Jihad against buyers of groceries. "11 killed in car bombing in northwest Pakistan," from the Associated Press, August 31 (thanks to David):

A powerful car bomb ripped through a market in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 11 people, police said.

The explosion in Mattani bazaar near the city of Peshawar injured another 20 people and damaged 30 shops, senior police official Abdul Sattar said.

Khan said the dead and wounded had been transported to a hospital, and some of the injured were listed in a critical condition.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar condemned the attack, saying terrorists had killed innocent people by detonating the bomb in a crowded bazar. "Such attacks cannot deter our resolve in the fight against terrorism," he said....

"Our" resolve?

How much longer before Sharia is officially proclaimed? "Education body seeks to lift 'Atatürk's principles' from curriculum," from the Hürriyet Daily News, August 31 (thanks to Joshua):

Turkey's Higher Education Body (YÖK) is considering the removal of classes that teach “Atatürk's principles and the history of the revolution” from university curricula, Tuğba Tekerek of daily Taraf reported today.

The classes were added to the curriculum after the Sept. 12, 1980, coup with the enactment of the higher education law in 1981.

In other words, they were added in order to inculcate the principles of secularism that were being threatened by Islamic supremacists.

YÖK Chairman Gökhan Çetinsaya said the education body was discussing the removal of the classes as part of an amendment to the higher education law. "[The removal of the classes] is on the board's agenda," Çetinsaya told daily Taraf.

"Atatürk's principles and the history of the revolution" is a mandatory course for university students in Turkey, along with "Turkish language and literature" classes. Lessons on "Atatürk's principals [sic]" were based on the 1981 Higher Education Law, which stated the purpose of higher education as "training students who are devoted to 'Atatürk nationalism' as directed by Atatürk's revolutions and principles."

Professor Halil Berktay from Sabancı University told Taraf that the removal of the class would be a good thing as "there cannot be a lesson called 'Atatürk's principals [sic].’ Not in primary school, middle school, or in university."

OK, then!

The Taliban might have beheaded her as a warning of what happens to those who work with the Afghan government, although this story doesn't say whether or not her family members actually did work with the government -- it only notes that about the other child who was beheaded in Afghanistan. But anyway, why might her family have beheaded her? An honor killing? Or maybe she just left the crayons out?

And what exactly are we trying to accomplish by expending our blood and treasure in this barbaric, savage land where police chiefs can casually speculate that maybe this latest beheaded six-year-old child was beheaded by her family, as if it were the sort of thing that happens every day? And in Afghanistan, maybe it is.

"Two Afghan children beheaded in separate incidents," by Mirwais Harooni for Reuters, August 31 (thanks to David):

(Reuters) - An adolescent boy and a young girl have been beheaded in two separate incidents in Afghanistan, local officials and police said on Friday, in the latest brazen attacks that have raised fresh questions about a splintering Taliban.

A 12-year-old boy was kidnapped and killed in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday, his severed head placed near his body to send a warning to police, said provincial governor spokesman Jawid Faisal.

The brother of the boy, neither of whom were named by officials, was a member of the Afghan Local Police (ALP), a U.S.-trained militia charged with making Afghans in Taliban strongholds, like Kandahar, feel more secure, Faisal said.

"It's a Taliban warning to the ALP and to others who support the government," Faisal said of the killing, which happened in Kandahar's Panjwai district.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf denied the group was involved.

Separately, a 6-year-old girl was beheaded in eastern Kapisa province on Thursday, said provincial police chief Abdul Hamed.

"We are not sure if she was beheaded by her family or the Taliban, but we know the Taliban control the area," Hamed said of the killing in Jalukhil village. He added that he could not send investigators to the area out of fears for their safety.

The murders follow the shooting or beheading of 17 young revelers attending a party in southern Helmand province this week, which officials said was the work of the Taliban, a charge the group also denied....

"What we're seeing could be a new tactic by the Taliban to behead civilians to intimidate the population," said Faisal.

In Kandahar's Zhari district, officials also said on Friday that a 16-year-old boy accused by the Taliban of spying for the government was beheaded and skinned in late July....

The central Taliban leadership is trying to improve the group's image in case it wants to push forward tentative reconciliation steps and perhaps even enter mainstream politics. But some militant units are hard to control, roaming the countryside and attacking those deemed immoral....

Like six-year-old girls, perhaps? Some hair maybe was peeking out of her hijab? Perhaps she burned her 82-year-old husband's dinner?

5,206 people have been killed and 9,137 wounded in the Thai jihad, and counting. "Muslim separatists launch wave of bomb attacks in Thailand," by Surapan Boonthanom in the Independent, August 31 (thanks to Twostellas):

SUSPECTED Muslim separatists launched a wave of bomb attacks in Thailand's south on Friday in a rare show of coordination in a usually low-level insurgency in the predominantly Buddhist country.

Police say "bomb-like" devices were found in at least 60 locations in Narathiwat and Pattani, two of three mainly Muslim provinces bordering mainly Muslim Malaysia, along with scores of Malaysian flags.

Most of the devices were fake, but at least a dozen exploded and wounded two soldiers.

A shadowy separatist insurgency by ethnic Malays resurfaced in January 2004, after simmering for decades. Since then, 5,206 people have been killed and 9,137 wounded, according to Deep South Watch, an organisation that monitors the violence....

The coordination and scale of Friday's action were "extremely rare" and intended as a rebuttal of the government's handling of the eight-year conflict, said Srisompop Jitpiromsri of Deep South Watch, who is also a lecturer at Prince of Songkla University in Pattani.

Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have seen almost daily gun fights and bomb attacks since January 2004. The three provinces were once part of an independent Malay Muslim sultanate until annexed by Thailand in 1909.

The placing of Malaysian flags was intended to antagonise the Thai government and cause friction with Malaysia, Pramote Prom-in, an official at the Southern Internal Security Operations Command told a news conference in Narathiwat.

He asked authorities to be vigilant and said the attacks would not affect Thai-Malaysian relations.

The attacks came on the anniversary of Malaysia's independence from British rule.

Leaked television footage of a fatal roadside ambush by militants on four Thai soldiers a month ago triggered widespread public scrutiny of the government's handling of the long-neglected south.

The government had ruled out peace talks but the government had a change of heart and said this month talks were under way.

Successive governments have spent more than 160 billion baht ($5 billion) over the past eight years to quell the violence....

And let's not forget the origami.

Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide. A manual of Islamic law certified as a reliable guide to Sunni orthodoxy by Al-Azhar University, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam, says that "retaliation is obligatory against anyone who kills a human being purely intentionally and without right." However, "not subject to retaliation" is "a father or mother (or their fathers or mothers) for killing their offspring, or offspring's offspring." ('Umdat al-Salik o1.1-2). In other words, someone who kills his child incurs no legal penalty under Islamic law.

The Palestinian Authority gives pardons or suspended sentences for honor murders. Iraqi women have asked for tougher sentences for Islamic honor murderers, who get off lightly now. Syria in 2009 scrapped a law limiting the length of sentences for honor killings, but "the new law says a man can still benefit from extenuating circumstances in crimes of passion or honour 'provided he serves a prison term of no less than two years in the case of killing.'" And in 2003 the Jordanian Parliament voted down on Islamic grounds a provision designed to stiffen penalties for honor killings. Al-Jazeera reported that "Islamists and conservatives said the laws violated religious traditions and would destroy families and values."

In light of all this, until authorities get the courage to tell the truth about honor killing, there will be many more such murders.

"‘Honour’ crime: Man arrested for killing mother, four sisters," from the Express Tribune, August 31 (thanks to David):

CHICHA WATNI: A woman and her four daughters were killed in a Chicha Watni village on Wednesday night allegedly by one of her sons.

The suspect, Khalid Allah Ditta, 26, has been arrested by Ghaziabad police who say that he has confessed to killing the women. The police said the suspect, a resident of Chak29-11 LK, was arrested by a police team from a neighbouring village on Thursday evening. They said a murder case against him was lodged on the complaint filed by his father, Allah Ditta.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Station House Officer Muhammad Wajid admitted that it was likely that the complainant would withdraw the complaint and refuse to press murder charges against his son. He said the police would be helpless in such a situation and would have to release the suspect without prosecution.

The SHO said the complaint could not be registered by the police on their own (to prevent a withdrawal at a later stage) because a relative’s application was available for the purpose. “We may proceed against the complainant (Allah Dita) on spreading false information charge if he revokes the complaint,” he said.

The complainant, Allah Ditta, who is the suspect’s father, stated that Khalid Allah Ditta had suspected his mother Irshad Bibi, 50, and four sisters Nazia Bibi, Shazia Bibi, Sajida Bibi and Khalida Bibi of having illicit relations with some men in the neighbourhood.

It said the suspect had drugged their dinner and killed them in their sleep with an azada (a digging tool). Two of the four sisters were married but were staying at their parents’ house for some months. Talking to The Tribune, Khalid Allah Ditta’s younger brother said he and his other brothers had been warning the deceased ‘to mend their ways but they refused to listen to their admonitions’. He said he had learnt about the killings on reaching home in the morning on Thursday from his dera where he had spent the night....

Now wait a minute. Islamic supremacists, as well as their media enablers, constantly tell us that Muslims are outraged by Western immodesty and licentiousness, whereas they are all-holy, pure, spotless, and above all that. And so how is it that Khalil Jamil's behavior doesn't constitute sexual harassment just because he came from a "restrictive Muslim background"? It looks much more likely to me that he believes all non-Muslim women are whores who will have sex with anyone and everyone, and was trying to get in on the action.

More in the mind-numbing and endless March of Dhimmitude in Absurd Britannia: "Pharmacist asked colleague about her favourite love-making position 'because he came from a restrictive Muslim background,'" by Kerry Mcqueeney in the Daily Mail, August 31 (thanks to David):

A pharmacist who made crude remarks to three of his female colleagues has escaped with a warning after a panel heard he came from a 'restrictive Muslim background' and was unaware of the offence his conduct had caused.

Khalil Jamil asked one of the women about her favourite love-making position and quizzed another about the mating habits of her horses - but a professional panel ruled his behaviour was not sexually motviated [sic].

The General Pharmaceutical Council panel found Jamil acted inappropriately by making the comments and standing too close to his assistants.

However, they accepted that his background in a strict Muslim community meant he was unfamiliar to working in such an open environment with women and his basic social skills meant he lacked understanding of appropriate conduct.

Note the paternalism. Once again we see the hidden ethnocentrism of the avowedly multicultural.

As the remarks were not sexually motivated the panel cleared Jamil of misconduct and gave him an official warning.

It also took into consideration the fact that Jamil had remedied his actions by attending a 'dignity at work' course.

Panel chairman Patrick Malmo QC said: ‘He felt the source of this behaviour in 2009, was that he comes from a very restrictive background, with little social life, and none at all outside of his own community.

‘He lacked social skills, and had little knowledge of how one should be when working with colleagues.

‘He was unable to distinguish between friendliness and over familiarity.’

Mr Malmo added: ‘We do not think there is a serious risk of this kind of conduct being repeated.

‘Although we do not find the registrant impaired, we have the ability to issue a warning, and given the circumstances of this case, we believe it is necessary to do so.’

In a statement read to the hearing one of Jamil’s colleagues, referred to as CH, said she was working with Jamil at the Cooperative Pharmacy in Fauldhouse, West Lothian, in July 2009, when he asked: ‘Do you have a boyfriend? Do you want a boyfriend?’

She said: ‘Whenever it went quiet he came back to me and stood close again. He asked me if I was into sports, I said “No”.

‘He said he was into boxing and said feel my stomach. He grabbed my wrist and tried to get me to touch his stomach.'

Jamil had told the hearing that he had no desire to be in a relationship with the woman saying: ‘I suppose I was showing off, at the time, that I train, I work hard.'

He made similar remarks to another assistant, referred to only as SS, while he was working as a locum at a Morrisons pharmacy in St Andrews, Fife, in November 2009.

The pharmacist approached her while she was at the computer at and asked her if she had a boyfriend and how she liked to have sex with him.

A similar incident occurred the following week in which he put his arms around her waist.

A third woman, known as SR, was working at the same pharmacy when Jamil stood close to her that as she bent down to pick up some prescriptions, she could not help but back into him.

She added that he had asked if getting her horses’ castrated had affected the animals’ sex drives and whether it would have the same effect on a man.

He had admitted that all the incidents took place but denied any possible sexual motivation.

Speaking afterwards Graham Edwards, said on behalf of Mr Jamil: ‘I think the panel’s decision was overall correct....

‘The duration of the inquiry into these matters, being three years, has caused Mr Jamil and his family to be emotionally damaging, at a great deal financial of cost.’

The poor fellow! "Islamophobia" claims yet another victim!

Obviously Mercer meant those Middle Easterners who enter the country illegally from Mexico, not all Middle Easterners who come to the United States. And so the uproar is clearly a cynical orchestrated hit for political purposes, like virtually all of the shock and outrage that the Left generates for supposed "gaffes" by figures on the Right.

After all, why exactly are Middle Easterners sneaking in to the U.S. from Mexico? It isn't as if it's difficult in this Age of Obama for Muslims to get refugee status in the U.S. As Pamela Geller noted here: "Christians are in imminent danger across the world, and yet they are being refused refugee status, while Muslim refugee immigration goes on unimpeded. U.S. policy regarding refugee resettlement would shock most Americans if they only knew. The United Nations picks who gets to come to the U.S. as a refugee. The mandate of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is to determine which of the world’s huddled masses comes to the U.S. as humanitarian refugees. And predictably, this U.N. body is favoring Muslims. Christians from Muslim lands are being refused refugee status."

That being the case, it is more than passing strange that any Middle Easterners at all are crossing illegally into the U.S. from Mexico. And the fact that they do so does raise legitimate questions about their motives.

"Arizona Republican's 'Middle Easterners' comments spark debate," by Tim Gaynor for Reuters, August 29 (thanks to Trita Parsi):

(Reuters) - Remarks by a conservative Arizona Republican Congressional candidate that Middle Easterners' "only goal in life is to cause harm to the United States" have landed her in the midst of a dispute over whether the comments amount to hate speech.

Tea Party-backed Gabriela Saucedo Mercer, who was born in Mexico and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, won the Republican primary on Tuesday to run in an Arizona Congressional district that flanks the border in southern Arizona. She faces Democrat Raul Grijalva, a five-term incumbent, in the November general election.

Grijalva sparked the debate Tuesday when he circulated a video in which the Republican tells an interviewer that authorities in the previous year nabbed 25,000 illegal immigrants who were other than Mexican nationals.

"That includes Chinese, Middle Easterners. If you know Middle Easterners, a lot of them they look Mexican or like a lot of people in South America - dark skin, dark hair, brown eyes, and they mix in," she said in the interview, recorded last year by WesternFreePress.com.

"And those people, their only goal in life is to cause harm to the United States, so why do we want them here, either legally or illegally?" she said....

Grijalva, a long-term opponent of the immigration crackdown, issued a news release on Tuesday denouncing what he called Mercer's "reckless hate speech" and urged everyone who endorsed Mercer to "withdraw their support immediately."

"This is not a he-said, she-said question of interpretation. Her comments are reprehensible and deserve condemnation from every quarter. Anyone who continues to support her campaign should be asked whether they want someone with her views in Congress," he said in a statement.

[Muslim Brotherhood-linked] Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim American elected to Congress, said he was "disappointed" in Mercer's "decision to inject division and fear" into the Congressional race.

The American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, a non-sectarian civil rights and civil liberties group, also weighed into the debate, slamming Mercer's choice of words, which it said "once again exemplifies the bigotry and racism rampant within the Republican party, and politics as a whole."

The nonprofit group called on Republican party leaders, including presidential candidate Mitt Romney, to condemn her remarks and "move away from the politics of hate and fear."

A call to Mercer seeking comment was not immediately returned on Wednesday. In comments reported by the Arizona Daily Star newspaper, she said the video was edited to be misleading and took her comments out of context.

"He (Grijalva) must be scared or something," the newspaper reported Mercer saying at a primary-election night party on Tuesday. "The tactics he's using to smear me as a racist are unconscionable."

Oddly enough, the same thing is happening in glorious democratic "Arab Spring" Egypt. You'd almost think it had something to do with Sharia's restrictions on the freedom of speech. Naaah -- couldn't be. Everybody knows that democracy and pluralism are dawning in these marvelous "Arab Spring" countries!

Meanwhile, when pro-jihad "journalists" such as Christiane Amanpour, Niraj Warikoo, Dave Weigel, Kari Huus, Bob Smietana, Eli Clifton, Adam Serwer, Michael Kruse, Ken Borsuk and the rest of them (and there are hordes of them; the mainstream media hires them by the pound) see this kind of thing coming to the West, will they regret their role in demonizing and marginalizing those who were trying to resist the destruction of the freedom of speech? Actually that's unlikely; given their editorial slant thus far, they will probably be cheering.

"Censorship returns to Tunisia: Journalists accuse ruling Islamists of clampdown," from Middle East Online, August 30 (thanks to Twostellas):

TUNIS - Tunisian journalists and media figures on Thursday accused the government of clamping down on freedom of expression, as the Islamist-led state is criticised for tightening its grip on the press.

Two state-run newspapers said their new director, who they consider too close to the ruling Ennahda party, censored an article they were to publish criticising his appointment by the government.

And the head of a TV channel gave himself up to the authorities on Thursday under an arrest warrant, claiming this was ordered in retaliation for a political satire show his station aired.

International NGOs have recently criticised the Tunis government for seeking to manipulate the media, including by appointing new directors to head public media groups without consulting their staff.

"This is harassment," a journalist and unionist said of the alleged censorship by state-owned Dar Assabah press group director Lotfi Touati of newspapers Le Temps and Essabah.

The two dailies were to run an article criticising Touati's recent appointment to his position by the government, but he stopped it being printed overnight Wednesday and called the police to the office, Sana Farhat said.

"The new heads want to control the newspapers' editorial line," Farhat added, accusing the director of taking orders from the government.

She said the article, which was also to announce a September 11 strike, was replaced by commercials.

Meanwhile Sami Fehri, head of Ettounsiya TV, turned himself in to the attorney general's office almost a week after his arrest warrant was issued, his lawyer said.

In a video statement released during the night, Fehri said he was going to the attorney general to allege unlawful prosecution and an attack on freedom of expression.

"Freedom of expression with which we live since January 14 (2011, the day Ben Ali fled Tunisia) is threatened," said Fehri.

He believes his arrest was ordered because of his channel's satirical puppet show, which was recently and abruptly halted allegedly under pressure from the authorities.

Fehri last week told Express FM radio he would not fight the warrant.

"A huge machine has crushed us to death," he said of the government. "I would never have imagined it could happen like that. They have crossed every red line."

Official news agency TAP has said Fehri was being charged with "illegal use of Tunisian state television resources" during the rule of Ben Ali.

The authorities say they want to "clean up" the system of accomplices of the fallen regime, like Fehri who was an associate of Belhassen Trabelsi, brother of Ben Ali. Trabelsi has fled to Canada.

The warrant against Fehri came days after protests by Tunisian journalists accusing the government of seeking to curtail press freedom and take control of the country's media....

"And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four." -- Qur'an 4:3

Sharia is coming fast to "Arab Spring" Tunisia, where we were told that the uprising against Ben Ali was a flowering of Western-style notions of democracy and freedom, and had nothing to do with jihad or Islamic supremacism. Now, of course, it is abundantly clear that we few who were saying just the opposite were right all along.

"Islamist organization demands Tunisia legalize polygamy," from al-Arabiya, August 30 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

The head of a Tunisian Islamist organization called this week for his country to legalize polygamy as part of a post-revolution initiative to cancel all laws that contradict Islamic principles.

Adel Elmi, head of the Tunisian Moderate Association for Awareness and Reform, formerly known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said in a Wednesday radio statement that marriage laws ought to be modified.

“Sanctioning polygamy is a popular demand now in Tunisia,” Elmi said.

The practice was permitted in Islam and should be legalized if it deemed in the best interest of society, Elmi said, proposing Tunisia’s marriage laws be referred to courts for modification, under certain conditions.

“For example, the first wife has to approve before her husband is allowed to remarry,” he said.

Tunisia has some of the strongest women’s rights laws in the Middle East. The Personal Status Code passed in 1956 by late Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba prohibited polygamy, raised the age of marriage for girls to 17 years old, facilitated women’s ability to obtain divorce in court, and banned forced marriages for minor girls.

All that will be reversed in due course.

But since the Islamic al-Nahda Party came to power in October elections last year, Tunisian women’s rights organizations have been apprehensive about the possibility losing some of their rights.

The new Islamist government has pledged to preserve women’s rights, but talk of Tunisian Islamist figures violating the polygamy ban has stirred controversy in the country.

Lawyer and rights activist Radia al-Nasrawi alleged that a prominent member of the Islamic al-Nahda Party, whose name she refused to disclose, was already married to two women....

In FrontPage this morning I discuss a common-sense call for monitoring mosques that has gone out not in the United States, of course, but in, of all places, Saudi Arabia:

It’s happened again: venomous Islamophobes have called for the monitoring of mosques. That’s right: racist bigots, seething with unaccountable hatred for their fellow citizens who happen to be mosque-attending Muslims, are calling for unconscionable restrictions upon Muslims’ religious freedom, and a cloud of suspicion to be cast upon the entire Muslim community, as they have called for law enforcement authorities to step up their monitoring of Muslim houses of worship.

Here’s the story:

JEDDAH: A number of religious scholars and academics have stressed the need for the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Call and Guidance to beef up monitoring of places of worship. It followed the recent report of a Riyadh mosque serving as a facade for manufacturing explosives.

That’s right: the call for the monitoring of mosques has gone out not in the United States, and not from “Islamophobes” at all, but from Muslims in Saudi Arabia. The call came after “the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that it discovered explosive substances and devices at a lean-to of a quiet mosque in Riyadh.”

These “religious scholars and academics”  have a valid point. After all, in recent years we have seen mosques 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 U.S.) that non-Muslims conform to Islamic dietary restrictions; to fire on American troops; to fire upon Indian troops; to train jihadists; and more.

American authorities have as much reason as Saudi authorities to be concerned. Four separate studies all found that 80% of U.S. mosques were teaching jihad, Islamic supremacism, and hatred and contempt for Jews and Christians. There are no countervailing studies that challenge these results. In 1998, Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, a Sufi leader, visited 114 mosques in the United States. Then he gave testimony before a State Department Open Forum in January 1999, and asserted that 80% of American mosques taught the “extremist ideology.”

Then there was the Center for Religious Freedom’s 2005 study, and the Mapping Sharia Project’s 2008 study. Each independently showed that upwards of 80% of mosques in America were preaching hatred of Jews and Christians and the necessity ultimately to impose Islamic rule.

And in the summer of 2011 came another study showing that only 19% of mosques in U.S. don’t teach jihad violence and/or Islamic supremacism.

Specifically:

A random survey of 100 representative mosques in the U.S. was conducted to measure the correlation between Sharia adherence and dogma calling for violence against non-believers. Of the 100 mosques surveyed, 51% had texts on site rated as severely advocating violence; 30% had texts rated as moderately advocating violence; and 19% had no violent texts at all. Mosques that presented as Sharia adherent were more likely to feature violence-positive texts on site than were their non-Sharia-adherent counterparts. In 84.5% of the mosques, the imam recommended studying violence-positive texts. The leadership at Sharia-adherent mosques was more likely to recommend that a worshiper study violence-positive texts than leadership at non-Sharia-adherent mosques. Fifty-eight percent of the mosques invited guest imams known to promote violent jihad. The leadership of mosques that featured violence-positive literature was more likely to invite guest imams who were known to promote violent jihad than was the leadership of mosques that did not feature violence-positive literature on mosque premises.

That means that around 1,700 mosques in the U.S. are preaching hatred of infidels and justifying violence against them. As Pamela Geller asks: “You think there will never be any consequences of that?”

There is more.

Whenever Islamic law and practice conflict with American law and practice, it is the latter that must give way, on pain of charges of "Islamophobia." Never mind that caps can conceal more than the top of one's head, and that the rule applied to everyone, no matter what kind of head covering he or she was wearing. Just cough up the $300,000 and shut up, dhimmi.

"Franklin man says rights violated, sues over Muslim cap," from the Associated Press, August 30 (thanks to Twostellas):

A Muslim man who once ran for Franklin alderman is suing a security company, claiming his religious rights were violated when its guards demanded he remove his cap before entering Nashville’s Juvenile Justice Center.

Rashid al-Qadir claims security guards violated his First Amendment right to the free exercise of his religion by telling him he could not wear the small, brimless cap called a kufi. Al-Qadir says he offered to remove the kufi for inspection but then wanted to put it back on. The guards refused and demanded he leave the building. Al-Qadir says he left voluntarily because he was afraid of being arrested or hurt.

In a motion filed Tuesday, attorneys for G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. do not dispute al-Qadir’s account of the April 11, 2011, events. Instead, they argue the suit should be dismissed because al-Qadir cannot prove his claim that the guards were acting on behalf of the government. Greg Grisham, an attorney for the company formerly known as Wackenhut, said he could not comment further on the suit.

Al-Qadir initially asked the federal court for an emergency order that would allow him to enter the Juvenile Justice Center, where he was fighting a child custody dispute. Two weeks later, the juvenile courthouse adopted a policy allowing religious headwear to be worn in the building once it had been inspected.

In June of this year, al-Qadir amended his original complaint. He is seeking $300,000 in damages: $50,000 for embarrassment, humiliation and emotional distress and $250,000 in punitive damages “to punish and deter Defendant for its deliberate and reckless misconduct.”

'I'm an American'

“I’m an American. I was born in America, and I’m going to be treated like an American,” al-Qadir said in an interview. “I have a right to practice my religion freely as long as I’m not hurting anyone, and a kufi is not going to hurt anybody.”

Al-Qadir, who is from Franklin, said he has worn a kufi and a long robe as signs of his religious faith since he converted to Islam 30 years ago.

“It’s very important to me because it allows me to exercise what I believe, to be able to practice my religion freely,” he said.

Eric Rassbach, an attorney with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said whether someone has a right to don religious clothing in places like courts could depend on the particular state they reside in and the building they enter. The U.S. Supreme Court held in 1990 that a neutral law that applied to everyone did not violate a plaintiff’s religious liberty. However, since that ruling, Congress and many state legislatures, including the Tennessee General Assembly, have adopted laws that give stronger protections to religious freedoms....

An entire Islamic party full of Misunderstanders of Islam -- how on earth do these things keep happening? Behold the glorious complexity of Islam! So incredibly difficult are its peaceful teachings to grasp, that some of its most dedicated and devout adherents keep misunderstanding them and getting the crazy idea that Islam has something to do with violence against unbelievers! Has Islamophobic literature somehow been circulating in Tajikistan, poisoning the minds of the hitherto peaceful and pious?

"Prosecutor-General Accuses Islamic Renaissance Party," from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, August 30 (thanks to Twostellas):

Tajikistan's Prosecutor-General's Office has accused members of the opposition Islamic Renaissance Party of involvement in crimes connected to extremism and terrorism.

The statement on August 30 gave no indication of what next steps the authorities might take against the party, which is currently the only legal Islamist party in Central Asia.

In an interview with RFE/RL, the party's deputy chairman, member of parliament Sayidumar Husaini, denounced the prosecutor's claims as part of a campaign aimed at shutting down the party....

Of course. That must be it. Such campaigns are being waged the world over, inexplicably, as racist, bigoted Islamophobes unaccountably accuse these Amish-like people of involvement in religiously-sanctioned violence. Oh, the humanity!

They were plotting to assassinate various enemies of Islam, despite the fact that, as we all know, Islam has nothing to do with terrorism, and only greasy Islamophobes think otherwise.

"9, including a journo, with alleged link to IM held," from the Hindustan Times, August 30 (thanks to Vijay):

The Bangalore Central Crime Branch (CCB) have arrested 10 terror suspects linked with Indian Mujahideen terror outfit, including a journalist from a popular English Daily.

Muti-ur- Rehman Siddqui (25), a crime reporter, has been arrested by the CCB team along with nine other accused....

Pro-jihad "journalists" such as Niraj Warikoo, Kari Huus, Bob Smietana, Eli Clifton, Adam Serwer, Ken Borsuk, and all the rest can look on the bright side: if their "journalism" careers ever dry up, they can always follow Muti-ur- Rehman Siddqui into a new line of work.

Others have been identified as Imran Bahadduri, Dr Zakir Husain Sheik, Wahid Husain Kanakkanavara and Jafar Iqbal Sollapuri allaged between 26 years to 30 years are residents of Hubli.

Another accused Akram alias Chotu (28) is from Bangalore, who along with Siddiqui planned to assassinate a pro-Hindu columnist in a popular Kannada daily, a senior police officer said.

The accused also planned a terror attack in the IT city. Akram was trained in Pakistan by the ISI and he has direct contacts with Riaz Bhatkal and other cadre of LeT and IM in Pakistan and Dubai, the officer added.

A senior police officer told HT that CCB has picked up more than 10 youths and they are verifying the facts. If their involvement in the terror activities is confirmed, they will be booked, he said.

Oh, to be young and on a jihad!

"Scientist, journalist among 11 arrested for suspected terror plot," from DNA, August 31 (thanks again to Vijay):

The Central Crime Branch police have busted a terror plot and arrested 11 members with alleged links with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji). The arrested include a scientist from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and a journalist of a leading English daily – both from Bangalore – who along with the others arrested were preparing to eliminate political leaders and journalists at the behest of their handlers from Saudi Arabia.

A scientist? But doesn't poverty and ignorance cause terrorism, and only greasy Islamophobes think otherwise? At least we can take comfort in the fact that this chap had a job in the Defence Research and Development Organisation, which thereby proved to the world that it was not "Islamophobic" -- and that, as we all know, is the really important thing.

Of the 11 arrested, six are Bangalore and five from Hubli, operating from two separate modules – the Hubli one to target politicians and the Bangalore one to target journalists.

City police commissioner BG Jyotiprakash Mirji said the two terror modules were busted after monitoring their movements over the past three months.

Preliminary investigations revealed that these were terror modules with international links and the police now suspect that several such modules may be existing in Karnataka and other parts of the country. This is now being investigated and the police expect several leads to emerge on interrogating the 11.

Mirji said in separate operations a team of police on Wednesday picked up Shoib Ahmed Mirza alias Chotu, a charted accountant aged 25 and his brother Ajaz Ahmed Mirza, 25, who worked as junior research scientist in DRDO, Abdulla alias Abdul Hakim Jamadaar, 25, Mohammed Yusuf Nalband, 28, Riyaz Ahmed Byahatti, 28 and Mati-ur-Rahman Siddiqui (journalist), 26. All were residing in a rented house in Munireddypalya in the RT Nagar area of Bangalore.

The police confiscated laptops, mobiles and a foreign-made 7.65 mm pistol with seven live cartridges from them.

An official involved in the investigations said accused Shoib alias Chotu, was trained in Pakistan by the LeT. The accused had also planned a terror attack in the IT city at the time of Ganesh Festival and they have already stolen and purchased a few bikes and four-wheelers for their operations.

This group was planning to eliminate a columnist of a Kannada newspaper and the editor-in-chief of the same newspaper (both residing in Bangalore) and had even conducted several reconnaissance and surveillance operations on their movements.
The Bangalore module members had allegedly also stolen a few vehicles to carry out their reconnaissance and surveillance of their targets and were caught in the nick of time, sources in the department said.

Meanwhile, another team of CCB officials nabbed members of the Hubli terror module who were shadowing politicians. The five arrested in Hubli have been identified as Obedulla Imran Bahadur alias Sameer alias Imran, 24, Mohammed Sadiq Lakshkar alias Raju, 28, Waahid Hussain alias Saahil, 26, Baba alias Mehaboob, 26, and Dr Jaffar Iqbal Sholapur, 27. Unlike their counterparts in Bangalore, the Hubli terror module members were picked up from various locations in Hubli.

Mirji said the arrests were the culmination of a three-month-long operation of the CCB which monitored the movement of the members of both the terror modules closely and picked them to avert averting a major terror attack....

He said the police, on a tip-off, began collecting details about the accused persons and arrested them before they could launch their attack. “Preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused are members of international terrorist outfits and they have spread their links in Karnataka and other states,” he said.

The notorious beard: as much an expression of his beliefs as his murders

He also believes his religion requires him to murder infidels, and he did so at Fort Hood. Now he is asking the military to make special accommodation for the very same belief system that led him to commit mass murder. "Fort Hood shooting suspect explains beard to judge," by Angela K. Brown for The Associated Press, August 30 (thanks to David):

FORT HOOD, Texas — The Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly Fort Hood shooting rampage told a judge Thursday that he grew a beard because his Muslim faith requires it, not as a show of disrespect.

Speaking in court for the first time since showing up with a beard in violation of Army regulations in June, Maj. Nidal Hasan responded to Col. Gregory Gross when the judge asked why he had the beard.

"In the name of almighty Allah, I am a Muslim," Hasan said. "I believe my religion requires me to wear a beard."

...and to "slay the idolaters wherever you find them" (Qur'an 9:5; cf. 2:191 and 4:89)

The pretrial hearing was the first since a military appeals court stopped proceedings Aug. 15 to consider the dispute over Hasan's beard less than a week before his court-martial was to begin. Gross held Hasan in contempt of court and fined him $1,000 for a sixth time Thursday, and again sent him to a nearby room to watch the rest of the proceedings on closed-circuit television.

"I am not trying to disrespect your authority as a judge," Hasan said before his latest removal from the courtroom.

"When I stand before God, I am individually responsible for my actions," he said, apparently referring to the beard....

Gross, who has said he would order Hasan to be forcibly shaved before the trial if he did not get rid of the beard himself, said Thursday that he will order a forcible shaving next week. That will delay the case again because Hasan's attorneys can appeal before a decision is made on whether he'll be forcibly shaved, Gross said....

Hasan's attorneys have argued that forcing him to shave would violate his religious freedoms. They also have said Hasan wouldn't shave because he had a premonition that his death is imminent, and doesn't want to die beardless because he believes not having one is a sin.

According to military regulations, soldiers who disobey orders to be clean-shaven can be forcibly shaved.

Gross has said he wants Hasan in the courtroom during the court-martial to prevent a possible appeal over the beard if Hasan is convicted.

Hasan is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by police on the day of the rampage, but appears to have full use of his arms.

Prosecutors have said they don't believe that religion is Hasan's motive, noting he was clean-shaven at the time of the shootings.

"War is deceit," said Muhammad.

Considering that the abduction, enslavement, rape, and trafficking of Coptic Christian girls, especially minors, in Egypt is at an all time high—according to U.S. lawyers, 550 such cases have been documented in the last five years—Egypt’s Constituent Assembly to the Constitution met yesterday to consider the inclusion of a new article, #33, in the section dealing with Rights and Freedoms, that would expressly criminalize “forced labor, slavery, the trafficking of women and children, human organs, and the sex trade.”

Yet some members on the assembly are grumbling. According to Masrawy, Muhammad Saad Gawish, a member of the Constituent Assembly, wondered: “How can an article [#33] mention human trafficking when this is not happening in Egypt?” Likewise, Yunis Makhiyun, another Constituent Assembly member complained that “this article will give [Egypt’s] citizens the impression that things like slavery, trafficking in females and children, are happening in Egyptian society, when such things do not exist.”

Rather tellingly, both of these men are also members of Egypt’s Salafi Nour Party, which closely patterns itself after the example of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions—who owned and sold infidel slaves, and advocated deceiving the enemy. Moreover, it is those called “Salafis” who are most associated with the abduction, enslavement, and selling of Christian women and children in Egypt.

This should be no surprise considering that Egyptian Salafi preacher Huwaini urges Muslims to abduct, enslave, and sell infidels as a Sharia-approved way of making a good living.

Yet here are the Salafis—out of Egypt’s prisons and sitting in Egypt’s parliament—complaining about the outlawing of human slavery and trafficking, and insisting (with a straight face) that “such things do not exist.”

Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum

In other words, give us this girl's blood, and if you refuse, we will take it anyway. "Pakistan blasphemy case: 'Muslims could take law into their own hands,'" by Saeed Shah in the Guardian, August 30 (thanks to Kenneth):

A lawyer representing the man who accused a Pakistani Christian girl of blasphemy has claimed that if she is not convicted, Muslims could "take the law into their own hands".

Rao Abdur Raheem, who appeared in court for the first time at a bail hearing on Tuesday, cited the example of Mumtaz Qadri, the man who last year gunned down a senior politician who had called for the reform of the much-abused blasphemy law.

The lawyer's comments are likely to further complicate a bitterly contentious case which has caused international outcry and embarrassed the Pakistani government.

The girl, Rimsha Masih, whose family says she is 11, was arrested earlier this month and charged with desecrating the Qur'an after a neighbour, Malik Hammad, claimed that he saw her with burnt pages of the holy text in a bag she was carrying.

Her family had hoped that she would be granted bail on Thursday after a medical report this week found that she was a minor – thus eligible for bail – and has learning difficulties. But those hopes were dashed when Raheem challenged the report in court and the hearing was postponed.

According to Raheem, the medical report on Masih was illegal, as it followed the orders of a civil servant and not the court, and went beyond its remit of determining her age. He accused the government of supporting her and manipulating court proceedings.

Speaking outside the Islamabad court after the hearing, Raheem said: "There are many Mumtaz Qadris in this country … This (medical) report has been managed by the state, state agencies and the accused."

Later, sitting in his office beneath a large poster of Qadri, Raheem told the Guardian: "If the court is not allowed to do its work, because the state is helping the accused, then the public has no other option except to take the law into their own hands."

Last year, many lawyers rallied around Qadri, who had killed Punjab governor Salman Taseer in public, showering him with rose petals when he first appeared in court. Raheem said he had taken on the case for free because he was convinced that Masih should be punished.

"This girl is guilty. If the state overrides the court, then God will get a person to do the job," said Raheem. "There is so much evidence against her, a reasonable court is not in a position to find her not guilty."

It remains unclear why the accuser suspected Masih and how he saw inside the bag that she was apparently carrying. Also unclear is whether any burnt pages were actually from the Qur'an or another book that contained religious verses....

Thinking about this story this morning, I sent Hamas-linked CAIR's Ibrahim Hooper this email. I will let you know if I hear from him!

Dear Mr. Hooper

I read with great interest CAIR-California's call to reject the UC anti-Semitism resolution on the grounds that it would interfere with "robust political debate." I must say that I was a bit surprised: after having worked so energetically over the last few years to get me and other critics of jihad and Islamic supremacism banned from speaking on campuses and in numerous other venues (such as the American Library Association conference, from which CAIR's Ahmed Rehab was pivotal in getting me canceled), it was extremely heartening to see CAIR finally come around to endorsing the principles of free speech and "robust political debate."

In accord with your new spirit of openness to genuine discussion and dialogue, I'd like to invite you to appear on my monthly show on the Aramaic Broadcasting Network, www.abnsat.com. This network goes via satellite all over the Arabic-speaking world, and so I am certain that a discussion on issues of jihad terror, "Islamophobia" and the like would be of great interest to ABN's viewing audience.

My show runs for an hour and a half and is broadcast once a month, but the specific date is flexible -- please let me know what would be a good date for you to appear on the show in September, and I will make every effort to accommodate you. You could appear from the comfort of your office in Washington, or any other location you chose, via Skype.

Congratulations and thanks again for CAIR's strong endorsement of "robust political debate." I look forward into engaging in just that with you, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and tolerance.

Warmest regards
Robert Spencer

They didn't stone her to death, as per Islamic law. They must be "moderates."

"Men shave off woman's hair, parade her in streets," from PTI, August 28 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Lahore: Five men allegedly shaved off the hair and eyebrows of a young woman and paraded her in the streets of a village in Pakistan's Punjab province, police officials said Tuesday.

The incident occurred yesterday in Layyah district, 350 km from Lahore, after the married woman was accused of having "illicit" relations with a man.

According to an FIR registered by police, Parveen Bibi, 25, the wife of Sabir Husain, had a quarrel with her sisters-in-law.

Yesterday, her brothers-in-law Muhammad Pervaiz and Muhammad Zafar and three other men shaved off her hair and eyebrows. They then blackened her face and paraded her through the streets of their village.

Police arrested Parveen's sisters-in-law and a man named Muhammad. The woman’s brothers-in-law are still at large.

Shafiq told police that Parveen had developed "illicit" relations with a man of her neighbourhood.

"We stopped her from meeting him but she continued seeing him," Shafiq, who is related to Parveen, told the police.

Irshad Manji's expansive and broad-minded Islam is her own creation, with no basis in Islamic tradition. Hugh Fitzgerald said it back in 2008: "Irshad Manji has certainly created her own private Islam. She is the child of Asian refugees from Uganda. She has never lived in a Muslim society. She has always enjoyed the freedoms of the West. But she feels, out of filial piety, and perhaps for other reasons, that she will do best if she continues to identify as a Muslim and if, furthermore, she keeps claiming that Islam itself is or can be made into something perfectly acceptable to people such as herself. She's wrong. And any apostate, who had been born into and grown up in a society suffused with Islam, would be able to set her right."

But why don't we see more Muslims calling for any kind of reform in Islam? Here's why: even half-hearted and deceptive attempts at "reform" like Manji's are labeled un-Islamic.

"Jais to charge publisher of Irshad Manji's book," from the Sun Daily, August 29 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

SHAH ALAM (Aug 29, 2012): Book publisher and activist Faisal Mustaffa will be charged in the syariah court over Irshad Manji's banned book, Allah, Kebebasan dan Cinta (Allah, Liberty and Love).

Faisal was told by the Selangor Religious Department (Jais) that he was under arrest and would be charged for failing to answer the questions of religious officers, after he had exercised his right to remain silent as provided for under the law.

"This is ridiculous. I was asked to come here for one case, and I have been charged for another case. I co-operated with their investigation," Faisal told theSun today.

He said Jais officers intimidated him by raising their voices and threatening him for declining to answer their questions.

His lawyer Afiq Mohd Noor was also prevented from accompanying Faisal during the interview but was later allowed in after he protested that he has the right to legal representation. According to sources, Faisal's name was found on the invoice when they raided the office of ZI Publications in May to seize the book.

His house was raided by Jais on June 12 and Aug 8. Jais also seized 28 of his books, including 13 copies of Irsyad Manji's banned books.

"They came to my house around midnight to seize the books and asked me to give a statement at the headquarters," he said.

Non-governmental organisation Lawyers for Liberty condemned Jais' action, saying in a statement: "Lawyers for Liberty views with serious concern Jais' harassment, abuse of power and complete disregard for the legal rights of an accused person which amounted to a serious assault on the freedom of speech and the legal safeguards as guaranteed by the constitution and the law."

On May 29, Jais seized about 180 copies of Irshad Manji's book from the Malaysian publisher.

This man was murdered in accord with the Qur'an's directive to crucify those who "wage war against Allah and his messenger." "Man Crucified By Al-Qaeda-Affiliated Ansar Al-Shari'a For Allegedly Directing U.S. Drones In Yemen – Video Posted On YouTube – Warning: Graphic Images," from MEMRI, August 29 (thanks to all who sent this in):

...On August 27, 2012, a member of the leading jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam posted a YouTube link to a video showing a man accused of spying for the U.S. by placing chips to direct drones targeting terrorists being crucified on an electric pylon in Abyan province in south of Yemen. A sign placed above the man's head shows the group's flag and verse 5:33 of the Koran, which reads: "The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off from opposite sides, or be exiled from the land. That is their disgrace in this world, and a great torment is theirs in the Hereafter."...

Despite being uploaded on February 22, 2012, it appears that the video has been made available recently as suggested by the low number of views and the recently made comments. Based on the date of the video, it is safe to say that the crucified man is Saleh Ahmed Saleh Al-Jamely who was executed on February 12, 2012 after being convicted by a court managed by Al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Al-Shari'a.

Al-Jamely was accused of spying and placing two chips in two cars that were later targeted by U.S. drones. According to a statement issued by the Islamic court of Waqqar Emirate in Abyan Governorate, dated February 10, 2012, in that attack, ten members of Ansar Al-Shari'a were killed. The other two men, Hassan Naji Hassan Al-Naqeeb - accused of recruiting, delivering chips, and paying spies; and Ramzi Muhammad Qaid Al-Ariqi - accused of spying for the Saudi intelligence by taking photographs of several buildings, were executed in public, but not crucified....

Is Nathan Lean now working for Boko Haram? Lean, the editor-in-chief of Aslan Media, is a thug who has sent me numerous veiled threats. For security reasons, I maintain several offices and mailboxes in different parts of the country, and don't actually live near any of them or check the mail in them myself. Nathan Lean got hold of one of the addresses, and several months ago tweeted me, in a complete non-sequitur, the name of the state it is in. A week later, he sent me another tweet including the name of the city where one of these mailboxes is located. Four months after that, he sent me an email calling me a "dumb fuck" and adding "But, having a look at this, I kind of pity you," which was followed by a link containing a photo of a woman in the same city. The woman has the same surname as mine; apparently Lean thought she was my wife.

Now, the purpose of these tweets and emails is unmistakable: Nathan Lean was signaling to me that he thought he knew my whereabouts (and that of my family), despite my attempts to conceal them. And why would he want me to think that he knew where I was? So that I would be frightened into silence, afraid that one of his many violence-inclined allies might do me in if I continued to speak out for freedom and human rights. I therefore duly forwarded all these communications to the FBI, and they've informed me that they're keeping on eye on Nathan Lean.

"Nigeria secret police personal data leaked onto the Internet; Islamist sect makes threat," by Bashir Adigun and Jon Gambrell for The Associated Press, August 30 (thanks to Twostellas):

LAGOS, NIGERIA—Personnel records of former and current members of Nigeria’s top domestic spy agency, including home addresses and names of immediate family members, leaked onto the Internet in a threatening message that claimed to come from a radical Islamist sect that’s killed hundreds of people this year alone, The Associated Press has learned.

The leak of personal data of more than 60 past and current employees of Nigeria’s State Security Service remained easily accessible on the Internet for days and had details about the agency’s director-general, including his mobile phone number, bank account particulars and contact information for his son.

Many of agents listed who could be reached by the AP said they received no official warning from the spy agency that their information had been posted online nor been otherwise alerted.

The material has been deleted from the comment section of a website, but the security breach astonished veterans and calls into question whether Nigeria’s intelligence community, whose agents already have released suspected terrorists out of religious and ethnic sympathies, are too compromised from within to stop the violence now plaguing Africa’s most populous nation.

“This is a national embarrassment,” said one Nigerian intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as information about the leak was not to have been made public.....

Contrary to the Reuters headline, Khamenei is not really ruling out making a nuclear bomb. In fact, he is doing just the opposite. He is asking that the nuclear powers, including (and especially) Israel, divest themselves of nuclear weapons. When they do not do so, he will declare that Iran is justified in developing nuclear weapons. "Iran leader rules out nuclear bomb, will pursue energy," from Reuters, August 30 (thanks to Block Ness):

(Reuters) - Iran has no interest in nuclear weapons but will keep pursuing peaceful nuclear energy, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told heads of state from developing countries in Tehran.

Iran, hosting a summit of the 120-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), is hoping the high-profile event will prove that Western efforts to isolate it and punish it economically for its disputed nuclear programme have failed.

"Our motto is nuclear energy for all and nuclear weapons for none," Khamenei told the assembled heads of state.

But discord over Syria swiftly marred the summit when Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi urged member states to support Syrians striving to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, whose staunchest regional ally is Iran.

"Our solidarity with the struggle of the Syrian people against an oppressive regime that has lost its legitimacy is an ethical duty as it is a political and strategic necessity," Mursi said, prompting a walkout by the Syrian delegation, according to the pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera....

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, attending the Tehran summit, urged Khamenei late on Wednesday to take concrete steps to prove Iran's nuclear work is peaceful.

The West suspects Iran is seeking a nuclear weapons capability, an accusation Tehran denies.

In his speech, Khamenei criticized the U.N. Security Council as an illogical, unjust and defunct relic of the past used by the United States "to impose its bullying manner on the world".

"They (Americans) talk of human rights when what they mean is Western interests. They talk of democracy when what they have is military intervention in other countries," he added.

They (Islamic supremacists) talk of human rights when what they mean is Sharia law. They talk of democracy when what they have is a system that deprives women and non-Muslims of equal rights.

Pamela Geller has a full report over at Atlas Shrugs:

...Last September, the MTA had refused to run our ad, "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad," because it said that the ad violated its policy against displaying “images or information that demean an individual or group of individuals on account of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.” Apparently they thought it was demeaning to jihadi savages who celebrate the murders of Israeli civilians. They had no issue with not one but two seperate vicious anti-Israel ad campaigns that were running in the NY subway system and the NYC Metro line.

We won our case in an historic landmark ruling. On July 20th, AFDI triumphed in our lawsuit against the NYC MTA's ban on our pro-Israel ad. Judge Engelmayer, in his injunction, barred the MTA from enforcing this standard against us, on free speech grounds. We won on all points. First Amendment rights straight down the line. Judge Engelmayer wrote a wonderful opinion. Brilliant. And AFDI is now on the law books. Read it here. Download Opinion. Huge props to AFDI's legal warriors, David Yerushalmi and Robert Muise of the American Freedom Law Center.

However, the MTA is still fighting against the First Amendment. They got a stay against the initial ruling. The case was scheduled to be heard again today, and it was. Rather than in chambers, it was in open court, primarily because the MTA wanted the court to extend the stay it granted for 30 days for two reasons: pending appeal and to give it time to change its regulations. We, on the other hand, had asked the court to convert the preliminary injunction forbidding the MTA from enforcing its "demeaning" rule against our ad into a permanent injunction, a declaratory judgment that the MTA's regulation banning ads they deemed to be "demeaning" was unconstitutional, nominal damages ($1), and ultimately, MTA payment of our attorneys' fees.

There was a phalanx of security guards outside the chambers. It seems as if they were expecting unruly crowds. Silly, that's for leftists and Islamic supremacists.

The hearing amounted to a one-hour cross examination by the increasingly frustrated judge of the MTA's General Counsel. The MTA's two litigators on this case were on vacation, so the top law dog for the MTA was James Henly, who was arguing the MTA's case along with his deputy, Helen Fromm. Henly did all the talking, and boy, was he on the hot seat. He had no real arguments. The court agreed with our arguments on the issues raised across the board.

The judge drilled the MTA, and it was absolutely clear what his ruling was going to be. Since his initial ruling, the MTA board had not met even once to try to put in place some interim new regulation that would attempt to prohibit all "demeaning" ads, as opposed to its existing regulation that the judge struck down, which banned those that they judge to demean on the basis of race, nationality, etc. (Even if they had adopted such a new regulation banning "demeaning" ads on some new basis, we believe that would have been unconstitutional, too. But their failure even to try didn't make the judge inclined to grant them any favors.)

Also, the MTA lawyers could not even assure the judge that any new regulation they had proposed would actually be adopted, much less provide some idea of what they were thinking about doing about the ruling against them, since the Board has not even met.

The judge said that he would extend the current stay until he ruled, and that we should expect a ruling by the end of the week. But instead, the judge issued a ruling before the end of the day.

It was a slam dunk. Judge Englemayer was angry. He ruled with us on all counts. And look at what he does to the MTA's General Counsel! And that's not just any lawyer, but the Senior MTA in-house lawyer. Engelmayer orders him to do his job, as if he wouldn't do it unless he was ordered to do so:

There is much more. Read it all.

"Citizen Khan" is a lighthearted comedy that has enraged Muslims by humorously depicting situations that are all too true to life. According to the Daily Mail, "One scene that particularly provoked anger was where a heavily-made up girl, Mr Khan’s daughter, rushed to put on a hijab and pretended to be reading the Koran when her father entered."

Yet Pamela Geller notes: "How many times have I read that honor killing victims would wear the hijab in front of their parents and families and take them off as soon as they were out of sight of their parents (Aqsa Parvez, Rifqa Bary et al)? It wasn't funny for them, but it was true."

Adil Ray's error in creating this show was in being a bit too honest. Are we supposed to believe that this man, who is a Muslim himself, is "Islamophobic"? The bottom line here is that any depiction of Muslims that isn't obsequiously positive and layered-over with nonsense about "Islamophobia" and the Religion of Peace is immediately targeted by Islamic supremacists and charged with being "hateful." It's an effective tactic in cowing dhimmi multiculturalists into fawning accommodation, which is why they keep using it.

"Citizen Khan may face Ofcom investigation," by Mark Sweney in the Guardian, August 30 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Ofcom is considering launching an investigation into BBC1's Citizen Khan, a comedy about a modern Asian family, after receiving complaints that it stereotypes Muslims and insults Islam.

The TV regulator has received about 20 complaints about the sitcom, which debuted on BBC1 in Monday night, and is now assessing them.

Ofcom will then make a decision as to whether the complaints warrant a formal investigation to see whether the BBC has broken any UK broadcasting rules relating to viewer harm and offence.

The BBC had received 187 complaints by Tuesday about the show, which follows the life of a self-appointed "Muslim community leader" and his British-Pakistani family in Birmingham, following its broadcast.

The number of complaints has almost certainly increased since then, propelled by media coverage of the show, prompting the BBC to decide not to release any updated figures.

Viewers complained that the show was offensive and there have been comparisons with the controversial 1970s comedy Mind Your Language.

The show was groundbreaking for the BBC, the first Asian sitcom commissioned specifically for BBC1, created by and starring British Muslim Adil Ray....

"He added that Iranian or Hezbollah agents may initiate attacks locally if war erupts between the U.S. and Iran."

"LAPD: ‘Active’ Terror Plots Linked To Iran, Hezbollah, ‘Sovereign Citizens,’" from CBS Los Angeles, August 29 (thanks to Kenneth):

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Senior police officials on Wednesday warned of potential terrorist attacks in Southern California amid a growing risk of war breaking out overseas.

KNX 1070′s Ed Mertz reports the LAPD is concerned with what it calls a number of “active” plots in the Southland.

“In this region we have active terrorist plots, in this region, right now,” said Deputy Chief Michael Downing, commanding officer of the LAPD’s counter-terrorism unit.

The Department is currently tracking “government of Iran operatives, Hezbollah, sovereign citizen, homegrown violent extremists, animal rights groups” and others, Downing said.

He added that Iranian or Hezbollah agents may initiate attacks locally if war erupts between the U.S. and Iran....

"Armed gangs of jihadists have begun to sow terror.." And Obama is backing them. "ASIA/SYRIA - Bomb at a funeral, a family beheaded: Christians and Druzes targeted in Damascus," from Agenzia Fides, August 29 (thanks to Lachlan):

Damascus (Agenzia Fides) - A terrorist attack hit innocent Christian faithful and innocent Druzes in the area of Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus: yesterday, August 28, at 2 pm, a bomb in a car was detonated while a crowd of faithful, families, elderly people, women and children, were heading to the cemetery to bury two young people.

The two had died the day before, on August 27, also victims of an IED. As the crowd, after the funeral, was accompanying the deceased to the burial, a taxi exploded causing 12 deaths (according to other sources 27), including 5 children, and injuring more than 50 people. In Jarmana about 600 thousand people live, mostly religious minorities: there are 250 thousand Christians (Assyrians, Armenians, Chaldeans, Melkites, Orthodox and other denominations), as well as Druzes and about 120 thousand Iraqi refugees, who fled to Syria in past years.

As reported by Fides sources in Damascus, the Christians in the suburbs of Jaramana (south-west of Damascus) and Zamalka (South-East of the city) are under pressure from armed groups jiahdisti and are terrified. Today in Zamalka a family of Armenian Christians was found murdered, and all members of the family horribly decapitated. The execution brings to mind the work of radical Islamist Salafis.

These acts, which affect innocent people, have generated anger and confusion in the Christian community. A leader of the Latin Catholic community of Damascus, who requested anonymity, told Fides: "These are terrorist acts: we do not know who is behind, some are groups that want to destroy Syria. Armed gangs of jihadists have begun to sow terror. The point is that even in the West, Christians are often portrayed as friends of the regime or collaborators of the repression, but it is not true. Christians are with the Syrian people and just want peace. But this propaganda gives terrorist groups, infiltrators among the rebels, a pretext to attack us." (PA) (Agenzia Fides 29/08/2012)

But remember: the real problem is "Islamophobia." "One killed in Muslim cleric murder protest," from Standard Digital, August 28:

One person has been reported dead during a battle between police and youth protesting the killing of Muslim cleric Aboud Rogo outside Majengo mosque, Mombasa.

Gunmen shot dead the radical Muslim cleric in Bamburi area in Mombasa.

The cleric was killed when the van he was travelling in from Mtwapa towards Mombasa with three other people on board was sprayed with bullets near Pirates Beach.

Two of them have sustained serious injuries and rushed to hospital as his body was taken away.

According to the wife, Haniya said Saadar, Aboud who was driving the van was taking one person to hospital when the incident occured.

A conflict arose between police and the clerics' supporters as the latter fought to have custody of the body. In a private ambulance, the supporters seized the body claiming to take it to Kikambala, Kilifi for burial.

A Salvation Army church near the Majengo mosque where a service for the deceased was being held was set on fire. Protesters were dispersed as they tried to attack another church, Jesus Celebration centre in Tudor.

"Frustrated by lack of protection, Kenyan churches sue government," by Fredrick Nzwili in the Christian Science Monitor, August 29:

In the wake of the torching of churches in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa and grenade attacks on other churches around the country, Protestant leaders are trying a new tack to get more help from the government: they're suing.

Christian leaders say the targeting of churches with grenades, bombs, and guns by suspected members of the extremist Somalia-based Al Shabab Islamist group have gone largely unanswered by the government. A lawsuit, they argue, will force the government to meet what they say are its constitutional obligations to protect all citizens.

“We have instructed a team of lawyers to sue the government in court and to seek compensation for the loss of life for the destruction of churches and property,” said the Rev. Peter Karanja, an Anglican and general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya, on Wednesday. “The government bears full responsibility for the violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the victims who are under its care.”

An uneasy calm that had returned to the city was shattered Wednesday night when a grenade was hurled at the police who have been patrolling the city streets. The attack injured three officers who were part of a contingent of 100 Kenyan paramilitary soldiers, the General Service Unit, which had been send to Mombasa after two days of violence damaged churches, shops, and vehicles. The violence flared after what some say was an extrajudicial killing Monday of Sheikh Aboud Rogo, a radical cleric whom the United States had accused of supporting the Al Qaeda linked Al Shabab and who was awaiting trial on terrorism-related charges. Unknown gunmen had sprayed a van he was driving with bullets.

Soon after the sheikh's death, Muslim youths descended on churches in fresh attacks that brought the number of churches attacked across the country since April to more than 14. Attempts have made on others with worshipers being killed, injured, or maimed, said Rev. Karanja, as he stressed this was “an intentional provocation of Christians to retaliate.”

Churches have released a chronology of attacks to argue their case. In 2006, the Nairobi Pentecostal Church was attacked, with one worker dying. In 2010, an attack on a prayer rally in Nairobi Uhuru Park ground left 13 worshipers dead and more than 100 injured. In 2011, an East Africa Pentecostal Church in the town of Garissa was hit with grenades, with three Kenyans dying.

In April, three Kenyans died in another grenade attack on an interdenominational crusade in Mtwapa area in Mombasa, while four died in June in another attack on a church in the Ngara area of Nairobi. In July, 17 worshipers died in an AIC church when suspected Al Shabab militants attacked churches in Garissa. The churches say they are angry because no one has been arrested for these attacks, or those arrested have been released without any charges....

Don't they know Sharia is benign and completely compatible with Western values? "Islamic terror driving Christians out of Mali," from CWN, August 29 (thanks to Twostellas):

The Vatican newspaper has called attention to the flight of Christians escaping Islamic persecution in Mali.

As many as 200,000 Christians from Mali have found their way to refugee camps in Algeria and Mauritania, L’Osservatore Romano reports. Christian families are seeking a safe haven as Islamic terrorists, with links to Al Qaida, become increasingly active in the northern regions of Mali.

I don't support restrictions on the freedom of speech, but the hypocrisy of Hamas-linked CAIR's stance here is striking. The Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which does all it can to shut down robust political debate when it is engaged in by counter-jihadists, has at last come out in favor of the freedom of speech! There's just one catch: they're opposing a resolution that would ban antisemitic activity. Leave it to Hamas-linked CAIR to come down on the side of Islamic antisemitism and hate, and who cares if they're inconsistent? The dhimmi mainstream media will never call them on it. But after Hamas-linked CAIR has worked for years to get me and others banned from college campuses, and refuses to debate or discuss issues with me, the idea of their coming down in favor of "robust political debate" made me grin.

"UC rejects anti-Semitism resolution," by Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle, August 28 (thanks to Mackie):

The University of California says it won't support a resolution condemning anti-Semitism on campus - approved unanimously by the state Assembly on Tuesday - because the resolution says "no public resources will be allowed to be used for any anti-Semitic or any intolerant agitation."

"We think it's problematic because of First Amendment concerns," said Steve Montiel, a UC spokesman.

The nonbinding resolution, says, in effect, that UC and other public universities should ban activity that could be interpreted as intolerant or anti-Semitic, including certain demonstrations, from taking place anywhere on its property.

The move is the latest chapter in a debate that arose this summer over whether students create an intolerable, anti-Semitic environment by staging annual, anti-Israel protests mimicking Israeli guards questioning Palestinians....

Student groups and the [Hamas-linked] Council on American-Islamic relations planned to send a letter Tuesday evening asking the Legislature to reconsider its "highly ideological resolution." At the same time, a Los Angeles nonprofit called Stand With Us, which fights anti-Semitism, said its petition urging UC to ban hate speech has 1,600 signatures so far.

"CAIR Says Assembly Resolution Stifles Discussion on California Campuses," from Hamas-linked CAIR-California, August 29 (thanks to Hussam Ayloush):

(SACRAMENTO, CA, 8/29/12) -- The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), along with nine community, legal, and student organizations, sent a letter to lawmakers in the state about House Resolution 35, which passed in the California Assembly yesterday, because it stifles robust political debate on university campuses. The letter urges lawmakers to reconsider the issue when they reconvene in January.

Gratitude. "Nasserdine Menni jailed for seven years for funding Stockholm bomb attack," from the BBC, August 27 (thanks to David):

Nasserdine Menni Nasserdine Menni will be deported after he serves his sentence

A Glasgow-based asylum seeker has been jailed for seven years for helping to fund a terror attack in Sweden.

Algerian Nasserdine Menni was found guilty of supplying money to Taimour Abdulwahab to help fund the suicide bombing in Stockholm in 2010.

Abdulwahab, an Iraqi-born Swedish citizen, targeted shoppers on 11 December 2010. Two passers-by were injured when he blew himself up.

Menni will be deported after he has served his sentence....

During the 11-week trial, the court heard how Abdulwahab intended to kill himself and others on the busy pre Christmas shopping streets of Stockholm.

He bought a second hand Audi car and packed it with petrol canisters, gas cylinders, and a "pressure cooker" type bomb which was filled with nails, ball bearings and explosives. Despite setting fire to the vehicle, Abdulwahab failed to detonate the devices inside....

A mobile phone was recovered from Abdulwahab's body, which he had used to make two calls earlier that day to a mobile in Glasgow.

Within days, Menni - who was known to some in Glasgow as an asylum-seeking Kuwaiti called Ezeeden Al-Khaledi - had been identified as the owner of the phone.

He was placed under surveillance and the subsequent investigation revealed extensive links between the two men.

The court was told that Menni is believed to have come to the UK in 2005. According to police, the two men became close after meeting in Luton and were in contact on a daily basis.

Abdulwahab is said to have became radicalised and his views caused concern among others at a mosque he attended in Luton.

It is thought that Menni also became radicalised in early 2009. In April that year he left his job in Dunstable in an apparent attempt to distance himself from Abdulwahab.

After surfacing in Liverpool, he claimed asylum using the identity of a Kuwaiti Bedouin called Ezeeden Al-Khaledi.

As part of the asylum dispersal programme, he was sent to Glasgow where he lived in a number of locations around the city.

During this time he used a number of aliases to fraudulently claim benefits. He also managed to save money from various jobs.

Police later discovered that Menni had a number of bank accounts in various aliases through which he transferred cash to Abdulwahab to fund the terror plot.

Menni deposited amounts totalling £5,725 which helped pay for Abdulwahab's trips abroad for the "purposes of Jihad" and the Audi car used in the bombing.
'Accomplished liar'

Another £1,000 was sent intended for Abdulwahab's wife after his death.

It emerged during the trial that Menni and Abdulwahab also had access to an email address with a password that included the figures "911" - thought to be a reference to the Twin Towers attack in New York.

It is believed they would discuss tactics with each other in messages saved in the account's "drafts" folder before they were deleted. This meant no emails were ever actually sent between them, leaving no trail....

Menni, who was described in court as an "intelligent, but accomplished liar", claimed to have no knowledge of the suicide bomber....

What? Who ever heard of a jihadist or Islamic supremacist being an "intelligent, but accomplished liar"? It's..."Islamophobia"!

They must not have avoided "arrogance" or respected Islam enough. And so the fool's errand in Afghanistan continues.

How long are the American people going to accept our troops serving as a shooting gallery for Afghan jihadis who are our putative allies? Barack Obama and General John Allen ought to be placed on trial for criminal incompetence.

"3 NATO troops killed in attack by man in Afghan uniform," from the Associated Press, August 29 (thanks to Anne Crockett):

KABUL, Afghanistan – The U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan says three of its troops have been killed by a man in an Afghan army uniform.

The attack is the latest in a rising number of disturbing shootings this year by Afghans soldiers -- or insurgents dressed as government troops -- on the international forces training them to fight the Taliban as the international coalition withdraws.

Training the Taliban to fight the Taliban.

Similar "insider attacks" have been rising sharply, with 34 of them so far this year. Forty-five coalition members have been killed, mostly Americans.

At least a dozen of this year's attacks have been in the past month, raising questions of a new Taliban strategy.

Over at FrontPage Magazine, I discuss a disturbing event:

The conservative movement appears to be at a crossroads in its approach to the threat of Islamic supremacism—not only abroad but at home. Does the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood as the dominant force of the “Arab Spring” bode ill for America? Or is the Brotherhood merely another “political actor” as the Obama administration would have us believe? Is Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff, a potential security risk worth investigating, as Representative Michele Bachmann and four conservative congressmen have suggested? Or is the mere raising of this question a witch-hunt, as Senator John McCain and Speaker John Boehner and numerous Democrats maintain?

A few months ago, these questions reached another flashpoint in an unlikely setting. The incident took place at an irregular board meeting of the American Conservative Union, an organization usually intent on keeping wobbly Republicans honest. The rump group in attendance — several key board members told Frontpage they were not even aware the meeting had been called – voted “unanimously” to dismiss long-standing accusations against two ACU board members. The accusations had been made by Center for Security Policy head, Frank Gaffney. Their focus was on the activities of Grover Norquist and Suhail Khan, two prominent ACU board members, whom Gaffney claims are influential agents of Islamist agendas. The ACU’s dismissal of Gaffney’s claims was contained in a memo written by attorney Cleta Mitchell, who called them “reprehensible” — terms no less damning than McCain’s slap down of Michele Bachmann.

Frank Gaffney is a former defense official in the Reagan administration and first made these claims public in 2003 in an article, “A Troubling Influence,” which was published on this site. In introducing the article, Frontpage editor David Horowitz acknowledged that Norquist had played an important role in the conservative movement, but also described Gaffney’s claims as “the most disturbing that we at frontpagemag.com have ever published.” He further characterized them as “the most complete documentation extant of Grover Norquist’s activities in behalf of the Islamist Fifth Column.”...

How did an imam come to misunderstand the supposedly peaceful religion that he had dedicated his life to studying and teaching, so as to get the amazing notion that it had something to do with the murder of unbelievers? Why does no one in the mainstream media think it anything other than "Islamophobic" even to ask such a question? Are there other imams of this kind in the U.S.? Does anyone in authority know or care?

More on this story. "WFTV obtains new documents in case of Imam, man facing charges in anti-terrorism investigation," from WFTV.com, August 27 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — On Monday night, WFTV learned more about what federal agents say a central Florida Imam and another local man, who are facing charges in an FBI anti-terrorism investigation, were planning.

WFTV's Kathi Belich obtained new documents in the top secret case, which show they might have been plotting with others to kill high-ranking Americans in the military overseas.

New court documents show a central Florida Imam is suspected of being involved in a travel network to send people overseas to commit violent jihad or holy war.

WFTV first reported about the arrest of Imam Abu Taubah last year on a weapons charge just days before the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He's a former prayer leader of the Masjid Al-Ihsaan mosque in East Orange County. Federal agents said the Imam is really convicted felon Marcus Dwayne Robertson.

New documents allege Robertson was training Jonathan Paul Jimenez, who had moved to central Florida from New York, in skills necessary to "participate in violent jihad overseas," skills like martial arts, firearms and knife training.

Federal prosecutors said in June 2011, Jimenez, with the help of Robertson and others, was making plans to travel overseas.

According to documents, during a recorded call, Jimenez told a confidential government source that Robertson told him "it was permissible or obligatory to kill members of the armed forces, specifically generals" and that Robertson showed him what a general's stars look like.

Jimenez also was recorded saying Robertson told him suicide bombings were "permissible," according to documents....

Of course: Qur'an 9:111 promises Paradise to those who "kill and are killed" for Allah.

In "Romney's Vow to End Funding of Jihadist Nations" in WND today, Pamela Geller discusses a little-noted but crucially important promise from Mitt Romney:

Speaking in Hobbs, N.M., last week, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said, according to the El Paso Times, that “his administration would team with Mexico and Canada to make North America energy independent by 2020.”

This is the biggest story the media is not talking about. Romney promises energy independence. The idea that we have a pro-American candidate promising to stop the largest transfer of wealth to jihadist nations is the single largest proactive national security proposal on the table.

Imagine. Stop funding jihadist countries, their aggressive mosqueing of the West and imposition of the Shariah, and the paradigm shifts. The rise and resurrection of Islamic jihad in the late 20th century and its ensuing war on the West is thanks to the largest transfer of wealth in history from Western societies to petroleum-rich Muslim nations.

I applaud Romney’s position paper on energy. An informed and engaged electorate would elect him on just this platform alone. Not only do we defang the vampires, we create millions of jobs and billions in wealth. It is the American answer to the Obama rout.

The alternative is clear. Obama first rejected the permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas and then, under heavy pressure, approved only the southern part of it. With all his temporizing, Obama effectively killed a desperately needed pipeline. We lost as many as 130,000 jobs and substantially cheaper energy costs, while alienating one of America’s greatest allies.

Job killer, economy killer, energy-independence killer … Obama instead chooses to enrich and embolden Islamic supremacist nations with petrodollars. Considering the dire straits this nation is in, this is criminal.

Read it all.

Note that while this report does mention "jihad" by name, it never actually gets around to specifying what kind of "religious instruction" was tied to Jimenez's terror training. If Jimenez had been a "Christian extremist" plotting a similar attack (assuming that such a plotter can be found outside of the movies), the media reports would not have been remotely so circumspect regarding the source of his motivations. "Man accused of terrorist aspirations pleads guilty to federal charges," from WFTV.com, August 28 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

An Orange County man suspected by the FBI of trying to hatch a terrorist plot to kill members of the U.S. military serving overseas has pleaded guilty to two federal charges in connection with the alleged plot.

Jonathan Jimenez, 28, was polite in an Orlando Federal courtroom Tuesday morning, where he admitted to tax fraud and lying to the FBI.

Jimenez admitted to a federal magistrate judge that he did talk about waging violent jihad, or holy war, against high-ranking military members overseas.  But he said the talk was just "chest-thumping," to make himself look important. And he said that he lied to the FBI about it.

"I know that I have made false statements to the FBI," said Jimenez.

The judge asked what he lied about and Jimenez responded "terrorist acts."

Hey, at least he was polite.

Federal prosecutors said Jimenez's secretly recorded phone call with a confidential government source indicated that he had received terrorist training from convicted felon Marcus Robertson, the former imam of an east Orange County mosque. Agents said the training included martial arts, firearm and knife training.

Jimenez said he wanted to die on the battlefield as a martyr, according to documents obtained by WFTV.

According to those documents Jimenez said Robertson tied the training into religious instruction, allegedly telling him it was permissible to kill U.S. military generals, and that suicide bombings were also permissible.

Jimenez claimed in court that he never intended to carry out the terrorist acts, and that he did not believe Robertson was planning to go through with any plans either.

Jimenez admitted to getting a fraudulent $5,000 tax refund, with Robertson's help, which the FBI said he was planning to use for his overseas travel expenses in the terrorist plot....

The Los Angeles Times has just posted my response to Nathan Lean's nasty hit piece that ran the other day. You can find my fuller response here. And one last question: Osama bin Laden praised Noam Chomsky. Does that make Noam Chomsky responsible for Osama's bloody jihad, including the murders of 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001? By Nathan Lean's logic, Chomsky would indeed be responsible. But you will never hear Lean saying that -- and that in itself exposes his real agenda.

"Islam's critics won't be silenced," my piece in the Los Angeles Times today:

Nathan Lean wants "society" to take action against those who stand for freedom and human rights against jihad, Sharia and Islamic supremacism, for we "must be stopped." This is a veiled but clear call for restrictions on our freedom of speech. By publishing it on its Aug. 26 Op-Ed page, The Times is working against its own interests. For my opinions are certainly politically incorrect today, but if Lean succeeds in getting them criminalized, editors at The Times might find one day that they too hold an opinion unacceptable to those in power.

Lean thinks that "society" should act against my colleague Pamela Geller and me because the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik cited us in his manifesto. But actually, Breivik cited many, many people, including Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy and Thomas Jefferson -- who are never blamed for Breivik's murders. Also swept under the rug is the fact that Breivik’s manifesto is ideologically incoherent: So far was he from being a doctrinaire counter-jihadist that he wanted to aid Hamas and ally with jihad groups. Brevik’s real inspiration for his violence was, by his own account, Al Qaeda, as becomes clear in his manifesto when he spends 25 pages quoting extensively from the Koran and other Islamic sources. I am no more responsible for Breivik than the Beatles are for Charles Manson.

Indeed, the whole attempt to smear Geller and me with Breivik’s murders rests on several leaps of illogic and unstated assumptions. Even if Breivik’s views really were exactly the same as ours, would it therefore hold that if someone commits violence in the name of an idea, that idea is thereby discredited and must be driven out of the public discourse? In that case, precious few ideas would be left, since people at one time or another have committed violence in the name of virtually every cause under the sun.

In any case, if ideas that were deemed to lead to violence really were silenced, the proponents of a supposedly peaceful Islam that Lean is so anxious to protect and defend would be silenced as well. After all, Lean admits that Geller and I denounced Breivik's violence. But that is not enough for him. The whole thrust of his piece is the claim that what we say and do inspires other people to do violence. Now, that is not in the slightest degree true of what Geller and I say and do, but it is certainly true of the many, many imams worldwide who openly teach that Muslims should wage war against unbelievers, and also true of those who don’t teach violence openly, but do teach intolerance of those outside the accepted circle (which, incidentally, Lean teaches as well). And if we denounce violence but must nevertheless be silenced, then so also must peaceful Muslims.

Lean ignores the inconvenient fact that when Muslims engage in violence, they repeatedly justify that violence by reference to mainstream Muslim understandings of Islamic texts and teachings, and peaceful Muslims have not mounted any large-scale movement to oppose them or interpret those texts and teachings in a different way. He pretends instead that it is we who have equated Islam with violence. A few thousand imams preaching from the Koran and Sunnah would beg to differ.

Lean wants speech critical of Islam to "be stopped," and The Times, to its everlasting discredit, publishes this. If Lean succeeds in silencing us, he will have helped usher in the precedent that some groups are above criticism, and a fundamental bulwark against tyranny will have been removed. I’d rather fail in defending freedom than succeed with a legacy like that.

Tune in at abnsat.com, tonight at 5PM Pacific, 8PM Eastern. I'll be discussing the controversy over AFDI's pro-Israel and Islamorealism ads with the originator of those ads, live via satellite, and back on the show by popular demand: Pamela Geller.

Mosques can be monitored in Saudi Arabia, but there cannot be any monitoring of mosques in the U.S. Oh, no. That would be "Islamophobic." Maybe the Obama Administration could bring in some Saudi mosque inspectors to assure them that everything is on the up-and-up in mosques stateside.

"Misuse of mosque for manufacturing explosives condemned," from Arab News, August 28 (thanks to Twostellas):

JEDDAH: A number of religious scholars and academics have stressed the need for the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Call and Guidance to beef up monitoring of places of worship. It followed the recent report of a Riyadh mosque serving as a facade for manufacturing explosives.

This is nothing that will especially catch anyone's notice. As we have documented over the years here at Jihad Watch, mosques all over the world have been used as bases for attacks against Infidels, to stockpile weapons, etc. In this case there will be nothing like the world outcry that would ensue if a church were found manufacturing explosives. That would be a true man-bites-dog story.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that it discovered explosive substances and devices at a lean-to of a quiet mosque in Riyadh. Mosques normally use attached rooms to accommodate workers or for library service.

The scholars also demanded deterrent punishments to those who exploit the spiritual atmosphere in mosques to promote chaos in the country, Al-Madinah daily reported on Monday.

“Those who seek to destabilize the country and fight against security forces come under the category of ‘those who rebel against Allah and His Messenger’ and a country’s legitimate government and hence should be punished severely,” said Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manie, who is a member of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars and adviser at the Royal Court.

"Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment..." -- Qur'an 5:33

The scholar also congratulated the Interior Ministry for its successful preemptive strike against the Riyadh cell and protecting the people from such heinous deeds.

“The Islamic Affairs Ministry should ensure that imams and muezzins inspect the mosque premises regularly and thoroughly, so that the facilities are not misused for subversive activities. The sacred houses of worship should not be converted into dens of destructive acts,” he said.

Member of the Fiqh Academy Muhammad Al-Nojaimi stressed the duty of the worshipers and residents in nearby buildings apart from imams and muezzins to see that mosques are not exploited for subversive activities. “Officials concerned should also investigate why some expatriates are unofficially undertaking duties at mosques. They should also launch campaigns and raids at such mosques,” he said....

Meanwhile, a former Saudi fighter in Afghanistan, Sheikh Siraj Al-Zahrani, warned against the dangers of Saudi youths being carried away by the temptation to be martyrs in Syria. Siraj said he joined the Afghan Taleban fighters on the assumption that they were fighting on the straight religious path, but experience made him disillusioned and prompted him to return home. “No youth should go to Syria or other war fronts without the permission from their guardians. A family should be cautious about its sons being lured to war zones for jihad,” the sheikh said.

Cautious indeed!

Pamela Geller says it: "Truth is the new hate speech." This is the same thing that happens on a daily basis to counter-jihadists who dare to point out how Islamic jihadists use the texts and teachings of Islam to justify violence, hatred and supremacism: they are smeared with the charge of promoting "hate," when in fact all they are doing is pointing out hate. Turkey's ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide is consistent with an unbroken Islamic supremacist pattern: never, ever admit wrongdoing; never, ever take responsibility for actions that cause harm; never, ever acknowledge that jihad actions (such as the Armenian Genocide) cause immeasurable suffering to human beings; always, always instead blame the kuffar who have the temerity to point out the wrongdoing.

"Turkey slams France for promoting hate speech with genocide initiative," by Ali Aslan Kilic in Today's Zaman, August 27 (thanks to Lachlan):

The chairman of the Turkish Parliament's powerful education committee has accused the French government of planting the seeds of hate with its move to include the so-called “Armenian genocide” in history and geography books used in French secondary schools.

Nabi Avcı, chairman of the National Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Commission, told Today's Zaman in a phone interview on Monday that “the erosion of French culture and moving to the radical right in French politics that started with [former president Nicolas] Sarkozy continues to have a negative impact on the French education system.”

“I just hope that sensible French intellectuals will raise their voices against this kind of provocative move that will plant seeds of hate into minds of young people in France,” he added.

A Turkish daily reported on Sunday that the French Education Ministry has decided to include chapters about the so-called “Armenian genocide” in history and geography books used in French secondary schools -- a move that could once again upset relations with Turkey, which was hopeful about rebuilding strained ties with Paris following the election of the new president, François Hollande.

French students studying world history since 1910 will also read a chapter called “The Armenian Genocide.” Hollande said last month that he will stand by a campaign pledge to make it illegal to deny that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 was genocide.

Relations between Paris and Ankara had begun to thaw after a decision in February by France's constitutional court to strike down the genocide denial law as contrary to free speech.

Turkey had canceled all economic, political and military meetings with France in December after the French parliament voted in favor of the draft law. At a joint news conference early in July, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the law was unlikely to be resurrected and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu hailed the opening of a warmer phase in relations with France.

Armenia, backed by many historians, says that about 1.5 million Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during World War I in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the Ottoman government.

Turkey says there was heavy loss of life on both sides during the fighting, in which Armenian partisans supported invading Russian forces. The Ottoman Empire collapsed after the war. Successive Turkish governments and the vast majority of Turks feel the charge of genocide is an insult to their nation.

Turkey hoped Hollande's election might mean France is than under his conservative predecessor Sarkozy, but has so far received no public support for its EU bid from Paris.

History-Geography Teachers Council Secretary-General Hubert Tison has said the chapter in the textbooks is devoted to giving detailed information on the so-called “Armenian genocide.”

Tison criticized as “redundant” the inclusion of the chapter, which will explain in detail the genocide, ethnic structure of the Ottoman Empire, rule of Talat Pasha and policies of nationalist Turks and purported exiles. The chapter will also include the numbers of Armenians who were killed, exiled or sent to death.

Turkish Education Ministry officials said they will first need to examine the book and see if it includes phrases that incriminate Turkey and they will respond in line with international law through diplomatic channels. The officials said both countries earlier established commissions composed of experts to remove discriminatory phrases in textbooks and accused the French government of making what they said is a “politically motivated” move. 

But don't be concerned. "Religious experts" assure us that their use of the Qur'an and Hadith constitute a misunderstanding of jihad. Why there are so many such Misunderstanders of Islam is, as always, left unexplained. "In sign of desperation, Islamist party calls for armed struggle," by Shahriar Sharif for Khabar South Asia, August 28 (thanks to Jacob):

Golam Azam, former chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, waves to the media on January 11th, 2012. He is one of nine top Jamaat leaders now being tried for their alleged crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

With many of its leaders awaiting trial and its appeal on the wane, the radical Jamaat-e-Islami party has been trying to galvanize support by calling for jihad against the Bangladeshi government, authorities say.

This ominous message was contained in a booklet circulated by Jamaat at the start of the month, with over 60,000 copies circulated.

"We're sifting through the booklet and trying to figure out whether it violated the law and what kind of reaction it might have on the overall law and order situation," Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Detective) Deputy Commissioner Monirul Islam told Khabar South Asia:

Extreme messages of this kind are not new. For years, Islamist radicals have called for seizing power in order to turn Bangladesh into a theocratic state, similar to Afghanistan during the days of Taliban rule. The latest declarations, analysts say, are aimed at halting ongoing judicial proceedings against Jamaat party leaders.

The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh is swiftly moving to convict nine key Jamaat figures, including party chief Matiur Rahman Nizami and secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, in connection with atrocities committed during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War....

The Jamaat booklet quotes 53 verses from the holy Qur'an and 17 quotations from the Hadith to both justify jihadi action and to prove such actions are not un-Islamic. Moreover, it urges Jamaat followers do anything for the party – including carrying out acts of violence -- and sacrifice their lives, if necessary, to free its leaders.

Religious experts, however, say such calls are profoundly at odds with Islamic teachings and reflect a misunderstanding of jihad.

"There is no similarity with the situation in which Prophet Mohammad performed jihad," said Kazi Nurul Islam, department chairman of World Religions and Culture at Dhaka University.

Although the Qur'an mentions jihad, Islam said, it also discusses where it should be performed. Jihad is sometimes misinterpreted and mentioned in a way as if it is applicable at all times in all situations, he told Khabar.

The misuse of the Prophet's teachings amounts to blasphemy, some commentators suggest.

"Religion is a sacred thing. No one should try to use it as a weapon to gain political benefit," Shamim Mohammad Afzal, director general of the state-run Islamic Foundation told Khabar. "If anyone tries to do this, he should be brought to justice."...

Sounds like a plan. But it might completely overwhelm the courts in Muslim countries.

But remember: the real problem is "Islamophobia." Just keep repeating it to yourself, and one day it may come true. "Egyptian Professor of Political Science Gamal Zahran: 'By Next Year, Allah Willing, Israel Will Be Annihilated,'" from MEMRI, August 17 (thanks to Lachlan):

Following are excerpts from an interview with Professor Gamal Zahran, head of the political science department at Port Said University, which aired on Al-Alam TV on August 17, 2012.

Gamal Zahran: Jerusalem is at the heart of the Palestinian cause, and the Palestinian cause is the cause of all Arabs and Muslims. Therefore, the elimination of the Zionist entity is beyond debate, and the only question has to do with the circumstances.

I believe that the Arab revolutions, which broke out in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen – as well as in Bahrain and elsewhere – generate the peoples' hope that one day, Jerusalem and Palestine will return to them....

We are constantly keeping the memory alive among the younger generations, so that they will realize that the Palestinian cause is an essential one. The hope and the memory will later turn into action. By next year, Allah willing, Israel will be annihilated.

In PJ Media this morning I discuss how the new plan for halting “green on blue” attacks blames the victims -- as usual.

The U.S. Army has issued a pocket reference guide – ”Inside the Wire Threats – Afghanistan Green on Blue” – to help troops protect themselves from the increasingly common phenomenon of attacks from Afghans who are supposed to be allies. Men in the Afghan military and police force suddenly turn on and murder the Americans who are training them; there have been eight such attacks in just the last three weeks, and they are growing more frequent. The Army’s recommendations revolve around the central premise that such attacks are the U.S.’s fault.

According to Truthout.org, Commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan General John Allen “recently ordered U.S. forces to carry loaded weapons ‘around the clock’ following the recent spate of ‘green on blue’ attacks.” That they weren’t already doing so is insane, but true. According to Truthout, the pocket guide stipulates: “If U.S. soldiers are unarmed during a ‘green on blue’ attack they should ‘execute rehearsed actions on contact,’ and ‘have an escape route and plan in mind — hopefully two.’” They would be unarmed, of course, to show good will towards the Afghans. The fact that these instructions need to be included in the guide illustrate how these gestures of good will are all too often returned.

Further, the pocket guide states that American troops can try to prevent their gestures of good will from being answered with murderous rage by establishing a “bond of trust” with their Afghan counterparts. They can do this by being careful to “avoid arrogance, i.e., belief that ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] culture is superior to Afghan culture.” American military personnel must always “maintain professionalism, respect, and dignity of ANSF [Afghan National Security Forces] officers and soldiers.” This respect includes avoiding “public rebukes” of Afghan soldiers, and always demonstrating respect for “Islam, Koran or a mosque,” as well as “Afghan women, elders and children.”

It tells troops to apologize and to offer “compensation” if they anger the Afghans in some way.

What if American soldiers do not labor assiduously at establishing a “bond of trust” with their Afghan counterparts? What if they do demonstrate “arrogance,” perhaps even disapproving of the poisoning of girls who dare to go to school, or the honor killing of women, or the jihad/martyrdom suicide bombing, or the execution of adulteresses, or the beheading of converts out of Islam? What if the ANSF forces who witness this arrogance consider it a lack of respect and an affront to their dignity? What if the Americans even go so far as to point out the Koran’s verses mandating warfare against unbelievers and the subjugation of women? Would that constitute an arrogance and lack of respect for Islam so intolerable as to warrant a green-on-blue attack?

By focusing on what the Americans must do in order to forestall such attacks, the guide leaves the unmistakable impression that such attacks are triggered by American behavior. The message: if the Americans were just a bit less arrogant, a bit more respectful, then all would be well. The pocket guide thus engages in the same patronizing of Muslims that characterizes so much of today’s discourse: Muslims are never responsible for their actions but are only passive reactors to the actions of the big bad West, which carries all the responsibility. It’s striking how ethnocentric these people who profess to believe in the equality of all cultures really are.

There is more.

Over at Atlas Shrugs I discuss one example of the hateful mainstream media demonization of Pamela Geller's pro-Israel ad campaign:

It is good, and rather surprising in today's climate, to see the San Francisco Examiner, in an unsigned editorial, come out for Pamela Geller's free speech rights and say that her pro-Israel ads should be allowed to run. However, the Examiner predictably enough retails Islamic supremacist talking points in branding the ad "offensive," "bigoted," "hateful" and even "repulsive." Even the title of the editorial itself shows how unhappy and even embarrassed the Examiner’s editorial writer is to have to be coming out in favor of these ads running: “Hateful bus ads are free speech."

The ad in question says: “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad.” The Examiner notes that “the American Freedom Defense Initiative, an organization so extreme it has been deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, purchased the ads.” It is no surprise that the Examiner doesn’t bother to tell its luckless readers that the SPLC is a Leftist organization devoted to demonizing conservative individuals and groups by branding them as “hate groups” and lumping them in with the likes of the Ku Klux Klan. It doesn’t specify, of course, what it thinks is hateful about AFDI’s dedication to the defense of the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and equality of rights of all people before the law.

The Examiner also doesn't bother to explain why it thinks the ad is ad "offensive," "bigoted," "hateful" and even "repulsive," but objections to the ad have revolved around two related claims: that it calls everyone who sides with the "Palestinians" against Israel, or every Muslim or every Arab, a "savage," and that the people who are opposed to Israel are not savages. The ad doesn't actually refer to all supporters of the Palestinian jihad, or all Muslims or all Arabs, but that claim has nevertheless been widely repeated in the mainstream media. It actually refers to the Palestinian jihadis who glory in the murders of innocent civilians.

Take, for example, Ahlam Tamimi, who helped murder 16 Israelis in a pizzeria. She recently appeared on al-Aqsa TV and recounted the joy of the "Palestinians" as radio reports on the jihad attack increased the number of dead: "Two minutes later, they said on the radio that the number had increased to five. I wanted to hide my smile, but I just couldn't. Allah be praised, it was great. As the number of dead kept increasing, the passengers were applauding."

Is it savage to take pleasure in the mass murder of innocent civilians? Yes, it is. And it is not actually "hateful," or "bigoted," or "offensive" or "repulsive" to say so. Glorying in the murders of innocent human beings is hateful, offensive, and repulsive, and stems in this case from Islamic bigotry and Jew-hatred. But the Examiner wouldn't dream of upsetting liberal pieties by noting that.

There is more.

Feeding children during Ramadan: a grave sin. Breaking someone's fingers for wanting to feed children during Ramadan: pleasing to Allah: "Righteous women are therefore obedient, guarding the secret for God's guarding. And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them." -- Qur'an 4:34.

"Berlin: Somali Breaks Wife's Fingers Because She Wanted to Feed Children During Ramadan," by Cheradenine Zakalwe for Islam Versus Europe, August 27 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Ramadan is over but the war stories keep coming in.

A 24-year-old man broke two of his wife's fingers after a dispute on Saturday. [The story is dated 20th August]. As the Northern Police Directorate in Neuruppin communicated, the woman wanted to give her two small children something to eat during the fasting month of Ramadan. That did not suit the husband, who is of the Islamic faith, and he forbade it using violence. The police referred the 24-year-old to the community accommodation in Stolpe-Süd in the Hennigsdorf district. The woman was given medical treatment as an out-patient.

Source: Berliner Zeitung Via: PI

Pakistan's blasphemy laws are a travesty under the best of circumstances, but in this case even the ordinary rules of procedure were not followed, and this girl is being brutalized for something she could not have known she was doing. That will not, however, stop the frenzied Muslim mobs clamoring for her blood.

"Accused girl declared underage and of low mental level," by Shakeel Anjum in the News International, August 28 (thanks to David):

Islamabad: The medical board, constituted on the order of the special magistrate, Islamabad, to determine the age of the Christian girl, Rimsha, who was allegedly involved in a blasphemy case, has declared her underage in a report submitted to the concerned authorities. Her age was assessed under 14 and mental level not at par with her age, well-placed sources told ‘The News’.

According to legal experts, the FIR against the girl with mental age of 11 should be quashed immediately. The travesty of justice in Rimsha’s case could be gauged from the fact that the law of the land was ignored at every stage, they opined.

According to the Rule 10 (3) of the Juvenile Justice Rules, the minor girl could not, in any circumstances, be detained in police lock-up or sent to jail.

The Section 82 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) defines the act of a child less than seven years of age, saying, “Nothing is an offence, which is done by a child under seven years of age.” While Section 83 of the PPC elaborates the act of a child above seven and under twelve of immature understanding, saying, “Nothing is an offence which is done by a child above seven years of age and under twelve, who has not attained sufficient maturity of understanding to judge the nature and consequences of his conduct on that occasion.”

The legal experts, giving references of the law, averred that police and courts, violating the law, kept the girl in illegal detention, adding that she was in prison for the last nine days but the court remained silent.

The Islamabad Juvenile Rules 2001, SRO-867 (i/2001), clearly say about the establishment of Borstal Institution in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The Rule 4 (1) says, “The government shall establish and maintain at least one Borstal Institution in the ICT to keep and accommodate juveniles therein.”

The Rule 10 of the JJR says, “Female juveniles shall be detained in a separate enclosure of the Borstal Institution exclusively for the purpose.”The Rule 10 (2) says, “In case, there is no such enclosure as mentioned in Section 1 of JJR, they shall immediately be transferred to the care-home by the court.” And the Rule 10 (3) says, “Female juveniles shall, in no case, be kept in police lock-up or prison.”

The Section 7 of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 determines the age of the accused, saying, “If a question arises as whether a person before it, is a child, for the purpose of this Ordinance, the Juvenile Court shall record a finding after such inquiry which shall include a medical report for determination of the age of the child.”

The legal experts said if the court conducts inquiry for the determination of the age, the medical report is must for the determination of the age.The Section 2(B) of the Ordinance says, “The child means, a person who, at the time of commission of the offence, has not attained the age of 18 years.”

While Section 9 of the Ordinance clearly says, “A probation officer shall assist the court by making a report on the child’s character, education, social and moral background.”

Chaudhary Tahir Naveed, counsel of Rimsha, lodged an application on Thursday (August 23) with the Additional District Magistrate, Farasat Ali Khan, requesting him to constitute a medical board to ascertain the age of the accused girl.

The additional district magistrate, taking action on the application, sought comments from the SSP, Islamabad. The SSP, Islamabad, in his observations, recommended that a medical board should determine the age of the girl with the suggestion for her psychological analyses.

Chaudhary Tahir Naveed, in his application, said: “As per birth certificate issued by the authority concerned, the age of the petitioner is about 11 years. Now, in these circumstances, it is necessary in the great interest of justice to appoint a medical board for determination of her age.”

The report forwarded by the ASP (Ramna Circle) to the SSP Islamabad says: “The accused girl, booked under Section 295-B, was arrested by the Ramna Police and according to the law sent to the jail. It is important to determine her age and examine her mental soundness by establishing a medical board to ascertain the facts.” But the jail administration refused to follow the order of the additional district magistrate. However, Rimsha’s counsel got the same order from the court of special magistrate.

The milieu of the episode is that the Ramna Police, succumbing to people’s pressure, lodged an FIR against the Christian girl, Rimsha, under blasphemy law for burning a page of ‘Noorani Qaeda’ on the night of August 16 (Thursday).

Police said that dozens of people hailing from Mehra Badi staged a protest demonstration and blocked Kashmir Highway and damaged police post demanding to lodge an FIR against the Christian girl and arrest her for allegedly committing the offence of blasphemy by burning a page of the Holy Qur’aan.

A high police officer who investigated into the matter found that Rimsha, resident of Mehra Jafar, burnt a page of ‘Noorani Qaeda’ unintentionally. The officer, in his report, termed the allegation as baseless adding that the allegation levelled against an innocent girl didn’t meet the criteria of committing blasphemy and she was not at all intelligent and just a child who didn’t even, know the law.

Police, ignoring SOP of judging criteria to register a case of blasphemy, registered the FIR and arrested her. Later, the girl was sent to Adiala Jail on judicial remand on August 18, which was again a violation of the Rule 10(3) of the Juvenile Justice Rules.

What's the big deal? It's an interior spiritual struggle! "Kyrgyzstan intelligence agencies detain a citizen declared jihad against the country’s President," from the 24.kg News Agency, August 28:

Kyrgyzstan intelligence agencies detained a citizen who had declared jihad against the country’s President. The State National Security Committee (GKNB) reports.

Recall, the information that was published by unknown people appeared on the Internet on June 2, 2012. It contained a video message in Russian entitled “Declaration of Jihad against President Almazbek Atambayev”. The authors publicly declared jihad against the head of state and accused him of violating the rules of Sharia, expressed in worship of folk hero Manas and fixing up his monument,” recalled in the GKNB, “ Kyrgyz citizen D.B. born in 1990 was found and arrested in the course of complex investigative work on August 24”.

According to the investigation, the suspect being in Egypt spread thought [sic] the Internet extremist materials, lectures inciting inter-confessional and religious strife. He is directly relevant to the preparation and placement of video messages with the threat to the President of the Kyrgyz Republic on the Internet.

A criminal case on Article 297 (Public calls for violent overthrow of the constitutional order) and 299 (Incitement of national, racial, religious or inter-regional hatred) of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic was filed. The arrested person was put in the GKNB pre-trial centre.

Join The Jamie Glazov Show that will air tonight, Tuesday, August 28, 2012, at 8-9 pm Pacific (11-12 pm EST) on Blog Talk Radio.

This week’s guest will be Pamela Geller, the founder, editor, and publisher of AtlasShrugs.com. She is the executive director of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), and is a regular columnist for World Net Daily, the American Thinker, and other publications. She is the author of Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance.

Ms. Geller will be discussing her new ad campaign and all the controversy it is causing.

To listen to the program, click here.

Or go to: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/radio-jihad/2012/08/29/the-jamie-glazov-show.

The call-in # is: (347) 857-1380.

15 Homosexuality In Early Islam
Can Modern Islam Move Past Old Shariah Laws?
by James M. Arlandson, Ph.D.

This series on Islamic shariah law is written for educators, legislators, city council members, judges, lawyers, journalists, think tank fellows, government bureaucrats, TV and radio talk show hosts, and anyone else who occupies the “check points” in society. They initiate the national dialogue and shape the flow of the conversation. They are the decision and policy makers.

They have heard the critics of shariah and conclude the critics are exaggerating (and maybe sometimes they do). The critics are probably just “Islamophobes.” Islam is a world religion and deserves respect, after all.

Yet the elites also have heard about shariah rulings that cause them to question whether the critics are all wrong, all the time. However, the elites squelch their doubts and tell themselves that Islam is being hijacked by extremists.

An example of such a report that elites may have heard says gays might be executed in the Gaza strip:

Yesterday, the Palestinian Liberation Organization's ambassador to the U.S. wouldn't say whether homosexuals would be tolerated in a Palestinian state. At the Jerusalem Post, Benjamin Weinthal points out that the death penalty is the price for being gay in the Gaza strip:

The Hamas-controlled Gaza strip has declared homosexuality punishable by death. Hamas cofounder Mahmoud Zahar has said, “You in the West do not live like human beings. You do not even live like animals. You accept homosexuality. And now you criticize us?”

In an April broadcast on Hamas’s Al-Aksa TV, which was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Syrian academic Muhammad Rateb al-Nabulsi said, “Homosexuality involves a filthy place, and does not generate offspring. Homosexuality leads to the destruction of the homosexual. That is why, brothers, homosexuality carries the death penalty.”[1]

What does original Islam say? Can modern Islam cease executing homosexuals?

If any U.S. troops lose rank or pay because of the burning of the Qur'an, it would be one of the worst capitulations to Sharia of the entire Obama Administration, which has been full of them. Burning a Qur'an is not a crime in American law. And these Qur'ans weren't even burned maliciously (not that that should make a difference -- again, Qur'an-burning is not a crime): they were burned because jihadists were using them to pass messages to each other.

These troops should not be punished in any way. If they have been, that is the only criminal act in this entire sorry episode.

"U.S. troops punished over Koran burning, urination video," by Phil Stewart and David Alexander for Reuters, August 27 (thanks to David):

(Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Monday it was disciplining U.S. troops over two incidents that provoked outrage in Afghanistan early this year, one involving a video depicting Marines urinating on corpses and another over burned copies of the Koran.

But the administrative punishments fell short of criminal prosecution and it was unclear whether they would satisfy Afghan demands for justice.

No, it's quite clear: the Afghans will not be satisfied. (Not that what they want is justice.)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai branded the Marine's actions in the video as "inhuman," and he initially called for a public trial for the soldiers over the Koran incident.

The military did not disclose precise punishments for the troops but Army and Marine Corps spokesmen said they fell into a category that includes administrative sanctions, like a reduction in rank or forfeiture of pay.

The Marine Corps announced three Marines had pleaded guilty to charges over the video, which was widely seen on the Internet in January and showed Marines urinating on the corpses of what the Marine Corps said were dead Taliban fighters. One can be heard saying, "Have a nice day, buddy."...

Also on Monday, the Army announced that six soldiers received administrative punishments over an incident in which copies of the Koran and other religious material were removed from a prison library and sent to an incinerator to be destroyed. Four of the individuals involved were officers and two of them were non-commissioned officers, a spokesman said.

The incident in February touched off several days of rioting and attacks on U.S. troops after local workers found charred copies of the Koran among the trash at the incinerator at the Bagram base north of Kabul.

At least 30 people died in the violence that spread across the country after the incident. Shortly after, two American officers were shot dead in a secure area of the Afghan interior ministry, a crime that remains unsolved.

U.S. officials at the time said some of the religious material had been removed from the prison library at Bagram because of concern that it was extremist in nature and was being used to pass messages among prisoners. Details of the investigation were expected to be released later on Monday.

Reaction to the incident prompted President Barack Obama to write to Afghan President Hamid Karzai to apologize.

Will the Islamophobia never end? "Fearful Pakistani Christians make home in forest," from The Associated Press, August 27 (thanks to David):

ISLAMABAD (AP) - In the middle of a forest in the Pakistani capital, a group of Christians has cut down trees to clear land and has begun to build a church out of branches after leaving their neighborhood in fear when one of their own was accused of violating Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws.

The roughly 100 men, women and children who slept overnight on the ground in a clearing just a few miles (kilometers) from the seat of the Pakistani government are fallout from the case of a young Christian girl accused by a neighbor of burning pages from Islam's holy book, the Quran. The case has spotlighted attention on the country's strict blasphemy laws which can result in life in prison or even death for those accused.

"We used to come here to collect wood for fuel so we find it a suitable place for shelter," said Sumera Zahid, who was feeding her three children and her parents. "Here it is not anybody's home, nobody's land. Let us live here in safety."

Their ordeal began a little less than two weeks ago when a Christian girl was accused by a neighbor of burning pages of the Quran. Much of the case is still in question including the girl's age, whether she was mentally impaired and what exactly she was burning. But as word of the blasphemy accusation spread, hundreds of people gathered at her house demanding something be done to the girl. The police eventually arrested her and are investigating whether she broke any law.

The Associated Press is withholding the girl's name; the AP does not generally identify juveniles under 18 who are accused of crimes.

Even if she did what she is accused of, it isn't a crime, except under Sharia -- which apparently AP has adopted.

Most Christians in the neighborhood fled, fearing retribution from their Muslim neighbors. Christian residents also reported that their landlords evicted them.

After living with relatives and in churches, many of the Christians arrived at this clearing on Sunday, determined to build a home.

"We are thankful to the Lord for this land although here is no water and food but rest assured the Lord will create water fountains and provide all fruits here for you if you remain patient and suffer these hardship, thanking the Lord," said Pastor Arif Masih....

A medical review is currently being conducted to determine the girl's age and mental state, said Sajid Ishaq, Chairman of the Pakistan Interfaith League, a group that works to improve relations between various religious and sectarian groups. He said about 600 families have fled the neighborhood where the Christian girl lived and have been staying with family and friends.

"They are actually fearful. And we are trying our best to send them home safely. And also we are demanding to the government that they should give them compensation for their loss. And protection as well," he said.

Ishaq took part in a press conference Monday with the All Pakistan Ulema Council, a group of Muslim clerics and scholars from across the country, to discuss the blasphemy case. The groups called for an investigation into whether the girl was wrongly accused and what role religious extremism played in igniting the case. They demanded that all Christians be allowed to return to their neighborhood.

The degree of international attention on this case has not gone unnoticed in Pakistan, where many already feel their country is unfairly portrayed as being a haven for terrorists and religious extremism.

Unfairly?

The chairman of the All Pakistan Ulema Council, Maulana Tahir-ul-Ashrafi, urged the world community to avoid any interference in the case and promised that Pakistan would provide justice for the girl and the Christian community.

A few Christians have moved back to the neighborhood. Nooran Bashir said she left her house in panic, hours after the Christian girl's arrest.

"I don't know whether she burned pages of some holy book or not, but we all had to abruptly leave our homes to save our lives," she said. On Sunday, she finally decided to return to their house and spent the night there, along with one of her sons. But her other children were too scared to return with her so she sent them to stay with relatives.

She said local Muslims asked them not to worship at their church, and if they do, they were told not to sing songs during the service.

Islamic law forbids dhimmis to build new houses of worship or repair old ones, as well as to make a public display of their faith -- i.e., through loud singing or processions.

But others are not ready to return. A group of about 200 Christians protested in front of the city administration offices, demanding that they be allowed to stay in the clearing they had created and where they hoped to build their church. There was word on whether their wish would be granted.

"We don't have a big list of demands," said one Christian resident, Salim Masih. "We have cleared this place with our hands, and we have laid the first foundation of a small church here. Although this is a mere skeleton made of tree branches, this is the holy home of God. This should be respected."

But it won't be.

...and as the Christians in Syria are increasingly threatened by Islamic supremacists. "Christian archbishop flees Syria: report," from Reuters, August 27 (thanks to David):

ROME (Reuters) - A Christian archbishop fled Syria after his offices were ransacked last week amid fighting between rebels and government forces in the country's biggest city Aleppo, Catholic news agency Fides said on Monday.

The Melchite Greek Catholic archbishop of Aleppo, Jean-Clement Jeanbart, and a number of priests fled to Lebanon after the attack on Thursday, Fides said.

The Melchite Greek Catholic Church is a community of Middle Eastern Christians who are in full communion with Rome.

Fides said "unidentified groups who want to feed a religious war and drag the Syrian population into sectarian conflicts" attacked the Christian area in the old quarter of Aleppo.

A Byzantine Christian museum and an office of the Maronite Christian faith were also damaged, the report said.

There are several Christian groups in Syria, many of which have been in the region since pre-Islamic times....

But whether they will be able to survive this latest round of jihad remains to be seen.

Will the Islamophobia never end? How did this man who had devoted his life to preaching Islam misunderstand its message as having something to do with killing? "Muslim extremist nabbed for deadly kidnap," from AFP, August 27 (thanks to Jacob):

ZAMBOANGA - Philippines police said they had arrested a Muslim preacher on Saturday for taking part in a mass kidnapping by Muslim extremists in 2000 in which a Catholic priest was killed.

The suspect, Abdul Jandul, an alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group, was arrested by police and military agents on the troubled southern island of Basilan, a police statement said.

Jandul, who also worked as an Arabic teacher in an Islamic school, had a bounty of 350,000 pesos ($8,400) on his head for his alleged role in the kidnapping of 29 teachers and students that resulted in three deaths.

The Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants seized the teachers and students including a Claretian priest, Father Rhoel Gallardo, in Basilan in March 2000.

Most of those captured were freed but Gallardo and three teachers were killed by the Abu Sayyaf. The priest was reportedly tortured before he died.

The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history, including bombings and mass kidnappings of foreigners and Christians.

The group set up in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network is based on remote southern islands, including Basilan.

The number of Abu Sayyaf fighters has dropped from roughly 2,000 a decade ago to a few hundred today, according to security analysts.

However they remain a threat in the south, capable of kidnapping locals and foreigners, as well as bomb attacks, partly due to support from members of local Muslim communities.

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

"Concert cancelled: clerics have their way," by Inamullah Khattak for Dawn, August 26 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

RAWALPINDI, Aug 26: A planned musical concert in connection with Eid festival in the scenic Muree hills was cancelled on Sunday, after local religious clerics issued decree against the activity. The fatwa forced organisers to do away with their plan.

The two-day Youth and Family Festival was jointly organised by Parks and Horticulture Agency (PHA) and Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab at Cricket Stadium Bhurban, in order to entertain tourists and residents.

According to the official handout issued here, over 5,000 families had thronged the venue on the first day of the festival on Saturday, while a much bigger number of visitors were anxiously waiting for the musical concert on Sunday.

“Some angry religious cleric approached us after we had successfully advertised about the concert. Despite our requests that the musical concert was solely aimed at giving free entertainment to people in connection with Eid, the clerics demanded complete and immediate ban on the show,” Managing Director PHA Capt Mushtaq Ahmed told Dawn on Sunday.

“We had invited several well-known pop and classical singers to participate in the concert but we had to cancel the plan owing to the harsh criticism of local religious clerics,” Mr
Ahmed, the chief organiser of the festival maintained....

According to organisers, over 15,000 families were expected to reach the vast lawn of Bhurban Cricket Stadium, the venue, for watching the live concert but the religious clerics used loud speakers to condemn the music show thus forcing the managers to wind up the event.

According to officials involved in arranging the festival, the influence of local religious figures had been growing in the hilly station of Murree arguing that it was discouraging tourism in the scenic place....

We have long known that the UN was pro-jihad, but these two UN staffers went above and beyond: they were "charged with crimes including promoting hatred between Buddhists and Muslims and participation in arson attacks."

"UN staff jailed in Burma," from the Associated Press, August 27 (thanks to David):

A court in Burma has sentenced two United Nations workers to prison terms for their alleged involvement in a spate of bloody communal violence in the west of the country in June.

The punishments were handed down on Friday in the Rakhine state town of Maungdaw, said Aye Win, a UN spokesman based in Burma. One of those sentenced was an employee of the UN refugee agency and the other the UN World Food Programme.

A spokesperson for the world body's refugee agency in Bangkok, Vivian Tan, called the verdicts "very disappointing".

Tan said a third aid worker employed by another unidentified humanitarian group working with the UN was also convicted.

UN officials said they had no details on the official charges.

The Burma independent newspaper Weekly Eleven reported that the staff members – all believed to be from the local Muslim community – were charged with crimes including promoting hatred between Buddhists and Muslims and participation in arson attacks. The paper cited anonymous court sources in its report, and said the sentences ranged from two to six years....

Oddly enough, they were actually attacked by Sunni Muslims who clearly misunderstood the peaceful teachings of their faith that only greasy Islamophobes would dare to think ever inspires violence.

"Two Killed as Hard-liners Attack Shia School Group," by Dessy Sagita, Amir Tejo and Markus Junianto Sihaloho in the Jakarta Globe, August 27 (thanks to Twostellas):

Two people were killed and five were injured in an attack on a group of Shia students and teachers in Sampang, East Java, on Sunday.

Around 30 Shiites, most of them children, were traveling from Nangkernang village on the island of Madura, bound for Bangil in East Java.

Shortly into their trip, they were stopped by about 500 men from mainstream Muslim groups, preventing them from continuing, said Umi Kulsum, who was at the scene.

“Two people died, Hamama and Tohir,” she said. “Five were wounded as they were trying to protect the women and children. I was petrified.

“When the incident happened, there weren’t any police officers. The mob had swords and machetes, and they attacked all of the adult males who were trying to protect the women and children.”

Among the group were five of Umi’s children, who were taken away from her....

The mob then torched four homes belonging to the Shiite community, including one belonging to Umi and her husband, Shia cleric Tajul Muluk....

On Dec. 29, Shiites in Nangkernang was attacked by hard-line Muslim groups, who set fire to hundreds of homes and a Shia Islamic school, displacing 500 Shiites from their village.

Police instead charged Tajul with blasphemy, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs office in Sampang said it would “supervise” hundreds of Shia to learn Sunni Islam.

Last month, a district court in East Java sentenced the Shia cleric to two years in prison for blasphemy after reportedly telling students that the Koran was not the original holy text for Muslims, an allegation Tajul’s legal team repeatedly denied....

With the ongoing tension and intimidation against the group, Umi said she had requested police come to ensure a safe passage for the convoy of children, but police never came. Hours after the incident, eight police officers arrived at the scene....

Umi identified the attackers as followers of Roisul Hukama, a local Nahdlatul Ulama leader who has been fanning hatred toward the local Shia community.

“How many lives must fall until police and the government intervene?” Umi asked.

“Our children have stopped going to school for five months. My husband is in jail, and my whole life is under terror.”...

Intimidation toward and attacks on Shiites have also been recorded in Pasuruan and Bangil, both in East Java.

That's twelve this month. They must not have avoided "arrogance" or respected Islam enough. And so the fool's errand in Afghanistan continues.

How long are the American people going to accept our troops serving as a shooting gallery for Afghan jihadis who are our putative allies?

"Two U.S. Troops Killed by Rogue Afghan Soldier," from Reuters, August 27 (thanks to Awake):

KABUL (Reuters) - A rogue Afghan soldier shot dead two U.S. troops in east Afghanistan on Monday, the NATO-led coalition said, the latest in a series of insider killings that have strained trust between the allies ahead of a 2014 pullout by foreign combat troops.

The deaths in Laghman province brought to 12 the number of foreign soldiers killed this month, prompting NATO to increase security against insider attacks, including requiring soldiers to carry loaded weapons at all times on base.

They also come a week after U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Martin Dempsey visited Kabul to talk about rogue shootings and urge Afghan officials to take tougher preventative action.

"ISAF troops returned fire, killing the ANA (Afghan National Army) soldier who committed the attack," the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said in a statement.

There have been 33 insider attacks so far this year that have led to 42 coalition deaths. That is a sharp increase from 2011, when, during the whole year, 35 coalition troops were killed in such attacks, 24 of whom were American.

Afghanistan's government said on Wednesday it would re-examine the files of 350,000 soldiers and police to help curb rogue shootings of NATO personnel, but accused "foreign spies" of instigating the attacks.

The killings, many of which have been claimed by the Taliban as evidence of insurgent reach and infiltration, have eroded trust between the NATO-Afghan allies and are complicating plans for transition to Afghan security within two years.

NATO commanders have played down the threat of infiltration, blaming most of the shootings on stress or personal differences between Afghans and their Western advisers that ended at the point of a gun, a frequent occurrence in Afghanistan.

But the U.S. general leading NATO forces in Afghanistan acknowledged last Thursday that the Taliban could be traced to more insider attacks than previously acknowledged, accounting for about a quarter of the cases....

In "Huffington Post Whitewashes Sharia" at Atlas Shrugs, August 26, Pamela Geller obliterates the lies and obfuscations about Sharia retailed by Islamic supremacist Qasim Rashid:

The following piece (below) is from last November, but in the rush of events at that time I missed it, and since it so fully displays the Islamic supremacist/enemedia strategy to full-on whitewash Sharia and sell it to the American public, it is worth revisiting now -- especially since the voices of truth are silenced, shut out of the public discourse. Big broadcast news and print media offer Islamic supremacists and their leftist shills unfettered access to defame, lie about, smear and give misleading information about freedom's fiercest defenders, without giving the victims of these vicious defamation campaigns the opportunity to rebut the false charges. This is twenty first century Goebbels-style propaganda. Islamic supremacists and their useful idiots on the left are given enormous power, the kind of  influence and access to deceive and mislead the  American people that Nazi propagandists were given in Germany. The fact that people like myself and Robert Spencer have any influence at all is a testament to the American people, who love freedom and seek out the truth.

Shariah Law: The Five Things Every Non-Muslim (and Muslim) Should Know by Qasim Rashid at the HuffPo 11/04/11

1. What does Shariah mean?

Shariah is the law of the Qur'an and literally means "A path to life giving water." In fact, the word Yarrah (i.e. the root of the Hebrew word Torah) means precisely the same thing. Therefore, Shariah is actually ingrained in Abrahamic tradition.

Rashid is implying that Shariah and Jewish law are essentially equivalent. That claim is a staple of the whitewashes of Shariah in the American media and courts. But my lawyer David Yerushalmi, who has represented me in numerous groundbreaking free speech cases, explains why the two are not equivalent here. [UPDATE: David Yerushalmi has sent me this: "This writer's linking the Hebrew root Y-R-H to sharia is absurd. He is trying to link sharia as 'the right path' as in Islamic law to the Hebrew root for what is Torah. That is, the Hebrew root of Torah is H-R-H, meaning to instruct. A cognate of this is Y-R-H which is the root for shoot (as in shoot an arrow) or in some cases direct/instruct. But this has nothing to do with 'the right path to the water' because Y-R-H can also mean a bad instruction or a shot off target. The only possible comparison at the level of meaning between Sharia and a Hebrew word is to Halacha, which shares no etymological connection to sharia. It does have the same kind of meaning as in 'the way' and is the word for Jewish law. The point of all of this is that 'scholarship' on these matters by the MB and by the leftists is almost always just wrong and bad."]

Shariah is comprised of five main branches: adab (behavior, morals and manners), ibadah (ritual worship), i'tiqadat (beliefs), mu'amalat (transactions and contracts) and 'uqubat (punishments). These branches combine to create a society based on justice, pluralism and equity for every member of that society. Furthermore, Shariah forbids that it be imposed on any unwilling person. Islam's founder, Prophet Muhammad, demonstrated that Shariah may only be applied if people willingly apply it to themselves--never through forced government implementation.

"Shariah forbids that it be imposed on any unwilling person"? Is Qasim Rashid serious? Apparently he would have us believe that anyone can opt out at any time? A thief can decide that he isn't willing to have his hand cut off? An adulteress can say, "No, thank you, I would prefer not to be stoned to death"? Can non-Muslims say, "I'd prefer not to be a dhimmi, and would like to have equal rights with the Muslims, please?" Look at the two premier Sharia states in the world today: Saudi Arabia and Iran. Both are repressive, coercive, authoritarian regimes with dismal human rights records. Nor do the oppressed Shi'ite minority in Saudi Arabia or the oppressed Bahais in Iran ever get asked if they are willing for Shariah restrictions to imposed upon them. If they dare to complain, life gets even worse for them.

Additionally, the Qur'an does not promote any specific form of government, but requires that the form people choose must be based on adl or "absolute justice." The Qur'an says, "Verily, Allah enjoins justice, and the doing of good to others; and giving like kindred; and forbids indecency and manifest evil and transgression. He admonishes you that you may take heed" (16:91). Notice, religious preference is never mentioned. Therefore, in ruling with absolute justice, for example, the righteous Jewish King Solomon ruled as a just monarch based on this fundamental principle of Shariah Law--justice.

The trick here is that Shariah's idea of justice and Western principles of justice are very different. Under Shariah, Muslims deny the freedom of speech, execute apostates from Islam, cut the clitorises, beat and honor-kill women, and deny basic rights to non-Muslims, and more -- and call it all justice.

2. Do Muslims want Shariah to rule America?

No. Remember, the Qur'an teaches that religion must not be a matter of the state. Shariah is a personal relationship with God. Prophet Muhammad, even as the de facto ruler of Arabia, wrote the Charter of Medina in which Muslims were held to Shariah Law, and Jews to the Law of the Torah. Not a single non-Muslim was held to Shariah because Shariah itself forbids compulsion. The Qur'an clearly says, "There is no compulsion in religion" (2:257). Furthermore, Shariah obliges Muslims to be loyal to their nation of residence. Therefore, American Muslims must adhere to the US Constitution as the supreme law of the land.

Shariah is a personal relationship with God, and religion must not be a matter of the state? Then why is it that everywhere Shariah is in force now, and everywhere it has ever been adopted, it is a matter of the state, and covers every aspect of political life, not just one's "personal relationship with God"? Qasim Rashid would have us believe that all the great Islamic empires of the Middle Ages, and Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Sudan all misunderstand Sharia as having something to do with the governance of the state, and not just with private religious matters.

And no Muslims want Shariah to rule America? Qasim Rashid didn't check with Muslim Brotherhood operative Mohamed Akram, who wrote in "An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Brotherhood in North America" the Brotherhood's strategy document for the U.S., that 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."

3. If Muslims don't want Shariah to rule America, then so what if it's banned?

First, Shariah is a personal relationship between a Muslim and God. The First Amendment forbids Congress from passing laws that restrict the free exercise of religion--particularly private exercise. Second, if Shariah was banned, then American Muslims could not marry, inherit, write wills or choose to divorce per Islam's guidelines. If similar restrictions were imposed for other faith groups, then no Minister could conduct a marriage ceremony, no Catholic Bishop could read the last rites and no Rabbi could perform circumcision on an infant male Jewish child--because these are all Judeo-Christian religious laws. Even within our current legal system, American Jews regularly resolve civil matters through rabbinical courts known as beit din. American Muslims simply want to enjoy their same constitutionally guaranteed right.

This is a hysterical false charge. Anti-Shariah laws aren't designed to restrict Muslims' personal religious freedom. I don't care if you worship a stone; just don't stone me with it. The anti-Shariah laws are designed to restrict the political and supremacist aspects of Shariah -- the elements of Islamic law that are incompatible with our freedoms. That's all.

4. What does Shariah say about other religions?

Shariah law champions absolute freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. For example, the Qur'an goes as far as to oblige Muslims to fight on behalf of Jews, Christians and people of other faiths and to protect their churches, synagogues and temples from attack. (22:41) Furthermore, Shariah holds that to be a Muslim, a person must testify to the truth of all past prophets, including Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Krishna and Buddha--and must respect their adherents. When Prophet Muhammad peacefully became the ruler of Arabia, his primary condition for non-Muslims (and Muslims) to reside in Arabia was that they allow all people of all faiths--be they Jews, Christians, Muslims or idol worshipers--to worship in peace and without oppression.

Just as Shariah offers a different understanding of "justice" from that which prevails in the West, so also it has a different understanding of what constitutes "oppression." Under Shariah, the dhimmis -- Jews, Christians, and other "People of the Book" in the Islamic state -- are subjugated under the rule of the Muslims and denied basic rights. They have to pay a special tax (jizya) from which Muslims are exempt. Reliance of the Traveler, a manual of Islamic jurisprudence certified as "reliable" by Egypt's Al-Azhar University, the foremost authority in Sunni Islam, explains that non-Muslims are "forbidden to ring church bells or display crosses, recite the Torah or Evangel aloud, or make public display of their funerals and feastdays, and are forbidden to build new churches" - o.11.5 (6,7). They're also forbidden to hold authority over Muslims, and so are relegated to the most menial jobs in society. If they complain about their lot or "insult" Islam or Muhammad, they can lawfully be killed.

Qasim Rashid calls this being able to "worship in peace and without oppression."

5. What about countries that oppress people and claim they follow Shariah?

Such countries have ignored the fundamental tenet of justice inherent in Shariah Law, and have instead used Shariah as an excuse to gain power and sanction religious extremism. To be sure, not a single example of a "Shariah compliant" country exists. In fact, the most "Muslim country" in the world is likely America, because America guarantees freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of thought--all hallmarks of Shariah Law. Those nations that oppress in the name of Shariah are as justified in their claims, as the slave owners who claimed their right to slavery was based on the Bible.

As for the "violent" verses from the Qur'an that are cited by both extremists and critics--honest legal interpretation abhors quoting an excerpt as a means to understand the full law. Unfortunately, both extremists and critics refuse to adhere to this basic principle. In sum, Shariah law guides a Muslim's personal relationship with God, just as the Old and New Testaments guide Jews and Christians in their personal relationships with God. These paths to life-giving water are nothing to fear.

Rashid is forced to say this because Shariah states are so savage. But his argument falls on one key point: if there is no real "Shariah compliant" country in the world today, why are all those countries that claim to be implementing Shariah misinterpreting it in the same way? Shariah states today and throughout Islamic history have oppressed women and non-Muslims, executed heretics, apostates, blasphemers, gays, and others, and ruthlessly punished those who dared to speak out against all this. Those have been features of every single Shariah state that has ever existed.

But Qasim Rashid wants you to believe that they all got Shariah wrong. And at the PuffHo, there's a sucker born every minute.

"Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious." -- Ayatollah Khomeini

And indeed, Sharia forbids free mixing of the sexes, music, and dancing.

Sharia Alert from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan: "Seventeen party-goers 'found beheaded' in southern Afghan village," by Ahmad Nadeem for Reuters, August 27 (thanks to all who sent this in):

(Reuters) - Fifteen men and two women were found beheaded in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province on Monday, punishment meted out by Taliban insurgents for a mixed-sex party with music and dancing, officials said.

The bodies were found in a house near the Musa Qala district, about 75 km (46 miles) north of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, said district governor Nimatullah, who only goes by one name.

"The victims threw a late-night dance and music party when the Taliban attacked" on Sunday night, Nimatullah told Reuters.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

In ultra-conservative Afghanistan, men and women do not usually mingle unless they are related, and parties involving both genders together are rare and highly secretive affairs.

For the Taliban, flirting, open displays of affection and the mixing of men and women are vehemently condemned.

According to witnesses of a major attack that killed 20 near Kabul in June, Taliban gunmen stormed a high-end hotel demanding to know where the "prostitutes and pimps" were.

The Taliban said it launched that attack on Qarga Lake because the hotel was used for "wild parties".

During their five-year reign, which was toppled by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in 2001, sparking the present NATO-led war, the Taliban banned women from voting, most work and leaving their homes unaccompanied by their husband or a male relative....

The Brotherhood has certainly seized and run with the term in order to intimidate critics of jihad and Islamic supremacism into silence, but it looks as if the term "Islamophobia" is much older than Claire Berlinski claims.

Cheradenine Zakalwe here traces it to the 1990s, and it is possible, also, that the term goes back even farther than the 1990s sources that Zakalwe quotes. According to the French philosopher Pascal Bruckner, "At the end of the 1970s, Iranian fundamentalists invented the term 'Islamophobia' formed in analogy to 'xenophobia'. The aim of this word was to declare Islam inviolate. Whoever crosses this border is deemed a racist. This term, which is worthy of totalitarian propaganda, is deliberately unspecific about whether it refers to a religion, a belief system or its faithful adherents around the world."

Whether it comes from the 1970s or 1990s, it is clear that Claire Berlinski was quite careless here, and her contention that the Ikhwan invented "Islamophobia" simply ludicrous. I have indeed repeated this claim in the past, as I did not previously have any reason to doubt its accuracy, but I will not be repeating it again. With Leftists and Islamic supremacists always poised to pounce on any inaccuracy (and perceived inaccuracy, and anything they can twist to look like an inaccuracy), it is imperative for counter-jihad writers to be far more scrupulous and careful than this.

"Did the Muslim Brotherhood Invent the Term Islamophobia?," by Cheradenine Zakalwe at Islam Versus Europe, August 26:

That the Muslim Brotherhood invented the term Islamophobia has become a commonplace on the Counterjihad scene. But is it true? The only evidence for it seems to be the undocumented assertions of Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, a former Muslim radical turned "moderate".

He has made the following statements about the creation of the term islamophobia:

That's the reason why the question of whether America is "Islamophobic" - now bandied about so casually, as though opposition to the mosque has revealed a nasty strain in the American psyche, akin to the terrible racism or anti-Semitism that once ran wild - is so deeply offensive. This loathsome term is nothing more than a thought-terminating cliche conceived in the bowels of Muslim think tanks for the purpose of beating down critics.

Source

In an effort to silence critics of political Islam, advocates needed to come up with terminology that would enable them to portray themselves as victims. Muhammad said he was present when his then- allies, meeting at the offices of the International Institute for Islamic Thought (IIIT) in Northern Virginia years ago, coined the term "Islamophobia."

Muhammad said the Islamists decided to emulate the homosexual activists who used the term "homophobia" to silence critics. He said the group meeting at IIIT saw "Islamophobia" as a way to "beat up their critics."

Source

These statements were cited in a Claire Berlinksi [sic] article which was reproduced on Jihadwatch. That seems to be what led to the diffusion of this idea.

But let's pause for breath. The claims made by Muhammad are neither documented nor dated. And even if what he is saying is true, if a word is invented and then pushed into general circulation, you should be able to document its spread. Modern search technology makes it relatively easy to do this. So where are the textual analyses showing the spread of this term originating in statements or documents issued by the Muslim Brotherhood?

I did a textual search on this term using many specialised electronic archives, biased towards British sources but including American ones too. My conclusion was that it had originated in Britain and had almost certainly been coined not by a Muslim but a pitifully dhimmified Jew, the "anti-racism" campaigner Richard Stone. He was one of the authors of a letter to the Guardian in 1994, which was the first recorded use I could find of the term, and he was present on the committee of the Runnymede Trust which launched the term into broad circulation in 1996. A fuller discussion of this topic, including quotes, can be found here.

In my view the claims of Abdur-Rahman Muhammad form too slender an evidentiary basis on which to support the assertion that the term was invented by the Muslim Brotherhood. Clearly it has been seized on and exploited by them. But we shouldn't attribute its invention to them unless we can prove it. There is no need to make stuff about Muslims. The truth is bad enough.

UPDATE: Jihad Watch reader John just sent me an extract from Wikipedia (a scurrilous propaganda site, at least for issues of current moment, that I will not link) pointing out early twentieth-century uses of the word "Islamophobia." However, they didn't use the word with contemporary propagandists' intention of demonizing those who resist jihad and Islamic supremacism, and so these early uses of the word don't quite apply to the question at hand.

"Sharia law states that females can be married as young as nine..."

But...but...Sharia is benign and completely compatible with Western notions of human rights!

Child marriage is rampant among those who believe that Muhammad is the supreme example of conduct (cf. Qur'an 33:21), but Islamic spokesmen in the West frequently assert that it is a cultural phenomenon that has nothing to do with Islam. They did not, however, tell the mullahs.

"The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with 'Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death)." -- Bukhari 7.62.88

Muslims take this seriously and imitate Muhammad in this. Article 1041 of the Civil Code of the Islamic Republic of Iran states that girls can be engaged before the age of nine, and married at nine: "Marriage before puberty (nine full lunar years for girls) is prohibited. Marriage contracted before reaching puberty with the permission of the guardian is valid provided that the interests of the ward are duly observed."

The Ayatollah Khomeini himself married a ten-year-old girl when he was twenty-eight. Khomeini called marriage to a prepubescent girl "a divine blessing," and advised the faithful: "Do your best to ensure that your daughters do not see their first blood in your house."

"Alarm as hundreds of children under age of 10 married in Iran," by Robert Tait in the Telegraph, August 26 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Iran has experienced a dramatic growth in under-age marriages that has seen the number of girls being wed before the age of 10 double in the space of a year, officially-compiled figures have revealed....

An Iranian NGO, the Society For Protecting The Rights of The Child, said 43,459 girls aged under 15 had married in 2009, compared with 33,383 three years previously. In 2010, 716 girls younger than 10 had wed, up from 449 the previous year, according to the organisation.

Its spokesman, Farshid Yazdani, blamed deepening poverty for the development, which he said was more common in socially backward rural areas often afflicted with high levels of illiteracy and drug addiction....

He said increasing child marriages were accompanied by a correspondingly high teenage divorce rate. Some 15,000 females aged 15-19 divorced their husbands every year between 2007 and 2010.

The statistics will fuel criticism that Iran's Islamic legal code allows children, especially girls, to be married at an inappropriately early age.

While Sharia law states that females can be married as young as nine, a 2002 ruling by the powerful Expediency Council laid down that girls below 13 and boys younger than 15 could only wed with their father's consent and the permission of a court.

However, critics complain that the legal standards in many socially conservative areas for allowing younger marriages are lax while a fundamentalist MP, Mohammad Ali Asfenani, has said Iran has a religious obligation to legally recognise the weddings of girls as young as nine

"As some people may not comply with our current Islamic legal system, we must regard nine as being the appropriate age for a girl to have reached puberty and qualified to get married," Mr Asfenani, chairman of the parliamentary legal and judiciary committee, told Khabar Online. "To do otherwise would be to contradict and challenge Islamic Sharia law."

Can't have that!

14 Adultery and Fornication In Early Islam
Can Modern Islam Move Past Old Shariah Laws?
by James M. Arlandson, Ph.D.

This series of article about Islamic shariah law is intended for educators, legislators, city council members, judges, lawyers, journalists, government bureaucrats, think tank fellows, TV and radio talk show hosts, and anyone else who occupies positions of authority. They initiate the national dialogue and shape the flow of the conversation. They are the decision and policy makers.

These intellectual elites have heard the critics of shariah and conclude the critics are wrong; the critics overstate their case (and maybe they do sometimes). They may even be “Islamophobic,” the elites conclude. Islam is a world religion, so it deserves respect, after all.

But then the elites have a gnawing, private feeling that the critics may be partially right. They read reports coming out of the Islamic world and sometimes in their own world. But they tell themselves that Islam is being hijacked by extremists.

One report that the elites may have heard involves executing two adulterers.

Horrific video footage has emerged of Taliban insurgents stoning a couple to death for alleged adultery in northern Afghanistan.

Hundreds of villagers can be seen on the video standing around as the woman, Siddqa, is buried up to her waist in a four foot hole in the ground.

Two mullahs pass sentence before the crowd begins to throw rocks at her head and body as she desperately tries to crawl free.

But the 19-year-old collapses to the ground, covered in blood - but miraculously still alive.

At this point a Taliban fighter shoots her three times in the head with an AK-47. The crowd can be heard shouting allahu akbar [God is greatest] as she is killed.

Her lover, Khayyam, is then marched in front of the crowd with his hands tied behind his back.

He is blindfolded with his own tunic and crouches down close to the ground as he tried to protect his body from the stones.

But he is battered to the floor by a barrage of rocks. He can be heard sobbing before eventually falling silent.

The stoning - the first to be documented on film since the Taliban were ousted from power - took place in the district of Dashte Archi, in Kunduz, last August.

Officials said that Siddqa had run away after being sold into an arranged marriage for $9,000 against her will.

She ran away to be with Khayyam, who was already married and had two children, and the pair eloped to Pakistan. [1]

So shariah treats sexual sins as capital crimes, just as the Old Testament did. Is that really the best policy in the modern world? Can modern Islam move past these old shariah laws?

Reza Aslan's gunsel Nathan Lean, who just wrote in the Los Angeles Times that "equating the Palestinian cause with jihad" is one of "the country's nastiest displays of prejudice," is no doubt on his way to Gaza right now, to explain to Majlis Shura Al-Mujahidin that they're getting jihad, and the Palestinian cause, all wrong, wrong, wrong.

"Salafi Terrorists: Jihad Against 'Criminal Jews' is a Duty," by Elad Benari for Israel National News, August 27:

A Salafi terror organization ideologically affiliated with Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for firing three Kassam rockets at the city of Sderot on Sunday morning.

The group, which calls itself Majlis Shura Al-Mujahidin, said in an official statement that the reasons it fired the rockets are a military ceremony held at the Cave of the Patriarchs, the continued “Judaization” of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the persecution of Salafi activists in Gaza.

The statement, translated by Arab affairs expert Dali Halevi, also accused Palestinian Authority-based organizations of failing to respond to the Jews’ violation of the holy places of Islam.

“Jihad in the way of Allah against the criminal Jews is a duty through which we get closer to Allah ... it is the (Islamic) nation’s duty to help and support the mujahidin ... the Jewish thieves must know that the Muslim holy sites are being guarded by (Muslim) men who do not sleep ... and will give their blood and property for them.”

Halevi noted that Majlis Shura Al-Mujahidin operates both in Gaza as well as the Sinai Peninsula. The group claimed responsibility for several recent attacks that were carried out against soldiers and civilians in the Sinai.

One of the three Kassam rockets that were fired at Sderot damaged a building in the industrial area near the city. One person was lightly wounded and a second was treated for shock.

On Sunday evening, terrorists in Gaza fired a Kassam-type short range rocket. No one was hurt and no damage was reported. The rocket struck the Eshkol region between Be’er Sheva and Ashkelon.

Before reading Nathan Lean's call for the restriction of the freedom of speech of critics of jihad and Islamic supremacism in the Los Angeles Times, it is illuminating to bear a few things in mind.

First: Nathan Lean, the editor-in-chief of Aslan Media, is a thug who has sent me numerous veiled threats. For security reasons, I maintain several offices and mailboxes in different parts of the country, and don't actually live near any of them or check the mail in them myself. Nathan Lean got hold of one of the addresses, and several months ago tweeted me, in a complete non-sequitur, the name of the state it is in. A week later, he sent me another tweet including the name of the city where one of these mailboxes is located. Four months after that, he sent me an email calling me a "dumb fuck" and adding "But, having a look at this, I kind of pity you," which was followed by a link containing a photo of a woman in the same city. The woman has the same surname as mine; apparently Lean thought she was my wife.

Now, the purpose of these tweets and emails is unmistakable: Nathan Lean was signaling to me that he thought he knew my whereabouts (and that of my family), despite my attempts to conceal them. And why would he want me to think that he knew where I was? So that I would be frightened into silence, afraid that one of his many violence-inclined allies might do me in if I continued to speak out for freedom and human rights. I therefore duly forwarded all these communications to the FBI, and they've informed me that they're keeping on eye on Nathan Lean.

Yet this gutter thug still remains in the employ of Islamic supremacist hate propagandist Reza Aslan, and is published in the Los Angeles Times, which tells you a great deal about Reza Aslan and the Los Angeles Times.

Second, by publishing this thug's screed calling for restriction of the freedom of speech, the Los Angeles Times is cutting its own throat. For my opinions are certainly politically incorrect today, but if Lean succeeds in getting them criminalized, his patrons at the LA Times might find one day that they, too, hold an opinion unacceptable to those in power, but the precedent to silence them will already have been set, with their willing help.

"Anders Behring Breivik: Norway's sane killer," by Nathan Lean in the Los Angeles Times, August 26 (thanks to all who sent this in):

...The Islamophobia that led Breivik to his ruinous binge, for example, came from his digestion of the writings of several anti-Muslim activists, including bloggers Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller, who head the group Stop the Islamization of America. Breivik mentioned them in his 1,500-page manifesto, posted online.

Nathan Lean must get up every morning and thank Allah for Anders Behring Breivik; after all, where would he be without him? In any case, as long as Lean keeps repeating his libel, I will keep telling the truth: while he'd like you to believe that Breivik's "manifesto" is just Geller and me through and through, actually Breivik cited many, many people, including Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy, and Thomas Jefferson -- who are just three of the many who are never blamed for his murders. Also swept under the rug is the fact that whether he is sane or not, Breivik's manifesto is actually quite ideologically incoherent -- so far was he from being a doctrinaire counter-jihadist that he wanted to aid Hamas and ally with jihad groups. I am no more responsible for Breivik than the Beatles are for Charles Manson.

Indeed, the whole attempt to smear Pamela Geller and me with Breivik's murders rests on several leaps of illogic and unstated assumptions. Even if Breivik's views really were exactly the same as ours, as Lean wants you to think, would the Los Angeles Times or Nathan Lean (well, maybe he would) really stand behind the idea that if someone commits violence in the name of an idea, that idea is thereby discredited and must be driven out of the public discourse? In that case, precious few ideas would be left, since people at one time or another have committed violence in the name of virtually every cause under the sun.

In any case, if ideas that were deemed to lead to violence really were silenced, the proponents of a supposedly peaceful Islam that Nathan Lean is so anxious to protect and defend would be silenced as well. After all, Lean admits below that Geller and I denounced Breivik's violence. But that is not enough for him: the whole thrust of his piece here is the claim that what we say and do inspires other people to do violence. Now, that is not in the slightest degree true of what Pamela Geller and I say and do, but it is certainly true of the many, many imams worldwide who openly teach that Muslims should wage war against unbelievers, and also true of those who don't teach violence openly, but do teach hatred and contempt of those outside the accepted circle (which, incidentally, Nathan Lean teaches as well). And if we denounce violence but must nevertheless be silenced, then so also must peaceful Muslims such as Nathan Lean's boss Reza Aslan, who supposedly denounces Islamic violence but has written favorably many times about the violent jihad terror groups Hamas and Hizballah.

The pair has agitated some of the country's nastiest displays of prejudice. Their bus advertisements equating the Palestinian cause with jihad created a stir in New York and San Francisco, and they fanned the flames of the uproar over the Park51 Islamic Community Center in 2010.

This one made me laugh: Pamela Geller and I are "equating the Palestinian cause with jihad"! No one ever thought to do it before we did! Apparently Nathan Lean hopes his hapless Times readers know nothing about Ahlam Tamimi, who praised Allah for the murders of Israelis in a pizza parlor (murders in which she participated), or about the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood has called for jihad to liberate "Palestine,"; or about Jordanian Muslim cleric Riyadh al-Bustanji, who said recently: "I have brought my daughter to Gaza, so that she can learn from the women of Gaza how to bring up her children on Jihad, martyrdom-seeking, and the love of Palestine," or thousands of other Muslims worldwide who have called the Israel/"Palestinian" conflict a jihad. No! It is all just a nasty display of prejudice by Geller and Spencer!

Damningly, they see their mission as Breivik saw his: They call themselves "freedom fighters" on a valorous journey to save the world from Muslims.

Like his boss Reza Aslan, Nathan Lean can't even be honest or decent enough to characterize his foes' views accurately. In reality, we are not trying to "save the world from Muslims," but from a radically repressive, supremacist political ideology that denies the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and the equality of rights of all people before the law. If Muslims sincerely renounce these aspects of Islamic law and work against their spread, they are welcome to join us, as I have said repeatedly throughout my public work.

But when it was publicized that the Norway killer mentioned Spencer and Geller in his writings, they cried foul. "Clearly this individual is insane," Spencer wrote on his blog. After Breivik's initial psychological evaluation Geller expressed relief, writing, that Breivik was "declared certifiably insane, which was evident by his actions and his ten-years-in-the-making manifesto."

The magnitude of Breivik's butchery was apparently sufficient evidence of his psychosis. No normal person, in Geller and Spencer's view, would ever do such a thing. But only if that person is not a Muslim. When Muslims engage in violence, they are represented by Islamophobes as ordinary believers acting in a way that aligns with tenets of their faith, not fringe lunatics whose delusional religious interpretations lead them to a monstrous end. Though Spencer and Geller denounced Breivik's violence, they never rejected his anti-Muslim ideas. And that is a problem.

Here again, Lean ignores the extremely inconvenient fact that when Muslims engage in violence, they repeatedly justify that violence by reference to mainstream Muslim understandings of Islamic texts and teachings, and peaceful Muslims have not mounted any large-scale movement to oppose them or interpret those texts and teachings in a different way. He pretends instead that it is we who have equated Islam with violence. A few thousand imams preaching from the Qur'an and Sunnah would beg to differ.

The Norwegian court's verdict, which means that Breivik will spend at least 21 years behind bars (and probably much more), underscores the need for society to address those who promote hatred and jabber about the evils of multiculturalism and the looming clash of civilizations. It proves that amplified racism, which carves society into fragments and pits them against one another, has real consequences and reaches the minds of rational thinkers who absorb such narratives and take them to their logical conclusions.

Trying to wish away intolerance and bigotry may be convenient but it is costly. During Breivik's trial, a right-wing extremist testified that he knew of nearly 100 other people who share the killer's views and supported his massacre....

The discourse of hate must be stopped before it affects other extremists quietly waiting for an opportunity to be lauded as heroes.

Here we come to the heart of Lean's argument: he wants "society" to take action against those who stand for freedom and human rights against jihad, Sharia and Islamic supremacism, for we "must be stopped." This is a veiled but clear call for restrictions on our freedom of speech -- as clear as his threats against me. Lean, like the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), wants speech critical of Islam to be criminalized. And the Los Angeles Times, to its everlasting discredit, publishes this.

That fact is the worst part of Lean's article: that he is given ready entree to mainstream media outlets to publish his hateful libels and calls for the restriction of our Constitutional rights, but we are not allowed any space for rebuttal of his false charges. When the Breivik libel first began appearing, Pamela Geller and I submitted a rebuttal op-ed to the chief places that had smeared us: the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the rest. None even had the courtesy to answer. But this enabler of Islamic supremacist oppression and hatred has easy access to the largest forums for influencing public opinion.

Nonetheless, because he stands for nothing but lies and hatred, Nathan Lean's cynical attempt to monetize the hysteria about "Islamophobia" is doomed to fail. If, however, he somehow does succeed in silencing those who are defending the freedom of speech and other basic human rights, his children and his children's children, having endured the devastation that his Islamic supremacist masters have wrought upon the West, will rise up and curse his name.

I'd rather fail in defending freedom than succeed with a legacy like that.

Remember, Lindh wasn't just "captured by U.S. troops in Afghanistan"; he was captured while engaging in hot warfare against American troops. He should have been tried for treason and executed. Having been saved by politically correct pusillanimity, now he wants special accommodation in prison so that he can practice Islam -- the same Islam that led him to go to Afghanistan and try to kill American troops there.

And the ACLU is helping him with this. Treason has now become "civil rights."

"American Taliban seeks group prayer in US prison," from the Associated Press, August 26 (thanks to Jacob):

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An American-born Taliban fighter imprisoned in Indiana will try to convince a federal judge that his religious freedom trumps security concerns in a closely watched trial that will examine how far prisons can go to ensure security in the age of terrorism.

John Walker Lindh was expected to testify Monday in Indianapolis during the first day of the trial over prayer policies in a tightly restricted prison unit where he and other high-risk inmates have severely limited contact with the outside world.

Lindh, 31, a Muslim convert who was charged with supporting terrorists after he was captured by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and later pleaded guilty to lesser charges, claims his religious rights are being violated because the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, deprives him of daily group prayer.

Muslims are required to pray five times a day, and the Hanbali school to which Lindh belongs requires group prayer if it is possible. But inmates in the Communications Management Unit are allowed to pray together only once a week except during Ramadan. At other times, they must pray in their individual cells. Lindh says that doesn't meet the Quran's requirements and is inappropriate because he is forced to kneel in close proximity to his toilet.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, which is representing Lindh, contends the policy violates a federal law barring the government from restricting religious activities without showing a compelling need....

Actually, oddly enough, it was Sunni Muslim "hardliners" who did the deed, as they consider Sufis heretical. And Jihad Watch reader Maxwell commented: "Why wasn't there a Rachel Corrie to stop the bulldozer?"

"Sufi shrines attacked 'by Islamist hardliners' in Libya," from Malta Today, August 26 (thanks to all who sent this in):

A Sufi Muslim shrine in the Libyan capital partly destroyed following a series of attacks blamed on ultra-conservative Salafi Islamists.

People in Tripoli saw bulldozers destroy part of the al-Shaab al-Dahmani mosque.

A shrine in the Libyan capital Tripoli venerating a Sufi Muslim saint has been partly destroyed - the latest in a series of attacks blamed on ultra-conservative Salafi Islamists.

Tripoli residents said men with bulldozers attacked the shrine of al-Shaab al-Dahmani, unimpeded by police.

The attack came a day after hardliners were accused of damaging the tomb of a Sufi scholar in the city of Zlitan.

Hardline Salafists regard the shrines as idolatrous.

On Friday, a group attacked the tomb of 15th-Century scholar Abdel Salam al-Asmar in Zlitan, about 160km south-east of Tripoli.

Video footage showed chunks of masonry littering the floor, bullet holes pockmarking the walls and ornate Islamic tiling destroyed.

People in Tripoli say they saw bulldozers destroy part of the al-Shaab al-Dahmani mosque and Sufi shrine.

The destruction in Zlitan follows two days of clashes between rival local tribes which left at least three people dead.

Libya's Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur tweeted: "The destruction of shrines and mosques is a crime. Those who commit these crimes will be held responsible."

In November last year, the bodies of two Muslim clerics were removed from the Sidi Nasr shrine and mosque in Tripoli and reburied according to the principles of the hardline Wahabi school of Islam.

There has recently been an international outcry over the destruction of centuries-old shrines in Timbuktu, Mali.

The Sufi sites were attacked by the al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine group which seized the city in April.....

“We are Muslims. We are going to implement Islamic law, and Islamic law punishes thieves this way.” I expect that the Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is jetting over to Timbuktu as we speak, so as to explain to Ansar Dine how they're getting Sharia all wrong, and that it's actually fully compatible with Western principles of human rights.

"Mali’s Ansar Dine Defends Punishments, Strict Sharia," from the Voice of America, August 23 (thanks to all who sent this in):

A spokesman for an al-Qaida-linked militant group in northern Mali says its members are “ready to die” in order to enforce what the group considers Islamic law.

In an interview with VOA , the spokesman for extremist group Ansar Dine defended actions such as amputating the hands of thieves, destroying historic sites and silencing all non-Islamic music.

Islamist militants helped seize northern Mali from government forces five months ago, and later took full control of the region.

Ansar Dine spokesman Sanda Ould Boumama said shortly after taking control militants began teaching people about “all things that are forbidden by their religion.” He said the population was initially “very reluctant” to accept the militants' point of view. But he said eventually they did and – in his words – “now we don't have any problem.”

United Nations officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have accused groups in northern Mali of extremist and criminal activities.

Boumama defended recent punishments by extremists, including public floggings and the amputation of a suspected thief's hand.

“We are Muslims. We are going to implement Islamic law, and Islamic law punishes thieves this way.”

In July, Ansar Dine executed a couple accused of adultery by stoning them to death.

Boumama also justified the destruction of the ancient tombs of Muslim saints in Timbuktu, saying it is forbidden to pray there.

This week militants ordered radio stations in the region to stop broadcasting all non-Islamic music, saying it is “forbidden” by Islam.

Witnesses say Ansar Dine and another group, MUJAO, are being supported by al-Qaida's northern Africa branch, known as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

The United Nations and western powers have expressed concern that northern Mali is becoming a safe haven for terrorists....

No kidding, really?

This appears to be an attempt at legal strongarming, a la Pakistan's blasphemy laws. But it is interesting to note that Christian missionary activity can get one arrested and fined in "secular" Uzbekistan. Islamic Tolerance Alert: "Christian family converted to Islam, beaten, tried in Tashkent," from Uznews.net, August 12 (thanks to Filip):

Orthodox Christian Natalya Pleshakova who is disabled from childhood and her mother have been severely beaten up and tried in Tashkent.

Pleshakova, 26, a disabled from childhood, will forever remember her day on 6 August.

At about 4 o'clock in the morning the gate of their house on Ok Yul Street in Tashkent was broken and six strong men with sticks and clubs stormed into their yard.

Natalya who is on the crutches walked towards them hardly managing to cover herself. When she asked "Who are you?" she received a first blow and she was dragged to the kitchen.

What did police look for?

What did six huge men who turned the house upside down need? One of them looked for house documents while others collected icons, bibles, religious calendars and prayer books.

All this happened under the very eyes of a beat officer who filmed everything on his mobile phone, trying to catch Natalya or her mother Valentina Semenovna avoid hits or answer curses and insults.

Natalya, in handcuffs, manages to sneak into her room to make calls to police and an orthodox church. When they saw her do that they seized her phone and beat her up again.

All this had lasted for four hours when a Damas minibus arrived with several officers with assault rifles in camouflage uniforms and balaclavas. Their leader said he was "Aziz from police". The women decided they were saved but not yet.

They were beaten up in front of neighbours who were called up as witnesses to represent a neighbourhood committee.

Charges of missionary activities

The events unfolded in office 303 at Tashkent's Mirabad district police department where Natalya and her mother were taken.

There Natalya was offered to convert to Islam for its allegedly being better than Christianity, since it allows a man to have four wives. The young woman refused.

She then was threatened and beaten. Frightened and exhausted, Natalya was then forced to write a tender saying that she had stored 125 religious books and items, and "Aziz from police" dictated her titles which she heard for the first time.

"Aziz from police" said that there was nothing wrong in writing that it all belonged to a dead grandmother, and the knackered women were set free at about two in the morning.

Natalya called ambulance and was taken to hospital where her injuries were documented.

Trial

The following day the women went to the district prosecutor's office which refused to accept their complaint. Soon afterwards "Aziz from police" and the beat officer drove them to a court trial and the women were handed over to two officers.

Judge B Ermatov spent only five minutes on "hearing the case", the women said, and ordered them to go home without even reading out his ruling. Only a week later did they receive the ruling.

The judge decided that the women had resisted police and had stored the banned religious literature at home and conducted missionary activities. He fined them 20 minimum monthly wages each....

What is behind this horror?

The women said that someone wanted to appropriate a plot of land on which their house stands.....

This appears to have originally aired earlier, as Raymond reported on it here at Jihad Watch on July 28. In any case, it directly contradicts the widely publicized recent study that claims that Islamic supremacists are not seeking world domination. "Egyptian Cleric Safwat Higazi: 'The Day Will Come When We Will Be the Masters of the World,'" from MEMRI, August 14 (thanks to Jacob):

Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi, which aired on Al-Kahera Wal-Nas TV on August 14, 2012.

Interviewer: In the era of the Muslim Brotherhood – or the era of the Islamic movements – will new fronts be opened against Israel – including an Egyptian front – in order to make Jerusalem the capital of the "United States of the Arabs"?

Safwat Higazi: Liberating Palestine and restoring the United States of the Arabs does not necessarily have to be done through weapons or war. We Muslims are not warmongers. We seek peace. We want to get what is rightfully ours.

Interviewer: How can you get "what is rightfully yours" from a country like Israel without war?

Safwat Higazi: I did not say that I would take what is mine through peaceful means. I said that this is my first choice. The first choice of the Muslims is peace. If not through peace, there is nothing preventing war. We welcome war.

Interviewer: How can a peace-seeking Muslim like you issue a fatwa stating that anyone who sees an Israeli on the street must kill him?

Safwat Higazi: If that Zionist is fighting me, occupying my country, and killing people who are my brothers in country, religion, and humanity – then it's an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and whoever started it is to blame.

Interviewer: What ever happened to peace-seeking?

Safwat Higazi: We extended our hand in peace, but it was rejected. What else is left to do?

Interviewer: When did you offer peace?

Safwat Higazi: Did Egypt not offer peace throughout all these years?

Interviewer: Are you for or against the Camp David Accords?

Safwat Higazi: I am against them.

Interviewer: Then you are against peace.

Safwat Higazi: Absolutely not. This equation is completely wrong.

Interviewer: Was it not the Camp David Accords that brought peace?

Safwat Higazi: This equation is wrong...

Interviewer: Please, just answer my question. Was it not the Camp David Accords that brought peace to Egypt?

Safwat Higazi: Absolutely not. It was the 1973 war that brought peace. If not for the Egyptian victory in that war, there would be no peace. How come there was no peace before the 1973 war?...

One of the tenets of the Muslim Brotherhood, which they cannot renounce, is the Islamic Caliphate and the ruling of the world. Yes. The day will come when we will be the masters of the world.

A doctor? But...but...I thought poverty caused terrorism! "NHS doctor led Syrian terror cell that took British journalist hostage," by Kerry Mcdermott for the Daily Mail, August 26 (thanks to David):

An NHS doctor on leave from a London hospital was part of a heavily-armed extremist gang who took a British journalist hostage in war-torn Syria.

The Kalashnikov-toting doctor - believed to be around 28 - told photographer John Cantlie he had taken a sabbatical from his medical work to come to Syria and fight a 'holy war'.

The bearded medic, who spoke with a south London accent and said he had a wife and a child back in the UK, told the captive photographer he intended to return to an NHS job in Britain after his time in Syria.

Mr Cantlie, 41, was captured along with Dutch colleague Jeroen Oerlemans while they were in the country to report on the civil war between President Assad's army and rebel fighters.

The mystery doctor, who kept his face covered with sunglasses and a scarf, was one of around a dozen British militants who held the two journalists prisoner at a camp inside the Syrian border last month.

'It was a bit of a surprise to find an NHS doctor as one of our captors - with an AK-47 and preaching Sharia law,' Mr Cantlie told the Sun newspaper.

But...but...Sharia is benign and completely compatible with Western principles of human rights!

Walter Scott, The Talisman, the Crusades, Richard I of England and Saladin: Myths, Legends and History
by Ibn Warraq
Part 40
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 / Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 / Part 25 / Part 26 / Part 27 / Part 28 / Part 29 / Part 30 / Part 31 / Part 32 / Part 33 / Part 34 / Part 35 / Part 36 / Part 37 / Part 38 / Part 39

OTHER EXAMPLES OF SALADIN’S VINDICTIVENESS, AND CRUELTY.

Saladin did not show much mercy to the Crusaders taken prisoner after the latter’s unsuccessful attack on the town of Hama in August 1178. As Ehrenkreutz says, “The prisoners of war were delivered to Saladin. If some of them expected magnanimity from the Muslim leader, they were in for tragic disappointment. Saladin still smarted from his last confrontation with the Crusaders; the prisoners furnished a convenient outlet for his vindictiveness. They were brought into his presence and summarily executed, one after another, by members of his retinue. The preacher Diya al-Din al-Tabari began the bloodbath by personally decapitating a few of the defenceless captives. Another divine, Sulayman al-Maghribi, followed his example, then emir Aytghan ibn Yaruq and others did so. Only chancellor [and historian] Imad al-Din al-Isfahani refused to join in the butchery”. This account is based Ibn Al-Athir [1], Ibn Wasil [2], and ‘Imad al-Din al-Isfahani [3].

Lane-Poole and Gibb, on the whole, chose to ignore Saladin’s early years, which were spent in fighting fellow Muslims. They concentrated on Saladin’s struggles against the Crusaders. But the reality is that from the beginning of his independent reign in 1174 to his death in 1193, Saladin spent twelve years fighting Muslims (mainly the family and partisans of the Zangids), and only five years in pursuing Jihad, the Holy War against the Latin Kingdom and the Third Crusade. [4]

Saladin seems at times to have little control over the excesses of his troops, and at other times seems to allow that they had every right to booty and plunder. Here is how Ehrenkreutz characterises the comportment of Saladin’s troops after the surrender of Sinjar in December, 1182: “the defenders must have given the Ayyubid army a lot of trouble, because once they entered the city, the population had to endure the wild excesses of Saladin’s enraged soldiers, who broke all discipline in greed of plunder. That Sinjar was captured during Ramadan demonstrated the lack of concern Saladin and his followers had about restrictive religious injunctions”. [178]

BURNING OF CHURCHES.

There are indeed other examples of Saladin’s willingness to fight, kill, or burn churches during Ramadan. Let us look at the town of Lydda. Here is how the Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, describes the town of Lydda [under; “Ludd”] and its magnificent cathedral: “the Byzantine church [of Lydda] is described by all the early Christian travellers. On the eve of the invasion of the Crusaders in 1099, the Muslims destroyed it again. The Crusaders found Ludd [Lydda] and Ramla deserted, and thus were easily able to establish a corridor from Jaffa to Jersualem, whence they could mount their attack on the Holy City as well as widen their hold on central and southern Palestine. In Ludd [Lydda] they built in 1150 a new cathedral with much splendour and magnificence, over the remains of the previous Byzantine church and the Saint’s tomb.” In September 1191, Wednesday 3 Ramadan, Saladin, as Bahā’ al-Dīn tells us, “viewed the town and viewed its church and the great size of its construction, then ordered its demolition and also the demolition of the castle at Ramla”. [5] If that were not sacrilege enough, two days later, i.e., Friday 5 Ramadan, Saladin had some local Christians executed because they were found to be carrying letters to the “enemy” on them.

Saladin also ordered the destruction of another beautiful church, that of the Church of the Virgin in the town of Tartus, or Tortosa (also known as Antartus), which he captured in July 1188. Here is Bahā’ al-Dīn Ibn Shaddād’s description: “[Saladin] pressed on with the demolition of the city wall until it was all done, and then he demolished the church, an important one in their [Crusaders’] eyes and the object of of pilgrimage from all over their lands. He ordered the city to be torched and everything was burnt. Fire roared through the palaces and houses, while our voices were raised in cries of “There is no god but God” and “God is Great”. He stayed there, carrying out this destruction until 11 July, then he left for Jabala.” [6] The Church was either rebuilt later in the same year 1188, or just possibly survived the holocaust. [7]

FURTHER EXECUTIONS: HUMAN SACRIFICE.

After their successful naval attack on the Crusaders’ flotilla off Aidhab, on the west coast of the Red Sea in 1183, Muslims killed most of the Crusaders on the spot, while one hundred and seventy others were captured and taken to the capital where Saladin specifically instructed that they be paraded in the major Egyptian cities and then decapitated. Ibn al-Athir [8] adds the horrific detail that some of the prisoners were sent to Mina, a place five kilometers to the east of Mecca. It plays an important part in the rituals associated with the pilgrimage to Mecca. The Christian prisoners were to be sacrificed- ritually slaughtered by having their throats cut -- in place of goats or sheep.

[1] Ibid., p.260.
[2] Ibn Wāṣil. Mufarrij al-Kurūb, Cairo, 1953-60, 2:71.
[3] ‘Imad al-Din al-Isfahani. Al-Barq al-Shami, vol.iii. ed. Mustafa al-Hiyari, Amman, 1986, pp.130-131.
[4] P.M.Holt. Saladin and His Admirers: A Biographical Reassessment, in BSOAS, Vol.46, No.2 (1983),pp.235-239.
[5] Bahā’ al-Dīn Ibn Shaddād, op.cit, p.181.
[6] Ibid.,p.83.
[7] Van Berchem, Journal Asiatique, 1902, pp424-425.
[8] Ibn al-Athir, op.,cit., p.290.

Ibn Warraq is the author of numerous books, including Why the West Is Best and Why I Am Not A Muslim.

Besides everything that he obviously was, Neil Armstrong was a symbol of the high technological attainment of Western civilization, as well as of Islamic supremacist resentment and wish-fulfillment. I used to frequent an Afghan restaurant in the Washington, DC area that was run by observant Muslims; the wall decorations included Qur'an verses and a wonderful example of Islamic supremacist fantasy: a poster of an astronaut stepping out onto the lunar surface only to find a group of smiling Muslims already there. The caption was, "Houston, we have a problem." In any case, the food was terrific, despite the agitprop.

Neil Armstrong was also the target of more Islamic supremacist fantasy: there was (and is) a persistent claim on Islamic apologetic websites that he had actually heard the adhan, the Muslim call to prayer, while on the moon, and had converted to Islam -- a claim that this intensely private man was forced repeatedly to deny (details here).

Neil Armstrong did not hear the Muslim call to prayer while on the moon, and he never became a Muslim. He was, rather, a product of the West's rational and scientific traditions -- two disciplines that never flowered in an Islamic context because of the fundamental difference between Islamic cosmology centered around a God of pure will and the Judeo-Christian concept of God who is good and operates the universe according to consistent and observable laws.

His crowning achievement has already receded from the horizon of common attainment, and more regression is to come, as the West surrenders to savagery and barbarism instead of standing up for itself. May his memory be eternal.

(Oh, and speaking of mainstream media accuracy, NBC News reported on the death of "astronaut Neil Young." Yes, Neil Young sang that he felt like getting high, but not as high as the moon...)

Walsh bends over backwards to make the usual assurances that not all Muslims want to kill Americans, but the fact that this is a controversy at all shows the extent to which Islamic supremacist propaganda has made inroads in the public discourse. Would Moon Khan and his allies really have us believe that there are no Muslims in the U.S. who want to kill Americans?

Here we go again. What about Naser Abdo, the would-be second Fort Hood jihad mass murderer; and Khalid Aldawsari, the would-be jihad mass murderer in Lubbock, Texas; and Muhammad Hussain, the would-be jihad bomber in Baltimore; and Mohamed Mohamud, the would-be jihad bomber in Portland; and Faisal Shahzad, the would-be Times Square jihad mass-murderer; and Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, the Arkansas military recruiting station jihad murderer; and Naveed Haq, the jihad mass murderer at the Jewish Community Center in Seattle; and Mohammed Reza Taheri-Azar, the would-be jihad mass murderer in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh, who hatched a jihad plot to blow up a Manhattan synagogue; and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the would-be Christmas airplane jihad bomber; and many others like them who have plotted and/or committed mass murder in the name of Islam and are motivated by its texts and teachings — all in the U.S. in the last couple of years?

Walsh should not apologize for this. He should educate himself and begin to speak even more forthrightly and clearly about the jihad threat.

"Walsh won’t apologize for saying ‘radical Islamists’ in U.S. want to kill Americans," by Bill Bird for the Chicago Sun-Times, August 24 (thanks to Mackie):

U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh remains steadfast in his conviction that “radical Islam” threatens the American way of life — a view the controversial congressman again expressed to an unhappy group of Muslim constituents Friday night.

Moon Khan, a Republican Party precinct committeeman in DuPage County and member of the York Township board of trustees, was one of about 80 people who attended an “intense” meeting with Walsh Friday night in the back yard of Khan’s home in Lombard.

“It was a very, very intense meeting, and he did not change his mind,” Khan later said of Walsh.

The meeting was called after Walsh alleged there is “a radical stream of Islam” in the U.S. that threatens the lives of Americans — including residents of Addison, Elgin and Elk Grove — at a townhall meeting in Elk Grove.

At the meeting Friday night, Khan said members of the local Muslim community “are young, American-born-and-raised individuals who share the American dream of a life of liberty, peace and the pursuit of happiness. They are your teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, policemen and hard-working Americans that [are] productive members of society ...”

“Your recent speeches have created catalogues of issues for the Muslim community,” Khan told Walsh, according to a transcript of his remarks.

“We want to ask the congressman why he is the only person who sees the ghost of radical Muslims everywhere. Why did not his colleague, Congressman Peter Roskam ... raise such alarm? We did not hear such warnings from U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, not to mention the Democratic members of Congress. You are running the idea up the flag, and nobody is saluting it.”

“We would also like to know if you found any radical Muslim in this gathering. If yes, please tell us, how did you detect that? Do you have a device like a metal detector that you rotate around and find Muslim radicals?”

Khan said he and others “are here to pick up the stones that have been thrown at us by the congressman, and turn them into the milestones of tolerance.”

Khan later said it appeared Walsh during the meeting “was kind of trying to defend himself about what he has been saying in the media. He was trying to clarify that he is just talking about a tiny, tiny percentage” of people with the “radical Muslim” agenda, Khan said.

“But [Walsh] said that he did not want to apologize ... and just defended himself,” Khan said. “He said he did not want to hurt people and he does not hate the Muslim community, and he was just raising the question.”

Walsh spokeswoman Erin Rapp said Friday night she was sorry Khan felt the way he did.

“The congressman is glad he brought everyone together, but he has nothing to apologize for,” Rapp said. “He implores all Muslim Americans to condemn radical Islam.”

Walsh also issued a prepared statement, in which he said he “thought it was important for me to reach out and meet with concerned Muslim Americans in my district to discuss the threat that the radical strain of Islam poses to all of us ...”

“While this issue brings heated emotions from both sides, I was happy to hear their thoughts and concerns,” Walsh said. “It affirmed my belief that the vast — vast — majority of American Muslims are peace-loving, patriotic citizens.

“However, there is still a radical strain of Islam within our country, Attorney General Eric Holder has said it, [Homeland Security Director] Janet Napolitano has said it, and I will not back down, and will continue to say that it is a major threat to our safety and security.

“Thus, after tonight’s meeting, I stand by my original statement that while the overwhelming majority of Muslim Americans are as peace-loving as everyone else, there are radical Islamists right here in the United States trying to kill Americans and destroy this country.”

The question comes on Twitter from a Muslim who obviously hopes that I am not under "24 hour hour protection." Apparently this fellow is enraged that I don't believe that Islam is a Religion of Peace, and anxious to show me just how enraged he is.

In "1001 Pieces of Islamist Propaganda: Fabricated Exhibit Comes to D.C.," in PJ Media today, Pamela Geller examines the disingenuous and misleading 1001 Muslim Inventions exhibit, which I discussed at length in my 2007 book Religion of Peace? -- that it is still going strong five years later is testimony to its popularity.

...The exhibit is almost unfailingly dishonest. As Adams explains, even if everything it says about Muslim inventions were true, it does not and cannot explain why Muslims never followed up on these inventions. If Firnas was really the first to fly, why did it fall to the Wright Brothers 1000 years later to follow up on what he supposedly discovered about how to do it? Why weren’t Muslims flying around in airplanes centuries before the Wright Brothers were born?

If, as Adams also recounts, Muslims really invented the camera as the exhibit claims, why don’t we have snapshots of Saladin and Suleiman the Magnificent? Why did we have to wait for Daguerre and Niepce?

1001 Muslim Inventions raises more questions about the decline of Muslim civilization than it answers, yet projects like 1001 Muslim Inventions have support at very high levels. Remember in June 2010 when Charlie Bolden, the NASA chief appointed by President Obama, revealed that Obama had asked him to “find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with predominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering”?

The truth: what contributions?

Islamic scholar Robert Spencer points out that much of what are considered Muslim inventions today, including many that 1001 Muslim Inventions celebrates, have been wildly exaggerated if not outright fabricated, “often for quite transparent apologetic motives.” You’ve heard Muslims invented the zero, right? Actually, as Spencer writes:

The zero, which is often attributed to Muslims, and what we know today as “Arabic numerals” did not originate in Arabia, but in pre-Islamic India.

They preserved Greek philosophy when Christian Europe had thrown it away, correct? No. Spencer:

Aristotle’s work was preserved in Arabic not initially by Muslims at all, but by Christians such as the fifth century priest Probus of Antioch, who introduced Aristotle to the Arabic-speaking world. Another Christian, Huneyn ibn-Ishaq (809-873), translated many works by Aristotle, Galen, Plato and Hippocrates into Syriac. His son then translated them into Arabic. The Syrian Christian Yahya ibn ‘Adi (893-974) also translated works of philosophy into Arabic, and wrote one of his own, The Reformation of Morals. His student, another Christian named Abu ‘Ali ‘Isa ibn Zur’a (943-1008), also translated Aristotle and others from Syriac into Arabic.

Aristotle’s philosophies would be prohibited under Islam; Muhammad most likely would have beheaded him. He stands for everything Islam is against. Ayn Rand wrote this of Aristotle: “Aristotle’s universe is the universe of science. The physical world, in his view, is not a shadowy projection controlled by a divine dimension, but an autonomous, self-sufficient realm. It is an orderly, intelligible, natural realm, open to the mind of man.” These very ideas are anathema to Islam; they are blasphemy.

But what about medicine? The Muslims were great innovators in the medical sciences, weren’t they? Here again, Spencer points out that it was non-Muslims in the Islamic world who were doing the heavy lifting:

The first Arabic-language medical treatise was written by a Christian priest and translated into Arabic by a Jewish doctor in 683. The first hospital was founded in Baghdad during the Abbasid caliphate — not by a Muslim, but a Nestorian Christian. A pioneering medical school was founded at Gundeshapur in Persia — by Assyrian Christians.

The bottom line: the inventions and discoveries attributed to the Muslim world were actually stolen from conquered peoples. The 1001 Muslim Inventions exhibit is not history, it is propaganda, and the foolish infidels keep lining up enthusiastically for more.

Damian Thompson is well established as a dhimmi journalist who cowers before Islamic supremacists and dutifully recites their talking points, so this comes as no surprise. And there is a grain of truth to what he says here: the relatively secular Arab Nationalist regimes of Saddam Hussein and Hosni Mubarak were indeed better for the Christians in Iraq and Egypt than the coming Sharia regimes in both countries will be.

But note the thrust of Thompson's argument: he dismisses the idea that "there is a co-ordinated Islamic plot to exterminate Christianity as a stepping stone to a universal caliphate" as an attempt to let "the 'Christian' West off the hook." The fault, you see, lies with the West, presumably for abandoning these strongmen who protected the Christians. And so he writes: "The removal of Saddam has eviscerated Iraqi Christian churches so ancient that they still worship in Aramaic, the language of Jesus. The fall of Mubarak means that it’s open season on Copts."

Yes, but why did the removal of Saddam eviscerate Iraqi Christian churches? And why did the fall of Mubarak mean that it is open season on Copts? Let's hear it from the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch, Gregory III, who is by no stretch of the imagination a counter-jihad "conspiracy theorist": "After 11 September, there is a plot to eliminate all the Christian minorities from the Arabic world." And that plot is not coming from Western governments, or "right-wing extremists," or anyone other than Islamic supremacists. But Thompson, like so many dhimmi multiculturalists, engages in the same paternalistic patronizing of Muslims that characterizes so much of today's discourse about them: they are never responsible for their actions, but are only passive reactors to the actions of the big bad West, which carries all the responsibility. It's funny how ethnocentric these people who profess to believe in the equality of all cultures really are.

"Radical Islam revives an ancient hatred," by Damian Thompson in the Telegraph, August 24 (thanks to Block Ness):

...This new persecution is the result of the simultaneous revival of militant Islam in many countries. We can say that with confidence. What we can’t say, however, is that there is a co-ordinated Islamic plot to exterminate Christianity as a stepping stone to a universal caliphate.

Conspiracy theorists may derive emotional satisfaction from this idea, but it doesn’t correspond to the messy politics of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Also, it lets the “Christian” West off the hook.

We have to confront the awkward fact that, for decades, some of the world’s most despicable dictators have protected indigenous Christians from Islamic mobs. When the West withdraws its support from these rulers, Christian minorities are exposed as never before.

The removal of Saddam has eviscerated Iraqi Christian churches so ancient that they still worship in Aramaic, the language of Jesus. The fall of Mubarak means that it’s open season on Copts. Those who can afford to do so may follow the example of Palestinian and Lebanese Christians and emigrate. A key statistic: 100 years ago, the Levant was 20 per cent Christian; now the figure is 5 per cent.

The British government, despite prodding by the heroic Lord Alton, is doing a good imitation of not giving a stuff about any of this. Maybe it’s guilt: Anglo-American policies helped liberate Islamism....

"Islamism" was there already, and the "Islamists" bear responsibility for their persecution of Christians. No one else does, not even the dhimmis and Useful Idiots among Western leaders who withdrew their support for the protectors of the Christians in favor of a chimerical "Arab Spring" that has now thoroughly revealed itself to be what I said it was all along, an Islamic supremacist Sharia takeover.

Close down the TSA! In the atmosphere of politically correct authoritarianism in which we live, the TSA cannot focus on the actual source of the threat to air security, and so has opted for intrusive questioning and the unwarranted detaining of free citizens. This is madness.

"Steve Gunn: Just say no when the TSA asks you to 'chat,'" by Steve Gunn for The Muskegon Chronicle, August 22 (thanks to Benedict):

I came face-to-face with Big Brother the other day, and it was a frightening experience.

He actually presented himself in the deceptive form of a young, attractive female officer, working for the Transportation Security Administration at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

At first she simply seemed chatty and friendly. She looked at my airline boarding pass and noted that I was coming from Denver. Then she mentioned that I was headed from Detroit to Grand Rapids.

"That's a pretty short flight," she said.

"Talk to my travel agent," I grumbled.

At that point she asked me what my business would be in Grand Rapids.

"I'm headed home," I replied.

Then she wanted to know where home was. That's when the mental alarms went off and I realized I was being interrogated by Big Brother in drag.

I asked her why the federal government needed to know where I was going and what I would be doing. She explained that the questions were part of a new security "pilot program."

I then told her I am an American citizen, traveling within my own country, and I wasn't breaking any laws. That's all the federal government needed to know, and I wasn't going to share any more.

Not because I had anything to hide. It was because we live in a free country where innocent people are supposedly protected from unwarranted government intrusion and harassment.

At that point the agent yelled out, "We have another refusal." One of my bags was seized and I was momentarily detained and given a hand-swab, which I believe was to test for residue from bomb-making materials.

I passed the bomb test and was told I could move on, but I hung around a moment and told everyone within listening range what I thought about this terrifying experience.

So, this is what we've come to. The federal government now has a need to know where citizens are going and what they are doing before they are allowed to peacefully pass. I'm starting to wonder what separates us from Russia or Cuba.

Of course, I went home, got on the computer and learned more about this "pilot program." I discovered that it's been going on for a few years now at selected airports around the nation.

TSA officers, being the brilliant people they are, are given the responsibility of picking out airline passengers "whose facial expressions, body language or other behavior indicate a security risk." They are then subjected to a "chat down," where officers interrogate you and decide if you are indeed a terrorist.

Hmmm. So what did I do to make them label me a security risk?

Well, it was 9:30 in the morning, and I was just coming from a three-day music festival in the Colorado mountains, so I probably looked pretty groggy as I stood in the half-hour line to reach the TSA security checkpoint.

Perhaps it was my odd facial expressions. For the past few weeks I've been suffering from a condition called "Bell's palsy," which includes temporary paralysis of all the muscles on one side of my face. I can't smile, and the condition makes me look even grumpier than usual.

I suppose the government figures that grumpy looking people with droopy faces are potential terrorists. God help any stroke victims who try to travel. If they suffer from paralysis beyond their face they may be detained and questioned for weeks.

This program is a bizarre and outlandish violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which is supposed to protect us from "unreasonable search and seizure" by agents of the government, unless they have probable cause. I doubt any judge would have considered my droopy face as sufficient cause for harassment.

I lived through 9/11 and I understand the need for tight security at airports. I put up with the ritual of taking off my shoes and belt and standing in a machine that shows TSA agents physical details that are really none of their business.

The idea is to keep dangerous materials that could be used in a terrorist attack off commercial airliners. Fair enough. But stopping people because they look sort of funny to security agents, and probing into their personal business, is going too far.

What's next? Check lanes on city streets, where jackbooted thugs from Washington, D.C., will stop everyone every morning to ask them where they're going and what they're up to? And if our answers are not what the government wants to hear, perhaps we'll be sent home and put under surveillance, to make sure we're not involved in anything that Big Brother doesn't approve of....

And worst of all, Big Brother doesn't approve of those who are interested in defending our Constitutional freedoms against Islamization.

Greenwich Post tag on this photo: "Offensive sign" -- the truth offends them

Truth is not bigotry. There really have been over 19,000 jihad attacks since 9/11, all perpetrated by people who believed that in murdering people they were serving Allah and Islam. But the denial and obfuscation continue.

"Train ads cause furor, charges of anti-Islam bigotry," by Ken Borsuk in the Greenwich Post, August 23:

A new advertising campaign that has been called bigoted and anti-Islamic is up at all town train stations. Residents and local officials have condemned the ads, but the group behind them says they will not be removed.

Do any residents and local officials support the ads? Ken Borsuk doesn't bother to tell us -- and probably after this smear campaign, any who do will be reluctant to speak up anyway.

New billboard ads that have been posted at Metro-North stations along the New Haven line, including in Greenwich stations, are raising eyebrows from residents and condemnation from local officials.

The ads, which are being paid for by a group called the American Freedom Defense Initiative, which was created by right-wing blogs and think tanks, have been criticized as racist and anti-Islamic because of their claims that 19,250 “terrorist attacks” have been carried out by Muslims since Sept. 11, 2001. The ads post that number while saying “It’s not Islamophobia, it’s Islamorealism” and they have brought about quick condemnation from local residents and officials.

What race is Islam again? What race is Islamic jihad terror? And note that unless you accept the politically correct fiction that jihad terror has nothing to do with Islam, in the teeth of the innumerable statements by jihadists themselves justifying their actions with reference to Islamic texts and teachings, you're anti-Islamic. So we arrive at the Orwellian point at which the truth about Islam is anti-Islamic.

As of Monday, the ads were up at both the Cos Cob and Riverside stations. At the downtown Greenwich station, which is the most heavily used of the town’s stations, the ad had been up but had been ripped down by someone, leaving only a tatter of the ad remaining. At the Old Greenwich station, the ad is not displayed but there is a blank spot where no ad is currently displayed, leaving open the possibility that it was vandalized there too.

No condemnation of this thuggery, no defense of free speech here.

Town resident Sarah Littman said she saw the ad at the Cos Cob Station last week and quickly filed a letter of complaint with both the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council and wrote to all three selectmen as well as the District 8 members of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) as well as her State Rep. Fred Camillo (R-151).

“I was shocked and incredibly offended when I saw the ad,” Ms. Littman told the Post, adding that she has received a lot of support from those she has written to. “One of the reasons I love living in Cos Cob is that it has such a small town, bucolic feel to it with a strong sense of community. To have this kind of dreadful hate speech blasting you in the face as soon as you drive into the parking lot was shocking to me.”

The ads are being paid for by blogger Pamela Geller, who lists her own blog atlasshrugs.com on the signs along with two other web addresses jihadwatch.org and sioa.us. Ms. Geller has come under heavy criticism for past statements made on her blog attacking Islam, President Barack Obama and Democrats in general, but in an interview with the Post this week she said she is only trying to make people aware “of the nature and magnitude of the jihad threat” and claims the number of attacks cited in the ad is a “fact” taken from the website thereligionofpeace.com, which has also been accused of inflating its numbers and making racist and unfair criticisms of Islam.

Has been accused by whom, and with what agenda? And with what evidence of inflated numbers? And what race is Islam again? TROP defends the accuracy of its tally here.

Ms. Geller has brought this campaign nationally, recently taking out ads in San Francisco, Calif. with even stronger language, saying supporting Israel and “defeating jihad” is supporting the “civilized man” over the “savage.” Those ads have not been displayed in the area. Last month, a New York judge upheld her ability to run the ads under First Amendment grounds of freedom of speech when the MTA tried to block them.

“It is not creating paranoia or calling for discrimination to declare opposition to an ideology that denies the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and the equality of rights of all people before the law,” Ms. Geller said.

She later added, “The core texts and teachings of Islam teach warfare against and subjugation of non-Muslims. Those who commit violence in the name of Islam can and do point to those teachings to justify their actions, and armed group of Muslims are committing violence in the name of Islam on a virtually daily basis around the world. There are, by contrast, no armed groups committing violence in the name of Judaism and Christianity and justifying them by reference to the Torah or the New Testament, and those religions do not teach the necessity to wage war against and subjugate unbelievers.”

Statements like that from Ms. Geller have earned her sharp criticism in the past as have her associations with far-right European anti-Islamic organizations that have been classified as hate groups internationally. The Southern Poverty Law Center has her listed as one of “30 new activists heading up the radical right.”

It is no surprise that Ken Borsuk doesn’t bother to tell his luckless readers that the SPLC is a Leftist organization devoted to demonizing conservative individuals and groups by branding them as “hate groups” and lumping them in with the likes of the Ku Klux Klan.

Nor does Borsuk make any effort to show what exactly is false, much less offensive, in Geller's statements about Islam, Judaism and Christianity. He takes it for granted that what she says is false and offensive because it violates Leftist pieties. However, I challenge anyone to show that any sect of Judaism or Christianity has any doctrine comparable to the Islamic imperative to wage war against and subjugate unbelievers, which is taught by all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, or to prove that Islam doesn't have such a doctrine.

Ms. Littman said that what the sign represents and the statements of the people behind the ads are destructive and bigoted.

“As a Jew I find it particularly outrageous,” Ms. Littman said. “If more people in Germany had stood up when there was anti-Jewish rhetoric and not just been bystanders, then perhaps my relatives might have survived. I feel very strongly whenever you see this kind of bigoted and hate-filled rhetoric. It’s very important for me as a human being and particularly as a Jew to stand up against it.”

Borsuk lets this smear pass by unremarked. The late Christopher Hitchens ably took apart the central claim being made here when writing about the Islamic supremacist mega-mosque at Ground Zero: "'Some of what people are saying in this mosque controversy is very similar to what German media was saying about Jews in the 1920s and 1930s,' Imam Abdullah Antepli, Muslim chaplain at Duke University, told the New York Times. Yes, we all recall the Jewish suicide bombers of that period, as we recall the Jewish yells for holy war, the Jewish demands for the veiling of women and the stoning of homosexuals, and the Jewish burning of newspapers that published cartoons they did not like."

The aim of Borsuk and Littman here (and the aim of all the others who have repeated this) is to intimidate people into thinking that criticism of Islamic supremacism leads to the gas chambers, and thus there must be no criticism of Islamic supremacism. The unstated assumption is that if one group was unjustly accused of plotting subversion and violence, and was viciously persecuted and massacred on the basis of those false accusations, then any group accused of plotting subversion and violence must be innocent, and any such accusation must be in service of preparing for their internment and massacre.

The key difference is not only that Muslim leaders worldwide have made their intention to conquer and subjugate non-Muslims very clear, in a way that Jews never did in the run-up to the Holocaust; it is also that anti-jihadists nowhere advocate a "final solution" for Muslims, and never will -- we are merely calling upon them to drop the authoritarian and repressive aspects of Sharia and obey the laws of the Western societies in which they live. This is a movement in defense of freedom and equality of rights before the law.

Ms. Littman is not the only person who has complained and the issue is not isolated to Greenwich either. The ads are up at several Metro North stations in Connecticut, Westchester and New York City and have been denounced as bigoted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading Islamic civil rights and education group.

Borsuk doesn't tell you, of course, that Hamas-linked CAIR is not just a "leading Islamic civil rights and education group." CAIR is also an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case — so named by the Justice Department. Nor does he mention that CAIR operatives have repeatedly refused to denounce Hamas and Hizballah as terrorist groups. He says nothing about how several former CAIR officials have been convicted of various crimes related to jihad terror. Nor does he mention that CAIR’s cofounder and longtime Board chairman (Omar Ahmad), as well as its chief spokesman (Ibrahim Hooper), have made Islamic supremacist statements, or that its California chapter distributed posters telling Muslims not to talk to the FBI.

Ms. Geller told the Post that she bought the ads in response to ads she, and others, considered anti-Israel that were purchased for 100 stations by a pro-Palestinian advocacy group. She said her ad buy is for 50 stations throughout Connecticut, Westchester and New York City locations and wondered why there hadn’t been a similar sense of outrage over the anti-Israel ads. She said she is not condemning all of Islam or all Muslims, only those who support what she says is a jihad against Western civilization.

Note all the qualifiers: "she, and others, considered"; "she said"; "she says" -- the jihad against the West is not real, you see: Geller made it up.

In a press statement, MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said that the message of the ads was not endorsed by the agency and that it was “reviewing” its policy for taking ads. Mr. Ortiz said that all ads, including these ones, are reviewed by the MTA and its ad vendor CBS Outdoor “for consistency with our advertising standards.”

“The MTA sells advertising space to raise revenue to support mass transit operations,” the statement said. “The MTA’s existing policy for ads carried on subways, buses and trains permits both commercial and non-commercial paid advertisements. The MTA does not decide whether to allow a proposed advertisement based upon its viewpoint and the MTA does not endorse the viewpoint in this or any other paid advertisement. The MTA is currently reviewing its policy of accepting non-commercial viewpoint advertisements.”

While the town does not have any kind of authority over the ads displayed at the train stations, there have been instances where protests in Greenwich have caused billboards to be removed. In 2000, residents cried foul over a sexually provocative advertisement on the Post Road for the short-lived Fox television series The Street and it was taken down.

Selectman Drew Marzullo said that he was offended by the signs as well and that while he understood that there is protected freedom of speech to protest, such as when the extreme Westboro Baptist Church protests soldier funerals with “sick” and “evil” anti-gay messages, there is a question of whether that applies here since the MTA, like with any advertisement, is making a business decision in accepting money to display the signs.

“All this sign will do is create conflict, elicit hateful feelings and do nothing to bring good people on all sides together,” Mr. Marzullo said. “Speech has real consequences and affects real people. Who wants to be taking the train as a commuter or just enjoying a trip somewhere and be subjected to someone else’s agenda? The goal should be for people of different faiths to live in peace and this is surely not the way to go about it.”

Marzullo did not say anything like this when the anti-Israel ads ran.

Selectman David Theis said he hadn’t had a chance to see the ad himself since he was out of town when the Post reached him for comment on Monday, but that he would take a look at it when he returned this week.

“I am against discrimination and extremism in any form,” Mr. Theis added.

The ad doesn't call for discrimination. And the truth is not "extremism."

First Selectman Peter Tesei said he had been alerted to the presence of the ads early last week and went to see them himself after getting complaints from residents. He said he understands the importance of free speech but there “has to be common sense” and “messages of hate should not be permissible.” He added this was a case, though, where the selectmen can do nothing more than speak out against it since the ads are on MTA property.

Why is it "hate" to state a fact: that there have been over 19,000 jihad attacks, justified by the attackers on Islamic grounds? This question is key -- it is taken for granted again and again in the mainstream media that the ads are "hateful," but either left unexplained as to why or explained in ways that are palpably inaccurate, such as the claims that the ads say that all Muslims are terrorists, or savages.

“This town embraces free speech and diversity both,” Mr. Tesei said. “It’s not a case where you have to choose one or the other. But this kind of message is, I don’t think, something that has a place in our community.”

So are you for free speech or not?

Mr. Camillo told the Post he supports vigilance to protect Americans but that doesn’t extend to “casting a suspicious eye on everyone that is Muslim” adding that is “against everything we stand for as Americans.”

How exactly does this ad cast "a suspicious eye on everyone that is Muslim"? Unexplained. In a sane world, people would be noting the high number of jihad attacks and calling upon the Muslim community to reform and act decisively against the teachings that led to them, and requiring real action from them, not just words. But in our world, the messenger is killed instead.

This has attracted the attention of U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-4), himself a Cos Cob resident, who criticized the ads in a statement to the Post.

“I am greatly disturbed to see the anti-Islamic signs at Metro North stations,” Mr. Himes said. “Condemning an entire religion for the actions of its worst extremists is ignorant and wrong. I cherish our free speech, but hate speech has no place in the public discourse.”

How exactly does the ad constitute "hate speech"? It is a fact that jihadists justify their actions on Islamic grounds. Instead of pontificating about "condemning an entire religion," Himes would do well to call upon the adherents of that religion among his constituency to show what they're doing to stop jihad attacks. But that, of course, would be "Islamophobic."

Local religious leaders have also condemned the ads. Rabbi Mitchell Hurvitz of Temple Shalom in Greenwich told the Post that he did not support the ad’s message.

“Any language of hostility or hatred is inflammatory and not productive,” Rabbi Hurvitz said. “Fundamentalism in any form is dangerous no matter if its Jewish, Christian or Islamic. The messages of hate should be rejected in any form and instead we should embrace the teachings of love.”

I'm all for that. But until Jewish and Christian fundamentalists commit 19,000 terror attacks and justify them by their sacred books, I cannot take his moral equivalence seriously.

CAIR’s National Communications Director Ibrahaim Hooper told the Post that CAIR “stands by the First Amendment’s right to free speech” and noted the organization’s past support of controversial talk show host Michael Savage when Great Britain tried to bar him from entering the country due to past comments he made that were anti-Islamic. Mr. Hooper said they believe even hateful speech should be heard and, instead, combated with speech about tolerance so there was no official call for the ads to be taken down, but he did strongly criticize Ms. Geller.

“She cannot open her mouth without saying something bigoted and hateful toward Islam and toward American Muslims,” Mr. Hooper said.

Mr. Hooper added that Ms. Geller’s comments and association with European hate groups had caused her group, Stop The Islamization of America, to be declared a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and for the Anti Defamation League, one of the world’s leading groups against anti-Semitism, to condemn it.

Ms. Geller responded harshly to the Post, calling CAIR a “ Hamas-linked Muslim Brotherhood front group that engages in smears and defamation against anyone who opposes the jihad and Islamic supremacism”, a charge the organization strongly denies, and saying the Southern Poverty Law Center is “the real hate group.”

Here again, Borsuk pretends that Geller originated the charges against CAIR, when its Hamas link has actually been certified by the Justice Department.

“They are intent on demonizing and destroying legitimate conservative voices by lumping them in with the likes of the KKK,” Ms. Geller said, adding the Anti Defamation League “... should stop attacking Jews and redirect their barbs at the enemies of Israel and the Jewish people.”

Ms. Geller also responded by saying Rabbi Hurvitz “should be more thoughtful and less silly” and claimed that “ It is no more hostile or hateful to oppose jihad terror and Islamic supremacism than it was to oppose Nazism or Communism.”

Ms. Geller said the vandalized signs in town would be replaced and that her contract to run them lasts a month.

A month of politically correct hypocrisy and hysteria.

UPDATE: On Borsuk's Twitter page he says this about himself: "Not the Helen Thomas of the Greenwich press corps, but darn close." Ah. That explains it.

It is good, and rather surprising in today's climate, to see the San Francisco Examiner come out for Pamela Geller's free speech rights and say that her pro-Israel ads should be allowed to run. However, the Examiner predictably enough retails Islamic supremacist talking points in branding the ad "offensive," "bigoted," "hateful" and even "repulsive."

The Examiner doesn't bother to explain why it thinks the ad is all those terrible things, but objections to the ad have revolved around two related claims: that it calls everyone who sides with the "Palestinians" against Israel, or every Muslim or every Arab, a "savage," and that the people who are opposed to Israel are not savages. The ad doesn't actually refer to all supporters of the Palestinian jihad, or all Muslims or all Arabs, but that claim has nevertheless been widely repeated in the mainstream media. It actually refers to the Palestinian jihadis who glory in the murders of innocent civilians.

Take, for example, Ahlam Tamimi, who helped murder 16 Israelis in a pizzeria. She recently appeared on al-Aqsa TV and recounted the joy of the "Palestinians" as radio reports on the jihad attack increased the number of dead: "Two minutes later, they said on the radio that the number had increased to five. I wanted to hide my smile, but I just couldn't. Allah be praised, it was great. As the number of dead kept increasing, the passengers were applauding."

Is it savage to take pleasure in the mass murder of innocent civilians? Yes, it is. And it is not actually "hateful," or "bigoted," or "offensive" or "repulsive" to say so. Glorying in the murders of innocent human beings is hateful, offensive, and repulsive, and stems in this case from Islamic bigotry and Jew-hatred. But the Examiner wouldn't dream of upsetting liberal pieties by noting that.

The San Francisco Examiner is covering itself with shame in its moral equivocation on this point, and its effectively running interference for these murderers and their apologists. At very least, as supposedly evenhanded journalists, the Examiner's editorialists could have noted that some consider the ads hateful, and presented our side of the story. But that would have interfered with their propaganda line.

Covering themselves with shame also are those on the Right who are too cowardly, pusillanimous, cowed by the Left, and/or self-serving to speak up in defense of Pamela Geller, the freedom of speech, and these ads.

"Hateful bus ads are free speech," an unsigned San Francisco Examiner editorial, August 22:

An offensive and bigoted advertising campaign about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is now running on Muni buses. Yet despite the repulsive nature of these advertisements, they must be allowed to run to protect the advertiser’s free-speech rights.

A few weeks ago, signs appeared on 10 Muni buses that said, “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad.” The American Freedom Defense Initiative, an organization so extreme it has been deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, purchased the ads. The group is led by Pamela Geller, a blogger and writer who defended the campaign by noting the message is protected by the First Amendment.

And as much as we disagree with the content of her ads, we agree with Geller that the message is protected speech and that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates Muni, should not block this message or others like it in the future.

Banning the ads would be limiting speech based on the type of message that is conveyed, which clearly violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In fact, in a fight over the same advertisements in New York City, Geller won a court battle after the messages were barred from the transit system there.

There are limits to free speech, but while these ads toe the line, they do not cross it. If the messages incited violent action against a group, that line would have been crossed. The transit agency also has guidelines for what type of advertisements can be prohibited, but these do not meet any of those criteria either. Geller seems to have crafted her hateful ads to garner attention without being censored.

First Amendment protections apply to every type of message, not just the ones we agree with. Letting Muni or any other governmental body censor speech based on the message would send the SFMTA down a perilous road that is best not taken — and one that the courts, rightly, would not let the agency take.

Muni has stated its opposition to the message of the advertisements without removing them. To start with, the transit agency donated the $3,800 of income from the ads to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission for educational activities. In addition, the agency started running ads next to Geller’s that say, “SFMTA policy prohibits discrimination based on national origin, religion, and other characteristics and condemns statements that describe any group as ‘savages.’”

The Bay Area was home to the free-speech movement, and it is important to remember how valuable those rights are. Everyone is right to condemn these hateful ads, but local calls for their removal are wrong. Better to use the ads as a starting point to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the extremist views that people hold about the dispute. After all, merely banning a viewpoint from a Muni bus will not make it disappear entirely....

How happy were the Palestinian Muslims at the bloody murders of Jews in a pizzeria. And it's no surprise: they love death. Jihad mass murderer Mohamed Merah said that he "loved death more than they loved life." This is a commonplace idea among jihadists. Ayman al-Zawahiri's wife advised Muslim women: "I advise you to raise your children in the cult of jihad and martyrdom and to instil in them a love for religion and death." And as one jihadist put it, "We love death. You love your life!" And another: "The Americans love Pepsi-Cola, we love death." -- Afghan jihadist Maulana Inyadullah

Of course, this idea comes from the Qur'an itself: "Say (O Muhammad): O ye who are Jews! If ye claim that ye are favoured of Allah apart from (all) mankind, then long for death if ye are truthful." -- Qur'an 62:6

"Released Hamas Terrorist Ahlam Tamimi on Palestinian Public's Delight at Suicide Bombings," from MEMRI, July 12 (thanks to Lachlan):

Following are excerpts from an interview with released Hamas terrorist Ahlam Tamimi, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on July 12, 2012.

Ahlam Tamimi: 16 Zionists were killed [in the suicide bombing you helped carry out].

Interviewer: Was the sound of the explosion...?

Ahlam Tamimi: It was very loud. The mujahid Abdallah Barghouti did a perfect job producing the guitar [containing the bomb], and the results amazed everybody, thanks to Allah.

[...]

Afterwards, when I took the bus, the Palestinians around Damascus Gate [in Jerusalem] were all smiling. You could sense that everybody was happy. When I got on the bus, nobody knew that it was me who had led [the suicide bomber to the target]... I was feeling quite strange, because I had left [the bomber] 'Izz Al-Din behind, but inside the bus, they were all congratulating one another. They didn't even know one another, yet they were exchanging greetings.

[...]

While I was sitting on the bus, the driver turned on the radio. But first, let me tell you about the gradual rise in the number of casualties. While I was on the bus and everybody was congratulating one another, they said on the radio that there had been a martyrdom attack at the Sbarro restaurant, and that three people were killed. I admit that I was a bit disappointed, because I had hoped for a larger toll. Yet when they said "three dead," I said: "Allah be praised."

Interviewer: Was it an Israeli radio station or a Palestinian one?

Ahlam Tamimi: That station was in the Zionist language, and the driver was translating for the passengers.

[...]

Two minutes later, they said on the radio that the number had increased to five. I wanted to hide my smile, but I just couldn't. Allah be praised, it was great. As the number of dead kept increasing, the passengers were applauding. They didn't even know that I was among them.

On the way back [to Ramallah], we passed a Palestinian police checkpoint, and the policemen were laughing. One of them stuck his head in and said: "Congratulations to us all." Everybody was happy....

At the traditional Eid celebrations in the Muslim ghetto of Vollsmose in Denmark's third biggest city, Odense, a car arrives with two Muslims from a unwelcome gang. One of the two is shot and later stabbed, the other escapes. As the victim receives treatment at Odense University Hospital, 60-70 aggressive and violent Muslims arrive at the hospital, bringing weapons such as clubs, knives and even guns, wanting to kill him. The police are quick to respond, but are not able to make any arrests. They draw their guns in order to make the Muslims leave the hospital. On their way out, the angry mob smashes several windows in an ambulance and a police car. Later during the day, the police manage to arrest 6 of them, and now their many friends are threatening to cause even bigger riots if they are not released.

Here are some excerpts on the resent Muslim riots in Vollsmose, Denmark, translated by Nicolai Sennels:

"Riots after shootings in Vollsmose - police drew weapons"

An Eid celebration in the Odense district of Vollsmose exploded in violence shortly before midnight Monday night in attempted murder, violent unrest, vandalism and grave disturbance of peace and order inside a hospital. Police officers had to draw their service weapons.

A large group of people had gathered at an amusement park at the shopping center in Vollsmose Square to celebrate the end of Ramadan, when a car parked in a nearby parking lot.

"As the car drove into the parking lot, the two men in the car were identified as 'enemies', and were shot at from several directions. A 26-year-old from the car was hit by at least two shots in one leg and was subsequently stabbed multiple times with a knife in the other leg. His 24-year-old friend took flight in the car"...

Police were called at 23.47.

The conflict broke out because of enmity between two different immigrant groups. One group is based in Vollsmose, and the other outside Odense district. ...

When the police and an ambulance arrived to take the 26-year-old victim out of Vollsmose, more trouble arose.

"They threw stones at the police and two patrol cars were completely destroyed, but we managed to get the man out without any of the officers getting physically harmed," said the head of security at Funen Police ...

The 26-year-old was rushed to the University Hospital of Odense.

"He was in danger and had suffered a great loss of blood when he was brought into the hospital. He has been on the operating table all night and is reported now in stable condition and out of danger."...

60-70 men armed with various blunt weapons tried Tuesday night to reach the 26-year-old victim.

"They poured into the emergency department with clubs and started to smash vases, lamps and other furniture, and tore pictures from the walls. The staff at the hospital had to run for their lives, and several police officers had to pull their service weapons to force the group out of the living room area."

Vollsmose is boiling: "Don't you remember the riots in Paris?"

In Vollsmose the atmosphere is heated. Several residents have taken to the streets and now demand that the detainees be released by tonight. ...

"If the detainees are not released before tonight, we can not predict what will happen in Vollsmose tonight. Remember the riots in Paris?" said one of the young immigrants ...

Not far from the riots, police and task forces are ready. All are wearing bulletproof vests. ...

The agitated Vollsmose residents have now turned against the press, says politiken.dk's reporter. A television photographer has allegedly been threatened with a knife and asked to leave.

"You will be stoned! Get out of here!" some people shouted to the press, which has now pulled away from the area.

What has to happen to prove that Iran plus a nuclear program equals death?

That is the question I would ask President Obama or Secretary of State Clinton at a press conference, if I am ever able to get to one.

I will rephrase the question: When will you realize that the Iranian nuclear program will bring death, not a to single person, but to many people? After its successful completion has been announced?

Tougher sanctions? Yes, this is an interesting step, but it had its place at the beginning of the Iranian "peaceful" nuclear program, but not now, when the Islamic regime is coming close to building nuclear warheads. If they have not already built one.

Tougher sanctions only lead to the irritation of the Ayatollahs' regime, rather than to concrete results: that is, stopping uranium enrichment. And evidence of this is the following fact. Iran is testing fourth generation missiles, "Fateh 110," Iran's Defense Minister Ahmed Wahidi recently announced.

These missiles can destroy targets from a distance of 300 km, Wahidi said. He said that the previous version, the third generation of missiles, possessed great destructive force and had a high rate of accuracy, and the current generation exceeds their ability to destroy targets with even greater accuracy, both on land and on water.

From now on, this technology will be applied to all missiles that are armed in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The second very important point directly concerns the sanctions: Iran has started to create private consortia for the sale of oil. 250 private local companies will export Iran's oil, said the head of the Oil and Gas Exporter Union of Iran, Hassan Hosrodzherdi.

The country, in response to the embargo on oil exports, is planning to establish three consortia with local private companies that will carry out the sale of oil abroad. According to Hosrodzherdi, at this point they have already created a consortium of 65 companies from the private sector.

According to OPEC, in 2011, Iran exported 2.537 million barrels per day, compared to 2.583 million bpd in 2010 and 2.406 million barrels per day in 2009.

The Iranian parliament in April approved a bill allowing the private sector to export oil. Thus the bill allows the private sector to sell 20 percent of the total country's oil exports, which amounts to about 400,000 barrels per day.

According to Hosrodzherdi, Iran will create two consortia, also consisting of private exporters in Iran. He said that the beginning of the sale of oil is expected in the second half of this year (the beginning of the year in Iran falls on March 21).

Under the existing agreement between the Ministry of Petroleum of Iran and the Oil and Gas Exporter Union of Iran, the union should seek out those markets that are not covered by the Ministry.

Also, what about the embargo question, when on August 3, 2012, the Governor of the province of Khorasan-e-Razavi, Mahmoud Salahi, in a meeting in Mashhad with the Speaker of the Senate of Pakistan, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, stressed the need for further development of relations between the two countries in politics, economics and culture?

According to the governor, in the last year trade between Iran and Pakistan amounted to $5.1 billion, a figure that, taking into account the capacity of the two countries, can be increased.

Mahmoud Salahi said that Iran is ready to increase electricity exports to Pakistan and expressed the hope that the commissioning of the pipeline "Peace," in which Iranian gas will be delivered to Pakistan, will be held in the near future.

The speaker of the Pakistani Senate in turn said that bilateral relations between Iran and Pakistan are open wide horizons, and these relationships are constantly evolving.
According to Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, both countries need to make efforts to strengthen ties between the two peoples, and this will provide a solid foundation for the development of bilateral relations.

Expressing satisfaction on the occasion of his visit to Iran, Pakistan's Senate Speaker noted that the purpose of his trip to the holy city of Mashhad was to visit the shrine of Imam Reza, as well as to negotiate with the leadership of the province of Khorasan-e-Razavi on strengthening bilateral ties.

And did the sanctions and embargoes against Iran stop Islamic Pakistan, which is funded by the American government, from establishing these ties with Iran? We can see the answer here.

On the same day, during a meeting between the Secretary of the National Security Council of Turkey, Moammar Turker, and the Iranian Ambassador to Turkey, Bahman Hosseinpour, they discussed the development of bilateral ties, nuclear talks, the "Six" and the situation in Iran and Syria.

The Ambassador of Iran, noting the increasing dynamics of the multifaceted relations between the two countries, said the intention of the governments of Iran and Turkey was to further strengthen these relations. According to him, the two countries are independent and peace-loving states that have had no border conflict for 400 years. The Ambassador also praised Turkey's role in the process of nuclear talks between the "Six" and Iran.

Moammar Turker, noting the fruitful cooperation between the two countries in combating terrorism and drug trafficking, stressed the need to enhance trade and cross-border cooperation between the two countries in order to improve welfare.

And most importantly, Iran continues to develop its international relations.

A meeting of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) will be held from August 26 to 31 in Tehran, according to the press service of the summit. "Meetings of Heads of State will be held August 30-31, at the level of foreign ministers on 28-29 August and 26-27 at the expert level," said the press service. "At the moment, 31 states have expressed the desire to participate in the Summit of Heads of State," the report says.

"By the time the meeting is held, the number, of course, will increase," said the organizers of the summit.

"Holding the summit is a question of national importance. We hope that the meeting will be the best ever," said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast. He stressed that "this meeting is very important, because the member countries of the Movement have a real opportunity to influence the development of world politics and international relations."

The Non-Aligned Movement is an international organization of 118 countries in the world based on the principle of non-participation in military blocs. The population of the member countries of NAM accounts for 56% of the total population of the globe.

It seems that the Obama administration has been playing poker with the American voter, bluffing that it is against Iran's nuclear program. The fact is that the sanctions do not produce the stated result, which the civilized world is waiting for.

Iran is not going to make concessions. So why this bluff? Is it only in order to win the presidential election? But this time poker may turn into Russian roulette, if Iran builds a nuclear bomb.

Turkish secularism on the ropes. Islamization of Turkey Update: "We now have the chance to turn all schools into religious schools, says AKP deputy," from the Hürriyet Daily News, August 24 (thanks to David):

The ruling party now has the chance to transform all schools in Turkey into imam hatip religious schools thanks to recent educational reforms, Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Ali Boğa said, private broadcaster NTV reported.

Boğa was attending the homecoming celebrations of Muğla İmam Highschool when he stated that Turkey was "now past the times when it was forbidden to read the Quran."

"We are here as imam hatip graduates, or as allies," Boğa said. "We will increase the number of these schools in records. We have the chance to turn all schools into imam hatip [schools]."

"We have that chance now that the Quran and religious classes were added to schools’ curriculum," Boğa said.

They also want to murder those who killed bin Laden. "Member Of Leading Al-Qaeda-Affiliated Online Forum Posts Photo Of Navy SEAL Who Participated In Bin Laden Raid And Calls For 'Allah To Kill' Him," from MEMRI, August 24 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

On August 23 and 24, 2012, a member of the Al-Fidaa jihadi forum who frequently reposts news stories posted two threads about the forthcoming book No Easy Day, about the raid on the compound of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011, by "Mark Owen," a Navy SEAL Team 6 member who participated in the raid and whose real name was recently revealed by the media.

One of the threads, referring to "Owen's" real name, featured an image of him headlined "First Image of One of the Dogs Who Killed Bin Laden." The post concluded with, "We ask Allah to kill him sooner, not later." Another member commented on this post, "Oh Allah, make him a living example, and let us witness his dark day."...

While the comments on the threads included several honoring bin Laden and asking Allah to bless his soul, one member, "Abu Dujanah Al-Kinani," warned that the "lion's cubs" – that is, the mujahedeen – are awaiting the right time to avenge his killing.

In his comment, "Abu Dujanah" reminded readers of a poem line previously mentioned by bin Laden's successor Ayman Al-Zawahiri that warned the U.S. and its people of a day to come that will be like 9/11.

"Abu Dujanah" concluded his comment with another warning: "With Allah's support, what is coming is bitter and worse [than 9/11]."

On August 24, 2012, a member of the Shumoukh Al-Islam jihadi forum also posted the same item, but without images. Another member commented: "Clear proof of their [i.e. the Americans'] cowardliness and their fear of of Al-Qaeda's lions is that they are still concealing the identities of the gang of mercenaries who assassinated Sheikh Osama."

Remember Morsi's promise to appoint a woman and a Copt as Vice Presidents? I got an avalanche of tweets and emails crowing that my prediction that Egypt would become a Sharia state under the Brotherhood had been proven incorrect. Well, here we are again: "Indeed he had promised to appoint a woman and a Copt as vice presidents, but chose Mohamed Maki, a Sunni known for his sympathy for the Brotherhood..."

Also note this: "What is clear is that a parliament made of flesh and blood individuals is against the very nature of the Shari’a, where all laws are based on the Koran and the hadiths. This is a far cry from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." Zvi Mazel, a former ambassador to Egypt, knows this about Sharia. American judges and politicians do not, and refuse to.

"Analysis: Brotherhood taking total control of Egypt," by Zvi Mazel in the Jerusalem Post, August 23 (thanks to Benedict):

While the world persists in looking for signs of pragmatism in the Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsy is quietly taking over all the power bases in the country.

Having gotten rid of the army old guard, he replaced them with his own men – officers belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood or known sympathizers. Then he turned his attention to the media, replacing 50 editors working for the government’s extensive and influential press empire – including Al- Ahram, Al-Akhbar, Al-Gomhuria. He is now busy appointing new governors to the 27 regions of the country.

Hosni Mubarak used to choose retired generals he could depend on for these sensitive posts; Morsy is hand picking party faithful. At the same time upper echelons in government ministries and economic and cultural organizations are methodically being replaced. The Muslim Brotherhood is fast assuming total control. For many observers, the deployment of army units in Sinai is more about proclaiming Egyptian sovereignty in the face of Israel than actually fighting Islamic terrorism.

Drafting the new constitution is their next objective. Brothers and Salafis make up an absolute majority in the Constituent Assembly. Liberal and secular forces are boycotting its sessions, and the Supreme Constitutional Court is examining a request to have it dissolved since it does not conform to the constitution because of its overly Islamic composition; a decision is expected in September.

The assembly, however, is not waiting. According to various leaks it is putting the final touch to a constitution where all laws have to conform to the Shari’a and special committees will supervise the media and forbid any criticism of Islam and of the Prophet. In the wings is the creation of a Committee of Islamic Sages supervising the law-making process and in effect voiding of substance the parliament elected by the people, though it is not clear yet if, when and how it will work. What is clear is that a parliament made of flesh and blood individuals is against the very nature of the Shari’a, where all laws are based on the Koran and the hadiths. This is a far cry from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Morsy has been careful to speak about creating “a civil society”; it is now obvious that what he meant was a society not ruled by the army, and not a secular society. Indeed he had promised to appoint a woman and a Copt as vice presidents, but chose Mohamed Maki, a Sunni known for his sympathy for the Brotherhood and incidentally or not the brother of the new minister of justice, Prof. Ahmed Maki, known for his independent stands and opposition to Mubarak, but who had carefully concealed his support for the Brothers....

13 Veils In the Quran, Traditions, and Classical Law
Can Modern Islam Move Past Old Islam?
James M. Arlandson, Ph.D.

This series of articles is written for educators, legislators, city council members, police officials, judges, lawyers, government bureaucrats, think tank fellows, journalists, TV and radio talk show hosts, and anyone else who occupies positions of influence in society. They initiate the national dialogue and shape the flow of the conversation. They are the decision and policy makers.

This article is about the Islamic headscarf and full-face veil. We must first understand original shariah laws, and then move to the present day. It may be impossible for the intellectual elites to figure out why the Quran and traditions are so important to Muslims who live in the modern world, but these two sources are very important for them. The elites must get used to that.

In Paris, France, two Muslim women were arrested and fined for wearing a full-face veil (except the eyes) – called a niqab.

Hind Ahmas and Najate Nait Ali were caught wearing the niqab in public outside Meaux town hall, eastern Paris, in May. The women immediately vowed to appeal their case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights if the fines are confirmed by a higher court. Miss Ahmas, 32, was ordered to pay a 120-euro (£104) fine, while Miss Nait Ali, 36, was fined 80 euros (£70). The court chose not to order them to take a citizenship course, as had been requested by the prosecutor. [1]

In Boulder, Colorado, a sheriff allowed a young woman to keep her headscarf on while he took a photo of her. The headscarf, known today as the hijab, does not cover her face.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle will allow a Muslim woman to wear her head-covering in a jail booking photo, provided she push the scarf back far enough to expose her hairline and ears. The compromise puts an end to a controversy sparked when Maria Hardman, a University of Colorado student and convert to Islam, refused to take off her hijab for a booking photo when she reported for a two-day work-release sentence. The decision came a day after a Boulder County judge denied Hardman's request to either serve an alternative sentence or keep on the scarf, which exposed her face. However, Boulder County Judge Noel Blum asked jail officials in his ruling to consider whether some accommodation could be made.[2]

What is going on here? The difference from the outset is the burka covers the face (except a mesh covering over the eyes), while the hijab does not cover the face, only the hair.

But should modern society even allow the Islamic veil, whether it covers the head and face or only the head?

For images of the different veils, see this link: Islamic Clothing Glossary.

Walter Scott, The Talisman, the Crusades, Richard I of England and Saladin: Myths, Legends and History
by Ibn Warraq
Part 39
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 / Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 / Part 25 / Part 26 / Part 27 / Part 28 / Part 29 / Part 30 / Part 31 / Part 32 / Part 33 / Part 34 / Part 35 / Part 36 / Part 37 / Part 38

“Outside the Zuwayla Gate, the smoldering ruins of the Sudanese barracks poignantly illustrated the kind of retaliation Saladin would mete out to those who dared to challenge his authority, Indeed to erase all vestiges of the long predominance of the Sudanese guards in Cairo, the barrack area of al-Mansura was ploughed over and later turned into a garden.” The property of the Sudanese was seized all over the country, thus, “Not only was Saladin’s authority decisively affirmed, but the task of financing his new army was made easier by this quick if bloody elimination of some 50,000 Fatimid soldiers”. Not bad for a shy retiring scholar who preferred the discourse of pious men.

To show that Ehrenkreutz is not exaggerating, I shall quote from Ibn Al-Athir’s account in his celebrated history, al-Kamil fi’l-Ta’rikh:

“The black slaves in old Cairo were angry at the killing of Mu’tamin al-Khilāfa out of loyalty and because he had been strong in their support. They assembled their forces, which numbered more than 50,000, with every intention of making war on Saladin’s troops. His force gathered together and met the blacks in Bayn al-Qaṣrayn. On both sides many were killed. Saladin sent to their quarter, known as al-Manṣūra, and burned it down about their possessions, children and womenfolk [Ibn Warraq’s emphasis]. When they received intelligence of this, they turned their backs in flight and were harried by the sword. The mouths of the alleys were blocked against them, so they asked for terms after great slaughter had been done on them. Terms were granted and they were sent out of Old Cairo to Giza. Then Shams al-Dawla Ṭūranshāh, Saladin’s brother, crossed over to them with a detachment of the army and annihilated them by the sword. Only the rare fugitive escaped. God Almighty dealt with their wickedness -- God knows best.” [1]

Saladin took control, suppressed the Shiite (Fatimid) caliphate, and became the new master of Egypt. But as Ehrenkreutz concludes, “As a result of his suppressing the Shiite caliphate, Saladin becale known as an idealistic leader dedicated to the cause of Islamic unity- a reputation which has influenced some of his modern admirers. In reality, Saladin was a pragmatist pursuing power-oriented self-serving ambitions. This motivation guided his policy towards Nur al-Din, which pushed the Muslim forces of Egypt and Syria to the brink of bloody confrontation”[97]

When in March 1174, Saladin heard of a pro-Fatimid, i.e,Shiite, conspiracy, he took careful steps to put it down with characteristic ruthlessness. In April, mass arrests began, and one after another the chief conspirators were sought out, brought before Saladin. A special panel of Sunni jurists was set up, and it sentenced the principal culprits to death by crucifixion, and their followers to banishment. “For several days beginning 6 April, Cairo residents witnessed a gruesome spectacle, where much of Egypt’s former elite were crucified one after another. The first to go was the brilliant poet, Umarah. …Also executed in Cairo were Abd al-Samad, Shubruma and his accomplices, a number of Saladin’s commanders and regular soldiers, and some slaves and followers of the conspirators….By this well-planned, bloody operation, Saladin destroyed the last remaining nerve center of Fatimid opposition and averted the outbreak of new fighting and internal disorder in Egypt and her capital.” [114-115] Again, these events are vividly chronicled in Ibn al-Athir. [2]

[1] Ibn al-Athir, The Chronicle of Ibn al-Athir for the Crusading Period from al-Kamil fi’l-Ta’rikh, Part 2, trans. D.S.Richards, Surrey [U.K.] : Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2007, p.180.
[2] Ibid.,pp.218-220

To be continued.

Ibn Warraq is the author of numerous books, including Why the West Is Best and Why I Am Not A Muslim.

Boyd is yet another convert to Islam who misunderstood his new, peaceful religion. Yet no Muslim group in the U.S. has any program in place to try to keep converts from misunderstanding Islam in this way. How odd!

"Leader of Triangle terror cell, associate sentenced to prison," from WRAL, August 24 (thanks to David):

NEW BERN, N.C. — More than three years after their arrests, the Johnston County leader of a local terrorist cell and one of the cell members were sentenced Friday to federal prison for plotting to wage jihad on targets they saw as enemies of Islam.

Daniel Patrick Boyd, who pleaded guilty about 18 months ago to conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad. Since then, he has cooperated with the government to convict his followers, received an 18-year sentence.

Anes Subasic, who was the last member of the group convicted when a jury found him guilty in June of the same charges, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

They were among eight men who federal investigators say raised money, stockpiled weapons and trained in preparation for jihadist attacks against American military and foreign targets. Seven of them were arrested in July 2009.

The eighth member of the group, Jude Kenan Mohammad, has never been arrested. Authorities said they believe he is in Pakistan, although some people have suggested he is dead.

Boyd was apologetic upon hearing his sentence, which also included a $3,000 fine, in the federal courtroom in New Bern.

"That was not me. That was something I allowed myself to become. Please, everyone, as best you can, forgive me," he said.

The 42-year-old said he grew up in a home where his father often criticized the U.S., and he said the stress from family and health issues later allowed him to fall into extremism.

"That very American spirit inside of me pushed me to do what is correct," he said of his cooperation with prosecutors. "There is never a wrong time to do the right thing."

Subasic, 36, of Holly Springs, took the opposite tack, erupting in the courtroom when his sentence was announced.

The Bosnian native represented himself in the case, presented 200 pages of objections during a four-hour hearing and screamed at Senior U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan and federal prosecutors.

"I'm not guilty. I'm not a terrorist. I'm not Muslim. I can't repent for something I didn't do," he said, arguing that he was convicted by witnesses who lied and flimsy government evidence.

"I have nothing to do with it. This is stupid and retarded," he said.

When prosecutors suggested a life sentence for Subasic, he yelled, "How about two life sentences?"

Flanagan called Subasic a "bully" with a "grandiose sense of self-importance." In addition to his prison sentence, she fined him $1,000 and ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation while behind bars.

Last September, Subasic also was found guilty of two counts of unlawful procurement of citizenship.

Boyd's two sons, Dylan and Zakariya, pleaded guilty last summer and were sentenced to eight and nine years in prison, respectively.

Hysen Sherifi, Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan and Ziyad Yaghi were convicted in a trial last fall. Sherifi, whose charges included plotting an attack on the Marine base in Quantico, Va., received a 45-year prison sentence, while Yaghi was sentenced to more than 31 years in prison and Hassan received a 15-year sentence.

12 Polygamy In the Quran, Traditions, and Classical Law
Can Modern Islam Set Aside Old Shariah Laws?
James M. Arlandson, Ph.D.

This series on Islamic shariah law is intended for educators, legislators, lawyers, judges, journalists, city council members, government bureaucrats, think tank fellows, TV and radio talk show hosts, and anyone else who occupies the “check points” in society. They initiate the national dialogue and shape the flow of the conversation. They are the policy and decision makers.

They have heard the critics of shariah and conclude that the critics are overstating their case (and maybe they do sometimes). They may be “Islamophobes.” Islam is a world religion that deserves respect, after all.

On the other hand, the intellectual elites may have a private, gnawing feeling of doubt. Can the critics be all wrong, all the time?

The elites have heard strange reports coming from the Islamic world and Muslim communities in the West.

For example, in the UK, the government has cleared the way for men living with their harems to receive state benefits for all their partners.

Husbands living in a "harem" with multiple wives have been cleared to claim state benefits for all their different partners. A Muslim man with four spouses - which is permitted under Islamic law - could receive £10,000 a year in income support alone. He could also be entitled to more generous housing and council tax benefit, to reflect the fact his household needs a bigger property. [1]

Polygamy means multiple marriages at the same time. What does the Quran and traditions and classical Islamic law say about it? What does it matter if men choose to live with more than one wife? Is polygamy beneficial or harmful to wives and society? Should it be tolerated in progressive societies?

Merciless. "Pakistani Muslims: Disabled 11 yr-old Christian should be punished," by Jibran Khan for Asia News, August 24 (thanks to Block Ness):

Islamabad (AsiaNews) - If guilty of blasphemy, the child should be punished according to the laws of the country. This is a widespread view among Muslims in Pakistan, whether laymen or religious leaders, regarding the tragedy of an 11 year old Christian girl who is disabled and was recently charged under the "black law". To date the child is being detained under lock and key in a reform school - pending a full hearing for release on bail - for desecrating a few pages of a book that conatined [sic] verses from the Koran (see AsiaNews 19/08/2012 An 11-year-old disabled Christian girl arrested for blasphemy, 300 families flee). Interviewed by AsiaNews on the issue scholar Mehmood Ahmed Khan, a member of the Islamic Ideology Council (IIc), said that "Rimsha is a minor, but if she is mentally stable and committed the crime, child or not she should be punished." He adds, "no one can be allowed to desecrate the Koran."

Several human rights organizations, including the Masihi Foundation and Life for All, along with the Catholic Church of Pakistan have announced a demonstration tomorrow in Lahore on August 25, demanding the release of Rimsha Masih - this is the name of the girl, arrested on blasphemy charges - and who faces up to life in prison. The incident occurred on August 17 in Umara Jaffar, G-12 Islamabad, where the family of the minor live. In response, a mob of local Muslims - egged on by the imams - attacked the Christian community, forcing hundreds of families to flee.

Bishop Rufin Anthony of Islamabad-Rawalpindi has launched a call: "it is time for the entire Christian community to unite and string around the child. Sunday - adds the prelate - our voices will be heard in support thereof." Meanwhile, the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) has appointed parliamentarian Tahir Naveed Chaudhry lawyer to Rimsha. He assures us that "we will defend the rights of the oppressed" and has prepared "a panel of experts to plead the case." It is a "delicate matter," says the lawyer, but he is optimistic and promises "good news soon."

However, sources say that the APMA lawyer was not allowed meet the child in prison. Now the goal is to get her out of jail and put it in a safe place, since the vast majority of blasphemy deaths are the result of extra-judicial killings, even in prison under the gaze of guards (see AsiaNews 17/09 / 2009 Punjab: young Christian man accused of blasphemy killed in prison). The Christian NGO World Vision in Progress has filed an appeal for bail, which will be discussed on 28 August.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Christian families forced to flee in fear of extremist attacks, accuse the government of neglect and disinterest, despite government proclamations in recent days that ensured comfort and help. Islamabad has announced the distribution of food aid, but so far "has not done anything," says a witness. There is a climate of "insecurity" among the people and they do not "trust to return to their homes." Meanwhile, the police have opened an investigation against 150 people suspected of the assault on the Christian Quarter of the capital when word got out of the blasphemy case.

Among the Muslims of Islamabad feelings toward the religious minority are mixed: some are willing to "accept" the return of the Christians in their homes, others do not. But on one point I agree the faithful who flock to mosques around the capital: if the girl is guilty, "to be punished according to law." No discounts or extenuating circumstances.

In "Explainer: Pakistan's blasphemy laws," by Reza Sayah for CNN, August 24 (thanks to David), we're told that the British originated Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which is routinely used to victimize innocent Christians:

When were Pakistan's blasphemy laws adopted? What fueled them?

According to the public policy think tank Jinnah Institute, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws originated in British colonial laws drafted in 1860 to protect religious beliefs and customs.

In the 1980s, under the rule of hardline Islamist and military dictator Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the laws were amended to include life imprisonment and the death penalty.

In reality, Pakistan's blasphemy law is rooted in Islamic law. Islam QA explains this, using both Qur'an and Hadith to make its argument:

I heard on a tape that whoever insults the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) should be executed even if he shows that he has repented. Should he be killed as a hadd punishment or because of kufr? If his repentance is sincere, will Allaah forgive him or will he go to Hell and his repentance will be of no avail?

Praise be to Allaah.

The answer to this question may be given by addressing the two following issues:

1 - The ruling on one who insults the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

The scholars are unanimously agreed that a Muslim who insults the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) becomes a kaafir and an apostate who is to be executed. This consensus was narrated by more than one of the scholars, such as Imaam Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh, Ibn al-Mundhir, al-Qaadi 'Iyaad, al-Khattaabi and others. Al-Saarim al-Maslool, 2/13-16

This ruling is indicated by the Qur'aan and Sunnah.

In the Qur'aan it says (interpretation of the meaning):

"The hypocrites fear lest a Soorah (chapter of the Qur'aan) should be revealed about them, showing them what is in their hearts. Say: '(Go ahead and) mock! But certainly Allaah will bring to light all that you fear.'

If you ask them (about this), they declare: 'We were only talking idly and joking.' Say: 'Was it at Allaah, and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger that you were mocking?'

Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed"

[al-Tawbah 9:64-66]

This verse clearly states that mocking Allaah, His verses and His Messenger constitutes kufr, so that applies even more so to insulting. The verse also indicates that whoever belittles the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is also a kaafir [unbeliever], whether he was serious or joking.

With regard to the Sunnah, Abu Dawood (4362) narrated from 'Ali that a Jewish woman used to insult the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and say bad things about him, so a man strangled her until she died, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ruled that no blood money was due in this case.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in al-Saarim al-Maslool (1/162): This hadeeth is jayyid, and there is a corroborating report in the hadeeth of Ibn 'Abbaas which we will quote below.

This hadeeth clearly indicates that it was permissible to kill that woman because she used to insult the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Abu Dawood (4361) narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas that a blind man had a freed concubine (umm walad) who used to insult the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and say bad things about him. He told her not to do that but she did not stop, and he rebuked her but she did not heed him. One night, when she started to say bad things about the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and insult him, he took a short sword or dagger, put it on her belly and pressed it and killed her. The following morning that was mentioned to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He called the people together and said, "I adjure by Allah the man who has done this action and I adjure him by my right over him that he should stand up." The blind man stood up and said, "O Messenger of Allaah, I am the one who did it; she used to insult you and say bad things about you. I forbade her, but she did not stop, and I rebuked her, but she did not give up her habit. I have two sons like pearls from her, and she was kind to me. Last night she began to insult you and say bad things about you. So I took a dagger, put it on her belly and pressed it till I killed her." Thereupon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Bear witness, there is no blood money due for her."

(Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 3655)

It seems that this woman was a kaafir, not a Muslim, for a Muslim could never do such an evil action. If she was a Muslim she would have become an apostate by this action, in which case it would not have been permissible for her master to keep her; in that case it would not have been good enough if he were to keep her and simply rebuke her.

Al-Nasaa'i narrated (4071) that Abu Barzah al-Aslami said: A man spoke harshly to Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq and I said, 'Shall I kill him?' He rebuked me and said, 'That is not for anyone after the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) .'" (Saheeh al-Nasaa'i, 3795)

It may be noted from this that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the right to kill whoever insulted him and spoke harshly to him, and that included both Muslims and kaafirs.

The second issue is: if a person who insulted the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) repents, should his repentance be accepted or not?

The scholars are agreed that if such a person repents sincerely and regrets what he has done, this repentance will benefit him on the Day of Resurrection and Allaah will forgive him.

But they differed as to whether his repentance should be accepted in this world and whether that means he is no longer subject to the sentence of execution.

Maalik and Ahmad were of the view that it should not be accepted, and that he should be killed even if he has repented.

They quoted as evidence the Sunnah and proper understanding of the ahaadeeth:

In the Sunnah, Abu Dawood (2683) narrated that Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqaas said: "On the Day of the Conquest of Makkah, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) granted safety to the people except for four men and two women, and he named them, and Ibn Abi Sarh... As for Ibn Abi Sarh, he hid with 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan, and when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called the people to give their allegiance to him, he brought him to stand before the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said, "O Prophet of Allaah, accept the allegiance of 'Abd-Allaah." He raised his head and looked at him three times, refusing him, then he accepted his allegiance after the third time. Then he turned to his companions and said: "Was there not among you any smart man who could have got up and killed this person when he saw me refusing to give him my hand and accept his allegiance?" They said, "We do not know what is in your heart, O Messenger of Allaah. Why did you not gesture to us with your eyes?" He said, "It is not befitting for a Prophet to betray a person with a gesture of his eyes."

(Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 2334)

This clearly indicates that in a case such as this apostate who had insulted the Prophet (S), it is not obligatory to accept his repentance, rather it is permissible to kill him even if he comes repentant.

'Abd-Allaah ibn Sa'd was one of those who used to write down the Revelation, then he apostatized and claimed that he used to add whatever he wanted to the Revelation. This was a lie and a fabrication against the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it was a kind of insult. Then he became Muslim again and was a good Muslim, may Allaah be pleased with him. Al-Saarim 115.

With regard to proper understanding of the ahaadeeth:

They said that insulting the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has to do with two rights, the right of Allaah and the right of a human being. With regard to the right of Allaah, this is obvious, because it is casting aspersions upon His Message, His Book and His Religion. As for the right of a human being, this is also obvious, because it is like trying to slander the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by this insult. In a case which involves both the rights of Allaah and the rights of a human being, the rights of the human beings are not dropped when the person repents, as in the case of the punishment for banditry, because if the bandit has killed someone, that means that he must be executed and crucified. But if he repents before he is caught, then the right of Allaah over him, that he should be executed and crucified, no longer applies, but the rights of other humans with regard to qisaas (retaliatory punishment) still stand. The same applies in this case. If the one who insulted the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) repents, then the rights of Allaah no longer apply, but there remains the right of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which still stand despite his repentance.

If it is said, "Can we not forgive him, because during his lifetime the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forgave many of those who had insulted him and he did not execute them?" The answer is:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sometimes chose to forgive those who had insulted him, and sometimes he ordered that they should be executed, if that served a greater purpose. But now his forgiveness is impossible because he is dead, so the execution of the one who insults him remains the right of Allaah, His Messenger and the believers, and the one who deserves to be executed cannot be let off, so the punishment must be carried out.

Al-Saarim al-Maslool, 2/438

Insulting the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is one of the worst of forbidden actions, and it constitutes kufr and apostasy from Islam, according to scholarly consensus, whether done seriously or in jest. The one who does that is to be executed even if he repents and whether he is a Muslim or a kaafir. If he repents sincerely and regrets what he has done, this repentance will benefit him on the Day of Resurrection and Allaah will forgive him.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) wrote a valuable book on this matter, entitled al-Saarim al-Maslool 'ala Shaatim al-Rasool which every believer should read, especially in these times when a lot of hypocrites and heretics dare to insult the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) because they see that the Muslims are careless and feel little protective jealousy towards their religion and their Prophet, and they do not implement the shar'i punishment which would deter these people and their ilk from committing this act of blatant kufr [unbelief].

And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions.

Over at the Investigative Project on Terrorism (via RaymondIbrahim.com, where links and images appear), I discuss how, whereas almost every year, stories appear of Christmas being suppressed to accommodate Muslim sensitivities in the West, in the Muslim world, Christians and others are suppressed, often brutally so, to accommodate Muslim sensitivities:

The month of Ramadan, which ended earlier this week, proved to be a month of renewed Muslim piety on the one hand, and renewed oppression of non-Muslim minorities on the other. In Nigeria, for example, Islamic militants are living up to the assertion that "Ramadan is a month of jihad and death for Allah," proving that killing Christians is not only reserved for Christian holidays—like Christmas and Easter, when militants bombed churches killing dozens—but is especially applicable during Islam's Ramadan.

Usually, however, Ramadan-related oppression has to do with Muslim perceptions that Christians do not "know their place"—either because the latter openly do things forbidden to Muslims during Ramadan, or because they dare object to the things Muslims do during their holy month.

When it comes to these aspects of dhimmitude, Egypt offers countless examples, past and present, simply because it houses the Middle East's largest Christian minority, the Copts, and thus offers more opportunities for the intolerant face of Ramadan to reveal itself. Two recent examples follow:

First, according to Coptic websites, on July 27, a diabetic man in Egypt was driving his car in Maadi, a suburb of southern Cairo, when he was struck with great thirst, "which he could not bear" (a side-effect of diabetes, further exacerbated by Egypt's July weather). He pulled over by a public water source and started drinking water. Soon three passer-bys approached him, inquiring why he was drinking water (among the many things forbidden to Muslims during daylight in Ramadan). The diabetic man replied, "Because I am a Christian, and sick," to which they exclaimed "you're a Christian, too!" and begun beating him mercilessly. Other passer-bys began to congregate to see what was happening, but no one intervened on behalf of the diabetic non-Muslim, until he managed to make a dash for his parked car and fled the scene.

Though water is not forbidden to him, this infidel Christian openly violated a principle of Islamic Ramadan, which was deemed a great affront and punished accordingly. This idea that non-Muslims must show respect for Islamic observances is commonplace. Around the same time this story took place, a Christian Lebanese singer was taken to police while in Algeria for smoking in public, and "failing to show due respect to Muslims." She was released after police warned her that "she was not allowed to smoke in public during Ramadan in Muslim Algeria, even though she was a Christian."

The second story from Egypt concerns a young Christian doctor, Maher Rizkalla Ghali, who was shot by riotous Muslims, including easily-identified Salafis, resulting in the loss of one eye and the likely loss of the other...

Not nearly enough. But as I have said for years, Islamic supremacism and Sharia are popular in Muslim countries, as secular rule is considered un-Islamic. "Hundreds rally against Egypt's Islamist president," from the Associated Press, August 24 (thanks to Kenneth):

Hundreds of protesters are rallying on the streets in several Egyptian cities to denounce the country's Islamist president and his Muslim Brotherhood group.

Friday's protests were the first attempt by Mohammed Morsi's opponents to stage a major demonstration against the new president. But the low turnout was a far cry from the street protests during the uprising that toppled Morsi's predecessor, Hosni Mubarak....

Another sign of the rapid Islamization of Turkey and increasingly subjugated position of the military, formerly the guardians of Turkish secularism. "Minister halts military band to allow Islamic chant," from the Hürriyet Daily News, August 24 (thanks to Joshua):

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay stopped a military band at a soldier's funeral from playing the funeral march in Antalya today on the grounds that people at the funeral wanted to perform the tekbir – the phrase "Allahu ekber" (God is great). The minister and military officers were attending the funeral of Sgt. Osman Çelik, who was killed in a traffic accident on Aug. 21, along with nine other security personnel in the southeastern province of Şırnak. Çelik's body was taken to his home village of Yazır in the southern province of Antalya for the funeral, where around 2,000 people attended the ceremony, broadcaster NTV reported on its website. A military band was also present at the scene and was playing the funeral march when Günay interrupted the officer in charge of the ceremony and said, "Stop the band, the people want to call the tekbir."

The minister later explained his behavior by saying that a band playing the funeral march in cities where there is a large protocol presence was natural. "But this is a small village and people want experience their pain and send their son off with prayers."...

Last night in my regular spot on the Michael Coren Show on Sun TV, Michael and I discussed Mohamed Eskander, a Lebanese singer who has called for violence against gays and nonetheless coming to sing in Canada; the Canadian Muslim convert William Plotnikov, who is believed to be the first Canadian convert to die in jihad warfare, and the Democrat Party and the upcoming "Jumah at the DNC."

Video courtesy SDAMatt2a.

But remember, the real threat to Muslims is "Islamophobia."

"Twin Iraq blasts target prayers," from Reuters, August 24 (thanks to Kenneth):

BAGHDAD, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Twin blasts in Baghdad on Friday, one exploding beside a pulpit during prayers, killed at least three people and wounded six, a Reuters witness and police sources said....

The first bomb detonated beside the pulpit, while a preacher was leading prayers at an outdoor mosque in the mainly-Shi'ite Sadr City neighbourhood. Moments later, a second device, that had been hidden under weeds amid the worshippers, exploded.

"When the explosions happened, the worshippers stood up, but (the preacher) talked to us, asking us to stay in our places and keep quiet," Abu Ahmed, a 34-year-old worshipper, told Reuters at the scene.

Iraq's local al Qaeda wing has claimed attacks on Shi'ite neighbourhoods and security forces as a revival of its campaign to provoke the Sunni-versus-Shi'ite sectarian violence that drove the country close to civil war four years ago....

Walter Scott, The Talisman, the Crusades, Richard I of England and Saladin: Myths, Legends and History
by Ibn Warraq
Part 38
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 / Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 / Part 25 / Part 26 / Part 27 / Part 28 / Part 29 / Part 30 / Part 31 / Part 32 / Part 33 / Part 34 / Part 35 / Part 36 / Part 37

Lyons and Jackson go even further and quote Western sources which tell us that Saladin, “that patron of prostitutes whose power was among stews, his campaigns in taverns, his studies among dice and garlic, is suddenly lifted up; he sits among princes and is even greater than princes”. [1]

As for the putative lack of ambition on the part of Saladin, Ehrenkreutz argues that such a picture is very unlikely: “In view of Saladin’s intimate association with his immediate family it is difficult to imagine him unaffected by their military and political ambitions….Had he resented the atmosphere of political pressures and intrigues, he need not have entered military service in Aleppo. As it was, his meritorious performance attracted the eye of the stern sultan, who set him right on the same path taken by other members of his family”.[p.33]

Saladin was sent on the Egyptian expedition. “The intervention in Egypt was not regarded as a minor operation but as a hazardous campaign with no place for novices or lukewarm participants. Only experienced officers and troops deserved the distinction of taking part in the expedition. Had Saladin shown any aversion to military and political activities, he need not have joined the expeditionary force. Had Saladin not been militarily and politically competent, he could hardly have been included in the officer staff. The selection of Ayyub’s son [Saladin] to participate in that difficult and dangerous military operation suggests that at age twenty-six, Saladin enjoyed the reputation of a trustworthy and competent warrior”. [p. 33]

SALADIN IN EGYPT.

According to Ehrenkreutz it did not take Saladin long to establish, in Egypt, a reputation as “a man of trust, of intrepid action, who accepted bloody extermination as a political tool”. Saladin’s promotion to the vizirate of Egypt involved “a series of political maneuvers among a number of pressure groups”. The political scene in Cairo was complicated and dangerous, thus “the elevation of Saladin to the vizirate once again revealed his reputation of being an experienced, trustworthy, and ambitious leader of men”. Essentially, Saladin’s political behaviour, pace Lane-Poole and Gibb, “did not differ in spirit and methods from that of other medieval military leaders”.

SALADIN’S BLOODY SUPPRESSION OF THE REBELLION OF THE BLACK SUDANESE SOLDIERS.

When Sudanese soldiers rose in arms against the new vizir, that is, Saladin, and his people, Saladin suppressed the rebellion with a ferocity that is breathtaking, and belies his later reputation as a man of generosity and clemency:

“While the battle was raging in the Bain al-Qasrain area [of Cairo, between the Sudanese and Saladin’s troops], Saladin proceeded with a gruesome measure against the mutinous Sudanese. With only women and children left in the Sudanese barracks outside the Zuwayla Gate, Saladin’s soldiers suddenly appeared and set fire to the entire area.” When the Sudanese started to retreat, Saladin’s troops burned house after house sheltering the fleeing Sudanese. After two days of fighting the Sudanese agreed to surrender “if Saladin would offer them a safe-conduct. Their request was granted on condition that they promise to leave Cairo. The defeated and disarmed Sudanese marched out and set up their camp in Giza, where- in cynical violation of the safe-conduct pledge- they were massacred in cold blood by Shams al-Dawlah, Saladin’s brother. Only a small fraction of the original slave guard regiments survived the blood bath, and escaping to Upper Egypt, they were hunted down by Shibab al-Din al-Harimi who was assigned that mission by Saladin himself”.

[1] Malcolm C. Lyons and D.E.P. Jackson, Saladin. The Politics of the Holy War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982 [Canto (Paperback) Edition, 1997] p.32

To be continued.

Ibn Warraq is the author of numerous books, including Why the West Is Best and Why I Am Not A Muslim.

Boko Haram should move to the U.S. Here they would find journalists like Niraj Warikoo, Kari Huus, Eli Clifton, Adam Serwer and so many other anxious to do their bidding and portray their bloody deeds in a favorable light.

"Nigeria Islamists rule out peace talks, threaten media," by Ibrahim Mshezilla for Reuters, August 23 (thanks to Twostellas):

(Reuters) - Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram ruled out on Thursday holding peace talks with the government and threatened to strike media houses it said fight the group "with the pen".

The local press and at least two foreign news organizations have reported that talks are going on between the government and the militants who have been staging an insurgency against it, citing unnamed sources.

Information minister Labaran Maku declined comment on Wednesday on the talks, citing government instructions not to discuss the issue.

Since launching an insurgency against the government in 2009 with the avowed aim of turning all or part of religiously-mixed Nigeria into an Islamic state, Boko Haram has killed hundreds of people in near daily gun and bomb attacks.

"We are telling the government to understand that if it is not ready to embrace sharia (Islamic law) and the Koran as the guiding book from which the laws of the land derive, there shall be no peace," the sect's spokesman Abu Qaqa said in a written statement in the northeast city of Maiduguri, the heart of the rebellion....

Qaqa also threatened media houses, recalling the sect's dual bomb attack on local newspaper ThisDay in the capital Abuja and northern city of Kaduna in April that killed five people.

"They should understand that for us there is no difference between those fighting with arms and with the pen," he said.

FAILED TALKS

A group of governors from Nigeria's largely Muslim north set up a committee on Wednesday tasked with trying to reach out to the Islamists. The committee is chaired by Bagangida Aliyu, the governor of Niger state, which has been plagued by insecurity.

It would aim to "get to the root of the security challenges and ... dialogue with any identified groups with a view to negotiating the way out of the menace," it said on Wednesday.

However, the outcome of any such initiative remains uncertain. Though Boko Haram's anger is directed towards the southern Christian-dominated central government, it also rails against the northern elites, whom it regards as corrupt and unIslamic....

Selling women clothes angers Allah. Blowing up a women's clothing store pleases Allah.

"Women’s shopping store blown up in Landikotal," from the Daily Times, August 23 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

LANDIKOTAL: A bomb went off in a women’s shopping store in KhugaKhel area of Landikotal on Monday. However, no casualty was reported in the blast, local sources said. Some unidentified militants had already warned the owners of the general store not to sell women items like clothes, shoes, bangles and other products. They warned them to close their business. Majority of the locals were of the view that the women general store has facilitated the local women to purchase items of their choice. It would be worth mentioning that the stores for women in Landikotal are also run by women. After an explosion in a mobile shop, people said that it was an alarming situation and the area might once again become a hub of militants to sabotage the peaceful environment.

No kidding, really?

The poor dears are tense, you see, and irritable with the strain of fasting. Of course they snap. Don't think for one second that General Allen, who is the very model of the modern cringing dhimmi, meant that the U.S. troops are killed during Ramadan because Ramadan is the month of jihad. There is not the slightest chance that the General had in mind the words of the Muslims in Bulgaria who said that "Ramadan is a month of holy war and death for Allah. It is a month for fighting the enemies of Allah and God's messenger, the Jews and their American facilitators."

"U.S. General: Ramadan factor in Afghan insider attack," from the Washington Post, August 23 (thanks to David):

General John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, says one possible explanation for a spike in killings of American troops by their Afghan partners is the strain of fasting during the just-concluded Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"1,800 calls to over 180 contacts in 20 different countries." Where are those contacts? Is anyone watching them? What jihad mass murders are they plotting?

"Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah 'no lone wolf,'" from the BBC, August 23 (thanks to David):

France's Le Monde newspaper says it has seen confidential documents of the police investigation into Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah that suggest he was not working alone.

The papers showed he had made more than 1,800 calls to over 180 contacts in 20 different countries, Le Monde said.

Merah had also made several trips to the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Merah, 24, killed three soldiers and four Jewish people in March before being shot dead by police.

Le Monde's article cites confidential papers from the DCRI intelligence agency.

The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says the papers obtained by Le Monde cast light on a young man who was much more than an angry petty criminal that had "radicalised himself" - as suggested by the DCRI earlier in the investigation.

Between September 2010 and February 2011 the former garage mechanic made hundreds of calls to countries including Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Kazhakstan, Saudi Arabia, Bhutan and the UK.

Merah had become known to the intelligence services as early as 2009, after they had been following his sister, Souad, and his brother, Abdelkhadar, who are now both in police custody.

The papers show that intelligence services recorded a trip to a Salafist, or ultraconservative Sunni Islamist, school of obedience in Egypt.

In February 2011, German officials alerted French colleagues that Merah had travelled from Cairo, via Frankfurt, to Toulouse.

It was only in March 2011, after a long trip to Afghanistan, that Merah was placed under tighter surveillance.

Not tight enough.

One official quoted in the papers said Merah changed SIM cards, registered under his mother's name, frequently, and suggested the family was trying to protect him.

Merah, who himself claimed to have al-Qaeda affiliation, was also reported to have contacted one known Salafist in Toulouse and two others who recently left for Mauritania.

Merah was shot dead on 22 March after a huge manhunt culminated in a 32-hour stand-off with police at an apartment in Toulouse.

The Jewish victims included three children murdered at a school....

Will the Islamophobia never end? "Christian boy tortured and killed in Pakistan," by Dean Nelson for the Telegraph, August 23 (thanks to David):

The tortured body of an 11 year old Christian boy has been found in a town in Punjab, Pakistan, days after a young Christian girl was arrested on blasphemy charges.

Detectives in Faisalabad, around 60 miles from Lahore, said they were investigating whether accusations of blasphemy had also been made against the boy.

Human rights campaigners condemned the killing of Samuel Yaqoob whose burned and tortured body body [sic] was discovered on Eid, the celebration which marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

His lips and nose had been sliced off, his stomach removed and there was evidence that his legs had been mutilated too.

The boy had been missing since Monday when he left his home in the town's Christian Colony to visit a local market. His relatives identified his body from a distinctive mark on his forehead.

Yaquub was reported to be an orphan but in local newspaper reports his mother Asia Bibi was quoted denying he had been accused of blasphemy. "We neither received any phone call for ransom nor were we told that Samuel had committed blasphemy," she said.

Police said they were investigating whether blasphemy had been behind the attack on Samuel. His death comes just days after the arrest of Rimsha Masih, an eleven year old girl with Down's Syndrome, after Muslims in Islamabad accused her of burning pages from the Koran for cooking....

Yet in the United States, Ahmadis like Harris Zafar run interference for the Islamic supremacists who persecute them elsewhere, by attacking and defaming the very people who are standing up to their jihadist persecutors. As Jihad Watch reader David, who sent this in, noted, maybe if tools like Zafar work even harder for the Islamic supremacists in the West, the Islamic supremacists in Pakistan will ease up on persecuting Ahmadis. But probably not.

"Ahmadis restricted from offering Eid prayers," by Faiza Mirza for Dawn, August 23 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

RAWALPINDI: According to Saleemuddin, spokesperson of Ahmadiyya community, Ahmadis were restricted from offering Eid prayers at Ewan-e-Tauheed located at E-Block, Satellite Town, Rawalpindi reported DawnNews.

Saleemuddin said, “Ewan-e-Tauheed is where most of us offered Eid and Friday prayers, however, the situation changed nine months ago when a hate campaign against our community enticed residents of the area to restrict our activities. Prior to the Eid prayers, we sought approval from the local law enforcement agencies to let us pray on Eid or suggest an alternative site where we could congregate.”

According to Saleemuddin, police approved of the idea, however, at the last minute informed Ahmadis that it is best if they offer Eid prayers at Bait-ul-Hamd, Murree Road, which only has a capacity to accommodate 100 worshippers.

He went on to say that early in the morning, police officials surrounded Ewan-e-Tauheed to deter Ahmadis from gathering and praying.

“An estimated number of 2,000 Ahmadis were expected to congregate and offer Eid prayers, however, were unable to do so because of the sudden change of events triggered by influence of local powerful businessmen,” added Saleemuddin...

Sharjeel Mir, President of Anjuman-e-Tajiran Rawalpindi and a local businessman said, “We object to Ewan-e-Tauheed and all that it stands for because it was acquired through illegal means. Fifteen years ago an Ahmadi bought a house and later on donated it to the Ahamdiiya community. Since then it has been used as a praying site despite of the fact that NOC was not obtained from the district government and local residents as is required according to the law of land.”...

“According to the constitution, Ahmadis are not allowed to call their praying sites mosques and term their call of prayers as namaz. They do not follow the rules and policies which is why we have been taking action against them. We believe in coexistence. In fact countless Christians live in Rawalpindi and we live in harmony, however, we will not have Ahmadis call themselves Muslims and go against the law. They should live like other minorities,” added Mir.

There is a saying: time is money... But this expression has changed. Its meaning has changed. In the 21st century, the more accurate expression is that time is security.

I do not know why this is so. Maybe the global financial crisis that has destroyed the economies of many countries is to blame.

With each passing day Iran and the Islamic world come closer to developing nuclear weapons.

Is this so hard to see? Is it not clear that Iran's nuclear program was not created for peaceful purposes?

Haven't all the latest speeches by the President, religious leaders, the President of parliament and other leaders of the Islamic Republic confirmed this fact?

The fact that the Saudi king put Ahmadinejad in the place of honor when they met, and that Iranian officials have recently visited Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria -- doesn't all this matter more than what they say to President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton?

The Iranian Minister of Industries and Business, Mehdi Ghazanfari, during a meeting with the Iraqi Minister of Industry, Ahmed Nassir Dalli Al Karboli, stressed the importance of close ties between Iran and Baghdad in the field of economics and industry, and said that it was important to improve bilateral relations through joint investment.

Mehdi Ghazanfari announced Iran's readiness to invest and implement infrastructure projects in Iraq, provide for the needs of that country, and supply the Iraqi market a variety of industrial and agricultural products.

Ahmed Nassir Dalli Al Karboli, in turn, said that Iran is a developed industrialized power, and called for greater cooperation in the field of mining.

He said that Iraq needs Iran's experience in manufacturing and mining, and stressed the need to expand bilateral cooperation in the automotive industry and the creation of joint businesses.

The Iraqi minister pointed out that in Iraq the door for Iranian investors is always open.

Can anyone believe that the oil embargo and economic sanctions alone can stop Islamic supremacism? Unfortunately, I am not one of them.

How can we trust only sanctions, when the current U.S. administration cannot even convince its partners and allies to boycott the Islamic Republic of Iran?

Isn't that reason enough? Is Iran a democratic state? Does it not infringe upon the rights of citizens? Is it threatened by anyone? Does it not pose a danger? And for whom? Does it not pose a threat to the world both militarily, politically and economically?

Again I remember the time when the world was suspicious of the Soviet Union. What distinguishes Iran from that country? Just the fact that in the Soviet Union there lived people of different faiths.

In the USSR, there was the KGB. In Iran there are the "Revolutionary Guards."

In the Soviet Union one could get killed for dissent; in Iran, too.

The Soviet Union ruled by an aggressive anti-human ideology; Iran does, too. It is Islam.

In the USSR, people were forced to learn Lenin’s books; in Iran, the book of Muhammad.

The General Secretary of the Communist Party, Khrushchev, gave the world the Cuban Missile Crisis on October 14, 1962, and nearly caused a nuclear war. The Soviet Union supported the Arabs living in Palestine. Iran, too.

So where's the difference?

Iran does the same things, but this time it's much more serious. There are new technologies and more hate. The hatred that comes from the ideology of Islam. And America is not the same, either. Unfortunately.

Well, at that time, during the days of the Soviet Union, the Obama administration did not rule America. If it had, I would not be alive to write to you now. Yes, and many other millions would never have seen the sunlight.

A delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq Rowsch Nuri Shaways arrived August 14 on an official visit to Tehran.

The Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied by the Ministers of Industry, Trade, Energy and Finance, as well as by the heads of the central bank and customs administration of Iraq.

In a three-day visit, they discussed issues of economic relations between Iraq and Iran and opened a branch of the Iraqi bank in Iran.

Iran will aid the Iraqi reconstruction grid and establish the export electricity to Syria, ISNA reported on Thursday, with reference to the Iranian Minister of Energy, Majid Namdz.

Namdz made this statement during a meeting with Energy Minister Karim Aftanom of Iraq.

According to Namdz, Iraq does not have sufficient electrical capacity to transfer the necessary amount of energy to the country. Since Iraq is now experiencing some technical problems with electrical power, Iran will provide help. At the end of September Iran plans to provide the necessary equipment.

Iraq imports from Iran 1200 MW of electricity per day. In July, Iraq's debt to Iran for electricity amounted to 500 million dollars.

In addition, through Iraq, Iran sells electricity to Syria and Lebanon.

"We will establish the supply of electricity from Iran to the Iraqi city of Basra," said Namdz, adding that the first contract was just about to be signed.

In July, Iran and Syria signed two memoranda of understanding on expansion of bilateral cooperation in the field of electricity and water.

In one of the memos, Iran will initially export 50 MW of electricity to Syria through Iraq. In the next phase, electricity exports will increase to 200 MW.

As a result of an economic development plan, in 2015, Iran will increase power generation by 25 GW, and bring it up to 73 GW of energy, the minister said.

Iran currently exchanges electricity with Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Hmm...

The 16th NAM Summit, to be held from 26 to 31 August in Tehran, is a historic opportunity for Iran, in the mind of the Islamic leadership.

The Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran for parliamentary affairs, Lutfullah Furuzanda, said that Iran participates in the dialogue about justice and Islamic awakening, and the convening of the 16th NAM Summit in Tehran is a historic opportunity to further this dialogue.

Furuzanda added that the member countries of NAM demonstrate the essence of the Islamic Revolution, the trust and participation of the people, and the progress and achievements of Iranian experts in the nuclear arena, as well as the nature of the sanctions against Iran.

Furuzanda also stressed the need to expose the true face of the imperialists and Zionists, and said that if the member countries of NAM do not come together and start a common dialogue, world imperialism will continue its expansionist policies until it is destroyed as a movement.

And it all happens in the 21st century. Does this meeting and all other such meetings not represent a danger to global security? Who, where, when, why -- all go to Tehran.

Is such a meeting not the best way to share or sell information, as well as scientific achievements and technology?

Can we assume that the countdown has already begun?

Ten, nine, eight ... three, two...

The poor lamb. "Bomber’s plea: Man behind ’93 WTC attack wants prison rules eased," by Robert Gearty for the New York Daily News, August 22 (thanks to all who sent this in):

The mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing has apparently grown tired of all those pesky rules at a maximum-security prison known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies.”

Ramzi Yousef, 44, serving a life sentence plus 240 years at the so-called Supermax prison in Florence, Colo., is asking an appeals court to soften restrictions at the lockup.

Yousef lives in solitary confinement in a 7-foot-by-11-foot cell and says he no longer poses a threat.

His lawyer, Bernard Kleinman, says the government has never explained why Yousef is still being held under special administrative measures, also known as SAMs.

“They don’t say he tried to make a bomb there or tried to have secret communications with another inmate,” he argued Wednesday to the appellate court.

Kleinman whined that Yousef is the only inmate on a cell block that has six or seven cells. Only two people did brief stints on that wing of the prison — a white supremacist and a drug dealer.

Ramzi Yousef, 44, is currently in prison for life plus 240 years for committing acts of terrorism, including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

“Solitary confinement is a really tough thing to take,” Kleinman said.

Yousef was convicted in the bombing that killed six people and injured more than 1,000 in the February 1993 attack at the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

He was also convicted in a plot to bomb a dozen American planes from the sky.

“Yes, I am a terrorist and am proud of it,” he declared at his sentencing in 1998.

Two New York City police officers help an injured woman away from the scene near the World Trade Center after an explosion in this Feb. 26, 1993.

Now he wants someone to talk to.

“Human interaction is a big issue,” Yousef’s lawyer said after court....

Before the 9/11 attack, Yousef was on a wing with Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and Oklahoma bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

After 9/11, Yousef got his own cell block, Kleinman said.

Yousef’s cell has a toilet, a shower, a radio, a television and a desk. His meals are brought to the cell, and the only time he can leave is for an hour of recreation.

He’s allowed to have books approved by the Bureau of Prisons but any newspapers he sees are cut to remove the “letters to the editor” section.

That’s because of fears there might be a “secret coded message” in one of the letters, the attorney said.

Worth killing for

The worst part about this is that the West will continue trying to curtail the freedom of speech to avoid offending lunatics like this, instead of telling the Islamic world that to react with violent rage to a few cartoons is madness. "Egypt arrests man after nail bomb attack on German embassy," from Reuters, August 22 (thanks to David):

(Reuters) - Police in Egypt on Wednesday arrested a man who tossed four homemade nail bombs into the German embassy grounds and attacked the entrance with a hammer but injured nobody and caused no serious damage, the embassy and security sources said.

The man acted out of anger after reading an Egyptian newspaper report on Friday which described a protest by German right-wing activists who had paraded caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in front of a German mosque, they said.

Many Muslims consider any depiction of the Prophet to be offensive - a series of cartoons in a Danish newspaper in 2005 on the same subject sparked protests across the Islamic world.

"It was just one person who attacked the embassy and damaged the glass of the entrance with a hammer," said a spokeswoman for the German embassy. "There was no major damage and no one hurt."...

Oh, well, then it's OK.

Walter Scott, The Talisman, the Crusades, Richard I of England and Saladin: Myths, Legends and History
by Ibn Warraq
Part 37
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 / Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 / Part 25 / Part 26 / Part 27 / Part 28 / Part 29 / Part 30 / Part 31 / Part 32 / Part 33 / Part 34 / Part 35 / Part 36

C.3 ANDREW EHRENKREUTZ’S SALADIN.

At last, we come to Ehrenkreutz himself. In his introduction, Ehrenkreutz immediately sets out his thesis, and lays out his differences with Lane-Poole and Gibb, at the same time giving a survey of the field singling out historians who had anticipated his own conclusions. For example, in his article on the “Ayyubids” in the Second Edition of the Encyclopaedia of Islam, distinguished French historian Claude Cahen [1909-1991] wrote, “[Saladin] adopted the idea (of the holy war), though it is not possible to discern to what extent ambition was combined with undoubtedly sincere conviction”. While Joshua Prawer in his magnum opus, Histoire du Royaume Latin de Jérusalem, Paris, 1969, complained that ‟Modern historians, seduced by Arabic sources, have sometimes been misled by their tendentious character….There prevails among historians a tendency to attribute a single, dominating idea (une pensée directrice) to all of Saladin’s actions from the day he seized power in Egypt (1169) to his death, twenty-four years later (1193)….A critical biography of the hero of Islamic history is still lacking”.

For Ehrenkreutz, it is obvious that “the political, social, and economic climate prevailing in the Near East in the second half of the twelfth century was not conducive to seeking power through the exercise of tolerance, magnanimity, chivalry, or any altruistic behavior. Besides suffering from the intrusion of the Crusaders, the Byzantines, and the Turkomans, Near Eastern society was torn asunder by factional infighting at all levels of the political hierarchy. In the merciless struggle -- whether between the Sunni caliphate of the Abbasids and the Shiite caliphate of the Fatimids, the Saljuqid sultans and the Arab emirs, or between local dynasts and ambitious atabegs -- all means were employed to achieve victory. Ideological or religious principles were readily compromised; the presence of the Crusaders primarily furnished an opportunity for expanding diplomatic intrigues, or for promoting selfish propaganda, rather than uniting the leaders in a sincere effort to defend Islam. Hence one finds Sunni vizirs and jurists in the service of the Shiite Fatimids, military assistance rendered by Arab tribes to the Crusaders, or an alliance between Muslim Damascus and and the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. In this dangerous political game there was no place for people lacking ambition or leadership qualities. To become a contender one needed the support of a family or a faction; to overcome other contenders one required proper military training, political and diplomatic skills, as well as a natural talent of charismatic leadership. Above all, one needed a lot of luck!” [pp.7-8]

SKEPTICISM OF LANE-POOLE - GIBB ACCOUNT OF SALADIN’S YOUNGER DAYS.

First, Ehrenkreutz carefully dismantles the idea that Saladin was a shy, retiring, unambitious goody-goody. We know from Bahā’ al-Dīn and Abu Shama that early in 1169, Saladin “renounced wine, gave up vain pastimes and donned the garments of seriousness and pious endeavour”. [1] Ehrenkreutz draws the obvious conclusion: “that until he turned thirty-one, Saladin had not always been averse to drinking and other worldly temptations. And it would indicate that the young officer was not too strongly influenced by the moral example of Nur al-Din, who was well known for his ardent attachment to religion and for his scrupulous observance of Islamic precepts. In any event, Saladin never performed the pilgrimage to Mecca, in spite of the fact that in 1157 Ayyub [his father] and 1160 Shirkuh [his uncle], each led a caravan of pilgrims from Damascus. In 1161 Shirkuh once again served as the leader of the pilgrim caravan which included the mighty Nur al-Din himself. In spite of these examples set by father, his uncle, and his influential superior, Saladin did not avail himself of those opportunities to fulfill the fundamental religious obligation incumbent on every Muslim” [pp 32-33].

[1] Bahā’ al-Dīn Ibn Shaddād, The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin or al-Nawādir al-Sulṭāniyya wa‘l-Maḥāsin al-Yūsufiyya, trans. D.S.Richards, Ashgate:Aldershot, 2002,p.45.

To be continued.

Ibn Warraq is the author of numerous books, including Why the West Is Best and Why I Am Not A Muslim.

"Hasan has grown a beard in violation of Army regulations, saying it's an expression of his Muslim faith." So what? His jihad murders were also an expression of his Muslim faith. He has violated army regulations, but what the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces fails to understand is that he is not in the army at all, in any real sense. He is a jihadi, a soldier of Allah, by his own account (as I explained here). Shave him, try him, execute him.

"Fort Hood suspect's beard still causing case delay," from the Associated Press, August 22 (thanks to Kenneth):

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- The government has a Wednesday deadline to tell an appeals court why an Army psychiatrist charged in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage should be clean-shaven during his murder trial.

Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces delayed Maj. Nidal Hasan's court-martial while it considers his objection to being forcibly shaved.

Hasan has grown a beard in violation of Army regulations, saying it's an expression of his Muslim faith. The judge, Col. Gregory Gross, has banned Hasan from courtroom hearings but said he will be forcibly shaved before the trial if he does not shave the beard himself.

Hasan faces the death penalty if convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the attack on the Texas Army post.

And the world yawns. But leave bacon in a park where Muslims are gathering, and brace yourself for the outcry!

"Mosul Iraq's 'Most Dangerous City' For Christians," from Worthy News, August 20 (thanks to Lachlan):

MOSUL, IRAQ (Worthy News)– Mosul is now one of the most violent cities in Iraq with Christians and other minorities singled out for attacks and thousands continue to flee from the troubled nation, a Christian group said Thursday, August 16.

The attacks against Christians in Mosul and all of Iraq amount to "religicide," warned Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors USA, the American branch of the international Open Doors group.

"Christians in cities like Baghdad and Mosul are gripped by terrorism. They are fleeing in droves. Today it was reported that at least 20 people died in blasts and shootings across the country," he added.

Before 2003, Mosul was home to 75,000 Christians with some 70 percent belonging to the Chaldean Church, while the rest were Syriac Orthodox and Catholic, according Open Doors estimates. "Now approximately 25,000 Christians live in Mosul, which has a population of 2 million. Many more Christians live in the surrounding Nineveh province," the organization added in a statement.

Christians have left the Iraqi city since 2003 when U.S. forces deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The war triggered a wave of continuous violence in the second largest city in Iraq.

FORGOTTEN NATION?

"With the spotlight currently on Syria, Nigeria and Afghanistan and the pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq last December, Iraq has been placed on the back-burner," Moeller said. "But we as Christians in the West must continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Iraq, who face extinction if we don't pray and advocate for them."

He said that almost no day passes without someone being killed by bombs or bullets in what is the capital of Nineveh province.

Besides Christians, policemen, soldiers or officials working for the government have also been killed.

"In the midst of all this, it's not difficult to find examples of growing hostility towards Christians" including in May when 20 families in Mosul received "threatening letters," Open Doors said. The letters reportedly warned them to move out of Mosul or face possible violence or kidnapping.

A Mosul Christian was quoted as saying that "terrorists in Mosul visited four real estate agents, asking the names of Christians who recently sold their houses." With this information, Open Doors said, "they know who has money and might be possible targets for kidnappings."

AGENT KILLED

One of the agents who refused to give information "to the terrorists was killed," Open Doors said. Also in Mosul, the house of a Christian was set on fire, and the police dismantled a bomb placed in the car of another Christian, according to the well-informed group.

General Ahmed M. Aljaboury, director general of the Mosul police said in published remarks that between 2005 and 2011 his forces "recorded the assassination of about 69 Christians, including university students, priests, female employees and housewives."

Two waves of reported killings and intimidation in 2008 and 2010 sent Christians fleeing from Mosul in such haste that the United Nations had to arrange emergency assistance. Thousands of Christians have fled to Turkey, Jordan, Europe and the United States.

Open Doors said that before the Gulf War in 1991 there were some 1 million Christians in Iraq, ranked Number nine on its 2012 World Watch List of the "worst persecutors of Christians."

Yet, that number fell to some 750.000-850,000 in 2003, according to several Christian sources followed by Worthy News. Since then the numbers have "plummeted" claimed Open Doors, which estimates the number of Christians remaining in Iraq at 345,000. "However, the number decreases every month."...

Actually it was Muslims, Islamic jihadists, who threw the grenades. How odd! But at least it wasn't bacon. That would have been a hate crime. This will hardly be noticed at all.

"Grenades at east Afghan mosque wound 9 praying," from The Associated Press, August 22 (thanks to David):

An official says three grenades were thrown into a mosque compound during morning prayers in eastern Afghanistan, wounding at least nine worshippers.

Wednesday's attack in Khost province comes a day after a series of bombs across Afghanistan killed 46 people. It was the deadliest day for civilians this year.

The Khost police chief says one of the grenades exploded inside the mosque itself in Baghi Sara area. Two others landed in the courtyard outside and one of those failed to detonate. The police chief, Sardar Mohammad Zazai, blamed Taliban insurgents.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid issued a statement saying the insurgents had attacked a U.S. base in Khost with a suicide bomber but did not acknowledge the mosque attack....

But remember: these are the moderates. These are the voices of calm, reason and tolerance, with whom we can and must negotiate and make concessions to show our good will. "PA Sheikh: 'Strike with an iron fist' those who eat in public during Ramadan," by Itamar Marcus for Palestinian Media Watch, August 22:

A Palestinian Authority cleric has ruled that the PA must prohibit eating in public during Ramadan and should severely punish anyone who violates this law. To back up his ruling, he cited a Hadith (Islamic tradition attributed to Muhammad) that for anyone who fails to fast, "his blood becomes permitted [to be shed]." He called on PA police to "strike with an iron fist" and give "the heaviest punishments" to those who eat in public.

Palestinian Media Watch reported earlier this month that the PA has prohibited even non-Muslims from eating in public during the month of fasting, and that 6 people had been arrested by the PA for public eating.

The following is the text of the ruling, which was published by Sheikh Hassan Ahmed Jaber, Mufti of the Rafiah district and a member of the Supreme Council for Religious Rulings in Palestine, in his daily Ramadan column:

"The Prophet [Muhammad] said: 'The pillars of religion and foundations of Islam are three, and whoever neglects any one of them - his blood is permitted [to be shed]: the testimony that there is no God but Allah; fasting [during Ramadan]; and prayer.' [Hadith] Anyone who eats in public during Ramadan, denying the commandment of the fast and renouncing it, is violating Allah's laws and rebelling against Allah, Who said: 'O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you...' [Sura 2, verse 183]. [By eating] he leaves the circle of Islam, and his blood becomes permitted [to be shed]. Also, eating in public during Ramadan hurts the sensitivities of all Muslims around the entire world...
Therefore, I call upon all our [security] services in the PA to strike with an iron fist anyone who gives in to temptation and eats in public during Ramadan, by applying the heaviest punishments, until our society is pure, clean and close to Allah."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 13, 2012]

Act of war. "Iran's supreme leader orders fresh terror attacks on West," by Con Coughlin in the Telegraph, August 22 (thanks to Lachlan):

Iran's Supreme Leader has ordered the country's Revolutionary Guards to intensify its campaign of terror attacks against the West and its allies in retaliation for supporting the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

According to Western intelligence officials, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave the order to the elite Quds Force unit following a recent emergency meeting of Iran's National Security Council in Tehran held to discuss a specially-commissioned report into the implications for Iran of the Assad regime's overthrow.

Damascus is Iran's most important regional ally, and the survival of the Assad regime is regarded as vital to sustaining the Iranian-backed Hizbollah militia which controls southern Lebanon.

The report, which was personally commissioned by Mr Khamenei, concluded that Iran's national interests were being threatened by a combination of the U.N. sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear programme and the West's continuing support for Syrian opposition groups attempting to overthrow the Syrian government.

Intelligence officials say the report concludes that Iran "cannot be passive" to the new threats posed to its national security, and warns that Western support for Syrian opposition groups was placing Iran's "resistance alliance" in jeopardy, and could seriously disrupt Iran's access to Hizbollah in Lebanon.

It advised that the Iranian regime should demonstrate to the West that there were "red lines" over what it would accept in Syria, and that a warning should be sent to "America, the Zionists, Britain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others that they cannot act with impunity in Syria and elsewhere in the region."

Mr Khamenei responded by issuing a directive to Qassem Suleimani, the Quds Force commander, to intensify attacks against the West and its allies around the world.

The Quds Force has recently been implicated in a series of terror attacks against Western targets. Last year U.S. officials implicated the organisation in a failed assassination attempt against the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington. It was also implicated in three bomb attacks against Israeli diplomats in February, planning to attack the Eurovision song contest in Azerbaijan while two Iranians were arrested in Kenya last month for possessing explosives....

Youm-7, one of Egypt’s popular secular media that was recently attacked by Muslim Brotherhood supporters, reports that at least seventeen Christian bookstores in Shubra, one of Cairo’s largest districts, are under threat for selling Christian icons and statues. The storeowners, who are “in panic,” say they received threat letters by mail demanding that they stop selling their “idolatry.”

Among other things, the letters, copies of which were presented to Youm-7, say “We warn you Nassara [Koran’s derogatory term for Christians] to cease your foul trade, whereby you sell filthy idols.”

Accordingly, the bookshop owners rushed to the police stations to file reports in the hopes that the identities of those sending such letters be revealed. The report concludes by saying not much has been done to secure the stores and that only one security agent has been sent to patrol, and only during morning hours.

What is amazing about this story is the amount of official attention it got. Yesterday we saw the New York City Police Commissioner commenting on it and announcing that it was a "bias event." Today it seems otherwise, although I am sure more taxpayer money will be expended in order to find this caller and interrogate him in order to make sure he's not just trying to cover his "Islamophobic" tracks.

It is also illustrative of the Islamic supremacist avidity to find hate crimes against themselves, so as to portray themselves as victims and deflect attention away from jihad activity, that they see bacon on the ground in a park and think "Hate crime!" instead of "Some guy is feeding the animals."

Meanwhile, genuine acts of hate, such as the ongoing vandalism of our AFDI Islamorealism ads in New York, goes ignored by police officials and is celebrated by the New York Times.

"Caller: Bacon was for animals, not anti-Muslim act," from the Associated Press, August 22 (thanks to all who sent this in):

NEW YORK (AP) -- A New York City newspaper says it received an anonymous call from a person claiming to have discarded spoiled bacon in a park where Muslims had scheduled Ramadan prayers.

The caller said he was putting it out for seagulls and raccoons to eat, not as an anti-Muslim statement.

The Staten Island Advance ( http://bit.ly/ReDRtS ) said the message was left Tuesday on a reporter's voicemail.

The caller said "It was not any ... anti-Muslim act, and I did not want to offend anybody."

The NYPD is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. It was informed of the call but declined to discuss it....

That's not surprising, because they have egg on their face. With a side of bacon.

The other day I discussed recent events in Egypt under President Morsi. A brief clip follows from The Blaze:

The mullahs should listen to Islamic spokesmen in the West and realize the high degree of respect that Islam has for women. "Anger as Iran bans women from universities," by Robert Tait for the Telegraph, August 20 (thanks to Jane):

Female students in Iran have been barred from more than 70 university degree courses in an officially-approved act of sex-discrimination which critics say is aimed at defeating the fight for equal women's rights.

In a move that has prompted a demand for a UN investigation by Iran's most celebrated human rights campaigner, the Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, 36 universities have announced that 77 BA and BSc courses in the coming academic year will be "single gender" and effectively exclusive to men.

It follows years in which Iranian women students have outperformed men, a trend at odds with the traditional male-dominated outlook of the country's religious leaders. Women outnumbered men by three to two in passing this year's university entrance exam.

Senior clerics in Iran's theocratic regime have become concerned about the social side-effects of rising educational standards among women, including declining birth and marriage rates.

Under the new policy, women undergraduates will be excluded from a broad range of studies in some of the country's leading institutions, including English literature, English translation, hotel management, archaeology, nuclear physics, computer science, electrical engineering, industrial engineering and business management.

The Oil Industry University, which has several campuses across the country, says it will no longer accept female students at all, citing a lack of employer demand. Isfahan University provided a similar rationale for excluding women from its mining engineering degree, claiming 98% of female graduates ended up jobless....

Non-Muslims know well that only greasy Islamophobes believe that Islam is anything but a Religion of Peace. Yet somehow a steady stream of converts to the religion keep misunderstanding it as enjoining them to wage war against infidels. Yet nary a single Islamic organization in the U.S., Canada or Europe has a program to prevent converts and other young Muslims from misunderstanding Islam in this way.

"The Canadian who converted to jihad: Boxer turned militant killed in Dagestan," by Stewart Bell in the National Post, August 20 (thanks to all who sent this in):

In the video he shot inside his hut in the mountains of Dagestan last winter, William Plotnikov narrated as he panned from the black flag of jihad to three bearded rebels and their assault rifles.

Then he turned the camera on himself.

“I ask Allah that the next season he’ll give us the opportunity to kill as many kafirs [non-believers] as we can, just to shred them to pieces,” William said. “Allah is almighty.”

Watching the clip on the computer in his apartment north of Toronto last week, Vitaly Plotnikov looked both heartbroken and perplexed. It was hard for him to accept that this was his son.

“It’s just like a different person to me,” he said.

Russian security forces announced last month that they had killed William, a 23-year-old Canadian, during a gun battle in Dagestan. Since then, the Canadian government has been trying to verify the Russians’ account.

But in an interview with the National Post, Mr. Plotnikov confirmed William’s death and spoke for the first time about his son’s rapid transformation from Toronto teenager and champion boxer to Muslim convert and jihadist fighter.

What seemed to amaze Mr. Plotnikov most was how fast it all happened. His son only became interested in Islam in 2009, he said. Within a year, he had left Canada and by July he was dead. He had gone from convert to martyr in less than three years.

He is not the first radicalized Canadian to die under such circumstances, but he is believed to be the first Canadian convert to die fighting in the name of jihad— all the others having been born into their faith. His father said William became so radicalized he did not even consider the other Muslims he met to be true Muslims. He claimed that Canada and the U.S. were a source of evil for Muslims.

“How can the mind of a person be changed in such a short period of time?” Mr. Plotnikov asked inside the York Region apartment where he keeps William’s boxing medals in a copper trophy on a shelf....

How indeed? Intelligence and law enforcement officials are forbidden to investigate the true answer to that question, so they stumble along in the dark, muttering about how poverty causes terrorism. The consequences of this -- a catastrophic jihad attack that they were prevented from heading off by politically correct willful blindness about Islam -- have already come to pass at Fort Hood, and will again.

In FrontPage this morning I discuss the upcoming Islamic supremacist extravaganza at the Democratic National Convention:

It is no surprise, after four years of Obama Administration pandering, Muslim groups have a prominent role at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. The Charlotte Observer reports that organizers expect as many as 20,000 Muslims to attend the “Jumah at the DNC” series of events being organized by the Bureau of Indigenous Muslim Affairs (BIMA). Among these events is an all-day “Islamic Cultural & Fun Fest,” which will include a “TownHall Issues Conference” that will address “issues such as Islamaphobia, Anti-Shariah, Middle Eastern Crisis, Patriot Act, National Defense Authorization Act and more.”

There is no doubt whatsoever that this “TownHall Issues Conference” will not include any discussion of Islamic jihad terror plotting in the U.S., or of how Muslim groups have tried to exaggerate the problem of “Islamophobia” by faking hate crimes. It is likewise certain that the “Anti-Shariah” issue will be portrayed as an attempt by bigoted Americans to restrict Muslim religious freedom, when in reality it is solely an attempt to prevent the political and supremacist aspects of Islamic law that are at variance with constitutional freedoms from gaining a foothold here. Certain also is that the discussions of the Patriot Act and the National Defense Authorization Act will focus on how these measures are supposedly excessive and unfairly target Muslims.

The overall thrust of the entire “TownHall Issues Conference,” as is clear from its stated agenda, is to portray Muslims as the innocent victims of a bigoted, racist and “Islamophobic” government and law enforcement establishment that is unfairly scapegoating Muslims as a whole for the misguided deeds of a few on September 11, 2001. It will include no discussion of the many attempted jihad attacks against the U.S. since then, or of the successful ones, such as Nidal Malik Hasan’s massacre at Fort Hood or Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad’s murders outside a military recruiting station in Little Rock, Arkansas. Any and all scrutiny of the Muslim community in the U.S. will be portrayed as gratuitous and unwarranted. The assembled Democrats, meanwhile, will be falling all over themselves to promise that whatever domestic counter-terror apparatus the Obama administration has failed to dismantle during its first term will go under the knife during its second.

But the most disturbing aspect of the entire “Jumah at the DNC” is not the obvious victimhood-mongering of its agenda, but the people involved. The Democrats are playing host to an unsavory gang of Islamic supremacists with numerous ties to jihad groups. Even this is not surprising, but it should be a matter of concern to any Americans who are more aware of the jihad threat than the average politically correct Democrat pol.

There is more.

"Hammadi's defense attorney, Jim Earhart of Louisville, said his client 'grew up in a different world' and never intended to get caught up in shipping weapons and explosives to al-Qaida in Iraq," but you know how these things can just happen to someone. You can be just going about your business, walking the dog, buying groceries, and whammo! Suddenly you find yourself shipping weapons to al-Qaeda! I hate when that happens.

"Iraqi man pleads guilty in Ky. terrorism case," by Brett Barrouquere for the Associated Press, August 21 (thanks to Kenneth):

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - An Iraqi man pleaded guilty Tuesday to 10 charges of conspiring to send weapons, cash and explosives to al-Qaida in Iraq and two counts of lying to federal immigration agents to get into the United States and stay in the country.

Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 24, gave simple "yes" and "I plead guilty" answers to questions from U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell in federal court in Louisville. The surprise plea came a week before Hammadi was set to stand trial on the charges in Bowling Green, Ky., where he and a co-defendant were arrested in May 2011 after a federal sting operation.

Hammadi, who did not have a plea agreement with prosecutors, faces 25 years to life in federal prison plus millions of dollars in fines when he's sentenced Dec. 5. He had been scheduled for trial Aug. 28 in Bowling Green. The co-defendant, 30-year-old Waad Ramadan Alwan, previously pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 3 in Bowling Green.

The plea came as good news to soldiers who fought near the city of Bayji, Iraq, in the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad in 2005, where Hammadi and Alwan told the FBI they worked as insurgents. Six Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers died in that area in August 2005 and Hammadi and Alwan told the FBI and an informant that they were active insurgents there....

Hammadi's defense attorney, Jim Earhart of Louisville, said his client "grew up in a different world" and never intended to get caught up in shipping weapons and explosives to al-Qaida in Iraq. Earhart described Hammadi as willing to plead guilty rather than go through the rigors of a trial to achieve the same result.

"He's hesitant. He's 24 years-old," Earhart said. "He's looking at 25 years to life. Who wouldn't be?"

Earlier in the day at a pre-trial hearing, U.S. Justice Department attorney Larry Schneider said the government has "definitive proof" linking Hammadi to insurgent attacks after the American-led invasion of Iraq....

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Calhoun spelled out nine charges against Hammadi involving attempts to ship sniper rifles, cases of C4 explosives, rocket propelled grenades, hand grenades, machine guns and wads of cash to al-Qaida in Iraq from January 2011 until the sting operation closed in May 2011. Calhoun also laid out count 10, which involved an attempt to send Stinger missile systems and counts 11 and 12, which charged Hammadi with lying about prior associations with terrorist organizations on a form to enter the United States as a refugee and another form seeking permanent legal resident status....

Over at Atlas Shrugs I take apart an article that has been making the rounds of Islamic supremacist news sites. Longtime Jihad Watch readers and commenters may remember Wagner as a typically supercilious and arrogant Islamic apologist commenter known as "13Martyrs."

Arab News, an English-language Saudi publication based in Jeddah, published an opinion piece last week by its editor, Rob L. Wagner: “Institutionalized Islamophobia.” Apparently Wagner, an American convert to Islam who lives in Saudi Arabia and is married to a Saudi woman, expressed views that are widespread among English-speaking Muslim journalists, as al-Arabiya also picked up his piece. And indeed, Wagner’s piece is a splendid example of the leaps of logic, hysteria, distortion of facts, and defamation of freedom fighters that characterize all the literature that is churned out in increasing quantity by the Leftist/Islamic supremacist “Islamophobia” Muslim victimhood industry.

Wagner begins by referring to the recent neo-Nazi murder of six Sikhs inside a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, noting correctly that “the media commented the killer must have mistaken the worshippers for Muslims,” but failing to point out that there was and is absolutely no evidence that the killer actually had intended to target Muslims rather than Sikhs. Wagner tries to cover this up by stating that “since 9/11, the Sikh Coalition reported more than 300 attacks against Sikhs and their temples,” and that four days after 9/11, a Sikh was murdered because “he apparently was mistaken for a Muslim.” He follows by recounting a recent incident in which a Sikh temple was defaced by graffiti referring to 9/11, but makes no attempt to establish that all or even a majority of the attacks on Sikhs were perpetrated by people who thought they were Muslims.

Another failed sleight of hand follows. Wagner grants that “up until 2010, the number of attacks against Muslims dropped since 9/11,” and that in 2009, according to FBI statistics, there were “just 107. However, in 2010, anti-Muslim attacks rose to 160.” Immediately following this comes: “The United States has been through this before with the persecution of Japanese Americans during World War II when more than 100,000 were interned in camps in California and the Northwest.”

Now, wait a minute. Any and every attack on an individual solely because of his religion is reprehensible and to be condemned, but “the United States has been through this before”? 160 hate crimes, which range from shouted insults to actual assaults, now equal the internment of 100,000 Japanese Americans? Rob L. Wagner would like you to think so, because he is doing his best to push the idea that Muslims in America are the victims of widespread violence and discrimination in the United States today. Postwar Japanese Americans, he asserts, “still often faced discrimination in housing and employment,” and likewise today, “anti-Muslim violence and discrimination continue with regularity 11 years after the New York and Pennsylvania attacks.”

Yet Wagner does not, and cannot, adduce even a single example of Muslims facing discrimination in housing and employment, because they don’t. “It’s telling,” he says, “that Sikhs mistaken as Muslim is ‘understandable’ and that attacks against Muslims are ‘expected.’” But whom is he actually quoting who said that it was understandable that Sikhs would be mistaken for Muslims and that attacks on Muslims were expected? He doesn’t say, and here again, he does not because he cannot. No one says such things, but Wagner has to invent the specter of someone doing so in order to buttress his narrative of Muslims as victims, rather than perpetrators, of religion-based violence.

“Islam,” Wagner complains, “in the minds of many Americans means terrorism. No other religious group suffers a similar stigma.” Of course, no other religion has believers all over the world who virtually on a daily basis commit violence in its name and cite chapter and verse of its holy book to justify that violence, but Wagner doesn’t mention that. Instead, he claims that “anti-Muslim hatred is a moneymaking business that has attracted the kind of people who once handed out leaflets on street corners and lived in the basement of their parents’ home” – and then he supplies a list that includes, among others, (of course) Pamela Geller, David Horowitz, “Walfa” (sic) Sultan and me.

The ad hominem attack is a typical feature of writings that try to convince Americans that “Islamophobia” is a real problem and Islamic jihad terrorism isn’t. I doubt that Wagner has ever met Geller, Wafa Sultan, or Horowitz, and he has certainly never met me (although he used to leave nasty comments in large numbers at my website www.jihadwatch.org). He has no idea if any of us are actually “the kind of people who once handed out leaflets on street corners and lived in the basement of their parents’ home,” and as for the idea that countering jihad is a “moneymaking business,” I am quite certain that Arab News is better funded than any organization dedicated to resisting the spread of Islamic supremacism in the West.

Wagner also contradicts himself, for even though we are the sort of losers who would or should live in our parents’ basements, we’ve been remarkably (even diabolically!) effective: “The efforts by Spencer et al has changed the dynamic how Americans view Muslims and even how some members in government treat them.” He quotes Islamic supremacist writer Reza Aslan making the preposterous and hysterical charge that “Islamophobia has become so mainstream in this country that Americans have been trained to expect violence against Muslims — not excuse it, but expect it.”

In reality, no one expects violence against Muslims, but many Americans expect Muslims to be violent – and that’s what Wagner and Aslan are upset about. But all their wolf-crying about “Islamophobia” cannot alter the fact that those Americans are concerned about Muslims not because of Pamela Geller and me, but because of the likes of Naser Abdo, the would-be second Fort Hood jihad mass murderer; and Khalid Aldawsari, the would-be jihad mass murderer in Lubbock, Texas; and Muhammad Hussain, the would-be jihad bomber in Baltimore; and Mohamed Mohamud, the would-be jihad bomber in Portland; and Faisal Shahzad, the would-be Times Square jihad mass-murderer; and Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, the Arkansas military recruiting station jihad murderer; and Naveed Haq, the jihad mass murderer at the Jewish Community Center in Seattle; and Mohammed Reza Taheri-Azar, the would-be jihad mass murderer in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh, who hatched a jihad plot to blow up a Manhattan synagogue; and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the would-be Christmas airplane jihad bomber; and many others like them who have plotted and/or committed mass murder in the name of Islam and are motivated by its texts and teachings — all in the U.S. in the last couple of years.

Clearly Wagner and Aslan have the same goal: they both want to deflect attention away from the reality of these jihad plots and establish their spurious narrative that Muslims are really the victims. Insofar as they are heeded, anti-terror scrutiny lessens, and jihadis are able to plan their next mass murders unimpeded. And by that, we see clearly which side Rob Wagner and Reza Aslan are on.

UPDATE: Pamela Geller has additional information:

UPDATE: On July 8, Colorado Governor John W. Hickenlooper issued an executive order that actually did lift the statewide fireworks ban: "I hereby rescind Executive Order D 2012-015. This Executive Order rescinds the state-wide ban on open burning, including campfires, warming fires, charcoal grill fires, fused explosives, and FIREWORKS." See it here. He had issued the ban in an earlier executive order on June 14. This meant that Coloradans could not shoot off fireworks on July 4, but Muslims could at the end of Ramadan. And why did the police officers below not know that the ban had been lifted? Was it their malfeasance, or was the lifting of the ban not publicized for some reason, except to special groups?

------------------------------------------------------------------

A statewide ban on fireworks is not a statewide ban on fireworks when Muslims are setting them off. To enforce the ban would be "Islamophobic," doncha know.

"Sharia in Colorado: Special accommodations for a special class, Muslims," from Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs, August 21:

Once again we see special rules for Muslims in accordance with the sharia and Islamic supremacism. Anywhere American law and Islamic law conflict, it is American law that has to give way. Check this out from Atlas reader Chris: 

Very few are talking about it here in Denver Colorado. American citizens were banned from celebrating our national birthday the Fourth of July. Fireworks were and are still banned unless it was to celebrate the end of Ramadan. I have asked several police officers what the huge fireworks show was and they replied that it was the local Islamic center celebrating. I then asked if the statewide ban on fireworks was still in effect and they said yes. So logically I asked did they have a permit for such a large display. The answer was no and that the police were not to respond to calls about it.

Pamela Geller skillfully eviscerates this spectacularly vicious and wrongheaded piece in Haaretz. I myself find it astounding that Haaretz considers it more important to denigrate and destroy Pamela Geller and her efforts on behalf of Israel than to devote any serious effort to exposing the jihad against Israel and resisting its advance. What their calculation could be, I cannot fathom. Do they think that if they show themselves to be just as enthusiastic in fighting the foes of jihad as is Hamas-linked CAIR and other Islamic supremacist groups, that the jihadis will go lightly on them?

"'A Special Place in Hell' for the true enemies of Israel .... Haaretz," by Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs, August 21:

...Here, Bradley Burston posits that naziophobia, not Nazism, will be the end of the European Jewry. Well, not exactly, but pretty damn close.

Truth is the recognition of reality, and the fact is, the root cause of the Palestinian conflict, Islamic Jew-hatred, cannot be ignored or swept under the rug. There can be no peace until the motive for Jewish genocide is understood and combatted. Burston wants to kill the messenger. Does he really believe that can save the Jewish people? We tried that. Remember? It failed in unimaginable proportion....

The title of this piece is so absurd that it is amazing that even a Leftist propaganda sheet like Haaretz published it. Muslims explicitly and proudly motivated by Islamic texts and teachings have murdered countless numbers of Israeli civilians. Islamic doctrine regarding the impermissibility of infidel rule on what they consider to be Muslim land and the quran's demonization of the Jews have doomed every Israeli concession to futility and every attempt at a negotiated settlement to failure. Israel is on the front lines of the global Islamic jihad, and this Jewicidal tool Bradley Burston says that "Islamophobia," not Islam, will be the end of Israel. How many Israeli civilians have been murdered by "Islamophobia"? How many rocket attacks have "Islamophobes" launched against Israel? How many "Islamophobes" have blown themselves up on buses and in pizza parlors full of Jews?

Caroline Glick was so supportive of the ad, she urged her readers to contribute here. Want to help us get these up in other cities where the anti-Israel ad ran? Contribute here.

"Islamophobia, not Islam, will be the end of Israel" by Bradley Burston, Haaretz, August 21:

Israel has elaborate defense systems against military attack and terrorism. Its defenses against its extremists, such as professional bigot Pamela Geller, are much more porous.

Islamophobia, not Islam, will be the end of Israel Israel has elaborate defense systems against military attack and terrorism. Its defenses against its extremists, such as professional bigot Pamela Geller, are much more porous.

SAN FRANCISCO – Everyone knows how it works. Everyone knows what it sounds like. Everyone knows how easy it is to get away with it.

Everyone knows, deep down, that hatred feeds on tolerance. That however well-intentioned, a society's forbearance for the toxic slur, for the poison of ethnic or religious or racial prejudice, does hatred invaluable service.

No one knows this better than professional bigots. People like Pamela Geller, who pass themselves off as supporters of a worthy cause even as their hatred and prejudice stain and undermine anything and everything worthy about that cause.

Burston sounds as if he is working from Hamas-CAIR talking points (and he could well be). In his eyes, it is "hatred and prejudice" to acknowledge the truth about Islam's doctrines of jihad and Jew-hatred. It is "hatred and prejudice" to work for the freedom of speech against Islam's blasphemy law, and for the freedom of conscience against Islam's death penalty for apostasy, and for equality of rights for all people against Islam's systematic oppression of women and non-Muslims. But what do you think he has written about the real hatred and prejudice that Islamic imams spew on a daily basis against Jews and other infidels? Nothing. Nothing at all. But he did write Haaretz's earlier front-page hit piece on me.

Imagine if Haaretz went after the enemies of the Jews with the same energy with which they go after staunch defenders of Israel.

For years, in the guise of supporting Israel, Geller has engaged in promoting hatred of Islam. In recent weeks, in a campaign timed to coincide with Muslims' observance of the sacred month of Ramadan, her American Freedom Defense Initiative has run caustic, self-styled "pro-Israel" advertisements on the sides of public transit buses in San Francisco.

Burston has nothing to say about how about 565 civilians were killed in Iraq in jihad attacks during the just-concluded "sacred month of Ramadan." He has nothing to say about the murderous, Jew-killing Muslims in Bulgaria who said that "Ramadan is a month of holy war and death for Allah. It is a month for fighting the enemies of Allah and God's messenger, the Jews and their American facilitators." None of that bothers him. What bothers him is if I dare during the "sacred month of Ramadan" to point out the number of jihad attacks since 911. How they must be laughing inside the offices of Hamas-CAIR.

There is much more. Read it all.

The person who did this, if it was indeed done in order to irritate the gathering Muslims, was indeed a creep. But those who have defaced our AFDI Islamorealism ads in New York train stations are also creeps, and no one is calling that a "hate crime" or calling for an investigation. You have to be a member of a special, privileged class to warrant that kind of treatment. You can be sure that if pro-Islam ads had been defaced, the hate crimes unit would be out in force.

"NYPD Probing Hate Crime After Bacon Found At Staten Island Ramadan Site," from CBS News, August 20 (thanks to all who sent this in):

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police are investigating an unusual bias crime on Staten Island.

Muslims who gathered for prayer to celebrate the end of Ramadan in a city park found bacon scattered on the ground, CBS 2’s John Slattery reported Monday.

With Ramadan ending this past weekend, Muslims celebrated the end of fasting with prayer. On Staten Island an outdoor service was held Sunday on a New Dorp football field, attracting some 1,500 Muslims.

But before most of the faithful arrived for Morning Prayer, it was discovered that someone had scattered a quantity of raw bacon on the field.

“This has been determined to be a bias event on the part of our Hate Crimes Task Force,” NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters, including WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb.

“On a website associated with this celebration was some derogatory comments and at the site itself, three packages of raw bacon were found,” Kelly added.

Followers of Islam are forbidden to eat pork. Even before the bacon was located, someone left offensive messages on the organization’s website.

“…That he or she was going to do something with a fat pig right at the time of morning prayer,” said Hesham El-Meligy of the Islamic Civic Association of Staten Island.

“The statement came from someone who identified himself as ’007Midland,’” Kelly said on Monday afternoon. “Obviously, we’re conducting an investigation to determine who put the message on the website.”

Police computer experts are trying to locate the identity of that person, whom Muslim organizers of the prayer service said was clearly trying to taunt Muslims through intimidation, like other symbols disturbing to African-Americans or Jews.

“Whether burning crosses or swastikas, a small minority are trying to threaten other people,” said Muneer Awad, executive director of the New York chapter of the [Hamas-linked] Council on Islamic Relations.

“This isn’t what America’s about. This isn’t about intolerance, our diversity is our strength and we’re encouraging people to embrace that diversity,” Awad told 1010 WINS.

Clearly what was done was offensive, someone hoping to incite people about to engage in prayer.

Because the offensive meat was found early, organizers said the prayer service was shifted to another area of the park. So, most of those present didn’t know of the problem until the service was over.

*Shiver*

It is unlikely that he said anything like this when Mubarak was in power, but of course Mubarak did not rule according to Islamic law. "Egypt: Conspiring Against Ruler Is Conspiring Against God - Salafi," from Aswat Masriya, August 19 (thanks to Twostellas):

Salafi (ultraconservative) leader and member of the constituent assembly, tasked with rewriting the constitution, Saeed Abdel Azeem, said that conspiring against Egypt's ruler (President Mohamed Mursi) is equal to conspiring against God.

Describing Egypt's president as the "ruling imam", Abdel Azeem argued that as Mursi may be unable to apply the law of God fully at this point, the nation must overcome political differences and rally behind him.

He added in his Eid speech on Sunday in Alexandria's Shohadaa Square that Egypt will return to being ruled by Islam and Prophet Mohamed's Sunnah and not democracy, socialism or nationalism.

The Salafi politician insisted that all forces must unite in order for God's law to be applied during an era, he described as, "of phenomenons"; where tyrants fall and it is useful to follow those who came before us and not those of modern times....

His family and associates deny that that was what he was doing, insisting that he was a gentle, peaceful soul whose whole life's mission was peace. But he himself wrote about how some Muslims who are sweet and gentle among their fellow Muslims are lions on the battlefield. That doesn't mean that he himself was fighting on the battlefield, of course, but clearly he would have had no objection to doing so, contrary to the implications of his family's statements. "Sydney sheikh killed in Syria: reports," by Leesha McKenny for the Sydney Morning Herald, August 21 (thanks to David):

A POPULAR Sydney sheikh and teacher has been killed by a rocket attack in Syria, his family in Australia has confirmed.

Sheikh Mustapha Al Majzoub died on Sunday while carrying out humanitarian and charity work in conflict-torn country, the family said in a statement, which also thanked the community for its support and messages of condolences.

‘‘Although it is a time of sadness as we have lost a much loved member of our family, we are honoured that Sheikh Mustafa died doing what he has been doing his entire life - selflessly serving the community for the sake of pleasing God,’’ it said.

He was buried in Syria yesterday with his funeral presided over by his brother, Sheikh Fedaa Majzoub, the only Australian member of the opposition Syrian National Council,

Due to the difficulties accessing information from Syria, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is yet to confirm Sheikh Al Majzoub’s death, or whether he is the first Australian to die in Syria's ongoing conflict.

Tributes for the well-known sheikh, who was of Syrian heritage, have flooded social media sites ahead of a gathering to be attended by his family in Lakemba tonight.

The NSW counter-terrorism command would most likely be keeping a close eye on the situation, given its potential to further inflame simmering tensions between Sydney's Sunni and Shiite communities over the Syrian conflict.

The former teacher at the Unity Grammar School in western Sydney travelled to the country on humanitarian grounds in June, but the circumstances of his death remained unclear as news began reaching the community in Australia amid celebrations to mark the end of Ramadan.

Some initial reports stated that Sheikh Al Majzoub was leading a rebel platoon in the northern town of Salma when he was hit, a prospect dismissed by family and community leaders.

Lebanese Muslim Association president, Samier Dandan, said he believed the brothers were facilitating talks between the leaders of rebel groups that may need to work together after the conflict, rather than being directly involved in any fighting.

"Because of the calibre of individuals that they are, you need them at that higher level trying to build bridges between all the different groups," he said.

‘‘People like that, honestly, even if I was an army commander I would not be putting them in the front line because they would have no experience whatsoever. "

Islamic Friendship Association of Australia spokesman Keysar Trad, who believed Sheikh Al Majzoub was in the province of Latakia at the time of his death, also dismissed suggestions he was involved in fighting as "far fetched".

"Some sort of a rocket was fired on his town from about 50 kilometres away by the Syrian regime soldiers, indiscriminately shelling his town and he was killed, unfortunately," he said.

"A man of the cloth whose mission in life is to bring peace to those around him and attend to their spiritual needs was mercilessly killed by the dying Assad regime."

The crack journalists at the SMH then repeat a paragraph from above in its entirety:

The NSW counter-terrorism command would most likely be keeping a close eye on the situation, given its potential to further inflame simmering tensions between Sydney's Sunni and Shiite communities over the Syrian conflict.

Mr Dandan said Sheikh Al Majzoub was respected in the community as a moderate, and for his work with Australia's Muslim youth.

"He was quite a family man, a loving father. He cared a lot for what is happening in Syria," he said.

In January, Sheikh Al Majzoub addressed a Bankstown protest rally in support of the Syrian uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, speaking about the need to support the oppressed anywhere in the world, in particular Syria.

In his final Facebook post on August 3, he wrote that he had learnt not to judge a man by appearances of strength, "rather judge him by his steadfastness at calamities and on the battlefields".

"I met brothers here who from the first instance you might think they are too merciful or weak (due to the way they treat other Muslims), however on the battlefields they are lions that roar," he said....

"Righteous women are therefore obedient, guarding the secret for God's guarding. And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them." -- Qur'an 4:34

Somehow this Misunderstander of Islam didn't get the memo that Ramadan is a time to "reconcile differences and seek peace."

"France: Woman Beaten By Uncle for Not Observing Ramadan," by Cheradenine Zakalwe for Islam Versus Europe, August 21 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Saturday, around 9.15 pm, rue François-Cordon, in Kerourien, Brest, police were called by a young woman, 18, who took refuge in her bedroom to protect herself from her violent uncle. The family, originally from Mayotte, is celebrating the end of Ramadan.

But the uncle, who is passing through on the occasion of the celebration, violently rebukes his niece for not having observed this religious fast. He strikes her several blows with his fist and a broom. The police intervene. They are met by around 15 members of the family, mostly men, who try to prevent the police from entering....

And this is the party that Washington insists wants peace and can be negotiated with. "Fatah football tournament named after three terrorists," by Itamar Marcus for Palestinian Media Watch, August 21:

Fatah held a football tournament for youth named after three terrorists who murdered Rabbi Meir Chai, a 45 year-old father of 7. The terrorists killed the Rabbi in a drive by shooting in 2009. All three terrorists were killed in a shootout with Israeli soldiers two days after the murder.

Palestinian Media Watch has documented the ongoing PA policy of glorifying terrorists as heroes and role models. Earlier this summer, Fatah sponsored a summer camp for youth named after terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, who led a bus hijacking in 1978 that killed 37 civilians.

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is head of Fatah....

No word from the Vast Majority of Peaceful Muslims Who Abhor Violence Committed In the Name of Islam. "Gaza Children Deliver Sweets to Islamic Jihad Terrorists," by Chana Ya'ar for Arutz Sheva, August 20:

In Gaza, young children were sent Monday to approach the border with Israel to bring sweets, cakes and chocolates to Islamic Jihad terrorists stationed at various strategic outposts.

The little boys brought the candies and other goodies to the terror organization's fighters in celebration of the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The guerrilla fighters and guards who were stationed in the western area of the region said they were surprised to see the small children approaching. They thanked their mothers and promised “not to deviate from the path of jihad and resistance, despite all cost and difficulties.”

One of the terrorists, Abu Hamza, told the website of the Islamic Jihad's military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, “We were encouraged by the wonderful children's visit. We expected them to talk like that, because they have experienced the crime of occupation, and they know they have rights that have been denied, and which must be returned by force.”

According to the report posted on the terror organization's website, one of the children who came along for the visit said he had waited with great excitement.

"Yesterday I planned with friends to visit the mujahideen,” said Mahmoud. “We waited for this moment. When I told my mother, she made special sweets for us to give [the fighters] and said to give them regards.”...

Here is a new review of my last book, Did Muhammad Exist?: "Did Muhammad Exist? A Book Review," by Dallas M. Roark at Answering Islam:

What a strange question. Everybody assumes that Muhammad existed. Does not Islam affirm his existence? Why would anyone question it? Strangely enough there are many questions about Muhammad, the Qur’an, and the hadiths (traditions) that arose about Muhammad that led some scholars and researchers to the conclusion that Muhammad really did not exist. What is the cause of this doubt?

A recent book by Robert Spencer has the title, Did Muhammad Exist? The book1 is well-researched and deals with many historical issues. He describes the “canonical” story, that is, the common story told by Muslims, of Muhammad and then deals with the problems of supporting the story. The conclusion is that there is little to support the Muslim claims concerning the existence of Muhammad historically....

After pursuing various issues Spencer sums up what we know about the traditional account of Muhammad’s life and the early days of Islam.

• No record of Muhammad’s reported death in 632 appears until more than a century after that date.
• A Christian account apparently dating from the mid-630s speaks of an Arab prophet “armed with a sword” who seems to be still alive.
• The early accounts written by the people the Arabs conquered never mention Islam, Muhammad, or the Qur’an. They call the conquerors “Ishmaelites,” “Saracens,” “Muhajirun,” and “Hagarians” but never “Muslims.”
• The Arab conquerors, in their coins and inscriptions, don’t mention Islam or the Qur’an for the first six decades of their conquests. Mentions of “Muhammad” are non-specific and on at least two occasions are accompanied by a cross. The word can be used not only as a proper name but also as an honorific.
• The Qur’an, even by the canonical Muslim account, was not distributed in its present form until the 650’s. Contradicting that standard account is the fact that neither the Arabian nor the Christians and Jews in the region mention the Qur’an until the early eighth century.
• During the reign of the caliph Muawiya (661-680), the Arabs constructed at least one public building whose inscription was headed by a cross.
• We begin hearing about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, and about Islam itself in the 690’s, during the reign of the caliph Abd al-Malik. Coins and inscriptions reflecting Islamic beliefs begin to appear at this time also.
• Around the same time, Arabic became the predominant written language of the Arabian Empire, supplanting Syriac and Greek.
• Abd al-Malik claimed, in a passing remark in one hadith, to have collected the Qur’an, contradicting Islamic tradition that the collection was the work of the caliph Uthman forty years earlier.
• Multiple hadiths report that Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, governor of Iraq during the reign of Abd al-Malik, edited the Qur’an and distributed his new edition to the various Arab-controlled provinces--- again, something Uthman is supposed to have done decades earlier.
• Even some Islamic traditions maintain that certain common Islamic practices, such as the recitation of the Qur’an during mosque prayers, date from orders of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, not to the earlier period of Islamic history.
• In the middle of the eighth century, the Abbasid dynastic supplanted the Umayyad line of Abd al-Malik. The Abbasids charged the Umayyads with impiety on a large scale. In the Abbasid period, biographical material about Mohammed began to proliferate. The first complete biography of the prophet of Islam finally appeared during this era—at least 125 years after the traditional date of his death.
• The biographical material that emerged situates Muhammad in an area of Arabia that never was the center for trade and pilgrimage that the canonical Islamic account of Islam’s origin depend on it to be. (pp.205-206)

Given these huge problems for the history of Islam, how does Spencer explain the rise of Islam? He proposes the need for a political theology that would reflect Arabic culture, Arabic language, and Arabic religion. When warriors from Arabia encountered the conquered cultures they observed that the Roman empire had a political theology for the purpose of binding the empire together. “The earliest Arab rulers appear to have been adherents of Hagarism, a monotheistic religion centered around Abraham and Ishmael.” (p.208) It was not as anti-Christian as Islam developed later since there were Arab coins with crosses on them. This religious model reached its height in 691 and there began to emerge a defiantly Arabic one....

How will Muslims respond to this book? Some may seek to curse the author. They may respond in outrage. But that will not disprove the facts presented here. Islam is supposed to be a religion based in history. It is supposed to be a religion of reason. But if history will not support the claims of Islam, is it time for Muslims to rethink the legitimacy of Islam? Blind commitment to the teachings of the local imam will not be enough in this age of instant information and verification of facts.

Spencer makes a compelling argument that Muhammad did not exist. One may view the debate between Spencer and David Wood, who affirmed that Muhammad did exist. Wood did not fill in the gaps to make the case for his existence without great doubt. That debate can be viewed here....

11 Marriage To Prepubescent Girls In Early Islam
Can Modern Islam Reform Its Old Shariah Laws?
by James M. Arlandson, Ph.D.

This series on Islamic shariah law is intended for educators, legislators, city council members, lawyers, judges, government bureaucrats, journalists, think tank fellows, TV and radio talk show hosts, and anyone else who occupies positions of authority and influence. They initiate the national dialogue and shape the flow of the conversation. They are the policy and decision makers. They implement school curricula.

They have listened to the critics of shariah and have concluded the critics are exaggerating; they may even be “Islamophobic.” Islam is a world religion, after all, so it deserves respect.

On the other hand, the intellectual elites have heard disturbing reports out of the Islamic world. Surely the critics cannot be all wrong, all the time, can they? The elites therefore have a private, gnawing doubt that there is something wrong with shariah. No, they tell themselves; it is being hijacked by extremists.

The elites thus have a “mental tennis match” in their heads, as their thoughts go back and forth, from doubt to relief; there is nothing wrong with shariah or there is something wrong with it, as it relates to the modern world.

The topic of this article is an example; it is very delicate, so we have to be as factual and objective as we humans can be.

The elites may have heard that Muhammad married a little girl. Is this only a false rumor spread by the critics of shariah who suffer from “Islamophobia”?

The Ayatollah Khomeini married a girl of ten years old, and encouraged other men to do likewise, saying that fathers should give their daughters away before their first period:

. . . the Ayatollah himself married a ten-year-old girl when he was twenty-eight? Did she [the Khomeini supporter] know that Khomeini called marriage to a girl before her first menstrual period "a divine blessing," and advised the faithful: "Do your best to ensure that your daughters do not see their first blood in your house"?[1]

Why would this devout Muslim do such a thing? Did he stray from original Islamic ideals?

Here is an abbreviated Table of Contents:

THE QURAN

THE HADITH

CLASSICAL LAW

MODERN ISLAM

CONCLUSION

THE QURAN

In the context of divorcing wives, Quran 65:1 and 4 says:

1 O Prophet, when you (and the believers) divorce women, divorce them for their prescribed waiting-period and count the waiting-period accurately... 4 And if you are in doubt about those of your women who have despaired of menstruation, (you should know that) their waiting period is three months, and the same applies to those who have not menstruated as yet. As for pregnant women, their period ends when they have delivered their burden. [2]... (Quran 65:1, 4)

Another translation repeats the same idea with slightly different wording:

1 Prophet, when any of you intend to divorce women, do so at a time when their prescribed waiting period can properly start, and calculate the period carefully... 4 If you are in doubt, the period of waiting will be three months for those women who have ceased menstruating and for those who have not [yet] menstruated; the waiting period of those who are pregnant will be until they deliver their burden.[3] ... (Quran 65:1, 4)

These verses deal with divorce and a waiting period, to ensure that the divorced woman is not carrying the ex-husband’s child. If he is in doubt about his postmenopausal or prepubescent ex-wife, the husband should wait and calculate accurately. Logically, to divorce a prepubescent girl, she had to have been married. And logically if there is doubt about pregnancy, she had to have had sex while being so young.

However, the fear of pregnancy indicates that the man and girl are not sure when she reached puberty; the transition from prepuberty to puberty is in doubt.

Whatever the case, the text implies the girl was having sex, while she was prepubescent. Classical Islamic law (see below) adds its own permission to have sex with these girls. Aisha, Muhammad’s favorite bride, had not yet reached puberty when he married her (see the hadith, next).[4]

Walter Scott, The Talisman, the Crusades, Richard I of England and Saladin: Myths, Legends and History
by Ibn Warraq
Part 36
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 / Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 / Part 25 / Part 26 / Part 27 / Part 28 / Part 29 / Part 30 / Part 31 / Part 32 / Part 33 / Part 34 / Part 35

Madelung is very skeptical of Gibb’s reliance on Bahā’ al-Dīn and ‘Imād al-Dīn which “is generally justified as far as their account of events is concerned for they had the advantage of being eye witnesses. But does this mean that they are exempt from the pervading partisan commitment characteristic of the historiography of this age? ‘Imād al-Dīn’s history of the Saljūqs is known to conceal a strong Shāfi‘ite bias. There is good reason to think that his accounts of Saladin’s career, though generally accurate, does at times contain less than the full truth. The accounts of Ibn Abī Ṭayyi’ and Ibn al-Athīr, though the latter is manifestly often inaccurate in factual reports, deserve serious consideration as a corrective taking into account their particular bias.”

Madelung argues that “Gibb in relying solely on ‘Imād al-Dīn and Bahā’ al-Dīn failed to undertsand the roots and nature of Saladin’s conflict with Nūr al-Dīn and his Zangid heirs.” Then Madelung endorses Ehrenkreutz whose “criticism of this [i.e. Gibb’s] interpretation appears basically sound”. Madelung does take issue with some of Ehrenkreutz’s own interpretations, but, concludes, “Despite such flaws, Ehrenkreutz’s book deserves full credit for having put the biography of Saladin on a realistic historical basis”.

C.3.5 OTHER REVIEWS OF EHRENKREUTZ’S WORK.

Professor Michael Dols of California State University wrote [1], “Scholarly and immensely thorough, Professor Ehrenkreutz’s work is a persuasive revision of the interpretation of Saladin presented primarily by Stanley Lane-Poole and Sir Hamilton Gibb”. Dols places himself between the two poles: Saladin was neither so naïve as Gibb as would have us believe nor as unscrupulous as Ehrenkreutz contends.

Dr Harris Nierman (Flushing, New York), an expert on the Crusades and Medieval Islam wrote [2] that Ehrenkreutz’s work was welcome and a much needed corrective to Gibb (Lane-Poole). He also thinks Ehrenkreutz thesis was anticipated by Emanuel Sivan in his L’Islam et la croisade: Idéologie et propagande dans les réactions musulmanes aux croisades (1969) but concludes : "Professor Ehrenkreutz’s work both revises our conception of Saladin and propounds a meaningful thesis concerning the sultan’s role in Egyptian history. This is a highly readable portrait that should become familiar to all those interested in Middle Eastern or medieval history”.

[1] Michael W.Dols. Review of Andrew S. Ehrenkreutz’s Saladin in International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 4, No 4 (Oct.. 1973), pp. 489-491.
[2] Harris Nierman. Review of: Saladin by Andrew S. Ehrenkreutz; Hamilton Gibb. The Life of Saladin from the works of ‘Imād ad-Dīn and Bahā’ ad-Dīn in The American Historical Review, Vol. 79, No. 2 (Apr.,1974) pp. 501-502.

To be continued.

Ibn Warraq is the author of numerous books, including Why the West Is Best and Why I Am Not A Muslim.

Imagine the world outcry if this were a Christian politician. But no one will take any notice of this. "Hamas Official Ahmad Bahr Preaches for the Annihilation of Jews and Americans," from MEMRI, August 10 (thanks to Benedict):

Following are excerpts from a sermon delivered by Deputy Speaker of the Hamas Parliament Ahmad Bahr, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on Aug 10, 2012.

Ahmad Bahr: If the enemy sets foot on a single square inch of Islamic land, Jihad becomes an individual duty, incumbent on every Muslim, male or female. A woman may set out [on Jihad] without her husband's permission, and a servant without his master's permission. Why? In order to annihilate those Jews.

[...]

Oh Allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, destroy the Americans and their supporters. Oh Allah, count them one by one, and kill them all, without leaving a single one.

Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide. A manual of Islamic law certified as a reliable guide to Sunni orthodoxy by Al-Azhar University, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam, says that "retaliation is obligatory against anyone who kills a human being purely intentionally and without right." However, "not subject to retaliation" is "a father or mother (or their fathers or mothers) for killing their offspring, or offspring's offspring." ('Umdat al-Salik o1.1-2). In other words, someone who kills his child incurs no legal penalty under Islamic law.

The Palestinian Authority gives pardons or suspended sentences for honor murders. Iraqi women have asked for tougher sentences for Islamic honor murderers, who get off lightly now. Syria in 2009 scrapped a law limiting the length of sentences for honor killings, but "the new law says a man can still benefit from extenuating circumstances in crimes of passion or honour 'provided he serves a prison term of no less than two years in the case of killing.'" And in 2003 the Jordanian Parliament voted down on Islamic grounds a provision designed to stiffen penalties for honor killings. Al-Jazeera reported that "Islamists and conservatives said the laws violated religious traditions and would destroy families and values."

In light of all this, until authorities get the courage to tell the truth about honor killing, there will be many more such murders.

"'Honor' murderer boasts of triple killing," by Reza Sayah for CNN, August 20 (thanks to Suneil):

Kot Chutta, Pakistan (CNN) -- From behind the steel bars of his jail cell, Muhammad Ismail described with uncanny ease how he shot and killed his wife, his mother-in-law, and sister-in-law.

"The first shot hit the side of her body," Ismail said. "I left her there and went next door and killed my wife's mother and sister. I made sure they were all dead. Then I locked the door and left the house."

Without any apparent regret, Ismail said he would do it again.

"I am proud of what I did. That's why I turned myself over to the police."

Ismail's confession to the triple-murder that took place last February in a village in central Pakistan is a rare and chilling first-hand account of a so-called 'honor' killing -- the murder of women who are usually accused of dishonoring their families by being unfaithful or disobedient.

Ismail accused his wife of eight months of repeatedly flirting with other men and spending long hours away from home.

"My wife never made me happy," said the 20-year-old who played drums in a traditional Pakistani wedding band before his arrest. "She was like a prostitute. She never took care of me."

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported 943 women were "killed in the name of honor" in Pakistan last year, an increase of more than 100 from 2010.

Rights groups blame the increase in 'honor' murders partly on what they call an ineffective justice system in Pakistan that too often allows killers to go unpunished.

Despite his videotaped confession to CNN and an earlier confession to police, prosecutors say Ismail can soon be a free man if his victims' family agrees to accept compensation for the killings.

Receiving blood money is an option for victims in many conservative Muslim societies under the Islamic principal [sic] that mercy is more noble than revenge.

But women's rights activists complain that in patriarchal societies like Pakistan, 'honor' killers regularly bully and threaten the female victim's family into accepting blood money.

"When it comes to the crime we have a natural reaction of shock and horror, but when we see the justice system not work, our heart breaks," said legal advisor and rights activist Bushra Syed.

According to human rights lawyer Zia Ahmed Awan, victims' families in Pakistan are also at a disadvantage because 'honor' killings often take place in male-dominated communities where women are often viewed as property with few rights to defend themselves and little access to legal aid.

"In parts of the country there is hardly any legal help for women," Awan said. "This crime is growing because the courts and laws are not responding to the cries for help."....

A pious believer in Islam expresses what he considers to be a noble aspiration. "Sayyed Nasrallah: We Can Turn Millions of Zionists’ Lives into Real Hell," from the Ahlul Bayt News Agency, August 18 (thanks to all who sent this in):

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - His eminence, Sayyed Nasrallah, stresses that the Palestinian cause is a central one, Hezbollah Secretary General, Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, says that the resistance can turn lives of millions of Zionists into real hell.

Commemorating the International al-Quds day, Hezbollah held a ceremony in Beirut’s southern suburb, in which Sayyed Nasrallah addressed crowds, stressing that the resistance would defend the country against any Israeli attack, and would not wait for any permission to do so.

His eminence noted that the price of this attack would be very expensive to the extent that “we can talk about tens of thousands of killed.”

Hezbollah S.G. affirmed that the issue of al-Quds “is over all disagreements”, adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been committed to the Palestinian cause....

"We meet today in al-Quds day which Imam Khomeini had chosen as an international day in the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan," his eminence addressed crowds.
"Imam Khomeini chose this day for al-Quds in an indication that this spiritual condition that we live in Ramadan should be concentrated in the favor of al-Quds."

"In every year, and especially in Ramadan, we need to return to al-Quds and Palestine in order to recognize our religious, moral and humanitarian responsibilities toward them.”

Concerning Hezbollah’s stance towards al-Quds, Sayyed Nasrallah wanted to “reassure the enemy and the friend that the issue of al-Quds and Palestine is over all disagreements, and our faith in it would not be shaken.”
His eminence said that the Israeli enemy has been working on judaizing al-Quds, as he noted that the issue of al-Quds is an issue of consensus within the Israelis.

“We can’t talk about the future of al-Quds without talking about the fate of the enemy’s entity because the Zionists agree upon this issue whatever they disagree on other issues.”

“Zionists agree upon al-Quds and they are working on judaization of it, while the Arabs are not agreeing upon this cause,” his eminence noted.

He said that the occupation has been building settlements and trying to force the Palestinians out of their land.
“One of the causes of the poverty among the Palestinians is the racial wall which the Zionist have built, while the Arabs are sinking in the quagmire of their divisions and disagreements,” his eminence added....

“During the last two years, when the Arab world witnessed several changes, the Israeli enemy was concerned and they considered that the strategic danger on them was high.”

“Following these events, the Israeli enemy is standing aside, looking forward to developments with delight,” Sayyed Nasrallah added, noting that there are some sides who are exploiting Iran’s stance over the Syrian crisis in order “to create enmity between the Arab countries and the Islamic Republic.”

Hezbollah S.G. also tackled the recent threats by the Zionist entity over a strike against the Islamic Republic.
“In the last months the Israeli staged unprecedented escalation towards Iran, Syria or even Lebanon. This escalation is built on the last developments taking place in the region.”

Sayyed Nasrallah said that Israel’s problem with Iran is that the Islamic republic is committed to the Palestinian cause and al-Quds.

“The Zionist entity is mulling Iran attack and there is disagreement between the military institutions and the political ones. The base of this disagreement is not moral, but it’s over the utility of this military action and the price which Israel would pay,” his eminence noted.

“Why Israel is mulling the attack?” resistance leader wondered, adding: “If Iran was weak or coward the Zionist entity would not hesitate to attack the Islamic Republic.”

“Based on information and not analysis Iran’s response to any Israeli attack would be stunning and very powerful,” Sayyed Nasrallah said adding that the Israeli attack on Iran would be “the golden chance that the Islamic Republic has been waiting for years.”...

“We can turn the lives of millions of Zionists to a real hell and we can change the phase of Israel,” Sayyed Nasrallah said.
“I say to enemy: the war against Lebanon is very, very, very… expensive!”

His eminence talked about very advanced missiles the resistance owns, saying they are capable to hit very accurate targets in the occupied territories.
“There are targets in the occupied territories which we can target by small number of accurate missiles, and these missiles can turn the Zionists’ lives into hell and can claim the lives of tens of thousands,” Sayyed Nasrallah said.

“In the year of 2006 there were two idiots (Olmert and Peretz) who committed an idiocy, bringing a huge defeat for Israel. And today I say to the Zionists that you have two other idiots: Netanyahu and Barak and if they committed an idiocy especially concerning Iran attack then it would be the end of Israel.”...

Hours after leaflets from Egypt’s jihadi organizations were distributed promising to “reward” any Muslim who kills any Christian Copt in Egypt, specifically naming several regions including Asyut, a report recently appeared concerning the random killing of a Christian store-owner.

According to reporter Menna Magdi, writing in a report published August 14 and titled “The serial killing of Copts has begun in Asyut,” unidentified men stormed a shoe-store, murdering the Christian owner, Refaat Eskander early in the morning. The son of the slain Copt said the murderers took advantage of the fact that his father was alone in the store at the time, adding that his father had no known quarrels with anyone. Only one witness saw one of the assassins as they fled the scene, who was dressed in Salafi attire.

Also, Coptic Solidarity reports that the “Christian Copts in Upper Egypt are under attack, hours after a call for their eradication appeared in the form of leaflets calling on Muslims to kill Copts, specifically naming regions of Upper Egypt.” The report tells of how Christians are being beat, their businesses set on fire, and their properties plundered, even as their attackers declare that “any Christian who dares to leave his house will be killed.” As usual, police appear only after all the damage has been done and the terrorists have fled with their booty.

Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Over at Gatestone Institute (via RaymondIbrahim.com, where the links are), I discuss how the Obama administration is devoted to whitewashing the Nigerian jihad:

While the Obama administration continues to say that the Islamic group Boko Haram's jihad against Nigeria's Christians—which has seen countless churches destroyed, and thousands of Christians killed—has nothing to do with religion, the group once again made clear that it is all about religion. According to a recent report:

In an online video released last week, the militant Muslim group Boko Haram demanded that Nigeria's Christian president either convert to Islam, or resign. [Boko] Haram head Abubakar Shekau told President Goodluck Jonathan to "repent and forsake Christianity," otherwise Shekau's followers would continue their violent campaign...

Indeed, despite the fact that the Obama administration has agreed to spend $600 million in a USAID initiative launched to ascertain the "true causes" behind Boko Haram's murderous bloodlust, it was clear from the very beginning that the group and other Muslims were enraged that Nigeria was being led by a Christian, President Goodluck Jonathan, even though he won elections "by a landslide."

Writing back in April 2011, Nigerian analyst Peter Run said:

The current wave of riots was triggered by the Independent National Election Commission's (INEC) announcement on Monday [April 18, 2011] that the incumbent President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, won in the initial round of ballot counts. That there were riots in the largely Muslim inhabited northern states where the defeat of the Muslim candidate Muhammadu Buhari was [deemed] intolerable was unsurprising…. Now they are angry despite experts and observers concurring that this is the fairest and most independent election in recent Nigerian history.

Once again, then, reality is easily ascertained—at root, Boko Haram's terror campaign is entirely motivated by religion—even as the Obama administration refuses to designate the group as a terrorist organization, spends millions of U.S. tax dollars on superfluous initiatives (or diversions), and pressures the Nigerian president to make concessions, including building more mosques, the very structures where Muslims are radicalized and recruited to Boko Haram's jihad.

Will the Islamophobia never end? "A school and a police station attacked in North Nigeria," from AGI, August 20 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

(AGI) Abuja - This morning an armed commando attacked a Catholic church and a police station in Damagun. The city lies 30 km from Damaturu, the capital of the Federal State of Yobe, in North-Eastern Nigeria. The attack, local authorities explained, was fended off by the police forces that had been deployed in the area after a car-bombing attack against a school on Sunday. There are no reports of casualties in the attacks although part of the building hosting the school was destroyed. Again on Sunday, a raid on an army checkpoint in Kano, the largest city in Northern Nigeria, caused the injury of 2 soldiers. In the past, Kano and the Federal State of Yobe have often been targeted by the Boko Haram Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group. . .

This madness must stop. "Afghan-uniformed gunman kills NATO soldier," from CBS, August 19 (thanks to Kenneth):

(CBS/AP) KABUL, Afghanistan - The NATO military coalition in Afghanistan says a man in an Afghan police uniform has shot and killed an international service member in southern Afghanistan. It was the latest in a string of attacks by apparent Afghan forces against their NATO allies....

Earlier, attackers killed two pairs of brothers with links to the government, and three other NATO service members....

In the first attack, a bomb hidden in a cemetery in the southern province of Helmand killed a police chief and his brother who were visiting a family grave for the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Seven of the men's family members were wounded in the early-morning blast in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, said Helmand Deputy Police Chief Ghulam Rabbani.

No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the attack was consistent with the Taliban's strategy to target authorities and others who align themselves with the government or international forces.

The two men were brothers of a lawmaker for Helmand province, Abdulwadood Popal, who was not at the cemetery at the time of the blast. The family was visiting the grave after attending a morning prayer service for the holiday, which ends the month-long Ramadan fasting period.

Later on in the western Farah province, gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on the car of an intelligence service official as he was driving home from a family visit, killing him and his brother who worked for the customs service.

Another relative was wounded, provincial deputy police chief Ghulam Ghows Malyar added.

In central Afghanistan, meanwhile, three NATO service members were killed when a vehicle struck a roadside bomb, officials said. Bamiyan Gov. Habiba Sarabi said the blast happened in Kohmard district while the troops were out on patrol.

NATO forces confirmed that three coalition service members were killed in a bombing, but did not provide their nationalities or other details.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.

Including Sunday's deaths, at least 41 international troops have been killed so far this month in Afghanistan....

In a message ahead of Eid al-Fitr, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar instructed his fighters once again to avoid killing or wounding Afghan civilians.

"Employ tactics that do not cause harm to the life and property of the common countrymen," he said in an eight-page message released to news organizations last week. The Taliban have said previously, however, that they do not consider those who collaborate with the government to be civilians.

Targeted killings of Afghan civilians have surged this year, according to the United Nations. Civilian deaths from targeted killings and assassinations jumped 34 percent for the first six months of 2012 to 255 killed, from 190 in 2011, the U.N. said in a report issued earlier this month.

The U.N. report said 1,145 civilians were killed and 1,954 injured during the first half of the year, most of them by militants....

Somehow these Misunderstanders of Islam didn't get the memo that Ramadan is a time to "reconcile differences and seek peace." And oddly enough, they misunderstand Islam and Ramadan in exactly the same way as the Muslims in Bulgaria who somehow got the crazy idea that "Ramadan is a month of holy war and death for Allah. It is a month for fighting the enemies of Allah and God's messenger, the Jews and their American facilitators." What an odd coincidence!

"Attacks in Iraq killed 409 people in Ramadan," from AFP, August 20 (thanks to Twostellas):

Bombings and shootings in Iraq killed at least 409 people and wounded 975 during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, according to an AFP tally based on security and medical officials.

The month saw a number of deadly days, including July 23, when 113 people were killed and 259 wounded in a wave of attacks across the country, and August 16, when 82 were killed and 270 wounded....

But violence often rises during the holy month in Iraq because, ‘radicalised terrorists are often more intent on conducting these (suicide attacks) during the holy month of Ramadan because it is a period associated with martyrdom and self-sacrifice,’ said John Drake, a security analyst with AKE Group.

Violence in Iraq is down from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common.

Official figures put the number of people killed in July at 325, the highest monthly death toll in almost two years.

In "Smearing Conservatives, Raking in Cash" in FrontPage today, Matthew Vadum exposes the SPLC as a money and defamation machine for the Left. The mainstream media aids and abets this by citing the SPLC as if it were a reputable source, when actually it richly deserves its place on AFDI's Threats to Freedom Index.

And even worse than the SPLC are the conservative columnists, pundits and bloggers who ignore any figure in the counter-jihad movement whom the Left has targeted for smearing. This kind of cowardliness never wins wars.

After the Southern Poverty Law Center – a quarter-billion dollar leftist attack machine funded by George Soros – labeled the conservative Family Research Council a “hate group,” a gay rights activist shot up FRC headquarters in Washington, D.C. last week.

FRC president Tony Perkins acknowledged “the gunman is responsible for the shooting,” but blamed the SPLC for “recklessly” labeling groups “like FRC that they disagree with as ‘hate groups,’ that created this hostile environment.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center’s behavior isn’t reckless as such. It’s far worse than that. It is calculated and malicious, intended to foment hatred and raise oceans of cash by bamboozling gullible liberals into giving money to what is one of the wealthiest nonprofit groups in the history of the United States.

The paranoid conspiracy theorists of the SPLC deliberately conflate conservative groups with genuinely extremist groups such as the infamous Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church, another SPLC-designated hate group. In declaring FRC a hate group, it asserts that FRC is the moral equivalent of other SPLC-classified hate groups such as the Aryan Brotherhood, Nation of Islam, and New Black Panther Party. Even liberal Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank calls it “absurd” for SPLC to place FRC “in the same category as Aryan Nations, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Stormfront and the Westboro Baptist Church.”

FRC is trying to change American culture just as SPLC is trying to push the culture in a different direction. Most Americans would say the two groups have a difference of opinion. SPLC, which pretends to champion “tolerance,” doesn’t see it this way and routinely smears FRC as a hate group in order to discredit it and the ideas it stands for.

Put another way, SPLC attacks the Family Research Council because the latter is opposed to homosexuality.

Period.

Every other complaint SPLC generates about FRC is a mere detail emanating from this central truth. To SPLC founder Morris Dees and his followers those who do not approve of homosexuality are guilty of hate, or if you prefer, thought crime. It follows that those who oppose same-sex marriage are also guilty of hate even though every time the question has been put on the ballot anywhere in the United States – even in irretrievably liberal California— Americans have voted same-sex marriage down. America, it turns out, is guilty of hate.

But SPLC is selective in singling out anti-gay “hate” groups. The Center ignores many Muslim organizations that are violently opposed to homosexuality. Instead the group attacks people like David Horowitz, Pamela Geller, and Robert Spencer who worry about the threat that radical Islamists pose to America, accusing them of anti-Muslim bigotry for daring to speak out.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has been at this game a long time, making money by smearing conservatives. It is so fabulously wealthy that it stashes money in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, two of those tax haven countries the Left keeps complaining about. In addition to those foreign accounts, in its most recent publicly available tax return the SPLC discloses an absolutely astounding $238.1 million in net assets....

Read it all.

In "Dhimmi Officials Go Sharia-Compliant" in the American Thinker today, Pamela Geller discusses the furious reaction to her pro-Israel and counter-jihad ads from cringing public officials in San Francisco and New York State:

The brouhaha over pro-Israel ads I placed on buses in San Francisco and counter-jihad ads I put in train stations in towns just north of New York City just keeps getting larger. Some people just can't stand it when others tell the truth.

On Friday, I received an e-mail from Peter Swiderski, mayor of the village of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, saying: "I wanted to share with you what our Board of Trustees sent to the entire village tonight." What the mayor wanted to "share" was a statement about our billboard that states: "19,250 Islamic attacks since 9/11: It's not Islamophobia, it's Islamorealism."

"While the Board respects everyone's right to free speech," they wrote, "we categorically condemn the bigotry and innuendo expressed by this billboard message. To tar a faith and its followers because of the actions of a few is deplorable, hateful and morally repugnant." But actually, the Board is reading the idea that "all Muslims" support jihad terror attacks into my ad. That is nowhere in my message. They are the Islamophobes and racists, not I.

Do these politicians really believe that all Muslims support jihad? And if they believe it, why surrender so swiftly?

The Board asked residents of Hastings-on-Hudson to write to the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) expressing their "dismay" that our ads were not deemed "hate speech." The mayor and this Board of spineless wonders maintained their neutrality about the anti-Semitic ads that the MTA previously ran; they were silent about them. Notice how these clowns at one government entity have "complained" to another about private citizens exercising their constitutional rights.

I in turn wrote to Mayor Swiderski, asking him "why no such mailing went out concerning the vicious anti-Semitic ads. The anti-Israel ads were twice the buy (100 kiosks.) This speaks to a systemic, institutionalized anti-Semitism prevalent in your administration and among the Board. Care to comment?"

I did not, of course, hear back from Peter Swiderski.

Meanwhile, in an unprecedented move, the city of San Francisco is placing craven ads right next to every one of our pro-Israel ads on San Francisco Muni buses. Our ads say: "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad." The city's disclaimers say: "Muni condemns statements that describe any group as savages."

Muni spokesperson Paul Rose said: "Obviously we think the ads in place right now are repulsive and they definitely cross the line." But, he added, "there's not a lot we can do in light of the First Amendment."

This is unprecedented in the history of outdoor advertising. This is the manifestation ofsharia in Western society. Any war on innocent civilians is savage. They are reading the idea that "all Muslims" or "all Arabs" want to destroy Israel into my ad. That is nowhere in my message. Here again, they are the Islamophobes and racists, not I....

Read it all.

In PJ Media this morning I discuss why we should get out of Afghanistan, and should have done so long ago:

American and Afghan officials in Afghanistan’s Farah province were holding an inauguration ceremony last Friday for new recruits to a village police force. As part of the ceremony, the new policemen were given weapons that they would use for training. As soon as one of the recruits, Mohammad Ismail, received his, he turned it on the American soldiers who were present, murdering two. This was the seventh such attack in two weeks — and each one is emblematic of just how foolish and wrongheaded our national adventure in Afghanistan has become.

Farah’s provincial police chief, Agha Noor Kemtoz, explained: “As soon as they gave the weapon to Ismail to begin training, suddenly he took the gun and opened fire toward the U.S. soldiers.” Ismail had just joined the Afghan Local Police force the Sunday before his attack. Nonetheless, according to the Associated Press, “the NATO-led coalition has said such attacks are anomalies stemming from personal disputes.”

They have gone even farther in other attempts at face-saving, claiming that the attackers are not part of the Afghan jihad against NATO forces. According to ABC News, “officials have said most of the attacks are motivated not by support for the Taliban, but for ‘private reasons’ including grievances against local Afghan commanders, ethnic feuds, and depression. Senior U.S. officials have insisted the attacks don’t indicate a high level of Taliban infiltration into the army.”

On the other hand, says the AP, “the supreme leader of the Taliban boasted on Thursday night that the insurgents are infiltrating the quickly expanding Afghan forces.”

Which explanation is more plausible: the Taliban’s or NATO’s? Is it really likely that over the five long days that Mohammad Ismail was involved with the Afghan Local Police he stored up such serious private grievances against Americans that, once he got a weapon, he had to start shooting? Or is it more likely that he was a member of the Taliban from the start, and joined the police in order to get close enough to Americans to kill as many as possible?

These murders keep happening because there is no reliable way to distinguish an Afghan Muslim who supports American troops from one who wants to murder them, and political correctness prevents authorities from making any attempt to do so anyway, because it would suggest that Islam is not a Religion of Peace. And so ever more U.S. troops are sacrificed to this madness.

There is more.

Walter Scott, The Talisman, the Crusades, Richard I of England and Saladin: Myths, Legends and History
by Ibn Warraq
Part 35
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 / Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 / Part 25 / Part 26 / Part 27 / Part 28 / Part 29 / Part 30 / Part 31 / Part 32 / Part 33 / Part 34

However Lapidus’ main criticisms of his work are that (1) Ehrenkreutz overstates the case against Saladin, whose priority has to have been the conquest of Muslim states before he could even contemplate the liquidation of the Crusaders, and (2) Ehrenkreutz fails to put Saladin into the context of the society of his times, and thus cannot adequately evaluate Saladin’s person and career.

But Lapidus agrees with Ehrenkreutz that “Saladin, as he emerges in Lane Poole and Gibb, heroic and pure, is surely a product of romantic imagination. Professor Ehrenkreutz makes it clear that Saladin, from youth to old age, was a ruthless, ambitious and energetic seeker after power, a pragmatist rather than an idealist in politics.”

Then, irony of ironies, Lapidus accuses Ehrenkreutz of also harbouring a streak of romanticism about Saladin: “Yet the temptation to hagiography lives on. Ehrenkreutz himself speaks of the ‘…valor, determination, and inspiring leadership of Saladin….’(p.43)”. Ehrenkreutz also wrote, “[Saladin] revealed himself not only as a competent and courageous field commander, but as an inspiring leader of men….” (p.44).

Lapidus continues, “In little ways, Professor Ehrenkreutz shows that he too has a streak of romanticism about Saladin -- albeit a reverse romanticism about Saladin attracted by political and military adventure, which may be amoral and surely leads to disaster, but fascinating nonetheless. Saladin wasn’t a good good-guy, he was a bad good-guy”.

The final assessment is that though there is still place for a new contextual biography of Saladin, “ [Ehrenkreutz’s] contribution to a meticulous and precise biographical account of the events of Saladin’s life is much appreciated”.

C.3.4. Wilferd Madelung [born 1930] was a professor of Islamic history at the University of Chicago, and Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford from 1978 to 1998. He is the author of many works, including Religious Trends in Early Islamic Iran, 1988; and Religious and Ethnic Movements in Medieval Islam, 1992. Madelung wrote a joint review of Gibb and Ehrenkreutz. [1]

Madelung wrote, “Gibb’s treatment of the Ayyubid sultan [i.e. Saladin, son of Ayyub] in many respects followed the precedents set by S.Lane-Poole who, in 1898, wrote the first well-documented biography of Saladin as an enthusiastic admirer of his chivalrous virtues. It is against this romantic view of the Ayyubid that Professor Ehrenkreutz proposes to offer a more sober, realistic assessment of his aims and accomplishments. While his earlier biographers concentrated most of their attention on Saladin’s struggle with the crusaders in the last phase of his life, Ehrenkreutz carefully investigates his youth and early career. Against Lane-Poole’s characterization of Saladin as a naïve and retiring youth who against his will was thrust by events into a position political and military leadership, [Ehrenkreutz] shows that Saladin’s early training, his ambition, and various positions of responsibility held earlier made him a most suitable candidate for the succession of his uncle Shirkuh as leader of the Syrian troops in Egypt and Fatimid vizier. Against Gibb’s view that Saladin’s campaigns against the Zangids in Syria and Mesopotamia were necessitated by their hostility and willingness to cooperate with the crusaders, whose expulsion always was his primary aim, Ehrenkreutz argues that Saladin was rather motivated by insatiable ambitions of territorial expansion against his Muslim neighbours for which he squandered the resources of Egypt while showing little concern for jihad against the infidels except for propaganda purposes.”

[1] Wilferd Madelung. Review of: Saladin by Andrew S. Ehrenkreutz; Hamilton Gibb. The Life of Saladin from the works of ‘Imād ad-Dīn and Bahā’ ad-Dīn in Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 34. No.3 (Jul., 1975), pp.209-212.

To be continued.

Ibn Warraq is the author of numerous books, including Why the West Is Best and Why I Am Not A Muslim.

"At the scene, the officer's responsibility is to ensure there are no weapons or contraband It's for the safety of the officer." But that doesn't matter. When Islamic law and American law and practice conflict, it is always the latter that must give way, safety considerations be damned.

"Muslim asks HPD to revise frisking rules on headscarfs," by Safiya Ravat for the Houston Chronicle, August 19 (thanks to Ab):

A Muslim protester is calling for revision of the frisking process at the Houston Police Department after she said she was stripped of her religious headscarf during a recent arrest this month while rallying for janitor wages.

The incident highlights the varying policies local police agencies have regulating when religious head coverings are allowed during the arresting and booking process. It also shows the fine line law enforcement must straddle when trying to respect one's faith while ensuring that people who are arrested do no harm to themselves or others.

Ilana Alazzeh, 23, was arrested by HPD Aug. 1 while participating in a roadblock protest at a busy intersection in the Galleria area. She and two dozen other protesters sat in the middle of the intersection with arms interlocked.

Alazzeh, who has Israeli, Palestinian and Pakistani roots, was the only protester wearing a hijab - the headscarf - worn by female adherents of the Islamic faith while in the presence of men.

After their arrest for obstruction of traffic, HPD officers took the handcuffed protesters to the Police Department's gymnasium to ID and process them before incarceration.

"Initially they were very cordial," said Alazzeh, a communications specialist from Washington, D.C., who works for the Service Employees International Union.

She was called up to a table of officers for basic identification questions. One officer chatted with her about Ramadan, she said, and another asked about her headscarf.

A female officer at the table noted down in her file, "headscarf religious reasons," Alazzeh said. "She told me, 'I put that in there so you won't be bothered because of it.' "

Minutes later, Alazzeh was approached by a different female officer who began the frisking process and started unwrapping her headscarf in plain view of male officers and protesters.

"Whoa, whoa! This is my religious headscarf," she told the officer as she tried to back away. "Can't you just feel through it?" she asked.

"The officer said, 'No, if you want your religious headscarf, you shouldn't protest,' " Alazzeh said.

She said she pleaded with the officer, asking if a nun would be treated the same way, to which Alazzeh said the officer replied, "This is just procedure … I don't know what you have in there. You might be hiding a gun."

Not seen as stripping

HPD Lt. Patrick Dougherty said frisking is an integral part of the arresting process.

"At the scene, the officer's responsibility is to ensure there are no weapons or contraband," Dougherty said. "It's for the safety of the officer."

A general pat-down is conducted on the exterior of clothing, he said, but if an officer deems it necessary to remove an outer garment to ensure safety, that can be done.

"We don't consider removing an outer garment such as a coat or scarf to be stripping somebody," he said. "If we were stripping, it would have to be done in private by the same gender."

That's where the difference lies. Alazzeh considered the headscarf part of her necessary clothing.

"In many different religions and cultures, taking off the headscarf is equivalent to taking off my shirt in public," she explained.

Muslims are not the only ones who wear religious head coverings; nuns can be seen wearing hair veils, and male Sikhs often wear turbans.

"We do work with people on their unique religious issues," said Dougherty.

If a request was made, he said, a supervisor could have asked the officer to handle the situation differently, perhaps removing the headscarf in private to check for a weapon. "But there's no documentation that there was a request," he said.

Both the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Sugar Land Police Department said removal of any type of religious head covering is not necessary during arrest.

"We require an exterior pat-down," said Sugar Land police spokesman Doug Adolf, "but that doesn't require removal of their clothing."...

While things are less rigid during arrest, incarceration is a much stricter matter, said Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Thomas Gilliland.

During incarceration, most jails - including HPD's and the Harris County jail - strictly prohibit items of clothing like scarves, turbans, habits and even shoelaces, to keep inmates from using them to commit suicide or hide contraband....

After her scarf was removed in the gym, Alazzeh said, it was tossed back on her head, then taken away again during incarceration. She used an extra shirt to cover her hair during her 12 hours in jail until her employer posted bail for her and other union protesters.

She is filing an internal affairs complaint against HPD.

"All of these horrible things that happen to people, are perpetuated by people who say they are just following orders," said Alazzeh. "When you're doing your job, there's a way to do things that's not infringing on people's rights and liberties and dignity."

What could go wrong? Eurabia Update: "Despite Alarm by U.S., Europe Lets Hezbollah Operate Openly," by Nicholas Kulish for the New York Times, August 15 (thanks to Lachlan):

BERLIN — As American officials sound the alarm over what they call a resurgent threat from the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, thousands of its members and supporters operate with few restrictions in Europe, raising money that is funneled to the group’s leadership in Lebanon.

Israeli and American officials have blamed Hezbollah and Iran for last month's deadly Bulgarian bus bombing.

Washington and Jerusalem insist that Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed terrorist organization with bloody hands, and that it is working closely with Tehran to train, arm and finance the Syrian military’s lethal repression of the uprising there. Yet, the European Union continues to treat it foremost as a Lebanese political and social movement.

As Israel heightens fears of a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, intelligence analysts warn that Iran and Hezbollah would respond with attacks of their own on targets abroad. Israeli and American officials have attributed the Bulgarian bus bombing last month that killed six people, including five Israeli tourists, to Hezbollah and Iran, saying it was part of a clandestine offensive that has included plots in Thailand, India, Cyprus and elsewhere.

While the group is believed to operate all over the Continent, Germany is a center of activity, with 950 members and supporters last year, up from 900 in 2010, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency said in its annual threat report. On Saturday, Hezbollah supporters and others will march here for the annual Jerusalem Day event, a protest against Israeli control of that city. Organizers told the Berlin police that the event would attract 1,000 marchers, and that two counterdemonstrations were also likely.

Hezbollah has maintained a low profile in Europe since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, quietly holding meetings and raising money that goes to Lebanon, where officials use it for an array of activities — building schools and clinics, delivering social services and, Western intelligence agencies say, carrying out terrorist attacks.

European security services keep tabs on the group’s political supporters, but experts say they are ineffective when it comes to tracking the sleeper cells that pose the most danger. “They have real, trained operatives in Europe that have not been used in a long time, but if they wanted them to become active, they could,” said Alexander Ritzmann, a policy adviser at the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels, who has testified before Congress on Hezbollah.

The European Union’s unwillingness to place the group on its list of terrorist organizations is also complicating the West’s efforts to deal with the Bulgarian bus bombing and the Syrian conflict. The week after the attack in Bulgaria, Israel’s foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, traveled to Brussels for a regular meeting with European officials, where he called for the European Union to include Hezbollah on the list. But his pleas fell on deaf ears.

“There is no consensus among the E.U. member states for putting Hezbollah in the terrorist-related list of the organizations,” Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, the foreign minister of Cyprus, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, said at the time. “Should there be tangible evidence of Hezbollah engaging in acts of terrorism, the E.U. would consider listing the organization.”...

The Netherlands declared Hezbollah a terrorist organization in 2004, saying that it did not distinguish between the group’s political and terrorist wings. Britain distinguishes between the parts, listing only the militant wing....

That's like considering the National Socialists benign because they ran soup kitchens.

If the murderer had actually been a non-Muslim, there would have been a fierce international outcry over this. But he wasn't, and so there is no notice of this at all. Even while insisting that Islam is a Religion of Peace, the mainstream media acts as if it knows better by ignoring stories like this -- as if to take for granted that Islam teaches violence and that Muslims are going to act upon those teachings.

"Seven killed in Yemen mosque attack during Eid prayers," by Areeb Hasni for the News Tribe, August 19 (thanks to David):

Aden: Seven people were killed and 11 wounded on Sunday during Eid prayers after a gunman opened fire on a mosque in Southern Yemen, a Defence Ministry official said.

Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber, believed to be associated with an al Qaeda-linked group, blew himself up in the southern Abyan province, killing three and wounding two.

The official said that the mosque shooter appeared not to be related to Islamist militants....

Of course not! He was probably a Christian extremist!

The US has been pouring aid into Yemen to stem the threat of attacks from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and to try to prevent any spillover of violence into neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter.

Clearly Omar Ould Hamaha drastically misunderstands Islam, and thinks that it has something to do with conquering Infidel lands. Expect an avalanche of condemnations of this from Western Muslim leaders. But don't expect it anytime soon, or loud enough for anyone to hear.

"Mali's Islamist warlord declares war on the West," by Lindsey Hilsum for Channel 4 News, August 18 (thanks to David):

Omar Ould Hamaha, the military commander of Ansar Dine or "Defenders of the Faith", which has scored a stunning victory in Mali against the failed state's armed forces, now controls a region larger than France which includes three paved runways that could be used to fly in weapons or drugs.

He said: "Even if they (western forces) don't come here, when we have finished conquering France, we will come to the USA, we will come to London and conquer the whole world. The banner of Mohammed (peace be upon his head) will be raised from where the sun rises in the east to where it sets in the west."

His threats will be taken seriously because Ansar Dine is closely linked to Al-Qaeda in the Mahgreb, which has kidnapped about 20 western hostages since 2008, including the British tourist Edwin Dyer, who was murdered in 2009 after the government refused to pay a ransom.

The Islamists now control the cities of Timbuktu, Kidal, Tessalit and Gao, where Hamaha was interviewed by a local cameraman on July 12.

Local journalists and residents say the Nigerian jihadi group Boko Haram is operating in the area. Foreign fighters from Somalia, Pakistan and neighbouring African countries are making northern Mali their base....

In January, after a decade of instability in northern Mali, hundreds of heavily armed Tuareg fighters - known as the "blue men" because of their sky-blue robes - arrived from Libya, where they had been recruited by Colonel Muammar Gadaffi to fight his doomed campaign for survival.

They rekindled the long-standing struggle for an independent Tuareg state. Sections of the Malian army abandoned their weapons and fled while Tuareg officers switched sides. Soldiers in southern Mali mutinied, complaining that the corrupt government in Bamako, the capital, had failed to provide salaries, food and ammunition. The mutiny triggered a junior officers' coup, and the president fled into exile.

The resulting power vacuum was the opportunity the Islamists had been waiting for. Two Malian jihadi groups, and the predominantly Algerian Al-Qaeda in the Mahgreb, seized the north, driving out Tuareg fighters, destroying Timbuktu's ancient shrines and imposing harsh Sharia (Islamic) rule.

Hundreds of thousands have fled across the desert into neighbouring countries. "They're leaving for fear of having a hand cut off, or being whipped or stoned to death," said Deyda Mohamed, the police chief in Fassala on the Mauritanian side of the border, where he registers some 400 new arrivals a day....

In the last two weeks, militants from the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, which controls the area around Gao, stoned a couple to death for adultery in the town of Aguelhok and amputated the hand of an alleged thief in Ansongo.

Women are forced to stay inside unless fully covered and accompanied by a male relative and anyone who smokes risks a whipping. "We're a democratic, sovereign, secular state," said Hauroye Toure, a political science graduate from Gao, who fled to the Malian capital in April.

She and her family are now reliant on food donations. "We are in our own country and we should be free to behave as we wish. We are Muslims but they insist on spreading Sharia, and that's what's so serious."...

But, but Sharia is benign, and fully compatible with Western notions of human rights! Just ask Imam Rauf!

But Egypt was supposed to be going through a flowering of democracy and pluralism! And as it did, the U.S. Government supported them at every turn. Now that Egypt is on the way to becoming an Islamic state, with its attendant restrictions on the freedom of the press, American officials are "concerned." If they hadn't been so intent on fantasy-based policymaking in the first place, they would have no need to be "concerned" now.

Egypt's journalists have also expressed concern recently about the Islamization of the Egyptian press. Don't they know that "Islamization" is something that is entirely benign, that only racists, bigots and Islamophobes would dare to oppose?

"USA 'very concerned' for freedom of Egyptian press," from AGI, August 16 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

(AGI) Washington- The US expressed their growing concern for the freedom of Egyptian media after recent trials against journalists. Two members of the press were committed to trial after criticizing President Mohamed Morsi. "We are very concerned by reports that the Egyptian government is moving to restrict media freedom and criticism in Egypt," stated spokeswoman for the State Department Victoria Nuland, who said that the authorities' actions are in stark contrast with the spirit of last year's revolution. . .

Yet in Washington and elsewhere the learned analysts still persist in believing that further land concessions from Israel will placate people who speak this way.

"Iranian cleric says Muslim unity will obliterate Israel," from PressTV, August 17 (thanks to Lachlan):

Tehran’s interim Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami says once unity is achieved in the Muslim world, the Zionist regime will disappear from the face of the world.

Ayatollah Khatami referred to the wave of the Islamic Awakening in the region, noting that the new development attests to the Muslim world’s might and potentials.

“In a period of one year of the Islamic Awakening, people entered the scene and brought down four dictators,” he underlined.

Projection Alert:

Tehran’s interim Friday Prayers Leader also stated that the Zionists only understand the language of force, adding that during more than 60 years since the occupation of Palestine, only people’s movements in the form of intifada have been fruitful, while negotiations have never been, and will never be effective in solving the issue of Palestine.

The senior cleric criticized certain Islamic states for serving Zionists in Israel by encouraging the Israeli regime in its invasions of Lebanon and Gaza during past years.

Further in his sermon, Ayatollah Khatami alluded to demonstrations held to mark the International Quds Day and praised the Iranian people’s massive turnout in the Friday rallies.

The late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, declared the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan as the International Quds Day, during which Muslims across the world hold rallies to show their solidarity with Palestinians.

And indeed it will be, one way or the other. "Hekmatyar sees jihad as the only solution," by Tahir Khan for the Express Tribune, August 19:

Former Afghan prime minister and Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar on Saturday accused the backers of the peace process of lying and misleading the public because “jihad” alone could resolve the country’s crisis.

In his Eidul Fitr message, Hekmatyar said those who expected that the peace process would yield a solution to the crisis in Afghanistan were lying. “The only solution is to continue the jihad until all the foreign forces fully leave Afghanistan,” he said in a statement emailed to The Express Tribune.

Hekmatyar’s Hizb-e-Islami had been involved in talks with Afghan government and US officials, which were eventually suspended after Kabul signed a strategic partnership agreement with Washington earlier this year.

The Taliban had also been involved in talks with the US over the past two years but the process has now been suspended in the wake of differences over certain issues, including the release of prisoners.

“Those who think that the war will end in the presence of foreign military are wrong,” said Hekmatyar, who has been in hiding for years.

He said peace and security could only be restored if foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan, adding that not only was the mujahideen strong, but the cost of the ongoing war, which was $120 billion annually, was taking its toll on the US economy.

Indeed. And for what?

He went on to praise Afghan fighters for launching attacks during Ramazan, which, he added, were the most in number since the past 11 years.

“This long war has pushed the US and its allies to serious financial and political crises. They have not achieved anything and are biting everyone like a wounded snake,” Hekmatyar said.

Except the jihadis, that is.

Yet in the United States, Ahmadis like Harris Zafar run interference for the Islamic supremacists who persecute them elsewhere, by attacking and defaming the very people who are standing up to their jihadist persecutors. As Jihad Watch reader David, who sent this in, noted, maybe if tools like Zafar work even harder for the Islamic supremacists in the West, the Islamic supremacists in Pakistan will ease up on persecuting Ahmadis. But probably not.

"Policemen vandalise graveyard of minority Ahmadi sect," from PTI, August 19 (thanks to David):

Lahore: A graveyard of the minority Ahmadi sect in Pakistan's Punjab province has allegedly been vandalised by policemen, who used black paint to cover up verses from the Quran inscribed on 64 graves.

The incident occurred in Hafizabad district, 90 km from Lahore. Policemen painted the tombstones yesterday at the "request" of anti-Ahmadis clerics, who called for the Quranic verses to be removed from the graves.

The police action has sent shock waves through the 2,500-strong Ahmadi community living in Hafizabad and made them feel vulnerable, Ahmadi leaders said.

Nasir Javed, the acting chief of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiya in Hafizabad, told a news agency that police had called him a few days ago and asked him to remove Quranic verses from the tombstones in the Ahmadi graveyard as it was "hurting the sentiments of Muslims".

"We asked them how such verses could be removed as they were not provocative by any means. The police chief of the district said they would do it on their own as the issue could lead to tensions between the two communities," Javed said.

"Yesterday we found 64 graves vandalised with black paint, which is outrageous," he said. He condemned the police action and asked: "If the state is doing this to us, to whom should we turn to for justice?"

Hafizabad district police chief Waqas Yasin told a news agency that police had acted after receiving a complaint from local clerics.

"As the Ahmadis are not Muslims, they cannot have Quranic verses inscribed on their tombstones," he said.

Police had first asked the Ahmadi community to erase the verses themselves but they did not comply, he said.

After that, the police had to act, he added.

Earlier, there was a joint graveyard for Ahmadis and Muslims in the district.

Following a protest by an extremist group six years ago, the Ahmadis had to separate their graveyard. Pakistan's Ahmadis consider themselves Muslim but were declared non-Muslims through a constitutional amendment in 1974.

A decade later, they were barred from proselytising or identifying themselves as Muslims in Pakistan....

Police in Punjab province have taken action against several Ahmadi mosques this year. They demolished the minarets of an Ahmadi mosque at Kharian city, 200 km from Lahore, last month.

In March, couplets from the Quran written on tiles at an Ahmadi mosque at Sultanpura in Lahore were removed by police.

They are adherents of Sharia who want to establish an Islamic state: "Russia is fighting a simmering Islamist insurgency in the Caucasus, mostly in Dagestan and Ingushetia, which see regular attacks that officials blame on militants seeking to establish an Islamic state across the Russian Caucasus."

"Bomb in Russian Caucasus kills six police," from AFP, August 19 (thanks to David):

Six policemen died in the volatile Russian Caucasus region of Ingushetia early Sunday after a bomb went off at the funeral of a colleague, Russian news agencies reported.

"As the policemen entered the yard of the house where the funeral was taking place, a powerful blast went off. As a result of the explosion, six policemen died on the spot and there are many wounded," a spokesman for the regional Investigative Committee told the Interfax news agency....

The funeral was for a fellow officer killed in a shooting on Saturday evening in the Malgobek district in the north of the region, Interfax reported.

The explosion came hours after masked gunmen opened fire in a mosque in Dagestan on Saturday evening as worshippers celebrated the end of Ramadan, wounding eight and leaving an explosive device that was later deactivated.

Russia is fighting a simmering Islamist insurgency in the Caucasus, mostly in Dagestan and Ingushetia, which see regular attacks that officials blame on militants seeking to establish an Islamic state across the Russian Caucasus.

Walter Scott, The Talisman, the Crusades, Richard I of England and Saladin: Myths, Legends and History
by Ibn Warraq
Part 34
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 / Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 / Part 25 / Part 26 / Part 27 / Part 28 / Part 29 / Part 30 / Part 31 / Part 32 / Part 33

Mayer continues, “As a consequence of his objectives the author concentrates not so much on the famous wars of Saladin against the Crusaders as on his rise in Egypt and his conquests in Syria and Mesopotamia. There is virtue in this, although basically the shift in emphasis was made by others before. Studying this rise to power inevitably leads to the conclusion that Saladin was not always the gentlemanly enemy he was depicted as being. He could be quite ruthless when he chose to be or when political expediency demanded it.”

Mayer even singles out one of Ehrenkreutz’s genuinely new viewpoints: “On the other hand, Saladin’s dependency on the Egyptian war effort and the growing estrangement from his secretary al-Fadil on this account is well-brought out in this book, and to the best of my knowledge this is a genuinely new viewpoint”.

In the last paragraph of his review, Mayer takes issue with Gibb’s thesis, “Whether Saladin should really be considered as the champion of Muslim unity, as Sir Hamilton Gibb suggested, and whether this was his prime objective rather than the aggrandizement of the Ayyubid family, or whether the expulsion of the Crusaders from the Holy Land was for Saladin an end in itself, to which the power buildup in the Muslim world was only a prelude, is hard to tell, although Ehrenkreutz is probably correct in echoing Prawer’s sentiments that Saladin was a clever politician rather than a hero of the faith….In support of Ehrenkreutz’s views one would also wish for more emphasis on the fact that Saladin is not always eulogized in Muslim sources; the Mosul chroniclers are highly critical of him.”

C.3.3 Ira Lapidus [born c.1935] is an Emeritus Professor of History, Islamic Social History at The University of California at Berkeley, and the author of A History of Islamic Societies and Contemporary Islamic Movements in Historical Perspective, among other works.

As an undergraduate at Harvard, he took a course in Middle Eastern history taught by none other than Sir Hamilton Gibb. Lapidus wrote a very positive account of Ehrenkreutz’s work [1], praising his biography of Saladin from the opening lines of the review, “The subject of Saladin is fun, and Professor Ehrenkreutz gives an attractive and interesting account of his political career. In the main, Saladin’s career is well known, but Professor Ehrenkreutz nonetheless presents new information carefully culled from the Arabic sources. Saladin’s family background and early life are embellished with fresh and illuminating detail….Professor Ehrenkreutz gives us an amplified account of Saladin’s succession to the generalship of the Syrian forces in Egypt, his accession to the Fatimid wazirate, his consolidation of power, and the return of Egypt to Sunni and Abbasid allegiance.”

Lapidus continues, “Saladin’s subsequent career as ruler of Egypt is well known. Professor Ehrenkreutz confirms that his ambition in the main, was to recapture the former Zengid [Zangid] domains in Syria and Mesopotamia, while his interest in the jihad and war against the Crusaders was clearly secondary, despite his constant propaganda to the contrary. However Professor Ehrenkreutz takes a new and dim view of Saladin’s final struggle with the Crusaders. The great battle of Hattin is only partly to his credit, for Christian mistakes seem to have been decisive. His campaigns against Tyre and Acre, Professor Ehrenkreutz sees as failures and, indeed, disasters….The protracted sieges of Tyre and Acre, which Gibb interprets as a moral triumph frustrated by circumstances, Professor Ehrenkreutz sees as a failure of political will, and indeed, as a moral failure in a man whose conquests were without moral and ideological purpose”.

[1] Ira M.Lapidus. Saladin by Andrew S. Ehrenkreutz in Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 94, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun., 1974), pp.240-241. Published by American Oriental Society.

To be continued.

Ibn Warraq is the author of numerous books, including Why the West Is Best and Why I Am Not A Muslim.

A music and theatre festival violates "Muslim sensitivities." Attacking attendees with swords and sticks doesn't.

Sharia Alert from "Arab Spring" Tunisia: "Salafists attack Tunisia festival, 5 wounded," from AFP, August 17 (thanks to Benedict):

Hardline Islamists armed with swords and sticks attacked a cultural festival in northern Tunisia late on Thursday, with five people wounded in the clash, witnesses and officials said.

It was the third time in just three days that Tunisia's emboldened Salafists have disrupted cultural events, condemning some of them for violating Muslim sensitivities during the holy month of Ramadan and fuelling fears of a rising Islamist tide.

At the music and theatre festival in Bizerte, "around 200 people belonging to the Salafist movement used violence to block a protest organized by various groups to mark Jerusalem Day, denouncing the presence of certain Arab guests," the interior ministry said.

The ministry said it had dispersed the assailants with tear gas and arrested four of them, adding that five people were wounded.

Festival organizers Khaled Boujemma and Slahedine Masri, speaking on private radio station Mosaique FM, said the Salafists were armed with swords and sticks. Human rights activist, Bechir Ben Cherifa, said the police waited an hour before intervening.

Witnesses said the hardliners were angered by the presence at the protest of Lebanese militant Samir Kantar, who spent nearly three decades in jail in Israel before being freed in 2008 in a prisoner swap with Lebanon's powerful Shiite group Hezbollah.

Kantar, sentenced to multiple life sentences for a notorious 1979 attack in Israel that killed a policeman, a four-year-old girl and her father, is considered a hero by many in Lebanon and was honored by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after his release.

There is mounting concern among artists and activists in Tunisia about the ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim movement, which has grown increasingly assertive since the ouster of veteran dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in last year's uprising.

Two festivals have been cancelled this month and two cultural performances prevented from taking place just this week because of threats by the Salafists, who considered them un-Islamic.

Opposition and civil society groups have repeatedly criticized Ennahda, the moderate Islamist party that heads Tunisia's ruling coalition, for failing to do more to rein in the hardliners.

Trying to attain Paradise, as promised in the Qur'an for those who "kill and are killed" for Allah (9:111).

"Suicide bomber kills 5 soldiers in Pakistan," by Nasir Habib for CNN, August 18 (thanks to Kenneth):

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A suicide bomber in a car detonated his explosives near a checkpoint in Pakistan, killing five soldiers, authorities said Saturday.

The attack occurred near Quetta in Balochistan province, according to Murtaza Baig, a spokesman for the paramilitary forces.

The suicide bomber had 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of explosives and blew himself up when he was stopped near the checkpoint, according to the spokesman....

Iran is piling new charges on Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in order to shield itself from any possible international criticism over jailing (and planning to execute) him for apostasy.

"'Banditry and Extortion' Replace 'Apostasy' Charges for Christian Pastor!," from the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, August 17 (thanks to David):

Youcef Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor accused of apostasy will be put on a new trial on August 27. Nadarkhani, who refused to repent from being a Christian in earlier judicial proceedings and faces a death sentence, is now facing the new charges of “banditry and extortion.”

The Christian pastor’s earlier charges were “apostasy” and “converting to Christianity,” but the new charges of “banditry and extortion” were first mentioned last year on Fars News Agency. A source close to the case of Youcef Nadarkhani who wishes to remain anonymous on security grounds told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that, “Mr. Nadarkhani’s ‘banditry’ charges are fundamentally meaningless; he is not a thief or a bandit. This is a new accusation leveled against him for unknown reasons.”

Youcef Nadarkhani, 33, was born to Muslim parents and converted to Christianity at the age of 19. Prior to his arrest, he led a congregation of about 400 Christians in the Northern city of Rasht. Nadarkhani’s death sentence on charges of apostasy was upheld by Branch 11 of Gilan Province’s Appeals Court on August 23, 2010. On June 28, 2011, Iran’s Supreme Court overturned the ruling, but made the decision conditional on Nadarkhani’s repentance. There were three court sessions between September 25 and September 28, 2011 in which Youcef Nadarkhani was asked to repent and he refused. Nadarkhani is currently in detention inside Rasht Prison.

On September 30, 2011, the charge of “extortion” was mentioned for the first time on Fars News Agency’s website in a news article about Nadarkhani. The article claimed that Youcef Nadarkhani is accused of rape and repeated extortion. “Youcef Nadarkhani has [committed] security crimes and had set up a house of corruption. This individual is a criminal and his crime is not inviting some to the religion of Christianity, but he has security crimes. Nadarkhani’s death sentence has been issued for security crimes,” Fars quoted Gholamali Rezvani, Deputy Governor of Gilan for Security.

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, Nadarkhani’s lawyer, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran at the time, “If he is under trial in another court on other charges, I am not aware. But we only defended him against the death sentence in the case of his charge of apostasy. The charge the court staff announced that I defended during several different court sessions was apostasy and no other charge.”

The new leveled charges raise concern that following widespread international criticism about the ruling issued for Mr. Nadarkhani, Iranian authorities wish to influence the case process by bringing up arbitrary charges. The new trial adds to these concerns.

In his interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today, the source referred to evidence in Youcef Nadarkhani’s case. “In his defense documents, there is a hand-written letter from the late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, in which he explicitly wrote about Youcef Nadarkhani that he must not be executed. His lawyer, Mr. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, presented this note as evidence in the case, as well as other legal reasoning why he should not be executed,” said the source.

“We are sure that Youcef Nadarkhani will be exonerated and released, because so far as we have seen, even the Chief Justice does not believe in his execution, and it is only the Judge who keeps insisting on it,” the source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

The source also informed the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Youcef Nadarkhani’s lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, who was banned from practicing law in April, has been allowed to attend the trial court. “An invitation has been sent to Mohammad Ali Dadkhah from Nadarkhani’s court, telling him that he can participate in the trial to defend his client as his lawyer. This is a cause for joy, because Nadarkhani had no other lawyers and would not have been able to choose another lawyer in this short time,” the source told the Campaign....

One group of jihadists (the Moro Islamic Liberation Front) concluded a ceasefire with the government, amid substantial concessions to the Muslims; another faction, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), continues the armed jihad -- kind of a Hamas/Fatah arrangement. "6 Muslim rebels killed in clash in Maguindanao," from Xinhua, August 18 (thanks to Maxwell):

COTABATO, Philippines (Xinhua) - At least six breakaway Muslim rebels have been killed in fresh fighting last night in Maguindanao, a military official said today.

Col. Prudencio Asto, spokesman for the military's 6th Division, said the skirmish erupted after elements of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) harassed a military detachment in the town of Guindulungan in Maguindanao on Friday.

A firefight ensued, according to Asto, leaving six dead on the enemy side.

The military also said BIFF rebels behind a series of recent attacks on military detachments in Maguindanao last week are being coddled by their former colleagues in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)....

Pakistan's blasphemy law is an ongoing human rights abuse, abundantly documented here at Jihad Watch over the years. The West should be condemning Pakistan and pressuring it to drop this law. Instead, under pressure from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Western countries are on the verge of adopting laws very like this one. "11-year-old girl arrested in Pakistan on charges of blasphemy," from the PTI, August 18 (thanks to G.S.):

ISLAMABAD: An 11-year-old Christian girl has been arrested in Pakistani capital on a charge of blasphemy after she was accused of burning pages of the Quran, police said on Saturday.

Officials of Ramna police station said an FIR had been registered against Rimsha Masih, a resident of Umara Jaffar in sector G-12 in Islamabad.

The girl was arrested on Friday by personnel from a women's police station after a man named Syed Muhammad Ummad filed a complaint against her.

However, an NGO named 'Christians in Pakistan' reported on its website that the girl has 'Down Syndrome' and had been falsely accused of burning 10 pages of the Quran.

The NGO said other Christians living in sector G-12 had been "threatened by extremists" who wanted to burn down their village on Friday.

It said some 300 people had left their homes and were in hiding due to the threats....

UPDATE: Take action. From the Asian Human Rights Commission (thanks to David):

The AHRC writes a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and Independent Expert on minority issues calling for their intervention into this matter.

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear ___________,

PAKISTAN: A mentally retarded minor girl is arrested on the charges of blasphemy; her mother and sister are missing after their arrest

Name of victims:

1. Miss Ramsha, 11, mentally retarded, daughter of Misraf Masih, resident of Hameera abadi, sector G-8, Islamabad
2. Miss Mashal, daughter of Misraf Masih, resident of Hameera abadi, sector G-8, Islamabad
3. Mrs Misraf Masih, resident of Hameera abadi, sector G-8, Islamabad

Names of alleged perpetrators:
Police officials of Ramna Police Station, Islamabad

Date of incident: August 16, 2012
Place of incident: Hameera abadi, sector G-8, Islamabad

I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the case of misuse of the blasphemy of Islamabad against a11 year old mentally retarded Christian girl for burning the papers collected from the garbage.

It is very shocking for me that the minor girl has been sent to Adiala prison which is only for adults instead of sending her to protective child welfare centers known as remand homes which are in every city if the country. Her mother and sister are also missing after they custody by the Ramna police station, Islamad and their whereabouts are unknown.

Miss Ramsha, 11, mentally retarded, daughter of Misraf Masih, was the residing at Hameera abadi, sector G-8, Islamabad with a sizeable numbers of Christians, and was collecting used papers from the garbage for night cooking as there is no gas connections and poor people depend on burning wood. When after sun set she was burning the copies of newspapers, collected from the garbage, a Muslim lady entered her house and started shouting that Ramsha is burning the papers from holy Quran. At that time her elder sister, Mashal, 14, was at home and her father and mother were out for their job. At this moment both sisters told the Muslim crowd, which was gathered after listening the shouting from Muslim lady, that the papers were from garbage and those are from newspapers but the crowd started beating them and suddenly their mother also arrived and she was also beaten. The other Christian residents also tried to settled the issue but they were beaten. Both sisters and her mother received the injuries and in the meanwhile the owner of the house, a Mulim man, arrived and called the police in the effort to save the Christians.

Police took the mother nad her two daughters in custody. A first information report (FIR) was filed in the Ramna police station in which Miss Ramsha was made the main accuse of blasphemy. But police arrested all the three. Seeing the tension in the area as Muslim activists on the instigation from the mosques started attacking and burning the Christian houses, Ramna police immediately sent the minor to the notorious Adiala prison and kept her mother and sister in the women police station for some time. When activists tried to gather out side the Ramna police station, the police shifted both mother and sister to some unknown place and according to police this action was taken for their safety. But the father of the victims and other Christians are suspicious of their missing and it was accused that both mother and daughter have been taken away by some militants.

The Christians from different slums areas of the Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, have started leaving their communities and apprehend that their houses would be attacked and burned. The Islamabad administration has yet not taken any action to protect the Christian population.

It is also accused by Christian population that some powerful persons want to grab the Christian dominating areas for their commercial purposes and using the Muslim activists.

I therefore urge you to investigate the incident of Hameera abadi, Islamabad where a mentally retarded minor girl was arrested on the charges of blasphemy and kept in the Adiala prison where minors are not allowed to be detained. I urge you to immediately release the minor and recover her mother and sister who are missing after their arrest. Please also prosecute the concerned police officials of the Ramna police station for filing the case of blasphemy against mentally retarded minor and with out the proper investigation.

Yours sincerely,

----------------

PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President's Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel +92 51 9204801+51 9214171
Fax: +92 51 9207458
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk

2.Mr. Raja Pervez Ashraf
Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9221596
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk, pspm@pmsectt.gov.pk

3. Dr. Fehmida Mirza
Speaker, National Assembly of Pakistan
Parliament house, Islamabad,
PAKISTAN
Email: speaker@na.gov.pk
Tel. No. +92 51 920 3734 +92 51 922 1082
Fax: +92 51 920 4673 / +92 51 922 1106

4.Mr. Maula Bux Chandio
Federal Minister
Ministry of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs
Government of Pakistan,
R block, Pak Secretariat
Islamabad, PAKISTAN
Tel: 92-51- 9202712
FAX: 92-51-9202541
E-mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk

5. Federal Minister for Human Rights
Ministry of Human Rights
Old US AID Building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9204108
E-mail: sarfaraz_yousuf@yahoo.com

6. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)

"In Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians" (Acts 19:26).

"Syria: Antakya,once city of Saint Peter, now a door for Jihad," from ANSA, August 17 (thanks to Insubria):

(ANSAMed) - ANTAKYA (TURKEY) - 17 AUG - Foreign fundamentalist fighters who are welcomed 'without fuss' to fight alongside Syrian rebels against the Assad regime, pose a threat to the country's future democracy, according to a commander of the Free Syrian Army.

'They constitute a real threat to our society and the western world, who hope for a democratic Syria in the future', Ahmad Fahd al Nimah said recently in response to a growing influx of Jihadist fighters flocking to Syria via Turkey. According to reports, mujahideen fighters are making the 20 minute journey to the border of Syria from Antakya, where Saint Peter was the first Christian bishop, and celebrated mass in a cave about 2,000 years ago. A Jihadist calling himself Abdullah told ANSA that he had come to Antioch from Marseilles, to 'God willing, fight against the murderous infidel Assad.' He explained that thousands of other mujahideen fighters were ready to come from abroad.

And a Turkish truck driver called Zeynel who was in Libya during the uprising against Gaddafi told ANSA that he recognised many Libyan jihadists in Antakya. Rebel fighters now control the Syrian border, and Turkey, who supports the Sunni anti-Assad uprising, does little to stop fundamentalists from crossing into Syria. The goal of the Jihad fighters is 'clear: to overthrow the Shia Alawite Assad regime and establish a Sunni Islamic based on sharia law. It is not known how many jihadist fighters there are in Syria, but their influence on the ground is clear. Many are experts in weapons, explosives, communications and guerrilla tactics, including suicide bombings. According to a BBC analyst, 53% of their attacks have been focused on Damascus and 20% on Aleppo, the dual nerve-centres of power in Syria. In short, they know where to hit the regime hardest. (ANSAmed).

If this were a priest, there would be international front-page news on it for weeks. On this, nothing. "Italy expels former imam jailed for terror training," from ANSA, July 30 (thanks to Insubria):

Italy expels former imam jailed for terror training (ANSA) - Perugia, July 30 - Italy has expelled the former imam of a mosque in suburban Perugia, following his release from prison where he served a six-year sentence for terrorist training.

Moroccan Mostapha El Korchi, former imam of the mosque at Ponte Felcino, was released and repatriated from Rome's main Leonardo da Vinci airport.

He was regarded as a central character in an investigation that led counter-terrorism authorities in Italy to arrest him and two Moroccan assistants, and seize a wide range of materials.

El Korchi had been under surveillance for months with police tracking his Internet activity and recording public sermons in favour of jihad or holy war, police said at the time of his arrest.

El Korchi, who was active in training would-be terrorists, served his sentence in a prison in southern Italy and was then immediately expelled as ordered by the courts in his sentence.

UPDATE: Al-Arabiya insists that this story is false -- after it has been reported all over the world by innumerable news sources. (Thanks to Amirul.)

---

Vividly enforcing women's second-class status under Sharia. "Saudi Arabia: Riyadh designs a women-only city," from AGI, August 13 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

(AGI) London - Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Wahabism (the strictest Islamic doctrine), will soon build a women-only town.

Its purpose is to reconcile female carrier aspirations and a strict sex division. According to Sunday Mail, the city has already a name, Hafuf, will be built in the east of the country, and its construction work is scheduled to start next year. . .