The Empire insults our collective intelligence. Again.

This is the sequence which the Empire submits to our attention: on August 18th a UN inspection team arrives in Syria to investigate the reports of use of chemical weapons.  Two days later, on August 20, the Syrian government uses chemical weapons against hundreds of civilians.  And not in some distant and remote corner of the country, but in a suburb of Damascus, conveniently near the UN inspection team.

Does anybody see a problem with this narrative?

Nevermind that the Syrian government is, by all accounts, clearly winning this war.  Nevermind that the US made a clear threat that the use of chemical weapons would be a "game changer" implying that it would result in a US/NATO military intervention.  Nevermind that in in the course of this war chemical munitions were only found in the inventory of the insurgency.

"Fact's don't matter.  Logic don't matter."

Such could be the slogan for what Chris Hedges calls the "Empire of Illusion".

Now let's see how many morons will actually accuse Assad of using chemicals and use this latest fairytale as "proof".

The Saker

The smartphone as a weapon to defeat the Empire's propaganda

Tonight I was watching the latest video footage of the bloodbath in Egypt - this time infantry fighting vehicles using their guns to shoot at demonstrators.  What caught my attention was that in the corner of the video you could see two Egyptian men standing with smartphones making their own video recording of the massacre taking place under their window.  See for yourself:

And I thought to myself "at least this massacre will be well documented!"

These smartphones are truly a powerful counter-propaganda tool.  Not only can they make rather decent videos by just pressing a button, but they can also instantly upload them to the web, or send the footage to friends, or even stream it live.  And they are literally *everywhere*.  This kind of distributed video-capability is practically impossible to defeat because it is simply too ubiquitous.  I have read that even in the DPRK more and more people are using (highly illegal) smartphones.

Of course, a military junta can shut down the Internet (locally, at least), search for smartphones, jam their signals, etc.  A techno-savvy regime like the one in the USA or Israel could do something even far more effective: it could remotely disable the video camera on all smartphones in a specific areas or even remotely destroy all smartphones. But that would be very *very* conspicuous and, besides, it would also be a PR disaster.  So I don't mean to suggest that the "smartphone threat" cannot be successfully tackled by a sophisticated regime, but in most cases this would be a difficult task, at least in most countries out there.

And then, there is the relative blessing of having the truly sicko thugs, like the Wahabi crazies in Chechnia and Syria, who love to film their own atrocities.  The footage of the horrors committed and video-recorded by the Chechen Wahabis truly mobilized the Russian public opinion behind Putin's 2nd war to smash the insurgency.  Likewise, in Syria, thanks to all the bloodcurdling atrocities filmed by the Wahabis themselves, the public opinion gradually shifted against the insurgency.

Bottom line: CNN, al-Jazeera, the BBC and the rest of them can continue to spew their lies, millions of people with cheap smartphones in their pockets can now prove that they are lying and show the facts on the ground if not on TV then, at least, on the Internet.

The Internet plus the smartphone are a fantastic combination of technologies which have political repercussions which their creators (DARPA, IT corporations) never saw coming.  Sure, the bad guys are now very *very* busy trying to get all that back under their control, but, hopefully, the good guys - us - will remain a step ahead of them.

The Saker

YouTube deactivates Press TV's account under orders of the ADL

Press TV reports:

A political commentator says YouTube deactivation of Press TV's official page under pressure from the Israeli-American Anti-Defamation League (ADL) shows the video-sharing site is afraid of people’s awareness.

“Press TV has become essentially the CNN of activists and persons who do not want to be fed a steady diet of execrable hasbara of CIA lies and half truths,” Randy Short, member of the Black Autonomy Network Community Organization, told Press TV in an interview.

“As a result they want to shut off the one source of very good news that people can get in places like the United States, Great Britain and South Africa,” he added.

He emphasized that Press TV represents a “golden opportunity for freedom of speech” and called for more aggressive programming because “if they really wanted to shake things up, opportunities present themselves all the time.”

“So in reality, they have not even begun to see how Press TV can challenge censorship and wake people up until even those who make the programming realize that they've got to go to the full limit to bring down this condemned house of Islamophobia, racism, imperialism and intolerance that dominate in the media that serves the purposes of the empire,” Short added.  “People essentially in America are in particular brain dead,” the commentator stated.

YouTube has deactivated Press TV's new account after the ADL ordered it to terminate the Iranian channel's live broadcast.

"On August 20, YouTube's parent company Google deactivated Press TV's new account weeks after disabling the channel's official page," said Press TV Newsroom Director Hamid Reza Emadi.

Since January 2012, Press TV has come under mounting pressure from European governments and satellite companies, which have taken the alternative channel off the air across the European Union.

’Israeli’ Ambassador to Egyptian Minister: Al-Sisi ’National Hero for All Jews’

Al-Ahed news reports:

The "Israeli" ambassador to Cairo has supposedly told a minister in the interim government that "Israelis" view Egyptian General Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi as a "national hero".

According to the Middle East Monitor citing from the "Israel" Radio, the ambassador phoned the Egyptian Agriculture Minister Ayman Abu-Hadid to congratulate him on his new post, adding, "Al-Sisi is not a national hero for Egypt, but for all Jews in "Israel" and around the globe."

Saudi beheadings bring execution tally to 60 this year

Al-Akhbar reports:

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday beheaded by the sword two nationals convicted of murdering a Syrian and of armed robbery, the interior ministry said.

Ibrahim al-Qanbar and Ahmed al-Musalam were found guilty of attacking a labor camp and opening fire on residents, killing Mohammed al-Shuja and wounding another person, the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

Qanbar was also charged with several acts of armed robbery, it said.

The beheadings in the Qatif district, in Eastern Province, brings to 60 the number of people executed in Saudi Arabia this year, according to an AFP count.

In 2012, the US-backed Gulf country executed 76 people, according to a tally based on official figures. Human Rights Watch has put the number at 69.
Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery, drug trafficking, sorcery and witchcraft are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabia's medieval justice system.

US Foreign Policy: The Moral Hazard of "Relative Evil" Necessary to Fight "Absolute Evil"

Finally, we have now come full circle: Turkish NGO Recruiting Muslim Albanians for War in Syria

Fars news reports:

TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkish charity organization, IHH, has recruited hundreds of Muslim Albanians and sent them to Syria after military trainings in Turkey to take part in the armed struggle against the Damascus government, informed sources said.

"The IHH, which operates under the cover of relief and charity activities and acts in full coordination with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and extremist Saudi Wahhabi groups, has so far recruited and transferred a number of 769 Albanians to Syria to join the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA)," an informed source who asked to remain anonymous for fear of his life, told FNA on Wednesday.

The source, who has defected the program after two weeks of war in Syria, added that those recruited by the IHH "have been transfered to Turkey via Tirana and undergone military trainings by retired US officers stationed in Reyhanli military base in the Southern Turkish province of Hatay".

"The last one of these recruited groups comprised 90 Albanian nationals who were flown to Istanbul from Tirana on Turkish Air flight no. 1078 on June 30, 2013," he continued.

Asked about the cause of his defection, the source said, "Despite IHH’s efforts to recruit the said people for the FSA, around 450 of these Muslim Albanians have defected the FSA after a few weeks of war and joined al-Qaeda-linked groups, specially the al-Nusra Front" as al-Qaeda groups enjoy better supplies, backup and organization and lead the war of insurgency in Syria.

The source said he returned to Albania after he had seen the war crimes committed by the terrorist groups against civilians in Syria.

He said he did not meet his family after returning to Albania as he was deeply fearful of the reaction of the Turkish intelligence officers and their mercenaries in Albania, adding that his family joined him only after escaping Tirana.

In June, tens of retired US Army officers accompanied by a military cargo infiltrated into Syria through Turkey's Hatay province.

“An American C-130 plane carrying a cargo of hi-tech telecommunications equipment and devices and 57 retired US officers landed in Turkey’s Hatay province this morning,” an informed source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told FNA on June 23.

“The US officers crossed the border with Syria via Reyhanli (in Hatay province) and their goal is to take charge of the central command of all military activities of armed rebels in Syria,” added the source.

He mentioned that the military cargo, containing the telecommunications equipment, left Reyhanli for the border crossing after the US officers arrived at their destination in Northern Syria.

Also in June, a report said that the US spy agency was gearing up to send weapons to insurgent groups in Syria through secret bases in Turkey and Jordan.

“The bases are expected to begin conveying shipments of weapons and ammunition within weeks,” the US daily, The Washington Post, reported in June, quoting unnamed American officials as saying.

The IHH was established in Istanbul in 1991 by advocates of Turkey's Welfare Party founded by former Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan. It played a positive role in supporting Bosnian Muslims during the Bosnia War (1992-1995).

Throughout the coming years, IHH distanced itself from Turkey's Welfare and Felicity Parties. After the outbreak of unrests in Syria in March 2011 it actively took part in helping the Syrian opposition groups.

IHH was supposed to provide humanitarian relief in case of outbreak of war, earthquake, hunger or conflict. Current president of the IHH is Fehmi Bulent Yildirim, but his deputy Osman Atalay is practically in charge of IHH's affairs.

Atalay acts in full coordination with Davutoglu, Salafis and Wahhabis, and is engaged in humanitarian relief operations on the surface.

According to the Foundation of Islamic Brotherhood, there is corroborative evidence that IHH (under the cover of humanitarian aid) is providing the terrorists in Syria with heavy weaponry, including anti-aircraft missiles and Turkish newspapers and western officials in Syria have mentioned this help to the Syrian rebels.

In October, IHH sent heavy weaponry to Syrian rebels under the guise of humanitarian relief aid.

“We have relationships today in Syria that we didn’t have six months ago,” US President Barack Obama's deputy national security adviser Benjamin J. Rhodes said during a White House briefing.

US officials announced in June that Obama had authorized sending weapons to the militants in Syria 'for the first time.'

In mid-June 2012, American newspaper USA Today quoted Christopher Harmer, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War, as saying that the US is vetting to use Turkey's Incirlik Air Base, which is technically a NATO air base, as a hub for supplying militants in Syria with weapons. Reports had also earlier revealed that Turkish Air has been transiting Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants from North Waziristan in Pakistan to the Turkish borders with Syria.

"The Turkish intelligence agency sent 93 Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists from Waziristan to Hatay province near the border with Syria on a Turkish Air Airbus flight No. 709 on September 10, 2012 and via the Karachi-Istanbul flight route," the source told FNA in September, adding that the flight had a short stop in Istanbul.

The 93 terrorists transited to the Turkish border with Syria included Al-Qaeda militants from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and a group of Arabs residing in Waziristan, he added.

FNA dispatches from Pakistan said new al-Qaeda members were trained in North Waziristan until a few days ago and then sent to Syria, but now they are transferring their command center to the borders between Turkey and Syria as a first step to be followed by a last move directly into the restive parts of Syria on the other side of the border.

The al-Qaeda, backed by Turkey, the US and its regional Arab allies, had set up a new camp in Northern Waziristan in Pakistan to train Salafi and Jihadi terrorists and dispatched them to Syria via Turkish borders.

"A new Al-Qaeda has been created in the region through the financial and logistical backup of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and a number of western states, specially the US," a source told FNA in September.

Ali Mahdian told FNA that the US and the British governments have been playing with the al-Qaeda through their Arab proxy regimes in the region in a bid to materialize their goals, specially in Syria.

He said the Saudi and Qatari regimes serve as interlocutors to facilitate the CIA and MI6 plans in Syria through instigating terrorist operations by Salafi and Arab Jihadi groups, adding that the terrorists do not know that they actually exercise the US plans.

"Turkey has also been misusing extremist Salafis and Al-Qaeda terrorists to intensify the crisis in Syria and it has recently augmented its efforts in this regard by helping the new Al-Qaeda branch set up a camp in Northern Waziristan in Pakistan to train Al-Qaeda and Taliban members as well as Turkish Salafis and Arab Jihadis who are later sent to Syria for terrorist operations," said the source.

He said the camp in Waziristan is not just a training center, but a command center for terrorist operations against Syria.

Yet, the source said the US and Britain are looking at the new Al-Qaeda force as an instrument to attain their goals and do not intend to support them to ascend to power, "because if Salafi elements in Syria ascend to power, they will create many problems for the US, the Western states and Turkey in future".

"Thus, the US, Britain and Turkey are looking at the Al-Qaeda as a tactical instrument," he said, and warned of the regional and global repercussions of the US and Turkish aid to the Al-Qaeda and Salafi groups.

"Unfortunately, these group of countries have just focused on the short-term benefits that the Salafis and the Al-Qaeda can provide for them and ignore the perils of this support in the long run," he said.

"At present, the western countries, specially Britain which hosts and controls the Jihadi Salafi groups throughout the world are paving the ground for these extremists to leave their homes - mostly in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as those who live in Europe and the US - for Waziristan," the source added.

Why are Egyptian Liberals Celebrating a Massacre? Max Blumenthal's excellent analysis

I have to say that I fully agree with Max Blumenthal on each point he makes here. To me, this is the most credible analysis I have seen so far.

What do you think?

A few thoughts and speculations about the events in Egypt and Syria

Even though I have been closely following the events in Egypt I did not write anything about them for a while already.  Frankly, I felt too horrified, too appalled and to disgusted to write.  Besides, I am hardly an expert in Egypt and others have already said it all, and much better than I ever could (see, for example, here and here).  As for me, I just continued to follow the events, in silent shock and horror at what was taking place.

Still, just by watching different times of reports, I began noticing a few possibly interesting features which did not seem to catch much attention.

First this: most reports speak of the regime vs the pro-Morsi demonstrators.  And yet, especially when parsing Russian reports, I get the feeling that the reality on the ground is much more complex.  For one thing, I get the feeling that there is a substantial part of the demonstrators who are not at all associated with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB).  From their looks and interviews, they appear to be non-MB protesters who oppose the crushing of democracy and the bloodbath taking place.  Some of them even said that they had no association with the MB.

Then, I also have the feeling that there are quite a few gangs of common thugs who are happy to use the opportunity to attack people at gunpoint and steal all their belonging.  I have no way of ascertaining the magnitude of this phenomenon, but it does appear to be non-trivial.

Then, there is the business of the burned Christian churches.  I hear different figures, ranging from 7 to 50 to many more.  Each time I hear these reports I feel uncomfortable, and I wonder if I am the only one.  Here is why:

I would most definitely not put is past any Sunni extremist to burn down a church, God knows they have done some elsewhere (Chechnia, Bosnia, Kosovo).  But one still has to ask the question - cui bono - who benefits from that?

The MB official line is that they are defending democracy and human rights.  Is that really compatible with the torching of Christian churches?  Are the MB really so dumb as to not realize how bad this makes them look in the international media?  Also, considering that the Morsi supporters are busy fighting a far better trained and better armed enemy (cops, military, internal security), would attacking Christian churches really be a top priority for them?

Now look at the same question from the point of view of the military junta.  Does not every burning Christian church not vindicate them and their claim that they are saving Egypt from terrorists and extremists?

And what does the past teach us?  The Empire has used flase flags not only in Bosnia (Markale market) and Kosovo (Racak), but also in Algeria where a huge number of atrocities attributed to the Groupe Islamiste Arme (GIA) were, in fact, conducted by the Algerian military special forces.  So far all of these false flag operations have been a resounding success for the Empire which has never had to admit to them even though in each case the evidence was there, but restricted to only a few people who really cared to investigate them.  But as far as the mainstream media is concerned, this never happened.

Please - before accusing me of pro-Muslim bias - I ask that these issues be at least explored.  I appeal in particular to the non-Muslims reading this to whom I submit the following: does it make sense to denounce the false flag operations committed by the Empire in putative support of Muslim groups only to then reject the possibility that exactly the same trick could be used against Muslims elsewhere?

I personally believe that the Empire makes no difference at all between Muslims and non-Muslims.  The Empire uses whatever group is available at any given moment in time and manipulates the desires and goals of this group for its own, Imperial, interests.  Right now, in Egypt, there can be little doubt on whose side the Empire stands nor can there be any doubt as to which sides benefits from the burning of these churches.

Finally, even if these churches were, in fact, torched by Morsi supporters of the MB - so what?  I remind you that Malcolm X was killed by members of the Nation of Islam - yet it is pretty darn clear who created the circumstances for that murder and who benefited from it.

So yes, I am deeply suspicious about the reports about all these burned churches.  Am I the only one?

One more thing: the really bad news out of Egypt is that all the uniformed folks seem to have no compunction or second thoughts about shooting their fellow Egyptians.  From all the reports the bloodbath has truly reached phenomenal proportions and the so-called "security forces" are even willing to storm mosques and use deadly force on anybody, including women, children and the elderly, found inside.  The sheer viciousness of the use of deadly firepower against clearly non-violent demonstrators is rather amazing.  By the way, I am not suggesting that all or even most of the demonstrations are non-violent, not at all.  Many, if not most, are indeed violent, and I have seen footage of "civilians" in these demonstrations which are armed with assault rifles.  The fact that these armed "civilians" are clearly willing to open fire while standing in the midst of civilians also tells me that there are some in the pro-Morsi side who clearly want as many civilians killed as possible.  And this all adds up for a very ugly mix:

If the "security" forces are willing to kill as many Egyptians as ordered, and if there are those inside the MB who feel that the more people die the better, then the bloodbath is certain to continue.

Eventually though, and unless some uniformed units change sides, the MB will have to be defeated.  So far, the junta has successfully cleared every single location in Egypt it wanted to clear - from Tahrir Square to the Ramses Square Mosque.  My guess that in Cairo at least the regime is firmly in power.  What is going on in the rest of the country is, however, anyone's guess.

Russian TV reports speak of 50'000-60'000 Russian tourists currently on holidays in various tourist locations, mostly on the Red Sea.  The Russian government has now banned the sale of holiday tickets to Egypt and has authorized the free repatriation of any Russian nationals from there.  The remarkable thing those is that the Russian tourists themselves seem to feel rather safe.  They are contacted by various Russian media outlets on a daily basis but all they report are either very minor incidents or cases of more or less enforced curfews.  Clearly, the violence has not yet spilled over into the main resorts of Egypt.  So we have a bloodbath in Cairo, relative calm in the tourist resorts and basically no information at all as to what is going on in the rest of this huge country, right?

Has anybody heard or seen any report about that is happening in the rest of Egypt?

Besides the greater Cairo metropolitan area (9+ million people, Alexandria (4 million) and Giza (3 million), there are another 16 cities in Egypt with a population in between 200'000 and 600'00 for a total population of about 6 million people.  Considering the distances involved and the fact that these cities are spread through the depth of the country, this shows that there is a real potential for local resistance to the rule of the central government.

Again - if any of you have any information about what is going on in the rest of the country I would be most grateful for it.

One more thing: the violence in Egypt seems to have temporarily eclisped the war against Syria and against Hezbollah which has now reached a new qualitative level with the car bomb attack on Hezbollah in Beirut.

In Syria, as far as I know, the government forces are still pressing their advantage even though they seem to be able to concentrate only at a few cities at a time.  As for the insurgents, there are making use of a simple and flexible tactic: every time the government forces are concentrating on location A, the insurgents attack in location B.  Considering their lack of capabilities and their operational situation this is a sound tactic, but hardly one which can turn the tide.

Another interesting development in Syria is the dramatic increase of al-Qaeda attacks against the Syrian Kurds.  My guess is that being pressed by government forces al-Qaeda is literally running out of space and that they naturally looked towards the Kurdish areas of Syria which happen to be located in a strategic corner of the country which excellent land communications potential.  Whatever may be the case, they are taking a huge risk here because of the Kurds can set aside their often confused political agendas and if they actually turn their rather formidable military capabilities against al-Qaeda then this might really end up being a "coup de grâce" for al--Qaeda in Syria.  Alas, I don't have the feeling that the Kurds are ready to accept the fact that their best chance for the future would be in a firm alliance with Syria and Iran.

That's about it.  Please consider all of the above as just the speculations of a rather ignorant person.  I offer them mainly in the hope of getting a good discussion going and, especially, with the hope that those of you who have some information about what is going on in Egypt and Syria might be willing to share it with the rest of us.  Or, you can follow my example, and engage in wild speculations without really knowing what you are talking about :-)

Let's not take ourselves too seriously and let's just enjoy sharing impressions and speculations.

Many thanks and kind regards,

The Saker

Speech of Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on the anniversary of the Divine Victory war against Israel

The official outcome of US-Russian 2+2? Notin' much (so far)

Very little of substance was achieved, at least officially, at the latest 2+2 in Washington DC.  Obama accused Russia of having a Cold War mentality and nobody burst out laughing.  Rumor has it that the Americans promised the Russians that the FSA will attend the Geneva II talks even though their official stance is still that they will not talk to those with blood on their hands (I assume that the hands of the FSA have only been touched by rose water and tears of gratitude).  Oh, and the Americans have told the Russians one more time that they support the objective of ridding Syria of the al-Nusra types which, of course, makes me wonder whether they are really naive, ignorant, lying or plain stupid or a combination of all of the above.  Or whether maybe, as is so often the case, there are deep disagreements at the top of the US power structure as to what course of action to follow.

Bottom line: at least officially, nothing has changed.  I continue to want to hope that behind the scenes an intelligent negotiation has taken place.

The Saker

Muslims gather in the streets of Moscow to celebrate the end of the Holy month of Ramadan

Check out this short but interesting footage taken in Moscow a few days ago:



Moscow has only four mosques for an estimated two million Muslims living in, or near, the capital, and this is why even with every mosque filled at capacity, a huge crowd gathers each year in front of the Great Mosque for an outdoors prayer ceremony.

There is no denying that this kind of outdoor praying is a cause of tensions for many reasons.  For one thing, the actual number of Muslims in Moscow is hotly disputed.  Official figures obtained by census put it at 400'000, while the Council of Muftis claims two million.  The fact is that an accurate figure is impossible to establish because of the very different types of Muslims which would have to be included.   First, you would have to include those Muslims who are legal and permanent residents of Moscow.  Then, you would have to decide on whether to include their visiting relatives (whether legally or illegally), some of which could stay for extended periods of time.  Furthermore, you would then have to decide as to whether include the huge illegal population of Muslims coming from the former Soviet republics on the hope of finding a job. And even if you wanted to include them, how would you go about counting them considering that most of them hide, often is absolutely horrible conditions such as underground cities, suburban slums, etc.  Frankly, this is a hopeless task, but one which offers plenty of opportunities for all interested parties to get furious at each other.

How many mosques would be "enough"?

Its hard to say.  According to the French Wikipedida there used to be 12'000 mosques in the Russian Empire before the revolution.  This number fell to 343 under the Soviet regime, and it has now bounced back up to 7'000 of which roughly 5'000 are in the Caucasus.   This strongly suggests that more mosques are needed, in particular in the main urban centers, but how many more is anyone's guess.  My personal suggestion is simple: enough for all Muslims to feel that they are happy with the situation (this, in my mind, goes for all religions in Russia, not just Islam): let them build as much as they want to.

Then, there is the fact that roughly 50% of all the crimes committed in Moscow are, according to the police, committed by "non-Moscovites".  Notice, "non-Moscovite" says nothing about the place of origin or religion of these criminal offenders.  All this term means is that the arrested individuals where not legal residents of the capital.  Still, it is undeniable that Moscow is currently suffering from a crime wave which can mostly be attributed to young men coming from regions of Russia such as the Caucasus or from neighboring countries (such as the various "stans") which are officially Muslim, hence the often seen and logically wrong linked made between Muslims and crime in Moscow.  Why wrong?  Because for one thing there is zero evidence that the folks who commit these crimes have any meaningful relationship to Islam (or even to their elders in their home country who are horrified and disgusted by the behavior of their offspring), and second because a lot of "non-Moscovite" crime is committed by Russians and other ethnic groups and nobody speaks of "Orthodox crimes".

There are all very well known issues and I have discussed them in the past on some details.

No, what is interesting here is something else:  the Russian Federal government (Putin) and the Moscow City authorities (Sobianin, a political ally of Putin) have clearly decided on a course of action from which no amount of pressure will make them deviate: they will not only allow such outdoor religious ceremonies, they will use all the instruments of power to protect them, and they will establish a close working relationship with the Muslim authorities organizing them.

Furthermore, the Federal authorities have been fully supportive to the Muslim efforts to build new mosques, some of them of immense dimensions not only in Muslim regions, such as the one in Grozny, but also in Saint Petersburg.

Finally, the Federal authorities are also engaging in a massive crackdown on illegal emigration and on what they called "ethnic crime gangs".

I don't want to make is sound like the situation is all rosy and that everybody in Russia is happy.  There are plenty of problems still plaguing the Russian society and ethnic and even religious tensions are always simmering beneath the surface of things (sometimes even boiling up to the surface and beyond).  And I do not expect Putin to be able to single-handedly and rapidly solve problems which have plagued Western Europe (France, Germany, UK, Sweden) for decades.  But I will say that the fundamental course taken by the Kremlin appears to be very sound to me: on one hand fully support traditional Islam while on the other firmly crack down on those putative "Muslims" who are either criminals or Wahabis.

This week, the outdoors religious ceremony of the Eid al-Fitr saw a huge number of Muslims gather together to pray and everything went perfectly well: no terrorist attacks occurred (unlike in Iraq, Pakistan and in many other countries), not a single worshiper got killed, wounded or even hurt, no special criminal or other incidents took place and everybody went home happy.  Sounds trite, but peace, law and order where upheld but not at the cost of anybody's freedom.  I submit that this is very good news indeed.

The Saker