Pakistan: Always a good opportunity for a 'Down With USA' rally [Photos]

Pakistan Shiite Muslim women hold placards during a rally to condemn Monday's suicide bombing over a Shiites procession, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010 in Karachi, Pakistan.

Pakistan Shiite Muslims chant religious slogans during a funeral prayer of the victims of Monday's suicide bombing Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 in Karachi, Pakistan. Authorities appealed for calm Tuesday after a bombing against a Shiite Muslim procession killed tens of people in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi, setting off riots and igniting fears of sectarian unrest.

Pakistan Shiite Muslims carry coffins of the victims of Monday's suicide bombing as others chant religious slogans during a funeral prayer Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 in Karachi, Pakistan.

A supporter of a Shiite Muslim group Imamia Students Organization chants slogans at a rally to condemn the Monday's suicide bombing, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan.

Supporters of a Shiite Muslims group Imamia Students Organization hold a rally to condemn the Monday's suicide bombing, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan.

Pakistani Shiite Muslims lay a U.S. flag on the road and chant slogan during a rally to condemn Monday's suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. Karachi, the country's largest city, came to a virtual standstill after religious and political leaders called for a general strike to protest a bombing that killed 44 people and subsequent riots. The banner reads 'The attack of Shiite procession is the conspiracy of oppressive forces.'

A supporters of a Shiite Muslim group Imamia Students Organization chants slogans at a rally to condemn Monday's suicide bombing, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan.

Supporters of a Shiite Muslims group Imamia Students Organization chant slogans at a rally to condemn Monday's suicide bombing, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan.

Pakistan Shiite Muslims attend a funeral prayer of the victims of Monday's suicide bombing, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 in Karachi, Pakistan.

Pakistan: Death toll from suicide attack against volleyball match rises to 105

Pakistani paramilitary soldiers salute before caskets of their comrades killed in Friday's suicide car bombing during a funeral prayer at their base camp in Bannu, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010


Peshawar (AsiaNews/Agencies) – At least 105 people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a volleyball tournament in a town in north-western Pakistan yesterday, police said as it updated earlier figures which had put the death toll at 88 with more than 100 injured.

The blast was so powerful that it demolished a building near the volleyball court. Police is still searching for more dead and wounded under the rubbles.

The suicide bomber detonated a vehicle as fans gathered to watch two teams face off in the town of Shah Hasan Khan, not far from the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan.

According to police, the town was targeted because its residents have been supporting the Pakistani government’s efforts to suppress Taliban militants.

For several months, Pakistan's military has been battling the Taliban who use certain regions of the country as safe havens for their fight in Afghanistan and where they enforce Sharia.

In 2009, the Taliban have been responsible for several attacks that killed thousands of civilians.

Filipino migrant in Saudi Arabia: exploited and mocked for her faith

A Filipino domestic worker describes as "a prison" her experience in Saudi Arabia. For seven months she was not allowed to leave or have a bed to sleep on. Because of her Christian faith her salary was reduced. Forced to fast during Ramadan.


Manila (AsiaNews) - "My Life in Saudi Arabia was like a prison and the anguish of those moments was unbearable." This is the story of Norma Caldera, a Filipina domestic worker who emigrated to work in Saudi Arabia and escaped after seven months of constant harassment due to her Catholic faith. "Every day I got up early to pray – she tells - and every time my colleagues and employers saw me they began to insult and mock me for my Christian faith."

Like 10 million other Filipinos, Norma was forced to leave her country to seek work abroad. For 17 years she worked in Hong Kong, but the crisis has forced her again to leave to go to Saudi Arabia to work as a maid in a family. The Arabian country employs around 200 thousand Filipinos. These as well as being exploited and poorly paid, are subject to verbal and physical violence because of their Christian faith. The last case concerns a girl, Sylviane Hugilon Baser, who died in mysterious circumstances. So far, Saudi authorities have refused to provide explanations about her death and to return the body to the family which has been lying in a morgue for months.

"When I told my employers that I was Catholic and wanted to die a Catholic, the first thing they did was lower my salary from $ 1,000 to 700," says Norma. "During Ramadan – she continues – they forced me to fast with them. For me it was difficult to work with the same pace without being able to eat. But unfortunately I had no choice. " The woman adds that in the seven months of work she was not allowed to leave, even to go to Mass on Sunday. She also did not have her own room or a bed to sleep. The only place to rest was the kitchen floor or a tent pitched in the backyard.

"I lived this occasion, praying and having faith in God - she continues - I was willing to make this sacrifice to be able to pay for my two daughters education."

On 29 December, the woman returned to the Philippines, five months before the expiry of the contract. Norma says that he will try to find work at home or in another non-Islamic country.

Outrage as Islamic extremists vow to march through old English town in protest against troops fighting Afghan war

Radical: Anjem Choudary is planning to hold a march through the streets of Wootton Bassett


A town famous for honouring dead British soldiers returning from Afghanistan reacted defiantly today to news that a controversial Islamic group is to march through its streets.

Islam4UK - which calls itself a 'platform' for extremist movement al-Muhajiroun - plans to parade through Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, in the coming weeks.

The group's website says the event is being held 'not in memory of the occupying and merciless British military' but of the Muslims its says have been 'murdered in the name of democracy and freedom'.

Proud tribute: The town of Wootton Bassett has become a solemn symbol of the heroism of British troops killed in Afghanistan


Leader Anjem Choudary said today the protest, involving 500 people, would be peaceful one, with 'symbolic coffins' being carried to honour Muslim victims of the conflict.

But the walk will not coincide with the return of a dead soldier's body, added Mr Choudary, 42, a former lawyer from East London.

Hundreds of people line the market town's High Street every week to watch servicemen's bodies being driven through from RAF Lyneham.

Family and friends of the fallen, shopkeepers, and British Legion members wait in all weathers to pay silent tribute to a cortege of Union flag-draped coffins.

Ex-mayor and councillor Chris Wannell said today: 'We don't do what we do at Wootton Bassett for any political reason at all, but to pay our respects to those who have given their lives for our freedom.

'We are a Christian country and a traditional old English market town who honour very much our Queen and country. We obey the law and pay respects to our servicemen who protect our freedom.

'If this man has any decency about him he will not hold a march through Wootton Bassett.'

North Wiltshire MP James Gray said: 'I've seen in the past assorted groups threaten to march, but they don't actually do it. I wouldn't think they'd get permission from the police.

'The people of Wootton Bassett are not interested in politics. They will say, these are foolish people making a silly point - we'll get on with our ordinary lives thank you.

'This also misunderstands the nature of what the people of Wootton Bassett do. They are not blood-thirstily in favour of the war. Most people would say they were not qualified to comment on the rightness or wrongness.

'The people of Wootton Bassett are decent, quiet, pragmatic people and they'll stay at home instead (of reacting to the march).'

Secretary of Wootton Bassett British Legion Anne Bevis urged the group to reconsider.

She told the Swindon Advertiser: 'I would say however, that I do hope members of this group think long and hard about the rights of the people of Wootton Bassett before going ahead with their proposal.

'The repatriations have never been political. We turn out to pay our respects to those who have lost their lives and support the families who must carry on without them.'

A spokeswoman for Wiltshire Police said it respected the right to peaceful protest but would deal with any breach of the law appropriately.

Daily Mail

Danish police shoot Mohammed cartoonist Somali attacker [Video]

Before dawn Saturday, LALATE first broke that Kurt Westergaard survived an al-Shabab attack. The Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard had authored a 2005 cartoon that drew international criticism, prompting him into hiding.

The cartoonist would remain in hiding until last year, reportedly receiving death threats for half the last decade.

Saturday, an intruder, a Somali man tie to the Islamist al-Shabab militia, was killed by police, after her tried to killed the cartoonist. The al-Shabab militant came into Kurt’s home with a knife ready to kill him in front of his granddaughter.

The Danish cartoonist reportedly grabbed his granddaughter and ran into a special designated room with alarms, as described by police. There he remained as an alarm called police to his home.



An exclusive interview with Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard on the Michael Coren Show, whose drawing of Mohammad led to international outrage and violence. For security reasons this show was recorded earlier.

Happy New Year !!

Best wishes for the New Year !!

Slumdog Millionaire star Rubina Ali sees her shanty town home demolished for the 2nd time in a year - after father tries to sell her

Slumdog: Rubina Ali sits amongst the torn down wreckage of her shanty town home in the Garib Nagar - City Of The Poor - slum in Mumbai


She's the child star of one of last year's highest grossing movies, but Rubina Ali has been left homeless for the second time in a year.

The Slumdog Millionaire actress, 10, and her family had to sleep in the open air after their home in India was demolished to make way for a new railway line.

This comes despite the promise of a new luxury apartment paid for by a trust fund set up by the hit film's director Danny Boyle.

Rubina's single-room shack was one of 50 homes razed to the ground by Indian authorities in the Garib Nagar - City Of The Poor - slum in Mumbai.


Here's a video showing Slumdog Child Star Rubina Ali being put up for sale for $300K by her scheming father and uncle - to a UK newspaper posing as fake Arab Sheik.

It is clear that the child star's father is more interested in his own personal gain - i.e. making money off the child - especially if they are still living in the slums - when directors have purchased them a home - as well as another film crew member brought the children a house each in India's touristy south, Kerala. There is money for the child stars living and school expenses - but what seems to be most distressing to the girl's father - is that he has no access to the trust fund - where the children's earnings will be given to them once they come of age.



A friend witnessed the actress trying to save her home as baton-wielding police kept residents at bay.

Dinesh Dubey said: 'Rubina was pleading with the authorities when they came. She was telling them "This is my house, I was born here".'

Once bitten: The 10-year-old actress stands in front of her demolished home which was levlled for the first time in May this year


The actress says she will now live with relatives in the same area, behind Mumbai’s Bandra railway station.

Drives by the authorities to level illegal areas like Rubina's are common in Mumbai, where more than half the city’s population of about 18 million live in slums.

Boyle, 53, has bought flats for Rubina and Azharuddin Ismael Shaikh, her ten-year-old co-star, whose shanty home was also destroyed in May.

Slumdog to film star: Rubina Ali at the Oscars with co-stars Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Ayush Mahesh Khedekar

Azharuddin’s family has moved into their new flat but Rubina’s family have had their move delayed because they are still locked in a dispute over the apartment with the film-maker’s Jai Ho Trust.

According to local media, the Ali family wants an apartment worth 4million rupees (£53,000) instead of the 2.5million rupee home that the British director has bought for them.

The Jai Ho Trust consists of a £450,000 pot of money to provide for Rubina’s and Azharuddin’s education and housing, and was set up by Danny Boyle in April.

Rubina and Azharuddin played the youngest versions of Latika, the film's female lead, and Salim, the brother of the hero Jamaal, in Slumdog, which won eight Oscars earlier this year.

The film is estimated to have grossed almost £240million worldwide and launched British actor Dev Patel and his girlfriend Frieda Pinto to stardom.

Concerns for Rubina’s welfare grew earlier this year when her father was reported to have offered to sell her for £200,000.

The father denied the allegation and police said that they found no evidence against him.

Daily Mail

Photos emerge of kidnapped Italians in Mauritania on Al-Qaeda site

Dubai, 31 Dec. (AKI) - Al-Qaeda's North African branch on Thursday released a statement on jihadist websites claiming responsibility for the two Italians kidnapped in Mauritania in mid-December. The Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb also published photos of the abducted couple, Sergio Cicala and his wife Philomene Kabouree.

The latest message followed a message broadcast by Arabic satellite TV channel Al-Arabiya three days ago, purportedly contained the voice of Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb's spokesman Salah Abu Mohamed.

Al-Arabiya also published photos of Cicala and his wife sitting on the ground flanked by five masked, armed men.

Sixty-five-year-old Cicala was unshaven, wearing a tracksuit and holding his Italian passport and Kabouree's face was obscured.

Kabouree is from Burkina Faso. She has dual Italian and Burkina Faso citizenship.

Al-Qaeda said the abductions were retaliation for the Italian government's action against Islam and Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Cicala and Kabouree had been travelling to visit members of Kabouree's family when they were abducted by a group of armed men. Their bullet-ridden vehicle was discovered 1,000 km south of the country's capital, Noakchott on the road to Kobeny.

There has been no news on the fate of the two tourists for the past two weeks.

Italian foreign affairs minister Franco Frattini said the government was doing everything possible to obtain the release of the hostages.

Last week Frattini spoke by telephone to his Mauritanian colleague, Naha Mint Mouknass. The Italian government was also working with Spain and France to help secure the couple's release.

Mauritania has increased security for tourists in the country following the abductions of the Italians.

The couple lives in the Sicilian city of Carini, near Palermo.

In a statement posted on its website on 19 December, the Italian foreign ministry asked for media discretion to guarantee the safety of the hostages and to promote a positive solution to the case.

Iran jams western media reports of protests, as jet on standby to fly Ayatollah Khamenei and his family to Russia

As the Iranian opposition continue their protests against the regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, there are signs of growing unease at the heart of government in Tehran. Jamming of a satellite carrying the BBC’s Persian television service began about ten days ago, and the US government’s international broadcasts to Iran are now also being subjected to deliberate interference.

President Ahmadinejad claims that the United States, Great Britain and Israel are behind the opposition protests. The Revolutionary Guard says the foreign media and Iran's enemies are waging a psychological war aimed at bringing down the legitimate Iranian government.

Persistent interference
BBC Persian television first reported "persistent interference" soon after it began extended coverage of the death of leading reformist cleric Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri. The jamming began on Sunday 20 December and affected the Hotbird 6 satellite which carries the BBC's international television and radio services in various languages as well as services from other broadcasters.

On 28 December, reader Duncan Hill reported to RNW’s Media Network Weblog that "it appears that BBC Persian has left the Hot Bird 6 satellite this afternoon, 28 December 2009, around 1500 UTC, replaced by an info card instructing viewers to turn to Telstar 12. The jamming has also thankfully stopped, which was affecting all unfortunate channels on the transponder, with R1 and Yes Italia also constantly suffering the same picture break-up and sound drop-outs, rendering them unwatchable".

BBC looking at options
The BBC says it is looking at ways to increase the options for its Farsi-speaking audiences in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, which may include broadcasting on other satellites. In June this year, BBC Persian television suffered similar deliberate attempts to interfere with its signal when airing extended coverage of the Iranian elections. At that time, the satellite operator traced the interference and confirmed it was coming from inside Iran.

BBC World Service Director, Peter Horrocks, said: "The fact that someone would go to these lengths to jam BBC Persian television's signal is indicative of the impact we make in Iran. The Iranian people want to know the truth about what is happening in their country, and they know they will get impartial and independent news from the BBC. We'll do everything we can to give them that news."

The US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which is responsible for all US government-financed broadcasts to foreign countries, says its technical experts have determined that on 27 December, the Government of Iran engaged in the intentional jamming of satellite transmissions of the Voice of America's Persian News Network and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Radio Farda.

BBG issues statement
In a statement, the BBG said that "these efforts continue a pattern by the Iranian Government to block the broadcasting of objective and balanced news and information to the Iranian people, efforts which the Government of Iran has amplified since the June 12 Iranian elections. As Iranian citizens once again demonstrate against the current government, Iran has stepped up its measures to ensure that the Iranian people are deprived of the international reaction, as well as of accurate news about the protests taking place in various cities in Iran."

The BBG added that these latest actions of the Iranian government in jamming commercial satellites "appear calculated to intimidate the commercial satellite providers that are targets of the jamming into complicity with the actions of the Government of Iran and deprive the Iranian people access to free press and information."

BBG Governor D Jeffrey Hirschberg added: "Private industry is an essential partner in freedom of the press. We urge our satellite partners to stand united in the face of these authoritarian acts or risk even greater human rights losses. This type of intentional, harmful interference is not only a violation of the rules of the International Telecommunication Union to which the Government of Iran has subscribed, but is also a flagrant violation of the internationally recognized right of the people of Iran to receive news and information without government censorship."

Government fears
There is increasing evidence that the Iranian government fears the situation in the country could get out of control. Reports from Iran indicate that the Supreme National Security Council has ordered a complete check-up of the jet on standby to fly Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei and his family to Russia should the situation in Iran spiral out of control. The order, to the Pasdaran Revolutionary Guard Corps, was dated Sunday, 27 December. A fax containing the order was sent to Dutch-based Shahrzad News.

Radio Netherlands

Iran's Khamenei named 'dictator of the year' 'enjoys caviar, vulgar jokes'

A woman holds a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as government supporters protest against opposition demonstrations during the holy day of Ashura in Tehran December, 30 2009.

Iran's Supreme Leader enjoys bathing in the milk !!


Supreme Leader known as austere theologian ruling with iron fist; Iranian exile exposes in British newspaper details of Khamenei's private life: A collector of horses, owner of six palaces


An Iranian exile who served close to the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has revealed details of the private life of the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic. British newspaper Daily Telegraph reported Thursday that the Iranian leader maintains six palaces, enjoys caviar and hoards a fine range of collectibles.

In recent years, much information has been leaked regarding Khamenei, now 70, partly due to the defection of three senior intelligence figures to the west. These defectors have spoken of Khamenei's private businesses which invest around the world, including in European companies and international markets. However, little has been known of his private life.

According to the report, an Iranian exile living in hiding in France claimed that Khamenei is particularly partial to caviar. He also said that the Ayatollah, who has controlled Iran for 20 years, suffers from regular bouts of depression and enjoys vulgar jokes.

The exile, who has come under the protection of Iranian opposition activists living in France, also spoke of the Ayatollah's love of collecting. Apparently, the leader has a collection of around 170 walking sticks and more than 100 thoroughbred horses. His cloaks are said to be of fine camel hair.

The British newspaper noted that Khamenei has created an "imperial court" for himself that sprawls over six palaces, including Naviran, which served as the residence of the Shah in Tehran until the Islamic revolution of 1979. Two of these palaces, Naviran and Valikabad, are equipped with nuclear bunkers. The leader is protected by an elite corps in which about 200 security personnel serve.

Khamenei has ruled Iran since 1989, but his position has been undermined since the controversial presidential elections and the resulting riots that broke out last June.

This week the violence returned to Iranian streets, reaching a peak during Ashura, one of Shiite Islam's holiest days, and recent reports indicate that Khamenei's regime is cracking down on the opposition. The official Iranian news agency IRNA reported Wednesday that two opposition leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karubi, had fled Tehran to the north.

Ynet

Iran's Khamenei named 'dictator of the year'

Oslo University 'honors' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for his achievements in 'inspiring hostility among nations, increasing human suffering.' University professor says prize's aim to remind world of ongoing genocide, torture
Dudi Cohen

A day before US President Barack Obama receives the Nobel Peace Prize, Norway presents an original initiative of its own. Oslo University decided to award Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with the "dictator of the year prize" Wednesday.

Khamenei was chosen out of 11 candidates - selected by human rights experts - including North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, and Myanmar's General Than Schwe.

Out of 4145 votes, more than 3000 were given to Khamenei.

The competition's organizers said the new annual prize was to be awarded to "an individual who, during the preceding year, shall have done the most to inspire hostility among his people and between nations, significantly increased the level of human suffering, ruined human livelihoods and created war and mayhem".

Ynet

Brainwashed boy bomber flees Taliban, after being drugged and beaten

USMAN GHANI was a 14-year-old schoolboy when he was forcibly removed from his family and trained as a Taliban suicide bomber. His story — revealed in the week that yet another blast brought the death toll to more than 500 in barely two months — reflects the tragic tales of many young Pakistanis brainwashed by the Taliban to bring terror to the country’s cities.

Living in the remote town of Khar, in the Bajaur tribal agency of northwest Pakistan, Ghani was an easy target for the Taliban militants who control the area with their potent mixture of arms and fundamentalist beliefs.

His father Lal Zaman, a blacksmith, had been caught selling hashish, a crime punishable by death under the Taliban’s harsh code. Zaman was given a cruel choice: to hand over his eldest son or be executed.

Ghani was forced to pay for the “sins” of his father. Militants took him and he was driven, blindfolded, to the Taliban-infested Bandai area of Bajaur, where he learnt his fate. “Three leaders said because my father was guilty of selling hashish, as a punishment I would have to carry out a suicide attack or be slaughtered,” he said.

“When I refused, they tied me down with a rope and started beating me. Eventually I said I was ready to carry out an attack just to make them stop.”

Ghani was subjected to months of indoctrination. He was imprisoned with two other teenage boys and forced to listen to militant sermons every night. “They told us that a suicide attack is the direct path to paradise, where beautiful women and all the happiness of life are waiting for you,” he said. “They said we were lucky to have been chosen by God for this noble purpose.”

When Ghani showed the slightest sign of reluctance, his captors switched tactics. “They came and forced me to eat a tablet. After taking the pill I couldn’t understand what was right or wrong. Whatever they said to me I would answer ‘yes’ and it seemed justified to me.

“The pills made me forgetful and I stopped caring about my brothers, sisters or parents. The only thing before me was paradise and I agreed to carry out an attack for the sake of Islam.”

He was taught how to operate the suicide jacket and assigned a target — Malak Rahmatullah, a tribal elder opposed to the Taliban.

He received final, hate-filled sermons from Maulvi Faqir, deputy leader of the Pakistani Taliban, and Maulvi Omar, the Taliban spokesman. “Omar told me to go to a nearby mosque for prayer five times a day and to stroll through the streets so no one in the village would suspect me as a stranger.”

He was ordered to target Rahmatullah during Friday prayers. When he protested that there would be civilian casualties, he was told: “God knows best. He will send all the pious among the slain straight to paradise, while those who are sinful will find their place in hell.”

Ghani was put into his suicide vest and taken to the mosque. “They directed me to get into the second row behind him [Rahmatullah] and then draw the pin, which was fixed to the left side of my chest.

“I’d been fully prepared to carry out the suicide attack but when I reached the mosque I realised that something was wrong. There were copies of the holy Koran everywhere and old people and young children were coming to pray.

“I asked myself how I could kill all these innocent people to send myself to paradise. Then I suddenly thought of my younger brother playing in a field outside our house and calling me.” Ghani fled, knowing he would incur the wrath of the Taliban who were waiting for news of carnage.

He was savagely beaten and imprisoned for six days before escaping to his family’s home. For weeks he lived in fear of recapture until he was finally arrested by the Pakistani army. As the army continues its offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan, a tribal region on the Afghan border, many more suicide bombers are believed to have infiltrated the urban population. Army chiefs claim to have killed almost 600 militants and cleared more than 80% of Waziri territory, but none of the Taliban’s leaders has been captured.

A blast that killed four on Thursday [24/12/09] in Peshawar brought the death toll since October in the northwestern city to 225. More than 500 have been killed throughout Pakistan.

Brainwashed boy bomber flees Taliban - Times Online

Riots in Iran, Zoroastrians Strike Back [Video]

Iran steals body of nephew after arresting pro-reform opposition, followers of ancient religion resist Islam

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 12/29/2009 – “What has happened to this religious system that it orders the killing of innocent people during the holy day of Ashura?” asked moderate cleric Karoubi in a report posted by Jaras. Iran arrested at least ten prominent opposition figures on Monday, including three advisers to opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi, leader of the banned Freedom Movement Ebrahim Yazdi, and members of the exiled opposition group Mujahideen Khalq Organization.

A group of Mousavi supporters that had gathered in front of Ebn- e Sina hospital where his nephew’s body was kept were dispersed by police firing teargas. The body of Mousavi’s nephew was then taken from the hospital. “We cannot hold a funeral until my brother’s body is found,” said another of Mousavi’s nephews according to Parlemannews. Further clashes were expected at the funeral ceremony.

Opposition leader Mehdi Karoubi accused Iran’s hard-line rulers of killing innocent people. Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Iran during Sunday’s Ashura festival.

YouTube videos of the Iranian protests are the top videos being viewed today as Iranian censors are losing their grip. Foreign media are banned from covering protests directly and the cellphone text messaging system was down in Tehran on Monday.

“Keep fighting Braves Zoroastrians Persians!!!”, says a comment on the YouTube video. Made using mobile phones, Iranian videos of riots is slipping through the net of Iranian censorship which searches Internet packet transmissions for words like “democracy” and “freedom”. A similar phenomena emerged during the Russian revolution as email was effectively censored by automated filters but the technology was useless against fax machines.

Zoroastrians have experienced extreme persecution in Iran including being sold into slavery. Prior to the Islamization of Iran, Zoroastrianism was the primary religion of Persia. Enslaved Zoroastrians could free themselves by converting to Islam. Once converted to Islam, the family’s children had to learn Arabic and the teachings of the Quran. Once converted, the penalty for renouncing Islam was death. The Arab Muslim conquest of Persia brought the end of the Sassanid Empire in 644.

Most worrisome to the clerics is the growing number of young Iranians who are giving up on Islam. Many of these kids are saying that Islam is "un-Iranian" and that everyone should return to the pre-Islam Iranian religion. The odd thing is that Christianity was never really big in Iran. Iran’s pre-Christian religion, Zoroastrianism, survived until it was largely replaced by Islam 1,400 years ago, after dominating the country for about 1,500 years. The government has been blocking Farsi language sites about Zoroastrianism, which have been growing in popularity over the last few years, apparently in response to the seemingly dreadful impact of Islam. Many Zoroastrianism customs survived the arrival of Islam, much to the chagrin of Moslem clerics. Efforts to stamp out these customs only makes them more popular. [+]

Essay: To what extent is Sharia already operating in Britain?

No doubt to keep this whole - Shari'a construct being erected in place - western governments would have to repress freedoms similar to the way they are repressed in the Islamic world. The denial of all basic human rights with respect to Islam may become the norm.


In February 2008 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, gave a speech on Islamic law. During the ensuing fallout, and while conceding that he was “no expert” on Sharia, he said: “An approach to law which simply said, ‘There is one law for everybody and that is all there is to be said, and anything else that commands your loyalty or your allegiance is completely irrelevant in the processes of the courts’. . . is a bit of a danger.”

This quotation, combined with the Archbishop’s assertion that “the application of Sharia in certain circumstances” in the UK was “unavoidable”, caused widespread concern.

In July 2008 the retiring Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, described Sharia as suffering from “widespread misunderstanding”. While admitting that stoning, the chopping-off of hands and flogging would be unacceptable, he backed Sharia principles being applied to marriage arrangements in the UK and was supportive of the Sharia finance initiatives that the Treasury had observed since 2002.

And so the most senior judge in England followed the most senior member of the national Church in backing the integration of elements of Sharia into British life.

The fierce debate which has ensued goes right to the heart not just of contemporary Britain, but also to whether the country remains capable of defending its traditions, and is capable of drawing lines in the sand.

It is also about something more: about whether rights which British people have fought for, and attained, after generations will genuinely be extended to all — or whether the process of multicultural fragmentation will extend to allowing people born into certain communities to live parallel lives, judged by parallel laws.

It is the “soft Sharia” of Sharia finance which has provided what Islamists believe to be the first acceptance, and its critics the thin end of the wedge, of Sharia in the UK.

FT.com Europe: London leads in 'race' to be western hub - for Shari'a finance

Even though the first generation of Muslim immigrants into postwar Britain would have had no idea what such a thing was, the British Government has in recent years chosen to accept it without criticism or even question.

In 2000 the Bank of England and the Treasury formed a working group to look at how to enable the development of Islamic finance within the UK. Since 2003 the Financial Services Authority, Treasury, and Revenue & Customs have been introducing changes which allowed UK companies to offer Islamic financial products.

The Islamic finance industry is now growing at 15 per cent a year worldwide. The Islamic Bank of Britain is the UK’s first Sharia-compliant high street bank. In the past decade the market measured by Sharia-compliant assets has grown from $150 billion in the mid-1990s to $700 billion in 2007.

Why is this a problem? First, an acceptance of Islamic finance accepts the moral stances of Sharia. Islamic banks will not deal in any activities deemed to be haram (forbidden). Above all there is the serious problem of who is to decide what is acceptable investment and what is haram. A December 2008 Treasury document says: “It is the role of Sharia scholars to determine whether a financial product or service is compliant with the Sharia principles.”

Such authorities currently include the European Council for Fatwa and Research headed by the extremist cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi. What would the UK Government do if scholars decide that products from allied countries cannot be traded? Would Israeli products develop a haram label? Or, some time in the future, goods from America or Britain herself?

The Government’s stance is now pushing the financial arrangements of a whole swath of the UK population into the hands of clerical reactionaries. It has done so not just by propagating, but by actively proselytising the idea that Sharia finance is the norm for Muslims.

Sharia finance is only one way in which the concept of Sharia values are gaining ground. Last year The Sunday Times revealed that “Islamic law has been officially adopted in Britain, with Sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases”.

The courts, known as the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal (MAT), step far beyond their arbitrational remit. They themselves have boasted of having overseen six cases of domestic violence, working in tandem with police investigations. In each case the women who had been the subjects of abuse withdrew their complaints from the police while the MAT judges had suggested that the husbands take anger-management classes and advice from Muslim elders.

In so doing such Sharia courts are treading into ground that is actively illegal. They are also drawing a generation of British Muslim women into a system of law which is deeply backward in its treatment of women.

Because the legal system associated with Sharia is now holding itself out not simply as parallel to British law, but as a replacement of British law, a generation of Muslim women born in Britain are growing up unaware of their basic rights, including their marriage rights, as British citizens. As one British Muslim woman I spoke to put it: “Our rights have been frozen for 1,400 years. To give mullahs power over the community is a step backward.”

Many of those who have argued for the incorporation of elements of Sharia into British law focus on the voluntary side of it. But it is almost impossible for any such person to know if a Muslim woman in the ghettos of Sparkhill in Birmingham, or parts of Luton or Bradford, has actually volunteered.

Today the Sharia snowball is gathering speed, with Sharia pensions and Sharia car insurance.

In the eyes of the British State, Sharia must be seen for what it is: a legal system based on the writings and declarations of a 7th-century tradesman. The British State cannot accept Islamic texts and must not defer to its rules.

This country has fought for many centuries to base law on reason. The adoption of Sharia presents us with a counter to an Enlightenment that we have so long taken for granted that we have forgotten how to defend it.

It also presents us with a new challenge. By allowing different laws to be applied to people of different ethnic origins, based on the notion that there are laws which would are good enough for you but not good enough for me. If Sharia’s future in Britain is indeed inevitable, then our collective future as a cohesive and tolerant society cannot be.

Douglas Murray is this year’s winner of the annual Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust Award, established in 1986 in honour of the former Editor of The Times (1982-85). This is an edited version of his essay. Previous winners include V. S. Naipaul, Michael Gove, Matthew d’Ancona, Anne Applebaum and Anthony Daniels

The 2009 Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust Award essay - Times Online

Ron Paul: “They’re terrorists because we’re occupiers!” as reason for Christmas bomber [Video]

Here is what the Christmas bomber Abdulmutallab is reported to have expressed in internet postings about his motivations - unlike Ron Paul's claim there is no talk of bombings - it was only a desire to take part in a wider jihad for the purposes of global conquest. The US officials are right to dismiss - the bomber's claim.

Here is a portion:

‘I want to talk about my dilemma between liberalism and extremism,’ he writes. ‘The Prophet (S) said religion is easy and anyone who tries to overburden themselves will find it hard and will not be able to continue.

‘So anytime I relax, I deviate sometimes and then when I strive hard, I get tired of what I am doing i.e. memorising the quran, etc. How should one put the balance right?’

And there are chilling hints of the deadly role he was to play following his terror training in Yemen earlier this year.

He wrote: ‘I won’t go into too much details about my fantasy, but basically they are Jihad fantasies. I imagine how the great jihad will take place, how the Muslims will win (Allah willing) and rule the whole world, and establish the greatest empire once again.’ [+]

Lone Star Times reports here:

If more of Paul’s colleagues voted with him on foreign policy matters Saddam Hussein and his warped sons would be well on their way to possessing nuclear weapons, Libya would be a member of the nuke club, and Israel would be in peril of extinction. Regardless of what his disciples profess, on foreign policy matters Ron Paul is an isolationist, pure and simple. As Allahpundit at Hot Air puts it:

Second, as usual, his facts are wrong. He uncritically accepts Abdulmutallab’s assertion that the bomb plot was retaliation for the U.S. airstrike on jihadi camps in Yemen. Not so: As Jake Tapper explained yesterday, this turd had already been mobilized and had even bought his Northwest ticket before we struck. Purely and simply, America’s Greatest Patriot is parroting propaganda cooked up by jihadist pieces of sh*t because it happens to fit his insane foreign policy agenda. Support him and his disciples at your peril.

SHARIA VS CONSTITUTION

It is coming. A showdown in America, not some wild west show, but a real showdown, just like Europe is facing, with Islam. Islam is not a religion but our government is treating it as such. Islam is a theocracy that governs citizens way of life, in the same way the Constitution is the light that governs America (when Congress is not in session). The forces of Islam in America are pushing the boundaries, in the hopes of establishing a Sharia based caliphate in America, and undoing western civilization. For those of you who still do not understand or believe that Islam is a threat, I am going to compare Sharia Law to the Constitution. You shall see that the “religion of peace” is really the religion of pieces, where the children blow up so quickly.

Sharia Law is well-documented in the 1,200 page Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law, “The Reliance of the Traveler” by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, and published in the United States by Amana Publications. The Constitution is, well, the Constitution:

LEGISLATIVE POWERS

US Constitution
Article I - All legislative Powers shall be vested in the Congress.

Sharia Law
The source of legal rulings for all acts of those who are morally responsible is Allah. (a1.1) It is not a sin to comply with man-made laws that require buying auto insurance or having a photo ID because “the authorities are responsible for the sin, not the individual forced to comply.” (w42.3 and w50.4).

POWER TO DECLARE WAR

US Constitution
Section 8 – Powers of Congress include to levy taxes, to make laws, and to declare war.

Sharia Law
It is obligatory to obey the commands and interdictions of the caliph or his representative in everything that is lawful, even if he is unjust . . because the purpose of his authority is Islamic unity, which could not be realized if obeying him were not obligatory. (o25.5) The caliph or his representative have the duty of undertaking jihad if their territory borders on enemy lands, of dividing the spoils of battle, and of remitting a fifth for “deserving recipients.” (o25.9(8)) Jihad is obligatory for everyone when the enemy has surrounded the Muslims. (o9.3) It is permissible in jihad to cut down the enemy’s trees and destroy their dwellings. (o9.1)

PRESIDENT (CALIPH)

US Constitution
Article II, Section I -- Qualifications of a President – He must be a natural born citizen, thirty-five years old, and a resident for fourteen years. The President is elected by ballot by the people (via the Electors) and shall serve for no more than 2 four-year terms.
No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

Sharia Law
A caliph must be a Muslim, a non-slave, a male, of the Quraysh tribe, etc. (o25.0)
The Caliph appoints a group to select his successor among themselves. There is no a term of office. However, the caliphate of someone who seizes power is considered valid, even though his act of usurpation is disobedience, in view of the danger from anarchy and strife that would otherwise ensue. (o25.4(3))

REMOVAL OF GOVERNMENT OFFICERS

US Constitution
Section 4 – The President and all civil Officers of the United States shall be removed from office if found guilty of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

Sharia Law
(No provision for removal from office.)

LEGAL AUTHORITY

US Constitution
Article VI – This Constitution and the laws of the United States which shall be made under it shall be the supreme law of the land, and judges in every state shall be bound by them. Senators and Representatives, legislative officers, all executive and judicial officers both of the United States and the several states shall be bound by a Oath or Affirmation to support the Constitution.

Sharia Law
The source of legal rulings for all acts of those who are morally responsible is Allah. (a1.1)

CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS RIGHTS

US Constitution
Amendment 1 – Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances.

Sharia Law
Non-Muslims are obliged to comply with Islamic rules that pertain to the safety and indemnity of life, reputation, and property. Non-Muslims are forbidden to openly display wine or pork, recite their scriptures, or make a public display of feast days or funerals. Non-Muslims are forbidden to build new churches. A non-Muslim may not enter a mosque without permission. The protection for non-Muslims is withdrawn if a non-Muslim commits adultery with a Muslim woman or marries her, leads a Muslim away from Islam, kills a Muslim, or says anything derogatory about Allah, the Prophet, or Islam. (o11.5 through o11.10)

US Constitution
Amendment 2 – The right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Sharia Law
It is a condition that someone buying weapons be of a people who are not at war with Muslims. (k1.2(f)) Enormities (sins) include selling weapons to non-Muslims who will use them against us. (w52.1(192))

US Constitution
Amendment 3 – No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner prescribed by law.

Sharia Law
(Not covered.) However, the Pact of Omar (636 AD) imposed on Christians in Syria, “We shall keep our gates wide open for passersby and travelers. We shall give board and lodging to all Muslims who pass our way for three days.”

US Constitution
Amendments 4 – 8 – These amendments prohibit unreasonable searches, require due process according to the law, provide for confrontation of witnesses, impose jury trial on all matters involving over $20, and prohibit excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishments. Amendment 14 provides for equal protection of the laws for all citizens.

Sharia Law
No testimony may be made by people who have lowly jobs, such as a street sweeper or a bath house attendant, or non-Muslim. (o24.2-3) Testimony regarding fornication or sodomy requires four male eye-witnesses to the act. (o24.9) A woman’s testimony is worth only half that of a man. (o24.10) (There is no provision for a jury trial under Sharia Law.) Cruel and unusual Islamic punishments include 1) stoning for adultery (o12.2); 2) scourging 40 lashes with hands, shoes, ends of clothes, or a whip for drunkenness (o16.3); 3) severing the right hand for theft of over $36 and the left foot for a repeat offense (o14.1); and 4) death for apostasy from Islam. (o8.2) Indemnity for accidentally killing a male Muslim is 100 camels or 4,235 grams of gold. (Current value: $144,000.) Indemnity for killing a woman is half that of a man, for killing a Jew or a Christian is one-third of the indemnity paid for a Muslim. The indemnity paid for a killing Zoroastrian is one-fifteenth of that of a Muslim. The indemnity for causing a miscarriage is one slave. (o4.9) There is no indemnity for a killing a non-Muslim at war with Muslims, an apostate, or someone sentenced to death by stoning. (o14.17) Jews and Christians are subject to a “poll tax” not less than 1 dinar (Current value: $144) per adult male per year. No maximum is stipulated. (o11.4) This is a penalty for remaining in their ancestral religion instead of embracing the “religion of truth.” (o9.8) A husband may beat a “rebellious” wife for 1) not allowing immediate sexual intercourse when he asks for it, at home, and if she can physically endure it; 2) answering him coldly; or 3) being averse when she was previously kind. (m5.1 and m10.12) The only limitation is that he may not break her bones, wound her, or cause bleeding.

US Constitution
Amendment 13 Slavery and involuntary servitude are abolished.

Sharia Law
The section on Slavery (k32.0) is not translated into English. The provisions remain in Arabic. The editor of “The Reliance of the Traveler” claims that these provisions are no longer applicable, yet they remain in there in the text of Sharia Law. Elsewhere, the manual states, “Originally the status of slave was simply the outcome of having been taken as a prisoner of war. A captive who could not buy his own freedom by means of ransom remained in the possession of the captor until he had earned his freedom by work or until he was granted liberty by his master.” (w13.1)

US Constitution
Amendment 21 repealed “prohibition,” thereby allowing manufacture, sale, and transport of alcoholic beverages.

Sharia Law
It is unlawful to sell grapes to someone who will make wine from them. (k4.9) “Allah cursed whoever drinks wine, gives it to others to drink, sells it, buys it, presses it for another, transports it, receives it, or eats its price.” Enormities (sins) include drinking wine in any form or other intoxicant, even if only a drop as in medicine; pressing out the juice to make wine or other intoxicant; carrying it for purposes of drinking, or having it carried; serving it to others or having it served; selling it; buying it; having it bought or sold; consuming proceeds from selling it; or keeping wine or other intoxicant. (o16.6 and w52.1(350-361))

My fellow Americans, the next time someone says we need to be more tolerant, more understanding, more accepting of Islam and Sharia Law, ask them, “What part(s) of the Constitution are you willing to abandon in order to accommodate Sharia Law?” Then do not say a word. He/she that speaks first loses. If they try to wander off course, change the subject or insult you, simply restate the question and wait. This is too important a fight to just walk away.

Bill Turner

Cypress Times

Indonesia: Muslims attack and set fire to a house of prayers

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – A group of unknown assailants attacked and set fire to a house of prayer in early December in the village of Tlogowero in Bansari sub district (Java), local Police Chief Anthony Augustine Koylal said. “The motive is not yet known. We are still investigating the case with local authorities,” he added,
Police sources said the attack occurred late at night when a group of people stormed the building. After breaking windows and doors, they set fire to the building, which was razed to the ground. The attackers fled the scene when the house began burning.

The police chief also said that a similar incident occurred two years ago in the same area.

Local sources said that the main reason for the attack was the objection by local Muslims to the presence of a praying house for Christians near their villages.

So far, the authorities conducted out a cursory inquiry into the facts. No one who might have information on what happened has been interrogated.

This attack is just the latest in a long series of aggressions against Christians in Indonesia.

The most recent one dates back to less than two weeks ago. On 18 December in Begasi Regency, a mob of about a thousand people, including women and children, attacked Saint Albert’s Catholic Church.

Construction on the building started in 2008 after authorities issued a building permit to the local Catholic community. In this case, the reasons for the attack remain unknown.

However, there are signs of confessional détente in the village of Karangayar, Wiradesa district, also in Java.

On Christmas Day, District Chief Hajjah Siti Khomariyah paid a visit to the local Protestant and Catholic communities to deliever her Christmas greetings.

Ms Khomariyah expressed her personal support for local Christians who want to build their own places of worship.

“This official visit strengthens good relations between Christians and Muslims,” said Father Mardius from Wiradesa district, in what for him is a rare example of interfaith dialogue and good relations between Christians and Muslims.

Eyewitness reports on Iran opposition protests, Italian TV [Video]

Christmas bomber suspect was pupil at Houston Islamic Institute

The man charged with the Christmas bombing attempt of an airliner headed for Detroit took classes at an Islamic institute in Houston that has a branch in metro Detroit, an institute leader said Wednesday.

Nigerian defendant Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, in federal custody in Milan, attended classes in 2008 in Houston at the AlMaghrib Institute, said institute Vice President Waleed Basyouni.

Abdulmutallab told instructors he was studying engineering and finance in London, Basyouni said.

"AlMaghrib Institute is working with the authorities and will continue to cooperate as needed on this case," he said in an e-mail to the Free Press.

The institute's Web site shows 14 sites in North America, including one listed as "Dearborn/Windsor," and says it is a nonprofit with thousands of students -- mostly from the United States -- that teaches about Islam in depth. Abdulmutallab attended while in Houston on Aug. 1-17, 2008, paying $2,250 for seminars on Islamic manners and history, Basyouni said.

The institute discourages talk of religious war and terrorism among students, Basyouni told the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday. Of Abdulmutallab, he said, "He showed no signs of extremism."

In metro Detroit, leaders at a Canton center that -- according to the institute's Web site -- has hosted events for the institute said they were only vaguely aware of the group.

"I've heard of them. ... They might have rented our space," said Mashood Rabbaig, vice president of the Muslim Community of Western Suburbs.

Freep

Yemen hotbed for terrorists [Video]

ABC News

Awlaki personally blessed Detroit attack

The Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner had his suicide mission personally blessed in Yemen by Anwar al-Awlaki, the same Muslim imam suspected of radicalizing the Fort Hood shooting suspect, a U.S. intelligence source has told The Washington Times.

The intelligence official, who is familiar with the FBI's interrogation of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, said the bombing suspect has boasted of his jihad training during interrogation by the FBI and has said it included final exhortations by Mr. al-Awlaki.

"It was Awlaki who indoctrinated him," the official said. "He was told, 'You are going to be the tip of the spear of the Muslim nation.'"

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took credit Monday for the Christmas Day attack on Northwest Airlines 253, an Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight. The al Qaeda group and U.S. officials both say Mr. Abdulmutallab was able to smuggle explosive powder in his underwear and only a detonator failure prevented him from blowing up the plane and killing almost 300 passengers and crew.

Mr. al-Awlaki, an American-born imam who formerly led a large Northern Virginia mosque but now lives in Yemen, has gained considerable public notoriety in recent months because of his influence on Maj. Nidal Hasan, another U.S.-born Muslim.

Mr. al-Awlaki had e-mail contact with Maj. Hasan as many as 20 times from December 2008 until the Fort Hood shootings, where Maj. Hasan is accused of killing 13 people. Mr. al-Awlaki praised Maj. Hasan's actions as a "hero" and said all Muslims in the U.S. military should "follow the footsteps of men like Nidal."

Several British news sources, including Sky News and the Daily Mail, have reported, in vague terms, that authorities suspect unspecified links between Mr. Abdulmutallab and Mr. al-Awlaki. Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, has said an al-Awlaki/Abdulmutallab link "appears" to be the case.

"It appears that just like with Major Hasan, Awlaki played a role in this," he told ABC News. "All roads point back to Yemen; they point back to Awlaki. I think it is a pretty deadly combination."

According to the U.S. intelligence official, Mr. Abdulmutallab cited Maj. Hasan in his interrogations, but only to praise his religion's diversity, as "an example of how Islam accepts even American soldiers."

Mr. Abdulmutallab did not show any operational knowledge of the Army major or the Fort Hood attack.

In his FBI interrogation, according to the U.S. intelligence official, Mr. Abdulmutallab spoke of being in a room in Yemen receiving Muslim blessings and prayers from Mr. al-Awlaki, along with a number of other men "all covered up in white martyrs' garments," and known only by code names and "abu" honorifics.

The official said such clothing and the lack of familiarity among the men suggests al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula intends to use the men in that room in suicide missions.

The intelligence official's description comes in the wake of several reports that Yemen is breeding scores of jihadists ready to strike the West.

Yemen's top diplomat said Tuesday that hundreds of al Qaeda militants are in his country and pleaded for foreign help and intelligence in rooting them out.

They may actually plan attacks like the one we have just had in Detroit. There are maybe hundreds of them -- 200, 300, Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi told the Times of London.


Awlaki personally blessed Detroit attack - Washington Times

Christmas Day bomber invited 'jihad' cleric to address British students

Umar Farouk Abdulmullatab (left) invited radical cleric Abdur Raheem Green to speak at UCL

Abdur Raheem Green, 44, was born Anthony Green, the son of a colonial administrator in Tanzania. He was brought up a Roman Catholic but converted to Islam in 1987.

He works at the London Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre as the Visits and English Dawa Co-ordinator.

The Christmas Day airline bomber invited a radical cleric who has advocated dying while 'fighting jihad' to address British students.

While president of the Islamic Society at University College London, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab helped arrange for Abdur Raheem Green to speak.

The cleric, who converted to Islam from Roman Catholicism, has written that conflict between Islam and the West is 'ordered in the Koran', and that Muslims and Westerners ' cannot live peaceably together'.

He has also claimed: 'Dying while fighting jihad is one of the surest ways to paradise and Allah's good pleasure'.

In 2005, shortly before Abdulmutallab arranged for him to address UCL, Green was barred from entering Australia after opposition leader Kim Beazley accused him of 'spreading hate'.

The revelation adds weight to the belief that Abdulmutallab was radicalised during his time studying in London, where he read mechanical engineering and business at UCL between 2005 and 2008.

The 23-year-old spent most of his spare time with the university's Islamic Society, for which he served as president between 2006 and 2007.

He organised a week-long conference under the banner War on Terror Week in January 2007 with advertised speakers including former Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Security sources are concerned that the picture emerging of his undergraduate years suggests that he was recruited by Al Qaeda in London. They added that Islamic radicalisation was rife on university campuses, especially in London.

But Qasim Rafiq, a close friend who was president of the UCL Islamic Society the year before Abdulmutallab, insists his radicalisation did not happen until after he left university.

'There was nothing to suggest he would do what he has done when I knew him,' said Mr Rafiq. 'He was not quick to anger and didn't discuss politics. It came as a complete shock to me when I heard what he had done.'

He added: 'He was very religious. He prayed regularly, usually five times a day, and didn't have a girlfriend, drink or go to nightclubs.'

Mr Rafiq, who is now studying for a PhD, said Abdulmutallab, the son of a millionaire Nigerian banker, never spoke about his family background while at university. After university Abdulmutallab' 'vanished'.

Green, 44, was born Anthony Green, the son of a colonial administrator in Tanzania. He was brought up a Roman Catholic but converted to Islam in 1987.

He works at the London Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre as the Visits and English Dawa Co-ordinator.

In 2005, Green was prevented from boarding a flight with a stopover in Brisbane because he appeared on an Australian government ' movement alert list' due to his inflammatory comments.

In an interview with Australian radio afterwards, Green said he had long renounced the extremist views, adding that he has consistently condemned terrorist acts and the killing of women and children.

Daily Mail