-
The one issue on which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his opposition are in “complete agreement” is the “conviction that the Greek islands are occupied Turkish territory and must be reconquered.”
-
“So strong is this determination that the leaders of both parties have openly threatened to invade the Aegean.” – Uzay Bulut, Turkish journalist.
-
Ankara’s ongoing challenges to Greek land and sea sovereignty are additional reasons to keep it from enjoying full acceptance in Europe and the rest of the West.
Turkey’s “persistent policy of violating international law and breaching international rules and regulations” was called out in a November 14 letter to UN Secretary General António Guterres by Polly Ioannou, the deputy permanent representative of Cyprus to the UN.
Reproving Ankara for its repeated violations of Cypriot airspace and territorial waters, Ioannou wrote of Turkey’s policy:
“[it] is a constant threat to international peace and security, has a negative impact on regional stability, jeopardises the safety of international civil aviation, creates difficulties for air traffic over Cyprus and prevents the creation of an enabling environment in which to conduct the Cyprus peace process.”
The letter followed reports in August about Turkish violations of Greek airspace over the northeastern, central and southeastern parts of the Aegean Sea, and four instances of Turkey violating aviation norms by infringing on the Athens Flight Information Region (AFIR). Similar reports emerged in June of Turkey violating Greek AFIR by conducting unauthorized flights over the southern Aegean islets of Mavra, Levitha, Kinaros and Agathonisi.
In April 2017, Turkish European Affairs Minister Omer Celik claimed in an interview that Agathonisi was Turkish territory. A day earlier, a different Turkish minister announced that Turkey “would not allow Greece to establish a status of ‘fait accompli’ in the ‘disputed’ regions in the Aegean Sea.” In December 2017, Greek Deputy Minister of Shipping Nektarios Santonirios reportedly “presented a plan to populate a number of uninhabited eastern Aegean islands to deter Turkish claims to the land.”
According to a recent statement from Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
“Greek-Turkish disputes over the Aegean continental shelf date back to November 1973, when the Turkish Government Gazette published a decision to grant the Turkish national petroleum company permits to conduct research in the Greek continental shelf west of Greek islands in the Eastern Aegean.
“Since then, the repeated Turkish attempts to violate Greece’s sovereign rights on the continental shelf have become a serious source of friction in the two countries’ bilateral relations, even bringing them close to war (1974, 1976, 1987).”
This friction has only increased with the authoritarian rule of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, particularly since, as Uzay Bulut notes:
There is one issue on which Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), are in complete agreement: The conviction that the Greek islands are occupied Turkish territory and must be reconquered. So strong is this determination that the leaders of both parties have openly threatened to invade the Aegean.
The only conflict on this issue between the two parties is in competing to prove which is more powerful and patriotic, and which possesses the courage to carry out the threat against Greece. While the CHP is accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AKP party of enabling Greece to occupy Turkish lands, the AKP is attacking the CHP, Turkey’s founding party, for allowing Greece to take the islands through the 1924 Treaty of Lausanne, the 1932 Turkish-Italian Agreements, and the 1947 Paris Treaty, which recognized the islands of the Aegean as Greek territory.
This has been Turkish policy despite the fact that both Greece and Turkey have been members of NATO since 1952. Greece became a member of the European Union in 1981 — a status that Turkey has spent decades failing to achieve, mainly due to its human-rights violations.
Tag Archives: Sharia
‘Hezbollah evades Israeli bombs in Syria by flying Russian flag’
Moscow is allowing fighters from Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian Shiite groups operating in Syria to carry Russian flags in order to protect them from Israeli airstrikes, Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported Wednesday.
The report follows a Russian snub earlier this week to Israeli military officials, as Moscow appears reluctant to ease its anger over the loss of one of its planes during an IAF bombing raid in Syria in September. The plane was brought down by Syrian missiles targeting the Israelis, but Moscow insists that Jerusalem did not provide sufficient warning of its strike to allow its aircraft to reach safety.
Much of Hezbollah’s Arsenal Unable to be Precision-Guided
Hezbollah’s missile arsenal has been static for years and the organization lacks the industrial ability to convert, upgrade or produce precision weapons, Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Tamir Heyman said earlier this week.
Briefing the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on the tensions in the northern sector, Heyman said Operation Northern Shield to neutralize Hezbollah tunnels snaking under the Israel-Lebanon border, as well as other measures exercised by the IDF, were part of “an era of disruption and shaping new reality on the ground” the Israeli military is pursuing as part of the “campaign between the wars.”
He was referring to a strategic concept that encompasses a host of covert and low-intensity military and intelligence efforts to prevent enemy states and terrorist organizations from becoming stronger and thwart their offensive activity.
”The regional upheavals are waning and we are on the brink of significant changes, which harbor opportunities as well as risks in all sectors,” he said.
Commenting on the situation in Syria, Heyman said that Israel was determined to curb Iran’s aspiration to entrench itself militarily in Syria, which he said was also a source of friction among decision-makers in Tehran.
This friction has caused Iran’s efforts in Syria to slow considerably, he noted.
Iran is facing an economic crisis over the U.S.’s decision to reimpose sanctions on it. so far, Israeli intelligence has been able to successfully warn the relevant entities in the international community as to the Islamic republic’s attempts to bypass the American sanctions, he said.
Heyman stressed that despite regional tensions, chances of war remain slim, “As it doesn’t seem to be in our enemies’ interest at this time.”
He nevertheless warned that the volatile situation in all sectors consistently creates conditions for a potential rapid escalation.
Meanwhile, an American think tank released an analysis of Hezbollah’s missile arsenal.
The Missile Threat website, a product of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, which looks at a wide range of policy, program, and strategic issues related to missile defense, has found that the Shiite terrorist group is in possession of 130,000 rockets and missile, concluding that ”Hezbollah is the world’s most heavily armed nonstate actor, and has been described as a militia trained like an army and equipped like a state.”
The report found that the majority of Hezbollah’s arsenal comprises short- and medium-range surface-to-surface, anti-tank and anti-ship missiles that cannot be upgraded to precision-missiles, mostly over Israel’s persistent efforts to thwart Iran’s attempts to aid Hezbollah in this respect.
The Shiite terrorist group has thousands of Katyusha and Scud missiles, as well as a wide array of Iranian-made projectiles covering various ranges, including Shain, Fajr, Falaq and Zelzal missiles.
While the Scud missile is considered the group’s ”heavyweight threat,” the report noted that they are ”usually seen as impractical weapons” as they are ”very bulky to transport and difficult to hide and manipulate, requiring 45 minutes of preparation. They do not provide Hezbollah much advantage.”
European Court Of Human Rights Blasphemy Laws: Where A Word Out Of Place Can Cost Your Life
Authored by Denis MacEoin via The Gatestone Institute,
-
The European Court of Human Rights ruled that criticism of Muhammad constitutes incitement to hatred — meaning that in Europe, criticizing Muhammad is no longer protected free speech.
-
What the court has actually done, however, is rule out the possibility of any debate in which a range of various experts and members of the public could take part. Now, it seems, the only views that will be respected in the public forum are those of devout Muslims.
-
Underage marriages are considered by some countries child abuse or statutory rape, but are acceptable under shari’a law; they also take place in Muslim communities in Western countries such as the UK. This alone is a major reason why platforms must be found to debate the issue instead of sweeping it, as something offensive, under the carpet. Ignoring it is offensive.
-
Moreover, as some Muslims are often offended by even small matters regarding their faith, such as a toy teddy bear named Mohammad or a prisoner on death row declared innocent — so that mobs take to the streets to condemn, or even kill, those individuals — what now will notbe censored in the West?
There are, of course, social settings where it pays to watch your words. Saying you fancy the looks of a mafioso’s new girlfriend could well prove fatal. Spending time with a bunch of Hamas terrorists while expressing your love for Israel might not lead to your premature demise. In London today, young men who make remarks or play music to other youths on the street can wind up stabbed to death. A recent comment on The Independent website claims, “In this country [the UK], some views, regardless of how valid and logical, can result in anything from public rebuke to loss of a job to violence.”
Where The Most Journalists Are Imprisoned Worldwide
The Committee to Protect Journalists, an advocacy group, has released its annual census showing the number of journalists imprisoned across the world. As Statista’s Niall McCarthy notes, more than 250 journalists are behind bars for the third consecutive year and the CPJ said that an authoritarian approach to critical news coverage is more than just a temporary spike.
As of December 1st, 2018, Turkey was the worst jailer with 68 journalists identified as being in prison there. China came second with 47 while Egypt was in third place with 25.
You will find more infographics at Statista
Collectively, Turkey, China and Egypt are responsible for more than half of all jailed journalists worldwide for the third year in a succession. CPJ said that those countries (and others such as Saudi Arabia) are experiencing a wave of repression which has resulted in a crackdown on press freedom. The vast majority of imprisoned journalists are facing anti state charges such as belonging to or aiding groups deemed by authorities as being terrorist organizations. Others are in jail on false news charges, particularly in Egypt with 19 in total.
The issue was brought into the spotlight this week with the one-year anniversary of the detention of two Reuters journalists in Myanmar. Among a group of journalists named “Person of the Year” by Time magazine, they are serving seven-year sentences for reporting on a massacre of Rohingya by the country’s military. The issue has resulted in heightened criticism of Myanmar’s de facto civilian leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. On Wednesday, journalists, activists ans rights groups rallied in Yangon and called for the immediate release of the imprisoned journalists.
Still, we couldn’t help but notice the extreme irony of Erdogan’s current onslaught of abuse and accusations against Saudi Arabia’s MbS over the Khashoggi killings when his own nation is head and shoulders above the world in journalist capture.
10 Questions About the Compatibility of Islam with America
Wikipedia defines Islamophobia as the fear, hatred of or prejudice against the Islamic religion or Muslims, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or the source of terrorism. Yes, many people around the globe who identify with Islam are good, hard working, loving people. But that’s a separate issue from Islam itself. Here are 10 questions about the compatibility of Islam in America. Depending on your answers, does that make you an Islamophobe?
The Day of the Lord
Its common for Christians to claim to be looking for the second coming of the Messiah. We are told that is our blessed hope, to be with our GOD and HIS Son, to be united in Heaven surrounded by Divine Love forever.
The reality is most give little thought as to the process of reaching that state of being. Yes, accepting Jesus as our Savior, as the last sacrifice for sin, asking for forgiveness and giving ourselves to that new life given to us by the Father; being part of the body of believers, doing & fulfilling our part in that body, whether in leadership or elsewhere, everyone has their purpose, all have their position in the body of believers.
Our lives here are our reflection our lives to come. The wise servant received ten cities because he wisely utilized that which was entrusted to him, the other who buried what his lord gave him suffered loss when his lord returned. We are to seek to utilize what gifts or skills the Heavenly Father grants to us. If we squander those things in the end we will suffer loss.
As Believers we are to pray for our Lords return, but we need to be aware that its not going to be as glorious we’ve been led to believe. Yes after He comes & sets up His kingdom on this earth & beyond, glorious barely describes what we can expect, but that process of getting there; through that proverbial Day of the Lord, thats what few seem give thought to.
Some simply believe they’ll be raptured away while others think humans are going to establish GOD’s kingdom before His return, others believe some alien entity will save mankind from extinction, the views of the as many as there are churches & religions. I’ll drop a few Scriptures I believe point to the fact the Day of the Lord is not going to be as glorious as some expect.
In Isaiah chapter 13, verses 6 through 13 to start.
6. Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt:
8. And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9. Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
Here we read about
- Destruction
- Hands are faint
- Peoples hearts melt
- People being afraid
- Pangs (pains) & sorrow
- Pain as a woman in chilbirth
- Amazed at one another
- Faces shall be as flames…
In verse 9 we read this,
the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger
Wrath and fierce anger…. a Living GOD, Creator of the universe comes with wrath and fierce anger…🙁😟… why?
to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Laying the land desolate, bad yes, destroying the sinners out of it, worse. Why worse, because in Ezekiel 33:
11. Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Also in Ezekiel 18:
23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
The Father doesn’t find pleasure in the fact that the wicked are going to die, the Day of the Lord isn’t going to be something pleasurable for those going through it.
We read above,
I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place,
Millions are going to die, mankind is going to be rare and few left alive, definitely not in the billions when the Day of the Lord is over.
I’ll write more later, work calls.
GOD bless.
Asia Bibi: Pakistan’s Judicial Betrayal
The joy over the acquittal of Asia Bibi lasted barely 24 hours. The Christian mother of five from Pakistan was forced to spend eight years in prison, much of the time on death row, ostensibly for “blasphemy,” before the Supreme Court cleared her of any offense.
“I can’t believe what I am hearing, will I go out now? Will they let me out, really?”, Asia Bibi said by phone after the historic sentence, according to AFP news agency.
Unfortunately, massive street protests by extremist Muslims immediately erupted to pressure the government to delay her release. The phone network in some areas was suspended for reasons of “security”. Rioting caused schools in Islamabad, Punjab and Kashmir to close. Roads were blocked, paralyzing parts of Islamabad, Lahore and other cities. Christian schools warned parents to come and get their children for fear of violence. Churches were put on high alert. Protesters hold placards that read: “Hang Asia Bibi“.
“There will be a war if they send Asia out of country,” warned Khadim Hussain Rizvi, leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), an Islamist party that supports blasphemy laws.
Threats by vigilante mobs who called for her death and warned of national unrest evidently worked. Pakistan’s government, after saying it would begin the process of preventing Asia Bibi from leaving the country, has now been accused of signing her “death warrant“.
The government apparently succumbed to pressure and signed an agreement giving in to many of the demands of Tehreek-e-Labbaik. Pakistan’s government also promised not to oppose a legal petition to reverse Asia Bibi’s release, and to put her name on the “exit control list” (ELC), a no-fly list, to prevent her from leaving the country.
“Placing Asia Bibi on the ECL is like signing her death warrant”, said Wilson Chowdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association.
The agreement,” tweeted analyst Mosharraf Zaidi, “was a “historic capitulation“.
“It’s almost certain that Bibi will not be able to live in the country after her acquittal”, the famous Pakistani novelist Mohammed Hanif wrote in The New York Times.
“[B]arring her from leaving the country grants tacit permission to Tehreek-i-Labaik to hunt her down and murder her,” wrote Robert Spencer, a human rights activist and author of 18 books that include New York Times bestsellers.
Asia Bibi’s husband, Ashiq Masih, just applied for asylum in the United States, Canada and England. “I am requesting the Prime Minister of the UK help us and as far as possible grant us freedom”, he said. “I am requesting the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to help us exit from Pakistan”, he added. That is why the pact between the Islamists and the government is seen as a betrayal. “The agreement has sent a shiver down my spine”, Masih said. “The current situation is very dangerous for us. We have no security and are hiding here and there, frequently changing our location”.
Meanwhile, Asia Bibi’s fate remains “uncertain“.
Asia Bibi’s family: ‘We no longer have anything to eat’
They are pleading to be allowed to leave Pakistan
With Asia Bibi and her family fearing for their lives, her husband has called on the international community to help them leave the country.
Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Ashiq Masih described how the family is still living in secret following calls for his wife to be killed after she was acquitted of blasphemy last Wednesday (31st October).
He said: “Help us get out of Pakistan. We are extremely worried because our lives are in danger. We no longer have even anything to eat, because we cannot leave the house to buy food.”
Violent protests organised by Islamist political movement Tehreek-e-Labbaik following Asia Bibi’s acquittal forced the family to remain in hiding.
In order to end the protests, Pakistan’s government agreed a deal which allowed Tehreek-e-Labbaik to begin proceedings to have Asia Bibi put on the “exit control list” to prevent her leaving the country.
The government also pledged not to object to any review of her appeal verdict.
Asia Bibi is still in prison, despite Supreme Court judges ordering her release when her sentence was overturned.
Mr Masih called for the media and the international community to continue to focus on his wife’s case: “As it is precisely this attention that has kept Asia alive to date.”
Referring to ACN events where the family has spoken about their situation, including the lighting up of the Colosseum this February, Mr Masih said: “I thank Aid to the Church in Need in particular for giving us the opportunity to speak to the world.”
Saif ul-Malook, Asia Bibi’s defence lawyer, left Pakistan due to security concerns and is now in the Netherlands. He intends to organise a press conference later this week.
Following a call to the governments of the UK, US and Canada last weekend asking them to offer asylum to the family, Mr Masih also appealed to the Italian government to offer them sanctuary.
He said: “I appeal to the Italian Government to help my family and me get out of Pakistan”.
The family has also requested asylum in Spain and France. They are hoping that all of Asia Bibi’s children will be granted asylum.
A Laymans Discourse 
You must be logged in to post a comment.