Just another reason to be prepared with follow-up questions when you hear Muslim interest groups and speakers issuing blanket condemnations of “terrorism”: Since terrorism is a tactic, and not an ideology, the term can be applied strictly or loosely to a wide range of situations, while not saying anything more substantial, objective, or even accurate […]
Archives for October 2008
Revolutionary Guards commander: Iran arms “liberation armies” in Mideast
Shocking? Not at all. But the official confirmation from a Revolutionary Guards commander suggests he doesn’t anticipate anyone trying to stop them. “Iranian commander: Iran arms Mideast ‘liberation armies’,” from the Associated Press, October 27 (thanks to Eleutheria ´H Thanatos): A government web site in Iran quoted on Monday a top Revolutionary Guards commander as […]
Indonesian cleric under fire for marrying 12-year-old plans to marry more girls despite possible criminal charges
“According to the [12-year-old] girl’s parents and some witnesses, the marriage between Pujiono and her is valid according to religion (kawin siri), but it is not registered with the state.” It’s clear which brand of law Pujiono is going with, after the example of Muhammad’s marriage to Aisha. More on this story. “Cleric may face […]
Israeli military intel chief: Syria-Hizballah ties growing stronger
“If Israel’s indirect talks with Syria were aimed at testing whether it might be possible to pull Damascus out of Iran and Hizbullah’s orbits, then so far the test has failed.” “Yadlin: Syria-Hizbullah ties growing stronger,” by Herb Keinon for the Jerusalem Post, October 26: If Israel’s indirect talks with Syria were aimed at testing […]
Muslims behead Christian convert from Islam in Somalia
Mansuur Mohammed: This offends no one Last week at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Muslim students rolled their eyes and smiled with exasperation when I noted that all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence taught that the penalty for apostasy from Islam was death, in accord with Muhammad’s words, “If anyone changes his religion, kill him.” One […]
Fitzgerald: The duty of Jihad has to be defined accurately
The duty of Jihad has to be defined accurately, but also in a way that can easily be grasped by auditors, so that it does not exclude, but clearly includes, all of the current instruments that Muslims employ to further Jihad. The initial smokescreen, or deception, offered both by Muslims and by such non-Muslim apologists […]
Fitzgerald: Obama will have to reconsider
Obama once upon a time took tuition from, or at least listened intently to, the likes of Rashid Khalidi, a practiced performer on the subject of the Arab-Israeli conflict. And there were others too, who similarly presented the Arab case, with a practiced air of indignation, victimhood, and sweet reasonableness. But like Prince Harry, when […]
SUNY-Stony Brook: Manufactured outrage
Sanaa Nadim: Offended Last Thursday night when I spoke at SUNY-Stony Brook, the new tactics about which I have written here, here and here were not as much in evidence as they had been at other campuses: students did not try to disrupt my remarks, but the MSA did show up in force, and were […]
Melanie Phillips: Obama adopts the agenda of the jihadists
From “Is America really going to do this?,” by Melanie Phillips in The Spectator, October 24 (thanks to all who sent this in): Obama assumes that Islamic terrorism is driven by despair, poverty, inflammatory US policy and the American presence on Muslim soil in the Persian Gulf. Thus he adopts the agenda of the Islamists […]
Raymond Ibrahim: Saudi calls for “interfaith dialogue” in context
Can’t we all just get along? According to the Associated Press, Saudi King Abdullah recently said that he plans on attending a meeting in November at the United Nations in New York to further his “initiative to promote interfaith dialogue.” The King further remarked that “extending Muslims’ hands to non-Muslims will help “˜purify” the reputation […]
Gaza students call US voters, asking them to support Obama
Why? Because “once he said the Palestinian people are suffering most in the world.” Clearly Ibrahim Abu Jayyab thinks that Barack Obama is on the Palestinian side in their jihad against Israel. He hates Hamas, but of course Hamas is the fault of … George W. Bush. “Voices for Obama resound from afar,” by Carolynne […]
Indonesian Islamic leader defends child marriages
How could he not do so, given Muhammad’s example? Sharia Alert from modern, moderate Indonesia: “Indonesia: Islamic leader defends child marriages,” from AKI, October 27 (thanks to C. Cantoni): Jakarta, 27 Oct. (AKI) — An Islamist party leader has defended child marriages in Indonesia saying it is normal to marry children as young as 11 […]
Iraq: “We are killed because we are Christians”
The Christians in Iraq, although they have lived there longer than the Muslims have and have nothing to do with the United States, are considered, because they share the religion of the American “Crusaders,” to be kuffar harbi — infidels at war with Islam — and thus by the terms of Islamic law their lives […]
Islamophobes gouge out Muslim’s eyes — no, wait…
If this really had been an “Islamophobic hate crime,” of course, it would be front-page news all over the world. As it is, since the perpetrators were most likely jihadists, it will get no notice beyond this story. “Attackers ‘gouge out Afghan man’s eyes,’” from AP, October 27: Armed assailants have attacked a man, gouging […]
Landmark ruling in Niger: State guilty of failing to protect slave girl
The Guardian makes no mention, of course, of the fact that this girl’s status as a slave and a concubine is sanctioned by Islamic law. “And all married women are forbidden unto you save those captives whom your right hands possess…” (Qur’an 4:24). Until that changes, hardline Muslims will reject rulings like this. It will […]
Briton and South African shot dead in Kabul by their Afghan security guard
“Officials said that they remained unsure of the motive for the killing and were investigating the guard’s background,” although infiltration is being acknowledged as a possibility. The grave difficulty that Westerners have in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere is that there is no reliable way to determine who is really on their side and who is […]
Syria claims US troops conduct raid inside Syria
“Syria condemns this aggressive act and holds American forces responsible for this aggression and all of its repercussions.” A “developing situation.” “‘US troops’ strike inside Syria,” from the BBC, October 26 (thanks to Paul): US helicopter-borne troops have carried out a raid inside Syria along the Iraqi border, killing eight people including four children, Syrian […]
Saudi King continues calling for more “interfaith dialogue”
All while Saudi children textbooks continue to teach hatred of all things non-Islamic. “Saudi king to attend November UN interfaith dialogue,” from the Associated Press, October 26: The Saudi king said that he would attend a meeting at the United Nations in New York in November that will discuss his initiative to promote interfaith dialogue. […]
Texas company fined for complying with Arab boycott on Israeli goods
The company’s invoices contained statements such as, “We certify that the goods enumerated in this Invoice are not of Israeli origin and do not contain any Israeli materials.” “Texas company fined for complying with Arab boycott,” by Michael Freund for the Jerusalem Post, October 25 (thanks to Dionysios): The US government has imposed a civil […]
Al-Qaeda behind 2007 Glasgow terror attacks?
More on this story. “Al-Qaida appears to claim Glasgow attack,” from the Associated Press, October 24: The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq has said his group is focused on attacks outside the country in a new audiotape in which he seemed to claim responsibility for the June 2007 attack on Glasgow International Airport. Abu Ayyub […]