IRAN: Low Turnout In Parliamentary Election

[world politics news]

Iranians are voting for a new parliament in an election marred by frustration over economic woes and restrictions on political and social freedoms.

The election on Friday is the first formal measure of public opinion since antigovernment protests in 2022-2023 spiralled into some of the worst political turmoil since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#IRAN: Seven "Hard-Liners" Approved To Run For President; Six "Moderates" Disqualified

[world politics news]

Iran’s Guardian Council has disqualified all non-hardliner candidates for the upcoming June 18 presidential election, including the country’s vice president and a former parliamentary speaker, shocking the country.

Iran expert Raz Zimmt  of the INSS (Institute for National Security Studies) and Meir Amit Intelligence Center, said this level of disqualifications was an unprecedented “political earthquake” even in comparison to the council’s standard interference with elections.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#FRANCE: Military Upset With Second Letter From Soldiers Warning Of Civil War

[world politics news]

The French army's chief of staff has called on a group of soldiers who signed an open letter warning about the risk of "civil war" in France to quit the armed forces.

The letter by the soldiers had warned of unrest in the country because of what they called "concessions" to Islamism by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The document, posted on the website of the right-wing Valeurs Actuelles magazine late Sunday, echoes a letter published by the same publication last month but appears to have been written by an unknown number of younger troops still in active service.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#FRANCE: Radical Islamists Risk Bringing Civil War, Say Retired Generals

[world politics news]

Twenty retired generals and a thousand lower ranked officers have signed an explosive open letter warning that France is on the verge of civil war because it is “disintegrating" because of Islamist terror.

They go on to suggest that Pres. Emmanuel Macron’s failure to act could lead to “an explosion and then intervention by our comrades on active service in the dangerous mission of protecting our civilised values and the safety of our compatriots.”

“There is no time to waffle,” they say, “or tomorrow civil war will put an end to this growing chaos and the dead, for whom you will bear responsibility, will be counted in the thousands.”

The comments come in the wake of the brutal murder of a female police officer last week as a Tunisian migrant screaming “Allahu Akbar” slashed her throat at the entrance of a police station.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#AUSTRIA: Gov't Approves Crackdown On "Political Islam" After Terror Attacks

[world politics news] 

The government of Austria has agreed on a wide range of anti-terrorism measures in the wake of a deadly attack in the capital, Vienna, last week.

The proposals include the ability to keep individuals convicted of terror offenses behind bars for life, electronic surveillance of people convicted of terror-related offenses upon release and criminalising religiously motivated and politically extreme acts.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#MALAYSIA: Former Prime Minister Says Muslims Have "The Right To Kill Millions Of French" During Mohammed Pic Controversy

[world politics news] 

Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has sparked an uproar by claiming that Muslims have “a right to be angry and kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past."

The comments appeared on the 95-year-old’s blog on Thursday evening as part of Mahathir’s response to calls from Muslim nations to boycott French products. Twitter has since removed one of the elder statesman’s tweets containing his latest remarks after deeming it violated its rules. Earlier, it left the tweet accessible “in the public interest”.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#FRANCE: Outrage Over President's Comments About Islam Grows

[world politics news] 

The backlash over French President Emmanuel Macron’s critique of Islam has intensified after Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan questioned his counterpart’s mental health, while Muslims in several countries are demanding a boycott of France.

The French debate on Islam was deepened after the beheading of a teacher who had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad – previously published by a satirical magazine – in a class on freedom of expression. Muslims believe that any depiction of the Prophet is blasphemous.

Earlier this month, Macron described Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide and vowed to present a bill in December to strengthen a law that officially separated church and state in France.

Despite outrage in the Muslim world, Macron has found much support in Europe for his stance in favor of freedom of speech.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#IRAN: Parliament Bans Acid Attacks, Calling Them "Terror"

[world politics news]

New legislation passed by the Iranian Parliament approved death sentence for perpetrators of "acid attacks aimed at bringing about terror and instability in the society."

Dozens of women in Iran have been attacked with acid in recent years by family members or presumably by hardline supporters of the compulsory hijab. Ministry of Health statistics puts acid attacks at 60 to 70 cases every year.

The legislation still needs to be approved by the hardliner-dominated Guardian Council.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#BRUNEI: Kingdom Defends Stoning Gays To Death; Letter To European Union Calls For "Tolerance" and "Understanding" Of Policy

[world politics news]

Brunei has written to the European Parliament defending its decision to start imposing death by stoning as a punishment for gay sex, claiming convictions would be rare as it required two men of "high moral standing piety" to be witnesses.

In a four-page letter to MEPs, the kingdom’s mission to the European Union calls for “tolerance, respect, understanding” with regard to the country’s desire to preserve its traditional values and "family lineage."

The new penal code, which also provides for amputation in the case of thieves and whipping for people wearing clothes associated with the opposite sex, went into effect April 3, despite international condemnation.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#BRUNEI: New Sharia Laws Allow Stoning Of Gays, Amputation For Thieves

[world politics news]

A new Sharia-based law in the sultanate of Brunei allows for the stoning to death of homosexuals and the amputation of limbs for thieves.

The small oil-rich Asian nation begin implementing Islamic Sharia law in 2014 and homosexuality is already punishable by 10 years in prison. But human rights groups warn that this new round of laws are "vicious" in nature.

The nation's 73-year-old leader, Hassanal Bolkaih, banned the public celebration of Christmas in 2015.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CZECHIA: Pres.Zeman Says Turkey Is An "Ally" Of The ISIS Terror Group

[world politics news]

President Milos Zeman has called Turkey an ally of Islamic State.

Czech Television reports that President Zeman called Turkey a de facto ally of the terror organisation, the Islamic State.

He alleged that Turkey had supported the Islamic State by selling its oil and providing logistical support when the group controlled parts of Syria and Iraq.

He added that Turkey was no longer the secular state founded by Kemal Ataturk, having aligned itself with radical Islam under Pres. Recep Erdogan.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SAUDIARABIA: Prosecutor Warns: Those Who Post Satire Of Religion, Morality, Or "Public Order" On Social Media Risk Five Years In Prison

[world politics news]

Those who post satire on social media in Saudi Arabia could risk up to five years in prison, the Arab News reported. In a tweet, the Kingdom's public prosecutor said, "Producing and spreading content through social media that ridicules, makes fun of, provokes and disturbs public order, religious values and public morality will be considered a cyber crime punishable by up to five years in prison".

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDONESIA: New Anti-Terror Law Seeks To Protect Churches After Attacks

[world politics news]

Weeks after a radicalized Muslim family committed suicide attacks on churches in the city of Surabaya, Indonesia, the country passed an anti-terror law meant to prevent more attacks and foster the majority-Muslim country’s tolerant culture.

[FULL STORY HERE]

PICTURED: Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center, visits the scene of a church attacks in Surabaya, Indonesia, in May.

#AUSTRIA: Gov't Will Dissolve Seven "Political" Mosques And Deport 60 Imams And Their Families

[world politics news]

Austria's chancellors says the country could expel up to 60 Turkish-funded imams and their families and would shut down seven mosques as part of a crackdown on 'political Islam' that was described as 'just the beginning', triggering fury in Ankara. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the government is shutting a hardline Turkish nationalist mosque in Vienna and dissolving a group called the Arab Religious Community that runs six mosques. .

[FULL STORY HERE]

#UK: Anti-Muslim Britain First Group Leaders Convicted On Hate Speech Charges; Harassed Innocent Muslims, Court Says

[world politics news]

The leader and deputy leader of far-right group Britain First have been found guilty of religiously-aggravated harassment. Paul Golding, 36, and Jayda Fransen, 31, were arrested over the distribution of leaflets and posting of online videos during a Muslim gang-rape trial. They had targeted homes and people in Kent whom they believed were connected to a rape trial at Canterbury Crown Court where three Muslim men and a teenager were convicted of rape and jailed.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#UK: Calls In Parliament To Condemn Trump After He Retweets Videos Of Anti-Muslim Group's Dep. Leader

[world politics news]

Donald Trump's retweets of anti-Muslim videos posted by far-right group Britain First have been raised in Parliament, with MPs demanding the Government condemns the US President. The issue was raised as a point of order by Labour MPs Yvette Cooper and Stephen Doughty, who asked the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, to respond to the tweets. Trump retweeted three videos posted by Jayda Fransen, Britain First's deputy leader.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#TURKEY: Gov't Seizure Of Churches Alarms Kurdish Christians

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The Turkish government has seized the historic Armenian Surp Giragos Church, a number of other churches and large swaths of property in the heavily damaged Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, saying it wants to restore the area but alarming residents who fear the government is secretly aiming to drive them out.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#IRAN: Analysts Divided On Whether "Moderate" Pres. Rouhani Can Win Re-Election May 19

[world politics news]

On May 19, Iranians will head to the polls once again. Will they re-elect Rouhani, who had pulled the country out of stifling sanctions, but who, observers say, has yet to deliver on wider political, economic and social reforms? Analysts agree the president is "well-positioned" for another term, but in Iran's atmosphere of political surprises, some hesitate to make definitive predictions before the ballots are even cast.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#AUSTRIA: Freedom Party Leader Calls For "Zero Immigration" Of "Anti-Liberal" Muslims Entering EU

[world politics news]

The leader of Austria's Freedom Party, Heinz-Christian Strache, described Islam as "misogynistic," "anti-liberal," and as having "a fascistic world view" during an almost two-hour speech at the party's New Year gathering in the city of Salzburg. Strache told around 4,000 party loyalists that Austria should "quickly put an end to this policy of Islamization... otherwise we Austrians, we Europeans will come to an abrupt end"

[FULL STORY HERE]

#GERMANY: Parliamentary Committee Preparing To Probe Mistakes Made Before Christmas Market Attack

[world politics news]

A parliamentary committee is reviewing possible mistakes made by security agencies leading up to the Berlin Christmas market attack, in which 12 people were killed by a suspect known to officials. The Bundestag's Control Committee is holding a special meeting on Monday afternoon behind closed doors to discuss a report by the Federal Criminal Police Office.

[FULL STORY HERE]