The federal government presented a bill to parliament this week outlining changes to the law on naturalisation, the process by which foreigners who meet certain conditions can become Swiss citizens.
The text lists conditions for citizenship, provides incentives for immigrants who integrate quickly, eliminates bureaucratic duplication and simplifies procedures.
Under the proposal, only foreigners who hold permanent residency permits and are deemed to have successfully integrated would be eligible for Swiss citizenship.
For apparently well-integrated foreigners, the draft law slashes the length of time they would have to wait for permanent residency and to initiate naturalisation process.
World Radio Switzerland
Monday, March 7, 2011
Answering Arab-American: Islamophobia greater threat to the US than Muslim terrorists
Another example of Muslims trying to control the whole society so that they can make Islam better ....
A poke at Rep. King ~ whose about to hold congress hearings on radical Islam ~ perhaps...
Pull this argument apart ~
By Dr. Zogby
Let me state quite directly: Islamophobia and those who promote it are a greater threat to the United States of America than Anwar al-Awlaqi and his ragtag team of terrorists.
On one level, al-Awlaqi, from his cave hideout in Yemen, can only prey off of alienation where it exists. Adopting the persona of a latter-day Malcolm X (though he seems not to have read the last chapters of the "Autobiography" or learned the lessons of Malcolm's ultimate conversion), he appears street smart, brash, self-assured and assertive - all of the assets needed to attract the lost or wounded souls looking for certainty and an outlet for their rage. Like some parasites, al-Awlaqi cannot create his own prey. He must wait for others to create his opportunities, which until now have been isolated and limited - a disturbed young man here, an increasingly deranged soldier there.
Blaming the other guy ~ Zionist-Crusader-Islamophobes are the cause of Islamic radicalism! How was Islam spread ~ again? That wasn't the result of radicalism ~ that was the way it was ~ back them! Fundamentalist Islam ~ was Islam.
Islamophobia, on the other hand, if left unchecked, may serve to erect barriers to Muslim inclusion in America, increasing alienation, especially among young Muslims. Not only would such a situation do grave damage to one of the fundamental cornerstones of America's unique democracy, it would also simultaneously rapidly expand the pool of recruits for future radicalisation.
Immigration that never ceases ~ produces immigrants who never adept
I have often remarked that America is different, in concept and reality, from our European allies. Third generation Kurds in Germany, Pakistanis in the UK, or Algerians in France, for example, may succeed and obtain citizenship, but they do not become German, British, or French. Last year, I debated a German government official on this issue. She kept referring to the "migrants" - a term she used to describe all those of Turkish descent, living in her country, regardless of the number of generations they had been there. Similarly, following their last election, a leading British newspaper commented on the "number of immigrants" who won seats, without noting that many of those "immigrants" were third generation citizens.
Perhaps the US will get used to European style Muslim immigration ~ and this is primarily why they are called 'immigrants' because with every generation, each family has to put at least one or all of their children ~ out to the old country, to often force them to marry their cousins, in order to help that side of the family to immigrate ~ where almost every Muslim family has at least one foreign born parent.
Why do they want to integrate ~ so their children can finally stand up to them and tell them enough with the generational chain marriage! You have to ask ~ what are these immigrants getting out of not integrating?
And look at Sarkozy's cabinet ~ he had no less than 2 'immigrant' women in there. But these are independent women who do their own thinking ~ unlike the typical non-integration Muslim woman ~ who allows herself to be subjected to her husband's every whim ~ because she rejects the freedom granted to her in the west.
In Italy there were reports of Muslim women being chained up ~ literally ~ so that they can only move between the kitchen, bathroom and living room ~ while the husband is at work. Nevermind being forced under a burqa when she goes outside!
Europe is right to make laws against these things. There can be no respect for Islamic religious laws here!
America has prided itself on being different. Being "American" is not the possession of a single ethnic group, nor does any group define "America”. Not only do new immigrants become citizens, they also secure a new identity. More than that, as new groups become American and are transformed - the idea of "America" itself has also changed to embrace these new cultures.
Within a generation, diverse ethnic and religious groups from every corner or the globe have become Americans, dramatically changing it in the process. Problems remain and intolerant bigots, in every age, have reared up against new groups, but history demonstrates that, in the end, the newcomers have been accepted, incorporated and absorbed into the American mainstream.
Mainstreaming Muslims ~ take the Amish ~ they rejected modernity ~ as in Europe Muslims wish to reject free society ~ and call for Islamic religious laws over rights bases laws ~ if they would live like the Amish ~ who would care? But Islamic society doesn't work like that ~ like in the Islamic world they insist that everyone should follow Islam as they do ~ expanded ~ this Islamic way ~ becomes Islamic terrorism.
....has prided itself on being different. Australia is also saying its different. The problem is Islam is the same ~ it demands uniformity ~ and it makes uniform demands. Thankfully that was its downfall ~ that is its weakness ~ their insistence on conformity means that they did the same things or nothing for 1000 years. With the discussions around banning Shari'a and the opposition posed by Muslim leaders ~ no doubt they will try to transform America into their beautiful Islamic model ~ as they have tried with Europe and are now attempting to do with Australia.
Al-Awlaqi likely knows more about the Prophet's life and words than the good doctor writing this article ~ that's what is so disturbing about Islam ~ compared to Muhammad the radicals don't go far enough ~ probably some of the things they would not want to do [*intercourse with dead women*] and that they can't do ~ because we won't allow them.
*A clear sign of derangement*.
Nation Pk
A poke at Rep. King ~ whose about to hold congress hearings on radical Islam ~ perhaps...
Pull this argument apart ~
By Dr. Zogby
Let me state quite directly: Islamophobia and those who promote it are a greater threat to the United States of America than Anwar al-Awlaqi and his ragtag team of terrorists.
On one level, al-Awlaqi, from his cave hideout in Yemen, can only prey off of alienation where it exists. Adopting the persona of a latter-day Malcolm X (though he seems not to have read the last chapters of the "Autobiography" or learned the lessons of Malcolm's ultimate conversion), he appears street smart, brash, self-assured and assertive - all of the assets needed to attract the lost or wounded souls looking for certainty and an outlet for their rage. Like some parasites, al-Awlaqi cannot create his own prey. He must wait for others to create his opportunities, which until now have been isolated and limited - a disturbed young man here, an increasingly deranged soldier there.
Blaming the other guy ~ Zionist-Crusader-Islamophobes are the cause of Islamic radicalism! How was Islam spread ~ again? That wasn't the result of radicalism ~ that was the way it was ~ back them! Fundamentalist Islam ~ was Islam.
Islamophobia, on the other hand, if left unchecked, may serve to erect barriers to Muslim inclusion in America, increasing alienation, especially among young Muslims. Not only would such a situation do grave damage to one of the fundamental cornerstones of America's unique democracy, it would also simultaneously rapidly expand the pool of recruits for future radicalisation.
Immigration that never ceases ~ produces immigrants who never adept
I have often remarked that America is different, in concept and reality, from our European allies. Third generation Kurds in Germany, Pakistanis in the UK, or Algerians in France, for example, may succeed and obtain citizenship, but they do not become German, British, or French. Last year, I debated a German government official on this issue. She kept referring to the "migrants" - a term she used to describe all those of Turkish descent, living in her country, regardless of the number of generations they had been there. Similarly, following their last election, a leading British newspaper commented on the "number of immigrants" who won seats, without noting that many of those "immigrants" were third generation citizens.
Perhaps the US will get used to European style Muslim immigration ~ and this is primarily why they are called 'immigrants' because with every generation, each family has to put at least one or all of their children ~ out to the old country, to often force them to marry their cousins, in order to help that side of the family to immigrate ~ where almost every Muslim family has at least one foreign born parent.
Why do they want to integrate ~ so their children can finally stand up to them and tell them enough with the generational chain marriage! You have to ask ~ what are these immigrants getting out of not integrating?
And look at Sarkozy's cabinet ~ he had no less than 2 'immigrant' women in there. But these are independent women who do their own thinking ~ unlike the typical non-integration Muslim woman ~ who allows herself to be subjected to her husband's every whim ~ because she rejects the freedom granted to her in the west.
In Italy there were reports of Muslim women being chained up ~ literally ~ so that they can only move between the kitchen, bathroom and living room ~ while the husband is at work. Nevermind being forced under a burqa when she goes outside!
Europe is right to make laws against these things. There can be no respect for Islamic religious laws here!
America has prided itself on being different. Being "American" is not the possession of a single ethnic group, nor does any group define "America”. Not only do new immigrants become citizens, they also secure a new identity. More than that, as new groups become American and are transformed - the idea of "America" itself has also changed to embrace these new cultures.
Within a generation, diverse ethnic and religious groups from every corner or the globe have become Americans, dramatically changing it in the process. Problems remain and intolerant bigots, in every age, have reared up against new groups, but history demonstrates that, in the end, the newcomers have been accepted, incorporated and absorbed into the American mainstream.
Mainstreaming Muslims ~ take the Amish ~ they rejected modernity ~ as in Europe Muslims wish to reject free society ~ and call for Islamic religious laws over rights bases laws ~ if they would live like the Amish ~ who would care? But Islamic society doesn't work like that ~ like in the Islamic world they insist that everyone should follow Islam as they do ~ expanded ~ this Islamic way ~ becomes Islamic terrorism.
....has prided itself on being different. Australia is also saying its different. The problem is Islam is the same ~ it demands uniformity ~ and it makes uniform demands. Thankfully that was its downfall ~ that is its weakness ~ their insistence on conformity means that they did the same things or nothing for 1000 years. With the discussions around banning Shari'a and the opposition posed by Muslim leaders ~ no doubt they will try to transform America into their beautiful Islamic model ~ as they have tried with Europe and are now attempting to do with Australia.
Al-Awlaqi likely knows more about the Prophet's life and words than the good doctor writing this article ~ that's what is so disturbing about Islam ~ compared to Muhammad the radicals don't go far enough ~ probably some of the things they would not want to do [*intercourse with dead women*] and that they can't do ~ because we won't allow them.
*A clear sign of derangement*.
Nation Pk
Latest 'Its in the Koran claim' gets UK imam death threats after lecture ~ "Islam and the theory of evolution".
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Usama Hasan |
At the time Hasan dismissed his critics as "fanatics" and told the Independent: "One man came up to me during the lecture and said 'You are an apostate and should be killed'... [but] I hope my positive contribution will outweigh their feelings towards me."
Unfortunately Hasan has since received numerous threats and a planned return to the Mosque to lead last Friday's prayers was cancelled on the advice of police who expressed fears for his safety. Instead the doctor's father, Suhaib, head of the mosque's committee of trustees, issued a humiliating statement on his son's behalf which read: "I seek Allah's forgiveness for my mistakes and apologise for any offence caused."
Badabing badaboom ~ this is how the Islamic world works ~ you try to push the parcel ~ you're called an apostate ~ translation ~ you should be killed ~ you quickly reassess the situation ~ followed by a grovelling apology and or a retreat to the previous position.
No new thoughts, no new thinking, no progress ~ doomed to repeat 7th century Arabia for eternity... that's got to be the definition of madness!
The more you look at the Islamic world, the more you realize how many politicians are threatened ~ as standard.
Death threats from Muslim fundamentalists have forced a British imam to retract his claim that Islam is compatible with Darwin's theory of evolution. Dr Usama Hasan, a science lecturer at Middlesex University and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, caused controversy in January when he delivered a lecture at an East London Mosque entitled "Islam and the theory of evolution".
In the lecture at the Masjid al-Tawhid mosque in Leyton Dr Hasan – whose erudite and liberal views are often expressed in the media - outlined why Darwin's theory and Islam were in harmony. But his opinions weren't well received by some of the audience with a vocal minority denouncing Hasan and accusing him of "blasphemy"
At the time Hasan dismissed his critics as "fanatics" and told the Independent: "One man came up to me during the lecture and said 'You are an apostate and should be killed'... [but] I hope my positive contribution will outweigh their feelings towards me."
Unfortunately Hasan has since received numerous threats and a planned return to the Mosque to lead last Friday's prayers was cancelled on the advice of police who expressed fears for his safety. Instead the doctor's father, Suhaib, head of the mosque's committee of trustees, issued a humiliating statement on his son's behalf which read: "I seek Allah's forgiveness for my mistakes and apologise for any offence caused."
The statement was issued just days after Dr Hasan was relieved of his position as vice-chairman and imam at the mosque because his views were a "source of antagonism in the Muslim community". The Leyton mosque is home to the Islamic Sharia Council, one of Britain's largest sharia courts.
Muslims, like some Christians, are split on the question of evolution with many believing in creationism. Moderate Islamic scholars are more tolerant of Darwin's theory provided Muslims acknowledge that God is the Supreme Being. However, religious extremists hold that to believe in evolution is to challenge the Koran's assertion that the world began with Adam and Eve.
It's not the first time that Dr Hasan has incurred the wrath of Muslim fundamentalists. In 2008, in an article for the Guardian, he wrote that: "One problem is that many Muslims retain the simple picture that God created Adam from clay, much as a potter makes a statue, and then breathed into the lifeless statue and lo! it became a living human. This is a children's madrasa-level understanding and Muslims really have to move on as adults and intellectuals."
The comments sparked outrage in some quarters with several Muslim scholars calling for a fatwa.
First Post
Al-Qaida No. 2 calls for Islamic rule in Egypt
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| Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera, Osama bin Laden, right, listens to his top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri speaking at an undisclosed location. |
"The Egyptian people's demand to establish Islamic rule is one of the most prominent Egyptian realities, a demand by the vast majority which foreign powers try to deprive them of," al-Zawahri insisted.
Osama bin Laden's deputy is urging fellow Egyptians to establish Islamic rule over the country after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, who sought to curb Islamists throughout his nearly 30 years in power.
Al-Qaida's Ayman al-Zawahri made the appeal in an Internet audio message released Friday, his second recording since Mubarak was forced out on Feb. 11. It is unlikely his call for an Islamic state will resonate among the overwhelming majority of those who took part in the 18-day popular uprising and seek a democratic system to replace Mubarak's autocratic rule.
"The Egyptian people's demand to establish Islamic rule is one of the most prominent Egyptian realities, a demand by the vast majority which foreign powers try to deprive them of," al-Zawahri insisted.
Before becoming deputy al-Qaida leader, the Egyptian al-Zawahri headed Al-Jihad, an extremist group that fought Mubarak's regime in the 1990s with a wave of bombings and other attacks that also targeted foreign tourists.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Jihad in Frankfurt - A stark reminder of the threat that is Islamist ideology.
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| Police stand around a covered U.S. military bus at Frankfurt airport |
Good article ~ WSJ
With Islam does the whole world become Vietnam?
On Wednesday two American soldiers were shot dead on a military bus at Frankfurt Airport. Arid Uka, a 21-year-old Kosovo native, has confessed to the murders of Senior Airman Nicholas Alden, 25, and Airman First Class Zachary Cuddeback, 21.
German officials say Uka approached the airmen boarding the bus, asked for a cigarette, and struck up a conversation. After one of the soldiers confirmed they were headed for Afghanistan, Uka followed them onto the bus, cried "Allahu akbar," and began shooting. "He was trying to stop them," said prosecutor Rainer Griesbaum, who described Uka as "Islamist influenced" and said the shootings underscored the dangers of "virtual jihad."
Though it appears Uka acted alone, the details that have emerged since his attack leave little reason to doubt his motives. On his Facebook page he expressed his approval for jihad and displayed ties to dozens of hardline Muslim people and organizations, including the deputy chairman of the Salafist "Invitation to Paradise" group, which German authorities are looking to ban.
Officials cited Germany's privacy laws as one reason why Uka had not been under surveillance, and his story makes a compelling case for revisiting those laws now. But Berlin at least appears to suffer no illusions about the threat posed by the world's Arid Ukas: "He is the type of terrorist we worry most about—the unknown threat," an intelligence official told the Journal.
By contrast, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley at a press briefing last week struggled to answer whether or not Uka's attack even constituted "terror": "Well, I mean, you know, for example, was the shooting of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords a terrorist attack?" Perhaps, if you still think Jared Loughner was inspired by Sarah Palin's election maps. But all available evidence suggests that Loughner's massacre was the product of a deranged mind with little if any coherent political leanings. A more apt comparison to Frankfurt would be the slaughter at Fort Hood in 2009, which was also reportedly preceded by a shout of "Allahu akbar" from a killer whose background showed ties to radical Islam.
In his only comments to date on the matter, President Obama on Wednesday called the shootings in Frankfurt a "stark reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices that our men and women in uniform are making all around the world to keep us safe and the dangers that they face all around the world." It is that. But the airmen were not gunned down in combat or even a theater of war; they were murdered while transiting through a civilian airport in a country at peace with the U.S., having been targeted as symbols of American foreign policy.
Frankfurt is, at its starkest, a reminder that Islamist ideology still poses a live threat to Americans, uniformed and civilian, at home and abroad. Is it too much to ask that Washington recognize that threat for what it is?
WSJ
The Obama White House Roadmap to Prevent Muslim Violent Extremism
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| German federal prosecutors said Wednesday's attack on a busload of U.S. airmen that killed two and wounded two others at Frankfurt airport appears to have been motivated by Islamic extremism. |
The problem is that the sky is falling!! You have to be seen to be acting.
WASHINGTON--The Obama White House on Sunday made an appeal to the U.S. Muslim community to work together to find ways to avoid violent extremism, in a speech Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough delivered to a Muslim audience. (Click below for transcript of prepared remarks.)
This comes as Rep. Peter King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, on Thursday holds a full committee hearing on "the Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response."
The witness list has not yet been announced. On Sunday, King said the threat of domestic Islamic terrorism justifies his look into the U.S. Muslim community. Read about King's comments on Sunday here.
Statement from King on why he is holding the hearing:
"We will examine al Qaeda's latest and dangerous tactic of radicalizing members of the American Muslim community and recruiting them to engage in jihadist attacks against innocent Americans. We will also examine the American Muslim community's response to the growing threat. Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano declared that the terrorist threat level is at its most 'heightened state' since 9/11; National Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter called al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) the most significant threat to our homeland; and Attorney General Eric Holder recently said that radicalization in this country by AQAP's Anwar al Awlaki and other terrorist recruiters is what keeps him awake at night.
"At the hearing, we will hear from American Muslims, including those with first-hand, devastating experience with the effects of al Qaeda's radicalization efforts. This life-and-death issue is too important to ignore in the name of political correctness."
Excerpt from McDonough's prepared remarks:
Here in Virginia and across the country, Muslim Americans are our neighbors and fellow citizens. You inspire our children as teachers. You strengthen our communities as volunteers, often through interfaith projects, like the President's "United We Serve" program. You protect our communities as police officers and firefighters.
You can feel a big 'but' coming on...
You create jobs and opportunity as small business owners and executives of major corporations. You enrich our culture as athletes and entertainers. You lead us as elected officials and Members of Congress. And no one should ever forget that Muslim Americans help keep America safe every day as proud Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. Indeed, some of these heroes have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and now rest in our hallowed national cemeteries.
Ego boosting over... let me tell you why I'm really here:
That's why I appreciate the opportunity to be here today. It's this very idea--the idea of America as a secure and pluralistic nation; as a society that doesn't just accept diversity; but which is strengthened by it--this idea is more important than ever.
Over the last several months and again later this month in New York City, John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, will continue to outline the steps we are taking--across our government--to keep America and our communities safe and secure, including from the threat of al Qaeda and its adherents.
I am here to talk with you about how our communities - your communities - contribute to keeping our country safe: specifically, as part of our approach to preventing the radicalization that leads to a range of threats here at home, including terrorism.
What with all the protests Jordanian Islamists come out of the woodwork ~ demand freedom for detained al-Qaida fellow mates
Protesters chanted jihad, or holy war, "is our way to liberate Muslim lands from autocrats."
AMMAN, Jordan (CP)— Islamic extremists staged a rare demonstration in Amman Sunday, demanding release of suspected al-Qaida leaders now on trial.
The protest by the group of about 300 Salafi Muslims, whose ultraconservative sect is banned in Jordan, was only indirectly tied to weeks of demonstrations in Jordan, calling for significant changes in the regime. Protest leaders said they were taking advantage of the government's more lenient stance toward demonstrations to make their demands public.
The key figure on trial is Isam al-Barqawi, known as the mentor of the dead leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed in a June 2006 U.S. airstrike. Al-Barqawi, better known as Sheik Abu-Mohammed al-Maqdisi, and three others are facing terrorism charges.
Protester Abed Shihadeh al-Tahawi said al-Maqdisi is a "nationalist figure" defending Islam and "isn't a terrorist."
Protesters chanted jihad, or holy war, "is our way to liberate Muslim lands from autocrats."
They also demanded a regime of strict Islamic Sharia law in Jordan.
Men in the crowd had long beards and knee-long tunics and pants, typically worn by Afghan warriors. Women, standing separately, wore full-face veils and long black robes.
Tayseer Abu-Obada, a convicted militant from the southern Jordanian town of Maan, said the Salafis were holding a rare public protest because "of the atmosphere of openness we're witnessing these days."
In mostly peaceful demonstrations, Jordanians have been pressing for government reforms. Jordan is ruled by King Abdullah II and a parliament. The king has the final say in matters of state.
King Bravely Presses on With Hearings on Radical Islam ~ Despite Objections From Muslim Community
When you can't call it radical Islam and you can't call it Islam ~ really shows the state the discussion is in!
It always pays to use the 'race card' when we are clearly talking about a religious ideology.
That would be Koran and Hadith quoting al-Awlaki!
We.. as in the US as an Islamic state ~ putting out the state version of Islam ~
Unfortunately for Mr. Ellison the verses that the fundamentalists use are in the Koran as well. And this of course is the problem ~ with Islam today.
Worrying about Muslim feelings ~ while dishonoring those of Americans.
No one wants to offend ~ while people die.
WASHINGTON -- Radical Islam poses a threat to the United States as a whole, but is particularly dangerous to American Muslims who are targeted by terror groups, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Sunday in defending upcoming hearings on radical Islam.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., is facing a backlash, including Sunday protests in New York, over his decision to hold hearings on the threat of Islamic radicalization. King said he's surprised the American-Muslim community is not embracing his hearings because they are the ones most victimized when radical elements infiltrate their communities.
"I've said time and again the overwhelming [majority] of Muslims are good Americans, but the threat is coming from their community and we have to find out why, how it is being done and how to stop it," he told Fox News. "We have an absolute obligation to investigate that."
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the House, said that while it's proper to investigate radicalization, he thinks it is wrong to single out a religious minority.
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the House, said that while it's proper to investigate radicalization, he thinks it is wrong to single out a religious minority.
It always pays to use the 'race card' when we are clearly talking about a religious ideology.
it makes sense to talk to the Muslim community about how to "meet the challenge of public security" to prevent people like Anwar al-Awlaki, the American cleric who fled to Yemen, from reaching his tentacles into American-Muslim communities. Rep. Keith Ellison
That would be Koran and Hadith quoting al-Awlaki!
"I think it makes sense to talk about the Internet, confronting ideology of people like Anwar al-Awlaki. I think where he's trying to exploit and misuse Islam, we should counter him with what Islam really does say. Rep. Keith Ellison
We.. as in the US as an Islamic state ~ putting out the state version of Islam ~
Unfortunately for Mr. Ellison the verses that the fundamentalists use are in the Koran as well. And this of course is the problem ~ with Islam today.
King added that while German officials are labeling the murder of two American airmen at an airport in German "radical Islam," the U.S. State and Homeland Security departments have refused to call it terrorism.
Worrying about Muslim feelings ~ while dishonoring those of Americans.
"Also, we'll see from witnesses how often they are told not to cooperate with the FBI, not to cooperate with the police, and, somehow, a wall of silence builds up and that is part of why I'm holding the hearings," King told Fox News.
No one wants to offend ~ while people die.
WASHINGTON -- Radical Islam poses a threat to the United States as a whole, but is particularly dangerous to American Muslims who are targeted by terror groups, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Sunday in defending upcoming hearings on radical Islam.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., is facing a backlash, including Sunday protests in New York, over his decision to hold hearings on the threat of Islamic radicalization. King said he's surprised the American-Muslim community is not embracing his hearings because they are the ones most victimized when radical elements infiltrate their communities.
"I've said time and again the overwhelming [majority] of Muslims are good Americans, but the threat is coming from their community and we have to find out why, how it is being done and how to stop it," he told Fox News. "We have an absolute obligation to investigate that."
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the House, said that while it's proper to investigate radicalization, he thinks it is wrong to single out a religious minority.
Friday, March 4, 2011
France to enforce ban on full-face veils from April
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| Despite the law against wearing the Burqa and Niqab, women dressed this way are still seen in the streets of Marseilles, France, 26/10/2011 |
Off with their veils!!
The veils will be outlawed virtually anywhere outside women's own homes, except when they are worshipping in a religious place or travelling as a passenger in a private car.
The ban comes into force as President Nicolas Sarkozy is putting a special focus on Islam and its role in a secular society ahead of a presidential election next year.
Let them eat Islam!
Look at the Islamic/ Arab world it is in an uproar ~ namely because they can't discuss local political or even religious issues. You can probably criticize something way off in America, than to point out something needs improvement in your own country, with your own government. Then you have this outburst of anger and mayhem ~ then you can hear the people speak ~ we need food, higher wages, better living conditions. So relief is gained through revolution or threats of one.
It is the perfect time to talk about Islam in secular society, nevermind the French elections the Islamic world has just flipped its lid. We know that one of the things Muslims are allowed to talk about is Islam ~ Islam is good, Islam is great, its the best religion in the world ~ and of course they are not just saying this ~ there are stern penalties for not toeing the Islamic line ~ and by extension the state line. So that Muslims settling in Europe ~ think that they should have similar Islamic enforcement here.
And even though they struggle to come to Europe, namely because the Islamic systems of governments have not provided for them ~ there is still not the connection in their minds that the Islamic system of law ~ and the extreme restrictions on freedoms that go with it ~ are the problem.
Rather than admit defeat and give up on the idea ~ their beliefs become intensified ~ they now envision the free and prosperous society ~ locked down by the same religious restrictions, as in the countries they fled ~ that anyone from the outside can clearly see is the source of the Islamic world's problems.
Muslims are taught to view their history [of Islam] from a fanciful view ~ throwing out the parts they don't like. Many early scientists and thinkings ~ of the Muslim world ~ left or renounced Islam because of the restrictions on freedom of thought ~ and to prove it almost 1000 years of inactivity resulted, because their objections were not heeded ~ but even today prominent Islamic thinkers ~ are encouraging Muslims to reject freedom of thought.
There is a clash between the backward and the forward looking!
Integration is a little like running with the pack ~ Muslims can't keep up ~ simply because they are looking in the opposite direction. We are hoping for a new world ~ some years ago who could have imagined the internet ~ so we don't know what world exactly ~ we just keep inventing ~ Muslims on the other hand are hoping for a mythical world ~ one where Islam ruled the [known] world ~ to re-emerge. I think in Europe it is easier to think about such things ~ when you have enough eat ~ but I think in the Islamic world they are a little tired waiting for this world. You don't have a proper job or food and the place is being eaten alive by corruption ~ take Iran for example ~ it is much more difficult to focus on a new Islamic dawning ~ and besides they thought they just had one!!
Like, we were in an ancient Greek market ~ we need to talk about Islam's place in a secular society ~ openly. In the Muslim world you can't scrutinize Islam ~ but this is not the Islamic world. And we would prefer if Muhammad was confined to the mosque.
PARIS - From Saudi tourists window-shopping on the Champs-Elysees to Muslim women in a departure lounge at Charles de Gaulle Airport or the few young French converts on suburban estates, any woman who steps outside in France wearing a niqab or full- face veil will be breaking the law from next month.
Islam opposes nukes: Iranian minister
 |
| I'm sure that means peace ~ somehow! |
If Islam opposes the bomb ~ someone better tell Pakistan!!
The development or use of nuclear weapons contradicts Iran's religious principles and would violate the tenets of Islam, the country's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says.
"Islamic Republic authorities have reiterated that nuclear arms are against the country's religious principals," Salehi said in an interview with the Euronews channel in Germany said. "We have been committed to the NPT and believe that the proliferation of a nuclear bomb is against the tenets of Islam." (Ynet)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Men planned to join Somali Islamic group, plead guilty - face life
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| Carlos Eduardo Almonte on the left, and Mohamed Mahmood Alessa on the right in an undated photo courtesy of the U.S. Marshals |
Carlos Eduardo Almonte ~ he's from the conquered Islamic regions!! Dumb & Dumber!!
NEWARK, N.J., March 3 (UPI) -- Two men pleaded guilty Thursday in Newark, N.J., admitting they were planning to join a militant Islamic group in Somalia to kill U.S. troops, reports said.
Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, 21, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, said they planned to join al-Shabaab, a militant Islamic organization in southern Somalia, the (Newark) Star-Ledger reported.
Court papers said they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder people outside the United States "whose beliefs and practices did not accord with their extremist ideology," The New York Times said.
Both men face up to life in prison as part of a plea bargain. They're scheduled to be sentenced this summer.
The defendants told a federal judge they traveled to Jordan in February 2007 to meet with others who supported the establishment of Islamic law, and trained in New Jersey using paint balls and computers.
The men were arrested as they tried to board separate flights out of New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Egypt, and have been held without bail since June, the Star-Ledger said. Both had contacts with undercover agents.
Almonte of Elmwood Park was born in the Dominican Republic and raised a Roman Catholic, though he converted to Islam several years ago, the newspaper said. Alessa holds dual U.S.-Jordanian citizenship and lived in North Bergen, N.J.
SHARIAH4AMERICA DEMONSTRATION POSTPONED : Aww Man!!
The planned march has been replaced with a 13 min. rendition of Anjem [aka Andy] Choudary telling us how lucky we would be to live under Muslim / Islamic rule.
Sad guy, a trained lawyer~ of British law ~ what a waste!! When he used to be called Andy ~ during his university dayz ~ he was famous for drinking, smoking and booty chasing. Now he's an Islamist!
Pat's right ~ at least he would tell you what Islam's really about ~ that is it is a subjugation and it ain't about peace.
Here are some pictures from his latest site Shariah4America
http://shariah4america.com/Press-Releases/Anjem-Press-Release
He hopes to one day see the statue of libery covered in a burqa and plans to construct a minaret over the site. There is also a picture of the White House under an Islamic flag, converted to a mosque.
http://shariah4america.com/Washington/The-White-Masjid
Kosovo's Unwelcome Role In Frankfurt Terror Deaths
A lot of shock ~ but don't forget these Kosovo Albanian areas ~ are increasingly becoming radicalized. Although the suspect was born and raised in Germany ~ he seems to also hold Kosovo citizenship.
The Kosovars know what is happening, in their region, they destroyed hundreds of churches, some ancient, and one cathedral. Saudi money is pouring in. And normal/traditional or moderate clergy are being bullied by those trained in the Arab region, in attempts to push the moderates out of the mosques.
Naturally one or two have become radicalized!!
It feels like a day of mourning in Pristina. Shock, anger, and dismay are palpable in the streets of Kosovo's capital against the backdrop of today's headlines: "Kosovar Kills Two U.S. Army Men At Frankfurt Airport."
The suspect in yesterday's tragedy is Arid Uka, a 21-year-old Kosovo Albanian, born and raised in Germany, where his family has lived for four decades.
Police claim he is not registered in any database on alleged terrorist acts within Kosovo, while information on his family is limited and his profile remains unclear.
What is clear, though, is the anger and revulsion that Kosovars felt and continue to feel.
"He cannot be an Albanian," one went. Another equated shooting at the U.S. with "being a traitor." "How can one shoot against a helping hand?" asked another. All seemingly bringing the grim atmosphere dominating Kosovo society today into sharp relief.
The president of the Albanian-American Democratic Club in New York, Alban Dega, wrote an open letter to Kosovo's highest authorities suggesting that the suspect be stripped of his Albanian nationality and Kosovo citizenship.
The Kosovars know what is happening, in their region, they destroyed hundreds of churches, some ancient, and one cathedral. Saudi money is pouring in. And normal/traditional or moderate clergy are being bullied by those trained in the Arab region, in attempts to push the moderates out of the mosques.
Naturally one or two have become radicalized!!
It feels like a day of mourning in Pristina. Shock, anger, and dismay are palpable in the streets of Kosovo's capital against the backdrop of today's headlines: "Kosovar Kills Two U.S. Army Men At Frankfurt Airport."
The suspect in yesterday's tragedy is Arid Uka, a 21-year-old Kosovo Albanian, born and raised in Germany, where his family has lived for four decades.
Police claim he is not registered in any database on alleged terrorist acts within Kosovo, while information on his family is limited and his profile remains unclear.
What is clear, though, is the anger and revulsion that Kosovars felt and continue to feel.
Pakistan vows to battle extremism after minister slain
They have let the thing get out of control. Religion has its place. Government should not be one of them.
Pakistan did not simply arrive at this point.
They aught to be afraid ~ the message is clear, you don't do what we want ~ we kill you.
One of the former Human Rights Commission of Pakistan [or similar] ~ workers or leaders was also put on trial for blasphemy, found guilty and sentenced to death 2010. He was accused of being a 'Christian' ~ which said he was not ~ as human rights are not Islamic ~ and represent western Christian values. I believe he was brought to trial by a prominent Pak lawyer who also brought flimsy blasphemy cases against others.
They have allowed the atmosphere of intolerance to get out of hand. For example, 2009/2010 a Christian man was beaten to death for drinking from a Muslim only cup at a roadside tea-stall. And of course no one would be arrested, human rights workers said the stall was operating as normal when the passed it a few weeks later and that the sign which called people to identify their religion, before ordering, was still up. I don't think Pakistan's problem is just a minority one, but Pakistani police are extremely reluctant to arrest those Muslims responsible for rape, murder and kidnap [for the purpose of forced marriage and conversion to Islam] of Christian and even Hindu. There the non-Muslims is deemed unclean ~ means that Christians ~ are often forced to pay for the plates they use in restaurants ~ shows just a part of the picture of a deep disrespect for others that Pakistan has engendered over its 60 short years in the name of Islam.
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan must not buckle to extremism, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday, a day after Taliban militants killed his government's only Christian minister for challenging a law on blasphemy towards Islam.
The assassination of Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti in broad daylight on Wednesday threatens to further destabilise the nuclear-armed U.S. ally where many fear a strain of violent religious conservatism is becoming more mainstream in society.
Zardari, head of a government many Pakistanis hold in little regard, said Bhatti's killing was the result of a "negative mindset and intolerance" that had led to the killing of a provincial governor in January.
Pakistan did not simply arrive at this point.
"We have to fight this mindset and defeat them. We will not be intimidated nor will we retreat," the official APP news agency quoted Zardari as saying.
"Such acts will not deter the government from eliminating extremism and terrorism," he said. "Shahbaz fell victim to the negative mindset and intolerance that also took the lives of... Benazir Bhutto and Punjab Governor Salman Taseer."
They aught to be afraid ~ the message is clear, you don't do what we want ~ we kill you.
"Of course the silent majority, which keeps silent over these things, also must bear responsibility," I.A. Rehman, director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, told the Express 24/7 television channel Wednesday night. "There's blood on their hands also."
One of the former Human Rights Commission of Pakistan [or similar] ~ workers or leaders was also put on trial for blasphemy, found guilty and sentenced to death 2010. He was accused of being a 'Christian' ~ which said he was not ~ as human rights are not Islamic ~ and represent western Christian values. I believe he was brought to trial by a prominent Pak lawyer who also brought flimsy blasphemy cases against others.
They have allowed the atmosphere of intolerance to get out of hand. For example, 2009/2010 a Christian man was beaten to death for drinking from a Muslim only cup at a roadside tea-stall. And of course no one would be arrested, human rights workers said the stall was operating as normal when the passed it a few weeks later and that the sign which called people to identify their religion, before ordering, was still up. I don't think Pakistan's problem is just a minority one, but Pakistani police are extremely reluctant to arrest those Muslims responsible for rape, murder and kidnap [for the purpose of forced marriage and conversion to Islam] of Christian and even Hindu. There the non-Muslims is deemed unclean ~ means that Christians ~ are often forced to pay for the plates they use in restaurants ~ shows just a part of the picture of a deep disrespect for others that Pakistan has engendered over its 60 short years in the name of Islam.
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan must not buckle to extremism, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday, a day after Taliban militants killed his government's only Christian minister for challenging a law on blasphemy towards Islam.
The assassination of Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti in broad daylight on Wednesday threatens to further destabilise the nuclear-armed U.S. ally where many fear a strain of violent religious conservatism is becoming more mainstream in society.
Zardari, head of a government many Pakistanis hold in little regard, said Bhatti's killing was the result of a "negative mindset and intolerance" that had led to the killing of a provincial governor in January.
Libya Holds Dutch Soldiers as Refugees Flee to Borders
The Dutch Defense Ministry says three of its marines are being held in Libya, after being captured while taking part in an operation to help evacuate some of the tens of thousands of people fleeing the country.
Officials said Thursday "intensive" negotiations are underway to free the soldiers, who were captured Sunday by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
A handful of Western nations, along with Egypt, have launched emergency airlifts and sent ships to handle the chaotic exodus of migrant workers fleeing the country.
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said Wednesday that nearly half the estimated 180,000 people fleeing Libya in recent days have sought refuge in Tunisia, far more than can be accommodated, let alone flown home. Another 77,000 have crossed east into Egypt while 30,000 more are still inside Libya, at the border, trying to get into Tunisia.
The Ras Ajdir crossing on the Libyan-Tunisian border has become the center of the escalating situation. UNHCR spokeswoman Sybella Wilkes said Wednesday "the capacity of the border area is bursting."
The most immediate need for the refugees is shelter. Despite the fast-growing tent city emerging a short drive from Ras Ajdir, thousands have been forced to spend the night outdoors. Most of the refugees are Egyptian and Tunisian, but large numbers of migrants are from poor Asian and African nations whose governments have been unable or unwilling to rescue them.
Britain and France Wednesday said they are sending planes to airlift stranded refugees - mostly Egyptians - from the Tunisian border. The French government said it is also sending a ship, and Italy said it would help set up a camp offering food and medical assistance.
Libyan Warplanes Attack Key Oil Port
Libyan warplanes launched new air strikes Thursday against the key eastern oil port of Brega, a day after rebels drove forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi from the city.
Witnesses say the strikes from Gadhafi loyalists targeted Brega's airport, near the oil terminal. Oil officials say Libyan oil production has been “halved” due to the nationwide unrest.
On Wednesday, opposition forces repelled powerful ground and air assaults as Gadhafi loyalists launched their first offensive against opposition-controlled eastern Libya.
Witnesses said pro-Gadhafi forces in a convoy of more than 50 armed vehicles stormed Brega, which lies on the Gulf of Sirte about 800 kilometers east of the capital, Tripoli. They quickly seized the city's oil installations, airport and port facilities.
Witnesses say the strikes from Gadhafi loyalists targeted Brega's airport, near the oil terminal. Oil officials say Libyan oil production has been “halved” due to the nationwide unrest.
On Wednesday, opposition forces repelled powerful ground and air assaults as Gadhafi loyalists launched their first offensive against opposition-controlled eastern Libya.
Witnesses said pro-Gadhafi forces in a convoy of more than 50 armed vehicles stormed Brega, which lies on the Gulf of Sirte about 800 kilometers east of the capital, Tripoli. They quickly seized the city's oil installations, airport and port facilities.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Erdogan Urges German-Turks Not to Assimilate - With Rousing Turkish Nationalistic Speech ~ In Germany
Erdogan wants to give his audience a clear identity. "They call you guest workers, foreigners, or German Turks. It doesn't matter what they all call you: You are my fellow citizens, you are my people, you are my friends, you are my brothers and sisters!"
"You are part of Germany, but you are also part our great Turkey," says Erdogan.
He warns Turks against assimilating themselves. "Yes, integrate yourselves into German society but don't assimilate yourselves. No one has the right to deprive us of our culture and our identity."
As an EU member ~ he wants to control or have influence over ~ not only his country [he has told women to have at least 3 or 4 children] ~ as well as the Turkish diaspora in Europe ~ now imagine how that power might be used. Doubt if the EU would be on the receiving end.
There are martial-sounding tones too: "Now Turkey will at last start building its own war planes."
Thousands of Turkish immigrants gave Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a rock star welcome in Germany on Sunday in a show of national pride that remains fervent, even after decades spent in Germany. He told them they remain part of Turkey, and urged them to integrate into German society -- but not to assimilate.
The lyric keeps echoing around the hall in Düsseldorf. "The land belongs to us all." The sentence isn't referring to Germany, but to Turkey.
Immigrants are waving hundreds of Turkish flags and the chanting and the music are deafening. One woman shouts "Turkey is great!" into a microphone to cheers from the crowd. Everyone in the ISS Dome, a huge sports and concert venue, is fired up, as if they're waiting for a rock star. There's only one show in town this Sunday, and his name is Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Frankfurt: Kosovan opened fire on US airmen, shouting “Allah Akbar”
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| A bullet hole is seen in the window of the driver seat of a U.S. Army bus outside the airport in Frankfurt March 2, 2011. A gunman shot dead two U.S. soldiers at Frankfurt airport on Wednesday |
A man whose office is near the site of the shooting said it was an area where buses load arriving passengers. Speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his business, he said witnesses told him that the gunman first talked to the military personnel to find out who they were and then opened fire, shouting “God is great” in Arabic.
The suspect argued with the airmen before shooting one who was standing in the open door and the driver, Mr. Füllhardt said.
BERLIN — Two United States airmen were killed and two injured on Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on an American military bus at the Frankfurt airport, according to American military officials in Europe.
In Washington, President Obama said he was “saddened and outraged” by the attack. “We will spare no effort in learning how this outrageous act took place,” he said, “and in working with German authorities to ensure that all of the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
The suspected gunman, who is in custody, is 21-year-old Kosovar who lives in Frankfurt, according to a city police spokesman, Manfred Füllhardt. The names of the dead were being withheld pending notification of the families, the officials said.
The attack occurred outside Terminal 2 at the airport, one of Europe’s busiest, which has been under increased security in recent months following warnings that Germany would be the target of terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of the shooting, the area was rapidly cordoned off, but the terminal continued operations.
Mr. Füllhardt said the busload of airmen had just arrived from England and had boarded the bus to go to the American military base at Ramstein, which lies few dozen miles to the southwest of the Frankfurt Airport.
The suspect argued with the airmen before shooting one who was standing in the open door and the driver, Mr. Füllhardt said.
The Ramstein base is one of several major United States military installations in the Frankfurt region that serve as logistical hubs for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. American service members frequently use the Frankfurt airport, either to head to those bases or en route to others.
Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke about the attack in Berlin, according to Reuters, saying: “We don’t know the details but I would like to express how upset I am. We have to do everything we can to find out what happened.”
The state interior minister, Boris Rhein, told reporters at the scene that security had been tightened and investigators were trying to ascertain exactly what happened.
A man whose office is near the site of the shooting said it was an area where buses load arriving passengers. Speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his business, he said witnesses told him that the gunman first talked to the military personnel to find out who they were and then opened fire, shouting “God is great” in Arabic.
In 1985, a bomb exploded at a crowded departure lounge at the Frankfurt Airport, killing a man and two children and injuring 42 people, four seriously.
Judy Dempsey reported from Berlin and Elisabeth Bumiller from Washington. Susanne Sperling contributed reporting from Frankfurt, Victor Homola from Berlin, and Jack Ewing from Europe.
NYT
Oil threat rises as Arab & North Africa unrest spreads
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| The office of the chief of police is burned by anti-regime protesters in Benghazi, Libya, on February 25, 2011. |
Authorities in Saudi Arabia, on the verge of major dynastic change, arrested a Muslim cleric in the oil-rich Eastern province Feb. 27 after he called for a constitutional monarchy. That could be a red flag.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 2 (UPI) -- Heavy fighting around the Libyan port of Brega, a key oil export center, and growing political turmoil in the oil-rich Persian Gulf has sharpened global concerns that Middle East energy flows could face serious disruption if the crisis isn't contained.
The increasingly beleaguered Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has threatened to sabotage the country's oil industry if it looks like he's going down.
Reports of an airstrike Wednesday by his warplanes on Brega in eastern Libya, which is lightly defended by rebel forces, underlined Gadhafi's threats.
Political unrest is mounting sharply in Iraq, Oman and Yemen, all oil producers, while a standoff between protesters and the royal family in Bahrain, a key Persian Gulf financial center, continues as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait look like they're heading for trouble, too.
"Uncertainty regarding the future stability of these states has raised global concerns over the potential adverse impact on global oil supplies," the global security consultancy Stratfor observed.
Forty percent of the world's seaborne oil supplies flow from the Persian Gulf. Thus, what happens there "is far more significant than the outcome of the rising against the Moammar Gadhafi regime in Libya."
Pak govt taking steps to block anti-Islamic or blasphemous websites - Facebook
Are anti-Islam websites really Pakistan's problem ~ it certainly looks like the problem is with Islam ~ in that country!!
Update: Court throws out petition:
The Islamist would put that country on lockdown.
Lahore, Mar 1 (PTI) With Facebook and several other websites allegedly featuring blasphemous material, the Pakistan government has informed a court here that all required steps are being taken to block objectionable and anti-Islamic portals.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Information Technology Ministry are blocking all internet websites that feature blasphemous material, Deputy Attorney General Naveed Inayat Malik told the Lahore High Court yesterday.
After Malik gave this assurance on behalf of the federal government, Chief Justice Ijaz Chaudhry disposed of petitions seeking a ban on Facebook and several other websites.
An inter-ministerial committee is screening websites to block access to blasphemous and anti-Islamic material, Malik said.
Update: Court throws out petition:
The Lahore High Court has disposed of a petition seeking a ban on social networking website Facebook for displaying blasphemous material.
Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry disposed of the petition after Deputy Attorney General Naveed Inayat Malik assured the court that the government was taking all necessary steps to block objectionable websites and stop access to anti-Islam matter on the internet, the Daily Times reports. [+]
The Islamist would put that country on lockdown.
Lahore, Mar 1 (PTI) With Facebook and several other websites allegedly featuring blasphemous material, the Pakistan government has informed a court here that all required steps are being taken to block objectionable and anti-Islamic portals.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Information Technology Ministry are blocking all internet websites that feature blasphemous material, Deputy Attorney General Naveed Inayat Malik told the Lahore High Court yesterday.
After Malik gave this assurance on behalf of the federal government, Chief Justice Ijaz Chaudhry disposed of petitions seeking a ban on Facebook and several other websites.
An inter-ministerial committee is screening websites to block access to blasphemous and anti-Islamic material, Malik said.
Yemen: Bin Laden mentor calls for Islamic state: ''An Islamic state is coming,'' drawing cries of ''Allah Akbar''
US officials expressed concern about the statement by Abdul Majid al-Zindani, a one-time mentor of Osama bin Laden, which introduced a new Islamist element to the turmoil in a country where al-Qaeda is viewed as a grave threat.
The protests that toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt and that now threaten rulers in Libya, Bahrain and Oman have been largely secular in nature.
Yemeni protester chants slogans calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a massive anti-regime rally in the capital Sanaa on March 1, 2011
Mr Zindani spoke on an open-air stage in Sanaa on Tuesday before several thousand anti-government protesters, guarded by 10 men carrying AK-47s and shielded from the scorching sun by two umbrellas.
''An Islamic state is coming,'' he said, drawing cries of ''God is great'' from some in the crowd.
He said Mr Saleh ''came to power by force and stayed in power by force, and the only way to get rid of him is through the force of the people''.
It was not clear how much support Mr Zindani had among the protest movement.
"With the blessing of Allah, the mujahedeen will send each of you to hell," ~ Pakistan gov. minister assassinated
In leaflets left at the scene of the shooting, al-Qaida and the Pakistani Taliban Movement in Punjab province claimed responsibility. They blamed the government for putting Bhatti, an "infidel Christian," in charge of an unspecified committee, apparently referring to one said to be reviewing the blasphemy laws. The government has repeatedly said such a committee does not exist.
His assassination further undermines Pakistan's shaky image as a moderate Islamic state and could deepen the political turmoil in this nuclear-armed, U.S.-allied state where militants frequently stage suicide attacks.
The Vatican said the slaying shows that the pope's warnings about the danger to Christians in the region are fully justified.
The point of an Islamic state is to gain supremacy over others ~ but what about when you get it!
Bhatti repeatedly requested a bullet-proof car, but in vain, said a friend, Wasif Ali Khan..
"I will die to defend their rights," he said on the tape released Wednesday.
Several Muslim leaders in Pakistan either offered a tepid condemnation or alleged the assassination was part of an American-led conspiracy to drive a wedge between Muslims and Christians.
ISLAMABAD — Assailants purportedly sent by al-Qaida and the Taliban killed the only Christian member of Pakistan's federal Cabinet Wednesday, spraying his car with bullets outside his mother's home. It was the second assassination in two months of a high-profile opponent of blasphemy laws that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam.
Shahbaz Bhatti, a 42-year-old Roman Catholic, had been aware of the danger, saying in a video-taped message meant for broadcast in the event of his death that he was being threatened by the Taliban and al-Qaida. The threats would not deter him from speaking for persecuted Christians and other minorities, he said.
Pakistan Islam out of control: Christian lawmaker Shahbaz Bhatti assassinated
The Islamic militants, who claimed responsibility - the Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab, left some pamphlets besides the lawmaker's body.
"This is the terrible fate of this crusade. With the blessing of Allah, the Mujahideen will send each of the blasphemers to hell."
Bhatti was a vocal critic of the law and he had supported Rehman's attempts to amend the legislation which awarded the death penalty to those held guilty of criticising Prophet Mohammed.
During an interview, he had once said, "I have been threatened with beheading but I would not be intimidated."
Speaking against Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law has proved costly for another senior lawmaker. Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti was shot dead by three militants in Islamabad on Wednesday. His death comes a little over a month after Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was assassinated by his own bodyguard for opposing the law. Bhatti was the only Christian minister in the Federal Cabinet.
The killing not only highlights the poor law and order situation in Islamabad, but also proves that fundamentalism is worming its way to Pakistan's major cities from the lawless tribal areas.
Though Bhatti had repeatedly told the government that he had been receiving threats from militants, he was not provided adequate security. The three militants who attacked the minister managed to escape in a car from the scene of the crime.
The militants, who claimed that they were from the Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab, left some pamphlets besides the lawmaker's body. The leaflets read, "This is the terrible fate of this crusade. With the blessing of Allah, the Mujahideen will send each of the blasphemers to hell."
Pakistan People's Party leader Sherry Rehman had recently introduced a bill in the National Assembly seeking amendments to the controversial blasphemy law. But Rehman had to withdraw the bill under intense pressure from her own party and hard-liners. The PPP leader reportedly received death threats for seeking changes in the law.
Bhatti was a vocal critic of the law and he had supported Rehman's attempts to amend the legislation which awarded the death penalty to those held guilty of criticising Prophet Mohammed.
During an interview, he had once said, "I have been threatened with beheading but I would not be intimidated."
Condemning the killing of Bhatti, Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said, "Such acts will not deter the government's resolve to fight terrorism and extremism. The killers would not go unpunished."
But he pointedly avoided making any comments about the controversial law.
rediff
Another Pakistani high profile slaying over blasphemy laws ~ the sole Christian government minister
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A hospital official says Pakistan's government minister for religious minorities has died after being shot by gunmen in the country's capital, Islamabad.
The official says Shahbaz Bhatti arrived dead at Shifa Hospital in Islamabad after the Wednesday attack by gunmen.
Bhatti was a Christian who had been threatened by Islamist militants in the past because he has spoken out against the country's harsh blasphemy laws.
Earlier this year, Punjab province's governor was killed by a bodyguard who said he was angry that the politician opposed the blasphemy laws, which impose death for insulting Islam.
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| The blood-stained car of Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti is seen following an attack in Islamabad on March 2, 2011 |
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| Pakistani journalists inspect the bullet-riddled car of Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti following an attack in Islamabad on March 2, 2011 |
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| unidentified woman relative of slain Pakistan's government minister for religious minorities Shahbaz Bhatti looks at Bhatti's damaged car outside an emergency ward of a local hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 |
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| Wasif Ali Khan, a friend of Pakistan's government minister for religious minorities Shahbaz Bhatti looks the bullet-riddled window of car while he mourns over death of Bhatti outside a local hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan on Wednesday, March 2, 2011. |
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| Pakistani Christian protestors demonstrate against the killing of slain minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti, in Karachi on March 2, 2011 |
2 US soldiers killed in shooting attack in Germany
Two people were killed and two others were seriously injured in a shooting at Frankfurt airport in Germany on Wednesday, the Der Spiegel website reported. Unconfirmed reports have stated that the victims were members of the US military.
According to the report, a gunman opened fire on a US military bus at the airport.
A 21-year-old suspect from Kosovo was arrested following the attack, DPA reported.
Police were still unclear as to the circumstances of the shooting and whether it was politically motivated.
The US military has several bases in the Frankfurt region.
JPost
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
AP's hatchet job report: Tenn. bill would make following Shariah a felony ~ see subjugating dhimmi laws for non-Muslims, apostasy laws, Islamic punishments
Nevertheless, it represents the boldest legislative attempt yet to limit how Muslims worship.
Worship is a 'private' matter. There should be nothing in the state law to enforce worship, respect for or belief in Islam.
Shari'a is not a law of equality. Women are half a man and [the part they don't tell you] non-Muslims viewed as below, both Muslim men and women ~ such laws require they live under a dhimmi or second class status.
Many Muslims believe that God wants the world to be ordered in such a way ~ as is in virtually every Islamic country.
As CAIR's founder said, that the Koran should be the highest authority in the land and Islam is in the US to be equal to no other religion.
When all else fails ~ play victim:
Muslim groups fear the measure would outlaw central tenets of Islam, such as praying five times a day toward Mecca, abstaining from alcohol or fasting for Ramadan.
People have more intelligence than this.
In addition ~ strange they should bring up ~ fasting during Ramadan ~ because in the Muslim world ~ there is a penalty of 6 months in prison for 'eating' during Ramadan. In Morocco some are fighting for the 'right to eat' during the Ramadan fast. In Algeria a Christian couple were arrested for 'eating' during Ramadan 2010.
Praying toward Mecca ~ don't we have freedom of religion ~ an embarrassing defence. And a low blow!
Abstaining from alcohol !! Could this AP report get more laughable!!
It sounds as though Muslim are afraid the same things will be done to them ~ that are done to non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia and to varying degrees across the Islamic world.
It is the thought that they could be dhimmied too!!
In Egypt, a priest was arrested for holding an 'unauthorized' prayer vigil at the bedside of a stroke victim. In Algeria, a European priest was imprisoned for conducting an 'unauthorized' sermon in a private home.
No doubt, Muslims fear is that the same will be done unto them.
...said First Amendment Center scholar Charles Haynes, who called it a "really distorted understanding of Shariah law."
Except when you are a dhimmi living under Islamic rule ~ and there all of a sudden ~ are a host of restrictions placed on what you can or cannot do in relation to respect for Islamic rule.
Non-Muslims face restrictions on marriage, religion, in education, politics... These are Muhammad's instructions. Sura 9:29 instructs Muslims to subjugate the non-Muslim.
Open to interpretation...
Interpret ~ no rights!!
What distortion?
That under Shari'a ~ rights and freedoms are not upheld.
"The way that it's worded makes the assumption that any practice of Islam is a practice of terrorism," she said. "And that's a dangerous line to walk. It excludes the millions of Muslims that are practicing peaceably from the ability to do so."
The dhimmi apartheid laws ~ that keep non-Muslims subjugated ~ are not radical Islam ~ they are Islam. The apostasy laws ~ as a firm part of Islam. These are not enforced by the radical from the hills. Troubling is that millions of peaceful Muslim accept that non-Muslims should not enjoy equality ~ in accordance with their religious instructions. The people of Saudi Arabia support beheading and amputations in the name of keep up with Islam. In Iran they support stoning of women for adultery ~ if you met them you would probably find they are good people!!
We need a better reason than some Muslims are nice people!!
We did not like communism ~ where all Russians honestly 'bad' people ~ some likely met Russian who were quite nice ~ but we did not adopt communism.
Laws which mean we would have to convert to Islam to be equal [to a Muslim] ~ that is the reality of Shari'a.
Trouble with nice people ~ is that they can often be mistaken.
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Tennessee is considering making it a felony to follow some versions of the Islamic code known as Shariah, the most severe measure yet put forth by a national movement whose members believe extremist Muslims want Shariah to supersede the Constitution.
The bill — drawn up by conservatives with ties to opponents of a planned Islamic center two blocks from New York City's ground zero and efforts to expand a mosque 30 miles southeast of Nashville — would face steep constitutional hurdles if enacted.
Nevertheless, it represents the boldest legislative attempt yet to limit how Muslims worship.
Muslim groups fear the measure would outlaw central tenets of Islam, such as praying five times a day toward Mecca, abstaining from alcohol or fasting for Ramadan.
"This is an anti-Muslim bill that makes it illegal to be a Muslim in the state of Tennessee," said Remziya Suleyman, policy coordinator for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.
The bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro, said the proposal exempts the peaceful practice of Islam but seeks to condemn those "who take Shariah law to the other extreme." He said it would give state and local law enforcement officials "a powerful counterterrorism tool."
Ketron, who has successfully pushed through bills tightening restrictions on illegal immigrants, said he expects the Shariah measure will become law.
For now, supporters of the measure are working to bolster it against any constitutional challenges, which may be an impossible task, said First Amendment Center scholar Charles Haynes, who called it a "really distorted understanding of Shariah law."
"It's unconstitutional to even suggest that such legislation should be passed," he said. "Trying to separate out different parts of Islamic law for condemnation is nonsensical. Shariah law, like all religious law, is interpreted in a great many different ways."
Shariah is a set of core principles that most Muslims recognize as well as a series of rulings from religious scholars. It covers many areas of life and different sects have different versions of the code they follow.
At least 13 states have bills pending that would bar judges from considering Shariah in legal decisions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, but none of those proposals is as strict as what Tennessee is weighing.
Ketron said he and House Speaker Pro Tempore Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, were given the bill by the Tennessee Eagle Forum.
Eagle Forum state President Bobbie Patray said it was drafted by David Yerushalmi, an Arizona-based attorney who runs the Society of Americans for National Existence, a nonprofit that claims following Shariah is treasonous.
Yerushalmi has written for years in conservative media about what he calls the danger of Shariah and its central role in Islam. He has represented Pamela Geller, who leads the group Stop Islamization of America and is one of the most vocal critics of a planned Islamic center two blocks from New York City's ground zero.
Yerushalmi also represented Stop The Madrassa, a group that opposed a public school in Brooklyn established to teach Arabic language, culture and history. He is one of the contributors to the report "Shariah: The Threat To America" by the Center for Security Policy, a think tank led by Frank Gaffney, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration.
Last year Gaffney testified at a court hearing on the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. The hearing was intended only to determine if local officials violated the state's open meetings law in approving the site plan, but the mosque's foes used the opportunity to argue it was part of a plot to expand Shariah law in the U.S.
Yerushalmi said the legislation in Tennessee is clear about who's being targeted.
"The legislation simply states that Shariah that follows the law of jihad, which calls for the violent overthrow of the Tennessee and U.S. government, is the Shariah that is at issue," he said.
Sarah Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Islamic Society of North America, disagreed.
"The way that it's worded makes the assumption that any practice of Islam is a practice of terrorism," she said. "And that's a dangerous line to walk. It excludes the millions of Muslims that are practicing peaceably from the ability to do so."
___
Online:
Read SB1028/HB1353 at: http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/
Tennessee Eagle Forum: http://www.tneagleforum.org/
Society of Americans for National Existence: http://www.saneworks.us/indexnew.php
Center for Security Policy: http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/index.xml
Fox News
Surrogacy banned under Islam - Malaysian fatwa
Adoption is out in Islam ~ as Muhammad desired his stepson's wife and took her as one of his own. This is the reason Muslims can't adopt. Needed one say there is clearly something wrong with this picture.
It would be great if Muslims could wake up ~ but at the moment they are extremely proud of their slumber.
"This creates confusion in Islamic law especially when it comes to inheritance, as it will be hard to determine the individual's bloodline and thus the person's rights to any inheritance," he told AFP.
"It categorically states that such a form of pregnancy is unacceptable under Islamic law," Mat Jais said, adding that IVF is permissible as long as the sperm and egg belong to a married couple.
"In Islam, it is not permissible for the sperm of the male of a married couple to be implanted into the egg of another woman," he said.
"That is considered a violation because the man is not married to this other woman and yet she is the bearer of his child out of wedlock."
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)— Surrogacy is forbidden under Islam, a religious authority in Malaysia said Tuesday after reports that the practice is becoming more popular in the Muslim-majority nation.
"If another woman is introduced into the situation, then it means the real mother of the child can be questioned," said Mat Jais Kamos from the Islamic affairs department in Malaysia's biggest state, Selangor.
"This creates confusion in Islamic law especially when it comes to inheritance, as it will be hard to determine the individual's bloodline and thus the person's rights to any inheritance," he told AFP.
Leaders call for Libya's Gaddafi to go
People burn pictures of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi inside the main prison of Gaddafi's forces in Benghazi February 28, 2011.
(Reuters) - A growing number of political leaders are urging Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to step down after his strong response to the popular uprising against his rule.
The U.N. Security Council agreed on Saturday to impose travel bans and asset freezes on Gaddafi, his family and inner circle and called for Libya's crackdown on protesters to be referred to the International Criminal Court for investigation.
Following are details of countries demanding Gaddafi go:
BRITAIN: "It is time for Colonel Gaddafi to go and to go now. There is no future for Libya that includes him," British Prime Minister David Cameron said.
-- Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain had revoked Gaddafi's diplomatic immunity and that of his sons, family and household.
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