Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances... Rantburg

Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Soldier’s notes: Assessing the ceasefire and what’s ahead
2025-02-21
Published on Wednesday, the day before Hamas handed over a casket that contained the body of some random Gazan instead of the promised body of Shiri Bibas, when it was learnt that her two little sons were brutally murdered only a month after Hamas civilians kidnapped all three during the 10/7 invasion.
[IsraelTimes] I await orders, clarity, and the new, broad, evolving strategy that will follow the 'intermission' that is this ceasefire - for Israel must define its real endgame, and soon.

The ceasefire in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
has brought a temporary halt to combat operations, but for those of us in the field, uncertainty lingers. As a combat engineer in the IDF and an immigrant to Israel, I find myself reflecting on the evolving nature of this conflict. I don’t just see this conflict from a geopolitical standpoint; I live it. The dust from the battlefield hasn’t even settled, and yet, I find myself reflecting. We’ve fought, we’ve sacrificed, but what have we actually achieved? If Hamas
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
remains operational despite the first round, what are the strategic lessons to be learned, and how do we recalibrate to achieve lasting security?

Historically, ceasefires in the Middle East rarely mean the end of conflict. From the Geneva conferences regarding Syria, the Iraq war peace proposals, the Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
i crisis talks to the Lebanese reconciliation efforts, ceasefires aren’t endpoints, they are moments of reorganization. As from an Israeli perspective, Hamas, after 15 months of war has emerged battered by endless battles but not broken. Their strategy is clear: absorb the initial blow, regroup, and leverage international pressure to remain intact. This cycle raises a critical question—how does Israel ensure that any future operation leads to a more stable security reality?

The roots of Hamas’s resilience go beyond battlefield tactics; they lie in a deep ideological foundation shaped by the Moslem Brüderbund, founded by Hassan al-Banna in Egypt in 1928. al-Banna’s vision was not just a political movement but a total Islamic revival, blending religion and social services. This quiet Jihad would eventually garner support from its benefactors and turn Egypt and its surrounding countries into a Sharia-led state. After al-Banna’s liquidation, his successor, Sayyed
...Arabic term meaning your/his lordship. Groveling in His Exalted Presence is encouraged...
Qutb, radicalized this vision, arguing that all non-Islamic societies—including secular Arab regimes—were illegitimate and must be tossed. Slow and quiet Jihad by education and social services wasn’t enough; force must be used to speed up the process. Hamas, which originally started as the Gazook branch of the Moslem Brüderbund, carries these ideological pillars into its doctrine, seeing itself as the vanguard of an Islamic state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean.

This historical lens explains why Hamas is not easily dismantled through military means alone. While their leadership operates like a government, their identity is rooted in an ideological struggle that views any ceasefire as a temporary pause in a larger conflict. Past references by the Paleostinian leadership to the al-Hudaybiya truce and the 1967 Khartoum Resolution only affirm the point. The ceasefire, no matter how long it lasts, is just a crossroad of this everlasting conflict. As the counterpart of this long-awaited armistice, the question for Israel is how to balance military operations with broader strategic measures to weaken Hamas’ hold on Gaza in the long term.

THE BROADER REGIONAL PICTURE
The war in Gaza cannot be viewed in isolation. It exists within the dynamic geopolitical landscape that is the Middle East, where new alliances and old rivalries are reshaping the region. The Abraham Accords, brokered under the previous Trump administration, opened doors for Israeli cooperation with the UAE and Bahrain, but the true prize was always Saudi Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
. It is no secret that quiet intelligence and security cooperation between Israel and the Saudis has been going on for years, and a formal normalization agreement—potentially brokered by the US—was on the horizon. Then came October 7th, and everything changed.

Hamas’s unprecedented murderous attack had a hidden strategic message to the Arab world. The group, backed by Iran, sought to derail any grinding of the peace processor between Israel and its Sunni neighbors. And to some extent, they succeeded—Saudi normalization talks were put on hold. However,
the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits...
this does not mean the process is dead. If anything, it highlights the growing sectarian divide: the Iranian-led axis (Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
s) versus the Sunni bloc, which—despite public rhetoric—sees Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
as the greater long-term threat.

THE SYRIAN AND NORTHERN FRONTS
While the world’s attention remains on Gaza, Israel needs to keep their eyes open on all their borders. Recent Israeli military success in the swift defeat of Hezbollah has altered regional dynamics. Hezbollah, once Iran’s most formidable pawn in their army of proxies, suffered a significant blow in the latest confrontation, weakening Tehran’s influence in Leb
...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration....
. This victory not only enhances Israeli deterrence but also reshapes the strategic equation, demonstrating that Iranian-backed militias are not invincible. But Hezbollah’s return to Lebanese government under the newly formed Salam coalition needs to keep Israeli eyes peeled. The ceasefire agreement is over, Israel wants to stay in certain Lebanese positions, how much American support is there, can we trust the "real" Lebanese army, and what are Hezbollah’s plans? Questions that need to be answered quickly.

At the same time, Syria is no longer what it was. The recent collapse of the Assad regime has left a power vacuum, Ottoman Turkish-backed rebel leader al-Julani has taken charge of the war-torn country, trying to convince the West he is the man for the job. Israel now faces a new Syrian regime, one that is fragile and uncertain, with a double question. Who is al-Julani, is he the Ahmad al Sharaa he claims to be, or is he just a bandit in a suit? On the other hand, what does this shift of power mean about Iranian influence in Syria? Is it still an extension of the Iranian border across the Golan Heights? Is it still an umbilical cord for Hezbollah and its warehouses of ammunition? These are more not-yet-answered questions that add more complexity to the mix.

Meanwhile,
...back at the barn, a little lightbulb figuratively appeared over Bossy's head...
Iranian proxies in Iraq and Yemen have escalated their actions. The Houthis, emboldened by Iranian support, have targeted Red Sea shipping routes, disrupting global trade. As Israel focuses on Hamas, the so-called seven-front-war still breathes down our neck with new questions. Is Israel prepared for this next stage, one that may even involve Iran directly?

THE HOSTAGES AND PUBLIC TRUST
Beyond the battlefield, there is also the human cost of this war—the hostages still held in Gaza. The joy of seeing released captives reunited with their families is tempered by the knowledge that many still remain in captivity. Their fate weighs heavily on Israeli society, reinforcing the urgency of a decisive strategy.

Public confidence is another critical issue. The Israeli people expect a security policy that delivers long-term deterrence. The sickening weekly parade of hostages before their release, with other efforts been made by Hamas showcasing their power, are just acts of propaganda. I have walked the streets of Gaza, there is nothing these monsters can be proud of. But still the few of them that have crept out of their tunnels or UN humanitarian zones have soured the aftertaste of this round of fighting among the Israeli public. That being said, the IDF’s role is not just to fight but to reassure the public that security measures are effective and sustainable. Any future engagement must be based on clear objectives and a well-defined post-conflict strategy. Otherwise, there is a risk of repeated operations without a decisive outcome.

THE "GAZA RIVIERA" AND THE NEED FOR A BROADER STRATEGY
Recently, the Trump administration proposed a new vision for Gaza’s future—the so-called "Gaza Riviera"—a plan to transform the strip into a thriving economic hub, potentially involving the relocation of Gazooks to other areas. While this concept presents an ambitious end goal, it remains unclear how it could be implemented in the current reality. The mere discussion of such a vision highlights the need for a clearly defined, broad strategic framework. Without first dismantling Hamas’ control, ensuring long-term security, and securing international cooperation, such plans remain theoretical. Before we talk about grand solutions, we must first address the fundamental challenges on the ground.

WHAT COMES NEXT?
As I sit in this ceasefire-induced limbo, I, like many soldiers, am left waiting. Waiting for orders. Waiting for clarity. Waiting to understand the broader strategy. The waiting itself is its own kind of battle, one fought in the mind rather than in the field. Yet, it is in this space that reflection happens—where questions about strategy, history, and geopolitics come to the forefront. The fact that I even have time to write this post suggests that Israel is at a moment of recalibration, not hesitation.

The ceasefire is not the end; it is an intermission. Whether we return to combat or not, Israel’s strategy must evolve. Tactical victories will not be enough—we need a broader vision that addresses the political and military realities shaping this conflict. The Middle East does not reward indecision. If Israel is to ensure lasting security and regain public trust, it must define the real endgame in Gaza with both military clarity and long-term strategic depth.

Meanwhile,
...back at the barn, a little lightbulb figuratively appeared over Bossy's head...
beyond Gaza, the broader Middle Eastern chessboard continues to shift. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Hezbollah, and even Syria are all watching Israel’s next move. The decisions made in the coming weeks will not only determine the fate of Hamas but will shape the region for years to come.

As a soldier, I am ready to do my part. But as events unfold, one question remains: will Israel’s next steps lay the foundation for lasting security, or will we find ourselves trapped in another cycle of uncertainty?
Link


-Lurid Crime Tales-
The 'Muslim Martin Luther' Has Been Convicted of Rape
2024-09-15
ULULULULULULULU!!! We’ve been watching the smug little soft-jhadist brush off responsibility for years, protected by the Liberal Establishment. What a triumph of bourgeois Swiss obstinacy to hold all to the same standard, no matter how starry-eyed his admirers in academic circles.
[PJMedia] Tariq Ramadan, a Muslim intellectual
…I would have gone with Islamist scholar, as he most eruditely alternates between taqqiya and apologetics. His father was the son-in-law and personal secretary of Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, then was promoted to public ideologue and the MB Big Turban in Western Europe, setting up Islamic Centers across the region for the organization. The Islamic Center of Munich mosque ended up as Papa Ramadan’s headquarters, and little Tariq marinated in it until he was sent to do dawa in his own way, which clearly included the fun jihad of seduction and rape…
who has been one of the foremost exponents, at least to non-Muslims in Europe and North America, of Islamic reform, has been convicted of rape.

It is impossible to overstate how shocking this is for those who have praised Ramadan to the skies for so very long. For many years, Tariq Ramadan was the darling of the Western intelligentsia. In 2002, Salon hailed him as "the Muslim Martin Luther." In 2004, Time Magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world today. In 2012, Foreign Policy included him on its list of the top 100 global thinkers "for telling us that Islam and democracy can go together — just when it matters."

Now those accolades, and the many others that Ramadan received, stand as mute witness to the left’s tendency to shower with honors those who tell it what it wants to hear. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported Tuesday that Ramadan has been "convicted on appeal of rape and sexual coercion by a Geneva court." This has been a long time coming, as Ramadan has faced numerous accusations in recent years of "masking violence and radicalism behind a mild facade."

For years, Ramadan dismissed such allegations as "racism" and "Islamophobia." In a Dec. 2019 video, he claimed that the accusations against him were all an attempt to discredit him and thereby "neutralize the Muslims." He added: "We have to be clear that there is discrimination, stigmatization, racism that is at stake in the whole issue. And I was a symbol. To destroy me meant, let the people understand: If you want to be vocal you have to face the reality. It happened to Tariq Ramadan now, it could happen to anyone in the future."

Even worse, RFI reported in 2020, after two more women accused him of rape, that "supporters of Ramadan, who is a professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford’s St. Anthony’s College, have called the accusations against him part of a ’international Zionist plot’ to blacken his name." Of course!
Related:
Tariq Ramadan 08/10/2023 Biden Admin Concedes No Evidence Behind Recommendation for 6 Annual COVID Booster Shots
Tariq Ramadan 05/25/2023 Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan acquitted in Swiss rape trial
Tariq Ramadan 05/17/2023 Scholar Tariq Ramadan goes on rape trial in Geneva
Related:
Islamic Center of Munich: 2005-07-14 How a Mosque for Ex-Nazis Became Center of Radical Islam
Link


Terror Networks
The Brotherhood’s fifth column
2020-07-24
[Al Ahram] The moment a significant presence of the Moslem Brüderbund group is found within a country is the moment a fifth column is created within that country.That has been the modus operandi of this Islamist group since its inception and throughout its spread across the world to over 80 countries over the course of the last century. The Moslem Brüderbund was founded by Hassan al-Banna, its cult-leader until his demise in 1949. His written works also became the guidelines of Islamists and murderous Moslems over the decades to come.

From the early days after its inception in 1928, the group promoted the idea of reviving the past Islamic caliphate, which saw its last days in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
in 1923 with the establishment of the modern secular republic. Spreading the belief that Moslems cannot live as proper believers without a caliph ruling over them, the group then acted as an agent of mayhem in Egypt and across the Middle East from the early 1940s after having failed to persuade Egypt’s former king Farouk to become the next caliph of Moslems.
Link


Africa North
A secret apparatus for Tunisia’s Ennahda
2018-12-01
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] "I cannot close my eyes as it has become blatant." This is how Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi commented on the presence of a secret security intelligence and terrorist organization affiliated with the Tunisian Brotherhood Ennahda Movement.

In the details, President Beji Caid Essebsi convened with the country’s national security council, a commission linked to the presidency and that handles matters relevant to the Tunisian national security in general, and he was briefed on a folder submitted by the committee defending the two secular Tunisian leaders who opposed Ennahda Movement, Chokri Belaid and Mohammed Brahmi, who were killed in 2013.

Essebsi said that Ennahda’s statement opposing him after his page published details of the meeting with the committee defending Belaid and Brahmi is a "personal threat" against him, i.e. the Tunisian president! He emphasized that he will not allow these threats and will not let Ennahda do as it likes, noting that the judiciary will be the criterion.

The president and the veteran politician then commented on the secret apparatus of Rached Ghannouchi saying: "The entire world now knows this party’s apparatus, and it’s no longer secret!"

What’s more dangerous is that the defense committee provided Essebsi with data of Ennahda’s secret apparatus’ attempt to assassinate him when he was with former French President Francois Hollande
...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist...
in 2013.

FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
The Tunisian Ennahda supporters, Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
’s and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...Qatar's colony in Asia Minor....
’s allies and the first line of defense which is "whitewashed with secularism," strongly denied
No, no! Certainly not!
the validity of these accusations and launched a campaign against President Essebsi and his party Nidaa Tounes which prevented Rached Ghannouchi’s group from hijacking Tunisia so it becomes part of the Ottoman Turkish-Qatari Brotherhood camp via using leftist or populist faces such as Moncef Marzouki.

The question is: Is it strange for a Brotherhood group, whether Tunisian or any other, to follow this approach? Is it an uncommon behavior in their political habits and culture?

Didn’t Rached Ghannouchi himself, the symbol of the Brotherhood there, spoke in different ways more than once? One time he spoke as if he’s a liberal as per the western standards and as a dreamer who believes in freedom and democracy.

At another time, he spoke using the tone of the Mujahid sheikh who aims to empower the young who were left powerless on earth and to make them imams and the heirs.

I’ve always said that the "society," which is one of the terms used by Hassan-i Sabbah, the leader of Hashshashin, i.e. the Brotherhood, have found it acceptable to exploit what is pious.

They have statements to make to the public and other statements to make within their closed circles. They have a certain political behavior to follow within the normal contexts and another "jihadist" behavior to practice in secret. They are the Batiniyya of Ahl al-Sunnah.

It’s a common behavior by Brotherhood formations. This is exactly what the founder of the original Brotherhood, Hassan al-Banna, inaugurated when he blessed the "private secret system."
Link


Arabia
‘Muslim Brotherhood’ is a global threat: US Expert
2018-10-23
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Efforts continue in Washington D.C. to designate the Moslem Brüderbund as a terrorist organization due to its global activities.

Hillel Fradkin, Director of the Center on Islam, Democracy and the Future of the Moslem World at the Hudson Institute emphasized to Al Arabiya English that the Moslem Brüderbund is a global threat, "It is true that it operates on a global basis or as global as it can be. It has branches in various Moslem countries, especially Arab countries, but also other regional countries, and it has organizations that were founded by and directed by its members in other places like La Belle France, England, US, and so forth," he said.

The US expert highlighted that the Brotherhood founder, Egyptian, Hassan al Banna, was aiming to establish his organization outside Egypt as well, not for his personal ambitions, but to implement the agenda of the Brotherhood’s project.
Link


Europe
The Brotherhood’s news in German land
2018-08-02
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Many do not know or do not accurately realize the depth of the influence that the Moslem Brüderbund has in western countries after it has been almost three generations since the first batch of the group’s envoys arrived to European countries, especially to Germany and Switzerland
...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell...
, around seven decades ago.

Their sons and grandsons, Egyptians, Syrians and Iraqis, along with the Islamists from Ottoman Turkish parties since the days of "Khawaja" Necmettin Erbakan till the days of Sultan Recep Erdogan, became part of the German and European fabric and accurately chose to work in the institutions that establish public opinion and in lobbying institutions.

They became "Troy’s soldiers" from within the depths of Europe
...also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
itself, and an advanced line of defense to defend the Moslem Brüderbund, its allies and its policies under a European imprint.

German complaints
Recent German reports have addressed the problem of the deep Brotherhood influence inside the country. These reports came after the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which is the country’s domestic security agency, examined the activities of a Brotherhood association called the "Saxony Forum" that manages a mosque called al-Taqwa in the city of Rastatt in Baden-Wurttemberg.

The German news agency quoted an official in the security agency as saying that the new Brotherhood activities continue to focus on the communities of Arab and Moslem refugees for the purpose of recruiting more people.

The German daily Die Welt said that more of the group members fled to Germany after Mohammed Mursi was ousted in Egypt. It quoted the security agency’s report as saying: "The Islamic Community of Germany includes around 13,000 members and its activities cover the entire country." Die Welt added that the Brotherhood has been exploiting the Islamic community in Cologne
...the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth populated city in Germany....
for political incitement purposes for more than three years and for the purpose of whitewashing the Brotherhood’s reputation in the West.

Anyway, the story of the Brotherhood immigration to Germany is old. Some attribute it to the son-in-law of the Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, the group’s dangerous man Said Ramadan who is considered the group’s first envoy to Europe and the leader of the "Brotherhood immigration" to Germany.

In 1958, Ramadan established the strongest Islamic institution in Germany, the Islamic Community of Germany (IGD). Dozens of other organizations and the organizations that are currently affiliated with the Brotherhood branched from the IGD, and according to news sources, they’re about 30.

In his book ’The New Moslem Brüderbund in the West’, Dr. Lorenzo G. Vidino said: "Many of the Brotherhood cadres occupied prominent posts in Germany which strengthened their influence and made Germany a base (to launch their work) in Europe."

After all this, when we read a report by a German media outlet or a human rights
...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you...
organization that speaks in favor of the Brotherhood, we must search for the fingerprints of the successors of the "first Brotherhood European envoy" Said Ramadan and other similar figures who are Syrians, Turks and Iraqis.

Germany is speaking the Brotherhood language!
Link


Africa North
The rise and fall of the Muslim Brotherhood
2018-03-25
Eleven articles on the subject can be accessed at the link.
[AlAhram] ‎Ninety years ago today, Hassan al-Banna founded the Moslem Brüderbund group, which went on to become a major player in both Egyptian and regional politics.‎

What follows below is not by any means a complete analysis of the role played by the group over the past nine ‎decades, but rather a collection of articles published during interesting times by both ‎Ahram Weekly and Ahram Online, with the aim of marking the day.

These articles attempt to explain the ‎rise and fall of the group which, after a revolution, managed to gain people's trust to win ‎both the legislative body and the presidency, and, in less than a year, became an enemy ‎of the people and the state; a group held accountable for planting the seeds of ‎radicalisation and violence, with an impact not only on Egypt but the entire region and even the world.‎
Link


Arabia
Has ‘Sahwa’ ended in Saudi Arabia?
2017-11-04
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] I’ve noticed "early" celebrations for the end of the era of Sahwa, i.e.awakening, in Arab Moslem countries and particularly in Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
. Sahwa is a Saudi term that refers to all political Islam movements whose major umbrella is of course the Moslem Brüderbund.

The feeling that the chapter of "Sahwa" has ended once and for all has been growing ever since the Saudi crown prince, the leader of the new national vision, made his famous promise to destroy gunnies "now and immediately."

The sense that "Sahwa" has come to an end is also due to the decrease of that media popularity and semi-social immunity which Sahwa’s stars enjoyed.

Some of these Sahwa "celebrities" are Salman al-Ouda and Awad al-Qarni in Saudi Arabia, Sayyid Qutb and Hassan al-Banna outside the Saudi kingdom, Kuwaiti activists such as Ahmad al-Qattan, Mohammed al-Awdi and Tareq al-Suwaidan and those affiliated with him. These stars’ media popularity has actually been decreasing over the past few years.

Memories and memoirs
What I conclude from all this is that Sahwa, its stars, principles, concepts and causes, have died. They have been buried and all that is left of them are memories and memoirs which only a specific category of researches are interested in.

Let’s remember the domination which Sahwa preachers, whether from the Brotherhood or the Sururist Movement, and their supporters from the public, imposed. By the way, the term "public" here applies to some graduates from American and French universities as it is rather used to describe a state of mind rather than a social one.

Mentioning Sahwa preachers - whether Saudior non-Saudi - in newspapers was very difficult particularly in the 1980’s and during a part of the 1990’s.

The Brotherhood’s works were celebrated at some point. For example, the books of Zainab al-Ghazali and Ahmad Raef about the Brotherhood’s tragic battles with Abdelnasser, occupied front shelves in libraries. Mohammed Qutb’s books were part of school libraries and curricula. Sayyid Qutb was distinguished to the point that a school was named after him in Qassim.

Betrayal
The Brotherhood lost part of this appreciation when they betrayed Saudi Arabia after Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait. The former crown prince and later interior minister Nayef bin Abdulaziz bitterly spoke about the Brotherhood’s betrayal and began to gradually eliminate the group’s concepts from the society.

The situation became even clearer due to the Brotherhood’s practices during the Arab Spring. It turned out there’s no difference between a Brotherhood member who is holding a weapon and a Brotherhood member who wears a tie. They’re all the same.

What’s worrying now is relying on this "temporary" Sahwist Brotherhood defeat and not constantly and comprehensively working to clear minds and spirits that are interacting with these fundamentalists’ legacy.

We’re at the beginning of the task. Yes, we should be hopeful but it’s not time to celebrate yet.
Link


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Third woman accuses horny Islamist thinker Tariq Ramadan of sexual harassment
2017-10-29
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A third woman has come forward and accused Islamist thinker Tariq Ramadan of allegedly sexually harassing her some years ago.

Yasmina, not her real name, spoke to French daily newspaper Le Gay Pareeien and said the Swiss-Moslem professor threatened her with rape in 2012. The woman has previously opened up about her story with local French media in 2013.

"At first he gave me religious advice through his website, and then asked me for my picture so that he would know who he was talking to. He found me beautiful, and since that day, things became pornographic between us," she told Le Gay Pareeien.

"Two years later he called me to a hotel in the suburbs and then threatened me that he had compromising things on me," she added.

A second complaint was filed on Friday in La Belle France against the Ramadan for rape and sexual assault, following accusations of raping Salafist-turned secular liberal activist Henda Ayari.

Ayari’s lawyer Eric Morain added that he has received other testimonials from women who are thinking of filing a complaint against the intellectual for harassment or sexual assault.

Ramadan is the grandson of the founder of the Moslem Brüderbund Hassan al-Banna and currently a professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
Update from The Times of Israel at 8:45 p.m. ET:
Following Ayari’s decision to step forward, journalist Caroline Fourest, who has reported extensively about Ramadan’s controversial career, on Friday wrote in the Marianne weekly that supporters of Ramadan are calling the accusations the result of a “international Zionist plot” to tarnish his reputation.

Ramadan, who in 2009 was fired from Rotterdam’s Erasmus University for taking money from the Iranian regime and who has been refused entry to France and the United States over his ties to Hamas and other terrorist groups, has often aired conspiracy theories about Israel and Jews.

In a column titled “The Double Life of Tariq Ramadan,” Fourest wrote that she first heard in 2009 of sex crimes by Ramadan, whom many critics have accused of encouraging violence and alleged misogyny when speaking to Muslims, and then denouncing it when speaking to non-Muslims. She could not publish the accounts because none of the victims would step forward, she wrote.
Link


Arabia
Saudi deputy minister of Islamic affairs: Political Islam caused much bloodshed
2017-02-21
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Deputy Minister of Islamic Affairs in Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
Dr. Tawfiq al-Sudairi has expressed his disapproval for the "political interpretation of Islam" slogan, arguing that it is a "self-serving interpretation" for religion which resulted in a bloodbath of the impeccable.

Al Sudairi explained, during a seminar held in cooperation with King Saud University on the sidelines of the National Festival for Heritage and Culture Festival, that political Islam as a theory has influenced a lot of Moslems’ paths. And it is regarded as the crux of numerous theories and opinions that have ignited uprisings, were established by its theoreticians and advocates: Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Abul A'la Maududi, Sayyid Qutb and Hassan al-Banna.

He pointed out that the embracing of political Islam that prevailed in the corridors of contemporary Islamic philosophy, launching platforms for an assortment of Islamic movements, resulted in beliefs, creeds, worship and all Islamic laws, being considered as methods to institute a political system. Al Sudairi cited Wahiduddin Khan’s statement in his book "The political interpretation of religion, which was a rebuttal to Abul A'la Maududi, the spiritual leader of the political Islam movement.

However,
women are made to be loved, not understood...
he viewed political aspects as a prime pillar of religion, the goal of the prophetic message cannot be defined without politics as well as understanding the full meaning of the beliefs and the significance of prayers and other acts of worship, to sum up, he added "without politics religion becomes void and unintelligible.’

The official considered such arrangement as an oblique utilitarian interpretation as observing the chief principle of religion as empowerment on earth, and not for people to worship the Creator, which is unfeasible but through a political coup, regime change, and the establishment of fair governments.

The beginning with al-Afghani
Dr. al-Sudairi regarded the Iranian abolitionist Jamal al Din al Afghani as the father of the interpretation of utilitarian political Islam gained through his connection with political movements, philosophy, Western contemplation and Masonic associations which, as a whole, represents the Western Philosophy stance from religion.

He considered "al-Afghani" as the inspiration for the political Islam movements, whose majority members are immensely motivated by his influence, nonetheless, his elitist rhetoric was not palatable by the ordinary Moslems, until the emerge of Hussan al Banna, the founder of "Moslem Brüderbund" movement, who transformed al Afghani’s intellectual theories about reform and changes from its scientific domain to general principles and concepts, to a youthful and popular movement distant from the Ulma’a
Al-Banna’s admiration for al-Afghani

Al-Banna’s admiration for al Afghan’s essence were clearly underscored on his writing where he mentioned in his memoir (advocacy and preacher): "Mustafa Kamel and Farid, before them Jamal aluldin al Afghani and Sheikh Mohammed Abdu built the renaissance of Egypt, if continue moving forward in this path without any shift, goals would be achieved, the least to say, it won’t retreat, made gains rather than losses."

In this context, Dr. al-Sudairi said: "Quite obviously Hassan al-Banna has resurrected al-Afghani’s dogma and marched with it away from the Ulams’ parade despite his young age, 22-year-old at the time, at the same time, lacking the religious understanding while influenced by the eastern and western ideas prevailing at the time."

"Perhaps the general circumstances led him to contextualize the interpretation of political utilitarian form his concept of Islam particularly after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, when the Moslem Brüderbund movement, soon after being founded, moved to fill the political vacuum, raising the issue of political power, governance, sociology, economy and the reconstruction of the land, establishing justice in the mundane affairs of life, the central core of inclusive religion, which is the goal of the prophecy, the message, the worship, and Shariah even the judgment day, resurrection, heaven and hell," he added.
Link


Home Front: WoT
Farook's Mama member of Islamic Circle of North America
2015-12-08
Rafia Farook, the mother of San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook, is an active member of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), a Muslim organization that promotes the establishment of a caliphate and has ties to a radical Pakistani political group called Jamaat-e-Islami.
See how it all fits together? Sonny boy didn't fall far from the tree. We'll hear about daddy-kins by tomorrow, I expect.
Farook’s affiliation with ICNA was revealed on Friday when MSNBC and other new outlets scoured the Farooks’ apartment in Redlands, Cal. An MSNBC reporter found a certificate of appreciation presented to Safia Farook last summer by ICNA’s sisters’ wing.
Wonder how the FBI missed that. Or if they didn't, why it wasn't mentioned...
Though ICNA has not been named as a target in the ongoing investigation into Wednesday’s attack, the group has been associated with many others who have engaged in terrorism or plotted to do so.
Enough that you'd think every single member of ICNA would be monitored quietly, and that their kin would be monitored, and their business associates...
Al-Qaeda recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki has spoken at the group’s events. He spoke at an ICNA event in Baltimore in 2002, though the group has said that al-Awlaki was not radicalized at that time. Al-Awlaki exchanged emails with Nidal Hasan, the Army major who killed 13 people in a terrorist attack at Fort Hood in Nov. 2009. Al-Awlaki was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2011 in Yemen.

Another ICNA member was indicted in April on federal terrorism charges. Noelle Valentzas and another woman were charged with plotting an attack on New York City similar to the attacks at the Boston Marathon.

As The Daily Caller uncovered at the time, Velentzas gave presentations at at least two ICNA events in recent years. One of those, ICNA’s 2012 annual convention, was also attended by Indiana Rep. Andre Carson, one of two Muslims in the House of Representatives.

And in 2009, five American students who knew each other from an ICNA mosque in Alexandria, Va. were arrested in Pakistan and charged with plotting to attack American troops in Afghanistan.

Founded in 1968 and is based in Jamaica, N.Y., ICNA is considered one of the more conservative Islamic umbrella organizations operating in the U.S. Unlike other groups like the Islamic Society of North America or the Council on American-Islamic Relations, ICNA segregates men and women at its events, a practice endorsed in the Farook household.

An attorney for the Farooks said on Friday that the family was “very traditional” and that Tashfeen Malik sat with the women at family events. The attorney also said that men in the family had never seen Malik’s face because she wore a burqa.

ICNA is heavily reliant on the teachings of Abul A’la Maududi, the controversial Islamist founder of Jamaat-e-Islami, a political party operating in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh whose goal is to establish an Islamic state, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

As the ADL notes, an article in ICNA’s “The Message” stated that “using the organizational development methodology of Maulana Mawdudi and the Jamaat Al-Islami of Pakistan, which lays special emphasis on spiritual development, ICNA has developed a strong foundation.”

Maududi “is a jihadi ideologue,” according to the ADL. “He has written that ‘the nation of Jews will be exterminated’ in the end of days.”

In one of his numerous books, Maududi wrote that devout Muslims “would be under an obligation to do their utmost to dislodge [non-Muslims] from political power and to make them live in subservience to the Islamic way of life.”

Maududi’s Islamic supremacy and Jamaat-e-Islami’s alleged involvement in genocide against unarmed Bengalis in 1971 led the Bengali government to outlaw Maududi’s books in 2010.
And to hang a few folks who were in obvious sympathy with the J-e-I...
Though ICNA appears to have distanced itself from Maududi and Jamaat-e-Islami — at least in public — the group still espouses Islamic supremacism with a goal of establishing Islam across the world.
So they've really not distanced themselves. It's just a re-branding...
A 2010 handbook given to members of ICNA’s sisters’ wing touts “a united Islamic state, governed by an elected khalifah (caliph) in accordance with the laws of shari’ah (sharia).”

The handbook also states that “leadership of al-Jama’ah (or an Islamic state) has the authority to enforce Sharia’s political, educational, criminal Justice System etc that is beyond the jurisdiction of a jama’ah.”

And according to the Clarion Project, another group which tracks organizations with potential terror ties, ICNA’s literature is full of positive references and citations of Muslim Brotherhood. In one training guide obtained by the Clarion Project, ICNA favorably quoted Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian leader of the Muslim Brotherhood whose writings had influence on al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden.

For its part, ICNA has said it is “appalled” by Wednesday’s attacks.

“As the investigations are still ongoing, we remind the American Muslim community to be extra vigilant and to immediately report any suspicious activity to the law enforcement agencies,” the group said in a statement.
As if...
Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
What About The Jewish Nakba?
2014-11-30
[Ynet] For decades, the Paleostinians have nurtured the ethos of the Nakba while Israel chose to downplay the persecutions and expulsion of the Arab Jews. It is time to set the record straight.

"If the Jewish state becomes a fact, and this is realized by the Arab peoples, they will drive the Jews who live in their midst into the sea." This statement was made by Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Moslem Brüderbund, about a month and a half after the declaration of the independence, and with the Egyptian Army already having invaded the territory allotted to the Jewish state.

The Mufti, Haj Amin al-Husseini, explained in his memoirs: "Our fundamental condition for cooperating with Germany was a free hand to eradicate every last Jew from Paleostine and the Arab world."
Link



Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More