Category Archives: Global Politics

Two countries had no idea they were in Saudi Arabia’s Muslim coalition to fight terrorism – Times of India

Despite being a long-term ally of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan has refrained from joining its military exploits, instead reaffirming its position of non-involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts. In November, army spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa stated: “We are not looking for any involvement outside our region.”Lebanon was also equally baffled country following the announcement, according to Lebanese media outlet Naharnet. The Prime Minister Tammam Salam reportedly welcomed the news, saying: “Lebanon is at the forefront of the confrontation with terrorism.”In contrast the foreign ministry was adamant they had no “memo or phone call mentioning this coalition.” They added they had :”No knowledge whatsoever of the issue of forming an Islamic anti-terror coalition.”The office also questioned whether the move encroached on their ‘constitutional jurisdiction on foreign affairs’.Indonesia was also said to be still deciding whether to join, while Malaysia ruled out any military intervention.

Source: Two countries had no idea they were in Saudi Arabia’s Muslim coalition to fight terrorism – Times of India

Polish government policies risk ′civil war,′ former leader Walesa says | News | DW.COM | 18.12.2015

Lech Walesa said he was beginning to feel “ashamed” of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party’s election win and added to his previous call that the new government uphold democracy’s division of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches.Since winning October’s election, the PiS, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is neither president nor prime minister, has attempted to install five judges of its own choosing to Poland’s 15-member constitutional court as it prepares to implement controversial societal reforms.The court has the power to veto new legislation.Will end badly, warns WalesaWalesa, who in the 1980s headed the Solidarity movement against then-Soviet rule, told Polish public television late Thursday that while changes were needed in Poland, the way in which PiS was proceeding did not amount to an “open and democratic” reform process.”If they don’t do it like that, I am warning them, it’s going to end in a civil war,” he said.On Wednesday, he had told private Radio Zet that the PiS’s political course would “lead to a lot of misfortune. It will end badly.”Democracy’s three-way division of power and system of checks and balances was “indispensible,” Walesa said.

Source: Polish government policies risk ′civil war,′ former leader Walesa says | News | DW.COM | 18.12.2015

Humans of New York

Bring Aya to the USA

“We’re process nerds. People don’t realize how important it is for refugee applicants to get every single detail right. One misstep can lead to dire results. We think Aya is in a very vulnerable situation right now, so we’re going to get her appeal filed as quickly as possible. Luckily Betsy and I like to think we are the fastest people in the world at filing these types of appeals. Unfortunately, Aya’s case is not uncommon. These refugee rejections can be based on extremely tangential circumstances. We’ve had clients get turned away because of a crime committed by a distant relative that they’ve never even met. One client’s case was put on indefinite hold because of his connection to a childhood neighbor that he hadn’t spoken to in twenty years. Bureaucratic decisions like these can exclude deserving refugees and leave them at risk of further harm. International Refugee Assistance Project has been very successful with our appeals. The fact that we have one million signatures on Aya’s behalf is really going to help. Once we can elevate the case to a higher profile, it will be reviewed at a higher level with more careful scrutiny. We have so many people watching over this case. And after interviewing Aya about her family history, I’m feeling very good about this. We’ll keep everyone informed every step of the way.”This is Lara ‘The Terminator’* Finkbeiner. Along with Betsy ‘The Hammer’* Fisher, she will be spearheading Aya’s case. Betsy is represented by the intercom because she is working from Minneapolis.*Nicknames assigned by me and may or may not be in common usage.

Source: Humans of New York

Turkey intensifies military operation against Kurds | News | DW.COM |{Turkish Genocide Part Two – After the Armenians, the Kurds become target for Turkish Ethnic Cleansing by death?}

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to continue the operations and pursue the militants “neighborhood by neighborhood, house by house, and street by street.””We will turn … every piece of our homeland into an area of peace, stability and freedom,” the premier said on Tuesday.The conflict between the PKK and Ankara has killed over 40,000 people since 1984. The Kurdish minority, which comprises 15 percent of Turkey, complains of systematic discrimination by the state.The renewed violence also coincided with two general elections in Turkey this year; in the first, a pro-Kurdish party cleared the prohibitive 10-percentle hurdle to win seats in parliament. Davutoglu’s ruling AK Party, unwilling or unable to form a coalition afterwards, ultimately called a fresh ballot – whose build-up was overshadowed by clashes between the PKK and the military. Second time around, the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) fell short of the 10 percent of the vote needed to enter parliament.Escalating violenceThe army offensive in Turkey’s southeastern towns has angered the residents as they protest against search operations, curfews and barricades set up by the authorities.Three police officers were killed in a roadside bombing on Tuesday. Ankara blamed the attack on Kurdish rebels based in the Diyarbakir province. The attack came after two Kurds were shot dead on Monday during violent clashes between local Kurds and security forces in the Sur district of Diyarbakir.

Source: Turkey intensifies military operation against Kurds | News | DW.COM | 16.12.2015

Banks playing key role in reporting transactions with suspected terrorism links, Austrac says – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

{So, does this mean that US GOP is trying to help ISIS by not approving a manager for doing the same job in US}

Australia’s financial intelligence agency Austrac says banks and other financial bodies are playing a big part in reporting transactions suspected of being linked to terrorism, including Islamic State (IS).The agency said it saw a 300 per cent increase in the number of such financial transactions in Australia last financial year.

Source: Banks playing key role in reporting transactions with suspected terrorism links, Austrac says – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The jihadist of the Islamic State behead three well-known imams in Mosul – Fides News Agency

Mosul (Agenzia Fides) – The self-styled Islamic State of jihadists (Daesh) beheaded three well-known Sunni imams in Mosul in the public square accused of not obeying orders that forced them to recruit young people for the Jihad. The three imams, known by the local people for their profile of authentic men of God: Kazim Abdulkarim, Bilal al- Sheikh Agha and Abdullah al-Hayalli, had opposed to the atrocities committed by jihadists in the name of their bloody religious ideology. They were killed on Monday, December 14, in front of dozens of people gathered to witness the beheading. On the same day – report local sources to ARA Kurdish News Agency, also Ashwaq al-Nouaymi was murdered, a professor of Mosul who refused to give his students the teachings included in the new school curriculum imposed by Daesh.Already in June 2014, a few days after having conquered Mosul, jihadists of Daesh had killed many Sunni imams of the city, including the Grand Imam, for refusing to swear allegiance to the Islamic Caliphate. The slaughter of the imam in Mosul was virtually ignored by the Western media. All Christians in the second Iraqi city managed to escape, and their houses were expropriated by jihadists.

Source: The jihadist of the Islamic State behead three well-known imams in Mosul – Fides News Agency

Video: Israeli settlers blast “Muhammad is dead” song at Palestinians | The Electronic Intifada

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obH84k46g_k

This video shows a group of Israelis from the Kiryat Arba settlement “playing hate songs through a loud speaker to residents of the Hebron neighborhood of Jabal Johar,” according to Israel’s B’Tselem human rights group, which published it last month.The song heard in the video, filmed by Mai Dana on 11 October, includes the repeated refrain “Muhammad is dead” – disparaging the prophet. Its lyrics say:He is no prophetJust another ArabHe has a moustache with fleasAnd he eats goat cheeseHe is a construction laborerEven when he’s fasting on RamadanAnd he has an orange ID cardMuhammad is gay and the son of a prostitute.The video shows many settlers, including young children, laughing, singing and pumping their fists as the music blasts.The song refers to the Israeli-issued ID – which used to come in an orange-colored case – carried by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank which restricts their movements, in contrast to settlers who can go where they please.In other words, the settler song celebrates apartheid.

Source: Video: Israeli settlers blast “Muhammad is dead” song at Palestinians | The Electronic Intifada

Young people vote far-right in Europe | Europe | DW.COM | 14.12.2015

Rudolf van Hüllen, a political researcher and expert on right-wing extremism, believes that young people in Germany don’t fall for the NPD in droves, because the country does a good job educating them about the horrors of the last time a far-right regime was in power during the Third Reich. Starting prevention early, he says, is key.”That’s what makes youth and young adults less susceptible to any form of extremism: right-wing, left-wing and Islamism,” van Hüllen told daily “Die Welt.” “I see encouraging success there. It’s a strong and self-confident generation that’s growing up today.”Still, the NPD is also aiming to garner more support among young people by shedding its skinhead neo-Nazi style .

Source: Young people vote far-right in Europe | Europe | DW.COM | 14.12.2015

a statement of sorrow.. and apology maybe: Y.Zeedan | nadiaharhash

Whether in Kabul, Cairo, Baghdad, Riyadh or Jerusalem … the mentality is the same mentality. A collective hysteria that moves the masses and blinds them into what the “mullah”, “mufti” whatever has dictated. And everyone holds a stone or in the Facebook world of today, throws a word and makes a sentence to confirm the execution of a man … a woman … anyone who stands for a right or a word of truth… confessing that he\she does not hold the access to the truth. Just someone who believes in the greatness of this existence and tries to make it a free space for the metal stoned mind…The sorrow of the narrow-mindedness … the intolerance… the ignorance makes me sorry for Zeedan and for all the free “Arab” souls in these lands

Source: a statement of sorrow.. and apology maybe: Y.Zeedan | nadiaharhash