Update on this story. From AP, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
A suspected Syrian al-Qaida militant appeared before a Turkish court Thursday to face charges, and shouted to journalists from a courthouse window that he was planning to attack Israeli cruise ships on Turkey's Mediterranean coast."I have no regrets. I was going to attack Israeli ships. If they come, my friends will attack them," the man shouted. The semiofficial Anatolia news agency identified him only the initials L.S.
The man also shouted "Allah Akbar," Arabic for "God is great," before officials pulled him back and closed the window. He spoke Turkish with an Arabic accent.
Another Syrian, identified as Hamed Obysi, whom Turkish reports said was an al-Qaida courier, was charged Wednesday with membership in the terror organization.
Five cruise ships carrying some 5,000 Israeli tourists have been diverted from Turkish ports to Cyprus in recent days following intelligence reports that a terror attack was imminent.
he's a zionist imposter. it was a plan by the joos to slander islam. it couldn't POSSIBLY be that he is telling the truth, islam is the RoP, just ask CAIR.
\\moonbat mode disengaged
Tourism in Turkey will suffer. Westerners in Turkey know how quick Turks are to inform them that "we are not Arabs" and sometimes add "we hate the Arabs" (as if to win Western confidence through such a statement, though many may mean it as well). Will the Turks, as they suffer from Arabs in Turkey, and their influence, decide to round them up and expel them? It would not surprise. Perhaps there would then be a lesson there for pusillanimous Western governments.
Hugh or Mr. Spencer: Why does our press keep mistakenly translating Allah Akbar as "God is Great"???? Does it not in truth mean "Allah is Greater" similar to "My God is better than your God"?
No wonder some confused Christian and Jewish leaders refer to Islam as one of the 3 great monotheistic faiths with whom we can endlessly "dialogue". A proper translation would allow the deluded West to see that Islam thinks Allah is someone ENTIRELY different from the God Jews worship and the Christians' concept of the Holy Trinity.
Dear bevc,
'Akbar' is just the Arabic superlative of 'kebir' which means great. So 'akbar' means 'the greatest.' I agree that some kind of 'pluralistic dialogue' can never allow Muslims and Christians to meet in the middle - both make unique and incompatable claims about God and salvation. I don't think how the media translates this expression makes a whole lot of difference. The creed of Islam says there is no God but Allah and the teaching of Islam is that Muhammed is the last and ultimately authoritative prophet. However the newspapers translate 'Allah akbar,' Islam's exclusivistic claims remain pretty obvious!