A History of Violence: Early Results Confirm Once-Banned Ennahda Party Set To Win Tunisia Elections

The only question now is will they lead a coalition government, or a majority? …

Update:  They will lead a coalition government.

“Tunis, Tunisia (CNN) — Official results have yet to be published, but preliminary returns appear to show that the once-banned moderate Islamist party Ennahda has won Tunisia’s historic elections, according to several political parties and Tunisian media outlets.

On Tuesday night, victory celebrations erupted outside the modest office building in downtown Tunis where Ennahda is headquartered. A crowd of about a hundred party supporters gathered, singing the national anthem, clapping and chanting.

Tunisians awoke Tuesday to the front page of El Maghreb newspaper, which featured a giant photo of Ennahda leader Rachid Ghanouchi next to a saluting member of the presidential guard, with the caption ‘Ennahda close to the government?’

Meanwhile, the French-language daily Le Temps depicted a presidential throne on a pillar carrying the Ennahda logo, followed by smaller chairs atop two smaller columns labeled with the secular parties Congres pour la Republique (CPR) and Ettakatol.

Boubaker Bethabet, secretary-general of the Independent High Authority for the Election, told reporters at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that preliminary results were available for five districts. Of the 39 seats available in those districts, Ennahda took 15, CPR took six and Ettakatol took four. Those results still must be certified, he said.” Read more.

Tunisia’s Islamist party: A wolf in sheep’s clothing? – “Analysis: Ennahda seeks ‘moderate’ Shari’a state, but members have history of violence, current platform raises questions about role of Islam. Western media routinely describe Tunisia’s Ennahda party as ‘moderately Islamist.’ The once-banned movement’s own past, however, reveals a tendency to violence, and its current platform raises serious questions about the role of Islam in arguably the Arab world’s most secular state.” Read more.

North Sudan: Christianity No Longer an Accepted Religion, Muslims Attack Christians Trying to Rebuild Church

“KHARTOUM, Sudan – Emboldened by government calls for a Sudan based on Islamic law since the secession of South Sudan, Muslims long opposed to a church near Khartoum have attacked Christians trying to finish constructing their building, sources said.

The Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) congregation in Omdurman West, across the Nile River from Khartoum, has continued to meet for Sunday worship in a building without a roof in spite of opposition from area Muslims and local authorities, the sources told Compass. Claiming that Christianity was no longer an accepted religion in the country, Muslims in the Hay al Sawra, Block 29 area of Omdurman West on Aug. 5 attacked SCOC members who were constructing the church building, the sources said.

‘We do not want any presence of churches in our area,’ shouted members of the mob as they threw stones at the Christians, the sources said.

Muslims in the north, where an estimated 1 million Christians still live following the secession of South Sudan on July 9, fear the potential influence of the church, they said.

‘They want to reduce or restrict the number of churches, so that they can put more pressure on believers,’ said a church leader on condition of anonymity.” Read more.

North Sudan: President Al-Bashir Moves Forward with Rewriting the Country’s Constitution to Implement Sharia Law – “Sudanese leader Omer Hassan Al-Bashir is moving forward with rewriting the country’s constitution to implement Shariah law, according to reports from organizations with links inside the Muslim-dominated nation. International Christian Concern’s North Africa specialist Jonathan Racho says that a Shariah-compliant constitution will mean more suffering for Sudan’s remaining Christians. ‘This new law (Shariah compliant constitution) is going to affect a significant number of Christians who live in places like Khartoum (the capital city). There are still a significant number of Christians in Sudan,’ Racho said.” Read more.

The Next Iran: Egypt’s Future ‘Dim’ as Islamists Rise to Power, ‘This Was Mentioned by the Prophet Mohammed … He Said This Was Going to Happen’

Isaiah 19:2-4, “‘I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian–brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists. I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,’ declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.”

By Leland Vittert – “In the eight months since the Egyptian Revolution, radical Islamic groups are rising to power, the army seems unwilling or unable to stop a growing rash of sectarian violence and the long-standing friendship between the U.S., Israel and Egypt is in serious question.

‘I am the enemy of democracy,’ Hesham al Ashry said in an interview with Fox News in his Cairo tailor shop. The devout Muslim is a main organizer in a group called the Salafists, which is working to bring Shariah law to Egypt. They, along with the Muslim Brotherhood, have risen quickly in the past eight months to fill the power vacuum left in post-Mubarak Egypt.

The massive change has billionaire tycoon and financier of the revolution Naguib Sawiris now calling Egypt’s future ‘dim … bad.’

Mubarak’s heavy handed security apparatus kept groups like the Salafis on a tight leash; now free to organize and recruit the Salafists and Brotherhood have quickly climbed to the top of the political food chain with organizational help and financing from supporters in the Gulf states.

‘This is a big opportunity and it’s not going to go back. This was mentioned by the Prophet Mohammed. Peace be upon him. He said this was going to happen,’ al Ashry said, speaking of the Arab Spring and the opportunity for groups like his to organize.” Read more.

Revelation 13:18 – Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the multitude of the beast: for it is the multitude of a man; and his multitude is χξς …

Oklahoma: Major Hail Storm Damages Property, Kills Dozens of Birds in Cromwell

By Sarah Stewart – “CROMWELL, Okla. — Richard Butler’s Cromwell farm was destroyed by Saturday night’s hail. “It was about baseball size. It came down hard. It was putting holes in some of our buildings. It was shattering windshields, denting our cars,” Butler said.

But in addition to property damage, Butler discovered some unusual casualties strewn about his property.

‘This morning, I had one dead gull in my yard,’ Butler said.

And walking his land, he discovered dozens more dead seagulls.

Butler called Rondi Large with WildCare, an animal hospital and health care facility.

Large walked the property collecting the dead birds that she identified as Franklin gulls.

She said they must have been migrating south when they got caught up in the massive hail storm.

‘We’re seeing an awful lot of badly broken wings and head trauma. We’ll see fractured backs and things like that with that size hail on these birds,’ Large said.

But among the devastation, they discovered a bit of hope, five different Franklin gulls found alive.

‘That’s what we were hoping for is after all the ones that we’re picking up dead, that we’ll still be able to find a few that we can save,’ Large said.” Read more.

Illinois: Officials Investigate Fish Kill Along Little Wabash River After Number of Dead Fish Explodes Into the Thousands

By Len Wells – “CARMI, Ill. — Officials with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois EPA are investigating the source of a major fish kill along the Little Wabash River in White County.

Local sportsman Jack Emery of rural Carmi said he first started hearing about dead fish appearing in the Little Wabash a few weeks ago. However, in the past few days, the number of dead fish has exploded into the thousands.

Witnesses are reporting dead fish floating in the Little Wabash from the Interstate 64 bridge downstream to the Possom Bridge south of Carmi. The stretch of river where the kill has been noticed is around 30 miles. Dead fish were also noted above and below the dam at Carmi.

Emery said that all species of fish are being found dead. The kill does not appear to affect just fish with scales. Catfish are also being found dead.

Maggie Carson, spokesman for the Illinois EPA said this morning she is consulting with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources about the incident. No cause has been established at this time.” Source.

Europe: Grimmer by the Minute, Italy in Danger of Collapsing, Political Shock Waves Increasing Over Debt Crisis

By Ben Rooney – “NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — European leaders insist they are making progress on a comprehensive plan to tackle the eurozone’s debt and banking crisis.

But the details are foggy and last-minute delays suggest that significant disagreements remain unresolved.

On Wednesday, government heads from all 27 members of the European Union will gather for a second time, following a summit over the weekend.

EU politicians have promised to deliver an ambitious and durable solution to a crisis that poses the biggest threat to the euro since the common currency was launched over a decade ago.

‘The sovereign debt crisis threatens the very existence of the eurozone,’ said Howard Archer, chief European economist at IHS Global. ‘It is therefore absolutely imperative that European policymakers finally deliver a major package.’

The latest talks have focused on a three challenges: restructuring the Greek government’s crushing debt load, strengthening European banks and boosting the effectiveness of a limited rescue fund.

While the stakes are high, expectations are dim. It took three months for comparatively modest crisis measures announced in July to be approved by all 17 euro area governments.” Read more.

Italy in danger of collapsing over European Union demands – “Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition government in Italy appears in danger of collapsing over European Union demands for a demonstration of concrete action on economic reform by Wednesday’s summit of eurozone leaders. The EU ultimatum delivered to Mr Berlusconi in Brussels on Sunday risks breaking his coalition instead of giving it an external impetus to move ahead on measures to cut Italy’s debt and promote economic growth.” Read more.

Troubling questions over euro banks – “Europe’s banks will need to find at least €100-billion of new capital by next summer under a new plan to help stabilize their operations, raising troubling questions about where that money is going to come from. The tools those banks would normally have at their disposal to raise capital – selling off assets or issuing more shares – are fraught with problems as Europe struggles to prevent a sovereign debt crisis from crippling its banking system.” Read more.

Unresolved debt crisis sets off political shock waves – “Europe’s debt problems are erupting into a full-blown political crisis that that could go from merely damaging economic confidence to shattering the euro zone if it intensifies. Since the European Union summit on fixing the debt crisis ended Sunday night in Brussels, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been humiliated, British Prime Minister David Cameron has scrambled to defuse a Tory rebellion on EU membership and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided to risk the future of the new European bailout fund on a full parliamentary vote.” Read more.