France: submission to Islamism gaining ground
23 Jun 2023
Teachers are afraid and practise self-censorship. For ten years, they have not taught about the Holocaust and have given up on addressing secularism, tolerance and the right to criticise religions. Discussing evolution or Charles Darwin in biology is unsafe. Throughout France, Muslim students openly threaten teachers by telling them that they are ‘risking a Samuel Paty’ (a teacher who was savagely beheaded in 2020 for speaking against the Islamist movements in French schools). Teachers have been resigning in increasing numbers, and recruiting new ones is a problem. The Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist movements in France use social media and mosques to incite Muslim children and adolescents to challenge the education provided in high schools, and to force the French educational system to submit to their vision of Islam. The authorities are aware of what is happening, but won’t take any risks as 750+ no-go zones exist and riots frequently erupt.
African leaders say Ukraine war must end
23 Jun 2023
South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa has told Vladimir Putin the war in Ukraine must end. His remarks came when he met Mr Putin on 17 June as part of an African peace mission of seven African countries. President Volodymyr Zelensky had already told the delegation that he would not enter talks with Russia while they occupied Ukrainian land. Mr Ramaphosa also called for both parties to return their prisoners of war, and said children removed by Russia should be returned home. As the African delegation called for the return of children to their families, Putin interrupted their speech, claiming, ‘Children are sacred. We moved them out of the conflict zone, saving their lives and health’. Mr Ramaphosa also warned Mr Putin of the impact of the war on Africa and said it should be settled by diplomacy.
USA: Harvard morgue manager sold body parts
23 Jun 2023
On 16 June Harvard Medical School (HMS) expressed 'sadness and distress' that their morgue manager Cedric Lodge had sold bodies donated for research on the black market. A federal grand jury charged him and four others with conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods. The son of a woman whose body was donated to HMS for scientific research filed a class-action lawsuit in the Suffolk Superior Court in Boston. It could include the families of 400 people who donated corpses. Lodge allegedly allowed some prospective customers to come to the morgue in person, to select which remains they wished to buy, and took home other body parts or posted them through the mail. Bodies donated to the medical school should only be reserved for research or teaching purposes. Once they are used, the remains are often cremated and returned to their families for burial.
Israel: Palestinians from Syria plan terrorism
23 Jun 2023
Arab reports indicate a Palestinian terror group based in Syria with ties to Iran and Hezbollah is actively preparing for a new series of attacks inside Israel. Speaking from Syria, Fadi Malach, commander of the Galilean Wolves, said, ‘We are in the midst of preparations for a series of additional operations inside Israel, despite Israel’s warning to Hezbollah, who might go on another adventure.’ Malach also said that his group was responsible for a roadside bombing at the Megiddo Junction in northern Israel on 13 March, which injured an Israeli motorist. The man who planted the bomb was subsequently killed by Israeli soldiers while driving back towards the Lebanese border. Explosives and a weapon were found in the vehicle, and the terrorist wore a suicide bomb belt. Malach said Galilean Wolves have been active since 2004, in an effort to liberate Galilee in the first stage, and they are not co-opted by Iran.
Africa: rivers of Christian blood
23 Jun 2023
The 16 June murder of 45 Christian schoolchildren is the latest anti-Christian atrocity committed by ADF. They were hacked to death, shot, or burned alive. Others were abducted. ADF pledges loyalty to IS and has slaughtered hundreds of Christians in north-eastern DRC. Nigeria’s Middle Belt has seen over 1,500 Christians killed in the last 18 months. In May IS released a video of 20 Nigerian Christians being murdered. Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) have beheaded thousands of Christians on social media. ISM celebrates building its Islamic province ‘on heaps of Christian corpses and rivers of their blood’. A Middle East Media Research Institute report stated that IS and al-Qaeda, having been beaten back from Middle East strongholds, have found new pastures for genocide in Africa. They follow the same tactics of mass killings, execution-style beheadings, and burning churches, celebrated in slickly produced publications and social media campaigns designed to entice the next generation of bloodthirsty Islamist terrorists.
Libya: progress towards democratic elections?
23 Jun 2023
Key issues remain strongly contested despite draft laws agreed in Morocco by Libya’s rival legislative bodies. Libya has been fraught with conflict for more than a decade since Muammar Gaddafi’s removal during the Arab Spring, prompting rival factions to compete for power. By 2015 two legislative bodies had formed and struggles over Libya’s rule and wealth have continued since then. A 6+6 committee drawn from Libya’s two rival legislative bodies – the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) and the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS) – agreed on 6 June on draft laws for presidential and parliamentary elections, inching forward in the country’s current political crisis. The UN, while welcoming progress, says key issues remain strongly contested, blocking the road to a final settlement and harbouring the potential to spark a new crisis in the divided country. The democratic process needs to reach an agreement on the eligibility criteria for presidential candidates.
On 22 June, Rear Admiral Mauger of the US coastguard service confirmed that five parts of the Titan submersible vessel had been found. The debris indicated that the Titan had suffered a ‘catastrophic implosion’. It had gone missing on 18 June after setting off to explore the wreck of the Titanic. Despite great rescue efforts, hope had been fading of finding it and its five occupants, who had each paid $250,000 for the trip. Earlier, the vessel operator OceanGate said: ‘Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time.’ However, some commentators queried the wisdom of using an unlicensed vessel for such a dangerous trip.
Australia: babies born alive after abortion
23 Jun 2023
Every week in Australia, babies survive abortions and are left to die without medical assistance or even pain relief because it has been decided by adults that they do not deserve to live. In response to this, three senators have presented a bill to parliament calling for legal protections to ensure that babies born alive after a termination procedure are given the same medical treatment and pain relief as other babies born at the same gestational age and clinical condition. The Australian Christian Lobby has drafted an email to the prime minister and the federal senate, requesting their support for this bill and are encouraging people to add their name to the document.