Jihad Watch

Will the Islamophobia never end? Islamic Tolerance Alert from modern, moderate Indonesia: "Hardliners in Bekasi Throw Stones at Ascension Day Service," by Camelia Pasandaran for the Jakarta Globe, May 17 (thanks to Twostellas):

A mob of Islamic hard-liners threw stones and bags of urine at the HKBP Filadelphia congreagation of the Batak Christian Protestant Church in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, at an Ascension Day service on Thursday. Police tried to stop the mob of some 300 people, but were also attacked, according to reports.

“They assaulted the congregation members,” Rev. Palti Panjaitan told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday. “Police tried to talk to them, but the mob passed through police and showered us with urine and dirty water. Others threw stones at us.”

The mob reportedly attacked the congregation as the service started, and also shouted profanity and threats.

“Even after the service, which lasted one-and-a-half hours, the mob chased after us,” Rev. Palti said. “Thank God the police escorted us to a safe area.

HKBP Filadelphia submitted an application for a building permit in 2007, but church leaders say that despite meeting all the requirements, including the agreement of their neighbors, a permit was never issued.

On Dec. 31, 2009, the Bekasi district head issued a letter banning the members of the congregation from worshiping on the land, forcing the 560 members to hold services along the side of the road fronting the property.

In July 2011, the Supreme Court overruled the Bekasi administration’s decision, saying the church was eligible for a building permit. The court ordered Bekasi to issue one — but the district government ignored the ruling.

Members of the congregation say that Islamic hard-liners have been intimidating and threatening them at their services since January.

But of course he doesn't mean it -- we all know that. We know the Israel/Palestinian conflict has nothing to do with Islam. It has to do with land, and a negotiated settlement will soon save the day. Everyone in Washington tells us so, so it must be true, right?

"Iranian Calls for 'Islamic Awakening' to Destroy Israel," by Elad Benari for Israel National News, May 17 (thanks to Voice of the Copts):

An Iranian official called this week for an ‘Islamic Awakening’ movement to help Palestinian Authority Arabs “demolish the Zionist regime”, the IRNA news agency reported.

The comments were made at a conference in Tehran in honor of Nakba Day – the day of catastrophe – which is what the Arabs call the English date of May 15, when the State of Israel was re-established with a declaration of independence in 1948.

In a brief address at the end of the conference, the official, Hossein Shiekholeslam said, “In success of a revolution three major factors need to play effective roles, and they are the people, the leadership, and the school of thought, or ideology.”

He added, “If we wish success for the Palestinians, the existence of these three factors is necessary, as they did exist in the case of the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.”

Sheikholeslam said that “In near future the Islamic Awakening movement would also swallow the Zionist regime.”...

These crimes are not race-based, as Hindu and Sikh girls were victimized along with "white" girls. They were religion-based: preying on non-Muslim girls as sex slaves is in accord with Islamic law. But the British press, like the American press completely unwilling to examine the root causes of this kind of behavior within Islam and to challenge the Muslim community about it, fastidiously and inaccurately terms the perpetrators "Asian" rather than "Muslim." And now, finally, non-Muslim Asians have had enough of this defamation.

"Complaints over use of 'Asian' label in grooming cases," from the BBC, May 16 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

Groups representing Sikh and Hindu communities have complained about the term "Asian" being used to describe the men involved in grooming trials.

Earlier this month, nine men were jailed for being part of a sex ring in Rochdale which groomed girls for sex.

The groups said the men involved were "almost always of Pakistani origin" and the term "Asian" was inaccurate.

The Ramadan Foundation has said grooming is "a significant problem for the British Pakistani community".

The joint statement was released by the Network of Sikh Organisations UK, The Hindu Forum of Britain, and The Sikh Media Monitoring Group UK.

It says the reluctance of the media and the government to discuss the "disproportionate representation of Muslims in such cases" and the fact victims are "almost always non-Muslim girls" is adding to the cause of far-right groups such as the BNP.

Yes, let's all agree not to tell the truth so that the wrong people don't capitalize upon it.

It said blanket use of the word "Asian" was "unfair to other communities of Asian origin".

"We believe that in this case the government itself is sanctioning the use of term Asian as a way of clouding responsibility," the groups say.

The groups say sex gangs have targeted Hindu and Sikh girls but the cases are rarely reported as they seldom reach the courts.

The statement says: "We believe that political correctness stifles debate and will not facilitate a frank and mature discussion or solutions to get to the root of why the above pattern is emerging in these crimes and how to help find a solution to the problem.

"We will not be able to do that if we mask the identity of those involved based on misguided views of 'protecting a vulnerable community' of the perpetrators and not looking at the vulnerable community of victims."

I tried to tell you. More Arab Spring Democracy On the March in Egypt:

"Israel becomes a target in Egypt's presidential vote," by Edmund Blair for Reuters, May 17 (thanks to Voice of the Copts):

(Reuters) - Israel has become a punchbag for politicians vying for votes in Egypt's presidential race, playing on popular antipathy in Egypt towards its neighbor, but the realities of office are likely to ensure a 33-year-old peace treaty is not jeopardized.

We'll see.

An ex-air force commander in the race boasts of bringing down Israeli aircraft in 1973, the last of Egypt's four wars with Israel. One Islamist often refers to Israel as the "Zionist entity", rather than by name, and describes it as an "enemy".

A leftist candidate pledges to support the Palestinian resistance against Israel, where officials have watched Egypt's political turmoil with increasing wariness after the downfall of Mubarak who oversaw a cold yet stable peace.

None of the candidates want to tear up the document signed in 1979 but they repeatedly warn in rallies and debates it should be reviewed. Many of them grumble at provisions in the U.S.-brokered deal they say are biased in Israel's favor....

The Melkite Greek Patriarch Gregory III denounces the silence of the Western press on the escalating persecution of Christians in Syria. "Christians are under pressure in Syria, the patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church Gregorios III denounces the silence of the Western Press," from MFS - The Other News, May 16 (thanks to Willy):

Christians are under pressure in Syria, the patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church Gregorios III denounces the silence of the Western Press.(Agoravox)."There is no more Revolution, there are no more demonstrations.There are only banditry and the world refuses to acknowledge. "These words are not those of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, nor those of his ministers, or those of a member of any Arab government support the plan, but those of the Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, whose home is in Damascus. The prelate did not use vague terms to describe the current state of crisis which is immersed in Syria, "foreign elements have entered the country and have even started beating the Christians, who had to leave Homs given the dangerousness of the situation, "said the patriarch who did not hide some dissatisfaction vis-à-vis the situation considered too soft Vatican towards him.Gregory III then lashed to the European press with which he dealt during recent visits to the Old World to tell precisely what was happening in Syria. "I do not condone the regime as i have been heard in France, but I support a reality. The newspapers are stereotyped, have unique sources and are not ready to listen to anyone, not even me, "the prelate suggested that currently we do not hesitate to speak of a true" dictatorship of the press service of the United States. " The patriarch has even told a story came to the nephew of a bishop working in Dubai (UAE), who, on his way to work one day, heard a man behind him announce on the phone that he was in Homs, while government troops were an assault on the city, killing women and children."We talked about the plot, but it is far worse than that: there is an international will to harm Syria," said Gregory III yet but wondered how some states could change in a few months' regime who did so much for its people. Finally, responding to a question from journalists on the actions of the Syrian army vis-à-vis the population, the patriarch did not hesitate to assert that military intervention was "too late and light" for hoped to end the violence of rebel bands.Important evidence on the actual situation of Syria which contrasts sharply with what we find in the mainstream media, which does not concern decidedly clear and objective information.Read the full story here.(GoogleTranslate).

A turbulent ascension

Wishing all the Christians around the world who are celebrating the Ascension today a moment of peace in these times of strife and persecution.

First there was a push to legalize “death-sex,” now there is a push to ban offensive children's toys, including a toy gun that reportedly “when you shoot, it says ‘shoot Sayyida Aisha,' wife of Islam’s prophet Muhammad.” Egypt’s new Islamist-dominated parliament continues exposing its priorities for the world to see.

"Egypt parliament to discuss Chinese toys that 'humiliate Islam,'" by Eslam Omar for Al Ahram, May 7:

Saad El-Katatni speaker of the People's Assembly referred to the economics committee the issue of Chinese-made children's toys that "humiliate Islam and its figures."

Parliament member Mustafa Morsy made a speech during Monday’s session about how imported games and toys can be harmful to Egyptian and Muslim culture.

“Our kids play with computer games in which you shoot the holy Quran and Islamic symbols,” Morsy said in his speech.

“This toy gun for example costs only five pounds and when you shoot, it says ‘shoot Sayyida Aisha,' wife of Islam’s prophet Muhammad,” Morsy claimed while showing a colourful toy gun during the session.

“Kuwaiti law punishes anyone who humiliates Muslim figures like prophets and their families,” he added.

There was a recent debate in Saudi Arabia about a similar toy gun that, when the trigger is pulled, says “Go go go, pull over and save the hostages". Some claimed that it says “shoot Sayyida Aisha.”

In Saudi Arabia, it was recently revealed that a 5-year-old boy was "severely beaten" and whipped by his teacher, with "wounds appearing on various parts of his body." According to Garaa News, it is unknown why the teacher scourged the child, and the teacher's identity has been withheld to protect him from the boy's father who is attempting to press charges.

What is known, however, is that the man was a teacher of Koran studies and memorization, and the location of the school is Mecca, the holiest city of Islam—two facts that speak for themselves, and Islam, much more honestly than the ongoing depictions of Islam as the "religion of peace" championed by Muslim apologists in the West.

From Yahoo News:

NEW YORK, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The prominent human rights organization American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and its Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) program, along with Former Muslims United (FMU) will be hosting the first-ever "Summer Night for Human Rights" Town Hall dedicated to defending the freedom of conscience. Dedicated to Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who has been sentenced to death in Iran for leaving Islam, the Summer Night for Human Rights will feature Muslim apostates from around the world, and call upon Muslims in the U.S. and the world human rights community to defend their right to change their religion or have no religion at all, and to denounce the Sharia that mandates such punishment.

The AFDI/SIOA Summer Night for Human Rights Town Hall will be held at the Marriott Hotel in Manhattan Beach, California. AFDI/SIOA Executive Director Pamela Geller chose that location because of its proximity to the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations' "Summer Night for Civil Rights" event being held at the same time down the block in Redondo Beach. The Summer Night for Human Rights will call upon the CAIR spokesmen to renounce Islam's death penalty for apostasy and defend the human rights of those who choose to leave Islam. It will ask CAIR leaders to stop creating roadblocks to Sharia prohibitions in the U.S., pointing up CAIR's hypocrisy in sponsoring a "civil rights" night while supporting a system of governance that denies the freedom of conscience, as well as the freedom of speech and equality of rights of all before the law.

Hamas-linked CAIR is selling tickets for its "Summer Night for Civil Rights" for as much as $100; admission to the AFDI/SIOA Summer Night for Human Rights is free. Register to attend by writing afdisioa@aol.com.

Geller said in a statement: "All the schools of Islamic law, without exception, mandate death for those who leave Islam. We've dedicated the Town Hall to Pastor Youcef because he is in imminent danger of being murdered for his beliefs, and we've invited numerous apostates from Islam to speak about the death sentence they must live under every moment because they have dared to leave Islam. We're calling upon Hamas-tied CAIR to stand up for Pastor Youcef and other victims of Islam's apostasy law at their so-called 'Civil Rights' conference so-called 'Civil Rights' conference and to stand for human rights for all. Under the guise of 'civil rights,' these subversive groups seek to undermine the unalienable rights guaranteed to every individual under the Constitution. Their ruse must be exposed, their Sharia agenda renounced. What Islamic supremacist groups in the U.S. speak for Pastor Youcef?"

Geller added: "Apostates from Islam have rights, too. The freedom of conscience is specifically protected in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet apostates are completely forgotten in our politically correct culture, in which speech that is offensive to Islam is increasingly forbidden. We're standing for the human rights of people like Youcef Nadarkhani. While CAIR officials Zead Ramadan and Cyrus McGoldrick are appearing on Iranian government TV complaining about resistance to Sharia in America, Youcef is languishing in an Iranian prison for exercising his freedom of conscience. Who speaks for him? They should be on Iranian television calling for the release of the pastor, not denouncing America. Our Human Rights Town Hall calls out Islamic supremacist groups in America to cease and desist their subversive activity under the guise of 'civil rights' or 'Shariaphobia.'"

Hosting the Summer Night for Human Rights Town Hall are Pamela Geller, publisher of the acclaimed AtlasShrugs.com blog, executive director of AFDI and SIOA, and author of Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance (WND Books); and AFDI/SIOA associate director Robert Spencer, the bestselling author and director of Jihad Watch, whose most recent book is Did Muhammad Exist? An Inquiry Into Islam's Obscure Origins.

The confirmed list of speakers also includes some of the nation's most prominent ex-Muslims: the human rights activist Nonie Darwish of Former Muslims United, author of Now They Call Me Infidel; the psychologist and freedom fighter Wafa Sultan, author of A God Who Hates; and the Islamic scholar Ibn Warraq, author of Why I Am Not A Muslim; former Palestinian terrorist Walid Shoebat; and Moroccan ex-Muslim Ismail Zarouali.

AFDI/SIOA is one of America's foremost organizations defending human rights, religious liberty, and the freedom of speech against Islamic supremacist intimidation and attempts to bring elements of Sharia to the United States.

Dr. Hatem Elhagaly, aka Dr. Hatem al-Haj, is a Muslim jurist who has stated this:

The ruling on circumcision: Scholars have differed on the ruling on circumcision. They have agreed on its legitimacy for both sexes, but beyond that they have differed. Some--most famously the Shafi’ites--believe that it is obligatory for both sexes. Some believe it is obligatory for men only, and some believe it is recommended for both. At the very least it can be said that for women it is an honor, and for men it is sunnah [i.e. it is in accord with the tradition of Muhammad].

Longtime Jihad Watch reader CGW saw that report on Jihad Watch and sprang into action, contacting the Mayo Clinic, where Elhagaly was employed, and starting a petition. The Mayo Clinic sent this email out yesterday:

From: Public Affairs
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 2:16 PM
Subject: RE: Dr. Hatem Elhagaly

Dr. Elhagaly is no longer employed or caring for patients at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. We are working with his patients to transition their care to another physician. Because this is a personnel issue, we cannot comment further on Dr. Elhagaly's employment status.

Female circumcision in children, referred to as female genital mutilation in U.S. legal statutes, is a felony-level child abuse crime. Mayo Clinic strongly opposes the procedure and it has never been performed at any Mayo Clinic facility.

This is a huge victory for human rights and women's rights. Huge kudos and thanks to CGW, who spearheaded this effort single-handedly and is not stopping with this: see the latest petition here.

What? Don't they know that Sharia is benign and completely compatible with humane values such as those enshrined in the U.S. Constitution? Have they been listening to greasy Islamophobes? Imam Rauf, you're needed in Mali! These benighted folks need to learn to love Sharia -- or else!

"Malians riot as rebels impose Sharia law," from the Mail & Guardian, May 16 (thanks to Twostellas):

Amnesty International says Islamist groups and insurgents are 'running riot' after a military coup deposed the Bamako government in March.

Attempts by Malian insurgents to impose Sharia law in the north of the country have sparked protests against rebel control.

Witnesses say Ansar Dine – the Islamic sect that controls much of northern Mali, together with Tuareg separatists the MNLA and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – fired into the air injuring five people during protests in the northern city of Gao, including one by a stray bullet.

“We received five wounded, including one by a bullet. They are all civilians,” a source at the hospital in Gao told the South African Press Association.

The protests come amid reports that rebels were intensifying attempts to impose sharia law in northern Mali, smashing TV sets claiming they were being used to play video games or watch content considered un-Islamic.

Ansar Dine blocked an aid convoy with tonnes of food and medical supplies for the northern city of Timbuktu on Tuesday, objecting to the presence of women in a reception committee set up for the aid....

Ah, the glories of Sharia.

These Infidels are great. Shoot a few of their soldiers, and they'll give you money. "Australia pledges $300 million to Afghan forces," by Rod McGuirk for the Associated Press, May 16 (thanks to Maxwell):

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia will contribute $100 million annually for three years beginning in 2015 toward the $4 billion a year cost of running the Afghan National Security Forces after they take responsibility for their country's security.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Defense Minister Stephen Smith said in a statement Wednesday they will take this commitment to the NATO and U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force summit in Chicago on Sunday and Monday.

This follows Australia's commitment to the Afghan National Army Trust Fund of $200 million over five years beginning in 2009-10.

Afghanistan will have responsibility for its own security by the end of 2014.

Gillard said she spoke by telephone to President Barack Obama late Tuesday about the size of the Australian financial contribution to the costs of the Afghan forces.

"That's going to cost some money to sustain those forces, just over $4 billion," Gillard told reporters. "Australia is prepared to play its part in meeting those costs for Afghan forces."

"As a nation, we have invested a lot in Afghanistan. We have been there to make sure that it is never again a safe haven for terrorists," she added.

Yes, your millions will certainly accomplish that.

This just in: FDR, Churchill invite Hitler to the Atlantic Conference. "NATO invites Pakistan to summit in Chicago," by Chris Brummitt and Slobodan Lekic for the Associated Press, May 16 (thanks to Maxwell):

ISLAMABAD (AP) — NATO has invited Pakistan's president to the upcoming Chicago summit on Afghanistan, the strongest sign yet that Islamabad is ready to reopen its western border to U.S. and NATO military supplies heading to the war in the neighboring country.

President Asif Ali Zardari was expected to accept the invitation, a Pakistani official in Washington said Tuesday.

Pakistan blocked the routes in November after American airstrikes killed 24 of its troops on the Afghan border. The attack sent ties between Washington and Islamabad to new lows, threatening regional cooperation needed for negotiating an end to the Afghan war.

The developments signal something of a rapprochement between the two countries, but tensions are likely to bedevil what has long been a brittle relationship, scarred by mistrust on both sides. Many in Washington believe Pakistan is supporting the Taliban, making the Afghanistan war unwinnable....

Many are right. But of course the Afghan war is unwinnable anyway, because Washington doesn't want to win, and doesn't know what winning would look like.

In "Uncovering Early Islam" in National Review today, Daniel Pipes discusses my new book Did Muhammad Exist?:

...In a well-written, sober, and clear account, [Spencer] begins by demonstrating the inconsistencies and mysteries in the conventional account concerning Mohammed’s life, the Koran, and early Islam. For example, whereas the Koran insists that Mohammed did not perform miracles, the hadith ascribes him thaumaturgic powers — multiplying food, healing the injured, drawing water from the ground and sky, and even sending lightning from his pickax. Which is it? Hadith claim Mecca was a great trading city but, strangely, the historical record reveals it as no such thing.

The Christian quality of early Islam is no less strange, specifically “traces of a Christian text underlying the [Koran].” Properly understood, these traces elucidate otherwise incomprehensible passages. Conventionally read, verse 19:24 has Mary nonsensically hearing, as she gives birth to Jesus, “Do not be sad, your Lord has placed a rivulet beneath you.” Revisionists transform this into the sensible (and piously Christian) “Do not be sad, your Lord has made your delivery legitimate.” Puzzling verses about the “Night of Power” commemorating Mohammed’s first revelation make sense when understood as describing Christmas. Chapter 96 of the Koran, astonishingly, invites readers to a Eucharist.

Building on this Christian base, revisionists postulate a radically new account of early Islam. Noting that coins and inscriptions from the seventh century mention neither Mohammed, the Koran, nor Islam, they conclude that the new religion did not appear until about 70 years after Mohammed’s supposed death. Spencer finds that “the first decades of the Arab conquest show the conquerors holding not to Islam as we know it but to a vague creed [Hagarism, focused on Abraham and Ishmael] with ties to some form of Christianity and Judaism.” In very brief: “The Muhammad of Islamic tradition did not exist, or if he did, he was substantially different from how that tradition portrays him” — namely, as an anti-Trinitarian Christian rebel leader in Arabia.

It was only around 700, when the rulers of a now-vast Arabian empire felt the need for a unifying political theology, that they cobbled together the Islamic religion. The key figure in this enterprise appears to have been the brutal governor of Iraq, Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. No wonder, writes Spencer, that Islam is “such a profoundly political religion” with uniquely prominent martial and imperial qualities. No wonder it conflicts with modern mores.

The revisionist account is no idle academic exercise but, as when Judaism and Christianity encountered the Higher Criticism 150 years ago, a deep, unsettling challenge to faith. It will likely leave Islam a less literal and doctrinaire religion with particularly beneficial implications in the case of doctrines of supremacism and misogyny. Applause, then, for plans to translate Did Muhammad Exist? into major Muslim languages and to make it available gratis on the Internet. May the revolution begin.

Read it all.

Zead Ramadan is thoroughly trained in Hamas-linked CAIR's manipulative victimhood posturing and smearing of freedom fighters, as you can see here. He is by no stretch of the imagination an original thinker. As I have noted many times here, Leftists and Islamic supremacists tend to parrot the same talking points, as if they were all reading from the same script. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a database somewhere of themes to sound and stock answers to questions, since they repeat themselves with such dreary regularity. Ramadan is repeating talking points that we have heard before from the likes of dhimmi Jeffrey Goldberg, Islamic supremacist pseudo-moderate Reza Aslan, Muslim Brotherhood-linked Congressman Keith Ellison, Canadian Muslim leader Syed Soharwardy, and Nicholas Kristof, among many others. "CAIR-NY President Zead Ramadan: Anti-Muslim Rhetoric in the US Echoes Nazi Rhetoric against the Jews," from MEMRI, May 13 (thanks to David):

Following are excerpts from an interview with Zead Ramadan, President of CAIR-NY, which aired on Press TV on May 13, 2012.

Zead Ramadan: I think that the United States and Americans need to realize that we have extremist elements in America, who are not Muslim, and who believe that America should only be one color, one way of living, and that is not what America is all about. America has invited immigrants from around the world to build its country, over its history.

[…]

Whenever you think that America, the “land of the free,” is going to grow up and go beyond it [bigotry], more intolerant, extremist voices come out. It seems that they come out in times of elections, because some groups think that they can get large groups of religious followers to side with them if they say negative things about other people. The easiest target… the minority… The easiest target has been the Muslim people.

In Nazi Germany, they targeted the minority, the Jewish minority, and unfortunately, it went from only philosophy, to rhetoric, to action. That is not where we want to go in America.

I don’t think we will ever get there, but I don’t think we should allow the road to continue to be built towards that direction, because the comments that are being made against Muslims are very eerily echoing the comments that were made against Jews by Nazis. A lot of people say they want Muslims to be taken out of the country, that they should have different citizenship status, and all of this stuff is an insult to the Constitution of the US....

Actually no one of any significance in this debate is saying that Muslims should be " taken out of the country" or "that they should have different citizenship status." In mischaracterizing the positions of anti-Sharia forces, Ramadan is trying to demonize resistance to jihad and Islamic supremacism, and deflect attention away from the real agenda of the counter-jihad movement, which is to defend freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and equality of rights for all people before the law.

Ramadan is doing the same thing with his comparison of counter-jihad rhetoric to Nazi rhetoric about the Jews. The late Christopher Hitchens ably took apart the central claim being made here when writing about the Islamic supremacist mega-mosque at Ground Zero: "'Some of what people are saying in this mosque controversy is very similar to what German media was saying about Jews in the 1920s and 1930s,' Imam Abdullah Antepli, Muslim chaplain at Duke University, told the New York Times. Yes, we all recall the Jewish suicide bombers of that period, as we recall the Jewish yells for holy war, the Jewish demands for the veiling of women and the stoning of homosexuals, and the Jewish burning of newspapers that published cartoons they did not like."

Ramadan's aim (and the aim of all the others who have repeated this) is to intimidate his hearers into thinking that criticism of Islamic supremacism leads to the gas chambers, and thus there must be no criticism of Islamic supremacism. The unstated assumption is that if one group was unjustly accused of plotting subversion and violence, and was viciously persecuted and massacred on the basis of those false accusations, then any group accused of plotting subversion and violence must be innocent, and any such accusation must be in service of preparing for their internment and massacre.

The key difference is not only that Muslim leaders worldwide have made their intention to conquer and subjugate non-Muslims very clear, in a way that Jews never did in the run-up to the Holocaust; it is also that anti-jihadists nowhere advocate a "final solution" for Muslims, and never will -- we are merely calling upon them to drop the authoritarian and repressive aspects of Sharia and obey the laws of the Western societies in which they live. This is a movement in defense of freedom and equality of rights before the law. Ramadan is lying about the alleged similarity of counter-jihad rhetoric to Nazi rhetoric about the Jews, which in reality was frankly and openly exterminationist from the beginning, while counter-jihadists have never advocated anything but the ideals enshrined in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and have explicitly denounced violence and vigilantism.

But Zead Ramadan wants to advance his repressive and authoritarian model for society, and in order to do so he has to smear those who are resisting the imposition of that societal model. And on a TV network controlled by the Iranian mullahs, no less.

From CBN:

Stakelbeck on Terror Show: Islamization in America

On this week's edition of the Stakelbeck on Terror show, Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller--two leading voices in the fight against the Islamization of the West--join me to discuss Islamic honor killings in America, sharia law in your backyard, and the latest on the Ground Zero mega-mosque. Plus, we go inside Spencer's eye-opening new book, "Did Muhammed Exist?"

Why not? We've already seen Zionist squirrels, and Zionist pigeons, and Zionist rats, and Zionist sharks, Zionist vultures, and even sexually predatory Zionist cats.

A clear sign that Islamic supremacist paranoia is taking hold in Turkey: "Turkey suspects bird of being Israeli spy," by Amir Ben-David for Ynet News, May 15 (thanks to Joshua):

Turkish authorities believe that they have found a bird used for espionage purposes by Israel, the country's media reported.

According to a Tuesday report in Yedioth Ahronoth, an investigation to that effect was launched in Ankara several days ago, after a farmer discovered a dead Merops Apiaster, commonly known as the European Bee-Eater, in his field. The bird had a ring reading "Israel" on one of its legs.

Bird-banding is a common practice in ornithology, meant to help scientists track bird migration routes.

The band, however, was not the most damning piece of evidence against the bee-eater: Its nostrils were.

The bird-beak in question reportedly sported "unusually large nostrils," which – combined with the identification ring – raised suspicions that the bird was "implanted with a surveillance device" and that it arrived in Turkey as part of an espionage mission.

The bird's remains were originally handed over to the Turkish Agriculture Ministry, which then turned in over to Ankara's security services.....

Nightclubs: haram. Murdering people who go to nightclubs: halal. Sharia Alert from Kenya: "Gunmen attack night club Mombasa," from the Telegraph, May 15 (thanks to David):

Gunmen detonated grenades outside a night club in the Kenyan city of Mombasa on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding several others in the latest attack since Kenya sent troops into Somalia to crush Islamist militants.

Nairobi has said al-Shabaab militants, who merged with al-Qaeda earlier this year, are behind a surge in violence and kidnappings threatening tourism in east Africa's biggest economy.

Police said the target of the attack was Bella Vista sports bar in a street known for its nightlife in Mombasa, a popular holiday destination for Kenyans and foreigners.

A pool of blood marked the entrance to the club, and spent cartridges and grenade shells were strewn near its gate. Some cars nearby were riddled with shrapnel marks.

Police said the attackers tried to force their way into the club, but were barred at the gate by guards. They then shot at random and hurled the explosive devices....

"Sometimes you gotta do like Elvis did and shoot the damn thing out." -- Bob Dylan

But there is nothing to be concerned about here. Sharia is completely benign and compatible with the U.S. Constitution. How could it not be? Imam Rauf said so!

"Islamists in northern Mali smash TVs," by Martin Vogl for the Associated Press, May 14 (thanks to David):

BAMAKO, Mali -- A resident in the northern Malian city of Gao says Islamists smashed TV sets that were being used to play video games or watch programs considered un-Islamic, in a further attempt to impose Shariah law there.

The resident who asked for anonymity because he feared reprisal said that residents took to the street in protest after the incident Sunday. The witness said the Islamist fighters fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd....

Clearly he was a true believer writing for true believers -- believers in the Qur'an's promise of virgins in Paradise. Yet that is the one aspect of the jihadis' motives and goals that our Government and military are now forbidden to explore, on pain of charges of "Islamophobia."

"English language al-Qaeda training manual revealed," by Duncan Gardham for the Telegraph, May 14 (thanks to all who sent this in):

An English language guide for Westerners seeking to join al-Qaeda has been published, with recommendations on how to cope with the hardships and dangers of life as a jihadist.

The first section is titled "cleanliness" and says; "As for yourself, a daily shower is ideal but not possible in many cases."

The guide includes rules such as keeping clean, not using mobile phones and thinking of virgins in paradise when bomber-drones are overhead.

Described as a “must-read” source, it has emerged on the internet shortly after it was leaked that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular had been penetrated by a British spy who managed to smuggle out the latest version of their “underpants bomb”.

The guide was written by Samir Khan, an American who served as the top propagandist for the Yemen-based branch of the terrorist movement, which is considered the most dangerous to the West. He was killed by a drone attack in September, alongside AQAP’s chief ideologue, Anwar al-Awlaki,

Khan writes that he had been under the impression that he would be fighting most of the time after joining. “The reality is not quite like that,” he said.

The first section is titled “cleanliness” and says: “In some cases, you will be staying with a few brothers in a tight room or house”. “In order to avoid unnecessary problems, encourage yourself and your brothers to clean the room(s) on a regular basis. As for yourself, a daily shower is ideal but not possible in many cases.”

He describes the “bee-like sound” of the unmanned aerial vehicles in a section headed: “aerial bombardment.”

“If you feel terrified,” he says. “Close your eyes and imagine yourself inside paradise. Think of your hoor [virgins] that are awaiting you as well as meeting the prophets.”...

The al-Qaeda fighters seem to believe in black magic, with Khan writing that the “apostate” government of Saudi Arabia has individuals that “work alongside evil jinns [spirits] that spy on the mujahidin and give away their position.”

This is not black magic. This is straight Islam -- cf. this page from Islam Awareness: "Maybe there is a Jinn sitting in the corner of your room right now, or even one behind you."

This House report is good to see, but there is no chance that the DoJ will heed it. Obama's Justice Department is racing in the other direction, abetting the Government-wide purging of all training materials of any truth about Islam and jihad, and kowtowing energetically to Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islamic supremacist groups. As Pamela Geller says here, she received in response to a FOIA request "hundreds and hundreds of pages of emails, documenting nearly daily and friendly contact, consultation, cooperation and collaboration between the DOJ and Hamas-linked Muslim Brotherhood groups. One thing is clear, the Muslim Brotherhood has fully infiltrated command and control at the Department of Justice civil rights division."

"House report urges Justice Dept. to cut ties with CAIR," by Caroline May for the Daily Caller, May 14 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

The Department of Justice is being encouraged to follow in the footsteps of the FBI in cutting off all non-investigative ties to the country’s largest Muslim advocacy organization, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The Fiscal Year 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill, which passed the House on Wednesday, contains in its Committee Report (a separate public document that spells out how agencies are expected to spend the money allocated to them) a recommendation that Attorney General Eric Holder follow in the FBI’s footsteps and sever ties with CAIR:

Liaison partnerships.—The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in a case in which the Holy Land Foundation was found guilty of material support of a terrorist organization. The committee acknowledges the attorney general’s refusal to attend certain meetings knowing that CAIR officials would be present, as indicated in testimony before the committee on February 28, 2012. The committee understands that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has an existing policy prohibiting its employees from engaging in any formal non-investigative cooperation with CAIR. The committee encourages the attorney general to adopt a similar policy for all department officials.

In January 2009, the FBI ended its relationship with CAIR and its affiliates across the country due to the conviction of those involved in the Holy Land Foundation terrorist funding trial, in which CAIR was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator.

Virginia Republican Rep. Frank Wolf, the bill’s sponsor, explained to The Daily Caller that with the FBI’s policy already in place it makes sense for DOJ to follow suit.

“The FBI has that policy now, and I think it’s a good policy — they were an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case. We also commend the attorney general for not meeting with them,” Wolf said. “We think it ought to be a policy. If the FBI has that policy, I think the entire Justice Department should have it.”

The DOJ declined to comment about the recommendation, though Wolf explained that they will likely apply the policy....

“I expect they will comply [with the recommendation],” Wolf said. “I’d be surprised if they didn’t comply.”...

Good luck with that.

Order now

Pamela Geller's book Stop the Islamization of America is growing more prophetic and needed by the day, as Islamic supremacist thuggery becomes ever more common in America, and authorities remain clueless or complicit. Geller has the shocking story of the threats made against DuPage County residents here:

After this week's huge victory in DuPage County, where the town rejected a Mosque/Islamic center in a house on quiet residential street, some of the ongoing stories of abuse and intimidation are finally being told. I am not publishing the names of the victims -- they have to live there, and the Muslims make their lives miserable.

The Islamic Center of Western Suburbia (ICWS) wants special accommodation and special permission to put a mosque and Islamic Center on a small, quiet residential street in pastoral DuPage. Their request for a conditional use permit for this rabat was rightly denied this week.

CWS vs DuPage Cnty:
Early on one of the neighbors reported she was out in her yard and one of the Muslims asked her "Do you have insurance on your house? She asked why he wanted to know that and he said "You never know what might happen." She had been complaining to the County about all the cars parked all over and in her driveway so they tried to intimidate this elderly woman.

Read it all.

I tried to tell you. Arab Spring Democracy On the March in Egypt: "Leading Egypt candidate calls 'racist' Israel a threat," from AFP, May 13 (thanks to Kenneth):

A leading Islamist candidate in Egypt's presidential election has branded Israel a "racist state" and said a shared 1979 peace treaty was "a national security threat" that should be revised.

Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh also denounced Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden's assassination by US special forces as an act of "state terrorism," in a late Saturday Egyptian television interview.

Abul Fotouh, a front runner in the May 23-24 election according to polls, had earlier described Israel as an "enemy" in a televised debate with his main contender, former foreign minister and Arab League chief Amr Mussa.

In Saturday's interview with the private Egyptian CBC satellite station, he said he had opposed the treaty since its implementation. "I still view the peace treaty as a national security threat to Egypt, and it must be revised."

"It is a treaty that forbids Egypt from exercising full sovereignty in the Sinai and allows Israelis to enter Sinai without visas, while they need visas for Cairo," he said.

The treaty, in which Israel withdrew from the Sinai after capturing it in a 1967 war, does not allow Egypt a military presence in parts of the peninsula.

Abul Fotouh said Israel was "a racist state with 200 nuclear warheads" that continued to pose a threat to Egypt.

A moderate Islamist with support from both hardline fundamentalists and liberals, Abul Fotouh refused to describe Bin Laden as a terrorist, saying the term was used by the United States to "hit Muslim interests."...

Abul Fotouh's rival Amr Mussa has also argued for the revision of the treaty with Israel and described its policies towards Palestinians as an Egyptian "national security issue."...

Khan is right. There is no alliance anyway. The ties should be cut and the pretense ended. But whether it is or not, it will soon be clear what side Pakistan was on all along. "Pakistani officer accused of terrorism calls for ties to US to be cut," from AP, May 14 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

From his prison cell, a senior Pakistani officer accused of plotting an Islamist takeover of the military high command has issued a call for the army to break its anti-terror alliance with the United States, which he contends is forcing Pakistan to fight its own people.

"This may help us redeem some of our lost dignity and we badly need that," Brig Ali Khan writes in the six-page document obtained by The Associated Press. The US might retaliate by cutting military and economic aid, but "do they not always do this at will? [When? -- ed.] ... Our fears that the heavens will fall must be laid to rest."...

Modern, moderate Indonesia is not moderate enough to tolerate this "envoy of the devil's child." "Lady Gaga gagged in Indonesia after Islamic opposition," from Reuters, May 15:

(Reuters) - Pop star Lady Gaga has been refused a permit to perform in the Indonesian capital next month over security concerns, police said on Tuesday, after Islamic groups voiced strong objections to her "vulgar" style.

Three Islamic groups have expressed their opposition to the concert on June 3, demanding it be stopped, national police spokesman Saud Usman Nasution said by telephone.

Indonesia, a secular state, has the world's largest population of Muslims as well as significant minorities of Christians, Buddhists and Hindus.

"She's a vulgar singer who wears only panties and a bra when she sings and she stated she is the envoy of the devil's child and that she will spread satanic teaching," said Salim Alatas, the Jakarta head of hardline Islamic Defender Front (FPI). "This is dangerous."

More than 30,000 concert tickets from a total of 40,000 tickets had been sold, said the Jakarta Post newspaper. Tickets ranged in price from 465,000 rupiah ($50.35) to 2.25 million rupiah ($240). ($1 = 9235 rupiah)

Over at Gatestone Institute (via RaymondIbrahim.com) I discuss the jihad potential south of the border:

As the United States considers the Islamic jihadi threats confronting it from all sides, it would do well to focus on its southern neighbor, Mexico, which has been targeted by Islamists and jihadists, who, through a number of tactics—from engaging in da'wa, converting Mexicans to Islam, to smuggling and the drug cartel, simple extortion, kidnappings and enslavement—have been subverting Mexico in order to empower Islam and sabotage the U.S.

According to a 2010 report, "Close to home: Hezbollah terrorists are plotting right on the U.S. border," which appeared in the NY Daily News:

Mexican authorities have rolled up a Hezbollah network being built in Tijuana ... closer to American homes than the terrorist hideouts in the Bekaa Valley are to Israel. Its goal, according to a Kuwaiti newspaper that reported on the investigation: to strike targets in Israel and the West. Over the years, Hezbollah—rich with Iranian oil money and narcocash—has generated revenue by cozying up with Mexican cartels to smuggle drugs and people into the U.S. In this, it has shadowed the terrorist-sponsoring regime in Tehran, which has been forging close ties with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who in turn supports the narcoterrorist organization FARC, which wreaks all kinds of havoc throughout the region...

Yet Obama and the Western intelligentsia in general keep on insisting that these "moderates" will agree to a negotiated settlement with Israel. "PA narrative: All of Israel is 'occupied' land," by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik for Palestinian Media Watch, May 15:

One of the most important impediments to long term peace between Israel and the Palestinians is the Palestinian Authority's refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist - and its teaching, especially children, that all of Israel is "occupied" land. As Palestinian Media Watch has reported, part of Israel is said to have been "occupied" since 1948 during the "Nakba" or "catastrophe," the term Palestinians use to delegitimize Israel's establishment. The rest, the PA says, was occupied in 1967 during the Six-Day War. All of Israel's existence is said to be an "occupation" and illegitimate.

A recent PA TV children's program cited Israeli expropriation of land in the Galilee in 1976 as the source for Palestinian protests on what Palestinians call "Land Day." The PA TV host referred to the Galilee, part of Israel since its establishment in 1948, as “occupied lands” and “land occupied after 1948”:

PA TV host: "On March 30, dear friends, in 1976, Israeli occupation forces confiscated a region - in other words, thousands of dunams of land in the Galilee (northern Israel), the occupied lands, that is, land occupied after 1948."
[PA TV (Fatah), March 30, 2012]

PA schoolbooks teach the same message that Israel since 1948 is an "occupation":

"Colonialism: Palestine faced the British occupation after the First World War in 1917, and the Israeli occupation in 1948."
[National Education, sixth grade, p. 16, PA schoolbook currently in use. http://www.pcdc.edu.ps/textbooks/watanyeh_G6.pdf - accessed March 11, 2012]

Official PA TV children's educational programs consistently present all of Israel as "occupied":

PA TV host: "We're on a trip in the 1948 lands. On our right is Baqa Al-Gharbiya (village in Israel) , the land [home] of many friends of our program. We're on our way [to see] many beautiful areas so that you can get to know them and see how beautiful our land is, and how many beautiful places it has -- beautiful villages and cities. We're in the north of the occupied lands, the 1948 lands (Israel), on the Lebanese border."
Israeli-Arab tour guide: "We're now at the Golan Heights border (inside Israel). We are at the exact border between Palestine and Syria."
[PA TV (Fatah), Sept. 17, 2011]...

Tomorrow and Thursday I will be doing a couple of talks close to home about my new book Did Muhammad Exist?.

Tomorrow I'll be at the Four Seasons, 300 S. Doheny Dr. in Los Angeles, for the Wednesday Morning Club. The reception starts at 11:30AM, followed by lunch at noon and a book signing at 1:30. Details and reservation info here.

Then Thursday evening at 7:30 I'll be speaking on the book again in Bel Air for the American Freedom Alliance's Literary Cafe. Details here.

"Circumcision is obligatory (O: for both men and women. For men it consists of removing the prepuce from the penis, and for women, removing the prepuce (Ar. bazr) of the clitoris (n: not the clitoris itself, as some mistakenly assert). (A: Hanbalis hold that circumcision of women is not obligatory but sunna, while Hanafis consider it a mere courtesy to the husband.)" -- 'Umdat al-Salik e4.3

We're constantly told that female genital mutilation is a cultural practice that has nothing to do with Islam, and are warned that only greasy Islamophobes think otherwise. Yet here is an Egyptian Parliamentarian saying that Islamic scholars say it is part of the prophetic Sunnah -- that is, practices sanctioned and validated by Muhammad himself.

"Salafi MP advocates female circumcision, says Suzanne Mubarak banned it," from Egypt Independent, May 14 (thanks to Wimpy):

Female circumcision is part of the prophetic Sunnah, said MP Nasser al-Shaker of the Salafi-led Nour Party, who previously proposed a bill that would allow the practice.

On a morning show on Mehwar satellite TV station, Shaker said notable Egyptian scholars have said the practice is part of the Sunnah.

Imam Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, Abdel Halim Mahmoud, former Islamic Research Academy member Sheikh Attiya Saqr and former Egyptian Mufti Nasr Farid Wasel — all prominent Egyptian religious figures, the first three of whom have died — had all authorized the practice, also known as female genital mutilation, Shaker said.

Shaker said former first lady Suzanne Mubarak was the driving force behind banning it.

Randa Fakhr Eddin of the Cairo Coalition Against Female Genital Mutilation replied to Shaker’s statements, saying there is no consensus on the law by senior scholars or Islamists, and that Sayed Tantawi rejected the law in the 1990s, saying it was considered a cultural habit rather than a religious practice.

The issue surfaced after some people accused the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party of launching a charity medical campaign last month in Minya, during which they had performed the practice on some girls.

FJP has denied the reports, and Hussein Ibrahim, head of the party’s parliamentary bloc, told the People’s Assembly Sunday that the party didn’t sponsor any such campaigns.

Female genital mutilation is widely practiced in Egypt and Sudan, along with some other African countries. Most Arab and Islamic countries view it as a crime, but some people believe it was approved by the Prophet Mohamed.

Al-Azhar Supreme Council of Islamic Research, the highest religious authority in Egypt, has condemned the practice, calling it harmful and saying it’s not based in Islamic law. Dar al-Ifta, the authority for issuing legal opinions, also condemned it.

The prevalence of the practice among women aged 15 to 49, who are or have ever been married, is 91 percent, according to the 2008 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey....

An incisive new review of my book Did Muhammad Exist? at the superb Faith Freedom site. "A valuable read: Did Muhammad Exist, by Robert Spencer," by Farhan Qureshi at Faith Freedom, May 12:

In 2008 Professor Muhammad Sven Kalisch, a convert to Islam since the age of 15 and practicing Muslim who taught Islamic Theology at Munster University in Germany announced that he no longer believes that Muhammad existed. According to his own testimony in German, Kalisch made the following statement:

“My position with regard to the historical existence of Muhammad is that I believe neither his existence nor his non-existence can be proven. I, however, lean towards the non-existence but I don’t think it can be proven either. It is my impression that, unless there are some sensational archeological discoveries – i.e. an Islamic “Qumran” or “Nag Hammadi” — the question of Muhammad’s existence will probably never be finally clarified.”

Kalisch began his essay as follows:

“Up to some time ago I was convinced that Muhammad was a historical figure. Although I always based my thinking on the assumption that the Islamic historical narrative regarding Muhammad was very unreliable, I had no doubts that at least the basic lines of his biography were historically correct.

I have now moved away from this position and will soon publish a book in which I will, among other things, comment on this question and explain my arguments in more detail. This essay is only a short summary of my most important arguments.”

The book was never written probably due to outrage in the Muslim community, declarations of apostasy from radical Clerics and a genuine fear for his life. While Kalisch never published his thesis, now in 2012, famed critic and bestselling author Robert Spencer has published his own investigative work on the question at hand. Spencer is a Christian who is more interested in exposing Islam then preaching Christianity, has rightfully entitled his publication “Did Muhammad Exist, An Inquiry into Islam’s Obscure Origins”.

Muslims will immediately jump on the bandwagon of Spencer simply being an opportunist and hatemonger hoping to make some money through a proactive title. Quite to the contrary this book promotes legitimate investigation to the question it posits....

There is more.

Get my pamphlet, "Muslim Brotherhood in America" by Robert Spencer, here.

"There can be no doubt that the Muslim Brotherhood will have a significant role to play in post-Mubarak Egypt. And that is good thing." -- Reza Aslan

Oh, sure, it's a good thing. Except for Copts. And women. And apostates from Islam. And anyone who wants to live free.

"Copts to shun Islamists in Egypt's presidential vote," by Yasmine Saleh for Reuters, May 15:

(Reuters) - Egypt's Coptic Christians complained of discrimination under Hosni Mubarak but fear it may get worse if an Islamist takes his place in next week's presidential election.

Long-suppressed Islamists already dominate parliament. Islamist contenders for the presidency say Christians, who form about a tenth of Egypt's 82 million mostly Muslim people, will not be sidelined, but mistrustful Copts will not vote for them.

The single biggest Coptic grievance and the source of most sectarian violence in Egypt is legislation that makes it easy to build a mosque but hard to construct or even repair a church.

That's Sharia. Islamic law forbids the building of new churches and the repair of old ones.

A new mosque needs only a permit from the local district. A church needs extra paper work and the president himself must sign off, a task Mubarak eventually delegated to city governors.

Coptic voter Medhat Malak hopes those discriminatory rules will be changed if his choice for president wins - Mubarak's last prime minister and former military commander Ahmed Shafiq.

He worries that an Islamist head of state would make life more uncomfortable for Copts, who blame ultra-orthodox Salafi Muslims for a surge of attacks on churches since Mubarak's overthrow in a popular uprising 15 months ago.

"Islamist policies on Christians are vague. It is possible they would restrict our freedoms to gain popularity among strict Muslims at our expense," said Malak, 33, whose Cairo church has been the centre of a row over whether it has a proper license....

During a televised campaign debate, Moussa asked Abol Fotouh whether Muslims had a right to convert to Christianity. Abol Fotouh said a Muslim who did so would face efforts to make him return to his old faith all his life - a stance comparable to a Catholic priest trying to save a lost member of his flock.

The main Islamic schools of thought consider converting a forbidden act, but differ over how to deal with it, with some strict Muslims saying such apostasy is punishable by death....

Actually, all the Muslim schools of jurisprudence prescribe death for apostasy, in accord with Muhammad's dictum, "If anyone changes his religion, kill him."

"I want to feel relaxed in my country," said Ayman, a 36-year-old Coptic taxi driver, giving only his first name.

He had earlier tried to cover the traditional cross tattooed on his hand when he saw a veiled Muslim woman request a ride, but made his feelings clear when asked about the election.

"I want a fair, liberal person to balance the spread of Islamists. Only God knows what they would do to us and to moderate Muslims if they won."

Yes, but we have a pretty fair idea.

Here is my rough translation from the Arabic of the UPI story: "Breaking: Gunmen expel families from Christian village in Hama, Syria," from UPI Arabic, May 10:

Damascus, Syria, May 10 (UPI) - Gunmen Thursday expelled all Christian families from the village of Qustul al-Burg in the rural province of Hama in central Syria.

A local source from among the villagers told United Press International that "armed takfiris from the region came to the village and threatened us, demanding that we leave our homes and evacuate the village empty-handed."

"Takfiris" are those who practice takfir, or the pronouncing of rival Muslim groups as infidels so that they can be killed legally under Islamic law. It is a common term for Islamic jihadists.

The source, who preferred not to be named, said the militants "took control of all the houses in the village houses, and occupied the church and made it into their headquarters."

The village of Qustul al-Burg is in the province of Hama, in the northern part of the jungle plain, 42 km from Alsagalbeh and 48 km northwest of Hama. It contains around 10 Christian families.

Over at AtlasShrugs I discuss the Kansas Senate's recent anti-Sharia vote:

The Kansas Senate just passed legislation restricting the use of foreign law in state courtrooms, and many other states are considering similar laws. These laws are designed to halt the use of Islamic law, Sharia, by American judges – a measure that many see as necessary, since Sharia has already been involved in cases in twenty-three states. Yet many such initiatives have already been stopped by activist judges who see them as encroachments upon First Amendment protection of religion; however, anti-Sharia laws do not actually infringe upon religious freedom at all, and become more urgently needed by the day.

The Associated Press summed up the prevailing mainstream media view when it recently noted that critics of anti-Sharia laws view the movement to pass them as an “unwarranted campaign driven by fear of Muslims.” In criticizing an anti-Sharia amendment to the Oklahoma state constitution that gained seventy percent of the vote in a state referendum but was later struck down, Daniel Mach, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, said: “This amendment did nothing more than target one faith for official condemnation. Even the state admits that there has never been any problem with Oklahoma courts wrongly applying religious law. The so-called ‘Save Our State Amendment’ was a solution in search of a problem, and a blatantly discriminatory solution at that.” Ryan Kiesel of the ACLU’s Oklahoma branch declared: “No one in Oklahoma deserves to be treated like a second-class citizen. This proposed amendment was an affront to the Constitution and everything it stands for.” The Muslim writer Reza Aslan hysterically and inaccurately charged that “two-thirds of Americans don’t think Muslims should have the same rights or civil liberties as non-Muslims.”

In reality, the properly formulated anti-Sharia laws neither infringe upon Muslims’ civil liberties or religious freedom nor address a non-existent problem. Recently in a critique of anti-Sharia initiatives published in First Things, law professor Robert K. Vischer articulated some reasons why Americans are concerned about Sharia: “Proponents of this legislation tend to focus on manifestations of Sharia overseas: the stoning of adulterers, cutting off of the hands of thieves, and the denial of basic freedoms for women in some Islamic countries,” and that “there are many schools of interpretation among Islamic legal scholars, and some interpretations stand in tension with the rights that we have come to take for granted in liberal democracies, including the rights of women, homosexual persons, religious minorities, and religious converts.”...

There is more.

Fall guy. "Iran hangs 'Mossad agent' for scientist killing," from Reuters, May 15 (thanks to Ima):

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has hanged a man it said was an agent for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad whom it convicted of killing one of its nuclear scientists in 2010, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.

Tehran has accused Israel and the United States of assassinating four Iranian scientists since 2010 in order to sabotage its nuclear program which the West suspects is hiding Iran's attempt to develop a nuclear weapons capability.

While Israel has declined to comment on the killings, it regards Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat and has threatened military action against Tehran. Washington has denied any U.S. role.

Twenty-four year old Majid Jamali Fashi was hanged at Tehran's Evin Prison after being sentenced to death in August last year for the murder of Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, Iran's state news agency quoted the central prosecutor's office as saying. It said he had confessed to the crime.

Ali-Mohammadi was killed in January 2010 when a remote-controlled bomb attached to a motorcycle outside his home in Tehran went off.

Tuesday's report said Fashi had confessed to travelling to Tel Aviv to receive training from Mossad before returning to Iran to plot the assassination.

A spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said at the time that Ali-Mohammadi, a 50-year-old Tehran University professor, was not involved in its activities.

The most recent attack on an Iranian scientist occurred in January. Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan - a deputy director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility - was killed when a magnetic bomb planted on his vehicle detonated.

Israel has a policy of not commenting on the allegations but an unnamed Israeli source previously said the daylight killings provoked panic in surviving colleagues and generate a phenomenon Mossad veterans dub "virtual defection" which hinders Iran's nuclear progress.

Last month, Iranian intelligence officials said they had arrested 15 people they called a "major terror and sabotage network with links to the Zionist regime". The group had plotted to assassinate an Iranian scientist in February, the authorities said....

Will the Islamophobia never end? "Failed bombing plot at temple: Siddiqui shows spot, says ATS," from Indian Express, May 12 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

The state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has claimed that alleged Indian Mujahideen operative Mohammed Qateel Mohammed Jafar Siddiqui has ‘willingly’ confessed that he conducted a recce of the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple and showed the places he visited, and the spot where he unsuccessfully tried to place a bomb. They said he also showed them the place he had stayed in Pune.

Judicial Magistrate (first class) S S Bose granted police custody to Siddiqui till May 21.

Meanwhile, the ATS also claimed that Siddiqui has told them about the routes he took from his residence to reach Dagdusheth Ganpati Temple. He also reportedly showed the ATS the spot at a flower vendor’s stall near the temple where he had allegedly placed the explosives.

Siddiqui was arrested by Delhi police for his alleged involvement in terror activities. The Pune unit of ATS arrested him on May 2 for allegedly conducting a recce of the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple and attempting to blow it up on February 13, 2010....

"Circumcision is obligatory (O: for both men and women. For men it consists of removing the prepuce from the penis, and for women, removing the prepuce (Ar. bazr) of the clitoris (n: not the clitoris itself, as some mistakenly assert). (A: Hanbalis hold that circumcision of women is not obligatory but sunna, while Hanafis consider it a mere courtesy to the husband.)" -- 'Umdat al-Salik e4.3

We're constantly told that female genital mutilation is a cultural practice that has nothing to do with Islam, and are warned that only greasy Islamophobes think otherwise. Yet here a party dedicated to upholding Islamic law, the Muslim Brotherhood, is making it easily available in Egypt; and it is clear even from the whitewashed translation from 'Umdat al-Salik above that it is justified in Islamic law. That's why the practice persists, even though it is technically illegal in Egypt.

"Egypt’s Brotherhood mobile FGM convoys condemned by women’s group," by Mohamed Abdel Salam for Bikya Masr, May 14 (thanks to Wimpy):

CAIRO: A number of Egyptian human rights groups have submitted a communication to the Attorney General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud against the Muslim Brotherhood`s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) to investigate the complaints of people in the village of Abu Aziz in the Minya governorate, south of Cairo, over the existence of a large medical convoy organized by the party that wanders streets and does medical examination on people, including female circumcision, or female genital mutilation, in violation of Egyptian law, conventions and treaties signed by Egypt.

In Egypt’s legal code, Female Genital Mutilation is criminalized, as well as the inciting by doctors to convince families of the young girls of the need to agree to circumcise their daughters, “as a matter of preserving chastity.”

The communication demanded Mervat Tallawy, the head of the National Council for Women (NCW) and Major General Seraj EL Din El Rouby, the Governor of Minya, and Nasr El Sayed , Assistant Minister for primary health care, and preventive medicine, and family planning, to intervene to stop what it called “a farce propaganda for free circumcision, which was organized by one of the political parties, in Minya governorate to promote circumcision.”

The communication came after reports were circulated on news websites and social networking websites, including Facebook and Twitter about a convoy organized by the FJP to promote circumcision among girls in Minya.

Tallawy, on Sunday, held a meeting with the governor of Minya to discuss the mechanisms of organizing awareness campaigns and seminars for women in the governorate, on how to address and fight against female genital mutilation, “which is being carried out by the FJP in the governorate.”

Tallawy called on the Governor of Minya to combat such operations, and to spread awareness in the governorate, and to “coordinate with the Council in any issue related to women.”...

Western Muslim spokesmen who claim that Islam is a tolerant faith should be speaking out against this. Why aren't they? "NEWS ALERT: Iran House Church Pastor Still Beaten In Prison," by BosNewsLife, May 14 (thanks to David):

TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Prominent Iranian house church pastor Behnam Irani is still beaten in his prison but less frequently, an official assisting him with advocacy said Monday, just weeks after his family expressed concerns he may die.

"We have learned that the beatings are still happening, however they no longer happen on a daily basis, but periodically," Jason DeMars, director of the Present Truth Ministries rights group told BosNewsLife.

He said however that Behnam has had intestinal bleeding, or bloody stool, for roughly six months among other ailments. "He has requested to visit the hospital or a doctor and they have denied his requests," DeMars said, adding that his group has urged supporters to "Please pray for his healing and deliverance from the bleeding."

Yet, "Despite his difficult circumstances, his faith remains strong and he is joyful," added DeMars.

Irani, who is in his 40s and married with two children, has been behind bars in a prison of Karaj city where he led a congregation of the Church of Iran house church movement.

"CRIMES AGAINST STATE"

He has been held on charges of "crimes against the Islamic state" apparently linked to his involvement in the unauthorized house church.

Christians said he was detained in April 2010 when security forces raided Irani’s house in Karaj during a worship service.

Iranian Christians explained at the time that security forces beat Irani and confiscated Bibles and other Christian literature and DVDs, BosNewsLife news agency reported earlier.

His colleague, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, is facing the death penalty on charges of "apostasy" or abandoning Islam....

Iranian officials have denied wrongdoing and say those prosecuted are either criminals or otherwise violated the laws of this Islamic nation.

DeMars said he also remains concerned about two other devoted Christians identified as Alireza Seyyedian or Petros Fouroton. "They remain imprisoned in [the cities of] Tehran and Shiraz, respectively. He said his group urged Christians to "Pray for their endurance and comfort in Christ as they stand this trial in prison."

The incidents are part of a wider crackdown on churches, Christian leaders say.

Leaders of the Assemblies of God’s (AOG) Central Church of Iran's capital Tehran, for instance, told their congregation last week Sunday, May 6, that Iranian authorities demand a list of names and identification numbers of church members, viewed as a major risk to converts from Islam.

Church leaders have reportedly members to volunteer their information, though Christians say doing so "almost feels suicidal" in a nation where Christians such as Pastor Nadarkhani face execution....

Pandering to Islamic supremacism kills. Pamela Geller has much more on this appalling story here. "Youngest victim says her complaints against Miah were ignored by police," from ITV News, May 14 (thanks to David):

One of Azad Miah's under-age victims complained to the police about him three years before his eventual arrest, his trial heard.

His youngest victim, aged 12, said she gave up talking to the police about the takeaway owner pestering her for sex in exchange for cash because nothing was being done.

In the wake of Miah's arrest in 2011 she was asked at the start of her police interview if she knew why she was being questioned. Tellingly, she replied:

"Because of something that happened three years ago and now youse have finally decided to do summat about it. The police never done anything about it so I just stopped complaining in the end.

Under cross-examination at Carlisle Crown Court, she was told there was no record of any of her supposed complaints. Barrister Stephan Meadowcroft QC said "The police keep careful records."

Behind a screen in court, she replied: "So they should but they didn't."

I tried to tell you -- back in January 2011. "Egyptians Want to Ditch Peace Treaty With Israel, Poll Shows," by Patrick Goodenough for CNS News, May 14 (thanks to Wimpy):

(CNSNews.com) – As Egyptians prepare to vote for their first post-Mubarak president next week, the antipathy towards Israel espoused by the frontrunners aligns with the findings of a new survey, in which 61 percent of Egyptian respondents favor abandoning the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, up from 54 percent a year ago.

The poll, by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, also finds a small decline among Egyptians in favorable views of the United States – now just 19 percent – while 61 percent of respondents said the billions of dollars the U.S. gives their country in military and economic aid has a “mostly negative” impact.

Asked their views on Egyptian-U.S. ties, 38 percent indicated the relationship should be more distant, 35 percent said it should remain as it is now, and 20 percent said it should be closer.

Among other findings:

--On the role of religion in government, 61 percent chose Saudi Arabia as the preferred model. (Turkey came in at 17 percent).

--Asked whether Egypt’s laws should strictly adhere to the Qur’an, 60 percent said yes while 32 percent said it should follow the values and principles of Islam and only six percent said laws should not be influenced by the teachings of the Qur’an.

-- Seventy percent of respondents viewed the Muslim Brotherhood favorably, down from 75 percent in 2011. The Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, also received the highest support rating among political parties, 56 percent.

--Priority issues in the election are the economy and a fair judiciary (81 percent each), with others including free speech (60 percent), equal rights for women (41 percent) and religious freedom (38 percent.)

The foreign policy issue with arguably the biggest implication for regional stability related to the peace treaty with neighboring Israel. The agreement, hammered out at Camp David in 1978 and signed at the White House the following year, remains the centerpiece of decades of U.S. mediation between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

The survey found that 61 percent of Egyptians want to abandon it, while only 32 percent think it should be maintained.

Support for annulling it has grown in particular among younger Egyptians (up by 14 points since 2011) as well as among those with higher education levels (up 18 percent since last year.)...