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France: Submission to Islamism Quickly Gaining Ground by Guy Millière

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19730/france-islamism-submission

Samuel Paty, a high school teacher [was] savagely beheaded on October 16, 2020 in… the suburbs of Paris where he taught…

The list of 14 people [indicted] does not include the murderer, Abdullakh Anzorov: he was shot dead by police.

[A]ll investigations show [that teachers] are afraid and practice self-censorship. For 10 years, teachers have not taught about the Holocaust. They have also given up on addressing the subjects that led to Paty’s murder: secularism, tolerance and the right to criticize religions.

Throughout France, Muslim students openly threaten teachers by telling them that they are “risking a Samuel Paty”. Many topics can no longer be addressed…. In biology class, discussing evolution or Charles Darwin is… unsafe.

Teachers have been resigning in increasing numbers, and recruiting new ones has become a problem.

Recently, anthropologist Florence Bergeaud-Backler in a book called Le frérisme et ses Réseaux, l’Enquête (“The Brotherhood and its Networks: The Survey”), explained in detail the way the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist movements in France use social media networks and mosques to incite Muslim children and adolescents to challenge the education provided in high schools to push the French educational system to submit to their vision of Islam.

The French authorities are aware of what is happening, but do nothing. Apparently, government officials are afraid, too, and do not want to take any risks. They know that more than 750 no-go zones exist in the country, and that riots frequently erupt… Most ended in violence by young people from no-go zones who burned cars and looted shops.

Macron’s proposed law, called the “Law confirming respect for the principles of the Republic”, has since been rewritten. All references to Islam and Islamism have been removed from the text. Passed on August 24, 2021, it does currently not contain any measure likely to combat the Islamist danger. A paragraph speaks of the need to “protect teachers”, but teachers are still not protected. The Islamist movements in French high schools continue to exist.

About 400,000 legal immigrants arrive in France from the Muslim world every year, according to the latest informati0on available. These do not include the thousands who arrive illegally.

A study in September 2020 showed that 74% of French Muslims under the age of 25 placed Sharia above the laws of the republic…. Another study published a year later showed that two-thirds of Muslim high school students also placed Sharia above the laws of the Republic. The same survey showed that 9% of young Muslims said they “share the motivations” of Paty’s murderer.

No teacher from the high school where Paty taught supported him: instead, they distanced themselves from him. Some accused him of putting them in danger. The Ministry of Education also blamed him, for having offended the sensibilities of Muslim students.

The police took note of the threats but offered Paty no protection. Even though Anzorov’s name was in a police database, and even though the police and Paty’s colleagues knew he was threatened, Anzorov was able to spend hours in front of the high school where Paty taught. Anzorov spoke with students and asked them to point out Paty when the school day was over and the teachers were going home. Anzorov chased Paty through the streets, stabbed him, slit his throat, beheaded him, photographed himself next to the severed head, and posted the photos on social media networks around the world.

“Sleepwalking leaders must wake up…. Otherwise, the French will have no choice but submission or civil war…” — Ivan Rioufol, columnist, Le Figaro, October22, 2020.

China Overtakes Russia as Dominant Power in Central Asia by Lawrence A. Franklin

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19726/china-russia-central-asia

Communist China’s People’s Liberation Army has established a military presence in Murghab, Tajikistan, close to the Chinese border with Afghanistan. There is also no doubt that Russia’s embarrassing military imbroglio in Ukraine has helped China supersede Moscow as guarantor of Central Asian state sovereignty.

[Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart] Tokayev has…. denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As the Kazakh leader is doubtless aware, some notable Russian nationalists such as former Russian Prime Minister and President Dmitry Medvedev have mused that, after Ukraine is dealt with, Kazakhstan will follow.

China offers Central Asia four basic dimensions of assistance that Russia can no longer provide: financial investment, complementary commerce, development of transport infrastructure, and construction of industrial plants such as oil refineries.

China is building a Chinese-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, which will ultimately span the expanse of Central Asia to the Middle East. Beijing appears determined to link China and Europe by fashioning thoroughfares that avoid crossing Russian territory that pass through a mid-level corridor of the Caucasus countries.

In exchange, China will be granted wide access to Central Asia’s considerable energy resources. Chinese companies, for example, appear eager to tap into Turkmenistan’s vast natural gas reserves. Chinese oil corporations would also likely dominate Kazakhstan’s petroleum export market to service China’s insatiable desire for more fuel.

It increasingly looks as if that there is some truth in French President Emmanuel Macron’s comment that Russia appears to have become China’s vassal state. It certainly seems as if the Chinese Communist Party has made considerable progress toward achieving its broad objectives of fostering China’s Global Development and Security Initiatives. Neither plan appears to have a principal role for Moscow.

China recently hosted a summit of the leaders of Central Asia’s former Soviet Republics in Xi’an, China, the site of the start of the ancient Silk Road. The symbolism attached to Xi’an as the site for the 18-20 May gathering underscores China’s intent to remind Central Asian leaders that Chinese civilization’s relationship with the region predates ties to Russia by centuries. It also might demonstrate China’s resolve to replace Russia as Eurasia’s hegemon. China, in fact, did not even invite Russia to the conference.

China, Pakistan and Turkey Eyeing Kashmir by Uzay Bulut

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19723/kashmir-china-pakistan-turkey

The history of the Islamization of indigenous non-Muslim populations of Kashmir is similar to that of the Middle East and North Africa: native non-Muslim peoples were first conquered by Islamic armies and then subjected to discrimination and persecution, which led to either death, conversion to Islam or departure/flight.

Due to killings and forced conversions, there are no Hindus remaining in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, although it is still home to ancient Hindu sacred sites.

The anti-Hindu violence culminated in 1989-1990 when Pakistan-sponsored insurgents carried out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the approximately 95% of the Hindus living in the Valley of Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Pakistan remains a major sponsor of global terrorism.

Jihad is a global threat targeting the entire international community. For the safety and stability of the region and beyond, it is crucial not to let jihad succeed. India’s sovereignty over Kashmir and the international community’s support for hosting international events, as well as tourism in Kashmir, are critical for the global fight against terrorism. It is also beneficial to the residents of Kashmir – particularly women, peaceful Muslims, indigenous Hindus and other non-Muslim minorities.

Those countries that oppose Kashmir as part of India and attempt to dissuade international events such as the G20 conference to promote tourism are hardly advocating the establishment of a secular, pluralistic democracy in Kashmir.

Their goal, rather, is to create an Islamist state in Kashmir where women, religious minorities, and moderate Muslims would be persecuted – just as in anyplace else taken over by Islamic theocracy.

Such a state would also be a center of terrorism and instability in the wider region. The civilized world needs to support India’s sovereignty in Kashmir against foreign interference from oppressive states — such as China, Turkey and Pakistan.

When India hosted a key G20 conference in Srinagar, the capital of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory of India, on May 22 and 23, even though the conference was reportedly attended by around 122 delegates, including 60 foreigners, it was boycotted by Pakistan as well as its longtime allies, China and Turkey.

Russia, China and Iran in America’s Backyard These adversaries threaten the U.S. with their moves into Latin America.Walter Russell Mead

https://www.wsj.com/articles/adversaries-in-americas-backyard-china-russia-cuba-spy-base-iran-monroe-9504c189?mod=opinion_featst_pos1

The news from Latin America is grim. The reaction from the Biden administration is a yawn.

To reports in this newspaper that China is offering Cuba billions of dollars in exchange for the construction of a sophisticated intelligence facility to be used against the U.S., the White House responded with a classic nondenial denial. The report was “not accurate,” a spokesperson said, which translated from Washingtonese means that the story was largely correct, but it would be politically inconvenient to say so.

By Saturday the White House was into stage 2 of nondenial. Well, the White House conceded, perhaps there is such a facility, and perhaps China and Cuba are collaborating to upgrade it, but it’s all the previous administration’s fault, and in any case the current administration is addressing any and all relevant issues through diplomatic channels.

Nothing to see here, folks, move along.

But Cuba is the tip of the iceberg. From Tijuana to Tierra del Fuego, American interests are under threat as virtually every country in Latin America suffers from major and growing social, political and economic distress. Narcotrafficking cartels have tightened their grip across much of Central America and into the Caribbean. Law and order is collapsing in Ecuador, while political instability seethes across countries like Bolivia and Peru. Argentina is again reaping the catastrophic results of populist Peronist economic policy. The Venezuelan dictatorship continues to tighten its grip as it sucks the remaining wealth from what ought to be one of the richest nations in the hemisphere. Haiti no longer has even the ghost of a government. In Brazil neither the right-populist shenanigans of the Bolsonaro government nor the left-populist quack remedies of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s Workers’ Party offer much hope to a stagnant, rapidly deindustrializing economy.

Silvio Berlusconi, Ex-Italian Prime Minister and Media Magnate, Dies at 86 His outsize personality, wealth and news platform helped him control the conservative wing, but subsequent legal and sex scandals eroded his standing

https://www.wsj.com/articles/silvio-berlusconi-media-magnate-who-dominated-italian-politics-for-years-dies-at-86-98c096be?mod=hp_lead_pos3

Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s longest-serving postwar prime minister, a conservative who swept into power on a popular antigraft platform and stayed there for two decades with the help of his big personality, vast wealth and a powerful media empire before falling to a raft of scandals, has died. He was 86.

An extraordinarily divisive figure in Italy and often a target of ridicule abroad for his ribald jokes, sex scandals and overlapping political and business interests, Berlusconi conditioned Italian politics and embodied its conservative movement during and after his tenure as Italy’s leader.

His death was confirmed by an official from his political party. Berlusconi was in the hospital for more than a month in April and May with a chronic form of leukemia. His state funeral in Milan’s cathedral will take place on Wednesday.

Early on in his political career, Berlusconi brought a breath of fresh air to corruption-plagued politics. The persona he cultivated of a self-made man struck a chord with millions of Italians fed up with a political class tainted by corruption, patronage and infighting.

Iraq and Tehran’s Illusions by Amir Taheri

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19713/iraq-iran-illusions

In the past two decades, that is to say since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Baghdad, a new discourse has developed in which post-Saddam Iraq is depicted as part of an empire being built by the Khomeinist regime in Tehran.

[T]he Khomeinist empire-building scheme in Iraq has failed. To be sure, Iraq is now slated as Iran’s principal trading partner. But this is largely due to exports of Iranian gas and electricity to Iraq, exports for which Iraq has failed to pay so far. Iraqi debts to Iran are estimated at between $17 and $22 billion.

[Iraq’s] Shiite community, assuming that such a label is accurate, is also divided with those remaining loyal to Tehran providing a dwindling minority.

Iraq had signed oil exploration and production deals with more than 60 countries while the Islamic Republic is excluded. Last week, Baghdad signed a deal with Ankara for a gas pipeline to the Turkish port of Yumurtalik to supply Europe.

Iraq may still be uncertain about what kind of future it wants. But one thing is certain: it doesn’t want to be a fiefdom for the mullahs of Tehran.

In the past two decades, that is to say since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Baghdad, a new discourse has developed in which post-Saddam Iraq is depicted as part of an empire being built by the Khomeinist regime in Tehran. Tehran’s surrogates in Beirut refer to this supposed empire as the “Resistance Front,” while Iran’s opponents label it a “Shiite Crescent” that also includes parts of Syria still under Bashar al-Assad’s control.

Gender’s Truth-Distortion Field Across the English-speaking world, the discussion of trans rights is governed by taboos, sacred myths, and, in some cases, outright lies. by Sean Masters / Raimund Hume

https://quillette.com/2023/06/10/genders-truth-distortion/

Imagine you’re a policymaker considering the rules that govern the care of gender non-conforming children. You’ve heard slogans to the effect that “gender-affirming care”—which is to say, expressing reflexive support for the announced gender identity of trans-presenting children—is the right thing to do. It has to be, you’ve come to believe. It’s got the word “affirming” in it. And it’s backed by many (though, as we shall see, not all) reputable-sounding bodies such as WPATH, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Your own staff tell you that you will be hailed as progressive and enlightened for heeding such advice, but denounced as phobic and regressive if you express scepticism. Some darkly warn that your failure to fall into line on this issue may literally put the lives of trans children at risk.

But by now, you’ve also heard of the various scandals surrounding those who’ve promoted gender-affirming care with excessive zeal, and even recklessness, in other jurisdictions. And you’re looking to get ahead of such controversies in your own jurisdiction.

Perhaps you’ve been following the situation in England and Wales, where the country’s only gender-identity clinic for people under 18 has been shut down following a report that showed children were being rushed into irreversible transition therapies without adequate safeguards.

You might also have taken note of the fate of venerable LGBT-charity Stonewall, whose reputation has suffered in some circles due to its “Diversity Champions programme,” by which employers can pay to display a special logo; and its “Workplace Equality Index,” which boosts the profiles of employers that follow Stonewall’s lead on seemingly questionable policies, such as giving multiple email accounts to “gender fluid” workers.

Taqiyya: Iran Actually Boasts About Deceiving the West in Nuclear Talks by Raymond Ibrahim

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19704/taqiyya-iran

Iran’s Supreme Guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “used the Islamic concept of ‘Taqiyya’ to describe the regime’s decision to accept the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal with the West. Taqiyya means the permissibility to deny or conceal one’s real beliefs to secure a worthy goal.” — iranintl.com, May 20, 2023.

“Khamenei’s emphasis on “expediency” as the third principle in foreign policy was particularly notable, as he urged flexibility “in necessary instances” and circumventing “tough barriers” to continue a set course.” — iranintl.com, May 20, 2023

If it was not clear what “heroic flexibility” meant then, it probably should be clear by now. Reports consistently document that Iran has been cheating since day one.

“[Khamenei] said that when a revolution hits a tough rock on its path, it need not break its head against it; the wisest course would be to try and go around it.” — Amir Taheri, “Iran: Heroic Flexibility Returns,” June 4, 2023.

” [A]l- Taqiyya is with the tongue only, (not the heart).” — Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti in his book, “al-Durr al-Manthoor Fi al-Tafsir al- Ma’athoor,” quoting Ibn Abbas.

Taqiyya is actually all around us. Iran pretends that its nuclear program is just for peaceful purposes. Some Muslim pretend to convert to Christianity (past and present), or an Islamic gunman gains entrance inside a church by feigning interest in Christian prayers.

It should not be surprising, therefore, that Khamenei is relying on taqiyya once again. What is surprising is that the Biden Administration is falling for it – after being told it would be used – and allowing itself to be sucker-punched, or pretending to allow it.

In 1994, PLO leader Yasser Arafat, after he signed the Oslo Accord with Israel, justified his actions by saying, “I see this agreement as being no more than the agreement signed between our Prophet Muhammad and the Quraysh in Mecca”— referring to a truce, the Treaty of Hudaibiyah, which Muhammad broke as soon as he had regained power and was able to attack.

Similarly, Khamenei, by referring to taqiyya in Iran’s agreement to a nuclear deal with the West, is signaling that Iran is only going along for “expediency” — until it finds itself in a position to realize its nuclear aspirations and renege.

[I]s there a single authority representing the West at these international nuclear talks that knows — let alone cares about — any of this? Or is the fix already in?

The Long Reach of Hong Kong Tyranny A single Facebook post from abroad or even singing a song can put you in prison.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/hong-kong-china-communist-party-glory-to-hong-kong-student-facebook-post-arrest-4ca2e6f3?mod=opinion_lead_pos4

How far will China’s Communist Party go to stifle and punish dissent in Hong Kong? As far as authorities can reach, new developments show.

The first involves “Glory to Hong Kong,” an anthem that arose from the 2019 pro-democracy protests. On Monday the Hong Kong Department of Justiceasked the city’s High Court to issue an injunction on national-security grounds to prohibit anyone from “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing” the song “in any way.”

The government added that it’s seeking to restrict sharing of the song “on the internet and/or any media accessible online and/or any internet-based platform or medium.”

Beijing claims its national-security law applies even to speech abroad and to foreigners. Article 43 asserts that authorities can order a “relevant service provider” to hand over communication or delete information. Regulations say Hong Kong can require social-media companies to take down posts deemed a national-security threat, and failing to comply can mean fines or imprisonment.

There is also the recent case involving a 23-year-old Hong Konger studying at a Japanese university. Some two years ago the young woman (whose name hasn’t been released) posted a brief statement on Facebook about independence for Hong Kong, according to the Tokyo-based JiJi Press. Hong Kong authorities arrested her in March when she returned home to renew her ID card.

Indian Land That Is Part of China’s Hawkish Policy by Mohshin Habib

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19702/india-china-border

India feels a giant demon breathing on her shoulder.

The more China strengthens its military and economic power, the more threatened India feels. The main reason is China’s aggressive actions along the China-India border.

Tibet [in 1914] was an independent country that had every right to negotiate border agreements with any bordering countries.

In 1950, China invaded and fully occupied Tibet. Since then, China has been claiming a right to Arunachal Pradesh and denying the Tibet-India agreement. Even though the McMahon Line is the clear boundary between the countries, the dispute between China and India increases as skirmishes flare up. Each time, the region and the world hold their breath.

Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh was the site of one of the meetings in March. However, China did not participate in that meeting and also skipped the meeting held in Kashmir on May 22-24.

Day by day, relations between the two world’s most populous countries, both nuclear powers, continue to deteriorate, with no signs of peace talks in sight.

India feels a giant demon breathing on her shoulder.