Dutch queen asks Liberal leader to form cabinet

AMSTERDAM Oct 7 (Reuters) - Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on Thursday asked Liberal leader Mark Rutte to form a cabinet, the Dutch news agency ANP reported.

Rutte will head a centre-right coalition with the Christian Democrat party, supported in parliament by the anti-Islam Freedom Party of Geert Wilders.

It will be the first post-war minority government and Rutte will be the first Liberal prime minister since 1918.

The government aims to cut the budget by 18 billion euros ($25 billion) and get the state deficit to within European Union limits by 2013. It also aims to ban face-covering veils such as the burqa and to make immigration rules stricter.

Political analysts see only a small chance of this government serving a full four-year term.

Israel Braces for Ahmadinejad Big Stone-Throwing Adventure

Workers in a southern suburb of Beirut prepared posters ahead of a visit by Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Lebanon next week.

Hezbollah’s television station, Al Manar TV, reports that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hopes to find time during a visit to Lebanon next week to throw a rock at Israel.

The Lebanese channel’s report, “Ahmadinejad to Throw Stone Toward the Israeli Enemy,” suggests that Iran’s president might take part in what for him could be the ultimate photo-op:

During his two-day visit, Ahmadinejad will take part in various events to be held near the Lebanese border with occupied Palestine. In one of those events, an inauguration of a garden, the president is slated to make a symbolic gesture and throw a stone towards the Zionist entity, London-based Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper reported.

Ahmadinejad’s busy schedule will also include a visit to south Lebanon, where he will inaugurate an Iranian center in the Maroun al-Ras village where tough battles were fought during the Second Lebanon War.

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that the State Department had warned the Lebanese government about the risks of the visit by Iran’s best-known Holocaust-denier.

At a briefing on Tuesday, a State Department spokesman, P.J. Crowley, said, “The issue of the prospective travel of President Ahmadinejad to Lebanon did come up” in a meeting at the United Nations last month between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Lebanon’s president, Michel Suleiman. Mr. Crowley said Mrs. Clinton had “expressed our concern about it given that Iran, through its association with groups like Hezbollah, is actively undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty. But again, we respect that these are judgments for the Lebanese Government to make.”

Asked about the possible stone-throwing, the spokesman added:

I don’t normally recommend travel arrangements for President Ahmadinejad. We certainly would hope that Iran would play a constructive role in the region. Throwing stones, whether they’re literal or figurative, I would not consider constructive.

The Beirut daily An Nahar reported on Wednesday that “embassy sources refused to confirm the Iranian President’s trip to southern Lebanon.”

According to Ian Black, The Guardian’s Middle East editor, “observers in Beirut said one possibility was that he would only visit Iranian-financed reconstruction projects and not go right up to the Israeli border for the stone throwing — on obvious security grounds.”

As Mr. Black reported:

Posters welcoming Ahmadinejad in Arabic and Persian have already appeared in the area amid reports that the Iranian leader, with a business delegation in tow, will bring investment, financing for oil exploration and a controversial offer to sell weapons to the Lebanese army.

Iranian embassy officials in Beirut have refused to confirm details of the southern leg of the trip, but Hezbollah is said to be massing supporters to welcome Ahmadinejad as a hero of the resistance.

Last week, Aluf Benn, a columnist for Haaretz newspaper, suggested that the advanced warning of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s visit to the nation’s border should give Israel’s government time to prepare an operation to capture him, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that, as he has said in the past, Mr. Ahmadinejad “is preparing a second holocaust against the Jewish people.”

NY Times

France burqa ban passes last legal hurdle

PARIS (AFP)— France's top legal authority Thursday approved a law banning full-face veils in public, the last hurdle for the ban, which aims to protect women's rights but has been criticised as stigmatising Muslims.

The Constitutional Council, which had previously warned that banning the veil may be unconstitutional, said it approved the version of the bill which has been passed by both houses of parliament, after a final review.

It judged however that the ban, due to enter force early next year, would be unenforceable in public places of worship, where it may violate religious freedoms.

"The ban on covering the face in public places cannot constrain the practice of religious freedom in places of worship that are open to the public," the council said in its judgement.

Apart from this, the council "judged that the law conforms to the constitution," it wrote.

The text makes no mention of Islam, but President Nicolas Sarkozy's government promoted the law as a means to protect women from being forced to wear Muslim full-face veils such as the burqa or the niqab.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon immediately hailed the judgement as "an important decision to affirm the values of the Republic with respect for freedom of conscience and religion," in a statement.

Bangladesh: 12-year-old girl commits suicide, three hours after being forced into marriage

A 12-year-old girl has committed suicide within three hours of being forced into marriage.

Aduri Begum, of Bakultala village under Kaunia Upazila in Rangpur was a class five student of Udirpar Ananda School.

Aduri's father Anwarul Islam arranged her marriage to Enamul Haque, son of Abdul Jabbar of Nazirdah village, against her will and her other relatives. The wedding took place on Monday night and while the wedding feast was going on, Aduri consumed poison. Kaunia officer-in-charge Krishna Kumar admitted the incident and told that the body had been sent for autopsy.

Upazila Women Affairs Officer Kawsara Parvin said the Upazila Executive Officer rushed to the spot after the locals had informed. But since the marriage was already over, he just the collected a bond from Aduri's father, which stated that Aduri will be handed over after she turns 18.

bdnews24.com

Algeria: '500 Al-Qaeda offspring born in northern mountains'

Let's hope the best for these children most of whom, reportedly have been abandoned by their fathers.

Algiers, 4 Oct. (AKI) - Some 500 children have been born to Al-Qaeda militants in the mountains of northern Algeria, according to the head of the country's national reconciliation commission, Marwan Azzi

The children are aged between five and 15 were born to militants hiding out in Algeria's rugged and mountainous Kabylie region, according to Azzi.

"Our commission has received 100 files on these cases and so far we have managed to get 37 couples to marry in order to legitimise children born out in the mountains," Azzi was cited as telling pan-Arab daily Al-Quds al-Arabi.

In the 1990s, the children's parents first fought for the feared Algerian Islamist armed group GIA, then for the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).

The GSPC in 2007 aligned itself with Al-Qaeda to form the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Many of the children's fathers have now laid down their arms handed themselves in to Algeria's authorities, taking advantage of a government amnesty, Azzi said.

Yemen: Al-Qaeda operatives have killed '50 security agents'

Policemen stop cars near the British embassy in Sanaa after a rocket attack targeted a vehicle carrying the deputy chief of the British mission in Yemen October 6, 2010

Sanaa, 7 Oct. (AKI) - Fifty high-ranking security agents have been killed by Al-Qaeda insurgents so far this year, according to Yemeni web site Barakish, which cited an unnamed interior ministry source.

The source confirmed that Al-Qaeda was behind Wednesday's rocket attack on a convoy that failed to harm Britain’s number-two diplomat in Yemen.

Also on Wednesday, a Yemeni security guard shot dead a Frenchman contracted to the Austrian oil and gas company OMV, the company said.

A British national was also injured in the attack outside the capital and taken to hospital.

Armed militants on Sunday bombed the residence of Yemeni prime minister Mohammad Ali Majur. The attack caused little damage and no injuries, while the militants escaped, according to the report by Arabic website Elaph.

The violence has cast doubt on the effectiveness of the interim government's US-backed campaign against Al-Qaeda militants. The militants who have found a haven in parts of the rugged, mountainous country where the central government's control is weak.

Yemen currently faces two insurgencies. Since 2005 separatist rebels in the north known as the Al-Houthis have been fighting government forces, while Al-Qaeda and tribal militants have launched a series of attacks in the south.

10 killed in bombings at Muslim Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Islamic militant groups regard the Sufi discipline of Islam to be tantamount to heresy.

Reporting from Islamabad — Two suicide bombers attacked crowds of Pakistanis visiting a Sufi Muslim shrine in the country's largest city, Karachi, Thursday night, killing at least 10 people and wounding 65 others in an attack that reminded the nation of extremists' ability to strike virtually at will.

The blasts appeared to be timed to coincide with when crowds are largest at a shrine for Abdullah Shah Ghazi, a revered 8th-century saint of the Sufi doctrine of Islam. The shrine sees its biggest crowds on Thursday nights and draws people from throughout Karachi and the rest of Sindh province.

Television footage showed grisly images of pools of blood on the shrine's concrete and wailing children in bloodied tunics being rushed to local hospitals.

President Asif Ali Zardari, who was in Karachi on Thursday, condemned the attack.

"The relentless attacks on ordinary Pakistani citizens by those who want to impose an extremist mindset and lifestyle upon our country will not deter our government," said one of Zardari's top aides, Farahnaz Ispahani. "We remain committed to fighting these murderers and expelling them from our land."

An injured blast victim child arrives at a hospital in Karachi on October 7, 2010 following two bomb explosions at the entrance of the shrine to Sufi saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi

Saudi human rights groups against the marriage between a child bride, 13, and a 50-year-old man

Saudi human rights group seems a contradiction in terms. In any case they are on the job, bravely against the law as laid down by the clerics. Dealing with the issue of child marriages.

The issue of child brides has become a major controversy in Saudi Arabia, pitting supporters of a ban against those who defend it, citing the behaviour of Muhammad himself.

A 12 year old girl died in Yemen while giving birth, as a result of one of these bogus marriages. A 13 year old with a 50 year old man ~ like catching fish in a barrel. Serious disrespect for the child.

It is not enough to say that Muhammad's actions with at least one child, could be attributed to the period, because the Hadiths show he desired to marry another, but died before, the child could reach 5, as she was only two, time in this case was not an excuse. The Mongols, another marauding group with religious overtones, also had rules on marriage, which I am afraid were far more respectable than those of Islam, they would allow their children at 10 to select a mate, from other 10 year olds, usually from a nearby village, and at 15 the two would be united. And Jesus who lived 500 years before Muhammad, it would have been unthinkable, to consummate a relationship with a child. He asked his disciples to allow the children, to come up to him. Never for his own predatory desires.

If you calculate Aisha's age in solar year, rather than lunar, she could very well have been 5 years old ~ when Muhammad brought her into his home.


Riyadh (AsiaNews) – Saudi human rights groups stepped up their fight against child brides. Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) announced that it intends to organise a forum on child marriages with relevant government departments. Its goal is to have a law in place that would set a minimum age for marriage.

The initiative comes a few days after Saudi daily Al-Watan reported the marriage between a 13-year-old girl and a 50-year-old man. The child studied at a Qur'anic school in Najran before her father married her off to a retired man despite opposition from her grandfather and other members of the family.

The child's grandfather expressed his disgust over his son, saying that no one in his family is talking to him and they all feel sorry for the child, who he says was clearly brainwashed. By contrast, the father claims that objections from other relatives were simply due to a family dispute.

The marriage contractor, Sheikh Saad Al-Yami, told the media that the girl had accepted the marriage. However, HRC President Bandar Al-Iban called it a "clear violation of this child's rights and humanity at a time when she needs to enjoy the care of her family, her education and her normal life as a child".

The issue of child brides has become a major controversy in Saudi Arabia, pitting supporters of a ban against those who defend it, citing the behaviour of Muhammad himself.

At the beginning of the year, the HRC set up a committee to look into the issue. It has also called on official bodies to set a minimum age of marriage based on studies presented by the childhood committee at the Ministry of Health.

It has also tried to unite society against child marriages, even individual cases, commending the role of the media in bringing into the public domain reports of violation of children's rights.

The issue of child marriages came up again when the Shura Council called on its committee dealing with social affairs, family and youth to study the issue and submit a report to the council for discussion.

Hitchens vs. Ramadan: “Is Islam a religion of peace?”

Ramadan believes that in its ideal form, Islam is what allows us to save ourselves from ourselves — that is, from all those human qualities which we abhor. This process, he claimed, is jihad. Ramadan believes that jihad is one of the many terms that Americans and the West misunderstand. At this point, I could not help but be reminded of the defense that Communists give when confronted with the horrors perpetrated in the name of their political philosophy throughout the 20th century. That was not the “real” Communism, they say.

Islam can be compared to Communism ~ because it aims to control all the parts all the time. And it is natural to have a breakdown. Because if you don't have a leader in control, then who controls the parts, Bin Laden, Sheik someone or other or the Saudi King ~ so you get all these people taking islamic law into their own hands and you get this whole controlled mess.

Spookily, being in the Islamic world you do get the feeling that this is a religious Communism. As for the 'real' Islam ~ Muslims in the west seem to hold the key to this ~ they continuously attempt to present this real Islam ~ that exists nowhere in the Islamic world. I think they get a little confused into thinking that islam and humanity are one. Rather than it is that they, most without the freedom not to, act in accordance with the Islamic doctrine or restrictions. Highlight restrictions.

Ramadan believes that in its ideal form, Islam is what allows us to save ourselves from ourselves — that is, from all those human qualities which we abhor.

And this fine note defines the Western society from the Islamic ~ just who decides what we abhor?

For Ramadan for the west to acknowledge Islam as apart of it ~ it should make laws based on ethics ~ ethics decided not by any god of course ~ his god. Out goes individual freedoms, rights based on man made laws ~ drowning 'We the people' ~ and paving the way for a New Egypt at least in theory, where Christians who were once the majority, live as second class citizens, as their religious beliefs are what Muslims abhor.


A few days after author Christopher Hitchens announced to the world that he had an advanced and deadly cancer, the 92nd street YMCA in Manhattan announced that it would be hosting a debate between the pugnacious author and Tariq Ramadan, the infamous Islamist apologist and progeny of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. The pair met to spar over the question: “Is Islam a religion of peace?” I bought my tickets not knowing whether Hitch would be up to the task considering his condition; it was a leap of faith.

The event, which was simulcast to several Jewish community centers in Colorado, Rhode Island, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Chicago was moderated by The New York Times religion correspondent, Laurie Goodstein. The debate was supposed to have taken place over three years ago, but for whatever reason, Dr. Ramadan withdrew. Hitchens, being who he is, attempted to re-stage the canceled encounter by unexpectedly confronting Ramadan at a literary festival in Mantua, Italy later that year. Hitchens asked some very good questions, but the short exchange only whet the appetite for more.

Finally, after much anticipation, the world was treated to a discussion on this consuming question. To add even greater significance, the debate took place at a venue 110 blocks from where the proposed “Ground Zero” mosque may soon be built.

Ms. Goldstein briefly introduced the speakers and even more briefly introduced the rules. It was a rather informal debate with guidelines for times but not strict limits.

Hitchens began by declaring that Islam could not be a religion of peace because there is no such thing as a religion of peace simply by definition. Religion and peace are incompatible because, at its core, religion is a war on reason. Religion, especially Islam, professes to be the vehicle by which humans achieve salvation, but humans also rely on it to think for them. Islam, like any other religion, is a flawed attempt by flawed people to create (or arrive at) a final and a definitive answer to everything. Thus, according to Hitchens, its totality is totalitarian. Not coincidentally, religion’s manifestations are often correspondingly totalitarian, and brutally so.

Radical Islam has 'outspent, outmanoeuvred, out-strategised' democracies: Blair

 sun sets behind a minaret in the centre of Riyadh March 1, 2008. Home to Islam's holiest cities of Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia regards itself as the guardian of Islam and is often closed off to foreigners

"The practitioners of extremism are small in number. The adherents of the narrative stretch far broader into parts of mainstream thinking," Blair said.

That's true and the narrative did not start with Sept. 11, it has been around for years ~ it is only now that we are hearing it.

We should accept that hostility, takes many forms.

We might perhaps look at a broader picture ~ firstly we are already guilty of being non-Muslim ~ so that whatever can be attributed to this, fact or fiction, adds to the belief that it would be better if the world was an Islamic one.

Going back: I question how they would have attacked India all those years ago ~ on what grounds ~ to gather support, first they would have had to vilify the Hindus and Buddhists. This could be the Islamic way. That the need to fight to bring Shari'a needs firstly justification. This insidious Islamic narrative could be a prelude to this.

The Muslim world already struggles with live and let live ~ if non-Muslim are allowed in any nation ~ they are 'kept' as second class citizens. Perhaps Muslims have been taught to see the world from this perspective. In this sense defeating the narrative may not be possible.

And there is the very poignant Islamic distinction ~ Dar al Islam, the conquered lands or lands of Islam, and Dar al Harb the unconquered lands of war. Clearly the narrative aims to dehumanize those in Dar al Harb ~ western women's rights, western decadence and so on.. are all legitimate targets.


New York, Oct 7(ANI): Radical Islamist extremists have "outspent, outmanoeuvred and out-strategised" democracies around the world, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has claimed.

Speaking in New York to thinktank, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Blair said that warnings of 26/11 Mumbai-style terror plots against Europe should remind people that they remained under threat.

He said that it was "absurd" that some people were surprised at how powerful Islamist extremist groups were, given the amount of funding they received and indoctrination they spread.

"Measure, over the years, the paucity of our counter-attack in the name of peaceful coexistence. We have been outspent, outmanoeuvred and out-strategised," The Telegraph quoted Blair, as saying.

The former Prime Minister further called for a 'fresh confrontation' saying that it would be impossible to defeat extremism "without defeating the narrative that nurtures it".

"The practitioners of extremism are small in number. The adherents of the narrative stretch far broader into parts of mainstream thinking," Blair said.

"It is a narrative that now has vast numbers of assembled websites, blogs and organisations," he added. (ANI)

German Muslims must obey law, not sharia: Merkel

Muslim men, most of them either Turkish or Arab immigrants, attend midday prayers at the Omar Mosque in the immigrant-heavy district of Kreuzberg on September 21, 2010 in Berlin, Germany

"Now we obviously also have Muslims in Germany. But it's important in regard to Islam that the values represented by Islam must correspond with our constitution," said Merkel.

"What applies here is the constitution, not sharia."

(Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday Muslims must obey the constitution and not sharia law if they want to live in Germany, which is debating the integration of its 4 million-strong Muslim population.

In the furor following a German central banker's blunt comments about Muslims failing to integrate, moderate leaders including President Christian Wulff have urged Germans to accept that " Islam also belongs in Germany."

The debate comes against a backdrop of U.S. and British concerns over the threat of terrorist attacks by militant Islamists living in Germany, with Berlin toning down such fears.

Merkel faces corresponding discussions inside her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) about whether she is conservative enough, and the center-right leader's latest comments seemed directed at those who think Wulff went too far in appeasing the Muslims.

Bulgarian Muslims: Anti-Islam Hit Is Interior Minister's PR

Blagoevgrad Regional Mufti, Aydan Mohamed, demands apologies from Bulgarian authorities over the raid of an Imam’s house in southern Bulgaria

The police informs they found a large number of propaganda brochures with radical Islam content, promoting religious hate and change of the Bulgarian constitution while, according to [Imam] Kamber, these were 1 000-years-old Islam books about purity, prayer, marriage and divorce.

The Imam reiterated there is no terrorism in Islam which forbids killing innocent victims...

Bulgarian Imams are staging a national meeting to issue a joint declaration asking the authorities and Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, for official apologies.

The statement was made Thursday in a TV interview by the Blagoevgrad Regional Mufti, Aydan Mohamed in the village of Lazhnitsa, just one day after the Bulgarian National Agency for State Security (DANS), the anti-mafia police, and the Prosecutor's Office carried out a special operation against the alleged illegal Bulgarian branch of the extremist Al Waqf al Islami Foundaton.

The operation stirred strong tensions in Lazhnitsa prompting many of the villagers to gather in front of the raided house of Imam, Mohamed Kamber, as a sign of support.

Kamber told the TV reporter he is outraged and offended and will seek justice after the authorities complete the probe of the seized documents. The police informs they found a large number of propaganda brochures with radical Islam content, promoting religious hate and change of the Bulgarian constitution while, according to Kamber, these were 1 000-years-old Islam books about purity, prayer, marriage and divorce.

Large-scale Hit on Radical Islam Launched in Bulgaria

Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor, Boris Velchev, informs a special operation, aiming at halting the activities of the illegal branch of the radical Muslim Foundation Al Waqf al Islami, has been ongoing for months now

Bulgarian investigators are raiding Wednesday several houses in the Velingrad municipality in the search for extremist Islam propaganda materials, the Prosecutor's Office in the southern city of Pazardzhik informs.

The raids are part of a large-scale police operation launched in Bulgaria aiming at halting the activities of the illegal branch of the radical Muslim Foundation Al Waqf al Islami. The operation is taking place in southern Bulgaria, in the regions of Pazardzhik, Blagoevgrad and Smolyan.

The spokesperson of the Pazardzhik Prosecutor's Office told Darik radio they have started a pre-trial procedure against an alleged leader of a group in 2008-2009, which was plotting a coup in Bulgaria and forceful constitutional changes.

Three operations are taking place in the Smolyan Region, but the Deputy Regional Prosecutor declined offering details over classified information, only confirming the operations aim at locating individuals with ties to the Islamic Foundation.

Al Waqf al Islami has at least 8 addresses in Bulgaria's second largest city of Plovdiv, the Chair of the local Mosque Board of Trustees, Ashim Assan says, adding branches of the Foundation abound in southern Bulgaria. According to Assan, Al Waqf al Islami is affiliated with Al Queda and operates in Bulgaria since 1997.

"At the time, thanks to then Prime Minister, Ivan Kostov, and his wife's Foundation "Future for Bulgaria," radical Islam was able to settle in the country. Later, the Three-Way Coalition cabinet provided political cover-up, because Al Waqf al Islami sponsored one of their members – the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS)," Assan stated.

North Caucasus: Ingushetia Islamic Militants Announce Moratorium On Killing Police ~ As To Allow Them To Join Their Islamic Struggle

Police officers stand at a checkpoint near the border with Ingushetia, where a suicide bomber blew himself up near the village of Chermen, on August 17

The statement contains greetings "to all mujaheds of the Caucasus" and calls on Allah "to strengthen our unity."

Ingushetian President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov said 400 police officers have been killed in Ingushetia over the past five years

In a statement dated August 29, but posted to the Internet only on October 5, the Ingushetian wing of the North Caucasus insurgency announced a moratorium on killing police officers.

But at the same time, its members conflated with the concept of jihad the ongoing campaign to wrest back from North Ossetia lands considered historically Ingush. They warned that they had already started "working on the Ossetians," whom they brand nonbelievers and Russian stooges.

A 15-minute video clip of the unidentified qadi (Shari'a judge) of the Ingushetian jamaat of the Caucasus Emirate proclaimed three years ago by Doku Umarov reading the statement in Ingush, together with a Russian translation, was posted on October 5 on hunafa.com, the Ingush jamaat website.

The statement argues that it is incumbent on all true believers to wage jihad, and that the Ingush are justified in waging jihad to win back control of their lands, even though fellow Ingush living in North Ossetia may suffer in the process. It appeals to those Ingush to "be patient" and "not to organize [protest] meetings."

The statement then announces the "temporary" moratorium on killing police, "not because we do not have the strength to kill them in their homes, but because we hope that they will reconsider and show understanding for our position." Speaking on October 2 at an antiterror protest meeting in Nazran, Ingushetian President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov said 400 police officers have been killed in Ingushetia over the past five years

Fighting For Survival In Northern Afghanistan [Video]

Fifty Afghan militiamen are putting their lives on the line to keep the Taliban out of their village. But without support from the government in Kabul, they might be forced to give up their fight. RFE

Fuel Tankers For NATO Forces In Afghanistan Torched [Video]

WATCH: Gunmen in Pakistan attacked and set fire to at least a dozen trucks carrying fuel for NATO operations in Afghanistan, killing one man in the fourth such attack in six days. Firemen extinguished the fire, while security forces cordoned off the area in an effort to apprehend the attackers. (Reuters Video)

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the latest arson attack in Pakistan on tankers carrying fuel for NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

Police said gunmen attacked and set on fire about a dozen tankers in the southwestern city of Quetta. A truck driver was also killed in the attack.

A police official described the scene of the attack: "Early in the morning at prayer time, two vehicles with armed men arrived here. They first fired in the air. The firing caused a stampede with people running for their lives. Then, one of the vehicles went in and someone threw some substance that set the vehicles on fire."

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Azam Tariq, said the attack was carried out by local militants.

The October 7 assault was the latest in a series of attacks on supply trucks heading for Afghanistan since Pakistan shut a key border crossing to international forces last week.

Tajiks Stopped From Traveling To Iran, Pakistan For Religious Courses At Madrasahs

Many thousands of Tajiks study at religious schools abroad, including at least 4,000 in madrasahs such as this one in Pakistan

"We have opened our own religious university, and we prepare our mullahs right here," Rahmon said, and implored parents to bring any of their children studying abroad home, "otherwise the majority of them would turn into extremists and terrorists in five, 10 years time."

Dozens of Tajik students, professors, and scholars were taken off a Tehran-bound plane at Dushanbe's airport as they were traveling to Iran on various religious education programs, officials in Dushanbe have said.

Officials removed the group from the plane on September 4, but did not publicly comment on the issue until today. [September 08, 2010]

Education Ministry officials said the authorities had acted because they did not have enough information about the aim of the trip to Iran.

Rajabali Sangov, head of the ministry's department of international relations, told RFE/RL's Tajik Service that the ministry received a vague letter from the Iranian Embassy in Dushanbe informing them that 71 Tajik students and professors, among others, were traveling to Iran to undergo short-term educational courses.

He said the letter came only the day before the group was planning to get on a flight to Tehran. Sangov said the ministry found out that none of the group had official permission from the relevant authorities to leave their studies or jobs to go abroad.

"If they were indeed going with educational programs, why didn't they inform the Education Ministry about their plans?" Sangov asked.

"After all, the ministry is in charge of educational matters and projects in Tajikistan. Besides, most of them are students and teachers and they were going away at the beginning of the academic year," he added.

"They should have informed education officials that they were going to be absent for some time. They were to spend one month in Iran, and we don't know what exactly they would study there."

'Bring Them Home'

It's not the first time Tajik officials have stopped students from traveling abroad to study at foreign religious schools.

Late last month, the ministry canceled its earlier decision to send 10 Tajik students to Pakistani madrasahs, citing "technical" reasons and a "lack of clarity" in their learning programs.

The moves came days after President Emomali Rahmon urged parents to remove their children from foreign madrasahs.

During a trip to southern Khatlon province shortly before the new academic year started, Rahmon said foreign madrasah graduates could pose security threats to the country.

"We have opened our own religious university, and we prepare our mullahs right here," Rahmon said, and implored parents to bring any of their children studying abroad home, "otherwise the majority of them would turn into extremists and terrorists in five, 10 years time."

"They don't only study religion there," the president said. "They will come back and create problems for the nation and government."

Religious Renaissance

People in the predominantly Muslim country have attained considerable religious freedom since the collapse of communism nearly two decades ago.

Tens of thousands of mosques have been built, thousands of Muslims have been given an opportunity to perform the hajj pilgrimage each year, and major celebrations in the Islamic calendar have been approved by the government as public holidays.

At least 20 official Islamic madrasahs and an Islamic university operate in the country. In addition, hundreds more students attend religious schools in countries like Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

However, Rahmon's secular government has come under criticism in recent years for restricting Islamic practices.

Security and law enforcement agencies have conducted raids on mosques and private houses to prevent mullahs from running unsanctioned religious classes. Officials have outlawed the Islamic head scarf, or hijab, in schools and public offices.

And this week, Tajikistan's Council of Islamic Ulema, a pro-government independent religious body, urged imams not to call children and students for prayers in mosques.

The council insists its only aim is not to harm school attendance, as some prayers take place during school hours. Yet the call has outraged some imams, who say the authorities are unhappy with the steadily increasing number of children turning up for mosque prayers.

Importing Extremism?

The authorities have repeatedly highlighted the threat of extremism and terrorism posed by graduates of foreign religious schools, notably by those who attend unofficial madrasahs.

Authorities say officially 2,000 Tajiks are studying at foreign madrasahs through educational grants and quotas, and intergovernmental agreements.

But regional media estimate that several thousand more students have been sent privately to foreign religious schools. An estimated 4,000 Tajiks reportedly study in Pakistani madrasahs alone.

Tajikistan's embassy in Islamabad has repeatedly expressed its concern that some of the students have ended up in underground schools run by extremist groups.

Tajikistan has banned a number of religious groups, including the Salafi movement, which the government claims is being run by foreign madrasah graduates with radical ideas.

Many such graduates, however, insist the authorities' fears are baseless.

Dushanbe resident Said Muhammad Ghozi says he studied in a madrasah in Pakistan along with his four brothers in the 1990s. Now his sons and several of his nephews study at the same religious school.

"We didn't study anything remotely radical there," Ghozi said. "Our educational program solely focused on Islam and also on computer studies."

Many others in Tajikistan, however, share the government's concerns.

Abdullo Rahnamo, a Dushanbe-based analyst of religious and social issues, says that unfortunately, there have been real security threats posed by graduates of foreign schools, particularly those who attend underground schools, and promote the ideas of different religious sects upon their return.

Radio Free Europe

The Roots Of The Taliban [Audio]

 Published 9 September 2010

Click on image to play

In this audio slide show, David Edwards, an anthropology professor who has studied the politics and culture of Afghanistan for 30 years, describes the roots of the Taliban in refugee camps and madrasahs, and explains why he has little hope that its leaders will compromise for peace.

Video link

- Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Geert Wilders speaks in Berlin - English Subtitles Part 1/4

Times Square bomber, took the oath to become a US citizen, but said he did not mean it [Video]

US Muslims vs. Europe's Muslims debate.... there is no difference.
Some get along, some conspire to impose Sharia, while a few attack.

UK Muslim fanatics want new opposition leader's head

Labour Party leader Ed Miliband (R) meets members of the Manchester United academy at the club's Carrington Training Ground

NEW Labour leader Ed Miliband is a top target for Muslim fanatics.

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary issued the chilling warning just days after Miliband became the first Jewish politician to lead the Labour Party.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sunday, the firebrand extremist said “Red Ed” faced being targeted over his views on Israel.

He said last night: “I think he set out his stall when he said the Government should continue their war in Afghanistan and that he supported the state of Israel.

“It’s the same old thing – the occupation of Muslim land. What’s the difference?

“The whole issue of Israel is something which is in the minds of the Jews, so people will see him as just another person that supports the occupation of Muslim lands. That’s maybe a factor in people’s minds.”

Choudary, 43, also hit out at the Milibands’ Jewish origins.

France charges man for burning, urinating on Koran, but let's celebrate 'piss on Christ'

Wiki: Piss Christ

If Muslim continue to insist that all others live under their religious laws ~ we may see similar protests. It is seems that to get around the stumbling block, is to also do the same to the Bible. No one would be charged for defiling a Bible. These laws are for Pakistan. There because a person is non-Muslim and touches the Koran, land themselves 25 years in prison [narrowly escaping the death penalty].

"He claims full responsibility. He says he's not a right-wing extremist but that in France he can burn the Koran, just as he can burn a Winnie the Pooh book, without worrying about the consequences," Strasbourg deputy prosecutor Gilles Delorme told Reuters.

The Strasbourg blogger gave no explanation for his act, Delorme said, but the incident is the latest in a spate of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim acts of vandalism in the city since the start of the year.

Apparently, its vandalism. Your copy ~ you burnt it!!

The incident comes when the country is already on heightened alert for potential attacks, following the kidnapping last month of five French hostages in Niger by al Qaeda's North African arm and a number of bomb threats across the capital Paris.

Might the blogger be protesting these sorts of things ~ especially the threat of violence used to keep people in line with Islamic laws.


STRASBOURG, Oct 5 (Reuters) - A blogger who filmed himself burning the Koran and urinating on it to put out the flames is to appear in court in eastern France, charged with incitement to religious hatred, legal sources said on Tuesday.

Threats in September by a Florida preacher to hold a high-profile protest burning of the Koran sparked global outrage among Muslims, and triggered violent protests in Afghanistan in which one protester was shot dead.

The book-burning subsequently was cancelled, after U.S. President Barack Obama warned it could endanger lives and act as a recruiting tool for al Qaeda.

In the film, which was posted on the Internet, the 30-year-old blogger from Bischheim near Strasbourg is seen sitting in his living room wearing a devil's mask and tearing pages out of a copy of the Koran to make paper airplanes.

He then throws the airplanes at two upended boxes, arranged to look like the Twin Towers in New York, before burning the book on his balcony and urinating on it.

Islamic flag over the White House: Radical Muslims want America ruled by Shariah

It's fair to conclude that this experiment in engagement with Islam has failed.

If the hope is that everyone in America will be Muslim ~ otherwise that the US should fall ~ what can we do?

In the Middle East after prayers ~ there is a prayer for the west's destruction. A year or so back, a leading Saudi cleric said during the Hajj period, Muslims should no longer pray for the destruction of the West/ unbelievers. Doubtful if the word got out.

Islamists say the Koran is destined to rule America. In fact, the Muslim takeover of the White House is not just an unfolding action plan but a directive from Muhammad himself.

In an interview Sunday on ABC's "This Week," British radical Muslim activist Anjem Choudary made clear what he and his Islamist brothers have planned for the West. "We do believe, as Muslims, the East and the West will one day be governed by the Shariah," he said. "Indeed, we believe that one day, the flag of Islam will fly over the White House." He then quoted a hadith, or saying of Muhammad, as related by 10th-century Muslim scholar Al-Tabarani, that "the final hour will not come until Muslims conquer the White House." Another version of the saying goes, "A small portion of Muslims will rise and conquer the White House."

Many Americans believe this conquest is well underway, if not already secretly completed. President Obama was concerned enough about perceptions of his faith to address the question at one of his recent "backyard discussions" in New Mexico. Mr. Obama said he is "a Christian by choice," which may or may not assuage the concerns of those who believe he is a Muslim by birth.

Court hears Muslims' complaints against lawmaker

The case is seen as a test of how far a politician can go in speaking negatively about a religion without unlawfully infringing on religious freedom. He has never called for violence.

Unlike Muslims, who regularly call for violence ~ often under cover of reciting the Koran.

But others believe Wilders has crossed the line, for example when he says that "If Muslims want to stay here, they must tear out half the Quran and toss it."

A provocation statement, but there ARE parts of the Koran that call for violence, discrimination and hatred of non-Muslims ~ at times mentioning these target groups by name. It poses a real problem if people think it is true and believe they should act on them.

At Wednesday's hearing, the judges viewed Wilders' short film "Fitna," which juxtaposes Quranic verses with images of terrorist attacks to argue that Islam is an inherently violent religion. Its release in 2008 prompted demonstrations in the Muslim world.

Let's not forget some Muslims were saying that besides the picture of the Prophet, Wilders' Fitna film could have been made by them. Because as they have repeatedly told us they justify acts of violence with passages from the Koran.

Wilders is criticized for talking about immigration ~ but how is this immigration taking place ~ through marriage ~ generation after generation the family reunification right is used to help others immigrate through marriage ~ integration is the last thing on their minds ~ for the majority. Stop the marriage immigration and you will probably see a more integrated group of Muslims in Europe. Because their lives, spouses, children and their minds will be here.

Almost every EU country has revised these marriage allowances ~ Denmark has taken the furthest steps back in 2002. This new Dutch government plans to make a slightly more flexible system ~ similar to Denmark's restrictions. [Flexible: for example, if you are marrying an American or Japanese citizen you would not face the same restriction.]

The multicultural system fell apart ~ because inclusive meant ~ excluding the majority.

AMSTERDAM (AP)— Muslims in the Netherlands say that remarks by politician Geert Wilders have poisoned attitudes toward them, making them feel unwelcome and at risk, according to complaints disclosed at his hate speech trial Wednesday.

"My family and I no longer feel safe in the Netherlands because Mr. Wilders is continually making hateful remarks about Islamic Dutch people," said one complaint read out by the judge. "It's getting scary. ... Soon the kids won't be able to say that they're Muslim or half-Moroccan," wrote the citizen, whose name was not released.

Dozens of similar complaints filed with public prosecutors eventually led them to file charges against Wilders, citing frequent statements he has made comparing Islam to Fascism, calling for a ban on Muslim immigration and for banning the Quran.

Wilders is charged with inciting discrimination and hatred and with insulting a people on religious grounds, punishable with up to a year in jail and a fine.

Al Jazeera guest ~ if you hate Islam then you hate Muslims, and what of those who have left Islam? Its a Sir Thomas More situation emerging, but Shari'a law is behind the court [Video]

Probably it would be seen as being too offensive to talk about Muslim treatment of others ~ why look to America for examples ~ when you could look to Egypt or any Muslim country which permits non-Muslim to hold citizenship, Afghanistan has been declared Jew-free and probably Christian free, the Maldives allows no non-Muslim citizens and neither does the God Father Saudi Arabia. Is this not radical? And where Muslim nations do allow their citizens to be non-Muslims they are required to be second class citizens. This is not the radical fringe ~ this is mainstream Islam.

And because they have never been allowed to question these things in the public sphere ~ without thought ~ think it is best for us also.

In Tajikistan, Islamic Names Are The New Fashion, Tajik Names Ditch in Line With rise in Radicalism

Tajikis pray in Dushanbe's central mosque during the feast of Eid al-Fitr. Islam's growing influence is showing up in the new fashion for names

Now its Aisha Muhammad's 5 year old bride [in solar years] and Muhammad.

Until earlier this year, one 19-year-old student from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, was known as Shohrukh to his friends and family.

But he recently decided to ditch his "purely Tajik" first name and now answers to "Muhammad," the name of Islam's prophet.

"I came to this decision gradually," Muhammad says. "I learned about Islam and wanted to get a suitable Muslim name for myself." He says that he heard that "on Doomsday, everyone will be called by their first names, so I wanted to be called Muhammad."

So-called Islamic names are becoming increasingly popular in the predominantly Muslim country.

Wilders's film Fitna screened in Dutch court ~ Do the Dutch plan to make Fitna illegal ~ banned for reading the Koran's more hostile verses without Muslim consent?

What is this trial about ~ does it aim to show that the Koran does not promote violence ~ or is to prove that by saying so, causes offence to Muslims ~ and therefore Wilders' must be guilty of. Worrying territory either way.

It is not clear whether they allowed the film to be shown after one complainant [mostly Islamic] said that she did not wish to see the film. Is this a Shari'a court?

The clip of the little Egyptian girl who is encouraged to recitie from the Koran statements which are insulting to Jews ~ that before it become a part of the Fitna movie was on the internet any way ~ would be embarrassing ~ nevermind offensive ~ for the mostly Islamic group trying to prove that Wilders is insulting Islam ~ and via this ~ them.

Islam is being presented as the alternative to democracy ~ by many Muslims. As a result it is being questioned and ridiculed ~ and of course Muslims ~ most of whom came to Islam under the sword ~ are deeply offended ~ that this law, which was brought to them under duress ~ could be questioned. And brings home ~ the problem with religious law. There is no freedom to criticize it.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The hate trial of Dutch anti-Islamist politician Geert Wilders, who will have a powerful shadow role in the Dutch government, resumed on Wednesday with a showing of his controversial film that criticises the Koran.

The screening in court of Wilders's 2008 film "Fitna," which accuses the Koran of inciting violence, threatened to interrupt the trial for a second time in a week when defence lawyer Bram Moszkowicz objected to comments from presiding judge Jan Moors.

When one complainant said she did not wish to see the film, which accuses the Koran of inciting violence, Moors said: "I can understand that" -- prompting a sharp response from Moszkowicz who said such a remark is simply not allowed.

Moors stressed he was not expressing any judgement over the film. Moszkowicz then reluctantly allowed the trial to proceed.

Wilders, who has constant police protection because of death threats, went on trial on Monday on charges of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims in media comments and for insulting Muslims by comparing the Islamic faith to Nazism.

France arrests 12 on terror suspicions

PARIS, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- French police say they've arrested 12 people in the south of the country suspected of having links to terrorist networks.

French national police said nine of those arrested have links to an Islamist movement and allegedly tried to obtain weapons and explosives, CNN reported Tuesday.

No charges have been filed yet, and under French law the detainees can be held for six days for questioning before charges must be filed.

Three of those arrested have links to a Frenchman of Algerian extraction arrested in Italy last month and suspected of being a member of the terror group al-Qaida, police said.

French authorities identified him as Riahd Hennouni and said an anti-terror judge in Paris requested his arrest.

France has asked for his extradition from Italy, Didier Allard of the Palais de Justice appeals court said.

It is unclear whether the 12 arrested in the latest sweep were French citizens, CNN said.

Pre-trial begins in family honor killings ~ this time Canada

KINGSTON, Ontario, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Pre-trial motions begin in Canada Tuesday for three members of a Montreal family accused of killing four of their relatives in June of 2009.

Mohammad Shafia, 57, his wife, Tooba Mohammad Yahya, 40, and their son Hamed, 19, are each charged with four counts of first-degree homicide and conspiracy in the deaths of three teenage sisters and Shafia's first wife, The (Montreal) Gazette reported.

The bodies of Rona Amir Mohammad, 50, and her daughters Zainab, 19, Shari, 17 and Geeti, 13, were found in a submerged vehicle in Kingston, Ont.

Police said the victims and the accused were returning to Montreal from a visit to Niagara Falls at the time of the deaths.

Relatives of Rona Amir Mohammad told authorities the deaths were honor killings.

The family, of Afghan origin, has lived in Montreal since 2007.

Pre-trial motions in the case are expected to last a month and the trial won't begin until next year, the Gazette said.

Saudi prince beats black Muslim slave to death, who otherwise served all his needs [Video]

House of Saud:- It is the biggest joke in the Islamic world. Particularly in that region.

There was a terrible joke someone told me from that region ~ An Arab guy goes to the airport, in filling out the forms they ask, name and then sex, misunderstanding, he answers 'both' !!

This while they condemn everyone else!

Security camera footage captured a Saudi prince savagely beating his servant in a luxury hotel elevator only weeks before the aide was slain, a British prosecutor said Tuesday.

Prince Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud is accused of murdering Bandar Abdullah Abdulaziz in a frenzied sex attack at London's Landmark Hotel Feb. 15. Abdulaziz was found beaten and strangled to death in the room the two shared at London's Landmark Hotel.

Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw told London's Central Criminal Court Abdulaziz there was evidence of a sexual assault, including bite marks on the victim's cheeks.

Laidlaw also said there was evidence that the 34-year-old royal, whose grandfather is a brother of the current Saudi king, had abused his aide in the past, showing jurors video shot in the Landmark's elevator which appears to show the shaven-headed prince, dressed in white, throwing his 32-year-old servant around and battering him.

Abdulaziz, dressed in black, occasionally tries to protect his head but otherwise meekly absorbs the punches.

"It is a nasty assault with the victim suffering a whole series of blows being struck with both fists and elbows," Laidlaw said. "What is also evident from the victim's behavior is that he had become by this point almost entirely submissive.

Times Square bomber jailed: But not before the usual rant ~ Fall of the US is imminent ~ Allah Akbar [Video]

Failed Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad was sentenced this morning to life behind bars for trying to set-off a parked car full of explosives.

A defiant Shahzad said "Allahu Akbar" -- Arabic for "God is great" -- after the judge sentenced him to the mandatory life imprisonment.

"Brace yourself because the war with the Muslims has only just begun," he told the judge before he was sentenced during the 30-minute hearing. "The defeat of the US is imminent and will happen in the near future."

Shahzad, 31, a married father of two and naturalized American citizen who lived in Bridgeport, Conn., had pleaded guilty on June 21 in Manhattan federal court to 10 felonies, including international terrorism and trying to use a weapon of mass destruction.

When Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum asked Shahzad, who was sporting a beard and white prayer cap, that he was an American citizen and that he had sworn an oath, he replied, "I did swear, but I didn't mean it."

The judge handed Shahzad six life sentences -- to run concurrently -- for his crimes.

"So, I am happy with the deal," a smirking Shahzad said.

At one point, Cedarbaum argued with the unrepentant Shahzad.

“You appear to be someone who was capable of education and I do hope you will spend some of the time in prison thinking carefully about whether the Koran wants you to kill lots of people,” she told Shahzad.

Shahzad responded that the Koran "gives us the right to defend. And that’s all I’m doing.”
The courtroom was packed with marshals and other security as Shahzad was led away in handcuffs.

The feds have said that Shahzad put together an improvised car bomb -- a 1993 Pathfinder fitted with 250 pounds of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel, three 25-pound propane tanks and two five-gallon gasoline canisters -- that failed to ignite.

Bomb experts who have studied Shahzad's design before using it to build a working model say clearly demonstrated his deadly intent.

U.S. Military Orders Less Dependence on Fossil Fuels - Besides the Cost, With it We are Funding Both Sides of the War

Oil tankers that were set on fire in Pakistan. The convoys that haul fuel to bases have been sitting ducks for enemy fighters

Fossil fuel accounts for 30 to 80 percent of the load in convoys into Afghanistan, bringing costs as well as risk. While the military buys gas for just over $1 a gallon, getting that gallon to some forward operating bases costs $400.

The tank was developed, from an old farmer's invention ~ he simply wanted to get through the mud in his field better, so he came up with the treads. War often creates the necessity that is the mother of invention ~ and can result in permanent changes in the way we live.

The oil that helped to fuel the west's industrial revolution ~ is now its Achilles' heel.


With insurgents increasingly attacking the American fuel supply convoys that lumber across the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan, the military is pushing aggressively to develop, test and deploy renewable energy to decrease its need to transport fossil fuels.

Last week, a Marine company from California arrived in the rugged outback of Helmand Province bearing novel equipment: portable solar panels that fold up into boxes; energy-conserving lights; solar tent shields that provide shade and electricity; solar chargers for computers and communications equipment.

The 150 Marines of Company I, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, will be the first to take renewable technology into a battle zone, where the new equipment will replace diesel and kerosene-based fuels that would ordinarily generate power to run their encampment.

Even as Congress has struggled unsuccessfully to pass an energy bill and many states have put renewable energy on hold because of the recession, the military this year has pushed rapidly forward. After a decade of waging wars in remote corners of the globe where fuel is not readily available, senior commanders have come to see overdependence on fossil fuel as a big liability, and renewable technologies — which have become more reliable and less expensive over the past few years — as providing a potential answer. These new types of renewable energy now account for only a small percentage of the power used by the armed forces, but military leaders plan to rapidly expand their use over the next decade.

Times Square bomb plotter sentenced to life in prison [Video]

New York (CNN) -- A judge in Manhattan sentenced Faisal Shahzad to life in prison Tuesday for the botched Times Square car bombing, as the 31-year-old Pakistani-American defiantly warned in court to "brace yourself, the war with Muslims has just begun."

"The defeat of the U.S. is imminent, inshallah," Shahzad said during the sentencing. Inshallah means "if God is willing."

Speaking in a 14th-floor courtroom with a view of Lower Manhattan and the area where the World Trade Center towers once stood, Shahzad said Muslims have been defending their people and their lands. If that makes them terrorists, "then we will terrorize you," he said, imploring people to embrace Islam.

U.S. District Judge Miriam Cedarbaum, who sentenced Shahzad to the mandatory sentence of life in prison, noted that he failed to show remorse for his actions.

She also said that the sentence was an "adequate deterrent to those inclined to follow the defendant and to protect the public against the crimes of this defendant."

White House spokesman Nick Shapiro noted the trial held in a civilian court effectively handled the case. Republicans have criticized the Obama administration for seeking to prosecute terrorists in civilian courts instead of military panels.

"We are pleased that this terrorist has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, after providing substantial intelligence to our interrogators, and a speedy civilian trial," Shapiro said. "His trial served no propaganda purpose for al Qaeda, and only underscored the strength of our justice system. The case shows once again how our values and the rule of law can keep us safe against those determined to do us harm on behalf of terrorist organizations overseas."

During Tuesday's sentencing, Cedarbaum asked Shahzad about swearing to defend Americans when he became a naturalized citizen.

"I swore but I didn't mean it," he said.

Shahzad interrupted the judge's sentencing several times. He pointed to the ceiling and said "Allahu akbar," or God is great, and he said he didn't care about the sentence.

"My sentence reflects life in this world, not life in the hereafter," he said. "I'm happy with the deal that God has given me."

Saying he appears to be someone "who is capable of education," she said she hopes he will spend time in prison thinking of whether the Quran wants you to kill people." The Quran is Islam's sacred book.

"The Quran gives us the right to defend ourselves," he said.

West warned that Islam insults risk a 'clash' ~ of civilizations

Islamophobia is fear of Peace!!

Pretty good New Media editor's note after all this:

In speeches to the UN General Assembly, leaders said that "Islamophobia" was causing a growing Muslim-West divide and one top Arab minister put the international community on guard against a "civilisation clash".

A threat to burn the Koran by a fringe US church, controversy over a proposed mosque near the scene of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and assaults on Islamic symbols in European countries have been a major talking point for Muslim nations.

Normally strong allies of the West have spoken out at the UN against the growing religious tensions in the past fortnight.

Many were embarrassed by comments by Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad linking the US government to 9/11, diplomats said.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do: Muslim leaders have come forward to condemn what they see as "Islamophobia" in the West, even as groups like al Shabaab, al Qaeda, the Taliban and a plethora of others execute violence and murder in the name of Islam.

Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, V.P. of the Masjlis Ash-Shura of N.Y., speaks at a news conference to issue a statement against bigotry and Islamophobia.


But Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, who has launched Western-backed diplomatic initiatives to settle wars ranging from Sudan to the Israel-Palestian conflict, condemned attempts to link Islam with terrorism. He partly blamed the US "War on Terror" declared after September 11.

"We disagree with the attribution of this so-called terrorism to the Islamic religion because this - in addition to being incorrect - is a historical injustice that is refuted by evidence from recent history." He said "gratuitous violent actions" in the US, Europe and Asia in the late 20th century were never labelled as being American, European or Asian terrorism.

"This violence was attributed to its underlying political, economic, social and even ideological causes, without attributing it to a particular religion, country or idea." Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit condemned "regrettable and appalling incidents that have increasingly touched Muslims and Islam, repeatedly and sometimes systematically in certain cases." He added: "We find the West, in general, being drawn into a clash with the Muslim world. This clash will serve no one except extremists and those who hold perverted ideas on both sides. It will not be in the interest of security and stability in the world." Gheit called for Western governments to take action, including passing laws.

"We call upon all countries and especially governments, to assume their responsibility to confront the specter of a dreadful religious and civilisation clash."

King Abdullah II of Jordan said it is "essential to resist forces of division that spread misunderstanding."

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak told the UN assembly that the world's 1.5 billion Muslims were offended by "attempts to demonise Islam." He added: "It intensifies the divide between the broad Muslim world and the West." Razak said the battle was one between moderates and extremists in all religions. "We must, and I repeat, we must urgently reclaim the centre and the moral high ground that has been usurped from us." -


Editor's Note: Glaringly absent from the declarations is the fact -- the fact -- that over 95% of all violence executed in the name of religion around the world -- around the world, not just aimed at the West -- is both preceded by and followed by the call, "Allahu Akbar," or Allah is great. The declarations of these Arab Muslim leaders cannot be taken seriously or acted upon until they, themselves, tackle the violent "jihadists" within their own religion. Otherwise, it is tantamount to saying, "Pay no attention while elements within our religion blow people up and cut off heads...and meanwhile, don't you dare say anything about it otherwise you're Islamophobic." Hogwash!

Algerian court acquits Christian couple for crime of offending Islam by lunching during Ramadan

Aren't they nice! That's really a nice thing to do. To arrest and drag them into court and threatened to lock them up for 3 years, for eating during Ramadan ~ while Christian and then letting them go. How nice!! Isn't that nice!

It is crazy that Muslims could be locked up for eating during Ramadan ~ it is even crazier that Christians could have been accused of any crime at all ~ to with eating during the Islamic month of fasting.

There is your freedom in Islam for you. 2 more cases pending. They aren't finished being nice yet!

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Judicial officials say an Algerian court has acquitted two recent converts to Christianity on trial for offending Islam by eating lunch during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The officials said the court in Ain El Hammam in the eastern Kabylie region on Tuesday threw out the case against Hocine and Salem Fallek. A state prosecutor had sought a three-year prison sentence.

Police caught the couple — both construction workers — off-guard and arrested them while they were having lunch on Aug. 12.

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During Ramadan, devout Muslims abstain from food and drink between dawn and sunset, and Algerian law considers it an "offense to the principles of Islam" to eat during the day.

Two similar court cases are pending.

The Dutch Orwellian "hate speech" trial

Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, right, and his lawyer, Bram Moszkowicz, left, are seen inside the courtroom in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010

Freedom: What do the trial of a Dutch politician, multiple terrorist threats in Western Europe and a speech by a Mideast tyrant have in common? Plenty, if you're a citizen of the West. It's all part of a game of intimidation.

On Monday, the trial for Dutch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders began. His odious crime? Speaking out against the Netherlands' open-border immigration policies, which have been blamed for letting hundreds of thousands of Muslims move in without assimilating into Dutch society.

The Dutch government charges Wilders with the Orwellian crime of "hate speech." For this, Wilders could spend a year in prison.

You don't have to agree with Wilders or like what he says — we find some of his utterances repugnant — to see that this trial is bad for Western democracy.

Wilders has been charged for saying things such as "I've had enough of Islam in the Netherlands; let not one more Muslim immigrate."

Intolerant? Maybe. But certainly it's legitimate to question whether the Netherlands' longtime policy of encouraging large numbers of unassimilable Islamic immigrants into a country whose liberal culture and tradition of openness they don't respect is a good one.

As for Wilders, he is certainly no more intolerant than those Islamists across Europe who now intimidate Euro-politicians by threatening them with death. In the Netherlands alone, filmmaker Theo Van Gogh (2004) and Dutch sociologist and politician Pim Fortuyn (2002) were murdered by Islamists or open-borders advocates.

The West's longstanding democratic tradition of free expression means nothing if it doesn't protect unpopular speech. Wilders happens to be a leader of the Freedom Party, which finished third in June's Dutch elections. By trying Wilders, the Dutch government is really trying to silence Wilders' estimated 1.5 million followers.