Try as they might, the Pakistani police just can't seem to figure out who might have killed seven Christians two years ago. From Compass Direct:
Two years after seven Christians were gunned down at the Karachi headquarters of one of Pakistan’s established Christian welfare agencies, local police investigators have failed to identify a single suspect.Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the execution-style massacre of seven staff members shot to death on September 25, 2002, in their downtown Karachi offices of the Institute of Peace and Justice (IPJ). The attack effectively shut down the IPJ ministry, with their offices still sealed by police order.
Two Survivors
Of the two Christians who survived the attack, 26-year-old Robin Sharif remains partially paralyzed and unable to work due to a gunshot wound to the head.
The other, Robin Piranditta, has been in strict hiding separated from his wife and four children since last year, while Christian advocacy groups continue a frustrating search for a country that will grant him asylum.
According to the Crisis Management Committee formed by the Catholic and Protestant bishops of Karachi immediately after the incident, both of the survivors were handled incorrectly by the police investigators.
In a report issued this past July, the committee declared that Robin Piranditta was “made a scapegoat,” while Robin Sharif’s statements to the police “were not taken seriously enough.”
SHARIA COURT IN ONTARIO
Hi ya’ll. I thought that would get your attention.
Greetings from Canada! Are you as concerned over the
current controversy over sharia as many Canadians are?
Then please take a few moments to read my post…I
couldn’t take the risk over sending it directly to
Robert Spencer’s e-mail, due to the fear of my mail
becoming bogged down through regular channels. Anyway,
I’d just like to brief you all on the current
situation here in Canada. It’s a long post…just to
warn you…
In Vancouver, amidst a crowd of protesters, the
premier of B.C. reiterated his pledge not to allow for
an Islamic court in Vancouver, however, Ms. Homa
Arjomand is still angry with the premier, claiming
that ‘it’s not enough.’ Oh, and for those of you who
were concerned about the September 8th protests, the
protests went along just fine, no, they were not
banned, and they did not ‘incite racial hatred.’ No,
Canada is not going down the toilet…no, amputations
will not be allowed, the Charter still has the final
say….no one will be stoned to death. There have been
clashes between the Pro-Israeli student groups and the
Pro-Palestinian student groups at Concordia University
(physical and verbal), over the alleged recruitment by
the Israeli groups to recruit Israeli fighters to go
to Israel, and clashes between the two groups have
become more and more frequent this past year.
A member of Dhimmi Watch once pointed out the fact
that the wife of Maher Arar (the Canadian-Syrian man
who was deported by the US and tortured in Syria for
two years), is running for membership for a party. She
is, by the way, a very smart lady, who even has a
degree in Engineering from Waterloo (one of Canada’s
most prestigious universities.) She was trying to
become part of the NDP, in order to make sure that no
one would be put through such a harrowing ideal as her
husband once was, not trying to turn Canada into an
Islamic state. By the way, in case you are still a
little apprehensive, don’t worry, the NDP only has 27
seats in Canada’s parliament, so they are hardly a
majority.
Anyway, I’m sure that you all know by now that Ontario
has had Hassidic Courts for decades, and that both
Christians and Jews have been using them for years. In
fact, at this moment, Canadian Jewish women are asking
the Ontario government to review and possibly
dismantle the Jewish courts, claiming that past
rulings have been ‘racist, homophobic, and sexist.’
Furthermore, the government is put in a tough spot:
they can’t say ‘Jews, we like your courts, so you can
stay. Muslims we don’t like yours.’ This situation has
divided Muslims within the community, and I asked a
Muslim girl from my school, part of an organization
called MSA(Muslim Student’s Association), what were
her thoughts. She told me that she was unequivocally
against it, and that what the Qu’ran gives women,
sharia takes away, and that arbitration should be left
as a private matter. She also claimed that the Hadiths
were false, that they were created 200 yrs after the
Muhammad, and that most Muslims didn’t believe in
them.
Like the Muslims, Christians also have a similar
organization called the Varsity Christian Fellowship,
and each hold a ‘Christian Awareness week,’ and a
‘Muslim awareness week,’ whereby they each give out
Bibles and Qu’rans. I can’t tell you how annoying they
both are, but it doesn’t seem to bother the any other
students, because no one pays any attention to either
of them. As a former Christian, however, I can’t tell
you how annoying Christians can be, trying to ‘bring
me back into the fold.’ Both religions suck, suck bad,
because religion tells you what to think.
Anyway, the government is in a tough spot because it
doesn’t want to alienate both the Jews and the
Muslims. The liberal government doesn’t have to worry,
though, because no one with half a brain would vote
for the Ontario PC. Those school-closing,
tax-cuts-for-the-rich, hospital closing..you see where
I’m going with this….Anyhoo, as it stands now, the
tribunal is still being set up. There will be about 30
members, I believe, elected by members of the
community, but Syed (the man who suggested the idea in
the first place), wishes to see more female members.
The courts can only deal on matters of inheritance,
divorce, and business. My brother, also a lawyer,
claims that Syed is a money-grubbing freeloader, which
is partly true. The sharia courts will be cheaper to
use than using the secular courts, and, the proponents
claim, it will be easier because the arbitration will
be done in their own language(?) Like they couldn’t
get a translator in the secular courts? Also, as one
man pointed out, what about Immigrant Muslim women who
don’t know their rights? I suppose that’s true…but if
you are a young woman living in Canada who doesn’t
want to go to the Islamic court, then you should stand
up for you’re rights, because the law is on your side.
Within the arbitration process, there will be a lawyer
for both the man and the woman, who will inform both
parties of their rights, and, yes, women can get just
as much inheritance as men. So I really think that
there is some fear mongering going on….done to
distract the public from more important issues. The
Taliban are not coming to Canada, there is no Islamic
Republic of Canada…and, don’t worry, if some
fundamentalists decide to cross over the border to
pick a fight….well, don’t pick a fight with angry
Americans who hate ‘dem damn furrigners’ and who
consider it their god-given right to shoot anything
that moves (LOL)..That was a joke, people.
Actually Syed never said that the Sharia courts were
better for women. All he said was that there is no
distinction between being a Muslim and how you act.
What were women doing before? The Hassidic courts also
conceded the fact that gender neutral courts may be
better for women. Both the Islamic Council of Canada
and the Canadian Council of Muslim women oppose the
sharia court, along with a great number of Muslims
(male as well as female), oppose the courts, and are
rather confused as to how arbitration courts are going
to impose rulings. First, most don’t like the idea b/c
of social pressure, fearing that any woman who opposes
it will be ostracized. Second, because there is much
confusion over how to interpret such rulings ordained
by the tribunal ( a sh’itte Muslim wouldn’t accept a
ruling from a Sunni Muslim). Third, there is a fear
that allowing for such courts within Canada could
bring a new social conservatism. I get the sense that
there is a lot of fear mongering. Muslims are actually
very well integrated into society, and I think that
may be in part due to the fact that discrimination
laws are tougher in North America. However, there is
still fear over allowing the courts into Canada, there
is no evidence that the courts are being brought in by
social conservatives from abroad. The courts weren’t
being endorsed by anyone from the Saudis. Even the
Gestapo(Christian Heritage Party) pointed out that
there is an incredible amount of fear-mongering going
on. However, they did point out one case for alarm:
that Syed might try to bring in polygamy through a
loophole in the Charter. Most Canadians don’t want
polygamy, especially after the recent raid on a
Christian fundamentalist community in Vancouver. Women
were subjected to religious indoctrination, beatings,
and isolation.
In any case, if you are opposed to the sharia courts,
there is much you can do: you can stage protests,
petitions. Writing letters to Canadian newspapers
doesn’t help, as one member of Dhimmi Watch suggested.
Frankly, no one really cares if you complain to the
opinion pages or not. International pressure would
help, and it stopped the Canadian seal hunt, which was
about four months ago. As a Canadian, I’m a firm
believer in the separation of Church and State, and
so, I don’t think any religious courts should be
allowed. Homa Arjomand will be speaking at the
University of Toronto on the 4th and again in
November. You all seem so passionate about the issues
concerning the Islamic courts, so if you have any
questions, comments, or suggestions for Ms. Arjomand,
or just any words of support, you can e-mail me at:
linda_quaig@yahoo.ca, and I will gladly pass them on.
I posted this twice, so more ppl could see it.
"Examples of Shariah Law
What is the Shariah?
To whom it may concern:
Islam is often in the news these days. News articles that relate to Islam sometimes refer to the Shariah. What is the Shariah? The Shariah is the Islamic Sacred Law which was developed hundreds of years ago by Islamic jurists using the Koran and hadith (remembrances about what the Prophet Muhammad said and did during the time he was alive) as guideposts. The Shariah outlines a complete way of life in a legal framework which tells you how to do everything from how to pray to how to go to the bathroom. What does the Shariah law actually state? Here are some examples of Shariah law:
1. Offensive, military jihad against non-Muslims is a communal, religious obligation;
2. A person who is ignorant about Islamic legal opinion must follow the legal opinion of a scholar;
3. The penalty for a Muslim apostate (someone who no longer believes in or no longer follows the tenets of Islam) is death;
4. When slaughtering animals for food, a knife must be used to cut the windpipe and gullet;
5. A woman is only eligible to receive half the inheritance of a man;
6. Marriage may be forced on virgins by their father or father’s father;
7. A non-Arab man may not marry an Arab woman;
8. A woman must seek permission from her husband to leave the house;
9. A Muslim man cannot marry a woman who is a Zoroastrian, an idol worshipper, an apostate from Islam or a woman with one parent who is Jewish or Christian, with the other being Zoroastrian; a Muslim woman cannot marry anyone but a Muslim;
10. A free Muslim man may marry up to four women;
11. Retaliation is obligatory in most cases when someone is deliberately murdered except when a Muslim kills a non-Muslim, a Jew or a Christian kills a Muslim apostate or a father or mother kill their offspring;
12. Non-Muslim subjects (Ahl al-Dhimma) of a Muslim state are subject to a series of discriminatory laws – “dhimmitude”;
13. The penalty for fornication or sodomy is being stoned to death;
14. The penalty for an initial theft is amputation of the right hand. Subsequent thefts are penalized by further amputations of feet and hand;
15. A non-Muslim cannot testify against a Muslim in court; a person who is “without respectability” cannot give legal testimony; a woman’s legal testimony is only given half the legal weight of a man’s (and is only acceptable in cases involving property); to legally prove fornication or sodomy requires 4 male witnesses who actually saw the act;
16. The establishment and continuation of the Islamic Caliphate (by force, if necessary) is a communal obligation;
17. Sodomites and Lesbians must be killed;
18. Laughing too much is forbidden;
19. Musical instruments are unlawful;
20. Creating pictures of animate life is forbidden;
21. Female circumcision, which includes the excision of the clitoris, is obligatory;
22. Slavery is permitted;
23. People may be bribed to convert to Islam;
24. Beating a rebellious wife is permissible; and,
25. Lying is permissible in a time of war (or jihad)."
Mentat's article on shariah law
No, I think that's a lot of fear mongering. All that stuff is banned under the Charter. Canada has more to fear from the religious right(the Canadian version), than from Muslims. Canada does have a religious right, under the guise of the unfortunately named CCRAP(Canadian Conservative Reform Party), once led by the extremist Stockwell Day (who claimed that homosexuality was a sin, the bible was the divine interpretation from God, abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, even when it effects the woman's health), it's no wonder he lost the 2000 federal election to the Liberals. Then Stephen Harper took his place, and I heard ppl say they didn't like him, because they were afraid he was going to institutionalize prayer, and stop abortion). He wasn't as bad as Stockwell Day, however.
Linda,
I'm stumped as to your reply to CGW's listing of components of Sharia. How is this fearmongering, to state that which is fact within the Sharia system? CGW does not mention Canada or any other state in the post, there are no dire warnings about how horrible this will be for Canada, no call to arms for the Canadian people, etc.
Sharia and it's effects are well documented within Islamic writings, and are visible to the world by some of the most egregious violations of human rights within countries that practice said law. Remember the 16-year old recently hung for her crimes of 1) sexual misconduct and 2) mouthing off the the Islamic judge? That's just one example of Sharia in action.
And you seem to feel that Canada has more to fear from it's right-wing than from these people?
Yes, I still think there is fear mongering. While CGW doesn't mention Canada directly, I'm pretty sure he's referring his remarks to me when mentioning sharia law. I posted that stuff about sharia law under another news article, and CGW replied twice with the same reply. Like I said, all that stuff is banned under the Charter, and most Muslims would never approve of any of those vile things. A 16 year-old who was recently hung for mouthing off to a Muslim judge in a Muslim country has nothing to do with what is happening in Canada. Besides, even a rabbi conceded that since the Jews are allowed to conduct their own business under their courts said "why shouldn't Muslims be allowed to conduct their own business in their own courts?" Most Canadians (except Albertans) don't like either the religious right, nor do they like the idea of sharia courts coming to Canada. I mean, while I despise the idea of any religious courts in Canada, even if there is an Islamic court in Canada, that doesn't mean, as some americans apprehensively pointed out 'The taliban are coming to Canada' and 'We have to create a DMZ.' Besides, you forget, this is Canada. Oh sure, there is the average, wimpy, 'civilized' population, but Canada has it's fair share of thick skinned, beer drinkin' moose hunting, Canuks who would take down any fundamentalist. Fundamentalists don't stand a chance, after all, this is a country whereby every citizen over the age of 7 is required to wield a hockey stick. So, we are a tough bunch! What's a fundamentalist to do? Fart in my general direction? Don't worry, if any fundamentalists show up, we'll have em' liquored up on Labatt Blue in no time, and watch em' stumble around drunk comically for our amusement! (LOL)
Linda,
your Monty Python is showing...
I have to disagree with you on several points in your last post.
First off, I'm not sure that all Canucks are informed as to what Sharia actually calls for - I see CGW's post as informative - details presented, let the reader make up their own mind.
Second, I disagree with "most Muslims would never approve of any of those vile things". If that's the case, why don't muslims in muslim countries rise up and remove said law from their lives? Why did 93% of interviewed Muslims in the UK say hostage taking was okay with them? How do you reconcile what's said by muslims and the practice of taqiyya?
A healthy understanding of what is happening in the world and of the issue in question is important - if the tenets of Sharia inspire a bit of fear in a person reading them, I consider that a reasonable response to it, not fearmongering.
Lastly, I think Molsen would be preferable to Labatt Blue, provided you can get them to drink any alcohol.
Yea, we can force feed them Canadian beer, and get them drunk! Ever drink a six pack of Canadian beer? You won't know what hit you! When they wake up, They'll be like 'Canada? What's Canada? Who am I? Islam? What's that?' Anyway, just to make things clear, anything in regards to bodily harm or amputations, or anything of the sort is banned, banned, banned, under our laws. Kay? Sorry to keep repeating myself. Secondly, I think that the reason the countries don't remove these laws is 'cause they have a tenous grip on power, and besides, torture and other vile practices occur in non-Muslim countries as well. Remember Let's not forget the vile dictatorship of North Korea and his evil child labour camps. In the case of most British Muslims supporting the hostage taking, I think they are furious over the invasion of Iraq, and Bush and Co trying to 'bring democracy' while not trying to fix the situtation in Palestine. But I think that in Europe's case, the Muslims there are more culturally backward because they haven't fully integrated in society. I think that they've got a lot of anger. I heard that they are angry over racial discrimination (both verbal and physical), and feel badly treated. I also think that many don't have a very good understanding of Islam, and I think that the reason Al Qaeda is so good at attracting these people is because they are poor and easy to manipulate. Yeah, people can make up their own minds about what they think, I'm just giving a Canadian perspective.
A Canadian who can't spell "Canuck"?
OH, did I misspell Canuck? Sorry, never was very good at spelling.
Look at what the Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajid has to say...
Homepage
http://63.175.194.
Jurisprudence
http://63.175.194.25/
Apostasy
http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&ds=qa&lv=browse&CR=310&dgn=4
Even witchcraft
http://63.175.194.25/index.php?search_text_box_dsn4=witchcraft&lv=search&formtrans=dgn%3D4%7C&ln=eng&ds=qa&sensitivity=2&searchquestions=1&searchtitles=1&searchanswers=1&searchsources=1&pg=result&offset=0&msubmit=1
There is a HUGE amount of info to be had here.
There was no small amount of amazement to see just how seriously these people take EVERY little thing.
This is why a 16 yr old girl is garroted for lipping off to a judge under Shaira
(contempt of court )is what the "civilized world calls it.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/002936.php
Well, if it comes to that, I would actually prefer the mixture of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Has the same effect, but with a major headache to help the confusion.
In reply to your last comments:
Yes, of course bodily harm is outlawed in Canada; with the exception of the death penalty, the same here in the U.S. But Islam isn't interested in working within the system. the co-founder of CAIR had this to say in an interview:
“Islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth.”
Granted it would take a lot to overcome the Constitution, but that's their goal here, and I'm sure that the same holds true for Canada. Under those conditions, the bodily harm bans go out the window. Thinking "it can't happen here" is problematic when one looks at France - they are looking at a Muslim majority by 2020 at the earliest, and a Sharia-minded majority at that.
Further, the tenets of Sharia presented by CGW are much more than rules for mutilation - even without the threat of death/maiming, there's still enough to alarm any sane person who's interested in maintaining individual freedoms and the Western ideals of the Rule of Law.
As for the European Muslims, if Iraq is the fuel for their anger, what did they use to fire it up prior to the Iraq war? This has been going on far longer than even the first Gulf War. Further, who is to blame for their lack of integrating into the Western societies they now live in? By almost all accounts I've read, it's their own choice to refuse integration, and that is primarily based on a desire to live under their own laws (i.e., Sharia) rather than the "decadent, man-made" laws the west would have them follow. And as far as not having a good understanding of Islam, that's their own choice again. Why follow a creed if you know little about it?
Resolving the issues in Palestine will never happen until the Palestinian authority also ammends their charter, which calls for the eradication of the Israeli state. I think if they would ammend the charter, and stop the bombs and shooting for a while, peace might actually be a reality. Can you honestly say it's possible that Israel won't respond to what's being thrown at them on an almost daily basis? Yeah, they fire back, and cause "civilian" casualties, but I think that the jihad aspect of Sharia (see #1 in the list from CGW) is driving the PLO and company, which also makes peace difficult.
Final point: yes, people are intended to read and make up their own minds as far as Sharia goes. Okay,having read the points of Sharia provided, what is your opinion of said legal system?
It is prescribed for Muslims who have the misfortune to live in kaafir states to unite, to form bonds amongst themselves and cooperate with one another
MISFORTUNE!!!!!!!
http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&ds=qa&lv=browse&QR=42771&dgn=4
Source...Searched for kaafir and checked "words" on the search menu
http://63.175.194.25/index.php?search_text_box_dsn4=kaafir+&lv=search&formtrans=dgn%3D4%7C&ln=eng&ds=qa&sensitivity=2&searchquestions=1&searchtitles=1&searchanswers=1&searchsources=1&pg=result&offset=0&msubmit=1&submit.x=43&submit.y=8
Dagnabit! I just failed a math quiz! I hate math! That has nothing to do with what is going on here, I'm just ranting. Secondly, Canadian beer is a hellva lot better than American 'beer'. *Cough* waterdowned piss *Cough* just kidding! As I mentioned before, I'm not in favour of any religious courts coming to Canada. Every religion has it's fair share of fanatics. Even in Canada, there was a jewish prof being threatened (several times, really) because of his work for Palestinian rights. He's been called the 'self-hating jew'. The majority of Canadian Muslims as I've mentioned, don't want Sharia law brought here, Muslim groups oppose sharia law. In fact, the petition organized by Syed was only signed with about 30 signatures, or so, mostly male, I believe. Canada is very diverse, well, Toronto anyway, any everyday, I see non-Muslims interacting with Muslims. Like most immigrants who come here to Canada, Muslims only care about one thing: making money and lots of it! Seriously, I'm not kidding! They don't care about a sharia court, many of them oppose it coming here in the first place. Trust me, if there were even a hint of fundamentalism being brought over here, the government wouldn't allow it. And, I think that before the Iraq war, Muslims were probably pissed over Palestine, and now they're pissed over Iraq. And I think a lot of their anger stems from racial discrimination. In any case, while I would like to elaborate, I have to go, before I'm late for work. To sum up, the government has hinted at the slight possibilty that the entire arbitration act may be wiped out, and the gov will release a statement concerning religion and arbitration on Sept. 30th, which I will inform you all about.
Sorry to post this twice For Linda:
Sorry, Linda. Sharia courts are much more dangerous than Jewish and Christian courts because, in contrast to Jews and Christians, Muslims intend to to make Islam triumphant over the other two and will impose Sharia on all. If Sharia must exist, keep in in the Middle East. The best solution is to eliminate this heinous set of laws. End of discussion.
Linda,
No, you're not kidding. American beer (with the exception of microbrews) IS inferior stuff! As the comedian said: What does American beer and two people making love in a canoe have in common? They're both f__king close to water. Give me an English ale any day.
All fun aside, A number of very important points have been brought up as food for thought, and I hope Canada stays Sharia-free. One last thing though - I wouldn't say that all Muslims in Canada are only interested in making money - Some of them brought up Sharia in the first place, eh? And just like we have CAIR here with their stated goal, CAIR-Canada does exist, with the same goals. Stay alert and watchful! And good luck with math!
Hmm, lots of Christian bashing going on here. Also "Linda" all Americans are not hicks, and we do have command of the english language.
Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to imply any time that Americans are hicks.