The Gatestone Institute: Turkey's Conquest-Fetish

The Fall of Constantinople - May, 1453 -

In the Gatestone Institute, Burak Bekdil writes:

"1071 is a very special year for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- and his Islamist ideologues. Erdogan often speaks about his "2071 targets," a reference to his vision of "Great Turkey," on the 1000^th anniversary of a battle that paved the Turks' way into where they still live.

"In 1071, the Seljuk Turks did not arrive in Anatolia from their native Central Asian steppes with flowers in their hands. Instead they were in full combat gear, fighting a series of wars against the Christian Byzantine [Eastern Roman] Empire and featuring a newfound Islamic zeal. The Battle of Manzikert in 1071 is widely seen as the moment when the Byzantines lost the war against the Turks: before the end of the century, the Turks were in control of the entire Anatolian peninsula." Read it all.

What Russia intends to do in Syria - Al Monitor

Why Moscow is preparing to return to Syria

Read it all.

Al Jazeera: Islam and Democracy - What's the Problem?

Al Jazeera asks two important questions?
"Can Muslim-majority countries strike a balance between faith and democracy?
Or, is there an irreconcilable tension between liberal values and Islamic beliefs?"

Read it all.

Human Rights in the Gulf States: What is happening to Christians?

"(T)he oil boom of the 1970s created a tremendous demand for foreign labor in the Persian Gulf rentier states. Un-surprisingly, the number of workers needed to drive the emerging economies of the Gulf states was bound to include significant numbers of Christians. There are now more than three and a half million expatriate Christians working in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, mostly Catholics from the Philippines, India, and Pakistan. As their numbers increased, the question of how—or whether—to allow them to openly practice their faith became a significant issue."

Read it all.

Human Rights in Turkey - Are they about to become more restrictive?

"The country (of Turkey) is being dragged into increasing levels of authoritarianism with few if any checks and balances. The opposition parties fail to impress the voters and show no sign of credibly challenging Islamist rule. An unresolved rift between a growing Kurdish population and a shrinking Turkish one has the potential to explode, especially as Kurds outside Turkey gain de facto independence. Meanwhile, a frightening number of Turks just do not seem to care that the representative, democratic republic bequeathed to them by Kemal Atatürk is becoming just one more relic in the junkyard of history."

Read it all.

France Plans to close up to 160 mosques.

France plans to close up to 160 mosques. I found this news on many sources, and have tried to find the original writer from whom it came.

Read it all.

One Palestinian Family against Israel: non-violent and non angry in a dispute over a farm.

This story from the BBC is an amazing tale of courage and character over ten years of court battles with the State of Israel.

For the Nasser family who lives by their beliefs of "We refuse to be enemies", the road to retain their land has been long and arduous.

Read it all.

Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Hajj: Why Iranians aren't going on the Hajj this year.

Bruce Riedel has written a fascinating article in El Monitor telling why Iranians are going to have a very hard time going on the Hajj this year.

"Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef is preparing to assure this year's hajj season of pilgrimage to Mecca is safe and not marred by a repeat of last year's bloody stampede. As Iran is a major source of Saudi concerns about hajj security, Riyadh is shutting out Iranians in a move that also suits its efforts to delegitimize Tehran."

Read it all.

Pakistan's Council on Family Values - Recommendations to force women into line.

ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has proposed its own women protection bill, recommending ‘a light beating’ for the wife if she defies the husband.

Further recommendations on how to keep a woman observant of the Qur'an  in Pakistan's attempts to "normalize" relationships between men and their wives, illustrate the values the Council of Islamic Ideology seeks to impose upon family values.

Read it all.

A further quotation from the article" "The council has proposed that a husband should be allowed to ‘lightly’ beat his wife if she defies his commands and refuses to dress up as per his desires; turns down demand of intercourse without any religious excuse or does not take bath after intercourse or menstrual periods.

"It has suggested that a beating is also permissible if a woman does not observe Hijab; interacts with strangers; speaks loud enough that she can easily be heard by strangers; and provides monetary support to people without taking consent of her spouse.

"Available with The Express Tribune, a copy of the 163-page bill proposes several bans on women."

"The Muslim Way vs. the Western Way of Life" - Frontpage Magazine

This insightful article says that "Islam has the will to win, but not the way; The West has the way to win by not the way".

"In the ongoing struggle between Islam and the West, one important fact is regularly overlooked:  one civilization has the will to triumph, but not the way; the other has the way to triumph, but not the will.

"Some who fear Islam do not seem to understand this.  They think that Islam is an irresistible force to be reckoned with; they see Muslim migrants as hordes of violent men invading Europe; they call on Western men to make a stand, resist the onslaught, save their women and children."

Read it all.

"How goes the Islamic State?" Combating Terrorism

"Over time though, it appears that the Islamic State itself has sought to restrict the dissemination of unauthorized information, aiming to ensure that as much of the information as possible that is broadcasted within its territories and to the outside world comes solely through its official channels.[1] Meanwhile, Islamic State crackdowns on perceived spies and unauthorized media activity may deter or prevent activist groups from obtaining documents. In these circumstances, this author has also sought to obtain internal documents from connections established through prior travel to northern Syria.

Some documents discussed in this paper are being published here for the first time and are attached at the end of this article.[a] Though the available documents can offer some very valuable insights into the internal workings of the Islamic State, it must be recognized that they cannot be thought to represent"

This article from Combating Terrorism Center is a valuable contribution to those who want to see an end to ISIS. Read it all.

The agony of the Israeli checkpoint for Palestians crossing over every day for their jobs. - El Monitor

The scene each day at the Bethlehem checkpoint is horrifying. Lucky Palestinians who have managed to obtain authorization to work in Israel — the “ticket to life,” they call it — undergo an exhausting, agonizing wait that can last five hours, even when they arrive early in the morning to beat the crowds.

Read it all.

"Has the USA Found a new friend in Iraqi's Shiite militias?" - El Monitor

 US Consul General Steve Walker said, “The US recognizes the important contribution of the Popular Mobilization Units under the command of Prime Minister [Haider al-Abadi], and most of the Popular Mobilization troops came from the south. This is why I would like to express my condolences to the people of Basra and the south who have lost their loved ones or friends in the war against the Islamic State.”
Read it all.

"Can the Two State solution be revived between Israelis and Palestinians?" - El Monitor

Daoud Kuttab suggests that a two-state solution may be all but dead, absent a massive international diplomatic intervention. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhyahu's  “unconditional support” for expanded settlement construction in the West Bank, including in an area known as E1, would cut off the north and south of the West Bank from one another. “Palestinian officials have often repeated the statement that the two-state solution is dead or almost dead. The E1 settlement possibility is clearly one tangible case in which such a claim can be physically checked out and proven to be truly detrimental to the potential of an independent and interconnected Palestinian state,” Kuttab writes. Read it all.(Photo and text from El Monitor)

"One of the oldest Christian cities in the world - Najaf's forgotten Christian heritage" - El Monitor

Recent archaeological discoveries following archaeological explorations excavation in 2008 show that this conservative Islamic city so averse to churches is one of the oldest Christian cities in the world. The remains of a worship center and a monastery are believed to be the oldest Christian monuments in Iraq, dating back to the year 270. (Photo and text from El Monitor)

"Erdogan takes authoritarian rule to a new level in fighting Kurdish separatists."

Turkey is fighting a two-front terrorist war. While early reports indicate that the Islamic State (IS) may be responsible for the bombing in Istanbul, the Turkish government has implicated Kurdish separatists as responsible for the murders in Ankara on March 13. Al-Monitor supports Turkey in defeating terrorists from any and all quarters, and expresses its deepest sympathy for the innocent victims of these inexcusable crimes. Read it all.

Istanbul Residents are retreating from public places after the bombing.

Around 11 a.m. March 19, there was a loud explosion on Istiklal Street in a central portion of the city of Istanbul. The attack claimed the lives of four people and a male suicide bomber, leaving more than 25 injured.  Two victims were American-Israeli dual citizens, an Israeli and an Iranian; five were tourists, part of an Israeli culinary tour group of 14 were injured. Most of the other wounded were Turks and foreign tourists. Read it all.

Is the arrest of a suspect in USA of concern for Turkey's politicians? Hint: It has to do with an accusation of corruption.

On March 19, an Iranian-Turkish gold trader was arrested. Does this bode well for those who want further clarifications regarding possible corruption at the highest levels of Turkish politics?

Read it all.

"ISIS attacks in Paris - Terrorists are evolving in the use of Technology" - NYT

Fighters who want to be invisible . . .

This New York Times article gives a detailed look at the evolution of ISIS technology in Europe, especially in Paris. It shows:
1) how sophisticated are the plans of terrorists to take down the west;
2) how difficult it is going to be to keep another such event from happening;
3) the tremendous courage of men and women who are keeping the peace and security of modern nations.

A Medieval mentality linked to up-to-the-minute technology is what security forces are up against.

Read it an appreciate the work security forces are doing. Well worth the read. Read it all.

Conversions from Islam: Is there a way to count the numbers? An article from "New English Review"

Across the world, people are asking a question: "How many Muslims are leaving Islam?", and "How many former Muslims now embrace the Christian faith?"

This article from New English Review attempts to bring together many sources in a search for an accurate way to answer these questions. The statistics are sure to generate a lot of interest. Read more.