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November 30, 2005

Germany: 700 Police Search Homes In Islamist Raids

According to Ireland's Evening Echo, there have been raids today upon homes and public buildings, including mosques, by more than 700 police.

The raids came as a result of an investigation of 20 suspects who are based in Ulm, and who are said by Munich prosecutors to have a criminal operation of raising money through smuggling, assisting illegal immigration and document forgery to "pursue their ideological goals".

A statement by the prosecutors, who were based in Ulm, said "In addition, they are accused of spreading their beliefs in racial hatred and recruiting people for jihad."

Fifty searches were carried out on mosques call-centers and apartments in the states of Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg, North Rhine Westphalia, Hessen and Berlin, with raids being concentrated in the cities of Ulm, Freiburg, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Bonn.

According to the Evening Echo, police have announced that "many" arrests have been made, but gave no figure.

Eight days ago n November 23, there were searches upon houses and a mosque in the state of Bavaria, in the towns of Ingolstadt and Schwabach. These searches were in connection with the Caliphate State or Kalifastaat, whose founder "The Caliph of Cologne", Metin Kaplan today had his life sentence verdict on terrorism charges declared invalid. He has been told by the Supreme Court of Appeals that he will be retried.

On December 11, 2003, before Kaplan was deported to Germany, there was a larger operation against his followers, in which 5,500 security officers swooped on addresses of 1,000 supporters of the Caliphate State, which had been declared illegal in 1991. The flat of the "Caliph" himself was raided. The raids happened in 13 out of Germany's 16 states. According to CNN:

The swoop focused on the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Wuerttemberg, where some 660 premises were raided. The regional crime squad in North Rhine-Westphalia reported the move had been planned for a year and a half.

Federal prosecutor Kay Nehm also said he was investigating four members of the Kalifatstaat on suspicion of planning attacks and creating a terrorist organization.

Nehm also ordered a search of the premises of the group's leader, Metin Kaplan, known as the "Caliph of Cologne," on the grounds he was continuing to direct the Kalifatstaat.

Is there a connection between what happened in Turkey today and the raid? Are today's raids connected to the ones eight days ago, against the Caliphate State?

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)

Turkey: Islamist Caliph of Cologne Faces Retrial

News today from BBC, the Jurists Paperchase, from Euronews and Reuters AlertNet reports that Metin Kaplan, the self-styled "Caliph of Cologne" who was given a life sentence on June 20 this year in Turkey, has been told by a Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals that he will face retrial.

The life sentence was originally given to Kaplan for his alleged plans to fly an aircraft into the mausoleum of the founder of secular Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, and for plotting to kill members of the country's ruling elite.

Kaplan had been deported to Turkey from Germany only when the Turkish authorities abandoned the death penalty. We described how members of the group which he founded, the Kalifastaat or Caliphate State were recently the subjects of raids in Germany on November 23. A mosque was also searched. Kaplan had been an imam at a mosque before his deportation.

The aims of the Kalifastaat and its predecessor organisation the Hilafet Devleti ("Islamic State") were to establish an Islamic state in Turkey, under Sharia law. The Hilafet Devleti had been founded by Kaplan's father. Both organisations were ruled illegal in Germany in 2001, after the events of 9/11.

Kaplan had served a four year jail term in Germany from 1999 to 2003 after he killed a rival, Halil Ibrahim Sofu.

The Supreme Court in Turkey decided to quash Kaplan's original verdict because of "deficiencies in procedures and investigation". The chief prosecutor in Turkey has the right to appeal against the ruling.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)

US: Oriana Fallaci Condemns Muslim Immigration In NY Speech

The Italian journalist and writer, Oriana Fallaci, is frail now at the age of 76, and she has cancer.

In her career she has interviewed Kissinger, Ayatollah Khomeini, Ali Bhutto, WIlly Brandt, Indira Ghandi, Gadafy, Golda Meir, Yasser Arafat, sometimes with an abrasive style. In an interview with Kissinger from 1972 she said "Let's talk about war. You're not a pacifist, are you?"

She has written several books, but one which she published last year called "The Force of Reason" has landed her in trouble in her native Italy.

The Force of Reason was deemed to have fallen foul of the Italian penal code which prohibits "Vilipendio", (vilification), and the book is said to have committed vilification against Islam. She has been indicted by a judge in June, and is set to appear in court at Bergamo in June next year.

The New York Sun reports that in Manhattan on Monday, her hatred of Islam is still strong. She said that Muslim immigration poses a far greater threat to the West than Islamist terror.

"There is no such thing as good Islam" she said, and went on to compare the Koran and Mein Kampf and stated her oposition to dialogues between Islam and non-Muslim faiths.

Fallaci, who had a private meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in August, gave praise to the new Pope. She was speaking upon the acceptance of the Annie Taylor Award, named after the first woman to go over Niagara in a barrel.

The dinner and award was organised by The Center For the Study of Popular Culture. The award was given by the Center's president, David Horowitz. His speech can be found on the website, Frontpagemag.com.

Present in the audience was Daniel Pipes, who afterwards said he appreciated her "spirit", but felt her position was too extreme. "It's not a war on Islam, it's a war on Islamism, a radical, Utopian ideology," he said.

Currently, Ms Fallaci is living in the States. Information on Ms Fallaci can be found on OpinionJounrnal and Giselle.com.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:12 PM | Comments (0)

Holland: Interpreter Accused Of Leaks to Islamists

News from Expatica states that earlier today, a prosecutor made a request at a Rotterdam court for an accused man to receive eight years' jail for leaking secret information to Islamic terrorists.

The accused, known only as Outman Ben A., was an interpreter employed by the Netherlands intelligence and security agency, AIVD. He is said to have passed on to members of the Islamist Hofstad Group details into AIVD's investigation of their activities in 2004.

Mohammed Bouyeri (pictured) who killed film-maker Thoe van Gogh on November 2, 2004, was a member of this group, as well as Samir Azzouz.

Outman Ben A. is also accused of contacting Said Bellari by email, informing him that his telephone was being bugged. Bellari belongs to the Dutch-Moroccan group UMAH and is seen as a supporter of the (legal) Arab European League (AEL).

The interpreter has denied the charges against him.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:32 PM | Comments (0)

US: Flight 93 Memorial - Islamist Crescent Scrapped

Remember this abomination of bad taste? The image at left is the design which some moron suggested as a fitting memorial to the victims of Flight 93, and which a committee of morons approved.

Flight 93 was hijacked on 9/11 and would have been a flying bomb aimed at a target with more people for Muslim extremists to maim and kill, but for the actions of passengers. Some bravely managed to overpower the Muslim maniac at the controls, but could not stop the aircraft from crashing into swampy land near Shanksville, 65 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

The memorial was called as a "Crescent of Embrace" by the morons on the design team, and instantly created outrage as the crescent seemed to be a symbol commemorating the Muslim maniacs who plotted 9/11 rather than their innocent victims. Outrage at this tasteless travesty of taste has been pouring out since September, originally led by Tom Tancredo, the Colorado Republican, but only now, almost three months later, have the morons at Paul Murdoch Architects accepted that they are "sensitive" to public concerns, even though they still dismiss complaints as an "unfortunate diversion".

Their "revolutionary" innovation, announced in the Flight 93 National Memorial newsletter, is to extend the crescent to create a circle, or bowl, states silive.com.

The original tasteless philistines who approved the "Crescent embrace" were "a jury of 15 made up of design professionals and family and community members." The design was selected from a pool which had originally included 1,011 submissions.

The circle of red maples will, hopefully, eventually create a commemorative garden where relatives and those with a reflective mind can sit or walk along pathways.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 4:29 PM | Comments (0)

US: Questions Remain About Oklahoma University's Suicide by Bomb

It is always a sad day, when you suspect your government, a government you love, is lying to you. But it is just that too many questions remain about Joel Hinrich's suicide-by-bomb outside OU's football stadium. Michelle Malkin is on the story: THE OU BOMBER PAPERS: NO CLOSURE

On Nov. 18, U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie K. Couch released previously sealed records related to the FBI/Joint Terrorism Task Force search of Oklahoma University bomber Joel Hinrichs' apartment, his e-mail account and nine OU computers.

I obtained the nearly 350 pages of unsealed court documents just before Thanksgiving last week and reviewed them over the weekend (a big thank you to Cheryl in Judge Couch's office and TaraLeigh Teupker of Business Courier Service of Oklahoma City for their prompt responses and assistance). It would have been nice if an MSM outlet with boundless time, resources, and manpower--say, CBS News--had made the unsealed documents available to the public. But they didn't. So I spent several hours scanning and uploading as many of the records as I could (thanks to my web guy Mark Jaquith for technical help).[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 4:27 PM | Comments (0)

Italy: Cardinal Advises Catholics Against Muslim Marriage

The Times states that an influential Cardinal in Italy has advised priests to dissuade Catholics from marrying Muslims.

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Vicar General of Rome, made the statement in a document which was released to a conference of bishops yesterday. He wrote: "The experience of recent years leads us as a general rule to advise against or in any case to discourage these marriages. Mixed Catholic and Muslim couples who intend to have a family have other difficulties above and beyond those experienced by other couples, when one considers cultural and religious diversity."

He wrote that in the case of a Catholic marrying a Muslim, it would be better for the married couple to remain in Italy or "or at least in the West, which offers better guarantees to the marriage (to the Catholic part in particular)... Otherwise the majority of cases go less well when the couple transfers to an Islamic country."

Cardinal Ruini, commenting on the rise in mixed-faith marriages in Italy, of which there were 19,000 in 2004, called such unions "intrinsically fragile."

He wrote that there were differences over the role of women and questions of children's education which created "delicate problems."

Cardinal Ruini was close to the late Pope John Paul. He stood in for the ailing Pope this year, when on Good Friday, March 25, he carried the cross in the procession known as Via Crucis (Way of the Cross), in an event which was the first which had not been attended by a Pope.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)

US: Muslim is Jailed - Terrorist or Not

A bizarre case, concerning a bizarre individual, was wrapped up yesterday in a US District Court in Washington State, according to The News Tribune. 32 year old Zaid Mu'min, a Muslim convert who used to be known as James Harris, was sentenced to 57 months in a federal prison for illegally possessing weeapons.

The judge in the case, Ronald Leighton said that he was unsure if Mu'min was a family man or a would-be terrorist. "Clearly this case represents a picture in contrasts," he said. "I don't know who the real Mr Mu'min is."

After the sentencing, assistant US Attorney Bill Redkey said: "I'm inclined to think he's got an active fantasy life...My view is that 57 months in prison will be enough to find out who the real Mr. Mu'min is and to deter others from indulging in active fantasies."

The case began on November 18, 2004, when Mu'min's house in Puyallup, Seattle, was raided by federal agents as part of an investigation by the Seattle Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The raids and subsequent arrests are described by King5.com (Free Registration Site).

17 Seattle and Tacoma area residents were arrested on weapons, bank fraud and immigration charges. Though arrested on the same day, their charges were laidout in separate cases. At the house of Zaid Mu'min, who had apparently become a convert after going to prison on a drug conviction, a rifle, three guns, explosives manuals, and literature on snipers, urban combat and how to kill with poisons.

Police had received a tip off that Mu'min was teaching others how to fire a Renton gun, even though as a felon he was prohibited from having a gun.

At Mu'min's court case, he was alternately described by defence and prosecution witnesses as a loving family man and father of three who had suffered serious sexual abuse in his youth, or as a dangerous Muslim terrorist obsessed with ideas of jihad.

A former convert to Islam, 44-yr old Peter Coleman, had been a radical Islamist with affiliations to the Nation of Islam. After 9/11 and seeing how his co-religionists did not help his family while he was in prison, Coleman became an FBI informer.

He said he first met Mu'min in a barbershop in summer 2002, and heard him make conversations about "taking over" the Jewish neighbourhood, as well as in other subsequent conversations. This South Seattle barbershop, which was also targeted in raids last year, was where, according to Redkey, radical Muslims talked "jihad smack".

Mu'min's wife Jacqueline had declared that the guns, an AK-47 rifle with scope, a Ruger .22 pistol, a .45 Glock pistol and a Browning.38 pistol had belonged to her.

Obviously Judge Leighton did not agree.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:06 PM | Comments (0)

Belgium: Female Suicide Bomber - 14 Islamists Arrested

We brought you yesterday news that a Belgian woman had married a Muslim, become a convert and then gone to Iraq, via Turkey. In Baghdad she then became the first European suicide bomber. Claude Monique, a Belgian terror expert, had predicted that release of the news would provoke imminent arrests of those connected with her. He was right.

Today, Expatica and Associated Press in the Tucson Citizen announce that, in connection with this case, 14 people have been detained in Belgium. They were arrested last night.

Homes in Brussels, Antwerp, Charleroi and Tongeren were raided. Nine of those under arrest will be ordered to appear in court at a later date.

Most of the suspects are Belgian, with two Moroccans and one from Tunisia. The Belgian newspaper "De Standard" announced today that they have been charges with membership of a terrorist organisation.

Initial reports yesterday, which derived from a report by French Radio station RTL were vague about the date of the woman bomber's suicide attack. Now the date has been given as November 9. Belgian media now say that the woman's husband, who is believed to have arranged her trip to Baghdad, went with her, and may now be dead. Six people are said to have been killed in the suicide attack.

Another man from Paris has been arrested in connection to these raids. The 27-year old's identity has not been revealed. He is suspected of having links with a terrorist cells which recruits jihadists from Belgium to fight in Iraq.

In the Belgian raids, documents were taken, but no explosives were discovered.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

US: Black Muslim Heir, Yusuf Bey IV, Jailed

Since writing this article, the site for Your Black Muslim Bakery has stopped responding. Therefore links to that site may not work.


Yesterday, we gave details of the extraordinary goings-on in Oakland, California, with reports of shops being vandalised and threatened for selling alcohol by black men in ties and suits, which culminated in a fire at one of these stores. A store employee at the arson-damaged shop was kidnapped and left in a locked boot of a car at a Safeway car-park in El Cerrito. The Nation of Islam were quick to deny their involvement, and suspicion fell on the other alcohol-eschewing black organisation whose members wore suits and ties, the Black Muslims.

We wrote of how a warrant for six members of the Black Muslims was ordered. Now, according to Inside Bay Area, and Argus, two people are reported as giving themselves up to the police.

Yusuf Bey IV, the self-proclaimed heir to the franchise Your Black Muslim Bakery gave himself up to the police. Another man who was arrested on Tuesday was Donald Eugene Cunningham, aged 73, an old associate of the younger Bey's late father, "Dr" Yusuf Bey (pictured).

The two men were arrested on suspicion of vandalism, conspiracy, robbery and making terrorist threats. They were booked at the North County jail, being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.

Yusuf Bey, who is 19, refused to talk to investigators, though on Friday he told the Oakland Tribune that members of Your Muslim Bakery were not involved in the three attacks on stores.

Four other men are also being sought by police. They have been caught on surveillance cameras when they smasjed bottles and vandalised property and produce at San Pablo Market last Wednesday night.

Police have said that they are not certain if the arson at New York Market on Monday is related to the vandalism, nor to store employee Abdel "Tony" Hamdan, aged 19, who was incarcerated in the trunk of a Mercury sedan in El Cerrito. On Wednesday night, when the store was vandalised, a clerk had a shotgun taken from him by the gang.

The problems which have been going on in Your Black Muslim Bakery and its affiliates appear to be the natural legacy of the demise of Yusuf Bey, who died of colon cancer in 2003. At the time of his death, he was engaged in fighting a lawsuit brought about by a woman who claimed that he had forced her to have sex with her in 1982 when she was 13. The woman had claimed that he had been sexually abusing her since she was aged 10, and threatened to kill her if she told anyone, reported Rick Cross in East Bay Express, shortly before Yusuf Bey died.

"I had absolutely no money or means of support, because Respondent forced me to lie about the father of the children to get on welfare. He then took those checks for his own personal use. I managed to escape from Respondent after he beat me during my third pregnancy. At that time, I was not permitted to take any of my personal property with me. After I left, Respondent threatened to have me floating in a river if I ever divulged any of these crimes."

The woman kept quiet for two decades, until Bey insisted on trying to get her daughter to "take a ride with him." Then she went to the police. She had to move home and conceal her place of residence for fear of Bey and his army of thugs, or "soldiers".

The Bey empire was built with the assistance of criminals and jail birds, and the culture of violence spread from "Dr" Bey into his own family. Nedir Bey, who in 1994 allegedly tortured a Nigerian man for several hours and thrust a gun barrel into his mouth, avoided conviction by settling out of court in 1995. The victim, Olasunkanmi Onipede, argued that he did not want to subject a jury to the same intimidation which had befallen him.

Nedir Bey, who stalked his ex-wife and threatened to beat her, received a grant of $1.1 million from the city of Oakland for AIDS assistance, in his capacity as CEO of EM Health Services a year after he pleaded "no-contest" to the charges of false imprisonment of Onipede. In June 1996, the city gave the grant but by 1997 officials were questioning Nedir Bey's expenses:

a $96,000 salary for Nedir Bey, $2,000 in cellular phone bills, $43,800 in consulting services, $12,600 for "security," $8,000 in "architectural fees," and $6,800 to lease a Cadillac Sedan DeVille for Bey's personal use -- although Bey later insisted that no city money was used to lease the car. Officials ultimately concluded that EM Health Services had spent $226,000 in excessive salaries and consultant fees in the second half of 1996 alone.

On July 18, 2001 the city received judgement against Bey, ordering the $1.1 million to be repaid. The money was not paid, and in March 2003, Nedir Bey stood for election in Alameda County. He was a candidate for Council member of City of Oakland, DIstrict 4. With only 282 votes (2%), he came last. Because of irregularities in his campaign statements and disclosure of expenditures, the City of Oakland issued a complaints notice against him.

Nedir Bey is only one member of the family, but his actions indicate some of the methods of the Bey "foundation". Intimidation, violence, corruption, and yet also proclaiming to be "righteous" and upstanding public citizens.

The late Yusuf Bey can only be described as a pious monster. There are few clues in his background to suggest much other than someone who appeared to come from a mundane background. He was born Joseph H. Stevens in Greeneville, Texas in 1935, and moved with his parents to Oakland at the age of 5. He joined the US Air Force at age 17, and after four years he was honourably discharged.

He gained a degree in cosmetology, and ran beauty salons in Oakland Santa Barbara, before opening a bakery in Santa Barbara in 1968 which later became "Your Black Muslim Bakery". He became involved with the Nation of Islam in 1964, and in 1971 moved his bakery to the East Bay. The bakery sold produce free of artificial colorants, with no refined sugar, fats or preservatives.

The years from his honourable discharge from the Air Force to his founding of his bakery are vague. He has written an autobiography, but it does not deal with his darker side. As the San Fransisco Chronicle observes:

Over the years, Bey and his followers had a love-hate relationship with the city: providing work and housing for convicts and running for political office while allegedly entangling themselves in some notorious crimes.

Bey's followers have been accused of assaulting people with whom they had religious or business differences, and such stories have circulated in Oakland for decades.

In 1994, members of the organization allegedly beat an Oakland man with a police officer's heavy-duty flashlight and threatened to kill the white police officers who came to investigate.

Yusuf Bey was virulently antisemitic. He said he did not hate Jews "because they are not not worthy of being hated." He had a weekly cable show running until shortly before his death called True Solutions in which he dispensed his words of wisdom, such as: "White folks look at black people and they hold their purse. Thinking black folks gonna steal. Black folks look at white folks and hold their brain, thinking they gonna steal their mind." (1999) and "Somebody teach you the truth, you say he's teaching hate. Who taught you that? Who taught you that the messenger's teaching is hate teaching? The Caucasian."

Something of Yusuf Bey senior's message of black racial superiority can be found on the website of Your Black Muslim Bakery, whose name, Bey claimed, was suggested to him by Elijah Mohammed, founder of the Nation of Islam. The article is entitled From The Caves to the White House. Initially I just provided an extract, but the link to Your Black Muslim Bakery has ceased to function since this morning, so I then began to reproduce the article in full. It is so long and meandering, I have reverted to the extract:

Some of you Masons, my sons or Muslim sons know exactly what I'm talking about. But it's a secret your not suppose to tell anyone. Let me finish. He went savage and lived in the caves of Europe. EU means hillsides Rope is the rope to bind in. So you see Europe is not the home of the Caucasian. Europe is a prison. They were ran into Europe as a punishment for causing confusion among Black people as their father taught them to do in order to rule. It was 6019 years ago Mousa or Moses came 2000 years later and taught him how to live a respectable life. How to build a home for himself and some of the tricknology that Yacub taught him which was devilishment, telling lies, stealing and how to master the original man. Mousa or Moses was half original, and a prophet, which was predicted by the twenty-three scientist in the year one. 15,019 years ago today according to the time of this writing. Black history doesn't make mockery of anyone, it tells the truth as taught by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. I'm telling you the beginning of the Caucasian and how he came about, and how his history is symbolic to what we must go through and have gone through for the last 400 years. Understand what the Caucasian had to go through. The Caucasion had everything taken from him except his language. He went savage and couldn't even build a house for himself and cook his food. He ate raw meat, slept in caves or tree tops, and reverted to moving on all fours. Before being run from the root of civilization, the Caucasian wore our fine clothes, educated himself with our books, and lived in our homes. The Caucasian was stripped of everything but a loin cloth to hide his shame. Now what does this have to do with Black history you might say.

Your Black Muslim Bakery is a thriving franchise, in an empire which also runs housing, a school, a security firm (!) and retail businesses. Several "heirs" to the wealth of Yisuf Bey have come forward. One "heir", 24 year old Antar Bey, was recently gunned down in a gas station in Oakland on October 25.

The "new pretender" Yusuf Bey IV is now stepping into the limelight as the next heir. He will probably not receive a great penalty if he is found guilty of the recent attacks. What it will do will give him a gangland "credibility". Such tactics may have worked for his father, but despite Yusuf Bey's flaky philosophies and brutal private sides, he at least knew how to curry favour with members of the city's political elite.

Yusuf junior should take care. Akbar Bey, a son of Yusuf senior and previous "heir" sought credibility in the world of gangland crime. A decade ago, high on an opiate, either morphine or heroin, Akbar Bey had an argument with Lavelle Stewart, a drug dealer outside a nightclub on the corner of 50th Street and Shattuck street. Someone noticed $1,200 of drugs had disappeared from Stewart's car. Bey and his associates were arguing about the issue when Stewart pulled out a .357 Magnum. "It's like this." he explained, and fired two rounds into Akbar Bey's chest and two more into his head.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)

Spain: Four Algerian Muslims Charged With Financing Terrorism

Last Wednesday, 23 November, eleven men were arrested at locations in Alicante, Torrevieja, Granada and Murcia, who were believed to be connected with the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).

Yesterday, 29 November, four of these men appeared in court, where they were charged with financing and giving logistical support to GSPC, which is linked to al-Qaeda.

Kaled Bakel, Said Bouchema, Salim Zerbuti and Lyief Sihamida were ordered by Jidge Fernando Andreu to be detained, states Expatica News. The judge ordered the remaining seven men to be released, though they will have to visit the court once a week. Judge Andreu ordered them to hand over their passports.

The four who were to be kept in custody were said by the judge to have unsuccessfully attempted to exchange hashish for explosives. This happened in February and March.

The men are also accused of forging official documents and credit cards.

The suspects had been under surveillance for 10 months prior to their arrest, and police presented the judge with taped conversations the defendants had made. These conversations included mention of the suspects desire to obtain a substance called "red mercury" which has radioactive properties, to be used in the manufacture of bombs.

The authorities claim the men financed their terrorist activities through petty crime which included drug trafficking and forging credit cards. The Spanish authorities said the men had not been planning an imminent attack.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:43 AM | Comments (0)

November 29, 2005

UK: Muslims "Force Out" Christian Doctor

The Times for 30 November has the news that an eye specialist, Dr Joseph Erian, has been forced out of his job by Muslim colleagues, after they discovered he was a Christian.

He was employed at Pilgrim Hospital, in Boston, Lincolnshire in the ophthalmology unit. He says he was made to resign. He took the United Lincolnshire Hospitals to an employment tribunal, which began earlier this month.

He won his case, which ended with the hospital trust offering him an undisclosed amount in damages, in an out-of-court settlement. The hospital trust admitted that the problems which had arisen were "not his fault."

The British Medical Association did not give him any support, refusing to take on his case, his lawyer said. Jane Jelly stated that Dr Erian had to proceed with his complaint privately.

The case was brought under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003. These make it illegal to discriminate against a person on the basis of their religion or beliefs.

Having now seen that Dr Erian has been discriminated against, perhaps the hospital should now be seeking to discipline or transfer the Muslims in the ophthalmology department who discriminated against him. Unless they are disciplined, or separated so they do not have "supremacy", other staff in the department will face the likelihood of future discrimination for being "non-Muslims."

And the British Medical Association should be taking an assessment on its future position in such matters.

The Lincolnshire Echo fills out some details. Dr Erian was forced out in "constructive dismissal". His job was advertised without him being informed.

Dr Joseph Erian is only the sixth person to make a successful case under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, even though 410 cases have been lodged. Lawyer for Dr Erian, Jane Jelly who works for Glasgow-based solicitors Hunt Kidd said:

The fact is that there are many ethnic minority groups working within the NHS and the widespread existence of race and/or religion discrimination is a cause of great concern," she said. "The claimant was recognised by the trust as a hardworking, conscientious, competent doctor. If we are going to keep these highly talented individuals within our NHS, there must be a shift from simple good intentions towards equal opportunities to a firm commitment for change."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:26 PM | Comments (1)

France: Muslim Riots Lead To Tighter Immigration Controls

From Reuters AlertNet, news that on Tuesday, plans were laid out to tighten immigration controls, with France's Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy saying to parliament that France no longer wanted "those people that nobody else in he world wants."

The Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin (pictured) told reporters "The government will act firmly and with a sense of responsibility."

Villepin said that there would be a longer wait for citizenship for foreigners who sought to marry French people, a more rigorous selection process for students, and also checks on immigration by families joining a foreign worker already living in France.

He also said he would be demanding strict policing on the practice of polygamy, which is illegal, but has been practised by some immigrants. Centre-right politicians had argued that one of the factors in the recent unrest was that children from large polygamous families had problems integrating into society.

Sarkozy, who had earlier said that he would demand the deportation of rioters said that he agreed with de Villepin. "We want selective immigration" he said.

Current procedure allowed 25,000 people to move to France in 2004 to join foreign workers after only a year. Villepin said that time would be increased to two years. He declared that integration, notably a grasp of the French language should be a condition of bringing famlies to France. That would ensure the future not only of family members but the society.

In 2004, about 34,000 French people married people from beyond the EU and Switzerland. After two years of marriage, these spouses can gain French citizenship. Villepin siad he would be increasing that time to four years if the couple lives in France. Currently, if the couple is living abroad, the wait is three yeas. He will increase that time to five years.

The Prime Minister said that he hoped these changes could be established legally "very quickly".

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)

France: National Assembly Approves Sarkozy's Anti-Terror Laws

We brought you last month the proposals drawn up by Nicolas Sarkozy, the Interior Minister, for dealing with terrorism.

The basics of the laws involve increased ability for video surveillance, travel controls, with railway, airway and shipping companies keepinng accurate documentation of people travelling.

Telephone and internet rules, making compulsory for internet cafes the information of connections, as well as service providers of all calls, with details retained for a year.

Increases in the penalties for terrorism offences, and forfeiture of nationality for a period of from 10 to 15 years after a person has become naturalised as a French resident, and rapid procedures to enable freezing of assets for a period of six months, possibly lengthened by more with approval from a Paris judicial review.

These basics are regarded as permanent measures - other more "sensitive" measures are to be subject to a "rendezvous clause", meaning that they will, once passed, be reviewed in 2008. "Sensitive" clauses include giving police access to databases on passports, visas, identity cards, number plates, residency permits, refusals of entry etc.

Also included as "Rendezvouz clauses" are: automatic surveillance of vehicles, with registration plate numbers photographed, and the numbers of cars to be relayed to a database of stolen vehicles. Allowing authorised individuals to have access to telephone and internet information.

Le Figaro announces that these proposals were submitted before the French National Assembly on Tuesday, and were agreed by a majority.

The minority Greens and the Communists voted against the proposals, and the Socialist Party (PS) abstained. But their gripes were outnumbered with the total votes being 373 for the proposals, and only 27 against.

The text of the proposals, which was debated in urgency (only one reading before the assembly) will be sent to the Senate where it will be set for discussion in mid-December. The government wishes for the final adoption of the law before the end of the year.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:46 PM | Comments (0)

US: Mosque Gunman is Charged

We reported earlier that Robert Blackburn, aged 51 (pictured) was arrested and placed in custody for shooting at two cars parked outside the North Penn Mosque, Lansdale in Montgomery County, Philadelphia, on November 10.

Today, according to CBS 3 Blackburn, now with a shaved face and short hair, was led into court, trying to hide his face from the view of cameras.

It was decided by a judge that there was more than enough evidence to hold him for trial, for ethnic intimidation and reckless endangerment.

Mosque members were not satisfied that he has said he is not guilty. Andul Hannan from the North Penn Mosque said: "We're really not happy because we need justice. The police have already proved that he was there at the time and he was arrested by the officer on this spot, he started shooting, everything matches. Now he said he is not guilty and it does not make any sense to us."

Strange that they are not happy. The man is in custody, awaiting a court appearance in January. The man has not even been placed on trial, but he will not be around for Christmas visits. Members of the mosque, states the report, have said they will follow the trial until they believe justice is done.

Ominously, the report states that a "National Islamic Civil Rights Group" wants the FBI to bring federal charges against Mr Blackburn. Could this be CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Saudi-funded organisation which has had several of its former luminaries charged on terrorism offences, and have had one leader claiming that they wish to make Islam the dominant religion of America? If it is CAIR, why don't CBS say so? Or are CAIR losing their media appeal?

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:14 PM | Comments (0)

Israel: Islamic Jihad Suicide Bomb Organiser Arrested

Late on Monday night, according to Ynet News and Arutz Sheva, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrested an Islamic Jihad terrorist, Ashraf Awidat.

Awidat was believed to have been planning a suicide attack within Green Line Israel in the next few days. He is believed also to have been involved with the bombing in thhe marketplace at Hadera on October 26, which killed 6 people.

Awidat was also involved in recruiting new terrorists to Islamic Jihad. He was arrested during counter-terror operations in northern Samaria.

Haaretz report that there were clashes on Tuesday in Bethlehem between IDF forces and Palestinian Authority police. During the exchange of gunfire, one PA police officer was wounded.

The skirmish took place near a police checkpoint when the Israelis were carrying out a search. Both sides accuse the other of opening fire first.

Eight Palestinians suspected of terrorist involvements were arrested late on Monday in the West Bank, with six members of Islamic Jihad and Two gunmen from Hamas being taken in Jenin, Tul Karm and Hebron.

The arrests came after a Palestinian gunman had thrown an explosive device at an IDF checkpoint in Hebron.

IDF also fired shells at rocket launchers in the south Gaza strip on Monday evening, after a rocket had been fired at noon. A mortar was fired at an Israeli community near the north Gaza strip later on, with no casualties.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:59 PM | Comments (0)

Israel: When the Price of Fleeting Recognition is your Soul

Robert Spencer at Dhimmi Watch calls this story silly dhimmitude. It surely is that, but its symbolism points at a more tragic underpinning: Israel would have to deny its very Jewishness to be part of a multinational organization. And, if I'm right on the centrality of philosophy, accepting your enemy's premises tends to carry a heavy penalty. Here is the story: Accord with PA helps pave way for Israeli membership in Red Cross

Red Cross partner organizations of Israel and the Palestinian Authority have reached an understanding on a proposed new symbol that could help pave the way for the Jewish state's entry into the Red Cross movement, officials said Friday.

The Israeli society known as the Magen David Adom, or Red Shield of David, will sign a deal with the Palestinian Red Crescent in Geneva on Monday securing acceptance of the "red crystal" - a new emblem the international aid agency is considering to recognize alongside the red cross and red crescent, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.

The agreement will help pave the way for the acceptance of the new emblem by the 192 countries that have signed the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of warfare when they meet in special session Dec. 5-6 in Geneva, said the ministry, which is hosting the conference.

Israel has been denied membership in the humanitarian movement for nearly six decades because it rejects the red cross used in most countries and the red crescent preferred by Muslim countries. The Palestinian society only has observer status because it is not under the jurisdiction of a recognized state.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 8:41 PM | Comments (0)

UAE: US Condemns Arrests, Hormone-Treatment of Gays

Alan Turing, one of the greatest mathematicians to ever live, was "treated" with female hormones in 1950's England as part of a punishment for his homosexual behavior. Partly as a result of that shame--"I'm growing breasts!", he wrote in anguish--he took his own life. It is a good thing barbarisms like forced hormone treatment to "cure" homosexuality don't happen in the West anymore. The United States does well in condemning the actions of any government who does such a thing, even if they are "Arab" (e.i. Islamic) countries: U.S. condemns Emirates' arrest of gays

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Washington has condemned the United Arab Emirates' arrest of more than two dozen gays at what police called a mass homosexual wedding and warned that any attempt to treat detainees with male hormones would violate international law.

Police raided a hotel chalet near Abu Dhabi earlier this month and arrested 22 Emirati men and three Arabs from neighboring countries, the Interior Ministry said Saturday. Police reported finding a dozen men dressed as brides and a dozen others in male Arab dress, apparently preparing for a mock marriage ceremony.

The authorities said the detainees, some of whom had been arrested before, are likely to be tried on charges related to adultery and prostitution. They also said the men would be tested for male-hormone levels and could possibly face government-ordered hormone injections.

In criticizing the arrests, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement Monday: "We call on the government of the United Arab Emirates to immediately stop any ordered hormone and psychological treatment and to comply with the standards of international law."

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:27 PM | Comments (0)

US: Broken Booze Bottles, Bakers, And Black Muslims

Last week on Wednesday night in Oakland, California, two grocer's shops were attacked by black men wearing suits and ties, who then proceeded to trash the stores. Some of the men carried clubs. Bottles of liquor were smashed as were refrigeration displays containing alcoholic beverages, stated Alameda Times Star.

The shop owners were apparently told to stop selling alcohol to black men. The gang of about a dozen men attacked the two stores, San Pablo Market and Liquor, and New York Market, within minutes of each other, around 11.30 pm.

Another attack also happened to a shop owned by a Yemeni man, whose store on Third Street in Richmond was vandalised. The Alameda Times noted then that the police had suspicions that the attacks were carried out by members of the Black Muslims, an organisation started by the late Yusuf Bey.

However, another group of Black followers of Islam, the Nation of Islam (NoI), led by Louis Farrakhan, also wear black suits and ties. On Saturday, members of the NoI were parading around Oakland, distributing leaflets and denying any involvement with the attacks.

Oakland has one of the first "hate crime" legislations in the US, which was introduced after 9/11. At the start of the affair, the police were treating the incidents under the assumption of "hate crimes".

According to the Napa Valley Register, the attacks on Wednesday had involved men armed with metal pipes. Deputy Chief Howard Jordan said on Saturday "No one from the Nation of Islam is under investigation."

Then things took a turn for the worse. In the early hours of Monday morning, according to the San Mateo County Times, a store belonging to a Yemeni man, which had been vandalised the week before, was totally gutted by fire. The clerk who had been on duty on Sunday night, before the fire started, was missing. He was eventually found, locked in a trunk of a car on Monday afternoon. He had been reported missing after the store had been destroyed, and discovered at 2 pm in a supermarket parking lot in El Cerrito. The fire was a case of arson. Traces of an accelerant were discovered in the wreckage.

The Yemeni American Grocers' Association, which represents about 300 store owners in the Bay area, is worried about further attacks, and has asked the police to step up their investigation. Saleh Mohammed, president of the association, said:"We need community support right now," he said. "It's not just us against them."

The police responded by issuing arrest warrants for six members of Yusuf Bey's Black Muslim organisation, who are connected with the Your Black Muslim Bakery chain.

According to Mercury News - Contra Costa Times, in 1993, employees of a laundry owned by Yusuf Bey were implicated in the vandalism of a store in North Richmond. In this instance, food and liquor were knocked onto the floor from the shelves. The damage amounted to $1,500, and one of the laundry employees was arrested. Yusuf Bey then said that his group was angered by people gathering in the store who sold drugs.

None of the stores involved in the recent incidents were known to have had drugs sold from their premises, and it is a poor excuse for vandalism. If a crime is being committed, why not call the police?

Yusuf Bey, who died of colon cancer in 2003 was a criminal from his earliest years, a gangster, and despite his pretensions at being a politician in his latter years, (he ran for mayor of Oakland in 1994) he was effectively the don of a mafia-style operation, which used the title "Black Muslim" to cover up criminal activities. Like real mafiosi, many of the businesses owned by Bey were legitimate.

We reported earlier of the "turf war" that has been carrying on since his death. His 24 year old son Antar Bey was shot dead at a gas station in Oakland on 25 October, and in June his adopted son John Bey was wounded by a gunman in an ambush.

In 2004, the chief executive officer of Your Black Muslim Bakery, 51-year old Waajid Aljawaad Bey was murdered, his rotting body discovered in a shallow grave in the Oakland Hills.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:44 PM | Comments (0)

Bangladesh: Muslim Suicide Bombings Hit Two Courts

News from New Nation, the Daily Star, the Bangladesh Independent and also the Turkish Press.

At 8.44 am local time a bomb attack happened at a police checkpoint outside the Chittagong Court, and at 9.45am local time this morning, a second attack was carried out in a crowd of lawyers and clients at the Gazipur bar association building.

The second attack killed the suicide bomber (pictured, left), and also three others who died on the spot, with a woman victim dying in Dhaka Medical College shortly afterwards. Two hours later two more died. The dead included two active members of the bar association and one who had retired. 17 others were seriously wounded.

The bomb is believed to have been strapped to the killer's thigh, which had the flesh ripped away. He entered the crowded room on the ground floor wearing a lawyer's gown. His identity has not been ascertained. His body, with wires wrapped around his thighs and waist, was left on the floor for two hours before being taken away.

The earlier attack from Chittagong killed two policemen, but the bomber, Abul Bashar from Narau village in Tangail, despite blowing off both his legs and wrists, was still living, and doctors were still trying to keep him alive. He had hurled a bomb into the court, and then detonated his explosives. He is pictured below, on the top right of the pictures against a green background. Five other police officers were critically wounded in the blast, as well as another would-be-suicide bomber.

A letter found in his trouser pocket claimed that he was a fedayee (fidayin or suicide bomber) for JMB's mission to establish the rule of Islam. "We will continue our Jihadi mission until establishing an Islamic welfare state," it read.

JMB, or Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh have been threatening attacks against the judiciary as recently as this weekend. They have previously killed two judges at Jhalakathi on November 14, and on October 3, they killed two people and injured ten including a judge in three blasts at courthouses in Chandur, Laxmipur and Chittagong, scene of todays first attack.

The JMB's recent campaign of violence, which is intended to set up an Islamic state based on Sharia law, commenced on August 17 this year, when 459 bombs were detonated throughout the country. 2 people were killed and more than 100 injured, in bombings which occurred simultaneously in 63 of the country's 64 districts.

In todays blasts, a total ten people have been killed, and 21 are seriously injured, with many others suffering less serious injuries.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 4:30 PM | Comments (1)

Belgium: Woman Converted To Islam, Became Suicide Bomber

News from Expatica and Free Republic states that a Belgium woman has become the first female European suicide bomber. She blew herself up in Iraq either a fortnight ago (FR) or several weeks ago (Exp).

Neither report says how many victims she took with her in her attack, but a few details of her path to jihad are given. The woman married a radical Islamic man and having married him, she soon became a convert to Islam.

She travelled to Iraq via Turkey and was identified by American forces in Baghdad after she had committed her "jihad". The husband who is thought to have arranged her trip has since disappeared.

The Belgian anti-terrorist unit has confirmed the woman's identity. The newspaper Le Soir states that 10% of suicide attacks over the past 25 years have been carried out by women, almost exclusively by women from the Middle East or South-East Asia.

This case reported today is the first known incidence of a female European suicide attack. I would love to know more about this case, and hopefully more details will emerge soon. Converts have been known to commit suicide attacks as in the case of Germaine Lindsay in the 7/7 attacks, but for a woman to become so obsessed with the religion of her husband to end up killing herself and others is unusual.

I wonder if her husband had set up for this before she became a target for marriage and conversion?

UPDATE: The Telegraph for Wednesday 30 states that on Nov 9 and Sept 28 there were female suicide attacks in Baghdad, quoting a US source, but has quoted comments made which are interesting, and slightly worrying for anyone wishing to bring you the news from the world.

Claude Moniquet, a counter-terrorist and intelligence analyst in Belgium, said the sudden emergence of the story in the French press appeared to have "placed Belgium investigators in a very difficult situation".

Mr Moniquet said: "If these reports are all true, they will have been working to roll up whatever network carried this woman to Iraq. We can expect imminent arrests in the next two or three days."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 3:30 PM | Comments (0)

US: Witness in Lodi Islamist Bail Hearing Halts Testimony

The man pictured left is 47 year old Umer Hayat. Hayat, originally from Pakistan, has been accused with his 23-year old son Hamid of lying to the FBI.

On June 3 and June 4 2005, both were interviewed by FBI agaents. They were questioned, according to the testimony of Pedro Tenoch Aguilar, about whether or not Hamid, the son, had attended terrorist training camps in Pakistan, their homeland.

Hamid denied being part of such an organisation, but a polygraph questioning indicated a deception. He then admitted that he had attended such a terrorist camp, that it had been run by a-Qaeda, and he had come to the US with purposes of carrying out jihad.

Umer Hyatt at first denied his son's involvement with any terrorist training camp, but admitted after being shown video of his son's confession that he did know of the camp. He said that in Rawalpindi, Hamid had attended a madrassa owned by Umer's father in law (Hamid's grandfather), Qazi Saeed Ur Rehman, who sends students from this madrassa to jihadi camps in Pakistan. When Hamid had completed his madrassa education, he had gone to a training camp in Rawalpindi.

Umer said that he had paid for his son's flight to the US, and given his son an allowance, knowing of his intentions to set up a jihadi training camp in the US.

From this testimony, Hamid and Umer Hayat were indicted with the charge of lying to the FBI. On Thursday, 22 September, Hamid Hayat was further indicted for providing material support to a terror organisation.

For this offence of providing material support to a terrorist organisation, Umer Hayat is in federal custody in the Sacramento County jail. A judge had earlier granted Hayat bail, but this was appealed by the government.

Currently there was a pre-trial federal bail hearing underway, according to San Jose Mercury News and Lodi News, as well as kesq.com.

Bail for Umer Hayat has been set at $1.2 million, and three witnesses are offering to put up their houses as collateral against Hayat fleeing the country upon being set free. Umer Hayat had shaved off the beard he had worn in hearings since June and yesterday Safsar Afzal was being questioned.

Last week Sasfar Afzal had stated that he knew Umer Hayat very well and that he had got on well with him. Last Tuesday saw the bail hearing come to a dramatic halt, as Assistant US Attorney Laura Ferris told Afzal that the statement he had made in the bail hearing was not the same as a statement he had made to the FBI. She warned him that he could end up facing the same charges as the man he was trying to assist, namely of lying to the FBI.

Afzal's court-appointed attorney, Michael Bigelow, said yesterday that he had advised his client to say nothing more in the bail hearing, as answering more questions could put him in legal jeopardy.

US Magistrate Judge Dale Drozd has the option of striking all of Sasfar Afsal's testimony from the record, or asking the government to grant him immunity. Today, the hearing resumes with the appearance of one of the two FBI agents who first questioned Afzal.

The background to this case involves a small farming town called Lodi, south of Sacramento in the San Joaquin Valley, where a group of Muslims, mostly from Pakistan had a small mosque in Lodi. They had recently purchased an 18 acre site. The intention had been to build a Mosque school, called the Farooqia Islamic Center on the cornfield site on the Sacramento Road, but a recent ruling by San Joaquin County supervisors rejected planning permission.

The Lodi Muslim community had been founded by Muhammed Adil Khan and Shabbir Ahmed. Khan, a cleric from Pakistan, had joined the Lodi Mosque in 2001. Following investigations into alleged terror links, Khan and Ahmed were deported back to Pakistan in September.

UPDATE: San Luis Obispo states in an AP release that Judge Dale Drozd has declared that the prosecutors provoked Afzal to take the Fifth Amendment (not to incriminate oneself) and the US government wishes Afzal's testimony struck from the record.

"I couldn't believe that seriously was going to be the line of questioning", Drozd said. "I'm still having a hard time figuring out what was allegedly inconsistent."

He has delayed until tomorrow at the earliest the announcement of any ruling on whether Afzal, his father and Umer Hayat can properly make assurances that Hayat will not flee the US.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 2:39 PM | Comments (0)

Archbishop John Sentamu Speaks Out Against Multiculturalism

Why does it take a foreign-born national to defend English culture?

"What is it to be English? It is a very serious question," he said. "I think we have not engaged with English culture as it has developed. When you ask a lot of people in this country, 'What is English culture?', they are very vague. It is a culture that whether we like it or not has given us parliamentary democracy. It is the mother of it. It is the mother of arguing that if you want a change of government, you vote them in or you vote them out.

"It is a place that has allowed reason to be at the heart of all these things, that has allowed genuine dissent without resort to violence, that has allowed all the fantastic music that we experience in our culture."Multiculturalism as a concept failed to convey the essence of what it meant to be English. "England is the culture I have lived in, I have loved . . . My teachers were English. As a boy growing up, that is the culture I knew."He disliked the word "tolerance" when used in reference, for example, to people of different cultures.

"It seems to be the word tolerance is bad because it just means putting up with it," he said. "I was raised in the spirit of magnanimity. That is a better word than tolerance. If you are magnanimous in your judgments on other people, there is a chance that I will recognise that you will help me in my struggle."

He described English culture as rooted in Christianity and, in spite of attempts by secularists to marginalise it, the Church still had a central role to play. "I think the Church in many ways has to be like a midwife, bringing to birth possibilities of what is authentically very good in the English mind."

God bless the Archbishop. And God bless England.

(Hat tip: Fjordman.com)

Posted by Isabel de Castilla at 2:20 PM | Comments (0)

New Zealand: Two Jailed For Mosque Desecration

In reports from Khaleej Times and news.com.au, jail sentences have been given to two men who were earlier found guilty of intentional damage.

The pair are Jason Paul Molloy, aged 19, from Nelson, South Island, and 18-year old Ross Baumgarten of Auckland, North Island. They were both given a year each at a court in Auckland.

Molloy had been angered by the events in London of 7/7, when Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people on London Transport. He had sent a text message to an associate denouncing Muslims and calling for retaliation.

With Baumgarten, Molloy had attacked seven mosques and Islamic cultural centres betwen July 8 and July 10, in which windows were smashed, and the words "RIP London" were sprayed on exterior walls.

Baumgarten's lawyer said that he too had been distressed by the London attacks. Molloy's father said his son was now remorseful and appreciated his mistake. He asked for leniency.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

UK: Cricket Anthem May Be Axed To Appease Muslim "Sensibilities"

Today the UK Sun announces that the traditional hymn which is usually sung before matches and other events in Britain may be forbidden next year.

The reason? It may offend Muslims. But this is not a demand being made upon the British by Muslims, it is another act of loony appeasement and anti-patriotism which is being considered by the English and Wales Cricket Board.

Next year, there is going to be a test series between the England Cricket team and Pakistan, which will be held in Britain.

The words of the hymn, which is used as an anthem by crowds at national football matches, and even precedes the branch meetings of the UK's Women's Institute, are thought to be offensive. Perhaps a compromise could be struck, and the offending word "Jerusalem" could be replaced with the word Al-Quds, even though it would not fit the meter of the song.

These are the lyrics to the anthem, which is popularly called "Jerusalem":

AND did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?

And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire.

I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.

The words were written by William Blake, who also wrote "Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright, In the Forests of the Night", and "Auguries of Innocence" whose first lines are
TO see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

An artist and a mystical poet, Blake was born on Nov 28, 1757 and died Aug 12, 1827. His words are still quoted, and his art is still admired (illustrated). The music for the anthem was written in 1916 by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, (1848 - 1918).

As well as being sung at sports grounds and by the WI ladies, it is always sung at Labour Party conferences, and is even recommended as a wedding tune. And as far back as I can remember it was always in hymn books, and regularly sung in schools and churches.

The Sun notes the irony that the England cricket team, who won the Ashes for the first time in several years this summer, have made a CD. The proceeds of the CD are intended to be given as charity for Pakistan's earthquake victims. The recording is tipped to become the Number One single at Christmas. Or should I say the Number One Winterval single?

I forgot that, being British, I have to censor every damned thing I say nowadays, for fear of the PC police. To be absolutely honest, should the appeasing old farts at the Cricket Board decide to veto the singing of the anthem, I expect it will be sung anyway. International sports events are not school sports days with headmasters in charge, and they are one of the few occasions where UK people can safely feel patriotic, rather than cowed and made to be apologetic for not being a member of a religious minority.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:52 AM | Comments (0)

Saudi Arabia: Four Women Marry Their Driver

So, it is true Islam gives more right to women than the West. What four women in the West could come up with an elegant, simple solution to a problem like this one? http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=2321852005

FOUR Saudi women teaching in a remote village school have married their driver so they can live closer to work.

The women from Al-Baha province in south-west Saudi Arabia had become tired of the long drive to work every morning.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 8:44 AM | Comments (0)

Belgium: Islam & The Balkanisation Of Europe

A report from the Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency, which I will report in full, following our house policy of ignoring copyright laws when dealing with reports from states which indulge in illegal activity:

Balkan Muslims to shape the future of Euro Islam

Today some 12-15 million Muslims live in the European Union, both immigrants and citizens, compared with only 800,000 in 1950.
The debate over Turkish membership in the European Union has raised questions over whether a country with a Muslim majority could become part of a "European identity."
Furthermore, accession to the EU of a number of Balkan states in the years ahead will bring some predominantly Muslims countries into the Union and nearly double its Muslim population.
The historical experience of the Balkan Muslims can contribute to the development of a "European Islam".
This is the main conclusion of a seminar on "Balkan Muslims and the future of Islam in Europe" held in Brussels Monday evening.
Xavier Bougarel, a French scholar on Islam in the Balkans, noted that eight million Muslims are living in the Balkans.
Before the collapse of communism, there was only one Muslim-majority state in the western Balkans, Albania.
Today there are three, including Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, which is aspiring to become an independent state.
He stated that Turkish entry into the EU would have a considerable impact on the development of Balkan Islam and a European Islam by promoting exchanges between Balkan Muslims and Turkish religious leaders which could offset Neo-Salafi influence in South-East Europe.
For his part, Krassimir Kanev, associate professor of Sofia University in Bulgaria, argued that European human rights standards impose restrictions on the practice of Islam.
He criticized the prevalent view in Europe that the sharia is against democracy as it is "prejudiced."
The event was organized by the Brussels-based think-tank the European Policy Centre in cooperation with the Belgian King Baudouin Foundation.

Well, I'm glad I didn't have to paraphrase any of that. Of course Sharia is not against democracy. Of course people in Europe have a prejudiced view on sharia. And by the way, I'm off to visit my simian nephew, because if I believed in such blatant disinformation, I would be a monkey's uncle.

The only significant changes which European Islam has brought so far are: a fear of terror, actual terror, riots and demands that Europeans capitulate to excessive and unreasonable demands from an excessive and unreasonable Muslim minority. Islam in the Balkans did not lead to a peaceful situation, so why should its spread into the rest of Europe create such wondrous and happy results?

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:22 AM | Comments (1)

UK: Cleared Muslim Sister - What The Jury Was Not Told

We reported yesterday on the jury's "not guilty" verdict on Parveen Sharif and her brother Zahid, in what was a retrial over comments exchanged between the pair and their brother Omar (pictured), a would-be suicide attacker. Omar Sharif tried to blow himself up with an associate, Asif Hanif, in Mike's Bar, Tel Aviv, on April 30, 2003. His companion's bomb went off, killing three people and injuring 65, but Sharif's bomb belt would not detonate. He was later found in the sea 12 days later, after an apparent suicide. It has been suggested that the attack was arranged with the support of al-Muhajiroun, a UK Islamist group, now disbanded.

Parveen and Zahid were yesterday cleared of failing to inform police of a possible attack. However, information was not put before the jury, which has today been revealed by both the Times and the Telegraph.

Parveen, who described herself in the trial as a "moderate" Muslim, though devout, is a supply teacher. The Times states that she was barred from teaching at two schools for comments she made to the children. Both Grampian School in Sinfin, Derby and Somerlea Park School in Alfreton in Derbyshire both made complaints to the agency she worked for, saying they did not want her teaching their children again.

After the US 9/11 attacks, she said to primary school children that she was "on Osama bin Laden's team".

A child who was aged 10 at the time told police: "She says she's on bin Laden's team and it's a good job that bin Laden crashed into the twin towers. She says 'Hands up everybody that's got relations in New York?'. And then she goes, 'Well they're dead'."

This information was not passed to the jury, and was classed as "inadmissable evidence" in Parveen Sharif's first trial, by Michael Hyam the recorder of London. As a consequence of this, the comments were not mentioned in the trial which concluded yesterday.

The case was decided mainly on the evidence of emails exchanged between her and her brother. The Times reproduces them:

22 April 2003
Omar Sharif, in Palestinian Territories, to Zahid Sharif, Derby
Omar Sharif to Parveen Sharif (extract)I hope u are well. Please take care of yourself. Difficult times may lay ahead for you and the family in the next few weeks or months if Allah wills. Plan now and get rid of any material you may consider problematic.
"Please give a copy of the following message to my wife. 'After reaching our destination Allah guided us to his friends who were very happy to see us, and they said they needed our help very much. I hope you are strong. Know that everything is just a test, and Allah will reward the patient ones. Look after Khadijah, Hamza and Asyiah [their children] and bring them up well. We did not spend a long time together in this world but I hope through Allah's mercy and your patience we can spend an eternity together. We will talk later, I hope to go and be with the best of company soon, you will hear from my friend the good news ... Make dua [prayers] that Allah makes me sincere, firm and that he accepts my actions'. Delete this message.

23 April 2003
Parveen Sharif to Omar Sharif (extract)
We are happy that you are focused in your studies. inshAllah [God willing] we all have to be firm and focused with reality as time is slipping away, there is really no time to be weak and emotional ... when we see you again it will be like only half a day has passed ... You have no time for emotions. from parveen and everyone. May Allah take care of us and join us all soon.

26 April 2003
Omar Sharif to Parveen Sharif (extract)
salam parv, may Allah bless you. thank you very much for the letter. it was very helpful. inshAllah we will see each other soon. remember me in your duas.

At her (second) trial which ended yesterday, Parveen told the jury it was a "sick idea" to suggest she had encouraged her brother in his actions as a suicide-bomber. When shown a video of Omar and Asif Hanif which was issued by terrorist group Hamas a year after the event, she claimed the person in the video was "not the Omar I knew".

Both defendants had in their homes extremist literature from the radical group Hizb ut-Tahrir. We described earlier the testimony of one witness who said that such literature was handed out at mosques. Because it often had quotes from the Koran, this material was hard to then be disposed of. The jury appear to have swallowed this explanation.

Zahid also had an interest in al-Muhajiroun, the group which is believed negotiated the arrangement of Hanif and Sharif going to Israel to meet Hamas members, who then prepared them for the attack on Mike's Bar. Omar Sharif had been actively involved with promoting al-Muhajiroun.

Two trials have taken place now over this issue, and the total cost has been more than 2 million pounds ($3.7m). One wonders, if the Recorder of London had allowed testimony to be presented at the case, what the verdict may have been.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:30 AM | Comments (0)

France: 10 Islamists are Detained

The Tocqueville Connection states that today, French anti-terror police have arrested 10 suspected Islamists, including a prison officer and two former Muslim prison chaplains.

The arrests took place in the Brittany port of St Malo, and in Tours and Chateauroux, in the central western regions.

The arrests were linked to an investigation into money-laundering. The sources say that those who were arrested were not assumed themselves to be planning terror attacks.

This story will be updated as news arrives.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:58 AM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2005

Bangladesh: Prime Minister Condemns Islamic Terrorism, Condones Political Terrorism

The Prime minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia, addressed a massive crowd at the grounds of Hafiz Ibrahim College last week (pictured). According to ittefaq.com, it was the hardest-hitting attack against terrorism that she had yet made. She denounced Islamic extremists and said that Islam and terrorism were incompatible with each other, and called for citizens to condemn anyone who supported Islamic terror.

"Don't cooperate with and give shelter to them...One can't become martyr and cannot go to heaven by murdering people," she said. She said that extremists were "not real Musims" but "enemies of Islam. Islamic laws cannot be established by killing people - Islam does not sanction terrorism and killing."

She may be right, but there is a dark side to her own party, the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), which she has not condemned so openly. We mentioned earlier how, on October 12, a BNP Member of Parliament, Zahiruddin Swapan publicly called for journalists to be beaten up, while addressing a public meeting. Swapan is information and research secretary for the BNP. Khaleda Zia did not publicly condemn her minister. Swapan's statements have resonance, as there is a large faction in Bangladesh's National Party which has a reputation for such behaviour.

In December 2003, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the youth wing of the Bangladesh National Party, called the Jubo Dal, disagreed with the writing of one journalist in the southern Jhalakathi district. Humayun Kabir was beaten and stabbed by this junior wing of Zia's party. This event occurred on Dec 4, 2003. When journalists wrote of this incident and condemned, many received attacks and death threats, forcing 10 to go into hiding. A fuller account of this case can be found here.

The main opposition party, the Awami League, reports from November 8 this year, rival members of the Jessore chapter of the Jubo Dal were involved in a battle over drug dealership, causing six people to be injured, three critically. Knives and hockey sticks were used in the fight. 17 were arrested, but no-one was charged.

On the same day, the Daily Star reported that the security force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Chuadanga arrested four leaders of the BNP, including two Jubo Dal leaders, on charges of extortion and manipulation.

These are but a few examples of the fellow travellers who ride along in the Khaled Zia's retinue. The most shocking example of Jubo Dal activity finally came to a head earlier today, at the close of a case described by the Special Public Prosecutor in the case as "the most gruesome and heinous killing in the history of Bangladesh."

The Daily Star reports that Jubo Dal leader Rafiqul Islam Kajal and eight accomplices have been given double death sentences for their part in a brutal killing. Unfortunately for justice, only one individual, Mohammad Abdur Rahim, was at the court in Dhaka to hear the verdict.

The seven others, including the Jubo Dal leader, were tried in absentia, as they had all become fugitives. The murder was unpleasant by any standards. 52-year old Mohammad Shamsul Haq, who owned a hosiery market in old Dhaka, his 29-year old son Russel Sheikh and 37-year old chauffeur Moazzem Hossain had been abducted by the Jubo Dal leader on March 26, 2004.

The men were killed for control of the hosiery business, and access to a horde of money. The victims bodies had been chopped into a total of 149 pieces, which had then been dumped at various locations. Despite today's guilty verdict, Shamsul's wife said: "We are satisfied with the verdict but we fear for our lives as the fugitives had threatened us over telephone to withdraw the case. They (fugitives) also told us to be ready for the 'dire consequences' as we did not withdraw the case."

The Jubo Dal are still continuing as members of Khaled Zia's party. She is right to criticise those who use religion as a pretext to commit acts of violence and terror. Unfortunately, with 707 extrajudicial killings having taken place during her tenure as leader of the government, she does not seem to disapprove so strongly of acts of violence and terror carried out by those with whom she has allied herself.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:35 PM | Comments (0)

Germany: CIA Wanted Muslim Drug Dealers To Be Moles

A report in Expatica states that an extraordinary claim was made in the Saturday edition of Der Tagesspiegel newspaper. According to this, the CIA asked German domestic intelligence agencies if they could assist in recruiting moles, who would then be used to infiltrate Islamist terror groups.

These requests were apparently made in 2003 and 2004, to offices for the protection of the constitution, in various German states. they particularly wanted Muslim criminals who could be transformed into informers.

According to Der Tagesspiegel, it was suggested by the CIA that drug dealers who were serving long sentences could be given early release should they agree to infiltrate al-Qaeda. The CIA offered financial incentives of more than 1m euros ($1.17m).

Tagesspiegel, who say they were quoting from un-named "security experts", did not reveal whether or not anyone had been taken up in this recruitment exercise

I checked on their website but found nothing in the archives of the online edition. The illustration here is of a real mole, not to confused with a Muslim mole.

I do not know how much credibility to give this story. In theory it is a feasible idea, especially as in Europe, a large portion of drug-dealing ultimately is connected with terrorist financing. But people who have broken the law for profit may be bold, but are they really of the right calibre for such risky involvements? What if they got stoned all the time? Would they be reliable?

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)

Somalia: US to Fight Pirates with Privateers

How do you stop Pirates? With Privateers of course! Mercenaries to Police Somali Coast

November 27, 2005: The growing piracy problem off the Somali coast has been solved by the hiring of private contractors to operate as a coast guard. The American firm, Top Cat Marine Security (www.TopCatMarineSecurity.com), has previously provided counter-terrorism and coastal security services for the Department of Homeland Defense, and other government agencies. The firm also designs and builds high speed patrol boats.

While no one is saying it, the United States is basically taking over coastal security duties for Somalia. The Transitional Government there has no money for this sort of thing, so it appears that the U.S. is picking up the tab. This could get interesting, for the Somali warlords who operate along the coast are not going to take kindly to some foreigners trying to interfere. The first priority of the new coast guard is to put the pirate gangs, and especially the two larger "mother ships", that are supporting attacks far out at sea, out of action.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:56 PM | Comments (0)

Italy: Outrage As Islamist With al-Qaeda Links Is Acquitted

Today, an appeals court judge in Milan upheld the January acquittals of three men before him of terrorist charges for which they had previously been convicted, states the Scotsman.

Moroccan Mohamed Daki, pictured, had been earlier convicted of international terrorism charges, along with Tunisians Ali Ben Sassi Toumi and Bouyahia Maher, but in January 2005 an international outcry was created when they were acquitted of these charges.

Judge Clementina Forleo had declared that their actions were those of guerillas, and not terrorists. Corriere.it explained the judge's reasoning at that time:

Recruiting mujahidin for the war in Iraq is not against the law. The serious charge of international terrorism can only be brought if it there is proof of the organisation of attacks "aiming to spread indiscriminate terror in the civilian population in the name of a political and/or religious creed", in other words "crimes against humanity".

Ali Ben Sassi Toumi had walked out of the court, albeit in handcuffs, saying "Thanks be to Italian justice and thanks be to God. Allah is great."

Forleo's ruling had effectively quashed a new law (270b) introduced after 9/11 to prosecute groups which organised attacks from Italy in foreign territories. The verdict made a distinction between guerilla warfare and terrorism. At this January hearing, prosecutors announced their intention to appeal.

Today's court hearing was the appeal against the judge's ruling. At the time of the January 2005 appeal, Mohammed Daki had been sentenced to one year and ten months for procuring a forged document for a leader of the recruits going to Iraq. Today, Judge Forleo acquitted him of the charges relating to false documents, effectively setting him free.

Daki said after the verdict: "I'm happy, I'll stay in Italy and I want to continue studying and to find work. I never had any doubts on the sentence because I'm innocent."

Daki had completed his sentence by the end of June this year, and the interior minister had tried to have him expelled as "a serious threat to public order and a danger for the state security," stated Arabic News. But prosecution lawyers in Milan argued that those standing trial in international terrorism cases (i.e. waiting for the appeal which ended today), should remain in Italy and not go abroad. The judge then agreed.

The two Tunisians, Bouyahia Maher and Ali Toumi had been sentenced to three years' imprisonment for receiving forged passports and abetting illegal immigration. They too were acquitted of terrorism charges today, but they were sentenced to three years' prison for criminal association.

Following today's ruling, the Italian Foreign Minister, Gianfranco Fini spoke of his "anger and incredulity" for this "distortion of reality before the entire world."

Fini is right. The fact that all three recruited people to act as terrorists abroad should be enough to judge them, despite Judge Forleo's interpretation of the law. Let us dispense with Toumi and Maher and look at what is known about Daki.

Daki had shared an address in Hamburg, Germany with Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, part of the Hamburg Cell known to have helped plot and provide logistical support in the 9/11 US attacks. In German police interviews made after 9/11, Daki admitted his association with al-Sibh, but no watches were made upon him then, states Cooperative Research.

Middle East Info states that Daki arrived in Germany originally on a student's visa to study engineering, which he never took up. He met the al-Qaeda "Hamburg Cell" members at Al Quds Mosque in Hamburg. Apparently Daki's religious faith was such that he had visions and spoke in tongues. After his questioning, three weeks after the 9/11 attacks, police and other agencies lost track of him. He moved from Hamburg to Milan in the spring of 2002.

According to Time, "Investigators say Daki also had encounters with Mohamed Atta, the Egyptian who led the Sept. 11 attacks."

And now he is claiming that he is happy, he is going to stay in Italy. But worse still, if he is going to stay in Italy, he is free. Mr Fini should be encouraging his deportation.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:28 PM | Comments (1)

Bangladesh: New Islamist Threat Against Judges

The Daily Star announced that on Sunday (27 Nov), the Islamist terror group, Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) threatened to kill the Supreme Court's judges.

In a letter to Mahbubey Alam, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, the JMB said that the SCBA could notsave the judhes, even if they were protected by gunmen. It blamed the Supreme Court for inefficiency and corruption. The letter claimed to have been written by Moulana Ali Azam who said he was the joint secretary of JMB.

The JMB have so far targeted a number of judges and courthouses. The campaign against judges began in earnest on October 3, when courthouses were bombed in Chandpur, Laxmipur and Chittagong, killing two people and wounding 15, including a judge. Since then various threats have been made against courthouses, judges, police stations and jails, as well as minor attacks.

On November 14, two judges were killed by a man who later tried to blow himself up with police who were accompanying him to a hospital inside an ambulance. This attack in Jhalakathi killed two senior assistant judges and injuring four others.

The threat yesterday is the first direct threat made against the Supreme Court. The threatening letter claimed that 75% of High Court judges take bribes, and the assistant judges give 40% of their bribe money to the judges.

""The High Court and Supreme Court do not know what justice is. They just uphold the judgements of the lower courts. So, these judges do not have any right to live," the letter read.

In Khilgaon High School, alarm was created by a fake bomb which was found taped underneath the assistant headmistress' desk, after a visit by a woman in a veil, or nikab. Letters found in the school said a bomb would be set off, which led to the discovery of the item.

The JMB sent a letter to a journalist from the Daily Samakal, another to a special correspondent of the local daily Ajker Barta Mizanul Islam and a third to journalist of newspaper Ajker Paribartan. All three letters threatened their recipients with death. The journalists work in the Barisal district, southwest of Dhaka.

In the southwest of Bangladesh, in Alamdanga, a bomb attack took place which killed one man and injured three more, states Dawn. This attack is not said to be caused by Islamists. Police have blamed Maoist insurgents, who are also in a long-running battle with the government.

On Friday, a college teacher and a computer engineer were among eight suspected JMB activists arrested in Bhola, Tangail and also in Rajshahi, states the Bangladesh Independent. A professor of the department of agriculture at Chharfashion College was apprehended with a man with an honours degree in computer science and four others in the Bhola region. Bomb-making materials were also discovered during the arrests.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:55 PM | Comments (0)

Pakistan: After Muslim Honour Killing - Mutilation

A disturbing news item from Dawn. The custom of so-called honour killing seems to belong in a bygone age, yet still it is widely practiced. This particular case appears to be either an honour killing by vile and barbaric means, or a deliberate attempt to mutilate.

Shamin Mai is in a critical condition in the Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur, a province of Pakistan in the Punjab, adjoining he Indian border.

Shamin Mai has had both of her legs chopped off. Her brother Bashir and her uncle Bilal have been arrested for the atrocity. Four others who assisted in the assault have so far avoided arrest.

And what motivated this act of barbarity? Shamin Mai, instead of following the course expected of a girl in these regions, of having a marriage arranged for her, had contracted a marriage on her own free will, in Mauza Naseerabad.

Among the four assailants still at large one, Faiz Rasool, is a union councillor.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 2:07 PM | Comments (0)

UK: Sensitive Muslims Complaining Again

Once again, Britain's Muslims are proclaiming to the country that what is acceptable for the majority of the population is not acceptable to them, and are expecting something to be changed. Again.

This time, the offending item is not a picture of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, nor the design of an ice-cream cone wrapper, but a poster of a scantily-clad woman, which infringes no Advertising Standards guidelines. But it is facing their mosque, states the Leicester Mercury

The poster advertises the Aviary, a "gentleman's club" which is nearby. The Central Mosque in Conduit Street is going to the newspaper to protest, but so far have not approached the owners of the club to make comments. The Aviary owners said they did not want to cause offense.

Worshippers are upset, and a mosque worker, Gul Mohammad, says "It's not the kind of thing you want to see when you are doing your prayers," even though Muslim prayers involve kneeling down in a mosque and not looking at walls outside the building.

"Also, when people - men, women and children - leave the mosque they have to go past it. Whether it's a mosque, a church or a temple it's not what you want to see when you leave a place of prayer.

"It does not make sense putting something up like that. It would be good to have it removed.

"I'm sure there would be plenty of other places to put it."

Yes, like up your a- sorry. The local council have become involved, with Spinney Hills ward councillor Hashim Panchbhaya (a Muslim?) saying "I will take it up with the council and ask them to see what he can be done.

"The poster has caused a lot of offence to a community that has very high standards.

"It's not acceptable for people coming out of a mosque to see something like that. There's enough immorality in the world and to impose something like this on Muslims is totally unacceptable.

"There are sensitivities at stake and there are other places they can put it. To see a half-naked woman right outside the mosque is downgrading and not acceptable."

The reactions of the readers show more sense than the members of the mosque: Claire, of Leicester writes:

I find it difficult to comprehend that Muslims are attempting to inflict their values and beliefs on the whole community, where have the co-operative and cosmopolitan ideals of a multi-cultural Leicester gone?

There is plenty that I could say, but I will wait for comments from our readers before I engage in a long diatribe. What is the point? Sayings like "When in Rome do as the Romans do" mean nothing to these people.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)

Thailand: Muslim Killed in Drive-By Shooting

A Muslim man has been shot in the Rue So district of Narathiwat, one of the three southern provinces of Thailand which have seen an insurgency which has claimed more than a thousand lives.

Radio Australia states that the man was returning to his home on Sunday when he was shot three times by his assailants.

Police believe Muslim miitants may have been responsible for the killing. No group has claimed responsibility for this or any other of the atrocities from the region.

Muslim separatists wish that the provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani, which were annexed more than a century ago by Thailand, and formerly comprised a Muslim nation called Pattani, should cecede from Bangkok rule.

Though Islamists are blamed for many of the attacks against Muslims, some of these attacks may be caused by criminals and corrupt officials using the pretext of the emergency to settle disputes, it is claimed.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)

Indonesia: Suspected Muslim Militant Leader Arrested

The Borneo Bulletin announces today that Indonesian police have arrested a man who may be a Muslim militant leader, responsible for ordering atrocities in the Moluccas, islands of Indonesia which saw extensive Muslim/Christian sectarian violence between 1998 and 2002, killing at least 5,000 people.

A peace treaty was signed in 2002, but sporadic violence between the Muslim and Christian communities still breaks out.

The man arrested is called Ahzam, and he is coordinator of an Islamic boarding school in the district of West Seram. He is assumed to be a deputy of a hardline Muslim cleric named Bahtar.

Bahtar was responsible for a series of violent attacks in Malaku (the province), including an attack on May 15 this year on Seram, the largest of the Malaku islands. In this attack, gunmen had opened fire on a police security post in the village of Loki, which killed five policemen and one civilian. The officers had been sleeping when they were attacked.

Three people who took the attackers by speedboat to commit the attack have already been arrested, states Asia News, as well as an individual called Dahlan, alias Asep, confiscating at least 10,000 live bullets found in his possession. Eight people are thought to have been in the commando unit which carried out the attack.

In October, Mirifica stated that another individual, arrested in connection with the attack, 35 year old Ongen Pattimura, had been involved in earlier terrorist assaults, including a bomb incident in Ambon on April 3, 2002, which killed seven and injured 52. The individual known as Dahlan or Asep Djaja also killed two villagers of Wamkana, in South Buru on May 5, 2004. Asep and some of the others in the Loki assault had undergone training on Moro in the Philippines.

Today's report about the capture of Ahzam states that the time of his arrest is unknown, but he is now in custody in the city of Ambon. Ahzam's superior, Bahtar, is still at large.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)

UK: Family of Failed Muslim Assassin Cleared

27-year old Omar Sharif wished to be an Islamist suicide bomber. He was filmed in April 2003 (left) with another UK citizen, Asif Hanif, in Israel as they proclaimed messages of hate against Israel, before setting off to kill innocent Jewish civilians.

They entered a Tel Aviv bar, and both tried to set off their explosive belts. Hanif was ripped to shreds, taking with him three Israelis, but Sharif failed to make his explosives go off. He ran away, and 12 days later his body was found on the Tel Aviv shoreline. It is believed that shame, cowardice or some other motive caused him to commit suicide, a sin against Islam.

We reported earlier how his brother and sister, Parveen and Zahid Sharif were on trial accused of failing to disclose information relating to a terrorism offence. Parveen was also accused of inciting terrorism.

Prosecutors had claimed that Sharif had sent emails to his family in the days leading up to the attack, effectively informing them of his intentions.

Today the BBC announced that the jury in their Old Bailey trial decided that the pair were not guilty, and Zahid Sharif read out a statement outside the court: "We want to make it clear we did not know what our brother was going to do.

"It shocked us as much as everyone else and we are still shocked.

"We are relieved and grateful to the jury and the judge for their fairness and to everyone for their kindness."

In July 2004, the widow of Omar Sharif had been cleared of failing to alert the authorities of a terrorist attack, but the jury could not reach a verdict upon Perveen or Zahid Sharif, which led to this retrial.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

UK: Mosque Leader Angered By Security Listing

82-year old Dr Mohammed Naseem is the chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque in the Midlands. He has revealed his outrage that he may be on a security list from MI6, one of Britain's two intelligence agencies, states ic Birmingham.

He claims he has been tipped off that he is being monitored by the security services, possibly MI6. He was told that his movements are being watched. As a result of the warning, he has stopped going abroad, and has been unable to visit family in Pakistan and a daughter in the US.

His views on the intelligence services indicate what could be construed as paranoia: "My anxiety comes from my suspicion that the secret services in this country may be beginning to act independently of the political establishment," he says.

"The CIA has apparently acted independently of the US Government and it worries me that MI5 and MI6 may be taking steps which are not discussed in or approved by Parliament."

Hundreds of Muslims are thought to be on UK security services' "watch lists", compiled since the 9/11 bombings in the US says ic Birmingham.

Naseem is said to be a moderate. He expelled members of Hizb ut-Tahrir from the Birmingham Central Mosque, and recently appealed for calm after the recent Birmingham riots.

However, he recently outraged many at a press conference which had been arranged in late August, following the arrest of a failed suicide bomber, Yasin Hassan Omar, in a Birmingham suburb. The meeting, according to the Telegraph had been arranged for police and religious leaders to allay fears among Muslims that they may be "targetted".

Haseem started off normally, but then shocked everyone on the podium when he began questioning the validity of closed circuit television pictures of the bombers from 7/7 and the subsequent failed suicide attacks. He called Tony Blair a liar, and said his evidence could not be relied upon.

He said he had no faith in the government system, and said that the DNA from the suspects from the first attacks from 7/7 probably got there because the bombers were actually innocent victims. "DNA can match you, but that does not mean you are going to commit a crime. Thousands of youths are passing by and caught on CCTV, so how do you know it is them?"

He wrote in the Mosque newsletter about the 7/7 bombers: "Where is the evidence that four youths whose pictures were caught on CCTV cameras....were the perpetrators? How did we reject the possibility they were just innocent victims of this terrible happening? They had bought return train tickets."

On the later suspects, about whom the meeting had been called, he said: "Some people have been caught but I have not seen any evidence. The process of law is not open."

Perhaps such unpredictable comments have helped the intelligence services to assume he is a supporter of terrorism.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:34 AM | Comments (1)

Spain: Zapatero Holds Meeting of Muslim-Appeasing "Alliance of Civilizations"

Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has hosted the first meeting of the so-called "Alliance of Civilizations", a joint Spanish-Turkish initiative designed to weaken the United States. Naturally, that is not the stated objective of this UN-approved initiative, but... well, let's read the story first: Spanish PM launches UN initiative to fight radical Islam

PALMA: Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Sunday hosted the first meeting of a UN “alliance of civilisations” initiative designed to join Western and Muslim states to fight radical Islam.

Zapetero was notably accompanied by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose role as the leader of a mainly Muslim state is highly symbolic within the initiative, proposed by the Spanish leader last year.

"Former rivalry" between the Christian and Turkish empires "has been transformed into a positive association," Zapatero said, adding that he wanted the alliance to "close the breach" between the Western and Islamic world.

The "alliance" will be "positive" as long as Spain complies with Turkish wishes. It looks more like "servitude" from my vantage point.

The "alliance," promoted by its supporters as a counterpoint to the United States' more forthright anti-terrorist strategy, has found a receptive ear in UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, as well as Turkey and 22 other countries.

The nascent alliance seeks to combat Islamic terrorism by depriving it of its "pretexts of legitimacy," in the words of Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

So, there you have it folks, right from the Spanish foreign Minister's mouth: the alliance looks to serve as a counterweight to the United States and to appease angry Muslims. I couldn't have said it better myself. If the alliance were serious about its purpose, of course, it would need to restore into Islamic control all lands once held by Islam, which includes almost all of Spain. The rest of Western Civilization will need to pay the Jizya tax to a newly-restituted Caliphate, and allow free reign to Islamic preachers to propagate their message of hate, until the whole World submits to Islam. Because those are the actual "grievances" so-called radical muslims have.

To be fair to Spain and the UN, they live in a fantasy world in which the real grievances of Islamic terrorists are economic, not the grievances they actually claim to hold. (Lack of power over the hated infidels.) Their stupidity, however, might cost us dearly. We should not legitimize the Alliance of Civilizations if we wish to contain the damage.

Previous Posts:

Zapatero: Traitor of Civilization

Uncovering the "Alliance of Civilizations"

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:48 AM | Comments (0)

France: March For Muslim Woman Set On Fire

Today's Telegraph announces that yesterday, a march was held in Paris, which was organised by the organisation "Ni Putes ni Soumises" (Neither Prostitutes Nor Submissives).

The reason for their protest was to voice anger at a cruel attack upon a young woman, and anger at the media's apparent indifference by virtually ignoring the case. The press in France has deliberately played down reporting of recent events, wary to use the term "Muslim" when referring to rioters. This case is perhaps an embarrassment to the French media, as both victim and perpetrator are both Muslim.

18-year old Chahrazad Belayni is in a critical condition, being kept in an artificial coma, after she received severe burns over 60 per cent of her body. On November 13, the Moroccan was walking near her home in Neuilly-sur-Marne in northeastern Paris, when she was atttaacked.

Her attacker was a workmate of Pakistani origin who was incensed that she had earlier refused to marry him. This man and another, believed to be his accomplice, are in hiding somewhere.

"This man asked her to marry him three times. He didn't understand her refusals and wouldn't leave her alone," said Sonia, a classmate. "Chahrazad was a beautiful young girl, very soignee (smart,stylish) and coquettish. He hurt her more than most by physically damaging her."

Several hundred people marched to the town hall, with a banner portrait of Chahrazad, smiling, at the head of the group. The words on the banner demanded "Justice, Liberty, Respect". Her brother Abdelaziz made an impassioned speech, criticising the lack of public outcry over Chahrazad's immolation.

"We are here to denounce this horrible act," he said. "We are here, not to call for revenge but that justice is done. We are here to denounce all violence against women: women must be able to say No or Yes".

The group Ni Putes ni Soumises which we described earlier, was founded by Fadel Amara, who was present at the march.

The group campaigns against the violence against women which particularly occurs among Muslim immigrant communities in France. On Saturday the group had a silent vigil for a girl named Nadia, who was allegedly killed