February 2011 Archives

Hamas-linked CAIR complained, and King caved the next day.

No doubt it was just a coincidence, eh? Sure. And back on January 24, CAIR's "American Muslim News Briefs" mailing contained an item, "King Hearing Witness: 'We Are At War With Islam,'" linking to a piece entitled "Ayaan Hirsi Ali should not testify before Rep. Peter King," by Josh Rosenau at Science Blogs. That time, it took a couple of weeks for King to throw Hirsi Ali, a noble and courageous freedom fighter, under the bus, but by February 7 she was gone. This time, Phares was gone in a day.

And for what? Hamas-linked CAIR's press release claims that "Mr. Phares is a 'former official with the Lebanese Forces, a Christian militia.' This militia was implicated, by Israel's official Kahan inquiry and other sources, in the 1982 massacre of civilian men, women and children at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon."

This is the guilt-by-association game that the Left and its Islamic supremacist allies love to play. They do it to me all the time: I was standing in the same room with someone, and therefore I must secretly approve of everything that person has ever said and done, and everything said and done by everyone else he knows also -- even if those words and deeds go against the principles I have consistently enunciated and acted upon. And so now with Phares. But there are some critical and unanswered questions: Did Phares order this massacre? Was he even there? Did he then or does he now approve of massacring civilians?

Hamas-linked CAIR doesn't ask them, of course, because the answers would most likely be inconvenient. Walid Phares is a fine researcher and analyst, with no "extreme" or "hateful" positions. It is rich indeed that CAIR, an organization with ties to a jihad terror group, Hamas, and an Islamic supremacist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, is setting itself up as the moral arbiter of King's hearings, and even richer that King is showing himself so acutely sensitive to public criticism that he is essentially allowing CAIR to play this role. CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case -- so named by the Justice Department. CAIR operatives have repeatedly refused to denounce Hamas and Hizballah as terrorist groups. Several former CAIR officials have been convicted of various crimes related to jihad terror. CAIR's cofounder and longtime Board chairman (Omar Ahmad), as well as its chief spokesman (Honest Ibe Hooper), have made Islamic supremacist statements.

And so another witness who might have added something useful and substantial to King's hearings bites the dust. And yet a number of anti-jihad groups and individuals are preparing a full-out expression of support for his increasingly absurd and toothless hearings -- evidently they're so abjectly grateful that someone, anyone, is even looking at this issue at all, that they're willing to overlook the ever-increasing signs that his hearings will be a worthless Muslim Brotherhood taqiyya charade led by Muslim Brotherhood-financed Congressman Keith Ellison (the Muslim American Society, the Brotherhood's chief arm in the U.S., paid for his hajj). Indeed, they're not only willing to overlook that evidence, but are doggedly pretending, despite the complete absence of any evidence whatsoever to support this hope, that King is poised to accomplish something regarding public awareness of jihad activity among Muslims in the U.S.

Well, I certainly hope he does. I'd be overjoyed to be proven wrong on this. But with King's shrinking-violent delicacy in the face of criticism, and dhimmi anxiety to accommodate his Islamic supremacist critics, it looks as if his hearings will only do any good by accident, at best.

"King: Phares not testifying," by Ben Smith at Politico, February 24:

A potentially controversial witness, Walid Phares, isn't expected to appear at Pete King's hearings on Muslim radicalization, King told POLITICO just now.

Robert Costa's report this week that the witness included Walid Phares, a Fox News analysts and conservative terrorism scholar, raised some eyebrows.

That's because King has told us, among others, that he plans to rely on Muslim witnesses. That angered some outside critics of the community, but King hoped it would lend the hearings credibility and avoid some distracting controversy.

But Phares is of Lebanese Christian descent, and Muslim groups accuse him of ties to Christian militias in Lebanon's brutal civil war (whose sectarian battles echo in various ways through the current American politics of Islam.

"As of now, he is not testifying," King said through a spokesman.

British Airways hired Rajib Karim because not to have done so would have been "Islamophobic." An update on this story. "Former BA Worker Plotted To Blow Up Plane," by Alison Chung for Sky News Online, February 28 (thanks to Steven):

A former British Airways computer expert has been found guilty of conspiring with a wanted terrorist to blow up a plane.

Rajib Karim, 31, used his position at the airline to plot an attack with Anwar al Awlaki, a notorious radical preacher associated with al Qaeda.

He was "committed to an extreme jihadist and religious cause" and was "determined to seek martyrdom" but hid his hatred for Western ways from colleagues.

His techniques for siphoning information from BA were described as like a "John le Carre-style" plot.

He used his access to the airline's offices in Newcastle and at Heathrow to encrypt confidential information in spreadsheets and also held a secret meeting with fellow Islamic extremists at Heathrow.

But Karim, described as "mild-mannered, well-educated and respectful" by his colleagues, never aired his extreme views.

When he was arrested while sitting at his desk in BA's IT department in Newcastle in February last year, his colleagues were left shocked.

While in Bangladesh, Karim was lured into becoming an avid supporter of the extremist organisation Jammat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) by his younger brother.

But their plan to live in an Islamic state was put on hold when Karim moved to England in December 2006, fearing his son was dying of cancer.

In 2009, he began communicating with al Awlaki from his home and communicated in code with JMB supporters in Bangladesh.

As he became more extreme in his beliefs, he conspired to blow up a US-bound plane with al Awlaki, who is believed to be hiding in the mountains of Yemen....

Sign this and get it out to your people

Pamela Geller reports over at Atlas Shrugs:

Many attendees of our Ground Zero mosque protests and events are shocked to hear the 911 family members describe what is being done at the site of the worst attacks on American soil, Ground Zero (check out photos and videos). In the above video, Sally Regenhard and Rosaleen Tallon gave our astonished crowd the shocking details of the travesty that is the 9/11 victims memorial, which is planning to put the unidentified remains of 9/11 victims seven stories underground inside a museum that charges admission -- and which will include lavish profiles (above ground, of course) of the 9/11 hijackers. Daisy Khan of the Ground Zero Mosque is on the Board of the commission putting together the memorial, charged with making sure the Muslim perspective is represented in every aspect of the memorial.

Mike Burke, whose brother, Capt. William F. Burke, Jr., Eng. Co. 21, gave his life saving others on 911, sent me this petition protesting the politically correct “National September 11 Memorial” that the elites and Islamic apologists are currently building at the WTC, already signed by hundreds of family members. Mr. Burke writes:

We need as many signatories as possible. The first purpose of the memorial design, the product of apologists for terrorism, is to eradicate all trace and memory of the attacks from the national consciousness. If we do not at this place acknowledge the attacks we deny them. That’s the point of this design.

What's next? Quranic classes?

Please tweet, retweet, Facebook, email this petition. We need you to do this to begin the process of undoing this grotesque kick in the head. SIGN HERE NOW.

Clearly budding Jeffersonians. "Anti-Gaddafi protesters storm Berlin Libyan embassy," from Reuters, February 28:

BERLIN Feb 28 (Reuters) - Four people stormed the Libyan embassy in Berlin on Monday, police said, damaging property and tearing a portrait of ruler Muammar Gaddafi in protest against the government's bloody crackdown against popular unrest.

The unidentified protesters flashed the victory sign and shouted "God is Greatest" in Arabic as they were led away.

"Don't worry, we'll kill Gaddafi, I promise," a protester told Reuters TV as he was escorted into a police van. "The Libyan people will kill Gaddafi as he killed the Libyan people."...

One protester, giving his name as Sheikh Rooky, told Reuters that the embassy staff are "on the side of the people" and condemn the "massacres happening in Libya" but fear the possible repercussions for speaking out against Gaddafi....

But they were unsuccessful. Now, one would think that if the uprisings were really entirely secular and democratic, as goes the media meme, these clerics would not be so quick to endorse them. "Gaddafi's sons tried to get Saudi cleric help - TV," from Reuters, February 28:

DUBAI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Sons of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have failed to persuade prominent Saudi clerics to issue religious rulings against a revolt that is threatening to bring down the veteran leader, Al Arabiya television said on Monday.

The Saudi-owned channel said on its website that Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam had contacted one cleric, Salman al-Awda, and Saadi Gaddafi had reached out to a second, Ayedh al-Garni, but both rejected their calls.

"You are killing the Libyan people. Turn to God because you are wronging them. Protect Libyan blood, you are killing old people and children. Fear God," Garni said he told Saadi.

Garni made the remarks on air on Sunday, the website said, adding Awda gave the same message to Saif al-Islam.

Awda has a weekly television show on Saudi-owned pan-Arab channel MBC1 and has been praised by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden before as a religious scholar he felt did not toe the government line. Garni gave lectures in Libya last year.

Gaddafi's forces have been trying for days to push back a revolt that has won over large parts of the military and ended his control over eastern Libya. Gaddafi has accused followers of al Qaeda of staging the protests in the east, where Islamists have clashed with government forces in the past.

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and the ruling al-Saud family see the clerical establishment, who have wide powers in society, as the leading authority in mainstream Sunni Islam....

Clerics close to the government have said it is not the place of religious scholars to back protests or otherwise. But others have said Gaddafi is an illegitimate ruler and denounced him as an apostate.

Except he doesn't, he says. But in any case, somehow these assailants got the crazy idea that Islam forbids non-Muslims to proselytize among Muslims. Expect Honest Ibe Hooper, Boy Reza Aslan, and Brave Ahmed Rehab to jet over to Gaza forthwith, and to explain to them that Islam teaches tolerance.

Marisol commented on this story here, but I thought I'd remark on the cognitive dissonance between this (and so many other stories like it in the Islamic world) and what Islamic spokesmen in the West tell gullible non-Muslim audiences about Islam. "Gaza assailants plant bomb under Christian car: Dr. Maher Ayyad say received text messages to halt evangelical work or face harsh punishment," from the Associated Press, February 27 (thanks to Kevin):

A prominent Christian surgeon in the Gaza Strip said assailants threw a bomb at his vehicle and sent him threatening messages.

Dr. Maher Ayyad, 55, says no one was hurt in Friday's bombing, though the explosion damaged his brother's vehicle.

He said Sunday that after the blast, he received text messages to halt evangelical work or face harsh punishment. Ayyad says he does not preach his faith....

But don't be concerned, because Islam condemns extremism, so all is well. "Laws to be reformed according to Islam: Gilani," from APP, February 28 (thanks to Twostellas):

OKARA,Feb 28 (APP)- Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said on Monday the PPP will contine [sic] its struggle to reform laws according to Islamic spirit and make Pakistan a welfare and moderate state.Addressing a Mefil-e-Milad on the last day of the 45th Urs of Syed Ismail Shah Bokhari, popularly known as Hazrat Karmanwala Sharif, he said the PPP was the custodian and protector of Namoos-e-Risalat (PBUH) and could not even think of any legislation against it.

The Namoos-e-Risalat Act stipulates that anyone who insults Muhammad be hanged by the neck until dead.

The prime minister said some people wanted to impose their personal agenda and system on others through coercion but the government would not allow it. “Islam teaches peace, brotherhood and harmony and there is no space for sectarianism, exteremism [sic] and terrorism in it,” he added....

Well, that all depends on how one defines those terms, eh, Gilani?

He said the PPP, under the leadership of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, took revolutionary steps for the promotion of Islamic teachings and values. “When Shaheed Benazir Bhutto came to power, she felt the need for interfaith harmony. She moulded Islamic teachings into a practical framework and told the whole world that Islam has a rare distinction with regard to ethics and human values even after the passage of 1400 years,” he added. He said Mulsims [sic] could again excel if they acted upon Islamic teachings and values....

What is striking about this is that whenever there is jihadist unrest in European countries, the mainstream media starts wringing its hands about how the British or French or Germans have not done enough to assimilate Muslim immigrants. That those immigrants are called upon not to assimilate always escapes their notice.

"Erdogan Urges Turks Not to Assimilate," by Özlem Gezer and Anna Reimann in Spiegel Online, February 28 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

Thousands of Turkish immigrants gave Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a rock star welcome in Germany on Sunday in a show of national pride that remains fervent, even after decades spent in Germany. He told them they remain part of Turkey, and urged them to integrate into German society -- but not to assimilate.

The lyric keeps echoing around the hall in Düsseldorf. "The land belongs to us all." The sentence isn't referring to Germany, but to Turkey.

Immigrants are waving hundreds of Turkish flags and the chanting and the music are deafening. One woman shouts "Turkey is great!" into a microphone to cheers from the crowd. Everyone in the ISS Dome, a huge sports and concert venue, is fired up, as if they're waiting for a rock star. There's only one show in town this Sunday, and his name is Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Turkish prime minister has come to Germany. He wants to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel but first he wants to speak to his "compatriots." To people who have been living in Germany for decades, who were born here, and of whom many have German passports.

They have come from all over Germany to see him live, some 10,000 people. They say things like: "The Germans will never accept us, but we have Erdogan." Or: "At last someone feels responsible for us, for the first time a Turkish prime minister isn't forgetting his compatriots abroad." One woman says: "Erdogan may get Merkel to see us as part of this society. He is our savior."

Some 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany, most of them descendants of Turks invited by the government in the 1950s and 1960s as " guest workers" to make up for a shortage of manpower after World War II. [...]

Erdogan wants to give his audience a clear identity. "They call you guest workers, foreigners, or German Turks. It doesn't matter what they all call you: You are my fellow citizens, you are my people, you are my friends, you are my brothers and sisters!"

"You are part of Germany, but you are also part our great Turkey," says Erdogan....

He warns Turks against assimilating themselves. "Yes, integrate yourselves into German society but don't assimilate yourselves. No one has the right to deprive us of our culture and our identity."

Erdogan knows that this statement amounts to a provocation in Germany -- no politician here is demanding that Turkish immigrants should deny their roots or give up their culture. Erdogan adds: "German newspapers will pick up on this tomorrow, but that's a mistake."

His message to devout Muslims is similar. "Islamophobia should be seen in the same way as anti-Semitism," he says....

Of course, Islamic jihad is real and the Jewish world conspiracy isn't, but that doesn't stop Erdogan.

Probably there will be a transitional period lasting several years in both countries, but there is no significant secular democratic movement in either one. The Islamic supremacists are the most organized opposition force. "Al-Qaida's No. 2 Urges Tunisians, Egyptians to Create Islamic States," by Maamoun Youssef for the Associated Press, February 28 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):

Cairo (AP) - Osama bin Laden's deputy sought to co-opt the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia in a new message, urging the countries' peoples to create Islamic states and warning that the United States is trying to manipulate the events to ensure American and Israeli interests are preserved.

The message by Ayman al-Zawahri appeared to have been recorded between the Jan. 14 fall of Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and before the Feb. 11 ouster of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak. Al-Zawahri urged Egyptians and Tunisians to keep up their protests to push out interim governments that continue in place in both nations....

"Greetings to every free, honorable individual who was exposed to the bullets of the security herds to keep Islam as the master in his own country, preserve the headscarf of the Muslim sisters, stop normalization with Israel ... and protect his society from immorality, corruption and spoilage," al-Zawahri said in the 15-minute audiotape posted on an Islamic militant website late Sunday....

He said Mubarak and Ben Ali's regimes were "an inseparable part of the global system that is fighting Islam and Muslims, and America is at its head" -- and that even when they go, Washington was working to ensure its allies remain in place.

In Tunisia, "when it (the United States) realized that its man was burned and his harm became greater than his benefit, it drove him out to the history's dustbin ... and congratulated the new government which is an extension of the gangs of Ben Ali," al-Zawahri said.

He said Washington was trying to avoid the establishment of an Islamic rule that would consider Israel as an enemy and reject aiding America in its war against Muslims under the name of the war on terrorism.

Al-Zawahri urged Tunisians to continue their "sacrifices and efforts until Tunisia returns as a fortress of Islam and jihad ... and to work to liberate Muslims lands off the armies of the contemporary Crusader campaign in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, the Arab peninsula, Somalia and the Islamic Maghreb."...

Al-Zawahri predicted that if Mubarak falls, the United States would try to install Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, who is one of the leading secular democracy advocates in Egypt. He said ElBaradei will "give the poor some freedom ... but Egypt will stay as a base for the Crusader's' campaign and a basic partner to America's war on Islam in the name of the war against terrorism."..

Will the Muslims who are protesting Peter King's hearings be so kind as to take a moment out of their busy schedule to condemn this also? And to show what they're doing within Muslim communities in the U.S. and elsewhere to teach against the attitudes that give rise to this? "Attack kills four in central Nigeria: military," from AFP, February 28 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):

JOS, Nigeria — An overnight attack has killed at least four people in tense central Nigeria, a region regularly hit by violence between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups, the military said Monday.

The pre-dawn attack occured in Dabwak, a mainly Christian village near the flashpoint city of Jos.

"There are four killed," Brigadier General Hassan Umaru, commander of a military unit deployed in the area, told AFP.

Locals said five people -- a mother and four children -- were shot and killed, blaming Fulani Muslims for the attack.

"It's the Fulanis that came shooting. They killed... my mother-in-law, three of my brothers-in-law and my sister-in-law," said a woman before breaking down on the phone and hanging up.

Umaru said "any attack in the fringes of this area is suspected to be by Fulanis." No arrests had been made....

Islamic Education Reform Update: "Taliban destroy five govt schools in Pak tribal region for imparting 'unIslamic teachings,'" from ANI, February 27 (thanks to Twostellas):

Peshawar, Feb 27 : The Taliban blew up five government school buildings in Pakistan's lawless tribal region near the northwestern city of Peshawar for promoting unIslamic teachings.

The militants blew up the schools in Darra Adam Khel area late on Saturday, Samaa TV quoted the police, as saying.

There were no casualties in the attacks, which militants said were carried out because these schools were imparting "unIslamic teachings"....

You can see it, can't you? Can't you?

It spells Z-I-O-N. See? Conspiracy Paranoia Update: "Iran call London 2012 logo racist: report," from the Bangkok Post, February 28 (thanks to Twostellas):

Iran have protested against the already controversial logo of the 2012 Olympic Games, saying the emblem is racist and spells the word "Zion," the ILNA news agency reported on Monday.

The logo for the London 2012 Olympics and Para-olympics is pictured on a screen during the launch of the brand for the Games at the Roundhouse in London, 04 June 2007. Iran have protested against the already controversial logo, saying the emblem is racist and spells the word "Zion," the ILNA news agency reported

The jagged, multi-coloured emblem, which reportedly cost 400,000 pounds (nearly 650,000 dollars) features four bold numerals representing 2012, with the signature Olympic Rings emblazoned within the digit zero.

But Mohammad Aliabadi, head of the National Olympic Committee in the Islamic republic, said the logo was undermining the event and accused the British organisers of indulging in "racism," ILNA reported.

"Unfortunately, we all are witnessing that the upcoming Olympics ... faces a serious challenge, definitely spawned out of some people's racist spirit," Aliabadi said in a letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge.

"The use of the word Zion by the designer of Olympics logo ....in the emblem of the Olympics Games 2012 is a very revolting act," he added, warning that if Rogge did not act the logo would "affect the participation of several countries, especially like Iran which insists on following principles and values."...

All that pandering and Obama still gets this. "Obama to face Shariah court? Cleric says president 'must embrace Islam' or be tried when Muslims take over U.S.," from WorldNetDaily, February 27:

President Obama must embrace Islam as a way of life or face the consequences of a trial under the Shariah Islamic court system, declared British extremist cleric Anjem Choudary.

Choudary, founder and former chief of two Islamic groups disbanded by the British authorities under anti-terror legislation, is planning a Washington protest later this week in which he says he will call on American Muslims to revolt against the country and implement Shariah law.

Speaking in an interview with investigative reporter Aaron Klein on his program on New York's WABC Radio, Choudary claimed Obama was waging a war against Islam.

"[Obama] has promised all Muslims to be released from Guantanamo Bay. They are still languishing there even though he knows they are completely innocent," Choudary claimed.

"On top of that, he's increased the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, so he is a warmonger just as his predecessor was. And thirdly and more importantly," Choudary said, "the Muslims don't want democracy and freedom. Democracy and freedom are anathema to Islam and the Shariah."...

Choudary said that at his protest, scheduled to take place Thursday in front of the White House, he will call on Obama and all Americans to "embrace Islam, not only as a religion but as a way of life."

Choudary continued: "And at the same time, we will be issuing a warning that the presence of U.S. forces and U.S. personnel in Muslim countries, looking out for their interests, at the moment is very, very insecure. I think the Muslims are boiling angry around the world. This is something [Americans] should take very seriously."

Choudary turned his ire back to Obama, claiming the president was committing "crimes" against Muslims in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

He warned Obama: "I do believe that the only way for him to save himself in this life and in the hereafter is to embrace Islam. Islam will eradicate all his sins; he will be like the day his mother gave birth to him. Otherwise, when we do implement the Shariah, obviously he will face the consequences of a trial under the Shariah court."

Choudary has publicly stated he believes the flag of Islam will fly over White House. He repeated that contention in his interview with Klein today.

"I do believe that as a Muslim every part of the world will be governed by the Shariah," he said. "So symbolically the flag of Islam will fly from every single country, every single nation."...

What? Not the Zionists? "Libya Blames Islamic Militants and the West for Unrest," by David D. Kirkpatrick and Kareem Fahim in the New York Times, February 28:

TRIPOLI, Libya — In the face of a mounting international outcry for the ouster of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi and sanctions to force him out, the Libyan authorities blamed Islamic radicals and the West on Monday for a conspiracy to cause chaos and take over the country.

At the same time, there were new reports of fighting with the rebels claiming that they had shot down a military aircraft on Monday as they repulsed a government bid to take back Libya’s third city, Misurata, 125 miles east of Tripoli. There, as in Zawiyah, 30 miles to the west, government forces seem to have encircled rebels but have been unable to dislodge them....

At a news conference for foreign journalists invited to Tripoli, a government spokesman, Musa Ibrahim, denied reports that Colonel Qaddafi’s loyalists had turned their guns on hundreds of civilians. “No massacres, no bombardments, no reckless violence against civilians,” he said, comparing Libya’s situation to that of Iraq before the American-led invasion in 2003....

Mr. Ibrahim said reports of massacres by government troops were analogous to those suggesting that Saddam Hussein had developed unconventional weapons in Iraq, suggesting that they were designed as a reason for military attack.

“The Islamists want chaos; the West also wants chaos,” he said, maintaining the West wanted access to Libya’s oil and the Islamists wanted to establish a bridgehead for international terrorism. “The Iraq example is not a legend — we all lived through it. Doesn’t this remind you of the whole Iraq scenario?” he said....

Reporters told him that, on Sunday, they had visited Zawiyah, 30 miles from Tripoli, and saw no evidence of Islamist forces. “They knew you were coming,” the spokesman said. “They were hiding those with an obvious Al Qaeda look.”

The news conference came after a day of increasing self-confidence among the rebels, who spoke of tapping revenue from the vast Libyan oil resources now under their control — estimated by some oil company officials to be about 80 percent of the country’s total. And in recognition of the insurrection’s growing power, Italy’s foreign minister on Sunday suspended a nonaggression treaty with Libya on the grounds that the Libyan state “no longer exists,” while Secretary of State Clinton said the United States was reaching out to the rebels to “offer any kind of assistance.”...

The Iranian regime has warmly praised the revolt in Egypt and called for Islamic rule there. Now the Muslim Brotherhood returns the favor. "Muslim Brotherhood Hails Iran's Role in Reinvigorating Muslim Unity," from the Fars News Agency, February 27:

TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior member of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Kamal al-Halbavi, praised Iran's role in consolidating unity and solidarity among the Muslim countries throughout the world.

"Given the recent developments in the region, we need unity among the Muslim countries and Iran can play an important role in this regard," Halbavi said on Sunday, addressing a conference in Tehran dubbed 'Islamic Awakening in Arab World'.

He also called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad his favorite leaders in the world, and said, "He is the bravest man in the Muslim world and we (in Egypt) need innocent, honest and brave leaders like him."

Halbavi reiterated that the West is opposed to the progress of the Muslim countries and that's why the world powers are against Iran's progress in scientific and technological fields....

He said it. But that's not all he says, and he provides chapter and verse from the Qur'an and extensive citations of ahadith to show he's not the only one with such contempt for women. "Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia: Womens’ Suffrage Movement Is a ‘Machination’ of the Enemies of Islam," from Big Peace, February 27 (thanks to Ken):

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh ‘Abd-al-’Aziz Al al-Shaykh, responded to a question in 2006 regarding whether women should be allowed to vote. The Grand Mufti responded, as seen below, by first blaming the whole issue of womens’ rights and suffrage on “machinations” of Jews and Christians and other non-Muslims seeking to destroy Islam. Then he warns them against “open[ing] up the door of wickedness for the people of Islam” by pushing for these rights. He makes clear that the issue of womens’ rights must be subservient to the more important issue of “serv[ing] the Islamic religion.” The translation follows (original Arabic here):.

Source: Journal of Islamic Research, No. 78; Issue: (Approximately) April to June 2006; from the fatwas of Shaykh ‘Abd-al-’Aziz bin ‘Abdallah bin Muhammad Al al-Shaykh.

Question: The community of educated and academic women is engaging in discussions about the political participation of women in the coming stage, and from there her entrance into the Shura Council and her participation in elections. What is your Eminence’s opinion of these proposals?.

Answer: I would like to direct an honest message to my educated and academic sisters. I hope that they will pay good attention to it. My sisters: when Almighty Allah sent the Prophet (peace be upon him) from the Arabs, the enemies of Allah from among the Jews and Christians laid traps for him, with their knowledge that Allah would send a prophet at that time, and with their knowledge of his name and description, as they saw him with their own eyes. Allah said, “The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons; but some of them conceal the truth which they themselves know” [Qur'an 2:146]. The Almighty also said, “Those who follow the messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the law and the Gospel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper” [Qur'an 7:157]. Jesus (peace be upon him) informed his people of the mission of this Noble Prophet (peace be upon him): “…giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad…” [Qur'an 61:6]. They were even waiting for him, and knew the time of his emergence, and his description, but they were hoping he would be from the tribe of Israel. When Allah Almighty sent him, and he was an Arab, they disbelieved in him: “And when there comes to them a Book from Allah, confirming what is with them,- although from of old they had prayed for victory against those without Faith,- when there comes to them that which they (should) have recognised, they refuse to believe in it but the curse of Allah is on those without Faith” [Qur'an 2:89]. For they disbelieved in our Prophet (peace be upon him), arrogantly and jealously. But it goes even further than that–they envied the house of Islam for this true religion, and they know that it is true. Despite that, they did not follow it, and they would like the people of Islam to disbelieve in it, out of envy for them. Almighty Allah says: “Quite a number of the People of the Book wish they could Turn you (people) back to infidelity after ye have believed, from selfish envy, after the Truth hath become Manifest unto them” [Qur'an 2:109]. Their hatred and jealousy of the house of Islam has increased, to the point where they will waste no opportunity to disparage Islam and its followers, whether by obscene and abusive words, or by actions such as killing, sabotage, and others. Allah Almighty says: “If they were to get the better of you, they would behave to you as enemies, and stretch forth their hands and their tongues against you for evil: and they desire that ye should reject the Truth” [Qur'an 60:2]..

My sisters, I am here to address the elite, educated, attentive Muslim woman. I have complete confidence in her religious awareness, and her zealousness toward her religion, the Islamic religion, and toward preserving it. Therefore I say that demands such as these need to be looked at again–do they serve the Islamic religion? Will they support the kinship and cohesiveness of the Islamic community? Will they lead to the raising up of this religion? My sisters, this is beyond the issue of recording opinions, or taking advantage of opportunities, or reserving seats, or other such things that we hear and read..

The issue, sisters, is on-going due to the machinations of the enemies of this community. They will spare no effort in bringing harm to us. They will spare no effort in dividing our side and dispersing our word. They will spare no effort in spreading fitna amongst us. Everything they promote under “womens’ rights” in these days is a kind of machination. You know that the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: “After me I have not left any affliction more harmful to men than women” [Sahih al-Bukhari, "(The Book of) Marriage," No. 5096; Sahih Muslim, "(The Book of) Remembrance, Supplication, Repentance, and Seeking Forgiveness," No. 2740]. He (also) said (peace be upon him): “The world is sweet and green (alluring) and verily Allah is going to install you as vicegerent in it in order to see how you act. So avoid (the allurement) of the world and women: verily, the first trial for the children of Israel was caused by women” [Sahih Muslim, "Book of Remembrance, Supplication, Repentance, and Seeking Forgiveness," No. 2742; Sunan al-Tirmithi, "The Trials," No. 2191; Sunan Ibn-Majih, "The Trials," No. 4000; Musnid Ahamd (3/19)]..

Muhammad also said: "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women)." They asked, "Why is it so, O Allah's Apostle ?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." The women asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said, "Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?" The women replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her religion" (Sahih Bukhari 1.6.301)

Will Islamic apologists throw every source mentioned above under the bus as "unreliable?"

I would like my sisters to be conscious of their reality, and perceive the weight of responsibility that is upon them, and not open up the door of wickedness for the people of Islam. We verily suffer from wicked men who rob women of their legitimate rights. We see some of them prevent them from receiving their inheritance, and others deprive them of their match when they offer them for engagement, and others beat their wives, and others prevent them from marrying, and so on. We suffer from this and warn against it, and make clear that it is forbidden. We demand that this reality which is terrible, humiliating, and far removed from what is (Islamically) lawful, be changed..

But I repeat, we should all stand hand-in-hand against the plans of our enemies. The issue is much bigger than the participation of women in the Shura (Council), or equality, or other such calls. The issue revolves around seeking to destroy the religion in its stronghold in this pure country, which witnessed the mission of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the appearance of the religion. The Prophet (peace be upon him) proclaimed that faith would return and go back to Medina as a snake returns to its hole..

Be shrewd, and beware that Islam comes before its people. Allah bless you, and may Islam and the Muslims benefit you.

Well, all these citations of Islamic texts are pretty handy -- thanks, Shaykh!

Another crucial point: "Americans were once proud to declare that their unalienable rights came from their Creator, the God of Judeo-Christian scripture. Today we sometimes seem embarrassed by this fundamental conceit of our founding. We prefer to trace our conceptions of liberty, equality, free will, freedom of conscience, due process, privacy, and proportional punishment to a humanist tradition, haughty enough to believe we can transcend the transcendent and arrive at a common humanity."

Many more instructive observations follow below, in an articulate analysis of the reality of the Islamic supremacist vision that still seeks to dominate the globe, and of the roots and folly of foreign policy based on wishful thinking. "The OIC and the Caliphate: The Islamic agenda is not coexistence, but dominion," by Andrew C. McCarthy for the National Review Online, February 26 (thanks to Ken):

The Organization of the Islamic Conference is the closest thing in the modern world to a caliphate. It is composed of 57 members (56 sovereign states and the Palestinian Authority), joining voices and political heft to pursue the unitary interests of the ummah, the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims. Not surprisingly, the OIC works cooperatively with the Muslim Brotherhood, the world’s most extensive and important Islamist organization, and one that sees itself as the vanguard of a vast, grass-roots movement — what the Brotherhood itself calls a “civilizational” movement.

Muslims are taught to think of themselves as a community, a single Muslim Nation. “I say let this land burn. I say let this land go up in smoke,” Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini famously said of his own country in 1980, even as he consolidated his power there, even as he made Iran the point of his revolutionary spear. “We do not worship Iran, we worship Allah.” Muslims were not interested in maintaining the Westphalian system of nation states. According to Khomeini, who was then regarded by East and West as Islam’s most consequential voice, any country, including his own, could be sacrificed in service of the doctrinal imperative that “Islam emerges triumphant in the rest of the world.”

Because of that doctrinal imperative, the caliphate retains its powerful allure for believers. Nevertheless, though Islamists are on the march, it has somehow become fashionable to denigrate the notion that the global Islamic caliphate endures as a mainstream Islamic goal.

It was only a week ago that close to 2 million Muslims jammed Tahrir Square to celebrate the triumphant return to Egypt of Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, a Khomeini-esque firebrand who pulls no punches about Islam’s goal to “conquer America” and “conquer Europe.” Yet, to take these threats seriously is now to be dismissed as a fringe lunatic, a Luddite too benighted to grasp that American principles reflect universally held truths — truths to which the ummah, deep down, is (so we are told) every bit as committed as we are.

The caliphate is an institution of imperial Islamic rule under sharia, Muslim law. Not content with empire, Islam anticipates global hegemony. Indeed, mainstream Islamic ideology declares that such hegemony is inevitable, holding to that belief every bit as sincerely as the End of History crowd holds to its conviction that its values are everyone’s values (and the Muslims are only slightly less willing to brook dissent). For Muslims, the failure of Allah’s creation to submit to the system He has prescribed is a blasphemy that cannot stand.

The caliphate is an ideal now, much like the competing ideal of a freedom said to be the yearning of every human heart. Unlike the latter ideal, the caliphate had, for centuries, a concrete existence. It was formally dissolved in 1924, a signal step in Kemal Atatürk’s purge of Islam from public life in Turkey. Atatürk, too, thought he had an early line on the End of History. One wonders what he’d make of Erdogan’s rising Islamist Turkey.

What really dissolved the Ottoman caliphate was not anything so contemporary as a “freedom agenda,” or a “battle for hearts and minds.” It was one of those quaint military wars, waged under the evidently outdated notion that Islamic enemies were not friends waiting to happen — that they had to be defeated, since they were not apt to be persuaded.

It was, I suppose, our misfortune in earlier times not to have had the keen minds up to the task of vanquishing “violent extremism” by winning a “war of ideas.” We had to make do with dullards like Winston Churchill, who actually thought — get this — that there was a difference worth observing between Islamic believers and Islamic doctrine.

“Individual Muslims,” Churchill wrote at the turn of the century, demonstrated many “splendid qualities.” That, however, did not mean Islam was splendid or that its principles were consonant with Western principles. To the contrary, Churchill opined, “No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.” Boxed in by rigid sharia, Islam could only “paralyse the social development of those who follow it.” Reason had evolved the West, but Islam had revoked reason’s license in the tenth century, closing its “gates of ijtihad” — its short-lived tradition of introspection. Yet, sharia’s rigidity did not render Islam “moribund.” Churchill recognized the power of the caliphate, of the hegemonic vision. “Mohammedanism,” he concluded, remained “a militant and proselytising faith.” [...]

Muslims, of course, understood the implausibility of achieving such dominance in the near term. Still, Hurgronje elaborated, the faithful were “comforted and encouraged by the recollection of the lengthy period of humiliation that the Prophet himself had to suffer before Allah bestowed victory upon his arms.” So even as the caliphate lay in ruins, the conviction that it would rise again remained a “fascinating influence” and “a central point of union against the unfaithful.”

Today, the OIC is Islam’s central point of union against the unfaithful. Those who insist that the 1,400-year-old dividing line between Muslims and non-Muslims is ephemeral, that all we need is a little more understanding of how alike we all really are, would do well to consider the OIC’s Cairo Declaration of 1990. It is the ummah’s “Declaration of Human Rights in Islam,” proclaimed precisely because Islamic states reject the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights promulgated by the United Nations under the guidance of progressives in the United States and the West. That is, the leaders of the Muslim world are adamant that Western principles are not universal.

They are quite right about that. The Cairo Declaration boasts that Allah has made the Islamic ummah “the best community . . . which gave humanity a universal and well-balanced civilization.” It is the “historical role” of the ummah to “civilize” the rest of the world — not the other way around. [...]

The Declaration makes abundantly clear that this civilization is to be attained by adherence to sharia. “All rights and freedoms” recognized by Islam “are subject to the Islamic Shari’ah,” which “is the only source of reference for [their] explanation or clarification.” Though men and women are said by the Declaration to be equal in “human dignity,” sharia elucidates their very different rights and obligations — their basic inequality. Sharia expressly controls freedom of movement and claims of asylum. The Declaration further states that “there shall be no crime or punishment except as provided for in Shari’ah” — a blatant reaffirmation of penalties deemed cruel and unusual in the West. And the right to free expression is permitted only insofar as it “would not be contrary to the principles of Shari’ah” — meaning that Islam may not be critically examined, nor will the ummah abide any dissemination of “information” that would “violate sanctities and the dignity of Prophets, undermine moral and ethical Values, or disintegrate, corrupt or harm society, or weaken its faith.”

Americans were once proud to declare that their unalienable rights came from their Creator, the God of Judeo-Christian scripture. Today we sometimes seem embarrassed by this fundamental conceit of our founding. We prefer to trace our conceptions of liberty, equality, free will, freedom of conscience, due process, privacy, and proportional punishment to a humanist tradition, haughty enough to believe we can transcend the transcendent and arrive at a common humanity. But regardless of which source the West claims, the ummah rejects it and claims its own very different principles — including, to this day, the principle that it is the destiny of Islam not to coexist but to dominate.

We won’t have an effective strategy for dealing with the ummah, and for securing ourselves from its excesses, until we commit to understanding what it is rather than imagining what it could be....

Read it all.

In so doing, the EU joins the mainstream media and the White House of trying to portray both sides more equally as perpetrators and victims when they bother to denounce the Muslim persecution of non-Muslims in the name of establishing and maintaining the dominance of Islamic law.

The European Union could commit to a substantive defense of human rights here (even for less fashionable groups like Christians), but by issuing such a timid document, it only signals that its hands are tied in fear of enraging the Islamic supremacists within.

"Europe’s stuttering timidity in denouncing the persecution of Christians," by Bernardo Cevellera for Asia News, February 27:

Rome (AsiaNews) - After more than three weeks of debate, the EU has managed to produce a text that explicitly mentions Christians as victims of persecution and the object of violent attacks. An earlier text had been prepared in January, after the terrorist attack on the Church in Baghdad and the massacre at the Church in Alexandria, but was it rejected because of the lack of references to Christians, since the EU preferred to use generic term "religious minorities".

The new text approved yesterday explicitly mentions "Christians and their places of worship" victims of "acts of religious intolerance and discrimination," but now hastens to include among the victims of such acts "Muslim pilgrims and other religious communities" as well.

The Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, one of the promoters of the text, had condemned the draft as a sign of 'excessive secularism "present in the EU, but expressed satisfaction with the text adopted yesterday. Moreover, recalling that the European Constitution does not mention the Christian roots among the historic foundations of Europe, yesterday’s statement really is a gigantic departure.

Yet even this text does not satisfy in full. It seeks to balance the anti-Christian violence with those against other religious communities, in an "excess" of balance and equidistance, not taking into account that at least 70% of persecution in today’s world is carried out against Christians. Yet these impressive figures are the result of statistics (from the World Christian Encyclopedia to the Pew Research Centre) and not partisan reports, so much so that Pope Benedict XVI used the word "Christianophobia" for the first time in a papal speech....

Above all, the text approved by the EU does not go beyond some general exhortation on the defense of religious freedom as a universal human right that must be defended everywhere and for all. " [...]

Europe’s stuttering timidity on religious freedom is underscored by the continents approximation and inanity faced with the riots taking place in North Africa and the Middle East. As an epochal change unfolds before our very eyes - with non-violent demands for justice, equality and democracy - the EU is ineptly concealing its remorse, calling for a "transition" while it secretly sheds tears over all the fabulous economic contracts drawn up with fallen dictators, null and void or hanging in the balance.

It is said that the world and Europe have been taken by surprise by the riots in Tunisia, Egypt, etc. .. We think that this blindness is due to the fact that in all these years, the sole motivation for our Europe’s relationship with these countries was its own its narrow economic interests and thus "stability", not a shared communication of values, attentiveness to social questions, dialogue between cultures and religions. In practice, Europe’s identity was its wallet: and little more....

It is well known that Sharia forbids the propagation of non-Islamic religions. But simply going about one's business in normal, daily life while identifying oneself as a non-Muslim is to make a non-Muslim faith visible. That appears to be all Dr. Maher Ayyad has done, though in a civilized society, there would be no such restrictions on his preaching openly if he so desired.

Compliance with the dhimma restrictions on the visibility of non-Islamic faiths is always in the eye of the Muslim beholder, and non-Muslims who stop short of cowering under a rock in fear may find themselves at risk -- whether Christians in Gaza, or Ahmadis in Indonesia.

Incidents like this, which fit the pattern of an increasingly intrusive, aggressive enforcement of Sharia in Gaza will only help to empty the area of educated professionals -- Christian surgeons included. In other words: jihad causes poverty. Not that it will stop anyone from blaming Israel, of course.

"Gaza assailants plant bomb under Christian car," from the Associated Press, February 27 (thanks to Kevin):

A prominent Christian surgeon in the Gaza Strip said assailants threw a bomb at his vehicle and sent him threatening messages.

Dr. Maher Ayyad, 55, says no one was hurt in Friday's bombing, though the explosion damaged his brother's vehicle.

He said Sunday that after the blast, he received text messages to halt evangelical work or face harsh punishment. Ayyad says he does not preach his faith.

There are some 3,000 Christians in Gaza amid a population of some 1.5 million Muslims. They mostly have good relations. But some Gaza Christians have reported harassment by religious hardliners since the terrorist Islamic group Hamas seized power in 2007.

There have been sporadic attacks against Christians.

Funny how that keeps happening.

Problems generated by Islamic "hate speech" (to borrow a fashionable term) and those who act on it set up an interesting sort of game of "rock-paper-scissors" when it comes to liberal causes.

We have already seen that, in practice, Islam beats feminism (no pun intended) when the two come into conflict. Even the most basic women's rights are off the table when defending them runs the risk of offending delicate sensibilities, and it is taken for granted much more easily that women who are oppressed according to Western standards are actually "happy" as participants in their "cultural heritage."

Next up: homophobia! Who will win when that issue comes into conflict with the desire, at once sanctimonious and fear-driven, to accommodate and placate an increasingly strident, aggressive, and supremacist Muslim population in Britain? So far, the latter camp has the upper hand, as those hell-bent on "tolerance" at any cost accept the lies of groups like the East London Mosque with grateful relief.

"East London Mosque keeps on lying," by Andrew Gilliagan for the Telegraph, February 26 (thanks to Ken):

The East London Mosque, that legendary home of tolerance and moderation, has condemned a series of posters which have appeared in its local area, Tower Hamlets, containing a Koranic invocation and declaring the borough a “gay-free zone.” Dilowar Khan, the mosque’s director, was quoted in a council press release saying: “We stand together with our fellow citizens against all forms of hatred, including homophobia. We are committed to building strong and cohesive communities in Tower Hamlets, and our strength is that we will not let incidents of hate divide us.”

As so often, however, the East London Mosque speaks with forked tongue. Yesterday, it was due to demonstrate its deep commitment to “standing together against homophobia” by hosting a gala dinner with one Uthman Lateef, a homophobic preacher who has stated: “We don’t accept homosexuality… we hate it because Allah hates it.”

Mr Lateef is one of at least half a dozen homophobic preachers hosted or promoted by the East London Mosque, three of whom have been officially invited to deliver the Friday sermon. In 2007, as my Dispatches programme on the East London Mosque disclosed, a “Spot The Fag” contest was staged at the mosque. In recent years, there has been a sharp rise in homophobic hate crimes in Tower Hamlets – something which simply cannot be unconnected to the fact that hatred of gay people is allowed to be openly and regularly expressed inside one of the area’s most prominent institutions.

The technique of saying one thing designed to appeal to white liberals, while in fact doing the exact opposite, has been brought to a fine pitch by Islamists generally, and the East London Mosque in particular. The mosque’s idea of “standing against hatred” involves hosting literally dozens of hate, extremist and terrorist preachers on its premises – most famously, the al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. It now claims to have banished hate preachers from its building – but, as this blog has documented, continues to welcome them almost every month.

Why does the East London Mosque tell such obvious lies? Simply, because lies work. There is a part of liberal white society which would rather ignore or deny the problem of extremism, hatred and bigotry in some parts of some Muslim communities. The lies give them a form of permission to do so.

In that same council press release, the chairs of the Rainbow Hamlets LGBT Community Forum, a local gay group, condemned the anti-gay posters but added: “We also condemn those who use these incidents to create a moral panic and stoke up racist or Islamophobic sentiment. At present the people responsible cannot be accurately determined, but it is clear that whoever is responsible, they do not represent any of the local communities.”

It was an army of clones from a decades-old, top-secret DARPA project to replicate Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Oral Roberts (they got into the U.K. on student visas -- it's pretty easy!), goose-stepping through Tower Hamlets while menacingly humming that well known melody ("kill the wabbit") from the Ride of the Valkyries.

I mean... what else could it be?

This statement contains at least one palpable untruth, one questionable assumption, and one dubious elision. As any gay man in Tower Hamlets will tell you, and numerous victims of homophobic hate crime in the area have told me, “the people responsible” can be perfectly “accurately determined:” the hostility towards gay people in the borough comes largely from young Bangladeshis.

It seems rather unlikely that posters quoting the Koran were put up by evangelical Christians, yuppies, brogue-wearing trendies or members of the white working class, the other main parts of the Tower Hamlets community. And given the anti-gay activities allowed inside the area’s largest Muslim institution, and the expression of sentiments there almost exactly identical to those on the posters, it’s also hard to know how the LGBT Forum can be quite so confident that the posters are entirely unrepresentative of any of the local communities....

Read it all.

As CAIR's press release from the other day demonstrates, Islam gets a lot of mileage out of its appropriation of Jesus. One does not need to be a Christian to see that. But while Islamic apologists accuse us right and left of "cherry-picking" verses out of the Qur'an and taking them "out of context," the verses selected by CAIR do just that. Among others:

"Say: 'We believe in God and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and it is to Him that we surrender ourselves'" (2:136).

Another verse in the Quran states: "Behold! The angels said: 'O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him. His name will be Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and in (the company of) those nearest to God'" (3:45).

Those selections deliberately and knowingly present a half-truth -- one that has been useful for Islam's cause both in proselytizing and in its claims for public consumption of being a peaceful religion. In both cases, apologists and dawah-peddlers depend on listeners who don't know better to project the Jesus they know onto those carefully selected Qur'anic verses.

And in too many cases, Islamic proselytizers have the element of surprise on their side when those who have otherwise well founded misgivings about Islam's intentions do not know about Jesus in Islam, or have heard an oversimplified version that slick apologists can deflect with deceptive use of chapter and verse. Those people are vulnerable to being won over by the half-truths of Islamic dawah.

Remaining uninformed about the content of Islamic teachings is not an option, if we are to defend our way of life.

In prior reporting about the reaction to Mike Huckabee's objections to allowing Islamic worship in designated Christian worship spaces, we have quoted Islamic texts that help fill in the rest of the story. Here, again, is a handy summary with additional sources and useful commentary on the "other" Jesus in Islam, whom apologists can't tell you about up front.

"DURIE: Stop opening churches to Muslims," by Rev. Mark Durie for the Washington Times, February 23 (thanks to Observer):

Last week, Fox News posted a report that Heartsong Church in Cordova, Tenn., and Aldersgate United Methodist Church near Alexandria, Va., have made their church buildings available to Muslims to use as places of worship.

Critics of these outreach initiatives, such as Mike Huckabee, have been accused of ignorance. However, the contents of Muslim prayers and teachings about Isa, the Islamic Jesus, give reasonable grounds for churches to reject such arrangements.

A prominent element in Islamic daily prayers is the recitation of Al-Fatihah (the Opening), the first chapter of the Koran. Often described as a blessing, Al-Fatihah has a sting in its tail. After introductory praises, the final sentence of Al-Fatihah is a request for guidance “in the straight path” of Allah’s blessed ones, not the path “of those against whom You are wrathful, nor of those who are astray.”

Who are the ones who are said to be under Allah’s wrath or to have gone astray from his straight path? According to the revered commentator Ibn Kathir, Muhammad himself gave the answer: “Those who have earned the anger are the Jews, and those who are led astray are the Christians.”

Al-Fatihah is as central to Islamic devotion as the Lord’s Prayer is to Christians: It is recited at least 17 times a day as part of daily Muslim prayers. Yet according to Muhammad himself, this prayer, which is on the lips of every pious Muslim day and night, castigates Christians as misguided and Jews as objects of Allah’s wrath.

Another good reason for churches not to host Muslim worship, paradoxically, is their veneration of Isa, the Islamic Jesus.

Muslims venerate Jesus, but as a Muslim prophet. In the pages of the Koran, the disciples of the Muslim Jesus declare, “We are Muslims” (Sura 5:111). The Islamic Jesus is not the Christian Son of God, the divine suffering Savior who died on the cross for the sins of the world.

Certainly there are some similarities between Isa of the Koran and Jesus of the Gospels. The Koran calls Jesus “al-Masih” - the Messiah - and both figures are said to have been born of a virgin, to have performed miracles of healing and to have raised the dead. Yet here the similarities end. Isa of the Koran was not crucified and did not die but was raised up by Allah (Sura 4:157-158).

It is in Muhammad’s vision of the end times that the role of the Muslim Jesus comes into sharp focus. Muhammad taught that when Isa returns, he “will fight for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill pigs, and abolish the poll tax. Allah will destroy all religions except Islam” (Sunan Abu Dawud 27:4310).

What can the apologists say to that? They will almost certainly try to throw Abu Dawud under the bus as an unreliable hadith. In the pecking order of ahadith, "Sahih" ahadith -- "sound, reliable" ones -- are so designated for having reliable provenance, and often repeat narrations about the same event to corroborate their authenticity. And Sahih Bukhari corroborates this narration from Abu Dawud several times (003.034.425, 003.043.656, 004.055.657).

Not that apologists won't try to throw Bukhari under the bus after Abu Dawud. When its appalling contents come under the scrutiny of non-Muslims, "Sahih" suddenly and magically becomes rather... "Squishih."

What does this saying mean? The cross is a symbol of Christianity. Breaking the cross means abolishing Christianity. According to Islamic law, the poll tax, or jizya, buys protection of the lives and property of Christians (and Jews). Abolishing this tax will mean that jihad will be restarted against Christians and no more protection shall be afforded to those who do not submit to Islam.

The Egyptian jurist Ahmad ibn Naqib stated in his compendium of Shariah, “The Reliance of the Traveller,” that the toleration of Christians living under Islamic law only applies “before the final descent of Jesus. … After his final coming, nothing but Islam will be accepted from them, for taking the poll tax is only effective until Jesus’ descent … for he will rule by the law of Muhammad … as a follower of our Prophet” (translation by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, pages 603-4).

In this end-times scenario, the Islamic Jesus becomes the ultimate destroyer of Christianity, when, by his sword, he compels all followers of the Christ of the Gospels to become Muslims and live in accordance with the Shariah of Muhammad.

Churches should not welcome into their buildings the veneration of Isa the Islamic Jesus, who, as a true Muslim, is intended to bring about the final, violent destruction of Christianity. By all means, let Christians show kindness to their Muslim neighbors, but the sentiments embedded in Islamic daily prayers, which curse Jews as the target of Allah’s wrath and Christians for going astray, can have no place in a Christian church - even if recited in the cadences of classical Arabic.

Epidemic. "Pakistan: Yet another Christian accused of blasphemy," from Spero News, February 22 (thanks to all who sent this in):

A Christian woman, Agnes Nuggo, was accused of blasphemy and arrested in the Diocese of Faisalabad, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The Catholic Church, which is handling the case, expressed "extreme concern" over the affair.

The Commission for Justice and Peace in the diocese reported that Agnes (50) is married to Bashir Masih, has children and lives in the Christian quarter of Waris Pura. She was accused of blasphemy after a dispute over a piece of land that had already created controversy with his relatives. Some Muslim neighbours accused her of having made insulting statements against the Prophet Mohammed and against Islam. On 16 February, the local police registered a FIR (First Information Report) pursuant to art. 295/a of the Criminal Code and arrested her. Agnes professes her innocence and says the accusations are completely fabricated.

Fr. Nisar Barkat, Director of the Justice and Peace Commission in Faisalabad, reported "Bishop Joseph Coutts has become aware of the case and asked me to follow it closely." Fr. Nisar was in court and obtained a copy of the complaint against Agnes, who will have her first court hearing in two weeks. The church will find her a lawyer and will take care of her family.

According to some sisters who know Agnes personally "the case is quite complicated: the woman was lured into a trap. Some people wanted to take revenge on her, because in the past Agnes had agreed to testify in court for money."”

Fr. Pascal Paulus, a Dominican priest in the Waris Pura area, said that "the situation is critical for us Christians. We need to be very careful. The Islamic radicals want to exploit these cases to attack the Christian minorities. We are exposed to spurious attacks, which have already been happening."...

Once again we see government officials complicit in the Muslim persecution of Christians, because the Muslim officials read the same Qur'an and follow the same Muhammad as do the kidnappers in this case. "Islamists Suspected in Abduction of Christian Girl in Sudan," from Compass Direct News, February 22 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

NAIROBI, Kenya, February 22 (CDN) — A Christian widow in north Sudan is agonizing over the kidnapping of her daughter eight months ago by suspected Islamic extremists in Khartoum.

“Since my daughter was kidnapped, I have been living in a state of fear and terror,” said Ikhlas Anglo, 35, a mother of two daughters.

She said her 15-year-old daughter, Hiba Abdelfadil Anglo, went missing while returning from the Ministry of Education in Khartoum on June 27, 2010. Hiba, a member of Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Khartoum, had gone to the education ministry office to obtain her transcripts for entry to secondary school.

Two days later, the family received threatening telephone calls and SMS messages from the kidnappers telling them to pay 1,500 Sudanese pounds (US$560) in order to secure her return.

“Don’t you want to have this slave back?” one of the kidnappers told Anglo from an unknown location by cell phone, she said.

Anglo and others said they believe the kidnappers are Muslim extremists who have targeted them because they are Christians, and that police are aiding the criminals. She said that when she went to a police station to open a case, police bluntly told her she must first leave Christianity for Islam.

“You must convert to Islam if you want your daughter back,” officer Fakhr El-Dean Mustafa of the Family and Child Protection Unit told Anglo, she said. Recently transferred to another station, Mustafa was not immediately available for comment.

A relative of the girl said police are fully involved in the crime, as officers had traced the phone number of the kidnappers but were reluctant to admit that to the girl’s family.

‘‘The police have a direct link with the kidnappers,’’ the relative said....

While there are certainly some wedding reception disc jockeys that I would like to see run afoul of this ban, this Sharia Alert from India simply indicates yet again that...there is no fun in Islam*.

"Muslim clerics to boycott marriages with disc jockeys," from PTI, February 26 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Muzaffarnagar, Feb 26 (PTI) Muslim clerics here have decided to "boycott" weddings that engage disc jockeys (DJ).A meeting held yesterday by cleric Shahar Qazi Mufti Tanmik and attended by Qazi Irfan, Qazi Abdul Rehman Hafz Nasarat Ali, Hafiz Murtaza Hafiz Sattar decided to avoid performing nikah in such marriages.The clerics said use of DJs during marriage is against the Shariat law.

* The Ayatollah Khomeini said that.

Here's a recent Jihad Watch headline:

Indonesia: Machete-wielding Muslim mob attacks Ahmadi Muslim "heretics," murdering three

That was from February 6. And now authorities in Indonesia are claiming that the Ahmadis have "stirred up community conflicts." This is exactly the same Islamic supremacist evasion of responsibility and tendency to blame the victim that we saw yesterday in Zawahiri's blaming of the Copts for the jihad attacks against the Copts in Egypt.

Islamic Tolerance Alert from modern, moderate Indonesia, and more on this story: "Regional Indonesian Politicians to Ban Or Curb Ahmadiyah," by Fitri, Eras Poke, Heru Andriyanto and Antara in the Jakarta Globe, February 26 (thanks to Twostellas):

Regional chiefs in some Indonesian provinces are moving ahead with plans to either ban completely or restrict the activities of Ahmadiyah followers in their areas, claiming the Muslim sect has stirred up community conflicts.

The mayor of Samarinda, Sjahrie Jaang, said he would curb all Ahmadiyah activities in the East Kalimantan capital and would also soon move to close down its mosques.

“The regulation on halting the activities of the Ahmadiyah was signed today,” he told reporters after a meeting with local police, religious leaders and community representatives on Friday.

He said he would meet with Ahmadiyah leaders in the area to enforce the regulation, advising them to halt their activities and close their houses of worship.

“This decision was taken as a form of firm action by the city administration on the Ahmadiyah issue in order to maintain security by preventing potential sources of conflict in society,” the mayor said.

When asked about the size of the Ahmadiyah community in Samarinda, Sjahrie said it was “insignificant” but if no firm action was taken immediately, it was likely to grow. “This is why we need to stop their activities now,” he said.

Representatives of the Indonesian Council of Ulema in Samarinda lauded the administration’s plans.

“The mayor’s decision is a relief to us all,” said Zaini Naim, the local chapter’s chairman. “This will stop the people from taking the law into their own hands.”

According to M. Faozal, a spokesman for West Nusa Tenggara’s provincial government, the governor was about to issue a bylaw that would outlaw the spread of Ahmadiyah teachings. “Ahmadiyah often triggers conflict in many regions, including West Nusa Tenggara,” the spokesman said on Friday. “The governor wants to prevent conflict; We’re calling on the Ahmadiyah to stop causing conflict.”

Limiting the Ahmadiyah community’s activities was necessary as a way to prevent potential conflicts, Faozal said, adding that the government hoped its followers would return to the “rightful path of Islam.”...

Somehow these six "Moroccan men" got the crazy idea that there was something wrong with a Muslim converting to Christianity, and that Pope Benedict XVI warranted punishment for his role in the conversion. You would almost get the idea that Islam has a death penalty for apostasy, if it weren't for all the kindly and learned Muslim experts like Salam al-Marayati, M. Cherif Bassiouni, Ali Eteraz who assure us that it isn't so.

Unfortunately, al-Marayati, Bassiouni, and Eteraz were unable to convince Muhammad, the prophet of Islam and supreme example of conduct for the Muslim (cf. Qur'an 33:21), who said: "Whoever changes his Islamic religion, then kill him." (Bukhari 9.84.57)

The Tafsir al-Qurtubi, a classic and thoroughly mainstream exegesis of the Qur'an, says this about Qur'an 2:217: "Scholars disagree about whether or not apostates are asked to repent. One group say that they are asked to repent and, if they do not, they are killed. Some say they are given an hour and others a month. Others say that they are asked to repent three times, and that is the view of Malik. Al-Hasan said they are asked a hundred times. It is also said that they are killed without being asked to repent."

All the schools of Islamic jurisprudence teach that a sane adult male who leaves Islam must be killed. They have some disagreements about what must he done with other types of people who leave Islam, but they have no disagreement on that.

"Italy arrests Moroccans for inciting hatred of Pope," from the BBC, February 25 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Six Moroccan men have been arrested in northern Italy on suspicion of seeking to incite hatred of Pope Benedict among Muslims....

A note was found calling for the Pope to be punished for converting a Muslim journalist to Roman Catholicism....

The note found by police urges Muslim immigrants not to integrate into Italian society, Italian media report.

Police said the six were accused of "setting up a group that aimed to incite discrimination, racial and religious hatred, violence and jihad against Christians and Jews".

The Pope was condemned for converting Egyptian-born Magdi Allam, a former columnist for Italian daily Corriere della Sera....

"Many observers claimed recently that the warnings uttered by Arab rulers regarding the dangers of radical Islam are meant to keep these regimes in power. Maybe, but nonetheless they may be right."

"Don’t count on democracy," by Guy Bechor for Ynet News, February 26:

[...] If there is one change in Egypt, it has to do with the blunt emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood, which mocks democracy. The Islamists are already feeling like the state’s future masters.

The provocative return of the Egyptian Khomeini, Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, was meant to grant this revolution a face and an identity; an Islamist identity. Qaradawi was the one who issued the call for Israel’s destruction last week in his appearance before hundreds of thousands (and possibly millions) of Egyptians in Tahrir Square. He opposes the United States and the Shiites, and is of course in favor of a religious Islamic regime in Egypt. This is a grave blow to anyone who thought that Egypt is moving towards democracy; it is also a sign of things to come.

Just like in Iran in 1978, secular leftist protestors fought to topple the Shah and in favor of Khomeini’s return, yet once he arrived he simply pushed them out of the way. The same is happening in Tunisia. Last week, we saw seculars protesting there after they suddenly realized what they did: With their very own hands they are paving the way for the rise of radical Islam in the country. Preacher Rashid Ghannouchi, who rushed to return to Tunis just like the Egyptian Qaradawi, is organizing the previously banned Islamist party ahead of the “democratic elections.”

The common perception is still about the “domino effect” – that is, tyrants shall be toppled with the click of a button. Another “Like” on Facebook, and we’ll have democracy. However, there are no suckers in the Middle East, and nobody will be giving up easily.

Many observers claimed recently that the warnings uttered by Arab rulers regarding the dangers of radical Islam are meant to keep these regimes in power. Maybe, but nonetheless they may be right. After all, radical Islam is the only organized alternative to the authoritarian regimes and has a solution for every problem: “Islamic law is the solution.”

The Middle East this year is just like what we saw in Iraq in 2003, in Iran in 1979, or in the Palestinian Authority in 2006: Nice talk and theories about liberalism and democracy, yet in practice what we have is anarchy and violence, terrible death, and Islamic autocracy waiting down the road.

Hamas, for its part, says "We respect freedom." They hope listeners in the West will project their own sensibilities on that term, but of course, the official means "freedom" only as defined within the strictures of Sharia law.

One could compare it to the now-amusing statement in the '80s, dubiously attributed to Bill Gates, that "640k [of RAM] ought to be enough for anybody." Those who demand the implementation of Sharia believe that, as Allah's own law, it "ought to be enough for anybody." In both areas, the rest of the world has moved on and left those prior benchmarks of "achievement" in the dust. But in Gaza and anywhere else Sharia can gain a foothold, its outdated and backward treatment of human rights will not only be "enough," but above criticism.

"Gaza's elected Islamist rulers crack down on secular community," from the Telegraph, February 25 (thanks to Zulu):

Hamas has bullied men and women to dress modestly, tried to keep the sexes from mingling in public and sparked a flight of secular university students and educated professionals. Most recently, it has confiscated novels it deems offensive to Islam from a bookshop and banned Gaza's handful of male hairdressers from styling women's hair.

Another cautionary tale that will be ignored:

Some argue that the case of Gaza could also be a warning sign for those pushing for quick democratic reforms in the region. Hamas rose to power in part by winning internationally backed parliamentary elections held in 2006.

It's a plot, of course:

Hamas officials say claims that they are trying to Islamise Gaza are meant to help deter the international community from recognising their rule. "This isn't true," said Yousef Rizka, a senior Hamas government official. "We respect freedom."

Gaza, a tiny sliver of land squeezed between Egypt and Israel, always had a significant Islamic flavour, but once tolerated bars and cinemas, especially during Egyptian rule from 1948 to 1967. A conservative religious movement began to take hold in the 1980s, as part of a larger, region-wide religious awakening.

The trend accelerated with the first Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in 1987, which coincided with the founding of Hamas. In June 2007, Hamas seized control of Gaza after ousting forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The trend toward religious fundamentalism preceded the Hamas takeover. In recent years, hardliners have burned down the cinemas. Their charred remains are still visible in Gaza City. Militants blew up the last bar in 2005.

The severity of veiling in a given location continues to be a bellwether of the encroachment of Sharia, the support for, and strength of those who would wage jihad to impose it:

Gaza women, whose attire once varied from Western pants and skirts to colourful traditional embroidered robes, began donning ankle-length loose robes. Women with face veils, once rarely seen in Gaza, are now a common sight.

After winning the 2006 election, Hamas vowed it wouldn't impose Islamic law. But within two years, bureaucrats began ordering changes that targeted secular Gaza residents.

Today, plainclothes officers sometimes halt couples in the streets, demanding to see marriage licenses. Last year, the Interior Ministry banned women from smoking water pipes in public. Islamic faith does not ban women from smoking, but it is considered taboo in Gaza society.

Jihad causes poverty: the people Hamas is chasing off are taking their educations and skills with them:

"In the end, the people who think differently are leaving," said Rami, a 32-year-old activist in one of Gaza's few secular groups. He refused to give his last name, fearing retribution.

Jihad against hospitals and hotels. "Reports: 12 Russian police wounded in Islamist attack on Caucasus province," from The Associated Press, February 25:

MOSCOW — Russian media say 12 police were wounded during an Islamist attack on a provincial capital in the volatile Caucasus region.

The Itar Tass news agency said Friday militants launched grenades on a regional security agency, a hospital and a hotel in Nalchik, the capital of the Kabardino-Balkariya province. No one was wounded in the attack, it said.

The Interfax agency reported 12 police officers were wounded by the militants at two traffic police stations outside Nalchik....

Authorities are apathetic, because as far as those authorities are concerned, these temples are offensive structures that have no right to exist in the first place. "Pak's Hindu temples turned into picnic spots, hotels," from Rediff, February 24 (thanks to e):

Hindus in Pakistan are watching helplessly as ancient temples turn into ruins due to the apathy of authorities, reports Tahir Ali from Islamabad.

Despite being the second largest ethnic majority in the country, Hindus in Pakistan have been unable to acquire possession of their religious places, agricultural land and other commercial areas. Due to lack of government action, most sacred sites for Hindus are in a dilapidated condition; the rest have been converted into schools, hotels or business centres.....

There is much more. Read it all.

"I do not suggest that anyone test the State of Israel’s resolve." Bravo. If only we had a leader with such determination and focus in the U.S. "IAF strikes Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets in Gaza," from the Jerusalem Post, February 26:

The attack is in response to a Kassam rocket fired on the Sdot Negev Regional Council; IDF spokesman confirms direct hits. IAF attacked two Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets in the central Gaza strip on Saturday night, in response to Kassam rockets fired on the Sdot Negev Regional Council on Friday.

The IDF spokesman confirmed direct hits on the targets. No Palestinian casualties were reported.

In addition to the Kassam rocket fired into Israel an additional Kassam was fired that landed in Palestinian territory.

No one was injured and no damage was reported in the attack.

On Thursday Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Hamas, “I do not suggest that anyone test the State of Israel’s resolve,” a day after two Grad-model Katyusha rockets slammed into Beersheba for the first time since Operation Cast Lead over two years ago....

A U.S. citizen and former Brooklyn resident, Hamdan claims that he only got these charges because he is Muslim. But the idea that law enforcement is full of greasy Islamophobes avidly seeking chances to victimize innocent Muslims is Honest Ibe Hooper's fever dream, not anything remotely corresponding to reality.

"Lebanese man charged in US court with aiding Hezbollah," by Hilary Leila Krieger in the Jerusalem Post, February 26 (thanks to Block Ness):

WASHINGTON – A dual US-Lebanese citizen appeared in a court in Philadelphia on Friday on charges that he tried to raise money Hezbollah, following his recent extradition from Paraguay.

Moussa Ali Hamdan, 38, a former resident of Brooklyn, New York, faces a maximum sentence of 260 years in jail on 31 charges of attempting to use the proceeds of stolen and counterfeit equipment to enrich Hezbollah.

A naturalized US citizen, Hamdan fled the country when he was indicted in 2009 for materially aiding a US-designated terrorist group, according to American authorities. He and nine others are accused of being part of a Hezbollah-linked ring.

According to the complaint, Hamdan purchased stolen cell phones, laptops, game systems and cars from a cooperating witness acting as an agent of the US government.

He also allegedly bought counterfeit goods, including Nike sneakers and Mitchell and Ness sports Jersey, from the government agent, to be used to generate money for Hezbollah.

Hamdan said after his arrest that he's been falsely accused, and that if he weren't Muslim would not have been charged.

That isn't remotely true, but it is probable, Hamdan, that if you weren't Muslim, you wouldn't have done the things that ended up getting you these charges.

Just another Leftist propaganda tactic -- go to the Daily News and vote in their poll here.

Here is our statement, via Yahoo News:

Human Rights Organization SIOA Vows to Fight Far-Left Propaganda Group’s “Hate Group” Designation

NEW YORK, February 25, 2011 – A prominent national human rights and advocacy organization has vowed to fight against its designation by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a hard-Left propaganda group, as a “hate group.”

The day after yet another deadly Islamic jihad terror plot involving weapons of mass destruction was thwarted in Texas, the SPLC issued its latest list of hate groups, including Stop Islamization of America (SIOA).

SIOA Executive Director Pamela Geller declared in a statement: "It's outrageous that the SPLC designates a group dedicated to protecting the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and legal equality for all Americans as a ‘hate group.’ The SPLC, instead of standing for those freedoms, is carrying water for the real haters, the real neo-Nazi Jew-haters: the forces of Islamic supremacism and jihad. The SPLC doesn’t even have a category for Islamic jihadi groups. The greatest threat facing our nation, our people, our world, and they are shilling for them.”

SIOA Associate Director Robert Spencer pointed out that the Islamic supremacist hate group known as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which the Justice Department designated an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case and has had several of its officials convicted of jihad terror activity, is not listed by the SPLC as a hate group. “That the SPLC would list SIOA and not CAIR as a hate group shows the hollowness and political motivation of the SPLC’s classifications,” Spencer said.

The Washington Times reported in November 2010 that “the SPLC is a small, hard-left political activist outfit known for promoting a panoply of radical liberal causes. The Center holds itself out as an objective monitor of potentially violent or subversive hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads and other white supremacists. But in recent years - and with increasing abandon - the SPLC has leveraged (abused, really) its rapidly decreasing political capital and waning credibility to target and undermine organizations that, rather than dealing in the business of genuine ‘hate,’ instead pose a direct threat to the advancement of postmodern secular-socialism generally - and to the Democratic Party specifically….In sum, the SPLC has become an extremist wolf in ‘watchdog’ clothing.”

"My group is a human rights group," Geller said. "And these people are taken seriously? This is the morally inverted state of the world."

Geller added: “The SPLC is getting well-paid to defame freedom fighters. According to the SPLC's 990 Form for 2008, the SPLC's Chief Trial Counsel Morris Dees made a generous $348,420 that year. SPLC President and CEO Richard Cohen was right behind him at $344,490. General Counsel Joseph Levin made $189,166. Legal director Rhonda Brownstein brought in $179,806; CFO Teenie Hutchinson, $155,414. Potok pulled in $143,099. Former Chief Operating Officer Jeff Blancett made $159,301 -- that's right, the former COO. Who is funding this anti-America, anti-Jewish group of subversives?”

“We are going to fight this libelous designation,” Geller said, “and continue our struggle to protect human rights for all people. The SPLC has made itself the servant of the most radically intolerant ideology on earth. They’re on the wrong side of history.”

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.

Pamela Geller has more here.

Christians incite more interfaith tension by not thanking the Egyptian Muslim military officers for the gunfire, and compensating them for the cost of the bullets. "Egyptian Armed Forces Fire At Christian Monasteries, 19 Injured," by Mary Abdelmassih for AINA, February 24 (thanks to Mackie):

(AINA) -- For the second time in as many days, Egyptian armed force stormed the 5th century old St. Bishoy monastery in Wadi el-Natroun, 110 kilometers from Cairo. Live ammunition was fired, wounding two monks and six Coptic monastery workers. Several sources confirmed the army's use of RPG ammunition. Four people have been arrested including three monks and a Coptic lawyer who was at the monastery investigating yesterday's army attack.

Monk Aksios Ava Bishoy told activist Nader Shoukry of Freecopts the armed forces stormed the main entrance gate to the monastery in the morning using five tanks, armored vehicles and a bulldozer to demolish the fence built by the monastery last month to protect themselves and the monastery from the lawlessness which prevailed in Egypt during the January 25 Uprising.

"When we tried to address them, the army fired live bullets, wounding Father Feltaows in the leg and Father Barnabas in the abdomen," said Monk Ava Bishoy. "Six Coptic workers in the monastery were also injured, some with serious injuries to the chest." [...]

Father Hemanot Ava Bishoy said the army fired live ammunition and RPGs continuously for 30 minutes, which hit part of the ancient fence inside the monastery. "The army was shocked to see the monks standing there praying 'Lord have mercy' without running away. This is what really upset them," he said. "As the soldiers were demolishing the gate and the fence they were chanting 'Allahu Akbar' and 'Victory, Victory'."

He also added that the army prevented the monastery's car from taking the injured to hospital.

The army also attacked the Monastery of St. Makarios of Alexandria in Wady el-Rayan, Fayoum, 100 km from Cairo. It stormed the monastery and fired live ammunition on the monks. Father Mina said that one monk was shot and more than ten have injuries caused by being beaten with batons. The army demolished the newly erected fence and one room from the actual monastery and confiscated building materials. The monastery had also built a fence to protect itself after January 25 and after being attacked by armed Arabs and robbers leading to the injury of six monks, including one monk in critical condition who is still hospitalized. [...]

The Egyptian Armed Forces issued a statement on their Facebook page denying that any attack took place on St. Bishoy Monastery in Wady el-Natroun, "Reflecting our belief in the freedom and chastity of places of worship of all Egyptians." The statement went on to say that the army just demolished some fences built on State property and that it has no intention of demolishing the monastery itself...

Father Hedra Ava Bishoy said they are in possession of whole carton of empty bullet shells besides the people who are presently in hospital to prove otherwise....

"We contacted state security and they said there was no police available for protection," said Father Bemwa," So we called the Egyptian TV dozens of times to appeal for help and then we were put in touch with the military personnel who told us to protect ourselves until they reach us." He added that the monks have built a low fence on the borders of one side of the monastery which is vulnerable to attacks, on land which belongs to the monastery, with the monks and monastery laborers keeping watch over it 24 hours a day....

Zawahiri is a well-read man*

Once again we see an Islamic supremacist blame the victims of Islamic jihad aggression for that aggression itself. Muslims bombed a Coptic church in Alexandria last month, murdering 21 people, and last Tuesday, Muslims murdered a priest -- and Zawahiri has the Islamic chutzpah to say, "The first among those who are responsible for setting the situation ablaze is the leadership of the Coptic Orthodox Church under the leadership of the one called Pope Shenouda III."

"Al-Qaida No. 2 blast Coptic church in Egypt," from AP, February 25 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):

CAIRO (AP) — The deputy to Osama bin Laden issued al-Qaida's second message since the Egyptian uprising, accusing the nation's Christian leadership of inciting interfaith tensions and denying that the terror network was behind last month's bombing of a Coptic church in Alexandria that killed 21 and sparked protests.

The message Friday from Ayman al-Zawahri, the No. 2 leader of the terror network, comes amid renewed Muslim-Christian tension over the slaying of a Coptic priest and a dispute involving a monastery.

As with his first message, delivered Feb. 18, al-Zawahri in his new, 35-minute videotape makes no mention of the protests or Hosni Mubarak's fall from power. Al-Qaida had advocated for the destruction of Mubarak's regime — and al-Zawahri, an Egyptian doctor, was part of a failed militant uprising against the former president in the 1990s....

In the latest video, al-Zawahri devoted much of the time to the Muslim-Christian divide. But he denied that his group was behind the Alexandria bombing, according to a transcript by the SITE Intel group, a U.S. group that monitors militant messages.

Ahead of the bombing, extremist Islamic websites affiliated with al-Qaida circulated lists of Coptic churches in Egypt and Europe — including one that was hit on New Year's — along with instructions on how to attack them.

"To start, I want to explain that al-Qaida has no connection with the explosion that happened in the church in Alexandria," he said.

"The first among those who are responsible for setting the situation ablaze is the leadership of the Coptic Orthodox Church under the leadership of the one called Pope Shenouda III," he said.

He blamed the church leader for spreading "belief that the Muslims have occupied Egypt and they must be driven out as they were kicked out of Spain" in the 15th century.

Al-Zawahri accused the Copts of trying to establish an independent state in Egypt.

On Tuesday, a Coptic priest was killed in southern Egypt, triggering street demonstrations by several thousand Christians. The priest was found dead in his home with several stab wounds....

* Note to those who insist that "there is no fun in the counterjihad": relax. It's a Photoshop. A small joke. J-o-k-e. Just scroll by it.

Here we go again: a Muslim attempts to mass-murder non-Muslims, and Muslims turn out to be the victims. In a sane world, Irie Price would be writing about how the Muslim community in Lubbock was working hard to prove its loyalty to American Constitutional values, instituting programs to teach against the understanding of Islam manifested by Khalid Aldawsari, etc. Instead, they're the victims, as always. Mainstream media journalists are drearily predictable in their readiness to retail this line. It is remarkable how it never seems to occur to any of them to ask even the most basic probing questions about what these poor victims actually intend to do on their side to try to prevent future Khalid Aldawsaris, and thereby head off this frightening "backlash."

The mainstream media story about Muslim fears of a backlash (that never seems to materialize) after the uncovering of a jihad plot is so common that I pasted that entire paragraph above from an earlier Jihad Watch post about backlash fears in Portland after the arrest of would-be jihad mass murderer Mohamed Mohamud. All I had to do was change the names. The mainstream media procedures in these cases are locked in place and utterly foreseeable -- as are the deceptive talking points of the Islamic spokesmen quoted in the "backlash" stories.

"Lubbock Muslim community braces for backlash," by Irie Price for the Morris News Service, February 25 (thanks to Twostellas):

Members of Lubbock's Muslim community reacted with surprise and dismay at the news of the arrest Wednesday of Saudi-born Lubbock resident Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari on charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

They are shocked! Shocked! To hear of jihad terror plotting going on in their community!

Imam Samer Altabaa of the Islamic Center of the South Plains had just begun to contact people in the Saudi community when contacted for comment Thursday. He said he did not know Aldawsari and had not heard of him before the arrest. He also said that no one in the Saudi community seemed to know Aldawsari, who identified himself as Muslim on his Facebook page.

Of course. It is a staple of these stories that the leaders and members of the local mosque say they never knew the jihad plotter, never saw him, never breathed the same air. No one in here but us benign and gentle peace-lovers!

"They are shocked," he said of the people he contacted.

Shocked! Shocked!

Yet even though they don't know Aldawsari, they're ready to stick up for him:

Ben Chidmi, M.A.K. Lodhi and Adil Farooq, who all came for the 2 p.m. prayer at the Islamic Student Center, said they did not know the suspected terrorist.

Chidmi and Lodhi tempered their comments with the caveat that Aldawsari is still a suspect and has not yet been proven guilty of the charges.

"They are just allegations," Chidmi said. "If it's true, I think the Muslim community condemns any action like that."

"We condemn violence and terrorism without reservations," said the Texas Tech University professor.

If the charges against Aldawsari are true, Altabaa said, the suspect's absence from the local Muslim community is no surprise.

The suspect would "want to stay away from everyone if he is really planning for something bad," Altabaa said.

"We like to give (a) plain message to everyone that Islam is a religion of peace. Islam is a religion against terrorism or terrorists or any person who wants to terrify any human being," Altabaa said.

"These terrorist people, they never come to a mosque because they don't belong there," Altabaa said.

Of course they don't. Who ever heard of "terrorist people" hanging around in a mosque? Except, of course, for those occasions when mosques have been used to preach hatred; to spread exhortations to terrorist activity; to house a bomb factory; to store weapons; to disseminate messages from bin Laden; to demand (in the United States) that non-Muslims conform to Islamic dietary restrictions; to fire on American troops; to fire upon Indian troops; or to train jihadists. No, none of that has anything to do with "terrorist people." It's jihad, you see.

Then follows the predictable hand-wringing over the "backlash" that never materializes, in yet another patently transparent attempt to claim victim status for Muslims and deflect attention away from how Islamic jihadists use the Qur'an and Sunnah to justify jihad terror activity.

The Muslim community is bracing itself for possible retaliation. The Islamic Student Center has been vandalized multiple times, and Altabaa said Lubbock police have agreed to provide security in the coming days for the Islamic Center and the Islamic Student Center.

Altabaa said that retaliatory acts are often committed by people who do not know about Islam.

"We faced this before. We are afraid because there are some people that are ignorant or that don't have enough information about Islam."

This is a tired talking point, and increasingly absurd. People are afraid because they have eyes, and can see that Aldawsari and so many others plot violence against non-Muslims because they are Muslim, explaining and justifying their actions by reference to Islamic texts and teachings. Such people are not ignorant. Such people know too much.

Altabaa added, "They don't know that (Aldawsari) is an alien to Islam ... He is the enemy of humanity, not only the religion."

Aldawsari himself clearly doesn't know that. What is Altabaa doing to make sure that other young Muslims don't misunderstand Islam so drastically and lethally?

Lodhi, a professor of physics at Texas Tech, said that many Muslims have become accustomed to occasional acts of aggression directed toward them. Once, he said, an elderly man confronted him at the Islamic Student Center saying, "You Muslims should not be around here. You should go away."

"I try to explain that there is no threat, that Muslims are just as good as citizens in this country, as anybody could be," Lodhi said.

Nevertheless, Lodhi described his experience in Lubbock as being positive overall.

"I personally come across people who are very helpful, considerate and understanding," Lodhi said.

Farooq, a mechanical engineering student at Texas Tech, also had faith in the Lubbock community to act with nuance.

"My experience in Lubbock thus far has been good," he said. "These are just individual acts of violence that we should all work together and speak against."

Altabaa expressed appreciation for the role intelligence sources had in capturing the suspect.

"They are keeping our country safe from these terrorists," he said.

When asked about the Quran's stance on violent and terrorist acts, Altabaa responded, "The Quran always calls all Muslims to commit to peace, to live with peace, especially with non-Muslims."

Except for the passages in which it is telling Muslims to kill non-Muslims. A sampling:

"Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." -- 9:5

"And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter..." -- 2:191

"They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them..." -- 4:89

"Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies..." -- 8:60

"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." -- 9:29

"Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens..." -- 47:4

He added, "God sent (Mohammed) to have mercy in the world, and to spread mercy on all creation of the world."

Quoting a translation of the Quran, Altabaa said, "Whoever kills one person, (it is as) if he killed all human beings; he is equal to a person who killed all human beings. And whoever saves one person's life, (it is as) if he saved all human beings. The Quran makes it clear to every Muslim."

"Muslims are people of peace," said the imam, "because this is what Islam means."

Actually, Islam means "submission," not "peace."

The pro-Sharia Islamic supremacist political party known as the Islamic Salvation Front won the first round of Algeria's 1991 elections, whereupon the military stepped in, canceled the second round of elections, and banned the Islamic Salvation Front and all Islamic political parties. This led to civil war, and the state of emergency. Islamic Sharia forces would still win any free election in Algeria.

Once again Obama here acts consistently: supporting the protesters in Egypt and Libya, but letting them twist in the wind in Iran, and now praising the lifting of the state of emergency in Algeria -- in every case, he acts in a way that will support the establishment or preservation of an Islamic state. It seems unlikely that he keeps doing this by accident. The question of whether or not he is a secret Muslim aside, he always behaves in ways that tend toward encouraging and enabling the forces of political Islam.

"Algeria: Obama Praises Country For Lifting State Of Emergency," from ANSAmed, February 25 (thanks to Insubria):

(ANSAmed) - NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 25 - U.S. President Barack Obama today congratulated Algeria for lifting the state of emergency after 19 years. "This is a positive sign that the government of Algeria is listening to the concerns and responding to the aspirations of its people'', Obama said in a statement released by the White House.

''We look forward to additional steps by the government that enable the Algerian people to fully exercise their universal rights'', Obama added. (ANSAmed)

Of course! Who else would have? "Friday Sermon on Libyan TV Accuses the Zionists and the Americans of Instigating the Protests in the Middle East," from MEMRITV, February 18:

Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon which aired on the Libyan Al-Jamahiriya TV on February 18, 2011:

Preacher: Oh Muslims, may Allah preserve the safety of your country. May Allah preserve your own safety, and the safety of your women and your children. Beware that they not be led astray, like our fellow Arabs, who share the same language with us. They were drawn by the deceiving media, and they took to the streets to sow corruption, thus assuming the character of the Jews, who spread corruption upon the land.

[...]

Oh worshippers of Allah, see the slogan of the outlaws – I won't call them people who revolted against the regime – in Egypt, in Tunisia, and elsewhere. They chant a loathsome Zionist slogan: "Topple the regime." Is it appropriate for a Muslim to revolt against the regime?...

They must have released him because they finally realized that killing someone for leaving Islam was a Misunderstanding of the Religion of Peace.

Actually, this story shows yet again that international pressure and public agitation works.

An update on this story. "Aid Worker Arrested for Being Christian Is Released From Afghanistan Prison," by Diane Macedo for FoxNews.com, February 23 (thanks to AINA):

An Afghan Red Cross worker who was arrested last spring for converting to Christianity has been released from an Afghanistan prison.

The worker, Said Musa, 46, was released from prison last week "after aggressive international diplomacy engaged Afghanistan’s government," International Christian Concern, an organization that worked directly with his case, said in a written statement Thursday.

Musa, who left Islam roughly eight years ago, was arrested in May after an Afghan TV report showed locals being baptized and called for the government to crack down on apostasy.

The father of six who lost a leg to a land mine and was working to help amputees reportedly was abused in prison and threatened with death if he did not renounce his faith.

According to ICC, Musa wrote in a Feb. 13 letter that U.S. and Italian Embassies offered him asylum but that Afghan officials subsequently told him that he would only be released if he wrote a statement declaring that he regretted his conversion to Christianity.

"I refused their demands,” he wrote.

Even so, on Feb. 21 an official from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul told the organization Musa was released and safely out of the country....

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, which advises the federal government on international violations of religious freedom, said Musa's release is a good start in addressing a bigger problem.

“While the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes Said Musa’s release, the fact that he was in jail demonstrates the serious deficiencies in the Afghan legal system,” USCIRF chair Leonard Leo told FoxNews.com. “The U.S. government and international community need to seriously engage the Karzai government about protecting the religious freedoms of all Afghanis.”

Yeah, that's gonna happen.

"Mosque Makeovers With Your Tax Dollars" (VIDEO, click here) -- WSB Atlanta (thanks to Pamela Geller)

Is this constitutional? Does anyone care?

They weren't protesting against acts of violence and terror committed in the name of Islam. They weren't protesting against stonings, amputations, or the brutalization of women. They weren't protesting against attempts to bring elements of Sharia to the U.S. and Europe. They weren't protesting against the death penalty for apostasy. No, they were protesting against Peter King's upcoming hearings, even though those hearings are likely to be toothless, with Muslim Brotherhood-linked Congressman Keith Ellison testifying, along with the supremely unrepresentative Muslim Zuhdi Jasser.

We constantly hear about how Muslims are aiding in anti-terror efforts. Yet whenever any specific anti-terror effort is undertaken by anyone, Muslims oppose it.

"Muslims protest outside NY Rep King’s office," from AP, February 22 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. — Planned hearings by the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security on the “radicalization of the American Muslim community” drew noisy protesters on both sides of the issue to his Long Island office on Tuesday.

About 100 opponents of the hearings were confronted by about the same number of supporters, some waving “Don’t Tread on Me” flags and chanting slogans favoring the hearings. For a time, protesters from each side argued heatedly in face-to-face confrontations in a parking lot adjacent to the congressman’s office before police stepped in and separated the groups with barricades....

Republican Rep. Peter King said afterward that his planned hearings, set to begin in Washington on March 10 and expected to be held periodically for 18 months, are “absolutely essential” to the country’s homeland security.

“Al-Qaida is recruiting right under our radar screen,” King told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “We are not going to cave to political correctness. There is a real threat to the country from the Muslim community and the only way to get to the bottom of it is to investigate what is happening.“

Civic and religious organizations, including the Interfaith Alliance Long Island, Pax Christi Long Island, the Muslim Peace Coalition USA, and the Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives organized Tuesday’s event as a “pray-in” to oppose King’s hearings.

“We are worried about the way the hearings are being conducted. It will demonize the Muslim community,” said Dr. Shaik Ubaid, co-chair of the Muslim Peace Coalition USA’s New York chapter. “He should work with the Muslim community who has been working with the FBI and others and get to the root cause of this.“

Sister Jeanne Clark, coordinator of Pax Christi Long Island, read a letter from the group that was being sent to King.

“We know that despite false perceptions shaped by stereotypes, Muslim American leaders have consistently denounced terrorism and worked with law enforcement to prevent violence,” Clark said....

Jalat Hamdani, of Lake Grove, whose son Mohammad Salman Hamdani was an EMT who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the World Trade Center, spoke against the hearings.

“American Muslims also died,” she said. “We sacrificed for this nation, for our nation. We are fighting on the front also. We are contributing members of society. For anybody to accuse the American Muslims of collective guilt is not right. We were attacked by foreign terrorists, criminals without a nation, al-Qaida.“

This business about "collective guilt" is a red herring, and a widely repeated talking point. No one is actually accusing Muslims in America collectively of being responsible for jihad terrorist acts committed anywhere by anyone. The question is to what extent is the belief-system that gives rise to jihad terrorism and Islamic supremacism taught in mosques and Islamic schools in America. This is really an elementary point; that Jalat Hamdani and others like her would profess not to understand it and try to obfuscate it is telling.

Palestinian jihadists' fabrications of Israeli atrocities are amply documented now, although the mainstream media still retail them; less well known is that the jihad in the Balkans also has a busy propaganda arm. Dr. Srdja Trifkovic, author of the excellent book on Islam and jihad, The Sword of the Prophet, ran afoul of it yesterday, as he was barred from entering Canada. The Serbian Youth League (thanks to George) explains this latest Freedom of Speech Death Watch Alert:

February 24, 2011 (SYL) - Serbian-American professor Dr Srdja Trifkovic was denied access into Canada after being accused of holding a senior position in the Government of Republika Srpska during the Bosnian war by the Vancouver airport immigration authorities. Srdja, who was a foreign affairs expert with links in the Bosnian Serb Government, never held any position in that Government, let alone a senior one. The fabricated reason for deportation was likely the result of lobbying by the extremist organization "The Institute for Research of Genocide in Canada", which is notorious for inventing stories, such as the disproven lie that Canadian General MacKenzie raped a Bosnian woman at a time when he wasn't even in Bosnia, as well as denying the Holocaust in Yugoslavia during World War II. Also, there are strong indications that higher factors in the Canadian government are involved in this scandalous and dark chapter in Canadian history, the investigation is under way.

Jihad Watch reader Joe Serb sent this in:

Srdja Trifkovic was scheduled to speak at a Serb-sponsored gathering at the University of British Columbia. About 60 of us waited outside of Room 222, Swing Space Bldg last night, only to hear that Prof. Trifkovic had been stopped at the airport, and was under questioning for his ideas. He writes on the Muslim danger to Europe and the world. I witnessed a small group of Muslims celebrating the delay, which was likely a cancellation (I waited for 45 minutes after the start date, but most left when we learned that the Professor was still in custody. He was accused of "hate speech" in a student newspaper.

I strongly believe that we have to reply energetically to all such charges; the "hate speech" weapon is increasingly used by the thuggish Leftist/Islamic supremacist axis to silence its opponents, and if we ignore the false charges made, they will be assumed true by those who are naive and unaware of what game is being played.

UPDATE March 1: Jihad Watch reader Aymenn Jawad was concerned when he read this post, and asked me if I endorsed the following statements by Trifkovic. No, I do not endorse them, I repudiate and deplore them. I am not a supporter or associate of Srdja Trifkovic in any way, shape or form. But nonetheless, neither he nor anyone else should be barred from Canada for politically incorrect opinions.

The statements Aymenn asked me about were these, from this article:

It is true, however, that the traditional Right is inevitably antipathetic to certain modes of thought and feeling, to a peculiar Weltanschauung and the resulting forms of public and intra-communal discourse, which are quite properly perceived as specifically Jewish.

Historically, Talmudic Judaism's insistence on the Jews' racial uniqueness -- emphasized by the ritual and dietary laws of Talmudic Judaism and on its view of Christians as idolaters -- has ensured that a Jew steeped in his own tradition could not view traditional European or American conservatism with sympathy. His tradition was a form of elaborate survival mechanism based on the zero-sum view of a world divided into "us" and "them." The Gentile was "the Other" ab initio and for ever.

In addition, since the late 1800's the Jews have had a disproportionate impact on a host of intellectual trends and political movements which have fundamentally altered the civilization of Europe and its overseas offspring in a manner deeply detrimental to the family, nation, culture, racial solidarity, social coherence, tradition, morality and faith. Spontaneously or deliberately, those ideas and movements -- Marxism (including neoconservatism as the bastard child of Trotskyism), Freudianism, Frankfurt School cultural criticism, Boasian anthropology, etc. -- have eroded "the West" to the point where its demographic and cultural survival is uncertain. The erosion is continuing, allegedly in the name of propositional principles and universal values, and it is pursued with escalating ferocity.

In FrontPage this morning I examine Obama's curious statement about the Libyan uprising:

In Barack Obama’s statement on the uprising in Libya Wednesday, he asserted somewhat counterfactually that “throughout this period of unrest and upheaval across the region the United States has maintained a set of core principles which guide our approach.” He added that “these principles apply to the situation in Libya” – and as he delineated them further, it became clear that he was siding strongly with the Libyan people and other Middle Eastern protesters, and that he was assuming that the recent Middle Eastern uprisings were all idealistic, humanistic pro-democracy movements. In reality, they’re anything but.

Obama condemned “the use of violence in Libya,” declaring that “the suffering and bloodshed is outrageous and it is unacceptable. So are threats and orders to shoot peaceful protesters and further punish the people of Libya.” He affirmed that “the United States also strongly supports the universal rights of the Libyan people,” and enumerated several of those rights: “That includes the rights of peaceful assembly, free speech, and the ability of the Libyan people to determine their own destiny.”

That phrasing itself suggested that Obama envisioned the crowds thronging the streets of Tripoli, crying out for Gaddafi’s blood and holding up pictures of him with Stars of David drawn on his forehead, as something akin to the Founding Fathers of the United States of America in Congress assembled. He saw Jefferson and Madison elsewhere, also, as he added that “even as we are focused on the urgent situation in Libya,” his Administration was working to determine “how the international community can most effectively support the peaceful transition to democracy in both Tunisia and in Egypt.”

Obama expressed satisfaction that “the change that is taking place across the region is being driven by the people of the region. This change doesn’t represent the work of the United States or any foreign power. It represents the aspirations of people who are seeking a better life.” And he quoted a Libyan who said: “We just want to be able to live like human beings.” In conclusion, he vowed that “throughout this time of transition, the United States will continue to stand up for freedom, stand up for justice, and stand up for the dignity of all people.”

The one thing the President didn’t explain was on what basis he believed that the Libyan (and Tunisian and Egyptian) people themselves were interested in principles and rights such as the freedom of speech and the dignity of all people, or held an understanding of freedom and justice remotely comparable to that of the American Constitutional system.

Unfortunately for him, there are numerous signs that they don’t. It is not insignificant vandalism that protesters in Libya have marked Gaddafi’s picture with the Star of David; rather, it is an indication of the protesters’ worldview, and of the pervasiveness of Islamic anti-Semitism. When Muslim protesters want to portray someone as a demon, they paint a Star of David on his picture. This also shows the naivete of Obama and others who insist that the demonstrators in Libya, Egypt (where the Star of David was drawn on Mubarak’s picture also) and elsewhere in the Middle East are pro-democracy secularists. They may be pro-democracy insofar as they want the will of the people to be heard, but given their worldview, their frame of reference, and their core assumptions about the world, if that popular will is heard, it will likely result in huge victories for the Muslim Brotherhood and similar pro-Sharia groups. Hence the ubiquitous chant of the Libyan protesters: not “Give me liberty or give me death,” but “No god but Allah!”...

There is more.

Selected quotations from the criminal complaint against Khalid Aldawsari, via Scribd, February 24:

"Only gratification from Allah is what I want; therefore, it is what I seek. And God willing, I shall encounter it in eternity not in this world" (p. 6).

"You who created mankind and who is knowledgeable of what is in the womb, grant me martyrdom for Your sake and make Jihad easy for me only in Your path, for you have no partner, and make me reside in heaven eternally forever, and shield me in your shadow on the day when there is no shadow but yours. My God, You are the one who responds to supplication" (p. 6).

"if this is the West's version of freedom, we have our own policies in freedom and it is war until... the infidels leave defeated" (p. 6).

From an email message with the title "How to make explosives":

"In the name of Allah The Beneficient, The Merciful. Nitro Yoria [Urea] explosive is more powerful than T.N.T." (p. 7)

From a document found in Aldawsari's email:

"The page contains a simplified lesson on how to booby-trap a vehicle with items that are readily available in every home. This lesson is directed especially to the brothers in America or Europe stating if anyone is able to execute one of those operations in one of the European countries that is participating in the fight against Muslims, this operation might lead to the withdrawal of that country The message further states that one operation in the land of infidels is equal to ten operations in the land of the Muslims. The writer states that therefore it's incumbent on Muslims to conquer infidels in their land (p. 8).

Aldawsari:

"I excelled in my studies in high school in order to take advantage of an opportunity for a scholarship to America, offered by the Saululi [perjorative for Saudi royal family] government and its companies, so I applied with [Saudi industrial corporations], and with the Traitor of the Two Holy Places scholarship program and was accepted for all of them, thank God. I chose [a specific Saudi sponsoring corporation] for two reasons. First, [it] sends its students directly to America, .... contrary to [the other] which requires its students to study in the Land of the Two Holy Places for one year. Second, [the sponsoring corporation's] financial support is the largest, which will help tremendously in providing me with the support I need for Jihad, God willing. And now, after mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives, and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for Jihad. I put my trust in God, for he is the best Master and Authority" (pp. 9-10).

And from the investigating agent, after other information on what Aldawsari considered "nice targets":

"On February 19 2011, Aldawsari conducted the following keyword searches in order: "party in dallas;" "can u take a backpack to nightclub;" "bakcpack" [sic]; "dallas night clubs" (p. 13).

Along with the Dallas home of George W. Bush. Aldawsari also "researched baby accessories like a stroller, diapers and a doll as a possible way to conceal explosives or weapons."

"War is deceit," Muhammad said. An update on this story. "Factbox: Details of bomb plot in U.S. by Saudi national," from Reuters, February 24:

(Reuters) - A Saudi-born student was arrested in Texas on Wednesday on charges he plotted to build and detonate bombs inside the United States. Following are details about him and the alleged plot from an FBI affidavit released on Thursday by the Justice Department.

- Khalid Aldawsari was born in Saudi Arabia on April 24, 1990, and came to the United States on a student visa in September 2008. He took English language classes for a year and attended Texas Tech University where he majored in chemical engineering from August 2009 until last month. He then transferred to South Plains College to major in business.

- FBI agents received on February 1 a tip from a chemical supply company, Carolina Biological Supply in North Carolina, after Aldawsari tried to order 10 500-ml bottles of concentrated phenol, a chemical that can be used to make the explosive picric acid. A freight company also called police after he tried to have the chemicals delivered there.

Saving untold lives. Barrons has more, including a press release from the shipping company, Con-way.

- After receiving the tips, the FBI conducted an authorized review of his e-mail communications and a surreptitious search of his Texas apartment. They discovered he had successfully bought nitric acid and sulfuric acid, other materials to build a bomb, obtained directions on how to turn a cell phone into a remote detonator, and had drawn up lists of potential targets.

- FBI agents also found journal belonging to Aldawsari in which he said that he had planned to commit an attack inside the United States for years and that he was inspired by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's speeches. He also listed in the journal the steps he needed to take to carry out an attack, including getting fake U.S. documents, renting cars and placing the vehicles with bombs in them at different locations during rush hour.

- The list of targets for his alleged plot included the address in Dallas for former President George W. Bush, 12 reservoirs and dams in California and Colorado, nuclear power plants, New York City and a Dallas night club. He also researched baby accessories like a stroller, diapers and a doll as a possible way to conceal explosives or weapons....

More, including details on Aldawsari's attempts to get chemicals: "FBI charges Saudi in alleged terrorism plot," by Richard Serrano for the Los Angeles Times, February 24:

Aldawsari, 20, described nuclear power plants as "nice targets" and collected the names and home addresses of three former U.S. military officers from the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, where inmates were tortured and humiliated, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed Thursday.

Aldawsari described on his "fromfaraway90" blog his journey to the Texas Panhandle on a financial scholarship and student visa, "providing me with the support I need for jihad," the FBI said. [...]

... Aldawsari's arrest can be tied to a Feb. 1 telephone call from a company in Burlington, N.C.

Jim Parrish, president and chief executive of Carolina Biological Supply Co., said that in late January Aldawsari attempted to purchase phenol, a chemical routinely used in college-level organic chemistry classes. "One day after shipping the product, we became aware that the order was suspicious," he said. "We immediately notified the FBI and ordered the product returned to us."

Ten 500-millimeter bottles of 80%-concentration phenol, which can be used to make the explosive trinitrophenol, had been bought for $434.57 on Aldawsari's debit card, and were to have arrived via FedEx.

FBI Special Agent Michael N. Orndorff said in the affidavit that he asked a company employee to call Aldawsari, who told them that he wanted the phenol for "off-campus, personal research."

Next, Orndorff said, he phoned Aldawsari, pretending to be another company employee, and Aldawsari said "he was conducting research into cleaners which contained phenol for the purpose of reducing their odor." He said he hoped the research would get him into a larger university.

Aldawsari phoned the company back, complaining of his "frustration and displeasure" and hinting that he would obtain the phenol somewhere else.

Two searches of Aldawsari's apartment allegedly turned up sulfuric and nitric acids; glass beakers and flasks; wiring from miniature Christmas tree lights; a hazmat suit and gas mask; a 3.2-million-volt stun gun; a battery tester; and an Elgin alarm clock. Some of the items were purchased on Amazon.com.

The FBI also reviewed his blog and e-mails, most of which Orndorff said Aldawsari sent to himself as notes. He allegedly considered hiding some bombs in the necks of dolls, then placing the toys in rental cars to be detonated by remote control during rush hour....

The would-be mass murderer for Allah

Once again we see a would-be violent jihadist explain his actions wholly and solely in terms of Islamic teaching mandating warfare against Infidels. It will be interesting to see what they come up with to explain this one away: was Aldawsari suffering from stress over a lost job or a broken relationship? Was he suffering (like Nidal Hasan, according to the mainstream media at the time of the Fort Hood jihad massacre) from "vicarious post-traumatic stress disorder"? Or will we be graced with some new preposterous explaining-away of this latest jihad?

More details on this story. "Dallas Target: Texas Resident Arrested on Charge of Attempted Use of Weapon of Mass Destruction," from The33TV.com, February 24 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):

WASHINGTON — Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and resident of Lubbock, Texas, was arrested late yesterday by FBI agents in Texas on a federal charge of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction in connection with his alleged purchase of chemicals and equipment necessary to make an improvised explosive device (IED) and his research of potential U.S. targets....

Aldawsari is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court in Lubbock at 9:00 a.m. on Friday morning. Aldawsari, who was lawfully admitted into the United States in 2008 on a student visa and is enrolled at South Plains College near Lubbock, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, Aldawsari has been researching online how to construct an IED using several chemicals as ingredients. He has also acquired or taken a substantial step toward acquiring most of the ingredients and equipment necessary to construct an IED and he has conducted online research of several potential U.S. targets, the affidavit alleges. In addition, he has allegedly described his desire for violent jihad and martyrdom in blog postings and a personal journal....

The affidavit alleges that Aldawsari also e-mailed himself instructions on how to convert a cellular phone into a remote detonator and how to prepare a booby-trapped vehicle using items available in every home. One e-mail allegedly contained a message stating that “one operation in the land of the infidels is equal to ten operations against occupying forces in the land of the Muslims.” During December 2010 and January 2011, Aldawsari allegedly purchased many other items, including a gas mask, a Hazmat suit, a soldering iron kit, glass beakers and flasks, wiring, a stun gun, clocks and a battery tester....

FBI agents also found a notebook at Aldawsari’s residence that appeared to be a diary or journal. According to the affidavit, excerpts from the journal indicate that Aldawsari had been planning to commit a terrorist attack in the United States for years. One entry describes how Aldawsari sought and obtained a particular scholarship because it allowed him to come directly to the United State and helped him financially, which he said “will help tremendously in providing me with the support I need for Jihad.” The entry continues: “And now, after mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for Jihad.”...

The affidavit also alleges that Aldawsari created a blog in which he posted extremist messages. In one posting, he expressed dissatisfaction with current conditions of Muslims and vowed jihad and martyrdom. “You who created mankind….grant me martyrdom for Your sake and make jihad easy for me only in Your path,” he wrote....

“A volcano that has exploded and that has no end in sight.” "Murder of 70-year-old Chaldean man in Baghdad raises fears of more attacks," from AsiaNews, February 24 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

Baghdad (AsiaNews) – Iraq’s Christian community has been attacked again. A group of armed men stormed the home of a Christian man in Baghdad’s central neighbourhood of Karrad, killing him. The victim’s name is Youssif Isho, a 70-year-old Chaldean. He was stabbed to death. Sources have warned AsiaNews that other attacks against Christians are possible in the capital. “The faithful continue to suffer,” a Christian leader said, “and people are scared, moving cautiously out of fear of more violence.”

According to information obtained by AsiaNews, Youssif Isho’s death was a targeted killing by extremist groups. The group burst into his home and stabbed 70-year-old man to death. He lived alone in a house in Karrad, central Baghdad. Nothing was stolen from the premises.

Iraqi Christians fear more violence tomorrow, Friday, when demonstrations are scheduled to take place in the country’s main cities....

A source, anonymous for security reasons, spoke to AsiaNews about “a volcano that has exploded and that has no end in sight.”

“People are scared,” the Christian leader said, “because extremist groups could infiltrate [demonstrations] and cause havoc”. Many fear more “looting, destruction and even targeted killings.”

The Christian community “has been suffering for some time,” the source said. Christians continue to “move cautiously out of fear of new attacks.” (DS)

"Aldawsari has allegedly described his desire for jihad in blog postings and a personal journal." Yet another Misunderstander of Islam. "Feds arrest Saudi man who tried to kill former president, three soldiers once based Abu Ghraib," from the New York Post, February 24 (thanks to PRCS):

LUBBOCK, Texas -- A Saudi man has been busted for allegedly buying chemicals and equipment to make a bomb and researching US targets, including the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush, federal officials said today.

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, a Saudi national and a legal resident of Texas, was arrested Wednesday and faces charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction....

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Aldawsari has been researching online how to construct a bomb with the use of several chemicals as ingredients.

He has also acquired most of the ingredients and equipment necessary to construct an IED and he has conducted online research of several potential US targets, the affidavit alleged....

One of the emails he sent himself -- with the subject line listed as "Targets" -- allegedly contained the names and home addresses of three American citizens who had previously served in the US military and had been stationed for a time at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

On Feb. 6, the affidavit alleges Aldawsari sent himself an e-mail titled "Tyrant's House," in which he listed the Dallas address for former President George W. Bush.

In addition, Aldawsari has allegedly described his desire for jihad in blog postings and a personal journal....

A wasted life

Yet another convert to Islam misunderstands his new, peaceful religion, and ends up throwing his life away. And yet no one is calling upon Muslims in the U.S. to institute programs in mosques for converts to Islam, to make sure that they understand Islam the way Muslim spokesmen in America insist that non-Muslims understand Islam, on pain of charges of "Islamophobia." And why not? Because non-Muslims assume that no such programs are necessary, and that the Message of Peace blossoms in mosques all over America as it is. Yet reality is quite different, and there will be many more Zachary Chessers.

"Muslim Convert Who Tried to Join Terrorists Gets 25 Years," from FoxNews.com, February 24 (thanks to PRCS):

A college dropout and Muslim convert who threatened the creators of the "South Park" cartoon series and then tried to join an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group in Somalia has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Zachary A. Chesser of Bristow, Va., pleaded guilty last year to supporting the al-Shabab terrorist group in Somalia and posting online threats against the "South Park" creators for an episode he perceived as insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. He was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.

Chesser posted a warning on the website RevolutionMuslim.com last April following the 200th episode of "South Park," which included a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad disguised in a bear suit.

Chesser, who just two years earlier was studying foreign languages at George Mason University, wrote on the site that Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the cartoon's creators, "will probably end up" like Theo van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered in 2004 after making a film critical of Islamic society.

"It's not a threat, but it really is a likely outcome," Chesser told FoxNews.com last April. "They're going to be basically on a list in the back of the minds of a large number of Muslims. It's just the reality."...

And something quite other than a message of peace for the rest of us. "Iran: Ships 'Message of Peace' for Muslims," from Israel National News, February 24 (thanks to Twostellas):

Iran said in a statement Wednesday night that its dispatching of two warships to the Mediterranean was meant as a “message of peace for all Muslim nations.” The ships entered the Mediterranean earlier this week, on their way to the Syrian port of Lazeqiyeh....

Five-and-a-half months in prison for "unpleasant deeds."

"Indonesia jails Muslim radical over Christian attack," from AFP, February 24 (thanks to Twostellas):

An Indonesian court today jailed the leader of an Islamic vigilante group over an attack on senior Christians, as the country grapples with an outbreak of interfaith violence.

Murhali Barda, head of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) in Bekasi, a city to the east of Jakarta, was convicted of "unpleasant deeds" in an attack on a priest and a Christian elder last September.

Sentencing Barda to five-and-a-half months in prison, Judge Wasdi Permana said he had "misused his authority as a cleric. He had urged protesters to disrupt the church's worship activities."

Separately, 12 others were jailed for between five and seven months over the attack, in which one of the Christians was beaten with a stick and the other was stabbed.
Two hundred radical Muslims shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greater) and "Free Murhali" outside the court as 350 police officers guarded the trial.

Barda rejected the court's finding and vowed to appeal."I should have been freed. The accusations were all wrong," he said after the trial.

Barda has previously said he had taken part in protests against Christian church services as a Bekasi resident, not as a member of FPI, which is known to have carried out armed attacks on moderates and minorities.

The FPI does not formally advocate mass attacks, but does share the jihadists' agenda of implementing sharia law in Indonesia....

After a series of threatening phone calls. Clearly these Misunderstanders of Islam didn't get the memo saying that Islam is tolerant and has no penalty for those who leave the fold. "Kashmir: a Christian school burnt down in Srinagar. Islamic militants suspected," by Nirmala Carvalho for Asia News, February 24 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

Srinagar (AsiaNews) - Suspected Islamic militants set fire on Feb. 19 to the School of the Convent of St. Luke, a Protestant educational institution that began its activities about 17 years ago in Srinagar, Kashmir. The damage is estimated at 60 million rupees (958 thousand euro). The attack occurred at about 22.30 local time. Eight rooms, including classrooms, library and computer labs were completely destroyed.

The school's principal, Grace Paljor, said they are currently compiling an inventory of the damages, which are now calculated for 60 million rupees. She also claims to have been verbally threatened, several times, before the accident, for being Christian. The school has 450 students. At the time of the attack it was closed for the holidays and so there was no harm to people. The school will reopen on 1 March.

"The school administration is used to receiving threatening phone calls from time to time from extremists. They had threatened to set fire to the school, and have carried out their threat. After the Tyndale Biscoe was burned in August of 2010, the extremists have begun to target the Christian schools in the valley. We complained to the Munshi Bagh police station. " Sources have told AsiaNews that the school has been targeted because of baseless rumours about a conversion....

The President of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) has condemned the attack. Sajan K. George told AsiaNews: "Even the most mild and unfounded rumours can cause criminal acts of the fundamentalists. The school was burned down because of false and fabricated rumour of an attempted conversion. In September 2010, Tyndale Biscoe and Mallinson schools have suffered the same fate for the same reason. In November 2006, the GCIC coordinator for Kashmir, Bashir Tantray, was killed by Islamic militants. The Christian community has been targeted by religious fundamentalists. We demand that the authorities of Jammu and Kashmir protect Christians”.

It does seem unlikely that the Camp David Accords will survive the present upheaval in Egypt. "Israel peace treaties, null and void - Muslim Brotherhood member," from the Ahlul Bayt News Agency, February 24 (thanks to Twostellas):

A senior member of Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood said there is virtually no peace agreement with the Zionist regime following the recent developments in the country, adding that any treaty not approved by the Egyptian nation must be abrogated.

Kamal Halbavi was speaking to Qudsna when asked about the future of several treaties signed by the former Egyptian regime with the Zionist regime.

The Egyptian nation considers as null and void any agreement between the toppled regime and the Zionist regime which has no respect for justice and rights of the Egyptian people.

He said the world was witnessing massive changes. “People worldwide want to see unjust laws scraped [sic]. It is no surprise for the Egyptians to want the same,” he said.

Halbavi then touched on the dismantling of Berlin wall, adding that following the dismantling, many previously signed treaties were abrogated.

He said the time was over for surrender to treaties which have brought humiliation to the Egyptian nation.

Halbavi also called for permanent opening of Gaza crossing and said the closing of the crossing has been a joint conspiracy by the US, Zionist regime and Mubarak’s regime.

"'I don’t see the point in wearing it,' says the student, whose long dark hair flows out from under her head covering. 'But if I don’t, I know I will be punished. I am scared of that.'"

"Women Live in Fear During Chechnya's Islamic Revival," by Diana Markosian for VOA News, February 23 (thanks to Twostellas):

At the entrance to a school in Grozny, the capital of Russia’ s Chechen republic, two security guards grip their guns as they order a woman to cover her head before walking into class.

“ You can’ t go inside with your head like that,” one of them yells, tapping his AK-47.

The young student rumbles inside her purse before pulling out a black silk scarf.

“Is this better?” she asks, covering up her entire head with the scarf, matching her kohl-lined eyes.

Under the Russia-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya is swiftly becoming a conservative Muslim state, a sharp change from the officially atheist Soviet Union when women in the Caucasus burnt their headscarves. Many Chechen women here are the first in three generations to cover their heads.

This has coincided with the almost complete disappearance of the ethnic Russian population in Chechnya. At the time of the Soviet collapse, 20 years ago, ethnic Russians account for 30 percent of Chechnya's population. Today, they are less than one percent.

But now, “the headscarf is a symbol of purity and worth,” says Malika Omarova, head of the Union of Chechen Women in Grozny. “ When I was a student, I never wore a headscarf, not one person forced me. But, I want our women to wear them - it is in our blood. That is what makes us Chechen.” [...]

Zalina, a 19-year-old student and hair stylist, says wearing a headscarf is not really a choice.

“ I don’ t see the point in wearing it,” says the student, whose long dark hair flows out from under her head covering. “But if I don’ t, I know I will be punished. I am scared of that.”

Striking back against a particularly craven example of dhimmitude and short-sightedness. An update on this story. "Tulsa police officer files lawsuit over attending mosque event," by David Harper for the Tulsa World, February 24 (thanks to Twostellas):

A Tulsa police captain who refused to require that some of his subordinates attend an upcoming Law Enforcement Appreciation Day at a Tulsa mosque filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday, claiming that his First Amendment rights have been violated.

Capt. Paul Fields also claims that Deputy Chief Daryl Webster - the sole defendant in the case at this point - retaliated against him for his "exercise of his First Amendment Rights" and singled Fields out for disparate treatment.

Fields asked for $1 in nominal damages on each of his two claims, attorneys' fees and whatever other relief "the court deems just and proper under the circumstances."

Fields was temporarily transferred Monday afternoon from the Police Department's Riverside Division to another patrol shift at the Mingo Valley Division.

The Law Enforcement Appreciation Day is to be held at the mosque of the Islamic Society of Tulsa on March 4. Police Chief Chuck Jordan has said the society scheduled the event to show its appreciation for the officers' response to a recent threat against it.

In an e-mail sent by Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police Board of Directors Chairman Clay Ballenger to FOP members on Monday, Ballenger said Fields' refusal "was based on the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, departmental policy, and past practices
of the Tulsa Police Department."...

And the learned analysts in the U.S. will say, "See? They're for freedom and justice! Nothing to be concerned about!" "Muslim Brotherhood sits at Egypt’s new democratic table," by David E. Miller for The Media Line, February 23 (thanks to all who sent this in):

The group's new political party, Freedom and Justice, faces an uphill struggle; group has yet to define its positions. The Muslim Brotherhood – which had been the standard bearer of Egypt’s opposition until non-aligned protesters forced President Husni Mubarak out of office this month – is forming a political party, as it seeks to ensure it place for itself in the country’s new democratic politics.

But the new party, to be called Freedom and Justice, faces an uphill struggle. The Brotherhood officially remains banned in Egypt and its leaders declined to detail what its positions will be or even state with certainty whether non-Muslims will be able to hold leadership positions. Analysts say many Egyptians are suspicious of its Muslim agenda....

Suspicious? And yet the Pew survey in Spring 2010 showed that overwhelming majorities of Egyptians want a role for Islam in politics.

"It is a worrying development if radical Islam is only a few hundred kilometers away from the European Union's front door..." It's closer than that already. "Qaeda sets up 'Islamic Emirate', Libya deputy FM says," from Al-Arabiya, February 23:

[...] Meanwhile Libya’s deputy foreign minister told E.U. ambassadors in Tripoli al-Qaeda has set up an Islamic emirate in Derna, in eastern Libya, headed by a former U.S. prisoner at Guantanamo Bay,

However, residents in the city have told reporters there is no substance to these rumors, which they claim the Libyan government is sowing to "scare Europe."

"Al-Qaeda has established an emirate in Derna led by Abdelkarim al-Hasadi, a former Guantanamo detainee," Khaled Khaim said.

"They have an FM radio station and have begun to impose the burqa" (head-to-toe covering for women) and have "executed people who refuse to cooperate with them."

Khaim said Hasadi has a lieutenant, "also a member of al-Qaeda and named Kheirallah Baraassi" in al-Baida.

Derna is the capital of a province by the same name in the region of Cyrenaica, some 1,250 kilometers (775 miles) east of Libya's capital Tripoli. Al-Baida lies about 100 kilometers west of Derna.

Earlier, Italian Foreign Minister Francesco Franco Frattini said embattled Libyan leader Gaddafi had lost control of Cyrenaica and shared reports that an Islamic emirate had been declared there.

Speaking at a meeting in Rome organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio, a Christian organisation, Frattini said here had been recent proclamations in Cyrenaica that it was now an Islamic emirate and calls to break with the West.

"It is a worrying development if radical Islam is only a few hundred kilometers away from the European Union's front door, but nothing can justify the violent death of hundreds of innocent civilians," he added....

Somehow these poor folks got the idea that Islam mandates a death penalty for apostasy. If only they had listened to Hamas-linked CAIR or any number of other Muslim groups in the U.S.! "Islamic Radicals Kill Christian Convert in Somalia," by Alison Matheson for the Christian Post, February 24:

A Christian convert from Islam has been murdered by a group of Islamic radicals in Somalia.

According to International Christian Concern, Abdirahman Hussein Roble was killed by members of Al-Shabaab, in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Jan. 26.

They accused Roble of spying and ‘fitna,’ or causing religious discord among Muslims.

Roble’s wife and children were told of his death by two eye witnesses on Feb. 9. He is the twenty-fourth Christian to be killed by Somali Islamists since 2009.

Another convert being held by the radicals managed to escape on Jan. 29. The man was captured on Jan. 8 in the Afgoye district of Somalia and subjected to repeated interrogation about his faith and ministry.

He fled from his captors as they attended evening prayer and is the first Christian to manage to escape from the group.

According to ICC, Al-Shabaab has links to al-Qaeda and is particularly brutal in its enforcement of Sharia law, stoning adulterers to death, cutting off the hands of thieves and murdering Christian converts from Islam....

As was the case with the demonstration by Copts to demand a secular Egyptian government the other day, coverage of this story in the Western media has been minimal, despite thousands of Copts' protesting in the aftermath of this murder.

"Coptic Christian priest killed in Egypt, setting off new protests by religious minority," from the Associated Press, February 23:

ASSIUT, Egypt - A Coptic Christian priest has been killed in southern Egypt, triggering street demonstrations by several thousand Christians.

Other reports indicate that the priest's safe was opened and property stolen, with police seemingly eager to settle for robbery as a motive. But one other article also notes that neighbors heard the assailants "chanting Islamic slogans."

The priest was found dead in his home. A fellow clergyman, Danoub Thabet, says his body had several stab wounds. He says neighbours reported seeing several masked men leaving the apartment and shouting "Allahu akbar," or "God is great," suggesting the killing was motivated by the divide between Egypt's Muslims and its minority Coptic community.

No, really? Of course, we get no hint of what's behind that "divide." Murdering priests certainly also tends to be "divisive."

About 3,000 protesters scuffled with Muslim shop owners Tuesday night and smashed the windows of a police car in the city, Assiut.

Tonight I appeared on Fox Business' "Follow the Money," discussing the upheaval in the Middle East.

90% of honor killings worldwide take place among Muslims, and in some areas penalties are relaxed for honor murders. Yet Islamic clerics are never called to account for this, and Muslim communities never called upon to act to end this barbaric practice.

"Honour crime: Woman killed for refusing to divorce husband," by Rashid Ameer in The Express Tribune, February 23 (thanks to Block Ness):

KHANEWAL: A 21-year-old girl was murdered in Khanewal on Monday allegedly by her brother because she had refused to give in to her family’s demand to divorce her husband.

Ismat Parveen, a resident of Kot Muhammad Hussain, was killed following her statement before a senior civil judge that she did not want to divorce Javed Ramzan, a neighbour she had wedded in a court a few months ago.

City police have arrested the accused, Nafees.

Parveen’s family had been opposed to the marriage and had earlier filed a kidnapping case against Ramazan with the City police station. SHO Riaz Luther said they had arrested three of Ramazan’s kin but later released them when both families reached a settlement through a panchayat. The panchayat, he said, decided that the girl be handed over to her parents so that the couple could be married ‘properly’.

A family member told The Express Tribune that the girl returned home when she was assured that she would be married to Javed. “When she returned, her parents pressured her to file a divorce case,” he said. He added that when she stated before the senior civil judge that she did not want a divorce, the family again insisted that she go with them and be married ‘properly’.

SHO Luther said they were committed to investigating the case fairly. He said one of the deceased’s relatives, an assistant sub inspector in Khanewal police, had tried hard to get the suspect released so that he could attend the funeral.

He said the ASI even requested the deputy superintendent of police but he refused to release the accused.

The SHO said he suspected that the family would move to withdraw the case. He said this happened frequently in ‘honour killings’. “They have lost a daughter. Why would they want to lose their son now?” he asked....

AP's caption for that one says: "An effigy representing Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi, marked with a Star of David on its forehead, hangs from a flagpole in Benghazi, Libya Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011...." (Thanks to Ravi)

That one throws in a Hitler mustache and horns, along with the big Star of David, to cap off an Islamic crescent and star on the protester's forehead.

We saw this in Egypt during the protests against Mubarak as well. It is an indication of the pervasiveness of Islamic antisemitism: when these protesters want to portray someone as a demon, they paint a Star of David on his picture. This also shows the naivete of those who insist that the demonstrators in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere in the Middle East are pro-democracy secularists. They may be pro-democracy insofar as they want the will of the people to be heard, but given their worldview, their frame of reference, their core assumptions about the world, if that popular will is heard, it will likely result in huge victories for the Muslim Brotherhood and similar pro-Sharia groups.

Who ever heard of jihad terror activity being plotted in a mosque? This kind of surveillance is outrageous! "Lawsuit alleges FBI violated Muslims' freedom of religion," by Jerry Markon for the Washington Post, February 22 (thanks to all who sent this in):

An FBI informant who infiltrated a California mosque violated the constitutional rights of hundreds of Muslims by targeting them for surveillance because of their religion, the ACLU and a Muslim group said in a lawsuit Tuesday.

The lawsuit, filed against the FBI and seven of its agents and supervisors, focuses on the actions several years ago of Craig Monteilh, a paid FBI informant. Monteilh has said he was instructed to spy on worshipers at an Irvine mosque in a quest for potential terrorists, allegations that prompted fierce criticism of the FBI from some Muslims in Southern California and nationwide.

The lawsuit alleges that Monteilh was ordered by his FBI handlers to conduct "indiscriminate surveillance" of Muslims, violating their First Amendment right to freedom of religion. Filed on behalf of three Muslim plaintiffs, the 64-page document seeks class action status, unspecified damages and a court order instructing the FBI to destroy or return the information Monteilh collected.

"The FBI should be spending its time and resources investigating actual threats, not spying on every American who happens to worship at a mosque,'' said Peter Bibring, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Southern California, which filed the complaint along with the Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

FBI officials declined to comment on the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, but empasized that they are careful not to violate civil liberties when they use informants and do not target anyone based on religion or ethnicity. [...]

FBI and Justice Department officials say that they have gone to great lengths to maintain good relations with Muslims and that the Monteilh case is not representative of those efforts. Some Muslims say the revelations about Monteilh have seriously damaged their relationship with the FBI....

No Muslims ever say that revelations about jihad terror activity have seriously damaged their relationship with the FBI, and that consequently they will redouble their efforts to demonstrate their loyalty to the U.S. and wholehearted rejection of jihad terror and Islamic supremacism.

Ali Malik, a plaintiff in the lawsuit who helped teach Monteilh about Islam at the Irvine mosque, said the Muslim community has yet to recover from Monteilh's actions.

"A lot of people now see the mosque as a place where the government can just come in and spy on you,'' said Malik, who says he has been questioned by the FBI several times since his dealings with Monteilh. "It's going to take a long time to heal those wounds.''

Of course the wounds are all on his side. There are no wounds on the psyche of non-Muslims from the use of mosques to preach hatred; to spread exhortations to terrorist activity; to house a bomb factory; to store weapons; to disseminate messages from bin Laden; to demand (in the United States) that non-Muslims conform to Islamic dietary restrictions; to fire on American troops; to fire upon Indian troops; or to train jihadists. No, none of that calls for any action on the part of Muslims at all to try to heal the wounds of non-Muslims, or to cooperate with inspection of mosques. One would think that "moderates" who deplored "terrorism" and had nothing to hide would be eager to welcome law enforcement personnel into their mosques so as to make sure they weren't used as bases of operations by members of the Tiny Minority of Extremists™.

It isn't pointed out in this DPA story, but the victims of this attack were, of course, all Muslims. Outrage in Muslim countries against terrorism seems to flare up only when the victims are fellow Muslims, and so the attack appears to violate the Qur'an's command not to kill other Muslims (4:92). When it comes to murders of non-Muslims, these declarations that the attacks are un-Islamic come only from Islamic spokesmen in the West -- spokesmen who generally have ties of one kind or another to the Muslim Brotherhood or some other jihadist entity, which ties cast doubt on the sincerity of their declarations. The outrage we have seen in the Islamic world against cartoons of Muhammad, threatened burnings of the Qur'an, statements of the Pope, etc., have never been matched by any outrage against the Islamic jihad terrorists who have supposedly twisted and hijacked the Religion of Peace.

"Video of militant shooting civilians enrages Afghans," by Farhad Peikar for Deutsche Presse Agentur, February 23 (thanks to Twostellas):

Kabul - The increasing violence of the Taliban is failing to win the hearts and minds of many Afghans, as a video of a shooting in a bank has prompted calls for terrorists to be publicly executed.

Surveillance footage shot on Sunday in the Kabul Bank branch in Jalalabad, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, showed a man dressed in police uniform and six accomplices repeatedly shooting unarmed civilians.

In one of the clips broadcast late Tuesday, the bogus policeman is seen shooting two men in civilian clothes as they try to leave the bank, and then walking all around the room, firing indiscriminately at customers, staff and unarmed security personnel.

The attack triggered a standoff with police that lasted several hours and left 38 civilians, four security staff and six of the attackers dead. Afghan police arrested the remaining attacker in police uniform.

Tolo, an Afghan broadcaster, aired a report on Tuesday night which included the surveillance footage and an interview with the suspect, in which he said that the killing 'gave me pleasure.'

The attack came amid an increase in Taliban actions against civilians, as war-weary Afghans the length and breadth of the country struggle to see the Islamic justification for the violence.

'Believe me, I could not sleep last night after I saw the report on the Jalalabad attack,' said Abdul Qadir, 50, a carpenter in Kabul city. 'Those who are real Muslims, they never carry out suicide bombings against innocent and defenseless civilians, or women and children.'

Hussain Ali, a 60-year-old street porter in the capital, agreed. 'These attacks that the Taliban or whoever else carries out are un-Islamic and inhuman,' he said.

More than 100 people - mostly civilians - have been killed in a wave of suicide attacks in major cities in the past two weeks. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for all of them.

A farmer from the northern province of Kunduz, where the latest suicide bomber claimed 31 lives on Monday, said he had no sympathy for the insurgents.

'From what I heard from my elders and ulema (Islamic scholars), the killing of civilians has no justification in Islam or any other laws,' Mohammad Sardar said.

Hundreds of kilometres to the south, Kandahar city resident Mohammad Daoud expressed similar doubts. 'Islam says that the killing of one innocent person is like killing the whole of humanity, so I don't think these attackers are Muslims or know anything about Islam,' he said....

These troops are reacting to manifest realities, but they will probably be made the targets of "sensitivity training" by their politically correct, willfully ignorant superiors. "German Troops Admit Fears Over Partnering With Afghan Soldiers," from German Radio, February 23 (thanks to Twostellas):

The bodies of three German soldiers killed in northern Afghanistan last week by an Afghan colleague have been flown home. The attack has led to fears over the safety of 'partnering' German and Afghan soldiers.

The three soldiers were flown back to Germany on Monday. They had been part of a partnering protect set up by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in which the Bundeswehr works closely with Afghan army and police units.

The soldier, from the Afghan National Army, opened fire on German troops inside a base in Baghlan province on Friday, killing the three soldiers and wounding six others. The shooting occurred as the soldiers were carrying out maintenance on a vehicle; the attacker had apparently been part of their group and entered the compound with the German soldiers.

The ISAF established the "partnering" strategy last year in an effort to prepare Afghans to take charge of security in their country after 2014. It called for joint patrols and jointly conducted missions against the Taliban.

It was the first time that German soldiers were targeted within the framework of ISAF's partnering project. But several British and American military instructors have also been killed in Southern Afghanistan by members of Afghan security forces while on partnering operations over the past two years.

Worst attack on Bundeswehr in a year

The incident has shocked German troops in Afghanistan. Several German soldiers have been quoted anonymously on the Spiegel Online website as saying they were wary of their Afghan colleagues and no longer wanted to work with them. "We are expected to train them, but they regard us as infidels who shouldn't be in their country in the first place," said one soldier....

To minimize the obvious risk, Friesendorf said, prospective Afghan soldiers should be more carefully vetted before being given a uniform and, more importantly, a weapon....

But vetted for what? And how?

The German researcher pointed out that partnering also requires cultural sensitivity and understanding on the part of the international forces. He said it was different from simply being a combat soldier: "In Afghanistan, it is important to make sure that trainees do not lose face. That means if someone doesn't know how to handle a weapon, or acts inappropriately, the partner should take that person aside and tell him, face to face, without his colleagues being able to overhear the conversation."

That might be asking too much. One German officer told Spiegel Online that he thought the partnership wouldn’t work. "The chemistry between them and us simply doesn't work," he said.

Training the Afghans is necessary and possible, he added. But rather than using soldiers from the West and America, it would be preferable if they were from countries where the cultural differences aren’t as great. "I am certain that Turkish soldiers would be better equipped," he said....

And slightly more Islamic.

About 10,000 members of the Tiny Minority of Extremists™ are expected to descend upon Amman.

"Jordan: February 25 Day Of Rage, Opposition," from ANSAmed, February 23 (thanks to Insubria):

AMMAN (JORDAN), FEBRUARY 23 - A ''Day of Rage'' has been called in Jordan's capital, Amman, for this Friday to ''denounce acts of violence and demand reform''. The opposition made the announcement and hopes to make it the largest demonstration since the beginning of the protests in the Hashemite kingdom in January. ''About 10,000 members of the Islamic movement'' are expected in Amman to ''denounce acts of violence and demand reform'', France Presse was told by Zaki Bani Rsheid, member of the executive committee of the Muslim Brotherhood and main opposition party. Nineteen other parties and groups have made an appeal to protest alongside the Islamic Action Front in the capital and in several governorates in the kingdom....

The voice of the future?

Caliphate dreams in Pakistan. "Youths protest against democracy," by Rameez Khan in The Express Tribune, February 21 (thanks to Block Ness):

LAHORE: Some 150 youths gathered at the Liberty roundabout on Sunday in a protest organised via social networking site Facebook, to demand that Pakistan scrap its democratic political system and replace it with an “Islamic” system of governance.

It was the third consecutive week that Youth 4 Change had organised a protest “against the democratic system and the American hegemony in Pakistan”. The protesters chanted slogans in support of Islam. They held placards and banners denouncing America and in support of Dr Afia Siddiqui, and in support for the protests in Cairo at Tahrir (Liberty) Square.

The protesters demanded the closure of all US embassies and consulates in Pakistan, an end to the war in Afghanistan, that Raymond Davis to be tried under Islamic law, that Dr Siddiqui be released, and that the armed forces of Pakistan obey Allah and the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and unite the Muslim Ummah under one caliph.

Junaid Khan, an engineering student at the National University of Science and Technology, said the protest was meant to push for change. “In Pakistan, democracy and dictatorship have been tried and failed. Now it is time to bring in an Islamic system. That is the only way for Pakistan to progress,” he said.

Farooq Qazi, who works in advertising, said it was time for Pakistan to stand up to America and protect its sovereignty.

He said that Raymond Davis case was not the core issue between the two countries, but that Pakistan was dependent on the US for aid.

He said that the Islamic system had been shown to work over the last 1,300 years. “Islam provides policies for all kinds of business. It cares for the rich and the poor,” he said.

Qazi added that there were a lot of misconceptions about Islam as a violent religion, but it was actually quite caring. “We should try an Islamic system,” he said.

"Or else," he implied.

How Egyptians might vote for a Sharia state out of concern for their immediate needs. "Is an Egyptian 'Democracy' a Good Thing?," by a great friend of Jihad Watch, Raymond Ibrahim, in Hudson New York (via RaymondIbrahim.com), February 17:

[...] That said, the Muslim Brotherhood does pose a very real threat; moreover, it does want strict sharia implemented. If the people help see it to power, Egypt will become considerably more fascistic. Yet this does not mean that most Egyptians are Islamists. While some are, others go along with the Brotherhood for the ostensible benefits, while being indifferent to the group's ideological agenda. After all, Hamas' famous strategy of endearing the Palestinians to it by providing for their needs was learned directly from its parent organization: Egypt's Brotherhood.

In a way, this is not unlike Western democracies: people can vote based on their immediate needs, emotions, misinformation, or even sheer propaganda—and get more than they bargained for. Yet Western democracies have built-in safeguards, for example, a constitution, rule of law, and a separate judiciary. But what if all of these are built on Islamist principles, agreed to by the majority? The constitution, law, and judiciary of a government can all be built atop sharia (the word sharia simply means "the way" of Muslim society). After all, part of the Brotherhood's by now infamous slogan is that "the Koran is our Constitution"; likewise, Iran has a "constitutional government"—based on sharia jurisprudence.

In short, America needs to stop praising democracy—a means—and start supporting freedom and universal rights—the desired end. If that end can best be achieved by, say, a "philosopher-king," as opposed to popular support, so be it; if that end can be achieved by supporting secularists while "undemocratically" suppressing Islamists, so be it. Rather than offer lip service to any specific mode of governance, the U.S. should support whoever and whatever form of government is best positioned to provide the boons regularly conflated with democracy....

Read it all.

While the European Union and Obama applaud the advent of "democracy" in the Middle East, Medvedev sees things more clearly. "Medvedev sees `fires for decades' in Arab world," by David Nowak for the Associated Press, February 22 (thanks to Jack):

MOSCOW – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday predicted decades of instability in the Arab world if protesters whom he called fanatics come to power, adding no such scenario will be permitted at home.

Medvedev's words fall in sharp contrast with the European Union, which said in a statement on Monday that it "deplores the violence" and "repression" against the pro-democracy protesters by authorities in one of the troublespots, Libya.

Speaking at a security meeting in the Caucasus city of Vladikavkaz, Medvedev didn't name countries, but he was referring to the crisis in the Middle East and North Africa — which has brought down governments in Tunisia and Egypt and sparked protests in Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Iran, Morocco and Jordan.

"These states are difficult, and it is quite probable that hard times are ahead, including the arrival at power of fanatics. This will mean fires for decades and the spread of extremism," Medvedev said in televised comments....

In a featured article at Human Events this morning, I discuss the rising of Sheikh Qaradawi in Egypt:

Last Friday one of the biggest crowds of the entire Egyptian revolution thronged to Cairo’s Tahrir Square to hear Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the most influential Muslim clerics in the world—who on Monday called for the murder of Libya’s Gaddafi. The enthusiastic reception Qaradawi received, along with the barring of secular liberal Wael Ghonim from the same stage, were ominous signs that genuine democracy is not in the offing in Egypt .

With the Muslim Brotherhood almost certain to play a substantial role in the next Egyptian government, the 84-year-old Qaradawi, whom Der Spiegel described last week as “the father figure of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood,” looks to become more powerful than ever. Freedom-lovers should not be pleased: Although Qaradawi has been praised by Saudi-funded Islamic scholar John Esposito as a champion of a “reformist interpretation of Islam and its relationship to democracy, pluralism, and human rights,” numerous statements he has made demonstrate that he is anything but a “reformist” or a genuine champion of “democracy, pluralism, and human rights," and he is, in fact, positively Hitlerian in his Jew hatred and bloodlust.

During the uprising against the Mubarak regime, a Muslim website published a chapter from Qaradawi’s book Laws of Jihad, including this passage: “One of the forms of jihad in Islam is jihad against evil and corruption within [the Islamic lands]. This jihad is crucial in order to protect society from collapse, disintegration, and perdition—for Muslim society has unique characteristics, and if these are lost, forgotten or destroyed, there will be no Muslim society.”

In 2002, the Muslim Brotherhood asked him to take over as their leader, but he refused, probably because he saw the position as too small for him: Qaradawi’s renown is not limited to Egypt or even to the Middle East. He is an international figure, reaching 60 million Muslims weekly through his Al-Jazeera TV show, “Sharia and Life,” and touching countless more through his 120 published books (including his very popular Sharia manual, Al-Halal Wal Haram Fil Islam, that is, The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam), his website IslamOnline.com (which publishes many of his fatwas), and his positions as president of the International Association of Muslim Scholars and the European Council for Fatwa and Research....

There is more.

Why is Huckabee being summoned for a round of interfaith monologue? He said:

"If the purpose of a church is to push forth the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then you have a Muslim group that says that Jesus Christ and all the people that follow him are a bunch of infidels who should be essentially obliterated, I guess I have a hard time understanding that."

Islam does not "obliterate" Jesus, but rather appropriates Jesus as a messenger of Islam in order to create a place for Muhammad in its narrative. Islamic teachings do seek to do away with central Christian beliefs about Jesus' divinity, message, death, and resurrection, and they make professing those beliefs a cause for persecution under Islamic law.

That latter issue has been known to catch the attention of concerned citizens.

Qur'an 9:29 offers non-believers, including Jews and Christians, the option of conversion, subjugation, or war. So, Christians may not be "obliterated" in one fell swoop, but slowly ("tolerantly," "compassionately") strangled and expected to fade away quietly in a land where they cannot display crosses, propagate their faith, or repair their churches and monasteries.

Those clarifications aside, Huckabee is quite correct in noting the contempt in which Islam holds the religion whose local church would offer its hospitality. It is that contempt which results in the lack of reciprocal respect for non-Muslim religions and the unequal rights to religious freedom seen in Muslim countries.

"Muslims Demand Huckabee Apologize for 'Infidel' Comment," from Fox News, February 21 (thanks to Ken):

A prominent Muslim civil rights group is asking Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, to apologize for his take on Christian churches that have allowed Muslims to use their worship space.

Apologies: a symbolic form of tribute, but demanded with no less a sense of entitlement. And "Muslim civil rights group" is right. It's the fate of everyone else's civil rights under Sharia that becomes cause for alarm.

Huckabee, who also ran for president in 2008 and is mulling a 2012 bid, said on "Fox and Friends" recently that he did not understand why churches would make that sort of decision.

"If the purpose of a church is to push forth the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then you have a Muslim group that says that Jesus Christ and all the people that follow him are a bunch of infidels who should be essentially obliterated, I guess I have a hard time understanding that," said Huckabee, who has his own show on Fox News.

"Is there a reason to say that the people who donated, who gave, who sacrificed to give that facility really ever intended it to be a place where something that is the antithesis of the gospel of Christ would be presented?" he added.

Well, the ahadith say Jesus will come back to break all the crosses anyway (Sahih Bukhari 3.43.656, among others), and "fight the people in the cause of Islam" (Sunan Abu Dawud 37.4310).

On Monday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations called Huckabee's comments divisive and proposed that he meet with Muslim leaders to discuss commonly misheld views about the religion.

Justice. "Jury convicts Iraqi immigrant in 'honor killing,'" by Terry Tang for the Associated Press, February 22 (thanks to all who sent this in):

PHOENIX -- A jury convicted an Iraqi immigrant of second-degree murder Tuesday for running over and killing his daughter in a case prosecutors called an "honor killing."

Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 50, also was convicted of aggravated assault for injuries suffered by the mother of his daughter's boyfriend during the October 2009 incident in a suburban Phoenix parking lot, and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident.

Prosecutors told jurors during the trial that he mowed down 20-year-old Noor Almaleki with his Jeep Cherokee because she had brought the family dishonor by becoming too Westernized. He wanted Noor Almaleki to act like a traditional Iraq woman, but she refused an arranged marriage, went to college and had a boyfriend.

"A traditional Iraqi woman," i.e., a Muslim, but AP cannot bring itself to say that.

Defense lawyers called Noor's death and the severe injuries to Amal Khalaf an accident. They say he only wanted to spit on the older woman, who Almaleki thought helped his daughter stay away from her family. Khalaf had taken Noor in several times after she left home between 2007 and 2009, and that was a cause of increasing friction between the families.

A detective testified that Almaleki acknowledged under questioning by police that he intentionally ran her over. But the transcript of the taped interview showed he repeatedly called the incident an accident. Khalaf also testified during the four-week trial, saying he ignored her screams to stop before he struck her and then ran down Noor.

The defense called no witnesses. They argued for a lesser charge, saying Almaleki made a split-second decision that he should be held accountable for but that he did not intend to kill anyone.

His lawyer said during opening statements that the truck driver from southern Iraq was angry at the older woman, and he was trying to drive by and spit on her when she jumped in front of his Jeep.

He swerved, but could not avoid accidentally hitting her and running over his daughter, his lawyer said....

The incident happened on Oct. 20, 2009, outside a state Department of Economic Security office in the west Phoenix suburb of Peoria. Noor had gone with Khalaf to interpret and the women were waiting to be helped when Faleh Almaleki came into the office.

He left after a short time, and Khalaf said she was worried he might do something violent toward Noor, so she drove around the parking lot to make sure he had left. She testified that she was so nervous, she locked her keys in her van and had to call her son to bring another set.

They left the office to go to a nearby restaurant when the Jeep bore down on the women.

Almaleki fled to Mexico and then London, where he was detained and then returned to the U.S.

The Somali pirates are jihadists. "4 American hostages killed by pirates, US says," by Jason Straziuso and Malkhadir M. Muhumed for Associated Press, February 22:

NAIROBI, Kenya – Four Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates off East Africa were shot and killed by their captors Tuesday, the U.S. military said, marking the first time U.S. citizens have been killed in a wave of pirate attacks plaguing the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean for years....

President Barack Obama, who was notified about the deaths at 4:42 a.m. Washington time, had authorized the military on Saturday to use force in case of an imminent threat to the hostages, said White House spokesman Jay Carney....

He identified the slain Americans as Jean and Scott Adam, of Marina del Rey near Los Angeles, and Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle, Washington.

The Quest was the home of the Adams who had been sailing around the world since December 2004 with a yacht full of Bibles....

"Some pirates have even suggested rigging the yacht with land mines and explosives so as the whole yacht explodes with the first gunshot," said the pirate, who gave his name as Abdullahi Mohamed, who claimed to be a friend of the pirates holding the four Americans.

Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, the head of Dryad Maritime Intelligence, said he was confounded by the turn of events.

"We have heard threats against the lives of Americans before but it strikes me as being very, very unusual why they would kill hostages outright," he said, adding that the pirates must realize that killing Americans would invite a military response....

Really? In the age of Obama?

Pirates — who currently hold 30 ships and more than 660 hostages — typically win a multimillion ransom for releasing their captives, a huge sum that is shared among investors and pirates. The money is often spent on alcohol, drugs and prostitutes. One ransom paid last year was reported as $9.5 million. Most ransoms are worth several million dollars.

Given that typical financial motivation, Tuesday's killings left several unanswered questions, such as whether the four hostages had tried to take over the yacht from the pirates, or if the American forces spooked the pirates by approaching the yacht....

Or maybe the Bibles irked the pirates.

In "Egypt's Identity Crisis" by Raymond Ibrahim at Pajamas Media (via RaymondIbrahim.com), February 14, our old friend Raymond discusses the Arabization of Egypt following the 1952 revolution, and its coming Islamization now:

[...] Today, as Egypt rocks with revolution, it is poised to assume an even more alien identity. Enter the Muslim Brotherhood: if the 1952 revolution Arabized Egypt, a Brotherhood takeover will thoroughly Islamicize it, thereby taking it even further away from its roots. Whereas the Arab nationalists of Egypt maintained remnants of the Egyptian character—their Islam was notoriously lax—the salafist brand of Islam promoted by Egypt's Brotherhood since its founding in 1928 is thoroughly alien to Egypt.

For example, as opposed to the Egyptian Arab nationalist, who takes great pride in his nation's ancient heritage, today's Egyptian Islamist exults in rejecting and condemning it, calling the pharaohs "infidels" and "tyrants" (according to the terminology of the distinctly Arab Koran), and even trying to destroy Egypt's proudest treasures—as we have seen with the recent attacks on Egypt's museums—hardly the behavior of someone who thinks of himself as an "Egyptian." [...]

The problem, however, is that, along with having a strong base of direct support, the Muslim Brotherhood is especially poised to assume leadership simply because many Muslims, while indifferent to the Brotherhood's ideological vision, have come to trust them. After all, Hamas' famous strategy of endearing the people to it by providing for their basic needs was learned directly from its parent organization: Egypt's Brotherhood....

Read it all.

"Karo-kari" is honor killing. We will be told yet again that this has nothing to do with Islam, yet in many Muslim countries penalties for honor killings are less than for other murders, and Islamic clerics have resisted any change to this. "Karo-kari: Man kills 55-yr-old mother for ‘affair,’" from Pakistan's Express Tribune, February 22 (thanks to Mehreen):

SUKKUR: An elderly woman was gunned down by her son on the pretext of karo-kari in Hajano village on Sunday night. Later, the accused surrendered before the police.

Begum Khatoon, 55, wife of Dhani Bux Lohar, was sleeping when her 25-year-old son, Hussain Bux Lohar, shot her. Hussain and his friends later threw her body into Sherkot Shakh, situated 50 metres away from the village. The victim’s husband had gone to the fields.

Hussain suspected his mother was having an affair with a man named Gulzar Jaffery. Lakhi Ghulam Shah police sent the body to Lakhi Ghulam Shah hospital for an autopsy. The victim’s brother, Mehram Ali Lohar, has lodged an FIR No. 07/2011 against his nephew and two other accomplices.

Speaking from his jail cell, Hussain said, “I don’t have any regrets for killing my mother because she was kari and deserved punishment”. “I am a ‘ghairatmand’ person and will not spare the karo, once I am out of the lock-up.”

In "The ABA's Jihad" in The American Thinker today, Pamela Geller reveals that the American Bar Association has started a Task Force to resist anti-Sharia legal initiatives in various states:

The American Bar Association (ABA) has decided to undertake the fight for Sharia law. The ABA's Executive Counsel "has organized a Task Force to review the legislation of 14 states -- Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming -- in which anti-Sharia legislation has been introduced."

The goal of the ABA's Task Force is to fight against these legislative initiatives by free people, and to develop "an informal set of ‘talking points' that local opponents of these initiatives could use to make their case in each of these states."

Here's the relevant extract from the ABA's International Policies 2010:

Oklahoma referendum related Rule of Law initiatives.

The Section's Executive Counsel has organized a Task Force to review the legislation of 14 states -- Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming - in which anti-Sharia legislation has been introduced. The goal of the Task Force is to have a Report and Recommendation against such legislation as well as an informal set of "talking points" that local opponents of these initiatives could use to make their case in each of these states. We received a lot of interest from members and have forwarded your interest. At this point, the task force is in the planning and organizing stage. We will keep you updated as to the progress and we may call upon some of you who expressed their interest in this matter to volunteer.

In reality, Islamic law is the most radical and intolerant system of governance on the face of the earth. It denies the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and legal equality for women and non-Muslims. That's why so many states are trying to ban it. The ABA should be on the forefront of this battle. The Oklahoma ban was brilliant but poorly worded (which is why a liberal judge found it so easy to overrule the will of the people) and had 70% of voters approving of it -- it is clear that American people understand the Islamic threat to our constitutional republic.

Instead, our cultural warlords in the mainstream media, academia and entertainment strictly enforce the blasphemy laws of Islam, which command that one must not insult or slander Islam. In Muslim countries, blasphemy is punishable by death; in the West, it is your character that is assassinated if you dare to speak out against the Islamic supremacist agenda. Our last line of defense was always the rule of law. So it is particularly jarring and deeply disturbing to come upon this latest initiative from the ABA, the last line of defense against sharia creep....

Read it all.

"Religious schools are very good because they teach you the true meaning of Islam." And yet they consistently produce so many Misunderstanders of Islam, who believe that their religion mandates supremacism and violence. Now, why is that?

"Mullahs Fight Math in Madrassas," by Ashfaq Yusufzai for IPS, February 22 (thanks to Twostellas):

PESHAWAR, Feb 22, 2011 (IPS) - The government has launched a programme to modernize religious schools so that students get a basic education in such subjects as math, English and even computers.

Sardar Hussain Babak, education minister for the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the move was aimed at providing both students and teachers proper education. But leaders of religious schools see the programme as interference, and have turned down government support.

"Most of these teachers are unable to teach properly. They don’t have modern education. The government wants to support them financially and technically but they don’t want (that)," he told IPS.

Babak said the decision to modernize was made amid reports that some of these schools were the breeding ground of militants. The government wants to integrate religious education with formal education and bridge the gulf between the two systems.

Muhammad Asif, a teacher at the Uma Hatul Momineen, explained the need for such a programme. He said about 96 percent of students of religious schools are illiterate "because they don’t go to formal schools but take admission directly in seminaries."

"Religious schools are very good because they teach you the true meaning of Islam. But religious schools must teach modern education, such as computer, mathematics, English etc.," said 25-year-old Asif, who first went to a government high school and then joined a religious seminary where he obtained a degree in Islamic jurisprudence....

Religious seminaries in Pakistan, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), have hogged the limelight after the U.S. blamed them for training militants in the mould of the Taliban.

"Taliban means students of religious schools. Towards the mid-nineties, Taliban drawn from Pakistani and Afghan seminaries (madrassas) ran over Kabul and within weeks were in control of 95 percent Afghanistan," said Jawad Khan, a political science teacher at the Government College Peshawar....

The five major governing bodies of seminaries represent different schools of thought: Tanzim-ul-Madaras (Barelvi), Wafaq-ul-Madaras (Deobandi), Wafaq-ul-Madaras (Shia), Wafaq-ul-Madaras (Ahle Hadith) and Rabita-ul- Madaris (Jamaat-e-Islami).

About 10,887 registered seminaries had an estimated two million students in 2010, up from 201 in 1947, the report said. About 5,000 students are enrolled in FATA, with 15 percent of Afghans. About 85 percent of these schools cater to students from Sunni sects while the rest serve Shias.

"The government’s efforts to modernize the religious schools have yet to see light of the day because the religious seminaries don’t like interference by the government," said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa education minister Babak....

The U.S. has often accused these religious schools of promoting terrorism. The Pakistani army and the U.S. have attacked several seminaries inside Pakistan and Afghanistan for their alleged role in promoting terrorism. The U.S government has asked Pakistan to scrutinize and modernize them.

The heads of religious schools vehemently deny charges they are producing militants. "More than 4,500 students study in our school," said Maulana Samiul Haq, chancellor of Darul Uloom Haqqania, the biggest religious seminary in Pakistan. "All of them are peaceful and apolitical. They had taken part in the fight against Mujahideen leaders just to safeguard Afghanistan against the bitterly divided and corrupt Mujahideen government in Kabul."

Haq said parents send their children to the religious schools to arm them with knowledge of Islam.

"The international reputation of Taliban is due to their being armed fighters who have unleashed a wave of violence in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan, including devastating suicide bomb attacks," said Brig retired Mahmood Shah, former secretary security of FATA.

Muhammad Israr, a student of Darul Uloom Banoria Peshawar, said he had learned the Quran by heart and was now gaining more Islamic knowledge. Israr, a resident from Jalalabad province in Afghanistan, said he would be returning home after graduation.

"My mission is to spread love, peace and create harmony among the people to defeat terrorism," Israr said. "It’s what the Islam tells us - to respect the people of all religions."...

Bannu has 221 religious schools which have 4,386 male and 3,577 female students. "It is the duty of every Muslim to know about the basic teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. The Darul Uloom (religious school) is doing exactly the same," Begum says.

Under the proposed plan to modernize education, which was hammered out early this year, Babak said the students would as usual be taught Nazirah-e- Koran (Koran recitation), Tahfeez-ul-Koran (Koran memorisation), Tajweed (correct pronunciation), darse-e-nizami (the standard syllabus of a religious seminary), tafseer (Koranic analysis and interpretation), hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), and Fiqah (Islamic jurisprudence).

But other subjects will include Arabic literature, Urdu, English, science, math, computers and information-technology, and vocational training.

Are church and synagogue events mandatory for police officers in Tulsa now as well? "Email: TPD captain investigated for refusing to order officers’ attendance at mosque event," by Jarrel Wade for the Tulsa World, February 22 (thanks to Cedrick):

A Tulsa police captain who allegedly refused to require his subordinates to attend a "Law Enforcement Appreciation Day" at the Tulsa mosque has been assigned to a different division as the department investigates the matter, an email obtained by the Tulsa World states.

In an email sent by Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police Board of Directors Chairman Clay Ballenger to FOP members Monday, Ballenger said Tulsa police Capt. Paul Fields was temporarily transferred to the Mingo Valley Division on Monday afternoon.

The email states that internal affairs officers are investigating Fields' refusal “to attend and/or order officers to attend the 'Law Enforcement Appreciation Day' at the Mosque of the Islamic Society of Tulsa. “

It states that Fields' refusal “was based on the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Departmental Policy, and past practices of the Tulsa Police Department.

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan confirmed that Fields was transferred Monday pending an internal affairs investigation. Citing confidentiality of personnel matters, Jordan said he could not comment further.

According to the invitation from the Islamic Society of Tulsa, which was attached to the email, the event is scheduled for March 4 at the Tulsa mosque.

The event is offered to all law enforcement officers and will be open for about six hours with a casual come-and-go atmosphere, according to the invite. The organizers are offering a buffet of American and ethnic foods, as well as short-and-long mosque tours.

The event is meant to show appreciation to local law enforcement and to offer an opportunity to meet local Muslims and leadership, according to the invite.

The invitation urges those who attend to ask questions on any subject.

But given the track record of such meetings nationwide, it is worth noting that the invitation does not guarantee full or truthful answers.

Obama, where are you? Why aren't you calling for a settlement freeze?

"ASIA/BANGLADESH - A village burned down, tribal Christians forced out by Muslim settlers," from Agenzia Fides, February 21 (thanks to Twostellas):

Chittagong (Agenzia Fides) – A village was burned down and dozens of indigenous have been injured and driven from Ragipara in the mountain district of Rangamati, Diocese of Chittagong. The indigenous people who have suffered violence, perpetrated by Muslim settlers, are Buddhist, Hindu and Christian ethnic minorities. This is the news sent to Fides from the Commission for Justice and Peace of the local Church.

On 17 February more than 300 Muslim settlers, who intend to take possession of new lands for agriculture, organised a punitive expedition against the village inhabited by indigenous people. The settlers were backed by local police who legitimised the violence. Other cases like this (of attacks on tribal members and private land) have been recorded in recent days in the area of Gulishakhali. The Muslims [sic] settlers committed this under the pretext of the death of their comrade, Ali Saber, found dead in the Ragiparam, and staged a violent reaction, trampling on the rights of minorities.

“They set fire to our homes and our small shops,” an eyewitness told Fides. For some time Muslim settlers have been seeking to force out the local non-Muslim ethnic groups, to acquire new agricultural land. In many cases they have succeeded, because nobody, not even the civil authorities, respects and guarantees the rights of ethnic and religious minorities....

Well over 200 people shoehorned into the St. Luke's Theatre on West 46th Street in Manhattan Sunday night to see the New York premiere of our AFDI/SIOA documentary, The Ground Zero Mosque: Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks. Some came from as far away as California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The huge crowd gave the film a standing ovation.

Also on hand were 9/11 family members Nelly Braginskaya, Rosaleen Tallon, Sally Regenhard, Rosemary Cain, and Rosa Leonetti, who joined Pamela Geller and me for a highly revealing question-and-answer session after the screening. Here is video of the opening remarks by Pamela Geller and me, statements by the 9/11 family members, and the q-and-a -- also, Pamela Geller has much more here:

9/11 family member Rosaleen Tallon addresses the crowd

A former Muslim sounds a warning about Islamic supremacism

9/11 family members speak out

SIOA-NY's Pamela Hall and human rights activist Ted Hayes, who came from LA for the film

The director

Photos courtesy Pamela Geller, who has many more here.

Someone who is apparently a representative of Hamas-linked CAIR tries to lie about the Qur'an and violence in Islam, and play the victim card, at a town hall meeting with Representative Allen West (R-FL). But West is different from others Hamas-linked CAIR has pulled this with: he is informed, determined, and clear-sighted. Watch the fun as the Hamas-linked CAIR rep's lies and victimhood posturing get shredded.

Video thanks to Pamela Geller.

"The most influential Sunni Muslim cleric in the world" misunderstands Islam, calls on the warriors of Islam to murder Gaddafi. From "Libya in crisis - live updates," from the Guardian, February 21 (thanks to Axel):

9.22pm: A prominent Egyptian cleric, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, has called for a fatwa against Muammar Gaddafi.

He made a public statement tonight that any Libyan soldier who has the opportunity should shoot and kill the Libyan leader.

Al-Qaradawi might be familiar to many in Britain. The government was criticised back in 2008 by moderate Muslim groups after it banned him from entering Britain and branded him an extremist.

Qaradawi (above), who was banned from entering the United States, had previously visited the UK in 2004 at the invitation of the London mayor, Ken Livingstone, sparking protests from Jewish groups and gay people, who regard him as anti-Semitic and homophobic.

However, he is also arguably the most influential Sunni Muslim cleric in the world and has regularly spoken in the past in support of democracy.

They are popular movements, and they're Islamic movements, because if the people express their will, they will choose an Islamic state. "Imam Khamenei warns of hijacking uprisings," from the Ahlul Bayt News Agency, February 21:

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - “The elite's guidance is needed to assist the people of nations to prevent the arrogant apparatus from hijacking the glorious popular movements [of the Muslim world] and steal their uprising. In that case the future of the Islamic Ummah and the region would be bright,” Imam Khamenei said in a meeting with ambassadors and representatives of Islamic countries in Tehran on Monday.

"The recent revolutions in Muslim countries are resulted from a prolonged humiliation caused by arrogant powers." he said.

“The responsibility of political, scientific and academic elites and religious scholars in face of the recent developments is very heavy,” he stated.

Criticizing US propaganda and efforts in the region to acquit itself of its role in supporting the regions dictators, Imam Khamenei said, “The recent popular movements are primarily against the dominance of arrogant powers.”

He went on to say that the dominant powers' plots against Islamic countries have created discord among Muslim nations, calling on the Muslim nations and governments to become vigilant and stop the “great Satan” [the US] from interfering in their destinies.

“If governments become united with their peoples, no power can take control of their nations,” Imam Khamenei continued.

A few thoughts about this:

1. The poor girl.

2. The Facebook crowd is already on the ropes, as evidenced by Islamic supremacist Sheikh Qaradawi addressing a huge crowd in Tahrir Square the other day while his men barred Google Leftist Wagdi Ghonim from the stage. Maybe the girl would have been better off being named "Qaradawi."

3. This sort of thing has happened before in Egypt. Remember Hitler Tantawi.

"Egyptian Man Names Daughter 'Facebook,'" by Mathew Luschek for NBC Bay Area, February 21 (thanks to Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi):

[...] Inspired by the role Facebook played in the recent protests and ultimate overthrow of Egypt's president, the twenty-something year-old man felt a need express his thanks, and and did-so by naming his newborn girl "Facebook."

TechMeme translates the snippet from Al-Ahram (one of the most popular newspapers in Egypt):

A young man in his twenties wanted to express his gratitude about the victories the youth of 25th of January have achieved and chose to express it in the form of naming his firstborn girl “Facebook” Jamal Ibrahim (his name.) The girl’s family, friends, and neighbors in the Ibrahimya region gathered around the new born to express their continuing support for the revolution that started on Facebook. “Facebook” received many gifts from the youth who were overjoyed by her arrival and the new name. A name [Facebook] that shocked the entire world....

Gary Smith was not proselytizing; he was just teaching a world religions course. But for Akmol Hussein, Sheikh Rashid, Azad Hussain, and Simon Alam, such a distinction is so exceedingly fine as not to matter at all. And non-Muslims who proselytize for their religions among Muslims face a death penalty according to Islamic law, but these Muslims didn't kill Gary Smith; they just fractured his skull. I guess that makes them moderates. Islamic Tolerance Alert from East London. "Four men slashed teacher's face and left him with fractured skull 'for teaching other religions to Muslim girls,'" from the Daily Mail, February 21 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Four men launched a horrific attack on a teacher in which they slashed his face and left him with a fractured skull because they did not approve of him teaching religion to Muslim girls.

Akmol Hussein, 26, Sheikh Rashid, 27, Azad Hussain, 25, and Simon Alam, 19, attacked Gary Smith with a Stanley knife, an iron rod and a block of cement.

Mr Smith, who is head of religious education at Central Foundation Girls' School in Bow, east London, also suffered a fractured skull....

Detectives made secret recordings of the gang's plot to attack Mr Smith prior to the brutal assault.

Yet they didn't give him protection sufficient to head off the assault? Why not?

The covert audio probe captured the gang condemning Mr Smith for 'teaching other religions to our sisters', the court heard.

The RE teacher was targeted as he made his way on foot along Burdett Road in nearby Mile End on July 12 last year, Snaresbrook Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Sarah Whitehouse told the court: 'The evidence from what was said on the probe points overwhelmingly to a religious motive for this attack.'

It is believed the gang had made two earlier attempts to get at the teacher.

They were due to stand trial for the attack at Snaresbrook Crown Court but pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

A fifth defendant, Badruzzuha Uddin, 23, admitted assisting the thugs by hiding blood-stained clothing....

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's "plot against Libya" victimhood rhetoric doesn't seem to be carrying the day. "Gaddafi's Son: Last Gasp of Libya's Dying Regime?," by Vivienne Walt in Time Magazine, February 21:

After the bloodiest few days in Libya's modern history — in which over 200 people are estimated to have been killed in clashes with security forces — the son of the country's leader Muammar Gaddafi told Libyans on state-run television that "rivers of blood" would flow with "thousands" of deaths if the uprising does not stop. At the same time, he promised a dialogue on new political freedoms and even a new constitution — the most drastic reforms Libya would undertake since Gaddafi seized power 41 years ago. "There is a plot against Libya," said the maverick leader's second son, Saif al-Islam, long regarded as Gaddafi's heir apparent, speaking after midnight, against a white backdrop showing an abstract map of the region. "The story is very dangerous," he said, wearing a suit and tie — a conscious break from his father's iconic tribal robes. "It is bigger than the Libyans and the young people in the streets, who are trying to imitate Tunisia and Egypt."

Despite a rambling speech of about 40 minutes, Saif did not explain the most urgent question gripping Libyans late on Sunday night: Where is Gaddafi himself? Rumors swirled around Tripoli late Sunday that Gaddafi — whose titles are Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution — might have fled the capital, if not the country, as eastern Libya descended into chaos and massacres. Gaddafi was last seen riding atop a truck in Tripoli on Friday during rallies to support him, in which crowds appeared to celebrate his leadership with posters and chants....

There will be much, much more of this sort of thing to come. "Egypt court approves first Islamic Party," from Afrique en ligne, February 21:

Cairo, Egypt - Egypt's administrative court on Saturday approved the country's first party with religious reference. The 'Wassat' or Middle Party, which has Islamic reference, had sought in vain for years to obtain a legal status. But the party, founded in 1996 by former Muslim Brotherhood member Abu Al-Ela Madi, finally made it this weekend, in the aftermath of the revolution that swept away long-tenured autocratic ruler President Hosni Mubarak.

The party of Madi, a liberal with Islamic background, may now field a presidential candidate for polls expected to hold before the end of the year.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which according to analysts is the most cohesive force in Egypt's political scene, is yet to form an official party, but says it will seek to do so.

The Brotherhood has announced it will not field a presidential candidate in the forthcoming polls, and will only compete for 30 percent of seats in the parliamentary election....

But don't worry: it's not "terrorism." The man "seems to have simply been overcome by a fit of rage." Of course. How often have you gotten ticked off when the coffee pot at the office is empty again, and gone out and stolen a car, rammed it into an airport door, and then tried to stab a police officer? It's perfectly understandable. Nothing to do with "terrorism." And jihad? Pah! What relationship could this incident possibly have with a noble interior spiritual struggle?

"Foreign man shot, arrested after ramming Milan airport door: Police rule out terrorist motives," from ANSA.it, February 21 (thanks to Insubria):

Rome, February 21 - A foreign man was shot and arrested after ramming a door at Milan's Malpensa airport with a stolen four-by-four and attacking a police officer armed with a knife amid scenes of panic on Monday.

The man, apparently a Tunisian married to an Italian, was shot in the foot by a colleague of the officer who was attacked and then detained. Terminal One of the airport has been evacuated and outgoing flights delayed. The police have ruled out terrorism as the motive for the incident and said the man seems to have simply been overcome by a fit of rage.

Blaming the victim, and joined by one of the victims to do it. Islamic Antisemitism Update: "Steinberg criticizes flier at Muslim center," by Stephen Magagnini for the Sacramento Bee, February 21 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg has condemned literature distributed at an event at a local Muslim group's center last week that suggests Jewish leaders in World War II Germany worked with Nazis to get permission to settle in Palestine.

A flier distributed by the International Jewish Anti- Zionist Network – an event co-sponsor – said: "As part of this collaboration, Zionists … even kept silent about impending plans to deport Jews into Nazi death camps.

"Zionism both exploited and hinged upon the rise of Nazism, and later, the Holocaust, to transform what had been a small nationalist movement with little support … into one capable of achieving statehood, based on support from the U.S. and other imperial powers."

Steinberg said that "in essence, they are saying the Jews orchestrated the Holocaust. Talk about blaming the victims."

About 500 people attended Wednesday's address at the SALAM Islamic Center by Auschwitz survivor Hajo Meyer, 86, who compared what happened to him and other Jews in Nazi Germany in the 1930s to Israel's treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Mona Alfi of Congregation B'nai Israel – one of 13 rabbis who had asked SALAM to cancel or boycott the event – said Sunday that "there is no comparison" between the ways Jews in pre-war Germany and Palestinians have been treated.

"There are Palestinians in the Israeli government, there are universities with full participation," Alfi said. "There are real political problems between Palestinians and Israelis, but it's not what happened in Germany in the 1930s."

She called the flier alleging some Zionists were Nazi collaborators "a disgusting lie."...

Imam Mohamed Abdul Azeez, whose mosque rented its hall for the event, said the Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims, SALAM, didn't see or approve of the flier before it was distributed.

"We reject any remote suggestion that Jews have colluded with the Nazis," Azeez said.

But the event – drawing the largest crowd in five years to the mosque – "changed a lot of things," Azeez said. "Instead of demonizing Jews, it contributed to a positive perception of the Jewish community that some Jews, while upholding their Jewish faith will speak out against aggression and injustice against Palestine."

Get it? Jews who meekly accept the jihad against them in Israel will not be "demonized," but will instead contribute to a "positive perception of the Jewish community." How wonderful!

These Muslim preachers and religious scholars believe that Islam is incompatible with democracy. They must all be Islamophobes. "Muslim preachers laude [sic] revolution, slam democracy," from Al-Arabiya, February 21:

A group of Muslim preachers issued a statement supporting the revolutions of Tunisia and Egypt while slamming democracy and “un-Islamic” political parties.

A statement issued by 90 preachers and religious scholars from all over the Muslim world praised the revolutions that ousted the dictatorships of Tunisia and Egypt for defeating oppression and ushering in a new era of justice and freedom.

The statement, of which AlArabiya.net obtained a copy, criticized Zein El Abedin Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, the former presidents of Tunisia and Egypt, respectively, for humiliating and dragging them to a state of abject poverty.

The statement also pointed out the role of the two presidents in the political, administrative, and financial corruption that prevailed in their countries as well as the torture of prisoners.

The statement, however, criticized the revolution’s call for the installation of full democracies. Democracy, Muslim clerics argued, allows the people have the final say in their countries’ affairs, which leads to the prevalence of several un-Islamic practices.

“In democracies, people might vote for things that are prohibited in Islam like establishing brothels, allowing homosexuality, drinking alcohol, and usury, and prohibiting the call for prayers or the veil.”

The alternative, they argue, is to apply the concept of “shura,” or consultation, only in matters that are sanctioned in Islam while prohibited matters should be out of the question.

The statement also warned of the involvement of “un-Islamic” parties in the countries’ political scene and cited the example of political parties with communist or secular ideologies.

Signatories of the statement called upon Tunisian women to go back to Islam after the departure of Ben Ali, who promoted secularism, and start abiding by the Islamic dress code that was prohibited by the ousted president.

The statement was signed by preachers from various Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Lebanon.

This is a sizable group -- on Friday members of it seized 70 military vehicles. Now they've taken grenade launchers and kalashnikovs, with the collusion of a Colonel in the Army -- which is yet another indication of the fact that such groups' claims to Islamic authenticity and rigor find a positive reception across a broad spectrum of the population in Muslim countries, including among those who are currently serving the regimes these groups have vowed to replace. "Libyan Islamists seize arms, take hostages," from AFP, February 21:

Islamist gunmen have stormed a military arms depot and a nearby port in Libya and seized numerous weapons and army vehicles after killing four soldiers, a security official says.

The group also took several hostages, both soldiers and civilians, and is "threatening to execute them unless a siege by security forces is lifted" in Al-Baida, the official told AFP on Sunday, asking not to be named.

"This criminal gang assaulted an army weapons depot and seized 250 weapons, killed four soldiers and wounded 16 others" in the Wednesday operation in Derna, which lies east of Al-Baida and 1300km from Tripoli.

"Army Colonel Adnan al-Nwisri joined them and provided them with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, three pieces of anti-aircraft artillery and 70 Kalashnikov" assault rifles, the source said.

On Friday, he said they attacked the port in Derna and seized an assortment of 70 military vehicles.

It was not immediately clear who the civilians were or where they had been taken hostage.

The group calls itself the "Islamic Emirate of Barqa" after the ancient name of a region of northwest Libya, and the official said its leadership is made up of former al-Qaeda fighters previously released from jail.

The official said the same group was responsible for the hanging of two policemen in Al-Baida on Friday that was reported in Oea newspaper....

And he is training tomorrow's diplomats. "Claremont McKenna’s Pro-Islamist Professor," by Charles C. Johnson in National Review, February 21:

Claremont McKenna College is a nationally recognized leader in training Defense Department officials and State Department personnel (including numerous ambassadors). Professor Bassam Frangieh is head of Claremont McKenna’s Arabic Department and Middle East Studies program, where he teaches tomorrow’s diplomats about the Middle East, plans study-abroad programs — and supports recognized terrorist groups, namely, Hezbollah and Hamas.

In the wake of Hamas’s election victory in 2006, Frangieh told an interviewer that he looks to Hamas with “great joy” and supports violence against Israel. Hamas’s control, he said, “might be able to produce the beginning of salvation. . . . I wonder what else would the Arabs have without Hamas and Hezbollah? Nothing. Except humiliation. I congratulate Hamas on its victory.” Meanwhile, in his academic work, he has written in favor of suicide bombing and martyrdom. In a speech at the University of Bridgeport in 2007, he said that Islam is “very democratic,” and he praised Saddam Hussein as a model leader who “wasn’t a thief” and who “really did something for his country.”

Frangieh has also made his views known through petitions, which, he says, “stem from the heart and are cast onto paper.” In 2006 he signed a pro-Hezbollah petition that was circulated along with a flyer encouraging its signatories to “Boycott Israel. . . . We are all Hizbullah now.” The petition, promoted by prominent anti-Israel, anti-American activists like Tariq Ali, Omar Barghouri, and Norman Finkelstein, demanded a boycott of Israel and encouraged Israeli academics to stop the “Zionist killing machine.” It called Hezbollah the “Lebanese Resistance” and a “legitimate” army, and praised its “heroic operations” against Israel. A 2007 petition blamed a “Zionist conspiracy” for then-senator Biden’s plan to divide Iraq into three separate autonomous regions. In 2009, Frangieh brought the Syrian ambassador, Imad Moustapha, to speak as an honored guest of the college; he had earlier instructed his students to warmly serenade Moustapha with singings from the Koran. (One student even asked, in all earnestness, what students could do to help Syria promote peace.) Syria, a designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, has been governed for 40 years by a brutal dictatorial dynasty. Along with the Muslim Student Association (MSA), Frangieh also brought to campus Imam Zaid Shakir, who blamed the Fort Hood massacre on America’s easy access to guns. Yet another major guest was PLO member Sari Nusseinbeh, who during the first intifada helped terrorists avoid arrest and secure funding....

I should thank the pro-Israeli, Islam-critical blog Document for bringing this to my attention. The two Norwegian essays cited here were written by Ole Jørgen Benedictow, a professor emeritus at the University of Oslo specializing in the history of the Middle Ages. The translations were made by me, and the shorter excerpts should capture the spirit of the texts.

Benedictow, as an expert in the field, has tried to influence the public debate on issues related to Islam vs. Europe in the Middle Ages, but has repeatedly experienced being rebuffed in favor of young Marxists with little knowledge of the period. He is annoyed by the fact that people who know very little about this era and its complexities have easy access to the mass media and can spread falsehoods virtually unchallenged. “Revolutionary Socialists” — that is, Communists — have no problem promoting their propaganda in major newspapers despite representing a totalitarian ideology that caused the deaths of tens of millions of people — 100 million if you believe The Black Book of Communism — during the twentieth century alone.

For some reason, allegedly “anti-imperialist” Marxists in the Western world just love brutal, aggressive and oppressive imperialism — as long as it comes in an Islamic shape. There is no hint of an understanding of why the Spanish and Portuguese fought so many centuries for their liberation, nor of the plight of the Balkan Christians or those who suffered under Muslim rule elsewhere in the world, for example following the extremely bloody Islamic conquest of India. Islamic advances must be celebrated; the West demonized and ridiculed. European medieval peoples are invariable portrayed as barbarians with no culture of their own.

Yet the Middle Ages represented a creative growth period where we find the seeds of a new civilization — the European one — which replaced that of Greco-Roman Antiquity but also carried with it a number of Classical elements, albeit often in a somewhat altered form.

The French professor of medieval history Sylvain Gouguenheim has published a book titled Aristote au Mont Saint-Michel: Les Racines Grecques de l’Europe (Aristotle at Mont Saint-Michel: The Greek Roots of Europe), triggered by a recommendation from the European Union that schoolbooks should give a positive rendering of Islam’s part in the European heritage. Europe, he says, “became aware of the Greek texts because it went hunting for them, not because they were brought to them.” He attacks the thesis advanced by historians such as Edward Said of an enlightened, refined and spiritual Islam against a brutal and ethnocentric West. Apart from a tiny handful of freethinkers, the scholars of the Islamic Middle East retained from the ancient Greeks only what they considered to be compatible with the Koran.

Islamic supremacists always claim the moral high ground against the West. Yet a moral calculus that decries prostitution while justifying mass murder and even regarding it as service to the supreme being is, at best, peculiar. It ought to go without saying that one may oppose and deplore prostitution while leaving the molotov cocktails and threats to burn people alive out of it. But there are a great many things that ought to go without saying nowadays that instead need to be articulated with ever greater force and precision. "Tunisian prostitutes terrorized by Islamists," from Ennahar Online, February 20:

TUNIS - Tunisia Prostitutes living in fear of another attack since the Islamists tried to burn down the main prostitution district in Tunis. "I no longer go out, I fear they burn me alive", says one of them.

Armed with Molotov cocktails, "small bottles filled with gasoline" and "Long Knives" chanting "Allah Akbar" Islamists have tried to set fire Friday to brothels in the district of Guechi Abdallah in Tunis near the Medina.

Dressed in jeans and leather jackets, according to pictures taken by mobile phones, they were dispersed in the meandering alleys of this neighborhood by police and military.

In the courtyard of a brothel where dry sadly old fluorescent color panties, a dozen prostitutes in fine lines drawn with eyebrow pencil, trying to show "strong" in front of the "Islamist terrorists."

Smoking cigarette after cigarette, Mariam, 35, "owner" of a brothel frequented, according to her, by "the Chinese, Germans, Italians, Algerians, Egyptians, French, Libyans and "others" is still in shock.

"I was terrified," she said, that they wanted to burn us alive, it was too much for me and my colleagues who are my family."

One of the prostitutes, Lamia, a 38 year old blonde, wearing shorts and black wool gaiters, wonders, she said, "why they did that."...

Why, they did it for Allah.

The "beardies" step up their jihad in the North Caucasus. More on this story. "Masked gunmen kill three as Islamist militants target £9bn ski resorts plan," by Tom Parfitt in the Guardian, February 20:

A wave of killings is sweeping the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria as Islamist insurgents expand their battle across the strife-ridden North Caucasus. Security forces introduced a strict anti-terrorism regime near the ski mountain of Elbrus, after masked gunmen shot dead three Muscovite tourists and injured two others travelling by minibus towards the resort area on Friday.

It comes a fortnight after Doku Umarov, the insurgents' Chechen leader who ordered the Domodedovo airport bombing that killed 36 people in January, promised Russia a "year of blood and tears". The murder of the tourists was almost certainly organised with the aim of discrediting Kremlin plans to develop a £9bn chain of ski resorts across the North Caucasus, announced by President Dmitry Medvedev at the Davos World Economic Forum last month.

Television pictures showed the tourists' bullet-riddled vehicle as security operatives introduced a curfew and identity checks near Elbrus – the main resort in Medvedev's plan.

An explosion at one of the resort's cable cars, also on Friday, brought several cabins crashing to the ground. No-one was hurt in that incident but three more bombs were defused at the resort on Saturday.

The attacks were most likely orchestrated by Islamist militants who have carried out a spate of murders in the republic in the last three months. Kabardino-Balkaria's mufti, Anas Pshikhachev and Aslan Tsipinov, a prominent ethnographer who the militants accused of promoting paganism, were assassinated in December....

In Nalchik, a smart town of tree-lined boulevards, there is a palpable sense of fear.

Albert, a taxi driver who declined to give his surname, said: "Every other day someone is exterminated. The beardies [extremists] leave leaflets around town threatening, 'don't go to this doctor, don't get your hair cut by a woman.'"

He added: "There was a fortune teller in our district, a Greek. He made predictions by looking at coffee dregs. Innocent guy. They killed him, just like that."...

We are constantly told that suicide attacks like this one are political, not religious in nature, and have nothing to do with Islam. Yet one wonders how many of these kinds of attacks we would still see if the bombers ceased to believe that they would be guaranteed Paradise for killing and being killed for Allah (cf. Qur'an 9:111). The religious inducement for such people is paramount and must be studied, without equivocation or apology.

"Five die in Somalia suicide blast," from the UKPA, February 21:

At least five people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden car at a police station in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a police officer said.

Mohamed Abdi said thick smoke rose into the sky after the powerful blast on Monday morning.

No group has yet said it was behind the attack, but Islamist insurgent groups have used suicide bombers in the past in an attempt to bring down the fragile government, which is supported by 8,000 African peacekeepers....

Coverage of this event has so far been almost non-existent. These protesters deserve the full support and attention of Washington and the rest of the world, but alas, they are not a fashionable group. "Egypt's Copts march to demand a secular state," from Al-Masry Al-Youm, February 20:

Hundreds of Coptic Christians protested in front of the State Television building on Sunday to call for the amendment of Egypt's Constitution to establish a secular state.

The march started in the mixed Coptic and Muslim neighborhood of Shubra--a northern suburb of Cairo--with chants of "Civil! Civil!" and "The people want to change the constitution." [...]

On Saturday the first Islamist political party was formed in the country when a court approved the establishment of the Wasat party (Center party), founded in 1996 by a faction that broke away from the Muslim Brotherhood.

Meanwhile, the committee appointed by the army to amend certain articles of the Constitution includes a Brotherhood-affiliated lawyer, and a Coptic rights group has argued that Christians are under-represented on it.

"Millions of Copts object to the committee formed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces," Nagib Gibrail, head of the Egyptian Union for Human Rights, said in a statement.

"I came here from Shubra to ask what's going on. The army is flirting with Islamists at our expense," said Mary Maqar, a demonstrator.

Along with around 2000 other protestors, Maqar chanted "Oh Belal, oh Buros, tell the people that the revolution is a cross and crescent!"

They carried pictures of Christians killed during the 18 days of the pro-democracy protests by the police or thugs allegedly affiliated with the then-ruling National Democratic Party.

"We sacrificed our souls for the sake of Egypt, and our aim was a civil state not a religious one. I came here to ask for equality, the Constitution has to be changed and article 2 removed," said another participant, Janeete Fawzy. Article 2 reads "Islam is the religion of the state. Arabic is its official language, and the principal source of legislation is Islamic jurisprudence (Sharia)."

"It is our absolute right to come and express our views against article 2. This provision is the source of discrimination in Egypt. You simply can't impose your religion on others," argued Loqqa Wagdy, a university student.

That is the point of jihad, which is to impose Islamic law, and thus establish Islam's domination over any other belief system or form of government. That is the reason Article 2 exists in the Egyptian constitution.

Even in death, Sharia confers greater value upon the Muslim than the non-Muslim, whether retribution is sought in blood money (diyyah), or in another form. There is perhaps no more cynical or mean-spirited expression of Islamic law's subjugation of unbelievers than its discrimination even among dead bodies.

"Egyptian Christians Enraged Over Court Acquittal in Christmas Eve [sic] Massacre," from Assyrian International News Agency, February 21:

(AINA) -- The Egyptian Emergency State Security Court in Qena acquitted today two of the three suspects in the [New Year's] Eve Massacre in Nag Hammadi in January, 2010, where six Coptics, between the ages of 16 to 23, were shot and killed by Muslims in a drive-by shooting. The Copts were killed as they filed out of Church after celebrating the Coptic Christmas Eve midnight mass in Nag Hammadi, 600km south of Cairo A Muslim bystander was also killed and nine Copts were seriously injured.

The three Muslims accused of the shootings were Mohamed Ahmed Hussein, more commonly known as Hamam el-Kamouny, Qurshi Abul Haggag and Hendawi Sayyed. Mohamed Ahmed Hussein, 39, was sentenced to death by the court on January 16 and the other two were acquitted today. The defendants were charged with using force to disrupt public order and intimidate citizens, with the premeditated murder of seven people, illegal possession of fire arms, the attempted murder of nine others, and voluntarily damaging fixed and liquid assets.

Bishop Cyril, the Coptic Orthodox bishop of Nag Hammadi, said "The court imposed one death sentence because one Muslim was killed, and the Egyptian judiciary wasted the blood of the six murdered Copts, who are of no value to the society. This verdict saddened all Christians worldwide because it means that the State is applying Islamic Sharia on all Christians in Egypt." He explained that according to Sharia the blood of one Muslim, victim Ayman Hisham, is paid for by the blood of one Muslim, Al-Kamouny; since one Muslim died, one Muslim got the death penalty.

Bishop Cyril said that according to the law an accomplice to a crime is on equal standing to the person who committed the crime. "So where is this law and why has it been by-passed in this case and why have the two accomplices been an acquitted?" He said that this verdict brought back sadness and pain to the families of the victims who expected the second suspect to have been sentenced to life imprisonment -- if not the death penalty -- and the third at least fifteen-year imprisonment, but not an acquittal. "This is why we know that in Egypt the blood of a Christian is worth nothing."

Bishop Cyril accused the judge of being unjust and said he is contacting the lawyers to discuss the possibility of presenting an appeal to the military governor. "Had I not reported seeing killer Al-Kamouny he would have been acquitted like the rest of the previous acquittal cases."

According to the Bishop, Pope Shenouda III is very sadden [sic] by this verdict.

Mr. Kamal Nashed, father of 19-year-old law student Abanob, who died in the massacre, told Coptic activist Mariam Ragy "The ruling shocked us and was unjust. If the three participated in the killing they should all have received the same verdict." Nashed said that today's verdict was unjust. "I want justice for my son and will go after it till my very last day whether in Egypt or abroad."

Attorney George Sobhy, one of the Coptic lawyers in charge of the case, said the verdict was unjust "to the blood of the youth that was shed on the streets of Nag Hammadi." He said that investigations confirmed the second and third suspects were accomplices of Al-Kamouny, even the court described them as such . "We were shocked that the court acquitted them, we expected life imprisonment for the second accomplice and 15 years for the third. "Today's court looked as if it had the intention of giving acquittals to all the accused. I believe that had Al-Kamouny not been already given the death sentence on January 16, the court today may have given him also an acquittal."

Sobhy said that due to the present circumstances of lack of adequate security, none of the accused were brought to court, and families of the victims and the media were absent. "The court seized the opportunity of the present circumstances and quickly handed down this verdict, as if it was a normal criminal case."

Since the court is a State Security Court, only the prosecution has the right of appeal, but they would apply to the Prosecutor General to appeal this verdict. "People think the police is corrupt," she said, " but after 20 years of practice as a lawyer, I can confirm the most corrupt organ in the system is the Egyptian judiciary."

Sobhy said that he received hundreds of calls from people disappointed with the verdict. "Most comments I got from those people were that everyone thought that after the January 25 Revolution things would change, but unfortunately corruption is rooted to the core everywhere. This verdict only proves that what is being talked about lately of equality, justice and freedom of religious belief is just empty talk. If our constitution has sharia law embedded in it, then the bitter truth is that as Christians we have no place or value in this country."

Shades of things to come where institutionalized inequality under the law -- Sharia law -- is concerned. "Muslim Brotherhood: Christians and Women Unsuitable for Presidency," from Assyrian International News Agency, February 20:

"Political parties have the right to nominate women or Copts for the presidency," said Muslim Brotherhood leading figure Mohsen Radi. "But we find it unsuitable. Perhaps they should be nominated only for ministerial positions."

Radi also said the group would not play any role in the caretaker government. "The government went down with the fall of the previous president," he said.

The group had welcomed the establishment of the moderate Al-Wasat Party and expressed its willingness to cooperate with its leaders, adding that it would file for establishing its own party once the relevant law has been amended.

Al-Wasat has garnered considerable attention as a "moderate," breakaway group from the Muslim Brotherhood. But one must remember what a slippery term "moderation" can be. In Egypt alone, a poll describing citizens' concern about "Islamic extremism" in Egypt (61%) and the rest of the world (70%) also recorded those same participants' support for Sharia's cruelest punishments, including stonings (82%).

In related news, Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat, founder of the Reform and Development Party, said the new trend now is to give a chance to all parties that were rejected by the Party Affairs Commission of the previous government.

Two common variations on that tactic are accusations of incitement or complaining loudly about fears of a "backlash." There has emerged a standard operating procedure: Deflect attention, and silence the discussion by claiming victim status.

And so it also happens in Australia, which is feeling the ripple effect of European declarations of the failure of multiculturalism. One detects a certain sense of relief in those countries that it is finally politically permissible to point out the elephant in the room -- though some have done so for years, to those same cries of "racism" and "hatred," and at the risk of their lives and livelihoods.

"Muslim integration the real problem," by Andrew Bolt for the Herald Sun, February 19:

When you hear "racist!' now, you know some coward is once again just trying to shut a debate he fears he can't win.

No one who knows the Opposition's immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, would dream he's racist, as so many commentators now imply.

His real offence is that in shadow cabinet he suggested the Coalition tackle an issue of growing public concern before it turned even uglier.

That issue is Muslim integration. And add now the Gillard Government's new defence of multiculturalism, a policy to fund what divides us that the leaders of France, England and Germany say has failed in their countries.

What broke multiculturalism there is also killing it here. That we have trouble integrating our 400,000 Muslims is beyond question, even if it's also true that most make fine citizens.

Here are some statistics from a minority that's actually smaller than our Buddhist one. Muslims here are more than twice as likely as the rest of us to be without work. Their children are twice as likely to be jobless, and three times more likely to be poor.

Their imprisonment rates are higher, and all 20 of the people we've jailed on terrorism-related offences are Muslim.

The reassurances offered by Muslim leaders are rarely much comfort.

Take Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali, for many years Mufti of Australia, despite praising suicide bombers as "heroes" and calling the September 11 attacks "God's work against oppressors".

Hilali this week played down Muslim terrorism here by telling The Australian's Sally Neighbour: "There are people who have the mindset to commit harm, but no one has the capacity to execute anything."

As long as we keep catching them, we're safe. But the bigger this community gets, the bigger the threat.

As the Labor Government admits in its own 2010 White Paper on terrorism: "The scale of the problem will continue to depend on factors such as the size and make-up of local Muslim populations."

So with the number of Muslims here projected to increase by 80 per cent by 2030, any party that won't discuss immigration betrays its duty to preserve harmony and public safety.

And any party that thinks the answer is just more multicultural tribalism is a fool.

One lawmaker proposed putting the brakes on Muslim immigration in the past week, and received a familiar response (thanks to Dumbledoresarmy). The senator who simply allowed the inclusion of the bill for discussion found himself having to defend his decision, on the grounds of free speech.

Once again, the argument amounts to: "say Islam is a Religion of Peace, or we'll kill you." It is worth recalling that slander (ghiba) in Islam refers to things that may well be true, but that a person does not want known or spoken of:

Slander (ghiba) means to mention anything concerning a person that he would dislike, whether about his body, religion, everyday life, self, disposition, property, son, father, wife, servant, turban, garment, gait, movements, smiling, dissoluteness, frowning, cheerfulness, or anything else connected with him" (Umdat al-Salik, r2.2).

Such a mindset only makes it more difficult to accept criticism (let alone satire). So much the worse when some uppity unbeliever "goes there." "Islam's the problems, not Muslims, says Senator Cory Bernardi," by Michael Harvey and Steve Lewis for the Herald Sun, February 19 (thanks to Ken):

Tony Abbott's official frontbench understudy has reignited immigration tensions by denouncing Islam as a "totalitarian, political and religious ideology".

Liberal parliamentary secretary Cory Bernardi revealed last night he had received death threats after making the comments.

While the immigration debate usually differentiates between the religion of Islam and extreme fundamentalist interpretations, Senator Bernardi confronted the issue head-on yesterday.

"Islam itself is the problem - it's not Muslims," he told radio station MTR.

"Muslims are individuals that practise their faith in their own way, but Islam is a totalitarian, political and religious ideology.

"It tells people everything about how they need to conduct themselves, who they're allowed to marry and how they're allowed to treat other people."

Senator Bernardi said Islam had "not moved on" since it was founded and that extremists wanted fundamentalist Islamic rule implemented in Australia.

The senator also inflamed the row over funeral expenses for asylum-seekers by declaring that it was "wrong" for taxpayers to foot the bill.

The remarks provoked a strong reaction from Ikebal Patel, president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, who said Senator Bernardi had "crossed the line" with his attack on Islam.

"These comments are more than offensive; they are bigoted," Mr Patel said.

"Cory Bernardi needs to have a good read of the Bible if he is a practising Christian.

"This is hardly the language of a religious person."

No, it's not the language of a dhimmi who can't speak his mind out of fear. Islam's own texts have been saying Christianity and Judaism are the problem, and worthy of subjugation and war for almost 14 centuries. By Patel's reasoning, was Muhammad not religious?

Attacking "soft targets" saves the Taliban the effort, for the moment, of bypassing fortifications they would encounter in government and military facilities, or the time spent waiting to get a man in place on the inside. It also helps them demoralize the local population into submission by giving the impression they can strike anytime, and anywhere (just as Muhammad declared himself "victorious with terror"). And in the long run, these attacks will sap resources and manpower as authorities move to fortify those targets along with the traditional ones.

And the Taliban are all but assured no productive level of outrage from Muslims in Afghanistan or elsewhere. That outrage is reserved for real crimes like caricatures of Muhammad, and not for silly little things like suicide bombers attacking supermarkets and banks.

"Officials say deadly attack on 'soft target' reflects tactical change," from the Associated Press, February 20:

A brazen attack in which five suicide bombers dressed in security force uniforms stormed a bank in eastern Afghanistan and killed 38 people is a sign that insurgents are increasingly going after "soft targets," the government said Sunday.

These reports do not address whether the banks charge interest (riba), which would make them that much more of a target.

Saturday's bombing - just as many members of the Afghan security forces were collecting their pay - was evidence that militants are seeking to attack places that are not heavily barricaded and fortified government buildings or military compounds, said Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary.

"Unfortunately, we see that there's a change of tactic in the terrorist attacks and they are targeting soft targets," Bashary said at a news conference in Kabul.

Two recent attacks in Kabul also reflected the tactical change, he said. A suicide bomber attacked inside an upscale supermarket in Kabul on Jan. 28, killing eight civilians, and one attacked a Western-style shopping mall on Feb. 14, killing two security guards.

"In these kind of places - like city center in Kabul and Kabul Bank in Jalalabad - these are all areas where mostly people are going to do daily business," he said.

"No one would expect that they would attack such places like a bank or shopping mall," Bashary said.

Among those killed in the attack shortly before noon Saturday on a branch of Kabul Bank in Jalalabad were 21 members of the Afghan national security forces, including 13 policemen and seven soldiers. The other 17 killed were civilians.

A total of 71 people, mostly civilians, were injured, he said.

"Five armed suicide bombers entered the Kabul Bank building and started shooting," Bashary said. "The incident happened while Afghan security forces were there to get their monthly salaries. That is why the casualties were so high."

Since no one is allowed inside the bank with weapons, none of the Afghan policemen or soldiers collecting their pay had weapons to defend themselves.

He said bank guards tried to prevent the militants from entering the building. A gunbattle broke out between the guards and the militants, who were all wearing suicide vests.

During the fight, four of the attackers were killed and their suicide vests detonated. The fifth suicide attacker - a man from North Waziristan in Pakistan - was arrested and his vest was defused, Bashary said.

This report explains:

"Key civilian leaders under President Barack Obama have put a focus on political reconciliation, arguing that many rank-and-file Taliban are simply seeking a livelihood and can be co-opted."

The purpose of jihad in all its forms is to impose Islamic law. The refusal to acknowledge that reality leaves officials desperately chasing rabbits known as "underlying causes," in the blind but adamant faith that there must -- must -- be something driving Islamic jihad other than, well, Islam.

But what do the Taliban and al-Qaeda have in common? They are jihadist groups dedicated to the imposition of Islamic law, and the brutal treatment of any person or nation (or ancient Buddhist statue) that stands in the way. One has a global reach; one is a regional operation. But the goal is the same.

Now... how does one hope to "split" that? The hope is that the Taliban fighters are largely insincere about this agenda and just want a paycheck. As the military saying goes, "hope is not a method." In any event, it is not a good method, and even less so when "hope" translates into throwing good money after bad in fruitless attempts to buy loyalty from a fighter who knows, as Muhammad said, that "War is deceit."

"Clinton: Split Taliban from Al-Qaeda," from Agence France-Presse, February 18 (thanks to JCB):

NEW YORK (AFP) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced hope Friday that military efforts would split the Taliban from Al-Qaeda, laying the groundwork for a political solution in Afghanistan.

In a speech at the Asia Society in New York, Clinton reaffirmed US plans to start reducing troops in July and complete the drawdown by the end of 2014 as Afghans take charge of their war-torn country.

Clinton said the surge in US-led troops over the past year was part of a strategy to "split the weakened Taliban off from Al-Qaeda and reconcile those who will renounce violence and accept the Afghan constitution."

The top US diplomat said that the Taliban faced a similar choice as in 2001, when the United States toppled the hardline Islamic regime for hosting Al-Qaeda leaders who planned the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

"Today, the escalating pressure of our military campaign is sharpening a similar decision for the Taliban: break ties with Al-Qaeda, renounce violence and abide by the Afghan constitution and you can rejoin Afghan society.

After all, the Afghan constitution has paved the way for a government that often differs from the Taliban in little more than name and the pretense of friendship with the West. Just ask Musa Sayed. Or the women for whom a Shi'ite family law legalized marital rape.

"Refuse and you will continue to face the consequences of being tied to Al-Qaeda as an enemy of the international community," Clinton said.

"They cannot wait us out. They cannot defeat us. And they cannot escape this choice."

The relationship between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban has long been a source of contention within US policy circles.

After the September 11 attacks, president George W. Bush's administration described the two groups as virtually indistinguishable. US troops, now led by General David Petraeus, have focused on taking the fight to the Taliban.

But key civilian leaders under President Barack Obama have put a focus on political reconciliation, arguing that many rank-and-file Taliban are simply seeking a livelihood and can be co-opted.

"I know there are some on Capitol Hill and elsewhere who question whether we need anything more than guns, bombs and troops to achieve our goals in Afghanistan," Clinton said.

"As our commanders on the ground will be the first to say, that is a short-sighted and ultimately self-defeating view. We will never kill enough insurgents to end this war outright," Clinton said.

Petraeus, who has sought time for the military strategy, is widely expected to step down in the medium-term, although the Pentagon denied a British newspaper report that he has decided to leave this year....

Sherry Rehman only sought to revise Pakistan's blasphemy laws. According to most reports, she wanted to remove or restrict the death penalty as a punishment. Even at that, she "blasphemed" the blasphemy law -- now virtually an object of worship in its own right in Pakistani politics -- and is now marked for death, like the minister for religious minorities, Shabhaz Bhatti, and the late Salman Taseer.

"Punjab: Sherry Rehman will not be prosecuted for blasphemy," by Jibran Khan for AsiaNews, February 19:

Lahore (AsiaNews) - The district judge in Multan, a city in Punjab, has rejected the request for charges of blasphemy against Sherry Rehman, a lawmaker of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP). The court had instructed the police to draw up a report based on the allegations and find evidence to back the charge lodged by a private citizen against the woman. However, investigators failed to find any evidence to support the charge and called for it to be shelved. Sources close to Rehman confirm that security remains precarious for women, over whom hangs a death threat by Islamic extremists.

In recent months, Rehman had proposed amendments to the "black law", sparking the ire of fundamentalist wing of the country. The woman later withdrew the amendments, indicating that she intended to follow her party line, which is rather hesitant in wanting to change the norm. The latest blow came in the past week: Yousaf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister of Pakistan, "categorically excluded" amendments to the law on blasphemy. Salman Taseer, Governor of Punjab and a member of the PPP was killed last January for publically coming out against the blasphemy law.

Taseer had labeled it a "black law," and was subsequently murdered.

On 7 February, Fahim Akhtar Gul, a shopkeeper in Multan, reported Sherry Rehman the court of Multan, on charges of blasphemy. The Parliamentarian apparently used derogatory terms against the "black law" during a television talk show in November 2010 and should be punished according to this controversial rule.

Mehr Nasir Hussain, a judge at the district court of Multan, instructed the police to open an investigation and prepare a report, with the possible sources of evidence. Once the facts were verified, the police officer Yousaf Khokhar explained that "the matter does not fall into cases of blasphemy" because "a close analysis of the video, shows there are no violations of the law." On the advise of the investigators, the court decided to dismiss the case.

It's really something of a formality to ask at this point. As Human Rights Watch reported in November:

Chechen women have essentially become the target of a quasi-official "virtue" campaign. For several years, the Chechen authorities have discriminated against women who refuse to wear headscarves, prohibiting them from working in the public sector.

That does not include incidents in which Chechen police shot paintballs at unveiled women, and men with automatic rifles harassed women for not wearing the veil during Ramadan.

Chechnya's own president has said that male relatives were right to shoot women with "loose morals." Refusing to wear the hijab could put one's life at risk, and it is more or less official (short of actual legislation that might catch Moscow's eye) that the state will not care.

Obama spoke of a need to protect the rights of women who choose to wear the hijab. Where is he for the women who do not, like those in Chechnya who will now "choose" to throw a veil over their heads in the interest of keeping their heads attached to their necks?

"Russia's Chechnya asks workers to wear Muslim dress," from Reuters, February 18 (thanks to Twostellas):

Russia's Chechnya region has asked state workers to dress conservatively, including headscarves for women and an Islamic dress code on Fridays, in its leaders' latest assertion of Muslim customs.

A decade after Moscow drove separatists out of power in the second of two wars since the 1991 Soviet collapse, the Kremlin relies heavily on Chechnya's strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov to keep insurgents in check and maintain a shaky peace.

Against the backdrop of a persistent Islamist insurgency in Chechnya and neighbouring parts of Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus, regional leaders and rebel fighters alike have embraced an Islamic revival.

Kadyrov's past efforts to enforce a dress code have angered rights activists who say such rules may violate Russia's secular constitution.

Human Rights Watch: "Russian law guarantees all women, including those in Chechnya, the freedom to choose how they dress as part of their constitutional right to freedom of conscience, but to date the Kremlin has taken no action to put an end to this unwritten but unlawful policy in Chechnya."

"We recommend that male state workers come to work in a suit and tie, and that women dress in a skirt below the knee and the appropriate headgear," Chechen government deputy head Magomed Selimkhanov told reporters.

On Fridays -- the main day for prayers in Islam -- employees of both sexes should observe "a traditional Muslim dress code", meaning covered arms and legs.

Selimkhanov said his "recommendation" was "purely advisory". News agency Caucasian Knot reported that he had signed a document stating Muslim dress was "essential" for state workers.

Four years ago Kadyrov issued a "recommendation" that women don headscarves to enter state buildings. A spate of attacks last year on women for not wearing headscarves angered women who said being forced to dress a certain way violated their rights.

"This Islamic dress is part of a problem that has existed in Chechnya for some time now... Every year the Chechen authorities come up with something of this sort," said Ruslan Badalov, a human rights activist who heads the Chechen Committee for National Salvation.

"It is a Caucasus tradition to look respectful in front of family but this should never be enforced," he told Reuters. The Kremlin is warily watching the resurgence of Islam in Chechnya, which some analysts say is moving towards a push for autonomy once again.

He says that secular government is opposed to Islam. One might reasonably expect the leading Islamic spokesmen in the West to get busy refuting that idea on Islamic grounds. But they won't, because they can't. "Al-Qaeda's Zawahiri Tells Egyptians to Establish Islamic State," by Vivian Salama for Bloomberg, February 20:

Al-Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri urged Egyptians to revive Islamic rule and criticized Hosni Mubarak as a "modern-day pharaoh" in remarks that came before the former Egyptian president was toppled.

"The Egyptian regime is in fact a repressive regime that relies on brutality and rigged elections while the Islamic system is consultative and seeks to achieve justice," the Egyptian militant leader said in an audio recording posted on a website used by Islamist groups including al-Qaeda....

"The reality of Egypt is the reality of deviation from Islam," Zawahiri, an Egyptian, said in the recording, part of a documentary by al-Qaeda's media arm As-Sahab titled: "A message of Hope and Good Tidings to Our Folk in Egypt."

"Secularism entered our countries through military occupation, oppression and massacres," he said. "Western secularism is animus to Islam and supportive to Zionism."...

Choudary was invited to come to Washington by the Islamic Thinkers Society, an Islamic supremacist group based in New York that echoes Choudary's open call for Sharia, including its bloodthirstiest aspects: the ITS threatened my life a few years ago. "Extremist cleric to lead White House protest calling for Muslims to 'rise up and establish Islamic state in America,'" from the Daily Mail, February 20:

A hardline Muslim cleric who sparked anger across the U.S. with his anti-American comments in a television interview this month is to hold a protest outside the White House.

British extremist Anjem Choudary - who once said 'the flag of Islam will fly over the White House' - has announced he will lead a demonstration calling on Muslims to establish the Sharia law across America.

The rally, planned for March 3, is to take place just weeks after his on-screen row with Fox News presenter Sean Hannity.

Mr Choudary, 43, called Americans 'the biggest criminals in the world today.'

The former leader of outlawed group Islam4UK told the Daily Star 'we expect thousands to come out and support us.'

Mr Choudary said the March rally was organised by the Islamic Thinkers society, an extremist group based in New York.

Two other British extremists, Abu Izzadeen and Sayful Islam, have also been asked to speak at the demonstration.

Izzadeen is the hate preacher who caused fury last year when he called British soldiers 'murderers' the day he was released from jail after a three-and-a-half year sentence for inciting terrorism.

Mr Choudary told the newspaper: 'The event is a rally, a call for the Sharia, a call for the Muslims to rise up and ­establish the Islamic state in America.'

However, whether the three will be able to enter the U.S., especially Izzadeen, remains to be seen. Even a tourist visa requires applicants to answer questions on whether they have been involved in acts of terrorism or plan to commit crimes in the U.S.

'This is a unique event taking place in Washington, outside the White House which, Inshallah, (God willing) will garner huge support.'...

The East London-based cleric's anti-American stance is well-documented. Last year he led protesters in burning the American flag outside the U.S. embassy in London on September 11.

And in October, he told an ABC chat show that 'one day the flag of Islam will fly over the White House.'

He told the Daily Star: 'They have seen our activities in the UK and Europe and have decided they want to challenge the vacuum in ­freedom and democracy and the ­people in the front line of the struggle against Islam and Muslims - the ­American ­government and the ­establishment.

'They have invited and ­myself and Sayful Islam from Luton to come over to address the crowd and rally support.'

'We are going to address ­corruption in the Senate, corrupt foreign ­policy, the mayhem around the ­Muslim world, the drug and ­alcohol culture, ­promiscuity and the pandemic of crime in America.

'It is only right the call is made in the heart of Western ­civilisation in front of the biggest pharaoh that ­exists today, which is Barack Obama.'

He added: 'I think the American people's hearts and minds are open to receive Islam as an alternative way of life. We expect thousands to come out and support us.'

You may remember Danny Glover from such films as New York'Ta Beş Minare (Five Minarets in New York). That was a Turkish film, supposedly about "America's paranoia with the Islamic world after 9/11." The one below is homegrown:

That's the short version. In the long theatrical trailer, you get the full quote of the blond girl rejecting the Muslim protagonist: "I'm Catholic. I'm not supposed to talk to you."

Catholic-phobes! Catholic-phobes! I'm feeling.... "alienated!" And... "radicalized"!

Kidding aside, though, both the short and long trailers give the appearance of a feature-film version of a Very Special Episode on the small screen, with a formulaic plot about Muslims' persevering in the face of intolerant Americans, complete with a scene featuring small Muslim girls who refuse to take off their hijabs despite their fear of a mob of big, thuggish American boys. White boys, at that, as is easier seen in the long trailer.

Profiling! Profiling! Racists!!! Danny Glover's character is brought on, though, perhaps to show supposed American bigotry coming from all skin colors.

So often throughout the history of film, propaganda movies have added insult to injury by being just plain awful (see also: North Korea's riveting Nation and Destiny series). This doesn't appear to be an exception.

But there is one more scene in the long trailer worth noting (again, linked above), where our protagonist surveys the diversity at a dinner put on by the Muslim Student Association, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.

The Muslim Brotherhood angle could offer material for a sequel, but not likely of the sort we'd get out of Hollywood. One can't be too optimistic on the prospects for a musical, either.

The intrepid mujahedin, keeping the world safe from Russian tourists riding in a minibus to a ski resort. "Four Russian tourists killed on way to Caucasus ski resort," from the Telegraph, February 19:

At least four tourists from Moscow have been killed by militants in Russia's North Caucasus region on their way to a ski resort.

The group were heading towards the Kabardino-Balkaria region of Russia.

Cowards fi sabil Allah:

"Two people in masks armed with automatic guns in a foreign-made car forced the minibus onto the hard shoulder, asked about passengers, then opened fire on the vehicle and fled from the scene," the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

All six people in the vehicle were from the Moscow region. Three died on the spot and two were taken to hospital, it said.

A message on Islamist website Islamdin.com, hosted by the militant group Caucasus Emirate, said the tourists were killed by "mujahideens" because they "came into the zone of war".

And who decided it was a war zone?

The group was going skiing to the Elbrus mountain area when they were ambushed near the village Zayukovo, according to the NTV channel, adding that a fourth person died in hospital.

The Kremlin fought two wars against separatist rebels in Chechnya in the 1990s but the insurgency has now become more Islamist in tone and has spread to neighbouring regions.

We hear so much that "poverty" causes jihad -- despite the number of well-off, educated jihadists. More often than not, jihad causes poverty:

The targeting of tourists will be especially worrying for Russia's authorities, who have pronounced the North Caucasus a future mountain ski haven, unveiling plans of a $15 billion dollar program to create five resorts.

One of the proposed resorts, Elbrus-Bezengi, is in the Kabardino-Balkaria region and would host up to 29,000 tourists per day under the plan.

Hugh Fitzgerald explained many times -- see, for example, here -- how Islam attracts the psychically marginal. In any case, it is noteworthy that the person responsible for this alleged attempted attack on a mosque was a Muslim himself -- and yet Hamas-linked CAIR, which touted it as an anti-Muslim hate crime, has not apologized for or retracted the misinformation it spread.

More on this story. "Mich. mosque plot suspect's criminal past examined," from AP, February 19:

Since holding a psychiatrist hostage in 1977, Roger Stockham has kidnapped his young son, tried to hijack a plane, crashed a plane, set fire to buildings, planted a bomb at an airport and threatened to kill the president.

Despite this remarkable criminal resume, the 63-year-old Vietnam veteran has been freed repeatedly from psychiatric hospitals and prison only to lash out again and end up back in custody.

Last month, police say the California man was at it again: Officers arrested Stockham near a popular Michigan mosque they say he planned to attack. They say he was driving around wearing a ski mask, and they found more than two dozen powerful, illegal fireworks in his car. The arrest has brought renewed attention to Stockham's bizarre criminal odyssey and to the challenges some mentally ill offenders pose to the legal system....

Joe Nahhas, a manager at Detroit bar, said Stockham sipped Scotch at the establishment and boasted about setting off a "big explosion" at a mosque, which he presumed to be the popular Islamic Center of America in nearby Dearborn. He said Stockham told him he had converted to Islam after the Vietnam War, and had joined a group of Indonesian mujahedeen, or Muslim holy warriors. Nahhas said he was so disturbed by Stockham's ramblings that he called 911 and the FBI, who said a public tip led to Stockham's arrest....

He said Stockham didn't intend to attack the mosque with fireworks and felt no enmity toward its members, but was going to spray-paint the words "Crazy Horse 18" on it to protest the government's investigation into the 2007 killing in Iraq of a Reuters photographer and his driver by a U.S. Apache helicopter. The helicopter crew can be heard using the term in leaked video footage of the attack that was posted online by the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks....

Before it was revealed that Stockham was a Muslim, Hamas-linked CAIR was running with this incident to claim a spurious victim status for Muslims and advance its spurious "Islamophobia" narrative:

"CAIR: Attack on Michigan Mosque Thwarted," a CAIR press release, January 29:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today said that a bias-motivated attack on a Dearborn, Mich., mosque was thwarted by local police.

Law enforcement authorities and officials with the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn reported to CAIR that a white male resident of California was arrested on Monday evening in the mosque's parking lot while he was in possession of explosive materials. The man is currently being held on $500,000 bond.

"We thank law enforcement authorities for their quick and professional actions in this troubling incident," said Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR's Michigan chapter. "The increased number of bias incidents targeting American Muslim institutions must be addressed by local, state and national authorities."...

While the talking heads and learned analysts in the mainstream media in the U.S. assure the gullible and/or indifferent public that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is benign, pro-democratic and harmless, the Saudis know better -- although the perfume is already out of the bottle there. "Extremist books withdrawn from Saudi schools," from Al Arabiya, February 16 (thanks to Ravi):

The Saudi Ministry of Education issued a resolution to withdraw from the libraries of public schools several books seen as inciting violence and prohibited book donations without prior approval.

Books accused of having a negative impact on school students like the writings of leaders of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood like Sheikh Hassan al-Banna, the group's founder, and Sayyed Qotb, one of the group's most leading thinkers, the London-based al-Hayat newspaper reported Tuesday.

The ministry announced its plan to conduct regular visits to school libraries to ensure that those and similar books are no longer available for students.

Dr. Mohammed al-Zulafi, former member of the Shura Council, said this step came too late.

"School libraries have always contained books that promote violence and extremism," he told Al Arabiya. "The writings of Muslim Brotherhood leaders have had a strong influence on education in Saudi Arabia for the past three decades."

Zulafi expressed his skepticism about the implementation of the ministry's decision since a large portion of librarians in those schools adopt the very views in the banned books.

"I call upon citizens to take part in implementing this decision. They have to know what happens inside those schools."

Zulafi added that for a long time, extremist books have been flooding school libraries while there were restrictions on art books that talk about arts or the values of tolerance and moderation.

"There are people who support the circulation of those books. Some even print them and distribute them for free without taking into consideration the grave consequences on the students."

Zulafi warned that those books are not only in schools, but also in several other places like doctors' clinics. That is why, he said, there has to be a plan to withdraw them from all over the kingdom.

"If those books are not withdrawn, our youths will end up in Somalia or Tora Bora in Afghanistan because of the extremist ideas they read," he concluded.

As I have said many times in the context of many similar incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is no reliable way to distinguish a peaceful Muslim from a jihadist. This is yet more fruit of the unwillingness to make even a cursory attempt to take that fact into account.

"Afghan soldier opens fire on German troops, killing 3 and wounding 6 others," by Anja Niedringhaus and Deb Riechmann for The Associated Press, February 18 (thanks to all who sent this in):

PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan - German soldiers, just back from patrol, had already started shedding their heavy body armour when shots rang out Friday at their coalition base in northern Afghanistan. An Afghan soldier, a man they thought was on their side, was spraying them with bullets at close range.

The shooter was gunned down, but not before he killed three German soldiers and wounded six others in a tragic shooting that highlights the challenges of trying to train Afghan security forces so foreign troops can go home.

The Afghan soldier in Baghlan's provincial capital, Pul-e-Khumri, was part of a joint operation between the German and Afghan militaries, Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told reporters in Berlin.

"Working together carries risks," said Guttenberg, who earlier this week spent the night with German troops at the base in northeast Afghanistan. "Still, this attack may not lead to questioning the partnering (with the Afghan army) that has so far been successful because this would only serve our enemies."...

"It doesn't work, but we are hell bent on keeping on trying!"

Since late 2009, there have been three incidents of Afghan police and soldiers turning on their NATO comrades.

The U.S.-led NATO coalition is working with the Afghan National Security Forces to improve the way that police and soldiers are vetted so that infiltrators and criminals can be weeded out of the ranks, according to officials with the training mission in Kabul. The Afghan army and police are expected to start in mid-March collecting biometric and personal data on all members of the Afghan security forces -- a job that is expected to take months.

This will never work unless they start examining the attachment of the recruits to Islam and jihad, which would be devilishly difficult to do in any case, and which they will not do.

On Nov. 29, 2010, six U.S. soldiers were killed by a rogue Afghan border policeman who opened fire on his American trainers as the group headed to shooting practice. The gunman was killed in the shootout in Nangarhar province near the Pakistani border. The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying the officer had enlisted as a sleeper agent to have an opportunity to kill foreigners....

Eight similar incidents have occurred in Iraq since 2004....

When will Honest Ibe Hooper, Boy Reza Aslan, Brave Ahmed Rehab and the rest of them jet over to Tehran to explain to the mullahs that those who oppose their bloody, oppressive regime are not actually "enemies of Islam" at all? Or at least grace the kuffar in the West with an article or two explaining the particulars of how the mullahs are Misunderstanding Islam?

An update on this story. "Anti-sedition demos held across the country," from the Tehran Times, February 19:

TEHRAN - Thousands of worshippers held rallies across the country after the Friday prayers to condemn illegal anti-government demonstrations staged by seditionists on Monday, February 14.

The marchers unanimously called on the Judiciary to put the leaders of sedition on trial.

In Tehran people who gathered to demonstrate "hatred" toward seditionists also called for the execution of leaders of sedition and urged the political figures who have not denounced the seditionists' movements to break their silence and take unequivocal stances toward the recent incidents. ...

The statement says that anti-government demonstrations were aimed at undermining the Islamic system and serving the enemies of Islam and the Islamic Revolution.

Pictures showed large numbers of people held rallies in Mashhad, Rasht, Tabriz, Qom and Gorgan, denouncing illegal demonstrations in Tehran on Monday. Marchers carried placards reading "Down with U.S." and "Elements behind Sedition Should Be Hanged."...

Tehran Friday prayers leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati urged the Judiciary to take special measures to prevent the seditionists from organizing new protests....

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Jannati commented on the recent political developments in the region and praised the Egyptian youth for toppling President Hosni Mubarak.

He expressed concern that the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia may only result in the replacement of political pawns and not major political changes....

The Obama Administration told Muslim governments last Tuesday that it would support a toned-down version of this resolution, but their contemptuous "You still haven't done enough for us" response staved off an American betrayal of Israel -- this time. "US vetoes anti-settlement resolution," from Earth Times, February 18 (thanks to all who sent this in):

New York - The United States on Friday vetoed a resolution that received 14 votes in favour from the UN Security Council's 15 members, effectively killing the demand by Arab and Muslim countries to brand Israeli settlements "illegal."

US Ambassador Susan Rice cast a negative vote, which constituted a veto. The five permanent members with veto power are the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China.

Rice said the veto should not be understood as US support of Israeli settlements.

"We reject in the strongest terms the lack of legitimacy of Israeli settlements," she said after raising her hand to vote against the draft resolution.

A negative vote by one of the permanent members constitutes a veto.

The draft, which was supported by 130 countries including Europeans, had called for the Security Council to declare that "Israeli settlements established in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace."

The draft said that Israel - "the occupying power" - should immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

It was the first US veto since 2006 and the first under President Barack Obama, which had tried to convince Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to withdraw the draft and accept a compromise in order to avoid the US veto.

Abbas and Palestinian organizations rejected the US offer, and the council took action on the draft knowing that the US veto would kill it anyway....

Wants to rule the world instead

More evidence of all the respect Obama has won in Tehran by making repeated overtures and appeals for "mutual respect" to the bloody mullahcracy. "Ahmadinejad: Obama can't spell his own name," by Dudi Cohen for Ynet News, February 18 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacked Barack Obama on Friday, saying the American president "doesn't even know how to spell his own name properly."

During a visit to Bushehr ahead of a scheduled rally in support of his regime, the Iranian leader said, "Obama wants to rule the world, but he can't even control his own emotions."

"The opposition and human rights groups have long complained Tunisia's anti-terror laws were far too broad, targeting anyone with a strict interpretation of Islam." But no more: they will all be freed and able to work to help create the New Tunisia.

"Tunisian grants general amnesty," by Bouazza ben Bouazza for The Associated Press, February 18:

TUNIS, Tunisia -- Tunisia's transitional government approved a general amnesty of the country's political prisoners Friday, the prime minister said, in a move likely to free those convicted under tough anti-terrorism laws.

Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi appeared on Tunisian state television, saying the general amnesty would take effect over the weekend "so that all those convicted under the former regime can get their civic and political rights back and be reintegrated into Tunisian society."

The announcement, which came just over a month after mass protests toppled the autocratic president, signaled a major policy shift in the North African nation, which has long had a zero-tolerance policy against hard-line Islam.

The opposition and human rights groups have long complained Tunisia's anti-terror laws were far too broad, targeting anyone with a strict interpretation of Islam....

Christians have great difficulty getting justice in Pakistan if Muslims have committed crimes against them, because Muslims are taught to protect one another and never side with non-believers against fellow Muslims. "Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather than believers..." (Qur'an 3:28)

More on this story. "Pakistani Christian Killed by Muslim Employer, Relatives Say," from Compass Direct, February 16:

LAHORE, Pakistan, February 16 (CDN) -- The Christian family of 24-year-old Imran Masih in Pakistan's Punjab Province was in anguish. The previous week, on Feb. 7, Masih was found dead at his Muslim employer's farmhouse.

The employer, influential landowner Chaudhry Maqsood Cheema, claimed that Masih committed suicide by hanging himself. Masih's relatives believe that Cheema - seeing the young Christian man as a "soft target" whose family had little standing or legal recourse in the predominantly Muslim society - killed him for taking a day off without informing him.

Masih had married eight months ago, and the couple was expecting their first child, his father Lal Masih told Compass by telephone from Nath Kallan village in Esa Nagar, Gujranwala district. He said Cheema had hired his son to care for his livestock a month ago, and that a few days before his death, Imran Masih had taken a day off from work without informing Cheema.

"Cheema did not approve of this action and reprimanded him severely," he said.

Imran Masih went to work the morning of Feb. 7 as usual, said Lal Masih, who was also employed by Cheema as his tractor driver. Shortly thereafter, Cheema's brother called him and said his son had committed suicide by hanging himself, he said. The family rushed towards Cheema's farmhouse, where they were told that Masih had hung himself in a cattle stall.

"When I entered the room, I saw my son's body hanging with a rope, and a very loose noose was around his neck," Lal Masih said. The body hung only about six inches off the ground, he said, and there was nothing nearby that could have served as a mount from which to fall in an attempt to hang himself.

Gakhar Mandi station police soon arrived.

"The police asked me if I wanted to pursue any legal action against anyone, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind to make a decision - my senses had gone numb as the body of my son lay before me," he said.

Police asked him to sign some papers, and Lal Masih said he still does not know their content. The family took the body by tractor to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Wazirabad for an autopsy.

"When we reached the hospital, we saw that Cheema, his brother Munir Ahmed and some other Muslims were already present there," he said. "The doctors carried out the autopsy, but the report was not handed over to us."

Lal Masih said his son's sudden death shocked the village, as no one saw any reason that he would want to commit suicide.

"I am sure he did not have any reason to kill himself," he said. "He was leading a happy life. There was no reason at all."

Family members tried to register a report, but police refused to accept their complaint.

"The police said that since I had refused to initiate legal proceedings at first, they were not going to register a case," Lal Masih said. "They refused to understand that I could barely think when they were asking me this question."

In protest of the police's refusal to register a case, Christian villagers decided to block the main road. After the Christians staged a two-hour sit-in, police registered a murder case against Cheema, his brother Munir, Rashid Ahmad and another Muslim identified only as Mohsin.

Napolean Qayyum, field officer for Christian legal aid organization Community Development Initiative (CDI), said his team accompanied the family to the hospital on Feb. 10 and faced resistance when they asked for the autopsy report. Only after persistent efforts and an appeal to an outside agency were they able to obtain the autopsy report, he said.

Qayyum said he suspected deliberate skewing of the report, which stated Masih died by hanging. The CDI team discovered that Cheema's cousin, Dr. Muhammad Asif, had been present at the autopsy and might have influenced the report.

"Lal told us that the men who had washed Masih's dead body had reported seeing a swelling of his private organs, which suggested that he had been hit badly in that area," Qayyum said. "There was also a bruise on the back of his head."

He said the CDI team would consider exhuming Masih's body if necessary. The CDI team has yet to meet the investigating officer of the case, Sub-Inspector Muhammad Adnan, he said, but according to Lal Masih, Adnan would side with Cheema because they belong to the same caste....

The resistance to the American presence in Afghanistan centers on Islam. "Afghan imams wage political battle against U.S.," by Joshua Partlow and Habib Zahori for the Washington Post, February 17 (thanks to Twostellas):

KABUL - For the U.S. government, and for the 100,000 American troops fighting in Afghanistan, the messages delivered last Friday could hardly have been worse.

Under the weathered blue dome of Kabul's largest mosque, a distinguished preacher, Enayatullah Balegh, pledged support for "any plan that can defeat" foreign military forces in Afghanistan, denouncing what he called "the political power of these children of Jews."

Across town, a firebrand imam named Habibullah was even more blunt.

"Let these jackals leave this country," the preacher, who uses only one name, declared of foreign troops. "Let these brothers of monkeys, gorillas and pigs leave this country. The people of Afghanistan should determine their own fate."

The Qur'an calls Jews apes and pigs in three separate places: 2:62-65; 5:59-60; and 7:166.

Every Friday, Afghan clerics wade into the politics of their war-torn country, delivering half-hour sermons that blend Islamic teaching with often-harsh criticism of the U.S. presence. In a country where many lack newspapers, television or Internet access, the mosque lectures represent a powerful forum for influencing opinion.

The raw frustration voiced in these sermons is periodically echoed by President Hamid Karzai in his somewhat more diplomatic criticism of the West. Although cast in tones of prayer and contemplation, the messages from the mosques pose a serious and delicate problem for President Obama's counterinsurgency strategy: how to respect the sacredness of Islam without conceding the propaganda war.

In Afghanistan's mosques, American troops are derided as crusaders and occupiers. Officials with the U.S.-backed government are accused of corruption and deceit. Even in Kabul, the most modern city in an impoverished country, imams regularly denounce American troops and label as stooges their Afghan partners....

Because the Taliban is led by mullahs and seeks followers in part by casting itself as a defender of Islam, other religious leaders in Afghanistan must take the group's views into account. Several said that the Taliban's orthodox interpretation of Islam has flaws and that its reliance on funding and support from Pakistan further discredits the organization. But their arguments against the presence of foreign forces are more categorical....

Note that the Washington Post here admits in passing that the Taliban's interpretation of Islam is orthodox, not a twisted, hijacked version developed by a Tiny Minority of Extremists.

A sense of religious conflict also underlies the criticism. The reason that the insurgency has grown so strong in recent years, said Abdul Bashir Hafif, an imam at a private mosque in a wealthy Kabul neighborhood, is that "Americans are considered to be Christians and Jews."...

The United States has also sought to temper the mullahs' rhetoric. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has spent millions of dollars to fly mullahs to the United States and other countries to meet Muslims outside Afghanistan in the hope of encouraging a more moderate stance. The U.S. military funds mosque refurbishment projects and is partnering with the Afghan religious affairs ministry to facilitate building an electronic database of mosques.

A senior U.S. military official said dozens of mosques in key Afghan districts are used as "command-and-control nodes" for the Taliban, places where fighters can take refuge and stash weapons.

"The Taliban has used that network of mosques to extend their message," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss U.S. intelligence information. "Many, many mosques are directly linked back to the madrassas [in Pakistan] and teachings of the Taliban."

On Feb. 3, Afghan intelligence agents said they had raided a small mosque in a narrow, muddy lane in a Kabul slum. Inside the imam's bedroom, stashed in metal boxes, they found two dozen mines, which they said were intended to blow up Kabul's airport. The disruption of the alleged plot and the arrest of the imam, 23-year-old Abdul Rahman, was a small but significant victory for Afghan authorities.

But by the next day, in his Friday sermon across town, an imam cast suspicion on the arrest.

"Who was he really working for?" Enayatullah Karimi said to dozens gathered at the Ayub Khan Mina mosque. "The Jews and Christians are training some Islamic scholars. They have beards and wear turbans just like us."

"The Jews and Christians are our enemies," Karimi told the crowd. "No doubt about it."

Anger over comment

It was a comment by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) - calling for permanent U.S. bases in Afghanistan - that set Habibullah, the firebrand imam, off.

"There are some nut cases with pro-West and pro-infidel ideas who are urging President Karzai to accept the Americans' offer," he said last Friday. "But no matter how well protected these people are in the arms of foreigners, they should know that God will take revenge on them and turn their bones and flesh into dried spiderweb powder."...

"'These extremists are taking advantage of an exceptional situation to disturb national security and plunge our country into violence,' the ministry statement said. It did not say what form of extremism it suspected." Militant Christian fundamentalists, no doubt.

"Polish priest killed by Tunisian extremists-media," from Reuters, February 18 (thanks to David):

TUNIS (Reuters) - A Polish priest was murdered in the Tunisian capital Friday, state media cited the Interior Ministry as saying, the latest sign of rising religious tension since last month's revolution.

Mark Marios Rebaski was found dead at the School of Our Lady in Manouba where he worked, Tunisia Africa Press reported. His throat had been cut.

"The Ministry of the Interior condemns this act and regrets the death. Based on results of the preliminary investigation, including the method of assassination, it believes a group of terrorist fascists with extremist tendencies was behind this crime," it said.

Protests against the authorities swelled into a popular revolt last month that created turmoil in Tunisia, forced President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee to Saudi Arabia and encouraged a similar revolution in Egypt.

Ben Ali, who took power in predominantly Muslim Tunisia in 1987, had cracked down on the Islamist movement and political opponents and was seen by many as an oppressive ruler. Elections to replace him are expected by July or August.

"These extremists are taking advantage of an exceptional situation to disturb national security and plunge our country into violence," the ministry statement said. It did not say what form of extremism it suspected.

The Leftist/Islamic Supremacist Alliance breaks down when the Islamic supremacists have no more use for the Leftists. "Egypt protest hero Wael Ghonim barred from stage," from Agence France-Presse, February 18 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

Google executive Wael Ghonim, who emerged as a leading voice in Egypt's uprising, was barred from the stage in Tahrir Square on Friday by security guards, an AFP photographer said. Ghonim tried to take the stage in Tahrir, the epicentre of anti-regime protests that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, but men who appeared to be guarding influential Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi barred him from doing so.

Ghonim, who was angered by the episode, then left the square with his face hidden by an Egyptian flag.

Qaradawi gave a Friday sermon in the square, where hundreds of thousands of people gathered a week after Mubarak's fall, in which he called for Arab leaders to listen to their people.

Ghonim, Google's head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa, administered a Facebook page that helped spark the uprising that toppled Mubarak's regime....

Christian proselytizing is forbidden, in accord with traditional Sharia provisions, even in this relatively secular post-Soviet republic. Islamic Tolerance Alert: "Tajik authorities ban sales of Jesus cartoon," from AsiaNews, February 18 (thanks to C. Block Ness):

Dushanbe (AsiaNews) - Tajikistan's Religious Affairs Committee banned the sale of a Jesus Christ cartoon in Khorog, the administrative centre of the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region, the BBC Persian service reported.

Claiming that the cartoon advocated a foreign religion, the Committee seized 20 copies of the cartoon from sellers. It later confirmed to Interfax that it had seized religious discs in Khorog but did not comment the matter.

The cartoon had been translated into Shughni, a language spoken by about 250,000 Pamir Tajiks, who are predominantly Ismaili Muslims, a branch of Shia Islam. Most Tajiks (85 per cent) are Sunni.

Under a new version of the Law on Religion and Religious Associations adopted in Tajikistan in 2009, proselytising is against the law. Nevertheless, over 80 religious organisations, most of them Christian, operate in the country.

Last night I appeared on Eric Bolling's "Follow the Money" on Fox Business, discussing the implications of the riots in Bahrain and other unfolding events in the Middle East.

I just wrote two days ago that Qaradawi "wields considerable influence" in Egypt, particularly among the Muslim Brotherhood, and here we are. "Banned Qaradawi returns to lead Friday prayers in Egypt," from Al-Arabiya, February 17 (thanks to all who sent this in):

For the first time since he was banned from leading weekly friday [sic] prayers in Egypt 30 years ago, prominent Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi will lead thousands in the weekly prayers from Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday.

Sources told Al Arabiya that a military force will accompany the head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars from his home to Tahrir Square, provide security for the prayers and accompany him back to his residence.

Al-Qaradawi last delivered a Friday prayer sermon in Egypt in 1981 after the assassination of former President Anwar el-Sadat....

Sheikh Qaradawi confirmed in a telephone call with the German Press Agency that he would lead tomorrow's prayers in Tahrir, with hundreds of thousands expected to attend.

Some of Qaradawi's sons and daughters took part the Tahrir demonstrations leading up to the overthrow of the Mubarak.

Below is a CNN editorial calling for a women's "revolution" in Egypt, following the incident in which CBS reporter Lara Logan was savagely assaulted to cries of "Jew! Jew!" The author blames the situation on the broader problem for "human rights" in Egypt (which full-bore Sharia isn't going to help), but that is nowhere near the whole story.

The notion of women as lesser beings ("Allah hath made one [gender] to excel the other," morally and mentally according to this hadith) and the idea that it is acceptable to use violence against disobedient women are found in Qur'an 4:34. That verse defines women as possessions of men, and ties their value to obedience and "guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded" -- including Islam's expectations on attire and the separation of the sexes.

The creation of any second class in society places a greater burden on the underclass to keep the peace by showing they know their place and avoiding any "provocation," making it easy for those with power to blame the victim for not doing enough to preserve a social order that artificially suppresses their rights. This is true for the concept of dhimmitude, as well as for women's rights in Islamic societies.

One will recall the comments of Arab News readers on an earlier story about sexual harassment in Egypt:

ADIL SHAKEEL - Oct 26, 2010 10:45 - The Problem is not with Guys it is with Modernism girls or womens should strictly follow Proper hijab [...]

IROSPTZ -Oct 26, 2010 23:53 - if i see girls like these ( in this photo ) i'll will be also in one of the guys who harassing these girls. So girls first try to behave and dress yourself .... i'm giving 100% surety to you that you can go anywhere without the disturbances from these guys.......

Yes, in a broader sense, it is about a lack of respect for "human rights," but on a much deeper level, that will be much harder to oust from Egyptian society than Mubarak's regime. "Egypt's harassed women need their own revolution," by Mary Rogers for CNN, February 16:

Several months before the revolution, I wrote a piece for CNN.com on the sexual harassment of women in Cairo.

News of the chilling attack on CBS reporter Lara Logan, as well as other sexual assaults against women during Egypt's uprising, show that attacks against women have not gone away.

I speak from experience. While most of my days covering Tahrir Square during the last few weeks were free from harassment, there was one day when I was groped. Another colleague almost had her pants ripped off by a gang of thugs.

If you are a woman living in Cairo, chances are you have been sexually harassed. It happens on the streets, on crowded buses, in the workplace, in schools, and even in a doctor's office.

According to a 2008 survey of 1,010 women conducted by the Egyptian Center for Women's rights, 98 percent of foreign women and 83 percent of Egyptian women have been sexually harassed.

I was walking home from dinner recently when a carload of young men raced by me and screamed out "Sharmouta" (whore in Arabic.)

These are the people whom it is hoped will usher in a bright new day of democracy and human rights in Egypt. But democracy does not dictate values. Values dictate the success or failure of a democracy to defend human rights.

Before I could respond, they were gone, but I noticed policemen nearby bursting with laughter. I am old enough to be those boys' mother, I thought.

This incident was minor compared to what happened in 1994, shortly after I moved here. It was winter, and I was walking home from the office, dressed in a big, baggy sweater, and jacket. A man walked up to me, reached out, and casually grabbed my breast.

In a flash, I understood what the expression to "see red" meant. I grabbed him by the collar and punched him hard in the face. I held on to him, and let out a stream of expletives. His face grew pale, and he started to shake. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he whispered.

But the satisfaction of striking back quickly dissipated. By the time I walked away, I was feeling dirty and humiliated. After a couple of years enduring this kind harassment, I pretty much stopped walking to and from work.

Of course, harassment comes in many forms. It can be nasty words, groping, being followed or stalked, lewd, lascivious looks, and indecent exposure.

At times it can be dangerous. This is what a friend told me happened to her: "I remember I was walking on the street, when a car came hurtling towards me. Aiming for me! At the last minute he swerved, then stopped, and finally laughed at me. I learned later that it was a form of flirting."

Why is sexual harassment in Egypt so rampant? There could be any number of reasons, but many point to disregard for human rights.

The Muslim Brotherhood begins its own post-Mubarak transition, after deliberately downplaying its religious message during the uprising, waiting to make its move.

They know they have the support of so much of a population that is already highly receptive to a Sharia regime: a poll published just over two weeks ago showed Egyptians at once largely think democracy is the most preferable form of government (59% of participants), but also want to see stonings (82%) and a death penalty for apostasy (84%).

There will be a rude awakening for the many in the West who have come to assume democracy and human rights by any standard they would recognize are a package deal. "Islamist role rising as Egyptians plan victory march," by Sherine Madany and Patrick Werr for Reuters, February 17:

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian youth leaders moved to set up a new political party on Thursday as the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood played an increasingly important role in preparing for post-Mubarak elections promised within six months. [...]

The Brotherhood has a member on the committee redrafting the constitution, is on a council set up by activists to protect the revolution and has said it will set up as a political party as soon as laws are changed to let it and others do so.

The Brotherhood's spokesman appeared on state television a few days ago, a first for a movement banned in the Mubarak era. Having been timid in the early days of the revolt, it clearly thinks it is safe to come out.

And on February 2, it saw its shadow, and there will be six more weeks of stealth jihad the world over...

The Brotherhood is viewed with suspicion by Washington but is seen as the only truly organized bloc in Egypt and reckons it could win up to 30 percent of votes in a free election.

In another sign of the transformation of Egyptian politics, al-Gama'a al-Islamiya (Islamic Group), which took up arms against Mubarak's administration in the 1990s and was crushed by security forces, held its first public meeting in 15 years.

"To serve man":

"Our position is to turn a new page with the new regime," said Assem Abdel-Maged, a group member who spent years in jail for his role in the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat. "We will perform any positive role we can to help society."...

Note the threat: he is demanding that the government destroy the Ahmadiyya, or he is going to do so himself. So if the government is inclined to be more moderate, he is going to do all he can to force it in a more Islamic supremacist direction. Islamic Tolerance Alert from modern, moderate Indonesia: "FPI Vows to Disband Ahmadiyah 'Whatever It Takes,'" by Rahmat and Markus Junianto Sihaloho in the Jakarta Globe, February 18:

Makassar. The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) is threatening to disband Ahmadiyah, regardless of the risks, if the government does not take action against the Islamic sect.

Speaking in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Friday, FPI leader Habib Riziq said that Ahmadiyah was deviant and "must be disbanded."

"On that basis, the government must know which one is freedom of religion and which one is desecration [of religion]. In the name of Allah, I swear that until the last drop of my blood, whatever the risks, Ahmadiyah must not exist in Indonesia," Riziq said while giving a sermon before Friday prayers at the Al Markaz Al Islam mosque.

Riziq said he was not afraid of anyone who supported or defended Ahmadiyah, be it the police, the military, nongovernmental organizations, ministers or the government.

"We are not afraid of them," he claimed.

Riziq said Ahmadiyah was a form of desecration of Islam and the government had to know the difference....

An update on this story. Despite the fact that recordings showed Defreitas, a former air cargo handler at JFK, "speaking with evident relish about his desire to cause death and destruction," the defense attorney still claimed "entrapment."

That claim is absurd, as usual. Evidence showed the fact that this group of jihadists became "operational" rather than remaining "aspirational" was their choice, and one ought to be thankful authorities have had so much success in quietly constructing "off-ramps" for many a jihad plot, from Dallas to Portland, Springfield, Illinois, Baltimore, and this case as well, averting untold numbers of casualties.

"Life Sentence For Leader Of Terror Plot At Kennedy," by Colin Moynihan for the New York Times, February 17:

A man described by prosecutors as the ringleader of a plot to blow up fuel tanks at Kennedy International Airport was sentenced Thursday to life in prison.

As he had at his trial, the man, Russell M. Defreitas, 67, sat silently through his sentencing as Judge Dora L. Irizarry of Federal District Court in Brooklyn said "the offenses that were contemplated here, that the jury found Mr. Defreitas guilty of, are extremely serious."

Mr. Defreitas, a Guyanese immigrant and former cargo handler at the airport, was convicted in August of conspiracy to commit a terrorist attack after a trial in which prosecutors played secretly recorded conversations in which he planned the attack and described his hatred of the United States.

The recordings were made by a convicted drug dealer, Steven Francis, who worked as an informant and contributed some financial and logistical support to the plotters.

Four men were charged in the plot, including Mr. Defreitas and Abdul Kadir, who once served as mayor of Guyana's second largest city and as a member of the Guyanese Parliament.

Mr. Kadir was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison. Another defendant, Abdel Nur, pleaded guilty to providing material support for terrorism and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The fourth man, Kareem Ibrahim, has yet to be tried.

Prosecutors said Mr. Defreitas came up with a sinister plan intended to cause a chain reaction of explosions along a pipeline that runs between the airport and other parts of New York City. The conspirators hoped to destroy the country's economy, prosecutors said, and tried to contact Adnan G. el-Shukrijumah, a Qaeda operative with explosives training.

Parts of the conspiracy, as conceived by Mr. Defreitas, had bizarre aspects. He declared that he wanted the attack to be "high-tech" and "ninja-style" in execution, according to the tapes. At one point, he suggested that the plotters could create a diversion by flooding the airport's main terminal with a horde of rats. [...]

At the trial, Mr. Defreitas's lawyers portrayed him as more disagreeable than dangerous; one of his lawyers described him as "a man with a small mind, a big mouth and an ugly imagination." On Thursday, that lawyer, Mildred Whalen, asked Judge Irizarry to sentence her client to no more than 15 years.

"This was a group of people who were aspirational rather than operational," she said of the plotters. "Until the government got involved, this was talk."

Prosecutors disagreed, presenting a wide array of evidence during the trial, including hours of recordings. They showed that Mr. Defreitas had traveled to Guyana and Trinidad to seek support for the plot and had pushed it forward on numerous occasions, sometimes speaking with evident relish about his desire to cause death and destruction....

Shi'ites form a majority in Bahrain, but Sunnis rule the country. Bahrain has been a reliable U.S. ally under Sunni rule, but a Shi'ite regime would tilt it definitively toward Iran. "Riot police storm Bahrain camp; 4 reported dead," from ZeeNews, February 17:

Manama: Armed patrols prowled neighbourhoods and tanks appeared in the streets for the first time on Thursday after riot police with tear gas and clubs drove protesters from a main square where they had demanded sweeping political change in this tiny kingdom. Medical officials said four people were killed.

Police cars with flashing blue lights encircled Pearl Square, the site of anti-government rallies since Monday. Barbed wire was set up on streets leading to the square, where police cleaned up flattened protest tents and trampled banners. The Interior Ministry declared the protest camp "illegal" and warned Bahrainis to stay off the streets....

The protesters' demands have two main objectives: force the ruling Sunni monarchy to give up its control over top government posts and all critical decisions, and address deep grievances held by the country's majority Shi'ites who claim they face systematic discrimination and are effectively blocked from key roles in public service and the military.

Tiny Bahrain also is a pillar of Washington's military framework in the region. It hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet, which is a critical counterbalance to Iran's efforts to expand its clout in the region.

Any prolonged crisis opens the door for a potential flashpoint between Iran and its Arab rivals in the Gulf. Bahrain's ruling Sunni dynasty is closely allied to Saudi Arabia and the other Arab regimes in the Gulf. But Shi'ite hard-liners in Iran have often expressed kinship and support for Bahrain's Shi'ite majority, which accounts for 70 percent of the island's 500,000 citizens....

Demonstrators began camping out on Tuesday on the square beneath the 300-foot (90-meter) monument featuring a giant pearl, making it the nerve centre of the first anti-government protests to reach the Arab Gulf since the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

The police assault came early Thursday with little warning. Mahmoud Mansouri, a protester, said police surrounded the camp and then quickly moved in.

"We yelled, 'We are peaceful! Peaceful!' The women and children were attacked just like the rest of us," he said. "They moved in as soon as the media left us. They knew what they're doing."...

He said the police beating him spoke Urdu, the main language of Pakistan. A pillar of the protest demands is to end the Sunni regime's practice of giving citizenship to other Sunnis from around the region to try to offset the demographic strength of Shi'ites. Many of the new Bahrainis are given security posts.

At the behest of Hassan Nasrallah himself. "The Syrian intelligence head was reportedly eager to help."

"'Syrian embassy aided Hezbollah prisoner's escape,'" from the Jerusalem Post, February 17:

The Syrian embassy in Cairo aided Egyptian Hezbollah president Mohammed Yousef Mansour, known as Sami Chehab, in leaving Egypt by issuing him a false passport, a Syrian source told Kuwaiti Arabic-language daily Al-Seyasseh Wednesday.

Chehab, exploiting the chaos that had erupted in Egypt during demonstrations that called for president Hosni Mubarak's ouster, had escaped the prison where he was serving a 15-year sentence for planning terrorist activities on Egyptian soil. Following his escape, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah sent an adviser to Syria's intelligence head in order to request that Syria provide Chehab with a false Syrian passport and documents, the source told Al-Seyasseh. The Syrian intelligence head was reportedly eager to help.

The Syrian embassy then issued Chehab a new passport - replacing one that "was lost" - which he used to travel from Egypt to Khartoum where members of the Sudanese Hezbollah cell helped usher him to the international airport. From there, Chehab flew to Syria, and crossed over into Lebanon.

Chehab appeared in a Beirut rally Wednesday, waving Hezbollah flags and raising his hands in a V-victory sign....

Laugh if you will, but there will be more and more of this in the West as the Muslim presence increases. The existence of jinn (genies) is taken for granted in the Qur'an, so they are an integral part of the worldview that is advancing steadily Westward. In The Caliph's House, Tahir Shah's marvelously entertaining account of his adventures moving his family to Morocco and buying and refurbishing a home in Casablanca, Shah is repeatedly amazed by the belief of the locals (including Westernized Moroccans whom he believes to be sophisticated) in the existence of jinn, the mischievous spirit beings who interfere in human affairs. And their invariable reply to his astonished inquiries is, "It's in the Qur'an."

"Genies blamed for girl's disappearance: After a visit to Koran reciters, she had to be carried out as she appeared to be in a trance," from Emirates 24/7, February 10 (thanks to Tanstaafl):

A Yemeni girl has been missing for nearly a month in Saudi Arabia and her family believe she could have been snatched by jinn (genies), a newspaper reported on Thursday.

The 23-year-old girl stepped out of her house in a mountainous village near the western town of Taif and never returned, prompting a massive police search campaign, Sabq Arabic language daily said.

"Some people told police they saw her walking on a hill not far from her house then vanished again," the paper said.

"Her brothers and some residents in the village said she sometimes appears at night and then suddenly disappears...they told police that they believe she has been haunted and taken by jinn."

The paper quoted her brother, Ahmed Ali, as saying his sister ran away from home a year ago but was found at another house on the same day. He said his sister had been nervous and moody but had no problems with the family just before she vanished again.

"On that day, she was with my other sisters washing in the second floor of the house...she then went down to the ground floor...my sisters waited for her but she never came back," he said.

"Before she vanished, we used to take her to some Koran reciters and scholars...she used to walk into their places but we had to carry her on our way out as she appeared to be in a trance...a red fluid sometimes oozed out of her ears and noses...it was not blood and it had a strange smell...some scholars told us that she is haunted and others said she is under jinn guardianship."

What fun they'll have when they take over in Paris. Sharia Alert from the Kingdom of the Two Holy Places: "Engaged couple can chat... but not on love," from Emirates 24/7, February 17 (thanks to Emad):

A chief Saudi Islamic scholar authorized engaged couples in the conservative Gulf Kingdom to chat by phone before marriage but warned them of brining up love issues.

Sheikh Abdullah Al Mutlaq, a member of the seven-man Supreme Scholars Committee in Saudi Arabia, said a phone conservation between engaged couples must first be approved by relatives.

"You can chat over the phone before marriage provided you get prior approval by your families," he told Aljazeira newspaper.

"But this conservation becomes forbidden if it includes love issues...you should beware of the Devil's attempts to push you into love talk then to love and other obscene topics.'

The film was made by a "moderate Muslim." "Pak film lauds 'death for blasphemy' in name of Islam reminiscent of Taseer's murder," from ANI, February 17 (thanks to Twostellas):

Lahore, Feb 17 : An upcoming Pakistani movie lauds extra-judicial killings in the name of Islam, in a grim reminder of last month's killing of liberal Punjab Governor Salman Taseer by one of his own bodyguards because of his support for the release of Pakistani-Christian woman Asia Bibi, who has been sentenced to death on blasphemy charges.

Both Taseer's assassin Malik Mumtaz Qadri and Tariq, the fictitious hero of Noor's film, are thickset men with bushy beards and dark, round faces, hail from the province of Punjab, the conservative hinterland, and both achieve hero status after committing murder.

Even the film's tagline carries the same chilling message backed by Qadri and his supporters: "Punishment for Blasphemers: Decapitation."

Still, director Syed Noor denies any similarity between his film-"Aik Aur Ghazi" ("One More Holy Warrior")- and Taseer's killing.

"My film has nothing to do with Salman Taseer," The Christian Science Monitor quoted Noor, as saying in an interview at his studio.

"The villain in my film claimed he was the prophet of Islam. Salman Taseer was just trying to help a woman," he argued, referring to Taseer's efforts to free Aasia Bibi from jail where she awaits a death sentence for blasphemy.

However, critics remain unconvinced, and argue that the film''s expected commercial appeal is indicative of the growing acceptability of extrajudicial killings in the name of Islam.

Pakistani columnist and cultural critic Nadeem Farooq Paracha questioned: "He is making a fictional character who did the same thing as Mumtaz Qadri- how is it different? Where is the logic in that one?"

According to him, Noor's reputation as a "moderate Muslim" gives his work more credibility. He said that the Pakistani media are full of personalities who, while proclaiming to represent progressive values, often espouse extreme views.

"Such people are far more dangerous than those extroverted about their fundamentalism," said Paracha, adding, "These are people whose numbers have grown and who call themselves moderate Muslims: They are anything but [moderate Muslims]."

Hanging tough and all alone. An update on this story. "Bibi Tells Nasrallah: Stay in Your Bunker," by Maayana Miskin for Israel National News, February 17 (thanks to David):

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu took a jab at Hizbullah head Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday evening after the latter threatened to take over northern Israel in case of war. "Anyone who's hiding in a bunker should stay in a bunker," he said.

"Nasrallah said he would capture the Galilee. I have news for you - you won't."

"Nobody should doubt Israel's or our ability to defend ourselves," he continued. "We have a powerful army. We want peace with all our neighbors, yet the IDF is prepared to powerfully defend Israel against all our enemies."...

Common sense has not yet broken through, but at least it has a chance. Free Speech Death Watch Alert from Eurabia: "Judge: Anti-Islam lawmaker can seek dismissal," from the Associated Press, February 17:

AMSTERDAM (AP) -- An Amsterdam court said Monday it will reconsider dismissing the hate speech trial of one of the country's most popular leaders, an anti-immigrant politician who compared Islam to fascism and called for a ban on the Quran.

Preliminary objections to Geert Wilders' trial were heard by an another panel of judges last year, but that court stepped down when it became embroiled in allegations of potential bias against him.

The Wilders' defense team had a right to present its preliminary objections again, and if they are granted "then the case is over and out," Judge Marcel van Oosten said.

Wilders, the powerful head of the Freedom Party, faces charges of "inciting discrimination" for his remarks, which opponents say have led to more anti-Muslim discrimination. Wilders denies wrongdoing, saying he has a right to freedom of speech and that many Dutch voters support him.

Even before the first panel of judges was dismissed, prosecutors had conceded they didn't think their evidence was strong enough for a conviction.

But if the case is to be heard, then Wilders' defense lawyer Bram Moszkowicz said at a hearing last week that he wants a complete retrial with new witnesses.

Van Oosten ruled that if the case continues past preliminary objections, then Moszkowicz will be allowed to call some of the witnesses he requested. Those include Islamic scholars to testify about the evidence for Wilders' claims that it is an inherently violent religion.

However, the judge rejected requests to hear several other witnesses, including Mohammed Bouyeri, the Dutch-born Islamic radical who killed filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004 over perceived religious insults.

Van Oosten said Bouyeri doesn't qualify as an expert.

"It's generally known that among the adherents of Islam, as in other religions, one can find some people who aren't shy to endorse or apply the use of violence," the judge said. "That doesn't need any further evidence."

"...as in other religions..." Hence all those Christian suicide bombers.

Moszkowicz's key preliminary arguments the first time around were that the case had been motivated by Wilders' political enemies, and that most of his alleged anti-Muslim remarks are protected speech because they were made as part of public political debate....

After booking big gains in national elections last year, his Freedom Party is propping up an all-conservative minority Cabinet in exchange for a new round of restrictions on immigration and measures such as a ban on Muslims wearing face-covering clothes in public.

This is perfectly understandable, given the fact that Carter himself gave four of the best years of his life to the work of eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within: January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981.

"Carter says Egyptian military likely to obey will of people," by Collin Eaton for the American-Statesman, February 15:

"I think the Muslim Brotherhood is not anything to be afraid of in the upcoming (Egyptian) political situation and the evolution I see as most likely," Carter said. "They will be subsumed in the overwhelming demonstration of desire for freedom and true democracy."

The Muslim Brothers "must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and "sabotaging" its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions." -- "An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Brotherhood in North America," by Mohamed Akram, May 19, 1991.

Carter's problem is one he shares with numerous American analysts: he assumes that the Egyptian people are all Jeffersonians in potencia, just waiting for their chance to establish a pluralistic multiparty democracy guaranteeing equality of rights for all. It never seems to occur to him, or to any of the other analysts who assume this, that what one person may mean by "freedom" may be quite different from what another person means by it. It may be -- indeed, it is likely -- that many Egyptians who speak of "freedom" mean freedom to implement Sharia fully in their society, and "democracy" as the means to that end.

By now this should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to how Barack Obama has treated Israel since he has become president. And anyone who has read The Post-American Presidency knows that Obama's stance toward Israel as president is simply a continuation of his associations with antisemites and haters of Israel throughout his political career.

"In sharp reversal, U.S. agrees to rebuke Israel in Security Council," by Colum Lynch at Foreign Policy, February 16 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

The U.S. informed Arab governments Tuesday that it will support a U.N. Security Council statement reaffirming that the 15-nation body "does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity," a move aimed at avoiding the prospect of having to veto a stronger Palestinian resolution calling the settlements illegal.

But the Palestinians rejected the American offer following a meeting late Wednesday of Arab representatives and said it is planning to press for a vote on its resolution on Friday, according to officials familar with the issue. The decision to reject the American offer raised the prospect that the Obama adminstration will cast its first ever veto in the U.N. Security Council.

Still, the U.S. offer signaled a renewed willingness to seek a way out of the current impasse, even if it requires breaking with Israel and joining others in the council in sending a strong message to its key ally to stop its construction of new settlements. U.S. officials were not available for comment, but two Security Council diplomats confirmed the proposal....

Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, outlined the new U.S. offer in a closed door meeting on Tuesday with the Arab Group, a bloc of Arab countries from North Africa and the Middle East. In exchange for scuttling the Palestinian resolution, the United States would support the council statement, consider supporting a U.N. Security Council visit to the Middle East, the first since 1979, and commit to supporting strong language criticizing Israel's settlement policies in a future statement by the Middle East Quartet.

The U.S.-backed draft statement -- which was first reported by Al Hurra -- was obtained by Turtle Bay. In it, the Security Council "expresses its strong opposition to any unilateral actions by any party, which cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and will not be recognized by the international community, and reaffirms, that it does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity, which is a serious obstacle to the peace process." The statement also condemns "all forms of violence, including rocket fire from Gaza, and stresses the need for calm and security for both peoples."...

With the Muslim Brotherhood advancing in Egypt and talking already about setting aside the Camp David Accords, and with Barack Obama abandoning the U.S.'s most reliable Middle Eastern ally, Nasrallah no doubt sees his best chance coming soon. "'Prepare to Invade Israel,' Hezbollah Leader Tells Followers," by Bassem Mroue for Associated Press (thanks to Weasel Zippers):

Beirut (AP) - Hezbollah's leader told his Shiite guerrilla group Wednesday to be prepared to invade northern Israel, a day after Israel's defense minister warned that the quiet along the tense border could erupt into violence.

The comments by the two sides illustrate the fragile situation along the frontier since they Israel and Hezbollah fought a bitter, six-week war in the summer of 2006. The war ended in a U.N.-brokered truce but officials on both sides of the border believe it is only a matter of time before hostilities resume.

"I tell the holy warriors of the Islamic Resistance to be ready for a day when, if war is imposed on us, your command might ask you to control the Galilee area," Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech Wednesday. The Galilee refers to land in northern Israel....

Many people in Pakistan already want Raymond Davis dead. According to this report, Davis says he was acting in self-defense from armed robbery when he killed two Pakistanis. The story below speculates the two were members of the ISI, whom prosecutors claim were fleeing from Davis. Not that we've ever, ever heard of the ISI being up to no good, of course.

The lavish Valentine's Day tributes (curiously not proscribed as haram here as celebrations were in many other places in the Muslim world) enjoyed by the assassin of blasphemy law critic Salman Taseer again demonstrate the popularity of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan. They are now a rallying point for Islamic groups and their supporters.

In this case, it is the word of Pakistani Muslim prisoners and guards against Davis, and they have given jihadists a backup plan in hope of seeing him killed one way or the other: just in case the merits of the murder charges don't stack up in court, the blasphemy ones might, and failing that, they may attempt to murder him on their own.

"Lahore: for Islamic fundamentalists, Raymond Davis is a blasphemer who must be beheaded," by Jibran Khan for Asia News, February 16:

Lahore (AsiaNews) - Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), an Islamic political movement, wants Raymond Davis, a US citizen, tried for blasphemy, an offence that carries the death penalty. JUI chief Maulana Samiul Haq has accused him of disrespect towards the Friday call to prayer from a mosque and derogatory remarks about people who gathered for prayers as well as misbehaviour towards prison staff. The alleged actions occurred in Kot Lakhpat Maximum Security Prison in Lahore where the 36-year-old US national is being held on charges of double murder. He is waiting for Pakistani authorities to rule on his claim to diplomatic immunity.

For Raymond Davis, the situation is getting more complicated. Pakistan's extremist camp is now egging on crowds and demanding an exemplary punishment for him. This comes at a time when tensions between Washington and Islamabad are at their highest. The 36-year-old American is in jail on charges of killing two men on 27 January in Lahore. He claims he acted in self-defence.

The phrase "an exemplary punishment" is a quotation from a statement by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

A local court ruled that he be held for two weeks in preventive custody. The inquiry appears to show that he shot in cold blood two Pakistanis, probably agents of the country's Inter-Service Intelligence, as they fled on a motorbike.

The United States wants Pakistan to recognise his diplomatic immunity even though the Vienna Convention does not cover serious crimes like murder, which is what he is charged with.

In recent days, Raymond Davis is thought to have made his situation even worse. According to Mian Mushtaq Awan, Kot Lakhpat prison superintendant [sic], the American insulted the prison's religious leader and inmates who had met for morning prayers.

A group of prisoners tried to attack him but he was rescued by police before he could be lynched. A guard said, "Davis made derogatory remarks about Islam and Muslim prayers".

News about the incident fired up the country's extremist camp. For Maulana Samiul Haq, "Davis`s behaviour is punishable by death," irrespective of his diplomatic immunity.

The JUI leader also called on the government to "hang Asia Bibi, the Christian woman, who insulted the prophet to make her an example for everyone in the country." He was referring to the Christian mother who is in jail after being sentenced to death for blasphemy and waiting for her appeal to be heard.

Pakistan's Islamic extremists have called for a national day of protest on 20 February in Peshawar to defend the 'black law'.

That is what Salman Taseer called it -- a "black law." That was enough to make him a target.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has warned the government that if it released Davis, it would hold street demonstrations.

A TTP spokesman called on the authorities to hand over Davis so that they could behead him. He also threatened judges.

US Senator John Kerry has arrived in Lahore in an attempt to solve the matter. He met former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Queshi and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to discuss details.

The title of my new piece at FrontPage this evening is a bit hyperbolic, since Qaradawi is not even a politician and doesn't live in Egypt, and is not going to rule there. But Jew-hating and genocidally minded? That he is.

With the Muslim Brotherhood almost certain to play a substantial role in the next Egyptian government, looming in the background is the man that Der Spiegel described this week as "the father figure of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood": Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Qaradawi has been praised by Saudi-funded Islamic scholar John Esposito as a champion of a "reformist interpretation of Islam and its relationship to democracy, pluralism and human rights." But numerous statements of Qaradawi demonstrate that he is anything but a "reformist" or a genuine champion of "democracy, pluralism and human rights" - and is, in fact, positively Hitlerian in his Jew-hatred and bloodlust.

Qaradawi, 84, is based in Qatar, but was born in Egypt, and still wields considerable influence there. During the uprising against the Mubarak regime, a Muslim website published a chapter from Qaradawi's book Laws of Jihad, including this passage: "One of the forms of jihad in Islam is jihad against evil and corruption within [the Islamic lands]. This jihad is crucial in order to protect society from collapse, disintegration, and perdition — for Muslim society has unique characteristics, and if these are lost, forgotten or destroyed, there will be no Muslim society."

In 2002, the Muslim Brotherhood asked him to take over as their leader, but he refused, probably because he saw the position as too small for him: Qaradawi's renown is not limited to Egypt or even to the Middle East. He is an international figure, reaching sixty million Muslims weekly through his Al-Jazeera TV show, "Sharia and Life," and touching countless more through his 120 published books (including his famous, popular Sharia manual, Al Halal wal Haram fil Islam - that is, The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam), his website IslamOnline.com (which publishes many of his fatwas) and positions as president of the International Association of Muslim Scholars and the European Council for Fatwa and Research.

Qaradawi also enjoys a reputation as a moderate beyond just Esposito: the former Ground Zero mosque imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who is himself widely assumed to be a "moderate" despite evidence to the contrary, has hailed Qaradawi as a "very very well known Islamic jurist, highly regarded all over the Muslim world." And another Muslim leader whose moderate bona fides have been questioned, the vaunted "Muslim Martin Luther" Tariq Ramadan, wrote a foreword to one of his books in 1998, and former London Mayor Ken Livingstone welcomed him to the city in 2004 and praised him repeatedly, despite the fact that during that visit Qaradawi explained to the BBC that suicide attacks against Israelis were not actually suicide at all, but "martyrdom in the name of God." (Qaradawi has since been banned from Britain, as well as from the U.S.)

And the things that Qaradawi tells the millions of Muslims that he reaches are anything but moderate. In January 2009, during a Friday sermon broadcast on Al-Jazeera, he prayed that Allah would kill all the Jews: "Oh Allah, take this oppressive, Jewish, Zionist band of people. Oh Allah, do not spare a single one of them. Oh Allah, count their numbers, and kill them, down to the very last one." He also declared: "Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by [Adolf] Hitler."...

There is more.

He planned an attack on U.S. military personnel in Quantico, possessed armor piercing ammunition, and wanted to use it "to attack the Americans."

He is an American, of course. But when he converted to Islam, he apparently ceased to think of himself as an American, and instead regarded Americans as his enemies.

More on this story. "North Carolina man trained in Pak pleads guilty to 'jihad' charges," from the International Business Times, February 16:

The guilty plea entered on Feb. 9 in a federal court in New Bern, North Carolina, was announced by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division and George E.B. Holding, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Boyd, 40, was first charged along with seven other defendants in a federal indictment returned on July 22, 2009. He was arrested on July 29, 2009, and the indictment was unsealed. On September 24, 2009, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment that added additional charges against Boyd and two of the other defendants.

According to the superseding indictment, during the period from 1989 through 1992, he traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan where he received military-style training in terrorist training camps for the purpose of engaging in violent jihad. Following this training, according to the Indictment, he fought in Afghanistan.

It was, however, unclear who Boyd fought against. The FBI said Boyd claimed to have gone to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets but Soviet troops left in 1989.

The indictment also stated that from Nov. 2006 through at least July 2009, Boyd, also known as 'Saifullah,' had conspired with the other defendants to provide material support and resources to terrorists, including currency, training, transportation and personnel. The indictment also charged Boyd with undertaking a reconnaissance of the Marine Corps Base located in Quantico, Virginia, and obtaining maps of the base in order to plan an attack on U.S. military personnel in Quantico. It also said Boyd possessed armor piercing ammunition and wanted to use it "to attack the Americans."

"The defendants also conspired to murder, kidnap, maim, and injure persons abroad during this period. The object of the conspiracy, according to the indictment, was to advance violent jihad, including supporting and participating in terrorist activities abroad and committing acts of murder, kidnapping, or maiming persons abroad," the DOJ said in a statement.

"As part of the conspiracy, the defendants prepared themselves to engage in violent jihad and were willing to die as martyrs. They also allegedly offered training in weapons and financing and helped arrange overseas travel and contacts so others could wage violent jihad overseas.

"In addition, the defendants raised money to support training efforts, disguised the destination of such monies from the donors, and obtained assault weapons to develop skills with the weapons. Some defendants also allegedly radicalized others to believe that violent jihad was a personal religious obligation."...

Prosecutors said they had hundreds of recorded phone calls, e-mails and other evidence if the case had gone to trial. Holding said Boyd was significantly influenced by al-Awlaki, the leader of Yemen-based terror organization and some of Boyd's literature in his home or in his e-mail that discussed the need for holy war had references of al-Awlaki. In one of the audio recordings, a voice that authorities have identified as Boyd says: "I love jihad. I love to stand there and fight for the sake of Allah."

Boyd is set to be sentenced in May 2011 and faces up to 15 years' imprisonment followed by up to three years' supervised release for conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and up to a life term of imprisonment followed by up to five years of supervised release for conspiring to murder, kidnap, maim, and injure persons in a foreign country.

"...a life term of imprisonment followed by up to five years of supervised release..." A life term and supervised release after that? You mean they're going to supervise him cavorting with his 72 virgins?

Boyd's neighbors in Willow Spring, just south of Raleig [sic] in North Carolina, said they were shocked by Boyd's arrest and subsequent charges as he lived a quiet life - attending local mosques and operating a drywall business....

Attending local mosques? And yet no one noticed that he was a Misunderstander of Islam?

No doubt they are peace-loving advocates of democracy at heart. "Rioting hits Libyan city of Benghazi," from Reuters, February 16 (thanks to Ravi):

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Hundreds of people clashed with police and government supporters overnight in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, a witness and local media said, in a rare show of unrest in the oil exporting country.

Protesters angered by the arrest of a human rights activist threw petrol bombs, set cars ablaze and chanted "no God but God!" in clashes that left dozens injured, according to reports from the city....

A video clip posted on the YouTube site by someone who said it was recorded in Benghazi on Tuesday night showed a crowd of people outside what looked like a government building chanting: "No God but God!" and "Corruption is the enemy of God."...

People in Benghazi and the region around it have a history of distrust of Gaddafi's rule. Of the hundreds of people jailed in Libya over the past decade for membership of banned Islamist militant groups, many are from the city....

At the Abu Salim prison near Tripoli, 110 men jailed for membership of the banned Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) were set free, though local rights activists overseeing the release said it had nothing to do with events in Benghazi....

Of course not!

The real hatemongers are in Tehran. "Iran govt calls for 'hatred' rally against opposition," from AFP, February 16 (thanks to Twostellas):

Iran's regime said it called a rally in Tehran for Friday to express "hatred" against the opposition movement, as its two key leaders launched fresh anti-government tirades despite demands they be hanged.

Wednesday's call for the mass rally came as clashes erupted between regime backers and "apparent" supporters of the opposition at a funeral attended by thousands in Tehran of a student killed in anti-government protests of Monday.

"The noble people of Tehran will take to Enghelab Square after Friday prayers with their solid and informed presence," the Islamic Propagation Coordination Council, which organizes regime-backed programs, said Wednesday.

It said those joining the rally will "scream out their hatred, wrath and disgust against the savage crimes and evil movements of sedition leaders, their Monafeghin (hypocrites) and their monarchist allies."...

A speech "peppered with verses from the Koran." "FPI Leader Fires Up Court With Anti-Christian Screed," by Elisabeth Oktofani for the Jakarta Globe, February 16 (thanks to Twostellas):

In a fiery speech in court that moved some to tears, a suspended Islamic Defenders Front leader on trial for inciting attacks against a Christian group in Bekasi continued to issue threats against church leaders on Monday.

Murhali Barda, a former chapter leader of the hard-line group, also known as the FPI, warned the Batak Christian Protestant Church (HKBP) against holding prayers in Bekasi, a predominantly Muslim district in West Java.

He was suspended from the Islamic organization after his arrest in September.

"There are two messages I mean to send off to the HKBP. Do not repeat the same mistake again. Do not be stupid sheep wandering into the same yard after being asked to leave," Murhali said, reading from a prepared defense statement at the Bekasi District Court.

"If you do not listen, do not blame the owner of that yard if he forces you out by throwing stones at you or beating you with a block of wood," Murhali said.

The defendant is accused of inciting an attack against two HKBP leaders in Ciketing village on Sept. 12 through his anti-Christian statements on radio, text messages and his personal Facebook page.

Twelve others were brought to court in separate trials for the assault, which saw Asia Sihombing stabbed and the Rev. Luspida Simandjuntak beaten.

One of the suspects, Supriyanto, admitted in court that he had been inspired to violence by Murhali's Facebook postings.

On Monday, Murhali denied spreading messages of hate through the social networking site, but described the 13 men on trial -- including himself -- as icons of "anti-Christianization."

"Don't you know Jesus had [only] 12 disciples? There are 13 of us," he said.

"There will be 313 mujahids [holy warriors] who will be ready to fight against you. All we want is for [the HKBP] to respect us. We will not bother you if you do not bother us," he added.

"I am not a crazy person. I am not going to blacken my [reputation] by doing something stupid [like inciting people to violence]," he said. "All I did was just an attempt to prevent efforts to Christianize people in Bekasi."...

He ended his statement with a plea to judges "not to issue the wrong decision" in the case.

A plea, or a threat?

Murhali's speech, peppered with verses from the Koran, brought many in the courtroom to tears, including his mother, his supporters and at least two police officers....

Noting that Islamic law forbids musical instruments and music itself except in some strictly defined circumstances will bring you swift charges of "ignorance" and "Islamophobia." I guess Bilal Philips is an ignorant Islamophobe.

Hadith Qudsi 19:5: "The Prophet said that Allah commanded him to destroy all the musical instruments, idols, crosses and all the trappings of ignorance." (The Hadith Qudsi, or holy Hadith, are those in which Muhammad transmits the words of Allah, although those words are not in the Qur'an.)

Muhammad also said:

(1) "Allah Mighty and Majestic sent me as a guidance and mercy to believers and commanded me to do away with musical instruments, flutes, strings, crucifixes, and the affair of the pre-Islamic period of ignorance."

(2) "On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will pour molten lead into the ears of whoever sits listening to a songstress."

(3) "Song makes hypocrisy grow in the heart as water does herbage."

(4) "This community will experience the swallowing up of some people by the earth, metamorphosis of some into animals, and being rained upon with stones." Someone asked, "When will this be, O Messenger of Allah?" and he said, "When songstresses and musical instruments appear and wine is held to be lawful."

(5) "There will be peoples of my Community who will hold fornication, silk, wine, and musical instruments to be lawful ...." -- 'Umdat al-Salik r40.0

Sharia Alert: "Islamic former guitarist now preaches against music," by Stewart Bell for the National Post, February 15 (thanks to Twostellas):

Bilal Philips was once a guitar god. Now he is trying to convince Muslims that God doesn't want them listening to guitars.

A Saudi-trained Canadian, Mr. Philips is among a small group of lecturers who preach against most forms of music -- a controversial prohibition that surfaced in Manitoba recently, where a dozen Muslim families want to pull their children from music class.

"A heart filled with music will not have room for God's words," he writes in his book Contemporary Issues, which also defends child marriages, wife beating, polygamy and killing apostates while calling homosexuality "evil and dangerous."

While Mr. Philips argues that Islam does not prohibit all music, he says it only allows adult male singers and "folk songs with acceptable content sung by males or females under the age of puberty accompanied by a hand drum."

"Wind and stringed instruments have been banned because of their captivating power," he continues. "Their notes and chords evoke strong emotional attachments. For many, music becomes a source of solace and hope instead of God. When they are down, music brings them up temporarily, like a drug. The Koran, the words of God filled with guidance, should play that role."

In his book, he also says adult women are forbidden from singing "in order to keep the sensual atmosphere of the society at a minimum. Men are much more easily aroused than females as has been thoroughly documented by the clinical studies of Masters and Johnson."

Music is an integral part of life in the Arab and Muslim world, but Mr. Philips and a band of Saudi-influenced lecturers have been trying to convince Muslims to turn off their radios and iPods and focus on their religion.

Zakir Naik, the president of the Islamic Research Foundation in Mumbai, India, who pulled out of a Toronto conference last year following a controversy over his views, claims music puts people into a "trance" and "frenzy." Yasir Qadhi of Texas, dean of the Al Maghrib Institute, argues that you "can't love the Koran and music at the same time."

A video on the Gardens of Paradise blog (whose Canadian administrator left Toronto to fight for the al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabab in Somalia) claims music goes hand in hand with such un-Islamic activities as dancing, inappropriate clothing, mingling of the sexes and alcohol.

But the Islamic Institute of Toronto says on its website that many scholars disagree with that interpretation, and consider music permissible as long as it does not contain "sensual, pagan or unethical themes" or subliminal messages.

"Thus to say that all music is forbidden in Islam does not seem to agree with the balanced approach of Islam to issues of human life and experience," says a ruling on the "ask the scholar" section of the site.

The debate over the permissibility of music in Islam has stirred controversy in Winnipeg, where several families who recently immigrated to Canada have told the Louis Riel School Division they want their children excused from compulsory music class, as well as co-ed physical education....

After immigrating to Canada from Jamaica at age 11, he took up the guitar. He played at nightclubs while studying at Simon Fraser University in B.C. When he moved to Malaysia, he was known as the "Jimi Hendrix of Sabah," the district of Borneo where he lived.

But after converting to Islam in 1972, he put down his guitar for good. In the biography on his website he says, "when I became a Muslim, I felt uncomfortable doing this and gave it up both professionally and privately."

Mr. Philips, who has degrees from the Islamic University of Medina and the University of Riyadh, and founded the Islamic Online University, lives in Qatar but remains a popular conference speaker in Canada. He gave a lecture about "music and dating" at a Toronto mosque last April....

Degrees from the Islamic University of Medina and the University of Riyadh, and founder of the Islamic Online University. Clearly he is a Misunderstander of Islam.

"There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious." -- Ayatollah Khomeini

"Shutting Down Nightclubs and Combatting Prostitution Demanded by Jordan Muslim Clerics," from the Ahlul Bayt News Agency, February 16 (thanks to Twostellas):

More than 100 Jordanian Muslim clerics demanded the government shut down all nightclubs in the country and combat prostitution, in a statement issued on Wednesday.

"We demand the government close all nightclubs, which work under the pretext of promoting tourism," 109 clerics, among them a former cabinet minister, MPs, Muslim leaders, university professors and mosque preachers, said in the joint statement.

"We also demand the authorities combat prostitution and brothels, and introduce laws that fight all anti-Islamic and unethical acts which destroy our society," the statement said.

A group of MPs has separately asked the government to close nightclubs in two western Amman streets named after the holy cities of Mecca and Medina because "it is insulting to Islam and Muslims."...

Boko Haram -- i.e., "Books, Him Bad."

"Police blame Muslim radical sect for attempted church attack in troubled northern Nigeria," from the Associated Press, February 16 (thanks to Twostellas):

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) -- Police say they've foiled a church attack engineered by a radical Muslim sect in northeastern Nigeria.

Borno state police commissioner Mohammed Abubakar said Wednesday that the attackers were chased away by security officers Tuesday evening.

The police accuse a radical Muslim sect locally known as Boko Haram of being behind a rash of targeted killings in the area....

During the entire Egyptian uprising, I have predicted that a post-Mubarak government will include the Muslim Brotherhood in a new governing coalition, and that the Brotherhood will work gradually to assert elements of Sharia and muscle out the other members of the coalition. Here is the first step. We'll see if the rest plays out the way I predicted as well. "Islamist moves from jail to power, and a chance to ban kissing," by David Kirkpatrick and Kareem Fahim for the Sydney Morning Herald, February 17 (thanks to Twostellas):

CAIRO: The military officers governing Egypt have convened a panel of jurists, including an outspoken Muslim Brotherhood politician, to revise the constitution in the first tangible evidence of a commitment to move the country towards democracy after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak....

The biggest surprise was the inclusion of Sobhi Saleh, an Alexandria lawyer and former MP who is a prominent figure in the Muslim Brotherhood. The Mubarak government repeatedly portrayed Mr Saleh as an extremist. He has espoused views such as advocating a ban on public kissing, and was recently released from an intelligence prison.

''I am very happy because Tantawi told us to try to finish as soon as we can,'' Mr Saleh said. ''He said, 'We want to hand over the power because we are military people and we have no political aspirations.'''

His colleagues on the panel called Mr Saleh an impartial jurist. ''Sobhi Saleh is a real legal expert,'' said Hassan el-Badrawi, a judge on the panel. ''This is proof we are not excluding anybody.''...

Pamela Geller has much more here and here.

"Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews..." -- Qur'an 5:82

"CBS reporter's Cairo nightmare: Lara Logan set upon by mob in brutal sex attack," by Michael Shain, Don Kaplan and Kate Sheehy for the New York Post, February 16 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):

"60 Minutes" correspondent Lara Logan was repeatedly sexually assaulted by thugs yelling, "Jew! Jew!" as she covered the chaotic fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo's main square Friday, CBS and sources said yesterday.

The TV crew with Logan, who is also the network's chief foreign correspondent, had its cameras rolling moments before she was dragged off -- and caught her on tape looking tense and trying to head away from a crowd of men behind her in Tahrir Square.

"Logan was covering the jubilation . . . when she and her team and their security were surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration," CBS said in a statement. "It was a mob of more than 200 people whipped into a frenzy.

"In the crush of the mob, [Logan] was separated from her crew. She was surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers....

A network source told The Post that her attackers were screaming, "Jew! Jew!" during the assault. And the day before, Logan had told Esquire.com that Egyptian soldiers hassling her and her crew had accused them of "being Israeli spies." Logan is not Jewish.

In Friday's attack, she was separated from her colleagues and attacked for between 20 to 30 minutes, The Wall Street Journal said....

As part of the anti-media backlash, CNN's Anderson Cooper had also been roughed up, and ABC correspondent Brian Hartman had been threatened with beheading....

"Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks..." -- Qur'an 47:4

Pamela Geller and I will be holding a question-and-answer session with many 9/11 family members after the New York premiere of the film. Join us! And bring your friends, families and freedom lovers.

The New York City premiere of the Ground Zero mosque film is on Muhammad's birthday (according to the Shi'ites), February 20, at the St. Luke's Theatre, 308 W 46th Street, New York City, 7:30 pm. You must RSVP GroundZeroMosque@aol.com.

Listen for yourself

In FrontPage this morning I analyze the heated and sometimes illuminating debate on Hannity's radio show Monday between Suhail Khan and David Horowitz:

[...] Amid all his fog of verbiage, Khan never denied that his father had been a founder of the MSA and was also involved in ISNA. He never denied that those groups were linked to the Brotherhood, or that the Brotherhood's goal in the U.S. was "eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within." He never denied that he had spoken at CAIR events, and came up with no convincing explanation when asked why he would have done so if he really shunned groups with any connections to jihad terror and the stealth jihad agenda of Islamic supremacism.

Consequently it is difficult, if not impossible, for any objective observer to take Khan's protestations that he is simply an ordinary American conservative, working for small government and fiscal responsibility. Imagine if the shoe were on the other foot, and a prominent American public figure, while active in the conservative movement, spoke at events sponsored by genuinely racist, white supremacist organizations (as opposed to those falsely characterized as such by a Leftist media bent on destroying its conservative opponents). Imagine further that when asked about these speaking engagements, this public figure grew indignant, charged that his interlocutors were engaging in a witchhunt, and claimed ignorance of the unsavory links of his associates.

How long would such a man last in the public arena without being called to account? How long would he be allowed to get away with dissembling, obfuscating, confusing the issue, and making counter-charges, instead of honestly addressing his associations and their implications? The Hannity Show featuring David Horowitz and Suhail Khan, if the mainstream media retained even a shred of the objectivity to which it pretends, would be the final nail in the coffin of Suhail Khan's reputation as a solid conservative and loyal American committed to Constitutional values. But Khan continues to be given a free pass, doubtless because of the thoughtless multiculturalism of today's mainstream journalists: he is a Muslim being challenged by non-Muslims? Then he is right and they are wrong, and he must be protected from their ignorant, racist, bigoted, hateful attacks.

Such is the state of journalism, and of the country, in this third year of the reign of Barack Obama.

There is more.

The details are murky and disputed, but here are the basic facts: "Taxi Plows Into Crowd in San Diego," from FoxNews.com, February 12:

SAN DIEGO -- A taxi cab driver plowed slowly into a crowd on a sidewalk in San Diego's busy Gaslamp District early Saturday, injuring more than two dozen people, police said.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the crash occurred about 2 a.m. in the middle of the popular restaurant and nightclub zone, close to the city's convention center....

The driver's name was not released right away (why not?); he turned out to be Sam Hassan Daly, a 52-year-old Muslim.

There have been several other suspicious incidents involving Muslim drivers over the last few years. Mohammed Reza Taheri-Azar explicitly grounded his hit-and-run in the teachings of the Koran. Munir Muthana told the police who arrested him that "the Muslims will fix this country." Omeed Aziz Popal, we were told, was suffering from stress from an arranged marriage. Ismail Yassin Mohamed, we were informed, was mentally ill, suffered from depression, and hadn't being taking his medication. And Muhammad Teshale, according to "law enforcement officials," "did it to be famous."

Coincidence or jihad? Certainly there are a lot of hit-and-run and incidents involving people hit by cars that have nothing to do with Muslims, but in the cases listed here there is a degree of intentionality in these that we do not usually see.

And in this present case, Sam Hassan Daly is described as "devoutly Muslim," and we're told that he told police that he blacked out shortly before he drove his cab into the crowd, and that he may have fallen asleep at the wheel. Authorities don't think that he did it intentionally.

And yet "some victims don't believe it was an accident," and bystanders were so enraged when it first happened that they dragged Daly out of his cab and started kicking and punching him -- not behavior one usually sees after an accident. Daly, for his part, came out of the cab clutching a pair of scissors, and apparently tried to attack the club manager with them -- again, not behavior one usually associates with someone who has just caused a terrible accident and is contrite and horrified.

So has Sam Hassan Daly just committed an act of jihad against the immoral kuffar revelers at the nightclub? We may never know from mainstream media reports, although more clues may emerge in the coming days. In any case, there are some indications already that that may have been what happened, and certainly numerous precedents.

Eurabia Alert: Pamela Geller has a useful roundup of battles for the freedom of speech, all revolving around Islam in one way or another, that are currently raging all over Europe: "Free Speech Battles Rage in Europe," from Atlas Shrugs, February 15. One of the most outrageous challenges to this freedom comes from the unlikeliest of sources: Motoonist Kurt Westergaard has successfully sued Anders Gravers of our sister organization, Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE), for unauthorized use of his Muhammad cartoon in a demonstration:

Denmark: Quisling Kurt Westergaard sues and gets "political judgement 100,000 Danish crowns" imposed on SIOE and Anders Gravers

Political Judgement SIOE

On 15th February 2008 SIOE held a demonstration in Aalborg to defend free speech in Denmark and the rest of Europe here and here.

This demonstration was also intended to show solidarity with the cartoonist Kurt Westergaard who was under police protection at the time due to death threats from Muslims across the world following the publication of his Mohammed turban-bomb cartoon.

This internationally famous cartoon may be seen all over the internet and has been seen in various places for various reasons, including demonstrations. It really became public property, morally speaking and is still an icon for free speech.

However, Kurt Westergaard took exception to SIOE using his cartoon, even when the demonstration concerned was in support of him and free speech in general. Therefore, SIOE was taken to court to prevent the use of the cartoon. The court case was a farce as the prosecution did not understand the difference between SIOE and SIAD, and this was made perfectly clear by SIOE representatives.

The court ruled that Kurt Westergaard's Mohammed cartoon may not be used by SIOE and SID for any political purposes including demonstrations....

There is much more, including updates on the legal ordeals of freedom fighters Geert Wilders, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, and Lars Hedegaard. Read it all.

Santa, unicorns and moderate Islam

Famed Muslim reformer Zuhdi Jasser went out of his way to attack Pamela Geller and me at The American Thinker Sunday; Pamela Geller responds here: "Where Are All the Jassers?," by Pamela Geller at The American Thinker, February 14:

In an extraordinarily lengthy article in the American Thinker yesterday, Zuhdi Jasser responded to the reservations I expressed about Congressman Peter King's upcoming hearings on the radicalization of Muslims in the U.S., and in particular, about King's capitulation to pressure from Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups. Methinks Jasser protests too much. The objective is bigger than just responding to me. Rather, it is an attempt to validate and advance Jasser's preposterous narrative.

Jasser entitles his article "American Islamists Find Common Cause with Pamela Geller." Equating me with Islamic supremacists is like saying that Patton found common cause with the German General Rommel, the Desert Fox, because Patton criticized the British Field Marshal Montgomery. My criticism of King's capitulation and CAIR's attempt to impose the Sharia in America by silencing and punishing those exposing the hidden war have nothing in common with each other. So here Jasser is intellectually dishonest and deliberately misleading. He knows this, and yet entitles his article based on this false premise. He is being at the very least disingenuous here, and is attempting to marginalize me in the most debased and dishonest fashion (as does CAIR). Placing me on the same moral playing field as those who are working toward "eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within" and annihilating the Jews is very stealth jihad. It is propaganda of a kind I am very familiar with. Not good, Mr. Jasser.

Expanding on this outrageous claim, Jasser says that "Geller and Spencer's comments in their echo chambers show that they are against any solutions from within the 'House of Islam'. This only aids and abets all Islamists. But, then again, that doesn't matter if the target includes all Muslims and their only viable solution is conversion of one-fifth of the world's population."

Echo chamber? Between the two of us, Robert Spencer and I reach just under two million people a month on our blogs. That and our book sales, regular TV and radio appearances, speaking engagements, conferences, and additional 50,000 "friends" on our various Facebook pages, Twitter and SIOA group, etc., make for quite a cacophonous echo chamber. I submit that it is Jasser's chamber that is empty. Where are all the Jassers?

Jasser mentions "many Muslim reformers." Where are they? Where are the Muslims who take to the streets when another girl is killed for honor, or another apostate is murdered under the Sharia? Where were all the Muslims taking to the streets after Mumbai, London, Madrid, Beslan, Bali, Times Square, Fort Hood? But they take to the streets by the hundreds of thousands, light embassies on fire, and slaughter innocents when a cartoon offends them.

Even the title of Jasser's article, "American Islamists Find Common Cause with Pamela Geller," plays into this false narrative. "Islamist": what is that? What is a Christianist? A Judaist? A Hinduist?

Simply his use of the word "Islamist" here predetermines the futility of Jasser's enterprise. It's not Islamism, it's Islam.

But the fact that Islam teaches violence and supremacism doesn't mean that I am against all Muslims, as Jasser implies. This is patently untrue. Through my work with "Refuge from Islam," we help Muslims here in America who want to leave Islam and are under threat from their families and communities. Escaping their mosque, their "faith community" and their families to safe houses is dangerous. People do not begin to know the difficulty, although Amina and Sarah Said, murdered by their father for dating non-Muslim boys, gave us a graphic window into the lives of these girls.

The safety network was covertly established, and requires utmost secrecy and security. Does Jasser do this kind of work? Does he even acknowledge it? I was raked over the coals for this work -- for my campaign to save them. Did Dr. Jasser come to my defense? He was strangely silent. He lives near the spot where Noor Almaleki's father murdered her for honor. He should talk more about that, and about why women suffer so under Islam. I am glad his wife is safe, but the world is bigger than Jasser's home.

Islam Respects Women Update: "503 women publicly flogged in Bangladesh," from the Indo-Asian News Service, February 14 (thanks to Satya):

Dhaka: A demand to prohibit the Muslim clergy from issuing fatwa is gathering momentum in Bangladesh as 503 women have been subjected to public flogging since the year 2000.

The issuing of religious edicts has not yet been banned. The high court declared it illegal in 2001; speakers said at a roundtable titled "No more fatwa" here Sunday.

Speakers urged the government to make issuance of fatwa a punishable offence since 503 women have fallen victim to it.

"Fatwa means legal opinion. Only court can give legal opinions. The man who announces fatwa has no legal authority to do it," Justice Mohammad Gholam Rabbani said referring to the judgment he passed in 2001.

"Fatwa should be made punishable as it goes against the existing law of our country," he was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.

Largest selling Bengali language daily Prothom Alo arranged the roundtable following last month's death of a teenage girl from Shariatpur near here, who was raped by a neighbour and then whipped a 100 times [sic] after a fatwa was issued.

She could not take more than about 80 lashes and fell unconscious, eyewitnesses told media. She died a day later in hospital.

The case caused a national outcry after it was found that the police and the hospital colluded with the family of the alleged rapist to deny that there was any wrongdoing....

Video courtesy Pamela Geller.

They're chanting "Allahu akbar" and "Khaybar, Khaybar, ya Yahud, jaish Muhammad sa yaoud" -- "Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, the army of Muhammad will return."

As I explain in my book The Truth About Muhammad, Muhammad led a Muslim force against the Khaybar oasis, which was inhabited by Jews -- many of whom he had previously exiled from Medina. When he did so, he was not responding to any provocation. One of the Muslims later remembered: "When the apostle raided a people he waited until the morning. If he heard a call to prayer he held back; if he did not hear it he attacked. We came to Khaybar by night, and the apostle passed the night there; and when morning came he did not hear the call to prayer, so he rode and we rode with him....We met the workers of Khaybar coming out in the morning with their spades and baskets. When they saw the apostle and the army they cried, 'Muhammad with his force,' and turned tail and fled. The apostle said, 'Allah Akbar! Khaybar is destroyed. When we arrive in a people's square it is a bad morning for those who have been warned.'"

The Muslim advance was inexorable. "The apostle," according to Muhammad's earliest biographer, Ibn Ishaq, "seized the property piece by piece and conquered the forts one by one as he came to them." Another biographer of Muhammad, Ibn Sa'd, reports that the battle was fierce: the "polytheists...killed a large number of [Muhammad's] Companions and he also put to death a very large number of them....He killed ninety-three men of the Jews..." Muhammad and his men offered the fajr prayer, the Islamic dawn prayer, before it was light, and then entered Khaybar itself. The Muslims immediately set out to locate the inhabitants' wealth. A Jewish leader of Khaybar, Kinana bin al-Rabi, was brought before Muhammad; Kinana was supposed to have been entrusted with the treasure of on of the Jewish tribes of Arabia, the Banu Nadir. Kinana denied knowing where this treasure was, but Muhammad pressed him: "Do you know that if we find you have it I shall kill you?" Kinana said yes, that he did know that.

Some of the treasure was found. To find the rest, Muhammad gave orders concerning Kinana: "Torture him until you extract what he has." One of the Muslims built a fire on Kinana's chest, but Kinana would not give up his secret. When he was at the point of death, one of the Muslims beheaded him. Kinana's wife was taken as a war prize; Muhammad claimed her for himself and hastily arranged a wedding ceremony that night. He halted the Muslims' caravan out of Khaybar later that night in order to consummate the marriage.

Muhammad agreed to let the people of Khaybar to go into exile, allowing them to keep as much of their property as they could carry. The Prophet of Islam, however, commanded them to leave behind all their gold and silver. He had intended to expel all of them, but some, who were farmers, begged him to allow them to let them stay if they gave him half their yield annually. Muhammad agreed: "I will allow you to continue here, so long as we would desire." He warned them: "If we wish to expel you we will expel you." They no longer had any rights that did not depend upon the good will and sufferance of Muhammad and the Muslims. And indeed, when the Muslims discovered some treasure that some of the Khaybar Jews had hidden, he ordered the women of the tribe enslaved and seized the perpetrators' land. A hadith notes that "the Prophet had their warriors killed, their offspring and woman taken as captives."

Thus when modern-day jihadists invoke Khaybar, they are recalling an aggressive, surprise raid by Muhammad which resulted in the final eradication of the once considerable Jewish presence in Arabia. To the jihadists, Khaybar means the destruction of the Jews and the seizure of their property by the Muslims.

"Tunisia: Salafites Demonstrate Before Tunis Synagogue," from ANSAmed, February 15 (thanks to Insubria):

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, FEBRUARY 15 - A group of young Salafites linked to "Hezeb Tahir" ("Liberation party") demonstrated in front of the synagogue of Tunis, in the centre of the capital.

Calling slogans against the ''murderous and criminal'' Jews, they walked down Avenue de la Liberté before reaching the place of worship.

The demonstration has been harshly criticised by the chairman of the organising committee of the Ennhada movement, Ali Araiedh. He announced in a statement quoted by the newspaper in the French language Le Temps that ''we reject these acts of intolerance towards religious minorities'', and underlined that ''we are for a Tunisia that respects all religions. Religious minorities, which have to live in peace in our country, are welcome''.

Therefore, the chairman added, ''we reject these acts of intolerance towards religious minorities carried out in the name of Islam''. (ANSAmed).

In "Can American Values Radicalize Muslims?," our old friend and former Jihad Watch writer Raymond Ibrahim discusses a central paradox of the prevailing anti-terror strategy: "If American Muslims, who enjoy Western benefits -- including democracy, liberty, prosperity, and freedom of expression -- are still being radicalized, why then do we insist that the importation of those same Western benefits to the Muslim world will eliminate its even more indigenous or authentic form of 'radicalization'?" From Pajamas Media via RaymondIbrahim.com, February 10:

[...] After all, the mainstream position, the only one evoked by politicians, maintains that all American sacrifices in the Muslim world (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.) will pay off once Muslims discover how wonderful Western ways are, and happily slough off their Islamist veneer, which, as the theory goes, is a product of -- you guessed it -- a lack of democracy, liberty, prosperity, and freedom of expression. Yet here are American Muslims, immersed in the bounties of the West -- and still do they turn to violent jihad. Why think their counterparts, who are born and raised in the Muslim world, where Islam permeates every aspect of life, will respond differently?

In fact, far from eliminating radicalization, there is reason to believe that Western values can actually exacerbate Islamist tendencies. It is already known that Western concessions to Islam -- in the guise of multiculturalism, "cultural sensitivity," political correctness, and self-censorship -- only bring out the worst in Islamists. Yet even some of the most prized aspects of Western civilization -- personal freedom, rule of law, human dignity -- when articulated through an Islamist framework, have the capacity to "radicalize" Muslims.

Consider: the West's unique stress on the law as supreme arbitrator, translates into a stress to establish sharia law, Islam's supreme arbitrator of human affairs; the West's unwavering commitment to democracy, translates into an unwavering commitment to theocracy, including an anxious impulse to resurrect the caliphate; Western notions of human dignity and pride, when articulated through an Islamist mindset (which sees fellow Muslims as the ultimate, if not only, representatives of humanity) induces rage when fellow Muslims -- Palestinians, Afghanis, Iraqis, etc. -- are seen under Western, infidel dominion; Western notions of autonomy and personal freedom have even helped "Westernize" the notion of jihad into an individual duty, though it has traditionally been held by sharia as a communal duty....

Read it all.

Khamenei spoke exclusively about "Islamic states" and their relative power. Yet the mainstream narrative continues to be that the present global conflicts have nothing to do with Islam, and that Islam has no political component, or at least not one of any particular significance.

This story demonstrates -- yet again -- the wholesale bankruptcy of that narrative.

"Iranian leader praises Turkey for taking distance from Israel," from Deutsche Presse Agentur, February 15 (thanks to Joshua):

Tehran - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the Turkish government for having distanced itself from Tehran's arch-foe Israel, state television reported Tuesday.

'The changes in Turkey's political status, especially taking distance from the Zionist regime (Israel), has brought this country closer to the Islamic world,' the ayatollah told visiting Turkish President Abdullah Gul....

Khamenei said the influence of both Israel and the United States in the region has been weakened, giving Islamic states the chance to become stronger.

He should send a thank-you note to Barack Hussein Obama.

'The Islamic world should realize its huge potential and use it to become a new influential and powerful global bloc,' said the ayatollah, who constitutionally has the final say on all state affairs....

Because it's "linked to Christianity," doncha know.

"There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious." -- Ayatollah Khomeini

No fun, no joy -- and don't even get him started about romance.

"Malaysia Arrests 100 Muslim Couples for Celebrating Lovers' Day," by Elizabeth Looi for Straits Times Indonesia, February 15 (thanks to Twostellas):

Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian religious authorities arrested more than 100 Muslim couples on Monday who defied a ban on any activities marking Valentine's Day.

Islamic authorities in Malaysia in 2005 issued a fatwa to warn Muslims against celebrating Valentine's Day, saying that the occasion could lead to vice activities, especially pre-marital sex.

The edict has been enforced since then. The federal-level Malaysian Islamic Development Department, better known as Jakim, also launched a campaign entitled Mind The Valentine's Day Trap, urging Muslims to stay away from all programs associated with Valentine's Day.

The Selangor State Islamic Religious Department, one of such authorities nationwide, conducted a raid with the help of local police in budget hotels from midnight to 6am yesterday.

Officials arrested more than 200 Muslims for celebrating Valentine's Day, the department said in a statement, without elaborating.

It said 80 of them would be charged in the Shariah Court for defying the department's ban against the celebration of lovers' day.

The rest either dispersed or agreed to be counseled. Explaining the ban on Valentine's Day celebrations, Jakim had said Muslims are not allowed to observe the special day as it is linked to Christianity, which irked certain groups including non-Muslim political parties....

The reaction in the Malay community is mixed. Some Malays urged their friends via Facebook and Twitter not to observe the celebration of lovers' day but prepare themselves for the celebration of Prophet Muhammad's birthday today....

Countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia have also banned Valentine's Day celebrations....

A state based on "Islamic values" dedicated to "serving all Egyptians regardless of...religion" would relegate Egyptian Christians to dhimmi status, denying them basic rights. "Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood seeks political party status," from CNN, February 15 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood will apply to become a political party, it announced Tuesday.

The Brotherhood "envisions the establishment of a democratic, civil state that draws on universal measures of freedom and justice, with central Islamic values serving all Egyptians regardless of colour, creed, political trend or religion," it said in the statement.

Although officially illegal, the Muslim Brotherhood is regarded as one of the most organized groups in Egypt.

It has said it does not plan to run a candidate for president when elections are held to replace Hosni Mubarak, who resigned on Friday.

He says he was acting in self-defense during an armed robbery. But the jihadists appear to be focusing on his case as the latest occasion for their outrage. The outrage is constant; the pretexts for it change with the times. "Taliban warns Pakistan against releasing U.S. prisoner," by Zeeshan Haider and Rebecca Conway for Reuters, February 15:

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistani Taliban warned the government on Tuesday it would punish any move to release a U.S. consulate employee accused of murdering two Pakistanis in a case that has inflamed already strained ties with Washington.

U.S. Senator John Kerry was due in Pakistan as part of the Obama administration's efforts to resolve the crisis.

Raymond Davis, the U.S. consular employee jailed in the Pakistani city of Lahore for shooting two Pakistanis last month, says he acted in self-defense during an armed robbery.

Washington insists Davis has diplomatic immunity and should be released but the Pakistani government, fearful of a backlash from Pakistanis already wary of the United States and enraged by the shooting, says the matter should be decided in court.

"If (Pakistani) rulers hand him over to America then we will target these rulers. If Pakistani courts cannot punish Davis then they should hand him over to us," said Azam Tariq, spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Taliban movement of Pakistan).

"We will give exemplary punishment to the killer Davis."...

Cash-strapped Pakistan, one of the largest non-NATO recipients of American military aid, is loathe to risk losing U.S. support by keeping Davis in jail but also fears antagonizing Islamist groups who see the government as a U.S. puppet.

The issue has become a lightning rod for anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, which the United States counts as an important, if unreliable, ally in its war against militancy....

Jamaat-e-Islami, a religious and political party capable of organizing large protests, accused the United States of exerting "unprincipled and unlawful" pressure on Pakistan.

"Why is America hell bent on trampling on Pakistani law and its judicial system? We will forcefully protest if he is released without a court order," Jamaat-e-Islami deputy chief Liaquat Baluch told Reuters....

In "Democracy is a Relative Term," in Human Events this morning, I discuss the implications of the strange fact that both Tony Blair and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are excited about developments in Egypt:

Everyone is excited about the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. "This is a moment of huge opportunity," enthused one noted analyst. Another agreed: "We will soon see a new Middle East materializing." The two analysts in question are Tony Blair and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad--and that sums up the reigning confusion about what exactly has happened in Egypt, and what is likely to happen next.

Blair opined that "this is a moment of huge opportunity, not just for Egypt," but for the entire Middle East. "Despite all those challenges," Blair added, "this is a moment when the whole of the Middle East could pivot and face towards change and modernization and democracy."

Maybe. Ahmadinejad, however, is envisioning a wholly different scenario. He predicted that "we will soon see a new Middle East materializing without America and the Zionist regime, and there will be no room for world arrogance [that is, the West] in it."

So who's right? Will Egypt become a Western-style pluralistic democracy, with equal rights for women, as well as for its sizable and embattled Christian minority? Or was Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Ahmad Mersi correct when he declared that the Egyptian people want the rule of Islamic law?...

There is more.

This piece by our great friend Raymond Ibrahim is a few weeks old but well worth revisiting, as it analyzes media tendencies and practices that are still very much with us. "Is the Media 'Fair and Balanced' on Christian Persecution?," by Raymond Ibrahim for Pajamas Media (via RaymondIbrahim.com), January 23:

The mainstream media (MSM) has just provided another example of how it ostracizes those who fail to tout its party-line. Context: the Washington Post's On Faith blog posted an article dealing with Muslim-Christian relations, in light of recent attacks on Christians in the Muslim world. Regular contributors were invited to respond. The response of one of these, Willis E. Eliot, a retired dean of exploratory programs, New York Seminary, was rejected (Pajamas Media published it here). Up till then, for over three years, Eliot had been publishing almost weekly on that blog; this is his first contribution to be rejected in all that time.

What about it caused the Washington Post to jettison it? You see, the nonagenarian Eliot decided to make black and white--as opposed to postmodern, "there-are-no-truths"--observations. Consider some of his comments on the differences between Christianity and Islam:

Jesus said, "Love your enemies." Islam, to the contrary, is essentially hostile to "the infidels"... Jesus was anti-violent, Muhammad was violent... Muslims become violent, or threaten violence, when they feel offended: when we Christians feel offended, almost never do we become violent, and almost always we suffer the disrespect in silence."

Inasmuch as Eliot's assertions are empirically demonstrative--scripturally, historically, and in current affairs (a la Koran-waving jihadists and persecuted Christians)--so too do they go against the one unwavering dogma clung to by the MSM: cultural relativism. Hence, the need to suppress them.

No doubt On Faith's editors were expecting the usual boilerplate responses when discussing attacks on Christians in the Muslim world: acknowledge their existence, yes, but be quick to point out that, "in their own way," Christians are equally responsible. That is essentially how most other contributors responded: one found Christian fundamentalism as troubling as Muslim fundamentalism; another bemoaned how scriptures can incite violence, while being careful not to mention any particular religion; yet another counseled suffering Christians to "turn the other cheek" and forgive their persecutors, cloyingly adding that all violence "can be overcome with our radical love"--easy sentiments to preach living in distant America.

Consider the MSM's approach to Egypt's Copts, the Middle East's largest Christian minority: whenever they are attacked by Islamists, the media refers to it as "sectarian strife," eschewing the more accurate, if old-fashioned, term, "Christian persecution." (What else does one call it when a vastly outnumbered Christian minority suffers at the hands of a Muslim majority--including its government--for nothing less than being Christian?) "Sectarian strife" suggests two, comparable forces fighting one another--hardly an accurate way to depict the situation.

Likewise, when Islamists bombed an Egyptian church on New Year's Eve, leaving over 20 Copts dead, and dozens maimed, the MSM reported it, but under headlines such as "Clashes grow as Egyptians remain angry after attack" (New York Times) and "Christians clash with police in Egypt after attack on churchgoers kills 21" (Washington Post)--as if frustrated Christians lashing out against persecution is as noteworthy as the persecution itself. When earlier this month an Egyptian policeman boarded a train, identifying Christians by the small, tattooed cross on their wrists, and opened fire, killing one and wounding five to the distinctly Muslim war cry of "Allah Akbar," the Los Angeles Times deemed it suitable to relate the story under the headline "Eyewitness claims train attacker did not target Copts, state media say."...

Read it all.

Pamela Geller was on Eric Bolling's show on FOX Business to discuss the mandatory Arabic program instituted in Texas public schools (since put on hold); at the same time and on almost the same channel, I was on the Sean Hannity Show facing off against Michael Ghouse of the World Muslim Congress, discussing the Egyptian revolution and the likelihood of an Islamic state there. In the course of the discussion, we got into an impromptu debate, of sorts, about the Qur'an -- during which Ghouse engaged in taqiyya about taqiyya, a phenomenon I've noted twice recently. One might almost get the impression that someone is feeding these people a uniform set of talking points.

In the same vein, I have noted several times before that the Islamic supremacist pseudo-moderate Reza Aslan often recycles the same talking points that others on his side have already trotted out many times. I thought that this was simply more evidence of his being hopelessly outmatched intellectually, but perhaps it is also evidence that he is taking marching orders from the same source or sources that other Islamic supremacist and Leftist spokesmen are also using.

That impression is reinforced by the two videos above. Note that Bob Beckel challenges Pamela Geller in exactly the same way that Ghouse challenges me: by charging that we are making a good living off this work (a fiction, alas) and thereby implying that we are profiteering on "hate." Of course, it is not "hate" to fight for justice and Constitutional freedoms, and Beckel and Ghouse probably make more money than Pamela Geller or I do, but here again we see a curious uniformity of attack. Are these guys working from the same source? And if so, who is devising these talking points for Leftists and Islamic supremacists?

Will the defendant claim images of his beating up on kids were "taken out of context?" More on this story. "Mosque school arrest following Channel 4 documentary," by Riazat Butt for the Guardian, February 14 (thanks to PJ):

Police have arrested a man concerning alleged assaults on children at a mosque after viewing a Channel 4 documentary screened on Monday.

Dispatches, Lessons in Hate and Violence, secretly filmed a man apparently hitting and kicking children during Qu'ran lessons at a school in the Markazi Jamia mosque at Keighley, West Yorkshire. [...]

West Yorkshire police issued a statement regarding the arrest: "We have recently become aware of a number of incidents of alleged assault at a mosque and just before the weekend were able to view edited footage of the alleged incident. One man has been arrested and released on police bail pending further inquiries. West Yorkshire police are receiving full co-operation from the Keighley Muslim Association who are working with us in support of the inquiry."

The Birmingham footage was obtained by an undercover reporter posing as a volunteer, using a hidden camera. It showed a preacher at Darul Uloom, a fee-paying school in Small Heath, making offensive remarks about Hindus, ranting about non-Muslims and telling pupils they face torture in the afterlife if they adopt western customs such as dancing or listening to music. He tells them to avoid more liberal Muslims. "The person who's got less than a fistful of beard, then you should stay away from him the same way you should stay away from a serpent or a snake."

Another group are told in an assembly: "The disbelievers, they are the worst of all people. The Hindus do, they drink piss, I've told you this. Do they have any intellect? No."...

The preacher may have missed this hadith and other Muslims' speaking well of following its advice.

When Islamic groups encounter criticism by non-Muslims of objectionable behavior by Muslims, a two-fold standard operating procedure has developed on both sides of the pond:

1. Deflect attention as fast as possible by appropriating victim status from the actual or intended victims. The victims here aren't the kids being beaten at the one school, or the society that may fall victim to jihadist attacks due to the teachings at others. It's the people being criticized, for reasons discussed below.

2. Silence the discussion by claiming that it's not just criticism, but incitement, because all criticism of Islam must necessarily be driven by hatred, and is irrational, unstable, and rooted in emotions only, not facts. This is usually a fine point to mention the "far right," which is mainstream media-speak for "hates children, hates puppies, hates you, hates me, and wants us all to die."

All criticism is said to be driven by that seething hatred and/or a thinly veiled neo-Nazi agenda, of which these Muslims under scrutiny are now victims: once again, they would have you believe that he who hath looked critically upon Islam hath committed hate crimes in his heart.

Besides, criticism "alienates." And alienated "youths" can be "radicalized." Never you mind that we never seem to see "alienated," "radicalized" Anglican suicide bombers, though.

In the end, playing the "incitement card" is all a very long, roundabout sort of way of saying: Shut up, dhimmi. Besides, all speech or behavior by Muslims that has ever generated controversy has been "taken out of context."

An update on this story. Go back to the link, look at the pictures, and go back to the main story and see the rhetoric -- indeed, the hate speech -- they spouted about non-Muslims, but then stop yourself and remember who the "real" victims are. "'Muslim Eton' at centre of Channel 4 hate-preaching allegations is forced to shut over far-Right safety fears," from the Daily Mail, February 14 (thanks to all who sent this in):

An Islamic school at the centre of a documentary row will close tomorrow amid safety fears.

Teachers at the Darul Uloom Islamic High School, in Small Heath, Birmingham, have held meetings with police chiefs and fear that youngsters could be targeted by the far-Right.

This story describes no actual threats except for a mention of "hate mail" by a sympathetic MP.

The Dispatches documentary, Lessons in Hatred and Violence, aired tonight and showed footage of a preacher making offensive remarks about Hindus and ranting: 'Disbelievers are the worst creatures'.

The school's head of curriculum Mujahid Aziz said the decision had been to bring forward the school's half-term by a week after meetings with police.

Pupils were being told not to return to classes until the start of March.

'They filmed for six months and managed to collect a handful of comments which promote intolerance,' said Mr Aziz.

We were aware of the views of this 17-year-old student and we dealt with him by exclusion straight away - before we even knew that we were being filmed.

'What people will see in that clip is completely contrary to what we teach at the school about harmony and awareness of different faiths.

'Our concern now is for the safety of children and people coming to the mosque because we are worried that some people will get completely the wrong impression once they have watched this programme.

'After meeting with the police, we are bringing the half-term forward and we have been advised that there should be plenty of staff around on Monday night as a precaution.' [...]

Reporter Tazeen Ahmad claims the footage is evidence of a 'hardline, intolerant and highly anti-social version of Islam' being taught in Britain's independent Islamic schools....

Is Tazeen Ahmad an Islamophobe?

One MP plays along:

Birmingham MP John Hemming (Lib Dem, Yardley) said Channel 4's portrayal of the school was irresponsible.

'If Channel 4 thinks this is a school where racism and intolerance is accepted in any way, they have got their facts seriously wrong,' he said.

'They have already had hate mail and now they are having to close for the safety of their pupils.

'This kind of documentary is ideal fodder for the EDL [English Defence League].

'Channel 4 is putting the safety of children at risk by criticising a school which is doing its job properly.'

Mr Hemming was backed by Yann Lovelock, a Buddhist who sits on the executive board of Birmingham Interfaith Council.

He said: 'They have gone out of their way to make other faiths feel welcome and I have been invited to the school several times to speak to pupils about Buddhism.

'As far as I can see, they do everything they can to promote tolerance and understanding and I am happy to work with them.'

As far as you can see. But now we have seen what happens behind closed doors.

The New York City premiere of the Ground Zero mosque film is on Muhammad's birthday (Shi'ite version), February 20, at the St. Luke's Theatre, 308 W 46th Street, New York, New York, at 7:30 pm. You must RSVP to GroundZeroMosque@aol.com.

The Ground Zero Mosque: The Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks is a groundbreaking new documentary on the controversy over the planned Islamic supremacist mega-mosque at Ground Zero.

The documentary includes exclusive footage of AFDI/SIOA's June 6 and September 11 rallies in lower Manhattan against the mosque, featuring speakers such as Dutch freedom fighter Geert Wilders, former Ambassador John Bolton, conservative journalist Andrew Breitbart, popular talk show host Mike Gallagher, Sudanese ex-slave Simon Deng, courageous military vet Ilario Pantano, and many 911 family members and first responders as well as others. It also features brand-new interviews with Pamela Geller and me, as well as inside details and media footage of the struggle to stop the mosque, and much more.

Pamela Geller, with whom I produced this film, explained: "The Ground Zero Mosque has become a watershed issue in our effort to raise awareness of and ultimately halt and roll back the advance of Islamic law and Islamic supremacism in America. Although 70% of Americans oppose this insulting victory mosque, the mainstream media continues to propagandize for it, whitewashing the links to jihad terror and unsavory financial dealings of mosque organizers, and smearing the vast majority of Americans who oppose the mosque as racists and hatemongers."

Geller said that The Ground Zero Mosque: The Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks "strikes back against the media liars. This is the first documentary that tells the whole truth about the Ground Zero mosque. Be prepared to be shaken to your core. This movie rips the mask off the enemedia and the malevolent role they play in advancing and propagandizing the objectives of America's mortal enemies."

"It's enlightening, engrossing, and rousing," Geller said, "but above all, The Ground Zero Mosque: The Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks is a teaching tool. This film is perfect for showing your skeptical friends and family what we're really up against, and explaining to them how and why we must fight back. It is the first accurate reportage of the number one national and international news story that became national news without the mainstream media. The press has tried to shape the narrative to demonize the freedom lovers and denazify the Islamic supremacists, but the American people no longer trust big media."

AFDI/SIOA is rolling out the film nationwide. We are calling upon patriots to set up showings of The Ground Zero Mosque: The Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks around the country. "This is an unparalleled opportunity for you to raise awareness not only about the Ground Zero mosque issue," Geller explained, "but about the stealth jihad and Islamic supremacism in general. This film could help you kick off your own local activist efforts, and give you a chance to meet like-minded people who will form the backbone of those efforts." Pamela Geller and I are available to address gatherings showing the film.

"We can't guarantee that you'll convert every fence-sitter to the counter-jihad cause," Geller added, "but everyone who sees this film will come away with a unique look at the unscrupulousness and arrogance of the mosque leaders and their accomplices in the mainstream media and the New York City government - and with an inspiring and informative introduction to those who are fighting back on behalf of freedom, and to the ways in which they counter the lies and distortions of the pro-mosque forces."

If you wish to set up a screening in your town, city, university, public library, shul or church, contact Pamela Geller at groundzeromosque@aol.com.

The Muslims For America group was distributing the above flier at the Conservative Political Conference; you can read the full text here. In 2009, when Pamela Geller brought Geert Wilders to CPAC with my assistance, Muslims For America distributed a flier claiming that Wilders had -- you guessed it -- taken Qur'an verses out of context in his film Fitna. So during my address that night I took the Tafsir al-Jalalayn, a mainstream Muslim commentary on the Qur'an, and showed that Wilders' explanation of the verses was entirely correct and in accord with mainstream Islamic understandings.

Perhaps still smarting from that very public debunking, Muslims For America included a gratuitous ad hominem attack against me, as well as Pamela Geller and Frank Gaffney, in this year's flier about taqiyya. More importantly, like Qasim Rashid in the Washington Post a couple of weeks ago, they're lying about lying in Islam. Did some marching orders go out from somewhere telling Islamic spokesmen in the West to start blowing out billows of fog about divinely-sanctioned deception in Islam?

In any case, the Muslims For America flier asserts:

TAQIYYA is a concept being heard frequently today, the idea that Muslims have a universal practice of "Taqiyya" that allows them to conceal their faith of Islam or lie to non-Muslims, for the sake of expanding the Islamic religion - a practice that commentators like Frank Gaffney, Pamela Geller, and Robert Spencer have purported to be highly practiced, with such practice particularly hinted against American Muslims, who are currently ascending our political stratospheres.

The Truth on Taqiyya?

The word "Taqiyya" does not exist in the Quran. In addition, there is no Islamic code of law that universally recognizes "Taqiyya" or encourages its practice.

The origin of Taqiyya, as discussed by scholars like John Esposito and Shafique Virani, is mentioned as an offshoot practice of some Shia Muslim populations, in which, Shia Imams like Muhammad Al-Baqir, of around 1256 CE, seem to have encouraged their congregations to conceal their Shia backgrounds, out of fear of mass-killing deliberately aimed against Shias. Of note, many Shia Muslims have lived as a minority and documentation of the unfortunate and sad persecution against them is well noted.

In turn, Muhammad Al-Baqir is one of thousands of Imams to have preached his interpretation of the Quran, just as any Minister would preach his understanding of our good Bible towards his congregation.

Yes - Islam does allow Imams to preach their understandings of the Quran, but such preaching is never recognized as Islamic Code, rather, it is simply the musings of one Muslim practitioner, not God.

For commentators to stretch the words of a handful of Imams, like Muhammad Al-Baqir, and pass it off as universally-practiced Islamic code, is the height of intellectual dishonesty and lie.

Nothing works against Muslims For America and our efforts to get Muslims united against thugs like Al-Quaida, more than political commentators who question our good deeds in making sure that America wins the War on Terror.

This all sounds great. And certainly taqiyya as a specific concept was indeed elaborated by Shias who were under threat from Sunnis. But the concept itself is rooted in the Qur'an, and consequently is found among both Sunnis and Shi'ites.

Qur'an 3:28 warns believers not to take unbelievers as "friends or helpers" (َأَوْلِيَا -- a word that means more than casual friendship, but something like alliance), "unless (it be) that ye but guard yourselves against them." This is a foundation of the idea that believers may legitimately deceive unbelievers when under pressure. The word used for "guard" in the Arabic is tuqātan (تُقَاةً), the verbal noun from taqiyyatan -- hence the increasingly familiar term taqiyya.

Ibn Kathir says that the phrase Pickthall renders as "unless (it be) that ye but guard yourselves against them" means that "believers who in some areas or times fear for their safety from the disbelievers" may "show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly. For instance, Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Ad-Darda' said, 'We smile in the face of some people although our hearts curse them.' Al-Bukhari said that Al-Hasan said, 'The Tuqyah [taqiyya] is allowed until the Day of Resurrection." While many Muslim spokesmen today maintain that taqiyya is solely a Shi'ite doctrine, shunned by Sunnis, the great Islamic scholar Ignaz Goldziher points out that while it was formulated by Shi'ites, "it is accepted as legitimate by other Muslims as well, on the authority of Qur'an 3:28." The Sunnis of Al-Qaeda practice it today.

Also, there is Muhammad's statement, "war is deceit." He also allowed for lying in battle and between a husband and wife. And when he gave permission to one of his followers, Muhammad bin Maslama, to murder one of his critics, Ka'b bin al-Ashraf, he also gave Muhammad bin Maslama permission to lie to Ka'b in order to lure him close enough to be killed.

And Muhammad is the "excellent example of conduct" for Muslims (Qur'an 33:21).

So why is Muslims For America lying about lying in Islam? And why did CPAC give them a platform?

Pamela Geller has another angle on this story here.

"Pam Geller, Robert Spencer -- they're not part of the conservative movement. Everywhere they turn, the conservative movement is turning their back on them." -- Muslim Brotherhood-linked "conservative" Suhail Khan at CPAC 2011

Heh.

Tonight I'm scheduled to be on the Hannity Show sometime after 9PM Eastern, debating the situation in Egypt with Mike Ghouse of the World Muslim Congress. I've tangled with Ghouse before; above is video of our exchange on the Hannity Show last August over the Ground Zero Mosque.

At the same time, Pamela Geller will be appearing on Fox Business, discussing the now-shelved mandatory Arabic program in some Texas public schools.

It's wall-to-wall AFDI on Fox! I will post video of both as soon as they are available.

Unless they're converts to Islam listed under their original names, there seem to be some useful idiots involved here. "U.S. charges 7 men in Taliban drug, missile sting," from Reuters, February 14 (thanks to Block Ness):

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Monday accused seven men of trying to sell weapons and smuggle drugs to people they believed were Taliban militants.

In meetings in Benin, Romania, Ghana and Ukraine, the men agreed to transport and sell heroin for informants posing as Taliban, and to sell them surface-to-air missiles for use in Afghanistan, authorities said....

Maroun Saade, 58, Walid Nasr, 37, Corneille Dato, 48, Martin Raouf Bouraima, 40, and Francis Sourou Ahissou, 45, face charges of conspiracy to engage in narco-terrorism and other drug charges.

Saade and Nasr are Lebanese, Bouraima and Dato are from Benin, and Ahissou is Togolese, prosecutors said.

Two naturalized U.S. citizens -- Oded Orbach, 52, and Alwar Pouryan, 36 -- were arrested in Romania and await extradition.

Orbach, Saade, Nasr and Pouryan also face charges of providing material support to the Taliban, which is deemed a terrorist group by the United States....

Jihadis are hoping to pull off a nuclear 9/11, and this revelation suggests that they may be closer to realizing their dream than most people know. "'A weapon of mass destruction was found in the U.S.': Shock confession of Customs officer," by David Gardner in the Daily Mail, February 14 (thanks to Pamela Geller, who has much more here):

A port official has admitted that a 'weapon of mass effect' has been found by 'partner agencies' in the U.S., raising major questions over a possible government cover-up.

The disturbing revelation came in an interview with San Diego's assistant port director screened by a television channel in the city.

The Customs and Border Protection Department tried to dampen speculation over his remarks, but doubts remained over whether he had inadvertently revealed a dirty bomb plot to attack the U.S. mainland.

Concern over a secret WMD bust came after U.S. cables made public by the Wikileaks whistleblower website revealed terror groups were plotting a 'nuclear 911.'

In the interview screened by San Diego's 10News, Al Hallor, assistant San Diego port director, said 'weapons of mass effect' had been found, although he did not specify exactly where or what they were.

Reporter Mitch Blacher asked Mr Hallor: 'Do you ever find things that are dangerous like a chemical agent or a weaponised device?'

'At the airport, seaport, at our port of entry we have not this past fiscal year, but our partner agencies have found those things,' the customs official replied.

'So, specifically, you're looking for the dirty bomb? You're looking for the nuclear device?' asked Mr Blacher.

'Correct. Weapons of mass effect,' said Mr Hallor.

'You ever found one?' asked Mr Blacher.

'Not at this location,' Mr Hallor said.

'But they have found them?' asked Mr Blacher.

'Yes,' said Mr Hallor.

'You never found one in San Diego though?' Mr Blacher asked.

'I would say at the port of San Diego we have not,' Mr Hallor said.

'Have you found one in San Diego?' Mr Blacher asked.

The interview was then interrupted and cut short by a public relations official before Mr Hallor was able to answer the question....

And yet no one in the mosque seems to have stopped him and told him that his understanding of the Religion of Peace™ was all wrong, wrong, wrong.

"7/7 inquests: gang ringleader tried to convert schoolboy to Islam," by Duncan Gardham in the Telegraph, February 14:

The leader of the July 7 bombers tried to convert a boy under his care to Islam, the inquest into the bombings has heard.

Mohammed Sidique Khan was working as a learning mentor in a primary school in Beeston, Leeds when he took the pupil under his wing.

The inquest was told about the background of the bombers and how they became radicalised for the first time, starting with Sidique Khan.

He was said to be well liked at Hillside Primary School by parents, staff and pupils and was described as "almost like a father" to those from broken homes.

"One pupil became quite close to him and Khan would take him around to his associates and try to interest him in the Muslim faith," Hugo Keith QC, counsel for the inquest said.

Acting Det Insp Peter Sparks explained how the young man was taken to the Iqra bookshop in Beeston, which Sidique Khan and others used as somewhere to sell Islamic literature, use computers and talk about Islam.

"Khan had tried to persuade [the pupil] on numerous occasions to convert to Islam," DI Sparks said.

The inquest heard later that the child was as young as 11 or 12 when he was told "people will pay for what has been done to Pakistan" along with comments about September 11 during a conversation in Sidique Khan's car[.]...

On another occasion Sidique Khan was asked if he could arrange a speaker for the school to talk about the Koran, but the man talked with such "fervour" that the other staff became concerned.

He was brought up as a Muslim by his father but "turned out to be more religious" than his siblings, according to statements by the family to police.

At Hardy Street mosque, attended by his family, he organised trips for local children and set up activities in the countryside, the inquest heard.

"He was providing mentoring really for the youngsters coming into the mosque," DI Sparks told the hearing. "He was very much looked up to."...

Shameful. Free Speech Death Watch and Eurabia Alerts: "Judges Rule Case Against Dutch Anti-Islam MP To Continue," by Lauren Comiteau for the Voice of America, February 14:

A court in Amsterdam on Monday has ruled that the hate speech trial of Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders will go on, with new judges listening to the defense's preliminary objections to the case. Those objections were already heard by a different panel of judges last year, but a retrial was ordered because of possible judicial bias against Wilders. The populist politician is charged with inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims and other non-Western groups.

If judges accept Mr. Wilders' objections to the proceedings to be argued at a later date, then his case will be dismissed. If not, the trial will continue with Geert Wilders being allowed to question only some of the witnesses he wanted to call in his defense.

He told judges last week that he wanted to question radical Islamists, what this court referred to as Islamic experts by experience, including convicted murderer Mohammed Bouyeri, who killed filmmaker Theo van Gogh seven years ago. Wilders argues that Bouyeri is living proof that Islam leads to violence.

But judges said the court already knows there's a violent strain in some Islamic corners and limited Wilders' witness list to a few Islamic experts and a controversial judge who the politician believes biased his case.

Wilders maintains it's not Muslims but the Islamic religion and the Koran he's taken on -- something allowed under Dutch regulations concerning freedom of speech....

If this trial were to result in an honest and open examination of why Abu Bakar Bashir thinks his actions inciting violence and terror are in accord with Islamic teaching, that would be all to the good. But it probably won't.

"Terrorism charges denied: 'I was only defending Islam,'" by Karlis Salna for AP, February 15 (thanks to David):

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir yesterday denied being the leader of a terrorist network found training in Aceh, and said a string of fresh charges against him had been fabricated and that he was simply defending Islam....

Hundreds of vocal supporters were at the court, but were outnumbered by heavily armed police. Police said 2000 officers had been deployed to the area.

Commenting from his cell before the hearing, Bashir rejected the allegations, saying they were ''all made up''.

''I did nothing. I was only defending Islam,'' he said.

The most serious charges include planning and/or inciting a terrorist act, and trafficking in weapons and explosives for the purpose of conducting terrorism, both of which carry a maximum penalty of death.

However, it is the charge of supplying funds for terrorism, which carries a jail term of between three and 15 years, for which it appears the prosecution has the strongest evidence, including statements from a number of Bashir's associates from Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT)....

He later said that the charges were the result of pressure from the United States. ''It's wrong, it's what America wants. I am feared by America. I am considered as al-Qaeda here,'' he said while being escorted back to his cell at police headquarters in Jakarta.

Prosecutors allege the Aceh terrorist network planned to assassinate President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as well as attack foreign interests, specifically US citizens and Jews.

Apparently the dhimmi Left is in favor of rampant voter fraud, as long as Muslims are accommodated. "Immigration minister supports ban on veiled voting," by Carmen Chai for Postmedia News, February 13 (thanks to Karl):

OTTAWA -- Immigration Minister Jason Kenney called a new private member's bill that would force Canadians to show their faces before they vote a "reasonable" measure, although critics say the proposal is an attempt to divide the country.

Last Friday, Quebec Conservative MP Steven Blaney introduced the new bill that has created controversy as opposition parties suggest the regulation evokes anti-Muslim sentiments.

During an interview with CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Mr. Kenney said he supported the bill, although he noted that he doesn't believe the government should tell people what they are allowed to wear in public.

"I don't think we should be adopting the French idea of banning, telling people what they can and cannot wear," Mr. Kenney said, referring to a law passed in France last year that bans women from wearing the burka and other full-face Islamic coverings in public.

"I believe in personal liberty, even if I find some expressions of personal liberty a bit peculiar. I don't think we should be regulating what people wear but when a citizen comes to deal with the government, particularly to exercise their right to vote, I think it's entirely reasonable that we say we need to confirm who you are and a facial identification is a reasonable way of doing that," Mr. Kenney said, siding with his Tory colleague.

The bill does not forbid women from wearing face coverings in public, Mr. Kenney noted as he defended Mr. Blaney's proposal.

Mr. Blaney did not mention Islamic head coverings when he introduced the bill at a news conference last week and referred to Halloween and ski masks as examples of what Canadians have worn in the past while attempting to vote.

He said the bill was not created to discriminate against any religious groups, and was meant to create transparency but Liberal critics have disagreed....

Shock horror!

AP says he killed the "apostate" in accord with "his interpretation of Islamic law," but actually there is no traditional or mainstream formulation of Islamic law that does not call for the killing of apostates.

Tiny Minority of Extremists™ Update: "Admitted Pakistani assassin gets Valentine's love," by Asif Shahzad for Associated Press, February 14 (thanks to David):

ISLAMABAD - The confessed killer of a liberal Pakistani governor pleaded guilty to murder Monday, telling a judge he had no regrets because he killed "an apostate" as required under his interpretation of Islamic law, lawyers said.

Mumtaz Qadri shot dead Punjab province Gov. Salman Taseer in January while serving as a bodyguard. Qadri has told authorities he killed Taseer because the governor spoke out against harsh Pakistani blasphemy laws that impose the death sentence for insulting Islam....

Qadri was indicted Monday on a murder charge by an anti-terrorism court in the city of Rawalpindi.

Outside the court, dozens of Islamic activists carried banners saluting Qadri and demanded his immediate release. A small group of college students gave police flowers and a Valentine's Day card they wanted delivered to the defendant.

"Happy Valentine!" read one of the banners....

When the judge asked Mumtaz Qadri if he'd intentionally killed Taseer, the 26-year-old said he didn't consider his actions illegal, said defense lawyer Shuja-ur-Rehman Raja.

The lawyer quoted his client as saying he dealt with "an apostate" as required under Quranic and Islamic laws....

No one has been put to death for blasphemy because courts typically throw out the cases or commute the sentences. Still, some who are released are later killed by extremists or must go into hiding. Others accused of blasphemy spend long periods in prison while waiting for their cases to wind through the courts.

Taseer, a prominent member of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, campaigned for a reform of the laws after a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, was sentenced to death last year for allegedly insulting Islam's prophet, Muhammad.

But in a sign of how scared the largely secular ruling party is of Islamist street power, party leaders didn't support Taseer's move and, since his killing, have said they would not touch the existing laws.

Transcript beginning at 7:40:

We are also faced both at home and abroad with an existential enemy in political Islam. Political Islam is a totalitarian movement that seeks to impose Islamic law on the entire world through the seizure of states by stealth and electoral means insofar as possible, and by terror where necessary, and sometimes by a combination of the two. There are hundreds of millions of believers in political Islam, and it is growing force within the Islamic world itself.

In Egypt, 85% of the population is on record approving of the death penalty for apostates who leave Islam. The same people also believe that the death penalty for defectors from the faith is a form of democracy and religious freedom. There is nothing new in this apparent contradiction. Communist totalitarians also worked through the electoral process wherever possible and through violence when necessary. They called the police states and gulags they created "people's democracies." The Soviet Constitution was described by its creators and by the progressive movements that defended it as "the most democratic in the world."

The Muslim Brotherhood, which is the fountainhead of political Islam and has spawned 12 terrorist armies including al-Qaeda and Hamas is a political force in Egypt that is also willing to participate in elections and in the civil institutions of society. The Holy Land Foundation, a creation of the Muslim Brotherhood was the largest Islamic charity in America until it was raided by the FBI and put on trial in Texas for funding Hamas. One of the documents seized in a concealed basement at the Foundation headquarters and put into evidence by the FBI was the Muslim Brotherhood's plan for America. The stated goal of this plan was to "destroy the American civilization."

The plan called for building a secret leadership in America and for the creation of a series of Brotherhood front groups that would appear to be participants in America's democracy until the time came when and where force would be necessary to accomplish the Brotherhood's goals.

When I read the document, it reminded me of the Communists in America who were on trial for conspiring to overthrow the government, which they surely were, but who described themselves as Jeffersonian democrats. I knew several of them personally, including one who went underground to prosecute the violent revolution. Thanks to the imprudent tolerance of our courts, their convictions were all overturned.

The front groups that the Muslim Brotherhood set up were identified in the captured document. Among them were the Muslim Students Association, the Islamic Society of North America, the Muslim American Society, and the Council on American Islamic Relations or CAIR. The latter was set up to be a so-called civil rights organization whose purpose was to use the American Constitution to advance the Brotherhood's aims. The Communist Party had several similar fronts, including the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee and the Committee for the Protection of the Foreign Born as well.

The late Mahboob Khan was an American Muslim, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and one of the founders of the Muslim Students Association. He was also instrumental in creating the Islamic Society of North America. Mahboob Khan's widow today sits on the board of one of the regional organizations of the Muslim Brotherhood front CAIR.

Mahboob Khan also founded three mosques in California, which preach the totalitarian doctrines of the Brotherhood. In 1993 Mahboob Khan and one of his mosques hosted the "Blind Sheik" Abdul Rahman just two months before the Sheik's terrorist group blew up the World Trade Center, killing six people and wounding more than a thousand. In 1995 Mahboob Khan and his mosque in Santa Clara, California hosted and held a fund-raiser for Ayaman al-Zawahiri, a member of the Brotherhood and the number two man in al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden.

The Muslim Brotherhood has been wildly successful in its plan to become part of America's civil culture and to infiltrate the institutions of America's civil government, including the White House and both political parties, and the conservative movement as well. Suhail Khan is the proud son of Mahboob Khan and his protégé, as he is also the protégé of the convicted terrorist Abdurahman Alamoudi.

Sponsored by his longtime patron Grover Norquist, who has been a pillar of the conservative movement, Suhail Khan was given a White House appointment in the Bush Administration and facilitated Alamoudi's access to the president. Suhail then became an Undersecretary of Transportation where he received a top security clearance. With Grover's support Suhail has also been made a board member of the American Conservative Union and was the moderator of a panel on Religious Liberty yesterday at this event.

Suhail Khan used his offices in the Bush White House with Grover's connivance to carry water for the terrorist Sami al-Arian in an attempt to ban the use of secret evidence in terrorist trials - a proposal that thanks to Grover's immense political influence was actually endorsed by President Bush and was only thwarted by the 9/11 terror attacks.

Over the last ten years the influence of the Brotherhood has spread throughout our government. There is nothing new in this sad reality. In 1938 Whittaker Chambers attempted to warn President Roosevelt that one of his White House advisers, Alger Hiss, was a Soviet agent. When Roosevelt was given Chambers' information, he laughed and disregarded it. Alger Hiss remained as the president's adviser until the House Un-American Activities Committee flushed him out.

In the midst of the current crisis in Egypt, our biggest ally in the Middle East, both Secretary of State Clinton and the present director of national intelligence have given the Muslim Brotherhood an imprimatur as a peaceful, moderate and democratic organization. FBI directors appear at the annual dinners of CAIR, and the president has appointed members of the Islamic Society of North America to top positions in the Department of Homeland Security.

Frank Gaffney has been the courageous bringer of the bad news about Grover Norquist and Suhail Khan to the board of the American Conservative Union. Many good conservatives on the board have refused to believe the evidence of Suhail Khan's Brotherhood allegiances and agendas. They are of the opinion that Suhail's public appearances with Alamoudi and the Muslim Brotherhood fronts took place a decade ago, and that he doesn't promote violent agendas. I understand this. My parents were Communists in the heyday of Stalin. The Party's slogan was not "Bring on the dictatorship of the Proletariat" or "Revolution Now." But that is what they believed. The slogan of the Communist Party was "Peace, Jobs and Democracy."

As for the question of whether Suhail Khan believes now what he openly said then, my answer is this. When an honest person has been a member of a destructive movement and leaves it, he will feel compelled to repudiate it publicly and to warn others of the dangers it poses. This is a sure test of whether someone has left the Muslim Brotherhood or not.

I urge conservatives to school themselves in the nature of the Muslim Brotherhood and the networks it has spawned. And to be vigilant against its spread into the ranks of the conservative movement and the government of the country they love.

Horowitz responds to Suhail Khan's rebuttal here.

Video and transcript thanks to Pamela Geller, who has much more here.

He also blames America for the rise of Islamic jihad activity in recent years, which puts him in agreement with Barack Obama. "UPDATE 1-Gaddafi tells Palestinians: revolt against Israel," by Ali Shuaib and Salah Sarrar for Reuters, February 13 (thanks to Ken):

TRIPOLI, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Palestinian refugees should capitalise on the wave of popular revolts in the Middle East by massing peacefully on the borders of Israel until it gives in to their demands, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Sunday....

"Fleets of boats should take Palestinians ... and wait by the Palestinian shores until the problem is resolved," Gaddafi was shown saying on state television. "This is a time of popular revolutions."

"We need to create a problem for the world. This is not a declaration of war. This is a call for peace," he said in a speech given to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohamed, a holy day in the Islamic calendar.

He also said: "All Arab states which have relations with Israel are cowardly regimes."...

Gaddafi also issued a call to Muslim countries to join forces against Western powers. He said the world was divided into white, denoting the United States, Europe and their allies, and green for the Muslim world.

"The white colour has decided to get rid of the green colour," Gaddafi said. "These countries should be united against the white colour because all of these white countries are the enemies of Islam."

He said violent acts committed by Osama Bin Laden's al Qaeda network went against Islam because they killed innocent people. But he said there was a political explanation for the emergence of militant Islamists.

"Why did this movement emerge? Regardless of its behaviour, in my analysis this movement appeared in response to the American arrogance towards the Islamic nation and in response to its hegemony of the Islamic world," Gaddafi said.

"It was a response to ... the submission of rulers in the Islamic world, the subservience of rulers in the Islamic world to this arrogance from Europe and the United States," he said....

This just in from the stalker. I left CPAC on Saturday. This would, however, be a good time for D.C. police to be on the lookout, and I am sure they are doing a bangup job:

Subject: Finally At CPAC

Message: Finally at CPAC
Finally at CPACFinally at CPACFinally at CPACFinally at CPACFinally at
CPACFinally at CPACFinally at CPACFinally at CPACFinally at
CPACFinally at CPACFinally at CPAC

oooooooooooooooooooooooows

wait me there by today at 4: 50 PM

Spencer this is a good chance that we debate..

Finally at CPACFinally at CPACFinally at CPACFinally at CPACFinally at
CPACFinally at CPACFinally at CPACFinally at CPACFinally at
CPACFinally at CPACFinally at CPAC

This is, of course, from the same guy who has been saying he was coming to kill me in daily messages recently -- the one who wrote just hours ago, "Mr Spencer I am the one Who will end your operations. I will Slaughter you like a HEN," and has written much in a similar vein over the last few days.

UPDATE 5:42AM: I just got a call from the FBI, and thank them for their interest in this matter.

But will Ankara become a new Tehran, and if it does, whither Egypt? "Despite West's paranoia, new regime will be closer to Ankara than Tehran," by Patrick Smyth in the Irish Times, February 12 (thanks to Joshua):

WORLD VIEW: THERE'S A nice, ironic symmetry to the discomfort of the Iranian regime at the Egyptian contagion and the continuing ambivalence of western leaders to it because of fears it will be "hijacked" by Islamists.

The spectre of the Iranian revolution in 1979 haunts both: the fear of Islamism coming to power; and precisely that Islamism may also yet be hoist on its own petard, displaced by a similar uprising in Tehran.

Iranian opposition leaders are calling the mullahs' bluff, testing their disingenuous enthusiasm for Egypt's "Muslim" revolution, by challenging them to a allow a solidarity march on Monday.

President Hosni Mubarak has played the Islamist-threat card masterfully for years, as the US-allied regimes in Saudi, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Israel continued to do in recent days, urging Washington not to demand his departure.

But necessity is forcing a reappraisal of the real nature of this threat. Are Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and regional sister organisations really stalking horses for al-Qaeda? In truth the crude caricaturing of Islamism as a monolithic form of jihadism, incapable of coexisting with secular democracy, bent on exporting mayhem, reflects both a dangerous western paranoia and a real weakness of its intelligence....

By most estimates the MB enjoys support of only about 20 per cent, although electoral fraud by the regime makes the picture unclear.

And yet a Pew Research Center survey conducted in Egypt in Spring 2010 found that 85% of Egyptians had a positive view of Islam in politics. But of course the new regime will be secular. Or if it isn't, Sharia isn't all that bad, anyway. So what are a few stonings and amputations, and the muzzling of the freedom of speech? What are you, some kind of Islamophobe?

"''There were some statements that were inflammatory, and were considered just talk, but now we realize that talk can be taken seriously and acted upon in a violent radical way,' said Mr. Al-Awlaki, who at 30 is held up as a new generation of Muslim leader capable of merging East and West." -- Laurie Goodstein, "A Nation Challenged: The American Muslims; Influential American Muslims Temper Their Tone," New York Times, October 19, 2001

"Yemen cleric criticizes Yemen for helping US," from The Associated Press, February 13 (thanks to Block Ness):

A U.S.-born radical Yemeni cleric with links to al-Qaida slammed the Yemeni government for cooperating with the U.S. in strikes on locals in an audio message posted on Sunday.

According to the translation by the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group which monitors radical websites, Ayman al-Awlaki said it was a crime that the Yemeni government was helping the U.S. to bomb the people of Yemen....

Al-Awlaki, thought to be hiding in Yemen, is believed to have inspired and even plotted or helped coordinate some of the recent attacks on the U.S. That includes the failed Christmas Day 2009 bombing of an airliner heading for Detroit, Michigan, and the also unsuccessful plot to send mail bombs on planes from Yemen to the United States in October....

Here's the latest from my would-be murderer. Everyone dies, you know. Those who fear to stand up for the truth and for justice in order to buy a few more years die twice.

Still no interest in any of this, incidentally, from anyone in law enforcement.

Subject: They Cannot Stop Me.....

Message: Wether you call the FBI or the law enforcement They will not be able to stop me. 1) they know that you are a Bigot and hatemonger and 2) They cant do that to me.

Don't cry Mr Spencer I am the one Who will end your operations. I will Slaughter you like a HEN....

I am not joking.............and No body Only GOD can prevent that.

I am on my way to you Just it is a matter of time and tacing you. I live in New Jersey and It is a mtter of coming your location. If I meet you I am sure If I will spend next 200 years in Prison I will not Miss you and I know how coward you are.

They say Mohammed Junaid Babar has agreed to become an informant. "Jihadi who helped train 7/7 bomber freed by US after just five years," by Shiv Malik in The Guardian, February 13 (thanks to Block Ness):

An American jihadist who set up the terrorist training camp where the leader of the 2005 London suicide bombers learned how to manufacture explosives, has been quietly released after serving only four and a half years of a possible 70-year sentence, a Guardian investigation has learned.

The unreported sentencing of Mohammed Junaid Babar to "time served" because of what a New York judge described as "exceptional co-operation" that began even before his arrest has raised questions over whether Babar was a US informer at the time he was helping to train the ringleader of the 7 July tube and bus bombings.

Lawyers representing the families of victims and survivors of the attacks have compared the lenient treatment of Babar to the controversial release of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

Babar was imprisoned in 2004 - although final sentencing was deferred - after pleading guilty in a New York court to five counts of terrorism. He set up the training camp in Pakistan where Mohammad Sidique Khan and several other British terrorists learned about bomb-making and how to use combat weapons.

Babar admitted to being a dangerous terrorist who consorted with some of the highest-ranking members of al-Qaida, providing senior members with money and equipment, running weapons, and planning two attempts to assassinate the former president of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf.

But in a deal with prosecutors for the US attorney's office, Babar agreed to plead guilty and become a government supergrass in return for a drastically reduced sentence....

They must have seen how well it worked in Egypt. Islamic supremacists were denied the fruits of an election victory some years ago in Algeria; now is their chance again. "Algeria shuts down internet and Facebook as protest mounts," by Nabila Ramdani in the Telegraph, February 12 (thanks to Block Ness):

Internet providers were shut down and Facebook accounts deleted across Algeria on Saturday as thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators were arrested in violent street demonstrations.

Plastic bullets and tear gas were used to try and disperse large crowds in major cities and towns, with 30,000 riot police taking to the streets in Algiers alone.

There were also reports of journalists being targeted by state-sponsored thugs to stop reports of the disturbances being broadcast to the outside world.

But it was the government attack on the internet which was of particular significance to those calling for an end to President Abdelaziz Boutifleka's repressive regime....

Political correctness is enabling child abuse in the U.K. If Britain truly takes pride in being inclusive and non-discriminatory, authorities will do whatever is necessary to eliminate the abuse shown below, and thus "include" Islamic schools on the same standard of behavior expected of everyone else.

More on this story: images and captions from the Daily Mail:

"Slapped: A child receives a sharp blow on the back of the head ... The impact of the blow can be heard on the film"

"Threatened: An older pupil holds down a boy while another pupil - put in charge during the teacher's absence - aims a bench at him"

"Grabbed: Secretly filmed footage from the Markazi Jamia mosque shows a teacher pulling a pupil towards him and striking him on the back"

Once again, will we see appropriate outrage from Britain's Muslims about this? Or outrage directed instead at the reporting of the abuse? It may come in handy to know that "slander" in Islamic law does not refer saying things that are not true, but rather saying things someone does not want to be known, even if they are true:

Slander (ghiba) means to mention anything concerning a person that he would dislike, whether about his body, religion, everyday life, self, disposition, property, son, father, wife, servant, turban, garment, gait, movements, smiling, dissoluteness, frowning, cheerfulness, or anything else connected with him" (Umdat al-Salik, r2.2).

Unbelievers are the worst creatures? Who writes this stuff?

Qur'an 98:6: "Those who reject (Truth), among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, will be in Hell-Fire, to dwell therein (for aye). They are the worst of creatures."

We have already seen in prior reports that oversight of Islamic schools in the U.K. has been dismal, and compromised from the beginning by employing biased Muslims -- some with known supremacist and jihadist sympathies -- to investigate and report on conditions in those schools. Then, there was the case where authorities looked the other way from schools requiring girls as young as 11 to wear the niqab to and from school. One might expect that even this new set of damning evidence is only somewhat more of the tip of the iceberg.

Next question: will there be outrage in Britain's Muslim community? That is, outrage at the abuses taking place among them and the "misunderstanding" of Islam, and a productive response. Or will we see outrage at fellow Muslims' being called out in public for bad behavior, accusations of Islamophobia and incitement, and lip service to "taking steps" to deal with these schools?

"Shame of Britain's Muslim schools: Secret filming shows pupils being beaten and 'taught Hindus drink cow p***'," by Tazeen Ahmad for the Daily Mail, February 13 (thanks to all who sent this in):

It is an assembly hall of the sort found in any ordinary school. Boys aged 11 and upwards sit cross-legged on the floor in straight rows. They face the front of the room and listen carefully. But this is no ordinary assembly. Holding the children's attention is a man in Islamic dress wearing a skullcap and stroking his long dark beard as he talks.

'You're not like the non-Muslims out there,' the teacher says, gesturing towards the window. 'All that evil you see in the streets, people not wearing the hijab properly, people smoking . . . you should hate it, you should hate walking down that street.'

He refers to the 'non-Muslims' as the 'Kuffar', an often derogatory term that means disbeliever or infidel.

Welcome to one of Britain's most influential Islamic faith schools, one of at least 2,000 such schools in Britain, some full-time, others part-time. They represent a growing, parallel education system.

The school is the Darul Uloom Islamic High School in Birmingham, an oversubscribed independent secondary school. Darul Ulooms are world-renowned Islamic institutions and their aim is to produce the next generation of Muslim leaders. In fact, these schools have been described as the 'Etons of Islam'.

This school is required by its inspectors to teach tolerance and respect for other faiths. But the Channel 4 current affairs programme Dispatches filmed secretly inside it - and instead discovered that Muslim children are being taught religious apartheid and social segregation.

We recorded a number of speakers giving deeply disturbing talks about Jews, Christians and atheists.

We found children as young as 11 learning that Hindus have 'no intellect' and that they 'drink cow p***'.

Is it just a question of the animal? "Narrated Anas: Some people from the tribe of 'Ukl came to the Prophet and embraced Islam. The climate of Medina did not suit them, so the Prophet ordered them to go to the (herd of milch) camels of charity and to drink, their milk and urine (as a medicine)." - Sahih Bukhari 8.82.794.

One trusts they've gotten on the phone to these Muslims who quote such authoritative (sahih) ahadith about Muhammad's recommendations on camel urine and wax eloquent about its benefits.

And we came across pupils being told that the 'disbelievers' are 'the worst creatures' and that Muslims who adopt supposedly non-Muslim ways, such as shaving, dancing, listening to music and - in the case of women - removing their headscarves, would be tortured with a forked iron rod in the afterlife.

In 2009 this school was praised by Government-approved inspection teams for its interfaith teachings. The report said that 'pupils learn about the beliefs and practices of other faiths and are taught to show respect to other world religions'.

It seems that the inspectors were unaware of the teaching methods revealed by our undercover reporter, Osman. He was taken on as a volunteer at the Darul Uloom school in Birmingham in April 2009 and was allowed to sit in on some lessons - but not their Islamic classes.

So, in July last year, he went into one of the rooms where we'd heard they taught Islamic studies and left a secret camera to record the lessons.

Filming intermittently over a period of four months, the camera recorded children being taught a hardline, intolerant and highly anti-social version of Islam.

During the same period our reporter also attended the Markazi Jamia mosque in Keighley, West Yorkshire, after hearing of serious allegations that children were being hit at its madrassa. [...]

The film shows children as young as six sitting on the floor of a large room in the mosque, one of the biggest in the country. The boys are hunched over wooden benches, rocking backwards and forwards as they rote-learn the Koran in Arabic. A man with a long white beard dressed in a traditional shalwar kameez - tunic and trousers - sits at the head of the class.

Periodically he gets up and walks behind the boys. As he passes, the children appear to cower and watch him nervously. It soon becomes clear why.

He unexpectedly raises his hand and slaps a young boy hard on the head. Moments later he strikes another. And then he kicks a third child.

In just two days of filming in December 2010, the camera recorded the teacher hitting children as young as six or seven at least ten times, in less than three hours of lessons.

From what we could see, every single blow was pretty much unprovoked. We soon realised that the beatings were routine. The behaviour of the boys, the way they flinched and backed away when he approached, indicated that they were long-accustomed to being hit and kicked as they studied.....

There is more.

Here is today's death threat. It's interesting to note the double standard once again: Daisy Khan of the Islamic supremacist mega-mosque at Ground Zero said that she had received a death threat, and it was national news. I receive death threats on a more or less daily basis, and send them to law enforcement; I never hear anything back, and the media is no less indifferent. This is a recurring pattern: remember when Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris was threatened over "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day," she had to leave her job and conceal her identity, at her own expense, and the world yawned.

This double standard reveals several assumptions on the part of the mainstream media: they assume that Muslims are always victims, and thus have no interest in a story that positions Muslims as perpetrators of violence or threats. This meshes with the general journalistic practice of labeling Islamic jihadists as "militants" or "insurgents" or "youths" in news articles. They also assume -- and this they would never admit -- that Muslims are more given to violence and threats than are non-Muslims. Thus it is not news when Molly Norris or I or any counter-jihadist is threatened, because that's what Islamic supremacists do. It is only news when a Muslim is threatened, because that's a man-bites-dog story.

Thus the media double standard reveals an unconscious paternalism that any genuinely peaceful Muslim should decry as an insult. If CAIR's Honest Ibe Hooper, for example, were really what he claims to be, he would decry death threats against me as vocally and energetically as he decries alleged threats against Muslims. But he won't, because he isn't.

The indifference of law enforcement, however, when they have police stationed round-the-clock at the Burlington Coat Factory mosque site, and when they hasten to assure the press that they're investigating the alleged threats against Khan or any other Muslim leader who claims to be threatened, I cannot explain at all.

Subject: Does Spencer have Loved friends or Families

Message: As He daily braces the pain of every muslim person on this earth. Spencer must pay heavy price for the Deeds he handles.
Does He have Kids and beloved Family. This must be something the he should not take as a Joke.

There was someone Who earlier said He should be Treated like a goat. I said Yes Spencer Deserves that more than any other American Person. Do you think that He is an Innocent?? No He has blood with his hands. He ordered the Slaughter of Hundreds of thousands of people. In Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan.
He ordered the destruction of every Mulims Person heavy Price and Suffering Prices and Must be put......

Rasmussen also said: "I would expect the Afghan government as well as all Afghan institutions to live up to the requirements as stated in the Afghan constitution including full respect for human rights."

But that is precisely the problem. The Afghan constitution identifies the country as an Islamic republic, and says that "followers of other religions are free to exercise their faith and perform their religious rites within the limits of the provisions of law, " but "no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam" (Chapter 1, Articles 1-3).

An amendment in the tenth chapter of the constitution adds: "The provisions of adherence to the fundamentals of the sacred religion of Islam and the regime of the Islamic Republic cannot be amended."

Therefore, despite lip service to abiding by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Chapter 1, Article 7), all talk of religious freedom and human rights in Afghanistan truly begins and ends within the boundaries of Sharia, which forbids apostasy from Islam. By Sharia's reckoning, leaving Islam simply does not fall under the umbrella of "human rights." So, where anyone claims that Sharia "respects human rights," it does so according to its own dismal standards.

And, of course, Muhammad himself ordered apostates to be executed. "Nato sides with jailed Afghan Christian convert," from the Telegraph, February 7 (thanks to DP111):

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Afghanistan on Monday to respect human rights as a Red Cross worker faced a possible death sentence for converting to Christianity.

"Let me stress that