German invasion

[Lord Jim]

Only a dammed fool would think otherwise.

As our resident damned fool just demonstrated...

It's not an "hysterical" concern at all; it a perfectly logical one, firmly rooted in reality, and a concern that should be glaringly self evident to anyone.

[Econoline]

Wonder how many ISIS undercover people are in among the legit refugees?

I've been thinking about that lately, and have a few thoughts.

First, the main priority of Da'esh (ISIS) at present is to capture and hold the territory they need to be seen as the "Caliphate" they want to be. To the extent that they have any interest in attacking their enemies outside of the Middle East, their strategy is to encourage sympathizers who live in the "infidel" nations--but who are unwilling or unable to move to the "Islamic State"--to carry out attacks where they are now, in lieu of joining the true Da'esh fighters in accomplishing their most important priority. (And of course if any European or American sympathizers do carry out terrorist attacks, they will then be on the run and will probably have to head for Syria to join in the fight there.) It makes no sense for Da'esh to be sending fighters away from the main fight, especially since this would undoubtedly lead to more military retaliation and loss of territory.

Second, to the extent that they are interested in capturing any territory outside the areas they now hold, their first targets would be states controlled by Muslim heretics: first, Shi'ite-dominated nations (Syria, Iraq, and especially Iran), who are seen not just as heretics but as dangerous and evil; and second, oil-rich Gulf states who are allied with the West. These nations already accept Allah as the One God, so it would seem like an easier job to convert the populations to their cause...and did I mention they're oil-rich?

Third (and most important), I think everybody everywhere accepts that the overwhelming majority of the refugees are desperate and impoverished and fleeing for their lives. If there were those among them who were loyal to the Da'esh regime, they--the refugees themselves--would be the most likely to know. And they would have nothing to lose and everything to gain by turning in anyone they suspect might belong to Da'esh, given even the slightest bit of encouragement to do so by the nations they are beseeching for asylum.

And finally...yes:

Doing the right thing means not allowing yourself to be overcome by hysterical fear.

Exactly.

[Gob]

Only one in every five migrants claiming asylum in Europe is from Syria.

The EU logged 213,000 arrivals in April, May and June but only 44,000 of them were fleeing the Syrian civil war.

Campaigners and left-wing MPs have suggested the vast majority of migrants are from the war-torn state, accusing the Government of doing too little to help them.

'This exposes the lie peddled in some quarters that vast numbers of those reaching Europe are from Syria,' said David Davies, Tory MP for Monmouth. 'Most people who are escaping the war will go to camps in Lebanon or Jordan.

'Many of those who have opted to risk their lives to come to Europe have done so for economic reasons.'

The figures from Eurostat, the EU's official statistical agency, show that migration from April to June was running at double the level of the same period in 2014.

The number of Afghans lodging asylum claims is up four-fold, from 6,300 to 27,000. Another 17,700 claims were made by Albanians, whose country is at peace.

A further 13,900 applicants came from Iraq which, like Syria, is being torn apart by the Islamic State terror group.

Half a million migrants have arrived in Europe so far this year, with 156,000 coming in August alone. Rather than claiming asylum in the first safe EU country they reach, most head on toward wealthy northern states. The human cost of the crisis has been paid by the estimated 3,000 migrants who have drowned after putting their lives in the hands of people smugglers for the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean.

Risks being taken by many families were highlighted by the deaths of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi and his brother Galip, five, whose bodies were washed up on the tourist beach of Bodrum in Turkey earlier this month.

More than 250,000 migrants have reached Greece and Italy, where the authorities are close to breaking point.

[Gob]

Conservative politicians in Germany have attacked an offer from Saudi Arabia to build 200 mosques in the country for the 'spiritual needs' of the Syrian refugees arriving daily in their thousands.

Andrea Scheuer, general secretary of the CSU party in Bavaria which is Chancellor Angela Merkel's ally in the state, called the offer 'cynical' given that the Kingdom is making thousands of refugees of its own in its military campaign in Yemen.

'No, it is more than cynical. This is no Muslim Brotherhood. Where is the solidarity in the Arab world?' he asked, given that the Kingdom has not offered to take in refugees fleeing from the civil war in Syria.

Stephan Mayer, the domestic policy spokesman of both the CSU and Merkel's CDU in parliament in Berlin, agreed with him, adding: 'Germany does not need a cash donation to build 200 mosques but solidarity with the refugees.'

The offer comes as tens of thousands of migrants head to the Hungarian border, many of them on their way to Germany, which is expecting 800,000 migrants this year alone

Many newspapers expressed outrage that Germany would ever consider such an offer from a country which practiced an extreme form of Islam which includes punishments such as stoning, flogging and limb mutiliation.

The offer was apparently made through diplomatic channels and surfaced in Lebanese newspaper al diyar towards the end of last week.

According to the report, the mosque construction programme was the idea of the absolutist Saudi monarch King Salman. He is content to give the asylum seekers a wide berth in his own land, fearful as he, and the other arch conservatives who assist him, of them importing a form of political dissent that they believe would threaten the auotcracy.

CDU Deputy Chairman Armin Laschet said: 'Instead of talking about funding mosques, Saudi Arabia should be thinking about taking refugees and ending financing of ISIS.'

[wesw]

fucking Saudis.....

[oldr_n_wsr]

Doing the right thing means not allowing yourself to be overcome by hysterical fear:

A legitimate concern is not "hysterical fear".
Proper vetting of those wishing to enter ones country is not done because of "hysterical fear". Especially when those wishing to enter come from nations where a large portion is controlled be those wishing harm on your country.

[Econoline]

Doing the right thing means not allowing yourself to be overcome by hysterical fear:

A legitimate concern is not "hysterical fear".

...And wisdom is knowing the difference between the two.

Proper vetting of those wishing to enter ones country is not done because of "hysterical fear". Especially when those wishing to enter come from nations where a large portion is controlled be those wishing harm on your country.

I really would appreciate it if someone here would answer or critique my post (above) in which I tried to ponder some of those concerns and concluded that maybe things aren't as dire or as hard to solve as a lot of people seem to think. (I could be wrong...but if I am I'd like to be shown why.)



ETA:

fucking Saudis.....

Yeah.

[dales]

fucking Saudis.....

[wesw]

I wonder if they have the Ark of the Covenant locked up in that black box......

I wonder if shia muslims from iran make the hadj.....


the greeks have all those extra islands, and they need the money....

....I wonder if the Saudis would buy a few for the refugees.....

after they finish filling Europe with mosques of course....


I wonder if the next pres. will tell the Saudis to pound sand....

[BoSoxGal]

The U.S. should accept a substantial number of Syrian refugees. I would happily welcome some into my home as they transitioned into our society. (If I wasn't living under a bridge, that is.)

[Gob]

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic security watchdog, said the number of radical Salafists had surged to 7,900 in September from 7,500 in June, and that many were trying to lure asylum-seekers into their ranks.

"We are very concerned that Islamists in Germany are trying, under the cover of humanitarian assistance, to exploit the situation of the refugees for their own ends and to proselytise and recruit among asylum-seekers," BfV president ****-Georg Maassen said in a statement.

Germany expects to receive up to one million asylum-seekers this year, five times more than last year. Syrians, who are fleeing their war-ravaged country, form the largest group.

Maassen said that a total of 740 radical Muslims had left Germany to join jihadists in Syria and Iraq, 20 percent of them female. Around one-third of those who went to the region have returned to Germany, while about 120 of them have been killed.

He said the BfV was keeping close watch on such activities given their "significant radicalisation potential" in the migrant community.

http://news.yahoo.com/german-intelligen ... 46365.html

[Long Run]

Apart from the security concern, isn't the better solution to help fund refugee camps and resettlement near the exit points? Gob and others routinely post about Muslim immigrants trying to change the European culture and to carve out autonomous Muslim "governments" within European states. Hard to know how pervasive that is, or if they are magnified stories to drum up news sales. However, given real issues like security concerns and how to deal with huge influxes of new immigrants, why would Europe want to invite more of the same? European countries (and others) should be able to have their own immigration programs to meet the needs of their various countries, without having to absorb a huge population looking to flee poverty and violence. Why not care for these refugees at the closest point, and provide funding and encouragement to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and others who are already taking on the big share of the refugees?

[Gob]

Why not care for these refugees at the closest point, and provide funding and encouragement to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and others who are already taking on the big share of the refugees?

Ahem...

David Cameron today announced Britain is increasing its aid for Syrian refugees to more than £1billion as he hit back at claims that he was refusing to act.

The Prime Minister pointed to figures showing that the UK has already given more than £920million to the humanitarian effort - more than Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Hungary, Austria and Poland combined.

He pledged an extra £100million, making it the UK's biggest ever response to a humanitarian crisis.

Only the United States has given more, with some of Mr Cameron's biggest critics in Europe giving a fraction of the funds from British taxpayers.