Stop the presses! Pakistan helped the Taliban!

Via JihadWatch:

A real shock horror, totally unexpected, out-of-left-field Friend-and-Ally Update: "US think tank: Pakistan helped Taliban insurgents," by Jason Straziuso for Associated Press, June 9:

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Pakistani intelligence agents and paramilitary forces have helped train Taliban insurgents and have given them information about American troop movements in Afghanistan, said a report published Monday by a U.S. think tank.

The study by the RAND Corp. also warned that the U.S. will face "crippling, long-term consequences" in Afghanistan if Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan are not eliminated.

Uh, yeah.

Click here to read the full story.

Stifling [Robert] Spencer

CAIR, the Muslim phony civil rights group, tries to get Robert Spencer uninvited from a conservative youth conference. From Frontpage:

Just over 24 hours before a scheduled speech it is hosting by commentator and FPM columnist Robert Spencer, Young America's Foundation found something unexpected sitting in the FAX machine: a thinly veiled threat of a lawsuit if the group allowed the talk to happen as planned.

Near the end of the one-page missive is the rather unsubtle sentence: “Our clients have instructed us to pursue every available and appropriate legal remedy to redress any false and defamatory statements that are made at the session.”

Although YAF, which is the nation's largest conservative group catering to high school and college students, is used to campus leftists attempting to silence the right-wing speakers it helps sponsor, the apparent lawsuit threat likely came as a shock.

The attempted bullying, however, comes as little surprise to anyone familiar with the organization behind the move: CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

For years, CAIR has attempted to stifle debate and prevent inquiry into the domestic spread of radical Islam. Conservative columnist Cal Thomas was the latest target, when CAIR attempted to drum him out of his role as an official commentator at WTOP radio in Washington, D.C. The group was almost certainly emboldened by its success in the same city two years earlier, when it got then-Disney-owned WMAL to can talk host Michael Graham. Similar such smear campaigns are legion.

If only CAIR could muster the same contempt—or any contempt, for that matter—for Islamic terrorists.

Contrary to the letter's claim that the group “has consistently taken a principled position against terrorism and extremism,” CAIR simply has not done so. Never has CAIR condemned by name Islamic terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah. Given the opportunity to condemn Hamas by Newsweek last December, CAIR executive director and co-founder Nihad Awad refused, claiming that the question was “the game of the pro-Israel lobby.”

While CAIR incessantly hypes its 2005 fatwa against terrorism and extremism, the document intentionally avoided defining the two terms. Fundamentalist Muslims who wish harm upon the U.S. and Israel do not consider themselves “extreme.” Nor do Hezbollah and Hamas believe that they are terrorists.

This is CAIR's modus operandi: appearing to oppose terrorism, while simultaneously leading the charge against those who actually seek to thwart it.

Its approach to the lecture circuit is no different.

Spencer, who heads JihadWatch.org and is the author of the recent bestselling book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam, is a top-notch scholar who backs up his work on Islam with careful and meticulous research that is founded on Islamic sources. How does this compare, in any way, to some of the characters who have headlined CAIR conferences?

CAIR's primary objection in its attempted legal blackmail is that Spencer is “a well-known purveyor of hatred and bigotry.” But how is one a "purveyor of hatred and bigotry" when all one does is reveal and demonstrate the teachings that are inherent in Islam? And if CAIR really objects to “purveyors of hatred and bigotry,” why would it feature a neo-Nazi at several of its conferences?

Speaking at various CAIR functions in New York, New Jersey, and Florida was Bill Baker, whom CAIR-NY billed as a “renowned Christian scholar.” This “renowned Christian scholar” is someone with a history of vicious anti-Semitism who in the 1980's ran the Populist Party, an organization populated by neo-Nazis and Klansmen.

But a neo-Nazi is not out of place in the CAIR universe. At a CAIR co-sponsored event in 1998 at Brooklyn College in New York, speaker Wagdy Ghuniem roused the crowd with a stirring ditty that contained the lyrics: “No to the Jews, descendants of the apes.” (Transcript provided by the Investigative Project.)

Also on the menu at CAIR functions are 9/11 conspiracy theories, not surprising since it appears that the group's leader doesn't believe that Osama bin Laden was behind the attacks.

British journalist Yvonne Ridley, who suffered Stockholm Syndrome after being kidnapped by the Taliban and subsequently converted to Islam, asked at a 2003 CAIR-NY event, “Why would the Bush administration allow 9/11 to happen?” Her answer? “Because to use the war on terrorism became a useful bogus cover for achieving wider strategic geo-political objectives.” (Transcript provided by the Investigative Project.)

Stepping to the podium after Ridley's remarks was Awad, CAIR's co-founder and executive director. Rather than chastise Ridley for her claim that it was Bush, and not bin Laden, behind 9/11, Awad gave what seemed to be tacit support for her conspiracy theory: “Also, having listened to sister Yvonne, there are many theories of course about 9/11. And there are many unanswered questions, and we always ask for answers.”

Given CAIR's track record, YAF had no qualms ignoring CAIR's threats. But even with the possibility of a lawsuit, YAF would never censor a legitimate speaker; freedom of speech goes to the core of the group's values. “CAIR picked the wrong group to bully and intimidate,” notes YAF spokesman Jason Mattera.

Why is CAIR councerned with Robert Spencer -- a scholar who has dedicated himself to isolating those features of Islam that inspire Islamic terror? Shouldn't CAIR be concerned with the same thing and be thankful to Spencer? Isn't Spencer doing a tremendous service in arming Muslim reformers with the crystal-clear information they need to confront Islamic extremists? Won't reformers in this way stand a better chance at the enormously difficult challenge of modernizing and democratizing Islam?

Shouldn't CAIR be more troubled by neo-Nazis, 9/11 conspiracy theorists, and Islamic terrorists?

For more on CAIR, see this collection of articles and posts. There are many very disturbing questions for us that must be answered in order for us to be able to co-exist with Muslims who hate and seethe and who want to silence non-Muslims.

Bin Laden in new old video!

From Jihad Watch:

Is he dead? This re-release of old material only reinforces that impression. "Bin Laden in video calls for martyrdom," from CNN:

Osama bin Laden stresses the importance of martyrdom for Muslim causes in a videotape that purportedly contains a 50-second message from the al Qaeda leader.
The 40-minute videotape, whose audio was being translated from Arabic by CNN, was intercepted before it was to appear on several Islamist Web sites known for carrying statements from al Qaeda and other radical groups.

The videotape was made in the last four weeks, but the clips appear to be old, said Octavia Nasr, CNN's senior editor for Arab affairs. There is no indication of where it was shot, and CNN cannot verify its authenticity.

Bin Laden, with a body guard standing directly behind him, is looking down slightly in the video, appearing to address an audience below, which is unseen.

He says that the Prophet Mohammed wanted to be a martyr, and that is a worthy goal for every Muslim.

"So be alert, be wise and think. What is this status that the best of mankind wished for himself? He wished to be a martyr. He himself said, 'By him in whose hands my life is! I would love to attack and be martyred, then attack again and be martyred, then attack again and be martyred.'

"So this whole broad life is summarized by him who was inspired by God, the Lord of the heavens and earth, praised and exalted is he. This glorious prophet who was inspired by God summarized this entire life by these words. He wished upon himself this status. Happy is the one who was chosen by God as a martyr."

Bin Laden’s deputy behind the Red Mosque bloodbath

Via JihadWatch:

Evidence that the jihad is indeed global, and not simply a series of various nationalist insurgent movements. Lal Masjid Update. By Dean Nelson and Ghulam Hasnain in the TimesOnline:

AL-QAEDA’S leadership secretly directed the Islamic militants whose armed revolt at the Red Mosque in Islamabad ended last week with more than 100 deaths after it was stormed by the Pakistan army.

According to senior intelligence officials, the troops who finally took control discovered letters from Osama Bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. They were written to Abdul Rashid Ghazi and Abdul Aziz, the brothers who ran the mosque and adjacent madrasah.

Government sources said up to 18 foreign fighters -- including Uzbeks, Egyptians and several Afghans -- had arrived weeks before the final shootout and set up firing ranges to teach students, including children, how to handle weapons.

Al-Qaeda has wanted to open a Pakistan front in its global jihad since President Pervez Musharraf sided with America after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Diplomats were surprised by the speed with which the fugitive Zawahiri condemned the raid and called on Pakistanis to rise up against Musharraf.

The response to his appeal was equally swift. Twenty-seven soldiers were killed when a suicide attacker struck a military convoy in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border yesterday. At least 58 have been killed in bombings and shootings since the Red Mosque crisis began 12 days ago.

This weekend street protests were organised by religious parties as the government dispatched thousands more soldiers to its troubled North West Frontier province.

Robert Spencer: Blogging the Qur’an

Starting Sunday, May 27, 2007 Michelle Malkin's Hot Air has been sponsoring a new series to foster discussion as well as become a resource for anyone who wants to know more about the Qur’an (or Koran) and its role in the Islamic world and in the ideology of al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, as well as its place in the lives of a billion Muslims worldwide.

Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch blogs the Qur’an as he reads through it, bringing the Hadiths and Islamic teachings and traditions into the discussion. Robert engages readers’ questions and responses in the comments.

Robert Spencer read the Qur’an for the first time in 1981 and has been studying it and the Islamic traditions and teachings that inform students of the Qur’an ever since.

Highlights this week include why the life of a Jew or a Christian is worth less than that of a Muslim, and the endpoint of jihad warfare.

Earlier segments:

Introduction by Bryan Preston

Introduction by Robert Spencer

Sura 1, "The Opening"

Sura 2, "The Cow," verses 1-39

Sura 2, "The Cow," verses 40-75

Sura 2, "The Cow," verses 75-140

Al-Qaeda: Hamas betrayed God

If anyone still believes the hype that Islam is not a conquering, imperialistic, territorial, and aggressive theosophy which has evolved into a "religion of peace", in spite of the overwhelming empirical historical evidence that it is not, even after reading this article, has to be a freaking moron. Via Jihad Watch:

A-Q is piqued with the brothers of Hamas because they have entered upon -- gasp! -- the path of dialogue. Really, Libi and Co. needn't worry: Hamas still intends to end up in the same place.

"Al-Qaeda: Hamas betrayed God: Terror group says it cannot 'keep silent' over Hamas path 'which will lead to hell,'" by Yaakov Lappin for Ynet News:

Hamas has been accused of "betraying its own martyrs and God" during a recent statement issued by al-Qaeda.

A video made by al-Qaeda leader Yahya al-Libi, who is in Afghanistan, was released at the end of April. Ynetnews has obtained the full recording, one of a number of growing scathing verbal attacks on Hamas by al-Qaeda.

'Path of Jihad'

"I am sending this message to the people of Palestine, whose blood is being shed by the Jewish occupiers," al-Libi said.

"Hamas has abandoned jihad for politics. It has betrayed its youths. Its main activity is politics. Since its decision to go down the path of politics, Hamas has begun to descend on a downhill slope. They betrayed the dreams of their young fighters and they stabbed them in the back," al-Libi added.

"All of the pretexts Hamas gives for pondering the political path do not even convince Hamas," Libi said. "They don't believe their own rhetoric. They themselves know they are not pursuing the true path of Islam."

Come on, Libi. It's just a tactic. And a very effective one, for that matter.

'Hamas not listening to us'

Libi complained that "al-Qaeda leaders tried to advise Hamas about its policy and told Hamas leaders that they are not going in right direction. But Hamas has been firm in maintaining that its path is different from that of al-Qaeda."

He bitterly lamented that "Hamas told al-Qaeda they don't need al-Qaeda's advice. Some of their most prominent leaders went as far as making public declarations during a recent visit to the atheist capital of Russia, Moscow, distancing themselves from al-Qaeda. They did so openly after the meeting with the murderous corrupt Russian leaders whose crimes are worse than those of Sharon" Libi said, referring to Hamas politburo head Khaled Mashaal's trip to Moscow.

"Is Putin and his corrupt and murderous regime more relevant to Hamas's political equation for Palestine than advice by our great leader Ayman al-Zawahiri?" the al-Qaeda leader asked....

"You call your movement resistance, and then you call it Islamic resistance. If you were really Islamic, you would call it jihad," al-Libi said.
"Can you tell us which Islam you are talking about, and which shariah you are going to implement?" he added.

"Your path has confused the Palestinians, and they can no longer differentiate between you and the secular leaders that you courting," he said.

After pledging that "al-Qaeda will stick to the path of true jihad," al-Libi addressed Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, saying: "Where are your bombs, where is you fire, which should shine like the sun in the enemy's backyard? Your martyrs used to fight for al-Aqsa, and today you replaced the heavy sword with dialogue. Hamas is a part of the conspiracy against the Palestinians."

Now is the time for peaceful Muslims all over to explain -- not to non-Muslims, but to their fellow Muslims -- why Al-Qaeda's path is not really that of "true jihad." Here Libi has given them a real opportunity to demonstrate that the true Islam is peaceful, as they relentlessly claim yet never quite get around to explaining. Any takers? Mr. Hooper? Mr. Ayloush? Mr. Schwartz? Mr. Mohammed? Come on, guys! Now's your chance!

Name that damned threat already

Via Jihad Watch, terror may be the symptom, but as usual, officials stop short of naming the cause: jihad. "Citing terror threat, U.S. boosts security in Germany," by Louis Charbonneau for Reuters:

The U.S. embassy in Germany said on Friday it was boosting security at its facilities in response to what it described as an increased threat of terrorism there.

Neither U.S. nor German officials would provide specific details, but one diplomat said the steps were taken to guard against a particular threat and two newspapers reported that Iraqi militants were scouting U.S. facilities in Germany.

A Khomeinist in Austin

Via HotAir. This week's edition of Jihad Watch looks at the actions of the Texas Legislature in inviting a Khomeinist Imam to pray at a session. Robert Spencer reports on the video:

"Islam makes it incumbent on all adult males, provided they are not disabled or incapacitated, to prepare themselves for the conquest of countries so that the writ of Islam is obeyed in every country in the world... But those that study Islam will understand why Islam wants to conquer the whole world." -- Ayatollah Khomeini

Study up, boys and girls. Surely, your knowledge of Islam will be tested again, as those of us with clear vision were tested on 9-11.

Top Muslim avoids meeting with Pope

Via Jihad Watch:

Sheikh Tantawi, who approves of suicide bombing, won't meet with the Pope because he quoted someone who said Muhammad brought nothing that wasn't "evil and inhuman." Since jihadists routinely justify suicide bombing by referring to Qur'an 9:111, which guarantees Paradise to those who "kill and are killed" for Allah, apparently Tantawi's idea of what is "evil and inhuman"
is more nuanced than that of most people. From ANSA:

VATICAN CITY (ANSA) - The Islamic cleric and teacher who is the highest authority on Sunni Muslim theology pulled out of a scheduled meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday, reportedly because of pressure from fellow Muslims. The incident appeared to be further evidence that many Muslims around the world still feel deep anger over Benedict's controversial remarks on Islam in September last year.

Tantawi should be offended about the suicide bombings, not about the Pope.

Report: Jihadist threat to Britain worst since 9/11

Via Jihad Watch:

"It is thought the plotters could number more than 2,000," up from the 1600 estimated last November. "Secret report: Terror threat worst since 9/11," by Sean Rayment for the Telegraph:

The terrorist threat facing Britain from home-grown al-Qaeda agents is higher than at any time since the September 11 attacks in 2001, secret intelligence documents reveal.

The number of British-based Islamic terrorists plotting suicide attacks against "soft" targets in this country is far greater than the Security Services had previously believed, the government paperwork discloses. It is thought the plotters could number more than 2,000.

Tiny Minority of Extremists Alert:

Under the heading "International Terrorism in the UK", the document - seen by The Sunday Telegraph - states: "The scale of al-Qaeda's ambitions towards attacking the UK and the number of UK extremists prepared to participate in attacks are even greater than we had previously judged."

It warns that terrorist "attack planning" against Britain will increase in 2007, and adds: "We still believe that AQ [al-Qaeda] will continue to seek opportunities for mass casualty attacks against soft targets and key infrastructure. These attacks are likely to involve the use of suicide operatives."

The document, which has been circulated across Whitehall to MI5, Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorist Command, the Home Office, the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence, also reveals that al-Qaeda has grown into a world-wide organisation with a foothold in virtually every Muslim country in North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia.

Eliza Manningham-Buller, the director general of MI5, warned recently that there were more than 1,600 "identified individuals" actively engaged in plotting terrorist attacks. There were 200 known networks involved in at least 30 terrorist plots. It is thought that the number of British citizens involved in plots could be well in excess of 2,000.

MI5 believes that soft targets, such as the transport system and economic targets such as the City of London and Canary Wharf, are most at risk.

A senior political source said the picture painted by the document was "particularly bleak and unlikely to improve for several years".

He said: "The Security Services have constantly warned that the task of countering Islamist terrorism is a daunting one. There will be more attacks in Britain."

Patrick Mercer, the Tory spokesman for homeland security, said: "This document absolutely underlines the threat and makes me wonder why the Government still has a counter-terrorist strategy that has been officially declared obsolete. It does make the Government's response look hugely complacent."

Entitled Extremist Threat Assessment, the document, which was drawn up this month, also discloses that Afghanistan, where more than 7,000 British troops will be based by the end of May, is expected to supersede Iraq as the location for terrorists planning Jihad against the West.

It says that al-Qaeda's influence extends from North Africa, including Egypt, through to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan, and into Somalia and Sudan. Al-Qaeda is "resilient and effective" in Iraq, its "operating environment and financial position" in Pakistan has improved and a new group had emerged in Yemen.

Jihad group threatens to attack synagogues over Israel's Temple Mount excavation

Via JihadWatch:

Temple Mount Excavation Jihad Update. "Aksa Martyrs vow to attack synagogues over Mughrabi," by Etgar Lefkovits and the Jerusalem Post staff in the Post:

The Fatah-affiliated Aksa Martyrs Brigades threatened on Wednesday to attack synagogues if Israel continued its excavation near the Temple Mount ahead of the planned construction of a new bridge to the Mughrabi Gate.

In a press release sent to newspapers, the group announced that all synagogues would become legitimate targets and that "the sanctity of the Al Aksa Mosque should not be less than that of the synagogues."

The terror organization joined scores of other Islamic organizations in calling on the Palestinian people to hold processions and angry protests until the construction is stopped.

A Jerusalem court on Wednesday ordered the fiery leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel to stay out of the Old City of Jerusalem for the next ten days, after he tried to force his way to the site of a contested archeological excavation near the Temple Mount, police said.

Sheikh Raed Salah was one of seven Israeli Arabs detained by police near the Dung Gate on Wednesday morning.

Salah and his supporters had scuffled with police guarding the workers carrying out the salvage excavation near the Temple Mount.

The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ordered Salah to stay 150 meters outside the walled Old City for the next ten days, Jerusalem police spokeswoman Sigal Toledo said.

In court, Salah accused Israel of "the crime of demolishing a part of the blessed Al Aksa compound" and of "pushing the whole region to religious war."

Of course, Salah has never done anything to encourage religious war.

As Hugh Fitzgerald, one of JihadWatch's experts, points out,

Look at a map of where the digging is going on. Look how far it is from Temple Mount. If anything were to be structurally threatened, it would not be Temple Mount but rather the Western Wall. But of course neither is.

The same cannot be said for the horrific archeological damage being done by the Arabs digging in and around Solomon's Stables, destroying whatever they can that is identifiable as Jewish, just as they so often did and do with ancient Christian churches (look at the experience of the British archeologist Katheleen Kenyon, booted out of Jordan decades ago because of all the evidence of Christian sites she was unearthing; look at what happened to the Italian archeological expedition kicked out of Syria because of what was discovered at Ebla).

Everything upside-down and topsy-turvy. Yet it is reportred, without comment, by reporters who know nothing and, what's more, refuse to do the simplest homework.

I'm unsure of the politics at this site, http://blog.bibleplaces.com, but it does present some excellent photos of areas around Israel. Use your own judgement. Here is a photo of the dig, from The Post:

Imam leads Democrats in prayer of conversion

What is separation of Church and State? Well, for one, it is a phrase that does not appear in the Constitution. That's right, it does not. Most Liberals fear religion so they pretend the phrase does appear so they fight all public expressions of religion in America. You can't have a cross. You can't have a statue of a Bible. You can't pray in school, you know the mantra. According to most Liberals and most Democrats, we are soulless. But what most Liberals and Democrats won't tell you is that we also know that Islam is both a religion and a political system. There is no separation of church and state in Islam. So, the Democrats will continue to lust after violations of separation of church and state - except when Muslims violate it. From WND:

With heads bowed reverently, Democrats were led in prayer yesterday by a Muslim imam who essentially asked Allah to assist in converting the party members to Islam, according to a scholar and author.

Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch and author of "The Truth about Muhammad," took note of the prayer given at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting by Husham Al-Husainy, imam of the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center, a shiite mosque in Dearborn, Mich.

According to a transcript of the prayer, which can be seen on a video clip provided by HotAir.com, the imam said:

In the name of God the most merciful, the most compassionate. We thank you, God, to bless us among your creations. We thank you, God, to make us as a great nation. We thank you God, to send us your messages through our father Abraham and Moses and Jesus and Muhammad. Through you, God, we unite. So guide us to the right path. The path of the people you bless, not the path of the people you doom. Help us God to liberate and fill this earth with justice and peace and love and equality. And help us to stop the war and violence, and oppression and occupation. Ameen.

Spencer, in a post on his Jihad Watch website, said he found it interesting to see the Muslim leader praying, "in veiled terms to be sure, for their conversion to Islam, and, oh yes, for the destruction of Israel ("And help us to stop the war and violence, and oppression and occupation").

"Imagine if a Christian priest or minister had prayed at a DNC meeting that those attending be guided away from the path of those doomed by God," Spencer said.

Just imagine, folks. Imagine there being no special rights for Muslims in this country. Imagine how great that would be, for then, there would be real equality for all peoples, just like it says in our Constitution.

Keith Ellison named to Judiciary Committee

From Associated Press:

Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison has been named to the House Judiciary Committee, a panel that has oversight over issues such as civil liberties, immigration and courts....

"I look forward to pursuing a progressive agenda in the committee, including the restoration of American citizen's civil liberties that have come under increasing attack over the past six years," said Ellison, the first Muslim member of Congress.

Ellison, a freshman lawmaker, said this week he'd like to see a ban on racial profiling, an issue that could come up in the Judiciary Committee.

Looks like not many folks are taking Sheik Ellison as a threat. However, I am. Lefties, like "Teresa", who I was debating with over in the comment section at Boker Tov, Boulder, avoid the real questions about Islam, because then it would mean confronting the nature of Islam itself. Islam is more than pretty fabrics and mosaic tiles. Islam is opposed to individual liberties. It is opposed to freedom of speech. It is opposed to equality for women. It is opposed to the equal treatment of Muslims and non-Muslims. The tenets of Islam, as expressed in the Koran that Ellison swore on, contradict the institutions of this country. Like Hugh Fitzgerald says, non-Muslims are not brought up to undo the legal, political and traditional institutions of the United States. Who cares that it was Jefferson's Koran that Ellison swore on? Everyone else in the days of Thomas Jefferson, including John Quincy Adams, John Ledyard, William Eaton and Mordechai Noah had opinions based on personal interactions with the Barbary pirates. You will not find any offering about Islam from any one of them similar in any way to what lefties tell us Islam is. Islam is fascism. Islam at its core is lethally militaristic and institutionalizes homicide. There is an Islamic crusade going on but Lefties refuse to see it. Lefties represent the people who are undermining my country, who are playing politics while the enemy commits war. Lefties want the US to lose this war. It's all about George Bush according to the Lefties. We know that George Bush will be leaving office in two years, but the enemy won't be leaving. The Islamonazis who kidnapped the people of Iran, the people of Syria, of Africa, of Darfur, of Europe, of Southeast Asia, of the Pacific, are not going anywhere - unless we push them over the cliff. The Lefties are part of a group who is obsessed with Bush and they hope that he loses the war in Iraq and they will stop at nothing as long as we lose the war. They won't care about anything, as long as Bush loses. But I care, because Lefties, who pose as academics, are really academic frauds. They are embracing the Islamonazi doctrine and I find that detestable. Lefties ultimately represent the weakest side of America in a world full of enemies that only respect strength. But I ask Lefties and Democrats, why, when Ahmadinjehad speaks, why don't you believe him? When Nasrallah speaks, why don't you believe him? When bin Laden speaks, why don't you believe him? This is post-911, there is no excuse for Lefties not to believe them. We did exactly what Lefties wanted us to do during the Clinton administration pre-911. We bombed former Yugoslavia, we ignored the attacks on American civilians and we paid a price fore it. Yet, Lefties are calling for us to behave now just like we did pre-911. It's utter stupidity. So what if a couple of more buildings go down. So what if a couple of more airliners go down. The deaths of innocents caused by Muslim terror are permanent and irreversible, whereas the hardships faced by some Muslims in this country are temporary, reversible and will cease when attempts to kill Jews and Americans here and overseas are themselves brought to a halt. I'm personally tired of having to endure the trumped-up concoction of superstitions and deceit which is Islam, merely because the world was cursed by having its main energy source located under the feet of savages.

Wake up, America!

Anti-jihad, economic ideas to share

Hugh Fitzgerald, the excellent writer and analyst at JihadWatch writes:

There are three things that amount to the equivalent of December 7, 1941 in this war-without-end in which we are now engaged. This war began earlier, but was not marked by one spectacular attack. The Jihad had fallen over the past two centuries into desuetude only because of Muslim weakness, and has now been revived when three things occurred to make Muslims believe that they could now go for broke and achieve superiority over their permanent, because non-Muslim, enemies.

These three things were:

1) the past, present, and continuing OPEC oil revenues, which since 1973 have amounted to ten trillion dollars.

2) the tens of millions of Muslims permitted by heedless elites everywhere to enter and settle and make themselves at home in Infidel countries, all over the Bilad al-kufr, behind what they are taught to regard as enemy lines.

3) the exploitation by Muslims of Western advances in technology, such as audiocassettes (so useful to Khomeini in 1978-79), videocassettes, satellite television (Al-Jazeera, Al-Manar, and others), and the Internet, on which all those Muslim websites preach the faith, inveigle the Spiritual Searchers, and offer videos of decapitation of Infidels that apparently are such a useful recruiting tool for the cause of Jihad.

In response, a JihadWatch reader asks "Does anyone have any anti-jihad, economic ideas to share?".

The following are some excellent responses from JihadWatch readers:

Yep, quite a few [ideas]:The website http://divestterror.org/ is proposing a campaign to target 401(k) retirement plans, pension plans, and all stock investments generally, to disinvest from companies that do business with terror-supporting states.

The worst of the list include such names as Alcatel, Siemens, and Hyundai:
http://divestterror.org/dirtydozen.html

The public pension plans of many of the states of the U.S. are also invested in such companies, and we should urge our elected representatives to disinvest from those companies:

http://divestterror.org/report.html

Another reader has some more ideas:

Hugh's first point about oil money fueling the renewal of the jihad is very important. To counter this, we can all make our own little spending decisions to promote or oppose those we agree with or disagree with just as the enemy attempts to do with its boycotts.

How about turning the gas down on your hot water heater to the point where it is hot enough for a good shower and not so hot that it can scald you or it wastes energy every minute by heating you tank more than necessary. And turn it lower if you go on vacation.

Another reader suggests:

Another general idea is to challenge the imposition of Sharia Law, for example: Ban the Veil (and all public mask wearing)

Another reader answers:

I have plastic on my insullated windows, I keep my thermostat at 60 night and 65 day, I layer my clothing, I wash my laundry in cold water and I even put foam plug insullators in my outlets. I take warm showers and I try to make all my driving trips at once, avoiding any unnecessary trips. I do NOT buy my gas from Citgo.

Another reader offers this idea:

Islam is the preferred religion at the Canadian Broadcasting Company (to the exclusion of all others). It receives preferential treatment; it's being constantly promoted. The CBC is owned by the Canadian public -- it has a mandate from Parliament (it's not supposed to be a government propaganda machine). Protest to the owners of pro-Islam American and Canadian television stations.

Another reader writes:

Here is an idea. Write to Frank Wu, the Dean of Wayne State University Law School and tell him not to hire Waddie Said for the WSU faculty.

Here is some background.http://www.standwithus.com/news_post.asp?NPI=1029

Waddie Said is the son of the late fake Palestinian Edward Said. Waddie was part of the defense team for Sami al Arian and is unqualified for a position as a law professor on academic grounds and also as an Islamist supporter and appologist.

Another reader suggests:

A great idea for action is to start a small Anti-Jihad Militia and let your local media know that you're doing it. Take a few pics. Get on a local new broadcast. That's just sensational enough that it might get some airplay. Letting the American people see their neighbors in fatigues talking about the imminent threat of jihad ought to wake some people up. There are two Anti-Jihad Militia chapters in operation right now. antijihadmilitia.blogspot.com

Another reader says:

Print out chapter 9 of the Koran and put it where others can pick it up. Not just your "favorite" verses but the whole chapter so it can't be said that it is "out of context." If you are going to put it in books at the library don't just put it in the Koran. Put it in the best sellers, too. Especially the ones that liberals read.

Another reader suggests:

Post a list of all U.S. Senators and Congressmen who have take donations from terrorist apologists or their front groups. And a list companies that have terrorist apologists as principles, major stockholders or who hire an inordinate number of immigrants from terrorist-sponsoring states. Even a list of companies which are majority owned by Saudis or sheiks from the UAE would be very helpful. There is no such list anywhere, and we need it NOW so the public can be informed.

Folks, get on board. In the meantime, read this poll from the BBC that asks the question, How big is the economic contribution of immigrants?

Keith Ellison, Muslim Congressman, will swear on Koran

Via Jihad Watch:

In the Washington Post, Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts report breathlessly that Keith Ellison will be using Thomas Jefferson's own copy of the Qur'an for his swearing-in photo op.

This is allegedly a political masterstroke by Ellison, but it really just begs the question. Thomas Jefferson, obviously, was not a Muslim. In his famous statement on religious freedom he wrote about whether one's neighbor believed in one god or twelve 'neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.' But what no one is willing to discuss here is whether the Qur'an and Islam really fit into that framework. When I have mentioned that it sanctions lying to unbelievers (3:28 and 16:106, in the mainstream understanding of those verses by Islamic theologians and schools of jurisprudence; cf. Ibn Kathir and many others), people have responded that the Bible is full of nasty stuff as well. But people aren't swearing on the Bible because it is full of nasty stuff, or endorsing any of it that might actually be there. The idea of swearing on the Bible arises from Christian belief and is buttressed by Christian theology -- Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant -- that requires honesty and eschews all dishonesty as coming from the 'Father of Lies.' The permissions to be dishonest in the Qur'an are not mitigated by Islamic belief, tradition, and theology, but are in fact reinforced -- by Muhammad's statements that 'war is deceit' and that lying is permissible in wartime, and more.

In short, to swear on the Bible is to affirm, among other things, that one is part of a tradition, and to swear on the Qur'an does not amount to an affirmation of the same tradition, no matter how much Glenn Beck or Ed Koch or anyone wishes it does or assumes it does. Islamic teachers daily use the Qur'an to establish principles that differ radically from those of Judeo-Christian tradition. These questions need to be discussed in a forthright and honest manner by Ellison and by the mainstream media, instead of being swept under the rug or condemned as bigotry.

Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, found himself under attack last month when he announced he'd take his oath of office on the Koran -- especially from Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode, who called it a threat to American values.

Yet the holy book at tomorrow's ceremony has an unassailably all-American provenance. We've learned that the new congressman -- in a savvy bit of political symbolism -- will hold the personal copy once owned by Thomas Jefferson.

"He wanted to use a Koran that was special," said Mark Dimunation, chief of the rare book and special collections division at the Library of Congress, who was contacted by the Minnesota Dem early in December. Dimunation, who grew up in Ellison's 5th District, was happy to help.
Jefferson's copy is an English translation by George Sale published in the 1750s; it survived the 1851 fire that destroyed most of Jefferson's collection and has his customary initialing on the pages. This isn't the first historic book used for swearing-in ceremonies -- the Library has allowed VIPs to use rare Bibles for inaugurations and other special occasions.

Ellison will take the official oath of office along with the other incoming members in the House chamber, then use the Koran in his individual, ceremonial oath with new Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Keith is paying respect not only to the founding fathers' belief in religious freedom but the Constitution itself," said Ellison spokesman Rick Jauert.

FOX vs. CAIR, Round 2

Via FrontPageMag:

On September 23, 2002, an article written by Paul Bond was published in FrontPage Magazine exposing the contempt for Fox News Channel felt by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization that has been cited for its numerous ties to extremist Islamic elements. According to CAIR, Fox had exhibited a “pattern of anti-Muslim bias.” Over three years later, the group’s contempt has not subsided, as one of its most prominent representatives, Ahmed Bedier, recently made a conscious decision to let loose on Fox, revealing CAIR’s own prejudice – a pattern of anti-Fox bias.

A large Fox News logo adorned the homepage of CAIR’s website, along with a red, white and black button telling its viewers to “TAKE ACTION.” Under the heading “FOX news allows attack on Prophet Muhammad,” the following was stated:

“CAIR today expressed concern about what it says is a pattern of anti-Muslim bias by Fox News Channel citing Wednesday night's ‘Hannity & Colmes’ program as an example of how the network promotes anti-Muslim hate. On that program, host Sean Hannity seemed to encourage televangelist Pat Robertson in his venomous attack on Islam and on the Prophet Muhammad ...”

By clicking on the button, one was taken to a page that featured a pre-written letter and Fox contact information, including the e-mail address for Fox News’ CEO Roger Ailes.

One week later, on September 26, 2002, the Fox logo was gone, only to be replaced with a logo for ‘Hannity & Colmes.’ And under the heading “‘Thousands’ contact FOX over anti-Muslim bias,” CAIR crowed:

“Fox News Channel officials tell the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) they are receiving ‘thousands’ of complaints about anti-Muslim bias in that network’s news and commentary. The Islamic civil rights and advocacy group has requested a meeting to discuss ways in which Fox’s coverage of issues related to Islam and Muslims can be improved ...”

Fast forward three years to November 24, 2006. The venue is the radio show of CAIR-Florida’s Communications Director and the Director of CAIR’s Tampa office, Ahmed Bedier. The show is called ‘True Talk,’ which is highly misleading, considering the fact that Mr. Bedier has been previously caught lying. The guests for the show were Bushra Khan, the Media Director for CAIR-Arizona, and Ahmed Shqeirat, one of the six Arizona imams that were kicked off the U.S. Airways plane that was leaving from Minnesota.

During the show, both host and guest took aim at those they deem responsible for the imams’ circumstances by throwing around terms and labels meant to marginalize security-conscious individuals:

Bedier: “The Council on American-Islamic Relations has come out in support of the imams and has basically said that this is a phenomena that we’re seeing – escalating phenomena – called ‘Flying While Muslim.’”
Shqeirat: “You know, I think there’s a – this – what’s happened – this unfortunate incident – shows us the media hysteria and Islamophobia and the seedier side we as Muslims in America have been suffering from since 9/11.”

Soon the attacks veered off course, however, and seized at a new unsuspecting victim. That victim was Fox News Channel, and the perpetrator was CAIR’s Ahmed Bedier.

Bedier’s rant began with a caller’s mentioning of a statistic regarding the radicalization of a large part of the world’s Muslims. The exchange went as follows:

CALLER: “You know, out of those 1.2 billion Muslims, 15 percent of ‘em think it’s okay to kill Americans.”

BEDIER: “Where did you get that statistic, Sir?”

CALLER: “That is from the Fox statistics.”

BEDIER: [sarcastically] “Oh Fox! That’s a good ‘fair and balanced’…”

After the caller left, the one-sided battle continued:

BEDIER: “Bushra, I wanted to get your reaction. He quoted 15 percent of the 1.2 billion Muslims are -- I think he had said terrorists, or at least radicals. When I asked him -- It’s important when callers call up that they provide some sort of -- Basically, they should let us know where they’re getting their source from, and he said Fox News. What’s your reaction to that claim?”

KHAN: “I don’t watch Fox. I’m not sure where Fox got that number from, but that might be something we can check into.”

BEDIER: “Now, most people know that Fox is basically one-way biased, probably one of the most biased news outlets. And I’m not talking about the local Fox. I’m talking about the Fox News Channel -- the cable station. Most people know that all the shows on there are extremely right wing and anti-Muslim and dehumanize Muslims daily. So when he said that, I was about to fall off my chair.”

What is interesting about Bedier’s rant is that, while he sounded a little unhinged, he did keep his wits about him enough to make a distinction between the local and national branches of Fox News. Locally, Bedier has received royal treatment from Fox’s affiliate, WTVT-Tampa. In fact, it is on WTVT that he made his infamous statement about Palestinian Islamic Jihad. After being asked if he thought it was immoral for Sami Al-Arian to be associating with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, he stated, “To a certain degree. Now, before 1995 there was nothing immoral about it.”

What is of further interest with regard to Bedier’s monologue is that Fox News Channel, itself, on a number of occasions, has given him a forum to state his views. Who can forget the spin and lies he provided on ‘Hannity & Colmes,’ one of the shows CAIR has cited for bias?

As well, many leaders from CAIR have appeared on Fox. If there’s such a concern, why are they showing up for the interviews? One would think it possible that CAIR does not believe its own rhetoric.

Are Ahmed Bedier and CAIR right? Is Fox News filled with this hatred for Muslims and disdain for their wellbeing? Or is it all just hype – an attempt to divert attention from CAIR’s own issues, such as their connections to groups and individuals charged with terrorist activity? Whatever the case, you can be sure this one-way war of words is not over.

Coming soon, Round 3.

Joe Kaufman is the Chairman of Americans Against Hate, the founder of CAIR Watch, and the spokesman for Terror-Free Oil Initiative.

CAIR sticks its dirty nose in everyone's business

Get a load of this crapstorm. CAIR is demanding that Dennis Prager who criticized Rep.-elect Keith Ellison's decision to use the Koran during his ceremonial swearing-in, be removed from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Sheesh, what hypocrisy. Muslims deny the Holocaust ever existed and now they're all apissy about who sits on the US Holocaust Memorial Council. I say that Muslims should keep their noses out of everyone's business.

It's time to destroy CAIR, folks. Bring it down to its knees. It is a front for terrorists, after all.

Read Dennis Prager's excellent column here.

Read about CAIR's detestable reaction to Prager, the Jew, here on Jihad Watch.

Islamic caliphate to be declared in Gaza Strip tomorrow

We told you so. Via Jihad Watch:

"Fatah leaders meet to discuss Hamas," from the Jerusalem Post:

...Meanwhile, a radical Islamic group called Hizb al-Tahrir (Liberation Party) is planning to declare the birth of an Islamic caliphate in the Gaza Strip on Friday. The relatively small party, which is seen as more extreme than Hamas, is said to have increased its popularity following what is perceived as a Hizbullah victory over Israel.

On Tuesday, thousands of the party's supporters staged a demonstration in Gaza City to mark the anniversary of the end of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. It was the first demonstration in the Gaza Strip in which demonstrators called for establishing an Islamic caliphate that would rule not only in the PA territories, but the entire world.

Buoyed by the large turnout, the party's leaders are now considering declaring an Islamic caliphate in the Gaza Strip during Friday prayers, sources close to the party said.

Great. The dawning of a new Islamic Golden Age (inventions, creations, advances in technology, medicine, science and civilized behavior not required)

Muslims criticize naming of plot suspects

Via Jihad Watch:Yet another attempt to deflect attention away from jihad terror and onto anti-terror efforts. Muslim groups in Britain, including the jihadist Hizb-ut-Tahrir, are doing their best to portray yesterday's arrests as the unwarranted vilification of the Muslim community. It's a campaign of deceit designed to shore up the falsehood that the religion of the plotters is incidental, despite the fact that it is almost certainly their primary motivation. From the Hizballah News Agency, aka Reuters:

LONDON (Reuters) - Muslims criticised the government on Friday for publishing the names of 19 men who police sources say are under arrest for allegedly plotting to blow up passenger planes bound for the United States.

The government instructed the Bank of England to publish the names on its Web site on Thursday, just hours after police arrested 24 people in connection with the suspected plot.

Police have not named the 24 but a police source confirmed they include the 19 named by the central bank. Although the bank did not give the addresses of the 19, it listed their dates of birth and the areas where they live.

The bank's action is unusual. Normally, authorities do not publish the names of suspects until they have been formally charged and identified by the police.

But the government defended the move, saying it was essential to ensure the assets of the 19 were frozen.

"The Treasury has informed us that this is a normal procedure," Home Secretary John Reid told a news conference.

"When people's assets are frozen, the names are published, and this, the Treasury tells us, is part of the obligation of ensuring that people cannot deal with such individuals in the transfer of assets."

Some Muslim groups said the move was unnecessary and could hamper the suspects' chance of a fair trial if they are eventually charged in connection with the plot.

The Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS), an umbrella group representing Muslim students, said it was "extremely disappointed" by the government's action.

"It is important to wait until a thorough investigation has taken place before pointing fingers and drawing conclusions," FOSIS spokesman Wakkas Khan said in a statement.

"It is important to maintain the legal principles we hold dear, namely the concept of innocent until proven guilty."

The government said that in publishing the names, it was not inferring guilt.

Police are still questioning the 24 suspects and can hold them for up to 28 days before either charging or releasing them.

Hizb ut-Tahrir, a radical Islamist party which the government says it plans to ban, said it too was dismayed by the publication of the names.

"It concerns us that there is already talk in the media about the ethnic identity of the suspects, and that suspects are presumed guilty before any due process," said Imran Waheed, spokesman for the British branch of the party.

"We urge caution before jumping to conclusions."

Many Muslims accuse the police of unfairly targeting their community in their crackdown on terrorism.

Since 2000, police have arrested over 700 people -- many of them Muslims -- under tough anti-terrorism laws, but have brought only a handful to court. The vast majority have been released without charge.

Iranian cataclysm forecast Aug. 22

More on August 22, 2006, from WND:

A top expert on the Mideast says it is possible Iran could pick Aug. 22, the anniversary of one of Islam's holiest events, for a cataclysm Shiite Muslims believe will forever resolve the battle between "good" and "evil."
Princeton's Bernard Lewis has written an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal advising that the rest of the world would be wise to bear in mind that for those who believe the end of the world is imminent and good, there is no deterrent even to nuclear warfare.

As WorldNetDaily has reported, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has urged his people to prepare for the coming of an Islamic "messiah," raising concerns a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic could trigger the kind of global conflagration he envisions will set the stage for the end of the world.

He's also said, in a WND report, that Islam and its followers must prepare to rule the world, because it is a "universal ideology that leads the world to justice."

Now comes Lewis, who notes that the world must be concerned about a leader for whom the possibility of death is not a deterrent.

"In this context, mutual assured destruction, the deterrent that worked so well during the Cold War, would have no meaning," Lewis wrote. "At the end of time, there will be general destruction anyway. What will matter will be the final destination of the dead – hell for the infidels, and heaven for the believers.

"For people with this mindset, MAD is not a constraint, it is an inducement," he said.

Lewis noted that Ahmadinejad has referred to Aug. 22 several times, including when he rejected – until that date – United Nations requests for nuclear program information.

Lewis, joining several other Mideast experts who have expressed similar concerns, said Aug. 22 corresponds to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427.

"This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to 'the farthest mosque,' usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back," Lewis wrote.

In Islam, as in other religious, certain beliefs describe the "cosmic struggle" at the end of time. For Shiite Muslims, Lewis wrote, this will be "the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam, ending in the final victory of the forces of good over evil."

The significance, he said, is that there's a "radical" difference between Iran and other governments with nuclear weapons.

"This difference is expressed in what can only be described as the apocalyptic worldview of Iran's present rulers," he wrote. Iran's leaders now "clearly believe that this time is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed well advanced."

As for intent, a passage from the Ayatollah Khomeini, quoted in an 11th-grade Iranian schoolbook, reveals priorities: "I am decisively announcing to the whole world that if the world-devourers (i.e., the infidel powers) wish to stand against our religion, we will stand against their whole world and will not cease until the annihilation of all them. Either we all become free, or we will go to the greater freedom which is martyrdom."

Lewis wrote, "This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadanejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind."

Lewis, the Cleveland E. Dodge professor emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, specializes in Muslim history and interaction between Muslims and the West.

His comments echoed those made just a few days earlier by Robert Spencer, another scholar of Islamic history, theology and law and the director of Jihad Watch.

In an article for FrontPageMagazine.com, he wrote that Farid Ghadry, president of the Reform Party of Syria, noted the commemoration of Muhammad's ascent to heaven from the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Spencer said the Night Journey, or Miraj, is what makes Jerusalem a holy site for Islam, and Islamic tradition believes Muhammad, along with the angel Gabriel, went to the Temple Mount, and then to heaven in a bathing of light over Jerusalem.

Spencer reported that Ghadry talked of Ahmadinejad's plans for an illumination of the night sky over Jerusalem to rival the light of that Islamic belief.

Ghadry said what the Iranian president is "promising the world by August 22 is the light in the sky over the Aqsa Mosque," Spencer said.

He said a nuclear attack on Jerusalem, or even a conventional attack, would be consistent with the references that have been made, including Ahmadinejad's talk that Israel "pushed the button of its own destruction" by returning fire for Hezbollah's rocket barrage.

Also, "Atomic Iran" author Jerome Corsi notes that it's less significant whether Hezbollah survives, "but it's really the first chapter in the play for Iran and the Shiite Islam nation to come to ascendancy in the Muslim world."

First is the battle against Israel and the United States, he said, then against Sunni Islam. Where that group is more dominant, he said, is in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, where group members are "not unhappy to see Iran contained."

"They may launch an attack, but I still think if they had a weapon they would just go ahead and use it," Corsi said. "Terrorists don't brag about things they're going to do until after they do it."

He said the recent comments are more typical of terrorists' efforts to get attention.

"When Ahmadinejad is capable of taking action he will do it without any warning or bravado; he'll just do it," Corsi said.

In the updated edition of "Atomic Iran: How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians," now available in paperback from WND Books, Corsi discusses many of the disturbing developments related to Iran.

Meanwhile, Tanzanian customs officials have uncovered an Iranian smuggling operation transporting large quantities of bomb-making uranium from the same mines in the Congo that provided the nuclear material for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima 61 years ago, according to a recent report in the London Sunday Times.

A United Nations report, outlining the interception last October, said there is "no doubt" the smuggled uranium-238 came from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's mineral-rich Katanga province.

The smuggled uranium discovered by Tanzanian customs agents was hidden in shipment of coltan, a rare mineral used to make chips in mobile telephones. According to the manifest, the coltan was to be smelted in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan after being shipped to Bandar Abbas, Iran's largest port.