Antichrist Followers Stage Deadly Protest (Rev 13:18)

Followers of Radical Shiite Cleric Stage Deadly Protests Against Shiite-Controlled Baghdad

by FRANCES MARTEL

15 Feb 2017

6 Violent protests, featuring a rocket launch targeting Baghdad’s government Green Zone, killed five protesters and a policeman in the Iraqi capital this weekend. The incident triggered yet another protest Tuesday as throngs of supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr carried their colleagues’ coffins through the city streets.

The Tuesday funeral procession for the five protesters killed on Saturday converged in Tahrir Square where the deadly protests began. The Saturday protests that killed the five and a policeman also injured nearly 200 others, though some estimates of the damage suggest over 300 may have been injured.

A police source tells the Iraqi outlet Al-Sumaria News that police helped carry the coffins through the procession and over the heads of protesters in an attempt to keep the peace. The officer claimed that police actively facilitated the flow of protesters into Tahrir Square, possibly a move to prevent them from converging on the bridges that lead to Baghdad’s Green Zone, home to the capital’s government buildings and facilities.

Anadolu Agency, the Turkish state news outlet, confirmed with authorities in Baghdad that officers had shut down all bridges into the Green Zone for the funeral procession.

This did not stop the funeral-goers from using the procession as an excuse to stage another protest. Shiite Iran’s PressTV, citing Al-Sumaria, reports that those attending the procession were “demanding the resignation of a commission that oversees elections, ahead of a provincial poll due in September.” Anadolu confirms, noting that “anti-corruption slogans” were a prominent feature of the funeral.

The protesters are followers of Muqtada al-Sadr, a prominent extremist Shiite cleric who has demanded that supporters of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki step aside in Baghdad, alleging corruption and elitism.

Al-Sadr followers converged on the gates of the Green Zone Saturday, attempting to flow out of Tahrir Square and into Baghdad’s halls of power to demand Al-Sadr have a seat at the table. Chaos ensued, police launched tear gas and subdued the most violent in the crowd, and a rocket went off, apparently targeting the Green Zone. Al-Sadr has denied that his supporters fired the rocket, promising his supporters that the blood of those killed (except for, presumably, the police officer) “won’t have been shed in vain.”

Al-Sadr’s supporters have representation in the Iraqi legislator, where they often clash with al-Maliki supporters. One, Reuters notes, accused him and his followers of “sedition” at an especially troubled time for the country when the fight against the Sunni Islamic State should take precedence over political disagreements among Shiites. Meanwhile, another authoritative cleric, whom Al-Sumaria identifies as Mohammed al-Yacoubi, is warning Shiites to ignore “the work of the demons of mankind and the djinn” seeking to divide the Muslim community. This refers to the Islamic immaterial beings of lower rank than angels who Muslims believe are capable of both good and discord among humans on earth.

While a Shiite leader, al-Sadr often advocates against Iranian allies in the Iraqi government. As author Nadia al-Sultani explains, his supporters see him as “a champion of Iraqi nationalism, with his grassroots party that is made up of working-class neighborhoods across Iraq’s Shia-populated cities.”

Al-Sadr is also vocally anti-American and anti-Kurdish, demanding the United States cease supporting both Baghdad and the Kurdish Peshmerga in the fight against the Islamic State and threatening to organize violent action against America should this continue. While calling for stability, al-Sadr’s opposition to forces successfully fighting the Islamic State has repeatedly led to destabilizing activity in Iraq.

The most dramatic example of such destabilizing activity occurred in spring 2016 when al-Sadr supporters successfully overran Iraq’s Green Zone. The protesters flooded the Iraqi Parliament, sitting in legislators’ seats and refusing to allow government officials into their work areas until al-Sadr himself demanded the protesters leave. The intent to repeat the incident appears present in Sunday’s protests, blocked by Iraqi law enforcement.

2016: The Perfect Storm

Mideast on Fire: Jerusalem the Center of a Coming ‘Perfect Storm’
02-05-2016
JERUSALEM, Israel — Since the dawn of what is known as the Arab Spring in 2011, the Middle East has gone through profound and historic changes, killing hundreds of thousands of people, and forcing millions of others from their homes.
Some believe the region could be on the verge of regional war with global consequences.
In just the past three years, the ISIS terror army conquered huge areas of Syria and Iraq, Iran struck a landmark nuclear deal with the rest of the world, Russia made its biggest military move into the Middle East in decades, and two main rivals within Islam–Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran–appeared on the brink of war.
Israel’s former national security advisor describes what is happening in the Middle East now as a “perfect storm.”
He believes a series of events are converging that will create a situation far more dangerous than the individual events themselves. Sitting right in the center of the Middle East storm is the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel.
In the Blink of the Eye
Middle East expert and best-selling author Joel Rosenberg told CBN News he believes this chaos portends a gloomy picture for the year ahead.
“The state of the Middle East is a catastrophe right now. The Middle East is on fire,” he said. “2016 is going to be a very dangerous year because you are watching the complete catastrophic failure of American foreign policy under President Obama.”
“You’re watching the Russians and the Iranians trying to rush into the vacuum of the American retreat,” he continued. “You’re watching the Islamic State on offense. You’re seeing Iran being rewarded for its belligerent behavior and now has two ways to nuclear weapons.”
“This is a disaster in the making,” Rosenberg warned.
Some are convinced that one of those disasters in the making is the nuclear deal with Iran. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., calls it one of the worst diplomatic agreements in U.S. history.
“Even if Iran follows the deal to the letter, they’re going to be a nuclear threshold state in a mere 10 or 15 years, which Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu says is a blink of an eye in the life of nations,” Cotton explained.
He said it could lead to a Middle East nuclear arms race and put the region on the brink of a nuclear holocaust.
“We are at risk of entering a second nuclear age and the loss of life, not in the tens, not in the thousands, not in even the hundreds of thousands — but in the millions,” Cotton warned.
“And that loss of life could include American life because Iran is also developing a ballistic missile program and they also have shown they are willing to kill Americans,” he added.
Iran vs. Saudi Arabia
Another storm cloud on the horizon is the growing battle between Sunnis and Shiites, led by Saudi Arabia and Iran. The feud began to boil when the Saudis recently executed a top Shiite cleric.
Although Middle East analyst Michael Barak doesn’t expect a direct war between two of the region’s giants, proxy wars around the region could instensify.
“Executing this guy is meaning like a declaration of war against Iran,” Barak said. “Actually, we are already witness to the clash between the Shia and Sunni in Yemen and Iraq and Syria. It will get worse, of course.”
Enter the Russian Bear
Russia’s actions have generated yet another storm cloud. When it entered the Syrian civil war, it formed an alliance with Iran.
That unprecedented coalition fuels a greater danger to Israel, according to Rosenberg.
“The alliance between Moscow and Tehran is a match made in hell,” he said.
“And so what you have now the two countries are now operating in Syria supposedly against the Islamic State. But it puts them dangerously close to Israel,” Rosenberg cautioned.
“And the United States under President Obama is just throwing up our hands and say, ‘Well, whatever, why don’t you guys take care of the problem?” he said.
“We are ceding the Middle East over to Moscow and Tehran,” he warned. “This has dangerous implications for the United States, for the world, and for Israel like we have not seen in generations.”

Preparing For The Scarlet Woman And Beast (Revelation 17:4)

A Hillary Clinton Presidency Would be a Disaster, A Nightmare for Americans

By Stephen Lendman

Global Research, November 02, 2015

 

Make no mistake. A Clinton presidency would be disastrous – the worst of all possible deplorable choices, none worthy or any public office, all aspirants beholden to wealth, power and privilege exclusively. 

Don’t let their duplicitous rhetoric fool you. They’re all cut out of the same cloth. Otherwise, they wouldn’t get public attention. Populist Green Party aspirant Jill Stein gets none. 

A Clinton presidency would be nightmarish for the vast majority of Americans and world peace. It’ll combine the worst of George Bush and Obama, an agenda of endless wars of aggression, maybe targeting Russia, China, and/or Iran, corporate favoritism, destroying social justice, and full-blown tyranny against resisters.

Doug Henwood is editor and publisher of the Left Business Observer. It covers “economics and politics in the broadest sense,” discussing what everyone needs to know, suppressed in mainstream reporting.

In November 2014, his Harper’s article headlined “Stop Hillary! Vote no to a Clinton dynasty.” It bears repeating. A second Clinton presidency is the worst of all deplorable choices.

Her qualifications “boil down to this,” says Henwood.

“She has experience, she’s a woman, and it’s her turn. It’s hard to find any substantive political argument in her favor.”

As first lady, she pushed husband Bill to bomb Belgrade in 1999. The rape of Yugoslavia raged throughout the 1990s, culminating with 78 days of lawless US-led NATO aggression from March 24 – June 10, 1999.

She encouraged her husband to end welfare for needy households. Vital Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) ended. The so-called Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation (PRWORA) followed, changing eligibility rules.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) set a five-year time limit – leaving millions of needy households (many with single mothers) on their own when aid was most needed.

As New York senator and Secretary of State, she “bec(ame) increasingly hawkish on foreign policy,” Henwood explained.

“What Hillary will deliver (as president) is more of the same. And that shouldn’t surprise us…American politics has an amazing stability and continuity about it.”

No matter who’s elected president, business as usual always continues, hardening, not softening deplorably during Bill Clinton’s presidency, worse than ever post-9/11 under Bush II and Obama – certain to be worse than ever no matter who gets the top job next November, especially if it’s Hillary, a neocon, anti-populist war goddess.

Her self-proclaimed progressivism is pure fantasy. Her record as first lady and in public office exposes her real agenda, warranting condemnation, not praise.

She “has a long history of being economical with the truth,” said Henwood. As New York senator, “she voted for the Iraq war, and continued to defend it long after others had thrown in the towel.”

She echoed the Big Lies about Saddam’s nonexistent WMDs and ties to Al Qaeda. She cozied up to right-wing Republicans to ward off criticism. As Secretary of State, she was “less of a diplomat and more of a hawk,” Henwood explained.

She backed escalated war on Afghanistan, pushed for continued US military presence in Iraq, helped orchestrate lawless aggression on Libya, and urged Obama to bomb Syria without required Security Council authorization.

She was involved in developing “pivot to Asia” strategy. “Since leaving the State Department, (she) devoted herself to…Clinton, Inc…(a) fund-raising, favor-dispensing machine” together with husband Bill, said Henwood.

Their style is self-promotion, including “huge book advances and fat speaking fees… And with an eye to the presidency, (she) kept up her line of neocon patter, while carefully separating herself from Obama.”

She deplorably supports Netanyahu’s high crimes – from naked aggression on Gaza to current war throughout the Territories. Palestinian bloodshed and horrific suffering are of no consequence. Israeli imperial interests alone matter.

Henwood concluded his lengthy article, saying “Eight years of Hill? Four, even? To borrow her anti-McCain jab from the 2008 Democratic convention: No way, no how!”

His new book titled “My Turn: Hillary Clinton Targets the Presidency” covers in greater detail what his article discussed. The cover shows her hawkish image, pointing a gun with her arm outstretched.With Biden out as a potential candidate, she looks like a shoe-in Democrat nominee, despite all the exposed baggage about her.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.