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November 27, 2007

US: Oakland's Black Muslims - Murder, Torture And Fraud

This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appeared earlier in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.

Oakland's Black Muslims - Murder, Torture And Fraud

On August 2, 57-year old journalist Chauncey Bailey was walking to work when he was shot dead. Just before 7.30 a.m., a young man in dark clothing and wearing a ski mask shot Bailey three times with a sawn-off shotgun in 250 block of 14th Street, Oakland. After the killing, the gunman was driven away in a white van. Bailey's fiancee, Deborah Oduwa, saw his body in the funeral home. She claimed that the shotgun had sheared his face off. Oduwa said: "He died a horrible death. It's traumatic. I think it will damage me for the rest of my life."

At the time of his death, Bailey had been working on an investigation of the empire of the Black Muslims, a local group unconnected with the Nation of Islam. When he was shot, Oakland Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan had claimed that Yusef Bey IV, the heir to the Black Muslim empire, was possibly behind the killing.

The day after Bailey's murder, a raid was made upon the main building of the "empire", a bakery in San Pablo Avenue called Your Black Muslim Bakery. The raid on the bakery had been planned long before Chauncey Bailey was killed. Nineteen individuals were arrested, and weapons were recovered. Spent ammunition was found on the bakery's roof. Yusef Bey IV was among the people brought in for questioning. On Saturday, August 4, one of the arrested men, a 19-year old handyman employed at the bakery named Devaughndre Broussard, confessed to the killing of the journalist, who was also editor of the Oakland Post.

On Wednesday, November 21, a preliminary hearing took place, where evidence against Broussard was presented before Alameda Superior Court Judge Robert McGuiness. The judge decided that there was enough evidence to go ahead with a full trial. On December 7, Broussard is scheduled to be arraigned on charges of murder and possessing a firearm.

At the preliminary hearing, Broussard's taped confession was played. Additionally, two phone calls that Broussard had made from Santa Rita Jail in Dublin were heard. One of these, where Broussard was crying, was made to an unidentified man. "You aint ever going to see me again. They got me for murder," Broussard said. He said that he had confessed to the murder.

The man responded: "No you didn't you stupid ass n****! What is wrong with you? Ain't nothing we can do now... I told you to leave those f***ing Muslims alone. Why didn't you listen to me? If you would have you wouldn't be where you're at right now."

Broussard, when aged 15, had won a contest for young entrepreneurs set up by UC Berkeley. On October 31, 2005, he had robbed and assaulted Christopher Hall, a young traveler on the Municipal Railway in San Fransisco, fracturing his victim's nose and giving him blurred vision. Broussard was given a sentence of probation.

Two days before Broussard's hearing, another trial involving the Black Muslims had reached a verdict. On Monday, November 19, 22-year old Alfonza Phillips III was found guilty of the murder of Antar Bey a former leader of the Black Muslims. Phillips was also found guilty of car-jacking, possession of a firearm by a felon and also of enhancements which included the use of and discharge of a firearm.

In 2004, Antar Bey (pictured) had taken over the running of the Black Muslims' business empire that had been established by Yusef Bey senior. Yusef Bey had died of colon cancer on September 30, 2003. His empire had grown from humble beginnings in the 1960s, starting with the establishment of the bakery, and later involving real estate, security firms, small retail outlets and even a school. By the time Yusuf Bey had died, he had left at least forty offspring, and numerous "adopted" sons.

Yusuf Bey had officially handed over the running of his empire to one of these "adopted" sons, 51-year old Waajid Aljawaad Bey. On February 29, 2004, Waajid Aljawaad Bey disappeared. His decomposing remains were found on July 20, 2004. Bey had been interred in a shallow grave close to a trail in King Estates Park in the Oakland Hills. The case has never been solved. Before Waajid Aljawaad Bey had been discovered, and his death recorded as homicide, Antar Bey had assumed the mantle of power, calling himself Captain Antar Bey.

A month before the rotting body of his predecessor had been found, Antar Bey had been named in a restraining order issued by Farieda Bey, widow of Yusuf Bey senior. She claimed Antar Bey - born Akeem Brown - had intimidated her. He had sent men to break down a door and change the locks to a room in the "Your Black Muslim Bakery" where she had formerly lived with her late husband. Fareida Bey claimed that Antar Bey "has guns."

Antar Bey's leadership of the Black Muslim empire was marked by violence and threats. Ali Saleem Bey, a son-in-law of Yusuf Bey senior, admits to being Chauncy Bailey's main informant for stories about the inner workings of the Bey empire. Ali Saleem also maintained that Antar Bey had gained control of "Your Black Muslim Bakery" on San Pablo Avenue with a forged document. He ruled the empire with the assistance of thug henchmen

Before Yusuf Bey senior died, journalist Chris Thompson had written accounts of the violence and corruption among the Black Muslims. He also wrote of the charges which had been brought against Bey senior involving sexual assault of young girls. The abuses had been carried out for years, but Alameda County Child Protective Services had apparently ignored complaints. At the time of his death, Yusuf Bey senior was awaiting trial on 27 counts of sexual abuse.

Chris Thompson, as well as Chauncey Bailey, had been receiving death threats since 2002. After Waajid Aljawaad Bey's rotting corpse was discovered, the threats against Thompson increased. In June of 2005, another of the Bey "family" was ambushed. 41-year old John Bey was a senior manager at Universal Distributors Security, a lucrative company within the Black Muslim empire. As he left his home one morning in Indian Way, Montclair, he was attacked by a gunman and shot at several times with a shotgun. He was seriously wounded. Though he survived the apparent assassination attempt, John Bey was unnerved and left the neighborhood.

On the early evening of October 25, 2005, Antar Bey drove his black BMW 745i sedan into the Union 76 gas station at 55th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in North Oakland. As he waited for the fuel tank to fill, Bey stepped back from the vehicle, talking on his cell phone. A young man shot him in the back of the head with a .44 Magnum revolver, in what police claimed at the time was a failed attempt at car-jacking. At the time, journalists speculated that Antar Bey's killing had been an assassination, part of a power struggle for leadership of the Bey empire.

Shortly after Antar Bey's killing, Alfonza Phillips III was arrested. His trial had started on Monday October 29, 2007. The prosecution maintained during the trial that there had been no assassination attempt. It was stated that Phillips had intended to steal Bey's $75,000 BMW vehicle and to give its 22-inch rims to Althea Foy, his girlfriend who works for the postal service.

Leonard Ulfelder, Phillips' attorney, made a claim against a member of Oakland police's homicide squad, Sergeant Derwin Longmire. Ulfelder claimed that Longmire had pressured Foy, threatening that if she did not give a statement against Phillips, a "swarm of Muslims" would harm both her and her family. Althea Foy took the stand and claimed that her boyfriend had never told her he had killed Bey, as the prosecution alleged. She said Longmire had subjected her to pressure which caused her to tell him "everything I thought he wanted to hear". She also claimed that at an earlier court hearing, Antar Bey's relatives had photographed her with her mother, outside the courtroom.

Ulfelder argued during the trial that the killing of Antar Bey had been an assassination connected with a power struggle at the bakery. Colleen McMahon, Alameda County Deputy District Attorney, countered that as Ulfelder had provided no witnesses who claimed this, there was "not a shred of evidence" to support his claim. She said: "This incident was a hit? If that were the case, the shooter would have made darn sure that he (Bey) was dead and shot him multiple times."

McMahon played jurors a tape of a phone conversation which took place between Phillips and his girlfriend. He was speaking to her from jail. Phillips was heard to say "Stay silent. You hear me, stay silent n****r." Foy replied: "I know." In another part of the conversation, Phillips referred to a police informant who had claimed Phillips had told him he had killed Antar Bey. In the tape, Phillips said: "I heard that n****r. That n****r sounded like he was high as f*** when he went in there." When he was convicted, Phillips smirked.

The events which had led up to the August arrests had involved investigations into the killings of two men. On July 8, 2007. 31-year old Odell Robertson Jr. was gunned down. On July 12, 36-year old sous-chef Michael J. Wills Jr. was shot dead in San Pablo Avenue. Wills had addresses in Oakland and Freemont. Both had been killed with the same AK-47 assault rifle. Odell Robertson was the uncle of Alfonza Phillips III, killer of Antar Bey.

In September 2007, it was revealed that the shotgun which was used to kill Chauncey Bailey was also the same weapon which had been used in the attack on John Bey in June 2005. It was also used in an attack upon a car which took place in December 2006. The shotgun had blasted out the windows of the vehicle, which belonged to a former boyfriend of the girlfriend of the current leader of the Black Muslims of Oakland, Yusuf Bey IV, now aged 21.

Since the August 3 arrests at Your Black Muslim Bakery, Yusuf Bey IV has been kept in jail. He replaced his elder brother Antar Bey as head of the empire in November 2005, aged 19. Almost as soon as he had taken control of the group, he was accused of leading vigilante campaigns against stores owned by genuine Muslims (as opposed to adherents of the racist Bey creed inspired by Elijah Muhammad).

On November 23, 2005, two stores - the San Pablo Market and Liquor at 2363 San Pablo Ave. and New York Market at 3446 Market St were visited by about a dozen smartly-dressed black men. These told the store owners to stop selling liquor to black customers. They then smashed up the stores. Another store on Third Street was also vandalized. The manner of the attacks echoed an incident from 1993. Then, employees of a laundry owned by Yusuf Bey senior had attacked a store in North Richmond, knocking food and liquor onto the ground. Bey senior had then justified the incident by claiming the store had been a venue for drug dealers.

Following the 2005 attacks on the stores, the New York Market was apparently "punished" for not complying with its orders. Five days after being vandalized, the store was gutted in an arson attack. The 19-year old store clerk had been kidnapped and locked in the trunk of a car. Closed circuit video footage of the original attacks upon the stores allowed police to identify suspects and issue arrest warrants. Yusuf Bey IV was among those identified and subsequently charged.

Yusuf Bey IV gave a press conference in December 2005 (pictured), accompanied by Lorna Brown, the defense attorney who represents him and who had also defended his father against charges of sexual abuse. Instead of condemning the attacks against the stores, Yusuf Bey IV appeared to condone them, saying of the Yemeni store-owners: "In their home countries they'd be killed for selling alcohol."

Despite facing charges connected with the attacks upon the liquor-vending stores, as well as earlier charges of grand theft of a vehicle and obtaining property under false pretenses, (using someone else's credit card to obtain a $55,000 vehicle from a car lot in Solano County) Yusuf Bey IV continued to flout the law.

On March 30, 2006 he was due to attend a court in Freemont on charges of resisting a police officer, an event which had taken place in June 2005. When police were called to an incident where Bey had been arguing with the owner of a movie theater, he had refused to let a female police officer question him. Bey failed to turn up at the Freemont court, and an arrest warrant was served on him. On April 6, 2006, while driving without plates or registration, he was stopped by police and arrested over the warrant.

On April 28, 2006, a visit to a San Fransisco strip joint with his friends led to problems. His entourage was expelled from the venue for interfering with the entertainers, and then Bey apparently drove his BMW into one of the bouncers. This bouncer was injured, and then Bey allegedly tried to run over another bouncer. He was charged with aggravated assault.

In May of this year, Bey and some of his entourage were apparently involved in a case of kidnap and torture. On Thursday August 30 Bey and two associates from Your Black Muslim Bakery appeared in court. Bey pleaded "not guilty" to more than two dozen charges of felony, which included Kidnapping, torture and real estate fraud. Bey's two co-accused are 21-year old Joshua Bey and 20-year old Tamon Halfin (pictured)

On May 17, Bey was allegedly driving around in a black Ford Crown Victoria vehicle, made to look like a police car. They were apparently looking for people with money. They identified a woman and her daughter who had left a bingo session and were driving along Interstate 580. The two women's vehicle was stopped, and the women were taken in the fake police car to a house in Avenal Avenue, East Oakland. Here the daughter was handcuffed and tortured with a knife, in an attempt to make her give money or contact someone who had money. Her mother was kept locked in another car outside. The daughter's ordeal ended when a police officer saw the fake "police car" and went to investigate. The assailants fled on foot, and the woman could be heard screaming.

In October, DNA taken from the knife used to torture the young woman was used to add a fourth man to the three already charged. This individual is Yusuf Bey IV's half-brother, Yusuf Bey V. Twice in the courtroom, Bey V said that the case against him was "bullshit". Additional DNA samples cannot be ruled out as belonging to his half-brother, Yusuf Bey IV.

The charges of real estate fraud were made shortly before Yusuf Bey IV, Joshua Bey and Tamon Halfin were due to appear in court. Yusuf Bey IV is accused of stealing an identity and employing a fake driver's license to secure loans, which he then used to buy a house at 2514 61st Avenue, Oakland.

Tamon Halfin is accused of using a fake identity - Jason Peterson - to secure more than $1 million in mortgage loans for two properties in Oakland. He was said to have forged a Bank of America document.

Bey appears to be not the only person connected with the empire who is believed to have used real estate fraud to acquire properties. Esperanza Johnson, aka Noor Jehan Bey, has twice been accused of fraud. She and her husband Antron Thurman have gained $2 million of real estate in deals which are controversial, if not fraudulent.

After Chauncy Bailey was killed for investigating the illegal dealings of the Bey empire, a grouping of journalists was formed in October, to continue his investigations. Called the Chauncey Bailey Project, its members have examined the controversial land deals of Esperanza Johnson and her husband, transactions have led to other individuals claiming to have lost more than $1.77 million.

The San Pablo Avenue bakery was closed down by food inspectors when the August 3 raid took place, after unhygienic conditions were found inside. On September 6, Your Black Muslim Bakery was placed on the market. Originally, the company had tried to declare bankruptcy, which may have kept the building from being immediately sold off, but in late August the business's voluntary claim was reclassified as Chapter 7 liquidation. The bakery building was offered for sale at a price of $899,000. A bid, which will be ratified at a hearing set for November 29, has already been made for the bakery property. The bidder, Paulette Arbuckle, is a client of Esmeralda Johnson. Johnson's business registration was suspended in 2006, as she owed about $1 million in tax.

Yusuf Bey IV's mother is Daulet Bey, one of the many "wives" of Yusuf Bey senior. Daulet raised eight offspring of the founder of the empire. Tevis Thompson, the bankruptcy trustee who was selling off Your Black Muslim Bakery, has filed suit against Daulet Bey. It is claimed by Thompson that three bakery-owned properties, worth $2.28 million, were "gifted" to Daulet Bey in February 2006, before the business officially declared its "bankruptcy". In a legal statement, Thompson claimed that the gifting of the properties was an attempt "to hinder, delay or defraud creditors," and requested they be returned to the bakery and trustee.

last week, three of Yusuf Bey senior's "wives" testified that while the founder of the business empire established his companies, he also created an elaborate scheme of welfare fraud which involved the roughly 100 women whom he claimed as "wives".

The welfare fraud started in the 1970s, and only ended when Bey senior died. The three women claimed that the welfare fraud had been assisted by two employees of theAlameda County Social Services Agency, who were sisters-in-law to Bey senior. The two employees were responsible for selecting people who should become recipients of welfare assistance.

The three "wives" maintained that payments for children, fraudulently obtained, went into the bakery funds, along with Section 8 rent vouchers, and medical funds designed to assist the poorest inhabitants of California. By demanding that his "wives" refused to name him on their children's birth certificates, Bey's income was not revealed in the wives' claims.

The case of the Black Muslim empire under the leadership of Yusuf Bey senior, down to Yusuf Bey IV, reads like a script from a colorful gangster movie. Questions need to be asked about how such a violent and corrupt organization could flourish for so long in a region already troubled by violence and crime. The group had official patronage. According to journalist Chris Thompson, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson and City Councilmember Larry Reid provided letters of support in 1995 when Nedir Bey, one of Bey senior's adopted sons, stood trial on charges of beating and torturing a Nigerian man, .

Tarika Lewis was the stepmother of two young girls. She alleged that Yusuf Bey senior beat and raped these children, but over five years of complaining to law enforcement and child welfare agencies, no action was taken.

State Senator Don Perata had written a letter of praise for Yusuf Bey senior. He wrote: "The leadership you provide should be an inspiration to all concerned over the city's future." The handwritten letter was displayed in Your Black Muslim Bakery, enclosed in a frame and hanging above the pie case.

Court records connected with Tarika Lewis' claims against Bey senior showed that at least two senior police officials claimed that Oakland Police turned a blind eye while members of the Bey empire enacted "vigilante justice".

The same allegations have resurfaced again, in the recent trial of Alfonza Phillips and also the preliminary hearing of Devaughndre Broussard. The lawyer acting for Broussard, LeRue Grim, has claimed that a senior police officer deliberately allowed his client to be left in a room with Yusuf Bey IV, and during this meeting, Broussard was ordered to "take the fall" for Chauncey Bailey's killing. Police reports maintain that it took only six minutes of being officially questioned before Broussard made his confession. Broussard has subsequently recanted.

The officer is 43-year old Sergeant Derwin Longmire. In a videotape seen by the San Francisco Chronicle, Yusuf Bey IV is heard saying: "The reason they didn't pin the (Bailey) murder on me was because of Longmire." Lorna Brown, the attorney for Yusuf Bey IV, has said that Longmire had acted as a "mentor" for her client. She said: "I always had the feeling that Longmire had Yusuf's best interests at heart, and that he was trying to help another young African American guy."

During her testimony at Alfonza Phillips' trial, Althea Foy had claimed that Longmire had said that he "hadn't slapped a young black bitch around in a long time," and told her that she was "lucky to still have her teeth," before warning her of a "swarm of Muslims" that would harm her and her family, should she decide not to cooperate.

The more that one looks into the dealings of the Bey empire and the activities of Oakland's Black Muslims, the more murky and seedy the picture becomes. And more questions emerge, such as how could members of the political elite in Oakland and Alameda County allow themselves to endorse a group that espoused racist and anti-Semitic views? A group that is now becoming revealed so obviously as a "front" for a long-running criminal enterprise, whose adoption of the title "Muslim" is an affront to every law-abiding American Muslim citizen.

Adrian Morgan

© 2003-2007 FamilySecurityMatters.org All Rights Reserved

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:47 AM | Comments (0)

November 24, 2007

Denmark: Islamists Jailed For Bomb Plot

We reported earlier that nine men had been arrested in Odense, Denmark, on the night of September 4-5, 2006.

The men had all been apprehended in raids made in the suburb of Vollsmose. At the time, Lene Espersen, Denmark's Justice Minister, stated: "The clues police found indicate that they were very likely planning an attack somewhere in Denmark. It was the most serious matter I have had in my time as justice minister. Police went in and stopped the group as it was preparing an attack."

Lars Findsen, the director of the Police Intelligence Service (PET) said that the men "had acquired material... to build explosives in connection with the preparation of a terror act.... With the general terror situation, the Danish Security Intelligence Service didn't want to run any unnecessary risk."

Now, according to Jyllands-Posten, All Headline News, Associated Press, Agence France Presse and the Daily Times, two men were jailed yesterday at the conclusion of their trial.

Four men had been on trial since September 5, 2007. The eldest, 34-year old Mohammad Zaher, was given an 11-year jail sentence, as was 22-year old Ahmad Khaldhadi. 32-year old Abdallah Andersen, a Danish convert to Islam, was given a four-year jail term. The fourth man, 19-year old Riad Anwer Daabas, was acquitted.

At Zaher's home, a bomb-making manual had been recovered by police, along with two ounces of triacetone triperoxide (TATP), the same explosive which was used by four suicide bombers to kill 52 people on London Transport on 7/7 (July 7, 2005). TATP was also the substance used by Richard Reid in his failed attempt to blow up a Miami-bound plane in . About eight ounces of TATP had been concealed within Reid's shoe.

The men had been under surveillance before their arrests. They had been heard in wiretap messages played to the court discussing their possible bombing targets. These included the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, City Hall Square in Copenhagen, and the Tivoli amusement park in Copenhagen.

Adrian Morgan
________________

Below is the translation from the Jyllands-Posten account of the case, by our long-term contributor and friend, WIKING:

11 and 4 years in prison and expulsion forever.

These were the sentences in the Danish terror case.

Two men, Ahmad Khaldhahi and Mohammad Zaher were both sentenced to 11 years in prison for having planned terror strikes in Denmark. A third man, the Danish convert Abdallah Andersen was sentenced to 4 years.

Ahmad Khaldhahi was expelled forever back to his native Iraq. His defense attorney, Bjørn Elmquist says he will appeal the sentence to the supreme court.

The prosecution described the 34 year old Mohammad Zaher as the leader and the brain behind the plot to explode several bombs, while the 22 year old  Ahmad Khaldhahi was described as the tactician and the person who did the practical work. The prosecutor had asked for 14 years for both of them, but the court landed at 11 years in prison.

The subordinate, the 32 year old Danish convert  Abdallah Andersen participated willingly and unquestioning in the preparations according to the prosecutor. He asked for 10 to 12 years, but the court decided on 4 years, based on the subordinate position he did hold in the group.

One man was acquitted of the charges against him...

...Before the jury and the judges receded to decide the sentences, the accused were allowed the last word.
"I do understand the fear the Danes feel, but I would never commit any act of terror. You certainly don't think I am a good human being, but you don't know me" said Mohammad Zaher, who has a Syrian background.

He had just become a father when he was arrested by the PET in September.

Abdallah Andersen did not want to make a comment. He sat with wet eyes and an empty stare.

The 22 year old  Mohammad Khaldhahi from Iraq, implored the court not to expel him.

"I'll accept a sentence for the things I have done. I only hope I will not receive double punishment" was his vain plea. The court decided to expel him forever.

Translation by WIKING

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:01 AM | Comments (0)

November 19, 2007

Pakistan: Islam, Dictatorship, Corruption

This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appeared today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.

Pakistan: Going From Bad To Worse To Dangerous

Strategic Failures

On Saturday November 3, President Pervez Musharraf announced that he had imposed martial law in Pakistan. Earlier, I discussed the background events which led to the coup. Now, more than a fortnight after the situation began, it has reached a point from which there appears to be no easy solution. Musharraf has promised to introduce elections by January 9, 2008 but he has set no date for the removal of the state of emergency.

Musharraf had gained the support of the United States because he promised to act as an ally in the "war on terror". He vowed to clamp down on the Al Qaeda extremists who had hidden out in North Waziristan in the region adjoining the border with Afghanistan. Little has been achieved on that front. Decisive action was taken by the United States to target Al Qaeda extremists - as happened on January 13, 2006 when the U.S> mounted an airstrike on Damadola near the Afghan border, where an Al Qaeda meeting was taking place. The strike had been designed to hit Ayman al-Zawahiri, deputy head of Al Qaeda. In practice, the strike killed Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, aka Abu Khabab, Al Qaeda's explosives and poisons expert.

On December 1, 2005, an explosion took place in Haisori, a village near Miranshah in North Waziristan. Pakistani authorities claimed that the explosion was caused by men in a house, preparing bombs. Days later, it transpired that one of those killed in the blast was Abu Hamza Rabia, the Egyptian-born third in command of Al Qaeda. Eyewitnesses claimed that the house had been targeted by missiles, apparently fired from a US Predator drone. When Hayatullah Khan, a local journalist, showed photographs of shrapnel from the blast which bore English wording, he was kidnapped the following day, apparently by Islamists. His body was found in July, 2006. Hayatullah Khan had been shot in the head.

There are reasons to doubt the official Pakistani version of events. It has been suggested that Hayatullah Khan was abducted and killed by members of ISI - the national intelligence agency. Reporters Sans Frontiers has claimed that at least 21 journalists have been kidnapped by the ISI since Musharraf came to power. Journalists who do not reside locally have been banned from working in Pakistan's tribal areas without official consent.

One of Musharraf's political opponents was the Chief Justice, Iftikhar Choudary, who had condemned arrests of thousands of civilians by the ISI. These had been made "without due process". On March 9 this year, and again during the recent state of emergency, Choudary was deposed by Musharraf.

Under Musharraf, the Taliban - which was assisted in its rise to power in Afghanistan by the intelligence agency ISI - has not only been able to flourish in North-West Frontier Province, but has grown in power and influence. Instead of acting to crush their influence, Musharraf allowed the Islamist parties of the MMA to broker a "peace deal" with the Pakistani Taliban in Waziristan on September 5, 2006. This deal actually reimbursed members of the Taliban for their "losses" incurred in military battles.

After Britain's London bombings of 7/7, Musharraf had promised to stamp down on extremist madrassas. Two of the 7/7 bombers were believed to attend such an establishment in Pakistan. Musharraf ordered a clampdown, and demanded registration of all madrassas. One of the madrassas to offer violent resistance in 2005 was the Jamia Hafsa, from the Red Mosque complex in Islamabad, the capital. This year, students of the two madrassas from the Red Mosque were involved in kidnappings, arson and threats of suicide attack. Musharraf's plan to register all madrassas was eventually abandoned. Its main opponent was religious affairs minister Ijaz ul-Haq, son of the dictator Zia ul-Haq who had initially encouraged mass construction of madrassas. Zia ul-Haq had been a frequent worshipper at the Red Mosque. Until the disorder which began in January this year, senior figures from the ISI also worshipped at the Red Mosque.

Imran Khan

Former cricketer Imran Khan opposes the war on terror, but his case illustrates clearly just how far Musharraf is prepared to trash democratic values. The day after Musharraf announced martial law, Imran Khan was placed under house arrest. He was the first member of the parliament to be treated this way. Hs party, the Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) has only one member in the National Assembly, Khan himself. Though Imran Khan is critical of U.S. foreign policy, he has never represented a threat to Musharraf's regime. The day after his house arrest was imposed, Khan escaped and went into hiding.

Using his vast wealth, Khan had established a cancer hospital, named after his late mother. The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in Punjab province provides much-needed treatment and research in a country where reliable medical treatment is unavailable to many. For 75 percent of cancer patients, treatment at the hospital is free. On Friday November 9, Pakistani police surrounded the hospital, in case Imran Khan should choose to hide there.

The police move effectively closed down the hospital. That specialist cancer treatment should be denied to civilians, merely because Musharraf wants to make an example of his vocal critic, shows how morally destitute his regime has become.

On Wednesday, Imran Khan appeared in public for the first time since martial law was imposed. At Punjab University in Lahore, he surfaced on a campus, where hundreds of students were mounting a demonstration against the "emergency" measures. He was carried aloft on students' shoulders and then the situation changed. Members of the student wing of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party blocked his way, seized Khan and dragged him into the university's high-energy physics center, effectively holding him prisoner. Khan emerged shortly after with his captors, and was then placed into a police car and driven away.

Initially, it had been assumed that the official charges against Khan were to be based upon public order legislation. Later in the day, it was announced that Imran Khan, who has never condoned terrorism in his political career, has been charged under anti-terrorism legislation. If a high-profile public figure can be treated in this fashion, the situation for ordinary civilians is dire.

Two days before his arrest, Khan managed to send out a text message to his lawyer in Britain, where he claimed that his life was in danger. At that time, he was concerned more about the actions of the secular Muttahida Qaumi Moovement (MQM) party, whose leader Altaf Hussain is based in Britain. Hussain arrived in the U.K. in 1992 after fleeing from a murder charge which had been brought against him. Earlier this year, Khan had tried and failed to have the MQM head prosecuted in Britain for causing violence in Karachi. 42 people died in riots on May 12. In a SMS text mesage, Khan had written to his lawyer: "Once MQM [Mr Hussain] thinks he is safe then my Karachi workers and my own life will be at great risk."

Now, Khan's life is threatened by the military dictatorship. The potential sentence under Pakistan's anti-terrorism legislation is life imprisonment or death. Jemima Khan, Imran Khan's former wife, said on British television on Wednesday night that several lawyers who have been detained under Musharraf's state of emergency are "known to have been tortured."

The Army Act

When Musharraf imposed martial law, he suspended the constitution, removing key protections for civilians, such as freedom of speech, freedom of association, civilians' right to equality under the law and equal protection under the law, and even Article 9 of the national constitution - their right to life.

Already, TV cameras have shown on a daily basis civilian protesters being arrested for appearing in the streets to protest Musharraf's dictatorship. The police in Pakistan are notorious for corruption and partial enforcement of the law. In most cases, civilians were punched or beaten with batons as they were bundled into police vehicles. The full number of civilians placed in detention under the "state of emergency" is not known, but it runs into hundreds.

Musharraf's latest move in his battle against the citizenry of Pakistan is to revive the Army Act of 1953. This ruling was introduced after Islamist factions such as the members of the Jamaat-e-Islami party had been attempting to attack and kill members of the peaceful Ahmadiyyah sect. The religious riots had led to the first imposition of martial law, only six years after Pakistan had become an independent and officially secular democracy.

The Army Act has not only been updated, it has also been back-dated. Now, any civilian accused of certain crimes will not have the right to be tried in a court of law. Instead, such civilians will face courts martial. The ordinance does not relate just to crimes committed in the present. Crimes which are said to have been committed since January 1, 2003, will now be tried under court martials.

The range of these crimes include categories imposed from the time when Pakistan was under British rule. Certain crimes listed under the Pakistan Penal Code will now automatically result in courts martial.

According to Pakistan newspaper Dawn, offenses ranging from libel to murder will now fall under the jurisdiction of the army. Asma Jahangir is chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. She was among the first people to be placed under house arrest when the coup was announced. She said of the backdating of the Army Act: "This has also allowed the government to legitimize all illegal acts of disappearances carried out by intelligence agencies with impunity."

A former ambassador to the United States, Abida Hussain, was also arrested last week for "disturbing the peace". She said from jail: "Does George Bush see that now even sports heroes, leaders of mega-parties and humble servants of the republic are behind bars? It's a dangerous situation, and Musharraf is a dangerous and desperate man."

Already, journalists who have expressed concern at the coup are being detained, and as a result, reporting of events outside of the main cities has become unreliable and contradictory.

Benazir Bhutto

The U.S. State Department had encouraged Musharraf to allow former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to return to the nation. She arrived back in Pakistan on October 18, and at the time it was thought that she could stand for election as president. This scenario could conceivably have allowed Musharraf to be the president and Bhutto to be prime minister. It would not have been an ideal example of democracy, especially considering charges of corruption made against Bhutto, but it would have been a step along the way to true democracy.

On Friday November 9, Benazir Bhutto was placed under house arrest, to prevent her from attending a protest rally in Rawalpindi. An armed police cordon was set up around her home. Shortly after this, her house arrest was lifted. The United States welcomed the decision to lift her detention.

On Tuesday, November , Bhutto was once again placed under house arrest. She had been intending to engage in a protest march on Tuesday. This march by members of her party, lasting 185 miles, was called "The Long March". After she was placed under house arrest for a second time, the march failed to go ahead.

For Bhutto, this action appeared to be the last straw. The day before she was placed under house arrest, she had already ruled out any chance of power-sharing with Musharraf. She declared: "We are saying no to any more talks. We cannot work with anyone who has suspended the Constitution, imposed emergency rule, and oppressed the judiciary. That's why we are holding the 'long march'."

Though deeply disliked by Islamist parties, Bhutto has gained from a surge in popularity since Musharraf's coup d'etat. Her outspoken criticism of the man who had urged her to share power has been seen as patriotic. She plays up to this image, by claiming that she is acting "to save Pakistan... I know it is dangerous but what alternative is there when the country is in danger?"

On Wednesday, members of Bhutto's party were arrested.

Now, Bhutto has become so hostile to Musharraf that she is prepared to work together with another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif. This individual had been ousted by Musharraf in his coup d'etat of December 1999. Nawaz Sharif had been in power when Pakistan carried out its first nuclear tests on May 28, 1998. Aware of potential economic sanctions, Nawaz had imposed his own state of emergency when the three initial nuclear tests took place, and had frozen all foreign investors' accounts in Pakistan's banks.

On Wednesday, Bhutto told the Washington Post: "I am now working with all political leaders, including Nawaz Sharif. We feel all the political forces should come together. We may work together or we may work side by side. The issue is that we both agree there should be democracy. The important thing is that Pakistan is returned to its people, that martial law is ended, that General Musharraf steps down."

Nawaz Sharif has been in exile. He tried to return to Pakistan recently, but was immediately deported to Saudi Arabia, in defiance of an August ruling issued by Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftekar Choudary, who was deposed when the coup took place. Nawaz is publicly declaring his approval of the notion of forming an official alliance with Bhutto.

Nawaz Sharif is not regarded by U.S. officials as a positive choice for leadership of Pakistan, but Musharraf's suspension of the constitution is forging some strange alliances.

From Tuesday to Thursday, demonstrators from Bhutto's PPP party had engaged in noisy protests about her detention in Karachi. On the morning of Thursday, three young people were shot dead. The youngest two were aged 9 and 12. Five other people were injured. Police denied any responsibility, with the Karachi police chief claiming: "It is possible that they were gunned down by protesters or by gangsters who are also rioting."

On Thursday, November 15, Benazir Bhutto's house arrest was lifted, as was the home detention of leading human rights activist Asma Jahangir. Bhutto was visited by US Consul General Bryan Hunt. He spoke to her about the possibility of her being able to work with Musharraf. She told reporters: "I told him that it was very difficult to work with someone who instead of taking us toward democracy took us back towards military dictatorship."

The Nuclear Threat

Pakistan's nuclear capacity was developed illegally using technology and equipment smuggled by Abul Qadeer Khan. There are an estimated 24 to 55 nuclear bombs in Pakistan, under the control of the army. The safety of these devices is a source of debate.

Muhammad Sadiq, spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Office maintained that the nation's atomic weaponry was safe and were not going to fall into the hands of extremists or terrorists. He said: "Our strategic assets are as safe as that of any other nuclear state." He added: "There are multiple layers of command and control and the weapons are not in danger of falling into any hands. Pakistan's nuclear program is very well-guarded."

The former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. State Department, Richard Armitage, claimed that the nuclear weaponry was safe. He said: "That nuclear arsenal is, one, dispersed, and second, carefully guarded by the army. I think - in the short or even medium term - should things turn badly, we are not going to worry about nuclear weapons in the first instance."

John Bolton of the American Enterprise Institute, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is less confident. He said: "It's a political issue. If the military comes unstuck, if it divides, then the technical fixes won't protect those weapons. Even the military is filled with Islamic fundamentalists. I'd have to put securing those weapons at the top of our agenda."

Geoff Morrell, press secretary at the Pentagon, has said this week: "At this point, we have no concerns. We believe that they are under the appropriate control."

During the first week of the coup, Lt. Gen. Carter Ham, director of operations for the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed concerns about the security of the nuclear weaponry in Pakistan. He had said then: "Any time there is a nation that has nuclear weapons that has experienced a situation such as Pakistan is at present, that is a primary concern."

Currently, the U.S. sends much of its supplies to the military in Afghanistan via Pakistan. In the event of the current situation deteriorating further, the Pentagon is working on an alternative contingency plan to keep its troops in Afghanistan served with adequate supply lines.

Musharraf himself has claimed that the nuclear arsenal will remain safe, but only if they are under the control of the army. He said on Saturday: "They cannot fall into the wrong hands, if we manage ourselves politically... The military is there - as long as the military is there, nothing happens to the strategic assets, we are in charge and nobody does anything with them."

Nawaz Sharif, head of the rival wing to Musharraf's party, argued that the nuclear weapons would remain safe, whether Musharraf remained as president or not.

Opportunities For Islamists

The Jamaat-e-Islami party has traditionally opposed Musharraf, yet members of the student wing supported the imprisonment of the moderate politician Imran Khan. When Musharraf supervised a form of democracy which allowed the party and its Islamist allies to hold 65 seats in the National Assembly, they still led calls for revolution and for the death of Musharraf.

During the military dictatorship of General Zia ul-Haq, who ruled from 1977 until 1988, the Jamaat-e-Islami party benefited through the imposition of severe sharia-based legislation. Though the leading lights of the party, and also the MMA coalition of Islamist parties, oppose the imposition of martial law, they appear to be exploiting the situation to present themselves as defenders of the constitution - even though they wish to see Pakistan under sharia law.

The head of the Jamaat-e-Islami party is Qazi Hussain Ahmed. He instigated the so-called "peace accord" in Waziristan which gave concessions to the Pakistan Taliban. On Tuesday, the Daily Times claimed that reports had been received that Qazi Hussain Ahmed, described as a "Taliban commander" had sent suicide bombers to Lahore city in Punjab province. Qazi Hussain Ahmed is the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami and president of the MMA. He is known to support Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, and has previously been accused of sheltering members of Al Qaeda.

Benazir Bhutto has claimed that she has contacted Qazi Hussain Ahmed about mounting an official opposition to Musharraf. Whether the Islamist leader will join forces with Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and others is unknown, but he supports her calls for the restoration of the recently-deposed Chief Justice, Iftikhar Choudary. In early summer, Jamaat members protested with lawyers against Choudary's March dismissal. Qazi has announced: "We will launch country wide movement along with the lawyers and political parties to end military dictatorship."

Qazi has claimed that he had sent a member of his party to rescue Imran Khan from student members of the Jamaat party who had imprisoned him, but his envoy had arrived too late.

In Regal Chowk in volatile Pakistani-occupied Kashmir, several Jamaat-e-Islami activists were arrested on Monday for protesting the emergency rulings. On Friday, Qazi Hussain Ahmed claimed that the state of emergency was pushing Pakistan to the brink of civil war.

Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the head of the US-designated terror group Jamaat ud-Dawah (not banned in Pakistan) argued that the only solution to the national crisis was the imposition of Sharia. He said: "Islamic Sharia is the only possible solution to the current political crisis faced by the country. Freedom without giving sacrifices is not possible and many of us have now realized it."

The Regional Assembly of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) was entirely dominated by the MMA coalition. It was suspended during Musharraf's emergency decree, but NWFP is currently sliding into anarchy with local warlords and foreign Islamists attempting to impose Sharia law.

Swat is a district of NWFP which was formerly regarded as a popular tourist destination. Its lush valleys and mountains earned it the title of the "Switzerland" of Pakistan. This year, the situation of Islamists taking control of 59 villages in Swat was one of the factors which were blamed for the imposition of martial law. The emergency siatuation has done nothing to contain the actions of Islamists in this region. At sunset on Tuesday this week, the town of Alpuri in Swat fell under the control of local Taliban leader Maulana Muhammad Alam and 500 of his followers. Six out of Swat's eight sub-districts have now fallen under Islamist control.

The administrative capital of Swat, the town of Mingora, has been placed under a curfew, as has the adjoining district of Malakand. The army has been engaged in fierce fighting in the region. Some of the Islamists are said to be foreign. Some may be of Uzbek origin and connected with Al Qaeda, and others are known to be Afghan Taliban members.

On Thursday, the most recent Swat district to fall to the Islamists had been reclaimed by the army. The loss of life was high - over two days of fighting 53 militants were killed. According to eyewitness accounts, twenty civilians were killed in the fighting.

In Parachinar in Kurram Agency, one of the tribal regions near the Afghan border, at least ninety-one people have been killed in sectarian religious war. Eighty of these are civilians. After Friday prayers Sunni and Shia groups fought each other with rocket launchers and mortars. More than 100 people have been injured.

While the army acts to control the outbreaks of separate uprisings, the tribal regions of Waziristan where Al Qaeda and the Pakistan Taliban have a strong power base are less easy to contain. On Saturday night, a bomb exploded in a house in North Waziristan, killing a woman inside. The bomb had been placed near her bed, and had been triggered by remote control. The woman was the widow of murdered journalist Hayatullah Khan, whose photographs had caused embarrassment to both the Pakistani authorities and to the local Islamists. Her murder at this time raises again questions about who had kidnapped and murdered Hayatullah Khan - Islamists or the ISI?

International Criticism

Pakistan is a member of the Commonwealth (Commonwealth of Nations), a grouping of 51 nations which had previously been colonies of Britain, with the addition of Britain and Mozambique. After Musharraf had seized power in his 1999 coup, Pakistan was suspended from the Commonwealth. The nation was only reinstated five years later, when Musharraf promised to step down as head of the army. The notion of a President wearing a military uniform appeared dictatorial.

Musharraf is still promising to step down as head of the army by the end of this month. He had earlier said that a former chief of the ISI, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, would assume the role of army chief on November 15. Kayani is pro-American and regarded as a moderate.

As a result of imposing martial law, the Commonwealth has once again threatened to suspend Pakistan's membership. On Monday, November 12, members of the Commonwealth met in London. They issued a statement condemning the situation in Pakistan. Additionally, they gave Musharraf until November 22, when the next Commonwealth meeting will take place, to place the nation back on course for democracy. If improvements were not to be made by then, suspension would ensue.

Individual nations within the Commonwealth, such as South Africa, have joined in the condemnation of Musharraf's actions. Alexander Downer, Australia's foreign minister, has argued that it does not care who runs the country as much as it cares about having democracy restored in Pakistan.

On Tuesday, Britain's prime minister Gordon Brown made his first speech on foreign policy. He deplored Musharraf's imprisonment of political opponents and urged their immediate release, and called for media restrictions in Pakistan to be lifted. He did not call for Commonwealth action to be taken against Pakistan.

Musharraf has eagerly grasped foreign aid, yet he has done little to improve the situation of civilians in Pakistan. Suspension from the Commonwealth would automatically reduce financial assistance given to the Pakistani regime. Since 9/11, America has donated an estimated $10 billion in aid. The European Union has urged Musharraf to step down and remove the state of emergency, but is unwilling to cut financial aid to the country.

Switzerland, which is not a member state within the European Union, has stopped a delivery of anti-aircraft systems to the Pakistani military on account of Musharraf's imposition of martial law. Six vehicle-mounted anti-aircraft units have been delivered in a deal worth a total of $121 million. The remaining 15 "Skyguard" units will not be sent until some sense of political "normality" resumes.

Shortly after Musharraf imposed martial law, President Bush urged him to leave his post as head of the army and to reinstate democracy. Mohammed Sadiq, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman told news agency Agence France-Presse that the situation was an "internal matter" for Pakistan. He said: "The president has stated that our friends should show understanding of the ground conditions and the serious challenges we face in the shape of extremism and terrorism."

On Tuesday, November 13, President Bush said of Musharraf: "He understands the stakes of the war, and I do believe he understands the importance of democracy... He's agreed to hold elections in January, and he's agreed to take his uniform off. And our judgment is that the sooner he can suspend his emergency decree, the faster Pakistan gets back on the road to democracy. When I talked to him, I said: 'You got to get Pakistan back on the road to democracy as quickly as possible.' And that means elections, and that means that, in my judgment, the road to democracy means you can't be the head of the military and the president at the same time."

The United States ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W Patterson, has urged a return to the principles of democracy, but like President Bush, she has stopped short of an outright condemnation. She said: "Pakistan's move toward democracy has been seriously set back by the events of November 3.. One of President Musharraf's greatest achievements was the flowering of a free and vibrant media. There is no way to put this genie back in the bottle by cutting off the media now... the November 3 imposition of a state of emergency put this economic growth of Pakistan and upward mobility at risk."

On Wednesday, officials from the State Department and Pentagon discussed the message to be taken on Friday to Musharraf by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte. Additionally, the officials considered the question of who would be the successor in power, should Musharraf be forced to quit.

Following his meeting with President Musharraf on Saturday, Negroponte said that he had told the Pakistani leader: "Emergency rule is not compatible with free, fair and credible elections, which require the active participation of political parties, civil society and the media. If those steps are not taken, it will certainly undermine elections."

Annually, America subsidizes the army with $1 billion. Threatening to remove this funding could cause Musharraf's support within the army to desert him. Members of the current U.S. administration view General Kayani favorably, and appear to approve him replacing Musharraf as head of the army. One State Department official said: "On the asset side of the ledger, we've got a really good relationship with Kiyani. People know him. He has long term political ambitions and he's patient enough to keep them in the long term."

During his visit to Pakistan, John Negroponte had separately met General Ashfaq Kayani and other key figures.

The End Of Government

One positive event has taken place. Before the imposition of martial law, the current government was due to wind up on Thursday, in preparation for proposed January elections. The dissolution of the existing government did take place. For the first time in Pakistan's 60-year history, a government managed to survive until the end of its natural five-year term - even though the country was in a state of emergency. Under Article 44 of the Constitution, Musharraf can remain as president until a new president is elected.

On Thursday, Musharraf announced the appointment of a caretaker government, to allow for preparations for elections. Mohammed Mian Soomro, the 57-year old chairman of the Senate, was made caretaker prime minister. He belongs to Musharraf's party, the Pakistan Muslim League.

Musharraf said: "An old cabinet is gone and a new cabinet - a caretaker government - has been sworn in. Life continues, no body is permanent. One comes, one serves, tries one's best in the interest of the nation ... and then when they have to go, that is the way of nature. They have to leave, and this is what is democracy."

Musharraf has not yet stepped down as head of the army, but he has changed the order by which - as army chief - he imposed the state of emergency and martial law. On Thursday, he amended the Provisional Constitutional Order so that - as president - he retains the power to revoke the state of emergency.

When Musharraf imposed the state of emergency on November 3, one of his first actions was to shut down transmission of independent television news channels. The two most important of these was Geo TV. On Thursday, AaJ TV and Dawn News, two independent news channels were allowed to broadcast. Geo TV also had its transmissions unblocked on Friday, but within 24 hours it was blocked again. Another station - Ary One World TV - was also blocked again. Ary and Geo are both based in Dubai. The blocking action against Ary and Geo was claimed in some news sources to have been instigated by Musharraf himself, even though the United Arab Emirates government has claimed that it acted on its own initiative.

The Pakistan-based news channels had been allowed to return to air, but only after they had signed an agreement to not be critical of the President. The international media monitor, Reporters Sans Frontieres, condemned the "self-censorship". The situation with Geo TV has been personalized, with the station being ordered to fire named journalists.

The prospect of Benazir Bhutto being able to stand in the January elections is now being placed under threat. Musharraf had ordered an amnesty for her, as she and her husband faced serious corruption charges. Five legal challenges have been mounted against the amnesty in the Supreme Court. Malik Muhammad Qayyum, the Attorney-General is himself unsure of the legality of the amnesty. He said: "Only the courts can decide to throw charges out, not governments... Before Bhutto came back the president had directed me to defend it (Bhutto's amnesty) to the maximum, but now I'm not sure what the stance will be. The thing is, they erred in drawing it up."

At the end of this month, President Musharraf will officially step down as head of the army. He has ensured that only he, and not his army successor, will be able to rescind the emergency decrees and the rule of martial law.

Musharraf is still denying the nation a free and unfettered media, and restrictions against public gatherings remain in place. The longer the state of emergency continues, then increasingly the hopes for a fair election in January are slipping away.

Adrian Morgan

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Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:19 AM | Comments (0)

November 17, 2007

Saudi Arabia: More Muslim Injustice

On November 2, 2006, German news agency Deutsche-Presse Agentur reported on the case of a young Saudi woman who had been on the receiving end of a multiple gang rape.

Four of her attackers faced a Saudi court and were sentenced to jail sentences ranging from one to five years accompanied by lashes, ranging from 80 to 1,000 lashes. A fifth man who apparently took photographs with his mobile phone was facing investigation, and two other men had escaped capture.

What was most shocking was the fact that the (then aged 18) woman victim was also sentenced to 90 lashes.

Her "crime" had been to commit "khalwat" - she had been alone in a car with a man who was not her husband. While they were in the car, the pair had been abducted and taken to a remote farm, where the woman was raped.

Now, news comes from Arab News and the Daily Telegraph on what has since happened to the woman.

There has been an appeal hearing at the General Court at Qatif in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The woman's lawyer, Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, had called for an appeal as he felt that the sentence against his client was too harsh, and those for the rapists too lenient.

Though the rapists' sentences have been increased to between two years and nine years' each, the verdict against the rape victim has been that she should now have her lashes increased to 200. Additionally, she must now be imprisoned for six months.

Her lawyer has also been punished. Judge Soliman Al-Muhanna from the Qatif court suspended him from the case, and confiscated his lawyers' license. He has now been summonsed by the Judicial Investigation Department of the Ministry of Justice to attend a disciplinary hearing.

He claimed: "Actually this is the second time they have contacted me. They claim that I advertise my services and that that is against Saudi law."

The rape victim was told by the judges at the General Court that her sentence had been increased because of "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media."

Obviously, as the media had reported on the case, it exposed an abuse of justice that the Saudi judiciary would rather happen in secret. And this is the same Saudi Arabia that recently lectured the European Union about "human rights".

The reason why the woman was alone in a car with a man was because he was her former boyfriend. They had arranged to meet as he was to hand over pictures he had of her. She had been due to marry another man. The woman was Shia - her rapists Sunni.

Lawyer Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem said: "My client is the victim of this abhorrent crime. I believe her sentence contravenes the Islamic Sharia law and violates the pertinent international conventions. The judicial bodies should have dealt with this girl as the victim rather than the culprit. The court blamed the girl for being alone with unrelated men, but it should have taken the humane view that it cannot be considered her fault."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:21 AM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2007

Media: The Libel Tourist

Back in June I wrote of the bizarre situation whereby the British libel courts have been unfairly used to prosecute books that highlight issues of terrorism funding. Under UK libel law, no intention malice is needed to prove a case, and the onus is upon the defendant to prove libel has not been made, rather than the plaintiff needing to prove libel.

The libel laws have been used particularly by Khalid Salim A. Bin Mahfouz. More than 30 publications, authors and publishers have been successfully sued in Britain - even though they produced literature that is not considered "libelous" in the United States. The only person to have challenged these prosecutions is the terror-financing expert (and a personal friend) Dr Rachel Ehrenfeld.

She refused to attend the UK High Court and refused to pay the default fine imposed upon her. She has been fighting Mahfouz in the US courts over issues of jurisdiction - in a suit that will set a precedent for future similar cases. As Mahfouz has acted to hand summons to her at her Manhattan home, demanding that she pay the UK fine, her lawyers have argued over the issue of jurisdiction. This would mean that Mahfouz would have to comply with "discovery" and reveal details of his financial history - the subject of the British libel suit. Additionally - Dr Ehrenfeld is fighting any attempts to pay British fines in the United States that have been imposed by laws that act counter to American rights.

The subject of Mahfouz's suit was the book "Funding Evil" by Rachel Ehrenfeld, which maintained that companies owned by the Saudi banker had sent money to fund terrorism.

The exploitation of another country (Funding Evil was not published in the UK) to prosecute a libel case that would fail in the country where the publication was made, is called "forum shopping" or "libel tourism".

Now a short 9-minute video documentary on Rachel's case has been produced. It is called "The Libel Tourist".

It can be found (English language version) HERE.

The Arabic language version can be found HERE.

Below are the documentary-maker's description and comments of the video.
_________________
ABOUT THE FILM

"The Libel Tourist" is a short-form documentary film produced by the Moving Picture Institute. MPI's short film program seeks to provide filmmakers with the opportunities to display their filmmaking skills while making an impact on behalf of human freedom.

Though it addresses one of the gravest subjects of contemporary political life, it is only 8 minutes long. In those 8 minutes, our eyes are opened to a new and chilling threat: the story of how Saudi petrodollars have cowed, silenced, and almost broken freedom of speech in the West.

The film documents the true story of how an American-Israeli author Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld was ordered to destroy all copies of her book in a country where it had never been published - England - after a notoriously litigious Saudi billionaire sued her in a British court. Ehrenfeld's book Funding Evil; How Terrorism is Financed - and How to Stop It, accuses the Saudi billionaire of funding of terrorism.

Now Ehrenfeld is fighting back, counter-suing him in New York, to defend her and our First Amendment rights. She speaks on film for the first time in "The Libel Tourist."

"This film is an eye-opening exposé," says Jared Lapidus, the film's director. "It deals directly with the issues of terrorism, Islamo-fascism, and how it is infringing on our rights in the West, and the U.S. in particular."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:44 PM | Comments (0)

France: 7 Suspected Islamists Arrested - 5 May Face Charges

News from Reuters, AFP via Expatica and (in French) Le Monde.

Seven suspected Islamists were arrested in France on Tuesday this week. All French nationals, the men had been under police surveillance for some time. The men came from the eastern city of Besancon, Doubs, which lies close to the Swiss border.

They had been regularly engaging in apparent combat training in woods, using high-caliber guns and dressed in camouflage clothing. Though seven people were initially arrested, according to Le Monde, today only five have been placed under investigation prior to indictment.

According to police who had questioned the men, they wanted to "make jihad" but had not finalized any specific plans.

Items seized during the arrests included 10 hand-guns, one Kalashnikov assault rifle, camouflage equipment and hunting paraphernalia.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:38 AM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2007

Pakistan: The Battle Against Oppression

I received this a few minutes ago from a journalist correspondent and friend in Pakistan, Qaiser Felix. As a Christian who regularly reports on the abuse of Pakistan's minority Christian (and Hindu and Ahmadi) population for AsiaNews.it, Qaiser runs the risk of imprisonment under the Army Act of 1953, which was revived by Musharraf a week after he suspended the constitution. I make no changes to what he has written, and can only applaud his bravery and forthright honesty by continuing to report from a country that has suspended certain articles from the constitution - even including Article 9 - the right to life.

Anyone who has a blog - please copy this and post it.

Adrian Morgan

The crucial final round towards democracy

Qaiser Felix

Islamabad, November 15, 2007: As the national assembly will be dissolved at midnight tonight (Thursday) after completing its five-year constitutional term and the provincial assemblies would also be dissolved on 20 Nov. and elections to be held before 9 January 2008, apparently, it is the start of final round towards democracy in the every day changing political situation of Pakistan.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will issue the schedule for the upcoming elections shortly after the dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies.

The government of general Musharraf is feeling proud that the assemblies are completing their complete five years time because it is not a common practice in the six decades old history of the country.

"This is a historic moment for all of us." This will be the first time for 22 years that an assembly completes its mandate, State Information Minister Tariq Azeem said on Wednesday.

He said a caretaker government will be sworn in on Friday to oversee the upcoming general elections. It is also likely that the name of the caretaker prime minister will be announced today, he added.

President General Pervez Musharraf has said he would step down as army chief after a Supreme Court ruling on the validity of his re-election, which he said was expected by the end of November.

Speaking with The Associated Press, he said he would then begin a new presidential term as a civilian.

But on the other hand, Former premier Benazir Bhutto said on Wednesday that election promised by President General Pervez Musharraf before January 9 could "hardly be fair".

"Musharraf will continue to be the head of the ruling party in an open field, while all other actors are behind bars," she said, referring to herself and other political leaders who were rounded up.

Finishing her 8 years self imposed exile, Ms Bhutto returned to Pakistan on October 18 after long talks and a power sharing deal with Musharraf government. Bhutto was welcomed warmly by tens of thousands of her supporters and on the night of 18 October two suicide bombers also welcomed Bhutto's massive welcome rally killing about 150 people.

Other opposition parties criticized the deal between Musharraf and Bhutto in strongest terms which finished all corruption cases against former premier in and outside the country.

But the whole picture was changed when General Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency in the whole country and promulgated a Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) holding the Constitution in abeyance on Nov. 3. All private local and foreign TV news channels were taken off air and merely state run TV is on air to propagate in favour of the general and his allies.

Musharraf also fired Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the Chief Justice of Pakistan with whom he had a long judicial war which concluded with Musharraf's defeat.

When general Musharraf announced the state of emergency on Nov. 3, he said on state run TV that emergency was in the interest of the state and it was to curb the rising Islamic militants and extremism in some parts of the country.

Whereas, practically Musharraf government immediately started crackdown on lawyers, judges, opposition politicians, rights activists and journalists. So far, government has been arrested thousands of these people.

The government's move, greeted with immediate condemnation at home by opposition parties, lawyers and human rights groups as well as by UN, US, UK and many other countries and organizations of the world.

According to many analysts actually Musharraf was worried about the Supreme Court's ruling about validity of his re-election as a president of Pakistan. And he was feared that most of the judges of the highest court of Pakistan would decree against him. That is why he took this extreme step.

Pakistani Christians also active against emergency rule

Pakistani Christians are dynamically contributing the struggle for the restoration of democracy, fundamental rights and freedom of expression after General Pervez Musharraf announced a country wide state of emergency suspending constitution of Pakistan on Nov. 3.

Pakistan Catholic Bishops Conference's human rights body, National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), has demanded that emergency must be lifted and constitution should be revived unconditionally and immediately, terming the imposition of emergency as a most unfortunate and misdirected step.

In a joint statement issued by Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha and Mr. Peter Jacob, the Chairperson and the Executive Secretary of NCJP said that the challenges faced by the country cannot be dealt by imposition of emergency and the respect for rule of law, independence of judiciary and the restoration of the fundamental rights can bring Pakistan to the path of democracy.

The NCJP statement demanded for the:

Restoration of the constitution and fundamental rights

The immediate return to the civilian rule

Immediate and unconditional release of the detainees throughout the country

Restoration of judges and independent judiciary

Restore the freedom of Press and Electronic Media and repeal the new ordinance.

Immediately after the emergency rule Christians were active to confront it. Four Christians Nadeem Anthony, council member of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and an active member of National Journalists' Fourm, Irfan Barkat, staff member of (NCJP), Miss Ayra Indreas from Women Desk of the Chruch of Pakistan's diocese of Lahore and her sister Miss Mona Indreas were arrested along with 54 rights activists when they were planning protests against emergency.

Many Christian members of All Pakistan Minorities alliance (APMA) were also arrested for taking part in protests. Many of APMA workers are still behind bars, APMA chief said.

Yesterday, about 100 APMA workers were baton charged and arrested in Lahore when they were trying to join Long March called by Ms. Bhutto, Shahbaz Bhatti said.

APMA head further said that Naveed Amir, member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) and active member of APMA was severely tortured and arrested by police yesterday.

National Journalists' Forum (NJF) Pakistan, a forum of Christian professional journalists has started an awareness campaign about the fundamental rights which have been curbed as a result of emergency. NJF is in process of publishing awareness and educational material for common people to enhance their understanding regarding this disturbed situation of the country, a statement by NJF stated.

Minorities Concern, a Christian advocacy group said in its statement that "although President Musharraf has announced the date of the forthcoming general elections, it is visible that under emergency no elections will have any moral or legal legitimacy and definitely will be rejected by the people of Pakistan. Moreover, no elections can be free without a free media and an independent judiciary."

Qaiser Felix

Secretary General

National Journalists' Forum (NJF) Pakistan

South Asian Catholic Press Association (SACPA) South Asia

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

November 14, 2007

Azerbaijan: Armed Islamists Who Plotted Embassy Attacks

From Interfax-Religion, Reuters, Xinhua News, Axis Globe and Moscow Times.

Two Islamists who had planned to attack the US embassy in Azerbaijan were arrested on November 9, hiding in woods in the district of Ismaillinsky, near Baku. Weapons were recovered. They did not offer resistance when captured. One of these individuals was a renegade member of the Azeri army called Kyamran Asadov, born in 1975.

Asadov had deserted from his army post at Hanlar in October, taking with him four rifles, a machine gun, twenty grenades and ammunition. He had been part of a group called by Azeris "Wahhabis". On October 28 and October 29, law enforcement officers had mounted operations against Wahhabis in the district of Zabrat in the capital, Baku, and also Ismaillinsky district. Acting on intelligence, on October 27, an operation had taken place at a house in a village on the outskirts of Tbilisi, several members of the Islamist group were captured. One who resisted capture was killed.

One of the men who was arrested was said to be an Al Qaeda fighter. At the time, Azeri Defense Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu, had said: "The search for Asadov, who is, unfortunately, a follower of Wahhabism, will continue until he is caught."

Khyrdalan Vugar Aliyev and Elshan Mamedov, two of the individuals captured in the October raids, had informed authorities of the plans to attack the US embassy in Baku.

On October 30, Asadov and his remaining accomplice, Farid Dzhabarov, carried out a robbery at a Lukoil gasoline fueling station, seriously injuring one man who worked at the gas station.

In detention after being captured on November 9, Asadov and Dzhabarov were displayed on state TV stations. They claimed that they carried out the armed robbery with a third individual, Bakhtiyar Orudzhev. Whether he has been caught is not known. The men admitted plotting to attack the US embassy. Asadov was recorded saying: "Our aim was to kill U.S. citizens because they kill Muslims."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 8:25 AM | Comments (0)

Sweden: Mailing Company Refuses To Deliver Muslim Cartoon

News from the Local reports that a Swedish mailing company has refused to distribute a political newspaper called SD-Kurien, because it features an "offensivie" cartoon of Islam's prophet Mohammed. The newspaper is the publicity organ of the far-right Sweden Democrats, who already are involved in an anti-immigration campaign.

The current issue of SD-Kurien features a cartoon by artist Lars Vilks, depicting Mohammed as a dog. The cartoon is one of a series that Vilks created, which drew adverse publicity when one of these was reproduced in Swedish local newspaper Nerikes Allehanda on August 18. Vilks has received death threats for his drawings. An art gallery refused to display the series, for fear of attacks.

The company which is refusing to distribute the SD-Kurien newspaper is Posten, Sweden's largest direct marketing company. Their decision is not apparently based on morality, but upon fear of violent reprisals from fundamentalist Muslims.

Per Ljungberg, a spokesman for Posten, said: "We want to protect the safety of our mail carriers. This illustration has provoked reactions that have led to death threats."

Today, another direct marketing company, Svensk Direktreklam, has announced that it too is refusing to distribute the SD-Kurien newspaper containing the Mohammed "dog" cartoon.

Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the Sweden Democrat party, issued a statement which said: "For both Posten and its main competitor to refuse to deliver information from a particular political party is a serious threat to free expression."

Meanwhile, Lars Vilks has decided to make the most of his death threats by working on a musical show based upon his Mohammed/dog cartoons. Echoing another stage musical called "Cats", Vilks has given a working title to the project - "Dogs".

Comparing his current oeuvre to the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Vilks said: "Muhammad is also a superstar in the modern sense of the term. We haven't decided yet if Muhammad will be portrayed by one or several people. Other characters featured will be the prime minister (of Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt), Iran's president (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) and Al-Qaeda. They are best portrayed in musical form. We will also have an elegy by the "Choir of the Offended"."

Vilks brushed off the death threats, dismissing most of them as "scare tactics", and said that a sense of humor was necessary when dealing with the issue. He said to newspaper Dagens Nyheter: "It is part of the rules of the game to be able to criticize religion and politics. It is nothing personal and I do not have it in for anyone."

Another Swedish artist, 59-year old Stig Ramsing, decided to add to the climate of art, religion and offense by erecting a sculpture of Christ, depicted as a dog with oversized genitalia. The sculpture was placed on a traffic roundabout in the town of Skånes Fagerhult, in southern Sweden. Within hours of being set up, the sculpture mysteriously disappeared. It is highly unlikely that it "ascended into Heaven". No-one has claimed responsibility for the removing of the Jesus-as-dog statue.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 6:46 AM | Comments (1)

Pakistan: Taliban Islamists Take Control Of Town

News from Dawn and Pakistan's Daily Times.

Malakand district adjoins Swat, a region where Islamist unrest was one of the causes that supposedly triggered President Musharraf to impose a state of martial law throughout Pakistan. Both Malakand and Swat are in North-West Frontier Province, adjoining Pakistan. Swat has been called the "Switzerland" of Pakistan, as its mountainous scenery draws tourists from the rest of Pakistan. Since January, a firebrand cleric called Maulana Fazlullah has been in a state of war with the authorities. He has taken over 59 villages as part of his "independent" rulership. Fazlullah commands paramilitary units, which have kidnapped numerous Pakistani soldiers, and is linked to the Pakistan Taliban.

Malakand was where Winston Churchill was posted in the 1890s with the Fourth Hussars where he became a war correspondent. His book on those experiences (his first) was entitled Story of the Malakand Field Force, published in 1898.

Yesterday, immediately after sunset, 500 Taliban took over the town of Alpuri in Shangla district in Malakand Division. Shangla is the yellow area on the map. It used to be part of Swat district. The offices of the district police officer, district coordination officer, district courts and police lines were taken over in the operation by militants.

Militants in Swat had already openly vowed to take over Shangla, and Alpuri is the district's administrative center. Apparently there was no resistance to the takeover. A member of the Musharraf cabinet resides in Alpuri - federal Minister for Political Affairs Amir Muqam.

As a precautionary measure, a curfew was enacted in adjacent Malakand district. A curfew has also been imposed in Mingora, the administrative capital of Swat, which has not yet succumbed to the militants. Currently, six out of Swat's eight sub-districts have fallen under control of Islamist militants.

The Taliban leader behind the takeover of Alpuri is Maulana Muhammad Alam. He told residents of Alpuri: "We only struggle for the enforcement of Shariah," and promised that no-one would be hurt.

A senior Pakistan army source, Lt-Gen Muhammad Masood Aslam, has claimed that hundreds of foreign militants have been intensifying their operations in Swat. Earlier in the year, there was fighting between local Islamists in Swat and Islamists who came from outside Pakistan, particularly from Uzbekistan.

Aslam said: "Force is not the solution to anything. We want minimal application of force and not an indiscriminate military operation. We will use force in a selective and a very precise manner that is based on good intelligence and is most targeted."

The army has been attacking occupied centers in Swat since Sunday, using artillery shelling and helicopter gunships. Local people have claimed that six civilians were injured in yesterday's shelling, including a woman and a child.

The Pakistan army has claimed that four Islamist bunkers were blown up, along with an ammunition dump, in an attack on Sambat. The army claims that four Islamists were killed in the raid. Five militants were said to have been injured when a militant checkpoint was destroyed. In another raid, four local militants and one Afghan were captured.

The Islamists have set up checkpoints, where vehicles are stopped and "taxed" by militants.

Lt-Gen. Masood Aslam has said that the MMA (Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal or "United Front"), the combined Islamist opposition parties that ran NWFP's Regional Assembly, had prevented the army from using force when it was first deployed to Swat in July.

I will be compiling a larger report for FamilySecurityMatters.org on the situation in Pakistan since the state of martial law was imposed. This report will be published simultaneously on Western Resistance.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 5:57 AM | Comments (0)

Pakistan: Youth Killed By Islamist Bomb In Internet Cafe?

News from International Herald Tribune, Dawn and Pakistan's Daily Times is slightly contradictory, but the concurrent points are these:

In Peshawar in the troubled North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, a bomb exploded in an internet cafe in Gulbahar district. One person was killed. According to IHT and the Daily Times, the attack took place on Tuesday. However, Dawn (from Sunday 11 November) states the blast happened on Sunday.

Because of the state of emergency, it is to be expected that stories will not always be verified as they would normally be. The victim is said (IHT) to be 12, and according to the Daily Times, his hands were blown off, indicating he himself may have set off the bomb (according to Tahir Khan, chief of police in Gulbahar district).

Because of the confusion in the stories, I am here placing all three accounts, and when more substantial information comes in, I will update this post.

Dawn:

Bomb explodes in internet cafe

Bureau Report

PESHAWAR, Nov 11: A man was injured in a bomb blast in an internet cafe on the Ishrat Cinema Road in Gulbahar-4 on Sunday.

The owner of Cyber Point, Gohar Ali of the Sheikh Abad-1 area, was injured in the blast.

According to Mr Ali, the explosion took place at 4pm when he was taking his meal. He said he found himself under broken furniture and computers.

Two other people were working on a computer in the cafe when the low-intensity 300-gram local-made bomb exploded.

Daily Times:

One killed in cyber cafe blast

PESHAWAR: A man died when a bomb exploded in a cyber cafe in the Gulbahar police precincts on Tuesday, police said.

Gulbahar Police Station Investigation Officer Mirza Khan told Daily Times that the bomb was Russian made, weighed around 700-800 grammes, and went off at around 2.30pm in the Nihar Net Cafe located near the Gulbahar Police Station.

He said the identity of the man killed had not yet been verified and that the cyber cafe's owner, Nihar, had fled after the blast. An eyewitness told Daily Times that there were two or three people in the cyber cafe at the time of the explosion. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Tahir Khan told Daily Times that the blast had blown off both hands of the deceased, and "it seems that he was trying to plant the bomb". The SSP said police were trying to identify the deceased, who could not have been a suicide attacker as the amount of explosives was small. staff report

International Herald Tribune:

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A bomb exploded inside an Internet cafe in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing a 12-year-old boy, police said.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, where militants are waging a Taliban-style anti-vice campaign.

Islamic militants regularly target music and video shops, and sometimes Internet cafes, in the region in what they say is a drive against obscenity.

Tahir Khan, Peshawar's police chief, said the boy was alone in the cafe when the blast occurred. He provided no details.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 4:40 AM | Comments (0)

November 13, 2007

Switzerland: Muslim Shoots Worshipper At Mosque

News from Focus-Fen, Deutsche-Presse Agentur, and Reuters via Australia's Mercury and New Zealand's TVNZ.

Late on Monday, a solitary gunman entered a mosque in Crissier, Vaud canton, and opened fire with a military assault rifle. About 10 people were in the Islamic Center when the 23-year old man entered the building.

The gunman, aged 23, was a Muslim and a Swiss national who had undergone military service. The weapon and ammunition he possessed had been issued to him during his army service. Switzerland's militia system allows soldiers to keep weapons and ammunitions at their own residences, a move which has been criticized.

He had been spotted by police at nearby Bussigny-pres-Lausanne carrying a gun. They followed him, but by this time he had entered the prayer room on the first floor (US second floor) and had opened fire on the worshippers inside. A 43-year old worshipper had been shot in the abdomen. Thee gunman was overpowered on the floor by the other worshippers.

Police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel said that no motive had been established for the gunman's actions.

Update: Kuwaiti News Agency reports that the gunman is of Kosovar origin. 12 shots were fired, but only one person was hit. The victim is now said to be out of danger.
_______

As the gunman is a Muslim, there appears to be no "religious antagonism" in his action. However, there have been problems in Switzerland recently with many Swiss objecting to the construction of minarets, changing the skyline of towns. This problem has also caused hostile reactions and concern in the Netherlands and Germany. An interesting report on this can be found in an article by Ian Traynor from last month, published in South Africa's Mail & Guardian.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 9:24 AM | Comments (0)

Denmark: Muslim Tortures Woman For "Being Christian"

Another contribution from our Danish friend and correspondent, Wiking.

This is the shed where the woman was held captive and tortured

A 19 year old woman managed Sunday evening to escape from her torturer, a Danish citizen of Lebanese background.

She had been held captive for 9 days in a shed in the Sydhavnen district of Copenhagen where she had been beaten with an electric cable and subjected to other acts of violence by her boyfriend, a 19 year old Danish citizen from Lebanon. Sunday afternoon she managed to break out of her prison, climbed a fence and broke into a store, where she found a telephone and called her family.

The woman is now in hospital with extensive body damages. She had received almost nothing to eat and drink during the nine days. She has bruises from the beating and burns from cigarettes and from molten plastic that has been dripped onto her body. Her front teeth are knocked out, she has bleedings in both eyes, she has stab wounds all over her body and possibly a broken mandible. Part of her hair is burned away and her finger and toe nails are damaged, probably caused by pliers according to the police. A piece of her right thumb is missing.

She has extensive burn lesions on her legs from previous episodes of violence. The burns are caused by boiling water according to her own statement.

The violence has taken place over a period of one year, but has escalated drastically during the last month, according to the girl. The man threatened to kill her family if she reported him. Also, he has forbidden her to speak to her mother, because she is a Christian.

She is now under police protection, from fear that the family of the young man will try to harm her.

The full story (in Danish) comes from Jyllands-Posten

By WIKING

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at 7:55 AM | Comments (0)

International: Actions Against Nuclear Iran - The Fallout

This article by Adrian Morgan (Giraldus Cambrensis of Western Resistance) appeared earlier today in Family Security Matters and is reproduced with their permission.

Unilateral Sanctions

On October 25, the United States Department of State announced that actions were being taken against Iran. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) were designated under Executive Order 13382 for being parties to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Five named individuals and nine organizations connected to IRGC were also designated.

Three state-owned banks - Bank Melli, Bank Mellat and Bank Saderat - with their branches and subsidiaries were also designated under Executive Order 13224. This order has been used since September 23, 2001 to designate numerous terrorist entities. Additionally a branch of the IRGC, the Al-Quds Force was designated by the State Department on October 25. This group supplies weaponry and finances to the Taliban, Hizbollah and to Shia insurgents in Iraq. The reasons for the designations were twofold, to stem Iran's supply of weaponry and logistics to terrorist groups in Iraq, and to hinder Iran's continuing efforts to acquire nuclear weaponry. Bank Mellat has given financial support to Iranian agencies connected with illegal nuclear proliferation.

US Treasury Department Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jnr. explained: "The Iranian regime's ability to pursue nuclear and ballistic missile programs in defiance of UN Security Council Resolutions depends on its access to the international commercial and financial systems. Iran also funnels hundreds of millions of dollars each year through the international financial system to terrorists. Iran's banks aid this conduct, using a range of deceptive financial practices intended to evade even the most stringent risk-management controls..."

"...We have been working closely and intensely with our international partners to prevent one of the world's most dangerous regimes from developing the world's most dangerous weapons. Part of that strategy involves denying supporters of Iran's illicit conduct access to the international financial system; these actors should find no safe haven in the reputable world of finance and commerce."

The upcoming designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards was openly discussed in August, 2007. Former Ambassador Mark Ginsberg called the IRGC "Murder incorporated." President Bush warned: "When we catch you playing a non-constructive role, there will be a price to pay."

The Revolutionary Guards number 125,000, and the current president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was a former commander within the unit. They also control a squad of suicide volunteers called the Setad Pasdasht Shohadaye Nehzat Jahani Islam which has mounted recruitment campaigns in Europe. The IRGC is also believed to control up to one third of Iran's economy.

The unilateral sanctions announcement came days after the chief nuclear negotiator in Iran, Ali Larijani, resigned following policy differences with President Ahmadinejad. His successor, Saeed Jalil, is a close ally of the president and is known to be more "hard-line" than Larijani.

On September 3, 2007, Iran announced to the world that it was using more than 3,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium. On April 11, 2006, Iran's president had said that his engineers had developed enrichment of uranium to create nuclear fuel, but only on a "laboratory scale". At that stage Iran had only 164 centrifuges. On April 12, Iran announced that it would complete a farm of 3,000 centrifuges by the end of 2006. Once complete, construction then would start on a 54,000 centrifuge facility in an underground bunker in Natanz.

Ahmadinejad's announcement in September, in which he said: "We have more than 3,000 centrifuges working and every week a new set is installed," signaled a new departure for Iran's nuclear arms program. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited Natanz in August 2007 and then reported that 1,968 centrifuges were in action. Last week, on November 7 Ahmadinejad announced that the nuclear program was "irreversible". Speaking at the city of Birjand, Ahmadinejad declared: "Today, we have reached 3,000 centrifuges."

There seems to be confusion within Iran about how far it has progressed. The contradictory claims of when the 3,000 centrifuge target had been reached are one example of official confusion. Even though nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani has disassociated himself from Ahmadinejad, he still works for the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khameini. Soon after his "resignation" Larijani visited the European Union for talks with Javier Solana, the EU chief of foreign policy.

One thing is certain - the existing nuclear power plant under construction in Bushehr, southern Iran, which has been developed with help from Russia, is a pressurized water reactor. It has no need for highly enriched uranium, so the only possible purpose for building an industrial-scale factory for enriching uranium to high levels of purity is for the construction of material for nuclear weaponry. So far, the known purity of Iran's enriched uranium from 2006 is 3.6 percent pure. This is sufficient to produce electricity. To become viable for bomb production, uranium needs to be enriched to a purity of 90 percent.

Despite the visit by the IAEA to Nantaz in August, the nature of the centrifuge used in the existing "cascade" is so far unknown. Gholamreza Aghazadeh, Iran's chief nuclear scientist, has said: "As for more advanced machines - we indeed have plans to develop such machines. Having the advanced type of centrifuges and the new technology enables one to multiply production."

The development of what is called a P2 cascade would be extremely dangerous to international interests, as such a configuration would quadruple the speed at which uranium could be enriched. Ahmadinejad has announced that he is working on constructing a P2 centrifuge system, employing technological information made by Pakistani scientist Abul Qadeer Khan. According to Iranian opposition source the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), P2 development is being carried out in Ab-e Ali and Natanz, with assistance from North Korean and Chinese scientists.

Iranian Reactions

Since 2002, when Iran's nuclear plans were first revealed, Iran has consistently played cat and mouse with the international community - offering hopes of a cessation of operations and then back-tracking. Since 2005, Iran flouted resolutions from the U.N. Security Council and the IAEA. Since April 2006, the situation has become more urgent. On June 6, 2007, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China offered an incentive package to Iran. If the nation abandoned its uranium enrichment program, it would receive assistance to develop a nuclear power industry for civilian purposes. The offer of inducements was rejected.

A week before the American sanctions were anounced, President Bush had argued that Iran's possession of nuclear weapons could lead to "World War III." As soon as the sanctions were announced, Russian president Vladimir Putin suggested they may not be effective, and warned against further sanctions which might be made by the U.N. Security Council. On a visit to Portugal, he said: "Why worsen the situation by threatening sanctions and bring it to a dead end? It's not the best way to resolve the situation by running around like a madman with a razor blade in his hand." He suggested diplomacy as a solution, arguing that it had worked for North Korea.

Iran was characteristically belligerent. Mohammad Ali Hosseini, the foreign ministry spokesman said: "The hostile American policies towards the respectable people of Iran and the country's legal institutions are contrary to international law, without value and - as in the past - doomed to failure. The ridiculous accusations by American officials cannot save them from the Iraqi crisis that they have themselves created."

Saeed Jalil claimed: "These sanctions are nothing new. Sanctions have been imposed on us for 28 years. The new sanctions, like all those before, will have no effect on Iran's policies. The sanctions will only isolate the US on the international stage."

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's response was predictable. He said: "Unfortunately, our enemies cannot tolerate to see our success and try to throw obstacles in our way... Our enemies know that they are not able to take any action against us and world nations never listen to them... Victory belongs to our nation and defeat and humiliation are facing our enemies."

General General Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of the IRGC, responded: "The Islamic Republic has the strength and power of its people's faith. This power is joined with experience, knowledge and technology in the realms of defence. We will reply to any strike with an even more decisive strike."

The Iranian press has made much of a report that former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton has claimed that Colin Powell had tried to derail unilateral sanctions. Posell was said to have tried to suggest offering incentives to Iran, rather than sanctions.

Shaky Alliances

The first round of U.N. sanctions was approved in December 23, 2006, adopting resolution 1737. The declaration had been made after Iran had failed to observe a demand made on July 31 that Iran should "suspend all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities." China indicated that it viewed the 2006 sanctions as a "means to an end" - to urge Iran to return to negotiations. The 2006 sanctions were considered reversible, should Iran return to the negotiating table.

In March this year, the United Nations Security Council imposed its second round of sanctions against Iran. A travel ban was set against people or organizations involved in Iran's nuclear program, and a partial arms embargo was authorized. These generated a cool reaction from various nations.

In May, the European Union imposed sanctions that went beyond those decreed in March. A full arms embargo was made and more individuals were added to the list of banned travelers. Their EU assets were frozen.

In late August, before the United States issued its unilateral sanctions, Nicolas Sarkozy, who had been French President since May 2007, had urged for more UN sanctions against Iran. He argued that should the UN Security Council fail to impose sanctions, then the EU should impose its own unilateral sanctions. The EU has substantial trade with Iran. Germany, Austria and Italy were reported to object to this suggestion.

Currently, the European Union has neither condoned nor condemned the unilateral October 25 sanctions, though the EU is urging a third round of UN Security Council sanctions. On Thursday November 1, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatened economic sanctions of its own, should the EU join with the American unilateral sanctions. He said: "If (the EU) wants to cooperate with the enemy (the US), we would consider this as an unfriendly act and will show the appropriate reaction. You are well aware what would happen to economic calculations if we made a serous turn."

This month, Javier Solana is due to report to the European Union on the Iranian nuclear situation. Even if the European Union does decide to join with the American sanctions, it is unlikely that a meeting of the relevant commissioners and leaders could take place before December.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the IAEA, is also due to report on Iran's program of enrichment this month. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said: "If their reports are not positive, then we are headed to a third sanctions regime." He added that "any discussion of issues before the UN Security Council is going to lead to 'where does Russia stand?'."

At the end of October, Mohamed ElBaradei claimed that there was no evidence that Iran was building nuclear weapons. He described the American administration of adding "fuel to the fire" with warlike rhetoric. ElBaradei told CNN: "I have not received any information that there is a concrete active nuclear weapons program going on right now. Even if Iran were to be working on a nuclear weapon.. they are at least a few years from having such a weapon."

The French Defense Minister, Herve Morin, disputed the IAEA chief's claims. He said on October 29: "Our information, matching those of other countries, gives us the opposite feeling." He argued that if ElBaradei was correct, then there should be no reluctance for Iran to open its doors to IAEA inspectors.

On Tuesday November 6, Nicolas Sarkozy visited George W. Bush in Washington. The visit marked the end a period of frosty relations set in train by the disdain for US foreign policies voiced by Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac. The visit was amicable, and Sarkozy made reference to the historic friendships with France - recalling the Marquis de Lafayette, a friend of George Washington who took part in the American Revolution.

Thomas Jefferson helped to write the French Declaration of the Rights of Man, and the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France in 1886. French/U.S. relations only began to cool after World War II, when General de Gaulle opposed France joining NATO. In 2001 on the last state visit of a French president to the U.S., Jacques Chirac caused offense by asserting that France was the antidote to American "hyperpower."

During his Washington visit, Sarkozy said of Iran's nuclear