[The] man of sin [shall] be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 KJV)
Jesus saith, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6 KJV)
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13 KJV)
November 30, 2015
Majority of Americans are Strongly Opposed to Increasing Taxes on Electricity or Gasoline as a Way to Fight 'Global Warming'; NASA Pushes Propaganda for Paris Climate Talks, Claiming It Soon Will Be Too Hot to Grow Food
Seventy-five percent of Americans polled said that global warming was
already having a serious environmental impact or would in the future.
Nine in 10 Democrats agreed, compared with 58 percent of Republicans.
One-third of Republicans said they believed it would never have much of
an impact on the environment. But just one in five Americans favored increasing taxes on electricity
as a way to fight global warming; six in 10 were strongly opposed,
including 49 percent of Democrats. And support was not much higher for
increasing gasoline taxes, at 36 percent over all. Thinking
about policies to reduce carbon emissions, Americans generally favor
regulating business activity more than taxing consumers.
November 30, 2015
New York Times - A solid majority of Americans say the United States should join an international treaty to limit the impact of global warming, but on this and other climate-related questions, opinion divides sharply along partisan lines, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
Two-thirds
of Americans support the United States joining a binding international
agreement to curb growth of greenhouse gas emissions, but a slim
majority of Republicans remain opposed, the poll found. Sixty-three
percent of Americans — including a bare majority of Republicans — said
they would support domestic policy limiting carbon emissions from power
plants.
Public support for international and domestic measures to address climate change may provide a lift for American negotiators attending the major United Nations climate change conference that began in Paris on Monday. But the stark partisan divide on climate policy will still make it difficult for President Obama
and his successors to put in place the energy and climate policies that
will be needed to support a robust international agreement, the goal of
the Paris talks.
Republicans
in Congress and many Republican governors oppose Mr. Obama’s proposal
to limit emissions from power plants, for example, complicating his
ability to meet targets he has set to comply with United Nations climate
goals. And the Obama administration has made it clear that any
agreement it would sign in Paris would not take the form of an
internationally enforced treaty that would require Senate ratification.
Still,
the shift in public opinion has many advocates of strong climate change
measures hopeful that the Paris talks could provide a turning point.
“If
you just look over the past five or six years since Copenhagen, there’s
been a shift,” said David Waskow, director of the International Climate
Initiative at the World Resources Institute, referring to the largely
inconclusive global summit meeting
that took place in Denmark in 2009.
“There’s much more awareness of
issues like sea level rise, water scarcity and climate instability.”
UN Passes Five Resolutions That Show Their Support to the Palestinian Cause; Israel Suspends Contacts with European Union Bodies Involved in Peace Efforts with the Palestinians
The resolutions endorse the return to peace talks, denouncing
settlements in disputed East Jerusalem and in support of the work of the
UN Committee fighting for the rights of the Palestinian people.
November 30, 2015
IMEMC News - The overwhelming majority of General Assembly of the United Nations,
Wednesday, voted on five draft resolutions in favor of Palestine. The
decision comes after the Assembly discussed the two articles, “the
Palestinian Cause” and “the Conditions in the Middle East.”
According to Al Ray, the first resolution was
entitled, “Using Amicable Methods to Resolve the Palestinian Cause”. The
voting results were 148 in favor to 6 against, with 8 abstentions.
The second resolution regarding “Jerusalem” passed with 144 votes in
favor to 6 against, and 10 abstentions. The third resolution was
entitled, “The Informational Program about the Palestinian Cause”, which
is being handled by the administration of media affairs in the
Secretary-General of the United Nations, and passed with 147 votes in
favor to 7 against, and 9 abstentions.
The fourth resolution was entitled “Committee for Palestinians Right
to Exercise Ownership of Their Inalienable Rights.” The voting results
were 94 in favor to 7 against, with 56 abstentions. The last resolution,
entitled, “The Section of Palestinians Rights in the Secretary-General
of UN”, passed with 91 votes in favor to 7 against, with 59 abstentions.
After the voting process, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the
United Nations, Riyad Mansour, gave a speech to show his gratitude and
thanks to the member countries of the UN for their initial stand, and
their votes in favor of the resolutions that show their support to the
Palestinian cause.
Mansour added that the international community represented by the
United Nations’ protection of international law is a source of comfort
and support to the Palestinian people. It will help them in their
continuing journey of resisting and striving to maintain their
inalienable rights, and bringing an end to the Israeli occupation, which
will liberate the state of Palestine and its capitol of East Jerusalem,
and fulfill the two-state solution.
The ambassador also affirmed the importance of the
resolutions approved by the UN concerning Palestine, saying that what
affects the credibility of the United Nations is not as some claim, the
adoption of these resolutions but the nonexistence of a necessary
political will to force Israel to show respect to these resolutions and
apply it.
November 30, 2015
Reuters - Israel threatened
on Monday to review its cooperation with European Union projects that
benefit Palestinians in the West Bank, citing the bloc's labeling of
exports from Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied territory.
The
Israeli Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that Israel was suspending
its contacts with European Union bodies involved in peace efforts with
the Palestinians, condemning the EU guidelines on settlement products
published on Nov. 11.
With talks on Palestinian statehood frozen since 2014, there seemed to little peace diplomacy for this decision to affect.
But
the EU decision that goods produced in settlements be marked as such
rather than "Made in Israel" touched a nerve in Netanyahu's right-wing
government, which has long decried efforts by the BDS - boycott,
divestment and sanctions - movement to isolate Israel over policies
towards Palestinians.
Reuters - Two senior U.S.
senators called on Sunday for Washington to nearly triple military force
levels in Iraq to 10,000 and send an equal number of troops to Syria as
part of a multinational ground force to counter Islamic State in both
countries.
Republicans John
McCain and Lindsey Graham criticized President Barack Obama's
incremental Islamic State strategy, which relies on air strikes and
modest support to local ground forces in Iraq and Syria, and said the
need for greater U.S. involvement was underlined by this month's Paris
attacks.
"The only way you can
destroy the caliphate is with a ground component," said Graham who is
seeking his party's presidential nomination. "The aerial campaign is not
turning the tide of battle."
McCain,
chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently proposed
intervention in Syria by a European and Arab ground force backed by
10,000 U.S. military advisers and trainers.
On
Sunday he and Graham told reporters during a visit to Baghdad that U.S.
personnel could provide logistical and intelligence support to a
proposed 100,000-strong force from Sunni Arab countries like Egypt,
Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Graham said special forces would also be included.
Obama
last month ordered the deployment of dozens of special operations
troops to northern Syria to advise opposition forces in their fight
against Islamic State, adding to an increasingly volatile conflict in
Syria.
Russia and Iran have ramped
up their military support for President Bashar al-Assad's fight against
rebels in Syria's four-and-a-half year civil war, while the Paris
attacks showed how Islamic State has extended its reach to Western
cities.
U.S.
counter-terrorism experts have warned that deploying ground troops risks
backfiring by feeding Islamic State's apocalyptic narrative that it is
defending Islam against an assault by the West and its authoritarian
Arab allies.
The U.S.-led coalition
which has been bombing Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq for more
than a year relies heavily on American resources despite including some
60 nations.
Yahoo Politics - Ben
Carson says the Syrian refugees he met during his trip to the Middle
East don’t want to come to the United States — they want to go home.
“I
had an opportunity to talk to many of the Syrian refugees and ask them,
‘What is your supreme desire?’ And it was pretty uniform: They want to
go back home,” Carson said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. “I was a little
bit surprised with the answer, because it wasn’t what we’re hearing a
lot. We’re hearing that they all want to come here to the United States.
And that’s not what they want. They want to go back home.”
The
Republican presidential candidate was speaking from Amman, Jordan,
where he visited two refugee camps in an effort to better understand the
crisis while attempting to beef up a foreign policy résumé his own
advisers recently described as weak.
“Their
true desire is to be resettled in Syria,” Carson said on CNN’s “State
of the Union.”
“But you know, they are satisfied to be in the refugee
camps if the refugee camps are adequately funded. Recognize that in
these camps, they have schools. They have recreational facilities that
are really quite nice. And they are putting in all kinds of things that
make life more tolerable.”
“There’s
so many people who think that the ideal for everybody is to come to
America,” he continued. “But that is not the ideal for everybody. And we
need to be looking at mechanisms that already exist.”
Carson
said he supports the refugee program that is currently in place in the
Middle East, saying the United States and its allies must do more to
help fund it.
“It
seems like everybody in the international community is spending more
time saying, ‘How can we bring refugees here?’ rather than, ‘How can we
support a facility that is already in place that the refugees are
finding perfectly fine when it’s adequately funded?’” Carson said on
CBS’ “Face The Nation.”
“If
you do that, you solve that problem without exposing the American
people to a population that could be infiltrated with terrorists who
want to destroy us,” he said on ABC. “If you can eliminate the
possibility of terrorists infiltrating them and wanting to destroy us,
you have a different argument. But I don’t see that being eliminated.”
Carson was then asked if he thought there were terrorists among those refugees he talked to.
“I
don’t know whether there were or not,” he replied. “But I do know that
the ISIS terrorists have said that if we bring refugees, that they would
infiltrate them. And why wouldn’t they?”
Earlier this month, Carson was criticized for comparing Syrian refugees to rabid dogs.
“If
there is a rabid dog running around your neighborhood, you’re probably
not going to assume something good about that dog, and you’re probably
gonna put your children out of the way,” Carson said. “Doesn’t mean that
you hate all dogs by any stretch of the imagination.”
On Sunday, the retired neurosurgeon stood by those comments.
“The
Syrians and the people here completely understood what I was saying,”
Carson said on NBC’s “Meet The Press” Sunday.“ “It’s only the news media
in our country that thinks that you’re calling Syrians dogs. They
understand here that we’re talking about the jihadists, the Islamic
terrorists. And it’s very obvious to most of them. The reception is
quite warm. So maybe they can teach us a little bit about how to
interpret language.”
Iran's Supreme Leader Says "Terrorism is Our Common Worry" and Asserts That "There Are Very Few People Who Are Uninformed About the Role of the United States in Creating, Nurturing and Arming Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Their Inauspicious Successors"
We have to state with full regret that vile groups such as DAESH are the spawn of such ill-fated pairings w/ imported cultures. #CommonWorry
AFP - Iran's supreme leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Sunday condemned the West's "double
standards" in a letter to the youth of America and Europe following the
Paris attacks that killed 130 people. The following is the full text of his letter as published on his website.
* * * * * * *
The bitter events brought about by blind terrorism in France have once again, moved me to speak to you young people.
In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
To the Youth in Western Countries,
The bitter events brought about by blind
terrorism in France have once again, moved me to speak to you young
people. For me, it is unfortunate that such incidents would have to
create the framework for a conversation, however the truth is that if
painful matters do not create the grounds for finding solutions and
mutual consultation, then the damage caused will be multiplied.
The pain of any human being anywhere in
the world causes sorrow for a fellow human being. The sight of a child
losing his life in the presence of his loved ones, a mother whose joy
for her family turns into mourning, a husband who is rushing the
lifeless body of his spouse to some place and the spectator who does not
know whether he will be seeing the final scene of life- these are
scenes that rouse the emotions and feelings of any human being. Anyone
who has benefited from affection and humanity is affected and disturbed
by witnessing these scenes- whether it occurs in France or in Palestine
or Iraq or Lebanon or Syria.
Without a doubt, the one-and-a-half
billion Muslims also have these feelings and abhor and are revolted by
the perpetrators and those responsible for these calamities. The issue,
however, is that if today’s pain is not used to build a better and safer
future, then it will just turn into bitter and fruitless memories. I
genuinely believe that it is only you youth who by learning the lessons
of today’s hardship, have the power to discover new means for building
the future and who can be barriers in the misguided path that has
brought the west to its current impasse.
It is correct that today terrorism is our
common worry. However it is necessary for you to know that the
insecurity and strain that you experienced during the recent events,
differs from the pain that the people of Iraq, Yemen, Syria and
Afghanistan have been experiencing for many years, in two significant
ways. First, the Islamic world has been the victim of terror and
brutality to a larger extent territorially, to greater amount
quantitatively and for a longer period in terms of time. Second, that
unfortunately this violence has been supported by certain great powers
through various methods and effective means.
No doubt, 1.5 billion Muslims also abhor the perpetrators and those responsible for these calamities. #Letter4U#ParisAttack
Today, there are very few people who are
uninformed about the role of the United States of America in creating,
nurturing and arming al-Qaeda, the Taliban and their inauspicious
successors. Besides this direct support, the overt and well-known
supporters of takfiri terrorism- despite having the most backward
political systems- are standing arrayed as allies of the west while the
most pioneering, brightest and most dynamic democrats in the region are
suppressed mercilessly. The prejudiced response of the west to the
awakening movement in the Islamic world is an illustrative example of
the contradictory western policies.
The other side of these contradictory
policies is seen in supporting the state terrorism of Israel. The
oppressed people of Palestine have experienced the worst kind of
terrorism for the last sixty years. If the people of Europe have now
taken refuge in their homes for a few days and refrain from being
present in busy places- it is decades that a Palestinian family is not
secure even in its own home from the Zionist regime’s death and
destruction machinery. What kind of atrocious violence today is
comparable to that of the settlement constructions of the Zionists
regime?
This regime- without ever being seriously
and significantly censured by its influential allies or even by the
so-called independent international organizations- everyday demolishes
the homes of Palestinians and destroys their orchards and farms. This
is done without even giving them time to gather their belongings or
agricultural products and usually it is done in front of the terrified
and tear-filled eyes of women and children who witness the brutal
beatings of their family members who in some cases are being dragged
away to gruesome torture chambers. In today’s world, do we know of any
other violence on this scale and scope and for such an extended period
of time?
Turkey Says the Downed Russian Jet Was in Their Airspace for 17 Full Seconds But Physicists Say It Could Only Have Been Flying Over Turkey for Seven Seconds
Turkey and Russia share important bilateral economic ties. Turkey is the second largest buyer of Russian gas, and Russians account for about 12% of Turkey's annual tourists.
"There's a very significant economic relationship between the two sides — tourism, trade, and most importantly energy — that neither Putin nor Erdogan want to interfere with," said geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group.
Moreover, Putin has important geopolitical considerations to keep in mind.
"Putin doesn't want to create more antagonism with NATO just as he's making progress with the Europeans — France in particular — in turning back the US-led Western 'isolation' of the Russians," Bremmer added.
(Turkish military/CNN Turk) - A radar map released by Turkey purporting to show the location where a Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace in November.
Gizmodo - Russia and Turkey each have their own version of what happened with that downed jet
earlier this week, but science may have the last word. According to two
Belgian astrophysicists, neither nation is being entirely truthful.
Over at Motherboard, Alejandro Tauber describes a new analysis
of the crash that occurred Tuesday morning, when two Turkish fighter
jets shot down a Russian warplane shortly after it veered into their
airspace. Using simple Newtonian mechanics, Tom van Doorsslaere and
Giovanni Lapenta of the University of Leuven, Belgium reveal several
inconsistencies in both nations’ accounts of the incident.
For one, Turkish officials say that the Russian jet was in their
airspace for seventeen full seconds. But given the jet’s velocity as
determined by video footage and maps of the crash site, it could only
have been flying over Turkey for seven seconds. Either the
crash site is incorrect, or somebody’s watch is. Russia’s claim that the
jet made a “90 degree turn” after being hit doesn’t hold up, either.
According to Doorsslaere and Lapenta, the incoming rocket would have to
have been many times heavier or faster than the jet for such a sharp
turnaround to occur. This revelation is sure to raise awkward questions
about whether the Kremlin was actually trying to avoid Turkish airspace.
The Religion of Global Warming Unites "Interfaith Climate Pilgrims"
Opening the summit near Paris on November 30, heads of government from big carbon burning countries such as U.S. President Barack Obama and China's Xi Jinping will seek common cause with leaders from the smallest emitters in Africa.
AFP - Hundreds of people from around the world gathered in
Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on Saturday to give a "climate justice"
petition signed by over a million to the UN climate chief ahead of the
COP21 conference.
The
so-called climate pilgrims included Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims,
Hindus and Protestants -- representing the world's major religions and
their call for action to save the Earth from the devastating effects of
climate change.
The petition
signed by 1,780,528 citizens worldwide was given to Christiana Figueres,
in charge of climate issues at the United Nations, along with Nicolas
Hulot, French President Francois Hollande's special envoy for the
planet.
"In their name, we
call for a drastic reduction of carbon emissions and for the rich
countries to help the poorer ones facing climatic changes," said
Brazilian cardinal Claudio Hummes.
"The time has come. Let us pray and act for climate justice," he said to huge applause from the crowd.
An
emotional Figueres thanked the climate pilgrims, saying that "despite
differences, we can all unite as human beings to respond together to
this challenge", which world leaders will address at the COP21
conference that opens Monday near Paris.
The
goal is to limit average global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6
degrees Fahrenheit), perhaps less, over pre-Industrial Revolution levels
by curbing fossil fuel emissions blamed for climate change.
Pawns in the Game: a Satanic Conspiracy to Control the World
Pawns in the Game, first printed in 1954, was written by William Guy Carr (1895-1959), who had a distinguished career as a Canadian naval officer, including outstanding service during World War II. In the lecture (audio) above by Commander Carr, he briefly explains what is written
in his books (Pawns In The Game, Red Fog Over America, Proofs Of A
Conspiracy), the reasons why he got involved in his research, and some
of his conclusions. In the 1950s he was one of the foremost researchers on the
genocidal Satanic Illuminati Conspiracy; others, such as Ted Gunderson,
Fritz Springmeier and Bill Cooper, continued his research (NOTE: the
pictures in the video relate to the subject but not to the lecture itself, which was
in 1958 and therefore audio only).
World War Three is to be fomented by using the differences the agentur of the Illuminati stir up between Political Zionists and the leaders of the Moslem world. The war is to be directed in such a manner that Islam (the Arab World including Mohammedanism) and Political Zionism (including the State of Israel) will destroy themselves while at the same time the remaining nations, once more divided against each other on this issue, will be forced to fight themselves into a state of complete exhaustion physically, mentally, spiritually and economically. Can any unbiased and reasoning person deny that the intrigue now going on in the Near, Middle, and Far East isn’t designed to accomplish this devilish purpose?
On August 15, 1871, [Albert] Pike told [Gussepi] Mazzini that after World War Three is ended, those who aspire to undisputed world domination will provoke the greatest social cataclysm the world has ever known. We quote his own written words (taken from the letter catalogued in the British Museum Library, London, Eng.):
"We
shall unleash the Nihilists and Atheists, and we shall provoke a
formidable social cataclysm which in all its horror will show clearly to
the nations the effect of absolute atheism, origin of savagery and of
the most bloody turmoil. Then everywhere, the citizens, obliged to
defend themselves against the world minority of revolutionaries, will
exterminate those destroyers of civilization, and the multitude,
disillusioned with Christianity, whose deistic spirits will be from that
moment without compass (direction), anxious for an ideal, but without
knowing where to render its adoration, will receive the true light
through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer
brought finally out in the public view, a manifestation which will
result from the general reactionary movement which will follow the
destruction of Christianity and atheism, both conquered and exterminated
at the same time."
“We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” - William Casey, CIA Director 1981
They create the threat then "UNITE" against it.
Christians
for Israel have been duped so badly btw. Look up Jesus (Peace and
blessings upon him) in the Talmud and see how much your Zionist friends
really love and respect you. "BEING BOILED IN HELL IN HIS OWN
EXCREMENT"...
Look up who owns 99% of the information that
reaches you (News, Hollywood, movies, ALL MEDIA) yup, the Zionists
(another name for the NWO)... who also happen to control your CONGRESS.
All
these "Terror" groups (ISIS, Taliban, Al Qaeda) have been founded and
funded by the CIA/Mossad in collaboration with Arab puppet regimes.
Create your own enemy, the oldest trick in the book. Bin Laden's CIA operative name was Tim Osman...
The
Trojan Horse of Islam, or horses let's say.. .... ALL of them. WHO IS
ISIS SERVING? WHO IS BENEFITING FROM THEM? MUSLIMS?!! Look at the
Beneficiary!!! the foremost beneficiary IS the NWO/ISRAEL, paving the
way in blood for their "Messiah".. Rolling out the "red carpet".
Destabilize
the Region, gain sympathy for Israel (to grab more lands and persecute
the Palestinians further) and demonize Muslims so their murder is
justified.
And of course, the MAIN objective... To bring the New (Godless) Order of the World closer...
Who is this group killing? mostly Muslims!!! Goes to show who is pulling their strings.
ISIS Israeli Secret Intelligence Services
The
PNAC [Project for the New American Century] program, in a nutshell: America’s military must rule out even the
possibility of a serious global or regional challenger anywhere in the
world. The regime of Saddam Hussein must be toppled immediately, by U.S.
force if necessary. And the entire Middle East must be reordered
according to an American plan. PNAC’s most important study notes that
selling this plan to the American people will likely take a long time,
"ABSENT SOME CATASTROPHIC CATALYZING EVENT – LIKE A NEW PEARL HARBOR.
(PNAC, Rebuilding America’s Defenses (1997), p.51)"
By William Kristol and Robert Kagan... Two prominent Zionist Think Tanks..
Few
months ago, the American Public was disgusted at the thought of another
war. Seems they have been drawn into it again... slowly but surely.
Try and relate to this 70-year old quote by NAZI Hermann Goering:
U.S. Supported Radical Islamist Groups in Syria and Iraq That Eventually Morphed Into ISIS
In 2012, the major forces driving the insurgency in Syria were the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and the Salafists, an ultra-conservative, orthodox movement within Sunni Islam, taking a fundamentalist approach toward Islam, from which ISIS draws is radical, violent, merciless beliefs. According to a 2012 DoD document, "if the situation unravels, there is a possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in eastern Syria, and this is exactly what the opposition [rebels backed by the U.S. and its allies] want in order to isolate the Syria's Shia regime, which is considered a strategic depth of the Shia expansion (Iraq and Iran)." It was a plan by the U.S. to use the Salafist movement to overthrow Syrian President Assad.
Syria is overwhelmingly Sunni Islam. That in and of itself is no
big deal, as 85% of all the Muslims in the world are of the Sunni
persuasion. The other 15% of Muslims in the world are of the
Shi’a/Shi’ite variety. So Syria is mostly Sunni. BUT Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
like his entire family and the ruling/military elite of Syria, is an
Alawite. Alawites are a prominent minority religious group who describe
themselves as a sect of Shi’a Islam. Some conservative Sunnis do not
even recognize Alawis as Muslims at all, especially in places like
ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia [a U.S. ally]. Of course, the ultra-conservative Sunni
Saudis also don’t much like the straight-up Shi’as either…speaking of
which… Do you know any other places that are Shi’a Islam? If you
said Iran, then give yourself a hit off the hookah! And now you know why
some other Arab states also hate Syria: the Syrian leadership has deep
and entrenched ties with Shi’a Iran, a country that most other Arab
states totally despise. Iran is not Sunni but Shi’a; they are also not
Arab, but Persian. So Arab countries see increasingly powerful Iran as a
regional threat. And Syria has for decades allowed itself to be a
conduit for the movement of weapons and money from Shi’a Iran thru
Shi’a-led Syria over to Shi’a-inspired Hezbollah…which is a
terrorist/political group located in Lebanon that fights against Israel. [Source]
Vigilant Citizen - In my article entitled ISIS : A CIA Creation to Justify War Abroad and Repression at Home,
I list the numerous reasons why ISIS is actually serving the interests
of the world elite. The following video adds another important piece of
the puzzle by explaining leaked Department of Defense documents dating
from 2012 – before ISIS even existed. They prove that the U.S. actually
supported the radical Islamist groups in Syria and Iraq that eventually
morphed into the monster that is ISIS.
This series of event lead to the creation of a (larger) quagmire in
the Middle East, the migration of millions of Syrians towards the Westand the generation of fear and panic around the world – perfect
conditions for rushing new oppressive laws.
Here is the full PDF of the document obtained by Judicial Watch in a Freedom of Information action.
The relevant passage relating to the 'salafist principality', i.e. ISIS, is point 8C on page 5.
The explanation of who the 'supporting powers' are, i.e. 'The West' (=
US, Israel, France, UK, Australia), Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, is
point 2C on page 3.
Although
Iraqi Al-Sistani refuses to sanction fighting in Syria war, influential
Shia parties and militias are following Iran's direction and sending
fighters
July 20, 2013
Reuters - The civil war in Syria is widening a rift between top Shia Muslim clergy
in Iraq and Iran who have taken opposing stands on whether or not to
send followers into combat on President Bashar Al-Assad's side.
Competition for leadership of the Shia community has intensified since
the US-led invasion of 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein, empowering majority
Shias through the ballot box and restoring the Iraqi holy city of Najaf
to prominence.
In Iran's holy city of Qom, senior Shia clerics, or Marjiiya, have
issued fatwas (edicts) enjoining their followers to fight in Syria,
where mainly Sunni rebels are fighting to overthrow Assad, whose Alawite
sect derives from Shia Islam.
Shia militant leaders fighting in Syria and those in charge of
recruitment in Iraq say the number of volunteers has increased
significantly since the fatwas were pronounced.
Tehran, Assad's staunchest defender in the region, has drawn on other Shia allies, including Lebanese militia Hezbollah.
Hezbollah's open intervention earlier this year hardened the sectarian
tone of a conflict that grew out of a peaceful street uprising against
four decades of Assad family rule, and shifted the battlefield tide in
the Syrian government's favour.
The Syrian war has polarised Sunnis and Shias across the Middle East – but
has also spotlighted divisions within each of Islam's two main
denominations, putting Qom and Najaf at odds and complicating intra-Shia
relations in Iraq.
In Najaf, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, who commands unswerving
loyalty from most Iraqi Shias and many more worldwide, has refused to
sanction fighting in a war he views as political rather than religious.
Despite Sistani's stance, some of Iraq's most influential Shia
political parties and militia, who swear allegiance to Iranian Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have answered his call to arms and sent
their disciples into battle in Syria.
"Those who went to fight in Syria are disobedient," said a senior Shia
cleric who runs the office of one of the top four Marjiya in Najaf.
"Shia crescent"
The split is rooted in a fundamental difference of opinion over the nature and scope of clerical authority.
Najaf Marjiiya see the role of the cleric in public affairs as limited,
whereas in Iran, the cleric is the Supreme Leader and holds ultimate
spiritual and political authority in the "Velayet e-Faqih" system
("guardianship of the jurist").
"The tension between the two Marjiiya already existed a long time ago,
but now it has an impact on the Iraqi position towards the Syria
crisis," a senior Shia cleric with links to Marjiiya in Najaf said on
condition of anonymity.
"If both Marjiiya had a unified position (toward Syria), we would
witness a position of (Iraqi) government support for the Syrian regime".
The Shia-led government in Baghdad says it takes no sides in the civil
war, but the flow of Iraqi militiamen across the border into Syria has
compromised that official position.
Khamenei and his faithful in Iraq and Iran regard Syria as an important
link in a "Shia Crescent" stretching from Tehran to Beirut through
Baghdad and Damascus, according to senior clerics and politicians.
Answering a question posted on his website by one of his followers
regarding the legitimacy of fighting in Syria, senior Iraq Shia cleric
Kadhim Al-Haeari, who is based in Iran, described fighting in Syria as a
"duty" to defend Islam.
Militants say that around 50 Iraqi Shias fly to Damascus every week to
fight, often alongside Assad's troops, or to protect the Sayyida Zeinab
shrine on the outskirts of the capital, an especially sacred place for
Shias.
"I am following my Marjiiya. My spiritual leader has said fighting in
Syria is a legitimate duty. I do not pay attention to what others say,"
said Ali, a former Mehdi army militant who was packing his bag to travel
from Iraq to Syria.
"No one has the right to stop me. I am defending my religion, my Imam's daughter Sayyida Zeinab's shrine."
A high-ranking Shia cleric who runs the office of one of the four top
Marjiiya in Najaf said the protection of Shia shrines in Syria was used
as a pretext by Iran to galvanise Shias into action.
"Shia project"
In the 10 years since Saddam's fall, Iran's influence in Iraq has grown
and it has sought to gain a foothold in Najaf in particular.
Senior Iranian clerics have opened offices in Najaf, as well as
non-governmental organisations, charities and cultural institutions,
most of which are funded directly by Marjiiya in Iran, or the Iranian
Embassy in Baghdad, local officials said.
The Iranian flag flies over a two-storey building in an upscale
neighbourhood of Najaf, which houses the "Imam Khomeini Institution,"
named after the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The Imam Khomeini Institution is one of many Iranian entities that have
engaged in social activities in Iraq, focusing on young men, helping
them get married, and paying regular stipends to widows, orphans and
students of religion.
Some institutions also support young clerics and fund free trips for
university students to visit Shia shrines in Iran, including a formal
visit to Khamenei's office in Tehran, Shia politicians with knowledge of
the activities say.
"We have a big project in Iraq aimed at spreading the principles of
Velayet e-Faqih and the young are our target," a high-ranking Shia
leader who works under Khamenei's auspices said on condition of
anonymity.
"We are not looking to establish an Islamic State in Iraq, but at least
we want to create revolutionary entities that would be ready to fight
to save the Shia project".
Comment About the Salafis from Vigilant Citizen
If you studied Quranic Arabic under a qualified scholar you would know its true meaning.
There are several branches and sub-branches in the sciences of Quran Exegesis. Unlike many other languages, an Arabic word is interpreted according to its root meaning and context and NOT necessarily literally. Many verses in the Quran are Mejaz, allegorical and metaphorically interpreted. A word can have several different meanings and connotations.
The verses most commonly misinterpreted are cherry picked ones used by Western non-Muslim detractors to make a moot point. There are quoted completely out of context! What are the verses before "SLAY the UNBELIEVERS wherever you find them!" and after it?
You must know the difference between Ahle-Kitab, Kaffir, Mushrik, Munafiq etc...
"Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians - whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve" (2:62, 5:69, and many other verses).
Muslims follow the Quran according to the Sunnah (example and practice in sayings and actions) of the Prophet (PBUH), a mercy for mankind. He was the living Quran. Even during wars for defensive measures, a strict code of conduct was made not to harm any innocent non-combatants, including women, children, the old, the infirm and ill, animals and even trees.
ISIS breaks every rule of the Quran and Sunnah. The core group cannot be Muslims.
Yes, of course there are Muslims that interpret the Quran literally and are usually known as Wahaabis and Salafis. These are the creation of the British during the 18th century.
The overwhelming majority of Muslims worldwide are NOT Wahaabis and Salafis.
Every terrorist in the West can be traced back to the intelligences services. FBI admits to setting up Muslim patsies.
How many million Muslims are there in the USA? What percentage of them are involved in terrorist activities? Even if a fraction of the 'practicing' Muslims followed the Quran literally, you would find chaos and mayhem in every major city, life as we know it would be disrupted.
How many names do you know of the many Muslims who also perished in the Twin towers on 911? Did you know Muslim cab drivers in NY ferried the injured to hospitals without charging them, putting considerable risk to themselves? Did you know among the doctors and surgeons who treated the injured were Muslims too?
There is a verse in the Quran that states '...he who saves the life of one human being, is like one who saves entire mankind, and he who takes one innocent life is as if he has taken the life of every human being on this planet." There is no distinction between a non-Muslim and a Muslim.
I practice natural medicine and chose this field to heal ANY individual without compensation because it brings me great joy to help others. I have received much goodness from non-Muslims throughout my life and I am playing my part in returning some of the goodness back to them. Call it Karma if you like.
I'll leave you with this, an American soldier who converted to Islam after returning from the first Gulf war where 20,000 servicemen and women converted to Islam, said this to a Muslim cleric, 'we had to invade YOUR country to really learn about Islam." Youtube "American soldier converts to Islam."
Some of staunchest defenders of the Islamic faith are NOT Muslims, they are actually Christians, Jews, Hindus etc...
"....I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter sel-effacement of the prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These, and NOT the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble." - Mahatama Ghandi - [Young India (periodical), 1928, Volume X
This site (Vigilant Citizen) documents the various symbolism that I have been aware of for over thirty years. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stated, "I shall tell you one thing of the Anti-Christ (Dajaal) that no other Prophet before me has mentioned, that he (Dajaal) is one-eyed and your Lord is NOT one-eyed."
Through terrifying headlines and shocking videos, ISIS is being used
as a tool to justify war in the Middle East and to cause fear and panic
worldwide. No, this is not a “crazy conspiracy theory”, it is simply the
oldest trick in the book. ISIS was created by the very forces that are
fighting it.
Ever since the creation of democratic nations – where public opinion
somewhat matters – the political class is faced with a dilemma: War is
needed to gain power, riches, and control, but the general public has a
tendency to be against it. What to do? The answer was found decades ago
and is still used successfully today: Create an enemy so terrifying that
the masses will beg their government to go to war.
This is why ISIS exists. This is why the beheading videos are so
“well-produced” and publicized worldwide through mainstream media. This
is why news sources regularly come up with alarmist headlines about
ISIS. They are used to serve the best interests of the world elite.
The
current objectives are: Sway public opinion to favor the invasion of
countries in the Middle East, provide a pretext for “coalition”
intervention across the world, and manufacture a domestic threat that
will be used to take away rights and increase surveillance. In short,
ISIS is yet another instance of the age-old tactic of creating a
terrifying enemy to scare the masses.
Basically, in the span of a few months, a terrorist group literally
popped out of nowhere, causing mayhem in the very regions the US and its
allies have been looking to attack for years. Its name: Islamic State
in Syria, or ISIS.
The idea of the CIA funding an
Islamic group to further its political
interests isn’t exactly “far-fetched”. In fact, there are several
obvious instances in recent history where the US openly supported
extremist Islamist groups (dubbed “freedom fighters” in mass media). The
most flagrant and well-documented example is the creation of the
Mujaheddin in Afghanistan, a group that was created by the CIA to lure
the USSR in an “Afghan trap”. The term Mujaheddin describes “Muslims who
struggle in the path of Allah” and comes from the root word “jihad”.
The “great enemy” of today was the friend of the past. A few decades
later, these “freedom fighters” turned into the Taliban
terrorists, among them Osama bin-Laden, who turned from a CIA agent to
public enemy No. 1. The group was then used to justify war in
Afghanistan. It is one of numerous examples where an Islamic group was
created, funded and used to advance U.S. interests. The U.S. also backed
the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Sarekat Islam in Indonesia,
Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, and the Islamic regime of Saudi-Arabia to
counter Russia.
As the ISIS threat spreads to neighboring countries, it will allow
unprovoked military strikes against various nations. It is only a matter
of time before airstrikes will be deemed ineffective and ground troops
become necessary. In the end, these operations will complete a long-term
plan of re-organizing the Middle East, eliminating any threats to
Israel and significantly increasing pressure on Iran, the region’s
remaining Islamic force.
Disgusted by the beheading
videos, most Westerners now favor the violent
annihilation of ISIS. Of course, they do not realize that this same
fervor will lead them to become victims of their own governments. ISIS
has been issuing various threats to specific countries, causing
panic in every one of them, prompting governments to “take action”.
Unfortunately, “taking action” means reducing free speech and increasing
illegal searches and surveillance.
The most important
question one can ask is this: Who benefits from the
existence of ISIS and the terror it generates? What does ISIS gain by
creating videos taunting the most powerful armies in the world? Air
strikes? On the other hand, what does the ruling class in the Western
world have to gain? Continuing to make money through war and weapons,
taking control of the Middle East while supporting Israel, increasing
oppression and surveillance on domestic populations and, finally,
keeping the masses constantly terrified and under control. In short,
stoking panic around the world by provoking a state of chaos
in the Middle East has been deemed necessary to implement a new world
order.
Mehdi Khalaji, senior fellow at The Washington Institute
October 3, 2013
More Iranians are turning to Salafism out of disenchantment
with the Islamic Republic's Shiite creeds, creating a clear threat to
the regime's rule.
Iran consistently accuses the United States and its allies in the
Middle East of provoking tension between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Among
these accusations is the notion that the West funds Persian-language
satellite television networks whose sole goal is to ignite sectarian
conflict. Tehran's paranoid claims aside, many Persian broadcasters
inside and outside the Islamic Republic are in fact engaged in a
satellite war, and their various propaganda salvos point to a new
phenomenon in Iran: the rise of Persian Salafism. The fact that a
unique, puritanical interpretation of Sunni Islam is taking root in
Shiite-ruled Iran has raised worries among the regime's elite and the
traditional Shiite establishment.
IRANIANS DISCOVER SALAFISM
Since the early twentieth century, Salafism has been spreading
throughout Muslim communities from Europe to Indonesia. Yet few expected
it to gain much traction in Iran given the innate antagonism between
Sunni and Shia Islam. Traces of it entered the country before the 1979
revolution, but the sect did not gain popularity until fairly recently,
after more than three decades of Shiite governance and regime
propaganda. Today, it commands numerous active followers in Sunni areas
such as Kurdistan and Baluchistan and in large, predominantly Shiite
cities such as Tehran and Isfahan.
The Iranian regime views religious pluralism in general as a security
threat, but the rise of Salafism -- a sect that regards the state's
official religion as heresy -- presents more serious problems. For
example, the Bahai faith is also viewed as a threat to Iranian Shiism,
but its structure makes it more containable than Salafism. Bahai
adherents in Iran are well organized, highly centralized, and
apolitical, making them easier to track and less of a direct threat. Yet
Salafis are scattered throughout the country and represented by
multiple organizations with theological and ideological variations. More
important, they are becoming politically active in some Sunni areas, at
least in terms of publicly criticizing the government, questioning its
religious legitimacy, and accusing it of discrimination against Sunnis.
PREREVOLUTIONARY ROOTS
Since the 1950s, Salafi thought -- in its general sense, which includes
Muslim Brotherhood ideology -- has entered Iran from the east and west.
Following World War II, Sayyid Gholam Reza Saeedi (1895-1990), an
Iranian religious author and translator, traveled to India and acquired
extensive knowledge about the international Muslim community and elite.
When he returned home, he began to translate works by Abul Ala Maududi
-- the main ideologue of Pakistani group Jamaat al-Islamiyah and a
prominent Salafi -- as well as other Muslim thinkers (e.g., Muhammad
Iqbal). A prolific author, Saeedi played a significant role in
introducing Persian readers to Indian Muslim concerns and the challenges
of founding a new country, Pakistan. His works opened a new window to
Iran's religious world, influencing younger readers who were seeking new
ideas on Islam in order to ease their frustration with the religious
establishment and confront ideological threats (especially the communist
wave that was taking over Iran's intellectual environment at the time).
Meanwhile, other prerevolutionary Iranian thinkers introduced the
country to the Salafist ideas of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. In the late
1940s, cleric Navab Safavi formed Fadayan-e Islam, the first Iranian
Islamist group to establish relations with the Brotherhood and produce
Persian translations of its writings, including the works of
theoretician Sayyed Qutb. Another prominent cleric, Sayyid Hadi Khosrow
Shahi (b. 1938), translated writings from Algerian, Tunisian, and
Palestinian Islamists in addition to Brotherhood works. These and other
translators were essentially political activists who sought to raise
their countrymen's awareness of Muslim issues outside Iran. For example,
the Islamist works they reproduced eventually created a new political
question in Iran: the Palestine question.
While these translations were mostly received as ideological efforts to
mobilize Iranians against Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's regime and
Western imperialism, Salafi thought also spurred some religious thinkers
to fight "superstitions" in Shiism. Haidar Ali Qalamdaran (1913-1989)
was heavily influenced by such writings and sought to purify Shiism of
various prayers, rituals (e.g., pilgrimages to the shrines of the Shiite
Imams of old and their descendants), and beliefs (e.g., the notion that
the Shiite Imams had supernatural power and knowledge). He escaped an
assassination attempt ostensibly motivated by traditional clerics in Qom
and spent his whole life in isolation and poverty. Although he was not a
political activist, his views had political implications in later
years, such as refuting the legitimacy of the type of religious
governance instituted by the Islamic Republic. He and others who
criticized Shiite "superstitions" -- such as Muhammad Hassan Shariat
Sanglaji (1855-1943) and Sayyid Abul Fazl Borqei (1909-1992) -- were
also influenced by the Salafi conception of Islamic dogmas, especially
the sect's interpretation of the unity of God.
SALAFISM AS A POLITICAL REACTION
Under the Islamic Republic -- a regime that legitimizes the exclusive
rule of the ayatollahs, makes Islamic law the main basis for
legislation, and imposes it on all aspects of daily life -- many youths
and other Iranians have turned away from Shiite convictions and embraced
atheism, skepticism, Sufism, Sunni Islam, the Bahai faith, evangelical
Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and New Age and Latin American
mystical trends. Various regime organizations, including the Bureau of
Religions and Sects in the Ministry of Intelligence, monitor these
religious minorities and work against their proselytization efforts.
Even Sufi circles -- which are officially Shiite -- face frequent
repression.
In this environment, Salafism has rapidly spread all over the country
through the internet, social media, and satellite television. In
addition, various underground organizations offer training courses for
young volunteers and run exchange programs to introduce Iranian Salafis
to Arab Salafis in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. This is one of the
reasons why the regime does not allow Sunnis to build mosques in Tehran
or other large cities -- it is deeply concerned about Salafis using them
to recruit young Shiites who are frustrated with the Islamic Republic's
ideology.
SATELLITE WAR
There are two major Shiite trends in Iran: the official regime creed,
and an extremist version that defines itself largely in opposition to
Sunni Islam. While the regime usually dismisses Sunni-Shiite tensions
and advocates pan-Islamic approaches to foreign policy and other
matters, the extremist Shiites (called gholat or velais)
refuse to hide their animosity toward the first three Sunni caliphs
(i.e., the Prophet Muhammad's successors, whom Shiites believe usurped
Imam Ali's right to rule). These extremists are backed by clerical
authorities, and their explicit anti-Sunni propaganda has caused trouble
for the regime both inside the country and throughout the wider Muslim
world.
In recent years, the gholat have relied in large part on
satellite television to disseminate their propaganda, sparking an
escalating virtual war between Salafis and Shiites. Today, Salafis use
Persian-language satellite outlets such as the Global Kalemeh Network
(based in Medina and Dubai and probably funded by Saudis) and Wesal
Farsi (based in London and the Persian Gulf) to fight the "Safavid
government," as they call the Islamic Republic and its Shiite ideology.
They broadcast religious programs, take calls from Iran, and engage in
debates with Shiite satellite networks such as al-Kawthar TV, the Global
Ahl-e Bait Network (whose programs are hosted by an Afghan cleric),
Imam Hussein TV, and Salaam TV (based in Virginia and supported by the
Shirazis, a clerical family with significant influence among Gulf
Shiites).
Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood also use various websites to fight
the propaganda battle, some affiliated with organizations such as
Jamaat-e Dawat va Islah-e Iran (the Society of Mission and Reform in
Iran). On the other side, extremist Shiites run dozens of their own
websites to confront the Salafis. Both sides are very active in social
media as well.
CONCLUSION
Many Iranian youths are disappointed in the Shiism professed by the
regime and traditional clergy but wish to maintain their Islamic faith,
leading them to convert to Salafism. The Muslim Brotherhood and other
Salafi trends tend to focus on the unity of god and the desacralization
of all human beings and worldly things -- a unique way of secularizing
and rationalizing Islam in order to attract young students, especially
those who study science. Unlike traditional Sunnis in Iran and Salafis
elsewhere in the world, Iranian Salafis tend to question the Islamic
Republic's religious legitimacy and purposefully exacerbate Sunni-Shiite
tensions. To be sure, they do not share the global Salafist aspiration
of taking over political power, knowing that any Islamic government in
predominantly Shiite Iran would be a Shiite government. Yet Iranian
Salafis are organizationally connected to potent groups in Saudi Arabia
and other countries, and most of their ideology and funding comes from
outside the Islamic Republic. Given these factors and the increasing
resentment among Iran's Arab, Kurdish, and Baluch population, the growth
of Salafism is a clear security threat to the regime.
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria, having taken over from his father's 3 decade rule
Bashar al-Assad is a younger, more moderate, more progressive Arab voice
Bashar al-Assad has strong ties to Iran and Hezbollah, which pisses off the US, Israel, and some Arab states
Bashar al-Assad is strengthening ties with France, the EU, Russia, and China
Bashar al-Assad may soon recognize Israel, which would radically change Middle Eastern politics and policies
The Rundown
Okay let’s get serious about the Syrians…the leader of Syria to be
succinct: President Bashar al-Assad. And this is a dude to know, as his
youth combined with his unique outlook may possibly make him a serious
mover, shaker, and peace-maker in the mangled mess we call the Middle
East. And he has a wickedly wondrous wife to boot! She is one hot piece
of Assad! Combined with Bashar’s 6’2 frame, dreamy steel-blue eyes and
extended cranium, they may be the sexiest first family on the
planet….but I digress as usual, let’s get back to the main man of Syria
and why he is important to know…
Thrust into the presidency of Syria, the genial, unassuming, and
gangly Bashar al-Asad has held his own in the rough-and-tumble arena of
Middle Eastern politics. He is the second oldest son of regional
heavyweight and former Syrian strongman President Hafiz al-Assad, a dude
that held the leadership position for 30 years and stabilized the state
while consolidating power to his person. Originally, Bashar wanted
nothing to do with any of that political poppycock! He was schooled in
Syria and the UK to be an eye doctor and surgeon, and was doing quite
well and living the good life as an ophthalmologist in London. His
older brother, Basil, had been groomed for the presidency but following
Basil’s death in a single-car accident in 1994, Bashar (arguably a
better driver) was yanked from his post abroad and prepared for his
inevitable coming to power.
During his six-year political apprenticeship, Bashar learned the
government ropes, met important Arab leaders, and got to know the movers
and shakers in Syrian politics. He also completed some “hurry-up
offense” military training, in order to secure the nominal backing of
the important Syrian military ranks. When Daddy al-Assad died in 2000,
Bashar easily secured his succession in a 2001 referendum, which isn’t
really too hard to pull off in Syria—it’s not what we would call a real
example of democracy in action, since the cards are all stacked in the
Assad family’s favor. Example: A referendum in 2007 overwhelmingly
endorsed him as president for a second seven-year term….oh, and he was
the only candidate on the ballot. Nonetheless, Bashar was seen as the
last great hope amongst domestic reformers due to his young age and
technocratic savvy.
Okay let’s get serious about the Syrians…the leader of Syria to be
succinct: President Bashar al-Assad. And this is a dude to know, as his
youth combined with his unique outlook may possibly make him a serious
mover, shaker, and peace-maker in the mangled mess we call the Middle
East. And he has a wickedly wondrous wife to boot! She is one hot piece
of Assad! Combined with Bashar’s 6’2 frame, dreamy steel-blue eyes and
extended cranium, they may be the sexiest first family on the
planet….but I digress as usual, let’s get back to the main man of Syria
and why he is important to know…
Thrust into the presidency of Syria, the genial, unassuming, and
gangly Bashar al-Asad has held his own in the rough-and-tumble arena of
Middle Eastern politics. He is the second oldest son of regional
heavyweight and former Syrian strongman President Hafiz al-Assad, a dude
that held the leadership position for 30 years and stabilized the state
while consolidating power to his person. Originally, Bashar wanted
nothing to do with any of that political poppycock! He was schooled in
Syria and the UK to be an eye doctor and surgeon, and was doing quite
well and living the good life as an ophthalmologist in London. His
older brother, Basil, had been groomed for the presidency but following
Basil’s death in a single-car accident in 1994, Bashar (arguably a
better driver) was yanked from his post abroad and prepared for his
inevitable coming to power.
During his six-year political apprenticeship, Bashar learned the
government ropes, met important Arab leaders, and got to know the movers
and shakers in Syrian politics. He also completed some “hurry-up
offense” military training, in order to secure the nominal backing of
the important Syrian military ranks. When Daddy al-Assad died in 2000,
Bashar easily secured his succession in a 2001 referendum, which isn’t
really too hard to pull off in Syria—it’s not what we would call a real
example of democracy in action, since the cards are all stacked in the
Assad family’s favor. Example: A referendum in 2007 overwhelmingly
endorsed him as president for a second seven-year term….oh, and he was
the only candidate on the ballot. Nonetheless, Bashar was seen as the
last great hope amongst domestic reformers due to his young age and
technocratic savvy.
Before his “election”, Bashar’s sole claim to Syrian fame was as one
of the founders and heads of the Syrian Computer Society, an
organization which he spearheaded to bring the Internet to Syria. Lame
as this may sound, this laid the foundation for Bashar’s cultivation of a
new crop of government leaders culled from the technocrats he
associated with during this time, a younger bunch of political figures
savvy in international finance and technology. A true “21st century
man”, Bashar is also apparently quite the video game nut, X-Box in
particular. During the Israeli raid on a purported nuclear plant in
northern Syria in 2007, Bashar was enraged to have a 6-hour run on
“Grand Theft Auto” interrupted by the bombing. Don’t mess with the man
when he’s in his zone!
In Syria, Bashar’s record has been mixed since taking office. He
originally ushered in a brief period of openness and cautious reform,
wanting to perhaps push for economic and political liberalization in
this ‘Damascus Spring.’ Some political prisoners were released,
restrictions on the media were eased, and political debate was
tolerated…all of which was a stark contrast to his father’s oppressive
policies. However, the pace of change alarmed the entrenched
bureaucratic establishment and powerful military elite who collectively
pushed to slow this change if not stymie it altogether. Like the “Mace
of Blizzards” that he wields so adroitly in “World of Warcraft”, Bashar
had to put a chill-pill on political dissent, arguing that the process
needed to be gradual and free of external pressures. On the other hand,
he did force out some old farts from the Ba’ath Party (the only
political party with power, which Bashar also heads) and government
ranks, lowering the mandatory retirement age and replacing these fogies
with some of his cooler, Corona-sipping, computer-geek buddies from the
old days.
Economically, the situation is shaky also. The Syrian economy would
be described as weak at best, and with the fastest growing birth rate in
the world, things are looking dire for the next couple of decades for
the country. To open up the economy, Bashar has been pushing for Syrian
membership in a Euro-Mediterranean partnership group: a ‘Mediterranean
Union’, so coined by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, which would be
modeled after the EU (European Union). In fact, Bashar’s blossoming love
affair with Sarkozy, has been moving this idea along quickly, much to
the chagrin of the United States. What? Why would the US care about
European/Syrian economic ties? Oh yeah! Because the US hates Syria!
A-ha! Now we get to the real important stuff you need to know to
understand this guy’s particular importance in world affairs. See,
Israel has classically hated Syria, which translates to the US hating
Syria, but even many other Arab states hate Syria too…and Bashar got to
deal with all of this hate. So why the hate?
For starters, Syria is overwhelmingly Arab ethnicity and is part of
the real ‘core’ of Arab thought and political power. In this regard,
Syria has participated in most of the declared wars upon the state of
Israel, and has still not officially ‘recognized’ the existence of the
state at all. Syria lost a part of its own territory, an area named the
Golan Heights, to Israel the Six-Days War of 1967….an issue of much
contention right on up to this day. So Israel and Syria have issues.
But it gets even more complicated: Syria is also overwhelmingly Sunni
Islam. That in and of itself is no big deal, as 85% of all the Muslims
in the world are of the Sunni persuasion. The other 15% of Muslims in the
world are of the Shi’a/Shi’ite variety. So Syria is mostly Sunni. BUT
Bashar al-Assad, like his entire family and the ruling/military elite of
Syria, is an Alawite. Alawites are a prominent minority religious group
who describe themselves as a sect of Shi’a Islam. Some conservative
Sunnis do not even recognize Alawis as Muslims at all, especially in
places like ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia. Of course, the
ultra-conservative Sunni Saudis also don’t much like the straight-up
Shi’as either…speaking of which…
Do you know any other places that are Shi’a Islam? Oh hell yes! If
you said Iran, then give yourself a hit off the hookah! And now you know
why some other Arab states also hate Syria: the Syrian leadership has
deep and entrenched ties with Shi’a Iran, a country that most other Arab
states totally despise. Iran is not Sunni but Shi’a; they are also not
Arab, but Persian. So Arab countries see increasingly powerful Iran as a
regional threat. And Syria has for decades allowed itself to be a
conduit for the movement of weapons and money from Shi’a Iran thru
Shi’a-led Syria over to Shi’a-inspired Hezbollah…which is a
terrorist/political group located in Lebanon that fights against Israel.
Got all this mess so far?
So Israel hates them because Syria has fought wars against them and
also helps arm Hezbollah. The US hates Syria for much the same reasons,
especially since the US labels Hezbollah a terrorist group, and, well,
the US is fighting terrorism. The Bush administration really hated
Syria, and perpetually pressured them to stop their Shi’a support….and
came close to putting them into the infamous ‘Axis of Evil’ many times.
The US and Israel also hate Syria since they are buddies with
problem-child Iran. And that’s also why many Arab states don’t dig
Syria, as they see them as sell-outs who are helping spread Iranian
influence throughout the region. But back to Bashar….
Here’s why it’s good to know this dude: things may be a-changing in
this regional stew of strained ties and strategic shenanigans because
Bashar is mixing things up! In the region, Bashar has managed to tiptoe
through a minefield of issues. His ascension to the presidency was
initially seen by the Israelis as being a positive step after the
constipated years of his father’s reign. And how! Despite the public and
media-driven howling about Syrian-Israeli tensions, peace between the
two would be most easily achieved. Secret negotiations between
businessmen and low-level diplomats from both sides has been occurring
since Bashar took power. Even hard-line, hawkish Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, during his first tenure as PM, tasked an American
citizen with opening secret negotiations with the Syrians!
All Bashar wants back is the Golan Heights, which would make him
wildly popular and effectively secure his presidency-for-life. And he
may get it! In return, he will have to give recognition of the right for
Israel to exist, and perhaps to stop funneling weapons to Hezbollah.
But if Bashar does this (which seems increasingly likely), it will open a
whole new chapter on Middle Eastern affairs. He already has made huge
strides on softening the Syrian image in the world by pulling his troops
out of Lebanon in 2005…after decades of Syrian domination of the
Lebanese political scene, which pissed off the Lebanese, the Israelis,
the US, and others. (Look up ‘Cedar Revolution’ if you want more
details.) Syria has now essentially conceded Lebanese independence,
embassies are to be opened, and diplomatic credentials are to be
exchanged.
Bashar is playing the great game of Middle East shenanigans adroitly.
Not only is he resisting US pressure on his relationships with Iran and
Hezbollah, he is, at the same time wisely leaving the
Israeli-reconciliation option open. On top of that, Bashar has been
working hard in strengthening economic and political ties with the EU,
Russia and even China…perhaps at the expense of his Arab neighborhood,
particularly Saudi Arabia. No love lost between those two. In other
words, Bashar is trying to become more of an internationalist, relying
less on ties to standard Arab alliances, and increasingly less concerned
with opinions of the US as well.
As one of the self-styled, “next generation” of Middle East leaders,
like King Abdullah of Jordan, Bashar, with his technological X-Box savvy
and love of Phil Collins, has managed to weather the domestic and
regional storms thus far. One of the youngest Middle Eastern leaders in
power, he is likely to be around for a long time, and he along with his
smokin’ hot wife is certainly going to be changing the landscape of the
region.
January 2012 Update: Bashar al-Ass-wad?
How fares Syria in the Arab Spring? Weeeeell, Bashie’s reform minded
agenda, though hesitant and wishy-washy has gone the way of the majestic
Syrian Oryx. The regional upheavals may have well presented Bashie with
an opportunity to make good on his promises of reform, side-stepping
the potential backlash from hardliners in his regime by citing the wave
of change in the surrounding states as an “excuse” to reform. But, well,
if the ever-growing pile of corpses in Syria’s urban centers are any
indication, this option has gone bye-bye.
First, a look back at 2011 in Syria. Domestic tensions have always
been around: Kurdish dissatisfaction with the state of their civil
rights and what-not in Syria; muted Sunni disaffection for the
Shia-rule-by-minority in Syria (the Assads follow a sub-sect of Shia
Islam, thus their Iranian ties); and general youth apprehension about
the lack of change during Bashie’s decade in power and the continuing
oppressive policies of censorship and detention. This coupled with a
horribly high unemployment rate (25%!), a fall in living standards, and
the Arab Spring events toppling dictators all around led to a testy
situation.
By January 2011, people were setting themselves on fire a la
Tunisian reflexive-arsonist Mohammed Bouazzizi. Protests started
breaking out in the Kurdish northwest of the country, were brutally put
down, sparked protests elsewhere, these were brutally put down, etc. You
get the picture. Spreading to the southern border with Jordan, protests
broke out in Dera’ also and soon spread to other cities, though
Damascus, until recently, was pretty quiet. As the summer wore on, the
regime reaction became more and more violent, with tanks and troops
being sent into urban centers. Shit got even more complicated once army
defectors started coalescing into the Free Syrian Army which began
moving against regime troops. The non-existent domestic opposition
forces also began taking steps to form a Syrian National Council and
began begging for international assistance. The international community
stepped in eventually, with the Arab League itself, bastion of inaction
and lameness, sanctioning Syria and threatening to suspend its
membership for its killing of civilians and crushing of protests. By
December, some 5000 people have been killed in Syria.
What happened? Is Bashie pulling the strings? In the first months,
his government did make some tentative steps towards reform allowing
greater political participation (via allowing new political parties),
better status for Kurds in the country, and dismantling that pesky
emergency law. However, this didn’t do much to stop the government
forces from killing thousands of people. Is Bashie the puppet master? In
an ABC interview, Bashie denied responsibility for the bloody reaction
against the opposition protests. Is he just trying to cover his ass?
It’s hard to tell at this point. Given his earlier reform attempts which
were slapped down by vested hard-line interests in his government, his
hands may very well be tied. Who exactly controls the armed forces or
the police in Syria is murky.
This may very well not matter at all. The vehemence and violence of
his regime’s reaction has led to across-the-board international
criticism of al-Asad. The issue of what he knew and when he knew it is
moot. Heaps of sanctions, Arab League criticism, and increasing calls
for some sort of Libya-like military intervention do not bode well for
Bashie. At this point there seems to be little that he could do to
retain any sort of legitimacy in the eyes of the Syrian people. His
resignation or removal from power involuntarily is the most likely
outcome.
November 26, 2015
Thousands of Turkish Citizens Who Have Voiced Criticism of the Government Have Been Detained, Usually Led Away by Police in Predawn Raids on Their Homes
Islamist Fethullah Gulen wields an astonishing and completely undemocratic and unaccountable
influence in Turkey: The good jobs, the better pay, the
promotion
prospects all are dependent on your dedication to a shadowy Islamic network
with its
headquarters based in Pennsylvania. [Source] "You should obey or you should stay silent or you should go to
jail. Yes, this is the new ‘thing’ that has come to power in
Turkey."
Justin Vela, ForeignPolicy.com - Does a shadowy mullah in Pennsylvania really hold the reins of power in Turkey? If not, then why are the country’s leaders so intent on silencing a single investigative journalist?
For many Turkish citizens, the evolution of their democracy is best
discussed in whispers. Turkey has come far in recent years, but these
days they prefer not to speak too loudly about where it is headed.In the past two years, thousands of citizens who have voiced
criticism of the government have been detained, usually led away by
police in predawn raids on their homes.
On Jan. 5, one of the country’s
most high-profile detainees, investigative journalist Ahmet Sik,
testified in court for the first time to defend himself against charges
of propagandizing for a shadowy pro-military conspiracy called
Ergenekon, which allegedly plotted to overthrow the government of Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In his testimony, Sik mocked the evidence presented against him,
which included transcripts of telephone conversations, published news
articles, and the draft of his unfinished book, The Imam’s Army, which aimed to expose the Islamist Fethullah Gulen movement’s pervasive influence within the Turkish state.
"I am here today because of a politically-motivated trial, which is
devoid of justice and law and which is conducted with falsified and
fabricated documents," he said.
The charges against Sik appeared absurd
from the start. He had dedicated much of his professional life to
investigating the very structures Ergenekon represented, along with
their various human rights abuses. According to those that support the
government line, Ergenekon represents the military "deep state," which
has served as the self-appointed guardian of Turkey’s secular identity
since the republic’s founding. Democratically-elected governments that
met with the military’s disapproval were ousted from power in 1960,
1971, 1980, and 1997.
But it’s not the military that has moved against Sik — it’s another, different deep state.
The Imam’s Army chronicles the rise of Fethullah Gulen, an aging cleric living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania who has built up a powerful network that claims to operate thousands of schools
in 140 countries. He calls for inter-faith dialogue and promotes the
study of both science and religion in his classrooms. Supporters say
the group is solely involved in fostering education and an ethic of
public service throughout Turkey and the rest of the world. While the
true reach of Gulen’s network remains hard to quantify, his supporters
flocked to Foreign Policy in 2008 to vote him as the top public intellectual of the year — an open ballot in which over half a million votes were cast.
But Gulen hasn’t just used his support network, known as the Cemaat
(or "community") to tilt online polls — his followers provide a key
voter base for Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) and have
established themselves in top positions within Turkey’s bureaucracy,
police force, and judiciary. And as the Sik case shows, their influence
appears to be one of the forces pushing Turkey in a less free direction.
In a nine-page, hand-written response to questions sent to him in
jail, Sik said the Gulenists were a key driver behind the current
crackdown.
"What Nedim [Sener, another journalist on trial] and I
experienced was meant to intimidate other people from the media who were
opposed to the Cemaat," he wrote.
While Sik supported previous investigations into the Turkish
military’s covert influence over the country’s civilian leadership, he
said the Ergenekon trial — which has seen the government push back
against the armed services — has become an "illusion" and an excuse for
mass arrests.
"The Ergenekon investigations are the most important part of
allowing the Cemaat to take power in the country," he wrote."I must say
that the deep state is still intact. Just the owner has changed. What I
mean by this ownership … is composed of the coalition of AKP and the
Cemaat."
If the government’s goal in arresting Sik was to squelch his
research, it failed miserably. While Sik’s book was initially banned, it
was posted online soon after his arrest, most likely by friends who had
copies of the unfinished manuscript. Later, it was published by a group
of journalists and intellectuals under the title 000 Book—the
file name of one of the saved manuscripts of the book that police found
on Sik’s home computer. It currently has prominent placement in several
bookstores along Istanbul’s central Istiklal shopping street and at the
city’s airport.
The Gulenists were likely angered by Sik’s reporting on how they
intervened in multiple internal police investigations in order to keep
their presence within the force under wraps, according to a friend of
Sik’s, journalist Ertugrul Mavioglu. Sik claims high-ranking members of
the police force, both retired and active duty, as among his sources.
When we lose our economic security, we also lose our freedom and are forced to survive any way we can. The subliminal, one-world religion is self-preservation — the survival instinct. It's basic to human nature. The Bible shows a coming world leader who will exploit this self-preservation instinct and will bring this religion to its logical conclusion. And, if possible, even some of the very elect will be deceived by this appeal to their pocketbook and personal security.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1 KJV)
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32 KJV)
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12 KJV)
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