Today, a Coptic Christian church in the Egyptian town of Giza burned during Sunday services. At this point, at least 41 are dead. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but authorities have stated they believe it was a faulty air conditioning unit.
Coptic Christians in Egypt are a badly persecuted group, so the follow-up to this tragedy bears following.
The below report is from Coptic Solidarity.
This article first appeared in New English Review.
Though officially, investigators are still searching for a motive in yesterday's attack on Salman Rushdie, it is all but obvious that Hadi Matar, who is reportedly a Shiite Muslim, was acting out of religious reasons (or perhaps just wanted to collect the $3 million bounty placed on Rushdie's head over 30 years ago by the despicable Ayatollah Khomeini for his book, "The Satanic Verses", which criticized Islam). This attack should serve as a reminder (apparently, some people still need reminders) about the nature of Political Islam. Apostasy and blasphemy of Islam are punishable by death.
That should tell you all you need to know.
Keep in mind we are still dealing with the fallout in the arrest this week of a Sunni Muslim man in New Mexico named Muhammad Syed, charged in the shooting deaths of two Shiite Muslims. He is also the principal suspect in the deaths of two other Shitte Muslim men. Prior to his arrest, everybody from President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the media were wringing their hands over what they thought was a case of Islamophobic hate crimes. Now that it appears to be Sunni vs Shiite hate, they don't really know what to say. Hate? Sunni and Shiites have hated each other ever since the death of the Prophet Mohammad.
The Rushdie case should also serve as a reminder about the nature of the Iranian government given the reactions coming out of Iran. The American media has up to now only reported that the governmental statements out of Teheran only condemn Rushdie without commenting on the attempt on his life. International media outlets seem to have more reactions coming out of Iran, however. Reports that tell of jubilation in Iranian media.
That should tell you all you need to know about Iran.
It should also remind President Biden that it isn't such a great idea to try and re-start nuclear negotiations with that outlaw country. Whether or not the coming days implicate the Iranian government and the mad mullahs in the attack on Rushdie remains to be seen. The point is that this is not a country to be trusted. Instead of releasing funds to them and turning a blind eye to their nuclear development, we and our allies should be turning the screws on this outlaw regime, the largest state sponsors of terrorism in the world. They are reportedly close to having a nuclear weapon and have repeatedly promised to wipe Israel off the map. These are religious fanatics we are dealing with here. Unlike the former Soviet Union, the mad mullahs don't care if they themselves are destroyed by nuclear weapons. It is all based on religion for them.
Unfortunately, our current leaders are not focused on curbing the Iranians. They are more focused on chasing down and destroying Donald Trump in the very name of national security. But that is a subject for a different essay.
The man who attacked Salman Rushdie yesterday with a knife has been identified by New York police as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, born in Los Angeles but currently residing in Fairview, New Jersey. Although they are not yet announcing a motive, it is pretty clear at this point that Matar was trying to fulfill the over-30-year-old fatwa issued against Rushdie by the late Ayatollah Khomeini after the publication of the book, "The Satanic Verses". Various sources are reporting that Matar is a Shiite supporter of the Iranian regime and Hezbollah.
US media has reported official statements coming out of Iran condemning Rushdie but without commenting on the crime itself. Meanwhile, however, reports coming from other countries contain additional information. The below two articles (segments) from Mexican and Spanish news outlets are translated by Fousesquawk.
The Mexican daily, Excelsior, is quoting the Iranian daily, Kayhan, as congratulating the attacker.
On Saturday, The principal ultraconservative daily in Iran, Kayhan, congratulated the man who stabbed the British writer of Indian origin, Salman Rushdie, author of "The Satanic Verses" in the United States, the work for which the Iranian religious leader, Khomeini, issued a fatwa condemning him to death in 1989.
"Congratulations to this brave and duty-conscious man who attacked the apostate and depraved Salman Rushdie in New York," declared the newspaper whose head is appointed by the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"We kiss the hands of he who cut the throat of the enemy of God with a knife," the article added.
Meanwhile, the Spanish daily, El Pais, is reporting the following.
Although New York authorities are declining to comment on the nationality and other information on the perpetrator, and, for the moment, about his motives, the expert on Islamism, Romain Calliet, stated on Twitter that Matar is of Lebanese origin and a follower of the pro-Iran, Shiite militia party, Hezbollah. In Iranian media, the news was received with jubilation. "A Lebanese hero," the website, Iran in Arabic called the attacker in a tweet that was later removed. From Beirut, a spokesman for Hezbollah stated Saturday that the group knew nothing about the attack. Caillot explained, nevertheless, that Matar was using a false driver's license issued in New Jersey in the name of Hassan Mughniyah. Imad Mughniyah was chief of security and one of the most important Hezbollah commanders, eliminated by Israel in Damascus in 2008.
A couple of hours ago in Western New York State, Salman Rushdie, author of the Satanic Verses, was stabbed in the neck by a lone attacker as he was being introduced to give a speech. Rushdie has been rushed to a hospital and his condition is unknown. The attacker is in custody and his identity has not yet been released by police. Jihad Watch, among others, has posted this Twitter image of a man who reportedly is the attacker in custody.
It seems relations between Egyptians and Algerians have taken a turn for the worse-at least in the greater Paris region. On Monday evening, as families were waiting for a tram at a tram stop, about 50 men, apparently of the above two nationalities, engaged in a pitched battle with iron bars and wooden boards studded with nails. This all occurred in the troubled "no-go" area of Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris inhabited mainly by immigrants from North Africa. It is considered a hotbed of jihadist activity.
The below article from Le Figaro is translated by Fousesquawk. There is a video of the battle but nothing that can be translated.
Saint-Denis: About 50 armed persons involved in a violent fight
By Steve Tenré
Posted three hours ago, updated 2 hours ago
Caption: The events played out very close to a tram stop.
The events played out very close to a tram stop. The attackers were armed with iron bars and boards with nails.
A scene of urban guerilla warfare. Several dozens of people fought each other during a violent fight that broke out at Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) Monday evening around 9 pm, Le Figaro has learned from police sources on Wednesday, August 10. The confrontation took place very close to the tramway stop at Saint-Denis, located on the TB line as families were waiting for their train.
According to our information, about 50 people were involved in the confrontation. Some sources called it a gang battle, "apparently between Egyptians and Algerians," without this being officially confirmed.
Armed with iron bars and boards with nails
The participants fought each other with iron bars and "long batons", some even being armed with boards with nails, we are told. Some images were disseminated on social media where we can see crowd movements and attackers chasing their adversaries.
Twitter insert: "Battle between Egyptians and Algerians in Saint-Denis. Everything is fine."
In view of these scenes of panic, a police team was deployed to put an end to the melee. One of the attackers, armed with a board with nails attached, was arrested after having struck the back of a man, we have learned. During his arrest, the individual resisted and struck a police officer.
No other arrest was made at the time to our knowledge, but investigations are in progress to find the perpetrators.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked point blank during a press conference Monday whether President Biden had been informed of the FBI raid on former president Trump's residence beforehand. She flatly stated that he had not been informed.
That statement defies belief. There is no way that the FBI is going to raid the home of a former president without the attorney general advising the sitting president in advance. The political sensitivity of such a move is simply too great. In fact, the DOJ has a special group of HQs people dedicated to dealing with "sensitive investigations".
If in fact, it was true that President Biden was not informed of what the FBI was about to do at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, it means that Biden is so removed from the day-to-day decision-making due to his cognitive decline that he is, in effect, no longer president. It would raise the question of who is actually running the country.
I am trying to keep an open mind as to the justification for the FBI's action as well as the DOJ under Merrick Garland. Yet, it also seems a stretch that the FBI/DOJ would take such an unprecedented step against a former president in order to enforce the demand of the National Archives for presidential documents. We have all seen the flashing red and blue lights at Mar-a-Lago. Are we to believe that this action was at the bequest of the National Archives?
That would lend credence to the theory that this was really a fishing expedition to find something that would incriminate Trump in the January 6 investigation.
The FBI is entitled to withhold sensitive, investigative information in any ongoing investigation. I do not fault them for refusing to allow Trump's attorneys to witness the search. But given the enormity of this action and the obvious public interest, I think it is now incumbent upon the attorney general and the FBI director, Christopher Wray (wherever he is) to hold some sort of press conference and tell the American people exactly why they carried out this unprecedented action. That doesn't mean they have to disclose every sensitive detail. But the public is entitled to know the reason why this action was taken. The nation is being even further divided over the events of Monday, and millions of people are fearing that we are drifting into a police state. If those fears are unfounded, the FBI and DOJ need to explain why their action was justified.
Today in Dallas County, Texas, Yaser Said was convicted for the 2008 killings of his two teenage daughters, Amina and Sarah Said, in a case of honor killing. Said was angry because his daughters wanted to date and live a more Western lifestyle. He denied the killings, but was a fugitive for several years after the girls were shot to death in his taxi. . He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Police in New Mexico have made an arrest and charged 51-year-old Muhammad Syed for the murders of two of the four Muslim men recently murdered in Albuquerque.
It is too soon to draw conclusions here, and for all we know, Syed may be subsequently cleared and released. We just don't know yet. That said, the police are certainly leaving the impression that they've got their man.
It is worth noting, however, that the public perception of these murders was that they were hate crimes perpetrated against Muslims by non-Muslims. President Biden and Vice President Harris have both made statements regarding the case, standing in solidarity with the Muslim community, and affirming that this kind of hate has no place in America. That's all fine. Had it turned out to follow that scenario, it is to be condemned, and we all want the killer(s) brought to justice. CAIR was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the killer(s).
Except now, it appears-and I underline appears- that the hate may be the 1400-year-old hate between Sunni and Shia Muslims. This division has its origins with the death of the Prophet Mohammed and who should be his successor. This divide has lasted 1400 years and has often been bloody with Sunnis and Shia Muslims committing acts of violence against each other and blowing up each others' mosques to the present day. Syed, it has been reported, is Sunni, and the deceased are all Shia. It appears from what has been released that this is suspected to be the motive.
The President and Vice President are right (in a sense) that this kind of hate has no place in America.
Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes for sub-titles. Translation by Fousesquawk.
As we reported yesterday, Giorgia Meloni of the Fratelli d'Italia party in Italy is calling for a naval blockade to stop the flow of migrants arriving from Africa.
Below is a clip of a previous TV interview on Sky Tv 24 with Francesco Borgonovo, of La Verita, an Italian news site. In this interview (which I believe occurred in December 2021), Borgonovo argues why a naval blockade is necessary. The clip was posted by Fratelli d'Italia.
It's too early to make a lot of comments about the FBI raid (search warrant) taking place at former President Trump's residence at Mar a Lago, Florida. There are simply too many unanswered questions.
I will make one statement at this time, however. The FBI better have something solid here, not just previous "leads" they had with the Steele Dossier. Because unless it is revealed that Trump truly broke the law in whatever it is they are searching for, this will be a serious stain on that agency.
It is obvious that there is a concerted effort to destroy Donald Trump even to the point of prosecuting him. The FBI has been a part of that effort going back to the 2016 election. The actions of people like Peter Strzok, Andrew McCabe, and others were simply a disgrace to federal law enforcement.
Fox News stated in one report today that it was FBI agents from Washington who carried out the raid and that the Miami field office was notified at the last moment. If that is accurate, it raises serious questions about what is going on in the FBI. We recall that the investigation against Trump's campaign in 2016 was carried out largely by Washington-based honchos, not field agents.
We will have to wait and see what comes out of this unprecedented raid on a former president. I am not saying a former president should be above the law, but this time more than ever, the FBI had better produce a solid case. If they can't, I don't think they will ever recover from this.
Giorgia Meloni, the head of the Fratelli d'Italia party (Brothers of Italy) and possibly soon to be the next head of the Italian government, has proposed a naval blockade of Italy to halt the flow of migrants coming in NGO ships across the Mediterranean, principally from Libya. That has stirred a lot of polemics.
Below is a statement on the Fratelli d'Italia website from Isabella Rauti, deputy vice president of the party's Senate group. The translation is by Fousesquawk.
Elections, Rauti: Naval Blockade is not an act of war, the EU proposed it in 2017
August 8, 2022 News
"The polemics of the past few days over the proposal from Giorgia Meloni for the introduction of a naval blockade to stop the flow of migrants is false and specious. In fact, we forget that it was the (European) Union itself that proposed it in 2017 with the clear intent to stop the arrivals from the coast of Libya. The naval blockade is not an act of war, rather the result of an agreement with coastal authorities from where the migrants come with the purpose of stopping the boats at departure, also a controlled management of the hotspots." (high Covid areas).
That is what the deputy vice president of the Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) Senate group,m Isabella Rauti stated during a Sky TV24 Start (broadcast).
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Fousesquawk comment: Meloni's proposal is another reason why I hope she becomes the country's next head of state. The traffic of human beings across the Mediterranean into Italy has become intolerable. Many of the migrants who originate in sub-Saharan Africa wind up being sold into slavery in Libya. Others simply drown in rickety boats. Meanwhile, Italy is stretched to the breaking point. They cannot accommodate all these people. They have no jobs for them, and crime is exploding in cities like Rome and Milan.
By any measure, this wave of illegal migration must be stopped.
Two Moroccans who reportedly returned from the war in Syria, where they reportedly were fighting for an al-Qaeda-related group, have been arrested in Austria and Spain respectively. The below article from the Austrian news site, Exxpress, is translated by Fousesquawk.
https://exxpress.at/terrorverdaechtiger-36-in-ooe-festgenommen-marokkaner-kam-ueber-die-balkanroute/
Terror susepct (36) arrested in Upper Austria: Moroccan came over the Balkan route
Double success in the fight against terror. Police were able to arrest a Moroccan terror suspect (36) in Upper Austria upon his return from Syria. One of his accomplices was also arrested in Barcelona.
A 36-year-old Moroccan terror suspect has been arrested in Upper Austria. A spokesperson for the Interior Ministery confirmed corresponding media reports on Saturday. The arrest was carried out when the Syria-returnee was trying to leave the federal territory on a train to Germany, (the spokesperson) stated. There was an EU-wide arrest warrant for the "foreign terrorist fighter" issued in Spain.
Second suspect arrested in Barcelona
The Moroccan, who was arrested in July 2022, has a residence in Spain and reportedly traveled to Syria in 2014 to join an al-Qaeda-associated group, the Interior Ministry stated Saturday. There was a 29-year-old Moroccan traveling with him, who had no outstanding arrest warrant at that time. Now the second suspect has been arrested near Barcelona, (the ministry) said. He reportedly traveled to Syria in 2015. Both men are under investigation for suspicion of participation in and support of terrorism.
Caption Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (Austria Peoples Party) is pleased with the success
"Fight against terror cannot rest"
"In the fight against international terror networks, close cooperation with our partners is essential. As the successful operation and both arrests again show, the State Security and Intelligence Service Directorate is in the best position and will continue to proceed against these criminals. Because the fight against terror cannot rest for one second. The police will carry on in the future with all consistency and severity," stated Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (Austria Peoples Party).
