Anti-Semitism in Swedish Schools

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


The below article appeared as an op-ed in Aftonbladet, one of Sweden's oldest and largest news outlets. It was sent to me by my friend, Kronans Martell in Sweden. I have translated it into English. This is written by a school teacher who teaches children from other countries, mostly Africa, and the Middle East. She has discovered that these children not only have a negative opinion of Jews, but very little to no knowledge of the Holocaust.

https://www.aftonbladet.se/debatt/a/0EREjJ/mina-nyanlanda-elever-tror-att-judar-ar-farliga

My Newly Arrived Students Think that Jews Are Dangerous

Teacher: We have a duty to do something about ignorance

This is a debate article. It is the writer who stands for the opinions expressed in the text, not Aftonbladet.

During more than four years in teaching newly-arrived (in Sweden) pupils, mostly from the Middle East, Afghanistan, Yemen, Ethiopia and Somalia, I have noticed a large ignorance  about Jews, the state of Israel, and the Holocaust.

This ignorance can lead to fear and in the worst case hate. Many pupils have become brainwashed  in their home countries that Jews are dangerous and that they should beware of them.

Comments such as "they are terrorists and we have a right to throw rocks at them", and that "they burn children alive" are some of the stories  that come up in discussions with pupils and during lectures in school.

During a series of lectures, we talked about the Nazis' genocide, and it was shown that none of our newly-arrived pupils knew about the Holocaust and its background, where over 6 million Jews were put to death.

The question over Jews and Israel is controversial, and we have had a hard time talking about the subject even though only 20,000 Jews live in Sweden, and they have protection as a Swedish minority.

Tolerance, co-existence, justice and love for fellow humans are born of knowledge, discussion, and analysis based on each person's right to freedom and to be able to feel safe in their society. Together we must punch through this darkness and this ignorance which can have terrible consequences for the Jews who live in Sweden and the rest of Europe-often behind armour, forced security, and not daring to even acknowledge their existence, religion, or their origin.

The numbers from the EU's Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) say it in its clear language. In the report, 16,000 Jews were queried in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Great Britain. Countries where around 96% of Europe's  Jews reside.

About 90% of those queried say that anti-semitism is growing in their home countries, and as many as 75% say it is evident in the public space.

The kinds of harassment and anti-semitism revealed by FRA include, for example, destruction of Jewish burial sites, vandalism of Jewish buildings or institutions, and open hostility towards Jews.

The report also points out  that Sweden is one of the countries where the most are of the opinion that anti-semitism has increased. More that 8 out of 10 respondents in Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Sweden believe that anti-semitism is a "very big" or "rather big" problem.

We can not betray the Jews through passivity and silence. Anti-semitism must be fought, and our responsibility for this must be clear-through enlightenment, knowledge by various authorities and in the school.

Those who attack Jews in Malmo and Gothenburg must be condemned  clearly, and political unity on the issue is required. Jewish and Muslim congregations need to continue to meet for cooperation. The forces for good must receive support.

More than four years (worth of) knowledge from my work with the newly-arrived has made me convinced that we must act. My pupils, for example, want to have all the information they can get about the Holocaust, Jews, and Israel in their native language.

They want to understand and they want to know so they can form their view based on knowledge from different sources. It doesn't work if the knowledge fails-first in their home countries and also here in Sweden.

It requires several conversations and discussions with our pupils  to create an understanding of the basis for the Holocaust even being possible and what mechanisms began the process. A single lecture that quickly disappears from memory is not sufficient.

We have a duty to dare to take on these issues even if difficult and thought of as controversial and politically "dangerous". It is so easy to end up in a discussion about right or wrong concerning Israel's policy, but the question is that people should be able to live side by side in Sweden and respect each other.

Otherwise, dark forces take over the empty space we leave behind.. Maybe 2019 will be the year that we take joint action against anti-semitism and its darkness-not just today on Holocaust Memorial Day but all other days of the year.

Annelie Danling Brash, head teacher for newly-arrived (pupils) and learning at Nyköping High School with help from Jonathan Brash, teacher, grades 4-6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I applaud the article, but what is missing here is the fact that these children have learned their negative opinions of Jews in their homes and most likely from their religion. I suppose in politically correct Sweden, the writer couldn't go that far. I hope education in a Swedish school will turn their attitudes around, but I am sceptical. Their religion (Islam) teaches them a different message about Jews. Hopefully, some can be turned around.

I must also shake my head at Aftonbladet's disclaimer that this is an opinion piece and only reflects the opinions of the writer and not Aftonbladet. I am sure this disclaimer is routine when they publish an opinion piece, but my God-the optics are terrible. 

Insanity in Sacramento

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com

Hat tip Daily Wire


Out here in the one-party state of California, it's one big bhong party in Sacramento. The latest is the bit of insanity from Hannah-Beth Jackson, Democrat (what else?) from Santa Barbara. She (excuse the pronoun) has decided that only gender-neutral pronouns will be used during committee hearings.


https://www.dailywire.com/news/42389/watch-democrat-state-senator-announces-politically-amanda-prestigiacomo?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=062316-news&utm_campaign=dwbrand



                                                                                                             


 

Not only do our legislators have to take a Berlitz course in the New English, imagine the extra work for the stenographers (whoever they may be) who have to record every mistake in language and subsequent correction from people like Hannah-Beth Jackson.

Asia Bibi and Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun: The World Is Watching

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


This article first appeared in New English Review.



As I write this piece, there are two dramas playing out in Pakistan and Thailand. Both involve two young women, one a Pakistani Christian, the other a Saudi woman of 18 who has fled her family and renounced Islam. At this point, their fates are yet to be decided as Western nations debate offering them asylum.

Asia Bibi was arrested in Pakistan and accused of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Mohammad. Blasphemy against Islam is a capital offense in Pakistan-as it is in Islamic law. Sentenced to death, she languished in prison for several years until her conviction was recently overturned by the Pakistani Supreme Court. She is now in hiding, living under security at an undisclosed location until a country can be found to give her asylum. All the while, mobs roam door to door in an effort to find and lynch her. Great Britain, a country that never ceases to prostrate itself to radical Islamic forces, has already refused. Further complicating her situation is that the Pakistani government has now ruled that it will not let her leave the country until the prosecutor's appeals are fully resolved.

Then this week, an 18-year-old Saudi girl named Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun, fled her family residing in Kuwait and wound up at Bangkok Airport with an Australian visa. It appeared initially that she was going to be put on a flight back home until the Thais turned the matter over to the UN refugee officials. They have now determined that she is a legitimate refugee. At this writing, she is still in Bangkok and awaiting a decision by the Australians.

Any sensible observer would immediately conclude that by any humanitarian measure, both of these women should already be relocated to a country where they can live in freedom and security from vengeful Islamic law. But consider that another Saudi woman, Dina Ali Lasloom 24, who was trying to flee a forced marriage, was forcefully put on a plane back home from Manila where she was seeking asylum in 2017. Her fate remains unknown.

These cases deserve the widest possible publicity for several reasons beyond even human decency and considerations of human rights. The world needs to confront the basic severity of Islamic law as practiced by countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The death penalty for apostates is affirmed by every leading school of Islamic thought and is enforced throughout Islamic societies either by national courts, tribal councils, or the families involved. It stands in stark contrast not only to our laws in the West, but also against basic principles of human rights. Laws against apostasy and blasphemy have no place in the West or any other civilized society.

Hopefully, Alquhun will be on the next flight from Thailand to Australia. If the Pakistani government insists on keeping Bibi in country until her case is finally "resolved", I would hope the US government and others will inform the Pakistanis that good diplomatic relations and foreign aid will hinge on justice for Asia Bibi.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia stand in shame before the world. If the West doesn't step up and provide refuge for Asia Bibi and Rahaf Mohammed Alquhun, we will stand in shame as well. Our governments and other "human rights" organizations bend over backwards to grant refuge and asylum to hundreds of thousands of people migrating around the world who should not qualify for refugee status. Many of these so-called refugees are Muslims. That we would turn our backs on Bibi and Alquhun would be a disgrace and would signal that we are submitting to Islam. After all, Islam in Arabic means "submission".

The time has come for the US and the West to re-evaluate their relationships with these two countries that still live in the Middle Ages. As for Britain, over history, enemies from Napoleon to Hitler have reportedly called them "a nation of shop keepers". If so, they proved both wrong, but the phrase sure fits now. Winston Churchill must be spinning in his grave.

As We Try to Celebrate Christmas

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


Hat tip Memri and Jihad Watch


First of all, let me wish a Merry Christmas to all my Christian readers. For my Jewish readers who just recently celebrated Hanukkah, I also extend my love and best wishes.

But it is hard not to  feel a sense of anger when Christians and Jews are being persecuted around the world.

As I write, the city of Barcelona is under high alert over credible reports that an unidentified Moroccan man may be planning to strike the city on this holiest of Christian holidays.

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/12/barcelona-police-warn-of-muslim-plotting-jihad-massacre-on-christmas-day-city-on-high-alert

Here is a Spanish report from El Pais (Spain), which I have not had time to translate as yet.

https://elpais.com/ccaa/2018/12/24/catalunya/1545661368_910928.html


From Canada comes yet another report of a Muslim cleric urging his followers not to wish Christians a Merry Christmas. Yes, Canada has a real problem with hate being preached in many of their mosques.

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/12/canada-muslim-cleric-says-wishing-christians-merry-christmas-is-worse-than-murder

Also on high alert are the always beleaguered Christians of Pakistan, fearing attacks on Christmas day as one of their own, Asia Bibi, remains in hiding while Western nations (and the Vatican) studiously ignore her pleas for asylum. It is an international disgrace.

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/12/islamic-republic-of-pakistan-security-high-at-churches-for-christmas-asia-bibi-still-in-hiding

Meanwhile, Pope Francis continues to ignore the persecution of Christians in Muslim majority countries while lecturing Europeans that they must continue to bring in more and more Muslims, some of  whom will torment Europe's Jews and plan attacks on Christmas markets, which are now the target of choice.

And the politicians in Western Europe (with the exception of Italy, Austria, and possibly Denmark) are on the Pope's side as they continue their insane immigration policies, no matter how many people are murdered and no matter how many women are raped. Jews continue to live in fear and many are emigrating. Politicians make statements of support and place guards in front of synagogues and Jewish schools, but the importation of Jew-hating Muslim men continues unabated, thus, the threat continues to increase.

I emphasize  that I am not referring to all Muslims, but the threat is very real and deeply rooted in Islamic doctrine.

But it is not only Muslims who need to take a look in the mirror. Our political and religious leaders, both Christian and Jewish, are letting us down. They are afraid to stand up to the Islamists in our midst and call them out for their hatred. Interfaith events, which appear to be noble on their surface, are nothing more than exercises in surrender by Christian and Jewish religious leaders who allow Muslim leaders to lie to us about Islam's "peaceful" nature. Many of these same Muslim leaders have a completely different (and more hateful) message when speaking to their own followers. Again-not all, but far too many.

Praying for peace seems to be an exercise in futility, but at least we can pray that today will not be marred by Islamic terror in Spain, Pakistan or anywhere else.

Merry Christmas.

UC Berkeley Has to Pay for Abridging Free Speech

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


UC Berkeley has learned the hard way there can be a price to pay for abridging free speech on campus. Now they are paying out $70,000 to Young America Foundation.


https://www.yaf.org/news/yaf-wins-landmark-free-speech-lawsuit-uc-berkeley-to-pay-70000-and-rescind-unconstitutional-policies/?fbclid=IwAR1rahcMqkjCI6AJv0Sd2AwxtLYUDV4g9hAeiBBE0wvTsNfGtaSVmOfr2ks

It is more subtle than a university refusing a student group to bring in a particular speaker. There are other ways a university can limit or eliminate free speech by certain speakers they don't like. They can charge outrageous security fees, for example, that they would not charge to other groups.

Several years ago, I attended an event at UC Irvine where David Horowitz appeared. Not only did the university switch his meeting room at the last minute to a more obscure part of the campus, none of the whiteboard markers had enough ink. Horowitz repeatedly laughed it off at the UCI administrators in the audience who were documenting his words on their laptops.

When Milo Yiannopoulos appeared at UCI not long ago, the event was placed in a room much too small to accomodate the hundreds of people (including myself) who were trying to get in-and whose names were on the registration list.

I salute the YAF for holding UCB's feet to the fire. These institutions all have a ready made statement they release to the media when these things happen to the effect that they are "100 committed to the principles of free speech, inclusions, etc etc etc". It is a joke. When students and assorted riff-raff rioted at UC Berkeley a few years ago forcing a last minute cancellation to Yiannopoulos's appearance, the university all but put their seal of approval on the assaults and destruction of property as campus police stood around like potted plants. Other universities, like UCI, seem to be allowing disruptions to continue for a set period of time before gently ushering the protesters out with no consequences.

Left to their own devices and with the public not paying attention, universities will continue to limit conservative speech and indoctrinate our youth. They need to be countered, and, when appropriate, sued.

SJP Conference Looms Over UCLA

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


This article first appeared in Times of Israel.

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) will be holding its national conference at UCLA from November 16-18. A few years ago (February 2011), SJP held its Western regional conference on the Westwood campus. That featured the anti-semitic Oakland imam, Amir Abdel Malik Ali, leading his audience in the "pledge of allegiance", which bore no resemblance to the one most of us recite here in the US. Ali's "pledge" swore to fight to the death on behalf of Islam, jihad, and all that charming stuff.

There is much opposition to this year's conference, as well there should be. SJP is anti-Jewish to its core. No matter that they have a few misguided misfits of Jewish background. They are all for the total destruction of the Jewish state of Israel.

Here is an op-ed that the feckless UCLA chancellor, Gene Block, has written in the LA Times regarding the conference.

With all due respect, Mr Block is full of it. For years, he has allowed Jewish students at UCLA to be bullied and intimidated by the likes of SJP, the Muslim Student Association, and other pro-Palestinian forces. He is hardly alone among UC chancellors. From UC San Diego to UC Berkeley and in-between, it's the same old story. For 20 years, I have seen it first-hand on the UC Irvine campus where I taught part-time from 1998-2016. In the past two years since I stopped teaching there, I have attended subsequent events where the bully-boy antics of the SJP have been on full display. Their tactics are simple: disrupt, bully and intimidate. They are a disgraceful and despicable organization.

And look who is headlining this year's freak show at UCLA. The keynote speaker is Chicago-based Palestinian activist, Hatem Abudayyeh. Here is what Discover the Networks has to say about Abudayyeh.

Abudayyeh was an outspoken supporter of Rasmieh Odeh, the Palestinian woman who was convicted of terrorism in Israel, hid that fact while immigrating to the US, and was finally deported after lengthy and costly legal proceedings. All the while, she appeared in front of the courthouse where she was being tried shouting into a bullhorn to her followers about how unjust America is. And this guy Abudayyeh was one of her biggest boosters.

Lovely fellow. Just what SJP wants to represent them. We should all draw the appropriate conclusions.

As Chancellor Block stated, SJP has the right to free speech. But make no mistake. From November 16-18, hate speech will be on display at UCLA. With the new outbreak of fighting between Israel and the Hamas regime in Gaza, no doubt the rhetoric at UCLA will get even more heated. The 2016 UC Statement of Principles Against Intolerance, which Block referenced, will be violated to the point of making it nothing more than a scrap of paper.

University of Michigan: It's Required

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com

"Speaker Emory Douglas, part of the “Penny Stamps Speakers Series Presentation” of the Stamps School of Art and Design, displayed a slide that showed a picture of Netanyahu and Hitler with the words “Guilty Of Genocide” written across their faces. Below the photo was the definition of genocide."

The University of Michigan has been in the news quite a bit lately, and for all the wrong reasons. Just recently, a University of Michigan professor made news when he refused to write a letter of recommendation for a student to study in Israel. Now comes this about a speaker who compared Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu with Hitler. That's bad enough. It was a required attendance for certain students. 


https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/252890

So here we have a former Black Panther who comes to the university to defame Netanyahu as being comparable to Hitler, and attendance is mandatory?

I invite the reader to follow the above link to the Penny Stamps site. If you are left with the impression that it is tilted way to the left, you are not alone. This reminds me of the UC Irvine New Narratives program instituted a few years ago by then Vice Chancellor Thomas Parham. In April 2017, I attended one such event which was loaded with a panel of victims including one black radical Canadian  woman who had recently moved to the US and opened her talk by saying that she had picked the wrong time to come here in referring to President Trump. I tried unsuccessfully to get New Narratives to invite a speaker who had a more favorable image of America, but all I got was a big run-around.

I wonder if the Penny Stamps Speakers Series would consider bringing in a pro-Israel speaker to provide some semblance of balance to those students who are required to sit through these lectures.

Probably not.

Professor Juan Cole's Mohammad

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


Hat tip Campus Watch and Middle East Forum


https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/articles/2018/was-prophet-muhammad-really-illiterate-an-intervi

University of Michigan professor Juan Cole always goes to incredible lengths to defend everything that is Islamic. Now he has come out with a new book on the Prophet Mohammad entitled, Mohammad: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires. If you had any doubts this would be a hagiographic endeavor, Cole's interview with Joseph Richard Preville erases all doubt.

How one can described Mohammad as a "prophet of peace" when he led armies to fight non-Muslims, took women and children as slaves and ordered the murders of his opponents and the beheadings of captives is beyond me. It is true that when Mohammad began his teaching in Mecca, he was peaceful. After he was driven out of Mecca, he and his followers went to  present-day Medina, where he consolidated his power and evolved into a warlord. Here are some statements by Cole that strain credulity.

JRP: You write that “Islam is, no less than Christianity, a Western religion that initially grew up in the Roman Empire” and that “Muhammad saw himself as an ally of the West.” How does your theory challenge or support other major scholarly interpretations of early Islam?

JC: The Arab Muslim sources emphasize the origins of Islam in Arabia and downplay how integrated the Arabs of late antiquity were into the Eastern Roman Empire, but Roman sources, inscriptions, and Qur'an passages give strong evidence for the Arabs as Roman citizens or  allies.  As for Muhammad being allied with Constantinople, there is some evidence for it in early Arabic sources and the eminent Princeton classicist G. W. Bowersock has hinted at it in his recent work, but I have taken the bull by the horns and said it explicitly.

It is true that all three monotheistic religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam were born in the Middle East. While the first two successfully spread to the West ( the US is a democratic nation founded on Judaic-Christian principles), Islam's spread to the West, largely through recent immigration has hardly been successful. Assimilation has been slight and the clashes are too many to mention especially in Europe today. The fact is that Islam is antithetical to Western ideals of equality and freedom.


JRP: Many biographies portray Muhammad as illiterate and provincial.  Would you agree?

JC: The Muslim tradition calls Muhammad "illiterate," I think in part to protect him from charges by polemicists that he learned things by reading the Bible or other works.  But the tradition also says he was a successful long-distance merchant who regularly traded up to Damascus and Gaza in the Eastern Roman Empire.  Long distance merchants are always literate, and I think Muhammad could read and write Arabic, Aramaic and possibly Greek.  The Qur'an shows knowledge of the Bible, of Jewish tradition, and of classical Greek thought.  It isn't provincial.

An interesting observation and opinion on the part of Cole since he strays from Islamic teaching that Mohammad was illiterate. Also interesting is the reason Cole thinks Muslims say that Mohammad was illiterate. Critics of Islam do not believe that Mohammad truly received the word of God from the archangel Gabriel (He may have imagined he did), therefore the idea that he read the Bible and initially borrowed from it is open to question.

RP: What was Muhammad’s role in the creation of the Constitution of Madinah?  How revolutionary was this document for its time?

JC: The Constitution of Madinah was a treaty among groups in Madinah, to which the Meccan pagans expelled Muhammad in 622.  Madinah had Muslims, Jews and pagans and possibly some Christians. The treaty pledged all these groups to defend the city militarily if it was attacked.  It says that the Muslims have their religion and the Jews have theirs, so it recognizes freedom of conscience and is a political alliance.  In the Roman Empire at that time, Jews were placed under disabilities and would not have been treated as equals this way. 

And when the Jews supposedly broke the constitution, they were executed, and ever since Jews are hated within Islam. The Koran is replete with hateful verses against Jews (and Christians). Over the centuries Jewish minorities have had to live in a condition of dhimmitud, second class citizenship enshrined in the laws. It is true that in some places, Christians treated Jews as bad or worse as did Muslims, but Cole's answer leaves out tons of facts. 

JRP: How did medieval Muslim clerics slight or minimize the Qur’an’s peace verses by a theory of abrogation?

JC: Peace-making and turning the other cheek are very important themes in the Qur'an.  It allows going to war to defend yourself and innocents, but forbids aggressive, expansionist warfare.  The text was very inconvenient for later aggressive Muslim empires.  So ideologues developed a theory of "abrogation" where later verses invalidated earlier ones. They interpreted late verses on warfare as permitting aggression (they don't), and then alleged that all the peace verses were thus abrogated.  It was an intellectual and spiritual travesty.  Some Muslim thinkers, though, said only 5 verses were abrogated (not the peace verses), and rejected the procedure.   

For Cole to claim that peace making and turning the other cheek are important themes in the Koran is a hoot. Reading the Koran especially putting the suras (chapters) in chronological order contradicts Cole on its very face. The early Mecca suras do tend to be benign and peaceful, but the Medina suras are clearly not. Put in order of time, it all makes sense. Mohammad evolved from a simple preacher in Mecca to a warlord in Medina. As for the principle of abrogation (which Western-based "moderate" imams are loathe to discuss), it makes perfect sense given the transformation of Mohammad ands the obvious contradictory verses in the Koran. Keep in mind that it is the Islamic scholars themselves (not Cole) who are the authorities in Islam since Islam has no Vatican and has no popes.   

JRP: You have placed strong emphasis on Muhammad as a “Prophet of Peace.”  How do you think your book will encourage and strengthen Islamic peace studies?
 
JC: The peace verses of the Qur'an have been there all along, and have been central, but scholarship has not focused on them.  I'd like to see the kind of intersection of Peace Studies with Islam that exists with regard to Christianity.  Christians have fought a lot of wars and even been involved in genocide, but we all also know about the Quakers and Mennonites.  Only a few authors have written on the history of peace movements in Islam, which include the Murid Sufis of Senegal and the Gandhist Muslims in twentieth-century India.

Yes, the peace verses in the Koran have been there all along, but they are not central because they have been abrogated. Sura 9, the last major sura recorded is arguably the most violent and intolerable. It virtually abrogates every peaceful verse recorded earlier in time. As for Sufists and groups like the Ahmadiya Muslims, it is true they have a good track record of not being involved in the terror and intolerance we see in Islam today, but they are not regarded as Muslims by mainstream Islam. In fact, those that live in Muslim countries are persecuted. As for the wars and genocide of Christians, aside from the Crusades (in which both sides were culpable and Christians killed many Jews in the process), how many wars were fought for purely religious reasons? Genocide? I would argue that Hitler and the Nazis had no religious motivations for the Holocaust. They did not object to the theology of the Jews; they considered Jews as a race to be exterminated. And Hitler, despite his Catholic birth, was no Christian. He derided religion in general. If you want to talk about genocide in the modern sense, look no farther than today's Middle East.

If Cole wants to argue that most Muslims are leading peaceful lives and we should not blame them all for the atrocities being carried out today, that is fine. Cole, however, engages in falsehoods that are so easy to disprove just by scratching beneath the surface. If this is the type of scholarship to be found at the University of Michigan, they might as well stick to football.

Islamic Center of San Diego Looking for Immigration Interpreters

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com



This is interesting.

The Islamic Center of San Diego is issuing an urgent appeal for interpreters to assist immigration attorneys at the border (in its own words). Specifically, they are asking for interpreters in Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi and other (non-Spanish) languages. Interpreters would be assisting the Federal Defenders of San Diego.

https://m.facebook.com/302790013065190/posts/2050542088289965/

So why is this interesting? It is because, as we have been saying for years, it's not just Mexicans and Central Americans coming across our southwestern border. People from the Middle East and the Near East are also coming via Mexico. If immigration attorneys in San Diego are in need of these kinds of interpreters, it just proves what we have been saying all along.This is nothing more than the Islamic Center of San Diego showing its obvious desire to get more Muslims into the country and now assisting those who come illegally. It is more proof that for the sake of our own national security, we need to build the wall.

A Response From UCLA

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com

On May 17, Students for Justice in Palestine disrupted an Israeli event at UCLA. Subsequently, UCLA received many letters of complaint, including one that I signed onto. Today, I received this email from UCLA in response.

Thank you for taking the time to write and share your concerns. UCLA is deeply disappointed that protesters disrupted a May 17th student event that focused on the experiences of Jewish, Armenian and Kurdish indigenous communities. This incident left many students feeling silenced and intimidated. It also dishonored UCLA’s commitment to the free and robust exchange of ideas. University officials and police arrived on the scene promptly, and the disruption ended without physical injury. Campus officials are carefully reviewing the incident to determine precisely what happened, who among the protestors are affiliated with UCLA, and how to appropriately respond to this incident. While we respect the right to lawful protest, such protests cannot prevent speakers from communicating with a willing audience.

Steve Ritea,

Executive Director

Executive Communications

2224D Murphy Hall

Comment: While I appreciate the words in the letter, this is likely the last thing we will here of this.



 "Campus officials are carefully reviewing the incident to determine precisely what happened, who among the protestors are affiliated with UCLA, and how to appropriately respond to this incident." 

First of all, the video clearly shows precisely what happened. Secondly, had campus police identified the disruptors (which I am guessing they did not) they would know who were students. As to how to respond, any students should be, at the least, suspended if not expelled and SJP banned from campus. Finally, they are not protestors. They are disruptors. UCLA is a public campus, thus open to the public. Those who enter the campus for purposes of disruption should be arrested.

Let's follow this to see what happens.

Who Is Hafiz Kazi?

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


On Wednesday, a 51-year-old man named Hafiz Kazi, originally from India, plowed his car through the gate at Travis Air Force Base north of San Francisco, and ignited it with propane tanks, killing himself in the process.

As you will see from the below three news reports, investigators cannot state (or will not) what the motive was.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmz45tkq3eE&feature=youtu.be


http://www.kcra.com/article/fbi-identifies-man-killed-in-fiery-crash-at-travis-air-force-base/19580976


https://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article206625114.html

Jihad Watch, however, identifies Kazi as a Muslim.

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/03/man-who-exploded-car-loaded-with-propane-tanks-at-travis-air-force-base-identified-as-a-muslim-named-hafiz-kazi

But what is the basis for concluding that Kazi is a Muslim? India though not predominately Muslim, has a large Muslim minority, in the tens of millions. Here is a clue:

Hafiz is a Muslim name, meaning one who has completely memorized the Koran. This is not to say that Kazi has memorized the Koran, only that he was given that name at birth. Gates of Vienna elaborates.


http://gatesofvienna.net/2018/03/place-travis-afb-action-suicide-method-propane-and-gasoline-motive-mystery/

Before this case is forgotten, the authorities (and the media) need to clear this issue up. Was this a case of Jihad?

Reading Between the Lines in Europe

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


This article first appeared in New English Review.


The news out of Europe continues to get more and more depressing.From Italy to Sweden, more and more refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers continue to pour into Western Europe. (The Eastern Europeans, being more sensible, are refusing to accept them.) The predictable result is more terror attacks, everyday street crimes, rapes, and murders being committed by people almost entirely from the Middle East and Africa, predominantly Muslim, people who refuse to assimilate and do not respect the host country's culture. Not only is the continent no longer safe, but the native populations are in danger of being replaced over time. What would have been unthinkable ten or fifteen years ago is now becoming a fact almost to the point of being irreversible.

Sadly, Europe's leaders (including the EU) and media remain oblivious to the disaster. Not only do they ignore the objections of the people, they misinform them. A case in point is the media and how they report crime.

In Sweden, for example, newspapers report incidents of crime as being committed by "youths" (ungdomer). That is uniformly the case with the new Sweden. Riots, rapes and assaults in places like the  Rosengård area of Malmö  or the Stockholm suburb of Rinkeby are committed by young boys in their teens or men in their 20s. That they are immigrants or Muslims is left out of the report. Names of people arrested are not given until a conviction is obtained. If you were uninformed, you might conclude that there was a serious problem among Swedish youth. There isn't. You have to read between the lines when you see a term like ungdomer or the actual scene of the offense (no-go zones like Rinkeby) to know who actually commits the crime.

In the UK, offenders have been referred to as "Asians". To Americans, that implies Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Thais etc. To the Brits, however, their Asian population traditionally comes from South Asia, specifically India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. Most of the offenders, including the notorious sex groomers (who prostitute young, drug addicted runaway girls ), originate from Pakistan.

The most laughable example, however, is Germany, where a report out of Berlin or the heavily-impacted Rhineland will refer to unidentified offenders as "southerners". To the uninformed reader that might conjure up images of beer-soaked Bavarians in lederhosen and funny green hats. They are actually referring to people from "southern countries" (Middle East-Africa). Even Sgt. Schultz would blush in embarrassment.

Similarly, if you watch European cops and robbers shows, which I do regularly, you would think Europe has always had the same criminal element as we Americans. That's because the bad guys are always either natives or from the former East bloc countries, Russians, Yugoslavians, etc. (They are the most convenient targets.)  Granted, many of the crime shows available here are dated a bit, but safe to say, European shows are as politically correct as our own when it comes to casting villains.

While we don't (yet) have the same type of problems as Europe, we still lament that the enemy cannot be defeated  if we cannot name him. That is also true in Europe.

Trump Apologizes ( Fake News)

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com

President Trump today has apologized for calling Haiti a shit hole. Here is his statement:



"I want to apologize to the people of Haiti for my intemperate remarks referring to their great country as a 'shit hole".




"From this point on, I will refer to Haiti as 'the Pit of Misery".





"Dilly dilly."

* For all you UC Santa Cruz Community  Studies and History of Consciousness majors, this is a spoof. It's an inside joke among Bud Light drinkers, whoever they are.

Ahmadi Muslims Expose Extremist Conference in Virginia

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogpsot.com


The Ahmadiya branch of Islam is considered heretical by mainstream Muslims because they believe in a latter day prophet from the 19th century. Therefore, the branch, which was founded in the British colony of India and mostly  centered in present-day Pakistan, is badly persecuted in that country and other Muslim countries where they reside. The Ahmadiyas have a good record when it comes to not being involved in terrorism. While the do subscribe to the Koran and revere Mohammad, along with the Sufis, they offer some hope of a peaceful coexistence between religions. Unfortunately, they are a small minority.

On November 18, Ahmadis managed to infiltrate a fund raiser featuring a speech by a Pakistani cleric in Springfield, Virginia. What they came away with is evidence of the type of thinking against non-Muslims (and Ahmadiyas) that has no place in America. The Ahmadiyas have posted this report in their newspaper, Rabwah Times.

https://www.rabwah.net/american-islamists-hold-fundraiser-virginia/

"We went undercover to report on the day-long event which was organized by two U.S. registered charities, Idara Dawat-O-Irshad and Khatme Nubuwwat Center, both of which enjoy IRS tax-exempt status."

"The event’s keynote speaker was Habib-ur-Rehman Ludhianvi, a visiting Islamic cleric from Pakistan. In a 2016 piece, Ludhianvi who serves as the editor of monthly Millia magazine claimed that America was behind the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto."

“Have all Muslim lawyers died, why cant they learn and understand U.S. laws and then go present their case in front of the judge and explain that Qadianis [Ahmadis] are disrespecting Islam……..Islam is our faith and they [Ahmadis] are portraying their religious beliefs as Islamic beliefs ……. it should be made criminal for them to do so”

"During a Question and Answer session, Pakistani speaker Habib-ur-Rehman Ludhianvi warned the U.S. Government to “stop giving refuge to the adherents of the Qadiani faith [Ahmadis]” who he claimed were worse than Jews & Christians."

It seems there was a heavy Pakistani influence in this gathering.

Here is another report from an Ahmadi Muslim who attended. It appears in the Huffington Post.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/at-an-extremist-rally-near-nations-capital-armed_us_5a10e147e4b0e6450602ebbb

I hope somebody in law enforcement is taking note.

Ex-Chancellor of UC Berkeley Returns as Professor

Hat tip Daily Californian



Nicholas Dirks as UCB chancellor


http://www.dailycal.org/2017/11/15/former-chancellor-returns-to-the-campus-after-controversial-chancellorship/


Nicholas Dirks, the feckless former chancellor of UC Berkeley, is returning as a history professor. His topic? The history of the university. (Not clear if it is the history of UCB or universities in general). As the Daily Californian points out not all of those people in the department are thrilled, but they won't speak out publicly. (I thought UC Berkeley was the capital of free speech.)

It is also not clear if Dirks will get his custom-made escape hatch built into his classroom in the event of unruly students or protesters. That's what he had in his office when he was chancellor.


"That was a close one."

Hillary Clinton Still Playing the Blame Game

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com



"-Lights. Camera. Action."

-"Your audience is waiting, Madame President."

- "It was the Russians. Yes. It was the Russians. 
But I know what I'll do. I'll write another book."


Hillary Clinton is still, out there pimping her latest book and blaming the Russians and everybody else for her loss. In her latest interview with Mother Jones (the blog not the real person, of whom there must be tens of millions), Hillary once again laid blame on the Russians. She also blamed voter intimidation, which means she is lamenting the loss of all those crucial votes from illegal aliens and dead people.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/11/17/hillary-clinton-questions-legitimacy-trumps-victory-in-2016-election.html#

Aside from being crooked, corrupt and dishonest, Hillary Clinton is also a very sick and demented woman. She has no idea just how badly she comes across as a sore loser. It's a wonder that anyone still wants to interview her and listen to the same sad story. I guess they figure if Hillary thinks up someone else to blame for her loss, they'll get a scoop.

As it is, Clinton is staring to remind me of Norma Desmond in the old movie, Sunset Blvd.

Is This Racist?

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com

                                                                                                            "Boo"


It looks like UC Berkeley is on the lookout for......well, something even though no crime has been committed. It seems that some rascal put up posters in the dead of night that read (viewer warning) "It's OK to be white". The Daily Californian has the "disturbing" story.

http://www.dailycal.org/2017/11/07/okay-white-posters-found-uc-berkeley/

It's refreshing to note that the campus police got it right for once. This is no hate crime because no other group was singled out. Given the current anti-white climate on college campuses, this seems a pretty innocuous way to point it out as being wrong. Maybe it's just another way to say to non-white students that white people are really not their enemy. Yet, it is clear that some snowflakes (no pun intended) on campus are offended. Their preferred message is that it is not OK to be white. Imagine if a poster read, "It's not OK to be black/brown/Asian", etc.

UCLA' s Daily Bruin and the Meaning of Fascism

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


"Hat tip" Daily Bruin

As a frequent reader of campus newspapers online, I usually tend to go easy on student writers.Yet, it is disturbing to read the intellectual rot that fills the pages of so many campus publications. They are a mirror of what is going on in campus life. Those professors who teach journalism should hang their heads in embarrassment at what student journalists are putting out.

One of the worst campus papers I have seen is UC Berkeley's Daily Californian. UCLA's Daily Bruin is not much better. In the current edition of the Daily Bruin, there is an op-ed that I have chosen to cross-post here not to embarrass the writer or single her out for any backlash. I post it here to illustrate how absurd the discourse is at the university level. The writer accuses the Trump administration of being fascist in nature. That is a silly charge in that if it were true, she would not be able to write such an article. She also reveals her own intolerance to opposing views in the article.

http://dailybruin.com/2017/10/24/submission-intolerant-policies-warrant-nonviolent-protests-not-civil-discourse/

*As is my wont, I have added a couple of reader comments. The longest one is pending editorial moderation.

One thing that is encouraging is that reader comments often show common sense and take issue with articles like this. The problem is that it is difficult to know if the readers who comment are students or community members.

*Update: Apparently, the DB has seen fit not to publish my longer comment. I have re-submitted it. Here it is in case it is censored again.

"If this were a fascist state, you would already be in jail for writing this absurd piece. Instead you are free to write such nonsense. That is because you live in the freest country in the world. In addition, your reference to Nazi Germany is silly. The Germans were not able to rise up and remove Hitler from power because they were living in a total police state where dissent was crushed. Within weeks of taking power, the Social Democrats and Communists were rounded up and thrown in camps like Dachau where they were held under brutal conditions. The rest is history. Read the story of Hans and Sophie Scholl, Munich university students who were arrested distributing anti-war posters. Within three days they were put on trial in a kangaroo court, convicted and guillotined. You cannot compare the Trump administration to that. It is not fascist to oppose illegal immigration. I myself am married to a Mexican, but I oppose illegal immigration. I support legal immigration for anyone who assimilates and embraces our traditions and values of freedom and democracy. Similarly, it is not fascist or homophobic to oppose gender neutral restrooms and same sex marriage. Moreover your characterization of the Trump administration as white supremacists is unfair and inaccurate. Finally, by your own language, you show your own fascist tendencies. You oppose the right of speech for those with whom you disagree. That is fascist itself. So go ahead and protest all you like. That is your right. However, when you disrupt and try to shut down the speech of others, you are being a fascist yourselves. The society you wish to bring about would be totally fascist because it would not tolerate the same dissent that you freely exercise. I hope you will keep a copy of your article in a safe space (no pun intended) so you can take it out 20-30 years from now and re-read it. Hopefully, you will have enough sense then to realize just how silly you sound now."

Berkeley Braces for Hurricane Free Speech

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com



This article first appeared in New English Review Review.



Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro was able to complete his speech at the University of California  last week thanks to the campus and Berkeley police shedding their potted plant costumes and ensuring that free speech was actually possible. Now comes the big storm. September 24-27 has been declared Free Speech Week as conservative speakers will be attempting to exercise their constitutional rights. Not surprisingly, the far-left is trying to shut it down-violently if necessary, while the university tries to shut it down with red tape and security fees.

Acting in the spirit of education, over 132 Berkeley professors signed a letter asking students to stay off campus during the above days and skip classes. Neat. I suggest students leave campus permanently since they are not getting an education anyway. They can be just as well indoctrinated sitting at home on their computers.

Judging from the announcement (linked above), it's pretty much an all star cast. One of the lesser-known speakers is a young lady to watch. Ariana Rowlands is a former president of the UC Irvine campus Republicans, a real burr under the saddle of UCI administrators. Here is what she says on Facebook about how college administrators are attempting to keep conservative speakers off campuses.

"The newest college administration trick to stop a conservative speaker from speaking at their campus is to pretend like they're going to be cooperative with the event and make empty promises to bring the student group's guard down. Then, just when event details need to be finalized, the administration completely flips the script by digging up arbitrary reasons as to why the previously agreed to contractual requirements cannot be fulfilled and gives new, completely unacceptable requirements that must be met by a fast-approaching deadline or else they say they'll be forced to cancel the event. Colleges across California are attempting this. Sad! They will lose!"

Ariana should know. She went through this with the UC Irvine administrators when she was bringing Milo Yiannapoulos to UCI. They attempted to suspend the College Republicans for a year over some security misunderstanding. They were forced to back down when a national furor arose. In the end, the College Republicans made the UCI administration look like a bunch of boobs.

For those who care about free speech, the eyes of the nation will be on Berkeley September 24-27. No doubt the forces of Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and a few Palestinian flags will show up and make their voices heard. If the cops elect to show a low profile (their preference) and once again assume the position of potted plants, there will be violence. It will not come from the organizers and supporters of the events.

How ironic that conservatives have to put up big security fees when it is the other side that poses the threat of violence. It reminds me of the old Mafia protection racket where store owners had to pay Vinnie and Sluggo money every month to be "protected"-from them.