Quran burning riles Muslims

A member of the Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia carries a Koran during a protest in Makassar, South Sulawesi September 4, 2010. Hundreds of members from the Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia condemned a Florida church's plans to hold a "Koran-burning" on September 11, which this year coincides with Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The holy book that inspires terrorists.

Thousands of Indonesian Muslims rallied outside the US Embassy in Jakarta on Saturday to denounce an American church's plan to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by burning copies of the Quran.

The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, said it will burn the Islamic holy book Wednesday, the ninth anniversary of the terror attacks.

Local officials have denied a permit for the bonfire on the church's grounds, but the centre - which made headlines last year by distributing T-shirts that said "Islam is of the Devil" - insists it will go ahead with the plan.

About 3,000 members of a hard-line Islamic group marched to the US Embassy in downtown Jakarta waving banners and posters condemning the plan.

The group organized similar rallies in five other cities across Indonesia, the world' largest Muslim nation.

Religious leaders in Indonesia have condemned the plan and called on the US government to use its influence to get the fire canceled. AFP

Does Allah reside in a Black Stone in Mecca?

Could Allah have been seen to reside in the Black Stone a meteorite literally from the heavens?

What was the significance of Muhammad kissing the Black Stone at Mecca?

The Black stone forms the corner stone of the black cube building or Kaaba in Mecca ~ to which all Muslims face when they pray. Could they literally be praying toward the direction of Allah?

When Muhammad took Mecca by force, most importantly its Kaaba [there were others], which he battled his family for as they controlled and maintained it for 700 years before Islam, he did something Muslims continue to do today, he went over and kissed the Black Stone at the Kaaba.


What was so important about this pre-Islamic black rock ~ here was a man who prided himself on taking no idols. But this stone was important enough to kiss. And so much so his followers all continue to do the same.

It is widely accepted that the Black Stone at Mecca is a meteorite ~ could Allah have been seen to reside in this Kaaba stone, a meteorite and so literally from the heavens.


Once he took the Kaaba then he would have begun the task of dismantling its Gods and Goddesses all except for supreme one, Allah. A clue to the original significance of the Black Stone lies with the Meccan Goddesses Allah's Daughters, who where some of the most important of the Kaaba deities and one Manat was also worshipped as a Black Stone between Mecca and Medina.

It is very likely that Allah would have also been worshipped or seen as being represented in the Black Stone at Mecca ~ otherwise why would rejoice at its sight and bend forward to kiss it for all times?


Because the religion hinges on Arabia's pre-Islamic history, it is being kept as a closely guarded secret. All archaeologists working in Saudi Arabia are sworn to secrecy.

However there are multiple artifacts that have been found, which show that the Moon and the Star symbol of Islam was pre-Islamic. If you look down the side of this blog there is the medallion of Allat's hand, one of Allah's daughters, with a Moon and Star symbol next to her all seeing eye hand.


Allah's Daughters Allat, Manat & al Uzza ~ are all mentioned in the Koran 53:19. Their temples destroyed, when the Arabs were first forced upon pain of death to repeat the phrase 'There is no God But Allah'. The negation of the Daughters has begun.

Another day of Ramadan bombings —suicide attack leaves at least 56 dead

Injured people lie down on road after an explosion in Quetta.—AP


QUETTA: At least 56 people were killed and about 160 others injured here on Friday when a suicide bomber struck a procession brought out to mark the Al Quds day. The bomber blew himself up when the rally, organised by the Imamia Students Organisation, reached Meezan Chowk.

Soon after the blast some armed men in the procession started firing into the air, triggering chaos and panic. People fled or lay on the ground to avoid the gunfire.

All shopping centres and business establishments shuttered down in no time after an angry mob set on fire several vehicles and ransacked some shops.

They also attacked DSNGs of different TV channels and fired at the Aaj van, killing its driver. Three policemen were injured.

The outlawed Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman identified the bomber as 22-year-old Arshad Muavia. But according to a report from tribal areas, a spokesman of the Tehril-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to official sources, the provincial government imposed a ban on religious processions.

“It was a suicide attack,” Balochistan home secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani told Dawn. He said that organisers of the procession had been alerted to the threat.

Bomb disposal squad officials said the device packed 15 kilograms of explosives. The impact of the blast smashed windows of a number of shops and buildings.

Police found limbs of the bomber and sent them for forensic tests.

Balochistan IG Iqbal Malik said the organisers had agreed at a meeting that the procession would not go up to Meezan Chowk.

“They were stopped at a place agreed upon for terminating the procession, but they violated the written agreement,” Mr Malik said.

The procession started from an Imambargah on Prince Road after Friday prayers. When it reached near Islamia High School, police stopped the processionists from moving ahead. But they refused, broke the police cordon and marched on Meezan Chowk.

Sources said the bomber had entered the rally near Baldia Plaza and detonated the explosives during speeches by some ISO leaders.

Thirty-five people died on the spot and the rest in hospitals. A number of dead and wounded lay in pools of blood. The blast also enveloped motorcycles and bodies in flames. “I saw a young man entering the procession and after that a powerful explosion took place,” Saqib Khan, an eyewitness, told Dawn. He said that after the blast heavy gunfire shook the area.

An emergency was declared in all government hospitals in Quetta. Thirty bodies were taken to the CMH, nine to the Civil Hospital and two to Bolan Medical College Hospital.

Thirteen people with bullet injuries were taken to the Civil Hospital.

“Fifty-six people were killed and over 160 injured in the blast,” DIG (Operations) Hamid Shakeel said.

Iqbal Malik, the police chief, constituted three teams to investigate the incident.

Amanullah Kasi adds: The Balochistan Shia Council and Ittehad Tajran Balochistan called a shutdown in Quetta for Saturday. They appealed to traders not to open their shops in protest against the attack. The BSC also called for a 40-day mourning.

The Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, PML-N, Jamhoori Watan Party (Talal), Jamaat-i-Islami and Muttahida Qaumi Movement condemned the bombing.

Dawn

A Response to Rt. Bishop of New York's Letter Concerning the "Ground Zero" Mosque

The mantra 'Islam is peace' is almost 1,400 years out of date.

As the debate continues regarding the proposed building of a mosque and Islamic center in lower Manhattan, the Rt. Rev. Mark Sisk, bishop of New York released a letter to the people of his diocese.

The bishop begins his letter by quoting Roman Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan who has called for "a civil, rational, loving, respectful discussion," regarding the building of the proposed mosque and Islamic center in lower Manhattan.

I would also agree that at this juncture, respectful dialogue is critical, so that the issues surrounding the building of the proposed mosque are clearly identified and discussed.

However, Bishop Mark Sisk exposes his ignorance about the Islamic faith from this point on.

• He says, "We must not let our emotions lead us into the error of persecuting or condemning an entire religion for the sins of its most misguided adherents. The worldwide Islamic community is no more inclined to violence that any other."

It would be easy for us in the United States to believe that Islam is a religion of peace. By far the majority of Muslims in the US are law abiding citizens who seek to live out their lives without recourse to violence, but less than a days aircraft flight from our borders, a classical form of Islam challenges peace and defiantly rejects tolerance of other religions.

Even within our borders we are witnessing a rise in honor killings and the persecution of converts. The mantra 'Islam is peace' is almost 1,400 years out of date. It was only for about 13 years that Islam was peace and nothing but peace. From 622 onwards it became increasingly aggressive, albeit with periods of peaceful co-existence, particularly in the colonial period, when the theology of war was not dominant.

• 2. The bishop says, "At the Episcopal Diocese of New York we know the leaders of this project, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan. We know that they are loving, gentle people, who epitomize Islamic moderation."

Funny or Die: Imam Hitler Learns of Ground Zero Mosque’s Downfall… [Video]

Ground Zero Mosque Downfall - watch more funny videos

It is not everyone is buying into the sweet smelling Islam ~ which sees the imposition of Shari'a law and subjugation of all who don't convert ~ as the only way forward for the world.

Radical Islam is world's greatest threat - Tony Blair

Go Blair!!

"This extremism is so deep that in the end they have to know that they're facing a stronger will than theirs."

Better than fussing over what to call radical Islam ~ is to agree that it must be defeated.


Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has described radical Islam as the greatest threat facing the world today.

He made the remark in a BBC interview marking the publication of his memoirs.

Mr Blair said radical Islamists believed that whatever was done in the name of their cause was justified - including the use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

Mr Blair, who led Britain into war in Afghanistan and Iraq, denied that his own policies had fuelled radicalism.

Asked about the argument that Chechens, Kashmiris, Palestinians, Iraqis and Afghans were resisting foreign occupation, he said Western polices were designed to confront radical Islamists because they were "regressive, wicked and backward-looking".

The aim of al-Qaeda in Iraq was "not to get American troops out of Baghdad [but] to destabilise a government the people of Iraq have voted for", he told the BBC's Owen Bennett Jones in a World Service interview.

'Stronger will'

“We need to give a message to Iran that is very clear - that they cannot have nuclear weapons capability, and we will stop them”

Tony Blair

The former British leader - who now acts as the Middle East envoy for the international Quartet - said that Iran was one of the biggest state sponsors of radical Islam, and it was necessary to prevent it by any means from developing a nuclear weapon.

"We need to give a message to Iran that is very clear - that they cannot have nuclear weapons capability, and we will stop them," he said.

Mr Blair said he was not advocating military action, but simply saying no option could be taken off the table.

Iran denies pursuing a nuclear weapons programme, and insists its atomic work is for civilian purposes.

Mr Blair told the BBC his view of foreign policy had changed as a result of the 9/11 attacks: "After 11 September, rightly or wrongly, I felt the calculus of risk had changed.

"There is the most enormous threat from the combination of this radical extreme movement and the fact that, if they could, they would use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

"You can't take a risk with that happening."

Mr Blair said he agonised over how to respond to radical Islam and still had doubts that he was right.

These are really difficult issues, he said, but added: "This extremism is so deep that in the end they have to know that they're facing a stronger will than theirs."

BBC

Geert Wilders denounces Australian Muslim leader's call for beheading

It seems the Imam has learned nothing about respect for freedoms in Australia.

Almost guaranteed now the main concern would be not to hurt his feelings!


This is the same Aussie Imam, who after some Afghanistan Muslim refugee immigrants got off the plane, in their new country, they literally went on a raping spree. But when they got 25 years each, in protest, the good Imam, said the women/girls deserved to be raped because they left their houses and who can blame the cat if the 'meat' is left outside.


Mr Wilders, who lives under perpetual death threat and is the country’s most heavily guarded politician, demanded assurance from the country’s Interior Ministry that the message was been treated seriously.

“This is really terrible news and a very serious threat, unfortunately,” Mr Wilders said.“I will ask for clarification from the Dutch minister of interior/justice why the secret service and anti-terrorism unit NCTb have not informed me before and what the consequences will be for me.”

Sydney-born Feiz Muhammad posted a speech on an Internet site in which he condemned Mr Wilders as “this Satan, this devil, this politician in Holland” and called on his followers to “chop off his head” because Wilders “denigrated” Islam.

A report in De Telegraaf newspaper said Muhammad declared that anyone who talks about Islam like Wilders does should be executed by beheading.

The Freedom Party led by Mr Wilders scored the biggest gains in June 9 polls and is currently negotiating to form a new minority government with the Liberals and Christian Democrats. Polls show Wilders would win a new election if one were called now.

MrWilders, who campaigns for an end to Muslim immigration and a ban on the building of new mosques and the Koran in a bid to end the “Islamisation” of the Netherlands, has been under 24-hour protection since 2004.

Mr Muhammad has gained notoriety for, among other things, calling on young children to be radicalised and blaming rape victims for their own attacks.

Telegraph

Religious Minorities Suffering Worst in Pakistan Floods

A policeman removes his motorcycle from the scene as angry protesters burn a vehicle during reaction over after bomb attack during a Shi'ite Muslim procession in Lahore September 1, 2010. Three bombs exploded at a Shi'ite procession in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people and wounding over 100, piling pressure on a government already overwhelmed by floods.

TIME article highlighting Pakistan's second class citizens. The non-Muslims and those deemed to be.

But unlike the other flood victims, they were denied access to relief aid, members of the community and human rights groups say. "The local mullahs told the civil administration not to give them any help," says Shahid Ataullah, a senior member of the Ahmedi community. "They said, 'You don't dare do this. These people should be left to fend for themselves because they are non-Muslims.'"

In one of the more unfortunate developments attending the catastrophic floods in Pakistan, the country's religious minorities are being denied relief and aid — and being attacked by extremists belonging to the country's Sunni majority even as the faithful mark the holy month of Ramadan.

Thumping their chests as they wailed, thousands of Shi'ite Muslims gathered in the eastern city of Lahore on Thursday to mourn the victims of a triple suicide bombing that ripped through the city the night before. Two of the bombers struck Shi'ite worshippers as they were dispersing after a procession. The third bomber attacked a group clustered in a square. In all, 31 people were killed and more than 200 injured, sparking violent protests against the police for failing to protect them. The bombings came just hours after assailants opened fire on a procession of Shi'ites in the southern port city of Karachi, injuring seven people.

A senior Pakistani security official told TIME that the attacks were ordered by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni extremist group with deep ties to al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban. For such groups, it is not only legitimate to attack other Muslim sects but even a virtue to do so during Islam's holy month of Ramadan. Members of the Ahmedi Muslim sect have also been killed recently. On Aug. 18, Najam al-Hasan, 39, an assistant professor of science at Karachi's Dow University, was shot dead by attackers in a passing car as he was shutting to his clinic. The following day, Pir Habib al-Rahman, a U.S. citizen who was visiting Pakistan on business, was slain after masked men stopped him on the way to his farm in the town of Sanghar in Sindh and shot him twice in the head. He was the second Ahmedi American citizen to be killed in as many years while visiting Pakistan.

(See pictures of flood-ravaged Pakistan.)

The Ahmedis have endured riots against them for more than 50 years. In 1974, the Ahmedis were excommunicated by the Pakistani government for alleged heresy because the sect considers its 19th century leader Mirza Ghulam Ahmed a prophet. State-sanctioned discrimination has seen many Ahmedis leave Pakistan to find sanctuary in the west. Those who remain have been at increasing risk as militant groups intensify their sectarian attacks and the authorities reportedly deny the Ahmedis adequate protection. In May, the Ahmedi community suffered its worst attack when 95 people were gunned down in an hours-long siege of two separate mosques in Lahore. Authorities suspect that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was behind those attacks as well.

And in the middle of the current calamity, it is not just religious extremists who victimize the Ahmedis. As the floodwaters submerged vast tracts of southern Punjab, some 500 Ahmedi families were among those driven from their homes and forced to seek shelter in makeshift camps. But unlike the other flood victims, they were denied access to relief aid, members of the community and human rights groups say. "The local mullahs told the civil administration not to give them any help," says Shahid Ataullah, a senior member of the Ahmedi community. "They said, 'You don't dare do this. These people should be left to fend for themselves because they are non-Muslims.'"

Obama's carefully crafted image to the Muslim world

Obama stands alongside Netanyahu but alongside the Palestinian leader.

New Yorkers Want Islamic GZ Mosque Moved, Poll Finds

In the Muslim world ~ for the most part the sensitivities of others are of little relevance. Where Islamic law places a Muslim in a superior position ~ all other views would then become inferior. Unfortunately that is the picture in most of the Muslim world. And most likely the spirit that Imam Rauf wishes to build the mosque so close to a terrorist action with.

He wrote a book called out of the 'Rubble' of the 'WTC' comes 'Islamic Dawa' or Islamic proselytizing. [its Arabic title]

In the Muslim world all non-Muslims live as 2nd class citizens. And the route out of this lower or inferior status is be to become a Muslim. There Muslim have more rights under the law, and greater access to education and jobs. The belief is that non-Muslim religions make them inferior or unclean. And to become clean and to gain superiority is simple you must convert to Islam.

Although, the US has equal rights laws regardless of religion ~ there is the sense of with Islam that says to get yourself out of your lower mental status or your state of ignorance you should come and join Islam. And the aim would be to create an uber Islamic class ~ that would seek to divide society into the Muslims, 'the knowledgeable' and 'the ignorant' non-Muslims who should obviously have restrictions placed on what they can do within society.

In old Spain conversion to Islam was for rights and privileges. In reverse that is to say non-Muslim live under an inferior status. This is not radical Islam ~ this is Shari'a law.

You can often see this arrogance in new converts ~ they can act like they have some special knowledge, which makes them a better robot. But in the Islamic world this is ingrained ~ it is the system. Society is divided such that Muslims are over non-Muslims ~ in almost every respect.


Two-thirds of New York City residents want a planned Muslim community center and mosque to be relocated to a less controversial site farther away from ground zero in Lower Manhattan, including many who describe themselves as supporters of the project, according to a New York Times poll.

The poll indicates that support for the 13-story complex, which organizers said would promote moderate Islam and interfaith dialogue, is tepid in its hometown.

Nearly nine years after the Sept. 11 attacks ignited a wave of anxiety about Muslims, many in the country’s biggest and arguably most cosmopolitan city still have an uneasy relationship with Islam. One-fifth of New Yorkers acknowledged animosity toward Muslims. Thirty-three percent said that compared with other American citizens, Muslims were more sympathetic to terrorists. And nearly 60 percent said people they know had negative feelings toward Muslims because of 9/11.

Islamic Development Bank begins financing Islamisation of Ukraine

The problem with these schemes is that radicalization will inevitably emerge. Not only from the extremist who preach a message that is likely to attract the young away from the more mundane Islamic message ~ but also from the moderates who preach Islamic supremacy.

The idea of course is to pull them out of this Russian state approved style of Islam and make them more like ~ those of the Arab world.

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. The Board of Executive Directors of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) approved the program of financing of Islamic expansion to the former USSR countries.

According to the bank, IDB allocated $400,000 for expansion of the Islamic cultural and professional educational center in Kiev (Ukraine), which is capital of orthodox Christianity in the former USSR. Also, $350,000 was provided for construction of a student hostel and an educational center in Batumi, one of Muslim enclaves of Georgia. Simultaneously, $11.7 million was allotted for the term of 25 years with 7-year delay of payment for support of secondary schools in Uzbekistan.

Iran: Arrests and Convictions of Rights Activists and Lawyers Escalate

Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh

(1 September 2010) Authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran are continuing to arrest and jail civil society activists while persecuting and prosecuting independent lawyers, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported today.

“With a majority of Iranian human rights activists and lawyers already imprisoned or forced into exile, their remaining colleagues are systematically being taken down by the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,” Aaron Rhodes, a Campaign spokesperson said.

Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, told the Campaign, “The Judiciary’s lack of independence is resulting in persecution of lawyers. If we look at the Judiciary’s approach during the past year, we see that lawyers defending political prisoners have all been targeted,” said Ebadi.

Ebadi noted that prominent lawyers Mohammad Ali Dadkhah and Abdolfattah Soltani have both been imprisoned during the past year and released on large bails, Mohammad Seifzadeh is awaiting his trial, Mohammad Oliaeifar is serving a one year prison sentence, and Shadi Sadr and Mohammad Mostafaie have been forced into exile.

Two members of the One Million Signatures Campaign advocating for gender equality, Fatemeh Masjedi and Maryam Bidgoli, have been sentenced to one year in prison. On 22 August, security forces arbitrarily detained human rights activists Hassan Asadi Zeidabadi and Ali Jamali. Prominent human rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, has been summoned and her assets frozen.

In an interview with the Campaign, Sotoudeh said that a new method of persecuting human rights lawyers by the authorities is to make unfounded financial allegations on tax grounds.

“I was referred to the taxation bureau and while there I noticed in addition to my name, they are conducting special investigations into thirty human rights lawyers,” Sotoudeh told the Campaign. She noted that while human rights lawyers take on cases on pro-bono bases, authorities are using bogus tax charges to prosecute them.

Zionists Waiting To Kill Hidden Imam, Says Iranian Cleric

Maybe they can't kill him because he is the 'Hidden' Imam!

It's like a mass hallucination over there.

War talk.

Mojtaba Zolnour, deputy representative of Iran's supreme leader in the Revolutionary Guard, has said that "Zionists" are waiting for the Hidden Imam to appear to kill him.

Hojatoleslam Zolnour made the comments earlier this week at Qom University.

He was quoted as saying that "Zionists" have security plans for Muslim pilgrimage sites including Mecca, Karbala, and other sites where he said it was likely that the Hidden Imam could appear. The Hidden Imam or the Promised Mahdi is the 12th imam of Shi'ite Islam, who Muslims believe will appear to bring peace and justice on Earth and put an end to tyranny.

"They've told their soldiers to kill immediately whomever they see with the characteristics [of the Hidden Imam] and not even take the risk to arrest him because he is a very awesome and dangerous person," Zolnour said.

Last December, Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad accused the United States of doing all it could to prevent the return of Imam Mahdi.

"We have documented proof that they [U.S. leaders] believe that a descendant of the prophet of Islam will raise in these parts [the Middle East] and he will dry the roots of all injustice in the world. They have devised all these plans to prevent the coming of the Hidden Imam because they know that the Iranian nation is the one that will prepare the ground for his coming and will be the supporters of his rule," he said.

Bombs blast Ramadan crowd in Pakistan

I thought the jihadists were off helping the flood victims.

Pakistan has some serious problems and "western Islamophobia" clearly is not one of them.


PAKISTANI militants have broken their short-lived ceasefire with a bloody sectarian attack in the eastern city of Lahore that has left 31 people dead and more than 280 injured.

Three co-ordinated bomb blasts targeted a huge funeral procession by Shi'ites, a minority Islamic sect in Pakistan, just after sunset on Tuesday night, local time, as thousands crowded the streets to break their daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

The blasts are the first major attack since the country was hit by devastating floods, which have directly affected more than 10 per cent of the population.

An estimated 35,000 Pakistani Shi'ites were marching in the procession to mark the death of Hazrat Ali, the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet Mohammed who was assassinated 1300 years ago during Ramadan, when a bomb was detonated near a well-known Shia building.

As panicked marchers scattered, suicide bombers triggered two more blasts, sparking a violent reaction from the crowd, which turned on police and set fire to nearby vehicles and buildings, including one police station.

A policeman looks towards the wreckage of burnt motor bikes near the site of a bomb blast, which took place during a Shiite Muslim procession a day earlier, in Lahore September 2, 2010

Lahore commissioner Khusro Pervez yesterday described the bombings as a "security lapse", saying at least one attacker had successfully broken through a security cordon.

Cheerleaders absent for Turkish matches at World Basketball Championships

Give me a I-S-L-A-M-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N!!

GO ISLAMIZATION!

Troupes of energetic cheerleaders have entertained the crowds at matches involving other teams in the tournament, but no dancers appeared during Turkey's match against Greece on Tuesday nor their match against Russia on Sunday.

The Russia match was attended by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his wife, who wears the Muslim headscarf.

"Are cheerleaders not allowed for Turks?" asked news website Gazeteport on Wednesday.

"While our national basketball team wins each of its matches in Ankara, cheerleaders are not allowed due to the possibility that Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his wife may come to the match," it continued.

A spokeswoman for Turkey's Sport and Youth directorate said she was not aware of any ban on cheerleaders at Turkish games.

A source close to the situation said however that Turkish government authorities had asked informally that cheerleaders not be present at games attended by officials of the ruling AK Party, which has roots in political Islam.

The party rejects the Islamist label and points to its liberal economic and political reforms.
Many Turks are fasting during the Muslim month of Ramadan.

Dancers did appear at Turkey's first game against Ivory Coast last Saturday when no government officials were present.

INDONESIA: Female genital mutilation persists despite ban

Dede Jafar playing with her ten month old granddaughter. Dede did not hesitate for a moment to have her only granddaughter circumcised. Female circumcision is still widely practised in Indonesia, after the government ban in 2006

Hmm.. wonder how the practise got all the way to Indonesia!

When the girl's only worth is to be married than it probably makes sense ~ to them.

JAKARTA, 2 September 2010 (IRIN) - Though the Indonesian government banned female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) four years ago, experts say religious support for the practice is more fervent than ever, particularly in rural communities.

A lack of regulation since the ban makes it difficult to monitor, but medical practitioners say FGM/C remains commonplace for women of all ages in this emerging democracy of 240 million - the world’s largest Muslim nation.

Although not authorized by the Koran, the practice is growing in popularity.

With increased urging of religious leaders, baby girls are now losing the top or part of their clitoris in the name of faith, sometimes in unsanitary rooms with tools as crude as scissors.

“We fear if [FGM/C] gets more outspoken support from religious leaders it will increase even more. We found in our latest research that not only female babies are being circumcised, but also older women ask for it,” said Artha Budi Susila Duarsa, a university researcher at Yarsi University in Jakarta.

While the procedure in Indonesia is not as severe as in parts of Africa and involves cutting less flesh, it still poses a serious health concern.

“Even a small wound on the genitals can lead to sexual, physiological and physical problems,” Duarsa said.

Indonesia forbade health officials from the practice in 2006 because they considered it a “useless” practice that “could potentially harm women's health”.

However, the ban was quickly opposed by the Indonesian Ulema Council, the highest Islamic advisory body in Indonesia.

In March this year, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim organization, issued an edict supporting FGM/C, though a leading cleric told the NU’s estimated 40 million followers “not to cut too much”.

Despite a 2006 government ban, female circumcision - even amongst babies - continues

“It is against human rights,” said Maria Ulfah Anshor, a women’s rights activist and former chair of the women’s wing of the NU. “For women there is absolutely no benefit and advantage.”

Changing perceptions

U.S.-born Taliban federal inmate asks for Muslims to pray together: ACLU flies to the rescue

In the UK Muslim prisoners objected to female guards being present when they pray!! What is a religious right ~ when you are in prison?

ACLU files motion for fighter serving 20 years in Terre Haute facility

American-born Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh and another Muslim inmate have asked a judge to order a federal prison to let them and other Muslims in their highly restricted cell block pray as a group, in accordance with their beliefs.

The American Civil Liberties Union last week filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis for summary judgment on behalf of Lindh, 29, and Enaam Arnaout, 47, who claim that the prison's policy restricting group prayer in the Communications Management Unit violates their religious rights. The ACLU contends there are no disputes about the facts of the case and that the law is on the inmates' side, and asks the judge to rule in their favor.

Lindh, who is serving a 20-year sentence for aiding Afghanistan's now-defunct Taliban government, wrote in a legal declaration that his religion requires him to pray five times a day, preferably in a group. "This is one of the primary obligations of Islam," he wrote.

Praying in his cell is not appropriate, he said, because the Quran requires a ritually clean place for prayer, and he is forced to kneel "in close proximity to my toilet."

Lindh wrote that Muslims in the unit are being allowed to pray together once a day during Ramadan. At other times, the group prayers had been limited to once a week, court documents said.

The suit seeks class-action status. Harvey Church, associate warden of the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution, testified in a January deposition that 24 of the 41 CMU inmates were Muslim.

The government says in court documents that there is no evidence that Muslims were confined to the CMU because of their religion and that most Muslims don't adhere to the requirement of five daily prayers.

"Plaintiffs have shown . . . only six other Muslim inmates in the CMU who identify themselves as sharing the same views on daily congregate prayer as Plaintiffs," government attorneys wrote.

AP

Gaddafi and the Roman circus

Gaddafi told them "women are more respected in Libya than in the West and the United States". "Islam," he went on, "should be the religion of the whole of Europe".

While in Italy, I believe he also said women should ask men's permission ~ before driving a car!!

Other worldly!!

The old Islamo snake-oil salesman had to emerge ~ if you drink it ~ it promises to fix all the problems in the world. Perhaps he should take a sip himself ~ there are more than a few problems in Libya!!

And further his racist comments could also be attributed to himself ~ he suggest Europe pay him bucket loads of money each year to "avoid a black Europe". And what color does he think he is! Of right the Arab color! When you become a Muslim in that region ~ magically you become an Arab!! No longer a Berber or a Copt ~ you're an Arab baby!!

100% circus! Which is probably why the Libyan leader brings his tent.


ROME A brief conversation in Rome. The man had been to a grand "spectacolo". There had been thoroughbreds, Berber riders, charging horses and flashing lances.

The ringmaster at the show was none other than the Libyan leader, Col Muammar Gaddafi. He has just left Italy after a whirlwind 48 hours that some say degenerated into a Roman circus.

The reason for the visit was to celebrate a friendship accord that had been signed between Italy and Libya in 2008. It was an important step in Libya and its leader coming in from the cold.

After the past few days some are having doubts about Italy's new-found friend. Most of the time Gaddafi and Silvio Berlusconi, two great politician-showmen, vied with each other for attention. There was Gaddafi out in Piazza Navona, downing a cappuccino and a gelato before buying a fistful of rings from African street-traders. Berlusconi hosted a dinner and told his guest "if you behave well I'll sing you a song". The Libyan leader left before the dessert, although the dinner went on until three in the morning.

None of that raised an eyebrow. But a modelling agency was hired to find several hundred young women to sit it on a Gaddafi lecture on Islam. They were paid between 70 and 80 euros to be there. Gaddafi told them "women are more respected in Libya than in the West and the United States". "Islam," he went on, "should be the religion of the whole of Europe". Three of them were apparently persuaded and converted.

Suddenly Italians began taking offence. One politician said that "Europe's Christians should retaliate. Gaddafi should not be allowed to come here and speak to us in this way". Another said this "Islamic drive" should be confined to Libya. Italy's Minister for Equal Opportunities, Mara Carfagna, was unusually silent. The Catholic Church was irritated and embarrassed, wondering whether they would get a crack at a similar audience in Tripoli.

Others felt Italy had been humiliated. Sure it values the commercial opportunities now opening up in Libya. It needs Libya's help in stemming the numbers of immigrants leaving Libya for Europe. But even on this subject the Libyan leader has left red faces. He suggested the European Union pay 5bn euros for his continued help in blocking illegal immigration, in order to, in his words, "avoid a black Europe". The European Commission was decidedly frosty at the suggestion.

The Libyan leader has led Libya for more than 40 years. He's in his late sixties; his radical past conveniently forgotten if not forgiven. But some in Italy now want Berlusconi to shake free from the Libyan embrace.

Gavin Hewitt for BBC

Iran newspaper calls French first lady a 'prostitute' and says that she deserves to die, for voicing support of mother of 2 to be stoned

To many in the Islamic world all western women are prostitutes. As the only women with an outward measure of freedom in most of these places are prostitutes. For many Muslims ~ freedom for women equals prostitution. If you travel to the Islamic world as a western woman you should expect people to assume you are a prostitute.

It is difficult to spot the prostitutes at first in the Islamic world because they are all/the vast majority are in traditional Islamic dress. Prostitutes wear headscarves and full covering dress ~ like any Muslim woman does in the west.

In Iran of course ~ this thinking is raised to another level. And any woman who is seen as not abiding by Islam's religious laws should be in their books be killed.

There is only so much explaining we can do to protect Islam ~ its outdated ideas are on the way down. Stoned to death perhaps by world public opinion.

Aceshowbiz.com : For trying to save the life of a woman charged with adultery, the France's First Lady is targeted by Iranian newspaper which also states that Bruni 'deserves to die'.

The editors of a leading Iranian newspaper have taken aim at France's First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, suggesting she deserves to die for opposing a death sentence ruling.

Tehran daily publication Kayhan has published an attack on the French celebrities who are trying to save the life of an Iranian woman charged with adultery - and the writers of the article have singled out former model Bruni-Sarkozy and actress Isabelle Adjani.

In the piece, the star is referred to as a "prostitute" who "deserves to die". The attack comes just days after the French president's wife published an open letter in support of Sakineh Ashtiani, the woman due to be stoned to death.

The publication also called Bruni-Sarkozy "the singer and decadent actress who managed to break (up) the Sarkozy family." But Ramin Mehmanparast, a foreign ministry spokesman, has since told international reporters that "insulting the officials of other countries and using inappropriate words is not approved of by the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Turkey's advanced case of Islamization:- Policeman's book alleges war on the secular state

Turkey's newly appointed Chief of Staff General Isik Kosaner (L) and top military officials visit the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey

In 1999, a Turkish television channel broadcast one of Mr Gulen’s speeches, in which he tells his followers to patiently work their way through state institutions in Turkey to reach the highest levels of the republic. A prosecutor charged him with “creating an illegal organisation aimed at changing the secular structure of the state”. Mr Gulen fled to the United States.

ISTANBUL // A book written by a prominent police official that alleges a clandestine power grab by Islamists has created controversy by reflecting the ongoing power struggle between secularists and conservatives in Turkey.

Simons Living on the Golden Horn: A State Yesterday, A Religious Community Today, written by Hanefi Avci, sold 60,000 copies in the first six days after it was published, a huge number for a Turkish book.

Opponents of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, in power since late 2002, have long suspected that Islamists are trying to take over state institutions to weaken or overthrow the secular republic. Now Avci has added his voice to those claims.

“It is a struggle between the status quo and change,” Ferhat Kentel, a sociologist at Istanbul’s Bilgi University, said in an interview yesterday, referring to the social tensions reflected in the book.

More from Slumlord Rauf's tenants: Bedbugs, Roaches & A Mosque [Video]

Fine wordsmith Imam Rauf: America and its core values compatible with Islam

And Imam Rauf ~ which values would those be?

Islam rejects the idea of equality. It promotes the idea that Muslims should be awarded a higher status ~ and all others lower. How can this be in line with America's core values?

DUBAI (AFP)— America and its core principles are compatible with Islam, the US imam behind a controversial initiative to build an Islamic centre near the site of the 9/11 attacks said Tuesday in Dubai.

"The American way of thinking, the American construct, is extremely co-congruent with the Islamic worldview," Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said at the Dubai School of Government.

His visit to the United Arab Emirates is the last leg of a US State Department-sponsored trip that has already taken him to Bahrain and Qatar.

The aim of the visit was for Abdul Rauf to "talk about Muslim life in America" and his "work promoting inter-faith dialogue," according to a statement by the US embassy in Abu Dhabi announcing the visit.

The plan to build the Islamic centre that is to include a prayer space, near the site of the World Trade Center that was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, has fueled a political furore in the United States.

Proponents say the centre would be a platform for promoting inter-faith dialogue and tolerance. Opponents, some of whom have termed the centre the "Ground Zero mosque," say it is insensitive to build it near the site of the attacks.

Planners say the centre will include an area for prayer, sports facilities, theatre and restaurant, and would be open to the public.

Construction of the centre, a 100-million-dollar (79-million-euro), 13-storey glass-and-metal building to be built on private property, has been approved by city officials.

Abdul Rauf has been the imam of a mosque twelve blocks from "Ground Zero" for the past 27 years, according to the website of the Cordoba Initiative, an organisation promoting inter-faith dialogue and understanding, which he founded.

FBI defends invitation to Islam critic ~ Robert Spencer

Ibrahim Hooper, left, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, speaks at a news conference regarding the arrest in Pakistan of five missing young men in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009

Quite simply you can't have CAIR having the last say over who should and should not speak with the country's security agencies ~ using some Shari'a index measurement. Although in a free country they are perfectly welcomed to voice their opinion. This is not the Islamic world where some religious authority has the final say.

"We invite speakers who represent a variety of viewpoints and the special agent in charge of the Norfolk office has invited local Muslim leaders to speak to his staff. That doesn’t mean we enodrse our adopt the view of any particular speaker," Mann said. "Broad knowledge is essential for us to better understand and respond to the threats that we face. Knowledge also helps us defeat ignorance and strengthen relationships with the diverse communites that we serve."

There is a danger in being badly informed or misinformed ~ in listening to advisors with one view point or political objective ~ as in political Islam. It is quite a dangerous situation at the moment. And then you have the issue of Islamization ~ where Muslims seek to gain control ~ via government institutions or agencies.


The FBI is defending its invitation to a prominent critic of Islam in America, who is also one of the leaders of the fight to stop a downtown Manhattan mosque and Islamic Center.

The Council on American Islamic Relations complained late last month that Robert Spencer, who runs the Jihad Watch site and is co-founder of Stop the Islamization of America, had spoken to the Tidewater Joint Terrorism Task Force, a combination of state, federal, and local law enforcement centered in Norfolk, Virginia.

Spencer, along with his confrontational stand toward the New York project, has long been at odds with Muslim leaders for alleging links between American Muslim leaders and extremism. He has also been a critic of the religion of Islam itself, suggesting that the historical Mohammed, for instance, did not exist, and that the portrayal of him in the Qaran is of a "con man."

"Our nation's law enforcement personnel should not receive training from the head of a hate group that seeks to demonize Islam and to prevent American Muslims from exercising their rights as citizens," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, who also noted that Spencer and blogger Pamela Geller recently published a book subtitled, "The Obama Administration's War on America."

But the chief division for the Norfolk FBI field office, Phil Mann, defended the invitation to Spencer.

"We invite speakers who represent a variety of viewpoints and the special agent in charge of the Norfolk office has invited local Muslim leaders to speak to his staff. That doesn’t mean we enodrse our adopt the view of any particular speaker," Mann said. "Broad knowledge is essential for us to better understand and respond to the threats that we face. Knowledge also helps us defeat ignorance and strengthen relationships with the diverse communites that we serve."

Spencer wrote on his blog that his meeting with the FBI had been "encouraging."

"I met many conscientious agents determined to understand the jihad threat and resist it in all its forms," he wrote.

Spencer responded to a question about CAIR's attack with a link to his own press release on the matter, dismissing CAIR as a "hate group" and citing praise of his work from prominent conservatives.

Politico

Half of Republican voters believe President Barack Obama sympathises with Islamic fundamentalists and wishes to impose Islamic law on the west

I don't think there is any truth in Obama wishing to impose Islamic law on the United States. But what happened in Europe as a result of politicians hobnobbing with Islamic leaders ~ there was wide spread feeling that European countries were going to end up with Shari'a law. The whole respect for Islam over all other sentiment is typical of how Islamic countries are run. Rights and laws are centered around the right to be Muslim. And all else is secondary. There is no pride in being a Christian in the Islamic world. You would be perfectly well aware that Muslims are of a higher status. Obama's problem like so many others who rush to the protection of Islam ~ is that these issues of rights and freedoms under Islamic rule aren't being addressed. So that the individual who protects Islam then becomes connected to these things ~ to these injustices. Islamic law calls for the subjugation of all non-Muslim. That is a big issue. Besides the fact that their religious restrictions have crushed development and natural ingenuity in the region [for 1000 years] ~ makes Obama efforts to attach NASA to Islam deeply flawed. Space is about exploration [not found in the Koran]. The concern should not be with which way is Mecca while in space ~ so Muslims can be assured their prayers can be heard.

Obama needs to separate himself from this faith. The cosy image he wishes to present is not reflected in its reality. Instead of talking about Islamophobia ~ he should use his platform to tell the Saudis to build a church in their land. Even more so since they will likely be the ones funding their GZ 9/11 mosque. Freedom ~ freedom to tell the Muslim world to wake up!

The problem is that it is not only the radicals who want to impose Islamic law ~ it is the moderates too. And more troubling is that they believe they can use their access to government leaders to achieve it. Obama namely has chosen people in his administration because they are Muslim ~ some of whom support Shari'a law. Whatever happened to the content of their character. He should learn from Europe. We win ~ Shari'a promoters lose.


The majority of Republican voters in the U.S. believe their President sympathises with Islamic fundamentalists.

A poll revealed that 52 per cent said Barack Obama sided with fanatical Muslims who wanted to impose Sharia law around the world.

In addition, 59 per cent also said that Mr Obama favoured the interests of Muslims over other groups of Americans. The startling survey show the extent of feeling against Mr Obama and suspicion towards Islam amongst many in the U.S.

It comes against a backdrop of protests over the mosque at New York’s Ground Zero and fears of an explosion in Islamophobic attacks across the country.

Only last week a Muslim taxi driver was repeatedly stabbed by a passenger who first asked about his religion.

The poll for Newsweek found that 14 per cent of Republicans, nearly one in six, said it was ‘definitely true’ that Mr Obama sympathised with fundamentalists and wanted to impose Islamic law across the planet.

Pak religious clerics form global council to counter anti-Islam conspiracies

Anti-Islamic conspiracies? The things we can read in the news. Like the treatment of Christians Hindus and others living under Islamic-type laws in Pakistan? Like the Hindu girl who was kidnapped and her parents told she is now the 'property' of the mosque. And the police say they can't act in cases of religions 'conversion'. Or the Christian man who was beaten to death for drinking from a Muslim only cup at a roadside tea stall ~ because he did not notice the sign saying he should state his religion. Again the police took no action. When you are receiving bad press, its perhaps because you need to change your behavior.

Peshawar, Aug 31(ANI): Prominent religious clerics in Pakistan have formed 'The World United Ulema and Mashaikh Council' (WUUMC) to counter anti-Islam conspiracies and tackle them at national and international forums.


WUUMC Chairman Maulana Shoaib and Secretary General Mahmoodul Hassan said that other regious scholars from India, Afghanistan and Iran are expected to join the council soon.


According to The Daily Times, the council would work to promote peace and discourage sectarianism in the region.


The council would also take concrete steps to resolve differences amongst religious leaders of different sects.

Vatican criticises Kadhafi's call for Europe to convert to Islam

Women leave after a lecture by Libyan leader Momer Kadhafi at the Libyan Cultural centre in Rome on August 30, 2010.

His own country was conquered ~ he hungrily looks to Europe for the same.

Gaddafi now calls himself an Arab. In Egypt the people who built the pyramids ~ if they convert to Islam they become Arab! Does he want the whole of Europe to go by the Arab identity as well. Usurper!

ROME (AFP)— A Vatican official criticised Tuesday Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's reported call for Islam to become the religion of all of Europe, labelling it disrespectful to the Pope and Catholic Italy.

"To speak of the European continent converting to Islam makes no sense because it is the people alone who decide consciously to be Christian, Muslim or to follow other religions," Archbishop Robert Sarah told the La Repubblica daily.

Kadhafi made his controversial comments on Sunday in front of 500 women paid to attend his lecture.

He was on an official visit to Rome to mark the second anniversary of a friendship treaty with its former coloniser Italy.

According to one of the women present, the firebrand leader had said "Islam should become the religion of all of Europe" and that "Islam is the last religion and if we are to have a single faith then it has to be in Mohammed."

Sarah, the Vatican's secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, said he was not particularly concerned by Kadhafi's remarks, labelling them "a non-solicited provocation lacking seriousness."

He said the "true danger for Europeans is relativism, the lack of attention to faith, the weakness of religion, indifference to the sacred."

These, he said, are "true enemies for our faith which could create a fertile ground for the eventual future penetration of Islam in all of Europe."

Sarah, who is in charge of the congregation's overseas Catholic missions, also lamented a lack of "reciprocity between Muslim countries and the West" and problems linked to "religious freedom in Muslim areas."

However, "in many countries like Mali, Guinea and in North Africa, the relationship between Christians and those of other religions are excellent," he said.

"This is why Pope (Benedict XVI) tirelessly continues to promote interreligious dialogue," he added.

Kadhafi ignited further controversy on Monday when he said that the EU should pay Libya at least five billion euros (6.3 billion dollars) a year to stop illegal immigration and prevent a "black Europe."

EU Commission spokesman on immigration issues, Matthew Newman, would not comment on the statement Tuesday but said the EU was trying to improve dialogue with Libyan authorities to prevent "irregular migration flows from Africa".

Oh Brother: New campaign aims to counter anti-Islam sentiment ~ "I'm am an American & I don't want to take over the country"

Using children is a step too far. Surely we can argue the rights and wrongs of Islam's excesses ~ as adults. It is clearly an attempt to control the debate ~ so let me not be bothered.

Its ~ we come in peace ~ when we introduce Islamic law ~ we will make you all 2nd class citizens later!! Like we did to the Copts in Egypt! You'll love Dhimmitude!


My Faith My Voice!! Muslims are always pushing that religion. It is as though they want us to see it as being above humanity! What a delusion.


WASHINGTON (AFP)— A coalition of US Muslims launched a Web-based campaign Monday aimed at countering what they called a rising tide of anti-Islamic sentiment and to show themselves as Americans who love their country.

The group launched a website and online video featuring brief clips from American Muslims, including young children, with comments such as "I'm an American," and "I don't want to take over this country."

The campaign is in response to the controversy over plans to build an Islamic center near the site of the World Trade Center in New York destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The group said it takes no position on the Ground Zero mosque itself, but wants to counter the anti-Muslim atmosphere stemming from the polemic.

"We are concerned about this rising tide of anti-Muslim sentiment," said Hassan Ahmad, a Washington lawyer who is one of the coordinators of the campaign.

Ahmad added that "there is no way that this coalition could take a position on (on the New York mosque) because we are just a diverse coalition of ordinary Muslims."

He added: "There is no organization behind this, there is no mosque that can take ownership of this. This is just the voice of American Muslims, plain and simple."

David Hawa, producer of the one-minute video, said it offers a message that is "fresh and unique."

"We often hear from certain circles that Muslims are trying to take over America of impose our faith on you," Hawa said. "We are trying to showcase that this not what we are trying to do."
The group's Web page, http://www.myfaithmyvoice.com, allows Muslims to upload their own video clips and comments and "speak directly to the American public about what is in their hearts and on their minds."

For now, the message is distributed only on the Internet, although the group may raise funds to air the ad on television later, organizers said.

The campaign comes amid an increasingly heated campaign over the Islamic center proposed near Ground Zero, which has provoked demonstrations from supporters and opponents and stirred up emotions nearly nine years after the September 11 attacks.

Hassan said the new campaign would not address whether to build the center but that Muslims are "talking about the anti-Muslim rhetoric and fear-mongering that has unfortunately stemmed from that."

Somali government calls Al-shabab, Hizbul Islam to surrender

Al Shabab man burns white bags of wheat bearing an American flag and the stamp USAID in Mogadishu, Somalia, Friday, Aug. 20, 2010

This guy is burning bags of wheat sent by the US. I suppose Saudi Arabia has some for them. Man can't live on oil alone!

There is malnourishment in the camps ~ children are starving!


Please.. put down your heavy artillery and surrender... right now!!


MOGADISHU – The authorities of the transitional government of Somali have called for the Islamist fighters of Hizbul Islam and Al-shabab to surrender to the transitional government of Somalia so as to be trained and rehabilitated, official said on Monday.

More than 150 people were killed 200 others wounded during the past 7 days fighting in the Somali capital Mogadishu as both rivals were exchanging heavy gunfire with shelling that had affected most of the civilians in Mogadishu.

Mohamud Ahmed Nor better known as (Tarsan), the governor of Banadir region for the transitional government of Somalia had held press conference for the journalists in capital suggesting for Al-shabab and Hizbul Islam to join the join the Somali government to be trained and rehabilitated.

He said that the young men of Al-shabab and Hizbul Islam were deceived and persuaded fake ideology adding that those whom they kill were their people urging them to forget the plans they murder the civilians pointed out that there was Jihad (Ilamic religion) in Somalia.

The governor had lastly called for the populations not rely on the government calling for the people to attack and protect what he pointed the enemy of Allah.

The statement comes as there had been consecutive clashes between Al-shabab fighters and the transitional government of Somalia for the past eighth days in Mogadishu that caused more casualties of deaths, injuries and large displacement.

All Voices

Gaddafi causes storm in Italy with his Islamic propositioning of 100's young models

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (top R) and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi arrive to attend a carousel performed by the Italian Carabinieri Cavalry and Barbary Cavalry in Rome August 30, 2010

Gaddafi continues with his dream of bringing the whole of Europe down on its knees to face Mecca ~ and for a second year running he has invited hundreds of young beautiful women to keep him company and spread his Islam. This year he extended the invitation to models, last year it was escorts. One or two of his paid company converted.

Needless to say ~ if someone were to pull a stunt like this in Libya the whole of the Muslim world would be up on their offended turf ~ shouting how the whole of the west needs to be.. [well that would depend on the rally], but some sort of eternal punishment would be expected to be inflicted.


Personally, I believe the Libyan leader prays only to himself. His whole life and every action in it seems to be ego based. If he could he would probably move Mecca to Libya just so he could be in charge of it!


(Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's invitation to hundreds of young women to convert to Islam overshadowed a two-day visit to Italy intended to cement the growing ties between Tripoli and Rome.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi hailed Italy's relationship with Libya at an evening ceremony on Monday attended by some of the biggest names in Italian business, many hoping to pick up lucrative contracts in the energy-rich North African state.

Gaddafi called on the European Union to provide 5 billion euros ($6.36 billion) a year to help fight illegal immigration.

However, the mercurial leader attracted most attention earlier in the day by summoning busloads of young women hired by a hostessing agency to a meeting at a Libyan cultural center near the Vatican and urging them to convert to Islam.

Media reports said three women had converted on Sunday, although it was not possible to verify if that was true.

"It was very interesting, the role of the woman in Libya was very interesting," Barbara Persichetti, one of the women who attended told, Reuters Television.

The event, which repeated a similar operation on a previous visit to Rome last year, led to criticism from the media and opposition and embarrassment from many in Berlusconi's own center-right camp.

"What would happen if a European head of state went to Libya or another Islamic country and invited everyone to convert to Christianity?" asked the newspaper Il Messagero. "We believe it would provoke very strong reactions across the Islamic world."

Pat Condell: Bad faith at Ground Zero [Video]

Libya's old Gaddafi doles out cash and Korans to 200 beautiful Italian women at Islamic conversion ceremony

No doubt Gaddafi would be satisfied with a fake conversion ~ in these girls come to papa moment!

Michela, who asked that her last name not be used, told AP that three of the participants converted to Islam on the spot.

Some guys get all the conversions!!

During his first visit to Italy in June, 2009, Gadhafi invited 700 prominent Italian businesswomen and female politicians to listen to a lecture in which he criticized Islam's treatment of women but also suggested male relatives should decide if a woman can drive.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi gave a lesson on Islam and copies of the Koran to a few hundred young Italian women on he arrival in Rome for his fourth visit in a year.

It was the second time the Libyan leader — who travels with female bodyguards and fancies himself a self-styled feminist — had staged such an event for Italian women, who were recruited by a modeling agency and paid an undisclosed sum to attend.

Michela, who asked that her last name not be used, told Associated Press Television News that three of the participants converted to Islam on the spot.

"It was a really beautiful meeting and went very well," she said. "He is very easygoing and he gave us a copy of the Quran. Three girls converted themselves to Islam during the ceremony. It was a beautiful event."

19 Dead After Shootout In Russia's Caucasus

A shootout between the Chechen president's personal protection detail and suspected separatist insurgents left 19 people dead early Sunday, including five civilians, officials and media reports said.

At least 12 suspected insurgents and two security officers were killed when the rebels entered Tsentoroi, Ramzan Kadyrov's home village, his spokesman Alvi Karimov told The Associated Press. TV reports said five civilians were killed in the crossfire.

Kadyrov, who is thought to regularly supervise security operations in the field, was in the village at the time and directed the counter-offensive, Karimov said.

"We let them into the village so they couldn't escape," Kadyrov told Channel One television, which showed him examining the bodies of the suspected militants strewn across a road. "We forced them into a place where they could be eliminated," he said.

GZ Greek Church Gets Low Priority Next to $100m 9/11 Mosque

Mayor Bla-Bla Bloomberg to GZ Greek Church:

It's simple ~ you don't got $100 million and there's no Islamophobia involved! What we the Mayor and the City of New York don't want to do is to appear racist / Islamophobic and a Greek chapel ain't gonna help with that. That being to improve our image around the world.. ah.. Muslim world! We want to demonstrate to the Muslim people that America is a place of tolerance and respects their religion of Islam. [Smile!!] [Ignore any question about religious freedoms in MW] [Make sure to get shot of me and Rauf ~ there's still a Bloomberg business to run.]


Mayor Optimistic About Rebuilding At Ground Zero

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday he was confident that St. Nicholas Church, the only place of worship destroyed in the 9-11 attacks, would be rebuilt.

In his weekly conversation with radio host John Gambling, the mayor suggested a deal for the church's rebuilding was imminent.

"Oh, there's no question about that," Mr. Bloomberg said on the radio program. "The archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church lives across the street from me, and if you think I want him coming across with his staff and beating on my door and saying, 'Come on, Mike!' I'm not going to let that happen."

Mr. Bloomberg said the church and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the construction site, have simply had differences concerning the exact location and size of the new church.

Indeed, the parties appeared to be close to terms for the rebuilding back in 2008, but the deal was never finalized, as the size and location of the church remained the sticking points.

The mayor's comments come as officials from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America are using the furor over a proposed mosque and community center near Ground Zero to draw attention to their own effort to rebuild. The potential rebuilding of St. Nicholas has taken a distant back seat in terms of both political and media attention to the national uproar over plans for the proposed mosque.

The disparity has led some to say that the city is green-lighting the space for the mosque, but shutting out the church that was in the area beforehand.

Stephen Sigmund, a spokesman for the Port Authority, said the church "has and will always have the right" to rebuild the church. He said the two sides have begun negotiating on the terms again.

Messages left for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America weren't immediately returned Friday.

WSJ

More millions of displaced people in Sindh ~ as military confirms Taliban abduct and kill 3 foreign aid workers

Islamabad (AsiaNews) – The Indus broke flood defences again this morning, forcing the evacuation of 300,000 people in the city of Thatta. At least, a million people have been forced from their homes in the last 48 hours, raising the number of displaced people in the entire country to 21.8 million. In the meantime, AsiaNews received confirmation from military sources that three foreign volunteers operating with an NGO in the Swat Valley were killed after a Taliban attack.

Monsoon rains have hit Pakistan in the past month or so with unprecedented violence, never seen in the past 80 years. The forecast is for more rain in the next few weeks.

In the north, floodwaters are receding, revealing all the horror of the disaster. Roads have been wiped out, bridges have collapsed and houses have been swept away. Fields have been destroyed, as millions of people need food, water and shelter.

"The floods seem determined to outrun our efforts. About one month from the onset of the floods, we don't know when we will see their end, as the disaster is still unfolding,” UN spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said.

The waters that flow into the Arabian Sea have brought Sindh province to its knees. At least 19 of its 23 districts are under water and will remain so for at least two more weeks.

The Pakistani army and navy have been involved night and day in moving people to dry ground, handing out aid and rebuilding emergency bridges.

In the meantime, military sources told AsiaNews that the killing of three foreign volunteers in the Swat Valley (northwestern Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan) was the work of the Taliban. Due to security reasons and on request of the victims’ international humanitarian organisation, the names of both the organisation and its aid workers have been kept confidential.

“Foreign aid workers were working in Mingora and surrounding areas. On 23 August, they were returning to their base when a group of Taliban attacked their van, injuring five or six people, and abducting three foreigners,” said Atif-ur-Rehman, district co-ordination officer.

The bodies of the three volunteers were recovered only in the morning of 25 August.

Other sources said that two were killed in the evening of 24 August; the other, at 6 am, the next day.

The Pakistani military tried to hold back news about the killing to avoid panic among other humanitarian organisations.

Italy: Islam denied income tax revenue - Must now get money from other well, in Saudi Arabia

GRAND MOSQUE /MOSCHEA GRANDE di Roma

One of the main problems which was also sited was that in Islam there seems to be no central body of authority. Just who's in charge is a big problem for the Italians. There are some problematic issues to do with Islam ~ and perhaps rightly so government funding should not be put into that pot. Earlier they barred Islam's recognition in schools.

Another point of contention has been the issue of reciprocity. The Italians agreed to allow the Muslims to build a grand mosque in Rome ~ mainly financed by the Arabs. But it was with a kind of loose agreement or with the hope that a Catholic Church could be built in Arabia in the near future. When that hope was dashed - 'too sensitive' the Arabs said - the disillusionment with the Islamic world only increased. Particularly in regards to the treatment of Christians and respect for religious freedoms. The Catholic Church has said many Christians live in the Islamic world as 'non-citizens'. The growing feeling is that Muslims have come to get ~ but intend to give little or nothing outside of fine words in return.

Rome, 27 August (AKI) - Mosques in Italy will not receive a share of income tax revenue the Italian government allocates to religious faiths each year. Hindu and Buddhist temples, Greek Orthodox churches and Jehovah's Witnesses will be eligible for the funds, according to a bill approved by the Italian cabinet in May and still must be approved by parliament.

Until now, the government had earmarked 8 percent of income tax revenue for Italy's established churches. The great majority of these funds go to the Catholic Church, although if they wish, individual tax payers may elect to give the money to charities and cultural projects instead.

The head of COREIS, one of Italy's largest Muslim groups, Yahya Pallavicini, said he was bitter that Islam had been denied the revenue from Italian income tax.

"Work should be begun on legally recognising those moderate Muslims who have for years shown themselves to be reliable interlocutors who are free of and fundamentalist ideology," he said.

Islam is not an established religion in Italy and there is only one official mosque in the country, Rome's Grand Mosque (photo). Politicians from the ruling coalition cite radical imams, polygamy and failure to uphold women's rights by Muslims immigrants as obstacles to recognising Islam as an official religion in Italy.

Until now, only the Catholic Church, Judaism and other established churches including Lutherans, Evangelists, Waldensians and 7th-day Adventists have received the income tax revenue from the Itallain government.

There are between one million and 1.5 million Muslims in Italy and 130 mosques linked the Muslim umbrella organisation UCOII across the country.