Qatar: The World's Wealthiest Family-Run Gas Station
by Burak Bekdil • May 31, 2016 at 5:30 am
- Many people describe Qatar's treatment of expatriate laborers on World Cup sites as "modern day slavery." Some 1,200 workers have already died and, according to warnings, up to 4,000 could perish before World Cup begins.
- "The fact that thousands must die to build 12 fine stadiums for us has nothing to do with football," said William Kvist of the Danish national team.
- "We are committed to helping the destitute," said Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani of Qatar's royal family, who is chairman of the Doha-based Qatar Charity. How nice!
- Why not promote "Islamic values" by taking in even just a few thousand Syrian refugees, instead of praising Turkey for taking in nearly three million SyrianMuslim refugees and praising it for promoting "Islamic values?"
The family of a Nepalese worker, who died in Qatar while working on a football stadium site, prepares to bury him in Nepal. Foreign laborers in Qatar work in dangerous conditions, and Nepalese laborers alone die at the rate of one every two days. (Image source: Guardian video screenshot)
The proud Gulf state of Qatar boasts human habitation dating back to 50,000 years ago. It may not be the only country across the world with such an impressive historical habitation story. But what makes it unique is its skillfully planned preservation tradition, particularly its persistent touch on medieval, not ancient, history.
Qatar is the world's wealthiest country, or more of a family-run gas station. It boasts abiding by various aspects of the sharia (Islamic religious law), which, according to its constitution, it considers the main source of its legislation. In Qatar, flogging and stoning are legal forms of punishment. Apostasy (leaving Islam) is a crime punishable by the death penalty.
Iran: Ayatollah Khamenei Plans Next Supreme Leader
by Majid Rafizadeh • May 31, 2016 at 4:30 am
- Since Khamenei took power in 1989, he has shown no deviation from Khomeini's revolutionary ideologies. Opposing the United States, "the Great Satan," and the rejection of Israel's existence are two of the most critical pillars of Iran's revolutionary ideals -- what defines the raison d'être of the Iranian regime, as well as what shapes Khamenei's ideological and foreign policy.
- Other revolutionary core values that Khamenei desires the next supreme leader to hold include supporting Palestinian and Lebanese armed groups against Israel, maintaining Iran's nuclear program, and being the supreme leader of the entire Islamic world -- not only the leader of the Shiites. Khamenei's official website refers to him as "the Supreme Leader of Muslims," not the Supreme Leader of "Iran."
Who's next? Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (left) founded the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. He hand-picked Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (right) as his successor for Supreme Leader. Now Khamenei seems to be setting the stage to choose his own successor.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the past did not seem to wish to discuss topics linked to his successor -- -- the next Supreme Leader. Nevertheless, recently the trend has altered. Khamenei has begun dictating his policies, preferences, and priorities in what kind of Supreme Leader he would rather the Iranian regime have, and who, after his death, the Assembly of Experts ought to choose.
In a recent meeting, the 76-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei met with some members of the Assembly of Experts, and pointed out that "a supreme leader has to be a revolutionary" and he advised that members not to "be bashful" in selecting the next Supreme Leader.
Happy 100th Birthday to Bernard Lewis
by The Editors • May 31, 2016 at 4:00 am
- "These two religions [Christendom and Islam], and as far as I am aware, no others in the world, believe that their truths are not only universal but also exclusive. They believe that they are the fortunate recipients of God's final message to humanity, which it is their duty not to keep selfishly to themselves like the Jews or the Hindus, but to bring to the rest of mankind, removing whatever barriers there may be in the way." — Bernard Lewis
VIDEO: Sweden's Migrant Rape Epidemic
May 30, 2016 at 3:00 pm
Where did peaceful, low-crime Sweden go? Why does Sweden now have the second-highest number of rapes in the world, after only Lesotho? Here is Gatestone Institute's Ingrid Carlqvist in our latest video:
