Interview with Deputy Minister of Interior Affairs and Knesset Member Mrs. Faina Kirshenbaum on Iran

Israel may appear in Western press as giving in to Us demands, and that may be true.  That does not stop Israel from thinking ahead and keeping all its options open and available.  It is nice to know Israel will defend itself, in any way they see fit.

From Jihad Watch November 22 by Joseph Zaalishvili

Nuclear Iran is the end of the Western civilization and the world

Joseph Zaalishvili: Ms. Kirshenbaum, how do you feel about the upcoming agreement to the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran's nuclear program? The West is proceeding as if Iran is ready to halt uranium enrichment, but in fact the IAEA has confirmed that Iran continues to enrich uranium.

Faina Kirshenbaum: I'm afraid that the new treaty will be worse than the old agreement. When they began negotiations with Iran, they said that some of the nuclear reactors would be shut down. So far, not one reactor is not closed, the enrichment of uranium is in full swing, and the old rhetoric of hatred for Western civilization and Israel continues. To enter into an agreement on such terms is unrealistic, and I believe that as long as the nuclear reactors are not shut down, the abolition of economic sanctions can only lead to the increased military and nuclear power of Iran. And this is very dangerous, primarily for Israel, but also for the entire free world.

JZ: Recently there began a rapprochement between Turkey and Iran. Together with the fact of the weakening U.S. intervention and presence in the Middle East, how can this affect the situation in the Middle East? Some time ago, Iran's foreign minister was in Turkey, and in January 2014, the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan plans to visit Tehran. Has this been caused by the fact that the U.S. has eased its pressure on the region, and have Iran and Turkey found a common denominator, such as economic goals or -- what else?

FK: I think that the strengthening of relations between Tehran and Ankara has no relation to the U.S. Turkey has been trying for some time to enter the European Union. They are having problems with that, and so Turkey has completely turned away from the Western world. She is now trying to take the position of leader of the Islamic and Arab world. If you look at the processes taking place in Turkey -- a strong Islamization and a turning away from all that Kemal Ataturk did -- for us, it is not surprising that Iran and Turkey have found each other.

JZ: The President of France, François Hollande, came to Israel. What is your comment on this visit? Is Israel looking for a new friend to replace the United States, or in conjunction with the U.S.? I ask because recently the international media has been writing about increasingly strained relations between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

FK: First, the United States is a close friend of Israel. Israel has a lot of friends in the United States. No one is looking for any replacement. There is no doubt that Israel has its own interests, and in light of the visit of the president of France, we are strengthening our relationship with those parts of the European Union that support Israel's position. We believe that the French president has been very clear in his position on Iran. We do not compare our friends to one another. We always say, these and others are our friends. We are looking for as many friends as we can to help us solve the problem of Iran's nuclear program.

JZ: Prime Minister Netanyahu is flying to Moscow. What does Israel expect from this visit?

FK: Russia is supplying weapons to Syria. This interests us. We are concerned about the situation in Iran, the Iranian issue. I think that these are the issues that will arise at the meeting between Netanyahu and Putin.

JZ: President Peres said that if Iran becomes a nuclear power, a nuclear arms race will start in the Middle East. What can we expect then?

FK: I think that this will be the end of the world.

Obama White House wants the Muslim Brotherhood back in power, SCOTUS Kerry disagrees

Two fingers of truth

A breath of fresh air in a stale, rhetorical merry-go-round of denial and obfuscation.  Kerry says the problem in Egypt is the Muslim Brotherhood while the WH says the MB is our friend.

Hmm, this is an interesting predicament.

From NBC November 23 by Catherine Chomiak

Kerry: Egyptian revolution 'stolen' by Muslim Brotherhood

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the Egyptian revolution was "stolen" from the youth who started it by the Muslim Brotherhood.

"Those kids in Tahrir Square, they were not motivated by any religion or ideology," Kerry told an international security forum at the State Department on Wednesday.

“They were motivated by what they saw through this interconnected world and they wanted a piece of the opportunity and a chance to get an education and have a job and have a future. And not have a corrupt government that deprived them of all of that and more…. That's what drove that revolution and then it got stolen. By the one single most organized entity in the state, which was the Brotherhood.”

The Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi, elected to the presidency in June 2012, had filled a power vacuum left by the "Arab Spring" revolt that brought down longtime Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

It is not the first time Kerry has been critical of the Brotherhood and its actions in Egypt. In September, Kerry said the Egyptian military had been "restoring democracy" when it arrested Morsi this summer to quell worsening violence.

Growing unrest among the populous had centered on Morsi's inability to curb social and economic problems and concern he was leading the country toward stricter Islamic control. Kerry himself had visited Cairo in March, when he urged Morsi to enact sweeping economic reforms and govern in a more inclusive manner. Those calls went unheeded.

Simmering public unhappiness with his rule boiled over when the military deposed Morsi. He was replaced by an army-backed government.

Kerry also said Wednesday that the greatest threat to America is not a “rising rival,” but the "risks that would arise in the world where American leadership ceases to be a driving force."

He said the gravest danger “comes from the vacuum that the absence of leadership would create for autocrats and extremists to exploit. All of us know that these risks are real and unpredictable.”

"Refusal to allow your child to attend this trip will result in a Racial Discrimination note being attached to your child’s education record..."

There it is, the true face of Islam.  By implicit threat, a public school forces the kids to attend a class on Islam, or else.  When the authorities, especially school authorities knuckle under to the possible violence and intimidation from Islam, you know we are in deep trouble.

To give in because something bad MIGHT happen has been called the hecklers veto; where implied violence leads to capitulation instead of open and honest dialogue.  Islamic doctrine allows for, and encourages intimidation of non-Muslims, and these school authorities obviously knew this, and they tried to be the good and faithful dhimmi.

This is but another example of the surrender to Islam that the British are slowly engulfing themselves with.

From SWNS November 22

Schoolchildren told they would be punished for RACISM if they did not attend a religious workshop on ISLAM

Parents today slammed a school after children as young as eight were told they would be punished for RACISM if they did not attend a religious workshop – on ISLAM.

Angry mums and dads were sent a letter by Littleton Green Community School, in Huntingdon, Staffs., warning their children would be considered racist if they did not go on the school trip.

The visit to Staffordshire University – for Year 4 and Year 6 pupils – had been arranged as part of the children’s “cultural education” on November 27.

Headteacher Lynn Small wrote to parents and said if kids did not attend a “racial discrimination note” would be made on the pupil’s records and would remain there for their school careers.

On top of that, they were also ordered to pay £5 towards the cost of the trip.

Yesterday parents blasted the school’s “ludicrous” threats and accused the school of trying to blackmail them.

Stacy Waldron, 26, who has an eight-year-old daughter at the school, said: “I feel my child will be racist if I don’t allow her to go.

“This is my choice, not hers, and she shouldn’t have to pay for it.”

Mum-of-four Tracy Ward added: “I was shocked by the letter. To be told my kids have got to attend this workshop is disgusting.

“Everyone should have a choice but that’s my opinion and I don’t want a stain on my kids’ record as a result.

“They are not old enough to be called racist.”

Her sister Donna, whose daughter also attends the school, said: “It’s not our religion. We should have a right to stop our children going.”

Another parent Gillian Claridge, 55, added: “To be told we had to pay for the trip as well was just a kick in the teeth.

“How dare they threaten to brand the children racist at such a young age. Its going to make them feel like little criminals.

“The very nature of religion is all about choice – on this occasion they were not being given any choice at all.

“It was draconian move and its left a lot of parents fuming.”

Around 100 pupils across four years were expected to take part in the course – which would have involved them being shown Islamic artefacts.

But after parents contacted the school they were then forced to make an embarrassing U-turn and withdraw the threat after council chiefs intervened.

A letter from the head to parents on Thursday night apologised for “inaccuracies” in the previous correspondence.

In the letter Mrs Small asked parents to “on reflection disregard a section from the earlier letter”.

South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson slammed the original move – labelling it “bonkers”.

He said: “The idea of attaching a ‘racial discrimination note’ to children’s education records saying it will remain on their file for the duration for their school career seems unfair, particularly when it is no the child’s decision whether or not he or she attends.

“It seems a very heavy-handed approach.”

Defending the decision Mrs Small said that exposing the pupils to other faiths was part of the school’s statutory duty.

She said: “We are a mainly Christian school, but we have to cover at least one other religion as part of the national curriculum.

“This visit is part of that.

“They would not be taking part in any religious practices. We have had similar workshops on a variety of religions in the past – including one on Islam with no problems at all and the children have absolutely loved it.

“We have pupils and teachers at the school who belong to the Islam faith and it is right for the children to understand and appreciate their faith as well as their own.”

Great idea, but do you teach the doctrine of jihad as it is defined in the hadiths, or just whitewash it as an "inner struggle"?  What about taqiyya; do you teach the kids about the Islamic doctrine to lie when feeling threatened?  I would bet the answer is no.

Read it all

Saudi Arabia says they "...won't sit idly by..." and let Iran have a nuclear weapon

Maybe Israel won't have to do anything.  The Saudi's have a lot at stake and the last thing they want to see is their enemy next door get the capacity to destroy all that is around them.

From The Times of Israel November 24

Saudi prince to Iran: We won’t sit idly by

In an acerbic interview shortly before the Geneva interim deal was signed, a senior Saudi diplomat issued a rare direct threat to Iran, warning that “all options are available” should the international community fail to rein in Iran’s alleged drive to acquire nuclear weapons.

The statement from Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi ambassador to London, came as talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers were in full swing in Geneva.

In his interview with the Times of London (paywall) on Friday, Prince Mohammad also voiced

unusually abrasive criticism of the West for what he said was a too-soft approach to Iran, calling Washington’s “rush” to engage with Tehran “incomprehensible.”

Still, he was adamant in dispelling reports that common interests had driven Riyadh to ally itself with Israel.

“Appeasement hasn’t worked in the past, and I don’t think it will work in the 21st century,” he was quoted as saying. “That is why the frustration really is toward the main players within the United Nations Security Council, that’s their responsibility. And they will share also the blame, whatever deal comes out, they are responsible for it.”

The prince, a nephew of Saudi King Abdullah, invoked the prospect of a confrontation with Iran, saying, “We are not going to sit idly by and receive a threat there and not think seriously how we can best defend our country and our region.”

He would not deny a report to the effect that one of the West’s greatest fears – a regional nuclear arms race – is already in play, with Saudi Arabia inking a deal with Pakistan to acquire nuclear weapons, only saying, “Let’s just leave it there, all options are available.”

Read it all

"We had a choice here between the plague and cholera. We were left alone explaining the truth, and all of our options were bad"

The outcome of this accord will not be known for a while.  Time must pass before we have an idea if Iran  is holding to its promises.  History shows this to be doubtful, and with Iran never backing down from their genocidal rhetoric it is likely we will be six months closer to a nuclear bomb when we revisit the agreement.

From Algemeiner November 24 by Dovid Efune

Israeli Ministers Line Up to Lambast Iran Nuclear Deal; Choice Was Between ‘Plague and Cholera’ Says Lapid

As news broke in the wee hours of the morning of an interim deal reached between Iran and world powers over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, Israeli ministers and political figures from across the political spectrum took to the airwaves with sharp critique

According to various reports, the deal calls for Iran to halt key parts of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief said to be valued at approximately $7 billion dollars.

In an interview on Israel Defense Forces radio, Israel’s Finance Minister, Yair Lapid, widely believed to be the second most influential politician in the country, sounded a bitter tone.

“We had a choice here between the plague and cholera. We were left alone explaining the truth, and all of our options were bad,” he said. “I don’t understand how the French Foreign Minister can call an agreement that doesn’t involve the dismantling of one centrifuge a ‘victory.’ I can’t understand the world’s failure to notice the nineteen thousand Iranian centrifuges.”

“Obviously a deal is better than a war, but not this deal,” he said. “Netanyahu did everything he could and we all stand behind him on this.”

Describing it as “the biggest diplomatic victory Iran has known in recent years,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that “the State of Israel will have to think things over.”

“This brings us to a new reality in the whole Middle East,” he told Israel Radio.

“We awoke this morning to a new reality. A reality in which a bad deal was signed with Iran. A very bad deal,” said Israel’s Economy Minister Naftali Bennett. He painted a bleak picture of what may come to pass as a result of the arrangement. “If a nuclear suitcase blows up five years from now in New York or Madrid, it will be because of the deal that was signed this morning,” he said.

“It is important that the world knows: Israel will not be committed to a deal that endangers its very existence,” Bennett added.

Read it all

New agreement nets 7B for Iran

Money for Shia jihad and a nuclear weapon, courtesy Obama and his European yes-men.

From Bloomberg November 23 by Indira A.R. Lakshmanan

Iran to Reap $7 Billion in Sanctions Relief Under Accord

Iran will get as much as $7 billion in relief from economic sanctions over six months under the first-step agreement reached today in Geneva, the Obama administration said.

In return for Iran limiting its nuclear program, the interim agreement provides for the release of $4.2 billion in frozen oil assets and will let Iran continue exporting oil at current levels, rather than forcing continued reductions by buyers, as would be required under current law, according to a White House statement.

The accord also will “suspend certain sanctions on gold and precious metals, Iran’s auto sector and Iran’s petrochemical exports, potentially providing Iran approximately $1.5 billion in revenue,” the administration said.

Sanctions have cost Iran $120 billion in lost revenue since the U.S. and European Union started imposing strict penalties on energy, ports, insurance, shipping, banking and other Iran-related transactions in 2010, according to U.S. Treasury estimates. While almost all U.S. trade with Iran has been banned for decades, other than food and medical supplies, U.S. restrictions now apply to other countries that trade with the Islamic Republic.

The deal will permit $400 million in tuition payments to schools for Iranian students studying abroad over the six months, and it will give Iran access to civilian aircraft parts as well as help in providing humanitarian aid that isn’t banned by sanctions.
‘Ratchet Up’

“But the broader architecture of sanctions will remain in place, and we will continue to enforce them vigorously,” President Barack Obama said in a televised address from the White House last night, shortly after the agreement was announced in Geneva. “And if Iran does not fully meet its commitments during this six-month phase, we will turn off the relief, and ratchet up the pressure.”

Iran’s crude exports have fallen 60 percent from two years ago, due to U.S. and European sanctions, according to the administration.

The agreement would ease European Union sanctions on insurance and transportation of Iranian oil, according to a Farsi-language copy of the deal.

The sanctions relief being provided isn’t “going to have a significant impact on the real balances of supply and demand for oil,” Ed Morse, the New York-based global head of commodities research at Citigroup Inc., said in an interview.
More Sanctions Sought

Israeli officials and some U.S. lawmakers have said sanctions should be tightened, not eased, to keep pressure on Iran. Rejecting those pleas, the U.S. and the five other countries negotiating with Iran have agreed to “not impose new nuclear-related sanctions for six months if Iran abides by its commitments under this deal, to the extent permissible within their political systems,” according to the White House statement.

The no-new-sanctions pledge will be tested when the U.S. Senate returns for legislative business on Dec. 9 after a Thanksgiving break. A group of 14 senators from both parties issued a statement last week pledging to “pass bipartisan Iran sanctions legislation as soon as possible.”

Read it all

Tanzania: child jihad training broken up by authorities

"...the youngsters possessed exercise (study, ed.) books which contained teachings on "how to kill using a knife [or] a machete, how to fight aggressors with weapons and without [weapons]..."

Nothing says tolerance and religious pluralism than the indoctrination of children in the cause of jihad against the unbelievers.  This type of abuse never fails to get to me.

Using children to further a religious dogma makes me sick.

From Sabahi Online November 15 by Deodatrus Balile 

Tanzania dismantles al-Shabaab child indoctrination camp in Tanga region

Tanzanian police broke up an al-Shabaab training operation in Tanga region, arresting 69 suspects and freeing dozens of recruits ranging from 4 to 13 years old in a security sweep carried out October 28th to November 5th.

"This has shocked us, we have increased security in Kilindi district and we have deployed enough community police who know the place properly, and through joint operations with our police we are getting encouraging results," Tanga Regional Police Commander Constantine Massawe told Sabahi, confirming the number of arrests.

On the first day of the operation, police rescued 54 children and 32 women who were found at a training facility in Lwande and reunited them with their families the first week of November, according to Kilindi District Commissioner Selemani Liwowa.
Indoctrinating very young minds

Another 20 children, aged between 4 and 13 and who "had been completely brainwashed" by al-Shabaab at a local mosque, were placed in a rehabilitation programme, Liwowa told Sabahi.

When police found them at Madina mosque, the youngsters possessed exercise books which contained teachings on "how to kill using a knife [or] a machete, how to fight aggressors with weapons and without [weapons], how to sabotage the economy and how to liberate East Africa from the hands of the kuffar [infidels]," according to Liwowa.

Al-Shabaab had brainwashed these children to the point that they disowned their parents as not being true Muslims because they intermingled with non-Muslims, he said.

During the raid on the mosque, police also seized 12 videos containing al-Shabaab teachings on how to liberate Muslims in East Africa and the world at large, he said.

The leader of the group, who goes by the name Ayubu and is commonly known as "Master", fled minutes before the police arrived at the mosque, but they arrested his assistant, a resident of Singida region identified as Mr. Jumanne, Liwowa said.

The children were handed over to social workers for a three-week rehabilitation programme, said Tanga District Commissioner Halima Dendego. If they are able, the children will be reunited with their families, she said.

"My surprise is how these young children came in contact with these trainers," Dendego told Sabahi. "You find a four-year-old child whose parents are not known, and you wonder how they got hold of such a young child."

Parents need to be educated about the importance of keeping their children in schools so they do not fall prey to terrorist groups, Dendego said.

That is, until Al-Shaba'ab destroys the school and drives the students back to the mosques.

Read it all

How can one occupy their own home?

A brilliant question, and one that sends haters of Israel and Jews into a frenetic, synapse-smashing rant. Israel has the right to build in its own country, despite the UN, America, Europe or any other entity who thinks they know best as to what Israel is supposed to be.

Watch as Economy Minister Naftali Bennett dissects Christian Amanpour when she asks about the Israeli "occupation" and the expansion of settlement housing.

I have been saying the same thing for years; how can you occupy your own land?

From Algemeiner November 19

Israel’s Economy Minister Bennett Schools CNN’s Amanpour Over Use of Term ‘Occupied Territories’ (VIDEO)

Israel’s Economy Minister Naftali Bennett took CNN’s Christiane Amanpour to task in a tense television interview on Monday, objecting to the anchor’s insistence on referring to “occupied territories,” to which the leader of Israel’s Jewish Home party responded flatly, “One cannot occupy his own home.”

The comment was in response to her question about the wisdom of Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel’s recent announcement for plans to build 24,000 housing units beyond the Green Line, in the “occupied territories,” a move which Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ordered to be reversed so as not to interfere with parallel negotiations to stop Iran’s nuclear program.

“First of all Christiane, you talk about ‘occupied,’” Bennett said, before Amanpour interrupted him, trying to steer him back to the question of the housing developments.

“Since you say the term ‘occupied,’ I have to point out, I’m holding a coin here from Jerusalem,” he said, lifting the coin up to the camera, before she cut him off, again, insisting, “It’s an international term, Mr. Bennett.”

“I know,” Bennett said, “and I don’t accept it. Because this coin which says in Hebrew, Freedom of Zion, was used by Jews in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago in the state of Israel in what you call occupied [land]. One cannot occupy his own home.”

“Now to your question, in Israel, beyond the Green Line, there are 700,000 Israelis, there’s vast cities, and they need to live, and we have always said that we will continue to serve this population,” Bennett said.

“The building of communities there is not a hindrance to peace. Only 7% of the entire West Bank, or Judea and Samaria, is built today, 93% is open, so no-one is stopping peace,” he said.

“If the Palestinians want peace, they have to do one simple thing: recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland, that’s all. But if they don’t do that, if they don’t recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland, they can’t expect peace.”

If you look at the Hamas Charter, there is no chance for peace with Israel.  See the Hamas Charter here for proof the hatred is real.

Read the entire article and watch the video

Syrian jihadists have US and European passports but don't worry, they won't come here

Actually the threat is very real and if there are 1,000 jihadists with Western passports then we better start profiling Muslims and monitoring mosques.

As if we we wouldn't be monitoring Italian restaurants if the Mafia was being investigated.

From FoxNews November 13 by Catherine Herridge

Western-raised jihadists pouring into Syria could threaten US in future

Most of the more than 1,000 jihadists who have poured into Syria to fight alongside Al Qaeda carry passports from North America and Europe, raising the possibility that they could easily bring terror back to the west, according to a key lawmaker who receives regular briefings on the issue.

The prospect is especially chilling given that Al Qaeda-linked fighters in Syria seem determined to use the embattled nation as a haven from which to launch future attacks beyond the region, according to Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., who chairs the House Intelligence Committee.

"The number now exceeds 1,000 western jihadists who have shown up, so they'll have passports, good passports, allows them to travel around Europe, maybe get to the United States," Rogers told Fox News. "That's concerning."

Middle Eastern wars drawing insurgents from around the globe is not new, but Rogers said there appears to be even greater intensity in Syria, where Muslim militants have joined Syrians in a bid to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

"What we've seen to date, a higher rate of foreign insurgents then we did see in Iraq or Afghanistan," Rogers said. "Which is significant if you think of the time frame and then the height of the Iraq War in about '06 we saw a huge influx of insurgents from all over the world, jihadists who had a pretty passionate commitment."

But the outsiders seem to have a different goal than simply ousting Assad.

"The conflict you hear about among Al- Qaeda affiliates is not them fighting for control in Syria, it's them arguing about: 'Do we do external operations or do we focus more in Syria for the time being?'" Rogers said. "That is a dangerous trend for us indeed."

A dangerous trend would be the overuse of trans-fats.  This is a life or death situation and should be treated as such.  It won't, and thus we are doomed.

Read it all

Three years after the "Arab Spring" revolts, women's rights are worse than before

This should surprise no one, yet most will gape in awe and ask themselves, "How did this happen?"

Women have been second class citizens in Islam since 610AD.  Yes Muhammad gave women certain rights that were not common for women in the 7th century, but today those Islamic "rights" are the main reason we see women not being allowed to drive, women being forced to wear the burqa and a rampant FGM problem in supposedly moderate Muslim countries like Egypt and Malaysia.

Until women in Islamic countries are afforded the same human rights as the males in their culture we will see more abuse, and more spinning of the truth.

From Al-Arabiya November 12

Arab Spring nations backtrack on women’s rights, poll says

Arab women played a central role in the Arab Spring, but their hopes the revolts would bring greater freedom and expanded rights for women have been thwarted by entrenched patriarchal structures and the rise of Islamists, gender experts in the countries say.

Almost three years after popular uprisings toppled autocratic leaders in one of the most conservative corners of the world, a Thomson Reuters Foundation poll on 22 Arab states showed three out of five Arab Spring countries in the bottom five states for women's rights (for the methodology behind the poll, please see http://poll2013.trust.org).

Egypt emerged as the worst country to be a woman in the Arab world today, followed closely by Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Egypt scored badly in almost every category, including gender violence, reproductive rights, treatment of women in the family and their inclusion in politics and the economy.

Arab Spring countries Syria and Yemen ranked 18th and 19th, respectively - worse than Sudan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and insurgency-hit Somalia, which scored better on factors such as political and economic inclusion, women's position in the family, reproductive rights and sexual violence. Libya and Tunisia came in 9th and 6th.

But while the situation is dire, some activists saw reasons for optimism. For one thing, the revolts led more poor women and those on the margins to be aware of their rights.

Women's rights have traditionally been a concern of the “intellectual elite” in Egypt, where many are illiterate and live below the poverty line, said Nihad Abul Komsan, head of the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights.

“We used to suffer from the fact that talk of women's rights came across as talk ... limited to the creme-de-la-creme ladies of society,” she told Reuters.

“But the big challenge women faced led to women's issues being discussed on the street by ordinary women and illiterate women.”

The questions to 336 gender experts invited to take part in the poll were based on key provisions of the U.N. Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which all Arab Spring states have signed or ratified. The polling took place in August and September.

Egypt's ranking below Saudi Arabia, where women are banned from driving and need permission from a male guardian to work or travel, reflects widespread concerns about harassment, which was mentioned by almost every respondent as a major issue.

A U.N report on women in April said up to 99.3 percent of women and girls in Egypt are subjected to sexual harassment.

Samira Ibrahim, a pro-democracy protester who was subjected to an invasive virginity test while in detention when the military council was in power after Hosni Mubarak's ouster, said “harassment is the biggest problem facing us now”.

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"It is better to see a dog than to see an American...If the situation in the country gets worse, I will escape"

Angered over the loss of his livelyhood through the ineptitude of US and NATO, the last Jew in Afghanistan will soon be just s footnote in the history of Islamic conquest in the 21st century.

May God protect and guide Zabulon Simintov in his final months as a Jewish Afghani.

From Yahoo News November 12 by Jessica Donati and Mirwais Harooni

Last Jew in Afghanistan faces ruin as kebabs fail to sell

KABUL (Reuters) - Zabulon Simintov always removes his kippah, the skullcap worn by Jewish men, before entering his cafe in a dilapidated building that also houses Afghanistan's last synagogue.

"Let me take off my cap, otherwise people will think something bad about me," Simintov said cheerfully as he descended grime-caked stairs to the ground-floor cafe.

In his 50s, Simintov is the last known Afghan Jew to remain in the country. He has become something of a celebrity over the years and his rivalry with the next-to-last Jew, who died in 2005, inspired a play.

Mindful of Afghanistan's extremely conservative Muslim culture, Simintov tries not to advertise his identity to protect the Balkh Bastan or Ancient Balkh kebab cafe he opened four years ago, naming it after a northern Afghan province.

"All food here is prepared by Muslims," he said.

Now the cafe, neat and shiny, faces closure because kebabs are not selling well - largely because of deteriorating security in Kabul that has made people frightened to eat out or visit the city.

Simintov used to rely on hotel catering orders but even these have dried up as foreign troops begin to withdraw from Afghanistan, further weakening security and investment.

"Hotels used to order food for 400 to 500 people. Four or five stoves were busy from afternoon to evening," he said. "I plan to close my restaurant next March and rent its space."

At lunchtime, a single table was occupied, with a pair of customers ordering tender meat on long skewers and other Afghan dishes. Neither appeared to know about Simintov's history and said they came only because a cafe next door that made a special dish of Afghan noodles had shut down.

Little is known about the origins of Afghan Jews, who some believe may have lived here more than 2,000 years ago. A cache of 11th century scrolls recently discovered in the north provided the first opportunity to study poems, commercial records and judicial agreements of the time.

The community was several thousand strong at the turn of the 20th century, spread across several cities but having limited contact with fellow Jews abroad. They later left the country en masse, mostly for the newly created state of Israel.

Simintov's wife and daughters also left for the Jewish state, but he decided to stay behind with his Afghan "brothers".

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UK soldier shot seconds after photo taken with Afghan policemen

What are we doing in Afghanistan?  Too many Western lives have been lost...for what?  For an ideology that has never been vocalized and a fight against an unidentifiable enemy.

From the Daily Mail November 5 by Anna Edwards

Pictured with the man who shot him dead moments later: RAF policeman grins alongside rogue Afghan policeman who opened fire on him and comrade

An unwitting British soldier who posed for a photograph with a rogue Afghan policeman was shot dead by him seconds later.

Corporal Brent McCarthy, 25, is pictured with a member of the Afghan Uniformed Police just moments before the shooting.

After the snap was taken the gunman and another accomplice turned their weapons on the RAF policeman.
His comrade Lance Corporal Lee Davies, 27, of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, who can be seen sitting grinning in the background of the photo, was also shot dead. 
The pair were unlawfully killed while on active service, a coroner has ruled.
A military inquest heard the pair both died of 'unsurvivable injuries' after being shot by close range gunshots.

Both soldiers were part of an eight-man team who had gone to the Afghan police base in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand province on May 12.

The patrol had gone there so British officers could meet local police officials with RAF policeman Cpl McCarthy acting as a specialist adviser.

Oxfordshire Coroners Court was told the men had been engaging in 'banter and general chit chat' with what they thought were two Afghan Uniformed Police officers.

LCpl Davies, from Barry, South Wales, had remarked that the Afghan pictured had 'wet himself' and this may have been a sign as to what was about to happen, the inquest heard.

The Afghan national pictured was shot dead by a British guardsman as he tried to flee the scene.

Home Office pathologist Dr Russell Delaney said despite efforts to resuscitate the pair 'there was nothing colleagues, combat medics or medical staff could have done.'

Benjamin Bardsley, the men’s commander at the time, told the inquest at Oxfordshire Coroners Court it was his belief the two Afghans, dressed in police uniforms, had staged an 'opportunistic' attack on his men.

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Pakistan: no virgins for jihadists as bomb detonates inside madrassa

Just another case of premature detonation.  Poor dears, now they will have to live in eternity without the company of the "dark-eyed houris".

Yes, it is pronounced "whores"

From the Express Tribune November 3 by Shahzad Baloch

Injured go missing after explosion at Balochistan religious seminary

QUETTA: An unregistered religious seminary was gutted as a result of an explosion that occured allegedly after explosive materials prematurely went off in the Eastern Bypass, an outskirt of Quetta valley, on Sunday morning.

Four rooms of the religious seminary and a nearby house were completely destroyed in the blast.

According to eyewitness accounts, three people injured in the blast were taken out by their companions before police reached the site. A search operation was launched to find the injured, but police could not locate them at any Quetta hospital.

Deputy Inspector General Police (DIG) Operations Mohammed Jaffar said some religious literature was recovered from the wreckage along with explosives material. He said those in the seminary were preparing explosives that went off prematurely.

Quetta is vulnerable to sectarian and militant attacks and recently two bombings killed more than a dozen people and injured over 50 others.

After the US drone strike that killed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Chief Hakimullah Mahsud, security has been beefed up in sensitive areas of Quetta that include the military cantonment, Chief Minister House, IG FC and Police Balochistan’s residences and provincial secretariat.

PA head Abbas; "All of Israel is occupied Palestine"

Our friend in the peace process, Mahmoud Abbas is no friend of the peace process.  His latest outrage is just more of the same anti-semitism that the media will ignore.  After all, it is the Islamophobes and supporters of Israel who are the true enemies of the "Palestinians"

From PMW November 4 by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Abbas' speech: All of Israel is occupied Palestine

All of Israel is "occupied Palestinian land" was part of the message of a speech by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas at a memorial this month. Delivering "the speech of Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine," member of Fatah Central Committee Jamal Muhaisen stated that "not an inch of the land of Palestine" has been "liberated," including the "1948 lands," which is a term the PA and Fatah use to refer to Israel within the Green Line:
"All our holy places are still under occupation, and so far we have not liberated one inch of Palestinian land. All Palestinian land is occupied - Gaza is occupied, the West Bank is occupied, the 1948 lands (i.e., Israel) are occupied and Jerusalem is occupied."

A poster announced that the event was "under the auspices" of Abbas.

A song glorifying the weapon and the use of violence, "My Weapon Has Emerged," was chosen as part of the National Security Band's performance at the memorial, which marked the anniversary of the death of a senior Fatah and PLO leader from 1970s, Majed Abu Sharar:
"From my wounds, my weapon has emerged.
Oh, our revolution, my weapon has emerged.
There is no force in the world that can remove the weapon from my hand."
[Official PA TV Live, Oct. 9, 2013]

Palestinian Media Watch has reported that the PA has also chosen this song to be performed at other events. A longer version of the song also includes text that glorifies death:

"This revolutionary people has sacrificed and offered in order to live in freedom!
My weapon has emerged.
My weapon has emerged.
He who offers his blood doesn't care if his blood flows upon the ground.
As the weapon of the revolution is in my hand, so my presence will be forced [upon Israel].
My weapon has emerged.
My weapon has emerged."
Click to see more examples of the PA's policy of denying Israel's right to exist and its policy of promotion of violence.

The following is an excerpt from Abbas' speech at the memorial, delivered by Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Muhaisen:
Moderator of memorial: "Brothers and sisters, now listen to the speech of Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, which will be delivered by brother and fighter Jamal Muhaisen, member of Fatah's Central Committee."

Delivering Abbas' speech, Fatah Central Committee member Jamal Muhaisen: "All our holy places are still under occupation, and so far we have not liberated one inch of Palestinian land. All Palestinian land is occupied - Gaza is occupied, the West Bank is occupied, the 1948 lands (i.e., Israel) are occupied and Jerusalem is occupied."
[Official PA TV Live, Oct. 9, 2013]

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Pakistan: Taliban leader dead so the war on terror is over....wait, what?

A face only virgins could love...

Well, if you cut off the head the body dies, right?  So the war on terror, at least in Pakistan should be over, right?  We can stop sending money to them, right?  We are safe now and can go on with our lives like in the old days, right?

Right??

From FOXNews November 1

Drone strike in Pakistan kills head of Pakistan Taliban

A senior Taliban source has confirmed that a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan killed the head of the Pakistan Taliban Friday.

Several intelligence, army and militant sources said Friday that Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is dead, and a senior Taliban source confirmed his death to Reuters. The Taliban source also said Mehsud's funeral would be held Saturday.

The strike—one of a series of recent attacks aimed at insurgents-- occurred in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan.

``We can confirm Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in the drone strike,'' one senior security official told Reuters.

Mehsud, who is also believed to be behind a failed car bombing in New York's Times Square in 2010 as well as brazen attacks inside Pakistan, was widely reported to have been killed in 2010, but later resurfaced. The tribal areas where the drone attacks occur are dangerous, making it difficult for journalists to independently confirm information.

The strike—which hit the village of Dande Derpa Khel in North Waziristan-- also killed four other suspected militants, according to two Pakistani intelligence officials.

A senior U.S. intelligence official confirmed the strike overnight, saying the U.S. received positive confirmation Friday morning that he had been killed.

The CIA and the White House declined to comment on the reported death.

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"It's extraordinary how the authorities in our country (Britain) bend over backwards to accommodate Islam"

And one of the results of this accommodation is the firing of a Christian Arab after being accused of insulting Islam.  The pace of the demise of England to the pressure of Islam is speeding up, this incident serving to highlight this rapid Islamization.

From CBN News November 1 by Dale Hurd

Heathrow Employee Sacked over Alleged Insult to Islam

LONDON -- Nohad Halawi learned that in today's Britain, you'd better not be perceived as having insulted Islam at work because it could ruin your life.

Halawi worked the cosmetics counter in the duty free zone inside London's Heathrow Airport for 13 years. She was by all accounts hardworking and well-liked.

But when Halwai ran afoul of her Muslim co-workers, she was effectively fired.

"I didn't say anything wrong. I was complimenting a colleague of mine," she said.

Halawi, a Christian from Lebanon, was having a conversation in Arabic with a co-worker and praising a Muslim colleague when it was misinterpreted by another Muslim employee as an insult.

The False Accusation

"We were talking about something else and I said, 'Well, everyone is not like you. You are such an "alawi,' which means 'man of God' in any religion," she explained.

"And unbeknownst to me my accuser was standing quite close by and he just started jumping and shouting and in front of colleagues and passengers and everyone started telling me, 'You are insulting Islam,'" she continued.

When Christians say anything about Islam it is usually taken as an insult, unless it is to recite the shahada and convert to Islam from Christianity.

It sounds like a ridiculous accusation, but rumors began to spread among Heathrow's many Muslim employees that Halawi was anti-Muslim. She was seen as a problem and eventually fired.

But Halawi isn't anti-Muslim. She is married to a Muslim. She spoke of the embarrassment of having to explain to family and friends that she lost her job because she was a "racist."

She said "it was all a total lie."

Halawi is being represented by the Christian Legal Centre, headed by Andrea Williams.

"What happened to Nohad was totally unfair and grossly disproportionate," Williams told CBN News. "Actually, when you hear what she said, she was not giving offense at all. So, to be perceived to give offense to Allah, to the prophet Mohammed, means she lost the job she had had for many years and now finds herself living in fear of reprisals."

A Hotbed for Anti-Christian Proselytizing

She also was harassed for being a Christian and heard the name of Jesus mocked by Muslims.

But other things that Halawi witnessed at Heathrow Airport should make travelers who use Heathrow nervous.

Halawi heard Muslim employees there praising the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and Britain's 7/7 bombings.

She also saw Muslims bring the Koran to work; she said one man proselytized and handed out radical leaflets.

"And he just walks up to us and said, 'If you convert to Islam, all your pain will go away,'" she recalled. "And he told me and other colleagues that 'If you don't convert to Islam between now and the end of the world, you'll go to hell,' and 'Convert now because Islam is taking over.'"

When the employee was reported, Halawi said he was not fired.

Of course not, as to do so would have been Islamophobic.

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Priorities, Time and the Future

Dear readers,  it has been a little over three years since I started Islam Today Oregon, with thousands of posts, essays, commentary and opinion given in the name of education and enlightenment.  I regret nothing and stand by everything I have written over the years, including pieces done before this blog.  I am honored to be allowed a voice, because as we all know in many other countries my voice would not be heard, and I would most assuredly be dead by now.

While building the blog I also decided to pursue my education, and have been back in college to get my masters in history, specifically Middle East/Islamic history.  I finished my AA degree, and have moved to chapter 2, a bachelors.  I knew hard work and dedication was required and I did not shy away from diving in head first to achieve a long sought goal.  What surprised me was the reality that I am no longer in my 20's (or even 30's) and what I thought would be fairly easy but lengthy has turned out to be far from reality.  I am not complaining because I love learning and teaching, but I do want to explain some of the trials I am experiencing trying to balance more than a few spinning plates on sticks.

Time may be infinite but it is not unlimited.  My studies are intensive, as is the gathering of news and opinion for this blog.  There are priorities, mainly the utilization of limited monies to pay for my education.  I have always juggled time, trying to use it to maximum effect, yet as most of you have seen, recently I have spent less time here and more time deep in study.  Rest assured this blog will continue, but with only myself the wearer of many hats I have had to limit the time spent maintaining and furthering the blog.  Now with that in mind let me present this to you, my faithful readers.

I would like to find another like-minded person to take some of the pressure off me by assuming a role of associate editor.  No pay, no vacation time and no company car, just the knowledge you are contributing to the continuation of a free society.  As Islam spreads, and jihad becomes more the norm, and as the sharia creeps steadily across free countries it is vital that information continues to flow.  I am but one man but would like to make the voice a chorus rather than a solo.

The offer is simple, if you would like to be a part of something greater, please contact me, Barry Sommer at whatisislam@ymail.com and put in the subject line "How can I help?" and I will contact you with details.  No pressure, yet without another (or 2) to help I will have to continue to post less frequently than I would like, and will miss some important stories.  I leave the decision to you, my readers and hope be able to continue Islam Today Oregon as a full-service anti-jihad blog.

God bless you, dear reader and stay strong.  We will never give up, we will never give in.

Never.