Military Madness > Australia buys into America's Military Madness; Sweden's Ericsson has bloody hands with al-Qaeda deal

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Australia plans largest military overhaul since WWII

amid growing China threat

By Darryl Coote

 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) and Richard Marles, deputy prime minister and

minister for defense, on Monday announced drastic changes to the nation's military. 

Photo courtesy of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese/Twitter

April 24 (UPI) -- Australia on Monday unveiled its new defense strategy that states dramatic reforms are needed so it can meet the growing military challenge posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Capabilities to precisely strike longer-range targets, locally manufactured munitions, improved operational abilities from Canberra's northern bases and deepened diplomatic and defense partnerships are some of the reforms that were put forward in Monday's publication of Australia's Defense Strategic Review, which sets the agenda for the Oceania nation's defense posture and structure.

The report states the current structure of the Australian Defense Force reflects "a bygone era" that "does not adequately address our new strategic environment," with what the administration of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presented Monday being "the most substantial and ambitious approach to defense reform ... since the Second World War."

And, of course, what happened in World War II? World War II! Is Australia now destined for World War III?

It's mind-blowing that world leaders in the 21st century are still spending kazillions of dollars on finding ways to kill each other rather than finding ways to work together to make the world a better place. Intertwining economies to make it unprofitable and even inconceivable to go to war with each other rather than spending enormous amounts of money on military madness would soon eliminate poverty and raise the standard of living everywhere. But, world leaders are just far too invested in the military-industrial complex and the staggering amounts of money it makes for warmongers.

"This represents a document for today and Tomorrow," Albanese said during a press conference Monday. "It demonstrates that in a world where challenges to our national security are always evolving, we cannot fall back on old assumptions. We must build and strengthen our security by seeking to shape the future rather than waiting for the future to shape us."

The report was published amid growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region as China continues to flex its military might.

The document calls China's military build-up "the largest and most ambitious of any country since the end of the Second World War," which has occurred "without transparency or reassurance to the Indo-Pacific region of China's strategic intent."

"China's assertion of sovereignty over the South China Sea threatens the global rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific in a way that adversely impacts Australia's national interest," the report states. "China also engaged in strategic competition in Australia's near neighborhood."

It states the region is now home to strategic competition, the intensity of which should define this current era, as the United States is "no longer the unipolar leader of the Indo-Pacific."

China's military push occurs as its already fraught relationship with the United States further frays and its relations with Australia continue to sour as Canberra has voiced opposition to Beijing's human rights violations, specifically its treatment of its Muslim minority Uyghur citizens and Hong Kong, as well as its alleged attempts to cover up the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Richard Marles, deputy prime minister and minister for defense, told reporters that the document calls for the first recasting of the military's mission in 35 years to emphasize areas that far exceed its borders.

Its mission will first focus on defending the nation and the immediate region but will also seek to deny any adversary that seeks to project power against Australia and its interests as well as provide collective security of the Indo-Pacific region, defend Australia's economic connection to the region and the world and provide for the maintenance of the global rules-based order.

"We need to have a defense force, which has the capacity to engage in impactful projection through the full spectrum of proportionate response," Marles said.

Among the six initial priorities of the government include the development of nuclear-powered submarine capability, which is currently being pursued under an agreement it entered with the United States and Britain.

Another priority will be to increase the military's weaponry range from its current roughly 25 miles to an initial 300 miles with missiles and munitions produced domestically.

"This is about giving the Australian Army the firepower and mobility it needs into the future to face whatever it needs to face," Marles said.

A third priority will be to hasten the transition to new technologies, with a fourth being investing in the recruitment and retention of military personnel. The fifth and sixth priorities are for the military to operate out of its northern bases and to improve defense cooperation with allies in the Pacific.

Concerning the United States, the report says Canberra's alliance with Washington will remain central to its security and strategy as the North American nation "will become even more important in the coming decades."

Swedish telecom giant provided high-tech equipment to al-Qaeda

in exchange for protection

Witness: Ericsson funded al-Qaeda

Nordic Times, April 18, 2023:

According to a retired US colonel, Swedish telecom giant Ericsson provided high-tech equipment to the al-Qaeda terrorist group in exchange for protection in the region.

According to the Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri, the exchange between Ericsson and the terrorist organization took place between 2008 and 2017. Ericsson allegedly preferred to give al-Qaeda the technology equipment rather than cash in order to continue its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan undisturbed.

The former colonel is one of several insider witnesses involved in a lawsuit against Ericsson filed by lawyers representing relatives of the terror group’s victims.

These include trucks, signal communication equipment, telephones, computers and satellite nodes placed in special “stashes” where al-Qaeda members then retrieved them. Ericsson would not comment on the information, but told Dagens Industri that it “will continue to defend itself against this action”….

I wonder how many lives Ericsson is responsible for? For certain, there is blood on their hands.

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Islam - Current Day > Astonishing: Iranian protesters chant - "Long live Israel, Down with Palestine"; Hindu blamed for Islamic Madness in Virginia

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Do you think Iranians have come to the conclusion that if Iran continues on its current trajectory, that Israel will bomb it into oblivion?

Iran: Demonstrators chant ‘Long live Israel, Down with Palestine’

APR 24, 2023 9:00 AM 

BY ROBERT SPENCER

Jihad Watch

Mayra K. Yazdari

@MayraYazdari

This video going viral shows Iranians in Mashhad, one of the most religious cities, chanting:

 “Long live Israel, Down with Palestine.”

The people of Iran don’t want an Islamic republic.

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And, would you believe, another mentally ill Muslim?

Mentally ill Muslim woman disrupts Eid prayer in Virginia,

propagandists blame Hindus

Opindia, April 23, 2023:

On April 21 (local time), a ‘mentally ill’ Muslim woman created a ruckus at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (Adams) Centre’s mosque in northern Virginia. Before her identity could be revealed, the fake news peddlers and propaganda social media handles claimed she was a Hindu and called her a “Hindu extremist”. However, their propaganda was busted by the ADAMS Centre itself……

Fake news peddlers ran propaganda against Hindus

Twitter user MrKhanMAK said, “An #Indian #Hindu extremist woman went inside d mosque in d #US during #EidUlFitr prayer and started shouting and assaulting the worshippers. The worshippers remained calm & peaceful n let d police do their duty. They then dragged this extremist woman out of d Masjid.”

Twitter user Mohammed Al-Hawsawi said, “A Hindu woman stormed a mosque in America during the Eid prayer and started screaming and insulting Muslims at the top of her voice. The security men tried to silence her but she did not respond so they forcefully took her out.”

Twitter user DJ Ali said, “A Hindu woman came to mosque during Eid prayers in USA and start shouting on Islamic Laws/Sharia!”

The Sikh Empire said, “#Hindu #Terrorist attacks mosque again.. this time in Virgina, USA during their #EID prayers. #hindutva #terrorism is real and is grave matter of concern for western world.”

Alleged fact-news checker conveniently ignored Indian Muslims spreading fake news

Interestingly, in its alleged fact-check the propaganda portal Alt News conveniently skipped the handles of infamous Indian Muslims who were among the first to spread the fake news. Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network (SHHAN) pointed out how Alt News’s co-founder Mohammed Zubair did not name handles like YehLog and OpusofAli in the fact-check.

The same Indian Muslim Twitter handles have always at been at the forefront of spreading anti-India and anti-Hindu propaganda to further the ‘Muslims under attack’ narrative. Despite being called out multiple times, they continue to fearmonger without any backlash because they do not get called out by so-called fact-checkers….

Truth is never an obstacle for Muslims. They have permission from Mohammed, in the Quran, to lie to unbelievers.

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APR 24, 2023 3:00 PM 

BY CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS

Jihad Watch

Surprise! After the news outlets and propagandists rushed to brand a woman who disrupted Eid prayer in Virginia a “Hindu extremist,” she turned out to be a Muslim woman. The false claim spread all over Twitter:

A Hindu woman came to mosque during Eid prayers in USA and start shouting on Islamic Laws/Sharia!! 🤦‍♂️

Why this Kolaveri?! Nalla irukumbothu yedhuku intha maari ina Veri ulla sleeper cells yellam vanthu nimmathiya kedukuranga nu theriyala!🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/ceLOF0gqfA

— DJ ALI (@Hisrath95) April 22, 2023

Bogus cases of “Islamophobia” often cause a massive uproar in the media and on social media, and many never see the correction afterward. The victimology subterfuge has become a worthwhile venture for Islamic supremacist groups. It always works on the woke.

Other stories of concern:

• NJ teacher fired over false ‘Islamophobia’ claims sues Hamas-linked CAIR, says they ‘don’t care about the truth’
• New Jersey man charged with smearing feces over word ‘Allah’ on sign: Mohamad Bekheet
• In Eid message, Biden boasts of ‘inter-agency task force with senior government officials to tackle’ Islamophobia
• NJ teacher fired over false ‘Islamophobia’ claims sues Hamas-linked CAIR, says they ‘don’t care about the truth’
• New Jersey man charged with smearing feces over word ‘Allah’ on sign: Mohamad Bekheet
• France: ‘Islamophobia’ fizzle as mosque attacker turns out to be Muslim
• Muslim Attacks Imam Over Islam. Media Blames Islamophobia.
• Hate crime fizzle: NJ man who stabbed imam in back during prayers at mosque turns out to be another Muslim
• UK: ‘Islamophobic’ hate crime goes flat as man who set two Muslims on fire turns out to be a Muslim also
• San Diego: Muslim preacher claimed stabbing by ‘Islamophobe,’ but there’s no police report or hate crime record
• Ilhan Omar claims ‘there’s going to be a genocide of 200 million Muslims in India’

Islam - Current Day > Terrorist attack in the heart of Jerusalem on Memorial Day; Jordan MP caught smuggling weapons and gold for Palestinians; BF terror attack; One Stupid Woman

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Driver dead, seven injured in terrorist attack in Jerusalem

By Simon Druker

 

At least seven people were wounded after a Palestinian man drove a vehicle into a busy market in Jerusalem,

in what police are calling a terrorist attack Monday. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

April 24 (UPI) -- At least seven people were wounded after a Palestinian man drove a vehicle into a busy market in Jerusalem, in what police are calling a terrorist attack Monday.

An armed civilian killed the driver, 39-year-old Hatem Najma, police confirmed following the incident.

All of those injured in the incident were taken to the same hospital.

A man in his 70s was in serious condition at the time. A woman in her 30s was listed in moderate condition, while three men, one in his 50s and two 25-year-olds suffered only minor injuries.

Najma, a married father of five, wasn't known to Israeli security forces but did have a history of mental illness.

What devout Muslim does not suffer from mental illness?

The attack happened in the heart of Jerusalem, a block from the busy Mahane Yehuda outdoor market.

Police say Najma sped up at an intersection, deliberately plowing into a group of pedestrians crossing the street at an intersection. An armed civilian then shot him while he was still behind the steering wheel.

Monday evening marks the start of Israel's Memorial Day, to commemorate the lives of fallen soldiers.

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a terrorist attack.

"Minutes ago, not far from here, there was another attempt to murder Israeli citizens. This terror attack reminds us that the Land of Israel and the State of Israel were acquired through many tribulations," Netanyahu said before attending a Memorial Day ceremony.

Israel arrests pro-terror Jordanian lawmaker caught smuggling

massive amount of weapons, valuables

A Jordanian lawmaker was caught smuggling weapons across the Allenby Bridge, Apr. 22, 2023.

(Youtube, ,i24News/Screenshot)

 

To date, Israel has remained silent on the incident.

By World Israel News Staff

April 23, 2023

Amman’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that a Jordanian lawmaker was arrested by Israel on Saturday night after being caught smuggling hundreds of weapons and massive amounts of gold into Israel.

The lawmaker, identified as Imad Al-Adwan, was said to have been arrested crossing the Allenby Bridge border crossing, located approximately five kilometers east of the Palestinian Authority-administered city of Jericho, Jordanian media reported Sunday.

Diplomats do not normally undergo inspection, but in this case, customs officials reportedly were given an intelligence warning.

According to the Jordanian ministry’s spokesman, officials are following the case “to find out the merits of the situation and address it as soon as possible.”

Al-Adwan is on record for praising the Hamas terrorist group and calling for “resistance” against the “Zionist enemy.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has declined comment. However, Israel’s Kan news reports that Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi would not answer calls from his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen regarding the incident.

There has been a surge in violence over the past year. Israel says the Palestinian areas of Judea and Samaria have been flooded with illegal weapons, including guns smuggled from neighboring Jordan.

The latest incident threatens to further strain what already are tense relations between Jordan and the Jewish state. According to Hebrew-language Maariv, Jordanian MP Khalil Atieh has demanded Al-Adwan’s immediate release.

He should never see the light of day again.

Earlier this month, King Abdullah II told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that “every Muslim” should deter “Israeli escalations” in Jerusalem.

Jordan controlled Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem between 1948 – when the Kingdom and other surrounding Arab countries attacked the fledgling Jewish state – until the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel, in a war of defense, regained the territories. Jordan, however, retained custodianship of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

Jordan and Israel have maintained a cold peace, including security collaboration, since signing an agreement in 1994.

The Allenby Bridge, Israel/Jordan

Burkina Faso: 40 killed, including six soldiers, in attack by suspected jihadists

The New Arab, April 16, 2023:

At least 34 defence volunteers and six soldiers died in a suspected jihadist attack in insurgency-hit northern Burkina Faso, the regional governorate said on Sunday.

A detachment of soldiers and the civilian volunteers “was the target of an attack by unidentified armed men on Saturday … at about 4:00 pm,” near Aorema village, the Ouahigouya governorate said in a statement.

The provisional death toll was 34 auxiliaries from the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) and six soldiers, the statement said, adding that 33 more people were wounded and in a “stable condition” in the regional capital Ouahigouya’s university hospital.

A security source confirmed the death toll and said “several dozen terrorists had been neutralised”, meaning killed, during a “riposte” launched after the attack.

Another security source said the detachment that came under assault was deployed to maintain security at the Ouahigouya’s aerodrome.

Burkina Faso’s military junta had declared Thursday a “general mobilisation” to give the state “all necessary means” to combat a string of bloody attacks blamed on jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group….

It is clear this woman has done all her research with a closed mind and therefore, cannot possibly know the truth about anything.

Polish Shi’ite Political Activist Sandrella Malazi Denies The Holocaust, 

Says: The Only Solution To The World’s Problems Is

The Destruction Of Israel

MEMRI, April 14, 2023:

Polish Shi’ite activist Sandrella Malazi said in an April 14, 2023 video address for the Bait-ul-Muqadas International Conference, which marked International Al-Quds Day, that the only solution to the world’s problems is to destroy the State of Israel. She said that the Holocaust “lobby” has written its “own history” about WWII and “usurped” the story of the concentration camps from the Polish people. She said that the Jews write “fake stories” and falsify documents so that they can demand compensation from the Polish government. In addition, she said that Israel is a “satanic regime”, that the Zionists have a “gangster mentality”, and that the Jews believe they are a “master race”.

The video was posted to the Ahlelbait TV channel on YouTube on April 14, 2023, and it was removed from the channel on April 20.

It is noteworthy that in 2019, Sandrella Malazi had participated in the 2019 “anti-Zionist” New Horizon conference in Beirut, Lebanon. The New Horizon conference and its organizers are subject to sanctions by the U.S. Treasury for facilitating contact between U.S. citizens and the IRGC’s Qods Force. Importantly, the conference attended by Malazi had also been attended by prominent Russian philosopher Aleksander Dugin and by now-deceased Lebanese terrorist Anis Al-Naqqash.

Sandrella Malazi: “The plan to create so-called ‘Great Israel’ is still alive in their crazy minds. When the Zionist state was established, and the great Zionist lobbies started operating in full force – like for example the lobby of the Holocaust – they started to write their own history about the Second World War. They usurped the concentration camps, as if they were the only victims of this war.

How stupid can you be to ignore the hundreds of pictures of the extermination camps taken by the Allied Forces that drove the Nazis away? One of the generals insisted photos be taken otherwise people would never believe such evil existed. Now, Malazi wants to be that evil.

[…]

“So they write all these fake stories. They change the history. Many years after the war in Poland, when the witnesses of the Second World War and the victims of the war already died, the Zionist government demands compensation from Poland for the left property of the Polish Jews.

That is, the property left by Polish Jews when they were forced into slums and then to internment camps where they were mostly murdered.

[…]

“Also they demand compensation for Jews who didn’t leave behind any inheritors, any children, any family. And we can’t even be sure that it belonged to some Jews, because many falsified documentations appeared, so it’s a huge business in Poland, now. This is another example of the Zionist gangster mentality and hypocrisy, because they built their satanic regime on the massacre of Palestinian civilians, they steal their lands and houses, and they don’t give the Palestinians their right to compensation.

[…]

“So this is the double standard of this master race, [this is] how we call them. Because this is how they behave, like they were the chosen ones, [like] they are better than the rest of humanity.

They are the chosen ones, but not because they are better. They have been chosen to suffer more than any people for God's purposes.

[…]

“All they ever wanted was more land, more money, more power over the world.

Israel is one of the smallest countries in the world surrounded by huge Muslim (Arab) countries that blame all their problems on that one tiny country with a few million people. They do not want endless amounts of land, just the land that God gave them 4000 years ago.

[…]

“I only believe – and also pray for it – that if we truly want peace in the world, Israel must be destroyed. So this is the only way to resolve most problems of the world.”

Islam has proven over and over again that it cannot defeat tiny Israel because God is on Israel's side. The rebirth of Israel in 1948 was prophesied in the Bible, and happened even though it was attacked by several surrounding Muslim countries within hours of its birth. 

There are about 200 million Muslims in the Middle East, and about 7 million Jews. Israel also has about 2.5 million Muslims not counting about 5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Furthermore, even if Israel were removed from the Middle East, Muslims would war against each other as they always have and are still doing in Yemen, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and most of Africa. 

Genesis 16:11. The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction. 12. He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 

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Ozzone 7-31 > > Are you only mostly alive? It’s time to make Jesus Lord of 100% of your life.

 

I believe, and so do some of the great preachers of old, that those parts of our lives that are not surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ will cost us in Eternity. Some suggest we will lose those characteristics or abilities, thereby limiting our joy and potential in Eternity. 

Islam - Current Day > Ramadan in Nigeria - 33 Dead, 14 Children, 5y/o beheaded; Iranian burns Quran in Dresdan mosque; Amnesty decries deportation of terrorists, lies about Israel; Va. Judge gambles with terrorists

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Five-Year-Old Beheaded, 33 Killed in Nigeria, 

Christian Foundation Calls for Action

by Agnes Aineah, AciAfrica, 

April 19, 2023

A five-year-old boy was reportedly beheaded when Islamists attacked a village in Southern Kaduna State, leaving dozens of people dead.

In the April 15 attack, the killers descended on Runji village in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area (LGA) of Southern Kaduna State, leaving 33 people dead, among them 14 children….

The 33 victims of the attack on Runji village were reportedly buried in a mass grave amid distressing scenes.

“Fourteen of the victims were children and including a five-year-old boy who was reportedly beheaded. Several others were reportedly burnt beyond recognition,” CSW reports.

The human rights foundation quotes survivors who said that at least 200 militia descended on the village at around 10.30 p.m. on April 15, “shooting sporadically” and setting fire to around 40 houses.

The attackers are said to have operated for over an hour before leaving, informing surviving villagers they would be returning….

These men are not even human!

Koran set on fire – police investigating

translated from “Koran angezündet – Kriminalpolizei ermittelt,” 

Polizei Sachsen, April 18, 2023:

The state protection of the Dresden police department is currently investigating a 34-year-old Iranian for disturbing the practice of religion.

The man is suspected of taking a Koran in a Dresden mosque and setting it on fire. Several people in the mosque held the suspect until the police officers who had been alerted arrived.

The motives behind the crime are part of the ongoing investigation.

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APR 22, 2023 3:00 PM 

BY ROBERT SPENCER

Jihad Watch

There are several possibilities here.

One is that the Iranian is a Shi’ite, and he went into a Sunni mosque looking for a confrontation. As most Iranians are Shi’ites, that may be the most likely scenario, but it isn’t the only one.

The Iranian may also be an ex-Muslim who is angry about Islam and possibly about the Islamic Republic, and who decided to express his anger in this direct and arresting manner.

And it is also possible that the Iranian was hoping to fabricate an incident that would be taken as an instance of “Islamophobia” and result in more solicitude toward Islam and Muslims in Germany.

Return to Afghanistan: ‘France is guilty of violating the principle of

no forcible return,’ says the president of Amnesty International France

translated from “Renvoi en Afghanistan : ‘La France s’est rendue coupable de violation du principe de non-refoulement’, estime le président d’Amnesty International France,” 

France Info, April 19, 2023:

For the first time since the Taliban returned to power, a man has been sent back to Afghanistan. The man had been sentenced in November 2020 for apologizing for terrorism for having praised the assassination of Samuel Paty.

“His words are unspeakable, but we cannot send someone back to a country where he is danger for his life,” declares Jean-Claude Samouiller, president of Amnesty International France, a guest of franceinfo on Wednesday, April 19. According to information from franceinfo, a man convicted of apologizing for terrorism was sent back to Afghanistan in March, a first since the Taliban’s return to power. This Afghan was sentenced to eighteen months in prison in 2020 for having defended the assassination of Samuel Paty.

franceinfo: Can we say that France has crossed a “red line” with this referral?

Jean-Claude Samouiller: France is guilty of violating the principle of no forcible return. And this is a major principle in international law. It is forbidden for any state to return a person to a country where he at risk of serious persecution, death or torture. France violated this principle. Especially since the situation in Afghanistan is completely deleterious. His words are unspeakable, we do not defend them, but we cannot send someone back to a country where he risks his life.

What, in particular, would put him at risk in returning to Afghanistan? He is clearly a defender of the madness of Islam and, therefore, should fit right in among the Taliban. Even if that was not the case, why is it better to keep a man who encourages the beheading of Frenchmen rather than send him back to the God-forsaken country that made him what he is?

Amnesty Int'l's dishonest propaganda about Israel and Palestinians

Israel Unwired

Judge gambles with American lives...

Northern Va. man pleads guilty to 2009 terrorism charge, then walks

by Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post, 

April 21, 2023:

A Virginia man who left the United States more than 14 years ago to fight alongside extremist groups in Afghanistan pleaded guilty Friday to a terrorism charge in federal court in Alexandria, but U.S. prosecutors are not seeking prison time because he already spent nearly 13 years in custody in Pakistan.

In November 2009, Ahmed Ameer Minni was one of five young men from Northern Virginia who suddenly left the country without notifying their families. They left behind only a video they had produced showing U.S. soldiers in Iraq and photos of civilian casualties as a narrator declared that “physical jihad against the disbelievers becomes obligatory,” according to an FBI affidavit.

Back home in the United States, their families had alerted the FBI about the disappearances and provided agents the jihad-themed video.

All five were arrested in Sargodha, Pakistan, in December 2009 on terrorism-related charges after authorities in that country received information from the FBI, according to a lawyer involved in the U.S. case. They were convicted and imprisoned for more than 10 years in Pakistan, U.S. court records show.

After that, more than two years passed before Pakistan extradited three of the men — Minni, Aman Hassan Yemer and Ramy Said Zamzam — to face similar charges in the United States, which were first filed in 2009. The others, Umar Farooq Chaudhry and Waqar Hussain Khan, remain in Pakistan with pending extradition requests, according to U.S. officials. While Chaudhry is still being held by Pakistan, Khan is not in custody, a U.S. prosecutor said Friday….

However, in the days after his arrest in December 2009, Minni agreed to speak voluntarily with the FBI and stated that he “hoped to get weapons training, and wanted to become a militant, as opposed to a suicide bomber,” U.S. officials said.

“According to Minni, he saw himself dying in combat against American soldiers,” an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit at the time.

Minni, now 33, enlisted “the other four defendants to join him in traveling overseas,” according to a filing from federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia. A recruiter who called himself “Saifullah” reached out to Minni online beginning in May 2009 and “provided guidance on how to travel in Pakistan in a manner that would not arouse suspicion” — recommending that the men be clean-shaven, for example, U.S. authorities said in court filings….

“I’m very pleased,” U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema said at the outset of the hearing, calling the plea agreement for Minni “a very reasonable resolution” of the nearly 15-year-old terrorism case against him.

Gibbs, in a sentencing brief filed in Minni’s case Friday, wrote that “based on the particular facts and circumstances of this case, it is the government’s position that the time already spent in Pakistani custody serves as adequate deterrence to future criminal conduct.” He asked Brinkema to impose a sentence of time served, significantly less than the 15-year maximum prison term allowed under federal law….

Was there any change in Minni's character that would indicate that he no longer holds jihadist views? The judge is taking a big risk here. I hope it doesn't come back to haunt her.

Islam - Current Day > Ramadan in the Congo - 20 dead, more kidnapped; Angry Muslim in Angers trashes church; Lybia arresting Christians and Muslim apostates

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Several killed, abducted in Daesh-linked group’s attack on DRC village

TRT World, April 20, 2023

Rebels from Allied Democratic Forces attacked Samboko village in Beni territory, killing at least 20 people and taking hostages, according to a civil society group.

At least 20 people have been killed and others abducted in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province as extremists from the Allied Democratic Forces, believed to be linked with Daesh, attacked civilians.

The ADF attacked Samboko village in Beni territory on Wednesday, according to Mamove civil society organisation president Kinos Katuho.

Congo’s army deployed to the area and freed two of the hostages after a battle with the rebels, he said.

Conflict has been simmering for decades in eastern Congo where more than 120 armed groups are fighting, most for land and control of mines with valuable minerals.

Others, on the other hand, are trying to protect their communities.

‘Looting and kidnapping’

Since April last year, ADF attacks have killed at least 370 civilians and abducted hundreds, including several children, according to the United Nations.

The group, which originally operated in North Kivu province, has spread to neighbouring Ituri, where more than 144,000 people were displaced between January and February, according to the UN.

Efforts by Congo’s army and Ugandan forces to push them back have yielded little results….

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Ramadan in DR Congo: Muslims attack village, murder at least 20 people, take hostages

APR 22, 2023 8:00 AM 

BY ROBERT SPENCER

Jihad Watch

The taking of hostages is primarily for money-making purposes, though some captives may be enslaved. “As for the captives, the amir [ruler] has the choice of taking the most beneficial action of four possibilities: the first to put them to death by cutting their necks; the second, to enslave them and apply the laws of slavery regarding their sale and manumission; the third, to ransom them in exchange for goods or prisoners; and fourth, to show favor to them and pardon them. Allah, may he be exalted, says, ‘When you encounter those [infidels] who deny [the Truth=Islam] then strike [their] necks’ (Qur’an sura 47, verse 4)” — Al-Mawardi, al-Ahkam as-Sultaniyyah (The Laws of Islamic Governance).

Decapitated statues in a church in Angers: a (Muslim) man arrested

translated from “Statues décapitées dans une église d’Angers : un homme interpellé,” 

TFI Info, April 19, 2023

According to our information, a man was arrested after damage was committed on April 12 at the Sainte-Madeleine church in Angers (Maine-et-Loire).

Statues were decapitated and crosses broken.

The suspect was identified by his DNA. A man was arrested in the investigation into the damage committed on April 12 at the Sainte-Madeleine church in Angers (Maine-et-Loire), the police-justice service of TF1 / LCI revealed this Wednesday. He is suspected of several acts of vandalism, namely the beheading of 12 statues and statuettes, as well as damage to three metal crosses and a broken stained glass window.

The author known to the police

According to our information, the suspect, Brahim B., 40, already known unfavorably to the police and justice services, was identified thanks to traces and clues taken in the church, which allowed a DNA analysis in laboratory. He was arrested Tuesday morning at his home and taken into custody. He was subsequently hospitalized, his psychiatric examination having revealed an incompatibility with police custody.

OK, I've never heard that phrase before. I thought all criminals had an incompatibility with police custody. Perhaps it's a translation glitch?

What I have seen many, many times on this blog is evidence that devout Muslims are mentally ill. European governments could use that fact to segregate devout Muslims from society before they act out of obedience to the Quran and start destroying things and people.

The damage had been discovered by the priest on his way back from lunch on April 12. “What is striking is to see that the statues have been decapitated. But we can imagine the violence that must have been behind it and we would like to know that it was the motivation of such a person to do such a thing when entering a church, a place of worship. For us, it’s not just stones, they are symbols of our faith,” lamented Father Magloire Djaba Tossou in the TF1 report at the head of this article.

Are the statues symbols, or idols?

Christians arrested in Libya on charges of preaching

and apostasy from Islam

CNA, April 18, 2023:

Last week Libya’s Internal Security Agency launched a campaign in the city of Tripoli to arrest Libyan citizens and foreigners accused of apostasy from Islam and preaching Christianity.

The security agency did not specify the number of those arrested and refrained from publishing their names, stating only their initials.

The agency released a video of six Libyans — including a girl — as well as a Pakistani and two Americans with their faces blocked out in which they confess to the charges.

The two Americans worked at the Gateway International School in the Tripoli suburb of Zawiyat al-Dahmani that specializes in teaching English.

The government agency said that the two Americans and the wife of one of them belonged to the Assemblies of God Christian missionary organization. It was not revealed whether the wife was arrested or not.

The Americans were accused of secretly turning the school into a center for preaching the Christian religion.

The Internal Security Agency noted that the organization to which the Americans belong plays an important role in “seducing Libyans in various ways” to deviate from the Islamic religion.

In an official press release, the agency stated: “The Libyan people are proud to belong to their religion and consider it the solid foundation of their unifying national identity and regard any violation or abuse of it as a hostile act that threatens national security and seek[s] to sow discord and disunity among its people and those who comprise it.”

The Internal Security Agency “is keen to monitor suspicious activities and appeals that threaten the Islamic identity of our society, including the crime of apostasy and incitement to it.”

“Attacking our true religion is no different from acts of extremism and terrorism, and through monitoring and investigation, the agency monitored the rise in activities hostile to true Islam, targeting our youth of both sexes, many of whom left the country,” the statement said.

If Islam was indeed a 'true' religion, it wouldn't have to be protected by acts of terror against apostates or other religions. Christianity can stand criticism and competition - Islam cannot, because there is no truth in it.

A member of the Supreme Council of State and the Political Dialogue Committee in Libya, Salem Musa Madi, announced on his Facebook page that his son Sifaw had been abducted in Tripoli on March 26. On April 6, he reported that he was apprehended by the Internal Security Agency on charges of converting to Christianity.

Open Doors reported that the current number of Christians in Libya is 35,400 (0.5% of the population)….

Libya ranks fifth on the organization’s list of countries where Christians face the greatest persecution…

================================================

APR 21, 2023 2:00 PM 

BY ROBERT SPENCER

Jihad Watch

The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law. It’s based on the Qur’an: “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)

A hadith depicts Muhammad saying: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57). The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence.

This is still the position of all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, both Sunni and Shi’ite. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the most renowned and prominent Muslim cleric in the world, has stated: “The Muslim jurists are unanimous that apostates must be punished, yet they differ as to determining the kind of punishment to be inflicted upon them. The majority of them, including the four main schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali) as well as the other four schools of jurisprudence (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-‘ashriyyah, Al-Ja’fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah) agree that apostates must be executed.”

Qaradawi also once famously said: 

“If they had gotten rid of the apostasy punishment, Islam wouldn’t exist today.”

This means that Islam exists only because of fear and terror. Christianity exists because of love and Jesus Christ.

Islam - Current Day > EU Parliament does something sensible on migrant file - 8 years late; ISIS still massacring people in the Syrian desert

..

EU Parliament votes for new legislation that would speed migrant relocation

By Doug Cunningham

 

The European Union Parliament Thursday voted to begin talks with EU states on migrant legislation making it easier to relocate migrants without legal authority to be in the EU. It's an effort to decrease migrant pressure on EU countries.

Photo of European Parliament in Brussels by Symbiot/Shutterstock

April 20 (UPI) -- The European Union Parliament Thursday voted 419-126 to enter negotiations with member states on new migration and asylum policies that would require screening of third-party nationals at EU borders.

The vote signals support for the proposed new regulations that would speed up the relocation of migrants entering EU nations without legal permission. The new rules would also make it harder for those migrants to travel to other EU countries.

"An effective return policy is an essential element of a well-functioning system of Union asylum and migration management, whereby those who do not have the right to stay on Union territory should return," the EU proposed migrant legislation said. "Given that a significant share of applications for international protection may be considered unfounded, it is necessary to reinforce the effectiveness of the return policy."

Wow! It only took them 8 years to figure that out!

The proposed new legislation said by increasing "the efficiency of returns" of migrants without legal authorization to be in the EU, the pressure on the asylum system would decrease.

The proposed migrant law reform would create an EU Relocation Coordinator as the central point of contact for migrant returns. That coordinator would play a central role in speeding up migrant relocation.

"In order to provide a timely response to the situation of migratory pressure, the EU Relocation Coordinator should support the swift relocation of eligible applicants for and beneficiaries of international protection," the proposed new migrant management law said.

The proposed legislation creates a five-year European Asylum and Migration Management Strategy that includes measures to reduce and prevent "irregular migration" and efforts to fight human trafficking.

Mandatory relocations where EU countries are required to accept migrants from other EU states would only be used in emergencies, according to this proposed legislation. And the decisions on those would be made in Brussels.

"This is the most important shift to make sure that we can come to an agreement with member states," said MEP Tomas Tobé, one of the lawmakers leading on the legislation for the center-right European People's Party (EPP), referencing the final compromise.

Syria: At least 31 truffle hunters killed in suspected IS attack,

says war monitor

by Nishtha Badgamia, 

WION, April 16, 2023

The United Kingdom-based war monitor, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), reported that a group of suspected Islamic State (IS) militants killed at least 31 people in central Syria on Sunday (April 16). The killings come at a time when there has been an increase in the number of attacks against people foraging for desert truffles.

The alleged attack on Sunday took place in the desert east and the central city of Hama where “a total of 31 people, including 12 pro-regime fighters” were killed, said the UK-based organisation. Earlier the SOHR had reported the death of at least 26 people, a figure confirmed by the official Syrian news agency SANA.

In a separate incident, on Saturday, suspected IS militants killed four shepherds in the eastern Syrian region of Deir Ezzor, said the Observatory, as per AFP. It added that they reportedly carried automatic rifles, rode motorbikes, and also stole the sheep before fleeing.

According to the SOHR, as of early 2023, at least “117 civilians, including a woman, were killed in attacks by ISIS in the Syrian desert.” This incident also comes days after multiple workers foraging for truffles were killed when their vehicle hit a landmine….