Saudi Ruler Getting Immunity from the US.
[Analysis by Jamaat al-Muslimeen ]
Yahoo News
November 18, 2022, 7:17 PM
A former top legal adviser to Secretary of State Antony
Blinken is criticizing the State Department's controversial
move to recommend that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, otherwise known as MBS, be granted immunity as "head
of state," to shield him from a lawsuit for his role in the
brutal 2018 assassination and dismemberment of the Saudi
journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Harold Koh, who served as State Department legal adviser
under President Barack Obama and later as a senior adviser
to Blinken during his first year as secretary of state, said
in an interview Friday with Yahoo News that the department
should have simply remained silent in the case, rather than
stake out a legal position that effectively amounts to
"carrying MBS's water."
The move could also set a precedent, protecting other world
leaders who might be accused in lawsuits of serious crimes,
such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Koh added.
"It seems strange," Koh said of the court filing Thursday
night by current State Department acting legal adviser
Richard C. Visek. "It was better not to say anything. You
want the Saudis to think that Biden's words about human
rights mean what they say."
Koh also dismissed the assertion made by the department in a
letter to the federal judge overseeing the Khashoggi lawsuit
that MBS is legitimately the Saudi "head of state," noting
that Saudi Arabia is a kingdom headed by his father.
Moreover, MBS was only formally designated prime minister
two months ago, after questions about his status had already
become central in the lawsuit.
"If he's the head of state, that means his father, the king,
is not the head of state?" said Koh. As for MBS's recent
designation by the Saudis that he is prime minister, he
added, "It was flagrantly done for the purpose of getting
this immunity."
The filing came in a lawsuit filed in U.S. district court in
Washington, D.C., by Khashoggi's fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, and
DAWN (Democracy for the Arab World Now), the human rights
group founded by Khashoggi. Citing two federal statutes that
permit victims of gross human rights abuses to sue the
perpetrators in U.S. courts, the suit accused MBS of
ordering the grisly murder of Khashoggi and the carving up
of his body with a bone saw inside the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul.
The claim was bolstered by thee Biden administration's
release last year of a U.S. intelligence summary concluding
that MBS approved the operation that dispatched a team of
Saudi operatives to Istanbul for the purpose either of
killing Khashoggi or abducting him. But ever since the case
was filed, there were questions whether MBS — who has
been effectively exercising power in the country ever since
his father, King Salman, designated him as heir apparent in
2017 — could be sued in a U.S. courtroom.
Goebbels. A cruel Biography.
Worth noting: His amazing air defense of Berlin and the
heroic stance of his wife Magda, a true German woman. [See
conclusion.]
A strange book.
Goebbels. Mastermind of the Third Reich by David Irving.722
pages. 1996. Focal Point. UK.
I have a copy autographed by the author.
It's a cruel book because it is based on Goebbels secret
personal diary which was not meant to b e published. It's
also cruel because when he attained power, he issued
statements which were contradicted by his secret diary.
It's difficult to analyze a 700 page book which deals
directly or indirectly with the major personalities and
events of the Second World War. I will limit my comments to
four aspects of the book.
The first surprise one gets is that he was in love with
women all the time.
It started with Anka Stalherm. It was platonic. She was a
married woman and he had a poor opinion of her husband.
During most of his life, he was pining for her but could not
attain her.
Women were strangely attracted to him although he had a club
foot. Numerous women wanted him and gradually he could not
resist them even when he was not important in Germany.
In December 1931 he married Magda. She was fertile and bore
him child after child.
When he had the power and the means, he fell in love with a
Czech beauty, Lifa Baarova, for whom he had built a
magnificent retreat.
Hitler liked Magda and was distressed by Goebbels constant
romantic adventures. Hitler then ordered him to stick
loyally to Magda. She stayed with him till the and went out
of this world, along with her children, when the Russians
finally stormed Berlin.
Irving documents the social context of Germany before the
war. The Communists were active in the streets. The economic
and police structure was controlled by the Jewish elites.
Goebbels joined Hitler's supporters known as the SA. He
defeated Communists in street battles. He was frequently
arrested by the Jewish-controlled police. He would ridicule
the police chief and get arrested. He could not win. Irving
documents each episode.
He recognized Hitler as an authentic leader of Germany
but found that most of
Hitler's top supporters were mediocre. He was specially
critical of Goring, chief of the German air force, the
luftwaffe. He could not understand Hitler's love for Italian
leader Mussolini whose weaknesses and the flabbiness of
Italian troops damaged Germany's cause.
Often Goebbels, quietly in his diary, disagreed with Hitler
and even thought that Hitler was not a revolutionary leader.
However he remained totally loyal to Hitler because Hitler
had done so much for Germany that he was the only person
whom the German people could consider their trustworthy
leader.
The most important aspect of Irving's book is about
Goebbel's role in the war.
Defense of Germany became increasingly difficult after
Russia {USSR} and USA
joined UK. Churchill, the British leader had provoked
Germany into attacking civilians. With American help, the
British air force devised a technique to set fire
to entire German cities. The fire storms ignited by the
British killed tens of thousands of men, women and
children. Large numbers of civilians were burned alive even
in their shelters.
Churchill had been advised that if huge huge numbers were
killed, Germany would collapse and the German people may
even turn against Hitler.
This is where Goebbels became the real leader of Germany as
Hitler's health deteriorated. Hitler was targeted in a bomb
attack by a traitor named Stauffenberg and his clique.
Goebbels defeated the internal enemies and was able to stir
up stiff resistance to the western allies and Russia. Irving
gives us a flavor of Goebbels speeches and
the transforming influencing they had on the German
people.
Irving very briefly summarizes the bombing of German cities
and the superb defense of Berlin 's air space organized by
Goebbels, the only time the British air force was
defeated.
The British air force, says Irving, ravaged the cities of
Essen, Dortmund, Dusseldorf asnd Duisburg in May 1943. Then
the bombers breached several Ruhr dams drowning 700 people.
The bombers burned alive 2450 people in the town of
Wuppertal. [pages 433-434.] In June, the British bombers
"devastated" the cities of Dusseldorf again and also Bochum,
Oberhausen, Cologne and Krefeld by two-thousand ton raids.
[p.435] Images of the raids showed "mangled headless
infants, and bulldozers tipping bodies into pits." His wife
Magda and the children burst into tears.
Goebbels went from city to injured city helping people and
issued 157 civil defense circulars. In the meantime the
British raided Wuppertal again and this time 2750 people
were burned alive. [P. 436]
On July 24, 1943, in a massive raid the British air force
set the entire city of Hamburg on fire, killing more than
50,000 people. They were literally incinerated "inside the
bunkers, torn apart by explosives, tossed into the flames
by the fiery tornadoes." [p.441] Hamburg was second only to
Berlin.
David Irving notes that after the horrific fire bombing of
Hamburg, with 50, 000 civilians killed and tens of thousands
injured, a ripple of fear
and instability touched the German people. The diaries show
that Goebbels understood that Berlin would be the next
target of the British air force.
He considered Berlin his city. He was the gauleiter of
Berlin. He had spoken to crowds of thousands and assured
them that Germany would not be defeated.
He took personal charge of the defense of Berlin. As he flew
over Hamburg, he saw that what remained of the noble city
was only " charred and lifeless" ruins.
He made a major effort to evacuate the civilian population
of Berlin. Two million people, including most of the
children were evacuated. The weakened but eager German air
force was alerted. On August 23, 1943, the British bombers
came and were massacred. Using visual sightings, Goebbels
defense forces shot down 56 British bombers. Even then 765
Belin civilians including 27 children were killed.
On August 31, the British bombers came again and the German
defenders pounced and shot down 47. This time only 13
civilians, were killed and no children.
On September 3, the British leader Churchill sent in his
best, 295 Lancasters. The Germans were ready and shot down
20 Lancasters. However the Brits were able to kill 346
civilians but only one child. Churchill saw defeat and
stopped attacking Berlin. Churchill had lost 126 bombers in
only three raids. [p.442] A great victory for Goebbels.
Germany was not ready for total war. Large segments of the
country outside the cities behaved as if was peace time.
Goebbels realized huge armies from the West [America,
Canada, Britain, Indian troops] and massivet Russian armies
from the east would roll into Germany once the front lines
were broken. He urged preparation for total war but it was
too late. Hitler was getting physically weaker by the day
and the bomb attack by the traitor Stauffenburg shook the
military structure.
Constant speeches by Goebbels brought up the German fighting
spirit. Many Germans, particularly the SS units, fought to
the end.
Goebbels and his wife Magda took their own lives at the end
and also ended the lives of their 6 innocent children.
Hitler and the woman, Eva Braun, who had loved him for 14
years also took their own lives. Goebbels refused to
surrender regardless of the impossible odds,
When Russian artillery was hitting not far from Hitler's
bunker and the end was near, Hitler was shocked to see that
Goebbels wife Magda was still there and told her to leave.
Her reply to Hitler, whom she greatly admired, is worth
noting:
"Mein Fuhrer, my husband is the leader of Berlin. Life
without my husband would have no purpose for me - nor did I
bear my children to have them put on display in the Societ
Union and America as the children of the propaganda minister
Goebbels." [p. 515-516]
This book is not about Hitler.
I will say about Magda's words: spoken like a true German
woman
War News
Pakistan
TTP [Pakistani Taliban] are active again.
Dawn is reporting 6 Pakistani policemen killed in Lakki
Marwat and two soldiers killed in Waziristan.
Palestine
Fighting the Occupation with just a Knife.
[Unfriendly report.]
JERUSALEM -- A knife-wielding Palestinian killed two
Israelis in a stabbing Tuesday at a settlement in the
occupied West Bank, then stole a car as he tried to flee the
scene and crashed it on a nearby highway, killing a third
Israeli, officials said.
The attack at the settlement of Ariel also left three
Israelis wounded. The Palestinian was shot and killed by an
Israeli soldier as he tried to run away from the crash
scene.
The Zaka paramedic service said the three wounded were being
treated in hospital and that they were in serious
condition.
It was the latest assault in a wave of Israeli-Palestinian
violence this year that has seen Palestinian attackers
target Israeli civilians and near nightly Israeli arrest
raids that have fueled unrest in the occupied territory.
The Israeli military said the Palestinian first stabbed
several Israelis at the entrance to the settlement's
industrial zone, then proceeded to a nearby gas station and
stabbed more people there. The army said the man then stole
a car and intentionally crashed it into another vehicle
before fleeing the scene on foot.
Iraq and Lebanon
BBC clouds the facts in its report on the Islamic State.
The factual part of the BBC report is about 100 youths from
northern Lebanon who have joined the Islamic State fighters
in Iraq.
Also factual in the report is the battle in Diyala province
of Iraq in which these Lebanese youths killed 10 Iraqi
soldiers. However, the next day the Iraqi regime air strikes
killed 9 of these Lebanese fighting for the Islamic
state.
Most of the BBC report is an opinion piece claiming that
poverty in northern Lebanon is forcing young Lebanese
sunnis to join the Islamic State.
BBC reports are often convoluted.
(BBC November 18)
Syria
Turkey Launches Air Offensive
November 18-20
In response to the terrorist bombing in Istanbul, Turkey's
most important civilian area, the Turkish air force struck
at Kurdish Communist military targets in the Syrian
provinces of Raqqa, Aleppo and Hasakeh. More than 65
personnel were killed in these bombing attacks. [Source
SOHR] In addition Turkey also struck at a few Assad regime
positions in northwest of Aleppo province causing 16 killed
and some wounded.
Turkish and Kurdish Communists are exchanging heavy
artillery fire.
On the Irbid province border and north east Lattakia, Assad
regime shelled villages affiliated to the opposition. In
response Islamic group Fath al-Mubeen fired back at Assad
regime positions. [The exchanges are continuing.
SOHR is also reporting numbers of ISIS raids on US backed
SDF in Deir ez Zor province and Iranian backed militia in
eastern Homs province. Numerous casualties.
Prisoner rights in the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
All prisoners have the basic rights needed to survive and
sustain a reasonable way of life. Most rights are taken away
ostensibly so the prison system can maintain order,
discipline, and security. Any of the
following rights, given to prisoners, can be taken away for
that purpose:
Prisoner may refer to one of the following:
A person incarcerated in a prison or jail or similar
facility.
Prisoner of war, a combatant or non-combatant in wartime,
held by a belligerent power
Political prisoner, someone held in prison for
their ideology.
A person forcibly detained against his will, such as a
victim of kidnapping; such prisoners may be held hostage, or
held to ransom, but not necessarily in a prison or similar
facility.
The right to:[1]
not be punished cruelly or unusually
due processes
administrative appeals
access the parole process (denied to those incarcerated in
the Federal System)
practice religion freely
equal protection (Fourteenth Amendment)
be notified of all charges against them
receive a written statement explaining evidence used in
reaching a disposition
file a civil suit against another person
medical treatment (both long and short term)
treatment that is both adequate and appropriate
a hearing upon being relocated to the mental health
facility.
personal property such as: cigarettes, stationery, a watch,
cosmetics, and snack-food
visitation
privacy
food that would sustain an average person adequately.
bathe (for sanitation and health reasons).
Many rights are taken away from prisoners often
temporarily.[ citation needed] For example, prison personnel
are required to read and inspect all in-going or out-going
mail, in order to prevent prisoners from
obtaining contraband. The only time a prisoner has a
full right to privacy is in conversations with
their attorney.
Guidance by Sr. Yasmine
*MISWAK HAS MEDICINAL PROPERTIES THAT TOOTHPASTE LACKS*~
{BENEFICIAL POST}~
*Bismillah Hir Rehman Nir Raheem*
Rose Vine
'Assalaamu Alaykum Warahmatullah'
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said---
'Siwak' cleanses the mouth and pleases the Lord'.
(Source~ al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh, 2/274, and by Ahmad,
6/47, and al-Nisaa'i, 1/50.
A Study Shows 'Miswak' Has Medicinal Properties
that Toothpaste Lacks
| IslamToday / Agencies|
A study has revealed that the 'Miswak' -
or teeth cleaning sticks commonly used in
Arab and Asian countries, have greater value
than toothbrush and toothpaste.
A group of dentists at King Saud University (KSU)
has done a study revealing the medicinal properties
of 'Miswak', while 'Miswak sales go up considerably
in 'Ramadan'.
The study suggests that the beneficial effects for oral
hygiene and dental health for those who have been using
'Miswak' are equal to, if not greater than, those of a
toothbrush and toothpaste.
"Miswak has many medicinal properties and can fight plaque,
recession of gums, tooth wear, bleeding gums and periodontal
pocket depths,"
said the study, adding that the repeated process of using
them releases fresh sap and silica
(a hard glossy mineral),
which acts as an abrasive material
for the removal stains.
The study was conducted by a group of dentists led by Dr.
Khaled Almas.
The study explains that the Miswak also releases a substance
that soothes toothache.
"It is also used to prevent smoking in adults and thumb
sucking in children. It may also improve appetite and
regulate peristaltic movements of the gastrointestinal
tract," said the study.
Referring to the growing sales of Miswak, especially during
Ramadan.
Mubarak Al-Oraizi, a Miswak seller in Riyadh, said:
"Miswak sales have gone up in Ramadan, especially in Makkah and
Madinah by nearly 300 percent."
Arif Aleem, a Bangladeshi salesman, who sits in front of a
Riyadh masjid, said: "This is our season and we do brisk
business in Ramadan every year. For me, it is fun sitting
near the masjid, praying and talking to people,
watching people coming and going and at the same time making
money."
"And We send down from the Qur'an that which is a healing
and a mercy to those who believe..."
['Qur`an' Surat Al-Isra' 17:82].
~ 'Salaams' to you ~
~Yasmin~
'Do Not Despair of the Mercy of Allah'.
{'Qur`an ~ Surat Az-Zumar~ 39 :A # 53 }
[ Source: "Study reveals medicinal properties of
miswak" Arab News September .]
On November 18 Br. Kaukab Siddique gave the juma khutba at
Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen in Baltimore.
The masjid gradually filled up along with increasing numbers
of sisters. The microphone system was loud and clear and
someone has donated an electric prayer calendar. Thanks to
Br. Abdul Shakoor for keeping the masjid clean and good
looking.
Video of the khutba is here:
https://www.facebook.com/100009438707580/videos/130422326039584/
Here are the main points of Br. Siddique's khutba:
Text: " The believers, men and women, are each others
protecting friends and guardians." [The Qur'an 9:71]
All praise is for Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the
universe. We send salutations to Muhammad, pbuh, the last of
messengers and prophets, and his family, Companions and
Wives and on all the Prophets, from Noah, Abraham, Moses,
Jacob, Joseph, Jesus all the way to the sublime Muhammad,
pbuh.
We must learn from the tragedies of America, first
slavery, then segregation and racism, so much so that even
the churches are all Black or all White with only a few in
between.
In the recent elections American leaders slammed and
abused each other though there is little difference between
them.
Now they have even dropped to the level of supporting
lgbtq.
To avert such a low down situation for ourselves, we
Muslims must always remember that Islam is for all human
beings based on their behavior, not on their race.
Part 2
Muslims don't understand Islam because they don't study
hadith.
Most Muslims don't know that the Qur'an was organized
according to hadith of the Prophet, pbuh, by the sahaba
under the leadership of the third caliph Usman, r.a.
Look at the start of each sura of the Qur'an. Right at
the top it tells you if it was revealed in Makka or Madina
or in between. These indications are from hadith and Muslims
can be dead wrong if they don't know which sura was revealed
in Makka and which in Madina.
Most Muslims don't know that Imam Bukhari was not a
narrator of hadith but a collector of hadith.
The headings in Bukhari's sahih are not hadith. Many
others are his interpretation, not hadith.
Most Muslims dont know that hadith started being
narrated when the Prophet, pbuh, was still alive, not in the
third century with Bukhari and Muslim.
One disaster has been that Muslims don't realize that
hadith is only that which comes from Muhammad, pbuh, with
an unbroken chain of narration.
Other narratives cannat be considered hadith.
A major disaster has been a narrative in Bukhari
according to which the Prophet, pbuh, married Ayesha, r.a.
when she was a child.
The Prophet,pbuh, never mentioned the age of Ayesha,
r.a., nor did he advise anyone to marry female children.
The narrative about her age in Bukhari is not from the
Prophet, pbuh.
Lack of hadith knowledge led many Muslims to claim that
child marriages are okay because it is in Bukhar's Sahih
It also emboldened the kuffar that the Prophet, pbuh,
was a pedophile (nauzubillah min zalik).
There are other hadith, authentic, ones, that the
Prophet, pbuh, taught that if a father in pre-Islamic or
tribal conditions married off his daughter in childhood,
she has the right to repudiate the marriage when she comes
of age.
Dear Muslims give the authentic message of Islam to the
people of America. Dawah is central to the message of
Islam.
Remember that Ayesha, r.a., was a scholar and a leader.
May Allah forgive our sins and shortcomings.
Qatar
The World Cup in Qatar is receiving a storm of criticism
from Western sources.
Their main points are:
Qatar has outlawed lgbtq
Liquor is not allowed.
Workers are not treated fairly.
This storm has been going on for quite a while. Finally the
Italian head of the games responded. Here is a brief excerpt
from his statement:
Doha, Qatar - FIFA President Gianni Infantino accused
Western countries of "hypocrisy" saying they were not in a
position to give "moral lessons" to other nations, hours
before the World Cup kicks off in Qatar.
In a fiery news conference in the Qatari capital on the eve
of the tournament, the Swiss Italian said Europe should
address its past crimes before pointing fingers at
Qatar.
In an interview, Deputy Prime Minister Al Thani said Qatar
was a "very welcoming country" and that the "entire world is
welcome in our country".
"All we ask is that fans respect our laws, just as we are
expected to respect yours when we visit you," he added.
The deputy prime minister said there would not be
confrontations between security forces and fans unless
certain behaviours put people in danger.
"That is the only situation in which they would
intervene."
When asked what policy Qatar would adopt if players were to
speak on non-sporting issues, Al Thani said they "will be
free to do so, we will never stop anyone from expressing
themselves".
Iran
The situation in Iran is deteriorating.
From protests against the regime now attempts seem aimed at
regime change.
Rumors have it that Imam Khomeini's home has been set on
fire. No confirmation.
Pakistan
Call for For Rule of Law.
by Qaiser Sharif
Islamabad: Nov 19:
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Sirajul Haqhas said there is not a
single precedent available in the world that political
parties hold such hectic exercise for the appointment of
chief of army staff.
"Politicization of important institutions is dangerous to
the country. The JI always called for the appointment of the
army chief on the pattern of chief justice of Pakistan. It
will permanently put the rumors and clashes to rest," he
said while addressing Islamabad Bar Association on Saturday,
adding he was glad the PTI chairman backed his proposal.
Haq said the JI was approaching the political parties for
holding dialogue on civilian supremacy, electoral reforms
and establishment's neutrality from political process.
He said a new social contract was needed on the three-point
agenda.
He regretted that the objectives on the basis of which the
country got independence are yet to be achieved. He said the
major political parties were acting as clubs of feudal lords
and capitalists,
lacking basic structure of internal democracy and
elections.
People, he said, reached to the parliament on the basis of
wealth and power. He said rigging held in election and the
institutions were not acting freely rather they worked under
influence of powerful.
The IMF controlled the national economy and the western NGOs
prepared the national curriculum, he added.
Haq said the PML-N, the PPP and the PTI were the protectors
of the status quo, pursuing the international agenda imposed
by the USA on Islamic atomic Pakistan.
The ruling parties, he said, were engaged in fight for
protection of self-interest to the level that they even felt
no need to provide relief to the millions of people badly
affected by floods. The country, he said, would not witness
any change in presence of these agents of the status
quo.
"We must launch a struggle for rule of law and for the
distribution of country's resources on equal basis which
currently are in possession of ruling elite. We need a
corruption free Pakistan."
He sought lawyers help to transform Pakistan into welfare
Islamic state.
Photo of Sirajul Haq
Jamaat Al-Muslimeen News
Our New Trend web site is doing well.
In October it received 69976 hits.
In addition it has three translations of the Qur'an as well
as Sahih Bukhari in English.
Support for political prisoners
and Dr. Kaukab Siddique's interview with Ken Meyercord
answering aggressive attacks on Islam.
Thanks be to Allah that Br. Rich is doing such great work
with this web site.
