Headline News 01/06/2018

Headlines

• America: New ‘Religious Freedom’ appointee claims Islam ‘is incompatible with the Constitution’

• Saudi Arabia Announces Creation of Ministry of Culture

• Minister: Pakistan Could Block US Supply Lines to Afghanistan

Details

America: New ‘Religious Freedom’ appointee claims Islam ‘is incompatible with the Constitution’

The newest addition to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Tony Perkins, does not believe in religious freedom. Perkins, who was appointed to the post by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), will now serve on a commission that supposedly serves as a watchdog “dedicated to defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad,” even though he has repeatedly demonstrated that he does not believe in the equal protection of Muslims and others. The commission has a long history of politicization, with anti-Muslim bias. Perkins’ inclusion will only continue to undermine its credibility. While he claims to support religious freedom, Perkins believes that the Constitution does not protect the rights of Muslims. He has said that “those who practice Islam in its entirety” should not be afforded the same constitutional freedoms as other Americans since Islam, in his words, is “incompatible with the Constitution” — an obviously false claim that, in reality, flies in the face of our Constitution. He even goes so far as to make the absurd and bizarre claim that “only 16 percent of Islam is a religion.” A top official of his organization, the Family Research Council, once called for a ban on mosques, and the group published an essay arguing that Islam is not really a religious faith but rather “a religious government, the establishment of which the Establishment Clause prohibits.” This is clearly nonsensical. He has also smeared and vilified Muslims as violent people and claimed that the U.S. is under no obligation to safeguard their rights. [Source: The St Louis American]

America the harbinger of religious freedom is now ruled by bigots who openly profress their hostility towards Islam. In contrast, when the Ottoman Khilafah was the leading state it unprecedented afforded religious tolerance to persecuted Jews and Christains across Europe.

Saudi Arabia Announces Creation of Ministry of Culture

Saudi Arabia announced the creation of a new culture ministry in royal decrees broadcast early Saturday. Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al-Saud was appointed as its new minster. Prince Badr is the governor of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula. The Ministry of Culture and Information was renamed to the Ministry of Information. Ahmad Al-Rajhi was named the minister of Labor and Social Development, replacing Ali Al-Ghafis, who was appointed to the post in late 2016. Sheikh Abdulatif Al-Sheikh, a former head of the Haia (religious police), was appointed as the minister of Islamic Affairs. A new commission was created for the city of Makkah and the holy sites. In approval of the crown prince's proposal, a new body will be established called the Department of the Jeddah Historical Project, which will be administered by the culture ministry. A new council was created for the protection of the natural environment across a number of regions in Saudi Arabia.

Abdullah Al-Saadan was named chief of Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu.The royal orders set up a new Ministry of Culture, extracting it from the information ministry as part of a drive to capture more Saudi leisure spending at home amid a budget deficit caused by low oil prices. [Source : Arab News]

In an effort to accererate the promotion of Western culture, the Saudi regime has dedicated a culture minister to spearhead this endeavour. With fashion shows, cinemas, amusement parks, concerts and wrestling matches already pervading Saudi society, one wonders what other decrepited projects are waiting to be unleashed.

Minister: Pakistan Could Block US Supply Lines to Afghanistan

A Pakistani official says his country may block supply lines into Afghanistan if relations with the United States do not improve. In an interview with VOA, Foreign Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said the U.S. and Pakistan are currently “not speaking to each other.” Relations have worsened to a point where direct, high-level contacts are no longer happening, he said. Besides being the country’s top diplomat, Khan also serves as Pakistan’s defense minister. He blames the current state of ties on a lack of communication by the U.S. administration. “At the moment Pakistan is not being heard,” he said. “Pakistan is just being vilified and castigated in Washington without being heard at all.”

Khan criticized the U.S. for urging that Pakistan be placed on an international terrorism-financing watch list. The list is made by the Financial Task Force, or FATF, which is based in Paris. The group decided in February to include Pakistan on its “gray list” of nations it sees as not doing enough to reduce the financing of terrorism. Pakistan is required under an agreement with the FATF to work on an action plan to get itself removed from the list. If no progress is made, the country faces the possibility of being moved to the organization’s more severe "black list" of nations. U.S. support for Pakistan’s listing was part of a South Asia policy announced by President Donald Trump in August. The U.S. administration accuses Pakistan of having ties to the Taliban and other terrorist groups that have attacked U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Part of Trump’s South Asia policy seeks to pressure Pakistan to cut ties to terrorist groups. Pakistan denies it supports any terrorist groups. Pakistani officials say any U.S. moves to pressure the country are an attempt to blame Pakistan for international failures to end the Afghan war. Khan says Pakistan is officially still a major non-NATO ally of the United States. The U.S. has cooperated with Pakistan on military matters although Pakistan is not a member of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The military alliance includes the U.S. and 28 nations from North America and Europe. Khan noted that Pakistan has kept its ground and air lines open for American and allied nations transporting supplies to troops in Afghanistan. But when asked whether the supply lines would remain open, Khan said Pakistan may have to “rethink” this cooperation. [Source :Voice of America]

Khan openly admits that Pakistan has been serving American troops to carry out the occupation of Afghanistan. And it is evident that Khan’s government has Muslim bloods on its hands. Yet despite this, Khan has the gall to suggest that Pakistan could withdraw support to American troops in Afghanistan. Can such a traitor be trusted with anything he says?