Borang Penyertaan

Bagi mereka yang sokong dan bercadang untuk hadiri Perhimpunan Aman di Dataran Merdeka pada 31 Mei ini, tetapi belum beri nama, sila klik dan isi google link di bawah:

Loh Siew Hong and her lawyer at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya, April 8, 2025. The Federal Court today struck down the Perlis state government’s final attempt to argue why the three children of Hindu mother Loh should be recognised as Muslims, despite their previous conversion being ruled illegal. — Picture by Sayuti Zanudin

A three-member panel chaired by Chief Judge of Malaya Datuk Seri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim delivered the unanimous decision alongside Federal Court judges Datuk Nordin Hassan and Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera.

Today’s decision follows an application filed by the Perlis state government last year to review its decision denying them leave to appeal the appellate court’s ruling on the conversion of Loh’s three children to Islam without her consent.

The latest ruling effectively endorsed an earlier Federal Court decision which had in May 2024 unanimously decided against the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPs), the Perlis government, and other respondents in the years-long legal battle to have the children’s conversion to Islam declared unconstitutional.

FactsMatter6628 : Enough is enough! Let this great mom and her children have their lives back. Apex court has made its decision and all other parties that have no direct interests in their livelihoods stop all these nonsense.

BlueLynx2013 : One fellow is responsible for this mess - Asrie.

YellowSinga3707 : A day to rejoice VICTORY for the mother n her children who had very difficult journey since the fanatics were hell bent to 'take away' her children to another religion. Can't imagine how happy mother n children must be feeling now...kudos to the judges who made a very wise decision.

They say Islam is peaceful, compassionate and forgiving...did any of these clowns from JAKIM, MAIPS n the Perlis govt lived on these principles when they went after Loh ...showing their might all the way up to FC! Can't understand which universe these religious bigots came from!

MS : Knowing the fanatics and inciters involved, I have every reason to believe more harassment is in the works for the Loh family. Especially now that the “ no compromise” fellow who lusts after “victory” over minorities has had a taste of it

Gerard Lourdesamy : The Federal Court decision is correct based on the applicable legal principles. MAIP had no legal basis to seek a review of the previous decision of the apex court.

The size of the ego of the Mufti of Perlis is not a legitimate reason for the Federal Court to exercise its limited review jurisdiction under Rule 137 of the Rules of the Federal Court 1995. The court should have penalised MAIP with costs of RM100,000 for being a vexatious litigant. My sympathy is with the mother and not the arrogant Perlis Islamic authorities.

Actions like this that border on vindictiveness gives Islam a very bad name. Leave the mother and her children in peace. If the children want to become Muslims they can do so when they turn 18.

Read the rest of the 68+ comments in Malaysiakini....

PM Anwar Ibrahim impersonated by verified Twitter user to stir controversy

• Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim slams certain quarters for making mountains out of molehills regarding issues which need not be politicised.

• He calls on the people not to allow such voices to spread discord.

• The prime minister references the relocation of a Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur and the recent clash between enforcement officers and an unlicensed balloon vendor.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged the people not to entertain certain “bebal” (stupid) quarters that insist on politicising issues and condemning those who do not align with their stance.

BOBBYO : When Umno stop realizing that they were making mistakes, and even after that issuing arrogant statements, the people started to reject them. PMX is trying to shut the people from the truth concerning the temple issue, by issuing statements thinking that the public is illetrate and cannot understand the situation.

He was advised not to be involved in moving the temple and building the mosque even by certain Muslim leaders, but yet he was out to prove a personal point. Now that it have come to haunt him, over the support of the NM's, he is trying to deflete the problem to others by calling them bebal. He should look in to the mirror.

As for the remarks by the mufti, he should be the last person to respond to his unintellectual remarks. He should very well know that there are still unaswered questions as how the land was attained. PMX should learn from Umno's mistakes, but it looks like he was not a good history student.

Vent : Firstly the Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin (who may be one of Anwar's referents) is a provocateur who in comparing the two incidents is plainly comparing apples to oranges. Absolutely no comparison as any reasonable person can see!

The forced relocation of a 130 year old temple so that a mosque can be built on the same plot which was sold surreptitiously to an entrepreneur and the manhandling of an illegal trader with a criminal record who turned on the police is absolutely no comparison!

The intention is purely to inflame a deeply bigoted and racist base But the PM gets no marks either for his declaration that "We did it in a peaceful manner, showcasing Islam’s strength while respecting others". Why is he even alluding to Islam? Unless he meant to refer to the might of a Muslim Malay centric government.

As for respecting the rights of others what "respect" did he afford to a temple that had been there since antiquity on land bequeathed to it. The only "respect" that was afforded was to grant the wish of a fellow Muslim who had bought the land on which the temple stood, fraudulently. I guess from.that point of view he did showcase the "strength" of Islam over "others" by trampling on their rights!

GrizzledWarrior : I would agree with almost the entirety of your comment save for your last paragraph. The PH government did alright. However, PMX's handling of the matter was far from commendable. PMX continues to be confrontational and defensive over his use of inflammatory and less than respectful labels. "Babel", "illegal", "haram", "victory" and the latest "no compromise".

PMX: “We wanted to build a mosque, so there was no compromise. We did it in a peaceful manner, showcasing Islam’s strength while respecting others.” Is the above statement by PMX in your own words "one that protects peace, not provokes unrest."? Muzzle PMX please. He causes damage to our race relations each time he opens his mouth. PMX adds fuel to the fire instead of letting the dying embers burn out.

GrayParrot9290 : Fahmi in reading Mkini comments - hope you communicate clearly to your bebal Boss current Rakyat Negative sentiments especially Non bumiputera plus progressive Bumis toward Pmx personally and overall UG’ performance.

Pmx maybe too Pmx including all his incompetent PKR’ minister will be gone in GE16. Will not vote PN but there’s always a 3rd option which do not include bebal and arrogant politician like Pmx

How can you not love a Doberman?

• MCA Youth urges Kedah to focus on owner responsibility, not solely on banning certain dog breeds like Rottweilers.

• Its secretary-general, Saw Yee Fung, says poor ownership and lack of training, not the breed, led to recent attacks.

• She calls for legal action against negligent owners and stiffer penalties, rather than punishing animals acting on instinct.

Two Dobermans and a Mongrel from the shelter

Having lots of fun with my dogs

MCA Youth has called for a more nuanced approach following reports that Kedah is considering a ban on “aggressive” dog breeds in residential areas.

Its secretary-general, Saw Yee Fung, said the focus should not be solely on banning specific breeds, but on holding owners accountable for the lack of responsible care.

Me : Dogs are gentle and protective, period!

Read it all here......

Extremist Islam exists within Australia's Middle Eastern community. Anti-Semitic acts have become common in Australia, with more than 2,000 incidents in 2024 alone. They included 65 physical assaults and 600 cases of verbal abuse.

Most of the immigrants seem to have assimilated comfortably, enjoying generous benefits such as state-sponsored medical care, welfare packages, high wages, vast open spaces and low crime. Life is good in Australia, with thousands of applicants from all over the world keenly seeking a better life in the sun. Although with a relatively small population of some 25 million, four of its cities are currently rated among the world's top 20 most livable.

However, an undercurrent of extremist Islam exists within Australia's Middle Eastern community. This development exploded into the headlines when, in January 2025, a serious firebomb attack on a Jewish childcare facility in Sydney took place, not surprisingly causing horror among the peaceful community. When innocent children are threatened with death, it can be said that the jihadist-Islamist crisis in the country has finally arrived.

Anti-Semitic acts had, in fact, become common in Australia before January, with more than 2,000 incidents in 2024 alone. They included 65 physical assaults and 600 cases of verbal abuse. According to Mike Burgess, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's director-general for security, "Jewish Australians, are increasingly conflated with the state of Israel, leading to an increase in anti-Semitic incidents."

"[T]he Israel-Gaza conflict has exacerbated antisemitic incidents in Australia" Burgess also said, thereby "giving extremists an excuse to escalate threats and violence.... communal violence is expected to rise over the next five years, further straining social cohesion."

According to Deborah Stone, editor-in-chief of The Jewish Independent news website:

"There are clearly extremists within the Islamic community and it is upon the broader Islamic community to do something about them and it is upon the multicultural authorities and the people who fund them to make sure that those extremists are not allowed to influence the broader attitude of their communities."

It seems rather naïve of Stone to expect the "broader Islamic community" to assist in erasing this view from within their community.

The Australian government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of the leftist Labour Party, called an emergency cabinet meeting in January to address the crisis. At the time, the Federal Police taskforce was "investigating at least 105 anti-Semitic attacks." To date, no convictions have resulted for these offenses, including the firebombing of a major synagogue, causing its destruction.

It is understandable that the Jewish community in Australia is highly distressed by the support given by "Muslim and pro-Palestinian groups to the actions of Hamas, which openly desires to destroy the Israeli state." This support has become clear from the vociferous pro-Hamas protests such as the one that took place at the iconic Sydney Opera House on October 9, 2023.

The murderous jihadist ideology of Jew-hatred regrettably seems to know no bounds. The apparent normalization of jihadist-Islamist radicals, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, became frighteningly real when a video revealed that two Muslim immigrant nurses working in a Sydney hospital boasted that one of them had "killed Israeli patients" and the other had sworn to "let them die." The male nurse is recorded as saying, "you have no idea how many Israeli dogs came to this hospital and sent them to jahannam (hell)." The nurses were suspended pending an investigation.

At the end of February, nurse Sarah Abu Lebdeh was eventually charged with "three very, very serious offences" and awaits trial. The male nurse, Ahmad Rashad Nadir was arrested and charged in early March and awaits a court appearance date.

After local Sheikh Wesam Charkawi declared his support for the two nurses, "Pro-Palestinian teachers led dozens of schoolchildren in chants of 'Allahu Akbar' outside a western Sydney public school" in support. Charkawi, who is employed by the New South Wales Department of Education, was "ordered to work from home after defending the two nurses in an Instagram post."

Islamist indoctrination certainly starts at a young age. Activists such as the Teachers and School Staff for Palestine group actually encourage schoolchildren to get involved. The pro-Palestine cohort is active at the far-end of the world as well as in the northern arena, as their openly stated objective is a worldwide Islamic Caliphate based in Jerusalem.

As usual, the issue harkens back to Israel. According to The Jewish Independent:

"In his Instagram video, Sheik Charkawi... criticised the 'hypocrisy' of Anthony Albanese and NSW Health Minister Ryan Park for remaining silent 'when confronted with the most egregious acts of violence committed by Israel.'"

As has occurred in Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, or in many other countries in Europe, Islamic extremism in Australia is becoming brazen. When Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi immigrant who criticized jihad, was murdered in Sweden, the event was met online with applause. Sofie Löwenmark, an Arabic-speaking journalist and expert in Islamist extremism, "told media that the celebrations of Momika's murder are indescribable; there are 'tens of thousands of comments with shouts of joy.'"

Fortunately, Australia has not (yet) experienced the cold-blooded murder of a member of the Jewish community and hopefully the authorities can maintain control of the situation, as they have pledged to do.

None of Australia's jihadist Jew-hatred occurrences should come as a surprise. Official opposition leader Peter Dutton noted that the present Labour government irrationally brought in 3,000 migrants from Gaza, "without security checks."

"If you bring in people from a war zone controlled by a listed terror organisation and on tourist visas without checks, it's negligent at best.... This is an attack on civilisation."

Egyptian journalist Mouna Al-Hilmi explains that Islamic jihadist ideology exists for the precise purpose of eradicating Western civilization through world-wide "jihad to establish a global Islamic caliphate." Why, therefore, should Western nations be shocked when it becomes active and causes social chaos?

Australia's Islamist problem, sadly, can be laid squarely at the door of Albanese and his Foreign Minister Penny Wong, both of whom irrationally backed the recognition of a Palestinian state. Hence the relocation of 3,000 unvetted Gazans into Australia.

As Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the suggestion of an independent Palestinian state:

"There was a Palestinian state, it was called Gaza. Gaza, led by Hamas, was a Palestinian state and look what we got – the biggest massacre since the Holocaust."

Perhaps Australia's Labour Party leaders might take cognizance of Netanyahu's explanation of why the dangerous ideology of Palestinianism should be rejected, and act to protect their citizens from Islamist terror for generations to come?

The #WaqfAmendmentBill aims to improve the administration and management of Waqf properties across India, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

I think I just discovered where the term Wakko or wako came from, meaning idiot, bandit, enemy, invader or intruder. It just so perfectly fits all of them. A long term justificatiom. Waqf can claim any property without any document.

- The Lives of Others (German film)

COMMENT | I have no idea why the MCMC is questioning two Facebook administrators for possibly inciting public disorder when this should be under police jurisdiction with the MCMC playing a supporting role.

While I understand why certain groups are livid with what these administrators have done, the real issue here is how the religious and political establishment is enabling a society of snitches.

Now, when I say snitches, I do not mean whistleblowers who for whatever reasons, are exposing corporate or political malfeasances but rather the average Joe Rakyat engaging in behaviour against the “other” for mala fide purposes. What these administrators were doing was encouraging citizens to document and publish state-sanctioned behaviour. In this case, it was “illegal” Hindu temples.

Now of course what is illegal would be difficult to determine but the point of these types of groupthink is to destroy social cohesiveness for an ultimate agenda. What they were doing was encouraging like-minded citizens to enable the destruction of places of worship without regard for the feelings of their fellow citizens.

Not only is this malicious but it also creates an atmosphere where people with not much power feel powerful. This enables the state which is all-powerful a distraction from its failings. And honestly what these administrators were doing is not something alien to the state.

Think about it. The prime minister said the recently relocated 130-year-old temple was “illegal”. This of course is complete horse manure which has already been pointed out, hence what these administrators were doing is merely taking it to the logical extreme.

Of course, there were rumblings that the temple committee was compensated for something illegal but this is what happens when you proclaim victory in the name of religion.

Nothing is ever enough to satisfy the delusionally self-righteous. But remember, encouraging people to report any kind of supposed infraction against the religion of the state or even majoritarian preoccupations is something that the state has always enabled.

In 2019 Pakatan Harapan's then-religious czar Mujahid Yusof Rawa proudly stated that Putrajaya had created a special unit supervised by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) to monitor all media for insults against the Prophet and Islam.

“I have instructed the unit to accept any complaints about insults towards the Prophet and Islam, and to immediately report them to the police and the Communications and Multimedia Commission,” Mujahid had said.

This has nothing to do with protecting the sanctity of the religion of the state, but everything to do with making average citizens complicit in the diktats of the government. This is about making citizens turn on each other in the name of religion thereby empowering the religious state.

The planned protest—which follows Le Pen’s conviction, prison sentence, and disqualification from running in the 2027 presidential election—has provoked the anger of the Left, which called it a “fascist” threat. Despite this, the RN, supported by a public statement from Donald Trump, claims that its membership has exploded in the space of a few days.

Free Le Pen! pic.twitter.com/mtx3ndQ10r

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 4, 2025

Read it all here........

Thievery and Coveting the religious sites of others, standard DNA

Claiming “victory” invites the suggestion of a clash of different cultures, or religions, between non-Muslims and Muslims, or in this case, between Hindus and Muslims – “them and us”. Anwar’s self-proclaimed “victory” probably went unnoticed by the federal ministers and his supporters at Masjid Madani’s groundbreaking ceremony. His remark should have rung alarm bells throughout the nation.

Whilst it is true that the word “victory” can be used in several different contexts, for instance, when overcoming a personal challenge like an addiction, or when it's used to indicate success in a game like a football, more often than not, “victory” is often used to signify the defeat of an enemy in battle.

For someone who claims to be a uniting factor in Malaysia, Anwar did not do himself any favours. He praised various federal ministers and many others who were involved in the temple standoff. He claimed that their victory “was not borne out of arrogance”.

He said, “This victory is because we were able to demonstrate the wisdom, strength, and nobility of Islam - not arrogance.”

Did he or his Madani team think the temple representatives lacked wisdom, were weak and did not possess any noble values? He claimed victory had also been achieved because the Muslim had set a good example for others and that this "showed the Muslim's good character - compassionate, caring, just.”.

What is he trying to suggest? That the temple people involved in the negotiations did not exhibit similar good qualities displayed by Muslims?

Click On Image To Enlarge

From: Adjunct Professor M.Krishnamoorthy Mobile 012 6524327 

Email: krishnamuthaly@gmail.com
Crisis Management Trainer and author of 8 books.
Crisis Management Trainer and author of 8 books.

Sir,

You had an emergency Cabinet meeting on Trump’s new tariffs. I do not know if the matter of the urgency of negotiating was raised in your meeting. Here is a news report (by Donald Trump’s son) stating that the earlier countries negotiate the better chance of Malaysia being relaxed/reduced of the tariffs.

Strategy: 1 Foreign, Trade and other relevant ministries and secretary generals and DGs must convene meeting over this weekend to deliberate on how best to reduce the tariffs imposed on Malaysia.

2. Monday, 7th April 2025, a letter should be sent from your office and Malaysia’s proposals to reduce the tariffs. If possible, reach out to Trump. Hopefully, he takes your call. Nothing like trying.

3 Publishing statements and social media posts with threats of retaliatory action after the Republican's announcement will not help Malaysia.

4 Unlike Canada and Mexico, who spoke up, Malaysia is a small nation.

5 In addition, as the Asean chairman, another letter should be send through your Asean secretariat in protection of Asean countries.

6 Most of the Asean would have already submitted their proposals for the reduction of the tariffs.

7 Counter-productive stand like this “China, the E.U., Japan, Mexico and Canada have all announced planned countermeasures underway to combat Trump's policy” will not help Malaysia.

8 Get your inner circle of proactive ministers and ministries to discuss this over weekend (5th and 6th April) to have the proposals ready by Monday.

9 Read below on the urgency of reaching Trump with your constructive proposals.

10 Do engage top professional management consultants’ experts in negotiations to add value to your proposals. ERIC TRUMP GIVES FREE ADVICE TO COUNTRIES TRYING TO NEGOTIATE TARIFFS. Eric Trump's Advice:  News Report follows President Donald Trump's son has a word of advice for countries reeling from his father's newly announced tariffs.

“The first son said those who quickly get in negotiations with the president will be better off than countries that wait before coming to the table.” Eric Trump, the president's middle son who has worked with his father for decades, is now offering a word of advice for world leaders wondering how to react.

'I wouldn’t want to be the last country that tries to negotiate a trade deal with [the president],' Trump, 41, posted on X Thursday morning. The first son was urging countries serious about getting a better deal to quickly get in contact with his president father. The younger Trump currently serves alongside his brother Donald Trump Jr. as a senior executive at the Trump Organization.

Having overseen development and acquisitions at his father's company, Eric Trump has since branched out to into other ventures like cryptocurrency. Other countries who quickly get into negotiations with the president, the first son wrote, would yield better results than that delay. 'The first to negotiate will win - the last will absolutely lose,' his post said. 'I have seen this movie my entire life.' The president has used previous rounds of tariffs as negotiating tools.

Muhammad Tantawi

Mamluk reign in Egypt. At a recent March, 2025 Ramadan event in front of Al-Azhar’s mosque, celebrating its founding, Muslims were reminded of the words of the famous 16^th century Egyptian Muslim scholar al-Haytami (d. 1567), “There is no spot on the face of the earth that has gathered as many scholars and righteous people as Al-Azhar.”

An ugly, but equally important “reminder” to another gathering of Muslims in front of Al-Azhar—and Muslims worldwide—occurred recently on “the 7^th night of the blessed month of Ramadan,” Thursday, March 6, 2025. Sheikh Reda Al-Sioufi chose not to recite any Qur’anic reference to Ramadan (see Qur’an 2:183; 2;184; 2:185). Instead, the good Sheikh intoned, gratuitously, a Ramadan-unrelated central Antisemitic verse from the Qur’an, 5:82, which opens by telling Muslims, “You will surely find the most intense of the people in animosity toward the believers [to be] the Jews.”

The insidious persuasive power of Qur’an 5:82 to animate Muslim hatred of Jews has been acknowledged by Muslim and non-Muslim observers, alike, across a millennium, since the mid-9^th century A.D. This is unsurprising given how Muslims have been taught to understand 5:82 by Islam’s leading Qur’anic commentators, both classical and contemporary, including the major modern Qur’anic scholar, and late Al-Azhar University Grand Imam—Islam’s near “Papal equivalent”—Muhammad Tantawi (d. 2010).

This is "the tent of the heavens, which man, indeed, has set up, although God has surely taken part in the work," wrote Michael of Thessalonica, a 12th-century scribe, describing the Hagia Sophia, which was then a cathedral, in what is now Turkey. This masterpiece of volume, scale and architecture would see a trajectory like few other places of worship. From a cathedral to a mosque to a museum, and then back to being a mosque again. The Hagia Sophia’s 1,500-year history is steeped in events, myths, and symbols that resonate across the East and West. 

It was built in the sixth century by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I as the Roman Empire’s premier cathedral and was dedicated to "Holy Wisdom". For nearly a millennium, the magnificent structure of the Byzantine Empire stood as the world's largest church. 

When Constantinople (now Istanbul) fell to the Ottomans in 1453, Mehmed II the Conqueror converted the Hagia Sophia into the Great Mosque of Ayasofya. Over time, Byzantine mosaics with Biblical references were covered or destroyed, and four towering minarets rose around its dome.

It remained a mosque until 1934, when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, turned the Hagia Sophia into a museum. Hidden mosaics and marble decorations were uncovered in what was seen as an effort to liberate both the monument and the nation from the contested legacy of conquests.

However, in July 2020, Turkey's Council of State, the country's highest court, annulled the 1934 decree that had turned Hagia Sophia into a museum. It based its decision on the premise that it was a Waqf property and could only be changed on the grounds of "becoming useless or contravening law or public policy", writes The Harvard Law Review.

The Directorate General of Foundations overtook the Hagia Sophia as property of the Fatih Sultan Mehmed Foundation. "Wakf-alal-aulad is an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law, typically denoting a building or plot of land for Muslim religious or charitable purposes," reads the website of the Directorate General of Foundations.

"Waqf, an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, is often translated into English with "Foundation", it added.

Shortly after, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree converting the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque and it being administered as a Waqf property. This led to the first official Muslim prayers in the Hagia Sophia in nearly 86 years on July 24, 2020.

The Hagia Sophia's centuries-long trajectory, ultimately being declared a mosque, is an interesting case study even as India debated and passed a law for better and transparent administration of Waqf properties.

The late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh while visiting the ship Mavi Marmara in Istanbul on January 2, 2012.

In 1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led the Islamic Revolution that swept away Iran’s shah and replaced the Iranian monarchy with a clerical rule. Overnight, Iran transformed from a pillar of American partnership in the region to an adversary and terror sponsor. The change was undeniable, even to Iran’s most ardent supporters.

Prior to his ascent to power, Khomeini denied any ambition to rule Iran. He spoke of bringing democracy and renounced interest in ruling Iran. “I don’t want to have the power of government in my hand; I am not interested in personal power,” he told one gullible journalist.¹⁰²

There is an irony today that while policymakers recognized the obvious regarding Iran’s transformation, too many remain in denial about Turkey’s equally momentous shift.

The pragmatism that Western officials ascribed to Recep Tayyip Erdogan was always a ruse that Erdogan embraced to allay concerns while he consolidated power. It worked. And not just with the Obama administration. Daniel Fried, George W. Bush’s assistant secretary of state for European affairs, described Erdogan’s AKP Party as “a kind of Muslim version of a Christian Democratic party,” while Bush’s secretary of state, Colin Powell, praised Turkey as a “Muslim democracy.”¹⁰³

Erdogan played to Western naivete as he consolidated control. The Turkish leader’s authoritarian tendencies were on full display after the March 2025 arrest of Turkish opposition figure Ekrem Imamoglu on spurious charges. Erdogan’s subsequent crackdown on protestors only exacerbated Western concerns that Turkey’s window to join the club of liberal democracies has all but closed.

In hindsight, Ankara’s European Union accession process had less to do with a desire to join Europe than with serving as a mechanism to consolidate Erdoğan’s autocracy. Indeed, Erdogan was only too happy to accede to European demands that he unravel any internal military role in Turkish society. In theory, this was good for democracy given the military’s role in toppling previous regimes.

In 1960 and 1980, the Turkish Army interceded to end governments that violated the constitution or failed to maintain law and order. In 1971 and 1997, the threat of intervention was enough to force governments to resign. But the European Union unraveled the military’s role to protect the constitution before establishing a check on Erdogan’s power. In retrospect, this may have been the final nail in the coffin for Turkey’s democracy.

Palestinians in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, take part in an anti-Hamas protest calling to end the war with Israel, March 26, 2025. Photo by Flash90.

This is the first time masses of Gazans have openly called for the terrorist group to be removed from power. Protests against Hamas rule have since spread throughout the Gaza Strip. Good news, right?

But wait: Why have no pro-Palestinian protesters in the West stepped up to support these brave demonstrators? Why have no mass protests been held echoing Gazans’ demands that Hamas relinquish power?

No surprise, of course: Pro-Palestinian protesters in America and around the world ignore the war-mongering jihadists who forced these Palestinians into the gates of hell … preferring instead to blame Israel, whose primary crime is defending its citizens from bloodthirsty terrorists. If the protesters truly cared about the Palestinian people, then they would focus on the disaster zone of the Gaza Strip, where 2 million Palestinians are held prisoner by Hamas.

It wasn’t Western protesters who demanded that Palestinians be given the right to emigrate from Gaza and take refuge in neighboring Arab lands; it was U.S. President Donald Trump. But this humanitarian idea has drawn virtually no support from progressive voices, NGOs, the United Nations or other world leaders.

Likewise, most proposals for ending Israel’s war with Hamas envision the Hamas monsters remaining in place, if not in power. This notion contradicts both U.S. and Israeli plans for the territory, which call for Hamas’s elimination. It also contradicts even the remotest sense of sympathy or desire to ease the Palestinians’ plight.

Gaza is a prison: Hamas are the wardens. In 2005, Israel withdrew completely from Gaza, allowing the Palestinians there to govern themselves. Two years later, Hamas seized power in the territory from the Palestinian Authority. Since then, the terrorist group has run Gaza as an iron-fisted authoritarian state.

Here are facts that no “pro-Palestinian” protesters—or the progressive media—will tell you: In Hamas-ruled Gaza, there is no free speech, no free press, no elections. No rights of any kind for women or LGBTQ+ people. Arbitrary arrests and torture are commonplace. Those now demonstrating against Hamas rule are taking a mortal risk, since the terrorist group ruthlessly suppresses dissent. Hamas also has complete control of the economy, heavily taxing impoverished Gazans. No wonder Hamas leaders are some of the world’s richest terrorists.

Hamas, not Israel, is responsible for Palestinian suffering. It is Hamas that wields absolute control over Gaza. Yet protesters on U.S. college campuses and public squares worldwide irrationally blame Israel for the Gazans’ misery. Similarly, mainstream media push a narrative in which Israel, not Hamas, is the cause of the Palestinians’ suffering.

Another hard fact: Israel has not occupied Gaza for 20 years, nor does it have any political power over Palestinians there. Free Palestine from what?