Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Abu Muslim al Austraili	Abu Muslim al Austraili	al-Qaeda	Down Under			20040611	Link
American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council	American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council	American Muslim Foundation	Home Front			20031001
American Muslim Council	American Muslim Council	American Muslim Foundation	Home Front			20031001
Izzul Muslimin	Izzul Muslimin	Muhammadiyah Youth	Southeast Asia	Indonesian	Big Shot	20021112
		Secretary of Muhammadiyah Youth
Khaled Mohammad bin Muslim Al-Arawi Al-Juhani	Khaled Mohammad bin Muslim Al-Arawi Al-Juhani	al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula	Arabia			20030607
Mullah Sazil Muslimyar	Mullah Sazil Muslimyar	Taliban	Afghanistan/South Asia			20011122
Muslim Carino	Muslim Carino	Abu Sayyaf	Southeast Asia			20040328
Muslim Dzheniev	Muslim Dzheniev	Chechnya	Caucasus			20040306

Europe

Sweden to Investigate 'Islamist Infiltration' After Muslim Brotherhood Report [from France]

2025-05-25

[Breitbart] The Swedish government has announced an investigation into the “Islamist infiltration” in the country following the publication of the bombshell French report claiming that the Muslim Brotherhood has waged a decades-long campaign to penetrate European institutions with the aim of subverting the West and imposing Sharia law.

A French intelligence report published this week by the Ministry of Interior warned of Islamist fifth columns embedded across Europe, with EU institutions, Muslim associations, and migrant communities all falling prey to a vast network of sworn Muslim Brotherhood members operating in plain sight, often using Western liberal values to veil their nefarious aims in a shroud of legitimacy.

While the report focused heavily on the Brotherhood’s activities in France and the EU, the Paris intel identified numerous other countries throughout Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

The report also said that “evidence collected attests to the active presence of the movement” in Northern European countries like Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

Following its publication, Swedish Minister for Integration Mats Persson said: “I will convene an expert group to get a picture of the situation of Islamist infiltration in Sweden. This is against the background of what has emerged in France.”

“Sweden is mentioned in the French report and in many respects has similar challenges to France in terms of integration and counteracting parallel social structures that challenge liberal democracy,” he added.

Persson went on to say that the government will “strangle foreign funding of religious communities, where states fund radical mosques” to push back against “these Islamist and undemocratic forces.”

According to the French report, Sweden “hosts an active branch of the movement which, in addition to its small size, is characterised by its influence on European movement structures.”

The Muslim Brotherhood’s operation in Sweden accomplished this influence with the backing of money from Qatar, Paris claimed.

Additionally, Sweden appears to have been an easy target for the Islamist movement given the Nordic nation’s “great tolerance of multiculturalism,” the report found.

The French government investigation also alleged that the Muslim Brotherhood took advantage of “good relations” with local political parties, particularly the Swedish Social Democratic Party, the traditional party of government in Stockholm, which oversaw the vast majority of recent mass migration into the country.

Social Democrats Party Secretary Tobias Baudin said that the report “does not elaborate” on the alleged ties between his left-wing party and the Muslim Brotherhood, but said: “We have zero tolerance for association with extremist organisations. That line is crystal clear in our party.”

However, some have noted that just last year, the leftist party was forced to expel one of its members of parliament, Jamal El-Haj, over his alleged ties to Hamas and for reportedly attempting to lobby the Swedish Migration Agency on behalf of a Muslim Brotherhood-linked Imam to remain in the country.

“Jamal El-Haj is no longer a member of our party. It is because we are clear: There should be no interaction with extremist organisations,” Baudin said.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah’s post-war popularity is tested as southern Lebanon holds local elections

2025-05-25

[IsraelTimes] Residents of southern Lebanon voted Saturday in the country’s municipal elections that will test support for Hezbollah in the predominantly Shiite areas, nearly six months after the ceasefire that ended Israel’s war with the Iran-backed terror group, whose leadership was decimated.

Hezbollah is running in an alliance with the Amal group of Lebanon’s powerful Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Both are expected to win mayoral races and the majority of seats in municipal councils, and have already won many municipalities uncontested.

South Lebanon is the fourth and last district to vote in the elections since May 4. Among those who voted Saturday were Hezbollah members wounded on September 17, 2024, when Israel blew up thousands of booby-trapped pagers it had covertly sold to the terror group.

The attack, which Israel claimed in November, killed at least a dozen people, including at least two children, and wounded some 3,000 people, crippling Hezbollah’s fighting force ahead of an Israeli invasion some two weeks, which sought to end the terror group’s near-daily rocket fire.

“The will of life is stronger than death and the will of construction is stronger than destruction,” Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said during a tour of southern Lebanon on Saturday. He told reporters in his hometown of Aaishiyah that he voted for the first time in 40 years.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah seeks boost in Lebanon vote as disarmament calls grow

2025-05-24

[IsraelTimes] Though the terror group was badly weakened by the war with Israel, popular support among Lebanese Shi’ites remains strong

Amid the rubble left by Israeli bombardment of south Leb
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
, campaign posters urge support for Hezbollah in elections on Saturday as the group aims to show it retains political clout despite the pounding it took in last year’s war.

For Hezbollah, the local vote is more important than ever, coinciding with mounting calls for its disarmament and continued Israeli ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s, and as many of its Shi’ite Muslim'>Moslem constituents still suffer the repercussions of the conflict.

Three rounds of voting already held this month have gone well for the Iran-backed terror group. In the south, many races won’t be contested, handing Hezbollah and its allies early wins.

"We will vote with blood," said Ali Tabaja, 21, indicating loyalty to Hezbollah. He’ll be voting in the city of Nabatieh rather than his village of Adaisseh because it has been destroyed.

"It’s a desert," he said.

The south’s rubble-strewn landscape reflects the devastating impact of the war, which began when Hezbollah began launching regular attacks on Israel in October 2023 in support of Hamas
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
following the latter terror group’s devastating attack on southern Israel.

After nearly a year of war, Israel launched a major offensive against the organization. Hezbollah emerged as a shadow of its former self, with its leaders and thousands of its fighters killed, its influence over the Lebanese state greatly diminished, and its Lebanese opponents gaining sway.

In a measure of how far the tables have turned, the new government has declared it aims to establish a state monopoly on arms, meaning Hezbollah should disarm.

Against this backdrop, the election results so far indicate "the war didn’t achieve the objective of downgrading Hezbollah’s popularity in the community," said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center, a think tank. "On the contrary, many Shia now feel their fate is tied to Hezbollah’s fate.

Hezbollah’s election performance "really matters," Hage Ali added. "It shows they still represent the great majority of Shi’ites and underlines the reality that any attempt by other Lebanese to disarm them by force would risk being seen as a move against the community and jeopardize civil peace."

Hezbollah’s arms have long been a source of division in Lebanon, sparking a brief civil conflict in 2008. Critics say Hezbollah has unilaterally involved Lebanon in wider Middle East conflicts.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has called for dialogue with Hezbollah over a national defense strategy, implying discussion of its weaponry, but talks have yet to begin.

Wednesday saw the Lebanese and Paleostinian Authority presidents agree that Paleostinian factions won’t use Lebanon as a launchpad for any attacks against Israel, and to remove weapons that aren’t under the authority of the Lebanese state.

Foreign Minister Youssef Raji, a Hezbollah opponent, has said that Lebanon has been told there will be no reconstruction aid from foreign donors until the state establishes a monopoly on arms.

Hezbollah, in turn, has put the onus on the government over reconstruction and accuses it of failing to take steps on that front, despite promises that the government is committed to it.

A US State Department spokesperson said that while Washington was engaged in supporting sustainable reconstruction in Lebanon, "this cannot happen without Hezbollah laying down their arms."

"We have also made clear that transparency and economic reform are the only path to greater investment and economic recovery for the country," the spokesperson said in response to a Rooters query.

Hezbollah claims its weapons are now gone from the south, but links any discussion of its remaining arsenal to Israel’s withdrawal from five positions it still holds, and an end to Israeli strikes.

Israel says Hezbollah still has combat infrastructure, including rocket launchers in the south, calling this "blatant violations of understandings between Israel and Lebanon." It says the five positions are necessary to defend northern Israel from the threat of Hezbollah, which had planned an October 7-style attack on northern communities.

A French diplomatic source said reconstruction would not materialize if Israel continues striking and the Lebanese government does not act fast enough on disarmament.

Donors also want Beirut to enact economic reforms.

Hashem Haidar, head of the government’s Council for the South, said the state lacks the funds to rebuild, but cited progress in rubble removal. Lebanon needs $11 billion for reconstruction and recovery, the World Bank estimates.

In Nabatieh, a pile of rubble marks the spot where 71-year-old Khalil Tarhini’s store once stood. It was one of dozens destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Nabatieh’s central market.

He has received no compensation and sees little point in voting. Expressing a sense of abandonment, he said: "The state did not stand by us."

The situation was very different in 2006, after a previous Hezbollah-Israel war. Aid flowed from 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...
and Gulf Arab states.

Hezbollah says it has aided 400,000 people, paying for rent, furniture, and renovations. But the funds at its disposal appear well short of 2006, recipients say.

Hezbollah says state authorities have obstructed funds arriving from Iran, though Tehran is also more financially strapped than two decades ago due to tougher US sanctions and the reimposition of a "maximum pressure" policy by Washington.

As for Gulf states, their spending on Lebanon dried up as Hezbollah became embroiled in regional conflicts and, echoing the US, they declared it a terrorist group in 2016. 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...
has echoed the Lebanese government’s position of calling for a state monopoly of arms.

Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah said it was up to the government to secure reconstruction funding and that it was failing to take "serious steps" to get the process on track.

He warned that the issue risked deepening divisions in Lebanon if unaddressed. "How can one part of the nation be stable while another is in pain?" he said, referring to Shi’ites in the south and other areas, including Beirut’s Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs, hard hit by Israel.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Demolition of the mosque in Leninaul brings the issue of the Aukhovsky district to the forefront

2025-05-24

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The Chechen mosque in Leninaul was demolished in violation of the order of the Mufti of Dagestan, the issue will be resolved with the participation of theologians from the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District, stated the Mufti of Chechnya Salakh Mezhiyev, announcing a discussion of the restoration of the Aukhovsky District.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", in Leninaul, Kazbekovsky District, Dagestan, despite agreements with the authorities, a Chechen mosque built in the 19th century was demolished, village residents stated in a video message. The plot of land in Leninaul, where, according to representatives of the Chechen community, the 19th century mosque was located, was sold at auction to a representative of the Avar community, who transferred it for the construction of a mosque.

The authorities did not find any documents in the archives about the ownership of this plot of land by the Chechens, the administration of the Kazbekovsky District stated. The Muftiate and the Council of Chechens of Dagestan agreed to resolve the issue of demolishing the mosque in Leninaul according to Sharia law. Islamic scholars called the demand to build a mosque on the site of the demolished one not a norm of Islam, but simply a local tradition.

There are many unclear points in the story of the demolition of the mosque in Leninaul, but the decision to demolish it was hasty and provoked interethnic tensions, commentators pointed out, drawing attention to the lack of reaction to the statement of the Chechen Accidents by the Chechen authorities.

The Mufti of Chechnya, head of the Coordination Center of Muslims of the North Caucasus (CCMC) Salakh Mezhiev, stated that those who demolished the mosque in Leninaul disobeyed the Mufti of Dagestan.

"Before this happened, on May 6, we sent our delegation, our representatives to the Mufti of Dagestan. They reported that such a question was at issue, to which the Mufti of Dagestan quite rightly, clearly and distinctly said that this was unacceptable," he said in a video published on the KCMSC Telegram channel.

But the mosque was demolished. "The people who did this disobeyed, first of all, the Mufti of Dagestan. After that, we sent our delegation again, and the Mufti of Dagestan, of course, expressed his dissatisfaction with what happened. We agreed that after the Hajj we would sit down and discuss this at the level of theologians," the publication from May 23 says.

He noted that the Dagestani side had called for this investigation. Therefore, this incident will be resolved according to Islamic norms with the participation of theologians from other republics of the North Caucasus.

This has been a sore point for many years. Upon returning from exile after Stalin's repressions, Chechens are unable to move into their homes

"There will be two questions. Firstly, to what extent does the demolition of the mosque comply with the norms of Islam, what happened, and what should we do next. The second question is a sore point for many years. Upon returning from exile after Stalin's repressions, Chechens cannot move into their homes. As the chairman of the Coordination Center of Muslims of the North Caucasus Federal District, I would like to note that this trial will not only be between theologians of Dagestan and Chechnya. Other theologians from all spiritual administrations of the North Caucasus will also be present there," the mufti emphasized.

The Aukhovsky district, where the Chechens-Akkintsy lived compactly, was liquidated in 1944 after Stalin's deportation of the Chechens and Ingush. In the northwestern part of the district's territory, the Novolaksky District was formed, this part was populated by Laks from the mountainous part of Dagestan, and the southeastern part of the district was transferred to the neighboring Kazbekovsky District together with the villages of Yurt-Aukh and Aktash-Aukh and populated by Avars from the neighboring village. Thirteen years later, in 1957, the Akkin Chechens, like the rest of the deported Vainakh peoples, were allowed to return to their historical homeland.

Link

Europe

French Report Warns Of Islamist / Muslim Brotherhood 'Entryism' As Risk To National Cohesion

2025-05-23

[BBC] Islamists are infiltrating France's republican institutions and are a threat to national cohesion, according to a report presented to President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday.

It’s only been going on for two generations, but still — congratulations on noticing.

The report, drawn up by two senior civil servants, claims to find evidence for a policy of "entryism" by the Muslim Brotherhood into public bodies like schools and local government.

The French do like their philosophical jargon.

After a meeting of his security cabinet, Macron asked the government to come up with "new proposals" by early next month in light of the seriousness of the report's conclusions.

Secularism is a core tenet of France's national identity.

According to an Élysée official speaking off the record, there is a "new phenomenon - entryism - which is different from separatism".

While separatism implied Muslims living in a parallel society in France, "entryism means getting involved in republican infrastructure… in order to change it from the inside. It requires dissimulation… and it works from the bottom up," the official said.

In a copy of the report published in Le Figaro newspaper, the authors identified the Federation of Muslims in France (FMF)

…is that a name variant for the Muslims of France (Musulmans de France) or, like here, does France have a number branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in France?

as the main French emanation of the historic Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded 100 years ago to promote a return to core Islamic values.

…one of those core values is the conquest of the non-Muslim world (Dar al Harb) for Islam. Though the Brotherhooders are modern enough to prefer infiltration and colonization and the soft jihad of the law to the hard jihad of the sword until they’ve establish governance of the new territory.

They said the FMF controlled 139 places of worship in France, with a further 68 affiliated – in all around 7% of the total. The organisation also ran some 280 associations, in sports, education, charity and other fields, as well as 21 schools.

In accordance with the MB tradition — seduce ‘em with charity and lifestyle stuff, making religion secondary for the targets.

The aim of the movement was to set up "ecosystems at local level" to "structure the lives of Muslims from birth till death".

"[The movement's] officials, who are hardened activists, enter into a relationship with the local authority… Social norms – the veil, beards, dress, fasting - are gradually imposed as the ecosystem solidifies," the authors write.

"What happens is that religious practice become stricter, with a high level of girls wearing the abaya (long robe) and a massive and visible increase in the number of young girls wearing Islamic headscarves. Some are as young as five or six."

The Federation angrily rejected "any allegation that associates us with a foreign political programme, or with a strategy of 'entryism'".

"Confusing Islam with political Islamism and radicality is not only dangerous, but counter-productive for the Republic itself," the FMF said. "Behind these unfounded accusations there is a plan to stigmatise Islam and Muslims."

Yeah, yeah.

The report has been seized on by proponents of a strict enforcement of France's secular laws, which are meant to exclude all religion from public life.

Interior minister Bruno Retailleau, who on Sunday was elected leader of the conservative Les Républicains party, warned on Tuesday of "below-the-radar Islamism trying to infiltrate institutions, whose ultimate aim is to tip the whole of French society under sharia law".

Municipal elections are due in France next year, and Retailleau - who has won a reputation as a hardliner - has said he is concerned about the possibility of Islamic lists of candidates.

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon warned that "Islamophobia has crossed a line", accusing the president's security cabinet of adopting the "delusional theories" of both Retailleau and far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen.

The report's authors, who visited 10 different regions of France and four other European countries, concluded that the Muslim Brotherhood was losing influence in the Middle East and North Africa, and so was targeting Europe, backed by money from Turkey and Qatar.

"Having given a Western look to the ideology in order to implant themselves in Europe, (the Muslim Brotherhood) tries to lay down the roots of a Middle Eastern tradition while concealing a subversive fundamentalism," they wrote.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Boko Haram Intensifies Attacks in Cameroon Amid Resurgence in Lake Chad Region

2025-05-23

[HUMANGLEMEDIA] A Cameroon
...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there...
ian soldier was killed and three others were maimed during a two-night attack by Boko Haram

... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
hard boyz from 19 to 20 May. The assault occurred in Kerawa, a locality on the border with Nigeria, within the Kolofata sub-division of the Mayo-Sava division in the Far North region.

A member of the local vigilante committee said the assailants, who came from Nigeria, targeted a Cameroonian military post. ''After opening fire on the post, the assailants quickly fled towards the Nigeria-Cameroon border,'' he stated.

The recent attack highlights an alarming trend, as Boko Haram hard boyz have become more aggressive since March, utilising previously unseen sophisticated weaponry during their operations. Notably, one major incident occurred on the night of March 24 to 25, 2025, in Wulgo, in the Logone-et-Chari division, where 12 Cameroonian soldiers bit the dust.

This week's deadly assault serves as a reminder that, despite claims of a retreat by the terrorists, the threat they pose remains constant within the Lake Chad Basin. Even with strong responses from the Cameroonian army, Boko Haram continues to conduct ~~violent~~ mostly peaceful operations, instilling fear and destabilising the border areas with Nigeria. This comes despite repeated assertions from the military that they have broken the back of Boko Haram in the region.

As part of its intensified ~~violent~~ mostly peaceful campaign, Boko Haram/ISWAP increased the deployment of improvised bombs (IEDs) along critical highways in the Lake Chad region, especially in Nigeria. Over the past month, numerous IED detonations occurred, resulting in casualties among both civilians and security forces.

Recent developments have seen two significant bridges — one in the Gujiba local government area of Yobe State and the other in the Biu local government area of Borno State — damaged by IED blasts attributed to the terrorist group. These incidents have significantly disrupted mobility, making entire routes perilous and putting commuters at heightened risk of attacks, particularly in resettled communities that are already unstable.

The destruction of these essential infrastructures also threatens humanitarian efforts and the region's economic stability. Human rights groups, humanitarian organizations, and local media have cautioned for months that resettling populations without adequate security measures may expose them to reprisals and further displacement.

Link

Home Front: WoT

2 people with Israeli embassy ties shot dead near DC's Capital Jewish Museum, murderer shouted “Free Palestine” as arrested

2025-05-22

[NYPost] Two Israeli embassy staffers were killed and three others injured when gunfire erupted outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, Wednesday night — by a gunman who shouted “Free free Palestine,” officials said.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon called the shooting “a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.”

“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” he said on X.

“We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act. Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives — everywhere in the world.”

One of the slain staffers was a diplomat, NBC 4 reported, citing two sources.

It was not immediately clear if the three wounded were part of the embassy staff.

The gunfire erupted in front of the museum at 575 3rd St NW, near the FBI field office and the US attorney’s office, the outlet reported, adding that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating.

Cops are on the hunt for a man with a goatee wearing a blue jacket and jeans who was last seen on F Street in the Northwest area of the city.

Ted Deutch, the CEO of the American Jewish Committee, told NBC 4 that his organization hosted an event at the museum.

“We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue,” he said.

“At this moment, as we await more information from the police about exactly what transpired, our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said his is working with the Metropolitian Police Department “to respond and learn more,” he wrote in a tweet. “In the immediate, please pray for the victims and their families. We will keep the public updated as we are able.”

US Attorney General Pam Bondi and US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro were at the crime scene late Wednesday.

“Praying for the victims of this violence as we work to learn more,” Bondi tweeted.

Homeland Security Krisi Noem vowed to bring the “depraved” shooter to justice.

“Two Israeli Embassy staff were senselessly killed tonight near the Jewish Museum in Washington DC,” she posted online.

“We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims.”

The shooting comes amid a surge in antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Washington Jewish Museum shooter yelled ‘Free Palestine’ while being arrested — NBC
[IsraelTimes] The Foreign Ministry says the assailant who carried out the shooting near the Jewish Museum in Washington has been apprehended.

Citing senior law enforcement sources, NBC News reports that the suspect shouted “Free Palestine” while he was apprehended.

Pure insanity.https://t.co/kUNrwp2ZhI
— RedpillGoku™ (@redpillgoku) May 22, 2025

More from the Daily Mail, courtesy of Skidmark:

It is understood the suspected shooter shouted 'Free Palestine' as he was arrested, which is now being investigated by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

'We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act,' Danon said. 'Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives – everywhere in the world.'

The American Jewish Committee was hosting a Young Diplomats event at the museum on Wednesday night, CEO Ted Deutch confirmed.

The sold-out event was touted as a night 'bringing together Jewish young professionals (22-45) and the D.C. diplomatic community.'

The evening was 'dedicated to fostering unity and celebrating Jewish heritage', featuring 'appetizers, cocktails, conversations, and a special guest speaker.'

It was scheduled to take place 6.30pm and 9pm, and the shooting occured about 9.15pm.

Tal Naim Cohen, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy, said the duo were shot 'at close range' as they attended the event.

Initial reports suggested one of the victims died at the scene while another was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. Later updates confirmed both victims had tragically died.

Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh said: 'An assassin screamed "Free Palestine!" outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, and murdered an Israeli diplomat and her companion.

Less than 24 hours ago, the Capital Jewish Museum was awarded a security grant amid ongoing concerns about the safety of guests and staff.

'Jewish institutions all around town, all around the country, are concerned about security due to some very scary incidents that some institutions have faced and because of a climate of antisemitism,' Executive Director Beatrice Gurwitz said.

'So, we invest a lot of money in security to make sure that we can keep our doors open to the broad public, that this is a welcoming space, but that people are also safe in this space.'

More from the Times of Israel:

US officials say both victims of embassy shooting were staffers, were a couple about to get enganged
Tal Naim Cohen, a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, says two of its staff members were shot “at close range” while attending a Jewish event at the museum.

The Israeli embassy does not immediately respond to questions about the shooter, the victims or the motive for the attack, but other officials provide details and say the victims were a couple about to be engaged.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed two Israeli embassy staff members were killed.

“We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share,” Noem wrote in a post on X.

“We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”

Washington, DC, Police Chief Pamela Smith says that “despite all life-saving efforts, both victims succumbed to their injuries.”

She says both victims were exiting an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.

“Prior to the shooting, a suspect was observed pacing outside of the museum,” she says, adding that he opened fire at a group of four, killing a man and a woman.

“The suspect chanted, ‘Free, free Palestine,’ while in custody. The suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriquez of Chicago, Illinois,”she says.

“The couple that was gunned down tonight in the name of ‘Free Palestine’ was a couple about to be engaged,” she says, adding that the man had bought a ring last week with the intention of proposing next week in Jerusalem.

🇺🇸 — VIDEO: Alleged footage of the D.C. Jewish museum attacker Elias Rodrigues being arrested. pic.twitter.com/iRa9JtLLNr
— Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) May 22, 2025

Eyewitnesses on US shooting: People brought water to man in distress, only to learn he’s the suspect
[IsraelTimes] Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher say they were inside the Capital Jewish Museum when they heard gunshots outside and a man came inside looking distressed.

Kalin says people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realizing he was the suspect in the shooting, which killed two Israeli Embassy employees.

When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine,’” Kalin says.

“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Kalin says. “How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”

Elias Rodriguez, the Chicago far-left activist accused of shooting dead two Israelis outside the Capital Jewish Museum, has a long history of support for BLM, Palestine, communist and anti-white causes.

Those groups have been trying to scrub his associations with them by… https://t.co/DvtdsH23ie pic.twitter.com/34QRe5Yogo
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) May 22, 2025

…associations with them by deleting articles and pages where he is mentioned.

While being arrested after the killings, Rodriguez shouted, "Free, free Palestine!"

Link

Europe

France looks to ban children from wearing Muslim headscarf as government tackles 'political Islamism'

2025-05-21

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] French President Emmanuel Macron's political party has announced that it wants to ban minors under 15 from wearing the Muslim headscarf in public.

It comes as his government held a security meeting on Wednesday to discuss the spread of 'political Islamism' in France.

The meeting, which included the head of government and key ministers, addressed a report which sounds the alarm about the Muslim Brotherhood and the rising influence of the Islamist movement - which it said poses 'a threat to national cohesion' in France.

After the meeting, the Elysee Palace said measures will be taken, 'some of which will be announced' while others will remain classified.

The report into the movement, which was founded in Egypt in 1928, was commissioned by the government and prepared by two senior civil servants.

It 'clearly establishes the anti-republican and subversive nature of the Muslim Brotherhood' and 'proposes ways to address this threat', said the Elysee Palace.

It comes as Macron's Renaissance party said it would forbid 'minors under 15 from wearing the veil in public spaces,' phrasing that generally means places outside the home like the street, cafes, parks and stores.

It added the hijab 'seriously undermines gender equality and the protection of children'.

The party, led by former prime minister Gabriel Attal, also wants to introduce a 'criminal offence for coercion against parents who force their underage daughters to wear the veil'.

Renaissance is a minority force in the French parliament and works in a minority government alongside a traditional right-wing party.

Critics see the headscarf worn by some Muslim women as a symbol of creeping Islamisation after deadly jihadist attacks in France, while others say they are just practising their religion and should wear what they want.

Jordan Bardella, leader of France's far-right National Rally (RN), accused Attal of making a 'U-turn' on the issue, sharing a video on his social media from a 2022 debate in which the former prime minister warned against the potential persecution of veiled women under a Marine Le Pen presidency.

During her unsuccessful 2022 presidential campaign, Le Pen had evoked banning the wearing of the hijab by everyone in all public spaces in France.

Under current French legislation, civil servants, teachers and pupils cannot wear any obvious religious symbols such as a Christian cross, Jewish kippa, Sikh turban or Muslim hijab in government buildings, which includes public schools.

The government is also pushing for a new law to ban the headscarf in domestic sports competitions, a move critics of the law argue would be just the latest rule discriminating against visibly Muslim women.

Responding to the news and the new government report, critics have condemned what they call the rise of Islamophobia in France.

'Islamophobia has crossed a line,' hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon said on X.

He accused the Defence Council meeting chaired by Macron of endorsing 'the delusional theories' of Le Pen and France's hardline Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau

France's authorities are eager to prevent any spread of extremist Islamist ideas in a country that has been rocked by a string of deadly jihadist attacks.

Religious radicalisation has become a hot-button issue as the far-right is becoming increasingly popular in France, with the new government report sparking heated reactions.

Le Pen accused the government of inaction, saying on X that she has long proposed measures to 'eradicate Islamist fundamentalism'.

Bardella meanwhile said on France Inter radio: 'If we come to power tomorrow, we will ban the Muslim Brotherhood.'

The report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, pointed to the spread of Islamism 'from the bottom up', adding the phenomenon constituted 'a threat in the short to medium term'.

At the same time, the presidency stressed, 'we are all perfectly aligned in saying that we must not lump all Muslims together'.

'We are fighting against Islamism and its radical excesses.'

The report zeroed in on the role of Muslims of France (Musulmans de France), which it identified as 'the national branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in France.'

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Ex-Mustaqbal official clenches Beirut municipal seat from rival, broad coalition

2025-05-21

[NAHARNET] al-Mustaqbal
... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri...

... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri...
Movement's former Beirut coordinator Mahmoud al-Jamal, a retired brigadier general, has managed to clench a seat on Beirut's new municipal council, preventing a list comprising most political parties from winning all 24 seats.

Al-Jamal's win came at the expense of Elie Andrea, a Greek Orthodox member of the rival list who was backed by Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut Elias Audi.

Andrea was the subject of ''dismay, especially among Greek Orthodox voters, which led to the redaction of his name by voters due to his bad performance as a member of the outgoing municipal council,'' the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Andrea had also faced a social media campaign against him prior to the elections against the backdrop of his dispute with outgoing municipal chief Jamal Itani, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported.

This is the first time in decades that sees Moslems outnumbering Christians in the municipal council. The country's rival political parties had formed an electoral alliance in Beirut under the excuse of preserving Christian-Moslem parity.

Political rivals such as Hezbollah and the Lebanese Forces
A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb...
came together to form the list, which also comprised the Amal Movement, the Kataeb Party, the Free Patriotic Movement
Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic...
, al-Ahbash, the Tashnag Party
Socialist party representing the Armenian diaspora in Leb. They're Christians, but they try to remain neutral, which means they get shot at without shooting back...
, the Hunchak Party, the Progressive Socialist Party and MP Fouad Makhzoumi.

Al-Jamal's list was backed by MP Nabil Bader and the Jamaa Islamiya and apparently received votes from Mustaqbal supporters.

Four other lists were also formed in the capital, including one by the Beirut Madinati civil society group, which won one third of the capital's votes in the 2016 polls.

Voter turnout reached only 21% in Beirut, which has historically witnessed similar low turnout levels.

Link

Europe

Kurdish couple tried in Germany for ISIS links

2025-05-20

[Rudaw] The Bavarian Supreme Court held a trial for a Kurdish couple accused of the Islamic State

...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) links on Monday, more than a year after their detention for several charges, including crimes against Yazidis.

Twana was born in 1981 and hails from Kurdistan Region’s Halabja province. He has been living in Germany since the early 2000s. In Munich, Twana joined some Islamic turban groups and later went to djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
and Raqqa and became a member of ISIS. His wife, Asya, is a Kurd from Iraq’s Hawija town in Kirkuk province. For her 18th birthday gift, her father took her hand and brought her into the ranks of ISIS. There she married Twana.

The couple were previously named in the Rantburg archives as Twana H.S. and Asia R.A.

Since April 9, 2024, Twana and Asya have been imprisoned in Germany on charges of membership in a foreign terrorist organization, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, and sexual assault against individuals under 18 years of age.

"If the charges brought against them by the public prosecutor are confirmed, then there will be life imprisonment; the complaint is about genocide. The client we represent in this process and other Yazidi survivors whom we have represented talk about two main motivations for why they participate in these trial processes and why it is important to them," Natalie von Wistinghausen, a lawyer for a Yazidi girl who survived ISIS atrocity, told Rudaw.

Twana has been accused of sexually abusing two Yazidi girls, one of which is expected to be present in a future trial as a witness.

ISIS swept through vast swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014 and declared a so-called caliphate in a brazen offensive that saw the group take control of around a third of Syria’s territory as well as several Iraqi cities, including the second largest northern city of Mosul. It was declared territorially defeated in 2017 and 2019 in both countries respectively.

During the jihadists’ brutal reign, they committed heinous atrocities, such as genocide, sexual slavery, and massacres against non-Muslim'>Moslems, especially the Yazidi ethnoreligious group.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Six residents of Karachay-Cherkessia accused of involvement in 'At Takfir wal-Hijra'

2025-05-20

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The prosecution considers Khasin Kabardaev, a resident of the Adyge-Khablsky district, to be the organizer of the extremist cell; five more local residents will appear in court as its participants.

As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, in May 2024, a court in Cherkessk placed six residents of Karachay-Cherkessia under arrest, suspected of organizing and participating in the activities of the extremist organization "At Takfir wal-Hijra". "At Takfir wal-Hijra" is not popular among residents of the North Caucasus and has not claimed responsibility for terrorist attacks in Russia, analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" indicated at the time.

The organization "At-Takfir wal-Hijra" (accusation of unbelief and hijra) appeared in Egypt and spread in the North Caucasus, especially in Kabardino-Balkaria in 1997-1998. Supporters of the organization belong to the Salafi movement in Islam and are distinguished by strict demands on co-religionists, according to the "Caucasian Knot" article " Kabardino-Balkaria: On the Path to Disaster. Prerequisites for the Armed Revolt in Nalchik on October 13-14, 2005."

They called themselves Jama'at al-Muslimin (Society of Muslims), but their Egyptian neighbours mockingly called them Excommunication and Exile. Cult-like, they require members to cut off all contact with their families. The introverted Takfir Wal Hijra faction split off from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in the 1960s. The extroverted “moderate” faction followed Ayman Al-Zawahiri into Al Qaeda. Takfir Wal Hijra consists of loosely affiliated cells which have committed acts of terror as far afield as Morocco and Holland.

The Adyge-Khabl District Court of Karachay-Cherkessia has accepted for consideration the case of six residents of the republic who were detained in May 2024 on charges of involvement in an extremist religious organization.

The prosecution believes that the organizer of the At Takfir wal-Hijra* cell was Khasin Kabardaev: according to the investigation, he used his knowledge of the Islamic religion and Sharia, as well as his “leadership skills” and authority among members of the Muslim community of Karachay-Cherkessia, to create a division of the banned organization in the republic.

The goal of the cell is said to be the propaganda and dissemination of radical views and ideas of the ideologists of "At Takfir wal-Hijra"* among the Muslims of the republic. According to investigators, the voluntary members of the association were Arsen Aichepshev, Murat Kabardaev, Nazir Koshev, Murat Mulazhev and Mikhail Smadich, who supported the religious views of Khasin Kabardaev, the United Press Service of the Courts of Karachay-Cherkessia reported today on its Telegram channel.

The hearing on the case is scheduled for May 21. The "Caucasian Knot" does not yet have any comments from the accused or their lawyers regarding the prosecution's version of events.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Muslim-Christian parity preserved in Beirut Municipality as list backed by main political parties wins

2025-05-20

[NAHARNET] A list backed by most political parties won all 24 seats of Beirut's municipality on Sunday, maintaining Christian-Moslem parity on the capital's municipal council.

Political rivals such as Hezbollah and the Lebanese Forces
A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb...
came together to form the list, arguing that such a temporary coalition was necessary to preserve equal Christian-Moslem power-sharing.

The list was also backed by the Amal Movement, the Kataeb Party, the Free Patriotic Movement
Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic...
, al-Ahbash, the Tashnag Party
Socialist party representing the Armenian diaspora in Leb. They're Christians, but they try to remain neutral, which means they get shot at without shooting back...
, the Hunchak Party and MP Fouad Makhzoumi.

A rival list was formed by MP Nabil Bader, the Jamaa Islamiya and a figure who was considered close to al-Mustaqbal
... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri...

... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri...
Movement.

Four other lists were also formed in the capital, including one by the Beirut Madinati civil society group, which won one third of the capital's votes in the 2016 polls.

Voter turnout reached 21% in Beirut, 44.57% in Zahle, 41.11% in West Bekaa, 37.70% in Rashaya, 34.15% in Hermel and 48.88% in Baalbek.

The Lebanese Forces meanwhile announced its victory in the Zahle municipal polls against a list backed by all the other political forces and families in an electoral battle in which the Free Patriotic Movement gave its supporters the freedom to vote for either list.

LF leader Samir Geagea
....Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005....
hailed a ''major victory'' in the city, saying ''Zahle has chosen progress, change, civilization, illusory sovereignty, deaders and Leb
Leb

...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
A Hezbollah front man meanwhile said the party and its ally the Amal Movement won in the city of Baalbek, the city of Hermel and in 19 towns in the Bekaa.

Link

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