Headlines:

• US Gearing up for Military Solution to Syria
• Danish Parliament Approves Bill to Ward Off Refugees
• Saudi Mufti Bans Chess

US Gearing up for Military Solution to Syria

Speaking at a news conference on 25 Jan, in Turkey, US Vice President Joe Biden sought to downplay the remote chances of any sort of political settlement coming out of this week’s planned Geneva peace talks, saying the US and Turkey are fully prepared to bypass the process and impose a “military solution” on Syria. “We do know it would be better if we can reach a political solution,” Biden told the conference, insisting that the US military was still fully capable of “solving” the situation. US officials later sought to clarify that Biden only meant to say that the US could wipe out ISIS, and not that they were planning to impose a new government. This once again raises the question of why the US doesn’t wipe out ISIS despite possessing the capability to do so. On more than a dozen occasions, US officials have sighted the need to maintain the regime and ensure the people (usually called terrorists) do not establish an independent state in the heart of the Middle East.

Danish Parliament Approves Bill to Ward Off Refugees

The recent influx and acceptance of refugees from the Muslim world, branded initially as a humanitarian cause has given rise to events which are the polar opposite to the term itself. The use of scare tactics by media outlets and governments leaking supposed sexual abuses are a few of many efforts to curb the number of refugees.  The latest attempt saw the Danish parliament join a host of other countries to allow the seizure of refugee property as a deterrent for migration.  Whilst the Danish government has tried to cover this by saying that they are applying the same law they apply to benefit claimants, the reality is that whilst benefit claimants need to give up their savings, their possessions are untouched. This points to the facade of European countries whose altruism was only apparent when discussions concerning military intervention and the Geneva conference were on the table. The morality of Western nations is clearly flexible as it has been side-lined in this case

Saudi Mufti Bans Chess

Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti has ruled that chess is forbidden in Islam, saying it encourages gambling and is a waste of time. Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh was answering a question on a television show where he said chess was “included under gambling” and was “a waste of time and money and a cause for hatred and enmity between players.” Saudi’s Grand Muftis have a history of delivering ridiculous fatwas with little evidences and with little understating of the reality. Politically these muftis have little credibility as they fall over themselves to justify the actions of the Saudi monarchy, but they issue no fatwas when the royal family openly contradict Islam.