#Islamic State-affiliated groups

[tamamita]

Whats the diff bewteen daesh & Al-qaeda?

Al-Qaeda sprung out as a rebel group against the pro-soviet communist government of Afghanistan with the leadership of Bin Ladin. Al-Qaeda is far more concerned about the interest of Muslims in SWANA and seek to overthrow the Muslim governments which they consider corrupt. Bin Ladin was more concerned about building up an islamist vanguard against the Western powers and its "Jewish" elite, and favoured large-scale, dramatic attacks against strategic or symbolic targets, such as the twin towers. While Al-Qaeda adopts some sectarian policies, they do not carry out attacks against Muslims of different branches.

DAESH is a global jihadist group concerned with the establishment of a global caliphate. It began initially as al-Qaeda of Iraq (not affiliated with Al-Qaeda despite its name) following the illegal invasion of Iraq. Composed of Iraqi Baathists, tribal Sunni leaders, etnical groups and Salafists. Al-Zarkawi was the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and would encourage his followers to carry out attacks against any group that did not swear allegience to their cause. As a precursor group to ISIS, they were far more sectarian and sought to establish an Islamic emirate in Iraq and its environs, often with the sole purpose of eliminating the local Shi'as, non-Muslims and Sunni "apostates". When Zarqawi was killed following a US lead operation, Abu Bakr al-BAghdadi, a former Guantanamo inmate, would shore up support due to the brutal policies of the Iraqi PM Nour al-Maliki, which affected Iraq's Sunni minority, ultimately leading to the formation of ISIS. The Islamic State embraces some of al-Qaeda's goals, but see expansionism as an effective tool to recruit new fighters and while also carrying out indiscriminate bombings against its enemies. As opposed to al-Qaeda, ISIS is also known for its atrocity propaganda, which it sees as an effective tool for mass recruitment.

In short: Al-Qaeda is concerned with the enemies from far away (the west). ISIS is concerned with the enemies nearby (literally everyone.).

[houseofpurplestars]

Want to share this statement from @Aldanmarki on twitter:

"The Palestinian Islamic Jihad is often viewed in the west as an "extremist" group, mostly a misunderstanding based on their oh-so "scary" name. Last Monday I was speaking to a Palestinian with considerable knowledge on the Palestinian resistance factions, and he told me something very interesting about the PIJ. The PIJ is a fighting organization, not a political organization in the traditional sense. Unlike Hamas, Fatah or even the PFLP, the PIJ do not have any set-in-stone vision for a future Palestinian state. The PIJ does not envision political leadership in a liberated Palestine. Their political program makes it abundantly clear that they will leave political decision-making up to the Palestinian people. Their refusal to engage in bureaucratic politics also makes them the only resistance group none of their other groups dare to criticize. By solely focusing on the armed struggle, the PIJ would never be involved in murky corruption scandals like other groups have been in the past.

The PIJ is a moderately religious organization, and perhaps one could argue even more moderate than Hamas. Their political program calls for the total unification of the Islamic nation between both Sunnis and Shias, and envisions the fostering of a democratic culture in which all internal disputes can be resolved in a respectful and grounded manner without the interference of foreign powers.

Palestinian hunger striker Khader Adnan, who passed away in May this year due to starvation from his hunger strike, was affiliated with the PIJ and served as their spokesman in the early 2000s. He was a respected figure by all Palestinians across the political spectrum and would often be seen mingling with student groups from all factions. Khader Adnan was, in many ways, the physical embodiment of the political catch-all nature of the PIJ."

#free palestine #free gaza #palestinian islamic jihad #pij #islamic jihad #resistance #hamas

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Olivia Reingold

Published: Apr 15, 2024

CHICAGO — About 300 anti-war activists crowded into the basement of the Teamsters Union’s headquarters on Saturday to hear organizers from all over the country describe their plans to disrupt the Democratic National Convention this August. Joe Biden’s backing of Israel since Hamas’s October 7 attack has turned these left-wing radicals against their own party.

“It’s really inspiring to see that people are just as enthusiastic, and maybe even more enthusiastic, to march on the DNC as they are to march on the RNC,” says Omar Florez, a Milwaukee-based activist. “We can thank Genocide Joe and our movement for that.”  

But then a man stumbles to the podium, wiping sweat from his forehead. He grabs the microphone to announce that the Islamic regime of Iran has launched missiles and drones heading straight toward Israel.

“They believe that they will be in Palestinian—I don’t call it Israeli—airspace between two and four a.m., which means about two to four hours from now,” he says. “In addition, there are reports of drones having been fired on Israel from Yemen and Iraq.”

The crowd, all wearing black N95s, erupts into applause. Someone in the back lowers their mask to send a celebratory whistle soaring throughout the room.  

The man at the podium, Hatem Abudayyeh, heads the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, “a purported community group which, on information and belief, is an affiliate of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terror organization based in Gaza,” according to a lawsuit over the alleged relations between U.S. advocacy groups and Hamas. 

“This is when this country and the world needs us because the United States is going to, quote unquote, defend the criminal Israeli state,” says Abudayyeh, whose home was raided by the FBI in 2010 as part of an investigation “concerning the material support of terrorism.” 

“We have to assume that the United States is going to try to retaliate against Iran.”

After the boos and calls of “shame” subside, Abudayyeh says it is “incumbent” upon Americans to “stop the United States from expanding this war and hitting Iran.”

“We’ve got to be the strong, powerful anti-war movement that we are,” he says, placing the microphone down and exiting the stage. 

The crowd immediately began chanting, “Hands off Iran.”

A woman in a hot pink gas mask, wielding a matching neon cane and dressed in a “Protect Trans Kids” t-shirt, throws her fist in the air. Nearby, a service poodle is taking a nap under the chair of his owner, who is wearing a leather harness over his t-shirt. Then the group that has joined here from cities across America—Seattle, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles—cheers and claps in celebration. 

Joe Iosbaker, an organizer with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, which called October 7 a “good turn of events” in its press release about the terrorist attacks, tells me he supports Iran. His organization has since released a statement backing Iran, where citizens gathered to shout “Death to America” during their nation’s strike against Israel Saturday night.

“We demand hands off Iran,” the statement says. “The people have power, and we will exercise it in the streets.” 

Earlier that day, before news of the attack broke, at a “breakout session” on “the anti-war movement,” Shabbir Rizvi, an organizer with Anti-War Committee Chicago, taught participants how to chant “death to Israel” and “death to America” in Farsi. 

“Marg bar Israel,” he chanted, leading a group of about 80 attendees along with him. A man draped in a Soviet flag bearing a gold hammer and sickle clapped his hands. 

A man in a full black denim outfit shouted out behind his N95—“Can we get a ‘marg bar America’?”

“We can get a ‘marg bar America,’ ” Rizvi replied. 

Then Rizvi raised his hand in the air, leading the crowd like a conductor.

“Marg bar America,” they cheered. 

On my way out of the event, I ask a woman smoking a cigarette to fill me in on the latest news regarding Iran’s lobbing of missiles and drones, which were later intercepted with help from forces from France, the U.S., and the UK. Iran said its strike was retaliation for Israel’s hit on the Iranian embassy in Syria earlier this month, which destroyed the consulate building next to the embassy and killed two of Tehran’s top commanders, and that the matter is “concluded”—unless Israel hits back.

“Iran is part of the resistance,” said the woman, who flew in that morning from New Orleans, where she’s been part of an effort to disrupt Israel-bound shipments in her hometown. “Yemen and Iran and Hezbollah, who are also a militant group in Lebanon, and the Syrian government are all parts of the arc of resistance.” 

A smile creeps across her face as she tells me: “They’re part of the arc of resistance because the enemies are Israel and the USA.” 

==

Remember Mahsa Amini? These insane fuckers don't. They've sided with the brutal Islamic Republic of Iran.

They hate our liberal, secular countries and they want to destroy them. They keep telling us who they are. Do you believe them yet?

Revoke citizenship and deport. I wasn't kidding before and I'm still not kidding now.

#antisemitism #anti war #death to israel #death to america #hamas terrorism #Iran #pro hamas #islamic terrorism #islam #this is islam #pro palestine #sedition #palestine #israel #islamic terrorists #terrorist scarf #religion is a mental illness

[zvaigzdelasas]

[Defense.gov is US DOD]

Today, at President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces conducted self-defense strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups. These precision self-defense strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17. As a result of these attacks, one U.S. citizen contractor died from a cardiac incident while sheltering in place; 21 U.S. personnel suffered from minor injuries, but all have since returned to duty. The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests. The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop. Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them. If attacks by Iran’s proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people. These narrowly tailored strikes in self-defense were intended solely to protect and defend U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria. They are separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and do not constitute a shift in our approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict. We continue to urge all state and non-state entities not to take action that would escalate into a broader regional conflict. [sic]

26 Oct 23

[perrysoup]

As an arab who has lived in Israel, everyone's accusations that they are some kind of apartheid state? I don't understand where you get these ideas from? I think you conflate that idea with the things you Americans learned from your racist history of white and black people and your past of segregation and with the history of South Africa's past as well. I have never been othered or harassed as a Lebanese woman by my coworkers, bosses, or friends. I can read everything here becuase we have access to everything here, I cant read hebrew well, but I can read the arabic around the country. I'm not forbidden from places for being arab. I have had uncomfortable experiences in some areas, but never at the hands of a Israeli, but by men who assumed i was Israeli/ a jew and thought I couldn't understand what they would say about me/ my female family or friends with me.

I was gonna write out a different full response but frankly I don't believe you. You are asking as an anonymous person so you could very well be one of the Zionists who keeps complaining I don't have sympathy for the PTSD coming from MURDERING PEOPLE AND LAUGHING ABOUT IT! Or you may be telling the truth but the slew of go fund me scams claiming to be people that are really sets the bar high for someone being anonymous.

I have seen orthodox Jews on the streets of Israel beaten to an inch of their life for trying to stop a Palestinian from being harassed by police.

I have seen the videos about the Israeli government beat back protestors for wanting aid through.

I have seen rallies where people in Israel screamed "Death to all Muslim"

I have see a fucking girl torn to shreds and shoved on rebar like meat by the IOF so politely don't fucking tell me how YOUR experience defines the entire group currently being genocided and tortured.

Do you really expect me to think that just cause things were okay for YOU that the murders I saw with my own eyes aren't real?

Side note: Everyone in the Middle East is Arab, that's a regional cultural identity, not a religion or even a descriptor of which country they were born in. Jews in Palestine are Arab and Muslims in Israel are Arab.

"Arab identity (Arabic: الهوية العربية) is the objective or subjective state of perceiving oneself as an Arab and as relating to being Arab. Like other cultural identities, it relies on a common culture, a traditional lineage, the common land in history, shared experiences including underlying conflicts and confrontations. These commonalities are regional and in historical contexts, tribal. Arab identity is defined independently of religious identity, and pre-dates the spread of Islam and before spread of Judaism and Christianity, with historically attested Arab Muslim tribes and Arab Christian tribes and Arab Jewish tribes. Arabs are a diverse group in terms of religious affiliations and practices. Most Arabs are Muslim, with a minority adhering to other faiths, largely Christianity,[1] but also Druze and Baháʼí.[2][3]"

Edit: to add an item on this, I’ll trust South Africa on if Israel is an segregation/apartheid state over you

#you may be telling the truth #but your statement reads as a lie #and frankly the idea that only your experience defines others is horseshit #palestine #israel #israel is a terrorist state #genocide #free gaza #gaza strip #gaza #fuck the israeli government #free palestine #idf is a terrorist group

[tomorrowusa]

There are a number of threats to the LGBTQ+ community around the world. And with Pride Month on the horizon, federal law enforcement in the US is urging people to be more alert.

Authorities warned US citizens abroad to "exercise increased caution". "Stay alert in locations frequented by tourists, including Pride celebrations," a warning issued by the state department said. The advisory came on Friday, a week after a similar alert issued by US law enforcement agencies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said: "Foreign terrorist organizations or supporters may seek to exploit increased gatherings associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month." Although no specific gatherings or locations were mentioned in the warnings, the law enforcement agencies noted that messages from the Islamic State (IS) group distributed in English in February 2023 included rhetoric against LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and intersex) events and venues.

Being concerned about anti-LGBTQ+ violence is not paranoid even during "normal" times. Remember the Pulse massacre in 2016?

During Pride Month in June 2016, a man inspired by IS ideology shot dead 49 people and wounded 53 more at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The FBI and DHS warning also noted that three IS sympathisers had been arrested for attempting to attack a Pride parade in Vienna, Austria in 2023. The Counter Extremism Project, a New York-based non-profit group, noted that anti-LGBTQ ideas had been taken up by both Islamist and far-right extremists. "It is no surprise that neo-Nazis and jihadis often express mutual admiration for their shared anti-gay visions," Mark D Wallace, the project's chief executive, said in a statement.

The narrowly averted attack on a Pride march in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in 2022 was a close call. A heads up by a concerned citizen prevented violence.

The 31 people arrested in Idaho have ties to a White nationalist group and planned to riot at a Pride event, police say. Here’s what we know

After an alarmed 911 caller reported a group dressed like a “little army” getting into a moving truck, police in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, arrested 31 men believed to be linked to a White nationalist group, who had plans to riot at a weekend Pride event, authorities said. The large group – which police believe was affiliated with Patriot Front – was seen at a hotel piling into a U-Haul with riot gear, the caller told a 911 dispatcher. They were later pulled over and arrested, Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said.

When becoming aware of an immediate threat inside the United States, call 911. If you discover credible evidence of anti-LGBTQ+ violence being planned for some future time, call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Hate crimes are against the law. All threats of violence should be taken seriously.

If you're abroad, remain alert and pay attention to local advisories and those from embassies.

There's an axis of homophobia which includes Russia, Iran, Uganda, and the far right in the West. Islamic State and (so called) Patriot Front are essentially on the same side. It's sad, but such threats, regardless of source, cannot be ignored.

#pride month #lgbtq+ #homophobia #anti-lgbtq+ violence #threat of terrorism #fbi #dhs #islamic state #patriot front

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Chuck Ross

An imam linked to prominent Michigan Democrats like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Rep. Rashida Tlaib said in a sermon this month that pro-Israel members of Congress were "stooges" of the Jewish state who should be charged with "treason."FreeBeacon

On May 3, Hassan Qazwini, the imam of the Islamic Institute of America, railed against lawmakers who days earlier voted for the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act. The measure, which passed with a vote of 320-91, would require the Department of Education to adopt a widely accepted definition of anti-Semitism for investigations into anti-Semitic incidents on college campuses.

"If there was justice in this country, those congressmen and women would be indicted and convicted of treason," said the Iraq-born Qazwini, whose remarks were first reported by the Middle Eastern Media Research Institute. He asserted lawmakers who voted for the bill "do not work for the interest of the United States, rather for the interests of a foreign country."

"Nothing but stooges of Israel," he said.

Two months before the fiery sermon, Tlaib and Dearborn mayor Abdullah Hammoud, a rising star in the anti-Israel movement, attended a fundraiser with Qazwini for the Islamic Institute of America, based in Dearborn Heights. Qazwini honored Tlaib and Hammoud at the banquet for their "courage and outspokenness against American biases towards Israel." The trio posed for a photo at the ceremony, attended by a number of Dearborn city officials and Arab-American community leaders.

Whitmer, considered a potential Democratic presidential candidate, appeared at a fundraiser for the mosque in 2022 and was photographed with Qazwini.

Qazwini’s anti-Semitic views are nothing new, raising questions for Tlaib and Hammoud about their affiliation with the cleric. In 2020, Qazwini came under fire for his remarks several years earlier that the terrorist group ISIS "somehow is connected to Israel." In a 2016 sermon, Qazwini said that Israel has used the United States as a "cash cow" and that President Barack Obama was "bowing to the pro-Israeli lobby." He referred to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), who Qazwini later endorsed for president, as "an honorable man, even though he is a Jew."

Tlaib’s office and Hammoud’s office did not respond to requests for comment about their recent contact with Qazwini.

Tlaib’s affiliation with anti-Israel and pro-terrorist elements are well known. She has met with and attended fundraisers hosted by numerous Hamas supporters. Qazwini contributed $500 to her congressional campaign in 2021, according to campaign finance records. The House of Representatives censured her for circulating the statement, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," a call for the eradication of Israel.

While Tlaib has been somewhat marginalized within the Democratic Party, Hammoud has emerged as a darling of the pro-Palestinian cause. In a glowing profile last month, the Washington Post praised Hammoud for leading the anti-Israel movement while balancing the duties of mayor of a medium-sized city. The Post, which said Hammoud has gone from  "little-known mayor to national figure," touted Hammoud’s refusal to meet with Biden campaign officials earlier this year over opposition to President Joe Biden’s military support for Israel in its war against Hamas.

Unmentioned in the positive press coverage is Hammoud’s alliance with Dearborn-based activists who endorse Hamas’s violence. Osama Siblani, the publisher of the Arab-American News, introduced Hammoud at an event in 2022 with a speech in which Siblani called on the United States to provide Palestinians with "military aid to fight Israelis." Siblani has called Hamas and other terrorist groups "freedom fighters" and urged Islamic militants to fight Israel with "stones" and "guns."

Hours after the Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion, in which 1,200 Israelis were murdered, Hammoud said the attack should be viewed in the "context" of Israel’s "illegal military occupation" of Gaza.

Dearborn has emerged as a hotbed of anti-Israel activity under Hammoud’s watch, with the Wall Street Journal dubbing the city "America's Jihad Capital."

Hammoud and Tlaib decried the moniker. Weeks later, attendees at a rally outside Dearborn City Hall chanted, "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."

#hassan qazwini #rashida tlaib #dearborn michigan #abdullah hammoud #osama siblani #gaza #hamas #gretchen whitmer #governor whitmer

[i-cant-sing]

Please ignore this, I'm sorry to rent I just really need to get this out of my system after seeing some of the gross messages people have been sending you...

All these idiots defending Israel and calling people who support Palestine anti-semitic need to wake up...

I'm literally 100% Jewish but I'm anti Zionist and people are accusing me of going against my religion. Zionism is a political ideology and it does not define my jewishness. Anyone who thinks otherwise has literally been brainwashed by the Israeli government and it is so shameful for me to currently live in a western country whose government is falling victim to the same type of brainwashing. For anyone who claims to be jewish, christian, or muslim, you cannot claim yourself to be a child of God yet sit back and be silent when Israel is committing genocide against other children of god, in the name of God. There are rules and Commandments at the forefront of all these abrahamic religions and a constant in every single one is to not kill another human. How do you think the so-called God you claim to worship will react if you are participating in the murder of hundreds of thousands of innocent people?

If Israel is claiming that their efforts are focused on getting rid of hamas, why are they attacking the West Bank where there is no hamas? why are they attacking Palestinian Christian churches when Hamas is an Islamic extremist group? Why have they been constantly harassing and attacking Palestinians for over 75 years when form a majority of that time, Hamas did not exist? Sounds like genocide to me

And to add on to that, people who are claiming this is Palestinians fault for voting Hamas in, 1-Israel created Hamas and 2 over 50% of the population wasn't alive when that last election happened and over 70% of the current adult population weren't even of age to vote in that election.

To those saying it's about the hostages, Israel does not care about the hostages because if they did they wouldn't be blindly blowing up Gaza not knowing where these hostages are being held. If they did they would have released the thousands of Palestinian hostages and political prisoners who have no confirmed affiliations with Hamas. Please do not misunderstand my words, obviously there are innocent Israeli civilians who should not have died, but there no way there can be peace if Israel's retaliation comes in the form of purposely targeting civilian homes and murdering thousands of innocent people, a majority of those being literal children.

It's just really blowing my mind that some of my Jewish brothers and sisters who have family who have directly experienced the holocaust, and have lost family during the Holocaust are sitting idly sit by and watching as the same exact thing is happening to another group of people. These are the Jews that are claiming Israel is a holy land given to them by God and that they are indigenous to israel, but if they're saying this they have obviously not read the torah. The Torah explicitly states that they were people in the land of Israel before Abraham led the Israelites there, and they were murdered so that the Jews can have the land. There are certain sects of Judaism is that believe we jews are not entitled to Israel because our Messiah has not arrived and those people have been very openly Pro-palestine.

Netanyahu and his entire cabinet are a bunch of war criminal, power hungry freaks who are using this as an opportunity to seize more power, more money, more support, and more Palestinian lives. As a Jew, it is my responsibility to speak up about this and I will never stop until Palestine is truly free.

Good anon👏

#free palestine

[trilies]

Image 1:

A hacktivist group with the moniker Anonymous Sudan is a small Russian-funded misinformation operation with no connection to Sudan, according to researchers at CyberCX.

Founded early this year, Anonymous Sudan has claimed responsibility for a number of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, purportedly carried out in response to the anti-Islamic views or actions of Western organizations.

But in an intelligence update published on Monday, Australian-based cybersecurity firm CyberCX said Anonymous Sudan was set up to create "a smokescreen for Russian interests" by spreading propaganda and disinformation, and typing up Western cyber defense resources.

Image 2:

The reason of our attack is simple:

It's part of our campaign targeting companies registered in the United States. The operators of this site is "Organization for Transformative Works" (OTW) who are registered in the United States. In addition to that, we are against all forms of degeneracy and the site is full of disgusting smuts and other LGBTQ and NSFW things.

We bring you the good news that we will continue our attack for hours on end.

Image 3:

A group presenting themselves as a collective of religiously and politically motivated hackers has claimed responsibility for the attack. Experts do not believe they are honest about their motivation, so we urge caution in believing any reasoning they provide for targeting AO3.

As part of our efforts to help keep the site up, you might find that you get "Retry later" errors more often when searching or filtering works or bookmarks. Don't worry, just go a little slower, or try again in a few minutes! These are temporary measures.

We do not condone anti-Muslim sentiments under any circumstances. Additionally, to reiterate: cybersecurity experts believe the group claiming responsibility is lying about their affiliation and reasons for attacking websites. View the group's statements with skepticism.

We're trying a new approach to defend against the ongoing DDoS attack, so you may see error messages that say "429" instead of "Retry later." (429 is the error code for too many requests.)

#ao3 #archive of our own #fandom #otw #organization for transformative works

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

A second judge has blocked Indiana’s abortion ban from being enforced following a lawsuit from a religious organization and five individuals who say the law violates their religious beliefs.

Marion County Superior Court Judge Heather Welch issued a preliminary injunction Friday against the state’s law banning abortion except in cases of rape or incest before the 10th week of pregnancy, to protect the life or physical health of the mother, or if the fetus has a lethal anomaly.

Indiana became the first state to pass a law banning abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. The law went into effect on Sept. 15, but another judge blocked it through an injunction a week later.

The Indiana Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on that Judge’s ruling next month to determine whether the law violates the state constitution.

In the more recent injunction, Welch found the Jewish group Hoosier Jews for Choice and five anonymous plaintiffs “substantially likely” to succeed on the merits of their arguments, according to the ruling, obtained by the Indianapolis-based NBC affiliate WTHR.

The plaintiffs argue that their exercise of religion has been substantially burdened by the abortion ban, in violation of Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. That law states that a government entity cannot substantially burden someone’s religious exercise unless the entity demonstrates that it is furthering a compelling government interest and is the least restrictive means of doing so.

Hoosier Jews for Choice is made up of members who believe that Jewish law states that life does not begin at conception, and a fetus is considered part of a woman’s body until the moment of birth. Three of the anonymous plaintiffs are Jewish, one is Muslim, and one does not belong to a religious denomination but has “personal religious and spiritual beliefs.”

Welch’s ruling states that a fetus attains the status of a living person only after birth under Jewish law. It further states that Judaism recognizes certain situations when abortion should be allowed.

Welch wrote that the procedure is required under Jewish law when the pregnancy might cause serious consequences to a woman’s physical or mental health, even if there is not a physical health risk likely to cause substantial and irreversible impairments of a major bodily function.

She states that Islamic schools have different beliefs on the issue, but some Muslim scholars state that a fetus does not possess a soul until 120 days after conception. She said Muslim scholars state that obtaining an abortion for any reason within 40 days of conception is proper and appropriate.

Welch found the plaintiffs could suffer irreparable harm if an injunction is not put in place. She said the ban substantially burdens their religious exercise and is not the least restrictive measure to achieve a governmental interest.

#us politics #news #the hill #2022 #abortions #abortion bans #indiana #Judge Heather Welch #us supreme court #scotus #Hoosier Jews for Choice #WTHR #Religious Freedom Restoration Act #judaism #islam #religious freedom #reproductive health #reproductive rights #reproductive rights are human rights

[wizard-irl]

What's This Joy of Satan Website?

You may have gotten someone asking your opinion of "joyofsatan.org," but what are they?

I have belaboured this post for weeks and I'm tired of giving them my energy. I'm going to hit the main points.

A content warning for antisemitism, racism and bigotry in general, Nazism, mentions of genocide, and conspiracist nonsense.

Archive of post.

JoS promotes itself to kids and teens, with a page called "Kids and Teens for Satanism" on their main site. Keep this in mind as you read.

JoS's leader, Maxine Dietrich, is married to a former chairman of the National Socialist Movement. That chairmain's affiliation with JoS had him ousted from the group.

JoS high priests routinely profess their support for Nazism, Hitler, and other Nazi members and policies.

JoS promotes several historical inaccuracies regarding the Nazis, including that Hitler had a humanitarian reason to not use chemical weapons in battle (despite Nazis themselves citing logistical reasons) as well as that queer people were not persecuted in Nazi Germany.

There are multiple posts calling high-ranking Nazis fond terms. Hitler is particularly praised as a "man of peace." There are multiple posts celebrating high-ranking Nazis' birthdays.

JoS hosts white nationalist material, including that of the Creativity movement and material from American Nazi groups.

JoS promotes the claim of "white genocide," all while denying the Holocaust.

JoS has put blame on Jewish people for everything from communism, 9/11, feminism, Black Lives Matter, the queer movement, and the media. Slurs against Jewish people are common in their writings, as are dogwhistles. Most, if not all of their writings contain antisemitism, and it is not hidden.

JoS has stated multiple times that National Socialism, the ideology of the Nazis, is not racist. They also claim they themselves are not racist, but their definition is heavily biased. They do state that, considering the enemy's (Jewish people) definition of racist, they are proud to be called that.

JoS has stated that you do not need to be a Nazi to be a Satanist, but that being a Satanist will lead you to Nazi ideals.

JoS is heavily anti-Muslim. Not just anti-Islam, but they go out of their way to portray Muslims as monsters preying on the goodwill of (white) countries.

JoS engages in Jesus mythicism, a position New Testament scholars dismiss as ahistorical. They're pretty anti-Christian in general.

JoS loves to appropriate from Hindu, Buddhist, and Yazidi religion. They claim the Yazidis are Satanists, something that is contributing to their ongoing genocide.

JoS is heavily into alien conspiracism, where they routinely compare Jewish people to Grey and Reptilian aliens. The latter of which is a common comparison in conspiracist spaces.

JoS claims the pre-Christian gods were aliens.

JoS claims COVID-19 is an engineered bioweapon.

JoS promotes the microchipping conspiracy.

I have spent more time researching them than I'd like to admit, and I have seen some truly horrific shit on their site and on sites connected to it. This is skimming the surface.

These people should not be allowed into any pagan or witchcraft community. They are already trying to worm their way into this site's communities, and we should not allow them to succeed.

#self post #meta #|| #You really don't know the kinds of things I've seen on their sites. #It is... intense. #||| #satan #satanism #spiritual satanism #theistic luciferianism #theistic satanism #luciferian #luciferianism #atheistic satanism #lucifer #lucifer deity #lucifer devotee #satan worship #lucifer worship #witchblr #demonolatry #demonology #demon worship #demon work #Youtube

[good-old-gossip]

“In a grand procession last week, Sinai militia leader Ibrahim al-Organi arrived at a ceremony to inaugurate the Arab Tribes Union, a new paramilitary entity that brings together five tribal groups from across Egypt.

The formation of this alliance comes at a critical time and place, as Israel this week launched a long-threatened ground offensive against the Palestinian city of Rafah, just a short distance from where the Egyptian ceremony was held.

Around 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have been sheltering in Rafah since Israel launched its war on Gaza last October. Early on, Egypt started taking precautions for this scenario, overlooking many humanitarian details.

It reinforced the fences and barriers along its border, tightened border security, and mobilised support and funding for alternative camps within Gaza itself.

The last thing the Egyptian regime wants is an image of an Egyptian soldier firing at displaced Palestinians. Through the newly minted Arab Tribes Union, the regime might have found its only option for handling this situation, while avoiding the direct involvement of state soldiers.

Organi is a prime choice to lead this task after his previous successes in organising the Union of Sinai Tribes, which worked alongside the Egyptian army to fight an Islamic State affiliate, and in running companies that manage the movement of people and goods between Gaza and Egypt.

But Organi’s companies have also faced allegations of exploitative behaviour, including charging millions of dollars from Palestinian refugees fleeing war.

And there are significant risks that under difficult humanitarian conditions, his forces could become involved in smuggling operations, financial extortion, or other types of corruption - not to mention the inherent dangers of forming armed militias, which can prove disastrous to the security and stability of states”

✍️ by Ahmed Abdeen

#free Palestine #free gaza #I stand with Palestine #Gaza #Palestine #Gazaunderattack #Palestinian Genocide #Gaza Genocide #end the occupation #Israel is an illegal occupier #Israel is committing genocide #Israel is committing war crimes #Israel is a terrorist state #Israel is a war criminal #Israel is an apartheid state #Israel is evil #Israeli war crimes #Israeli terrorism #IOF Terrorism #Israel kills babies #Israel kills children #Israel kills innocents #Israel is a murder state #Israeli Terrorists #Israeli war criminals #Boycott Israel #Israel kills journalists #Israel kills kids #Israel murders innocents #Israel murders children

[workersolidarity]

🇺🇸🇸🇾🚨 💥BREAKING: US FORCES LAUNCH AIR STRIKES ON SYRIAN FACILITIES, CLAIMS STRIKES IN RESPONSE TO IRANIAN AGGRESSION💥

The United States Department of Defense announced late Thursday it had launched strikes against two supposed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Facilities in Syria.

According to the statement, US Forces launched the strikes in response to recent assaults on illegal US Bases in Syria and Iraq.

"Today, at President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces conducted self-defense strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups," the statement from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reads.

"These precision self-defense strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17."

According to the statement, 1 US citizen defense contractor died and 21 US Military personnel suffered minor injuries.

The statement goes on to claim the US has no interest in "engaging in hostilities" but attacks on US bases, legal or illegal, "are unacceptable and must stop."

The statement goes on to claim though Iran "hides" and "denies" its role in these attacks, but "we will not let them. If attacks by Iran’s proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people."

Lloyd Austin's statement goes on claim US strikes against Syria are, "intended solely to protect and defend U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria," without ever mentioning the illegal nature of the US occupation of parts of Eastern Syria, nor the $100+ billion in Syrian oil the United States has stolen.

The DoD statement ends by saying, " We continue to urge all state and non-state entities not to take action that would escalate into a broader regional conflict."

#source1

#source2

@WorkerSolidarityNews

#united states #syria #iran #us news #middle east #middle east news #news #air strikes #wwiii #world news #global news #international news #international affairs #international politics #international #gobal politics #geopolitics #war #war news #syria news #us forces #us military #department of defense #DoD #us dept of defense #iran news #war in the middle east #WorkerSolidarityNews #imperialism #us imperialism

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Matthew Taylor at Religion News Service:

(RNS) — This past month, a group of self-styled American Christian prophets released an urgent word from God on YouTube about an impending Islamic uprising in the U.S. Pointing to pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, they declared that an “insurrection is forming that is like unto the communist takeover in Russia. … This is not only about bringing a Palestinian state to the Middle East but an Islamic state to North America and other nations.”

The good news, according to these prophets, is that God also says, “If the church repents, I will relent. I will protect your nations.” If this God-speaking-through-prophets-and-warning-nations-about-other-religions business sounds fringy and oddball in modern Christianity, it once was. But such prophecies and these prophets are rapidly redefining mainstream American evangelical theology, practice and politics. They are affiliated with a movement called the New Apostolic Reformation, a set of leadership networks whose leaders call themselves modern-day apostles and prophets and believe they are commissioned by God to take over the world.

This NAR movement runs like a golden thread through recent flashpoints of evangelical Christian support for Donald Trump, Christian nationalism and Christian extremism. NAR leaders were central to the mobilization of Christians for the Jan. 6 insurrection, and many apostles, prophets and NAR symbols were present around the U.S. Capitol that day. NAR ideas helped inspire the recent controversy surrounding the Alabama Supreme Court in vitro fertilization ruling. House Speaker Mike Johnson flies a flag outside his office that is closely associated with the NAR’s aggressive prophetic politics. The reasonable objector may argue that all of those things might be true, and yet the NAR could still be a fringe movement. How much influence do NAR ideas have on broader American evangelicalism? It’s true that the NAR networks come from the amorphous nondenominational, charismatic sector of American evangelicalism that seeks to restore the supernatural dimensions of early Christianity. Historically these groups have been outside the evangelical mainstream.

But we have collected data showing just how far these NAR-associated beliefs and practices have spread within American evangelical communities. The present-day reach and influence of these ideas may be shocking to those acquainted with conventional evangelicalism. Charismatic theologies, NAR prophecies and radical politics that once operated on the margins of evangelicalism have moved to the center of the action. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this transformation has a lot to do with Donald Trump. 

[...] In the intervening decades, NAR ideas and leaders have become extremely popular in charismatic media, functioning as some of the top-tier thought leaders in the burgeoning nondenominational charismatic world. NAR networks also became increasingly politicized in the late 2000s, especially by a prophecy called the Seven Mountain Mandate, first formulated by NAR apostle (and Wagner mentee) Lance Wallnau.  The Seven Mountains prophecy imagines every society as having seven major arenas of influence — religion, family, education, government, media, entertainment and commerce — and the prophecy commands Christians to conquer the tops of each of these mountains so that Christian influence can flow down into broader society. Put simply, the Seven Mountain Mandate is a prophetically derived, systematic program for Christian supremacy. Shortly after Trump declared his candidacy for president in summer of 2015, he enlisted his friend and spiritual adviser, Paula White-Cain, a charismatic apostle and televangelist, “to be the bridge between him and evangelicals.” White-Cain began by inviting many of her fellow charismatic evangelical leaders — Messianic rabbis, televangelists, prophets, NAR apostles and megachurch pastors — to meet with Trump early in the campaign.

These were the first evangelical leaders to begin endorsing Trump, signing on to his policy agenda and offering theological rationales for choosing Trump over other, more conventionally evangelical candidates. The popular idea that Trump was anointed by God (like the ancient Persian emperor Cyrus) to be president and play a special role in protecting Christians was originally championed early in the 2016 campaign by none other than Wallnau, who was involved in the 2015 meetings organized by White-Cain.  A few months later Wagner himself endorsed Trump in early 2016, and Wallnau and the other NAR leaders became the chief Christian propagandists surrounding Trump with theology and prophecy. They have written books, created memes, prophetically appropriated symbolic pieces of Americana and launched massive prayer and spiritual warfare campaigns, all to see Trump victorious.  Charismatics, including a number of NAR apostles and prophets, have made up more than half of all of Trump’s evangelical advisory boards, including the new one for his 2024 campaign. In fact, these networks of NAR leaders were the central nervous system of Christian organizing and mobilization for Jan. 6, and many core NAR leaders, including Wallnau, were present at the Capitol that day.

Trumpism has fueled the rise of a very different breed of evangelical Christian movement: New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), NAR's tenets feature Seven Mountains Dominionism (7MD) and an aggressively Christian nationalist vision of America with a charismatic tinge.

#Christian Nationalism #Christian Right #Christianity #Religion #Donald Trump #Trumpism #New Apostolic Reformation #NAR #Paula White #Lance Wallnau #C. Peter Wagner

[eretzyisrael]

Adeel Mangi is not a victim of “Islamophobia,” “bigoted smears” or anti-Muslim discrimination, as Timothy Lewis’s recent Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed asserted. The real reasons bipartisan senators, Jewish organizations and others oppose confirming Mangi as a federal appellate judge (one step below the U.S. Supreme Court) are the following:

Mangi was until recently an advisory director and repeated donor to a viciously antisemitic, anti-American, pro-terror organization—the so-called “Center for Security, Race and Rights” (CRSS) at Rutgers Law School; Mangi evaded questions and improbably professed ignorance about key matters (including antisemitism, terrorism and Middle East issues) that are likely to come before the federal appellate court; and Mangi has absolutely no judicial experience.

It is absurd to claim that a bipartisan group of senators oppose Mangi’s confirmation because Mangi is Muslim. The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed another recent Muslim nominee for a federal judgeship: Zahid Nisar Quraishi.

The majority of appellate judicial nominees have years of prior judicial experience and a record of judicial decisions that can be vetted. In public statements and letters, leading Jewish organizations involved in combating antisemitism, including: our organization, the Zionist Organization of America; Americans Against Antisemitism; StopAntisemitism; Students Supporting Israel; and the Coalition for Jewish Values (representing over 2,500 rabbis) noted that it is dangerous to elevate Mangi to a lifetime Court of Appeals judgeship when he has no judicial record to examine, which is not even to mention his alarming CRSS involvements.

Among other horrors, while Mangi was on CRSS’s Advisory Board (referred to as its “brain trust”), CRSS celebrated the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks’ 20th anniversary by hosting terror-affiliated speakers, including Sami Al-Arian, who was convicted for funneling funds, goods and services to the designated terror organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad. CRSS also hosted a group whose officials have connections to Al-Qaeda and Hamas networks, the notorious antisemite and anti-Israel propagandist Rashid Khalidi, and Israel-bashing BDS groups and leaders including Jewish Voice for Peace, Peter Beinart, Khaled Elgindy and Marc Lamont Hill (who was terminated by CNN for antisemitic comments).

Furthermore, CRSS’s website posted a resource guide listing and linking to numerous antisemitic, anti-Israel, BDS and terror-linked organizations, films, books, journals, “educational resources,” websites, podcasts and reports.

CRSS’s website also included CRSS Executive Director Sahar Aziz’s open letter praising and justifying Hamas terrorism and denying Israel’s right to self-defense while Hamas launched 4,500 rockets at Israel in May 2021. Aziz recruited Mangi to the CRSS advisory board. The Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey stated that “Aziz has regularly and consistently promoted vile antisemitic propaganda” on social media and elsewhere.

In addition to his own donations and services, Mangi obtained donations from his law firm for CRSS.

During his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Mangi repeatedly refused to condemn viciously antisemitic, anti-Israel CSRR events and statements by reciting this mantra: “I do not have the expertise or factual background to express views regarding the complex history of the conflict in the Middle East, which is irrelevant to my potential work on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.”

Of course, condemning antisemitism and antisemitic Israel-bashing does not take expertise; it just takes courage. Moreover, antisemitism and Middle East issues are highly relevant to potential cases on the Third Circuit, including cases seeking remedies for antisemitic attacks and harassment on college campuses and city streets; cases regarding antisemitic boycotts; and cases brought by victims of Hamas and other terror groups under federal victims of terrorism and victims of torture statutes. Mangi is unfit and unqualified to fairly judge these important matters and should not be confirmed.

#adeel mangi #cair #islamophobia #bigoted smears #judicial nominee #center for security race and rights

[mariacallous]

A decade ago, when foreign fighters were flowing into Syria, the Islamic State’s capital, Raqqa, became a sort of Epcot of global jihad: New arrivals from different nations clustered together in their national groups. If you were a recent arrival from France or just wanted to know where to get a croissant, you could visit a café full of French people and ask. Tens of thousands of foreign fighters came from places as distant as Chile and Japan. Russia alone contributed as many as 4,000, according to President Vladimir Putin, and by all accounts, their cluster focused not on pastry but on warfare. The only countries that put up numbers to rival Russia’s were Tunisia and Turkey.

Yesterday, terrorists murdered at least 133 concertgoers in suburban Moscow. The Islamic State’s news agency, Amaq, posted the group’s claim of responsibility, as usual in language balanced between wire-service precision and rabid derangement. The claim described an attack “against a large gathering of Christians”—an odd way to describe a nonreligious prog-rock concert. Videos from the scene show gunmen firing into piles of huddled civilians and stalking others. The style resembles the Bataclan massacre, which ISIS perpetrated in Paris in 2015, and the October 7 attack, the handiwork of ISIS’s enemy Hamas. The Amaq report says the killers “withdrew to their bases,” which suggested that they remained at large and capable of attacking again, and that they had more than one base. By Saturday, Russia claimed to have arrested all four perpetrators and several accomplices. Putin suggested the killers had been on a run for the Ukrainian border.

In Russia, as in many authoritarian states, rumors proliferate fast after shocking events like this. Many repeated the crazy theory that ISIS was deliberately invented by America. The exiled chess master and dissident Garry Kasparov suggested that Russia had attacked itself to drum up ethnonationalist sentiment. Putin’s intimation of Ukrainian involvement makes little sense to me. It beggars belief that the most hunted men in Russia would immediately drive in a white Renault toward the most heavily militarized and monitored zone in the entire region when they could drive in any other direction and be alone in a birch forest somewhere. But Putin’s version is consistent with the theory that he will use the attack to demonize Ukraine.

Everything we know about Russia and its history with ISIS supports the theory that ISIS perpetrated the attack. ISIS has been reviving its capacity, particularly in its Khorasan affiliate, the one identified by U.S. intelligence as responsible for the attack. Islamic State Khorasan Province “has taken on a more central role in planning attacks abroad,” Tore Hamming, a jihadism researcher at the risk-management consultancy Refslund Analytics, told me by text. He said a number of recent events, such as the arrests of suspected members in Turkey, suggest that the group is planning attacks outside its usual area of operations.

ISIS had a huge Russian and Central Asian contingent in its heyday. And the fault lines in Russian politics and society have foretold this kind of atrocity for literally centuries. It would be a surprise if four guys piled into a car and sped toward Ukraine after committing mass murder. Nothing could be less surprising than an ISIS attack in a region susceptible to just such an attack.

About one out of every five Russian citizens is Muslim, but that population is not evenly distributed either geographically or socioeconomically. In cities, a lot of taxi drivers and hard-luck laborers have names like Magomedov and Ismailov, indicative of Muslim ancestry. Many have roots in majority-Muslim Central Asian countries and have come to Russia in search of jobs. A very large proportion of the ISIS fighters from those countries came through Russia and developed violent tendencies there, away from the moderating influence of friends and family. The four alleged perpetrators arrested by Russia are reportedly from Tajikistan, a Central Asian republic bordering Afghanistan.

The center of geographic gravity of Islam in Russia is the Northern Caucasus, the site of domestic strife and bloodshed in a series of episodes going back centuries. In lieu of perfecting croissants, some groups around Dagestan and Chechnya have become proficient guerrilla warriors, and Putin perfected his own harsh methods on them during the Chechen Wars of the 1990s and 2000s. Those wars ended with a decisive Russian victory and the installation of micro-Putins, such as Ramzan Kadyrov, so that Moscow could rule Chechnya indirectly. These figures’ loyalty is such that two years ago, in the early days after the invasion of Ukraine, Kadyrov’s Chechen fighters were among the first deployed to fight on Putin’s side.

The problem is that decisive victories are never as decisive as they seem. Most residents of formerly restive regions in the Caucasus enjoy peace as much as anyone. But discontent is easy to detect. On my last visit to Dagestan, a taxi driver sheepishly turned down his music player when a jihadist song came on. Some people remain eager to fight.

The rise of ISIS was useful for Russia, which could imagine no better destination for its domestic jihadists than a faraway conflict with a conveniently high mortality rate. Anyone so inclined could go to Iraq or Syria with Moscow’s tacit blessing. That is one reason the number of ISIS members coming from Russia was so high: They were more or less permitted to go, so that they would self-detonate or run into machine-gun fire there, rather than make trouble within Russia’s borders. Many of those who went are now dead, as hoped. Some are not, and many of those have not lost their fervor. They just need a new object for it.

The connection between Russia and ISIS is, in other words, overdetermined. The cruelty of the killing and even the choice of venue—a concert hall—are all awfully familiar to anyone acquainted with jihadism in Russia. What comes next will be familiar too. The horrific videos and claims of responsibility have already arrived. Next will be a brutal reply from the Russian state. Whether that reply will be addressed to the attack’s actual authors is an open question.