Real Obstacle to World Peace

 

Looking at a map one can see the level of freedom Freedom House rated the world (see map below). What is frightening about this year’s survey is that freedom the world over fell and currently those nations rated as not free equal the other two categories of free and partly free.

 

Freedom House World Freedom Map

 

Wars have a major oppressive effect on populations and the world is currently brimming with conflicts. Were one to look around the world at the current conflicts, they would largely have one thing in common, one side, if not both, or all, are Islamic nations or forces. Syria has several groups who are involved in the fighting which include but are not limited to Russia (non-Muslim), Remains of the Syrian Army (Muslim), Kurdish Militias (Muslim), Islamic State (Muslim), IRGC* (Muslim), Syrian opposition affiliated rebel groups (Muslim), Turkish Military (Muslim), Unified Syrian Army (Muslim), United States Air Force and related troops (non-Muslim), Israeli Defense Force (non-Muslim), Kurdish Peshmerga from Iraq (Muslim), Hezballah from Lebanon (Muslim), Jordan (Muslim), Saudi Arabia (Muslim), Qatar (Muslim), support for Russian effort from Iran (Muslim), Iraq (Muslim), China (non-Muslim), North Korea (non-Muslim), and support for the American effort from United Kingdom, France, Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Norway (which are all non-Muslim). Much of the above are also involved directly or indirectly in the civil violence in Iraq, that is another war zone. Moving around the area, there is the fighting in Yemen which includes but may not be limited to Hadi Government Military (Muslim), Qatar (Muslim), Saudi Arabia (Muslim), Supreme Political Council (Muslim), Houthis Militia (Muslim), Yemeni Air Force (Muslim), IRGC (Muslim), North Korea (Muslim), Russia (non-Muslim), Iran (Muslim), Hezballah (Muslim), Southern Transitional Council (Muslim), United Arab Emirates (Muslim), Islamic State (Muslim), al-Qaeda (Muslim), Bahrain (Muslim), Kuwait (Muslim), Jordan (Muslim), Morocco (Muslim), Senegal (Muslim), Sudan (Muslim), Blackwater mercenaries (non-Muslim), Turkey (Muslim), United Kingdom (non-Muslim), France (non-Muslim), United States (non-Muslim), China (non-Muslim), Salafist militias (Muslim) and formerly Egypt (Muslim). These above major war zones are largely made up of varied Muslim groups and nations with some non-Muslim as well as Muslim outside assistance. But what about outside the Middle East, what do we find there?

 

Across Northern Africa in the Transition Zone (see map below), there is a line of conflict where Islamic terror groups aided by supplies and money from various nations including the United States, along with numerous NATO member states across Europe, plus Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations or supported by Russia, China, North Korea and mostly Iran with some areas warranting Iran to inject IRGC both as fighters and trainers. One of the more notable terror groups operated in and around Nigeria is Boko Haram. Moving eastward there is the separatist fighting between the newly created South Sudan and the former nation, the Sudan, which refuses to recognize the separatist claims to have declared and been recognized as independent. Continuing to the Horn of Africa where we have Eretria and Djibouti which are both falling under Iranian influence and then there is Somalia where there is little governmental control and most of the power and weaponry is in the hands of separate and distinct warlords who rule over their particular areas. The African Transition Zone is an area filled with violence as Islamic forces attempt to push Christians and Animists to choose conversion to Islam, fleeing or death, many choose another alternative sarcastically called ‘none of the above’ and realistically called fighting to retain their lives, homes and towns.

 

African Transition Zone

 

Egypt has suffered numerous terror attacks largely due to an Islamic war on Coptic Christians as well as the Sinai Peninsula becoming an open war zone. There is also violence in Libya where a multi-faceted civil war is taking place. The violence across much of the northern and western coasts boils down to terror groups and tribal groups competing for dominance and territory. Al-Qaeda is still operating in these areas as are the Muslim Brotherhood, as they require forces to send to Hamas in Gaza, Islamic State has been moving into the Sinai Peninsula as of late as they have been chased from Iran and Syria due in large part to the efforts of the Kurdish fighters. There also exist criminal elements on top of tribal groups making the Sinai Peninsula a cauldron boiling over. President Sisi has promised the Egyptian people and the world that there will be order established by the Egyptian Military. One can only pray that he can deliver on his promise as having such groups operating just over the southern border has caused Israel some degree of consternation. These feelings have been justified as terrorists and drug smugglers have, on rare occasions, fired at Israelis from the Sinai Peninsula and even crossed the border using stolen armored vehicles. There have also been incidents where Hamas and Islamic Jihad have used the Sinai Peninsula to launch their rockets widening their area of threat from simply Gaza. Closing this area we can add that there exists violence in the southern and more central areas of Africa but the violence in most of these conflicts pale by comparison to most of these other conflicts, especially Syria and Iraq.

 

The last area of continuous though sporadic violence have been the terror attacks and crime waves in Europe, Canada, the United States and elsewhere in the world even to include Russia, China, Central Asia and the far east, specifically the Philippines. The Philippines are having what might be classified as a civil war or at least an uprising by Islamic forces called Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The MILF have claimed affiliation with the Islamic State, despite predating them by decades, and are demanding their own independent Islamic nation on the Islands of Mindanao in the southernmost region of the Philippines. The fighting with the Moro natives who claim Islam as their religion go back to at the least the United States winning the Philippine Islands from the Spanish in the Spanish American War which ended with the Treaty of Paris in December 10, 1898, where the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guam were ceded to the United States, which “bought” the title for the Philippines from Spain for twenty-million dollars. With this, they also bought the insurrection fought by the Moro Islamic natives largely on the Island of Mindanao. The most famous of American commanders in this insurrection civil war was General ‘Black Jack’ Pershing. There are numerous tall tales about his handling of the Moro Islamic uprisings which we will leave to our readers to research. The remaining terror attacks largely upon Western Developed Democratic nations have been slighted as being one-off individuals unattached to any actual terrorist group. The validity of these claims has been questioned by some in media and we have our suspicions as well. Far too many of these individual ‘lone wolves’ as they are called, claim to have been inspired by al-Qaeda and now the Islamic State and some appear to have received information on the construction of their device, their explosives or the tactics used. Even if their tactic was as simple as ramming people riding in the bicycle lanes and you claim to be doing for the Islamic State, we would say we believe you thought you were a member of that terror organization as you have been influenced greatly by them. The government has appeared in all of the nations plagued by these attacks to minimize that these crimes are largely committed by immigrants from Islamic nations or that the morals, or lack thereof, and completely different lifestyles have caused any problems, especially for women, has been a monumental effort. There is an imbalance in the way the governments have historically treated any differences in culture or actions by Muslims compared to other groups. Where all groups previously were made to conform to the Western World and the ways of the citizens and culture but now the government is proposing we not only permit Islamic courts and cultural norms for their areas, but that the entirety of western culture must be subverted so as to allow for those of the Islamic faith to be comfortable. This is turning everything onto its head making for a topsy-turvy world all spinning out of control and losing its bearings.

 

Despite, or possibly because, of these unusual actions by the Western government one has to wonder if perhaps they have noticed that Islam will not surrender to the norms and will instead insist on their norms becoming the dominant culture and the Western World, at the governmental levels, have simply decided to surrender without a fight. The governments appear to be demanding that their own populations surrender their will to a foreign and imported set of concepts and morality laws and it is absurd. In Germany, the police filed hundreds if not thousands or more arrest complaints for sexual harassment and sexual assault because they were against Muslims and the women making the reports were improperly covered by Islamic standards. These complaints came within a week on either side of New Years and the government’s basic response was that the women asked to be molested and groped because they were not wearing body bags. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen suggested that all women should wear a headscarf to battle prejudice against Muslims. Just one more European leader is suggesting submission to Islam. Perhaps we should clue him in that Islam actually means to submit and demands one submit to Allah by following every rule dictated to you by an Imam, but perhaps they already know this and have simply gone over to the other side and truly submitted themselves and their societies to Islam. They view this as Islam will refuse to give us peace; as long as we resist joining the world of Islam, they will fight using terrorism and all other methods to wear down the resistance until we give in, that is our leaders’ views. They would rather switch than fight, but there are those of us, even in governments, who would, like the old Tareyton cigarette commercials, would rather fight than switch.

 

Rather Fight than Switch

 

The most disruptive force in the world currently is reminiscent of threats from a former era, two to be exact. The first was from around 622 through 750 as Islam spread across the MENA** regions only to be prevented from sweeping across Europe from the east by the Byzantine Empire, or its remnants as it was in its twilight but still held the great walled city of Constantinople and prevented from the west by the defeat of the Islamic armies by Charles ‘the Hammer’ Martel who defeated them at the battle of tours. The second was when the Ottoman Empire which replaced the Caliphate but retained Islam expanded into eastern end of Europe from 1360 through 1683 being stopped twice at the gates to Vienna where they were repulsed the final time by Polish King John III Sobieski at the Battle of Vienna against the Ottoman Empire in 1683. The Ottoman Empire was to be on the losing end of World War I which brought Arabist rule to an end amongst the MENA nations for the ensuing fifty years while the Europeans held political power allowing limited self-rule in those places where it was beneficial. This European colonialism is considered the worst horror to ever befall these lands completely ignoring the nine-hundred year oppressive rule first by the Islamic Arabs and followed by the Islamic rule by Ottoman Turkish Muslims. These areas were ruled with an iron fist much of the time as Islam was most efficient at placing tyrannical leaders at their helm as it valued strength above almost all else though from time to time there would be a benevolent ruler, Caliph, who would permit more freedoms.

 

Islamic Expansion

 

Those are the times which the current Muslim uprisings are remembering and believing by returning to those violent ways they will once again raise to greatness. They are emulating most the initial bursting out from the Arabian Peninsula as the purest form of Islam and the one to be most emulated. These were very violent attacks where thousands were put to the sword for refusal to convert adopting Islam. Often there were places taken where the men were slaughtered and the women imprisoned to serve for breeding the next generation of warriors who would be particularly ruthless as they were required to prove their worth on the battlefield before being granted the right to become a Muslim, the one thing they had been raised being taught that was the highest of all possible honors and that only the most ruthless and gifted fighters would be so rewarded. This is what we are witnessing now, blind obedience and the willingness to die for Islam just to prove that they are the brave willing to go to the afterlife and receive great pleasures in Heaven where warriors who die fighting for Islam are instantly transported with all their sins and the sins of their families forgiven. There is also something about grass fields with flowers and waterfalls and pools of water as well as wine and something about perpetual virgins and other sexual pleasures which will be rewarded them. These forms of senseless violence we have witnessed being perpetrated against Western peoples will only get worse just as it had in Israel before we took measures to prevent and actively fight to prevent further violence. The only thing many Islamic leaders understand is strength as they do exactly as Osama bin Laden stated, they will follow, as do all people, the strong horse which still stands tall and capable after battle.

 

As also noted above, the vast majority of violence, being perpetrated around the globe circulates about Islam. There can only be propaganda conflicting with this observation and Islamic leaders are well versed in the practice of Taqiyyah which is lying in order to advance the cause of Islam. One can even deny Allah and all the tenets of Islam if doing so works to the advantage of Islam which includes remaining alive. In Islam, one is to quote the early and no longer practiced verses which tell of how Muhammad taught compassion and coexistence. They speak of peaceful existence and Islam being the religion of peace. In time, they slowly reveal to the faithful the true nature and the demands to conquer every living being for Allah and how all must worship Allah or be put to the sword, beheaded. Islam is peace in that the world of Islam is defined as the world of peace and serenity where all have surrendered their will to Allah. The parts of the world not conquered yet by Islam are called the house of war which is why all other religions are considered to be barbaric and violent, as they reside in the world of war outside Islam while Islam is the world of peace.

 

The idea in Islam is the opposite of war is surrender before Islamic masters who will dictate to you everything you will need in this life. This eventually leads to crushing all creativity and a slow but steady loss of knowledge which for the masses is exactly what Islam demands, blind and thoughtless obedience which is absolute. Muslim forces conquering many places would burn down all book repositories such as libraries as the books inside either were not the Quran and therefore heretical as the Quran has all the knowledge one could ever require in life. Just a quick note, the Quran contains no mathematical rules or physics formulas but it is all a Muslim need know to be a teacher, actually, a teacher must have proven to have memorized the entire Quran. The Quran is not arranged chronologically but rather from the shortest verse to the longest verse. This permits for even the youngest to begin learning and memorizing the Quran as the initial verses are the most simple and as one ages the verses get longer and your ability is to grow as you memorize more verses until you know everything you will ever need in life. This is what desires to conquer the rest of the Earth. If not prevented, they will succeed and that will be the end of history and also the human race with time. Sometimes the opposite of war is slavery; Islam is a form of slavery in the service of the Imams who know the Quran and potentially nothing else.

 

You will need to choose whether you wish to live under Islam, especially if you reside in western Europe, as those nations who were not part of the Soviet Union and have forgotten what totalitarian rule is like are rushing headlong into surrender to Islamic demands and adopting Sharia, the last law you will ever need as from then on you are on your face five times a day facing Mecca. There is more to it than that, but this should be sufficient for now. Islam is surrender which means that once you have accepted Islam you no longer need to think for yourself as you surrendered to Allah and his perfect person dictated a book about everything you could even need know and he was an illiterate and thus actually does not know if they wrote down what he told them, he had to take it on faith and they are demanding you do the same and surrender your life to whatever this man stated. This is Islam and your future if the world does not awaken and realize the truth and depth of the threat. This goes for those who still believe that there is a peaceful solution to the Arab Israeli conflict which does not include the glorious and undeniable victory by the Jews defeating all of Islam or the end of the Jewish State, the Jewish Faith, the Jewish Bible, the Jewish teachings and soon thereafter the end of Christianity. If Europe believes they can stand without Israel being the stopper of the Islamic bottle, they have some wild dreams, honestly. And if the United States believes they can survive without either Russia or China, possibly India, after Israel and Europe fall, they are also delusional. Russia and China are ignoring the problem as the Muslims are being nice for the moment, they will get around to imposing their religion on you with time, that is the one thing we can guarantee the world, nobody gets out or we all get out, no middle ground on this one. Islam will need to be defeated and reformed from the outside, as it will never happen internally because forcing all to become Islamic zombies completely surrendering to Allah and the Mullahs and Imams who will command you, and that does not leave much room for interpretation. It means conquer the entire world and convert everyone, where is the wiggle room in this and this is what they believe is required of them here where it all sort of began.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

* IRGC = Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

**MENA = Middle East and North Africa

 

Israel Cannot be Another United States

 

The first and most obvious reason is size, though that is the least important reason. But the long version of the title for this article should read, “Why Israel cannot be another United States and why the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) are in such a mess.” Then the first sentence would change. So, let us start again. Israel cannot and must not be made into a small version of the United States in the Middle East any more than Japan made into United States Asia Pacific, Thailand made into United States Southern Asia, Tanzania made into United States Africa or Poland made into United States Europe. In every case, these are nations which have been homelands to a particular people in some cases since before written history. The Jewish People are directly traceable to the southern nation between the two nations of the Hebrews who came out of Egypt. The two nations were, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judea whose people became known as Judeans which over time, and for ease of pronunciation, became Jews. The northern kingdom of Israel was the northern ten tribes with their priest lived in the tribes of Judea and the far smaller Benjamin and their priest, which resulted in the tribe of priests, the Kohanim and the Levites divided between the two kingdoms. As the newly reformed nation invites all of the tribes of Israel and Judea to return, the older name Israel was chosen for the nation of the Jews.

 

Let us now speak to why there are so many wars and unrest throughout the nations making up the area called MENA. The problems derive from the decisions made on how to break up the areas which had belonged to the Caliphate and then the Ottoman Empire as the Ottoman Empire had sided with Germany and Austria-Hungarian Empire in World War I, the losing side. The Allies; Serbia, Russia, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and the United States were left to decide the new boundaries for the losing forces. The decision was decided to return lands to their indigenous peoples with the exception of the Ottoman Empire as these lands had been transformed into Arab-Muslim lands under Arab rule with their original indigenous tribal demarcations pretty much erased. Germany and Austria-Hungarian Empire were redefined with new borders defined for Germany with their losing areas to Poland and France. The Austria-Hungarian Empire was broken up into numerous nations which were again divided after the fall of the Soviet Union leading to the nations Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Romania and Serbia today (see map below). These divisions were presumed to make nations too weak to begin a new war as Austria-Hungarian Empire had, forcing the Great War. As further punishment, Germany was restricted in the size of their military and police, forced to pay prohibitive reparations and was forbidden from making air or naval power sufficient to threaten England, France or Russia. Obviously, that plan had failed, as it was one of the mitigating factors leading to World War II. We can only pray that the divisions made of the lands of the Ottoman Empire do not cause World War III.

 

Austro-Hungarian Empire Break-up into Independent Nations

 

The division of the Ottoman Empire came under two main rulings, the first resulting from the San Remo Conference and the Treaty of Sèvres which was restated and included in the Treaty of Lausanne. Many ask why all of these treaties, conferences and other agreements from World War I, especially what became known as the Mandate System, and the reason is Article 80 of the United Nations Charter. Article 80 states, in simple English rather than Legalese, that all these agreements from World War I are enforceable by the United Nations and remain recognized and applicable. Two men had met before the end of World War I and decided between them how to “fairly” divide the Ottoman Empire with much of the lands being turned over to, you may have guessed, France and Great Britain. These two men were the Frenchman François Georges-Picot and the British sent Mark Sykes who together drew up the lines which became the Sykes-Picot Agreement. This agreement gave colonial powers to the various allied powers including Spain, Italy, France and Great Britain. Subsequently, all of these powers have relinquished their rule permitting independent states (see map below). We must note that the 1979 date for Iranian independence notes the Islamic revolution and coup which removed the Shah and in his stead placed the Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhollah Mūsavi Khomeini (Persian: سید روح‌الله موسوی خمینی‎‎) into power of the Islamic Republic of Iran. These lines were drawn willy-nilly, as the British might say. There was no regard given for tribal lines, or at least that is the normal reason given. We hold to another more sinister reason for these lines, a combination of complete laziness and the idea that each nation would be near ungovernable. The borders below (see map) are drawn with slight regard for obvious boundaries such as rivers and very straight lines. By dividing peoples into different nations and splitting up tribes in like fashion while placing numerous tribes within every nation, Sykes and Picot guaranteed that rule could only be established through a dictatorial strongman such as Saddam Hussein, Muammar al-Qaddafi and Bashir al-Assad.

 

Dates that the MENA nations received their independence after colonial rule many since the times of the Persians or even earlier

 

This very likely was the plan, leave nations near ungovernable and leave tribes and peoples split between different nations preventing their coming together to try to establish their natural homelands. This was the opposite of the European plan where they returned lands to the local peoples while in MENA they mostly did the opposite with select exceptions. These exceptions included the Mandate areas which were divided between Arab Muslim from Christian and Jewish lands granting Lebanon to the area Christians to rule and Israel to its indigenous peoples, the Jews and other tribes of the Hebrews. Thus, Jordan and Syria were made Arab Muslim lands. The Kurdish were promised their own lands but the discovery of oil and a lucrative agreement with King Faisal I (Arabic فيصل الأول) and the British (read Getty) left the Kurds divided between Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. Of these countries, Turkey and Iraq were the two most determined to remove their Kurdish presence through genocide if required. Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons amongst other horrific methods against the Kurds in Iraq and Turkey would do to the Kurds what they did to their Armenian people starting in 1913 and continuing through to nearly the end of World War I in 1917. There were also the added struggles between Shiite and Sunni Moslems with these differences felt the most severely in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and many of the Gulf States. This is in part what caused much of the violence during the Arab Spring.

 

The Arab Spring very quickly became and remains the Arab Winter except where the state was strong enough and willing to use that strength to squash any rebellion. That was how Saudi Arabia treated any rebellion amongst its fellow gulf states with the best example being Bahrain where Saudi Armor poured down all lanes of the connecting causeway to the main island bringing the demonstrations and any ideas of a revolt to a very fast and permanent end. There are still numerous revolts in various levels of violence ongoing in Libya, Syria and Yemen with possible problems still existing in Turkey, Jordan and Egypt. There is also the continuing violence committed by the Sudan on the recently established South Sudan. This is a sectarian struggle pitting the Islamic fighters from the north against Christians and Animists residing in the south. This war between the Islamists against the Christians and Animists continues across the continent of Africa in what is referred to as the African Transition Zone (see below). Eventually these lands will form borders based on their tribal affiliations. Even then, there will be those who believe as if it were their religion that it is their destiny to expand over more lands. If one were to ask how many more lands, their answer would be all of the lands and they and their children will fight until all lands belong to them and their beliefs. Fortunately, their claim to land is limited to those lands where mankind live, so founding colonies on other planets simply provides them with more lands which must be brought to the one true faith. That is their religious law until the Imams decide otherwise.

 

African Transition Zone

 

Therein lies the answer, convince their Imams to change the law or at least how they interpret their laws. We are far from alone in this proposal as some have proposed this before and others continue this cry for hope in their future. They see that continuing on the path of eternal conquest can end only one way, one greatly destructive conflagration. These almost singular voices are all but undiscernible over the cacophony of the raging world around them. One such voice has even carried his plea to the center of Islamic teaching, Al-Azhar University. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has walked into the den from which the most renowned and influential of Imams graduate. Al-Azhar University is the Oxford University for Imams. President Sisi has taken the lead position with his appearances and demands for transforming Islam and teaching coexistence, cooperation and acknowledgment of other religions leading inevitably to peace and possibly harmony for mankind at long last. There is the Muslim Reform Movement which are standing for just such a change as are those mentioned at the end of this article. These are people who should be provided prominence as an option worth consideration.

 

To some extent, the allied powers from the First World War, or at least Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot, is responsible for the discontent and violence which had ravaged the Arab Muslim world for the past quarter a century or so. Then, on the other side, the allied powers did not actually do such a great job with Europe judging by the ensuing World War II. The truth is the exact reason why the resurgence of Islam must be handled with a sense of urgency as well as tactfully. If the near future is bungled, then the result could very well be World War III. The entire problem was born of World War I and led to World War II and must be prevented from ending with World War III. All one need remember is the answer Albert Einstein gave when asked, “What weapons will World War III be fought?” To this Einstein replied, “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” Perhaps it would be best not to test the validity of Einstein’s prediction of a possible future.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Trump Accepting Minorities Means More than Just Christians

 

Trump excluded minorities from the immigration temporary ban, which might surprise many as to the numbers and different minorities exist throughout these seven nations listed in President Trump’s order, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Somalia. Perhaps we should start with a quick reference of the population of each of the nations in question. So, on with the show.

 

 

Iraq consists mostly of differing tribes such as Kurds (some being Muslims), Bedouins (some being Muslims), Feylis, Yazidis, Shabaks, Kaka’is, Armenians, Circassians, Persians, Mandaeans, Sabians, Bahá’ís and Doms. The minority religious makeup is Christianity accounting for 0.8% of the population while the rest practice Mandaeism, Yazidism, Zoroastrianism, a minor smattering of Jews who remaining in Iraq and other religions. Iraq is on the verge of failing as a governance as the Sunni central zones and the Shia majority in the south are in conflict and the Kurdish north has allied with the Kurds of Syria but are being targeted by the Turkish forces which cross into the nation claiming to attack terrorist groups when in reality they assist terrorists against Assad and more so against the Kurds. If the Kurdish areas from the Syrian northeast, the northern areas of Iraq and the Kurdish regions in northwest Iran were united, they could form the promised nation of Kurdistan and take in any Kurds wishing to relocate from Turkey thus removing the perceived threat by Kurds to Turkey and potentially ending the bloodshed.

 

Syria also has a number of tribal minorities including Kurds, Armenians, Turkman, Aramaic Assyrian, Chaldean, Yazidi, Druze, Syriacs with religious minorities numbering Christian 10% which includes Greek Orthodox, Greek Christian, Latin Catholics, Protestants, Maronites, Uniate, and Nestorian as well as Druze 3% and a minor smattering of Jews who remain in Syria. The war in Syria has more sides than a set of dice and the nation has no operative governance and has completely failed as a nation.

 

Iran also has a sizeable Kurdish minority (10%) many of which are Muslim but likely not banned by President Trump’s order. Turkmans Balochs and Arabs make up two percent of the population each while sixty percent of the population being of Persian extraction Azeris making up most of the remaining population at sixteen percent. Iran has a tiny minority of non-Muslims totaling less than one percent of the population consisting of a mix of Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian. Iran is probably the most stable country in governance but qualifies for the list as the largest state funder of terrorism worldwide.

 

Libya is a mix of mostly Muslims tribes mostly ruled by their strongest clan with each tribe warring with their neighboring tribe. The violence between the many tribal factions even made terrorist training camps unsafe to such a point that many packed up and left for safer climes. The situation has only worsened progressing from bad to worse after the dethroning of Muammar Gaddafi leaving a central government barely able to rule the capital of Tripoli. The uncertainty of the entire region was made evident with the murder of United States Ambassador Chris Stevens as well as his aide Sean Smith along with former Navy Seals Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods who both went down fighting throughout the night finally succumbing to mortar fire from al-Qaeda terror groups who were seeking to gather as many MANPAD anti-aircraft weapons, the same weapons which the Americans who were murdered were attempting to intercept and send on to Syria to assist the American backed Syrian rebels.

 

Sudan has a small Christian population consisting of Nubian Coptic, Coptic Orthodox and other groups of Christians in the Nuba Mountains who have declared their area to be a new nation recognized as South Sudan, Animists of several roots and persuasions. Like Yemen the Sudan and South Sudan are warring as the Muslims from the Sudan, the northern half, are trying to unify the breakaway nation which is largely Christian and Animist. There have been too many genocidal assaults against the South Sudan and the nation is in turmoil with the South most resembling a failed state.

 

Yemen once had a sizeable Jewish population but the Jews are now mostly held in a government compound for their protection as otherwise they would rapidly become an endangered species, its Christians are divided into Roman Catholic, Anglican, Ethiopian Orthodox and Tewahedo, and there exists a smattering of Hindus. The real problem with Yemen stems largely from it being engaged in a civil war with the sides being aided by outside national forces. The Houthi tribes are being supplied, trained and even assisted by Iran while the former government and Sunnis are receiving aid from Saudi Arabia. Yemen has all the signs of a failed state.

 

Somalia is predominantly Islamic and tribal with a small minority of Christian and traditional Animists who reside in the south. Somalia has been without any measurable governance for the last few decades with tribal warfare and piracy being rampant across much of the nation with no reasonable end in sight. Somalia probably qualified well ahead of the rest, but how would we know.

 

Many of these minorities are persecuted by the Islamic majority governments spending much of their lives in a sort of hiding keeping a low profile. Often ministering to these minorities is a life threatening career as they are a central target whenever the government seeks a distraction or a group to blame. This position is often filled by Israel but these minority populations are target one when something closer to home is required. Ignoring this exception or attempting to make it appear as if it was only about religion is inaccurate as the Kurdish and Bedouin tribes are often largely Islamic. The President’s order was not about Muslims as much as it was about terrorism which was likely the same reason that Presidents Obama and Bush also named these same nations for additional precautions during their administrations. But why lay everything out in the open when there is a new President to smear. Yes, Trump brought this on himself and deserves much of the scorn being heaped upon him but the media also deserves some truth serum as they pretend such limitations on immigrations have never existed before.

 

Remember that there are a small number of those who would be permitted entry into the United States who are Jews. This stands in stark contrast to during World War II when despite the State Department and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt knowing about the extermination camps and the Final Solution to eliminate Jews, Homosexuals, Roma and other “undesirables” that FDR refused to permit Jews attempting to escape the advancing Nazis to enter the United States while the British refused them entry to the areas under the British Mandate. FDR is rumored to have stated that the United States did not need any more than a minority of Jews and he feared permitting additional Jews into the United States. At least this time the Jews will be permitted to escape potential persecution should they so choose. There will also be numerous Islamic minority peoples who also will be permitted entry along with Christians and Animists among others. And for the record, Islam is not a race and encompasses membership from virtually if not every racial group on Earth.

 

Beyond the Cusp