New Years, 2012

In my years on planet earth I have experienced the entire gamut of feelings and emotions come new years.  This particular change of years seems especially tough, and to look around one can see all sorts of peril, danger and strife consuming parts of the globe.  That's not to say there are not places of beauty, hope and peace but those are, unfortunately few and far between.  I do not wish to come off as a true cynic as I believe in the inherit good of mankind, it just seems that the inherit good has taken a back seat to the horrors that accompany zealotry and xenophobia.   As we plunge headlong into the year 2013, I felt it important to laugh.  It is shown that laughter is the best medicine and the benefits cannot be understated.  So with that in mind, as you slip into a food and alcohol-induced holiday stupor, take some time to forget the outside and just sit back and let those endorphines flow.

May all your dreams come true, and all your hopes are fulfilled.  Happy New Year to all, and God bless everyone.

Funny Israeli GPS commercial


Simon's Cat


Seasons Greetings from Lucky Strike


Cheech and Chong on Santa's old lady


Achmed the Dead Terrorist and "Jingle Bomb"

Muslim Brotherhood Deputy Chairman calls for Morsi to take control of all media outets

One of the many signs of blooming tyranny in the new Islamist Egypt.

From Al-Arabiya December 29

Brotherhood’s Shater seeks ‘total control’ of media: Egypt’s opposition group

Egypt’s opposition group, the Popular Front, said on Wednesday that it had laid hands on a leaked document signed by the Muslim Brotherhood’s deputy chairman Khairat al-Shater in which he urged the government to claim “total control of the media.”

Shater, who was the Brotherhood’s main presidential candidate before he was disquieted by the election committee, reportedly also called for shutting down TV channels owned by opposition groups.

Al-Tahreer newspaper reported that Shater even advised his brethren at the helm of Egypt’s policy making to find ways to contain the more radical Salafi Islamists. Salafis have strongly stood by the Brotherhood in recent constitutional battles, but the Brotherhood see extremist Islamists as potential future threats.

Shater also urged for the Brotherhood’s followers and strongmen to help raise funds to promote the movement’s policies among the Egyptian public.

The document strengthens “the importance of finding the right way and putting suitable plans to marginalize the role of the hardliners and hinder their expansion within the Islamist Public, because of the growing threat they represent now and in the future, and the difficulty of dealing with the threat later.”

The powerful businessman of the Brotherhood also urged “the shift of all sovereign duties of the ministry of foreign affairs to Dr. Issam Haddad,” and “discussing the proposal of Dr. Mahmood Ghezlan on cleansing the media from remnants of the departed regime and closing down, gradually, all private TV channels.”

Doing business with the devil

Arcapita world offices; air-conditioned jihad

Two of the businesses in the article are no longer owned by Arcapita Bank (Caribou Coffee and Churches Chicken) but J.Jill and PODS are.  If you do business with either of these, please consider stopping.  Read the article and you will understand why.

From BadEagle December 28 by David Yeagley

Jihad-Free Holiday Gifts: Check That List Twice!

What do Caribou Coffee, Church’s Chicken, J. Jill, and PODS Moving and Storage have in common?

They are all owned by Muslim Brotherhood-linked Arcapita Bank (formerly known as First Islamic Investment Bank).

Unlike most banks, Arcapita boasts a “spiritual advisor”–none other than Hamas-linked terrorist Youssef al-Qaradawi. Qaradawi, you’ll remember, is the current spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. He was exiled from Egypt under Mubarak, but nowhe’s b-a-a-ack, thanks to U.S. support of the “Arab Spring”.
This is the same Qaradawi who has defended Hitler, pushed for Islamic countries to acquire nuclear weapons for use in jihad, and confirmed that chopping off hands for stealing–as taught by Muhammad (Qur’an 5.38)–can be re-introduced into the “new” Egypt at a later date, as Egyptians learn to submit to orthodox shari’a.

Arcapita, presumably short for “Arab Capital”, buys and sells businesses at a profit. The current list of their holdings is available in their 2011 annual statement (pages 12-13). (If there’s no “exit date” listed, they still own that company.)

Arcapita is based in Bahrain, but it’s U.S. HQ is in Atlanta. First Islamic Investment Bank changed its name to Arcapita in 2005, after the Qaradawi connection went public. They had tried “Crescent Capital” for their American branch, but apparently decided the Islamic link was still too obvious with that moniker. Muslims know that Islam is not selling well in the West; they are careful to conceal Islamic ties with name-changes so consumers cannot connect the dots to brand names or distinguish between products that fund terrorism and those that do not.

Arcapita’s spiritual advisor serves on the bank’s “Shari’ah Supervisory Board” (see p. 113) to ensure that all financial transactions are shari’a-compliant, or SCF. What does SCF include? That varies somewhat depending on which Islamic legal school one is consulting, but always bans anything involving “gambling, alcohol, pornography, dealing in pork products, or interest payments.”

Although Qaradawi no longer serves on that board–he resigned shortly after his involvement with Arcapita went public–it is clear that the firm’s allegiance to Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood remains the same. One of the board’s four members, Muhammad Usmani, is involved with both the Islamic Society of North America see p.62)
and the Islamic Circle of North America (see p. 40), both MB front groups. In 2010, Dow Jones dropped Usmani as an Islamic Index advisor when it discovered his terrorist connections.

Three of the four members belong to the Islamic Fiqh Academy, also MB. When it comes to Islam, connections to terrorist networks are never far away.

The Shari’a Board ensures Arcapita’s compliance with Islamic law. Shari’a is the total package–state, religion, finance, dress code, and social mores all rolled into one. As a former Muslim Brotherhood leader put it, “Islam is . . . a practical way of life for all mankind”, “divinely-ordained” that provides a “total view of the universe” (Sayyid Qutb, Milestones Loca 1028, 640, 1145, 1174, 1135, 270).

That “way of life” dominates all Muslim business dealings and may explain why Obama’s aides often meet with lobbyists–many of them Muslim–at Caribou across from the White House. Meeting off-site ensures that the FBI and Secret Service are not privy to these trysts and MB visitors won’t be recorded on the official White House log books. If you can support a jihadi business at the same time, why not?

There is more, read it all

More "Arab Spring" benefits in Egypt

It is obvious the new Egyptian government has no intention of guiding their people towards the bright white light of secularism and democracy, yet the Obama administration believes they are still allies and partners in a glorious and peaceful Middle East future.  Nothing will intrude into their fruitfly world of a moderate and peaceful Neo-Egypt, not even their cooperation with the bloodthirsty and genocidal Hezbollah.

From The Jerusalem Post December 29

'Egypt to pursue relationship with Hezbollah'

In a dramatic policy shift, Egypt will seek to forge “tight” relations with Hezbollah, Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Hamdy revealed in a candid interview published on Saturday in the Beirut-based Daily Star.

“You cannot discuss politics in Lebanon without having a relationship with Hezbollah,” Hamdy was quoting as saying, before describing the terrorist group as a “real force on the ground” with “big political and military influence.”
Hamdy announced that Muslim-Brotherhood- dominated Egypt would begin “stretching [its] hand out in the proper, balanced way to all regional powers,” including Hezbollah, to forge “tight” contacts with Lebanon’s rulers.

Egypt-Hezbollah relations, generally strained under president Hosni Mubarak, in large part due to Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel, reached rock bottom in 2008 during Israel’s Cast Lead military operation.

At that time, Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah called on Egypt, to no avail, to intervene militarily on behalf of Gaza-based Palestinians.

For its part, Egypt in the past has accused Hezbollah of operating terrorist cells in the country.

In his interview, Hamdy denied reports that Hezbollah had sent a delegation to Egypt to meet with officials from President Mohamed Morsi’s administration, but confirmed that he personally had met with members of Hezbollah’s political bureau in efforts “to understand each other better.”

“In discussions we said we want Hezbollah to remain as a political force in Lebanon,” Hamdy said.

“Resistance in the sense of defending Lebanese territory... [is] their primary role. We... think that as a resistance movement they have done a good job to keep on defending Lebanese territory, and trying to regain land occupied by Israel is legal and legitimate,” he continued.

Read it all

Nigerian Update; December 30

Holiday throat-slitting from the religion of the perpetually insulted.

From Perth Now December 29 by Haruna Umar

Islamist gunmen kill 15 in Nigeria by slitting throats

SUSPECTED radical Islamist gunmen have attacked a village in northeast Nigeria, tying up men, women and children before slitting their throats and killing at least 15 in the troubled region's latest attack.

The assault happened early on Friday morning in the village of Musari on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

The gunmen, suspected of being members of Boko Haram, shouted religious slogans and later ordered people to gather up into a group, said Mshelia Inusa, a primary school teacher in the village.

Chants of "God is great, God is great" followed, he said.

Later, Mr Inusa and others saw corpses with their hands tied behind their backs and their throats cut.

Later Friday morning, an ambulance arrived at the State Specialists Hospital in Maiduguri, accompanied by a group of military vehicles, a security guard said. Agitated soldiers ordered people away, but the guard said he counted at least 15 bodies being brought into the facility's morgue.
A military spokesman later issued a statement saying only five people had been killed in the village during the attack. However, military and police officials routinely downplay casualty figures because they are under increasing pressure from their superiors to minimise the perceived effects of the ongoing attacks by Boko Haram.

Boko Haram could not be immediately reached for comment.

Not that anyone would take notice of their statement, anyway.

Read it all

New York: subway murder called hate crime

You may have seen this article on the MSM as it was unusual and heinous enough to garner national press.  What the MSM doesn't explain is how Islamic aopolgists, leftists and other water-carrying sycophants see this horrible episode; as more victimization of Muslims by those who listen to the evil anti-Muslim Islamophobes.  Right now, CAIR and other groups are formulating how to perpetuate the victimization and further the goal of demonizing anyone who questions the "hatred" against the new "negro".  Expect to see calls against Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, Daniel Pipes, Brigitte Gabriel and others who point out the deception and lies thrown out to the public by supporters of Islamic dogma.

From CBS December 29

Woman charged with murder in NY subway shove

A woman who told police she shoved a man to his death off a subway platform into the path of a train because she has hated Muslims since Sept. 11 and thought he was one was charged Saturday with murder as a hate crime, prosecutors said.
Erika Menendez was charged in the death of Sunando Sen, who was crushed by a 7 train in Queens on Thursday night, the second time this month a commuter has died in such a nightmarish fashion.

Menendez, 31, was awaiting arraignment on the charge Saturday evening, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said. She could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted. She was in custody and couldn't be reached for comment, and it was unclear if she had an attorney.

Menendez, who was arrested after a tip by a passer-by who saw her on a street and thought she looked like the woman in a surveillance video released by police, admitted shoving Sen, who was pushed from behind, authorities said.

"I pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims ever since 2001 when they put down the twin towers I've been beating them up," Menendez told police, according to the district attorney's office.

Sen was from India, but police said it was unclear if he was Muslim, Hindu or of some other faith. The 46-year-old lived in Queens and ran a printing shop. He was shoved from an elevated platform on the 7 train line, which connects Manhattan and Queens. Witnesses said a muttering woman rose from her seat on a platform bench and pushed him on the tracks as a train entered the station and then ran off.

The two had never met before, authorities said, and witnesses told police they hadn't interacted on the platform.

Police released a sketch and security camera video showing a woman running from the station where Sen was killed.

Menendez was arrested by police earlier Saturday after a passer-by on a Brooklyn street spotted her and called 911. Police responded, confirmed her identity and took her into custody, where she made statements implicating herself in the crime, police spokesman Paul Browne said.

The district attorney said such hateful remarks about Muslims and Hindus could not be tolerated.

"The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway commuter's worst nightmare," he said.

Read it all

Taliban offer peace treaty; Pakistan just needs to institute the sharia and declare war against India

Bold thinking, but utterly useless.  Or is it?

From Niti Central December 28

Taliban wants Sharia in Pakistan, war with India

The Pakistani Taliban has made a conditional ceasefire offer to the Pakistan Government which calls for an end to Pakistan’s participation in the Afghan war, the imposition of Sharia law in the country, and to avenge the embarrassing defeat of Pakistan in the 1971 War, aGEO News report said.

The offer was made by Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan in a telephonic call from an unknown place, the report said.

The letter calls for repeal of all laws in Pakistan which are repugnant to Islam and says the Constitution should be re-written in the light of the Quran and Sunnah, the report said.

The letter says the Taliban was dragged into a war with Pakistan and the Government and the army were responsible for this, the report said.

The war with the Taliban was started by the army and it was their religious right to defend themselves, the letter said.

It also said that any religious scholar will confirm that the defence of dignity, self-respect, life, property and faith was the right of every Muslim and fighting for this right is called Jihad, 

according to the report.

They said it.

Read it all

Pakistan: another round of rioting after new cartoons "insulting Islam" are published

Let the killings begin!

"...infuriating to conservatives were two works that they said insulted Islam by mixing images of Muslim clerics with suggestions of homosexuality..."

I guess they have never seen a Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue.

From ABC December 28 by Asif Shahzad

Paintings Outrage Islamic Hard-Liners in Pakistan

Pakistan's leading arts college has pushed boundaries before in this conservative nation. But when a series of paintings depicting Muslim clerics in scenes with strong homosexual overtones sparked an uproar and threats of violence by Islamic extremists, it was too much.

Officials at the National College of Arts in the eastern city of Lahore shut down its academic journal, which published the paintings, pulled all its issues out of bookstores and dissolved its editorial board. Still, a court is currently considering whether the paintings' artist, the journal's board and the school's head can be charged with blasphemy.

The college's decision to cave to Islamist pressure underscores how space for progressive thought is shrinking in Pakistan as hardline interpretations of Islam gain ground. It was also a marked change for an institution that has long been one of the leading defenders of liberal views in the country.

Pakistan is an overwhelmingly Muslim nation, and the majority of its citizens have long been fairly conservative. But what has grown more pronounced in recent years is the power of religious hardliners to enforce their views on members of the population who disagree, often with the threat of violence.

The government is caught up in a war against a domestic Taliban insurgency and often seems powerless to protect its citizens. At other times it has acquiesced to hardline demands because of fear, political gain or a convergence of beliefs.

"Now you have gun-toting people out there on the streets," said Saleema Hashmi, a former head of arts college. "You don't know who will kill you. You know no one is there to protect you."

Except Allah, of course.

Read it all

Top 10 list of anti-semitic people and groups for 2012

As compiled by the Simon Wiesenthal Center.  The top Jew-hater for 2012 is the Muslim Brotherhood, that same group that Obama calls moderate and has had secret meetings with at the White House.  The same group that Morsi is from, and the same group that calls for the sharia to be the law of the land.  They got their wish there, as the new constitution enshrines the sharia as the only law in Egypt.  Bravo, MB on your Islamic victory.

Some of the other top 10 are a head-scratcher, but the description of them, and the words they say make them eminently qualified to make the list.  Interestingly, number 10 is Louis Farrakan, someone who has consistently castigated Jews and Israel and is known as a practicing anti-semite.  I guess he is the token hater, listed perpetually due to his consistent stand against Israel.

From wiesenthal.com December 28

2012 Top Ten Anti-Semitic/Anti-Israel Slurs

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood

Today effectively rules the Arab world’s largest and most important nation Mohammed Badie, Muslim Brotherhood’s Moral Guide“the Jews have dominated the land, spread corruption on earth, spilled the blood of believers and in their actions profaned holy places. Zionists only understand the language of force and will not relent without duress. this will happen only through holy Jihad.”
- Mohammed Badie

Futouh abd al-Nabi Mansour, egyptian cleric, heads religious endowment for the Matrouh Governate “oh allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters – oh allah, disperse them and rend them asunder, oh allah, demonstrate your might and greatness upon them.”
At a nationally televised service at el-Tenaim Mosque attended by Egyptian President Morsi, cleric
Al Nabi Mansour prays, Morsi was shown fervently answering “Amin” (Amen).
- Futouh abd al-nabi Mansour, october 19, 2012 - source: MEMRI

Iranian regime

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic republic of Iran
“it has now been some 400 years that a horrendous Zionist clan has been ruling the major world affairs. And behind the scenes of the major power circles, in political, media, monetary, and banking organizations in the world, they have been the decision-makers, to an extent that a big power with a huge economy and over 300 million population, the presidential election hopefuls must go kiss the feet of the Zionists to ensure their victory in the elections.”
- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, July 1, 2012, speaking to ambassadors of Islamic countries

Major General Hassan Firouzabadi
Armed Forces Chief of Staff
“the Iranian nation is standing for its cause that is the full annihilation of Israel.”
 August 5, 2012
Mohamed Rahimi, first Vice President;
[the talmud] “...teaches [the Jews] how to destroy non-Jews so as to protect an embryo in the womb of a Jewish mother.” as ‘evidence’ of Jewish control of international illegal drug trade, the vice president alleged that there isn’t “a single addict among the Zionists.”
At a ceremony in Tehran marking International Day against Drug Abuse and
Illicit Trafficking.

Read he rest of the list, it is fascinating.

"Palestinian" propaganda photo of dead child being kissed by Hamas leader fake; child was killed by Hamas rocket

Hamas: exploiting a dead child to further the hatred of Israel

The leftists and Islamic apologists used this photo above to prove the barbarity of the IDF, claiming that Israel targets civilians, especially children.  It has been an effective propaganda tool, garnering support for the poor victimized refugees and further demonizing Israel.  Now a problem has arised; the photo is of a child killed by a wayward Hamas rocket, not IDF fire.  Now the question is, will those that condemned Israel retract their claims and apologize for their misdirected hatred?

...crickets...

From Algeminer December 24

HRW Confirms Gaza Terrorists Killed Gaza Boy Shown in Iconic Photo of Egypt’s PM and Hamas’s Haniyeh

Human Rights Watch has acknowledged that terrorists killed civilians in Gaza during Operation Pillar of Defense when rockets being fired into Israel fell short.

“Rockets that fell short of their intended targets in Israel apparently killed at least two Palestinians in Gaza and wounded others,” Human Rights Watch said.

The specific case mentioned in the report involves the four year-old boy used as a political tool by Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil during his visit to Gaza.

Holding back tears, Kandil kissed the boy’s lifeless body as he was presented him by Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. Kandil said,”What I saw today in the hospital, the wounded and the martyrs, the boy … whose blood is still on my hands and clothes, is something that we cannot keep silent about.” At the time Israel strongly denied being involved in the boy’s death.

In the report Human Rights Watch places blame squarely on terrorists in Gaza for the boy’s death. “Some rockets launched by Palestinian armed groups fell short and struck inside Gaza. On November 16, a rocket that appears to have been launched from within Gaza hit a crowded street in the Gazan town of Jabalya, killing a man, 23, and a boy, 4, and wounding five people.”

Read it all

Nebraska: Islamist doctor kills dozens at his clinic and has license revoked, now applies for reinstatement

Dr. Tahir Ali Javed says he is a victim of discrimination because he is a Muslim, and believes he should be allowed to practice medicine again.  Despite the fact that the practices at his clinic infected his patients/kuffir with Hepatitis the good doctor has reapplied for his license in New York state.  He also fled back to Pakistan before he could be charged with any crime and now that the statute of limitations has run out he wants to be able to inflict pain and misery on the infidel again.

I say no.  The state of New York should also say no.

From Livewell Nebraska December 27 by Rick Ruggles

Doc whose Fremont clinic infected patients with hepatitis seeks N.Y. license to practice

Dr. Tahir Ali Javed, whose Fremont cancer clinic infected dozens of patients with hepatitis a little more than a decade ago, has applied for reinstatement of his medical license in New York.

Javed, 47, fled to his native Pakistan 10 years ago, when the severity of the hepatitis outbreak became known. His medical license in Nebraska was revoked. He surrendered his New York license.
In Pakistan, Javed became a public health official and reportedly blamed the situation in Nebraska on anti-Muslim sentiment.

Unsanitary practices in the Fremont clinic led to hepatitis C infections in at least 99 patients, several of whom died.

A Fremont-based group called the HONOReform Foundation grew out of the tragedy. It promotes sanitary practices in health care settings. The “One and Only” campaign that it advocates seeks to educate nurses, doctors and others of the importance of using syringes and needles only once.

Javed could not be reached for comment. His Omaha attorney, Michael D. Jones, said he hadn't had contact with Javed in years.

Antonia Valentine of the New York State Education Department, which rules on restoration of medical licenses, confirmed that Javed has applied for reinstatement.

Valentine said in an email that the application will be investigated and referred to two committees before the New York Board of Regents rules on it. It's unclear when the ruling will be issued. Valentine declined to provide further information.

Steve Langan, executive director of HONOReform, said, “Sick people were injured, some of them died, and no justice has been done.”

Read it all

Saudi Arabia: dozens arrested for plotting to celebrate Christmas

Nothing says tolerance like the arrest of those who dare to celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus.  Our friends in the land of the two Holy places see fit to persecute anyone who deviates from the Islamic norm, yet we still believe the Saudi leaders care about the relationship they have with us.  We send them money and military equipment in the hopes that when push comes to shove they will have our back.  The folly of trusting as an ally someone who persecutes believers of a religion other than Islam should be obvious, but we know the administration refuses to accept that Islamic dogma of the most virulent kind, Wahabbism is what drives and guides the largest Islamic regime outside of Egypt.

From al-Akhbar December 27

Saudi detains dozens for "plotting to celebrate Christmas"

Saudi religious police stormed a house in the Saudi Arabian province of al-Jouf, detaining more than 41 guests for “plotting to celebrate Christmas,” a statement from the police branch released Wednesday night said.

The raid is the latest in a string of religious crackdowns against residents perceived to threaten the country's strict religious code.

The host of the alleged Christmas gathering is reported to be an Asian diplomat whose guests included 41 Christians, as well as two Saudi Arabian and Egyptian Muslims. The host and the two Muslims were said to be “severely intoxicated.”

The guests were said to have been referred to the "respective authorities." It is unclear whether or not they have been released since.

The kingdom, which only recognizes Islamic faith and practice, has in the past banned public Christmas celebrations, but is ambiguous about festivities staged in private quarters.

Obviously they changed their mind in this instance.

Saudi religious police are known to detain residents of the kingdom at whim, citing loose interpretations of Sharia and public statements by hardline religious leaders to justify crackdowns.

Saudi Arabia's head mufti Sheikh Abdel Aziz bin Abdullah had previously condemned “invitations to Christmas or wedding celebrations.”

A member of the Higher Council of Islamic scholars in Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Mohammed al-Othaimin recently prohibited sending holiday wishes to "heretics" on Christmas or other religious Christian holidays.

Non-Muslims are heretics.  Remember this the next time someone tells you Islam is a religion of peace.

Read it all

Senior Hamas leader: start suicide bombings against Israel

Calling for a third intifada, Ahmed Halabiyeh makes no bones about what should be done to Israel.  But remember, giving them the land they want and recognizing a two-state solution will stop the hatred and usher in a new era of peace.  Just read the Hamas Charter and see the love directed towards the "people of the book."

From The Jerusalem Post December 25 by Khaled Abu Toameh 

Senior Hamas leader calls for third intifada

A senior Hamas leader called on Tuesday for a third intifada and the resumption of suicide bombings against Israel.

The demand came in response to the government’s recent decision to approve the construction of hundreds of housing units in east Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim.
Ahmed Halabiyeh, director of the Jerusalem Department in Hamas, said that armed Palestinian groups, including Hamas, should initiate a confrontation with Israel over its plans to build new apartments in Jerusalem and its suburbs.

The Palestinians, he added, should resort to various methods of resistance, first and foremost “martyrdom operations in the heart of Israel.”

He urged Palestinians to “ignite a third intifada to save the Aksa Mosque and Jerusalem.”

The “enemy is waging a fierce onslaught on Jerusalem and accelerating plans to Judaize the city geographically and demographically,” he told reporters in Gaza City.

Israel, he charged, was spreading the “cancer of settlements to all parts of Jerusalem.”

The Hamas official also accused Israel of working to undermine the foundations of the Aksa Mosque to bring about its collapse so it could replace the structure with the Third Temple.

Halabiyeh urged Arabs and Muslims to declare a state of full mobilization to “liberate Jerusalem, the Aksa Mosque and Palestine.”

The Beard: three years later

All the evidence shows Major Hasan to be a jihadist, a follower of Allah and Muhammad with no other goal than the deaths of as many infidels as he could manage, and the furtherance of Islamic hegemony. His beard is nothing more than his expression of his Muslimness; he even stated that he grew it because it is a requirement of his faith. Yet in all this, he is still granted concessions because of his beard/religion, concessions that would never be granted with any other belief. It is a travesty that the US military has abdicated its power to Islamic sensibilities.
From WND December 25 by Jack Minor

Why Fort Hood shooter still awaits trial 3 years later

A new judge in the case of Nidal Hasan, who’s accused of screaming “Allahu Akbar” and gunning down fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, has decided to ignore an Army regulation.

Col. Tara Anderson, replacing Col. Gregory Gross as judge, said that although the Army requires Hasan to be clean-shaven, she would not challenge Hasan’s decision to disobey the regulation.

“I’m not going to hold that against you,” Anderson told Hasan.

The beard is just one of many instances in the case in which the military has relinquished authority.

Hasan, a major and Army psychiatrist at Fort Hood, is accused of walking into the Soldier Readiness Center of the base Nov. 5, 2009, and opening fire on his fellow soldiers. Thirteen died and nearly 30 more were injured.

The attack stopped after Hasan himself was shot and paralyzed.

A survivor reported Hasan shouted “Allahu Akbar,” or “Allah is greatest,” a phrase commonly uttered by jihadists prior to carrying out an attack. The Fort Hood attack was the worst shooting on an American military base.

Hasan had been on federal officials’ radar screen for at least six months prior to the shooting over postings he made on the Internet. He likened a suicide bomber who kills women and children to a soldier who throws himself on a grenade to give his life in a “noble cause.”

Intelligence officials also intercepted at least 18 emails between Hasan and the radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Hasan told al-Awlaki in one of the emails, “I can’t wait to join you” in paradise. He also asked al-Awlaki whether it was appropriate to kill innocents in a suicide attack, when jihad was acceptable and how to transfer funds without attracting government notice.

In spite of this, Attorney General Eric Holder declined to press terrorism charges against Hasan. Instead the government has labeled the shooting as a case of “workplace violence.” During a memorial service for the victims, President Obama never once used the word terrorism.

The designation has prevented survivors and the victim’s families from receiving Purple Hearts and being able to obtain combat-related special compensation.

Read it all

Christmas 2012

Here we are again, 365 days past the last Christmas holiday and the "Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards Men"  feelings we all hoped would overtake those of dread for the future seem as far away as 2011.  With the mass murders in Connecticut, Oregon and New York recently, the politics of the fiscal cliff, jobs and the economy have taken a national toll on our collective psyche.  Yet we bounce back, we are resilient enough to somehow drag ourselves back from the brink, rebuilding what was lost and carrying on with, as the British are fond of saying a "stiff upper lip."

Here in America we still have the ability to say, think, write and worship what we please, despite the concerted effort by our enemies to curtail those rights.  In other countries those rights are either restricted or banned outright for certain religious groups, especially Christians.  Christmas is an especially dangerous times for worshippers of Christ who live where Allah reigns supreme.  Some countries such as Indonesia, presented as a bastion of Muslim moderation to the West are in reality hotbeds of Islamic supremacism, espressing itself in ways such as the throwing of rotten eggs, urine and dung at Christians trying to hold Christmas Mass on a plot of land that has been approved for a new church but has been roadblocked by the local Islamists.  Far from an isolated incident, the Archbishop of Jakarta Mgr. Ignatius Suharyo has complained to the government for a long time about the problems Christians have in getting building permits for new churches.  The Archbishop believes that every religion should be equal in building houses of worship, and the sentiment is a noble one.  When you have Islam in control, sentimentality is not a quality that expresses itself within that control.  

Pakistan, a supposed ally of the US is, for all intent and purpose a pure Islamic country with sharia laws in effect and a leadership committed more to Islamic ideology than secular rights.  Christians in Pakistan have been persecuted, demonized and hounded for their beliefs since the partition of India into Pakistan in 1947, and this year the violence and persecution has reached new levels.  Churches burned down, Christians driven from their homes and land and murder of whole families has driven most out of Pakistan, leaving just 2% of the population as Christian.  This is a particularly dark year for Christians in Pakistan, says the HRCP (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan), citing blasphemy laws as a primary example of Christian persecution.  Blasphemy laws via the sharia have also taken their toll on Muslims who have challenged them.  Salman Taseer, former Governor of Punjab Province was killed by his bodyguard because he spoke out against blasphemy laws.  Ironically, criticising blasphemy laws  is in itself blasphemy, so the death of Taseer was legal within Islamic dogma.  Also, Pakistan's former Minister for Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti was murdered for questioning blasphemy laws.  Islamic tolerance for anything un-Islamic affects both Muslims and non-Muslims in a negative way.

Nigerian Christians, as with Pakistani Christians have been subjected to the same kind of Qur'an-inspired subjugation over the past years.  Last Christmas, 44 were murdered by Boko Haram when they drove an explosive-laden car into St.Teresa's Church, as well as the bombing of two other churches the same Christmas day which killed an additional 40 people.  In 2012, Nigerian Christians are more afraid than ever, worrying about more jihad violence and more bombings. They have every right to be scared; Islam dictates that Christians are to be demeaned, enslaved or converted to Islam, there are no other options. Even Christians in Iraq are at risk.  This year, at Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation Church services are finally being held in a newly refurbished building, damaged during the jihad killing of 44 worshippers in 2010.  Security is tight, as Muslims in the area are known to treat less than kindly Christians who refuse to abandon the land of their ancestors.  

Civitas, a think tank that regularly releases reports on religious persecution says in their latest report that Christianity is almost at the end of its life.  The reason most associated with this decline is militant Islam, and the reason no one talks about it is so as not to be seen as a "racist."  This aversion to speak truths about Islam helps it to succeed as a replacement for Christianity, and the birthrate among Muslims in non-Muslim countries is double the native population, thus assuring the demise of non-Islamic cultures through birthrate acculturation.  It is estimated that between half and two-thirds of Christians in the Middle East have either fled or been killed in the last century.  The persecution of Christians by Islam has created the situation where today, it is under the threat of death that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, or do anything that identifies them as a Christian.  Religious freedom, a right under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is under serious attack, and it is Christians who are suffering the greatest under this Islamic yoke.

Christmas is a time for "Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards Men" but for many who struggle under the oppressive and ideological harness of Islam this is a lost proposition.  We have it pretty good here in the good ole' USA, we must not forget those who do not have it as easily as we do.  Islam is no friend of Christmas but we must always do what we can to make it a bright and warm doorway for all to enter who embrace the family of man. 

Merry Christmas, and may God bless everyone  

Yemen: raid on alcohol consuming villagers, one woman killed

I guess murdering those that drink is more pleasing to Allah than not murdering those that drink.

This is Islam.

From NOW December 21

Yemen extremists kill woman in alcohol raid

Armed extremists killed a woman in Yemen's main southern city of Aden when they raided several homes whose owners allegedly have alcoholic drinks, residents and a security official said on Friday.

"More than ten" armed men on motorbikes stormed three houses in Aden's Memdara neighborhood on Thursday, residents said.

The owners fled except for one woman who remained in one of the apartments, the sources said, adding that the gunmen shot her dead before driving off.

A security official in Aden told AFP that "we have received a complaint stating that Islamist extremists have killed a woman." He did not give any further details.

Extremists took advantage of a year-long uprising in Yemen that ousted veteran strongman president Ali Abdullah Saleh, seizing control of large swathes of territory in the country's southern and eastern provinces.

Despite giving up most of these territories after an all-out army offensive against them that ended in June, many have infiltrated the once bustling port of Aden in an attempt to impose their strict version of Islamic (sharia) law.

Thought to be linked to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the militants operate mainly by night, harassing young couples seen together and sometimes launching deadly attacks against security forces.

Hamas-linked CAIR NYC spokesman joins Hamas in calling for the destruction of Israel

Cyrus McGoldrick strips the remaining veneer off the Council of American-Islamic Relations as a benign Muslim civil rights organization and shows us exactly what they are really about.  You will not hear the leader and co-founder of CAIR, Nihad Awad repudiate what McGoldrick says, nor any condemnation from any other mainstream Muslim organization.  I wonder why that is?

From FPM December 21 by Joe Kaufman

CAIR Leader Mimics Hamas in Calling for Israel’s Destruction

The slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” can be heard regularly from the shores of the Gaza Strip, emanating from members of terrorist groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The river represents the Jordan River, and the sea is the Mediterranean – both sides of Israel. Essentially, this means the destruction of Israel.

Khaled Meshaal, the global head of Hamas, stated something similar, when he made his historic visit to Gaza this month. He said, “Palestine is ours from the river to the sea and from the south to the north.” Just one week previous to that, the leader of another Islamist group, Cyrus McGoldrick, repeated the slogan on Facebook and Twitter. Except he did not state it from the Middle East, he made it from the United States.
McGoldrick is the Civil Rights Manager and spokesman for the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations or CAIR-New York. The national organization of CAIR was founded in June 1994 as a part of the umbrella group created by then-global Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook. [Today, Marzook is the number two leader under Meshaal.] As well, CAIR was named a party to Hamas financing by the U.S. Justice Department for two federal trials against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF). CAIR had asked people to donate money to the terrorist HLF charity via CAIR’s national website.

When fighting broke out between Hamas, who was firing hundreds of rockets into Israeli civilian neighborhoods, and Israel, who was responding to the Hamas fire by targeting terrorist infrastructure, McGoldrick didn’t flinch as to which side he was supporting. On November 12 on Twitter, he wrote, “Gaza under attack for the last few days. May G-d protect them [Hamas] and grant them victory.” Just two days earlier, McGoldrick had attended a CAIR banquet in Tampa, Florida. Just one day earlier, he had praised Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On November 15, McGoldrick tweeted, “Palestine is a land occupied by foreign settlers. They [Hamas] have the right to resist, to defend themselves, ‘by any means necessary.’”

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt, took place on November 21. However, that did not stop McGoldrick from tweeting and posting to his Facebook page one week later, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” When McGoldrick said that “Palestine” was “land occupied by foreign settlers,” he wasn’t referring to Gaza and the West Bank; he was referring to all of Israel.

There is more, read it all

"Our first goal is to get rid of Assad. Then we want a state where the Quran is the only source of law...Sharia is the right path for all humanity - all other laws make people unhappy"

The group Obama is trying to get designated a terrorist organization tells us they will institute the sharia after coming to power.  If the sharia is good enough that Obama endorses it in Egypt, what is to stop him from helping to make the sharia part of the Syrian landscape?  Does he know for sure the other rebel groups do not hold the same ideology, and if not, why not?

From The National December 15 by Balint Szlanko

Jabhat Al Nusra's new Syria

The man wearing the balaclava had eyes that never stopped smiling.
Reclining on a pillow in an otherwise empty room, this burly, 41-year-old commander of Jabhat Al Nusra - the most fearsome jihadi group in Syria - exuded an almost disturbing calm, in marked contrast to the loud, chatty air that often characterises more mainstream groups of the Free Syrian Army.

The man, who calls himself Sheikh Abu Ahmed and said he was the military commander of Jabhat Al Nusra in the Hasakah governorate of eastern Syria, spoke to The National in the north-eastern town of Ras el Ayn, where fighting between Islamist rebels and the Kurdish PYD party has killed dozens of militants in recent weeks.

Dressed in plain clothes, Abu Ahmed outlined his group's vision for a new Syria.

"Our first goal is to get rid of Assad. Then we want a state where the Quran is the only source of law," he said. "Sharia is the right path for all humanity - all other laws make people unhappy."

Jabhat Al Nusra has emerged this year as the most powerful and high-profile Salafist group in the Syrian conflict, openly embracing suicide bombing as an important weapon against a technologically superior enemy. It has claimed several successful attacks, many of which have killed civilians, on major government targets such as the Damascus headquarters of the elite air force intelligence service.

According to news reports, the US State Department is preparing to designate the group a foreign terrorist organisation in a bid to help choke off its financing. Reports suggest that the move is also aimed at boosting the prospects of a new opposition umbrella group, formed last month in Qatar with western support, but rejected by the Islamists.

Read it all

Australia: imam at largest mosque issues fatwa telling Muslims not to wish Merry Christmas or participate in Christmas activities

Other Muslims in Australia dispute the fatwa, but the Qur'an is clear on why Muslims must not take non-Muslims as friends or associates (3-28 and 5-51)

From the Sydney Morning Herald December 23 by Natalie O'Brian

No merriness here: mosque puts fatwa on Christmas

THE Lakemba Mosque has issued a fatwa against Christmas, warning followers it is a ''sin'' to even wish people a Merry Christmas.

The religious ruling, which followed a similar lecture during Friday prayers at Australia's biggest mosque, was posted on its Facebook site on Saturday morning.

The head imam at Lakemba, Sheikh Yahya Safi, had told the congregation during prayers that they should not take part in anything to do with Christmas.

Samir Dandan, the president of the Lebanese Muslim Association, which oversees the mosque, could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

The fatwa, which has sparked widespread community debate and condemnation, warns that the "disbelievers are trying to draw Muslims away from the straight path".

It also says that Christmas Day and associated celebrations are among the "falsehoods that a Muslim should avoid ... and therefore, a Muslim is neither allowed to celebrate the Christmas Day nor is he allowed to congratulate them".

The posting of the fatwa has shocked many Muslim leaders. The Grand Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohammad, said the foundations of Islam were peace, co-operation, respect and holding others in esteem.

"Anyone who says otherwise is speaking irresponsibly," he said.

He should tell Al-Azhar University, seat of Sunni jurisprudence that they have it all wrong, and see how well that goes over.

"There is difference between showing respect for someone's belief and sharing those beliefs," Dr Ibrahim said.

Dr Ibrahim said the views did not represent the majority of Muslims in Australia. "We are required to have good relations with all people, and to congratulate them on their joyous events is very important."

The fatwa quotes the teacher Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim as saying that congratulating disbelievers for their rituals is forbidden, and if a "Muslim who says this does not become a disbeliever himself, he at least commits a sin as this is the same as congratulating him for his belief in the trinity, which is a greater sin and much more disliked by Almighty Allaah than congratulating him for drinking alcohol or killing a soul or committing fornication or adultery”.

Read it all

Nigerian Update; Jihadists claim responsibility for kidnapping French engineer

They are angry that France is supporting military intervention against jihadists in Northern Mali, and the French ban on Muslim women wearing veils.  Let's pray that Francis Colump is released safely and his captors held responsible.

From RNW December 23

Islamist group claims Nigeria kidnap of French national

The radical Islamist group Ansaru on Sunday claimed the recent kidnapping of a French citizen in northern Nigeria, citing France's push for military intervention in Mali as a justification.

Ansaru "announces to the world, especially the French government, that it was responsible for the abduction of engineer Francis Colump, 63, working for the French company Vergnet," said a statement emailed to journalists.

Late last Wednesday some 30 gunmen stormed Vergnet's residence in Katsina state, where the alternative energy firm has a wind power project.

"The reason for his kidnap is the stance of the French government and the French people on Islam," said the statement written in Hausa, the dominant language in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north.

The group specifically pointed to "France's major role in the (planned) attack on the Islamic state in northern Mali."

It also cited France's "law outlawing the use of Islamic veil by Muslim women."

Paris has backed plans to deploy a west African force to northern Mali to flush out the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist groups who took control of the vast desert territory earlier this year.

Last year, France passed a law banning the wearing of the full-face veil.

"We inform the French government that this group will continue launching attacks on the French government and French citizens ... as long as it does not change its stance on these two issues," the Ansaru statement said.

Ansaru is less well known than Islamist group Boko Haram, which is waging a deadly insurgency across northern Nigeria that has killed hundreds since 2009. Boko Haram has said it wants to create an Islamic state in the north.

The two groups are known to have ties but are seen as independent.

Read it all

Egypt: sharia constitution passes, Iran sends congrats

Morsi and Achmadinejad; Kissing cousins (of jihad)

Always the cheerleader for the imposition of the sharia and the expansion of the global caliphate (shia-led of course) Iran is the first to send its blessings to Morsi and his victory over the secular and democratic forces of moderation.

Wait...isn't Morsi supported by Obama, and if so, doesn't that mean that Obama is supporting Islamic fundamentalism?  Oh, the humanity!

From Reuters December 23 by Zahra Hosseinian

Iran welcomes approval of new constitution in Egypt

(Reuters) - Iran welcomed on Sunday initial results that showed the approval of an Islamist-backed constitution in Egypt, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported.

The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi to power in a June election, said an unofficial tally showed 64 percent of voters backed the charter after two rounds of voting that ended with a final ballot on Saturday.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast congratulated the Egyptians on the approval of the constitution, adding that Tehran regarded it as "a decisive step towards democracy" in Egypt, according to ISNA.

Diplomatic relations between Tehran and Cairo broke down after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution over Egypt's support for the overthrown shah and its peace agreement with Iran's arch-enemy Israel.

Since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, there have been signs of warming relations. In August, Mursi made the first visit to Tehran by an Egyptian leader in more than 30 years. The two countries have not officially upgraded ties.

"People's participation (in the referendum) will be a great support for the Egyptian government so that in the future, it can take more steps in achieving the great Islamic and revolutionary goals of the Egyptian people," Mehmanparast added.

"I went to see the headmistress to find out the reasons for this cancellation...and she explained to me that she didn't want to have her fingers rapped by certain Muslim families"

When in a Muslim country one must abide by Muslim norms, while in a non-Muslim country one must abide by Muslim norms.

Got it?  Good.

From Islam vs Europe December 19 by Cheradenine Zakalwe

France: Santa's School Visit Cancelled Because of Boycott Threats From Muslim Families

It's a story that has a nursery school in Montargis, in Loiret, boiling. Now that the end of year celebrations are approaching, the headmistress of the school has decided to deschedule the traditional visit of Father Christmas to the classes. Officially, it's because of financial problems. The parents, stunned, denounce religious motives.

For some parents of the nursery school in Grand-Clos, there is no doubt: the reason for the cancellation of the visit of the gentleman in red with the white beard is "religious". One mother said, this Wednesday, in "Le Parisien - Aujourd'hui en France" : "The headmistress explained to me that she didn't want to get her knuckles rapped by certain Muslim families", she says.

A problem confirmed by the assistant to the mayor of Montargis, responsible for children's affairs. He adds that "each year, families threaten to boycott the school on the day of Father Christmas' visit". The headmistress therefore appears to have given in. For some, "it's too much". According to them, it's a question of the "islamisation of an educational institution".

Read it all

Tunisia: a new meaning to the phrase "kill your television"

Upset with the media, local Islamists staged a "flash mob" on a popular beach, turning it into a surreal sculpture garden by trashing dozens of TV sets.

Interesting take on how to express displeasure of TV programming.

From France24 December 19

Islamists throw TVs on beach to denounce “corrupt” media

Concerned by what they say is incompetent and corrupted media, the League for the Protection of the Revolution (LPR), a group of activists that is, according to Tunisia’s opposition, close to the Islamist party in power, organised a “flash mob” protest in the city of Sousse. Television sets were thrown onto the beach like rubbish.

After chanting slogans calling for the purification of the media, the protesters were asked to scatter their television sets and newspapers along Boujafaar beach, situated in the town centre.

To explain this, the LPR’s secretary general in Sousse, Lotfi Habchi, told the Tunisian press the media were failing in their duties to “illuminate public opinion, promote transparency, and deliver information objectively”.

The LPR says it is fighting against “the return of the old guards of Ben Ali’s regime”. The group already has several exploits to their name. One of the most striking was a clash on December 4 in Tunis between LPR supporters and activists for the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), Tunisia’s largest union. For the LPR, the UGTT should be “cleansed” for taking positions that were too different to those in power. The clashes injured around 20 people.

Nida Elayni is a doctor and protested against the media in Sousse on Sunday;
"I decided to march to protest against the media as I think they seriously lack objectivity. I didn’t go and throw my television on the beach, but I found the move interesting. It certainly drew a lot of attention. I’m not part of the LPR, and I would never vote for Ennahda [the Islamist party in power]. I am a patriot concerned about my country’s best interests. But I do share their view when they say the media are supporting the counter-revolution and doing all they can to favour a return to the old guards of Ben Ali’s regime...."

Read it all

Portland, Oregon would-be jihadist a victim of FBI entrapment, says lawyer

Oh poor Muhamd Muhamud, forced to attempt to commit a terrorist act by those evil jack-booted federal thugs when all he wanted to do was finish OSU and become a simple American like you and me.

I wonder what would cause someone to decide to detonate a bomb among innocent civilians.  I can think of nothing that would get me to decide to kill people.  Not my religion, my upbringing, my lost loves, my lack of sporting skills or even my disgust or our government would get me to decide to kill many.  Islam was the driving force behind Muhamuds decision to try and murder innocents at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, but even that aspect will be restricted during the trial.

Remember, it is never about Islam, never.

From The Oregonian December 19 by Bryan Denson

Jurors in Mohamed Mohamud bomb-plot trial will inspect massive, but fake bomb

A federal judge will allow jurors in the Portland bomb plot case to tour a van -- loaded with a massive, but phony, explosive -- during the terrorism trial of Mohamed Mohamud.

U.S. District Judge Garr M. King made the ruling Wednesday during a pretrial conference attended by the 21-year-old former Oregon State University student. His trial is set for Jan. 10.

The government accuses Mohamud of trying to detonate a weapon of mass destruction during the Nov. 26, 2010, holiday tree-lighting ceremony in Portland's downtown Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Mohamud's lawyers have mounted an entrapment defense, arguing that sophisticated FBI operatives, posing as terrorists, goaded their vulnerable teenage client into a crime he would not have devised on his own.

Jurors in King's courtroom will go to the basement garage of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse to view the van, which is still choked with a realistic looking explosive that weighs nearly a ton. FBI bomb techs rigged the fake bomb and the undercover operatives showed it to Mohamud as part of the bureau's sting operation.

"It seems to me it's a part of the case," King said.

Mohamud's lead defense lawyer, Stephen R. Sady, argued to no avail that showing jurors the van would unfairly prejudice them and build drama outside the scope of anything his client did.

King will allow Mohamud to take the tour if he wants, and efforts will be made to conceal his ankle shackles so jurors don't see them.

It was among a slew of motions the judge decided in the case. He granted some, denied others and clarified the instructions he will present to jurors on entrapment law.

Mohamud's defense lawyers, citing potential bias by jurors against their Muslim, African-born client, had asked for six extra chances to strike prospective panelists. But King ruled against them, saying he was calling in a pool of 100 for jury selection. Sady said he didn't think that would be enough to pick a jury, but the judge rejected his motion.

"That's more jurors than I've ever called in a case," said King, whose 76th birthday falls during the trial.

He granted a government protective order that spells out extraordinary efforts to hide the identities of the prosecution's star witnesses: the undercover FBI operatives who had posed as "Youssef" and "Hussein."

The two men will be allowed to use those pseudonyms, wear what has been described as "light disguises" and travel in and out of the courthouse outside public view. The defense will be forbidden from posing questions that might reveal their true identities; and the public will not be allowed to see their faces, or hear their voices.

When the operatives testify, the public -- including news media -- will be moved to another courtroom with a closed-circuit video feed. When surveillance videos of the operatives are shown, their faces will be obscured. When they are on the witness stand, the public will hear their voices but not see them.

Sady objected to the cloak-and-dagger measures, saying they will beget "an aura of fear and threat" and confuse jurors.

King asked lawyers in the case to draft an instruction for the jury that would explain the precautions.

The judge also ruled that words such as "terrorist," "martyrdom" and "violent jihad" could be introduced into evidence, but he expected lawyers to caution expert witnesses not to make inappropriate use of such loaded terms. King said he was inclined to let Mohamud's lawyers show their client's family photos and to show evidence that he lived a relatively normal life before the events that now find him in Portland's Justice Center jail....

What would be inappropriate about using words the jihadists themselves use to describe who they are and what they do?  Politically correct suicide is what it is.

  

Tunisia: imam misunderstands Islam, calls for Jewish women to be sterilized

At least he wasn't calling for the death of Jewish women, which means he must be a moderate Muslim.

From The Times of Israel December 20 by Michael Bassin

Tunisian imam sued for call to ‘sterilize the wombs of Jewish women’

The Tunisian Association to Support Minorities is suing a prominent Tunisian imam for hateful incitement against Jews.

During a Friday sermon broadcast live on November 30 on Hannibal TV, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Suhayli of Rades, a suburb of Tunis, told his followers at the Khatib mosque that “God wants to destroy this sprinkling of Jews… and is for sterilizing the wombs of Jewish women,” the liberal Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.

Qais El-Beltagi, a lawyer representing the association, alleges in the lawsuit that Al-Suhayli’s comments violated Tunisia’s 2011 Decree 115, which criminalizes “calls to hatred between races and religions, and the population.” He said that article 52 of the decree calls for “a prison term of between one and three years and a fine ranging from 500 to 1,000 euros” for hate-filled speeches.

“The sermon… has received a wave of domestic and international condemnation,” El-Beltagi stated. He said the lawsuit would not include Hannibal TV because the sermon was broadcast live and the content was not able to be previewed beforehand.

The London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported that this was technically the first time that incitement against Jews was reported inside a mosque in Tunisia, which has a Jewish community of less than 2,000, who live mostly on the island of Djerba.

This was, however, the fourth time incitement against Jews has been reported in the public sphere generally since the overthrow of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, prompting Jewish community leaders to demand security protection from the Tunisian government.

Fifth time is the charm?  Good luck with that, let us know how that turns out for you.  

50,000 jihadists march against Christians in Egypt chanting "Islamic, Islamic, despite the Christians"

Still terrorizing after all these years...

Led by bearded men on horseback with swords hanging from their belts, they looked ever the part of 8th century Muslim conquerors.  No wonder the Christian turnout for the constitutional vote measured only 6% in the Southern part of Egypt.

 And yet the Obama administration continues to holds onto the belief that the new secular and democratic Egypt will appear at any moment.

Uh huh.

From AP December 19 by Hamza Hendawi

Fear keeps Egypt's Christians away from polls

ASSIUT, Egypt (AP) - A campaign of intimidation by Islamists left most Christians in this southern Egyptian province too afraid to participate in last week's referendum on an Islamist-drafted constitution they deeply oppose, residents say. The disenfranchisement is hiking Christians' worries over their future under empowered Muslim conservatives.

Around a week before the vote, some 50,000 Islamists marched through the provincial capital, Assiut, chanting that Egypt will be "Islamic, Islamic, despite the Christians." At their head rode several bearded men on horseback with swords in scabbards on their hips, evoking images of early Muslims conquering Christian Egypt in the 7th Century.

They made sure to go through mainly Christian districts of the city, where residents, fearing attacks, shuttered down their stores and stayed in their homes, witnesses said.

The day of the voting itself on Saturday, Christian voting was minimal - as low as seven percent in some areas, according to church officials. Some of those who did try to head to polling stations in some villages were pelted by stones, forcing them to turn back without casting ballots, Christian activists and residents told The Associated Press this week.

The activists now see what happened in Assiut as a barometer for what Christians' status will be under a constitution that enshrines a greater role for Shariah, or Islamic law, in government and daily life. Even under the secular regime of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's Christians complained of discrimination and government failure to protect them and their rights. They fear it will be worse with the Islamists who have dominated Egypt's political landscape since Mubarak's ouster in February 2011.
"When all issues become religious and all the talk is about championing Islam and its prophet, then, as a Christian, I am excluded from societal participation," said Shady Magdy Tobia, a Christian activist in Assiut. "If this does not change, things will only get worse for Christians."

But some of the Christians of Assiut are pushing back against the emboldened Islamists. In recent weeks, young Christians joined growing street protests to demand that the charter is shelved, casting aside decades of political apathy.

Assiut province is significant because it is home to one of Egypt's largest Christian communities - they make up about 35 percent of the population of 4.5 million, perhaps three times the nationwide percentage. At the same time, it is a major stronghold of Egypt's Islamists, who now dominate its local government. The province was the birthplace of some of the country's most radical Islamist groups and was the main battlefield of an insurgency by Muslim militants in the 1990s.

It was one of 10 provinces that voted in the first round of Egypt's referendum. Nationwide, around 56 percent voted in favor of the draft charter, according to preliminary results. Assiut had one of the strongest "yes" votes at more than 77 percent. It also had a turnout of only 28 percent - one of the lowest in a round marred by a low participation of only 32 percent nationwide.

The second and final round will held the coming Saturday in 17 provinces, including in Minya, which has the country's highest proportion of Christians, at 36 percent.

Read it all
   

UN polio workers murdered in Pakistan, program suspended

Part of this anger and revenge could be fallout from the killing of bin-Laden.  The doctor in charge of the vaccination program last year was a CIA operative who used the cover of the program to gather DNA evidence which was later used to identify bin-Laden.  Whatever the reasons, it is the children which will suffer the most, polio is a devastating disease and leaves victims in its wake.  It is a tragedy which seems to have no remedy.

From MSN December 19 by Jamal Khan

Update: UN suspends polio drive in Pakistan after killings

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The United Nations suspended its polio vaccination drive in Pakistan on Wednesday after eight people involved in the effort were shot dead in the past two days, a U.N. official said.

The suspension was a grave blow to the drive to bring an end to the scourge of polio in Pakistan, one of only three countries where the crippling disease still survives.

On Wednesday, gunmen shot at a woman working on the campaign in northwest Pakistan, killing her and her driver, one of five attacks during the day on polio workers. A male polio immunization worker was critically wounded in one of the shootings.

This week six other people have been killed who were working on the immunization program, which has been jointly conducted with the Pakistani government. No one has claimed responsibility, but some Islamic extremists charge that the program is a cover for espionage.

At the U.N., Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the killing as "cruel, senseless and inexcusable." He said the eight workers were among thousands across Pakistan "working selflessly to achieve the historic goal of polio eradication."

Sarah Crowe, spokeswoman for UNICEF, said the vaccination program has been suspended everywhere in Pakistan until an investigation by the Pakistani government is completed.

"This is undoubtedly a tragic setback, but the campaign to eradicate polio will and must continue," she said.

Some provincial governments in Pakistan continued to immunize children, independent of the U.N. drive.

Prevention efforts have managed to reduce the number of cases in Pakistan by around 70 percent this year compared to 2011, but the recent violence threatens to reverse that progress.

Suspicion for the attacks has fallen on the Pakistani Taliban because of their virulent opposition to the polio campaign, but the group's spokesman, Ahsanullah Ahsan, denied responsibility in a telephone call to The Associated Press. Police say they have killed two militant suspects and arrested a dozen others in connection to the attacks but did not say whether they were Taliban.

Militants accuse health workers of acting as spies for the U.S. and claim the vaccine makes children sterile. Taliban commanders in the troubled northwest tribal region have also said vaccinations can't go forward until the U.S. stops drone strikes in the country.

Insurgent opposition to the campaign grew last year after it was revealed that a Pakistani doctor ran a fake vaccination program to help the CIA track down and kill al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden, who was hiding in the town of Abbottabad in the country's northwest.

The number of attacks this week on polio workers is unprecedented. They came as the government started a three-day vaccination drive Monday targeting high-risk areas of the country, part of an effort to immunize millions of children under the age of 5.

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