Reader’s Links for February 18, 2021

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

122 Replies to “Reader’s Links for February 18, 2021”

  1. https://www.theepochtimes.com/one-third-of-troops-turning-down-ccp-virus-vaccine-pentagon_3700771.html?utm_source=morningbriefnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-2021-02-18

    One-Third of Troops Turning Down CCP Virus Vaccine: Pentagon
    By Jack Phillips
    February 17, 2021 Updated: February 18, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    About one-third of U.S. military troops have turned down the vaccine for the CCP virus, or the novel coronavirus, said the Pentagon on Wednesday.

    Maj. Gen. Jeff Taliaferro, a top official in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the military has a two-thirds acceptance rate for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccine.

    “Our initial look—and this is of course very early data—is acceptance rates are somewhere in the two-thirds territory,” Taliaferro said in a hearing. “And of course, it varies by different groups.”

    “We believe that, of course, the vaccine is the right thing to do. It’s clearly safe for service members,” Taliaferro said, noting that military officials want personnel to get the shot. “And we need to continue to educate our force and help them understand the benefits.”

    Maj. Gen. Steven Nordhaus, the head of operations for the National Guard Bureau, told the panel that the National Guard had an acceptance rate of “two-thirds to 70 percent,” mirroring the military at large.

    Specifically, of about 916,000 doses administered to Department of Defense (DOD) personnel, 359,000 have received at least one dose, while 147,000 are fully vaccinated, said Bob Salesses, who is acting defense se

  2. February 18 2021 Convict in Utrecht terror attack stabbed a prison guard: report
    https://nltimes.nl/2021/02/18/convict-utrecht-terror-attack-stabbed-prison-guard-report
    Gokmen T., the man convicted for a terrorist attack on a Utrecht tram in 2019, stabbed a guard at the Rotterdam prison De Schie on Wednesday, Rijnmond and RTL Nieuws report. The guard sustained minor injuries to his face and neck and was treated in hospital.
    The reason behind the stabbing is unclear.
    T. is serving life in prison for the terrorist attack on a Utrecht tram in March 2019. He was convicted of four counts of murder with terrorist intent, three counts of attempted murder with terrorist intent, and 17 counts of threat with terrorist intent.

    Also see:
    Tram shooter Gökmen Tanis stabs prison guard in the face | Inland
    https://netherlandsnewslive.com/tram-shooter-gokmen-tanis-stabs-prison-guard-in-the-face-inland/91500/

    Tram gunner Gökmen T. stabs guard in Rotterdam prison
    https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2021-02-18—–tram-gunner-g%C3%B6kmen-t–stabs-guard-in-rotterdam-prison—.Bkqg_hiW_.html

  3. Turkey investigating Wilders over “terrorist” Erdogan tweet
    https://nltimes.nl/2021/02/16/turkey-investigating-wilders-terrorist-erdogan-tweet
    The Public Prosecutor in Ankara launched an investigation into far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders due to a tweet the PVV leader posted on Monday, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported on Tuesday.

    The investigation revolves around a tweet by Wilders featuring an illustration of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the caption “terrorist”. In another tweet, Wilders called the Turkish president a “perilous Islamist who incites hatred and terror here in the Netherlands as well.”
    The tweets followed an analysis leaked from the Netherlands’ counter-terrorism agency NCTV which showed that the agency was investigating whether Erdogan’s politics rhetoric may have an influence on the Dutch-Turkish community in the Netherlands. After the leak, the NCTV stressed that the analysis was at a very early stage and still immature.

    Wilders demanded that the analysis be sent to parliament immediately and called for a debate on the matter as soon as possible, NOS reports. Parliamentarians from VVD, D66, PvdA, SP and GroenLinks also asked for an explanation.

    Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus called it “an incomplete analysis, which is also criticized”. He therefore does not think it makes sense to already release it to parliament, calling it more sensible to wait for the final report. “This is a very preliminary piece, but most of the things in it are also reflected in previous threat images from the NCTV,” he said.

  4. Muslim Nations Order Migrants to Hate Their Western Benefactors
    BY RAYMOND IBRAHIM FEB 17, 2021 1:23 PM ET

    AP Feed
    Imagine if a U.S. governmental agency told all Americans who live abroad that they are obligated to hate the nations that are hosting them.

    That’s precisely what the Muslim nation of Qatar (a “U.S. friend and ally”) is doing. According to the world-famous website, Islamweb.net—which is directed and financed by the state of Qatar—any Muslim who lives in a non-Muslim nation is obligated to hate his adopted nation and its “infidel” citizens (even while receiving benefits from them).

    This comes in the form of a fatwa (an Islamic sanctioned decree) titled “Conditions that Legitimize Residing in Infidel Nations” (all translations in this article my own). Along with “preserving and upholding his Islam,” the “first condition” for any Muslim who lives among non-Muslims is that he/she has “enmity and hatred for the infidels.”

    This, incidentally, applies to those millions of Muslim migrants voluntarily immigrating into and flooding Western Europe. If they take their Islam seriously, they are duty-bound to hate and be disloyal to those nations welcoming them in and providing them with free food, shelter, and healthcare.

    After stating that Muslims who emigrate to the West must have “enmity and hatred for the infidels, staying far from their loyalty and love—for loyalty and love for them contradicts the faith,” the fatwa proceeds to give its evidence, that is, it goes on to quote several supporting verses from the Koran, including:

    You will never find a people that truly believes in Allah and the Last Day loyal to those who defy Allah and His Messenger—even if they be their parents, children, siblings, or extended family [Koran 58:22]….

    Oh you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends and allies, for they are friends and allies of each other; and whoever among you befriends them is from among them. Allah does not guide the unjust people [Koran 5:51].

    After quoting Muhammad in a sahih (authentic) hadith, saying, “Whoever loves a people is from among them,” the fatwa concludes by saying “loving the enemies of Allah is among the greatest dangers for a Muslim, for loving them necessitates cooperating with and following them, or at least not rejecting them—hence why the prophet said, ‘Whoever loves a people is from among them.’”

    (Here it should be noted that just merely being a non-Muslim makes one an enemy of Allah; no action is required.)

    This teaching by Qatar’s Islamweb.net is not out of the mainstream. For example, on the equally popular Islam Q&A, the same question is answered with the same exact answer: Any Muslim who lives among non-Muslims must have “enmity and hatred for the infidels, staying far from their loyalty and love—for loyalty and love for them contradicts the faith.”

    Remember all this the next time you hear that “xenophobia” is responsible for Muslim failure to assimilate into the West. This may be true, though not because Western people “fear the stranger”—as commonly supposed—but rather because Muslim migrants hate the infidel.

    Raymond Ibrahim, author of Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.

    • Mazin Abdul-Adhim, leader of Hibz ut-Tabriz, living in London, Ontario Facebook this past week: “Both da’wah and jihad are obligations upon Muslims; therefore, we should be like those who are cursed by Almighty Allah (SWT) and follow some ahkaam (rules) but reject others.

      Muslim Brotherhood hoods September, 2014 said:
      “So O Muwahhid, do not let this battle pass you by wherever you may be. You must strike the soldiers, security and intelligence members, as well as their treacherous agents. Destroy their beds. Embitter their lives for them and busy them with themselves.
      If you can kill a disbelieving American or European—especially the spiteful and filthy French — or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah and kill him in any manner or way however it may be…If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving, American, Frenchman or any other of the allies. Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife or run him over with your car or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him….?

  5. Assassination of Prominent Lebanese Activists Shows Hezbollah’s Vulnerability
    BY RICK MORAN FEB 17, 2021 4:05 PM ET

    If history is any guide — and in the Middle East, it usually is — sometime in the next few weeks, Joe Biden will be “tested” by Iran or their proxies in Syria and Lebanon. Four years ago, they tested Donald Trump when President Assad used poison gas in Syria and militias attacked U.S. outposts with rockets. The U.S. responded with force, which defined the limits of provocation for Iran and Hezbollah. The point is to see how far they can go in tweaking the lion’s tail before the lion chomps down.

    On Tuesday, a previously unknown militia was responsible for a rocket attack on some military contractors in Erbil, Iraq. The militia is loyal to Iran so it could hardly be a coincidence.

    Now, Hezbollah has assassinated one of Lebanon’s most prominent anti-Hezbollah activists. Lokman Slim was not a household name in the U.S. but he was revered in Lebanon for his fearlessness in criticizing Hezbollah and for his anti-corruption campaign that brought millions into the streets to protest. He was found dead in his car, shot 4 times in the head.

    Slim becomes another victim of Hezbollah political violence that began in 2005 with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. There followed a dozen assassinations of prominent political foes of Hezbollah in business, politics, and journalism.

    A similar period of unrest has gripped Lebanon in the last year as anti-corruption protests gripped the capital of Beirut. And following the massive explosion that killed more than 200, injured 7500, and caused $15 billion in property damage. The government response to the crisis was so feeble that people took to the streets again, despite the pandemic.

    And they blamed Hezbollah.

    For the first time since they were formed in the 1980s, Hezbollah was not seen as the nation’s protector against Israel, but rather a domestic enemy. That was enough to make any critic a target for killing.

    Foreign Policy:

    Slim’s assassination sends a message to local critics and activists, but it could also be a way to test the limits of the international community—to see when and how the Biden administration would draw its red lines. Many of Slim’s fellow activists are today worried that Hezbollah might start a new wave of assassinations, similar to the ones that followed the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and which only stopped when Hezbollah took control of state institutions in 2008.

    One of the by-products of U.S. sanctions on Iran has been a growing difficulty for Iran to finance their terrorist allies in Hezbollah. That’s why Iran is agitating and threatening the U.S. about rejoining the nuclear deal. They want the sanctions lifted before they even deign to sit down with Biden.

    Hezbollah is struggling to maintain its militia as well as fulfill its social obligations to Shias in Lebanon. With half the country living below the poverty line, the need outstrips Hezbollah’s resources.

    And the Beirut blast may have been a tipping point.

    Hezbollah knows what that means in the long run. Parliamentary elections are coming in May 2022, and based on the various university and union elections that took place in 2019 and 2020, Hezbollah, its allies, and all political parties in Lebanon are likely to lose a significant part of the Parliament.

    Meanwhile, investigations into the Beirut Port explosion are ongoing. Although the local authorities have been purposefully slow and ineffective, some information from local and international sources and investigative reports indicate a link between three Syrian businessmen who backed Bashar al-Assad and a shell company that bought the explosives and stored them at the port in Beirut.

    If it’s found that Hezbollah was in any way responsible for that blast — accidental or not — they may be forced to either give up power or take over the government and turn it into a military dictatorship.

    The U.S. should keep the sanctions on Iran if only to prevent Tehran from fully resupplying the terrorists in Lebanon.

    • “they tested Donald Trump when President Assad used poison gas”

      Assad did NOT use poison gas on anyone. Trump was mislead by his advisors(and not for the first or last time).
      This was an ISIS white helmet cooperation false flag job and now accepted as such. ISIS care nothing for civilian collateral. Just think about it logically: who would gain from this? NOT Assad but ISIS played the Palywood game and the MSM lapped it up.

    • Former Detroit TV Anchor Dies One Day After Taking COVID Vaccine

      Karen Hudson-Samuels’ career in broadcast journalism spanned over four decades in Detroit.

      The Detroit media icon was found dead at her home by her husband last Tuesday, just one day after taking the COVID-19 vaccine but the official cause of her death is still unknown.

  6. Guterres – Feb 18 2021 –

    UN chief calls for end to war with nature

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Feb. 18, 2021 asks for global action to stop “a senseless and suicidal war on nature” and address climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution.

  7. Now We Know A Third Media Company Paid Antifa Agitator Thousands for Capitol Riots Footage: ABC

    John Earl Sullivan was paid thousands of dollars for his explosive footage of the January 6th Capitol riots by three major media companies, despite evidence of him having participated in a criminal act.

    Sullivan, a self-style ‘revolutionary’ who had taken public positions supporting Antifa and Black Lives Matter, had captured footage of the Capitol riots deadly shooting of Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt. The unique footage was criminal evidence of public importance and a trove of it was made publicly available by John Earle Sullivan himself. A judge recently ruled that Sullivan was allowed to use social media during trial, an opportunity that he took advantage of recently.

    As reported earlier at Becker News in an article that produced “receipts” of his media business transactions, based on a story broken by Politico:

    more :

    https://beckernews.com/now-we-know-a-third-media-company-paid-antifa-agitator-thousands-for-capitol-riots-footage-abc-36869/

    • It will never see the light of any courtroom that actually matters. I have totally lost faith in any and all western legal systems and especially that of the USA and the UK

  8. At least 18 killed in attacks in Burkina Faso and Mali
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burkina-security-idUSKBN2AI2PL

    “Suspected Islamists killed at least 18 people in attacks in northern Burkina Faso and central Mali on Wednesday and Thursday, government and security sources said.

    Attacks by militants with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State are common in the two West African countries, where Islamists have expanded their reach in recent years despite the presence of 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers and 5,100 French troops.

    This week Chad announced it would deploy 1,200 troops to the area to complement France’s Barkhane counter-terrorism force, as leaders of the five Sahel countries and their allies met to assess the security situation.

    The attack in Burkina Faso happened on Thursday morning between the towns of Markoye and Tokabangou, where residents were ambushed on their way to a market across the nearby border in Dolbel, Niger, government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura said in a statement.

    Eight people died and nine were wounded, he said. A security source said that one more person later died of injuries.

    In Mali, at least nine people were killed and others were missing or wounded in a spate of attacks near Bandiagara in the central Mopti region, local government sources said.

    Gunmen opened fire in two villages on Wednesday evening and ambushed several public transport cars on the road between Sevare and Bankass on Thursday, two mayors said.

    Chad will send its troops to the tri-border region between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the epicentre of attacks in the Sahel.

    Since the start of the year, over 150 civilians have been killed by militants in the three countries, including 100 in an attack on two villages in Niger in early January.”

  9. US Reporter Held by Al-Qaeda-Linked Group in Syria Released
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2813736/us-reporter-held-al-qaeda-linked-group-syria-released

    “An American journalist, living in northwestern Syria for nearly a decade, has been released, six months after he was captured by an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, Syrian opposition media reported.

    Bilal Abdul Kareem, a native of Mount Vernon, N.Y., has been living in the rebel-held Syrian northwest since 2012, reporting on the Syrian government military campaigns against areas in opposition hands. He had been detained last August, following a report he did about torture in the prisons of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the al-Qaeda-linked group that dominates the area.

    Local prominent figures had appealed to the militants to release him. Abdul Kareem had reported and collaborated with Western news outlets, which had largely stayed out of the war-torn country after a spat of kidnapping. He later set up his own news network, On The Ground News.

    The US State Department designated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham a terrorist group in 2018 despite its move to publicly disassociate itself from al-Qaeda the previous year. Rights groups and the UN-backed Commission of Inquiry have accused the group of detaining and torturing civilians and those who documented the group´s abuse of Syrian protesters, journalists, and women.

    Syrian opposition news outlets and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Abdul Kareem’s release on Wednesday. The Observatory said local mediation secured his release after a tribunal set up and run by the al-Qaeda-linked group had sentenced him.

    A statement by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham confirmed he was released because of mediation and said Abdul Kareem had been detained because of spreading false news, working with groups that undermine security, and incite against authorities in the opposition-controlled areas. Photographs of Abdul Kareem were shared online after his release, in which he appeared to have lost some weight. His wife gave birth to a daughter in January while he was held by the militant group. He was allowed to see his family twice during his six months in captivity.

    Abdul Kareem has spent years covering the Middle East. Born Darrell Lamont Phelps, he converted to Islam, studied Arabic in Egypt, and traveled to Libya to cover the conflict there. He arrived in Syria in 2012. He had interviewed Syrian rebels and militant groups, developing a reputation as a sympathizer. He survived a number of airstrikes in Syria, prompting him to file a lawsuit against the US government, demanding to know whether he was on a “kill list.” In January, a federal court dismissed his case on the grounds that he did not have standing to bring the claim. Reprieve, the UK-based legal rights group that represented him in the US case, also reported his release.

    “Bilal´s release is welcome news, and his quest for justice in the US courts continues,” said Jennifer Gibson, who leads Reprieve´s work on the case. In 2019, he was wounded by shrapnel when he and a Sky News crew came under fire from a Syrian government tank shell, an incident that was caught on camera.”

  10. US says it is ready for direct talks with Iran over nuclear deal
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-would-accept-invitation-direct-nuclear-deal-talks-iran

    “The United States has said it would accept a European invitation to engage in direct talks with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

    “The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran’s nuclear program,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement on Thursday.

    The P5+1 consists of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the US, UK, France, China and Russia, plus Germany. The six countries are the original signatories to the 2015 agreement with Iran.

    The comment from Washington came hours after Enrique Mora, the European Union’s deputy secretary general, said he was ready to invite the parties to “informal” talks.

    “The #JCPOA at a critical moment. Intense talks with all participants and the US. I am ready to invite them to an informal meeting to discuss the way forward,” Mora wrote on Twitter.

    It is not clear whether the Iranian government, which insists that US sanctions must be lifted as the first step towards reinstating the pact, will agree to the meeting.

    Under former President Donald Trump, the United States withdrew from the deal, which had seen Iran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions against its economy.

    The previous administration then piled sanctions on various sectors of the Iranian economy as part of its maximum pressure campaign. As a result, Iran started loosening its adherence to the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), by enriching uranium beyond the limits set by the agreement.

    The prospect of direct talks arose days ahead of an Iranian deadline for restricting the access of UN inspectors to the country’s nuclear facilities if sanctions are not lifted.

    Earlier on Thursday, the E3, the three European participants in the deal, and the United States released a joint statement warning Iran against going through with that step.

    “The E3 and the United States affirmed their shared objective of Iran’s return?to full compliance with its commitments under the?JCPOA,” the statement said.

    The same communique reiterated Washington’s stance that Tehran must return to full compliance with the agreement before the US lifts sanctions but opened the door for negotiations over reviving the pact.

    “Secretary Blinken reiterated that, as President Biden has said, if Iran comes back into strict compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, the United States will do the same and is prepared to engage in discussions with Iran toward that end,” it said.”

  11. REVEALED: Turkey plans spaceport in Somalia for $1bn moon mission
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-space-programme-somalia-base-cost-revealed

    “Turkey’s recently announced space programme, which aims to make a soft landing on the moon in 2028, will cost upwards of $1bn and would require building a rocket launch site in Somalia, a Turkish source familiar with the government’s plan told Middle East Eye.

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed last week an ambitious timetable that has two separate stages, with the aim of making contact with the moon on unmanned missions.

    Ankara plans to make a hard landing on the moon with a locally produced hybrid rocket that would be launched into orbit in 2023, the republic’s centennial, through international cooperation.

    The second stage aims to have a soft landing on the moon in 2028 with Turkey’s own capabilities, which would involve a shuttle that would carry out scientific research on the Earth’s natural satellite.

    However, the government has so far avoided questions regarding the cost of the programme and how it will proceed…”

  12. Turkey arrests 5 Russians, Libyan near border with Syria
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210218-turkey-arrests-5-russians-libyan-near-border-with-syria/

    “Turkish border guards yesterday arrested five Russians and a Libyan citizen as they attempted to infiltrate the country from Syria.

    “Our border guards stationed in the northern Hatay Narlica district have caught six people including one Libyan and five Russian nationals who were attempting to illegally cross into Turkey from Syria,” an official told Anadolu Agency, adding that one of the arrested Russians was a “wanted Daesh female member.”

    In recent days, the Turkish authorities arrested three New Zealand nationals, including a Daesh member, crossing its southern border from Syria.”

  13. UN: 1.3M people displaced in Somalia in 2020
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210218-un-1-3m-people-displaced-in-somalia-in-2020/

    “The UN office for humanitarian affairs Thursday said about 1.3 million people were displaced in Somalia in 2020, Anadolu Agency reports.

    “Out of a total of 2.9 million IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons] in the country, 1.6 million are most vulnerable and will require humanitarian assistance in 2021,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.

    In 2021, humanitarian partners in Somalia plan to help 3.1 million most vulnerable Somalis, including one million children under 5, by fighting hunger, acute malnutrition, health threats, and outbreaks, according to the statement posted on Twitter…”

  14. Houthis bomb refugee camp west of Marib, Yemen government says
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210218-houthis-bomb-refugee-camp-west-of-marib-yemen-government-says/

    “Houthi militias in Yemen on Monday bombed a refugee camp in the district of Sarwah, west of the governorate of Marib, Yemen’s Information Minister, Moammar Al-Eryani, said…”

    British ambassador: ‘Houthis want to achieve gains before engaging in ceasefire’
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210218-british-ambassador-houthis-want-to-achieve-gains-before-engaging-in-ceasefire/

    “British Ambassador to Yemen Michael Aron has announced that the Houthis are trying to achieve gains on the ground before engaging in a ceasefire…”

    UN Yemen envoy urges immediate end to Houthi offensive
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210218-un-yemen-envoy-urges-immediate-end-to-houthi-offensive/

    “An increasingly intense assault by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the government-held city of Marib “must stop” amid spiraling humanitarian fallout, the UN’s envoy for the country warned Thursday, Anadolu Agency reported…”

  15. Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta launches hashtag to promote birth control
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/404355/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Dar-AlIfta-launches-hashtag-to-promote-birt.aspx

    “Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta, the country’s body responsible for issuing religious edicts, launched the hashtag #?????_ ?????_ ????, (which translates as “Birth control is permissible”) on Wednesday, on the heel the recent remarks by President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi on the long-standing controversy.

    Dar Al-Ifra took to social media to elaborate on some misinterpretations of Quranic verses that are used as a basis to prohibit birth control, a problem that Egypt has been struggling with and that is deemed one of the reasons behind overpopulation.

    “The abundance [of children] without having the power [to raise them] is deemed unnecessary,” Dar Al-Ifra said, referring to a saying by the Prophet in this respect. It also warned the public against resorting to abortion as a form of birth control.

    Several media outlets used the newly launched hashtag in an effort to raise awareness about birth control and campaign against overpopulation detrimental to development efforts.

    Egypt is already the most populous country in the Arab world with 101.5 million citizens and is set to grow to 153.7 million by 2050, according to official statistics, which requires the state to double its infrastructure projects during the coming 30 years.

    Wednesday’s hashtag comes a day after El-Sisi’s remarks during an inauguration of a medical complex in Ismailia where he warned about overpopulation, highlighting the need to lower the annual population growth rate to 400,000 so citizens can reap the fruits of development efforts.

    “Trust me, [having] more than two children is a big problem,” El-Sisi said at an Ismailia inauguration ceremony. “It is not only important that you feed them. You should pay attention and follow up on them… If there are three or four or more children [per family], you will not be able to do that,” he added.

    Last year, Egypt launched a two-year initiative called “Two Is Enough” to encourage people to have fewer children.

    In October, Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly urged the county’s health ministry to provide all forms of contraception to women free of charge.”

  16. Islamophobia: One Third of Europeans Hold Negative Views on Muslims
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/02/335364/islamophobia-one-third-of-europeans-hold-negative-views-on-muslims/

    “More than one in every three Europeans holds negative views on Muslims, according to a new report by HopeNotHate. The British trust this week published the findings in its report “State of Hate: Far-Right Extremism in Europe.”

    The report highlights the worrying rise of extremist ideologies in Europe during 2020. It is the product of a collaboration between three European anti-fascist organizations, Hope not Hate, EXPO foundation, and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation.

    The “state of hate” report sheds light on the rise of the extreme right by marking several far-right terrorist attacks in Europe amid the rise of conspiracy theories such as QAnon. The far-right appears to be feeding public mistrust of domestic elites, mixed with lingering xenophobia and Islamophobia.

    As part of the report, the three organizations commissioned polling in several EU countries that again confirmed the prevalence of negative views on Muslims, which a significant section of Europeans hold.

    On average, one out of every three Europeans holds negative views on Muslims, according to the report’s polling. Europeans in Hungary hold the most negative views on Muslims, with a majority of 54% of polled people expressing Islamophobic views. Most countries have around one fifth of respondents holding “very negative” views on Muslims.

    The UK and the Netherlands fared the best, with 15% and 11% of local Europeans holding “very negative” views on Muslims. Still, an additional 23% of Dutch participants expressed “quite negative” views on Muslims, with 15% of British participants in agreement.

    The “state of hate” report has again confirmed the problematic rise of ill-informed extremists feeling threatened by the Black Lives Matter movement and clinging onto conspiracy theories.

    Conspiracy theories provide a particularly prescient way to spread far-right ideology without making such efforts explicit. The QAnon movement for instance has deified former US President Donald Trump and accused the majority of politicians of being a global cabal of pedofiles.

    Such theories eschew the traditional indicators of far-right rhetoric in favor of spreading misinformed conspiracies that aim to cultivate distrust.

    Through the internet, far-right extremists have now transcended borders and traditional organizational structures in order to sow hate and division amid the confusion of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Yet, the negative views that many Europeans hold regarding Muslims continues to face exploitation not just by the far-right, but also increasingly by centrist politicians. With hate and division on the rise, Europe appears unwilling to make a strong statement against the far-right.”

    • Only brainwashed leftists and idiotic bleeding heart Christians would not agree with that.
      IIRC they had the same % WRT Hitler in the mid 1930s and did nothing.
      Only when it hits the fan(nukes/ricin/Covxxx etc.) will anything be done and the mountains of bodies will dwarf anything seen in WW2 but none will contain any globalist family member. After all they do have to remove 80% of us somehow.

  17. Anti-Semitism surges from German left-wing groups and Muslim communities
    https://rmx.news/article/article/anti-semitism-surges-from-german-left-wing-groups-and-muslim-communities

    “In 2020, there were 2,275 crimes motivated by anti-Semitism committed in Germany, the highest number in 20 years. According to Bogdan Musia?, a Polish historian who works in Germany, Islamic radicalization and left-wing opposition to Israel accounts for this rise. He said that in left-wing circles, Israel is seen as racist and accused of practicing a form of apartheid against the Palestinians.

    Musia? notes that security for synagogues and Jewish schools is nothing new in Germany, and these locations have been vulnerable to attacks for years. However, a number of Jews who have arrived from Russia and aided by the German state have become a source of envy, leading to hostility from other migrants. In many Muslim communities, anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish views prevail.

    This kind of anti-Semitism, however, is “absolutely not present in the parliament or in ruling circles”, underlined the Polish historian. Even the Euro-skeptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) refuses to attack Jews and actively supports Israel. In fact, any party which attempted to adopt anti-Semitism would in all probability be made illegal by Germany’s court system.

    According to the Polish academic, the German establishment is highly sensitive to any political anti-Semitism because of the country’s past and the likely international reaction to any sign of anti-Semitism. Germany stands or falls on the strength of its exports and does not want to fall foul of any boycotts that could result from tolerating anti-Semitism.

    Musia? feels that the situation in Germany for Jews is not as acute as in France where the number of Muslims is higher and so is the number of attacks on Jews. He also feels that it is not inconceivable that Germany would react against increased Muslim immigration if it found that it was leading to anti-Semitism and other social problems.

    But he concludes that migration policies will depend on the make-up of the next ruling German coalition. If the Greens enter the coalition, they will press for a continuation of a liberal immigration policy. But among the Greens there are also a few politicians who are keen to block immigration, but they want to do so while presenting a humane face.

    Musia? said that Poland’s stance on migrants often leads to attacks on the country, especially when contrasted with Germany’s openness to mass migration.”

  18. Can someone explain why it is not time to say goodbye to Justine and company.

    The Liberals and the NDP voted against Bill C-238. A Bill focused on stopping the trafficking and possession of illegally imported firearms.

    Ottawa punished law abiding gun owners.

    Ottawa drafts a law that removes mandatory prison sentences for serious gun crimes, like illegally possessing a loaded hand gun, armed robbery, and possession of a gun obtained through crime.