3931-ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? | View Thread

Employers can ban wearing of visible religious symbols – top EU court

Published time: 14 Mar, 2017 09:01

Edited time: 14 Mar, 2017 09:26

FILE PHOTO © Susan Baaghil / Reuters

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that employers can ban staff from wearing visible religious symbols at work in the first case of its kind before the EU’s top court.

The ECJ has ruled on the cases of two female employees in Belgium and in France, fired after they refused to remove their headscarves at work.

In the first case, a Belgian woman working as a receptionist for G4S Secure Solutions, which has a general ban on the wearing of visible religious or political symbols, was dismissed for refusing to remove her religious attire. In the second, a French IT consultant was also let go when she refused to take off the headscarf after a client complained.

“An internal rule of an undertaking which prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination,” the court said in a statement.

The ruling comes on the eve of the Dutch election, in which Muslim immigration has been a key issue.

Islamic headscarves are a contentious issue in several European countries, with numerous cases of alleged discrimination against Muslim women emerging in recent months.

In December, a 14-year-old Syrian teenager was reportedly kicked off a tram in Berlin for wearing a headscarf, after the driver shouted through a loudspeaker that he refused to transport her.

Earlier this month, Austrian government officials sharply criticizeda recommendation by the Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGO) which states that Muslim women must start wearing a headscarf from the onset of puberty, describing it as an attack on integration and women’s freedom.

Last month, a Muslim teacher who wasn't hired by a Berlin school because she was wearing a headscarf was awarded €8,680 (US$9,250) in compensation for discrimination.

Meanwhile, a court in the Czech Republic threw out a similar case in January, in which a Somalian refugee claimed she had been barred from wearing her headscarf in a nursing school. The case was said to be the first of its kind in the EU.

(RT)

We Are Walking A Tightrope Through Chaos

MARCH 14, 2017

By Julian Rose

Rational observation leads one to be unable to deny the undeniable: the toxic burden now being carried by the Earth’s atmosphere, living matter, animals and humans, has taken us all to the brink of apocalypse.

Yet, in spite of evidential states of dramatic damage to the fabric of life on Earth, radiantly beautiful children are birthing on this planet every day, as if in defiant declarations of the power of life over death.

These children are arriving even as nuclear reactors leak, catch fire and melt down, depositing their deadly radioactive isotopes around the planet. Even as a persistent drum beat ‘for war’ reverberates across continents and seas. Even as mind numbed and micro-chipped robotic humans blunder blindly onwards towards their slavish epiphany. Even as the skies are torn apart by streams of aluminium sulphate nanoparticles, and depleted uranium continues its mission as a weapon of mass destruction, to rip the very heart out of the warm corpuscles of life.

Yes, in spite of these – and so many more – acts of political, military and corporate sabotage upon the sentient veins of sacred living matter, the children of genius keep coming. And quantum physics reveals the absolute interconnectivity of the diversity of all life, and how we are one. All one.

While plants and animals suffer the fate of being genetically engineered into new species, further denaturing an already deformed environment, the humble element of water is revealed to be a crystalline gift of the gods with exceptional powers to sooth and heal.

It is an extraordinary time on this blessed beleaguered planet. Resonant with extremes. Extremes that squeeze us and squeeze us, either into acts of submission or acts of rebellion and revolution, born of revelation.

We who are ‘alive’ choose rebellion. A passionate refusal to give in. However, in order to make our rebellion into something capable of moving forward, manifesting itself as positive action in the here and now, it becomes all important to retain focus and not be pulled out of line by that which manifests as the crazed daily reality.

So let us be aware: we are up against a gathering storm of politically led divisiveness , and as a consequence, are being blinded by a confusion of emotive, violent, media manipulated images; blind and bigoted rhetoric, ‘fake news’ and a deluge of acts of narcissistic criminal self-indulgence.

We are faced by ‘legalized corruption’ becoming the common code of governments across the world.

‘Democracy’ is morphing into totalitarian centralisation, in which the ‘executive’ takes unto itself the right to enact laws that grant, a priori, exclusive powers to the state or premier; including establishing a ‘snoopers charter’ to cover total surveillance of citizens’ activities.

But even as this is happening, higher levels of consciousness are rising up to counteract the all-out drive for the rule of fascism. At the time of writing, the Schumann Resonance is peaking at 40Hz +. A substantial increase in recent levels of between 7.8 and 15 Hz. Many believe this frequency rate to be directly correlated with an upward trend in spirit oriented energies supporting mankind’s liberation from the yoke of absolute autocratic control.

The confusion manifesting here and now on this planet, takes the form of an orchestrated war, enacted by global institutions and governments, to remove the last vestiges of what we have come to call our ‘civil liberties’. Diversity and individuality are being eaten-up by perversity and conformity. Large corporations get larger still, swallowing competitors as they go. Governments, I repeat, deftly take unto themselves ever more authority to control, with incremental accumulations of power being seized almost at will.

The centralised super-state looms ever nearer, under the moniker of organized protection against a rise in ‘terrorism’. Yes, the very terrorism which the state itself instigated by embarking on violent invasions of foreign territories and massive sales of armaments to those willing to work for illegitimate ‘regime change’.

Back on home turf, crusading armies of ‘believers’ in this that and the other, slug it out in an orchestrated war of ‘left’ versus ‘right’. Extreme left versus extreme right. Nationalists versus federalists. Globalists versus populists. Divide and conquer, stoked into an all-consuming fire of blind attrition. Attrition created and financed by the planet’s dominant architects of control.

Presiding over the public face of this incendiary rabble-rousing madness, like traffic conductors pointing-up the road to hell, are figureheads of the so called ‘entertainment industry’: Lady Gaga, Madonna and Miley Cyrus. Pushing home the satanic agenda which is the hallmark of their ‘professional performance’ status.

Po faced and emotionless, their sexless sex ‘act’, cheered on by adoring mind-numbed followers, becomes a potent symbol of the descent into hell which is in progress across this planet.

Yet, and this is the point I particularly wish to convey in this article, all this insanity is not the agenda upon which our focus should be trained. Nor should it be taken as the all-pervading reality in which we are entrapped.

However, for those who cannot separate truth from lies, this topsy-turvy, cruel and seemingly directionless existence is indeed the main point of focus. The foreground. A foreground in which they are completely immersed, to the point of being blind to any other perspective at all.

But for those who can discern light from dark, deception from truth and foreground from background, the blanket like fake news, hyped-up scaremongering and outright lies, are actually the background; whereas in the foreground is a vision of life based upon a deep sense of purpose, rising awareness and a growing consciousness concerning that which gives direction and meaning to life as a sacred whole.

Yes, the beautiful children are birthing here on Earth, and it is due to this rising tide of potential for deep change; the inextinguishable determination to live by truth; to stand in defiance of all that would destroy the sanctity of life. To expose the lies and those that tell them.

The trick is to refocus, so that the daily madness trying to claim our attention, becomes the out of focus background. Perceived as such, through a sharply focussed foreground of truth. So long as this proper perspective is maintained, you will not fall into the black hole which the Lady Gaga coven is enticing you to enter.

We who have come here as guardians of planet Earth have one foot in this world and one in the world to come. That’s how it is. And the foot that’s in this world, is here to take action in support of the world’s continuation. Holding the ground for future generations. Building a new society.

Sometimes we may feel inclined to have both feet in the world to come, but this would be to part company with the terrain of this planet completely. To escape. And why would one put one’s best energy into that when it comes as the natural course of things after death?

While we are alive in our physical bodies, we maintain engagement with the living; the living substance of the planet and its occupants – all beings. This ‘engagement’ is the human imperative. This involves not only proper focus, but also perfecting the art of tightrope walking; maintaining balance at a time of deliberately induced imbalance.

Beneath the taught rope upon which we balance is a chasm of unawareness. A fool’s paradise. A mock-hierarchical world of ambition, greed and cunning, led by a motley crew of political pyramid climbers, corporate pirates and desensitised bureaucrats; who have at their disposal military might and fiat money in limitless volumes.

Struggling under the suppressive influence of this cabal, are what we refer to as ‘the people’. Us. But I would like to add animals, insects, birds, bees, fish trees, plants, rivers, seas and skies; for they are equally abused.

Those of us who are ‘aware’, to whatever degree, have no business ignoring the plight of any of these life forms, including our human compatriots, whatever race, colour or creed. After all, they are the ingredients out of which a better way of life must be moulded. However downtrodden, they still represent the ingredients of the world to come.

It is our task to lay the foundations of this world to come, and we cannot do so without a very real strata of love for this place into which we were born; adding to that love, determination, courage and a keen sense of balance.

For many on the road of growing consciousness, the attraction of concentrating on ‘the spiritual path’ often precludes active engagement with the real world. Thus a split has been brought about which should never be there.

I hope readers are understanding this clearly, for healing this split is the most central issue to which our best energies should be turned.

There is no split except the one we make. Our growth, indeed our entire development, hangs on adopting the path of truth – taking action to revitalize and heal our common home, and its inhabitants – that is the conscious, actual expression, of spiritual aspiration.

One is not on the ‘path of truth’ simply because one is practising meditation, Qui Gong or yoga. That is, at best, just one half of the path. Believing that by following such regimes one has done all that is necessary to become a ‘realized being’ is delusional.

It is only when these inner-focussed practices are accompanied by complementary outward-focussed actions, that one can start to fully realize our un-split, integrated Godly capacities.

I am binding back together that which has been broken apart. We cannot move forward as a species until we realize, and act on the realization, that to breathe ‘in’ and to breathe ‘out’ is One action in two parts. To concentrate on one half while largely ignoring the other, is a receipt for sickness. And isn’t that sickness almost universal these days?

Bringing into sharp focus that which demands our greatest attention is the clue to maintaining balance on the tightrope of life, so as to traverse the chaos of a society under the thrall of orchestrated superficiality and deeply embedded indoctrination.

As the world descends into uncharted depths of engineered confusion, we who can see beyond its trappings have a critically important role to play. To keep the balance. Dynamic balance. For it is not just our balance, but the balance of the whole universe which is at stake.

In truth, we have no option other than to direct our growing consciousness into actions to free the planet from the inhuman adversarial forces that dictate the daily suffocation of all that is wholesome, vital and essential. Essential in nourishing into fruition the creativity which lies at the core of the Divine beings we truly are.

Image Credit

(activistpost.com)

Erdogan is the greatest threat to peace in Europe since Hitler

[Editor’s note: The situation in the Netherlands, on the face of it, has all the characteristics of a political farce, but when one digs a little deeper, what lies beneath is far more sinister and dangerous.

To summarise: two Turkish ministers wanted to visit the Netherlands in order to lead large public rallies designed to increase support for Turkish president Erdogan in the upcoming Turkish referendum that will ostensibly turn Turkey into a totalitarian dictatorship.

The Dutch government protested and didn’t want to let these ministers into the country and didn’t wish these public gatherings to take place. In response, the Turks threw a big hissy fit and Erdogan called the Dutch fascists, likened them to the Nazis and suggested their country was a ‘banana republic’. Turks living in the Netherlands rioted and the Dutch police were faced with Turkish mobs on the streets, something very unusual for peaceful Holland.

The Dutch, to their credit, told the Turks to get stuffed and demanded an apology, especially for calling them Nazis, a very sore point to the Dutch as they suffered badly under Nazi occupation during WW2. The Turks have also demanded apologies and we are left with a standoff where both sides are offended and neither feels inclined to back down.

Personally, I’m with the Dutch on this one, they are quite within their rights to not allow a foreign power to hold political rallies in their cities, the Turkish reaction has been pretty nasty and in my eyes, disgusting. The democratic Dutch are standing up to a tinpot dictator who dreams of being the Sultan and recreating the Ottoman Empire.

That is the broad outline of events, however I believe there is a deeper, covert agenda being played out here and the Turks are attempting to destabilised not only the Netherlands but most of Western Europe too. Over the last 2-3 years, Erdogan has attacked Europe directly by sending hordes of ‘refugees’, Germany has been a prime target, but Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Austria and others have been targeted too. He even managed to extort a few billion euros out of the EU over the whole mess – clearly Erdogan was acting like a gangster.

To make things worse, these migrants were then stirred up and incited to carry out violence and rape, especially public sexual assaults, including gang rape. Turkish ringleaders provided them with drugs and cash and incited them to these terrible acts which have been seen all over Scandinavia and Western Europe, but Germany especially. Furthermore, within these migrant groups are concealed Turkish terrorist cells, ready and waiting to carry out false flag attacks, they may have been responsible for some of the attacks we have already seen in Belgium, France and Germany.

It has been something of an open secret for years now that the millions of Turks in Germany are planning to, in the long term, take control of the country and turn it into an Islamic, Turkish-controlled state.

The same is widely believed to be the case in the Netherlands, where they have seen huge influxes of Turks, most of them criminals who are attracted by the drugs and sex trades – they deal drugs and traffic sex workers, the Dutch prisons are full of Turks and the Dutch people, once so liberal and welcoming, have become Turk-hating and far less liberal in their outlook on all foreigners – in short, they have had enough of seeing their once completely peaceful and law abiding country ruined by the Turks.

Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the other large cities now contain Turkish ghettoes that are no-go areas for the Dutch, street crimes and violence, including gun crimes have become common in some places, it is all one big mess and the Dutch are sick of it – hence the rise of the far right and the likes of Geert Wilders.

The Turks are not all that secretive about their machinations either, as witnessed by the disturbng calls from the Turkish press for the 400,000 Turks living in the Netherlands to start a civil war and pointing out that they vastly outnumber the 48,000 troops of the Dutch Army.

However, I think it is unlikely that we will see an attempt to start a civil war and instead, the goal is to influence the upcoming Dutch elections. The one person to greatly benefit from this fiasco is the far-right candidate Geert Wilders, but why would the Turks want to assist Wilders into office? The answer is simple – Wilders, like Donald Trump in the US, Marine LePen in France, Nigel Farage in the UK and others all across the right of European politics is an Israeli stooge. Turkey had long been a close ally of Israel therefore it suits both the Israeli and Turkish agendas to have their man in power in the Netherlands, a man who, like Trump, is a fake populist and would be a faithful and willing puppet.

There is another benefit to the Israelis of this Turkish destabilisation of Europe – it strengthens the election campaigns of their other puppets, such as LePen in France and the AfD (Alternative for Deustchland) party in Germany.

What is the ultimate goal of this agenda – to control Europe via puppet leaders who answer to Israel and where de facto control of the criminal trades in drugs and people is in the hands of the Turks? To ignite race wars between increasingly radicalised and pissed-off indigenous white, ostensibly Christian Europeans and their Turkish, ostensibly Islamic invaders?

Whatever the exact agenda, rest assured, it is going to be very bad for Europe and it’s people and unless someone acts to curtail the power hungry criminal regimes in Tel-Aviv and Ankara, Europe, quite frankly, is ****ed…. Ian]

Prime Minister Mark Rutte has refused to apologize and has stood by his government’s decision to expel Kaya, saying she had been an “undesirable” visitor.

__________

World Bulletin
Turkish minister sparks Netherlands state of emergency

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte Sunday ruled out apologising for banning Turkish ministers from joining pro-Ankara rallies here, but said he hoped a diplomatic row could be defused.

“There’s absolutely no way excuses can be made, they should make excuses for what they’ve done yesterday,” Rutte told reporters as he campaigned for Wednesday’s general election.

The Dutch have been particularly angered after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan likened them to Nazis for refusing to allow his ministers to attend a pro-government meeting in Rotterdam to drum up support for an April referendum on expanding his powers.

“This country, as the mayor of Rotterdam pointed out yesterday, was bombed during the Second World War by the Nazis. It’s totally unacceptable to talk in this way,” Rutte said in The Hague.

The decision by Turkish Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya to defy repeated Dutch warnings not to come to The Netherlands had led to “havoc,” he said.

The mayor of Rotterdam had issued an emergency order late Saturday to prevent a pro-Turkish demonstration outside the country’s consulate in the city which has turned into a flashpoint of the worsening relations between the Netherlands and Turkey.

Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said he needed special powers to assure security throughout the center of the city, fearing that more people would join the demonstration and there was “serious concern” that riots might ensue. Under the powers, it is easier for authorities to keep people away from diplomatic compounds like the consulate.

Rutte urged Dutch citizens to “keep your cool. We have a fantastic society… and most Dutch people with a Turkish background are well-integrated.”

Tensions remained high, with Erdogan warning on Sunday that the Netherlands would “pay a price” for its actions. But Rutte said: “In the interest of our relations within the EU, with Turkey, it is now crucial to try and de-escalate events, not to add to this.

“Of course, if Turkey continues to talk in an inflammatory way about the Netherlands, we have to consider next steps.”

And in an interview with the Dutch public broadcaster NOS, he hit out at Ankara for treating Dutch people with Turkish roots as Turkish citizens.

“These are Dutch citizens,” Rutte insisted, adding that like Turkey “The Netherlands is a proud country”.

The Netherlands is home to some 400,000 people of Turkish origin, and Ankara is keen to harness votes of the diaspora in Europe ahead of an April 16 referendum on boosting the powers of the president.

Dutch police moved in early Sunday to break up protests, which erupted in Rotterdam over the incident, using water cannon, dogs and mounted horseback charges. Dutch media said that 12 people had been arrested and one officer was hurt.

Growing number of nations denounce Dutch government for blocking Turkish ministers from meeting ex-pats

__________
World Bulletin
World condemns Netherlands for row with Turkey

Egypt, Iraq, Mauritania and Tunisia on Monday joined an international chorus of condemnation after the Netherlands barred Turkish ministers from meeting Turks in Rotterdam.

Adnan Mansar, Secretary-General of the Tunisian Harak Tounes al-Irada political party, said the Dutch’s denial of a flight permit for Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoglu as “provocative” and “aggressive”. Prominent Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour described the Dutch action as “unacceptable”.

Iraq’s former Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi wrote on Twitter that the Turkish government’s move to explain proposed constitutional changes were democratic as he went on to accuse European nations of acting in a “totalitarian” manner.

Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hikmet Haciyev reacted to Netherlands’ attitude towards Turkish ministers. In a written statement, Haciyev described the Dutch treatment of Turkish ministers was “contradictory” and “prejudiced”.

“What has been done against the Turkish government’s officials, the hinderance of meeting and demonstration freedom of Turks in the Netherlands and the use of power against them is contradictory and prejudiced,” Haciyev said.

A representative of a Mauritian umbrella group the National Forum for Democracy and Unity, Veled Eddi said that it was a “weird blockage”.

The Dutch government canceled Çavuşoglu flight permit to the Netherlands and then blocked a convoy carrying Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam.

The ministers were due to meet Turkish society ahead of a referendum April 16 that will decide constitutional reforms. The Dutch government said it canceled Cavusoglu’s flight permit because of “security” and “public safety” concerns.

Protests erupted outside the consulate in Rotterdam, where police used guard dogs and batons to disperse a peaceful crowd that had gathered in support of Kaya. She was later forced to leave the consulate area with a police escort.

Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland said Sunday tensions between Turkey and several European countries was damaging to diplomacy and democracy.

“We cannot allow it to escalate any further,” Jagland said, adding that all Turkish citizens should have ample opportunity to be informed about the referendum campaign.
“All public meetings and political campaigns held in Council of Europe member states should be conducted in accordance with national legislation and the European Convention on Human Rights,” he said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault urged Dutch and Turkish authorities to reach an agreement. “Faced with the current tension between Turkey and several member states of the European Union, France calls for appeasement,” he said in a statement Sunday that also “calls on the Turkish authorities to avoid excesses and provocations,

In these circumstances, it is essential to be accountable and to avoid unnecessary polemics,” it added. Azerbaijan foreign ministry spokesman Hikmet Haciyev said the Dutch treatment of Turkish ministers was biased.

“What has been done against the Turkish government’s officials, the hinderance of meeting and demonstration freedom of Turks in the Netherlands and the use of power against them is contradictory and prejudiced,” Haciyev said.

The stand-off between Turkey and the Netherlands should be sorted out “as fast as possible”, according to British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

“I think this is very regrettable,” Johnson said while speaking at a weekend political program on the ITV channel.

French Foreign minister Jean Marc Ayrault said the meeting of Turkish foreign minister in Metz “is a matter of freedom of assembly”.

Yousuf Al-Koda, head of the Islamic Wasat Party in Sudan, said the move against Turkish ministers contradicted human rights and concepts of democracy “advocated by Europe”.

Algerian lawmaker Muhammed al-Hadi Osmaniye said such racist and provocative attitudes served far-right groups in Europe. “The West does not want the spread of democracy in Muslim societies,” he said.

Premier Binali Yildirim says attitude of Netherlands against Turkish female minister ‘unacceptable’

__________
World Bulletin
Turkey vows to retaliate harshly against Netherlands

Turkey will retaliate harshly against the Netherlands following its actions against a Turkish female minister in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday.

Speaking at a rally in western Yalova, Yildirim said: “The attitude of the Netherlands yesterday [Saturday] towards Turkish family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya is unacceptable.”

The premier said the Netherlands have violated diplomatic principles, thwarted the freedom of movement of a serving Turkish minister, forcing her to leave the country.

“Everyone should know that Turkey will retaliate in the heaviest possible way,” Yildirim said.

He said Turkey will do everything necessary to ensure that such events against Turkish citizens and the country do not occur again.

He noted that while supporters of terrorist organizations like Fetullah Terrorist Organization and the PKK roam freely in Europe, Turkish ministers were not being given permissions.

“These days, we see the dictatorial practices of those who give us democracy lessons,” Yildirim said.

He added that by preventing Turkish ministers from meeting their expat community, Europe was backing the No campaign in the upcoming referendum in April in Turkey.

Last week, Turkish ministers were barred from holding public rallies in two German cities ahead of the April 16 referendum in Turkey.

On Saturday, the Dutch government first canceled the Turkish foreign minister’s flight permit to the Netherlands and then blocked a convoy carrying Turkey’s family minister from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam.

The ministers were also due to meet Turkish residents ahead of the April 16 referendum on constitutional reforms.

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 3/16/2017 10:31:32 AM
	Employers can ban wearing of visible religious symbols – top EU court Published time: 14 Mar, 2017 09:01 Edited time: 14 Mar, 2017 09:26 FILE PHOTO © Susan Baaghil / Reuters The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that employers can ban staff from wearing visible religious symbols at work in the first case of its kind before the EU’s top court. The ECJ has ruled on the cases of two female employees in Belgium and in France, fired after they refused to remove their headscarves at work. In the first case, a Belgian woman working as a receptionist for G4S Secure Solutions, which has a general ban on the wearing of visible religious or political symbols, was dismissed for refusing to remove her religious attire. In the second, a French IT consultant was also let go when she refused to take off the headscarf after a client complained. Follow EU Court of Justice @EUCourtPress #ECJ: no direct discrimination if internal company rule prohibits wearing of religious symbols http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo2_16799 … 4:22 AM - 14 Mar 2017 205 Retweets 76 likes “An internal rule of an undertaking which prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination,” the court said in a statement. The ruling comes on the eve of the Dutch election, in which Muslim immigration has been a key issue. Read more Syrian teen kicked off Berlin tram for wearing headscarf – police report Islamic headscarves are a contentious issue in several European countries, with numerous cases of alleged discrimination against Muslim women emerging in recent months. In December, a 14-year-old Syrian teenager was reportedly kicked off a tram in Berlin for wearing a headscarf, after the driver shouted through a loudspeaker that he refused to transport her. Earlier this month, Austrian government officials sharply criticizeda recommendation by the Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGO) which states that Muslim women must start wearing a headscarf from the onset of puberty, describing it as an attack on integration and women’s freedom. Last month, a Muslim teacher who wasn't hired by a Berlin school because she was wearing a headscarf was awarded €8,680 (US$9,250) in compensation for discrimination. Meanwhile, a court in the Czech Republic threw out a similar case in January, in which a Somalian refugee claimed she had been barred from wearing her headscarf in a nursing school. The case was said to be the first of its kind in the EU. (RT)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 3/16/2017 10:46:38 AM
	Italian Band Jailed And Deported After Trying To Enter The U.S. To Play Free Shows ByBrianna Acuesta Posted on March 13, 2017 The band did not pose a threat, but they were jailed and deported like criminals. Credit: Soviet Soviet Popular Italian trio Soviet Soviet was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection late last week after arriving in Seattle to perform in one of their first scheduled shows in the U.S. this week. Though the band was told by their American label, Felte Records, that their shows in the U.S. would be strictly promotional and they wouldn’t be receiving any monetary compensation for their performances, Customs and Border Protection did not agree with their use of ESTA. ESTA, which is also referred to as the Visa Waiver Program, is typically used by foreign bands entering the U.S. only when their performances are going to be unpaid. If the band will be receiving compensation for their shows, they are usually required to obtain a regular work visa. Felte Records provided a letter to confirm that Soviet Soviet would not be receiving any money, but this was not accepted by Customs and Border Protection. Instead, the three were detained by agents and questioned separately for several hours. The agents involved were notified that two of the venues that the band would be performing at were charging entrance fees, leaving the agents to believe that the band would, in fact, be paid. This was enough to cause the agents to detain the men. Their cell phones and other personal belongings were confiscated, preventing them from notifying anyone of what was going on. “We accepted this situation even if we tried to no end to explain the situation and that we were not receiving any form of payment, but there was simply no way of convincing the officials we spoke to. From that moment onwards, we became three illegal immigrants and were treated like criminals,” the band said in a statement. Credit: Soviet Soviet The three were frisked, handcuffed, and taken into custody, where they took mug shots and were kept in jail overnight. They were escorted back to the airport by two agents and given back their personal belongings just before the flight that had been booked to send them back to Italy, where they were also escorted onto the plane. Jeff Owens, who runs Felte, said that their plans for entry into the U.S. may not have been void of flaws, but that the travel regulations for bands such as Soviet Soviet have always been questionable. Additionally, the way that the band was treated was likely too harsh for the “crimes” they were accused of. Owens clarified that “they were not a threat and genuinely thought they had the proper paperwork.” Despite wishing they could have performed in the U.S., the band said, “We were relieved to fly back home and distance ourselves from that violent, stressful and humiliating situation.” Under Trump’s stricter travel laws, it’s difficult to say what bands will face in the future when arriving in the U.S., but it’s likely that this incident will encourage groups to secure work visas just in case. Read More: http://www.trueactivist.com/italian-band-jailed-and-deported-after-trying-to-enter-the-u-s-to-play-free-shows/
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 3/16/2017 11:06:35 AM
	We Are Walking A Tightrope Through Chaos MARCH 14, 2017 By Julian Rose Rational observation leads one to be unable to deny the undeniable: the toxic burden now being carried by the Earth’s atmosphere, living matter, animals and humans, has taken us all to the brink of apocalypse. Yet, in spite of evidential states of dramatic damage to the fabric of life on Earth, radiantly beautiful children are birthing on this planet every day, as if in defiant declarations of the power of life over death. These children are arriving even as nuclear reactors leak, catch fire and melt down, depositing their deadly radioactive isotopes around the planet. Even as a persistent drum beat ‘for war’ reverberates across continents and seas. Even as mind numbed and micro-chipped robotic humans blunder blindly onwards towards their slavish epiphany. Even as the skies are torn apart by streams of aluminium sulphate nanoparticles, and depleted uranium continues its mission as a weapon of mass destruction, to rip the very heart out of the warm corpuscles of life. Yes, in spite of these – and so many more – acts of political, military and corporate sabotage upon the sentient veins of sacred living matter, the children of genius keep coming. And quantum physics reveals the absolute interconnectivity of the diversity of all life, and how we are one. All one. While plants and animals suffer the fate of being genetically engineered into new species, further denaturing an already deformed environment, the humble element of water is revealed to be a crystalline gift of the gods with exceptional powers to sooth and heal. It is an extraordinary time on this blessed beleaguered planet. Resonant with extremes. Extremes that squeeze us and squeeze us, either into acts of submission or acts of rebellion and revolution, born of revelation. We who are ‘alive’ choose rebellion. A passionate refusal to give in. However, in order to make our rebellion into something capable of moving forward, manifesting itself as positive action in the here and now, it becomes all important to retain focus and not be pulled out of line by that which manifests as the crazed daily reality. So let us be aware: we are up against a gathering storm of politically led divisiveness , and as a consequence, are being blinded by a confusion of emotive, violent, media manipulated images; blind and bigoted rhetoric, ‘fake news’ and a deluge of acts of narcissistic criminal self-indulgence. We are faced by ‘legalized corruption’ becoming the common code of governments across the world. ‘Democracy’ is morphing into totalitarian centralisation, in which the ‘executive’ takes unto itself the right to enact laws that grant, a priori, exclusive powers to the state or premier; including establishing a ‘snoopers charter’ to cover total surveillance of citizens’ activities. But even as this is happening, higher levels of consciousness are rising up to counteract the all-out drive for the rule of fascism. At the time of writing, the Schumann Resonance is peaking at 40Hz +. A substantial increase in recent levels of between 7.8 and 15 Hz. Many believe this frequency rate to be directly correlated with an upward trend in spirit oriented energies supporting mankind’s liberation from the yoke of absolute autocratic control. The confusion manifesting here and now on this planet, takes the form of an orchestrated war, enacted by global institutions and governments, to remove the last vestiges of what we have come to call our ‘civil liberties’. Diversity and individuality are being eaten-up by perversity and conformity. Large corporations get larger still, swallowing competitors as they go. Governments, I repeat, deftly take unto themselves ever more authority to control, with incremental accumulations of power being seized almost at will. The centralised super-state looms ever nearer, under the moniker of organized protection against a rise in ‘terrorism’. Yes, the very terrorism which the state itself instigated by embarking on violent invasions of foreign territories and massive sales of armaments to those willing to work for illegitimate ‘regime change’. Back on home turf, crusading armies of ‘believers’ in this that and the other, slug it out in an orchestrated war of ‘left’ versus ‘right’. Extreme left versus extreme right. Nationalists versus federalists. Globalists versus populists. Divide and conquer, stoked into an all-consuming fire of blind attrition. Attrition created and financed by the planet’s dominant architects of control. Presiding over the public face of this incendiary rabble-rousing madness, like traffic conductors pointing-up the road to hell, are figureheads of the so called ‘entertainment industry’: Lady Gaga, Madonna and Miley Cyrus. Pushing home the satanic agenda which is the hallmark of their ‘professional performance’ status. Po faced and emotionless, their sexless sex ‘act’, cheered on by adoring mind-numbed followers, becomes a potent symbol of the descent into hell which is in progress across this planet. Yet, and this is the point I particularly wish to convey in this article, all this insanity is not the agenda upon which our focus should be trained. Nor should it be taken as the all-pervading reality in which we are entrapped. However, for those who cannot separate truth from lies, this topsy-turvy, cruel and seemingly directionless existence is indeed the main point of focus. The foreground. A foreground in which they are completely immersed, to the point of being blind to any other perspective at all. But for those who can discern light from dark, deception from truth and foreground from background, the blanket like fake news, hyped-up scaremongering and outright lies, are actually the background; whereas in the foreground is a vision of life based upon a deep sense of purpose, rising awareness and a growing consciousness concerning that which gives direction and meaning to life as a sacred whole. Yes, the beautiful children are birthing here on Earth, and it is due to this rising tide of potential for deep change; the inextinguishable determination to live by truth; to stand in defiance of all that would destroy the sanctity of life. To expose the lies and those that tell them. The trick is to refocus, so that the daily madness trying to claim our attention, becomes the out of focus background. Perceived as such, through a sharply focussed foreground of truth. So long as this proper perspective is maintained, you will not fall into the black hole which the Lady Gaga coven is enticing you to enter. We who have come here as guardians of planet Earth have one foot in this world and one in the world to come. That’s how it is. And the foot that’s in this world, is here to take action in support of the world’s continuation. Holding the ground for future generations. Building a new society. Sometimes we may feel inclined to have both feet in the world to come, but this would be to part company with the terrain of this planet completely. To escape. And why would one put one’s best energy into that when it comes as the natural course of things after death? While we are alive in our physical bodies, we maintain engagement with the living; the living substance of the planet and its occupants – all beings. This ‘engagement’ is the human imperative. This involves not only proper focus, but also perfecting the art of tightrope walking; maintaining balance at a time of deliberately induced imbalance. Beneath the taught rope upon which we balance is a chasm of unawareness. A fool’s paradise. A mock-hierarchical world of ambition, greed and cunning, led by a motley crew of political pyramid climbers, corporate pirates and desensitised bureaucrats; who have at their disposal military might and fiat money in limitless volumes. Struggling under the suppressive influence of this cabal, are what we refer to as ‘the people’. Us. But I would like to add animals, insects, birds, bees, fish trees, plants, rivers, seas and skies; for they are equally abused. Those of us who are ‘aware’, to whatever degree, have no business ignoring the plight of any of these life forms, including our human compatriots, whatever race, colour or creed. After all, they are the ingredients out of which a better way of life must be moulded. However downtrodden, they still represent the ingredients of the world to come. It is our task to lay the foundations of this world to come, and we cannot do so without a very real strata of love for this place into which we were born; adding to that love, determination, courage and a keen sense of balance. For many on the road of growing consciousness, the attraction of concentrating on ‘the spiritual path’ often precludes active engagement with the real world. Thus a split has been brought about which should never be there. I hope readers are understanding this clearly, for healing this split is the most central issue to which our best energies should be turned. There is no split except the one we make. Our growth, indeed our entire development, hangs on adopting the path of truth – taking action to revitalize and heal our common home, and its inhabitants – that is the conscious, actual expression, of spiritual aspiration. One is not on the ‘path of truth’ simply because one is practising meditation, Qui Gong or yoga. That is, at best, just one half of the path. Believing that by following such regimes one has done all that is necessary to become a ‘realized being’ is delusional. It is only when these inner-focussed practices are accompanied by complementary outward-focussed actions, that one can start to fully realize our un-split, integrated Godly capacities. I am binding back together that which has been broken apart. We cannot move forward as a species until we realize, and act on the realization, that to breathe ‘in’ and to breathe ‘out’ is One action in two parts. To concentrate on one half while largely ignoring the other, is a receipt for sickness. And isn’t that sickness almost universal these days? Bringing into sharp focus that which demands our greatest attention is the clue to maintaining balance on the tightrope of life, so as to traverse the chaos of a society under the thrall of orchestrated superficiality and deeply embedded indoctrination. As the world descends into uncharted depths of engineered confusion, we who can see beyond its trappings have a critically important role to play. To keep the balance. Dynamic balance. For it is not just our balance, but the balance of the whole universe which is at stake. In truth, we have no option other than to direct our growing consciousness into actions to free the planet from the inhuman adversarial forces that dictate the daily suffocation of all that is wholesome, vital and essential. Essential in nourishing into fruition the creativity which lies at the core of the Divine beings we truly are. Image Credit (activistpost.com)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 3/16/2017 11:24:52 AM
	Is Turkey trying to ignite a civil war in The Netherlands? By Ian Greenhalgh on March 15, 2017 and by extension, ignite the whole of Europe into a race war? Erdogan is the greatest threat to peace in Europe since Hitler [Editor’s note: The situation in the Netherlands, on the face of it, has all the characteristics of a political farce, but when one digs a little deeper, what lies beneath is far more sinister and dangerous. To summarise: two Turkish ministers wanted to visit the Netherlands in order to lead large public rallies designed to increase support for Turkish president Erdogan in the upcoming Turkish referendum that will ostensibly turn Turkey into a totalitarian dictatorship. The Dutch government protested and didn’t want to let these ministers into the country and didn’t wish these public gatherings to take place. In response, the Turks threw a big hissy fit and Erdogan called the Dutch fascists, likened them to the Nazis and suggested their country was a ‘banana republic’. Turks living in the Netherlands rioted and the Dutch police were faced with Turkish mobs on the streets, something very unusual for peaceful Holland. The Dutch, to their credit, told the Turks to get stuffed and demanded an apology, especially for calling them Nazis, a very sore point to the Dutch as they suffered badly under Nazi occupation during WW2. The Turks have also demanded apologies and we are left with a standoff where both sides are offended and neither feels inclined to back down. Personally, I’m with the Dutch on this one, they are quite within their rights to not allow a foreign power to hold political rallies in their cities, the Turkish reaction has been pretty nasty and in my eyes, disgusting. The democratic Dutch are standing up to a tinpot dictator who dreams of being the Sultan and recreating the Ottoman Empire. That is the broad outline of events, however I believe there is a deeper, covert agenda being played out here and the Turks are attempting to destabilised not only the Netherlands but most of Western Europe too. Over the last 2-3 years, Erdogan has attacked Europe directly by sending hordes of ‘refugees’, Germany has been a prime target, but Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Austria and others have been targeted too. He even managed to extort a few billion euros out of the EU over the whole mess – clearly Erdogan was acting like a gangster. To make things worse, these migrants were then stirred up and incited to carry out violence and rape, especially public sexual assaults, including gang rape. Turkish ringleaders provided them with drugs and cash and incited them to these terrible acts which have been seen all over Scandinavia and Western Europe, but Germany especially. Furthermore, within these migrant groups are concealed Turkish terrorist cells, ready and waiting to carry out false flag attacks, they may have been responsible for some of the attacks we have already seen in Belgium, France and Germany. It has been something of an open secret for years now that the millions of Turks in Germany are planning to, in the long term, take control of the country and turn it into an Islamic, Turkish-controlled state. The same is widely believed to be the case in the Netherlands, where they have seen huge influxes of Turks, most of them criminals who are attracted by the drugs and sex trades – they deal drugs and traffic sex workers, the Dutch prisons are full of Turks and the Dutch people, once so liberal and welcoming, have become Turk-hating and far less liberal in their outlook on all foreigners – in short, they have had enough of seeing their once completely peaceful and law abiding country ruined by the Turks. Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the other large cities now contain Turkish ghettoes that are no-go areas for the Dutch, street crimes and violence, including gun crimes have become common in some places, it is all one big mess and the Dutch are sick of it – hence the rise of the far right and the likes of Geert Wilders. The Turks are not all that secretive about their machinations either, as witnessed by the disturbng calls from the Turkish press for the 400,000 Turks living in the Netherlands to start a civil war and pointing out that they vastly outnumber the 48,000 troops of the Dutch Army. However, I think it is unlikely that we will see an attempt to start a civil war and instead, the goal is to influence the upcoming Dutch elections. The one person to greatly benefit from this fiasco is the far-right candidate Geert Wilders, but why would the Turks want to assist Wilders into office? The answer is simple – Wilders, like Donald Trump in the US, Marine LePen in France, Nigel Farage in the UK and others all across the right of European politics is an Israeli stooge. Turkey had long been a close ally of Israel therefore it suits both the Israeli and Turkish agendas to have their man in power in the Netherlands, a man who, like Trump, is a fake populist and would be a faithful and willing puppet. There is another benefit to the Israelis of this Turkish destabilisation of Europe – it strengthens the election campaigns of their other puppets, such as LePen in France and the AfD (Alternative for Deustchland) party in Germany. What is the ultimate goal of this agenda – to control Europe via puppet leaders who answer to Israel and where de facto control of the criminal trades in drugs and people is in the hands of the Turks? To ignite race wars between increasingly radicalised and pissed-off indigenous white, ostensibly Christian Europeans and their Turkish, ostensibly Islamic invaders? Whatever the exact agenda, rest assured, it is going to be very bad for Europe and it’s people and unless someone acts to curtail the power hungry criminal regimes in Tel-Aviv and Ankara, Europe, quite frankly, is **ed…. Ian] Prime Minister Mark Rutte has refused to apologize and has stood by his government’s decision to expel Kaya, saying she had been an “undesirable” visitor. __________ World Bulletin Turkish minister sparks Netherlands state of emergency Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte Sunday ruled out apologising for banning Turkish ministers from joining pro-Ankara rallies here, but said he hoped a diplomatic row could be defused. “There’s absolutely no way excuses can be made, they should make excuses for what they’ve done yesterday,” Rutte told reporters as he campaigned for Wednesday’s general election. The Dutch have been particularly angered after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan likened them to Nazis for refusing to allow his ministers to attend a pro-government meeting in Rotterdam to drum up support for an April referendum on expanding his powers. “This country, as the mayor of Rotterdam pointed out yesterday, was bombed during the Second World War by the Nazis. It’s totally unacceptable to talk in this way,” Rutte said in The Hague. The decision by Turkish Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya to defy repeated Dutch warnings not to come to The Netherlands had led to “havoc,” he said. The mayor of Rotterdam had issued an emergency order late Saturday to prevent a pro-Turkish demonstration outside the country’s consulate in the city which has turned into a flashpoint of the worsening relations between the Netherlands and Turkey. Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said he needed special powers to assure security throughout the center of the city, fearing that more people would join the demonstration and there was “serious concern” that riots might ensue. Under the powers, it is easier for authorities to keep people away from diplomatic compounds like the consulate. Rutte urged Dutch citizens to “keep your cool. We have a fantastic society… and most Dutch people with a Turkish background are well-integrated.” Tensions remained high, with Erdogan warning on Sunday that the Netherlands would “pay a price” for its actions. But Rutte said: “In the interest of our relations within the EU, with Turkey, it is now crucial to try and de-escalate events, not to add to this. “Of course, if Turkey continues to talk in an inflammatory way about the Netherlands, we have to consider next steps.” And in an interview with the Dutch public broadcaster NOS, he hit out at Ankara for treating Dutch people with Turkish roots as Turkish citizens. “These are Dutch citizens,” Rutte insisted, adding that like Turkey “The Netherlands is a proud country”. The Netherlands is home to some 400,000 people of Turkish origin, and Ankara is keen to harness votes of the diaspora in Europe ahead of an April 16 referendum on boosting the powers of the president. Dutch police moved in early Sunday to break up protests, which erupted in Rotterdam over the incident, using water cannon, dogs and mounted horseback charges. Dutch media said that 12 people had been arrested and one officer was hurt. Growing number of nations denounce Dutch government for blocking Turkish ministers from meeting ex-pats __________ World Bulletin World condemns Netherlands for row with Turkey Egypt, Iraq, Mauritania and Tunisia on Monday joined an international chorus of condemnation after the Netherlands barred Turkish ministers from meeting Turks in Rotterdam. Adnan Mansar, Secretary-General of the Tunisian Harak Tounes al-Irada political party, said the Dutch’s denial of a flight permit for Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoglu as “provocative” and “aggressive”. Prominent Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour described the Dutch action as “unacceptable”. Iraq’s former Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi wrote on Twitter that the Turkish government’s move to explain proposed constitutional changes were democratic as he went on to accuse European nations of acting in a “totalitarian” manner. Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hikmet Haciyev reacted to Netherlands’ attitude towards Turkish ministers. In a written statement, Haciyev described the Dutch treatment of Turkish ministers was “contradictory” and “prejudiced”. “What has been done against the Turkish government’s officials, the hinderance of meeting and demonstration freedom of Turks in the Netherlands and the use of power against them is contradictory and prejudiced,” Haciyev said. A representative of a Mauritian umbrella group the National Forum for Democracy and Unity, Veled Eddi said that it was a “weird blockage”. The Dutch government canceled Çavuşoglu flight permit to the Netherlands and then blocked a convoy carrying Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam. The ministers were due to meet Turkish society ahead of a referendum April 16 that will decide constitutional reforms. The Dutch government said it canceled Cavusoglu’s flight permit because of “security” and “public safety” concerns. Protests erupted outside the consulate in Rotterdam, where police used guard dogs and batons to disperse a peaceful crowd that had gathered in support of Kaya. She was later forced to leave the consulate area with a police escort. Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland said Sunday tensions between Turkey and several European countries was damaging to diplomacy and democracy. “We cannot allow it to escalate any further,” Jagland said, adding that all Turkish citizens should have ample opportunity to be informed about the referendum campaign. “All public meetings and political campaigns held in Council of Europe member states should be conducted in accordance with national legislation and the European Convention on Human Rights,” he said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault urged Dutch and Turkish authorities to reach an agreement. “Faced with the current tension between Turkey and several member states of the European Union, France calls for appeasement,” he said in a statement Sunday that also “calls on the Turkish authorities to avoid excesses and provocations, In these circumstances, it is essential to be accountable and to avoid unnecessary polemics,” it added. Azerbaijan foreign ministry spokesman Hikmet Haciyev said the Dutch treatment of Turkish ministers was biased. “What has been done against the Turkish government’s officials, the hinderance of meeting and demonstration freedom of Turks in the Netherlands and the use of power against them is contradictory and prejudiced,” Haciyev said. The stand-off between Turkey and the Netherlands should be sorted out “as fast as possible”, according to British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. “I think this is very regrettable,” Johnson said while speaking at a weekend political program on the ITV channel. French Foreign minister Jean Marc Ayrault said the meeting of Turkish foreign minister in Metz “is a matter of freedom of assembly”. Yousuf Al-Koda, head of the Islamic Wasat Party in Sudan, said the move against Turkish ministers contradicted human rights and concepts of democracy “advocated by Europe”. Algerian lawmaker Muhammed al-Hadi Osmaniye said such racist and provocative attitudes served far-right groups in Europe. “The West does not want the spread of democracy in Muslim societies,” he said. Premier Binali Yildirim says attitude of Netherlands against Turkish female minister ‘unacceptable’ __________ World Bulletin Turkey vows to retaliate harshly against Netherlands** Turkey will retaliate harshly against the Netherlands following its actions against a Turkish female minister in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday. Speaking at a rally in western Yalova, Yildirim said: “The attitude of the Netherlands yesterday [Saturday] towards Turkish family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya is unacceptable.” The premier said the Netherlands have violated diplomatic principles, thwarted the freedom of movement of a serving Turkish minister, forcing her to leave the country. “Everyone should know that Turkey will retaliate in the heaviest possible way,” Yildirim said. He said Turkey will do everything necessary to ensure that such events against Turkish citizens and the country do not occur again. He noted that while supporters of terrorist organizations like Fetullah Terrorist Organization and the PKK roam freely in Europe, Turkish ministers were not being given permissions. “These days, we see the dictatorial practices of those who give us democracy lessons,” Yildirim said. He added that by preventing Turkish ministers from meeting their expat community, Europe was backing the No campaign in the upcoming referendum in April in Turkey. Last week, Turkish ministers were barred from holding public rallies in two German cities ahead of the April 16 referendum in Turkey. On Saturday, the Dutch government first canceled the Turkish foreign minister’s flight permit to the Netherlands and then blocked a convoy carrying Turkey’s family minister from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam. The ministers were also due to meet Turkish residents ahead of the April 16 referendum on constitutional reforms.
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 3/16/2017 2:19:42 PM
	Sunni politician warns U.S. of mounting civilian casualties in Mosul By Suleiman Al-Khalidi ReutersMarch 13, 2017 Iraqi Sunni politician Khamis Khanjar speaks during his interview with Reuters reporter in Amman, Jordan, March 11, 2017. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - A prominent Iraqi Sunni politician on Monday warned Washington the acceleration in a military campaign in western Mosul to drive out Islamic State jihadists was causing a sudden surge in civilian casualties that threatened to undermine the effort to crush the militants. Khamis Khanjar, who has used his leverage to lobby the U.S. administration and the Iraqi authorities to ensure the major campaign in Mosul minimizes civilian losses among its population, said at least 3,500 civilians have been killed since the push into the western side of the side last month. The army had earlier recaptured the east of the city in an offensive that began last year. "There were heavy casualties due to speeding up of military operations and we see this as a big mistake and residents who we are in touch with have much more fear than in the past of the ongoing military operations," Khanjar added in an interview in Amman. "We hope the U.S. led coalition doesn't hurry up in this way without taking into consideration the human lives," he added. Neither the Iraqi government nor the U.S. coalition have announced civilian casualties in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the U.S led invasion of 2003. Khanjar said the mounting casualties came mainly from air strikes and indiscriminate shelling of heavily crowded neighborhoods as the U.S trained elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) forces push deeper into the Old City and city center. Fighting to drive Islamic State from western Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq, has involved close-quarter street battles, with Iraqi forces advancing block by block as they approach the most densely populated parts of the city. Some 850,000 people are still believed to be living there, according to Khanjar. Until the latest phase of the battle to take western Mosul, the campaign had gone well with lower-than-expected civilian losses, Khanjar said crediting the professionalism of the U.S. trained elite forces. "The Americans are mistaken if they think that a speedy decisive military solution is the best approach in this battle," Khanjar added. "This will have dangerous repercussions on the post-Mosul phase..there will be anger by residents and Daesh will benefit from the large human losses," he added, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Khanjar is one of the main politicians in Iraq's once dominant Sunni community and has spent millions of his vast fortune on a network of charities that helps supports thousands of displaced Sunnis whose areas have been battlefields. He also financed local tribal Sunni groups that fought Islamic State when it first emerged in strength in Iraq. At the outset of the Mosul campaign, Khanjar financed the 3,000 strong Turkish-trained force known as the Nineveh Guards Force that has now been integrated in state-run forces. Iraq's fractious Sunni senior politicians and parties also met last week in Ankara for the first time in years to chart a national reconciliation proposal in the post-Mosul period, Khanjar said. In the meeting attended by Salim Jabouri, the head of parliament, Vice President Osama Nujaifi and other Sunni politicians, leaders agreed an historic opportunity existed to heal the rifts among Iraq's warring sects and restore shattered confidence by mainstream Sunni toward the state, Khanjar said. Deepening the disenchantment of Iraq's Sunnis would only further alienate them and risk worsening the country's security problems and even bring the emergence of even more hardline Sunni groups once the militants are defeated, he said. "Unless there is a political process that restores confidence of Sunnis in the state..in a post-Daesh phase there may emerge more organizations of terrorists that are even more extreme than Daesh," he said. Mainstream Sunnis believe the Shi'ite led administration has discriminated against them and also say Shi'ite Iran's influence has expanded in the security forces and paramilitary groups. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Mary Milliken) (REUTERS)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

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We Are Walking A Tightrope Through Chaos

Is Turkey trying to ignite a civil war in The Netherlands?

Sunni politician warns U.S. of mounting civilian casualties in Mosul

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Employers can ban wearing of visible religious symbols – top EU court

Italian Band Jailed And Deported After Trying To Enter The U.S. To Play Free Shows

ByBrianna AcuestaPosted on March 13, 2017

Is Turkey trying to ignite a civil war in The Netherlands?

Italian Band Jailed And Deported After Trying
To Enter The U.S. To Play Free Shows

ByBrianna Acuesta
Posted on March 13, 2017