[NYP] Three of the four Muslim converts convicted of a post-9/11 plot to bomb New York synagogues and shoot down planes were ordered to be released from prison by a judge who declared their 25-year sentences "unduly harsh and unjust" — and blamed the FBI for radicalizing them.
Onta Williams, David Williams and Laguerre Payen — three of the four men who became known as the "Newburgh Four" — were granted their request for compassionate release by US District Judge Colleen McMahon on Thursday. Clinton appointee
In her ruling, McMahon slammed the FBI’s sting operation that snared the men, whom she wrote were "hapless, easily manipulated and penurious petty criminals" that were set up by the feds and their unreliable informant.
"The real lead conspirator was the United States," McMahon wrote.
It was "heinous" of the men to agree to participate in what she called the government’s "made-for-TV move," she wrote, but added that "the sentence was the product of a fictitious plot to do things that these men had never remotely contemplated, and that were never going to happen."
Unmentioned is the FBI informant, Pakistani Shahed Hussain, who needed FBI help dealing with his immigration fraud and other criminal fraud charges; also the ringleader he recruited, James Cromitie, seething with hate and baseless boasting, but reportedly only in it for the promised $250,000 and other goodies. His three friends were also promised money and stuff. Except for Mr. Payen, a mentally ill Haitian, the other three recruits are African-American.
Utterly pointless, but no doubt the catered dinners are delicious.
[AMUtv] Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban ...Arabic for students... ’s political office in Doha, announced on Sunday that talks have commenced between a Taliban delegation and US representatives in Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... .
The talks are expected to cover a wide range of issues as reported by both sides.
Taliban’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi stated that their discussions will center around the release of Afghanistan’s frozen funds, the lifting of sanctions, and the alleged violation of Afghanistan’s airspace by the US. In addition, the US State Department has clarified that American representatives are engaging in discussions with the Taliban and technocrat experts concerning humanitarian support for the people of Afghanistan, support for economic stability, and the appropriate and dignified treatment of all Afghanistan nationals, including women and girls.
Doha continues to serve as a negotiation center between the Taliban and the US. A new round of talks, hosted on Sunday, involved Taliban representatives, led by Amir Khan Muttaqi, and US special envoy Thomas West.
"In these meetings, our emphasis is on the release of the frozen assets of Afghanistan. We also discuss the fact that the airspace of Afghanistan is being violated by the US, which is against the Doha agreement and international principles. Additionally, the sanctions imposed on Afghanistan and the black lists must end," stated Muttaqi.
The US’s agenda differs from that of the Taliban, with the US State Department highlighting discussions on humanitarian support for the people of Afghanistan, economic stability, and the dignified treatment of all the country’s citizens, including women and girls. Notably, technocrat experts have also been included in the Doha talks.
"There are no common points between the two parties. It remains to be seen what results will be reached in two days. In any case, another issue that can be questioned is whether Mr. Muttaqi has the authority to make decisions in this meeting or whether the results will be given to the leader. The Taliban will leave and wait for the opinion of the Taliban leadership on the matter. This meeting will not have immediate results," remarked Ishaq Atmar, a political analyst.
Part of Thomas West and Rina Amiri’s conversations with representatives of Central Asian countries in recent days has been focused on the rights of women in Afghanistan and support for them. Questions have however arisen as to whether the Doha meeting can have an effect on the Taliban’s strict policies regarding women.
The Doha meeting comes amid Afghanistan’s ongoing economic crisis, humanitarian disaster and elevated concerns about human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... violations. In July, the Taliban closed beauty salons, affecting the income of 60,000 women. Female students have also faced obstacles in continuing their education due to the Taliban’s strict restrictions, such as the ban on them writing the recent university entrance examination.
[8am] The Taliban ...Arabic for students... ’s Directorate for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... province has reported the burning of musical instruments in the region.
According to Aziz Rahman Muhajir, the head of the directorate, a number of musical instruments were collected by the authorities from various points in Herat and set on fire yesterday.
Muhajir sternly warns against listening to music and declares that they will take serious action against those who sell musical instruments.
He denounces the promotion of music as corruption and considers playing it as a cause of youth misguidance and societal decay. Tipper Gore nods in approval
In the aftermath of the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan and the increasing restrictions against artists, many have been forced to flee the country or lead a clandestine existence away from the Taliban’s watchful eyes.
This incident is not isolated, as there have been reports of the Taliban burning musical instruments in several other provinces.
[Garowe] Local leaders in Somalia have revised their strategy after weeks of stagnation, with residents now being mobilized to fight al-Shabaab ...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... Death Eaters, ahead of the second phase of operations which will solely focus on combing the central regions following the successful first phase.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced that the second phase of operations against the group will also focus on Jubaland and Southwest states, which have for a long time struggled to fight violent mostly peaceful extremism across the country, with little or no success.
According to reports, inGuriceel District, over 3,000 locals have been mobilized to fight al-Shabaab turbans ahead of the second phase of operations. Al-Shabaab remains in control of key areas like El Bur town, as conflicts in Middle Shabelle, Hiraan and Mudug regions persist, officials said.
The country is optimistic that by the end of December 2024, most areas across the country may have been liberated from the Death Eaters, with the Somali National Army taking over security responsibilities. Already, a section of African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] members have started to withdraw.
Somalia has increased surveillance and operations against al-Shabaab on all fronts, with the government also devising ways of blocking their revenue collection channels on top of the military operations across the country. President Hassan Sheikh maintains that the group should be crippled financially.
On Saturday, President Hassan Mohamud led a National Anti-Money Laundering Committee [NAMLC] meeting, focusing on enhancing multi-institutional cooperation to counter terrorist financing and bolster prevention measures. This was termed a crucial step in the government's multi-fronted fight against terrorism.
A source told GO the meeting also focused on the recent terrorist attack on Jaalle Siad's military base, with a suspect detained for alleged assistance to the attackers. Already, several members of the Somali National Army have been arrested in connection with the incident which left 25 soldiers dead.
The 3,000 clan militia will be part of the war to liberate El-Bur and other areas in Galmudug state from the Al-Shabaab, according to top military commanders in the Galgadud region.
The fighters were paraded at the Harqabobe military training camp located on the outskirts of Guri’el district, where officials from the government and the Galmudug addressed them.
The governor of Guri’el, Farah Abdi said that the administration is taking the responsibility of making it possible for the militia to operate in the region and help them with all needs.
[SUDANTRIBUNE] The return of the Sudanese army delegation to the negotiating table depends on the mediators’ ability to persuade the RSF to implement commitments previously agreed between the two sides, said a statement released on Saturday.
On July 27, the Sudanese army announced the return of its negotiating delegation from Jeddah for further consultations, pointing out that the Rapid Support Forces refuse to evacuate civilian homes, public facilities, and roads as agreed in the Jeddah Declaration for the Protection of Civilians in Sudan of May 11, 2023.
In a statement on July 29, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry confirmed that the refusal of the "rebel forces" to implement their signed commitments is the reason behind the stalemate of Jeddah talks, prompting the delegation of the Sudanese Armed Forces to return to the homeland.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms the delegation’s readiness to return to the Jeddah platform as soon as the Saudi and American mediators are able to overcome the obstacles and hindrances that prevented the continuation of the talks," stressed the statement.
The foreign ministry further emphasized the army’s willingness to reach a fair agreement that would stop hostilities and pave the way for discussing post-war issues.
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07/31/2023 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Rival Paleostinian politicians meeting in Egypt have decided to form a committee on intra-Paleostinian reconciliation, a move that one analyst doubted would end their 17-year rift.
In a statement, Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase.... says he "hopes for an upcoming meeting soon in Egypt to announce to our people the end" of the 17-year split "and the return to Paleostinian national unity."
Abbas held rare face-to-face talks with Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, leader Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister of Gaza after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... in the coastal city of El Alamein along with representatives of most Paleostinian political factions.
""We must return to a single state, a single system, a single law and a single legitimate army," Abbas says
The Hamas leader says "a new, inclusive parliament must be formed on the basis of free democratic elections."
Paleostinian political scientist Moukhaimer Abu Saada tells AFP that the formation of the committee was no cause for celebration.
"The best way to kill something is to form a committee for it," he says, speaking from Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... .
[GEO.TV] After assuming power of the country, and confining elected President Mohammed Bazoum, the rulers of Niger warned countries against intervening in the internal matters of the country as reports emerged that a group of regional countries is thinking to move in and restore the ouster leader.
According to a statement, the regional body Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was preparing a "plan of aggression against Niger".
No update from Ecowas has so far emerged but there was a huddle taking place in the Nigerian capital Abuja to discuss the regional situation after the military takeover.
Protestors stormed the French embassy in Naimey after Gay Paree ceased security cooperation and stopped financial assistance to Niger.
French President Emmanuel Macron's office said in a statement that his country would not tolerate any attack on its interests in Niger, and would respond in an "immediate and intractable manner".
Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani — who was chief of the presidential guard and declared himself the leader — warned Ecowas and Western nations against intervening.
"We once again reiterate to Ecowas or any other adventurer our firm determination to defend our fatherland," the statement, which was read out on TV said.
"Ecowas and the international community would do everything to defend democracy and ensure democratic governance continues to take firm root in the region," said Bola Tinubu, president of Nigeria and ECOWAS chairman, in a statement Friday.
The body has the power to impose sanctions on Niger, which is one of its 15 members.
Ahead of Sunday's gathering, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Tinubu to convey his "deep concern" over the situation in Niger, and "underscored his support for President Tinubu's continued efforts to restore constitutional order there."
Niger's neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other... have both undergone two military coups since 2020, fuelled by anger at a failure to quash long-running insurgencies by jihadists linked to the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group and al-Qaeda.
Tiani said the putsch was a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to hard boys' bloodshed as well as corruption and economic woes.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2023 00:00 ||
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[SUDANTRIBUNE] South Sudan’s transitional government and all those in positions of power should take steps to eradicate the scourge of human trafficking as well as meet the minimum standards of prevention and accountability in accordance with international laws, the Troika said on Sunday.
The Troika’s statement came as South Sudan joined the rest of the world to commemorate the Day Against Trafficking in Persons (TIP) on July 30.
"Addressing the issue of trafficking in persons in South Sudan is an imperative for upholding global responsibilities and safeguarding human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. . Those responsible for TIP and related crimes must be held accountable," it reads in part.
The Troika, in the statement extended to Sudan Tribune, further noted with grave concern instances of trafficking that continue to occur in South Sudan, including those involving sexual and gender-based violence. It cited cases of TIP in South Sudan to include abductions of women and kiddies, the recruitment and use of child soldiers, child marriage, and the trafficking of commercial hookersprostitutes sex workers ...the oldest profession was legal (though not always unregulated) for thousands and perhaps even millions of years. That never has made it something most people want their daughters doing... The United Nations ...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... Office for Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) said the total numbers of victims of trafficking detected around the world declined for the first time in 20 years as the pandemic limited opportunities for the trafficker and its detection.
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07/31/2023 00:00 ||
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[Shafaq News] The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed its efforts to repatriate the bodies of two Iraqi citizens who bit the dust on the Ottoman Turkish-Bulgarian borders.
Ahmed al-Sahaf, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated in a blurb, "the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Bulgaria is closely monitoring the incident of the death of two Iraqis on the Ottoman Turkish-Bulgarian borders. The individuals had left The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... en route to European countries through illegal means."
Al-Sahaf added, "the embassy has received a plea from the victims' families and has dispatched a consul to the location of the incident in the Bulgarian city of Burgas to coordinate with the border police, investigate the circumstances of the incident, and facilitate the repatriation process to Iraq."
[CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... ] Half-time and thousands of tiny cellphone lights are swaying in time to Coldplay’s "A Sky Full of Stars" on a mild winter night at Brisbane Stadium for Australia’s World Cup match against Nigeria.
Sitting across two rows, not far from the pitch, are players from the exiled Afghan women’s national team, who know what it’s like to represent their country and dream of doing so again — if only they were recognized as a national team by the sport’s governing bodies.
Khalida Popal, the team’s founder, flew in from Denmark to meet the players, who now live in Australia after fleeing the threat of death by the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... on an Australian military plane as United States troops pulled out in August 2021.
"They keep telling me, ’We feel like we are dreaming ... it’s very difficult to believe that we’re actually here,’" said an excited Popal, wearing a bright yellow Australia jersey.
Two years ago, she begged the international community for help to get the team out of Afghanistan, imploring the players to burn their kits, so Taliban fighters wouldn’t target them for daring to play competitive sport, which is now banned for women in the country.
Now, she’s urging FIFA, the sport’s highest authority, to allow the girls and women to run onto the pitch again to represent Afghanistan.
"We have not only the senior women’s national team, we have the youth teams around Europe, and even some of them in the US and Canada," she said. "Can these Afghan players from diaspora represent Afghanistan at international games? It’s not that difficult. It’s not like going on a moon."
[IsraelTimes] Thousands have taken to the streets across the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip to draw attention to chronic power outages and difficult living conditions, in a rare public show of discontent with the territory’s Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, government.
Hundreds join marches in Gaza City, the southern town of Khan Younis and other locations, chanting, "For shame" and in one place burning Hamas flags.
The demonstrations are organized by a grassroots online movement called "Alvirus Alsakher," or "the mocking virus."
"Where is the electricity and where is the gas?" the crowds shout in Khan Younis. "For shame. For shame."
The crowds also criticize Hamas for deducting a roughly $15 fee from monthly $100 stipends given to Gaza’s poorest families by the wealthy Gulf state of Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... Police eventually move in and disperse the gatherings, destroying mobile phones of people filming in Khan Younis and arresting several, according to witnesses.
הפגנות חריגות מאוד בכמה מוקדים ברצועת עזה נגד חמאס, על רקע משבר החשמל והטינה הכללית. "מכרו את עזה תמורת דולרים" ועוד דברים שלא נשמעו כבר תקופה pic.twitter.com/q7IhMeEcXy
Idiots. They threaten the nation’s security to indulge a temper tantrum.
[IsraelTimes] Speculation surrounding tensions on the northern border is rampant after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a briefing with defense brass and other brass hats, in light of reports indicating increased activity by the Hezbollah terror group on the frontier.
Channel 12 news reports that the military recommended against a operation aimed at pushing away the terror group, and removing a tent it has set up in disputed territory.
At the same time, the channel quotes defense officials saying that Israel’s deterrent threat against Hezbollah has weakened considerably and continues to fade every day the tent remains.
A defense official is quoted telling Army Radio after the briefing with Netanyahu that the army is not being pushed into operations against its will, seemingly seeking to reject claims that border tensions are being manufactured or exaggerated to distract from Netanyahu’s domestic political issues.
"We won’t carry out any mission that is forced into us," the source is quoted saying. "These tents are not a security threat, and we aren’t getting into any operation we’re not interested in."
[IsraelTimes] A number of Lebanese citizens wave flags of the Hezbollah terror group on Israel’s border, footage shows.
In videos and pictures shared by a Hezbollah-affiliated news hound, several young Lebanese men are seen crossing a barrier reportedly set by a United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... peacekeeping force near the contested village of Ghajar, which straddles the Israel-Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... border.
The suspects did not cross Israel’s border fence or enter sovereign Israeli territory.
According to Ali Shoeib, the Hezbollah-linked correspondent, the UN fence had prevented Lebanese residents from entering a road near Ghajar since 2006, when Israel gained control of the entire village following a month-long war with Hezbollah.
The incident appears to be the latest in a series of escalating confrontations along the northern border, most of them instigated by Hezbollah, that have raised tensions in recent months.
[IsraelTimes] Abbas’s step comes days after Washington panned Israeli judicial overhaul law; PA president has been trying to subjugate judiciary for years, and local critic says move is cosmetic.
Certainly the PA judiciary could not become less independent...
Progressives protecting their far-left militants — much like the Democrats and Antifa back home.
[IsraelTimes] Force said it was opening investigation into anti-overhaul demonstrators who displayed banners showing officers accused of violence
The State Attorney’s Office on Sunday clarified that the Israel Police are not authorized to open an investigation on suspicion of incitement against protesters without its permission.
In a statement to the Walla website, the office also noted that police had not approached it on the matter so far.
During protests Saturday against the government’s planned overhaul of the judiciary, flyers were distributed at a number of locations in Tel Aviv with photos of officers accused by demonstrators of violence.
Police later in the evening said they were opening an investigation on suspected offense to public workers as well as slander and incitement to violence. The force also called on the public to "avoid publications that harm coppers and their families and slander them."
Police have defended officers’ conduct in responding to the mass protests last Monday and early Tuesday, pushing back against accusations of excessive violence and police brutality.
Among the cops spotlighted in the posters was riot police officer Yair Hanuna, who was photographed apparently smiling while allegedly hitting 18-year-old Amitai Brilliant during nationwide demonstrations. In one widely shared video, Brilliant was manhandled and dragged by a group of coppers during his arrest on the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv.
Kan reported on Wednesday that Brilliant’s family lodged a formal complaint with the Police Internal Investigations Department against the officers who arrested and allegedly assaulted him, including Hanuna. Police have denied that Hanuna hit Brilliant after he was subdued.
#2
Given the S.A.'s attitude of police. He had better hope violent protesters don't show up at his house. The Police response time might be slower than usual.
[IsraelTimes] Security agency says operatives contacted Israelis via LinkedIn and email, sent infected documents that would hand them control of targets’ computers.
The Shin Bet security agency said Sunday it had uncovered an Iranian phishing campaign against Israeli civilians in recent months, mostly targeting state employees and researchers, in a bid to obtain intelligence on state policy.
According to the agency, Iranian operatives would contact Israeli targets on LinkedIn while posing as acquaintances, and the conversation would move to an email, where the operatives would either invite them to a conference by sending them a document with further details, or share a research paper.
Documents shared by the Iranian operatives, once opened, would grant the latter permission to the target’s computer, according to the agency, which said none of the phishing attempts was successful.
The Shin Bet said the initial messages with the Israelis were carefully written based on research the Iranian operatives had conducted into the various targets, with the subject matter being of specific interest to each target.
The agency said it managed to foil the attempts after many of the Israeli targets contacted the Shin Bet.
The Times of Israel’s military news hound received an email in early July from someone posing as a known Middle East analyst, offering to share an upcoming research piece. The message was promptly sent to the Shin Bet security agency for review.
"The Shin Bet, along with its partners in the intelligence community, are working to disrupt and thwart Iranian attempts to collect information on Israeli citizens, and calls on the public to be alert to the "phishing" phenomenon on the Internet," the agency said.
In 2021, the Shin Bet said it had uncovered and foiled an attempt by Iranian operatives to lure Israeli academics, businesspeople and former defense officials abroad, in an effort to kidnap or otherwise harm them.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
07/31/2023 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Hezbollah chief Sayyed His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... has stepped up his attacks against the LGBTQ communities in Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... and the region.
"We are not making up battles, nor are we making up dangers. This is a real danger that is imminent and has begun," Nasrallah said in a televised speech for the annual Ashura commemoration. Last week, Nasrallah had said gay people, "even if they do it once... are to be killed," in line with Islamic teachings.
In his latest comments Nasrallah said that, "In Lebanon, this danger started with some educational institutions, and NGOs," which he accused of "promoting" same-sex relations to children. He called on the ministry of education to intervene. The ministry later denied the presence of such books or classes in Lebanon.
Religiously diverse Lebanon is one of the Middle East's more liberal countries, and the LGBTQ community has long been visible and outspoken, defying crackdowns on its bars, nightclubs and community centers. But it has continued to face systematic social, economic and legal discrimination -- which an expert has warned could only be worsened by Nasrallah's rhetoric.
"Hate speech functions as a tool of diversion, wielded by Nasrallah and political elites to divert public attention from profound economic disparities and governance failures," Hussein Cheaito, an economist who focuses on queer political economy, wrote on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X".
"This calculated tactic perpetuates their grip on power," he said, while adding to "a vicious cycle of discrimination, fear, and exclusion, entwined with Lebanon's socio-economic fabric."
Lebanon's LGBTQ community in 2018 scored a success when a court ruled that same-sex conduct is not unlawful, but since then it has seen more setbacks than victories.
Last summer, the community was targeted by a crackdown that saw activists harassed and Pride gatherings canceled after the interior ministry instructed security forces to clamp down on events "promoting sexual perversion."
The ministry argued that LGBTQ events violate customs, traditions and "principles of religion" in Lebanon, where political power is split along faith lines between Shiite and Sunni Moslem, Christian, Druze and other groups.
Separately, Nasrallah said that if governments of Moslem-majority nations do not act against countries that allow the desecration of the Koran, Moslems should "punish" those who facilitate attacks on Islam's holy book.
Nasrallah slammed recent incidents in which the Koran was burned or otherwise desecrated at authorized demonstrations in Sweden and Denmark.
He said Moslems should watch for the outcome of an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, scheduled to take place in Baghdad on Monday to discuss the organization's response to the Koran burning ...One of the basic tenets of Islam is that once a Koran has been printed it is expected to last for all time, no matter how old, ratty, and smelly other, lesser holy books may become. Should it actually become necessary to put a Koran out of its misery there is a ritual that includes extensive charivari, featuring long drawn-wailing and head bonking, ritual wife beating, and the sacrifice of dozens of women's noses and pubic lips. When the actual disposal has been completed there is a prescribed period of celebratory gun sex with the expectation of a minimum of two hundred casualties. Should actual infidels dispose of a Koran, Islamic custom calls for three weeks of rioting and a minimum of three dozen dead, which is a holdover from the days of Moloch worship.... s.
The organization and its member states should "send a firm, decisive and unequivocal message to these governments that any repeat of the attacks will be met with a boycott," Nasrallah said. If they do not, he said, Moslem youth should "punish the desecrators."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/31/2023 00:00 ||
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#1
It’s going to suck for Nasrallah when they implement DEI on Islamic Militant groups. His scores will be uniformly terrible.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/31/2023 11:12 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... chief Jebran Bassil said overnight that he is "willing to sacrifice" regarding the next president's identity, clarifying that he will not "sacrifice the presidential post or powers."
At an FPM event, Bassil added that the "sacrifice" would be in return for "two gains for Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... : broad administrative and financial decentralization and the trust fund."
"This is not a bargain nor a concession but is rather aimed at recovering the rights and money of the Lebanese," Bassil said.
He explained that the trust fund had been proposed by then-President Michel Aoun ...president of Leb, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... in an economic paper after the October 17 uprising.
"It would preserve the state's assets and ownership while they would be managed by the private sector, which would allow for improving the state's revenues, covering some of the financial gap and returning funds to depositors," Bassil clarified.
His remarks confirm media reports about the FPM's ongoing talks with Hezbollah.
"The two sides exchanged proposals for agreeing on the program and identity of the upcoming president," al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday.
Bassil submitted a "detailed work paper that involves an agenda for the coming period and addresses two main issues," the daily said.
"The first point is aimed at agreeing on consolidating and activating partnership in governance among all Lebanese components, with the next president enjoying the approval and support of the FPM seeing as it is the main Christian representative," al-Akhbar added.
"The second point is agreeing on key headlines for the program of the upcoming president in connection with the priorities paper that the FPM had previously proposed, while agreeing on the topics that represent main concerns for Hezbollah," the newspaper said.
Accordingly, Bassil asked Hezbollah for its approval and for "working with the rest of the allies to make practical steps aimed at paving the way for declaring a major agreement that involves the presidency," al-Akhbar added.
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[An Nahar] Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday wondered why parliament does not "convene in successive sessions to elect a president in line with Article 49 of the constitution."
"There are two main candidates who are competent as shown in the June 14 session. If one of them does not get elected after three successive rounds, an agreement would be reached on a third candidate through responsible dialogue," al-Rahi suggested in his Sunday Mass sermon.
"Can someone tell us why quorum was ended in that session that could have been decisive? Can someone explain to us the goal of postponing this essential juncture to September?" al-Rahi asked.
"Is it an August vacation for MPs so that they enjoy the sea, the mountains or traveling while the people are dying of hunger and the state is in a situation of chaos?" the patriarch added.
"The Syrian refugees are occupying the country with support from the international community while we are standing idly by," al-Rahi warned, noting that the refugees "have forgotten their land, country, history and culture."
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[NPASYRIA] ISIS caliphate once had a population of 10 million people within its borders. It stretched across two countries Iraq and Syria contained major towns and cities, oil fields, factories and dams and was roughly the size of Britannia. While tactically and strategically, ISIS is a mere shadow of what it was, but it still remains a potent force. There is a growing perception among the Western analysts that Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... doesn’t pose any significant threat. While the physical caliphate has extinguished but the bad boy group still has thousands of fighters in its ranks in Syria. Since the fall of Raqqa the former de facto capital of the self-proclaimed ISIS caliphate. The group adopted the calculated strategy of withdrawing to conserve manpower and pivot away from holding territory to pursuing an all-out insurgency in the near future. The IS has returned to its roots, conducting an insurgency the same way it did in Iraq in the early 2000s. It’s using small groups of well-armed gunnies driving around on cycle of violences or in pickup trucks with machine guns. In some cases, they may have some heavy weaponry, but mostly they are just doing hit and run attacks all the time. Sometimes, it’s just shooting from far away at military patrols to scare them away or keep them from patrolling in certain areas.
Despite the end of its territorial caliphate in 2019 and the death of several of its leaders since, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has demonstrated considerable resilience. It continues to operate as a highly active insurgency, particularly in the countryside of Syria. Also the group’s top leadership still operates from the Syrian territory. It is evident from the fact that all three caliphs were killed in operations within Syria and were believed to have been moving between the borders of Syria and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
Continued on Page 49
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...Arabic for 
...Arabic for 
...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...the 
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
