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January 31, 2006

Buy Danish products:

For the past two years I have already made it a habit to buy a block of Rosenborg Danish import blue cheese every few weeks. It's great to crumble on salads and a fantastic light snack on crackers with sliced apple. Rosenborg can be found in most grocery stores in the United States, including Walmart.

Anyone who knows of other Danish products available in the US (or other regions in the world)to showcase, please email or leave a comment. Thanks.

Update:

Michelle Malkin has more on where to purchase Danish products

And more from Judith Apter Klinghoffer

Posted by Isabel de Castilla at 2:59 PM | Comments (2)

Europe: EU Warns Saudi Arabia Over Danish Boycot

Could this be a proto-spine from the European Union? Or is this just another example of post-modern diplomacy, all talk and no action? Time will tell: EU warns Saudi Arabia that it could take Danish boycott to WTO

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has warned Saudi Arabia that it would take WTO action if the Riyadh government supported a boycott of Danish goods, the European Commission said Monday.

A Danish newspaper's publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad has led to tension between Denmark and some Muslim countries. Mandelson told the Saudi Minister of State that any Danish boycott would be a boycott of the European Union.

"He made it clear that if the Saudi government had encouraged the boycott, Commissioner Mandelson would regret having to take the issue to the WTO," said EU spokesman Peter Power.

The Saudi minister told Mandelson that the government had not encouraged the boycott.[...]

Note: Of course the Saudi Government encouraged the boycott.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 2:30 PM | Comments (0)

Cuba: Castro Claims "Nuclear Monopoly" Danger to the World

So, if the danger lies in too few countries having nuclear weapons, wouldn't the solution be for more countries to obtain them? Fidel Castro Alerts of World Danger

Havana, Jan 26 (Prensa Latina) President Fidel Castro has cautioned that the planet is in danger because top world’s powers have a monopoly over nuclear weapons.

In an informal talk late Wednesday night with foreign and Cuban reporters at the capital’s Anti-imperialist Tribune, the Cuban leader commented on how these nations get all bent out of shape when another country like Iran wants to produce nuclear fuel for peaceful ends.

They are even talking about attacking Iran and imposing sanctions against this Persian state, he said.[...]

Do read the whole story, if you have the stomach for undiluted propaganda from Cuba's official propaganda "Press Agency."

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 2:16 PM | Comments (0)

A Message to the Danes

Isaac Schrodinger, an ex-Muslim, has a message for the Danes.

Posted by Isabel de Castilla at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)

Russia: Czar Putin Sabber-Rattles... Against America

Does Putin realizes he has a Jihad on his hands, as well as Mad Iranian Mullahs getting close to nukes, thanks to his own policies? (Boasting of nuclear missiles capables of penetrating any air defense is a jab at America, the only country with a rather crude missile defense system.) Czar Vlad is still trying to win the last war: Putin Boasts of New Missile's Capability

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted on Tuesday that Russia has missiles capable of penetrating any missile defense system, an apparent allusion the U.S. defense network, Russian news agencies reported.

"Russia last year tested missile systems that no one in the world has and won't have for a long time," he was quoted by the ITAR-Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies as telling a news conference.

"These missile systems don't represent a response to a missile defense system, but they are immune to that. They are hypersonic and capable of changing their flight path."

Putin said he had shown the working principles of the missile systems to French President Jacques Chirac during a visit to a Russian military facility.[...]

Vladimir Putin tries to impress Jacques Chirac with his cute missiles, and hires Gerhard Schroeder to be the director of Russia's state-owned oil conglomerate. I'm telling you, Putin has gone mad on us, and he's trying to "beat" America, whatever that means on his mind.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:20 AM | Comments (0)

January 30, 2006

US: Sacramento Mosque in Gas Scare - Woman Wanted

A report from the Sacramento Bee states that earlier this afternoon, a "suspicious plume of fog" caused a mosque and its surrounding buildings to be evacuated.

The Jame Masjid at a 4th Street intersection in Sacramento, California, was virtually empty at 3 pm, with a solitary man praying inside. He said that woman, with red hair, aged between 30 and 50, entered the mosque. She wore black tights and a green scarf. She then apparently set off a fire extinguisher, releasing the suspicious plume of fog. The witness left the mosque straight after this.

Fire experts determined that the "gas cloud" was caused by a portable fire extinguisher. Police say they want to talk to the woman.

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

Saudi Arabia: Interior Minister Urges "Decisive Stand" Over Cartoon Issue

Using Cartoon Row to shore up the Monarchy, the Saudi Interior Minister Urges the Cartoon Jihad on: Naif Urges Muslim Stand on Cartoons

TUNIS, 31 January 2006 - Interior Minister Prince Naif yesterday called on Arab and Islamic countries to take a decisive stand on the issue of cartoons denigrating the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

"It's certainly insulting to all Muslims," Prince Naif told reporters about the 12 cartoons published by a Danish newspaper last September and reprinted in a Norwegian magazine in January. "Saudi Arabia's stand on this matter is very clear," he said. The Saudi Cabinet had earlier denounced the sacrilegious cartoons.[...]

In Islamic Law, remember, any representation of Mohammad is sacrilegious. And don't miss the obligatory cowardly socialists:

[...]Villy Soevndal, leader of the small opposition Socialist People's Party, said Denmark "cannot be a country where the prime minister goes into hiding while Denmark loses export money, Danish citizens are being threatened and Danish flags burned."

"Burn our flags? That cannot be! Let's surrender our principles instead." Not that the corporate officials of Arla foods have been better.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 8:24 PM | Comments (1)

Sudan: Islamist Leader Still Supports Terror

Today's Telegraph carries a portrait of 74-year old Hassan al-Turabi (pictured), who once was a leading figure in the Islamist regime of Omar al-Bashir. Turabi's personal ambitions and machinations caused a state of emergency to be imposed in December 1999. Since that time, Bashir has been sidelined and treated, deservedly, as a pariah, while the Islamist dictatorship of Bashir has made historic moves towards peace with with the non-Muslim south.

Bashir came to power undemocratically, staging a coup in 1989, when al-Turabi was his close ally. Hassan al-Turabi was leader of the ruling National Islamic Front and speaker of parliament, and was widely considered the "brains" of the government. In a nation of 40 million, Turabi decided that all of Islam should be modelled on 7th century Medina, from the time of Mohammed, and Sudan would be the first recreation of that model.

The fact that 10 million people, mostly from southern Sudan, were not Muslims was no hindrance on Turabi imposing harsh sharia law upon non-Muslim Christians and animists. The south was officially exempted from Sharia in 1991, but the damage from its initial brutal imposition led to an armed insurgency.

Now it is widely held that more than any other individual, Turabi stoked the injustices which fuelled the two decades of civil war between the north and south, and cost 2 million lives.

Turabi offered a sanctuary to Osama bin laden in 1991, with the terrorist staying for five years in Sudan. And of course Bin Laden was, for Turabi, a "businessman", and not a terrorist, and certainly not responsible for 9/11.

"It's just impossible. If you had known him personally, you would dismiss it right away," Turabi states. "He came as a contractor. He built a road and then he became interested in agriculture. The British used to come and see me and the Americans. All they talked about was bin Laden. I said no-one knows him here in Sudan. There are more dangerous Saudi Arabians who are in England, claiming asylum. I told them, 'Let him stay here', but they put pressure on the government to kick him out. The poor man, I saw him once or twice. He visited me here and then I met him once at his home. He's a very simple man."

Bin Laden was not the only terror fanatic supported by Turabi and offered sanctuary. Carlos the Jackal, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, lived in Khartoum from 1991 to 1996.

He also was responsible for helping to arm the notorious Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda. This group has been in existence since 1986, and since 1987 it has been led by Joseph Kony, who has abducted 20,000 children, to be used as "expendable" troops, often forcing them to massacre their own relatives. A core group of 200 lead this rebel force, all armed by Sudan.

Exploiting Islamic taqqiya (deliberately lying) to is fullest, Turabi now claims that he has always championed freedom. On the issue of arming the LRA, he states "It's natural. In all wars people do the same. If there's a state of war between you and the other side, then you arm the other side's opposition don't you?" When questioned about child captives being murdered, Turabi says "They don't kill them by the way, they don't murder."

If Turabi had stayed committed to his less-intelligent ally, al-Bashir, perhaps there would have no peace deal with John Garang and the rebels in the South. The new constitution would never have been considered. It seems that almost all of the ideas implemented by Turabi are now being ditched by the government of Sudan. In October, Sudan gave permission for Ugandan forces to attack LRA forces anywhere in the south.

Turabi had a glowing career before he entered the murky world of political coups and Islamist dictatorships. He had a Masters degree in law from Kings College, London, and a doctorate at the Sorbonne in Paris.

But his own greed for power was his undoing. In December 1999 his ambitions led to him being accused to trying to mount a coup. Bashir later said that Turabi had been running a parallel administration.. In September that year, Turabi had outwitted Bashir and gained the post of secretary-general of the ruling National Congress party.

The president reacted to a move instituted in parliament by Turabi, which would have curbed his powers. 48 hours before the parliament was due to vote on this, Bashir dissolved parliament, and initiated a state of emergency.

In January 2000 it appeared the two men were headed for a reconciliation, but by May Turabi was being accused of inciting army officers and Islamist militants against the government.

Turabi vowed to fight on, despite being sacked from his government post at the start of May 2000. He founded a new party, the Popular National Congress in June. In February of 2001, Turabi was placed under house arrest, and since then he has been in and out of prison.

He was again accused of masterminding a plot, and for this he was jailed in March 2004. He was said to have attempted a coup in September 2003. On his release he said he would probably be rearrested again soon.

But still Turabi tries to get into the limelight. On New Year's Day this year, he complained that the country was too full of foreigners (mainly aid workers trying to assist the human disasters created by the government he once belonged to).

The Islamist regime in the north is still an authoritarian environment, but since Turabi was ejected from government, the peace talks with the south have flourished. Turabi's lies and deception were valuable assets at the start of the Bashir coup in 1989. Since then, they have only been proved to be liabilities. The government of Sudan is far from perfect, but without Turabi's meddling and power-grabbing, the nation is slowly moving out of the darkness and back into international relations with its neighbours and the outside world. Such progress could never have happened with Turabi in the government, and his backwards vision of a 7th century Medina, rebuilt in the soil of the African continent.

But Turabi, who founded the Sudanese wing of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s, paints himself as the godfather of Islamism, a man whose pioneering work is now being realised around the world. "There is now an awakening all over the Muslim world, from Indonesia to Sudan and even in the northern hemisphere," he states. "The Muslims in London or Paris, once they were just working to earn a living, now their identity is reawakened."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:26 PM | Comments (0)

Qatar: Former President Clinton Condemns Mohammad Cartoons

Moral Cowardice, thy name is William Jefferson Clinton: Clinton warns of rising anti-Islamic feeling

DOHA (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton warned of rising anti-Islamic prejudice, comparing it to historic anti-Semitism as he condemned the publishing of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper.

"So now what are we going to do? ... Replace the anti-Semitic prejudice with anti-Islamic prejudice?" he said at an economic conference in the Qatari capital of Doha.

"In Europe, most of the struggles we've had in the past 50 years have been to fight prejudices against Jews, to fight against anti-Semitism," he said.

Clinton described as "appalling" the 12 cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in September depicting Prophet Mohammed and causing uproar in the Muslim world.

"None of us are totally free of stereotypes about people of different races, different ethnic groups, and different religions ... there was this appalling example in northern Europe, in Denmark ... these totally outrageous cartoons against Islam," he said.[...]

Expect the political Left to continue to offer such multiculturalist response to Cartoon Row.

Hat tip: LGF.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 3:44 PM | Comments (1)

Somalia: Ransom Paid to Islamic Pirates

The pirate mastermind, like any good businessman, will put the proceeds right back into the business. There is no will, either in the U.S. or in the "international community" to put an end to Islamic Piracy: Somalia pirates release three Taiwan-owned vessels

NAIROBI, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Somalia pirates have released three Taiwanese fishing vessels they hijacked last year after being paid $450,000, a shipping official said on Monday.

Two vessels had been in the hands of militia stationed in Kayoome Island near the port town of Kismayo in southern Somalia since last August. The third one was captured in November.

"According to our information, the owner agreed to pay $450,000 for all three vessels," Andrew Mwangura, programme coordinator at the Kenyan Seafarers Association, told Reuters.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 3:27 PM | Comments (0)

US: Discussing the Legacy of Jihad

At the risk of appearing, perhaps being, petty, I should say I have a major disagreement with Andrew G. Bostom, whose Frontpage Interview I'm about to link to: I believe his strategy for victory, which is already unacceptable both to our political elites and to most of our citizens, won't be enough, won't be nearly enough to allow the West to survive.

With that said, please take time to read his interview: The Legacy of Jihad

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 2:48 PM | Comments (0)

Palestinian Abomination: Islam's Warriors Raid Gaza E.U. Offices over Danish Cartoon Row

The anti-cartoon Jihad continues: Gaza EU offices raided by gunmen

Masked gunmen in Gaza have briefly stormed the local office of the EU.

They demanded an apology from Denmark and Norway over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that have offended Muslims.

One of the gunmen said citizens of both countries should not enter Gaza until the apology is made.

The cartoons first appeared in September in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and were later reprinted in a Norwegian paper.[...]

How long before somebody is murdered over this?

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:27 AM | Comments (1)

Palestinian Abomination: Hamas Wants to Keep Aid Money

The Hamas wants to have its cake, and eat Jewish children too. They are now complaining about the humanitarian situation,etc. They also claim to be willing to have its spending "monitored." That, however, is a red herring; any money they receive for infrastructure and services is money not coming from their regular coffers. In the end, any money given to Hamas, just like any money given to Fatah was, will be money for terrorism: Hamas Asks Nations Not to Cut Aid

A Hamas leader asked the international community on Monday not to cut aid to the Palestinian Authority, insisting the money would go toward helping the Palestinian people and Hamas was willing to have its spending monitored.

Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader in Gaza, also said the Islamic militant group is ready to negotiate the terms of continued foreign aid with donor countries.

He spoke ahead of Monday's meeting of the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators - the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia - to discuss the repercussions of Hamas' election victory. The United States and European nations have said they will cut off aid to a Hamas-led government unless the group recognizes Israel, renounces violence and adheres to interim peace deals with Israel.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:17 AM | Comments (0)

January 29, 2006

Iraq: Churches, Vatican Embassy Targeted by Mohammedan Terrorists

The anti-Christian Jihad within the larger Jihad continues: Churches targeted in Iraq blasts

Car bombs have exploded outside the Vatican embassy and near four churches in Iraq, killing at least three people.

The apparently co-ordinated attacks took place within 20 minutes of each other, Iraqi police said.

Three of the bombs went off in the capital Baghdad, while a further two were detonated in the northern oil city of Kirkuk.

All the fatalities reported were in Kirkuk, while at least nine people were wounded in the blasts.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 5:55 PM | Comments (1)

Muslim Ummah: Lybia, Syria, Kuwait, Palestinian Abomination Join Cartoon Insanity

The madness spreads in the Muslim world:

Libya closes Danish embassy to protest drawings

Syria adds voice to growing protest

State of Kuwaiti strongly condemns humiliation of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)

Palestinians want Danes out

Islam, we should all remember, is a religion of Peace.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 5:31 PM | Comments (0)

Iran: The "Logic" of Nuclear Negotiations

Don't sneeze, or you might miss the wonderful Mullah logic: Iran urges EU not to make "haste decision"

TEHRAN, Jan. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran on Sunday urged the European Union (EU) not to make "haste decision" to refer Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council, stressing that Tehran regards the UN nuclear watchdog as the sole authoritative body to solve the issue.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the only body that is capable of solving the Iranian nuclear issue, and we hope that the EU will not make haste decision," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told a weekly news briefing.

Iran leaves the door open for negotiations, and has been prepared to secure its nuclear rights through talks with the EU, Asefi said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki reiterated that Iran would suspend all confidence-building measures if its nuclear file was sent to the Security Council.

"Our position is very clear. We will have to halt all voluntary cooperative measures if hauled to the UN Security Council,"Mottaki told a press conference.[...]

So what's this "wonderful logic" I'm raving about? Iran considers the IAEA the only legitimate authority to resolve the nuclear dispute. However, if they are referred to the IAEA, they will stop negotiating altogether! Isn't logic wonderful when you don't have to obey the law of non-contradiction?

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 5:08 PM | Comments (0)

Egypt: OIC, Arab League Want anti-Cartoon UN Resolution

Seriously. The Organization of Islamic States and the Arab League both want a U.N. resolution condemning the publication of anti-Mohammad cartoons in Scandinavia. They want a binding resolution that would impose sanctions on countries that promote "religious contempt": Muslims seek UN resolution over Danish cartoons

CAIRO - The Muslim world's two main political bodies said on Sunday they were seeking a UN resolution, backed by possible sanctions, to protect religions following the publication in Scandinavia of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

Organisation of the Islamic Conference secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told reporters in Cairo that the international body would "ask the UN general assembly to pass a resolution banning attacks on religious beliefs."

The deputy secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Ben Helli, confirmed that contacts were under way for such a proposal to be made to the United Nations.

"Consultations are currently taking place at the highest level between Arab countries and the OIC to ask the UN to adopt a binding resolution banning contempt of religious beliefs and providing for sanctions to be imposed on contravening countries or institutions," he said.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 1:55 PM | Comments (1)

Palestinian Abomination: Hamas to Consolidate Power by 'Forming' Army

The call for a 'new' Army (Fatah has a de Facto Army) could mostly be a move to consolidate power; they will be substituting Fatah members with their own. It seems they are afraid Fatah, or a faction thereof, will attempt to gain power using using military arms. It could also be, however, that they are serious about forming a 'real' Army, and that the world should be worried, etc., in which case the simple, elegant solution, is to not give them money so they won't be in a position to form an Army: Hamas Preparing to Form an Army

(IsraelNN.com) Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshal, who is based in Damascus, stated the organization is preparing to start an army.

Meshal stated that as long as the “occupation continues” Hamas has the right like any other country, to establish an army to defend itself. He added he is calling on other factions within the Palestinian Authority (PA) towards achieving the goal.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)

Australia: Indonesian Muslims's Odd Asylum Claim

There should be a simple rule in Western countries when it comes to immigration: do not let Muslims in. Not even when they claim "they did not want to attack Christians." If that were accepted as a justification, pretty much every Indonesian Muslim could claim it, as anti-Christian organization is widespread: Asylum seekers 'forced' to attack Christians

A GROUP of West Timorese is seeking asylum in Australia from Indonesia claiming they have been pressured into carrying out attacks against Christians in their village.

Mustafa Ridwan, 23, a Muslim from Alor in West Timor, said he and his brothers Supardi, 39, and Mahmud, 30, and a nephew, 18, fled Indonesia because they did not want to be enlisted in anti-Christian campaigns.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 9:53 AM | Comments (0)

January 28, 2006

Norway: Government Bows to Muslim Pressure Over Mohammad Cartoons

How dare our citizens practice freedom of speech? Norway Apologizes for Cartoons Insulting Prophet Mohammed

The insult including cartoons on Prophet Mohammed that were published in the Danish daily Jyllands Posten spread to Norway, but received a different assessment.

As opposed to the Danish government's "insistence on insult," the government in Norway displayed an exemplary behavior.

Norwegians apologized from the Muslim world for the action of the newspaper Magazinet, the publisher of the cartoons in an attempt to "support the freedom of _expression."

Norway Foreign Ministry sent a letter to their ambassadors serving in the Middle East and wanted them to state the administration is distant to the Magazinet's publication.

The letter emphasized freedom of _expression is one of the pillars of the Norwegian society, but the freedom also includes tolerance towards various beliefs and thoughts.

The Danish government, to the contrary, had taken no action against the newspaper following the publication of the cartoon on the ground of freedom of _expression; moreover, the administration backed the incident in a report it presented to the United Nations.[...]

The Norwegian government is a Leftist Coalition.

The Danish government is a Right-Leaning Coalition. (Denmark's official website is currently down.)

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 4:05 PM | Comments (0)

Switzerland: Mohamed ElBaradei Wants U.S. to Give Nuclear Reactors to Iran

Because, as we all know, giving nuclear reactors to North Koread worked so well in convincing them to give up their nuke program: US should provide Iran with reactors: Elbaradei

UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei has called on the United States to provide Iran with nuclear reactors, and urged Tehran to declare a moratorium on enriching uranium for at least eight years.

He said eight or nine years would enable the country to earn the confidence of the international community that it was really interested in nuclear energy - not nuclear weapons.

The Iranians argue that they need to develop an enrichment capability because they cannot be assured of a guaranteed supply of fuel for a peaceful nuclear energy programme, ElBaradei said at a panel at the World Economic Forum on Friday.

"I would separate the issues of using nuclear technology for energy and to produce weapons," he said.[...]

There is no diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear crisis. There has never been a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear crisis. The United States should stop dreaming, and get on with it.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 3:39 PM | Comments (0)

Pakistan: Struggling Against the Marathon

Women... and men... running... together... Allahu Akbar! Islamic activists detained ahead of Lahore mixed-sex marathon

Islamabad, Jan. 28 (PTI): Pakistani police detained hundreds of Islamic activists threatening to disrupt a mixed-sex marathon in Lahore tomorrow on the grounds that it was "un-Islamic," as authorities beefed up security for the race.

Thousands of police personnel have been deployed to ensure that the international marathon race planned by the Punjab Provincial Government goes ahead peacefully. The alliance of Islamic groups, Mutahida Majlis Ammal, (MMA) is opposing the race, saying Islam prohibits women from participating in such races.

While the police said 100 Islamic activists have been arrested, the MMA claimed that around 2000 of its activists have been detained over the past two days.

MMA leader Liaqat Baloc told reporters the police conducted raids on the houses of Jamaat-e-Islami workers and leaders in Lahore and arrested more than ten people today. A Jamaat-e-Islami spokesman said 500 people were arrested in Lahore alone.

Later on the (short) article, said Liaqat Baloc proclaims "the arrests cannot stop our struggle against the Marathon." Struggle against the Marathon. Amazing.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 3:13 PM | Comments (3)

Opinion: Yes Islam, Depictions of Muhammad are Freedom of Speech

A recent op-ed published by the website of Jihad TV begins: Has defaming Prophets become "Freedom of speech"?

Religion is people- People's ideologies and beliefs should be given great respect. And what journalists call "Freedom of expression" should not by any means hurt the feelings of people; from any religions or sects.

The Muslim world has long been accused of lacking freedom, freedom of expression or freedom of speech included. Looking at what the West today calls "Freedom of Speech" we’ll find that the term has become used as a tool to insult, disrespect and degrade religions in an unprecedented way.

Let me answer that question for you, Mr. Anonymous writer: yes, publishing depictions of that mass-murdering pedophilic madman Muhammad is indeed freedom of speech. I advise you to look up the meaning of freedom, in fact, here it is, as it appears in my Merrian-Webster's Collegiate dictionary:

freedom n 1. the quality or state of being free: as a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.

Say, if I were to republish this drawing...

...that would be freedom of speech. I would never do that, however (oops!, I did), since I believe pigs are smart, compassionate, and delicious animals, who in no way deserve such unflattering comparison.

(Cartoon by Tatiana Soskin, you can read her story, and that of the drawing, by following the link.)

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 9:12 AM | Comments (0)

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Amassador to Denmark Recalled Over Jyllands-Posten Muhammad Cartoons

The BBC, it pains me to say it, usually offers more detailed reporting than any American news organization. This is the fourth story I read this morning covering this incident, but the first one to mention Islam bans depictions, any depiction, of Muhammad. The others saw fit to omit that information: Saudis recall envoy in Danish row

Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador to Denmark in a row about cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by a best-selling newspaper.

A Saudi government spokesman said the ambassador had been recalled for talks following Denmark's failure to deal with the insults to the Prophet.

Some of the cartoons in Jyllands-Posten last September depicted him as a stereotype of an Islamic terrorist.

The paper said it was testing the boundaries of expression about Islam.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 8:54 AM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2006

Israel: Behold, the Birth of Hamastan!

Benjamin Netanyahu is absolutely right about the absurdity of blanket concessions (not that negotiated concessions are much better), and I most sincerely hope this benefits him politically: Netanyahu warns of birth of Hamastan

Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu told the Likud faction in the Knesset Thursday, "Before our very eyes, Hamastan has been established, the step-child of Iran and the Taliban. It's in firing range of our airport, our highways and cities. This has to be a day of soul searching because the writing was on the wall. The policy of giving land for free gave a prize to terror and a winning card for Hamas.

"How are Olmert and Peres getting ready for this challenge? They are moving the fence 500 meters closer to the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway (Beit Iksa). They gave more land to the Hamas state. Any land given to Hamas will give more of a front to fire upon us.[...]

Cartoon (and link) from the great Cox and Forkum Editorial Cartoons.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 6:36 PM | Comments (0)

Vatican City: Vatican Exploring Whether to Include Muslims in Christian-Jewish Dialogue

For God's sake, no! That's worse than inaction; you will assume the "dialogue" will be conducted in good faith, when instead it will be a house of haunted mirrors, where you can only hurt yourself: Vatican May Reach Out to Other Religions

The Vatican is exploring whether to expand its Catholic-Jewish dialogue to include Muslims, although talks are at a very initial stage, a Vatican official said Friday.

Monsignor Michael Fitzgerald, who heads the Vatican's office for interreligious dialogue, made the comments after the World Jewish Congress said its chairman, Rabbi Israel Singer, had discussed the initiative with Fitzgerald and other high-ranking Vatican officials during a visit to Rome.

The main point of the talks was to intensify the Vatican's official dialogue with Jews, but they also included "specific possibilities to expand interfaith talks to also include representatives from the Islamic faith," the WJC said in a statement.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 6:28 PM | Comments (0)

Colombia: False-Passport Ring Linked to Muslim Extremist Groups

When I visited Colombia, the going price for an American Passport was 5,000 dollars. Counterfeiting is a big, dangerous business in Colombia; the alleged entry of The Hamas and al-Qaeda into it just makes it worse: Colombia: Passport Ring Has al-Qaida Links

BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia insisted Friday that a false-passport ring it dismantled may have links to al-Qaida and Hamas, despite U.S. doubts about the counterfeiters' connection to the terrorist groups. ADVERTISEMENT

Colombian officials said Thursday the gang supplied citizens from Pakistan, Jordan,
Iraq, Egypt and other countries with false passports and Colombian nationality without them ever setting foot in the country.

Acting Attorney General Jorge Armando Otalora said some of the 19 people arrested were wanted for working with al-Qaida and the militant Palestinian group.

U.S. officials expressed surprise at the announcement of the investigation, which they said involved people posing as members of Colombia's largest rebel army, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 3:09 PM | Comments (0)

From the humor department:

Via The Onion

Posted by Isabel de Castilla at 2:37 PM | Comments (0)

Israel: "Peace Negotiations" Delusion Hard to Shake Off

If a plurality of Israelis are open to negotiations, how long will it take the Europeans to begin pushing for yet another "Peace" conference? How long will it take President Bush to drop his tough line on the Hamas? Almost half Israelis say talk to Hamas - poll

JERUSALEM: Almost half of Israelis think Israel should talk to a Palestinian government dominated by the Islamic militant group Hamas, which won a parliamentary majority in elections, an opinion poll showed yesterday.

On Thursday, Israel's acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ruled out any talks with a government involving Hamas, which is sworn to the Jewish state's destruction and has been behind dozens of suicide bombings.

The opinion poll in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily newspaper showed 48 Per cent of Israelis favoured talking to a Hamas-led Palestinian government, while 43 per cent were opposed.

The survey was conducted before preliminary election results were announced on Thursday.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 12:31 PM | Comments (0)

US: Call to American Officials to Shun CAIR

Joe Kaufman has the goods on CAIR: AAH CALLS ON U.S. GOVERNMENT TO TREAT CAIR AS HAMAS

(Coral Springs, FL) Yesterday, after it was confirmed that the terrorist organization Hamas won an overwhelming majority of votes in the Palestinian election, the President of the United States, George W. Bush, said that the U.S. government would not deal with the group. He stated, "A political party that articulates the destruction of Israel as part of its platform is a party with which we will not deal."

In light of President Bush's statement, Americans Against Hate (AAH) calls on all local, state and federal government agencies and representatives to distance themselves from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization with deep roots in Hamas.

CAIR was founded in 1994 by three leaders of the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), a group created by the number two leader in Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzook. IAP recently lost a $156 million lawsuit for the murder of a young American boy, David Boim, during a Hamas terror operation.

CAIR was founded with seed money ($5000) from the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), a "charity" that was shut down by the U.S. government, shortly after 9/11, for funneling millions of dollars to Hamas. After 9/11, CAIR used its website to solicit funds for HLF. The head of HLF, Ghassan Elashi, was convicted of terrorist activity. Elashi was a co-founder of CAIR's Texas chapter.[...]

Read it all, and by all means forward this to your elected representatives.

U.S. Senate: (Use "Find your Senators" feature.)

House of Representatives: (Use "Find your Representative" feature by entering zip code.)

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)

Malaysia: Malaysian Government to Build Half a Bridge

So, you spend a truckload of money in an empty gesture. Is this suppossed to be a hardball negotiating tactic? (Unless they plan to kill the Singaporean leadership of laughter). There is a more serious implication, however; Singapore is a majority Chinese country, while Malaysia is majority Muslim. Singapore was part of Malaysia, but it was let go... because with Singapore Malaysia would not have been majority-Muslim at the start. Now that the higher Muslim birth rate and discriminatory laws against Malaysian Chinese have assured a Muslim Malaysia for the foreseeable future, the Muslim Malay leadership might be wondering whether "reunification" would be a good strategy to follow.

At any rate, here is the story: Malaysia plans 'crooked' bridge

Malaysia says it will go ahead with controversial plans to build a crooked bridge across half the strait it shares with Singapore.

It took the decision unilaterally after talks about replacing an existing causeway failed to produce agreement.

The plan for the bizarre bridge was first put forward by Malaysia's former leader Mahatir Mohammad.

The bridge is one of many issues to strain ties between Malaysia and Singapore since their union ended.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2006

Cyprus: Turkish "Action Plan" for Cyprus Meets Greek Skepticism

There is a solution to the "Cyprus Question": throw the Turks out: FM meets British counterpart, says Turkish proposals on Cyprus do not differ from those tabled last May

Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis discussed the issue of Cyprus with his British counterpart Jack Straw, who arrived in Athens on Thursday evening in the framework of a working visit. Earlier, Straw was received by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Molyviatis noted that the Greek government examined the Turkish proposals on the issue of Cyprus very carefully.

"The conslusion is that in essence they do not differ from the proposals which had been tabled last May and which led nowhere," Molyviatis said.

"The thought of a quadripartite conference was revived," the foreign minister said, adding that "this framework is not suitable since the issue of Cyprus constitutes an international matter which is being discussed at the level of the United Nations."

Molyviatis recalled the statement by Commissioner Olli Rehn that Turkey has assumed obligations which it must fulfill and reiterated Greece's position on the reunification of Cyprus in such a way that all the inhabitants of the island will enjoy the benefits from accession to the European Union.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 8:24 PM | Comments (0)

Saudi Arabia: "The Girls of Riyadh" Scandalizes the Country

If it is raising this much trouble, I look forward to reading the novel when it becomes available in English: Woman shocks Saudi world with 'The Girls of Riyadh'

RIYADH - Gay teen-agers, predatory lesbians, women drinking alcohol at weddings, husbands with unsavory sexual demands.

With characters like that, "The Girls of Riyadh" is not your run-of-the-mill depiction of life in Muslim Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most restricted and conservative societies.

Though technically banned here, Rajaa al-Sanie's frank and sometimes shocking insight into the closed world of Saudi women is making waves four months after its publication in Beirut.

Local press commentators have asked the young Saudi to disown the book for besmirching women in the conservative kingdom and interviewers on Saudi-owned satellite channels have accused her of portraying its men as boorish bores.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 8:08 PM | Comments (0)

UK: Muslim Jailed for Plotting to Kill Iraq War Hero

Contrary what the defense claims, incompetence is not a justification for conspiracy to commit murder: Man jailed for Iraq revenge plot

A man has been jailed for six years for plotting to "hunt down" and kill a British soldier.

London's Southwark Crown Court heard that British-born Abu Mansha had planned to kill or harm the soldier in revenge for his success in Iraq.[...]

And don't miss this bit:

Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith said information including the corporal's past address was in Mansha's handwriting, and he had requested information about a rich Jewish man and the Hindu owner of a cash-and-carry business.

What motivation could a Muslim fanatic have to target a rich Jewish man, and a Hindu businessman? I wonder.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 5:14 PM | Comments (0)

Palestinian Abomination: HAMAS Wins Elections, World Whines

"The Glorious March of Democracy" continues: Hamas 'secures stunning victory'

There are strong indications that the Islamic militant group Hamas has won a stunning victory in Wednesday's Palestinian parliamentary elections.

Final results are to be announced at about 1900 local time (1700GMT).

But Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has already announced his resignation, as the ruling Fatah party conceded defeat.

A Hamas victory will pose a great dilemma for the international community as it tries to restart peace talks with Israel, correspondents say.[...]

Look, if the title of this entry and my introductory sentence sounds bitter, it is because I am bitter. I am bitter our strategy for victory consists of asking our enemies, nicely, to become like us. (This is utter foolishness; all they have to do to beat us is say 'no.') This HAMAS victory will be spinned, talked out, soothed, and meanwhile our soldiers will be killed, our people will continue to be in danger from terrorism, and the demographic time bomb will continue to tick, tick, tick in Europe.

I'll go drink Cafe con Leche or something.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 10:02 AM | Comments (2)

January 25, 2006

Saudi Arabia: Finding Comedy in the Muslim World

Something tells me this is not what Albert Brooks had in mind when he wrote his ultra-PC film: Saudi Comedian Turns Suicide Bomber

An article in the Saudi Gazette of June 21, 2005, titled "Saudi Suicide Bomber was a Comedian," reported that one of its on-air employees was martyred in a terror attack in Iraq: "Al-Majd channel acknowledged this week that Saudi suicide bomber Muhammad Shazzaf Al-Shehri, who attacked the Al-Hamra Oasis Village compound in Riyadh on May 12, 2003, was a math teacher and a hired comedian for the television station."

It further stated: "Just as the Ministry of Education was shocked to be informed that one of their own mathematics teachers was a suicide bomber, and just as King Saud University was also shocked that one of its former students and associates was a suicide bomber, Al-Majd channel also is shocked that one of its freelance comedians was a suicide bomber."[...]

Read the whole thing for a sample of Muhammad Shazzaf Al-Shehri's brand of comedy.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 1:37 PM | Comments (0)

UK: BNP Boss Nick Griffin Trial Update

In my rather detached opinion, here from the distance of my lair in the Continental United States, British National Party Leader Nick Griffin is a racist, holocaust-denying nitwit whom, in an ideal world, would be toiling away as a clerk in a convenience store. But I still think it is a tragedy he is on trial for his opinions on Islam: Islam is 'wicked' says BNP boss

The leader of the British National Party (BNP) who is accused of stirring up racial hatred said he believed Islam was a "wicked, vicious faith".

But the 46-year-old said his comments were not a criticism of Muslim people, Leeds Crown Court heard on Wednesday.

Mr Griffin and party activist Mark Collett are accused of using words or behaviour likely to stir up racial hatred in speeches in West Yorkshire.

The speeches were recorded by a BBC reporter and aired in a documentary.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 1:09 PM | Comments (0)

Turkey: Islamist Government Drops Charges Against Novelist - But Other Cases Remain

We reported on the case of acclaimed Turkish novelist, Orhan Pamuk (left), who was in court on 16 December, facing charges under Article 301 of Turkey's penal code, which prohibits anyone "who explicitly insults being a Turk, the Republic or Turkish Grand National Assembly", and carries penalties of up to three years in jail.

Pamuk's crime was to have said in an interview in February 2005: "one million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed in these lands and no one but me dares talk about it." The interview had appeared in the Swiss magazine Das Magazin.

On the day of Pamuk's trial, the judge Metin Aydin, adjourned the case until February 7 2006. He claimed that as the Penal Code had undergone a revision, he needed clarification from the Justice Department whether the case was being brought under the older or the revised version.

The responsibility was thereby placed squarely back in the hands of the government, which is currently the AKP or Justice and Development Party, led by prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The AKP is an Islamist party, and Erdogan was imprisoned for inciting religious hatred in 1998. He was given a 10 month sentence (but only served four months) for reciting a poem which included the lines:

"The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers..."

The AKP has recently sought to challenge rulings concerning Turkey's secular rules forbidding the wearing of Muslim headscarfs (hijabs) in universities. Erdogan's wife wears the hijab at public meetings.

It has increased taxes on alcohol, and imposed "alcohol-free" regions in some cities. Erdogan himself has supported the removal from the constitution of the ruling which prevents religious indoctrination for children under 12. He wishes children as young as 4 to receive Islamic education, taught at imam hatip seminaries, of which Erdogan is a graduate.

Turkey has been attempting to join the European Union, and the trial of Pamuk was cited by some as evidence that Turkey's administration was currently incompatible with standards of justice and freedom expected of nations negotiating entry.

The court hearing in December drew a crowd of protesters, angered at Pamuk's denigration of Turkey, and one woman managed to swat the novelist with a folder. Some demonstrators kicked and lunged at Pamuk's car as he was driven away.

The decision of the judge to pass responsibility for the case into the hands of Turkey's Justice Minister, Cemil Cicek. It appears that the government has decided to make no recommendations, and the case is now officially dropped, as reported in the print edition of Monday's Telegraph.

Comments on the case have come in two well-written articles, one by Hugh Eakin in the Slate and one by J Simpson in the Globe & Mail.

Eakin reminds that other cases against other authors are still pending. We have drawn attention to two of these other cases, those of editor Hrant Dink and Abdullah Yildiz. Yildiz published a book by Greek author Mara Meimaridi, entitled "The Witches of Smyrna", which apparently contains comments that Turks are dirty and have poor oral hygiene, who still awaits his trial under Article 301.

Hrant Dink (pictured, right) is editor of Turkish magazine Agos, and because he, like Orhan Pamuk, made mention of the massacre of 1 million Armenians around the time of World War1. On 7 October he was given a six month suspended sentence under Article 301. He is appealing against the sentence. He is also facing another similar charge at Sanliurfa, in southeastern Turkey, begun on 28 April 2005 and still unfinished, relating to comments made at a conference in 2002.

Hugh Eakin argues that Pamuk has managed to offend both the hardliners within Turkey but also European allies. He has exposed the deep Islam/secular tensions in Turkey in his novel Snow, offending the authorities, and he is alienating some of his non-Turkish supporters, because he is not conforming to the usual role of "dissident".

So in the end, Turkey's greatest writer has offended both Turkish hard-liners and German conservatives for failing to make his allegiances clear. But it is arguably Pamuk's mixed message—that Turkey desperately wants and needs Europe even as it thumbs its nose at fundamental European notions of justice and truth—that will prove most accurate in hindsight. Under the current regime, Turkey has become both more democratic and more comfortable with its Muslim heritage; during Ramadan last fall, the major public debate was about whether Muslims could break the fast with sex.

But the changes have happened too quickly, and under too much pressure from Brussels, for Turkish society to be really at ease with it all. And the most painful part of that transition, as postwar Europe itself has shown, may be coming to terms with history.

J SImpson commented:

Mr. Pamuk recently explained his situation to readers of The New Yorker as part of a "new global phenomenon," whereby newly enriched elites in developing countries both ape the West but defend themselves against charges of having abandoned their countries' traditions by "brandishing a virulent and intolerant nationalism."

It's happening to Mr. Pamuk in Turkey, and it should stop, for Turkey's sake.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:39 AM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2006

UK: "Mainstream" Muslim Leader Dies, Aged 83

Egyptian born and highly respected Muslim scholar and spiritual leader, Zaki Badawi, has died. The BBC reports his death, and presents a fair obituary.

Born in 1922, and founder of Britain's Muslim College, Zaki Badawi was an exceptional figure in the British Muslim world, as well as being an internationally-respected scholar. He made links with Christian and Jewish groups, and when Rushdie's fatwa was announced, he stated that the book should be the focus of anger, not Rushdie, saying: "Spurn the book, spare the man."

A former chief imam of the London Central Mosque in Regent's Park, London, he also established the Sharia Council, to give advice on social issues. He also campaigned against female circumcision. After 7/7, when a lot of anti-Muslim resentment abounded, and many Muslim women made almost provocative shows of wearing the hijab, Dr Badawi urged against such displays.

Unlike the attention-seeking members of the Muslim Council for Britain, who appear to have a political agenda, Badawi's balanced and common sense approach to faith and society earned the respect of political leaders, and in 2004 he was awarded an honorary knighthood.

He has been criticised by some as a hardliner, and by others as a moderate. He described himself thus, dismissing the title "moderate": "It implies I am somehow less of a Muslim. I call myself mainstream."

Tributes have been made by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said he had "a wonderful mix of spirituality and practicality," and Prince Charles who said Dr Badawi's death was "a blow personally and for the country."

As the most senior Islamic scholar in Britain, who criticised imams who could not speak English, and made sincere efforts to promote understandings between groups and faiths, he was the best representative of Islam we had. He has been in Britain long enough to have shown his agenda was straightforward.

I personally think he was a good man, and a positive influence in both the Muslim society and the society at large. His presence will, literally, be hard to imagine being replaced. Most of our other well-known Muslim leaders are either snide and untrustworthy, like Iqbal Sacranie, or verging on the lunatic, as in the case of Abu Hamza. Dr Zaki Badawi had academic status and political nous to be head and shoulders above these more primitive advocates of Islam.

An idea of his nature can be found in a Guardian interview from January 13, 2003, and a biography can be found here.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 2:57 PM | Comments (1)

Europe: European Council Report Claims U.S. Ousources Torture

More self-righteous miopia from the European Council: Report cites evidence that U.S. 'outsources' torture

A Swiss investigator for the Council of Europe issued an interim report Tuesday, concluding that there is evidence of a system of "outsourcing of torture" by the United States, although the review did not produce irrefutable proof of clandestine CIA prisons in Europe. The report, which relied heavily on previously published information that has already appeared in American and European newspapers, singled out other governments for their likely complicity. "It is highly unlikely that European governments, or at least their intelligence services, were unaware of the 'rendition' of more than a hundred persons," according to Dick Marty, the investigator whose report was made public Tuesday morning before a debate of the 46-nation Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 2:00 PM | Comments (0)

Spain: Suspected Islamist Arrested

Expatica today reports that a Moroccan man was arrested on Sunday in the town of Estepona in southern Spain.

The man, Mohamed Anouar Zaoudi was arrested as part of an operation which commenced in Catalonia on 10 January by police and intelligence agencies.

Zaoudi worked for the leader of a fundamentalist group, Mohamed Mrabet Fahsi. One of the 20 people arrested on Jan 10 was the leader of the mosque at Vilanova i la Geltru in Catalonia. Another man, 23-year old Omar Nakhcha, was arrested in another Catalan location on January 12, Santa Coloma de Gramanet, near Barcelona.

Zaoudi, like the others arrested this month, is accused of recruiting individuals to fight as insurgents in Iraq. Their arrest came after monitoring international operations of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM) and the Algerian-based Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)

Malaysia: Muslim Court Allows Apostate To Be Buried As Buddhist

Reports from the Malaysia Star and Associated Press via Al Jazeera describe the decision by a Syariah (Sharia or Islamic Law) court in Malaysia to allow a woman born into a Muslim family to be buried as a non-Muslim.

In any Western country such news would be unimportant, but in Malaysia's bizarre constitution, all Malays are deemed Muslim. The constitution, as we discussed earlier is contradictory.

Ostensibly people have the freedom to practice any religion. Article 11 gives citizens the right to profess and practise any religion they choose. Article 3 states that Islam is the official religion of the state, but Article 3 (1) of the constitution states that 'other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation'.

However, Article 121 (1A) of the constitution rules that the Islamic courts are not to be affected by decisions in a civil court.This clause states that civil courts have no jurisdiction on "any matter" which already falls within the scope of the Syariah or Islamic courts.

The case of people being classed as Muslims is complicated by the issue of apostasy. Cases where people have tried to leave Islam have to receive permission from an Islamic court, and such permission is universally denied. The Straits Times from Sept 20 2005 stated that a sharia court has never granted permission for a Malaysian Muslim to convert out of Islam.

When Lina Joy decided to officially apostasise, after her conversion to Christianity in the late 1980s, she took the case to a sharia court.

The court said in September last year she was free to practice the religion of her choosing, as is constitutionally stated, but her identity card states that she is a Muslim, and therefore cannot marry a Christian (and who thought apartheid was finished?).

Joy, originally named Azlina Jailani before her apostasy, first applied to the National Registration Department in February 1997 to have her status as "Muslim" removed from her identity card. In August, she was told that she did not have official Sharia permission to leave Islam. In 1998, she was allowed to register her new name, but she was still officially a "Muslim".

She took her case to the court of appeal, being heard in October 2004, and in September 19, 2005 it was rejected. The civil court ruled that she had to apply to the Sharia Court to apply to leave Islam.

The current news that a "designated" Muslim has been allowed by a Sharia court to be buried with Buddhist rites is being touted by Islamists as a sign that the current unjust system of law in the country is perfectly fair.

Muhamad Burok, president of the Malaysian Syariah Lawyers Association stated: "It shows that our two court systems - the Civil Court and Syariah Court - can exist in harmony, so the issue that the Constitution should be amended does not arise. The decision shows that everyone can get protection from all the courts."

This case, involving Nyonya Tahir (pictured above) comes on the heels of the scandal on December 28 where a Malaysian national hero, Manian Moorthy, who was a Hindu was declared in his last weeks of life by an Islamic court to be a Muslim, was buried Islamically, against the protests of his Hindu wife. The judge said that he had "no power" to change the decision of the Syariah courts on issues involving apostasy.  That case brought international condemnation.

So Muhamad Burok is being disingenuous if he thinks that the burial of Nyonya Tahir in a burial plot of her family's choosing makes up for glaring contradictions and bias against Muslim apostates contained in the constitution. In a democracy, where one can choose who leads the country at an election, the ability to abandon one particular faith and elect another should be a fundamental right.

Nyonya Tahir died on Thursday (19 Jan), aged 89 years. Her life began as a Muslim Malay, but she was raised as a Chinese by her Malay grandmother who had married a Chinese convert to Islam.

When Nyonya married Chiang Meng, a Chinese, in 1936 she was already living by Chinese customs, and after marriage practiced Buddhism. In Malaysia's Nazi-style ethnic labeling, all of their eight children were registered as Chinese.

Nyonya's identity card said she was a Muslim, and when she died the funeral was postponed by Islamic authorities, until the case was heard in court. Chiang Kwai Ying, Nyonya's daughter, said her mother had attempted to have her name officially changed but had been refused. The Islamic court ruled on Monday (yesterday) that Nyonya Tahir could be laid to rest according to Buddhist principles.

Burok said the ruling "gives great hope to non-Muslims that they can find justice in the Islamic system. We hope non-Muslims will now understand that their fears are not justified."

This is extremely doubtful. The only positive thing about this case (which was hurtful to the family by intruding at the time of a funeral) is that it has set a precedent. It is the first time someone designated officially as a Muslim has been allowed to apostasise officially, even though it happened posthumously, having been denied to her while she was alive and requested it.

It is also the first time that a Sharia court has heard evidence from non Muslims, Chiang Kwai Ying and Chiang Ah Fatt, two of Nyonya's children.

The problems of the constitution remain, despite this case. Never before have Sharia courts allowed apostasy, and as Wong Kim Kong of the Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism states: "There is no guarantee that what happened in Nyonya's case will happen again."

The issue of apostasy being handled by Islamic courts who do not allow apostasy, the automatic designation of Malays as Muslim, stated on identity cards issued at the age of 12 onwards, and the ability of Sharia courts to punish apostates with imprisonment is an injustice, to Muslims as well as non-Muslims. It makes Malaysia's claims to democracy appear like a huge, sick joke.

Many states have already adopted the Control and Restriction Bill, which gives a fine of 10,000 ringit ($2,653) or imprisonment for up to one year for "persuading, influencing a Muslim to leave Islam for another religion."

One can also be imrisoned by a sharia court for "belittling Islam", and this has been used to punish people who wish to apostasise from Islam, as in the case of the Sky Kingdom Sect, where individuals such as Kamariah Ali have battled for 7 years to be allowed to leave Islam, and have been imprisoned for their pains.

Islam, when legally sanctioned, is always tyrannical. Malaysia's fascistic identity card system and its despotic Islamists in the sharia courts are only proving how legally-institutionalised religion, with its powers unrestricted by civil courts of law, can never coexist with true democracy.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:15 AM | Comments (1)

January 23, 2006

Bangladesh: Was JMB Islamist Leader Captured in India?

We reported on Saturday of a major manhunt in the western district of Kushtia, Bangladesh, which shares a border with the state of West Bengal in India. Following a tip-off, 2,000 security officers, accompanied by helicopters, scoured the region on Thursday 19 January, hunting for Abdur Rahman (pictured), head of the Islamic terrorist organisation Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Bangla Bhai, who is active in JMB and also heads the Islamist group Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB). The manhunt was called off in the early hours of Friday morning.

News comes today from various sources, who announce that a man who may be Abdur Rahman has been arrested in West Bengal, India. Reuters and New Kerala have the details.

A man was picked up at a hideout in Basarat in the southern district of 24 Parganas in West Bengal state on Sunday. He has been taken to New Delhi for questioning. Indian police confirmed that a man had been arrested, but would not confirm his identity. There has not been official confirmation from Bangladesh of whether the detained man is Abdur Rahman.

The man's arrest came after a man named Mohsin, who is a member of JMB, was arrested in North 24 Parganas on Saturday. His arrest led to the arrest of "Rahman" on Sunday.

Rahman, whose younger brother, Ataur, or Sunny, was arrested on December 13 has been in hiding, as has Bangla Bhai, since a nationwide attack on August 17 2005, where more than 400 bombs went off nearly simultaneously in 63 of the country's 64 districts. These bombs injured more than a hundred, and killed two people. At the scene of each bomb was literature, demanding the institution of an Islamic state, governed by sharia law.

Rahman narrowly evaded capture in November 2005, but was apparently tipped off about the raid on a house where he had been staying in Dhaka, the capital.

After Ramadan 2005, the attacks by JMB became worse, with 2 judges killed at Jhalakathi in the south on November 14, and a double suicide attack on court buildings at Chittagong and Gazipur on November 29 killing ten people and injuring more than twenty seriously. Two days later, another suicide attack at Gazipur courthouse claimed two innocent lives and injured twenty.

An arts and culture group in Netrakona district was hit by a suicide bomber on December 8, killing six and injuring 46.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:53 PM | Comments (0)

Turkey: Muslims Beat Christian Unconscious In Conversion Attempt

Once again the "Religion of Peace" displays a less peaceful side, and once again, physical violence is used in an attempt to persuade someone to join the faith. Compass Direct reports that in Adana, south-central Turkey, about 50 miles from both Cyprus and the Syrian border, a church leader was brutally attacked by five individuals who tried to make him renounce his faith and accept Islam.

The incident happened on Sunday, January 8, when Kamil Kiroglu, aged 29, was leaving his church around 5 pm. The assailants included four Turkish youths and an older man, their leader, who claimed to come from Turkmenistan.

They had arrived at the Adana Protestant church earlier, and the leader claimed he was a Christian who had "converted" the other four to Christianity, but did not know how to teach them.

There was a service that afternoon, and Kiroglu, who had formerly been a Muslim, invited them to ask questions at a meeting with tea for members of the congregation, after the service. The men insisted they wanted to talk alone, and remained after the other worshippers had left.

Kiroglu was intimidated by the group, whose leader claimed to have left a package "from al-Qaeda" in the church. Kiroglu fled, pursued by the group, one of whom was shouting "We don't want Christians in this country!"

The priest was knocked about, and kicked, losing consciousness at one stage. He got up and ran again, and was caught. The group were telling him to give up Christianity. One individual pressed a butcher's knife to his stomach, saying: "I'm asking you again, deny Jesus, or I will kill you now."

Then he received two more blows to the head and fell unconscious. The police were called. The "package" tuned out to be a large knife, wrapped and hidden beneath a bench.

Obviously the gang were not al-Qaeda, but the method of using violence to achieve conversions is all too common in various nations. Turkish police suggested local extremists are paying local youths to carry out such attacks, saying "maybe some people are giving these unruly youths money to do this."

There are only 3,500 Turkish Christians in the entire nation, spread about in 95 different church congregations.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:27 PM | Comments (0)

Western World: Media Silence on the Nature of Islam

It is thus, imperative, that we keep talking: Silence that speaks volumes

Remember when word came down from the Vatican that Pope John Paul II had watched Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and liked it? The anonymously sourced story sparked a media firestorm around the globe as reporters sought confirmation of the papal equivalent of two thumbs up. "It is as it was," we later learned the pope supposedly said. Which sounded like the perfect biblical movie blurb; but did the pontiff actually utter the words?

After some non-clarifying retractions from the Vatican, it was ultimately hard to say for sure — although not for journalistic want of trying. This natural curiosity stands in striking contrast to the media silence that has met a far more sensational, far more significant report of papal opinion: namely, that Pope Benedict XVI is said to believe that Islam is incapable of reform.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 1:01 PM | Comments (0)

Pakistan: Islamist Arrested In US Airstrike Village

Despite the conflicting reports emanating from Pakistani officials at present, concerning the airstrike on January 13 in the hamlet of Damadola in the Bajaur Agency, a tribal district set alongside the Afghanistan border in Pakistan, a few reports so far appear to contain facts. The Pakistan government is being very secretive and contradictory in its assessments of the airstrike and its aftermath.

Apparently an airstrike by an unmanned US Predator drone crossed from Afghanistan to his a house where Ayman al-Zawahiri had been invited to attend. Even though al-Zawahiri was unable to attend, he sent al-Qaeda ambassadors to what appears to have been a terror summit. In the strike, three houses were destroyed, and 18 people were reported dead.

It appears that four al-Qaeda Islamists were killed in the strike, including Midhat Mursi al-Sayid 'Umar, aka Abu Khabab , a poisons and explosives trainer, who had a $5 million US bounty on his head.

Despite denials by Pakistan, the administration of Bajaur Agency released a statement, which said that ten to twelve "foreign extremists" had been invited to attend the village.

Now, according to Pakistan Times, AP via the Scotsman and the Guardian, a suspected al-Qaeda operative has been arrested by police in the hamlet of Damadola, scene of the controversial airstrike.

The man's name was not released, but according to a Pakistani security official who leaked the report, the individual is a relative of Faqir Mohammed. This cleric is deemed responsible for tamering with evidence, removing bodies of the "foreigners" from the blast site.

The official claimed a jirga (tribal council) would be held to discuss "the responsibility of sheltering foreigners and to set the punishment for the offence."

The act of overflying the border to perform an airstrike has been widely condemned by Muslim groups, with anti-American protests in Peshawar province and other parts of Pakistan.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz, is currently visiting the US, where he has dismissed the US reports of al Qaeda leaders being killed in the attack as "bizarre".

Speaking on CNN's "Late Edition" he said : "There is no evidence, as of half an hour ago, that there were any other people there. The area does see movement of people from across the border. But, we have not found one body or one shred of evidence that these people were there."

Interestingly, Aziz said that only 13 people had been killed, despite villager's initial reports that 18 were dead. Perhaps there were at least four other bodies removed deliberately.

The protests against the US Hellfire missile attack have also included individuals expressing hostility to Presidant Musharraf,

Associated Press, via the Toronto Star reports today that protests have intensified near the scene of the strike. The opposition religious coailition (the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) had led a convoy of 2000 marching to Damadola, but at Yukka, 30 miles from the village, police set up road blocks, and told protesters to go back.

No violence ensued, but the Muslim demonstrators chanted "Down with America" and "Down with Musharraf".

Mohammed Jalil, the top government official in the region, said "We have instructions from the government that these political leaders should not be allowed to go Bajur."

Qazi Hussain Ahmad, president of the MMA coalition, said "We were going to Bajur to condemn the attacks and to prove that Pakistanis are against such acts against our sovereignty."

67-year old Ahmad (pictured, top right), who is president of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, promised a "revolution" in Pakistan following the end of Ramadan (4 November) which, despite his best efforts, has yet to materialise.

Legislators in northwestern Pakistan also demanded today for Ryan Crocker, US Ambassador to Pakistan, to be expelled. The government's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Tasnin Aslam, said the government would resist the legislator's demands. She said Washington has launched an investigation into the affair.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:32 AM | Comments (0)

Malaysia: Islamic Fatwa Denounces "Black Metal" Music

Today, AP via Malaysia's Star states that the National Fatwa Council has made a ruling, saying Black Metal music is "unacceptable" for Muslims, as it can cause listeners to rebel against religion.

So-called Black Metal is heavy rock, but often uses occult images, and includes occult references in its lyrics. The AP states it emerged in Europe in the 1980s and has gained popularity in South-East Asia of late among underground rock fans.

One assumes it is akin to Death Metal, or Marilyn Manson's music, or even Ozzie Osbourne's work, but the bands listed in a recent BBC World Service report, who appeared at a concert in Kuala Lumpur on New Year's Eve, were all home-grown in South-East Asia.

The ruling came after requests from some Malaysians, after a controversial police operation at the New Years' concert led to the arrests of 380 people attending the event. The individuals were claimed by police, and also Malaysian media, as being suspected of drug use. Hardly any drugs were seized and revellers, such as a girl wearing a black T-shirt claimed to the BBC that she was told she was being arrested for inappropriate attire, claim police were "heavy-handed".

The actions of the police would be perhaps justifiable if there were 380 drugs convictions. The actions of the police, as described by the BBC, appear to be more concerned with prohibition of the listeners of the music, rather than prohibitions against drugs or other issues.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:42 AM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2006

Somalia: Pirate Ship Captured by U.S. Navy

Way to go Navy: U.S. Navy Seizes Pirate Ship Off Somalia

The U.S. Navy boarded an apparent pirate ship in the Indian Ocean and detained 26 men for questioning, the Navy said Sunday. The 16 Indians and 10 Somali men were aboard a traditional dhow that was chased and seized Saturday by the U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, said Lt. Leslie Hull-Ryde of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.

The dhow stopped fleeing after the Churchill twice fired warning shots during the chase, which ended 87 kilometers (54 miles) off the coast of Somalia, the Navy said. U.S. sailors boarded the dhow and seized a cache of small arms.

Somalia, of course, is a country dominated by our friends of the Religion of Peace.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 9:35 PM | Comments (0)

Cuba: Castro Offers Iranian Islamists Rhetorical Support

Yet another Communist dictator support the Islamic Mullahcracy of Iran: Cuban leader expresses concern about Iranian nuclear dispute

HAVANA (AP) - Cuban President Fidel Castro expressed concern Saturday about the nuclear dispute between Iran and countries including the United States and France, urging all countries to refrain from using nuclear weapons.

The Cuban leader chided France for recent comments by President Jacques Chirac that his country could respond with nuclear weapons against any state-sponsored terrorist attack. Castro also accused the United States of searching for an excuse to attack Iran.

"It is very worrisome that this alliance of countries is proclaiming the right to use nuclear weapons against 'terrorist' states," Castro said in a live appearance on the daily Cuban TV public-affairs program Mesa Redonda, or Round Table.

"What's being spread is fear," he added.

Referring to the United States, Castro said there exists "a danger that they will attack Iran...with the most unjustifiable of pretexts and with nuclear weapons."[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 6:19 PM | Comments (0)

Iran: $10 Million Donation To Islamic Jihad - Israel Hits Back

Today, Arutz Sheva reports on an announcement made last night by Israel's defense minister, Sha'ul Mofaz, in a speech delivered at the annual Herzliya Conference. He mentioned the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is currently touring Syria.

In Damascus on Friday, Ahmadinejad met with representatives of Hizbullah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in the presence of the Syrian Ba'athist dictator Bashar al-Assad.

We described some of the claims Ahmadinejad made at this meeting yesterday, where he spoke ominously of a "Final War" in the Middle East. Mofaz referred to this meeting as a "terror summit".

Mofaz (pictured, above) made the claim that Iran has bankrolled Hizbollah to the tune of $100 million per year. It was known that the Islamist regime supported and trained Hizbollah members, who are based in a disputed region of the Lebanon. But an additional claim was made by Sha'ul Mofaz - that $10 million went from Iran into the coffers of Islamic Jihad last year, a year in which the group (while on a supposed truce) killed six innocent Israeli citizens in a suicide blast at a market in Hadera, killed 5 more shoppers in Netanya, and have been implicated in other suicide attempts, such as the blast at Tel Aviv on Thursday, which injured 30 people.

The $10 million is twice as much as the amount given by Iran in 2004, Sha'ul Mofaz announced, adding "The regime of the president of Iran, Ahmadinejad, supports terrorism in the Middle East through the supply of rockets that threaten population centers in this country, sends money for terrorism, and supplies training and know-how to the Middle Eastern [terror] organizations."

Defence minister Mofaz hinted that it will not tolerate Iran's current resumption of its uranium enrichment program, saying Israel "must be prepared to defend itself, with all that that implies. An international effort must be promoted against Iran, which supports terrorism and denies the Holocaust."

Mofaz' speech was taken up by Al Jazeera, in a piece entitled: "Israel Hints At Attacking Iran". Google cites 250 other references to this speech.

"I believe everyone present here understand the extent to which the combination of an extremist regime with long-range ballistic capability, ongoing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons and support in terror constitutes a danger not only to Israel, but to the entire world. While Israel's strategic state is much better today in terms of our international standing and the relations with the United States, the country faces some imminent threats such as Iran's "nuclear armament" and the strengthening of terror. This is why 2006 will be a year of struggle, not a year of resolutions," Mofaz is quoted as saying.

Haaretz today reports Iran's response to Mofaz's speech. Hamid Reza Asefi, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, said Israel was only trying to increase Western pressure to make it dismantle its nuclear program. Any attempt by Israel to mount a military strike would be a "fatal mistake" and Mofaz' comments were derided as a "childish game."

Mofaz stated on Friday "You, who are leading your country in an ideology of hatred, terror and antisemitism. You had better take a glance at history and see what became of tyrants like you who tried to annihilate the Jewish people. They only brought destruction upon their own people."

Mofaz called Ahmadinejad an "oppressor", saying: "Ahmedinejad, his hallucinatory statements, his criminal actions and his extreme views will bring disaster upon you. Do what you understand needs to be done in order to prevent this." Mofaz referred to the presidents of Iran and Syria as "representatives of the past".

UPI via Monsters & Criticcs states that Mofaz concluded his speech with these words: "Syria is under international pressure, while we have peace agreements with Arab states and the reality does not allow for the formation of an Arab coalition against Israel. The strength of the peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt contributes to stability in the region, which is why they must continue to be nurtured."

Meanwhile, Focus-fen and Arutz Sheva report that in the village of Silat a-Harta, north of Jenin in the West Bank this morning, police and Shin Bet agents arrested a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, one Hassan Jardaat. Jardaat leads a terror cell in northern Samaria which has committed several fatal attacks which caused the deaths of dozens of Israelis and injured hundreds more.

And in separate news, just out, BBC World Service says that a Palestinian has been killed today in the Gaza strip. A militant group, the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed that a group of their number were preparing to launch rockets from Gaza into Israel, but themselves came under an Israeli air attack. The BBC states it is not known if the dead person was a militant or a bystander.

And it is alleged that Hillary Clinton has also been receiving funds from Iranian Americans close to the regime, who wish for the US trade embargo against Iran to be rescinded......

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

US: Mexican Supremacist Group Drools Over Osama bin Laden

We have covered how for some white supremacists, hatred of the Jews trumps everything. It seems for the brown supremacists of La Voz de Aztlan, hatred of America trumps everything: Osama bin Laden: The "Pancho Villa" of Islam

Los Angeles, Alta California - 1/15/2002 - (ACN) "Villa is everywhere but Villa is nowhere" was the telegraphed message sent to Washington D. C. by General John J. Pershing after failing to capture the elusive and brilliant military strategist of the Mexican Revolution. Pershing and his Punitive Expedition, that included a young lieutenant by the name of George S. Patton, had gone deep into Mexico in search of General Francisco Villa after Villa and about 485 of his "Dorados del Norte" had successfully crossed the U.S./Mexico border and raided the small border town of Columbus, New Mexico on March 9, 1916 to collect a debt owed him by two unscrupulous, in Villa's own words, "judio" (jewish) brothers, Sam and Louis Ravel. The scammers had failed to deliver arms, ammunition and supplies they had been paid for with gold bars. The U.S. Army Punitive Expedition consisting of 10,000 troops went as far south as Parral, Chihuahua but gave up catching General Villa after an 11 month search. General Villa, "El Tigere del Norte", proved too evasive for John "Black Jack" Pershing. General Francisco Villa knew every rock, every stream, every cave, and every cactus of the immense sierra of Chihuahua.

Today, we are hearing similar accounts concerning the search for Osama bin Laden by the U.S. Special Forces expedition into Afghanistan under the command of General Tommy Franks.[...]

The mention of money-hungry Jews in the piece is not accidental. As Israpundit shows, the group La Voz de Aztlan speaks for (Mecha) is anti-semitic as well.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

January 21, 2006

Bangladesh: Massive Hunt For Main Islamists Called Off

News reports from the Bangladesh Independent, the Daily Star and Pakistan's Daily Times state that a major manhunt took place in Kushtia (red on map) district, in the west. Police had received information that Abdur Rahman, the leader of Islamic terror group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Bangla Bhai, who is a leader within JMB and also has his own Islamic terror group, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB).

Bangla Bhai, who was formerly a teacher called Siddiqul Islam, is pictured above at a press conference at which his group was officially introduced to the media in May 2004. Bangla Bhai is wearing a green hat, at left. Abdur Rahman, a veteran of the Afghan war against the Soviets, is in the center of the picture. Bangla Bhai claimed he had been operating incognito for six years. In the month leading up to the press conference, JMJB was blamed for at least five murders and also instances of torture.

The manhunt, the biggest of its kind, had been initiated after information from a "reliable source" asserted that the two Islamist leaders were in Kushtia region. Ten suspected followers of the men were arrested during the operation, but despite its scale, in which helicopters hovered over two upazilas (boroughs), did not find the fugitives.

The sweep began early on Thursday, with 2,000 security officers taking part, from Rab (Rapid Action Battalion), the paramilitary security force, the police and military. By 1.30 am Friday morning, they gave up.

Kushtia shares in the west a border with the Indian state of West Bengal. A curfew was imposed until Friday evening in nine villages in the upazilas of Poradah and Khajanagar.

Some cynical observers have claimed that the fuss made about the operation was a ploy to draw attention away from current problems with the setting up of the Electoral Commission, whose members are expected to preside over the national election next year.

There has been better news for the police in Bangladesh, when a close associate of Bangla Bhai was arrested at a bus station in Charmatha, in the district of Bogra (green on map). His information led to another JMB individual, and also a large quantity of bomb-making ingredients (pictured below).

The arrested individuals are Ashraful Islam aka Arsad, aka Abbas Khan aka Arafat, aged 22, son of a deceased maulana (scholarly imam) and Abdul Mannan Pramanik alias Mansur.

Rab sources state that Ahraful Islam joined JMB in 2000 and by the end of 2003 he had been promoted Commander of Sherpur thana (parish) in Bogra district. From April 2004, he had worked with Bangla Bhai in Bagmara, states the Independent.

The explosives equipment was taken from the house of Mansur, who was arrested on the spot. The find included electronics devices, detonators, ammunition and explosives (pictured below). According to the Daily Star:

The seized chemicals include 1 kg gunpowder, 6.5 kg sulphur, 4.8 kg lead styphnate, 1 kg beeswax, 5 litre sulphuric acid, 200 gm silica gel, 50 gm chalk powder, 100 gm putty and 500 gm liquid adhesive, said a Rab press release yesterday.

The other materials recovered are 25 yards of wire double ply, one wrench, one cutting plyer, 800 gm nuts, bolts and springs, five jugs, three funnels, six pairs of gloves, two safety pipette fillers, five thermometers, one packet pH indicator (acid-base indicator) paper, one spirit lamp, four jars, three pairs of battery plate, 2.3 kg grenade pins, eight packets of highly inflammable chemical mixed cotton, seven tap insulating rolls, 18 containers, one kg steel and iron balls, 25 switches with circuit, 203 switches without circuit, 34 plastic bodies for switch, 250 indicator bulbs and a set of balance.

The Independent noted that early on Friday morning, two JMB members were arrested in the district of Faridpur (blue on map). One of these men, Amir Hossain, was the Faridpur district commander for the upazilas of Nagarkanda and Bhanga.

Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Hossain, who then led them to a man called Abdullah from Nagarkanda upazila. As well as being a local JMB leader, Abdullah is a director of an Islamic institution, the Al Manar Islami Sangstha and Manar Kindergarten. Hossain also teaches at the institution. Their interrogation continues.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:22 PM | Comments (0)

UK: Muslim Cleric Puts Koran On Trial

Time now to review the end of the second week of the trial of Egyptian-born Muslim cleric, Abu Hamza , at the Old Bailey in London.

The Times reports that on Thursday, copies of the Koran were handed out to jurors. The defence argued that some of the "offensive" statements made by Hamza in his videotaped sermons came straight out of the Koran.

Edward Fitzgerald QC, defending, said Hamza interpreted the Koran as giving an obligation to Muslims, to perform jihad and to fight in defence of their faith.

After describing the prosecution claims as "simplistic in the extreme". Fitzgerald said: "It is said he was preaching murder, but he was actually preaching from the Koran itself."

Fitzgerald quoted Chapter 2, verse 216 and Chapter 9 verse 111, which he claimed gave theological justification to the words which have now brought him before the court.

2:216 "Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not."

9:111"Lo! Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden will be theirs: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be slain. It is a promise which is binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. Who fulfilleth His covenant better than Allah ? Rejoice then in your bargain that ye have made, for that is the supreme triumph."

His comments about Jews came from the Hadiths, in which fighting between Jews and Muslims is predicted. In these collections of Mohammed's sayings, it is written that the trees will call out to the Muslims "there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him."

Fitzgerald concluded: "Mr Hamza has said things that most people will find deeply offensive and hateful. But he is not on trial for describing England as a toilet. There is no crime of simply being offensive."

The Guardian yesterday described Fitzgerald's questioning of his client on Thursday. The defence counsel asked about his contacts with SPecial Branch and MI5 in the late 1990s.

Hamza claimed that Special Branch told him theu had commenced their surveillance on him in 1994. He had engaged in meetings with someone from MI5. He said he had asked officers of Special Branch: "My sermon, is it a problem?" Their response, he said, was: "You have freedom of speech. You don't have anything to worry about as long as we don't see blood on the streets."

Today, the Guardian describes the proceedings on Friday. Hamza said that he believed suicide bombings were a legitimate tool of war. "Bombing is a tactic of war if it is used for a good reason."

When Fitzgerald asked when suicide bombing could be used, he answered: "If it is the only way to stop enemies of Islam attacking and you have no other means of resisting oppression then that will be your only tactic of war. If it is targeting people or places where it is forbidden to target them then it is immoral. It is not a strategy, it is not an aim, it is a tool of war if there are no other means."

It was legitimate in Palestine, he said. "When they see tanks, bulldozers and soldiers are coming to knock down houses with people inside them ... yes, it is legitimate within the boundaries of Islam."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)

India: More Islamists Arrested For Scientist's Murder

On December 29 a mathematics professor at India's Institute of Technology, M.C. Puri, was shot dead and four other scientists injured, leaving a lecture auditorium of the Indian Institute of Science.

On New Year's Day central security services announced that the attack was masterminded by Lashkar e-Taiba.

Today's Hindustan Times announces that two Lashkar e-Taiba terrorists were apprehended on Friday night in connection with the attack which killed Professor Puri.

The individuals, Afsar Pasha and Irfan, revealed under interrogation that they had buried weaponry. This led to the recovery of a quantity of arms, buried in soil at Chintami in Kolar district. Irfan was a maulvi, a Quran teacher.

A police source claimed: "We have seized 17 electronic detonators, 20 gelatine sticks, 120 gel sicks, three hand grenades, packets of iron pellets and books on Jehad."

Pasha, a mechanic, revealed that he had been involved in a bomb explosion in Dhaka in 2003. He had planned to lay explosives at some of the software companies, which thrive in the region, at Bangalore and Mangalore.

So far, there are four individuals who have now been arrested in connection with the attack on the Indian Institute of Science. A police source suggests that there may soon be three more to add to that list.

Lashkar e-Taiba is primarily concerned with wresting Kashmir from Indian control. It initially denied responsibility for the bombings at Delhi on October 29, but it now seems almost certain the blasts were the group's handiwork.

Meanwhile, there have been developments in the case of the Mumbai imam, who was arrested on January 14. 44-year old Maulana Ghulam Yahya Allah Baksh was imam at the Haj House Masjid in South Mumbai. He was charged under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 2004, for giving refuge to three Lashkar e-Taiba militants, Haji Mohammad Ramzan, Khursheed Amhad Lone and Arshad Badroo. The cleric assisted these to conceal weapons and materials for use in bomb manufacture.

Initially the imam was not believed to have been a fully fledged member of Lashkar e-Taiba. Express India stated on Thursday that the imam is now thought to have been in frequent contact with Salah-ud-din, the Bandipore-based commander of Lashkar e-Taiba in northern India, for the past year.

Police have found that he channelled substantial sums of money into the terror group's funds. He channelled 1,200,000 rupees in June, Rs 2,500,000 in July and Rs 5,000,000 in December, in 2005.

The imam had a 10 year passport made up in Kolkata in 1995, and travelled to Saudi Arabia. In September last year, he applied for a renewal of the passport, but his request was denied. Police are now requesting documents on this from the Security Branch.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:06 PM | Comments (0)

US: Women Create Database Of Islamist Regime's Forgotten Victims

Two women now living in Washington DC, US, have unveiled an online database of victims of the Iranian Islamic revolution, which began in 1979 and still has not finished.

The women, Ladan and Roya Boroumand, as reported by AP in Newsday and other sources such as the Toronto Star, have so far compiled 9400 cases of individuals executed by the Muslim despots who rule Iran.

The women have dedicated the site to one of its victims, Abdorrahman Boroumand, who was stabbed to death in 1991, in his apartment building in Paris, where he was living in exile. A leader of the Iranian Resistance, his murderers are believed to have been Iranian government agents.

Ten years after their father's murder they decided to begin compiling the database. They employed the services of individuals in various countries, contributing information, and scouring news reports and records. The site where the database can be found bears the name of their enterprise, the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation.

They do not judge the victims, or decide if a person is guilty or innocent. For the sisters, all are victims.

45 year old Roya states: "We cannot replace an official investigation. That's why we always insist that what we're doing is symbolic. We just want to initiate a debate. This is the first step to encourage a truth and reconciliation commission."

"In the Third World and Iran we really have not had a democracy — we are used to just going ahead and pushing the dirt under the rug and not looking at it. If we want to have a real transition to democracy, we need to look at what has happened to us and what we have done," she said.

"No one really cared about the due process of law. No one cared about the prostitute being killed or the homosexual being killed. Everyone was really busy politicking," Roya Boroumand observed.

The database's public unveiling is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the release of 52 US embassy staff, who were held hostage by students (including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, now the President of Iran) for 444 days.

Roya's sister, 48-year old Ladan, stated that at the beginning of the revolution, while the sisters were studying in France, they had great hopes for the new regime. But when they went to Iran their optimism turned to disillusionment, when they heard of rushed trials and mass executions.

"A sense of shame and guilt overwhelmed me," she said. She knows that currently the 9,400 individuals whose lives are commemorated mark the beginnings of a larger work. "We are really at the beginning of our work," she said.

The website database can be found here. With text in Farsi and English, the site is well designed. They call the database of victims Omid, the Iranian word for hope:

Omid: a Memorial in Defense of Human Rights is an electronic database of human rights violations in Iran. The Memorial is dedicated to the victims of the Islamic Republic since it was established in 1979. Omid's ultimate goal however is to be an impartial historical record that includes victims of human rights violations since December 10, 1948.

Omid is solely concerned with the impartial protection of human rights. It includes the names of the individuals whose human rights were violated in the process leading to their death, regardless of their deeds. Omid neither supports nor opposes the political views of the victims whose stories it records.

A project of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation (ABF), this virtual memorial provides an individual file for every victim, which details the human rights violations in his or her particular case. Visitors to the website may search the list in English or Farsi by using several criteria: the victim's name, gender, nationality, or religion; the date, place, or mode of execution; or the charges made against the victim.

The two sisters have done a magnificent job. There are one or two link problems on the introductory pages, but the database, which utilises the open source program Analyser, is very effective. The sisters have my respect, and their father would be proud of what they have achieved.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:15 PM | Comments (0)

Syria: Iranian Islamist Talks Of "The Final War"

President Ahmadinejad of Iran has been sounding recently like a loony with claims about wanting to see Israel wiped off the map, and how he wishes for a "scientific" reappraisal of the Holocaust, to prove his claims that the 6 million Jewish victims were part of a "myth".

His apparent resumption of the uranium enrichment program is threatening to draw a ruling from the UN, with requests from the western countries to refer the matter to the Security Council. Currently, Iranian assets are being withdrawn from western banks, in the event of economic sanctions against his country.

We reported earlier on the bizarre ideas of his spiritual mentor, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yasdi, an extreme fundamentalist Shia. Mesbah-Yasdi believes literally in Abul-Qassem Mohammad, the 12th leader whom Shi'ites consider descended from the Prophet Mohammed, disappeared in 941 but will return at the end of time to lead an era of Islamic justice.

Ahmadinejad takes the myth seriously too: "Our revolution's main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th Imam, the Mahdi," he said recently. The disturbing aspect of this messianic prophecy is that, for the Mahdi to appear, there first must be chaos in the world. Formerly a kidnapper of US Embassy hostages in 1979, Ahmadinejad certainly knows how to create international instability.

And now, Al Jazeera reports that his end-times messianic fantasies are infecting his speeches again. While on his second day of a tour of Syria, Ahmadinejad spoke to leaders of Palestinian terror group Hamas in Damascus yesterday.

He said that the Middle East conflict was "the locus of the final war". Urging Palestinians to reject Israel's withdrawal of the Gaza Strip (?), he said "Today, victory in Palestine has become a matter of life and death for the Islamic world and for Global Arrogance (the West)."

"Some point to the withdrawal of the occupiers from parts of Palestine, but this event has already been greatly detrimental to Muslims. If the occupiers stay on even one inch of Palestinian soil, the goal of Palestine will not be realised," he stated.

"We must not let our guard down now for even one moment against the enemies' plots. Belittling the goal of Palestine is a great plot that the enemies are after."

His speech was listened to by the likes of Khalid Mash'al, head of Hamas' political bureau. Ahmadinejad urged Islamic stations to use their economic potentials to "cut the hand of the enemies."

"We (can only blame) ourselves for promoting the economies of the enemies and letting them impose pressure on us whenever they wish. Just three percent of global trade is accounted for by trade among Islamic countries. Islamic states are main importers from non-Islamic countries," he opined.

"Today, a big economic war is underway. The political war is obvious to all but there is an economic war that goes on undetected."

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

Philippines: Truce With Islamists On Jolo

The island of Jolo, in the maritime province of Sulu in the southwest of the Philippines, has recentlly been the scene of an insurgency by Islamist rebels. The current insurgency began on November 11, when an army patrol became ambushed near the village of Buwansa by about 400 armed rebels.

The rebels comprised members of the Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf, led by the one-armed and horse-riding Radullan Sahiron, joined by breakaway members of the Moro National Liberation front, or MNLF. These individuals were supporters of a former leader of MNLF, called Nur Misuari. In November 2001, he had ordered or allowed an attack upon an army base in Jolo and then became a fugitive in Malaysia, thence deported back to the Philippines, where he is currently in jail. The 2001 Jolo raid happened in spite of a peace deal which had been signed on August 30, 1996, brokered by Indonesia.

At least nine soldiers have been killed since the conflict began, though their casualties were worst at the beginning. The initial skirmishes cost the lives of four soldiers in the first weekend. So far, about 40 soldiers have been injured.

Casualties for the insurgents are far higher - on 25 November, 15 were killed in a single day's exchanges of gunfire. As the bodies of dead and injured rebels are carried off into the jungle, clear figures of rebel dead and injured are unknown.

Today, Reuters AlertNet announces that the rebel members of MNLF who have been fighting on the island have negotiated a peace deal.

Yesterday (Fri 20), Brigadier-General Mohammad Ben Dolorfino, most senior marine commander in the southern Philippines, delivered a letter to MNLF Islamist rebels at a secret location in the jungle. The letter was written by Nur Misuari from a police camp outside Manila, the capital, on January 8.

"All MNLF forces should be advised to stay put in their camps to avoid untoward incident," the letter read.

Misuari was a former professor of political science before he became a rebel leader. His voice is still respected within the MNLF. He still contributes speeches and sermons on the group's website, despite being incarcerated for the past four years.

Habir Malik, one of Misuari's senior lieutenants who evaded capture during a manhunt last year, said that "We'll have to abide by the chairman's directive."

The bearer of Misauri's letter, Brigadier General Dolorfino (a convert to Islam) stated after the agreement: "With the cooperation of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), we see only one problem left -- the Abu Sayyaf."

Abu Sayyaf will be less easy to reason with. Their methods veer between terrorism and banditry. Sahiron rules Jolo as his fiefdom, where he has the sobriquet "Robin Hood", and has been involved with kidnappings of tourists, and has decapitated villagers deemed by him to be "collaborators".

Recently Abu Sayyaf have forged links with Jemaah Islamiyah, a more disciplined and ambitious Islamist terror group, with cells in various southeast Asian countries.

Keywords: Radullon Sahiron, Radullan Sahiron, Radilon Sahiron, Nur Masari, Nur Misauri, Nir Misuari, Nur Misuari

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)

UK: Fatwa Against George Galloway

We have covered the antics of treasonous worm George Galloway since our start, so excuse me while I wallow in some delightful schadenfreude at the news he has earned an scathing fatwa from The Saved Sect: There is no dignity except in Islam

The meaning of this hadeeth (saying) is that there is no dignity, power, might, honour, glory or respect except in Islam; and whoever seeks dignity, respect and honour from anything other than Islam, Allah (SWT) will humiliate and disgrace him in this life and the Hereafter.

The believers (Muslims) will have the exclusive privilege, honour and dignity of seeing the Face of their Lord in Paradise (Inshaa' Allah), whereas the unbelievers (non-Muslims) and the hypocrites (those who falsely claim to be Muslims) will never see Allah and will be made to walk on their faces on the Day of Judgement and be led into the Blazing Fire, where they will reside forever. However, the unbelievers and hypocrites are unaware of these Divine Facts and disbelieve in them. This is because their kufr (rejection and disbelief in Allah and what He has revealed) is a cause of their humiliation and acts as a barrier which obstructs them from the truth.

Sadly, it is very distressing to see many Muslims in the West seeking honour, respect and dignity from the Kuffaar, despite already being granted these by Almighty Allah (SWT). Just last year, 2005, we witnessed thousands of Muslims participating in the general elections and voting for lawmakers who violate the Sanctity of Almighty Allah by legislating laws (an exclusive Right of Allah).

One would have thought, after so many years, these so-called Muslims would have taken heed from the hadeeth of the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) which states, "The believer is not bitten in the same place twice." After voting for Labour and Conservatives, believing in their false promises and lies, and being bitten in the same place every election year, these so-called Muslims have been bitten once again by voting for a new party, Respect, and its leader George Galloway. One wonders how voting for Respect is any different from voting for any other kufr (un-Islamic) democratic party, such as Labour or Conservatives, as they all have the same agenda, ultimately being a government which rules by their vain desires and evil ideology (democracy).

Recently, Allah (SWT) has disgraced these so-called Muslims and the one they have associated with Allah, George Galloway, by causing him to appear on a reality TV show "Celebrity Big Brother". Shows such as this contain all the corruption Allah (SWT) has forbidden, such as free-mixing, fornication, drinking, nudity, swearing and many other abominable acts. These kinds of programmes attract only the lowest of the low who desperately seek recognition and fame by any means possible. They are people who have no honour, respect or dignity and can only be described as animals. George Galloway will certainly have no trouble fitting in as he has all the criteria the show is looking for. Just recently, the media has shown George Galloway at his best – behaving like a cat (animal) purring at the hands of a woman. This is not surprising as one cannot expect anything more from a person of such low intellect and morality, a representative of those who voted for him.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 11:30 AM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2006

Pakistan: Hizb ut-Tahrir, Islamist Group, Challenges Ban

Hizb ut-Tahrir the international Islamic group which aims to set up a Caliphate or Khilafat, a trans-national Islamic state, has appeared in court in Lahore, Pakistan, to challenge a ban imposed upon it by the Pakistan government.

The news, reported by TMC Net and also on Hizb ut-Tahrir's British website, is that the HuT spokesman, Naveed Butt, is challenging the ban at the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench.

The initial hearing took place on 17 January, after which the divisional bench of Justice Naseem Sikandar and Justice Abdul Shakoor Piracha issued notices to various official bodies, to respond within three weeks.

The Federal government, Ministry of Law, Human Rights and Parliamentary Affairs and provincial Police in Punjab were sent the notices.

Butt's petition stated that since the Khilifat (Caliphate) is currently the biggest threat to America and "other colonialist countries", the Pakistan government's recent ban has been imposed merely to appease the United States of America.

The petition described the ban as "illegal" and "un-Islamic". It further peddled the notion that Hizb ut-Tahrir is a "completely peaceful organisation", working to reinstate Islamic life by restoring the Caliphate, "through peaceful political and intellectual struggle."

Jizb ut-Tahrir were represented in court by Muhammad Akram Chaudry, a former vice president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and Umer Hayat Sindhu, ex-vice president of the Lahore Bar Association.

We discussed Hizb ut-Tahrir's role in Tajikistan and neighbouring countries last week, where it is outlawed.

Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain are currently under threat of a ban. The proposed ban features in a clause within the government's anti-terror bill currently being debated in parliament's Upper House.

The last Caliphate, that of the Ottomans, was dismantled in 1924 by Turkey's Kemal Ataturk. The last Caliph, Abdulmecid Efendi, was unseated in March of that year. Some groups other than Hizb ut-Tahrir also aim to establish the Caliphate, such Metin Kaplan's groups Hilafet Devleti and Kalifatstaat in Germany.

The exact date of the Pakistan government's ban on Hizb ut-Tahrir is unknown. The group were publicly demonstrating against President Musharraf's Kashmiri policies, in Lahore in mid-December.

Two massive pdf documents from the Nixon foundation are available here. The first, entitled The Challenge of Hizb ut-Tahrir is 145 pages long, written Sept 2004. The second is a monograph entitled Hizb ut-Tahrir: Islam's Political Insurgency is from December 2004, and is 144 pages long.

A more current discussion of the role of the Caliphate is made by Karl Vick in the Washington Post from last Saturday. The informative article makes mention mainly of Hizb ut-Tahrir, but also features Metin Kaplan, the "Caliph of Colgne", who is currently in prison in Turkey.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:37 PM | Comments (0)

Sweden: Womens' Flight From Forced Marriages Ends In Islamist Terror Camp

A story from Sweden's The Local states that two women who tried to escape from forced marriages in Sweden were duped into becoming prisoners at a Middle East terror training camp.

Two women, whose identity has not been revealed, told Swedish Radio that they were approached by men who offered to help them escape their marriages. The men told them they would be sent to work in refugee camps in the Middle East, run by an "international organisation".

Upon arrival, the camps were training bases for a terror organisation. There they underwent torture, in one instance after an escape attempt. One woman was held for nine years, the other for eight before trying to escape. Held at separate camps, the woman claim that the two places housed about 90 young people from Europe who had been conned in the same way, with a handful from Sweden.

The Local reports that a specialist in honor-related crime at the Swedish Police, Kickis Ahre Algamo, has said she has met both women. She is convinced their claims are genuine, and has forwarded their information to the Swedish Security Police, Sapo.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)

Yemen: Bride Abduction Carnage

Notice Yemen's definition of consent for women: YEMEN: BRIDE KIDNAPPED AT HER WEDDING, GROOM KILLED

Sanaa, 20 Jan. (AKI) - Armed men stormed into a wedding in Yemen's western al-Mahwit province, killed the groom, forcibly abducted the bride, and seriously injured five wedding guests, Yemeni media reported on Friday. The bride was bundled into a car, which drove off at speed, but police gave chase and managed to rescue her and arrest two of the five gunmen. The attack was arranged by a man who the bride had refused to marry, Yemen's SABA news agency said. The press and women's rights activists continue to investigate and denounce violations of women's rights in Yemen. They say that common law, social custom, and Islamic (Sharia) law as interpreted in the country, discriminate against women. Men are permitted to take as many as four wives. The minimum marrying age is 15; however the law is not widely enforced and some girls marry as early as 12.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 6:30 PM | Comments (0)

Egypt: Coptic Christian Dies After Muslims Burn Church

News from Compass Direct that a Coptic Christian has died and at least eleven people have been injured after a clash between Muslims and security police, in which a Christian building, being used as a church, was subjected to an arson attack.

The incident happened yesterday morning, in the town of el-Udaysaat, near Luxor. The Egyptian daily, Al-Akhbar, reported that Muslims, who heard Christian prayers from an Orthodox community building, threw torches inside at 4 am.

The community centre had been banned from holding religious services in 1971, when the congregation was told it had to apply for registration.

The building has recently been renovated, with plans to have it inaugurated officially as a prayer center. The all night prayer vigil was being held on the eve of Epiphany.

The injured included two security guards, one of whom suffered from severe smoke inhalation injuries,. The dead man was named as Kamaal Shaker.

The Coptic Pope, Shenouda III, intends to send seven bishops to Mr Shaker's funeral at al-Udaysaat tomorrow. The funeral will be held at the site of the attack.

10 people were arrested after the arson attack, one of whom is the owner of the building where the prayer service was held.

A 150 year old law, the Hamayouni Decree, from the time of the Ottomans, puts restrictions on the construction and repair of Christian houses of worship. The rule was instituted in 1856.

In December 2005, Hosni Mubarak announced that the law would be revised, so that the process of gaining authorisation would become easier. Formerly, construction or repair of churches needed his personal authorisation. After his revisions, Christians still have to apply to gain individual official permission to alter or build, but local governors are obligated to respond to applications within 30 days. Muslims, obviously, do not have a similar law hampering their religious building works.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 2:18 PM | Comments (0)

Segregation in Schools in the Netherlands

Paul Belien of the Brussels Journal points out that a school in the Netherlands is starting to resemble something akin to the American South in the '60s and South Africa in the '80s. From Belien's piece a description of what is going on in the school:

A school in Amsterdam has introduced separate entrances for white and coloured pupils. At the Rietlanden/8th Montessori school in the east end of Amsterdam there are two separate entrances 30 metres apart, one for native Dutch children and one for immigrants. The school authorities claim that this situation has nothing to do with racism because the school welcomes children from all ethnic groups. All it wants is for them to enter through different doors. The school constitutes a complex with two sections. One, the coloured section, is called "Rietlanden," the other, the white section, "8th Montessori."

The original article cited in Belien's piece is in Dutch, but you can have it translated via Alta Vista Translation. The poor automatic translation does not mask the surreal quality of this piece by Robin Gerrits who frames the problem of whites not wanting their children in coloured schools as a question of racism or not, complete with the many denials of racism by school officials and white parents, but then presents little alternative explanation as to why the situation continues to degenerate, despite efforts by educational authorities to integrate, except for racism. One director of a montessauri school mentions the "delay" of foreigners as an alternative reason to racism for white parents finding other schools for their children. You'd think that would open the door for an exploration of the issues surrounding bringing foreign born students up to speed and how native born parents feel about what happens to the education of their children who are already up to speed. No such exploration is forthcoming in Gerrits' shoddy piece. But exploring that issue would detract from the racism theme Gerrits had set the article up to be. I can only hope there's a special kind of hell involving hot pokers and Three's Company reruns for these lazy, gutless journalists who do not demonstrate even a glancing curiosity about the underlying issues with integration of native white Dutch children and the immigrant population but fall back on the mindless racism charge.

Posted by Isabel de Castilla at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)

Iraq: Shi'ite Islamists Win Confirmed

I wonder if this will shaken the faith of the Democracy-worshippers? (No, not really; it won't.) Shia alliance wins Iraq elections

An alliance of Shia parties won 128 of Iraq's 275 parliamentary seats in the country's first democratic elections - 10 short of a majority, it was confirmed today.

As expected, the Shia-led United Iraqi Alliance won the most seats in the December 15 elections. It will now need to seek a coalition in order to form a government.

The Kurdish bloc won 53 seats, and two of the main Sunni groups won 55 seats in total. Commentators said that was a much better showing than Sunni groups had managed in last January's interim elections.[...]

The secular list - headed by the former prime minister, Iyad Allawi - won 25 seats, down from the 40 it had held in the outgoing parliament.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 9:27 AM | Comments (0)

Spain: Arrest Warrant Issued For Islamist Leader

The website Typically Spanish.com announced late yesterday (Thursday) that a HIgh Court judge, Felix Degayon, has issued a warrant for the leader of an Islamic terror cell which was broken up by raids on the Costa del Sol in December.

The cell is believed to have financed the Algerian terror group with links to al-Qaeda, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). Seven individuals were arrested in the Costa del Sol on December 9. On December 14, three of these were charged with collaborating with an armed group.

The warrant issued by judge Degayon is for the arrest of an Algerian, Salah Edinne Berkoun. The judge has said it is believed Berkoun may be currently residing in Fuengirola. The judge said that "he is in contact with Islamic radicals, some of whom are in prison in Spain."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:48 AM | Comments (0)

Trinidad & Tobago: Islamic Leader To Face Imminent Terror Trial

News from Trinidad Express states that 64 year old Yasin Abu Bakr, will face trial at the next sitting of the Assizes, to face charges of terrorism, sedition, inciting larceny and breaching the peace.

These charges relate to a sermon he made at the start of Eid ul-Fitr on November 4 at the masjid of the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen, the Islamic group he heads.

Bakr was committed at a sitting on Thursday. He is currently awaiting a retrial over a case which fell through last year, in which he was accused of conspiring to have two former members of his group murdered.

Next week, he will also be subject to an inquiry concerning allegations that he possessed a grenade, a firearm and ammunition. These items were retrieved from his organisation's headquarters in a raid by police and army on November 11.

In 1990, Bakr led a coup on the island, which caused 24 deaths. He and 114 followers from the Jamaat were first offered a prime ministerial pardon, which was then retracted, and after standing trial, had the case abandoned.

On Christmas Day, we reported on the case of two members of Jamaat-al-Muslimeen being found in possession of a bomb. We reported on the suspicions that Jamaat members had been involved in a series of four bombings in and around Port of Spain, Trinidad's capital. The first happened on July 12, and after the last bomb on Friday October 14 2005, Bakr was arrested, with other members of his group. All were subsequently released without charge.

A timeline of our coverage of Jamaat al-Muslimeen, with links to our articles, can be found HERE.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:56 AM | Comments (0)

Indonesia: Christians Who Invited Muslim Kids To Sunday School Will Stay In Jail

The Jakarta Post, reproduced in Persecution.org and AKI News reports that three women Christian Sunday School teachers have lost an appeal, and will remain in jail.

In September 2005, Rebecca Loanita Zakaria, Etty Pangesti and Ratna Mala Bangun had been sentenced to three years' jail under Indonesia's Child Protection Act of 2002.

They were found guilty at a district court in Indramayu, West Java, of trying to convert Muslim children, in a case brought by the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI). Their crime had been to invite some Muslim children to a "Happy Weekend" an event at the Sunday School for children where songs and games were to take place.

On Tuesday the three were informed that they should remain in jail, after a legal challenge was dismissed. A clergyman, Rev Ruyandi Hutasoit challenged the article under the Child Protection Act under which the three women were charged - i.e. any person found guilty of persuading children to convert to another religion are subject to five years in jail and/or a 10,500 dollar fine. Hutasoit said that this article contradicted the Constitution, which stipulates that anyone can follow a religion of their choice.

However, the panel of nine judges said Rev Hutasoit had no legal standing in the case, and the article did not contradict the Constitution, and because he had not suffered any "direct losses" in the case. The judges ruled that article 86 of the CPA clearly forbade the use of "tricks, lies or force" to convert children. It appears they assume the invite by the women to a weekend "Happy Event" had a sinister motive.

The Jakarta Post noted that local Muslim and Christian communities have criticised the ruling, saying the children had gone to the school without coercion, and had not changed their faith.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:17 AM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2006

Malaysia: No-One Expects The Islamic Inquisition!

Recently there has been a debate in Malaysia, which is 60% Muslim, about the role of the Syariah, or Islamic Courts. The constitutional issue, which means that a civil court has no power over cases which fall under the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts, has caused a Hindu to be buried as a Muslim, and people being prevented from leaving Islam.

On December 22, 2005, the Islamic Family Law Bill was pushed through parliament by the government. This effectively decreased the rights of women in divorce situations. Its unpopularity led the government to temporarily suspend it last week, pending further consultation.

The powers of the Islamic bodies in the nation have caused Hindu groups to form a pressure group, the Hindu Rights Action Force, to protest against the "Islamification" of Malaysia. On Wednesday, the government ordered a newly formed "Islamic Council Volunteer Squad", a Muslim team recruited to spy on Muslims to ensure they conformed to Islamic behaviour, to be disbanded.

A power struggle appears to be taking place between supporters of civil law which should affect all citizens, and advocates of Islamic law, which should affect only Muslims, but has punished apostates for not being "Islamic".

The latest development in this public confrontation between democratic and theocratic government comes in news brought today by Canada's canoe news.

A Malaysian senator has been found guilty in an Islamic court for not divorcing his wife without a Syariah Court's permission and divorcing her outside a Syariah Court.

52-year old Senator Kamaruddin Ambok, of the ruling party (Umno, United Malays National Organisation) admitted on Thursday that he had committed an offence against his former wife Mahani Hussain, aged 50. The divorce (Talaq) had been announced not in front of an audience, or even to the woman's face. He had divorced her by text message on a cell phone, with a reminder by voicemail.

The Senator was hardly chivalrous, but it is a strange situation where a member of the government is being accused by an Islamic Court for divorcing his wife without first gaining the court's permission.

Prosecution lawyer Mohammed Yusof Sulaiman told the Syariah court: "Cases such as this are happening often these days as reported by media. The court must ensure that Islamic laws are adhered to, and give a proper punishment to deter him and others from committing such an offence again."

The lawyer said the senator's ex-wife was left alone for two months until the written confirmation of divorce was filed in December 2001.

The judge, Zainor Rashid Hassin, told Kamaruddin that when he went through his marriage he engaged in several Islamic rituals, as demanded by law. "Now, why can't you divorce someone properly as well?" he asked. He sentenced the senator to a fine of the equivalent of $145 US.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:23 PM | Comments (1)

Indonesia: Top Islamist's Henchman Arrested

The Jakarta Post reports that a key aide to the Islamist terror leader, Noordin Mohamed Top, has been arrested in Central Java.

Subur Sugiarto was on a bus in the town of Boyolali, destined for Jakarta when he was arrested on Tuesday. So far, he has not been charged with any offence.

Subur is allegedly a "henchman"of Noordin Top, a key recruiter and financier to the Islamist terror group Jemaah Islamiyah. Top was suspected of involvement in both sets of Bali bombings, from 2002 and Oct 1, 2005.

Currently there are eleven people on trial in Indonesia, with the most recent to come to trial being Joko Tri Priyanto, who is accused of assisting Noordin Top in securing refuge while he was on the run in August 2004.

Noordin Top has been a fugitive since the immediate aftermath of the first Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australian tourists.

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

UK: Muslim Cleric Hamza Testifies, Says He Preached The Koran

Today, Abu Hamza took to the witness stand in his trial at London's Old Bailey. The trial commenced last Monday, but today was the first time he spoke.

We described earlier the opening statements from prosecutor David Perry, who quoted from Hamza's own videotapes of his sermons.

We gave more details, and quotes from his video statements, on Friday. Since then, more video footage was played to the jury. Associated Press via Gay365.com noted on Monday that Hamza had made bizarre claims about Israel.

Speaking in a video from 2000, Hamza states that Western leaders deal with Israel, not from genuine approval, but because Israel contains incriminating information, which it uses to blackmail them into accepting its existence.

"Now all these dogs of the West, they have to go now, none of them have condemned what Israel has done to the Muslims and the Palestinians," he stated. "Why they act like sugar daddy for Israel? Because they love the Israelis? No way! Because they hate them very much, but the Israelis know how to deal with them."

"They got a file for each one of these politicians, how much homosexual you are, how many money he has taken as bribe, whom his wife goes with, which child he has been abusing, and they got all this against them," he claimed, adding "Jews know how to control people."

On Tuesday, the Times described statements from another video sermon, made in 1998 in Birmingham, perhaps in a domestic residence. He urged his followers to go to Albania and Kosovo to support the Muslim cause. He then reminisced on his own jihadist experiences in Bosnia.

He claimed that he had given advice to Algerian fighters in Bosnia, and had arguments about policy with other Mujahideen. "As Allah is my witness, I had to leave Bosnia straight away." he said.

On his co-jihadists in Bosnia, he said: "They are very good brothers, they are fighting the best fighters, they are the best people to sacrifice but when it came to management they reached the wrong conclusions."

He gave advice on education in another sermon, from 2000, made at the mosque in Finsbury Park. After stating that fighters should remain in small mountain-based units and saying they should avoid the influence of rich Saudi benefactors, he suggested his audience could travel to troubled nations. He said: "Any brothers that can go there we can employ them to work there. You can teach people English but instead of teaching 'John kissed Rebecca', you tell them 'Abdul killed Richard', something like that."

In another video from the mosque from 2000, he spoke of sacrifice. "You must have a stand with your heart, with your tongue, with your money, with your hand, with your sword, with your Kalashnikov. Anything that will help the intifada, just do it. If it is killing, do it. If it is paying, pay, if it is ambushing, ambush, if it is poisoning, poison. You help your brothers, you help Islam in any way you like it, anywhere you like it. They are all kuffar (unbelievers) and they are all acting and fighting us as one body and we should give them back as one body."

The Guardian reported that on Tuesday, the jury watched a 90 minute tape in which Abu Hamza described six "enemies of Islam". Apostates and Jews were top of this list.

The first enemy types were "tyrants and apostates of our leaders." Then followed "Jews number two, Christians number three, evil scholars of Muslims number four, hypocrites number five, ignorance of our umma [the Muslim community] number six.

He said Allah had described Jews as offspring of monkeys. He claimed Jews were the "first monkey and the first ape", claimed Darwin's grandfather was a Jew, which was why Charles Darwin "wanted to establish a link between human beings and monkeys."

On Wednesday, the Times reported that the court was told that Hamza's 10 volume guide to warfare, jihad, bomb-making and bombing techniques, the Encyclopedio of the Afghani Jihad had already been taken from him by the police. This happened seven years ago in 1999, but the book was given back to him.

There had originally been 11 volumes, prosecutor David Perry stated, but when Hamza's West London was searched again in May 2004, Volume Six - "Bombs and Landmines" had gone missing. Hamza had told police he never read the books. They had been given as a present, and he kept them "as part of history", he had claimed.

600 videotapes had been taken from Abu Hamza's home in the raid from March 1999, but like the "Encyclopedia", these were returned to Abu Hamza.

Today, the Times describes Hamza's appearance at the stand, dressed in a blue suit, with his stumps tucked into his pockets. His lawyer, Ed Fitzgerald, asked him if he had incited folloers to kill in England. Hamza denied this. When asked if he had ever urged his audience to kill abroad, Hamza said "In the concept of murder, no. In the concept of fighting, yes."

Reuters and the Times describe the efforts by Fitzgerald to portray Hamza as a misunderstood victim. He said Hamza has been a target of "exaggeration and misrepresentation by innuendo" by the media.

"Mr Hamza is probably the most frequently abused and ridiculed person in this country. They call him Captain Hook. Hook. Hooky.... They run headlines like "Hook Off", Fitzgerald said. "They may have condemned him before the trial began. But they haven't seen the evidence. You have."

Fitzgerald agreed that Hamza had encouraged Jihad in his sermons. But he said that the Jihad referred to battles in distant regions, Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan (where Hamza had fought himself, and lost both hands and his left eye), Algeria and Israel.

"Not every killing can be called murder. Soldiers who kill on the battlefield are not guilty of murder. Combatants... are not guilty of murder," Hamza's lawyer claimed. "There is no simple equation: he talks of killing, he must be inciting murder."

On the issue of the Encyclopedia, Fitzgerald said that the book had not been confiscated by police after it was taken away in 1999. He said: "When they (the police) returned it to him they didn't say, 'look, that's a crime'. He had it only because they gave it back to him in 1999."

The Guardian noted that during Fitzgerald's questions, Hamza stated "If you are a scholar you will never distinguish between anyone of any colour. Racism is one of the greatest sins. I actually condemned it. We have been told to hate it as wrong, even if it comes from our own fathers, we have to denounce it."

Fitzgerald told jurors that Hamza's comments about Jews were made in a historical. religious context. "He is not anti-Semitic" the QC announced.

Mr Hamza said he was born in Egypt in 1958 and spent his early life there before moving, aged 21, to the UK in 1979. He took an engineering degree at Brighton Polytechnic and in 1989 took up a job as a civil engineer at the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy. The court heard that Hamza was responsible for maintaining the fence and a variety of buildings.

Mr Fitzgerald asked the defendant whether he had kept drawings of the academy after leaving the job, and he replied: "Yes."

He said police seized the diagrams when they searched his house in 1999, but later returned them. When they searched his property again in May 2004 they did not remove the documents, the court heard.

The jury was told that 181 items were taken from Hamza's home in the pre-dawn raid in May 2004.

Hamza faces 9 charges of soliciting murder, under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. He is charged on four counts under the 1986 Public Order Act, of inciting racial hatred with words or behaviour. He is charged with possessing audio and video recordings designed to stir up racial hatred. He is charged on one count under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, for possessing information "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism". This charge involves the Encyclopedia.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:06 PM | Comments (0)

US: The Character of Muhammad

A devastating article at Frontpage Magazine expertly exposes Muhammad's immorality. If you are not familiar with the bloodthirsty Prophet's acts, don't miss this piece: Islam Beheaded

[...]True, there are plenty of instances in Muhammad's life that one could view as the deeds of a moral individual, and Muslims are quick to point out his acts of charity and his dedication to prayer. However, in assessing the overall character of a man, we must take into account all of his actions, not just the ones that support our feelings about him. For instance, suppose I become convinced that the greatest person in history was a man named John Gacy. I could point to his charity work at local hospitals, to his activities in the Boy Scouts and the Jaycees[2], to his patient endurance of numerous physical ailments, to his community activities such as neighborhood barbecues and other social gatherings, to his generosity to others, to his dedication to his family, and to his outstanding work ethic, which made him one of the pillars of his local business community. Yet, if I am to make a case for the moral superiority of Mr. Gacy, I must not leave out the fact that he raped, tortured, and murdered more than thirty boys and buried them under his house.[3][...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:31 PM | Comments (0)

Denmark: More Christianity In Schools Condemned by EU Human Rights Commissioner

EU Commissioners like to make pronouncements about issues which should not concern them. Earlier Franco Frattini, the vice-president of the European Commission attacked the actions of the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten for publishing its cartoons of prophet Mohammed.

Now the EU human rights commissioner, Alvaro Gil-Robles (pictured left), has made an intervention into Danish national life, criticising the plan to strengthen the teaching of Christianity in Danish elementary schools.

The concept of reinvigorating Christianity within the existing school system was thought up by Denmark's minister of education, Bertel Haarder (below right). He intends to set up a committee to discuss ways of making Christianity as a school subject more prominent, with an emphasis upon Danish Evangelical Lutheran traditions.

Gil-Robles decided that this went against European values, saying "Religion as a school subject should be a general course that attempts to give students insight into the three monotheistic religions. Concentrating religious education on not just Christianity, but on the Lutheranism, is the wrong way to go."

"This is about how we accept outsiders into national communities" he said. "If you need to be a Lutheran to be a Dane, then you lock out all non-Lutherans. Clinging to religion is an expression for a lack of confidence in your national identity."

It appears that if all three monotheistic religions should be taught, then teaching Islam is now "the right way to go" in the human rights commissioner's eyes. And one can guarantee it is a version of Islam that makes no critical assessment of the more ungodly aspects of Mohammed's nature, such as his commissioned killings and consummating a marriage with a nine year old girl.

But, according to Copenhagen Post, the education minister did not take the criticism lying down. Yesterday, on national DR TV, Bertel Haarder said of Gil-Robles' comments: "I find it hopeless. That's just as laughable as when the European Commission sent a delegation to find out whether our municipal reform was a violation of human rights. Making everything a human right weakens the idea of human rights."

"For Gil-Robles to say that we risk coming into conflict with European values is an expression of ignorance of Denmark's educational system. I might even call it a prejudice, but I hope that it's only a matter of being uninformed," he said.

Earlier, we quoted Michael Brodstein, Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Copenhagen, who said that the current political climate seems to be becoming more nationalistic. The role of the state church in Danish life is enshrined within the constitution.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 3:08 PM | Comments (0)

Islamism: Osama's Voice Threatens New Assaults

News from AKI states that the voice of what seems to be Osama bin Laden, now-rebroadcast around the world, was heard today on the pan-Arabian and Qatar-based TV station, Al-Jazeera.

The message refers to "recent attacks on European capitals, so if it is authentic, it is not an old tape. Bin Laden has not been heard from for over a year, and most of the policy statements and "public service announcements" of al-Qaeda are usually made by his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The tape included the statements: "We are preparing new strikes and you will see them sooner rather than later. Iraq is not the only battle ground, as you have seen with other recent attacks in European capitals."

The message on audio only stated that the reasons there had not been more 9/11-style attacks were not connected with tightened security, but "There are operations that need preparations, and you will see them soon."

An offer of a truce was made. "We do not mind offering you a truce that is fair and long-term. ... So we can build Iraq and Afghanistan."

And on Iraq, the message said "Our situation is improving while yours is getting worse. President Bush is lying when he says the people are behind him."

ITV News stated that currently a rumour is spreading in US intelligence circles that the reason bin Laden's voice may now be heard is because the controversial attack upon Damadola village by the US on Friday 13 may have killed its intended target. This attack, which killed 18 individuals, was aimed at Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was due to attend a meeting at a house in the Pakistani village, which lies four miles from the border with Afghanistan. Pakistani sources have been contradictory, but it appears that at least one important al-Qaeda member has been killed, Midhat Mursi al-Sayud Umar, who had a $5 million reward on his head from the US.

The identities of the victims in the Damadola attack have not been satisfactorily verified.

The voice speaking on the Al Jazeera tape has similarly not been confirmed as that of Bin Laden. Contradicting this last statement - the CIA has now confirmed that the voice is almost certainly bin Laden, and it is believed the tape was made at the end of November or in December, stated BBC news.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 2:31 PM | Comments (0)

US: Conference of Catholic Bishops Call for Civil Dialogue Over Iraq Withdrawal

I think the Bishops make a fundamental mistake: assuming Iraq can be isolated from a wider response to the Jihad. In their statement, they lean towards a fast withdrawal. I'll excerpt the statement, and offer my commentary. (Once you click on the link, scroll down for the actual statement, instead of the press release): Catholic Bishops Call for "Responsible Transition" in Iraq; Urge "Serious Civil Dialogue"

As we begin a new year and almost three years after the initiation of war, the situation in Iraq remains complex, uncertain, and dangerous-for the Iraqi people, for the region, for our nation, and for our military personnel. The war's toll is measured in lives lost and many more injured, in persistent violence and insurgency, and in the daily struggles of Iraqis to build a future for their torn nation. Our Conference of bishops mourns the deaths of more than 2,100 of our nation's sons and daughters and of tens of thousands of Iraqis. We share the pain of the countless numbers of persons who have been injured and maimed and of those whose lives will never be the same. There have been achievements. A dictator has been deposed and elections have been held, but the human and social costs of these achievements must be recognized.[...]

They miss an important concern; what will happen if, by rushing the eventual withdrawal, we allow the Jihadis to win in Iraq? That should also be part of any moral reflection.

Our bishops' Conference regrets that discussions regarding Iraq have too often led to unproductive debates that are marked by polarization and political posturing on many sides. It is important for all to recognize that addressing questions regarding the decisions that led us to war, and about the conduct of the war and its aftermath, is both necessary and patriotic.[...]

Even more importantly; an open and honest debate on the nature of the enemy should not be clouded by shrill accussations of Islamophobia, nor by the crushing weight of political correctness, America's only official morality.

It is well known that our bishops' Conference repeatedly expressed grave moral concerns about the military intervention in Iraq and the unpredictable and uncontrollable negative consequences of an invasion and occupation. Similar concerns were articulated powerfully by Pope John Paul II and the Holy See. The events of the past three years, the absence of evidence of weapons of mass destructions and the continuing violence and unrest in Iraq have reinforced those ethical concerns. In light of the moral criteria of the just war tradition, our Conference remains highly skeptical of the concept of "preventive war." As the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church states: "[E]ngaging in a preventive war without clear proof that an attack is imminent cannot fail to raise serious moral and juridical questions."[...]

On the other hand, I have serious concerns about the Just War Doctrine, and International Law as it now stands. I have written a short piece titled, well, Against the Just War Doctrine.

Religious Liberty: Our Conference has repeatedly called for the protection of religious liberty in Iraq and renews that call once again. The Catholic bishops in Iraq have expressed serious concerns regarding conflicting provisions in the proposed constitution of Iraq and are wary of its implementation. In light of these concerns, our Conference urges the active support of the U.S. to encourage clearer protection of religious freedom in both law and practice.

Religious freedom includes many rights; it cannot be limited to the freedom to practice religious rites or the freedom to worship. Religious liberty must include the right to practice religious beliefs alone or with others, in private or in public; to acquire and hold property; to educate children in their faith; and to establish religious institutions, such as schools, hospitals and charitable agencies. Religious freedom is also directly related to other freedoms, such as the freedom of speech and the freedom of association, so that people of faith can freely share ideas and act together in the public square. A truly democratic Iraq must continue to accommodate its religious, especially Christian, minorities.

Well said. But what happens when the dominant religion of a country has, as part of its doctrine, the subjugation of its religious minorities? This is a contradiction that will have to be solved in Iraq and elsewhere, one way or another.

Please read Bishop Wenski's complete statement.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)

Israel: Islamic Jihad Caused Tel Aviv Suicide Bombing

News from Reuters AlertNet and Arutz Sheva that a suicide bomber detonated explosives in Tel Aviv, Israel, earlier today, which wounded at least 16 people.

The bomb attack happened at a popular food stand and open-air restaurant near the old and new bus stations this afternoon. One individual is seriously wounded, one is with moderate injuries, and about a dozen have light injuries.

The casualty count is not as high as it could have been, due to the ineptitude of those who organised the suicide attack. Israel Radio states that the bomber did not manage to detonate all the explosives which he carried on his back, but he did succeed in killing himself.

According to one witness report: "His body was blown in half, his head went one way and his legs the other." The explosion destroyed the ceiling of the restaurant.

Both Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigades and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. The senior leader of Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Khaled al-Batsh, praised the actions of the failed murderer.

"Regardless of who carried out the attack, it was a natural response against the continued Israeli assassination of fighters and killing of innocents," he said.

I expect that IDF will soon be preparing their own natural response to this calculated attack upon harmless civilians.

Update: Reuters AlertNet states that the bomber posed as a peddlar, and went into the restaurant offering in Hebrew to sell razor-blades. Minutes later he blew himself up.

The head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas has claimed that the attack was designed to sabotage the Palestinian parliamentary election, which will take place on January 25, and where Hamas are set to make a challenge against Fatah, Abbas' political base.

The interim Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert is now faced with the challenge of how to respond, knowing that extreme measures may draw votes for more extremist representatives in the upcoming Palestinian elections.

Already, some Palestinians seem pleased with today's attack; at a Hamas rally in Ramallah in the West Bank, the news of the attack caused several hundred women to cheer.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)

Tokyo: Snake Makes Friends With Hamster

Occasionally, researching and writing stories about extremist Islamists gets depressing, and in order to stay mentally fresh, I am sometimes tempted to write about anything that does not involve describing the current actions of the followers of a long-dead "prophet".

So, with no apologies whatsoever, I introduce to you Aochan the two-year old rat-snake, (left in the picture) and his new best buddy, Gohan the hamster. Aochan has lived his life within the confines of Mutsugoro Okoku Zoo in Tokyo, Japan. He was fed upon frozen rodents, but in October he seemed bored by his frozen ready-meals.

A keeper decided to give Aochan a nice warm meal, and placed a hamster into the cage with him. Instead of eating the hamster, Aochan seemed to enjoy its company.

Now, according to Associated Press, via Turkish Daily News, the hamster and snake seem happy with their relationship. The hamster's name, Gohan, means "meal" in Japanese, in honour of their first meeting. She regularly climbs onto the snake's 120 centimeter-long back to have a snooze.

Well, it had nothing to do with Islam, but I found the story quite charming. I'm sure there's a life-affirming moral in the story somewhere....

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

Pakistan: Strike Against al-Qaeda Successful After All, Press Silent

The Western Press had already fallen for the propaganda, including the infamous artillery shell picture. It is quite amazing they grant more credibility to our enemies than they grant our government's officials. Here is the story: Strike killed al-Qa'ida bomb expert

AN al-Qa'ida explosives and chemical weapons expert and a relative of the terror network's No2 leader were among top operatives believed killed in a US missile strike in Pakistan.

Pakistani authorities have said that at least four foreign militants were killed in last Friday's attack in a village near the Afghan border, which officials say targeted - but missed - al-Qa'ida mastermind Ayman al-Zawahiri.

A security official said three notable al-Qa'ida figures were in Damadola at the time of the attack and said their bodies were believed to have been taken away by sympathisers. He added that one of them was Midhat Mursi, an Egyptian.

The US Justice Department cites Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, as an explosives and poisons expert who trained hundreds of mujaheddin at a terrorist camp in Afghanistan near the eastern city of Jalalabad.

For more detailed information, see my colleague Giraldus Cambrensis's story.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 10:12 AM | Comments (0)

Malaysia: Neighbourhood "Spies For Islam" To Be Disbanded

Today's Khaleej Times reports that in Malaysia, the government has ordered that a voluntary spy-team created by an Islamic body should be disbanded, as its actions effectively invaded people's rights to privacy.

The Federal Territory Islamic Department in Putrajaya announced on Tuesday that it had formed a 75-member "Islamic Council Volunteer Squad" whose duty was to snoop on Muslim citizens and report their activity to the Islamic Department. They were to be on the lookout for Muslim couples holding hands in public and other "offences", hanging out in parks and other public situations, ready to snoop and report. They had not been given powers of arrest.

Yesterday, a government minister, Radzi Sheikh Ahmed, announced that Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Malaysian prime minister, had told his Cabinet that no group has the right to spy on people, and as well as banning the vigilante group, no similar body will be allowed anywhere in the nation. Radzi said "This involves invading people's privacy."

A similar plan to create an Islamic snoop-squad in the south of Malacca state had been rejected by the government last year. Mohammed Nazri Aziz, another minister, said: "For one, these people are not trained. You can't simply give any Tom, Dick and Harry the powers to spy and catch people." He added that police were perfectly capable of enforcing the law.

Tuesday;s announcement of the vigilante group caused widespread condemnation from government officials, lawyers and civil rights groups.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)

Pakistan: Top Al-Qaeda Islamist Killed In US Airstrike, Claims ABC

We reported on the airstrike made against a house in the village of Damadola in Pakistan, about six kilometers from the Afghanistan border, on Friday January 13. Three houses were destroyed in the attack, believed to have been carried out by unmanned US Predator drones. 18 people, including women and children, were killed in the blast.

The issue caused diplomatic friction between the US and Pakistan, and sparked nationwide protests, with threats of more to come. The intended target of the missile strike had apparently been Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second-in-command of al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden.

As in an earlier incident in which an al-Qaeda top operative, third in command Abu Hamza Rabia, was killed in Haisori village, North Waziristan, by a supposed US airstrike, there have been contradictory claims about the attack on Damadola village.

At first, Pakistani authorities claimed that all the victims were innocent local villagers. Then intelligence officers leaked claims that Ayman al-Zawahiri had indeed been invited to the house for a meal at the time of the attack, but had not attended. He had, however, sent representatives. Some people had claimed no "foreigners" were among the dead, but others claimed 5 or so were among those killed, or even 11. By Sunday night, a senior Pakistani official confirmed that "foreigners" had been reported in the area at the time of the attack.

Now, a scoop by ABC News, also covered by Reuters AlertNet and Radio New Zealand claims that one those killed in Friday's airstrike was al-Qaeda's senior chemist. Egyptian born Midhat Mursi al-Sayid 'Umar, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, was a senior al-Qaeda explosives and poisons trainer.

ABC states that Pakistani officials believe 52 year old Midhat Mursi was one of four senior al-Qaeda members present at what appears to have been a terror summit in the village of Damadola on Friday morning.

As well as being an expert in explosives and chemical weaponry, Midhat Mursi was also an effective trainer of jihadists. Under his alias Abu Khabab he ran terror training classes in Derunta, Afghanistan until the US invasion of 2001. Here he had instructed hundreds of trainees in poisons and explosives.

According to former FBI agent and terror consultant Jack Cloonan: "He's the man who trained the shoe bomber Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui, as well as hundreds of others."

The United States Rewards for Justice scheme has offered up to $5 million as a reward for Midhat Mursi's capture.

According to Yahoo News another individual said to have been killed in the Damadola airstrike was Abdul Rehman Al-Misri al Maghribi. He was a son-in-law of Ayman al-Zawahiri, who had been invited to attend the meeting, and responsible for al Qaeda's media department.

A third man named as being killed in the blast is Abu Obaidah al Misri, al-Qaeda's regional commander for Afghanistan's eastern province of Kunar. None of the three individuals identified above have been officially confirmed as dead by the Pakistani authorities.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:36 AM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2006

Saudi Arabia: Five Suspected Al-Qaeda Islamists Arrested

AKI reported yesterday that in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, five members of a suspected al-Qaeda terror cell were arrested.

Raids were carried out at various locations in the capital on Sunday and Monday, during which 12 hand grenades, materials for preparing explosives and the equivalent of $250,000 cash were retrieved.

A man had been initially arrested at his home. He had fired on a police officer, causing injury, before he was arrested. Following his arrest four more people were apprehended. Three were found in a villa and the fourth at a hotel. The four did not resist arrest.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)

Russia: Israel Seeks Clarification on Iran's Nuclear Program

I wish I could say Russia is acting in its own interest by helping Iran with its nuclear program. But I can't even say that: the Russian leadership is completely delusional when it comes to Iran. Russia will be in far worse danger than the United States if the Iranians get the bomb: Israel Presses Russia Over Iran

Israel's national security adviser pressed Russia on Wednesday on its intentions concerning the nuclear standoff between the West and Iran, but Tehran's ambassador to Moscow urged the Kremlin to resist what he called pressure from other countries.

An Israeli security delegation was in town for talks on Iran's nuclear program ahead of a visit by France's foreign minister, amid efforts to persuade Russia to back referring Tehran to the UN Security Council over its suspected nuclear weapons ambitions.

"We would like to understand the Russian position concerning Iran's plans. We are pleased that we can express our concerns over this issue," Israeli National Security chief Giora Eiland said at a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Itar-Tass reported.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 8:34 PM | Comments (0)

UK: Islamist Suspect Arrested, Terror Bill Neutered In Upper House

UPI via Big News Network reported yesterday that a 27 year old man had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attempted bombings on London Transport.

These attempted bombings took place on July 21, a fortnight after the devastating attacks of 7/7, July 7 2005, when 52 people had been killed. Apparently the suicde attacks failed because four rucksack bombs contained ageing ammonium peroxide. This chemical, employed in the 7/7 blasts, is lethal and unstable when fresh. It becomes less reactive when old. It appears the chemical batch employed in the failed attacks of July 21 had deteriorated since its creation.

The suspect who was arrested is the 44th person so far to be questioned in the inquiry into London's bomb attacks. The man has not been identified. A police spokesperson said that searches were being carried out at two residential premises and one business location in West London.

Today, UPI announce that a controversial clause in the government's new anti-terrorism bill has been expunged by the House of Lords, parliament's upper house. The Lords voted 270 against 144 to drop the clause of the bill which would make "glorification of terrorism" an offence.

The bill's second reading, which went to the House of Lords in November, has already had another controversial clause removed. On December 15 we reported that the clause allowing mosques where extremism is preached to be temporarily closed down was removed from the bill.

Both clauses had received criticism from the Association of Chief Police Officers. The proposals to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir were also opposed by the association. These clauses were all criticised by Muslim groups such as the Muslim Council for Britain.

The House of Commons, the lower house, had originally voted on November 9 to limit the bill's proposal to allow detention of suspects for 90 days. The MPs voted 291 for and 322 against the 90 day limit, but a second motion voted through a proposal to keep suspected terror detainees for 60 days.

Following the removal of the latest clause, of glorifying terrorism, which had been criticised by Abdurahman Jafar of the MCB as "counter-productive", ministers have pledged to raise the issue again when the bill returns to the House of Commons.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal said: "The government does not believe it acceptable that people should be allowed to make statements which glorify terrorism and in doing so make it more likely their audience will themselves commit acts of terrorism."

Many peers argued that the definition of what constitutes a terrorist act was vague and could be hard to delineate legally in a court case. Previous critics had argued that one person's terrorist was another person's "freedom fighter",

The bill is expected to go back to the lower house after the end of next week. The government is likely to reintroduce the clause, and then see if the Upper House will still refuse to accept it into legislation.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:51 PM | Comments (0)

Norway: Tougher Laws Proposed For Immigrants

Today's Aftenposten states that the Norwegian minister of justice, Knut Storberget, wants laws on immigration which ensure that applicants for Norwegian citizenship who have criminal records in their home countries will not be granted rights of Norwegian nationality.

Earlier today, the issue was discussed in Storting, Norway's parliament. The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) believes that current laws are too lax and allow for such individuals to gain citizenship.

Jan Arild Ellingsen, spokesperson for the Progress Party on justice policy, made mention of UDI assertions that a major factor in such cases was a lack of access to criminal registers from abroad. This has led to individuals being granted citizenship when they should have been extradited for trial.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 3:35 PM | Comments (0)

Jordan: Israeli Orthodox Jews Seen As Islamist Targets, Barred Entry

A report from Reuters AlertNet states that several Israeli Orthodox Jews, who are religiously obliged to wear distinctive garb, have been refused entry to Jordan.

An Israeili government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, announced today that the reasons given for the refusal of entry involved the recognisable costume of the Jews, which was viewed by the Jordanians as making them likely targets of attacks.

In August, Israeli citizens were warned by their government against travel to Jordan, as a result of intelligence warnings of potential attacks by militants. Israelis who do travel are advised that they do so using their own judgement and take individual responsibility.

Jordan and Israel signed a peace agreement in 1994.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 3:14 PM | Comments (0)

France: Six Suspected Islamist Recruiters Arrested

Expatica today reports that six people, four men and two women, were arrested near the city of Montpelier in the south of France.

Three of the four men were Moroccan, and the fourth man was a French national.

The AFP source states that the individuals were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the recruitment of potential insurgents to fight in Iraq. The investigation commenced in 2004. Several others have been detained in the duration of this inquiry.

Reuters AlertNet reports that the individuals were arrested yesterday. It appears that the arrests were connected to a raid in Limoges, which took place in June 2005. In that incident, six people were arrested, with one man detained and placed under formal investigation on terrorism charges, and the other five people were released.

It appears that the investigation commenced after three French nationals had been discovered to have died in France, either fighting or engaged in suicide operations. In January 2005, the district of Paris where these three had lived, was raided by DST, the domestic intelligence service.

About 12 French nationals are believed to be currently fighting against coalition troops in Iraq.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 2:44 PM | Comments (0)

Philippines: Muslim Rebel Arrested

Reuters AlertNet states today that a member of MILF, the Mindanao Islamic Liberation Front, has been arrested earlier today for the part he allegedly played in a series of bombings which took place in Manila in 2000.

While on a trip to pay respects to a dead relative, Ustadz Abulgani Pagao was arrested by soldiers and police in the town of Maguindanao, on the large southern island of Mindanao.

Pagao was charged with multiple murders, from bomb attacks from December 200 which killed 22 people and wounded more than 100.

The Philippines authorities have claimed that these bombings were planned and had logistical support from terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, but were carried out by Manila-based Muslim rebels, as retribution for military capture of guerilla bases on Mindanao.

The military have claimed that Pagao also attended an Islamic seminary in Libya with the founder of terror group Abu Sayyaf.

The military said Pagao's arrest could prove that active links exist between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and groups such as Abu Sayyaf, al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said Pagao was a member of the group's Islamic education committee but dismissed military claims about his ties with Abu Sayyaf as "baseless and mere speculation".

MILF's previous insurgent activity, according to AlertNetCurrently, has caused the loss of 120,000 lives. Currently there are peace talks in progress between the Philippines government and MILF. These negotiations have received criticism from the mayor of Zamboanga City on the island of Mindanao. Recently, the Philippines military expressed concern at the apparent military regrouping of MILF, with 4,000 new recruits being trained for what seems to be an upcoming offensive.

MILF was founded in 1977, and in 1987 led a short-lived insurgency against the government. Their official aim is to create a separate Muslim state on Mindanao for the Bangsamoro, or Moro people, who live around the Liguasan marsh. The current discussion process does not involve negotiating a secession.

The talks will resume in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia later in the month. Since July 19, 2003, a fragile truce has been maintained between MILF and the security forces.

Asia Times states that another Mindanao group with similar aims is the MNLF, the Moro National Liberation Front, which was founded in the 1960s. On December 23, 1976 MNLF dropped its official claim for independence. However, in 2000 the then leader of MNLF, Nur Masari, allowed a posse of 200 MNLF members to attack an army base on Jolo. He fled to Malaysia, and was thence deported to the Philippines, where he is now in prison.

On the southern island of Jolo, an insurgency is currently underway, led by the one-armed and horse-riding local Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron. His cadres are fighting the military in a guerilla war, in conjunction with rebel MNLF members, supporters of Nur Masari. The insurgency began on Friday November 11 and has sporadically continued since.

In a separate article, Reuters Alertnet and also Bangkok Post, announce that 32 highly-skilled US soldiers started a tour of duty in Camp Lucero ouotside Carmen town, Mindanao. The US military has previously advised the Philippines on dealing with the insurgency on Jolo.

The 32 US soldiers, under the command of Major William Nage, will be based here for a month, involved in counter-terrorism training exercises with the Philippines military, taking part with 60 Filipino troops in an annual joint exercise entitled Balanced Piston.

The contigent of US personnel was greeted with a protest, however. 5,000 protesters, in a convoy of 35 vehicles, arrived at the camp, complaining of US presence in the south, and calling for all US military personnel to leave the Muslim regions.

In February 5,000 US troops will take part in a separate two-week counter-terrorism training schedule, entitled Balikatan, or "shoulder to shoulder". The activities will happen on Jolo island, in Cebu province and the northern Philippines.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:29 AM | Comments (0)

India: Muslim Buried In Hindu Cemetery

The man pictured above left is 35-year old Syed Wasi Zaidi, who was a shoe shop salesman. He was leaving to go to work at Andheri, in western India by train. He fell from the train and died on January 13, states web.mid-day.com.

The Government Railway Police took Mr Zaidi's remains to the Mira-Bhayander Hospital for a post mortem. Mr Zaidi was carrying identification papers, so the officials knew that he was a Muslim.

Despite this, within 24 hours, Mr Zaidi was interred in Mira-Bhayander Hindu Vyakunth Shamshanbhoomi, a Hindu cemetery.

Suresh Godke, a railway police inspector from Vasai, said: "We bury all unidentified bodies, regardless of faith, in this crematorium." (Mr Zaidi was not an "unidentified" person.) "We tried calling a few numbers, but could not get through. We do not have a place to keep dead bodies, so we dispose them in 24 hours if nobody claims them."

This view is contradicted by Mr Zaidi's family. Fida Abbas Zaidi, his brother said: "According to the rules, officials have to wait four days for the family to claim an unidentified body. Only then can the last rites be performed."

The family has made an application to have the body exhumed and laid to rest in a Muslim cemetery.

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

January 17, 2006

US: Anti-Muslim Bloggers Against Hate? A Response

We have recently been featured in an article by Sara Rosenbaum at St Petersburg Times, entitled "Are Bloggers Against Hate, Or Just Feeding It?". Also featured in the article are Robert Spencer's Jihad Watch and Joe Kaufman of Americans Against Hate.

We have published our response to the article below. This written by Mr Diaz, who was briefly mentioned as saying "We want to wake up the people of the Western world to the dangers of Islam."

We came out the least compromised by Ms Rosenbaum's article. Robert Spencer has already published a response to the St Petersburg Times article, in which he decries the techniques of the reporter:

If I did speak to them (Muslim acquantances from college), I would tell them that I am combatting the jihad ideology that means to institutionalize oppression of women and religious minorities, and invite them to join me. It is a pity that somebody like Rosenbaum, with her bully pulpit, is too paralyzed by multiculturalism and political correctness to do so, or even to be able to see the larger issues involved.

A long conversation with the reporter had been distilled down to a selective quotation, which gave the false impression of someone who was carried away with his own importance.

But the biggest casualty of Ms Rosenbaum's barbs is Joe Kaufmann. The main subject of "Are Bloggers Against Hate Or Feeding It?", Mr Kaufmann is pinpointed as being responsible for causing hosts of a seminar on Islam, due to be held at Cedarkirk Camp in Lithia, Florida, being placed in a situation where "death threats poured in to the Presbyterian camp hosting the event".

We wrote on January 1 of this seminar, organised by the Tampa chapter of the Muslim American Society (MAS), which would have been held at the center in the Florida countryside. Mr Kaufman raised an alarm because one of the speakers at the event was Mazen Mokhtar of New Jersey (pictured above). Mokhtar has been accused of supporting terrorism, and has hosted a website called Azzam.com, run by Babar Ahmad, currently the subject of a US extradition request from Britain, for "supporting terrorism, conspiring to kill Americans, and maintaining a website used to fund terrorists." Mazen Mokhtar has praised anti-Israeli terrorism, and has used the slogan "Hamas has no victims, it only has legitimate targets" as his email signature.

Joe Kaufman had written on this event, in an article entitled "A New Year's Jihad Retreat". His website also contains a mirror of Mokhtar's website minnah.com, which contains a portal to Hamas.

What had drawn our attention to the affair was a report from the St Petersburg Times, from Jan 1, entitled "Blogs, threats force Muslim meeting to relocate". This article was written by S.I. Rosenbaum, and blamed blogs such as those by Mr Kaufman for writing negatively about the event and its speakers.

But after bloggers alleged that the event was a thinly veiled terrorist indoctrination, anonymous callers bombarded the Muslim American Society of Tampa with death threats and curses.

Ms Rosenbaum cited Mr Kaufman calling the MAS event "a jihad retreat for children," and quoted Ace of Trump who wrote "You gotta start your kids on the road to martyrdom early, or there'll be no one left to murder."

The issue was also taken up by Associated Press in The Ledger, which focused on the blog Ace of Trump, which wrote: "Nothing rings in the new year like bringing your kids to hang out with a bunch of terrorists". Associated Press acknowledged that the source of their information came from the St Petersburg Times.

It should be noted that it seems the sticky fingers of CAIR have already been stroking this issue. In Ms Rosenbaum's most recent attack on bloggers as vessels of anti-Islamic vitriol, she quotes Ahmed Bedier of CAIR, the man who managed to have Christian and Jewish holidays briefly suspended from the school calendar at Hillsborough County, Florida in October.

CAIR assume the mantle of civil rights organisation, but they are also punitive in their methods. Now in Ms Rosenbaum's second article, Western Resistance gets mentioned. We did not cover the issue of Mazzen Mokhtar and the Cedarkirk "death threats" until January 1 after Ms Rosenbaum's first piece was published. However, we have published articles which ridicule CAIR, which warn against CAIR, which inform of and expose CAIR.

Is that why Ms Rosenbaum has mentioned our humble blog, which had nothing to do with the Cedarkirk incident, but which has not been too flattering to CAIR? She writes that we (Jihadwatch, Americans Against Hate, ourselves and, presumably, others) are "dedicated to the surveillance of American Muslims." Mr Bedier has been in contact with Ms Rosenbaum, as we know.

Muslims say the blogs breed hate.

"He's spreading lies, slandering individuals," said Ahmed Bedier, spokesman for the Tampa Bay chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "These are vigilantes."

Kaufman and other bloggers say their work is vital to the country's safety.

The only American Muslims we have any interest in describing negatively are those who spread disinformation and those who threaten the peace and stability of America and all free nations.

Ms Rosenbaum's introductory email to us was this:

Hello,

My name is S. I. Rosenbaum; I'm a reporter for the St . Petersburg
Times in Florida. I'm working on an article about online sites that
watch Muslim activity in the U.S. in the interest of preventing
terrorist attacks. I've visited your sites, and I would be very
interested in talking with you about your experience. Please feel free
to call me at (813) 661 2442 ASAP.

best,
S.I. Rosenbaum
Reporter
St. Petersburg Times

By implication, any reader of her article would assume that we had actively campaigned against MAS and the Cedarkirk retreat. Like Robert Spencer, we feel our time was wasted in a distraction from our usual duty. But we were not savaged as completely as Joe Kaufman.

On his website today, he has published his own rejoinder to Ms Rosenbaum's hatchet-job (jobs). It is powerful. This is an extract:

Following my complaint, the writer of the articles, Sara Rosenbaum, sent me an e-mail saying that she wanted to do a piece on me. I agreed, understanding that, given the past two, it was probably going to be biased against me, and unfortunately, I was correct. In 'Are bloggers against hate, or feeding it?' dated January 16th, once again, Rosenbaum insinuated that I had caused the threats. She went as far as to say that images placed on my group's website had been responsible for death threats "pouring [sic] in to the Tampa Muslim American Society." No mention was made of the material found on MAS-Tampa's website discussing the murder of Jews or about the waging of holy war against Christians and Jews.

It appears that Ms Rosenbaum has been engaged in a smear campaign, and by using ad hominem attack and insinuation, has tried to disguise the issues which were raised by Mr Kaufman in the first instance as an act of public citizenship. Joe Kaufman has tried to raise an alarm about a valid issue which does impinge on what is considered "ethical" and "American". He should be thanked for his vigilance, not vilified nor slandered.

PLEASE READ JOE KAUFMAN'S LETTER - S. I. ROSENBAUM - BIASED AND IRRESPONSIBLE.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)

Egypt: Fulla the Muslim Doll Conquers Land of the Nile

She's unstoppable! Islamic Barbie Alternative Flies Off Cairo Shelves

CAIRO, Egypt -- An Islamic alternative to the Barbie doll is flying off the shelves in Cairo, Egypt.

The doll, named "Fulla," is dressed in an Islamic headscarf and Muslim overcoat and carries a pink felt prayer rug.

Fulla has quickly become a best seller in the Middle East since her launch in 2003.

For our previous coverage of Fulla the good Muslimah, see this Western Resistance Search: Fulla Doll.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 3:02 PM | Comments (0)

Thailand: More Arguments Over 131 Muslim Refugees

On August 30 while conflict was raging in the southern provinces of Thailand, which have an 80% Muslim population, 131 Muslims fled across the border into neighbouring Malaysia's Kelantan province.

The issue caused diplomatic conflict, with the Malaysians offering asylum and Thailand denying the "refugee" status of the Muslims. On October 5, the Malaysian foreign minister, Syed Hamid Albar said that before the refugee Muslims were returned, "we need be satisfied that all matters related to the law, basic human rights, due process and the rule of law are complied with."

The issue caused the Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, to erupt with rage when Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of the Organisation of Islamic Conference brought up the issue of the 131 Muslims, as an illustration of how the Muslims in the south were treated.

Strained diplomatic negotiations continued between the two nations, until an announcement on December 1 that an agreement had finally been reached. Malaysia's New Straits Times said that, if the Thai government guaranteed their safety, the 131 individuals would be returned. The refugees apparently did not wish to go back. Somel appear to have dual-nationality. The refugees were being held in a detention camp in Terrengganu state, south of Kelantan. One individual had apparently been deported to Thailand in November.

The BBC today reported that Malaysia had announced that they had sent the 130 refugees home. Then they revised their page, stating that the Malaysian government has retracted its statement about their return.
Malaysian Attorney-General Gani Patail stated: "I sincerely apologise for the miscommunication."

Reuters reports that Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai has said: "the 131 people are still in Malaysia and Malaysia is taking care of them. I checked with the Foreign Ministry, our embassy in Malaysia and police officials. Nobody said there was a release of 131 Muslim Thais from Malaysia. The Malaysian government has not told us anything."

Earlier Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, Malaysia's law minister, had said "All have been sent back. Both sides are very happy."

We will update this report on a confusing situation, which is bound to become clearer soon.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:19 AM | Comments (0)

Pakistan: Muslims Threaten More Anti-US Protests

On Friday 13, an airstrike on the village of Damadola in the Bajaur Agency of Pakistan, 4 miles from the Afghan border, hit three houses and killed 18 people, including women and children. The strike was aimed at a location where Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second in command of al-Qaeda was expected to be present. Pakistani intelligence sources yesterday confirmed the Islamist terror organiser was due to have arrived at a house in the village, as he had been invited to a meal. He did not turn up, and sent his envoys instead.

Today, Associated Press via Houston Chronicle notes that protests which took place at the weekend in several cities will be repeated, at the urging of Muslim leaders.

Shahid Shamsi, spokesperson of an alliance of Islamic groups, said "There will be more...bigger protests. Pakistani civilians, including children, were killed."

So far the US has not officially acknowledged responsibility for the airstrike, Condoleeza Rice has said that al-Qaeda should not be treated "lightly". The Taipei Times reports that Republican Senator John McCain and other US lawmakers defended it on Sunday. "We apologize, but I can't tell you that we wouldn't do the same thing again," McCain said.

On Sunday, a senior Pakistani official confirmed that "foreigners" were reported in the area around Damadola.

Though partners in the "war on terror", Pakistan does not permit the US to make raids across its border with Afghanistan, where 20,000 US military personnel are stationed. The Pakistan government has condemned the strike, but it does not prevent Shaukat Aziz, the prime minister, will cancel his planned trip to the US today. The aim is to build and bolster business links between the two nations.

The survivors from Damadola have said that no militants were at the blast site, but some press reports have quoted unnamed Pakistani officials, claiming 11 extremists were among those killed.

UPDATE: 6.30 GMT: Brocktown News states that at least four foreign terrorists were killed in Friday's airstrike: "A statement by the administration of Bajur, the Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan , also said that 10 to 12 foreign extremists had been invited to dinner at the village hit in Friday's attack".

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:48 AM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2006

Florida: Response to S.I. Rosenbaum's Article in the St. Petersburg Times

Note to St. Petersburg Times readers and others new to our website: To provide feedback in the comments you'll have to register with Typekey (it is free), or you might email me at sld1776@gmail.com.

Note to Regular Readers: This entry will stay at the top of the page until tomorrow, please scroll down for news stories and commentary.

Western Resistance and this writer has been mentioned in an article by S.I. Rosenbaum in the St. Petersburg Times. We were mentioned twice, and quoted just one time:

"We want to wake up the people of the Western world to the dangers of Islam," said Miami's Sorge Diaz of WesternResistance.com

Those are my views, exactly. (And yes, my real name is Sorge Diaz.) They are, in fact, a very good description of our mission. Two other individuals mentioned in the piece, Joe Kauffman of Americans Against Hate, and Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch also take issue with the article. (Robert Spencer even called his response A notch above child molester.)

Unlike Mr. Spencer, I had harbored no hope, not even a shred, concerning the nature of Ms. Rosenbaum's piece. Perhaps because of it, I'm having a hard time summoning outrage. But I want to do something different; I'll do my best to examine some of the unstated premises that lead to a piece like Are bloggers against hate, or feeding it?, Ms. Rosenbaum's article.

Unstated Premise 1; hate is always bad, except when it isn't: The article's title is telling: "Are bloggers against hate, or feeding it?" The writer examines in great detail how the actions of bloggers either lead or might lead to hatred against Muslims, but no attention is paid to hatred by Muslim themselves, or to the message of Islam. Only hatred--or "hatred"--by non-muslims is worth reporting.

Unstated Premise 2; Comments by non-muslims should be examined, comments by Muslims accepted uncritically: The message of Muslim spokesmen is never critically examined in the piece, while the message of their critics, well....

Unstated Premise 3; There is such a thing as Moderate Islam: The existence of Moderate Islam, a great, wonderful doctrine that will save us all, is assumed away; it is never looked for, let alone found. The History and Theology of Islam is conveniently ignored.

Unstated Premise 4; The Government is Always Right, when it agrees with us: I'll give you the passage:

Daniel Sutherland of the Department of Homeland Security said the government is more interested in forging bonds with Muslims.

"There is no clash of civilizations going on here, there is no "us' and "them,"' he said.

Stop the presses, a guy from the Department of Homeland Security repeated the Government's official view, it must be true! It amazes me how reporters capable of unbound skepticism of the Government in some areas, become willing peddlers of the official line when that line agrees with the "Islam is a Religion of Peace" canard.

That doesn't cover all the premises, but you get the idea. The problem does not lie with Ms. Rosenbaum's faults as a reporter, however many they might be. (She is, as far as I can discern, a gracious interviewer, and an obviously empathic individual.) The obstacle standing before us is the official line offered by the Press at large, Academia, both major Political Parties in the U.S., and almost everybody in a position of authority in our societies. It will take an enormous effort to break through those barriers. But it is not impossible. Whatever the odds, we must move ahead with our mission, confident that truth will prevail: the future of our Civilization, the world in which our children will live, is at stake.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 11:59 PM | Comments (3)

Sudan: Islamist Dictator May Head African Union

It is currently being rumoured that the dictator of Sudan, Omar Hassan A. al-Bashir, will be chosen to be head of the African Union. This has caused widespread condemnation, with a letter of protest co-signed by 50 human rights groups and non-governmental organisations, states Reuters AlertNet and the UK Independent and South Africa's Star.

The letter has been sent on Monday to all the leaders of nations on the continent. Currently the rotating chair of the AU is held by Nigeria's Olusegun Obasanjo, whose tenure comes to an end next week.

The main thrust of the letter was that as 61-year old Bashir could not control the situation in Darfur, in the west of Sudan, then he is unfit to deal with the needs of the African continent as a whole.

Reuters points out the irony of having a Sudanese holding the AU chairmanship from 2006 to 2007, as currently the AU has a 7,000 person mission observing events in Darfur. Having the chairperson's country being investigated by the same organisation would be awkward, and according to UK analyst Patrick Smith, "pretty much unprecedented".

The letter claimed that Darfur's track record of human rights in Darfur was one of the world's worst, and claimed that the government of Bashir was viewed as partly responsible for the crisis there.

The letter said Khartoum and its allied "Janjaweed" militia still held civilians hostage, blocked access to parts of Darfur and obstructed the work of relief agencies. Sudan undermined many AU agreements to bring peace to Darfur, the groups added.

There are rumours that Bashir's nomination has been part-sponsored by South Africa, but its government refuses to comment, though its Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said that any decision on the chairmanship would be chosen by the continent, not by one nation.

Saturday's Guardian claimed that Jan Pronk, a senior UN envoy, declared on Friday that peace efforts in the region have failed. He has called for all the militias in the region to be disarmed, and demands a force of up to 20,000 UN troops to achieve this and provide security. There are currently 2 million displaced individuals living in refugee conditions in western Sudan.

In a true African tradition, Bashir came to power in 1989 through a coup. For most of the past two decades he engaged in a campaign of attrition against the mainly non-Muslim south. This campaign only came to an official end in January 2005, when a historic peace deal was signed with the south. The conflict over its 21 years cost 2 million lives.

Keywords: Omar . al-Bashir, Omar Hassan A. al-Bashier, Omar el-Bashir

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:47 PM | Comments (0)

Indonesia: Islamists Are Lectured On Jihad

A report from the Jakarta Post states that hundreds of former members of the Islamist vigilante group Laskar Jihad attended a lecture in the Al-Fatah Grand Mosque in Ambon, eastern Indonesia (see map).

The lecture was given by Luqman Ba'abduh, an imam who is also an author. He wrote a book called Mereka Adalah Terrorists (They are terrorists). This was a rejoinder to the book Aku Melawan Terroris (I'm fighting terrorists) written by Imam Samudra. Samudra, a terrorist for Jemaah Islamiyah, is currently on death row for his part in the 2002 bombings at Bali, which killed 202 people.

Luqman Ba'abduh addressed his congregation on the subject of jihad and terrorism, in a two day-seminar. He began his lecture with mention of the Khawarij, also called the Kharijites, who emerged in the first century of the Mohammedan era, and committed acts of murder in the name of their interpretation of Islam.

The Kharijites are now cited by neo-Salafists and others to justify terrorism. Luqman said that the prophet Mohammed foretold the coming of the Kharjites as one of the 73 groups in Islam. Their ideology, despite opposition from the "followers of the Prophet" persisted. Luqman said people who espoused such beliefs gave themselves away by their behaviour, with emotional and foolish actions.

He said: "During the era of Khalifah Ali bin Abi Thalib, their power was built on support from 60,000 followers, who faced widespread opposition. However, their ideology and thoughts persist until now. Their ideology and actions along the course of history have taken millions of Muslim victims, including three of the Prophet's best friends, namely Umar bin Khattab, Usman bin Affan and Ali bin Abi Thalib."

(Thalib was the fourth Caliph, and had been called the "Lion of Allah" by the prophet Mohammed. Kharijitism started as a movement in 657 AD in the west of Maghreb or North Africa.)

Kharijitism or Khawarijism is still in a threat in the modern world, Luqman continued to explain. He said its followers believe they are divinely empowered to oppose those they call infidels, who often include other Muslims, and believed they had the right to overthrow governments.

He said they had a rallying cry of amar ma'ruf nahi munkar, a cry which calls for the enforcement of Sharia law, and used this statement to explain their actions. But he warned "However, the slogan is only a lie as it is done just to gain support from Muslims."

People who committed terror attacks and suicide attacks are subscribers to Khawarij ideology, and to be rid of them required a two-track approach. Their ideology should be publicly challenged, and physical force should make sure they were arrested.

What is slightly disturbing is the that the hundreds of former Lashkar Jihad members were still wearing their distinctive uniforms, of white robes and turbans.

The Lashkar Jihad officially disbanded by the start of 2003. That they should still be wearing a uniform, even if closely guarded by police, is worrisome. Laskar Jihad were prime movers in the sectarian war which engulfed the Moluccas, killing 9,000 people between 1999 and 2002.

We described a massacre which happened in a small village called Soya, outside Ambon City, which took place on Sunday April 28, 2002. Members of Laskar Jihad led an assault of this Christian village, with some of their atrocities captured on film. 21 people died, with small children and women hacked at with machetes and decapitated, and men beaten to death with staves, beheaded, and burned alive in their homes.

The leader of Laskar Jihad is 43 year old Yemeni-Indonesian Jaffar Umar Thalib (pictured). On Friday, 26 April, Thalib held a rally outside Al-Fatah Grand Mosque in Ambon, the same mosque where his followers now receive lectures on terrorism. He urged 5,000 members of Laskar Jihad: "From today, we will no longer talk about reconciliation. Our ... focus now must be preparing for war - ready your guns, spears and daggers." On the morning of Sunday 28, Soya was attacked.

What is curious is that some of the people in the film of the Soya massacre appear to be members of the Indonesian army, and when Jaffar Umar Thalib was taken to court, he was let off. He was charged with sowing hate in the Moluccas, but was acquitted.

This is the irony of the current well-intentioned lectures by Luqman Ba'abduh. Some, if not most, of the former Laskar Jihad members will have been activists in an illegal sectarian war, and some must have hacked at children at Soya. Yet they and their leader Thalib have received no retribution, and still wear their uniforms, as if they have never gone away. And poor Luqman Ba'abduh is saying that violent jihadists, neo-Kharjites, should be arrested. Maybe the judge who acquitted Thalib in 2003 should be the first recipient of such a lecture.

It is alleged that when Thalib set up Laskar Jihad in 1999, it was done with the backing of several mainstream politicians.

Some officers of the Indonesian military and national police were in attendance for the two day seminar, which is organised by the Abu Bakr Ash-Shiddiq Foundation.

FOOTNOTE: A particularly unpleasant phenomenon arose during the Islamist sectarian attacks upon Christians in the Moluccas conflicts . The Sydney Morning Herald of 27 January 2001 reported that on six islands affected by the conflict, 3,928 Christians were forced to convert to Islam with threats of violence.

During these forcible conversions, most were forcibly circumcised. These were males, young and old, and also females. The women who were "circumcised" included pregnant women, girls, women in their 70s and babies. Most of the forced circumcisions were carried out by Muslim clerics.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:27 PM | Comments (1)

Philippines: EU To Sponsor Islamic Courts

A report from Italy's AKI states that in the southern region of the Philippines, money from the European Union will be used to establish a judicial process that will integrate the national secular legal system with Sharia law, or Islamic jurisprudence.

Created in 1996 from island provinces and the former province of Cotabato on Mindanao, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), includes Maguindano and Lanao del Sur on the large island of Mindanao, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It appears that this region, which has a high Muslim population, is to be the target of the EU project.

The EU programme will also seek to further integrate the Sharia judicial process with the secular legal system applied elsewhere in the mostly Christian country of 80 million. Some 4.6 percent of the population is Muslim.

The EU programme will be implemented in conjunction with the Philippines' government- owned Mindanao Economic Development Council, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as well as Mindanao's government.

The region is currently in a state of uncertainty, with Muslim secessionists on Mindanao island, such as the MILF and MNLF who have been attempting to create a separate Muslim state since the 1970s.

The situation is complicated by members of Islamist terror group Abu Sayyaf, who have been active on the island of Jolo in Sulu, and also on Tawi-Tawi. Abu Sayyaf have links with Jemaah Islamiyah, and are suspected of hiding JI fugitives in the ARMM, near Cotabato. On Wednesday, the Sultan of Maguindanao was shot dead by unidentified assailants.

The money from the EU will be partly spent on seminars to train court staff, in a project which "reinforces the civil and judicial rights of the local population."

If the entire community were Muslim, perhaps Sharia may seem acceptable, but from the examples of countries like Malaysia, where Sharia jurisprudence and secular jurisprudence attempt to coexist, non-Muslims often find themselves dealt with in the Shariah system through mixed-faith divorces etc and other family-based issues, and do not feel they have been treated fairly.

The implementation of Sharia jurisprudence in the same courts where non-Muslims also seek justice seems a recipe for friction, particularly with the current situation of fear and unrest in the region. Some of the communities are not Muslim at all. Cotabato City, for example, opted in 1989 not to become part of ARMM, but lies on its border. It has a population which is 60% Christian.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:05 PM | Comments (0)

Tajikistan: Islamist Group Kept Under Control, BBC Whines

I came across this report from the BBC today, but the article is rather skewed. It refers to Hizb ut-Tahrir, but for some reason only known to itself, it has decided to call the group Hezb ut-Tahrir. This Islamist group, which is banned in most Middle Eastern nations, as well as Russia, Takjikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgistan, aims to set up an Islamic Caliphate and see several autonomous governments be dissolved to achieve its aim. Hizb ut-Tahrir, as we explained earlier exists as an organ of insurrection.

For purposes of review, this is the whole unexpurgated article:

Tajik crackdown on Islamic group
By Ian MacWilliam
BBC News, Central Asia correspondent

Authorities in Tajikistan have said they arrested nearly 100 members of an international Islamic organisation last year. A senior state prosecutor said that many of the members of the Hezb-ut-Tahrir organisation had been sentenced to long jail terms. Two of those detained were high-ranking leaders of the party in Tajikistan.

Islamic groups in Central Asia have been most active in the Ferghana Valley.

Tajikistan's deputy general prosecutor, Abdusami Dadoboyev, told journalists in Dushanbe that 99 Hezb-ut-Tahrir activists were arrested during 2005, including 16 women. Nearly 40 of those arrested have already been tried and sentenced to jail terms of up to 12 years. The rest are in detention awaiting trial.

Human rights concerns

Hezb-ut-Tahrir, the Party of Liberation, was founded in the Middle East in the 1950s. It calls for the restoration of an Islamic caliphate to unite all Muslim lands.

Missionaries began winning followers in Central Asia a decade ago. But all the Muslim republics of the region have now banned the group. The authorities consider followers of Hezb-ut-Tahrir to be dangerous extremists who want to overthrow local governments.

But human rights groups say that most members are innocent believers who do nothing more harmful than distribute religious leaflets. Nevertheless, police in Tajikistan and neighbouring republics have been actively rounding up members of the party in the past few years. Nearly all end up in jail after trials which often fail to meet international standards of justice.

Human rights groups say that many of the several thousand people now in jail for religious reasons in neighbouring Uzbekistan are members of Hezb-ut-Tahrir.

Now for some facts. The BBC appears to derive its information from a report in Interfax, which is also covered by RIA Novosti. The information was given by Deputy Prosecutor General Abdasami Dadoboyev, talking at a news conference today in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan.

"In 2005 we opened 74 criminal cases on Hizb ut-Tahrir operations and arrested 99 persons, 16 of them women, in relation to them. Some of them have already been sentenced," he said.

Dadoboyev said that, in 2004, 38 such cases were opened and 97 individuals sentenced.

Dadoboyev said the overwhelming majority of members of the banned party live in the Sogdi region of Tajikistan that borders on the Fergana region of Uzbekistan.

Hizb ut-Tahrir was set up in 1952 in Palestine, and its main objective is to overthrow governments in Muslim countries and create a single Islamic state. It has been blacklisted as an extremist and terrorist organization in several countries.

Intelligence services believe Hizb ut-Tahrir may have a following of up to 2,000 in Tajikistan.

RIA Novosti states that Hizb ut-Tahrir was banned in Tajikistan in 2001, and says "The organization's mission is to remove all non-Islamic governments and to establish a global caliphate, or united Muslim state."

The Moscow Times states:

Authorities in Tajikistan are holding the No. 2 leader of a banned radical Islamic group, an official said Monday.

A probe into several suspected members of the Hizb-ut-Tahrir party who were arrested last year also revealed that some of the group's regional leaders were among them, Deputy Prosecutor General Abdusami Dadabayev said. He did not say exactly when the arrests were made and gave no further details.

Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which advocates creating a worldwide Islamic state, is banned in Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

The issue of Hizb ut-Tahrir is taken very seriously in Tajikistan, which shares a porous southern border with Afghanistan and has already got a problem with smuggling of drugs. During the rule of the Taliban, a group calling itself the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a US-designated terrorist organisation, threatened to destabilise the nation, a threat which diminished following the US invasion.

Tajikistan shares borders with Kyrgistan and Uzbekistan. Near the Uzbek border is the region of Sogdi, or Sugd. The Sogdi region, where many Hizb ut-Tahrir followers come from, is also the home to three Tajiks who ended up in Guantanamo Bay, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. Tajikistan's autocratic president, Emomali Rahmonov, is now a US ally in the "War on Terror", and the nation appears threatened by Islamist extremists.

On October 19 2005, Tajikistan banned the hijab, or Muslim headscarf in schools, claiming it was unconstitutional, but the move was seen as political. It was denounced by Tajikistan's Islamic Renaissance Party. This party, established in 1991, is apparently the only Islamic party in former Soviet Centrral Asia. The party has had members jailed by the government, including its leader, who was jailed for 16 years for polygamy, in January 2004.

Uzbekistan is similarly ruled by a harsh leader, Karimov. Its ambassador to Tajikistan is Shoqosim Shoislomov, who said last monthin a reply to a question about Hizb ut-Tahrir:

If you want to fight against religious extremism, you should start with Hizb ut-Tahrir. But look at England itself. This summer it became a target of terrorist attacks. Hizb ut-Tahrir has its headquarter in London. [The British government] has given complete freedom to them. How can you understand it? We [the Uzbek government] has offered to everybody to fight against Hizb ut-Tahrir. As you see, many states have made a correct assessment of Hizb ut-Tahrir. But there are some governments, which consider themselves democratic, who gave complete freedom to Hizb ut-Tahrir. How can we treat an organization that comes from those countries and plot terrorist attacks on our territory? It's difficult to understand this. And they try to blame us for something.

Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgistan share borders, and all three countries, like Russia, have decided that Hizb ut-Tahrir represents a threat to their stability. There have been cases in all countries of people who are accused without substantiation of being Hizb ut-Tahrir members and jailed.

In 2003, about 34 Hizb ut-Tahrir members were jailed in Tajikistan. This increased to 70 in 2004, with nine receiving sentences in September of 13 to 15 years' jail for crimes of organising a criminal group, inciting national, racial, religious and ethnic strife. And in 2005, as we have now been told, 99 were arrested in 2005.

The Uzbek ambassador in Tajikistan cannot understand Britain's complacency regarding Hizb ut-Tahrir. The UK government is aiming to have it banned, in a new anti-terror bill being discussed in parliament's upper house. Both the Muslim Council for Britain and the Muslim Association for Britain have tried to prevent the government going ahead with this move. The MAB have even threatened that there will be rioting by young people on the streets, should Hizb ut-Tahrir become outlawed. Maybe the people at the BBC have been spending too much time dealing with Iqbal Sacranie (MCB secretary general), and have bought into the view pushed by our "Muslim representatives" or "activists", that Hizb ut Tahrir is wholesome. Hizb ut-Tahrir represents a far greater threat than the BBC's image of harmless leafleting implies.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:42 PM | Comments (1)

Venezuela: WSJ on the Growing Islamic-Communist Alliance

Finally, somebody who matters notices what's going on between Iran and Venezuela: The Tehran-Caracas Axis

With Iranian nuclear aspirations gaining notice, it's worth directing attention to the growing relationship between Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez. The Reagan administration repulsed Soviet efforts to set up camp in Central America. Iranian designs on Venezuela perhaps deserve similar U.S. attention.

The warmth and moral support between Ahmadinejad and Chavez is very public. The two tyrants are a lot more than just pen pals. Venezuela has made it clear that it backs Iran's nuclear ambitions and embraces the mullahs' hateful anti-Semitism. What remains more speculative is just how far along Iran is in putting down roots in Venezuela.

In September, when the International Atomic Energy Agency offered a resolution condemning Iran for its "many failures and breaches of its obligations to comply" with its treaty commitments, Venezuela was the only country that voted "no." Ahmadinejad congratulated the Venezuelan government, calling the vote "brave and judicious."

Three months later, in a Christmas Eve TV broadcast, Chávez declared that "minorities, the descendants of those who crucified Christ, have taken over the riches of the world." That ugly anti-Semitic swipe was of a piece with an insidious assault over the past several years on the country's Jewish community. In 2004, heavily armed Chávez commandos raided a Caracas Jewish school, terrifying children and parents. The government's claim that it had reason to believe that the school was storing arms was never supported. A more reasonable explanation is that the raid was part of the Chavez political strategy of fomenting class hatred--an agenda that finds a vulnerable target in the country's Jewish minority--and as a way to show Tehran that Venezuela is on board. Ahmadinejad rivals Hitler in his hatred for the Jewish people.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 3:37 PM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2006

UK: Scottish Catholic School Should Become Islamic, Say Muslims

The inability of some Muslims to even begin comprehending the meaning of the words "tolerance" and "integration" is demonstrated in a bizarre tale recounted by the Scotsman. St Albert's Primary school is a Catholic-run school, in the Pollockshields area of Glasgow. About 90% of the pupils are Muslims.

A group calling itself the Campaign for Muslim Schools has suggested that the main faith of the school should change, to become Muslim. Osama Saeed, coordinator of the group, complains that children have to take part in Catholic "rituals", such as saying the Lords' Prayers and going to Mass.

"Clearly the parents of that area find a faith school, even if it is of another denomination, preferable to a secular one. But surely it should be possible for them to have one that is relevant to their own faith. To move towards this would be a fantastic example of good faith - in more ways than one - on the part of the Church."

Saeed's dumbfounding suggestion comes after Cardinal Keith O'Brien stated that the core faith of Scotland was Christianity. He had said that other faiths should accept that they were "living in Scotland as a Christian country".

This issue is reminiscent of a case in Bordesley, Birmingham, where appeasing council bosses have suggested a school which for 150 years has borne the "Christian name" of St Andrews Junior & Infants, and now has a catchment of more than 60% Muslim children, should have its name changed.

But for the Campaign for Muslim Schools to suggest a school which is run by an established church, where Muslim parents have seen that its standards surpassed those of a secular school, and have CHOSEN to send their kids there, should abandon its founding and openly-stated policies, and along with those, the 10% of Christian pupils? - this is ridiculous.

I know of no "fantastic examples of good faith" being set in any madrassa in the Middle East, Pakistan or Bangladesh, which aims to make anyone from another faith feel welcome, unless they abide by the tenets and customs of Islam set by the school.

Saeed would appear to follow the reasoning of an invader, deciding that once a certain number of Muslims are in one place, the whole place must become Muslim. This, in microcosm, appears to be the policy of so many Muslims who are active in "supporting Islam" in this country. Once a certain number of Muslims are in place in the nation, will the non-Muslims be obliged to change their ways and their identity?

The Scottish Herald states:

In November, 2003, the Muslim Association of Britain pinpointed four Glasgow schools, including St Albert's Primary, for conversion to Muslim schools. They also wanted Pollokshields Primary, Annette Street Primary in Govanhill, and Willowbank Primary in Woodlands, to change faith.

Such tactics do nothing towards community integration. If there is really a need in these "Muslim" neighbourhoods for Islamic schooling, why do these groups not try to set up their own schools? These demands can only engender resentments.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:17 PM | Comments (2)

Malaysia's Constitution: Muslims And Non-Muslims To "Have Redress"

Malaysia, as we have been describing recently, has been undergoing a major constitutional crisis, with contradictions written into the constitution. Article 3(1) of the constitution states that 'other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation. However, Article 121 (1A) of Malaysia's constitution states that civil courts have no jurisdiction on "any matter" which falls within the jurisdiction of the Syariah (Sharia, Islamic Law) courts.

The lack of power of the civil courts to make rulings on issues supposedly governed by the Syariah courts, such as issues involving apostasy (abandoning faith, i.e. Islam), have been dramatically highlighted by two court cases. On December 8 a Syariah court ruling that a Hindu man in a coma had "secretly converted" to Islam, despite protestations from his wife, was upheld by a civil court after his death. Kaliammal Moorthy (pictured below, right) had taken a challenge to the High Court, to request custody of her husband's body. The court ruled that the affair was under the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts, and her husband's body was immediately taken away for a Muslim burial.

The case of so-called Muslim "heretic" Ayah Pin and his followers from the Sky Kingdom Sect has also been brought back to national attention. A widow and member of the sect, Kamariah Ali officially tried to abandon Islam seven years ago. Her local Syariah court in Terengganu state had refused to accept her apostasy, and prosecuted her repeatedly for being a "heretic". They even imprisoned her and other members of the sect for "belittling Islam".

On December 31, she went to the High Court to get a ruling that the constitution allowed her freedom of speech under Article 11, which gives citizens the right to profess and practise any religion they choose, and Article 3(1). The judge, Justice Mohamed Raus Sharif, (who also ruled in Kaliammal Moorthy's case) ruled that this issue was about apostasy, and therefore was out of his jurisdiction. Because of Article 121 (1A), he had "no power" on the matter.

Malaysia likes to pride itself as a paragon of "moderate Islam" but these recent cases have coincided with another piece of legislation which appears to strengthen a more formalised version of Islam and abrogates the rights of women.

The Islamic Family Law Bill was passed in the Malaysian Parliament's upper house, the Dewan Negara on December 22. This bill, whose full title is "The Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) (Amendment) Bill 2005 (IFL 2005)" has been widely criticised for its poor treatment of women in divorce cases, allowing a man to sell the family home in a divorce case, and even to have a wife or her children's assets frozen.

Under its Section 107A, a husband is allowed to obtain an injunction preventing the disposition of property by a wife or a former wife. In Section 23(9)(b) it allows a man to lay claim to a share of his wives' assets before he gains a new wife or has a divorce.

Last week, this controversial bill was "put on hold", awaiting a discussion and review.

The combination of all these factors coming at once has led to many observers claiming that a slow creep of Islamisation into all areas of life is happening, and is unavoidable. This is because the constitution allows it and also because the government appears not to want to upset any Muslims by curtailing the powers of the religious courts.

Yesterday's Asia Times and Thursday's Inter Press Service News Agency report that an alliance of non-Muslims has been formed to attempt to preserve their rights, and halt the encroachment of Sharia Law into their lives. 30 Hindu groups have formed Hindu Rights Action Force (HRAF) to protect the rights of minorities to religious freedom, which has petitioned Malaysia's king, and constitutional head.

In effect, two parallel societies -- Muslim and non-Muslim -- have gradually replaced what was a pluralistic, secular Malaysian society, based on common law that was the legacy British colonials handed over on a platter on independence in 1957.

Indigenous Malays, nearly all of whom follow Islam, form 60 percent of Malaysia's 24 million people while Chinese, who are mostly Buddhists, make up 30 percent and the largely Hindu Indians another eight percent. There are smaller racial groups such as Eurasians.

Malay is the official language and Islam the official religion but the constitution guarantees freedom of worship, although this provision, according to the minorities, has been gradually and systematically eroded.

Yesterday's New Straits Times announces that the deputy prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak (pictured above, left), has said that any change in the way the courts handle cases involving Muslims and non- Muslims will take into account the interests of both parties.

He states that this "potential change" will not diminish the status nor the administration of Syariah thoughout the country. "Our principle, in future cases, is to give redress to all parties involved. The Prime Minister's Department is looking into this and we are doing something that can satisfy all and which does not threaten the administration of Islamic law."

Najib's statement came after eight Muslim groups made a joint declaration on Thursday, condemning any possible repeal of Article 121 (1A) of the constitution (even though this was only written into the constitution as an amendment in 1988. The opposition leader, Lim Kit Sang, has called for Article 121 (1A) to return to its pre-1988 wording.

The groups who have insisted on retaining the contentious amendment included the Malaysian Muslim Scholars Association and the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement, who have made a strange proposal which they see as a gesture of compromise. They state that instead of allowing civil courts to have power over Shariah issues, they have suggested that non-Muslims should be able to benefit from going to Shariah courts. This would certainly mark the start of a slippery road to an Islamofascist state.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib seems to have been aware of the furore and the injustice surrounding the Moorthy affair, and even seemed to be embarrassed by it. He personally met with Kaliammal and ensured that her husband was posthumously promoted to a higher rank, which would entitle her to a greater income from her army widow's pension.

Other organisations, such as the Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism, have denounced Article 121 (1A) as it prevents non-Muslims who are entangled in cases which involve Islamic affairs from being able to gain legal redress. This situation would arise, for example, if a Muslim and a non-Muslim were married.

Bernama.com states that following the case of Kaliammal Moorthy, which drew international criticism, the Cabinet had directed the chambers of the Attorney General to make a study of existing legislation, and the wording of the constitution. Such an investigation should ascertain if there was a need for a change or a clarification.

This would also, according to the agency report, include whether laws did not exist to allow civil courts to take cases which involved Islam, or if they did exist, but judges were reluctant to utilise these powers.

A well-put together article can be found in Pakistan's Daily Times, entitled "Can Malaysian 'moderation' protect minorities?", by Farish A Noor. After discussing the case of the Islamic Family Law bill, Noor describes the case of Mrs Moorthy:

The affair has raised questions about the Malaysian constitution and the status of Malaysian civil law in relation to Islamic law. Which law is meant to prevail and will the rights of Muslims be put ahead of the rights of other religious communities? The Moorthy case has aroused the fear and anger of a wide section of non-Muslims in multi-religious Malaysia, and as with the case of the new Muslim family and marriage laws, forced those affected by it to reflect on their status in the country.

It is clear, however, that despite these setbacks Malaysia remains firmly on the map as 'flavour of the month'. While its economic record has been little cause for cheer, its commitment to the anti-terror campaign orchestrated by Washington's neo-cons means that it remains in the good books of at least the White House. But this means that Malaysia's standing as a 'model moderate Muslim state' has less to do with its brand of Islam and government-promoted Islamisation and more with realpolitik geopolitical concerns.

An informative review of Malaysia's religious freedoms was published on November 18 2005 by the US State Department, entitled Malaysia: International Religious Freedom Report 2005. Compiled by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, it makes fascinating reading matter.

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

US: Yusuf Bey & Bay Area Black Muslims Claim Innocence

We have reported on the dramas involving the Black Muslims of Oakland, California. On the evening of Wednesday, November 23, two shops were attacked by a group of nearly a dozen black men in smart suits, who began smashing liquor bottles and display cases, and knocking food to the floor. The individuals warned the proprietors of the San Pablo Liquor store and New York Market in West Oakland not to sell alcohol to Muslims.

The incident drew two groups of black followers of Islam under suspicion, both of whose congregations wore suits. The Nation of Islam were quickly crossed off the list of suspects, and attention fell upon the group calling itself the Black Muslims, founded by Yusuf Bet. Bey died in 2003 from colon cancer, while awaiting a court case involving allegations that he had illicit sex with a minor.

Closed Circuit TV identified figures from a successful local company founded in 1968 by Yusuf Bey (pictured, right), Your Black Muslim Bakery. Despite dubious ethics in his personal life, Yusuf Bey had created a successful franchise of bakeries, laundries and security services, and this empire has been fought over by his protegees and relatives.

Police issued an arrest warrant for six members of Your Black Muslim Bakery after the new York Market received a devastating arson attack on the evening of Sunday night to Monday morning (Nov 27-28), which razed the store to the ground. Tony Hamdan, the owner of the store, was missing. He was subseqently found locked in the trunk of a car in a Safeway car park in El Cerrito on Monday afternoon.

A son who claims to be Yusuf Bey's heir, Yusuf Bey IV, aged 19, and Donald Cunningham, a 73-year old associate of Yusuf Bey senior, both surrendered to the police on Tuesday 29 November. They were remanded in custody, unless bail of $200,000 each was settled. Bey raised his bail on Saturday, 3 December, and Cunningham raised bail shortly afterwards.

Shortly after the two were bailed, a group of suspected Black Muslims descended en masse to the Happy Times store in West Oakland, owned by a Mr Ali, a Muslim. Intimidating Ali's son Abellh by their numbers, the men in suits told him to be a "real Muslim" and refuse to sell alcohol.

Since then, Yasir Hakeem Azzem, aged 19, and 24-year old Kahlil Raheem have been arrested, and also Jamall Robinson, 19; Dyamen Namer Williams, 19; and Demetrius Harvey, 19. Azzem's name does not appear in subsequent news reports, so I assume this is an alias of one the three latter-named individuals.

On Thursday 12 January, all six men (Bey, Cunningham, Raheem, Robinson, Williams, Harvey) pleaded not guilty on charges of vandalism, false imprisonment and hate crimes, according to Tri-Valley Herald.

The six have been scheduled to reappear at the court for a pretrial hearing on Tuesday, February 9, with a preliminary hearing booked for Friday, March 24.

Today's Arizona Republic carries an article by Justin M. Norton of Associated Press, an expanded version of a piece he wrote last week.

Norton states that in Oakland, 16% of families live below the poverty line, and in West Oakland, a predominantly black and poor neighborhood, there are 69 stores selling alcohol. According to the Urban Strategies Council, this is 28 stores more than the maximum permitted under a California standard, which stipulates that there should not be more than one store for every 2,500 residents.

Many of the stores, including those targeted by the besuited vandals of November 23, are owned by people of Yemeni and Middle Eastern descent, who ironically are Muslims. In response to the allegations made by Yusuf Bey and the Black Muslims made recently, the head of the Yemeni American Grocers' Association, Mohamed Saleh Mohamed, points out that before the Middle Eastern traders started buying up shops in the area during the 1980s, the shops then sold nothing but alcohol. The Middle Eastern shop-owners introduced the selling of produce and other food.

The tactics of smashing up shops and making subsequent public statements have certainly drawn attention to the issues of both the Black Muslim succession and the problem of alcohol and drugs practiced by some visitors to these Oakland stores.

In January 1993, North Oakland, a similar smashing-up incident happened, but this time the victim was a laundry. An employee of a Yusuf Bey-owned rival laundry was found guilty of causing criminal damage.

We have documented some of the battles which have happened since the death of Yusuf Bey senior, which indicate that a power struggle to control the late Yusuf Bey's empire of franchises has been going on since 2004, when 51 year-old Waajid Aljawaad Bey, the chief executive officer of Your Black Muslim Bakery disappeared. His rotting corpse was discovered in a shallow grave in the Oakland Hills.

In June 2005, John Bey, an adopted son of the late Yusuf Bey, was injured in a gun ambush, and on October 26 last year, Antar Bey, the 23 year old son and previous heir to Your Black Muslim Bakery, was shot dead at a gas station.

Yusuf Bey IV, if indeed it is he identified on the closed circuit surveillance video, (his lawyer claims it is an instance of mistaken identity) appears to be making a game-play, to assert himself in both the media and within the Black Muslim hierarchy, showing that he is now the leader of this "family business".

We provided a background history to Yusuf Bey senior and his empire, here.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:54 PM | Comments (0)

Denmark: Publishing Those Muslim Cartoons Reflects The Political Climate

The issue of the infamous cartoons of prophet Mohammed, published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, was briefly discussed on the BBC World Service yesterday evening. I snipped off the introduction while I set up to record the program, Reporting Religion which was broadcast yesterday, presented by Rita LaShah. This is my transcript:

Interviewer: "Michael Brodstein is Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Copenhagen."

MB: "I think this is a kind of consequence of the political situation in this country. We have the right-wing government, & the conservative government which is entirely depending on an extremist nationalist party, known as the Danish People's Party, and they are very hostile towards immigration, and are especially hostile towards Moslems."

"So, we have quite a fierce polarisation, where people either dislike or try to accommodate Islam. So, we have this case of the Mohammed drawings in one of the major newspapers - by the way, a right-wing newspaper - and they claim all the time that what they did was in defence of the freedom of speech. But, in context, in political context, there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever, that this was a deliberate provocation, in order to sort of show that "We really don't care about Moslems, and we really don't like them."

Interviewer: "So, on the one hand you've got liberalism and the freedom of speech, on the other hand you've got intolerance, arguably. Why in Denmark are the two clashing?"

MB: "Denmark is a very small country, and right now, it is sort of closing in on itself, sticking to everything Danish and 'everything foreign is bad'. A nationalist tendency is creeping and crawling everywhere."

"We have the strictest immigration laws, we have the reinforcement of everything that is Protestant...Christian, and we have implicit, or even explicit, discrimination of Moslems in this country."

Interviewer: "If there is this intolerance towards minorities and religious minorities in particular, isn't there a role for the main Protestant church in Denmark to play?"

MB: "Oh yes, definitely, and it is playing a very distinctive role , but it's pointing in every possible direction. The Protestant church in this country is the state's church, it's a national church - it's in the constitution. But it has no single voice, and we have priests that are fiercely going against the government and the right-wing political strategy. And we have other priests within the church, that are not only supporting it but creating it - in the sense that members of the church, priests employed by the church, are also members of parliament, elected by the extremist right-wing party, the Danish People's Party."

"So we have priests of so (many) different persuasions, and along with that goes different groups within the church. Some are supportive of the immigrants' rights, some are helping, some are defending them, and some are doing the exact opposite."

Interviewer: "So, from the picture you paint, it seems that this one episode is symptomatic of a much wider problem, but it doesn't bode terribly well for religious minorities in Denmark, in the future."

MB: "Well the thing is that our formal legislation and the way religious minorities are treated in the general legal system is actually quite good. And most people probably don't feel any kind of discrimination in their everyday lives."

"Now this is all about Muslims, not about Jews, or Hindus, or Scientology or Moonies or what have you - this is about Moslems. They are the target right now, for one reason or another."

"And then of course, it's not exactly a religion, but the immigration laws will always select in a way that makes Muslims those who are 'at the back of the line'."

Interviewer: "Professor Michael Brodstein".

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:30 PM | Comments (0)

Algeria: Thirteen Islamists Arrested

Today, South Africa's AND Network reports that the official Algerian News Agency has announced the arrest of thirteen suspected Islamist terrorists in the western province of Tilimsen.

Ammunition was seized in the police raid, and officers seized vehicles, mobile phones and computers. The report claims the 13 had accumulated finances for terrorist activities via blackmailing, smuggling and counterfeiting.

No further details are available. There are various Islamist groups currently in Algeria, the best known of which is the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).

SInce 1992, 150,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by rebel Islamists' attacks. Offered an amnesty by the government, which was voted in by the people in a referendum held on September 29, 2005, the GSPC were the first group to reject the deal. Within days, attacks upon civilians resumed.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 2:41 PM | Comments (0)

UK: George Galloway, The Muslim Charity & Palestinian Violence

The Sunday Telegraph reports that MP George Galloway, who has stopped his parliamentary duties to play charades on "Celebrity Big Brother", is set to donate his six-figure television fee to a charity, Interpal.

Interpal, which is based in Kilburn, west London, came officially into existence in 1994, as a rebranding of the charity Palestine and Lebanon Relief Fund, which was started in 1981. It has been accused of funding Hamas, the Palestinian terror organisation.

The issue is regarded by many as so serious that the Israeli ambassador, Zvi Hefetz, will be meeting with a Treasury minister this week to demand action against Interpal.

There is a great deal of confusion over this charity, as British investigations, which have been rather dismissive of Israeli data which is available, have not found that Interpal is a front for terror group Hamas, as has been claimed by Israel and the US.

On December 17 Interpal's solicitors, Carter-Ruck, announced that they had reached a settlement out of court with the British Board of Jewish Deputies, who agreed that they had no documentary evidence to link Interpal with Hamas' terror activities and had slandered the charity by calling it a "terrorist organisation". Interpal had originally sued the Board of Deputies in 2003 for its claims.

In August 2003, the charity was outlawed in the United States, and designated as "an entity that commits, threatens to commit or supports terrorism."

In 1996, the British Charity Commission carried out an investigation into the group, and froze its bank accounts. They reported subsequently:

The US authorities were unable to provide evidence to support allegations made against Interpal within the agreed time scale. The commission concluded that in the absence of any clear evidence showing Interpal had links to Hamas's political or violent militant activities, Interpal's bank accounts should be unfrozen and the inquiry closed.

The commission did find that Interpal had received money from the Netherlands-based Al Aqsa Foundation a group banned in Britain for its Hamas links.

It should be noted that the Charity Commission said it could not find evidence "within the given time scale". Ibrahim Hewitt (pictured, right), the British convert to Islam (apparently a Muslim since 1981) who is chairman of Interpal, said at the time, according to World Net Daily that "it was possible" some of the money from Interpal may have have gone to Hamas, but claimed that Hamas social services were not managed by the terror group's "military wing".

This admission (made in an interview with the Guardian on August 7, 1997) is telling - an admission that Hewitt could not deny money was going to Hamas, which, despite its "charitable concerns", is a terrorist organisation.

The Charity Commission report came days before an announcement by the European Union to list Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Intelligence.org, which provides extensive documentation of Interpal's supposed direct links with Hamas, notes that Hewitt claimed in the Guardian interview "that Hamas' network of businesses and social and religious service organizations was managed separately from its "military" wing, saying it was like the difference between the Sinn Fein and the IRA."

World Net Daily states that a former chairman of Interpal's board of trustees and its vice-chairman (in December 2004) was Essam Silah Mustafa, a Hamas activist. Mustafa (also known as Abu Yussuf) has been described by Shin Bet as "one of the most prominent individuals in Hamas' financial system in the Western world."

It should also be noted that the Telegraph today quotes from the Charity Commission's findings:

"It had been alleged that some funds find their way to supporters of terrorism. This is possible in an area of benefit where a significant number of poor and disadvantaged people might support the aims of Hamas.

Poverty and need must, however, be the only criteria when deciding how the charity funds are distributed and aid must not be given because of a person's support for terrorism. We found no evidence in the charity of any pro-terrorist bias or indeed any bias of any kind."

Well, to be fair, the Charity Commission report came out before 2005, when Ibrahim Hewitt, while arguing for the abolishment of Britain's Holocaust Memorial Day (a bias?) claimed that the genocide of 6,000,000 Jews was comparable to the destruction and relocation of 500 Palestinian communities.

"There are 500 Palestinian towns and villages that have been wiped out over the years. That's pretty genocidal to me," Hewitt said, either showing an extreme bias or a total stupidity regarding the comparison of 500 communities (where no-one ended up in gas chambers or shot by firing squad) and 6 million+ deaths.

On its website, Interpal states: "INTERPAL is a non-political, non-profit making British charity that focuses solely on the provision of relief and development aid to the poor and needy of Palestine the world over, primarily in Palestine and the refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon."

In 2003, Interpal collected $8 million. If, as Hewitt claims, he cannot guarantee how many Hamas charities received funds from its fund-raising, one wonders how much money has been siphoned off by these charities to Hamas' terror wing.

Hewitt may be content to claim that the Hamas organisations are charities, but if he cannot guarantee that NO money has gone to the Hamas charities, his claims that NO money ended up in the terror wing of Hamas are dubious boasts, and should not be taken with full seriousness.

The Telegraph reported in 2003 that the Charity Commission approached the US for confirmation of its claims that Interpal was a designated terror entity, but were only shown press clippings, which were not taken as evidence.

A year ago, on January 24, 2005, Aaron Klein at World Net Daily wrote that recently declassified Israeli documents regarding Operation Defensive Shield from 2002 and other sources claimed that Interpal had transferred large sums to Hamas.

A receipt from January 15, 2001, acknowledges the transfer of $33,800 via the City Bank of New York to the Al-Islah Charitable Society in Ramallah. According to Israeli security sources, Al-Islah is a front to channel funds to Hamas. The receipt is printed on Interpal stationery.

Another document, found by Israeli forces in the Bethlehem offices of Al-Islah, details a series of $100 gifts presented by Interpal and a Saudi charity, the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, in conjunction with Al-Islah, to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers on the occasion of a the three-day holiday ending the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in 2001. The document lists over two dozen family names, which security sources say includes the families of terrorist operatives from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and several families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

We reported last week that a group of Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism have filed a lawsuit against Britain's National Westminster Bank (Natwest), for allowing Interpal to have an account, despite being warned of its "possible" links with Hamas. Natwest is a pro-Muslim bank. It decided in October to remove all images of pigs and piggy banks from its advertising and outlets, in case they "offended Muslims". Natwest has had Jewish customers for years, who similarly regard pigs as unclean, but Natwest never thought to ban pigs for their sakes.

The court case, filed in New York's Federal Court will be an important test of which evidence is to be believed - US and Israeli security documents, or out-of-date pronouncements by the UK Charity Commission.

And ludicrous George Galloway remains in the Celebrity Big Brother house, playing stupid games and trying to claim that the scandal-linked former TV presenter Michael Barrymore, whose history of drug and alcohol abuse means he can hardly string enough words together to make one coherent sentence, should be back presenting TV shows.

In the meantime, the backlash against Galloway for demeaning his political role has affected his constituents, politicians and this weekend's media.

The fee which Galloway has chosen to donate to Interpal is fixed. No amount of boycotting the show will affect this. George, who supported Saddam Hussein during the UN embargo, knows that his Muslim constituents are not the greatest fans of Israel.

What better way of trying to appease them than by donating to a charity which claims to help Palestinians, and is also accused by the US (another bugbear for George and his Muslim constituents) of sponsoring terror against the "evil state of Israel"?

It should be mentioned that World Net Daily mentions that the now-exiled spiritual head of Al-Muhajiroun and its successors, The Saviour Sect and Al Ghurabaa, and also UK leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, made an enigmatic statement, which some have claimed (without substantiation) is a reference to Interpal. In December 2004, Bakri claimed that there was a "Muslim organisation in Britain" which had a special monetary fund which recruits for Hamas. Bakri did not name the charity.

Nick Cohen in today's Observer/Guardian comments on George Galloway and the Celebrity Big Brother issue. He says this:

George Galloway and his backers in the Socialist Workers Party are finished now. The alliance they organised between the Trotskyist far left and the Islamic far right, which produced the most disgraceful protest movement since the Thirties, can no longer count on the indulgence of polite society

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)

Pakistan: Anti-American Propaganda Over Air Strike Explodes

I just have a question: if the "civilians" killed in the air strike were invited to an event al-Zawahiri was suppossed to attend, how could they be innocent? Pakistanis Protest U.S. Airstrike

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Chanting "Death to America," Islamic groups held nationwide protests Sunday as anger mounted over a purported CIA airstrike that Pakistan says killed innocent civilians instead of the apparent target - Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader.

Meanwhile, a newspaper reported that the mission was launched on intelligence that Ayman al-Zawahiri had been invited to dinner that night in one of three houses leveled by the attack on Damadola, a village near the Afghan border.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2006

Fundamentals of Islam: Understanding "The Verse of Tolerance"

Note: This is the first entry in what will become a regular feature in the blog. We begin our exploration of Islamic Law, Texts, and Customs with an examination of the so-called Verse of Tolerance.

Muslim apologists and servile Westerners, when promoting the "Islam is a Religion of Peace" canard, love to quote Sura 5, verse 32: (Reference: Sura 5)

Sura 5:32 Because of this, we decreed for the Children of Israel that anyone who murders any person who had not committed murder or horrendous crimes, it shall be as if he murdered all the people. And anyone who spares a life, it shall be as if he spared the lives of all the people. Our messengers went to them with clear proofs and revelations, but most of them, after all this, are still transgressing.

This makes Mohammad sounds like a moral reformer, a flower child almost. But the apologist has failed to provide the proper context. Here is the whole passage, which is the Muslim re-telling of the story of Cain and Abel:

Sura 5:27-32 Recite for them the true history of Adam's two sons. They made an offering, and it was accepted from one of them, but not from the other. He said, "I will surely kill you." He said, "GOD accepts only from the righteous.

"If you extend your hand to kill me, I am not extending my hand to kill you. For I reverence GOD, Lord of the universe.

"I want you, not me, to bear my sin and your sin, then you end up with the dwellers of Hell. Such is the requital for the transgressors."

His ego provoked him into killing his brother. He killed him, and ended up with the losers.

GOD then sent a raven to scratch the soil, to teach him how to bury his brother's corpse. He said, "Woe to me; I failed to be as intelligent as this raven, and bury my brother's corpse." He became ridden with remorse.

Because of this, we decreed for the Children of Israel that anyone who murders any person who had not committed murder or horrendous crimes, it shall be as if he murdered all the people. And anyone who spares a life, it shall be as if he spared the lives of all the people. Our messengers went to them with clear proofs and revelations, but most of them, after all this, are still transgressing.

Placing the verse as part of the story makes it weaker; it is not a universal law, but a warning for the Israelites, and the ancient Israelites at that. Still, it is possible Islamic Theology has interpreted this verse as a universal law, right? The next verse provides the answer:

Sura 5:33 The just retribution for those who fight GOD and His messenger, and commit horrendous crimes, is to be killed, or crucified, or to have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or to be banished from the land. This is to humiliate them in this life, then they suffer a far worse retribution in the Hereafter.

Thus, the "just retribution" for those who fight Allah and Mohammad is to be killed, maimed and humiliated! Not very tolerant I'd say, and not very peaceful either, unless you count as peace the peace of the catacombs. Mohammad uses this passage not to spread Peace and Goodwill, but to threaten his enemies. The "Verse of Tolerance" is no such thing, but merely a part of a typically violent and intolerant section of the Quran.

Further Reading:

The Murder of Abel from Answering Islam.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 6:56 PM | Comments (1)

Pakistan: US Attack On "Islamists" Kills 18 Villagers

Yesterday, the US mounted a raid on a target in the village of Damadola, on the Pakistan side of the Pakistan/Afghanistan border, states Reuters. The US had believed that Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second in command in al-Qaeda (if bin Laden still lives), was in a house in the village, and launched an airstrike, believed to have been carried out by unmanned US drones.

The target of their attentions was not at the village, Pakistani officials claim, but three houses were destroyed, with at least 18 villagers killed. The victims included women and children. Pakistan condemned the attack and has summoned the US ambassador, Ryan Croker.

Al-Arabiya satellite TV stated that that Zawahiri (pictured, right), a former Egyptian eye surgeon, was still alive, according to its al-Qaeda connected source.

Pakistani intelligence sources have confirmed that Zawahiri is believed to have made visits to the Bajaur tribal region, where Damadola village lies, but say he was not at the village at the time of the airstrike.

Reuters states that days before this incident, Pakistan had criticised the US-led forces in Afghanistan. Their cross-border firing in the region of Waziristan last weekend had killed eight people.

Though Pakistan claims that the villagers were all local, there are counter-claims of "foreigners" being among the dead, and even a claim that a pro-militant Muslim cleric removed bodies of foreigners.

The border region, which is comprised mainly of Pashtun tribal peoples, is porous, and currently al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives have been living in the rugged mountain terrain. There is also extremism from at least one madrassa in the region, and in December conflict grew between the students (Taliban) and people they called "bandits" with several people killed on both sides. As recently as Tuesday, Islamists in Waziristan mounted an attack on a Pakistani army checkpoint.

It was reported that last weekend at Mosaki village in North Waziristan, a helicopter gunship came from across the border and attacked the house of a pro-Taliban Islamic scholar.

An explosion happened in the village of Haisori near Miranshah in North Waziristan on December 1, which Pakistani authorities said was caused by Islamists accidentally triggering one of their own bombs. It was later revealed that one of the five people killed in the blast was the number three in command of al-Qaeda, Abu Hamza Rabia.

Contradicting the official Pakistani reports, Haisori villagers and a local journalist, Hayatullah Khan, claimed a US Predator drone had targeted the house in an airstrike. Pakistan denied this. Khan produced photographs of shrapnel bearing English wording, and then he was mysteriously kidnapped, never to be heard from since.

UPDATE: 15 Jan. Today's Dawn states that demonstrations have taken place in the town of Inayat Kallay of Bajaur Agency on Saturday, in protest at the raid, with protesters shouting "God is great" and "Down with America". Sahibzada Haroon Rashid, a Bajaur tribal leader, addressed the rally, calling for the waging of jihad against America.

A mob however rampaged through the town, attacking shops which sold audios, videos, and also internet cafes. Some individuals broke into the offices of two Non-Governmental Organisations and the National Commission on Human Development for Bajaur Agency. Stationery, computers and furniture were damaged, and two motorcycles were set alight. To disperse the mob, security forces fired shots in the air and used teargas. 30 people were arrested for damaging public and private property.

UPDATE 2: Jan 16: The Times claims that it was only a fluke that al-Zawahiri was not killed in the attack at Damadola.

Pakistani intelligence officials have claimed that al-Zawahiri had been invited to a meal at the time of the airstrike, yet had failed to show up. Apparently, he sent some of his underlings instead. Investigators are now attempting to ascertain if any of the dead bodies from the strike belonged to these aides.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 1:54 PM | Comments (0)

India: Mosque Leader Arrested For Terror Links

The Hindustan Times reports that the imam of a mosque in Mumbai, West Bangal, was arrested earlier today by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai police.

Maulana Ghulam Yahya Allah Baksh was taken from the Haj House Masjid in South Mumbai, where he has been an imam since 1996. His arrest follows the arrests in Mumbai of three individuals connected with the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba earlier in the week. Their confessions led ATS to the imam.

Ghulam Yahya Alla Baksh was arrested under sections of India's Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 2004. The 44-year old Maulana (someone who knows the Koran by heart) was sent before a magistrate who remanded him in police custody until January 24.

The ATS states that Baksh provided shelter for the three Lashkar-e-Taiba suspects, who came from Jammu & Kashmir state, and also assisted them to conceal weapons and material for use in bomb-making.

The Calcutta Telegraph states that the three Lashkar-e-Taiba individuals were arrested on January 7, were Arshad Badru from Sopore, Khurshid Ahmed Lone and Haji Ahmed Ramzan.

Badru is a municipal councillor at Bandipore from a family of cloth-makers, and is brother-in-law to the late commander of Hizb-ul Mujahideen, Abdul Majid Dar. Lone was already wanted for a bank raid and bomb attack in Srinigar in Jammu & Kashmir, and is said to have transported militants. Ramzan, aged 52, was a contractor and is thought to be a financier for the group.

When arrested, the three were found in possession of bomb-making material, including 20 detonators, five electrical circuits and five timer switches. ATS also retrieved a .32 bore foreign pistol.

The Haj House is apparently a well known institution, situated a few yards from a police commission office, and assists pilgrims on trips to Mecca and Medina.

Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been financially supported by a leader of CAIR in the US, was responsible for the bombings at Delhi on October 29, and also for an armed attack upon the historic Red Fort at Delhi.

Lashkar-e-Taiba is one of the largest of many Islamist groups who are attempting to have Kashmir rid of Indian control in the east (Jammu and Kashmir) and either wish for Kashmir to be an independent Muslim nation, or be a part of Pakistan.

In Pakistan, this Sunni group has been involved with sectarian conflict, enacting violence against Shias, who only comprise 20% of Pakistan's Muslim population.

Keywords: Lashkar-e-Toiba, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Toyba

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:42 PM | Comments (1)

Thailand: Two Muslims Shot By Militants

News.com.au reports that late on Friday (yesterday), rubber-tapper Ma-ae Doloh, a Muslim, was shot in the chest by two bullets fired by gunmen who broke into his house. Ma-ae was sleeping at the time, in his home in Muang district in Narathiwat.

A superintendent of Narathiwat's Muang district police claimed: "It's clear that he was shot by militants who wanted to incite the unrest."

In Yarang district of Pattani province, another Muslim was killed. Army ranger Yakariah Toyoh was shot several times outside his house, after returning from Friday prayers at a local mosque.

The unrest in the southern provinces has continued unabated since January 2004, and has claimed more than 1,000 lives. The conflict is partly led by Islamists who wish to see the three provinces of the south secede from the rest of Thailand.

Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala provinces, as well as two districts in adjacent Songgkla province, formerly comprised an independent sultanate called Pattani. This was defeated by Bangkok in 1786 and in 1902 it was placed under the central bureaucracy of Siam/Thailand. Islamists wish to recreate an independent Muslim region here.

At the start of the insurgency, most of the victims were Buddhists, who comprise 20% of the southern province's make-up. Though Buddhists are still targeted, of late many Muslims have died, apparently viewed as "uncle Toms" or collaborators by the militants fomenting the unrest.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Indonesia: Muslim School Challenges "Terrorist" Claim

Today's Jakarta Post reports on one of the 17,000 pesantren or Islamic schools in Indonesia.

Even in Indonesia, a mainly Muslim nation, the pesantren are viewed with suspicion. The vice-president, Yusuf Kalla announced in October that he would be inspecting these schools, to see if they promoted extremism. Despite the attempts of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to make Kalla change his mind and water down his proposals, the vice president announced on December 9 that all 3.5 million pupils at these schools will be fingerprinted.

The report today features just one school, the Al Mukmin Islamic boarding school in Sukoharjo, Central Java. This school has gained some notoriety, as it is founded by the "Islamic scholar" and godfather of terrorism, Abu Bakar Bashir. Bashir, spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (who carried out the two Bali attacks of 2002 and Oct 1 2005) and also the Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia, is currently imprisoned for his involvement in the 2002 Bali attack, which killed 202 people.

The Majelis Mujahideen, or Council of Holy Warriors, always send a posse of supporters to trials of Jemaah Islamiyah activists. Immediately after the last Bali bombing, they denied the involvement of Muslims in the attack. They see themselves as vigilantes of Islam. Yesterday we reported that the group threaten to prevent an Indonesian no-nudity version of Playboy to be sold in shops.

Bashir founded the Al Mukmin school over thirty years ago with the late Abdullah Sungkar, who fought in Afghanistan and was a founder of Jemaah Islamiyah, which aims through terror to establish a pan-national Islamic state in Southeast Asia, under Sharia rules. A report from 2001 by a former member of the school claimed that here are at least 5,000 potentially active cadres of Jemaah Islamiyah in several nations.

The current director of the school is Wahyuddin (pictured), who has said "Whenever a terrorist incident occurs, the world always points at us. We are constantly accused of training terrorists, while achievements of the school and students never get the attention of the media, including the national media."

The school, also called Ngruki, is currently trying to clean up its public image, and is holding a seminar on jihad and terrorism on the weekend falling on the 21st to 22 January. Thousands of former students will be expected to attend. 20 foreign embassies have been sent invitations to the seminar.

So far only Malaysia has said it would send a representative, while the Netherlands embassy asked for a complete schedule. A previous seminar was held in 2004, but only Germany and Japanese embassy staff attended.

An organiser, Ali Usman, said: "We will hold the seminar in the school complex so that the Western envoys, who have been suspicious of Ngruki thus far, can see first hand the real conditions at the school."

The Minister of Home Affarirs, Muhammad Ma'ruf, will open the seminar and give a keynote speech. Another speaker will be Ma'ruf Amin, who is Fatwa committee head at the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI).

Before one thinks it will be all hunky-dory, one should remember that the MUI in July announced an 11-point fatwa, or decree, which stated that all liberal interpretations of Islam, secularism and pluralism were un-Islamic, and therefore forbidden. This announcement appeared to give the green light to Islamist vigilantes, and attacks upon minorities, including Christians have increased.

These minorities included the Muslim sect called the Ahmiddiya, who number 200,000 in the nation. On September 20 a mob of 1000 Muslims attacked an Ahmiddiya community in Sukdana, West Java, damaging 70 houses and six mosques.

Ultimately the aims of these Islamist tuition centers are the same as the MUI and also the Jemaah Islamiyah, to establish Indonesia as an exclusively Islamic nation based not upon democracy, but on the rule of the Ulema.

The school will put on its show, and some may be taken in. A Sufi, Pir-O Murshid Inayat Khan once wrote: "That which begins in deception continues with deception and ends with deception." The same is true of terrorism.

The school was founded by an active terrorist and a spiritual "justifier" of terrorism. A report by the International Crisis Group claimed that more than 30 Islamist terrorists, currently convicted or indicted, had attended this school. To avoid more students becoming involved in future terror activities, the school should be closed. No amount of window-dressing can take away its history of militancy.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:08 AM | Comments (0)

January 13, 2006

Thailand: PM Confirms Muslim Lawyer Was Murdered

We reported yesterday that a Thai policeman, Nguen Thongsuk (pictured, left), was found guilty of coercion, in a case concerning lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, who disappeared on Friday evening, March 12, 2004. At Nguen Thongsuk's trial, a witness said that the lawyer was last seen with the policeman in Bangkok that day, being bundled into a police vehicle. Nguen was given a sentence of three years, a punishment criticised as too lenient by the lawyer's family and human rights groups.

Somchai had been a prominent human rights lawyer, chairman of Thailand's Muslim Lawyers Association and vice-chairman of the Human Rights Committee. At the time of his disappearance, Somchai had taken on the role of defending individuals who were suspected of committing violence in the southern provinces of Thailand. He claimed that in some instances, suspects were tortured by the Thai authorities.

He had taken on the case of two suspected Jemaah Islamiyah members accused of bomb plots against Thailand, and also he had defended nine other Muslim individuals from the south, accused of involvement in violence in the insurgency which began in January 2004. At the time, the unrest had cost 50 lives. Now the toll has reached 1000. Since Somchai took on the case of the two Jemaah Islamiyah suspects, he had received death threats.

At the time, the prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra (pictured below, right), did not take his disappearance too seriously. He apparently said: "Somchai had disputes with his wife. Perhaps, he just wants to be away from his family problems for a while."

Today, the Turkish Press relates that prime minister Thaksin is more realistic, and is stating that Somchai is dead. He is also candid about his own government officials' involvement in the disappearance. It is the first time that Thaksin has spoken publicly on the matter since the immediate aftermath of Somchai's disappearance.

"I know that Somchai is dead, and more than four government officials were involved, but witnesses and evidence are still being collected," he told a press conference.

He announced that the department of special investigations was involved in examining the case, with a view to bringing murder charges. "Circumstantial evidence confirmed that he's dead. But this case is not easy at all, and because it involves government officials, it's very difficult to find evidence and witnesses," the prime minister said.

He said that murder charges had not been previously filed against Nguen Thongsuk and four others (who were acquitted) because Somchai's body has not been found.

The Turkish Press states that there were four Jemaah Islamiyah suspects being defended by Somchai at the time of his abduction, and that these individuals, who had claimed torture, were acquitted in June 2005.

Justice Elizabeth Evatt of the International Commission of Jurists said "It's extremely satisfactory that the prime minister has publicly acknowledged that Somchai has in fact been killed, murdered of course, and that this was done by public officials."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:31 PM | Comments (0)

Sweden: Saddam's Minister Seeks Medical Treatment

Lawyers for Tariq Aziz (pictured), who was Iraq's foreign minister under Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime, is in need of medical treatment, and his lawyers have approached Sweden for assistance in this, states the Local.

International lawyer Giovanni Di Stefano who is acting on behalf of Aziz, told Agence France Presse today that the minister's defence team has asked for Aziz to be immediately freed on compassionate grounds "bearing in mind his precarious health and other mitigating factors."

Aziz has had a crebral embolism and currently has heart problems. According to the Swedish government, however, there has so far been no receipt of such an application for Aziz to be treated in Sweden. A spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs has said that it may have been sent, but a check has not revealed any communication.

Giovanni de Stefano has also contacted France and Italy, requesting treatment for the minister there. The Local explains that Aziz has been in custody since APril 2003. Any likely sentence he may receive, should he be found guilty, would not be for longer than the period he has already spent behind bars.

On Thursday, a US official said Aziz's health was bad when he was first detained, and his condition has not dramatically worsened lately.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:07 PM | Comments (0)

Indonesia: Muslim Warriors Maddened By Magazine Proposal

News from Associated Press via the Jakarta Post and belief.net states that Muslim leaders in Indonesia are getting themselves into a lather today, over the decision to publish an Indonesian edition of Playboy magazine.

Avianto Nugroho announced he has a license to publish the magazine, and the first local edition will hit the stands and shelves in March. He has said the magazine will contain no nude photos, so it should not cause offence.

But Nugroho has not counted for the Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia, which has vowed to make protests if it appears in the shops. The chairman of the group, Irfan Awas, said "Different or not, Playboy is Playboy. It is a porn magazine.... The magazine will damage the morality of the nation."

Representatives from Playboy in the US were unavailable for comment on this specific topic, but Lauren Melone, a spokesperson for the company said that "If we do ever launch a magazine in Indonesia it will reflect the local culture and taste of the marketplace."

Maybe the Sulawesi edition should carry photographs of beheaded Christians, to appeal to a particular strand in that market. Or perhaps there could be a version called "Playgoat" for some rural communities. The ideal porn for an Islamic prophet would probably feature girls under the age of nine, which Playboy would never publish.

FrontPageMag states that the group Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia, or "Holy Warriors of Indonesia" was once headed by the imprisoned terrorist and spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir, who is now involved with terror group Jemaah Islamiyah. Bashir gave permission for the go-ahead of the Bali bombing of 2002, which killed 202 people.

Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia has claimed, rather stupidly, that the recent Bali bombings, of October 1, 2005, were not the work of Muslims. A spokesman for the group told the Indo Pos newspaper, according to the Australian, that the bombings were part of a "grand design to again put Muslim people and Ustadz (honored cleric) Abu into a corner."

Perhaps the ideal sort of body-magazine these guys from the Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia would approve of would involve bodies without heads or limbs, with offensive genitalia gouged out by shrapnel.....

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 4:41 PM | Comments (0)

France: Radical Muslim Jail Jihad

Ynet News states that a report by the French General Intelligence Office, or RG, claims that 175 militant inmates of French prisons are preaching to others. The report is treated in detail in Le Figaro today, in French.

There are 80 jails in France, and sixty nine of these are touched by Islam. The conclusions come in the report by RG, which is the first of its kind, released last month. There is an over-representation of Islamist-influenced prisons in the region around Paris, where terrorist prisoners are housed.

70% of the extremist Muslims are French nationals, while the others came from North African nations, Turkey, ex-Yugoslavia or Pakistan. For the most part they are young (20 to 30 years) and there are only about 15 from the age bracket 40 to 60 years. Almost 90% come from poor backgrounds, with many having had no job at the time of arrest. A quarter were blue-collar workers and less than 10% were students, or members of the "liberal professions".

The Tablighi Jamaat, which we have discussed before as a proselytising international group, has been active in France since 1972. The majority of the Islamists proselytising in prisons now are from this group, who have Deobandi influence, and the rest hold extreme Salafist ideals.

Among the convicted terrorists, of which 99 are incarcerated, there are about thirty who try to spread radical Islam. Using force and intimidation to proselytise with Islam accounts for only 1% of the cases detailed.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

UK: Galloway's Muslim Constituents Annoyed By Big Brother

We reported on January 5 that George Galloway, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, which has a high Muslim demographic, has joined the cast of micro-celebrities for another tedious series of "Celebrity Big Brother".

I made a promise last week that I would report on goings on in the house, and I have only watched small amounts of this dire programme. George is up for eviction potentially tonight, depending on the public's phone votes. Also up for eviction is Pete Burns the eccentric yet strangely "grounded" singer from Dead or Alive and past-her-sell-by-date former model Jodie Marsh, whose "Me, me, me" attitude has earned her the disdain of the rest of the troupe.

Last night, George Galloway was engaged in a game, which I missed, in which he pretended to be a cat, purring and drinking make-believe milk from the outstretched palms of ageing thespian, Rula Lenska.

This has provoked a reaction from John Biggs, a Labour member of Ken Livingstone's London Assembly who said: "I think there is a real need for politicians to engage with people but I do not think that being on Big Brother or pretending to be a cat is the best way to achieve it.....Certainly around the streets of Tower Hamlets people are pissed off about his failure to represent them."

The Independent states that the government chief whip, Hilary Armstrong, has said last night's antics made her cringe. Armstrong, who is Labour MP for North-West Durham, began a petition in George Galloway's constituency, calling for Galloway to return to work as their Member for Parliament.

Galloway, who stands for the Respect party, has already missed one vote in the House of Commons while residing in the Big Brother house. This concerned a proposed rail project which directly affects his constituents. The petition reads: "We believe this egotistical action shows a shameful lack of respect for the people of this constituency. We call on him to represent and respect his constituents, not further his own ego, as he is by remaining totally out of touch in the Big Brother house."

His Muslim constituents have made no secret at their displeasure with his absence from political duties to appear on the programme. The Guardian reported earlier that Galloway has been accused of spending too much time away from Bethnal Green and Bow, which he won by just 823 votes. He previously failed to attend a Commons vote on an anti-terrorist measure, which he was expected to oppose. The bill was carried by the government by just one vote, which Galloway's ballot may have blocked.

One Muslim, Naeem Parvez, cornered by the Guardian as he entered the main mosque on Whitechapel Road, said of Galloway's presence on the show: "Many won't like it. It's mixed, women are there."

Kamal Khan, aged 19 said at the start of the series: "I'll watch it, I want him to get into the Iraq war. If he can mess up the Senate, he can mess up the celebrities. He can do more good by being on TV and by being in parliament."

Unfortunately, Galloway has said little about politics which has been broadcast by Channel 4, and he has spent his time comforting a highly sensitive and weepy former TV presenter Michael Barrymore, claiming he wishes to see Barrymore make a "comeback", and also analysing the divisive histrionics and manipulations carried out by Jodie Marsh.

UPDATE: The British public has decided that it could take no more of Jodie Marsh's loud and unsophisticated ploys for attention, and have kicked the tawdry glamour babe from the show. I did not see the post mortem interview, I am afraid.

This means that the UK public thought watching a grey haired politician and a straight-talking (no pun) transvestite was better entertainment than watching Jodie Marsh's tired old titties jiggling around in a swimsuit, as she posed in the jacuzzi.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:14 AM | Comments (2)

UK: Islamic Preacher Compared Britain To A Toilet

The trial of Abu Hamza, the hook-handed former Mujahideen fighter, continues, with reports from the BBC, the UK Telegraph and the Times. Hamza, real name Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, is charged on fifteen counts. Nine of these involve soliciting to murder under the 1861 Offences Against The Person Act, four charges claim he incited racial hatred, one count indicts him for possessing "offensive recordings" and one charge is made under section 58 of the Terrorism Act. This relates to a book found in his house in 2004.

On Wednesday, the court was told by prosecutor David Perry that Hamza owned a 10 volume work on terror techniques, entitled the Encyclopaedia of Afghani Jihad which detailed potential targets for attack, including Big Ben. The prosecutor told the court of some of the statements which had been made by Hamza in his sermons.

Yesterday, the jury was shown videos of these sermons, so they could view in their original context Hamza's statements against Jews, non-Muslims, Britain, and the establishment of the Caliphate, an Islamic state in Britain.

Some of the sayings quoted by Mr Perry in his opening statements appear to come from sermons made while Hamza was preaching in a public street, which his group had commandeered for their purposes of prayer and worship, at Finsbury Park. Hamza and his followers used this street off Blackstock Road after Hamza and his supporters were thrown out by the trustees of the notorious Finsbury Park Mosque.

The first video, entitled "Holy War to Khalifah", showed Hamza at a meeting in Whitechapel, from 1997 or 1998. Hamza appears, seated at a table, below a banner emblazoned with the words "Al-Jihad".

In this sermon, Hamza stated that living in Britain was little better than living in a lavatory. He stressed the need for young men to commit jihad, and to identify targets such as courts, banks and brothels. He called Britain a corrupt "kuffar country" and said "We are all under the boots of the kufr".

Some of the quotes from the two videos are found below. On the second video shown to the court, from September 1999, the Telegraph states

Hamza described Britain as a kaffir (unbeliever) country which does not apply Shariah law and is therefore at war and accused Tony Blair of killing "many of our children".

He added: "Most of them are pagans; preachers have become homosexuals; churches have become places of dancing, iniquity, business, black magic, you name it."

Though famous for the hook which he usually has attached to his right wrist's stump, Hamza has not worn the extension during the trial. The Times today provides the quotes:

ON MUSLIMS IN BRITAIN
It looks unfortunately that we have been forced to be inside a toilet . . . and some of us think they can be leaders in that toilet unfortunately. We are all under the feet and the heavy boots of the kuffar.

ON FIGHTING
The first phase is called the Shawkat al-Nekaya, it is called the needle of bleeding the enemy. Like you imagine you have one small knife and you have a big animal in front of you . . . You have to stab him here and there until he bleeds to death . . . This is the first stage of jihad, destruction of the enemies of Allah.

ON LEGITIMATE TARGETS
Every court is a target and every brothel is a target and everybody who's endorsing that is a target.

ON CHRISTIANITY
The Church itself have lost every capacity it has. In the hearts and minds of people preachers have become homosexual, they have become child hazard. Churches have become places of dancing, iniquity, business, black magic, you name it. Child prostitution and everyday there is evidence of that.

ON MULTICULTURALISM
The Hindus don't worship God, they worship the cow, and as far as Christians (are concerned) they don't worship God they worship Jesus, and Jews they worship their desires and Muslims, they worship Allah. So your God is different from their God.

ON WEAPONS
We ask Muslims to . . . bleed the enemies of Allah anywhere by any means. You can't do it by nuclear weapon, you have to do it by kitchen knife, no other solution. You can't do it by chemical weapons, you have to do it by mice poison.

Today, the BBC and ITV News report that Hamza has said in a taped sermon that it was "OK" to kill non-Muslims and even some Muslims.

"Killing an adulterer, even if he is a Muslim is OK. Killing a Kaffir (unbeliever) who is fighting you is OK. Killing a Kaffir for any reason you can say it is OK even if there is no reason for it," he said.

In the video from 1999, entitled "Adherence to Islam in the Western World". Hamza states that Islamic beliefs should be spread with the sword: "Dawa (propagation of Islam through word and action) needs a sword next to it and also needs effort."

He said those who sold alcohol should be brought to the mosque. "Make sure that the person who gave him the licence for that wine shop doesn't exist anymore on the Earth. Finish him up. Give him Dawa. If he doesn't respect Dawa, kill him."

"You have to understand that Dawa is good but it doesn't survive alone. There is many prophets before Muhammad ... they were killed because they did not have the sword with them."

On those who spread Islam, he said one should "make sure that you save your family, you have to make sure also that you are gaining strength. You are a fighter, so when the time comes for fighting you can fight and if you want more reward in what you do, join the front line, you can take from this line. European people they can only respect you when you are strong,"

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:23 AM | Comments (0)

Trinidad and Tobago: Grim Islamic Scholar Testifies in Abu Bakr Case

Placing the Koran on top of the Bible? Speaking in Arabic before translating into English? You truly can't make this stuff up: Scholar in the box at Abu Bakr trial

JAMAAT-al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr called an Islamic scholar to the witness box yesterday.

Maulana Abdul Salaam, from Dyette Estate, Lot 32, Cunupia, who is based at the mosque on Munroe Road, Cunupia, testified.

Bakr is before Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls on five criminal charges against him coming out of his Eid-ul-Fitr sermon last year.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 8:09 AM | Comments (0)

Malaysia: Minorities in "Moderate Islamic Country" Unite Against Sharia

Malaysia is the "Moderate Islamic Country" defenders of the Moderate Islam theory love to praise most frequently. If that is the case, why are minorities putting away their differences in order to fight the encroachment of Islamic Law, the Sharia? Malaysia's minorities unite against Sharia

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's minorities are banding together to put up a united front against what they fear is a steady encroachment of Sharia (Islamic law) into their lives.

Unsettled by the decision of a court last month that it had no jurisdiction in Islamic matters and that a non-Muslim had no remedy under common law, the minorities, led by moderate leaders, are putting up stiff resistance.

Observers say the resistance has placed the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in a delicate position because it needs to balance the competing demands from the majority Muslims. While non-Muslims want common law and the secular constitution of Malaysia preserved and protected, Muslims demand a society based on Sharia.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:53 AM | Comments (0)

Israel: Islamic Jihad Terrorists Eulogised By Iran

The Islamic Rebuplic Of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB News) shows its Muslim anti-semitism in this travesty of objective reporting. Murdering Palestinion terrorists are here described as would-be heroes. As the report is from a law-breaking organisation (Iran's government) we will throw their copyright aside and reproduce the article in full.

2 Jihad members martyred in Jenin

Jenin, West Bank, Jan 13 - At least two members of the Palestinian resistance movement Islamic Jihad were martyred Thursday during clashes with the Zionist regime's troops in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, sources within the Palestinian movement said.

A Jihad member conducted a martyrdom-seeking operation near the Zionist soldiers while the other received bullet injuries and was martyred as he attempted to flee the encircling troops, a Jihad official said.

The regime's troops had entered Jenin to arrest Jihad members. Intense exchanges of fire could be heard around a house which had been sealed off by the troops.

In the name of objectivity, the same story can be found, reported properly, from AP via NDTY.com, on Sign On San Diego and is even handled objectively by Al Jazeera.

You've read the Islamist propagandaabove, which tries to make "holy martyrs" out of these Palestinian criminals - here are a few facts: Israeli forces surrounded two houses in Jenin yesterday, accompanied by a bulldozer and 30 military vehicles. Islamic Jihad activists were hiding inside.

At one house, three men surrendered, but at the other, two people inside were less compliant. A gunfight began. An individual inside refused to surrender, then came out of the house wearing an explosive belt, and blew himself up.

His "martyrdom" effort was a failure, as it killed no Israelis. (As the man committed suicide, Iran should by rights be saying that he has gone to Hell - suicide is a crime against Allah in Islam). Another man refused to surrender and was shot. The dead have been identified as Moutaz Khalil and Ali Abu Hazne, from the village of Atil, near Tulkarem.

The Israeli army claims these individuals were behind the suicide blast at Hadera market on October 6, which killed six people. There have been six suicide attacks against Israelis since a "truce" was brokered in February 2005. All the attacks are the handiwork of Islamic Jihad.

In a separate incident yesterday, in Ramallah, violence erupted when gunmen opened fire on the home of Nasser Yousef, Palestinian interior minister. Yousef was away at the time, but his bodyguards returned fire, injuring three of the assailants. One was in a critical condition with neck wounds.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:04 AM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2006

US: Pete Fisher Says Islam Can Never Be Appeased

Back in November we gave a reference to a humorous article by Pete Fisher. He currently has a more serious piece in American Daily and MichNews.com, which is forthright as always. If one entertains hopes of everyone joining hands around the globe, however, the article has a bleak prognosis.

Entitled "Why Islam Can Never be Appeased", Pete Fisher argues powerfully that Islam has a mission to ultimately dominate, and therefore cannot be negotiated with (a bit like the Terminator). This is an extract:

I have to shake my head in disbelief just about every day when I listen to people who have no clue about Islam or what is happening all around the world.

I still have a very hard time buying into the claims by many of our politicians and media that this is somehow a peaceful religion. This does not mean that every Muslim out in this world is violent. I am not saying that at all. But what I AM saying is that Islam is the perfect spring board for violent acts of every kind and is simply unchecked by its own members.

This week in Mecca we can watch the video from Memri where in the height of the Muslim spiritual Hadj, the holiest time and holiest site in all of Islam, are Muslims screaming for the death and mutilation of all infidels, but specifically Americans and Jews. They cry to their god for our hands to be chopped off and to be murdered while thanking Allah for his greatness.

I advise you to read it in its entirety. Pete Fisher, who has kindly given me permission to plug his articles, writes pieces that are always readable. His articles can be found archived at Renew America and other sites.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:25 PM | Comments (0)

Philippines: Muslim Sultan of Maguindanao Gunned Down

Arab News reports that the Muslim sultan of Maguindanao and his brother were victims of an attack by gunmen in the southern Philippines.

Maguindanao province is located in the west of the southern island of Mindanao, and is part of a region entitled the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or ARMM, which was officially inaugurated on November 6, 1990. Maguindanao is a small province, covering only 5425 square kilometers. It has a population of about 800,000. It is mountainous in the west, and in the east it shares territory with the Cotabato plains.

Two masked men attacked the sultan and his brother in an ambush on Wednesday evening, as they walked home in the town of Sultan Kudarot. The gunmen were riding a motorcycle. The sultan, Datu Amir Baraguir, was killed. His brother Andy was wounded but survived.

45 year old Baraquir became the 25th sultan a year ago. He was described by police as a moderate Muslim. Before being enthroned, he had a newspaper column and had a community radio station which urged Muslims Christians and mountain tribes to live together peacefully. Some of his columns and shows invoked the anger of local Islamists, who wish to set up an Islamist state on Mindanao island.

His sultanate was a vestige of a once greater power. Originally, between the 14th and 17th centuries the Maguindanao sultanate ruled over the entire island of Mindanao, Basilan island and the kingdom of Ternate in land now deemed part of Indonesia. The role of sultan has little more than symbolic power nowadays, where the sultan is expected to be a symbol of Muslim culture and tradition.

The identity and motives of the killers is unknown. There are fears that the assassination may be the start of, or a trigger to, a clan war between houses of other sultanates. MILF, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, has denied involvement with the murder. Their spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said: "We've been hearing about family feuds among the sultan's heirs."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:01 PM | Comments (0)

Australia: "Muslim" Manhunt By Disabled Driver

A bizarre tale is related by Australia's Advertiser, concerning a man who appeared to have a pathological hatred against Muslims, and went on a "hunt for Muslims" in the hinterland of the Gold Coast in Queensland, eastern Australia.

41-year old Robert Stephens appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday, charged with going armed to cause fear, common assault, dangerous operation of a vehicle, wilful damage of a car and stealing a number plate.

The court was told that Stephens, who is on a disablility pension and lives in Murwillumbah, northern New South Wales, had been in the car-park of tourist site the Natural Bridge in the Numinbah Valley on Wednesday.

Senior Constable Eyschen said that Stephens had approached two sight-seers and said "You're not fucking Muslims. I'm going to kill some fucking Muslims."

After this incident, Stephens was approached by three British tourists who pulled into the car park and asked for directions. The three, Jason Dholakia, his brother Hiten and their companion Amit Rana appear to be of Indian/Hindu background. Stephens assumed they were Lebanese, and yelled "fucking hell!" several times, making threatening gestures toward the trio.

The three Britons did not wait to engage Stephens in further conversation, and drove off. Stephens chased after them in his vehicle, and along a mountainous road, tried to run their car off the road on several occasions.

The three tourists fled their car and hid in the rainforest, while Stephens attacked their vehicle with his bare hands, tearing off the rear number plate and ripping out wiring. He also stabbed its tyres and slashed the hood.

Stephens was refused bail by Magistrate Alec Chilcott, and is remanded in custody, to reappear at the court on February 21.

This is only supposition, but if Robert Stephens is registered disabled, either he is faking a disability or his "disability" has psychological dimensions.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:43 PM | Comments (0)

Italy: Muslim Slaughter - 400 Sheep Rescued

Well, the sheep have been confiscated, rather than rescued, as I am sure they will end up on a plate eventually. The tale comes from Agenzia Giornalistica Italia or AGI. In Bagnaria Arsa, near Udine, in northeastern Italy, 400 sheep have been confiscated by the Carabinieri's health department (NAS).

The appropriation of the flock came after lambs were being seen slaughtered in open air, contravening Italian guidelines, which state such killings must happen indoors in sanitary conditions. The entire flock was taken because their owner had not updated the animal register and his vast flock were not stamped (paint-branded).

The owner of the sheep had intended to slaughter 40 animals, and then sell them for the feast attending the festival of Eid al-Adha.

The Carabinieri found the carcasses of two animals and the entrails of other three. There was also an animal without head in the bonnet of a car. They also found two animals in another car. They had been slaughtered elsewhere and were carried without packing list.

It appears that no charges were made against the man, whose name is not reported in the article.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:02 PM | Comments (0)

US: Jose Padilla, Islamist Convert, Pleads Not Guilty

35-year old Jose Padilla, former Chicago gang member and Florida criminal turned Muslim convert and alleged Al- Qaeda member, has spent the past three years and a half years in US military custody in South Carolina. He has been classed as an "enemy combatant", following his arrest at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on May 8, 2002.

He was indicted on November 22 on charges of conspiring to "murder, maim and kidnap" people overseas as a member of a North American terrorist cell, along with a Canadian citizen, Kassem Daher, who is currently believed to be in Lebanon. Adham Hassoun, Mohammed Youssef and Kifah Jayyousi, who are in US custody, were also charged. Padilla is also charged with attending a military training camp in Afghanistan.

News from CBS News, the Miami Herald and AP via Mercury News report that earlier today, Jose Padilla pleaded not guilty at a federal court in Miami to the charges laid against him. Padilla has made several attempts to have his case heard in a federal court.

Padilla was denied bail by US Magistrate Judge Barry Garber, who agreed with prosecutors that Padilla would be liable to skip bail to avoid trial, and that he was potentially dangerous.

Attorney General John Ashcroft previously said that Padilla had conspired to produce a radiological dispersion device, or "dirty bomb", but this alleged plan is not included in Padilla's charge sheet. Reasons given by the Guardian at the time suggest that the informants whose testimony would be needed in court, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah, had confessed after treatment which may be classed as "torture".

Padilla had met Zubaydah in Afghanistan in 2001, and the two are said to have concocted the plan to create a dirty bomb while residing in Lahore, Pakistan.

While a petty criminal in Florida, it is believed that Jose Padilla became a convert to Islam while incarcerated in Broward County Jail in Florida.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)

Malaysia: Islamic Family Law Bill Put On Hold

Malaysia's controversial Islamic Family Law Bill was rushed through the parliament, gaining legal approval on December 22, even though it openly discriminates against women, and allows husbands to freeze the assets of his wives and their children in divorce cases.

Today, news from China People's Daily, the Khaleej Times and Daily Star, states that the bill, which has drawn widespread protests, has been suspended from implementation into law.

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz (pictured), who had earlier admitted that the bill was known to be flawed, made an announcement to the effect that the Islamic Family Law Bill is not currently on the statute books until it has received further consultation and discussion. Nazri had earlier said that though known to be problematic, the bill was made law in the hope that once implemented, changes could be made afterwards.

"The Cabinet takes the objections from the women seriously. Therefore, we really have to look at their views thoroughly, so, eventually, when we amend the Act, women will not feel discriminated against," Nazri announced.

There had been a planned meeting with women's leader Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. As she had gone to Mecca on Haj, the meeting, which would have also included the Attorney-General, was deferred.

Nazri announced that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wished to consult with women's groups on the matter. Local press reports have claimed that Prime Minister Badawi instructed the cabinet not to set a date for the enforcement of the act.

The group Sisters in Islam welcomed the delay in gazetting the law, but said that in some states, a version of this law has already been in force since 2003, and these needed to be subjected to a moratorium. Sharifah Mas'ad Azzahir said: "It is great news for us, but we are proposing to redraft the law instead of just making amendments," before reminding the press that only two states do NOT practice this law at present.

A few days ago the Sabah Muslim Women Lawyer's Association gave its support for the bill, even though they admitted there were one or two reservations. But they appear to be the only women's group to favour it.

This particular law may be thrashed out to a successful outcome, but it is only a surface blemish. A deeper condition in the Malaysian body politic, the confused constitution. The constitution gives exclusive rights on certain forms of justice to the Syariah (Sharia) Courts. These are constitutionally given sole jurisdiction over issues of Islam and Islamic law, and their rulings are not allowed to be interfered with by civil courts.

Recently, the flaw in the system was revealed by the case of L/Kpl M. Moorthy a Hindu who was buried as a Muslim on the orders of the Sayariah courts. They acted because Muslim army colleagues told them, while Mr Moorthy was in a coma a couple of weeks before his death, that he had converted to Islam. They took the words of these men over the word of his Hindu wife, who said her husband was still eating pork, drinking alcohol and attending Hindu festivals, until he fell from his wheelchair and went into a coma.

Moorthy's widow Kaliammal went to a High Court to have a ruling, but the court judge told her he had no power to alter a decision which fell under the jurisdiction of the Syariah Courts. Her husband was taken away and buried as a Muslim. The deputy prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, made efforts to allow her increased widow's entitlements, but the weakness in the system had been exposed.

But the weakness has been exposed for a long time, in the treatment of those who decide that they wish to leave Islam, such as Kamariah Ali, who also had a high court case, in which she sought a ruling that she had freedom under the constitution to follow a religion of her choice, thrown out on December 28. As the issue came under "apostasy", the judge said he had no power to act.

The constitution does claim, in its third Article, section 1, that, as well as Islam "other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation". Except the issue of apostasy, and who is a Muslim, is decided by the Syariah courts, who do not allow apostasy.

Kamariah Ali (pictured, right) is a member of the Sky Kingdom cult. This group has experienced extreme persecutions at the hands of the Syariah Court of Terenggan state. Seven years ago, Kamariah Ali and others publicly declared that they were no longer Muslim. This declaration was ignored by the Syariah Courts, who continually subjected Kamariah to prosecutions. She has spent time in jail for her "heretical" beliefs.

Her husband, Mohamed Ya, was given two years' jail for "belittling Islam" and died shortly after his release. All because the Syariah Courts claimed they could not apostasise, and were therefore still Muslim, but heretical and fit to be punished. And the civil legal system has absolutely no power to act, because Article 121 (1A) of the constitution declares civil courts to have no jurisdiction on "any matter" which falls within the scope of the Syariah courts.

Officially, those who are not Muslim are not subject to the Syariah courts, unless they have the misfortune to marry a Muslim, and then go through a divorce. But in practice, the 10% of Malaysia's population which is not Hindu is feeling the encroachment of the Syariah Courts into every aspect of their lives.

Today, the Inter Press Service News Agency runs an article about groups of non-Muslims who are demanding protection from the Syariah Courts.

In Malaysia, while the protesters are themselves surprised at the support their movement has received, a strong undercurrent of dissatisfaction has been building up among the country's minority communities against fundamentalists pushing the Islamic way into many matters -- from banking, and halal (kosher) food to family matters, education and personal issues such as religious conversion.

In effect, two parallel societies -- Muslim and non-Muslim -- have gradually replaced what was a pluralistic, secular Malaysian society, based on common law that was the legacy British colonials handed over on a platter on independence in 1957.

Indigenous Malays, nearly all of whom follow Islam, form 60 percent of Malaysia's 24 million people while Chinese, who are mostly Buddhists, make up 30 percent and the largely Hindu Indians another eight percent. There are smaller racial groups such as Eurasians.

30 influential HIndu associations have formed a group, Hindu Rights Action Force (HRAF) to protect the rights of minorities to religious freedom. This week they petitioned the Malaysian King, who in the constitution is the head of the nation's Islam, to intervene.

Leader of the opposition, Lim Kit Siang, led calls for the change in the constitution. The Article 121 (1A) was amended in 1988 to state that cicil courts had no say on issues which fell under the jurisdiction of the Syariah system. "We would like to call for the repeal of the amendment and a restoration of the pre-1988 article," he said.

However, Muslim groups have vowed to resist any changes which weakened the control of the Syariah system.

Human rights lawyer P. Uthayakumar states "We non-Muslims have suffered long enough. The government should intervene immediately and put an end to non-Muslim fears and misery. The uncertainties have gone on for far too long."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:17 PM | Comments (0)

Germany: Islamist Jailed For Seven Years

Today, a German court in Munich sentenced an Iraqi Kurd to seven years' imprisonment for membership of, and recruitment for, an insurgent group, Ansar al-Islam, states Bloomberg, AFP via the Globe & Mail and Expatica.

Amin Lokman Mohamed, 33, arrived in Germany in 2000 as an asylum seeker. He was said by judges to have arranged travel to Iraq for wannabe jihadists, and procured money, computers and radios for Ansar al-Islam. He had also trafficked 70 Iraqis into Europe illegally.

He arranged for wounded insurgents to come to Europe for medical treatment,
The tough sentence is a positive result in what is seen as a test of Germany's more rigorous new terror laws. It is seen as a landmark, as it is the first conviction that involves a group not based on German soil.

Presiding judge Bernd von Heintschel-Heinegg said a tougher sentence would have been imposed if Mohamed had not admitted his activities. He could have received a sentence of 10 years. Heintshel-Heinegg also commended Mohamed for a public speech he made, which urged Islamists to stop suicide attacks.

Ansar al-Islam was founded in northern Iraq in September 2001, and aimed to establish a Sunni Islamist state in Iraq, modeled on the Taliban regime of Afghanistan (1996 - 2001). It renamed itself Jais Ansar al-SUnna in 2003, after the coalition invasion of Iraq, and has been involved with kidnappings, bombings, and shootings.

Amin Lokman Mohamed has been in custody since December 2003.

The interior minister for Bavaria, Guenther Beckstein, said in Munich that the verdict was an "appropriately strict and just punishment for a dangerous helper to the terrorists."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:48 PM | Comments (0)

Spain: Leader Of Two Islamic Terror Cells Arrested

The Spanish Interior Ministry has announced that a man who led two terrorist cells, a key suspect in the investigation of the March 11, 2004 Madrid train bombings, has been apprehended. Police arrested 23-year old Omar Nakhcha in Santa Coloma de Gramanet, near Barcelona in Catalonia while walking down a street. The ministry spokesperson announced that Nakhcha was the leader of two terrorist cells which recruited Jihadists to fight in Iraq.

We reported on Tuesday that 20 individuals were arrested, and it is claimed that these were members of the two cells headed by Nakhcha. One of these cells provided logistical support to the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM) while the other provided forged documents, travel assistance and financing to the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, states AKI.

The main members of the cell which carried out the Madrid train bombings blew themselves up at their apartment in the Leganes district of Madrid in April 2004, rather than be taken for questioning. Reuters states that the Interior Ministry claims that Nakhcha assisted Mohamed Afalah, Mohamed Belhadj and Daouh Ouhnane to flee Spain after the Madrid train bombings, which killed 191 people. Nakhcha is believed to have been in Belgium at that time, and arranged transport for the three fugitives to Iraq, via Syria.

Afalah is thought to have died in a suicide attack in Iraq in May 2005, and it is thought that the other two fugitives became part of the insurgent forces attacking the coalition and Iraqi military. Mohamed Belhadj rented the apartment which was used by 7 prime suspects in the train bombing, who blew themselves up. Daouh Ouhnane has been linked to the bombings by his fingerprints, left on a plastic bag containing seven detonators.

Expatica states that one of those arrested this week was the imam from a mosque in Vilanova i la Geltru in Catalonia.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 4:58 PM | Comments (0)

Thailand: Disappearance of Muslim Lawyer - Policeman Convicted

On January 4 we mentioned the publication of a report by Amnesty International on alleged torture and mistreatment of Muslims in the south of Thailand by the authorities. The report, entitled "Thaliand: Locals trapped by escalating violence in the south" included details of a Muslim lawyer who "vanished":

On 12 March 2004, Somchai Neelapaijit, a prominent Muslim lawyer who was representing some of those arrested in relation to the violence and had initiated a campaign calling for the lifting of Martial Law in the South, "disappeared" in Bangkok. His whereabouts are still unknown and Amnesty International is concerned at the lack of progress in the investigation. His "disappearance" has had a profound impact on the work of other human rights campaigners in the South, who feel they lack recourse with regard to threats they face.

Today, Voice of America reports that a senior policeman has been convicted in connection with the disappearance of Somchai. Four other officers were acquitted, but Maj. Nguen Thongsuk (pictured) was sentenced by a Bangkok court to three years' imprisonment. A witness at the trial claimed to have seen Nguen bundle the Muslim lawyer into a car in a Bangkok parking lot in March 2004. Somchai, who had been defending Islamist separatists, who had been accused of fatal assaults, but has not been seen since. His family believes he is dead.

VOA states that "the case has drawn expressions of concern from human rights groups, the U.N. Human Rights Commission and the Organization of the Islamic Conference."

And today, Amnesty International has released a statement, which says the verdict leaves unanswered questions, the most obvious being the fate of the missing lawyer.

One police officer was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for coercion, while the other four were acquitted. As forced "disappearance" is not a criminal offence under Thai law, the five police officers suspected of involvement in his "disappearance" were charged with lesser offences of theft and coercion.

Somchai Neelapaijit's "disappearance" is an important test case of Thailand's ability to provide redress and remedy for all human rights violations, and to protect those, like him, who have endeavoured to defend human rights in the country.

Thailand must demonstrate its commitment to ending "disappearances" by making forced "disappearances" an offence under Thai criminal law, and ratifying the UN International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances.

One cannot disagree. And three years is a paltry sentence, if, as is probable, the lawyer was killed as a result of Nguen Thongsuk's actions.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 4:05 PM | Comments (0)

Italy: Planned Islamic Terrorist Attack Revealed in Open Court

More murder and mayhem from the Religion of Peace, this time targeting a cathedral: Islamic terrorist plot in Italy revealed

Rome (dpa) - Islamic terrorists planned to blow up a cathedral, two underground stations and a police building in northern Italy, a court in Milan heard Thursday.

Zouaoui Choki, a Tunisian supergrass, told judges he was part of a sleeper terrorist cell charged with collecting funds and recruiting would-be suicide bombers. But the group was also planning an attack, which should have been carried out in 2002.

Choki claimed his accomplices planned to blow up Cremona's main cathedral using a green Renault 14 car packed with C4 plastic explosive obtained in Florence. They also planned to carry an attack on two crowded underground stations in Milan and a police building in the same city.

The Duomo di Cremona was chosen as a "symbol of Christianity" and because its central location meant it was "very crowded, particularly in the evening", Chokri was quoted by the Ansa news agency as saying.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 2:31 PM | Comments (0)

Saudi Arabia: Mecca Mayhem Takes 345 Lives

The recent BBC TV news has given the figure of dead victims at a stampede at the Haj in Mecca as more than 500. The online account states that at least 345 pilgrims have been crushed.

The stampede happened on the last day of the Haj rituals, when congregants traditionally "stone the devil", aiming rocks at three pillars at the foot of the bridge of Jamarat. This ritual has seen fatalities from similar incidents in the past, but today's disaster is the worst of its kind for sixteen years.

The stampede apparently began when pilgrims began tripping on luggage which had fallen out of a bus.

Two years ago, a crush which killed 251 led to the Saudis building extra barriers. Earlier this Haj, more than 76 pilgrims died a few days ago when a hotel collapsed.

As one of the five so-called Pillars of Wisdom, going on the Haj is obligatory at least once in the life of every Muslim who is physically able to travel.

And almost every year, the sheer numbers of individuals all trying to do similar activities leads to deaths and accidents. As the BBC states:

The stoning is the riskiest ritual of the Hajj, as worshippers jostle to try to target the stones, often causing weaker pilgrims to fall under foot.

More news from CNN

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 1:59 PM | Comments (0)

Norway: Joining Denmark In Reproducing Those Muslim Cartoons

I would have thought that the Muslim communities would by now have moved on to other things. The controversy which involved Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen who was expected to punish the staff at Jyllands-Posten for the pictures had appeared to be over. An attempt to take the issue to a Danish court was thrown out.

However, it appears that the issue of the Jylland-Postens cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, which were published back on September 30, and led to death threats against the newspaper's staff, is being dragged up in the Islamic press.

Khilafah.com says the cartoon issue has made Denmark an "unlikely front in the Islam-West Culture War". It makes the ludicrous claims that "The publication of the cartoons in late September has provoked a fierce national debate over whether Denmark's famously liberal laws on free speech have gone too far."

The only people thinking laws on freedom of speech have gone too far are ungrateful Muslims who live in the West but want our societies to be based on Saudi Arabia or Iran. Imam Ahmed Abu-Laban, who recently attacked the dead filmmaker murdered by Islamist Mohamed Bouyeri in Holland, has said of the cartoons: "We are being mentally tortured," He said it was a right-wing plot to "portray us as against Danish values". Laban is bending the truth here - the Danish Muslims themselves have shown that they are against freedom of speech.

Al Jazeera yesterday said a group of 16 Muslim organisations has jointly condemned the images in a statement issued on Wednesday. "The newspaper has with its action deliberately stepped on Islam's ethical and moral values with the purpose of contempt and ridiculing Muslims' feelings, their holy sites and their religious symbols," read the statement.

Now the conflict stirred up by the Muslim pressure groups has caused Norway to join the fray. The editor of weekly Magazinet, which specialises in Christian issues, has published the entire set of 12 cartoons, which it called "Faces of Mohammed", and has unleashed a controversy, according to Zaman.com.

The editor of Magazinet, Vebjorn Solbekk, has said that his paper does not intend to insult Muslims, but is trying to highlight a "secret erosion" in freedom of expression which has continued for a while.

One of the first critics of the cartoon's reprinting was Norway's Church Assistance Organisation, who issued a press statement. This said freedom of expression is important, but said the publication was knowingly and wilfully causing Muslims hurt.

Klassekampen's editor, Bjorgulv Braanen, condemned the reprinting as childish and unnecessary, and said journalists did not have any duty to contribute to the war of religions.

On the issue of the original Danish publication of the pictures, today's Las Vegas Review Journal publishes an editorial which pulls no punches. It begins:

Islamic fundamentalists have an arrogance that matches their intolerance for Western values. How else can one explain their efforts to limit free expression in countries that have graciously allowed Muslim immigrants the freedom to follow even the most radical movements within their faith?

The editorial states that Muslims and Western liberals always talk of needing a "bridge of understanding" between the Muslim and Western worlds, and points out that the same culture of "freedom of expression" which produces the cartoons which so many Muslims hate, also protects Muslims' right to protest about the issue.

Is the Islamic world ready to meet the West in the middle? Unfortunately, Muslims barely have one foot on that bridge. Egypt demonstrated as much when it issued a statement that said its government "respects freedom of opinion and expression" -- as long as those opinions and expressions don't offend Muslims.

The Danes deserve the Western world's thanks for defending free speech. We can best show our gratitude by following their example.

Muslims who live in the West must decide to accept the cultures of the West, or forever live on the margins of western societies. If Muslims cannot live with the freedom that we in the West have spent hundreds of years trying to achieve, there are 57 Muslim countries in the world, where Islam is the predominant force, where they may feel happier living. Otherwise, they should wake up and smell the coffee and adapt to the customs going on around them in the West, and learn tolerance. The West is the West. It is not, and nor shall it ever be, a satellite colony of Mecca.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:01 AM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2006

UK: Muslim Cleric On Trial For "Soliciting Murder"

News on the trial of Abu Hamza at the Old Bailey in London, comes from Reuters, the Guardian, the Times, also Sky News and the BBC.

47-year old Abu Hamza al-Masri is charged, as we reported earlier on 16 counts, with 10 instances of soliciting murder. He is charged with possessing terrorist documentation, and is also charged in four instances under the Public Order Act 1986, for "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior with the intention of stirring up racial hatred."

Prosecutor David Perry stated that Hamza had a manual which explained ways to make bombs and explosives, as well as assassination methods. The book, entitled The Encyclopaedia of Afghani Jihad was found in his home in 2004. It advised on how plans should be laid out for raids on skyscrapers, ports, aisports, nuclear plants and football stadiums. The book also suggested attacking large congregations at Christmas.

Perry told the court that the ten-volume encyclopaedia was dedicated to "Abu Abdullah Osama bin Laden" on account of his "carrying out jihad." Perry said the manual was a blueprint for terrorism, "which echoes the things which feature in the defendant's speeches."

All of the offences for which Abu Hamza is charged took place before May 2004. The "solicitations to murder" involve speeches he made at Finsbury Park Mosque in North London. Hamza had been the imam at this mosque, but when evicted by the trustees on account of his extremist views, he continued to hold regular prayer meetings in the street, entirely blocking off one road.

The speeches were inflammatory. "He preached intolerance, bigotry and hatred. He particularly preached against the Jews as a racial group and a religious body," stated the prosecutor. "He accused the Jews of being blasphemers, traitors and dirty. This, because of their blasphemy, and because of their filth, was why Hitler was sent into the world. He also tells his audience that the Jews control the West, by which he means western liberal democracies such as this country. He says the Jews control the West and must be removed from the earth."

Hamza has pleaded not guilty to all the charges laid against him. The court was told that Hamza has encouraged the killing of apostates, which included his definition of those who were not "true Muslims" such as leaders of Arabic states who conversed with the West. Hamza advocated jihad, whose aim was to reestablish the Caliphate, the Islamic State. The last Caliphate, that of the Ottomans, was destroyed by Kemal Ataturk in 1924.

He advocated that women should encourage their sons into jihad, from as young as 10 years old. Non-believers should and could be killed, with a reason or without. "That, you may think, is indiscriminate killing," the prosecutor said.

The Guardian printed some of Hamza's alleged remarks:

On suicide bombings
"It's not called suicide, it is called shaheed operation. People call it suicide to put people off, it is not called suicide, it is martyrdom ... If the only way to hurt the enemies of Islam is to take your own life, it is permissible ... If you don't use terrorism and torture, what are you going to use?"

On killing apostate rulers of Islamic lands
"Of course it is permissible to kill them, any person who hinders Allah, this man must be eliminated because he is a menace and this menace must be removed."

On Jews
"Because of their [Jews] treachery, blasphemy and filth, is why Hitler was sent into the world."

On Islam's enemies
"You have to stab him here and there until he bleeds to death."

On his arrest
"I am a preacher and I have spoken on religious matters. It is unfortunate they have been taken out of context."

The trial continues tomorrow.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)

UK: Muslim Council Leader Under Police Investigation

News from the BBC and from Pink News announces that Sir Iqbal Sacranie, who made controversial anti-gay comments on a BBC Radio 4 program on January 3, 2006, is currently the subject of a police investigation. The Metropolitan Police said that they were studying his remarks, to see if they constituted an offence under the Public Order Act.

Iqbal Sacranie (pictured) is the secretary general of the Muslim Council for Britain or MCB, an organisation which is not noted for its tolerance towards gay people in UK society. Its leaders have made statements which can only be construed as anti-semitic.

We reported extensively on the initial comments, and subsequent reactions, so I will not reiterate more than to say Sacranie claimed homosexuality was "unacceptable", that it spread disease, and was "harmful".

The reasons for the police investigation were given in a statement by Scotland Yard, which said it had "received a report of comments made in a radio interview which the complainant believed were homophobic in nature and asked us to investigate."

The UK Telegraph has a few more details. Peter Rippon, the editor of the BBC radio show PM, which broadcast the comments, was telephoned by an officer at West End Central police station, who said he was investigating a "homophobic incident under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986."

The Telegraph explains that a person is committing an offense by using "threatening, abusive or insulting words" which can be heard by "a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress" as a result.

For a case to stick, it must also be established that the words were deliberately intended to be threatening, abusive or insulting, or that the person was aware that they may have been threatening, etc. The maximum penalty is a 1,000 pound fine ($1,800 US).

The Telegraph claims that the investigation was sparked by the publication of a letter in their newspaper. This correspondence pointed out that Christians had been investigated by police for possible hate crimes for similar comments, and had been contacted by police who warned them of their behaviour. Neil Addison, the author of the letter, claimed that Sacranie should not be treated any differently.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:27 PM | Comments (0)

Middle East: Fulla the Muslim Doll Continues her Eviction of Barbie

We have been receiving some unexpected hits in our archives looking for our previous coverage of Fulla, the Good Muslim Doll, and since I have no shame, no shame at all, here is the latest in this intriguing saga: Veiled Fulla is Arab answer to Barbie

"Move over Barbie, veiled is beautiful. The physical ideal of Muslim girls increasingly includes the hijab, as evidenced by toy shops' best-selling doll "Fulla" and the string of showbiz stars opting to cover up.

The dark-eyed and olive-skinned Fulla has replaced her American rival's skimpy skirts with more modest "outdoor fashion" and Barbie's luxuriant blonde mane with an Islamic veil.

"Fulla sells better because it is closer to our Arab values: she never reveals a leg or an arm," says Tarek Mohammed, chief salesman at a Toys'R'Us branch in Mohandessin, one of Cairo's more upmarket neighbourhoods.

The Arab answer to Barbie has been selling like hot cakes for Eid Al-Adha, the most important holiday in the Muslim calendar, not least because it is cheaper than its American rival, although both are made in China.

Fulla is not the first Islamic doll but none of her predecessors have taken the regional market by storm like she has, selling some two million since its creation two years ago by the Emirates-based NewBoy Design Studio.

Saudi Arabia's religious police had then just banned "Barbie the Jewish doll", whose "revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West."[...]"

For more info about lovely Fulla, here is a Western Resistance search for Fulla Doll.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:44 PM | Comments (0)

Georgia: Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Bush Assassination Attempt

I have spent the last twenty minutes trying to figure out whether this man is a Muslim, as I thought he was, but I haven't been able to find a solid reference. Let's just say he is a "member of a Political Party", which supports autonomy for the Muslim-majority region of Ajaria. I have found, however, many references to Mr. Arutyunian's ethnicity, ethnic Armenian. If he turns out he is a Muslim and all the newspapers reported was his ethnicity, it would have been one of the best pieces of disinformation in history, as most Armenians are not Muslim, and have good reasons for despising Islam, with the Armenian holocaust and things of that nature.

At any rate, here is the story: Georgian Man Sentenced to Life for Attempt on Bush's Life

TBILISI, Georgia - A court Wednesday convicted a man of trying to assassinate President Bush and the leader of Georgia by throwing a grenade at them during a rally in May 2005, and he was sentenced to life in prison.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 1:28 PM | Comments (0)

Malaysia: Calling for Islamic Supremacy

A Malaysian letter writer asks that Islam be given an even more exalted position. For some people, even Malay "backdoor Shari'a" is not enough: Islam is one above others, not first among equals

The M Moorthy controversy is a big wake-up call for this bumbling-along Muslim-led government as well as my fellow Muslims who, all these years, have not led a good Islamic life which resulted in Islam being undermined and despised by non-Muslims.

The worst part is that a group of highly educated Muslim Malays who know very little about Islamic rules, have, in their liberal beliefs, taken the high ground which has further undermined their own religion.

For instance, these high and mighty individuals have taken on board the concept of the interfaith commission (IFC) due to their sheer ignorance that in Islamic state, Islam is one above others - not first among equals let alone one among equals.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 1:05 PM | Comments (0)

UK: The Dishonesty Of The Muslim Council For Britain

We reported on January 5 that the Muslim Council for Britain (MCB) had decided that it would not take part in the annual Holocaust Memorial Day celebrations in Britain, which this year are due to take place in Cardiff on January 26.

The announcement came after Iqbal Sacranie, the Malawi-born secretary general of MCB, had teased the press with hints that the MCB may take part. This, of course, was conditional on Holocaust Memorial Day, which commemorates the genocide of more than 6 million mainly Jewish victims of the Nazi Holocaust, becoming more "inclusive" and featuring Muslim victims. This is denial of the facts that Muslims such as Amin Al Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem, actively supported the genocidal activities of the Nazis.

Sacranie and Inayat Bunglawala are unapologetic anti-semites, who publicly declaim the Holocaust against Jews, but actively try to sabotage the credibility of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Sacranie tried to invite Osama bin London to a so-called "Revival Rally" in 1996, when he invoked the ire of the British Board of Jewish Deputies. Sacranie called bin Laden at the time an "Islamic scholar" though his terrorist activities against the Soviets and his dismissal of black people as "slaves" in his everyday speech were already common knowledge at that time. Sacranie also stated at the time of Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa against author Salman Rushdie that "death is too good for him" (i.e. Rushdie).

Sacranie has also supported the decision of London's Tate Gallery to remove from display an innocuous artwork by conceptual artist John Latham, entitled "God is Great", lest it should offend Muslims.

Sacranie attended a memorial service for Sheikh Yassin (founder of the terrorist organisation Hamas) at Regents Park Mosque last year, but refused to involve himself with Holocaust Memorial Day, whose patron is the same Queen who formalised Sacranie's undeserved knighthood.

Inayat Bunglawala has similarly praised Osama bin Laden, having previously called the terrorist a "freedom-fighter". "He [Mr bin Laden] was a freedom fighter. He was regarded in large sections of the Muslim world before 2001 as a freedom fighter for what he had done in Afghanistan," Bunglawala tried to explain last year. He claimed not to regret having made such statements, saying that at the time of his comment, the 1980s, "At the time he was (a freedom-fighter."

Bunglawala has described Sheikh Abdur Rahman, (the blind and mad mullah who organised the first World Trade Center attack in 1993) as "courageous". In August, when he got news that a documentary by the BBC was going to be scathing about the MCB's links to extremist groups, he went on the offensive, accusing the BBC of being "pro-Israel".

A founder member of MCB, Mehboob Kantharia, left the group and has claimed of the current leadership: "It is my personal belief that because they are in a state of denial, they cannot become....really forthright about the kind of extremism that prevails." One of the extremist groups connected to MCB was Ahl-e-Hadith of Birmingham, with 41 branches in Britain, whose website asked Muslims to "be different from Jews and Christians" whose "ways are based on sick or deviant views".

MCB has tried to prevent the government's attempts to ban international Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir from operating in Britain, even though the group supports terror activities in Israel and has attempted to radicalise UK university campuses, often inflicting emotional pressure on female Muslim students to wear the hijab, or Muslim headscarf. In Indonesia, Hizb ut-Tahrir is involved with the persecution of Christians.

We reported on November 1, 2005, that Abdurahman Jafar, vice chairman of the legal affairs committee of the MCB, attacked measures in the new UK anti-terror bill, currently undergoing scrutiny in the upper house of parliament, which made "glorification of terrorism" an offence. The MCB also campaigned to have a clause allowing mosques to be temporarily closed if they have preachers extolling terrorism expunged from the bill. In this, they were successful.

Iqbal Sacranie made a series of calculated anti-gay comments on BBC's Radio 4 earlier this month. He demonised homosexuals as "harmful" made spurious claims that homosexuality spread diseases, and said homosexuality was "not acceptable", topping it off with a classic taqqiya by saying that everyone should practice tolerance (!).

At the time, gay rights activist Peter Tatchell (pictured above) said of Sacranie's unsolicited outburst: "It is tragic for one minority to attack another minority....Both the Muslim and gay communities suffer prejudice and discrimination. We should stand together to fight Islamophobia and homophobia."

Those comments then seemed strange from Mr Tatchell, who recently was deeply involved in the successful international campaign to prevent the implementation of Sharia law in Ontario's family law decisions.

Now, however, Peter Tatchell appears to have recovered enough to mount a spirited attack on the hypocrisy of the Muslim Council. Rainbow Network reports that he has now highlighted MCB's previous stance on Holocaust Day. Five years ago, MCB objected to Holocaust Day because it was then "too inclusive", because its proponents acknowledged that, along with 6 million Jews, others died in Nazi death camps. These others include an estimated 10,000 to 25,000 homosexuals, wearers of the pink triangle, who were murdered by the Nazis.

Now, as Mr Tatchell points out, MCB is boycotting Holocaust Memorial Day because it is "not inclusive enough."

"The only thing consistent about the MCB is its opposition to the human rights of lesbians and gay men," he says. "The MCB objected to the fact that gay victims of the Nazi death camps were remembered.....The MCB seems to disparage the suffering of gay people under Nazism."

"Given the prejudice and discrimination that Muslim people have suffered, it is astonishing that the Muslim Council happily advocates prejudice and discrimination against the gay community," he continues. "It has actively opposed all the gay law reforms of the last decade and has openly supported the retention of discriminatory, homophobic legislation, such as Section 28 and the unequal age of consent."

"Instead of sowing division and stirring intolerance, the MCB should be working to secure a fair and just society, free from both Islamophobia and homophobia," he adds.

Tatchell himself has already been threatened with death by Islamists. Some of the stunts pulled off by his group Outrage have been tacky, but Tatchell is a brave and committed individual. He alone made open protests against Afrofascist Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, earning himself a beating in the process from Mugabe's thugs.

Given a choice, and considering all the positive things Peter Tatchell has done to challenge genuine hatred and prejudice in British society, I think he would have been a far better candidate for knighthood than the odious homophobe and anti-semite, Mr Sacranie. Mr Tatchell has never asked for special rights for gay men and women, only equal rights under the law. Muslim heterosexuals already have equal rights, but MCB is demanding special rights, such as the right to influence events such as Holocaust Memorial Day. They have also tried to influence Britain's legislation.

MCB was behind the political move to make it an offence to criticise Islam, and wanted anti-Islamic blasphemy to become an offence, even when uttered by non-Muslims. In this measure they failed. What is disturbing is that the lower house of parliament approved the measure before the Lords (the Upper House) emasculated it.

The MCB is a minority group among the UK's minority Muslim population, who of themselves number only 3% of the country's inhabitants. As a minority among minorities, MCB and its luminaries have already been given far more political privileges and indulgences, and free publicity, than their actual demographic status deserves.

UPDATE: This article has provoked the claim from Islamophobia Watch of "Plaudits for Tatchell from right-wing racists".

Another day, another tribute to Peter Tatchell from right-wing Islamophobes. Over at Western Resistance, a renewed attack on the Muslim Council of Britain - "Sacranie and Inayat Bunglawala are unapologetic anti-semites" - features a lengthy declaration of admiration for Tatchell as "a brave and committed individual".

Thanks guys. Now name me one example of racism from any of our 1400 articles. There is a comments section below where you can answer. We like to keep open for reader's opinions unlike you on your site, where the comments section is permanently switched off....

UPDATE 2: Islamophobiawatch have added another accusation of racism on their site, with absolutely no evidence of this "racism" to demonstrate or back up their case. So everyone who reads these pages can see how their minds work. You're against Islamic extremism, against anti-semitism, so you're a racist. QED, according to Islophamophobiawatch. Personally I am mildly irritated by their comments, but if they expect to gain credibility, they should be able to back up their claims, without ad hominem slanders.

BUT ANYWAY - There is a FURTHER UPDATE on the story.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:07 AM | Comments (0)

UAE: Anti-Muslim Air Rage Lands Briton A Jail Sentence in Dubai

At present, Roger Caine from Birkenhead, Liverpool in the UK, is very sober, as he is residing in a Dubai jail, following a three month sentence for "deriding Islam, physical assault and excessive alcohol consumption". In a court in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai, allegations were heard that 56-year old Mr Caine had boarded a flight to UAE from Manchester on December 1st 2005.

He had started drinking beer and spirits after boarding, and five hours into the flight he was plastered. According to the Liverpool Daily Post, the chaos started when a female flight attendant, who is Egyptian, refused to serve Caine any more whisky.

Caine stormed to the back of the plane, and tried to strangle the attendant. He was shouting "You should be terrified of me. I am Jewish and you are all Muslims," his words aimed at the Eqyptian and another female flight attendant.

Passengers and cabin crew restrained him, and he was arrested on touchdown. He was kept in custody until his trial.

On Monday, he was given a three months' prison sentence, and also a fine equivalent to $1,700. Caine apologised to the court, and said he was normally a "frequent flyer", but the drink had provoked him to such behaviour.

I agree that drunken air rage should be punished severely, but to be convicted for "deriding Islam?" Why do people from Islamic countries have to protect their religion with draconian laws? Is their faith not strong enough to stand the criticisms of non-believers? Or is there something inherently intolerant about Islam in the first place?

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:23 AM | Comments (0)

Indonesia: Trial Of Another Suspected Islamist Begins

AFP via News.com.au and the Jakarta Post states today that another person has today gone on trial in Indonesia, on terrorism charges, bringing the total number currently in court on terror charges to eleven.

34-year old Joko Tri Priyanto is accused of giving 350,000 rupiah ($50 Australian, $37 US) to Ahmad Rofiq Ridho in August 2004. Ridho is one of those currently on trial in South Jakarta, whose trial began on January 2.

Priyanto's indictment says Ridho used the money to "provide accomodation and a hideaway" to Noordin Mohamed Top the Jemaah Islamiyah financier and recruiter, currently on the run following the Bali bombings of Oct 1, 2005.

At a district court in South Jakarta, it is claimed that Priyanto allowed Ridho to use his motorcycle to ferry Noordin Top. Chief prosecutor Roberth Tacoy said: "The defendant ... knew Noordin Mohammad Top was a perpetrator of terrorism sought by police but he and his colleagues helped him to hide."

If found guilty, Priyanto could be sentenced to 15 years in jail.

Ridho is the brother of Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi (pictured, right) who was killed in a gunfight with police in the Philippines on Oct 12, 2003, after breaking out of a Filipino jail and going on the run for 13 weeks. Ridho, as well as being charged for failing to disclose the whereabouts of Noordin Top, is further accused of surveying potential bomb targets in East Java. These included a Christian school and a plush hotel.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta Post reports that an appeals court has upheld the death sentences handed out to Iwan Darmawan and Mohamad Hasan for their roles in the bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, which took place on Thursday Sept 9, 2004, killing 11 and wounding more than 200.

We reported on 30-year old Iwan Darmawan's conviction on September 14.

The Jakarta Post quotes Darmawan and Hasan's lawyer, Mahendradatta, who says the appeals were rejected last week, but he had not received a full copy of the verdict. Appeals processes are held "in camera" in Indonesia. The two are expected to be now taking their appeal to the Supreme Court.

And just to show Indonesia is a democracy unlike any in the West - the Jakarta Post reports that East Timor, which Indonesia invaded in December 1975 and caused the deaths of hundreds of islanders as they fought to be rid of their unwanted "rulers", has just banned three films about East Timor. The illegal Indonesian invasion came just 9 days after East Timor declared independence from its Portugese exploiters on November 28 1975.

The films, one animation and two documentaries, were to be shown at a festival in December in Jakarta, but Titie Said, the censor, said: ""We feared the films might 'reopen old wounds' at a time when a bridge of friendship is being built between East Timor and Indonesia,"

This is the first time films have been completely banned since 1999 and the final days of the tyrant Suharto. If Indonesia cannot acknowledge the truth of what it did in East Timor, which was both illegal and immoral, then I wish the US would stop pretending Indonesia is a true democracy. It may now be an ally in the war on terror, but that does not absolve it of guilt in its treatment of its minority faiths and minority indigenous peoples.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:54 AM | Comments (0)

January 10, 2006

Australia: Greens Claim Attorney-General Has "Insulted" Muslims

The recent track records of Green parties in France, the UK and New Zealand have recently shown as much appeasement to and support of Islam as that enacted by the parties of the left. New Zealand's Scoop now shows that their attitudes in Australia are of a similar nature.

Australia's Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock (pictured above, left), made a speech to Muslims in Australia on Tuesday, while celebrating the end of the Haj. However, certain comments he made have invoked the wrath of Senator Bob Brown, the leader of the Greens.

Ruddock had said in his speech: "When you are Australian...you have a responsibility to uphold the laws of this country."

61-year old Brown (pictured below, right) dismissed the comment as insulting and unwarranted. "Muslim Australians are proud, law-abiding citizens who do not need to hear patronising comments from the Attorney-General about upholding the law or practising tolerance," he said early on Wednesday.

"Did Mr Ruddock make similar comments to Christians at Christmas, or Jews during Hanukkah? This was a celebration of faith, certainly not the place for Mr Ruddock's patronising display. The Government needs to foster the strong ties the Islamic community works hard to maintain with them and the wider community, instead of alienating them," Brown preached.

Ruddock has tried to positively involve the Muslim community, inaugurating Muslim Community Radio but when he was Minister for Immigration, the Australian policy of keeping wannabe refugees on island camps off the mainland sparked criticism from the left.

In August Ruddock said that the government had considered banning the international Islamist group, the Hizb ut-Tahrir, but had decided that it was not a "terrorist" organisation. He has recently tried to make the currently-discussed new anti-terror laws "palatable" to Muslim leaders.

What is so weird about Senator Bob Brown's position on Islam is that he is the first openly homosexual member of Australia's parliament. Surely, he is not too naive to know that he would be one of the first to be metaphorically "thrown to the wolves" by true followers of the rules and customs of Islam?

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)

Pakistan: 7 Soldiers, 14 Islamist Rebels Killed In North Waziristan

News from Dawn and the Daily Times states that seven soldiers and 14 Islamists have been killed in fighting which took place in the very earliest hours of Tuesday.

The incident took place in North Waziristan, a region which is currently home to ex-Taliban and al-Qaeda Islamists who live on the border with adjacent Afghanistan. Thousands of soldiers, who have been here since 2003, are also posted in the region to seek out the militants.

Just after midnight, a rebel rocket attack killed two army troops and five paramilitaries at a check-point at Sarbandki, located on a mountain spur two miles east of Mirinshah, the regional capital. Three rockets were fired, but one hit the check-point, causing the fatalities. Their colleagues from other check-points then retaliated with a four hour gunfight. Among the dead was a local Taliban commander named Bilal, and also foreigners.

The North Waziristan authorities imposed a curfew following the attack, and a jirga (meeting) announced the setting up of village committees to protect homes from attack by militants. They also planned to hold another jirga on January 16 to review the situation. One tribal elder who attended the jirga, Malik Khan Marjan, said he feared "much bloodshed" in the coming days.

The curfew is strict, warning of "serious consequences" for infringements. The actual figure for the dead militants is, according to Dawn, disputed, with "independent reports" claiming only three Islamists died.

Residents of Mosaki village, 29 kilometers (13 miles) east of Miranshah have claimed that on Saturday, a gunship helicopter attacked the house of an Islamic scholar who is a supporter of the Taliban guerillas. At a briefing yesterday, Pakistan's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Tasnin Aslam, said the US authorities had denied any of their troops' involvement, adding that the Pakistanis were investigating reports that a "foreign helicopter" had landed on the Pakistani side of the border.

In December, Islamist students from madrassas in the region, who appear to support the Taliban, have engaged in clashes with people they call bandits.

The story of the helicopter gunship attack is familiar. On December 1, an explosion occurred in a house at the village of Haisori, outside Miranshah. It later transpired, through DNA evidence that one of the victims was al-Qaeda's third in command, Egyptian-born Abu Hamza Rabia.

The Pakistani authorities maintain that the Haisori explosion was caused by accidental detonation of a bomb by its manufacturers, but villagers claimed they had seen a US Predator drone launch a missile attack on the house. A local journalist photographed shrapnel from the scene which bore English wording.

Reuters AlertNet states ominously that the journalist who photographed the shrapnel who lived locally, Hayatullah Khan, was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen. He has not been heard from since then.

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

Saudi Arabia: Leading Muslim Imam Says Terrorism Is Not Islamic

Reuters today relates that the state-appointed senior imam at the Grand Mosque at Mecca (pictured), has made a speech to pilgrims currently on the Hajj, in which he states that Islam was innocent of the charge of terrorism.

Speaking at the Grand Mosque, which houses the sacred Ka'aba stone (black object in the back courtyard in picture), Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Sudeis blamed the West for using evidence of global terrorism to scare people away from Islam and de-legitimize worthy Muslim causes.

But for the blaming of the West for the evils of terrorism and also calling for stability in Iraq, his claims that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism are straight re-runs of previous speeches he has made at this time of year, at the feast of Eid al-Adha.

Sudeis said today: "The campaign against Islam has become fierce and Muslims are being described in insulting terms to distort the image of Islam and scare people away from it."

"Islam is innocent of this grave phenomenon (of terrorism). The shedding of blood in this country and other Muslim countries is a forbidden criminal act"

Last year, the Guardian reported that Abdulrahman al-Sudeis at last Eid al-Adha sermon claimed that Islam "does not mean killing", (despite eshortations in the Koran to "kill infidels", and the example of those slaughtered on prophet Mohammed's decree).

In 2005, Sudeis said "The reason for this is a delinquent and void interpretation of Islam based on ignorance... faith does not mean killing Muslims or non-Muslims who live among us, it does not mean shedding blood, terrorising or sending body parts flying." But then he blamed Muslims, who he said had been lured by the devil to stray from moderation.

This time round Sudeis is certainly preaching to the gallery by blaming the West for its "false" perceptions of Islam as a cult of death and violence, exemplified by acts of Islamic terrorists.

If one has any wonders why anti-Israeli sentiment is so rife in the Muslim world, Sudeis spouts from the litanies of those who justify terrorism against the West and Israel. His anti-Israeli tones are no better than those of the freakshow TV imams who appear on cable channels, except here they are being voiced to an audience of 2.5 million people from around the world, at Islam's holiest site.

"When the oppressor Zionist enemy uses its war of smart bombs and tanks against our brothers in Palestine, violating our holy sites, that's not terrorism to their mind -- but defending land, religion and honor is."

He accused Western countries of being hypocritical, when they promoted freedom and democracy but did not include Israel's actions as terrorist.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:31 PM | Comments (0)

Germany: Islamist Group Appeals Against Ban

Expatica today reports that the Multi Kultur Haus or MKH, the group which was banned in the German state of Bavaria on December 28, is appealing against its ban.

The group's headquarters were located in the town of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria, and it has been raided on numerous occasions, most notably in January 2005, when 14 people were arrested, and in February. Individuals connected with the organisation were deported in February and June. When the ban was introduced, MKH's bank account in Stuttgart was frozen.

Last Wednesday (January 4), lawyer Christoph Kass filed the suit challenging the ban. He gave no details of the suit, saying an explanation would be filed after MKH was told of the reasons for the prohibition of the group, and its being struck from the register (of charities). The Bavarian state explained the ban by saying that the aims of the society were incompatible with public order.

Neu-Ulm lies next to Ulm, which is technically in the next state, Baden Wuerttemberg. Ulm has had its own share of Islamist problems, with 20 suspects from the town said to be involved in smuggling, assisting illegal immigration and document forgery, and also "spreading their beliefs in racial hatred and recruiting people for jihad".

The Interior officials of Baden-Wurttemberg have said that the ban on MKH initiated in Bavaria will be viewed as valid in other states, their own included. They said MKH could not re-register (as a charitable society). This state has recently been criticised for imposing a loyalty test on Muslims who wish to become German citizens within the state.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:34 PM | Comments (0)

Egypt: al-Qaeda v. Muslim Brotherhood Cat Fight Deepens

Sit back, and enjoy: TERRORISM: AL-QAEDA VS MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD - AN ONLINE FEUD

Roma, 10 Jan. (AKI) - This year's Eid al-Adha, Islam's festival of sacrifice, will be celebrated amid a escalating war of words fought on the Internet between al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood. On the eve of what is considered one of Islam's holiest days, which coincides with the end of the annual Haj pilgrimage, two prominent al-Qaeda leaders have both assailed the Brotherhood for what they say is it's betrayal of Islamist principles.

Al-Qaeda Number 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, fired the first verbal salvo when on a video message broadcast by Qatar-based TV network Aljazeera on 6 January, he accused the Egyptian chapter of the Brotherhood of serving Washington's interests.

"That is the truth of the political game America is playing in Egypt, through presidential and parliamentary elections, to exploit the masses and their love for Islam," he said.

"They (the Brotherhood) said they won 30 seats, now they say they have won 80 and in five years time they will say 100. And so goes [the American] strategy to conceed them some space," he said, referring to the Brotherhood's decision to take part in the Egyptian polls.

Al-Zawahiri, describing the Brotherhood as "these Islamic factions who have been pursuing the same strategy (parliamentary legitimacy) for decades" pointed to how the Brotherhood's founder, Hasan al-Banna, "had tried this experience twice since World War II and failing."

The Muslim Brotherhood (Egypt) sharp response came from the mouth of its spokesman Essam al-Erian. "Those who are opposing reformist Islamic movements [like the Brotherhood] are the Americans, the autocratic Arab regimes, the secular extremists and al-Zawahiri. What's that like for a strange alliance," he said.[...]

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 3:36 PM | Comments (0)

A Window into the World of Learning: Saudi Style

From Isaac Schrodinger, an interesting glimps into the experience of a Muslim student in Saudi Arabia. Schrodinger also offers a collection of other excellent essays regarding his experience in both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia which are well worth the read.

I'm probably not the first one who has said it, but I see published writer in this bright boy's future.

**********

What Muslims Learn, by Isaac Schrodinger

"No sir, please, I promise sir, I won't do it again. P-l-e-a-s-e sir."

His pleas made no difference. Our English teacher had a vise-like grip on the left wrist of that student. A few days before we had a brief English test. That student got 5 out of 10. Like everybody else, he had to get the signature of one of his parents. Which he did, after he had changed that "5" to an "8". Now, the student was fruitlessly attempting to avoid the customary thrashing.

The teacher held the wrist of the student with his left hand and with his right hit the student multiple times; on the head, the face, the neck, a few punches on the ribs. I sat in front of the class, a few feet away from the entire revolting episode.

The student was half-way between standing upright and on his knees. His voice muffled because of sobs, he again futilely begged, "P-p-please s-s-sir, I w-w-won't do it..."

Then, a man from the school administration entered the room to hand the teacher some kind of note. That man looked at the whole situation and airily inquired about the weeping student. The teacher told the story as he hit him again. The man responded in Punjabi, "Tsk, kids nowadays" and then left.

The above scene was from my Pakistani school in Saudi Arabia. It was just another normal day at our Muslim school. Everyone knew about the default mode of "teaching". Most of the teachers barked out whatever was in the books and the students heard the whole thing without often comprehending the subject. Practically all the students had study guides, or photocopies of them, to answer the questions for the various assignments.

Most students, myself included, simply memorized whatever was in the books and the study guides and regurgitated the material on tests and exams. This activity of cramming alien material into our heads was known as ratta (pronounced rut-ta). It was sad that most students did the same with mathematics; they could solve any problem from the book but give 'em something even slightly different, and they would be stumped.

Arabic was our third language; Urdu and English were the first and second respectively. This made Arabic and Islamiyat (the study/world of Islam) our worst courses. To top it off, we had the most grotesque teacher for these two subjects. He wore shalwar kameez and had a big black beard. His style of teaching was quite simple: If the kid doesn't learn, then you haven't beaten him enough.

On the day of our test, this teacher would start off by calling out a student and then telling him to write such-and-such sura from the Quran. Understand that the meaning of the Quran is immaterial, what matters is that a student could vomit it all back. If the student made even a single mistake, then the teacher would send him off to the faculty lounge. You see, all the exquisite dunday (long and strong wooden sticks) were there. The teacher would tell the student to bring back the one with the black tape--the heaviest one. I can't imagine that long walk. Afterwards the teacher would hit the open palms of the student with the stick, one hit for every mistake. A few students later, the teacher would get bored, so he would start hitting students on the back of their knees and thighs as they wrote out the verses on the board and made errors.

Imagine the effects of this Muslim way of teaching on the psyche of young kids. Formal education becomes synonymous with pain and suffering. These kids repeatedly learn that violence is an acceptable method of instruction. When they do graduate from high school, they have little to zero understanding of what they've "learned". Whatever they've memorized evaporates within a few years and all they're left with is horror stories of vile teachers.

If it wasn't for my introduction to the Western way of teaching less than a decade ago, then I would have forever thought of teaching as an odious profession. Though, most Muslims aren't so lucky. Everyday, thousands, perhaps millions, of Muslims are brutalized by their teachers as we're repeatedly told that Islam is a Religion of Peace.

****
Some of you might be asking, "How could the parents allow this barbarity to continue in schools?" You naively assume that such violence is limited to schools in Muslim lands.

Posted by Isabel de Castilla at 2:08 PM | Comments (0)

Spain: Twenty Suspected Islamists Arrested

Reuters reports that earlier today, 20 individuals suspected of recruiting Islamists to fight with insurgents in Iraq were arrested. One of those detained after overnight raids is said to have organised a suicide bombing in southern Iraq, which killed 19 Italians in 2003.

Jose Antonio Alonso, Spain's interior minister (pictured), said that the people arrested may have planned violent attacks in Europe. 15 Moroccans, three Spaniards, one Turk and an Algerian were taken in raids in Madrid, around Barcelona and in the Basque region.

The individuals, claimed Alonso, had a mission to recruit and to provide logistical and financial support to insurgents fighting in Iraq. He said they had links to others in France, Belgium, Holland, Algeria, Morocco, Turkey, Syria and Iraq.

On the suicide bombing, Alonso stated that forensic work by Spanish and Italian teams had proven a link between one individual arrested and the attack of 2003 at Nassiriya, Iraq. This bombing was the worst casualty record for Italian troops since WW2.

16 people were arrested in December and two had handed themselves in last month. Of these, six were jailed on Christmas Eve for recruiting people to fight in Iraq, Chechnya and Kashmir. The investigations then had involved a mosque in Malaga on the Costa del Sol. According to Spanish authorities, this mosque has been frequented by individuals with extreme Islamist beliefs.

The individuals who were jailed on Dec 24 were linked to the Algerian group Salafist Group for Preaching & Combat (GSPC), which is said to have links to al-Qaeda.

According to AKI, the Basque location in the list of raids was the town of Lasarte. The individual who carried out the Iraq suicide bombing on 12 November 2003 was called Bellil Belgacem. It is claimed that he had been recruited by Barcelona cell members to go to Iraq.

AKI also claims that one of those taken in the raids is thought to be the imam of Barcelona's Villanova and Geltru district mosques. He may be the leader of the Barcelona cell.

I feel guilty when victims of Islamic terror seem to become numbers, while writing as many details about its perpetrators as one can find. From CNN's list of the victims of the attack on the Italian military police headquarters, here are the 17 individuals named there, with their towns of residence:

Marshal Massimiliana Bruno, 40, Rome

Captain Marco Briganti, 33, Forli

Cpl Alessandro Carrisi, 23, Ampi Salentina

Adjutant Giovanni Cavallaro, 47, Nizza Monerato

Vice Brigadier Guiseppe Coletta, 38, San Vitaliano

Cpl Maj. Emanuele Ferraro, 28, Lentini

Carabineri Andrea Filippa, 33, Turin

Lt Enzo Fregozi, 56, Livorno

Marshal Daniele Ghione, 30, Savona

Vice Brigadier Ivan Ghitti, 30, Milan

Vice Brigadier Domenico Intravaia, 46, Monreale

Carabineri Orazio Majorana, 29, Catania

Marshal Filippo Merlino, 40, Mantua

Marshal Silvio Olla, 35, Carbonia

Senior Corporal Pietro Petrucci, 22, Casavatore Napoli

Head Marshall Alfio Ragazzi, 39, Messina

Adjutant Alfonso Trincone, 44, Rome

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:36 AM | Comments (0)

Pakistan: Detained UK Muslim Is Deported

We reported in October on a 25 year old British Muslim, who had been detained in Peshawar, Pakistan since May 2005. He had been arrested in Peshawar in Pakistan's northwest on May 15, after he went to the police and claimed he had lost his passport.

Today Reuters reports that his lawyer, Mussarat Hiladi, said that Zeeshan Siddiqui had been interrogated about links to al-Qaeda, being so badly beaten that he lost the sight in one eye and now only has partial sight in the other eye.

Siddiqui was charged for having a false identity card, but a court found him not guilty of this. He was fined 500 rupees (4.7 pounds or $7.50) for overstaying his visa, and on Saturday was given a deportation order from the court.

He was freed on Sunday, and that evening placed on a Qatar-bound flight, on his way to Britain.

While in cusofy in Pakistan, SIddiqui, from Hounslow, west London, was visited by UK intelligence officers who questioned him. Ms Hiladi claims he was not abused by the MI6 officers.

On October 5, a letter that Siddiqui had written to the UK Telegraph was published. In the handwritten four-page letter, he claimed he denied all claims that he had met Shehzad Tanweer, the London 7/7 bomber in Pakistan, and also denied claims that he had met senior al Qaeda members while in Pakistan. He did admit, however, to meeting fugitive Islamist with suspected al Qaeda links, Junaid Babar, on two occasions.

"I totally condemn these acts of violence [the London bombings] as well as any other terrorist activity," he wrote. "I have never taken part in any terrorist activity nor do I support or ever intend to support any terrorist activities."

He had been granted bail by a Pakistan magistrates court on September 15, but because he had no travel documents he was not released from jail.

His lawyer claims now that Siddiqui had initially drawn attention from the authorities because he had joined a travelling troupe of Muslim preachers who went from village to village near Peshawar.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:31 AM | Comments (0)

January 9, 2006

Bangladesh: Islamists' Arsenal Stored In Graveyard

The Bangladesh Daily Star reports that a cache of explosives has been found in Gazipur district, in the center of the country. On Sunday, police officers raided a graveyard in Dakkhin Khan village around 11 pm local time.

The police were acting on details from a confession made by 26-year old Eneyatullah Ujjal alias Jewel, who was arrested on Monday, December 5. Enayetullah, also called Walid, was a suspected regional commander of the Islamist terror group, Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB. This group has since August 17 been responsible for a fearsome campaign of bombings, is intent on forcing Bangladesh to become an Islamic state, governed by Sharia.

In an abandoned grave, the police retrieved three kilos of gunpowder, one pistol, rifles, and ammunition.

Last week, the paramilitary security force, the Rapid Action Batallion, or Rab, busted three JMB dens within 24 hours. On Thursday night they discovered a huge cache of arms, explosives, moulds for bombs and grenades from Ashkona in Dhaka city, the capital. Two JMB militants, Wahidul Islam and Shafiqul Islam had been separately arrested on Thursday night, and their information led Rab to a house in Ashkona in Uttara. Over 10 kilograms of various explosives, chemicals, 10 firearms and 34 detonators were recovered, along with 300 bullets.

Rab also carried out a raid, based on Shafiqul's information, in Datta Para in Tongi in Dhaka on Thursday night, and found ammonium nitrate, detonators, batteries, 27 wristwatches, electrical timing devices and gunpowder.

The previous evening, on Wednesday, Rab had discovered 24 kilograms of explosives, and grenade compnents, 5 shotguns, and bullet-manufacturing information. The raid had taken place at Moinartek in Uttara, Dhaka.

On Friday, Washidul and Shafiqul Islam were taken into 7-day custody. Shafiqul also used an alias - Russell.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:47 PM | Comments (0)

Denmark: Muslim Cartoons Cause Minister To Contact Arab League

From the Copenhagen Post from Friday. Denmark's foreign minister, Per Stig Moller (pictured) spoke by phone to Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arabic League, to attempt to ease tensions between Denmark and the Islamic world.

The problems with Denmark's Muslim relations soured when newspaper Jyllands-Posten invited artists to submit proposed illustrations for a book on the prophet Mohammed, and printed 12 of these. The reason why the pictures were commissioned was that, in September, a book being published on Islam by Kare Buitgen had found no illustrators willing to dare draw images for its pages.

It is traditionally considered forbidden by Islam to depict Mohammed, and various groups were incensed by the illustrations selected for publication in Jyllands-Posten. Carsten Juste, editor of the paper, has said he does not set out to offend Muslims, but will not repudiate their publication.

The newspaper was even criticised by the vice-president of the EU Commission, Franco Frattini.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish prime minister, has consistently supported the freedom of speech expressed by Jyllands Posten and the illustrators, some of whom have received death threats. Ambassadors from 11 Muslim nations wrote to Rasmussen, but he refused to see them, and would not condemn the newspaper's decision to publish the cartoons.

At a New Year's address to the nation, Rasmussen tried to show that he understood the Muslim view. The speech, which was also translated into Arabic, was viewed as a positive step by Muslims.

As a result of Per Stig Moller's conversation with Amr Moussa, the two have agreed that in future the newspaper's decision to publish the pictures should not interfere with relations between Denmark as a nation and the Arab League.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)

Israel: Islamic Jihad Fugitive Arrested

News from Arutz Sheva and Jerusalem Post states that a member of Islamic Jihad has been arrested in the West Bank at Tubas, northeast of Nablus.

The fugitive's name is Nur Safata, who was arrested and imprisoned for three years by Israel for terrorist activities in 2002. He had been released in October 2005. During a search of his home, IDF found an AK-47 assault rifle.

Safata was handed over to the Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency, for questioning. Islamic Jihad announced on New Year's Eve that they would no longer be abiding by the official truce, though with the attacks at Hadera and at Netanya, their "truce" was never peaceful.

Earlier today, 10 Palestinian fugitives, mostly affiliated with Hamas and Fatah Tanzim, with one Islamic Jihad member, were arrested. Arrests happened in Hebron, Bethlehem and villages nearby, also at a village near Kalkilya, and in Jenin.

Yesterday (Sunday) Hamas vowed to kidnap Israeli soldiers with which to barter for the release of Palestinian prisoners, states China Broadcast. The main Hamas candidate in the upcoming elections set for January 25, Ismail Heneya, made the threat to reporters.

There are 8,500 Palestinians in Israeli jails. At the elections, Hamas is expected to challenge Fatah. The elections will be the first time Palestinians have voted on legislative issues in 10 years.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:53 PM | Comments (0)

UK: Natwest Bank Is Sued For Allowing Islamist Charity Account

With a hat-tip to Joshuapundit , the Jerusalem Post reported yesterday that one of Britain's leading high street banks, the National Westminster, or Natwest, is currently being sued by US victims of Palestinian terrorism.

The lawsuit, filed in New York's Federal Court, accuses the bank of allowing a recognised Hamas charity, to open an account and transfer funds. The charity is called Interpal, and is fronted by UK convert to Islam, Ibrahim Hewitt (pictured below, right). The bank was warned by Mossad and UK intelligence agencies about the real nature of its client, but refused to prevent Interpal from having an account. Hamas is an active supporter and instigator of terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.

If found guilty, Natwest could be made to pay millions of dollars in damages.

Zvi Weiss was left severely wounded as a result of the bombing of the No. 2 bus in Jerusalem in August 2003, which left 22 people dead.

One of Weiss's lawyers, Nitzana Darshan-Leitner, told The Jerusalem Post that there was clear evidence to suggest that money from Saudi Arabia reached Hamas terrorists via Interpal.

"In 2003, both the US and British governments declared that the charity in question was undoubtedly linked to a functioning terrorist organization and all their bank accounts were frozen," she added.

Pardon my schadenfreude, but I would love to see Natwest guilty. After being a customer for seven years, I over-ran my overdraft. Even though I repaid everything, I was told I could not have an account. And Ibrahim Hewitt, who has mendaciously tried to compare Israeli bulldozing of Palestinian settlements with 6,000,000 victims of the Holocaust under Hitler - this schmuck's Hamas-involved charity gets an account? Bastards.....

As an aside, the National Westminster Bank was one of two high street banks which decided in October to ban all images of pigs and piggy banks from their advertising and from their premises. This was done, in case it offended Muslims. The other dhimmi bank was the Halifax. I bank with neither.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:59 PM | Comments (0)

Denmark: Islamic Scholar Posthumously Condemns Theo Van Gogh

Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh, who was murdered on November 2, 2004, had made film shortly before he was killed, called "Submission". This film, scripted by Ayan Hirsi Ali, documented the poor treatment of women in Islam. Texts from the Koran, including those justifying beating one's wife, were projected onto the bodies of women, some naked and prone.

The Bahrain Tribune reports that in Copenhagen, Denmark, a Muslim scholar has condemned Theo van Gogh's making of the film, "Submission", even though he has said he does not agree that the film-maker should have been killed. Imam Ahmed Abu Laban (pictured, above left) has called the film provocative and unacceptable.

On Friday, during evening prayers, Abu Laban told his congregation at the Tauba mosque that freedom of speech should have its limits, particularly concerning criticism of Islam and nudity.

"Violence has no meaning." the 58-year old Palestinian-born cleric said, claiming that Mohamed Bouyeri, the killer (pictured), had used a "bullet instead of the word."

On Submission, Abu Laban said: "Why is Islam not respected? Why on earth should Theo van Gogh provoke Muslims to the extreme?"

Laban is one of Denmark's most prominent Islamic scholars.

In Holland, Ayan Hirsi Ali has completed her script for a sequel - Submission II. This film will deal with the cruel treatments meted out to homosexuals in Islam.

Bouyeri is once again currently on trial in the Hague, the Netherlands with other members of the Islamist Hofstad Group.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:13 PM | Comments (0)

Turkey: Transportation Of Eid Sacrificial Animals May Spread Bird Flu

Today's Turkish Daily News states that the transporting of animals to be sacrificed for the imminent Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice may accelerate the spread of bird flu, experts warned on Saturday.

Gencay Gursoy, head of Istanbul's Doctors' Chamber, said that though sheep and cattle do not succumb to the disease, caused by virus H5N1, if they have lived in close proximity with infected birds, the virus could be carried on their skin or feet.

He particularly warned against transportation of animals from the east and southeast. It was in the east, near the Iraqi border at Van that three children died last week of bird flu, and two other children are infected and receiving treatment. Bird flu, once transmitted to humans, is fatal in 50% of cases.

Currently seven areas in the southeast have reported instances of avian flu among birds in the southeastern region.

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha, or Qurbanir Eid, which commemorates the sacrifice asked of Abraham, where God asked Isaac to be prepared. Abraham obeyed, and God, sparing Isaac, ordered them to sacrifice. In Turkey animals from rural areas are transported to cities, where their meat, freshly slaughtered by halal means, is eaten at the feast. Eid al-Adha is celebrated on the 10th day of the Arabic month of Zilhaj.

It appears that Dr Gursoy's warning is too late. Another report today states that three people have tested positive for H15N virus in Ankara, the capital. Two children and an adult are affected.

In the human cases at Van, a 14 year old boy and his 15 year old sister died last week, with their 11 year old sister dying on Friday. A British lab has identified the virus on the elder two, and is now conducting tests on samples from the 11 year old girl.

As well as the two cases currently in intensive care at Van, the head physician at the Van hospital yesterday said another young person was suffering similar symptoms.

The two children who died last week are the first human cases of avian flu outside of the Far East, where previous incidents have been reported this year. They are also the the first fatalities beyond the Orient.

Currently culls of domestic fowl are being carried out throughout the rural eastern regions.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 3:53 PM | Comments (0)

Forced to Convert Even After Death

The battle in Malaysia against imperialistic Islam continues as a National hero is buried as a Muslim against wife's objections that he was a Hindu.

The issue here is whether civil or sharia courts should decide matters of faith for both Non-Muslim and Muslim populations. Sharia courts are deliberately and inherently biased against non-Muslims, as the basic tenants of Islamic faith dictate that Muslims are superior to non-Muslims in all areas. Of course this puts non-Muslims in terrible position when they have to deal with Islamic law since non-Muslim testimony is often not considered at all or devalued. This is what happened with this poor Hindu wife who was ignored when she presented as evidence that her husband was a Hindu that he celebrated Hindu festivals, ate pork and was not circumcized.

Posted by Isabel de Castilla at 3:16 PM | Comments (0)

Pakistan: Detained Islamist Causes Official Embarrassment

Today, AKI states that in Pakistan, the news on 4 January that a leading Islamist was in detention is now causing officials some embarrassment. 38 year old Ghulam Mustafa was originally claimed by the authorities to have been a member of the sectarian group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

It appears now that he was a former close associate of Osama bin Laden, and the group he belonged to was not the Sunni sectarian group L-e-J, but al-Badr, a group sponsored by Pakistan's intelligence service ISI to keep the Kashmir insurgent groups under restraint.

The authorities did not announce his capture until AKI broke the story, nor had they informed Washington, Pakistan's "ally" in the "war on terror".

He (Mustafa) was released from Adyala Jail on Sep 16, 2005, after being cleared of organising a terrorist plot. He had been in custody for 14 months. During this period, his lawyer said, the police continuously blackmailed his family members to the tune of 500,000 rupees (around 8,400 dollars) and even after his acquittal in the terrorism case intelligence agencies tried to arrest him on different occasions.

Lawyer Chaudhary Farooq maintained that intelligence agencies were skeptical that Ghulam Mustafa's release from the anti-terrorist court was genuine and sent a team of investigators to probe whether he had paid any bribe to get a favourable court ruling.

On his association with bin Laden and al-Qaeda, which he confessed to in 2004, he maintains that his support for al-Qaeda was financial and logistical, and did not include actual violence.

Ghulam Mustafa's confessions that he was doing logistics for al-Qaeda while also coordinating with Pakistan's secret services in Kashmir were if not a surprise, certainly an embarrassment.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 3:15 PM | Comments (0)

Egypt: Muslim Cleric Says Marital Sex Has To Happen With Clothes ON!

News 24.com reports on the bizarre edict issued by Egyptian cleric Rashad Hassan Khalil, a former dean of Al-Azhar University's faculty of Sharia Law.

Khalil has issued a fatwa declaring that for married couples who wish to have sex, "being completely naked during the act of coitus annuls the marriage."

Yesterday's Al-Masri Al-Yom, the main daily national newspaper carried news of the fatwa, and it was discussed on satellite TV network, Dream.

In the debate, Suad Saleh of the women's department at Al-Azhar's Islamic studies faculty said that anything which brought spouses together was desirable, and rejected Khalil's claim. Another scholar, Adbel Muti, also dismissed the fatwa, saying: "Nothing is prohibited during marital sex, except of course sodomy."

It would be easy to deride the mad mufti, but for his position of eminence in the Islamic world. Al-Azhar University in Cairo is the world's largest center of Islamic learning. To have been a dean of the Sharia Law faculty is no mean feat for a scholar to achieve.

What is curious is what he means. To clarify matters, Abdullah Megawar, the chairman of Al-Azhar's fatwa committee, has said that married couples were allowed to see each other naked. However, they should not look at each others' genitals, and suggested they cover up with a blanket during sex.

Looks like sixty-nine is out of the question, unless the couple don't mind a mouth full of fluff.....

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 2:17 PM | Comments (0)

Iran: Khamenei Rejects Human Rights, Democracy

Supreme Leader Khamenei does his best to spin his true views, but we know better: Islam doesn't need West's prescription for democracy, human rights: Leader

TEHRAN, Jan. 9 (MNA) -- In his annual message to the pilgrims making hajj in Mecca, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said in Tehran on Tuesday, "The Islamic world does not need the West's deficient prescription to achieve democracy and human rights."

He added, "Democracy is included in the contents of all Islamic tenets and (the observation of) human rights is among the most respected of Islamic doctrines.[...]

No it is not. Islam does not respect Democracy and Human Rights are non-existing. As most propagandists, Khamenei attempts to win the argument by redifining the terms. What he means by 'Democracy' could better be called 'Consensus Seeking', and it would be Consensus Seeking among the believers; non-muslims have no right to participate. When he says "human rights" he truly means "Whatever Islamic Law prescribes". Islamic Law, or Shari'a, can rightfully be called many things, but promoter of Human Rights is certainly not one of them.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 1:58 PM | Comments (0)

UK: Labor MPs Admit Wrongdoing, Brazen About it

This is no way to wage a war: MPs leaked Bush plan to hit al-Jazeera

Two Labour MPs have defied the Official Secrets Act by passing on the contents of a secret British document revealing how President George Bush wanted to bomb the Arabic TV station, al-Jazeera.

The document, a transcript of a meeting between Mr Bush and Tony Blair in April 2004 when the prime minister expressed concern about US military tactics in Iraq, is already the subject of an unprecedented official secrets prosecution in Britain, against an aide to one of the MPs and another man.

David Keogh, a Cabinet Office employee, is charged with leaking information damaging to international relations to Leo O'Connor, researcher to Tony Clarke, former MP for Northampton South. The two are due to appear in court tomorrow for committal hearings.

The information was then acquired by Mr Clarke, who in turn consulted his parliamentary colleague, Peter Kilfoyle. The two politicians decided to pass on the information to a contact in the US.

Because, of course, their moral vision of how things ought to be trumps their responsibilities as Members of Parliament. The article continues:

Asked if he had broken the act in the same alleged way as Mr Clarke's aide who is facing charges, he said: "I don't know. But I'd be very pleased if Her Majesty's finest approached me about it."

The two MPs decided in October 2004 to reveal the contents of the transcript of the Blair-Bush meeting to John Latham, a Democrat supporter living in San Diego, California. They hoped to influence the impending 2004 US election, Mr Kilfoyle said.[...]

Thus, Labor MPs attempt to conspire with a Democrat to divulge National Secrets, in order to influence an election. As I've said; this is no way to wage a war.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 1:49 PM | Comments (0)

Indonesia: Another Islamist In Court On Terrorism Charges

The Jakarta Post reports that today, another Islamist has gone on trial in Jakarta, on charges of smuggling firearms for terrorist operations. Some of these weapons, it is claimed in the report from AFP sources, were then in the hands of Noordin Top, the Islamist from Jemaah Islamiyah who is currently a fugitive, and subject to a national manhunt.

At South Jakarta district court, 33 year old Enceng Kurnia is said, between April and September 2004 to have committed the "crime of terrorism by illegally possessing firearms and ammunition'.

Enceng gave four Chinese-made handguns to Ahmad Rofiq Ridho, who then passed them on to Noordin Mohamed Top, prosecutors claim.

He is further accused of smuggling a pistol from Ambon in the Moluccas and passing it to an extremist named Purnama Putra in Solo, a town on Central Java.

Ahmad Rofiq Ridho, as we reported earlier, is the brother of Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, who was shot dead on October 13, 2003 in the Philippines, following a prison-break. Ahmad is currently on trial for surveying possible bomb targets, including a Christian school.

Purnama, aged 24, is on trial separately, charged with acquiring detonators, chemicals and related items used for bomb-making, on a contract from Noordin Top.

Enceng, Purnama, Ahmad and Abdullah Sonata all belong to a group known as Kompak, which made videos documenting alleged atrocities against Muslims in Poso in Central Sulawesi and Ambon in Maluku province.

Abdullah Sonata is currently on trial in South Jakarta district court. He is charged with raising funds for terrorism, and also is accused of passing the four handguns to Noordin Top.

There are six other individuals currently on trial in Indonesia on terror charges.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)

Sudan: A Year Since Muslim North Made Peace With The South

It is a year since John Garang, the former rebel leader of the mainly-non-Muslim south of Sudan made a historic peace agreement with the Muslim north, led by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's Islamist dictatorship (the ruling National Congress Party or NCP). Bashir is pictured, left. The deal was formed after two decades of conflict which had claimed the lives of 2 million people.

Garang (pictured, right) became vice president of Sudan on July 9, but on July 30, his vice-presidency was dramatically cut short after three weeks in office - his Ugandan owned helicopter crashed, killing him and all on board. He was replaced by Lt General Salva Kiir Mayardit.

An interim constitution was ratified on June 6 2005, which officially exempted Christians from Sharia Law, though Christians were still being beaten three months later. The Christians, refugees from the south, were punished for consuming alcohol.

On Saturday October 23 2005 , a new semi-autonomous government was formed in the south, led by Salva Kiir.

Today, Opheera McDoom in Reuters AlertNet reports on the current state of Sudan, a year on from the historic deal brokered with John Garang.

She states that the peace in the south was originally thought to augur well for Darfur, showing a potential guideplan for their troubled region, but this has not happened. The western region is still troubled with attacks by government-backed militia (the Janjaweed). In the east, there is talk among some observers of a potential uprising.

The death of John Garang did little to improve the north-south situation. There were riots after his death, fuelled by rumours of political assassination. It appears maintenance errors caused the Russian-built helicopter to crash, rather than sabotage. The suspicions fuelled mistrust.

Analysts have claimed that without Garang, his party, the SPLM (Sudan People's Liberation Movement), was not able to gain real influence in the new government of the south. In six years' time, the south should be having a referendum, in which the people of the south can opt for secession from the north. Enforcement of this proposal, and also of wealth and power sharing deals, have been weakened by Garang's absence.

Garang's widow Rebecca, a southern minister, said the NCP needed to do more to persuade southerners against voting for independence in six years.

"I can't say they are committed. They should do more, put a lot of efforts into making unity attractive," she said.

Despite doubts about the peace process, a military parade of SPLM troops marked the first anniversary of peace in the southern capital Juba.

In Khartoum, southern rapper Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier, and northern musician Abdel Gadir Salim, who together released a record called "Ceasefire", were due to perform.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)

Australia: Artist's Anti-Muslim Posters Removed

News today from the Australian Daily Telegraph states that in Melbourne, posters placed by controversial artist Azlan McLennan were removed today after protestations.

The posters, erected at the city's tram stops, were widely seen as "anti-Muslim", for they bore provocative slogans. One read: "Attention passengers in the interests of personal safety non-Anglo commuters are advised to avoid using public transport."

Another had a slogan warning Muslims that they might be "subject to suspicion" superimposed over a photograph of Joseph Terrence Thomas, who has been dubbed "Jihad Jack" by the Aussie press.

Thomas (pictured above right) is a Muslim convert and Melbourne taxi-driver who is currently awaiting trial accused of financing a terrorist organisation. He spent two years in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was held in the latter nation and claims he was interrogated by CIA agents who threatened him and his wife.

Azlan McLennan is no stranger to controversy. The current "works" were produced through the Urban Arts Collective.

In May 2004,while a 28-year old final year art student, his work "Fifty Six" was widely condemned as anti-semitic. On display in Flinders Street, it featured a large Star of David, acompanied by text detailing statistics of Palestinian sufferings, which the Age dismissed as "debatable". That work was regarded as controversial, and was reported internationally. Eventually, it was painted over (see pic below).

Yarra Trams, at whose stops the recent posters were displayed, have condemned the images and slogans. The government of Victoria and the city of Melbourne have joined the chorus of protest.

Acting transport minister Bob Cameron stated "These ads are offensive, they are stupid and they should be pulled down and the government's making it very clear today that we want these ads pulled down."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:09 AM | Comments (0)

January 8, 2006

US: Memorial Service for Bahai Victim of Islamist Regime

The Chicago Sun Times reports that 150 people gathered at the North American Baha'i Temple in Wilmette to commemorate Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, who was imprisoned by the Islamist regime of Iran.

Mahrami (pictured) was declared a Baha'i martyr after his death in captivity on 15 December 2005. He was 59 when he died. He had been arrested in Yazd in 1995, and charged with apostasy. Initially, on 2 January 1996 he was given a death sentence, but after international condemnation the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

The exact cause of Mahrami's death is unknown, but Bani Dugal, the Bahai representative to the UN, said "Mr. Mahrami had no known health concerns".

Since 1978, more than 200 Iranian Baha'i have been killed, hundreds more have been imprisoned, and thousands have been deprived of jobs, pensions and education as part of a widespread and systemic religious persecution by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

As of October, Mr. Mahrami was one of nine Baha'is being held in Iranian prisons. However, all of the others had been arrested in 2005.

Mr Mahrami was buried on Friday 16 December, and on 23 December, the US State Department issued a press release condemning the circumstances of his persecution and imprisonment.

The Sun Times quotes sayings of those present at yesterday's memorial service. Marjan Dhavoudi, who lost her father, her home and a place in college in Iran, said of Baha'i martyrs such as Mahrami: "They were thinking and serving the main principle of the Baha'i faith: love for humanity...and they stayed steadfast in that idea until the last moment of their lives."

17 year old Vinvent Rezaei, whose grandfather was imprisoned in Iran for being a Baha'i, said "He gave his life so that we can enjoy ours. I felt the least I could do is come show my respect for him."

The Baha'i faith was founded by Baha'u'llah (Glory of God in Arabic), who was born in Tehran, Iran as Husayn Ali, into a wealthy Shia family on November 12, 1817. He became a member of the Babi religious movement, and when its leader was killed, he was imprisoned for four months in a dungeon known as the "Black Pit" in 1852. Here he gained a revelation, which involved seeing all faiths as being equal under God. The Baha'i faith was born. Baha'u'llah faced persecutions and exiles, and eventually died in 1892.

The Baha'i faith currently has 5 million adherents globally, based in 236 countries and dependent territories. In the US there are 150,000 Baha'is. More than 10,000 of these are refugees from persecutions in Iran. The faith insists that science should be followed, and stresses the equality of males and females.

Bahai.org states that in 2005, 59 people were arrested from the Baha'i faith, indicating a new wave of persecutions.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:18 PM | Comments (0)

UK: Islamist Cleric, Abu Hamza, To Stand Trial

The Egyptian-born radical Muslim cleric, Abu Hamza (pictured), is to face trial tomorrow (Monday 9 Jan) in Britain, on 16 charges, state Reuters and CNN.

Abu Hamza al-Masri, whose real name is Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, is currently residing in Belmarsh prison, where he has been since May 2004. The UK is currently considering having him deported back to Egypt. He is also wanted by the United States on an extradition request, for his involvement with attempting to set up a terror training camp in Bly, Oregon. A court on Thursday ruled that Haroon Rashid Aswat, his accomplice in the Bly plans, can be extradited to the US.

Extradition measures to the US, who have lodged 11 charges against Abu Hamza, have been suspended while tomorrow's trial goes ahead.

The sixteen charges which Abu Hamza is facing include soliciting to murder non-Muslims, inciting racial hatred and possessing terrorist documentation. He is charged in 10 instances of soliciting murder, under section 4 of the Offences Against the Person Act (1861). These "solicitations" took place at public meetings, and some of these involve soliciting murder of Jews.

He is charged in four instances under the Public Order Act 1986 for "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior with the intention of stirring up racial hatred."

He is charged on one count of terrorism, under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. This concerns the alleged possession of a document containing information "of a kind to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".

With the high profile of the case, Hamza will be tried at Britain's highest criminal court, the Old Bailey, and the case is expected to last about three weeks. If found guilty, he could face life imprisonment.

Abu Hamza lost both his hands and his left eye in Afghanistan, while engaged in fighting against Soviet forces. He was involved with the notorious Finsbury Park Mosque, and when banned by the trustees from setting foot on the premises, he used to hold prayer sessions in the road near Finsbury Park station. I remember that the 106 bus route had to have part of its journey re-routed to avoid being held up by Hamza's cronies.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:21 PM | Comments (0)

France: Muslim Father Imprisoned Daughters To "Teach Them Islam"

Yesterday's Telegraph reported that a Moroccan man living in southern France was sentenced on Friday (6 Jan) to a 10 month suspended prison sentence. He was also stripped of his parental rights. He had kept his four daughters prisoner in a small flat, and was found guilty of breaking the laws demanding universal compulsory education for children aged six and above. One girl was aged four, but the others were ten, thirteen and fourteen.

The man, aged 45 and not identified to protect the identity of his daughters, lived in Romans-sur-Isere in the region of the Drome, north of Avignon, between Dauphine and Provence. He said he did not allow them to go to school because they would have had to remove the Islamic headscarf, or hijab.

The man, who does not work and claims state unemployment benefit, stated that he was the "only person to give them a decent education".

The girls were forbidden to play with toys and were prevented from watching television. Their only reading matter was the Koran, and they were only allowed to do crochet and clean. Despite all being born in France, the girls cannot speak a word of French.

The girls rarely left the apartment in the sleazy estate of La Monnaie, and usually got no further than the lobby. On a rare occasion when the eldest girl ventured outside, she met a social worker who gave her the telephone number of an abuse hotline. She called the number, which led to the court hearing.

The children now live at a new home, and their mother, who was not charged, is allowed to visit them.

La Monnaie, despite its poverty, means "Money", an ironic title indeed. We reported that on November 15 during the French riots, a church was set alight and severely damaged, and a stolen car was driven into the metal-shuttered offices of the police commissariat in La Monnaie.

Keywords: Hijab, Hidjab, Burka, Burqa

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:43 PM | Comments (0)

Yemen: Six Killed In Islamist Clashes

UPI, via Monsters & Critics reports that on Saturday, the Islamic Reform Party, the main opposition party, announced that six people were killed, including two soldiers, in separate clashes between Islamists and pro-government tribespeople.

On its website, the Islamic Reform Party announced that four supporters of al-Oujeri, a government-approving tribal group, were killed and two injured when a mortar rocket attack was made on them by followers of Badreddine al-Houthy, a religious rebel leader.

Al-Houthy surrendered on September 23, 2005. He was leader of the Faithful Youth movement founded by his son, Hussein. The group is comprised of members of the Zaydi or Zaidi of Islam, who live mainly in the north and comprise 25% of the population of Yemen. Badreddine al-Houthy's son Hussein was killed in September 2004. The aim of the Faithful Youth movement is "that authorities have to stop hunting for al-Houthi supporters and the Faithful Youth members and compensate for the damage left by the war on the houses of locals in the area."

The Islamic Reform Party website report also claimed that two Yemeni soldiers were killed on Thursday, after being ambushed by followers of Badreddine and Hussein al-Houthy in the north of Sadaah province. News is scant from this region, as journalists are barred from entry.

The northern part of Sadaah has seen a resurgence of Islamist activities recently. Members of the Zaidi, under al-Houthy junior, staged an uprising in northern Yemen in June 2004 and confrontations have continued since. 500 people have been killed and 2,000 injured over the past 18 months. In March 2005, Badreddine took over from his late son, and led another uprising, which was declared "crushed" after only a month, even though al-Houthy and other leaders remained at large, with about 3,000 active supporters at their disposal.

On December 3, one follower of al-Houthy, Yehya Dalimi, was given a death sentence for "'organizing armed gangs, backing al-Houthy's rebellion, conspiring against the regime, and collaborating with Iran through illegitimate channels with the aim of "undermining state security and inciting sectarian strife"". Mohammad Moftah, who was similarly accused, received a 10 year jail sentence.

Keywords: Badreddine al-Houthy, Badreddine al-Houthi, Zaidi, Zaydi

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:50 PM | Comments (0)

Thailand: Three Killed in Muslim South

A total of seven people have been killed in separate attacks in Thailand's three southern provinces, which are 80% Muslim. On Saturday, Islamists shot two police officers dead in Yala province and stole their weapons, and a pig farmer was killed in Pattani province. The Bangkok Post states that the killings happened after army supreme commander Gen Ruengroj Mahasaranond hailed an easing of the violence, after a suspected Islamist leader had beeen arrested.

Gen. Ruengroj said that unrest in the 3 southernmost provinces (Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat) had decreased since Mareepeng Maha, who had a reward equivalent to $12,200 on his head, had been captured. Ruengroj predicted an improvement in the situation, if more key leaders were apprehended.

In Yala, Sergeant Raksiam Suthamwong, 42, and Corporal Panyakorn Snitpoot, 29 were shot in a food market in the Raman district, and in Pattani, 47-year old pig farmer, Toy Larnwong was killed in a drive-by shooting, states New.com.au.

Reuters AlertNet states that in Narathiwat province in another incident yesterday, in the town of Sungkai Kolok near the Malaysian border, a bomb exploded at a tea shop, injuring three people, though none seriously. One of the wounded individuals was a Malaysian, and the others were the Thai tea shop owner and a customer. Australia's Special Broadcasting Service states that the Malaysian was male, the Thais female.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:04 PM | Comments (0)

Algeria: Islamists Kill Four Civilians

Four civilians were killed in Algeria, authorities said today, according to Reuters.

The individuals killed were workers for a state water company, Algerienne Des Eaux. Their employer, though not furnishing any details of the manner of their deaths, said they were killed on Saturday in the southwestern province of Tissemsilt, 211 miles from the capital, Algiers.

On Thursday 29 September 2005, the electorate voted on a referendum, which offered an amnesty to Islamist rebels, who have killed at least 100,000 people, mostly civilians, over the past decade, with Reuters claiming the figure is 150,000.

Though the population voted to offer the rebels an amnesty, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat rejected the offer on October 1, and within days, Islamist attacks recommenced against civilians.

Reuters states that attacks have dropped in number over recent weeks.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 3:23 PM | Comments (0)

Iran: Teenaged Girl Condemmed to Death for Killing Would-be Rapist

Ah, the wonders of Islamic Law. Under Islamic Law, the Sharia, it takes four male witnesses witnessing a rape for the rape to be proven in court. Thus, in this case, the attempted rape of the girls could not be proven, as there were no handy four males around. But the "murder" of one of the attackers could be proven, as beatifully-named Nazanin confessed to killing him: Iran to hang teenage girl attacked by rapists

Tehran, Iran, Jan. 07 - An Iranian court has sentenced a teenage rape victim to death by hanging after she weepingly confessed that she had unintentionally killed a man who had tried to rape both her and her niece.

The state-run daily Etemaad reported on Saturday that 18-year-old Nazanin confessed to stabbing one of three men who had attacked the pair along with their boyfriends while they were spending some time in a park west of the Iranian capital in March 2005.

Nazanin, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, said that after the three men started to throw stones at them, the two girls' boyfriends quickly escaped on their motorbikes leaving the pair helpless.

She described how the three men pushed her and her 16-year-old niece Somayeh onto the ground and tried to rape them, and said that she took out a knife from her pocket and stabbed one of the men in the hand.

As the girls tried to escape, the men once again attacked them, and at this point, Nazanin said, she stabbed one of the men in the chest. The teenage girl, however, broke down in tears in court as she explained that she had no intention of killing the man but was merely defending herself and her younger niece from rape, the report said.

The court, however, issued on Tuesday a sentence for Nazanin to be hanged to death.[...]

As a sidenote, what kind of boyfriends are those who run away and leave their girlfriends helpless when other men attack them?

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:51 AM | Comments (0)

Book Review: Unholy Alliance

(Note: After an unplanned hiatus--you know, due to bad planning on my part--Book Reviews is back.)

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend", says the old adage. This is, of course, not always true. But as a political strategy it has been used often in the past, and it will be used again in the future. When political commentators dwell on the growing alliance between the Western Left and Islamists, the favored explanation is that of an alliance of convenience. That, however, may not always be the case.

In Unholy Alliance : Radical Islam and the American Left, David Horowitz offers a different explanation; the alliance may be born out of the hard left's hatred of Western civilization, out of its inherent nihilism.

I don't completely agree with Mr. Horowitz--I do think there is quite a deal of plain old cynicism in the alliance, especially when it comes to old-fashioned Communists like Fidel Castro--but that's beside the point. Mr. Horowitz has written a worthy book, which as most books has a few shortcomings. His ideas, supported by evidence, deserve a closer look.

Posted by Ruy Diaz at 7:00 AM | Comments (0)

January 7, 2006

US: Chicago Mosque Leader Gets 20 Years' Jail On Drugs Charge

On 5 August, 2004, Tariq Isa was arrested as he arrived at O'Hare international airport, on a flight from the Middle East. A Palestinian-American, Isa was the treasurer and youth counselor at the Martyr Izzedine Al-Qassam mosque on West 63rd Street, Chicago, which is also known as the Chicago Islamic Center.

Isa, a father of five, was accused of seeking to distribute 1.73 million tablets of pseudoephedrine, in an indictment which had been filed in a federal court in Chicago, but unsealed only after his arrest. On 10 August, a federal judge, Amy St Eve, ordered Isa to remain in custody, on charges that he trafficked in a chemical, (pseudoephedrine) which was essential to the manufacture of an illegal narcotic (methamphetamine).

As Robert Spencer noted at the time, Isa was the third person from the South Side Mosque's leadership to be in trouble with the law. An indictment had been filed against Ghassan Zayed Ballut and Hatem Fariz in Florida, in 2003, for alleged financing of Palestinian terror group Islamic Jihad. Assistant Attorney Lisa Noller claimed in court that Isa, Ballut and Fariz were the only members of the Mosque of the Martyr Izzedine Al-Qassam with the power to act as signatories in the mosque bank account.

Accused with Sami al-Arian, Ballut was found not guilty on December 7, 2005 of all charges laid against him. Hatem Naji Fariz was acquitted on 25 charges, with the jury unable to decide on eight others, but he still faces federal charges in Chicago of cheating the food stamp system and money-laundering.

On Friday September 2, 2005, 57-year old Isa pleaded guilty to the distribution charge. He admitted that he knew that the pseudoephedrine which he wanted to sell would be utilised in the production of methamphetamine.

News from CBS2 Chicago and Daily SouthTown states that yesterday (Friday 6), Isa received 20 years for trying to buy 1.73 million nasal decongestant tablets.

The plan to buy the pseudoephedrine, which was arranged with a government informant and another individual, had never come to fruition. Isa was said by prosecutors to have paid $66,780 to the government informant. $100,000 cash had been seized from Isa in 2002, two years before he was officially indicted.

Isa, who lives in the suburb of Cicero, had been asked about the mosque when he had attempted to plea-bargain, but he refused to talk about the mosque. Lisa Noller claimed that with no useful information on the mosque, there was nothing for the prosecution to bargain with.

The US district judge at the sentencing, Amy St Eve, noted that when Isa was conspiring to purchase pseudoephedrine, he was already on probation for a previous conviction of pseudoephedrine-pushing from 2002.

"He's out there doing the same thing while he's on probation. There is a need for a just punishment here," she said, and sentenced him to 235 months in prison, or twenty years.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:06 PM | Comments (0)

US: CAIR Joins Boston Islamic Society Controversy

We recently described the growing controversy surrounding the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB), which is building a giant mosque in the Roxbury distict of the city. The construction of the mosque has virtually halted while the organisation fights a lawsuit against various organisations and individuals which it claims have "defamed" it.

The "defamatory" groups named in ISB' lawsuit, including Boston's Fox Channel 25, have pointed out some unpleasant truths, regarding a former founder's sentencing to 23 years' jail. Abdurahman Alamoudi, identified by the US Treasury Department as a fund-raiser for al-Qaeda, was involved in an assassination plot. We listed other instances of extremist connections in our earlier article.

Today, Reuters discusses the rising tensions between ISB leadership and leaders of Jewish groups in Boston. On Thursday, Boston's Jewish Advocate newspaper carried a full page advertisement, in which ISB was accused of using litigation to suppress discussion, and also of failing to adequately respond to Jewish leaders' questions. Jewish leaders have, since London's 7/7, where mosques have been cited as sources of extremism, been concerned about mosques with possible terror links.

Larry Lowenthal heads the American Jewish Committee's Boston branch. He says: "There is a great deal of anxiety.... The distance that I think has to be established between these current leaders and their colleagues who have made troubling statements ... that distance has to be clearly distinct and established."

There are an estimated 240,000 Jews in the Boston region, with 70,000 Muslims. Reuters reports that the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has 33 branches in the US and Canada, has also thrown its support behind the Islamic Society of Boston.

Arsalan Iftikhar, who is legal director for CAIR, said: "Unfortunately, I see the Boston case as indicative of a growing trend in anti-Muslim rhetoric that has grown after 9/11. It has especially impacted local Muslim communities in terms of building their mosques. High concentrations of Muslim populations are being given a hard time for just trying to practice their faith."

Well CAIR knows what a hard time it has had, just trying to practice its faith. CAIR was founded in 1994, at a period according to Ahmed Bedier, the group's communications director, when it was not "immoral" to support Islamic Jihad, the anti-Israeli terrorist organisation.

The organisation's headquarters near the White House was funded with Saudi money. National Review states: "According to saudiembassy.net, the official website of the Saudi government, CAIR received $250,000 from the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank, an official Saudi financial institution, in 1999, for the purchase of land in Washington, D.C., to construct a headquarters facility." IDB have funded US mosques too, including ones associated with Wahhabism, the extremist Sunni doctrine which originated in Saudi Arabia.

The most comprehensive sources on CAIR itself being linked with terrorism and its advocates can be found in ANTI-CAIR, currently subject to a lawsuit from the group, and Daniel Pipes.org. A class action lawsuit has been filed against CAIR, naming the group as a defendant, by the families of FBI man John P. O'Neill, Sr, who died in the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001.

A full copy of the charges specifically laid against CAIR can be found in a pdf upload, provided by Daniel Pipes, entitled Plaintiffs' More Definite Statement as to Defendant Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and CAIR-Canada. From page 11:

CAIR was founded by donations from the Holy Land Foundation (HLF), which is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization, World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), and International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO).

CAIR is funded by terrorists. The International Institute of Islamic Thought, an organization linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, donated money in 2003, according to its tax filings. Additionally, the Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) gave CAIR $250,000 in August 1999. The IDB also manages funds for the Al-Quds which finance suicide bombings against Israeli civilians by providing funds to the families of Palestinian "martyrs".

One of CAIR's fundraisers, Rabih Hadid, was co-founder of the Global Relief Foundation, which was designated as a f