Hezbollah Tattoos & Islam

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

I just read an eye opening essay about Hezbollah supporters and fighters tattooing themselves with Shiite images and even tattooing themselves with pictures of Shiite leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah.

Most Muslim authorities forbid permanent tattoos. Henna and non-permanent body art is ok according to all Islamic authorities.

The Koran does not mention tattoos but the Hadith which is the oral teachings of Mohammed does. This Hadith, recorded by Bukhari, reads: "It was narrated that Abu Juhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cursed the one who does tattoos, and the one who has a tattoo done."

That is pretty clear.

No reason is given for the prohibition, so Muslim thinkers can only speculate as to the motivation behind it. The answers are obvious. Tattooing mutilates Allah's original creation. It was a tradition of the pagans. It covers the natural body.
Getting tattoos, even Shiite tattoos with quotes from the Koran or pictures of Mohammed's sword or similar depictions are not in line with majority Islamic tradition.

But the people being tattooed do not seem to care.

This may change, however, when they are killed by other Muslims because of their tattoos and because they are Shiites.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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New Elections Slated in Iran

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Iran has announced that next year on May 19th they will conduct presidential elections. The decision was made by the Iranian Guardian Council.

President Rouhani is expected to run for election. If he does not run and win, he will be the first president in the history of Iran since the 1979 not to win a second term.

The real power in this election will not be the voice of the people. The real power will come from the Supreme Leader, The Grand Ayatollah Khamenei.

We do not yet know who the other candidates will be. But we do know that that there has been serious tension between The Grand Ayatollah and the current president. May 19, 2017 will be the perfect time for the Ayatollah to remove Rouhani from office and from power.

But removing Rouhani from the presidency could cause a huge loss of confidence in Iran. It could be devastating for the future of Iran.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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ISIS Murders in Church

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

ISIS terror strikes Normandy in northern France. Two terrorists enter a Catholic church and slit the throat of an 85 year old priest. The terrorist then tape themselves declaring their goals and their motives.

One of the terrorists was on a watch list and was outfitted with an electronic ankle bracelet to monitor him activities. He was, however, permitted to remove it for several hours each morning. And indeed the murder took place at 9:30 AM. His mother turned in her son saying that he had become an extremist.

The West was shocked by the murder.

This murder in a church is exactly what ISIS wants. It proves ISIS' superiority and demonstrates the inferiority of Christianity. ISIS wants to attack the essence of Western and Christian values and traditions.

ISIS is trying to attack the very heart of the West. Going into a church is part of that plan. For ISIS it is even more important than attacks against Shiite mosques or pilgrimages.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Iran Destroys 1 Mill TV Sat Dishes

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Iran destroyed 100,000 private satellite dishes yesterday in its capital Teheran. All the satellite dishes were handed over by their owners in order to avoid a stiff $2800 fine for having the TV dish.

The general in charge of destroying the satellite dishes, General Reza Neghdi, said that these dishes "deviate morality and culture." They are un-Islamic. They "increase divorce, addiction and insecurity in society."

He said: "Most of these satellite channels not only weaken the foundation of families but also cause disruptions in children's education and children who are under the influence of satellite have improper behavior."

Iran leadership as well as Iranian citizens know that there is a vast world of ideas out there. Their leadership wants to shut out that influence. But people in Iran yearn for that which their leaders shut out - information and news.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com
 
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Heat Wave in MidEast

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

If you think there is a heat wave in the US right now, think again.

This is probably the hottest year in history, at least since 1880 when they started keeping records in the Middle East.

Temperatures in Basra in Iraq reached as high as 53.9 degrees Celsius this past Friday, that's 129 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a record high. On Thursday Kuwait it hit 54 C which is 129.2 F.

The heat has gripped the entire region. Offices are closed.

Electricity is in shortage as is drinking water. This is serious.
The temperatures are 30 to 40 degrees hotter than our own heat wave.

It means that people stay inside during the day. They rest and drink. In the evening, when the heat breaks, people can finally go outside. And the pleasant breeze brings a welcome change in temperature.

It is summer and it is the Middle East so heat and high temperatures should be expected - but this is unusual even for a Mid East summer.

It is hard to be creative in such heat so people take it extra slow and lounge around a lot. Everything slows down, even government activity.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Saudi Delegation Visits Israel

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

A group of Saudi businessmen and academics wrapped up a three-day visit to Israel. The delegation was led by former high ranking Saudi general Anwar Eshki.

The delegation met with high level Israeli diplomats.

The objective of this visit was to resurrect the 2002 Saudi- Arab peace initiative. The essence of the initiative was land for peace wherein Israel was to give the Palestinians land taken during the 1967 Six Day War. In exchange for the resolution, the Arab world would normalize relations with Israel.

The messages we are receiving are that the meeting was very successful. More important, however, is the message that comes with that success: Creating a solution to the Palestinian question is a priority for moving ahead on the diplomatic front.

This was not General Eshki's first meeting with Israelis. Last year he met with Dore Gold, director general of Israel's foreign ministry. They met in the United States.

The photo-op for this meeting took place at the history-infused King David Hotel in Jerusalem.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Abbas' Brother DIes

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in Qatar. He went to Qatar from Paris.
Abbas went to Qatar to bury his brother Omar who just died from cancer.

Omar Abbas, also known Abu Loway, died at the age of 76. I have discussed his cancer and his medical care in the past. Abbas' brother received regular cancer treatments at Asuta, a private hospital in Tel Aviv.

Of course they have hospitals in Qatar, world class hospitals. But they are not even close to providing the level of quality of Israel's hospitals. They were not good enough for the brother of the Palestinian president.

Despite all the myths and all the lies, Palestinians get the best medical treatment in the world - in Israeli hospitals.

Arab news outlets never covered the fact that Omar Abbas was treated in an Israeli hospital. It does not fit their narrative. In their narrative all of Israel and all Israelis are evil.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Bibi Sends Message To Abbas Via Youtube

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Prime Minister Netanyahu posted a YouTube video directed at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

On his video, Netanyahu spoke directly to Abbas saying: "President Abbas, over the past several years, you refused to meet me and sit down and negotiate peace, I hope you'll hear this message."

Netanyahu's message to Abbas was, let's talk and make peace - we owe it to the future. He said the time has come to stop supporting terror and that he needs to put an end to the statements of his underlings who repeatedly make comments supporting terror attacks.

Finally, Netanyahu asked Abbas to stop paying premiums to the families of terrorists. That, according to Netanyahu, only incentivizes terrorism.

Now we wait and see if Abbas responds to the Netanyahu message.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Russia Delivers S-300 Parts to Iran

I've Been Thinking:

Iranian news sources have confirmed that Russia is sending them components of the S-300 missile system and that a significant segment arrived yesterday.

The news report said that the S-300s components will be delivered in their entirety by the end of the year.

The S-300 is a surface-to-air system. It is not the best Russia, has but it will definitely improve Iran's ability to respond to incoming missiles and aircraft.

Israel has voiced their disapproval over the deal, but they have not raised a huge stink - probably because the old S-300 has serious weaknesses and can be gamed. In other words, Israel has a defense against it.

The Russians said that they would slow down the delivery - which they have done. But eventually they must live up to their obligations and contracts with Iran. This agreement is over a decade old.

The most troubling part of the arrival of the S-300 components is that this marks another new stage, a period in which Russia and Iran are engaging in important weapons trade.

Russia has a difficult time saying "no" when it comes to the money and influence side of the weapons market.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Rebels in Syria Fear the End

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
Syrian rebels are taking the US to task. They are publicly saying that the US is not calling Russia out on their massive violations.

The Russians are supporting Assad and in the process they are perpetrating war crimes. Basma Kodmani, the spokeswoman for the resistance, has been very vocal about the Russians and the United States. "What we lack here is a serious reaction to Russian behavior on the ground" she said.
Kodmani is a member of the main opposition High Negotiations Committee.

All this comes as the resistance is watching the noose tighten around Aleppo. Assad, his allies and Russia are closing in on the resistance stronghold. There is no doubt that the High Negotiations Committee and all the those fighting against Assad fear that if Aleppo falls to Assad the entire battle to oust Assad will be lost.

That is why Kodmani is making such strong statements and accusations against the US. She needs the United States to act against Russia. She is trying, in her own way, to guilt them into it.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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France: 17 Victims Unidentified

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

French officials still have not identified 16 of the dead and one of the wounded from the devastating Islamic terror that rocked Nice.

The numbers of dead and wounded are mind blowing. One single person, in a truck, killed 84 men, women and children and wounded 202 more people in a low tech attack using the simplest of weapons. All that was required was a terrorist to drive a truck into a crowd and murder as many holiday revelers as he could until he, himself, was killed.

The number of unidentified victims is a telling statistic.

Most of the 16 unidentified bodies, people with no discernible i.d. on their person, were probably tourists or individuals out on their own to enjoy the evening - and no one has yet to notice that they were in Nice and that they are missing. The unidentified injured victims have wounds that do not allow them to aid in their own identification.

The lives of the 202 injured are forever changed. The lives if families and friends of all the 84 murdered have all been irrevocably altered.

The terrorist successfully struck at the heart of France and the West. For ISIS this is another huge victory. Their web sites claim that this style of attack is an effective tool - a model that should be duplicated throughout the West against the enemies of Islam.

Micah@Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Why Bastille Day

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Over 80 dead and hundreds wounded on Bastille Day in Nice, Southern France.
Clearly, an act of terror.

The symbol of the day is so important - it cannot be ignored. The prison, the Bastille, was stormed on July 14, 1789. The prisoners inside the Bastille were freed. That act became the symbol of the French Revolution which, in turn, triggered the birth of the modern state in which individual rights and freedoms are the hallmark of modern society.

Bastille Day is a symbol even more powerful than July 4th. It is the foundation of the revolution that heralded the assumption of all future modern states that every individual is created equal.

For the Islamic terrorist the ideas of equality and freedom are the antithesis of everything they believe in. Every citizen of France understands the deep significance of Bastille Day. They have internalized the knowledge that all the terror that has been targeted at France rises out of what France represents and what it demands.

France demands freedom and equality. France demands that all those who enter their country adhere to the principles of freedom and equality.

That is an idea that extremist Muslims, that Muslim terrorists, cannot abide.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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England's New Foreign Secretary

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The new prime minister of England has appointed Boris Johnson as her foreign secretary.

Johnson served two terms as Mayor of London and has a huge amount of foreign affairs experience as a politician, a news editor and a political columnist.

Concerning Israel and the Middle East, Johnson has proclaimed himself a proud Zionist who supports Israel's right to exist even if he disagrees with some of her policies.

When he visited Israel he announced that the Boycott Israel Movement was a group of "Lefty Academics." As a result of that comment many of Johnson's meetings with Palestinians in the West Bank were cancelled.

This is a very good appointment. Johnson will serve well and he will be an honest friend. Most importantly, when he disagrees with policies, he will disagree with respect and his style tends not to be patronizing.

This may be the beginning of a new era of Israeli // British relations.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Jews Say NO To Abbas Invite

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has invited a group of Israeli and Jewish leaders from Arab lands to meet with him.

The group, which is made up of seventy leaders from The World Federation of Moroccan Jewry, has already met with Abbas several times. Their meetings have been very productive and have helped to move issues and dialogues along.

This time, however, the group rejected the invitation from Abbas.

The leader of the group, Sam BenShitrit, said that they would not meet with Abbas until the Palestinian Authority president publicly condemned the recent stabbing of Hallel Jaffa - the 13 year old Israeli girl stabbed to death by a Palestinian intruder while in her bed.

BenShitrit also pointed out that Abbas refused to meet with Israeli President Rivlin in Europe at the EU meeting.

And finally, BenShitrit explained that after their last meeting with the PA president he wrote to Israeli PM Netanyahu paving the road for face to face with Abbas, but Abbas still has not pursued that meeting.

BenShitrit feels that it is not useful to continue meeting with the head of the PA when Abbas does not follow through with their previous agreements.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Terrorist Prisoners Watch Soccer

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The Eurocup2016 was played on Sunday night. It was watched all across the Middle East. Like the World Cup, or Mondial as it is called, hundreds of millions of people tune in to watch the game.

For the purpose of our discussion, it does not matter who won or lost. It is about watching the game.

What matters is that the Supreme Court of Israel decided that Hamas prisoners convicted of mass murder and terrorism were entitled to watch the game.

Families of the victims of the crimes perpetrated by these prisoners petitioned the Court to disallow them the pleasure of taking in the game.

But the Court ruled in favor of the prisoners.

Call me crazy, but I don't believe that pleasures like this should be rights --- they should be rewards for cooperation, insight and information.

Watching the Eurocup could have been used an incentive to leverage information from prisoners. Now watching soccer has become a right.

What's next?! What a missed opportunity.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Mideast Countries Issue Travel Warnings on US

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Two Middle East countries have issues travel alerts about the United States. Add to that The Bahamas which also said that their citizens should exercise judgment and avoid protests and any interaction with police while in the United States.

The United Arab Emirates embassy in Washington DC has issued a warning that their citizens should stay away from big city protests. In addition, the government of Bahrain tweeted that their citizens should maintain distance from protests in the US.

There is no real threat to citizens in the United States - especially relative to the dangers of the Middle East. The United States is safe for Americans and for tourists.

The subtext of the warnings these countries are releasing is that the Black Lives Matter movement and their protests are likely to be violent and police are on edge and they may react which could lead to more deaths.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Hackers & Cyber Terror

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Hackers are starting to ask questions about cyber terror.

Hacktivism, the online hacker journal, published an essay saying that new definitions of cyber terror are important and cyber attacks really do not meet the current criteria.

The current definition, according to the journal, reads:
"An act must be illegal and violent or endanger human life, be coercive or intimidating, and occur in whichever jurisdiction fits. The code does not say that terrorism must meet one or all, but "means activities with these three characteristics." Most acts of hacktivism only tick one or two of these boxes, if at all."

They are correct.

Most cyber hacks are illegal - but not terror.

Most cyber hacks are denial of service when they flood a website and bring it down. That makes for a minor inconvenience and an illegal act, but hardly an act of terror.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Israel Creating Laws Against Facebook

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Israel is advancing legislation to limit hate speech on Facebook and other social media. They want to scrub it.

Israeli Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan said yesterday:

"Some of the victims' blood is on Zuckerberg's hands."

"Facebook has turned into a monster. The younger generation in the Palestinian Authority runs its entire discourse of incitement and lies and finally goes out to commit murderous acts on Facebook's platform."

There is much support for these laws - and not just by Israelis.

The evidence seems pretty clear that there are direct links between terrorists, their Facebook accounts and the incitement they are exposed to.

Normally we would say that people still have the ability to choose between good and evil, that just because, for example, someone watches horror movies they are not turned into a potential mass murderer.

But, in defiance of all logic, these kids are different. For some reason, these young Palestinian kids who go out and become terrorists seem to be different from the norm.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Davos Report: Israel Top in Tech

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The World Economic Forum, also known as Davos, has released a report on Global Information and Technology.

The report puts Israel in the top group of nations that benefit from technology and digital innovations. The report actually said that it is private individuals who are driving the progress - not government or business

In order, the United States, Singapore, Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden Switzerland and Israel are the countries that gain the most from technological innovation.

The most troubling part of the report is that the gap between those gaining from technology and those not gaining is growing very quickly.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Hackers Attack Olympics

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
The Olympics are scheduled for this August, this summer.

It looks like the hacker community is talking a lot about the Olympics, too. These hackers are not out to wreak havoc and terror on the Olympics, these hackers are selling knock off tickets and other memorabilia.

Hackers are luring people into honey traps by offering travel packages that include flights, hotels and tickets to the games ... they are all fake.

This is the classic hacker model. Most black hat hackers are after the quick buck. They almost always go for the simple easy buck.

Most hackers are petty thieves and con artists - not evil masterminds. They lead people down a path, deceive them and simply steal from them by entrancing them with the excitement of the con.

The hacker community is talking about their plans in great detail.

Caveat Emptor. Buyer beware!

Micah@MicahHalpen.com 

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ISIS IS Back

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

ISIS plans to end Ramadan with a blast.

Over the past few days ISIS has orchestrated terrible attacks in Bangladesh, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The attacks have all been timed to coincide with the final days of
Ramadan - a three day festival called Eid el Fidr which marks the conclusion of the month long period of introspection.

Yesterday three attacks took place simultaneously in Saudi Arabia. The day before a car bomb blew up in Iraq killing over 200 people. The intentions are obvious, the attacks were devastating.

The targets have been Shiite and Sunni and even Western diplomats.
ISIS has made it clear that they are attacking across the board. No established group is safe. ISIS may be Sunni Muslims, but they are also attacking Sunnis- Sunnis who do not specifically subscribe to ISIS' understanding of Sunni Islam.

In the world ISIS occupies, if you subscribe to a more liberal form of Islam you're a heretic and you can be killed.

Sadly, it does not look as if these attacks will die down after Ramadan. A new momentum has been created and we must watch and determine how powerful this surge of ISIS violence and terror becomes.


Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Turkish Ship Arrives in Israel a Gaza Aid

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The first Turkish ship carrying aid and journalists to Gaza has arrived in Ashdod port in Israel.

This arrival of the ship comes as a result of the agreement that was signed between Turkey and Israel as they normalized diplomatic relations only last week. The aid must come through Ashdod and then it can be transferred to Gaza over land.
This ship was carrying medicine, food and toys.

Taken together with yesterday's public criticism of the original flotilla by Turkish leader Erdogan, it seems as though a new era of interaction between the two nations has begun.

There are those in Israel who are against the transfer of aid to Gaza.

Their reasoning is that Hamas has still not given Israel any information about the bodies of Israelis soldiers or the whereabouts of two Israeli who stumbled into Gaza.
They argue giving aid is unilateral and Israel gets nothing for giving the aid.

The argument continues. If Hamas has either info on the bodies or on the kidnapped boys, they should inform Israel and then and only then should they receive aid - any aid, even aid from Turkey.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com

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Bibi On Historic African Trip

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin a four country African visit tomorrow.

Netanyahu will start his trip in Uganda on July 4th, the day that marks the 40th anniversary of the heroic rescue in Entebbe where, in 1976, his brother Yoni was killed while leading the historic and dazzling mission.

This is the first time an Israeli prime minister will have visited the sub-Saharan Africa region in over three decades. Israel has a long history of aid and involvement in Africa, especially dealing with technology, water and agriculture. Most of those interactions have been behind the scenes and kept very quiet.

Israel is now ready to open a new era in their relationship with that region of the world. Part of Israel's objective is to challenge ISIS and radical Islam.

Africa is the future - and Israel needs to have a presence.

So over the next few days Prime Minister Netanyahu will visit Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia. A truly historic mission of his own.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Assad Says West is Helping Him

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Reuters has released a sneak preview of an interview with Syrian leader Bashar Assad scheduled to be broadcast on Friday on Australia's SBS news channel.

The quotes are very damning -- damning of Western countries.

Assad is quoted as saying that Western countries condemn his government politically but then send security advisers to help fight ISIS and al Qaeda. He also gave a big dig to the United States saying that Western countries simply mimic what the US wants them to say.

One of the important revelations in this interview is that Assad tells the Australian media that their country, Australia, is among those countries who show their duplicity.

"They attack us politically and then they send officials to deal with us under the table, especially the security, including your (the Australian) government."

"They don't want to upset the United States. Actually most of the
Western officials, they only repeat what the United States want them to say. This is the reality."

It is befitting that Assad sees the world through his own unique lens - before becoming a ruthless dictator, he was, after all, a card carrying MD and licensed eye doctor.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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