Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman al-Zawahri Urges Young Muslim Men to Launch Lone-wolf Attacks on American Homes

THE INDEPENDENT: Once acting as the Iraqi sub section of al-Qaeda, Isis now threatens to eclipse them completely

The Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has called on young Muslim men in Western countries to carry out lone-wolf attacks – and urged greater unity between militants.

"I call on all Muslims who can harm the countries of the crusader coalition not to hesitate. We must now focus on moving the war to the heart of the homes and cities of the crusader West and specifically America," he said in an audio recording posted online on Sunday, referring to nations making up the Western-led coalition in Iraq and Syria.

He suggested Muslim youth in the West take the Tsarnaev and Kouachi brothers, who carried out the Boston marathon bombings and Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris respectively, and others as examples to follow.

In a recording released on Wednesday, Zawahiri denounced Isis as "illegitimate", indicating the extent of the schism between the twogroups. » | Alice Harrold, Agency | Sunday, September 13, 2015

Syria Conflict Will Displace Another Million People, Says UN Official

THE GUARDIAN: Humanitarian chief in country says unless political action is taken to stop fighting, ‘human train’ will continue through winter

Another million Syrians will flee their homes before the end of the year if the war continues unabated, a senior UN official has said.

Yacoub el-Hillo, the humanitarian coordinator in Syria, said that unless urgent action was taken to resolve the escalating conflict, refugees would also continue to flow out of the region.

He said that more than a million people had already been displaced from their homes already in 2015, and called for greater international aid efforts to help Syrians survive the winter in their own country.

“Unless something big is done to resolve this conflict through political means, the human train that has started moving out of Syria and the neighbourhood will continue to be running for many months to come,” he said. » | Ruth McKee | Saturday, September 12, 2015

Munich at Limit of Capacity amid Refugee Surge, Say Police

THE GUARDIAN: President of Upper Bavaria reportedly unsure how city ‘can cope’ day after 12,200 refugees arrive in German city

Munich is at the limit of its capacity to welcome refugees arriving in Germany, police have said, a day after 12,200 asylum-seekers reached the city.

“We had a total of 12,200 refugees on Saturday ... today we’re expecting several hundreds. Given the numbers from yesterday, it is very clear that we have reached the upper limit of our capacity,” said a police spokesman.

“Our aim today would be to transport as many as possible out of here, to make place for new arrivals,” he added. » | Agence France-Presse | Sunday, September 13, 2015

BILD AM SONNTAG: „München ist voll“: Die Stadt München kann nicht mehr. Alle zwei Stunden steigen am Hauptbahnhof bis zu 500 Flüchtlinge aus einem Zug. Die meist jungen Männer werden im Gänsemarsch durch einen abgesperrten Korridor bis zur ersten Sammelstelle geführt. Helfer mit Mundschutz und Handschuhen drücken ihnen Wasser und Kekse in die Hand. » | Von T. Gautier, A. Hellemann, N. Mertens und B. Uhlenbroich | Sonntag, 13. September 2015

In Tourist Idyll of Maldives, Radical Islam Lures Some towards Very Different Paradise

Mohamed Nasheed, former President of the Maldives

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: This island chain in the Indian Ocean has, per capita, supplied more jihadists to Iraq and Syria than any country outside the Middle East

For the million tourists who fly in each year to the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives, the holiday “paradise” of idyllic white sand beaches quickly embraces them.

Speedboats or seaplanes ferry them to luxury resorts on otherwise uninhabited coral atolls, by-passing the rest of the country where local people live in an increasingly conservative Islamic society.

In this tourist-free Maldives, amid the narrow teeming streets of the capital Male and on islands dotted with fishing villages, the siren call of radical Islamist clerics is luring some locals towards a very different paradise.

More than 200 island jihadists are now believed to fighting in Iraq and Syria, and at least seven have died for the cause, their “martyrdoms” hailed on social media aimed specifically at Maldivians.

For a nation that only has a population of about 350,000, the numbers are strikingly high.They also reflect a reality at jarring odds with the country's picture postcard reputation as a honeymoon and holiday idyll.

“It’s quite probable that in per capita terms, the Maldives has more jihadists fighting in Syria and Iraq than any other country outside the region,” said a Western security analyst. » | Philip Sherwell, Male, the Maldives | Sunday, September 13, 2015

Merkel 'Expects Cameron to Back EU Army' in Exchange for Renegotiation

THE TELEGRAPH: German chancellor will ask UK to stand aside as she promotes ambitious plan to integrate continental Europe’s armed forces, The Telegraph has been told

Angela Merkel will expect David Cameron to drop his opposition to an EU army in exchange for supporting Britain’s renegotiation, the Telegraph has been told.

The German chancellor will ask Britain to stand aside as she promotes an ambitious blueprint to integrate continental Europe’s armed forces.

It comes as Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said Britain will get a deal if it gives the green light to a raft of powerful new EU institutions.

A Berlin source said agreeing not to “block” Mrs Merkel's defence plans is a “favour” that she would seek from Mr Cameron as he looks for her support in the renegotiation.

“If you want favours, you have to give favours,” the source said.

"If Cameron wants a 'flexible Europe', he must let other members integrate further. Yes - opt out, opt out, opt out - and then shut up.” » | Peter Foster and Matthew Holehouse | Saturday, September 12, 2015

‘EU Is Very Far from United Policy against ISIS in Syria’

European nations have recognized they must bring peace to Syria, but there has been little agreement so far on how to achieve it. The UK is wavering on the idea of using force, while Germany favors a diplomatic solution. For more RT is joined by political analyst and commentator, John Wight.

Imams Will Have to Register and Face Security Vetting under Home Office Plans

THE TELEGRAPH: Imams, priests, rabbis and other religious figures will have to enrol in a 'national register of faith leaders' and undergo vetting

Imams, priests, rabbis and other religious figures will have to enrol in a “national register of faith leaders” and be subject to government-specified training and security checks in the Home Office’s latest action on extremism.

The highly controversial proposal appears in a leaked draft of the Government’s new counter-extremism strategy, seen by The Telegraph, which goes substantially further than previous versions of the document.

The strategy, due to be published this autumn, says that Whitehall will “require all faiths to maintain a national register of faith leaders” and the Government will “set out the minimum level of training and checks” faith leaders must have to join the new register.

Registration will be compulsory for all faith leaders who wish to work with the public sector, including universities, the document says. In practice, most faith leaders have some dealings with the public sector and the requirement will cover the great majority. » | Andrew Gilligan | Saturday, September 12, 2015

ISIS at the Gates? Refugee Crisis Raises Fears of Jihadists Entering EU

Infiltrated refugee influx has lead to over 40-thousand unregistered migrants on the continent. The security breaches have raised concern about who is coming in among asylum seekers. Some EU countries are worried that Islamic State fighters could appear among the new arrivals.

'Refugees Welcome Here': Thousands Join Support March in London

Tens of thousands of people have poured onto London’s streets, taking part in a rally to support those striving to get to the UK amidst an unprecedented refugee crisis

Deutschland: Ex-Innenminister: "Wir haben die Kontrolle verloren"

PASSAUER NEUE PRESSE: Der frühere Bundesinnenminister Hans- Peter Friedrich (CSU) schlägt Alarm: Die Entscheidung, die Flüchtlinge aus Ungarn unkontrolliert und unregistriert ins Land zu lassen, sei "eine beispiellose politische Fehlleistung" der Bundesregierung und werde "verheerende Spätfolgen" haben, sagte Friedrich im Gespräch mit der Passauer Neuen Presse. Trotz aller menschlich anrührenden Gesten, die die Gesellschaft vielerorts bei der Ankunft der Flüchtlinge zeige, sei es "die Aufgabe der Politik, über den Tag hinaus zu denken und Entscheidungen für die Zukunft zu treffen". Angesichts der Flüchtlingsströme, die sich ohne polizeiliche Prüfung durch Deutschland bewegten, müsse man feststellen: "Wir haben die Kontrolle verloren."

Laut Friedrich ist es "völlig unverantwortlich, dass jetzt Zig-tausende unkontrolliert und unregistriert ins Land strömen, und man nur unzuverlässig genau abschätzen kann, wie viele davon IS-Kämpfer oder islamistische Schläfer sind". Er hoffe, so der CSU-Politiker weiter, "dass dieses nicht noch zu einem bösen Erwachen führen wird. Ich bin jedenfalls überzeugt, dass kein anderes Land der Welt sich so naiv und blauäugig einer solchen Gefahr aussetzen würde." » | Von Alexander Kain | Freitag, 11. September 2015

HT: Catfish »

Nothing Has Changed in 25 years to Ease My Concerns about Islam

A police officer guards the entrance of Paris Great Mosque

THE TELEGRAPH: Significant numbers of Muslims see a faith-run, faith-defined state as the ultimate goal in this life

Viktor Orbán is the prime minister of Hungary. It is through his country that very large numbers of migrants from the Middle East and the Balkans now pass. At the beginning of this month, Mr Orbán said: “I think we have a right to decide that we don’t want to have a large number of Muslim people in our country.”

Mr Orbán was fiercely attacked for the motives behind his remark. I do not know enough about Hungarian politics to say whether such attacks are justified. But, regardless of the precise facts about Mr Orbán, I would guess most people in western – let alone eastern – Europe would quietly agree with his general proposition. One of the biggest anxieties about the current immigration is its high Muslim element. Is it wrong to have such an anxiety, let alone to express it publicly, let alone to want to have a system of immigration based on it?

I don’t find these easy questions to answer. Nearly 25 years ago, I wrote an article for which many people, including some I respected, criticised me. In it, I argued that difference of religion often made immigration more difficult, and that this was particularly so in the case of Islam. The piece was written not long after the first Gulf war. I mentioned our Muslim next-door neighbours (we then lived in London). I wrote that they seemed nice people, but that when, during the war, I could hear them praying through the wall, I felt uneasy. Read on and comment » | Charles Moore | Saturday, September 12, 2015


My comment:

This article is rather refreshing to read. Mr. Moore has been willing to say what probably the majority of us have been thinking for a long time. However, there are a few flaws in his line of thinking. One such flaw is this: Mr. Moore asserts that Muslims worship the same god as Christians and Jews. No they don't. This canard keeps rearing its ugly head here in the West. It is true that Muslims have the same name for God as Christian Arabs do, namely Allah. But if you look a little deeper, you will find that a Muslim's understanding of Allah is quite, quite different from an Arab Christian's.

If Allah were to be the same god as God, God would have to be schizophrenic! Nobody in his right mind could truly believe that Allah and God are one and the same. I suspect that Mr. Moore doesn't believe this either. It has been added to an otherwise excellent article in order to placate.

It should be all too clear to our political élite by now that ordinary folk feel very unsettled by the ever-increasing numbers of Muslims here in the UK and Europe. I believe it would be true to say that most people do not want them here. And for one simple reason: Not only do they not want to integrate, they wish––ultimately––to impose their way of life on us, including Sharia law.

There is but one European leader who speaks any sense, and that is Viktor Orbán. I am sure that he is many people's hero now, for having the courage to make a stand against Merkel's insanity. He is certainly mine. In actual fact, Viktor Orbán is the true leader of the West. – ©Mark

This comment also appears here

With Jeremy Corbyn Elected as New Leader, Britain’s Labour Party Takes a Hard Left Turn

Jeremy Corbyn after being elected leader of Britain's
opposition Labour Party on Saturday.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON - Britain’s opposition Labour Party on Saturday took a remarkable leftward turn, electing as its leader Jeremy Corbyn, a longtime socialist committed to nationalizing key industries, scrapping Britain’s nuclear missile system and reversing the centrist policies of previous leaders such as Tony Blair.

The result of the contest, announced on Saturday morning in London, gave stewardship of the Labour party to the hard left for the first time in more than three decades, a development seen here as one of the most surprising upsets in modern British politics.

As Europe continues to feel the aftershocks of the financial crisis of 2008, voters have been increasingly attracted to the political extremes, with support growing both for socialist parties on the left and nationalist ones on the right. The Labour leadership result could now shift the main opposition party in Britain closer to the types of positions taken by other leftist parties that have become prominent across Europe, including Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain.

Mr. Corbyn, 66, has been a lawmaker for more than three decades but never served in government, preferring to campaign, often for unfashionable causes, and frequently rebelling against the party line. » | Saturday, September 12, 2015

At Least 65 Killed as Crane Crashes into Mecca's Grand Mosque

THE TELEGRAPH: Incident comes as hundreds of thousands of Muslims begin to gather in Saudi Arabia's holy city for the annual hajj pilgrimage

At least 65 people were killed and 80 injured when a construction crane crashed into the Grand Mosque of Saudi Arabia's holy Muslim city of Mecca Friday, the civil defence said on Twitter. Pictures circulating on social media showed bloodied bodies strewn across a courtyard where the top part of the crane, which appeared to have collapse or snapped, had crashed into it. It was raining heavily at the time. The incident occurred as hundreds of thousands of Muslims gather from all over the world for the annual hajj pilgrimage set to begin later this month. » | AFP | Friday, September 11, 2015




THE GUARDIAN: Mecca crane crash: 65 dead at Grand Mosque – live: Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence authority says 154 people also injured in preparations for annual hajj pilgrimage » | Jessica Elgot | Friday, September 11, 2015

Aylan Kurdi's Father Is a People Smuggler, Woman Claims

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: A woman who was on the boat carrying drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi has accused his father of being a people smuggler.

Channel Ten reported Zainab Abbas, who lost two children in the tragedy, claims Abdullah Kurdi was at the helm of the boat when it sunk off the Turkish coast.

"He was a smuggler, yes. He was the one that was driving the boat," the woman told Ten over Skype from Iraq through a translator.

Ms Abbas claims Mr Kurdi was speeding before the boat capsized and pleaded with her while they were still both in the water, "please don't dob me in [Aus. E: betray me, inform on me]". » | Chloe Booker with Kate Aubusson | Friday, September 11, 2015

Obama the Super-salesman Pours Fuel on a Middle East In Flames

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Washington: In the coming days, they'll be putting the finishing touches to the pavilions and adding up the orders at the massive Defence & Security Equipment International arms fair which opens in London's Docklands on September 15.

At the front of the queue, writing cheques worth billions of dollars, will be the Sunni Arab regimes of the Gulf monarchies, making the latest payments in an arms-buying splurge set to surge through the coming decade – in a region already coming apart at the seams.

Touring the Middle East to tamp down anxiety about Iranian expansionism after the signing of the long-awaited nuclear deal, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Washington "had agreed to expedite certain arms sales that are needed and that have taken too long in the past". » | Paul McGeough | Chief foreign correspondent | Friday, September 11, 2015

So leben die Iraner im Reich der Mullahs

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Es ist weit nach Mitternacht: Die Mädchen sind aufgebrezelt wie Christbäume, geschminkt, enge Hosen, das lange Haar hochgesteckt. Sie trinken Daiquiris oder Mojitos, amerikanische Hits dröhnen aus den Autolautsprechern auf der Straße. Auffällig ist nur: Die Frauen haben ihr Haar - lasziv, aber doch - mit bunten Tüchern teilweise bedeckt, die Blusen sind lang und die Drinks alkoholfreie Abwandlungen von Cuba Libre & Co. Wir sind nicht in New York, sondern in Teheran, der Hauptstadt der Islamischen Republik Iran, eines Landes, in dem zwei Parallelwelten existieren - die der Mullahs und die der Straße. » | Christian Hauenstein, Kronen Zeitung | Freitag, 11. September 2015

Illegale Einwanderer werden "sofort verhaftet"

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Sollte Ungarn in der kommenden Woche den Krisenfall ausrufen, soll jeder illegale Einwanderer "sofort verhaftet" werden. Das erklärte Ministerpräsident Viktor Orban am Freitag nach einem Treffen mit dem deutschen EVP- Fraktionsvorsitzenden Manfred Weber in Budapest. "Wir werden sie nicht mehr höflich begleiten wie bisher." Orban und Weber betonten, dass die EU ihre Außengrenze schützen müsse.

Am kommenden Dienstag will Ungarns Kabinett entscheiden, ob der Krisenfall ausgerufen wird. Das würde unter anderem bedeuten, dass das Militär die Grenzschützer unterstützen darf. Separat soll das Parlament am 21. September entscheiden, ob die Armee auch dann zum Grenzschutz herangezogen werden darf, wenn kein Krisenfall oder Notstand ausgerufen wurde. » | AG/red | Freitag, 11. September 2015

"Menscheninvasion überfordert Nickelsdorf restlos"

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Nickelsdorfs Bürgermeister Gerhard Zapfl (SPÖ) [E] hat am Freitag in einem offenen Brief an Bundeskanzler Werner Faymann und Innenministerin Johanna Mikl- Leitner Alarm geschlagen und von einer "Eskalation" der Flüchtlingssituation in seinem Ort gesprochen. Eine "wahre Völkerwanderung" führe zu "großer Sorge und Angst" unter den Einwohnern. "Diese Entwicklung war absehbar", politische Entscheidungsträger auf Bundesebene hätten nichts in der nötigen Form entgegengesetzt. » | AG/red | Freitag, 11. September 2015

Viktor Orban dénonce la «rébellion» des migrants

Le premier ministre hongrois Viktor Orban.

LE MATIN: HONGRIE — A partir du 15 septembre, une nouvelle législation sur l'immigration entrera en vigueur en Hongrie et les clandestins qui franchiront la frontière seront arrêtés.

Les migrants qui franchiront illégalement la frontière entre la Serbie et la Hongrie à compter du 15 septembre seront arrêtés, a déclaré vendredi le premier ministre hongrois Viktor Orban. Il a dénoncé la «rébellion» des immigrés arrivés par milliers dans son pays.

«Etant donné que nous devons faire face à une rébellion de ces migrants illégaux, la police fait son travail de façon remarquable, sans faire usage de la force», a-t-il soutenu après une rencontre avec Manfred Weber, qui préside le groupe PPE (Parti populaire européen, droite) au Parlement de Strasbourg.

Les migrants, a ajouté Viktor Orban, «ont occupé des gares, refusé de se laisser prendre leurs empreintes digitales, n'ont pas voulu coopérer et refusent d'aller là où ils pourraient recevoir de la nourriture, de l'eau et des soins médicaux (...) Ils se sont rebellés contre l'ordre juridique hongrois.» » | ats/nxp) | vendredi 11 septembre 2015

Die Angst beherrscht Osteuropa

TAGES ANZEIGER: Analyse: Warum zeigt der Osten Europas so wenig Hilfsbereitschaft, obwohl die Länder selber einst so viel Solidarität erfahren haben?

Noch während Jean-Claude Juncker am Mittwoch in Strassburg seine Rede zur Lage der Europäischen Union hielt, machten zwischen Prag und Warschau osteuropäische Regierungspolitiker erneut Front gegen feste EU-Flüchtlingsquoten, wie der Kommissionschef sie vorschlug. Tschechiens Minister­präsident Bohuslav Sobotka beharrte darauf, dass «Quoten keinen Sinn haben, weil sie von den Ursachen der Migrationswelle ablenken». Seinem Innenminister erteilte er demonstrativ das Mandat, beim Europäischen Rat am kommenden Montag jede Quotenregelung zu blockieren.

Auch Polens Regierungschefin Ewa Kopacz wird nicht müde, «unsere europäischen Partner daran zu erinnern, dass sie von uns keine unmöglichen Dinge fordern sollten», wie Kopacz es gestern formulierte. Flüchtlingsquoten, wie Juncker sie verlangt, seien «nicht realistisch». Ungarn hat seine ablehnende Haltung wiederholt mehr als deutlich gemacht, nicht zuletzt durch den Bau eines Nato-Draht-Zauns an der Grenze zu Serbien. Und der slowakische Premier Robert Fico sagt: «Ich will nicht eines Morgens in einem Land aufwachen, in dem Hunderttausend Araber leben.» » | Von Ulrich Krökel | Freitag, 11. September 2015