Afghanistan: Six arrested for stoning woman to death

An update on this story. Were they arrested because stoning was barbaric and is only practiced by Misunderstanders of Islam? No! They were arrested because they were carrying out an unauthorized stoning: the mullah who authorized the killing was not a judge. Judge Stephen Henley might have called it an "opportunistic stoning."

"Six arrested for stoning woman to death," from Gulfnews.com, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

Kabul: Police have arrested six people for stoning to death an Afghan women accused of adultery an official said Saturday.
The arrests were made on Wednesday after the interior ministry sent a delegation to a remote village in north-eastern Badakhshan province following reports that the woman was stoned to death.

The men who encouraged the killing will be brought to the capital Kabul for trial later this week.

"The mullah who authorized the father to kill her was not a judge," an Interior Ministry spokesman said "The killing was against the law."

Turkish official: ‘Europe misinformed about Islam’

The Turk is irked: those nasty white European racists keep misunderstanding Islam, thinking it has something to do with violence. ‘Europe misinformed about Islam,’ from the Turkish Daily News, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

Religious Affairs Director Ali Bardakoğlu said yesterday the West and Europe are erroneously informed in their understanding of Islam and Turkey should strive hard to present the real core of Islam, reported the Anatolia news agency.

Yes, get with it, Europeans. Stop misunderstanding Islam. For one thing, stop thinking you can learn anything about it by observing Muslims in Europe:

“The European Union partly became acquainted with Islam through some Turkish citizens living abroad. This is not the correct way to grasp Islam,” Bardakoğlu was quoted by Anatolia as saying.

He said his office should have a permanent representative in Brussels. “We have to observe and participate in the discussions concerning the European understanding of Islam. We are tasked with explaining the true essence of Islam as a religion.”

The religious affairs director said Europe should not evaluate Islam with respect to and in comparison with Christianity. “Nowadays, the European Union is specifically sensitive on issues of human rights, women's rights, violence, terror and discrimination. Our staff and clergy should pay more attention to how they choose to express their thoughts on these issues.”

In other words, Bardakoğlu is telling Muslim clergy in Europe to stop contradicting Western ideas of human rights and women's rights, and stop advocating violence, terror, and discrimination. But note that he is not telling them to change their beliefs. Just to be quiet about them for now.

Concerning the relation of Islam and democracy, Bardakoğlu said Islam is wrongly depicted as a religion that does not promote democracy but tries to endure it. “This is totally erroneous, Islamic understanding seeks to enhance human rights and democracy. There is no contradiction between Islam and democratic principles.”

Of course there isn't. That's why there are so many thriving democracies in the Islamic world.

UK Muslims march against anti-terror laws

“We must stand together with strength and confidence to dispel the myths about Islam and the Muslim community,” said Siddiqui. One thing he might try is a march against terror instead of against anti-terror laws -- and not just a march against "terror," which everyone opposes, but a march against jihad terror. That would dispel a lot of myths. He might also try helping authorities identify jihadist elements in the British Muslim community. That they choose instead to march against anti-terror laws is indicative of the fact that they would rather protect Muslims than protect Britain, even if it leads to a large-scale terrorist attack. Certainly innocents should not be targeted, but no one should complain about just measures that cause some inconvenience. From IslamOnline, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

LONDON, April 30, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) - With general elections around the corner, thousands of British Muslims were set to march Saturday, April 30, in London against anti-terror laws that stigmatized and demonized the Muslim minority in Britain.

Two peaceful demonstrations, which are co-organized by some 100 Islamic entities in the United Kingdom, are expected to be the biggest anti-terror march by Muslims Britain has witnessed....

"Anti-terror march"? Isn't it really an anti-anti-terror march?

Chief among the organizers are the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), University of Oxford Islamic Society, the University College London Ahlul-Beyt Islamic Society, Bradford University Islamic Society and the Islamic Observatory Centre....

Adnan Siddiqui, an IHRC official, said the British Muslims can no longer remain silent.

“We must stand together with strength and confidence to dispel the myths about Islam and the Muslim community,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC News Online.

He said Muslims in Britain are sending a clear message against the “climate of fear” created by the “draconian and disproportionate” laws.

The Muslim activist regretted that such laws have been targeting British Muslims who have “made a significant contribution to this society.”

British Prim Minister Tony Blair’s large majority in the House of Commons ensured the anti-terror bill’s approval last month by 309 votes to 233.

"Prim Minister." Very good.

No sooner had the parliament passed the controversial measure, than Home Secretary Charles Clarke swung into action and signed control orders against what he termed “Muslim terror suspects”.

Clarke has angered the Muslim minority by saying that they were the main target of the main legislation.

Why, of course. Clarke, you bad dhimmi. Don't you realize you need to spend time investigating the Anglican Terrorist Threat? Anglican Militancy is an ugly thing: they wear sweaters and smoke pipes and sit in soft chairs and talk about modernizing Christianity. How can you not investigate this horrific threat?

Dhimmitude in New Orleans: applause at public hearing for Muslim issuing death threats

"Residents blast NOPD in heated forum," from the New Orleans Times Picayune, with thanks to LGF:

For much of a public hearing Wednesday night on discrimination in New Orleans, the city's police force was a whipping boy.

Several speakers said the force has failed to discipline its own, and that black residents are too often stereotyped as criminals by police officers who harass them. For most of the meeting, New Orleans Police Superintendent Eddie Compass sat stone-faced, but when Salaam Jihad took the microphone, his remarks proved too much for the chief.

Clad in camouflage fatigues and a T-shirt showcasing iconic Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara, Jihad said he had been the victim of police brutality in 1997, and he claimed Police Department brass failed to investigate the incident seriously. If he found himself in the same situation again, Jihad said he would "march into the 2nd District with a gun and open fire on everyone I see. I'll die like a man."

When a few crowd members murmured their approval, a disgusted Compass grabbed a microphone on the table in front of him. "I'm going to say
something here," he said, his face twisted with disgust. "This guy is
talking about killing police officers and you are applauding him."

"You kill people, too!" shouted a handful in the audience....

Compass and his top lieutenants showed little emotion when taunted directly by speakers, who were each allotted three minutes but sometimes spilled over their given time. As he got up to leave the meeting in Dillard's Lawless Chapel, Compass grimaced when asked if he thought the meeting was worthwhile. Outside, he confronted Jihad again and told him he was "delusional."

Jihad insisted he was neither advocating violence in general nor encouraging African-Americans to take up arms against the NOPD. He said his remarks were strictly personal, and that Compass had misinterpreted them.

Salaam Jihad has learned his lessons well: say something outrageous, and then claim to have been misinterpreted. It's a time-tested and trusty tactic of scoundrels everywhere. A question: how could he make blatant threats like that and walk out of the meeting without handcuffs on?

Bat Ye'or on C-Span today

It's what they used to call an Encore Presentation: the courageous and pioneering scholar of dhimmitude, Bat Ye'or, will appear again on C-Span today: from C-Span:

On Saturday, April 30 at 12:00 pm

Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis
Bat Ye'or

Description: Bat Ye'or talks about her new book, "Eurabia," at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC. She looks at the relationship between European and Arab countries since the mid-20th century and argues that Muslims living in Western Europe have significantly influenced their governments' attitudes toward Israel and other countries in the Middle East. During the talk, she also discusses why Turkey should not be allowed into the European Union and addresses the question of European anti-Semitism. Bat Ye'or answers questions from the audience following her remarks.

Seven Arab Americans sue Denny's owner alleging discrimination

Note the bolded areas below. From the Palm Beach Post, with thanks to all who sent this in:

The men, who are all U.S. citizens, are seeking $4 million each from Restaurant Collection Inc., which owns the Denny's franchise, and shift manager Eduardo Ascano, whom they say compared them to the Al-Qaida terrorist leader.

"This was a terrible act against Arab Americans," Alan C. Kauffman, one of the attorneys for the group, said Wednesday.

The seven men are of Egyptian, Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian descent and include a doctor, a real estate agent, an insurance broker and a restaurant owner. They live in Broward and Palm Beach counties. They filed suit last week in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court. No trial date has been set.

Restaurant Collection's owner, Alfonso Fernandez, said in a statement Wednesday that the men's allegations are false.

"We are truly committed to treating all of our guests with respect, and we take every guest concern seriously," Fernandez wrote. "These allegations of discrimination were immediately and thoroughly investigated by an independent, outside agency that found no evidence whatsoever to support the guests' claims."

Fernandez did not identify the agency. However, an investigation by the Florida Commission on Human Rights said "reasonable cause does exist" to support the discrimination claim.

The seven men say they went to Fernandez's restaurant in Florida City, on the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, about 2 a.m. Jan. 11, 2004. They say they were seated, given menus and received their drink orders. But an hour later, their food hadn't arrived. One of the men — Ehab Albaradi — approached Ascano and inquired about the group's order, the lawsuit says.

Ascano allegedly said: "Bin Laden is the manager of the kitchen" and "Bin Laden is in charge."

Albaradi and a second man, Usama El-A-Baidy, decided to speak to Ascano again about their order.

Angered, Ascano told the short order cooks in the kitchen to cancel the group's order, the suit claims.

El-A-Baidy then asked Ascano why he had used the name bin Laden.

"We don't serve bin Ladens here! You guys, out!" Ascano allegedly said.

A group of officers from the Miami-Dade County and Homestead police departments eating at the Denny's also told the seven men to leave and threatened to arrest them if they didn't, the lawsuit said. The officers have not been identified, Kauffman said.

Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Cathy Webb said Thursday that the department could find no record of a complaint being filed by the men and because so many months have passed, it will be difficult to determine who the officers were. Homestead Capt. Ed Bowe said no complaints were filed with the department and its records show no on-duty officers were at the restaurant at the time.

Ascano no longer works for the resaurant, Fernandez said. Ascano does not have a listed phone number and could not be reached for comment.

"Armenians-Greeks killed three million Turks"

Patrick M. Sarkissian (thanks to Sparta) reports on an egregious Turkish demonstration in Washington on April 24, the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. You can see from the picture the outrageously ahistorical character of their claims: 3 million Turks were killed by Armenians and Greeks? This is the inversion of history. I suppose soon we will advance from Holocaust denial to the claim that Jews killed six million Germans.

Sarkissian says: "I worry about the face of Genocide recognition in 10 years. I worry about Turks who organize on a grass roots level and spend their time trying to spread lies."

That's worth worrying about.

France: Muslim finance law agreed

France tries to gain control over the training of imams. A most interesting experiment. Do they have the will to follow it through and make it work, by ensuring that the jihad ideology is not taught and that imposition of Sharia is not encouraged? "Muslim finance law agreed," from French-News.com, with thanks to dwntmpo:

After months of hesitation and negotiation, the Minister of the Interior Dominique de Villepin has announced the formation of a foundation to finance the activities of the Muslim religion. The agreement was signed by the four main tendencies, those associated with Algeria, the Frères Musulmans, the Comité de coordination des Musulmans Turcs de France. When the conseil d’état has given its blessing the foundation will come into being. It will then be possible to finance courses for the training of Immams in France. At the moment one third of those in France do not speak French. It will also be able to help finance the building of mosques. A government commissioner will sit with the foundation to monitor the projects to be financed. The aim of the government is to integrate the Muslim religion in France and to end secret financing from dubious foreign souirces.

Terror suspect 'returned to' Netherlands

From the Keystone Kops Department, via Expatica, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:

AMSTERDAM — Wanted by police, a main suspect of the alleged terror network Hofstadgroep reportedly visited Muslim friends in the Netherlands last month.

Nouredine el F. fled the country on 1 November, the day prior to the murder of Theo van Gogh last year.

Telephone calls bugged by security service AIVD indicate he was in Belgium earlier this year, newspaper 'De Volkskrant' reported on Friday.

Sources also claim that Samir A. visited El F. in Belgium shortly after being acquitted on 6 April in Rotterdam of planning terrorist attacks in the Netherlands.

El F. is allegedly linked to Mohammed B., the suspected killer of Van Gogh, and other members of the Hofstadgroep.

Pakistan: I will burn myself alive if gang rapists go free, says victim

I have noted many times that there is evidence that most -- up to 75% -- of the women imprisoned in Pakistan are there because of rape. Islamic evidence laws disallow a woman's testimony in such cases, and require testimony from four male witnesses of the act to establish the rape. If such witnesses are not found, as is usually the case, and the accused perpetrator denies the act, as is usually the case, then the woman's very rape charge becomes evidence that she has committed zina -- unlawful sexual activity. "I will burn myself alive if gang rapists go free, says victim," from the Times Online, with thanks to Jeff Norris:

A YOUNG victim of gang rape has threatened to set herself on fire in front of Pakistan’s parliament if her attackers are not brought to justice. Nazish Bhatti, 17, told journalists in Islamabad that she escaped from her abductors and fled to a police station but was raped again — by two officers.

“I prefer death over the life I’m enduring after being dishonoured,” she said.

Thousands of women are raped each year in Pakistan and many commit suicide out of shame. But some are now daring to speak out, inspired by the example of Mukhtaran Mai, a teacher who was gang-raped on the orders of a tribal council but took her case to the courts and won.

Miss Bhatti, a student and the daughter of a factory worker in the city of Sialkot in central Punjab, said she was abducted by three men as she walked to college. She said she was kept in a house for more than a month where she was repeatedly gang-raped.

The rapists also tried to kill her by forcing her to drink insecticide. She survived. But when she went to the police she was raped by two policemen. She was threatened with dire consequences if she reported the incident, but eventually went to hospital and was treated for ten days. Instead of charging the rapists, the police threatened to register a case of adultery against her.

McCarthy: Release ’Em

Andrew McCarthy write in NRO about how The State department plays games with terrorism statistics. "Release ’Em"

Terrorist attacks globally are up sharply. Perhaps by well over 300 percent. That’s bad. But it’s a fact. Given that international terrorism is the defining national-security issue of this era, shouldn’t we know the facts? In detail?

The State Department says no. Foggy Bottom is unable to avoid making an annual report on terrorism to Congress. It’s the law. But in a mind-boggling two-step, a top State official who briefed key committees at the Capitol on Monday contended that the underlying statistics for the report — which, State grudgingly admits, relates a “dramatic uptick” in terrorist incidents worldwide — are somehow not “relevant” to the report itself. Not surprisingly, Rep. Henry Waxman, the ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, has fired off a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, calling that contention “ludicrous.” When he’s right, he’s right.

This is self-inflicted damage with a history. In 2003, State issued a rosy report on global trends, braying that decreases in terror incidents provided, as then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage put it, “clear evidence that we are prevailing in the fight” against international terrorism. This claim turned out to be undermined by the data, which actually showed that terror incidents had spiked…to record highs.

The fallout was disastrous. There was the embarrassing mea culpa from then-Secretary of State Colin Powell — or, more accurately, an apology from Powell for what was insisted to be the culpa of others. And some Democrats understandably claimed the administration had politicized the report during the heat of an election campaign — allegations that Powell and others denied, maintaining that “clerical errors,” among other process problems, were to blame...

Read it all.

Mowbray: Setting Terrorists Free

Joel Mowbray writes in Frontpage about the DHS policy of "Setting Terrorists Free"

The Department of Homeland Security is releasing drug smugglers and human traffickers, and perhaps even suspected terrorists and violent felons, as a matter of policy — because it doesn’t have the resources to keep them in custody.

In a classified memo issued last fall, the DHS laid out “priorities” for handling illegal aliens who’ve been apprehended within the United States.

In a bullet-point list, the October 2004 memo — obtained exclusively by this columnist — separates all captured illegals into four categories: “Mandatory,” “High Priority,” “Medium Priority,” and “Lower Priority.”

Only the worst violent felons (think rapists and murderers), individuals known to be terrorists, and those who have been previously deported are deemed “mandatory” holds. Everyone else can be released if no space is available.

Among illegals not deemed “mandatory” holds:

"Aliens who are subject to an ongoing national security investigation."

Aliens whom we aren't sure are terrorists but who still "raise a national security concern" based on "specific information or intelligence specific to the individual" — in other words, suspected terrorists.

Aliens who "exhibit specific, articulable intelligence-based risk factors for terrorism or national security concern."

Perhaps more disturbing: Buried beneath the four groups listed as “mandatory” and eight as “high priority,” suspected drug smugglers and human traffickers are merely “medium priority.”...

Read it all.

Woman Attempts to Run for President in Iran

From the UAE's 7Days, "One of just 12 women MPs in Iran’s parliament wants to stand for President - if she’s allowed"

Iranian lawmaker Rafat Bayat may be bidding to be the first woman allowed to run for president since the 1979 Islamic revolution, but she rejects Western accusations that the country is oppressing its women. A 48-year-old sociologist elected to parliament in February 2004, Bayat says depictions of the Iranian women's rights situation have been exaggerated in the West and by opponents of the country's system of clerical rule.

"To say that women in Iran are under pressure, that their rights are violated, is not true," she told Reuters in an interview.

Rights activists draw attention to the fact that in Iran a woman needs her husband's permission to travel abroad and her testimony carries half the weight of a man's in court.

Divorce, custody and inheritance rights in Iran are also unfairly biased against women, rights lawyers say.

But Bayat, one of just 12 women in the 290-seat parliament, played down the importance of such issues, many of which she said could be resolved through dialogue between husband and wife.

Instead, she said, if elected she would place emphasis on promoting women into more positions of power and influence.

"My views are mainly political and I want to be involved in getting women into high levels of decision-making," she said, speaking at her office in an computing and arts educational college which she heads in upmarket north Tehran.

Aspirants vying to replace outgoing reformist cleric Mohammad Khatami in the June 17 election must first be vetted by a constitutional watchdog known as the Guardian Council.

The Council, comprised of six clerics and Islamic jurists, has in the past always rejected women hopefuls and its spokesman earlier this year said its interpretation of the constitution remained that only men could stand.

Many reformist clerics disagree, arguing that the word "rejal" used in the constitution means "mankind" and not "man" and thus, does not exclude women.

"I'm very hopeful," said Bayat. "It's my interpretation as a member of parliament that I have all the qualities that are needed."...

In the past Rafat has also said that Iran, as an Islamic country, cannot and should not adhere to the notion of “women’s rights” which were essentially defined by the West...

Death threat photos against Wilders

From Expatica, "Death threat photos against Wilders," with thanks to Skeetstreet:

'Commemorative' photos of threatened MP Geert Wilders appeared in Rotterdam again on Tuesday. Wax candles, flowers and even teddy bears were also placed around the photos. The MP has lodged a police report. The photos could be seen as a veiled death threat against Wilders, who has sparked the ire of Muslim extremists for his criticism of Islam. The photos were found on trees in a park near the Euromast. Similar photos appeared throughout the port city last week.

Dawa in Public Schools

The folks at Dawa.net want to make sure your kids get their dose of Islam every day. Here are some of their helpful hints "Dawa in public schools"

Dawa through the school newspaper

The school newspaper is another effective way of doing Dawa. Muslim students are highly encouraged to become writers and editors of their school papers. Inform the writing staff to consult you before publishing articles on Islam and Muslims. Being a writer will give you ample opportunity to provide Islamically oriented articles which will Insha Allah open the hearts and minds of readers.

As a group, the Muslim students should try to contribute an article on Islam in each issue of its paper. The school may not allow you to preach in the school paper, but Alhamdu lillah, there are ways to circumvent this problem.

When your Islamic group holds any Islamic event like lectures, religious/ cultural events etc, submit an article about this event as a "news" article. This way, you are still presenting an aspect of Islam without coming across as a preacher.

The second way to circumvent the problem is to write articles about Islamic holidays, the two Eids and again submit them as "news" articles. It also helps to have a good rapport with the editor and the writing staff of the paper. Invite them to your Iftar parties, gatherings, lectures etc.

Islamic books in school libraries

Encourage school libraries to shelf books and magazines on Islam written by Muslims, and to provide the librarian with a list of recommended books on Islam. If the library is unwilling to purchase the books themselves, Muslim students should raise funds amongst themselves and from their parents and come up with the required books.

Scanning textbooks for misinformation on Islam

Students of all grades and their parents should regularly scan textbooks to detect any biased material on Islam. If any is found, it should be brought to the attention of the teachers and the school authorities, providing them with the correct information with evidence, and have the teacher announce to the students the correct information.

In this area, the Council on Islamic Education can also help.

Starting an Islamic newsletter

A newsletter on Islam and Muslims can be started by the Muslim students, if the school allows it. This newsletter can be funded mostly by advertisements and donations. A newsletter on Islam and Muslims will again help in dispelling the misinformation circulating about Islam and encourage Muslims to be organized and proactive.

Incorporating Islam into class projects

Some aspects of Islam can be incorporated in school projects. For example, for a speech class, if there is freedom to choose a topic, an Islamic topic should be selected. Similar opportunities can be created in history, social science, writing and other classes.

Remember, it was the Will and help of Allah, Iman (faith) and Muslim creativity that won victories for the Muslims. Schools and campuses are no exceptions as places where Islam can be victorious...

BBC Condemns Lists Shown to Terrorist Suspects

From the BBC,"Suspects shown 'al-Qaeda lists'" with thanks to Cristina:

The BBC has uncovered evidence that the police and security services have compiled lists - some containing names of innocent people - to show to suspected al-Qaeda terrorists when interrogating them.

I met Ghalem Belhadj at his solicitor's office in Glasgow. A big man, over 6ft, dressed in Islamic shalwar-kameez, and beard. There is no doubt he is a Muslim. And he says, with no irony in his voice, that means he must be a terrorist.

Well, that is what Strathclyde Police must have thought for, he says, they bashed down his door and arrested him. Despite his repeated denials he was jailed for three months and then released without charge.

"First time I think it was immigration and after that they gave me a sheet of paper in Arabic, it say they stop you and say you are for group terrorist," he says in broken English, "They stop me, I was surprised and put me in white suit and they took me to Glasgow, to Govan Police Station. "

Mr Belhadj's account gives us a new insight into how terrorist suspects are dealt with in custody. They are shown a list of names and photographs of people suspected of having links to al-Qaeda and questioned about them.

"When I see photos I started to smile, you know because these were innocent people. I meet these people in the Mosque sometimes, at prayer on a Friday. Every Friday they are together for special prayer," he said...

We see British lawsuits on the horizon...

Americans Arrested for Promoting Christianity in Malaysia

How could they do such a terrible thing? From AFP, "Malaysian police arrest two Americans suspected of promoting Christianity"

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police arrested two Americans for allegedly distributing Christian religious pamphlets to Muslims, police said Wednesday.

The two men were detained on Monday and a local court had ordered them to be held for 14 days to assist in investigations, a police spokesman told AFP.

"We want to find out if they had breached any regulations in Malaysia," he said.

It is an offence in mainly-Muslim Malaysia to try to convert Muslims away from their faith.

Another police official named the two men as Ricky Ruperd, in his 30s, and Zachry Harris, in his 20s.

The official Bernama news agency said they were arrested for distributing pamphlets with religious content at Malaysia's new administrative capital Putrajaya, 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of here.

Putrajaya police chief Mohamad Khalil Kadir Mohamad said the men were detained during routine checks by police and and were found to be without any travel documents.

A spokesman for the US embassy confirmed the detentions but would give no further details.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said earlier this month there was no ban on Bibles published in the Malay language but they must be stamped with the words "Not for Muslims"...

Aus. Leaders Condemn Cleric's Remarks on Rape

An update on this story from the Sydney Morning Herald, "Muslim leader's rape comments under fire"

Political leaders have condemned comments from a Sydney Muslim leader that rape victims had no-one to blame but themselves.

Lebanese Sheik Faiz Mohamad, 34, has been quoted by a newspaper as telling a lecture at the Bankstown Town Hall, in south-western Sydney, that women who wore skimpy clothing teased men.

"A victim of rape every minute somewhere in the world. Why? No-one to blame but herself. She displayed her beauty to the entire world ...," Sheik Mohamed was quoted as saying in the lecture.

"Strapless, backless, sleeveless, nothing but satanic skirts, slit skirts, translucent blouses, mini skirts, tight jeans: all this to tease man and appeal to his carnal nature."

NSW Premier Bob Carr said the sheik could face criminal charges if he made comments which incited rapes.

"If anything the sheik says in future appears to be an incitement to the crime of rape ... I just want to assure him that the full force of the criminal law will be brought to bear," he told reporters.

Mr Carr said most Muslim Australians did not share the sheik's views.

"I know he's appalled Muslim Australians, appalled Muslim Australians who know the sort of anger that will be directed at their community because of these extremist views that are not held by the vast majority of Muslims in this country."

We seem to have missed the part where all the Muslims condemning this are quoted. Does Mr. Carr just assume they condemn the sheik because he does? If so, that's a big assumption...

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello also criticised the sheik's comments.

"If such comments are made I consider them totally inappropriate, untrue and unhelpful," Mr Costello told reporters.

"Australian women are free to dress in the western style and nothing gives an excuse for them to be molested in any way.

"This is Australia. Women are free to dress as they choose and they deserve to be safe on our streets and in our parks and they are entitled to respect."

NSW Opposition Leader John Brogden described Sheik Mohamad's comments as prehistoric.

"This guy ought to go back to the cave where he belongs," Mr Brogden told reporters...

Young Pakistani Catholic in critical condition after assault

From CathNews, with thanks to Mary Beth:

A young Catholic man who was attacked and reportedly left for dead is in critical condition in a hospital in northeastern Pakistan.

AsiaNews reports that Shahbaz Masih, 24, was attacked on Saturday. His assailants, allegedly by young Muslim men from his village, left him in a field, thinking he was dead. Both his legs were broken, but he survived and was taken to the public hospital in Mandi Bahaud Din. Shahbaz lives in Mandi Bahaud Din district, 175 kilometers south of Islamabad.

Fr Rehmat Hakim, the local parish priest, said that 20-25 Christian families live in the predominantly Muslim village. They own houses but do not have land for cultivation, so they earn their living mainly as agricultural workers for Muslim landlords.

Shahbaz drove a tractor for a Muslim landlord who was very kind to the young man, which Fr Hakim said did not go well with some Muslims who want Christians to remain subservient and dependent.

This same group, he continued, is unhappy that Christians attend school and do well in their studies.

Report: Saudis may turn from U.S. to France

France may be an ever better dhimmi than President Handholder. From the World Tribune, with thanks to Andrew Bostom:

The Saudi kingdom could augment or replace strategic ties with London and Washington by increasing relations with France, the Washington Institute said in a report. The institute cited a French report of a defense memorandum of understanding that paves the way for the French sale of up to $15 billion in aircraft and security projects to Riyad.

The institute's report, authored by Gulf analyst Simon Henderson, was issued on the eve of the meeting between U.S. President George Bush and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz in Crawford, Texas on Monday.

Abdullah and Bush last met three years ago. The president has indicated that he would press Abdullah to increase Saudi oil exports as prices approach $60 a barrel, Middle East Newsline reported.

Abdullah, who met Vice President Richard Cheney on Sunday, was expected to face a tough session with Bush.

Yeah. Bush hadn't had a manicure for awhile.

"If recent signals from the Saudis are any indication, the talks could be tough," the study said. "Indeed, the frank talk promised for the Crawford summit could well mark a turning point in U.S.-Saudi relations."

"The president [Bush] has a plethora of concerns heading into the meeting, including Saudi views on terrorism, democratic reform, oil prices, and nuclear proliferation," the study added. "Although Washington is pleased by recent Saudi successes against Al Qaida, it remains worried about the potential for Islamic militancy in the kingdom. U.S. nationals in Saudi Arabia remain vulnerable to terrorist attacks."...

"The contrast between the Crawford and Paris meetings is likely to be great, leading to speculation that Riyad might upgrade its relations with France to a strategic friendship rivaling its historic relationship with the United States," the study said....

CAIR loves the new Crusade flick

Which makes it virtually certain that it is an extended exercise in dhimmitude and historical revisionism. Here is CAIR's press release, "Muslims Call New Fox Crusader Film 'Balanced'; CAIR Says 'Kingdom of Heaven' Avoids Negative Stereotypes," from U.S. NewsWire, with thanks to all who sent this in:

WASHINGTON -- A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said today that the new 20th Century Fox epic "Kingdom of Heaven" is a "balanced" portrayal of the Crusades, despite earlier concerns that the film might offer stereotypical portrayals of Islam or Muslims.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) based its judgment on a private screening of the Sir Ridley Scott film at Fox studios in Los Angeles. "Kingdom" is scheduled to open in theaters nationwide May 6.

The very fact that CAIR was given a private screening speaks volumes. The filmmakers are probably cringing dhimmis, desperately afraid of litigation -- which of course is CAIR's weapon of choice.

Representatives of CAIR's Southern California office (CAIR-LA) and the group's national headquarters took part in the screening. They said the film, which focuses on the 12th century period between the Second and Third Crusades, highlights the humanity of characters on both sides of that centuries-long conflict.

"Our overall impression is that 'Kingdom of Heaven' is a balanced and positive depiction of Islamic culture during the Crusades," said CAIR-LA Communications Director Sabiha Khan. "Muslims are shown as dignified and proud people whose lives are based on ethics and morality." Khan said one of the film's positive messages, that Muslims and Christians can live together in peace, will provide an opportunity for increased interfaith dialogue.

"It is unfortunately a rare occasion when a Muslim filmgoer can leave the theater feeling good about a movie's portrayal of Islam," said CAIR National Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, who also attended the Los Angeles screening. "This film managed to show the horrors of war without associating those horrors with a particular faith or culture." Ahmed thanked Fox for its screening of the film and for taking care to avoid religious stereotypes...

UK: She's only a dhimmi in certain districts

The fight for the Muslim vote is on. "Oona King deletes 'Muslim' in leaflets," from the Evening Standard, with thanks to Diana West:

Labour's Oona King was accused of double standards today after dropping references to Muslims in leaflets for predominantly white areas.

The two leaflets, both headed "Oona King - Working Hard for the East End" - point out her work as MP for Bethnal Green and Bow but in one of them all references to Muslims have been deleted.

The area is the centre of a bitter fight between Labour and George Galloway's Respect party, which is opposed to the invasion of Iraq which Ms King backed.

Now she stands accused of playing down her work on issues of concern to Muslims in the leaflets her supporters are said to be delivering to mainly white areas.

The row follows accusations of hypocrisy against Woking Tory candidate Humfrey Malins over leaflets with different messages for white and Asian voters. He wrote in Urdu to Asian voters asking for support, citing his record on helping with immigration visas and visits, while in a leaflet delivered in predominantly white areas he promised to take a tough line on immigration.

Two of Ms King's recent campaign leaflets contain key differences.
Under a panel contrasting her Commons voting record with that of her rival Mr Galloway, one of the leaflets states: "Oona voted to protect Muslims from hate crimes."

But in the other leaflet it says: "Oona voted to make incitement to religious hatred a crime."

The following section appears in the leaflet for Muslims: "Ken Livingstone added: 'Working hard for local people has not stopped Oona getting the Government to increase funding to Bangladesh. And her brave stand against human rights abuses of Palestinians has made her a leading campaigner for Palestinian rights'."

By contrast, in the other leaflet that passage has been replaced with: "Ken Livingstone added: 'Oona has been a great supporter of my neighbourhood policing scheme and, thanks to her efforts, by July Tower Hamlets will be the first London borough to have police on the beat in every local community'."

One leaflet has a section highlighting-Labour work for Muslim communities. This section has been left out of the other leaflet.

When it comes to the thorny issue of the war, the two leaflets also differ. In a personal message from Ms King, she sets out her reasons for backing the invasion of Iraq but in one leaflet, presumably aimed at shoring up support among Muslims, she refers to "Iraqi Muslims" throughout, while in the other she talks only of Iraqis.

While one leaflet states: "I had made that promise to Iraqi Muslims and I stuck to it", the other says: "I had made that promise to
Iraqis."...

In Turkey, Muslim women gain expanded religious authority

Campaigning for the EU? From the Christian Science Monitor, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

ISTANBUL - Covered in a pink and gray head scarf that tightly frames her round face, and adorned in a long, dark-blue overcoat, Zuleyha Seker hardly seems like a rebel. But as one of 400 women preachers, known as vaizes, currently working in several of Turkey's state-run mosques, Ms. Seker is making waves.

"The vaizes like me are seen as revolutionaries in religious circles - we are always pushing for change," she says with a gentle smile.

Indeed, women have brought significant change to Turkey's Muslim order in recent years. Two years ago, women were appointed for the first time to lead groups of Turks making the pilgrimage to Mecca. And last year, Diyanet, a government body that oversees the country's mosques and trains religious leaders, added 150 women preachers across Turkey.

Now, Diyanet is selecting a group of women who will serve as deputies to muftis, or expounders of religious law. From this post, they'll monitor the work being done by imams in local mosques, particularly as it relates to women.

While these changes come in response to what Diyanet officials describe as a growing demand from women for more and better religious education, academics and Islamic intellectuals say these developments are also being forced by the rise of a new class of educated religious women who are demanding more rights within the country's Islamic milieu.

"Now, women are more educated, they participate more in social life, and they are mixing more with men, so they are demand- ing more," says Nevin Meric, a women's education expert at the Istanbul mufti's office. "Today they are aware of their rights and they are learning by reading and asking," she says.

Buket Turkmen, a sociologist at Istanbul's Galatasaray University who has studied the role of women in Turkish Islam, says that for many women who come from traditional homes where they would normally be limited in what they are allowed to do, religious education becomes a path to a certain kind of independence.

"It's very paradoxical, but by choosing Islam, they can gain their individuality and their emancipation. In this context, Islam means modernization," Ms. Turkmen says....

Mehmet Gormez, Diyanet's deputy head, says the growing demand from women has forced Turkey's religious institutions to act. "In Islamic doctrine, men and women are equal. This should also be applied in practice," Mr. Gormez adds....

Is that so, Gormez? Can you please point me to the passage in the Qur'an that says that women can beat their husbands? What's that? There isn't one? Only one saying that men can beat their wives (4:34)? I see.

When Amina Wadud, an American Muslim and professor, announced that she would lead Friday prayers at an annex of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City last month, condemnation rang from orthodox circles. Sunni preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi of Qatar issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, saying "that leadership in prayer in Islam is reserved for men only," and warning that a women leading prayers might arouse men...

Oh for cryin' out loud.

Alas for Europe

A message from Rogier Van Bakel:

Malcolm Gladwell reviews a book ("Collapse") that talks about how and why cultures/societies die. This passage made me think of the Europe's half-hearted struggle against Islamic fascism:

The lesson of "Collapse" is that societies, as often as not, aren't murdered. They commit suicide: they slit their wrists and then, in the course of many decades, stand by passively and watch themselves bleed to death.

Whole thing at http://www.gladwell.com/2005/2005_01_15_a_collapse.html

'Atomic Iran' TV ad rejected: Some stations fear it might inflame Muslims

And above all, we must not offend Muslims. Better to be incinerated and turned to radioactive ash than to offend Muslims. From WND, with thanks to Teri:

A TV commercial warning Americans that Iran intends to launch a nuclear terror attack in the U.S. has been rejected by several stations due to fears it might inflame Muslims.

Titled "An Atomic 9-11: When Evil is Appeased," the spot, sponsored by the Iran Freedom Foundation, is based on a scenario described in the new WND Books release "Atomic Iran: How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians," by Jerome R. Corsi, co-author of the best-selling "Unfit for Command."

The ad, which can be viewed on the IFF website, began a month-long run last Tuesday in 17 markets nationwide.

It was rejected, however, by independent stations in Chicago, Dallas and Roanoke, Va., according to the company that produced and distributed it, Fargo, N.D.-based TVAI, or Timeless Video Alternatives International.

Steve Tweed, a TVAI working partner, told WND the ad was deemed "too politically partisan and controversial."

"One person called it propaganda," he said....

Tweed said some television program directors and traffic managers have been "tearing their hair out" over whether to run the ad, because they don't want to be seen as "picking a fight with any part of the community."

"We've never taken on such a valiant cause or had such a volatile or emotional reaction about any ad we've ever carried," Tweed said.

He explained the response was due to a "very latent, and I believe truthful, portrayal of Muslim fanaticism."

The ad, which begins with a clip from one of Sen. John Kerry's debates with President Bush, includes chants of "Death to America" led by leaders of the radical Muslim regime. The final image is of a figure in a Muslim veil.

"People in the media are trying to be politically correct and have an aversion to acknowledging that these are psychotic, fanatic rulers, and they happen to be Muslims," he said.

But Tweed said some of the concern could be simply because "people don't want their stations blown up."

UK: Students jailed for prostitute attacks

Clash of civilizations watch. The choice here is not between attacking prostitutes or approving of prostitution. From the UK Asian Image, with thanks to Effractor:

Two students who cruised Bradford's red light district and horrifically abused two prostitutes are today behind bars.

Maqas Riaz was jailed for four years and nine months and Mohammed Irfan for nine years.

Irfan told one of his victims that he "couldn't stand prostitutes" and threatened there would be vigilante-style "lynches" to rid the streets of them.

I don't approve of prostitution myself, but I approve of Irfan's response to it even less.

Placing them both on the sex offenders' register for life, Honorary Recorder of Bradford Judge Stephen Guillick said they had set out to "degrade them, humiliate them and terrify them"....

Prosecutor Patrick Palmer said Riaz and Irfan approached the first woman at around 2am in January last year, but she would not get in a car with two men.

Riaz later returned alone and the woman agreed to go with him, but Irfan was lurking round a corner and jumped in the back seat with her and they drove off.

The terrified woman tried to phone the police and get out of the car, but Irfan grabbed her by the hair and smashed her head against the window, then threatened her with a knife.

Riaz got in the back and the woman was sexually assaulted before being blindfolded, tied up and dumped in a field.

Hours later the pair, both students at Bradford University, preyed on their next victim. Irfan and Riaz pulled up in the car but the woman could see the knife blade and tried to get away. She was forced into the car and driven to Great Horton Lane.

Mr Palmer said Riaz demanded money and Irfan threatened her with the knife.

She tried to escape but was pulled back by Irfan, who slashed her jacket and raped her.

A few weeks later Riaz again went looking for prostitutes with another man, Waseem Choudhary. They both indecently assaulted a third woman. The three men were arrested in February last year when the police saw them driving around together. At first they denied any involvement but pleaded guilty before their trial last year...

Dhimmitude or anti-dhimmitude in Russia: a super-mufti?

Interesting that Aslanbekhov thinks this will strengthen Russia against the jihadists, while the article opines that it will weaken it. "Eye on Eurasia: A super-mufti for Russia?" from UPI, with thanks to EPG:

Tartu, Estonia, Apr. 25 (UPI) -- Russian Presidential advisor Aslanbek Aslanbekhov has called for the election of a single supreme mufti early next year to oversee all the Muslim communities of the Russian Federation, someone he said who could assist the government in its struggle against terrorism and fundamentalist Islam.

Aslanbekhov's proposal was greeted coolly by the Russian Federation's current Muslim leaders, most of whom view it as a direct threat to their power and influence and despite the fact that the introduction of a single muftiate will reduce rather than strengthen the Russian government's control over Islam, Moscow seems virtually certain to go ahead.

Aslakhanov presented this idea at a Moscow meeting "Islam for Peace" organized by various Muslim groups, Interfax reported. He told "Kommersant" that it was only his "personal idea" (www.kommersant.ru/doc.html?DocID=572461), but his comments and those of another Russian official at the session suggest otherwise.

On the one hand, Aslakhanov suggested that his ideas would find favor within the Kremlin once he did share them with official there, adding that any opposition to them by Muslim leaders up to now simply reflects their personal ambitions and unwillingness to subordinate themselves to anyone else.

"The muftis don't want to elect a chief mufti," Aslakhanov said, "because each of them wants to be the chief." But if such an election does take place, he continued, "anyone who does not want to subordinate himself to the law and the regulations adopted on the territory of the country where he lives, well, those are his problems."

Jordanian kills sister over mobile phone photo

Jordan, you will recall, is the moderate land where a law mandating stiffer penalties for honor killing was rejected on Islamic grounds. From AFP, with thanks to Twostellas:

AMMAN - A Jordanian man shot dead his divorced sister after seeing her photo on his friend's camera-equipped mobile phone in the latest "honour" killing in the kingdom, hospital officials said on Monday.

The unidentified man shot the 31-year-old mother twice in the head Sunday night and then turned himself in to police saying he committed the murder to "cleanse his family's honour."

The incident is the fifth example of a so-called honour killing in Jordan this year. Those found guilty usually face sentences of a maximum of one year in jail under Jordanian law.

Last month, a man stabbed his sister to death after finding out she had agreed an unofficial marriage with a man who subsequently
disappeared...

US Consulate dhimmitude: "Islam religion of peace, justice"

Hugh Fitzgerald has alerted me to this astounding example of dhimmi idiocy from a US official in Pakistan. From Pakistan's Dawn, "Islam religion of peace, justice: diplomat":

PESHAWAR - Principal Officer of the US Consulate in Peshawar, Michael A. Spangler, has said that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States and his country is eager to promote Islam's message of peace and justice.

"We stretch our hands to you in friendship and peace on this auspicious day, the birthday of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)", he said while speaking at a function held here on Sunday. The function was arranged in connection with Eid Milad-un-Nabi by the US Consulate, Peshawar in collaboration with Jamia Ashrafia, Peshawar.

He said: "The message of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) has strengthened the ideas of democracy, tolerance and moderation in my own thinking and action.

Spangler has learned democracy, tolerance, and moderation from Muhammad? What was Spangler like before he learned about Muhammad?

I beg all of you Muslims to help me understand the message of Islam more clearly. Please condemn acts of terrorism and stand up for the message of peace and justice that the Holy Prophet has taught."

He said the US would extend all possible help and assistance to the MMA government in the NWFP to empower and improve lives of people.

Provincial Minister for Local Governments Sardar Mohammad Idris, in his keynote address, said: "We don't believe in clash of civilisations; rather we wish harmony and cohesion among different world civilisations. We should come closer to each other. This process of nearness can help us understand each other."

We should follow in the footprints of the Holy Prophet who preached peace, tolerance against barbarism, ignorance and injustice, the minister said.

Yeah, the H.P. was quite a tolerant fellow. Here's one of my favorite examples of his tolerance:

Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war...When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them....If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them. (Sahih Muslim 4294)

Here's another, specifically depicting his tolerance of barbarism:

While the Prophet was prostrating, surrounded by some of Quraish, 'Uqba bin Abi Mu'ait brought the intestines (i.e. abdominal contents) of a camel and put them over the back of the Prophet. The Prophet did not raise his head, (till) Fatima, came and took it off his back and cursed the one who had done the harm. The Prophet said, "O Allah! Destroy the chiefs of Quraish, Abu Jahl bin Hisham, 'Utba bin Rabi'al, Shaba bin Rabi'a, Umaiya bin Khalaf or Ubai bin Khalaf." (The sub-narrator Shu'ba, is not sure of the last name.) I saw these people killed on the day of Badr battle and thrown in the well except Umaiya or Ubai whose body parts were mutilated but he was not thrown in the well. (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 193)

I can see how all that fighting and cursing of enemies would move Spangler to become more tolerant. So can Idris:

He praised Mr Spangler for arranging a graceful and solemn function on Eid Milad-un-Nabi. He also lauded US's support for the MMA government in various fields....

Mufti Kifayatullah, spokesman for MMA, in his thought-provoking speech said the Muslims, like other nations, should also be viewed as broadminded people. He said: "We believe in Bible as a divine book, Christ and Moses as Prophets of Allah like Muhammad (pbuh). Even we name our children after Christ and Moses. People from other religions should follow us"...

...into dhimmitude, eh, Kifayatullah? It is appalling that he could stand up there and say that they believe the Bible is a divine book without bothering to mention that they also believe it has been corrupted and that those who believe it are under Allah's curse (see Qur'an 9:30).

Fitzgerald: That Awful Mess on Morningside Heights

Our own Hugh Fitzgerald, Vice President of the Jihad Watch Advisory Board, writes in Campus Watch about the sorry state of Columbia University:

Some years ago the writer Carlo Emilio Gadda published Quer pasticcaccio brutto de via Merulana. The title was Englished as That Awful Mess on Merulana Street. In America that book never received the attention it deserved. But another awful mess, that on Morningside Heights, is receiving, a good deal of attention. A short movie has been made, in which students testify on camera to the humiliating treatment they endured, as Jews or Israelis, from a series of professors. A long study of the "scholarship" of Columbia's Middle East Studies faculty is in the works. Dozens of newspaper articles have been written about the atmosphere of harassment, intimidation, and indoctrination of students, both in and out of class. A large public now knows that many of the Middle East Studies faculty (and specifically those who reside in the awfully titled Department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures, and even more awfully shortened ‘MEALAC') appear to believe in the surpassing perfidy of the mighty empire of Israel, in the sheer nobility and justice of the "Palestinian" cause, in the diabolical imperialist dreams of the American government, and in the crazed hatred for the Arabs and Muslims, and will to dominate, by Israel or America or the West, that explains everything from Israeli archeological digs to the inability of Western scholars to fully appreciate Arab literature, or Mesopotamian statuary....

One is cruel only to be kind – kind to the students who come to Columbia's hoping to be educated in the most important subjects. They lack the knowledge to judge, at the time, whether or not those subjects are being adequately taught. It may be that many of them are chosen, in fact, because they will happily submit to the skewed curriculum, and indeed are themselves eager to become, in turn, apologists for Islam and promoters of misunderstanding. But Columbia should be thinking of its own reputation. The university that once had Joseph Schacht and Arthur Jeffery and Richard Gottheil on the faculty really has to ensure that Islam becomes the center of attention, and not something that is scarcely mentioned in the corridors of faculty power, a faculty that, at least at MEALAC, with impudence, with arrogance, with the assurance that tenure is an invisible protective shield that allows them to get away with anything, harassment and humiliation and intimidation in the classroom by some, educational malpractice by the same or by others. This cannot continue. Or rather, it can, and the self-inflicted wounds that will result if the situation is not dealt with by the appointment of an outside committee of truly distinguished Orientalists, will damage much else, alas, at Columbia, including faculty members in other departments who may not relish being punished for the unacceptable and unpunished or insufficiently punished behavior of others.

Read it all.

The Crusades as a Lesson in Harmony?

From the New Duranty Times, with thanks to Jerry Gordon:

SIR RIDLEY SCOTT'S new blockbuster, "Kingdom of Heaven," could hardly be more topical. It shows Muslims resisting Christian invaders, battles raging in wind-whipped deserts, ancient cities under siege and civilians cowering. It even shows prisoners decapitated for their beliefs.

O.K., so all this screen mayhem is meant to be happening more than eight centuries ago, but doesn't it sound like recent news from Iraq?

Well, the movie is not meant to show that Christians and Muslims have been at one another's throats for centuries. Rather, by dwelling on the extended, turbulent holy war known as the Crusades, Sir Ridley said he hoped to demonstrate that Christians, Muslims and Jews could live together in harmony - if only fanaticism were kept at bay.

To that end, for all the furious battle scenes in "Kingdom of Heaven," which opens nationwide on May 6, Mr. Scott and his screenwriter, William Monahan, have tried to be balanced. Muslims are portrayed as bent on coexistence until Christian extremists ruin everything. And even when the Christians are defeated, the Muslims give them safe conduct to return to Europe.

If this is accurate about the film, I can't imagine why The Scholar of the House is so upset about this movie. But as an accurate portrayal of history, this is laughable -- as I will show in my forthcoming book The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades (Regnery).

"It's actually about doing the right thing," said Sir Ridley, 67, a Briton whose screen combat experience also includes directing "1492: Conquest of Paradise," "Black Hawk Down" and "Gladiator." "I know that sounds incredibly simplistic. It's about temptation and avoiding temptation. It's about ethics. It's about going to war over passion and idealism. Idealism is great if it's balanced and humanitarian."

If so, the Crusaders got a few things wrong. From 638, when Muslims first occupied Jerusalem, both Christians and Jews were permitted to visit their holy sites. Then, in 1095, responding to an appeal from the Byzantine Christian Church in Constantinople, Pope Urban II organized the First Crusade to liberate Jerusalem. Four years later, those crusaders seized the city, massacring almost all its inhabitants in a bloodbath invoked to this day.

Seven more crusades were waged, bringing European monarchs, lords, knights and their armies of devout followers to fight - and settle - in an area stretching between what is today Syria and Egypt. The Muslims responded with their own sporadic jihads until finally, by 1291, the Christians had been driven out.

It's hard not to wonder, is this really a good time to show warring Christians and Muslims as entertainment?

No mention here, of course, of 450 years of Muslim invasions and conquests of Christian lands that preceded the Crusades -- or of sacks of cities by Muslims that equalled the brutality of the Crusaders' sack of Jerusalem. One atrocity does not justify another, but what the Crusaders did in Jerusalem was common practice for armies in those days.

Afghan woman killed by father for 'adultery'

Sharia alert. From AP, with thanks to all who sent this in:

An Afghan man killed his daughter for allegedly committing adultery, officials said on Sunday, but denied reports that she was stoned to death.

Two officials said Mohammed Aslam killed his daughter Amina on Thursday in a remote village of Badakhshan province called Gazan, about 310 kilometres north-west of Kabul.

Media reports said the woman was stoned by villagers who caught her in the home of a man other than her husband - a punishment allowed under Islamic law and more commonly reported under the former Taliban government.

But police said the reports were mistaken and that Aslam carried out the killing alone.

"With the fundamentalists and the hardline mullahs who are in that area, these things are not impossible," said Shah Jahan Noori, the provincial police chief, told The Associated Press. "But I know that in this case she was not stoned."

Egyptian rumor: John Paul II converted to Islam

"Do Muslims have self-esteem Issues?," from the Cairo-based Sandmonkey blogspot (thanks to Norwegian Kafir):

Did you hear that the Pope converted to Islam before he died?

No, you didn’t? But that’s all over Egypt. It’s the latest rumor of the week. People who support it point to the fact that the Pope had dirt put on his corps ( an Islamic burial tradition) and that he wanted his memoirs burned to hide his secret conversion of course ( why else would he have them burned they would argue), which he showed in his establishing of good relations with the Muslim community and opposition to the Iraq war. The Pope, they would say without a shred of doubt in their voice, died a muslim. And some people actually believed that! Ain't that some shit?

Ohh and in case you haven’t heard, Bill Gates also declared his conversion to Islam. I got that piece of news in an e-mail. Apparently he announced it at a house-party ( where they didn’t serve alcohol I am certain) and told his “shocked” guests that he amassed all the wealth in the world and bought everything he ever wanted, but only found peace of mind in converting to Islam. The E-mail had a snapshot of a newspaper article, which I am sure isn’t made up or anything. And again, apparently some people believed it.

Pope Meets With Christians, Muslims

From AP, with thanks to Uncle Jeff:

A day after reaching out to other Christians and to Jews in his installation Mass, Pope Benedict XVI met with members of the Muslim community on Monday and assured them that the church wanted to continue "building bridges of friendship."

Benedict made the comments in a meeting with religious leaders who attended his installation ceremony, saying he was particularly grateful that members of the Muslim community were present.

"I express my appreciation for the growth of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, both at the local and international level," he said.

He noted that the world is currently marked by conflicts but said it longs for peace.

"Yet peace is also a duty to which all peoples must be committed, especially those who profess to belong to religious traditions," he said. "Our efforts to come together and foster dialogue are a valuable contribution to building peace on solid foundations."

The Vatican didn't say which Muslim leaders attended the private meeting.

A sign that this Pope will continue along a familiar path of dhimmitude? Maybe; but his statement that "peace is also a duty to which all peoples must be committed, especially those who profess to belong to religious traditions" might have been a pointed declaration to his audience that they need to clean their own house.

Armenia Rejects Proposal From Turkey To Join Study Of WWI Events

From VOA News via the Texas Panhandle, "Armenia Rejects Proposal From Turkey To Join Study Of WWI Events"

WASHINGTON - Last month, Turkey made an unprecedented gesture by offering its neighbor Armenia to conduct a joint study of the historic events that took place during World War One in Anatolia, the Asian part of Turkey. Armenia rejected the proposal.

Peter Balakian, author of several books on Armenian history, says ample research has already been done. He notes that many studies, including one by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, concluded that mass killings and deportations of Armenians from Anatolia under the direction of the Ottoman government amount to genocide.

"I think there is a growth in recognition of the Armenian genocide worldwide - the Canadian government last year, the French government in 2000, the Swiss government last year, the Danish Parliament, the Italian Parliament the Vatican and many countries in Latin America and the Middle East as well. It is the result of education, of the fact that scholars have done increasingly brilliant work over the last couple of decades, writing objective, detached histories of the Armenian genocide."

According to Armenians, on April 24, 1915, the government headed by the Young Turks , the ruling political party of the Ottoman Empire, began to deport and massacre its Armenian Christian minority population, approximately 2.5 million people. Turkey denies that there was a planned campaign to eliminate Armenians from Anatolia. It says that both sides suffered losses in the war. Atrocities may have occurred, they say, but only at the hands of rogue groups or individuals, Turkish as well as Armenian. Turkey says no more than 300-thousand Armenians perished in the clashes.

Turkish-born Muge Gocek, a historical sociologist at the University of Michigan, says ordinary Turks have denied the massacres for many years because they haven’t had access to their historic documents.

"Turkish society knows very little about what happened in its own past for two reasons, says Professor Gocek. "One is because of the alphabet reform that happened in Turkey in 1928, where the Arabic script was abandoned and Latin script was adopted. Turks cannot read their own past historical documents. And the second is that things from the past were selectively translated and therefore very little scholarly information has been made available to them about the Armenian question."...

Pope Pays Homage to Jews, Ignores Muslims

From IslamOnline, "Pope Pays Homage to Jews, Ignores Muslims"

VATICAN CITY – In a homily marking his inauguration, Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday, April 24, paid homage to “my brothers and sisters” of the Jewish people, but failed to make any reference to Islam or Muslims.

Greeting representatives of other faiths attending the ceremony, the pontiff extended a message of welcome to “the Jewish people, to whom we are joined by a great shared spiritual heritage, one rooted in God's irrevocable promises,” reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

A few days following his election, Pope Benedict XVI sent a message to Rome's chief rabbi vowing to foster and strengthen dialogue with Jews.

His immediate predecessor John Paul II, who died on April 2, won widespread admiration in Israel not only for being the first pope in history to visit a synagogue but also for his work in reconciling the Roman Catholic Church with the Jewish people.

Some observers fear that Jewish lobbies might blackmail the new pope for his wartime membership – which he confirms was enforced -- in Nazi Germany's Hitler Youth.

Jewish leaders have already showered Pope Benedict XVI with praise over his swift and firm commitment to follow in his predecessor's path of Catholic-Jewish reconciliation, saying it was “a very powerful signal” for the future.

The new pontiff’s known opposition to an EU membership for Muslim Turkey has also raised many question marks.

In an interview last year with France's Le Figaro magazine, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said Ankara should seek its future in an association of Islamic nations, not with the EU, which has Christian roots.

He said Turkey had always been “in permanent contrast to Europe” and that linking it to Europe would be “an enormous mistake.”

Christian Unity

After his a Jews-directed message, Pope Benedict XVI greeted Catholics present here and elsewhere, before extending his message to other Christians.

“With great affection I also greet all those who have been reborn in the sacrament of baptism but are not yet in full communion with us,” he said.

The pontiff pledged to work towards Christian unity as he set out the priorities of his pontificate in his first homily.

“Grant that we may be one flock, and one shepherd,” the 78-year-old pone told an audience in St. Peter's Square that the Vatican estimated at 350,000 people.

“Yes, the church is alive -- this is the wonderful experience of these days, and the church is young.”...

Egypt's Copts Defy Papal Ban on Pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Anti-dhimmitude from Copts who are defying their Pope to engage in their traditional pilgrimage. From AFP,"Egypt's Copts defy papal ban on pilgrimage to Israel"

CAIRO - A group of Egyptian Coptic Christians left on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, in renewed defiance of a ban imposed by their pope before a settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The first batch of 37 pilgrims left Cairo after they were cleared by Egyptian security, officials said. More pilgrims were to follow, as the Eastern church prepares to celebrate Easter on May 1.

Scores of Copts go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem each spring and remain until after Easter, touring Christian holy sites in the city and the occupied Palestinian territories.

The visits defy a ban by Pope Shenuda III, head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church -- and a strong defender of the Palestinian cause -- on the travel of Copts to Israel, pending an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The pope has in the past even advised religious leaders in Israel not to give holy communion to Copts for challenging his authority, but many have continued to make the trip.

He has also threatened to excommunicate members for flouting the ban...

Iranian Christian Faces Death for Apostasy

Hamid Pourmand update from Religion Journal "Iranian Christian Faces Death Penalty for Apostasy," with thanks to Nobody:

An Iranian church leader, who is already in prison, faces the death penalty if he is found guilty by a shari'ah court.

Hamid Pourmand, 47, is scheduled to go before a shari'ah court in Bandar-i-Bushehr next week on charges of apostasy from Islam and seeking to spread the Christian gospel among Muslims. The former charge is punishable by death.

Pourmand, who was a Colonel in the Iranian army, was also a lay leader of the Assemblies of God church in Bandar-i-Bushehr, a southern port city in Iran. He was arrested along with 85 other church leaders at the annual meeting of the AOG church in Iran on Sept. 9, 2004 in Keraj. According to Middle East Concern and Compass Direct, he was the only one not to be released shortly after being arrested.

On Feb. 16 he was charged before a military court with deceiving the Iranian armed forces about his conversion nearly 25 years ago. Non-Muslims are not allowed to become officers in the army, but Pourmand provided evidence to the court that his superiors knew about his faith. This evidence was rejected as false and Pourmand was sentenced to three years in prison with the loss of all benefits. This meant losing his 20-year army pension and home and now his wife and two children have been evicted and have no source of income.

He is currently in a group cell at Evin maximum security Prison in Tehran. He is the first Iranian convert to be charged with apostasy since 1993. CSW is working with other NGOs to raise his case with the UK Foreign Office, the UN and the EU.

"Hamid Pourmand has already been stripped of his freedom and his job, and his family has been made destitute," said Stuart Windsor, national director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide. "He now faces a death sentence if the shari'ah court finds him guilty. CSW calls on the international community to do all it can to put pressure on the Iranian authorities to safeguard his life."

Let's hope the Mullahs hear strong words from Secretary Rice about this.

Saudis Arrest 40 Christians for Praying

No Christian praying allowed, from Reuters, with thanks to Nicolei:

Riyadh - Saudi Arabia has detained 40 Pakistani Christians for holding prayers at a house in the Muslim kingdom, where practicising any religion other than Islam is illegal, newspapers said on Saturday.

A group of men, women and children were attending the service in the capital Riyadh when police raided the house, Al Jazirah newspaper said.

It said authorities also found Christian tapes and books.

Another Saudi daily, Al Yaum, said the raid took place on Friday while a Pakistani preacher was delivering a sermon. It was not clear what measures might be taken against the group.

Saudi authorities were not immediately available to comment.

There are around six million foreigners in the conservative kingdom, which has a population of 23 million, including many Christians from Europe, North America, Asia and other Arab states.

In a rare official rebuke of a close ally last year, Washington accused Saudi Arabia of severe violations of religious freedom.

"Freedom of religion is not recognized or protected under the country's laws and basic religious freedoms are denied to all but those who adhere to the state-sanctioned version of Sunni Islam," the State Department said in an annual report...

Australian Cleric: Raped Women have Themselves to Blame

Well of course, "Women incite men's lust with 'satanic dress'" from the Australian Sun-Herald, with thanks to Nicolei:

A Muslim sheik told followers at a public meeting in Bankstown that women who were raped had incited men's lust by dressing immodestly and only had themselves to blame.

Sydney-born Sheik Faiz Mohamad, 34, a former boxer who teaches at the Global Islamic Youth Centre in Liverpool, made the comments during a lecture for more than 1000 people at Bankstown Town Hall.

The Sun-Herald has a recording of the March 18 speech in which Sheik Faiz said: "A victim of rape every minute somewhere in the world. Why? No one to blame but herself. She displayed her beauty to the entire world . . .

"Strapless, backless, sleeveless, nothing but satanic skirts, slit skirts, translucent blouses, miniskirts, tight jeans: all this to tease man and appeal to his carnal nature."

He compared a woman dressed in such a way to a sheep. "Would you put this sheep that you adore in the middle of hungry wolves? No . . . It would be devoured. It's the same situation here. You're putting this precious girl in front of lustful, satanic eyes of hungry wolves. What is the consequence? Catastrophic devastation, sexual harassment, perversion, promiscuity."

Sheik Faiz also exhorted Muslim women to wear the hijab head covering as "a liberation from male scrutiny"...

"It's sad to see today how young girls are being brought up," he said. "The way they dress, their hairstyles . . . layers of make-up, which they just shovel on in order to remove afterwards, tanning out in the sun, bronzed, shiny so she can shine the lustful eyes of men; extreme dieting, working out. Why? So she can get the best figure, but not for her husband."

He also condemned the soap opera Days Of Our Lives, which he said made wives negative towards their husbands, and said "premarital sex is fashionable, that manipulation, deceit, cheating, lying falsehood are all essential ways to get the man or lady of your dreams".

Sheik Faiz declined to be interviewed.

Bostom: The Jihad Genocide of the Armenians

To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Sunday April 24, 2005, and also in a perfectly timed refutation to this story, Andrew Bostom writes in The American Thinker on "The Jihad Genocide of the Armenians"

I attended a banquet in New York City April 2, 2005, celebrating Professor Vahakn Dadrian’s distinguished career, most notably, his singular contributions to the study of the Armenian genocide. Dadrian’s scholarship is characterized by a unique combination of painstaking, tireless research in the face of unseemly and well financed resistance, brilliant innovation (for example, his use of Austrian and German diplomatic sources free of either Armenian or Turkish biases), and, most remarkable of all in this era, an intellectual honesty oblivious to political correctness.

Regarding this latter point, specifically, Dadrian has always been unafraid to identify the uniquely Islamic institution of jihad as a critical etiologic factor in the Armenian genocide. Indeed, the most revealing interlude of that April 2nd evening, for me, was his blunt recapitulation of a massacre as depicted in Reverend K. Balakian’s eyewitness narrative Hai Koghota (The Armenian Golgotha)—the major literary work affecting Dadrian’s decision to study the genocide. In a 2003 essay collection, Dadrian recounted the harrowing details of this particular slaughter, its Islamic religious motifs unexpurgated. Six thousand four hundred Armenian children, young girls, and women from Yozgad, were decamped by their Turkish captors at a promontory some distance from the city. Then,

To save shell and powder, the gendarmerie commander in charge of this large convoy had gathered 10,000-12,000 Turkish peasants and other villagers, and armed with “hatchets, meat cleavers, saddler’s knives, cudgels, axes, pickaxes, shovels”, the latter attacked and for some 4-5 hours mercilessly butchered the victims while crying “Oh God, Oh God” (Allah, Allah). In a moment of rare candor, this gendarmerie commander confided to the priest-author, whom he did not expect to survive the mass murder, that after each massacre episode, he spread his little prayer rug and performed the namaz, the ritual of worship, centered on prayer, with a great sense of redemption in the service of Almighty God...

A True Genocide

Was the horrific fate of the Ottoman Empire's Armenian minority, at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, in particular, during World War I, due to “civil war”, or genocide ? A seminal analysis by Dadrian published in 2002 validates the conclusion that the Ottoman Turks committed a centrally organized mass murder, i.e., a genocide, against their Armenian population. Relying upon a vast array of quintessential, primary source documents from the World War I allies of the Ottoman Empire, Germany and Austria- Hungary, Dadrian obviated the intractable disputes surrounding the reliability and authenticity of both Ottoman Turkish, and Armenian documents. He elucidated the truly unique nature of this documentary German and Austro-Hungarian evidence:

During the war, Germany and Austria-Hungary disposed over a vast network of ambassadorial, consular, military, and commercial representatives throughout the Ottoman Empire. Not only did they have access to high-ranking Ottoman officials and power-wielding decision-makers who were in a position to report to their superiors as locus in quo observers on many aspects of the wartime treatment of Ottoman Armenians. They supplemented their reports with as much detail as they could garner from trusted informers and paid agents, many of whom were Muslims, both civilians and military…

Moreover, the documents analyzed possessed another critical attribute: they included confidential correspondence prepared and sent to Berlin and Vienna, which were meant for wartime use only. This confidentiality, Dadrian notes, enabled German or Austro-Hungarian officials to openly question the contentions of their wartime Ottoman allies, when ascertaining and conveying facts truthfully to their superiors in Europe. Dadrian cites the compelling example of the November 16, 1915 report to the German chancellor, by Aleppo Consul Rossler. Rossler states,

I do not intend to frame my reports in such a way that I may be favoring one or the other party. Rather, I consider it my duty to present to you the description of things which have occurred in my district and which I consider to be the truth.

Rossler was reacting specifically to the official Ottoman allegation that the Armenians had begun to massacre the Turkish population in the Turkish sections of Urfa, a city within his district, after reportedly capturing them. He dismissed the charge, unequivocally, with a single word: “invented”.

Amassed painstakingly by Dadrian, the primary source evidence from these German and Austro-Hungarian officials- reluctant witnesses- leads to this inescapable conclusion: the anti-Armenian measures, despite a multitude of attempts at cover-up and outright denial, were meticulously planned by the Ottoman authorities, and were designed to destroy wholesale, the victim population...

Read it all, please.

The worst-ever article on Islam?

Daniel Pipes opines that this could be the very worst article on Islam, and with good reason: "It has every platitude, inaccuracy, and banality in the book, from mistranslating the word Islam to getting the number of Muslims in the United States wrong to that hoary business about "A Muslim can't be a terrorist, and a terrorist can't be a Muslim."

To those I would add that this article also purveys nonsense about the position of women in Islam and Islam's view of Christianity.

"Islam: a religion based on peace," from USC's Daily Trojan:

What is the second-largest religion in the United States?Islam. And what is the nation's fastest-growing religion? You guessed it. The Islamic movement is on the rise, and its presence is alive and flourishing at USC.

"Prophet Muhammad prophesized that Islam would become the largest faith," said Karim Vidhani, president of the Muslim Students Association, and a junior majoring in computer science. "But it is also prophesized that there will be an increasing lack of knowledge about Islam, too."

Yes, the level of ignorance of Islam is astounding. Why, just look at this article itself -- here is this peaceful, nonviolent religion of women's rights, and what do we see in the world? Huge groups of people who are violent and oppress women -- and who dare to call themselves Muslims! The audacity! If only these huge numbers of Muslims realized that they had fallen victim to an "increasing lack of knowledge about Islam"! Muhammad foresaw it all!

The Muslim Students Association

Vidhani and the MSA, which describes itself as an association that "strives to educate Muslims and non-Muslims about Islam," are intent on moving forward. "We have many goals," Vidhani said. One of those goals is called dawah, which means informing non-Muslims about Islam.

"We hold lectures, hand out flyers, pamphlets and basically just tell people about our faith on campus," Vidhani said. "We welcome questions about our faith; Islam is not a faith that is without answers."

A religion of peace?

Yet some might have the question: Is Islam a religion of peace? "The word Islam means peace in Arabic," said Murat Surucu, a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering and president of Muslim Students for Dialogue, an organization that helps promote Islamic understanding and interfaith dialogue. "A Muslim can't be a terrorist, and a terrorist can't be a Muslim. So people who want to terrorize people ... either don't know Islam or think they are doing something in benefit of Islam, but, in fact, they are not. They are only damaging Islam."

Aliha Khan, a Muslim and graduate student in electrical engineering, said it's also wrong to say that Islam was spread by violence or force. For example, Indonesia, the most populace Muslim nation in the world, was not converted to Islam through force but, rather, through choice. "And it's the same way in South Asia," she said. "You can't be forced to accept Islam; the desire has to come from you."...

Women and Islam

Yolanda Solis, an adviser to MSA and administrative assistant for the computer science program, said one of the biggest misconceptions about Islam is that the status of women is lower than men.

"There is a high level of importance given to women in Islam," Solis said.

"In a lot of religions in their early foundations, women were either unwanted at birth or a great burden. In Islam women are not a great burden."

Women are actually considered an asset in Islam, Solis said. "There is even a part in the Quran where a follower asked the Prophet, 'Who should I respect after God?' And the Prophet said, 'Your mother, and after that, your mother, and after that your mother.' So basically he's telling you that your mom - a woman - is that most important (person)."

Khan said that some women even had a formative role in Islam. "For example, one of Mohammad's wives, Aisha, narrated thousands of sayings of the Prophet," said Khan. "Through her narrations, she contributed one-fourth of the hadiths (a compilation of Mohammad's sayings)."

Erin Moore, an anthropology professor who has studied Islamic cultures in other countries, said that the Christian creation story portrays the woman as the allurer who tempted the man while the Islam has a different account. "The Islamic (Adam and Eve) story is that they both fell together and realized their nakedness," she said. "And there is not something on blaming woman, and there isn't this thing about women as the temptress - that sexuality is OK, and men and women can enjoy each other in the right context."

Women of power: women who wear the hijab

Hijab means 'covering' in Arabic. Hijab can also go by other names, including headscarf or veil, said Fethiye Ozis, a doctoral candidate in environmental engineering.

Ozis, who has been wearing the hijab for six years, said it is nothing more than a sign of modesty to empower women.

"Hijab is a chance for a woman to express herself totally - to express her ideas - to express her identity and personality without being identified as a desirable sex object," she said. "The hijab lets women focus on what's important, what's inside."

Sporting a colorful hijab and pink shirt, Kamile Yuksek, a doctoral candidate in microbiology, said the main reason why she wears the hijab is because it is mentioned in the Quran: "O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their bodies (when abroad) so that they should be known and not molested" (Quran 33:59).

You can't be forced to wear the hijab, Yuksek said. "Wearing the hijab is very personal, and wearing it has to come from you," she said. "You are allowed to take off your head scarf off if you are among women and your family: your husband, your father, your uncles, your brothers and your grandparents."

Solis said that she does not wear the hijab because she's a new convert, and it wouldn't feel right for her yet. "You should wear it only when it feels natural to you," Solis said. "I'm probably in a transitional phrase."

Moore said that when we see the headscarf or hijab, we shouldn't have just one interpretation of what that means. "Different individuals that veil have different reasons for veiling," Moore said.

Some people veil out of a sense of ethnic identity, said Moore. "(Veiling for them can be a way to say) 'I am Muslim. I want you to know it,'" Moore said. "Other people veil to tell men that, 'I'm a respectable person and to stay away from me if you're not respectable, too.' Others veil as a declaration against the domination of the West."

All in the family

Moore said that Christians often forget, though, just how similar they are to Muslims. For example, Christians and Muslims follow the same line of prophets and many of the same Old Testament stories. "We're really all related," Moore said. "We have this continuum, and maybe that's why we fight like siblings from the same nest," Moore said. "So I would just like Christians to realize that we are all brothers."

Never mind that little bit about Christians being under Allah's curse (Qur'an 9:30).

But then Jihad Watch reader JS sent in another article that gives that one stiff competition for the worst-ever article on Islam prize: "Jihad defined," from the Pioneer Times:

So what does the word jihad really mean? The Koran, (Muslims' holy book) defines jihad as, "the effort made to remove obstacles that stand between humanity and God."

I'd like to see a chapter and verse reference on that.

In the faith of Islam, jihad is not associated with terror, or hatred. It is not a declaration of a "Holy War."

One cannot go any further without understanding the faith of Islam, the Muslim religion. The religion itself is misunderstood, as well as associated with terror and hatred.

The Muslim religion is a peaceful religion. The word Islam means submission to God, peace, security, and well-being; nothing to do with being a terrorist. In the words of the fame Turkish Imam/scholar, Fethullah Gulen, "In true Islam, terror does not exist."

Alas, we live in a world awash with false Islam! What are we to do?

And he is right terror does not exist in Islam, even in times of war. Islam is a faith that believes in killing an ant to be a major sin.

Hmmm. I have read the Qur'an innumerable times but I don't remember anything in it about killing ants. But those bits about killing unbelievers (2:191, 9:5, etc.) tend to stick in my mind.

Since the one who gives life and death is God, it is forbidden to kill. No one can take away the life that God has given. One cannot harm people who worship in God's house (i.e. churches, synagogues). The killing of innocent people is an unforgivable crime against humanity.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), messenger of God, has demanded that non-Muslims be treated well.

"Those who ill-treat Christians and Jews will answer to me on judgment day. And those who do injustice to Christians and Jews will not be able to enter Paradise."

With the understanding of the Muslim religion, we now can understand the word jihad....

Jihad is not a scary word. The word is misunderstood and misused. A "Holy War" does not exist.

How about you? Got any candidates for The Worst Article on Islam of 2005? Send entries to director@jihadwatch.org.

Columbia University’s Middle East Institute Sends Invitations for Event Honoring Notorious Anti-Semite Amiri Baraka

A press release from Campus Watch:

Philadelphia - Columbia University’s Middle East Institute recently sent out invitations for an event honoring Amiri Baraka, Campus Watch has learned.

Sponsored by several groups (the Radius of Arab American Writers, the National Union of Writers, NY, and Alwan for the Arts), the April 14, 2005 event featured tributes to Baraka. Its proceeds will go to support a conference of Arab American writers at Hunter College.

Baraka, born LeRoi Jones, is known for his writings on jazz, but more for his Marxism and anti-Semitism. As the poet laureate of New Jersey Baraka created a firestorm with his poem “Somebody Blew Up America,” a diatribe accusing Israelis of having been warned of the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. When Baraka rebuffed calls for his resignation, New Jersey lawmakers responded by abolishing the position of poet laureate.

Baraka’s anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism reach far back into the 1960s, as does his violent animosity to whites, American society, and the West as a whole.

Why did the Columbia Middle East Institute lend its support to such an individual? And why did it send out the invitation (via e-mail) on the very day of the event? Coming hard on the heels of the recent controversy over harassment and intimidation of Jewish students, the Middle East Institute might have seen fit to consider more closely who it was promoting.

Helping honor Baraka again calls into question the judgment of Rashid Khalidi, the institute’s director, who himself has a long, well-documented record of hostility toward Israel. These attitudes contributed to the recent decision by the New York City Board of Education to remove him from a teacher training program...

In response, Astrid Benedek, Assistant Director of the Middle East Institute, writes:

TO: Campus Watch

In your listing today, you have misrepresented my message to our mailing list. The Middle East Institute was not the host or organizer of this event. We simply forwarded the information about it, as we do with countless other events organized by outside organizations. Nowhere in the description is the Middle East Institute listed as a host/sponsor or in any other way involved. The event was "hosted by the Radius of Arab American Writers, the National Union of Writers, NY, and Alwan for the Arts" as anybody who bothered to read this email could clearly see.

We don't see misrepresentation here at all. The Middle East Institute sent the invitations, as was claimed in Campus Watch's press release.

UN Human Rights Commission finally approves watered down resolution condemning abuses in Sudan

From AP:

GENEVA - The UN Human Rights Commission on Thursday adopted a resolution condemning abuses in Sudan, passing by consensus compromise wording on how to improve the situation in the embattled Darfur region.

The resolution had support from Sudan and other African nations, the United States, the European Union and others. It was approved after the EU withdrew a more stiffly worded document....

The Africans agreed to remove wording that praised the Sudanese governments steps to improve the situation in Darfur, while the Western countries dropped specific condemnation of the Sudanese government.

The resolution said, "The commission condemns continued, widespread and systematic violations by all parties of human rights and international humanitarian law" in Darfur.

It specifically condemned "the violence against civilians and sexual violence against women and girls, destruction of villages, widespread displacement and other violations."

Although the resolution didn't specify the government, human rights organizations have accused Khartoum of being responsible for much of the violence either directly or through militias it backs in putting down a rebellion.

Former U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz, who heads the United States delegation, said that while there had been improvements overall in Sudan in recent weeks, "the terrible tragedy continues in Darfur."

"Violence, atrocities and crimes against humanity regularly occur," he said. "Attacks on humanitarian workers continue. Displaced people, especially women, are vulnerable to murder, rape and abuse...

The western Sudanese region of Darfur has been the scene of what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. An estimated 180,000 people have died in the upheaval and about two million others have been displaced since the conflict began in February 2003...

Swedish priest to be taken to court, not killed!

"Swedish Muslims Take Anti-Prophet Priest to Court," from IslamOnline, with thanks to Mary Beth:

STOCKHOLM - A top Muslim scholar said the minority would abide by the Swedish law in confronting a Christian preacher who insulted Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), urging his fellow Swedish Muslims not to take the law into their own hands or commit any violent acts to avenge the repulsive remarks of the Christian cleric.

"We beg those who threatened (Runar) Sogaard, in the name of Islam, to let Swedish law judge between him and us," Hassan Moussa, the head of Sweden's council of imams, wrote in the Expressen newspaper, according to Reuters Friday, April 22.

"Do not under any circumstances take the law into your own hands."

Celebrity evangelist preacher Runar Sogaard, in a sermon at Filadelfia church in Stockholm on March 20, repeated claims against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) - whose Birthday Muslims worldwide celebrated Thursday - saying the Seal of Prophets was "a confused pedophile" since his wives included a girl aged nine years old, alluding to the Prophet's wife `Aisha.

No Comment

The Muslim imam said that although Sogaard's comments "injured millions of Muslims all over the world, but they must not lead to violence like the murder last year of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh who was critical of Islam," Reuters said.

"We assure all honest Swedes that the tragic developments we witnessed in Holland will not take place here."

"Those who cast stones against us will not get stoned in return."...

Marie Thorsensson, an official at Sogaard's church, told Reuters that the Christian preacher would not make any comment on the issue "except that the extract from his sermon is correct, but the sermon was not about Islam or Muhammad"....

Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and Director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, Garden Grove, California, that the age of `Aisha when she married Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was far from being confirmed.

"Historically, it is not confirmed that she was nine years old when she came in the household of the Prophet. There are various reports from age nine to age 24. Her maturity, knowledge, intelligence, and contributions during the life of the Prophet and afterwards all indicate that she was either an exceptional nine-year-old or must have been older than that."

Come on, Muzammil. It says she was nine in Bukhari, twice. Is not Bukhari the most reliable Hadith collection? Why would you use less well-attested hadith to overthrow well-attested ones?

Fitzgerald: A tribute to Karen Armstrong, or The Coherence of Her Incoherence

Jihad Watch Board Vice President Hugh Fitzgerald explains why no one should ever take Karen Armstrong seriously:

Karen Armstrong, long famous for her description of Muhammad as the consummate “peacemaker” who “brought together the warring tribes of Arabia,” has assumed the mantle, yet again, not of the Prophet, but of the Prophet’s defender. In an article in The Guardian she retells in her inimitable fashion the story of European Christendom’s relations with Islam and with Muslims. In her retelling, the Muslims are innocent victims, and more than innocent victims, likened again and again to the Jews. They are also the only people who provided, in that bright shining moment of European history known as Islamic Spain, the only real tolerance and humanity to be found anywhere in Europe before the modern era. It is a tough job, but Karen Armstrong proves equal to the task. And her real theme is not history, but that Europeans should feel ashamed themselves for showing any signs of wariness or suspicion about the millions of Muslims who now live in Europe, having come among the indigenous Infidels to settle, but not to settle down.

It is curious to see how often in this article Karen Armstrong makes references to examples of historic mistreatment of the Jews. For in her previous books she has exhibited a palpable distaste for Israel, and has attempted on every occasion to pretend that the claims of the “three abrahamic faiths” to Jerusalem are identical in the importance that each attaches to the city (but as a city Jerusalem is not holy in Islam, and never was), and she is fond, in her discussion of “fundamentalisms”—always presented in the plural – to make reference to the one or two examples of what she calls “Jewish terrorism.” She fails to consider whether or not the assassination of Rabin by a Jewish political opponent, or the mental collapse of Dr. Baruch Goldstein which led him, acting entirely alone and on impulse, to wreak his solitary revenge on those whose victims Goldstein treated every day as a doctor, until he could no longer stand it, really can be compared to the thousands of planned acts, many of them fortunately foiled, and others not, that are part of the world-wide Jihad against completely innocent Infidels, within Muslim lands, and without.

Here is how she begins:

“In 1492, the year that is often said to inaugurate the modern era, three very important events happened in Spain. In January, the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella conquered the city of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Europe; later, Muslims were given the choice of conversion to Christianity or exile. In March, the Jews of Spain were also forced to choose between baptism and deportation. Finally, in August, Christopher Columbus, a Jewish convert to Catholicism and a protégé of Ferdinand and Isabella, crossed the Atlantic and discovered the West Indies. One of his objectives had been to find a new route to India, where Christians could establish a military base for another crusade against Islam As they sailed into the new world, western people carried a complex burden of prejudice that was central to their identity.”

This first paragraph is a scandal, consisting almost entirely of baseless assertions, incredible omissions, and complete fabrications. But it is not inexplicable. For Karen Armstrong history does not exist. It is putty in the hands of the person who writes about history. You use it to make a point, to do good as you see it. And whatever you need to twist or omit is justified by the purity of your intentions – and Karen Armstrong always has the purest of intentions. She knows that we in the “white Western world” (as some like to call it) fail to understand others. She knows of our deepneed to create “the Other” – a psychic need felt exclusively, and with great intensity, apparently, only by us, and never by anyone else. Though Western civilization, a product that was formed from the inheritance of both classical antiquity and and of Christianity (which itself has a strong Hebraic element, that it should be called Judeo-Christianity, a word about which some are still self-conscious), has far outstripped any rival in its achievements, collective and by individuals, in art and science, in political and economic thought, in social development, and has really never needed to create the “Other” (the entire business is a reason ideological fashion which is by this point getting long in the seminar and call-for-papers tooth). Indeed, it is Islam which, though Karen Armstrong does not see it, because she knows nothing about Islam (which doesn’t keep her from writing about it, endlessly), has the strongest claim to being based on the need of its Believers for “the Other.” It is in Islam that emphasis is placed constantly on the only division that matters: that between Believer (to whom all loyalty is owed by other Believers, and for whom all transgressions may be forgiven, except that of disloyalty to Islam) and the Unbeliever, or Infidel (who must be opposed, and subjugated if such an Infidel refuses to accept Islam or stands in the way of its spread). That Armstrong fails to see this is extraordinary; it is everywhere in Qur’an, Hadith, and Sira. But she is on a mission: to make us feel guilty about our treatment of Muslims in the past (hence the harping on the Crusades, and the failure to offer the context of those Crusades, or the difference between the Crusades and Jihad). She wants to evoke a guilt that need not exist at all, so that we will, today, be inhibited from responding to Muslim atrocities and the attitudes that promote such atrocities – this she cannot abide.

“In 1492, the year that is often said to inaugurate the modern era…” Who says that the year 1492 inaugurated the modern era? And what does the phrase “the modern era” mean in any case? The year 1492 was chosen by this lover of symmetries and “three monotheisms” (now said to be studying Buddhism as the latest stop in her Spiritual Search) because in that year, in Spain, Jews and Christians and Muslims each acted, or was acted upon, in ways that Karen Armstrong finds useful to both misstate, and exploit. She will not mention what happened before 1492. She will not tell us about the Muslim invasion and conquest of Spain, or about the 500 years of the Reconquista, nor will she tell us when the Jews first came to Spain, long before the Muslim invasion, even before the Visigoths arrived. She will not point out that the Jews were inoffensive victims, and unlike the Muslims, never invaded, never conquered, never held the Christians of Spain in thrall, never posed a threat to the body politic.

In 1492 “the Catholic monarchs conquered Granada, the “last Muslim stronghold in Europe.” What then should we call all those lands in southern and eastern Europe that the Ottomans were at that very moment busy conquering and seizing, including Constantinople, the richest, most populous, most important city in all of Christendom for 800 years (taken by the Turks on a Tuesday – May 29, 1453), and the Balkans (including the then-vast Serbian lands), and what are modern-day Albania, Greece, Rumania, Bulgaria, and they continued to press northward and westward, later seizing much of Hungary and threatening Vienna twice. Were these not parts of Europe, and was not a good deal of Europe, including what had been its most important city for a millennium, Constantinople, firmly in Muslim hands before Granada fell – and after?

But it would not do to remind readers that while the Muslim invaders and conquerors of Spain lost their last “stronghold” in Granada, other Muslim invaders and conquerors were busy at the other end of Europe, seizing lands and subjugating the native populations to the devshirme (the forced levy of Christian children) as well as to the jizyah (the tax on non-Muslims) and all the other disabilities that, wherever Muslims conquered, were imposed, as part of a clearly elaborated system, and not merely the whim a ruler, on all non-Muslims.

Now having begun with that year 1492, Armstrong has a bit of a problem. It was that year that Jews were forced to be baptized or to leave. But though Granada had fallen, nothing then happened to the Muslims. In fact, they were treated with the same gentleness that all the Mudejares (Spanish Muslims) who had been defeated, in successive campaigns, were always treated by the Christian victors.

Henry Lea, the pioneering historian of the Inquisition, who was hardly looking for ways to exculpate Christianity, describes the generosity with which the defeated Muslims were treated in Granada, and after the prior victories:

“It was the Jews against whom was directed the growing intolerance of the fifteenth century and, in the massacres that occurred, there appears to have been no hostility manifested against the Mudéjares. When Alfonso de Borja, Archbishop of Valencia (afterwards Calixtus III), supported by Cardinal Juan de Torquemada, urged their [the Mudejars] expulsion on Juan II of Aragon, although he appointed a term for their exile, he reconsidered the matter and left them undisturbed. So when, in 1480, Isabella ordered the expulsion from Andalusia of all Jews who refused baptism and when, in 1486, Ferdinand did the same in Aragon, they both respected the old capitulations and left the Mudéjares alone. The time-honored policy was followed in the conquest of Granada, and nothing could be more liberal than the terms conceded to the cities and districts that surrendered. The final capitulation of the city of Granada was a solemn agreement, signed November 25, 1491, in which Ferdinand and Isabella, for themselves, for their son the Infante Juan and for all their successors, received the Moors of all places that should come into the agreement as vassals and natural subjects under the royal protection, and as such to be honored and respected. Religion, property, freedom to trade, laws and customs were all guaranteed, and even renegades from Christianity among them were not to be maltreated, while Christian women marrying Moors were free to choose their religion. For three years, those desiring expatriation were to be transported to Barbary at the royal expense, and refugees in Barbary were allowed to return. When, after the execution of this agreement, the Moors, with not unnatural distrust, wanted further guarantees, the sovereigns made a solemn declaration in which they swore by God that all Moors should have full liberty to work on their lands, or to go wherever they desired through the kingdoms, and to maintain their mosques and religious observances as heretofore, while those who desired to emigrate to Barbary could sell their property and depart."

It was not until 1502, after difficulties ensued between Spanish authorities, including the famous Cardinal Ximenes (he of the Complutensian Polyglot), and the Muslims (Mudejares) that they were given the choice of expulsion or conversion. And a great many of them pretended to convert, and remained in Spain – far more Muslims were capable of engaging in dissimulation of their faith than were the hapless Jews, who were expelled, in 1492, virtually overnight. It was much later, in 1570, under Philip II, that the Muslims (“Moors”) who remained were finally expelled, having in the meantime risen in revolt.

But Armstrong manages to smugglein that first, rather ineffective expulsion of 1502: “later [i.e. in a different year altogether] Muslims were given the choice of Christianity or exile.” .She does not add, and may not know, that Muslims in Spain after the fall of Granada were not under any danger of expulsion, and it was only when they showed signs of refusing to integrate as asked (and it was assumed that over time they would share the Christian faith, though at first nothing was done to demand such a sign). She may not know, either, that Muslims in a Spain now everywhere ruled by Christians asked members of the ulema in North Africa (in present-day Morocco) to determine whether they might continue to live under non-Muslim rule, and were told that it was not licit, and it was important for them not to be ruled by non-Muslims, and they must, therefore, return to the Muslim-ruled lands of North Africa. Such details provide a rather different slant on what Karen Armstrong offers – she takes the real tragedy, the overnight expulsion of the hapless and inoffensive Jews, and attempts to make the reader think that the Muslims were equally inoffensive, equally harmless, and treated with equal ferocity, as the Jews. But they were not equally inoffensive, not equally harmless, and not treated with equal ferocity..

First comes the fall of Granada. Then, second in time, and certainly in Karen Armstrong’s indignation, came the expulsion of the Jews “In March, the Jews of Spain were also forced to choose between conversion and exile.” Note how that “also” is dropped in, as if the real event, the main event, was the nonexistent (in 1492) expulsion of the Moors, which she had taken care to slip into her discussion of the Fall of Granada, so that she could diminish the significance of the expulsion of the Jews. That afterthoughtish “also.”

But the Muslims were invaders and conquerors, who had been resisted for 500 years of the Reconquista, and were expelled merely across the Straits of Gibraltar from whence they had come, to live again among fellow Muslims, under Muslim rule. Armstrong never says that. Nor does she point out, as she would if she were trying to compare the quite different treatments of Jews and Muslims, that the Jews of Spain never invaded, never conquered, never represented a threat to the political or social order. And when they were expelled they were not to find refuge, like the Muslims, in lands ruled by co-religionists, but again, to be scattered, to Ottoman domains and to Christian ones, Salonika or Amsterdam, to be treated indifferently, or kindly, or with contumely, or worse.

Under Muslim rule, despite their sometimes horrendous treatment, as recorded by Maimonides in his “Epistle to the Yemen” (Maimonides fled Islamic Spain), the Jews managed to make important cultural contributions as translators (along with Christians), as physicians, and as poets (the name Judah Halevi comes to mind). They were perfecdtly willing to live in Spain under Christian rule. They did nothing to deserve their expulsion. But Karen Armstrong has sympathy for the Jews only insofar as that sympathy can be transferred to the real objects of her pity, the Muslims, and she will do nothing to cause readers to see the difference in the two cases, one of clear mistreatment, the second a matter of prudence. It took a full decade for the Spanish rulers and clergy, or some of them, to realize that the Muslims, though conquered, were not about to eventually mold into one faith (that faith being Christianity), and their signs of remaining insubmissive and therefore potentially subversive or rebellions could only disturbIt had taken 500 years for the Reconquista. Why should the Spanish Christians, now that they were militarily victorious everywhere, take a chance that the Muslims would not rise in revolt?

And such revolts took place in the sixteenth century, and led, in 1570, under Philip the Second, to a second and more thorough expuslon of those Muslims who had remained in Spain, and feigned outwardly to have accepted Christianity, but had quietly waited to rise in revolt. That is why the real expulsion of the Muslims (Moors) took place not in 1502, but in 1570, nearly 80 years since the fall of Granada which Armstrong appears to believe led ineluctably to the expulsion of the Moors. It did not.

Both Jews and Moors were expelled from Spain, but however determined Armstrong may be to convince us (most unconvincingly) that these were identical historical events, both prompted by the demonization of “the Other” ( a phenomenon which apparently results from the peculiar psychic deficiency of Christian Europe) they were not identical/ The phrase “the expulsion of the Jews and the Moors” comes trippingly off the tongue, but without more, remains an offense to history and the truth.

The third great event, after the conquest of the “last stronghold” of Islam in Europe, and the two “identical” expulsions of identically unthreatening Muslims and Jews, in that fateful 1492 was the voyage of Columbus: “In August, Christopher Columbus, a Jewish convert to Catholicism and a protege of Ferdinand and Isabella, crossed the Atlantic and discovered the West Indies.”

Note how casually Armstrong drops in her astonishing remark: Columbus was a “a Jewish convert to Catholicism.” She treats it as a given, and finds no need to offer sources or evidence. But she must. For there is not a single authority on Columbus who has ever claimed this. Not Samuel Eliot Morison. Not Paolo Taviani. Not Salvador de Madariaga. Not all of the hundreds or thousands of scholars who have written about Columbus. What some have suggested or argued, is that Columbus came from a family of Genoese wool merchants, that Jews were prominent in that trade, that there is other evidence that his family originally had been Jewish but generations before had converted (and since, without conversions, and slaughter, the numbers of Jews in Europe would now be not a few million but 200 million, quite a few people must have converted over time). This was Salvador de Madariaga’s argument, and that of others. It convinced Indro Montanelli, the celebrated Italian journalist and popular historian, and he was by nature a skeptic. But that has nothing to do with Columbus himself.

Armstrong offers no authority for her statement. But why should she? Her purpose here is twofold. What better way to establish, in her vulgar, “some-my-best-friends-and-discoverers-of-the-New-World-are-Jewish” way, than to claim Columbus for the Jews (of course, assuming that people still honor Columbus for his deeds of derring-do, which would exclude the Ward Churchills of this world). At the same time, she can have this “Jewish” Columbus be depicted as part of a larger problem, for now he, that “Jewish convert to Catholicism,” has embraced the (non-existent) aggressive military plans of Ferdinand and Isabella. Columbus did not obtain royal support to find a new trading route to the east (now that the Muslim conquests in Byzantium have totally blocked the overland routes), or – as of course he would – along the way to spread the Gospel, but to find the best route to “India, where Christians could establish a military base for another crusade against Islam.”

Having been transformed into a “Jewish convert to Catholicism,” Columbus can more conveniently be depicted by Armstrong as a Pentagon Proto-Neo-Con, Jewish-but-also-Christian-fundamentalist, off on his voyage to “establish a military base” for “another crusade against Islam.” A regular Donald Rumsfeld, negotiating for American bases in Uzbekistan. And Kyrgyzstan.

“A military base for another crusade against Islam” – what can we say? Armstrong appears to believe that the Crusades, which were limited in space to the recapture of the Holy Land, and in time to 200 years (1090-1290, roughly) in fact were some kind of permanent impulse, just the way the unmentionable (in all of Armstrong’s copious published vaporings on Islam) Jihad remains a permant and central feature of Islamic teaching. But she is wrong. There was no ongoing effort in 1492 to embark on a new Crusade. Not a word about it, from Columbus, from Luis Santangel, from Los Reyes Catolicos themselves.

And had such a thought occurred to someone, what kind of sense would it have made, militarily, to try to attack from India? Europeans may not have known how far India was from Europe by sea, but they knew that it was very far from the Holy Land (in fact, Columbus thought it was much closer to Europe – that was his happy miscalculation). By 1492, the southeastern part of Europe itself had been for many decades under constant military assault by the powerful Ottoman armies. A few decades before, the first city of Christendom had fallen to the Ottoman Turks, to the Mulsims. How, with such constant dangers, could anyone even think of launching a new Crusade from India? How would tens of thousands of men be transported there, stationed there, and then transported again to the Holy Land? How would they make their way safely through the vast Muslim-controlled lands of Persia, of Mesopotamia, of Syria, in order to reach the Holy Land and fight the Saracens?

Armstrong’s nonsense perhaps has to do with some rude and indigestible bits of history that she dimly recalls, about the story of Prester John, the mythical Christian king of a mythical Christian kingdom, placed first, in European imaginations, in India, and later transferred to Ethiopia – a fable, designed to hearten European Christians who were always fearful of Muslim assaults, the Arab raiding parties by sea, up and down European coasts, and the Turkish land armies of the mighty Ottoman Sultan.

Her every word adds to the absurdity. There is no evidence for Armstrong’s assertions about Columbus himself, or about what motivated him. History is putty in her hands, we said earlier. But the word putty does not do her infantile approach to history justice. History is for Karen Armstrong not so much putty as Playdoh. She can roll it about, she can pull it apart, she can twist and turn it with the same delight exhibited by a two-year-old when too-too-solid block of Playdoh is finally softened up for use by grown-up hands. But the two-year-old is an innocent at play, and even if he leaves a momentary mess, he has done no real harm. Karen Armstrong is not innocent, and manages to do a great deal of harm, careless or premeditated harm, to history. Too many people read that she has written a few books, and assume, on the basis of nothing, that “she must know what she is talking about” – and some of the nonsense sticks. And perhaps an enraged professor or two bothers to dismiss her, but mostly – this is how the vast public, in debased democracies, learns its history today. It is hearsay as history – “Karen Armstrong says” or “John Esposito says.”

And that is only her first paragraph.

SR13m Saudi Grant to Create Islamic Gallery at UK Museum

Bit by bit...From Arab News, with thanks to Eschwapp:

RIYADH - In a move to promote understanding between Islam and the West, Saudi Arabia has donated about SR13 million to a leading British museum for the creation of a new Saudi and Islamic gallery. The money has been donated to Ashmolean Museum of Oxford University, the oldest British museum, on the personal initiative of Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation.

"The Islamic gallery will be attached to Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, which already has a rich collection of exhibits from the Middle East and Islamic world," Saudi and British officials said yesterday.

Ashmolean Museum was the first museum in the world to be opened to the public when it was officially inaugurated way back in 1683, according to the Guinness Book of Records. The museum's treasures include rare exhibits from various Islamic countries.

The officials said the money from Prince Sultan will pay for a new Saudi and Islamic gallery, which will help to portray Islamic culture and civilization in right perspectives. It will also help fund scholarships for Saudi students at Oxford University.

"I am very pleased that the new student scholarship scheme will enable 10 Saudi students to study at Oxford," said Prince Sultan.

"It will be an honor for our students to attend this ancient seat of learning, amongst students from around the world," said the prince, while appreciating the facilities at Ashmolean, which also houses a significant collection of art and archaeology from eastern and western civilizations....

'No one wanted to be near me': Non-Muslim Student wears burka throughout winter semester

Get out your handkerchiefs: this one's a real weeper. A Useful Idiot Alert from Eastern Michigan University's EchoOnline, with thanks to EPG:

"It felt like no one wanted to be near me."

This is how Eastern Michigan student Zoe Piliafas summed up her winter semester. Her new isolation wasn't the result of being a bad or unpleasant person.

It was simply because she was -- at least, for this semester -- different.

To her professors and her classmates, she was not Zoe, an outgoing and outspoken student. She was Zhooda, a student with a soft Middle Eastern accent who wore a burka (sometimes spelled burqa or burkha), the heavy, concealing garment that became known to most Americans only when the media turned it into a symbol of the repression of women under the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"You're not seeing the body of a female," Piliafas said. "You're seeing a garment that represents female."

Under the supervision of political science professors Elaine Martin and James Ivers, Piliafas received independent study credit for wearing the burka the entire winter semester.

"Zoe kept a daily journal of her experiences," Martin said. "She met with me several times throughout the semester, wrote and conducted an e-mail survey for students and professors and turned in a final paper summing up the experience. She received one credit hour."

"I thought about this for probably three years," Piliafas said. "At first I had really strong judgment on it, and I thought, 'Well, what is this? Why would a woman have to cover herself from head to toe to stop someone else from looking at her?'

"I thought by telling a woman that she needs to be covered up, we're telling her that she's basically unworthy," she said. "But I don't think that's how Muslims view it. I think they view it as one so worthy that she can't be looked upon."

Up is down, black is white, good is evil and evil is good. If these people who are so worthy that they can't even be looked upon get out of line, beat them (Qur'an 4:34).

It was an EMU political science class that solidified Piliafas' interest in the subject.

"In one sense, Zoe's project began with a women and politics class in which we discussed some of the human rights issues during the Taliban control of Afghanistan, and other countries with similar practices, including 'honor killings,'" Martin said. "Zoe's interest was in women's rights."

"I wanted to say that you can't breathe underneath this, which you can't," Piliafas said. "I wanted to say that this is so inhibiting I couldn't run, which you can't. I wanted to say that you can't feel the sun on your face. You can't. You can't feel the wind on your face ... And you don't realize how much you miss those things until they're completely taken away.

"There isn't just a dress and then something you put over your head," she said. "There's something that goes on your arms ... and then you have the dress and then you have a headband that pulls your hair completely back so ... it never would be shown. And then you have a scarf that goes over all your hair and then you have a veil. So you have three layers of clothing on your head.

But none of this is bad, of course. What's bad is people who object: just as Islamic apologists routinely portray me as evil for pointing out what the jihadists say and do -- rather than point at the jihadists.

"But at the same time," she said, "Everything that I wanted to go in and say negative about this, I ended up finding more -- not positives -- but more negatives in the opposite direction. How people treat people dressed like this."

"I can tell you that she did feel de-humanized, although that was not her only feeling," Martin said. "I think she wants to share her experience with others, in order to help us understand both why women may freely choose this and why some women may feel persecuted if they are forced to conform."

"The first day walking out in public without my boyfriend next to me, without someone else having knowledge of the study made it so strange," Piliafas said. "The reactions were completely different than anything I'd ever experienced. Staring. I felt uncomfortable. Nobody -- it felt like nobody wanted to be near me."

She also told of instances of blatant discrimination she encountered. Students laughing as she passed. One person referring to her as "ninja" to his friends. On an evening walk toward Halle Library, a group of students threw snowballs at her as she passed.

The difference in treatment was noticeable in her classes as well.

"People talked down to me, like I didn't have any intelligence -- and I have a 4.0," she said. "There were many instances where I was in a group setting, and normally I take on a leadership role. I wasn't even allowed the chance."...

The idea of a non-Muslim student dressing in a burka for a semester proved controversial. Some students in her classes were not only surprised to learn the truth but also irritated at what they considered to be "dishonesty" on her part. Some felt she was being disrespectful to Muslims -- although most Muslims she spoke to were supportive. She was even threatened once after she revealed herself to her classes.

When questioned about their stance on the project, most people seemed to be cautious but supportive.

"The motivations/ideology of the person performing the study could greatly influence the results or reporting of the results," said Arain Affan, a 1998 graduate of Northwestern University, 2001 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and practicing Muslim. "Based on the description (provided by writer), it seems -- and I'd hope -- that the motivations of the person who did the study are without hidden agenda...

Right on, Affan! To think that some women might not want to wear burkas...well, that would be evidence of a sinister "hidden agenda."

Turkey Says 523,000 Were Killed by Armenians Between 1910 and 1922

Turkey admits Armenian genocide! There's just one catch: they're talking about Armenians killing Turks. From the New Duranty Times, with thanks to the Norwegian Kafir:

ZMIR, Turkey, April 17 - The Turkish State Archive issued today a list of more than 523,000 Turks whom it said were killed by Armenians in Turkey between 1910 and 1922.

The move appeared intended to counter longstanding Armenian contentions that Turkish Ottoman officials committed genocide during a period of mass deportations of Armenians that began in 1915.

Turkey fears that the 90th anniversary of the start of the violence, which Armenians and their supporters plan to mark on April 24, will cause widespread anti-Turkish feeling. It is also concerned that the issue could interfere with its plans to start talks with the European Union in October for possible membership. There have been growing calls from other countries for Turkey to acknowledge its role with regard to the Armenians.

Last week, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish Parliament called for an international study of the events of that period, but senior Armenia officials turned down the proposal.

Turkey flatly denies that there was any systematic effort at killing or forcing the Armenians out of eastern Anatolia, where the Armenians were trying to establish a separate state with support from the French, British and Russians. Turkey contends that, instead, hundreds of thousands of Turks were killed by Armenians as they tried to establish themselves as the majority population in that region. Prof. Yusuf Sarinay said.

This is a rewriting of history worthy of Orwell. Or Goebbels. For the truth, see The History of the Armenian Genocide: Ethnic Conflict from the Balkans to Anatolia to the Caucasus by Vahakn N. Dadrian.

The list issued today was compiled based on reports by the regional authorities sent to Ottoman officials in Istanbul, as well as the written accounts of international observers, said Mr. Sarinay, the director of the Office of State Archives.

"Europe has used Armenians as a tool in extension of their policies over Turkey, for which Turks and Armenians suffered," Mr. Sarinay was quoted as saying by the Anatolian news agency. "Europe should also face her own history."

Hirant Dink, a leading figure among Armenians in Turkey called the list an official attempt to create an alternate version of an internationally recognized reality. He said that such documentary analysis and confirmation of its accuracy should be left in the hands of international academics.

"Figures and documents should be researched and analyzed," Mr. Dink said, "However, talking merely in figures means that Turkey doesn't understand the pain of the other side; what is undermined here is the conscience and human factor behind all."

That's for sure, Dink. That's for sure.

Building Mosques No Easy Job in Germany

Some intruiguing information in this piece from Islamonline, with thanks to Nicolei:

BERLIN - Building places of worship is no longer an easy job for Germany's Muslim minority, already facing a vicious campaign spearheaded by the country's Christian opposition.

The building of the Grand Mosque in Berlin has been suspended since January after a local court ruled that the mosque officials should give guarantees to the neighbors that construction works would not cause damages to properties, the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper reported on Saturday, April 16....

How about guarantees that violent jihad or the imposition of Sharia will never be preached there?

Under the German constitution, acknowledged Islamic bodies have the right to receive government assistance to establish Islamic centers.

More Restrictions

The Berliner Morgenpost's report came only one day after the Christian opposition pressed for more restrictions on the Muslim
minority.

During a parliamentary session on Friday, April 15, the Christian Democratic Union criticized the government for failure in tackling threats to national security posed by "Islamic extremists".

The opposition party proposed, inter alia, banning their political activities and scrapping their residency permits.

"It is unacceptable to allow foreigners to move between Islamic extremists' training camps in and outside Germany," it claimed on its Web site....

Germany's mass-circulation Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported in July that Germans reverting to Islam have risen dramatically in the past few years and are keen on leaving their indelible marks on society.

You bet they are.

Melanie Phillips on Alistair Crooke

"The crooked response to terror": Melanie Phillips writes in her diary about a little-known but influential dhimmi, Alistair Crooke (thanks to Waterdragon52).

The first time Alistair Crooke burst upon public consciousness was in 2003. Crooke, who had been an MI6 agent for 30 years and was then assigned as a security adviser to the EU's special envoy to the Middle East, Miguel Moratinos, was recalled from Jerusalem by the British Foreign Office against his will. He had been involved in repeated attempts to draw Hamas, Islamic jihad and other terrorist groups into negotiations. The Guardian reported at the time:

'But British diplomats in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and London, who were described as increasingly hostile to Mr Crooke's role, were said to have lost faith in that option after Hamas killed 23 people in the worst bus suicide bombing of the intifada last month.'

Now, documents seized by Israel which have just been published reveal that in June 2002, Alistair Crooke, then working for Moratinos, met secretly in Gaza with a Hamas delegation headed by the organization's then-leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

On FrontPageMagazine.com David Hornick waxes indignant:

'The meeting sheds light on why Europe finds it so hard to label the likes of Hamas or Hizbullah as terror organizations. Crooke's groveling behavior makes clearer than ever why Israel seeks to limit European involvement in its conflict or diplomacy with the Arabs; while the terrorists express their animosity toward Israel and America and belief that Europe is their ally.'

Grovelling behaviour, indeed; but more than that, a lethal confusion of language. Crooke told Yassin that: 'The main problem is the Israeli
occupation'. Yassin agreed. But while Crooke appears to have been talking about the post-1967 occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, Yassin was talking about the 'occupation' of 1948:

'The Israeli army conquered the land in the year 1948 and followed in our footsteps in 1967. . . . Is it conceivable that the international community should ask us not to resist the occupation . . . ?! . . . instead of supporting my position of self-defense, Europe includes me in the list of terrorist [organizations].'

In other words, the problem Yassin wanted removed was the existence of Israel itself. And Crooke did not demur. Instead, he replied:

'I completely understand what you are saying. There is an understanding not only on the government level but also on the popular level, and there is sympathy with the Palestinian people...'

Not only that, with Yassin complaining that the EU had proscribed Hamas as the terrorist organisation that it is, Crooke observed:

'As for terrorism, I hate that word. I have spent some time in my life with freedom fighters like in Colombia.'

So to the EU's security adviser, the genocidal terrorists of Hamas are actually freedom fighters. In other words, they are morally justified in their campaign of mass murder, and Israel is morally unjustified in trying to defend itself against it. And this was just three months after the massacre of the Passover seder in Natanya.

The transcript tells us all we need to know about the EU's position on the Middle East. But Mr Crooke's remarkable influence apparently extends even more widely. Last month, the Sunday Times reported that Mr Crooke had organised another secret meeting, this time between Hamas, Hezbollah, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Pakistan's Jamiat-i-Islami and -- wait for it -- the Americans. The paper reported:

'Although still defiant in their anti-American rhetoric, the militants were staking a claim to be part of the so-called "Arab spring" of democratic change that has encompassed elections in Iraq and protests in Lebanon against the presence of Syrian forces. Israel was not slow to condemn the meeting, accusing the American delegates of "extreme naivety" in imagining that they could draw groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah on to a peaceful path. "It does no good to appease or negotiate with such terrorists," a government spokesman said.'

Can anyone explain why President Bush, whose famous doctrine ordains no negotiation with terrorists and that the Palestinians must develop into a democratic society before they can expect to have a state of their own, is nevertheless allowing his officials to 'negotiate' with a general assembly of the world's mass murderers, including the terrorist army of Iran? And who exactly is currently responsible for the potentially lethal activities of the 'former' British MI6 officer Alistair Crooke?

Europe's Mujahideen: Where Mass Immigration Meets Global Terrorism

Robert S. Leiken has a very informative piece at the Center for Immigration Studies (thanks to Rebecca Bynum). It illuminates a great deal about the suicidal folly of unrestricted immigration in an age of resurgent jihad terrorism:

Immigration and terrorism are independent social phenomena stemming from dissimilar causes and with radically different objectives. To explore the relationship between the two will raise academic eyebrows and generate the usual accusations. But if we want to connect the dots, we can hardly do less. The two phenomena have grown spectacularly in the past several decades, becoming mass immigration and global terrorism. And they converge in Western Europe.

Television commentators regularly fret about terrorists crossing our southern border concealed in a torrent of illegal immigrants. National media attention is riveted on the Middle East. But the nightmare of Department of Homeland Security officials with whom I talk is not the Mexican border or the Middle East. They lose sleep over Muslim immigrants from enlightened Western Europe.

At the Nixon Center we have investigated 373 suspected or convicted terrorists who resided in or crossed national borders in Western Europe and North America since 1993.1 Despite extensive search our matrix did not include any mujahiddeen with ties to al Qaeda entering from Mexico, In contrast, we found 26 subjects who used Canada as a host country. Moreover, while the U.S. asylum system has been relatively secure, Canada and European are regularly abused by terrorist asylum claimants. Ahmed Ressam, the Algerian who tried to bomb the Los Angeles airport, availed himself of the Canadian asylum system.

Canadian authorities have pointed to the existence of Islamist support cells in Canada and have identified 50 terrorist groups composed of 350 individuals in their country.2 In Mexico on the other hand, the Arab Muslim population is miniscule and there is no evidence so far of any support cells. As for the Middle East, the Department of Homeland Security has stationed law enforcement agents in capitals such as Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Casablanca, Jakarta, Islamabad and Riyadh (and Jeddah), specifically to investigate visa applicants suspected of ties to al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.3 The CIA and FBI focus like a laser beam on travelers from that region.

Meanwhile, in Western Europe, the two trends of mass immigration and global terrorism intersect visibly and dangerously. For more than a decade the region has formed a haven for Middle Eastern "dissidents," often a.k.a. mujahideen, and for graduate students like Mohammed Atta. But these visitors or first generation immigrants are by no means the only source of concern. The murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by a Dutch Muslim of Moroccan descent served notice for a new generation of mujahideen born and bred in Europe and the object of focused al Qaeda post-9-11 and post-Iraq recruitment. Because these children of guestworkers are European born, they are citizens entitled to passports. And they are also entitled to enter the United States without so much as an interview by a U.S. official. That is because European countries enjoy a reciprocal agreement with the United States called the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

The new mujahideen are European born and bred and products of a little noticed convergence of migratory networks and terrorist cells. In addition, European Muslim recruits can form the al Qaeda cells most apt to plot a course in the United States. The second-generation terrorists speak European languages, handle computers, surf the internet, exchange e-mail, and are familiar with post-industrial infrastructures and customs. Unlikely to be watchlisted, the new mujahideen not only navigate a modern society but can enter the United States freely....

Read it all.

EP bans screening of 'Submission'

From the Dutch Expatica, with thanks to Susan:

AMSTERDAM - The European Parliament (EP) has banned the showing of Theo van Gogh's film 'Submission' following a refusal by the murdered filmmaker's production company to allow its screening.

Legal concerns persuaded the EP on Wednesday to ban the screening after Column Produkties told the parliament on Tuesday that because of security concerns, it would not allow the film to be shown....

The film, made with Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, criticises Islam and the Koran for allegedly sanctioning domestic violence against Muslim women.

Mario Borghezio, an MEP for the Italian right-wing Lega Nord party, planned to show the 10-minute film at the EP as a tribute to Van Gogh.

Borghezio has an unauthorised copy of the film and said the EP will be a "fitting response to the silence surrounding 'Submission' and Theo van Gogh's sacrifice"...

Indeed, it would have been.

'All Those Women Are Going to Hell'

Tolerance and intolerance, reform and non-reform among the Saudis. Will they have the will to change what really needs to be changed in order to address these problems properly? I doubt it. From Arab News, with thanks to Doc Washburn:

A Saudi father came home from work and relaxed in the living room, watching TV after a long day. He wanted to watch his favorite show hosted by the Islamic preacher, Amr Khaled, who has become popular by telling stories, in an interesting way, about the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) life. As he sat calmly on the sofa, his son, an intermediate school student, came in and watched a bit of the program. Suddenly the boy said, "All of those women are probably going to Hell." He was referring to the women in the studio audience who had come to hear the preacher and learn about the Prophet.

Shocked at what his son had just said, his father asked, "Why." To which the boy answered, "Because they are committing a grave sin, making a tremendous mistake." He then went on to explain to his father, "Today in school, in one of our Islamic textbooks, we studied this passage: 'And what some women do by being easy in the matter of hijab and not covering their faces and hands in front of nonrelatives is a grave sin and a tremendous mistake.'" This story is taken from one of the letters to the editor published in Al-Watan last week. It was written by a Saudi father who had this experience. In the letter he said that our religious education is completely sectarian and one-sided, stressing only one point of view. These one-sided views often deal with subjects that are open to different interpretations by Muslims in different parts of the Islamic world.

The father also said that he believed that the difference of opinion in the matter of the hijab - whether to cover the face in public or not - between Islamic schools of thought should be part of our curriculum. Students should be made aware that there is no single opinion on the matter; rather there is disagreement among many Islamic scholars....

The man went on to point out that in the Islamic world today, 90 percent of Muslim women believe that it is not a sin for them not to cover their faces and hands in public - and he added that most Muslim scholars in the Islamic world today do not believe that women's uncovered faces and hands are sinful....

This is because Muhammad commanded that everything except the face and hands had to be covered.

Secondly, if a young person is filled with such intolerance and prejudice at such an early stage of his life, what will be the consequences when he is an adult and interacts with either Muslims or non-Muslims? His father, however, must be commended for bringing up the topic of the sectarian minds that supposedly educate our children in matters of religion...

Last year, many delegates at the second National Forum for Dialogue in Makkah spoke about the need to change our school textbooks, saying that they were not suitable for today's generation. They also said that the textbooks failed to teach tolerance and understanding. Their recommendations were made, forgotten and have now gone with the wind. The status quo remains. Unchanged. The fourth National Forum for Dialogue in the Eastern Province also called for a change in the curriculum - and these calls came from the young participants who represent the Kingdom's new generation. Their calls were made, forgotten and have now gone with the wind. The status quo remains. Unchanged.

A moment of truth for Michael Abdelmessih

An update on the Manchester (Connecticut) Community College professor who was fired after telling the truth about jihad, from the indefatigable anti-jihadist Jerry Gordon, who went with Michael Abdelmessih to talk with MCC officials today:

Today was a moment of truth for Coptic Christian Michael Abdelmessih. He was dismissed by Manchester Community College (MCC) here in Conecticut for his views on radical islam and alleged "poor grammar."

Michael got a certified letter from MCC dated yesterday, April 20th, indicating that he was dismissed as an instructor for the Islamic radicalism course he had been hired for and that he would be paid until the term of the current contract. His contracts for a summer term teaching Arabic and a fall one on Middle East history and culture were terminated as well.

When Michael and I went to meet with the MCC Dean of Academic Affairs, Ann Savage and the Director of Human Resources, Debra Wilson, they barred me from participating in the meeting. I advised Michael that he could continue by himself, if he so chose. Before I exited, I asked Ms. Wilson if there had been any interrnal or FBI investigation of the threats made against Michael by either Muslim woman faculty members or the local Muslim community. Ms. Wilson replied: "this is a personnel problem." The stonewalling mantra of the day! We heard it last night here in the Nutmeg State during an 11:00PM newscast interview with Michael on CBS affiliate Channel 3, WFSB-TV.

Then I had a surpirse for them both. I told them, after having conferred with the legal counsel of the Connecticut chapter of the ACLU, that the "ACLU had an interest in this matter." Hurray, maybe the ACLU has finally woken up and smelled a real First Amendment case for the first time.

Michael went into the short meeting and came out and explained that he voiced all the allegations about threats and coercion from the two Muslim women faculty members in the ten weeks preceding the ill-fated first and only session on April 9th. That included modifying the orignal course outline and bibiography. Stony silence.

The HR director dropped the bomb and told him he was dismissed because of the following language in a handout he had prepared on Pycholical Fundamentalism after consulting with his former thesis advisor, Dr. Richard Welch at Southern Connectcut State University:

"This education starts at a young age. Children from the age of six start to regularly attend classes, although the families teach them the religion in the house from birth. The violence within the religion originates with its sick leaders who teach hatred, anger, and retribution. This is one of the major differences between the Muslim religion vs. its Judeo-Christian counterparts. The Muslim religion does not teach forgiveness, instead, it vehemently preaches revenge."

Michael explained that he had derived this information from texts by Muslim authors, and not from critiques by either Christian or Jewish authors.

No matter, these views were enough to get him thrown out without so much as a by-your-leave.

They groused about his grammar.

He shook hands and said "Have a nice day," and left the MCC administrative suites.

We then called WFSB TV-3 reporter Len Besthof and arranged to hold a second interview that will air on 11:00PM (EST) late night news for your Nutmeggers who are up at that hour tonight.

For you global Internet talk show junkies you can listen to this story of Islamic fundamentalism run riot in local community colleges here in the US by going to the Tovia Singer show on Israel national radio at: www.toviasingershow.com. Among the persons on the segment from 10:30PM to 11:15PM EDST in the USA will be Mike Meunier of the US Copts, Michael Abdelmessih (the aggrieved party), Lee Kaplan, contributing editor at FrontPageMagazine, and moi.

Len Besthof lingered after the interview and made an interesting observation: "Do you think, Michael, that you were done in by two radical fundamentalist Muslim women faculty members?" His response was "Yes!"

Were his First Amendment free speech rights and academic freedom violated? Big time.

Are we going to fight this? You bet.

Watch and listen in and wonder why this country is susceptible to an insidious cultural Jihad by Muslim fundamentalists in the lower depths of our public educational system.

New Pope's "Christian Europe" Raises Turkish Fears

Oh, great. Two days as Pope and Benedict XVI has already gone and irked the Turk. From IslamOnline, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

VATICAN CITY - Although Pope Benedict XVI said Wednesday, April 20, that he wanted dialogue with other faiths and cultures, some voiced their concern about the new pope's political opinions and his stand on Islam.

The new pope - Germany's Joseph Ratzinger - has a couple of political views that were set to draw controversy and were immediately highlighted by world media, following his election late Tuesday.

The most recent of these causes has been Turkey's attempts to become a member of the European Union. He says allowing the predominantly Muslim nation into Europe's club would be "an enormous mistake."

Europe is a "cultural continent, not a geographic one," he said in 2004, and Turkey has "always represented another continent... in permanent contrast with Europe," according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) Wednesday....

As a cardinal, the new pope inserted himself last year into the political debate over allowing Turkey into the European Union, the [New York Times] said, quoting him as saying that "adding Turkey would dilute the culture of what he considers a Christian continent".

He also said that Turkey, a predominantly Muslim nation of 70 million people, should align itself instead with other Muslim nations.

The paper added that it would be extremely disturbing if the pope became an unnecessary wedge in the process of reconciling the Islamic world with the non-Islamic West.

"It would also be out of keeping with the heritage of John Paul II - who, for all his doctrinal conservatism, was a man known for his outreach to people of other faiths."

The same concern was present in Turkish newspapers, which expressed concern that the new Pope's past opposition to Ankara joining the European Union on the grounds that it is a Muslim nation could raise fresh obstacles to its membership.

Turkish papers also quoted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying Wednesday he hoped the new pope would soften his stiff opposition to the Muslim nation's bid to join the European Union.

"He has voiced such views as his personal opinion in the past, but his rhetoric may change from now on," Erdogan said....

"I hope the new Pope will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor and try to bring peace in the world," said Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, a Pakistani Islamic scholar and politician...

But, a report on FrontPageMagazine.com Wednesday wrote that while "the late Pope kissed the (Noble) Qur'an and pursued a consistent line of conciliation toward the Islamic world. the new Pope Benedict XVI, while no less charitable, has been a bit more forthcoming about the reality of how Islam challenges the Catholic Church, Christianity, and even the post-Christian West."

It was nice of them to make reference to my FrontPage piece. I hope I was correct in my assessment.

Pakistan: Man Accused of Blasphemy Shot Dead

There can be no free society without the freedom to refuse a religion. From Reuters, with thanks to all who sent this in:

ISLAMABAD - A Pakistani man accused of desecrating the Koran was shot dead Wednesday after being chased by an angry crowd.

Ashiq Nabi, in his thirties, was accused of being disrespectful to Islam's holy book and had been in hiding since Monday, a senior police official said.

"Today, a mob spotted him and shot him dead," said Mazahar ul Haq, police chief of Nowshera town, about 100 km (62 miles) west of the capital, Islamabad.

Blasphemy, including desecrating the Koran, is a capital offence in deeply Islamic Pakistan and carries the death sentence, but convictions have always been turned down by high courts because of a lack of evidence.

Witnesses said the man was chased through fields and climbed a tree to get away from an angry crowd of up to 500 men. When he refused to come down, someone shot him dead, they said...

German Muslims Urged to Unite Against Racism

From Islamonline, with thanks to Nicolei:

BERLIN - An Islamic affairs expert has called on the Muslim minority in Germany to unite and use their clout to counter discrimination against them.

"When a German Muslim is subjected to racial discrimination in a certain store because of his faith he should immediately report the incident to Muslim leaders in his area," Mohamed Salem Abdullah, the director of the Islam archive institute in Germany, told IslamOnline.net on Tuesday, April 19.

"Subsequently, this store should by boycotted by all German Muslims to demonstrate their unity and influence," added the expert.

Abdullah recalled, in this respect, the instrumental role played by German Muslims in the re-election of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

"Some 200,000 German Muslims voted for Schroeder in the latest elections which he won by only 9,000," he noted.

The Muslim expert added that, acting upon the advice of their leaders, at least 90% of the German Muslims voted for the ruling Socialist Party during the last elections....

At least 90%. This single-mindedness is what is driving European politicians mad and turning them into dhimmis.

In the latest anti-Muslim incident, Dieter Klinger, a police director in Kohlen, told a recent forum on Islam in the Emden church that Muslims were trying to dominate politics in the country.

He also claimed that mosques were only used to incite violence and promote terrorism.

Well, the problem with that sentence is the word "only." But it is a fact that mosques have been used to incite violence and promote terrorism. It is a shame that those who dare to speak honestly about this are vilified by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Klinger warned that the growing Muslim role in Germany poses a threat to the country's Christian society.

He triggered uproar among the attendees who dismissed his remarks as an insolence, not only to Islam, but also to Christianity.

Some accused him of inciting intolerance while others left the room in
protest.

In a new effort to clear stereotypes and build bridges with non-Muslims, Germany's biggest mosque recently formed a team to introduce Islam to curious Germans.

The team organizes regular tours for visitors of Fateh mosque in the city of Mannheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, who seek first hand information on Islam.

Similarly, 40 German Muslim youths, aged 18-30, set up a kiosk in central Hamburg on December 21-24, distributing illustrative materials on Islam among attentive and enthusiastic passers-by.

The energetic volunteers used "Muslims Against Terror" as their mantra to reinforce the fact that Islam has nothing to do with
terrorism...

Yes, it's a fact: Islam has nothing, no-thing, to do with terrorism. It is just a coincidence that virtually every country on the planet has a contingent of people within it who are ready to do violence in the name of Islam. It could just as well be Methodism, you know: a tiny minority of Wesleyan extremists could have held a gun to the Methodist pilot and hijacked the whole Methodist plane, just as easily.

The absurdity of all this is clear. The unfortunate byproduct of this absurdity is that it continues to allow Muslims to avoid confronting the elements of their religion that give rise to violence and terror.

Mowbray: Muslim Mythology

Lies were a foundation of the dhimma. The dhimmis were taught to lie and accept being lied to in order to survive: they had to praise the goodness and tolerance of their masters, who themselves were already adept at kidding themselves and others. All this is still going on. Joel Mowbray writes in Frontpage (thanks to EPG):

Facts are stubborn things-except when you create your own.

When I was asked about the "Jenin Massacre" by a Muslim student during an event at Old Dominion last week, it became clear we were coming from two very different perspectives: reality vs. mythology.

There was no "Jenin Massacre." Period. The only "massacre" that took place at Jenin was that of the truth.

Palestinians, long masters of media manipulation, went by the hundreds to foreign media-whom Israel kept outside of the armed conflict-to claim that over 500 innocents had been slaughtered. The man at the front of the prevarication parade was longtime Arafat sidekick Saeb Erekat, giving breathless accounts in interviews with CNN and other outlets.

The international media was in a tizzy, and most of the world fell for the lie. Only after the smoke had cleared and outsiders allowed in did the truth come out.

56 Palestinians had died, but 47 of them were armed. The civilian casualties were at a minimum because Israeli soldiers went door-to-door and put their own lives at risk. Their caution cost 23 young Israelis their lives.

Even the United Nations-which had initially condemned the "massacre"-eventually determined that there had been no massacre. Yet to this day, Jenin is a rallying cry for Muslims around the world, particularly on college campuses in the United States. And Old Dominion is no different.

When I explained that there had been no massacre, some of the Muslim students expressed palpable disbelief, others snickered. Belief in the mythology of Jenin was not limited to that one student.

The student who asked the question did engage me in conversation afterward, and it was readily apparent that he is bright, even hyper-articulate. He could run circles around two-thirds of the successful people inside the beltway. Headed for law school in the fall, he seems destined to be a leader. But that is what's most troubling...

Read it all.

You might think about sending your kids to Cornell...

"Peace in Our Time": Sara Townsley writes provocatively in the Cornell Daily Sun (thanks to the Norwegian Kafir).

Primarily at the initiative of Charles de Gaulle, the driving force behind the post-WWII integration of Europe has been the perceived need for a counterweight to American power. Tellingly, Jacques Chirac's best argument in favor of the proposed European Union constitution is that voting against it would benefit the United States. We wouldn't want that.

Chirac is also urging E.U. negotiators to permit the Iranian government to enrich uranium, a step that would virtually guarantee the nuking of Tel Aviv, if not London or New York. But what began as French penis envy now animates the entire E.U.'s pathological compulsion to oppose the United States as an end in itself. Which makes perfect sense, if one understands that the E.U.'s broader security strategy is to aggressively undermine ours.

The E.U. began as an economic and trade alliance, evolving into a cultural and political alliance -- a United States of Europe. But as E.U. institutions have consolidated control over foreign policy, it has ransomed the security of the whole to expansionist Islamism. In her latest book, Eurabia, Bat Ye'or draws on an extensive array of primary source documents to describe the development of the Euro-Arab axis over the last three decades. Through a series of conferences and agreements known as the Euro-Arab Dialogue (EAD), an army of anonymous Eurocrats has accomplished an incremental, collective suicide.

Motivated by a desire to "balance" U.S. influence, obtain protection from terrorism and assure a stable oil supply, the E.U. has guaranteed its Arab partners access to unlimited immigration, transfers of military technology and a climate hostile to the United States and Israel. Europe's efforts to accommodate Muslim immigrants remain wholly unreciprocated in the Arab world; in fact, Europeans are expected to tolerate asymmetrical treatment. It is a Faustian pact....

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi, a Muslim Brotherhood honcho regularly described as a moderate, posted a fatwa in 2002 about the "signs of the victory of Islam" in Europe. He's right: day by day for 30 years, the E.U. has ceded tiny bits of its sovereignty and cultural identity, transforming the heart of the West -- Christendom, if you will -- into a subservient province of the global caliphate. Just as that other tiny minority of extremists did in the 1930s, Islamists have assumed dominance in Europe...

Read it all. Please.

Dhimmitude in Central Missouri

More of the usual crapola from "Open house educates about Islam" in the Columbia Missourian, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

Jan DeLasara and her sister, Joy Rushing, came to the Islamic Center of Central Missouri's open house Sunday with different religious perspectives. DeLasara considers herself a spiritual person but is not a member of any organized religion. Rushing is a devout Presbyterian. But both were interested in learning more about Islam.

"It's an opportunity to get a very close look at a tradition that is pretty alien to me," DeLasara said.

DeLasara said she has learned that the religion of Islam spans many different cultures.

"I think it's appropriate for them to stress that they are inclusive," she said.

Oh yeah, they're reeeaaaal inclusive. Just pay the jizya and bow and scrape, and you'll be included all right.

Rushing said she was hoping to learn more about the faith so that she can correct any inaccuracies that non-Muslims may have about Islam...

That's good of Rushing, for the inaccuracies abound in the face of this magnificent edifice that is Islam. Indeed, so arcane, so difficult, so all-consuming, so burning-the-midnight-oil is this task of studying Islam that hundreds of millions of Muslims themselves have embraced these inaccuracies, and many of them, poor dears, actually think their misunderstanding of the faith is the "pure" item -- even though it has led them to miss all the obvious verses enjoining peace and tolerance in the Qur'an and to think their religion requires them to wage war against unbelievers. But never fear! Here comes Joy Rushing into the breach! I am confident that this little problem of global jihad terrorism will be all cleared up within a few weeks.

In Dubai, hope for peace 'survives'

She will survive, hey hey: from our "This must be good news if she's not getting death threats" Department and the Jerusalem Post, with thanks to chappelbaum:

Gloria Gaynor will be singing her hit "I Will Survive" in Dubai only nine days after she sang it Monday at a pro-Israel rally in Paris. But in a sign of changing times, Muslim visitors and residents of Dubai said they could not care less.

Abdul Samia Abdul Basir, 22, said he did not know who Gloria Gaynor was, but even if he did he wouldn't care that she performed at the "Israel je t'aime" rally.

"It doesn't matter to me," said the local resident wearing a pressed long white dishdasheh tunic common in the Arab Gulf countries.

In the past, oil-rich Gulf states have embargoed foreign companies for doing business with Israel. But times have changed and it appears that ticket sales were not likely to be affected.

Only the UAE English-language daily Gulf News had reported on Gaynor's performance by Monday, saying it had caused a stir locally. But no one interviewed by The Jerusalem Post expressed any such opposition in principle.

Echoing the thoughts of many Muslims in Dubai, Abdul Basir said he hoped for a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that he doesn't really have a problem with Israel anymore.

"The relations are now different, better," said Abdul Basir, adding that once peace is achieved "then we will have peace with Israel. We are tired of war." Ticket sales were not likely to be affected also because most of the locals did not know who Gaynor was. A manager at the Dubai Aviation Club, where the event will take place on April 26, said that most of the ticket buyers were foreigners.

"They are mostly Westerners, but some locals," said Marco Golub. "We are hoping [Gaynor's pro-Israel performance] won't affect the sales," he said, adding that people come to the elite club every day to buy
tickets...

UK Muslim: “Women’s Rights” Has No Legitimacy In Islam

[Note from Robert Spencer: Introducing Rebecca Bynum, who has been a huge help to me for several months now as the Jihad Watch news editor. The comments in this piece are hers, and she will be posting other articles from time to time. Welcome, Rebecca!]

The jihadist publication Jihad Unspun has published a highly tendentious article about women, Islam, and the West by Yamin Zakaria, a gentleman living in the UK who also writes frequently for Al-Jazeera:

Like secularism, capitalism and democracy, women's rights also flows from the West to the rest. The various tentacles of the UN are dedicated to propagating women's rights as universal values. It seems odd that universal values would require external effort to cajole nations into compliance! The issue (women's rights) is predominantly raised to attack Islam and Muslims, even though it may be more applicable to other religions and cultures that indicate the ulterior motive behind the issue is one of making political gains against adversaries not the welfare of womankind.

It seems odd to us as well that Muslim countries must be cajoled into accepting a baseline morality the rest of us take to be self-evident. Women’s rights rest upon such solid moral ground that it seems incomprehensible to us that Muslim countries should persist for centuries in attitudes and practices that the West left behind a millennium or so ago. The fact that you ascribe “ulterior motives” for our desire to see universal standards of justice met seems to be just another in the long line of conspiracy theories emanating so regularly from Islamist sources.

In response to the attack, the Muslims in general have responded in a defensive mode; arguing that the women in Islam do have rights that are comparable to secular societies, which is an admission of defeat as secular values are made the real arbiter. Consequentially, this has helped to foster an apologetic mindset whereby there is a continuous apology for Islam by reinterpreting its laws and values to meet the standards set by the secular movements. In the name of Ijtehad (Scholarly exertion to interpret Islamic texts and deduce laws) and various other pretexts, even the established Sharia rules are being slowly rendered subjective and moulded to meet secular standards.

So, let me just get this straight, Yamin. You don’t think that any compromise on the issue is warranted, and rather than allowing “secular values” to be the arbiter, you would rather see the suffering of women continue in Islam, or deny the suffering exists. Allowing any relaxation of Islamic principles and attitudes toward women would, in your mind, be some kind of “defeat?”

Listed below are some of the points frequently raised by the western intelligentsia to undermine the Islamic laws and values pertaining to women while promoting the alternative "woman's rights". It also gives us a glimpse of the real politics behind these rights.

The Islamic Veil (Hijab) or the Bikini?

The firepower of the west was going to be a liberating force for the women in Afghanistan, post 9/11, but the honourable women of Afghanistan did not strip their veils for the miniskirt. So, in an attempt to kick-start the process of 'liberation' a US based Afghani woman was paraded semi-nude in a beauty contest. Eventually, a Hollywood blockbuster would follow where the all American hero would seduce a Muslim woman out of the burqah into an adulterous relationship symbolising her 'liberation'!

What is the underlying principle here? If stripping your clothes off to appeal to the male gender is a symbol of liberation, then the lap dancers, strippers, porn actresses and the likes must epitomise the concept of a liberated woman. Accordingly, if the US forces managed to replace the Mosques in Kabul with strip joints, lap dancers and brothels entertaining their soldiers that would have symbolised 'liberation' of the Afghan women....

Oh come off it, Yamin. This is a spurious argument and you know it. The issue of women's rights in no wise has ever come down to something this superficial, but if the hijab and burqa are not symbols of oppression, what is? Forced conformity of this type cannot be construed as simply reflecting “modesty.” The hijab and burqa erase the outward perception of the individuality of women. Therefore they symbolize the erasure of their individuality under the Islamic system.

Polygamy or Sexual Freedom (Promiscuity)?

Polygamous relationships pre-dates Islam, it existed in Judeo-Christian traditions and most other religions. Therefore, why target Islam specifically on this issue of polygamy? I do find it astonishingly hypocritical for the West to incessantly argue against polygamy when one would be hard pressed to find a virtuous monogamous man amongst them! Do they seriously think that the upright 'monogamous' West is on some sort of moral crusade confronting the 'depraved' polygamous Islam? In reality, even from high school or earlier, the competition is fierce amongst boys to capture many virgins as possible in the West...

Another totally spurious argument, Yamin. A man’s choice is not now, nor ever has been, between polygamy and promiscuity! By equating the two, you are making an entirely specious claim. The western ideal of monogamous marriage between two equal partners is in no wise invalidated simply because some western men are sexually aggressive when they are young. Despite superficial appearances to the contrary, western civilization normally teaches human beings to curb their lower appetites and to subject their lower natures to the direction of their higher spiritual ideals. Monogamous marriage is the very basis of our civilization.

The power of propaganda is so immense that many of the Muslim apologists have started to deny the existence of a restricted practice of polygamy in Sharia laws. A classic and idiotic argument to deny Polygamy is made when they say "Islam has obliged you to give equal treatment to all your wives and since this is not possible, a task beyond human capacity, hence, Polygamy is only a theoretical possibility". I do not understand why God would permit Polygamy if it is beyond the ability of the male gender! Why GOD would pronounce such meaningless statements? I guess you have to have the 'wisdom' of the apologists to understand such pronouncements or neo-Ijtehad.

Good point, Yamin, we've been wondering about this aspect of your belief system ourselves...

Freedom of Choice and Enforcement?

Muslim women are denied a choice under the Islamic laws while the emancipated Western women have endless choices being free. But what are those choices and what is the implication for the society if the individuals are given those choices. Choice is not intrinsically a virtue; it can bring chaos, and if incorrect choices, are made than it causes more harm than good. As an example, from an Islamic perspective the huge flesh industry of porn and prostitution is viewed as exploitation and degradation of women. The West would reply by stating that those women decided of their own free will to pursue a career in that industry. There is no doubt woman's flesh sells, it makes money like any another commodity in the free market economy....

Yep, that old free will thing will get people into all kinds of mischief, so what? Free will is a gift from God. Let me repeat that, we believe free will is a gift from God. We deplore pornography as vile and degrading the same as you do, but we deal with these issues with reasoned arguments and appeals to the higher natures of those who are misguided, not by enforcing social conformity upon all. Freedom includes the right to be wrong.

In any case, no society endorses absolute freedom of choice. Every society enforces certain laws and values to maintain order and stability. The restrictions applied to Muslim women are equally applicable to Muslim men, as the laws regulate the behaviour of both the male and female. If you separate the female from the male, the male too is separated from the female. But no one is interested the restriction on male because the real focus is on the access to Muslim women, removing the traditional barriers. Why, because we know flesh sells!

Yamin, you've really gone too far this time. Nobody, even the most deluded among you, could possibly think the reason for Western concern for Muslim women is that we're all sitting here thinking how we'd like to exploit them. The fact that you would even consider making such an allegation speaks volumes about your mindset.

Gender Equality or Gender Harmony?

Gender Equality is a one-dimensional view focusing primarily on the relationship between two adult peers engaged in a marital relationship. What role does it play between father and daughter, mother and son, uncle and niece, grandfather and granddaughter relationships? Furthermore, why is the standard of equality measured by referring to the male gender as the base line? Consequentially, women are increasingly pushed to imitate men in every sphere to symbolise emancipation and equality. Surely this is the biggest insult to womanhood as it assumes her to be unequal until she does what men do!

No, Yamin, the biggest “insult to womanhood” is the idea that she should be restricted in her own individuality in the 21st Century by the attitudes and assumptions of a single Bedouin warlord in the 7th Century.

Also are there any limits of gender equality? Should the gender differences become totally immaterial in determining the laws and values? If so, the long term implications would be that the concept of moms and dads, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives etc. lose any meaning. Similarly, the distinction between homosexual and heterosexual relationship would also vanish. In the name of gender equality should we reach a point where the only distinction remaining would be the bodily organs? And is it for the advocates of gender equality to clarify the limits to which this should be allowed and pursued?

In a previous article I cited evidences from the three Abrahamic religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) highlighting the absence of 'gender equality' as espoused by the current secular trends. Also, I elaborated and provided corroborative evidences from history and human nature confirming the fallacy of gender equality. Throughout human history, the two genders have generally functioned to complement each other particularly in a husband and wife relationship as opposed to acting as adversaries competing in every sphere. Islam in line human nature espouses for the harmony between two genders and not a full scale war.

Oh please, Yasim. Once again you are grasping at straws to make this argument. Western women are not all trying to be just like men in every respect. Western women have struggled for, and won, equal treatment under the law. That is what we want for our Muslim sisters as well, but by your own argument, this cannot come about so long as Islamic law remains in effect, either as legal statutes or social custom.

Who Are The Chivalrous Knights Of Woman's Rights?

Apart from the idea of woman's rights, it is important to get glimpse of those, in particular the male gender, on how to uphold such lofty values. Men in the West are caught in between by a culture that constantly agitates their sexual instincts and also demands 'respect' for women by complying with the codes of being politically correct. Nominal respect shown by the men is due to the fear of being subjected to the laws of sexual harassment and thus being politically correct is simply pretentious....

Good Heavens, could you have any less faith in your fellow man? Do you imagine all human beings are as cynical as you yourself appear to be? Again, just because some fall short of the ideal, this does not mean the ideal itself is undesirable.

If there was genuine enthusiasm towards woman's rights in general, then all women would be treated with respect. An elderly woman in the West is rarely treated with respect as a motherly figure but often a subject to mocking, the familiar term of the old bag, witch etc. Because her youth has passed, she is no longer a valuable commodity in the free market and quarantined into old peoples home.

Now you just seem sad and ridiculous, Yamin. Is this life just some theoretical construct in which you make the most outrageous claims possible so you get the most attention? Or do you really think all human beings are motivated by their absolute basest instincts?

Genuine respect is fostered by an environment where the two sexes relate to each other by values that are not driven by their carnal desires and whims. In a permissive culture one loses real respect for women; the loss of sense of shame and modesty and the notion of honour of a woman becomes meaningless. Sexual crimes are viewed as trivial, which is why lenient punishment is dispensed for it, where as in Islam the punishment is most severe as the crime is recognised as severe, because Islam places value on the honour of a woman!

Uh huh. Islam places such a high "value on the honour of a woman," they can't even outlaw wife-beating and child marriages in Chad! Women living under Islam today are routinely forced into marriage at extremely young ages, (as early as age 9 since that was the example of the Prophet), must accept the most insane restrictions on their freedom of movement, expression and association, and must also accept her husband’s taking of “additional” wives and mistresses, (again according to the example of the Prophet). If these are good practices, beneficial to society, it escapes me to see how.

The old cliché, judge them by their fruits, shows that 'liberated' societies with emancipated women and men have not attained greater levels of happiness and stability. In fact the social trend shows the reverse, breakdown in family life, soaring divorce rates, increasing dependencies on drugs. Rape, domestic violence and all sorts of social crimes are constantly on the increase....

Yamin, "judge them by their fruits" is not an old cliche, it comes from a parable of Jesus in which he asked, "Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the corrupt tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a corrupt tree bear good fruit." (Matthew 7:16)

We would humbly ask the same question concerning Islam: if its fruits are what we see in the treatment of women and non-Muslims by Muslims, how good can the tree be? Our society is certainly imperfect, but at least it can adapt to the changing needs of people in the modern era: the West has abandoned many despicable practices of the past, such as polygamy and slavery. Can Islam make the same claim?

What Islam Says

The Islamic perspective is clear: women are not equal to men and men are not equal to women. Neither party are inferior or superior to each other. Their positions are defined with a set of rights and responsibilities. A husband may have rights over his wife but the husband is subordinate to his mother. Similarly, a mother may have rights over her son, but she is in turn subordinate to her father. The relationships between the two genders are complex and multifaceted. It is the Islamic laws that shape the relationship in terms of designating rights and obligations between the two genders at various positions.

It is only rational and consistent to protect the rights of everyone including women by invoking the Islamic laws instead of resorting to secular arguments that are rooted in feminism. If secular values are the criteria then it makes little sense to interpret Islam to fit into the secular garb but far greater sense to simply abandon it. Why go for secular compatible Islam instead of pure secularism? It simply makes no sense. Unfortunately there are even feminists in Hijab along with their male apologists in leash are using Islamic texts to promote non-Islamic ideas like woman's rights, gender equality as Islamic, wittingly or unwittingly. If a man or a woman has been denied their rights we invoke the Islamic laws not some arbitrary foreign principle like woman's rights or men's rights.

Is the principle of gender equality simply arbitrary? Is it not rooted in firmer moral ground than that? Christianity teaches us the essential equality of souls (cf. Galatians 3:28). This is ultimately the basis upon which our forefathers proclaimed, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Thus, consensual government and equality under the law are our ideal standards. We don’t claim perfection in their application. Is it not Islam that contains the really arbitrary rules, as based on the very human whims of Muhammad? Of course, in the Islamic world many believe that his human whims were expressions of the will of God. Yet many also bear witness that they know this is not true by calling for “humane” modifications of Sharia law. How can God’s law be inhumane – unless it is not really God’s law at all?

Had Islam and Muslim men been oppressive to women, the feminist movement would have arisen from within the Islamic societies as opposed to being imported wholesale from the west. The origin of such movements perhaps reflects where the real oppression of women exists! No one can explain why Islam supposedly anti-Woman stance continues to attract more women than men. Both ration and Islamic texts dictates that "women's rights" has no place in Islam, those who speak in its name have the worst track record in violating the rights of womankind and it is a political tool employed selectively against its opponents.

Oh that is a howler, Yamin. Are you really meaning to make the assertion “Muslim men have [not] been oppressive to women?” And the proof is that women have not risen up? That’s like saying a jail is not a jail if nobody escapes. Muslim men kill Muslim women for disobedience all the time, even in Europe and Britain. Muslim women are simply intimidated into silent obedience. If you don’t believe that, take a stroll through the pages of Jihad Watch sometime.

You have no moral argument against the Western concept of equal rights here at all, but you may certainly be correct in your assertion that the concept of "women's rights" has no place in Islam. For this we are sorry.

Muslims to Pope Benedict XVI: Welcome. Now, play the dhimmi

A couple of interesting links about the reaction in the Islamic world to the new Pope, courtesy Dr JDJ.

First, from Egypt Election Daily News, "New Hope With New Pope":

Arab World Has Welcomed the Election of New Pope Benedict XVI

The Arab and Muslim world expressed their cautious hopes that he will bridge the divide between the world's different cultures and promote peace like his predecesor. There are hopes that he will bring a closer relationship between Christians & Muslims and fight islamophobia that has been promoted in Europe and America.

Wishes were expressed that he will have a back to basics stance and encourage Christians to 'Love Thy Neighbour' and deter facism and racism among politicians in the West. It is also expected that he will promote peace and justice in the Middle East and for Muslims generally.

And how might Pope Benedict XVI promote peace and justice for Muslims and combat "Islamophobia," that empty word behind which hides justification for all manner of jihadist atrocities? Well, for starters, he could take care of that apology for the Crusades about which Muslim authorities have been getting increasingly vocal. From Turkish Press, "The pope, Muslims, and an apology":

In February, Interfaith Dialogue Committee Chairman Fewzi Zafzaf submitted a written notice demanding that the Vatican apologize to Muslims for the Crusades.

Egyptian Islamic writer Mohammed Emara noted how the Vatican has apologized to Jews for its actions during the World War II, and said it should do the same thing now for the Muslims....

Now the Muslims are expecting such an apology to put an end to the crusader mentality, which still finds sustenance in Europe’s subconscious mind.

I hope the new pope will answer the Muslims’ call, because an apology from the Vatican would be the strongest political message for putting an end to the crusader mentality.

In The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades, my forthcoming book from Regnery Publishing, I demonstrate from the historical record that the "Crusader mentality" was not one of colonial conquest, or forced conversion, or plunder, but the defense of Christendom. Is the idea that the Western world should be defended one that Ferai Tinc, the author of this article, would like to see the new Pope repudiate?

UK: more university dhimmitude

"Students want Bibles in rooms ban," from the BBC, with thanks to Dr JDJ:

A students' association has called for the Bible to be removed from more than 2,000 university rooms because it could offend non-Christians.

Stirling University Students' Association (SUSA) wants the Gideons Bibles taken out of all student rooms.

Students said providing the Bible in all university accommodation was "presumptuous" and offensive to different religions on the campus.

The university would not comment until SUSA submits its request next month.

'Great diversity'

A motion to have the Bibles removed was passed by 15-1 at a recent student council meeting. Seven members abstained. The council said representing one faith was not in the spirit of equality and cited the Scottish Executive's One Scotland Many Cultures campaign.

SUSA president Al Wilson said: "The one thing that students have brought up is the fact that they do have Gideon's Bibles in their rooms.

"They felt that this was not really fair on those students who practice other faiths.

"And it was promoting one faith over others....

SUSA wants other faith texts provided to create a campus of "great diversity"....

The Reverend John Munro, of Kinross Parish Church, said: "I think there is an agenda here, seemingly politically correct. There is actually a hostility towards faith by those who have none.

"This is repeating the worst of our errors, where the Christian faith used to have an intolerant attitude towards people of no faith."

Bangladesh: 50 hurt as Islamic hardliners attack Ahmadiyyas

Some Westerners have pointed to the Ahmadiyyas as peaceful Muslims. That would be great, if the majority of Muslims didn't think they were heretics. More Muslim violence against the Ahmadiyya community, reported in the Bangladeshi Daily Star, with thanks to Twostellas: "50 hurt as bigots attack Ahmadiyyas in Satkhira."

Religious bigots led by the International Khatme Nabuwat Movement Bangladesh (IKNMB) yesterday attacked the Ahmadiyya community, injuring over 50 people including women and children, and looted at least 10 houses at Sundarban Bazar of Shyamnagar upazila.

Supporters of the anti-Ahmadiyya outfit, which has long been campaigning for a government move to declare the sect non-Muslim, had a signboard posted on the local Ahmadiyya complex. It reads 'A place of worship for the Ahmadiyya Community, Sundarban Bazar' and it advises Muslims not to mistake the place as a mosque.

Ahmadiyyas in Sundarban Bazar were in a panic, as the police did not yet take any measures to ward off further attacks on the sect, said locals. They also alleged that physicians did not attend in a timely manner to the injured, who were undergoing treatment at Shymnagar Hospital.

Witnesses said that nearly 15,000 IKNMB members brandishing sticks, machetes and darts started marching towards the Sundarban Bazar at about 1:00pm. IKNM Nayeb-e-Amir Mufti Nur Hossain Nurani and central leader Mohammed Muntasir Ahmed led the procession.

As it reached near the Ahmadiyya mosque at Sundarban Bazar in Jotindryanagar, 65 kilometres off the Satkhira district headquarters,
Ahmadiyyas led by Maolana Abdul Awal tried to keep the bigots from hanging the signboard. Incensed at the resistance, the IKNMB followers started throwing stones at them and injured over 50 people, including six women and some children.

At one stage, when police stationed in the area fired blanks in the air, Ahmadiyya members moved backwards and the IKNMB members stepped forward to hang the signboard. At the request of police, the IKNMB leaders handed over the signboard to them, which the police then hung for the bigots, in the presence of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sohrab Hossain, Superintendent of Police in Satkhira Abdur Rahim, and Magistrate Mina Masuduzzaman.

Immediately after hanging of the signboard, the bigots started looting the houses belonging to Ahmadiyyas.

Money in cash, ornaments and other valuables were taken away from the houses of GM Sabbir, GM Mobarak Ahmed, SM Wahid, Abdul Mazid Sardar, SM Matiar Rahman, GM Abu Daud, GM Rois Ahmed and many others....

Turkey's Erdogan said to employ jihadists

"Turkey's Erdogan said to employ Islamists," from the Middle East Newsline, with thanks to the Norwegian Kafir:

ANKARA -- Turkey has been employing thousands of Islamic fundamentalists in violation of its secular constitution.

An opposition parliamentary faction has accused Prime Minister Recep Erdogan of enabling the employment of thousands of Muslims who oppose Turkey as a secular state. The faction said the Islamic fundamentalists have entered all areas of government, including the Education Ministry.

"We can say that thousands of anti-secularists have been employed by the state in accordance with the government's wishes," Ali Topuz, deputy chief of the opposition Republican People's Party, said.

At a news conference on April 11, Topuz cited Omer Dincer, the undersecretary of the Prime Minister's office. Topuz said Dincer has called for the toppling of the secular Turkish republic....

Ibn Warraq and Ayaan Hirsi Ali at the UN Human Rights Commission

United Nations Human Rights Commission hears complaints from Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Jihad Watch Advisory Board member Ibn Warraq. "Europe 'weak on Islam rights,'" from Reuters, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

GENEVA - The main global humanist organisation and a group of former Muslims on Monday accused European countries of ignoring violations of human rights in their Islamic communities to preserve "multi-culturalism".

In a presentation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and at a separate news conference and a seminar, they also argued that Muslim countries were trying to use the body to quash any discussion of their own rights record.

"Western society tends to turn a blind eye to the plight of European Muslim women and girls because 'Muslim culture is different'," Roy Brown, president of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), told the 53-member Commission.

"Yet in Europe many women find themselves subject to domestic violence, undergo forced marriages or are even killed by family members because of some belief that they have tarnished the family honour," Brown declared.

That view was echoed later by three ex-Muslims and self-described atheists -- Somali-born Dutch member of parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Iranian exile rights activist Azam Kamguian and historian of Islam Ibn Warraq -- and French sociologist Caroline Fourest.

Hirsi Ali, who fled to the Netherlands in 1992 to escape an arranged marriage, told the news conference she condemned "the moral relativism in Europe whereby women from Third World countries do not enjoy the same freedoms as native European women enjoy."

Many Muslim women and girls "are forced to marry, have their genitals mutilated, are taken by their parents to their countries of origin against their wishes, sometimes even killed," she declared.

UPSIDE-DOWN RACISM

Liberal democratic governments did not interfere out of a concern to maintain a policy of "multi-culturalism" -- encouraging immigrants from other parts of the world to maintain their traditions while integrating into their host society.

Kamguian, a former political prisoner and women's activist in Iran, who now lives in London, said this "cultural relativism" in Europe and Canada "was upside-down racism" which denied the universality of human rights, especially for women.

The United Nations estimates as many as 5,000 women a year are killed worldwide in so-called "honour killings".

London police said last year they were reviewing more than 100 deaths and disappearances of women in the last 10 years that could be related to "honour killings". There have been a number of high-profile prosecutions in Europe over such cases.

Fourest, author of several books on religious extremism, told the seminar on the fringes of the commission that sexism and oppression of women "are the main values shared by fundamentalists of all three monotheist religions."

Sure. That's why you see so many honor killings in the Bible Belt.

She told the news conference a resolution from Islamic states on "defamation of religion" passed by the commission last week was in line with efforts by the Catholic Church and other faiths to protect religion from criticism.

Media Distorted Queen's Islam Remarks: Danish Muslim

An update on this story, from Islamonline, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

CAIRO - Danish Queen Margrethe II's statements on Islam have been distorted by some Western media, which unsurprisingly make too much fuss about nothing when it comes to the Muslim faith, a Danish Muslim activist has said.

"The queen did say that 'radical Islam' and not 'Islam' posed a threat and was a cause of concern," Abul Hassan Mohammad Shehada, the director of Al-Aqsa Cultural Center in the northern city of Odense, told IslamOnline.net by phone.

"Make no mistake: I'm not defending her, but it is impossible for a queen best known for her moderation and acceptance of the other to attack Islam as a whole," he added.

Shehada said representatives of Islamic centers in Denmark, who met Sunday, April 17, in Odense, saw nothing offensive in the queen's statements.

"It was just a routine meeting but the fuss made by some media has really forced itself on the agenda."

Several international media outlets, including Reuters and Daily Telegraph, quoted the Danish monarch as saying: "We are being challenged by Islam these years - globally as well as locally."

She told Danish journalist Annelise Bistrup, who gathered her most famous quotes over the years in an authorized book entitled "Margrethe", that the Danes should show their "opposition to Islam".

"It is a challenge we have to take seriously. We have let this issue float about for too long because we are tolerant and lazy," the queen reported said....

Get out your handkerchiefs (although amid all this sobbing, Shehada makes absolutely no mention of why such laws have been enacted -- no doubt hoping readers will think it is all just "racism"):

Shehada said that the Muslim minority in Denmark, estimated at 150,000 people most of them of Turkish and Pakistani origin, have been facing difficulties that never existed before the 9/11 attacks in the US.

He said the government has enacted laws that many Muslims see as unjust and discriminatory.

"A law, for instance, gave private companies the right to reject the employment of any applicant without citing the reason, which is tailored for hijab-clad Muslim women. In the past, no one dared to fire or reject an employee because of his/her ethnic backgrounds," said the Muslim activist.

"It is really unfair that Muslims who were born in Denmark and studied in its schools and universities find no place for them in the labor market. It is indeed a black chapter in the Danish human rights record."

Shehada, who immigrated from Lebanon to Denmark in 1986, further cited another law that prevents Danes over 24, with neither a minimum bank account of 50,000 krones nor a home, getting married from abroad.

"The '24 law' implicitly targets Muslims because they often prefer to get married to a woman from their native countries."

Danish Muslims have sounded the alarms that much more restrictive steps would be taken by the government in future...

On the Muslims' political activity, Shehada said they can play a key role on the political landscape of the country should they be united...

"I myself have been calling for an umbrella group for all Muslim centers in the country."

Shehada, however, said Muslim activist Abdel Wahed Bederson has joined the nascent Minorities Party as a representative for the minority.

Secretary Rice continues to show her ignorance of Islam

"Rice Shows Turkey as Model," from Turks US, with thanks to Dr JDJ:

The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has shown Turkey as a model for "how Islam, the Muslim world and democracy" do not contradict with each other.

Rice made a speech to the members of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and said: "I think Islam, the Muslim world, is indeed going through an evolution, and as with any evolution there are both potential negative outcomes and potential positive outcomes. The negative outcome would be the continued rise of extremism and those who would hijack the great world religion to a cause that clearly has nothing to do with Islam. Islam is a peaceful religion..."

Now if she could just convince the global jihad movement, aka the global movement of Misunderstanders of Islam, that they have gotten the whole thing wrong, and must lay down their arms.

EU Weighs Talking to 'Moderate' Islamists

Eurodhimmi update from Reuters, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

LUXEMBOURG - European Union foreign ministers were urged on Saturday to consider the previously taboo idea of dialogue with Islamic opposition groups in the Middle East to encourage a transition to democracy.

They also discussed ways to strengthen emerging democracy movements in several Arab states and persuade authoritarian governments to relinquish some power and accept the principle of alternation, diplomats said....

"In the past the EU has preferred to deal with the secular
intelligentsia of Arab civil society at the expense of the more
representative Islam-inspired organizations," the report said.

"Has the time come for the EU to become more engaged with Islamic "faith-based" civil society in these countries?" asked the paper co-authored by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and the bloc's Luxembourg presidency.

They acknowledged that talking to groups with a traditional reading of Islamic Sharia law and very conservative views on the role of women in society would be politically sensitive in some EU states and talked of fixing parameters for such a dialogue.

Diplomats said Britain and Denmark spoke in favor of talking to moderate Muslim activists, and no one opposed it....

Vatican's Ties With Islam

Another piece on how large Islam is looming in the choice for the next Pope, from Amir Taheri in Arab News, with thanks to Skeetstreet. Amir is like the little girl with the curl, and right here he is indeed quite horrid:

One issue that is dominating the debate about the succession is the attitude that the next pope, leader of the world's estimated one billion Catholics, should adopt toward Islam.

For centuries the Catholic Church either tried to ignore Islam or clung to medieval prejudices borne out of misunderstanding or ignorance....

Gee, what could have caused all that misunderstanding and ignorance? Could it have had anything to do with those jihad conquests of the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe, Sicily, Spain, and more?

John Paul II insisted on developing a third position. This was based on the idea of a grand alliance between the Catholic Church and Islam to oppose both the Communist bloc led by the USSR and the growing secularization of life in the world. He regarded Islam and Catholicism as objective allies because while the former fought against the Red Army in Afghanistan, the latter took on the Soviet "evil empire" in Central and Eastern Europe. In Western Europe, the heartland of Catholicism, the pope saw Islam as an ally on such issues as homosexual "marriages", abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, and the status of women.

John Paul II pursued his quest for alliance with Islam in 1986 by becoming the first pope to visit a Muslim country. During that visit to Morocco he had this to say: "We believe in the same God, the one and the only God, who created the world and brought its creatures to perfection."

In 2001 John Paul II visited Damascus and became the first pope to pray in a mosque. He also issued a formal apology for what he termed the misdeeds of Christendom toward Islam, including the Crusades and colonialism.

That strategy was not an easy sell to many Catholics. Islam and Christianity are the only two major religions that wish to convert the whole of mankind. For them to set their 1400 year-old competition for converts aside in the name of fighting the common enemies of secularism and atheism is not an easy option....

Particularly -- and Taheri does not mention this -- when the "common cause" was only being made from one side, as was all the initiative for "dialogue."

Ratzinger regards a formal dialogue with Islam as a handicap for the Catholic Church because it would assume a measure of equality between the two faiths, signaling to people, especially in Europe, that they can shop around for religion. Ratzinger's strategy enjoys much support in the College of Cardinals. But it also has critics.

Cardinal Angel Scola, the archbishop of Venice and another contender for John Paul II's succession, regards Ratzinger's strategy as "defensive" and based on the West's traditional fears about Islam. Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, the archbishop of Westminster, goes further and described dialogue with Islam as "an urgent need".

"We must find interlocutors in all Muslim countries," he says. "Christianity and Islam have a shared responsibility in defending world peace."

Both Scola and O'Connor believe that John Paul II's public opposition to the war in Iraq helped prevent a "clash of civilizations"....

We're glad that these good Cardinals believe that the "clash of civilizations" was prevented by the Pope, but I'm afraid we beg to differ.

Christian murdered by Muslims in Bangladesh for proselytizing

To his killers, Dulal Sarkar was just a dhimmi who got out of line. What was that again about the dhimma being a thing of the past? "Bangladesh Baptist Pastor Killed by Extremists after Attempt to Share Faith," from Christian Today, with thanks to Kaoskntrl:

A Baptist pastor and evangelist was found beheaded in Jalalpur, a village in the district of Khulna, south-western Bangladesh on 8th March and the murder was confirmed recently, according to AsiaNews.it.

The 35-year-old pastor from the Bangladesh Free Baptist Church, Dulal Sarkar, was believed to have been killed by Muslim extremists who had threatened his family because he discussed his faith with some Muslim villagers.

According to AsiaNews.it, Pastor Sarkar, who served as a guard and general caretaker for the local church, had attempted to evangelise Muslim villagers and brought them to his church to talk with the senior pastor.

The murder occurred on 8th March on his way home after he talked to some Muslim villagers. He was reported to have been attacked by group of armed men. Sources say that it was a group of ten local Muslim extremists who later "separated his head from his body", AsiaNews.it wrote.

Immediately after the murder, Pastor Sarkar’s wife filed a police report. Currently, seven out of the ten suspects are still free, according to AsiaNews.it. Local Christians believed that they are connected with the Jamaat-e-Islami political party and even tried to bribe the police to get the three detained members out of jail.

Reports: Islamic morality laws to stay in Malaysia, PM says

Sharia alert from "moderate" Malaysia, via AP, with thanks to Andy Bostom:

Malaysia's prime minister wants enforcement of Islamic morality laws to continue despite a public outcry over a raid early this year on a disco by religious department officials, a news report said Saturday.

"There is no need to abolish these laws, only the enforcement methods need to be improved," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper.

Human rights and opposition activists criticized the actions of religious department officials who arrested 100 Muslims at a Kuala Lumpur disco in January for alleged indecent behavior.

The disco patrons claimed they were locked up at the department's headquarters for 10 hours, and accused officials of humiliating the women in the group by commenting on their attire and taking photographs of them.

Holland: Man suspected of honour killing of sister

Another honor killing in Europe. And the circle of violence keeps widening: now the foster mother is in hiding -- don't miss the reason why. It looks as if even Muslims who leave the Islamic world in order to escape the harshness of Islamic law now have to fear retribution from the good folks back home. From Expatica, with thanks to LGF:

AMSTERDAM — An Iraqi-Kurdish man, 21, is suspected of murdering his sister, 18, to protect the honour of the family, a court in Arnhem heard on Friday.

During a pre-trial hearing, the presiding judge indicated the court wanted to question the victim's foster mother and aunt to establish if the killing was ordered by her family in Iraq.

The foster mother is in hiding because she fears the family in Iraq wants to punish her for giving the victim too much freedom.

The court has also ordered that the accused man from Culemborg be examined in the Pieter Baan psychiatric centre in Utrecht to find out if his cultural background played a role in the crime. An expert in
'honour' killings will also testify at a later hearing.

Why of course not. His cultural background, you say? Don't you realize that a Methodist or a Christian Scientist or a Raw Foodist is just as likely to commit an honor killing as a Muslim? What are you, some kind of Islamophobe?

The victim was a non-practising Muslim and had a child in 2004 by her non-Muslim boyfriend. She was killed 15 days after the birth of the baby.

Her brother had allegedly regularly threatened the victim, and she had made a complaint to police in November 2004, shortly before her death.

And the dhimmicops were right on the case, from the looks of things.

UK: Dons' boycott raises Jewish student fear

UK universities are starting to make Columbia University look like a serious academic institution. From the Times Online, with thanks to Dr JDJ:

HOSTILITY to Jewish students at British universities could escalate this week with moves by academics to boycott Israeli goods and set up links with Palestinian organisations.

Luciana Berger, 23, a close friend of Euan Blair, the prime minister’s son, described last week how she had been forced to resign from the executive committee of the National Union of Students (NUS) after being abused and spat at by left-wing undergraduates and Muslim activists because she is Jewish.

This week anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian motions will be submitted for debate at the annual conference of the 48,000-strong Association of University Teachers (AUT). A similar motion was defeated by a vote of 2-1 two years ago. But other motions, including one deploring a “witch-hunt” against people who supported the boycott, were passed.

There are fears that a “yes” vote at the conference in Eastbourne will increase tension on campuses. The move to sever links with Israeli universities and support Palestinian academics comes from branches of the union at Birmingham University and the Open University.

Sue Blackwell, a lecturer in English at Birmingham and a leading member of the British Committee for Universities of Palestine, said it was not possible to have links with both Israel and the Palestinians.

“We cannot appeal equally to the oppressor and the oppressed, the occupier and the occupied,” she said. “Palestinian academics are repeatedly prevented from doing their work. Israeli forces have welded shut the gates to one Palestine university and dug a trench around another. Jewish students should not be intimidated in Britain, but it’s not anti-semitic to criticise what the state of Israel is doing.”

If this is true at all, it is because these Palestine universities were serving as schools of jihad.

Dhimmitude at Manchester Community College

Michael Abdelmessih was hired to teach at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Connecticut. But when he started to teach about jihad, he found himself out of a job. Here is his statement (thanks to Jerry Gordon):

My name is Michael Abdelmessih. I am a Coptic Christian. I have an MS in Political Science from Southern Connecticut State University on 1/19/2004. My research was entitled: ”The History and Rise of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism.“

I was hired by Manchester Community College to teach a course entitled ”Understanding Militant Islamic Fundamentalism.” In total, six students signed up for the class -- of which two are faculty of Manchester community college, both Muslim. One of the faculty member name is Fatima. She is from Egypt she teaches economics in the ommunity college. The other one name is Dianna.

Two months ago, both faculty members asked Ann Bonney, the director of non credit courses, to change the title of the course. Ann Bonney explained the situation to me, and we agreed to make some changes in the proposal. I have the original proposal with the changes made by Ann Bonney as my evidence.

I started teaching the course on April 9, 2005. The course was from 10:00 A.M, to 12:30 P.M. Then my academic supervisor contacted me last week before I started the course and told me she would send police for protection. Also, she changed the room assignment, and instructed me on how to call the police if I had any problems from the Muslim community or from the both Muslim faculty members.

I gave the students at the first meeting of the class a summary of some books (Exporting the American Gospel, Jewish Fundamentalism, History of Islam, Battle for God), some websites (on The history of Judaism and Christianity, as well as Islam.com), and some articles from the internet (on psychological fundamentalism, and others). We had a few discussions in general about general "fundamentalism." When I started talking about jihad, I was constantly interrupted because the two faculty members, Fatima and Dianna, claimed that Jihad doesn’t mean attacking non-Muslims, but means “protecting Islam.” Then in the middle of the class I received threats from Fatima, the Egyptian faculty member and student. She made it clear she would “contact the Egyptian government” and she said: “Believe me, you not will continue this course.”

The class was over. I went on a trip to Washington, D.C. While eating dinner last night, April 15th, I got a call from Ann Bonney of Manchester Community College. I was told that I no longer will teach the course because of “a few grammatical errors in the notes” I handed to students. On the other hand, my academic supervisor told me the college will pay me for the course, but I won’t teach the course.

More on this as it becomes available.

Chad struggles to outlaw wife-beating

In the teeth of Qur'an 4:34. "Chad Struggles to Pass New Family Law," from the VOA News, with thanks to Twostellas:

Chad's government is pushing for a new family law that, among other things, aims to reduce gender disparities by outlawing wife beating and raising the minimum age for marriage. The proposed civil code is facing continued resistance from traditionalists in the largely conservative Muslim society.

Chad's president, Idriss Deby, used a recent rally marking the celebration of International Women's Day to express his commitment to pushing the law through, saying the injustices done to women must be repaired.

If adopted, the proposed family code would replace one that has been in place since before the country gained independence from France four-and-a-half decades ago. Proponents hope its passage will help reduce the differences in treatment under the law between Chad's more than nine million men and women.

But the law's future is far from ensured. A human rights activist, Dobian Assingar, says multiple delays in the process highlight divisions in Chad's majority Muslim society over whether women should be treated as equals.

He says the law has now been held up for more than three years in cabinet discussions. It has yet to go before parliament. Mr. Assingar blames the weakness of the state's authority faced with pressure from, what he says is a small number of conservative Muslim leaders.

Religious conservatives say the law contradicts the teachings of Islam.

Yep.

Chadian journalist, Alphonse Mbaindoroum, says that many conservative Muslim men see the new code as a threat.

He says conservatives view the family code, whose drafting was partially funded by the United Nations Population Fund, as based on a French model that draws upon the teachings of the Bible.

But it doesn't draw on the Bible all that much:

There have also been objections from some Christians, who reject the code's legalization of polygamy, a practice with a long history in Chad.

The public debate over the law, however, is not a topic of
discussion just for extremists.

Dalou Mohamet, a self-proclaimed modern Muslim, is getting married in June. And he says, though men and women have different roles to play in society, he believes in equality.

"My fiancé, she's Muslim also. And she knows exactly, for example, her rights. And I know my rights and my duties. We [have] agreed, she and I, that at home, for example, I am the chief. But it doesn't mean that I control all totally. Something concerning family and concerning children, in particular, she has a responsibility also. It's very important," he said.

"I am the chief. But it doesn't mean that I control all totally." Mighty "moderate" of you, Dalou.

Debate over the law has raised the possibility of the creation of two codes, one for majority Muslims, the other for Christians, mainly concentrated in Chad's south.

But one Chadian woman says rights for women should be universal and independent of religion. "As a Chadian woman, I would say that the ode must be applied to all women. And there can only be one code in a country that is applied to all women, who should have the same rights. There is no such thing as Muslim women's rights, or southern women's rights. We are all the same. We are all mothers. This code is our right," she said....

Yes. It is.

Arab League Ambassador to Britain Lecture at House of Parliament: Israel's Hand in the [9/11] Matter is Clear

From the Monsters in the Closet Department, via MEMRI, with thanks to Romy:

The April 1, 2005 issue of the online Saudi royal family weekly magazine Ain Al-Yaqeen included the transcript of a talk given by Arab League Ambassador Ali Muhsen Hamid to Britain before the Conservative Foreign and Commonwealth Council at the Houses of Parliament. In his talk, titled "Arabs and the West: Indispensable Relation," Hamid emphasized the cultural affinities between the Arab world and the West, and portrayed Israel as the major factor standing between them....

"When Israel states that Arabs are terrorists the west quickly follows suit. When Israel says that democracy should be imposed on Arabs by force, echoes of this view begin to manifest [themselves] in some western media outlets and western think tanks. When Israel begins to demonize Iraq and Iran the west goes to war against the former and begins to issue threatening admonishments to the latter...

"What makes matters worse is that some people in the west see that the issues of democracy, good governance and the rule of law are inapplicable in the Arab world, because the absence of the foundations necessary for their implementation is an inherent part of the eastern psyche, and that 'eastern despotism' is the norm in the Arab political system...

"It is true that we do not yet have a Westminster style democracy, but we nevertheless have systems of government that are gradually opening out which do not close the doors to renewal and reinvigoration. It could have been the old Orientalist terminology which led the U.S. to adopt the initiative of 'democratizing' the Middle East from the outside, and to unofficially view Islam as an enemy of democracy.

"But Washington entered actively into the fray after the terrorist events perpetrated on its own soil in 9/11/01. This was not a good justification for its enmity towards Arabs and Muslims. Israel's hand in the matter is clear."...

"It is not my intention to intimidate anyone here, but I do not intend, either, to paint an imaginary rosy picture of Arab-western relations or fantasize about how wonderful these relations could soon be... Our pain and suffering is limitless. Now you, after having made Arabs and Islam your victims, are transferring your battle front to the Arab Muslim community [in the West]."

Read it all, if you have the stomach. Amazing that British MPs could have sat through this load of hogwash -- like good dhimmis, I suppose.

Malaysia: Bibles in native languages banned

"Statement saddens Evangelicals," from the Malaysian Star Online, with thanks to Twostellas:

PETALING JAYA: The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) has expressed regret over a government minister's remarks that Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa Indonesia were banned.

NECF secretary-general Rev Wong Kim Kong said the remarks by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz Nazri were "inconsistent with the spirit and the letter of our Constitution, which upholds religious freedom for everyone".

Rev Wong added that the policy was unfair to non-English-speaking Christians.

Neo-Nazi to speak at Florida Islamic event

Any Jihad Watchers in Boca Raton? Here is an event there that richly deserves a peaceful and informed protest. "Neo- Nazi William Baker to speak at Assadiq Islamic Educational Foundation banquet in Boca Raton - Mayors express outrage at misuse of their names." Thanks to Militant Islam Monitor for the heads-up. Here is the MIM report:

MIM: It took less then a year for the new Assadiq Islamic Educational Foundation in Boca Raton, to out it's radical Islamist agenda, by inviting the neo Nazi William Baker to speak at their first major event. In order to provide a facade of legitimacy to this Islamo facist hate fest, Assadiq has apparently 'invited' the Mayors of Boca Raton and Coral Springs to be their 'guests of honor' without informing them that their names would be featured on the poster publicising the event. The Mayor of Boca Raton says he was never invited at all...

Invitation: The Assadiq Educational Islamic Foundation in Boca Raton is inviting the Muslim Community to attend this banquet on Saturday April 30th at the Boca Marriot from 7-10pm. Some of the guests of honor include Dr. Ali Al-Ajami, the Lebanese Ambassador, Dr. William Baker of the LA Crystal Cathedral, Hajj Osama Attar who will be reciting nasheeds, mayors, and Key Note speaker: Allah Made Me Funny muslim comedians.

According to MIM "...The Reverend Robert Schuller has quietly told self-styled "interfaith leader" William Baker to vacate his Crystal Cathedral office. The order came after an investigation published in OC Weekly revealed that Baker, who runs Christians and Muslims for Peace (CAMP), has a long history of anti-Semitic politics and held a leadership position in neo-Nazi organizations. The investigation also revealed that Baker had manufactured much of his alleged academic qualifications.

Dutch PM dhimmitude: "Respect the man that won't shake hands"

From Cid Martel at the Dutch Disease Blog comes this primo specimen of Eurabian dhimmitude. (Jihad Watch does not read Dutch and makes no claims as to the veracity of the translation.)

An imam that does not wish to shake hands with women is to be respected. This is what Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said Thursday during a debate on values in Parliament. Balkenende does not agree with Minister Verdonk of Integration, she was not amused when an imam refused to shake her hand during a meeting. Balkenende is of the opinion that a peaceful society can only come about if we all respect each other.

Righto, Balkenende. Ms. Verdonk should "respect" acts of disrespect. Now why is that, exactly?

An Interview with D. C. Watson

From 6th Column Against Jihad comes an interview with frequent Jihad Watch contributor D.C. Watson:

Writes 6th Column: D. C. Watson has emerged as an arch-typical example of the new force to be reckoned with: The American Patriot. And, he has deliberately and publicly served notice to all those who would wage Islamic jihad on America, that he and millions more will be fully American in dealing with them. D. C.'s op-ed pieces began appearing in Jihad Watch/Dhimmi Watch over the last year, but D. C.'s comments in the same publication had already made him very difficult to ignore nationally and internationally. He has been utterly refreshing because he writes filter-free. He says what he believes, and it is clear that he makes no allowances for pabulum such as "political correctness" and multiculturalism. In fact, some have even voiced wishes that he become the Secretary of Defense. (We think he would best serve as the Secretary of State). ...

6thCAJ/SC: How do you feel our government is doing protecting the homeland?

Watson: Between the Saudi Arabians and the U.S./Mexican border, the government has made the jobs of the Intelligence and Law Enforcement
agencies that much more difficult. American tax dollars are funding wars in the Middle East, yet our government states that funding additional border patrol agents isn't in the budget. Where's the logic in this?

6thCAJ/SC: Tell us what you know about the Saudis and their involvement with America.

Watson: We've been infiltrated.

· Saudi owned American media (with their fingers in AOL/Time Warner, who controls CNN, and Disney, who controls ABC).

· Saudi funded Islamic Studies centers on American college campuses.

· Saudi funded mosques that contain literature preaching hate for
America, Christians, and Jews.

· Saudi funded schools, whose "teachers" instruct their students that Christianity and Judaism are false religions, and demand allegiance to the Qur'an, not the U.S. Constitution.

· Saudi funded Islamic "civil rights" organizations that attack Americans for speaking out against Islam.

Read it all.

Fitting Islam into Catholic worldview

Yesterday I posted a piece about Catholic leaders contemplating a more realistic stance toward Islam. Here is another in which the dhimmitude option comes in for some gentle questioning. From the International Herald Tribune, with thanks to the Norwegian Kafir:

ROME - One is from Nigeria, a man who grew up among Muslims and says there is no clash of cultures.

Wow. Really? A man who grew up among Muslims says that? In Nigeria? If he really says that, I wonder if maybe he grew up in a lovely padded cell, say, on the outskirts of Lagos.

Another is from Germany and believes that it might be useful to talk to Muslims but that it is better to revitalize Christianity. Others speak of the need for Muslims in Europe to integrate better or even to become more secular.

By coincidence or not, many cardinals mentioned as candidates to be the next pope have strongly expressed positions on Islam and on whether the Roman Catholic Church's relations with Muslims should be conciliatory or a notch more confrontational.

John Paul II had a consistent, even groundbreaking, strategy for addressing Islam: Talk at all costs, even if there were few concrete results. But in the Vatican, and especially since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, his unbudging advocacy of dialogue had long spawned criticism, mostly quiet, as being not muscular enough.

Now, although relations with Islam will not be the decisive issue for the 115 cardinals who will meet to select the next pope, the debate is seen as vital because it intersects centrally with other major issues facing the church: increasing secularism in Europe, contrasting with the religious revival in the Islamic world; relations with other religions, a priority for John Paul II; and the rising number of Muslim immigrants in Europe. The dwindling number of Christians in the Middle East is also a major concern.

Though the discussion in the church is nuanced,

Oh, that's good. Muhammad B. would approve.

less a matter of opposing camps than of shades and emphasis, much of it revolves around two questions: How great a danger does Islam, the world's second-largest religion, present to Christianity, the largest? And how useful would it be to continue, in the same way, John Paul's policy of dialogue between the faiths?

Most cardinals who are considered possible papal candidates lean closer to John Paul's embracing of dialogue. But there are hints, too, that cardinals want to overcome what has been a major internal criticism of the pope's efforts at talks with Muslims: that it has managed to reach out only to moderates, not to the hard-liners who pose greater risks.

"I would hope that in the future, the way of dialogue would in fact increase and make inroads in the other parts of Islam," Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the archbishop of Westminster, England, told reporters on April 6....

Vatican rethinking dhimmitude

"Vatican Is Rethinking Relations With Islam," from the Washington Post, with thanks to JJP Mackie:

ROME -- After two decades of contact and dialogue with the Islamic world under Pope John Paul II, the Vatican is rethinking an outreach program that critics say is diluting Catholicism and has brought almost no benefits to beleaguered Catholic minorities in Muslim countries.

The late pontiff undertook the drive as part of a broad effort to open channels to other religions. He applied a personal stamp by stepping into a mosque in Damascus and meeting with Muslim groups more than 60 times. He also visited a synagogue in Rome and Jerusalem's Western Wall.

Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, said the next pope might more emphatically demand rights for Christian minorities in Islamic countries and the freedom of all people to choose their faith.

Well, here's hoping.

"There may be a greater insistence on religious liberty," said Fitzgerald, the church's point man on Islamic relations. "But I don't think we're going to go to war. The times of the Crusades are over. . . . I don't see any fundamental change in the way the church has been dealing with these questions."

Justo Lacunza Balda, who heads the Pontifical Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, a Vatican research group, said criticism was focused on the lack of reciprocal goodwill gestures in many Muslim countries. "Humanly speaking, it is of course important to see some payback," he said.

Certainly many Muslims publicly mourned John Paul. Rwanda's mufti, Saleh Habimana, declared that "the death of the pope is the disappearance of a hero of recent times." President Mohammad Khatami of Iran, a Muslim cleric, flew to Rome for the funeral in an unprecedented sign of respect.

But elsewhere, feelings toward the pope were less warm and, at times, openly hostile. One Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet, said the pope had not apologized for the Crusades and that Muslims were waiting.

Let's hope they keep waiting until hell freezes over. Why? Read about it in my forthcoming book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades (Regnery).

Radical Islamic Web sites sometimes predict that Muslims will conquer Europe and set up headquarters in the Vatican.

Not just "radical Islamic web sites," either. Here is one of the most prominent Muslim teachers in the world, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, doing the same thing. Others, too.

Before they stopped speaking to the press on Saturday, several of the 115 cardinals who are in Rome to elect John Paul's successor cited the spread of Islam as one of the major issues facing the church. Hanging over the church's deliberations, Vatican officials said, was whether to view Islam as a collaborator in combating secularism or a religious rival.

It has been a rival historically. Muslim invaders established their faith on European soil in Spain and the Balkans in the 8th century; European Crusaders seized control of the Holy Land from Muslims between the 11th and 14th centuries. Now, the large Muslim minorities that have emerged in historically Christian European cities have engendered suspicion from the majority populations.

No mention here of the fact that Muslim invaders overwhelmed the Christian lands of the Middle East and North Africa around the same time they were threatening Europe (and they continued to threaten Europe for quite some time thereafter). The Crusaders tried to win back just a small part of these vast expanses of land. Now the large Muslim minorities in Europe have "engendered suspicion" because they threaten to accomplish what the jihadists of bygone ages couldn't: the Muslim conquest of Europe.

Many people in the Vatican view Christianity as under siege in parts of the world. They say that Christian populations are shrinking in countries in the Middle East in part because of long-term discrimination and repression by Muslim majorities. Catholic churches in Baghdad have been the targets of terrorist attacks; Christian communities are under physical attack by Muslims in Nigeria and the Philippines. Sub-Saharan Africa, the fastest-growing area for Catholicism, is also the fastest-growing for Islam.

In the Muslim world, many people view the situation in reverse, believing that the Christian West, through movies and television, is reshaping the values of Islam and, through the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, taking over historically Muslim lands.

Here at Jihad Watch we really don't think that having to choose between Al Jazeera and HBO is as big a hardship for Muslims as, say, jihad genocide in Sudan is for Christians. This kind of moral equivalence is disgusting.

"The relationship among religions is probably the most ignificant" issue facing the next pope, said Rev. Augustine DiNoia, the second-ranking official in the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is in charge of safeguarding orthodoxy. "The fundamental problem is how to value another religion without devaluing your own."

That's a fundamental problem? Ridiculous. The Rev. Augustine DiNoia should know from his Christian faith that he should value all human beings as fundamentally equal as children of God -- but that doesn't mean he must also equally value a belief-system that teaches the inequality of peoples and all sorts of other injustices.

None of the frequently mentioned papal candidates has called for ending dialogue, but they have taken different approaches to sustaining it. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was John Paul's chief guardian of Catholic doctrine, has placed a priority on shoring up faith among Catholics as a prerequisite for successful interfaith dialogue. In 2000, he wrote a declaration called Dominus Iesus, or Lord Jesus, stressing the superiority of Catholicism.

Nigeria's Cardinal Francis Arinze, the most-mentioned African candidate, doesn't dispute Ratzinger's Catholic-centric approach but sees contact with other religions as a vehicle for strengthening Catholicism. In his 1997 book, "Meeting Other Believers," Arinze wrote: "Through contact with other believers, the Church also learns much. Christians learn what great gifts, for example, of wisdom, holiness of life, love of others, self-gift to others and asceticism God has given to some people who are outside the visible boundaries of the Church."

Cardinal Ivan Dias, the archbishop of Bombay, has split the difference. He strongly supported Ratzinger's expression of Catholic superiority but also told a group of bishops recently that the Catholic Church "must make every effort to relate to every human being without any superiority complex."...

Of course, but the emphasis here is on human beings, not belief systems. To make every effort to relate to every human being without a superiority complex doesn't mean that we treat every belief-system as if it were equal in its capacity to inspire either violence or benevolence.

Vatican unease over outreach surfaced in 2003 when La Civilta Cattolica, a Jesuit magazine whose articles have to be approved by the Vatican secretary of state, published a downbeat assessment of Christian-Muslim relations. It said the Vatican's professions of tolerance for Muslims had not been displayed equally by Muslims for Christians.

What's that? I'm shocked, shocked! Muslims have not respected or tolerated Christians?

La Civilta Cattolica noted that Saudi Arabia refused to permit churches to be built on its territory but financed construction of mosques and schools in Europe, including Rome, "the very heart of Christianity."

Early this year, Peter Hans Kolvenbach, head of the Jesuit order, warned against building up illusions in inter-religious talks, particularly with Muslims. "There is an unbridgeable gap between the religions," he wrote. "I repeat that this does not exclude meetings for the purpose of understanding each other better. But an awareness of the impediment makes these meetings become more honest. Otherwise there is a risk of treating the Muslim, theologically, as if he were a Christian of another confession."...

Hear, hear, Kolvenbach. I'm all for not building up illusions. We have labored under too many for too long.

Holland: Samir A. update -- Follow the bouncing ball

He's in, he's out. "Samir A. freed again, but may face assault charge," an update on the ongoing Samir A. drama from Expatica, with thanks to Dutch Cares:

AMSTERDAM — The man who was acquitted last week of plotting terrorist attacks in the Netherlands has been released from police custody again after he was briefly re-arrested on Wednesday, his lawyer Victor Koppe has said.

Samir A. will hear in about four weeks if he is to face assault and public disorder charges, which can result in a fine or a prison term of up to two years. The potential sentence is not sufficient to warrant his remand in custody.

The 18-year-old was detained and questioned by police on Wednesday in relation to the assault of a press photographer last week.

The incident — which was captured on camera by another photographer — occurred shortly after A. was cleared of the terror charges....

Christian Cemetery Desecrations in Iran and Iraq

From the Sabian Mandaean Association of Australia, with thanks to Mary Beth:

Several years ago the authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran confiscated the Mandaean cemetery at Ahwaz. The authorities casually disposed of all the human remains and asphalted the cemetery and used it as a car park. Eventually, the Mandaean community in Ahwaz was able to obtain a new burial ground. This new cemetery has now been desecrated by Muslims. Muslims have smashed headstones and in some cases have stolen the valuable marble slabs covering Mandaean graves.

Our Association has also been advised that Muslims have desecrated and destroyed the Mandaean cemetery at Khamzi Meel on the outskirts of Basra in Iraq. The Muslims have removed the fence, removed the sign, and destroyed the headstones. They are now grazing sheep and goats on the graves. The Association has also received a media report that Muslims have recently destroyed the largest Roman Catholic cemetery in Mogadishu, Somalia, digging up the human remains and dumping them on a beach. It appears that desecration of “infidel” cemeteries may be some sort of standard Islamic practice.

Unless, of course, it is perpetrated by those pesky Misunderstanders of Islam. Despite the best efforts of Ibrahim Hooper, Jamal Badawi, Stephen Schwartz, et al, they're everywhere.

Purdue University's Dhimmitude Awareness Week

Another Islamic Awareness Week, this time at Purdue (thanks to the Norwegian Kafir for the link): "Group raises students' awareness of Islam."

The vice president of the Muslim Students Association is just hoping for peace.

"Knowledge leads to understanding, understanding leads to tolerance and tolerance leads to peace," said Hany Gabal, a senior in the College of Health Sciences.

Great, Hany. Terrific. Now are you going to provide real knowledge of what it is in Islam that gives rise to violence and terrorism?

The association is presenting Islamic Awareness Week from Monday to Thursday and the goal is to promote the understanding of Islam.

Every day this week the association has set up an information booth in the Purdue Mall to pass out information about Islam and raise the campus' awareness.

"Everyone needs to know about other people's religions," Gabal said.

The group is also presenting daily programs, such as evening lectures and videos.

On Monday, a video entitled "Beauty and Wonder in Islam" was shown.

"This video is about a British man who converted to Islam, and he discusses the proven existence of a creator and the meaning of life," Gabal said.

Another highlight of the week is the lecture scheduled for Thursday evening.

The lecture, "What Everyone Should Know About Islam," will be presented by Yassir Qadi at 7 p.m. in Beering Hall, Room 2280 and a question session will follow.

Samina Mohammad, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, hopes that these programs will not only promote the understanding of Islam, but also clear up misconceptions about the religion.

"We spread the message of Islam and clear up any misconceptions that have formed due to existing political issues and the often irresponsible material presented in mass media," Mohammad said....

Yeah, that mass media is bad news. I hear they even flew a couple of planes into some towers in New York, and said they were inspired by Islamic teachings. Scoundrels!

Holland: right-wing protest banned

"Right-wing protest banned in Venray," from the Dutch Expatica, with thanks to Dutch Cares.

AMSTERDAM — Right-wing politician Michiel Smit has been banned from staging a protest in Venray, the scene of recent clashes between Lonsdale youths and Turkish immigrants.

Mayor Jos Waals said Saturday's protest organised by Smit posed a threat to public order. He said vandalism could occur as protestors moved through the city streets.

But Smit — who founded the right-wing party NieuwRechts (New Right) after he was expelled from Pim Fortuyn's Leefbaar Rotterdam (LR) — said the last word had not been said. A legal challenge to the ban is being prepared.

"We hope that an alternative can be discussed with the city council," he said.

Waals banned the demonstration based on an emergency ordinance imposed last week. The by-law was sparked after violence erupted at the start of this month between extreme-right youths and people with Turkish ancestry after windows were smashed at a local mosque.

The Dutch youths were wearing Lonsdale clothing, which has come to identify racist Dutch youths. Lonsdale is said to be an unofficial abbreviation for 'Laat ons Nederlanders samen de allochtonen langzaam elimineren' (meaning in English: 'Let us Dutch people gradually eliminate the immigrant together').

The national security service AIVD is now investigating the rise of right-wing Dutch youth and the threat they pose to society. Police chiefs have recently raised alarm about the rapid radicalisation of native youths....

Yet they do not face the possibility that this radicalization is being caused by their dhimmi weakness in the face of Islamic intimidation and violence.

Meanwhile, while they're cracking down on this fearsome anti-Muslim threat, the real truth is that such a threat is declining: "Anti-Islamic violence declines," from the Dutch Expatica, again with thanks to Dutch Cares:

The number of violent incidents against Islamic buildings and organisations has steadily declined since the high of 120 attacks reported in the month after Theo van Gogh was murdered last year. Some 44 incidents were still reported between 23 November last year and 13 March, 31 of which were directed at mosques and 13 at Islamic schools. In 33 incidents, prosecutable offences were committed, Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner and Interior Minister Johan Remkes told MPs on Wednesday. Since mid-March, violent incidents were also reported at an Islamic school in Uden and at a mosque in Venray.

Samir A. re-arrested after assault

Maybe the dhimmis shouldn't have acquitted him in the first place. From the Dutch Expatica, with thanks to Dutch Cares:

AMSTERDAM — Acquitted terror suspect Samir A. has been re-arrested in Rotterdam, this time in connection with the assault on a photographer last week.

A. was released from the Nieuwegein jail, near Utrecht, on 6 April after Rotterdam Court acquitted him of planning terror attacks against government buildings and other key installations.

The prosecution will appeal the ruling.

A pack of journalists were waiting for him outside the jail. The acquitted terror suspect was being escorted to a red van by friends and it was clear that neither he nor his friends were pleased by the media attention.

A photographer with news agency ANP caught A. in the act of punching a freelance photographer to the ground.

The photographer who was hit, Oscar Flos, later lodged a police report. Police also spoke with other journalists who witnessed the incident.

A.'s arrest was officially confirmed by Utrecht police after anonymous sources indicated to ANP that he had been taken back into custody.

I guess an actual picture of the guy attacking a photographer was considered evidence enough for him to be detained, even in dhimmi Amsterdam.

Van Gogh killer demands more "nuanced" prosecution

That's the problem with so many who resist the global jihad: we lack "nuance." I report what Muslim scholars say the Qur'an means and what jihad is, and Islamic apologists respond, "You don't know anything about Islam." But never will they share their secret decoder rings with us and explain how it must really be understood. They no doubt are sure that I lack "nuance." "Mohammed B. breaks silence, OM probes conspiracy link," from the Dutch Expatica, with thanks to Dutch Cares:

AMSTERDAM - The suspected Islamic militant accused of murdering of filmmaker Theo van Gogh broke his silence during a preliminary hearing in the high-security Amsterdam-Osdorp courthouse on Wednesday.

Mohammed B. told Amsterdam Court he wanted to correct a false claim that public prosecutor Frits van Straelen had made in a preliminary hearing at the end of January.

The public prosecutor's office (OM) claims B.'s brother wanted to smuggle a document out of the penitentiary hospital in Scheveningen, but B. rejected this claim. "It is more nuanced," he said, without shedding further light on the incident.

The 27-year-old Dutch-Moroccan also urged the prosecutor to be "more nuanced and professional" in future, but refused to reveal anything about the killing of Van Gogh.

The court asked if B. wanted to say anything more - such as in relation to his psychiatric examination in the Pieter Baan Centre (PBC) - but B. said he had nothing further to add. "That was my story. That was it, point," he said.

Prosecutor Van Straelen suggested on Wednesday that several people were aware that B. was planning to kill Van Gogh. He underpinned his claims by eluding to bugged telephone calls, but admitted conclusive evidence has not yet been uncovered.

Van Straelen referred to investigations conducted by the security service AIVD into two alleged members of the suspected terror network Hofstadgroep, Jason W. and Ismaël A., both of whom were arrested last November in tense stand-off in The Hague.

In the previous pre-trial hearing on 26 January, the prosecutor said members of the Hofstadgroep - of whom 12 suspects have been arrested - regularly met B. at his house in Amsterdam-West. The night prior to Van Gogh's murder, B. also allegedly met with suspected members of the Hofstadgroep....

Sporting a long beard and wearing a black skullcap, B. arrived at the court on Wednesday on crutches; a consequence of being shot in the police shoot-out after Van Gogh was stabbed and shot in Amsterdam last November. He appeared relaxed at the start of the hearing.

B. indicated via a statement that defence lawyer Peter Plasman presented to the pre-trial in hearing in January that he wants to take responsibility for his actions, apparently a veiled confession.

And after the end of Wednesday's preliminary hearing, Plasman said he expects B. will provide a more detailed statement when the trial starts. It is scheduled to begin on 11 July.

B. is accused of murdering Van Gogh, the attempted murder of police officers, threatening MP Ayaan Hirsi Al and hindering the work of a politician. He faces life in jail....

Unfortunately, those brave people, Geert Wilders and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, also face life in prison. Geert Wilders is currently being "protected" in the jail where the Lockerbie bombers once awaited trial.

Dhimmitude at Australian Passover meal

"Muslims join Jews to celebrate Passover," from The Age, with thanks to Daniel Pipes and Mark Durie:

Melbourne Jews and Muslims made history last night by joining for the first time to celebrate Passover, one of Judaism's most important festivals.

Nearly 100 people took part in the Passover ritual and meal at the Prahran community centre as part of the building bridges program to bring the two faiths together.

The real Passover, in a fortnight, commemorates Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt for the Promised Land some 3500 years ago, an event that is important to Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Fred Morgan, rabbi of Temple Beth Israel, who led the Passover meal, said it was the story that bound Jews together.

"It reminds us that we are required to speak out for freedom for all people," Rabbi Morgan said.

Muslims present were fascinated. Before the ceremony began they had little idea of what to expect and most had no idea what it commemorated.

Hmmm. This seems to belie the earlier statement that Passover is important to Islam. How important could it be to Muslims if they have no idea what it commemorates?

Rabbi Morgan said the service was truncated to make sure it finished before midnight. And it was amended to avoid offending Muslims. Grape juice was drunk instead of wine and the final invocation, "Next year in Jerusalem", was dropped.

Yes, well, so much for ceremonial significance. Next year in Rahway, eh? Certainly not in, say, Tel Aviv. Why not just chuck the whole thing to "avoid offending Muslims?"

Saudi Arabia enters the 19th century!

"Saudi Arabia bans forced marriage," from the BBC, with thanks to Elvendell:

Saudi Arabia's top religious authority has banned the practice of forcing women to marry against their will.

Grand mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said forced marriage was against Islamic law and those responsible for it should be jailed....

The ban is a significant victory for women's rights in Saudi Arabia, where females face a range of restrictions.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz, who heads the Council of Senior Ulema (Scholars) said: "Forcing a woman to marry someone she does not want and preventing her from wedding that whom she chooses... is not permissible" under Islamic law.

He said fathers who coerce daughters into in marriage should be jailed and not released "until they change their minds".

According to Saudi media, about half of marriages in the country end in divorce, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Women are subject to number of restrictions in the kingdom - an absolute monarchy, governed according to a highly conservative interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

They are obliged to wear a veil and are not permitted to travel alone or mix with men other than relatives.

Women were not able to obtain separate identity cards until 2001, and even then only with the permission of a male relative.

They do not have the right to vote or run for public office and, until June this [last] year, were forbidden from working in most jobs.

Hirsi Ali among world's most influential

Our hero

May her influence continue to grow. May she become leader of the EU. From Expatica, with thanks to Susan:

AMSTERDAM — Dutch Liberal MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been named by weekly magazine 'Time' as one of the world's top 100 influential people.

She was listed as the 22nd most influential politician in the world.

Hirsi Ali was included in the list among world leaders such as US president George W Bush, Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and South African president Thabo Mbeki....

Time described Hirsi Ali, the Liberal VVD MP as "someone who stands up for her convictions", newspaper 'De Volkskrant' reported on Monday.

The cultural and political problems in the Netherlands have featured prominently in US media reports since the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a suspected Islamic militant last year.

Hirsi Ali plays a prominent role in the media reports as a woman of Somali origin who dares to speak out against the treatment of women under Islam.

She co-produced the film 'Submission' with Van Gogh shortly before his assassination by a Dutch-Moroccan man. The film is highly critical of domestic abuse among the Islamic community.

And, of course, it cost van Gogh his life and sent Hirsi Ali into hiding.

Younus Shaikh on Islam and women

Dr. Younus Shaikh, Pakistani Rationalist and founding President of the Rationalist organization of Pakistan, "The Enlightenment", who was once sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan and whose statement to the UN on that affair can be found in The Myth of Islamic Tolerance, writes the following in the conclusion of "Islam and Women" in News from Bangladesh (thanks to EPG):

The rise of Saudi-sponsored extremist Islam is a danger to civilization everywhere. All extremist Muslims are potential terrorists and Allah's soldiers. There should be no tolerance for this religiously organized intolerance against liberalism, human rights and women's equal status and other manifestations of our civilization. Muslims in civilized and democratic societies should be required to take the oath of loyalty to the state and democracy. Political right to vote to those whose political loyalties are located in some far off desert is not only harmful but also suicidal for the state as well as for the very ideology and system of democracy. Political right to vote for those who wish to destroy the very system of democracy? Think again, Ladies and gentlemen.

There is no place for optimism for a liberal Islam. Nearly all Islamic states and states have failed to appreciate the basic human rights of their people, their women and their minorities. Saudis and Emirates are the worst offenders; and are the financial godfathers of fundamentalism, extremism and Islamic backwardness everywhere.. Nearly every Islamic country is dangerous not only for itself but for the world as a whole. Pakistan, for example, after supplying Iran and with Korea with nuke-secrets continues to offer the dangerous technology; Vietnam and Brazil are the new customers. The nuke-terrorist Dr. Abdul Qadir Kahn is safe, well protected and facilitated by the State of Pakistan, with full impunity, of course.

You civilized people! Yesterday you refused to acknowledge the dangers inherent in the rise of the Christian Nazi and Communist ideologies.

I respect Dr. Younus Shaikh a great deal, and I know this will fire up the anti-Christian people who post here regularly, but I maintain that any unbiased look at the actual content of both the Nazi and Communist ideologies will reveal that both explicitly reject Christianity. The Nazis intended to restore ancient German paganism, and found a great deal of resistance from Christians -- particularly Catholics (contrary to common belief today). In the elections in the early 1930s they always ran weakest in Catholic Bavaria. Hitler's concordat with the Vatican was no different from concordats the Vatican concluded with many other states; none of them signified an endorsement by the Vatican of that state's ideology. Pope Pius XI denounced Nazi racism and anti-Semitism in the 1937 encylical Mit Brennender Sorge, which was pointedly written in German (all others were in Latin). Pius XI famously remarked, "Spiritually, we are all Semites." And the idea that Pope Pius XII collaborated with Hitler, although accepted virtually everywhere today, is actually not borne out by the historical evidence. Even the author of Hitler's Pope has renounced his own thesis; the real story of Pius' thoroughgoing opposition to Hitler can be found in Ronald Rychlak's book Hitler, The War, and The Pope. And the Communists, of course, closed churches wholesale and set themselves up as active opponents of Christianity.

I say all that because the moral equivalence between Islam and Christianity implied in the statement here by Younus Shaikh, and stated openly by many Islamic apologists and their allies, is false, misleading, and ultimately harmful to the resistance to the jihad.

But in every other way Dr. Younus Shaikh speaks with a clear and prophetic voice:

Yesterday you supported Islamic Taliban even when they trampled rights of their women under their feet. Your refusal to confront militant Islam today may cost us more dearly than our individual lives-our cherished achievement -our civilization. Beliefs have consequences-the centrality of Islam to mental, social, intellectual and cultural backwardness; organized offences against women and minorities; fundamentalism, extremism and modern terrorism are impossible to deny. "Religions of peace and tolerance" are mere empty words.

Islam is an organized crime against humanity!

The next Pope and Islamic prophecy

Steven Stalinsky, Executive Director of the superlative Middle East Media Research Institute, explores some long-standing jihadist aspirations for Europe in Frontpage (thanks to Rebecca Bynum):

Following Pope John Paul II's visit to the Middle East in 2000 and 2001, some prominent Muslim leaders openly discussed the future dominance of Islam in Europe, including conquesting the Vatican.

While the identity of the next pope is decided, one of the pressing issues he will have to deal with is the growing Muslim community in Europe, part of which have Islamist inclinations. As the New York Times reported this week, the next pope will be facing "increasing secularism in Europe, contrasting with the religious revival in the Islamic world… and the rising number of Muslim immigrants in Europe."

Saudi Sheikh Muhammad bin Abd Al-Rahman Al-'Arifi, Imam of the mosque of King Fahd Defense Academy, discussed the coming Muslim conquest of the Vatican. Citing a Hadith in an article posted on the Kalemat website in 2002, he stated: "… We will control the land of the Vatican; we will control Rome and introduce Islam in it. Yes, the Christians, who carve crosses on the breasts of the Muslims … will yet pay us the Jiziya [poll tax paid by non-Muslims under Muslim rule], in humiliation, or they will convert to Islam…"

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and head of The European Council for Fatwa and Research and the founder of European based International Council of Muslim Scholars (Imams) posted a fatwa on the website www.islamonline.net, in 2002 about the "signs of the victory of Islam" in Europe.

Also citing a well-known Hadith, Al-Qaradhawi wrote: "… The Prophet Muhammad was asked: 'What city will be conquered first, Constantinople or Romiyya?' He answered: 'The city of Hirqil [i.e. the Byzantine emperor Heraclius] will be conquered first' - that is, Constantinople… Romiyya is the city called today 'Rome,' the capital of Italy … and we hope and believe [that it too will be conquered]."

Al-Qaradhawi elaborated on what this Islamic ruling means in the current period of history, "This means that Islam will return to Europe as a conqueror and victor, after being expelled from it twice … I maintain that the conquest this time will not be by the sword but by preaching and ideology…"

On his weekly Al-Jazeera religious program in 1999, Al-Qaradhawi made similar statements: "All right, Constantinople was conquered, and the second part of the prophecy remains, that is, the conquest of Rome. This means that Islam will return to Europe. Islam entered Europe twice and left it… Perhaps the next conquest … will be by means of preaching and ideology. The conquest need not necessarily be by the sword… Perhaps we will conquer these lands without armies. We want an army of preachers and teachers who will present Islam in all languages …"

In November 2000, Al-Qaradhawi again speaking on this subject on his Al-Jazeera show elaborated on the importance of European Da'wa (spreading Islam to non-Muslims): "Europe will see that it suffers from materialistic culture, and will seek an alternative … Islam will return to Europe and the Europeans will convert to Islam."

Following this statement, there were media reports about the growing Muslim community in Italy. On May 14, 2000, the Boston Globe stated that at the time there were nearly 1 million Muslims in Italy, a number which doubled in just 10 years. The report also noted there were over 10,000 Italian-born converts, with the number of mosques and Islamic cultural centers having gone from 12 to 400 in the past 16 years....

Read it all.

Anti-dhimmitude from the Queen of Denmark: "We have simply left it flapping around for far too long"

The Queen of Denmark speaks truth to power, as Shahid Alam or Omid Safi might say. "Danish Queen Says Tolerance of Muslims Has Limits," from Reuters, with thanks to Rant Wraith:

COPENHAGEN - Denmark's Queen Margrethe urged Muslim immigrants to learn Danish to help them feel more at home and said in an official biography published on Thursday society should show limited tolerance of radical Islam.

"We are being challenged by Islam these years. Globally as well as locally," said the 64-year-old queen, who was interviewed by journalist Annelise Bistrup for her book "Margrethe."

"We must take this challenge seriously. We have simply left it flapping around for far too long, because we are tolerant and rather lazy," she is quoted as saying.

About 8 percent of Denmark's 5.4 million people are immigrants -- about a third of those come from other European Union countries or North America and only 150,000 are Muslims....

But Denmark has cracked down on migration in the past three years and the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party, an ally of the center-right government, has pushed through laws making it harder to bring in foreign spouses or qualify for asylum.

The monarch said people who dedicated their lives to religion were fascinating and felt she had gained insight into Islam from her studies of archaeology.

She went on to say "there is also something frightening about such a totality which is also a part of Islam. A certain response must be shown and sometimes one must run the risk of being labeled in a less flattering way. Because there are certain things with which one should not be tolerant."

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen won a second term in February thanks to the popularity of new rules which have cut the number of asylum-seekers by 80 percent. Human rights organizations have criticized such measures.

On what grounds? What natural right does anyone have to seek asylum in Denmark? How many asylum seekers are trying to get into Saudi Arabia or Egypt?

Many newcomers to the Nordic country do not learn Danish and the unemployment rate among immigrants -- particularly from developing countries -- is still much higher than among Danes, as are crime rates.

"We could have handled this challenge a bit better, if we had realized what we were up against," Margrethe said....

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

EU shocker: Hamas are 'freedom fighters'

The title comes from the original WND piece, but in fact this is not a "shocker" at all. It is just another unsurprising and dispiriting bit of dhimmitude -- and confirmation of Bat Ye'or's Eurabia thesis. From WND, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:

A top European Union official held a secret meeting in Gaza with the leaders of Hamas, in spite of EU denials to the contrary, in which he praised the terror organization's work, blamed terrorism on "Israeli occupation," referred to Hamas militants as "freedom fighters" and failed to contradict claims Israel was responsible for the September 11 attacks, according to transcripts of the conversation obtained by WorldNetDaily.

There were some leaked reports of the 2002 meeting, but the transcripts for the first time expose what was discussed with Hamas and may shed light on various aspects of EU Mideast diplomacy.

The transcripts, seized from the Palestinian Authority Preventive Security compound in Gaza during Israel's 2002 Defensive Shield operation and released through Israel's Center for Special Studies, document a discreet meeting between Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated by Israel in March 2004, and Alistair Crooke, the security adviser for Miguel Moratinos, then EU special envoy for promoting the peace process in the Middle East.

The meeting conflicts with a November 2004 statement issued by a spokeswoman on behalf of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana denying Solana or his staff ever met or held "direct contacts" with Hamas or other groups featured on the EU list of banned terrorist organizations....

According to the confidential transcripts, Crooke explained to Hamas leaders he requested the meeting, in part, because he was worried a speech to be delivered by U.S. President George W. Bush regarding American policy toward the Middle East might reflect negatively on the EU.

"We are currently in an extremely grave situation," said Crooke, according to the documents. "Europe doesn't know what President Bush is going to say in his speech to the Middle East. So far there are about 27 drafts of that speech, and there are disagreements in the American administration over that issue."

Crooke urged Hamas to keep the meeting private so that, the envoy explained, Israel and the U.S. could not take advantage of the conversation, according to the transcripts.

Crooke immediately voiced his appreciation of the terror group's welfare programs, which include schools and health care centers, and praised Hamas as an "important political factor."

He told Yassin and the other top Hamas leaders present: "The main problem is the Israeli occupation," explaining he understood it was impossible for Hamas to lower the level of violence unless Israel and the Palestinians were engaged in a political process....

Yassin responded he was satisfied with Crooke's "understanding" that the source of violence in the Middle East is Israel's "occupation," which Yassin said refers to the entire state of Israel, founded in 1948, not just the West Bank, which Israel obtained following the 1967 Six Day War....

Yassin told Crooke he was dissatisfied with an EU decision to place Hamas on an official list of terror organizations, suggesting the Europeans should support Hamas "the way you supported the [Muslim] fighters in Afghanistan."

Crooke replied Europe sympathized with the Palestinian people, adding, "I explained to Solana and [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair that the status of Europe in the eyes of the Palestinians has started to decline. ... We do not consider Hamas' political wing to be a terrorist organization."

Crooke talked about different definitions of terrorism: "As for terrorism, I hate that word. I've spent some time in my life with freedom fighters like in Colombia."...

At the 2002 meeting, Yassin informed Crooke of his goal to replace Israel with a "true state" encompassing the entire territory of "Palestine," based on Arab and Islamic tradition and distanced from the corruption that Yassin said originates in Israel and the West.

Without addressing Yassin's comments, Crooke continued by stating the EU objected to Israeli settlement activity.

"There must be a total halt of the settlement [activity]," said Crooke.

Yassin then blamed Israel for the September 11 terror attacks.

"Time will tell that Israel knew [in advance] what happened in America, and that it was global Zionism that paralyzed the American security so that war could be declared on the Islamic world and [on] Hamas. Approximately 100-120 American Zionist agents [knew about it] and did not report it. I do not rule out the possibility that they attempted to induce Hamas [operatives] and other Islamic operatives [to do it]."...

Observers attribute the EU's traditional pro-Palestinian stance to its close economic ties to Arab countries and growing Muslim populations throughout Europe.

The EU previously adamantly denied meeting with Hamas, although in one interview, given to the BBC, Solana mentioned he had "had direct contact with Hamas, but not in the last few days."...

"Of course the EU is biased against Israel. This is nothing new," said a deputy from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office who was aware of the transcripts. "But to read [the Crooke] conversations is still shocking. The level of immorality displayed by it is very telling of the EU approach to the Middle East."

Victory! Jordanian Court Takes Away Custody of Christian Children from Muslim Uncle

It looks as if Siham Qandah may finally have won. From Christian Today, with thanks to Dr JDJ:

Compass Direct, a news agency focusing on human rights and Christian persecution, reported that a Jordanian Christian widow has been granted the custody of her two Christian children by the Amman Islamic court after their Muslim uncle had taken care of them for 7 years.

Siham Qandah appealed to the Amman Islamic Court for the legal guardianship of her two children after she discovered that her Muslim brother, Abdullah al-Muhtadi, had withdrawn their monthly benefits while he was taking care of them. At a hearing on April 12, Judge Mahmud Zghl ruled in favour of Qandah and ordered al-Muhtadi to repay mis-spent amounts taken from the children’s trust fund....

Compass Direct reported that Qandah’s husband died while serving with the UN in Kosovo in 1994. But when she went to claim her children’s army orphan benefits, a local court produced an unsigned "conversion" certificate, claiming that her Christian husband had secretly converted to Islam three years before his death.

According to Islamic law, the two children automatically became Muslims too. In order to maintain the army orphan benefits for her children Qandah nominated her brother (who converted to Islam as a teenager) to serve as their legal Muslim guardian, Compass Direct said.

In 1998, her brother applied for full custody of the two children, objecting to the children being brought up as Christians. Later, he even withdrew the monthly benefits from the two children and later withdrew nearly half of their UN-allocated trust funds by getting signed approvals from senior judges....

Convoys of Muslim scholars tour Europe to rectify image of Islam

Put the hammer down, good buddy: it's a convoy. If Muslims could only rid themselves of their little "image problem," all would be well. From Arabic News, with thanks to the Norwegian Kafir:

Egypt's Ministry of Awkaf sets arrangements for sending a convoy to France to rectify the image of Islam. The convoy will comprise a constellation of Egyptian scholars for engaging the public about what Islam is.

On his part, Minister of Awkaf Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq said a second convoy will head for Germany on Saturday and will group four of the most distinguished preachers who have the ability to address the Western mentality.

The Germany-bound convoy will be presided over by the Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Ali Gomaa within the framework of Egypt's keenness on highlighting the Islamic tenets, especially this period in which fierce attacks against Islam have increased.

Amazing double life a growing trend among Muslim girls

Clash of civilizations update. I hope these double-life girls don't end up murdered in an "honor killing." From the Pretoria News, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

For the past four years, 24-year-old engineering student Sofia Ahmed has been leading a double life. During a typical week, she will study in her university library by day, then head to any one of Liverpool's many student bars at night.

There, she will party until the early hours: drinking, smoking and experimenting with the hedonistic lifestyle of a typical British
undergraduate.

But at the weekend, Sofia plays the role of a completely different person; a dutiful daughter of a well-to-do, traditional Muslim family who have raised their daughter to shun such Western temptations.

"Every Friday I get on a train home to Manchester to stay with my family," she says. "It isn't up for discussion; it is just expected. Before I leave, I tidy myself up, make sure I don't smell of drink or cigarettes, and head home to play the dutiful daughter, helping my mother in the kitchen, attending mosque and sitting with my parents' guests."

On Sunday night, Sofia returns to Liverpool and the cycle begins again.

"Within half an hour, I will be slipping into a sexy dress and be on my way to a bar to meet friends."

For most teenagers, university life brings the first experience of freedom from parental control. It is a taste of a life to come.

But for many female Muslims like Sofia, this taste is bittersweet. When she graduates this year, she will return to her parents' home, where she'll revert back to the life of a "good girl", cocooned in a close-knit community where drinking, smoking and having boyfriends is considered sinful.

"In my time at university I have done everything that is forbidden by my religion. I didn't set out to rebel, nor did I feel peer pressure to do what I've been doing," she says.

"I was just genuinely curious about what all my friends were getting up to. You can't grow up in this country and ignore the culture around you."

And as more Muslim women than ever go into higher education, this double life is becoming something of a hidden social phenomenon.

Psychologist Irma Hussain has counselled many Muslim women who have experienced this culture clash.

"Muslim women have faced these conflicts for more than 20 years, but nowadays more women who come from very traditional families are going into higher education, which they never would have been allowed to before."

"It is a great temptation to break from tradition when they are away from their family and everyone around them is having a good time, but it is not without consequences."

"Some may look back and think it was fun, but others struggle with the double life and can never be happy leading such a conflicting
existence."...

Petition to the UN Against Religious Apartheid

A call for some sanity at the UN from the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights: Petition to the United Nations Against Religious Apartheid

To: H.E. the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan;

The Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights is an umbrella coalition representing various organizations from the following communities: Arab-Christian, Armenian, Assyrian, Bahai, Buddhist, Copt, Hindu, Humanist Muslim, Ibo, Maronite, Nubian, secular intellectuals, Southern Filipino, Slavic-Christian, Southern Sudanese, Syriac, West African, and women's groups.

We gather to demonstrate our determination to protest the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, as well as women and moderate and secularized Muslims in Islamic lands. We are here also to cry out against the murderous ideology of radical Islamism, which, by dividing humankind into worthy Muslims and inferior "infidels" is wreaking havoc throughout the world.

In the face of growing attacks and oppression of religious and ethnic minorities in Islamic lands, we respectfully make the following two demands upon the appropriate organs of the United Nations:

1. We call upon you today to appoint a Special Rapporteur to investigate the status and conditions of non-Muslim minorities, women, and humanist, moderate Muslims in states ruled by Islamic majorities. Such a rappoteur must investigate the following conditions.

Equality Under Law: What is the status, both in law and in practice, of these groups, and of individuals belonging to these groups? Do the laws in these nations discriminate against religious minorities? Do members of these groups have the same rights to assemble, speak, publish, and associate as those in the majority? Can members of these classes be elected to governmental and representative bodies? Is there a government policy of discriminating against the hiring of members of these classes? Does the government allow or encourage radical anti-minority organizations to abuse, threaten or otherwise oppress minority populations? Do the agencies that enforce the laws represent all groups in society?

Religious rights and freedom: Do members of minority faiths have the right to practice their faiths freely? Do they have the right to proselytize? Do members of the majority faith have the right to choose another faith?

Cultural equality: Are the rights and cultures of national, religious, and ethnic minorities respected?

Teaching of hatred and contempt: What is the view of these classes promoted by the government and the general culture?

2. We call upon the United Nations to condemn the ideology of Jihad-Islamism as a form of religious apartheid, which divides humankind into exalted Muslims and inferior "infidels."

Radical Jihad-Islamism is a supremacist, quasi-racist ideology that is now waging terrorist war worldwide against innocent men, women and children it labels "infidels." This ideology is supporting religious wars against non-Islamist Muslims and non-Muslim infidels worldwide. It is seeking to establish Apartheid-like regimes similar to those in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan, to subjugate and control "infidels." It legitimizes and extends human rights abuses - including slavery - on a massive scale. It employs a global economic resource (oil) as a weapon against non-Muslim nations in the service of its goals. It is the duty of the United Nations, which came into being as a result of racist Nazism, to condemn and to combat any ideology which defines some part of the human race as inferior.

Radical Jihad-Islamism must be condemned as a form of cultural, racial, religious and ethnic discrimination, and the United Nations should equate it with Colonialism and Imperialism. It should condemn its teaching to any community or school and it should call for a "corrective teaching" to seek to undo the hatred that it has engendered in peoples who have been taught the ideology. Further, the U.N. should condemn all current Jihad wars and call on nations waging such wars to cease violating the rights of ethnic and religious minorities and peoples. Finally, the U.N. should intervene to protect the rights and lives of religious and ethnic minorities and non-Islamist Muslims in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia Sudan, and Syria.
We would like to meet with you about our concerns, and we wait with hope and prayer, your considered response.

Sincerely,
Fr. Keith Roderick
Secretary General

Click here to sign the petition.

U.N. Calls for Combating 'Defamation' of Islam

More UN dhimmitude from Reuters, with thanks to all who sent this in:

GENEVA - The United Nations Commission on Human Rights called on Tuesday for combating defamation of religions, especially Islam, and condemned discrimination against Muslims in the West's war on terrorism.

The 53-member state forum adopted a resolution, presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), deploring the intensification of a "campaign of defamation" against Muslims following the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.

Western countries, including the United States and European Union (EU), voted against the text, calling it unbalanced for failing to address problems suffered by other religious groups.

The OIC resolution was adopted by a vote of 31 countries in favor and 16 against, with five abstentions and one delegation absent, Indonesia's ambassador Makarim Wibisono, who chairs the annual six-week session, announced after the public vote.

"Stereotyping of any religion as propagating violence or its association with terrorism constitutes defamation of religion. It unfortunately breeds a culture of hatred, disharmony and discrimination," Pakistan's envoy, Masood Khan, said in a speech on behalf of the OIC, which links 57 Islamic nations.

Websters dictionary defines defamation as: "to harm the reputation of by libel or slander." Libel is defined as: "to convey an unjustly unfavorable impression." By these definitions it's hard to imagine how Islam could be any more defamed than by Muslims' own words and actions.

There was "a growing trend of defamation of Islam and discrimination faced by Muslims and the people of Arab descent in many parts of the world," he said, citing attacks on places of worship and religious symbols.

In a recent report, the U.N. special investigator on racism, Doudou Diene, cited examples including "Islamophobic violence" after the murder last November of Dutch film director Theo Van Gogh, and an "alarming number of expulsions of imams" in Europe.

What a load of Doudou. What we're "alarmed" about is why these seditious "preachers of hatred" weren't deported sooner. And come to think of it, why aren't we doing anything about them here in America?

Strange bedfellows alert:

Delegations from Cuba and China, which has been accused by rights activists of repressing its own Muslim Uighur minority, were among the countries to take the floor during the debate to back the OIC resolution.

"Islam has been the subject of very deep campaign of defamation. All you have to do is look at the films which have come out of Hollywood the last few years," said Cuba's delegate, Rodolfo Reyes Rodriguez....

"This resolution is incomplete inasmuch as it fails to address the situation of all religions," Leonard Leo, a member of the U.S. delegation, said in a speech.

The Netherlands, speaking for the EU, said religious intolerance was a "matter of grave concern" within the bloc, adding that it regretted the EU had been unable to agree on a "more balanced" joint text with the OIC.

"Discrimination based on religion or belief is not confined to any one religion nor to any one part of the world," said Dutch ambassador Ian de Jong.

Well, when the first resolution condemning dhimmitude comes up, give us a call here at Jihad Watch Command Central in sunny Secure Undisclosed Locationville. We will not, however, be waiting by the phone.

And when will the UN speak out against these anti-Christian incidents?

"Let us pray for the Pope, though not a Muslim, he was a dhimmi"

This is what kissing the Qur'an will get you. Note that this Muslim doesn't in the least think of dhimmitude as a relic of history. From an Islamicity blogger, with thanks to Mary Beth:

...I am a recent convert to Islam from Roman Catholicism; the reasons for my conversion (or reversion, rather) were never due to a negative view of the Pope nor his religion. Pope John Paul II spoke highly of Muslims, and praised us for our piety and devotion (he used those words specifically, in fact). He kissed the Quran, and was the first Pope to visit a masjid. He spoke out against the American wars in Iraq (both times) and Afghanistan, spoke out against the Wall in Israel and the oppression that the Palestinians suffer. He avoided the perils of moral relativism and held strong to values that we as Muslims would agree with.

For my own part, I remember when a Catholic priest I knew found out I took shahada; he didn't condemn it, but instead said that Catholicism and Islam were, in fact, very similar.

Innumerable Catholic and Orthodox martyrs to the sword of Islam might beg to differ with this priest.

I agree with him, and for this very reason I believe that it is imperative that we maintain an open and inclusive dialogue with the Roman Catholics. I believe that before the Last Day, many of them will, in fact join us, especially when they see just how similar we are and understand our differences (given an option, more than you might think would revert, in my opinion)for what they are.

My brothers and sisters, let us pray for the Pope, though not a Muslim, he was a dhimmi, a person of the book and a very good one indeed. Let us pray that, Inshallah, the new Pope will carry on in his predecessor's footsteps, let us pray, Inshallah, that Allah Subhana Wa Ta Ala will lift the veil from the eyes of the Catholics and they will join us in worship of the one true God.

Belgium: "Where once stood a shrine to Our Blessed Lady, now stands a mosque"

I have no idea which Cardinal would be a good Pope, but I am beginning to think that Belgium's Cardinal Danneels might not be the best choice. "Muslim group transforms chapel in Brussels as Cardinal Danneels departs for Rome," from the Catholic Church Conservation Blogspot, with thanks to Paolo:

In the centre of Brussels, there is the beautiful Church of the Minimes. It contains a Chapel in the form of the Holy House of Loretto which was built at the same time as the Church. A house of low repute was demolished to make way for the Church and there used to be an inscription in the Church, "Where once stood a temple of Venus, now stands a shrine to Our Blessed Lady." But now can it be said?

The Chapel is now being desecrated by an occupation by a group of Kurds. They claim to be on hunger strike. Why choose a Catholic Church when there are so many other places in Belgium to protest? But is the Chapel now being used as a mosque? The Vicariat of Brussels have neither confirmed nor denied this, despite several e-mails. The altar has been moved. The statue of Our Lady has been covered by a cloth in such a way that she is mostly hidden from the eyes of the occupants....

There is a track record of occupations of Belgian Churches by Muslim groups. The Beguinage Church, one witness alleged was "trashed". This is more than supported by its present state. The Church of the Holy Cross has been occupied. The Church of the Minimes was also occupied two years ago. Children were seen sitting in the priests' chairs in the sanctuary.

The Church authorities no longer defend the inheritance of the Churches. In the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a banner hangs bearing the name of Allah.

Please help Kristine Withers

Kristine Withers tells her story here. In brief:

Kristine Withers claims to have been assaulted by the Islamic Thinkers' Society, a group she says is likely tied to Al-Muhajiroun, which is a radical Islamic group that is believed to have worked with Al-Qaeda.

Read the whole story: instead of prosecuting those whom she says assaulted her, the police are prosecuting her. Kristine is looking for legal help, and urgently needs financial assistance to cover its costs. If you can help with any donation, large or small, it will be much appreciated. Send to:

Kristine Withers
C/O Dr. Leonard Vitale
1264 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10027

Assyrian Christians Raise Alarm Over Iraq Elections, Representation

Dhimmitude in Iraq. From AINA, with thanks to Dr JDJ:

Despite the emergence of a fledgling democratic government and a minority president, Assyrian Christians in Iraq have expressed concern over the persecution and disenfranchisement of minority groups during the past two months since the Jan. 30 elections.

Assyrian Christians make up about three percent, or 800 thousand, of Iraq's 26 million people. The majority of Iraqi Christians belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Iraqi branch of Roman Catholicism. Their patriarch is known as the "Assyrian," according to the Middle East Media Research Institute.

There are other smaller Churches in Iraq, including the Roman Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Nestorian and Armenian.

For Assyrian Christians, the path to democracy and representation in the new government has been filled with pitfalls.

The head of the Save the Assyrians campaign, Andy Darmoo, spoke at a news conference at the United Nations on Feb. 18 raising a call attention to the plight of Iraqi Christians.

Darmoo, an Assyrian who left Iraq in 1965, urged the United Nations and European union to increase international pressure on Baghdad to give Assyrians more humanitarian aid and a voice in the new Iraqi government, according to Reuters.

"Iraq was liberated to have freedom for everybody, not just Shi'ites, Kurds and Sunnis," said Darmoo.

He said that Assyrian Christians were the targets of a "quiet campaign of ethnic cleansing," according to Reuters.

The Assyrian International News Agency reported that pleas for help regarding vote fraud, threats, and killings targeting Assyrian Christians had been whitewashed by the Iraqi Independent Electoral High Commission's report on voting irregularities and lockouts in North Iraq.

In addition, another report said that the Al-Rafidayn Democratic Coalition, the main party representing ChaldoAssyrians blasted a February report by the IEHC. They said the report failed to explain a decision by the Niniveh governorate to open only 93 of 330 voting centers on Election day, according to AINA....

At the Feb. 18 U.N. news conference, Darmoo said that Talabani had assured minority groups such as the Assyrian Christians that they would have a role in drafting the constitution.

Bostom: The living legacy of jihad slavery

Andrew Bostom writes in The American Thinker (thanks to all who sent this in) about a much-needed protest against Islamic slavery, and some of its implications:

A public protest in Washington, DC, April 5, 2005 highlighted the current (ongoing, for centuries) plight of black Mauritanians enslaved by Arab masters. The final two decades of the 20th century, moreover, witnessed a frank jihad genocide, including mass enslavement, perpetrated by the Arab Muslim Khartoum government against black Christians and animists in the Southern Sudan, and the same governments continued massacres and enslavement of Animist-Muslim blacks in Darfur. These tragic contemporary phenomena reflect the brutal living legacy of jihad slavery.

Jihad Slavery

The fixed linkage between jihad- a permanent, uniquely Islamic institution- and enslavement, provides a very tenable explanation for the unparalleled scale and persistence of slavery in Muslim dominions, and societies. This general observation applies as well to “specialized” forms of slavery, including the (procurement and) employment of eunuchs, slave soldiering (especially of adolescents), other forms of child slavery, and harem slavery. Jihad slavery, in its myriad manifestations, became a powerful instrument for both expansive Islamization, and the maintenance of Muslim societies....

Contemporary manifestations of Islamic slavery—-certainly the razzias (raids) waged by Arab Muslim militias against their black Christian, animist, and animist-Muslim prey in both the southern Sudan and Darfur—and even in its own context, the persistence of slavery in Mauritania (again, black slaves, Arab masters)—-reflect the pernicious impact of jihad slavery as an enduring Muslim institution. Even Ottoman society, arguably the most progressive in Muslim history, and upheld just recently at a United Nations conference as a paragon of Islamic ecumenism, never produced a William Wilberforce, much less a broad, religiously-based slavery abolition movement spearheaded by committed Muslim ulema. Indeed, it is only modern Muslim freethinkers, anachronistically referred to as “apostates,” who have had the courage and intellectual integrity to renounce the jihad, including jihad slavery, unequivocally, and based upon an honest acknowledgement of its devastating military and social history. When the voices of these Muslim freethinkers are silenced in the Islamic world—by imprisonment and torture, or execution—the outcome is tragic, but hardly unexpected. That such insightful and courageous voices have been marginalized or ignored altogether in the West is equally tragic and reflects the distressing ignorance of Western policymaking elites.

Lots of important historical background (and links) in the original. Read it all.

Thieves, give Muhammad a hand! The tragic sound of one hand clapping in the Quran

Sharia alert: James Arlandson writes in The American Thinker (thanks to Alyssa A. Lappen) about the Islamic punishment for theft.

Ever since 9/11, we have been careful not be overly critical of Islam because we do not want to insult the religion or to paint it with a broad brush, lumping together the bad Muslims with the good ones.

We have all heard of rumors that some Muslims, perhaps in the obscure corners of the Islamic world, practice extreme punishments, such as chopping off the hands of thieves. Is this rumor or fact? Where does this gruesome practice come from, originally?

Sad to report, the policy of chopping off the hands of thieves comes directly from the Quran itself, in Sura or Chapter 5:38. As we will see, Muhammad incorporated a seventh-century Arab pagan custom into his Quran, claiming that God revealed to him that Islam, the perfected religion for all humankind (Sura 5:3), should uphold this atrocity.

Now that our emotions have died down after 9/11, we must analyze Islam critically and unflinchingly, since many Muslims in their websites argue that Islam is the religion of peace and that it has perfected the earlier religions of Judaism and Christianity....

Arlandson presents hard facts and explains how they're relevant to us today. Read it all.

Sweden is a sinking ship

Here is a rather rough translation from the December 2004 issue of a bi-monthly magazine of Danish People´s party, which I'm told by Thomas Bolding Hansen, who kindly sent this in, is "a rightwing party with 13 % of the parliamentary vote." I don't know anything about the Danish People's party and am not endorsing it, but this information is most interesting:

...from 1973 to 2001, 735.873 foreigners have received citizenship in Sweden. To this has to be added children and children´s children which naturally receive the citizenship, there may be as many as 2 mil. people of foreign origin in Sweden, most of them from moslem countries, all in a nation with about 9 mil people.

23 % of the available workforce is unemployed.

Sweden has been receiving roundly about 60,000 immigrants the last 4 years, and turn very few away In 2003, 46.857 immigrants received permit to stay. ( from Migrationsverkets homepage )

Malmø a city of 250,000 citizens now have 75,000 of foreign descent, estimated to become majority in about 10 years.

Sweden tops Europe in crime rate. Some examples (interpol as source ):

Murders per 100,000 citizens:
Sweden........................................ 10,01
USA............................................... 5,61
Denmark........................................ 3,72
Poland.............................................3,50
Israel/westbank.............................. 3,43
Spain............................................2,90
Norway.......................................... 2,66
Switzerland.........................................2,41
Finland........................................ 1,71
UK................................................. 1,63
Irland............................................1,60
Japan............................................1.05

But what is probably the worst, the issue of immigration is not debated at all.

Here is a partial translation of an article by Søren Espersen ( MP for Danish People´s Party ) about how the sister party of DPP, Swedish Democrats, are treated in Sweden:

"The Swedish Democrats does exist, but with a mutual agreement between the cultural elite of Sweden, all other parties, all the newspapers, radio and tv, schools, highschools and universities, there has been the decision to pretend that the party, does not exist.

I know how that is. It is the best response the media establishment and Islamic apologists has to me: pretend I don't exist. They can't answer the questions I raise, so they pretend they haven't been raised at all.

This, for a western democracy quite special agreement, is working so far. This fully legal party, Swedish Democrats, is not allowed to place ads in the newspapers, it´s candidates for parliament are never interviewed in the press or on radio or tv. And though they at the last election were a fully legal candidate for seats in the parliament, they were, contrary to all other parties, not invited to the election Broadcasts ( Each party gets it´s own private presentation ), in the Swedish public service channel.

One of Swedish Democrat´s 3 members of the local authority in the major town of Blekinge; Karlkrona, Richard Jornshof, gives this report on how the agreement is working on the local level:

"We the three members of the local authority have in those 3 years we been in the city council, delivered many proposals, as well as we often lead the debate at the council meetings.

But no matter what we propose, the proposals are voted down, and no other parties will utter a word". People´s party´s chairman has openly
explained that all the other parties agree that any proposal from the Swedish Democrats, by default will be voted down.

"It plays no role what proposal we lead.There will be silence in the hall, to be followed by a voting down of the proposal, without debate.".

Every year, at the 9th of November, Comemorations of "crystal night" are being held acroos Sweden in memory of the victims of Nazi Germany. This year the Social democrats sent the message that from now on it should be a manifestation against rascism in general, and for democracy. It was informed that all parties were welcome, except Swedish Democrats. "In Bleking Läns Tidning and Sydöstran (newspapers) we were for once mentioned on that day, because we were compared to the nazis in Germany in the 30´s.

The Social Democratic mayor, Mats Johansson has not yet, we were elected in September 2002, shaken hands with us and greeted us, and for my own concern, I was fired as a teacher 3 years ago, and have been unable to find a new work as teacher even though there are many free." Says Richard Jornshof.

Only on the internet has it been impossible to stop Swedish Democrats. WWW.sverigedemokraterna.se , as the homepage of the party magazine; www.sd-kuriren.info.se are among the most expansive websites in Sweden and are visited by ten thousands of Swedes."

From another Article By Søren Espersen:

"Violent assaults and life threatening attacks against members of Swedish Democrats, are not talked about in the media ... those rare
cases where it happens, it is only as a small paragraph inside a paper."

"Only in a couple of cases the result has been a conviction of the guilty" ( We are talking 20-30 violent assaults of varying degree, and
2-3 that were close to or could have ended with a deathly outcome ).

From an interview with a Swedish family, a young couple, Gabriella Johansson and mattias Karlsson living in Lund where there are few
immigrants:

"There are now Gangs in Malmö specialized in assaulting old people visiting the graves of relatives".

"If the difference between the various groups of the population becomes too big, and if the destructive subcultures are further nurtured, the welfare state can´t survive. To maintain a huge level of taxation like in Sweden, the public needs to feel it gets some safety out of it."

"Sydsvenska Dagbladet ( news paper ) had on it´s homepage some while ago a "daily question" where people were asked if they disagreed with Danish immigration politics, 80 % voted no, the result was that the "daily question" was removed altogether"

"It has become such that native Swedes must adopt ( to immigrants ) not the other way around".

These are the conditions in Sweden for democracy and dealing with the issue of immigration, no debate at all.

As a note Sweden even has a odd election approach where it is impossible to keep your vote totally secret, since rather than using one long list containing all parties as in other European countries, Sweden use a seperate ballot paper for each party, and though these are distributed in due time on postal offices besides at the location of the actual vote, they can be targeted for removal, or even added to on a printer, thus end up not counting. This is wonder of wonders something Swedish Democrats have felt on their own party body, and as a small party they have little manpower to check if the ballot papers are missing or rendered illegal.

Holland: A Muslim politician drops his mask

Cid Martel of the Dutch Disease blog has kindly sent along this revealing translation of a Dutch story from Trouw. Cid explains: "A small Dutch Christian party called ChristenUnie (ChristianUnion) is trying to figure out how to deal with Muslims. Some feel Muslims are a threat, others think that Christians need to be open to people from other cultures. There was a debate recently between the party leader and the director of Milli Gorus. It started out fine but suddenly Haci Karacear, the director, dropped his mask. This is from a column which appeared in today’s Trouw newspaper by the excellent French-Dutch publicist Sylvain Ephimenco:"

Haci Karacaer was rather provocative. He hammered home that Europe has its roots in Islam. “Europe does not have Judeo-Christian roots. We gave them to you!” When they talked about religious education things got even more heated. “André, try to keep up with the facts. Demographics tell you that a school board can’t continue to proselytize. I’ll go as far as to say that the Christian identity of these schools doesn’t mean a damn thing.”

André must have been shocked. You think you do your Muslim brothers a favour by giving them an opportunity to build their own schools and suddenly they want to take over yours. Maybe he finally realized Milli Gorus’ strategy. Karacear has for years been towing the same line as the Swiss preacher Tariq Ramadan. Avoid conflicts, be friendly, consensual and oppose the segregation of Muslims. Because it’s their holy mission to Islamize Western society you can’t have ghettoes like Islamic schools. You don’t Islamize by locking yourself up, but by using secular or Christian structures and turning them upside down when the time comes. But maybe Karacaer stumbled and dropped his mask a bit too soon. By already playing the demographics card, annexing the Jewish-Christian roots and glaring at the ‘black’ confessional schools he might have woken up the ChristianUnion.

I hope so.

Germany's ban on newspaper for anti-Semitism causes storm in Turkey

Anti-Semitism and paranoia from a Turkish publication in Germany. From the Jerusalem Post, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:

The debate on how to curb Islamic radicalism in Germany has been exacerbated by the recent banning of a Turkish newspaper in Germany for anti-Semitic and anti-Western propaganda.

Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu, in a meeting with his German counterpart Otto Schily on Monday in Berlin, called the Anadoluda Vakit newspaper disgraceful for publishing the propaganda, but said no legal action could be taken against the paper in Turkey because no law exists to prosecute the owners.

In February, Schily closed Yeni Akit GmbH, a publishing house headquartered in Moerfelden-Walldorf, Germany, that had been publishing the European edition of Vakit since December 2001. Schily accused the paper of spreading "systematic incitement of hatred and violence" against Jews, the State of Israel, and the Western social order in general.

In explaining his decision, Schily said, "Under the cover of purportedly 'serious reporting,' Yeni Akit GmbH disseminated anti-Jewish and anti-Western propaganda. For a democracy that is willing to defend its values, it is unacceptable that an organization such as Yeni Akit GmbH should incite its Turkish-speaking readership in Germany through this kind of 'reporting' characterized by anti-Jewish and anti-Western propaganda."

"Freedom of opinion and freedom of the press, which are guaranteed by our constitution, are values of outstanding importance; nevertheless, the ban is necessary and appropriate, given the repeated attacks against the human dignity of individual nationalities that were contained in Anadoluda Vakit articles."

However, the Turkey edition of the paper, which continues to be published, has expressed its anger at the ban by comparing Schily to Hitler and declaring German politicians to be in the hands of the "Jewish lobby."

"After Adolf Hitler, who wanted to create his own race and soaked the world in blood and fire, the German interior minister reintroduces these Hitler methods again and announces the ban of the newspaper Vakit without a court order."

Hamas has begun operating a "vice and virtue commando" in the Gaza Strip to safeguard Islamic values

Sharia alert in the Palestinian Authority. As Charles Johnson at LGF notes, this is what the Islamic state that the Palestinians want to establish will be like. This is one of many reasons why no one in the West should support the jihad against Israel. Israel is a Western-style republic; the Sharia state that the Palestinian Arabs want to establish there will be a repressive authoritarian regime that will make life miserable for everyone. "Woman walking with fiance murdered," from the Jerusalem Post, with thanks to LGF:

Hamas has begun operating a "vice and virtue commando" in the Gaza Strip to safeguard Islamic values, Palestinian security officials and residents told The Jerusalem Post.

The new force, called the Anti-Corruption Unit, is believed to be behind the gruesome murder over the weekend of Yusra al-Azzami, a 22-year-old university student from the northern Gaza Strip.

Her "crime" was that she was seen in public with her fiance.

Although "honor killings" are not a new phenomenon in Palestinian society, the perpetrators were almost always relatives of the victims. But this is the first time that one of the Palestinian groups has openly acted against a woman suspected of "immoral behavior."

Hamas's "morality" patrolmen first spotted the young couple strolling along the beach in Gaza City, together with Azzami's younger sister. After enjoying the spectacular sunset over the sea, they got into the future husband's car and started driving towards Azzami's home.

According to eyewitness accounts, five masked gunmen who were in another car gave chase, opening fire at Azzami, who was sitting in the front seat next to her fiance. She died instantly.

The fiance and sister were later brutally beaten and moderately injured by the attackers.

The incident took place at a busy intersection in Gaza City.

What happened immediately afterwards left many passersby traumatized.

The assailants dragged the young woman's body out of the car, pouncing upon it mercilessly with clubs and iron bars.

"It was the most horrific crime I've seen in my life," said a university student who witnessed the attack. "What they did to the body while it was lying on the ground was barbaric. This does not represent Islam." The student, who asked not to be named, said he and several other people at the scene were too afraid to interfere. "We waited until the gunmen left the area before we called the police and an ambulance," he added.

None of these incidents ever do represent Islam, do they? Yet where are the Muslims protesting against all these other Muslims who keep misrepresenting their own religion?

Jacobs: Becoming Columbia

The fearless Charles Jacobs of the David Project and the American Anti-Slavery Group skewers Columbia's dhimmitude in the Columbia Spectator (thanks to Ted Robertson):

The Dirks Committee, created by Columbia’s administration to investigate student complaints of harassment by anti-Israel faculty, was supposed to spread sand on the MEALAC fire. Instead it threw gasoline. On Friday, The New York Times explained that Columbia “botched” the job by stacking the committee with colleagues of the accused and anti-Israel partisans. No one should have been surprised that a biased committee produced a biased report that ignored the facts and protected its own.

The report is deeply flawed. It considered only three incidents of professors’ harassing students, yet we know of many, many more. It invokes a sort of “professors’ omerta” to intimidate dissenting professors, upbraiding whistleblowers who helped students report abuse. The committee turns the tables on the complaining students, giving weight—without any proof—to claims by MEALAC professors that pro-Israel “outsiders” invade classrooms to hector them. Professor Joseph Massad’s colleagues judged him guilty of inappropriate conduct, but chide him so gently—“his rhetorical response to her query exceeded commonly accepted bounds”­—that his wrist may not register the slap. At the same time, the committee carefully avoided mentioning the racist screed of Professor Hamid Dabashi, who writes in Al-Ahram that Israelis suffer from “a vulgarity of character that is bone-deep and structural to the skeletal vertebrae of its culture.”

Yes, the report admits the administration was insensitive, even antagonistic to students who complained that anti-Israel professors harassed them. And yes, it found that students have no effective way to register complaints. But the committee reduced what is a major academic scandal—the use of podium as pulpit for an exclusive viewpoint—to only these narrow bureaucratic foul-ups.

The Dirks Committee simply evades the main issue: how to deal with the teaching of lies and propaganda by Arabist professors who so demonize Israel that defenders of the Jewish state find themselves in a hostile environment in their classes. It achieves this evasion by referring to incidents of biased, dishonest teaching in exclusively pedagogical and psychological terms. It classes them as “rhetorically combative” methods or as expressions of “uncongenial views” that—and the issue is reduced to this—make some students “uncomfortable.”

This straw man, constructed in MEALAC and echoed by the committee—all for the purpose of dressing political acts in psychological clothes—is now endlessly rehearsed by all those who, fooled by this deception, needlessly feel compelled to make the obvious point: that at least some ideas one encounters in a college education should make people unsettled.

What the committee refused to consider is the possibility that these “teachings” are lies and propaganda. When Professor Massad teaches that the word “Zion” means “penis,” and therefore Zionism is a macho movement, this is not an uncongenial view, but a lie—or at best an egregious error for a Middle East studies professor. When at Columbia it is taught that the Israelis are Nazis and the Palestinians are the new Jews, and that the Jews slaughtered Arabs in Jenin, these are not “rhetorically combative” modes of teaching—they are blood libels, anti-Semitic provocations, deceptions, and Arabist propaganda. Will only brave Jewish students stand up and say so? Does academic freedom” give professors license to teach incendiary, hateful lies?

Read it all.

Phillips: Academic Inti-fad-a

The indomitable Melanie Phillips writes in Frontpage (thanks to Rebecca Bynum) about the academic "Inti-fad-a" in Britain:

In his book Intellectuals, the British author Paul Johnson wrote: “The worst of all despotisms is the heartless tyranny of ideas.”

If anyone had ever told British academics that there would come a time when they would punish colleagues because of the views they held, would treat them as pariahs and try to destroy their livelihoods in order to intimidate others into toeing the sole approved political line, they would have been incredulous. In the Western tradition the universities are, after all, the historic custodians of free intellectual inquiry and open debate. Censorship, suppression of ideas and intellectual intimidation are associated with totalitarian regimes, which attempt to coerce people into the approved way of thinking.

Yet that is what is now happening in British universities — and the cause whose supporters are turned into pariahs is, of course, Israel. Britain’s Association of University Teachers (AUT) is about to debate a proposed boycott of Israeli academics. Not all Israeli academics, mind you — only those who refuse to denounce their government’s policies in the occupied territories. The motion proposes to exclude from the boycott “conscientious Israeli academics and intellectuals opposed to their state’s colonial and racist policies.”

How generous. In true totalitarian tradition, only those in the pariah group who denounce their own will be permitted to have a livelihood. To survive in the cradle of free expression, Israelis will have to betray their own people in the cause of hatred and lies. The motion has already been compared to McCarthyism, which is too kind. However cruel, illiberal and arbitrary that disturbing period was, a number of those who were hounded subsequently turned out to have actually been Communists. By contrast, Israeli academics are to be persecuted for failing to denounce their own country – for seeking to defend its citizens against genocidal mass murder. A more appropriate comparison would surely be the show trials under Stalinism, or even closer to home, the forced conversion of the Jews of Europe in the Middle Ages.

But who can be surprised? This is a natural development from the implicit — and sometimes explicitly stated — assumption that courses through British intellectual circles in the ongoing hate-fest against Israel, that only those British Jews who denounce Israel’s policies can be considered to be British; anyone who supports Israel is guilty of “dual loyalty.” Since defending Israel is a thought-crime, which thus calls into question one’s membership of a nation, it follows that Israel’s academics must similarly find called into question their membership of the academy....

Read it all.

Bruno: Dinosaur in the Age of Mammals

A provocative new essay by Wolfgang Bruno. I'm not sure I agree with every point; for one thing, I'm sure I am not as sanguine as he is, given the oil billions that continue to stream into the Middle East, but he makes many points well worth considering:

Tariq Ramadan, the famed "moderate" Muslim who has made deception of non-Muslims into an art form, says the 21st century will see a second role reversal between Islam and the West: The West will begin its new decline, and the Arab-Islamic world its renewal and ascent to centuries of world domination. Princeton historian Bernard Lewis told Die Welt that Europe would be Islamic by the end of this century "at the very latest". Robert Spengler of the Asia Times agrees. What if they are all wrong? What if we state that Europe won't be Islamic at the end of the 21st century because Islam itself won't be a force of any significance a century from now?

There are few people of any stature who dare venture such a bold assertion. Ali Sina, the Iranian ex-Muslim and founder of faithfreedom.org, is one of the few who do. Sina has consistently claimed that Islam is "a house of cards that will collapse if sufficiently pushed", and that we may see the end of Islam within the next few decades. He has compared Islam both to Communism and Nazism, claiming that it will either collapse as the former or be crushed as the latter. These analogies are imperfect, and have rightly been criticized by some. Communism was a recent invention, and a European, materialist ideology not concerned with the hereafter. Islam carries 1400 years of history with it, and is deeply tied to the cultural identity of hundreds of millions of people in a way Communism or Nazism never were. However, Ali Sina may be on to something. I have earlier predicted that what we are witnessing now is an era no less crucial to Islam than the Protestant Reformation was to Christianity. The difference is that Islam may not be flexible enough to handle the challenge, and will disintegrate as a result. For instance, the entire foundation of Islam is based upon female subjugation and male dominance. The movement to grant equality to females will essentially destroy Islam. Islam is quite simply too rigid to survive in a modern world.

It is true that the West at the onset of the 21st century shows signs of weakness and lack of direction. However, it is likely that the USA in particular will retain its leading position for a very long time. Europe does have deeper lying problems, and considering its many Muslim immigrants may indeed face a turbulent and violent period. But even Europe is far from incapable of renewal in the longer run. Perhaps this Islamic threat is precisely the slap in the face we need to regenerate and regain our sense of purpose. It is also true that our status as the leading civilization is not given by nature. We will be challenged during this century, but not by Islam. Our contenders are not Muslims, but Asian non-Muslims, who display a dynamism far beyond anything the Ummah can produce. The total nonfossil fuel exports from the entire Arab world amount to less than the total exports of Finland, a tiny infidel country of only 5 million inhabitants. A United Nations report warns that a majority of Arab young people want to leave their homelands in favor of the West. Is that the hallmark of a culture at the brink of world dominance, Mr. Ramadan?

Besides oil, the only thing Islam has going for it is extremely high birth rates. This can be seen as an advantage as long as Muslims are allowed to dump this excess population in non-Muslim countries and dominate these through demographic jihad. If the non-Muslims should decide to curb Muslim immigration, even the high birth rates would turn into a curse. Islamic nations are already falling apart. At the time when the oil revenues run out for Muslims states, India and China may have had missions to the moon. The 21st century will not be an Islamic century. Most likely, it will continue with a Western lead. The alternative is some sort of power sharing between Western and Eastern infidels. The Islamic world, stripped of its oil revenues and no longer able to export its population growth to non-Muslims countries, will hardly be a blip on the radar screen.

Ohmyrus, a member of faithfreedom.org, has given a good description of the Islamic predicament in his essay "Once were warriors: Why Islam failed Muslims". Islam is a warrior's creed that served its early followers well. It prospered because its ethos makes it very successful as a medieval war machine when men fought with swords, bows and spears. From impoverished desert tribes, they rose to forge an empire in a short time that stretched from Spain to India. The ethos it engendered -- "brotherhood for believers, contempt and hatred for non-believers, belief in heavenly rewards for fallen warriors, a high fertility rate (which requires the subordination of women), blind obedience" -- created formidable warriors. But these same qualities are handicaps for Muslims in the age of the microchip. Islam's ritualistic practices inculcate blind obedience among its followers and not questioning inquisitive minds. The way the Koran is taught in traditional Madrassahs is by memorization. This leaves no room for asking questions. Asking questions risks the student of being accused of blasphemy or unbelief. Great scientists and philosophers do not come from such a passive environment. Islam is specialized and tailor-made for a society that no longer exists, and instinctively wants to drag the rest of the world back to these "glory days". It used to be excellent for breeding soldiers, to plunder the lands of non-Muslims. But even this gets increasingly difficult, in a world of advanced technology.

Of course, even if Islam is collapsing as we speak, that does not mean that it is nothing to worry about. On the contrary. There are few things more lethal than a wounded beast, trapped in a corner. And that is exactly what Islam is now. Worst case, it could be a very violent collapse, if Islamic radicals manage to ignite a global war. Islam is the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the 21st century. Once king and feared by all, now sidelined by smarter and faster-adapting creatures in a world it no longer understands. The old giant can still be dangerous, lashing out with a vengeance against the new breed. Mammals, they call them, these upstarters. It makes a lot of noise and may even succeed in killing some of the ones unlucky enough to be standing in its way. But terrifying as it may seem, it is destined to fail. This is the age for big brains, not big but slow limbs. It will end its days in museums, scaring kids of the future hearing tales about this big monster which ones roamed the earth. Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaida are but the last roar of a dying beast, a dinosaur in the age of mammals.

Wolfgang Bruno is a European author. He is writing a book about the Internet movement of ex-Muslims. All of Bruno's essays can be republished and reproduced for free by anybody who wants to, as long as credit is given to the author.

Extra Extra! Not Islam But “Culture and Tradition” Behind Mistreatment of Muslim Women, Indonesian Feminist Reveals

In "Islamic feminists stir the pot in Far East" from the Toronto Star (thanks to Skeetstreet), Haroon Siddiqui "speaks to religious scholar who blames Muslims, not Islam, for gender inequity."

Musdah Mulia is the scholar in question:

She wears the hijab but says it's not Islamically mandatory, a position augmented by a big majority of Muslim women in Indonesia, indeed around the world, who don't don it and feel no less Muslim.

"Asma, daughter of AbuBakr, entered upon the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) wearing thin clothes. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) turned his attention from her. He said: O Asma', when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of body except this and this, and he pointed to her face and hands." -- Sunan Abu Dawud, book 32, no. 4092.

She wants polygamy banned, and also "contract marriages," which give a religious patina to short-term relationships that, inevitably, involve poor women.

"Marry women of your choice, two or three or four..." -- Qur'an 4:3

She says men needn't be the legal guardians of women over 21.

"Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other..." -- Qur’an 4:34

And that’s not all.

She wants the marriageable age of women to be on par with men - in the case of Indonesia, 19, rather than 16, for girls.

She challenges the rule against women marrying non-Muslims.

Musdah Mulia is no Westernized secular feminist. She is an Islamic scholar, with a PhD from the Institute of Islamic Studies here.

She teaches there part-time but her day job is director of research at the ministry of religious affairs, from where she needles the government. When her bosses issued a white paper last year updating religious laws, she wrote a 170-page critique that annoyed them and the conservatives.

But, this being Indonesia, she still has her job and is in increasing demand as a speaker.

And Mulia came from a strict background (Islamic tolerance alert here):

Mulia, a granddaughter of a cleric, went to an Islamic boarding school and grew up in a strict environment: "I could not laugh hard. My parents did not allow me to befriend non-Muslims. If I did, they ordered me to shower afterwards," she has said.

But then, as Siddiqi takes pains to emphasize, she traveled to "other Muslim nations" and realized that:

"...Islam had many faces. It opened my eyes. Some of what my grandfather and the ulema (clerics) had taught me was right but the rest was myth."

So what led to her transformation? It turns out that her parents, her grandfather, the clerics, had Islam all wrong, and she, Mulia, had gotten hold of the real Islam:

The more she studied Islam, the more she found it modern and radical. It had liberated women 1,400 years ago, well ahead of the West.

So the hijab, the burka, the chador, the polygamy, the divorce that the man achieves by uttering a phrase three times, the unequal inheritance laws, the inability of women in many Muslim countries to leave the house without a male relative as escort, the ban in some Muslim countries on women even driving -– all this is now inexplicable to her, given that Islam "had liberated women 1,400 years ago, well ahead of the West."

The claim that Muhammad actually improved the lot of women is curious. It is based, apparently, on the supposedly terrible position of women in pagan Arab society. But did those conditions really improve with the coming of Islam? Even Aisha, Muhammad's beloved child bride, said: "I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women" (Bukhari, vol. 7, book 72, no. 715).

So many fighters for women’s rights in Islam end up like this. They cannot admit to others, and they seem not to be able to dare to admit to themselves, that Islam itself contains the texts that are responsible for the continuing mistreatment of women: not only in the Qur’an, but in the "authentic" Hadith, and in the records of Muhammad’s treatment of and attitude toward women in the Sira.

I wish Mulia well. But despite her attempt, and that of Siddiqui to support her, how can she really help if she insists on ignoring the passages I have quoted above and many others? These are not being misinterpreted, unless millions of Muslims are doing the misinterpretation. They are properly reflected in the difficult position of women throughout Muslim lands -– a position that is difficult to the precise extent that any country's legal system approximates the theoretical ideal of the Sharia. Look at Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan. It is only in those Muslim countries that are the least Muslim, either because they have managed to constrain Islam from within (Turkey, Tunisia) or because Islam has been constrained by outside powers (the Soviet campaign against all religions, including Islam, that changed the Central Asian Republics), that women have had a chance for a more decent existence.

Yet Mulia insists that "gender inequity emanates not from Islam but from Muslims and their cultural traditions and interpretations."

But she does not ask, much less answer, what exactly molds Muslims, in every respect, if it is not Islam? What molds the "cultural traditions and interpretations" of Muslims if it isn't "Islam"?

Beyond the basics of faith, Mulia says, most laws affecting women are man-made. "None of it came as a fax from heaven."

But those who legislate in Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Sudan, and Pakistan think that they are following a mandate from heaven. For what after all is the Qur’an itself, in the Islamic view, if not a "fax from Heaven"?

This is the kind of article that, while it seems to be on the side of the angels, helps promote confusion about Islam, by offering a worshipful account of someone who may be brave, but whose every remark reflects considerable mental confusion. A little less sentiment is in order. Ibn Warraq put it well: "There are moderate Muslims, but Islam itself is not moderate." Too many Muslim reformers think they must defend Islam at all costs, whatever mental contortions they have to perform in order to do so. It is only "bad Muslims" who are responsible. Yet "bad Muslims" seem to be those who most fervently accept, in every area of life, the actual teachings of Islam. The more relaxed and unobservant the Believer, the better his treatment of women.

That is something that even Ms. Mulia cannot hide from forever.

UK: Jewish MP pelted with eggs at war memorial

Muslim protestors attack Jewish MP at memorial to Jewish war dead. From the Telegraph, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:

The campaign for what promises to be one of the most bitterly contested parliamentary seats got off to an explosive start yesterday when the MP Oona King was pelted with eggs and vegetables as she attended a memorial to Jewish war dead.

Miss King, 37, the black Jewish Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, was attacked as she joined mourners to commemorate 60 years since the Hughes Mansions Disaster, when 134 people, almost all Jewish, were killed by the last V2 missile to land on London....

Miss King, who enraged many of her Muslim constituents when she openly supported the war in Iraq, told the crowd that the attack was one of the "saddest" things she had ever witnessed.

Clearly angry, she said: "I think they were aimed at me but the sheer ignorance never mind the lack of respect is shocking. They have no idea where their freedom came from and who gave it to them.

"They don't know they are lucky to be here. That is truly one of the saddest things that I have ever seen. There were people who helped save this country, having eggs pelted at them at a time when they are remembering those they had lost. It is disgusting."

The incident demonstrated how high feelings are running in the east London constituency, which has 55,000 Bangladeshi Muslims, more than half its electorate, most of whom bitterly opposed the war in Iraq.

Saudis' tough line on gays

Here's one for the moral equivalence crowd: Christians want to outlaw same-sex marriage; Muslims are sentencing gays to lashings. From the Guardian, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

Dozens of Saudi men caught dancing and "behaving like women" at a party have been sentenced to a total of 14,200 lashes, after a trial held behind closed doors and without defence lawyers. The men were also given jail sentences of up to two years.

They were arrested last month when the police in Jeddah raided a party which was described by a Saudi newspaper as a "gay wedding".

"Prosecuting and imprisoning people for homosexual conduct are flagrant human rights violations," Scott Long, of the US organisation Human Rights Watch said. "Subjecting the victims to floggings is torture, pure and simple."

HRW said it had established that 31 of the men received prison sentences of six months to one year, plus 200 lashes each. Four were jailed for two years with 2,000 lashes....

HRW said that according to a friend of one of the arrested men the gathering was a birthday party.

But the Saudi newspaper al-Wifaq, which has connections with the interior ministry, carried a report on March 16, six days after the arrests, saying the men were "dancing and behaving like women".

Arabic becoming 2nd language in Quebec’s francophone schools

Islamization of Canada update. From the Jewish Tribune, with thanks to Scaramouche:

MONTREAL – For many years, it was the norm that English was the dominant second language throughout Quebec’s primary and secondary francophone schools.

But if recent school enrolment trends continue, that linguistic status wil no longer be the case. English will be replaced by Arabic. And it could happen as early as next year.

According to figures that were released last week by Quebec’s Ministry of Education, there has been a sharp increase over the last five years in the number of students enrolled in Quebec’s French schools whose mother tongue is Arabic. It increased from 12,731 students in 1999-2000 to 18,084 in 2004-05. On the other hand, the number of English-speaking students increased from 17,313 in 1999-2000 to only 18,649 in 2004-05.

The explanation for this growing trend is twofold: the province’s immigration policies – which benefits applicants from francophone countries – and provisions from the language law Bill 101, which makes it mandatory for children of newly-arrived immigrants to Quebec to attend French schools.

“The English-speaking population is not growing,” said Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies, in an interview with The Jewish Tribune. “And with Quebec continuing to accept more immigrants from Arabic-speaking countries, especially those that have French as a second language like Algeria and Morocco, parents of those families are sending their children to French school by law; it is clear to see why Arabic is quickly eclipsing English as the main second language in those schools.”

Denmark: No More Immigrants, Major Towns Demand

An illuminating piece from the Norwegian Kafir's Fjordman blogspot:

Schools in larger cities’ disadvantaged neighbourhoods say they are pressed to their limits by the flow of young immigrants and refugees, who move there from smaller towns and rural areas. Politicians from the cities of Odense, Århus, Vejle, and Kolding have called for the flow to be halted, if efforts to integrate the newcomers are not to be thwarted. Vejle Mayor Flemming Christensen cited examples of school districts in Odense and Copenhagen, where families have transferred their children to private schools or public schools in other neighbourhoods, because of the predominance of immigrants and refugees. In recent years, Danish authorities have placed new refugees in smaller cities and and towns instead of the big cities as a way to evenly distribute them throughout the country. Integration laws demand that refugees must live in their assigned residence for at least three years. After that, however, they are free to live where they choose, and they tend to move to larger cities in search of better job opportunities and larger immigrant communities. A significant number of the newcomers are schoolchildren under 18 years of age, who require a large amount of resources from the cities’ school districts.

Read it all.

An attempt to relegate dhimmitude to the dustbin of history

I have previously encountered Islamic apologists who claim that the dhimma is a thing of the past, or should be, that it should be abolished in Iran and not restored elsewhere. Unfortunately, acknowledgement that its traces remain all over the Islamic world, and that nowhere in the Islamic world today do non-Muslims enjoy full equality of rights with Muslims, are harder to come by. Even harder to come by are Islamic arguments against it. However, the Norwegian Kafir has kindly sent me this one: "Dhimmitude and Jizyah: Non-Muslims under Islam" by Mohammed Faisal Aslam in Muslimreviewer.com.

Aslam is refreshingly honest in admitting that it is still the mainstream view among Islamic scholars that the dhimma should be imposed, with all its institutionalized discrimination against and harassment of non-Muslims:

▪ Shibli Numani states in his famous autobiography of Imam Hanifah, that according to the respected Imam every non-Muslim should wear a thread that shows that the person is a non-Muslim. Maulana Numani also states that Imam Shafi held the opinion that non-Muslims, who are neither Christians nor Jews, cannot live on land that is ruled by Muslims. [1]

▪ A contemporary Wahabi scholar, Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, argues that non-Muslims, who are not Christians, Jews or Magians, can be forced to "accept" Islam because that will allegedly lead to their happiness and salvation in this world and in the Hereafter. [2]

Even more moderate voices don't want to do away with the idea of a religion-based tax, or discrimination on the basis of religion:

More moderate conservative views can be found on Islamonline.net:

▪ A fatwa published 24. February 2002, states all the jizyah amounts are to be a financial obligation placed upon those who do not have to pay the Zakah. As the ratio of these two taxes is the same, it is obvious that the jizyah is simply a technique used by Islamic governments to make sure that everyone pays his fair share. If the term jizyah is too offensive to non-Muslims, it can always be changed: Umar Ibn Al-Khattab levied the jizyah upon the Christians of Bani Taghlib and called it sadaqah (alms) out of consideration. [3]

▪ A fatwa by Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, published 21. October 2002, states that all non-Muslims are to be considered dhimmis. Hindus, Buddhists, etc. are also entitled to the same protection that is given to the Ahl al-Kitab (People of the Book, i.e., Christians and Jews). They are also entitled to have the freedom to practice their faith. [4]

There seems to be a crucial difference of opinion among the conservative scholars, ie those who emphasize tradition and anxiously try to stay inside the mainstream. Indeed, there is a big difference between providing someone with protection or killing them for rejecting a religion. The uncompromising stance of Sheikh Al-Munajjid contrasts sharply with Dr. Siddiqi's fatwa. Both scholars refer the readers to the Qur'an and events in the past, yet they end up with radically different conclusions. This is because the revelation is divine, but interpretation is human and fallible.

Then comes a commendable attempt to rule out the jizya and dhimmitude altogether:

AN ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION

The most reasonable explanation of the subject matter I have come across is the one propounded by Moiz Amjad, the academic behind Understanding-Islam.org. In his opinion:

...Jizyah is not a universal tax imposed on non-Muslims for all times to come. Jizyah, according to my understanding of the Qur'an, was restricted to the rejecters among the direct addressees of either the Messenger (pbuh) or his companions. [5]

Mr. Amjad's argument revolves around the concept of Itmamu'l-Hujjah (ie unveiling the truth to the extent that no one has an excuse to deny it). The argument is that when God sends a Prophet (Rasul), the Truth is proven to the direct addressees beyond doubt (see the Qur'an 4:165). Hence, the Prophet has the right to punish the adressees if they refuse to conform after the Truth has become manifest to them. Imposing jizyah was one of the ways the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) punished the people of the book.

After the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the Sahaba (companions who knew or saw the Prophet) with the institution of Khilafah, were able to represent the truth in its most perfect form. In fact, Itmamu'l-Hujjah was passed on to them after they were declared Ummah Wasat and shuhada ala'l Nas (see Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2: 143, Al-Hajj 22: 78). After the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) no group or individual holds the position of performing Itmamu'l-Hujjah. Accordingly, the jizyah tax is no longer applicable. Neither can a non-Muslim be punished for not accepting an invitation to Islam.

No individual can do Itmamu'l-Hujjah now because no individual can claim that his propagation has manifested the truth to the extent that no excuse is left to deny it. It was only the Prophets (peace be upon them all) who manifested the truth. When the truth became manifest, those who rejected it were punished. The Noble Qur'an is full of such stories (for example, the story of Prophet Saalih and the people of Thamud), but most people fail to realise their significance.

The rejecters of Muhammad (pbuh) were warned repeatedly by the Qur'an. The Qur'an declared that Muhammad (pbuh) was not merely a messenger, but also a sign of God's Justice. Its prediction of the manifestation God's Justice was fullfilled upon its direct addressees within the life time of its presenter. Like the previous nations in which God sent His messengers, the rejecters among the direct addressees of the last Prophet (pbuh) were subdued and disgraced in the life of this world.

Moiz Amjad's explanation, which is based on the work of his mentor Javed Ahmed Ghamidi (who in turn is a student of Amin Ahsan Islahi), may be in contradiction with what the traditional scholars have stated, but it is strongly supported by logic and reasoning. I venture to say that it is a completely legitimate interpretation.

I hope this argument is indeed accepted as legitimate and gains wide currency among Muslims. I must say that that seems unlikely, since I doubt that Muslims in general will accept the idea that "no individual can claim that his propagation has manifested the truth to the extent that no excuse is left to deny it" or that "it was only the Prophets who manifested the truth." That idea undercuts the Islamic belief that the Qur'an is perfect and manifests the truth, and that if an unbeliever is exposed to it and rejects it, his guilt remains.

Two Failed Terrorism Trials Raise Worry in Europe

Eurodhimmis getting worried -- about their own supine lenience. From Reuters, with thanks to Mediawatch:

BERLIN (Reuters) - Failed terrorism prosecutions in Germany and the Netherlands this week have highlighted Europe's patchy record in securing convictions and prompted some to ask if laws need to be tightened.

Gee, ya think?

Ihsan Garnaoui, a 34-year-old Tunisian, was acquitted in Berlin Wednesday of trying to form a terrorist group, even though judges considered it proven that he had planned to carry out at least one bomb attack in Germany at the start of the Iraq war in March 2003.

The same day, Dutch teen-ager Samir Azzouz was cleared of planning attacks on Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, a nuclear reactor and government offices.

He had been found in possession of machinegun cartridges, mock explosive devices, electrical circuitry, maps and sketches of prominent buildings and chemicals prosecutors said could be bomb ingredients.

Legal experts and security analysts said such cases raise a difficult question: in the absence of an actual attack, how close must a suspect be to detonating a bomb before prosecutors can demonstrate guilt?

They also highlight the irony that early intervention by security forces to thwart a bombing may make it harder to obtain convictions.

"We cannot wait until attacks have been carried out and the dead are lying on the street," prosecutor Silke Ritzert said in her summing-up of the Garnaoui case.

Right you are, Silke. But do you have the will to make the changes that will preclude that?

Saudi Arabia: Another Maid Fights to Stay Alive After Rape, Torture

Could this kind of thing have anything to do with a mindset that considers unbelievers as the "vilest of creatures" (Qur'an 98:6)? From Arab News, with thanks to Twostellas:

RIYADH, 10 April 2005 — Another Indonesian guest worker is battling to stay alive after being subjected to sadistic tortures and rape by her sponsor.

Twenty-five-year-old Suniati Binti Nibaran Sujari is in intensive care with burns to more than half of her body and brutal injuries to her genitals as her life hangs in the balance.

The woman, who worked as maid, was rushed to the intensive care unit of the Riyadh Medical Complex (Shumaysi Hospital) on Thursday morning. Her employer has been detained and is being questioned by police about allegations of sexual harassment and physical torture.

This is the second case of inhuman torture of an Indonesian maid that has surfaced within the last three weeks. Nasser Al-Dandani, the Saudi lawyer who represents the Indonesian Embassy in this case, confirmed the reports of the torture of Suniati but refused to divulge details of the case.

CORRECTION: I cited Qur'an 98:6 in error. Reading the piece quickly I got it in my mind that the maid was a Filipina. An Indonesian, of course, would most likely be a fellow Muslim, so that this story is possibly about Islamic slavery, but is not about treatment of unbelievers.

A Jihadist Appeal to the Left

In "A Terrorist Appeal to the Left," Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Erick Stakelbeck in FrontPage (thanks to KJL) explain how the jihadist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir is trying to appeal to the American Left:

A recently released propaganda video by the Islamic extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir is quite revealing. Not only does the video demonstrate the group’s growing effort to package arguments in a manner designed to appeal to Westerners on the political left, but it also serves as a barometer of radical Muslim groups’ broader shift in rhetorical strategy.

The video, “Iraq: Past and Present Colonialism,” appears for the first twenty-seven minutes to be a standard leftist critique of the Iraq war, indistinguishable from Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. The slickly-produced video begins with the history of past colonialism in Iraq—including the Mongol conquest of the Middle East and British soldiers’ triumphant march into Baghdad after World War I—and attempts to situate the current conflict within the same colonialist paradigm. In one scene, vivid footage of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison and Iraqi civilian casualties is interspersed with clips of George W. Bush and Tony Blair talking about how they will bring “freedom” to the Iraqi people. Another scene shows American soldiers roughly pushing Iraqi prisoners with bags draped over their heads down a nighttime street, the camera speed slowing down with each push to emphasize the excessive force.

As if Michael Moore’s influence on “Past and Present Colonialism” weren’t readily apparent, the video even lifts directly from Fahrenheit 9/11 the famous footage of American soldiers talking about how war is the “ultimate rush,” and how a good song can get you “real fired up” for battle. To demonstrate, one wild-eyed soldier sings a few off-key lines from the Bloodhound Gang’s “Fire Water Burn” (“The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire / We don’t need no water, let the motherf----- burn / Burn, motherf-----, burn”).

Only in its last eight minutes does “Past and Present Colonialism” veer sharply from run-of-the-mill leftist criticism of the Iraq war. This shift in focus is heralded by a Qur’anic verse appearing on the screen, reading, “Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help.”

Read it all.

Handshake-gate

"Iranian president denies Israeli handshake: Says incident at pope's funeral did not take place," from AP, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami strongly denied shaking hands and chatting with Israeli President Moshe Katsav at Pope John Paul II's funeral, state-run media reported Saturday.

Following the pope's funeral on Friday, Katsav said he shook hands and chatted briefly with Khatami and the leader of another archenemy of Israel, Bashar Assad of Syria. Syria on Friday confirmed the handshake between Assad and Katsav but played down its political significance.

But after returning to Iran, Khatami denied shaking Katsav's hand.

"These allegations are false like other allegations made by Israeli media and I have not had any meeting with any one from the Zionist regime," the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Khatami as
saying.

Allegations? Khatami feels as if he has been "accused" of shaking hands with the Israeli President? Somehow, we don't think this is a good omen, despite what the Israeli press had to say about the incident.

Khatami was cited as saying his country "morally and logically" does not recognize Israel but will not interfere in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Mr. Khatami, could you please explain exactly why you feel it is not moral or logical to recognize Israel? Of course, if you will entertain a question from a kafir najis at all.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, meanwhile, said he doubted the handshake could represent a diplomatic breakthrough.

Right again, Shalom.

Pakistan: Protestant pastor, driver killed

From the Qatar Peninsula, with thanks to Twostellas:

PESHAWAR: The bodies of a protestant pastor and his driver have been found dumped on a road in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, police said yesterday.

The bodies of Shamoun Barbar, 37, and his driver, identified only as Daniel, were found near the provincial capital, Peshawar, on Thursday.

"The victims had been stabbed and shot," a senior police officer said. "The hand of one of the victims was also cut off."

Police said they suspected that the priest had been killed because his brother was having an affair with a Muslim woman. They said the woman and her brother had been detained.

But leaders of the Christian community called it a "targeted act of terrorism" aimed at intimidating Christians.

"Barbar had been receiving life threats for a long time and the police's claim that he was killed because of his brother's affair with a Muslim women is baseless," said Shahbaz Bhatti, chairman of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance.

Even if it weren't baseless, it's heinous enough in itself: reminiscent of the old Jim Crow South, the death of Emmett Till, etc. And evidence that in Pakistan dhimmitude is alive and well.

"It is a heinous crime and brutal act of terrorism, which should not be ignored."

Christians are the largest non-Muslim minority in Pakistan, where all but about five percent of the 150 million people are Muslim.

Islamic militants enraged by Pakistan's support for the US-led war on terrorism launched several attacks on Christian communities after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on US cities.

An angry crowd of 200 Christian mourners blocked a key road yesterday in protest at the killing.

"We will not bury the bodies unless the killers are brought to justice," close relatives and friends of the dead men shouted as they blocked traffic near the cemetery on main highway linking Pakistan with Afghanistan.

"The kidnappers and killers must be brought to justice as soon as possible," read one banner held by the crowd. "Protect the Christian community," said another....

Dutch PM: 'Disrespectful behaviour, not Islam, is the problem'

"'Disrespectful behaviour, not Islam, is the problem': PM," from Expatica, with thanks to Susan:

AMSTERDAM - Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has expressed understanding for people who are offended by the link made between Islam and the problems in Dutch society.

"The problem is not Islam but disrespectful behaviour," Balkenende said in Rotterdam on Wednesday.

Of course. That's it. Why didn't I think of that? I should have been tipped off by Osama bin Laden's Declaration of Jihad Against Respectful Behavior.

He was addressing the closing session of the Islam & Integration debates that were held to increase understanding between the native Dutch and Muslim communities in the port city....

He ended his remarks by saying: "If Muslims always have to defend themselves, we will never come to a solution for the problems . because what is the problem here? Not Islam! But the disrespectful behaviour of certain individuals and groups - both Muslims and non-Muslims".

Balkenende indicated he was a supporter of dealing resolutely with people who incite hatred, intimidate and use violence against others, schools or mosques.

Apparently in a reference to young right-wingers who identify themselves by wearing Lonsdale clothing, he added: "Let this be clear for people who, by their clothing for instance, want to identify themselves with reprehensible doctrines. But also for groups of immigrant youths who behave in an intimidating way".

"Those who try to incite angst in others tear at precisely what we are trying to build together in the Netherlands. This poison must not be allowed to spread," the Christian Democrat CDA leader said.

Balkenende said the acceptance of newcomers into the Netherlands was of great importance. "This is a task for us all: in our local districts, at work, in the street and in the club, everywhere."

Integration, he added, was more than a course of study. "Integration is blending in the greater whole, without denying your identity".

Asked by a teen boy in the audience what the term integration meant, Balkenende stumbled slightly over his words before saying it was about contributing and participating in society....

The boy seems to have stumbled on to something here. What does "integration" mean, anyway? Does it mean the majority tolerating "disrespectful behavior"? Ah, the boys don't mean it; they're just youthful ruffians. Boys will be boys, after all. Of course, we make it worse for ourselves by not cooperating...oh, uh, I mean educating, ourselves about the special nature of their religion and all their special needs. And we make them feel bad about themselves, so they become violent, you see... But what about the victims, you say? Van Gogh? Oh, don't ask about him, he had it coming, he was just trying to stir up trouble. Spreading Islamophobia, he was.

The Economist sneers at the defenders of Western culture

The Economist, which has shown egregious dhimmi tendencies in the past, does it again in this sustained sneer directed toward those who would defend Europe against Islamization, "Living with Islam: The new Dutch model?" (thanks to Dr JDJ):

FOR people who see themselves as the front line in an uncertain struggle to defend western civilisation—a struggle, moreover, which has already cost some lives—the cultural warriors of the Netherlands have a surprising spring in their step. “I see developments in the Arab world as very promising,” says Paul Scheffer, a journalist who is one of the leaders of an ideological movement that wants to counter Islamist extremism by putting more emphasis on the rule of law and less on accommodating differences.

Taking his cue from America's political right

Message to Economist readers: despise this man. He is of "the Right."

...he hails the fact that in some Middle Eastern countries ordinary people have challenged old elites and theocracies. In Europe, he reckons, traditional leaders who presume to speak for Muslim immigrants have it too easy, because governments pander to them out of a misplaced respect for cultural diversity....

“The very idea of a multi-cultural society is too conservative, because it denies the fact that the migration changes people,” says Mr Scheffer, a veteran of Amsterdam's bohemian, canalside intelligentsia, a world where the right to be eccentric, and to change, is held dear. He and his friends have been arguing that all would-be citizens of the Netherlands must be presented with a clear message. As the price of living in an open, law-governed society, they should acknowledge the right of others to individual choice, dissent and “apostasy” from the beliefs of their own community.

Sounds great. But to The Economist, this in itself is "intolerant":

In some European countries, such language might sound intolerant. But in the Netherlands of 2005, it has entered the political mainstream. Nor are all its advocates of European background. Indeed, its strongest advocate of all, Ayaan Hirsi Ali has a personal history which, in many people's eyes, gives her a unique authority to speak about the dark side of religious fundamentalism. What she, Mr Scheffer and, in a different way, the maverick politician Geert Wilders—who recently left the centre-right Liberals to form a new, Eurosceptical party—all have in common is a sense, bordering on arrogance, that history is on their side.

From their viewpoint, the events of last November—the killing of a film-maker, Theo van Gogh, followed by a spate of tit-for-tat burnings of schools and places of worship—merely vindicated what they had been saying for years: immigrant communities that refuse to align their values to those of western democracy are a ticking time-bomb. Nor are they shy about voicing opinions on other parts of Europe. Mr Scheffer, for example, thinks Britain made a terrible mistake by allowing policewomen to wear Muslim headscarves, since uniforms are supposed to express the state's neutrality between citizens.

Do these cultural ideologues have good reasons to feel confident, at least with respect to their own country? To some extent, yes. In all parts of the Dutch spectrum, politicians have to take account of a public mood that is deeply fearful of religious extremism and terrorism, and feels that too much stress has been laid on accommodating different values and faiths.

Horror of horrors! Not that The Economist has anything to say about Muslim groups in Europe that have shown themselves to be anything but accommodating of different values and faiths.

Crusades film 'will help Muslims'

From the BBC, with thanks to Dr JDJ:

Two Arabic actors starring in a Hollywood film about the Crusades say it will improve Western understanding of Muslim world. Kingdom of Heaven depicts a 12th century Muslim-Christian battle for Jerusalem during the Third Crusade.

Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud, who plays the Muslim leader Saladin, said the film would not reinforce old stereotypes as some had feared....

Massoud also said Kingdom of Heaven would show the US the benefits of diplomacy over war in resolving Middle East crises.

"Saladin fights battles, but he also enters into dialogue. We want to show that dialogue can be much better than war," he said.

"Today, America has overwhelming force but it is as if they don't want to build a dialogue."

I wonder if Ridley Scott knows what a hudna is, and knows that "dialogue" to a jihadist is just a means for him to gather strength to fight again more effectively.

Anyway, for the real story of the Crusades, watch for my forthcoming book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades (Regnery).

Non-Muslims Banned from Flashpoint Jerusalem Shrine

Only non-Muslims banned from a site that Jews considered holy before there even was an Islam. Shows what violence will get you, at least sometimes: just what you want. From Reuters, with thanks to Dr JDJ:

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will ban non-Muslims from a sensitive Jerusalem shrine on Sunday amid fears Jewish militants could provoke bloodshed aimed at stalling Israel's planned withdrawal from Gaza, officials said on Thursday.

Police have tightened security at the site, revered by Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and by Jews as Temple Mount, to keep out Jewish ultra-nationalists who have vowed to hold a rally there on Sunday.

Palestinian militants have vowed renewed violence, which would break a two-month-old ceasefire, if Jewish nationalists enter the compound.

"We have received warnings in recent days over the Temple Mount. We have no concrete information but we must prevent all possibilities," Israeli Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra told Israel Radio.

"The Temple Mount will be closed to visitors (on April 10). Only Muslims will be allowed to enter," a police spokesman said of the site at the heart of the Middle East conflict. "This is to prevent any confrontations."

Islamic perception relies on 'education'

Yet another Islamic Awareness period. From Baltimore's Towson University TowerLight, with thanks to EPG:

The Muslim Student Association kicked off Islamic Awareness Week on Monday with a motivational lecture by Islamic speaker Abu Omar Irfan Kabiruddin.

Kabiruddin's message was simple: He wants Muslims to be proud and promote Islam as a peaceful religion. He expressed frustration with the perception some people have had with Islam since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"People are scared when a Muslim enters the room and that should not
happen." Kabiruddin said.

Kabiruddin believes the negative perception of Islam comes from the American media, but he also feels Muslims need to be accountable for promoting Islam as a peaceful religion. He believes non-Muslims will gain a sense of comfort toward Islam once they are educated.

"It's all about education. Taking it to them. Telling them about Islam!," Kabiruddin yelled into the crowd.

Islamic Awareness Week is designed to improve understanding about the world's second largest religion. The MSA hosted a movie night on Tuesday, and hosted an evening of "Women United" on Wednesday.

While many Muslims may be frustrated about the stereotyping of Islam in the United States, Kabiruddin said they should be appreciative of living in such a tolerable country. He pointed out that Muslims in America can dress however they want, and suggested that other countries would have banned Islam and kicked Muslims out of their country following Sept. 11, 2001.

Kabiruddin said being a Muslim was tough after the attacks because of all the hostility toward the Islamic religion. But he was surprised and touched by the cards and flowers he was sent from his non-Muslim friends to still show their support for Kabiruddin and Islam.

Kabiruddin wants Muslims to not to be discouraged about the continuing terrorist's acts in the Middle East.

"The terrorist's attacks we see overseas have nothing to do with Islam," Kabiruddin said.

Fine, fine, Kabiruddin. Now convince the terrorists of that.

Another point of Kabiruddin's speech was to remind Muslims to respect other religions such as Christianity and Judiasm. Kabiruddin believes all religions should respect and accept each other, even though they have different beliefs.

"We don't want to degrade and disrespect other prophets [preachers of different religions]. We believe in all the prophets," Kabiruddin said.

Of course he doesn't want to degrade and disrespect other prophets, but if he is an orthodox Muslim, he doesn't believe those prophets were "preachers of different religions." He believes they taught Islam, and their renegade followers altered their messages.

Islam Awareness Month at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

When is Christianity Awareness Month? Judaism Awareness Month? Under what auspices does this bit of proselytizing take place? From the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Collegiate Times, with thanks to EPG:

The question posed to students at the first Islam Awareness Month event this year was "What are you living [for]?"

The Muslim Student Association kicked off Islam Awareness Month this week with festivities to educate students about the faith.

Johari Abdul-Malik, a member of the Muslim Alliance in North America, spoke in Commonwealth Ballroom last night to discuss this month's topic, "What are you living for?"

Abdul-Malik acknowledged the audience in a way he said he knew Jesus, Moses, Muhammad and Noah alike would all greet a crowd.

"With peace," he said.

Abdul-Malik said in the spirit of peace, he wanted everyone to know he was speaking from a Muslim point of view, and that he didn't want anyone to be offended.

With assistance from the audience Abdul-Malik noted four ways in which people learn and acquire a sense of reality: observation, rationalization, emotions and faith.

"You can try to just use empirical thinking an observations, but it takes other tools to get the real sense of reality," he said.

Abdul-Malik cited many analogies in his explanation of what people are living for, saying that each person was like a machine or tool and Allah was the manufacturer. He said the Quran was like the manual put in place to learn how to operate the machine.

"Whenever you get a new computer, the manual says 'Read Me First' but who really reads it first? No one. You only pick up the manual when the product' not working right," he said. If you want to know how to use the operating system to it's highest level, you have to use the manual," he said. "The Quran is the manual for the highest system. There won't be any upgrades."...

Belgian non-profit groups 'finance terror'

Eurabia alert from Expatica, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:

BRUSSELS - Belgian anti-terrorism experts are investigating possible links between some of the country's not-for-profit groups and known terrorist organisations, it was confirmed on Wednesday.

Several newspapers from the Sud Presse publishing group reported that Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinkx had received 86 separate
files on groups thought to be helping to finance international terrorism in some way or other.

But the newspapers said that most of the groups suspected of having links with terrorism were religious organisations.

Those Mennonites! At it again, eh?

BBC to air dhimmi history of Europe

Europe owes as much to Islam as to Christianity, says Jacques Chirac, and if you believe that, please contact me for some excellent suspension bridge deals. But as part of the ongoing propaganda for Turkey in the EU and acceptance of the transformation -- Islamization -- of Europe, the BBC will air An Islamic History of Europe (thanks to Dr JDJ):

At a time when many see East and West as set on an inevitable collision course, Rageh Omaar uncovers the hidden story of Europe's Islamic past and looks back to a golden age when European civilisation was enriched by Islamic learning.

Rageh travels across medieval Muslim Europe to reveal the vibrant civilisation that Muslims brought to the West.

This evocative film brings to life a time when emirs and caliphs dominated Spain and Sicily and Islamic scholarship swept into the major cities of Europe.

His journey reveals the debt owed to Islam for its vital contribution to the European Renaissance.

This is ahistorical and one-sided. You will be able to find a more balanced view this summer in my book The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades (forthcoming from Regnery).

The unreported race riot in France

"Mugged by la Réalité: The unreported race riot in France": Olivier Guitta writing in the Weekly Standard (thanks to Ted Robertson):

Fredric Encel, Professor of international relations at the prestigious Ecole Nationale d'Administration in Paris and a man not known for crying wolf, recently stated that France is becoming a new Lebanon. The implication, far-fetched though it may seem, was that civil upheaval might be no more than a few years off, sparked by growing ethnic and religious polarization. In recent weeks, a series of events has underlined this ominous trend.

On March 8, tens of thousands of high school students marched through central Paris to protest education reforms announced by the government. Repeatedly, peaceful demonstrators were attacked by bands of black and Arab youths--about 1,000 in all, according to police estimates. The eyewitness accounts of victims, teachers, and most interestingly the attackers themselves gathered by the left-wing daily Le Monde confirm the motivation: racism.

Some of the attackers openly expressed their hatred of "little French people." One 18-year-old named Heikel, a dual citizen of France and Tunisia, was proud of his actions. He explained that he had joined in just to "beat people up," especially "little Frenchmen who look like victims." He added with a satisfied smile that he had "a pleasant memory" of repeatedly kicking a student, already defenseless on the ground.

Another attacker explained the violence by saying that "little whites" don't know how to fight and "are afraid because they are cowards." Rachid, an Arab attacker, added that even an Arab can be considered a "little white" if he "has a French mindset." The general sentiment was a desire to "take revenge on whites."

Sometimes petty theft appeared to be the initial motivation. One or two bullies would approach a student and ask for money or a cell phone. Even if the victim complied right away, they would start beating him or her. A striking account was provided by Luc Colpart, a history and geography teacher and member of the far-left union SUD. Colpart said the scenes of violence were so disturbing that he could not sleep for days. He saw students being beaten or pulled by the hair. He stressed that assailants who stole cell phones smashed them in front of their victims: "It was a game. Hatred and fun."...

UK: Muslims' fury as Pope 'compared to Prophet'

All right, so Jalal Chaudry spoke imprecisely from a Muslim perspective. But his comments are an "insult to all Muslims"? Here's one from the Touchy Touchy Department, via the Scotsman, with thanks to Twostellas:

A MUSLIM leader was at the centre of a furious row today after being accused of comparing Pope John Paul II to the Prophet Muhammad.

Jalal Chaudry sparked an angry reaction from across Edinburgh by describing the late Pope as "God's messenger of peace on this earth".

A furious group of worshippers from Edinburgh's Central Mosque have told Mr Chaudry to resign as chairman of the Islamic Society of Scotland and apologise to the Muslim community....

Mr Chaudry, a senior member of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), was accused of comparing the Pope to Muhammad following comments in Monday's Evening News.

Mr Chaudry, who represented Edinburgh Muslims at this week's requiem Mass for the Pope, said a "small minority of extremists" were now spreading hatred in the community following his tribute to the Pope. "I am astonished and saddened that my statement about John Paul II has been misunderstood and interpreted wrongly," he said....

Inyat Bunglauala said the statement to the Evening News was "not a wise choice of words".

"To name the Pope as God's messenger is problematic because we only recognise the prophets as this, and Muhammad was the last one," he said....

Shopworker Mohammad Iqbal, 50, of Howden Hall Road, reacted angrily to Mr Chaudry's comments, saying he should resign from all Islamic organisations. "Jalal is not authorised to speak on behalf of the Muslim community and the Pope is not a messenger from God," he said.

"It was very wrong of Jalal to say this about the Pope and it has made a lot of people very angry indeed. John Paul II was a peacemaker and we agree with a lot of his views, but that is all.

"These comments are an insult to all Muslims and Jalal should make a public apology and resign. He should not be allowed to be a spokesman for our community."

Florida: Muslim athlete can wear scarf

CAIR wins yet another. These are presented as rights issues, although in countries that enforce Islamic law women have no freedom not to wear the scarf. "Muslim athlete can wear scarf," from AP, with thanks to Nick B:

A 12-year-old Muslim girl will be allowed to wear her head scarf in an basketball tournament in Orlando after officials originally told her not to, the Florida Council on American-Islamic Relations said Saturday.

The Amateur Athletic Union had told the girl from Tampa she could not wear her religiously mandated scarf, called a hijab, while playing, citing rules prohibiting head coverings.

But after the Muslim rights group intervened, the union changed its mind, CAIR spokesman Ahmed Bedier said.

The girl will have to tuck her scarf into her uniform during play in the tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, which ends
today.

UN report blames Israel, US for lack of Arab reform

Could Muslims have any responsibility for their own plight? Why of course not. From AP, with thanks to Kemaste:

The creation of Israel and the US support for its policies in the West Bank are partially to blame for the lack of reform in the Arab world, according to a UN-sponsored report released Tuesday.

The Arab Human Development Report 2004 (AHDR) cited the creation of the Jewish state as one of the roots of authoritarianism in the Middle East, along with the discovery of oil and the support for dictators by the superpowers during the Cold War.

Yes, of course. Before 1948 there was no authoritarianism in the Middle East. Just pluralist democracies, full of happy civic-minded voters.

Israel rebuffed the claims. "For too long too many people in the Arab world have used Israel as an excuse to justify behavior that cannot be justified," said Mark Regev, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. "You can't have democratic elections because of Israel and you can't give equal rights to women in Saudi Arabia because of Israel. This is of course a cop out."

It is more than that. It is a smear, and an evasion of responsibility.

The 248-page report, published by the United Nations Development Program, was ready months ago, prior to the Palestinian and Iraqi elections, but its release was delayed because of objections by the US and Egypt. It was finally released with the UN logo and a disclaimer in the preface.

In the most controversial part titled Towards Freedom in the Arab World, the report stated that the Israeli occupation of the territories and the US occupation of Iraq both created excuses for Arab governments to postpone democratization and they strengthened extremist groups which advocate violence.

A spokesman for the State Department rejected those claims.

"We think it's misguided to blame Israel for the problems and the challenges that the Arab world faces," said Greg Sullivan, spokesman for the Near East Affairs Department.

That's for sure.

Muslims feel stigmatized, say British legislators

From Reuters, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

LONDON, British Muslims feel victimized by the "war on terrorism" and community relations have worsened since the Sept 11 2001 attacks on the United States, lawmakers said in a report on Wednesday.

The report comes a day after Prime Minister Tony Blair called an election in which the parties will fight hard for Muslim votes. "Muslims in Britain are more likely than other groups to feel they are suffering as a result of the response to international terrorism," said a report by parliament's Home Affairs Select Committee.

Many of Britain's 1.8 million Muslims say they feel stigmatised by anti-terrorism laws and complain of a rise in the number of police security checks carried out on them as Britons fear an attack by radical Islamists.

The committee concluded that community relations in Britain had deteriorated since 2001, largely a result of measures introduced to combat the threat of global terrorism.

It called for Muslims to be more involved in policy making. "The government needs to bring together its support for community cohesion with its anti-terrorist strategy and needs to ensure the Muslim community are fully involved in developing the next steps in tackling terrorism," said chairman John Denham.

OK, but in over three years since 9/11 they haven't shown, in Britain or the US, a tremendous eagerness to get involved in "tackling terrorism." Is the problem really that the government has been leaving them out of such efforts?

In a move likely to provoke anger among Muslims, the government said on Tuesday it would ditch plans to outlaw incitement to hatred on religious grounds, having run out of parliamentary time before the May 5 election.

The laws would have extended laws that protect people on the basis of colour, race, gender or ethnic origin. Britain is not alone in facing rising tensions with Muslims. ...

Imams, Rabbis call for synergies between religion and politics

The dhimmi forum we discussed here in January has become a "permanent committee. A broken-English article from Arabic News, with thanks to Skeetstreet:

The Judeo-Muslim Permanent Committee, convened Tuesday in Marrakech, called for associating the political action to the efforts of the clergy to promote relations between Islam and Judaism.

This meeting, meant to assess the results of the first congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace, which took place in January in Brussels, will look into setting up action mechanisms to consolidate tolerance between religions to the benefit of peace, said the founder of the foundation "Hommes de Paroles," Alain Michel.

Michel stressed that Morocco is a true plate-form for dialog between religions and civilizations, as was evidenced by the organization of the 1st Rabbis and Imams congress under the patronage of King Mohammed VI.

Representatives of the two religions highlighted the need to integrate the religious dimension in all forms of dialog, calling for taking measures to encourage the coming together of religions.

On January 3 through 6, the Belgian capital hosted the first congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace under the aegis of King Mohammed VI and King Albert II of the Belgians.

The congress, held on the initiative of the Swiss foundation "Hommes de Parole" (Men of Word), had brought together a hundred imams and rabbis to discuss issues related to the co-existence of Islam and
Judaism...

Know what the teachers are teaching

The textbook victory in Scottsdale is most welcome, but this whitewash, "What is Islam?" by Semya Hakim in St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN, from Rethinking Schools Online (thanks to Tom), is still more common in schools:

The recent attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon have brought to the surface a lot of ignorant beliefs and stereotypes about Islam. Clearly, it is past time for teachers to educate themselves and their students about what is the second largest religion in the world.

One way to start discussions is to ask students to: 1. List stereotypes about Islam and/or Muslims; 2. List everything they know about Islam and/or Muslims....

One common misconception is that Jihad can be easily translated as "holy war." Jihad actually translates as "to strive in the way of God." So a person who studies Islam, preaches Islam, or defends an Islamic country is jihad. It is not someone who initiates violence in the name of Islam. In fact, the literal translation of the word "Islam" is "peace."

Of course it isn't. It's "submission." And jihad, of course, is indeed in effect if someone initiates violence in the name of Islam -- according to many Islamic teachers.

This misunderstanding stems, in part, from the fact that many non-Muslim Americans do not understand that Islam is a way of life.

Of course. It is Americans who have misunderstood Islam and conjured up the idea that jihad means warfare. Maybe it was that little matter of those collapsing, burning towers.

At the end of the piece comes a rogue's gallery of groups from which unsuspecting teachers are directed to get more information about Islam:

While this article does not begin to make other teachers "experts," hopefully it can give you some confidence in starting a dialogue in your own classrooms. Here are some websites for further information:

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), www.adc.org
Arab American Institute (AAI), www.aaiusa.org
American Committee on Jerusalem (ACJ), www.acj.org
American Muslim Alliance (AMA), www.amaweb.org
American Muslim Council (AMC), www.amconline.org
Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), www.cair-net.org
Islamic Institute, www.islamicinstitute.org.

And, when you want the straight story rather than deception, don't forget Jihad Watch, www.jihadwatch.org.

Another Eurabian Terror Acquittal

"Dutch Court Acquits Teenager of Terrorism," from AP, with thanks to Mediawatch:

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands -- A Dutch court on Wednesday acquitted Samir Azzouz, 18, of plotting terrorist attacks against Dutch landmarks and ordered his release.

He was sentenced to three months for illegal possession of firearms, but will go free because he has already served 10 months in detention.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the good people of Rotterdam will hear from this boy again.

Anti-dhimmitude in Arizona: Text pulled after uproar over Islam

A victory for truth and common sense in Arizona, from Arizona's East Valley Tribune, with thanks to all who sent this in:

A world history textbook used by seventh-graders at Scottsdale's Mohave Middle School was pulled from classrooms mid-semester amid growing criticism of the book's portrayal of Islam.

The removal came on the heels of a slew of angry emails to
Scottsdale Unified School District officials and entries on conservative Internet Web logs.

I am sorry to say this one was not one of them, but that was not by design: with the high level of work in the Jihad Watch offices every day, I just overlooked the case. Anyway this shows the power of such actions.

Janie White is a Scottsdale parent who complained about the "History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond" textbook, which was being used on a trial basis at her daughter's school. In a Jan. 25 email to Superintendent John Baracy, she objected to what she believed was "religious bias, dogma, myth and proselytizing."

"I received a significant number of e-mails saying (the book) was Islamic propaganda and we shouldn't use it," said district governing board member Christine Schild.

Before the board could take action, the book's publisher requested an end to its trial license with the district in March, and the district quit using the materials.

Nancy Bredin, national sales manager at TCI, insists the publishing company did not pull the license due to the controversy. Instead, she said, the newly-released state standards do not match the textbook's focus.

"We pulled out because it became very clear we did not match the standards," Bredin said. The book is still being tried in schools in other states, she added.

The textbook covers history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century to the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century. It devotes 33 pages to Christianity and 42 pages to Islam. Bredin explained the book is meant to serve as the second in a twopart series....

The lessons about Islam are what concern parents such as White. In her complaint to Baracy, she referred to the American Textbook Council, a group that objects to TCI's explanation of concepts such as jihad.

The book defines jihad as "a struggle within each individual to please God, but that may also be a physical struggle for protection against enemies."

David Damrel, a professor at the Arizona State University's Department of Religious Studies, reviewed several chapters of the book at the Tribune's request. He said the passages generally did a good job of describing Muslim attitudes toward jihad in an accurate way.

Complaints about the book started early this year, when White sent a series of e-mails to Baracy demanding the textbook be removed from her daughter's classroom.

"I do not want my children trying out Islam, or thinking about becoming a Muslim now, or in the future," she wrote to Baracy on Jan. 25. She did say, however, that she approves of including some information about world religions in history lessons, so long as it is presented factually and briefly.

She also objected to a classroom activity that led students to rank the most influential people in history, which she said pit Jesus against Muhammad. ...

The issue drew national attention when a man claiming to be a
Scottsdale father posted an entry on conservative writer Daniel Pipes' Web site on Feb. 27.

The man lambasted what he stated was "fake history along with Islamic religious proselytizing and indoctrination techniques" at his child's
school.

The posting found its way to at least five other Internet log sites, most of which claim to be politically conservative. One Jewish Web site also encouraged readers to contact the Scottsdale district, saying the textbook denigrates Judaism.

At least one Web site, which doesn't claim any religious affiliation, criticizes Schild and Baracy, saying Arizona public schools are being turned into madrassas, or Islamic religious schools. The site claims it is run by former Cave Creek public school teacher Catherine King and her husband, Jerome du Bois.

Schild said she received between 50 and 100 e-mails concerning the text...

In a certain sense it's true: public schools are being turned into madrassas, because Islamic organizations are brought in to vet material about Islam. More than once they have turned textbooks into instruments for proselytizing.

Mullah Krekar staying in Norway after all -- "for now"

First he was going, then he was staying, then he was going again. The dhimmi Norwegians can't seem to take a definitive action against him, despite all the evidence. "Mullah Krekar allowed to stay for now," from the Norway Post, with thanks to the Norwegian Kafir:

The Norwegian Parliament (Storting) on Tuesday rejected a proposal from the right wing Progress Party (FrP) to expel Mullah Krekar immediately.

Only 20 voted in favour of the proposal, according to NRK.

FrP leader Carl I.Hagen referred to the decision by the Immigration Directorate to expel Krekar, and said that in his opinion the Storting ought to have followed up the matter.

Hagen saw no weighty reason why Krekar should remain in Norway. Iraqi authorities have said that he will not face a death sentence should he return home....

An anti-dhimmi poem by a Swiss parliamentarian

And now, an interlude from the Jihad Watch Art Department. "Allah's bullet" is a poem by Oskar Freysinger, a member of the Swiss parliament. It is part of a German-language book he is writing (for which he is looking for an English publisher), and this English version comes to us courtesy Gabrielle Goldwater:

It took Umma a long time to file me. A very long time.
She took great care in shaping the metal jacket that covers me.
Tenderly she filled me with the powder of her hatred.
Now I am ready. In golden lustre I await the great day when my
destiny will be fulfilled.
Motionless and with infinite patience I mark time, ready to slash
through space, exploding the all-powerful word of Allah in the world
of the infidels.
The desert of the godless will once again blossom under his redeeming
thunderbolt.
Finally it has come, the day of the big sacrifice.
With soft, yet emphatic pressure of her delicate fingers Umma pushes
me into the cartridge case.
For the last time I see her black eyes through the loading slot, then
I become engulfed by utter darkness.
In front of me lies the runway to the holy war. At its end the
glaring light towards which I shall propel myself without feeling
in order to unite myself with it.
And to enrich it with truth.
The overwhelming power of faith pushes me forward. The tunnel
disappears, the friction of the air particles makes my head
glow.
Finally I see the target:
Two arms, two legs, a head: an infidel. A soft target.
With a tremendous impact I throw my hard core against his chest,
splitting it, penetrating the infected heart, bringing his blood
covering my shell to the boiling point.
And already I am through.
A triumphant victory.
And it was very easy.
As if there were no resistance.
But before I have time to really feel the joy about my successful
flight, a wall emerges in front of me.
I was not programmed to stop.
So I crash with full force against the white concrete slabs and fall,
to remain in the dust with a crushed head.
A spent piece of the human will, encapsulated in a battered metal
jacket.

But I know that Umma is already shaping my brothers.
I was but their harbinger.
They have their voyage to come.
When the time comes, thousands of them will throw themselves through
the same tunnel into the light.
They will make a void in the air that can never be closed.
And Allah's enemies will be absorbed by it.


Oskar Freysinger
member of the Swiss parliament

Allah-Freysinger-Text-05.04.05
Copyright © Oskar Freysinger

"Next pope must mend relations with Islam"

Should the next pope be a dhimmi? From AP, with thanks to the Norwegian Kafir:

"We have to learn to live with Islam," said Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, speaking to reporters Tuesday in Rome. "We have to learn how to dialogue with Islam."

Sure. It's all on us. If only we could learn to live with them, everything would be all right. I detect in this remark a trace of the widespread and largely unquestioned assumption that the Islamic world is only reacting violently to various fill-in-the-blank provocations from the West (Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Israel, Mossadegh, whatever) and that if we would just be nice to them, all our troubles would vanish. It's interesting that this breathtakingly ethnocentric view is usually advanced by the most energetic proponents of multiculturalism.

Chicago Cardinal Francis George added: "The history between Catholicism and Islam is not a happy one. We want to live at peace in a global society, so a dialogue with Islam is particularly important."...

During the late pope's historic trip to Syria, he silently listened as Syria's President Bashar Assad denounced Jews for trying to "kill the principles of all religions." The Vatican refused to comment on the diatribe, apparently concerned any reaction would upset years of carefully crafted relations with the Muslim world.

Let's hope that kind of shameful performance is not repeated, and that the next pope realizes that "years of carefully crafted relations" aren't worth a thing if they involve concessions, circumspection, introspection, and reform only from one side, but not the other.

Muslims Denied Swiss Citizenship

Anti-dhimmitude in Switzerland. From Islam Online, with thanks to the Norwegian Kafir:

GENEVA, Three Muslim families were denied the Swiss citizenship, despite meeting all conditions, under claims of being "less integrated" into the society, in a step seen as counter to efforts aimed at integrating immigrants into the Swiss society.

Despite meeting all necessary requirements, the Rhinak city in the eastern province of St. Gallen, refused to give citizenship to three Muslim families, hailing from Bosnia, on the grounds that they are "less integrated into society and unaccustomed to the Swiss civil life".

The three Muslim families, whose children are studying at Swiss schools, have been living in Switzerland for almost 20 years.

According to Swiss law, an immigrant is entitled to obtain citizenship after settling in the country for 12 years, provided that he did not commit criminal acts or financial irregularities.

Swiss laws also stipulate that immigrant children, born in the European country, have no right to obtain immediate citizenship, unlike other European countries, which grant citizenship to the children born on their soil.

The decision to deny the Muslim families citizenship was taken by 127-107 vote in the 234-member citizenship-granting committee of Rhinak
city.

UPDATE: Gabrielle Goldwater remarks: "This view from Islam online about Swiss citizenship's laws is entirely misleading and depends on far more issues than they report, it never means automatic citizenship will be granted after 12 years - or any entitlement at all - absolutely NOT the case."

Iran: Convert from Islam to Face Apostasy Charges

Hamid Pourmand update. From Assist News Service, with thanks to Nicolei:

IRAN - Christians in Iran have expressed great fears for the life of pastor Hamid Pourmand, a lay leader in a church and a convert from Islam, who will appear before an Islamic court next week to face charges of apostasy. If found guilty he is likely to face the death penalty.

Christian sources in Iran learned April 4 that pastor Pourmand is scheduled to appear before an Islamic court within the next 10 days. No specific date was given. Pastor Pourmand is a lay leader in the Assemblies of God church in Bandar-i Bushehr and converted to Christianity in 1980. At the time of his arrest he was a Colonel in the Iranian army.

According to Middle East Concern, Pourmand was arrested September 9, 2004, together with 85 other participants of the annual general conference of denomination. The other Christians were released within the next three days, but pastor Pourmand was charged with hiding his conversion from his superiors. According to Iranian law only Muslims can be officers in the army.

Pastor Pourmand was found guilty of this charge on February 16, 2005, even though he presented several papers in court which proved his superiors were aware he was a Christian. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment, discharge from the army, and loss of his entire income, pension and housing for his family. A few days later his wife and two children were forced to vacate their house.

Iranian Christian sources learned yesterday of the new charges of apostasy from Islam and proselytizing other Muslims. Apostasy is a capital offence in Iran.

In the last 16 years three Iranian church leaders have been charged with apostasy and found guilty. All three were sentenced to death. Pastor Hussein Soodman was hanged in 1989. Deacon Maher already had a noose around his neck when he signaled his willingness to recant and was released after signing a paper to that effect in 1992. Pastor Mehdi Dibaj was condemned to death in December 1993. He was released three weeks later after a strong international outcry, only to be found murdered six months later.

Muslim leaders want a separate Islamic court in Australia to deal with Islamic divorces

"Muslim leaders' divorce proposal," from the Australian Daily Telegraph, with thanks to all who sent this in:

MUSLIM leaders want to set up a separate Islamic court in Australia to deal specifically with Islamic divorces.

The radical idea was raised by Muslim leaders in a meeting with Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister Peter McGauran last week.

But Mr McGauran and Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock yesterday rejected the idea.

"The law in this country is secular. There's a clear separation between religion and the law and Australia's laws apply equally to all citizens, regardless of their religion," Mr McGauran said.

A spokeswoman for Mr Ruddock added: "It would not be appropriate for the Government to establish a separate religious court."

But the Government said it was sensitive to problems experienced by Muslims, particularly those with dual citizenship who seek a divorce.

Muslim Women's National Network spokeswoman Jamila Hussain said a divorce was only recognised under Islamic law when the husband says "I divorce you".

A Muslim woman may obtain a civil divorce under Australian law but she cannot remarry if her husband refuses to grant her a religious
divorce.

Why not, pray tell? If a woman is granted a divorce under Australian law, why can't she remarry under Australian law?

In Muslim countries, a disputed break-up is settled by a special sharia court.

But these don't exist in Australia and citizens who want to remarry must travel overseas to get a judgment.

Again, this seems like a spurious argument.

The major problem is some Muslim countries don't recognise Australia's civil divorces.

What difference does that make? Why should an Australian citizen care
whether or not some Muslim government recognises their laws? This is plainly a smokescreen.

Mr McGauran suggests the Government should ask foreign governments such as Lebanon to recognise Australian Family Court divorces.

Spokesman for Australia's Lebanese community, Keysar Trad, said this was an acceptable solution.

Why on earth should Australia ask Lebanon to recognise their divorces? What business is it of the Lebanese?

"We're looking for a solution to make life easier for Australian citizens," he said....

Yeah, sure you are, Keysar.

UK: Government drops religious hate law as election looms, following intense free speech campaign

A press release from the Barnabas Fund (thanks to Nicolei):

The government has dropped plans to introduce laws banning Incitement to Religious Hatred before the election after coming under intense pressure from both opposition parties and a coalition of groups co-ordinated by Barnabas Fund who oppose the laws on free speech grounds.

The leader of the House of Commons Peter Hain announced yesterday that
the government was dropping laws banning Incitement to Religious
Hatred from its Serious Organised Crime and Police (SOCP) Bill in
order to get the rest of the Bill through before parliament rises for
the general election. The announcement was confirmed by Baroness
Scotland in the House of Lords. The laws have been opposed by both the
Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties who would have blocked the
Bill's progress in the House of Lords if the hate laws had not been
dropped.

The government first announced it intended to introduce laws banning
incitement to religious hatred in July last year. In November they
came before the House of Commons as part of the SOCP Bill. Although
initially expecting little resistance, from the outset the government
met determined opposition to the laws from a broad-based coalition of
journalists, senior lawyers, MPs, peers, human rights groups, civil
liberties organizations, religious organisations, secularists and
actors, amongst others, co-ordinated by Barnabas Fund. The coalition
is deeply concerned that the laws will effectively end up banning all
legitimate criticism of religion and religious practices thus damaging
free speech.

Barnabas Fund organised an effective letter-writing campaign last
summer which alerted MPs to the significant level of concern for free
speech which existed and gave the issue much more prominence than it
would otherwise have received. From November onwards as the SOCP Bill
came before parliament Barnabas Fund along with many other
organisations again lobbied MPs and Lords. Peers received well over
100 letters each (MPs many more). One Lord commented that he had
received more letters on this issue than he had on the Fox Hunting and
Mental Capacity bills put together.

The government remains committed to the idea of introducing laws
banning incitement to religious hatred and has promised to reintroduce
them if they are returned to power in the election. Patrick Sookhdeo,
International Director at Barnabas Fund, said "We are very pleased
that the government has been forced to withdraw these laws for now. We
hope the government will recognise that there is enormous public
concern about the effect religious hate laws could have on legitimate
free speech and think twice before attempting to re-introduce
them".

Dr Sookhdeo thanked the many thousands of people who made this current
success possible by writing to MPs and peers expressing their
concerns. "This is increasingly becoming a matter which is motivating
those who value free speech all over the world" he said. "Similar laws
are creating deep misgivings in other nations including Australia and
New Zealand. None of us want to dismiss the concerns of those who feel
themselves victimised in our society. However, significant law already
exists to deal with those genuinely trying to peddle hate. People
should be protected; ideologies should not."

Stanford U: Forum on Islam promotes dhimmitude

Yes, said the dhimmis to their masters: you are just. You are tolerant. You are superbly fair and benign. If they didn't say that, their lives could be at risk. Now, of course, in our enlightened age, we only find that kind of intellectual subjugation in American universities, taken on not on pain of death but quite voluntarily. From the Stanford Daily, with thanks to Twostellas:

To provide a forum for all members of the Stanford community to ask questions about and acquaint themselves better with the Islamic faith, two Islamic student groups hosted a panel last night entitled "Islam Reflections and Perceptions," including both students and Muslim leaders.

Sponsored by the Muslim Student Awareness Network, or MSAN, in partnership with the Islamic Society at Stanford University, or ISSU, the panel featured senior Rania Eltom, MSAN president; doctoral student Ibrahim Almojel, president of ISSU; Ameena Jandali, secretary of the Islamic Networks Group - a nonprofit designed to educate the public about Islam; and Hisham Abdallah, imam of the Muslim Community Association of Santa Clara. Thom Massey, associate dean of students and cultural education affairs, moderated the event.

The speakers each described the major tenets of Islam, focusing mainly on the misperceptions of the religion....

Ah, yes. Muslims themselves seem to misunderstand Islam so easily, it's a good thing they're doing this sort of thing.

"Islam is a religion where the main focus is the relationship with God," Jandali said, adding that many assumptions about Islam are perpetuated by people who are unfamiliar with the belief system....

All four speakers highlighted this one-sidedness and the inaccuracies it leads to.

During the question-and-answer session, one audience member asked why many of the world's terrorists happen to be Muslim.

Abdallah replied that the actions of terrorists are not in accordance with the teachings of Islam, especially with the ideal of perfect moral character.

"Islam does not condone terrorism," Eltom added.

Ah yes. The terrorists misunderstand Islam, you see. It's such a grand, complex thing, that millions of its own adherents have no idea that it actually does not condone terrorism. This can only be discovered, you see, after years -- decades -- of intense study and prayer.

But anyway, we're inventing the problem ourselves:

Jandali said she believes that each generation of Americans seems to identify a particular enemy, contrived to fit ideologies or economic necessities.

"During the Cold War the Russians were our enemies and now it is the
Muslims," she said. "Our memory of history is short."...

Of course! There was no need to fight communism at all! There is no need to fight now either! We're so glad Ms. Jandali cleared this all up for us.

Father's wishes legal in Islam

Sharia alert. From the Malaysian Star Online, with thanks to Twostellas:

A MUSLIM father can coerce his daughter to comply with his wishes to marry a person of the family's choice and it would be legal and binding in Islam, Kosmo! reported.

However, the couple must be compatible with each other, the paper said, quoting Universiti Malaya professor Datuk Dr Mahmood Zubdi Abd Majaid.

He said Islam recognised such marriage because the father is considered the wali mujbir (authoritative custodian) of the girl.

Dr Mahmood, who heads the Fiqh Usul department of the university's Islamic Studies Academy, said for as long as the woman remained a virgin, the father would be her custodian.

This meant that if the father compels her to marry a person of the family's choice, even if it was against her wish, the marriage was legal, he added.

But it would be better if the girl gave her consent, he said, commenting on a recent report in which a 20-year-old woman from Kelantan was taken away by a bomoh after she was allegedly forced to marry someone else.

Dr Mahmood said although the woman could not protest against a prospective marriage, there was always room for her to voice her disagreement.

How's that again?

He said she could complain to the kadi before the marriage was solemnised.

"That way, discussions could be held before the ceremony proceed."

The paper also did a street survey among Malaysians with different racial and religious backgrounds on the issue and some of them felt that forced marriage was not relevant in modern times.

Mmm-hmmm.

Death threats Muslim had illness

Riaz Burahee update, from the BBC, with thanks to Twostellas:

A Muslim who made more than 90 phone calls threatening to kill, rape and blow up Jews has been spared jail.

A judge said treatment was the best way to protect the public from Riaz Burahee, of Edmonton, north London, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.

He was given a three-year community rehabilitation order for committing the greatest number of racially motivated offences by one person.

Burahee, 25, told victims he would rape their children and bomb buildings.

'Delusions of persecution'

At Wood Green Crown Court on Monday, judge Diane Faber said: "It is plain from the reports that you committed these offences while mentally ill suffering symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, experiencing delusions of persecution by Jewish people."

I wonder how he could have developed such a strange malady. Has anyone checked the content of the sermons at his local mosque?

At an earlier hearing, Burahee admitted 10 offences involving communicating false information about a bomb and racially aggravated harassment.

The defendant described himself as a Muslim with strong religious beliefs who had no links to terrorism.

Of course. What Muslim has links to terrorism?

Photographs of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden were later found at Burahee's home.

Simon Wiltshire, defending, told the court Burahee's behaviour originated from his illness, for which he is now receiving medication.

He said: "He realises the effect of those phone calls. It is perhaps the first glimmer of possibility that the medication is beginning to assist Mr Burahee in moderating his more extreme
beliefs."...

I don't think medication is going to do the job.

Norway: Blind People Rejected by Muslim Taxi Drivers

Clash of civilizations update. From the Norwegian Kafir's Fjordman blogspot:

[B]lind people with their guide dogs are finding it increasingly difficult to get a taxi ride, and not just in the capital. In Oslo, Muslims make up such a high percentage of cab drivers that it can be hard to obtain a taxi during Islamic holidays. The following example is from the city of Drammen outside Oslo, one of the Norwegian municipalities where the number of Muslim immigrants is now so large that the conflicts are becoming significant. A pro-Israeli politician from the rightwing Progress Party recently received death threats here. A lady in Drammen ran into some unexpected difficulties when travelling to visit another town:

Grethe Olsen, accompanied by her guide dog Isak, experienced being rejected by no less than 21 taxis before finally getting a ride. Olsen thinks the taxi drivers said no for religious reasons. The Norwegian Blind Association confirms that this is a well known problem all over the country, especially in cities with many immigrants. It arises when a blind person accompanied by a guide dog wants to take a taxi from a stand, instead of ordering one in advance.

According to spokesperson Amber Khan from World Islamic Mission in Oslo, this has nothing to do with Islam. "This is culture, not religion," she says. "If somebody is dependent upon a dog, this should take precedence over religion." Director Viggo Korsnes in Norway's Taxi Association has no sympathy for drivers who refuse to accept guide dogs into their cars. "You are obliged to accept the dog. Those who don't should find something else to do."

Amber Khan is not entirely wrong. Dogs, although considered extremely dirty animals and greatly disliked, are permitted for certain limited uses, such as guarding your property. I have never seen anything mentioned about guide dogs included in these few exceptions. At best, it is a matter of a great deal of interpretation. Khan is blatantly wrong in stating that this has nothing to do with the Islamic religion. First of all, Islam is not just a religion, but culture and politics as well, all rolled into one. It is difficult to see how non-Muslims are supposed to separate between religion and culture given that Islam admits no such distinction. And core Islamic texts do reveal a strong distaste for dogs, going back to Muhammad himself.

Here are two hadith from the most important collections for one billion Sunni Muslims:

Bukhari Volume 7, Book 72, Number 833:

Narrated Abu Talha : The Prophet said, "Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or there are pictures."

Muslim Book 010, Number 3811:

Abdullah (b. Umar) (Allah be pleased with them) reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) ordered the killing of dogs and we would send (men) in Medina and its corners and we did not spare any dog that we did not kill, so much so that we killed the dog that accompanied the wet she-camel belonging to the people of the desert.

From Islam Q&A: Ruling on having a dog

According to Islaamic Sharee'ah, it is not permitted to keep a dog except within narrowly-defined limits, as the Prophet explained: "Whoever keeps a dog, his good deeds will decrease every day by one qeeraat (a unit of measurement), unless it is a dog for farming or herding." Dogs are extremely naajis (impure, unclean). Keeping dogs nowadays is the habit of the kuffaar (infidels), who adopt them as friends, kiss them, let them lick them and their clothes, sleep with them and even leave them money in their wills. Keeping a dog is an imitation of the kuffaar. Some Muslims may claim that they need to keep a dog at home for purposes of protection, to which we respond that nowadays there are burglar alarm systems and other measures one may take for security purposes, and there is no need to keep a dog, praise be to Allaah.

Interview with Bat Ye'or

From "Triple-pronged Jihad -- Military, Economic and Cultural," an interview with Bat Ye'or by Alyssa A. Lappen, from the American Thinker:

Q. Was it intentional that the Euro-Arab Dialogue had these results?

A. Of course, on the Arab side, the [intentions and] decisions were very clear from the beginning. The idea was to develop good relations with Europe in order to separate Europe from America, weaken the West, encourage Arab Muslim immigration into Europe, organize a militant Islamic community in Europe, and develop a strong European Islam with political and intellectual influence on European development.

On the European side, opinions varied according to political views. There is no doubt that the French goal to establish Euro-Arab links stood on strong anti-American and Judeophobic grounds. The European parties willing to follow the French lead shared with the Arabs an antisemitic/anti-Zionist policy. During the Second Wold War, and even before, links existed between the Arab world and pro-Arab, European anti-Semites. The whole Arab nationalist movement of the early 20th century was constructed and supported with the rejection of Israel in mind. Ba'ath Party founder and convert to Islam, Michel Aflak, from the 1930s opposed the existence of the state of Israel on religious and political grounds. Opposition persisted even in England, which sought the mandate from the League of Nations for the Jewish National Homeland in Palestine. After WWII, the European rapprochement with Arab countries was just a continuation of the anti-Zionist policies that had started in the beginning of the 20th century....

Q. The thing that strikes me the most is how the EAD relates to the history of Jihad. In the Decline of Eastern Christianity, it was clear that the jihad was economic from the beginning. So this EAD did not just evolve in the 1970s. First you buy off the ministers, then you send economic envoys, then you pollute the political system, then you send the horsemen, and then the whole society collapses.

A. Yes, the jihad is an ideological war, which is based on theology, its aim was to conquer lands and impose the Koranic law. Often the tactic includes the corruption of leaders. Terror is also a means of jihad: terrorized people submit. In past centuries the corrupted leaders often opened the city’s gates to the jihadist armies. Corruption is also used to encourage conversions, particularly among high officials. And you have many conversions now in Europe.

Q. Now?

A. Yes. Many people have converted to Islam. Some by conviction, some by opportunism. They leave a civilization and a culture that they hate and join one that they view as a winning one. There are many reasons why people convert. Today Islam recruits in jails but also among intellectuals.

Read it all.

Kristine Withers: call for help

Kristine Withers tells her story here. In brief:

Kristine Withers claims to have been assaulted by the Islamic Thinkers' Society, a group she says is likely tied to Al-Muhajiroun, which is a radical Islamic group that is believed to have worked with Al-Qaeda.

Read the whole story: instead of prosecuting those whom she says assaulted her, the police are prosecuting her. Kristine is looking for legal help, and has asked me to put out a general call: if you can offer her any assistance, please contact her at Kris0822@nyc.rr.com.

Pakistan: "They want to undress the entire nation"

Sharia alert. "Clashes over Pakistan road race," from the BBC, with thanks to all who sent this in:

Pakistani police have clashed with demonstrators protesting against the participation of women in a 10km road race in eastern Pakistan.

A police chief in Gujranwala, 200km (120 miles) southeast of the capital, Islamabad, said 10 people were hurt.

Protestors opened fire on the police near a stadium where the race was due to end, while the police fired into the air to disperse the attackers.

The group that called for the protest said police fired without provocation.

'Undress the nation'

The clashes erupted after supporters of the Islamic religious parties alliance (MMA) attacked the men and women contesting the race with batons and stones, police said.

The protesters blocked the race course and chased competitors away as they approached the sports stadium where they were expected to finish race.

A spokesman for the MMA told the Associated Press news agency that the
alliance had warned organisers against holding the race "because it is against Islam".

"They want to undress the entire nation," Riaz Durrani said.

"It is indecent for women to run in the streets. They want the sisters and sisters-in-law of the nation to wear knickers and T-shirts."...

Mandæans still persecuted in Iraq

A message from the Sabian Mandaean Association (thanks to Keith Roderick):

The Sabian Mandæan Association has now been advised that Khairi Abdul Sattar Nasir (born 1951) and three (3) other Mandæans were killed by Muslims in Dawra, a suburb of Baghdad, on 2 April 2005 at about 1.00 p.m. The Sabian Mandæan Association has been informed that Khairi Abdul Sattar Nasir was in his shop when two (2) car loads of Muslims armed with shotguns suddenly appeared. The Muslims sprayed Khairi Abdul Sattar Nasir's shop with gunshots, killing him.

At the same time the Muslims also sprayed with gunfire the shops of Khairi Abdul Sattar Nasir's three (3) Mandæan neighbours, also killing them. Having murdered the four (4) Mandæans the Muslims immediately sped away. The fact that the Muslims at once departed demonstrates the Islamic purely theological motivation for the murders as no robbery took place. The Sabian Mandæan Association has been informed that Khairi Abdul Sattar Nasir's daughter who was assisting him in his shop had left the shop for ten (10) minutes and returned to find her father dead as a result of the gunshot wounds inflicted upon him by the Muslims.

The Sabian Mandæan Association has been informed that Khairi Abdul Sattar Nasir's daughter was severely traumatised and continues to suffer as a result of this Islamic action. This latest incident illustrates once again the plight of Mandæans in Iraq since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein was a cruel tyrant but he was not an Islamist fanatic and his regime did impose some restraint upon the Muslims. Unfortunately, that restraint was removed by the invasion...

Eurabia - Europe's Future?

Bat Ye'or gives a briefing to Middle East Forum (thanks to Rebecca Bynum) on the future of Europe.

Europe is undergoing two profound changes. The first is the weakening of Christianity. The second is demographic decline. Presently, across Europe, there are only two-thirds the number of children born necessary to sustain the population. The consequent drop in population has mostly been made good by immigration of Muslims. The fast-growing Muslim population is generally not integrated into the host societies nor politically acculturated to its norms. To the contrary, radical Islamic movements are gaining in strength among these émigré populations. In addition, European governments, especially the French, have developed foreign policies aimed at winning the favor of Middle Eastern regimes.

The question arises: is this a temporary aberration or is Europe on the road to losing its historic identity? The latter: Europe is rapidly being transformed into "Eurabia," a cultural and political appendage of the Arab/Muslim world that is fundamentally anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, anti-Western and anti-American.

European-Arab Partnership

The four-decade political and economic relationship between Europe and the Arab countries of the Middle East, institutionalized in the annual European-Arab Dialogue, has spawned a virulent and hostile amalgam called "Eurabia." It will not simply go away with a change in European Union (EU) policy. Rather, its roots are deeper. Indeed, how the Eurabia issue is handled today will largely determine Europe's future.

The images of Eurabia are manifest in millions of people burning American and Israeli flags during the Iraq war and openly supporting Yasir Arafat, Saddam Hussein, and other brutal dictators. Eurabia is also discernible in the explosion of anti-Semitic activity and a lack of empathy for Jewish rights in various European countries. Increasingly, Jews find themselves under attack, chiefly from Muslim extremists and radicalized youth, and European governments and law enforcement agencies react to these violations of rights only tepidly and only after the sustained pressure of publicity. The Eurabian phenomenon can also be seen in the intimidation into silence of critiques of Islam and Muslim society, epitomized by the slaying in broad daylight of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, who had made a documentary on the travails experienced by Muslim women within Muslim societies.

Eurabia in the Making

This pernicious merger began with Charles De Gaulle in the 1960s. De Gaulle saw that the power of France diminished with the loss of its colonies and he believed a more unified Europe would restore some French glory. In order to unify Europe, the continent needed to form an international bloc that could rival America. The Arab nations of the Middle East, unparalleled in their oil wealth, seemed to be good partners. Laying the foundation for this relationship, on November 27, 1967, De Gaulle said that French-Arab collaboration would be a fundamental element in French politics. Since then, France has adopted a highly amiable policy toward the Arab world and a hostile attitude toward Israel...

Read it all.

US Reaching Out to Muslim Brotherhood: Report

From the Say It Ain't So Department, working in conjunction with the Lie Down With Dogs, Get Up With Fleas Department. Background here and here and here.

From IslamOnline, with thanks to JJP Mackie:

CAIRO, The US State Department has drawn up a memo calling for direct and permanent political dialogue with the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, a leading Arabic newspaper reported on Sunday, April 3.

The US administration sees the Muslim Brotherhood as one of the most powerful opposition movements in Egypt, unnamed Western diplomatic sources in the Egyptian capital told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.

The memo recommends inviting the group's representatives to the United States for better communication and common grounds on Egypt's reform policies and the pressing issues in the region, they added.

The State Department believes that Washington can contain the group and its ilk through dialogue.

The memo, according to the Western diplomatic sources, maintains that it is about time that the administration looked differently at religious groups and avoided any further clash with them, because this would only fan hatred and incite more attacks against US interests.

They added that the State Department has asked the US Embassy in Cairo to reach out to the Muslim Brotherhood's leaders as a preliminary step for an organized dialogue.

The memo recommends that after reaching common understandings with the Muslim Brotherhood, Washington should pressure the Egyptian government to let the group members speak out their minds freely and play a role on the country's political landscape, according to the sources....

Anti-dhimmitude in Germany: German Police Want Strict Integration Law

From IslamOnline, with thanks to the Norwegian Kafir:

VIENNA, A German police chief has suggested drafting a new law obliging immigrants to integrate into society, citing spiraling crime rates among the minorities.

Konrad Freiberg, chairman of the Gewerkschaft der Polizei (Police syndicate), said the measure should compel newcomers to attend language classes and lectures on democracy and German values, the German Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper reported on Saturday, April 2.

He stressed that should immigrants fail to comply with the new measures, s/he should be deprived of any government assistance, including financial support and inusurance, and deported to their home countries.

Freiberg voiced concerns that non-Germans tended to engage in violent acts, which sometimes targeted policemen.

He told the paper that recent statistics showed that a young immigrant out of every five in Berlin, for instance, has a criminal record.

Freiberg blamed the rising crime rates in German states to the increasing number of immigrants.

He also accused them of posing a threat to the lives of Germans, as well as being a drag on the country's economy.

The police chief further criticized the "parallel societies" which immigrants were creating, saying this breeds more violence.

Freiberg called, meanwhile, for eradicating poverty and unemployment among immigrants, describing them as the main causes of violence...

Despite all the evidence that jihadist Muslims are not poor.

More Crusades-related dhimmitude in The Herald

"Culture, custom and cleanliness - the Muslims were superior in The Herald (thanks to EPG and Kaoskntrl) is the second part of the equally ridiculous "After this movie, there may be hate crimes committed":

MANY of the charges levelled against Ridley Scott's forthcoming Kingdom of Heaven centre on its telling of the Crusades from a western perspective. In this it is not alone: most accounts of the Crusades have been told from a western point of view as scholarship from the Muslim viewpoint is in relative infancy.

Horror of horrors! A Western perspective? For a movie made in the West for Western audiences? How ethnocentric! How monocultural!

Understanding why this is requires a leap in perspective. While icons such as Richard the Lionheart featured in childhood adventure stories and ideals of chivalry and honour are important to how we see our culture, Muslims do not single out the Crusades as an unprecedented, identity-defining event in their history.

Wait