But in the article's eleventh paragraph we learn that there is an "Islamic insurgency" in the area. Fit to print -- but just barely! "21 Filipinos Are Reported Dead in Election Violence," by Carlos H. Conde for the New York Times, November 23 (thanks to Bill):
MANILA -- In one of the worst incidents of election- related violence in the Philippines in recent memory, a group of more than 40 people -- including lawyers, journalists and relatives of a local politician -- were kidnapped by armed men Monday, and military officials said 21 of them had been killed.Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, a military spokesman in Manila, said 21 bodies had been recovered in Maguindanao, a province on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines that has often been wracked by election violence. Thirteen of the dead were women, according to the military.
Maj. Gen. Alfredo Cayton, a security official in the province, said in a radio interview that the victims had been shot. But relatives of most of the victims said at least 30 abductees had been killed and many of them beheaded by a group of about 100 men.
The victims were reportedly stopped on their way to an election office to file candidacy papers for Esmael Mangudadatu, the vice mayor of the town of Buluan, who plans to run for governor of Maguindanao. Mr. Mangudadatu said on ABS-CBN television that his wife, his sister and several other female relatives had been in the group and that he had received confirmation that they had been killed.
He said they had been filing his candidacy documents in the hope that women would not be attacked. Lawyers and reporters accompanied the group, although the military did not identify the bodies they had recovered.
"We believe more bodies are buried," Colonel Brawner said, according to Reuters. "Unfortunately, the killing happened before our troops got there."...
Attacks on candidates and supporters during campaign periods are common throughout the Philippines. In 2007 local elections, nearly 100 people were killed in such attacks.
Election violence is more extreme in Maguindanao, where an Islamic insurgency and decades-old clan wars complicate the security situation. Loose firearms, many of them in the hands of criminal groups and political warlords, have worsened the situation in this and other areas....
The decades-long Muslim insurgency has killed about 120,000 people since the 1970s. But a presidential adviser, Jesus Dureza, said Monday's massacre was "unequaled in recent history."
Philippines - AP Report
Maguindanao is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which was created as part of a 1996 peace agreement with a large Muslim rebel group.
And how is that working out?
As I recall a couple of years ago the Manila government gave yet more land to the Moslems in search of peace.
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Thirteen of the dead were women, according to the military.
That would be the equivalent of 6.5 men dead. Not a bad day's work for a Moslem activist, even a Spanish-speaking Moslem activist.
He said they had been filing his candidacy documents in the hope that women would not be attacked. Lawyers and reporters accompanied the group, although the military did not identify the bodies they had recovered.
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Well, that was a vain hope. it would have been better to have sent an armed contingency, rather than pinning their hopes on the idea that Jihad terrorists would be squeemish about killing women.
more:
Attacks on candidates and supporters during campaign periods are common throughout the Philippines. In 2007 local elections, nearly 100 people were killed in such attacks.
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This gives the idea that such "election violence" is just something you find throughout the Philippines. I would like to see a breakdown of this "election violence", and see just how much of it was perpetrated by Jihadists, who, rather than simply bearing an antipathy for one candidate or another, simply consider *any* democratic election to be Haram.
One clue might be this: I wonder how many supporters of candidate Esmael Mangudadatu's political opponents are likely to *behead their victims*?
Instead of putting the words "armed men" in "scare quotes, I would have put the word "miscellaneous" in them.
Only the knuckle-dragging apes of allah chop people's heads off. Such disgusting life-forms.
"Election violence." Riiight... Not Islamic violence, just "election" violence. Great job, NYT, getting to the heart of the matter!
Yes, it's election-related violence. Nothing to do with jihad or Islam at all. Just a bunch of folks whom got a little carried away with their interest in politics. Could happen anywhere.
Listen everyone, this has NOTHING TO DO WITH ISLAM. Really. The principle threat to our culture and way of live is from jackbooted fascist christian conservatives. Any muslim involvement in incidents like this is purely coincidental. Now, repeat after us: western imperialism bad, everything else good.
-what the New York Times wants us to think
Another massacre to add to the never ending list of terrorist attacks defined by Obama and Napolitano as just "man made disasters".
Well at least even the NYT Writer was a bit more specific way down in his article than that. But to define these attacks using the word "common" is an extremely poor choice whether historically true or not.
More than likely the perpetrators are from Abu Sayaf which is just another out cropping in Western Mindanao of the MILF --Moro Islamic Liberation Front. No doubt the Philippine Military will respond in mass on this massacre. The demographic of these Philippine Islands has always made things extremely difficult due to the heavy jungle area of the Philippines.
I guess the Phillipino's didn't consult the Israelis. They could have told them the land for peace gig only works for one side, and it ain't the side wanting peace.
The bright side is that when the Phillipino's finally get their fill of this they will have a defined spot to carpet bomb. If only the Israeli's would wise up.
Yes, Islamic insurgencies do complicate elections. One must contend with independents, liberals, conservatives, and decapitationists.
Oh, sure, blame it on guns. If we got rid of those, all violence in the world would magically disappear.
Does anybody ever get kidnapped by unarmed men?
Here is breaking and more specific article on this Mindanao massacre from a Philippines newspaper.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=526314&publicationSubCategoryId=63
Yeah, george guy, I noticed that line of propaganda for gun control too. Funny, though, I can't remember anyone ever using a gun to cut off someone's head.
Oh, my, my; "election violence." Just more exhuberant Muslim electioneering, known in dar al Islam as going to the bullet box -- and the machete box, and the grenade box, and... . Chopping off heads they call a stump speech.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8373821.stm
Mr.spencer, it appears timbuktu is the new Islamic frontlines.
"Miscellaneous" now there's a word to contend with. "Miscellaneous" people who just happen to have a penchant for cutting people's heads off. Like Muslims for instance ? "Miscellaneous" people who have no respect for women. Like Muslims for instance ? "Miscellaneous" people who have no respect at all for Democracy. Like Muslims for instance ? I bet if these "Miscellaneous" people were Christians and they carried out actions like these they would no longer be "Miscellaneous" the headline would be as follows "Christian "armed men" in Philippines kidnap 40 people, kill 21"
Fox News is just now reporting on this -- to my knowledge.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,576509,00.html
"Philippines Declares State of Emergency After 46 Killed"
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Nowhere in the article is Islam mentioned except as an "insurgency." What cowards these "news" outlets are.
Will 9/11's trial and history simply be re-written as an "insurgency?"
Well, well, well, it looks like the peaceful and tolerant religion of Islam is at it again. Yep, spreading love and peace throughout the Phillipines.
Of course we cannot call this having anything to do with Islam wanting to spread its supremacy even as far as the Phillipines. News flash: It is not just the West the Islamic jihadists want to colonize and make Islamic, it has extended its hands to the East as well. To the world to tell you the truth.
Here is a website of Christian persecution by Islamic extremists.
http://www.persecution.org/suffering//country_info.php
The goal of Islam is to become the dominate religion/political system in the world.
If you have not seen the Fitna movie, here it is. This is what they want to accomplish and their faith sanctions it. This is why you do not see so called "moderate" muslims protesting. They would be disobeying their Islamic duty and their Holy Book.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2008/03/here-is-fitna.html
You will not see anyone from CAIR or ISNA jetsetting to anywhere that non mulsims are being persecuted or murdered, because they themselves fund and back terrorism. They themselves want an Islamic caliphate to dominate the world, that is why they are working so hard behind the scenes to spread their lies and make people think that this is not true, but too much has been investigated about them.
This is being played as an "election violence" just as the Fort Hood shootings are being called "a shooting incident." Call it what it is, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it is a duck.
Notice that the province that the Islamic insurgents are attacking is predominately Catholic.
Our constant denial of the truth and being afraid to say what it is, will only embody the Islamic jihadists to succeed because they will find us weak. This in itself will have more dire consequences than any wars we have fought in the past and even today.
I saw this report in Stockholm, on CNN International. Not one word about a possible religious, specifically Muslim, connection. Not even a hint. BTW, in passing through Amsterdam and Copenhagen, both going and coming, out of the many thousands of passengers in the terminals, I saw a total of only two hijabs, no burqas, and one bearded man dressed in the long white flowing robes of a Saudi male. There were several Sikh and Hindu families, though, but except for the ones I mentioned no Muslims (perhaps because they're all at the Hajj?).