THE TELEGRAPH: Those who came here to escape tyranny are now cheering the tyrants they left behind
Growing up in Iraq and Lebanon, we looked at the West with awe. The West was ahead of the Arabs world on many levels, including government, urban planning, social welfare, science, literature, technology and military strength. In Lebanon, almost every child at school was taught three languages, learning English and French, in addition to our native Arabic. Parents talked to their children in these languages.
We generally associated success and wealth with speaking Western languages. Those who spoke fluent English or French, the upper and middle classes, tried to mimic native American, British, or French accents. The better your Western language and accent, the higher social status you signalled.
During my years in the old homeland, the Arabs were in consensus over the need to emulate the West, but there was an obstacle: The West was Christian and we were Muslim. The Arabs therefore reasoned that they would copy everything from the West except for social norms. We Muslims did not eat pork or drink alcohol. Inter-gender relations were strictly limited and monitored. The collective tribal opinion always trumped independent personal thinking. » | Hussain Abdul-Hussain | Tuesday, October 31, 2023
There is no such thing as Islamism. In the eyes of a good Muslim, there is Islam or there is nothing. Islamism is a Western concept. It was thought up by Westerners to try and draw a clear line between an acceptable Muslim and a Muslim that is unacceptable.
No Muslim I have ever met — and I have met and worked with very many — ever called himself an Islamist. Essentially, an Islamist is a devout, practising Muslam/Muslimah.
Islam poses huge problems for the West because it recognises no separation of mosque and state, no separation of the temporal from the spiritual, no separation of politics and religion. In fact, the separation of mosque and state is forbidden in Islam. Arabic has no word for secular. Further, Islam is an organic whole, a total way of life. Muslims don’t even consider Islam to be a religion (in the Western sense of the word); rather, they call Islam the Dīn (Deen). The Dīn is a complete way of life, with all its prescriptions and proscriptions.
What Westerners want here in the West are dilute, non-practising, non-strictly observant Muslims. Problem is, once such a Muslim turns back to his faith, he becomes ever more observant; and when that happens, you get them wanting God’s law, or Shariah law, instead of the man-made, democratic type of laws we are used to. These people start being devout, pious and even sanctimonious. Now we are in the realms of the so-called Islamist – the type of Muslim unwelcome here in the West. – © Mark Alexander
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Tempête Ciaran : Météo-France prévoit des rafales de vent pouvant atteindre 150 km/h dans le nord-ouest de l’Hexagone
LE MONDE : Des vagues de 8 à 10 mètres pourraient également s’abattre sur la façade Atlantique, selon l’institut, pendant cette tempête dont l’arrivée en France est prévue entre mercredi soir et jeudi matin.
La tempête Ciaran va toucher le nord-ouest de la France entre mercredi soir et jeudi matin, a averti Méteo-France, mardi 31, dans son dernier point météorologique. Des rafales de vent « pouvant atteindre 100 à 120 km/h à l’intérieur des terres et sur le littoral 120 à 140 km/h voire localement 150 km/h » sont attendues, avec un risque « de vagues-submersion sur toute la façade Atlantique et la Manche ». » | Le Monde | lundi 30 octobre 2023
UK weather: Storm Ciarán ‘danger to life’ warning issued for parts of UK: Met Office says Ciarán could be ‘quite nasty’, bringing gusts of wind of 80mph and disrupting travel »
La tempête Ciaran va toucher le nord-ouest de la France entre mercredi soir et jeudi matin, a averti Méteo-France, mardi 31, dans son dernier point météorologique. Des rafales de vent « pouvant atteindre 100 à 120 km/h à l’intérieur des terres et sur le littoral 120 à 140 km/h voire localement 150 km/h » sont attendues, avec un risque « de vagues-submersion sur toute la façade Atlantique et la Manche ». » | Le Monde | lundi 30 octobre 2023
UK weather: Storm Ciarán ‘danger to life’ warning issued for parts of UK: Met Office says Ciarán could be ‘quite nasty’, bringing gusts of wind of 80mph and disrupting travel »
"It All Goes Back to Isaac & Ishmael" - Israel at War - Jewish Historian Ken Spiro
Ken Spiro’s website here »
Ken Spiro’s podcast here »
Der ehemaliger Bundeskanzler Deutschlands, Helmut Schmidt mit 91 | #shorts
Tories Fuelling ‘Greed Is Good’ with Lift of Cap on Bankers’ Bonuses, Says TUC
THE GUARDIAN: As cap is lifted on Tuesday, unions claim Rishi Sunak is following Liz Truss’s footsteps
The Trades Union Congress has accused the Tory government of promoting a “greed is good” culture among bankers, who it said would be able to “cash in on unlimited bonuses” after a cap on payouts was lifted on Tuesday.
The TUC said that while ministers had repeatedly called for pay restraint for most workers, they had been “silent over excess in the City”.
The banker bonus cap was introduced in 2014 to curb risk-taking in the wake of the global financial crisis. Efforts to remove it were first taken by Liz Truss’s short-lived government in September 2022 to boost investment in the City and scrap EU rules after Brexit. » | Kalyeena Makortoff, Banking correspondent | Tuesday, October 31, 2023
WTF! Crumbs for the little people; millions and billions for the big boys, our overlords! What kind of society are these Tories trying to create? Don't they understand that an economy has to work for all? Don't they know that there are thousands of homeless people sleeping rough? Don't they know that there are thousands of families having to go to foodbanks only to be able to put food on the table for their children? Have Tories become so damned heartless? This isn't a question of right- vs left-wing. I was myself raised in a Conservative household, and voted Conservative, too, until that ridiculous Brexit referendum. But Conservatives of yore had a sense of fairplay; they also had a social conscience. These bastards have none! So, this is a question of old-fashioned common decency. Surely to goodness, bankers earn enough already, and get wonderful, big, fat bonuses as things stand. It's a lottery jackpot win each and every month for these lucky people. Now, the out-of-touch, superrich Rishi Sunak wants to give his already superrich chums even more for their champagne and caviar. It is high time that these hideous Tories be kicked out of office and thrown into the long grass! They are well past their use-by/sell-by date. They serve no useful purpose. – © Mark Alexander
The Trades Union Congress has accused the Tory government of promoting a “greed is good” culture among bankers, who it said would be able to “cash in on unlimited bonuses” after a cap on payouts was lifted on Tuesday.
The TUC said that while ministers had repeatedly called for pay restraint for most workers, they had been “silent over excess in the City”.
The banker bonus cap was introduced in 2014 to curb risk-taking in the wake of the global financial crisis. Efforts to remove it were first taken by Liz Truss’s short-lived government in September 2022 to boost investment in the City and scrap EU rules after Brexit. » | Kalyeena Makortoff, Banking correspondent | Tuesday, October 31, 2023
WTF! Crumbs for the little people; millions and billions for the big boys, our overlords! What kind of society are these Tories trying to create? Don't they understand that an economy has to work for all? Don't they know that there are thousands of homeless people sleeping rough? Don't they know that there are thousands of families having to go to foodbanks only to be able to put food on the table for their children? Have Tories become so damned heartless? This isn't a question of right- vs left-wing. I was myself raised in a Conservative household, and voted Conservative, too, until that ridiculous Brexit referendum. But Conservatives of yore had a sense of fairplay; they also had a social conscience. These bastards have none! So, this is a question of old-fashioned common decency. Surely to goodness, bankers earn enough already, and get wonderful, big, fat bonuses as things stand. It's a lottery jackpot win each and every month for these lucky people. Now, the out-of-touch, superrich Rishi Sunak wants to give his already superrich chums even more for their champagne and caviar. It is high time that these hideous Tories be kicked out of office and thrown into the long grass! They are well past their use-by/sell-by date. They serve no useful purpose. – © Mark Alexander
Israel-Hamas War: "SHAME on Queen Rania!" Piers Morgan vs Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett
Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan speaks here.
Palestine Protests Are "Hate Marches" - Suella Braverman
Suella Braverman calls pro-Palestine demos ‘hate marches’: Home secretary claims protesters want to ‘erase Israel from the map’ by chanting in support of Palestine »
Former British Soldier Exposes Israel War Machine
WIKIPEDIA: Joe Glenton »
That this video appears here should in no way be construed that this man’s views are necessarily a reflection of my own; rather, the video is posted to give you an alternative view, to give you all food for thought; and for balance. Whether you agree with this war and what you think about it is for you, yourself, to decide. – Mark
Gold Prices Jump since Start of Israel-Gaza War – BBC News
Netanyahu Rejects Calls for a Cease-fire — and for His Resignation.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Israel’s prime minister adopted a defiant tone in a rare news briefing, saying that the country would not agree to a halt in attacks because, he argued, doing so would strengthen Hamas.
Striking a defiant tone at a rare news briefing on Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel ruled out a cease-fire in Gaza, dismissed calls for his resignation and rejected criticism of Israel’s strikes on civilian homes.
Mr. Netanyahu’s political opponents have called for him to resign over his failure to stop the attacks of Oct. 7, when terrorists from Gaza raided Israel and killed more than 1,400 people.
Abroad, the conduct of the Israeli counterattack on Gaza — which has killed more than 8,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry — has generated widespread outcry, with humanitarian groups and the United Nations General Assembly calling for a cease-fire. » | Patrick Kingsley | Reporting from Benjamin Netanyahu’s news briefing in Tel Aviv | Monday, October 30, 2023
Striking a defiant tone at a rare news briefing on Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel ruled out a cease-fire in Gaza, dismissed calls for his resignation and rejected criticism of Israel’s strikes on civilian homes.
Mr. Netanyahu’s political opponents have called for him to resign over his failure to stop the attacks of Oct. 7, when terrorists from Gaza raided Israel and killed more than 1,400 people.
Abroad, the conduct of the Israeli counterattack on Gaza — which has killed more than 8,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry — has generated widespread outcry, with humanitarian groups and the United Nations General Assembly calling for a cease-fire. » | Patrick Kingsley | Reporting from Benjamin Netanyahu’s news briefing in Tel Aviv | Monday, October 30, 2023
Monday, October 30, 2023
‘I Just Wonder, Are We Heading to Some Form of Religious War?’ | Nigel Farage's UK Protest Concerns
Recent Developments in the Israel-Hamas War | DW News
'Friends' Star Matthew Perry Dead at 54
Braverman: Pro-Palestinian Protests Are 'Hate Marches'.
'Do What India Did': Saudi Prince Rips Hamas & Israel; Opposes 'Armed Resistance' In Palestine
Related article here
Russia Blames West after Antisemitic Mob Storms Dagestan Airport | DW News
Related article here.
Antisemitism Is Deeply Ingrained in European Society, Says EU Official
GUARDIAN US: Remarks by rights chief come as civil society groups warn of a rise in antisemitism amid Israel-Hamas war
Hundreds of Berliners gather outside of the Fraenkelufer synagogue on the eve of Shabbat to protect worshippers from possible attacks. Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP
Antisemitism is a “deeply ingrained racism in European society” that poses an existential threat to the continent’s Jewish community and the fundamental aims of the European Union, an EU official has warned.
Michael O’Flaherty, the director of the bloc’s agency for fundamental rights, said it was worrying that only a third of the general population considered antisemitism a big problem, when there was no doubt “dramatic moments in our societies trigger antisemitic responses”.
He told the Guardian: “It happened with Covid, it’s happening now with the Russian aggression [in Ukraine] – and now it’s happening again. Media and civil society organisations warn of a rise of antisemitism as the crisis in the Middle East unfolds.
“I honestly think that with any big negative issue in our society, you’re going to find antisemitic tropes finding their way in there. It’s indicative of the extent … antisemitism is a deeply ingrained racism in European society.”
O’Flaherty added that it was “also important at this time to be vigilant and condemn all forms of hatred that manifest themselves in Europe, including hatred against Muslims”. » | Jason Burke, International security correspondent | Monday, October 30, 2023
Far-right German politician arrested after ‘Sieg Heil’ salutes heard: Banned totalitarian symbols found at fraternity of Daniel Halemba, 22, who takes up seat in Bavarian legislature on Thursday / A legislator with the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party was arrested on Monday on charges including displaying forbidden totalitarian symbols, with neighbours of his fraternity complaining of often hearing the Nazi “Sieg Heil” victory salute. »
Related article on anti-Semitism in Dagestan, Russia here.
Antisemitic mob storms through Russian airport as flight from Tel Aviv lands: An angry crowd in Russia’s mostly Muslim region of Dagestan stormed an airport where a flight from Israel arrived on Sunday, forcing authorities to close the facility and divert flights. [With video] »
Antisemitism is a “deeply ingrained racism in European society” that poses an existential threat to the continent’s Jewish community and the fundamental aims of the European Union, an EU official has warned.
Michael O’Flaherty, the director of the bloc’s agency for fundamental rights, said it was worrying that only a third of the general population considered antisemitism a big problem, when there was no doubt “dramatic moments in our societies trigger antisemitic responses”.
He told the Guardian: “It happened with Covid, it’s happening now with the Russian aggression [in Ukraine] – and now it’s happening again. Media and civil society organisations warn of a rise of antisemitism as the crisis in the Middle East unfolds.
“I honestly think that with any big negative issue in our society, you’re going to find antisemitic tropes finding their way in there. It’s indicative of the extent … antisemitism is a deeply ingrained racism in European society.”
O’Flaherty added that it was “also important at this time to be vigilant and condemn all forms of hatred that manifest themselves in Europe, including hatred against Muslims”. » | Jason Burke, International security correspondent | Monday, October 30, 2023
Far-right German politician arrested after ‘Sieg Heil’ salutes heard: Banned totalitarian symbols found at fraternity of Daniel Halemba, 22, who takes up seat in Bavarian legislature on Thursday / A legislator with the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party was arrested on Monday on charges including displaying forbidden totalitarian symbols, with neighbours of his fraternity complaining of often hearing the Nazi “Sieg Heil” victory salute. »
Related article on anti-Semitism in Dagestan, Russia here.
Antisemitic mob storms through Russian airport as flight from Tel Aviv lands: An angry crowd in Russia’s mostly Muslim region of Dagestan stormed an airport where a flight from Israel arrived on Sunday, forcing authorities to close the facility and divert flights. [With video] »
A New Message for Hamas from Son of Hamas's Leader
World Bank Warns Oil Price Could Soar to Record $150 a Barrel
GUARDIAN US: Escalation of Israel-Hamas war into Middle East-wide conflict would disrupt oil supplies and stoke food prices, says Bank
Oil prices could soar to a record high of more than $150 a barrel if the war between Israel and Hamas leads to a repeat of the full-scale conflict in the Middle East witnessed 50 years ago, the World Bank has warned.
In the first major assessment of the economic risks of an escalation of the war beyond Gaza’s borders, the World Bank said there was a risk of the cost of crude entering “uncharted waters”.
A “large disruption” scenario comparable with the Arab oil boycott of the west in 1973 would create supply shortages that would lead to the price of a barrel of oil increasing from about $90 to between $140 and 157. The previous record – unadjusted for inflation – was $147 a barrel in 2008.
“The latest conflict in the Middle East comes on the heels of the biggest shock to commodity markets since the 1970s – Russia’s war with Ukraine,” said Indermit Gill, the World Bank’s chief economist. “That had disruptive effects on the global economy that persist to this day. » | Larry Elliott, Economics editor | Monday, October 30, 2023
Oil prices could soar to a record high of more than $150 a barrel if the war between Israel and Hamas leads to a repeat of the full-scale conflict in the Middle East witnessed 50 years ago, the World Bank has warned.
In the first major assessment of the economic risks of an escalation of the war beyond Gaza’s borders, the World Bank said there was a risk of the cost of crude entering “uncharted waters”.
A “large disruption” scenario comparable with the Arab oil boycott of the west in 1973 would create supply shortages that would lead to the price of a barrel of oil increasing from about $90 to between $140 and 157. The previous record – unadjusted for inflation – was $147 a barrel in 2008.
“The latest conflict in the Middle East comes on the heels of the biggest shock to commodity markets since the 1970s – Russia’s war with Ukraine,” said Indermit Gill, the World Bank’s chief economist. “That had disruptive effects on the global economy that persist to this day. » | Larry Elliott, Economics editor | Monday, October 30, 2023
Pistorius sieht Gefahr eines Kriegs in Europa | Berlin direkt
WIKIPEDIA: Boris Pistorius [E] »
ANADOLU AJANSI: Germany has to be prepared for possible war in Europe, defense minister says: Boris Pistorius says Russia-Ukraine war has been historic turning point, which should bring ‘mentality change’ in politics, society »
Anadolu Ajansi’s homepage in English here.
WIKIPEDIA: Anadolu Agency »
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Mob Storms Dagestan Airport in Search of Jewish Passengers from Israel
GUARDIAN EUROPE: Airport in Russia’s Muslim southern region closed after hundreds storm tarmac and climb on to planes
Rioters at the airport held signs reading, ‘We are against Jewish refugees’ and ‘Child killers have no place in Dagestan.’ Photograph: Twitter
GUARDIAN EUROPE: Airport in Russia’s Muslim southern region closed after hundreds storm tarmac and climb on to planes
A mob in Russia’s mostly Muslim region of Dagestan has stormed the airport in Makhachkala in search of Jewish passengers arriving from Israel.
In the past day, local people have besieged a hotel in search of Jewish guests and stormed the airport after reports emerged that a flight from Tel Aviv was arriving in the city. While no one appears to have been seriously injured or killed in the riots, passengers have been forced to take refuge in planes or hide in the airport for fear of being attacked. » | Andrew Roth | Sunday, October 29, 2023
Antijüdische Übergriffe im Nordkaukasus: Russland ist offiziell ein Land vieler Völker und Religionen. Doch die russischen Muslime halten zu den Palästinensern. In einer aufgeheizten Stimmung machen sie Jagd auf vermeintliche Juden. »
Daghestan : les images de l’aéroport pris d’assaut par une foule hostile à Israël : Plusieurs dizaines d’hommes ont pénétré, dimanche, sur le tarmac et dans le terminal de l’aéroport de Makhatchkala, capitale de cette république russe à majorité musulmane, à l’annonce de l’arrivée d’un avion en provenance d’Israël. »
GUARDIAN EUROPE: Airport in Russia’s Muslim southern region closed after hundreds storm tarmac and climb on to planes
A mob in Russia’s mostly Muslim region of Dagestan has stormed the airport in Makhachkala in search of Jewish passengers arriving from Israel.
In the past day, local people have besieged a hotel in search of Jewish guests and stormed the airport after reports emerged that a flight from Tel Aviv was arriving in the city. While no one appears to have been seriously injured or killed in the riots, passengers have been forced to take refuge in planes or hide in the airport for fear of being attacked. » | Andrew Roth | Sunday, October 29, 2023
Antijüdische Übergriffe im Nordkaukasus: Russland ist offiziell ein Land vieler Völker und Religionen. Doch die russischen Muslime halten zu den Palästinensern. In einer aufgeheizten Stimmung machen sie Jagd auf vermeintliche Juden. »
Daghestan : les images de l’aéroport pris d’assaut par une foule hostile à Israël : Plusieurs dizaines d’hommes ont pénétré, dimanche, sur le tarmac et dans le terminal de l’aéroport de Makhatchkala, capitale de cette république russe à majorité musulmane, à l’annonce de l’arrivée d’un avion en provenance d’Israël. »
Netanyahu and Wife Sara Decamp to Luxury Mansion amid Growing Public Anger
THE TELEGRAPH: The Israeli PM and his wife have moved to the Jerusalem mansion said to be equipped with a deep nuclear bunker
Popularity is waning for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara | AFP/Getty/GIL COHEN-MAGEN
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara have decamped to the luxury mansion of a billionaire friend amid a growing tide of public anger.
The private mansion in Jerusalem is said to be equipped with a deep nuclear bunker, and on Wednesday, staff were busy securing the compound. It is owned by the US duty free billionaire Simon Falic.
The couple, who were accused of taking luxury gifts – including champagne and jewellery worth tens of thousands of dollars – from their wealthy donor friends, have two private residences in Jerusalem and one in the affluent coastal town of Caesarea.
The move has caused outrage in Israel. Journalist Uri Misgav shared photos of the property and said: “We renovate, secure and finance three homes for the Netanyahu family.” » | Melanie Swan | Sunday, October 29, 2023
The U.S. Duty Free Empire That Funds Israeli Settlements: Falic family, owners of Duty Free Americas shops, donated at least $5.6 million to settler organizations in West Bank over past decade, and have given more money than any other donor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu »
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara have decamped to the luxury mansion of a billionaire friend amid a growing tide of public anger.
The private mansion in Jerusalem is said to be equipped with a deep nuclear bunker, and on Wednesday, staff were busy securing the compound. It is owned by the US duty free billionaire Simon Falic.
The couple, who were accused of taking luxury gifts – including champagne and jewellery worth tens of thousands of dollars – from their wealthy donor friends, have two private residences in Jerusalem and one in the affluent coastal town of Caesarea.
The move has caused outrage in Israel. Journalist Uri Misgav shared photos of the property and said: “We renovate, secure and finance three homes for the Netanyahu family.” » | Melanie Swan | Sunday, October 29, 2023
The U.S. Duty Free Empire That Funds Israeli Settlements: Falic family, owners of Duty Free Americas shops, donated at least $5.6 million to settler organizations in West Bank over past decade, and have given more money than any other donor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu »
Emmanuel Macron to Enshrine Women’s Right to Abortion in France
GUARDIAN EUROPE: President promises by next year the constitutional right to choose ‘will become irreversible’
Macron will submit a draft to the highest administrative court next week. Photograph: Christophe Petit-Tesson/AFP/Getty Images
Emmanuel Macron has promised to enshrine a woman’s right to an abortion in the French constitution by next year, after restrictions in other countries propelled France on a path towards unconditionally guaranteeing abortion rights.
The French president said on Sunday that his government would submit a draft text to France’s highest administrative court over the coming week, with the aim of making abortion rights constitutional by the end of the year.
“In 2024, the right of women to choose abortion will become irreversible,” he wrote on social media. » | Angela Giuffrida and agencies | Sunday, October 29, 2023
Emmanuel Macron has promised to enshrine a woman’s right to an abortion in the French constitution by next year, after restrictions in other countries propelled France on a path towards unconditionally guaranteeing abortion rights.
The French president said on Sunday that his government would submit a draft text to France’s highest administrative court over the coming week, with the aim of making abortion rights constitutional by the end of the year.
“In 2024, the right of women to choose abortion will become irreversible,” he wrote on social media. » | Angela Giuffrida and agencies | Sunday, October 29, 2023
Son of Hamas’ New Message to the United Nations
The Struggle of Being Gay in Albania | 2015
There is so much anger in this world. It is so sad. Tragic, in fact. The world is full of people who think, believe – nay! are convinced – that they know exactly how people should be and live. In fact, so arrogant are they that they behave as though they had a hotline to the ‘Papa in the Sky’, the Creator, the Power behind all things. The Power that is said to be omnipotent yet appears more and more impotent with each passing day, as so many natural catastrophes this year attest to.
Naturally, the answer to this is clear and simple: Live and let live! As long as people don’t trouble you, refrain from troubling them! Let them seek their pleasures in a way that suits them. Therefore, let them live in a way that suits them. Let them seek their own happiness; and then you seek yours. Life is far, far too short for all this hatred and strife.
Death comes to us all. Often far more quickly than one could ever imagine. One minute you are here; the next, you are not. I have personally witnessed someone dying right in front of me. Believe you me, a person’s last breath is drawn in the twinkling of an eye. That could be yours or mine. Then, to state the obvious, it's over.
It therefore behoves us all to be as tolerant as we can be. And if someone behaves in a way that displeases you, look the other way! If you happen to be a religious person and believe that the person in question is behaving in a way that is displeasing to your God, then God will have a way of dealing with that person in the next life. That is what the Day of Judgement is all about.
So, cultivate tolerance for the sake of social harmony. For as Jesus told us: He who is without sin, cast the first stone!
Homophobia is a sickness. – © Mark Alexander
A New Message from Son of Hamas Leader to the World
A link to YouTube of this incredibly powerful video appears here.
As China Looks to Broker Gaza Peace, Antisemitism Surges Online
THE NEW YORK TIMES: China’s state-run media has blamed the United States for deepening the crisis, while perpetuating tropes of Jewish control of American politics.
As the Israel-Hamas conflict intensifies, raising the prospect of a wider war, China has stepped up efforts to pitch itself as a neutral broker for Mideast peace.
Beijing’s top diplomat called his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts on Monday, urging restraint. A Chinese envoy is traveling in the Middle East, pledging to help avert a wider war. At the United Nations on Wednesday, China vetoed a resolution on the war that did not call for a cease-fire.
But even as China seeks to turn down the temperature diplomatically, a surge of antisemitism and anti-Israeli sentiment is proliferating across the Chinese internet and state media, undermining Beijing’s efforts to convey impartiality. China has already come under pressure from the United States and Israel for its refusal to condemn Hamas for its Oct. 7 attack that started the war.
On China’s heavily censored internet, inflammatory speech critical of Israel is rampant, with commenters seemingly emboldened by that refusal. And China’s state-run media is seizing on the conflict to accuse the United States of turning a blind eye to Israeli aggression, while perpetuating tropes of Jewish control of American politics.
China Daily, a state-run newspaper, ran an editorial on Monday declaring that the United States was on the “wrong side of history in Gaza.” It said Washington was exacerbating the conflict by “blindly backing Israel.” » | Daisuke Wakabayashi, Tiffany May and Claire Fu | Saturday, October 28, 2023
As the Israel-Hamas conflict intensifies, raising the prospect of a wider war, China has stepped up efforts to pitch itself as a neutral broker for Mideast peace.
Beijing’s top diplomat called his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts on Monday, urging restraint. A Chinese envoy is traveling in the Middle East, pledging to help avert a wider war. At the United Nations on Wednesday, China vetoed a resolution on the war that did not call for a cease-fire.
But even as China seeks to turn down the temperature diplomatically, a surge of antisemitism and anti-Israeli sentiment is proliferating across the Chinese internet and state media, undermining Beijing’s efforts to convey impartiality. China has already come under pressure from the United States and Israel for its refusal to condemn Hamas for its Oct. 7 attack that started the war.
On China’s heavily censored internet, inflammatory speech critical of Israel is rampant, with commenters seemingly emboldened by that refusal. And China’s state-run media is seizing on the conflict to accuse the United States of turning a blind eye to Israeli aggression, while perpetuating tropes of Jewish control of American politics.
China Daily, a state-run newspaper, ran an editorial on Monday declaring that the United States was on the “wrong side of history in Gaza.” It said Washington was exacerbating the conflict by “blindly backing Israel.” » | Daisuke Wakabayashi, Tiffany May and Claire Fu | Saturday, October 28, 2023
Since the Heinous Hamas Terror Attack on Israel, Germany Is Experiencing a New Dimension of Hate for German Values, for Democracy and for Germany
MARK ALEXANDER: In Germany — and in all probability elsewhere in the West, too — many residents despise the German/Western way of life. They bring their children up to despise the Western way of life, as well. For such people, Germans and other Westerners are considered to be infidels. A concept difficult for the secular, Western mind to grapple with.
I, for one, warned of this phenomenon more than twenty years ago in my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age. It was like whistling into the wind! Many simply didn’t want to hear the message. They didn’t want their comfortable lives disturbed by uncomfortable facts. They preferred to sing Kumbaya instead. But facts are facts, however people want to spin or slice them. I said it then and I will repeat it now, Islam and democracy are totally incompatible. One is either a Muslim or one is a democrat. One cannot be both a devout Muslim and an ardent democrat. No Sir! This is not possible. Period!
I wrote an essay on this way back in April 2007. I reposted in March 2017 here and in August 2021 here.
At last, the mainstream media (MSM) are beginning to wake up. It has taken a while, but it is happening – slowly. For instance, today, I see that BILD in Germany are ahead of the curve and are reporting about this phenomenon in various languages.
In German, they have an article entitled, Deutschland, wir haben ein Problem!. The same article appears in English under the title, Germany, we have a problem!
The same article also appears in Turkish here, in Russian here, and in Arabic here.
Happy Reading!
© Mark Alexander
I, for one, warned of this phenomenon more than twenty years ago in my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age. It was like whistling into the wind! Many simply didn’t want to hear the message. They didn’t want their comfortable lives disturbed by uncomfortable facts. They preferred to sing Kumbaya instead. But facts are facts, however people want to spin or slice them. I said it then and I will repeat it now, Islam and democracy are totally incompatible. One is either a Muslim or one is a democrat. One cannot be both a devout Muslim and an ardent democrat. No Sir! This is not possible. Period!
I wrote an essay on this way back in April 2007. I reposted in March 2017 here and in August 2021 here.
At last, the mainstream media (MSM) are beginning to wake up. It has taken a while, but it is happening – slowly. For instance, today, I see that BILD in Germany are ahead of the curve and are reporting about this phenomenon in various languages.
In German, they have an article entitled, Deutschland, wir haben ein Problem!. The same article appears in English under the title, Germany, we have a problem!
The same article also appears in Turkish here, in Russian here, and in Arabic here.
Happy Reading!
© Mark Alexander
Guerre Israël-Hamas : des milliers de personnes rassemblées à Paris, malgré l’interdiction de la manifestation de soutien à la Palestine
LE MONDE : Dans l’après-midi, 21 interpellations et 1 359 verbalisations ont été menées par les forces de l’ordre. La marche prévue a été limitée à un rassemblement statique.
A l’appel de plusieurs associations et collectifs, des milliers de personnes ont participé, samedi 28 octobre, à Paris, dans le calme, à un rassemblement « de soutien au peuple palestinien », aux cris notamment de « Gaza, Gaza, Paris est avec toi », a constaté une journaliste de l’Agence France-Presse (AFP). Des tensions ont toutefois éclaté avec les forces de l’ordre lors de la dispersion des manifestants. » | Le Monde avec AFP | samedi 28 octobre 2023
Vidéo connexe ici.
A l’appel de plusieurs associations et collectifs, des milliers de personnes ont participé, samedi 28 octobre, à Paris, dans le calme, à un rassemblement « de soutien au peuple palestinien », aux cris notamment de « Gaza, Gaza, Paris est avec toi », a constaté une journaliste de l’Agence France-Presse (AFP). Des tensions ont toutefois éclaté avec les forces de l’ordre lors de la dispersion des manifestants. » | Le Monde avec AFP | samedi 28 octobre 2023
Vidéo connexe ici.
En direct, guerre Israël-Hamas : l’agence des Nations unies pour les réfugiés palestiniens craint un écroulement de « l’ordre civil » dans la bande de Gaza
LE MONDE : Thomas White, directeur des affaires de l’UNRWA, rapporte que des pillages ont eu lieu dans des centres de distribution d’aide alimentaire dans le centre et le sud de l’enclave palestinienne. Pour l’agence onusienne, « le système actuel de convois [humanitaires en provenance de l’Egypte] est voué à l’échec » alors que l’armée israélienne appelle les Palestiniens à se rendre dans le sud de Gaza. LIVE EN COURS » | Dimanche 29 octobre 2023
Netanjahu: Sieg über Hamas ist „existenzielle Herausforderung“ für Israel
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Ziel der ausgeweiteten Bodenoffensive sei es, die Herrschaft der Hamas im Gazastreifen zu zerstören und die Geiseln nach Hause zurückzubringen, erklärt Israels Ministerpräsident. Der Krieg werde schwierig und langwierig, sagt Netanjahu.
Mit der Ausweitung der Bodeneinsätze des israelischen Militärs im Gazastreifen hat nach Angaben von Israels Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanjahu die zweite Phase des Krieges gegen die Hamas begonnen. Ziel sei es, die militärischen Fähigkeiten sowie die Herrschaft der Islamistenorganisation zu zerstören und die Geiseln nach Hause zurückzubringen, sagte er am Samstagabend vor Journalisten in Tel Aviv. Die Notstandsregierung habe die Entscheidung zur Ausweitung der Bodeneinsätze einstimmig getroffen. » | Quelle: sreu./dpa/Reuters/AFP | Samstag, 28. Oktober 2023
Tausende im Gazastreifen plündern Lagerhallen und Verteilzentren der UN »
A New Message from Son of Hamas Leader to the World
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Israel Launches Full Ground War in Northern Gaza - BBC News
Oct 28, 2023 | Israel has begun a full ground offensive in northern Gaza, three weeks after Hamas gunmen attacked Israel, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostages.
The new phase of Israel’s assault began at night with a huge wave of airstrikes as ground forces entered the north of Gaza. Tanks and infantry moved in and Israel says its commandos are operating on the ground across the north of the territory.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his nation: “The war inside the Gaza Strip will be difficult and long and we are prepared for it. This is our second war of independence. We will fight for the defence of the homeland.”
The Palestinian authorities said at least 400 more people had been killed in Gaza on the first day of the full ground offensive.
As the assault began, Israel cut off all internet and phone communications in Gaza. Aid agencies and the United Nations reported that they were no longer able to communicate with their staff or confirm their safety.
Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten. Reporting by Jeremy Bowen in southern Israel and Rushdi Abualouf in Gaza.
The new phase of Israel’s assault began at night with a huge wave of airstrikes as ground forces entered the north of Gaza. Tanks and infantry moved in and Israel says its commandos are operating on the ground across the north of the territory.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his nation: “The war inside the Gaza Strip will be difficult and long and we are prepared for it. This is our second war of independence. We will fight for the defence of the homeland.”
The Palestinian authorities said at least 400 more people had been killed in Gaza on the first day of the full ground offensive.
As the assault began, Israel cut off all internet and phone communications in Gaza. Aid agencies and the United Nations reported that they were no longer able to communicate with their staff or confirm their safety.
Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten. Reporting by Jeremy Bowen in southern Israel and Rushdi Abualouf in Gaza.
En direct, guerre Israël-Hamas : « Nous ne sommes qu’au début de l’opération », déclare Benyamin Nétanyahou après 24 heures de frappes intensives et d’incursions terrestres d’Israël dans la bande de Gaza
LE MONDE : « La guerre sera longue et difficile », a dit le premier ministre israélien, samedi soir. M. Nétanyahou a défendu l’action de Tsahal, qualifiant cette dernière d’ « armée la plus morale du monde », en réponse aux inquiétudes sur le risque que des civils soient tués pendant l’offensive israélienne. LIVE EN COURS » | Samedi 28 octobre 2023
The Queer Revolution in the Middle East: 'One Good Song Can Do More than 5,000 Protests' | Reupload
Jun 22, 2022 | Mashrou’ Leila were one of the biggest bands in the Middle East, with a lead singer, Hamed, who is the most prominent openly gay rock star in the Arab world.
Known globally, their gigs were regular sell-out successes until an event at their 2017 Cairo concert changed everything. Playing to 35,000 people, the band looked out at a sea of swaying flickering lights, including an Egyptian fan flying a rainbow flag. This simple act would later be described by authorities as ‘inciting debauchery’, and ultimately catapulted the band, the fan and others into a tragic series of events. While this violent repression against the LGBTQ+ community in the Middle East mirrors a global trend, creatives on the frontline are unified in their resistance
Known globally, their gigs were regular sell-out successes until an event at their 2017 Cairo concert changed everything. Playing to 35,000 people, the band looked out at a sea of swaying flickering lights, including an Egyptian fan flying a rainbow flag. This simple act would later be described by authorities as ‘inciting debauchery’, and ultimately catapulted the band, the fan and others into a tragic series of events. While this violent repression against the LGBTQ+ community in the Middle East mirrors a global trend, creatives on the frontline are unified in their resistance
Police Intervene in Pro-Palestinian Demonstration in Paris
Pro-Moscow Ukrainian Politician Shot in Apparent Assassination Attempt
GUARDIAN EUROPE: Oleg Tsaryov, who had been tipped to lead a puppet government after Russia’s 2022 invasion, is in a critical condition
Oleg Tsaryov is in intensive care after being shot by an unknown assailant, his associates have said. Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images
A Ukrainian politician once said to have been considered for leader of a Kremlin-controlled puppet government in Ukraine is in a critical condition after he was shot twice in an apparent assassination attempt at a sanatorium in Crimea.
Oleg Tsaryov, a pro-Kremlin Ukrainian figure who played a prominent political role in the 2014 war against the Kyiv government, was shot twice by an unknown assailant, his associates have confirmed.
“Oleg is fighting for his life. After the attempt on his life tonight, Oleg lost a lot of blood,” wrote Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, which is under Moscow’s partial control. » | Andrew Roth | Friday, October 27, 2023
A Ukrainian politician once said to have been considered for leader of a Kremlin-controlled puppet government in Ukraine is in a critical condition after he was shot twice in an apparent assassination attempt at a sanatorium in Crimea.
Oleg Tsaryov, a pro-Kremlin Ukrainian figure who played a prominent political role in the 2014 war against the Kyiv government, was shot twice by an unknown assailant, his associates have confirmed.
“Oleg is fighting for his life. After the attempt on his life tonight, Oleg lost a lot of blood,” wrote Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, which is under Moscow’s partial control. » | Andrew Roth | Friday, October 27, 2023
Russia Raises Interest Rate to 15% after Steep Climb in Inflation
GUARDIAN EUROPE: Two-point rate rise surprises analysts as central bank blames 6.6% inflation on consumer demand
Russia’s central bank has increased interest rates by more than expected, to 15%, after a steep rise in inflation.
The bank blamed the war-torn economy’s limited capacity to respond to an increase in consumer demand for the rise in inflation to 6.6% in October, from 6% in the previous month.
Even with the increase in borrowing costs, inflation is expected to carry on climbing to 7.5% by the end of the year, the central bank said, before falling back to 4% next year. » | Phillip Inman | Friday, October 27, 2023
Russia’s central bank has increased interest rates by more than expected, to 15%, after a steep rise in inflation.
The bank blamed the war-torn economy’s limited capacity to respond to an increase in consumer demand for the rise in inflation to 6.6% in October, from 6% in the previous month.
Even with the increase in borrowing costs, inflation is expected to carry on climbing to 7.5% by the end of the year, the central bank said, before falling back to 4% next year. » | Phillip Inman | Friday, October 27, 2023
Pence Bows Out of ’24 Race His Former Boss Is Dominating
THE NEW YORK TIMES: He increasingly attacked Donald Trump over Jan. 6, but gained little traction and struggled to raise money.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who spent four years dutifully serving President Donald J. Trump but refused to carry out Mr. Trump’s demand that he block the 2020 election results, ended his presidential bid on Saturday, with a final appeal for his party to return to conservative principles and resist the “siren song of populism.” » | Maggie Haberman and Lisa Lerer | Maggie Haberman reported from New York. Lisa Lerer reported from Las Vegas. | Saturday, October 28, 2023
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who spent four years dutifully serving President Donald J. Trump but refused to carry out Mr. Trump’s demand that he block the 2020 election results, ended his presidential bid on Saturday, with a final appeal for his party to return to conservative principles and resist the “siren song of populism.” » | Maggie Haberman and Lisa Lerer | Maggie Haberman reported from New York. Lisa Lerer reported from Las Vegas. | Saturday, October 28, 2023
What's the Plan? Israel Escalates Fighting as Gaza Death Toll Rises • FRANCE 24 English
Yusuf Islam Addresses the 'Great Palestine Rally' in Istanbul
Pro-Palestinian Rallies in the UK, Europe Call for Peace in Gaza
Auch in Kreuzberg, Deutschland.
Israel Should Not Form a Truce with a Terrorist Group’ | Hadley Freeman
In Michigan, Muslim and Arab American Voters Reconsider Support for Biden
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Many in the swing state say they feel betrayed by the president’s support for Israel.
Sam Baydoun, a Wayne County commissioner in Dearborn, Mich., has been glued to Al Jazeera for weeks to absorb news from the war in Israel and Gaza.
Mr. Baydoun, a Democrat who is Lebanese American, has watched with fury as Israeli airstrikes have caused the deaths of many civilians, including children, following the deadly attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7 that killed many. He saw President Biden visit Israel and pledge full-throated American support.
And he is thinking ahead to the presidential election of 2024, a contest that could hinge on a handful of states including Michigan, whose Muslim and Arab American voters turned out decisively for Mr. Biden three years ago.
“How can I tell somebody who’s watching these atrocities on live TV, today, to vote for President Biden?” he said. “The pulse of the community is overwhelmingly not supportive of Biden now. They feel betrayed.” » | Julie Bosman and Ernesto Londoño | Julie Bosman reported from Dearborn, Mich, and Ernesto Londoño from St. Paul, Minn. | Saturday, October 28, 2023
Wie Islamisten den Nahost-Konflikt ausnutzen - und Hass in Deutschland schüren
Die Initiative "Muslim Interaktiv" tarnt sich mit Aufklärung über Rassismus. Doch in Wahrheit gehört sie zu den islamistischen Gruppierungen, die dafür verantwortlich sind, dass sich die Gräben zwischen Muslimen und Nicht-Muslimen auf deutschen Straßen vergrößern.
Auch die Eskalation im Nahost-Konflikt wird von Radikalen genutzt, um weiter Hass zu schüren - unter anderem gegen Juden. Seit dem Terror der Hamas hat es in Deutschland eine deutliche Zunahme antisemitischer Angriffe gegeben. In Deutschland seien die Sicherheitsbehörden alarmiert, sagt der Präsident des Hessischen Verfassungsschutzes. Ein Film über Islamismus in Deutschland von ZDF-Reporterin Susana Santina.
Islamismus ist ein anderer Begriff für politischen Islam. Es handelt sich um eine religiös-politische Ideologie. Aber es ist ein Unsinn. Muslime selbst verwenden den Begriff nicht. Für Muslime gibt es nur eine Ideologie/Glaube/Religion und das ist der Islam!
Islamismus ist ein Unsinn, weil der Begriff von Westlern verwendet wird, um den Islam, die Religion, vom Islam, der Politik, zu trennen. Aber diese Trennung entsteht aus Unwissenheit. Tatsache ist, daß der Islam keine Trennung von Moschee und Staat anerkennt; daher erkennt es per Definition keine Trennung des Zeitlichen vom Spirituellen, keine Trennung der säkularen Aspekte des Lebens von den religiösen Aspekten des Lebens, keine Trennung von Politik und Religion an. Punkt! Der gesamte Islam ist ein zusammenhängendes Ganzes. Und es ist politisch! In dieser Hinsicht unterscheidet es sich völlig vom Christentum, das eine Trennung von Kirche und Staat anerkennt.
Muslime betrachten den Islam nicht als eine Religion, an und für sich, sondern als ihr Dīn. Das Wort Dīn umfasst weit mehr als nur Glauben oder Religion. Es ist eine vollständige Lebensweise, ein organisches Ganzes, das alle Aspekte des täglichen Lebens umfasst. Ein Muslim ist jemand, der sich Allahs Willen unterworfen hat. Allah ist in den Augen der Muslime der einzig wahre Gott.
Den eigenen Willen Allah zu unterwerfen bedeutet, daß man nach Allahs Geboten leben muß. Alle von ihnen! Zu diesen Anweisungen gehört, wann man betet, wie man betet, wie oft man betet, wann man fastet, wie oft man fastet, was man ißt, wie man ißt, wie man auf die Toilette geht und sogar wie man Sex hat, oder Liebe macht. Und so schnell wie möglich nach der Geburt eines Babys ist es die Aufgabe des Vaters, ihm ins Ohr zu flüstern: La illah illa Allah wa Muhammad ar Rasool ullah, oder auf Deutsch: „Es gibt keinen Gott außer Allah und Muhammad ist sein Gesandter. Dies ist zufällig die Shahada – das, was man rezitiert, wenn man zum Islam konvertiert.
Ich wünschte also, die Leute würden aufhören, über Islamismus und Islamisten zu reden. Dadurch werden die Probleme verschleiert, die die Polizei, die Regierung und die Behörden haben, wenn sie mit den Schwierigkeiten umgehen, die wir uns durch Unwissenheit und Multikulturalismus zugezogen haben.
Die Probleme mit dem Islam werden niemals gelöst werden, solange die Menschen in Machtpositionen nicht klar verstehen, womit sie es zu tun haben. Der Begriff Islamismus verschleiert diese Probleme völlig. Ein weitaus besserer Begriff wäre „radikaler Islam“.
Tatsächlich sind die sogenannten Islamisten lediglich diejenigen Muslime, die den Geboten des Islam buchstabengetreu folgen, also fromme oder gläubige Muslime. – © Mark Alexander
IN ENGLISH:
Islamism is another term for political Islam. It is a religio-political ideology. But it is a nonsense. Muslims themselves do not use the term. For Muslims, there is only one ideology/faith/’religion’ and that is Islam!
Islamism is a nonsense because the term is used by Westerners to try and separate Islam, the religion, from Islam, the politics. But this separation is born out of ignorance. The fact of the matter is that Islam recognises no separation of mosque and state; so, by definition, it recognises no separation of the temporal from the spiritual, no separation of the secular aspects of life from the religious aspects of life, no separation of politics and religion. Period! All of Islam is one coherent whole. And it is political! IN this respect, it is totally unlike Christianity, which recognises a separation of Church and State.
Muslims don’t consider Islam as a religion, per se, but as their Din. The word Din encapsulates far more than faith, or religion. It is a complete way of life, an organic whole which incorporates all aspects of daily life. A Muslim is one who has submitted to Allah’s will. Allah being in the eyes of Muslims the one true god.
Submitting one’s own will to Allah’s means that one has to live according to Allah’s injunctions. All of them! These injunctions include when to pray, how to pray, how often to pray, when to fast, how often to fast, what to eat, how to eat, how to go to the toilet, even how to have sex, or make love. And as quickly as possible after a baby is born, it is incumbent upon the father to whisper into its ear, La illah illa Allah wa Muhammad ar Rasool ullah, or in English, ‘There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger’. This happens to be the Shahada – that which one recites when one converts to Islam.
So I do wish people would quit talking about Islamism and Islamists. Doing so obfuscates the problems the police, the government, and the authorities have when dealing with the difficulties which we have brought upon ourselves through ignorance and multiculturalism.
The problems with Islam will never be solved until the people in positions of power have a clear understanding of what they are dealing with. The term Islamism totally obscures those problems. A far better term to use would be ‘radical Islam’.
In actual fact, the so-called Islamists are merely the Muslims who follow the injunctions of Islam to the letter, ie devout Muslims. – © Mark Alexander
Auch die Eskalation im Nahost-Konflikt wird von Radikalen genutzt, um weiter Hass zu schüren - unter anderem gegen Juden. Seit dem Terror der Hamas hat es in Deutschland eine deutliche Zunahme antisemitischer Angriffe gegeben. In Deutschland seien die Sicherheitsbehörden alarmiert, sagt der Präsident des Hessischen Verfassungsschutzes. Ein Film über Islamismus in Deutschland von ZDF-Reporterin Susana Santina.
Islamismus ist ein anderer Begriff für politischen Islam. Es handelt sich um eine religiös-politische Ideologie. Aber es ist ein Unsinn. Muslime selbst verwenden den Begriff nicht. Für Muslime gibt es nur eine Ideologie/Glaube/Religion und das ist der Islam!
Islamismus ist ein Unsinn, weil der Begriff von Westlern verwendet wird, um den Islam, die Religion, vom Islam, der Politik, zu trennen. Aber diese Trennung entsteht aus Unwissenheit. Tatsache ist, daß der Islam keine Trennung von Moschee und Staat anerkennt; daher erkennt es per Definition keine Trennung des Zeitlichen vom Spirituellen, keine Trennung der säkularen Aspekte des Lebens von den religiösen Aspekten des Lebens, keine Trennung von Politik und Religion an. Punkt! Der gesamte Islam ist ein zusammenhängendes Ganzes. Und es ist politisch! In dieser Hinsicht unterscheidet es sich völlig vom Christentum, das eine Trennung von Kirche und Staat anerkennt.
Muslime betrachten den Islam nicht als eine Religion, an und für sich, sondern als ihr Dīn. Das Wort Dīn umfasst weit mehr als nur Glauben oder Religion. Es ist eine vollständige Lebensweise, ein organisches Ganzes, das alle Aspekte des täglichen Lebens umfasst. Ein Muslim ist jemand, der sich Allahs Willen unterworfen hat. Allah ist in den Augen der Muslime der einzig wahre Gott.
Den eigenen Willen Allah zu unterwerfen bedeutet, daß man nach Allahs Geboten leben muß. Alle von ihnen! Zu diesen Anweisungen gehört, wann man betet, wie man betet, wie oft man betet, wann man fastet, wie oft man fastet, was man ißt, wie man ißt, wie man auf die Toilette geht und sogar wie man Sex hat, oder Liebe macht. Und so schnell wie möglich nach der Geburt eines Babys ist es die Aufgabe des Vaters, ihm ins Ohr zu flüstern: La illah illa Allah wa Muhammad ar Rasool ullah, oder auf Deutsch: „Es gibt keinen Gott außer Allah und Muhammad ist sein Gesandter. Dies ist zufällig die Shahada – das, was man rezitiert, wenn man zum Islam konvertiert.
Ich wünschte also, die Leute würden aufhören, über Islamismus und Islamisten zu reden. Dadurch werden die Probleme verschleiert, die die Polizei, die Regierung und die Behörden haben, wenn sie mit den Schwierigkeiten umgehen, die wir uns durch Unwissenheit und Multikulturalismus zugezogen haben.
Die Probleme mit dem Islam werden niemals gelöst werden, solange die Menschen in Machtpositionen nicht klar verstehen, womit sie es zu tun haben. Der Begriff Islamismus verschleiert diese Probleme völlig. Ein weitaus besserer Begriff wäre „radikaler Islam“.
Tatsächlich sind die sogenannten Islamisten lediglich diejenigen Muslime, die den Geboten des Islam buchstabengetreu folgen, also fromme oder gläubige Muslime. – © Mark Alexander
IN ENGLISH:
Islamism is another term for political Islam. It is a religio-political ideology. But it is a nonsense. Muslims themselves do not use the term. For Muslims, there is only one ideology/faith/’religion’ and that is Islam!
Islamism is a nonsense because the term is used by Westerners to try and separate Islam, the religion, from Islam, the politics. But this separation is born out of ignorance. The fact of the matter is that Islam recognises no separation of mosque and state; so, by definition, it recognises no separation of the temporal from the spiritual, no separation of the secular aspects of life from the religious aspects of life, no separation of politics and religion. Period! All of Islam is one coherent whole. And it is political! IN this respect, it is totally unlike Christianity, which recognises a separation of Church and State.
Muslims don’t consider Islam as a religion, per se, but as their Din. The word Din encapsulates far more than faith, or religion. It is a complete way of life, an organic whole which incorporates all aspects of daily life. A Muslim is one who has submitted to Allah’s will. Allah being in the eyes of Muslims the one true god.
Submitting one’s own will to Allah’s means that one has to live according to Allah’s injunctions. All of them! These injunctions include when to pray, how to pray, how often to pray, when to fast, how often to fast, what to eat, how to eat, how to go to the toilet, even how to have sex, or make love. And as quickly as possible after a baby is born, it is incumbent upon the father to whisper into its ear, La illah illa Allah wa Muhammad ar Rasool ullah, or in English, ‘There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger’. This happens to be the Shahada – that which one recites when one converts to Islam.
So I do wish people would quit talking about Islamism and Islamists. Doing so obfuscates the problems the police, the government, and the authorities have when dealing with the difficulties which we have brought upon ourselves through ignorance and multiculturalism.
The problems with Islam will never be solved until the people in positions of power have a clear understanding of what they are dealing with. The term Islamism totally obscures those problems. A far better term to use would be ‘radical Islam’.
In actual fact, the so-called Islamists are merely the Muslims who follow the injunctions of Islam to the letter, ie devout Muslims. – © Mark Alexander
Die Yorkshire Wolds | Zu Tisch | ARTE Family
Oct 28, 2023 | Der Hof der Familie Mellor liegt mitten in der sanft-hügeligen Landschaft der Yorkshire Wolds. Gill Mellor hat sich hier ihren Traum von einem englischen Garten erfüllt. Ihre Küche ist geprägt von Neuinterpretationen der Klassiker Yorkshire Pudding, Sausage Meat Plait (Wurst im Teigmantel), Chutney und dem saftigen Yorkshire-Fruchtkuchen.
Der Hof der Familie Mellor liegt mitten in der sanft-hügeligen Landschaft der Yorkshire Wolds. Unweit des Hofs erstreckt sich ein kilometerlanger Sandstrand, der im Süden den Blick auf Kreidefelsen freigibt und im Norden an die Seebäder Scarborough und Whitby grenzt. Kulinarisch weht ein frischer Wind in Englands größter Grafschaft. Gill Mellor versucht, die traditionell deftige Kost Nordenglands zu meiden. Doch ganz ohne geht es nicht. Klassiker wie der Yorkshire Pudding und Sausage Meat Plaid kombiniert sie in ihrer Küche mit leichter Kost wie Salaten, Suppen und Fingerfood. Gill ist studierte Gartendesignerin und hat sich rund um das Gehöft ihren Traum von einem englischen Garten erfüllt. Die Anlage ist ihre Leidenschaft und gleichzeitig auch das Aushängeschild des Hofs. Tom Mellor verbringt die meiste Zeit des Tages in der hauseigenen Brauerei. Als er den Hof in den 1990er Jahren von seinen Eltern übernahm, zwang ihn eine Getreidekrise zum Umdenken. Er beschloss eine radikale Neuausrichtung des Geschäfts. Die Mellors entwickelten ein Rundum-Nachhaltigkeitsmodell für ihre Farm, in dessen Zentrum heute ihre Brauerei steht. Mit der eigenen Gerste, eigenem Strom und Wasser braut Tom 18 verschiedene Biersorten. Gill und Tom werden von ihrer Tochter Kate und deren Ehemann Alex unterstützt. Ohne den Erfolg des Familienbetriebs wären sie wohl nach dem Studium nicht nach Yorkshire zurückgekehrt. Während die meisten ihrer Freunde hier keine Arbeit fanden und nun im reichen Süden des Landes leben, machen sich Kate und Alex bereit, den Hof Stück für Stück zu übernehmen.
Esskulturreihe, Regie: K. Kähler und M. Koddenberg (D 2015, 27 Min)
Video verfügbar bis: 28/11/2023
Der Hof der Familie Mellor liegt mitten in der sanft-hügeligen Landschaft der Yorkshire Wolds. Unweit des Hofs erstreckt sich ein kilometerlanger Sandstrand, der im Süden den Blick auf Kreidefelsen freigibt und im Norden an die Seebäder Scarborough und Whitby grenzt. Kulinarisch weht ein frischer Wind in Englands größter Grafschaft. Gill Mellor versucht, die traditionell deftige Kost Nordenglands zu meiden. Doch ganz ohne geht es nicht. Klassiker wie der Yorkshire Pudding und Sausage Meat Plaid kombiniert sie in ihrer Küche mit leichter Kost wie Salaten, Suppen und Fingerfood. Gill ist studierte Gartendesignerin und hat sich rund um das Gehöft ihren Traum von einem englischen Garten erfüllt. Die Anlage ist ihre Leidenschaft und gleichzeitig auch das Aushängeschild des Hofs. Tom Mellor verbringt die meiste Zeit des Tages in der hauseigenen Brauerei. Als er den Hof in den 1990er Jahren von seinen Eltern übernahm, zwang ihn eine Getreidekrise zum Umdenken. Er beschloss eine radikale Neuausrichtung des Geschäfts. Die Mellors entwickelten ein Rundum-Nachhaltigkeitsmodell für ihre Farm, in dessen Zentrum heute ihre Brauerei steht. Mit der eigenen Gerste, eigenem Strom und Wasser braut Tom 18 verschiedene Biersorten. Gill und Tom werden von ihrer Tochter Kate und deren Ehemann Alex unterstützt. Ohne den Erfolg des Familienbetriebs wären sie wohl nach dem Studium nicht nach Yorkshire zurückgekehrt. Während die meisten ihrer Freunde hier keine Arbeit fanden und nun im reichen Süden des Landes leben, machen sich Kate und Alex bereit, den Hof Stück für Stück zu übernehmen.
Esskulturreihe, Regie: K. Kähler und M. Koddenberg (D 2015, 27 Min)
Video verfügbar bis: 28/11/2023
Iranerin nach mutmaßlicher Konfrontation mit Moralpolizei tot
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Armita Garawand soll kein Kopftuch getragen haben, als sie mit der Moralpolizei zusammentraf. Nach Wochen im Koma ist sie nun gestorben. Das weckt Erinnerungen an den Fall Amini.
Eine 16 Jahre alte Iranerin ist nach einer mutmaßlichen Konfrontation mit der berüchtigten Moralpolizei gestorben. Die Schülerin Armita Garawand starb am Samstag in einer Klinik in der Hauptstadt Teheran, wie die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur Irna berichtete. Bereits vor rund einer Woche war die junge Frau für hirntot erklärt worden. Der Fall hatte weit über Irans Landesgrenzen für große Empörung gesorgt. » | Quelle: dpa | Samstag, 28. Oktober 2023
En direct, guerre Israël-Hamas : après une nuit de bombardements israéliens sans précédent sur la bande de Gaza, les dernières informations
LE MONDE : L’armée israélienne, qui avait annoncé que ses forces terrestres allaient « étendre » leurs opérations, dit avoir « frappé 150 cibles souterraines » dans le nord de l’enclave palestinienne. Le Hamas a fait état de « violents combats » au sol avec l’armée israélienne. Plusieurs ONG disent avoir perdu tout contact avec la bande de Gaza. LIVE EN COURS » | Samedi 28 octobre 2023
Meet the Fresh Face of Monaco: Alexandre Grimaldi, Prince Albert’s Eldest Son, Gives His First Solo Interview Exclusively in the December Issue of Tatler
TATLER: He’s the grandson of Grace Kelly, the eldest son of Prince Albert II of Monaco, and for 20 years he has kept his life private. Now, Alexandre Grimaldi is ready to talk. He tells Eilidh Hargreaves how he really feels about his royal roots, growing up in Knightsbridge and finally going public
A VERY MODERN ROYAL: ALEXANDRE GRIMALDI, DRESSED IN DIOR MEN, IS REINVENTING MONACO'S ROYAL FAMILY FROM THE INSIDE
TATLER: He’s the grandson of Grace Kelly, the eldest son of Prince Albert II of Monaco, and for 20 years he has kept his life private. Now, Alexandre Grimaldi is ready to talk. He tells Eilidh Hargreaves how he really feels about his royal roots, growing up in Knightsbridge and finally going public
A butler approaches a quiet table at the Four Seasons hotel in downtown New York, where a prospective resident of the city is talking about his father. He can tell my tablemate is special – the pristine cream outfit, the beautifully twisted braids, the gentle poise that denotes power – and can’t help but cut in. ‘So are you an actor or a musician or..?’ ‘No, I’m not,’ the young man responds in a voice so soft you have to lean in to hear. ‘Where are you from?’ the butler persists. ‘Monaco,’ replies Alexandre Grimaldi, with graceful finality.
It’s a moment of high comedy. With royal composure and Hollywood looks, Alexandre – Alex, really – is the fresh face of the House of Grimaldi: the son of Prince Albert II of Monaco and his former secret girlfriend, Nicole Coste; grandson of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly. At 20 years old, gently fist-bumping friends in the lobby, he is a very modern Monegasque ambassador. And now, sitting forward in Nike Air Forces and a Y-3 tracksuit for his first solo interview, he’s ready to talk. » | Eilidh Hargreaves | Wednesday, October 25, 2023
TATLER: He’s the grandson of Grace Kelly, the eldest son of Prince Albert II of Monaco, and for 20 years he has kept his life private. Now, Alexandre Grimaldi is ready to talk. He tells Eilidh Hargreaves how he really feels about his royal roots, growing up in Knightsbridge and finally going public
A butler approaches a quiet table at the Four Seasons hotel in downtown New York, where a prospective resident of the city is talking about his father. He can tell my tablemate is special – the pristine cream outfit, the beautifully twisted braids, the gentle poise that denotes power – and can’t help but cut in. ‘So are you an actor or a musician or..?’ ‘No, I’m not,’ the young man responds in a voice so soft you have to lean in to hear. ‘Where are you from?’ the butler persists. ‘Monaco,’ replies Alexandre Grimaldi, with graceful finality.
It’s a moment of high comedy. With royal composure and Hollywood looks, Alexandre – Alex, really – is the fresh face of the House of Grimaldi: the son of Prince Albert II of Monaco and his former secret girlfriend, Nicole Coste; grandson of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly. At 20 years old, gently fist-bumping friends in the lobby, he is a very modern Monegasque ambassador. And now, sitting forward in Nike Air Forces and a Y-3 tracksuit for his first solo interview, he’s ready to talk. » | Eilidh Hargreaves | Wednesday, October 25, 2023
The Rise of Poverty in Europe | Documentary
Oct 18, 2023 | The Rise of Poverty in Europe | ENDEVR Documentary from 2017
119 million people in Europe live under the breadline today. How could this happen? The reality of deprived children, unemployed young adults, and indigent workers spreads all around the Union. What does Europe do for them? Visiting young unemployed people in Ireland, Italy and Portugal, this film investigates beyond the social and economic aspects and outlines how this situation impacts the politics.
ENDEVR explains the world we live in through high-class documentaries, special investigations, explainers videos and animations. We cover topics related to business, economics, geopolitics, social issues and everything in between that we think are interesting.
119 million people in Europe live under the breadline today. How could this happen? The reality of deprived children, unemployed young adults, and indigent workers spreads all around the Union. What does Europe do for them? Visiting young unemployed people in Ireland, Italy and Portugal, this film investigates beyond the social and economic aspects and outlines how this situation impacts the politics.
ENDEVR explains the world we live in through high-class documentaries, special investigations, explainers videos and animations. We cover topics related to business, economics, geopolitics, social issues and everything in between that we think are interesting.
Revealed: The Industry Figures behind ‘Declaration of Scientists’ Backing Meat Eating
THE GUARDIAN: Document used to target top EU officials over environmental and health policies but climate experts view it as propaganda
Cutting up steak. A declaration about eating meat seems to be supported by people with links to the livestock industry. Photograph: DuKai photographer/Getty Images
A public statement signed by more than 1,000 scientists in support of meat production and consumption has numerous links to the livestock industry, the Guardian can reveal. The statement has been used to target top EU officials against environmental and health policies and has been endorsed by the EU agriculture commissioner.
The “Dublin Declaration of Scientists on the Societal Role of Livestock” says livestock “are too precious to society to become the victim of simplification, reductionism or zealotry” and calls for a “balanced view of the future of animal agriculture”. One of the authors of the declaration is an economist who called veganism an “eating disorder requiring psychological treatment”. » | Damian Carrington, Environment editor | Friday, October 27, 2023
A public statement signed by more than 1,000 scientists in support of meat production and consumption has numerous links to the livestock industry, the Guardian can reveal. The statement has been used to target top EU officials against environmental and health policies and has been endorsed by the EU agriculture commissioner.
The “Dublin Declaration of Scientists on the Societal Role of Livestock” says livestock “are too precious to society to become the victim of simplification, reductionism or zealotry” and calls for a “balanced view of the future of animal agriculture”. One of the authors of the declaration is an economist who called veganism an “eating disorder requiring psychological treatment”. » | Damian Carrington, Environment editor | Friday, October 27, 2023
Arnold Schwarzenegger on Self-help, the Israel-Gaza War and Why He'd Be a Good US President
Oct 28, 2023 | Despite being 76 years old, Arnold Schwarzenegger shows no signs of stopping.
The bodybuilding champion turned Hollywood star turned US politician, now in the ‘fourth act’ of his life, has reinvented himself into a motivator, and written a book, ‘Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life’, about guiding people to achieve a ‘happy, successful, useful life’, inspired by his singular American experience.
Today on Ways to Change the World, Arnold Schwarzenegger tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy how he can ‘be useful’, why world leaders are failing to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict and why America needs a new candidate to enter the presidential race.
Produced by Silvia Maresca and Alice Wagstaffe.
More on Arnold Schwarzenegger here.
The bodybuilding champion turned Hollywood star turned US politician, now in the ‘fourth act’ of his life, has reinvented himself into a motivator, and written a book, ‘Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life’, about guiding people to achieve a ‘happy, successful, useful life’, inspired by his singular American experience.
Today on Ways to Change the World, Arnold Schwarzenegger tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy how he can ‘be useful’, why world leaders are failing to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict and why America needs a new candidate to enter the presidential race.
Produced by Silvia Maresca and Alice Wagstaffe.
More on Arnold Schwarzenegger here.
What Happened to Our Country? Sweden Has Been Transformed by Multiculturalism - Lars Åberg
Western women need to start giving birth again. They need to start making babies instead of making careers. Feminism lies at the root of so many of our problems in Western societies. – © Mark Alexander
New House Speaker Mike Johnson Praised ‘18th-century Values’ in Speech
GUARDIAN US: Louisiana congressman told audience at 2013 anti-abortion event Americans should live by 250-year-old religious and moral values
Mike Johnson. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA
Before entering elected office, Mike Johnson, the new Republican speaker of the US House, praised “18th-century values” and told an audience that Americans should live by them when it came to morality and religion.
In video footage of a forum hosted in 2013 by Louisiana Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, Johnson, a devout Baptist and then an attorney for rightwing groups and causes, is asked about the “condition of conscience” in Europe and Canada regarding abortion policy.
Saying he has just given “a seminar … to a bunch of high school kids in Shreveport”, Johnson quotes George Washington and John Adams, saying the first two presidents and other founders “told us that if we didn’t maintain those 18th-century values, that the republic would not stand, and this is the condition we find ourselves in today”.
Johnson, 51, became speaker on Wednesday, as Republicans’ fourth candidate for the job since Kevin McCarthy was ejected by the far right of the party. » | Martin Pengelly in Washington | Friday, October 27, 2023
Geez! Just when you thought things couldn’t get much worse than with Trump, here comes another American screwball! What is there about the US that it keeps on cooking up fruitcakes? Is kookiness the new normal over there in the GOP, or what? – © Mark Alexander
‘Go pick up a Bible’: Speaker Mike Johnson defends anti-LGBTQ+ views: Republican House speaker, who has advanced extreme views as attorney and legislator, says ‘I am a Bible-believing Christian’ / Questioned about comments and actions deemed by many to be homophobic, the new Republican US House speaker, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, told Fox News his worldview was: “Go pick up a Bible.” »
Before entering elected office, Mike Johnson, the new Republican speaker of the US House, praised “18th-century values” and told an audience that Americans should live by them when it came to morality and religion.
In video footage of a forum hosted in 2013 by Louisiana Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, Johnson, a devout Baptist and then an attorney for rightwing groups and causes, is asked about the “condition of conscience” in Europe and Canada regarding abortion policy.
Saying he has just given “a seminar … to a bunch of high school kids in Shreveport”, Johnson quotes George Washington and John Adams, saying the first two presidents and other founders “told us that if we didn’t maintain those 18th-century values, that the republic would not stand, and this is the condition we find ourselves in today”.
Johnson, 51, became speaker on Wednesday, as Republicans’ fourth candidate for the job since Kevin McCarthy was ejected by the far right of the party. » | Martin Pengelly in Washington | Friday, October 27, 2023
Geez! Just when you thought things couldn’t get much worse than with Trump, here comes another American screwball! What is there about the US that it keeps on cooking up fruitcakes? Is kookiness the new normal over there in the GOP, or what? – © Mark Alexander
‘Go pick up a Bible’: Speaker Mike Johnson defends anti-LGBTQ+ views: Republican House speaker, who has advanced extreme views as attorney and legislator, says ‘I am a Bible-believing Christian’ / Questioned about comments and actions deemed by many to be homophobic, the new Republican US House speaker, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, told Fox News his worldview was: “Go pick up a Bible.” »
Victorian Neo-Nazis under Police Investigation over Alleged Salute for TV Cameras
GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA: Investigation into Thomas Sewell and Jacob Hersant comes a week after new laws took effect in Victoria outlawing the Nazi salute
Victorian police are investigating a man who allegedly made a Nazi salute on the steps of the county court on Friday, just a week after the gesture was made illegal in the state.
Neo-Nazi group leaders Thomas Sewell and Jacob Hersant were convicted on Friday after pleading guilty to a violent affray in the Cathedral Range state park in May 2021.
The pair were being interviewed by reporters outside court, when footage shows Sewell saying “heil Hitler” and Hersant raising his arm in an alleged Nazi salute before stopping and saying “Nearly did it … it’s illegal now isn’t it?”. He then smiles as the pair walk off.
A spokesperson for Victoria Police said on Friday the incident was now under investigation. » | Josh Taylor | Saturday, October 28, 2023
Victorian police are investigating a man who allegedly made a Nazi salute on the steps of the county court on Friday, just a week after the gesture was made illegal in the state.
Neo-Nazi group leaders Thomas Sewell and Jacob Hersant were convicted on Friday after pleading guilty to a violent affray in the Cathedral Range state park in May 2021.
The pair were being interviewed by reporters outside court, when footage shows Sewell saying “heil Hitler” and Hersant raising his arm in an alleged Nazi salute before stopping and saying “Nearly did it … it’s illegal now isn’t it?”. He then smiles as the pair walk off.
A spokesperson for Victoria Police said on Friday the incident was now under investigation. » | Josh Taylor | Saturday, October 28, 2023
Boda : Álvaro y José Manuel
Eglise catholique d’Espagne : plus de 200 000 mineurs pourraient avoir été victimes d’agression sexuelle
LE MONDE : Ces estimations sont contenues dans un rapport remis vendredi au Congrès des députés espagnols par le Défenseur du peuple, Angel Gabilondo, au terme des travaux d’une commission indépendante, la première établie dans ce pays pour évaluer l’ampleur de la pédocriminalité dans l’Eglise catholique.
Plus de 200 000 mineurs pourraient avoir été victimes d’agression sexuelle de la part de religieux en Espagne, selon l’estimation, publiée vendredi 27 octobre, d’une commission d’enquête indépendante sur la pédocriminalité dans l’Eglise catholique. » | Le Monde avec AFP | vendredi 17 octobre 2023
L’église espagnole accusée de crimes pédophiles. Un évêque gay organisant des orgies sexuelles en Pologne. Ce ne sont pas des publicités pour la religion, et encore moins pour l’Église catholique. Avec des nouvelles comme celles-ci, il faut se demander si on a vraiment besoin de religion dans sa vie ! – © Mark Alexander
Spanish clergy sexually abused more than 200,000 children, inquiry estimates: Ombudsman says Catholic church’s response to cases ‘insufficient’ and calls for creation of a reparations fund »
Plus de 200 000 mineurs pourraient avoir été victimes d’agression sexuelle de la part de religieux en Espagne, selon l’estimation, publiée vendredi 27 octobre, d’une commission d’enquête indépendante sur la pédocriminalité dans l’Eglise catholique. » | Le Monde avec AFP | vendredi 17 octobre 2023
L’église espagnole accusée de crimes pédophiles. Un évêque gay organisant des orgies sexuelles en Pologne. Ce ne sont pas des publicités pour la religion, et encore moins pour l’Église catholique. Avec des nouvelles comme celles-ci, il faut se demander si on a vraiment besoin de religion dans sa vie ! – © Mark Alexander
Spanish clergy sexually abused more than 200,000 children, inquiry estimates: Ombudsman says Catholic church’s response to cases ‘insufficient’ and calls for creation of a reparations fund »
Friday, October 27, 2023
A Puffer’s Paradise: Smoke-friendly Japan
Their relaxed attitude to enjoying a pull is probably conducive to their longevity. Plus, Japan appears not to have been invaded by the Puritans. Not yet, anyway; and hopefully, never.
It is interesting to note that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lung cancer develops in around 10 to 20 per cent of all smokers. (MedicineNet) Listening to the health fanatics, however, one would be forgiven for concluding that a much higher percentage of smokers die from lung cancer. But happily, this is not the case.
We are living in dreadful times. People are not supposed to enjoy themselves anymore. These days, it seems that all pleasures are considered to be either unhealthy, sinful or forbidden by religion.
All we hear about is advice on how to stay healthy. Yet, ironically, populations of most countries have never been as unhealthy as they are today. So many people will die young, having led miserable lives either because of poverty or because of depriving themselves a few pleasures in life, in the vain hope that deprivation of these pleasures is conducive to living a longer life. And where and when their lives have been prolonged by just a few years, they can look forward to being shunted off to an old people’s home by their uncaring families, in order to stare at the ceiling and wait for their visa to the ‘Land of Milk and Honey’! I fear that they are in for a big disappointment!
Meantime, the insouciant Japanese cock a snook at the advice of so-called health specialists and continue to smoke as if there was no tomorrow. – © Mark Alexander
Does Neil deGrasse Tyson Believe in God? | #shorts
WIKIPEDIA: Neil deGrasse Tyson »
Saudi Arabia Warns U.S.: Israeli Invasion of Gaza Could Be Catastrophic
THE NEW YORK TIMES: In discussions with their American counterparts, Saudi officials have framed a ground war as a potentially devastating blow to stability in the Middle East.
Saudi officials have firmly warned the United States in recent days that an Israeli ground incursion into Gaza could be catastrophic for the Middle East.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut and a member of the Armed Services Committee, was one of 10 senators who met last weekend with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
“The Saudi leadership was hopeful that a ground operation could be avoided for reasons of stability as well as the loss of life,” Mr. Blumenthal told The New York Times on Thursday. Saudi officials warned it would be “extremely harmful,” he said.
Senior Saudi officials have delivered even more forceful exhortations to their American counterparts in multiple conversations, raising their concerns that a ground invasion could turn into a disaster for the entire region, according to one Saudi official and a second person with knowledge of the discussions. » | Kate Kelly, Vivian Nereim, Mark Mazzetti and Edward Wong | Kate Kelly and Vivian Nereim reported from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Mark Mazzetti and Edward Wong reported from Washington. | Friday, October 27, 2023
Saudi officials have firmly warned the United States in recent days that an Israeli ground incursion into Gaza could be catastrophic for the Middle East.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut and a member of the Armed Services Committee, was one of 10 senators who met last weekend with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
“The Saudi leadership was hopeful that a ground operation could be avoided for reasons of stability as well as the loss of life,” Mr. Blumenthal told The New York Times on Thursday. Saudi officials warned it would be “extremely harmful,” he said.
Senior Saudi officials have delivered even more forceful exhortations to their American counterparts in multiple conversations, raising their concerns that a ground invasion could turn into a disaster for the entire region, according to one Saudi official and a second person with knowledge of the discussions. » | Kate Kelly, Vivian Nereim, Mark Mazzetti and Edward Wong | Kate Kelly and Vivian Nereim reported from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Mark Mazzetti and Edward Wong reported from Washington. | Friday, October 27, 2023
Israel-Hamas War: Piers Morgan vs Yuval Noah Harari | The Full Interview
Oct 26, 2023 | Piers Morgan Uncensored is joined by author and historian Yuval Noah Harari, to discuss and debate the ongoing crisis between Israel and Hamas in Palestine, and how Israel should respond to the terrorist attacks they faced.
Yuval believes Israel should not be intent on revenge with history proving it could be a terrible path to go down. He suggests Israel should be careful on how it goes forward, even suggesting Egypt should accept Palestinians into their borders for the duration of the war.
Yuval then explains that what makes this situation extremely difficult is that there is always a reason for a previous event, making it hard to pinpoint the root cause of such a historical conflict. Yuval also accepts that regardless the historical context does not justify the mistreatment of Palestinian people and the occupation, as he believes we should not use historical injuries to justify modern injuries. Instead of focusing on the past, we should focus on a peaceful resolution in the future.
Yuval believes Israel should not be intent on revenge with history proving it could be a terrible path to go down. He suggests Israel should be careful on how it goes forward, even suggesting Egypt should accept Palestinians into their borders for the duration of the war.
Yuval then explains that what makes this situation extremely difficult is that there is always a reason for a previous event, making it hard to pinpoint the root cause of such a historical conflict. Yuval also accepts that regardless the historical context does not justify the mistreatment of Palestinian people and the occupation, as he believes we should not use historical injuries to justify modern injuries. Instead of focusing on the past, we should focus on a peaceful resolution in the future.
En direct, guerre Israël-Hamas : l’armée israélienne annonce que ses forces terrestres vont étendre leurs opérations à Gaza dès ce soir
LE MONDE : L’armée israélienne a annoncé vendredi avoir augmenté ses frappes à Gaza d’une « manière très significative ». Les communications et Internet ont été coupés sur le territoire, selon le Hamas. Le mouvement islamiste palestinien a déclaré avoir riposté en tirant « des salves de roquettes » en direction d’Israël. LIVE EN COURS » | vendredi 27 octobre 2023
How Twitter/X Has Changed a Year since Elon Musk’s Takeover - BBC News
Related.
Elon Musk calls Humza Yousaf a ‘blatant racist’ over ‘whites fill all top roles in Scotland’ speech: World’s richest man makes accusation after Twitter post claims First Minister ‘hates almost 100 per cent of the country’ »
Backlash after Elon Musk labels Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf racist: Musk was reacting to a clip of Scotland’s first ethnic minority first minister listing senior public posts held by white people »
Israel-Hamas War: Piers Morgan vs Palestinian Mustafa Barghouti - "I Want to Finish!"
Oct 27, 2023 | Piers Morgan Uncensored live in New York is rejoined by Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Mustafa Barghouti to get his latest thoughts on ongoing conflict between Israel, Hamas and Palestine.
Mustafa blames the current crisis on Israel and the United States stopping "democratic free elections" in Palestine. "Had we had elections in 2021, we would not be in this situation," he tells Piers Morgan.
Mustafa blames the current crisis on Israel and the United States stopping "democratic free elections" in Palestine. "Had we had elections in 2021, we would not be in this situation," he tells Piers Morgan.
Melanie Phillips: "Israel Is Fighting Evil"
Boris Johnson to Join GB News as Presenter
THE GUARDIAN: Former prime minister likely to receive a high six-figure sum for role at channel, which already features Jacob Rees-Mogg and Lee Anderson
Boris Johnson says he will share his ‘unvarnished views’ on international politics and the future of the UK. Photograph: Carla Carniel/Reuters
Boris Johnson is taking a paid job as a presenter for GB News, joining Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nigel Farage on the controversial rightwing channel.
The former prime minister was announced as a presenter on Friday. GB News said he would play a key role in the channel’s coverage of the UK general election and the US elections next year.
His salary was not disclosed, but he is likely to receive a six-figure sum. Rees-Mogg is paid £350,000 a year and the Tory deputy chair, Lee Anderson, gets £100,000 a year from the channel.
GB News is jointly owned by hedge fund manager Sir Paul Marshall and Legatum, a Dubai-based investment firm co-founded by GB News chair Alan McCormick. Marshall is said to be putting together a bid to buy the Daily Telegraph, a former employer of Johnson. » | Rowena Mason, Whitehall editor | Friday, October 27, 2023
It’s a sad day when GB News is quoted »
Boris Johnson is taking a paid job as a presenter for GB News, joining Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nigel Farage on the controversial rightwing channel.
The former prime minister was announced as a presenter on Friday. GB News said he would play a key role in the channel’s coverage of the UK general election and the US elections next year.
His salary was not disclosed, but he is likely to receive a six-figure sum. Rees-Mogg is paid £350,000 a year and the Tory deputy chair, Lee Anderson, gets £100,000 a year from the channel.
GB News is jointly owned by hedge fund manager Sir Paul Marshall and Legatum, a Dubai-based investment firm co-founded by GB News chair Alan McCormick. Marshall is said to be putting together a bid to buy the Daily Telegraph, a former employer of Johnson. » | Rowena Mason, Whitehall editor | Friday, October 27, 2023
It’s a sad day when GB News is quoted »
Netanyahu at War | Full Documentary | FRONTLINE PBS Official
'If Genocide in Gaza Continues, US Will Not Be Spared from This Fire': Iran Foreign Minister at UN
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)