Happy Jihad Day

Happy Jihad Day — Remember today, Oct. 13, is Jihad Day so start it with a healthy and wholesome breakfast.

We understand government centers are enhancing security. Hopefully, they comprehend that if the call is not posturing, the real targets will be soft ones like schools and shopping centers.

Iranians Show Solidarity In Philly, NYC And D.C. With The Oppressed In Their Homeland

Iranians Show Solidarity In Philly, NYC And D.C. With The Oppressed In Their Homeland

By Olivia Braccio

The people of Iran have finally had enough.

It’s been 43 years since the horrific Islamic Regime took over Iran, and the desperately needed revolution that will hopefully topple the dictatorship is happening. Most of us, by now, are aware of the massive protests currently taking place in nearly all major cities not only here in the U.S., but around the world. We know that this uprising was set in motion by the senseless killing of Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16, when she was captured by the Iranian police force and subsequently beaten to death for “improper hijab,” meaning that her hair was partially visible beneath her headscarf. It is incomprehensible—a person was punished with murder for showing some hair. 

Iranians Show Solidarity In Philly, NYC And D.C. With The Oppressed In Their Homeland
Demonstrator in Stanton Park, Washington D.C., Oct. 15

I’ve been photographing these rallies in the three cities nearest to me—Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C.— and sharing the photos to social media as well as my own website in the hopes of raising awareness about and funds for the cause. Some have asked me why people on American soil are rallying on behalf of another country and how the situation in Iran concerns us at all. It’s a good question, one that deserves a thorough answer. 

As per Middle Eastern news network Al Jazeera, “The Biden administration has announced a new round of sanctions against Iran, vowing to impose financial penalties on a ‘regular basis’ in an effort to ‘severely restrict’ Iranian oil and petrochemical exports. Since President Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018, various sectors of the Iranian economy have been under heavy US sanctions. In response, Iran has been advancing its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, well beyond the limits set by the agreement. Biden is seeking a return to the pact, which saw Iran scale back its nuclear program. On Sept. 29, 2022, the Biden administration said it will continue to rigorously enforce sanctions until Iran returns to the deal. 

“This is all happening while Iran is witnessing nationwide protests sparked by the murder of Mahsa Amini. Washington has expressed vague support for the demonstrators but said it is still willing to restore the nuclear deal based on mutual compliance. The deal would put money in the pockets of the Islamic Republic only; not the pockets of the people of Iran. It would strengthen the government’s power and ability to further oppress those protesting the regime. Vague support and a continuation of nuclear talks with Iran is unacceptable while the country continues to protest and riot against countless murders, human rights violations, and the continued suppression of women in Iran.”

The Iranian-American community is imploring this administration to stop funding the terroristic regime for the sake of oil. We need to work towards energy independence in this country in order to keep money out of the hands of murderers. Pennsylvania’s Governor-elect Josh Shapiro’s adamant resistance to fracking is contributing to the problem, seeing as this state has the potential to be one of our nation’s top oil-producers. His refusal to tap into this supply keeps us dependent on imports and continues the cash flow to the Middle East. We, as the constituents, must hold him accountable and impress upon him the significance of this matter in the hopes that he’ll change his mind.

When it comes to fracking, we have to think not only of ourselves. Of course, it’s infuriating that Pennsylvanians are forced to pay more for gas than citizens of all the surrounding states, not to mention the skyrocketing costs of heating our homes for the winter. But these struggles seem insignificant compared to what Iranians are facing in their country. Women, gays, and the disabled community in Iran are treated as subhuman and have been for decades now. The long list of things women aren’t allowed to do includes but is not limited to entering stadiums, traveling abroad unaccompanied by their husbands, riding bicycles, and showing their hair—women in the country have routinely been subjected to dress code-related violence after wearing a hijab was deemed mandatory rather than optional in 1979 under Sharia law. 

Iranians Show Solidarity In Philly, NYC And D.C. With The Oppressed In Their Homeland
At the Capitol, Oct. 15

Protests and riots having been going on throughout Iran for more than two months now. The death toll rises daily as protestors are captured by police and then tortured, or simply shot during demonstrations. Nearly five hundred people have been killed in just the two months since Mahsa’s murder. More than sixty of them were children—those as young as seven have been shot while walking home from school, after they were overheard singing anti-regime chants. 

In the beginning of November, 227 members of the 290-seat parliament in Iran have called on the Judiciary to issue death sentences for people arrested during the ongoing protests. The number of people arrested so far is estimated at roughly 15,000. The Islamic republic historically uses the death penalty as a tool of repression and intimidation. Nine people have been sentenced so far; their charges are “assembly and collusion against national security,” “corruption on earth,” and “confrontation with the Islamic republic.” Oct. 31 is when they stood trial and had a short hearing—with no legal counsel. They will be executed soon. The other 15,000 or so people are at high risk of the same fate given that this authoritarian regime has proven over the past 43 years that they are capable of massacring their own people on a whim. They are currently being held in jail as political prisoners where they are subjected to rape and other forms of torture.

Iranians Show Solidarity In Philly, NYC And D.C. With The Oppressed In Their Homeland
Demonstrator in Washington D.C. On Oct. 22 holding a photo of Mahsa Amini

It’s easy to mistakenly assume that Iranian citizens, being native to a country that was never a political ally of the U.S., are our enemies. Nothing could be further from the truth. The sad fact is, the main victims of any terroristic government are usually its own constituents. These individuals are no less deserving of the same rights and privileges afforded to those born in other nations. Those who have already immigrated to the U.S. from Iran are physically safe here, but the emotional toll it is taking on them to know mass death and destruction is occurring in their homeland is unimaginable. We can’t choose where we’re born. All humans are created equal and yet grow up in drastically dissimilar ways depending on arbitrary circumstances such as whose land we live on and how it is governed. When you get down to it, the only difference between myself and Mahsa Amini is that I had the good fortune of being born in the free world and she didn’t. The tremendous unfairness of this is not lost on me. 

I’m in awe at the amount of people showing up to protest on behalf of Iran in Washington D.C. and other cities. The protest at the National Mall on Oct. 22 garnered an estimated 31,000 people. It was truly a phenomenal thing to witness and photograph as people waved the Iranian flag and chanted in both Farsi and English; some wept openly as they marched through the streets of our capitol city to stand on the White House lawn and let their voices be heard. They are warm and welcoming to their non-Iranian allies such as myself, seeing as support from other ethnicities is vital to the movement, and they thanked me for being there to document since the situation isn’t receiving much coverage from mainstream media. 

Admittedly, I never thought a lot about Iranian people prior to the past several weeks. I didn’t even know there were this many of them living in the United States. Realizing this, I felt pretty ignorant. Forgive me. It is interesting to note how life shifts once you become aware of certain things. It’s a harrowing thought, but this is the reality of the world we live in: at any given time, while you’re eating breakfast, walking your dog, laughing with friends, or overspending at the store, someone is being brutally murdered by their own nation’s tyrannical government. Going about the business of daily life distracts you from this fact. Your own problems, which pale by comparison, almost shield your mind from having to acknowledge these types of things. But once you know, you can’t keep ignoring it. Those who have died and their suffering families will be in your thoughts even as you’re doing something unrelated to the matter. Attending to menial tasks will feel different as the gravity of other peoples’ crises weighs upon your soul. 

I’ve read that energy, such as that which is found within a human being, cannot truly be lost. It can only be transformed. I hope this is the case, and that somehow, some way, in some other dimension, Mahsa and all the others who have been murdered at the hands of this horrific regime are witnessing the revolution their unjust and untimely deaths have spawned.

Anyone who wants to support the cause can purchase photographs of the protests at my website here: https://oliviabraccio.com/product-category/freedom-for-iran/

Proceeds will be donated to the Iranian-American community here in the Philly area in order to help them continue organizing events. 

Iranians Show Solidarity In Philly, NYC And D.C. With The Oppressed In Their Homeland Iranians Show Solidarity In Philly, NYC And D.C. With The Oppressed In Their Homeland Iranians Show Solidarity In Philly, NYC And D.C. With The Oppressed In Their Homeland

Twitter Bans Hegseth For Journalism

Twitter Bans Hegseth For Journalism — Fox News journalist Pete Hegseth, who received a Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman Badge for his service in Iraq, was temporarily banned from Twitter Saturday, Dec. 7, for posted screenshots of the manifesto thought to have been written by  Mohammed Alshamrani, the Saudi military student who killed three and wounded 12 in a shooting rampage Friday at the Navy Station Pensacola on Friday.

The manifesto had been originally posted on Twitter but had been removed by the big tech firm after the shooting. It was traced to Alshamrani by the respected Site Intelligence Group Enterprises.

The Tweet said:

O American People,

I’m not against you for just being American. I don’t hate you because your freedoms, I hate you because every day you supporting funding and committing crimes not only against Muslims but also humanity. I’m against evil, and America as a whole has turned into a nation of evil. What I see from America is the supporting of Israel which is invasion of Muslim countrie. I see invasion of many countries by it’s troops, I see Guantanamo Bay. I see cruise missiles, cluster bombs and UAV.

You say anything wrong in reporting it? Do you believe ignorance is good? Twitter apparently does.

Sign up for Gab. It doesn’t mean you have to give up Twitter.

Twitter, by the way, has a rather troubling history with Islamism.

Saudi prince and billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal was a major investor in Twitter. In 2015, he owned 34.9 million shares in it which put him ahead of CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey. He appears to have lost it following his arrest Nov. 4, 2017 arrest by his relatives.

A year later journalist Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Jasser was tortured to death in a Saudi jail for criticizing the ruling family via a secret Twitter account. How did the tyrants learn of the account? Via spies at Twitter’s regional headquarter in Dubai.

And on Nov. 7 this year, it was reported that two Twitter employees were arrested by the Feds for spying for the Saudi government about users critical of the Saudi government.

Yeah, get on Gab.

Here is a screen shot of the manifesto courtesy Heavy.com.

Twitter Bans Hegseth For Journalism

Conflicts Involve Muslims Omnibit 9-11-19

“Religion of Peace” should only be written with an LOL. Eighty percent of the world’s conflicts involve Muslims as of Sept. 11, 2019 according to Wikipedia.

Of the four in the Major War Category in the site’s List of Ongoing Armed Conflicts page, three link to Muslims, with the Mexican drug war being the exception.

Of the seven in the Wars Category, all do.

It’s 13 out of 20 in the Minor Conflicts Category.

Of the 13 in the Skirmishes and Clashes Category, nine link to Muslims.

Conflicts Involve Muslims Omnibit 9-11-19
Conflicts Involve Muslims Omnibit 9-11-19
Any religion that hates dogs, is no friend o mine.

Progressivism equals domestic terrorism

Progressivism equals domestic terrorism — Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Somilia’s hate-filled gift to the 5th District of Minnesota, tweeted this Aug. 6:

Progressivism equals domestic terrorism

Ilhan sure seems to be doing some wishful projecting. It was at white folk that Stephen Paddock was aiming when he attacked that country music concert in Las Vegas.

Dayton murderer Connor Betts was a supporter of open-border backer Elizabeth Warren. Even Snopes concedes that.

James Hodgkinson, who committed the June 14, 2017 terrorist attack on Republican congressmen, was a Bernie Sanders fan.

Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik did not target minorities when they massacred co-workers at a Christmas party in San Bernadino in 2015.

Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnev — may the death penalty come quickly — were certainly not “white nationalists”.

Democratism equals domestic terrorism, love.

For kicks, search “list of Christian terrorist attacks” on Wikipedia. Go down far enough and you might find a dry, academic article about Christian terrorism.

Now search for “list of Islamic terroristic attacks”. Hey Illhan, what’s up with that?

To make the point even stronger, go to the article and click the category for the 2010s.

Yeah, Islam is not a value system sane people want, either.

Progressivism equals domestic terrorism, Ilhan. So does Democratism

Hypocrite Buttigieg And Islam

Hypocrite Buttigieg And Islam — Pete Buttigieg, the bitter, angry, outspokenly homosexual mayor of South Bend, Ind., has attacked Christians who vote Republican because of Biblical imperatives such as protecting the weak and helpless, not killing, and refraining from destructive sex acts; and that the Democrat Party not merely dismiss these commands but is offended by the very idea of God.

At least God as how Christians know Him.

Buttigieg has been notably silent regarding the hate-filled statements of militant Islamist congresswomen Ilhan Omar (D-MN5) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI13).

Something to consider: Would Buttigieg prefer to be thrown off the building or have it fall on him?

Here’s an LOL to end it: Buttigieg has accused President Trump of “Islamophobia”.

Hypocrite Buttigieg And Islam
Hypocrite Buttigieg And Islam -- Pete Buttigieg, the bitter, angry, outspokenly homosexual mayor of South Bend, Ind., has attacked

Trump Syria Riddle Me This

Trump Syria Riddle Me This Conventional American forces landed in Syria in March 2017, to crush the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Trump Syria Riddle Me This
Keeping his promises

Airstrikes and Special Forces engagements had been occurring against the Jihadis since September 2014 but they were generally ineffective and by December 2015 ISIS was in control of territory containing 8 million persons.

When President Trump took office, though, things got real. By December 2017 ISIS was crushed — at least in Iraq and Syria.

The usual suspects as expected condemned and criticized the Trump intervention.

So riddle me this: Now that the President has declared victory against ISIS– at least in Syria and Iraq — why the conniptions among the “peace” party types about his bringing the troops home?

Is somebody making money off this war or something?

By the way, ISIS remains active in Africa, Yeman and even the Philippines.

Maybe even Mexico.

Build the wall. Use the money we had been spending on the Syrian intervention.

Trump Syria Riddle Me This

Khashoggi Alwaleed Bin Talal And Saudi Influence

Khashoggi Alwaleed Bin Talal And Saudi Influence
Alwaleed Bin Talal and Jamal Kashoggi

Khashoggi Alwaleed Bin Talal And Saudi Influence — A Facebook friend sent us this link concerning the late Jamal Kashoggi and his connection to Saudi plutocrat Alwaleed Bin Talal.

Alwaleed was among the world’s richest and most influential people until his arrest Nov. 4, 2017 by the Saudi government. He owned significant shares in banks like Citicorp; American tech companies including 5 percent of Twitter; media including Newscorp (Fox News), where he was the second largest shareholder; and real estate such as the Four Seasons Company.

The link says that Alwaleed got Barack Obama into Harvard. This claim can be traced to a March 2008 interview  with African-American entrepreneur and politico, Percy Sutton,on New York City’s local TV show “Inside City Hall.” It has never been significantly disputed.

Khashoggi, whose uncle was infamous arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and whose cousin was Dodi al-Fayed who died in that car crash with Princess Diana, was quite close to Alwaleed. He and Alwaleed spent five years planning the Al-Arab News Channel in Bahrain which was eventually shut down either to bad management or bad politics.

Khashoggi was also a strident defender of the Islamic-supremacist Muslim Brotherhood so beloved by Obama, and was a friend of Osama bin Laden.

We can’t accept assassination as anything acceptable but we find it difficult shedding tears for this guy. Something really stank in this country for eight years and he seems to have been part of it.

FWIW, Four Seasons manages the 35th through 39th floors at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas where Stephen Paddock on Oct. 1, 2017 shot  471 persons, killing 58, at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival which was taking place 490 yards away. Police said Paddock used bump-stock equipped rifles to fire “over 1,100 rounds” of .223 (or maybe 5.56) caliber ammunition during the 11 minute rampage, including many in the hotel and at police vehicles, and six rounds using a .308 caliber rifle at jet fuel tanks at McCarren International Airport which was about 600 yards away.

Paddock did his shooting from the 32nd floor. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released its final report  on Aug. 3  and names Paddock as the lone shooter.  It can be found here. 

We remain amazed that bump-stocks can be so effective. Perhaps the military should adopt them.

Khashoggi Alwaleed Bin Talal And Saudi Influence

Khashoggi Alwaleed Bin Talal And Saudi Influence

 

Third Annual Muslim Capitol Day

Hey CAIR-Philadelphia, you think the guy who drew this should be killed?

Third Annual Muslim Capitol Day –Yesterday, April 17, was the Third Annual Muslim Capitol Day in Harrisburg. It was hosted by CAIR-Philadelphia and Emgage.

CAIR stands for Council on American-Islamic Relations, while. Emgage is an organization dedicated to “Empowering Engaged Muslim Americans.”

According to CAIR-Philadelphia the goals were to:

  • To raise the awareness of elected officials about Islamophobia stemming from certain politicians and media outlets.
  • To encourage and increase the participation of American Muslims in the democratic political process.
  • To work together with other groups and communities in building of a more equitable society, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, or racial background.

Golly, that’s nice. OK, here’s a good first step: Get behind Rep. Thomas Murt (R-152)’s HB 413 which would ban female genital mutilation. The bill is before the House Judiciary Committee as of now. Let’s get it on the books!

CAIR-Philadelphia is going to help, right?

LOL

This dispute is not about theology. Nobody is objecting to letting Buddhists or atheists in. Ever notice how nobody ever talks about Buddhophobia?

This is about values. It’s about saying things held as norms by most Muslims — like wife beating, and killing people who make unwise sexual choices or change their mind about their religion if it happens to be Islam — are wrong.

If a Muslim can do that, welcome. If he can’t, well, enjoy the paradise where you now abide.

Third Annual Muslim Capitol Day