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Today: 69 articles and 200 comments as of 19:09.
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Death toll rises to 20 25 in Cairo Coptic cathedral bombing
Today's Headlines
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Page 4: Opinion
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13 18:35 Chesney Sleting6498 [10]
16 15:56 Glenmore [6]
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10 19:29 Omomort Cheager7040 [8]
Afghanistan
Taliban’s new demands for ending insurgency include direct talks with US
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Talibs group in Afghanistan has offered new demands for ending the group’s insurgency in the country, including direct talks with the United States, it has been reported.

The new conditions include recognition of the political office of the group in Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates...
and removal of group’s members from the UN blacklist.

"That is why there is need for America and its allies to come to the table for direct talks with the Islamic Emirate (the Taliban) for negotiating an end to the occupation," Sohail Shaheen, a Qatar-based front man of the group, quoted by The News said.

Shaheen further added, if peace is the objective of the other side, then the Taliban must be allowed to open their "political office" in Qatar and names of their senior members be removed from the UN blacklist.

"These obstacles in the way of establishing peace cannot be simply ignored," Shaheen said, warning that "mere slogans and statements" (by the other side) would further complicate the issue rather than promoting Afghan peace.

This comes as reports emerged earlier suggesting peace talks could likely kick off between the Afghan government and Taliban group.

The Afghan government opted military option against the group after it rejected to participate in direct peace talks earlier this year and after the group announced its annual spring offensive.

The government was forced to withdraw from the peace efforts after the group grabbed credit behind a number of deadly attacks across the country, including a major attack on VIP protection unit in Kabul
...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
that left over 400 people dead or maimed.

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  "No"
Posted by: Frank G || 12/11/2016 9:08 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Benghazi Shura Council denies links to rapists video
[Libya Observer] Benghazi Shura Council has denied any connection with gangs in Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
including the armed force located in Arada, Tripoli.

The disavowing statement by the Benghazi Shura Council comes to refute responsibility for the footage that went viral on social media showing confessions of a member of an gang in Tripoli to raping a woman along with other men then saying he and they have connections to the Benghazi Shura Council.

"The man who appeared in the confession video and the others in the raping footage are not members of the Benghazi Shura Council." An official at the council told Ajwa Net on Friday.

The video that went viral on Thursday showed a person tossed in the calaboose
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
by Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade. The man said he and other men from his brigade raped a Libyan woman in the headquarters of the brigade in Tripoli, confirming that they share the building with Benghazi Shura Council fighters, led by Ali al-Adouli.

On December 01, the Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade attacked an armed force’s building in Arada, eastern Tripoli, clashed with its fighters, killing its commander and three fighters for their involvement in murders, banditry, kidnap and smuggling illegal immigrants colonists.

However,
there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly...
the Benghazi Shura Council official refuted the claims and said they have no military camps in Tripoli or in its suburbs and they have no fighters or members from the council located in the capital.

"We only have a formal office, through which all our communications, individual and institutional, are conducted in the capital."

"On November 19, 2014, we told all public and private organizations and authorities not to deal with any person claiming relations to the council except if they had official letter sealed and dated by our council and the date should not exceed one month backward." The Benghazi Shura Council remarked.

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Protests held in Libya after woman gang-raped by militias
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Scores of protesters rallied in the center of Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
on Friday evening to protest the gang rape of a woman by members of militias that control the capital of Libya.

The protesters marched to the municipality council headquarters holding banners denouncing the silence of the national accord government over the crime and are demanding punishment for the rapists.

On news outlets and social media, people showed their outrage toward the crime and denounced what they saw as a security mayhem in Tripoli as the government turns a blind eye to the myrmidons' human rights
One man's rights are another man's existential threat.
violations.

Protesters raised banners with the victim’s plea to her rapist saying: "Shame on you, you have mothers, sisters, and wives as well."

The rape video that was posted by the "Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade" on its Facebook page last Wednesday showed three men taking turns in abusing the naked victim in a manor owned by "Naeem al Oshaibi", a leader of the sixth battalion and one of the main supporter of Benghazi Shoura Council.

The brigade claimed that the video was one of the core motives of their attack against the battalion last week.

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Africa Subsaharan
IMN crisis: Borno elders and diseased conscience by Gabriel Onoja
[NAIJ] Members of IMN and their leaders have been unrepentantly a torn in the flesh of Zaria people, where its headquarters is domiciled; Kaduna, Kano states and elsewhere in the North where it parades membership. These are facts re-echoed repeatedly.

Each time the IMN sect members embark on their lengthy religious processions, they do not only possess crude and dangerous weapons, including dane guns, but flagrantly abuse laws of the land, harass, intimidate and bully law-abiding citizens.

Public complaints against their demonic acts were not addressed and so, they developed a thick, mindboggling and abhorring impunity to attack security agents.

These hooligans detestable conduct came to the fore when they had the guts to attack the army in Zaria. Indeed, El-Zakzaky himself ignored calls put across to him by Governor el-Rufai to prevail on his unjustifiably incensed sect members to open the aisle for the Army boss who was on an official engagement.

It is important to note that shiism is not under attack in Nigeria because there are at least two other shiite sects operating peacefully in Kaduna, but it is IMN that has turned itself into a terror group

It is their ready inclination to disregard laws of Nigeria, stick to violence and the display of terror instincts that also led them to brutally confront the police in Kano who attempted to foil their procession from the ancient city of Kano to Zaria for the annual Arbaeen Trek to Zaria, in memory of martyred Imam Husain (AS).

This was after Kaduna state officially banned the IMN sect and the police in Kano also slammed a ban on their unlawful processions.

The Kaduna State Judicial Commission of Inquiry (JCI) has disclosed the recalcitrance of Nigerian IMN in floating details in the report it has submitted to government.

Acting on the white paper, the state government adopted the recommendation branding the Iranian backed Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), an turban group. "For all intent and purposes, the IMN is an turban group and ought to be treated as such," the white paper noted.

The various violent protests the IMN staged for the release of El-Zakzaky in disregard of constituted authority is a tip of the iceberg. But to decode the snuffies bent of the IMN, the declaration by its alternate leader, Sheik Abdulkadir Koki during the burial of some Shiites members in Kano state unequivocally stated it;

"As followers of Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, we shall never submit ourselves to the dictates of the Nigerian government even if our own lives will be taken away by the forces of its security agents."

This was after the recently redeployed Iranian envoy to Nigeria, Amb.

Saeed Koozechi emboldened the Nigerian Shiites which has sponsorship from Iran’s ISIS, by daring Nigeria’s illusory sovereignty when he said, "Nigeria is pouring fuel on fire," by the continuous detention of Sheik El-Zakzaky by Nigerian security agents.
Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Islamic Movement of Nigeria


Borno elders urge Buhari to intervene, resolve Kaduna religious crisis
[GUARDIAN.NG] The Chairman of Borno Elders’ Forum (BEF), Ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari, yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to "amicably intervene and resolve" the brewing religious crises in Kaduna State before it becomes another Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
sect in the country.
Galtimari, in a statement made available to journalists in Maiduguri, the state capital, said: "The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) has been branded as an insurgency group and therefore outlawed.

"We see what is happening in Kaduna State as similar to what happened in Borno State back in 2009, leading to a sorry state of affairs in the state.

"The BEF has no interest whatsoever in the existence or otherwise of the IMN. However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
we are deeply concerned that a dark history appears to be repeating itself, and given our most horrifying experiences in the Northeast, we, as elders, owe you and our country the shared responsibility of pointing at potential
danger and advising on ways to averting it."
He stressed the need to draw lessons from the ongoing Boko Haram crisis in the Northeast and pockets of other crisis across the country, adding: "It is necessary to take all the available routes to avert any further incidents.

"We wish to appeal to you to arrest the Kaduna situation and amicably settle all contending issues, so that peace will reign in Central Nigeria.

"Our harrowing experiences in the Northeast should be enough to guide us, as a nation, to cultivate peace and peaceful co-habitation.

"Your administration has done tremendously well to curb the activities of the Boko Haram. We are all hopeful to return to peace and the nightmare of igniting another religious crisis should be avoided."

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic Movement of Nigeria


Nearly 2 Years After the Boko Haram Kidnapping in Nigeria, 197 Girls Are Still Missing

[COSMOPOLITAN]
Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Boko Haram

#1  You mean the hashtag didn't work?
Posted by: Barbara || 12/11/2016 11:35 Comments || Top||

#2  To summarize: it's highly likely those still missing have been sold on or died (though this is not mentioned by the article), and the ones who escaped or were rescued are being abused by their relatives and neighbours.

Lovely.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/11/2016 14:18 Comments || Top||

#3  and if they come home, check first from afar for Splodey Vests
Posted by: Frank G || 12/11/2016 14:31 Comments || Top||


Nigeria relocates Zakzaky, spouse over assassination attempt fears
[Iran Press TV] The detained leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and his wife have been relocated to an undisclosed safe location amid fears of assassination attempts.

According to reports, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky and Zeenat were moved to the unnamed detention center in the capital Abuja on Saturday.

In early December, the Abuja division of the Federal High Court of Nigeria announced that both of them should be released unconditionally. After a few days, Kaduna State authorities called for Zakzaky’s prosecution for the alleged "lawlessness" of the IMN.

In October, authorities in the state declared the mainstream Shia group as illegal as part of the state crackdown against the Muslim community.

The prominent cleric and his wife were taken into custody on December 14, 2015, after deadly clashes between the supporters of the IMN movement and Nigerian troops.

Nearly 350 members of the Shia movement were killed in the clashes. The sheikh was brutally injured and his house was reportedly destroyed by the army in the incident.

After detaining Zakzaky, the Nigerian government stepped up its crackdown on the IMN. In November, nearly 100 IMN supporters were killed when Nigerian forces fired live rounds and teargas at mourners during a peaceful march ahead of the Arba’een mourning rituals, which mark 40 days after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), the third Shia imam. Authorities also destroyed a number of buildings belonging to the IMN.

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Islamic Movement of Nigeria


Caribbean-Latin America
Colombia peace accord with FARC model for ending Syria crisis: Santos
[Iran Press TV] Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says a peace accord between Bogota and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
FARC or FARC-EP, is either a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization or a drug cartel based in Colombia. It claims to represent the rural poor in a struggle against Colombia's wealthier classes, and opposes United States influence in Colombia, neo-imperialism, monopolization of natural resources by multinational corporations, and the usual raft of complaints. It funds itself principally through ransom kidnappings, taxation of the drug trade, extortion, shakedowns, and donations. It has lately begun calling itself Bolivarian and is greatly admired by Venezuela's President-for-Life Chavez, who seemingly fantasizes about living in the woods and kidnapping people himself. He provides FARC with safe areas along the border.
(FARC) after over half a century of a bloody armed conflict could be viewed as a "model" and "a ray of hope" for resolving the conflict in Syria.

Santos made the remarks during his acceptance speech in the award ceremony of the Nobel Peace Prize in the City Hall of the Norwegian capital, Oslo, on Saturday, more than two months after the Norwegian Nobel committee awarded him the prize for "his resolute efforts" to put an end to the civil war in the Latin American country.

The landmark deal to end five decades of bitter fighting is a "model for the resolution of armed conflicts that have yet to be resolved around the world," Santos said, addressing an audience including victims of the war as well as Norway's King Harald.

"It proves that what, at first, seems impossible, through perseverance may become possible even in Syria or Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
or South Sudan."

"The Colombian peace agreement is a ray of hope in a world troubled by so many conflicts and so much intolerance," he said.
Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Commies


Europe
Christian Slovakia Passes Law to Ban Islam
[CNS] The predominantly Christian country of Slovakia passed a law on Nov. 30 that effectively bans Islam as an officially recognized religion, which also blocks Islam from receiving any state subsidies for its schools, reported Reuters.

The prime minister, Robert Fico, said in May that "Islam has no place" in Slovakia. Prior to the law being passed, Slovak National Party Chairman Andrej Danko said, "Islamization starts with a kebab and it's already under way in Bratislava -- let's realize what we can face in 5 to 10 years."

"We must do everything we can so that no mosque is built in the future," said Danko.

The new law says that a religion must have at least 50,000 members to qualify for state recognition; the previous threshold was 20,000 members. According to Slovakia's latest census, as reported by Reuters, there are 2,000 Muslims there and "no recognized mosques."

The law passed with a two-thirds majority in the Slovakia Parliament.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Slovakia and the United States established diplomatic relations, in 1993. Slovakia is a member of the European Union and NATO. The country sits in the center of Eastern Europe, bordered by the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Ukraine and Hungary.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  Bravo.
Posted by: Crusader || 12/11/2016 0:14 Comments || Top||

#2  The Slovak part of me smiles with joy.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/11/2016 8:17 Comments || Top||

#3  Any churches or synagogues in Saudi?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/11/2016 8:20 Comments || Top||

#4  How are the winters there?
Posted by: Woodrow Grurt3252 || 12/11/2016 12:34 Comments || Top||

#5  Never been there, but I understand they still burn a lot of wood for heat Woodrow. It's a warmer heat, and saves a lot on the electricity bill. Nothing like waking up in the morning to a hot stove.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/11/2016 12:38 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Democratic Congresswoman Says U.S. Is Funding And Arming ISIS
Source link fixed.
[Daily Caller] Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said on Twitter Saturday that the United States is funding and arming Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

"If you or I gave money, weapons or support to al-Qaeda or ISIS, we would be thrown in jail. Why does our gov get a free pass on this?," the congresswoman from Hawaii
That's why she's a Democrat. Hawaii appears to be a one-part state, so she had no choice.
wrote. Gabbard is a U.S. Army veteran and a member of the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Armed Services.

She introduced the Stop Arming Terrorists Act Thursday. While introducing the bill, Gabbard cited New York Times and Wall Street Journal articles that said the rebels the U.S. is supporting in Syria are allied with Al-Nusra, an Al-Qeada affiliate.

"The CIA has also been funneling weapons and money through Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and others who provide direct and indirect support to groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda," Gabbard said. Gabbard’s claim is backed up by a speech former secretary of state Hillary Clinton delivered to Goldman Sachs. Clinton said Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are funding Jihadists in Syria.

"This madness must end. We must stop arming terrorists," Gabbard said. Her bill will prohibit any federal agency from supporting a terrorist group or funneling support through other countries that directly or indirectly support terrorists.

A few weeks ago Gabbard met with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower. Her bill is co-sponsored by Trump ally California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.

She said on CNN Friday that she’s glad that Trump’s "talking about ending our country’s interventionist regime change policies."
"Tho' I've belted you and flayed you,
By the livin' Gawd that made you,
You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!”
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/11/2016 07:32 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  She said on CNN Friday that she’s glad that Trump’s "talking about ending our country’s interventionist regime change policies."

Anyone have any further questions regarding the long-standing rift between the DoD and the Klingon's ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/11/2016 7:43 Comments || Top||

#2  Where does she stand on funding and arming a nuclear Iran?
Posted by: Airandee || 12/11/2016 7:48 Comments || Top||

#3  our country’s interventionist regime change policies

AKA international analogs of drive-by shootings.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/11/2016 8:01 Comments || Top||

#4  Benghazi

(and why all the effort to suppress what the heck was going on)
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/11/2016 8:27 Comments || Top||

#5  s voice of sanity in the Dem Party? It helps that she's hawt
Posted by: Frank G || 12/11/2016 9:13 Comments || Top||

#6  The Law of Ultimate Syzygy:

You put a teaspoon of wine in a barrel of sewage, you get sewage.

You put a teaspoon of sewage in a barrel of wine, you get sewage.

She may be saying the right things, but the dem party remains a barrel of sewage.

Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/11/2016 10:46 Comments || Top||

#7  Thanks for the link repair Pappy. My bad.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/11/2016 12:17 Comments || Top||

#8  True statement. The result of the Iranian hostage deal and the Benghazi deal, for starters.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/11/2016 15:58 Comments || Top||

#9  Gunga Din a great classic. I was at the worlds fair many years ago and saw a preview of the movie with the fellows jumping off the cliff to escape the followers of Kali(followers of death). To my surprise several turbaned men watched as well. Cuba had its pavilion and of course it was filled with Fidel's propaganda.
Posted by: Dale || 12/11/2016 17:52 Comments || Top||

#10  AKA international analogs of drive-by shootings.

Exactly right. If you are going to take sides, go all in. Or don't take sides.
Posted by: phil_b || 12/11/2016 18:11 Comments || Top||

#11  Totally OT, of course, but speaking of HI, and December 11...

Posted by: Big Spawn of the Faeries6337 || 12/11/2016 18:45 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Pakistan lost opportunities given by President Ghani: Hina Rabbani Khar
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The former foreign affairs minister of Pakistain Hina Rabbani Khar has said Pakistain should change course in neighboring Afghanistan, a recommendation which comes amid deteriorating relations between Kabul
...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
and Islamabad, mainly due to war against terrorism.

In an interview with Gandhara/RFERL, Khar urged urged Islamabad to revive their administration’s foreign policy approach of maintaining good relations with neighboring countries.

In response to a question regarding Kabul’s stance against Pakistain, accusing it for harboring the Afghan krazed killer groups, Khar said "That is the most disheartening thing to see. It causes me personal grief because we had literally poised Pakistain within the region. When I was foreign minister, we tried to concentrate on relations closer to home. And I, as well as my prime minister at that time, have categorically said that Kabul is the most important capital for Pakistain. We invested a great deal of energy and effort to make Kabul as the most important capital for us. As foreign minister of Pakistain, I visited Kabul three times in two years. In contrast, I visited Washington only once. It was because we thought Kabul is more important."

Khar further added "What this government has been able to do is let the opportunity that came with President Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..
go by. We lost that window of opportunity that opened when Ghani came into power. He gave Pakistain a pretty reasonable deal. He offered pretty much everything that Pakistain was asking for. I do not know the internal dynamics of the current government to be able to say what they should do to make amends, but I can say for sure that this government has not been able to sustain its relationship with Afghanistan, India, and Iran."

The remarks by Khar came as President Ghani once again slammed Pakistain for its reluctance to take actions against the Afghan krazed killer groups using its soil.

President Ghani said during his speech at the 6th Heart of Asia conference on Sunday that "Despite our intense engagement with Pakistain on bilateral and multilateral basis, the undeclared war ‐ the name that I gave to the phenomenon in the winter 2014 ‐ not only has not abated but also intensified during 2016, with special intensity right after the Brussels Conference."

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Pakistan is a land of lost opportunities.
Posted by: Pappy || 12/11/2016 8:38 Comments || Top||


'Sindh bill against forced conversions un-Islamic'
And there you have it: honesty in its rawest form.
[DAWN] The Council on Islamic Ideology discussed the minorities bill recently passed in Sindh, which criminalises forced conversions and bars conversion of minors.

Sherani said the law is "illegal, unconstitutional and un-Islamic". The council further declared that the legislation was against basic human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
."The law was not correct and it was not fair either," Sherani said. "If anyone is forced to convert from his or her religion, then that is unfair, even if the person who has converted is a hundred years old."

He added that the country's constitution allowed every person to adopt Islam as per their own will.
"...even if it takes roughing them up a bit to help them discover they want it," he added.
"Anybody who is sane and has decision making power has to be allowed to adopt Islam, but limiting this choice to the minimum age of 18 years is not correct," he added.
"You don't have to rough them up as much when they are eight, donchaknow."
"This law is against the spirit of Islam too and we will write to all concerned including Governor Sindh against this law," he said.
"The Prophet Mohammed (bees pee upon him) said there is no compulsion is religion, which means that kidnapping and roughing them up a bit is not compulsion," he continued. "Therefore it's ok to do it even to toddlers!"
The meeting also opposed any proposed amendment in the blasphemy law.

Sherani said the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights had called to discuss the blasphemy law but that "disturbing the existing laws" wouldn't be right.

"Parliamentarians should instead focus on making the remaining laws Sharia compliant," he added.

Sherani, who is also an MNA from the Jamaat-e-Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), is set to retire from the chairmanship of the CII on December 16, 2016 after completing two terms of three years each.
Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


CII decries naming QAU physics centre after Dr Abdus Salam
[DAWN] Chairing the last session as the head of Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Thursday, Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani decried the proposal to rename the Quaid-e-Azam University's (QAU) physics centre after Professor Abdus Salam.
Toldja so.
The council discussed the proposal after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
forwarded a summary to President Mamnoon Hussain of his approval to rename the National Centre for Physics at QAU the "Professor Abdus Salam Centre for Physics".

Addressing a presser after the council's meeting, the CII chairman said changing the department's name would not set the right precedent.

"We have concerns over the change of its [physics centre's] name as it was earlier named to honour Dr Riaz," said Sherani, but declined to offer any reason for the opposition.

He was also asked if the CII had objections over renaming of other institutions or roads but Sherani declined to offer any comment over the subject.

Nuclear physicist and Pakistain’s first Nobel laureate Professor Abdus Salam hailed from the country’s Ahmedi community.

Pakistain declared Ahmedis non-Moslems in 1974. In 1984, they were banned from calling themselves Moslems. They are banned from preaching and even from travelling to Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
for pilgrimage. Their publications are prohibited.

In May 2010, jacket wallahs killed 80 people at two Ahmedi places of worship.

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  "Ahmedis are Icky"
Posted by: Frank G || 12/11/2016 9:17 Comments || Top||


US Congress approves aid, with caveats
[DAWN] Both chambers of the United States Congress have finally passed the 2017 National Defence Authorisation Act, which includes $1.1 billion for reimbursing the nations supporting US military operations in Afghanistan.

The largest chunk from this amount, $900 million, is available for reimbursement to Pakistain but almost half of it, $400m, has been put out of its reach. To get those $400m, Pakistain will have to get a ’good conduct’ certificate from the US defence secretary.

Like a schoolmaster waiving the punishment given to a student, the defence secretary will have to certify that Pakistain is "taking demonstrable" steps against the Haqqani network of Afghan Lion of Islams.

The measures also include a "sense of Congress that Dr Shakil Afridi is an international hero and that the government of Pakistain should release him immediately from prison".

Dr Afridi led US forces to the compound where Al Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden
... who doesn't live anywhere anymore...
was hiding and is regarded in the Western world, particularly in the US, as an international hero.

Passed by the Senate by 92 to seven votes on Thursday and by the House of Representatives by 375 to 34 votes last week, the bill now goes to the White House for President Barack Obama
I am not a dictator!...
to sign it into law.

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Islamic resistance sole path to Palestinians’ victory: Iranian official
[Iran Press TV] A senior Iranian official says resistance is the only path to the Paleostinian people’s victory against the Israeli regime.

"Today, Paleostine’s supporters across the world believe that reliance on their own will and Islamic resistance are the only ways to [the Paleostinians’] victory and the restoration of people’s rights," Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said in a meeting with Ramadan Abdullah Shalah, the head of the Paleostinian Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
movement, in Tehran on Saturday.

"Any strategy other than the continuation of resistance against the infanticidal Zionist regime will be a move towards a mirage," he added.

He noted that support for the Paleostinian cause and the liberation of (Jerusalem) al-Quds are the most important priorities of the Moslem world.

"Any moves leading to deviation in the path of the fight against the Zionist regime [Israel], as the main threat to the Moslem world, will be regarded as betrayal of Moslems across the world," Shamkhani pointed out.

The SNSC secretary said the Israeli regime and some regional countries are "strategic partners of terrorist and Takfiri
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed...
groups."

He added that the Israeli regime and its allies provide the Takfiri murderous Moslems with arms, financial and intelligence assistance and treat the injured murderous Moslems as part of their measures to kill Moslems and intensify conflicts among Moslem countries.

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  I would have said stop being murderous asshats. But hey, to-MAY-to, to-MAH-to.
Posted by: SteveS || 12/11/2016 13:49 Comments || Top||

#2  Tomatoes are UnIslamic. Remember the Gaza Greenhouses?
Posted by: Frank G || 12/11/2016 14:24 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Aleppo airstrikes called 'Crimes Against Humanity
The Russians have played this game before, and they know all they have to do is not lose.
ALEPPO, Syria: US Secretary of State John Kerry said the Syrian regime’s “indiscriminate bombing” amounted to crimes against humanity as air strikes pummelled the shrinking rebel enclave in Aleppo on Saturday.

Western powers meeting in Paris called for the resumption of peace talks and for civilians to be allowed to leave Aleppo, where tens of thousands have already fled a fierce regime offensive.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: badanov || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  Bombings by the 8th Air Force and Royal Air Force weren't by comparison? Bombing of France during World War II

Then again they were waging war, not some kinder gentler substitute for war.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/11/2016 8:25 Comments || Top||


Assad regime relies on foreign fighters to retake Aleppo
But in the end, all Assad will do is play Islamic Whack-a-Mole in six months or so. A lot of blood and treasure has been expended for what will likely be a temporary win
ALEPPO: Syria’s President Bashar Assad is on the verge of recapturing all of Aleppo from opposition fighters, but the victory won’t be his alone. The battle for Syria’s largest city has attracted thousands of foreign forces backing Assad — including Russian soldiers and Shiite fighters from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The remarkable political and sectarian alignment underscores Aleppo’s symbolic and strategic importance, which goes beyond the confines of Syria’s civil war. Syria’s former commercial center has long been regarded as a major gateway between Turkey and Syria.

Continued on Page 49
Posted by: badanov || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  Assad has relied on foreign fighters now for 4 years.

In fact Hezbollah saved the regime from losing Aleppo in 2013
Posted by: lord garth || 12/11/2016 8:17 Comments || Top||


Iran will give tough response to possible US aggression: Senior commander
[Iran Press TV] Iran's chief Armed Forces front man has warned the United States against any possible act of aggression against the Islamic Theocratic Republic, vowing a harsh response to enemies’ moves.
Saber rattling and vitriol spewing, blah blah blah.
"If the US warmongers and their stooges carry out an immature and unprofessional act, they will definitely face the Iranian combatants’ tough response," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, said on Saturday.

"The current military and security conditions of the Persian Gulf are in such a way that the enemy’s forces and equipment are completely within the reach of Iran's military forces," he added.

He emphasized that the Iranian military forces have "full dominance and control over the Persian Gulf region more than ever."

Jazayeri said the Islamic Theocratic Republic and the Iranian Armed Forces would not joke with anybody when it comes to defense and security matters and would "definitely respond to any move that seeks to endanger the country’s security."

The commander pointed to earlier US threats against Iranian ships and said, "Those who seek to cause Iranian boats to sink in the Persian Gulf have no military common sense."

Back in September, US President-elect Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
said during his election campaign that Iranian ships attempting to provoke America "will be shot out of the water" during his presidency.

On November 10, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri played down Trump’s harsh anti-Iran rhetoric, saying, "That person, who has just risen to power, has talked off the top of his head."

Back in August, Fearless Leader of the Islamic Revolution
...Iran's doddering head theocrat...
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei
...the successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the actual dictator of Iran...
said the country’s Armed Forces must boost their preparedness to deter any enemy aggression.

"In the face of such an enemy, which seeks to undermine the country’s defensive prowess, the Armed Forces’ preparedness must be boosted to an extent that the enemy would not even dare to think about any aggression," Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  We oughtta sink a ship every time these assholes mouth off
Posted by: Frank G || 12/11/2016 7:57 Comments || Top||

#2  Yes Frank, anything seaworthy under 42,000 t.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/11/2016 7:59 Comments || Top||

#3  We'd better up our game if we plan to take out some of their ships since our response to the Yemini fire was hapless.
Posted by: Jack Salami || 12/11/2016 9:31 Comments || Top||

#4  ROE, Jack, imposed by our feckless CiC and his politically correct Admirals and Generals
Posted by: Frank G || 12/11/2016 9:51 Comments || Top||

#5  Luckily, the new SecDef is nicknamed Mad Dog. Iran and other enemies should take that into consideration.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 12/11/2016 14:05 Comments || Top||

#6  Not a single "Sea of Fire"...
Posted by: CrazyFool || 12/11/2016 14:11 Comments || Top||

#7  "In the face of such an enemy, which seeks to undermine the country’s defensive prowess, the Armed Forces’ preparedness must be boosted to an extent that the enemy would not even dare to think about any aggression," Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

I'd love to see a B-52 run over Bushehr or Natanz (or pick a target) on January 21, just to shut these fuckers up (and destroy half of the shit those pallets of cash and wire orders were used to buy).
Posted by: Raj || 12/11/2016 14:39 Comments || Top||

#8  I'd love to see a B-52 run over Bushehr or Natanz (or pick a target) on January 21, just to shut these fuckers up (and destroy half of the shit those pallets of cash and wire orders were used to buy). Posted by Raj

Few will say it, but that really is what it's going to take. After that, the shi* stops for a generation or two. For permanent results, destroy the entire nest.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/11/2016 14:42 Comments || Top||

#9  Dare I say it; Arclight? Drink up!
Posted by: Grarong Spawn of the Heathen Rus2966 || 12/11/2016 15:31 Comments || Top||

#10  DRINK!
Posted by: Frank G || 12/11/2016 15:32 Comments || Top||

#11  Rambler, I will be surprised if the Senate confirms Mattis, or a whole lot of Trump's picks.
Posted by: Glenmore || 12/11/2016 17:04 Comments || Top||

#12  They will, or this will be their last term in the Senate and they are fully aware of that fact.
Posted by: Silentbrick || 12/11/2016 20:59 Comments || Top||

#13  Some of these are not only Trump's picks.
Posted by: newc || 12/11/2016 23:27 Comments || Top||


Former Iran forces leader appointed to the helm of the Basij militias
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iran has appointed Brigadier General Gholam Hossein Gheibparvar as the new commander of Iran’s Basij (mobilization) Forces after years of serving as the commanders of the country’s forces.

He replaces Mohammad Reza Naqdi, who served as the Basij’s leader for nine years.

Gheibparvar served as the commander of Iranian forces in Syria since October 2015.

He is known as a strong critic and silencer of Iranian internal opposition members, especially the student opposition groups in universities and the popular Green Movement that that arose after the 2009 Iranian presidential election, in which protesters demanded the removal of former President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad from office.

Posted by: Fred || 12/11/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran



Who's in the News
20[untagged]
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3Sublime Porte
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3Arab Spring
3Islamic Movement of Nigeria
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1al-Qaeda
1Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)

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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2016-12-11
  Death toll rises to 20 25 in Cairo Coptic cathedral bombing
Sat 2016-12-10
  Record airstrike hits over 100 ISIL oil trucks gathered in Syria
Fri 2016-12-09
  Schoolgirl suicide bombers kill 30/injure 57
Thu 2016-12-08
  SC upholds death penalty for Mufti Hannan, 2 others
Wed 2016-12-07
  Syrian rebels repel attack in Aleppo by Iranian militia
Tue 2016-12-06
  Cincinnati: "Allah is in control!" shouts man after sentencing
Mon 2016-12-05
  Syrian Army Regains Full Control Over Al-Tall City
Sun 2016-12-04
  Puntland army launch anti-ISIL offensive in Qandala
Sat 2016-12-03
  IS uses female suicide bombers in Sirte
Fri 2016-12-02
  Aussie, French warships intercept arms for Houthis
Thu 2016-12-01
  'IS-linked' Ohio university attacker lived in Pakistan for 7 years: NYT
Wed 2016-11-30
  ISIS claims responsibility for Ohio State attack
Tue 2016-11-29
  Iranian small boats train weapons on US Navy Helicopters
Mon 2016-11-28
  Ohio State Stabbing: Somali Refugee (stabber) Killed
Sun 2016-11-27
  Iraq's parliament passes law legalising Shia militias


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