Blog

Europe’s Forgotten Enslavement: The Brutal Islamic Slave Raids That Captured Millions

While America grapples with its own dark past of slavery, a massive chapter of history gets buried by academics who fixate on Western guilt.

Justin Marozzi’s eye-opening book, Captives and Companions, shines a light on the Islamic world’s slave trade, spanning over a millennium with unmatched scale and savagery. This isn’t ancient news, but it is a wake-up call for historians.

Marozzi estimates that from the 7th century to the 20th, up to 17 million Africans and Europeans were enslaved in Muslim lands, dwarfing the transatlantic trade’s 11-15 million.

Brutal raids targeted black Africans for labor and white Europeans for markets in North Africa and the Middle East. The sheer numbers reveal a system that caused more deaths and misery than often admitted.

In the opulent courts of Abbasid Baghdad, slave concubines like the poet ʿInān rose to fame, dazzling with wit and beauty while navigating deadly risks.

These women, often captured from distant lands, became cultural icons but remained property, their lives hanging on a ruler’s whim. Yet, their stories mix triumph with tragedy, showing resilience amid cruelty.

Raiders from Barbary coasts struck fear across Europe, hitting places like Devon, Cornwall, and even Iceland in 1627, where pirates abducted over 400 people into lifelong bondage.

Witnesses recounted horrors: families torn apart, villages burned, and captives sold far from home. This white slavery terrorized coasts for centuries, a truth sidelined in today’s narratives.

Castration created eunuchs for harems, with Victorian-era Sudan alone seeing 35,000 boys die yearly from botched operations to supply 3,500 survivors.

Female slaves faced routine violation, arriving in Egypt or Arabia rarely as virgins after brutal journeys. Such practices highlight a level of barbarism that demands honest reckoning.

Today, descent-based slavery traps over 200,000 in Mali, where people inherit bondage through ancestry, facing violence for resisting.

UN experts urge criminalization, but cultural norms and weak laws let it persist. Victims like one defiant man in Bamako declare inner freedom despite poverty.

In Morocco, King Hassan II kept dozens of young concubines until his 1999 death, echoing royal traditions.

Saudi Arabia holds 740,000 in modern slavery, fueled by migrant exploitation under kafala systems. These nations cling to a “tradition” of foreign enslavement dating back ages.

Marozzi’s fearless history exposes this ongoing nightmare we pretend ended long ago. He also illuminates a forgotten chapter of world history that many historians have conveniently overlooked, enabling them to attribute all conceivable evils to the Western world.

Keep reading

Illegal immigrant caught working as police officer in Maine while attempting to buy firearm

Federal immigration agents collared a Jamaican national who managed to get himself hired as a cop in Maine — despite being in the country illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Monday.

Jamaican migrant Jon Luke Evans, who was employed as a reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department, illegally attempted to buy a gun. He was arrested in Biddeford on Friday, according to ICE.

ICE said Evans was also issued a gun by the police department.

“The fact that a police department would hire an illegal alien and unlawfully issue him a firearm while on duty would be comical if it weren’t so tragic,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde said.

“We have a police department that was knowingly breaking the very law they are charged with enforcing in order to employ an illegal alien. ICE Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing criminal alien threats from our New England communities,” Hyde added.

While Evans entered the US legally by flying into the Miami National Airport on Sept. 24, 2023, he overstayed his visa by nearly two years, ICE said. He was supposed to leave on October 1, 2023, but never did.

Evans joined the police force in May as a seasonal officer, the Old Orchard Beach Police Department told Fox News Digital. As part of his hiring process, Evans underwent a background check, physical and medical screenings and law enforcement training.

Keep reading

Gunman who killed 4 in New York was trying to get to NFL offices and claimed to have CTE: Officials

A gunman who killed four people at a Manhattan office building before killing himself claimed in a note to have a brain disease linked to contact sports and was trying to target the National Football League’s headquarters but took the wrong elevator, officials said Tuesday.

Investigators believe Shane Tamura, a Las Vegas casino worker, was trying to get up to the NFL offices after shooting several people in the skyscraper’s lobby on Monday but entered the wrong elevator bank, Mayor Eric Adams said in interviews.

Four people were killed, including an off-duty New York City police officer, Didarul Islam.

The gunman blamed the NFL

Tamura, who played high school football in California nearly two decades ago but never in the NFL, had a history of mental illness, police said. In a three-page handwritten note found in his wallet, he claimed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy and accused the NFL of concealing the dangers to players’ brains for profit. The degenerative brain disease has been linked to concussions and other repeated head trauma common in contact sports such as football, but it can only be diagnosed after someone has died.

In the note, Tamura repeatedly said he was sorry and asked that his brain be studied for CTE, according to the police department. It also referenced former NFL player Terry Long, who was diagnosed with CTE, and the manner in which Long killed himself in 2005.

The NFL long denied the link between football and CTE, but it acknowledged the connection in 2016 testimony before Congress and has paid more than $1.4 billion to retired players to settle concussion-related claims.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the shooting “an unspeakable act of violence in our building,” saying he was deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers who responded and the officer who gave his life to protect others.

Keep reading

Supreme Court Urged to Halt Mississippi’s Online Digital ID Law Over Free Speech and Privacy Concerns

NetChoice has filed an emergency application with the US Supreme Court to halt the enforcement of Mississippi’s online age verification digital ID law, House Bill 1126, after the Fifth Circuit stayed a preliminary injunction without explanation. The group is urging the Court to reinstate the district court’s ruling and protect First Amendment rights, which it argues are under immediate threat.

The Mississippi law compels every person, regardless of age, to verify their identity before creating accounts on social media platforms, and requires minors to obtain explicit parental consent.

NetChoice argues that this framework “unconstitutionally imposes content-based parental-consent, age-verification, and monitoring-and-censorship requirements for vague categories of speech on social media websites.”

The emergency filing warns of far-reaching consequences, asserting that “the Act will prevent access to that expression for some users entirely—including those unwilling or unable to verify their age and minors who cannot secure parental consent.”

We obtained a copy of the filing for you here.

Adults would also be subject to this regime, required to share private information in order to access constitutionally protected online spaces.

According to the brief, “the Act would require adults and minors to provide personally identifying information to access all manner of fully protected speech.”

NetChoice compares this level of state control to a dystopian system where “stationing government-mandated clerks at every bookstore and theater to check identification before citizens can access books, movies, or even join conversations” would be the norm.

The brief continues, “This Act thus presents far different issues from pornography laws… it ‘directly targets’ a staggering amount of fully protected speech.”

Keep reading

Airlines urge senators to reject bill limiting facial recognition

A group representing several major airlines alongside travel companies and airports is opposing a Senate bill that would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to generally use manual ID verification at security checkpoints instead of facial recognition.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), would broadly restrict TSA’s ability to use biometrics and facial recognition, carving out a few exemptions for the agency’s PreCheck and other Trusted Traveler programs. Passengers may still opt in to the use of facial recognition at the checkpoint.

In a letter Monday to Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the air industry groups said the law was a “step backward” and that facial recognition technology made security screenings far more efficient.

“The future of seamless and secure travel relies on the appropriate use of this technology to ensure security effectiveness and operational efficiency as daily travel volume continues to rise,” they wrote. “We are concerned that the vague and confusing exceptions to this blanket ban will have major consequences for the identity verification process, screening operations, and trusted traveler enrollment programs.”

Cruz and Cantwell are their parties’ highest-ranking members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which is scheduled to mark up the bill Wednesday.

In addition to limiting the use of facial recognition, Merkley’s bill would also require TSA to delete most images collected at checkpoints within 24 hours of a passenger’s departure.

Travelers going through a TSA checkpoint are generally able to opt out of facial recognition, the agency says. Merkley has argued the agency’s enforcement is inconsistent, posting on social media in February about his difficulties navigating the policy at Reagan Washington National Airport.

“This is big government coming to take away your privacy, trying to set up a national surveillance system,” the Oregon Democrat said in February. 

The airlines, however, warned that restricting the use of facial recognition could slow down security and divert TSA’s resources toward maintaining officer staffing, rather than focusing on automated innovations. The group also said it felt it had been insufficiently consulted on the legislation, “despite the major impact the bill would have on aviation security, airports, airlines, travelers, and technology companies.”

Keep reading

House probes whether EU, Biden administration pushed Spotify to censor podcasters including Joe Rogan, Steve Bannon

The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday launched an investigation into whether the EU and Biden administration pressured Spotify to censor free speech, The Post has learned.

Censorship has been a point of tension for Spotify, which has faced heated backlash for flagging COVID-19 information from podcaster Joe Rogan and banning Steve Bannon from the platform.

“More relevantly, it’s the pressure we are seeing the EU put on companies to censor more,” a source familiar with the probe told The Post.

In a letter sent to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, US Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) slammed recent laws from the EU and UK that require social media platforms – even those based in the US – to censor “disinformation” and “harmful content” or face massive fines.

“These foreign laws, regulations, and judicial orders may limit or restrict Americans’ access to constitutionally protected speech in the United States. Indeed, that appears to be their very purpose,” Jordan wrote in a copy of the letter obtained by The Post.

Keep reading

The FBI Took Her $40,000 Without Explaining Why. She Fought Back Against That Practice—and Lost.

Linda Martin found out the hard way that the most powerful law enforcement agency in the U.S.—the FBI—can seize your assets without articulating why. Worse: Law enforcement took her savings in a raid that was itself unconstitutional. Worse still: A lawsuit she filed met its demise last week, allowing the federal government to continue the dubious practice of taking people’s valuables without having to explain the reason it is justified in doing so.

The agency never did furnish a specific reason in Martin’s case—because she wasn’t charged with a crime. Her saga began in 2021, when the FBI sought to take more than $100 million in assets from U.S. Private Vaults, a business that offered safe-deposit boxes. That company was suspected of, and ultimately charged with, criminal wrongdoing. But the warrant expressly forbade agents from engaging in a “criminal search or seizure” of customers’ boxes, like Martin’s.

They did so anyway, rummaging through approximately 800 of them and seizing assets that belonged to a slew of innocent people. That included Travis May, who stored gold and $63,000 in cash; Jeni Verdon-Pearsons and Michael Storc, who kept $2,000 in cash, as well as approximately $20,000 worth of silver; Paul and Jennifer Snitko, whose box contained personal items, like marriage, birth, and baptismal certificates; and Don Mellein, who had invested in gold coins, many of which the FBI said it lost (to the tune of over $100,000).

A judge later ruled violated the Fourth Amendment. But it was too late for Martin, who received notice that the FBI had taken $40,200, her life savings, from her box. To justify that, the notice listed hundreds of federal crimes that would lead to a seizure. As Institute for Justice (I.J.) Director of Media Relations Andrew Wimer points out, the list included such crimes as copyright infringement and barring business deals with North Korea. But the bureau notably did not specify how Martin was supposedly involved in any of those offenses, because it is not required to do so.

So she sued. “When the FBI attempts to forfeit someone’s property, due process requires that it say why, citing specific facts and laws,” reads her appellant brief. “By sending notices that initiate and, often, consummate property’s forfeiture—all without ever saying what exactly the FBI thinks justifies the forfeiture, the FBI deprives owners of crucial information they need to protect their rights.” After she filed the lawsuit, and about two years post-seizure, the agency returned Martin’s cash. But she continued in court in hopes that the judiciary would agree that the FBI was violating people’s due process rights by seizing assets with effectively no explanation.

That died last week, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia dismissed the suit for lack of jurisdiction.

Keep reading

Pro-life Texas GOP lawmaker admits affair with stripper who accused him of paying for ABORTIONS

A pro-life Texas representative has admitted to having an affair with a stripper after she accused him of paying for abortions.

State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, 52, confessed to having an affair ‘years ago’ after a woman alleged he paid for ‘meetups’ and ‘funded several abortions for his own personal gain,’ reported The Texas Tribune.

The woman, named Alex Grace, came forward with the affair on Friday during an interview with the Current Revolt.

‘I know that Giovannie Capriglione has been having affairs since 2005 because it’s me. I’m her. I’m not proud of it, in fact I’m ashamed of it,’ Grace said on TikTok after the interview came out.

‘Hopefully, you can keep in mind that we all have a past and I wish I could say for him that that was the worst of it, but it’s not.’

Capriglione dropped out of his reelection race just days before Grace’s interview, but has denied paying for any abortions and said he will pursue ‘legal remedies’ over her claims.

‘Years ago, I selfishly had an affair. I’m not proud of this. Thank God my wife and family forgave me, and we moved past it and have the strong marriage we do today,’ he said in a statement.

‘The rest is categorically false and easily disproven… I have never, nor would I ever, pay for an abortion.’

Capriglione promotes himself as a ‘pro-life champion’ with a ‘100 percent pro-life voting record’ on his campaign website.

‘Giovanni voted to defund Planned Parenthood and authored the Abortion Trigger Ban Bill, which banned abortion in Texas when Roe v. Wade was overturned.’ 

Grace claimed she met Capriglione when she was just 18-years-old and worked as an exotic dancer in 2004.

‘We became close friends. He was magnetizing. He was outwardly genuine and kind,’ she said.

‘He was the one who reminded me to keep my head up. He was the one that encouraged me. He pushed me to succeed more in life.’

Grace described one incident where Capriglione made her receive cash from him at a Chuck E. Cheese.

‘He told me to go to the back of the building and next to the dumpster there would be a rubber mat. And under this rubber mat was an envelope with money,’ she said.

She said they drifted apart after he was elected in 2012, and she claimed she has tried to reach out to him to discuss his political stances.

Keep reading

Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad slammed as ‘Nazi propaganda’ by crazed woke mob over jeans/genes pun

Leftist TikTok is in full pitchfork-and-torch mode after a new ad for American Eagle jeans featuring actress Sydney Sweeney used a play on words, with some claiming it’s full-on Nazi propaganda.

The ad features Sweeney, 27, clad in a pair of the brand’s jeans and a denim jacket, talking about her jeans/genes.

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,” she intones in a spot.

“My jeans are blue,” she says as she flashes her blue eyes.

The clip went viral after it was posted by a Sweeney fan account — but then the account later went private following the backlash on Sunday.

Another, longer ad uses the same punny tagline.

“I’m not here to tell you to buy American Eagle jeans. And I definitely won’t say they’re the most comfortable jeans I’ve ever worn, or that they make your butt look amazing. Why would I need to do that?” she says in the 30-second spot.

Keep reading

California Moves to Ban Hemp Wellness Products — And the Weed Nuns Are Fighting Back

California’s Department of Public Health is pushing a new rule — and the timing couldn’t be worse.

A proposed regulation, known as DPH-24-005, would dramatically restrict access to hemp-derived wellness products across the state. The rule aims to prohibit the sale of any hemp topical, capsule, or tincture with more than trace amounts of THC (including naturally occurring Delta-9), even if federally legal and non-intoxicating. Critics say it would wipe out entire categories of hemp products — from calming balms to sleep aids — and gut small, community-driven businesses in the process.

One of the most vocal opponents? The Sisters of the Valley — better known as the “Weed Nuns” — a group of spiritual, feminist cannabis growers based in Merced County.

A Ban That Hits Small Operators Hard

“This is the Public Health Department caving to the dispensary lobby and consolidating the market further than they already have. This is a direct hit to small farms and small operators,” the Sisters warn.

According to the Sisters, the rule would criminalize their signature offerings: non-intoxicating, CBD-rich salves and oils crafted by hand in their small-scale, women-run operation. They argue that DPH-24-005 threatens not just their livelihood, but also consumer access to safe, plant-based alternatives.

They’re not alone. Dozens of California hemp farmers, herbalists, and activists are mobilizing to oppose the measure, saying it caters to the interests of cannabis corporations looking to eliminate competition from the hemp side of the market.

A Moment to Speak Out

A public hearing on the rule will be held via Zoom on Sunday, July 28, 2025, at 10:00 AM Pacific. Anyone in California — and beyond — can participate, and written comments will be accepted until July 30.

The Sisters have launched a campaign urging Californians to show up, speak out, and submit public comments before it’s too late.

“We ask our customers and fans to stand with us,” they wrote. “Not because we need more sales. But because the people’s medicine should not be outlawed by corporate lobbying.”

Keep reading