Just a Thought: What if the same people who sponsored the 9/11 attacks are also sponsoring the Ground Zero Mosque?

If the idea that those who sponsored the 9/11 are the same as those who will fund the Ground Zero Mosque ~ is outrageous... than why doesn't Imam Rauf simply divulge who his sponsors are?

If this seems intolerant ~ it may turn out to be an intolerable reality!!

Where would the 'moderate' Imam who backs totalitarian Hamas, Nazi saluting Hezbollah ~ and believes 9/11 was carried out by the American government to smear Islam ~ get the money from?

It's $100 million+ !!

Egyptian Governor Suspends Church Renewal until Bishop's Home is Torn Down

This is as good as it gets when it comes to tolerance in the Islamic world!!

Bishop Agathon, 75 clergy and nearly 150,000 Copts from parishes all over the Diocese of Maghagha & Edwah have staged a sit-in in Maghagha since Sunday 25 July 2010, protesting against the intransigence of the Governor of Minya.

During the sit-in, the Copts held banners asking for their rights to have a church, amidst chants of "With our soul and our blood, we will build our church."

Governor Ahmad Dia-Eldin has suspended the licence obtained for the renewal of the diocese in Maghagha, including the church after the old complex was pulled down as agreed. The pretext given was that the 45 sq. metres rooms where the Bishop lives and the public toilettes were
not pulled down as well. The Bishop said that during negotiations, the Governor agreed verbally in front of all those present to keep the Bishop's rooms until new ones have been built.

"Otherwise where will I put my head to sleep and keep my papers? Said His Grace. The Governor now changed his mind and insists on adhering to the written agreement without his 'giveaways' and requires as a condition their immediate removal.

After nearly three and a half years of negotiations and appeals to President Mubarak, an agreement was reached early March 2010, between the Governor and the Bishop. The signed conditions were that the old buildings of the Coptic Diocese of Maghagha including the
falling-apart church, which was built in 1934 through a Royal decree, were to be pulled down and in exchange the Governor of Minya would issue a licence for the renewal of the Diocese on adjacent land owned by the Church.

Lockerbie bomber freed over 'low mood'

The Scottish executive has also admitted that the prognosis that Abdelbaset al-Megrahi had less than three months to live was based on the opinion of a single prison doctor, and was made when the terrorist had yet to undergo chemotherapy.

Those who made the decision also took no account of the views of relations of al-Megrahi’s victims, the documents disclose.

Al-Megrahi was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 for the murders of 270 people in the bombing of Pan-Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988.

The SNP-led Scottish executive decided to release him in August last year on “compassionate grounds” on the basis that he had less than three months to live. Almost a year later, al-Megrahi is still alive and the decision to release him has been the subject of growing anger, especially in the United States. Internal papers detailing the medical and other official advice given to Scottish ministers have now been released.

They record that there was much discussion over al-Megrahi’s wellbeing and emotional state. The parole board’s advice to ministers stated: “He is described as feeling isolated and his mood is low. He shows signs of being in physical pain when going about his daily living.”

British doctor and nine others killed in Afghanistan ambush [Video]

The body of Dr Woo, whose family came from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, was found on Friday next to three bullet-riddled four-wheel drive vehicles.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, which also claimed the lives of six Americans, a German and two Afghan interpreters. The attack happened in the Kuran Wa Munjan district of Badakhshan province in Afghanistan.

It is understood that the victims were lined up, robbed and shot dead with AK-47 rifles. "Yesterday (Friday) at around 8am, one of our patrols confronted a group of foreigners. They were Christian missionaries and we killed them all," said Zabihullah Mujahed, a spokesman for the Taliban.

George Jonas: A strange way to promote ‘understanding’ ~ building a mosque on desecrated ground

If Islam really meant peace ~ it would speak for itself!!

This article ends with a proverb ~ where a sage repeatedly picks a scorpion out of the water's edge even though it stings him every time. Islam is the scorpion. Western governments have allowed Muslims to immigrate ~ extended them every right and dignity ~ and yet they continue to sting us! Their main object is to overturn western democracy and create an Islamic state. Using the very freedoms which were extended to them, they envision curtailing these freedoms and individual rights. These scorpions, from their broken, corrupt, and war-torn countries we take them ~ only to have our generosity spat back in our faces. They want wealth ~ but they don't want the freedoms that created it. Let's be careful we are not dragged into their delusion.

According to the sage ~ we should give the Muslims their 9/11 mosque. But it is also right to ask why should we allow mosque building ~ when the Muslim world allows no churches?


George Jonas

‘We have to let them build their mosque. But we don’t have to buy the project’s phony rationale’

The much-disputed mosque near Ground Zero has been described as a test of our commitment to liberty. With great respect to pundits on both sides of the issue, I think it is a test of our commitment to the wrong question.

The question isn’t whether people should be able to build whatever they like on their private properties. To this, the answer is a simple yes in a free society, subject only to the appropriate municipal zoning laws and building codes. Anyone who denies others this right because of religious or political sympathies needs a refresher course in the basics.

Except this isn’t the question to ask about the Cordoba Initiative.

Described in news reports as a non-profit organization whose stated goal is to promote cross-cultural understanding between Islam and the West, Cordoba Initiative spent US$4-million to purchase property two blocks from the one-time World Trade Centre in order to pull down an old building at the site and erect an US$100 million 13-storey Islamic cultural centre, including a mosque, in its place.

The question to ask is: Can any group genuinely believe that building a mosque two blocks from where jihadists pulverized 3,000 New Yorkers nine years ago will promote cross-cultural understanding between Islam and the West?

If the answer is yes (God knows, some people believe anything) the next question is: Having observed their New York neighbours’ actual reaction to their plan, do they believe it still?

The answer to this question can no longer be yes for anyone non-delusional with a measurable IQ. This leaves Cordoba Initiative with two choices. It can withdraw voluntarily, thereby demonstrating good faith, or continue building, thereby demonstrating that whatever it’s doing it for, it isn’t to promote understanding.

What is it for? Search me. Mischief? Subversion? Pushing the envelope? To rub salt into wounds, assert dominance, boost militant spirits?

Ground Zero mosque: too close for comfort?

The proposed creation of an Islamic centre at Ground Zero has New Yorkers pitting appeals for tolerance against appeals for respect for the bereaved, writes Alex Spillius.

The stated purpose of the project is to bridge the divide between American Muslims and their non-Muslim compatriots and to foster cross-cultural understanding.

It is led by Faisal Abdul Rauf, an imam who has run a mosque nearby in lower Manhattan for 27 years and who is considered the epitome of Muslim moderation.

Called Cordoba House, the $100 million, 13-storey centre would be open to all faiths. It would include a 500-seat auditorium, swimming pool, book shops, restaurants and a September 11th memorial. One floor will be occupied by a mosque.

Formerly a coat factory, the building has been largely disused since the 2001 attacks, when it was struck by a piece of one of the planes flown by suicidal al-Qaeda terrorists into the World Trade Centre's twin towers.

Air crash Pakistan Hindu youth's coffin labelled as 'kaafir' ~ infidel

Coming from Pakistan ~ not surprising at all. The have an Apartheid system there, and the only reason it is not being talked about is because it is religious. That Muslims believe that all others are lower than them ~ and construct their social and judicial systems around the concept of the superior Muslim versus all others or kaffir ~ the unclean or dirty ~ is tolerated.

Ehsan Naveed Irfan, a youth parliamentarian who identified Prem Chand's body, said the coffin was first marked in black with the word "kaafir" and this was then highlighted in red.

In Pakistan's tribal or Taliban controlled regions Hindus are made to wear a red patch so they can be distinguished from Muslims.


Islamabad, Aug 4, (PTI): The coffin of a promising young Pakistani Hindu social worker, killed in the recent airliner crash here, has been marked as "kaafir" or infidel, causing anguish and revulsion among his friends and netizens.

Prem Chand, 25, a bright spark from the minority Hindu community, was a member of the National Youth Parliament and was heading to Islamabad from Karachi to attend the organisation's last session when the Airblue flight crashed into the Margalla Hills on July 28, killing all 152 people on board.

Ehsan Naveed Irfan, a youth parliamentarian who identified Prem Chand's body, said the coffin was first marked in black with the word "kaafir" and this was then highlighted in red.

Indonesia: Intimidation of Ahmadiyah Picks Up Ahead of Ramadan

Indonesian protest which led to the serious restrictions being placed on the Ahmadiyah's ability to practise their religion freely. Although these groups are called Islamists and it is claimed that they do not represent 'true Islam' the Indonesian government takes their request seriously. Time after time Indonesian officials back these Islamic groups radical demands. In these so-called radical Muslims line of sight are Christian churches and practise and the Islamic sect Ahmadiyah.


Indonesia. As Muslims nationwide count down the days until the start of the holy month of Ramadan, so are followers of Ahmadiyah, but for a very different reason.

Members of the 'controversial' sect are currently living in fear of a repeat attack by hard-liners in the lead-up to Ramadan, one member told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

“We have received numerous text messages and there are also public statements released by the FPI demanding that we shut down our activities at least two days before Ramadan, or face the consequences,” Firdaus Mubarik said, referring to the Islamic Defenders Front.

“We’re afraid that they’ll launch an attack against Ahmadiyah mosques and members.

“This has occurred before. This happens in every major city across the country. They conduct raids against us and our mosques right before Ramadan each year.”

Japan tanker was damaged in a terror attack, UAE says

The damaged M Star oil tanker at sea near the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.


A Japanese tanker damaged last week in the Strait of Hormuz near Oman was the target of a terrorist attack, the United Arab Emirates state-run news agency has said.

It said remains of home-made explosives had been found on the hull of the M Star, which was damaged last week while travelling from Qatar to Japan.

Two days ago, an al-Qaeda-linked group said it was responsible.

Officials previously said the ship may have been involved in a collision.

The crew of the ship reported an explosion shortly after midnight on Wednesday last week. One person was injured.

The BBC's security correspondent Nick Childs says the news is likely to raise concerns about security for shipping in the strait, a vital strategic waterway for oil supplies from the Gulf.

Minor damage

"An examination carried out by specialised teams had confirmed that the tanker had been the subject of a terrorist attack," the news agency said, quoting an unidentified coastguard source.

"UAE explosives experts who collected and examined samples found a dent on the starboard side above the water line and remains of home-made explosives on the hull," it said.

The Consequences of Park 51: The Cordoba House ~ 9/11 Mosque

Israeli-Argentine pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, center, performs with the Orquesta West-Eastern Divan at the Mosque of Cordoba in Cordoba, Spain, on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010.

The old Cordoba Mosque of Islamic ruled Spain. The same name associated with Muslim conquest of the Christian world ~ given to the 9/11 Mosque. More significant perhaps is that they were defeated ~ pushed back. Possibly true again of the new Cordoba Mosque.


In light of the decision by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to allow for the construction of a mosque and Islamic center just 500 feet from Ground Zero, it can be successfully argued that political correctness has replaced history as a basis for knowledge in the United States of America. If it holds true that history does repeat itself – and I have no reason to believe it won’t – then the culture of ignorant arrogance, so prevalent in the nation today, will prove to be a contributing factor to the subjugation of the great American experiment.

To summarize, radical American Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder, CEO and Executive Director of Cordoba Initiative, has won approval – and support from the self-deprecating Progressives elected and appointed to office in New York City – to construct a $100 million, 13-story Islamic center, including a mosque that would accommodate up to 2,000, just 500 feet from Ground Zero. Abdul Rauf – who after the slaughter of innocents on September 11, 2001, said, “"I wouldn't say that the United States deserved what happened, but the United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened,” and who has refused to recognize Hamas or Hezbollah as terrorist organizations – is refusing to divulge the revenue sources for the project. Abdul Rauf’s wife, “Daisy” Kahn, is quoted as saying of the construction of a mosque in the shadow of 2,976 souls, “No big deal.”

Aside from the fact that the Abdul Rauf’s insistence in building a mosque 500 feet from hallowed ground, consecrated by the massacre of almost 3,000 innocents by 19 Muslim barbarians, is, simply put, insensitive to every other demographic but fundamentalist Islamists, self-deprecating Progressives and the evil, it is callous, rude and ignorant. But most importantly, it is antagonistic.

In order to understand just how deliberately abrasive the construction of Park51 – or, as originally intended, The Cordoba House – in the shadow of Ground Zero actually is, we must come to understand its inferred meaning and to do that we must understand a period of violent Muslim aggression, circa 711AD, that established the Emirate and Caliphate of Cordoba. Remember, the mosque project at Ground Zero was originally meant to be called “The Cordoba House.”

History

In 711AD, during the first attempt at global conquest by Muslim leaders, Tariq ibn-Ziyad, under the orders of the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I, brought most of the Iberian Peninsula (what is now Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar) under Muslim occupation in a campaign that lasted approximately seven years. The Iberian Peninsula, for the most part, became part of the expanding Umayyad Empire, under the name of al-Andalus.

Aceh Sharia: Five publicly flogged in Indonesia despite human rights protests

Sharia law official whips a man convicted of gambling with a rattan cane during a public caning in Aceh Besar, Aceh province, Indonesia, Friday, June 25, 2010.

Caned like children!! Islamic law in full display.

Five people - four men and one woman - have been caned in public in the Indonesian province of Aceh.

A couple were punished for adultery, the others for drinking alcohol and gambling.

Aceh implemented Sharia, or Islamic law, in 2002, as part of an autonomy deal offered by the Jakarta government.

Human rights groups have called for an end to flogging in Aceh, Indonesia's most conservative Muslim province, saying it amounts to torture.

Syamsuddin, Aceh's Islamic police spokesman, told the BBC that thousands of people came to watch.

He added that another man was also supposed to be punished, but had escaped from prison.

Adultery, drinking alcohol and gambling are amongt a list of prohibited activities in Aceh, which enforces strict Sharia law.

It was granted the right to enforce these laws as part of an autonomy plan offered by the Indonesian government.

When Sharia was first put into place in Aceh, it wasn't clear how strictly it would be enforced.

Straight from the bastion of religious intolerance: Gulf News writes: Islam cannot be confused with terrorism: New York was right to approve Ground Zero mosque

Imagine a lesson in tolerance from the most intolerant unfree region in the world outside of North Korea!! Here it is from Gulf News:

It is essential that the world knows the difference between terrorism and Islam. Terrible atrocities committed by criminals and terrorists, who were also Muslims, do not have anything to do with the religion of Islam, a religion of tolerance and outstanding human values.

When you want to believe in something, I want to say UFOs but they are likely more real than Islamic tolerance. The claim of religious tolerance is forbidden in Islam. Unless like many Muslims you count the subjugation of all non-Muslims and the requirement to pay a special jizya tax as tolerant ~ it is hard to see how Islam is tolerant towards other religions. As for other religious institutions ~ you could count them on one hand that exist in the Gulf ~ Arabia zero. And it is most likely the Arabians who will pull out the $100 million + for the Ground Zero Mosque.

Islam is not tolerant. There are the Dhimmi laws, which give non-Muslims second class or non-status in any Muslim nation. This is an example of Muslim tolerance. And it is hard to dispute. It is a Dhimmi-Apartheid.

The terrorists have had far too much coverage over the past decade, and the faithful of mainstream Islam have not made their message loud enough for the world to hear. But this does not change the truth. Islam is a religion which completely rejects terrorism, and mass murder.

Right from the start Islam was spread through the use of violence. Most of the people who are Muslim today, came to be under this violent conquest. I think the main message for Muslims needs to be its time for change.

The atrocity of 9/11 was condemned by Muslim leaders from many sects and nations. Which makes it very hard to understand the row going on in New York over the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to approve the construction of a mosque and Islamic centre two blocks from Ground Zero. The mosque has nothing to do with Al Qaida or its violent followers, yet right-wing politicians have rushed to condemn it as wrong.

The leader of the Ground Zero mosque project doesn't believe Muslims committed these terrorist acts. And has publicly stated that it was an American conspiracy to make Islam look bad. Has written a book in Arabic that is called something like 'Out of the 9/11 rubble ~ comes Islamic teachings'. Arrogant shocking the rest.

The United States has a proud tradition of commitment to religious and individual freedom. It is a mark of respect for that tradition that even countries which have deep disputes with the policies of various American administrations, still aspire to share the dream that the Founding Fathers of the United States summed up in a constitution that is a benchmark of freedom.

Freedom which Muslims don't allow in any of their countries almost without exception!! Freedoms which they can use to their advantage to spread their religion in the west ~ while barring the freedom of all other religions in their own countries. What a game they are playing!!

It is a deep outrage that opponents of this mosque persist in fanning anti-Islamic rhetoric for their own narrow political purposes. They are wrong to deliberately confuse the destructive and violent tactics of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaida, with the true Islamic way espoused by billions of people worldwide. And the city of New York has been right to stand by its own American values and approve the mosque against the bitter chauvinism of its opponents.

Deep outrage ~ for the opponents of the 9/11 mosque ~ but almost stone silence when it comes to the fact that the Saudi's allow not a single church or shrine for others to worship freely in that country. Where's the outrage ~ for the fatwas in Egypt that says helping to build a church is a sin, and compares it to building a barn for cats, dogs and pigs. Where is the outrage. That non-Muslims in Egypt must see permission from the President to build a church there, and must seek special permission to repair a church a process which turns them into beggars and usually takes years.

If Islam is tolerant why do we need to constantly be told it is tolerant ~ why can't we simple see its tolerance?

The good thing to come out of this ~ is a greater awareness of the lack of freedoms in the Muslim world. While Muslims cry Islamophobia they in their own countries ~ have almost no regard for the concerns of non-Muslim. If this situation had been reversed. There could have never been a church placed next to where loads of Muslims had been killed in such a tragic way. It does speak to western tolerance ~ but we must be careful that this tolerance is not abused.

Group Sues to Stop Mosque Near NY's Ground Zero [Video]

Give 'em hell!!

The next time Muslims get sensitive about something ~ they will be made to remember this!!

It will be pretty difficult for Muslims to continue using the sensitivity card in the same way!!

UK: Mainstream Islamic organisations 'share al-Qaeda ideology'

East London Mosque

It has been clear for a long time that the focus should not be only on terrorism ~ while waiting for the next guy to blow himself up ~ everyone is being pushed to live under Islamic law out of so-called respect for [non-violent] Muslims and their religious beliefs. Why should western governments back those who are working only to subvert the state by attempting to create an Islamic one.

Muslim groups are playing a dangerous game ~ they think because they feel strongly about their religion everyone else should buckle under that ~ what they don't fully understand is how strongly we feel about our freedoms!

This ain't the Islamic world ~ there will be no special or superior rights for Muslims here!

The report, sent to the government’s Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (OSCT), was not intended for publication but has now been leaked on the internet.

Entitled "Preventing terrorism, where next for Britain?" it says the ideology of non-violent Islamists is “broadly the same as that of violent Islamists” adding “they disagree only on tactics.”

It produces a list of those it believes are “non-violent Islamists” and adds: "These are a selection of the various groups and institutions active in the UK which are broadly sympathetic to Islamism.

“Whilst only a small proportion will agree with al-Qaeda's tactics, many will agree with their overall goal of creating a single 'Islamic state' which would bring together all Muslims around the world under a single government and then impose on them a single interpretation of sharia as state law."

The document adds that if the government engages with such groups "it risks empowering proponents of the ideology, if not the methodology, that is behind terrorism."

Quilliam argues that the government needs to move beyond tackling those who advocate violent extremism to target those that espouse similar but non-violent views.

Canadian accused of buying weapons for al-Qaeda freed

A Canadian accused by the US of supplying weapons to al-Qaeda has been freed in Toronto after a judge refused to extradite him to the US.

Abdullah Khadr, 29, had been in jail since 2005, when he was arrested in Canada at US officials' request.

Mr Khadr is the elder brother of Omar Khadr, the only Westerner held at the US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The judge said statements made by Mr Khadr and used as the basis for the case against him were "unreliable".

Mr Khadr was arrested in Pakistan in October 2004 after the CIA offered Pakistani authorities a $500,000 (£314,000) bounty.

The US accused him of procuring weapons, including mine components and rocket-propelled grenades, for al-Qaeda to use against coalition forces in Afghanistan.

He returned to Canada after about a year in Pakistani custody, and in December 2005 was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at US request.

The US sought to extradite him to face charges.

On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Christopher Speyer halted extradition proceedings, effectively denying the US bid.

The Canadian government has yet to decide whether to appeal.

Iran lawyer in Ashtiani stoning case now in Turkey, applying for asylum

A demonstrator dressed as a victim of a stoning execution joins Iranian exiles protesting against the possible stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani in Iran in front of the Brandenburg Gate on August 5, 2010 in Berlin, Germany.


A lawyer who defended a woman sentenced to be stoned to death in Iran is now in Turkey, according to the UN refugee agency.

Mohamed Mostafaei was detained in Turkey because of passport problems but has applied for asylum, the agency said.

He disappeared late last month after being summoned for questioning in Tehran.

Amnesty International accused the Iranian authorities of harassing him.

A well-known critic of the Iranian judicial system, Mr Mostafaei has been defending Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the mother-of-two facing execution for adultery.

Though the stoning penalty was lifted, she may still be executed by hanging.

Metin Corabatir, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Turkey, said Mr Mostafaei was in custody there and had applied for asylum in Turkey.

Iran dismisses Lula's 'emotional' stoning asylum offer

German protest over Iran's public hangings!

There are no emotions in Islam!! Mother to be put to death according to Islamic Shari'a law!!

Who will throw the first stone!!

Iran says the Brazilian president did not have enough information when he offered refuge to an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning.

A foreign ministry spokesman said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was an "emotional" person and that details of the case would be made clear to him.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, 43, was sentenced to death for adultery, but her stoning was suspended pending a review. She could still be hanged.

President Lula offered refuge to Ashtiani during a campaign rally for his party in southern Brazil on Saturday.

Speaking at a news conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said Ashtiani had been sentenced in accordance with Iranian law.

"As far as we know, [President Lula] is a very humane and emotional person who probably has not received enough information about the case," Ramin Mehmanparast said.

"What can be done is to let him know about the details of the case of this person who has committed a crime and has been convicted accordingly," he added.

UK: Parents' fury at silly town hall plans for halal-only menus in schools

'Cruel': Under the halal method, animals are slaughtered by being slashed across the neck without being stunned

Masood Khawaja, of the Halal Food Authority, said: 'It is commendable for schools to provide halal meats but there must be an alternative for non-Muslims.

An 'alternative' for non-Muslims ~ how about an alternative for Muslims!!


There are some reports that Sikhs don't eat halal.

Really crazy!! This whole thing is being rammed down everyone's throats!

Parents have expressed fury at plans to serve pupils halal-only menus for school dinners.

In a move which has also enraged animal welfare groups, only meat from animals killed and prepared using Islamic teaching will be allowed at 52 primaries in Harrow.

Critics say the plan puts the needs of Muslim children before those of other faiths, while parents say they have not been consulted over the scheme.

Schools are free to opt in to the programme or look elsewhere for their meals from the start of next month, according to Harrow Council.

The local authority is thought to be the first in England to insist on a halal-only menu apparently after recommendations of dietitians.

According to the 2001 Census, Harrow is one of the most religiously diverse areas in Britain with fewer than 50 per cent of the population Christian, a fifth Hindu and 7 per cent Jewish.

Using the halal method, animals are slaughtered by being slashed across the neck and being left so that the blood drains from the carcass.

The religious ritual, which does not allow the animals to be stunned beforehand, is considered cruel by campaigners and is exempt from animal welfare laws.

Harrow resident Sheila Murphy said: 'I am appalled at Harrow Council’s decision to serve only Halal meat in the borough’s schools.

'The Farm Animal Welfare Council has lobbied the government in the past to get the Kosher and Halal method of slaughter banned.

'The Halal method, in which animals are slaughtered by a single slit to the throat, is the only way of killing livestock allowed under Islam but this method is deemed cruel by some animal-lovers, who object to the slow death it involves.

'Harrow Council’s decision is also taking away the choice of children and their parents over what meat they eat and I urge Harrow residents to make their views known to Harrow Council and get this decision overturned.'

The council will be using its preferred supplier, Harrison's, which has been providing halal-only menus to Harrow's high schools for four years after a decision reached by a consortium.

Masood Khawaja, of the Halal Food Authority, said: 'It is commendable for schools to provide halal meats but there must be an alternative for non-Muslims.

'Some people are opposed to halal and kosher meat on animal welfare grounds and they should be given the choice not to eat it.'

A council spokesman said: 'Halal meat was written into the specifications when high schools were procuring their catering contracts.

'This was due to recommendations from dietitians.'

However, the local authority admitted that the plans to expand the scheme into primary schools is on hold until autumn after complaints from parents.

Daily Mail

Cross-dressing men flogged in Sudan for being 'womanly'

Apparently it has all been imported ~ Where from Arabia!! That's the biggest joke in that region!

A group of young Muslim men have been publicly flogged in Sudan after they were convicted of wearing women's clothes and make-up.

The court said the 19 men had broken Sudan's strict public morality codes.

Police arrested them at a party where they were found dancing "in a womanly fashion", the judge said.

The men were not represented in court and said nothing in their defence, some hid their faces from the hundreds of people who watched as they were lashed.

'Scared'
The sentence of 30 lashes was carried out as soon as the court in Omdurman, near Khartoum, gave its ruling.

They must also pay fines of as much as 1,000 Sudanese pounds ($400, £252).

One lawyer, who did not want to be named, told Reuters news agency the men had not received a fair trial.

Chicago Man Charged for Plan to Aid al-Qaeda

CHICAGO [CBN}- A 26-year-old Chicago man who claimed to be inspired by a radical Muslim cleric was charged after the FBI uncovered his plot to go to Somalia to become a suicide bomber for al-Qaeda and another terror group, federal prosecutors alleged in court documents unsealed Wednesday.

Shaker Masri was taken into custody Tuesday evening, hours before he was scheduled to leave the country for a trip to his ultimate destination, Somalia, prosecutors said.

He was charged with trying to aid al-Qaeda and al-Shabab, an Islamic terror group in Somalia, and attempting to provide support through the use of a weapon of mass destruction outside the United States.

Second Arrest in One Month

Masri's arrest marks the second time in less than a month in which federal authorities have arrested someone suspected of plotting to join al-Shabab.

The Talibanisation of British childhood by hardline parents

Results of immigration marriages marriage policies. UK children now praise the Taliban!! To be shocked is racist. To call for an end to immigration from regions which are hostile to the west is Islamophobic. Though the calls for self-preservation are growing louder by the day.


Last November, on the steps of Tate Britain, I witnessed a scene that troubles me still.

A furious Asian father was shaking his young son and tearing up the picture his child had drawn.

The boy kicked and cried. Recognising my face from TV appearances I had made as a commentator on current affairs, the father came across to say 'hello'.

So I asked him what his child had done that had made him so angry. He explained that according to his Islamic mentors, drawing pictures of people was forbidden.

I was flabbergasted. After all, this was in the middle of Britain's multi-cultural capital - a modern metropolis, not some dusty backstreet in Kabul.

What harm can there be in a picture?

So I asked the man if he owned a camera. 'Yes,' he replied. 'And a video camera.'

So why, I asked, was it acceptable for him to take pictures, but not for his child to draw a stick figure?

'The madrasa teacher told me children are not allowed to,' he said, referring to the places of religious instruction for Muslim children, which are the equivalent of Sunday schools for Christians.

'I am not an educated man, so I must listen to them.'

You might think this encounter was a case of an ill-educated parent misinterpreting the teachings of his elders.

Alas, in the past year I have come to realise his attitude towards his child is far from unique.

Such fundamentalist beliefs about parenthood are not uncommon. In private, teachers, lecturers, community, youth and social workers have told me many more such stories of the suppression of simple childhood pleasures in the name of Islam.

Teachers, community, youth and social workers have told me many stories of the suppression of simple childhood pleasures in the name of Islam

An investigation by the BBC revealed one London school where more than 20 Muslim pupils had been removed from music lessons because their parents felt such teaching to be anti-Islamic.

Another one- off? No, the Muslim Council of Britain confirmed that music lessons are likely to be 'unacceptable' to 10 per cent of Muslims.

Kenyans Vote Yes for New Constitution, Improved Rights, Except for Muslims

The new Kenyan Constitution represents an overall an improvement in the way any African country is governed. It limits presidential powers and improves accountability ~ at a time when almost the whole of Africa is plagued by leaders, who can't distinguish between the public purse and their own. Though it gives more rights to the individual, it falls short for Kenya's Muslim minority. According to the new constitution, when these human rights come into conflict with Shari'a law ~ Kenya's new constitutionally backed Shari'a courts will be allowed to ignore them. What of course would be a concern is whether Muslims will be forced to use these courts, such as in Malaysia. Probably not. But you can see where Muslim leaders will want to take this in the future. Having less rights is no good unless it can be enforced.

Weird Malaysia OKs underage marriage for pregnant teens

Malaysia truly Arabia looks for ways to stop baby dumping, by teenage mothers who face harsh stigmatization if found to be pregnant out of wedlock. Islamic law does not allow for adoption, after the event of Muhammad, desiring and then acting on that desire with his stepson's wife. Since Muhammad was considered perfect Muslims ~ now forbid adoptions.

(Reuters) - A Malaysian state is to allow Muslim girls under the age of consent of 16 years to wed in a bid to stem unwed pregnancies, angering the country's women's activists and politicians.

The Islamic council in the southern Malaysian state of Malacca on Tuesday announced that it would to allow marriage for Muslims below the current minimum age of 16 years for females and 18 for males.

"This is an outrage. We're turning back the clock when there's ample evidence to show that we should not condone child marriages," said Ivy Josiah, executive director of Women's Aid Organization, a rights group.

Muslims make up about 60 percent of the 28 million population of the Southeast Asian country and fall under Islamic family and criminal laws individually drafted and run by each of the country's 13 states. Non-Muslims come under federal civil laws.

The chief minister of Malacca, Mohammad Ali Rustam, said permission would only be granted after consent by the teenager's families as well as the state Islamic courts.

"For the state government, this is the best step to deal with the problem of abandoned babies and unwed pregnancies," he was quoted as saying by the Utusan Malaysia newspaper.

What Rifqa Bary's Case Tells Us

Egyptian-Italian journalist, Magdi Allam, was converted to Catholicism by the pope. He requires six police officers at any given time.

There is no tolerance in Islam! Those who reject blind submission ~ are dealt with harshly. And might even lose their lives.


By Phyllis Chesler

America prides itself on religious tolerance. We welcome all houses of worship.

Increasingly, however, Islamist leaders are demanding even more religious tolerance, more mosques.

However, there is absolutely no reciprocity in the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, do not allow Christians, Jews, or other “infidels” to pray openly or to build any or new houses of worship.

Currently, the Arab Muslim Middle East is almost completely “Judenrein,” (free of Jews) since more than 800,000 Arab Jews were exiled or forced to flee their countries between 1948-1968.

Currently, Christians are being savagely persecuted in Egypt, the disputed Palestinian territories, Somalia, Algeria, Iran, Pakistan and Indonesia.

Christians have literally been crucified, teenaged Christian girls have been kidnapped, raped, then forced to marry their rapists and convert to Islam.

Persecution Highway: From Egypt to Pakistan

Coptic brothers recently forcibly converted to Islam by the Egyptian state ~ after their dad wanted a quick divorce, he converted to Islam for the privilege. After a long struggle in the courts, the boys lost and have now been 'made' to be Muslims. They said they know they will have more rights as a Muslim but they still reject the idea and prefer to remain Christians.

We are here today to remember the one hundred and thirty Pakistani Christians who were killed one year ago, but we are also not to forget the daily murders which take place in various other Muslim majority countries.

The 1,400 year history of Islam demonstrating aggression against the non-Muslim clearly identifies them as oppressors yet the majority of the Westerners refuse to identify this pattern and remain undecided about what Islam really is.

Today we are gathered here to remember the brutal massacre of one hundred thirty Christians in Pakistan who were killed by Muslims just because they were Christian.

How many Westerners can recall this massacre? How many Westerners have taken the time to seriously consider this horrific atrocity? Finally, how many Westerners think for even one second that the persecution of Christians in Pakistan and other countries may happen in their own country? I could easily say none.

Most of us living in the West feel certain that we are safe and that no one can touch us. No forces will be able to change our way of living or take our freedom from us.

Due to political correctness the majority of Westerners see this situation similar to Western countries occupying Middle Eastern countries for economic goals having nothing to do with religious reasons.

2 Koreans detained in Libya for proselytization ~ under not-so-tolerant Islamic laws

This whole reaching out to Muslims ~ is a dishonest effort if it doesn't address the repressive measures used against non-Muslims ~ as to stamp out all religious rights outside of Islam in the Muslim world. This while Gaddafi pronounces Europe will be Muslim in less than a century.

It is double standards and we should not let them get away with it.

New [dictator?] kid on the Libyan block ~ Gaddafi's son.

Two Koreans are detained in Libya for proselytization, which is illegal in the Islam country, the local JoongAng Ilbo newspaper said on Saturday, citing a diplomatic source.

One of them, a Christian missionary, identified as Koh, has been detained since about a month ago, while another, identified as Joo, was arrested last week, it said.

The diplomatic source said Koh was a well-known figure in the Korean community in Tripoli, the nation’s capital.

Joo, a businessman who owns a farm there, has been known to finance Koh’s missionary work, it said.

The news didn’t elaborate on whether and when the two will be subject to judicial hearing for their reported violation of the local law.

Moment Iranian president survived grenade attack on his motorcade

Ahmadinejad's always looking for an enemy! Wait now for the conspiracy theories!! Israel, America, Britain ~ must have been being behind this!!

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has survived a grenade attack on his convoy in western Iran.
The blast from a homemade bomb took place today in Hamedan as Mr Ahmadinejad was travelling through a busy crowd to make an address at a sports stadium.

The president was unhurt, but other people in the convoy were injured. One person has been arrested over the incident.

Mr Ahmadinejad continued with his plans to make a speech in Hamadan, which was broadcast on Iranian television. He made no mention of an assault.

Iranian officials denied Mr Ahmadinejad was targeted, with the state-run Press TV adding 'no such attack had happened'.

Officials said the blast was caused by a firework being set off by someone in the crowd to cheer the president.

'It was a firecracker, and a statement will be released soon,' an official inthe president's media office said.

However, the conservative website Khabaronline said: 'This morning a hand grenade exploded next to a vehicle carrying reporters accompanying the president in Hamedan.

'Ahmadinejad's car was 100 metres away and he was not hurt.'

O’Reilly On Ground Zero Mosque: It’s About ‘Respect For Feelings’ Of The 9/11 Victims [Video]

Imam Rauf who is heading up the 9/11 mosque project ~ wrote a book in Arabic with this title:

“The Call From the WTC Rubble: Islamic Da’wah From the Heart of America Post-9/11”

Dawa is Islamic proselytization. He clearly aims to use the 9/11 tragedy to spread his religion. This is not about sensitivity ~ this is about bringing America down on its knees towards Mecca. To turn it into an Iran or Egypt ~ a broken nation ~ whose people chirp for permission for just about everything from undeserving clerics. They want to replace ~ we the people ~ with ~ we the clerics!

Indonesia: Christians forced to celebrate mass in the open air under police protection

The object now is to try to understand Islam. We are at fault for not coming to grips with its peaceful tolerant message.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – The members of the Batak Christian Protestant Church (Huria Kristen Batak Protestan or HKBP) celebrated Mass last Sunday in an open field in Ciketing, a suburb of Bekasi (West Java), under the protection of hundreds of police agents.

The HKBP community has been the target of Islamic extremists for years. Muslims have shut down their church twice and prevented them from holding services in private locations. This month, they have begun to disrupt open-air Sunday services with threats and insults. In the first six months of the year, there were 28 anti-Christian attacks across Indonesia, seven in the city of Bekasi alone.

Rev Luspida Simanjytak, who heads the HKBP community, said she would never give in to continuous violence. “I will never give up seeking justice,” she told AsiaNews. “I shall fight for the most fundamental of human rights, the right to worship God and profess our faith.”

Pakistan: Five Christians killed outside church, had been told they pollute the land

Pakistani Christians gather outside of the damaged United Presbyterian Church on July 23, 2010 in the Christian neighbourhood of Daoodnagar, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Two Christian brothers, Rahid Emmanuel and Sajjid Emmanuel, were accused of writing a blasphemous pamphlet critical of the Prophet Mohammed were shot dead on July 19 outside a court house in Faisalabad. According to locals, announcements were made from mosques in Daoodnagar asking people to come out to fight rampaging Christians resulting in approximately 400 to 600 Muslims gathered attacking churches and shops in the Christian neighborhood.

Christians being shot at and attacked in Pakistan is pretty much an everyday occurrence.

Sukkur (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A dozen masked men opened fire against five Christians, killing them instantly as they left their church. The massacre occurred on 15 July, two months after threatening letters were sent to the church by a group of Islamic extremists outlawed by the government. The victims are Pastor John Aaron, Rohail Bhatti, John Salman, Abid Gill and Shamin Mall, all the faithful of the Church of the Gospel. Five other faithful were wounded in the attack.

Shahid John, son of Pastor Aaron says: "The five were gathered in the church along with others to discuss the security problem. After leaving, a group of armed men opened fire against us”. He escaped with a wound to the arm: "The area is steeped in fear. The police arrived 45 minutes after the attack, and we had to wait another 45 minutes for an ambulance".

Last May, the Sip-e-Sahaba (Islamic extremist group, also known as Sipah-e-Sahaba) had threatened the Christians to leave the area before it was too late. Kiran Rohail, wife of Rohail Bhatti (one of the wounded) said: "They told us that we are not welcome, that we pollute the land." The group is composed of members of a local madrassa (Islamic school), which has been threatening non-Muslims since 2008.

Naila John, widow of pastor killed in the attack, recalls: "In that year a group of Muslim students began threatening us, they wanted our land. Out of fear, only 55 Christian families remained in the area. " Local police "took our complaints but did not initiate any investigation. It is clear that threats from Muslims convinced them to stay out of the question".

No Compulsion, Compulsion: Malaysian Indian woman wants her conversion to Islam invalidated

I don't think this paper has the story quite right ~ as a child the Indian lady was put in care. But her parents did not convert to Islam. When her mother died, or took ill, her father could not take care of the children. It was at the orphanage she was given Muslim status at around 7 years-old. Now that she is older she is married to a Hindu, has several children ~ and wishes to practise Hinduism.

No compulsion ~ well not at exactly. Muslims know ~ no compulsion is only for non-Muslims. For Muslims there is a compulsion to remain Muslim under Islamic law ~ truth is, anyone can walk away from this bondage if they really wanted to.

But behold what the Muslim world brings to the free west ~ in the New Islamic World Order you will have to go to court and ask permission to change your religion.

Aug 4 (IANS) An ethnic Indian housewife in Malaysia Wednesday said she would appeal against a civil court ruling that heard her plea questioning her conversion to Islam when she was seven years old.

Siti Hasnah Bangarama Abdullah, 28, was converted along with her four siblings in 1983 when her parents, both born Hindus, embraced Islam.

She sought a declaration from the court that her conversion to Islam was invalid, Star Online reported.

She has named as defendants the country's then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in his capacity as president of the Muslim Welfare Organisation (Perkim) and other officials concerned with her conversion.

Mumbai builder education baron clashes with Obama’s OIC Islam envoy

“I welcome the move and support it but doubt the US president’s success.”

the start of Obama OIC envoy's bollocking, after he'd just finished the Obama outreach to the Muslim world ~ speech.

But I tend to agree here, this Muslim outreach is flawed ~ you reach out to people ~ not this defunct religion. They are force people to remain in and it promotes supremacy and inequality between sexes and religious groups. The US government needs to stay out of religion.


After an earful the Obama envoy finds a way to answer the typically Islamic narrative stuff ~ back:

“I reject anti-Semitism. Something Islam and the Prophet rejected. To speak about an entire religious group in such a negative way is wrong and I don’t think it reflects reality,” said the envoy adding, “In a school of architecture, I would expect the future belongs to those who build and not to those who destroy.”

Why is it that only western Muslim have Islam right? Muslims in the wider world seem to think the Prophet had a problem with the Jews!!

What was supposed to be a goodwill gesture turned into an unexpected face-off between two men with distinct points of view about US policies and their historical consequences in the Muslim world.

Rashad Hussain, US president Barack Obama’s special envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Conference (IOC), the second largest international body, was on a day’s visit to the city to deliver a lecture titled ‘The Obama Administration’s Outreach to the Muslim World’.

Meeting with the press and students of Rizvi College of Architecture, Hussain was in his element as he listed the Obama administration’s efforts in the field of education, science and technology, entrepreneurship and health to reach out to the global Muslim community and bridge the gaps created by past US
governments.

Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, prominent builder and education baron, sat calm and composed as Hussain spoke. When it was his turn on the dais, Rizvi politely welcomed his guest and gave a brief disclaimer, saying, “I welcome the move and support it but doubt the US president’s success.”

Thereafter, the general secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party and former Parliamentarian didn’t mince his words, citing grouses which the Muslim community has held for decades against the US. “America gave birth to terrorism and the Jewish policy needs to be controlled,” Rizvi told a visibly shaken Hussain.

IDF Lt.-Col. Killed, another Officer Badly Hurt in Exchange of Fire with Lebanese Army in Israel's North

IDF Lt.-Col. (res.) Dan Harari, a battalion commander, was killed Tuesday, and another commander was badly hurt in the exchange of fire between Lebanon Army and IDF forces early Tuesday afternoon. The IDF Spokesman said Harari's family has been notified. He was a resident of Netanya.

Northern Command Head Major-General Gadi Eizenkut said the commanders were hurt in a sniper ambush and said: “It is our understanding that this was a planned provocation by the Lebanese Army that fired at a force that was inside Israeli territory without any provocation on our part.”

Israel has blamed the Lebanese army for violating the United Nations ceasefire resolution and firing on IDF troops in Israeli territory, drawing a retaliation that killed three Lebanese soldiers and a civilian. Several other Lebanese were wounded, and no injuries were reported on the Israeli side.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it holds the Lebanese government responsible for what it called a “grave incident” when the Lebanese army fired on the IDF while its troops were patrolling within the Blue Line that the UN has marked out as the international boundary.

Muslims Know the Symbolism of the Ground Zero Mosque

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf heads the Ground Zero mosque proposal:

In 2004, Rauf wrote a book entitled, according to the English translation, “What’s Right with America is What’s Right with Islam.” Such a title suggests a moderate perspective is taken. However, the book’s Arabic translation—“The Call From the WTC Rubble: Islamic Da’wah From the Heart of America Post-9/11”—suggests otherwise. Rauf, denigrating the loss of American life in calling it “rubble,” seeks to use 9/11 as a springboard for selling Islam to America.

Symbolism is at play in the debate over a grand mosque being built near the site of Islamic extremism’s greatest terrorist victory against a democracy.

While many embrace its construction as symbolic of a democratic society’s tolerance, there is danger in not understanding the symbolically sinister side of its construction as well.

As much as we hear about Islamic extremists only representing a small percentage of the Muslim community, it is difficult to forget the images of euphoria in many Muslim countries as news of the 9/11 attacks spread. Thousands of Muslims were seen rejoicing over the violent deaths of more than 3,000 innocent victims. While Islamic extremists had dealt the devastating blow, more than just Islam’s extremists joined in the euphoria over the pain and suffering it inflicted upon non-believers.

At some point after 9/11, cropped photographs of the New York City landscape near the World Trade Center began circulating on the Internet in Muslim circles. Cropped into the photographs were the minarets and domes of numerous mosques dotting the area surrounding the 9/11 site.

Many Muslim believers understood the symbolism—the assault against a key bastion of the non-believer’s world had started; the push to place that bastion under Islam’s world caliphate umbrella by establishing a foothold on territory that 9/11 had made hallowed was now in progress.

Muslim Father, Son Arrest Over Parcel Bomb to British Secret Service HQ

BRITAIN'S secret intelligence service has come under attack after terrorists dispatched a parcel bomb to its HQ.

The deadly package was sent to MI6's iconic base in London's Vauxhall this week.

A second was intercepted at a postal sorting office.

Cops are quizzing two men over the plot.

The suspects, aged 52 and 21, were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences on Friday morning at separate addresses in Caernarfon, North Wales.

Officers were given more time to question the pair yesterday afternoon as searches at two addresses in the town continued.

The package sent to MI6 was discovered around 12.40pm on Wednesday.

The second suspected parcel bomb was unearthed at a sorting office in south London at around 4.30am on Thursday.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The Metropolitan Police Service is investigating two suspect packages addressed to premises in central London.

"Both packages have been recovered by police."

One killed in Aqaba as Jordan and Israel come under rocket fire

Wreckage of cars damaged by a rocket attack is seen at a hotel area in the Jordan's Red Sea city of Aqaba August 2, 2010.

REUTERS - Rockets from Egypt’s Sinai, an area where Islamist militants have operated in the past, struck Israel’s and Jordan’s Red Sea port resorts on Monday, killing a Jordanian civilian and injuring three others, Jordanian and Israeli police said.

A Jordanian interior ministry source said one of the four injured when one rocket exploded near a five star hotel in Aqaba, died from his injuries.

There was no word of casualties in the adjacent Israeli port and holiday resort of Eilat, police said.

Asked where the Aqaba rocket was fired, the Jordanian source said without elaborating: « It came from the west. » Experts were investigating the site to find out where the short-range rocket had been launched, he said.

Egyptian security sources were quoted by the state news agency as saying rockets could not have been fired from Sinai.

Unknown assailants threw a stun grenade at a coffee shop on Herzl Street in Netanya on Monday evening. A Magen David Adom team was called the scene and treated a woman who suffered from shock. INN

Explosion by the beach

Israel fears Turks could pass its secrets to Iran

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak has voiced concern that once-stalwart ally Turkey could share Israeli intelligence secrets with Iran, revealing a deep distrust as Ankara's regional interests shift.

The leaked comments by Barak cast doubt on how much Israel is willing or able to reconcile with Turks outraged at its navy's killing of nine of their compatriots aboard an aid ship that tried to run the Gaza Strip blockade on May 31.

Until relations soured, Turkey had been the Muslim power closest to the Jewish state, a friendship largely based on military cooperation and intelligence sharing.

In a closed-door briefing to activists aligned with his center-left Labour Party at a kibbutz near Jerusalem on July 25, Barak still called Turkey a "friend and major strategic ally."

But he described Hakan Fidan, the new head of its National Intelligence Organization, as a "friend of Iran."

"There are quite a few secrets of ours (entrusted to Turkey) and the thought that they could become open to the Iranians over the next several months, let's say, is quite disturbing," he said in a segment of the speech broadcast by Army Radio. Barak was speaking in the context of past Israeli-Turkish intelligence cooperation, an audience member told Reuters on Monday. An Israeli defense official said the event was private and that the aired recording of Barak had not been authorized.

Appointed in May, Fidan was previously a foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, whose AK Party has roots in political Islam and has often censured Israel.

New York Jury Convicts Two Men for Plotting Kennedy Airport Attack

NEW YORK -[AP]- Two men were convicted Monday of plotting to blow up jet fuel tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport, a plan that authorities said was meant to outdo the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and avenge perceived U.S. oppression of Muslims around the world.

Russell Defreitas, a former JFK cargo handler, and Abdul Kadir, once a member of Guyana's parliament, were convicted of multiple conspiracy charges. Kadir was acquitted of one charge, surveillance of mass transportation. The Brooklyn federal court jury deliberated about five days.

Defreitas, a 66-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Guyana, and Kadir, 58, were arrested in 2007 after an informant infiltrated the plot and recorded them discussing it.

Prosecutors alleged that Defreitas and Kadir wanted to kill thousands of people and cripple the American economy by using explosives to blow up the fuel tanks and the underground pipelines that run through an adjacent Queens neighborhood. Authorities say the men sought the help of militant Muslims, including an al-Qaida operative, in Guyana.

The defendants wanted to set off an explosion "so massive ... that it could be seen from far, far away," Assistant U.S. Attorney Zainab Ahmad said in closing arguments. Their vision prompted them to code name the plot "The Shining Light," the prosecutor said.

Music fails to chime with Islamic values, says Iran's supreme leader

There is no music in Islam!!

Slave Muslim.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today that music is "not compatible" with the values of the Islamic republic, and should not be practised or taught in the country.

In some of the most extreme comments by a senior regime figure since the 1979 revolution, Khamenei said: "Although music is halal, promoting and teaching it is not compatible with the highest values of the sacred regime of the Islamic Republic."

Khamenei's comments came in response to a request for a ruling by a 21-year-old follower of his, who was thinking of starting music lessons, but wanted to know if they were acceptable according to Islam, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. "It's better that our dear youth spend their valuable time in learning science and essential and useful skills and fill their time with sport and healthy recreations instead of music," he said.

Unlike other clerics in Iran, whose religious rulings are practised by their own followers, Khamenei's views are interpreted as administrative orders for the whole country, which must be obeyed by the government. Last month Khamenei issued a controversial fatwa in which he likened his leadership to that of the Prophet Muhammad and obliged all Iranians to obey his orders.

Khamenei has rarely expressed his views on music publicly, but he is believed have played a key role in the crackdown on Iran's music scene following the revolution. When Khamenei was president, he banned western-style music, forcing many stars to go into exile.

Houshang Asadi, a former cellmate of Khamenei before the Islamic Revolution said: "He hated the music from the beginning."

Three-quarters of non-Muslims believe Islam negative for Britain: Poll

I think for Muslims in the UK there is a greed. Here you have a terrorist situation ~ rather use the opportunity to firmly come out against it ~ they take advantage of the newly formed contacts in government and other organizations to promote Shari'a law. So here you have the terrorists/extremists who want Shari'a and the moderates who want Shari'a.

The organisation has made a number of recommendations on how to spread knowledge of Islam and the Muslim community through education and audiovisual materials. It also advocates "promoting Muslim women as ambassadors of change" to counter the impression that they are oppressed.

One of the key factors when discussing Islam is the absence of truth. Shari'a law gives women 1/3 - 1/2 the rights of men. Yet we are being told that this somehow doesn't effect the status of Muslim women. Look at the stark difference between the way Muslimwomen dress in comparison to the men who stand next to them. The woman is draped sometimes up to the eyeballs in heavy garments, whatever the weather, while the men is often in western attire. Look at the status of women in the Muslim world, and imagine Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam ~ as not reflecting the 'real' Islam. The biggest discussion there is whether women should 'breastfeed' unfamiliar men so they can be within the law, that forbids unrelated men and women to be unaccompanied. When Muslims want to go to Mecca this is where they go. It is a bit hypocritical to say that their Islam is not the 'true' Islam. More honest to say, for modernity's sake, we prefer to forgo some of these practises ~ many originating from the Hadiths.

"We need to show that it [Islam] encompasses all the things in your life whether social or practical," he said.

There is some Islamic toilets being installed in one UK shoppingcenter. The regular toilet is being removed and hole in the floor Middle East style toilet is being put there instead. It is on the understanding that if you don't wipe you bottom like Muhammad did then you may go to hell!! Difficult to force people to take that seriously.


Three-quarters of non-Muslims believe Islam has provided a negative contribution to British society, according to a new poll, which has prompted calls for Muslims to help improve the perception of their faith.

The study for the Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) also found that 63% of people surveyed did not disagree with the statement "Muslims are terrorists" and 94% agreed that "Islam oppresses women". It included qualitative as well as quantitative data. One respondent said: ""If I had my way I'd kick them all [Muslims] out of here."

The results follow an online YouGov poll, published in June, that found 58% linked Islam with extremism and 69% believed it encouraged the repression of women.

Mother sentenced to stoning in Iran offered asylum by Brazil's president Lula

Did the Iranians think these practises would become popular!

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has stepped into the international outcry over Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, by offering his country as a refuge, a move which raised hopes her life will be spared.

The surprise offer prompted an immediate reaction from Iran, which considers Brazil a key ally. Iranian officials softened their tone with Ashtiani's family over the weekend and official media reported full details of the story for the first time.

"I don't think Iran can ignore Brazil as easily as it ignored other countries," Ashtiani's son, Sajad, told the Guardian today. "It is very important that Brazil, as one of Iran's most significant allies in the world, has offered a haven for my mother."

He hoped Turkey, which also carries influence with Tehran, would add its voice. "No countries in the world can have such impacts that Brazil and Turkey can have on Iran now. These two countries can save my mother's life," said Sajad.

Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, was convicted in 2006 of having an "illicit relationship" with two men and received 99 lashes. A court later amended the conviction to "adultery while being married" and sentenced her to death by stoning.

Newt Gingrich: Proposal to ban Sharia - It is" totally abhorrent to the Western World" [Video]

Why Turkey sits outside the tent

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C) leaves after a wreath-laying ceremony with members of the High Military Council at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara on August 1, 2010.


By Christopher Caldwell

It cannot be easy finding the right words for a joint public appearance with Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan – and prime minister David Cameron did not find them this week. European leaders have always seen Turkey as a “bridge” between the west and the Muslim world. But since the European Union opened negotiations with Turkey for full membership in 2005, Mr Erdogan has in many ways turned from the west. He has accused the Israeli government of war crimes while absolving the Sudanese government of them. He has accused Germany of “hatred” for Turkey, while his aides have cast doubt on the idea that Iran’s nuclear-weapons programme is meant to produce nuclear weapons.

For the EU, putting all the diplomatic eggs in the basket of Turkish accession has proved a mistake, damaging rather than consolidating relations. None of the European publics is keen on Turkish membership. The “bridge” role the west envisions for Turkey seems too modest for a country with the second largest army in Nato and the 16th biggest economy in the world. It is also condescending and outdated to assume that Turkey will happily convince its neighbours to water down their religion to the point where the bankrupt west no longer fears it. The result has been a stalemate in accession talks, marked by considerable hypocrisy. Mr Cameron set out this week to break that hypocrisy, and to enlist Britain on the side of Turkish membership.

With some exceptions, this entailed bringing Europe closer to Turkey rather than bringing Turkey closer to Europe. Mr Cameron’s remarks on Israel provide the most glaring example. He appears to believe that anti-Zionist machismo will win him the approval of “world opinion”. A legitimate argument can be had over whether (and why) the Gaza Strip resembles a “prison camp”, as Mr Cameron so provocatively put it, and whether the Israeli assault on the Mavi Marmara, part of a Turkish flotilla attempting to break the Gaza blockade in early June, was proportionate.