Germany shuts down mosque over ‘ISIS sponsoring & recruiting’

December 17, 2015 By administrator

German authorities have raided and shut down a mosque in Stuttgart on grounds of promoting violence and raising money for terrorist organizations such as Islamic State militants. Authorities said that some of its parishioners traveled to fight for IS to Syria.

Police raided a mosque and cultural center called the Islamic Educational and Cultural Center Mesdschid Sahabe (MSM) in the southwestern city of Stuttgart on Thursday. Computers, data storage devices, smartphones, documents were seized, while the center was closed, said Reinhold Gall, the interior minister of Baden-Wurttemberg state.

“The association supports, in the form of the so-called Islamic State, an Islamist group that carries out religiously-motivated attacks against persons and property,” he said as quoted by AFP.

Known Salafists and fundamentalist Islamists most of them from western Balkans have been frequent visitors of the mosque, he added. Ten people have travelled to Syria to fight for IS after visiting the center while three of them have since died, he said.

“Through the association, donations have been collected for terrorist groups and fighters recruited for the conflict in Syria. In addition, the association and its members glorify jihad and religiously motivated terrorism,” he said. “We do not tolerate associations that advocate the use of violence to promote religious concerns and collect donations for terrorist groups.”

The mosque and center was previously raided by police in March to gather evidence.
On Wednesday, Germany introduced a new special unit consisting of some 250 officers to counter terrorism threat. “The danger in Germany from international terrorism is high, as it is across Europe,” Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters. “It was high, it is high, and it will remain high for the foreseeable future.”

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, police arrested a prominent German extremist preacher Sven Lau on suspicion of supporting IS. Ralf Jaeger, North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister, has described Lau as “one of the leading figures” among German Salafists. Lau is also known for organizing the so-called ‘Sharia police’ which was preaching Salafist morals outside casinos and bars in the city of Wuppertal. last year.

Since 2012, about 670 people have left Germany to join IS and other terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq, according to figures provided by the Interior Ministry.

Source: RT

During an interview with Spiegel, leader of Germany’s Left Party Sahra Call Erdogan godfather of Terrorism

December 7, 2015 By administrator

Commenting on the situation with the terrorist threat in the Middle East, the German politician called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the “godfather of terrorism.”

Wagenknecht expressed regrets that the Turkish leader does not stop secretly supporting terrorism and is refusing to close the Turkish border with Syria.

Germany is currently working out a three billion euro plan to “encourage” Ankara to keep potential Syrian migrants bent on a peaceful invasion of the EU on Turkish soil.

However, Wagenknecht does not believe that the promised money will resolve the refugee crisis.

“While Erdogan plays the role of the godfather of terrorism, one should not enter into dirty deals with him,” the politician said.

According to Wagenknecht, another problem is that the United States is pursuing its own interests, which undermine the united front against terrorism.

“Americans do not just want to fight against the ISIL, but also to overthrow the Assad regime,” she said, adding that it was the military activities of the US which contributed to the creation of “a monster called ISIL.”

Era of ignoring Saudi terror sponsorship over: Germany

December 6, 2015 By administrator

German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel (Photo by AFP)

Germany says it will no more ‘look the other way’ as Saudi Arabia continues to nurture terrorism throughout the world.

“We must make it clear to the Saudis that the time of looking the other way is over,” German Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday, referring to the Western policy of turning a blind eye on Saudi ties to extremist groups worldwide.

“From Saudi Arabia, Wahhabi mosques are financed throughout the world,” he said, adding that in Germany, many people “considered dangerous persons emerge from these communities.”

Thomas Oppermann, the chairman of Germany’s Social Democratic Party, which is headed by Gabriel, also said, “We will prevent Saudi help in the building or financing of mosques in Germany, where Wahhabi ideas are to be disseminated.”

He asserted that Wahhabism provided the “complete ideology” of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group – which is causing death and destruction mainly in Iraq and Syria.

Takfirism, or the practice of accusing others of being “infidels,” is a characteristic of Wahhabism, the radical ideology dominating Saudi Arabia and freely preached by clerics in the Arab country.

Saudi Arabia also provides widely-reported support for Daesh, even as a recent opinion survey showed that an overwhelming majority of the country’s people oppose the terrorist group. The study, which was conducted by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in September, showed that 92 percent of Saudi people hated and rejected the group, and that it has “the worst reputation among the Saudi general public.”

The remarks by German officials come less than a week after the country’s BND foreign intelligence agency warned about a shift by Saudi Arabia to the “impulsive policy of intervention” in other countries, saying that Riyadh was ready to take military, political, and financial risks to ensure its influence in the region.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has, however, rejected the agency’s stance and called Riyadh “a key partner in regional conflict resolution.”

Germany’s Cologne Street on Lockdown Over Car Bomb Threat – Report

November 14, 2015 By administrator

A street in the German city of Cologne is on lockdown and several houses have been evacuated over a suspicious vehicle, feared to be holding explosives, local media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the Express newspaper’s Saturday report, a Volkswagen vehicle was spotted on one of the city roads. There was a note saying “Do not open – ISIL [Islamic State] bomb” inside the car.
Two neighboring houses were evacuated, while the regional public transport was suspended.
The media outlet reported, citing the police, that the threat was a hoax.
The German security officials remain on high alert after the deadly Paris attacks.
On Friday night, eight extremists wearing explosive belts attacked several venues across Paris, killing 129 people at restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and in the vicinity of the Stade de France stadium.

Geoffrey Robertson: Armenians can file a lawsuit against Germany

November 11, 2015 By administrator

Armenians can file a lawsuit against Germany, which tolerated the Genocide, thus becoming an accomplice, Geoffrey Robertson, famous British barrister and member of the team representing Armenia in ECHR case against Perinçek told Los Angeles Public TV reporter.

According to him, he expected Armenians to initiate the reparations process long ago. Robertson also pointed out to the effective ways of doing this. Specifically, Robertson said he once blamed Armenians for not initiating measures for reparations but at last Cilician Catholicosate filed a lawsuit with Turkish Constitutional Court to return the church property which the Turks illegally took away in 1915. This, according to him, was the beginning, which he hopes will have a successful end. For the further success of the reparations process, Robertson proposed to also use the the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG), arguing that the occurence was a crime against humanity.

In Robertson’s words, Armenians can file a lawsuit against Germany, since Germany was an accomplice in tolerating the Genocide: it could prevent it but never did that. According to him, Serbia was held liable for the Srebrenica Genocide on the same ground, since Milošević knew what was going on but didn’t take any measures. Thus, Robertson proposed to seriously think in that direction.

Referring to the comment that Turkey is one of the main NATO states the partnership with whom is important for the West, Geoffrey Robertson said that Turkey’s value in the eyes of the West is undeniable, but the historical facts are above all. According to him, Turkey can close its airports for NATO States if they acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, but the facts are undeniable.

Robertson also explained that this was exactly the reason why he named his book “An Inconvenient Genocide,” since the fact of the Armenian Genocide causes many inconveniences to the West.

Germany: Free State of Bavaria? CSU Politician Calls For Secession

November 11, 2015 By administrator

CSU politician Steffen Vogel announced his idea that Bavaria should leave Germany and become independent, Focus-Online reported.

“Bayern should consider making itself independent,” the magazine cited the German politician as saying.

Vogel complained about the fact that other German states often make negative statements about Bayern, but at the same time earn billions as result of the state fiscal equalization.
According to Vogel, Bavaria would do better without Germany.
“Why shouldn’t we strive for independence?” he asked on his Facebook page referring to the case of Scotland.
Recently, there often have been disagreements between Bavarian CSU politicians and the CDU members in the central German government. The reason for this were mostly their different stances towards the current refugee crisis affecting the country.

Azat Ordukhanyan: In Germany Turks hinder events dedicated to Armenian Genocide

November 1, 2015 By administrator

In Germany Turks prevent events, including presentations of books dedicated to the 1915 Armenian Genocide, from taking place, Chairman of the Armenian Academic Society of Germany Azat Ordukhanyan said at a press conference in Yerevan today.

“Presentations of books dedicated to the Armenian Genocide are usually held at the Central Library of Bochum. Recently we were going to organize a presentation of the collection of Paryur Sevak’s poems translated into German, but the library director told us he was tired of arguments between Armenians and Turks so he would not allow us to organize presentations of Armenian Genocide-themed books,” Ordukhanyan said.

He noted at the same time that descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors united to set up an organization in Germany to help each other, achieve recognition of all genocides, and make their political demands.

“This organization will certainly make itself known,” he added.

Ordukanyan said that a collection of Paruyr Sevak’s poems translated into German will be published soon in connection with the Armenian Genocide Centennial

German Gangs Rob Churches to Fund Islamic State Terrorists

October 21, 2015 By administrator

Eight men appeared before the court in Cologne, Germany on Tuesday, after allegedly stealing from a number of churches and schools in order to fund the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group.

In 2013, a church in Cologne was burglarized. Robbers stole a number of religious valuables, including liturgical vessels, collection boxes, and crosses. Last November, authorities arrested ten men believed to be involved, and on Tuesday, eight of those individuals appeared before a German court.
They are believed to have stolen the property with the intent of securing funds for various terrorist groups, including the Islamic State.
The robberies occurred between 2011 and 2014. In addition to the church break-ins, the men also allegedly robbed a number of schools in the area, stealing money, laptops, and a cash card.
While it remains unclear if any of the money obtained from those robberies actually made its way to militants in Syria, the men are believed to have stolen roughly 19,000 euros worth of goods.
The properties were also heavily vandalized.
Prosecutors allege that a 26-year-old Moroccan is the group’s ringleader. That individual has also uploaded a YouTube video in the past, encouraging Muslims to join IS. Prosecutors also claim that the 26-year-old was trained by the Islamic State in Syria.
Germany enacted a law last year which bans support for IS.
“The terror organization Islamic State is a threat to public safety in Germany as well. We are absolutely confronting this threat today,” Defense Minister Thomas De Mazier said, according to International Business Times.
“Today’s ban is directed solely against terrorists who abuse religion for their criminal goals. Germany is a well-fortified democracy, there’s no place here for a terrorist organization which opposes the constitutional order as well as the notion of international understanding.”
On Wednesday, reports also surfaced about the inner workings of the terrorist group’s intelligence service. Those claims on based on the testimony of Nils D., a German member of IS who said he spent eight months working for the group’s “Stormtroopers”

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Source: sputniknews.com

Is Germany showing too much deference toward Turkey over Armenia?

October 17, 2015 By administrator

Was the massacre of Armenians 100 years ago genocide? The German parliament is hesitant to say it was. Is this because they don’t want to anger Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan?

That would be really be a serious case of political pragmatism: according to advance reports from this Saturday’s edition of the Hamburg-based news magazine, “Der Spiegel” (17/10/2015), the German government is going out of its way to win over Turkey. The report says that the approval of the Armenian Resolution that was so hotly debated this April in parliament will be postponed. It claims that the governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) have “quietly” agreed to delay the pending final reading of the bill for as long as possible. The article does not name sources.

Other sources claim that the resolution has been delayed due to efforts by the CDU. The opposition Green party insists that the parliament, or Bundestag, must recognize the massacre of Armenians one century ago as “genocide” before the end of this year. Green party leader Cem Özdemir criticized: “The coalition is stalling, but the clock is running out, for the commemorative year is quickly coming to an end.”

Gauck and Lammert speak out clearly

In April, parliamentarians observed the 100th anniversary of the displacement and annihilation of Armenians at the hands of their Ottoman rulers. According to Armenian accounts, some 1.5 million members of the Armenian minority community were killed in what is today Turkey, between April 1915 and 1917. Turkey on the other hand, says that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians were killed, and that just as many Turks died during the same period. Ankara speaks of an atmosphere of civil war and of famine.

Nothing infuriates Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan more than when the term “genocide” is used in this context. The resolution of the Bundestag avoids any clear classifications of it. Bundestag President Norbert Lammert (CDU), and Federal President Joachim Gauck, on the other hand, did not mince words on the subject. Both gave speeches this year clearly defining the historical incident as genocide carried out on the Armenians by the Turks. Both instances led to angry reactions in Turkey. “The Turkish people will not forget German President Gauck’s words, nor will they forgive him,” was the response that Ankara’s foreign office released after Gauck’s speech in the cathedral of Berlin in April.

Merkel flies to Turkey

One thing is clear at the moment though, the German government needs Turkey in tackling the refugee crisis. Turkey is an important – right now the most important – transit country for refugees from the Middle East who hope to reach Europe, and especially Germany. Currently, two million refugees are in Turkey. Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to get President Erdogan to cooperate more closely with the EU than he has until now. The chancellor will fly to Turkey this Sunday to that end.

Merkel is thus meeting the Turkish president under difficult circumstances. A Turkish-EU action plan agreed to this week in Brussels stipulates that Turkey will improve the registration and care of refugees in exchange for EU cash.

Announcements of Merkel’s trip led to mixed reactions in Berlin: A general election is being held in Turkey on November 1. This spring, Erdogan’s governing conservative Islamic party AKP lost its absolute majority, and is now hoping to recover it. Germany’s opposition Green and Left parties fear that Merkel’s trip could unwittingly turn into an electoral boost for the president.

Source: dw.com

German Merkel capitulate to Turkey, Amnesty International criticizes EU migrant deal with Turkey

October 17, 2015 By administrator

Amnesty International has called European Union leaders to put refugee rights above concerns to protect their borders.

Amnesty’s call Saturday came a day before German Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish officials on an EU plan that would give concession to Turkey in exchange for stemming the flow of migrants into EU countries.

Officials say the concessions would include an aid package, easier access to EU visas for Turkish citizens and speed-up EU membership talks.

Amnesty said the EU should be looking for ways to “offer safe and legal routes to refugees to reach Europe.”

The group said: “A deal premised on keeping refugees in Turkey fundamentally ignores both the challenges they face there and the obvious need for the EU to offer protection.”