El Camino College Commencement Speaker

Jana Abulaban

El Camino College is a two-year community college located in Torrance, California near Los Angeles. There is a controversy there getting national attention. On June 9, during a commencement speech, a graduating speaker, Jana Abulaban, accused Israel of "torturing and killing Palestinian people". Abulaban, who immigrated with her parents to the US from Jordan at the age of 12, identifies as a Palestinian.

Part of the reason the news story caught my eye is that when I was playing baseball at Santa Monica Community College in 1964-65, El Camino was in our conference; thus, I had the opportunity to play against their team both at their ballpark and ours.

Of course, the more important reason is that this is an issue I care about. Thus, I would like to weigh in here. I should also note that the university has properly issued a statement distancing itself from the speaker's vitriolic remarks. Not surprisingly, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has taken issue with that. Below is what I wrote today to the campus newspaper, The Union:

First of all, the young lady has the right of free speech, so nobody is arguing that she should be prosecuted. Some have opined that her speech should have been interrupted, and she should have been removed from the stage. I don't agree with that either. But those of us who disagree also enjoy the right to speak out, and Abulaban is not protected from criticism for her remarks. It comes down to this: Is what she said anti-Semitic? That requires a long answer. Criticism of Israeli policies against the Palestinians is not anti-Semitic per se-as pro-Israel leaders and organizations concede. Yet, as I often, do, I have to go back to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of anti-Semitism. There are elements pertaining to Israel that are considered anti-Semitic: For example, comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, holding all Jews responsible for the actions of Israel, accusing American Jews of having dual loyalty, applying a double standard to Israel not applied to any other democratic country, denying the Jewish people a right to their own state, and accusing Israel of harvesting organs from Palestinian corpses, a canard that goes back to the ancient libel of Jews using the blood of Christian children to make matzo.   

On a more practical level, I have personally seen and heard anti-Semitic images and words during anti-Israel events, mostly at UC Irvine, where I taught part-time from 1998-2016. In the name and cause of the Palestinian people, groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the UCI chapter of the Muslim Student Union (MSU) have regularly invited speakers to UCI who have crossed the line from mere criticism of Israel to outright anti-Jewish utterances. As examples, I can mention people like Washington DC-based imam  Muhammed al-Asi, Oakland imam  Amir Abdel Malik Ali,   Abdul Alim Musa, British writer Ben White, BDS (Boycott, Divest and Sanctions against Israel) co-founder, Omar Barghouti, Cynthia McKinney, UC Berkeley professor Hatem Bazian, Council on American Islamic Relations CEOs, Zahra Billoo and  Hussam Ayloush (more on him below). 

Amir Abdel Malik Ali

I could also mention the regular disruptions of pro-Israel events by SJP and MSU, not only at UC Irvine, which I have personally witnessed, but on campuses across the nation. I could mention the disgusting stereotypical anti-Jewish caricature of Ariel  Sharon I saw at the 2008 anti-Israel week of events at UC Irvine in 2008.

I could go on and on, but I call particular attention to Ayloush, the long-time Southern California CAIR CEO, who has often been accused of anti-Semitism. In 2015, Ayloush appeared as a panelist at the Islamic Center (mosque) of Orange County in Garden Grove. It was a public event dedicated to the issue of countering violent extremism, a theme fostered during the Obama administration and centered around extremism in certain American mosques. Ayloush asked why there was so much attention placed on a few American Muslim men who went off to join ISIS and no attention placed on the thousands of Jewish American men who went to join the Israeli Defense Forces "killing the Palestinians". I was present, and I videotaped it.

Hussam Ayloush

It is this same Hussam Ayloush who the El Camino campus newspaper, The Union, communicated with to get his take on the Abulaban controversy.

In fact, CAIR is itself an anti-Jewish organization. It is an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and is linked to Hamas, a terrorist organization that rules Gaza. It is an obscenity that the current administration in Washington has invited CAIR to participate in its campaign to fight anti-Semitism.

My whole point is that the entire pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel movement on our college campuses is anti-Jewish to its core. They can insist all they want that they are not anti-Jewish, only anti-Zionist. They can trot out all their misguided Jewish speakers, like Norman Finklestein, and Jewish SJP members as "proof" they are not anti-Jewish. However, their long track record speaks for itself.

Finklestein at UC Irvine. That's me in front reading the newspaper.

I am not asking El Camino College to take any negative action against Ms Abulaban.  I am not accusing her of personally being anti-Semitic. The college has issued a statement distancing itself from the words she spoke. I would just hope that the college administration,. the students and the campus newspaper be aware of what is really going on with this well-orchestrated, well-financed campus movement against Israel, and most importantly, against all the denials, that it is deeply anti-Jewish in nature.  

The Issue of Burning Korans

 Recent events in Sweden and to a lesser extent in Denmark have brought back the issue of Koran burnings to the world stage. Over the past few months, a Swedish-Danish activist, Rasmus Paludan, staged Koran-burning demonstrations in several Swedish cities with resultant riots. A Koran-burning demonstration near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm outraged Turklish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, causing a diplomatic crisis and endangering efforts to get  Turkey to agree to Sweden's application to join NATO.

More recently, an Iraqi immigrant staged his own Koran  desecration event in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm. That resulted in the Swedish embassy in Baghdad being attacked by a mob and Iraq breaking off diplomatic relations with Sweden.

In the midst of all this, people like Erdogan and the 56-member nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation have called for Sweden and other countries to outlaw the burning of Korans. Sweden thus far, is insisting that its laws do not permit them to interfere with freedom of expression. As an added twist, Sweden has granted demonstration permits to a couple of activists who wanted to burn Torahs, as if the Jews had anything to do with this.

So at least in Europe, the question of freedom of speech is back in play. when it comes to insulting religions.

My own opinion is that it is unwise to burn or otherwise desecrate the holy books of any religion, including Islam. It must be remembered that to desecrate a Koran is not only offensive to the terrorists, Islamists, groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS, as well as people like the dictator Erdogan, it is offensive to every Muslim in the world. Robert Spencer, the well-known Islamic scholar (and critic) of Islam, has said that we should not burn the Koran; rather we should read it. That also means knowing how to properly interpret it since it is full of verses that contradict each other when it comes to relations with non-Muslims. Further confusing the issue, the chapters, or suras, are not in chronological order as revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. They are ordered from longest suras to the shortest (exception Sura 1, which is part of the Muslims' daily prayers.) If one were to organize the suras chronologically,  it would be much clearer especially when compared alongside the life of Mohammed as he changed from being a street preacher in Mecca to a warlord in Medina. That is why the Medina chapters are more violent and intolerant. Islamic scholars, who are considered the utmost authority on questions of Islamic teaching, have put forth the principle of abrogation, in other words, in any conflicting verses in the Koran, those recorded later in time abrogate any earlier conflicting verses. Then it all makes sense.

But I digress.

While I oppose the desecration of Korans or the holy books of any other religion, I hope that Sweden-and other Western democracies- resist the efforts of the above persons or groups to change their laws and limit freedom of expression. We Christians in the US were outraged a few decades ago when some jerk put a  small crucifix in a bottle of his own urine and sold it off as a piece of art. But there was no violence. Nobody got killed and the man was never prosecuted.

Apparently, however, many Muslims are unable to show such restraint when the Koran is desecrated. Riots and destruction take place in many Muslim countries around the world. Property is destroyed, people are killed or have to go into hiding for the rest of their lives, policemen are injured quelling riots, and there are demands to pass laws and prosecute people in the West. Indeed, many of the Koran burners have as their goal the provoking of a violent reaction by Muslims as their proof that Islam is violent and intolerant.

Against all this, we must stand firm. Not because we necessarily approve of the burnings, but because as long as they are not accompanied by other illegal acts, we cannot prosecute people for what they say. Our own free speech in the US is limited to speech that directly calls for and  incites violence or threats against the President of the United States. We can criticize the president all we want, but we cannot threaten him. 

Europe has different standards when it comes to freedom of expression, and generally speaking, enjoys lesser protections than we Americans. So European critics of Islam have to tread carefully, not just to avoid retaliation from angry Muslims, but also possible prosecution by their own authorities as Dutch politician and Islam critic, Geert Wilders, can testify.

This seems like such an intractable problem. There are some 1.7 billion Muslims in the world, about 1/5th of the world's population. They are not going away, and our leaders obviously don't want some kind of worldwide campaign of war against the Islamic world. We need to find a way to co-exist and live in harmony, but at the same time, we cannot allow Islamic law to be forced upon us and thus, surrender our freedoms. Nor should we bow to outside demands that we strip away our freedoms. This should serve as a lesson to all the Western leaders who have opened the floodgates to Islamic immigration. 

Knesset Hears About Campus Anti-Semitism in US

 This article first appeared in Times of Israel Blogs.

Hat tip Algemeiner

On July 25, a Knesset committee heard testimony from American Jewish leaders on the issue of rising anti-Semitism on US university campuses. Testifying before the Knesset were Kenneth Marcus and Alyza Lewin of the Louis D. Brandeis Center, and Ofek Preis, a Jewish student who experienced anti-Semitism first-hand at the State University of New York at New Paltz. I welcome this testimony, and feel strongly that it is something that the Knesset needs to hear. This is certainly more important than the complaining of some American Jewish groups about the recent Israeli Supreme Court controversy.

After teaching part-time at the University of California at Irvine (1998-2016) and seeing first-hand how the organized pro-Palestinian movement all-too-often spilled over into outright Jew hatred, I have long maintained that the focal point for the resurgence in anti-Semitism in the US was on our university campuses. That was due to the agitation by groups like Students for Justice in Palestine and the various chapters of the Muslim Student Union/Association. Now it has metastasized into American society at large.

Yet, I have been dismayed at how many leaders in the universities, the media, and even some Jewish organizations prefer to lay all the blame on the right, MAGA supporters, white nationalists, neo-Nazis etc. To be sure, white nationalists and neo-Nazis share in fomenting the problem. However, they are not the majority of the problem in my view. They certainly have no sway or influence on our university campuses. The major reason for this reluctance to identify the major perpetrators is, in my view, that those on the left do not want to admit that much of the problem in our universities is coming from parts of the Muslim community. I reiterate that no matter who engages in anti-Semitism is to be condemned, but it serves no purpose to mischaracterize the true nature of the problem. As in France, Sweden, and other parts of Western Europe, much of the problem is Islamic anti-Semitism. And just as in the US, European leaders are loathe to acknowledge it.

I have long believed that pressure must be brought upon our universities to protect their Jewish students from harassment and bullying. Too many university administrators have shown cowardice in the face of this campaign of harassment. They refuse to confront the above-mentioned groups. President Trump had put public universities on notice that if they refused to protect their Jewish students, federal funding would be at risk. Of course, President Biden has failed to continue that pressure.

American universities have fallen into disrepute for a host of reasons. Left-wing indoctrination and stifling of free speech are now front and center in front of the American public. In addition, the various departments of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) have attracted recent notice for their divisive influence on behalf of certain ethnic groups on campus to the detriment of other groups, like whites, Asians- and Jews as well. The issue of campus anti-Semitism must also be exposed to the American public, and the main perpetrators identified.  It is clear that our universities are in dire need of reform, and the American public is finally getting the message in spite of so many to deny it-including among certain major Jewish organizations.

For these reasons, I welcome the appearance of the above-mentioned Jewish figures before the Israeli Knesset.

 

Coup in Niger: How the Local Press is Reporting it

On Wednesday, there was a military coup in the African nation of Niger. While I am not qualified to analyze the geo-political effects of this coup, my one previous experience in Thailand in the 1970s when there was a very short-lived coup in 1977 has piqued my interest in how the local media covers these things. In the case of the short-lived coup in Thailand when I was living there, the local media had to do a tap dance, initially reporting how the coup leaders had saved the country, and then backflipping when the government took back control. They basically reported that they were forced to report favorably on the coup. As always happens in coups, one of the first things coup leaders do is take control of the media. 

The below article from today's French-language newspaper, Actu Niger, is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.actuniger.com/societe/19372-officiel-le-general-a-tchiani-designe-president-du-cnsp-la-junte-militaire-qui-a-renverse-bazoum.html

Official: General A. Tchiani appointed president of CNSP, the military junta that overthrew Bazoum

Friday 28 Jul;y 2023 at 12:12

Three days after announcing the dismissal of President Bazoum Mohamed, the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP) appointed General Abdourahmane Tchiani, Friday July 28, 2023 as chief of the military junta now in command of Niger. Until then the head of the presidential guard, a post he occupied since 2011, the new strongman of the country right away addressed the nation in a message to explain the reasons the defense and security forces (FDS) again intervened in the political scene of the country in putting an end to the normal democratic process and infringed on the constitutional order.

In the message to the nation that he addressed Friday around noon (Niamey time), the head of the junta recounted the principal reasons that motivated the defense and security forces (FDS) to "assume their responsibilities". It was about, as had been previously announced by the spokesperson of the CNSP during the declaration of the seizure of power on Wednesday, 26 July, "the degradation of the security situation" as well as "the poor political, economical, and social governance."

It is particularly the management of security that pushed the junta to take power, and according to the explanations of General Abdourahmane on this question, called into question 'the political discourse" of the government that denied, according to him, "the hard reality with its share of deaths, displacements, humiliation, and frustration," and this, he added, in spite the calls for order from the military heads. The former head of the presidential guard, among other things, denounced certain decisions taken by the former regime, notably, "the freeing of armed terrorist leaders' as well as "the absence of coordination" with Mali and Burkina, neighboring countries of Niger, which, according to him, face the same security threats. 

According to the president of the CNSP, "the current security approach did not allow the securing of the country in spite of heavy sacrifices by Nigeriennes and the appreciable support of our exterior partners." And for General Abdourahmane, it is out of the question, "to continue with the same approach, the same actors, and the same results."

In his speech, the new strongman of the country reaffirmed the will of the CNSP, "'to respect all its international commitments".  In addition, he continued, "The council, through my voice, asks of  partners and friends of Niger, in this crucial stage in the life of our country, to trust our defense and security forces, guarantors of national unity, the territorial integrity and the greater interests of our nation."

It must be noted that before this initial speech by the now chief of state of Niger, the members of the junta gathered and posed for the first official photo in which we recognize well-known figures notably,  Division General Salifou Modi, ex-chief of the army, or the very well known Colonel-Major Djibrilla Himadou, current president of the Nigerienne Football Federation (FENIFOOT). These two superior officers of the Nigerienne army took part in previous coups in 2010 (CSRD by General Salou Djibo), 1999 (CRN by Commandant Mallam Wanke), as well as that of 1996 (CSN by Genral Ibrahim Bare Mainassara).

Sweden: Sweden Democrat Politician Stands His Ground

Earlier today, we reported on the remarks by Sweden Democrat politician, Richard Jomshof, which were critical of Muslim countries, and the Prophet of Islam, Muhammed, as well. In the below interview with Riks (news outlet), Jomshof refuses to back down. The article below in Samtiden is translated by Fousesquawk.

Both Samtiden and Riks are news outlets created by the Sweden Democrats.

 https://samtiden.nu/2023/07/richard-jomshof-vi-ska-inte-backa/

Richard Jomshof: "We will not turn back"

Editorial staff  July 27, 2023

"This is a dangerous situation we find ourselves in. But in this situation, we will not remain silent, rather we will continue to stand up for what we believe." So says Richard Jomshof in a longer interview after Social Democrats' criticism against him for defending Swedish values in a crisis situation.

Threats against Sweden have increased. Islamists see Sweden as a priority target for terrorism. In this situation, Social Democrat leaders Morgan Johansson and Magdalena Andersson believe it was wrong for the chairman of the Justice Commission, Richard Jomshof, to defend Swedish values and condemn dictators.

Riks interviewed Richard Jomshof Thursday afternoon where he stood his ground.

"I don't think I expressed myself especially hard. I am quite correct. But there are always people who think that it has a polarizing effect when someone points out something that is seen as sensitive just now. But I don't agree. We have to be open and honest on what we think and where we stand," Jomshof answers accusations that it is wrong from a security/political perspective to direct criticism against Islam just now.

Dialogue gladly, but then let's talk about oppression in Muslim countries

"Here we have high-ranking Muslim representatives whose objective is to limit freedom of expression and democracy. And that is what I react to. I have no problem with dialogue, but instead of talking about how we should limit our democracy, we should talk about and (criticize) the Muslim world. There is a number of Muslim countries where people are oppressed and imprisoned because they have a certain sexual orientation or political point of view. Where women are of lesser value. That is what we should talk about instead."

"We will not turn back. On the contrary,.We should stand up for what we believe," says Jomshof. 

"In this kind of situation, we must stiffen our backs and stand up for our society."

Talk about what (kind of) country Sweden is

What should we do about upset feelings?

"We should try to explain, whether successfully or not, what Sweden is as a country. I would like to  claim that that is how it is done in Denmark and France.

"President Macron has been very clear against Islamists and rejected the concept of Islamophobia. And Denmark did not bow during the outrage against the Muhammed caricatures."

"I missed this clarity in Sweden," says Richard Jomshof.

See the entire interview in Riks.

amhälle.

Sweden: The Koran Crisis Gets Worse

Today, Sweden's Koran crisis went from bad to worse. A politician from the conservative Sweden Democrats party, Richard Jomshof, tweeted some uncomplimentary things about Islam's prophet, Muhammed. This has led to calls for his resignation from leaders of the Social Democrat party.

Meanwhile, the Swedish Security Police (Säpo) warns that the terror threat against the country is rising.

The below article from today's SVT (Swedish State TV) is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.svt.se/nyheter/reaktioner-pa-koranbranningar?inlagg=26769cb734a51433afde1c65409a73e0

Social Democrats demand Jomshof's (Sweden Democrats) resignation

Social Democrats are demanding Sweden Democrat Richard Jomshof's' resignation as chairman of the Justice Committee

He "goes into direct polemic with the Muslim world," writes party leader Magdalena Andersson on Instagram.

The demand comes after a tweet that was posted Thursday morning where Jomshof tweeted about the Prophet Muhammed. He commented that the Muslim representatives want to see a broader dialogue due to the Koran crisis.

"I agree that we need a 'wider dialogue', a dialogue on how we democratize the Muslim world. Or why not a dialogue on Islam, this anti-democratic, violent, and misogynistic religion/ideology, founded by warlord, mass murderer, slave trader, and robber Muhammed?" he writes.

"We see that Richard Jomshof, as late as this morning, continues to send out hate propaganda against Islam. You cannot do that in this situation, then it becomes a security risk in the position that he has," says Social Democrats' foreign affairs spokesman, Morgan Johansson (S) to SVT (Swedish State TV).

He continues:

"This is so reckless that he cannot continue to serve after this. This hurts Sweden," he says.

Judge (Rightfully) Rejects Hunter Biden Plea Deal

 Stunning development today in Delaware, where a US District Court judge rejected the proposed plea deal for Hunter Biden. Those of us who described it as a sweetheart deal have been vindicated.

I cannot comment on all the particulars, but as a former DEA agent, I could see where some of the problems lie. What came out of today's hearing was that neither the prosecutors nor defense attorneys had done their homework. This was basically a sloppy arrangement. To be precise, there were disagreements on the terms of the deal. That itself is stunning since these things are supposed to be worked out in detail and in writing before being brought to a judge for the plea to take place.

Under questioning by the judge, Maryellen Noreika, it came out that there was no agreement on the possibility of any future charges against Hunter Biden, for example, the Foreign Agent Registration Act. The prosecutors told the judge that there was, indeed, the possibility of future charges. I myself am skeptical, but that would enable the government to continue refusing to comment on "matters under investigation". The defense, however, is looking to close the book on everything Biden was being investigated for. Was there a wink wink, nod nod between the two sides on this question that the government did not want to put into writing? I don't know.

In addition, FOX's Griff Jenkins reported today from outside the courthouse that the judge asked both sides if they could provide any precedence for the type of deal they were trying to make in court, any constitutional precedent. Neither side reportedly could answer. Does that not buttress the claim that Biden was being given a sweetheart deal because he is the son of the President?

Another conclusion we can draw from the judge's action today is that this rejection might not have happened had it not been for the recent testimony of the whistleblowers from the IRS and the FBI. Recent disclosures make it clear that this is a very serious matter-a conspiracy, in effect, which apparently reaches above Hunter Biden. It appears that President Biden's previous denials of any involvement-even conversations with his son and his business- are simply not true. The recently disclosed FBI report in which a very trusted source told of a meeting in Kiev with the CEO of Burisma and being told that he (the CEO) had tape-recorded phone calls and texts with both Joe and Hunter Biden relative to getting the Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating Burisma fired. Of course, if those records exist, they would be crucial to confirm the informant's claim.

And there is more to come. On Monday, Devon Archer, Hunter Biden's former business partner and former co-member of the Burisma Board of Directors, is scheduled to come and testify to Congress. He is expected to tell Congress that Joe Biden was present during various business meetings with his son and was, in effect, involved in using his position as vice president at the time to help his son. Hopefully, there will be a lot of corroboration for whatever he says.

It's way too soon to take a victory lap, but kudos to Judge Noreika and kudos to the aforementioned whistleblowers. Shame on those in the media and in government that insisted that the Hunter Biden laptop was "Russian disinformation". Shame on those who blasted the whistleblowers. And shame on those Democrats in Congress who impeached President Trump simply for asking the president of Ukraine to look into this whole sordid mess.

And a note to the mainstream media. Get off your duffs; there is big news out there to report.

Belgium: 2016 Terror Attack Trial Reaches Verdicts

The 7-month trial in Brussels of ten Muslims accused of the terrorist attacks in Brussels in 2016 has ended in a verdict. The two main defendants, Salah Abdeslam and Mohamed Abrini, were convicted of the most serious charges of murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context and are facing life imprisonment. All of the other defendants were also convicted of various charges with the exception of two brothers, who were acquitted. Most of these defendants were also involved in the 2015 terror attacks in Paris. 

The below article from the Dutch-language daily (Belgium), HLN, is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.hln.be/binnenland/overzicht-na-zeven-maanden-is-verdict-terreurproces-eindelijk-bekend-wie-is-schuldig-bevonden-en-wie-niet~aed5a25a/

Overview: After 7 months the verdict in the terror trial is finally known: Who is guilty and who is not?

On Tuesday, the verdict in the trial of the terror attacks has finally come down. The ten suspects, including Salah Abdeslam and Mohamed Abrini, stood trial for the attacks on the Zaventam (Brussels) Airport and the metro in Maalbeek (Brussels) on 22 March 2016. But who, precisely, has now been found guilty, and who has not? An overview. 

July 25, 2023 at 21:20. Last update 00:16

Caption: Terrorists, Salah Abdeslam, Osama Krayem, and Mohamed Abrini

(Above video)

Watch: Six of ten suspects, including Abdeslam and Abrini, found guilty of terrorist murder 

1. Salah Abdeslam

Abdeslam is found guilty as co-perpetrator in murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context. He is also found guilty of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization. The Special Criminal Court in Paris has already sentenced him to life imprisonment for the 13 November 2015 attacks. He is also sentenced to imprisonment of 20 years for the shooting on the Dreesstaat (street) in Vorst. Now he is facing another term of life imprisonment.

2. Mohamed Abrini

Abrini, also known as "the man with the hood," is found guilty of murder, attempted murder in a terrorist context, and participating in the activities of a terror group. Abrini is facing life imprisonment. He also received a life sentence in the trial for the attacks in Paris.

3. Osama Krayem

The criminal court also found Osama Krayem guilty of murder, attempted murder in a terrorist context, and participating in the activities of a terrorist group. He is also facing life imprisonment. In the trial of the attacks in Paris, he was sentenced to 30 years.

4. Ali El Haddad Asufi

El Haddad  Asufi is found guilty of murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context.  The court also convicted him for participating in the activities of a terror group. He is facing life imprisonment. In 2018, he was placed under electronic monitoring, but that decision was never implemented, and in 2019, he was extradited to France. For the Paris attacks, he was sentenced to 10 years.

5. Oussama Atar

Atar, who stood trial in absentia, is found guilty of murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context. He is also convicted as a leader of a terrorist group. Atar is facing life imprisonment in absentia. For the attacks in Paris, he is also sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment.

6. Bilal El Makhoukhi

El Makhoukhi is convicted as a co-perpetrator of murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context. The court also found him guilty of participating in the activities of a terror group. He is facing life in prison. 

7. Sofian Ayari

Sofien Ayari is acquitted of murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context. The court found him guilty of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization. Ayari is facing 10 years imprisonment. For the attacks in Paris, he received a sentence of 30 years, of which he must serve at least two-thirds. Ayari also received 20 years for the shooting in Voorst.

8. Herve Bayingana Muhirwa

Bayingana is only found guilty of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization. He is thus, acquitted of murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context. Bayingana Muhirwa is facing a maximum 10 years in prison.

9. Smail Farisi

Smail Farisi is acquitted of murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context, as well as participating in the activities of a terrorist organization.

10. Ibrahim Farisi

Ibrahim Farisi, the brother of Smail, who only stood trial for participating in a terrorist organization, is acquitted. 

American Anthropological Association Votes to Endorse BDS

Hat tip Algemeiner

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) continues to demonstrate that when it comes to academia in the US, Israel (and Jews in general) have few friends. The association has voted to endorse the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement against the Jewish state (BDS). How this advances scholarly inquiry is beyond me since BDS also includes an academic boycott of Israeli universities and their faculties. This "endorsement" takes its place with other infamous endorsements, such as Dylan Mulvaney's endorsement of Bud Light-two questionable endorsers, two lousy products.

 https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/07/24/a-dark-day-for-higher-education-american-anthropological-association-endorses-bds-after-referndum/

I would also add that the AAA is clearly oblivious to the explosion in anti-Semitism that BDS has helped to create on college campuses against Jewish students. They could care less because they prefer to stand in solidarity with the woke crowd who have linked arms with the pro-Palestinian activists who have intimidated countless campuses in America. Thus, they also stand in solidarity with the terrorists of Hamas while ignoring the countless acts of bullying, intimidation, and disruption of Jewish students, their events, and invited speakers.

It is further evidence that education in our universities has given way to indoctrination.

Italy: Milan's Foreign Crime Wave Continues Unabated

Milan

In Milan, Italy's second-largest city, the immigrant crime wave continues. I lived in the city from 1982-1987, and while it always had its rough edges, it was never what it is now.

In the latest incident, two Egyptian males, ages 17 and 18, are in custody after allegedly groping a young girl at one of the city's metro stops. A third suspect is on the run.

The below article from today's Il Giornale, is translated by Fousesquawk.

https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronaca-locale/palpeggiata-metro-milano-arrestati-due-egiziani-2186524.html

Hell on the Milan metro: "Herd"  blocks (Metro), then the gropings. Two Egyptians in handcuffs

24 July 2023-14:29

Two Egyptians have been arrested for the groping of a girl on the Milan metro Sunday night: One is a minor.

By Francesca Galici

To understand what is the security situation in Milan, you just have to take a walk on the streets and realize the degradation into which the city administered by Beppe Sala has fallen. You can consider yourself lucky if you don't fall victim to a violent incident or a robbery, and if you are a woman, you can consider yourself lucky if you return home not being subjected to sexual harassment or even rapes. This is what Milan has become, whether day or night, not only in the peripheral zones but also in the city center.  At this point, to define it as an urban jungle is an understatement in how it has been transformed in recent years, also due to indiscriminate immigration, which has compromised the social fabric of the city. The latest incident relative to sexual crime occurred a few hours ago and has as its protagonist a young girl sexually harassed by two Egyptians at the entrance to the Dergano metro stop. 

The events occurred Sunday, 23 July, around 23:30. The victim, born 2002, was with a girlfriend and was approached by three foreigners, who groped her. Two of these, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old, both Egyptians, were arrested by the police. The minor was taken to Beccaria (youth detention facility), and the other to San Vittore (prison). For them, the charge is violent group sexual violence. The three fled on foot immediately after (the assault), and while two were tracked down, also thanks to the alarm issued by the victim, the third managed, for the moment, to get away.

Intervening were the agents of the Comasina police station, who, at that moment, were patrolling in that area and rushed to the scene after the alarm, putting themselves immediately on the trail of the three men. The arrest was possible in very quick time also thanks to the accurate description furnished by the two girls, who, in those moments of such excitement, managed to gather details and particulars useful for the search. 

This case is added to all the other reports during the first 7 months of the year, but it is estimated that they are only a portion, probably about half, with respect to those that actually occurred. The majority of women, in fact, tend not to report the violence, much less the sexual harassment suffered; therefore, to have a precise estimate is not possible, but the numbers represent an emergency that is now undeniable, even if all too often, we tend to underestimate it. 

Job Vacancies at Stanford

Hat tip The College Fix

Once upon a time, Stanford University was considered one of our elite academic institutions. In recent years, however, the university has suffered a number of embarrassing black eyes.  On this site, we have written often about Professor David Palumbo-Liu and his crusade to get the genuinely prestigious Hoover Institution booted off campus. That is because...well,   the Hoover Institution is conservative. Can't have that. When not crusading against the Hoover Institution, Palumbo-Liu is on the anti-Israel circuit.

More recently, however, Stanford was embarrassed when a conservative federal judge came to speak and he was disrupted by Stanford's little rascals, er students. The Stanford Law School DEI ( that's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, for all you UC Santa Cruz Community Studies and History of Consciousness majors) associate dean, Tirien Steinbach, embarrassed herself and Stanford by dressing down the speaker and, in effect, egging on the disrupters.

Steinbach

Now, we finally learn that Steinbach is no longer employed at Stanford. She is "leaving her post for another opportunity".

So that's one job that is now open at Stanford. If DEI is not your thing, however, you can aim higher. That's because the president of Stanford, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, is resigning after some flaws were found in his past research.

Oh, I forgot: No previous experience necessary.

A Final Warning for France?

Hat tip Resistance Republicaine and Le Dialogue (France). Translation by Fousesquawk.

I am cross-posting an article by Driss Ghali, a French citizen of Moroccan and Muslim origin.  In the wake of the horrific riots in France earlier this month, Ghali writes that assimilation has failed and France faces some difficult decisions for the very future of its country and civilization. The article initially appeared in Le Dialogue, and was cross-posted by Resistance Republicaine, which regularly features contributions from Ghali.

 https://resistancerepublicaine.com/2023/07/23/emeutes-en-france-cest-le-dernier-avertissement/

Riots in France: It's the last warning

23 July 2023   Christine Tasin

Caption: French anti-riot police stand guard next to a trash can set on fire during a protest against police in Marseille in the south of France, on July 1, 2023, after a 4th consecutive night of riots in France following the killing of an adolescent by police. The French police have arrested 1,311 persons throughout the country over the course of 4 consecutive nights of riots after the killing of an adolescent by police, the Interior Ministry announced on July 1, 2023. Violence surrounding the death of Nahel, 17, killed during a routine check in a Parisian suburb on 27 June 2023. Photo: Clement Mahoudeau/AFP.

Below is a new contribution from Driss Ghali, whom we regularly re-post in our columns. Born in Morocco to Muslim parents, he regularly denounces the Western naivete to Islam, whether by Americans or French. 

https://resistancerepublicaine.com/2021/07/03/driss-ghali-laffrontement-se-rapproche-dheure-en-heure/

https://resistancerepublicaine.com/2023/03/26/driss-ghali-un-musulman-marocain-lurgence-cest-de-sauver-la-france/

Driss Ghali

The urban riots following the death of the young Nahel probably constitute the last warning before the rupture of civil peace in France. A rupture that can take the form of civil war or an outright and clear separation between the territories in the hands of France and others under the influence of communities of foreign origin. 

Police stations and Gendarme barracks attacked, city halls set on fire, the particular residence of a mayor attacked in the middle of the night, so many insurrectionist acts, for which only a leader, an organization, and a manifest are missing.

The thugs who terrorized France for a week have no leader nor organization. But they have a claim, in the absence of a manifest on glossy paper: They cry their hate for France. They attack its symbols with a relentlessness that underlines their primary motivation: To say to France that they are not French and they will never become French.

If there is a single lesson to be learned from the traumatic episode that just happened is that assimilation has not worked. The overturned vehicles and the broken windows cry out the absolute failure of a "Republican dream", that consisted of making millions of Arabs and Africans into French in one or two generations. As if by "spontaneous generation".

This failure is a narcissistic wound for France on two levels. She is no longer seductive or seductive enough to convert foreigners to her civilization. She is no longer able to understand human nature because she has seen in immigrants bodies and not souls. The bodies can be subjected to work or even seduced by social benefits, but the soul, she doesn't want to hear about symbols and spirituality. France today is unfortunately a land devasted on the symbolic and spiritual level: the factories of symbols that were the churches are deserted, and nobody believes in anything anymore.

In addition, the soul of the immigrants, even those living in France for 40 years, is moving away from France. It is seeking its nourishment somewhere else, and this somewhere else is often the Meghreb, in Africa, and a little bit in the US. Thus, it is sufficient to open your eyes when you traverse Paris to see it, the number of immigrants and children of immigrants who take refuge in Islamic clothes, at the same time, mixed with Nike tennis shoes and Airpods that (promote) Beyonce. Islam and America, two powerful rejections of French civilization. 

Has the political class understood the message?

The recent declarations by members of the government and by the president himself indicate not. The opposition from the so-called patriotic right questions immigration and judicial laxness. The extreme left opposition still evokes poverty and inequality.

Of course, we must stop mass immigration. Of course, we must take strong measures against the thugs. But that will not suffice. We must prepare to live with a population that does not want and cannot assimilate. The Republic is broken, it has on each side two peoples: the French people and the immigrant people. Within the French people, we find a number of assimilated immigrants. But within the foreign people, we also find some native-born French assimilated in this ort that diaspora.

No one wants to admit it, but we do not govern two different peoples as we govern a sole and unique homogenous people, sure of its total possession of its territory.

An empire is different from a republic.

A new political era begins as the new France emerges.

Sooner or later, the principle of equality will snap because it is impossible to decree that a foreigner is equal to a French citizen. But France accepts hundreds of thousands of foreigners, their customs, their values, and French passports.

It is essential that the French people maintain supremacy, and that demands a total re-do of the social pact.

A number of painful changes will be necessary. They will end up by liquidating the Republic as it was forged in 1789.

It is well understood that the political class will not budge. The changes will take place under the effect of urgency and catastrophe.

https://www.ledialogue.fr/636/%C3%89meutes-en-France-C-est-le-dernier-avertissement

Are the Walls Closing in on Joe Biden?

  This article first appeared in New English Review.

(L-R) IRS agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler

History may record that the Republicans taking back the House of Representatives in 2022 was a landmark event in bringing about the downfall of Joe Biden. At the risk of getting ahead of myself here, the House hearings into the Biden family misdeeds seem to be bearing fruit. At appears about half a dozen FBI and IRS whistle-blowers have come forward to tell House Republicans how their investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings with China, Ukraine, and other questionable entities, coupled with his tax problems, was thwarted by the Justice Department under Attorney General Merrick Garland.

IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler have now publicly testified under oath that their investigation into Hunter Biden was obstructed by DOJ. They claim that the US Attorney for Delaware, David Weiss, told them that he was not given permission by DOJ to fully investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings. Garland has denied this allegation to Congress. In a letter to the House, Weiss basically supported Garland’s claim. This is a matter that needs to be clarified fully and in detail because somebody is lying to Congress here. As everyone knows, Hunter Biden has been allowed to plead to a sweetheart deal that fails to serve the cause of justice given the huge amounts of money he has reportedly failed to pay taxes on.

In addition, after much wrangling, Congress has finally obtained a copy of an official FBI report (FD-1023) that outlined allegations made by a confidential informant, whom they have described as highly trustworthy, one who has had a long association with the Bureau as a source of information. This informant told agents that he or she had met with Mykola Zlochevsky, the head of the Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, in Kiev and was told by him that he had 17 tape-recorded conversations with Joe (2) and Hunter Biden (15), as well as text exchanges discussing payments to the Biden family in exchange with then-Vice President Biden’s (successful) efforts to get the Ukrainian prosecutor fired who was investigating Burisma. This occurred while Hunter Biden was serving on Burisma’s Board of Directors. According to what the source heard from Zlochevsky, ten million dollars was paid to Joe and Hunter Biden, evenly divided. Others were reportedly at this meeting including Oleksandr Ostapenko, who reportedly traveled to Ukraine with the informant. If true, it would mean that Joe Biden had another reason to get the prosecutor fired aside from protecting his son-cold hard cash.

At this point, I should point out that this is an allegation made by the confidential informant. It may be argued that it could all turn out to be another Steele Dossier, which contained unverified and false allegations against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. What is needed here is corroboration by Zlochevsky (and any others present) backed up by his producing and authenticating the recorded telephone conversations and texts. In addition, the payments need to be documented as well. I would assume that the appropriate travel documents for the source and Ostapenko are readily available for purposes of partial corroboration.

I have no idea whether Zlochevsky or the others present would be inclined to furnish this evidence and testimony, and given the huge military support we are giving Ukraine, I would not discount the possibility of international big-power politics getting involved here.

The task at hand for the House Republicans (because DOJ and the FBI cannot be trusted to follow this trail) is to corroborate what is alleged by the FBI informant through direct evidence-both testimony and documents- and to reconcile the contradiction between what the whistleblowers are telling Congress vs what Congress is being told by Garland and Weiss regarding alleged obstruction. If all that can be accomplished, the House Republicans can at least send a very strong referral for indictment to DOJ, not to mention a move toward impeachment. Of course, the difficulty of charging a sitting president also comes into play, added to the fact that DOJ has allowed the statute of limitations to pass on many of these alleged crimes, seemingly by slow-walking the whole investigative process.

Compared to the treatment of former President Donald Trump, it does not speak well for what was once the fairest system of justice in the world. 

Sweden's Government Seeks Forgiveness, Cooperation

Tobias Billström 

These are hard times for Sweden. A succession of Koran burnings and other forms of desecration by Danish-Swedish activist, Rasmus Paludan, and more recently, by an Iraqi immigrant named Salwan Momika have now led to Sweden's embassy in Baghdad being stormed and burned this week. Iraq has broken diplomatic relations and wants Momika extradited to Iraq. 

While Turkey has finally agreed to allow Sweden to join NATO, they are now seeking the arrest and extradition of Paludan. 

So now the craven Swedish government of Ulf Kristersson is trying to make amends with the Islamic world. Foreign Minister Tobias Billström has invited the head of the 57-nation Organization for Islamic Cooperation (ICO) to Sweden to discuss the "fight against Islamophobia".  Billström tells the ICO that Muslim immigrants have "enriched" Sweden, a questionable proposition given the number of riots, rapes, murders, bombings, anti-Semitic attacks, and violent gangs that have characterized much of Islamic migration to Sweden in recent years. Thousands of Swedish Jews have left the country to escape the "enrichment".

"Enrichment"

The ICO (incorrectly identified in the below Swedish article as the Organization of Islamic Conference -IKO, its former name,) is the largest voting block in the UN and for years has demanded that the UN force its member states to outlaw criticism of Islam. Don't let the phrase "hate against religions" fool you. The ICO could care less about hate against Jews, Christians, and other religions because Muslim-majority countries routinely discriminate-if not persecute- minority religions.

The below article from the conservative Swedish blog, Nyheter Idag, is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://nyheteridag.se/billstrom-bjuder-in-muslimsk-organisation-till-mote-om-islamofobi/

Billström invites Muslim organization to meet on Islamophobia

In an invitation to the general secretary of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, which is demanding that laws against "the promotion of religious hate"  be internationally instituted, Foreign Minister Tobias Billström writes that Muslim immigrants  "have enriched Sweden.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (IKO) is made up of 57 Muslim countries and has earlier demanded international legislation against "the promotion of religious hate" due to the high-profile Koran burnings in Sweden.

"We must send sincere reminders to the international community regarding the urgent introduction of an international law, which clearly forbids the promotion of religious hate," (IKO's General Secretary, Hissein Brahim Taha says.

ICO was also one of the initiators of the meeting with the UN Human Rights Commission which condemned Koran burnings and urged legislation against religious hate.

Now Foreign Minister Tobias Billström has invited ICO's general secretary to a meeting on "the fight against Islamophobia", Svenska Dagbladet reports.

"I believe that a visit from Your Excellency to Sweden would be able to strengthen dialogue between Sweden and ICO,  and I would welcome the possibility to deepen our exchange in important current questions, including the fight against Islamophobia and all other forms of intolerance," writes the foreign minister in his invitation, where he also claims that Sweden has been "enriched " by the large migration from Muslim lands.

"For several years, Sweden has welcomed a large group of Muslims from many different countries, a group that enriches our country," writes Billström

Meanwhile, there was a different sound in the bark from Billström when he was migration minister in the Reinfeldt government in February 2013. Then  Billström wanted immigration to Sweden to decrease-which led to criticism from Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

"That cannot be the starting point. Immigration enriches Sweden. It is a very important value that people can come to Sweden, and it means a lot for Sweden's development," Reinfeldt said, according to SVT (Swedish State TV). 

Britain Arrests Anjem Choudary Again for Terrorism

Anjem Choudary

-India Narrative

"Heigh ho, heigh ho, 

It's back to jail I go"

British radical Muslim preacher, Anjem Choudary, who was previously convicted of supporting terrorists and incarcerated, has been arrested again on terrorist charges. Choudary was arrested at his home in England, and a second man, a Canadian, was arrested as he arrived at London's Heathrow airport a few hours later on a flight from Canada.

 https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/british-police-arrest-islamist-cleric-anjem-choudary-over-terror-charges-147912.html/

Swedish Embassy in Baghdad Stormed and Burned

Göteborgs Posten

On Wednesday night-Thursday morning, the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, Iraq was stormed and burned by hundreds of rioters. All diplomatic personnel are safe. The incident comes as a reaction to the granting of a demonstration in Stockholm in which a Koran was to be burned in front of the Iraqi embassy on Thursday. The Swedish ambassador in Baghdad has been ordered to leave the country, and Iraq has recalled its highest-ranking diplomat, the chargé d'affairs, from Sweden.

Expressen

Nyheter Idag has posted a video which can be accessed here.

The below article from today's Göteborgs Posten is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.gp.se/nyheter/v%C3%A4rlden/svenska-ambassaden-i-irak-stormad-1.105243278

Caption: Hundreds of people stormed and started a fire at the Swedish embassy in Iraq's capital city of Baghdad on Wednesday night-Thursday morning. Police used electric batons and water cannons to try and disperse the crowd.

Swedish embassy in Iraq stormed

World: Hundreds of people stormed and started a fire at the Swedish embassy in Iraq's capital city of Baghdad on Wednesday night-Thursday morning. Police used electric batons and water cannons to try and disperse the crowd.

Embassy personnel are safe, the Foreign Affairs Department reports to TT (News).

TT

 

TEXT: Sanna Puoskari

 

TEXT: Teo Kristjansson

 

TEXT: Ebba Bergström

02:14 - 20 july, 2023

During the night, reports came in that several hundred persons stormed the embassy, something Reuters was first to report on.

At 3 am, Agence France Presse's journalist, who was at the scene, reported that security forces had been called in. The forces reportedly used electric batons and water cannons to try and disperse the crowd.

Svenska Dagbladet

The Swedish Foreign Affairs Department writes in an email to TT (Swedish press) that they are informed of the situation and that personnel at the embassy are safe. The Foreign Affairs Department reportedly has ongoing contact with the personnel. 

"We condemn all attacks on diplomats from internal organizations. Attacks against embassies and diplomats constitute a serious crime against the Vienna Convention. Iraqi authorities bear the responsibility of protecting diplomatic missions and diplomatic personnel," the Foreign Affairs Department press service writes.

According to information received by TT (Swedish press), large portions of the embassy area have been destroyed in the fire that was started in the embassy.

According to Reuters, the demonstrations were carried out by supporters of the Shia Muslim politician and militia leader, Muqtada al-Sadr. On images from the storming, placards are seen with pictures of Muqtada al-Sadr.

His supporters have reportedly also been behind several occupations of the Iraqi parliament during last summer.

Iraq's government condemns

Incidents condemned by Iraqi Foreign Ministry

"The Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the incident in which Sweden's embassy in Baghdad was set on fire," they say in a statement.

They also state that they will "carry out an emergency investigation and take the necessary security measures to expose the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify the perpetrators."

At the same time, Reuters is reporting that Iraq is threatening to withdraw diplomatic relations with Sweden if the Koran is burned again.

During the morning, Iraqi security forces entered the embassy and firemen reportedly struggled to extinguish the fire started by the demonstrators.

Most of the demonstrators had left the embassy during the morning, but some persons were still outside. According to Reuters, demonstrators reportedly threw stones at the security forces who were trying to disperse the crowd.

On the embassy website, they write that the embassy is closed to visitors till further notice. They write that it is "due to the demonstrations at Sweden's embassy on Thursday, 29 June, Friday, 30 June, and Thursday, 20 July."

Koran burning in Stockholm

The information on the storming comes after the Swedish police granted permission for a public gathering where a person intends to burn a Koran outside Iraq's embassy in Stockholm on Thursday.

In connection with the demonstration, comes the announcement that Iraq is breaking diplomatic contacts with Sweden. The country has ordered Sweden's ambassador to leave Iraq and is calling home its highest diplomat in Sweden, its chargé d'affairs.

According to Reuters, the violence at the embassy was reportedly preceded by supporters of the influential Shia preacher, Muqtada al-Sadr, urging protests via a Telegram-channel.

It was most recently on June 29 this year that the embassy was stormed, and personnel had to flee the building and find safety. Muqtada al-Sadr reportedly also urged his followers to go out and protest against a Koran burning in Stockholm.