody’s beliefs or lifestyle, and we guarantee the freedom of worship of all our citizens living in the country,” he added.

    On the Turkish community living in America, Erdogan said he is gladly following the close brotherly relationship they have developed with other Muslim groups.

    He went on to say that the annual meeting of the Muslim American Society will give hope and strength to Islamic society.”

  4. OIC reaffirms support to Kashmiris, asks India to rescind IIOJK annexation
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2273919/oic-reaffirms-support-to-kashmiris-asks-india-to-rescind-iiojk-annexation

    “The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has unanimously adopted a resolution condemning India’s illegal action of revoking Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) autonomous status and steps to change the demography of the Muslim-majority region.

    “In a Resolution adopted unanimously by the 47th Session of the OIC in Niamey today, the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) reaffirmed its strong support for the Kashmir cause,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Saturday night.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi who reached Niamey on Thursday, represented Pakistan at the 47th session of the OIC CFM.

    The OIC in its resolution categorically rejected illegal and unilateral actions taken by the Indian government in occupied territory since August 5, 2019.

    “The [OIC] Resolution demands that India cancel the issuance of domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris as well as other unilateral and illegal actions, including ‘Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Order 2020’, ‘Jammu & Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate Rules 2020’, ‘Jammu and Kashmir Language Bill 2020’ and amendments to the landownership laws,” said the FO statement.

    Rejecting policies being pursued by the ruling RSS-BJP regime, the 57 countries of the OIC asked India to refrain from taking any steps to alter the existing demographic structure of the disputed territory.

    According to the FO communiqué, the OIC in a comprehensive and strongly worded resolution rejected the illegal and unilateral actions taken by India in August last year to change the internationally recognised disputed status of the IIOJK and demanded it to rescind its illegal steps.

    The world’s largest Muslim organisation demanded Narendra Modi-led government to cancel the issuance of domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris and revoke all unilateral and illegal actions it has taken in IIOJK since August 5, 2019, while refraining from taking any step to alter the existing demographic structure of the disputed territory.

    The OIC also condemned “in the strongest possible terms” human rights violations perpetrated by Indian occupation forces in the occupied territory and other such instances of Indian terrorism that have been the source of unspeakable suffering for the innocent Kashmiri people, said the communiqué.

    It also deplored the state-sponsored terrorism and crimes against humanity by Indian occupation forces against people of IIOJK.

    The alliance of Muslim countries censured extra-judicial killings during fake ‘encounters’ and ‘search-and-cordon’ operations and demolition of homes and private properties “as a form of collective punishment.”

    It denounced the renewed use of pellet guns by the Indian occupation forces against innocent civilians and condemned the harassment of Kashmiri women by the Indian troops.

    The OIC deplored that India has callously exploited the current Covid-19 pandemic to intensify its military crackdown and further advance its unlawful occupation in IIOJK.

    The resolution also welcomed the upcoming visit of OIC Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) from March 2-6, 2020.

    It also reaffirmed the sentiments expressed in the unanimously adopted Communiqués of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir in its Ministerial meetings held on 25 September 2019 and 22 June 2020.

    The foreign ministers of Muslims countries urged India to adhere to its international human rights obligations and allow the OIC special representative on Jammu and Kashmir and the OIC Fact-finding Mission to visit IIOJK.

    It also “strongly” urged India to implement recommendations of the two Reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Jammu and Kashmir and called upon international community to review their engagements with India, the occupying power, as it is violating and disregarding the international law, the international humanitarian law, and international resolutions.

    The OIC emphasised that the question of Kashmir is of utmost importance for the Muslim Ummah and recognised that Jammu and Kashmir is the core dispute between Pakistan and India, and its resolution indispensable for realisation of the dream of peace in South Asia.

    The official statement said OIC summit also acknowledged that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are the principal party to the dispute, and they should be included in any peace process for resolution of the dispute.

    Any political process/elections held under foreign occupation cannot be a substitute to the exercise of the right of self-determination, the resolution said while noting that Kashmir dispute is an unresolved question of granting the right to self-determination to the people of occupied valley that has been on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council for over seven decades now.

    Fundamental right enshrined in the UNSC resolutions that the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people, expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite, conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, it reaffirmed.

    The OIC has decided to further consider the Jammu and Kashmir dispute at the 48th session of the CFM in Islamabad.

    The 57-member OIC has been a consistent and vocal supporter of the Kashmir cause, and adoption of this resolution was a reaffirmation of the principled stance always taken by the OIC on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, said the FO in a statement.”

  5. U.S Closes 10 Military Bases Across Afghanistan
    https://www.khaama.com/united-states-close-10-military-bases-across-afghanistan-0980980/

    “America closed at least 10 bases across Afghanistan, following the signing of a peace deal with the Taliban in February, Washington Post reports.

    The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is being moved back to the Persian Gulf along with other warships to provide combat and air support as the troops withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq by January 15, 2020.

    Afghan and American officials confirmed the closure of the bases, several of which were not previously reported.

    Little is known about what remains of those bases, and that many were in the country’s most volatile provinces.

    According to the report, some were completely handed over to Afghan security forces, others are vacated in a way in which they could be occupied again if the US and Officials consider it necessary.

    It is unclear how much immobile equipment is left at each of the closed bases.

    US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed on the plan to reduce American troops to 2500 by mid-January, saying getting the troops out of harm’s way in Afghanistan is the mission set.

    “President Trump has been very clear we’re going to protect and secure the homeland, but we’re not going to have our young men and women in harm’s way when it doesn’t deliver real security benefits for the United States and for our allies,” Fox News quoted Pompeo.

    “The president to date has said that we’re going to go from where we are today, something just over 4,000, to around 2,500” troops” Pompeo said to Fox News, adding that “the threat from terrorism around the world — from Islamic extremism, Islamic terrorism — is real. It doesn’t just emanate from Afghanistan”.

    Earlier this week NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, quick troops withdrawal is a threat to gain, “we have made and that is a risky project”.

    Violence in Afghanistan has escalated despite peace efforts in Doha and U.S-Taliban agreement, clashes have spread to more than 20 provinces according to MoD.”

  6. Unlimited migration threatens the demographic future of Europe, says French MEP
    https://rmx.news/article/article/unlimited-migration-is-threatening-the-demographic-future-of-europe-says-french-politician

    “Migrants should be provided with accommodations but in their home countries instead of in Europe, said Jordan Bardella, the vice-president and spokesman of the right-wing French National Rally, in an interview on news channel CNews.

    Bardella, who also serves as an MEP in the European Parliament, said if immigration is not halted, it represents a serious demographic threat to France and Europe.

    “The borderless ideology of unlimited and unrestricted reception calls into question the demographic, economic and social balance of our countries,” Bardella said. “The EU’s Migration Pact is a new stage in this ‘rush for Europe'”.

    The National Rally party has launched a campaign against the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, also known as the migration pact, with the party’s leader, Marine Le Pen slamming the plan during a news conference at the party’s headquarters in October.

    “It is an organized plan of submersion of Europe and the nations which compose it,” said Le Pen. “It is a real pact with the devil which will lead to the suicide of Europe.”

    According to Marine Le Pen, 60 to 70 million migrants could settle in Europe in a few years due to the EU’s migrant pact.

    France itself currently settles 400,000 immigrants a year, which has contributed to the country’s rapidly changing demographics, raising the potential that ethnic French will become a minority over the coming decades.

    Bardella said on CNews that compassion must be weighed with sensible strategies that ensure the safety and well-being of migrants in their own countries and allow the French to avoid becoming a minority, a policy that has been pursued by a number of nationalist parties and politicians in Europe, including Hungary.

    “Of course the migrants should be offered a place to live, but at home,” Bardella said. “In a few days, [French Interior Minister] Gérald Darmanin has dropped to one knee by collectively letting go of the police and paying tribute to those who fought against France in Algeria.”

    Bardella was referring to two recent incidents in France, one on Wednesday, in which police attacked a young Black man only identified as Michel, after he provoked them and tried to steal their weapons. Shortly after the attack, the General Inspectorate of National Police (IGPN) ordered an investigation into potential police abuse and falsifying evidence against the three police officers.

    In the other case, which happened on Tuesday, police dismantled a migrant tent camp in downtown Paris, which sparked a debate in the French Parliament, eventually leading to a bill to ban videos identifying police officers with the “manifest intention of harming their physical or psychological integrity”.”

  7. Is Macron privately concerned about the ‘Great Replacement’?
    https://rmx.news/article/article/is-macron-privately-concerned-about-the-great-replacement

    “French author and journalist Marc Endeweld, in a recent interview about his book “The Great Manipulator: Investigation of Macron’s Secret Networks”, said that French President Emmanuel Macron is “obsessed with what he himself calls the Great Replacement”.

    During his interview with the online news portal QG – Free Media, Endeweld claims that while Macron goes to great lengths to cultivate the public image of a moderate-centrist, in private he thinks more like someone who belongs to the radical right.

    The journalist said Macron frequently expresses ideas in private borrowed from French thinkers like Eric Zemmour and Renaud Camus. Zemmour, seen as one of the most influential conservatives in France, is known for his opposition to immigration. He said, for example, on CNews in September that “immigration changes the makeup of a people. It is a crime against the European peoples, it will end in bloodshed.”

    Camus, a prolific right-wing writer and novelist, is perhaps best known for coining the phrase “The Great Replacement”, which refers broadly to the colonization of Western Europe by immigrants from the Middle East and Africa.

    “Emmanuel Macron actually thinks like a significant portion of the reactionary right,” Endeweld says. “Secularism is a screen to be a fight against Islam and to protect the Christian identity of France. He considers that France remains predominantly Christian. He really thinks so.”

    “Employees of the Élysée have told several of my sources that in recent months, especially on the issue of immigration, Emmanuel Macron did not hesitate, in front of his collaborators to take up the formulas of Eric Zemmour or Renaud Camus, or to talk about the formula of the great replacement,” Endeweld continued.

    “Emmanuel Macron, with his collaborators, continues to be obsessed with what he himself calls the ‘Great Replacement’,” Endeweld added.

    Jean-Yves Le Gallou, a former MEP and president of the Polémia Foundation for European Identity, Security, and Freedoms, when asked by Sputnik France about Endeweld’s claims, said that “it would not be very surprising, nor even very original” if Macron was, in fact, taking this approach.

    According to Le Gallou, who’s close to Renaud Camus, European leaders are well aware of the demographic shift taking place at the present moment. He says European elites are also perfectly aware of the consequences that will occur as a result of the shift.

    “François Hollande or Gérard Collomb had more or less said the same thing, explaining that we were going to move from living together to face-to-face,” Le Gallou said.

    Last week, Macron and Darmanin met with key figures in the French Muslim community, giving them what was essentially an ultimatum – accept the “charter of Republican values” in 15 days or be labeled separatists, Remix News reported.

    “Two principles will be inscribed in black and white: the rejection of political Islam and any foreign interference,” Macron said.

    “There will be those who sign and those who will not sign. We’ll learn from it. Either you are with the Republic or you are not with the Republic,” the French leader added.

    Is Macron really concerned about the ‘Great Replacement’?
    While Endeweld speculates about Macron’s beliefs surrounding the Great Replacement, there is also evidence that such claims add up to nothing more than rumor. For example, Macron has been aggressive against those leaders in Europe opposed to continued mass migration. France is currently one of the nations most aggressively pursuing rule of law sanctions being tied to European funding in opposition to Hungary and Poland, perhaps the two most prominent defenders against mass migration into Europe.

    While Hungary and Poland have vetoed the seven-year budget and coronavirus recovery fund in order to stop the measure, France and the Netherlands are demanding the EU hold firm in its position, and reject any compromise with both Central European countries.

    Macron is currently under extreme pressure over the issue of migration and terrorism due to a spate of Islamic terror attacks in France, but there are signs that despite his tough rhetoric on radical Islam, that he has little desire to tackle the issue of mass migration.

    Just last year, Macron also warned against nationalism in a diplomatic row with Matteo Salvini, the Italian leader of The League, who implemented wide-ranging policies to reduce immigration into Italy.

    “There are people who defend nationalism, who want to fight our Europe. Me, I will fight these people with force, because I think they wil … make us lose 10 years, 20 years by dragging us back to [old] divisions,” he said.”