Kevin Hulbert is the Founder and President of XK Group, LLC. Prior to that, Mr. Hulbert held a variety of high-level jobs in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), becoming an expert on counterterrorism, counter proliferation, non-traditional operations, and covert action. He finished his career as Senior Advisor for Counterterrorism at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As an accomplished senior leader in the Directorate of Operations at the CIA, he served around the world and worked with many foreign liaison partners, leading some of the most complex counterterrorism operations abroad. He holds an MBA degree from Georgetown University.
E. Tavares: Kevin, thank you for being with us today. It is difficult to discuss terrorism these days without talking about Islam, or better put, how it is being used for certain political purposes. This has become a hot topic in the West, even featuring in US immigration and presidential debates.
We recently watched a video clip from 1958 of Gamal Abdel Nasser, then President of Egypt, laughing with a large audience at the idea of forcing women to wear the hijab. In the decades that followed, this has become common practice in many Middle Eastern countries as stricter Muslim leaders rose to power. The once secular societies of Afghanistan and Iran have become just a footnote of history. In fact the more extreme versions of Islam now constitute its mainstream orthodox ideology.
We in the West believe that the march towards secularism and freedom is inevitable, and yet for the most part the Muslim world is going the other way. What do you make of this?
K. Hulbert: I think you are right, the march towards secularism and freedom is not inevitable. In fact, it’s problematic because we have a situation where every year the West becomes more secular, open, tolerant and liberal while many parts of the Muslim world, as you say, are going the other way. So it would seem that we might be moving towards a head-on collision of some sort.
As to what I make of it, in most Muslim countries the majority of people are tolerant. They want to live in a more inclusive society and have a more liberal religious doctrine. The problem is that Islam seems to have been hijacked by a vocal minority of people who are prepared to use violence to advance their very intolerant and conservative version of Islam.
ET: It appears that the spread of that version of Islam across the Middle East has two similar Islamist ideologies at the core: the Muslim Brotherhood out of Egypt and Wahhabism out of Saudi Arabia. They propose an Islamic version of society which in a sense is remarkably similar to fascism, regulating every aspect of people’s lives.
Over the last decade our Western leaders have given space for that movement to expand as a consequence of taking out the most prominent secular leaders who had been fighting against it in the Arab world. The US State Department even endorsed the Muslim Brotherhood when it rose to power in Egypt after the Arab Spring. The West’s close business and political ties with Saudi Arabia are well documented (even if some prominent Western politicians have recently started to question the Saudis’ support of terrorism in public).
Are we inadvertently helping to spread the most radical versions of Islam through our foreign interventions and policies? Do our leaders really understand what they are dealing with here?
KH: That’s the million dollar question. There’s a lot of shared credit for bad policies that created bad outcomes both in the Western world and in the Muslim world. And yes, Saudi Arabia is more responsible than anyone for the spread of Wahhabism over the last couple of decades. As you know, that doctrine is considered to be the most conservative form of Islam. While the majority of their followers want to live peacefully with their families, you have a minority that don’t necessarily believe in these things.
And so we have a conundrum in that while every conservative, Salafist, or Wahhabist is not a terrorist – and the vast majority aren’t – But, on the other hand, we have had a lot of terrorist acts committed by guys who are self-proclaimed Muslims who invoke religion to justify their actions. This presents us with some challenges, I think, in the West.
ET: Why then do we seem so keen to repeat the same mistakes in Syria? After seeing what happened in Iraq and Libya, it should be abundantly clear that the resulting power vacuum will likely be filled by radical Islamists, unless we are willing to put boots on the ground in large numbers. Instead, could we not use the war in Syria as an opportunity to shift policy towards a more constructive and sustainable strategy and dialogue across the Region?
KH: You raise a very good point because our policies seem to have taken out more secular regimes in places like Iraq and Libya, and then these places morphed into very intolerant, conservative regimes where the rule of law and a lot of other things went by the wayside.
One thing that many people don’t understand is that the conflict in Syria started as a very simple civil war. Many people were not content with the government of Bashar al Assad and the Alawites and emboldened by things they saw in the Arab Spring, rebelled against them, with the hope that they perhaps could change their own destiny. The Alawites after all only make up 10-15% of Syria’s population and yet they have ruled that country for decades.
But now that situation has deteriorated into about five different wars: You have the civil war that I just talked about, then you have the broader Shi’ite versus Sunni conflict, now you have Hezbollah drawn into the conflict via Iran, in the north you have the Kurds fighting the Islamic State and on top of all that you have Saudi Arabia which is very concerned about the expanding reach of Iran and so this has turned into a huge proxy war between Saudi-backed Sunni forces against Iranian-backed forces. In short, it’s a mess and there are not any easy solutions.
ET: We know people who died on 9/11. The headquarters of our employer at the time were obliterated. The US government put the blame on Al Qaeda and spent hundreds of billions of dollars chasing them out of Afghanistan and Iraq, with the loss of many brave soldiers and countless civilians.
So we were shocked to hear General Petraeus advocating this past summer that the US should be arming Al Qaeda to fight the Islamic State. As a former senior CIA operative, how did you react to that? Does this reveal a lack of strategic options on the ground in Syria? Or have we completely lost focus and objectivity in the war on terror?
KH: That’s a good, but complicated question. I am not intimately familiar with General Petraeus’ comments and the context in which they were made so I really don’t feel comfortable commenting on them.
But, I think his comments do possibly reflect a real lack of good options forcing us to choose between a bunch of less than perfect options. It also reflects the fact that the US has a big reluctance to again deploy any sort of a “boots on the ground” type of approach to these conflicts, where you have a really slippery type of enemy, radical Muslim extremism, and no clear idea of what might constitute success. We definitely do not want to be in the business of nation building again.
So, I think we are looking at different types of options and General Petraeus surfaced that one. He’s certainly no apologist for Al Qaeda and in fact there aren’t many people in the US who have done more than him in the fight against terrorists and extremism. He spent years of his life in harm’s way doing important work all over the Middle East.
Again, I don’t know the context when he made that statement, but there’s that old saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
ET: As a result of this radicalization, minorities across the Middle East are being persecuted, even annihilated in some regions. The president of the Europarliament recently stated that Christians are now the most persecuted group in the world. That is a stunning revelation. We are also seeing a new wave of anti-Semitism raging across Europe, largely as a result of Muslim immigration. What do you make of all of this?
KH: This goes back to what we discussed earlier, the spread of Salafism, Wahhabism, the Muslim Brotherhood and so forth. This has led to a loss of tolerance all across the Muslim world. But again this is a perversion of Islam because the vast majority of Muslims believe in tolerance and history is full of examples of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities living together in peace.
Islam has never condoned the killing of non-Muslims simply because they are not Muslim. Unfortunately you have some radicals that have perverted some verses of the Quran to justify their actions, but that is not right.
I think everybody has to do a better job in confronting this sort of thing. Muslim countries in particular probably need to do a better job in promoting inclusiveness and tolerance, because this isn’t a concept that lands well when it’s an ideal thrust upon them by the West or the US. They also need to do a better job internally because the level of sectarian violence within some countries has nothing to do with the West. When you look at the Sunni on Shia violence, as well as Sunni on Christian violence, it is staggering. So, yes, it’s a big issue.
ET: You talked about the Middle East by we are dealing with that radicalization in the West. How can we counter this? France has finally decided to close radical mosques – up to 160, a shocking number – but in the digital age there is an abundance of internet and TV alternatives to promote a radical message. What will happen in the decades ahead to the West, moderate Muslims and lovers of freedom if we fail here?
KH: You are right, this is a complicated issue because we in the West believe in freedom of religion and freedom of speech-- but we don’t believe in terrorism and someone’s right to incite violence. We will have to confront these issues.
Like I said, everybody is entitled to worship as they see fit. Most thinking people believe in freedom of religion. But, if a mosque, or madrassa or a website encourages a rejection of these ideals and is contrary to our laws and our constitutions then the West will have to stand up and defend themselves. And that’s a tricky balance because while we believe in free speech, that doesn’t mean you have the right to promote terrorism. Individual countries will have to draw that line as they see fit.
ET: Speaking of individual countries, the San Bernadino shooters seem to have been radicalized in the US or at least despite living seemingly normal American lives. Are you aware of any radical mosques being shut down by the US government in order to stop the promotion of their ideology? It seems to us that the government is very reluctant even to use the word “radical Islam”…
KH: I have not heard of any discussion of closing any mosques in the US. But, there are some efforts underway to address radicalization on line. For example, there was language introduced by Senator Feinstein in the 2016 Intelligence Authorization Act that would have required social media companies to report “any terrorist related activity on their sites”. That shockingly passed by an 8-0 vote – and I say “shockingly” because you don’t find many bipartisan things happening in the US Congress, so very little passes by a unanimous vote. But, then the proposed legislation got derailed when it came to a vote in the broader Congress because some social media companies and others spoke up to note that the language was very vague and the line was unclear as to what might constitute free speech and what might constitute terrorist activity. The sheer volume of social media postings also made people unsure of how to implement the proposed legislation and so, for now, the proposed legislation was withdrawn.
There is the recognition that we have a serious issue with radicalization on the internet and we need to do something to address it, but there is great debate on how to do it. In the future, we are going to have to do something to confront this radicalization head-on. We cannot afford to cede this social media space to the Islamic State.
ET: Let’s go back to the Middle East. With Russia getting deeply involved in the Syrian conflict, on top of the skirmishes already taking place in the Ukraine, can this signal the start not of a new Cold War but of a full blown World War III? In the nuclear age great powers cannot face each other directly, but terrorism and proxy conflicts could be with us for many years. It is hard to see how anyone can emerge victorious here, especially as innocent civilians become the primary targets. Do you think we are at the start of a global conflict?
KH: I don’t think that Syria will approach anything on the scale of a world war, even by proxy as you mentioned. That said, it is a conflict that will be with us for many years and it is probably going to get bigger. You may even see expanding theaters of conflict – whether that’s in Western Europe, the US, or parts of the Middle East. So it’s yes and no; it’s likely to become a bigger conflict, but not really something I’d characterize as on the scale of a world war.
Interestingly, right after 9/11, former Director of the CIA James Wolsey compared the fight against Al Qaeda to World War IV. He referred to the Cold War as World War III and suggested that the next one would be fought against three enemies: Iran, the fascists of Iraq and Syria and Islamic elements like Al Qaeda. I thought that his characterization was pretty solid in describing that conflict, although I differ on it being called a world war.
The short answer is that there will be a long twilight struggle and you can call it what you want, but it probably doesn’t rise to the level of engagement of World War II, for example.
ET: So a more prolonged but less intensive conflict…
KH: Exactly. There’s no silver bullet to this. You will not be able to eliminate terrorism by putting boots on the ground in Syria, or pacifying Afghanistan, or fixing Pakistan, or anything like that. It’s complicated.
ET: Last question. You worked for the CIA for many years. What would have happened if you had used your personal email to, say, share sensitive information…?
KH: Well, we had certain structures so that nobody could use personal emails to correspond with others in the Agency. So, that would have been impossible…
ET: … But if that had been found out, would you still have a job?
KH: Probably not…
ET: Thanks again for being with us today and sharing your valuable insights. All the best and Happy Holidays!
KH: Thank you, it was a pleasure.


So perhaps we should encourage SA to stop funding it?
We don't have a problem with our extremist religions here in the US, and we have a few.
I would not expect an Islamic society to be different. Cut the funding and people reject crazy stuff.
It isn't only the Islamic world that is being fed crazy stuff, btw. Our CIA is a major source for the rest of us.
Scratch a Wahabi Fanatic deep enough, and you will find the mark of the USSA/Britain. The Elitists created these Monsters to terrify us into giving up our Constitutional rights.
New World Order: They hate us for our freedoms
Problems with Muslim world begin and end with Palestine.
USA hijacked by the Jews is clearing out the Middle East for the Jews to own. This is why only secular govts are attacked while all wahabi sponsors are 'allies'. This creates more support for wars in western public while wars against secular tyrants increases power base of wahabis. There was no alqaeda in Iraq during saddams reign- now we have alqaeda, alnusra, a highly organised isis more powerful than before 9/11. Accidents?
Bin ladens letter to the U.S. was 50% devoted to the Palestinian problem and U.S. Support for Israel. Neocons and Jesus hating evangelists will never let us public see that.
E. Tavares: Kevin, thank you for being with us today. Tell us, did you enjoy attending the jewish bris ceremonies for your superiors at the CIA? You know, watching the rabbi suck the boycocks?
It's called Oral suction circumcision and it is legal in the USA. In fact, I dare you to call it baby molestation and watch the msm tear you apart for being anti-Semitic.
israel and every other non-muslim country has the full right to destroy mulims, kick them out, exclude them, force a tax on them, opress them, and kill them
it does not matter if they are plestinian, sudanese or arabs as long as they are muslims they have no right to live
a non-muslim arab is a human and needs to live and have all rights
a muslim arab needs to be killed
https://www.rt.com/news/327060-obama-congratulates-libyan-people/
Islam has been captured by a vocal minority who proposes violence? So has been the U.S. with its neoconservative plague.
Old saying: "Choose your enemy well because you will become just like them."
.
So the USA (and Europe ) is some backward medieval hellhole that has no child protection laws (that are enforced), because I dont know in what alternate satanic universe that vile act cannot be seen to be what it plainly is, child sexual molestation bodily harm assault and mutilation . To me circumcission is the ultimate mind control in the human species because somehow it overides the most powerful instinct in humans , the instinct , especially of the mother, to protect the newborn from harm at all costs. Try performing this vile ritual on any newborn boy in my family, you will have a lioness on your sick ass, you will die , you perverted mu,fucker. And as for the corrupted judaised medical profession in US doing this to all and sundry , whatever happened to "First do no harm" ?
Give me a break Ali baba - Palestine is just this side of totally irrelevant. Always the good excuse thrown up though
Jews remind me of the story of the scorpion and the toad. The scorpion is stuck on one side of the river(WWII jews), the Toad(Americans) is about to swim across the river to the other side and scorpion says wait please help I need to get to other side can I ride on your back? Toad says NO because I know you for what you are.
Scorpion says please no I will never sting you, you are helping me, I need you and I will always be grateful.
Toad says, 'well alright'(creation of isrealshithole), scorpion mounts toad and off they go. Half way across scorpion stings toad and toad says WTF? Scorpion says 'hey it's just my nature'....
FUCK you scorpion!
~"Problems with Muslim world begin and end with Palestine."~
Actually, your horse is before your cart. The Muslim problem in what you refer to as Palestine is due directly to Islam, not the other way around.
http://www.prophetofdoom.net/pdf/Prophet_of_Doom_Letter_to_the_Reader.pdf
So allow me to correct your statement.
"Problems with the Muslim world begin and end with Mohammed and the god inside his head."
Truer words were never spoken. We need to get beyond blaming the US/EU or the "joos" for everything that's happening in the middle east -- it's been a total mess, and fighting the west, since the 9th century.
the human weakness of believing in the supernatural without critical thinking...
the opiate of control
religion...
Nonsense. Palestine is only an excuse. Do you really think the islamic goal of world conquest will be abandoned once Israel is surrendered?
Once it becomes clear we are willing to give up Israel, they will see it as evidence we will give up anything for (temporary) peace. It will only encourage them to strike harder.
Yup. Someon hijacked Islam and some entity hijacked western culture and is pitting it against Islam. Gee I wonder who that could be?
When the West and Islam fight only the J$w wins.
all proceeds as planned
*mischievous smile*
*rub hands*
~"When the West and Islam fight only the J$w wins."~
Nope.
When the West and Islam fight everyone loses.
It's Islam, stupid.
Fixed!.
Yep -- notice how they both avoided the inconvenient little 500lb ISIS gorilla that is fed by the CIA and psycho friends. And how the angry gorilla keeps getting fancy weapons with no real money of their own. And how the angry gorillas loot Iraqi oil with more than a little help from their CIA zookeepers and their psychotic friends.
Nice try little CIA hack! Close but no cigar. Actually, the answers were so lame that they don't even qualify for a moldy, beer drenched, cigarette stub.
The Koran created those monsters and Saudi wahhabism funds them.
They hate us because we're infidel pigs. The grand mufti of Irag's website clearly states infidels are "najis," equal to urine, feces, blood, corpses, and semen.
I guess someone may benefit from pitting the Islamic ME against the Christian west, but I am totally unsure who that might be.
Long Term: Order from Chaos
Short Term: Politicians and their Financial Enablers (MIC, banks, etc.) Self-Enrichment
Long term: Israel
Short term: israel
Short-term : Israeli-Neocons who are not yet hung for their 9/11 False Flag operation.
There's a long term?
It is thousands of years old.
Christ broke into Satans world, he came in through a side door and layed down the law of truth.
That must be snuffed out, that is what this is all about.
Obviously it's the Church of Euthanasia!
We should all form a charity for the muslim youths to send them to China and call it "Muslim Youth in Asia".
~"Obviously it's the Church of Euthanasia!"~
"The only difference between Anesthesia and Euthanasia is degrees, (of severity)." ~ Theosebes Goodfellow (1998)
Not much to glean here.
The whole article is a mess.
There appears no point in it save for one: responsibility. A word Americans are adverse to as during all their history, they have been willing and successful at finding scapegoats to endure the poor consequences of the US actions.
Note how the former CIA guy answers questions half-truthfully, dances and evades any response which could single out US responsibility. When telling of anything which cannot be evaded or denied, it becomes a "hey, we all share in the blame" propaganda uttering. It is an attempt to dilute US responsibility over the rest of the world.
In this US world order where propaganda is rife and denial of basic facts a genetic urge, dilution of responsibility an activity as vital as breathing.
its a mess because USA doesn't understand islam
europe has gone so you better soon enough
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2015/11/11/watch-anti-migrant-video-goin...
They want to bring them to the West, many end up in the ghettos of Sweden unable to find work and join
Islamic gangs. So their religion fails.
It is antichrist, to wipe the slate clean and make way for the New World Order religion of sorcery or satanism.
"The problem is that Islam seems to have been hijacked by a vocal minority of people who are prepared to use violence to advance their very intolerant and conservative version of Islam."
And amazing as it is none of those places mfg Tow missiles, shoulder rockets, nor millions of rounds of ammo.
Imagine if they didn't have suppliers?
To restate the proposition form the article: Problem is that Islam seems to have no minority who are prepared to decry the intolerant and conservative version of Islam
I tend to agree with Knukles comment, though I'm open to hearing a counter point.
Knuckles stated my own observation and I've often wondered why it hasn't been pointed out more in the past. "Peaceful Muslims" cannot complain or protest the actions of violent Muslims. They simply will be killed. Therefore the percentage of Muslims in any society who are violent is irrelevant to a peaceful majority. Any Muslim society or immigrant Muslim population is hostage to its deadliest members.
All you have to do is Google and you will find many such sites, prominent Islamic scholars and clerics decrying, lamenting, and hating what was done in the name of their peaceful religion. Which it is, sometimes, just like all other religions are, sometimes.
Not exactly Knukles. Here's a Syrian Sunni cleric in a debate, talking down the Saudi royals. "You are a dog." "No, you are a dog."
Because to do so is a violation of Islam. Kind of a catch 22 thing. There is only one Koran and it cannot be updated.
Miffed
Not only catch 22. Try it and it's open season on you by every other mohammedan.
Yes Islam has been hijacked by the CIA/Mossad.
WHAT ! ?
This is a steaming fresh pile of ZioNazi BULLSHIT .
don't exclude the jews from this abrahamic madness. some prominent rabbi in israel just declared christmas should be banned from the country.
maybe not all of the abrahamics are nutz but there is a high enough asshole quotient that they are all suspect.
A USA Today exclusive this week from GAZA CITY tells us that after 2000 years Christians, and Christmas are disappearing from Gaza.
Why? For fear of the Jews.
“Despite the packed pews at Gaza’s Church of St. Porphyrius just weeks before Christmas, Christianity is not booming here. Rather, the worshipers at the 1,600-year-old shrine believe they may be the last group of Christians in Gaza, where they have lived and prayed since the birth of Jesus.
“The ongoing Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip and the highest unemployment rate in the world are prompting Christians to leave the besieged area in droves, some using the holiday season to their advantage.
“Although Israel rarely grants permits to leave the Palestinian territory, dozens of Christians are allowed to visit Bethlehem and Jerusalem during Easter and Christmas, and some take the opportunity to never return home so they can start a new life elsewhere.
“Today, the population that once spanned 3,000 Christians in Gaza just a few years ago has been reduced to 1,200, and worshipers say the area could be entirely devoid of the religious denomination within two decades.
“’People might think we’re leaving because of Hamas, but no it’s because of ... (Israeli) policies on Gaza,’ Jaber Jilder, an official with the Greek Orthodox Church said, referring to the militant group that governs Gaza and is labeled a terrorist organization by the United States and others.
“Israeli sanctions on Gaza have made freedom of movement and goods almost non-existent, and have contributed to an economy that the World Bank said is on the ‘verge of collapse.’ A United Nations report this year said the 2014 Israeli-Hamas war and the current blockade will make the Palestinian territory ‘unlivable’ by 2020.
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has frequently defended the blockade, saying it stops weapons from being smuggled into Gaza and to Hamas....
“The Christian population in the West Bank has also been on the decline for similar reasons, said George Abueed, a Palestinian-Christian from Bethlehem.
"’Palestinian Christians ... receive no tolerance or mercy from the Israeli occupation. Their land has been confiscated, their houses have been destroyed, and they have been subjected to daily humiliation on checkpoints when they travel,’ he said. ‘Same discriminatory measures for everyone. Christians and Muslims.’" …
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/12/20/after-2000-years-christians-gaza-disappearing/77503936/
Fucking idiots ushering in their own destruction
JR
Merry Christmas. I keep wondering if some of the Jewish persuasion have a death wish. Making peace with the neighbors and mustering up a little tolerance might be a baby step towards ensuring the long term survival of the Jewish state.
As to the article- it is mainly drivel-
"Islam because the vast majority of Muslims believe in tolerance and history is full of examples of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities living together in peace.
No examples cited. And none where these "peaceful" communities came together without force. Peace at the point of a gun or the edge of a sword is not peace.
"Islam has never condoned the killing of non-Muslims simply because they are not Muslim. "
WHAT !!!!!!!
Mohamed and his successors preached Lebensraum long before Adolf adopted the idea. For them, any non-Muslim has no more right to life than a flea-bitten dog.
Religion does that, not the people.
Christianity/Judaism has/is doing the same thing.
False religion, perverted religion.
See Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Egypt after Arab Winter they have a military dictatorship...
Well the West is becoming more weak if that is the definition of tolerant. It is suspect to put this article on on Christmas.
ET: It appears that the spread of that version of Islam across the Middle East has two similar Islamist ideologies at the core: the Muslim Brotherhood out of Egypt and Wahhabism out of Saudi Arabia. They propose an Islamic version of society which in a sense is remarkably similar to fascism, regulating every aspect of people’s lives.
Only passage from this read that has value.
Wholley owned and operated with the patent(s) for the Muslim Brotherhood and "wahhabiism" by the Rothschild/Anglo-American bitch that follows it's every command and has owned it since the 1920s!!!
As to what I make of it, in most Muslim countries the majority of people are tolerant. They want to live in a more inclusive society and have a more liberal religious doctrine.
#Who in the hell does this man think he is kidding.
Come to Britain - the second generation is more radical than the last.
Whats a moderate liberal muslim?
People like Assad who is under fire from fro most of islam for tolerating christianity?
If he is a muslim and if he reads and believes the Koran he is a 7th century barbarian wearing western fancy dress and will revert to true.
You wait.
Regarding Assad, in March 2011 Vogue Magazine featured an article on Asma al-Assad, Syria’s first lady. The story presents a remarkable scenario of Syria before the catastrophic war that was to unfold. Since the date of the article (quickly pulled from the Internet by Vogue and now found only on Gawker), “the killing of 202,354 people in the Syria war has been documented (76,021 people killed in 2014 alone), just under half of them civilians.” …
Asma al-A ssad: A Rose in the Desert |
EXCERPT:
Asma al-Assad, Syria’s dynamic first lady, is on a mission to create a beacon of culture and secularism in a powder-keg region—and to put a modern face on her husband’s regime.
Asma al-Assad is glamorous, young, and very chic—the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies. Her style is not the couture-and-bling dazzle of Middle Eastern power but a deliberate lack of adornment. She’s a rare combination: a thin, long-limbed beauty with a trained analytic mind who dresses with cunning understatement. Paris Match calls her “the element of light in a country full of shadow zones.” She is the first lady of Syria.
Syria is known as the safest country in the Middle East, possibly because, as the State Department’s Web site says, “the Syrian government conducts intense physical and electronic surveillance of both Syrian citizens and foreign visitors.” It’s a secular country where women earn as much as men and the Muslim veil is forbidden in universities, a place without bombings, unrest, or kidnappings, but its shadow zones are deep and dark. Asma’s husband, Bashar al-Assad, was elected president in 2000, after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, with a startling 97 percent of the vote. In Syria, power is hereditary. The country’s alliances are murky. How close are they to Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah? There are souvenir Hezbollah ashtrays in the souk, and you can spot the Hamas leadership racing through the bar of the Four Seasons. Its number-one enmity is clear: Israel. But that might not always be the case. The United States has just posted its first ambassador there since 2005, Robert Ford.
Iraq is next door, Iran not far away. Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, is 90 minutes by car from Damascus. Jordan is south, and next to it the region that Syrian maps label Palestine. There are nearly one million refugees from Iraq in Syria, and another half-million displaced Palestinians.
“It’s a tough neighborhood,” admits Asma al-Assad.
It’s also a neighborhood intoxicatingly close to the dawn of civilization, where agriculture began some 10,000 years ago, where the wheel, writing, and musical notation were invented. Out in the desert are the magical remains of Palmyra, Apamea, and Ebla. In the National Museum you see small 4,000-year-old panels inlaid with mother-of-pearl that is echoed in the new mother-of-pearl furniture for sale in the souk. Christian Louboutin comes to buy the damask silk brocade they’ve been making here since the Middle Ages for his shoes and bags, and has incidentally purchased a small palace in Aleppo, which, like Damascus, has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years….
Images for Asma al-A ssad: A Rose in the Desert
The full article, pulled by Vogue, can be found on Gawkerca
http://gawker.com/asma-al-assad-a-rose-in-the-desert-1265002284
Just like under Stalin, in America you can be in favor one day and the next day be shot - it all depends on arbitary power and how it wants to use you - as the carrot or the stick.
right JR - and after that 2011 came the usual character assassination hit pieces, US/Britain stories about what stores she shopped at and what she bought, trying to paint the Assads as aloof materialistic "rich" people ...
You appear to think there is a contradiction between 'most countries the mority of Muslims are tolerant' and '2nd gen in Britain are more radical'?
Where could that failure lie?
100% correct. The morons need to wake up before it's too late. I don't mind them sacrificing themselves but I prefer they don't sacrifice me.
What did the bombers of the Russaian Flight to St. Petersburg say?
"Death to the Crusaders!" Pretty damn sad all around.
What a total bullshit article. US has been FUNDING and training Radical Muzzies since AT LEAST just before the fall of the Soviet Union.
Mujahideen anyone? Another asswipe article with 1/2 truths...
Is it not the case that Western influence and support for the vile factions of Islam in countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait have directly influenced the rise of resistance by - otherwise dormant and marginalised - jihad terrorists, to drive out the West and overthrow their own sub-human rulers?
These jihadists have grown up watching the West take its oil/gas where the money goes to support lavish lifestyles of despotic rulers. They despise Westerners, the lax standards of morality we practice and not to mention the totally corrupt systems of democracy we have attempted to impose on them.
Islamic hell or politically correct hell. Take your pick.
Donald Trump is saying neither.
Aren't they the same thing these days?
There is no freedom to be found in the tolerance of the intolerable.
I recognize that many of you are agnostic or atheist in your views. What I do not understand are those of you who are incapable of acknowledging there are rules necessary to the governance of society.
I believe that humans have free will. But that underlying free will is a moral code imprinted upon our conscience by an almighty creator. To violate that moral code is not a strike for freedom, but rather an imposition of bondage.
But those of you who believe there is no moral code... that the suggestion of a moal code is bondage itself... must admit there is nature. That to violate that nature... imposed upon you by the very forces that created you... is akin to a kind of death.
In any event, whether man is bound by a moral code or the limits of a material design, to suggest that what we have in the West is an enlightened form of freedom and tolerance is either disingenuous in the extreme, or some sort of self imposed blindness... or perhaps it is rampid imbecility...
On the other hand, to replace the lies of Western Civilization with the death cult of Islam... which can be most accurately described as worship of the state... is simply to replace a slow death for a faster one.
“A marshal’s job was to enforce the law, and to him the laws were the rules that made civilization work. Without them there was chaos. They were not a restriction upon his freedom, but the doorway to greater freedom, for they established certain rules that men were not to transgress...
“’ Some people believe the law to be a restriction. . . It is a restriction only against evil. Laws are made to free people, not to bind them—if they are the proper laws. They tell each of us what he may do without transgressing on the equal liberty of any other man.’ …
“’Freedom won with the gun might have to be kept with the gun. Here, as in Switzerland, the people are the militia.’”
--Louis L’Amour in Borden Chantry
What an idiot :" No freedom in the tolerance of the intolerable', and you get to defin the 'intolerable'.
I think we all live the same moral code, the same human nature drives us all.
and then you get to 'death cult of Islam'. Right.
Ironclad argument, define the terms and presto, you are right.
Lordflin:
"I believe that humans have free will. But that underlying free will is a moral code"
Up to that point we can agree. Beyond that, ascribing a moral code to a magic entity that works in "mysterious ways" leaves me cold. Everyone wants their god of various names and powers to make them unique against their fellow man.
Jesus is the closest I come to believing a moral code can be laid down from on high.
No slaughtering innocent lambs, no burnt offerings, no butchering my fellow man in the name of Allah. All that is confirmed to me by such followers, is that we are not far removed from swinging from the vines.
Merry Christmas.
The problem is Saudi Arabia and its virulent form of Wahhabi'ist Islam. Via petrodollars, they have had the influence and power to export the theology. It is through our complacency and thirst for oil that it has been allowed to happen as well. The Germans have started to call out the problem, hopefully we will soon as well.
So we were shocked to hear General Petraeus advocating this past summer that the US should be arming Al Qaeda to fight the Islamic State
LMFAO. It's 2015 and people STILL don't know Be-tray-us bribed Sunnis to stop attacking US forces and the whole "Sunni awakening" is nothing but a massive bribery scheme. "The Surge" in a nut shell.
One thing that many people don’t understand is that the conflict in Syria started as a very simple civil war.
What??? The whole thing in Syria started as demonstrations. How the fuck did demonstrations morph into an armed insurrection CIA stooge cunt? That's like Occupy Wallstreet morphs into an armed militia after 2 months and suddenly they have RPGs, heavy machine guns and entire battalions assaulting towns. Getthefuckouttahere.....
Fucking CIA....
Thank You, nailed it.
"But again this is a perversion of Islam because the vast majority of Muslims believe in tolerance and history is full of examples of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities living together in peace.
Islam has never condoned the killing of non-Muslims simply because they are not Muslim. Unfortunately you have some radicals that have perverted some verses of the Quran to justify their actions, but that is not right."
This is complete bullshit. This guy is a waste of space.
Exactly. He might want to bone up on the actual behavior of mohammed, the founder of the "religion of peace".
The only time mahommedan communities live in peace with others is when they are either a very small minority in a society or it is a mahommedan society and the others have submitted and are paying the required tax imposed on infidels.
And aside from the experience of Christians and Jews with mahommedans, he might want to look at the experience Hindus have had with them.
zactly. To take 3 at random - the Hindu Kush "the hindu killer" - named for the deaths of hindu slaves being taken back to be buggered by Arabs. Granada 1066 - Jews murdered by the "peace-loving" moors. Armenia - jihad and genocide.
zactly. To take 3 at random - the Hindu Kush "the hindu killer" - named for the deaths of hindu slaves being taken back to be buggered by Arabs. Granada 1066 - Jews murdered by the "peace-loving" moors. Armenia - jihad and genocide.
@sidfalco
And this guy was some kind of kahuna at the CIA.
We are doomed.
ZH needs to lay off the kiddie porn...............
Muslims will not be satisfied until the whole world is Muslim. They really don't care how the goal is achieved by peaceful political methods or by the sword. Chose your poison infidel. I don't by the high jacked bullshit because Mohammed gave the Muslims very specific instructions on how to get the job done and there is no reforming his words.
www.citizenwarrior.com
read "An Abridged Koran"
Merry Xmas!
If you can't handle the truth. Too bad for you, keep your PC correct lies written down close to your pillow every night.
West = Christianity, Conflict = WWlll with no battle fronts. Great business and profit for the military industrial government authoritarian complex.
Great way to cancel debt and create a new currency.
There is a plan and it will happen soon.
It will start by a chemical weapons attack on US soil.
The lightweight General Betrayus and the virgin Connie Swail would have hit it off , IMO.
I can see attacks on the MSM who are easily more accessible as the best way to get the message across in the near future.
With the BBC intent on propping up the NeoCon Agenda it's time to say enough of your indoctrination and i double dare the boys in blue foot cadets to pester me for a licence fee.
Help someone's nicked me hip flask!
Speaking of ideology has anyone seen "Exodus, Gods and Kings"? I thought that would be some light Christmas entertainment but it was like watching the exorcist. This is hardly my first exposure to the story of Moses but the story is somewhat dark and full of blood and guts. Muslims may not be the only ones that have a history of seeing blood shed as a means to an end. Just sayin...
"the west is becoming more tolerant"? WTF are you smoking and can you share some? talk about propaganda. Still blaming the Mislems for all the wars and attacks the West has subjected the Mislem world sicne 1990, when Shrub I attacked Iraq for the first time. talk about fucked up propaganda. Yeah, I fukken remember that far back, you piece of lying shit. The West hasnt stopped attacking Muslem countries for 25 years.
The West is rapidly becoming the MOST intolerant social system in the world. try calling gay a fag and let's see how tolerant the West is. try calling blacks niggers. try suggesting anything that is not in the main official "narrative" and let's see how far you will get. fuck you and your propaganda.
time to stop reading this propaganda bullshit web site. logging off and NEVER coming back. no better than CNN or FAUX news.
Bruv i here you , don't despair.
Despite an avalanche of testimony provided by the Tylers and a host of intellectual posters on Z/H 20% of folks will still slip through the net.
The MSM crockagenda machine have a bottomless supply of funds to shape public opinion, to divide and conquer and yet slowly, painfully slow maybe the mist is clearing and we can taste the ZATO desperation to prop up the charade.
Hang in there, buddy.
Thank dog for propaganda western style. The wonderful Kevin Hulbert is the Founder and President of XK Group, LLC and others like him need this to enrich themselves on fear. Thanks zh to adding to the noise of BS.
Stop feeding the crazies with weapons and stop playing nice with house of suad. WTF
muslims:
-rape (boys and girls)
-incest and genetical diseases
-molesting on streets
-sexual frustration
-gangs and mafia
-crime
-disrespect
-reject assimilation so not adapt western values
-sick view on woman
-beating woman
-aggression
- no-go zones
-ugly burkas and hijabs
-low education
-ignorance
-executions and lashes, physical punishment
-lack of sexual selection (ugly aggressive stupid people have up to 10 ugly aggresive stupid children)
-welfareabuse
-integration problems
-10% of muslim man count as radicals
-50% support sharia law
-frustartion due to fail of becoming member of society
-islamic movements controlled by cia or other intelligence
-serious stupidity
-crime and attacks angainst non-muslims
-sick view on sex (woman cant wear t-shits because it counts as nude)
-forbidding art, music, dancing, sex, etc etc etc
islam is a fascist virus and is hiding under the word "religion"
it is not peace nor peaceful but agrressive and diguisting. it forces people to practice it and you cant live amongs muslims because they will beat you discriminate you attack you and rape your children. once a country is infected with islam its spreading more and more and becaomes more and more dominant. islam is controlled by a foreign elite with money (like saudi arabia)
islam in not beautiful nor fun
you can compare muslims to a useless plant
palestine is not a muslim country - muslims stole it point
afganistan is not a muslim country either even if 100% of population are now muslims, because islam was forced upon this country and the people cant free themself from islam
we need to destroy islam and forbid it forever
we need to educate people that islam is not a religion
saudia arabia needs a constitution and democracy, following by a BAN of islam
islamic symbols need to be removed from israel
islam has no other future but grow and implode
islam ha no place in this world
it needs to be replaced
i forgot:
-stealing from non-muslims
-look at non-muslims as dirty and third class humas
-human traffic
-false marriage to get citizenship
-slavery (still common by some muslims)
-missionary movements of spreading islam to non-muslims
-loud islamic tooteling in cars to harass others on streets
-sharia "police"
-muslim male teenagers always walk in groups and like to attack single weaker people
-honor killing (serious issue)
-"eye for an eye" rule it means they attack your family members if they cant do damage to you, even for an accident
-attacks on local religious symbols (crosses, gravestones, statues of buddha, churches, synagoges, icons etc)
-taqyya (islamic lie)
-reject of biology and history (darwin theory)
-physical attacks against muslim critics
-mans decisions over womas life (how they have to live,who they have to marry, what they have to do, what they dont allowed to do)
-demand of tax from non-muslims (now happening in sweden <-)
Good!
Now...reinforce this even more by long list of all the Christian goodness.
Actually, next to each of your points you should have placed Christian counterpart.
(I allready know that I am in for cricket sounds, but tried anyway.)
There's one in every crowd. Give it a rest, bro. You don't have to show your hatred for your own kind at every opportunity.
Excellent summary. What are the bad points about Muslims?
As usual ZH is a wonderful place for like-minded group-think conjured up reality made out of bullshit. The CIA did not brainwash French, Belgian and UK Muslims, did they? What about Iran, forget Saudi Arabia, Iran was probably one of the most secular countries in the Middle East, highly prosperous, with large number of western educated youth and tolerance towards other religions. What the FUCK happened over there? Did the CIA fly Khomeini on a magic carpet over there and turn the country into sticking pile of shit Islamic Republic that next to Saudi Arabia is the most intolerant region in the world toward other religions.
They stone women over there too and hang them from cranes while inflicting as much pain as possible. How many churches or synagogues opened up in Iran during the last 40-years?
shia islam is pro russian
sunni islam is pro usa
the rise of shia in iran is related to usa attempt to influence iran
shia reject saudis and usa cant make a coup like it did in ukraine
no matter what kind of islam, no matter who ownes it, it should all be banned
all muslims who oppose the idea of abadoning islam should be killed
I've yet to meet an Iranian ( and i know plenty, hundreds ) who wishes to harm/kill Christians. In fact hundreds of thousands of Iranians are Christians!
Yesterday in Syria, Shia's Muslims celebrated alongside Christians.
Your either a shill for Netanyahoot or ignorant and anti-social.
i knew some iranians too plenty of them living here
iran is only 400 years muslim. iran once was strongly under influence of russian tsarist empire (1721–1917)
its still is. shia groups like hesbollah is well funded with money from russia
shia islam is basically completely dictated by russian jews now
the idea of russian intelligence is to make shia islam as an open, smart, tolerant islam
simplistic fantasy.
calling it fantasy is stupid from your side
i know you are not that smart, but saudi arabia recieves its military weapons from usa. it deals with usa. it obeys usa rules and orders on oil production and cooperates with usa and opec. saudi arabia is not attacking nor boykotting usa even if they know that israel is an us-american welfare state. saudi arabias wealth is counted in dollars.
different to other countries saudi arabia and quatar have a real wealth because of the oil and future possible solar-energy
therefore sunni islam is us-owned
russia got sunnis too but they are not the core and have no global influence over pro^western muslims
in the 90 there was an attack on russian sunni muslims through sudi arabia backed by cia/usa.
they wanted to separate chechens from russia and attacked moderate chechen muslims
it failed and moderate muslims won against the saudi arabia funded terrorists
their mosques were destroyed and mosques from moderate muslims reconstructed
i will be honest you are an idiot and stupid. you know nothing
piling up bootlaces from early morning to the evening did not benefit your intellectual education
On the political level there is no freedom since politics means to police. On the religious level there is only freedom but religion is a word being misused by so called religionists. Indeed, just become God conscious, become a participant of the Absolute Truth. Having arrived in the human form of body one has the opportunity. Hare Krishna.
Once Islam catches up to most catholics in understanding that the church is a big ball of shit, the guy dressed funny and telling ridiculous stories is a fucking idiot and all those stories in the big book are and we're intended to keep savages in line through fear of some retribution from an invisible force, in this life or the next...the better off and happier we will all be.
I would put Islam behind by 1,000 years. About where Christians were whenbburning witches at the stake and all that killing in the name of God. Give me a break! It's always been and always will be about money and control of the flock.
Why not post picks of all those Muslim big heads whenbthey are in London strip clubs with a Scotch in one hand and a blonde's boob in the other hand...same sort of deconstruction as was done to the Catholic Church with exposing what the fuck was really going on in there...and still is.
My spirituality or lack of is my own business and I will have to answer to God about that should that moment arrive. That should not mean my head needs to be chopped off just as much as I won't be chopping anyone's head off because they believe something I don't...so walking away from the organization is the only way. Not all priests rape little boys but enough do or are involved inbthe cover up that I cannot drop another dollar in the basket to support it same as not all Muslims cut heads off but some do, and a bunch more agree and support it so if you want to be on the right side of this thing with your God...grab a cold Miller and tell your God you can't be part of that any more.
Fuck all religion, fuck all politicians (Trump not as much cuz not a politician really) and especially fuck all bankers.
FX you forgot to mention the Wahhabi's lust for Rentboys.
No, the image fed into western minds is 1000 years back, but go look at the actual people living actual lives via Youtube.
The people feeding those images are CIA and Israeli intelligence.
How hard was it to allow the failure of integration? Note that we have done much the same with some of our minorities in the US, this isn't a problem only of Muslims.
https://thinkpatriot.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/mechanisms-of-dissolution/
Everything is perfect, always. Why you're such a crybaby? Your consciousness is perhaps stuffed with ignorance and illusions? Why not get out of the crappy crap? Hare Krishna.
You are right FX223, there is no meaningful freedom in those Islam countries, we are secular we got the freedom, why yesterday, Christmas Day, while visiting some folks, I saw, on TV a man who put a firecracker in his ass and lit it, after it exploded he danced around in pain to the audience's raccous applause, you will never see this in an Islamic country they have no freedoms, in a Islamic country everyone involved would be arrested and publicly flogged for staging an outrage, that is the problem with Islam there is nothing to laugh at over there, but we are still number 1! Right? we will always be number 1 because there will always be something to laugh at here!
"A few radical extremeists." Yeah, that really means every one of them musloids. No matter what rag they may march under.
When the jihadis come to Texas, we'll give them all the jihad they want.
Consulate of Saudi Arabia
5718 Westheimer, #1500
Houston, Texas, 77057
Send them yer left over ham....
If Americans attempt to sow discord in Europe by increasing anti-muslim rhetoric,
Europeans might have no choice but to turn up the anti-America rhetoric.
Simple, if all the top mullahs, both shia and sunni, are not willing to issue fatwahs saying any terrorist attacks will send the perps to eternal hellfire... then any further major attacks will be answered by the total destruction of Mecca... for starters.
I like it.
You are assuming, of course, that there is a smidgen of fight in our politicians.
Hey buster...if that time ever came GIVE EM HELL!
Most places in the west people (gun haters, pc metrosexual whateverthe fucks) would be deer in headlights. Thanks to them snitches we can't defend our own homes and protect our families.
As they are about to chop off your head they'll laugh and tell you to go ahead call the cops...they can't recapitate you.
Sending the ham now but keeping the bacon.
Atheism is not supported by the physics.
As Christianity dies the vacuum must be filled.
Either by the Semitic cult of Islam or by our own native religion of Asatru.
Choose.
please not islam
please not islam
please not islam
Israel is a tiny country forged from the ashes of the Holocaust by UN proclamation. Israel is a spec of dust on the Mid East landscape. Stop firing rockets at her and she won't retaliate. Pretty simple stuff.
As for the Palestinians, why aren't they welcome in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi, Kuwait, UAE, Iran or any other Mid country?
Incorrect.
Israel was the price that the Poms had to pay the Jews for bringing the USA into the war against Germany in the first world war.
The Jews were used by the Reich as slave labour. They died in their thousands in the labour camps. Dysentery will do that.
The same thing happened to the Afrikaaner womenfolk and children in the original concentration camps organised by the Poms during the Boer war. They died in their thousands. From dysentery.
Rothschild Family received Israel from British royality to protect their vast weath from taxation and confiscation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBHTdvMhSL4 - Several minutes of a comprehensive explanation from a Jewish man.
You can blame the US, or Wahabiism or the Saudi Monarchy. However rank and file including so-called moderate Muslims mostly push for Sharia including death or imprisonment for apostates wherever they are found. Sharia is incompatible with liberty. Sharia is incompatible with freedom of conscience.
What a mealy-mouthed article. Why bother with an interview when all the interviewee can say is "You have a good point there" or "The issue is complicated."
At any rate, Christianity is being destroyed in Europe at an exponentially quickening pace. That will cause many ZHers to rejoice, who like to feel like they are too smart for religion. One would almost imagine, that between radical jihadists and fanatical Fabian socialists, that is the goal. I never understood why communists were always so determined to kill off Christians when all they do is go to church and pray (as well as help the poor, etc). While they invite others to join them, they force nobody. What's the harm in that? But, simply put, totalitarians regard Christianity as the greatest threat to their power. Everywhere you look, there is a war against Christians--even on this blog. All they do is go to church and pray. You have a problem with that?
Next up, "The internecine danger to society represented by small groups of women who get together to knit"
Excellent. People who hate Christianity are now able to enjoy life without it. The absence of Christianity in Muslim lands is a BIG plus.
As soon as they conflated "secularism" with "freedom" I quit reading.
No time for half-assed thinkers, anymore.
The islamic cult is the ultimate coercive collectivist ideology that mandates the utter annihilation of individual identity, freedom and liberty.
Therefore, the islamic cult must be totally eradicated.
Funny, replace "Islam" with "Christianity" and you get the same thing. Don't believe me, just listen to the Republican Presidential Candidates.
Brilliant.
There will always be a radical minority in Islam, it's just the way it is. If you want to live with these folks, prepare to live in a society with massive surveilliance, no free speech, and certainly no 2nd amendmant rights. Prepare to have your culture erased for fear of provoking the radical minority. Sorry, the cultures are incompatible. The corporate establishment's dream of cheap 3rd world labor from everywhere is a terrible idea for America.
Islamic propaganda is more prevalent than you think on the Internet. Anonymous is countering them by shutting down their social media accounts and websites. We must all be vigilant and we must all do our part. Like Reagan said, freedom is not a birthright, it must be fought for.
When the dust settles the house of Rothchild will be in a much more powerful position.
Follow the money.
## history is full of examples of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities living together in peace. ##
This guy is full of beans. Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Bahais have been driven from Muslim lands. The survivors, that is.
Infidels were tolerated as dhimmis in Muslim lands. State-of-the-art SA and Pakistan persecute Christians and good luck using your living room in Egypt as a place for Bible study. You'll cause a riot.
What garbage.
Surprised? Christianity was hijacked by the zionazi's a long time ago. It's now the turn of Islam to feel their unique brand of love.
They will always fight - states the Bible & Torah
Abraham's 2 sons
Btw Abraham's gawd wanted to murder his child
Then ordered killing of animals , roasting their flesh & splilling blood
in honor of the great compassionate gawd
WHAT GAWD?
------------------------
It all sounds demonic, evil , satanic
What gawd , the father of all creatures would want murder of its own creatures
BS
step over it
apply your minds
Abrahmic religions are all fake
Compassion is the faith thats required - even to animals