Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi: A Message to the Friends of the Iranian People across the Middle East

Oct 7, 2024 | “The Middle East, the cradle of civilization, is rich with stories of great kings, prophets, and philosophers. From Cyrus to Moses to Ibn Khaldoun, our nations have given the world some of its greatest visionaries. Leaders like Anwar Sadat, King Hussein, Menachem Begin, King Faisal, and my father, too, took up the mantle of seeking peace for our peoples.

But for 45 years, too many of us have been forced to live in fear. Fear of the next terrorist attack. Fear of war. Fear of economic instability. Fear of nuclear blackmail. That’s because 45 years ago my country was taken hostage by a radical regime that seeks, not only to keep my people in chains, but to export its revolution to your countries and your people.

The regime in Tehran is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocents: Iranians, Arabs, and Israelis. Christians, Muslims, and Jews. It facilitated the October 7th attack. It fuelled sectarian conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. It is trying to unseat the Hashemite Kingdom and delegitimize the custodian of the two Holy Mosques. It uses Palestinians as human shields.

And now, it has brought our cradle of civilization to the cusp of regional war. And so today I come to you with a message: this is not the Iranian people’s war. It is Ali Khamenei and his regime’s war. The tyrant in Tehran couches his warmongering in Iranian nationalism. But he does not speak for our nation. The crimes his regime has committed against you, our neighbors, are an affront to Iranians and our values. For us Iranians, pride in our nation and love of our country do not come at the price of hatred, antagonism, or chauvinism.

My compatriots have shown, time and time again, that they do not want Iran's wealth spent on fuelling wars, fostering instability, or funding terrorism. Iranians are not your enemy. It is the Islamic Republic that is our common enemy. The enemy of all peace-seeking people in our regions; whatever nation they come from or whatever faith they practice.”

How Greece Becomes Europe's Next Muslim Country

Sep 26, 2024 | Modern-day Greece is home to an estimated 500,000 Muslims, accounting for about 4.6% of the total population. This number has been steadily rising due to immigration, especially from North Africa and Muslim-majority countries like Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, as well as of course the natural growth within these communities. This demographic shift is particularly noticeable in regions like Athens, Thessaloniki, and Thrace, where Muslim communities are expanding and challenging Greece's traditional cultural landscape. …

Feminism has lots to answer for! The low birth rate right across Europe and the West is a direct result of women preferring to be in the workplace rather than being at home procreating children. A controversial viewpoint, maybe, but true! – © Mark Alexander

Hungry Man Kitchen: Muhammara

Dec 9, 2022 | Muhammara, Mouhammara is a delicious roasted pepper dip originated in Aleppo, Syria. This walnut and roasted red pepper mezze is very popular throughout the Mediterranean, including Turkey, especially in southeastern regions, where Arab dishes are more common in the local cuisine because of the Syrian cultural influence.

For the full recipe, please click here and then click on ‘more’.

Shamima Begum Loses Appeal over British Citizenship | BBC News

Feb 23, 2024 | Shamima Begum has lost her latest bid to overturn a decision by the UK government to strip her British citizenship.

The Court of Appeal ruling means she remains in Syria with no chance of return to the UK.

Begum left her home in London aged 15 in 2015 to travel to Syria to join Islamic State group. The now 24-year-old's lawyers brought a bid to overturn a 2023 decision at the Court of Appeal, with the Home Office opposing the challenge.

The Home Office argued the "key feature" of Begum's case was national security.

Alleged Killer of Tourist in Paris Attack Had Pledged Allegiance to Islamic State

THE GUARDIAN: Suspect detained after German-Filipino man killed and two – one British and one French – injured near Eiffel Tower

A 26-year-old man suspected of killing a German-Filipino tourist and wounding two others near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Saturday night had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a video released online.

The French anti-terrorism prosecutor, Jean-François Ricard, said the French suspect, named as Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, “had recorded a video before committing the act”, in which he spoke in Arabic, swore allegiance to Islamic State and supported its jihadists in different areas from Africa to Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.

The video was posted online on his account on the social network X, which also showed numerous posts on Hamas, Gaza and Palestine. The account was started at the beginning of October. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Sunday, December 3, 2023

Related articles and my comment here.

We do not have to tolerate this disgusting, brutal, barbaric behaviour. Furthermore, we must not allow these throwbacks from a far less enlightened age to take us back to the Dark Ages!

If our Western way of life doesn’t suit these people, send them back to their countries of origin – with despatch! And if the perpetrators of these heinous crimes were born in the West, re-educate them! There are ways and means of re-educating them.

Aren’t we all, by now, tired of this recalcitrant behaviour? And do we value our Western achievements so little that we are unprepared to fight to maintain them?

Our politicians are paid enough to do their jobs properly. It is high time they did them; and it is high time that they found the courage to say what is necessary to keep us, the people, safe. Forget ‘political correctness’; instead, behave politically correctly! Moreover, stop sweating the little things like whether a young man enjoys smoking a cigarette, or not; rather, start concentrating on the important things to maintain our civilization. – © Mark Alexander

A U.S.-Iranian Miscalculation Could Lead to a Larger War, Officials Say

THE NEW YORK TIMES: U.S. forces and militias backed by Iran have launched tit-for-tat attacks, fueling concerns as Israeli forces also clash with Iranian-backed groups.

Neither Washington nor Tehran wants the conflict in the Gaza Strip to trigger a wider war in the region, officials in both capitals say.

But in the seven weeks since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Iranian-backed militias have launched more than 70 rocket and drone attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon, for its part, has responded with four rounds of airstrikes, killing as many as 15 people, U.S. officials say.

National security officials fear a miscalculation amid tit-for-tat attacks, combined with each side’s belief that the other does not want a larger fight, could trigger exactly that: a regional conflict, just two years after the United States ended 20 years of war in the Middle East and South Asia. » | Helene Cooper, Eric Schmitt and Julian E. Barnes | Reporting from Washington | Wednesday, November 29, 2023

In a Worldwide War of Words, Russia, China and Iran Back Hamas

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Officials and researchers say the deluge of online propaganda and disinformation is larger than anything seen before.

A recently erected billboard in Tehran depicts Muslims walking toward the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem while carrying their national flags. | Atta Kenare/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The conflict between Israel and Hamas is fast becoming a world war online.

Iran, Russia and, to a lesser degree, China have used state media and the world’s major social networking platforms to support Hamas and undercut Israel, while denigrating Israel’s principal ally, the United States.

Iran’s proxies in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq have also joined the fight online, along with extremist groups, like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, that were previously at odds with Hamas.

The deluge of online propaganda and disinformation is larger than anything seen before, according to government officials and independent researchers — a reflection of the world’s geopolitical division.

“It is being seen by millions, hundreds of millions of people around the world,” said Rafi Mendelsohn, vice president at Cyabra, a social media intelligence company in Tel Aviv, “and it’s impacting the war in a way that is probably just as effective as any other tactic on the ground.” Cyabra has documented at least 40,000 bots or inauthentic accounts online since Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7.

The content — visceral, emotionally charged, politically slanted and often false — has stoked anger and even violence far beyond Gaza, raising fears that it could inflame a wider conflict. Iran, though it has denied any involvement in the attack by Hamas, has threatened as much, with its foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, warning of retaliation on “multiple fronts” if Israeli forces persisted in Gaza. » | Steven Lee Myers and Sheera Frenkel | Friday, November 3, 2023

US Strikes Two Syria Bases Used by Iran-linked Groups - BBC News

Oct 27, 2023 | The US has carried out air strikes against two weapons and ammunition storage facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the strikes were in response to recent attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups.

The US strikes were "separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas," he said in a statement.

Iran did not immediately comment. It is not yet known if there were any casualties from the attacks.

Palestine 1920: The Other Side of the Palestinian Story | Al Jazeera World Documentary

Feb 22, 2022 | “A land without a people, and a people without a land” is how the relationship between Palestine and the Jewish people was described by Christian writers in the 1800s. And the 20th-century history of the Middle East has largely been written through these eyes.

But this film from Al Jazeera Arabic looks at Palestine from a different angle. It hears from historians and witness accounts, and features archive documents that show Palestine as a thriving province of Greater Syria and the Ottoman Empire at the dawn of the 20th century.

The evidence suggests that its cities had a developing trade and commercial sector, growing infrastructure, and embryonic culture that would enable it to meet the challenges of the decades ahead.

However, the political ramifications of the Balfour Declaration, San Remo Conference and British Mandate set in motion a series of events that profoundly affected this vibrant, fledgeling society and led to the events of 1948 and beyond. This film is the other side of the Palestinian story.

Iran Warns of ‘Multiple Fronts’ If Israel’s Gaza Attacks Continue.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Iran’s foreign minister spoke after a whirlwind tour of allies in the region. Israel’s northern border with Lebanon is being closely monitored as the first potential flashpoint where the war could spread.

Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, returned to Tehran after a regional tour that included visits with a top Hamas official in Doha, Qatar; Hezbollah’s leader in Beirut; and the Syrian president in Damascus. | Abbas Salman/EPA, via Shutterstock
Iran’s foreign minister warned on Monday that a regional network of militias known in parts of the Middle East as the “axis of resistance” would open “multiple fronts” against Israel if its attacks continued to kill civilians in Gaza.

“Time is running out very fast,” the official, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said during a live televised interview with Iranian state television on Monday night. “If the war crimes against the Palestinians are not immediately stopped, other multiple fronts will open and this is inevitable.”

Mr. Amir Abdollahian spoke after returning to Tehran from a tour of capitals aligned or close to Iran. He met the top political official of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Doha, Qatar; the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, in Beirut; and President Bashar al-Assad of Syria in Damascus.

In the interview, he said that in those meetings, the leaders of what is regionally called “the resistance” told him that “their hands are on the trigger” and said that “pre-emptive action” was possible “in the coming few hours” because those leaders would “naturally not allow the Zionist regime to do whatever it wants in Gaza” and then turn its attention to them. » | Farnaz Fassihi | Published: Monday, October 16, 2023; updated: Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Yevgeny Prigozhin, Renegade Mercenary Chief Who Rattled Kremlin

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A tycoon and a Putin ally, he built a paramilitary force that fought by Russia’s side even as he castigated its military leaders. He is believed dead at 62 in a plane crash.

A screengrab from a video provided by Concord Press Service, Mr. Prigozhin’s information agency, showing him at a cemetery for Wagner fighters in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region in April. | Concord Press Service
Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the outspoken tycoon who built a private paramilitary force that fought on Russia’s behalf in Ukraine and Africa but whose harsh judgment of its army leadership led him to instigate a rebellion, was widely believed to be dead on Thursday, a day after a plane in which he was said to be traveling crashed in Russia. He was 62.

Although his death has not been officially declared by the Russian authorities or confirmed by family members or business associates, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia spoke of Mr. Prigozhin in the past tense on Thursday and offered condolences to the families of the crash’s 10 victims. And Pentagon officials for the first time openly said they believe that Mr. Prigozhin did not survive the crash, in which all on board were killed. His name was on the passenger list.

Mr. Prigozhin had long leveraged a close relationship with the Kremlin to gain lucrative government construction and catering contracts, and he built up the paramilitary force, known as Wagner, in close cooperation with Russia’s military intelligence services.

For years he kept a low public profile. Even as Wagner conducted operations on Moscow’s behalf in Syria and in several African countries, he denied any affiliation. » | Valerie Hopkins, Reporting from Moscow | Friday, August 25, 2023

Yevgeny Prigozhin obituary: Multimillionaire Russian businessman and head of the Wagner mercenary army that played a key role in the war in Ukraine »

Seven Arrested in Germany for Allegedly Funding 'IS' Terror Group | DW News

May 31, 2023 | Police in Germany have carried out raids on the financing network of the so-called "Islamic State" terror group, arresting several suspects. Prosecutors in Karlsruhe on Wednesday said more than 1,000 federal and state police were involved in raids across several states on an alleged terrorist financing network.

The men and women, mostly of German nationality, were detained on suspicion of supporting a terrorist organization. They allegedly belonged to an international network that solicited financial donations for IS in Syria using platforms that included Telegram. They subsequently transferred the money to the group or its intermediaries.

Hungry Man Kitchen: Muhammara | محمرة

Dec 9, 2022 | Muhammara, Mouhammara is a delicious roasted pepper dip originated in Aleppo, Syria. This walnut and roasted, red pepper mezze is very popular throughout the Mediterranean, including Turkey, especially in southeastern regions, where Arab dishes are more common in the local cuisine because of the Syrian cultural influence.

WIKIPEDIA: Muhammara.

Hungry Man Kitchen can be supported on Patreon here.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy Accuses Arab Nations of Turning [a] Blind [Eye] to [the] Russia[n] Invasion - BBC News

May 19, 2023 | Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused some Arab leaders of "turning a blind eye" to Russia's invasion of his country. Mr Zelensky made a surprise visit to the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday. Of the Arab League nations, only Syria has openly supported Russia's invasion. Other member nations have sought to maintain good relations with Moscow.

The Village in Syria Where They Speak Jesus' Tongue: Aramaic

May 25, 2016 | Aramaic (2008): In a village in the Syrian countryside, Muslims and Christians live side-by-side and keeping the language of Christ, Aramaic, alive.

New Russian War Chief Will Bring More Brutality in Ukraine, US Warns

THE GUARDIAN: Moscow promotes Alexander Dvornikov, who led Russian troops in Syria, as it regroups for Donbas battle

The newly appointed general in command of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine is likely to usher in a fresh round of “crimes and brutality” against civilians, the US has said.

Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser in Washington, said the appointment of Alexander Dvornikov as theatre commander of Russian forces in Ukraine could not disguise the strategic failure of Vladimir Putin’s war so far. “Ukraine will never be subjugated to Russia; it doesn’t matter which general President Putin tries to appoint,” he told CNN.

Dvornikov’s appointment follows the withdrawal of Russian forces from around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Dvornikov, 60, came to prominence at the head of Russian troops in Syria in 2015-16, when there was particularly brutal bombardment of rebel-held areas, including civilian populations, in Aleppo.

Sullivan said Dvornikov’s promotion would lead to more atrocities. “This particular general has a résumé that includes brutality against civilians in other theatres – in Syria – and we can expect more of the same” in Ukraine, he said.

“This general will just be another author of crimes and brutality against Ukrainian civilians, and the United States is determined to do all that we can to support the Ukrainians as they resist him and the forces that he commands.” » | in Kyiv and Ed Pilkington in New York | Sunday, April 10, 2022

If PM Can’t Say It, We Israelis Must: Zelensky, We’re with You; Putin, Stop the War

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: Damagingly and ultimately untenably for Israel, Bennett believes he dare not alienate Russia by publicly condemning it. Even so, there’s more he should be doing now to help Ukraine

We know Israel has genuine security concerns, and is realistically wary of becoming an adversary of Vladimir Putin — now that the United States is much less influential in Syria, and Russia much more so.

We realize that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett believes he simply cannot afford to alienate the Russian presidential bully over his war on Ukraine, when Israel may need him as it faces down our own potentially existential foe, Iran.

We understand that Bennett truly thinks he might be uniquely placed to help mediate a resolution to the Russian invasion that brings a faster conclusion, with less loss of life.

And we recognize that Israel’s leadership has tried to square the impossible circle by having Foreign Minister Yair Lapid do the condemning of Russia while Bennett refrains from pointing the direct finger of blame.

But such considerations and maneuverings become more untenable with every passing day of bloodshed.

If Bennett feels he cannot safely do so, then it must fall to the rest of us Israelis to say it:

Putin’s assault on Ukraine is intolerable and cannot be condoned. Every fresh bombardment, every new targeting of civilians, renders it increasingly despicable. » | David Horovitz | Friday, March 11, 2022

Switzerland At Risk of EU Blacklist after Credit Suisse Leak

A move to the blacklist would mean Switzerland would face the kind of enhanced due diligence applied to transactions linked to rogue nations including North Korea. Composite: Guardian
THE GUARDIAN: Apparent due diligence failures by Swiss bank prompts centre-right calls for EU to review relationship with Switzerland

The fallout from a huge leak of Credit Suisse banking data threatened to damage Switzerland’s entire financial sector on Monday after the European parliament’s main political grouping raised the prospect of adding the country to a money-laundering blacklist.

The European People’s party (EPP), the largest political grouping of the European parliament, called for the EU to review its relationship with Switzerland and consider whether it should be added to its list of countries associated with a high risk of financial crime.

Experts said that such a move would be a disaster for Switzerland’s financial sector, which would face the kind of enhanced due diligence applied to transactions linked to rogue nations including Iran, Myanmar, Syria and North Korea.

“When Swiss banks fail to apply international anti-money-laundering standards properly, Switzerland itself becomes a high-risk jurisdiction,” said Markus Ferber, the coordinator on economic affairs for the EPP, which represents Europe’s centre-right political parties.

“When the list of high-risk third countries in the area of money laundering is up for revision the next time, the European Commission needs to consider adding Switzerland to that list.” » | Kalyeena Makortoff and David Pegg | Monday, February 21, 2022

Revealed: King of Jordan Used Swiss Accounts to Hoard Massive Wealth

Queen Rania and King Abdullah. Composite: Rex/Shutterstock
THE GUARDIAN: Leak shows King Abdullah was beneficial owner of at least six Credit Suisse accounts

In 2011, as popular revolts reverberated around the Middle East, a monarch in the midst of it all made some banking decisions. Sometime that year, as neighbouring Egypt and Syria withered in the face of momentous civil protests, King Abdullah II of Jordan opened two new accounts with Credit Suisse, the Swiss bank that had discreetly served the region’s well-heeled for decades.

Abdullah, one of the world’s longest-serving current monarchs, had chosen a banker that shared his approach to secrecy, particularly surrounding his personal wealth. Over the next five years, the king was the beneficial owner of at least six accounts with Credit Suisse, while his wife, Queen Rania, had another.

According to a massive trove of data leaked from the bank that names both royals as account holders, one account would later be worth a remarkable 230m Swiss francs (£180m).

At home, King Abdullah had been experiencing a rocky ride. The revolts, which came to be known as the Arab spring, led to leaders being toppled in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and a brutal, protracted war breaking out in Syria. Jordan, one of the region’s more efficient security states, was able to stave off a threat from a nascent opposition, through suppression of dissent and promises of better days.

But in the decade since, a struggling economy, persistent levels of poverty, high unemployment, cuts to welfare and seemingly ever-present austerity measures have continued to stir resentment across the country. One particular gripe has been the juxtaposition between the apparent wealth of the king and the constant grind endured by most citizens just to get by. As the IMF agreed to bail out Jordan, on the condition that its people tighten their collective belts, the king was moving enormous amounts between his Swiss accounts. » | Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | Monday, February 21, 2022

Wherever you look, to whichever country you turn your sights, the rich élite are playing the people for fools! And we, the people, the fools, are playing along with their game. – © Mark

Behold the New ‘Hostile Environment’ – with the Power to Rob Millions of British Citizenship

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: The government promised to learn from Windrush, but citizens trafficked to Syria by Islamic State have also been abandoned

‘Citizenship-stripping powers may feel abstract, but the government’s unprecedented use of them is already having a terrible impact on British families.’ Photograph: Uk Parliament/JESSICA TAYLOR HANDOUT/EPA
The government’s proposed new powers to strip people of their citizenship without notice rang alarm bells in communities across Britain. Despite being the first Muslim woman in our country’s history to serve in the cabinet, my family and I could be deprived of our citizenship without being told about it, and cast out of our home country if the Home Office believed this would be conducive to the public good. Two in five people from ethnic minority backgrounds could be at risk.

Successive British governments have torn down the basic belief that all British citizens in this country are and should be equal. The consequences of this government’s unprecedentedly broad use of citizenship-stripping powers have become even more clear to me after hearing directly from the families of British citizens detained in north-east Syria. » | Sayeeda Warsi | Tuesday, February 15, 2022