HISTORY, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

When Will the World’s Largest Sunni Religious Institution Disavow Colonization? by Saied Shoaaib

Posted By on February 13th, 2019

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13538/al-azhar-islam-colonialism

It is difficult to find today Christian clergy proud of their colonial past. In contrast, many Muslims consider Islamic colonialism and imperialism sacred and part of their religion.
To be sure, the West has committed sins, but it has apologized for them. Meanwhile, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the current Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, says that Islam and Muslims are completely innocent, and that the sole culprit is the West. His position totally ignores the Islamic colonial empire that occupied many countries, looting their wealth and committing massacres.
Sheikh Al-Tayeb not only failed to apologize for the atrocities listed above, but here are a few examples of what is being taught at the university he heads…

In Cairo, Egypt, in October, at an international symposium entitled, “Islam and the West: Diversity and Integration,” Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb — the current Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University, the world’s largest Sunni religious institution — pointed to Andalusia (Muslim-ruled Spain) as a model for the peaceful coexistence between Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It was a peculiar choice: Andalusia is not an example of cooperation; it is an example of the Arab colonization of Europe.

Those who occupied Andalusia were the Umayyad branch of the Quraysh tribe (the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad) from the Arabian Peninsula. They initiated the invasion; the Ottoman Turks followed to conquer European lands, including Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo, Hungary, Albania, Georgia and the Balkans. They nearly occupied Paris and Vienna, as well.

During the symposium, Sheikh Al-Tayeb, who delivered the keynote address, said that his goal was to build bridges between Islam and the West.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Dems’ Struggle With ‘MeToo’ Charges Extends to California . By Susan Crabtree

Posted By on February 13th, 2019

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/02/12/dems_struggle_with_metoo_charges_extends_to_california_139447.html

Nearly a week has passed since the first of two sexual-assault charges surfaced against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, and national Democratic leaders are still grappling with how to respond amid the fallout.

But that fallout is not limited to the Old Dominion, nor to the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls who were quick to weigh in on the burgeoning scandal in Richmond. It has spread from coast to coast and is now roiling the politics here in Southern California as well.

Over the weekend, calls for Fairfax’s resignation continued to stream in, as did similar demands days earlier when a medical school yearbook surfaced with racist images on the page of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. Democrats were quick to urge Northam to step down only to be confronted with a dilemma when rape accusations from credible-sounding accusers were leveled at Fairfax – the Democrat poised to take over from Northam. Some Democrats adhered to standards they’d adopted in previous cases – that is to say, when Republicans were accused – while others have not. California Sen. Kamala Harris, an announced presidential aspirant, unequivocally urged the lieutenant governor to resign, as did her Senate colleague Kirsten Gillibrand, who is also considering a run for her party’s 2020 nomination. Gillibrand termed the allegations “sickening and horrendous.”

But a Democrat-led effort to impeach Fairfax over the allegations fizzled on Sunday night when members of the Virginia House of Delegates held a conference call in which several members suggested hitting the brakes on such an irreversible, career-ending move.

POLITICS Comments turned off

Another NeverTrump throws in the towel By Peter Skurkiss

Posted By on February 13th, 2019

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/02/another_nevertrump_throws_in_the_towel.html

Will wonders never cease? Erick Erickson, one of the original leaders of the NeverTrump movement and the one who initiated the NeverTrump hashtag, has come out saying he will vote for the Trump-Pence ticket in 2020. Quoting Erickson:

I will vote for Donald Trump and Mike Pence. And, to be clear, it will not be just because of what the other side offers, but also because of what the Trump-Pence team has done. They’ve earned my vote.

My, my, my.

Probably not many here care what Erickson has to offer. I don’t. But look at his conversion as yet another straw in the wind pointing to a Donald Trump win in 2020. Other straws blowing in the same direction are Trump’s knockout State of the Union speech; his massive rally in El Paso; the Rasmussen poll showing that over 50 percent of likely voters approve of the president’s performance; and, last but not least, the total lunacy that has captured the Democratic Party.

POLITICS Comments turned off

VIDEO: IMAM TAWHIDI SPEAKS FROM AUSCHWITZ

Posted By on February 13th, 2019

“Congress should not be a platform for Islamists.”

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272854/video-imam-tawhidi-speaks-auschwitz-frontpagemagcom

In this new video, Imam Mohammed Tawhidi delivers a short message from Auschwitz condemning anti-Semitism in the American government – specifically Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, whom he calls out as “absolute frauds and Islamists.”

“The US Congress should be focusing on serving the American people,” says Tawhidi. “It should not be a platform for Islamists members of the American government to preach their hate against the Jewish people… We should do everything we can to promote peace.”

Don’t miss it!

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Antifa Thug Worked for Chief DNC Trainer From Democrat insider to likely jailbird, Joseph Alcoff has come a long way. Matthew Vadum

Posted By on February 13th, 2019

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272846/antifa-thug-worked-chief-dnc-trainer-matthew-vadum

An activist now charged with assaulting two U.S. Marines as part of an Antifa mob has ties to Heather Booth, a senior Democrat and chief DNC trainer who founded a training academy devoted to the teachings of the late pro-violence community organizing guru Saul Alinsky.

This is yet more proof that Antifa, the anti-fascist coalition that uses heavy-handed fascist tactics, is becoming closely integrated with the Democratic Party, many of whose activists support its goal of overthrowing the government of the United States by force. (I executive-produced a three-part documentary series, America Under Siege, about Antifa and other political actors.)

Joseph Alcoff, 37, is facing charges in Philadelphia including aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation for allegedly attacking two Marines of Latino ancestry, Alejandro Godinez and Luis Torres, Fred Lucas reports at Fox News. Alcoff and two others charged in the melee have entered not guilty pleas. The beatings took place during a Proud Boys rally that was protested by Antifa. The victims, who say the perpetrators screamed racial slurs during the attack, say they were not aware of the rally.

It has been reported that Alcoff worked as the anti-payday lending campaign manager for the labor-backed leftist coalition group, Americans for Financial Reform, even while he participated in violent Antifa actions. Americans for Financial Reform, by the way, advocates an economy-crushing “financial speculation tax” on all Wall Street trading activity involving financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, derivatives, futures, options, and credit default swaps.

POLITICS Comments turned off

The Democrats’ Dangerous Gong Show The dire risks of absurdity in politics. Bruce Thornton

Posted By on February 13th, 2019

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272842/democrats-dangerous-gong-show-bruce-thornton

Democratically elected people’s assemblies historically have been known for their mediocrity, and the U.S. has been no different. The great champion of American democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville, in 1835 observed, “I was surprised to find so much distinguished talent among the citizens and so little among the heads of the government. It is a constant fact that at the present day the ablest men in the United States are rarely placed at the head of affairs,” a condition that worsens the more democratic the government becomes.

But over the last decade, the ineptitude of our Congressmen has increased dramatically, to the point that today Congress looks like the green room for the Gong Show. The last midterm especially brought to Washington some representatives whose abject ignorance of even basic math is astonishing, and whose embrace of ideas hostile to the American Constitutional order are frightening. More troubling, some of them have become the de facto leaders of the Democrat progressives, the mangy tail that today is wagging the already scrofulous dog. The possibilities for entertainment are many, but so are the dangers to our Republic.

The rising star of this dubious cohort is the toothy, goofy Representative from New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her Mr. Ed grin and exophthalmic stare are ubiquitous on the internet and cable news. AOC–– she has already earned an honorific acronym­––has become the face of the millennial fad of socialism that was given legs by Bernie Sander’s insurgent presidential candidacy in 2016. For Dems obsessed with regaining power and smiting the hated Donald Trump, however, AOC, though too young to run for president, has better optics and publicity than yet another old white guy who has spent his years in the Senate comfortable with the establishment status quo.

IMMIGRATION Comments turned off

James Freeman: Trump, Immigrants and the Best Job Market Ever At Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, another call for expanded legal migration.

Posted By on February 12th, 2019

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-immigrants-and-the-best-job-market-ever-11550013358?mod=cx_picks&cx_navSource=cx_picks&cx_tag=poptarget&cx_artPos=6#cxrecs_s

Today brought more news of a historically tight job market, as businesses have continued to respond to President Trump’s tax and regulatory reforms by going on a hiring binge. The problem is that they can’t find enough workers. Fortunately, today also brought more comments from President Trump suggesting that he knows how to fix it.

The government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning that on the last day of December the number of job openings in the United States hit a record high of 7.3 million.

The Associated Press adds that the total of 7.3 million open positions is “far greater than the number of unemployed, which stood at 6.3 million.” AP reports:

Businesses have shrugged off a variety of potential troubles for the economy in the past two months and kept on hiring. The 35-day partial government shutdown began Dec. 22, and growth in China, Europe and Japan has weakened, threatening U.S. exports. Still, employers added 304,000 jobs in January, the government said earlier this month, the most in nearly a year.

ANTI-SEMITISM Comments turned off

Democrats and Anti-Semitism The problem isn’t ‘tropes’ that are ‘hurtful.’ It’s policies that aim to wipe out the only Jewish nation. By Abigail Shrier

Posted By on February 12th, 2019

https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-and-anti-semitism-11550015148

The Democrats have an anti-Semitism problem, and it isn’t subtle. Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted Sunday that congressional support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins baby,” a slang term for $100 bills—a straightforward accusation that American lawmakers who support the Jewish state are being bought off. Who does she think is paying American politicians to be pro-Israel, the Forward’s opinion editor asked. “AIPAC!” Ms. Omar gleefully replied, notwithstanding that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee does not contribute to political campaigns.

House Democratic leaders—though none of the Democrats running for president—quickly condemned Ms. Omar’s smear, saying in a statement that her “use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters” was “hurtful” and “deeply offensive.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said her “anti-Semitic stereotype” was “offensive and irresponsible.”

All true, but beside the point.

That Ms. Omar would slander Israel is disturbing not because of the feelings it tramples. Since her appointment to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, her statement raises alarm about how her enmity for the world’s only Jewish country—and the world’s largest Jewish population—might translate into policy aims. The issues for Israel’s supporters are security and survival, not hurt feelings, which are trivial in comparison. Assuming that all Jews love gefilte fish, play klezmer music, and suffer overbearing mothers? Those are stereotypes. Actively working to isolate Israel and accusing pro-Israel Jews of bribing Congress isn’t “insensitive.” It’s something far darker and more malevolent.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

40 years later, Iran needs another revolution By Lawrence J. Haas

Posted By on February 12th, 2019

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/429600-40-years-later-iran-needs-another-revolution
Iran’s threats to America’s global interests are mounting as the Islamic Republic celebrates its 40th anniversary, and these threats mock repeated U.S. efforts over the years to appease a dangerous regime.

Tehran is developing longer range and more sophisticated missiles that can reach U.S. and Israeli targets; building weapons factories in Syria in hopes of establishing a permanent military presence near Israel; investing growing sums to fund, train, and direct terrorist operations; and cracking down ever more harshly at home as opposition to the odious regime continues on multiple fronts.

These developments remind us (if, alas, anyone needs reminding) that a regime that was born from the fires of a theocratic revolution in 1979 maintains its foundational fervor; that its ambitions extend far beyond its borders; that the United States and its allies would be better advised to ramp up the political and economic pressure on the regime rather than launch more misguided efforts to coax it to moderation; and that the West should put its moral voice behind the long-suffering Iranian people.

“[T]he hardliners are still very much in control of Iran,” former British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the Arab TV network Al Arabiya, “and I think we in the West tend to view this sometimes very naively. We think of Iran as a state with an ideology, but actually Iran really is an ideology with a state.”

ENVIRONMENT AND JUNK SCIENCE Comments turned off

When Green is Red by Peter Smith

Posted By on February 12th, 2019

https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2019

Don’t be fooled, the urgent need to combat climate change, as cited by the Green New Deal, is nothing more nor less than a trojan horse, inside of which lurks Comrade Marx. A utopian paradise for all is its promise — utopian as in Stalin’s Russia, Mao’s China, Castro’s Cuba and Chávez’s Venezuela.

ROOSEVELT‘s New Deal managed to delay America’s recovery from the Great Depression for years after the UK, Europe and Australia had recovered. This is a mere blip on the course of history compared with the dystopian future offered by the Green New Deal.

Backdropped by older white men of privilege, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) announced her Green New Deal (the Deal) in Washington; in the form of a proposed fourteen-page House of Reps resolution. Presumably the men were props calculated to give the impression that the madness had a kernel of sanity. After all, could middle- and older-aged white men sign up to flights of fancy? Well, yes, they can. Think of Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders.

Before I cover some of the elements of the Deal a note of caution is warranted. I heard some conservatives and a few level-headed Democrats say that it was pie-in-the-sky. It isn’t. Pie-in-the-sky is an empty promise of unattainable benefits; writ large, it is a utopian promise of nirvana right here on planet Earth.

The Deal is not a pie-in-the-sky promise but a concrete threat of a future hellhole. And, as we know, unlike nirvanas, hellholes have been regularly brought about. This particular one, as for so many, would be a product of socialism. Don’t be fooled, climate change in the Deal is simply a trojan horse. Inside lurks comrade Karl Marx.

Certainty of climate catastrophe of biblical proportions sets the scene: mass migrant flight, enormous economic losses, wildfires such as we haven’t seen, ninety-nine percent of coral reefs gone, more than 350 million people “exposed to deadly heat stress.” And on top of all of this, rising sea levels, severe storms, and droughts, etc., etc.

If this were not enough on the climate front; on the socio-economic front, inequality and discrimination bear down on swathes of the populace. Suffering are “indigenous people, communities of color, migrant communities, deindustrialised communities, depopulated rural communities, the poor, low-income workers, women, the elderly, the unhoused, people with disabilities, and youth.” Who’s left, you might ask? Obviously, those left are privileged white men – hence I suppose those aforementioned privileged white men hovering behind AOC lest they be among those for the guillotine come the witching hour.