MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

Khaleej Times -“A spate of attacks that killed 82 people in Iraq overshadowed preparations on Friday to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, amid warnings insurgents would look to carry out deadly strikes.

The violence, the worst in more than three weeks, hit 15 cities across the country and left 270 people wounded on Thursday, just days before the Eid festival that is set to begin on Sunday.

The attacks brought the number of dead nationwide over the course of Ramadan, which began on July 18, to 404, according to an AFP tally. There has been at least one bombing or shooting on every day of the holy month but one.

Thursday’s deadliest violence struck in and around Baghdad, where at least 54 people were killed in a series of attacks throughout the day, security and medical officials said. Blasts and shootings also took place in the south, west and north of Iraq.

In the east Baghdad neighbourhood of Zafraniyah, a roadside bomb went off outside an ice cream parlour late on Thursday evening, killing four people and wounding 11. A subsequent car bomb nearby killed 22 more and left 30 wounded.

Also in the evening, an explosion in Sadr City, in the capital’s north, killed 11 people and wounded 46, while a morning car bomb in Husseiniyah, also in north Baghdad, killed six and wounded 32.

All three neighbourhoods are predominantly Shia.

Meanwhile, gunmen armed with silenced weapons opened fire on a checkpoint in the town of Massud, on Baghdad’s northern outskirts, killing 10 soldiers and wounding 10, security and medical officials said.

In the same area, a car bomb in the town of Taji killed one person and wounded six.

There were also attacks in Tal Afar, Mosul, Kirkuk, Daquq, Dibis, Kut, Al-Garma, Al-Baaj, Badush, Tuz Khurmatu, Khales and Baquba.” Read more.

Flashback: Minnesota: Muslim Bank Robber Granted Month Long Reprieve, Claims Islam Forbids ‘Engaging In Conflict And Argument’ During Ramadan – “Citing religious views, an accused bank robber known as ‘The Man in Black’ asked a federal judge this week to postpone hearings until the end of Ramadan, a monthlong Muslim observance… After Magistrate Judge Jeanne Graham denied his initial request for a continuance, Wetsch argued that his meal and prayer requirements can be accommodated, but there are other elements of Ramadan to be observed as well… Graham approved his renewed request.” Read more.

By TOM NEWTON DUNN, The Sun – “ISRAEL is preparing for a ground attack on Iran before Christmas after commando dry runs in the Iraq desert, British spies have warned.

Generals in Tel Aviv believe they have until the end of the year to strike at Iran’s nuclear programme.

An assault would spark chaos across the Middle East, plunging the delicate region back into a full-blown war.

Israeli leaders made it clear this week they are ready to launch military action alone to stop Tehran, led by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, getting the bomb if the US doesn’t.

Late October or early November have been identified by intelligence analysts as a likely time because of the US elections on November 6. President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney will fear condemning any Israeli action for fear of losing the huge Jewish vote.

A senior Whitehall source said: ‘We know the Israelis have been active in the Iraq desert, it would appear preparing forward bases for a ground assault.

‘Bombing Iranian nuclear installations will most likely be a part of their plan, but the only way to confirm they have destroyed what they need to is to put boots on the ground.

‘It is a very big concern. Iran would have to retaliate, putting the region into an extremely dangerous situation.'” Read more.

Flashback: Re-Set Your Watches for October – The New Iran Deadline – “The presence of American officers will grow exponentially as they prepare for the Austere Challenge 2012, set to take place in October. This is the largest joint U.S.-Israeli military exercise ever… The imminent presence in Israel of thousands of U.S. Army personnel, along with billions of dollars of hardware … can mean one of two things. One possibility is that the Israeli leadership is bluffing, and there is not going to be an attack on Iran this year … and the drill will serve President Barack Obama as a huge display of his commitment to Israel’s security … or the United States, will come to the conclusion … that a military strike is the only viable method of denying the Iranians nuclear weapons.” Read more.

Replace “Israel” with the word “Islam” and he would have finally said something that began to make logical sense for once …

JPost – “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad referred to Israel as a western ‘tool to dominate the Middle East’ and an ‘insult to all humanity,’ in a speech given at a Tehran rally marking the annual Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.

Protesters held massive rallies in cities across Iran on Friday, marking Al-Quds Day, an anti-Zionist event which calls for the liberation of Palestine.

‘Today, Israel and the Zionist entity are against the preservation of all human rights and human dignity,’ IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying at the event.

Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and held signs bearing slogans such as ‘Down with the US’ and ‘Death to Israel’ at Friday’s rallies.

Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that millions of people were expected to take part in the events in over 550 cities throughout the country. The report added that the demonstration was not only against Israel and the US, but the silence of the international community at ‘the crimes committed in the occupied lands.’

Al-Quds Day rallies were also scheduled to take place in other countries throughout the Muslim world on Friday. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was expected to address the crowd gathered at the organization’s Al-Quds Day celebration Friday evening at Al-Mahdi – Hadath School in the southern suburb of Beirut, according to Lebanese television station Al-Manar.” Read more.

Flashback: Ahmadinejad: Iran is Determined to Eradicate the ‘Infectious Tumor’ of Israel, ‘Will Never Withdraw’ From This Policy – “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran was determined to eradicate Israel, ISNA news agency reported Thursday. ‘Iran believes that whoever is for humanity should also be for eradicating the Zionist regime … Iran follows this issue (the eradication of Israel) with determination and decisiveness and will never ever withdraw from this standpoint and policy …” Read more.

Flashback: Ahmadinejad: World Forces Must Strive To Annihilate Israel To ‘Solve All The World’s Problems’ – “… Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the ultimate goal of world forces must be the annihilation of Israel… Repeating traditional anti-Semitic slurs, the Iranian president accused ‘Zionists’ of controlling the world’s media and financial systems. It was Zionists, he said, who were ‘behind the scene of the world’s main powers, media, monetary and banking centers.’ … Ahmadinejad added that ‘liberating Palestine’ would solve all the world’s problems, although he did not elaborate on exactly how that might work.” Read more.

By AARON KLEIN – “NEW YORK – Iran has warned Saudi Arabia and Qatar that if either country allows Israel to use its airspace, Tehran may retaliate directly against those Gulf nations, according to informed Arab government officials speaking to WND.

One official said that in talks with Gulf nations, Iran ‘hinted’ that a couple of Iranian missiles ‘may lose their way’ and strike Qatar, Saudi Arabia or any other Gulf nation that allows Israel to use its airspace in any attack against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Such threats may help to account for a reported change in Saudi Arabia’s attitude toward an Israeli strike on Iran.

Last week, Israel’s Yedioth Aharonot newspaper reported Saudi Arabia informed the Jewish state that it would intercept any Israeli aircraft crossing its airspace en route to Iran.

According to the report, the message was transmitted via the United States during talks with Obama administration officials in Jerusalem.

Saudi Arabia does not maintain an open diplomatic relationship with Israel. But the Sunni Muslim country, together with Qatar, Jordan and other moderates, views itself as threatened by the growing and opposing influence of Iran, dominated by Shiite Islam.

There have been multiple reports of Saudi cooperation with Israel on the Iranian nuclear issue.” Read more.

Flashback: Walid Shoebat: Iran To Obtain Nuclear Weapons, Will Destroy Saudi Arabia – “… if you look at the Bible, remember, the Harlot is destroyed by two entities. By … the hand of My people, Israel, and then you have in Isaiah 21, Arise O Elam to destroy what? Arabia. Elam is Iran. Persia will destroy Arabia. I believe Arabia is the Harlot of Babylon. If you look at the Bible — when you read Babylon in the Bible — all the names of the cities, entities, regions within those [areas of] Babylon in the Bible, you will never find any ancient name of any Babylonian city … Every single vicinity [mentioned in Isaiah 21] is in Arabia. The burden against Dumah. Dumah is in Arabia…Dedan, Kedar, those are all in Arabia. It’s born from Babylon. That’s why it’s called the daughter of Babylon. We need to focus on Saudi Arabia because it is mentioned heavily in the Bible.”

In the eyes of this Muslim cleric, it is quite apparent that democracy is nothing more than the vessel by which the Islamist agenda is granted the freedom to promulgate and prescribe Allah’s laws of oppression upon every last man, woman and child …

Isaiah 19:2,4, “‘I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom… And the Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them,’ Says the Lord, the LORD of hosts.”

Egyptian Cleric Hashem Islam: “The revolution [protest] planned for August 24 is a par excellence revolution of kharijite apostasy against democracy and freedom. I am currently working on a relevant fatwa… The legitimate president is Dr. Mohamed Morsi, and anyone who goes out to (to protest) on August 24 will be revolting against the January 25 Revolution, and will be committing the crimes of hiraba and high treason against the country, against Allah, against His Messenger, and against the believers. Therefore, I convey the following fatwa to the Egyptian people: Confront these people, and if they fight you, fight them. Oh people of Egypt, confront these people, and if they fight you, fight them. If some of you are killed by them, you will go to Paradise, and if you kill them, no ‘blood money’ will be warranted, because their killing is permissible. Allah’s mercy and blessings upon you.”

Unidentified Speaker 1: “… you cannot say such things …”

Unidentified Speaker 2: “He has no right to do this. A fatwa must come from the Mufti. Not just anybody can issue a fatwa, pitting the Egyptians one against the other. This revolution was waged in order to have more freedom, not more strife.”

Because of the insatiable nature of the hunger for absolute power, no serious crisis will ever go to waste. Just ask the former White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama. Given the events that have transpired this week alone in Egypt, it seems that the Muslim Brotherhood is taking that advice to heart, leaving us to certainly wonder if — as the author below rightly asks — the new anti-Christian and anti-Israel leadership of Egypt would even be where they are today if America actually had an administration “grounded in reality, rather than one with an affinity for Islamists that defies logic.” Each day, that answer is becoming increasingly clear …

By Arnold Ahlert -“In less than a week, the Muslim Brotherhood has made great strides towards consolidating its power in Egypt. Last Wednesday, newly elected president Mohammed Morsi fired his intelligence chief and other top security officials, using the killing of 16 soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula as his rationale. On Sunday Morsi took his purge one step further, dismissing the entire military leadership in a move that shocked the nation. Whether the military ultimately accepts that decision remains to be seen. The dramatic political implications from the move, however, are not in question.

Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, Military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Sami Anan, along with three generals, Air Force Chief Rezza Abd al-Megid, Navy Commander Mahab Muhamed Mamish and Air Defense Chief Abd Al-Aziz Muhamed Seif were all sacked by Morsi. Tantawi and Anan will be retained as advisors, said Yasser Ali, Mr. Morsi’s spokesman. The Wall Street Journal speculated that the arrangement suggests both men were consulted in advance and willingly ceded power. Morsi awarded both men “Order of the Nile” medals, Egypt’s highest state honor. Morsi also appointed Mahmoud Mekki as his vice president. Mekki is a former judge who earned notoriety for challenging the power of the Hosni Mubarak regime.

Morsi also nullified a constitutional declaration issued by the military junta that severely limited his presidential authority, replacing it with one that gives him sweeping executive and legislative powers. The Journal contends that this new arrangement gives him more power than Hosni Mubarak enjoyed, while the New York Times speculates that such power could give Morsi a decisive role in the drafting of Egypt’s as yet unfinished new constitution.

If this move remains unchallenged, Morsi becomes the supreme commander of the Egyptian Armed Forces, president of the National Defense Council, and Egypt’s president.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) was slow to officially weigh in on the apparent coup, but Egypt’s official news agency quoted an unnamed military official late Sunday as saying Read more…

Egyptian Cleric and Former General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood: “To hell with anyone who does not accept the Islamic rule that the people want. Why?  … We are a people who talk about democracy and the rule of the people … They elected Dr. Morsi for the cultural enterprise that he declared, which is based upon Islam. …  I don’t want to beat around the bush. I’m a straightforward man. When Morsi presented his cultural enterprise for the revival of Egypt, he did so from an Islamic perspective, not a secular one.”

Flashback: Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood’s Morsi Says Christians Must Convert To Islam, Pay ‘Jizya’, Or Leave – ‘Conquest Is Coming’ – “… Muhammad Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate, just declared that he will ‘achieve the Islamic conquest (fath) of Egypt for the second time, and make all Christians convert to Islam, or else pay the jizya,’ the additional Islamic tax, or financial tribute, required of non-Muslims, or financial tribute… ‘They need to know that conquest is coming, and Egypt will be Islamic …’” Read more.

Flashback: Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood’s Morsi Declares ‘Death In The Name Of Allah Is Our Goal’ – “Egypt’s Constitution should be based on the Koran and Sharia law, presidential candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist movement Mohamed Morsi said. ‘The Koran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader, jihad is our path and death in the name of Allah is our goal,’ … Today Egypt is close as never before to the triumph of Islam at all the state levels, he said.” Read more.

“If your sword’s too short, add to its length by taking one step forward.” – Author Unknown …

By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz – “The Egyptian army has been deploying large anti-terrorist forces in parts of the Sinai peninsula without informing Israel in advance. The peace treaty between the two countries limits the Egyptian military presence in Sinai.

Some of the Egyptian forces in the peninsula were sent there with Israel’s consent, but Haaretz has learned that forces have also been deployed without Israel’s prior approval. Israeli government officials only learned about it after the fact. Although Israeli defense officials declined to comment on the matter, they did note that there has been good security cooperation between the two countries, adding that there is regular contact between the two sides.

The Egyptian troop movements come in response to the expanding power vacuum in Sinai. On August 5, militants took over an Egyptian border post in the peninsula, killing 16 soldiers and stealing two armored personnel carriers that then headed to the Israeli border. One of the APCs exploded in the Kerem Shalom border terminal linking Egypt, Gaza and Israel; the other drove two kilometers into Israeli territory before it was hit in an Israel Air Force strike.

According to the 1979 peace agreement negotiated at Camp David, Egypt is not allowed to introduce tanks into certain areas of Sinai, including the vicinity of Al-Arish, to which dozens of tanks have been transported over the past several days. The treaty also bars the use of fighter aircraft, including helicopters, but that was approved retroactively by the Israeli security cabinet.” Read more.

Egypt: Morsi ‘To Make Changes In Camp David Accords’ To Exercise Full Sovereignty Over Sinai Peninsula – “The excuse will undoubtedly be to rein in terrorism. But let’s not kid ourselves — this is just one step toward an all-out annulment of Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel …” Read more.