Aref and Hossein update. Imagine: an imam and the co-founder of a mosque involved in terrorism! Why, how did they miss all the Qur'anic teachings of peace and tolerance?
Seriously, when will the denial about the roots of Islamic terror end? How many more imams will be arrested? How many imams will succeed in their plans without being arrested? From AP, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:
ALBANY, New York - A judge refused Monday to dismiss charges against two Muslims accused of supporting terrorism, saying there was enough evidence to go forward despite defense arguments that the men were entrapped.Yassin Aref, imam at the Masjid as-Salam mosque in Albany, and Mohammed Hossain, a co-founder of the mosque, were arrested in August 2004, accused of laundering money for an FBI informant posing as an arms dealer.
U.S. District Judge Thomas McAvoy said there was sufficient evidence for a trial. He also refused to grant separate trials for the men, who have pleaded not guilty.
Aref, 35, a native of northern Iraq's Kurdish area, immigrated to the United States with his family in 1999. Hossain, 50, a native of Bangladesh who owns an Albany pizzeria, is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Prosecutors maintained that they were willing participants in criminal activity, while the defense argued Monday that the men were entrapped.
The FBI informant allegedly told the men that some $50,000 they held for him was from the sale of a missile that would be used to kill a Pakistani diplomat in New York City. The men say they never believed the business deal was part of a terrorist plot.
Blue Scarf Society Grassroots Report
Last night we had our first official grassroots anti-Islam meeting in my home town and decided a number of things.
1) We adopted the blue scarf as a symbol of the resistance. We suggest they be a light blue similar to that in the Israeli flag.
2) We decided to put up a webpage to facilitate these kinds of meetings across the country and internationally. Volunteers will be able to send in a place and time for meetings to take place. We suggest a public place so that no names or phone numbers need to given on the site. People will know each other by the blue scarves.
3) We decided we would make suggestions for activism and provide downloadable pamphlets and posters, but we won’t attempt to direct it. Ideas included picketing the movie “Paradise Now,” or similar outrages, giving talks and holding debates locally to raise awareness of Islam.
It was a fantastic meeting. We hope to facilitate hundreds of similar meetings around the country and to provide a place for feedback and suggestions.
More to follow...
The blue-scarf idea comes from the blue revolution in France. It is useful, and clever.
First, it requires as an initial step little -- not huge efforts, but the kind of thing many can easily participate in. How many already have a blue scarf? And who can object to the color blue?
Second, it offers a chance to express, with gesture, not speech, a secret solidarity -- that is, solidarity about the threat of Jihad, and deep misgivings as to how the government, how those who presume to inform and instruct us in non-governmental positions, are dealing -- are not dealing -- with the matter.
Third, it does not ask, as yet, participants to do something more, such as affixing to their cars bumperstickers that say things like "Stop the Jizyah" or "Feminists Say No More Aishas" or "Don't Take that Drive. Don't Juice the Jihad" (on the model of the World War II: "Is this trip necessary?) or "(Your Motto Here). Those bumperstickers, and much else, are for now likely to be limited to the few who are completely unintimidatable (Mr. D. C. Watson comes to mind). But this is how things start.
But it gets one to do something. And if anyone notices the scarf, and of course scarves can be wool, for winter, or of lighter materials, as the seasons change, one is at least upon occasion likely to be asked about it, and that gives a chance to answer, to explain. And if the wearing-of-the-blue begins to be noticed, eventually it will attract attention. A story here, a story there. And interviews. And people realizing that they are not alone in their anxiety, in their sense that the government and the press are not articulating, or even identifying, the right worriseome matters, but feeding us pap or ignoring the problem, or understating or misstating it (tell me what you have learned from The New Duranty Times about the contents of the Qur'an, the Hadith, and the Sira during the past century? During the past four years? During the past six months? During the past week?)
The "blue revolution" of scarves in France has been taken up as a silent reproach to the government, to the pensee unique of the press, to the hold that the apologists for Islam, the eric-rouleaus and olivier-roys and gilles-kepels and dominique-de-villepins-and-francois-hollandes and alain-greshes have over the television, over the newspapers, over what is allowed to be said, to be learned.
Whatever divides this Infidel from another matters, and does not disappear. But the blue scarf suggests that all those differences, differences that can be transcended or worked out, are as nothing compared to the permanent abyss that exists, between all Infidels, and Believers in Islam -- not because of what Infidels would wish, but because of what the canonical texts of Islam demand, and what Muslims, even those who outwardly seem to be unobservant, apparently choose to remain loyal to, even after having been given every chance to learn fully about Islam (so that "I didn't know" is no longer an available excuse) and even after they have fully realized what Islam stands for, and why continuing to deny it, or to distract the Infidels, merely prolongs Infidel unwariness and thus endangers them and their own civilizations. And that is undertaken by the most "moderate" Muslims (whatever that means) only in order to both protect themselves, and to delay the day when they might have to own up to what Islam is all about, and to the grim realization that its tenets are --because its sacred texts are --immutable.
Must the men wear blue scarves too? Or can we just wear a green carnation?
The Blue scarf idea certainly has merit as it is a way to express thought on the Jihad problem. I understand why the light blue of the Isreali flag was chosen as the Jewish community has been the primary target of radical Jihad. Ultimately, the light blue color may be too strong a link to Isreal to rally diverse anti-Jihad interests. I will leave that debate for others. As a man, I cant really see myself wearing a powder blue scarf. But, there is another reason that blue may say more than, "No to Jihad".
The color blue is already associated with the various Crips gangs across the country. (Original Rolling 60's and 92 Hoovers in LA and the Rolling 30's in NY). Unfortunately, people have been killed for the offense of wearing blue or driving a blue car in certain areas controlled by the Bloods gang, because the Bloods claim the color red and are sworn enemies of the (blue) Crips.
Not being a gang member, I couldn't tell you whether the light blue color of the Isreali flag would pass, or if that color has been adopted to show gang affiliation. I believe that Georgetown light blue has been adopted by some gang members. Just take care that you wont be explaining more about your blue scarf than, No to Jihad. Maybe a unique logo, pin, sticker, or ? may be a better way to rally the movement here in the USA.
I don't need a blue scarf. Just the Red, White and Blue. That's enough for me. But I am with you. I'll be the armed branch. Just make sure that when diplomacy dosen't work, the armed branch is well eqiup to handle the armed diplomacy. Can't help it, former Marine.
The blue scarf is a simple and lovely statement.
Viva la Blue Revolution!
Dark blue or light blue, sinij or goluboy, blu marin or sky blue? Shall we all check out the varieties of blue at the paint-mixing department at Home Depot?
If it has to be one or the other, the navy blue, the blue of Cary Grant's blazers -- whose color we cannot see in those black-and-white days, but which we can imagine -- would go best with a greater number of colors. We have already been told we are part of a damned clash of civilizations. We don't want to add to that by wearing, ourselves, an unseemly clash of colors, do we?
And who volunteers to be the personal shopper for those who wish to join in the symbolism, but suffer from Daltonism?
Hossain, 50, a native of Bangladesh who owns an Albany pizzeria, is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Anybody wanna bet that poor beleagured Hossain received federal SBA subsidies to get that business started?
The last 20 years it has been policy that Moslems are first in line to receive socialist subsidies to get them in business and the middle class. A kind of hidden Jizya, if you will.
I see a lot of blue in my future...blue is the color of the sky and the sea, it draws our gaze upward and makes us contemplate depth. How deep, how beautiful, how otherworldly, is blue.
I love the idea, and support it, but I'm just not
going to wear a scarf, and that's final. How about a
blue baseball cap, or jacket? Maybe I'll hang back
with the armed contingent, and adjust the optics on
my rifle, which, alas, isn't blue.
a blue scarf sounds okay especially this time of year, but what l am looking into is getting tee shirts or for the winter sweatshirts, with words on the back "Crusader" in blue! any logo ideas will be apprreciated!
I love the idea, but as an utter slave to fashion, I think if I wasn't at some sort of an anti-jihad rally, I'd opt for a blue pin, which could be worn anywhere, anytime, with just about anything.
Men wearing scarves... it'd pass in France, but not so sure we can get the buy-in from the male species here in the US. Just sayin...
P.S. When & where's the next anti-jihad rally?
How's something like this?
http://67.164.201.80/rendered/cooltext5083675.png
Or this.. http://12.158.190.222/rendered/cooltext5084036.png
http://67.164.201.80/rendered/cooltext5084504.png
Sorta like "Save the Whales"... could be a good conversation starter!
Just Linda, How very cool. These would like nice as pins or tees for all our no scarf guys.
OK, I'm motivated but I'd like to take things a step further. Does anybody in the U.S. know of someone getting a Jihadwatch/LGF based issues show on free public access cable channels? I'd imagine the howling from local Islamists would provide free advertisement in the local MSM.
The color Light Blue is the color of the Infantry. The Infantry are the guys who actually do the main fighting in the US ARMY. The Combat Infantry Badge is a silver rifle over a Light Blue background framed by oak clusters. Any man who is awarded such a badge has been in harms way many times, these guys are patriots and heros.
There is nothing unmanley about this color its a simble of Bravery, Honor, and pride for all who fought in the Infantry of Americas wars.
I would be proud to wear that color as a symbal of the fight against Islam and Jihad.