DROPLETS

 

The measure of blue

Pushed by the wind

The clouds bend
And open a vast road above
Since the blue beyond is immeasurable
The road is infinite.
No matter how small and weak
The wings of the birds may be
Each flight is a step in the infinite road…

São Ludovino, 1/12/2024

The chant of the clouds

From where I’m standing
The storm is surrendering
The rage becomes a chant
And the hard rain
Delays its fury
Suspended above…

São Ludovino, 1/12/2024

Resting in the harbour

I carry a lighthouse in my soul
And a ship in my mind
As an old sailor
I know the only one
Who can take me down
Is the large ocean
And the oblivion of return…

São Ludovino, 1/12/2024

The author within

I found a seed inside a flower
And a flower inside a hand
And a hand inside a mind
And a mind inside a book
Then, the endless sowing
And cropping began
The more pages I turn
The more seeds I find
And the hidden author within
Is yet to be found…

São Ludovino, 1/12/2024

Continuum

The last rays here
Are the first somewhere else.
Light is a continuum
The link between all points
In time and space.

São Ludovino, 1/12/2024

Sunset, photography by São Ludovino.

Expanding Time & Space, photography by São Ludovino.

Don't tolerate the intolerable! - III

 CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE

     One of the reasons why Islam tries to paint a reasonable portrait of itself is the fact that in their holy books (Quran and Hadith) we can really find opposite principles: some pointing to relative tolerance and others pointing to the most violent and outrageous intolerance. And again, these contradictions show clearly how this religion had a practical purpose from the beginning. The dogmas and rules were prescribed considering the conquering and governing needs of each moment. Then, since those contradictions were so useful, they remained there to use again and again when they were needed and denied by opposite statements when that was the most suitable.

     About the whitewashing that Islam tries to make with his own warlord prophet and violent holly book, Harry Foundalis points some examples that entirely contradict the fake idea of “religion of peace”. That’s how the large majority of Muslims define their religion (though a great part didn’t even read the Quran or the Hadith) and even many people in the free West. The most part of these didn’t read the Quran or the Hadith too and would never choose to live under an Islamic regime… These contradictions within the Islamic scriptures are especially convenient when Muslims try to demonstrate that Islamic terror and the Islamic State (ISIS) have nothing to do with Islam! They cut a specific verse from the context and hide the rest that would deny it. In Islam, is very easy to find contradictions not only between theory and practice but within the same holy Islamic scriptures.

     «(…) What Muslims do not ever reveal to non-muslims are all those other verses of the Qur’an that make it abundantly clear that the Muslim should fight (do jihad, in Arabic) until all other religions disappear and “religion is all for Allah”; such as this one:

Qur’an 8:39: “So, fight them [the disbelievers] until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah.”

Qur’an 9:5: “And when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the pagans wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”

     In other words, slay the pagans until they change their religion. If they do, then stop slaughtering them because then, and only then, Allah remembers how merciful he is!

What about this one?

Qur’an 9:29: “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the tribute with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.”

     Translation: Fight against every non-muslim, even Christians and Jews (“the People of the Book”), until they surrender, become your slaves, and pay the special “subdued non-muslim tax” (“jizyah”) to you — those who are not dead already. Unless, of course, they change their religion and become Muslims. (Otherwise, “no compulsion in religion”!)

     What about this excerpt from Sahi al-Bukhari?

Sahi al-Bukhari, V4B53N386:

     “Our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, has ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah alone or pay us the Jizyah (tribute tax); and our Prophet has informed us that our Lord says: ‘Whoever amongst us is killed as a martyr shall go to Paradise to lead such a luxurious life as he has never seen, and whoever survives shall become your master.’ ”

     In other words, warring so that Islam prevails over other religions is the highest priority for Muslims, since whether they die fighting, or survive, Muhammad promised them “a deal they can’t refuse”.

     Of course, there are more:

al-Tabari 9:69

     “Arabs were the first to respond to the call of the Prophet. We are Allah’s helpers and the viziers of His Messenger. We fight people until they believe in Allah. He who believes in Allah and His Messenger has protected his life and possessions from us. As for one who disbelieves, we will fight him forever in the Cause of Allah. Killing him is a small matter to us.”

     And there are many, many more! But let’s not tire the reader with this avalanche of evidence that the Qur’an contradicts its own “no compulsion in religion” multiple times, and that Muhammad himself ordered Muslims to fight non-muslims until they worship Allah or pay the jizyah (tax). And, if you neither become Muslim, nor pay the tax, you are “dead meat”. At least, in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and possibly elsewhere, that’s what you are; you are killed, executed. In more “progressive” places, such as the Ottoman Empire in the beginning of the 20th C., you would be sent to exile. That’s exactly what happened to my grandfather, who was a Greek born in Talash, Turkey (then Mutalashkee, Ottoman Empire), was living in Kayseri, and married my grandmother in Konya, both large cities of today’s Turkey.»

     About the ISIS conquering plan, the author demonstrates that the aim was exactly the same of the founders of Islam, a large campaign of conquest in the East, West and Africa.

     «(…) Try to understand the idea in the frame above, please, because it has important consequences in our times. You see, Muhammad’s wars and conquests were admired and attempted to be copycatted in our times by the barbarian and murderous hordes of the Islamic State. In 2014, the Islamic State published the following map, depicting the lands that they were dreaming of conquering and subjugating under their horrendously barbaric and inhuman regime, within five years.

Fig. The dream of the Islamic State

     As you can see, the Islamic-State dream was not too different from the actual extension of the 8th-century Umayyad Caliphate (see Fig. above), only somewhat more ambitious. It is a different issue that, by 2018, the Islamic State disappeared from the face of the Earth, and its fighters were largely exterminated. Through the map of Fig. above they managed to depict their futile dreams.»

     The Islamic condemnation of suicide as an immoral crime is in flagrant contradiction with the defense of suicide bombings, even when the bombers are just children. Suicide is considered morally wrong but suicide bombings to kill innocent people, that they call “infidels”, is considered right for a large number of Muslims.

     There’s also a shocking contradiction between the supposed protection of children and the use of children as human shields and as suicidal bombers. It seems that children are only important to be indoctrinated and become future soldiers of Allah!

     The opinion of a majority of Muslim about “suicide bombings” is very elucidating about what they consider justifiable doing to achieve their purposes (Islamize the world and punish the infidels for not being as barbaric as they are).

Suicide Bombing

     «When Muslims are asked whether suicide bombing or other forms of violence against civilian targets can be justified in order to defend Islam from its enemies, few in the countries surveyed say that this form of violence is often or sometimes justified, and support has generally diminished in the last decade. Still, significant minorities of Muslims in a few countries do hold the view that it can be justified.

     In the Middle East, support for suicide bombing is highest in the Palestinian territories, where 46% of Muslims say that it is often or sometimes justified in order to defend Islam. Support is particularly high among Muslims in Gaza (62%) versus those in the West Bank (36%).

     In Lebanon, 29% of Muslims say targeting civilians is justified. This includes 37% of Shia Muslims but only 21% among Sunni Muslims. Meanwhile, a quarter or less of Muslims in Egypt (24%), Turkey (18%), Israel (16%) and Jordan (15%) say suicide bombing is often or sometimes justified. Among Tunisian Muslims, only 5% say this.

     Nearly half of Bangladeshi Muslims (47%) believe suicide bombing can be justified. This is much higher than the 18% of Muslims in Malaysia who say the same. In Indonesia and Pakistan, countries which have been rocked by suicide bombings in the past decade, one-in-ten Muslims or less say that targeting civilians is often or sometimes justified (9% and 3%, respectively).

     More than a decade after the 9/11 attacks and after hundreds of high profile attacks on civilians, the percentage of Muslims who say suicide bombing is often or sometimes justified has fallen in many of the countries surveyed. For instance, in 2002, 74% of Lebanese Muslims said suicide bombing was often or sometimes justified. But in the wake of well-publicized attacks, such as the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Hariri, support has fallen to just 29% today.»

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2014/07/01/concerns-about-islamic-extremism-on-the-rise-in-middle-east/

- https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2005/07/14/islamic-extremism-common-concern-for-muslim-and-western-publics/

     These data don’t include ISIS actions and the Islamic attacks in Europe in 2015 and after (France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Austria, etc.)

ARCHIVE OF MEMORY - I

 WHO'S AFRAID OF TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE?

The cases of MEMRI and Internet Archive

     In the last two years the censorship against channels, sites and platforms that insist in publishing factual documents and fundamented analysis about the war of Russia against Ukraine and the multiple attacks against Israel coming from Iran and its Islamic terrorist proxies, were censored, blocked partially or completely shut down. 

MEMRI

     Some weeks ago (around the middle of October), YouTube shut down the channel of MEMRI TV.  MEMRI (Middle East Monitor Research Institute) is a 25 years old non-governmental institution dedicated to study the Middle East media, culture, politics, and society, translates shows from Arabic and Farsi to English of more than 100 TV channels, and publishes articles about actuality. THey also make translations of the media in Russia, China, Pakistan and other countries dominated by dictatorships.  

     Through its articles and videos MEMRI brings to the public in general information and visual documents that aren't avaible anywhere else in English, only in Arabic, Farsi, and other languages that the great majority in the West don't know.

     Since I discovered MEMRI work, about 20 years ago, I've been repeating that anyone who wants to know the Middle East in the easiest way is watching / reading their media. If the work of MEMRI TV was shown in the Western Media, the blind and evil supporters of Islamic terrorist organizations (like Hamas or Hezbollah) would be completely discredit and those who still have a drop of moral conscience would certainly change their mind, except for those who won't accept that they have been living merged in propaganda and blatant lies.

     The official site of MEMRI is still available and publishing new articles everyday, but the quick and undeniable facts were coming through the videos on YouTube. Shutting their channel was like shutting a direct door to facts and truth. The videos are still available in other channels and in other platforms, but curiously in some places what appears are only the videos from Islamic media condemning MEMRI and accusing them of espionage, even if the TV shows they translate to English are wired publicly in Arabic and Farsi. MEMRI doesn't present any interpretation of the contents, only translates them to English. Each viewer will draw his / her own conclusions, and they are very obvious. Besides, MEMRI also publishes those critical videos of their work and that is a clever and honest choice. It shows live  the absurd assumption that no one will watch what they are doing and saying; and if what they are saying and doing publicly is translated and showed to  the general public in the West, they consider that an aggression and an invasion of their national sovereignity! Anyway, many of those channels are broadcasted abroad, though only in Arabic and Farsi, for their indoctrinated public. How can they expect that no one would have the curiosity to watch them and use an automatic translation. Fortunately, even if MEMRI wasn't doing this excellent work of monitoring and translating the Islamic TV channels, there are many dissidents coming from those countries that are already doing the same thing. We should be thankful to them too.

Blasphemy laws identified in 11 more countries since 2020 via National Secular Society.

     Western channels like BBC Arabic are also used to echo the same propaganda, and BBC is supported by the taxpayers that are also the targets and victims of Islamic terrorism. Al-Jazeera, that was created by the Muslim Brotherhood and is funded by Quatar, broadcasts both in Arabic and English. In the English version they pretend to be more reasonable and impartial, but they aren't. The fundamental points of view are the same of the most radical Islamists. They invite lots of westerners to comment but only those who aggree with them as a mean to legitimate their propaganda, misinformation and disinformation. The fake Palestinian cause, invented by the Russians and Yasser Arafat in the sixties, totally uncovered their bias and the fact that they hire actual terrorists from Hamas and other Islamic terrorist groups. In 90% of the cases, when they say "Israel killed one more journalist", they forget to tell that it was in fact an undercover terrorist that participated in the October 7 massacre or was holding Israeli hostages as slaves in their own houses in Gaza.

     The use of the Arabic language, a colonial language imposed by Islam to all the peoples they conquered, occupied and oppressed through the Middle East, Africa and Asia, is in itself a tool of terror, a kind of "secret" language to connect all those who hate the West, from outside and from inside.  

     The MEMRI videos are the most accurate portrait of the indoctrination, the fanaticism and the slave mentality of the majority of the people in the Islamic countries. From now and then, someone more reasonable, more moderate and even critical will appear, but they really are a rarety. And if anyone dares to challenge the only accepted and imposed "truth" is insulted and humiliated live as a lesson to the others who dare to think by their own heads.

     Since a month ago or so, YouTube did another strange thing: reduced the size of the automatic subtitles in a way that makes almost impossible to read and watch at the same time. MEMRI videos had the advantage of having the subtitles incorporated in the video in a reasonable size. Another thing that is happening is that the subtitles appear in delay in relation to what the speaker is actually saying. So, the small size of the subtitles and the delay in the translation work as a kind of distraction. If they have so many experts working there, why didn't they fix these two problems?

     MEMRI is now commemorating 25 years of an incredible work, a true PUBLIC SERVICE, that has been decisively useful not only to common people but also to governments and authorities that must constantly deal with the threat of Islamic terrorism. Since the October 7 massacre in Israel, MEMRI has been even more active and revealing the reactions in the countries that support Islamic terror, coming both from official sources and from the civil society that usually echoes the state position. Along the last year (2024), MEMRI had more than 200 million views of their videos. That was something that the Islamic theocracies and autocracies couldn't stand. YouTube surrendered to the pressure and shut down MEMRI's channel instead of defending the right to free expression and information. The simple fact that those videos only present accurate translations of the Islamic media should be an argument strong enough to dismiss any unfounded complaints. 

     In its 25th anniversary MEMRI declares:

     IN THE LAST 25 YEARS

     «For the past quarter of a century, MEMRI has been providing vital research, primary source translations, and original analysis to the governments of the U.S. and its allies, and to their counterterrorism officials, law enforcement agencies, militaries, and other authorities, assisting them in tackling threats and facing adversaries. We work with news organizations and media to inform their understanding of the complexities of issues and developments in all these countries, and serve as a valuable resource for academia and legislatures worldwide.

     SINCE THE WAR

     Since the Hamas attack on the southern front of Israel on October 7, 2023, and Hizbullah, Iran's other proxy, joining the war a day later, on October 8, on the northern front, MEMRI staff have been closely monitoring the Israel-Hamas and Israel-Hizbullah wars around the clock, seven days a week, publishing an unprecedented number of reports and clips – nearly 600 in the first eight weeks of the war. The translated MEMRI TV clips we released during this time have had over 80 million views.

     As the war continues and expands, with the Iranian ayatollah's regime joining the war directly with attacks involving hundreds of missile in April and October, MEMRI's research is playing a more important role than ever in deciphering enemy plans, strategies, and intentions.

     In fact, the war on the southern front has involved the murder of 32 American hostages as well as another seven American hostages who remain in captivity. In the north, it is a war against Hizbullah, a group whose history includes the murder of 17 Americans in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, and that of 241 U.S. military personnel in the bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps Barracks in the same city in October of that year, along with countless other terrorist attacks on American targets.

     The war involves Iran, a country that constitutes a menace to the United States, whose leadership regularly lead chants of "Death to America" and refer to the country as "the Great Satan," and which holds a sword over Western economies in the Red Sea, where Iran's Houthi proxies have paralyzed 60 percent of the traffic, and is a direct threat to the oil of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Iran also has missiles that can reach Europe, is developing missiles that could reach the United States, and is trying to develop nuclear weapons. All of this shows that the war is no less against America than it is against Israel. It is important to note that the threat from Iran comes not from the Iranian people, but from the Iranian ayatollah's regime. There is a way to counter that regime, and to pull it down without war.

     The war in the Middle East has also prompted a wave of violent demonstrations in the United States and the West generally and MEMRI is working to document and expose extremist and violent organizations in the West. We monitor imams who advocate hatred and violence against Americans, both Jews and non-Jews, and are playing an ever-growing role in Western security. MEMRI's work to document and expose extremism in the West is also more important than ever. Its monitoring of extremist imams who advocate hatred and violence against Jews, Americans, and the West, is playing an ever-growing role in Western security. In just one example, its exposure over years of the PLFP-linked Samidoun has resulted recently in that group being banned in the U.S. and Canada.

     MEMRI research, with its significant intelligence value, is filling a major void. We have been assisting governments worldwide, providing them with our latest research – in the U.S., Canada, Israel, and Europe. In MEMRI's 25th year, we again prove that we are on the cutting edge in this field.

     In addition to our support to law enforcement, our research has assisted the Departments of State and Treasury, and other agencies. MEMRI research was used in public forums by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and by National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby. MEMRI research is being shared on social media by prominent political leaders, including members of Congress.

     With the ongoing war in Gaza and Lebanon, the Iranian aggression, Qatar's ongoing sponsorship of jihadi and Islamist organizations and movements worldwide, extremism in the U.S. and the West, and heightened tensions in the region and across the U.S. and the West, including violent anti-Israel and antisemitic protests, our work is more crucial than ever.

     MEMRI staff – researchers, translators, editors, as well as technical and distribution teams – are working 24 hours a day from different locations on the globe and different time zones. The work we are doing is exhausting, and producing that amount of material is very costly. There is much to do, and we need your help today. We cannot do this without you.»

Source: MEMRI

MEMRI statistics in 2024.

CENSORSHIP GOES ON

     On November 5, 2024, the day of American presidencial elections, MEMRI TV channel was visible again on YouTube... BUT my YouTube channel was removed, apparently for good. YouTube accuses me again of promoting "crime and violence", though a great part of my videos are created precisely to condemn "crime and violence". I'm not surprised. I'm just one more target of those who really promoty and execute "crime and violence"

     From what I observed in the last 3 to 5 years, all those who condemn the Russian aggression and the Islamic terror are targeted one way or another. The argumentative method is interesting and completely subversive, since the moral ones are systematically accused of the crimes their accusers defend and commit every single day. This same method was used by Russia in their accusations towards Ukraine and by the Islamic terrorists in their accusations towards Israel. They pretend to turn the aggressors in victims and the true victims in aggressors. This subversion of reality and values is in itself a manifestation of "crime and violence", and yet platforms like YouTube completely fall for it as well as all the woke blind herds of mental slaves and brainwashed. 

     I don't endorse none of the candidates in the American elections; both are too flawed to be president of a superpower like the USA. Yet, I can't avoid thinking that there's some connction, as if the hackers payed by the dictators are trying by all means to favour or unfavour this or that candidate. This suspicion has some fundament. If you admit that the hundreds or thousands of people / channels that have been attacked and / or removed recently hasd a certain sympathy for this or that candidate, then you would assume that the blocking or removal of their voices ans opinions would surely have a reflection in the election. Who knows?!

     But beyond all the political wars, there's thousands of people that are simply evil and dishonest, they just enjoy doing harm in every way they can. Sometimes both are combined in the same person, because the hackers that are just "warriors" for true freedom and justice are very rare.

     The loss of my YouTube channel won't stop any of my work. There are too many people involved and my work is an instrument of work to them. They regrett as much as I do this absurd injustice and condemn YouTube arbitrary policy that bans those who are honest and hard working and favours the crooks, liars and true criminals.

     I assume that MEMRI and the Internet Archive had to spend lots of money in lawyers and experts to have their channels / platforms back. In don't intend to spend a single cent to feed crooks. What is really unacceptable is tha fact that those attacked are usually those who should be rewarded by the state itself for their valuable work that was available to everyone. Both MEMRI and the Internet Archive deserve awards for their PUBLIC SERVICE!

     This was YouTube message to me: 

 «Hi São Ludovino,

We have reviewed your content and found severe or repeated violations of our violent criminal organizations policy. Because of this, we have removed your channel from YouTube.»

     And this was my appeal to YouTube: (they only accepted an appeal with a maximun of 800 caracters, not words, what restricts a lot my arguments)

     «None of my videos promote crime or violence, quite the opposite. I denouce and condemn all kinds of crime and violence. Recently YouTube also blocked my channel with the same accusation, evoking a private video of 25 seconds that was meant to be the introduction to the play Endgame by Samuel Beckett. In spite of being a manifestation against violence, YouTube asked me to remove that private video, which I did, and my channel became visible again. My playlist “Archive of Memory” has the same purpose: condemn violence and censorship. Even so, if you demand me to erase it, I’ll do it. But you must allow me to enter in my YouTube studio, something I can't do since you removed my channel.»

This was the kind message coming from YouTube.

INTERNET ARCHIVE

     About one month ago, Internet Archive suffered a DDOS attack that took down all their services. A DDOS attack is a Distributed Denial-of-Service attack that prevents the users to have acess to any files in a site or platform. If the right action is not taken immediately, the files may be lost. The hackers also attack personal computers and turn the machine extremely slow and the internet as well, making difficult or impossible to open a single page. Usually this attacks are directed to large enterprises and the hackers just want to extort money or they want to destroy what their "bosses" consider dangerous to their criminal actions and politics.

Update about the DDOS attack against Internet Archive.

     Now, why attack Internet Archive, with what purpose? And who ordered the attack? Anyone who knows Internet Archive can only classify this attack as a crime against knowledge, against the right to learn and against freedom of information. And who is afraid of knowledge and freedom of information? Several people, but mainly those who are used to control information and knowledge and know that information and knowledge are very powerful. Take a guess. Those responsible for the two present larger wars - Russia against Ukraine and Iran and its proxies against Israel - are also known for their digital propaganda and cyberwar tactics. In their countries there is no freedom of thought, expression or information. The state controls everything and decides what citizens may or not learn, think, believe and express. This is a plausible possibility, not a certainty.

Let readers read!

     The Internet Archive is the most precious jewel on internet. Six years before Wikipedia was founded (January 15, 2001), Internet Archive was created (May 10, 1996) with the noble purpose of building an "Internet Library". And they did. There are billions of books and documents on Internet Archive, and also images, films, videos, podcasts, music, art. I can easily lost myself on Internet Archive because there's so much to see, read and listen. It is possible to make a complete research work about complex subjects using only Internet Archive sources. The greatest libraries of the world have their pages there, as well the great museums and art galleries. And the music is endless; composers, singers, musicians from every area and style have their work there. I discovered many unknown artists and wise authors on Archive. And there's almost total freedom, you only have to respect the authorship identifying the authors / sources and the link.

     Many public, private and state libraries also have their collections there. The only limitation is the year of publication. A recent book can only be read partially or may be borrow for a certain time, as long you have an account on Internet Archive and / or in those libraries. No one ever reunited so much knowledge in a single platform. Internet Archive deserves a prize and a reward from the majority of the countries in the world, because in some cases it has done more for culture and knowledge than the official governments.

     Since there's almost no limitations to freedom of information, along with precious books from centuries ago you may also find a large amount of propaganda, extreme ideologies and conspiracy theories. Anyone can write a book or an article or produce a video and publish it there. In some cases there's restriction of age and is necessary to have asn account on the platform to view those materials. It's fair and reasonable. Though it's also somewhat frightening to see that some propaganda have much more views than extraordinary cultural treasures, rare books and documents. On the other hand, that also allows me to read in first hand what I only can find in sites like MEMRI.

     There's a coincidence in the timing of the attack to Internet Archive and the shut down of MEMRI YouTube channel. Is there a connection? I don't know, but I know that MEMRI and other channels  and sites that expose autocracies like Russia, North Korea and China and the barbarism of Islam and Islamic terror also had their pages in the Internet Archive. Their attempt to shut down Internet Archive was frustrated. Internet Archive is back, though not all services are already available. The magnificent "Wayback Machine" (that allows to search and find a site that doesn't exist anymore) is working again. Apparently, it was the "Wayback Machine" that created the idea that what was once in the internet will remain in the internet, and available to anyone. I feel deeply grateful to all the Internet Archive team that built and is constantly expanding this precious universe of endless resources. And they really work hard to be able of doing all they do.

     What other reason may be behind the attack against the Internet Archive? I know this answer: the greedy editors like Hachette that recently demanded on court that Internet Archive removed from their site around 500 000 books. What is more absurd is that many of those titles are old editions that now belong to the public domain and books that were digitalized by public libraries and college libraries to allow the acess to everyone. If Hachette's complaint only applied to recent editions I would understand. But the recent editions are not even on Archive. 

     Internet Archive is fighting again in court to maintain those thousands of books available, but Internet Archive is not rich like Google, Facebook ou YouTube and can't hire good expensive lawyers. Let«s hope that some generous good lawyers help them. Meanwhile, Internet Archive launched a petition to support their cause. Sign the petition here: Let Readers Read: An Open Letter to the Publishers inHachette v. Internet Archive

     I signed it weeks ago and left my comment there:

     «Knowledge and culture are precious, they should't be censored or denied to the public, they should be available without limits. As far as I know Internet Archive is the only digital platform allowing millions to have acess to knowledge, culture and arts for free across the world. To forbid the acess to half a million books is just criminal.» - São Ludovino

Hachette versus Internet Archive

ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION about the INTERNET ARCHIVE

     «The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), with co-counsel Morrison Foerster LLP, is defending  the Internet Archive against a lawsuit that threatens its Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) program.

     The Internet Archive is a nonprofit digital library, preserving and providing access to cultural artifacts of all kinds in electronic form. CDL allows people to check out digital copies of books for two weeks or less, and only permits patrons to check out as many copies as the Internet Archive and its partner libraries physically own. That means that if the Internet Archive and its partner libraries have only one copy of a book, then only one patron can borrow it at a time, just like other library lending. Through CDL, the Internet Archive is helping to foster research and learning by helping patrons access books and by keeping books in circulation when their publishers have lost interest in them.

     Four publishers sued the Archive, alleging that CDL violates their copyrights. In their complaint, Hachette, HarperCollins, Wiley, and Penguin Random House claim CDL has cost their companies millions of dollars and is a threat to their businesses.

     They are wrong. Libraries have paid publishers billions of dollars for the books in their print collections, and are investing enormous resources in digitization in order to preserve those texts. CDL helps ensure that the public can make full use of the books that libraries have bought and paid for. This activity is fundamentally the same as traditional library lending, and poses no new harm to authors or the publishing industry. Libraries have never been required to get permissions or pay extra fees to lend books.  And as a practical matter, the data shows that CDL has not and will not harm the publishers' bottom line.

     The Internet Archive and the hundreds of libraries and archives that support CDL are simply striving to serve their patrons effectively and efficiently, lending books one at a time, just as they have done for centuries. Copyright law does not prevent that lawful fair use. Indeed, it supports it.

     On July 7, 2022, we filed a motion for summary judgment, asking the court to put an end to this dangerous lawsuit. On March 24, 2023, the court ruled against the Internet Archive, finding that the Internet Archive's CDL program was not a fair use. On Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision. While deeply disappointed by the outcome, EFF was proud to stand with the Internet Archive to defend an essential public service.»

Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation

Library of Congress.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS about the INTERNET ARCHIVE

        About the Internet Archive, the Library of Congress, the largest in the world, that also has part of its collections available on Internet Archive, says the following:

     «"The Internet Archive "was founded [in 1996] to build an 'Internet library,' with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format," such as Internet sites and other cultural digital artifacts (i.e. movies, interviews, images, etc.). Using the Internet Archive's "Wayback Machine," users can look at their own Web site and track how it has evolved. Plug-ins are made available as needed. "Special Wayback Collections" provide a sense of how events such as September 11, 2001, were recorded digitally. This site is appropriate for anyone doing research on the history of the Internet and for those who want to see how the Internet has changed over the years." "Best Free Reference Web Sites 2002." RUSA Quarterly, Fall 2002; reviewed Feb. 19, 2002.»

Source: Library of Congress

    

Internet Archive - Initial page to search, in the Archive or in the Wayback Machine.

ARCHIVE OF MEMORY

     The attacks and blockades against MEMRI, Internet Archive and many valuable users of YouTube and other platforms made me create a new series / playlist on my main YouTube channel. It will contain some of the videos that MEMRI used to publish regularly and videos from other sources, focused mainly in the materials that expose dictatorships, Islamic barbarity, fanaticism and terrorism, and censorship in general. My unwavering support to Israel and Ukraine is also visible in this collection of videos. The copyright of all the videos belong to the original creators, even if in some cases I wasn't able of identifying those creators. 

NOTE: Since YouTube removed my channel today (November 5, 2024) this playlist isn't available, but all the videos will be preserved in several other places. CENSORSHIP and HATE won't ever win! I created my channel more than 15 years ago, I had there around 200 videos (186 of them public), corresponding to many thousands of work hours. The respect of YouTube towards honest work is none. But that's only the reflection of these dark times...  

         

ARCHIVE OF MEMORY

Cover of the videos of the playlist "Archive of Memory".

Don’t tolerate the intolerable! - II

HUMAN DIVERSITY IS NATURAL

     Not all have the same mental and psychological predisposition to believe and feel the metaphysical dimensions of reality and that’s also understandable and natural. Not all were born and raised in an environment that propitiates or shapes a certain metaphysical belief from a young age… though true belief can’t be shaped or forced; is an interior and free act of conscience. Our time presents us striking contradictions, from the complete freedom to believe or disbelieve to the imposition of a single belief. Again, in the present, Islam is the only religion that imposes a single belief and extreme punishment for dissidents.

     We are all different and that is a great human richness. I was born in a Christian country but was never forced to follow any religion. Here, many different religions coexist peacefully. I don’t have a religion but I have a deep spirituality and a huge sense of the Transcendent. And I have values that may be considered Christian, but not because anyone imposed them to me but because they are coincident with my human values.

     When I was around 12-year-old, I remember telling my mother (a Christian Catholic) that we (she and I) were much more alike than she might thought, only the fundaments of our values were different: she thought, felt and acted as she did in great part because her parents, her teachers, priests had told her those were good values. I thought those values were good because that was obvious to me. Observing the world around, experiencing life, learning about History, Science, Religions… Using my individual conscience and interacting with empathy with people had led me to that “obvious” and natural conclusion. Later, my mother understood and completely agreed with my position. In this article, I don’t want to go further in any analysis and reflection about Christian values, but I still have no doubt that they are good, peaceful and human. What some followers of Christianity did in the past or do in the present may not correspond to those values, but the values remain intact and are defended and practiced by the large majority.

     My spirituality is beyond religions, it is an important part of my inner state of conscience and of my existence and role in the world. I believe this free spirituality can bring anyone closer to the Great Mystery, to each other, to Nature, to the Universe than any religion. Most of the times, religion is an obstacle to spirituality, a thick wall of dogmas and ignorance. Islam surely is a thick dark wall between humans and their own souls. The spirit can’t survive in an environment of radical dogmas, intolerance and punishment.

     Humans are body and soul. We may call the immaterial part spirit, conscience, mind, awareness… even brain or intelligence. Though the brain is quite physical, we only know and use consciously about 75% of it; and intelligence is a complex structure of many different functions and abilities that reflect all the interactions among all brain areas and data accumulated. Moral judgment depends from those interactions as logical thought does. What is amazing about moral judgment (the one that distinguishes a good action from a bad one) is that implicates the intervention of the largest number of brain areas (and neuroscience already proved that) than any other kind of thought, judgment or mental activity. In other simple words: being good is a sign of a well balanced intelligence! The most free and critical brain is able of more fair judgments!

     The spirit forms a unity with matter, moves matter through life, towards life ― mens agitat molem ―, towards wisdom, towards a fulfillment and a purpose of inner and outer truthfulness (“the possible perfection”) in our mental and emotional experiences and in our actions. The guidance and the path of the spirit never lead to death, oppression and suffering; this means we don’t seek death, oppression and suffering and we don’t cause it to others. It is absurd that a religion may prescribe evil actions in name of god and tames the spirit to prevent it from reaching freedom and goodness by its own means. Religions that don’t allow the spirit to breathe and grow freely don’t even understand what to be human means, and subvert from the beginning essential notions of “good” and “bad”, that are universal values not moral restrict dogmas.

     Each spirit has its own path to fulfillment; it’s an apparently solitary journey made in union with all creations (Nature, people, human creations, the Unknown). Guidance comes mainly from within and from the example of the good and wise. Spirituality does not demand or need religions and intermediaries, like prophets, clerics, muftis, imams, theologians, ideological leaders… all instruments of theocracy and ideology. Only those who want to rule societies and even the whole world need this. What the soul needs is inner identity, peace, freedom, humbleness and wisdom. This is not a “divine revelation”; these are natural insights accessible to any spirit that isn’t imprisoned by dogmas, prejudices, religions and ideologies.

     Preserving our inner difference is preserving our identity. Our common family is Humanity not any religion and its followers; our common home is Earth, the Universe and the Great Mystery (if you accept there is and there will always be a Mystery). In this sense, the spirit that perceives just a tiny glimpse of the Eternal Unknown experiences wholeness and eternity through this perception, even if it is limited and ephemeral. And the Eternal Unknown is everywhere, from the light of a sunbeam to the conscience of our existence, from the small drop of rain to the existence of a huge Universe that no one will ever know in its totality… The spirit, conscience, true reason are humble; dogmatic belief is always arrogant and an obstacle to objective knowledge and to subjective and individual spiritual inner perceptions.

RELIGIOUS MORAL versus ETHICS

     Particular groups (religious, cultural, social) tend to build their own moral codes. Those who share the precepts in those codes may consider them the best moral principles for them, but no one, no group, has the right to impose those values to others against their will, mainly when those moral principles go against human rights and the universal dignity of each human being. Ethics is universal. Moral is always particular. Only those values that may be applied universally, respecting all, may be acceptable. That is what Ethics stands for. Moral is and will always be the reflection of a particular view, defending and respecting only those who share those same vales.

    In the following paragraphs, the word “moral” is sometimes used with an equivalent meaning of “ethics”, because I’m quoting articles where both words are taken as synonyms, but they are not.

     It is really worrying to realize that among Muslims “moral” is exclusively connected with religion and the belief in god (as some humans conceived it). From their point of view, only Islamic believers can be “good” and “right” because they are the only ones that believe in the true god! If that is so, then why are so many acting against goodness and righteousness in all the violent ways? Here is a fragment of a report about “moral” among Muslims by the Pew Research Center (2013):

God and Morality

     «Muslims widely hold the view that it is necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values. In nearly every country surveyed, at least half of Muslims say an individual’s morality is linked to belief in God. This is true especially in the countries surveyed in Southeast Asia, where more than nine-in-ten Muslims say it is necessary to believe in God to be a moral person. At least eight-in-ten say the same in most countries surveyed in South Asia and the Middle East-North Africa region; only in Lebanon does a smaller majority (64%) share this view.»

Sources: - https://www.pewforum.org/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-morality/

- Cf. The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society, Pew Research Center, 2013, pp. 24-26. - https://www.pewforum.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2013/04/worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-full-report.pdf

     The History of Islam shows clearly how moral was shaped by the practical needs of Muhammad and his followers: to conquer and tame the population. Believers are always easier to govern than non-believers; they are more submissive, abnegated and, the most of the times, ignorant. Ignorance is the perfect ground to sow irrational beliefs and superstition. From the point of view of Islam, non-Muslim believers are unbelievers, infidels, so they must convert or be eliminated. Jihad has precisely this barbaric aim. Jihad is a fundamental part of Islamic moral code that, fortunately, it isn’t universally accepted as an ethical position or we would live in a permanent state of universal war. There would always be free minds opposing to this universal dictatorship and trying to preserve true ethical values. And ethical values are independent of religions, cultures, races, education, particular beliefs and gender. On the contrary, moral codes are based on that.

     Studies from the last two decades in the field of cognitive psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, economics, and anthropology and bioethics point to a very interesting point: we just need to be human to be moral. Marc D. Hauser in his book Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong (2006) affirms that «humans have evolved a universal moral instinct, unconsciously propelling us to deliver judgments of right and wrong independent of gender, education, and religion». This means that we don’t need religion to distinguish right from wrong; we need knowledge, empathy, conscience, freedom and free will. In spite of religions and ideologies, humans were somehow able of finding a reasonable path to ethics. Though many humans keep acting like cruel savages, a basis of positive universal values was achieved just because along with wild instincts of survival we also developed instincts of peaceful coexistence that, after all, are essential to survival.

     Following a similar point of view, Harry Foundalis states the following:

     «What non-muslims consider as moral is the “Universally Moral”. It is the moral code that we human beings inherited from our non-human ancestors; in other words, it is the biological moral code, which was molded into the texts of some religious holy books, especially those of the Judeo-Christian and Hindu religions, in the Buddhist and Confucian traditions, etc.

     In contrast, what Muslims consider moral is what Muhammad did in his life — plain and simple. In fact, the Qur’an itself (i.e., Allah) urges Muslims to do as Muhammad did. Thus, for the non-muslims to understand what is moral in Islam, all they have to do is examine Muhammad’s life (but also the Qur’an), and they’re guaranteed to have all their answers about Islamic morality.»

     Giving a list of examples from the Quran, the author points a few examples of values and behaviours that are consider morally right and mandatory in the Muslim moral code but are unacceptable under the “Universally Moral”:

EQUALITY

     «(…) By “Equality” I mean that every human being has the same human rights with every other human being, irrespective of gender, religion, or anything else. This is not true in the Islamic world. For example, Muslim women and Muslim men are not equal, both in theory and in practice. (cf. Qur’an - Qur’an 4:34)

          And in practice, inequalities exist in many ways: women, but not men, must completely cover their hair and bodies; a man can marry more than one woman but a woman only one man; women must stay confined and pray in one area of the mosque specially designed for them, but only men can pray in the main hall of it; women cannot walk alone out of home, but must be accompanied by a male relative; and many more. As for inequalities in religion, in Islam a Muslim is considered superior to an infidel, who is assumed to be second-class citizen while living in an Islamic society. In any case, “Equality” is not a moral issue in Islam, but it is in the rest of the world.»

CONQUEST

     «(…) By “Conquest” I mean, of course, the act of going at war and conquering the land of another nation. Conquest is considered normal in the Islamic world, and even a virtue and a show of power, as Muhammad was a warlord who conquered the entire Arabian Peninsula. As a result of conquering nearby tribes, Muhammad’s men (the first Muslims) acquired wealth and slaves, and the Qur’an devotes a whole chapter on war booty and slaves (sura 8, Al-Anfal: “Spoils of War, Booty”). But in the rest of the world Conquest is an evil act, an immoral act of depravity, because it savagely violates precisely the principle of Equality among all human beings, discussed above. There can be war among two nations, but the conquest of one by the other is considered an immoral act of the conquering nation.»

      And the author goes on addressing directly to Muslim readers, demonstrating that the violence and killings perpetrated nowadays by Muslims all around the world were prescribed since the beginning by their Prophet and holy book:

     «The fact that your prophet Muhammad was a conqueror means that he was a warlord. As a warlord, he killed people. You understand this, right? You understand, I hope, that he didn’t convert the tribes of Arabia to Islam by offering them bouquets of roses. He was met with resistance, which he subdued by the power of the scimitars of his men, who formed his army. Well, you see, this killing of people, no matter how “noble” the ultimate goal sounds to you, is considered highly immoral in the non-muslim world.

(…)

     If you think that taking other peoples’ lands and making them your own is fine, then, in the eyes of the rest of the world, you are not just immoral, but a villainous barbarian.» (vide http://www.foundalis.com/rlg/WhenceReligion.htm#morality)

      The perception of the dangers and atrocities of Islam is not recent. We can find many writings from the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries. One may say: “But those works were written by westerners that didn’t know or understand Islam, that’s why they are so critical.” Wrong! Those authors knew Arabic, read the Islamic scriptures and knew the History of Islamic bloody conquests. And in spite of all that knowledge, they are able of being quite accurate and impartial. Some authors prefer not even utter an ethical judgment about Islamic principles or actions. They just present excerpts from the Quran or the Hadith. The following two excerpts are from an 18^th book that is focused especially on the morality of the East, mainly Islam.

     The first one make us remember certain ideologies that demand total loyalty and despise the love and links between people of the same family or community. Only those ideologies, that even pretend to be atheist, came much after Islam, but used and are using exactly the same dogmas and precepts (ex-Soviet Union, China or North Korea among others…) and the loyalty demanded is not towards a god or a prophet but towards an ideology and a leader:     

      «O true believers! Take not your fathers or your brethren for friends, if they love infidelity above faith; and whosoever among you shall take them for his friends, they will be unjust doers. Say if your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren, and your wives, and your relations, and your substance which ye have acquired, and your merchandize, which ye apprehend may not be sold off, and your dwellings wherein ye delight, be more dear unto you than God and his apostle, and the advancement of his religion; wait, until God shall send his commands: for God directs not the ungodly people.» (Chap. IX., Vol. I., p. 242)

    «When ye encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads until ye have made a great slaughter among them; and bind them in bonds; and either give them a free dismission afterward, or exact a ransom, until the war shall have laid down its arms. This shall ye do, verily if God pleased, he could take vengeance on them without your assistance: but he commands you to fight his battles, that he may prove the one of you by the other. And as to those who fight in defense of God's true religion, God will not suffer their works to perish: he will guide them, and will dispose their heart aright; and he will lead them into paradise, of which he hath told them. O true believers, if ye assist God, by fighting for his religion, he will assist you against your enemies; and will set your feet fast: but as for the infidels, let them perish; and their works shall God render vain.» (Chap, XLVII, Vol. II, p. 376)

In The morality of the East - extracted from the Koran of Mohammed - digested under alphabetical heads, Printed for W. Nicoll, London, 1766 (pp. 77-79) 

The dictator and Palestine by Ahmed Falah, from Norway, 18 November 2023.

Hateful Stew by Daniel Boris, from USA, 30 October 2023.

The Worst of Humanity by Daniel Boris, from USA, 23 October 2023.