Video - The Palestinian Authority spent $1.1 billion in the last 4 years on salaries to convicted terrorists & their families

The Palestinian Authority spent $1.1 billion in the last 4 years on salaries to convicted terrorists & their families
Video @WorldJewishCong pic.twitter.com/lebYsoC2a9

— Gabriel Rosenberg (@GabRosenberg) July 10, 2017

The ‘Wannabe’ Lone Wolf attackers: A medal of 'Islamic' honor is offered via martyrdom.

The ‘Wannabe’ Lone Wolf attackers: A medal of 'Islamic' honor is offered via martyrdom. (Jasmine Opperman). (TRAC).

The Nice attack – by the driver of a truck who ploughed through a festive crowd – introduced another face to the world of terrorism: The “wannabe” that seeks instantaneous recognition and credentials.

Bouhlel’s behaviour ranged from nervous breakdowns to domestic violence, with little interest or adherence to a religious lifestyle. Exposure to extremist ideology did not need an intense religious schooling or attending a training programme, the call to action was sufficient in enabling a quick radicalisation. An added concern: Bouhel did not need arms and weapons: a truck was enough to kill more people than recent attacks in France.

The Nice attack by so doing has introduced another face to the world of terrorism: the “wannabe” that seeks instantaneous recognition and credentials. The “wannabe” might have missed out on a life in the Caliphate or a training camp in Yemen or Somalia, but that does make them more dangerous, more immediate and more unpredictable.

The Islamic State claim to credit for the attack referred to Bouhlel as an Islamic Fighter, and thereby introduced a generation of fighters that do not need in-depth religious radicalisation process, a fighter that seeks redemption or executes attacks driven by individual frustrations. A fighter that is caught up in a mixture of personal problems, criminality, grievances and offered a quick solution to 'redemption'. A person that will gain recognition as a fighter simply by executing an attack: a medal of honour is offered via martyrdom.

The Islamic State inspires these attacks with little leverage and control, and this serves the group’s purpose. They need blood on their hands, they need to re-enforce their leadership position within the extremist Jihadist world no matter what it takes. Media attention following an attack for the Islamic State is never seen as negative – it supports its continuous search for attention that will support its own inflated propaganda message of a global reach and ability to kill.

In May 2015, the Islamic State’s spokesman, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, released a statement in which the “wannabe” fighter has been called to action:

What's the chances of Lone wolf attacks in South Africa? Read the full story here.

Self-Criticism In The Arab World after Brussels Attacks: "We Must Recognize That Most Terrorism Is Carried Out By Muslims".

Self-Criticism In The Arab World Following Brussels Attacks: "We Must Recognize That Most Terrorism Is Carried Out By Muslims". (Memri).

Following the March 22, 2016 Brussels terrorist attacks that killed 35 and wounded over 300 others the Arab press featured numerous articles accusing the West and various opponents in the region of supporting terrorism.[1] However, several notable articles expressed self-criticism, laying the responsibility for the creation of suicide bombers and for horrific terror attacks on the prevailing cultures and perceptions in the Muslim and Arab countries of origin. They harshly criticized the Muslims for not standing up against terrorism or doing enough to eliminate it and for justifying or even praising the attacks while disregarding any Muslim responsibility for terrorism.

Al-Hayat Editor: We Have Failed, We Flee Our Countries And The World Attempts To Flee The Wave Of Suicide Bombers Produced By Our Culture.

In an article titled "We Have Failed Indeed," the editor of the London-based Saudi daily Al-Hayat, Ghassan Charbel, attacked the Arabs and Muslims for sowing destruction and fear in the very same European countries that had agreed to take them in after they had fled their failed countries. 

Charbel argued that the Arabs and Muslims had not managed to build states and citizens that could integrate into the modern world, and that they must recognize their failure and start from scratch. 

He wrote: "Are we [the Arabs and Muslims] simply part of this world, or are we perhaps an explosive charge implanted in [this world's] entrails? Are we a normal neighborhood in the global village, or are we maybe a neighborhood of suicide bombers in [that village]? Are these massacres that move [from place to place] aimed at annexing the Arab and Muslim communities in the West to the lexicon of slaughter and suicide? Are we part of the world's present and future, or are we a dark tempest that seeks to send [the world] back to the caves that it abandoned when it chose the path of progress and human dignity?

"Do we seek to defend our character, right, or identity? Or do we [actually] seek to impose this character on others? Is our option for the other essentially that he will either be like us or we will blow him up, so that his body parts mingle with ours? Is it accurate [to say] that we are calmed only by seeing the streets of the other's world full of barricades of corpses and broken glass? Who was it that allowed Muslim fanatics to kill a Turk on the streets of Istanbul, a Frenchman on the streets of Paris, and a tourist on the streets of Brussels?

"Has a man who came as a refugee or immigrant to a foreign country that took him in and provided him with a roof over his head, an address, social assistance, and medical care the right to blow himself up on its streets because it did not embrace his character, his interpretation, and his mode of thinking and way of life? 

Does the discourse regarding unemployment and non-integration in Western society detract from [the horror of] the crime? Has a spiteful person the right to kill the other merely because he does not drink with him at the same fount? Have we have the right to continue delving into historical sources in order to rely on past wrongs done to us and use this to justify the slaughter of innocents in a country whence we fled because of a tyrant or a civil war [in our own countries]? Who gave us the right to dictate to others the nature of their regimes, their values, and their lifestyle?

"We have failed indeed.

"This is the truth that can no longer be concealed or condoned. We have failed at building a normal state – a state that lives within its borders. a state of institutions that strives its utmost to obtain progress and development and provide its citizens with work opportunities and involvement, a state that cooperates with its neighbors and the world without being panic-stricken or fettered by spite. We have also failed to build a normal citizen, [one] who belongs to the current stage of development in a rapidly developing world.

"We have failed indeed.

"For decades and centuries, we have been gripped by negligence. We feared, and we closed ourselves off. We punished the oppositionist. We obliterated those who cast doubt, and accused anybody who raised questions of treason. We imprisoned the throats, the fingers, and the dreams. And thus our institutions rotted away – if they ever existed at all. The schools, the universities, and our educational curricula rotted away. Children graduate from our schools with sick imaginations and inflexible emotions... The student has become a number... and a bomb. 

We stood still on the world's platform, as it [the world] moved ahead, further and further, and we became sadder and angrier. We continued to feel that the world was being built without us, and in our absence – that it was being built against us. And this was how we readied our bodies and the explosive charges and blew ourselves up.

"We have failed indeed.

"These feelings overpowered me when I listened to Syrians in Berlin recounting how they had crammed into the death boats in the hope of casting themselves and their children [ashore] into the bosom of a European country; when I listened to the Iraqis who had used the Syrians' passports; and when I saw the tragedy in the eyes of the Yazidis, who were fleeing the hell of the [Islamic] State of [Abu-Bakr] Al-Baghdadi. This is frightening. How much we have read about our homelands and their deeply planted historical roots, while now we can only dream of escaping them, letting them die and writhe in agony around the sectarian anthems and victories by the militias. How we deluded ourselves that we were one people – and then our compatriots in this one people murdered us. We are left only with the death boats to flee our drowning countries...

"We have failed indeed.

"The world is seeking the best way to evade the throngs of refugees that we are sending, and the waves of suicide [terrorists] that are arriving from our territory and culture. The world treats us today as the source of peril to its security, progress, democracy and stability. 

The only solution remaining to us is to acknowledge this comprehensive and resounding failure, this terrible collapse. We must start from scratch, like a city devastated by a deadly earthquake. Continuing to hide behind lies and fallacies will [only] prolong our stay in the caves. We cannot progress to the future with our antiquated concepts and tattered garments. We cannot board the train without paying the fare [exacted] for our stagnation, our delusions, and our inflexible perceptions."[2]   

Kuwaiti Writer: The Muslims Are Not Doing Enough Against Terrorism – And Some Are Even Praising It.

Kuwaiti writer and author Khalil 'Ali Haidar wrote in the Bahraini daily Al-Ayyam that the Muslims are not doing enough against terrorism and are shirking their responsibility for it. 

He wrote: "What are we doing here in our countries, or in Western countries in Europe and America, while these terrible blows of terrorism land on us and them, one after the other? ... In fact, we do not know how to act against these terrorists. Is it sufficient that following each of these terrorist actions, which take place in merciless rapid succession and are all perpetrated by young Muslims... that we say 'they aren't Muslims' and 'they do not represent true Islam' and are misguided khawarij[4] and apostates? And will the world be satisfied with [such statements]?

"Is it normal that while terrorism succeeds in recruiting hundreds and even thousands of Muslims, we are satisfied to persuade ourselves that their numbers 'are still negligible' compared to the global Muslim population? 

Must the number of terrorists swell to tens or hundreds of thousands before we realize that a thunderous pounding torrent [is headed] towards us, and that this means that we must stop, convene, and give intellectuals the freedom to examine the reasons [for this] and the freedom to publish the results of their studies?

"What if we had been citizens of France, Britain, Spain, and the U.S., and had given Arabs, Pakistanis, Chechens, and others all these benefits [that have been given to the Muslims in Europe], including job opportunities, the option of  citizenship, salaries, and subsidies – and then they became terrorists who murdered us?! ...

"The religious culture of the Islamic world during this era is afflicted with innumerable ills. We turn the world upside down over various matters, such as an article that offends us, or issues regarding the niqab, Halal meat, Christians using the word Allah – which Muslims in Malaysia, for instance, claim as their exclusive right. 

[Furthermore,] many leaders of Pakistani and other immigrant [groups] expend all their efforts in the sectarian campaign against the Ahmadi movement, to the point where they have no time to examine this terrorist urge among their young people, including among the educated, engineers and [other] experts.

"Unfortunately, the Muslims do not yet unanimously condemn ISIS. Some Muslims praise them [ISIS members], think the media wrongs them, and join them at the first opportunity, and even carry out the first suicide mission they are offered anywhere in the world!

"One reason for the immaturity of Muslim young people in Britain, France, and the U.S. is that the leadership of the religious institutions, and all religious activity, still remain in the hands of Arab, Pakistani and other activists and leaders who have fled to the West [and continue to] support political Islam parties.

These leaders may not [themselves] carry out terrorist attacks, but they also do not truly take a stand against the terrorist religious culture. Moreover, most of their writings, ideas, and strategic positions regarding an Islamic system and the caliphate state share [this religious culture].

"We say that 'terrorism has no religion and no homeland.' But we must confront the fact that most terrorist attacks in the Arab and Muslim world itself are not carried out by Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Ahmadis, or Baha'is – but by Muslims and the sons and daughters of Muslims. 

Some are not satisfied with carrying out their crimes in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia, but carry them out in Western countries. And even if they believe that terrorism in Europe and the U.S. is justified because of [these countries'] 'colonialist past' and 'hostile positions' against the Arabs and Muslims – of what crimes are the Egyptians, Iraqis, Afghans, and Nigerians guilty? Do those countries also have shameful colonialist pasts?"[5]  Read the full story here.

Islamic banking could be big boost to Canada's finance industry and Jihad funding?

Islamic banking could be big boost to Canada's finance industry and Jihad funding? (Metro).

Islamic banking is being touted as the next big thing for Canada's financial services sector, but experts say it's up to the new federal government to demonstrate that it welcomes Shariah-compliant investments.

"It's absolutely fundamental that the Canadian government signal that, in fact, it is open to Islamic finance," says Walid Hejazi, an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

They could do so either by issuing sukuk — Islamic bonds — or by making a public statement, Hejazi says, noting that the previous government was on record as saying it welcomed such investments.

"If there is a risk that a change in government is going to change its view on that kind of investment, that spooks investors," he said. "So the government must be clear to say . . . 'We're open to Islamic finance, we welcome it,'"

Islamic finance — which bans interest payments and investments in gambling, pornography, weapons, alcohol, tobacco and pork — is a fast-growing niche in the financial services industry.

"The whole idea or the concept is to avoid people becoming buried in debt because, back in the days of the Prophet, ... when people weren't able to pay their debt they were enslaved or exploited," he said.

MFS : They make sure not to mention that Islamic banking is also subject to Zakat which by Islamic law will be used to finance Jihad. So Canada might end up financing the assault on its own Charter of rights.

Hmmm......Islamic banking is subject to Zakat = 2.5% of surplus wealth that a company has possessed for a full lunar year.

More on Zakat and Jihad can be read here at Money Jihad.

The most authoritative source for such information is a book which is available on Amazon called “The Reliance of the Traveler, A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law.” That book has a whole section devoted to the rules of zakat, including “THE EIGHT CATEGORIES OF RECIPIENTS.”  On page 272, section h8.17, one category is labeled:

THOSE FIGHTING FOR ALLAH

The seventh category is those fighting for Allah, meaning people engaged in Islamic military operations for whom no salary has been allotted in the army roster (O: but who are volunteers for jihad without remuneration). They are given enough to suffice them for the operation, even if affluent; of weapons, mounts, clothing, and expenses (O: for the duration of the journey, round trip, and the time they spend there, even if prolonged. Though nothing has been mentioned here of the expense involved in supporting such people’s families during this period, it seems clear that they should also be given it).

This passage, from this widely-used Shariah text seems to have been written expressly about zakat payments to charities which have funded Al Qaeda, HAMAS, Hezbollah and the Taliban. Note from the passage that such payments are meant specifically for irregular forces who are not part of any army roster, which describes terrorist/guerilla/insurgent groups exactly. Note that they are meant for “Islamic” military operations and not secular groups (i.e. HAMAS and not the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command). Note that such payments are made even if the recipient is affluent…like Osama Bin Laden. And, finally, the families of fighters are to be taken care of, such as payments by Saddam Hussein and Saudi princes to families of Islamikaze bombers in Gaza and the West Bank.

All too often, the destinations of zakat payments are to Jihadists, simply because Shariah mandates it.

Maybe that is why so many Islamic charities have been implicated in terrorism financing.

While conducting research recently we came across more evidence of zakat funding jihad. The popular Islamic web site “RadianceWeekly.com” contains the following passage:

Specified Accounts of Zakat

“The alms are meant only for the poor and the needy and those who are in charge thereof, those whose hearts are to be reconciled; and to free those in bondage, and to help those burdened with debt, and for expenditure in the way of Allah and for the wayfarer. This is an obligation from Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”

(Al-Qur’ān – 9:60) 

The verse presents eight different heads of Zakat funds. Be it a collective system of Zakat collection and distribution or an individual himself or herself doing this, one should spend the Zakat money only on the specified accounts.

The first category of Zakat recipients is of fuqara, those who depend for their sustenance on others. They include orphans, destitute widows, the disabled, unemployed and old. 

Second, masakeen – those who are in greater distress than the ordinary poor people. They are both self-respecting and poor. 

Third, ‘those employed to administer them’. 

Fourth, to provide succour for and to rehabilitate the reverts to Islam. 

Fifth, to secure the emancipation of slaves or release of the unjustly jailed persons. 

Sixth, to the debtors who would be pauper if they were to pay off all their debts from their available resources. Such debtors do not include those who incur heavy debts either as a result of their extravagance or their spending on evil purposes. 

Seventh, fi sabilillah signifies the struggle to establish the Islamic system of life on earth.  

And, eighth, a traveller is entitled to receive help out of Zakat funds if he needs such help during his journey.

Note that this passage actually identifies two possible destinations for zakat that could be interpreted as supporting violent jihad:

The 5th destination includes the emancipation of those “unjustly” imprisoned. This could certainly be interpreted to mean jihadis who have been captured and jailed by infidel forces and authorities.

Then, of course, we have the well-known 7th destination, which is expressed here as supporting those attempting to establish the Islamic system of life on earth…in other words those working to impose Shariah.

Video - ‘Cultural cleansing is human tragedy of Middle East’ – UNESCO chief.

The persecution of people based on their ethnicity and the deprivation of their intangible heritage has become part of the human tragedy in the Middle East, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO told RT’s Oksana Boyko in ‘Worlds Apart’.

Islamic State militants Terrorists (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) are engaged in the “cultural cleansing” of the Middle East, Bokova said, describing it as a “human tragedy.”

When one “persecutes people on the basis of their ethnicity or religion, destroys their monuments, their temples, deprives them of their intangible heritage, attacks their identities – they stop being humane,” she said.

She stressed that there is an urgent need to curb the industrial-scale looting of archaeological sites and trafficking of goods in order to cut the extremists’ financing.

“We should not forget that this is a criminal activity that further finances terrorism, extremist activities, persecution of people. It’s not just looting. It’s not just because we love art that we are doing this. It has a deep meaning for peace and security,” she said.

Bokova reiterated the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 2199 introduced by Russia and adopted in February. The resolution condemned the destruction of cultural heritage and enforced legally-binding measures to counter the illicit trafficking of antiquities and cultural objects from Iraq and Syria.Read the full story here.

Spain: 250 call shops, 'Halal' butchers and grocery shops identified, which would finance ISIL and Al Qaeda.

Spain: 250 call shops, 'Halal' butchers and grocery shops identified, which would finance ISIL and Al Qaeda. HT: DreuzeInfo.

Madrid: A Report of the Spanish special services, indicts a network of businesses and businesses owned by members of the Muslim community are financing Daesh and Jabat Al Nusra in Syria.

Indeed, the Spanish special services reported that more than 250 phone shops of Halal Meat and Halal grocery Muslims living properties in Spain, would be involved in financing and Daesh Jabhat Al Nusra in Syria, and through a uncontrollable network of international transfer of funds, named 'Hawala'.

According to a report on the subject, published by the Spanish newspaper El Pais and the Italian news agency Ansamed, the Spanish security services have identified about 300 terminals and 'office' secret network 'Hawala' in the cities of Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida, Bilbao, Santander, Valencia and Madrid.

This network is used to fund jihadist activities as it would be used by Syrian immigrants, Tunisia, Algeria and Pakistan to send outside of Spain, funds which the vesting conditions are not always blameless.

The sources added that the Spanish intelligence services believe that the network 'Hawala' is also the means by which the 100 Spanish fighters in Syria are young Moroccan origin for most of them, are transferred parts of their payroll to their families.

NETWORK 'HAWALA'

The Hawala system in Spain would be controlled by Pakistani groups established in Catalonia. They would provide as Spanish services, transaction estimated at € 300 million per year, serving 150,000 customers.

In the world, 'Hawala', which was inspired by a native Chinese model, would be responsible for transport to more than $ 200 billion fund, per year, escaping all controls. Hmmmm.....Halal 'Butchers' sticking together. My guess Illegal 'immigrant Jihadist' probably use the same network to integrate in Europe as a fifth column.

Source: http://www.lemag.ma/Espagne-250-teleboutiques-boucheries-et-epiceries-Halal-qui-financeraient-Daech-et-Al-Qaida_a88241.html

U.S.-Based ISIS Cell Fundraising On ‘Dark Web’, accepting Bitcoin as currency.

U.S.-Based ISIS Cell Fundraising On ‘Dark Web’, accepting Bitcoin as currency.(FC).

Danna Harman, writing on the January 29, 2015 Israel-based, news website, Haaretz, notes that “a Tel Aviv analyst working for a Singapore-based cyber intelligence company, says he has uncovered concrete evidence that a terror cell, purporting to be related to the Islamic State — is soliciting for Bitcoins as part of its fundraising efforts.”

“There has long been evidence that terrorist cells use the Web — including the highly anonymous network found within the ‘Dark Web,’ which is not indexed, or even seen by standard search engines — for both recruiting and fund-raising purposes,” Ms. Harman notes. Concerns have also been expressed that the Islamic State might begin using — Bitcoin — the underground digital currency that allows for anonymous transactions,” online.

“But, this is the first time, says analyst Ido Wulkan, 25, that evidence is being made public linking what claims to be a specific Islamic State cell, to Bitcoin fundraising on the dark web. This could be a one-off fundraising effort,” Wulkan admits, or even — possibly, although very unlikely,” he says, “a hoax, or a joke. But, it could also be pointing to a larger, more worrying trend ” Wulkan’s analysis/findings have been passed on to authorities tracking Islamic State activities,” Haaretz said.

“Due to the increasing efforts of social media websites to close ISIS-related accounts, it was estimated that jihadists would seek refuge in the dark web,” said Wulkan, who is a senior web-intelligence analyst at S2T, a Singapore company that develops big data and cyber intelligence solutions for governments and big corporations. Wulkan was scouring the deep web for a client using S2T’s GoldenSpear data discovery system — as part of a project “having to do with international jihad,” he said, declining to give more details. The purported ISIS fundraising site was tracked down through a referral on a closed Turkish forum; and, linked to other known jihadist sites,” says Wulkan and others at S2T.

“Once on the site, Wulkan found the following message from the group’s fundraiser, a man later identified only as Abu-Mustafa: “Many of us live within the United States, and some are prominent within the community on both coasts,” writes Abu Mustafa. “We are currently working with recent reverts to Islam, and generally training brothers to struggle to establish a new Islamic front — both in the United States, and around the world.” Mustafa goes on to talk about the scarcity of resources, such as money and facilities, which are available to young Muslims in the United States and South America, who want to struggle against “their enemies.”

“Donations may be made through various means, both monetary and physical,” Mustafa explains, ….”though anything besides economic support through Bitcoin must be approved by the board and taken with much caution, due to the security apparatus’ recent crackdown on any and all Islamic change fronts here in the United States.”

“The revelation of this deep web site comes after the publication last July, of a pro-ISIS blog, titled, “Bitcoin And The Charity Of Violent Physical Struggle,” “In it,” Ms. Harman writes, “a man identified as Taqi’ul-Deen al-Munthir argued that in order for the Islamic State to fund its terror operations, it needed to go outside the Western financial system. One cannot send a bank transfer to a mujahid [Islamic fighter], or suspected mujahid, without the kafir [infidel] governments ruling today immediately being aware,” he wrote on his blog.

“Al-Munthir called on ISIS supporters to encrypt their financial transactions, by means of the so-called “Dark Wallet,” — making it harder for state agencies fighting terrorism to track the transactions. This allows our brothers stuck outside of the ardh Dawlatul-Islam [Islamic State], to avoid government taxes, along with secretly fund [sic] the Mujahideen, with no legal danger upon them,” reads the post.

Al-Munthir “also extolled the ‘Silk Road’ — an online digital [black market]place running mostly on Bitcoin, and accessible, as are all sites on the dark web; only through a Tor network (a software protocol that reroutes web traffic through hundreds of servers and computers — to conceal identities). Both Silk Road and Silk Road 2 were recently shut down by the FBI,” Ms. Harman wrote — though other digital, black market sites have taken their place. “Despite this red flag indicating ISIS’s interest in Bitcoin, says Wiulkan, there was no information made public as to whether ISIS cells had actually set up accounts into which Bitcoin could be transferred — until now.” “There was smoke, and now, we’ve found the fire,” Wulkan added.

According to the London-based Quilliam Foundation, the world’s first counter extremist think tank, finding such evidence of Bitcoin fundraising on the dark web should not surprise anyone. Attempts to block extremist material online….will always fail…” they wrote in a recent position paper about the British government’s attempts to shutter extremist activity on the web. The terrorist material appears on the Internet as quickly as it is banished; and, the policy risks driving fanatics on to the “dark web,” where they are even harder to track.”

Wulkan and others at S2T contend that Abu Mustafa’s group left a Bitcoin account number showing that it managed to raise five Bitcoin, worth approximately, at the time, $1,000. The account, Wulkan said, has since been seized and shut down by the FBI.”

“But, even if the Islamic State fundraising for Bitcoins on the dark web is a phenomena one might expect to see more of, observers note that, at present, it still represents only the tinniest drop in the bucket for the terror group,” Ms. Harman concludes. “Available intelligence suggests the Islamic State is managing to raise hundreds of millions of dollars — mainly through illicit activities such as kidnapping, extortion, and straight out theft. Last summer, the Islamic State reportedly stole over $425M worth of Iraqi dinars from Mosul’s central bank, making it the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest terror groups in the world.”

If there is any good news regarding this story, it is that Bitcoin anonymity is not as secure as many used to think. Read the full story here.

'Friends of Hamas' Qatar seeks to buy London Canary Wharf financial district

'Friends of Hamas' Qatar seeks to buy London Canary Wharf financial district. (BizNews).(AM).

Songbird Estates Plc, the owner of London’s Canary Wharf financial district, rejected an approach from Qatar Investment Authority and Brookfield Property Partners LP because the proposed bid is too low.

The Qatar fund and Brookfield may offer 295 pence a share, Songbird said in a statement today. The owner of about 69 percent of Canary Wharf Group Plc climbed 22 percent to 320 pence in London trading yesterday after announcing the approach.

“This proposal significantly undervalues Songbird and does not reflect the inherent value of the business and its underlying assets,” Songbird Chairman David Pritchard said in the statement.

Concerns have been voiced that Qatar allegedly has links with Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists, and that further ownership of property in the UK capital by the Gulf nation's investment authority should thus be avoided. Hmmm.....Money laundering anyone? Read the full story here.

Indian 'Entrepreneur' and Imam arrested for supplying T-shirts with ISIS slogan

Indian 'Entrepreneur' and Imam held for supplying T-shirts with ISIS slogan. (Hindu).

A "deeper investigation" revealed that the main accused were active supporters of the ISIS and allegedly trying to brainwash Muslim youths for the cause that the ISIS was fighting for.

In a significant breakthrough, the Ramanathapuram police have arrested a Tirupur-based Imam, who had procured T-shirts and printed slogans in support of the Islamic State in Iraq and al Shams (ISIS) before sending them to the Muslim youths in Thondi, who had posed for a group photograph sporting the T-shirts in front of a mosque recently. The Hindu was the first to report this development which has now gone beyond a flutter.

After the arrest on Monday night of M. Abdul Rahman (24) and his accomplice Rilvan, who organised the photo session and had ordered the T-shirts, a special police team from the district visited the hosiery town of Tirupur and detained S.Faizur Rahman (27) who procured the T-shirts and supplied them to Rilvan after printing a modified ISIS emblem on them.

“The special police team brought Faizur Rahman here on Wednesday and he was arrested for arranging the T-shirts for the youths,” the District Superintendent of Police N.M. Mylvahanan told The Hindu.

As he had arranged the T-shirts with full knowledge after receiving the designs and money from Abdul Rahman and Rilvan, he was also arrested under section 7 (1) (a) of the Criminal law Amendment Act (doing illegal activities and induce others to engage in unlawful activities) read with section 120 (b) of Indian Penal Code (criminal conspiracy), the SP said. He was produced before a magistrate court and remanded in judicial custody.

Faizur Rahman, who was working as an Imam in a local mosque in Tirupur, had despatched the T-shirts to Rilvan in Chennai, who, in turn, sent them to Thondi. After police launched a drive against those who posed for the photograph sporting the T-shirts, father of Abdul Rahman had destroyed about 50 T-shirts by burning them, while police seized 25 T-shirts. Two T-shirts were produced before the court, when the duo were produced for remand on Monday night, police said.

Meanwhile, police have initiated steps to impound the passport of Abdul Rahman, who used to visit Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sri Lanka on tourist visa in connection with his textiles, leather and electronic goods business. As they could not seize the passport, police sent a copy of the passport to the Passport Officer and requested him to impound it, the SP said. The passport was being impounded to prevent Abdul Rahman from fleeing abroad in the event of his release on bail, the SP said.

 Initially, it was believed that the Muslim youths wanted to only express their gratitude to the ISIS for releasing Indian nurses stranded in Iraq.

However, a "deeper investigation" revealed that the main accused were active supporters of the ISIS and allegedly trying to brainwash Muslim youths for the cause that the ISIS was fighting for.

PA confirms ploy to continue paying salaries to terrorists and avoid Western donors' criticism.

PA confirms ploy to continue paying salaries to terrorists and avoid Western donors' criticism. HT: Palwatch. By Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik.

PA government spokesman affirms that changing name of PA "Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs" into PLO "Authority of Prisoners' Affairs" will not affect salaries to prisoners "

[The change] will provide political and legal cover... it eliminates arguments... that [foreign] aid money [to the PA] is going to the prisoners" 

 "The Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs... has third largest monthly budget in the PA... Over 40 million shekels (12 million dollars) a month, which the PA pays the prisoners, the released prisoners and their families." [Official PA TV, June 11, 2014]

Palestinian Media Watch reported this month that the Palestinian Authority had devised a ploy to avoid criticism from donor countries for its policy of paying salaries to terrorists.

PA government spokesman Ehab Bessaiso has since confirmed this ploy in an interview on official PA TV. Bessaiso explained that the change of "the Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs" under the PA into "the Authority of Prisoners' Affairs" under the PLO would "provide political and legal cover" and "eliminate arguments ... that [foreign] aid money [to the PA] is going to the prisoners."

Furthermore, when the PA TV host summarized the change by saying, "The [prisoners'] salaries will continue to flow... nothing will harm the prisoners; their rights - under a ministry that became an authority - will remain the same," the government spokesman confirmed that this was correct. [Official PA TV, June 5, 2014] (See longer excerpt below)

At a Fatah press conference, Fatah Central Committee member Azzam Al-Ahmad also confirmed that the change was decided on "following international pressure aimed at preventing the payments to the prisoners." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 11, 2014]

Al-Ahmad added there had been "attempts on the part of the donors to exert pressure [on us] to stop the payments to the prisoners in the occupation prisons, causing us to transfer the issue of the prisoners back to the prisoners' and Martyrs' (Shahids') original mother [organization] (the PLO) [parenthesis in source]." He also confirmed that "a decision has been made to turn the ministry into an authority, and this will be done upon completion of the [necessary] measures."

The planned new "Authority of Prisoners' Affairs" has not yet been established, and the Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs is currently still functioning, but with Minister Shawqi Issa replacing former Minister Issa Karake under the new Fatah-Hamas unity government.

"The Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs established under the PA has the third largest monthly budget in the PA. It's the third largest PA government ministry. Over 40 million shekels (i.e., 12 million dollars) a month, which the PA pays the prisoners, the released prisoners and their families."

Fatah spokesman Ahmad Assaf explained in an interview that the PA Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs has "the third biggest monthly budget" of all ministries in the PA: Read and see the full story here.

The case of the Mysterious 'Disappearance' of 2 BC Apollo statue in Gaza

The case of the Mysterious 'Disappearance' of 2 BC Apollo statue in Gaza.HT: Conflictantiquities


La Repubblica‘s Fabio Scuto (@scutof) has reported (in English and Italian) on the Apollo of Gaza, which may be sold illicitly in order to fund the activities of Hamas. (I learned of this via @keftiugal.) It raises quite a few serious issues – the ethics of selling antiquities to fund (state) activities, the ethics of buying antiquities to prevent their disappearance onto the black market, the practicalities of protecting the cultural heritage of an unrecognised state [and what has actually happened]…

RAMALLAH - It's a full moon night in mid-September, Mounir puts water in his small boat fisherman in the beach in front of Deir al-Balah town in the middle of the Gaza Strip . But that night in his seine, a net fishing two hundred meters long, something gets caught just a few meters from the shore. flickers, illuminated by the moon, the arm of a wonderful life-size statue of Apollo , which shines to the point of seeming gold. Aided by his sons, Mounir somehow frees from the sand that has protected for twenty-three centuries , the charge on his rowing boat and hides it in his house, lost in the termite mound of dirt roads and buildings where the city and refugee camp is now knead in the same urban tragedy. Apollo is shown to a relative, but no one is able to tell if it's gold as the hopes fisherman. They can be seventy or eighty pounds of gold in the desperate reality of Gaza multiply its value. But no one can go around the Strip with a statue of the Hellenistic period in the trunk. At the statue that is (was) in perfect condition, is Bell'O better to cut off a finger, you can show to any connoisseur to make it to assess the purity and quality. Mounir dreams of breaking quickly, the finger shown in "around" turns bronze , the statue has "only" an extraordinary archaeological value as many artifacts that crop up here and there in the Strip.

As the JPost points out: "It's very, very rare to find a statue which is not in marble or in stone, but in metal," he said, adding that the apparent pristine condition of the statue suggested it was uncovered on land and not in the sea, as claimed.

Selling antiquities to fund state(Terrorist) activities

Hamas heard about the find, arrested Mounir and confiscated the statue; but because Apollo is iconic and nude, he is un-Islamic and immodest, and therefore undisplayable. Unable to display the statue, unable to pay its own workers because it can no longer raise funds by smuggling or taxing the smuggling of goods (including antiquities) through the tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt [since 80%+ of the smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza have been destroyed], Hamas has decided to sell the statue on the black market in order to fund its administration.

A ‘well[-]know[n] [i]nternational “mediator [dealer]“‘ is approaching buyers (including an unnamed ‘major American museum’) on behalf of Hamas. As Christopher Jones (@cwjones89) observed, ‘here’s an artifact ethics doozy: Can an American museum buy a bronze statue of Apollo from [US-categorised terrorist organisation] Hamas?’ It’s an especially interesting dilemma because Hamas is also an elected government with a civilian administration that provides social services such as healthcare and welfare.

Jones (probably correctly) expects that the statue will end up ‘on the illicit antiquities market since no one can send a US/EU designated terrorist org $20mil legally…. (Please note I’m not advocating paying Hamas for this statue. No statue is worth what Hamas would probably do with $20mil).’

In fact, about ‘90 percent‘ of Hamas’s spending is on ‘social, welfare, cultural and educational activities’, so it would probably spend any income from the Apollo on that. I would be wary of an international institution purchasing the statue because it would legitimate and incentivise antiquities dealing as a way of raising funds.

Protecting and recovering the cultural property of an unrecognised state

Ignoring those issues, how should the people of Gaza protect or recover their cultural heritage from the illicit antiquities market? The Palestinian antiquities department is trying to rescue the statue for the partially-recognised State of Palestine. Yet, as noted by the Director-General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, even if the statue (re)surfaces on the international art market, it will be impossible to recover through law enforcement, because Palestine has ‘not yet been allowed’ to become a member of Interpol. Director-General Hamdan Taha implores,

The only way to save Gaza’s Apollo is to tell its story, to let its images circulate, so that nobody can say, “I didn’t know where it came from”.

Hmmm.....Wanted 'Nude Bronze Apollo', last seen in GAZA?

Video - British Jihadi Cleric Choudary and Pro-Iranian U.S. Commentator Exchange Insults over Syria Crisis.

Video - British Jihadi Cleric Choudary and Pro-Iranian U.S. Commentator Exchange Insults over Syria Crisis.

Iran FM: Tehran to release documents on supporters of Takfiri terrorists.

Iran FM: Tehran to release documents on supporters of Takfiri terrorists.(Taz).

Tehran will provide international bodies with clear and convincing evidence on the role of the supporters of Takfiri groups in the crimes committed in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and other countries, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on January 19, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported.

Zarif made the remarks in reaction to the assassination of Iranian diplomat Abolqassem Assadi in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a.
"A small group is backing such dangerous moves and fueling clashes in the region and beyond," Zarif added.

"Iran is ready for an international campaign against extremism and sectarianism," he explained.

The Iranian foreign minister went on to note that he delivered that message to top officials in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Russia during his recent tour of the region.

Zarif posted the comment on his Facebook page.

Iran's commercial attaché, Abol-Qassem Assadi was shot dead in Sana'a on Saturday.

Six members of a terrorist group first tried to kidnap Assadi, but opened fire on him, when they faced resistance.Hmmmm....Don't imagine for a second these will include their 'lifeline Turkey'

These four rising terrorist organizations could replace al Qaeda as Public Enemy #1.

These four rising terrorist organizations could replace al Qaeda as Public Enemy #1.(Weekly).By Eugene K. Chow.

From the bloody siege of a Kenyan mall and captured Algerian oil fields, to high-profile political assassinations in Tunisia and vehicular rampage at Tiananmen Square, 2013 was marked by terrorist organizations that seemingly emerged from nowhere to wreak havoc and take innocent lives.

Here, a look at a few:

1. Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS)

Beginning as an umbrella organization for Iraqi insurgent groups in 2003, the Islamic State of Iraq (aka al Qaeda in Iraq) suffered major setbacks during the latter stages of the Iraq War, but since the withdrawal of U.S. forces and the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the group has returned with a vengeance.

This year, the predominately Sunni extremist group has stepped up its operations, perpetrating more than 40 deadly attacks each month across Iraq, primarily against Shiite targets in an effort to incite sectarian conflict. So far, the surge in violence has claimed roughly 800 civilian lives since mid-2013.

Most notably, in July the group successfully launched a massive attack on Abu Ghraib prison freeing more than 500 captured fighters, including many senior al Qaeda commanders. The highly-organized attack consisted of waves of car bombs, multiple suicide bombers, and mortar and rocket fire while prisoners rioted on the inside.

With the outbreak of conflict in Syria, the Islamic State of Iraq rebranded itself as Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) and has established itself as a significant player among opposition forces.

2. Ansar al Dine

In the chaos following the military coup that deposed Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure last March, Ansar Dine, loosely translated as "defenders of the faith," took control of a swath of land the size of Texas that included three major cities in the north Timbuktu, Kidal, and Gao.

Led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, a prominent leader of the Tuareg rebellion in the 90s, Ansar Dine is a militant Islamist group with close ties to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb that seeks to impose a strict interpretation of sharia law. In areas under their control, they have banned alcohol, smoking, and soccer, and have required women to wear veils. Those who did not comply were beaten, tortured, or killed.

Following a French-led UN military offensive earlier this year, Ansar Dine, has gone underground. A senior commander was captured earlier this year and Ghaly's whereabouts remain unknown. However groups loyal to Ghaly have continued attacks on French troops and government security forces.

3. Ansar al Sharia

Described by some as "al Qaeda's response to the Arab Spring," extremists across the Arab world have taken to branding themselves Ansar al Sharia, or "Supporters of Islamic Law."

So far there has been no evidence linking these disparate groups together, but last year, influential Jihadist Shaykh Abu al Mundhir al Shinqiti urged Muslims to establish their own chapters of Ansar al Sharia and eventually unite them all into a single network. Currently the most prominent groups exist in Yemen, Tunisia, and Libya, and to a lesser extent in Egypt and Morocco.

4. East Turkestan Islamic Movement

The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), also known as the Turkestan Islamic Party, is a Muslim separatist movement based in northwest China's Xinjiang Province. Founded by Uighars, the Turkic-speaking ethnic majority in Xinjiang, ETIM seeks the overthrow of China's rule and the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.

ETIM members are scattered across Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan, operating primarily in safe havens along the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border. A recent video has surfaced of young children receiving military training at camps in Pakistan's volatile North Waziristan tribal area.

The group has alleged links to al Qaeda and several ETIM members joined al Qaeda to fight against the United States in Afghanistan, including the 22 Uighar militants that were captured and held at Guantanamo by U.S. forces.Read the full story here.

Lebanese General reveals Mysterious Saudi National Accompanying Majed is "Son of of Saudi Intelligence Chief Bandar bin Sultan,"

Lebanese General reveals Mysterious Saudi National Accompanying Majed is "Son of of Saudi Intelligence Chief Bandar bin Sultan,"(Fars).

A high-ranking Lebanese General disclosed the identity of a Saudi national who was detained by the security forces along with Majed al-Majed, the mastermind of the November 19 bombing attack on the Iranian embassy in Lebanon and ringleader of the terrorist Abdullah Izzam Brigade.

“The Saudi national accompanying Majed al-Majed at the time of detention was the son of Saudi Intelligence Chief Bandar bin Sultan,” the Lebanese General told FNA on Sunday on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

He also said following the reports on the apprehension of the Saudi terrorist, a number of European intelligence agencies demanded the Lebanese government to give them access to Majed for his interrogation by the Europeans.

“During the interrogation of Majed who had played an important role in reviving the terrorist al-Qaeda group, the western intelligence services sought to find important clues to identify other ringleaders of Abdullah Izzam Brigade, their new tactics in obtaining facilities and recruiting members, identifying the group’s financial sources and supporters as well as its future plots and missions,” the Lebanese General said.

On Tuesday, the Lebanese security forces said they have arrested Majed al-Majed, the Saudi ringleader of Abdullah Izzam Brigade which has claimed responsibility for the November 19 bombings in front of Tehran’s embassy in Beirut, which left 23 dead, including cultural attaché Ebrahim Ansari.

On Saturday, a Lebanese army General, who spoke on the conditions of anonymity in line with regulations, said Al-Majed died in custody in Lebanon. The General said Al-Majed died on Saturday after suffering kidney failure.

Political analysts believe that the supporters and financers of Abdullah Izzam terrorist group have killed Majed for the fear of the possible revelations he could make against the Saudi Takfiri groups and his masters.

Also, other observers say that the Lebanese security forces had started Majed’s interrogation before his death, but refrained from disclosing their information upon Riyadh’s request.

Al-Majed, a Saudi citizen was detained in Lebanon late last month and had been held at a secret location. According to Islamist websites, al-Majed was announced as leader of the Brigades in 2012.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades was formed in 2009 and is believed to have branches in both the Arabian Peninsula and Lebanon, but may have been active as early as 2004.

On Thursday, Lebanese sources disclosed that Majed had taken orders from Saudi Spy Chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

Lebanese information sources said that they have found information linking Majed al-Majed, the Saudi commander of the al-Qaeda affiliated group Abdullah Azzam Brigades who claimed responsibility for the attack to the Saudi spy chief.

A few hours later on Thursday, the Iranian embassy in Beirut requested access to the investigation into the double suicide bombing.
“The (caretaker) Foreign Ministry received a memo from Iranian authorities in which they asked to stay informed about the investigation with al-Majed, considering that the explosion took place on an Iranian soil,” caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told LBCI television.

For its part, the Lebanese news site Naharnet reported that Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Qazanfar Roknabadi announced that an Iranian intelligence delegation participated in inspecting the scene of the explosion near the embassy in Beirut’s Southern suburbs.

“Both Lebanese and Iranian authorities agreed that Iran will take part in the investigation,” the Iranian ambassador said.

In 2009, Lebanon sentenced Majed in absentia to life in prison for belonging to a different extremist group, the Al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam.

Earlier today, senior parliamentary officials in Tehran disclosed that Saudi Arabia had offered to pay $3bln to the Lebanese government in return for the extradition of Al-Majed, the suspected head of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades – Ziad al-Jarrah Battalion, that claimed responsibility for the November attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut which killed 23 people.

“The Saudi government has considered $3bln for the extradition of the individual behind the Iranian embassy blast in Lebanon, indicating that the remarks he might make are vitally important for the Saudi government,” Vice-Chairman of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mansour Haqiqatpour told FNA on Saturday.

“Saudi Arabia has demanded Lebanon to extradite Majed in return for $3bln,” he reiterated.

Haqiqatpour also underlined that Tehran is entitled to file a lawsuit at the UN against Saudi Arabia because the mid November attack was conducted on the Iranian embassy in Beirut.Hmmm.....you don't search for a 'dead man.'

Video - Jihadi Leaders Anjem Choudary and Omar Bakri Acknowledge Sending Western Fighters to Syria.

European Union auditors are recommending that the EU stop paying the salaries of Palestinian civil servants in Gaza who don’t work.

European Union auditors are recommending that the EU stop paying the salaries of Palestinian civil servants in Gaza who don’t work.(Wapo).


BRUSSELS — European Union auditors are recommending that the EU stop paying the salaries of Palestinian civil servants in Gaza who don’t work.

The findings were made public Wednesday by the European Court of Auditors, which scrutinized how 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in EU financial support to the Palestinian Authority has been used.

The EU pays about a fifth of the salaries of the 170,000 civil servants employed by the Palestinian Authority. But European auditor Hans Gustaf Wessberg says spot checks of 10 civil servants in Gaza found four weren’t working. At one place, Wessberg said, out of 125 employees, 90 weren’t working.Hmmm.....The higher the fin aid they get, the lower their GDP.Read the full story here.

IDF Troops arrest three senior Hamas members in West Bank.

IDF reaches the parts other armies don't :)

IDF Troops arrest three senior Hamas members in West Bank. (AA).

Israel’s army arrested three senior members of the Islamist Hamas movement overnight, Palestinian security sources said on Thursday, in the second such arrest operation this week.

The three men -- Jamal Tawil, Hussein Abu Kwayk and Faraj Romana -- were arrested in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

All of them are senior West Bank members of Hamas, the movement which governs the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli army spokesman would only say that three unnamed Palestinians were arrested, but gave no further details.

Hamas has ruled Gaza since it forcibly took over the territory in June 2007, but many of its members remain in the West Bank, which is ruled by the rival Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

On Monday, Israel arrested another 15 Hamas members, two of them MPs, in arrests in the northern cities of Tulkarem and Nablus, and in Hebron in the south, Palestinian sources said.

The army confirmed only 10 arrests.

Hamas condemned the arrests as a conspiracy by Israel, Washington and the Palestinian Authority linked to the ongoing peace talks, which the group firmly opposes.

Thursday’s arrests came a day after Israel released 26 long-serving Palestinian prisoners as part of commitments to the peace negotiations.

Russian State Duma Passes law to Punish Terrorists' Relatives.

Russian State Duma Passes law to Punish Terrorists' Relatives.(RN).

Russian legislators unanimously passed a law Friday forcing the relatives of terrorists to pay for the damages caused by their attacks.

The law approved by the State Duma, the country’s lower house of parliament, was submitted by President Vladimir Putin’s office and includes measures to criminalize training in terrorist camps.
Effort to target the families of militants marks the latest attempt by Russian authorities to stamp out an insurgency in the turbulent North Caucasus that has claimed thousands of lives over more than a decade.

Under the law, material and moral damages inflicted as a result of a terrorist attack should be compensated “by the perpetrator and his or her family members, relatives, in-laws and other people, whose lives, health and well-being are significant to him or her because of established personal relations.”

People found guilty of training with the aim of carrying out terrorist activities will now face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and fines of up to 500,000 rubles ($15,700). Anybody found guilty of creating terrorist networks could be sentenced to 20 years behind bars and fines of up to one million rubles.
Individuals found to be parts of terrorist organizations can now be punished with 10-year jail sentences and 500,000 ruble fines.

The new legislation increases penalties for setting up, leading or financing armed groups to up to 10 years. Participation in such groups, including those based abroad, is punishable with up to six years in jail.
The legislation will come into effect if passed by the upper house of parliament and is signed by Putin.
The fight against terrorism is once again in the forefront of public attention with the alleged suicide bombing attack this week on a public bus in the southern city of Volgograd that claimed six lives.