Tag Archive for: terror

ISIS takes credit for Paris slaughter, says Muslim shooter was from Belgium

This attack should lead European authorities to realize that they’re in a war, and that it’s getting worse, and that they’re not winning, and that they need to undertake a drastic reassessment of their approach to this whole problem. But it probably won’t.

“Paris attack: Isis claims responsibility for shooting that left one police officer dead,” by Jon Sharman, Lucy Pasha-Robinson, and Katie Forster, Independent, April 20, 2017:

Extremist group releases statement saying attack was carried out by Belgian Isis fighter

A police officer has died and two are seriously wounded after a shooting near the Champs-Elysees boulevard in Paris.

Isis have claimed responsibility for the attack, in which the officer was said to have been killed while in a car stopped at a red light.

A report citing a police source said the person who fired on officers had been killed in turn. Officials said the suspect had previously been flagged as an extremist.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said it had identified the attacker and was looking into whether he acted alone. Raids are ongoing in the city, it was reported.

A police source said the shooting was very probably a “terrorist act”, according to Reuters, while other reports suggested robbery may have been the motive.

The French interior ministry said it was too early to judge the reason behind the attack, but a counter-terrorism inquiry has been opened.

‘It looks like another terrorist attack,’ says Trump of Paris shooting….

Youssouf El Osri

Youssouf El Osri

UPDATE: Police are searching for a suspect Youssouf El Osri, who arrived from Belgium on the Thalys train. #Paris #ChampsElysees

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More PARIS TERROR: Gunshots reported at Paris shopping centre after police officers shot dead

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Paris: Jihad murderer of policeman was under investigation for terrorism, but let go

EDITORS NOTE: The Associated Press reports that French police have surrounded and searched the family home of Karim Cheurfi (aka Abu Yusuf al-Baljik), a 39-year-old with a police record, in relation to today’s attack.  Cheurfi’s home is located in the town of Chelles.

Ch

Karim Cheurfi (aka Abu Yusuf al-Baljik)

Trump invites Hungarian PM Orbán to visit him in Washington

Orbán is an outspoken foe of mass Muslim migration into Europe, and of Europe’s Islamization.

viktor-orban-hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán

“Trump Invites Hungarian PM Orbán to Washington D.C.,” by Chris Tomlinson, Breitbart, November 25, 2016:

U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump has invited Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to visit him in Washington D.C.

The Prime Minister said that Mr. Trump then praised the Hungarian government and called the people of Hungary “brave freedom fighters” during a telephone conversation on Thursday night, Hungarian paper Magyar Hirlap reports.

Mr. Orbán also noted that Trump congratulated Hungary for its economic success in recent years saying that he has called the nation’s achievements over the past six years “outstanding”.

After being invited to Washington D.C., Orbán said: “I told him that I hadn’t been there for a long time as I had been treated as a ‘black sheep’, to which he replied, laughing, ‘Me too’.”

On Mr. Trump’s open attitudes toward Hungary, the prime minister said: “He is much more interested in success, efficiency and results than in political theories,” adding: “This is good for us, as the facts are with us. The economic cooperation has always been good, only the ideologies presented obstacles.”

One of the first European politicians to come out in support of Trump, the maverick Hungarian leader has been a fierce opponent of the migrant policies of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the European Union’s plans to redistribute migrants across the political bloc.

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart Londonshortly after the Hungarian migrant referendum, spokesman for the Hungarian government Zoltán Kovács said the Obama administration had left the country feeling abandoned. “My first-hand experience, the experience of the government, [is that] the U.S. has lost interest, and probably with it, knowledge about the region. Europe in general, but most certainly about Central Europe,” he said.

While Mr. Orbán had come out in support of Mr. Trump, Kovács was more cautious than to offer an official governmental endorsement, but did at the time note that the migrant policies of Trump and the Hungarian government aligned.

“If it’s about migration, which seems to be the most acute challenge we face, it’s definitely true that Mr. Trump and the conservative philosophy on migration is a lot closer to us,” he noted.

Hungary, along with neighbours Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland, constitute the Visegrad 4 group, who have been a major bloc in opposition of mass migration within the European Union. The V4 now look to the presidential elections in Austria for another potential ally in the anti-mass migration Freedom Party (FPÖ) candidate Norbert Hofer….

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Netherlands: Authorities thwart Amsterdam mosque members plot for jihad massacre at synagogue

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Trump’s CIA nominee promises to roll back Iran deal

The Iran deal is a disaster for the United States and the free world, as I detail in my book The Complete Infidel’s Guide to Iran. Rolling it back, as much as this can be done (we can’t, of course, get back the billions Obama has showered upon the Islamic Republic), could be the Trump administration’s greatest achievement, if they can pull it off.

“Trump’s CIA nominee Mike Pompeo promises to roll back Iran deal,” by Geoff Dyer, Financial Times, November 18, 2016 (thanks to Lookmann):

Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump’s nominee as CIA director, is a fierce critic of the Iran nuclear deal and wants to restore surveillance programmes stopped after the Edward Snowden revelations….

With his name circulating as a candidate for the Central Intelligence Agency post, Mr Pompeo took to Twitter on Thursday to promise action on the Iran deal. “I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.”

On Friday, he issued a statement saying it had been a difficult decision to move on from representing Kansas, “but ultimately the opportunity to lead the world’s finest intelligence warriors, who labour tirelessly to keep this nation and Kansas safe, is a call to service I cannot ignore.”

If confirmed, Mr Pompeo would replace John Brennan, who has run the CIA since 2013, after serving as President Barack Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser….

As well as opposing the 2014 nuclear deal with Iran, Mr Pompeo has sponsored a series of bills that would increase sanctions on Iran. Earlier this year, he and two other House Republicans requested visas to visit Iran to monitor the parliamentary elections in February.

In the wake of the Snowden revelations, the Obama administration closed a surveillance programme that collected information on telephone calls by millions of Americans. Mr Pompeo has introduced a bill that would restore the National Security Agency’s access to the telephone data and could also give it access to financial and lifestyle information….

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VIDEO: Brazil Arrests ‘Defenders of the Shariah’ Terror Cell Ahead of Olympic Games

Cooperating with the U.S. Brazil beefs up counter-terror forces after police arrested an ‘amateur’ cell of 12 terrorists planning an attack.

Brazil has enhanced its security cooperation on counter-terrorism with the United States ahead of the Olympic Games, which begin in Rio de Janeiro Friday, August 5.

Brazilian police have been training alongside the FBI and specialized American counter-terrorism units in order to ensure the country is prepared for the security challenges of the games. Brazil has so far not suffered any major terrorist threat and, as a consequence,its security forces were underprepared for the scale of the Olympics, which jihadist groups have threatened to attack.

Dozens of Brazilian officials flew to the United States to train with American forces and to observe how the U.S. guards major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, according to the New York Times.

In late July, Brazilian counter-terror police arrested a cell of 12 would-be terrorists who were plotting to mount an attack against the games, as reported by CNN. Ten were reportedly arrested initially followed by two later arrests.

Police were able to catch the cell by monitoring communications on the messaging service WhatsApp. The group called  itself the “Defenders of the Shariah.”

“It was an amateur cell without any planned preparation,” Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes said of the cell.

The group reportedly attempted to purchase weapons online, something Moraes said no professional group would do and had not got beyond the early planning stage when they were arrested.

The arrests followed the discovery of an Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL) affiliated group in Brazil also in July, which was disseminating ISIS propaganda using the encrypted messaging service Telegram.

One such message distributed by the group read, “Lone Wolf from anywhere in the world can move to Brazil now. Visas and tickets and travel to Brazil will be very easy to get inshallah.”

Another message read, “If the French police cannot stop attacks on its territory, training given to the Brazilian police will not do anything.”

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Donald J. Trump statement regarding tragic terrorist attack in Orlando, Florida

Donald Trump posted the following statement on Facebook:

Last night, our nation was attacked by a radical Islamic terrorist. It was the worst terrorist attack on our soil since 9/11, and the second of its kind in 6 months. My deepest sympathy and support goes out to the victims, the wounded, and their families.

In his remarks today, President Obama disgracefully refused to even say the words ‘Radical Islam’. For that reason alone, he should step down. If Hillary Clinton, after this attack, still cannot say the two words ‘Radical Islam’ she should get out of this race for the Presidency.

If we do not get tough and smart real fast, we are not going to have a country anymore. Because our leaders are weak, I said this was going to happen – and it is only going to get worse. I am trying to save lives and prevent the next terrorist attack. We can’t afford to be politically correct anymore.

The terrorist, Omar Mir Saddique Mateen, is the son of an immigrant from Afghanistan who openly published his support for the Afghanistani Taliban and even tried to run for President of Afghanistan. According to Pew, 99% of people in Afghanistan support oppressive Sharia Law.

We admit more than 100,000 lifetime migrants from the Middle East each year. Since 9/11, hundreds of migrants and their children have been implicated in terrorism in the United States.

Hillary Clinton wants to dramatically increase admissions from the Middle East, bringing in many hundreds of thousands during a first term – and we will have no way to screen them, pay for them, or prevent the second generation from radicalizing.

We need to protect all Americans, of all backgrounds and all beliefs, from Radical Islamic Terrorism – which has no place in an open and tolerant society. Radical Islam advocates hate for women, gays, Jews, Christians and all Americans. I am going to be a President for all Americans, and I am going to protect and defend all Americans. We are going to make America safe again and great again for everyone.

– Donald J. Trump

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EDITORS NOTE: The Counter Jihad Report published the following:

Officials say Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, an Afghan-American who held two firearms licenses and a security officer license, was employed by the security firm G4S Secure Solutions USA Inc. since Sept. 10, 2007. The Jupiter, Fla.-based company merged with the Wackenhut Corp. after 9/11 and assumed federal contracts.

“G4S supports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CPB), with its operations at the U.S. ­ Mexico border and with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to transport illegal immigrants in selected urban areas,” the company says in a brochure, titled “Providing Manpower Solutions for Government Services.”

Do European Labor Laws Lead to Terrorism? by Alex Tabarrok

Why are there poor Muslim ghettos in Europe but not in the United States?

In Belgium, high unemployment and crime-ridden Muslim ghettos have fomented radicalism, but as Jeff Jacoby writes:

Muslims in the United States … have had no problem acclimating to mainstream norms. In a detailed 2011 survey, the Pew Research Center found that Muslim Americans are “highly assimilated into American society and … largely content with their lives.”

More than 80 percent of US Muslims expressed satisfaction with life in America, and 63 percent said they felt no conflict “between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society.”

The rates at which they participate in various everyday American activities — from following local sports teams to watching entertainment TV — are similar to those of the American public generally. Half of all Muslim immigrants display the US flag at home, in the office, or on their car.

Jacoby, however, doesn’t explain why these differences exist. One reason is the greater flexibility of American labor markets compared to those in Europe.

Institutions that make it more difficult to hire and fire workers or adjust wages can increase unemployment and reduce employment, especially among immigrant youth. Firms will be less willing to hire if it is very costly to fire. As Tyler and I put it in Modern Principles, how many people will want to go on a date if every date requires a marriage?

The hiring hurdle is especially burdensome for immigrants given the additional real or perceived uncertainty from hiring immigrants. One of the few ways that immigrants can compete in these situations is by offering to work for lower wages. But if that route is blocked by minimum wages, or requirements that every worker receive significant non-wage benefits, unemployment and non-employment among immigrants will be high — generating disaffection, especially among the young.

Huber, for example, (see also Angrist and Kuglerfinds:

Countries with more centralized wage bargaining, stricter product market regulation and countries with a higher union density, have worse labour market outcomes for their immigrants relative to natives even after controlling for compositional effects.

The problem of labor market rigidity is especially acute in Belgium, where the differences between native and immigrant unemployment, employment and wages are among the highest in the OECD. Language difficulties and skills are one reason, but labor market rigidity is another, as this OECD report makes clear:

Belgian labour market settings are generally unfavourable to the employment outcomes of low-skilled workers. Reduced employment rates stem from high labour costs, which deter demand for low-productivity workers…

Furthermore, labour market segmentation and rigidity weigh on the wages and progression prospects of outsiders. With immigrants over-represented among low-wage, vulnerable workers, labour market settings likely hurt the foreign-born disproportionately. …

Minimum wages can create a barrier to employment of low-skilled immigrants, especially for youth. As a proportion of the median wage, the Belgian statutory minimum wage is on the high side in international comparison and sectoral agreements generally provide for even higher minima. This helps to prevent in-work poverty … but risks pricing low-skilled workers out of the labour market (Neumark and Wascher, 2006).

Groups with further real or perceived productivity handicaps, such as youth or immigrants, will be among the most affected.

In 2012, the overall unemployment rate in Belgium was 7.6% (15-64 age group), rising to 19.8% for those in the labour force aged under 25, and, among these, reaching 29.3% and 27.9% for immigrants and their native-born offspring, respectively.

Immigration can benefit both immigrants and natives but achieving those benefits requires the appropriate institutions especially open and flexible labor markets.

This post first appeared at Marginal Revolution.

Alex TabarrokAlex Tabarrok

Alex Tabarrok is a professor of economics at George Mason University. He blogs at Marginal Revolution with Tyler Cowen.

VIDEO: Donald Trump on the ‘future of American Relations’ with our ‘cultural brother’ Israel

On Monday, March 21, 2016 leading GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. In this speech he laid out his  position on support for the State of Israel. He spoke on the Iran “bad” deal and Iran’s proxies in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon,  Yemen and the threat to Saudi Arabia.

Trump laid out three strategies to deal with Iran:

  1. Stand against all of Iran’s efforts to “destabilize and dominate” the region (Middle East).
  2. Totally “dismantle Iran’s global terror network.”
  3. Enforce the Iran nuclear deal like “you’ve never seen a contract enforced before.”

Trump then called out the “utter weakness and incompetence” of the United Nations. Trump said the UN is not a friend to democracy, freedom, the United States or Israel.

Trump’s comment “with President Obama in his final year, yeah!” got a standing ovation.

Trump noted that Obama may be the “worst thing” that ever happened to Israel. Trump called any effort by the Obama administration to impose any UN imposed agreement between Israel and the Palestinians a “total disaster.” Trump said as President he would veto any such resolution.

Trump was adamant that rewarding Palestinian terror knife attacks, such at that which slaughtered American veteran and West Point graduate Taylor Force in Tel Aviv, cannot happen, ever.

Trump repeatedly stated he would veto any attempt by the UN to impose its will on the Jewish state of Israel.

Trump said as President “the days of treating Israel as a second class citizen will end, on day one.” Palestinian incitement and Jew hatred has to stop, said Trump. Glorifying martyrdom is a “barrier to peace.” Palestinians must end the “education of hatred, and end it now.”

He noted that Obama continually punishes our friends and rewards our enemies. He called Hillary Clinton a “total disaster.”

Trump observed that when America stands with Israel the chances of peace rises “exponentially.” He promised to move the U.S. embassy to the “eternal capital of Israel, Jerusalem” and that there is “no daylight between America and its most reliable ally Israel.”

He concluded with “my Daughter Ivanka Is about to have a beautiful Jewish baby.”

Trump’s speech was a major foreign policy statement on the Middle East in general and toward Israel specifically. He set his red lines in the sand.

Now we must wait for November 8th to see if he will be the man to implement them.

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South Carolina: Bill would hold sponsors liable if Muslim migrants commit crimes

If you try to protect yourself from a jihad terror attack, you’re liable to be called “un-American” by Hamas-linked CAIR’s Ibrahim “Honest Ibe” Hooper. Foes of the bill “say the measure is out of character for a state that often espouses the importance of Christian hospitality and loving your neighbor.” Is Christian hospitality, then, a mandate for suicide? A Christian must be hospitable even if doing so exposes him to deadly risk? Trying to prevent possible jihad terror attacks makes one un-Christian and un-American?

“South Carolina, New York State consider refugee registries,” by Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press, March 19, 2016:

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — While Republican front-runner Donald Trump continues to make waves nationally for his comments about banning Muslims from traveling to the country, lawmakers in two very different states are proposing that all refugees register with the government.

Registration bills are being proposed in both New York State and in South Carolina, where if refugees commit an act of terrorism, their sponsors, under the bill, could be held liable.

The South Carolina lawmakers say they are less concerned about a possible constitutional challenge than a possible terrorist threat coming to the state.

Opponents, however, say the measure is out of character for a state that often espouses the importance of Christian hospitality and loving your neighbor.

“I want us to be who we have always been — a welcoming people,” said Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Manning, who is helping lead the fight against the bill.

Sponsoring Sen. Kevin Bryant said the bill has three components: a registry of all refugees; civil liability for sponsors of refugees from counties considered state sponsors of terror by the federal government (currently Iran, Sudan and Syria) for crimes committed by refugees; a prohibition on the state spending any money on refugees and their families.

Bryant said the goal of the bill is to protect people’s safety. Nearly 850 refugees from a number of countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East have come to South Carolina since 2010, with 87 arriving since last summer. The Anderson Republican said if only one of them were to conduct a terrorist attack it would be devastating.

Instead, he said people in South Carolina can show their compassion by giving to relief organizations that help refugees elsewhere.

“Why should we bring one refugee here when we could spend the same money and help 10 in their part of the world?” Bryant said.

A challenge to the South Carolina law is likely because the law singles people out by county of origin and seems bent toward discriminating against Muslims, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the [Hamas-linked] Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“If it is not illegal, it is at least un-American,” Hooper said….

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How does a teenager decide to skip school put a knife in his/her backpack to stab a Jew?

How does one decide not to show up for work because they want to ram their car into Israelis waiting at a bus stop? Where does this drive to kill come from?

The factors are clear and they are as follows:

doll with knife

What’s your favorite toy? A teddy bear? A Barbie? These are the toys Arab leaders send to Palestinian kids.

Children’s toys:

Receives stuffed animal of baby with rock in hand.

Israeli customs seized 4,000 “rock-throwing” dolls intended for the Palestinian Authority to be distributed amongst Palestinian children.

Watches Public TV:

Can you imagine Elmo talking to a child and encouraging the child to stab another human being?

Many grow up watching their favorite shows on public television networks. It is a core component to our childhood, our upbringing. Sesame street encourages kids to be nice to one another to be good friends. Other shows are silly, humorous, harmless. But many Palestinian children grow up watching more than Sesame Street or Spongebob.

Instead many Palestinian youth are watching Palestinian Authority sponsored television with cartoons depicting Jews as monsters. They also watch shows, similar to Sesame Street, with dressed up bunnies that praise and encourage kids to sacrifice their lives to kill Jews.

Screen-Shot-2016-03-08-at-12.29.10-240x160

Saraa, the young girl says

Plays video games:

Goal of many Palestinian video games is to stab Jews, or other violent acts against Jews and Israelis.

Go to School:

Are told that Jews are murderers, taught the way to martyrdom

There are tens of schools in Gaza and Judea and Samaria that are named in honor of suicide bombers and terrorists. For example, there are three schools under the Palestinian Authority named after the infamous female suicide bomber, Dalal Mughrabi who killed 37 civilians- 12 children.

  1. The Dalal Mughrabi High School for Girls – Gaza
  2. The Dalal Mughrabi High School for Girls – Hebron
  3. The Dalal Mughrabi Elementary School for Girls – near Hebron

The curriculum in some schools is also problematic.  According to Palestinian Media Watch:

PA schoolbook for 13 year-olds published in 2006 teaches children the following:

“Your enemies seek life while you seek death.” [Reading and Texts Part II, Grade 8, p. 16]

These examples barely scratch the surface of the violent incitement that has been institutionalized in many Palestinian communities.

Go to Prayer:

Community leaders encourage the stabbing of Jews

They attend prayer services and the Imam stands on stage preaching. The audience listens as their community leaders laud the efforts of Palestinians who have executed attacks against Israelis. They promote the violence. They encourage listeners to go out and stab the Jews. They are not only praising Allah, they are also perpetuating violent incitement. They are engraining a hateful, violent, and, even, murderous mentality.

Go on Facebook:

See posts celebrating terrorists who killed Jews

Facebook has been utilized as a tool to perpetuate incitement. Facebook users in Palestinian communities see statuses applauding murder. They see instructional videos of terrorists with a knife showing viewers, step-by-step, how to stab and kill a Jew.

Go out at night & Weekends:

Celebrate death in parades. Praise the terrorists. Riot

Palestinians of all ages spend part of their Friday rioting. There are riots weekly. Rioters use rocks, sling shots, firebombs, burning tires, and anything they can to attack Israelis, soldiers, and civilian roads.  Beyond the riots, there are parades and celebrations. They celebrate when a Jew is killed, or when a Palestinian terrorist is killed. The Palestinian Authority often organizes or facilitates funerals for terrorists to praise them, even celebrate them for killing or attempting to kill Jews.

Go to stab:

Result of incitement

RELATED ARTICLE: Egypt finds Gaza smuggling tunnels big enough for trucks

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared on the Israeli Defense Forces website.

Obama’s Mosque Speech: Missing a ‘Berlin Wall Moment’

U.S. President Barack Obama delivered his first speech from a mosque on February 3. He pushed the Muslim-American community to lead the Muslim world into a better future, but he missed a “tear down this wall” moment by speaking at a mosque with a radical history instead of giving a lift to Muslim reformists who confront Islamism.

Here are three hits and three misses from Obama’s speech in alternating order:

Hit: Using quotes from Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, Obama simultaneously countered Islamist preaching that Muslims cannot reconcile their faith identity with American patriotism. This is also a strong rebuttal to those that wish to exempt Muslims from constitutional protections simply for their choice of faith. He said:

Back then, Muslims were often called Mahometans.  And Thomas Jefferson explained that the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom he wrote was designed to protect all faiths — and I’m quoting Thomas Jefferson now — “the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mahometan.”  (Applause.)

…Benjamin Franklin wrote that “even if the Mufti of Constantinople were to send a missionary to preach to us, he would find a pulpit at his service.”  (Applause.)

Miss: He implied that Muslim terrorists and extremists purposely “twist” Islamic verses to suit their agendas, as if groups like ISIS do not actually believe in the Islam they practice and impose. He said:

“Right now, there is an organized extremist element that draws selectively from Islamic texts, twists them in an attempt to justify their killing and their terror. Part of what’s happened in the Middle East and North Africa and other places where we see sectarian violence is religion being a tool for another agenda—for power, for control.”

By denying the Islamist ideological root of these threats, President Obama removes the obligation from the Muslim world to directly address, debunk and reform Islamic interpretations that are dangerous and strongly-held. He disarms the chief argument of the best Muslim allies, like those in the Muslim Reform Movement.

Hit: Pressuring Muslim leaders to confront anti-Western propaganda, anti-Semitism in Europe and persecution of Christians.

Obama did not call on Muslim leaders to refute Islamism overall but he did directly tell them that they have an obligation to confront anti-Western views that present the U.S. and its allies as an enemy of their faith.  He said:

“Muslim political leaders have to push back on the lie that the West oppresses Muslims, and against conspiracy theories that says America is the cause of every ill in the Middle East. Now, that doesn’t mean Muslim Americans aren’t free to criticize American-U.S. foreign policy. That’s part of being an American.”

“…The fact is, there are Christians who are targeted now in the Middle East, despite having been there for centuries, and there are Jews who’ve lived in places like France for centuries who now feel obliged to leave because they feel themselves under assault—sometimes by Muslims.”

The Islamists’ constant depiction of the U.S. and its allies as evil, including reflexive bashing of the integrity of law enforcement, acts as a trigger for radicals to become violent jihadists. We need genuinely democratic Muslims around the world to hold Islamist propagandists accountable for their incitements.

Miss: The choice of the Islamic Society of Baltimore as a venue, which he described as “an all-American story.”

The ideological war against Islamism is somewhat like a political campaign. The Muslim reformers need positive press, resources and a platform. By praising the Islamic Society of Baltimore, the president gave a helping hand to the Islamist side of the competition.

The Islamic Society of Baltimore, as documented in this impressive expose by the Investigative Project on Terrorism , has a long history of promoting Islamist extremism including the very same views Obama pushed Muslim leaders to confront.

A Muslim Brotherhood leader from Sudan named Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh served as the imam for a total of 15 years from 1983 to 1989 and 1994 to 2003. He was instrumental in setting up the U.S. branch of the Brotherhood. He also led the radical Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, was regional director for an al-Qaeda-linked charity and said in 2004 suicide bombings are justifiable if authorized by afatwa and if it’s in a situation where “Muslims are to be cornered where they cannot defend themselves, except through these kinds of means.”

El-Sheikh signed a letter condemning ISIS, but the letter endorsed the foundational doctrines of ISIS and other Islamist terrorists.

A screenshot from 2000 shows the mosque’s chosen resources for Muslims were radicals, including known supporters of terrorism like Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas spiritual leader Yousef al-Qaradawi, Bilal Philips and Jamal Badawi.

Even after El-Sheikh left, the mosque has not been a model for countering Islamist extremism. Its imam preaches against“progressive groups within Muslims” like those that tolerate homosexuals. It has radicals as guest speakers, such as Zaid Shakir in 2008.

The Obama Administration did a better job in selecting the Muslim participants in the preceding roundtable with Obama, but still included Imam Khalid Latif, who was a board member of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in 2008. The FBI’s official policy prohibits using CAIR as a liaison partner because of evidence linking it to Hamas. The New York chapter has been a particularly radical chapter of CAIR.

Hit: Advising Muslims to respond to negativity by rejecting extremist views and maintaining patriotism.

After ISIS’ attacks in Paris, Clarion Project wrote here and explained on Fox News how the group’s supporters were salivating at the prospect of reprisals against innocent Muslims. ISIS and other jihadists have a separatist view and want Muslims to see democracy as a failed concept for them and to accept Islamism as the alternative.

Obama urged Muslims not to respond to anti-Muslim sentiment by validating these views, decreasing their patriotism or accepting propaganda legitimizing hostility towards the West. He said:

“You’re not Muslim or American. You’re Muslim and American. (Applause). Don’t grow cynical. Don’t respond to ignorance by embracing a worldview that suggests you must choose between your faith and your patriotism. Don’t believe that you have to choose between your best impulses and somewhat embrace a worldview that pits us against each other—or, even worse, glorifies violence.”

Miss: Failing to endorse or at least include the best Muslim allies for this cause, even if they are less resourced and well known.

Imagine what would have happened if Obama gave global coverage to the declaration of the Muslim Reform Movement, putting them on at least equal footing with the Islamists. Imagine the shiver down the spine of the Islamists who have defamed them essentially as “apostates,” all the while touting their own professed inclusiveness and moderation.

Imagine if Obama used the microphone of the White House to form a common thread between Muslim activists against Islamism everywhere: From Malala Yousefzai to the Muslim mayor of Rotterdam who cursed off Islamists promoting separatism in Europe; from the Muslims of the Green Movement who protested against the Iranian regime in 2009 to the Muslims who demonstrated and defeated the Islamists in Egypt and Tunisia; from the Muslims in Libya, who asked for U.S. help in their fight against Islamist militias and held pro-American rallies after Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed, to the Syrian protestors who greeted the American ambassador with cheers, roses and olive branches.

Just outside the Islamic Society of Baltimore, Muslim women protested the mosque for its gender separation and inequality. Asra Nomani wrote a powerful op-ed about Obama’s choice of venue. She pointed out how photos from 2010 showed the “second-class conditions women endure in spaces akin to a ‘penalty box.'”

Imagine what a quick photo-op with the Muslim women would have caused. Think of the attention to their cause and productive dialogue that it would have spurred simply due to a choice by the Obama Administration to be inclusive of Muslim reformers and their progressive agenda.

Watch President Barack Obama’s full speech at the Islamic Society of Baltimore:

ABOUT RYAN MAURO

Ryan Mauro is ClarionProject.org’s national security analyst, a fellow with Clarion Project and an adjunct professor of homeland security. Mauro is frequently interviewed on top-tier television and radio. Read more, contact or arrange a speaking engagement.

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Obama to Visit U.S. Mosque Tied to Extremism

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CAIR Officials Invited as Guests to State of Union Address

‘Iran will now have more resources to divert to terrorism’

Can’t argue with that, Bibi.

“John Kerry Says the Middle East Is ‘Safer’ Thanks to Iran Deal Implementation — But That’s Not What Netanyahu Says,” by Sharona Schwartz, The Blaze, January 17, 2016:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions against Iran would free up more money for the Islamic Republic to pursue terrorism.

“What is clear is that Iran will now have more resources to divert to terrorism and its aggression in the region and around the world, and Israel is prepared to deal with any threat,” Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting, according to a transcript released by his office.

Netanyahu’s assessment stood in stark contrast with that of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who a day earlier said that both the world and the Middle East were now safer thanks to the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal.

“Today … the United States, our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of a nuclear weapon has been reduced,” Kerry said Saturday in Vienna.

The Israeli leader vowed that his government would monitor “all of Iran’s international violations, including regarding the nuclear agreement, the ballistic missile agreement and terrorism.”

He also urged other countries to “enact severe and aggressive sanctions against each violation.”

“Were it not for our efforts to lead sanctions and thwart Iran’s nuclear program, Iran would have had nuclear weapons some time ago. Israel’s policy is exactly as it has been – not to allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapon,” Netanyahu added….

RELATED ARTICLE: Islamic jihadists kidnap three Americans in Baghdad

Two Palestinian refugees arrested for supporting the Islamic State

Here is the hot news this morning.  The LA Times has a more detailed account of the story that broke overnight, than some other news outlets (maybe CA is getting a little more sensitive to the terrorists living in their midst).

The two Iraqis are actually Palestinians who had been living in Iraq.  By the way, we only bring a small number of Palestinians to the U.S. as refugees.  And, it is not clear to me if one or either of these actually became refugees by arriving here through some other means and then granted asylum.  I guess only their federal resettlement contractor knows for sure!

However, in all likelihood at least one of the two came from our special resettlement project for Palestinians when back in 2009 the US State Department agreed to bring in 1,350 Iraqi Palestinians to your neighborhoods.

It was quite big news at the time.  And, the issue was that these were Palestinians Saddam Hussein had invited to live in Iraq and once the regime fell, no one wanted them.

Because of his arrival date, at least one of the two alleged Islamic terrorists could have been in that group.  Here is what we said in 2009.

Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab

Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab

Now, the LA Times:

A man who came to the U.S. as an Iraqi refugee was arrested in Sacramento on Thursday on suspicion of lying about fighting alongside terrorist organizations in Syria, federal authorities said.

On the same day, federal authorities in Houston announced that an Iraqi refugee in Texas, who had been communicating online with the man in California, was charged with attempting to provide support to the militant group Islamic State.

The allegations against two men residing in the U.S. with links to foreign terrorist groups comes as the nation reels from the Dec. 2 shooting in San Bernardino, which left 14 dead. That is considered the deadliest terrorist act on U.S. soil since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

And the arrests of two refugees from Iraq, part of a wave of about 103,000*** Iraqi refugees admitted from 2006 to 2014, is likely to add fuel to the debate over whether the U.S. should welcome refugees from Syria, and if so, whether the screening process is adequate.

The man living in Sacramento, Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, 23, had reported in private messages on social media that he fought alongside various groups in Syria, including Ansar al-Islam, a Sunni terrorist group and an affiliate of Al Qaeda, according to a federal complaint filed Wednesday and unsealed Thursday.

There is much more here…..

Because of the ages at which these two must have arrived in the US (as teenagers), it shows how ludicrous the discussion about vetting refugees can be when they are obviously becoming more devout after they get here (I refuse to use the word radicalized!).

And, these two are not the first, remember there is another pair of Iraqi refugee terrorists in federal prison.  See our complete archive on the Kentucky terrorists by clicking here.

The only way to make sure we are completely safe is to stop the migration from terror-producing Islamic countries! I’ve been meaning to check out the numbers for Iraq for some time.  

Using the State Department’s data base I went back to 2007 and grabbed a map from then until December 31, 2015.  The Bush Administration was slow to admit Iraqi refugees, but opened the door in its last year in office.  The Obama Administration has made Iraqis the largest group of refugees we admit each year since then.

Here is where 127,906 Iraqis have been resettled since 2007 (remember though that this does not mean they stayed where the contractors originally seeded them).

Iraqis to US map

Top five states:

  1. California (26,343)
  2. Michigan (19,186)
  3. Texas (12,314)
  4. Illinois (7,336)
  5. Massachusetts (4,322)

And, because it isn’t far behind (for my VA friends), Virginia (4,158)

For ambitious readers, our Iraqi refugee category has 675 previous posts archived there!

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Islam Set To Become Second-Largest Religion in America by 2040

Another 41 (Muslim) Immigrants Snagged On Terror Charges

Alabama files suit to rein-in refugee program, but…..

2 Middle East Refugees Arrested Terror-Related Charges

In November, when the debate about the U.S. taking in 10,000 Syrian Refugees heated up, 29 Republican Governors (including Florida Governor Rick Scott), the Republican Presidential Candidates, U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan, and even I took a lot of heat for being opposed to President Obama on this issue.

Conservative opposition focused on the belief that, due to the FBI’s warning that the Federal Government lacked the ability to properly vet refugees, this was simply too much of a national security risk to the United States.

At the time, the left (and the media) directly attacked Conservatives for being “insensitive”. Well….just minutes ago, CNN reported some very concerning news about two Middle East “refugee” terrorists. This story, posted below, validates the concern about the Federal Government’s inability to properly screen Middle East refugees.

Please take a moment to read the article (below) and then reply back to this email to share if you support or oppose allowing refugees from the Middle East into the United States.

*Kudos to Governor Rick Scott (& the other 28 Republican Governors), U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan, and every other Republican Elected Official who opposed Obama’s push to allow 10,000+ Syrian refugees into the U.S.


Feds arrest two Middle East refugees on terror-related charges

U.S. federal authorities arrested two refugees on terror-related charges Thursday.

The arrests in Sacramento and Houston did not appear to be directly related, but the cases had several similarities.

Both men were Palestinians born in Iraq and living as refugees in the United States, according to the U.S. Justice Department. And both of them are accused of lying to immigration officials about their alleged ties to terrorist organizations.

Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, 24, of Houston, is charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS.

Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, 23, of Sacramento, California, is charged with making a false statement involving international terrorism.

It was not immediately clear whether Hardan or Jayab had retained legal representation. They are both scheduled to appear in courts on Friday.

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Al-Qaeda recruitment video features ‘Minnesota martyrs’

What is being done to prevent more Muslims in Minnesota from joining the jihad? Why, nothing. To take any such action would be “Islamophobic.”

Minnesota ISIS recruits

“Terror Recruitment Video Highlights ‘Minnesota Martyrs,’” by Nina Moini, WCCO, January 3, 2016:

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) A new video, aimed at recruiting jihad fighters, highlights Minnesotans who have left to fight with terrorists.

Al-Shabaab released the 50-minute video Friday which was similar to past propaganda videos, featuring high-quality graphics and video editing to glorify fighting overseas.

It also attempts to use American history to justify the terror group’s actions, arguing the country’s history of racism will lead to more discrimination in the near future.

Less than 15 minutes in, the video highlights local men nicknamed the “Minnesota Martyrs,” who died while fighting overseas.

“In the face of the global crusade against Islam, these young men could not afford to sit and watch as the American crusaders perpetrated the most hideous atrocities across the globe,” the video’s narrator said.

The FBI says more than two dozen young Somali-Americans from the Twin Cities have already been lured to training camps overseas, mostly in Somalia….

RELATED ARTICLE: Kenya: Muslims murder bus driver who couldn’t recite Islamic profession of faith

EDITORS NOTE: The featured image is of Minnesotan Muslim students planting Islamic crescents on the lawn of a public school.

VIDEO: Terrorist Attack in Dubai?

New Year’s revelers were sent running for their lives after a fire engulfed a five-star hotel just 500 yards from where Dubai’s spectacular fireworks display was due to begin.

The Address Downtown caught fire at about 9.30 p.m. Dubai time, with the flames appearing to reach from the ground floor up another 40-or-so stories of the 63 floor building.

Those who escaped described how people climbed over each other in their rush to escape the burning building.

One Briton was forced to carry his disabled mother on his back.

Read more.