Recently in Algeria Category

But of course. This is absolutely, positively the most important and productive thing one can do with a police force: keep Algiers safe from Israeli clothing. "Algerian police confiscate Israel-made clothes," by Roi Kais for YNet News, January 4:

Over the past few days Algerian police forces have confiscated Israeli-made women's clothing items from a number of stores in a shopping center in the Al-Wadi district, the El-Khabar daily reported Wednesday.

According to the Algerian newspaper, the vendors told police officers that the man who had sold them the clothes was a resident of the capital Algiers.

Officers arrived at the shopping center the day after New Year's after receiving information according to which vendors were selling clothing items with "Made in Israel" labels on them.

El-Khabar said they were instructed by the attorney general to confiscate the clothing items and interrogate the vendors, who denied knowledge of the products' origins.

The alleged salesman from Algiers has been arrested, the report said.

A source told the newspaper "we cannot rule out the possibility that an international ring smuggled the Israeli clothes into the country and that its operatives are being assisted by Algerian vendors based in several districts."

They lost trust because of their brutality. But no, seriously, this time will be different. "Insight: Algerian Islamists hope for "Arab Spring" revival," by William Maclean for Reuters, December 8:

LONDON (Reuters) - Algeria's Islamists, in the political wilderness since their last attempt to win power dissolved into civil war, are now trying again, galvanized by the success of their brethren elsewhere in north Africa in the wake of the "Arab Spring". Most Islamists in Algeria have been excluded from political life since the conflict, but in the past few months they have shown renewed signs of activity, much of it conducted from exile to dodge the attentions of the Algerian state.

They have set up a satellite television station based in Europe, sent delegations to Arab countries that saw revolutions this year, and made tentative forays into anti-government protests.

Their chances of success are slim: they are divided into rival ideological camps, hemmed in by the powerful Algerian security apparatus, and, most importantly, discredited in the eyes of many people by a conflict in which they took part and which killed an estimated 200,000 people.

But they see an opportunity in the upheavals of the "Arab Spring," which have this year unseated entrenched secularist leaders. In neighboring Tunisia, a previously outlawed Islamist movement has come to power, while in Egypt Islamists have taken a strong early lead in multi-stage parliamentary elections.

"Tunisia was an example and launcher of this (Arab Spring) revolution," said Abdullah Anas, a London-based member of the leadership council of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), which is banned in Algeria.

"It could be a very good example for Algeria."

Any Islamist revival in Algeria, an OPEC member and supplier of about a fifth of Europe's imported gas, would have first to shed the burden of the country's bloody history.

Twenty years ago, FIS was poised to win a legislative election, called after street protests forced the authorities to loosen their grip on power. FIS said it would impose an Islamic state.

The military-backed government stepped in to annul the election. The Islamists took up arms and Algeria slipped into a conflict of horrific violence. Civilians had their throats slit in the street; in the mornings, people woke up to find their towns littered with bodies.

A gaggle of geese, a flock of seagulls, an exultation of larks, and...

A rump of Islamists, now operating under the banner of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, is still fighting. They periodically ambush security forces in the countryside, kidnap Westerners and stage suicide bombings.

But the violence has subsided considerably. A huge security crackdown has rounded up thousands of insurgents. Others have laid down their arms and been granted an amnesty, in exchange for an undertaking to stay out of politics.

This legacy is the biggest obstacle to any comeback by Algeria's Islamists.

"Since then (the conflict), the Islamist was no longer seen as a hero who stands up against tyranny," said Soheib Bencheikh, a theologian who used to be the chief cleric at the mosque in Marseilles, France, where there is a large Algerian community.

"On the contrary, he became, in the eyes of public opinion, accountable for the pain and suffering of the people," Bencheikh told Reuters.

A fear of a return to violence helps explain why Algeria has this year remained relatively calm while neighboring countries have been convulsed by unrest.

But the Islamists still believe that Algeria is ripe for change, and are beginning to take practical steps.

Starting in November, a group of exiled Islamists with links to FIS set up a Europe-based television station, called Rachad TV. Carried by the Atlantic Bird 7 and Nilesat satellites , the station can be picked up in Algeria, where most homes have a dish. It broadcasts political and social programs where opposition leaders and activists -- most of them harshly critical of the government -- are invited to comment on Algeria.

At the top of the station's homepage on the Internet, there is a link to show viewers "how to free your country", and a second link to help them "organize and participate in unrest."

The exiles say they are also building contacts with other countries where "Arab Spring" revolts have propelled Islamists into a position of power. [....]

Tunisia's experience had proved that it is possible to open up the political space in north Africa, said Anas.

"Everyone in Algeria must understand that Algeria has room for all ... no matter what opinions you have," he said, calling for a lifting of political curbs and the possibility of power-sharing between previously antagonistic groups....

That will be acceptable as long as political openness gives the Islamic parties the opening they need to advance.

"To be baptized the Justice and Development Front." There's an ironic choice of words. If they have their way where freedom of conscience is concerned, that might be just about the only baptism in Algeria. "Algeria radical Islamist to create new party," from Agence France-Presse, November 26:

Former presidential candidate in Algeria and radical Islamist Abdallah Djaballah is set to create a new political party, Algeria's national radio said on Saturday. Djaballah announced on Friday the imminent creation of "national body" which would later form a party, to be baptised the Justice and Development Front.

The new party would base itself on "the culture of mutual aid and social justice" said Djaballah, who was beaten in presidential elections in 1999 and 2004 by current President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

He has already been at the helm of the Ennahda (Renaissance) Movement, which he formed in the early 1990s, and the National Reform Movement (MRN), both Islamist parties that he left after internal disagreements.

There was "no official response so far" to his application but the latest declarations from Algeria's Interior Minister Daho Ould Kabila were "encouraging", he said.

At the end of this month, Algeria's parliament is set to vote in a new law that would facilitate the creation of parties, one of a number of political and constitutional reforms President Abelaziz Bouteflika has promised before the end of January to strengthen democracy in Algeria.

Controversially though the law would ban ex-Islamic Salvation Front members -- whose electoral success in 1991 led to civil war -- from forming a party.

Dozens of potential new parties are awaiting authorisation to form once the law is approved.

Islamist parties, such as Tunisia's Ennahda which won a majority of seats in an October 23 election to form a new constituent assembly, have been winning more influence across North Africa since the "Arab Spring" revolutions.

Why didn't the Vast Majority of Peaceful Muslims throw these people out of their mosques? And why is it that Algeria can admit that jihad terrorists sometimes meet in mosques, but American officials cannot?

"Algeria: 900 mosques, prayer halls shut for 'national security,'" from AKI, November 14 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

Algiers (AKI) - The Algerian government last week closed around 900 mosques and prayer halls throughout the country because it says they were used for meetings by suspected Islamic terrorists, Algerian newspaper El-Khabar reported on Monday.

Authorities say they Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) was particularly active in the places of worship where meetings among militants took place in secret, the report said.

The prayer halls were opened illegally, El-Khabar said, ignoring laws requiring approval by the Ministry of Religious Affairs before they can be opened.

AQIM grew out of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, and has its roots in an Islamist militia involved in the civil war in the 1990s that cost between 150,000 and 200,000 lives....

Selling alcohol: haram. Burning down the liquor store and stealing the phones of the customers inside: halal. Sharia Alert from Algeria: "Terrorism: Algeria, armed men burn alcohol store," from ANSAmed, November 2 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

(ANSAmed) - ALGIERS, NOVEMBER 2 - A shop licenced to sell alcoholic drinks was burned down last night in Assi Youcef by a group of armed men who, some sources say, are thought to belong to a terrorist group particularly active in the Tizi Ouzou area.

The news was reported today by the El Watan newspaper.

Large numbers of terrorists entered the shop and first checked the identity of customers, stealing their mobile phones.

Before fleeing to nearby woods, the men set fire to the shop, which was effectively gutted.

Suspicion over the incident is centring on former members of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). The shop in Assi Youcef is the second alcohol seller to be attacked in the space of a few weeks, after an earlier incident in Mechtras. (ANSAmed).

The pretext for the arrests appears to have been the lack of a permit for the site or the presider. Permit systems such as those in Indonesia, and the one proposed in Egypt, have become a popular modernization in purportedly "moderate" countries of Sharia's prohibition on building new churches or repairing old ones. The permit concept looks equitable enough on paper, but the handling of Christian applications amounts to a long, slow, "no," that is no less of a denial in practice.

"Algeria: Christians arrested for proselytism during mass," from AnsaMed, November 1:

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, NOVEMBER 1 - Five men were arrested by Algerian police for proselytism during a mass in a village in the wilaya of El Tarf, according to the website of the Liberté newspaper. The men were arrested in line with measures issued by the general state prosecutor at the court of El Tarf.

The incident occurred on Sunday in the village of Myriama, close to the Tunisian border. In Algeria, worship, Muslim or otherwise, is regulated by a law of February 2006, which stipulates that both the site in which worship is celebrated and the cleric presiding over the ceremony must be authorised."

Sounds familiar: everyone needs a permit, but who has an easier time obtaining and keeping authorization? The minority is at the mercy of the majority, which is likelier to approve its own religions' permits, and apply decisions informed by Sharia to the rest.

As always, the Islamic supremacists aren't just talking. "A bistro in the Ruisseau neighborhood of greater Algiers barely escaped an arson attack by a group of men after evening prayers."

"2 Algerian Islamists call for bars to close, saying drinking perverts youth," by Aomar Ouali for the Associated Press, October 5 (thanks to Twostellas):

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Two former ranking members of a banned Islamist party called on Algerians on Wednesday to demand that all bars and stores where alcoholic beverages are sold be shut down.

The two, Hachemi Sahnouni, who helped found the Islamic Salvation Front, and Abderazak Zeraoui Hamadache, said that alcohol is "perverting our youth and destroying our religious morals."

Their bid to end the sale of alcohol is significant because this Muslim North African country is in the process of defeating Islamist insurgents waging war since 1992. The call to close all bars recalls the period referred to as the "black decade" in the 1990s when extremists imposed their will on many villages and cities....

"We call on neighborhood committees to demand the definitive closing of bars and shops selling alcoholic beverages, forbidden by the religion of the prophet," the two said.

In the past few weeks, several incidents have been registered against bars and shops selling alcohol. On Monday, a bistro in the Ruisseau neighborhood of greater Algiers barely escaped an arson attack by a group of men after evening prayers. Police nearby intervened.

The government has been little comfort to bar owners worried about the changing climate.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has over the years carefully maneuvered between Muslim fundamentalists and secular citizens of this former French colony. Critics say this lack of firmness has encouraged fundamentalists to make a return.

The Islamic Salvation Front was banned in 1992 after the army canceled legislative elections it was poised to win, triggering the insurgency. An estimated 200,000 have been killed in violence, extremists, security forces and civilians.

Reflecting the sensitivity of the situation, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia ducked a question Friday about the growing fear of those selling alcoholic beverages, saying only that alcohol causes health problems.

Misunderstanding yet again that Islam teaches peace. "Six killed in Tunisian clashes near Algeria: diplomat," from AFP, September 23 (thanks to David):

Clashes this week between Tunisian soldiers and an armed group that crossed the border from Algeria left six dead among the infiltrators, a western diplomatic source said Friday.

"According to our reports, six attackers were killed," the source said, while the Tunisian ministry of defence said one body had been found so far.

The fighting took place on Wednesday when the Tunisian army neutralised an armed convoy of nine vehicles fitted with anti-aircraft guns that crossed over from the Algerian desert near Bir Znigra....

According to the diplomatic source, seven attackers were taken prisoner and the group was probably made up of Algerians and Libyans.

A regional security source who asked not to be named said that "it was about a score of heavily armed terrorists of Ql-Qaeda [sic] in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) who attacked the Tunisian troops."

"At this stage, we have no details on the identity of the group. It could be AQIM, it could be a band of armed smugglers. It is too early to identify these men with any certainty," the official in the Tunisian defence ministry said.

Exactly how would Israel benefit from yet another regime in the region being replaced by an even more hostile one? That's the handy thing about conspiracy theories, of course: they do not have to make sense, and even evidence against the conspiracy is somehow evidence of the conspiracy's existence.

"Algeria links uprising call to Camp David peace accords," from Middle East Online, September 15 (thanks to Twostellas):

ALGIERS - Foreign parties linked to Zionists are behind an online campaign urging Algerians to stage anti-government protests this weekend, Algeria's interior minister told local media Thursday.

Since late August, a call for an "Algerian revolution on September 17, 2011" has circulated on Facebook encouraging young people to flood the streets in opposition to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's regime.

"Had it been people inside (the country), we would have exposed and arrested them, but the clues point us toward foreign parties in relation with the Zionist entity," Interior Minister Dahou Ould Kablia told the Ennahar daily newspaper.

The "proof":

The "proof", according to Ould Kablia, is that date chosen for the uprising is the anniversary of the Camp David peace accords, signed by Egypt and Israel on September 17, 1978.

The minister further noted that the massacres of Palestinian refugees carried out by an Israeli-allied Christian militia at Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon happened on the 16th and 17th of September, 1982.

"The choice of September 17 is no accident for the enemies of the Arab people," Ould Kablia told the paper.

"The calls are failing to elicit any response and there won't be any demonstrations or any trouble on this date," he said.

Protests in Algeria, inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, intensified at the start of the year, but were effectively suppressed by the government.

Since then scores of political and social movements have emerged across the country, prompting Bouteflika to create a presidential panel that is currently weighing reforms.

Since the holy fasting month of Ramadan ended in August, riots broke out over insufficient housing.

An update on this story. Which occupation caused this suicide bombing?"Algeria attack claimed by al-Qaida offshoot," from the Associated Press, August 28:

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility Sunday for the attack on a military academy in Algeria that killed at least 18 people including 16 officers in training.

Al-Qaida's North African wing said in a statement posted online that two suicide bombers carried out Friday's attack on the Cherchell military academy, 110 miles (180 kilometers) west of the capital, Algiers.

The defense ministry says the attack killed 16 officers and two civilians, and wounded 26 others. AQIM says it killed 36 officers and wounded 35.

AQMI called the attack "the Eid gift for the Algerian families of the martyrs and the prisoners." Friday was the 27th day of the holy month of Ramadan, a sacred day in the Muslim calendar when the devout say that their prayers go directly to God.

The three-day holiday Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan this week. Traditionally, children get new clothes, shoes, haircuts and toys for the holiday.

The attacks began Friday evening when a bomb exploded just outside the military academy. Soldiers dining at a restaurant — which was within the base but near its perimeter — raced from their tables to see what had happened, according to security officials.

As a crowd gathered, a suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his body drove his motorcycle at them, the officials said. The city was sealed off after the attack and the army chief of staff, Gen. Gaid Salah, arrived by helicopter shortly after to survey the scene.

"Underlying causes":

Islamist extremists have battled Algerian security forces since 1992 when the army canceled a national election that a now-banned Muslim fundamentalist party was poised to win. Security forces gained the upper hand over the years, but sporadic attacks continue and increased dramatically in July. An estimated 200,000 people — civilians, insurgents and security forces — have been killed since the violence began.

Al-Qaeda claimed the last major attack. The timing of this attack to coincide with the end of the day's fast would fit their flair for symbolism in slaughter. "Algeria suicide bomb attack hits military academy," from BBC News, August 26:

A suicide bomb attack on a military academy in Algeria has killed 18 people, officials say.

The attack took place in the town of Cherchell, about 100km (60 miles) west of the capital Algiers.

One or two bombers set off their explosives just after the breaking of the Ramadan fast, reports said.

No group has said it carried out the attack. It comes 12 days after a suicide car bombing of a police station in Tizi Ouzu wounded 29 people.

That attack was claimed by the Islamist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which is active in the region.

It was not clear how many of those killed in the latest attack were military. A hospital source told Reuters news agency 16 soldiers had been killed and two civilians.

Political violence has subsided since the 1990s when more than 150,000 were killed after the 1992 election, won by an Islamist party, was annulled.

But militant groups continue to carry out sporadic attacks.

This story helps to demonstrate why "blasphemy" laws and other legislation curtailing free speech to shield Islam from insults and "provocations" (real or imagined) must be resisted: "While Algeria professes that it upholds religious freedom, it also embraces a blasphemy law that, by its very nature, can be used to prosecute anyone who does not adhere to the religion of Islam."

At the end of the day, merely expressing a belief at variance with Islam is "blasphemy," and the fact that one could have the gall to think such thoughts and admit to them out loud could be construed as "insulting." That is what has happened to Siagh Krimo. "Algerian Christian Given Five Year Prison Sentence for Blasphemy," from International Christian Concern, May 27:

Washington -- International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that an Algerian Christian was sentenced to five years imprisonment for blasphemy in Oran on Wednesday after sharing his Christian faith with a neighbor. The verdict came days after authorities forced the permanent closure of seven Protestant churches in Algeria's Béjaia province.

Siagh Krimo was charged by the Criminal Court of the Djamel District in Oran, who based their decision on Article 144 bis 2 of the Penal Code which criminalizes acts that "insult the prophet and any of the messengers of God, or denigrate the creed and precepts of Islam, whether by writing, drawing, declaration, or any other means." Krimo has ten days to appeal the sentence.

Krimo, who is married with a nine month old child, was arrested on April 14, along with another Christian, Sofiane, after sharing his Christian faith with a neighbor. Sofiane was released soon after the arrest, while Krimo was detained for three days. Krimo was known to hold weekly prayer services at his home, which Algerian Christians suspect were being closely monitored by the police.

The prosecutor at Krimo's trial, held on May 4, failed to present as a witness the neighbor who accused Krimo of proselytizing and making defamatory statements against the Muslim prophet Mohammad. Algerian Christians were hopeful that Krimo would be acquitted of all charges. "Good news, the judge, after having invited Krimo to use wisdom and return to Islam, has ended the affair," an Algerian church leader in Tizi Ouzou told ICC on May 4. "We hope this will end well."

The previous paragraph suggests Krimo left Islam for Christianity, though it is not stated elsewhere. In that case, he would also run the risk of being killed for apostasy from Islam, according to Muhammad's own orders.

The prosecutor, doubtful he would win the case on so little evidence, reportedly asked the judge to have Krimo's sentence reduced to a two year imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 Algerian dinar. However, some believe that higher authorities in the Algerian government were involved in reaching the final decision. "The judge would have normally acquitted Krimo of all charges, but I think he received an order from his superiors to strike hard," said an Algerian representative of the Association of Protestant Churches (EPA).

Krimo's sentence follows an order received by the EPA on May 22 to close seven Protestant churches in the province of Béjaia. The notice stated the churches are to be closed in accordance with Ordinance 06-03, which requires churches to obtain government permission to hold services. Though the EPA has made efforts to comply with the ordinance, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Religious Affairs have refused to register churches or to approve permits quickly.

Aidan Clay, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, "Algerian Christians have been under attack in recent weeks as laws have been increasingly enforced to discriminate against them. Earlier this week, seven churches in Béjaia were ordered to close. Now, an Algerian Christian is on the verge of being unjustly imprisoned for accusations of criticizing Islam. While Algeria professes that it upholds religious freedom, it also embraces a blasphemy law that, by its very nature, can be used to prosecute anyone who does not adhere to the religion of Islam. We urge Algeria to acquit Siagh of all charges and repeal Article 144 bis 2 of the Penal Code."

Propagating non-Islamic religions is forbidden under Sharia. That is bad enough, but of course, the "crime" of bearing witness to one's faith in public lies somewhat in the eye of the beholder. Ultimately, to continue to exist in daily life while self-identifying as a non-Muslim -- perhaps even having the unmitigated gall to do so joyfully -- is to make a non-Islamic faith visible, and to risk becoming a target. "Algeria: Clampdown on Protestants, 7 churches closed," from ANSAMed, May 24 (thanks to Nigel):

(ANSAmed) - ALGIERS, MAY 24 - A new clampdown on Christian protestants in Algeria. The Algerian 'wilaya' (province) of Bejaia has ordered 7 places of worship of this religious group to be closed. The measure, el Watan reports on its website, was issued on May 8. It was made executive on the 22nd and announced yesterday. Sources in the Vatican nunciature in Algiers have told ANSAmed that Catholic churches are not affected by the measure, and that the measure does not regard national territory.

The Algerians may also see an easier target in local, unaffiliated churches, who have no diplomatic recourse as Catholic communities would through the church hierarchy.

Mustapha Krim, president of the Protestant Church in Algeria, has appealed against the measure, which speaks in general terms of the closing of places of worship ''for religious worship other than the Islam''. Krim has said that he has visited the Ministry of Religious Affairs in an attempt to postpone the implementation of the measure. He underlined that he has not been informed about it in time. Protestants, a rapidly growing movement in Algeria, has been targeted for several years by the Islamic religious authorities and civilians.

The government accuses the Protestants of proselytism, a serious crime in a country where Islam is the State religion and Muslims are not allowed to convert to other religions. In Algeria, other religions than the Islam can register and obtain an official status, provided they will not try to recruit new followers among the local population. The small Catholic community in fact counts nearly only foreign members, with a few Algerians from the time of French colonialism. The attitude of the Protestants is different: in 2001 some North American Protestant ministers started preaching in the Berber region Kabylie. According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, today there are around 50 thousand Protestants in the country, with 10 thousand observant Protestants divided in 33 communities.

In 2006, the Algerian government passed a law that punishes anyone who tries to convert a Muslim to Christianity, punishable with two to five years in prison and fines ranging from five to ten thousand euros. Several Protestant churches have been closed in the past. Early in 2010 a Protestant place of worship in Tizi-Ouzou, around 60 km east of Algiers, was attacked and set on fire by groups of Muslim extremists; the police did not intervene. (ANSAmed).

Abdelkader Messahel must be some kind of Islamophobe: doesn't he realize that the rebels in Libya are all secular, pro-democracy freedom lovers? "Al-Qaeda bolstering presence in Libya, Algeria says," from Reuters, April 5 (thanks to Kristian):

Algiers -- Algeria is concerned by a noticeably increased Al-Qaeda presence in neighboring Libya and worried militant groups could lay their hands on weapons circulating in the country, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Abdelkader Messahel, Algerian Deputy Foreign Minister said he was worried "particularly through the increasingly noticeable presence of AQIM (Al-Qaeda's north African wing) in Libya and the increasingly noticeable circulation of weapons which can be exploited by terrorist groups."

Addressing a news conference after meeting Britain's Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt, Messahel said a prolonged conflict in Libya risked destabilizing the Sahel region.

"Everybody has noticed, and we are not the only ones, that there are a lot of weapons circulating in Libya and this situation, if it persists, will aggravate the situation in the Sahel," he said.

Messahel stressed Algeria's opposition to foreign military intervention in Libya, which it has said goes beyond the United Nations resolution allowing foreign states to intervene to protect civilians.

"From our point of view, anything which continues for a long time, like violence, like war, will delay a return to stability in this brotherly nation (Libya) and there will certainly be repercussions for the stability and security of the region," he said. "So we, as a neighboring country, want to see a quick return to a solution which is of the Libyans, by the Libyans and for Libya."

You might not have given much thought to it—perhaps no one you know suffers from this addiction—but the most dangerous mind-altering substance afflicting Americans today is a drug called Interventitron. Developed in 1917 by the Princeton researcher (and American President) Woodrow Wilson, Interventitron is better known by street names applied to various brands by different dealers: “War to End All Wars," "Just Cause,” “Enduring Freedom,” and most recently “Odyssey Dawn.” This drug was once confined to certain subcultures in Washington, D.C., and parts of Manhattan, and it has been shown to have legitimate use in treating diseases—for instance, its application from 1941-1945 proved to be life-saving. But the drug proved highly addictive, and was frequently over-prescribed in subsequent decades for phantom illnesses, or conditions where its medical benefits were clearly outweighed by its potent side effects. Among these side-effects, clinicians have identified the following as the most serious:

• Massive, uncontrolled pauperization, especially through metastasizing military and foreign aid expenditures—which once induced by a heavy dose of “Interventh,” have proven almost impossible for policymakers to stabilize, much less halt. Debilitating outcomes have included the U.S. occupation of Iraq and of Afghanistan.


• Hyperactivity of the military gland, which in moderate to severe cases can cause morbidity in otherwise healthy young men, especially between ages 18-25. This phenomenon often proves crippling or fatal; between 1963 and 1975, some 58,209 Americans died as a direct result of Interventitron abuse.


• Debilitating hallucinations, which result in violent behavior that proves destructive to self or others. The best-documented example of this phenomenon afflicted the nation of Yugoslavia in 1999, when Interventitron-induced delusions led NATO and the U.S. to conclude that a vast, one-sided campaign of genocide was underway against Bosnian Muslims—whom the drug further led Westerners to perceive as tolerant and secular. While few NATO lives were claimed, hundreds of thousands of Christian Serbs were displaced from their homes, and thousands of them killed, by soldiers of the new Kosovo Albanian regime. Solid evidence of the “genocide” which NATO had claimed was occurring could never be adduced, leading some researchers to claim that it was merely a phantom produced by near-toxic doses of Interventitron, which has been the drug of choice among American policymakers from the late 1990s onward. Heavy users of the drug, many of them prominent in government and media subcultures, continue to insist that evidence for their claims will prove forthcoming—and have conducted enormously expensive, inconclusive “war crimes” trials in the vain attempt to justify their behavior while intoxicated.


• The failure of self-protective autonomic instincts. Here, medical observers have pointed to the seemingly inexplicable decisions of prominent addicts such as Donald Rumsfeld, who while “juiced up” on the drug disbanded the Iraqi Army and outlawed its once-dominant Ba'ath Party—leaving an entire country to descend into civil war, and to slide into de facto military alliance with America's enemy, Iran. Other cases of morbidity include the long French involvement with Algeria—begun as an anti-piracy measure in 1830—which resulted in the mass colonization of the host by hostile, parasitic Muslims.


• Severe memory loss. Long-time abusers of Interventitron have shown that they are virtually incapable of remembering or learning from past events, leading them to indulge in repeated instances of counterproductive, repetitive and compulsive behavior, in the full expectation of different results. Hence, when faced with the evidence that small doses of Interventitron almost invariably escalate into long-term, debilitating addiction, heavy users insist that “this time” their proposed application of the drug will be a “quick, surgical strike” that will not, they promise, “turn into a quagmire.” Assurances that they can “stop any time they want” invariably prove hollow. Evidence for this sad medical conclusion can be seen in the large American military establishments still present in such bizarre, entirely peaceful outposts as Okinowa and Germany—suggesting that the aftereffects even of medically indicated doses of Interventitron (as in 1941-45) can prove costly in the long run.


• Serious, sometimes crippling lapses in judgment, which can lead Interventitron addicts to perceive strangers who either wish or can do them no harm as deadly enemies—and implacably hostile forces as friends or natural allies. The current NATO and American effort to depose the defanged dictator Muammar Qaddafi and replace him with an unknown coalition of forces based in the deeply Islamist, anti-American eastern region of Libya, is a clear instance of advanced Interventitron poisoning. Attempts to organize an “intervention” that would confront American users with the consequences of their disease have proven futile, thanks to the final, and perhaps the gravest side-effect of this mind-altering substance:


• Drug-induced mania, whose symptoms include grandiosity, an impregnable self-righteousness and hostility to critics, and a debilitating preoccupation with the “verdict of history.” Once an Interventitron user displays these “third-stage” effects, any treatment is generally contraindicated as it tends to injure the patient without diminishing the symptoms. As fiscal systems strain and finally fail, self-protective mechanisms become hyperactive and indiscriminately attack healthy organs, and undetected pathogenic organisms (falsely identified as native or friendly) replicate themselves unchecked within the host. After such a fatal prognosis is reached, the focus of caregivers in tertiary Interventitron dependency is harm-reduction and pain management. Some activists have called for the use of doctor-assisted suicide in such cases, claiming that terminal patients such as the European Union have the right to “death with dignity,” but civilizational ethicists are still conflicted over such proposals, and others argue for hospice care as the most compassionate alternative to offer nations in their last few decades of life.

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

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

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

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

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

They must have seen how well it worked in Egypt. Islamic supremacists were denied the fruits of an election victory some years ago in Algeria; now is their chance again. "Algeria shuts down internet and Facebook as protest mounts," by Nabila Ramdani in the Telegraph, February 12 (thanks to Block Ness):

Internet providers were shut down and Facebook accounts deleted across Algeria on Saturday as thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators were arrested in violent street demonstrations.

Plastic bullets and tear gas were used to try and disperse large crowds in major cities and towns, with 30,000 riot police taking to the streets in Algiers alone.

There were also reports of journalists being targeted by state-sponsored thugs to stop reports of the disturbances being broadcast to the outside world.

But it was the government attack on the internet which was of particular significance to those calling for an end to President Abdelaziz Boutifleka's repressive regime....

Sharia traditionally forbids non-Muslims from building new houses of worship or repairing old ones, so that their communities are perpetually in a state of decline. While Sharia is not fully in force in Algeria, it remains a cultural hangover there and elsewhere in the Islamic world. Islamic Tolerance Alert from the Maghreb: "Four Algerian Christians convicted for setting up a place of worship without a permit," from AsiaNews, December 13 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

Algiers (AsiaNews) - Four Algerian Muslim converts to Christians [sic] were convicted for setting up an illegal place of worship in Kabylia, a region in the eastern part of the country. This is the first conviction of its kind in Algeria. Although it was suspended, the sentence ranges from two to three months in prison.

Three of the men--Abdenour Raid, Nacer Mokrani and Idir Haoudj--got two months. The fourth man, Rev Mahmoud Yahou, was sentenced to three months in jail and a 1,000-dinar fine (US$ 125) for illegally sheltering a foreigner....

In Algeria, a 2006 law requires that anyone who wants to set up a place of worship, whether for Muslims or non-Muslims, must obtain a permit, indicating the name of the place of worship as well as that of the preacher.

The four men were convicted of opening a Protestant church without a proper licence issued by the authority. However, Rev Yahou told French daily La Croix on 10 December that the accusation is absurd. "I have being welcoming foreign guests since 2003. They have all entered Algeria with a visa because I signed the accommodation certificate for them".

According to some observers, this trial against Algeria's Christian minority reflects a crackdown undertaken by Algerian government since February 2006 against non-Muslim religions. Since the 1990s, the country has been targeted by Islamic extremists.

Under the 2006 law, places of worship need a permit. "Undermining" Muslims' faith and "inciting" them to convert are crimes (although no definition of them is given).

According to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika (in power since 1999 and now on his third mandate), the 2006 law respects the Algerian constitution. Many observers disagree since it creates a grey area that allows the government and the police to move against religious minorities, despite the constitutional protection of religious freedom.

Yes, and it's all in accord with Sharia.

Persecuting converts to Christianity is ongoing in Algeria, but it could be worse: since Islamic law actually calls for such people to be murdered, and Algerian authorities are instead just doing their best to make their lives miserable, those authorities qualify as bona fine "moderates."

Islamic Tolerance Alert from the Maghreb: "Four accused of violating Islamic precepts," from AFP, November 27:

Algiers - Algeria will put on trial four converts to Christianity from Sunday for "illegally opening a place of worship", one of their lawyers told AFP.

"The defendants, who are between 35 and 45 years old, have been charged with setting up a Protestant church in the region without authorisation by authorities," said lawyer Mohamed Ben Belkacem....

Under a 2006 Algerian law Muslims or non-Muslims can only practise their religion after authorities agree to a place of worship.

Over the past months several trials have opened in the north African country where Islam is the state religion for violation of Islamic precepts, notably involving converts to Christianity.

A group of Muslims who were charged with breaking the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan in August, were acquitted earlier this month.

In mid-October a youth was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine for failing to abide by the fast but the prosecutor later said the sentence was for breaking a window pane at a police station.

Two Christians who broke the fast were acquitted in early October.

Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia told parliament last month Algeria would "always guarantee" freedom of religion. - Sapa-AFP

Sure. You can believe in any religion you want in Algeria, as long as it's Islam.

It's good that they were acquitted, but not so good that no one had the guts or the vision to stand up in the middle of the trial and say, "Wait a minute: we're trying two Christians for offending Islam because they ate lunch during Ramadan? This whole proceeding is absurd."

Note also here, yet again, that Islamic law is applied to non-Muslims even though we're assured again and again that this never happens. It may be, however, that these two are simply being harassed for converting to Christianity.

Islamic Supremacism Alert: "2 Christians acquitted in Algeria Ramadan case," from AP, October 5:

ALGIERS, Algeria -- Judicial officials say an Algerian court has acquitted two recent converts to Christianity on trial for offending Islam by eating lunch during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The officials said the court in Ain El Hammam in the eastern Kabylie region on Tuesday threw out the case against Hocine and Salem Fallek. A state prosecutor had sought a three-year prison sentence.

Police caught the couple -- both construction workers -- off-guard and arrested them while they were having lunch on Aug. 12.

During Ramadan, devout Muslims abstain from food and drink between dawn and sunset, and Algerian law considers it an "offense to the principles of Islam" to eat during the day.

Two similar court cases are pending.

"The suspect had notes and a kit for making bombs." That will be hard to explain away. "French terrorism suspect arrested in Italy," by Angela Charlton for the Associated Press, October 3 (thanks to Sr. Soph):

PARIS - Italian police have arrested a Frenchman suspected of links to a network recruiting fighters for Afghanistan, a French official said Sunday.

The man was arrested in Naples in southern Italy in early September, based on a French probe underway for several months into alleged involvement in a terrorist enterprise, the official said. The official was not authorized to be publicly named because terrorism cases are classified.

The official said the man is suspected of having fought in Afghanistan and belonging to a network for recruiting fighters.

Two Italian newspapers say the man is 28 years old, of Algerian origin and suspected to be a member of al-Qaida.

Il Mattino, a newspaper based in Naples, and the Naples editions of La Repubblica said Sunday that the suspect had notes and a kit for making bombs when he was arrested. The French official, however, said the material seized was "insignificant."

Il Mattino said the arrest took place two weeks ago but only became public during a closed-door hearing in Naples that approved the suspect's extradition to France.

The arrest comes at a time of heightened concerns about a terrorist attack in Europe....

Here is yet another example of how non-Muslims are compelled to observe Islamic rules and mores when in Muslim countries. And of course we see increasingly that when in non-Muslim countries, Muslims demand special privileges and accommodation for their practices. At no point is there ever any concession or gesture of good will from the Muslim side. Yet this unilateral intransigence is persistently ignored, downplayed or mischaracterized by Western observers. "Algerian Christians under trial for breaking Ramzan fast," from AFP, September 21 (thanks to Mukund):

AIN EL HAMMAM: Two Algerian Christians were tried on Tuesday for breaking Ramadan fasting rules, with hundreds of people protesting outside the courtroom against judicial authorities.

Hocine Hocini and Salem Fellak were arrested on August 13 on the building site where they worked in the northern region of Kabylie after they were spotted eating lunch, which they admit to doing but insist happened in a discreet place.

Muslims are not allowed to eat during daylight hours during the Ramadan holy month, and in Algeria breaking the fast can be punished with three months in jail.

"I am optimistic," Hocini, who is a Protestant, said as he left the courtroom in Ain el Hammam after the hearing.

The verdict is due on October 5.

"We are innocent, and we haven't done any harm to anyone," he said. "We are Christians and we have not eaten in a public place," he said.

Hundreds of people supporting the two accused gathered outside the court and shouted slogans against the judiciary....

Actually it was Islamic jihadists. While Hamas-linked CAIR and other Islamic advocacy groups in the U.S. are in a fine froth these days about a supposed rise in "Islamophobia," will they say anything about this? (And yes, CAIR has spoken out about events outside the U.S. before.) I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. "Algeria: Gunmen fire on crowded mosque," from AKI, September 1 (thanks to Twostellas):

Algiers, 1 Sept. (AKI) - One person has been killed and at least eight injured when gunmen burst into a mosque during prayers southwest of the Algerian capital of Algiers, local newspaper Ennahar reported.

A large number of people were gathered for Ramadan prayers late on Tuesday when the attackers opened fire on the crowd in the Algerian province of Ain Defla, the report said.

The sheikh guiding the prayers was killed in the incident while some of the wounded were taken to hospital serious condition.

A bloody civil war broke out in Algeria in the 1991 after the government cancelled results that awarded a national election victory to an Islamist party....

A crime against my neighbor in Algeria. June 1986
by Kahina

Sara was 20, just finished her first year of collage in Batna. She was in love with a boy from school. But as her father had arranged a marriage for her with a Muslim man. Sara was to be married as soon as she turned 20 to this man who was 53 years old. His wife had died giving birth at home.

Her mother, still holding on in secret to their Jewish roots, would tell Sara of her ancestors, the Chawi Berbers of Numidia.

The day came for the marriage of Sara to General Djbar. Sara was preparing herself in her room, crying the whole time. Her mother was tormented that she had no say in her daughter's marriage or life because Sara's father had already arranged the marriage.

Sara's mother went down to start to prepare the henna for the festival. Sara packed her bags and jumped out the window. She ran to our house, where I would transport her to Constantine. I drove so fast, I felt like my heart was going to explode. We met her lover in the center of the city, where he had gotten papers for him and Sara saying they were married in order to get Sara into Tunis and then into France. They papers were forged, but were the only way we could get her out safe.

I drove home so that no one would miss me. It was a good 3 hour drive back to the mountains of Aures. Once I arrived everyone questioned me. I used the excuse that I went to get a gift. They saw the gift in the auto and did not question me any more.

But then I heard screaming coming from Sara's house. Everyone went to see what happened. We found Sara's mother black with bruises on her face and arms. Her husband had beaten her because Sara was gone. How was he going to explain this to the family and the man whom she was to marry? It was a disgrace to his honor.

Sara's brother started to ask around. They found out from a friend that Sara was with her lover from school. With the help of the police and military, they found Sara and her lover in the hotel that night in Constantine. Her father wrapped the rope around her neck and killed her. Her lover was shot for being in the same room with her while not married.

All of this went unreported. They held the funeral 3 days later and buried her a month later.

Sara's father killed his wife on the suspicion that she was the one who helped Sara escape. He did this to clear his family's name in the society.

I would never be the same again. It was the first time I would witness a honor killing, at the age of 16. I feared also for my well being.

Sara

I dream of a place where poets can sing their minds and hearts
and the songs of love are in all hearts....

Sara sang her song this night while the ground was still thirsty with blood....

I do not believe in peace anymore while bullets still rape the innocent of this night...

Why do Muslims engage in violent intimidation? Because it works. Until people are willing to stand up and defy it, it will continue to work. "Christians and Muslims from Algeria to Italy in the footsteps of Saint Augustine," from Asia News, August 13 (thanks to Twostellas):

Rome (AsiaNews) - A group of Christians and Muslims from Algeria, Morocco and France have planned a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Augustine, their countryman, that will lead them to Milan and Pavia, where the remains of the North African saint of Hippo lie. There are several Muslim converts to Christianity among the group, some for over 40 years, others for just over a year.

It is the first time that Christians of North Africa have ever organized a similar pilgrimage. It will take them from August 26 to 28 to Milan, where Augustine was baptized by Ambrose in 387, to Pavia and the basilica of san Pietro in Ciel d'Oro (see photo), which houses his remains in time to take part in local celebrations, the feast of the saint on August 28.

The group has long desired to make this pilgrimage and had also wanted to include an audience with the pope. Among the pilgrims, 17 are of North African origin, 14 are converts from Islam and two are catechumens. There is also a future seminarian; the other 10 are of French origin, all accompanied by Fr Alexis Doucet, S.J.

To mark the occasion a medal bearing a Berber cross was coined, which will be handed to participants at the end of the pilgrimage.

Among the expressed intentions of the pilgrimage is that "Muslims who have heard the call of the Lord Jesus should not be prohibited from entering the Church." The idea refers to some episodes that have occurred in France and Algeria, where many Muslims who wanted to be baptized, have been impeded by priests and bishops, fearful of the consequences and overly precautious....

"Good women are obedient....As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them." -- Qur'an 4:34

But...but...doesn't Qaher Sharif know that Islam protects women's rights? He must be some kind of Islamophobe!

"Algeria: Prison for Violent Husbands Is Against Koran, Mufti," from ANSAmed, March 15 (thanks to Block Ness):

(ANSAmed) - ALGIERS, MARCH 15 - The proposal to introduce prison terms for men who beat their wives goes against the Koran and the teachings of the prophet Mohamed, according to the head of Algeriàs Superior Islamic Council. Qaher Sharif fiercely criticised the bill presented to the head of state Abdelaziz Bouteflikàs by the head of the Consultative Council on Human Rights Farouk Qustantiti. "This man's aim is to violate a law of the Koran and of the Sunnah, and he meddles in subjects that are beyond his competence", Sharif said in an interview with the Arab-language edition of the daily newspaper El Khabar. "Hés done it before with the death penalty, and now with beatings," he added, asking "what difference can it make to him what goes on between a man and his wife?" The President of the Islamic Council said that he was stunned by Qustantinìs proposal, because "God has already pointed out precisely the way that a husband must behave towards his wife". He quoted verses 34 and 35 of the Surah on women, in which men are advised to "admonish women, confine them to their bed and beat them" should they commit "nushooz", a term signifying both infidelity and a refusal of sexual intercourse. Sharif pointed out that the text is so precise that it indicates the method of punishment to be used against the wife, and that this should be neither "too insistent, nor provoke disfigurement".

"[An] officer denied police were caving in to Islamist pressure, pointing out that security forces regularly battle Islamist militants," but that's evidently only when it's in the state's interest to do so. For that matter, the "authorized venues" scheme is a means of maintaining control over non-Muslim communities, and as always, disobedient dhimmis lose their "protected" status when they step out of line.

"Islamists loot and burn protestant church in Algeria," from the Associated Press, January 11 (thanks to Sr. Soph):

Islamists looted and burned a Protestant church in Algeria, the congregation's leader said Monday, suggesting they were inspired by a recent wave of religious intolerance in the Arab and Muslim world.

The church - hosted in an apartment block in the city of Tizi Ouzou some 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Algiers, the Algerian capital - was ransacked and set ablaze on Saturday night, several Algerian newspapers said.

The independent El Watan daily published a picture of a smoldering pile of pulpits and desks that had been brought outside for destruction. It quoted the pastor of the local Pentecostal community, Mustapha Krireche, as saying worshippers fled the temple because local police had left a gathering of anti-Christian rioters unchecked.

The congregation was worshipping in the apartment block because it had not received official government approval to operate a church.

Mustapha Krim, the head of the Algerian Protestant Church association, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Monday that looters also set fire to a pile of Bibles and religious textbooks, and desecrated Christian crosses.

He said the looting showed "Islamist intolerance considers there is no room for Christian religious practices in Algeria," and alleged it was "fueled by what just happened in Egypt," where six people were killed in a church shooting during Christmas celebrations. In mainly Muslim Malaysia, nine churches have also been recently burned down amid violence against the country's Christian minority.

The Protestant Church in Algeria filed five separate complaints for arson and looting with local authorities, Krim said Monday.

"Authorities don't want to get involved because they're worried of getting in trouble with the Islamists," Krim said.

There was no official comment from Algeria's government on the church looting. A senior police officer in the town of Tizi Ouzou confirmed the police hadn't intervened, despite the complaints. He said authorities couldn't intervene because the church hadn't been authorized as a place of worship [...]

An overwhelmingly Muslim nation where Islam is the religion of state, Algeria allows the practice of other faiths in authorized venues. A few Roman Catholic churches are still open, left over from the French colonial era.

But small Protestant groups have been accused of proselytizing, or trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, which is illegal in Algeria. Several Protestants were prosecuted last year for illegally carrying Bibles or converting people to Christianity.

Let's see: it is forbidden to eat or drink during daylight hours in Ramadan. So is this "extreme Sharia," or ordinary run-of-the-mill chummy Sharia? Eat the Salad Do the Time Alert from the BBC, with thanks to JE:

An Algerian court has sent four men to jail for eating lunch in a restaurant during the holy month of Ramadan.

During this period, practising Muslims are meant to observe a fast between the hours of dawn and dusk.

The three offenders were picked up in the town of Bejaia, some 260km east of Algiers and were found guilty of conspicuous contempt of religion.

The restaurant manager was given six months in prison. The others were sentenced to three months each.

"War is deceit," said Muhammad. "Algerian who fabricated details of al-Qaida plot sent to prison," from AP, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

INDIANAPOLIS – An Algerian man who lied about an al-Qaida plot to bomb five U.S. cities in an attempt to avoid deportation was sentenced Friday to a year in prison.

Ahmed Allali, 37, had pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements for telling federal investigators he knew members of the al-Qaida terrorist network and had lived overseas with them in the late 1990s.

In addition to sentencing Allali to a year in prison, federal Judge Larry J. McKinney also imposed 3 years of supervised release following his release from prison.

Allali lied to members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force when he told them he traveled into the United States in 1998 with al-Qaida members, prosecutors said.

The Algerian national, who was living in Indianapolis, also claimed that an al-Qaida cell was planning to detonate bombs in five major U.S. cities in early 2005.

Late last year, Allali acknowledged he knew no one associated with al-Qaida and had fabricated the story in an attempt to avoid deportation, authorities said....

Authorities have said the investigation tied up hundreds of agents nationwide, diverting resources from other terrorist leads.

“False reports drain already overburdened public safety agencies as well as create undue alarm at a time in this country where there is legitimate concern,” Brooks said.

From the Taipai Times, with thanks to Counterterrorism Operations:

The US is pouring more soldiers and millions more dollars into its anti-terrorism campaign in Africa, including in Algeria and chaotic Nigeria, both oil-rich nations where radical Islam has a following.

A new north and west African effort outlined Wednesday in a statement from the US Embassy in Senegal proposes spending US$100 million a year over five years to boost security in some of world's least policed areas, starting with a joint military exercise in the region next month.

An earlier anti-terror exercise with a budget of just US$6 million focused on troop training in four west African nations. The new campaign will target nine north and west African nations and seek to bolster regional cooperation.

Analysts were waiting to see if the program would be fully funded -- but said the intended budgetary increase shows the US is taking West Africa more seriously.

"If they're turning the corner to US$100 million, that's graduation into something much larger," said J. Stephen Morrison, Africa director at the Washington DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It's still modest, but it's a dramatic step up."

Major Holly Silkman, a US military spokeswoman, said underpopulated border areas in the region could be sanctuaries for "terrorists or would-be terrorists."...

"We're concerned with the radical movement," said Silkman. "Islam isn't the problem, it's only the radicals."...

Great, Major. Now please explain to us how you propose to tell the difference.

You can reduce the number of the Tiny Minority of Extremists Who Misunderstand Islam in Algeria by 24. "24 suspected terrorists seized in Algeria," from UPI, :

Algiers, Algeria, Apr. 25 (UPI) -- Algerian security forces arrested 24 terror suspects and the army had surrounded up 20 Islamic gunmen in the mountains, it was reported Monday. Security forces in Algiers arrested four Tunisians who allegedly planned to join the Islamic fundamentalist Salafi Group for Daawa and Fighting, which is largely responsible for terrorist activities in Algeria, the newspaper al-Khabar reported.

"The Tunisian terrorists were uncovered after they were betrayed by an Islamic gunman who was in charge of transporting them to one of the Salafi group's hideouts in remote mountains," a source told the newspaper.

From AP, with thanks to Susan:

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) - Suspected Islamic militants killed 16 people in a pre-dawn attack south of the Algerian capital on Saturday [October 23], an official statement said. It was the first bloodshed since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The victims, mostly youths, were driving to Algiers for a soccer match when ambushed on the road near the city of Medea, 50 kilometres south of the capital. They were buried Saturday....

Algeria's Islamic rebels have in the past intensified their campaign of violence during Ramadan, killing about 1,200 people during the month of fasting in 1997 at the height of the insurgency.

But in recent years the bloodshed has decreased. An average of 50 soldiers and civilians were killed over the Muslim holy month in 2003 and 2002.

The North African country has been fighting the insurgency since 1992, when the army cancelled national elections to prevent victory by a Muslim fundamentalist party. The violence has killed an estimated 120,000 people.

Algeria's radical Muslims in scandal and disarray. Much of the problem seems to come from the harshness of Islamic law itself, which sees "sexual assault" as the inevitable consequence of the simple presence of a man and a woman alone in a house. From Arab News, with thanks to Ali Dashti:

Led by Abdallah Jaballah, Islah is the second political bloc in the Algerian Parliament. Last April it fielded Jaballah as its candidate in the presidential election, which the incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika won in a landslide. Jaballah came in third.

Scandals surrounding the party broke out earlier this week when a member of the leadership, who must remain anonymous for legal reasons, filed a lawsuit claiming that his wife had been "sexually assaulted" by Sadiq Sulayemah, another party leader.

The plaintiff has accused the party's leadership of trying to cover up the incident along with other instances of "illegitimate sexual activity" at the highest levels.

Sulayemah, a well-known poet, and a life-long friend of Jaballah, has denied the charge, explaining his presence in the plaintiff's house as an accident.

Party sources said yesterday that the poet had met Jaballah and "confessed to his sins" and asked for pardon. Jaballah is reported to have asked the poet to keep the incident a secret so as not to harm the party.

"It is hard to know what happened at the house," says Abdul-Ghafour Saadi, the party's deputy leader. "There were no witnesses to see what our comrade and the lady did."

Sulayemah has published an ode lampooning unnamed party leaders for their obsessions with adultery and sexual deviation. The scandals come as a blow to a party that has built its platform on the claim that the Algerian society has become corrupted by Western influence.

Last year the party presented a bill to make Algeria alcohol-free by banning the sale of drinks in public places. The bill failed to get enough support for inclusion in the parliamentary agenda. The party has also campaigned to make polygamy legal again, and opposed reforms presented by President Bouteflika to improve the condition of women.

Juhaid Yunesi, the party's number-three and one of those who have resigned, yesterday blamed Jaballah for "creating a dictatorship to cover immorality with an Islamic vocabulary."

Another prominent party leader to resign is Miloud Qadiri who led Islah's group in the National Assembly.

"We cannot invite people to Islam when our party is sinking in immorality," Qadiri said.

Jaballah first made his name in 1993 when he was named as one of the nine men to form a Majlis Al-Shuyukh (Council of Seniors) at a Pan-Islamist conference held in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital under the chairmanship of Hassan Turabi. Among the council members was Osama Bin Laden.

One of the most active Islamic radical leaders in North Africa has been killed. No doubt he was waging jihad in North Africa because of his rage over Abu Ghraib and Israel. From AP, with thanks to Ali Dashti:

ALGIERS, Algeria -- Troops killed one of North Africa's most wanted Islamic militants, who had sought to link his bloody insurgent movement in Algeria to Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terror network, the military said Sunday.

The death of Nabil Sahraoui, head of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, marked a major victory for Algerian government efforts to suppress Islamic militant violence and left his armed extremist organization with no clear leader.

Sahraoui and three of his lieutenants were killed in a "vast anti-terrorist operation" that continues in the Kabylie region east of the capital, Algiers, the army general staff said in a statement.

From Reuters, with thanks to Nicolei:

ALGIERS, June 13 (Reuters) - Algeria's leading Islamic militant group, which has ties to al Qaeda, has declared war on foreign people and companies in the oil-rich north African country, an Islamic website said on Sunday.

The "foreigners war statement" appeared shortly after the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) claimed responsibility for killing more than a dozen soldiers in an apparent escalation of violence in the strife-torn country.

"The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat decides...to declare war on everything that is foreign and atheistic within Algeria's borders, whether against individuals, interests or installations," GSPC leader Nabil Sahraoui said in a statement.

The fallout from Madrid and Spain's collapse continues. From Reuters, :

Algerian authorities, on heightened alert ahead of presidential elections next month, have killed 17 Islamic rebels in separate attacks over the past week, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday.

Seven of the militants belonged to the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, a hardline group that is fighting for a Taliban-style state and has declared its allegiance to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

Algerians go to the polls on April 8 and authorities have warned that Islamic rebels may try to disrupt the election.

The Interior Ministry statement said the operations were carried out in the provinces of Medea, M'sila and Djelfa -- all within 124 miles of the capital Algiers.

Over the past decade more than 150,000 people have died in rebel-linked violence in the North African country, according to human rights groups, sparked by the annulment of general elections a now-banned Islamic party was set to win in 1992.

Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia told a news conference that authorities would be prepared for any attack.

"Without wanting to go into details, security measures have been taken," Ouyahia said. "Unfortunately until all terrorists have been eliminated they will be using opportunities like this (election) to plan attacks."

Some 100 Algerians, two-thirds of them rebels, have been killed since the start of the year, according to media reports and official statements.

Western diplomats and security analysts fear the group was seeking to forge greater ties with al Qaeda. Last year it claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of 32 European tourists in the Sahara desert.

The U.S. is fighting against jihadists in Algeria. From the World Tribune:

The United States has deployed Special Forces to the Sahara Desert battle a leading Islamic insurgency group with ties to Al Qaida.

U.S. officials said a Special Operations Forces (SOF) unit was operating with Algerian troops in the southern part of the country. They said the U.S. military also planned to expand operations to other parts of Algeria.

This is the first time a U.S. military force was sent to battle insurgents in Algeria. Officials said the focus was on the Salafist Brigade for Combat and Call, which has been referred to as a subcontractor for Al Qaida and which has a significant presence along the southern border with Mali.

"The United States is battling terrorist activities in Algeria and the Sahel," the U.S. embassy in Algiers said in a statement. The statement said U.S. forces would also continue to train Algerian military forces, Middle East Newsline reported. The statement did not elaborate.

The United States has been reviewing an Algerian request for a range of military aircraft, including a combat helicopter. So far, the United States has provided Algeria with non-lethal equipment.

This just in from MEMRI: "The Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat published an interview with Nabil Sahrawi, also known as Abu Ibrahim Mustafa, a leader of the Salafi Group for Da'wa and Fighting in Algeria. This group has been linked with Al-Qa'ida. Prior to publication, the interview, which is Sahrawi's first, was posted on Islamist websites.

"At the beginning of the interview, Sahrawi tells about his organization, which was founded in early 1999, and states that it supplanted the Armed Islamic Group. According to Sahrawi, his group was formed after the Armed Islamic Group was taken over by Antar Zawabiri, who diverted it from its previous path. The following are excerpts from the interview: . . .

"Question: 'Several times, the Algerian press has revealed contacts between your group and the regime. What is the extent of the truth of these reports? Does the Salafi Group for Da'wa and Fighting believe in a solution by means of negotiation and dialogue with the regime?'

"Sahrawi: 'The rulers of the Muslim lands today are a gang of apostates [and] criminals, the most evil creatures created on the face of the earth, whose crimes are known to all, and they are a paradigm of treachery, deceit, misleading, and repression. How many commitments have they given their people, only to then fill their graveyards and prisons with them? They have replaced Shari'a law, and they rule Muslims with the laws of Europe and America. They have shed blood and violated the religious prohibitions. They have wasted the property of the Muslims on forbidden things. All that interested them was their bellies and their enslavement to the West. They are not [protected] by any pact. Anyone who wants a lesson [on the results] of dialogue with the apostates, let them learn the lesson of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the lesson of the Islamic Front of Salvation in Algeria ... and so on.

"The Salafi Group for Da'wa and Fighting is fighting the regime in Algiers because of its unbelief and apostasy... Fighting the apostates takes precedence over fighting others from among the original infidels, and the punishment of the apostates is harsher than that [of the original infidels], both in this world and in the hereafter. Pacts must not be formed with these rulers; they must not be given security; there must be no reconciliation with them, and there must be no truce with them. We will accept from them either repentance or the sword..."

"Question: 'Some see your most recent communiqué as an announcement of allegiance to the Al-Qa'ida organization. What do you think about Sheikh Osama bin Laden? What is the truth about your connection to Al-Qa'ida and the other Jihad organizations in the world?

"Sahrawi: '... Our connection to Al-Qa'ida and the other Jihad organizations in the world is based on two things:'

"First, the operation of the Salafi Group for Da'wa and Fighting in the realm of preaching and Jihad is an operation integrated with that of the other groups, because as noted in the [organization's] charter ... the Salafi Group for Da'wa and Fighting is a phased means aimed ultimately at establishing a group of Muslims - the Caliphate - and it sees this as a sacred goal that all Muslims must strive to attain...

"Second, one of our goals is also to educate the Muslims about the principle that loyalty to Islam and to the Sunna must take precedence over loyalty to all the other frameworks... The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim, even if their countries are distant from each other. Every Muslim is entitled to the support [of other Muslims]... We support those who support Allah, His Prophet, and the believers, and we act with hostility towards those who act with hostility towards Allah and His Prophet, even if he is from among the closest of the close."

"Question: 'After the September 11 raid, America put you on the list of organizations it is fighting. What is your response to this?'

"Sahrawi: 'We classified ourselves even before America classified us. The world is divided into two parts: the part of belief, and the part of unbelief and falsehood. There is no third part. Anyone who desires Islam and a regime in accordance with the Qur'an is classified by the infidels on their list of enemies and opponents... Anyone who says 'There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,' is on this list, and his turn will come, whether he is armed or not...

"Question: 'Is there a final message you want to send to the Algerian Muslim people in these difficult times...?'

"Sahrawi: 'The conflict in the world today is a conflict between belief and unbelief. The war in Palestine, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Algeria, in Chechnya, and in the Philippines is one war. This is a war between the camp of Islam and the camp of the Cross, to which the Americans, Zionists, Jews, their apostate allies, and others belong.'

"The goal of this war, which they falsely called a war on terror, is to prevent the Muslims from establishing an Islamic state whose regime will be in accordance with the Qur'an and the Sunna of the Prophet, and which will constitute a source of pride and strength for the Muslims. America and its allies the Jews, the Christians, and the apostates will not cease their war on Islam before they remove the last Muslim from his religion and bring him into apostasy. We must be wary of this terrible plot that the enemies of Islam aspire to realize.

"During this time, Jihad is one of the greatest personal commandments. Every Muslim must know that defending Islam and the Muslims in this war is an obligation incumbent upon him, with his soul, his money, and his tongue. Support for Muslims is an obligation. The Islamic State will not arise through means of slogans, demonstrations, parties, and elections, but through blood, body parts, and [sacrifice of] lives..."

The threat of Islamic terror is global, and cannot be attributed solely to Al-Qaeda. However, there are numerous indications that that organization itself is far from incapacitated, even if its involvement in some recent attacks may have been exaggerated. Middle East Newsline now reports that "Al Qaida operatives have been relocating to the southern Sahara Desert in Algeria and have prepared secret bases near the border with Mali.

"Western intelligence sources said the Al Qaida effort was detected in early 2003 and has been aided by the Salafist Brigade for Combat and Call. They said the Salafist leadership has provided Al Qaida with hideouts and logistics in the mountain region.

"'The area is ideal for Al Qaida training and command functions,' an intelligence source said. 'The area is isolated and is located along the border with Mali, where there is no trace of government control.'

"The sources said the Al Qaida operatives use the Sahara as a base to move into neighboring countries as Libya and Mauritania. The focus of the Al Qaida presence is the Mali desert near the Algerian border."

Islam Online reports that "political analysts believe the security measures taken by Algerian authorities during Ramadan - when attacks of armed groups against civilians and police forces usually intensify - have largely contributed to limit the scope of such attacks and allowed citizens to enjoy quiet, secure Ramadan nights."

The story explains that "armed groups usually declare the intensification of what they term 'Jihad against Satan and his followers' during the holy month of Ramadan." This, of course, seems to be utterly inconsistent with the idea of Ramadan as a time of spiritual purification, but from the radical Muslim perspective it's entirely in keeping with it; radicals see violent jihad as just that: an act of spiritual purification.

This has long been a serious problem in Algeria. Says the article: "Victims of violent incidents during Ramadan in 1997 have topped 3000. It amounted to genocides, but such numbers decrease gradually year after another with the improvement of the security conditions in Algeria."

This "improvement of security conditions" is very much like open warfare: "Algerian army forces, for their part, have launched extensive attacks against the armed groups, killing 16 armed men in three days. The security forces liquidated 10 terrorists and restored several machineguns in Saida and Gulaizan provinces. . . . A source close to the security agencies, who refused to be named, told IslamOnline.net that the army forces attacked an armed group Thursday, eventually killing eight. Military forces also killed two armed people in Awlad Eiiesh district. The military forces also killed six other armed persons Wednesday, November 5, in Assas Mountain, during a military operation similar to the previous two."

Nevertheless, "despite the security measures taken during the holy month, the armed groups managed to penetrate through their mountainous edifices and kill four persons Wednesday and Thursday in Media and Sacdida provinces, according to Algerian newspapers."

I wonder what the authorities are doing on the ideological side of this struggle -- to disabuse Muslims of the notion that killing people is a good way to please Allah during Ramadan.