Resistance - Art For Freedom
View allAll Photos Tagged extremism
So much sadness in the world at the moment - we can light a candle, say a prayer yet the ache endures. I have no answers, only hope that extremism in any form will not win.
Red Feathers 9/11 - Painful Memories by Daniel Arrhakis (2021)
With the music : Audiomachine - When It All Falls Down
Remembering September 11 attacks, also commonly referred to as 9/11, twenty years after the tragedy ... the memories are even more painful in a world increasingly torn by religious, political and ideological extremism.
Radicalization now transposes to social networks making external threats as dangerous as internal ones, dividing peoples and threatening from within the Democracies around the world.
Religious radicalism rides on the power of world domination but also fascism and the nationalist extreme right gallop fear, doubt and the social conscience of the peoples.
Only unity, tolerance and cooperation among peoples will be able to overcome fear and mistrust through courage, knowledge and love.
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* For our Week Theme in Art Week Gallery Group - September 12 to September 18 :
*Art Week Gallery Group - Week Theme - "Shine A Light "
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In the Eye of the Storm. This spiral staircase is at the Qatar America Institute of Culture. I was there to see the "Transcendent Text" exhibition by Sabah Arbilli who uses calligraphy to express the basic human rights that the Quran cites and preaches. The works are statement against extremism. Holly Ahrens is the model in the eye!
Discussing The Peace of Nature and the Nature of Peace with my feathered friends Åse and Håvard over a cup tea ...
Moral Philosophy of Global Peace as a Supreme Ideal
Today, humankind is suffering from multidimensional crises such as terrorism,population-explosion,denial of human rights, economic inequality,racial discrimination,ideological extremism, religious intolerance,social injustice,ecological imbalance, consumerism, oppression of weak ... All are Peace-related issues and a matter of Ethics."Have you realised your role and your duties regarding Global Peace ?" They asked me ... Pause
Åse and Håvard have ... Us ? Pause ... Where are our United efforts ?
I felt embarrassed ... They had so much to teach me ... over a cup of tea and while awaiting the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize ... They also knew the Preamble to the Constitution of UNESCO ...
"Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed ... "
♥ Always thankful for your kind visits my Flickr friend ♥
CU soon in the Oslo City Hall with the monumental large scale murals and in the Vigeland Sculpture Park where art speaks "For the Peace and Brotherhood of men".
Grey autumn weather, shady prospects and in all medias one horror story is following the one before. Racism, extremism, climate apocalypse or the total crash of the health system. It is not possible below that.
Yesterday, when I found this photograph from a shooting made in 2019 with my princess on my computer, I spontaneously had the urgent need to change my focus rapidly. To do that, I didn’t have to do anything but to look at my wonderful daughter.
Happyness, love, harmony, the wish to explore the world and really to live, to have lustily and loud laughing until the entire body is aching and You can't breath anymore or simply by remaining in a close hug assimilating the closeness with the other. This and so much more is, what she is radiating for me, on every single day.
Life is beautiful. Beautiful and precious. To live with each other and for each other no matter what is written in the news. Thank you Lilly.
Graues Herbstwetter, düstere Aussichten und in allen Medien jagd eine Horrormeldung die nächste. Rassismus, Extremismus, Klimaapokalypse oder der Zusammenbruch des Gesundheitssystems. Unter dem geht nichts mehr.
Als ich gestern dieses Foto von einem shooting von 2019 mit meiner Prinzessin auf dem Computer gefunden habe, hatte ich spontan das dringende Bedürfnis den Fokus drastisch zu verändern. Und dafür brauche ich nichts anderes tun als meine wundervolle Tochter anzusehen.
Freude, Liebe, Harmonie, der Wunsch die Welt zu entdecken und wirklich zu leben, herzhaftes und lautes Lachen bis der ganze Körper schmerzt und du nicht mehr atmen kannst oder einfach in einer innigen Umarmung verharren und die Nähe des Anderen in sich aufnehmen. Das alles und noch so viel mehr strahlt sie für mich aus, an jedem einzelnen Tag.
Das Leben ist schön. Schön und wertvoll. Das Leben miteinander und für einander. Ganz gleich, was in der Zeitung steht. Danke Lilly.
more of this on my website at: www.shoot-to-catch.de
The annual commemoration of victims of the Second World War always takes place here on 4 May.
The current rise of right-wing extremism makes it even more necessary to commemorate these people again this year. During this commemoration we can also consider all the other victims of war and violence, anywhere in the world.
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Op 4 mei vindt hier altijd de jaarlijkse herdenking van slachtoffers van de Tweede Wereldoorlog plaats.
De huidige opkomst van rechts-extremisme maakt het extra noodzakelijk om ook dit jaar weer deze mensen te herdenken. Ook kunnen wij tijdens deze herdenking stilstaan bij alle andere slachtoffers van oorlog en geweld, waar ook ter wereld.
Petals And Candles For Nice By Daniel Arrhakis (2020)
With the Music/Chant : Kyrie Eleison · Dan Gibson's Solitudes /
Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants
My special tribute to the innocent victims of a barbaric attack at a church in Nice, France.
Victims of religious extremism and intolerance that reigns in our times and which unfortunately is often encouraged by religious extremists and unscrupulous politicians.
Mon hommage très spécial aux victimes innocentes de l'attaque barbare de Nice, France. Victimes de l'extrémisme religieux et de l'intolérance qui règnent à notre époque et qui malheureusement sont souvent favorisées par des extrémistes religieux et politiques sans scrupules.
© Image created by Daniel Arrhakis, commercially use is not Allowed.
The American Dream Spirit - Beyond The Moon by Daniel Arrhakis (2018)
With the music : Ivan Torrent - The Power Of Will
I dedicate this work to all my American friends!
The Spirit of Freedom and Democracy that so inspired the Founders of America, is the same that inspired so many other peoples throughout the world and it is this same spirit of courage and hope in a Better World that must unite us all once again to fight again the contemporary obscurantism and the extremism that threatens the Freedom and Cohesion of Peoples!
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Thank you for your kind visit, comments and invitations these last days dear friends !
Trying catching up during next days and weekend !
© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved
Captured somewhat candidly at 'Daks over Prestwick' in May 2019. A dozen DC-3 and C-47 aircraft were on display during a stopover on their way from the US to D-Day celebrations in France.
Today, 5th May 2025, starts a 4 day celebration in the UK commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day).
We must never forget the sacrifice of a generation. Risking, and too often losing, their lives in the fight against fascism and tyranny. A fight that, thankfully, the democratic world won.
More important that never forgetting those brave men and women, we must NEVER forget the reason for which they were called upon to make that sacrifice.
Far right politics has been normalised and mainstreamed by media in the Western world over the past few years and has, therefore, gained popularity. Far right parties have been elected and authoritarian fascist policies are being enacted. All the while it is normalised by the absence of scrutiny in the billionaire owned media, the same billionaires financially backing such politics around the world.
None of this is normal. Deporting and incarcerating people without charge, stifling the free press, attacking science and universities and scapegoating minorities - these are all straight out of the fascist playbook. They are happening now.
We even have left wing political parties swinging towards the hard right to appease the populist far right movement.
This is obscene. No good comes from political extremism, either right or left, only suffering.
Stop blaming immigrants, trans people, the poor and the disabled for the world's ills. That is where the billionaires and politicians want you to point the finger. Ask yourself why? Why do they want you to look elsewhere?
Don't let fascism and tyranny rule your lives once more. Learn from the past. Rise up. Fight against it. Legally. Justly. Peacefully. Do that before it takes an army and more needless death to bring peace and prosperity to all.
Lest we forget.
this series "dtv" is shot entirely from the tv set. a few are cropped
from PBS NewsHour about the Muslim Faith. it is not meant to be political. it was a segment about groups that help people caught up in the extremism of the religion
language changes every 12 miles so it makes sense that religions all over the world are so different. i am hardly one to judge. this program was about extreme sharia law and how it is practiced and it was very "extreme" in some places.
Salem Witch Hysteria..1692. Due to intolerance and isolationism, religious extremism, accusations, and lapses in due process of the law, the hysteria swept through Massachusetts. More than 200 were accused, of which 19 were hanged here in Salem.. Since the hysteria was carried out under the guise of religionious indifference, I used the Witch Museum window from an earlier image, flic.kr/p/2gqVdoz, as a metaphor for the false imprisonment, an image of the witch from a past Haunted Happenings...some layers, blending, and masking to get the image.
During one of the rapidly increasing manifestations 'defend democracy', denouncing right-wing extremism, after revelations of fascist fantasies by some of this country's nutters. May it stay with the nutters, the world deserves better.
This wonderful tree top exceeded my expectations when massaged to reflect an emotion; Warmth, comfort, steadfastness, with a reliance on health and time to resolve our dilemmas.
Ahh but dilemmas require dialog, decision, action, and consequences. We will move to be like a perfectly proportioned tree who knows not of compromise or extremism. It just knows growth and prosperity or decline and oblivion.
this series "dtv" is shot entirely from the tv set. many are cropped
from PBS NewsHour about the Muslim Faith. it is not meant to be political. it was a segment about groups that help people caught up in the extremism of the religion
Cologne is colourful - Demonstration against racism and xenophobia in Cologne - 21.01.2024 / Deutz / Cologne / North Rhine-Westphalia / Germany
Please have a look at my albums:
Kamera: Nikon FE2
Linse: Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f1.4 (1970)
Film: Kodak 5222 @ ISO 250
Kjemi: Rodinal (1:50 / 9 min. @ 20°C)
Al Jazeera: Deadly Israeli attacks target central and southern Gaza (Publ. 19 Oct. 2025)
Never ever deal with USA and Israel!
BOYCOTT ISRAEL AND USA!
DIVEST FROM ALL US AND ISRAELI COMPANIES!
SANCTION USA AND ISRAEL!
- By October 17 2025, Gaza's media office accused Israel of violating the ceasefire 47 times, killing 38 Palestinians and injuring 143 others. The Gaza-based human rights organization, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, documented at least 129 violations by Israel since the beginning of the ceasefire. [that is, since 10 Oct. 2025]
- On October 14 2025, Israeli forces killed at least seven Palestinians, six in Gaza City, including five by an aerial attack in Shuja'iyya and one by a drone strike in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said that the attacks in Shuja'iyya targeted individuals who advanced beyond the 'yellow line' after ignoring warning shots. Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, condemned the attacks, calling them a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
- On October 14 2025, Israel closed the Rafah border crossing and stated that the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into the Gaza Strip would be reduced as a consequence of Hamas's failure to return the remains of all deceased hostages. After four bodies were handed over and further returns were announced for the following day, Israel briefly reversed the restriction. When no further remains were delivered, the crossing was again closed indefinitely. Hamas had earlier stated that recovery efforts were hampered because many burial sites were still unknown amid the extensive destruction in Gaza. Under the ceasefire terms, Israel was to permit up to 600 humanitarian aid trucks to enter Gaza each day. Since then, the limit had been reduced to 300, with Israeli officials attributing the change to ongoing delays in locating and recovering hostages' remains.
- On October 17 2025, Israeli forces opened fire on a vehicle carrying 11 members of a civilian family in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, including women and children. The event took place after the vehicle entered a restricted area, and according to the IDF, ignored multiple warning shots. The Israeli attack killed nine individuals, with two individuals missing.
- On October 19 2025, the Israeli army launched airstrikes and attacks in Rafah and Abasan al-Kabira. In addition, two Palestinians were killed by an Israeli airstrike in eastern Jabalia.
According to [Israeli] Channel 12, the attacks in Rafah was intended to protect members of the Popular Forces, an Israeli-backed militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab. An Israeli airstrike also killed six Palestinians in the central Gaza city of Zawayda. Additionally, two separate strikes killed six more people, including children, near Nuseirat in central Gaza, with 13 others injured. Further, a woman and two children were killed in a drone strike that hit a tent accommodating displaced persons near the town of Asda, located north of Khan Yunis. By the end of the day, Israeli airstrikes had killed at least 45 people.
- On October 28 2025, Israeli attacks in Gaza killed at least 104 people, at least 66 of whom were children and women.
- On October 29 2025, an Israeli attack killed two people in Beit Lahia
- On November 2 2025, a Palestinian man was killed by an Israeli drone in Shuja'iyya. Israel alleged that he had crossed the "yellow line".
- On November 10 2025, two Palestinians, including a child, were killed by an Israeli drone strike in east Khan Yunis. The IDF claimed that the Palestinians killed posed "an immediate threat" to Israeli forces.
- On November 19 2025, Israel launched several airstrikes in Gaza, targeting Zeitoun, Shuja'iyya and Khan Yunis. These attacks killed 33 people, including 17 in Khan Yunis and 16 in Gaza City, with 77 others injured.
- On November 22 2025, the Israeli military launched airstrikes in Gaza, killing at least 24 people: eleven in Rimal, three at a house near Al-Awda Hospital, seven (including a child) at a house in Nuseirat, and three at a house in Deir al-Balah; another 54 were injured by the attacks.
- On November 24 2025, four people were killed by Israeli forces, including a man killed by a drone attack in Bani Suheila and a child killed in northern Gaza City after ordnances left by the IDF exploded.
- On November 29 2025, Israeli airstrikes were carried out in Rafah and Khan Yunis. Israeli fighter jets carried out strikes east of the city of Rafah. Two Palestinian children were killed while collecting firewood by an Israeli drone strike on the town of Bani Suhayla, east of Khan Yunis, near Al-Farabi School. The area targeted in the attack lies beyond the so-called Yellow Line, the demarcation line for the redeployment of Israeli forces.
- On December 3 2025, an Israeli strike targeted a shelter camp in Al-Mawasi, killing five Palestinians, including two children and injuring several others. Israel claimed that it struck a Hamas target in response to an alleged clash between Palestinian militants and IDF forces.
- On December 5 2025, the Israeli military, using helicopter gunships, launched an assault on the eastern and northeastern regions of Khan Yunis, in violation of the ceasefire.
- On December 7 2025, a three-year-old girl was killed by the Israeli military while playing in her family's tent in Al-Mawasi. The IDF later issued a statement that it was "not aware of a strike" but would "conduct an additional review".
- On December 13 2025, an Israeli attack west of Gaza City killed five people and injured at least 25 others including civilians.
- On December 18 2025, Israeli forces fired a mortar shell into a residential area in Gaza City during an operation on the Yellow Line, injuring at least 10 people. The US Trump administration sanctioned two more ICC judges for probing alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
- On December 19 2025, five Palestinians, including a baby, were killed by Israeli soldiers over the Yellow Line in Tuffah, Gaza City. Israeli forces claimed that they identified "a number of suspicious individuals … in command structures west of the Yellow Line". The IDF also stated that is "under review" and "regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals."
- On December 20 2025, a 29-day-old infant boy died due to hypothermia in Gaza.
- On December 30 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs announced that it will ban 37 humanitarian organizations from operating in Gaza within 36 hours for failing to provide personal staff data required for new security screenings.
- Source - Wikipedia: Gaza peace plan (retrieved 19 Oct. 2025)
this series "dtv" is shot entirely from the tv set. a few are cropped
from PBS NewsHour about the Muslim Faith. it is not meant to be political. it was a segment about groups that help people caught up in the extremism of the religion
language changes every 12 miles so it makes sense that religions all over the world are so different. i am hardly one to judge. this program was about extreme sharia law and how it is practiced and it was very "extreme" in some places.
Explore Jun23, 2020 #305
Does anyone know ID? I don't know how it got in my yard. But I'm delighted!
The family of Bromeliaceae is outrageous... its colors and shapes beyond reason and logic. Over the top!
If a painter truly reproduced their colors on a canvas, viewers would accuse him or her of extremism, of taking poetic license.
Bromeliads are easy to grow, requiring nothing more than a little water in their center cup. I prop them up wherever I can. Yes, prop up because they don't need soil except to keep their center upright and full. The nectar of many of this family is quite fragrant and attracts many hummingbirds with their high tech sounds and seemingly wingless flight... wings beating faster than the eye can see!
Bromeliads... easy to grow but not painless to plant and tend, requiring thick pants and heavy gloves to prevent painful flesh tears from their hooked serrated edges. Everything has a downside and Bromeliads are well worth it! I celebrate their glories each day. Bromeliaceae's most familiar member is Pineapple.
Biscayne Park FL
Today's "We are the firewall" manifestation against right-wing extremism.
Berlin, Feb. 3rd, 2024.
It's amazing, the protests continue!
this series "dtv" is shot entirely from the tv set. many are cropped
from PBS NewsHour about the Muslim Faith. it is not meant to be political. it was a segment about groups that help people caught up in the extremism of the religion
Abgesehen von der starken Botschaft (so man sie nicht wörtlich nimmt), finde ich diese Ausstellung auch künstlerisch sehr anspruchsvoll - wer in Berlin ist, unbedingt noch hingehen (bis 16.08. auf dem Washingtonplatz vor dem Hauptbahnhof)
The Wolves Are Back
Part of a powerful exhibit titled "Are The Wolves Back?" in Berlin - a pack of bronze wolves stands for the neo-Nazis, nationalists and haters that terrorize German society so much more than the few wolf packs that are again roaming German woods (and are also controversial).
Rainer Opolka, the artist behind The Wolves Are Back says he wants to start a discussion. To him, we are getting way too used to racism and other ugly phenomenons we see in connection with the challenge of accomodating one million refugees in the country. “Many people see terrorism on TV and that makes them afraid,” says Opolka. “They don’t see the difference between the terrorists and the people who have escaped terrorism.”
Looking across the rooftops of Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, as the Eiffel Tower rises up in defiance against a coming storm.
Congratulations to France on choosing overwhelmingly to reject the politics of fear, hatred, and extremism. May your stance inspire us all.
Kamera: Nikon FE2
Linse: Nikkor-O Auto 35mm f2 (1970)
Film: Kodak 5222 @ ISO 250
Kjemi: Rodinal (1:50 / 9 min. @ 20°C)
Anathema: Serenades (1993) [Full Album] (Vinyl)
Peaceful Pakistan
In the recent years Pakistan has become more and more famous for its unstable political and disastrous economical situation, for terrorism, inequality or discrimination i.e. against minorities. Nevertheless Pakistan is still one of the most beautiful and underestimated countries I have ever visited. I can ensure that not everyone in Pakistan is a terrorist or extremist nor is the country full of extremism or hatespeeches – as media illustrates or simplifies sometimes. The average Pakistani is a friendly person with whom you would like to talk and maybe drink a cup of Chai. The people I met were open minded and gave me always the opportunity to speak about problems and their daily life experiences. Pakistan has a lot of potential to grew, develop and prosper but there are still many problems to face, especially corruption or greedy politicians who do not care about their own nation but their moneybags.
I had a great time visiting the natural diversities of Pakistans landscape although I could not visit the Northern Areas of Pakistan like Karakoram or the Himalaya nor Balochistan in the West at the Irianian boarder. InshAllah the future will allow me to do so ;-)
Hereby some peaceful and personal impressions from my latest Pakistan trip in winter 2014/2015
The community board meeting took place in order to discuss the proposed mosque to be built next to ground zero. While the project is usually referred to as the “mosque at ground zero”, the project’s official name is the Cordoba Initiative. The Imam and the developers were in attendance to present the project, and many politicians (or rather their representatives) were on hand, along with many of those in favor or opposed.
First spoke the elected officials, who—in the typical New York political elitist fashion— slandered and insulted their opposition. Councilwoman Margaret Chin spoke before a single opponent of the mosque ever came up to the microphone to state their position, but that didn’t stop her from accusing those against it of “bigotry”.
And while Margaret Chin chose to offend the opposition to the mosque (most of whom present were families of 9-11 victims and first responders) in person, other local figures sent their cronies. A representative of Scott Stringer, President of the Borough of Manhattan, handed out a letter to everyone prior to the meeting in which he refers to the mosque as a “multi-faith community and cultural center” and claims that this “center has been the subject of bigoted attacks that contain a strain of religious and racial hatred more extreme than anything we have seen in NYC for some time.” I guess an attempt to kill hundreds of New Yorkers and tourists at Times Square by an Islamist Faisal Shahzad less than a month prior was not extreme enough for Stringer and, instead of jihadism, Stringer seems to have identified the enemy as a TEA Party leader whom he rips apart throughout this unsolicited letter. While the TEA Party’s opposition is referred to as a “bigoted agenda”, the mosque itself is referred to as a “vibrant and world-class facility in NYC which will promote tolerance and pluralism”. Of course he fails to provide any example of mosques in NYC or in the world that have EVER promoted tolerance or pluralism, but perhaps he didn’t think that any attendee would dare question his superior judgment in the matter. Please be sure to read his disgusting letter
After the political cronies spoke, Feisal Abdul Rauf', the Imam in charge of this “community center” was given time to present his proposal. He started his speech with “for many years I’ve had a dream…” (I wonder what Dr. King would have thought of a ‘grand wizard’ proposing to build a “community center” at the site of the bombed 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama). The Imam also claimed that this “community center” would promote multi-culturalism; he was so sure of it that his speech was sprinkled throughout with that deceiving phrase. But his presentation brought with it an unexpected turning point. Not because of anything he planned to share with us in his carefully prepared PC jargoned speech, but because of a question by one of the board members who wanted to know if the proposed “community center” would hold prayer. The Imam said “yes”, to which the board member replied, “then it is a house of worship, not a community center”.
Without any objection to that by the Imam or speakers that followed, the term “community center” began to very gradually disappear. But don’t think that anyone’s opinion actually changed as a result. The supporters of the project “formerly” known as a “community center” still believed that it was somehow related to diversity and that it would in no way be an insult to those who died due to Islamist ideology, nor would it serve as a monument of jihadist victory.
But neither the councilwoman nor the Imam were the most offensive or distasteful of the proponents of the mosque. Daisy Khan of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, who also happens to be Imam’s wife, blew their insults and lies out of the water. (I don’t recall her being introduced as Rauf’s wife at the meeting, but I can’t be sure.) She lectured and she yelled – yes, yelled – at the families of victims, the first responders, and her fellow New Yorkers. She yelled that she is “tired of bearing the cross [and will do so] no longer” because apparently she and the Muslim community were the real victims of the 9-11 attacks—not the families who lost their loved ones, not the cities that lost their monuments, and not the country that lost its feeling of security.
Without a single mosque destroyed and with very few anti-Muslim incidents, hearing from this woman about her supposed victimization in that auditorium was absolutely sickening. It didn’t help when for weeks after (and prior) she dominated the time on television appearing calm and together and claiming among other nonsense – I kid you not – that the reason they chose the ground zero site to build a mosque is to provide a “blow to the extremists”. I’m sure radical Muslims would just hate it if New York built a mosque on the ground where American buildings were destroyed and thousands of Americans were murdered by jihadists … right? READ HER RIDICULOUS QUOTE AGAIN. Now listen to it for yourself from the horse’s mouth because I wouldn’t have believed it either. (starts at 1:10) www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7WbTv_gsx4&playnext_from=TL&...
Other supporters of the mosque included two priests and a rabbi (no, it isn’t a start to a joke – although I wish it was) of the leftist “co-exist” variety all of whom supported the mosque. And while there were some clergy present that (judging by applause and reactions) opposed the mosque, they did not come up to the microphone. The supporting clergy seemed to have gone to the same rhetoric school as the Imam, using terms like “multi-culturalism”, “tolerance”, “community relations and understanding”, and other jargon that had no actual relevance to the topic.
There was also a Caucasian woman with a baby who introduced herself as someone who had converted to Islam … in 2006, if I’m not mistaken. She lied about how difficult it is to find information and resources on Islam in NY. I say she lied not only because there are hundreds of mosques in the 5 boroughs, but also because as a recent convert she is a prime example of someone who was able to find and act on this information. Of course, she didn’t specify why ground zero is a better location than any other for this apparently “valuable to the city” information about the religion all 911 hijackers belonged to.
Now that I have gone on and on about the supporters of the mosque (aka “community center”) and the temple’s money changers, let me talk about the opponents of a mosque being build at ground zero ... Not a single one of them opposed a mosque being built; the prevailing request was simply “build it somewhere else”.
First opponent to speak was the celebrated publisher, editor, and columnist Pamela Geller. She was the one to point out what Cordoba means to the Muslim world. Cordoba is a city in Spain that was the first major city to fall to Muslim conquerors and become an Islamic caliphate and a symbol of Islamic conquest of the West. She also called the mosque “a shrine to the very ideology that inspired 9-11”. Sure seems a lot more plausible than Daisy’s explanation for why the mosque has to overlook ground zero.
A gentleman who lost his brother in WTC and represents the largest ‘families of victims of 9-11’ groups introduced some of those present who lost loved ones at ground zero. He protested the lectures and the labels that were bestowed on these families for their “legitimate, legal opposition to this Muslim ‘multi-cultural center’”. He pointed out that while there is proposed building of this mosque at ground zero, the committees have refused to allow monuments to the tragedy of 9-11, including the WTC sphere which was heavily damaged during the terrorist attack and has become an iconic symbol of the tragedy. At this time the sphere is temporarily housed at Battery Park. “If we should honor multi-culturalism and diversity at ground zero, we should honor and remember victims of 9-11,” he concluded.
Tim Brown, a former NYC firefighter who lost dozens of his friends and colleagues, fellow first responders, to the jihadist terrorist attack, has been a tireless voice for memories of victims and their loved ones. He questioned where the money for the mosque was coming from. He had received “5 different answers on 5 different occasions from them”, which included my favorite “we don’t have to tell you, talk to our lawyers”, as well as “three different organizations, but [the Imam] refused to name them” and “from American taxpayers”. Mr. Brown also pointed out that Cordoba Initiative has been very deceiving in other ways, such as removing the word “mosque” from their web site despite the fact that they explicitly wrote initially that there will be a mosque at the top of the building (overlooking ground zero).
Questions were also raised about the Imam Rauf, his public statements, and his pro-Sharia stance as described in his publications and interviews. His travels to countries that openly support terrorism and forced Islamization of the West were also questioned and may indicate where funding from the mosque could be coming from.
Follow up note: Listening to the Imam Rauf speak to various news organizations in the days following the meeting, he offered even more non-specific answers to where the money comes from, such as it comes from people who “want to see peace between Muslims and non-Muslims”. Again, nice politically savvy keywords… but no actual answer to a rather direct question he obviously knows the answer to. Trying to hide something, Faisal Abdul?
One of the many victim’s families present was a woman with a photo of her son who was murdered by the Islamic terrorists. She didn’t yell like Daisy, the Imam’s wife, and she did not dish out insults like Congresswoman Chin. Her voice trembled as she mentioned her son’s name and held his photo towards the committee, “this is my son”, she said, “this is firefighter George Kane.” She held back tears as she spoke. She said that “the location [of the mosque] is insensitive to families. It is also insensitive to the voiceless victims the possibility that anyone who supports Islamic extremism could walk on graves of the victims … [it is] an outrage.”
Another woman spoke with a similar shaking voice about her 23-year-old son who “was murdered on September 11th”. She also wasn’t a bigot, but wanted to know “why are you suggesting that it be two blocks from ground zero?”
Mrs. Kane and the others who spoke through tears and with photos of their murdered children in their trembling hands, made me think of what they were being asked to do. Nine years later, they were being asked to “move on” or “heal”, as mosque supporters were suggesting. I can’t even begin to imagine what that ignorant request could do to an eternally grieving mother.
A sweet elderly couple’s last conversation with their son was via cell phone while he was on a hijacked plane… just before he was murdered. They mentioned that there were 20 mosques that located around the area where they lived, and that they would be ok with another one being built close to them, but they also asked for “understanding and sensitivity” when it comes to building one near ground zero.
Yet from the comments of NYC politicians and supporters of the mosque, we know that understanding and sensitivity will not be shown to the victims’ families nor reflect the wishes of voting New Yorkers. They will instead be shown to others who are apparently deemed more – not even equally but more – crucial to the future of NYC and the memories of those who perished in the terrorist attacks.
Here are a few youtube links on regarding this meeting:
Pamela Geller's full 2 minute speech from the meeting
a firefighter and first responder Tim Brown speaks A MUST SEE
this series "dtv" is shot entirely from the tv set. many are cropped
from PBS NewsHour about the Muslim Faith. it is not meant to be political. it was a segment about groups that help people caught up in the extremism of the religion
© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved
Street and social documentary photography from Glasgow, Scotland.
Captured in July 2018 where a group of far right fascists were holding a demonstration and a much larger group opposing them had gathered as a counter-protest.
I am absolutely appalled at the scenes that I have seen across media and social media channels of the far right riots and racist hate in cities around England.
Yes they are far right racist thugs. People of colour have been targeted specifically. Pulled from their cars, hounded and beaten on the streets by a mob, roadblocked and prevented from driving on their way. Two hotels housing asylum seekers were set alight. Arson with intent to endanger life. I have seen swastika tattoos, Nazi salutes and heard racist chants. They even burned a library. Nazis like burning books. Stones were thrown at Filipino nurses on their way to cover emergency shifts.
I have seen this described as 'anti-immigration protest' but these people are only concerned about immigration from non-white countries. That's racism. Call it what it is.
It's sickening. This is regression of society and social media has played a huge role in this. The algorithms that value engagement lend themselves to divisive issues being promoted. The algorithms lend themselves to creating echo chambers for extremism. Some social media channels have almost no moderation anymore either and are actively pushing far right ideology in the name of 'freedom of speech'.
I am ashamed to be English. I am ashamed to be British. I am ashamed for the whole nation.
This is a small but vocal and violent group. If we, everyone else, do not stand up against them then we become complicit. If we do not rise up and show love, compassion and care to our communities, our whole inclusive communities, then we are complicit.
The parallels to 1930s Germany are terrifying. It started with the 'othering' of minorities, the scapegoating of racial groups and our politicians and mainstream media have been complicit in platforming and normalising far right fascist views. We are witnessing pogroms on our streets.
Immigration and multi-culturalism enriches us.
Our cultures and identities do not get lost, they get celebrated and shared.
We are one single species, among millions of others, trying to survive on a tiny oasis in the vastness of space.
My politics are irrelevant. I simply care about people. I have empathy. I have compassion. I want humanity so survive and I want it to do so peacefully without hate.
Share love. Share compassion. Share peace.
Care and take care.
Kamera: Nikon FE2
Linse: Nikkor-O Auto 35mm f2 (1970)
Film: Kodak 5222 @ ISO 250
Kjemi: Rodinal (1:50 / 9 min. @ 20°C)
Fleetwood Mac: Go Your Own Way (1976)
- When I was a soldier I was all in for defending my country and all other countries in the NATO defence alliance. I still believe in NATO.
But now the USA is threatening us all.
USA is threatening us all from within the Alliance
Loving you
Isn't the right thing to do
How can I ever change things that I feel?
If I could
Baby I'd give you my world
How can I
When you won't take it from me?
You can go your own way
Go your own way
You can call it another lonely day
You can go your own way
Go your own way
NATO exclusive USA: 631 million people
USA Alone: 337 million people
Russia: 137 million people
China: 1,4 billion people
Israel: 10 million people
The meadows where yesterday's 'galaxy' shot was taken. This is a horisontal sweep panorama with the phone held vertical (in portrait mode). Processing the previous shot in Lightroom (on the PC) I aimed for realism. Editing this in Snapseed (on the phone) I aimed for painterly extremism. Just for a bit of difference :)
Chosen as cover for the 1300 Views Group October 2013.
The family of Bromeliaceae is outrageous... its colors and shapes beyond reason and logic. Over the top!
If a painter truly reproduced their colors on a canvas, viewers would accuse him or her of extremism, of taking poetic license.
Bromeliads are easy to grow, requiring nothing more than a little water in their center cup. I prop them up wherever I can. Yes, prop up because they don't need soil except to keep their center upright and full. The nectar of many of this family is quite fragrant and attracts many hummingbirds with their high tech sounds and seemingly wingless flight... wings beating faster than the eye can see!
Bromeliads... easy to grow but not painless to plant and tend, requiring thick pants and heavy gloves to prevent painful flesh tears from their hooked serrated edges. Everything has a downside and Bromeliads are well worth it! I celebrate their glories each day. Bromeliaceae's most familiar member is Pineapple.
Aechmea bracteate
Biscayne Park FL
The old town from Trottner Park
Web Sites Using This Photo
www.atikaschool.org/free-kcse-cre-notes/the-galilean-mini...
foundationmaxvanderstoel.nl/en/israel-palestina-extremism...
foundationmaxvanderstoel.nl/en/israel-palestina-extremism...
(photo not by me... credit other) - not need comments.. just tribute
The extremism has killed Leila in the attack in Ouagadougou.
The world of photography, of NGOs (Amnesty International), L'Institut du Monde Arabe@Paris, her family, friends, colleagues, all people crossed her way ... mourns the tragic disappearance of Leila.
She was a talented photographer in contact with the human, peace ----> www.leilaalaoui.com
"Leila Alaoui is a French-Moroccan photographer and video artist whose experiences across different cultural and geographic environments inform her critical and creative practice. Born in Paris in 1982, she studied photography at the City University of New York before spending time in Morocco and Lebanon. Her work explores the construction of identity and cultural diversity, often through the prism of the migration stories that intersect the contemporary Mediterranean. Her images express social realities using a visual language that combines the narrative depth of documentary storytelling and the aesthetic sensibilities of fine art.
Her work has been exhibited internationally since 2009, including at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Art Dubai and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, and has been published in newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times and Vogue. Today she lives and works between Marrakech and Beirut...."
In Favoriten, the 10th district of Vienna. The only thing that seems threatening here is the weather situation. Apart from that, this is one of the most peaceful places in Vienna. I know what I'm writing about because I lived nearby from 2009 to 2023.
The Viennese tabloid press may try to create a different impression, but that is just far-right bullshit.
Kamera: Nikon FE2
Linse: Nikkor-O Auto 35mm f2 (1970)
Film: Kodak 5222 @ ISO 250
Kjemi: Rodinal (1:50 / 9 min. @ 20°C)
John Lennon: Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (1971)
A SONG FOR ALL YOU BASTARDS
***
HRF Files Criminal Complaint in Italy Against IDF Soldier Israel Yitzhki for War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity, and Genocide
Brussels / Rome – 15 December 2025:
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a criminal complaint before the Italian judicial authorities against Israeli soldier Israel Yitzhki, a member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), for his alleged involvement in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide committed during Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
The complaint was submitted to the Procura della Repubblica on the basis of universal jurisdiction, following confirmation that Yitzhki is currently present on Italian territory. Under international and Italian law, Italy is legally obliged to investigate and prosecute individuals suspected of grave international crimes when they are found on its soil.
Why Italy Has a Duty to Act
Italy is a State Party to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the UN Convention Against Torture. These instruments impose a clear obligation on States to search for, investigate, and prosecute individuals suspected of grave breaches of international humanitarian law, regardless of nationality or where the crimes were committed.
The complaint explicitly invokes:
* Article 146 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which establishes mandatory universal jurisdiction over grave breaches;
* Article 5(2) of the Convention Against Torture, requiring prosecution when a suspect is present and not extradited;
* The principle of aut dedere aut judicare — extradite or prosecute.
As the filing makes clear, States cannot lawfully become safe havens for suspected perpetrators of international crimes.
The Context: Gaza as a Crime Scene
The complaint situates Yitzhki’s actions within the broader context of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, which UN bodies have repeatedly characterized as involving systematic violations of international law.
* Over 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 20,000 children;
* More than 170,000 people have been injured;
* 92% of homes, 88% of schools, 81% of roads, and 80% of commercial infrastructure have been destroyed or damaged;
* Hundreds of civilians have died from starvation and malnutrition, caused by the deliberate obstruction of food and humanitarian aid.
UN agencies, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court have all confirmed the seriousness of these crimes. Arrest warrants have already been issued by the ICC against Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu (b. 1949) and Yoav Gallant (b. 1958) for crimes against humanity.
Alleged Crimes by Israel Yitzhki
According to HRF’s investigative findings, Israel Yitzhki served in the 432nd Battalion of the Givati Brigade and participated in operations involving:
* Extensive destruction of civilian property without military necessity;
* Attacks on undefended towns, residential buildings, and civilian objects;
* Arson and controlled demolitions of homes and shelters;
* Occupation and destruction of schools used as civilian refuges;
* Unlawful detention and humiliating treatment of Palestinian civilians, including the publication of images showing detainees blindfolded, handcuffed, and kneeling.
The complaint argues that these acts constitute war crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute, including:
* destruction of property not justified by military necessity;
* attacks against civilian objects;
* illegal detention of protected persons;
* outrages upon personal dignity and degrading treatment;
* and, potentially, torture and inhuman treatment.
Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide
Beyond individual war crimes, the filing asserts that Yitzhki’s actions may also qualify as crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute, including extermination, unlawful imprisonment, torture, and other inhumane acts committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population.
Crucially, the complaint also addresses genocide. It argues that the systematic destruction of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure — homes, schools, water systems, healthcare facilities — amounts to:
* causing serious bodily and mental harm; and
* deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian population, in whole or in part.
These conclusions align with findings issued in September 2025 by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which determined that Israeli authorities are committing genocide in Gaza.
Request for Urgent Precautionary Measures
Given the gravity of the allegations and the risk that Yitzhki may leave Italy, HRF has requested that the Italian authorities consider urgent precautionary measures, including:
* seizure of passports and travel documents;
* preservation of digital evidence.
The filing also formally requests notification of any prosecutorial decisions, including extensions of investigations or potential dismissal, in accordance with Italian criminal procedure.
Abou Jahjah: No Safe Haven in Europe
This filing is part of HRF’s broader strategy to ensure that no European country becomes a refuge for perpetrators of atrocities committed in Gaza.
"International law is meaningless if it stops at borders", HRF General Director Dyab Abou Jahjah (b. 1971) stated.
"When those suspected of war crimes and genocide enter Europe, States must choose between impunity and justice. There is no third option", he added.
The Hind Rajab Foundation will continue to pursue accountability across jurisdictions until those responsible for crimes in Gaza — perpetrators, accomplices, and inciters alike — are brought before competent courts.
Source: Hind Rajab Foundation - HRF Files Criminal Complaint in Italy Against IDF Soldier Israel Yitzhki for War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity, and Genocide (Publ. 15 Dec. 2025)
***
HRF Seeks Arrest of Israeli Soldier in Spain Over the Destruction of Beit Hanoun
Barcelona / Brussels – 3 December 2025:
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a criminal complaint in Spain against Israeli soldier Benayau Nahum for his alleged responsibility in genocide and serious war crimes committed during Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the northern town of Beit Hanoun.
The complaint was submitted after confirming that the suspect was present on Spanish territory, triggering Spain’s obligations under international law to investigate and prosecute grave international crimes. HRF has formally requested the urgent arrest of the suspect to prevent his departure and to ensure accountability.
The Accused and His Military Unit
Benayau Nahum served as a soldier in the 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion of the 900th Kfir Brigade. This unit has a long record of serious human rights violations, including:
* The killing of unarmed civilians,
* Abuse and torture of detainees,
* And the systematic destruction of Palestinian property.
The battalion has previously been implicated in internationally condemned cases and has repeatedly operated in occupied Palestinian territory with near-total impunity.
*** [ [Personal note: I can confirm this based on what I personally saw during my 2007-2011 UN-affiliated service in the Occupied West Bank. The worst criminal Israeli IDF "military" units by far are certainly the Kfir Brigade and the Nahal of the Nahal brigade.
These two units in particular - their history and all their members ought to be intensively investigated all the way back to 1967 and beyond. Consisting of predominantly jewish fundamentalists, religious zealots, zionists, criminals, kahanists, no-goods and madmen they certainly would be akin to any former member of the Nazi Waffen-SS in my eyes.
You have to be quite oblivious to history if you cannot see the similarities between Nazi Germany and these Israeli paramilitary / military groups represented by the Kfir, the Gadna and the Nahal. Israel is through and through a jewish supremacist militaristic fascist society.] ] ***
Its presence in Gaza formed part of Israel’s large-scale ground operations in the north of the Strip.
Destruction of Beit Hanoun
Between late 2024 and early 2025, Beit Hanoun was subjected to near-total destruction as part of a broader military strategy aimed at emptying northern Gaza of its population. Entire neighborhoods were set on fire, leveled by heavy machinery, and erased from the map.
The evidence in HRF’s possession places Benayau Nahum directly on the ground during these operations. It shows his participation in systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes and public buildings, at a time when Beit Hanoun was already largely depopulated and defenseless.
The scale of destruction in northern Gaza during this period rendered vast areas uninhabitable and made return impossible for most of the displaced population.
Legal Qualification of the Crimes
The complaint accuses Benayau Nahum of:
* Genocide, for contributing to conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of part of the Palestinian population;
* War crimes, including:
- Extensive destruction of civilian property not justified by military necessity;
- Attacks against civilian buildings and undefended towns;
- Participation in the forcible displacement of a protected civilian population.
Under international humanitarian law, civilian objects are strictly protected. The large-scale, methodical destruction documented in Beit Hanoun cannot be justified by any lawful military objective.
Spain’s Obligation to Act
Spain is bound by international law, including the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute, to either prosecute or extradite individuals suspected of committing genocide and war crimes when they are found on its territory.
Given the presence of the suspect in Spain and the lack of genuine proceedings elsewhere, HRF has requested:
* The opening of a criminal investigation;
* The immediate detention of the suspect;
* And the adoption of urgent measures to prevent his escape.
Breaking the Wall of Impunity
This complaint is part of HRF’s broader effort to dismantle the system of impunity protecting perpetrators of crimes against the Palestinian people. It sends a clear message that:
Participation in genocide and war crimes carries personal criminal responsibility, wherever the perpetrator may attempt to hide.
HRF continues to pursue similar cases across multiple jurisdictions and will not relent until justice is served.
Source: Hind Rajab Foundation - HRF Seeks Arrest of Israeli Soldier in Spain Over the Destruction of Beit Hanoun (Publ. 5 Dec. 2025)
***
Why Bar Associations Must Act: The Dutch Debate on Complicity and the Responsibility of Lawyers in International Crimes
3 November 2025:
On 2 December, the Dutch Bar Association (NOvA) [Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten] will hold an extraordinary assembly to address a question that is rapidly becoming unavoidable across the global legal profession:
What is the responsibility of lawyers when their work intersects with a state committing international crimes?
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) welcomes the participation of its co-founder, Haroon Raza, a criminal defence attorney with more than twenty years of experience, in this meeting. Mr. Raza's contribution focuses on a reality many in the profession have long avoided confronting — that legal advice, corporate structuring, and financial facilitation can play a direct role in sustaining Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The Professional Environment: A Legal System Intertwined with Global Capital
The Netherlands stands at the centre of a dense network of financial and corporate structures. Tens of billions of euros connected to Israeli entities — including companies tied to the military, surveillance, technological development, and settlement expansion [ *** Personal note: For instance American Airbnb and Dutch Booking.com - just to mention a few! *** ] — flow through Dutch holding companies, investment funds, and advisory firms.
Lawyers are involved at every step: drafting corporate agreements, approving investments, advising on compliance, structuring acquisitions, and legitimising transactions.
When these structures are linked to a state perpetrating mass killing, starvation, forced displacement, and systematic destruction of civilian life, the role of the legal profession must be examined with honesty rather than ritualised neutrality.
Motion 3: An Attempt to Define Professional Boundaries
At the centre of the upcoming assembly is Motion 3, a proposal seeking to address precisely this challenge. The motion calls for the establishment of an independent committee within the Dutch Bar Association to evaluate the responsibilities of lawyers involved in high-risk transactions — particularly those connected to situations where there is a serious risk of contributing to war crimes, crimes against humanity, apartheid, or genocide.
Its purpose is straightforward:
* to articulate clear due-diligence requirements in high-risk contexts,
* to identify warning signs of potential complicity,
* to define professional standards of conduct, and
* to provide guidance on when lawyers must decline or withdraw from engagements.
Motion 3 is not a political statement. It is an attempt to bring the profession’s established principles — independence, integrity, and the duty to avoid unlawful conduct — into alignment with the realities of modern global practice. Comparable standards already exist for sanctions regimes, anti-money-laundering responsibilities, and other areas where legal services intersect with international harm.
The question is why similar principles have not yet been applied to Israel’s actions in Gaza, despite the scale and severity of the crimes.
A Profession Confronted With Its Own Infrastructure
Large law firms and corporate practices in major financial centres — London, New York, Paris, Frankfurt, Singapore, Dubai, Toronto — routinely advise clients with direct or indirect links to Israeli institutions, military industries, and settlement enterprises.
[ *** Personal note: A huge amount of these settlements are funded directly from the USA and needs to be examined most thoroughly - Example: The US 501(c) tax-exempted Hebron Fund ! Like WTF!? ]
In many cases, risk assessments are superficial or absent. The assumption that “legal advice is neutral” has become a shield against accountability.
This assumption is no longer tenable.
Speaking ahead of the assembly, Mr. Raza addressed the profession with unusual clarity:
"When a legal opinion, a contract, or a corporate structure helps sustain a system committing genocide, the lawyer involved cannot hide behind claims of neutrality. Our profession must recognise that routine legal work can become a vehicle for atrocity. Motion 3 is about safeguarding the integrity of the law — and ensuring we do not enable Israel’s crimes in Gaza."
His statement reflects a broader shift: lawyers are beginning to acknowledge that their professional activities can contribute materially to the functioning of systems responsible for mass violence.
The Broader Context: Accountability Beyond the Battlefield
The Hind Rajab Foundation’s work has repeatedly demonstrated that atrocity crimes do not occur in isolation. They are supported by corporate supply chains, financial networks, investment portfolios, digital infrastructure, and legal advice. Israel’s genocide in Gaza is no exception.
Legal professionals occupy a crucial position within these systems. Without their services, many transactions linked to military procurement, settlement construction, surveillance systems, or economic extraction simply cannot proceed.
The question for bar associations worldwide is not whether their members have political opinions. The question is whether their work strengthens — knowingly or unknowingly — the machinery of genocide.
A Necessary Evolution in Professional Self-Regulation
Motion 3 offers a model of what serious professional self-governance can look like. Bar associations across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia should consider similar mechanisms:
* independent oversight bodies,
* mandatory due-diligence frameworks,
* explicit standards on complicity,
* and training on international criminal liability for legal advisors.
Such measures are not symbolic. They reflect the reality that the legal profession is now deeply embedded in the structures that make international crimes possible.
The Moment Ahead
Israel’s actions in Gaza — mass killing, destruction of civilian infrastructure, systematic starvation, and the targeted annihilation of families — constitute genocide. In this context, the legal profession’s responsibilities cannot remain undefined.
The debate within the Dutch Bar Association is a signal to bar associations everywhere:
The age of pretending that legal work exists outside the world’s worst crimes is over.
The credibility of the profession depends on its willingness to recognise this moment — and to act accordingly.
Source: Hind Rajab Foundation - Why Bar Associations Must Act: The Dutch Debate on Complicity and the Responsibility of Lawyers in International Crimes (Publ. 24 Nov. 2025)
***
Kamera: Nikon F3 (1982)
Linse: Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f1.4 (1970)
Film: Kodak 5222 @ ISO 250
Kjemi: Rodinal (1:50 / 9 min. @ 20°C)
Wikipedia: Gaza Genocide
NEVER FORGIVE - NEVER FORGET
- Muslimgauze: Every Grain of Palestinian Sand (1998)
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India, on 1869-10-02 into a family connected to local administration, with a father who served as chief minister of a princely state. Shy and introspective as a youth, he married Kasturba Makhanji at a young age and later traveled to London to study law, qualifying as a barrister. After struggling to establish a career in India, he accepted legal work in South Africa, where he experienced direct racial discrimination that profoundly shaped his political awakening. In South Africa he organized Indian communities against racist legislation, led legal challenges, coordinated protests, and developed the method he later called satyagraha: organized, disciplined, collective resistance based on truth, civil disobedience, and refusal to cooperate with unjust authority. Returning permanently to India in 1915, Gandhi quickly became a central figure in the independence movement, transforming it from an elite political project into a mass struggle involving peasants, workers, women, and urban poor. He promoted boycotts of British goods, rejection of colonial courts and schools, spinning and wearing khadi as an act of economic resistance, and the building of local self-sufficiency. In 1930 he led the Salt March, walking hundreds of kilometers to the sea to openly violate British salt laws, exposing the absurdity and brutality of imperial control over basic necessities and igniting nationwide civil disobedience. Repeatedly imprisoned, he continued to coordinate non-cooperation campaigns and in 1942 launched the Quit India movement, demanding immediate British withdrawal. Politically, Gandhi insisted that independence had to include moral transformation, communal harmony, and protection of minorities. During the violent partition of India and Pakistan, he undertook hunger strikes and direct interventions to stop massacres and encourage reconciliation between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. These positions angered both colonial authorities and Hindu nationalist extremists who wanted a religiously defined state. In his personal life, Gandhi adopted ascetic practices, lived simply, and remained married to Kasturba Gandhi, with whom he had four sons. In his later years he wrote about and permitted what he called “experiments in brahmacharya,” including sleeping naked beside young female relatives as tests of self-control; these practices are documented in his writings and discussed by biographers and are widely considered ethically unacceptable and deeply troubling, even by sympathetic scholars. On 1948-01-30, in New Delhi, while walking to a public prayer meeting, Gandhi was shot at close range by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist extremist who accused him of betraying Hindu interests and being too conciliatory toward Muslims and Pakistan. Gandhi died from his wounds shortly afterward. His assassination removed the most powerful symbol of nonviolent mass resistance of the twentieth century, but his methods of organized civil disobedience, economic boycott, and moral confrontation with power profoundly influenced global struggles for civil rights, decolonization, and social justice, leaving a legacy that remains politically potent and morally contested.
I publish these figures to remember who they were and why they died. To show younger generations that many of the injustices they fought against still exist. Because their story is not over, and their sacrifice still matters today.
JAMAL KHASHOGGI
Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi (Medina, Saudi Arabia, 13 October 1958 – Istanbul, Turkey, 2 October 2018) was a Saudi journalist, political commentator, and dissident voice who became a global symbol of the price of truth when truth disturbs absolute power. His story is not that of an ordinary reporter: it is the story of a man who grew up within an authoritarian system, who understood the machinery of power from the inside, and who therefore knew exactly how propaganda can turn into violence.
Origins, family, and education
Khashoggi was born in Medina, one of the most important cities in Islam. He came from a well-connected and socially recognized Saudi background: his family had status and access, and he grew up close enough to institutions and elites to understand how authority truly functions. This point is crucial: Jamal Khashoggi was not a dissident “from the margins.” He was a man who knew the structure—and became dangerous precisely when he chose not to lie.
He studied and developed part of his education abroad, which helped shape a broader view of politics and freedom of expression. His professional identity was built on journalism rooted in facts and direct observation: he did not write to entertain, he wrote to expose.
Journalistic career and public role
For decades, Khashoggi worked as a journalist in Saudi Arabia and across the Arab world. He had close knowledge of political life and witnessed crises, wars, transformations, and power struggles. He wrote about sensitive subjects: corruption, extremism, internal repression, war, and the relationship between society and religious authority.
In this stage, his role was complex: on one side he was a journalist with access and connections; on the other he tried to preserve an independent space of thought. This tension reflects a country where speaking truth is always dangerous and every sentence becomes a negotiation with the limits imposed from above.
Exile and the choice to speak
In the final years of his life, as political repression intensified in Saudi Arabia and the control of critical voices grew harsher, Khashoggi increasingly collided with power. His public positions, his call for reform, his criticism of censorship, and his denunciation of arrests of opponents made him unacceptable to the regime.
He moved to the United States and began writing as a columnist for The Washington Post. At that point his voice became international—and therefore even more intolerable. He was no longer a manageable dissenter within the country’s borders: he had become a global witness.
Private life and his relationship with Hatice Cengiz
On a human level, Jamal Khashoggi was not only a political symbol: he was a man with a private life, love, and plans. He was engaged to Hatice Cengiz, who would later become a crucial witness after his disappearance. Their story makes the tragedy even more brutal: Khashoggi entered a building expecting to complete paperwork necessary to marry and build a life, and was instead erased.
His death: how, where, and why
On 2 October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to obtain documents required for his marriage. He never came out.
International investigations and reconstructions indicate that he was lured into a trap: inside the consulate a team of Saudi agents was waiting. Khashoggi was killed and his body was made to disappear. The brutality of the operation—carried out inside a consulate, a formally diplomatic space—turned the case into a message to the world: no place is safe if power decides you must vanish.
The murder of Khashoggi was not “just another killing.” It was a political execution. An act of state terror against an unarmed man, guilty of only one thing: writing, criticizing, thinking.
Those who ordered it, and its historical meaning
Questions about who ordered the murder and higher-level responsibility have marked the entire case. The most disturbing truth is this: an operation of that kind is not the action of uncontrolled criminals, but the expression of a power structure capable of using death as a political instrument.
Khashoggi became a symbol of the violation of press freedom, the repression of dissidents, and the fragility of human rights when they collide with economic interests and geopolitical convenience.
Why Khashoggi belongs in this series
Jamal Khashoggi died for truth in a modern and terrifying way: not in a public execution, but through a planned disappearance, inside an official building, in the twenty-first century.
His death forces a question the world continues to avoid: how many times does global politics choose silence over justice when truth becomes inconvenient for the powerful?
Kamera: Nikon FE2
Linse: Nikkor-O Auto 35mm f2 (1970)
Film: Kodak 5222 @ ISO 250
Kjemi: Rodinal (1:50 / 9 min. @ 20°C)
Wikipedia: Gaza genocide
20.6.1931
Today is one of those days when the monotony of everything closes about me as if I had just entered a prison. That monotony, however, is just the monotony of being me. Each face, even if it belongs to someone we saw only yesterday, is different today simply because today is not yesterday. Each day is the day it is, and there will never be another like it in the world. Only in the soul is there the absolute identity (albeit a false identity) in which everything resembles everything else and everything is simplified. The world is made up of promontories and peaks but all our myopic vision allows us to see is a thin all-pervading mist.
I’d like to run away, to flee from what I know, from what is mine, from what I love. I want to set off, not for some impossible Indies or for the great islands that lie far to the south of all other lands, but for anywhere, be it village or desert, that has the virtue of not being here. What I want is not to see these faces, this daily round of days, I want a rest from, to be other than, my habitual pretending. I want to feel the approach of sleep as if it were a promise of life, not rest. A hut by the sea, even a cave on a rugged mountain ledge, would be enough. Unfortunately, my will alone cannot give me that.
Slavery is the only law of life, there is no other, because this law must be obeyed; there is no possible rebellion against it or refuge from it. Some are born slaves, some become slaves, some have slavery thrust upon them. The cowardly love we all have of freedom - which if it were given to us we would all repudiate as being too new and strange - is the irrefutable proof of how our slavery weighs upon us. Even I, who have just expressed my desire to have a hut or a cave where I could be free from the monotony of everything, that is to say from the monotony of being myself, would I really dare to go off to this hut or cave, knowing and understanding that, since the monotony exists in me alone, I would never be free of it? Suffocating where I am and because I am where I am, would I breathe any better there when it is my lungs that are diseased and not the air about me? Who is to say that I, longing out loud for the pure sun and the open fields, for the bright sea and the wide horizon, would not miss my bed, or my meals, or having to go down eight flights of stairs to the street, or dropping in at the tobacconist’s on the corner, or saying good morning to the barber standing idly by?
Everything that surrounds us becomes part of us, it seeps into us with every experience of the flesh and of life and, like the web of the great Spider, binds us subtly to what is near, ensnares us in a fragile cradle of slow death, where we lie rocking in the wind. Everything is us and we are everything, but what is the point if everything is nothing? A ray of sun, a cloud whose own sudden shadow warns of its coming, a breeze getting up, the silence that follows when it drops, certain faces, some voices, the easy smiles as they talk, and then the night into which emerge, meaningless, the broken hieroglyphs of the stars.
- Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935)
Pakistan policeman guard the blocked road leading towards the Supreme Court in Islamabad November 4, 2007. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf addressed the nation on Saturday hours after imposing emergency rule, saying terrorism and extremism had reached their limit and his country's sovereignty was at stake.
Kindly Do not use this or any Other Photo from me posted here without my written permission, even not for any blog or any other such activity