Headlines:
- Former Ukip Candidate and Pegida UK leader Says ‘Muslims Should not Hold Political Power’ and claims Syrian Refugees do not Exist
- How Saudi Arabia Sending Ground Forces into Syria will have Huge Ramifications
- America Cannot Afford an Endless War in Afghanistan
- In China, Rise of Salafism Fosters Suspicion and Division Among Muslims
Former Ukip Candidate and Pegida UK leader Says ‘Muslims Should not Hold Political Power’ and Claims Syrian Refugees do not Exist
A former Ukip candidate who now heads anti-immigration group Pegida UK has said Muslims should “not hold political power” in Britain. Paul Weston, who will be leading a march through Birmingham on Saturday, also described all asylum seekers as “migrant invaders” and claimed “there is no such thing as a Syrian refugee”. He was speaking to LBC radio as the station’s correspondent Tom Swarbrick followed Pegida UK around Europe, where the group’s different factions are staging mass protests. “I don’t want Muslims in areas of political power because they put Islam as their primary allegiance,” Mr Weston added. Pegida (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West) started in Dresden in October 2014, staging thousands-strong rallies that sparked counter protests and condemnation from the highest levels of German government. [Source: Independent]
Vitriol against Muslims whipped up by the Western media is encouraging the rise of groups like Pegida that seek to expel Muslims from Europe. The Western governments are slowly developing a policy to purge Muslims amongst their midst by resurrecting the days of Isabella and Ferdinand.
How Saudi Arabia Sending Ground Forces into Syria will have Huge Ramifications
The sending of ground forces by Saudi Arabia into Syria will have immense ramifications for the country’s civil war and the wider region. The question, however, is whether it will actually take place. The Saudi announcement comes at a time when prospects for peace have faded with the collapse of the Geneva talks and the conflict has intensified with regime forces attempting to encircle Aleppo backed by heavy Russian air strikes. The already sour relationship between Russia and Turkey, backers respectively of the Syrian regime and rebels, has also worsened. Ankara accuses Moscow of being complicit in trying to impose a “starvation siege” on Aleppo while the Russians claim the Turks are planning to invade Syria. Any Saudi troops going into Syria will find themselves at the centre of a highly combustible situation. Although the ostensible reason for their presence would be to fight Isis, they may find themselves clashing with Iranian ‘volunteers’ and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters. The leading Sunni state in the Middle-East, Saudi Arabia, will find itself in confrontation with the leading Shia state, Iran, and its allies. The bitter enemies have been engaged in proxy sectarian wars in a number of places, most currently in Yemen; this time they will be in the same battle-space. But will the Saudi ground intervention against Isis actually happen? The Saudi and other Sunni Gulf states are part of the US-led air campaign against Isis. But they have not even been taking part in this for months, forced to focus instead on air strikes on Iranian backed Houthi rebels in Yemen who are proving far harder to see off than expected. There was talk at the beginning of the campaign of an army of Sunni states going into Yemen. The Saudis did not offer to lead it, trying instead, unsuccessfully, to sub-contract this to the Egyptians and the Pakistanis. The task is now being largely undertaken by a force of mercenaries, including Latin Americans and South Africans, organised by a US company. There is a possibility that the Saudis may join the Turks if Ankara tries to set up a buffer zone, as they had proposed in the past, inside Syria. But such incursion may lead to clashes with the Kurdish YPG group, enemies of the Turks, but allies of the Americans against Isis. So, the scenario in Syria remains convoluted and confusing. There may be a bit more clarity on plans of the anti-Isis coalition after a NATO meeting in Brussels next week. It remains highly unlikely, however, that the Saudis will do anything on their own. [Source: The Independent]
As usual the Saudi leadership only gets involved when foreign powers most notably America and Britain give the green light. This time is appears that the Saudi involvement will mimic Russia’s foray into Syria and that is to shore up Assad’s brutal regime, and end the Islamic uprising.
America Cannot Afford an Endless War in Afghanistan
President Obama never wanted an endless war in Afghanistan, but that is exactly what America is currently facing. Just last week, the Washington Post reported that “Top U.S. military commanders… are now quietly talking about an American commitment that could keep thousands of troops in the country for decades.” President Obama previously promised to have American troops out of Afghanistan by the time he left office, but last October he announced that the U.S. will keep close to 10,000 troops in Afghanistan through most of 2016 and retain 5,500 soldiers there by the time he leaves office. Now, keeping substantial numbers of U.S. troops in Afghanistan indefinitely is on the table. After decades of war, the United States learned the hard way that we could exit Vietnam and be stronger for it. A perpetual war in Indochina ended when we were chased out, with helicopters rescuing Americans from rooftops. Today in Afghanistan, we are at a crossroads similar to the one we faced in Vietnam. We must remember the lessons we learned and stop Afghanistan from becoming another endless war. In Afghanistan, there is no clear end game and no clear formula for success. This is the longest war in our country’s history and another five or 10 or 25 years are not likely to bring about democracy, a stable government or a definitive end to the Taliban’s threat to Kabul. The simple truth is that there is no military solution to the crisis in Afghanistan, only a political solution. And only the Afghan people themselves can determine the fate of their future. Simply perpetuating our military presence there is not the answer and more must be done to support the latest round of proposed peace talks with the Taliban to lay the foundation for lasting regional stability. We must embrace a smart, forward-thinking approach and work with our military leaders to create a clear plan to finally bring our troops home. U.S. forces are currently deployed in an astounding 147 countries across the world. Stretching our military so thin is not the right way forward. Looking at the world today, we know that we face real threats, but we also know that smart and strong American leadership starts with a clear-eyed approach that recognizes that another endless war is not the way to keep our country safe and strengthen global security. President Obama promised the American people that he would bring our troops home from Afghanistan. It’s time to fulfill that promise. Our troops and their families deserve nothing less.
Allah says,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ لِيَصُدُّوا عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِۚ فَسَيُنفِقُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسْرَةً ثُمَّ يُغْلَبُونَۗ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ يُحْشَرُونَ
“Verily, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to hinder (men) from the Path of Allah, and so will they continue to spend it; but in the end it will become an anguish for them. Then they will be overcomed. And those who disbelieve will be gathered unto Hell.”
(Al Anfal: 36)
In China, Rise of Salafism Fosters Suspicion and Division Among Muslims
The Chinese public increasingly associates Islam with terrorism, and many other Chinese Muslims see Salafis as fanatics, unable to successfully navigate mainstream Chinese society. Experts say that in recent years, Chinese authorities have put Salafis under constant surveillance, closed several Salafi religious schools and detained a prominent Salafi cleric. A once close-knit relationship between Chinese Salafis and Saudi patrons has grown thorny and complex. Locals in Linxia say that in the city, relations are good, but in the countryside, where traditions are more entrenched, spiritual disagreements have created a deep social divide. Although many Chinese Salafi are avowedly nonviolent and apolitical, their faith is fraught with risk, underscoring an increasingly strained relationship between the Chinese state and its Muslim citizens. “China discriminates against religious people — not only Salafis, but also people from other religions,” said a local Salafi man who, like many interviewees in Linxia, requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the subject. “We don’t have equal rights.” Estimates of the number of Chinese Salafis are vague, ranging from thousands to tens of thousands. Yet experts and Linxia Muslims agree that the movement, which is growing worldwide, is also gaining traction in China, even among ethnic Han Chinese. “I’ve been studying Muslims in China for the past 30 years, and it’s only over the past four or five that we see young Han men converting to a radical, conservative Islamic ideology,” said Dru Gladney, an expert on Chinese Muslims at Pomona College. “Not politically radical, but radically conservative, radically orthodox.” “Clearly Muslim ideologies can be very powerful,” he continued. Islamic State “is appealing to many marginalized young men throughout the world. And I think Han Chinese men, as well as younger [Chinese Muslims], look at this and say, ‘What are the alternatives to communism, to capitalism, to socialism?'” Chinese Muslims are diverse, but most fall into two groups. Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking minority group, live primarily in the northwestern region of Xinjiang; culturally and religiously, they hew closer to Central Asia than to Beijing. [Source: LA Times]
As long as Muslims are without the Khilafah State (Caliphate) the enemies of Islam will continue to divide the Muslim Ummah into multiple factions. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«إِنَّمَا الْإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ»
“The Imam is a shield behind which the people fight and are protected.”
(Muslim)