Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Requiescat in pace.

I have been struggling for a couple of weeks with this one, kiddies. The "reverend" Paisley was the worst kind of heretic, persecuting Christ's Church on earth in the most despicable ways and fomenting murderous violence against innocents. Yet, in the end, he did the right thing. Did he have a genuine change of heart or did he merely act out of selfish political interest? Only almighty God knows for sure, but whatever the reason, this fact is true: Paisley made peace instead of continuing sectarian war.

This is not an irrelevant history lesson, kiddies. This is really about the current and future wars within and against Islam. Please be patient and bear with me as your humble narrator dances in and out of Mr. Paisley's obituary.

From Washington's other newspaper:

Ian Paisley dies; Northern Ireland leader known for anti-Catholic rhetoric
 
Ian Paisley, a Protestant minister and political agitator in Northern Ireland whose incendiary rhetoric stoked anti-Catholic violence for decades and who made a stunning late-career reversal that thrust him into a power-sharing leadership role, died Sept. 12 in Belfast. He was 88.

Have you forgotten how evil Northern Ireland's "troubles" [nice euphemism for neighbor-on-neighbor murder, eh?] were? From the sick fucks of the murderous IRA hiding behind their professed "Catholicism" to the ignorant murderous Orange heretics who are their mirror image, to the feckless politicians, to the moronic English assholes who started it all, supposedly civilized Christians blew up and gunned down each other in the name of Jesus. May God have mercy on us all.
 
The death was announced by his wife. He had a history of heart ailments.
Rev. Paisley became Northern Ireland’s co-leader in 2007 after entering an agreement with Sinn Fein, the Catholic-led political arm of the outlawed militant Irish Republican Army.

It was an unlikely alliance between two parties that, for more than three decades of Northern Irish history, were sworn enemies. That the partnership prevailed was largely owed to Rev. Paisley, said former senator George J. Mitchell (D-Maine), who served as the U.S. envoy to Northern Ireland in the 1990s.

“I think he deserves credit for making possible the changes that have taken place in Northern Ireland,” Mitchell said. “He did it through the force of his personality and his intellect.”

Mitchell's an imbecile who wouldn't recognize true intellect if it bit him. [Sorry, but some digressions are necessary.]

Rev. Paisley began his career in the 1950s as an evangelist minister with a fringe congregation of a few dozen. Through his charisma and political acumen, he became Northern Ireland’s most powerful politician and leader of its largest party, the Democratic Unionist Party, which he helped establish in 1971.

Representing Northern Ireland, he served in Britain’s House of Commons for three decades starting in 1970 and was elected to the European Parliament in 1979 with a record number of votes.

 I don't much care about the differences between Shiites and Sunnis, though I'm sure both groups consider those differences as seriously as Catholics and Protestants consider theirs. Is there a Shiite Ian Paisley out there? How about a Sunni John Hume? Are there any Islamic David Trimbles?

At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Rev. Paisley’s hulk and predilection for vitriol made him an intimidating presence in Northern Ireland’s political landscape. Whether from the pulpit or parliament, he was an expert at sparking controversy. In Northern Ireland’s bloody history, few figures were considered as divisive as Rev. Paisley.

He rose to prominence in the 1960s at the start of “the Troubles,” in which Northern Ireland was engulfed in sectarian violence between Catholics and Protestants. The bloodshed lasted more than 30 years.

As a staunch unionist, Rev. Paisley fought to keep Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom and spoke vehemently against any proposals to integrate the country with its southern neighbor, the Republic of Ireland, a sovereign body composed of a Catholic majority.

And even if peace can be made inside Islam, what about Islam's war on Jews, Christians, other non-mohammedan religions, the West, freedom, representative government, women and girls, and modernity?

For decades, Rev. Paisley had rejected any form of political compromise with Northern Ireland’s Catholic minority and responded to calls for negotiations with his signature war cry: “No surrender!”

A self-proclaimed bigot, he once interrupted a speech by Pope John Paul II by calling the pontiff the antichrist. He said he considered all Catholics to be members of the Irish Republican Army, which he branded as a collective of terrorists.

Although he preached against the use of force in his church, his acidic words carried weight. On several occasions, his sermons caused riots. Rev. Paisley was said to be the target of multiple assassination attempts, and a sniper’s bullet once penetrated his car and missed him by inches.

Now a few words from Sunshine, a girl from Mosul in Iraq who hasn't been able to post on her blog [Days of My Life] lately. [And it is not because she's too busy with soccer practice or violin lessons.]

Thursday, June 26, 2014

The situation in Mosul.

I don't know what to say, my heart is full of sorrow and fear

The past 3 weeks were the hardest ever, 11 years of war , I've written about hard days in blog but they are nothing compared to what happened this time.

War between armed men and al Maliki's army

I arrived Baghdad on 29/5 , i came in a visit to my grandparents.  On Friday morning 6/6 , my mom received an sms from dad,  he said "a bloody battle in our neighborhood since 3 am "

The fight started at 3 am on Tuesday , no one knew what was going on , shelling, heavy shooting , and explosions , my dad and grandparents stayed in the corridor for 3 days.

I was catching my mobile phone looking for news all the time, the people in Mosul ( who had Internet connection) were writing about this huge battle in face book they even posted photos taken from their own houses, i called my dad several time to tell him whats happening outside , they were trapped with no TV nor Internet , the electricity was off , and they had no water as well. 

On Saturday 7/6 , we lost the communication with dad and grandparents , their mobile batteries were low , so they had to close them to save the battery for emergency , as well as for security reasons there was perturbation on the neighborhood ..

we were catching our mobile phones waiting for a call or sms saying they are alive .

Finally a text message from dad , he said " the coverage is very bad , motors are falling on the neighborhood , thank god you guys are not here"

Later at midnight , my dad sent a text message "we can't even leave, they're fighting in our street and in front of our house we cant even go to the next room"

Next day, With the early morning we got a phone call from our relative, he said that all my relatives in nearby neighborhoods will leave Mosul together as soon as they can , then we got a phone call which was devastating , they said dad and grandpa couldn't leave, and my relatives left without them. 

what is going to happen to dad and grandparents ? my mom and i were so worried, we were just praying for a light of hope.

Later on Monday, dad called us, mom answered :

- oh my god , dear , how are you?

Dad couldn't catch a breath , he said 

- we are walking fast , we could do it , we left the neighborhood , i cant speak anymore , bye

This short phone call was the light of hope we were praying for.

We didn't know how did they leave, or where they are going , but we felt more relief.

My dad , grandma and grandpa walked a lot to reach the other part of Mosul,  the hardest thing was to leave the neighborhood as the shelling and shooting was heavy , but they had no other choice, And thanks to Allah they survived.

Grandma , after walking for large distance said she can't walk anymore , so they took a rest in a friends' house to catch a breath , meanwhile dad sent a message " we don't know were to go , we just want to reach the other part of Mosul , to any neighborhood " At 7:30 pm dad called to say they reached our friend's house (uncle S ) which is faraway from our neighborhood , this trip took them 9 hours but they took two rests .

thousands of people were " migrating " elderly people , pregnant women ( we know a woman who walked to reach a hospital outside Mosul to give birth of twins ! ) , people who just had a surgery (like a friend of mine , and dad's uncle) , kids , injured people , guys carrying disabled people , and many others , they were walking to the unknown .. 

That day at midnight , exactly at 1 am , soldiers started to shout hysterically and hitting the door dad went outside running with uncle S.

-what is going on?

-YOU MUST LEAVE NOW , SHELLING IS ABOUT TO START.

Three families were staying in one house (18 people ) , uncle s and his family, my family, and uncle k's family .

uncle S had 3 cars , so he let my dad drive one, and uncle k took the other one, they left in such a hurry and panic.

The soldiers took off their  military clothes , threw their weapons in the streets, wore civilian clothes and ran away, leaving the left part of city under the control of The armed men, they surrendered with out fight.

All the families in the right part of Mosul left their houses, as well as the majority of people in the left part . People were driving towards the northern part of Iraq, villages , or any safe place..

After 11 hours of driving in the night, dad reached a calm village at 12 pm , we know a friend who has a house there, he was so generous And invited many other families to stay as well.

They spent one night there, and went back to Mosul , to uncle s's house again.. 

The shelling was just a rumor to terrify people. 

On Wednesday , dad called , he told my mom that he must go back to our home, to take our money, important papers, gold, cloths , and medications.

many men went to their houses as well,  to take the important stuff , before another bloody battle starts !

Many families returned to the left part of Mosul, as they couldn't find any place to stay in villages, or couldn't enter Duhok and Arbile cities, We know many people who stayed in the streets at that night waiting to enter the northern cities, but not all of them were allowed . Especially after Duhok and Arbile became crowded with moslawi people.

8 days later, my dad and grandparents returned to our house..

Right now,  there is no shooting , and armed men took control of Mosul and near by villages, as well as other cities .. 

there is no electricity, no fuel, no gas, no salaries, lack of food supplies especially the one that need Freezers , the vegetables and fruits are bad and expensive , as there are no electricity the food in our refrigerators molded , people are struggling in this hot weather (42 Cel)

Everyone is worried and upset , no one knows what will happen next.

We just want a suitable life like any other human being in the world, is it too much to ask?  

We are thinking seriously to leave , but how? where? When? We don't know ..

Sunshine.

note : I'll try to post some photos as soon as i have a better internet connection .

Please pray for Sunshine, her family, her friends, [both Shiite and Sunni] and all the decent people of the world who just want to be left the fuck alone so they can live their lives in peace.


Ian Richard Kyle Paisley was born April 6, 1926, in Armagh, Northern Ireland, the son of a Baptist minister. After high school, he worked as a farmer before entering the Protestant ministry. He was ordained in 1946.

Five years later, he splintered from the official Protestant ministry and formed his own congregation, the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. Initially, his followers numbered barely more than a dozen. Yet his sermons, laden with salvos against the pope and the Catholic Church, quickly earned him mainstream recognition during a period of heightened sectarian tensions.

In response to his firebrand oratory, Northern Ireland’s official Presbyterian Church publicly disassociated itself from him. An astute handler of public affairs, he was able to turn his notoriety into power by packing his church’s pews to capacity. As his popularity grew, his sermon topics turned to matters of the state.

In 1963, he organized a march on the Belfast city hall to assail the government’s lowering of the flag after the death of Pope John XXIII. Later, he was jailed twice for unlawful assembly after marches he led turned into riots. Police regularly employed tear gas to disrupt his gatherings.

As the Troubles worsened, the streets of Belfast and beyond echoed with the explosions of car bombs and the cracks of gunshots. Rev. Paisley’s rabble-rousing antics and talent for demagoguery led him to be known as “the clergyman in jackboots.”

Today in Mosul...

ISIS militants publicly execute human-rights lawyer near her home in Mosul - Canada.com   

'[ISIS] continues to attest to its infamous nature, combining hatred, nihilism and savagery, as well as its total disregard of human decency'

• Islamic State executes human rights lawyer Samira Saleh al-Naimi - UPI

He was also known as “Dr. No” for his obstinacy and an honorary doctorate he received in 1966 from South Carolina’s fundamentalist Bob Jones University. He continued to publish books with exclamatory titles such as “United Ireland — Never!” (1972) and “No Pope Here!” (1982).

Do you remember Najma Abdullah's blog "A Star From Mosul"? It's gone now. Her sister [HNK's blog] last posted on August 9:

A cry

You gave me strong but always after pain
You taught me to fight but mostly in vain.
I am alife,
Yes , My heart is beating
but my breath is stand still.

I lost the words to write about my story,  to write about the lilly of my desert,  to write about the beauty of my parents eyes and the warmth that their sounds gived to my heart. 
I lost the words to write about the pain of my country .
And how scared I was within it and how lost I am without.
I really can't express my feeling now but something inside me died with days and as I guess nothing could ever give me more hurt and pain than I already have.

#in a matter of days, I turned from an iraqi pharmacist from hight social class in Mosul to a refugee pregnant woman with no job,  no home adress and only 2000$
# a person who are counting the days to have a call from the IOM to get an appointment for interview which simply may take a year or so till the IOM will decide whether I deserve to have a station in UN to start my life over again or not.   That's include to study and certify my pharmacy degree over again !
# I am abviously have a chronic depression eposide and have no close person to talk to since all persons I know are already living their own tragedy.
# I lost my uncle in the middle of this.
# I lost *well all of us lost*  the best historical and islamic mosque in Mosul due to ISIS attack. 
I didn't only leave mosul,  Mosul left me back,  old memories,  places and friends all left me.  I am alone all alone.

And have nothing can do,  all I am doing is crying !!

In the 1990s, Rev. Paisley refused to participate in a U.S. effort led by the envoy Mitchell to craft a peace accord between the Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland. The agreement — meant to create a power-sharing executive position and foster positive relations between the two factions — called for a disarmament of militant groups, mainly the IRA.

We [the USA] don't have the stomach to kill all the bad guys - or at least enough of the bad guys to give the good guys a chance. We haven't since 1945. We were fortunate to outlast the Soviets. Perhaps, if the war comes to us, we will remember what war really is [and isn't]...but I won't hold my breath.

Rev. Paisley said he would not be party to any negotiations involving Sinn Fein. The document was completed without Rev. Paisley’s input and was later known as the Good Friday agreement, for the date in April 1998 it was signed.

For their work leading the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement’s ratification, two moderate Northern Irish politicians, David Trimble of the Protestant Ulster Unionist Party and John Hume of the Catholic Social Democratic and Labor Party, received the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize.

But the award, and the peace agreement’s slow path to success, cost them politically. In 2003 elections, both parties lost majority status in the Northern Irish assembly.

The reversal of fortunes led Rev. Paisley’s party, the DUP, to become the biggest in the country. Sinn Fein also benefited by winning new seats in the Assembly to become the second-biggest party.

Mitchell said Rev. Paisley’s newfound power made him “instrumental in moving the peace process forward.”

“I think he became convinced that the last few years were better for the people he represented than a return to the conflicts of the past,” Mitchell said. “He made possible the full implementation of the full agreement. It couldn’t have happened without his involvement and leadership.”

By the early 2000s, the IRA began to put down its arms. The sectarian strife had killed an estimated 3,500 people.

The thaw in relations between Catholics and Protestants allowed Rev. Paisley to agree in 2007 to form an alliance with Sinn Fein, which was led by former IRA commando Martin McGuinness. The unlikely pair shared equal power of the country’s domestic affairs, with Rev. Paisley as first minister and McGuinness as deputy first minister.

"The thaw"??? Regular folks [those not sexually aroused by power, that is] have always just wanted to be left alone. I think my prod neighbors are hell-bound and all that, but that doesn't mean I blow all my leaves into their yard every autumn nor does it mean I rape and/or kill them for worshiping God incorrectly. I'm a pretty cool guy, but I am no soul's Judge. Get it?

“After a period of tough negotiations, it was my view that, provided our conditions were met, the overwhelming majority of the people of Northern Ireland wanted me to do the deal,” Rev. Paisley once said. “It was as simple as that.”

He stepped down as first minister in 2008 and began to retire from public life amid health problems. In 2010, he left the British House of Commons; his son, Ian Paisley Jr., won his seat.

Survivors include his wife of 57 years, the former Eileen Cassells; five children; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“Ian Paisley’s contribution to peace, after all the years of division and difference, was decisive and determinative,” former British prime minister Tony Blair said in 2008. “The man famous for saying no will go down in history for saying yes.”

Mr. Paisley now knows the truth, though I doubt he finds it to his liking. On the other hand, there are worse people who never do the right thing. The point, kiddies? Everyone always has a choice as long as they are drawing breath. 

Every one of us.

Always.

Everywhere. 

So use your God-given free will [even if you don't believe in it] and choose to do the right thing. If you are uncertain about what that might be, start as Hippocrates did and do no harm.
 
May God have mercy on all our souls...because we really need it.