While Syria’s former dictator Hafez al-Assad (1930-2000) was ethnically Alawite as is his son and successor as dictator Bashar al-Assad (b. 1965) have they both pursued Islamization policies which are basically anti-Alawite. Alawite pupils are forced to endure Islamic religious instruction in state schools and the regime built mosques in Alawite villages throughout the AlawiteContinue reading “Ending the Islamization of the Alawite People”
Author Archives: Daniella Bartfeld
Is Ismailism Crypto-Judaism?
Early Sunni religious authorities widely refer to Shi’ism as founded by Jews and even today in Saudi Arabia is Shi’ism consensually considered to be Crypto-Jewish by Wahhabi religious authorities and in the educational system of Saudi Arabia. There are three surviving branches of Shi’ism, one of which, the Yemeni Zaydism is historically and in theContinue reading “Is Ismailism Crypto-Judaism?”
Is Islam Incompatible with Democracy?
After the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States did the George W. Bush administration launch a global campaign to promote democratization and liberalization in Islamdom. Many have later asked whether this was a mistaken policy as it was clearly the Bush administration’s efforts that ushered in the Arab spring a full decade later.Continue reading “Is Islam Incompatible with Democracy?”
Waiting until Doomsday?
The Iranian nuclear weapons program is racing to enrich enough uranium for an atomic bomb. In parallel is Israel racing to rapidly build a capacity to strategically degrade the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Israel will not allow Iran to amass enough enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon and is ready to preemptively attack Iran. IranContinue reading “Waiting until Doomsday?”
Hezbollah’s Patrons
Iran is racing towards producing enough enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb while at the same time Israel is racing to develop capacity to strategically degrade the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Once Israel destroys the Iranian nuclear weapons program – will Hezbollah unleash massive barrages of tens of thousands of missiles against Tel Aviv andContinue reading “Hezbollah’s Patrons”
What about Genetics?
The rediscovery of Median Judaism and Median Jewry is a watershed event in Jewish history. However, members of denominations of core Median Judaism are primarily descended from ancient converts to Median Judaism and not from Israelites although they surely have some Israelite ancestry as well. But does genetics matter and does it still count asContinue reading “What about Genetics?”
Territorially Unifying the Jewish Nation in the Levant
The Iranian nuclear weapons program is racing to produce enough enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon. Israel will not allow that to happen and will launch preemptive air strikes against the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Iran will in revenge order its Lebanese proxy terrorist Hezbollah to unleash massive barrages of tens of thousands of missilesContinue reading “Territorially Unifying the Jewish Nation in the Levant”
The Process of Renunciation
A process of renunciation of syncretism with religious imperialism (and in particular syncretism with Islam) will be required as part of the process of official Israeli recognition of denominations of core Median Judaism and preparation for Aliyah (immigration to Israel) and in the case of the Druze and the Alawites the process of Israeli annexation.Continue reading “The Process of Renunciation”
A Race Against Time
Before the JCPOA era did Israel have a ready offensive military program to strike the Iranian nuclear weapons program but with the JCPOA in 2015 was it rescinded. Now Israel is investing billions of shekels in new offensive military capabilities and is training a new generation of fighter pilots for the mission. Yet at theContinue reading “A Race Against Time”
Will there be a Jewish Fraternal War?
There are only two Jewish governments in the world, the one in Israel and the one in Syria. One is a liberal democracy and one is a totalitarian dictatorship. Will there be a war between the two or will the latter agree to peacefully dissolve? As the Iranian nuclear weapons program rapidly advances far beyondContinue reading “Will there be a Jewish Fraternal War?”
No One will Help Assad
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has no friends in the international community and very few allies and as it turns out even the allies are not reliable. As Iranian uranium enrichment progresses to a critical level may Israel launch air strikes against the Iranian nuclear weapons program and Iran in turn will order Hezbollah toContinue reading “No One will Help Assad”
Erdogan is Trying to get Turkey Expelled from NATO
Turkish politics has since 2003 been based on an uneasy power-sharing and indeed heated rivalry been the Muslim Brotherhood controlled AKP regime and the Sabbatean (“Dönmeh”) controlled so-called Derin Devlet (Turkish for ‘Deep State’). NATO membership is sacred for the Derin Devlet which will not allow the AKP to lead Turkey out of NATO. RussiaContinue reading “Erdogan is Trying to get Turkey Expelled from NATO”
Resolving the Palestinian Refugee Question
With a partition of the northern Levant involving the establishment of a Christan Aramean state as the successor state to Lebanon and the Israeli annexation of the Median Jewish (Alawite and Druze) regions of Syria and Lebanon, all following a joint IDF-SDF liberation of Syria and Lebanon subsequent to mass Hezbollah missile barrages against TelContinue reading “Resolving the Palestinian Refugee Question”
Liberalization in North and East Syria
The AANES (Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria) is nominally a one-party state run by the PYD (Democratic Union Party) with socialist libertarianism as its official ideology. In practice however, does the AANES have free and fair elections with freedom of expression and its de facto official ideology is feminism which permeates all aspectsContinue reading “Liberalization in North and East Syria”
Whither al-Ba’ath
There were once two Ba’ath-controlled states, but the Ba’ath party was unseated from power in Iraq in 2003 and so the only remaining Ba’ath state is Syria. Yet, Syria is more akin to a pseudo-monarchy run by a a relatively small number of members from a Crypto-Jewish sect who outwardly pretend to be Anti-Semites andContinue reading “Whither al-Ba’ath”
Fighting til the Bitter End?
Syria has not fought a land war against Israel since 1973 in apparently since then preferring that Lebanon be the arena for Israeli-Arab armed conflict in Israel’s northern military theater. This is so since Syria for the most part has kept the Golan heights border quiet for the five decades that passed since the YomContinue reading “Fighting til the Bitter End?”
Open Letter to the Median Jews who Run Syria
Most of you are Alawites, some of you are Druze, in either case, you did not know you were you Jewish when you grew up because nobody told you and in any case your parents did not know either, only your top religious leaders knew. Now however the situation is different as you know thatContinue reading “Open Letter to the Median Jews who Run Syria”
Avoidable Bloodshed
What if the 56-year old Bashar al-Assad could avoid either of the respective fates of Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein? What if he could retire from presidential life and become a billionaire businessman in Jaffa, Tel Aviv; post the Israeli annexation of the Median Jewish (Alawite and Druze) regions of Syria and Lebanon? What ifContinue reading “Avoidable Bloodshed”
The SAA Stands No Chance
Israel has no choice but together with the allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) crush Hezbollah and its sponsors in Syria and Lebanon after Hezbollah launches its massive missile barrages against Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities in response to the Israeli destruction of the Iranian nuclear weapons program. This is a war of no choiceContinue reading “The SAA Stands No Chance”
Are Zoroastrians Jewish?
Zoroastrianism emerged from Median Judaism and is documented from the 5th century BCE as Zoroastrianism turned into religious imperialism. Zoroastrians have a Kohanite priestly caste but for some reason no Levite priestly tribe. This raises the question as to whether the Zoroastrians are Jewish? Is it a form of Median Judaism? Do they have secretContinue reading “Are Zoroastrians Jewish?”
Jewish Survival
One criterion as to whether a form of Judaism is genuine is whether it stands a chance of survival. While usually not explicitly spelled out is Jewish long-term survival the overriding criterion in halakhic decision making in contemporary Orthodox Judaism. The main reason non-Orthodox Judaism is condemned by Orthodox rabbis is primarily because it tendsContinue reading “Jewish Survival”
Sharing the Burden
It is unreasonable that US allies should not be able to collectively defend themselves. European Union member countries each need to create an Office for the Protection of the Constitution on the German model as well as institute a joint confederal military. The extreme reliance on US troops to defend the EU is intolerable. WhyContinue reading “Sharing the Burden”
No Return to Vienna
Tehran has no intention of returning to the indirect Vienna negotiations. It is somewhat hard to see what Tehran fears in the negotiations as the Iranians could simply stall but they apparently do they fear that Rob Malley will make too many concessions to them as they might be fearful that Beijing and Moscow wouldContinue reading “No Return to Vienna”
United we Stand, Divided we Fall
A strong defense pact in the wider region against Iran should include as many relevant countries as possible. This should include Israel, Azerbaijan, the five post-Soviet central Asian nations, as many Gulf states as possible as well as Jordan, Egypt, Sudan and Morocco. These are countries that are intended victims of the Khomeinist regime’s neo-imperialistContinue reading “United we Stand, Divided we Fall”
The Islamic Veneer in Alevism
What is the Islamic Veneer in Alevism? Alevis do not practice any aspect of Islam in their daily life whatsoever but during the holiday celebrations known as Cem (pronounced Djem, from Hebrew “Yom” i.e. “day”) do they sing extremist Shiite lyrics that include the deification (sic!) of Mohammad and Ali. This is not even “Islamic”Continue reading “The Islamic Veneer in Alevism”
A False Dichotomy
Palestinian propaganda has in recent decades consistently claimed that Israel “has to choose” between a so-called “two-state solution” which entails endangering the Jewish state and a so-called “one-state solution” which entails endangering endangering the Jewish people. This is a patently false choice. The Palestinian side sees a so called “two-state solution” as a purely transitionalContinue reading “A False Dichotomy”
A Hopeless Cause
The Palestinian cause is a hopeless case because they universally make completely impossible demands. They literally require that Israel self-destruct by 1) accepting unlimited immigration of millions of Anti-Zionist descendants of Palestinian ex-refugeees thus dooming any hypothetical “two-state solution” into a transitional fiction, 2) requiring Israel to accept indefensible boundaries within which Israel could notContinue reading “A Hopeless Cause”
The Ba’athist Regime does not Represent the Alawite People
There were once two Ba’athist regimes, however only one is left. It is controlled by ethnic Alawites – who are Median Jews – but who are generally secular and far removed from their Alawite roots. The regime permits only two types of religious education in state schools, Sunni Muslim and Christian. Median Jews (Alawites, Alevis,Continue reading “The Ba’athist Regime does not Represent the Alawite People”
Judea and Samaria are Indigenous Jewish Lands
Many indigenous peoples hold their traditional lands to be sacred and many indigenous peoples have long since been exiled from their traditional lands by imperial powers. The Jews are no exception. The Jews are a Fourth World Nation who have remarkably transitioned into one of the most affluent countries in the world. The origin ofContinue reading “Judea and Samaria are Indigenous Jewish Lands”
The Iranian Threat against Azerbaijan
The ongoing Iranian war games on the border with Azerbaijan illustrates the Iranian Neo-Safavid irredentist threat against the independent Republic of Azerbaijan. The excuse for the maneuvers is the Israeli security presence in Azerbaijan and the particularly close Azerbaijani-Israeli alliance. Would the Iranian military invade Azerbaijan in response to Israel’s destruction of Iran’s nuclear weaponsContinue reading “The Iranian Threat against Azerbaijan”
Implement the Iraqi Constitution
The Iraqi constitution stipulates that there should be referenda in Kurdish areas beyond the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) whether these areas should indeed also be part of the KRG or be ruled directly from Baghdad. This includes the city of Kirkuk. The US government, the European Union and other international friends ofContinue reading “Implement the Iraqi Constitution”
The Israel-Kurdistan Axis
A joint IDF-SDF war to liberate Syria-Lebanon in response to the expected massive Hezbollah missile barrages against Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities in revenge for Israel’s aerial destruction of Iran’s nuclear weapons program will create a new strategic reality in the Middle East by ending Kurdistan’s geographic isolation and connecting it with Israel. IsraelContinue reading “The Israel-Kurdistan Axis”
Why the KRG should have an Air Force
The KRG is a loyal and faithful ally of the United States and deserves more US support. The KRG is often described by its detractors as “a second Israel” due to its pro-American and pro-Israel sympathies and alignments. In fact could and would an independent Kurdistan in the Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian sections of KurdistanContinue reading “Why the KRG should have an Air Force”
Why Moscow and Beijing do not Arm Tehran
Iran has a sophisticated military but its air force is antiquated as are its tanks. Why then do not Russia and China supply Iran with fighter aircrafts and tanks? There is in general a fear in the international community of Iranian intelligence committing 9/11 style mass terrorist attacks and potentially with chemical, biological and radiologicalContinue reading “Why Moscow and Beijing do not Arm Tehran”
Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Germany’s “Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution” (BfV) and its state affiliates, one in each of Germany’s federal states are internationally unique but it is in fact a scandal that not every liberal democracy has its own Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The BfV is a domestic intelligence agency tasked withContinue reading “Office for the Protection of the Constitution”
Tunisia’s Tragedy
Tunisia was the only one of the Arab Spring countries to develop into a full-fledged liberal democracy. President Kais Saied’s recent coup is a transparent attempt at reversing the country’s democratization and making himself dictator. The Tunisian military should intervene, unseat Saied and restore the constitutional order. The recent coup illustrates the lack of nationalContinue reading “Tunisia’s Tragedy”
Rewriting the Nation State Law
Israel will need to modify its controversial “Basic Law: Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People” since Israel’s legislators apparently did not anticipate the existence of Median Jewry and even less so mass Aliyah of tens of millions of Median Jews. The name of the quasi-constitutional basic law will need to be changedContinue reading “Rewriting the Nation State Law”
Uniting the Druze People
The Druze people were divided after WWI between French Syria, French Lebanon and the British Mandate centered in Jerusalem. The Druze were however for some decades given an autonomous state in the Druze Mountain region in southern Syria. In contrast, were the entire Druze people during Ottoman times part of one single state, the OttomanContinue reading “Uniting the Druze People”
The Last Ba’ath Regime is a Losing Bet
Israel has no choice but to strategically destroy as much as possible from the air of the Iranian nuclear weapons program as it poses an existential threat against the Jewish people and Iran increasingly approaches nuclear threshold status, something that is absolutely unacceptable to Israel. Tehran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah will respond with massive missile barragesContinue reading “The Last Ba’ath Regime is a Losing Bet”
The Nefarious Influence of Islamist Soft Power
Islamist soft power is highly influential in academia where it has become paradigmatic that it is ostensibly intrinsically “Islamophobic” to oppose or even criticize the modern totalitarian political ideology of Islamism. Modern political Islam generally opposes all public criticism of any aspect of what is perceived as “Islam” and it is hard to see howContinue reading “The Nefarious Influence of Islamist Soft Power”
Is it Worth it?
The resolution of the Palestinian problem has for many decades been high on the agenda of the international community. A joint IDF-SDF defensive-offensive war to liberate Syria-Lebanon from the the forces of Khomeinism and Ba’athism in response to the expected massive Hezbollah missile barrage against Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities after Israel destroys theContinue reading “Is it Worth it?”
The Fiction of Iranian “Democracy”
The extensive Iranian propaganda machinery abroad has long been able to create an illusion of a semblance of Iranian “democracy” with an ostensible “power struggle” between two types of Islamists dubbed “reformists” and “hardliners”. The question that must be asked however is whether there has been any substantial policy difference when the two respective IslamistContinue reading “The Fiction of Iranian “Democracy””
The Process of Recognition and Renunciation
While official Israeli government recognition of denominations of core Median Judaism as bona fide Judaism is important – so is core Median Jewish renunciation of syncretic elements as imported from religious imperialism and in particular in this era of religious imperialism from Islam. In fact should renunciation be prepared in advance with top religious leadersContinue reading “The Process of Recognition and Renunciation”
The Emerging Paradigm Shift on Iran
The recent UN General Assembly speech by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was very different from those of his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu who used to devote his entire UNGA speeches to the question of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. While Bennett spoke briefly about the Iranian nuclear weapons program was this not the sole topic inContinue reading “The Emerging Paradigm Shift on Iran”
A Just War for Peace
A joint IDF-SDF defensive war to liberate Syria and Lebanon in response to the massive Hezbollah missile barrage against Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities will take a few months. The SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) will overrun the SAA (Syrian Arab Army) in the course of merely a couple of months with overwhelming Israeli airContinue reading “A Just War for Peace”
The Alawite People do not Control Syria
The Syrian regime is famously dominated by ethnic Alawites – Alawism being a denomination of Median Judaism – yet the Alawite people are, despite popular conception, not in control of Syria. The Alawite people were ruthlessly suppressed and persecuted during Ottoman rule but became prominent in the military during the French period during which theyContinue reading “The Alawite People do not Control Syria”
Iran is a Rival of China, not an Ally
Islamists hold profoundly contemptful attitudes towards non-Muslims and Khomeinist attitudes towards China of course is no exception. Does Tehran hate Beijing for its internment of one million Muslims in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region? Yes of course they do but Tehan’s duplicitous strategy towards Beijing is designed to fool and take advantage of China. After all,Continue reading “Iran is a Rival of China, not an Ally”
Why Iran wants Nuclear Weapons
It is peculiar why so-called “anti-imperialists” are not concerned with Tehran’s clearly neo-imperial ambitions. Rather, “Anti-Imperialism” was a Soviet propaganda discourse closely connected to yet another Soviet propaganda discourse, namely “Anti-Zionism”. In fact, Soviet propaganda often mentioned “Anti-Imperialism and “Anti-Zionism” in one breath as if they were one. The Islamic Republic of Iran is oneContinue reading “Why Iran wants Nuclear Weapons”
Will there be a Southern Front?
Will Tehran persuade Hamas and Islamic Jihad to open a southern front against Israel in the upcoming war between Hezbollah and Israel? While it could be argued that Hezbollah has enough missiles themselves and don’t need the participation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, it could nevertheless be useful from the perspective of Hezbollah to divertContinue reading “Will there be a Southern Front?”
Diversity of Median Judaism
All Jewish peoples have their own distinctive form of Judaism and it would not be intellectually honest to claim that Median Judaism is a single religion. There has been so much divergence, developments and geographic separation since the Assyrian deportations 27 centuries ago. Median Judaism is truly a world religion or rather a series ofContinue reading “Diversity of Median Judaism”
