Iraq gets first beauty queen since 1972

Yahoo – AFP, December 19, 2015

Iraqi Shaymaa Qasim poses during the Miss Iraq beauty contest on
December 19, 2015 in the capital Baghdad (AFP Photo/Ahmad Al-Rubaye)

Baghdad (AFP) - "Some people out there think we don't love life," said Humam al-Obeidi, one of the organisers, as the crowd spilled out of the Baghdad hotel ballroom where the pageant was held.

The jury chose Shaymaa Abdelrahman, a tall, green-eyed 20-year-old from Iraq's multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk.

Iraqi Shaymaa Qasim waves after winning the

 Miss Iraq beauty contest on December 19,

2015 (AFP Photo/Ahmad al-Rubaye)

The decision was popular with those in attendance, especially in the back rows, where young men with hipster beards and tight blazers had been standing on their chairs shouting her name.

"I'm very happy to see Iraq going forward," the new beauty queen told AFP as she tried to fend off a scrum of admirers hoping to clinch a selfie. "This event was huge and put a smile on the faces of the Iraqis."

Wearing her sash and holding her bouquet, Shaymaa Abdelrahman was fast learning her new trade, saying all the right things without ever breaking her smile.

There was more talking than glamorous strutting during the pageant as the contestants, in high heels and evening dresses that were sleeveless but below the knee, pitched their charity projects to the jury.

The pageant was designed to meet enough international criteria to propel its winner to the next Miss Universe contest, but some details, such as the Kalashnikov-toting guard at the door, set the event firmly in Iraq.

The winner said she would use her fame to forward educational initiatives, especially among the massive population of people who have been displaced by conflict.

One contestant said she would try to fix the Mosul dam, Iraq's largest and reportedly in need of urgent repair work, "because it threatened the entire country."

'Still alive'

In the week running up to the event, the eight finalists embarked on a string of pre-pageant activities, including the visit of a camp for displaced people in Baghdad.

Speaking to AFP during a tree-planting ceremony near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon on Thursday, Suzan Amer, a 22-year-old from the Kurdish town of Sulaimaniyah argued that a beauty pageant was more than a mere distraction in Iraq.

"It's my first time doing anything like this but it's an experience I wanted to be part of. I think Iraq needs events like these," said the young woman with ash blonde hair, bright fuscia lipstick and a rosebud tucked above her ear.

Iraq is wracked by an ongoing war against the Islamic State, the world's most brutal jihadist organisation, and plagued by deep sectarian tensions and corruption.

But the pageant, which culminated with the jury announcing the winner as Beethoven's Ode to Joy filled the ballroom, left participants, organisers and guests feeling that beating the gloom was part of the war effort.

Iraqi women taking part in the Miss Iraq beauty contest stand on stage

 before the audience on December 19, 2015 in the capital Baghdad 

(AFP Photo/Ahmad al-Rubaye)

"I think it is wonderful; it makes you feel things can come back to normal," said veteran human rights activist Hana Edwar.

The last time the Miss Iraq competition was held was in 1972, when the oil-rich country was on an upward track.

Old footage of the contest available on the Internet shows Wijdan Burhan al-Din Suleimank, at a venue in Puerto Rico, introducing herself at the microphone, between India and Ireland in the speaking order.

"We look forward to having a good ambassador for Iraq," said Senan Kamel, the 2015 pageant's artistic director, who also organised Iraq's first fashion show in years last March.

"What we're hoping to accomplish is to make Iraq's voice heard, show that it is still alive, that its heart is still beating," he said.

The fashion designer was carried out to the car park after nearly fainting from exhaustion and stress before the show but he was back on his feet and all smiles in time to vote with the jury and present the winner with her crown.

Congratulations @MariaHarfanti on an excellent result at the @MissWorldLtd competition! https://t.co/fHJoTYbYlS pic.twitter.com/tdBar4G81x

— The Jakarta Globe (@thejakartaglobe) December 20, 2015

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'Dialogue' necessary with Islamic State, says Dalai Lama

Yahoo – AFP, 7 Dec 2015

The Dalai Lama says that "Islam is a religion of peace" and that "dialoge"
with the Islamic State group jihadists is vital (AFP Photo/David McNew)

Rome (AFP) - The Islamic State (IS) group harms Islam through its intolerance, but "dialogue" with the jihadists is vital, the Dalai Lama said in an interview reported on Monday by the Italian daily La Stampa.

"Islam is a religion of peace. Those who are intolerant harm their own faith and their own brothers," the Tibetan spiritual leader was quoted as saying in Bangalore, southern India, where he took part in a seminar on peace and the economy.

Even so, "there has to be dialogue, with IS as well," the Dalai Lama said, in remarks reported in Italian.

Asked how this should be achieved, he replied, "Through dialogue. One has to listen, to understand, to have respect for the other person, regardless. There is no other way."

A US-led coalition and Russia have vowed to crush the IS, also called ISIS, ISIL or Daesh, which monitors say has carried out executions, abductions and rapes in areas under its control in Iraq and Syria, and conducted a wave of terror operations abroad.

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"Revelations of Darkness" - Oct 1, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“ .. Do Not Despair

There's too much information to give you in one channelling, in one sitting, so I refer to past messages for you to better understand and reference the information in order to get the bigger picture. So I wish to remind you of something I also told you in a recent channelling called Do Not Despair. You're winning! It's because you're winning that the dark consciousness on this planet is feeling it, and the humanity that represents darkness is pulling out everything it has to survive.

It Has Always Been There

Let's look at it, because it's all over the news. Are you shocked at the sudden existence of the organization that will remain unnamed [for this channelling]? Where did it come from? How could it be so organized? How could it be so well funded? This organization could have its own country soon! They might as well name it, “The Old Energy Dark Country”, for that's what it will represent.

The barbaric past of humanity comes forward to show its face. It has always been there, hiding under the rocks and between the cracks of civilized humanity. It couldn't show itself until now, but now it has to. It's ugly and it's not for the faint at heart, is it, dear ones? Seeing evil personified in Human action is abhorrent. It is so ugly and so dark that you cannot look upon it with a gentle heart. God is not a part of it and this is obvious.

You're winning! Light is winning! The uprising of dark consciousness would not have shown itself with this strength, or this quickly, if this were not so. This is exactly what I told you to look for, and it is proof that those representing this dark consciousness are in trouble. Dear ones, dark consciousness has always had a tried-and-true system. It lurks in the shadows and influences all the power places of the planet - government, commerce, finance. Suddenly, it can't hide there as well anymore and it's out in the open.

Where is the funding coming from? It is coming from a storehouse that has always been there, dear ones. It uses income that has been generated from low consciousness acts, collected for a very long time. Funding didn't just appear. It has been stored, waiting to be used in order to spread fear and darkness to save what they believe is their way.

Who Will Win?

Dear ones, they haven't got a chance! But it looks like they do, doesn't it? Everything that they are doing is calculated to scare you into submission. Are they winning? Now, that's a question I want you to take from here and examine every day.

Fear is black. If you're in fear, there is no light. You can be the grandest Lightworker, or even be the channeller, but if you're in fear, it doesn't matter how many years you've done light work, or how much light you've accumulated personally. It all goes away with fear, and then they've won the battle for your mind. Do you understand this?

The Strength of the Old Soul - YOU

Old souls, Lightworkers reading this, the experiences you have had over lifetimes and lifetimes are incredible! The old soul knows fear. I don't want to be too graphic, but I want you to understand! What was it like when you put your head in the guillotine because you talked about God in a way that was inappropriate? What was it like to be bound hand and foot when they lit the match at your feet? Old soul, that's fear! You carry those experiences in your Akash.

I want to tell you they haven't got a chance to scare you! You absolutely know what fear is, and they haven't got a chance as long as you cling to that part of you that is the strength of God. You've been through it all. That means you've got the weapons of truth, wisdom and light. Don't forget it. Don't forget who you are!

Do you see how fast they assembled? It seemed like only yesterday that there was no organization at all. Where did they come from? Have you noticed a certain hesitancy to fight them? Why is it that the citizens of the lands that they are invading are hesitant to fight them? Instead, these leaders are calling on others to help. Why is it that the others are also hesitant? I want to show you that there are some anomalies of logic that are not making sense, because this is a battle you have never seen before on this planet. We've expected it, but you haven't. It's about consciousness, not land or resources.

How to Win?

We gave you the secret before of how to defeat them without taking even one life: Simply take away their funding. They cannot exist without their funding. The funding has to be organized, stored, and distributed. It has to be generated in such a way that it must also go through institutions. Did you hear that? All you have to do is stop the system. Winning won't be done with bombing. It's going to be done with intelligence, clever thinking and financial forensics. It's time to get smart on some of these things and not to be afraid to look at this puzzle differently than you have before. Do not apply the energy they are using in order to fight them, because you won't win. Figure it out. It's the last bastion of organized darkness and evil thinking on this planet coming together to try to survive the assault of your light. Don't be afraid to look at the funding trail, no matter where it takes you.

Fear is Their Weapon

I want you to know something as you look at your news. It may appear that you are unable to stop them. In many places, they will gain strength as they create fear. The fear is easily created in those who are not old souls and who don't know fear like you do and who don't have the armor of your spiritual experiences. This puts you in the front line, dear one. Did you realize that? But you don't have to go fight them on their terms. All you have to do is broadcast light. High consciousness will beat fear any day.. .”

Indonesia Strengthens Outreach to Pacific Isles

Jakarta Globe, Apr 20, 2015

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi speaking at the opening of the Asian-African
Conference in Jakarta on Monday. (Antara Photo/Sigid Kurniawan)

Jakarta. Indonesia is pushing for more cooperation with Pacific island countries at the Asian-African Conference in Jakarta this week by helping countries in the region through a multitude of means.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi met on Sunday with seven of her counterparts for separate talks on the sidelines of the conference, four of them from Pacific island nations.

Vanuatu’s foreign minister, Meltek Sato Kilman Livtunvanu, said his country considered Indonesia to be “the gateway to Asia” and was looking for greater cooperation with Southeast Asia’s biggest economy in trade, agriculture, tourism, and disaster mitigation capabilities.

In early April, the Indonesian government sent $2 million worth of aid to Vanuatu after a devastating cyclone hit the country and left more than a dozen people dead and thousands homeless.

Kilman said Vanuatu was also preparing to open an embassy in Jakarta in a bid to enhance bilateral relations.

“Vanuatu has a great diplomatic relationship with Indonesia. Therefore, Vanuatu hopes to have its embassy in Jakarta,” he said as quoted by state news agency Antara.

“Indonesia and Vanuatu will also be able to experience stronger bilateral relations in the future and be able to discuss various global issues together,” Kilman added.

Vanuatu is among the more than 80 nations that have sent delegates to Indonesia for the Asian-African Conference this week, taking place in Jakarta and Bandung through Friday.

Retno said the Indonesian government welcomes Vanuatu’s plan.

“We are very excited and proud of Vanuatu’s decision to open an embassy in Jakarta. This means that almost all countries of the Pacific will have an embassy here,” she said.

She added that both countries were committed to discussing the technicalities of establishing resident embassies and opportunities for partnership in other sectors.

“We have talked about boosting partnership in the economic, engineering and agricultural sectors, where we already have very good cooperation with Vanuatu,” Retno said.

The minister also expressed her optimism about where relations were going between Indonesia and other Melanesian countries in the Pacific.

Melanesia extends from Fiji to the Arafura Sea and is commonly thought to include Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, West Papua and the Maluku islands. The latter two are part of Indonesia.

“Indonesia’s Melanesians are about to become larger than other groups of Melanesians. So I tell you this: Indonesia is Melanesia and Melanesia is Indonesia,” Retno said, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

Retno also met with her counterpart from the Solomon Islands, Milner Tozaka; Fiji’s Ratu Inoke Kubuabola; and Papua New Guinean Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato.

Pato and Retno discussed increasing trade between the two neighbors. The countries will stage a joint ministerial committee in September to discuss cooperation in a number of areas from sports, education, energy and mineral resources to telecommunications.

Papua New Guinea, Retno said, is also interested in learning more about Indonesia’s recent plans to boost its fisheries and maritime sector. She said several Indonesian companies were interested in investing or expanding their operations in Papua New Guinea.

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Tozaka said his country was looking to send more students to study in Indonesia.

“We have several cooperation [agreements] in agriculture and education. We have several students studying here and we are aiming at increasing [their numbers],” he said as quoted by Antara.

Retno said that to further strengthen ties with Melanesian countries, Indonesia was looking to host a festival on Melanesian art and culture in October in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

“Through cultural and arts events like this, we can establish more people-to-people contacts,” she said.

Retno also met with South Africa’s foreign minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane; Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari; and Nepal Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey.

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Islamic Textbooks Spark Concern Among Teachers

Jakarta Globe, Yuli Krisna,  Mar 31, 2015

Teachers in Bandung say a book distributed by the Ministry of Education and
 Culture to schools across West Java since August promotes religions
extremism. (AFP Photo/Aman Rochman)

Bandung. Teachers in Bandung, West Java, have raised concerns over the distribution of thousands of school books, which they say teach religious intolerance and radicalism.

Iwan Hermawan, vice principal of the State Senior High School 9, said his school received 440 books on Islamic teachings, which contain a chapter titled “Rise Up All Islamic Fighters” and details the teachings of Muhammad Abd Wahhab, the founder of the Wahhabi Muslim movement.

Wahhabism is known for its ultraconservative, literal interpretation of Islam.

One part of the book reads: “Those who worship other than Allah are infidels and must be killed.”

Iwan said the books have been distributed by the Ministry of Education and Culture to schools across West Java since August.

“This can spark intolerance and frictions with other religious groups,” Iwan said.

The book is officially printed and distributed by the Ministry of Education and even contains a prologue by then-minister Mohammad Nuh.

“This means the book is compiled, studied and examined by various people under the minister M. Nuh,” Iwan said.

The book was printed as part of the controversial 2013 curriculum.

The book listed the names Mustahdi and Mustakim as authors and Yusuf A Hasan and Muhammad Saerozi as reviewers.

Iwan, who is also the secretary general of the Indonesian Independent Teachers Federation (FGII), said the same book was found in dozens of high schools and vocational schools across Bandung.

“I am concerned that students will interpret [the book] the wrong way. I am also fearful that teachers with the same [radical] perspective will teach students intolerance and radicalism,” Iwan said.

“[The teachers] will think it is alright to teach radicalism, because this is a book sanctioned by the education ministry.”

The FGII on Tuesday officially requested for the book to be recalled. The book’s presence sheds new light on how extremism and intolerance flourishes and spreads in Indonesia, particularly among school students.

A recent survey by the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, involving nearly 700 students from 76 high schools in Jakarta and 38 in Bandung, showed that 7 percent of the respondents agreed with the Islamic State movement’s aims.

“That means one in every 14 students agrees with ISIS,” Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of the non-governmental group, said in Jakarta on Monday, referring to the extremist group’s old acronym.

He added that 75 percent of students have heard of IS, mostly from social media and the Internet. Most have a negative view of the radical movement, saying that they recognize that IS is a sadistic group intent on spreading terror and using violence in the name of religion.

But those who sympathize with IS do so because they believe the terror group has established an Islamic caliphate.

They said they agreed with the view that Indonesia’s five founding principles of Pancasila should be replaced with Islamic ideology.

Setara researcher Muhamad Syauqi said some of the students who sympathize with IS contributed to the so-called “jihadist selfie” phenomenon, where they spread pictures through social media of youths in uniform — presumably IS members in Syria or Iraq — who take photos of themselves in front of army tanks or while holding rocket launchers.

“That makes them [those spreading the  selfies] feel ‘cool,’ ” Syauqi said.

The book also confirms suspicion among some human rights and religious tolerance advocates that the government — or at least some elements of it — is to some degree involved in the spread of intolerance and radicalism despite pledging otherwise.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Rudiantara said last week that the government recently begun working with information technology firms such as Google to block websites containing pro-terrorism content.

Indonesians were recently shocked by a video that appeared to show Indonesian-speaking children training with assault rifles in front of an IS flag. The video has since been removed from most websites, including Google-owned YouTube.

Rudiantara said the partnerships had enabled the government to remove 78 Indonesian sites with pro-terrorism content.

National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Marciano Norman said his office was also joining forces with the communications ministry to curb pro-IS propaganda on the Internet.

But the House of Representatives’ Commission I, which oversees defense, intelligence, foreign affairs, communication and information, responded by summoning Minister Rudiantara to explain the government’s decision to block access to 19 websites believed to have spread radical Islamic ideology.

“We will invite the communications minister immediately to give an explanation,” Hanafi Rais, deputy chairman of Commission I, said on Tuesday.

The ministry said the sites were blocked after it received a request from the National Counterterrorism Agency, which included them in a list of 22 media sources allegedly spreading radical ideology.

Hanafi attacked the government’s “rash” decision to block access to the websites.

“The government’s decision to block the media could create the impression that the government under President Joko Widodo is developing Islamophobia,” he said.

Meanwhile, police are investigating what appears to be a failed bomb attack on the Kompas TV office in Makassar, South Sulawesi, by alleged sympathizers of the IS.

“We are still investigating the case,” Sr. Comr. Endi Sutendi, a spokesman for the South and West Sulawesi Police, told Tempo.co on Tuesday.

“We can’t immediately draw a conclusion,” he added.

The bomb was found around 9 p.m. on Monday, in a plastic bag placed some 20 meters from the office in Panakkukang subdistrict.

“I didn’t open the package and told Panakukkang Police about it,” said the head of security of the Kompas TV office, Gassang Daeng Kulle.

The bomb package had a statement written on it that said “To Kompas sampah [trash] dari [from] Islamic State,” and came with a handwritten letter threatening “infidel” Indonesian media. It was signed “Anshor Daulah Makassar,” an alleged IS sympathizer group.

A police bomb squad arrived at the office in time to defuse the bomb.

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Indonesian Terror Cells Get Help From Down Under: PPATK

Indonesian Terror Cells Get Help From Down Under: PPATK

Jakarta Globe, Novianti Setuningsih, Mar 25, 2015

Deputy Chairman Agus Santoso of the PPATK. (Antara Photo/Reno Esnir)

Jakarta. Indonesia’s anti-money laundering agency announced on Tuesday that it had detected funds believed to support terrorist activities flowing from Australia into the country.

“We have discovered funding activities from Australia to [terrorist] networks in Indonesia,” said Agus Santoso, deputy chief of the Financial Transactions Report and Analysis Center (PPATK).

He declined to elaborate, saying only that the matter is still under investigation and the agency is cooperating with its Australian counterpart.

“I can’t reveal the exact figure, but it’s not in the millions [of dollars]. We can only confirm that the funds came from Australia to support known radical organizations in the country,” Agus said.

He declined to name the group or any specific incidents the funds may be related to. He also declined to comment on whether the case is connected to the recent wave of Indonesians seeking to join the radical group Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.

“We plan to reach out to agencies [PPATK counterparts] abroad with efforts to cut terror-related funding across the region, including those connected to IS,” Agus said. “We will work with agencies from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.”

The government has previously expressed concerns over the hundreds of Indonesians fleeing the country to join IS’s cause, including 16 citizens arrested by Turkish authorities earlier this month for trying to cross the border to Syria, reportedly to support the militant group. They are scheduled to be deported back to Indonesia this week.

Police arrested five suspects over the weekend in Kebayoran Baru (South Jakarta), Bogor (West Java), Tangerang (Banten) and Bekasi (West Java). The suspects are accused of recruiting and financing Indonesian fighters for IS.

Among the five still in custody is a man identified as Amin Mude, a resident of the Legenda Wisata housing estate in Cileungsi, Bogor, who was previously arrested in December for a similar case but was released a day later.

Amin had been accused of aiding and abetting 12 Indonesians trying to reach Syria via Turkey and is now believed to be the main financier for the 16 scheduled to be deported by Turkish authorities.

The five were found with firearms, passports, plane tickets and a combined $6,000 in cash at the time of their arrests, according to Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Unggung Cahyono.

At least Rp 7 billion ($ 540,189) is believed to have aided Indonesian IS fighters to travel to Iraq, or Syria, the PPATK said.

“The network is expanding exponentially. The funds raised reached at least Rp 7 billion. They are using all sorts of methods to raise cash, from selling herbal medicine, books and even chemicals,” Agus said.

Beauty Queens and Jihadis Leave Kalla Spelling Out the Law on Citizenship

Jakarta Globe, Novianti Setuningsih, Mar 18, 2015

Crowned Miss Indonesia in 2006, Kristania 

Virginia Besouw, 29, says she felt like she

 had no choice but to give up her Indonesian 

citizenship. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)

Jakarta. Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s stance on the question of Indonesian citizenship, brought under scrutiny recently in two very different cases.

Kalla addressed previous comments regarding stripping Indonesians of their citizenship if they are found to have fought for a foreign force overseas, namely the Islamic State militia in Syria and Iraq.

“Anyone who fights for other countries will lose their citizenship. This is according to our law,” the vice president said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Indonesia’s National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) says an estimated 500 Indonesians have joined IS, with some believed to have returned to Indonesia.

Anti-terror officials have expressed frustration with the lack of a legal basis for which to charge suspected IS members unless they have been involved in criminal activities at home.

Of eight Indonesians arrested in Malaysia in December last year allegedly attempting to reach Syria via Turkey to join IS, only one remains in detention.

The man, identified as Suyatno and previously detained on terrorism-related charges, has been charged in relation to past terrorism activity and identity document forgery — unrelated to the arrest in Malaysia.

The seven remaining people, including women and children, have been cleared of charges and released from detention.

Article 23 of Indonesia’s 2006 Citizenship Law identifies a number of instances in which an Indonesian would lose citizenship, including obtaining citizen status from another country after applying for it; not rejecting a citizenship status granted by another country; and joining a foreign armed force without the approval of the Indonesian president.

The latter case was highlighted recently after a former Miss Indonesia  beauty queen joined the US Army as a nurse — a move that comes with the promise of US citizenship.

Crowned Miss Indonesia in 2006, Kristania Virginia Besouw, 29, said she would prefer to hold dual citizenship, which is permitted by the United States but not by Indonesia. She said she felt she had no choice but to give up her Indonesian citizenship.

“If Indonesia allowed dual citizenship, that would be nice. But for now, yes, I am a citizen of the United States,” Kristania said.

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Indonesia, Turkey to Cooperate in Battle Against Extremism

Jakarta Globe, Mar 15, 2015

The ISIS logo is displayed on a wall in Grogol, Central Java. (JG Photo/Ali Lutfi)

Jakarta. Indonesia and Turkey have agreed to work closely to eradicate religious extremism, just two days after government officials confirmed that up to 32 Indonesians had been detained in Turkey or gone missing and were suspected of trying to cross into Syria to join Islamic State (IS) militants.

The two countries discussed the issue on the sidelines of the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction on Saturday, state-run news agency Antara reported.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is representing Indonesia at the summit, met with Turkish officials where they discussed security operations, the exchange of information and how to deal with refugees that were displaced by IS in Syria and Iraq.

“Radicalism must be overcome together,” Kalla told Antara.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said this week that 16 Indonesians, most of them women and children, had been arrested by Turkish authorities.

Sixteen other Indonesian citizens who went missing from a tour group last week had yet to be located, though Turkish authorities are yet to confirm if they were still in Turkey or had crossed into Syria.

National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti said the 32 Indonesians were suspected of trying to join the Islamic State.

Indonesia’s Anti-Terrorism Agency has estimated that more than 500 Indonesian jihadist have joined IS.

Alleged Fixer Arrested in Cibubur After Group Stopped at Airport From Travelling to Syria

Jakarta Globe, Bayu Marhaenjati, Dec 27, 2014

Police in the capital arrested a man in Cibubur on Saturday afternoon after
 stopping six people at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport who were allegedly
attempting to travel to Syria. (JG Photo/Fajrin Raharjo)

Jakarta. Police in the capital have arrested a man in the southern suburb of Cibubur on suspicion of organizing travel arrangements for six Indonesians to travel to Syria. A group of six people, including a 10-year-old boy, were stopped at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Saturday morning before boarding a Qatar Airways flight.

The suburban area of Cibubur is in the south of Jakarta, contiguous to the border of West Java province.

“We have arrested someone identified as A.M. who is the sponsor of the trip,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr.Cmr. Rikwanto said on Saturday. “He facilitated the trip up to their [intended arrival] in Syria. He is being questioned right now.”

A.M. was arrested at his house in Cibubur. Police said they found jihadist literature at his house. They said he housed the six, who were all from Makassar, South Sulawesi, before they departed to Syria.

“One of the books was titled “Why Densus 88 [the police's specialist anti-terror unit] Must be Dissolved,” Rikwanto said.

Police believe that it was the group’s intention to travel on fake passports and join the Islamic State organization in Syria.

“There is a case of mismatched identity in the passports,” Rikwanto said. “We will coordinate with the immigration office and the National Police to check,” Rikwanto said.

He added that investigators would be looking into A.M.’s background and checking for links to known extremists.

“We are still investigating who funded A.M., who initiated this and what group he belongs to,” he said.

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"Revelations of Darkness" - Oct 1, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“ .. Do Not Despair

There's too much information to give you in one channelling, in one sitting, so I refer to past messages for you to better understand and reference the information in order to get the bigger picture. So I wish to remind you of something I also told you in a recent channelling called Do Not Despair. You're winning! It's because you're winning that the dark consciousness on this planet is feeling it, and the humanity that represents darkness is pulling out everything it has to survive.

It Has Always Been There

Let's look at it, because it's all over the news. Are you shocked at the sudden existence of the organization that will remain unnamed [for this channelling]? Where did it come from? How could it be so organized? How could it be so well funded? This organization could have its own country soon! They might as well name it, “The Old Energy Dark Country”, for that's what it will represent.

The barbaric past of humanity comes forward to show its face. It has always been there, hiding under the rocks and between the cracks of civilized humanity. It couldn't show itself until now, but now it has to. It's ugly and it's not for the faint at heart, is it, dear ones? Seeing evil personified in Human action is abhorrent. It is so ugly and so dark that you cannot look upon it with a gentle heart. God is not a part of it and this is obvious.

You're winning! Light is winning! The uprising of dark consciousness would not have shown itself with this strength, or this quickly, if this were not so. This is exactly what I told you to look for, and it is proof that those representing this dark consciousness are in trouble. Dear ones, dark consciousness has always had a tried-and-true system. It lurks in the shadows and influences all the power places of the planet - government, commerce, finance. Suddenly, it can't hide there as well anymore and it's out in the open.

Where is the funding coming from? It is coming from a storehouse that has always been there, dear ones. It uses income that has been generated from low consciousness acts, collected for a very long time. Funding didn't just appear. It has been stored, waiting to be used in order to spread fear and darkness to save what they believe is their way.

Who Will Win?

Dear ones, they haven't got a chance! But it looks like they do, doesn't it? Everything that they are doing is calculated to scare you into submission. Are they winning? Now, that's a question I want you to take from here and examine every day.

Fear is black. If you're in fear, there is no light. You can be the grandest Lightworker, or even be the channeller, but if you're in fear, it doesn't matter how many years you've done light work, or how much light you've accumulated personally. It all goes away with fear, and then they've won the battle for your mind. Do you understand this?

The Strength of the Old Soul - YOU

Old souls, Lightworkers reading this, the experiences you have had over lifetimes and lifetimes are incredible! The old soul knows fear. I don't want to be too graphic, but I want you to understand! What was it like when you put your head in the guillotine because you talked about God in a way that was inappropriate? What was it like to be bound hand and foot when they lit the match at your feet? Old soul, that's fear! You carry those experiences in your Akash.

I want to tell you they haven't got a chance to scare you! You absolutely know what fear is, and they haven't got a chance as long as you cling to that part of you that is the strength of God. You've been through it all. That means you've got the weapons of truth, wisdom and light. Don't forget it. Don't forget who you are!

Do you see how fast they assembled? It seemed like only yesterday that there was no organization at all. Where did they come from? Have you noticed a certain hesitancy to fight them? Why is it that the citizens of the lands that they are invading are hesitant to fight them? Instead, these leaders are calling on others to help. Why is it that the others are also hesitant? I want to show you that there are some anomalies of logic that are not making sense, because this is a battle you have never seen before on this planet. We've expected it, but you haven't. It's about consciousness, not land or resources.

How to Win?

We gave you the secret before of how to defeat them without taking even one life: Simply take away their funding. They cannot exist without their funding. The funding has to be organized, stored, and distributed. It has to be generated in such a way that it must also go through institutions. Did you hear that? All you have to do is stop the system. Winning won't be done with bombing. It's going to be done with intelligence, clever thinking and financial forensics. It's time to get smart on some of these things and not to be afraid to look at this puzzle differently than you have before. Do not apply the energy they are using in order to fight them, because you won't win. Figure it out. It's the last bastion of organized darkness and evil thinking on this planet coming together to try to survive the assault of your light. Don't be afraid to look at the funding trail, no matter where it takes you.

Fear is Their Weapon

I want you to know something as you look at your news. It may appear that you are unable to stop them. In many places, they will gain strength as they create fear. The fear is easily created in those who are not old souls and who don't know fear like you do and who don't have the armor of your spiritual experiences. This puts you in the front line, dear one. Did you realize that? But you don't have to go fight them on their terms. All you have to do is broadcast light. High consciousness will beat fear any day.. .”

Police Source: Syria-Bound Indonesians Financed by Terror Convict

Jakarta Globe, Farouk Arnaz, Dec 21, 2014

A motorcyclist rides past a wall with the Islamic State flag painted on it
in Solo, Central Java. (JG Photo/Ali Lutfi)

Jakarta. The alleged attempt by a group of 12 Indonesian nationals to join the Islamic State movement in Syria was financed by a convicted terrorist, a police source told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

“We’ve figured out that Bagus Maskuron, a former convict of the paramilitary training case in Aceh, was behind this,” said an investigator from the National Police’s anti-terror squad, Densus 88. “He told the nine people [out of a group of 12] to go to Syria and funded the trip. Bagus is in Syria. One of the women and one of the kids detained were Bagus’s wife and kid.”

Police raided a terrorist training camp in Aceh in March 2010.

The 12 Indonesians were detained after trying to leave for Syria from Malaysia. Nine of them, four women and five children, were released on Friday. Three men would still be questioned until Monday, police said.

It is not illegal for Indonesians to travel to Syria, and the only law that can be used in such cases, police say, is the one dealing with citizenship. Indonesians can lose their citizenship if they voluntarily take an oath or pledge allegiance to a foreign country or a part of it.

One of the men detained was M. Sibgotuloh, a former convict of a deadly CIMB bank robbery in Medan, North Sumatra, in 2010.

Members of the group were from Surabaya and Magetan in East Java, as well as Kutai Kertanegara in East Kalimantan.

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SBY to Discuss Islamic State Threat With US Religious Leaders

Jakarta Globe,  Sep 18, 2014

Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the first lady, Ani Yudhoyono, boarding their
plane at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport on Thursday. (Antara Photo/
Widodo S. Jusuf)

Jakarta. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will discuss solutions to contain the Islamic State terrorist organization active in Iraq and Syria when he meets with religious leaders in the United States this week.

“This is one of the themes that will be discussed in Washington DC when I meet with US Islamic and non-Islamic leaders,” Yudhoyono was quoted as saying by state-run Antara news agency on Thursday morning, before departing for Portugal on the first leg of his trip.

Besides Portugal and the US, the president and his wife, Ani Yudhoyono, will also visit Japan.

“This is not just about the military operation by Western powers or other members of the international community, what is needed, according to Indonesia, is a political solution and a non-military solution.”

Yudhoyono is scheduled to leave Portugal on Saturday and then head to the US. In New York, Yudhoyono will attend the high-level plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly. He will chair the plenary meeting of the UN Climate Summit, give the opening speech at the Open Government Partnership High Level Event and officially open the Indonesian Muslim Association in America (Imaam) Center.

The president has also been invited to give a speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Yudhoyono’s term in office ends on Oct. 20, when President-elect Joko Widodo is set to be inaugurated.

Four Turks Arrested in Poso Over Islamic State Link

Jakarta Globe – AFP, Sep 14, 2014

The ISIS logo is displayed on a wall in Grogol, Central Java. (JG Photo/Ali Lutfi)

Jakarta. Indonesia’s anti-terrorism police have arrested four Turks suspected of being linked to the Islamic State jihadist group, a spokesman said on Sunday.

The elite Detachment 88 police squad arrested the men, along with three Indonesians, after tailing their car on Saturday in central Sulawesi district of Poso, a known hotbed for militant activity, Boy Rafli Amar told AFP.

“They are Turkish,” Amar said, confirming the arrest and adding that the men were being investigated for their connection to the dreaded Islamist group.

“We suspect they are linked and are investigating further,” he said.

Indonesia is home to the world’s biggest Muslim population of about 225 million and has long struggled with terrorism. But a successful clampdown in recent years has seen the end of major deadly attacks.

Jakarta has estimated that dozens of Indonesians have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he was concerned about their return, adding that he had tasked agencies to oppose the spread of extremist ideology in the sprawling nation.

Ronny Sompie, another police spokesman said two of the Indonesians arrested Saturday had fetched the foreigners “believed to be from an international terror group” from Makassar airport in South Sulawesi.

“The four foreigners managed to flee to the mountains” before their capture, he said.

Agence France-Presse

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