Dreams Into Lightning 2

Morning Report: 2012-11-27

Libya: Muslim group kidnaps, threatens to kill alleged gays. Libya Herald:

Extremists say they will execute a dozen men they allege are homosexuals, whom they abducted last Thursday at a private party in Tripoli’s Ain Zara district.

A body calling itself the ‘Private Deterrent Force’, which is believed to be part of the extremist Nawasi brigade, one of Tripoli’s largest militias, has posted images of the men on their Facebook page. One picture (above) shows them, heads covered, standing with their hands against a wall. ...

Tajikistan: Government blocks Facebook to stifle critics. Reuters: 'Tajikistan has blocked access to Facebook in response to a slew of comments spreading "mud and slander" about veteran President Imomali Rakhmon and officials in the Central Asian republic. The ban on the popular social networking site is the latest crackdown on dissent in Tajikistan a year before an election that could extend Rakhmon's two-decade rule. ...'
Hungary: Far-right leader demands lists of Jews. Also from Reuters: 'A Hungarian far-right politician urged the government to draw up lists of Jews who pose a "national security risk", stirring outrage among Jewish leaders who saw echoes of fascist policies that led to the Holocaust. Marton Gyongyosi, a leader of Hungary's third-strongest political party Jobbik, said the list was necessary because of heightened tensions following the brief conflict in Gaza and should include members of parliament. ...'
Mexico: Ex-mayor found dead. Breitbart: 'Former Mexican Mayor Maria Santos Gorrostieta was found dead on the side of the road. Gorrostieta previously survived two assassination attempts. ...' She was known for her fearless activity against drug cartels in Tiquicheo.
Brazil: São Paulo police chiefs replaced. Miami Herald: 'The chiefs of police in Sao Paulo were replaced on Monday as Brazil's largest city emerged from a bloody weekend and authorities struggled to contain a wave of violence that has doubled the murder rate in recent months. Sao Paulo state security chief Fernando Grella, who took over the job four days ago, replaced the chiefs of the civil and military branches of the police and vowed to work closely with police, put more officers in the streets of Sao Paulo and investigate every murder. ...'

Morning Report: 2012-11-08

Sudan: Rebels say they've shot down government bomber. 'Rebels in Sudan say they have shot down a government military aircraft after it had bombed rebel targets. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) says the Antonov bomber crashed on Wednesday in the Jau area, South Kordofan state,' the BBC reports.

Iran: Government bans some imports. Reuters: 'Iran has temporarily banned the import of some "luxury goods" including foreign-made cars and mobile phones, a state-run newspaper said on Thursday, to save billions of dollars for essential products in the face of worsening sanctions.'

India: Women banned from Hajj Ali shrine. Telegraph: 'A 15th century mausoleum in the heart of Mumbai has attracted controversy after women were banned from visiting an iconic shrine inside. The move by the Haji Ali mausoleum, less than half a mile from the shoreline of the Arabian sea, has caused outrage on Twitter with men and women condemning the move. ...'

Libya: Benghazi suspects include Egyptians. Catherine Herridge at Fox:

The list of suspects in the Libya terror attack now extends to a handful of suspected militants aligned with an Egyptian group known as the Jamal Network, Fox News has learned.

A U.S. official said the Jamal Network is committed to violence to attain its political ambitions, adding they are "hard-core, violent extremists in Egypt who are trying to develop a relationship with Al Qaeda."

Fox News is told that there are between two- and three-dozen suspects actively being investigated at any one time in connection with the Benghazi attack. The suspect list is fluid, drawn from intelligence ranging from intercepts to witness accounts, with new names being added and dropped on a regular basis. ...'

Jennifer Rubin: What Republicans can do. Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post:

What do Republicans do about this? Well, seriously, nothing is more important than educational reform to teach each generation of Americans some basic U.S. history, simple economics and even ethics. The long-term solution to the problem of a clueless electorate rests with clergy, teachers and parents. (Let’s not kid ourselves that the mainstream media will enlighten the public.)

Now since educating future generations is a long-term undertaking, what do conservatives do in the short run?

First, they must find candidates who are both intellectually sound conservatives and culturally adept. I don’t mean they can play the sax on TV or listen to rap music but rather that they are seen as in tune with modern America, not an idealized America from our childhood or our parents’ childhood. It is more than likability; it is a matter of relatability. If voters, especially in the presidential election year, can’t relate, they’re not going to listen.

Second, therefore, is the need to explain policies in everyday terms rather than in abstract, intellectual terms ...

Read the rest at the link.

Morning Report: 2012-09-30

Bangladesh: Koran libel spurs Muslim violence against Buddhists. Stratfor reports that Muslims burned homes and temples in response to claims that a Buddhist boy had burned a Koran. Via Atlas, CBS has more. 'Bangladesh's popular English-language Daily Star newspaper quoted the boy as saying that the photo was mistakenly tagged on his Facebook profile. The newspaper reported that soon after the violence broke out, the boy's Facebook account was closed and police escorted him and his mother to safety.'

USA / France / International: Stratfor says something seems to be going on. Also from Stratfor, "curious US and French military movements". Several military aircraft were reported heading east over the Atlantic as early as September 13, followed by several developments on September 24. The article stresses that

All these deployments could be previously scheduled movements for training or part of ongoing operations. They also do not necessarily mean any one mission is imminent. The United States and France could simply be positioning military assets in a region that is rife with conflict and that may eventually require rapid military intervention or action. ...

Anyway, go to the link for the article and a map.

Morsy Un-Dissolves Parliament

'Cairo (CNN) -- Egypt's newly elected president announced Sunday that he's overriding a military edict that dissolved the country's elected parliament and calling on lawmakers back into session in defiance of the generals. ...'

YNet: 'Egypt's official news agency says President Mohammed Morsi has ordered the return of the country's Islamist-dominated parliament that was dissolved by the powerful military. ...'

A friend on Facebook comments: 'MB would never do this unless they were confident. Look to the Obama administration to have their back on this. It's inconceivable this could happen without a green light from the US.' I'm afraid he's probably right.

Obama invites Egypt's Islamist leader to US: 'President Barack Obama has invited Egypt's newly elected Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, to visit the United States in September, an Egyptian official said on Sunday, reflecting the new ties Washington is cultivating with the region's Islamists. ...'

مصعب حسن يوسف‎

MEMRI-TV
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2416.htm

"And so I did a lot of bad things, thinking they were good things."

Eric Allen Bell comes clean about the Murfreesboro mosque and the film "Not Welcome."

Deposed Maldives President: "Another Pakistan"

The former president of the Maldives - an island chain to the south-west of India, which is nowhere near Argentina - warned of the rising influence of radical islamists in the nation:

During his term as president , Nasheed is credited with introducing a number of reforms in Maldives and being the face of moderate Islam - which are the reasons he says radical elements within the country turned against him.

"The strength of radical Islamists within Maldives is rising. In fact, the country has become another Pakistan right now. Look at the way the coup against me happened. There is a strong similarity with the way Nawaz Sharif, another democratically-elected leader was ousted. He sacked general Musharraf and Musharraf plotted against him. I asked a colonel and deputy chief of police to go and they staged a coup and removed me."

Now on a mission to sensitize the international community , Nasheed says the only way things can improve in his country is to have free and fair elections as early as possible. ...

Barry Rubin Interviewed

He's interviewed by the Daily Caller. For me, the most exciting part is this announcement near the end:

Any plans to write another book? If so, about what?

My next book is already completed and I think it is going to have a big impact. It is entitled, Nazis, Islamists and the Making of the Modern Middle East, written with Dr. Wolfgang Schwanitz, and based on newly released CIA and never before translated German documents. Basically, it shows how the alliance was stronger and more important than previously understood and also how individuals, ideologies, and groups that collaborated with the Axis have ruled the Arabic-speaking world for the last sixty years and will continue to do so in the current Islamist wave.

I've posted before about Arab Nazis and I've quoted Barry Rubin on the subject of safe antisemitism. As Barry observes, "nobody is going to complain about Naziphobia" because the Nazis are a politically safe target; their ideological descendents are not. So his forthcoming book on the Nazi-Islamist axis is very timely and much needed.

Meanwhile, in Tunisia ...

Tunisia president backs conviction for "insulting Islam".

Iraqi Arab Man Challenges Islam to a Debate

I. Q. Al Rassooli will offer

is offering any television station $10,000 for 15 minutes of airtime to argue against the Islamic religion. Al Rassooli was raised as an Arab Muslim in Iraq. Today he lives abroad and argues that the Islamic religion promotes violence and terrorism. He is the author of “Lifting the Veil: The True Faces of Muhammad and Islam." ...

Read the rest at the link.