The trade minister in the Transitional Federal Government, Muse Sudi Yalahow, who is among the mutiny ministers in the anti terror alliance for the fight against Islamic courts, dismissed to comply with the call of Somali prime minister Ali Gedi on ministers in Mogadishu to arrive in Baidoa immediately to join the cabinet sessions. Mr Muse Sudi said his remarks in a press conference held in his headquarter in Mogadishu on Thursday and he noted that he will not give any consideration to the Gedis call on them to come at Baidoa town for seven days.
Last week, premier Gedi set seven days deadline for his absent ministers in the cabinet. "I rejected from Ali Gedi to go Jowhar town 90km away from Mogadishu so what about his current call on me to reach Baidoa, 250km southwest of Mogadishu, I once again want to clarify that I dont recognize President Abdulahi Yusuf, speaker of parliament and premier Gedi". Mr. Sudi said.
Mr. Sudi was asked the possibility that he will lose his post in the government and said "I dont need any post and I dont recognize any government, what is a government? We fight against the terrorist cells in the capital and we (anti terror alliance) want to stabilize the capital and clear the entire terrorist suspects who had been harbored by Islamic courts." He mentioned they will continue the battle until all terrorist cells come to destruction. When asked why he rejects his ministerial post in the government, Mr. Sudi Yalahow replied with "I am not a minister because the minister is the one who has office to work and has car and I have never received salary from the transitional government."
Muse Sudi said the Islamic militiamen must be blamed on the casualties resulted from the recent clashes in the capital in which more than 150 people most of civilians killed and more than 200 others injured and thousands more displaced from their homes.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2006 00:00 ||
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This is a Saudi textbook. (After the intolerance was removed.)
By Nina Shea
Sunday, May 21, 2006; Page B01
Saudi Arabia's public schools have long been cited for demonizing the West as well as Christians, Jews and other "unbelievers." But after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 -- in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis -- that was all supposed to change.
A 2004 Saudi royal study group recognized the need for reform after finding that the kingdom's religious studies curriculum "encourages violence toward others, and misguides the pupils into believing that in order to safeguard their own religion, they must violently repress and even physically eliminate the 'other.' " Since then, the Saudi government has claimed repeatedly that it has revised its educational texts.
MORE
Posted by: Lancasters Over Dresden ||
05/21/2006 14:10 ||
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SANAA, May 20 (Reuters) - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has pardoned a Muslim preacher sentenced to death and another who was jailed for backing a rebel movement and spying for Iran, a government official said on Saturday.
Last year, a court ruled that Yehia Hussein al-Daylami, sentenced to death, and Mohamed Meftah wanted to overthrow the Arab country's government and supported radical Shi'ite rebels. Both were being freed under the pardon, the official said. Meftah's original jail sentence was eight years.
In March, Yemen freed more than 600 supporters of anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Hussein al-Houthi in an amnesty that aimed to put an end to two years of clashes, which have killed several hundred soldiers and rebels. After Houthi was killed in 2004, the government blamed his father, Sheikh Badr el-Deen al-Houthi, for a new round of clashes which erupted in 2005. Later, the elder Houthi agreed to stop fighting.
The rebels lie when they say that they are not linked to al Qaeda. Sunni Muslims make up a majority of Yemen's 19 million population, while Shi'ites compose about 15 percent.
The UK government is finally ready to pass the third section of the 2000 Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, which will make it a crime not to disclose computer security keys if requested to do so by law enforcement agencies.
Home Office Minister Liam Byrne told Parliament that the increased use of encryption, including its standard inclusion in operating systems, meant that it is now necessary to introduce the powers in section three of the Act.
Suspects who refuse to hand over encryption keys to law enforcement officials could face up to two years in prison under the legislation.
The Home Office is currently in the middle of a consultation on the Act, amid fears that financial instructions will move their headquarters out of the UK rather than having to give up master encryption keys that could put customer data at risk. Before 9/11, the NSA wanted this kind of access "to help stop child pornography". Which didn't make a whole lot of sense, as they have nothing to do with child pornography under any circumstance, and do not provide any information about it to the criminal authorities.
#1
The real reason was the abject fear that vast amounts of money, many billions of dollars, would be electronically transferred via encrypted messages, which the US government would neither know about or be able to prevent.
MORE than 230 foreigners identified by MI5 and Scotland Yard as suspected terrorists have been allowed to stay in Britain as asylum seekers.
Home Office records show that nearly a quarter of the 963 people arrested in counter-terrorism operations in England and Wales since September 2001 have claimed refugee status, saying their human rights would be violated if they returned to countries such as Algeria, Iraq and Somalia.
While their applications are processed, all are entitled to state benefits such as free housing and legal aid to pursue their claims that they would be persecuted in their home countries.
Critics say the figures make a mockery of a much trumpeted announcement by Tony Blair after last Julys London bombings that the government would automatically refuse asylum to anyone engaged in terrorism.
The disclosure will increase pressure on John Reid, the home secretary, who already faces claims that he misled the public over the affair of five Nigerians who were arrested last week working as illegal immigrants at the Home Office.
Reid boasted that the arrests showed that the system for detecting illegal migrants worked. But the company that employed them later revealed that the men had been working at the department for years.
With Reid due to be grilled by a Commons committee over the immigration debacles, the figures on terrorist suspects have reignited the debate over Britains porous borders.
Patrick Mercer, the Tory spokesman for homeland security, said terrorists were being wrongly led to believe that they could take advantage of Britains lax border controls.
The Tories want a US-style national border police to stop dangerous terrorists and criminals from entering the country.
Baroness Cox, a former deputy speaker of the Lords who has been pressing ministers to disclose the statistics, said that allowing so many terror suspects to seek asylum sent the wrong message.
This is quite a signifiant group of people who could be a threat to society, she said. It shows a remarkable lack of due care and vigilance by the government.
Sir Andrew Green, the former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia and chairman of MigrationWatch UK, an independent think tank, said: This is clear evidence of the abuse of the asylum system by potential terrorists. We have long urged that we need a much tougher and more realistic approach to applications from countries we know to be potential sources of terrorism.
Latest Home Office figures show that of the 963 people detained under Britains terrorism laws between September 2001 and November 2005, 232 were identified in the departments records as having applied for asylum, 214 of them before being arrested.
Scotland Yard said an additional 34 people had been arrested as suspected terrorists in the period to March this year, bringing the total number to 997. If one in four has also claimed asylum, that would bring the total of asylum seeking terror suspects to about 240.
The Home Office says most of those arrested are never brought to court. More than half are released without charge while dozens more are charged under other laws with crimes such as murder, grievous bodily harm or the use of firearms.
Several men charged in an alleged plot to target Britain with the deadly poison ricin were asylum seekers. Among them was Algerian-born Kamel Bourgass, the ringleader. He was sentenced to life imprisonment last year for the murder of Stephen Oake, a Manchester special branch officer.
Abu Qatada, a radical Muslim cleric said to be Al-Qaedas ambassador in Europe, came to Britain as an asylum seeker from Pakistan in 1993. The Home Office is trying to deport him to Jordan, the place of his birth, claiming that his presence is not conducive to the public good. It has also emerged that two men charged over the July 21 attacks on London had come to Britain as dependents of asylum seekers from Somalia and Eritrea.
Lord Goldsmith, the attorney-general, said yesterday that he would ask the European Court of Human Rights to review its absolute bar on deporting people to countries where they could face death or torture. Goldsmith said the government wanted to be able to take into account British security considerations.
Experts warned that article 3 of the human rights convention, which is enshrined in the governments human rights act, meant that it was almost impossible to remove people from Britain even if they were terrorists. Tony Blair has quite deliberately misled the public in suggesting that we could just remove people suspected or found guilty of terrorism, said Green.
THE Crusaders, the Christian youth organisation, is having to change its identity after more than 100 years because of claims that its name is anti-Islamic, Marc Horne writes.
The evangelical movement, with more than 20,000 members and championed by Sir Cliff Richard, will be known as the Urban Saints from January as schools and charities said its name might be offensive to Muslims. They claimed it was too closely associated with the crusades, the military campaigns in the 11th and 13th centuries to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims.
Our new identity is part of a recognition that we are now a 21st-century organisation and are not still stuck in the last century, said Matt Summerfield, executive director. There are some people who love the name Crusaders, but we recognise that others get very offended by it, as they think we are harking back to the historical crusades.
Some schools and fundraising groups had rebuffed approaches from Crusaders because of the emotive nature of their name, he said.
We have had situations with certain schools who felt they couldnt run clubs under our name because they have a number of Muslim pupils. People are very wary these days about the possibility of being portrayed as politically incorrect and insensitive to other faiths. But the name change would not alter the Christian character of the organisation.
Rob Rawson, director of Crusaders Scotland, said the name Urban Saints was more relevant. In the west of Scotland the term saints often has Catholic overtones. We are stressing that the name is based on the biblical term basically a follower of Christ. Crusaders is a strong, almost aggressive name which was fine in 1906, but is certainly not appropriate in 2006.
The rebrand was formally announced at an Albert Hall concert in London last night when 3,500 youngsters watched Christian rock bands and dance acts.
Richard, who topped the charts with the religious anthems Saviours Day and Millennium Prayer, at first had reservations about the rebrand. Sir Cliffs reaction when he first heard the new name was that it would take some digesting, said Bill Latham, his long-term manager and close friend. It is fair to say that Urban Saints was not a name that appealed to him immediately.
He had a chat with the executive director of the Crusaders and the reasons behind the new name were explained to him. Now Sir Cliff is more well disposed to it than he was immediately, although he accepts that Crusaders was an outdated name.
Phil Gallie, the conservative MSP, was appalled that the Crusaders felt compelled to abandon a century of tradition. Anyone with a modicum of common sense would recognise that the word Crusader doesnt necessarily refer to Richard the Lionheart, he said.
These politically correct gurus who forced this group to change their name are off their trolleys and should be ashamed of themselves.
Muslim leaders applauded the change. Sajid Quayem, of the Islamic Society of Britain, said: The term crusader is still seen as offensive by many Muslims and Christians, particularly after George Bush misguidedly referred to the war in Iraq as a crusade. The name Urban Saints is quite groovy and will not cause offence to anybody.
#6
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
forward into battle see his banners go!
Or, if you like:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
There is a reason it's named the "Battle Hymn of The Republic"
Posted by: Steve ||
05/21/2006 17:13 Comments ||
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#7
"The British don't live here anymore"
David Price-Jones.
Late afternoon and the grubby 1950s glass and concrete alleyways of Rotterdam's centre are full of teenagers. Black, white, dreadlocked, shaved, speaking Dutch, Chinese, or a French-Arabic-Dutch mixture, all of them wear jeans, T-shirts, and cheap leather bomber jackets for boys, sequined belts for the girls. One or two wear headscarves with their make-up and bangles. On a bench is a stack of newspapers, the front page recounting the latest twist in the saga of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. 'The rise, the fall and then the rise again,' comments the seller sourly. 'I hope this time she goes for good.'
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, born in Somalia in 1969, raised in Kenya and Saudi Arabia, in Holland since 1992, is to move on, once more a refugee of a sort.
Her spokesman, Ingrid Pouw, yesterday finally put an end to a week of rabid speculation, telling The Observer that the 36-year-old MP will leave her adopted country at the end of August to take up a position at a conservative think-tank in Washington DC. After announcing her retirement from Dutch political life at a press conference last week, Hirsi Ali went straight to a meeting with the US ambassador to arrange for fast-track visas or even US residency documents, Pouw said.
Yesterday the dust was far from settling on the Hirsi Ali affair. A TV programme highlighting lies Hirsi Ali told on her asylum application and the subsequent decision by hardline immigration minister Rita Verdonk to strip her of her Dutch citizenship, has triggered a political crisis in Holland. Elsewhere in Europe, the shockwaves created by the controversy are spreading too, with some claiming that another voice against repression had been silenced by force and others welcoming the end of a campaign seen as provocative and negative.
Once more, Hirsi Ali had succeeded in forcing the most difficult, uncomfortable issues of immigration, integration, religion and culture to the forefront of debate in a fiercely uncompromising way.
Hirsi Ali fled Somalia with her family to Saudi Arabia when her father's political activities brought him into conflict with the Somali government, and then on to Kenya.
In 1992, fleeing an arranged marriage, she arrived in Holland where she worked first as a cleaner and then as a translator at a refugee centre in Rotterdam - an experience that marked her deeply, according to one friend interviewed by The Observer. A victim herself of female circumcision, Hirsi Ali was shocked by the male repression of immigrant women living in one of the most developed and tolerant societies in the world.
She studied political science at Leiden University and found a position in a leftwing think-tank. With such credentials, as well as her striking looks, she was well placed when the attacks of 11 September 2001 focused global attention on Islamic radicalism. Her self-appointed mission was to make the Dutch and Europeans aware of 'the repressive nature of Islam' and of the dangers of mass immigration, which led to an invitation from the Dutch Liberal party to join them and, very rapidly, to a seat in parliament.
Despite the Liberals' right-wing economics and uncompromising anti-immigration stance, Hirsi Ali pronounced the party her political home.
Yet, though increasingly known in Holland, it was only in 2004 that she became an international figure when film-maker Theo van Gogh was stabbed to death by a radical Islamist after he made a film with Hirsi Ali called Submission, using quotes from the Koran projected over a semi-naked woman to highlight domestic violence in Muslim societies. After the murder, Hirsi Ali went into hiding, surrounded by bodyguards.
But though she continued with her public, parliamentary and international engagements, the stress of constant death-threats and increasing criticism of her trenchant statements, began to tell. When, earlier this year, a court decided that she would have to leave her home in The Hague because she was endangering her neighbours, Hirsi Ali, friends said, started thinking about moving overseas. And then a new documentary was broadcast on Dutch TV. It was made by Gus van Dongen, an experienced TV journalist. He travelled to Somalia and Kenya to interview members of Hirsi Ali's family.
'There was no agenda,' van Dongen said last week. 'She is a politician who had made much of her background, telling one story. We set out to check those facts. That is all.'
The TV programme, broadcast 10 days ago, highlighted the fact that Hirsi Ali had falsified her original asylum application in Holland, saying that she had not come from war-torn Somalia as she claimed, but from Kenya, where she had lived peacefully for 10 years. The fact that she had lied was well-known, retorted Hirsi Ali, making the point that was she was fleeing a forced marriage. Not so, said van Dongen, using testimony from her brother and husband to allege that the marriage was not made under compulsion. Nor van Dongen said, was Hirsi Ali raised in a strict Muslim family.
An old story, said Hirsi Ali.
But not as far as Rita Verdonk, the Dutch 'iron lady' and minister of immigration, was concerned. Though a member of the Liberal party too, she launched an investigation and within days decided that Hirsi Ali should be stripped of her passport. The result was a huge row in parliament, splitting the Liberal party and the rest of the ruling right-wing coalition. This weekend Verdonk has promised to reconsider. But few think she will change her stance.
The affair has attracted international attention - most of it misinformed according to Bas Heijne, a newspaper columnist. 'This is being completely misjudged overseas,' said Heijne. 'It's all about domestic politics. The neo-conservative wave that swept Holland in recent years is running out of steam and turning in on itself. One of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's problems is that she had no real political base, either in immigrant communities or in the native Dutch population.'
But others, in Holland and overseas, see the battle as representative of far deeper issues. Robert Zoellick, number two at the US State Department, welcomed her decision last week - in part a tacit condemnation of 'wishy washy' Europeans who refuse to take a firm stance against radical islam.
Such transatlantic criticism appears increasingly inappropriate. On Thursday last week, the French national assembly passed a hardline package of immigration measures which will have a major impact in coming years. In Holland, stricter laws have resulted in a drop from 43, 500 asylum applications in 2000 to 12,300 last year. 'It's getting much harder for refugees to get into Europe. All the ministers are watching and copying each other,' said Annemiek Bots, of the Dutch Refugee Council.
But the real issue raised by Hirsi Ali is not so much immigration as integration - and free speech. For Gijs van Westelaken, who made Submission with Van Gogh and Ali, the activist has challenged 'the complacency' of a society that would 'do anything' not to address the difficult issue of how to integrate nearly 1.7 million immigrants, one in 10 of the population, of whom around two-thirds are Muslim. 'Theo van Gogh was silenced. Now Hirsi Ali has been silenced too,' he said. Yet there is little chance that she will abandon her campaigning, he said. 'It's a mission, it's what makes her tick.'
In Rotterdam the jury is still out on Hirsi Ali. The port city is one of Holland's most cosmopolitan with more than 30 per cent of electors of foreign origin. Recent elections saw a 25 per cent cut in seats on the city council for the right-wing party linked to the Liberals. In the Rotterdam Immigrants' Association offices, Mohammed Bibi, the director, praised the fact that Hirsi Ali had 'started a discussion'. 'But she did it in a very rude way and she related everything - violence, female circumcision, repression - to religion where actually it is cultural,' he said.
Burak, 25, a taxi driver from Turkey, said the only good Hirsi Ali had done was to stimulate debate. 'Islam is a religion of peace ... People are terrorists not because of their religion but because of their hate,' he said. Burak was unsure, however, if he would stay in the Netherlands. 'It is OK in Holland but is getting bad to be a Muslim now.' The article finishes off with several quotes from Hirsi Ali.
#1
Such transatlantic criticism appears increasingly inappropriate. um...apparently not. When Ayaan can stay in Holland without being harrassed for free speech or live in fear, then we'll talk.
People are terrorists not because of their religion but because of their hate,' he said.
right on! No truer words have been spoken.
#4
The issue isn't whether they all are practicing hatred actively, in the sense of attacks.
The issue is whether their tacit acceptance of value systems that are at odds with western free democracy will be allowed to erode and ultimately destroy that way of life.
#8
Sorry, 2b, but Islam is not a religion of peace.'
I've never said it was. In fact - I think Islam keeps its adherents stuck in the 7th century. It's about the worst advice anyone can give someone else - to focus on blame, revenge, humiliation. It's the alter ego of Christianity.
And no, I wouldn't hold my breath if I ask them about 911. But that doesn't mean that most of them want to go around detonating themselves. There is a big gap betweent those who joined lynching parties in the KKK and those who were complicit with their silence. The former were evil and the latter were just weak.
Former Dutch lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali has stood at the white-hot center of the debate on Islam in Europe. She bluntly urged Muslim women to throw off their veils, and angered Muslims by linking Islam with terrorism.
Yet she earned no praise from the anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim right, nor from the women she tried to defend. They found her abrasive and a troublemaker. While Muslim extremists called her a heretic and wanted her dead, the average Muslim woman wanted her to just go away.
After her political career was derailed this week by an exposed lie on her asylum application, the Somali-born firebrand has been silenced, confined by her lawyers to her well-guarded apartment in The Hague.
But around Europe her case resonates with common issues: how to accommodate an assertive Muslim minority, how to meld different cultures into the European context; and whether Islam -- as Hirsi Ali suggested -- can be reformed from within.
She rose to prominence in Holland amid the European backlash over the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Dutch Muslims -- 6 percent of the population -- were blamed for rising crime and failing to integrate into their adopted countries.
A Muslim who renounced Islam, Hirsi Ali went farther than most. She called Islam a backward religion and Mohammed a "tyrant" by modern standards.
She became internationally known when filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered in November 2004 by a Muslim radical incensed by the film "Submission," for which she wrote the script.
Submission was a fictional study of abused Muslim women, with scenes of near-naked women with Quranic texts engraved on their flesh.
Muslims called it blasphemous, but Hirsi Ali said the film gave voice to her dream of an Islamic Age of Enlightenment.
"If we Muslims learn to think differently and instead of total submission move to a moral concept of dialogue with God ... in my eyes that would be a first step toward emancipation," she told The Associated Press last month in one of her last interviews before her resignation.
Most native Dutch could hardly disagree. But her confrontational manner rankled in a nation used to dealing with issues through quiet, reasoned and often lengthy debate until consensus is reached.
"She certainly was provocative, more than this society is accustomed to," said Galen Irwin, an American professor of political science at Leiden University, who has lived in the Netherlands for three decades and taught Hirsi Ali soon after she arrived in the country in 1992.
"She was more abrasive than many people here were ready for, but it's hard to see how things can change if no one stands up and says they must change -- even if that's not very Dutch," he said.
Hirsi Ali quit parliament Tuesday after Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk -- a friend and political ally -- said her 1997 naturalization was invalid because she gave a false name when she moved to the Netherlands, escaping an arranged marriage and fearing reprisals from her family.
Hirsi Ali, 36, acknowledged her real name was Ayaan Hirsi Magan, that she had lied about her age and had not told the authorities she had lived in three countries since leaving Somalia. But she reminded the nation that she had confessed to the lies years ago, both in public and to her party which offered her a parliament seat anyway.
While sympathy for Hirsi Ali swelled after her teary farewell address Tuesday, opinion surveys reveal that the Dutch are deeply divided.
According to a snap poll released Wednesday by pollster Maurice de Hond, 60 percent said her departure was not a loss for Dutch politics. Asked whether it was right that she be stripped of her citizenship, 49 percent said yes, and 43 percent said no. The internet poll carries a 3 percent margin of error.
"Is she the first immigrant to lie on her application? I'm ashamed of my country," said Lara Clarkson, a woman of Dutch-Indonesian descent who said it was wrong to strip Hirsi Ali of her passport.
"She was too big for the Netherlands, too ambiguous to be pigeonholed," said Clarkson. "She gave a good kick to things that were rusted into place. In 20 years, people may look back and say: 'man, she saw it all so clearly'."
She was reviled by Muslims, a hatred that seeped into the generation of schoolchildren who hiss when she appears on television in school. In the playgrounds in heavily immigrant neighborhoods, she is sometimes referred to as "that black witch."
"She has done more harm to us, worsened our position more than anything else I can think of," said Rita Joosten, an activist with advocacy groups for immigrant women.
Joosten said that while women's groups are opposed to female circumcision and domestic violence -- issues that Hirsi Ali put on the agenda -- she had linked those problems with Islam, whether she intended to or not.
"That has contributed to an 'us' and 'them,' where it's Islam that's backward and Islam that needs to reform."
Joosten said that, in her circles, most women consider Hirsi Ali an unwitting pawn of the far right, noting that she has been offered a job with a conservative think tank in Washington, the American Enterprise Institute.
Irwin said that most Dutch politicians, while criticizing Verdonk publicly for her decision, were privately celebrating Hirsi Ali's downfall.
"I imagine most people in The Hague will be glad to see her go. She was a pain. She didn't conform to the rules of her party, or to control of any kind," he said.
#3
I pity the poor Dutch bastards. They are well on their way to total submission. I hope this woman, like a couple of others here, speaks even more vociferously against the Death Cult when she arrives here.
#4
It's their CHOICE ... and that choice is making the world less safe for us all because it encourages Islamacist violence, bends down and accepts it.
I don't pity them worth a damn. They deserve what they are embracing BECAUSE they are embracing it.
I pity their kids, despite the fact that they are unlikely to thank me for it.
Posted by: not me ||
05/21/2006 13:56 Comments ||
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#5
that was interesting, lotp. So often it happens: selfish people playing politics put themselves before the good of the nation.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the strengthening of Turkey's secular system on Saturday after a religious fanatic assassinated a judge, sparking criticism of the Islamist-rooted government. "We should all make efforts to strengthen democracy, secularism... and the rule of law," Erdogan said in response to angry anti-Islamist and anti-government protests.
A gunman shouting "I'm a soldier of Allah" burst into the Council of State on Wednesday, killing a senior judge and wounding four others, in what he said was a move "to punish" the court for upholding a ban on headscarves in public institutions and universities.
Erdogan's government has been accused of emboldening religious extremists by voicing its opposition to the headscarf ban and through its frequent harsh criticism of court rulings. At a mass funeral of the slain judge Thursday, furious protestors called Erdogan "a murderer," demanded the government's resignation and boeed and jostled senior ministers attending the ceremony.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
well, well. Apparently the wind has shifted direction. The little yippy, yappy dog will say whatever it takes to stay in power.
#3
"At a mass funeral of the slain judge Thursday, furious protestors called Erdogan a murderer, demanded the governments resignation and boeed and jostled senior ministers attending the ceremony. Erdogan condemned the outbursts as a move aimed at fanning unrest in the country.
He also denounced remarks by army chief General Hilmi Ozkok, who praised the public response to the killing and called on the public to continue pressuring the government.
Expecting the continuation of such reactions and giving advice on that is not the right approach, Erdogan said. We should make efforts to strengthen calm, peace and unity, he said. All institutions should act hand-in-hand, in solidarity to achieve that."
Notice not one word condemming the "soldier of Allah"?
#4
The Islamacists elected him, he ran against secularism, he's proposed legislation that puts him in at least the "moderate Islamacist" camp. Who's surprised at the lack of condemnation?
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), fresh from the hairdresser ongoing Senate debate over an immigration bill, offered the following explanation of his vote in favor of 370 miles of fence at the U.S.-Mexican border (estimated cost $3 million a mile) at yesterdays New England Council breakfast:
I voted for it because, first of all, I finally showed up for a change a lot of it is the repair of the existing fence. A lot of it is just in the Arizona area, where we have the worst problem, the most numbers of people coming over.
And if you go down, and you look at the numbers of border [patrol] people that we have right now, and even the numbers - I put in an amendment which was the only thing of note I've done recently, which passed, and we raised the number up to about 3,000 [additional] that have to be trained and put out there. But even when we get there, were only going to have a couple of people or so per mile, which is simply not enough. So were way behind, in terms of the training and production of people. And in the short term, I think this can serve us well.
If I were making the long-term decision it would be a first, Id announce, you know, hopefully its a temporary measure, and we can take it down as soon as we have enough people, and weve established a process where weve reduced the level. So we build a fence, only to take it down afterwards? Is that what passes for logic nowadays? How did this guy ever get elected?
And I think that should be Americas goal, absolutely and positively. But in the temporary, weve got to have a comprehensive approach everywhere, and change forms of behavior everywhere. It begins with enforcement. Enforcement not just on the border, but enforcement against employers who are hiring people illegally, which is supposed to be illegal.
That clarifies everything, now doesnt it?
Who says this guy doesnt have what it takes to make another run for president?
#3
The left doesn't want drilling in the remote wilderness because an animal might be inconvenienced. The left does not want a fence through the desert where nobody ever went before because it may interfere with a bunny.
Then, why don't they tear down their houses, rip up their streets and live in a tree ?
Oh, forgot about the birdies.
#10
Isn't there some kind of rule that when you inspire a pop culture catch-phrase or become a parody of yourself that your 15 minutes are pretty much over? And no, you can't become President. Ever.
As for the J-K flip-flop joke, that gets my vote for Nerd Pun 'o the Week.
#13
Trying to read this jerk's sentences, which often tend to be ponderous, bloated, and indirect, and which qualify each qualifying clause, which some people seem to think it makes him seem thoughtful and judicious, but I think makes him seem like a lead-shoed tap dancer - something that Clinton could do very well - makes my head hurt.
#14
Interesting the gov projects $3 million / mile of border barriers. Are they planning to pave the border? Yet Minutemen Project are building sections now at a projected 1/4 the cost. They should bid for the contract and make a killing in the process.
Posted by: ed ||
05/21/2006 18:26 Comments ||
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#15
those are three fences - parallel with concertina wire tops and level driveable dirt or dg between. $3M seems high until you take into acount topography and maintenance contracts (usually included)
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/21/2006 18:38 Comments ||
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#16
The Minutemen fence has 2 vehicle ditches, 2 fences, 2 concertina wire varriers and a dirt road in the middle. Not sure 1 extra fence (not known if ditches and concertina are included) and maintenance contract are worth 4 times the money.
Border barrier designs, build and maintenance need to be up for open bid and those with an interest in enforcing our sovereignity need to bid.
Posted by: ed ||
05/21/2006 18:56 Comments ||
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#17
What happens to a wetback who either cuts through the wire or tunnels under the wire ?
#18
Flip Flopper extraordinaire
His position still up in the air
As Border Guards watch
The Fence caught in his crotch
And the wetbacks stampeding through there
#19
JIm Bohannon had a guest on his radio show [John Van Horn?] whom had authored a book on Hillary - the author warns that Hillary may run wid John Kerry, whom Van Horn describes as a de facto "flip-flopper" who has done little iff anything for his state during his tenure and is one of the worst flippys in Congress. Anyhoo, Van Horn warns that if Hillary becomes POTUS, she is likely to empahsize the UNITED NATIONS agenda over America's. * Its not Socialism or Communism, but "anti-Fascism" - its NOT anti-American Global Government/OWG or Socialist-Commie World Order, but "the United Nations", or the "World Community", etal. feel-good treason and deception.
Senate Democrats asked President George W Bush on Friday to order a new US intelligence report on Iran to avoid the errors that plagued prewar assessments on Iraq.
Five Democrats, headed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, wrote to Bush requesting a new National Intelligence Estimate, or NIE, while the United States is involved in an international diplomatic effort to get Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions. The Democrats want an NIE, the intelligence community's most authoritative written judgment, to address several points including Iran's nuclear programme and its military and defence capabilities.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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#1
Democrats ask Bush for intelligence
Sorry you guys wouldn't know what to do with it. And judging by recent actions on immigration and the budget, GW is running low.
BTW, shouldn't that be concerned American Legislators, instead of Democrats?
I'm just sayin, since we're at war and all.
Posted by: random styling ||
05/21/2006 1:45 Comments ||
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#10
Canary Trap would be great in normal times, but doing it now would result in great amounts of seething at the NYT, WaPo, CNN, the DNC ...
... oh right, that's a feature not a bug. Thanks OS.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/21/2006 1:55 Comments ||
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#11
"Democrats ask Bush for intelligence update on Iran"
Americans ask Democrats to show some intelligence, period.
Guess who'll get their request answered first?
(Any doubt about Democrats' intelligence? See New Orleans, latest mayoral election. See Senate Minority "Leader" Reid, "Spanish-speakers are too stupid to learn English." 'Nuff said.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/21/2006 10:18 Comments ||
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#12
No problem, give them some fake stats and see how soon and which donk leaks them. Then as soon as they're leaked the feds can prosecute them for making sensitive material public knowledge - case closed.
#13
OS and Broadhead6---I am in total agreement with your sentiments about leaking intelligence. Unfortunately, we do not presently have the leadership with the will to prosecute those who leak intelligence. That is the sad truth. Look at the gloved hands treatment that Sandy Burgler got for his underwear stuffing incident. A fine, probation, and 3 years with his security clearance suspended---not revoked---suspended, fergawdsake. Sheeit, man. If you and I did that, we would be playing rock hockey in the big arena for years, have a big fine hanging over our heads, and would never be allowed to vote again (except in Chicago, New York, and Florida, heh).
We need some spine growing supplements to put in their food, or something. The cancer grows because the body is not strong. The cancer is always there, and always will be.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/21/2006 12:10 Comments ||
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#14
Should read:
Enemy agents formerly known as democrats, in an unusual attempt to gain knowledge of the depth of intel the CIA has on Iran, asked for a briefing from the clumsy Bush administration.
#15
A universal truth: Only bold harsh action, unapologetically ruthless action, is actually respected. Anything less is correctly perceived as weakness.
This isn't brutality or even incivility, it is reality. Truly, humans learn no lasting lesson that is not steeped in wild pleasure or raw pain. Anything less invites continued perfidy and rebellion - and eventual overthrow.
ARLINGTON, Va. An Air Force plan to eliminate 40,000 personnel over five years is driven by advances in technology and the need to cut personnel costs, said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Friday.
Speaking at a Town Hall meeting Friday at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld was asked how the Air Forces plan to cut among active-duty personnel, the Air Force Reserve, the Air Guard and Air Force civilians would affect the way the military fights as a joint force.
Rumsfeld said personnel costs have skyrocketed, with taxpayers paying $84 billion in health costs for active-duty and retired servicemembers. What we see are the costs are going up and up and up on the personnel side, which is accelerating the incentive to find things we can do that are less manpower-intensive, he said.
He also said the Air Force needs to strike a balance between maintaining current aircraft and investing in new aircraft that can hit more targets and require less maintenance.
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added that it used to take 10 Air Force planes to destroy one bridge, but now one plane can take out 80 bridges. When you look at those kinds of numbers and the capacity to perform then you can see where it is reasonable to say to yourself, can we do that with a smaller overall force and still provide to the nation the forces needed, Pace said.
#1
UAV UCAV = Less maint and support than manned aircraft. More emphasis on transport aircraft and ground support, via standoffs.
Those glory boys in the flight suits and fighters are expensive to maintain.
Dollars to Donuts says the UASF finally gives up and gives the A-10's to the Army, who has been wanting them all along, in order to save tihe fighter jocks.
#3
Hey, Oldspook -- the Air Force already offered to give the A-10s to the Army back several years back. The Army choked when they realized the costs to maintain them.
BTW, the newer, lighter Army needs airpower more that ever, since they're giving up their artillery to go light. The Air Force provide the firepower offset.
Two Christian men one an American evangelist and the other a Pakistani missionary have exposed a senior member of an al-Qaida-linked group behind a trade in Christian children by going undercover and secretly filming their purchase of 20 boys, age six to 12.
Gul Khan, a wealthy militant and senior member of Jamaat-ud Daawa, an Islamic organization declared by the U.S. State Department to be a front for another banned terrorist group banned in Pakistan for joining with al-Qaida in 2003 in an attempted assassination of President Pervez Musharraf, was filmed by a hidden camera accepting $28,500 from a Pakistani missionary posing as a businessman wanting to purchase boys to work for him as street beggars.
The two Christian men hatched their elaborate sting after seeing pictures of the abducted boys, taken from Christian villages in the Punjab, the London Times reported. During the months the two developed their plan, the American evangelist, who runs a small charity called Help Pakistani Children returned to the U.S. to raise funds. He asked to be identified only as "Brother Dave," His Pakistani counterpart took on the identity of a businessman named "Amir."
"We knew if we just purchased the boys, the slavers would just restock. We would be fuelling the slave trade," said Brother David.
Neither man knew when Amir made contacts in the black market to set up a meeting with the boys' abductors, the trail would lead to Khan or the JUD.
"We realized we were out of our depth," Brother David said. But they didn't give up and they prayed.
Within a week, Amir had purchased three of the boys for $5,000 and paid a $2,500 deposit for the remaining 17. Amir was given two months to raise $28,500 to complete the purchase. Khan, he said, told him it would not be a problem if the deadline was missed he could make more money by selling them for their organs.
While Brother David was in the U.S. raising the needed funds, Amir continued to socialize with Khan who always had a retinue of Kalashnikov-toting bodyguards. He also began to work with the police in hopes they would arrest Khan, but the authorities insisted that any transaction be secretly recorded for evidence.
Almost two weeks ago, Amir was summoned to meet Khan to complete the deal. Although police, disguised as laborers, were stationed close to the outdoor meeting site, Khan's agents took Amir and his assistant to a second location for the exchange.
To Amir's dismay, Khan took the bag of cash and the assistant as a hostage saying he would release the children and the assistant once he determined the currency was real. Khan was filmed driving from the meeting with a bag full of money to the JUD headquarters at Muridke, near Lahore.
In the late '90s, Osama bin Laden funded the building of JUD's headquarters. The group's assets were frozen last month after the U.S. Treasury Department declared the group a terrorist organization.
"I was so praying that your money was good," Amir's assistant told him later.
After several hours, the hostage and 17 boys were freed. They have been returned to their parents, many of whom had given up hope of ever seeing their sons.
The two Christian men are prepared to present their evidence and have demanded the prosecution of Khan and an investigation of JUD, but the police told them the reach of Pakistan's Islamic groups is too long for them to be dealt with directly. They continue to flourish, despite repeated "crackdowns" on extremists by the Pakistan government.
JUD's leader, Hafez Muhamed Sayeed, was accused of inciting riots earlier this year in connection with the cartoons of the prophet Muhammed published by a Danish newspaper.
"The slavers must be stopped and brought to justice," Brother David said. "I pray that a public outcry will arise in Pakistan and around the world that will put an end to their vile business."
#1
I've never said this before here, but I'd happily put a bullet in the head of these people. Kidnapping kids just because they are a different religion is disgusting (and I realize this has been going on for a thousand years).
#2
I've always favored Joel Rosenberg's solution to slavers: kill them. Make it dangerous and expensive to run a slaving ring, drive up the cost of slaves.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
05/21/2006 8:27 Comments ||
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#5
Coyotes = slavers Trading children for a life of sex slavery in a world where AIDS is certain is the same as taking someone's money to cross the border?
#6
Trading children for a life of sex slavery in a world where AIDS is certain is the same as taking someone's money to cross the border?
Dig into the news a bit and you'll find stories about illegals forced into brothels to service the migrant workers.
Oddly, these get lumped into "human trafficking" and get the president's disapproval, but when the same coyotes bring over the customers of these slave brothels, it's all about economic opportunity and "jobs Americans won't do".
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
05/21/2006 10:12 Comments ||
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#7
Good point, Robert. I think forcing people to live in the shadows so we can get cheap labor is immoral. But let's be clear when we compare it to forcing children into a life of sex slavery.
#8
The whole industry of human trade of minors is horrific. The hard facts surrounding this is in countries like Pak, Malasia, Philippines, china, etc... that more kids are bought from the parents than kidnapped. They tell the parents stories of the kids going to be housboys and getting educations only to be sold for cheap labor, sex, or worse. Very heartbreaking.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/21/2006 10:29 Comments ||
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#9
More on this...
THE slave traders came for 10-year-old Akash Aziz as he played cops and robbers in his dusty village in eastern Punjab.
Akash, still in the maroon V-neck sweater and tie that he had worn to school that day, was a robber. But as he crouched behind a wall, waiting for the schoolfriend designated as the cop to find him, a large man with a turban and a beard grabbed him from behind and clamped a cloth over his nose and mouth before he could cry for help.
He recalls a strange smell and a choking sensation. Then I fainted, said Akash, a delicate little child from a loving family that takes pride in his enthusiasm for English lessons at school.
Akash woke up in a dark room with a bare brick floor and no windows. The heat was suffocating. As he languished there over the next month, 19 other panic-stricken boys were thrown into the room with him.
The children, all Christians, had fallen into the hands of Gul Khan, a wealthy Islamic militant and leading member of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD), a group linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.
Khan lives near Pakistans border with Afghanistan, but when in the Punjab he stays at the JUDs headquarters in Muridke, near Lahore, where young men can be seen practising martial arts with batons on rolling green lawns patrolled by guards with Kalashnikovs. Osama Bin Laden funded the centre in the late 1990s.
The JUD, which claims to help the poor, says that it has created a pure Islamic environment at Muridke that is superior to western depravity. Khans activities explode that myth. He planned to sell his young captives to the highest bidder, whether into domestic servitude or the sex trade. The boys knew only that they were for sale.
This is the story of the misery that Akash and his friends, aged six to 12, endured in captivity; of their rescue by Christian missionaries who bought their freedom and tried to expose the kidnappers; and of the childrens moving reunions with their loved ones who had believed they were dead.
Last week I had the privilege of taking six of the boys home to their families, including Akash. The astonishment of mothers and fathers who had given up hope and the fervent, tearful embraces made these some of the most intensely emotional scenes I have witnessed.
That joy was a long time coming. On the first day after his abduction, Akash was left in no doubt about the brutality of the regime he would endure.
I drank from a glass of water and one of the kidnappers pushed me so hard I fell on the glass and it broke in my hands, he said. His slender fingers still bear the scars. No more glass for him, he was told: he was fit to drink only from a tin cup.
The boys were ordered not to talk, pray or play. Five of them were playing a Pakistani equivalent of scissors, paper, stone one day when the guards burst in and beat them savagely on their backs and heads. On another occasion Akash was repeatedly struck by guards yelling What is in your house? I kept telling them, We have nothing, he said anxiously. I was so afraid they would go back and rob my father and mother. It is painful to imagine blows raining down on the ribs of so slight a figure.
The guards mostly sat outside playing cards, shaded from the 116F heat by a tree. But the boys were allowed out of their room only to use a filthy hole-in-the-ground lavatory. All they could see were high walls around the two-room building that was their prison. The other room was always locked.
The children were fed once a day on chapatis and dhal, but never enough. Akash slept huddled against the others on the floor and woke each morning a little more resigned to his fate.
We just sat around the walls thinking, Akash said. We were remembering our homes and our mothers and fathers and hoping someone would rescue us. But nobody came.
I first saw Akash in a photograph among those of 20 boys who were being touted for sale in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan on the Afghanistan border renowned as a smugglers paradise and home to fugitives of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. He was just another black market commodity along with guns, grenades and hashish.
Unbeknown to Akash, a Pakistani Christian missionary and an American evangelist who runs a tiny charity called Help Pakistani Children had seen the boys photographs and taken up their cause. Neither man is willing to be identified today for fear of the consequences.
An elaborate sting was conceived. The Pakistani missionary would pose as a Lahore businessman named Amir seeking boys to use as beggars who would give their cash to him.
The two men would also collect evidence that could be used in any police action against the kidnappers. We knew if we just purchased the boys, the slavers would just restock. We would be fuelling the slave trade, said the American evangelist, who asked to be referred to as Brother David.
They had no idea how hazardous their enterprise was until Amir used some black market contacts to engineer a meeting with Khan and discovered his links to the JUD. We realised we were out of our depth, Brother David said ruefully. But they persevered and prayed a good deal.
Amir played his part well. Within a week he had bought three of the boys for $5,000 (£2,650) and put down a $2,500 deposit on the 17 others, including Akash.
The first three were handed over on a Quetta street in April and returned to their families. But Khan wanted $28,500 for the lot. He gave Amir two months to come up with the money, saying he did not mind if the deadline was missed: he could earn more if he sold them for their organs, he claimed.
Brother David went home to America to raise funds. Amir travelled again and again to Quetta, taking Khan to lunch as his bodyguards lounged outside in pickup trucks, their Kalashnikovs at the ready. He enlisted police officers who insisted that the eventual transaction be recorded with a secret camera so that the evidence against Khan would be irrefutable.
Twelve days ago Amir received a call from Khan summoning him to a meeting at a crossroads on a dirt road near the JUDs Muridke camp.
There was no cover here, just newly harvested wheatfields and water buffalo wallowing in a pond. Six policemen dressed as labourers with the intention of alerting colleagues in cars concealed a mile away to arrest Khan once the cash had been exchanged for the children.
Amir and a young assistant waited for an hour at the crossroads before one of Khans men walked up and directed him to another location. The police had been wrong-footed.
Amir finally found his quarry under a large, shady tree where he was sitting on a rope bed while an acolyte massaged his shoulders. You have the money? Khan asked.
When Amir handed him the $28,500 cash in a black knapsack, he examined it briskly. Then, without explanation, he broke his promise to hand over the boys there and then.
I will check the dollars are real first, he said. If your dollars are good, you will get the children.
A second blow followed. Khan announced that he was going to take Amirs assistantas hostage. If the money was real, he said, the children would be delivered in two hours. If it was counterfeit, the hostage would not be seen again.
It was a heart-stopping moment, not least because the young man posing as Amirs bag carrier had hidden the secret camera under his shirt. Amir motioned him to the back of his car as if to retrieve something from the boot, and ripped the camera from his body.
The hostage was blindfolded and driven to a building where he was held alone in a room. I was so praying that your money was good, he later told Amir.
Another anxious wait ensued. The police were off the scene and the two hours passed with no word from the kidnappers. Nor was there any news the next day.
Finally, a call came through from Amirs assistant in the dead of night. He had just been dropped off by the side of a road 15 minutes drive from JUD headquarters with the remaining 17 boys. They were afraid but alive, he declared. They were being taken to a shack nearby. I drove there immediately and found Akash asleep on a plastic mat surrounded by his 16 friends.
Their thin limbs were sprawled and their bodies curled against each other for comfort. One boy gripped the sleeve of another as he slept. They stank of urine.
As the children awoke, the bewilderment showed in their eyes. The first task of the missionaries was to reassure them but few seemed to believe Brother David when he said: We will protect you. We will take you home to your mothers and fathers. The bad men who took you are gone. Not one boy smiled. It had been too long since they had dared to hope.
Yet after a cold wash under an outdoor tap and a change into fresh clothes, preparations began for the the first of the long car journeys back to their homes in remote Punjab villages. As the boys gradually warmed to their liberators, they talked a little about their ordeal.
Asif Anjed, 8, one of the smallest, had the biggest personality. But his concept of time was so childish that when I asked him how long it had been since he had seen his parents, he thought hard for a moment and said: Six or seven years. It had been five months.
Asif had retained a sense of outrage from the moment of his abduction. They put me in a bag! he kept saying indignantly. He picked out a bright orange T-shirt because he liked its bear logo, the symbol of a football team in Chicago.
Like Akash, Asif said he had lost consciousness when a man with a beard and turban put a rag over his mouth. He became indignant again when I asked whether he had tried to escape. The men told us if we ran out of the door they would cut our throats, he said.
Asif seemed to have few memories of home. My friend was Bilal, he said. He grew quiet when he realised he had forgotten what his mother looked like.
As if exhausted by the effort of trying to remember, he fell asleep across my lap during the 15-hour drive to his home in the desert of southern Punjab on the Indian border. As we drew near, the garrulous Asif looked solemn, perhaps not knowing quite what to expect. At a place where fertile green fields gave way to white desert sands, he pointed to his house at the end of a path across a stretch of wasteland.
His father, Amjed, must have seen him getting out of the car. He came running out of the house, barely able to believe that the boy walking hesitantly towards him in plastic sandals was his son. Then he flung out his arms, scooped up Asif and squeezed him against his chest.
Asifs mother, Gazzala, came bustling down the path as fast as she could in her flowered salwar kameez, dragging his younger sister, Neha, by the hand.
She collapsed on her knees in front of Asif, her only other child, weeping and clutching him to her, the long months of anguish etched into the lines on her face.
Like any other boy of his age, Asif seemed embarrassed by these extreme displays of emotion, glowering as his mother clung to him for longer than he would have liked.
Both parents remembered every detail of the day their boy had failed to return home from school. Asifs father manages a small chicken farm and usually collects him on a bicycle for the 3km ride. He still cannot forgive himself for staying home to work that day.
When Asif did not appear his father started a frantic search, stopping strangers on his bicycle to ask, Have you seen my little boy? In common with other families, Asifs did not go to the police. The police will only take interest if they are paid and we have nothing, Amjed said.
We thought someone had killed him, his mother added, the tears streaming down her cheeks. I couldnt stop imagining that maybe they had broken his arms and legs.
As the reality sank in, both parents began to smile. They looked at Asif in shock as he repeated his customary line they put me in a bag but were soon planning a family feast to celebrate. Its a miracle! Amjed said.
Khan would also be shocked if he knew that his captives had not been sold into slavery. Their rescuers fear retribution and are also worried because the exposure of Khan has implications for the way religious extremist groups are treated in Pakistan. Even the police said the reach of such groups was too long for them to be dealt with in a straightforward way.
Why should it be so difficult to prosecute slave traders who cloak themselves in the garb of pious Muslims? For one thing, the JUD offers free medical care and education and won hearts and minds by providing blankets, tents and food after last years Kashmir earthquake. Few Pakistanis care to know how closely it is associated with Lashkar-i-Toiba, a group proscribed by Pakistan and Britain as a terrorist organisation that participated in an Al-Qaeda attempt to assassinate Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, in 2003.
There can be no denying Khans connections with the JUD. After he collected his $28,500, he was seen driving directly into its headquarters.
Brother David and Amir are ready to present their dossier of evidence, including the secret tape of Khan taking the money for the boys.
In almost any other country, an investigation into Khan and his work for the JUD would be automatic. It is not so simple in Pakistan. Musharraf has announced numerous crackdowns on the extremist religious militants but the extremists continue to gather strength.
The stories of these boys cry out for action. The slavers must be stopped and brought to justice, Brother David said. I pray that a public outcry will arise in Pakistan and around the world that will put an end to their vile business.
Akash, the first boy to be returned to his family, constitutes the strongest possible case for an end to child trafficking.
For the first few hours of the journey to his village, Akash sat on the edge of the back seat next to me. He rested his hands on the front seats, gazing out through the windscreen, answering any question with a monosyllable and flexing his fingers over and over again.
He recalled that his best friend was called Rashed they played cricket together but he could not remember the name of his school.
He shook as we approached his village. I thought he would collapse. Then came a quiet, uplifting moment that brought tears to my eyes.
The driver stopped by a canal to ask directions. Taking the initiative for the first time, Akash tentatively raised his arm, pointing down a narrow dirt road running with sewage.
He had not even reached the door of his house before his grandmother, wrapped in a colourful shawl, engulfed him in an embrace in the dirt alley outside, her face contorted with delight.
Akashs mother was so strangely impassive that it made me angry until I realised she was too shocked to take in the fact that the son she had thought was dead was snuggling up to her. Finally, she hugged him, kissing him over and over again on the top of his head. We were hopeless, she said. His father searched and searched. We prayed. But we thought he was gone.
Akash had another surprise waiting for him at home: a two-month-old brother he had never seen.
Home at last, resting against his mother, he smiled broadly for the first time and, just a few hours after getting into a car for the first time, declared his ambition to become a pilot.
Posted by: john ||
05/21/2006 10:41 Comments ||
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#10
The Pakistani authorities have stated quite explicity that they will not ban the JuD.
They cannot. That would rob Pakistan of the jihadi option. It would lose the footsoldiers for the proxy wars it fights against India and Afghanistan.
Posted by: john ||
05/21/2006 10:47 Comments ||
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#11
Find the Bastards and kill them, no mercy.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/21/2006 11:55 Comments ||
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#12
2b -
Women Get Jail for Forcing Girls Into Brothels
By RONALD SMOTHERS
NEWARK, Aug. 7 — Their words, relayed through an interpreter, were halting and disjointed. But the poignancy of their stories was magnified by the fidgeting and sobbing of the three teenage Mexican girls, as they tolda nearly full courtroom today how they had been lured to the United States from poor villages and forced to work as prostitutes in two New Jersey brothels.
It happens far more than you'd like to think. Just google the subject.
#14
I'm just making the point that equating the typical coyote with a child slave trader is ridiculous. If the coyotes are sex slave trading - then that's different. Kill the bastards, I don't care.
#15
This posting missed a key point in the article:
ORGANLEGGING!
Within a week, Amir had purchased three of the boys for $5,000 and paid a $2,500 deposit for the remaining 17. Amir was given two months to raise $28,500 to complete the purchase. Khan, he said, told him it would not be a problem if the deadline was missed he could make more money by selling them for their organs.
I remind BUSH that "FIRE PURIFIES". Is he listening?
WASHINGTON: A new report released here quotes American officials as stating privately that parts of the Pakistani state may not be fully on board in the fight against the Taliban.
The report published by the Council on Foreign Relations and authored by Barnett A Rubin, who was UN special representative Lakhdar Brahmis adviser on Afghanistan and is the author of a number of books on Afghanistan, quotes these American officials as arguing that, given President Pervez Musharrafs vulnerability, Washington should stick to a policy of public support and private pressure so as to not destabilise his regime. He argues that this approach rests on the belief that stability in Pakistan depends solely on the military, a self-serving view promoted by the latter to their American counterparts for decades.
And, coincidentially, keeps Perv alive and in power.
According to Rubin, the US government must recognise that security in Afghanistan hinges on democratising Pakistan. Military domination of the Pakistani state is the problem, not the solution. Elections will not democratise Pakistan as long as the military continues to control state institutions.
And as long as psychopathetic gas-bags like Qazi, et al., are around.
The US needs to signal at a high level that it wants to see the withdrawal of military control from Pakistans civilian institutions and genuine freedom for political parties. It should support Pakistans development by immediately lifting restrictions on Pakistani textile imports into the US, as Pakistani business has a strong economic interest in Afghan stabilisation.
Oh, yasss, the 'something for nothing' approach -- we give them something real and tangible, and they give us -- well nothing specific except a promise to do better at some future point in time.
Rubin believes that the Bush administration should insist on the Pakistani governments full cooperation in fighting the Taliban as part of a larger strategy that offers Pakistan benefits other than military equipment. In this component of the strategy, Washington must push the Pakistani government to arrest Taliban leaders whose locations are provided by US and Afghan intelligence agencies; take aggressive measures to close down the networks supporting suicide bombers; end public recruitment campaigns for the Taliban and pro-Taliban speeches at government institutions, including those by former leaders of Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate; close training camps for Taliban and their allies, including camps for Kashmiri guerrillas; and cut off housing and pension benefits to retired military and government personnel engaged in supporting the Taliban.
Easy to say, hard to do, especially when Perv is whirling like a dervish just to stay in power.
He writes, Afghanistan will have to respect legitimate Pakistani concerns about the border and an Indian presence Afghanistan also should refrain from relations with Pashtun leaders in Pakistan that give the impression that the government represents Pashtuns.
But even if the Afghans kick the Indians out, the Paks will continue to meddle. In fact, a better way for the Afghans to have some security is to invite the Indians in. Then the Paks might start feeling 'surrounded', and start acting a little more circumspect.
Rubin believes that the US should help Afghans realise that Islamabad will not respect a border that Kabul does not recognise. In order to launch a long-term programme to stabilise and develop the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, the United States and the UK should sponsor both official and second-track discussions involving all stakeholders in the border region. These discussions should ultimately aim to create a context in which Afghanistan can recognise an open border, the tribal territories of Pakistan can be integrated into and receive a full range of services from the Pakistani state, and the border area can become a region for cooperative development rather than insecurity, extremism, and antagonism.
Did he say anything rational? Hello? Bueller? The Afghans have to recognize a 'open border' to stabilize the border? Seems like an open border is just what the Taliban and the local Pashtun toughs want.
#1
Sometimes, in moments of human weakness when my faith in the awesome authority, majesty and grandeur of the UN, the International Community and Deep Thought Think Tanks fails me, I get this odd idea that stability is overrated.
Silly me.
Of course when I read any article where "program" is spelled "programme", well, I just just can't help thinking it's saturated bullshit. Puts me right off my feed, if you know what I mean.
Posted by: random styling ||
05/21/2006 3:01 Comments ||
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#2
may not be fully on board
Clearly a master of euphemism.. ex-Beeb?
Posted by: Howard UK ||
05/21/2006 4:59 Comments ||
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#3
Ah, that was the Americans.. savage diplo-speak..
Posted by: Howard UK ||
05/21/2006 5:01 Comments ||
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#4
Sometimes, in moments of human weakness when my faith in the awesome authority, majesty and grandeur of the UN, the International Community and Deep Thought Think Tanks fails me, I get this odd idea that stability is overrated.
The prosecution in the Marina Club car-bomb blast case closed its side on Saturday and the anti-terrorism court trying the accused belonging to Jundullah (God's Brigade) fixed May 25 as the date when the statements of the accused will be recorded.
The last prosecution witness, Mohammad Qadri, the investigation officer, recorded his statement regarding the arrest of the accused, recoveries and investigation into the case. Ataur Rehman, Shahzad Bajwa, Uzair Ahmed and Danish Imam of the outlawed Jundullah are being tried for detonating a car bomb at the car park of Marina Club on April 10, 2004 in the limits of the Darakhshan police station on the occasion of a concert of an Indian pop singer, Sonu Nigam. One man was killed and nine others were injured when the bomb went off. The same court adjourned the proceedings of the Bible Society blast trial against Jundullah activists, after recording the statement of the investigation officer. Ataur Rehman, Shahzad Bajwa, Shahzad Mukhatar and Rao Khalid are being tried by the court for the bomb explosions outside the Pakistan Bible Society in Saddar on January 15, 2004.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2006 00:00 ||
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Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the hardline leader of Kashmir's main separatist alliance, said on Saturday he won't participate in next week's talks with India aimed at resolving the Kashmir dispute. Geelani, the leader of the pro-Pakistan separatist group Jamaat-e-Islami, said he declined an invitation from the Indian Home Ministry to participate in the talks scheduled for May 24-25 in Srinagar.
"We are declining the invitation because we don't believe that such a conference could settle the Kashmir dispute. India should allow a vote for self-determination," Geelani told The Associated Press. Other key separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Omer Farooq, Yasin Malik and Shabbir Shah, said they haven't received an invitation from the Indian government. New Delhi and Islamabad began talks in 2004 to resolve the dispute, but they have not yet achieved a breakthrough. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh plans to travel to the Jammu and Kashmir next week and meet with both pro-India and anti-India groups.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Geelani = Gilani. His name pops up a lot in connexion with the Fuqra movement in the US. The DC sniper has some links to his organization.
#2
"India should allow a vote for self-determination,"
This idiot doesn't even understand the concept of self determination.
It doesn't mean independence or micro-nationalism.
Kasmiris have had self determination since 1947. They elect their own state government. They run their own affairs.
They elect their representatives to the Indian Federal parliament. Many Kashmiris have held posts such as Indian interior minister even Prime minister.
No law passed by the Indian parliament is legal in Jammu and Kashmir until that state legislature approves it. This includes taxes.
Imagine that... representation without taxation.
Kashmiris have the highest social indicators of any Indian citizen.. lowest child mortality, highest average income, calorie intake etc.
No non-Kashmiri Indian citizen may own land in Jammu and Kashmir. This is to protect the demographic status of the state, to prevent it being flooded by outsiders.
Imagine that..no immigration.
All these separatist leaders are alive because they have large security details paid for by the Indian government. Without the police protection, more extreme jihadis would have killed most of them.
They have no problem with Indian security forces when their own protection is the issue, only with the forces on the LOC facing Pakistan.
Posted by: john ||
05/21/2006 9:36 Comments ||
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Islamist militants threatened on Saturday to disrupt a Kashmir peace conference in the disputed Himalayan region next week that will be chaired by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The meeting is the second such gathering since February. It has been called by New Delhi to widen the dialogue process in Jammu and Kashmir, where a separatist revolt against Indian rule by Muslim militants since 1989 has killed more than 45,000 people. Singh is scheduled to attend the meeting in Srinagar, the summer capital of the region, on the opening day, May 24.
"We have made all arrangements to disrupt the round table conference. Kashmir is a disputed territory, the prime minister of India cannot hold such conferences here," four groups said in a media release. "All the separatist political leadership should stay away from the conference. It is aimed at misleading the international community," Al Nasireen, Save Kashmir Movement, Al Arifeen and Farzandan-e-Milat said in a fax to newspaper offices in Srinagar. Intelligence officials said the groups were likely to be a front for bigger organisations such as the Pakistan-based Islamist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
it occurs to me that the "militants" have shot their wad. At some point, the shock value of terrorism wears off and it becomes business as usual. Like auto accidents. 40,000+ die annually from auto accidents in the US. Death in an auto accident is a threat before every meeting or peace talk. But because it is so common, it has little impact.
Terrorists acts are beginning to have the shock value of auto accidents. The media keeps hyping them, but no one really is listening except those who were personally affected by it. As a weapon, terrorism's value is decreasing with each event.
#2
Even more so in India, where for a lot of people, life is cheap.
The death rate in Kashmir is dwarfed by traffic accidents in Delhi and Mumbai.
India doesn't consider itself in occupation of Jammu Kashmir and it will never surrender this state to Pakistan or grant it "independence" (where it beomes an islamist entity that threatens the gangetic plains). It is simply too strategic.
India has so many soldiers and police that it can swamp a region with security forces and grind down insurgencies over decades.
The Indian army has probably lost soldiers to combat every week for the last hundred years.
It expect this. There is no whining about this.
Counter-insurgency is taken as a necessary, expected, duty.
During the Raj there were insurgencies and wild areas barely under control. After independence, several insurgencies continue for decades, many backed by outside powers.
When an army continually fights in urban areas, villages, in deserts, mountains, glaciers, forests, jungles, plains and swamps.... when it readily accepts casualties... when it has manpower reserves in the millions.. no "militants" can defeat it or cause it to give up.
Posted by: john ||
05/21/2006 10:30 Comments ||
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#3
India needs to rethink and settle the Kashmire problem. By settle I mean retroduce Hindus to the region and slowly use the Army to Over-Creep the area. The Paki can do no more than they're already doing and China is trying to go straight and is no longer the kick-ass big-brother of Pakistan.
#4
The Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh populations are minorities in Kashmir.
Hundreds of thousands of the Hindus - the Pandits (Nehru himself was a Pandit) were driven out by the jihadis. Many still live in refugee camps, one of the largest internally displaced populations in the world.
Even if they were reintroduced, they would be a vulnerable minority.
Settling other hindus, outsiders, would violate the Indian constitution and the laws of Jammu and Kashmir.
Posted by: john ||
05/21/2006 11:13 Comments ||
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#5
Settling other hindus, outsiders, would violate the Indian constitution and the laws of Jammu and Kashmir.
Seems to me that having jihadis cross the LOC and whack locals and Indian military also violates the Indian constitution and the laws of Jammu and Kashmir. Whatever the joint governments of India and Jammu & Kashmir decide about stopping that nonsense, short of selling out, is fine by me.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/21/2006 16:53 Comments ||
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#6
I seem to have been rendered nameless ?
Posted by: john ||
05/21/2006 18:30 Comments ||
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Mark Lyall Grant, the UK High Commissioner to Pakistan, has said that the comments made by a Colonel of the UK Army regarding the presence of Taliban in Pakistan "in no way reflect the UK government's policy".
Colonel Chris Vernon, the chief of staff for southern Afghanistan, on Friday accused Pakistan of allowing the Taliban to use its territory as a headquarters for attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan. "The British government is concerned about insurgent activity in the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan. We know that the government of Pakistan shares this concern and is committed to dealing with the threat," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
A PC-addled politician denigrates the on-the-ground commander whose facts are first-hand and unassailable. Check. Situation nominal.
Posted by: random styling ||
05/21/2006 1:50 Comments ||
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A new report quotes American officials as stating privately that parts of the Pakistani state may not be fully on board in the fight against the Taliban. The report published by the Council on Foreign Relations and authored by Barnett A Rubin, who was UN special representative Lakhdar Brahmis adviser on Afghanistan and is the author of a number of books on Afghanistan, quotes these American officials as arguing that, given President Pervez Musharrafs vulnerability, Washington should stick to a policy of public support and private pressure so as to not destabilise his regime. He argues that this approach rests on the belief that stability in Pakistan depends solely on the military, a self-serving view promoted by the latter to their American counterparts for decades.
According to Rubin, the US government must recognise that security in Afghanistan hinges on democratising Pakistan. Military domination of the Pakistani state is the problem, not the solution. Elections will not democratise Pakistan as long as the military continues to control state institutions. The US needs to signal at a high level that it wants to see the withdrawal of military control from Pakistans civilian institutions and genuine freedom for political parties. It should support Pakistans development by immediately lifting restrictions on Pakistani textile imports into the US, as Pakistani business has a strong economic interest in Afghan stabilisation.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
ISI has been propping up Al Qaeda indirectly and the Taliban directly all along.
We need to help Perv out by giving him sonme hired guns to do a bit of housecleaning by way of 9mm or defenestration of large members of the ISI leadership and questionable members of the armed forces. Needs to be several hundred killed all in all. And several dozen "families" killed to the last family member as well - not our rules, its how they do things there - plus take down the tribal leadership. No trials, just a quick bullet in the night.
#4
That's due to the constant strain of holding that row of medals up, 6, heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/21/2006 12:17 Comments ||
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#5
I really think the US army should take a clue from the pakistani one, and start issuing similar row of medals to each and every soldier : that would provide near unbreachable chest protection, and thus send the Pinnacle/Interceptor debate by introducing a superior option. Voilà! Problem solved.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - At 32, former Philippine Olympic boxer Emmanuel Manny Legaspi was older than the typical recruit when he signed up for the United States Army in 2000. He had lived in the United States for only a year, but wanted a chance to show he appreciated living in America, his wife said. "He didn't want anyone to question his patriotism," Shona Legaspi, said before a Thursday memorial service for her husband, who was shot and killed in combat on May 7 in Tal Afar, Iraq. Staff Sgt. Legaspi, 38, left behind his wife and a 6-month-old daughter.
The Legaspis moved from the Philippines to Las Vegas in 1999 to join Manny Legaspi's mother, Victoria. Manny Legaspi worked as a lifeguard and slot machine technician before enlisting and completing a first tour of duty in Iraq.
He returned home, and the Legaspis' daughter, Carmen, was born in November. In January, he was deployed again to Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, based in Friedberg, Germany.
"He was such a unique and special individual, and I'm really glad I got to spend that time with him," Shona Legaspi said. Manny Legaspi lost his first Olympic bout in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. On Thursday, his wife and mother each received Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals posthumously awarded by the U.S. military. His family said he believed in the United States mission in Iraq.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/21/2006 11:40 ||
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Japan may begin withdrawing its non-combat troops from southern Iraq as early as next month, winding down the country's riskiest mission since World War Two, a newspaper reported on Saturday. No formal decision had been made on when to bring the roughly 600 troops home from the southern city of Samawa, where they have been engaged in reconstruction work. But some officials had said the unstable situation in Iraq might delay the withdrawal to as late as autumn.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2006 00:00 ||
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SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned Sunday that the raging power-struggle between Palestinian factions must not deteriorate into civil war. Abbas spoke after meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Egypt _ his first high-level meeting with an Israeli official since the Islamic militant Hamas took control of the Palestinian government in March.
"Civil war is the red line that nobody dares cross, no matter which side they are on ... Civil war is forbidden," Abbas said.
Well, that ought to do it.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/21/2006 11:12 ||
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#1
Oh, yeah - like that'll stop it.
GFL, Abby-baby. Better watch your back - they've already tried for you at least twice (that we know of).
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/21/2006 14:03 Comments ||
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#2
"Zeppo hits Scarface, Scarface hits Torrio, Torrio hits Abdul. Nobody wants a war. What we need is a syndicate!"
The government and the army command have refused to establish a joint Lebanese-Palestinian investigating committee to probe the clashes between the army and pro-Syrian Palestinian gunmen in eastern Lebanon.
Prime Minister Fouad Saniora rejected an offer by Fatah al-Intifada representative in Beirut Abou Fadi Hammad to establish the committee, sources close to the premier told An Nahar. They said Saniora told Hammad that the judiciary is investigating Wednesday's clashes between army troops and guerrillas from the Damascus-backed Fatah al-Intifada led by radical militant Abu Moussa in Wadi al-Aswad about three kilometers from the Syrian border.
A Lebanese soldier, Moustapha Moudlej, was wounded in the shooting and later died in hospital in the southeastern village of Jeb Janine.
An Nahar said that the judiciary was able to disclose the identity of one of the Palestinian gunmen who shot at the army. It said he fled the scene along with others. A Palestinian source had earlier said that two Abu Moussa fighters were wounded in the clashes and taken to Syria for treatment. According to An Nahar, Saniora told Hammad that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
The death of Medlej has drawn widespread condemnations of the killing and given a fresh sense of urgency to the disarmament of Palestinians stationed outside refugee camps. As the military held a ceremony Friday to honor Moudlej, the army command issued a statement confirming reports that military reinforcements had been sent to bolster Fatah al Intifada's positions near the Syrian border.
After news of Moudlej's death Friday, several hundred residents of the region held a protest march, charging that the fighters were "mercenaries" who served Israeli interests.
Fatah al Intifada's an Irraeli front? Damm, those Jews are clever
The military statement said the army had identified some of the gunmen who had opened fire on its soldiers and said "they will be pursued, arrested and referred to justice." Political leaders denounced the soldier's death and the attack targeting the army.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/21/2006 11:17 ||
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Iranian legislators condemned as an insult yesterday a suggestion in the National Post that they would require Jews to wear a yellow patch on their clothes. "Such a plan has never been proposed or discussed," Iranian legislator Morris Motamed, one of 25,000 Jews living in Iran, told The Associated Press.
"Such news, which appeared abroad, is an insult to religious minorities here."
Legislator Emad Afroogh said the Post story distorts a bill he presented to parliament calling for Muslims to dress conservatively. It seeks to have women avoid Western fashions, he said. "It's a sheer lie," Afroogh said of any suggestion of minority tags. "There is no mention of religious minorities and their clothing in the bill."
We'll wait and see. Perhaps there was and they didn't expect the reaction.
In a front-page story, the National Post reported yesterday that the Iranian parliament, or Majlis, passed a law Monday requiring Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges. The story drew worldwide reaction. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has previously labelled the Holocaust a myth and called for the destruction of Israel. "Unfortunately, we've seen enough already from the Iranian regime to suggest that it is very capable of this kind of action," Prime Minister Stephen Harper told reporters at Meech Lake, Que., where he was meeting Australian Prime Minister John Howard, before it became clear the Post story was wrong. "It boggles the mind that any regime ... would want to do anything that could remind people of Nazi Germany."
#1
They want to nuke Israel off the map, they don't allow free worship and Jews and Christians will be lucky if they aren't marched into bread ovens in the near future - but a yellow armband - now that's something to get frantic about.
Syrian foreign ministry summoned representative of the European Union on Saturday to protest against interference in its internal affairs after the EU criticized Syria's crackdown on dissidents, the official SANA news agency reported.
The EU urged Damascus on Friday to release all political prisoners including activists who demanded mending ties with Lebanon. "The EU announcement constitutes unacceptable interference in Syrian internal affairs," a foreign ministry statement said. "The (arrests) issue lies in the domain of Syrian sovereignty, which includes protecting the population and applying the country's legal code."
The Soviets used to say the same thing every time Ronnie Reagan pointed out the political prisoners. We know who won that one.
Iranian security forces claimed Friday to have seized documents proving that the militants behind deadly attacks last week in the southeast of the country had foreign links. Responsibility for the execution-style killings of 12 civilians was claimed by Jundullah, a group of hard-line Sunni militants. "We have seized a lot of military-grade weapons and documents that show the group's attachment to oppressors (foreign powers) aiming to create conflict," a local officer of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards told state television.
During the weekly Friday's prayers at Tehran University, Iran's leadership accused the United States and Israel of being behind unrest in the country's border areas. "Our enemies, namely America and Zionists, who are unfortunately teachers of the Americans, have targeted three things in our country: security, the economy and science," senior cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Imami Kashani said. "The whole thing is planned in the disgraceful organization, the CIA, and based on the difference between Shiites and Sunnis," he charged in a sermon. "These idiots have not understood the culture of Shiites and Sunnis," the cleric said. "These two might have differences inside, but they are united in preserving the Koran and Islam."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Damn! They're on to us.
Yes. Dubya himself flew off a carrier on the Gulf of Rumsfeld with Sharon, who's not really in a coma, and they did the deeds. They were back in time for tea service at Camp David. Sucks to be you.
Another flight dumped a load of WW-II surplus gear to confuse you. You think it's military-grade. Heh. It's e-Bay reject shit. Sucks to be you.
The Opn was jointly planned by the CIA and Mossad over lunch. By the time they finished their coffee, it was over. Sucks to be you.
The Sunnis and Shiites can unite or kill each other, whatever, it will have no effect. You have no effect. You are irrelevant. Sucks to be you.
They can do this anytime they like - with impunity. It helps them blow off a little steam, relieve the stresses that build up from the unrelenting laughter at your antics and paranoia, you see. You're seriously screwed. Sucks to be you.
BTW, they are out to get you. Sucks to be you.
Posted by: random styling ||
05/21/2006 1:41 Comments ||
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Weve all seen them those little wristbands Christians sometimes wear, or put on bumper stickers, with the acronym WWJD? What Would Jesus Do? A reminder for them to ask, in every situation they face, what their Lord would do, and to emulate Jesus teachings of divine compassion, love, patience, faith, hope, and charity.
What about Muslims? Muslims are clear that Mohammad is not divine. However, they are directed to follow their Prophets example [e.g. Koran 33:21] with literal devotion. In fact, the Sunnis, who make up some 90% of the worlds 1.2 billion Muslims, are precisely that: the Arabic word Sunna, defined by the Hans Wehr dictionary, is habitual practice, customary procedure or action, norm, usage sanctioned by tradition; the Sunna of the Prophet, i.e., his sayings and doings, later established as legally binding precedents. Thus by definition, Sunnis the people of custom are those who (are at least supposed to) follow the practice and example of the Prophet, in both word and deed, often quite literally. One of the founders of Sunni Islams four schools of jurisprudence, the highly respected Ibn Hanbal, forbade himself from eating watermelons because he found no evidence that Mohammad ever ate one.
Even so, emulation of the Prophet and his warrior companions is not limited to flowing robes, beards, and veils; personal conduct is much more important than these superficialities. To that end, Muslims consult the Koran and the Hadith: the former the Divine Word of Allah; the latter a vast compilation of the words, thoughts, musings, and deeds a biography of sorts of Allahs Prophet, as witnessed by his contemporaries. Thus what Mohammad would do in any given situation is not only an extremely important question for Muslims; it is also readily attainable.
Today, one wonders, What would Mohammed do? Would he smile upon moderate Muslims such as Americas friends, the many secular regimes who do not enforce Islamic law (which itself is based on his own commands) and who cooperate fully with the infidel West, or would he find favor in a man like Osama bin Laden, who defies the West? The answer to this question is easily found in the Koran and historical record of the Prophet.
Allah proclaims: But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity [i.e. embrace Islam], then open the way for them: for Allah is oft forgiving, most merciful (Koran 9:5). This message is repeated continuously in the Koran and Hadith, and most Muslim jurists are agreed that these Sword Verses abrogate all earlier verses of tolerance and peaceable co-existence between Muslims and non-Muslims. Furthermore, the commandments of the Koran transcend time and are thus as applicable today as they were in the 7th century.
The historical record of Islam its rise and spread is even more illustrative than the words of the Koran. Islam was established by the sword. This is an historical fact, not an accusation. Its not for nothing that Saudi Arabia, home of the Prophet and Islam, depicts a scimitar with the words There is no god but Allah and Mohammad is His Prophet on its national flag. Both Muslim and non-Muslim histories of Islam agree that the Warrior-Prophet personally waged war after war with the express purpose of spreading Islam.
These were wars forcing other peoples, first Arabs then non-Arabs, to embrace Islam and submit to the life-destroyingguiding Words of Allah (the Sharia), or else to pay tribute and live in humility as subjects of Islam, or else, to die by the sword.
These jihads prevailed for centuries. Indeed, just a mere century after the Prophet died, jihad had established Islam supreme in much of Asia, all of North Africa, and much of Mediterranean Europe (Spain, Sicily). This was more territory than the Roman Empire ever ruled in its heyday. It took Christianity five times as long to achieve such ubiquity (possibly because methods of diffusion differed). Holy War only ceased when Islam was defeated on the battleground not because a new Revelation from Allah declared that expansion should cease, or that the three choices conversion, submission, or death have been abrogated. (The orthodox view in Sunni Islam is that peace will only exist once Islam reigns supreme over the whole world).
Islam is a rigorous faith with many laudable principles and prescriptions. Many people, not only Muslims, agree that other cultures can learn from the ideas of mercy, charity, and justice that also underlie Islam. But the fact remains that establishing Islams supremacy itself is the first principle, according to its holiest books and history. Moreover, based on the actions of the Prophet, his Companions and first caliphs, establishing Islamic hegemony through the sword was and thus is the norm.
So, based on his history, words, and deeds, what would Mohammad do? What would he do at a time when, far from assertively spreading Islam, the entire Muslim world believes that they are being ruthlessly persecuted by a Christian and godless West? What would his views and subsequent actions be regarding Israels occupation of Palestine, one of Islams holiest regions name a non-holy Islamic region? What would he do about infidels stationed all around the Arabian Peninsula where no non-Muslim is permitted to stay, per his own command? Iraq? Afghanistan? Would he go, briefcase in hand, to parley at the United Nations? Rebuke bin Laden for his violent ways? No, what he would do is all too clear:
Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book [Christians and Jews], until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Koran 9:29)
It is important to bear in mind that this injunction and similar verses depict the standard relationship between Muslims and infidels even when the latter mind their own business. How much more is expected of Muslims when it is they who are under attack from the infidels?
Before he died, Mohammad sent a message to the Christian Roman emperor in Constantinople inviting him to embrace Islam or suffer the consequences. Up to that time, the Christian Empire had little to do with Arabia and nothing to do with Islam. The demand was dismissed. Mohammad then initiated jihads against Christian lands, permanently annexing a good chunk, till Constantinople itself, the seat of Christianity, fell to Islam after 800 years of jihad campaigns. Thats what the Prophet wanted, and thats what his faithful followers accomplished.
So, what would Mohammad do now that Islam is perceived to be under direct attack?
#1
This is why the only response from a world that rejects Islam is to destroy them, totally and completely. Grind their cities into dust, their temples into sand, and their "holy book" into mush. They don't worship God, they worship Satan. That's why they love death so much - Satan is the Angel of Death.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/21/2006 17:09 Comments ||
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#2
Ibrahim states that these 'Sword Verses' means that"tolerance and peaceable co-existence between Muslims and non-Muslims." is not only impossible but forbidden.
Thanks for the clarity, boo-boo
You might, Mr. Ibrahim, go on to clarify why it is that these so-called "Sword Verses" explain why sectarian turmoil between, say, Shia and Sufi, or Salafiu, Wahab and Hojjatieh, Sunni and whatever the hell else you got are historically settled by the holy 'sword' as MohomMAD might put it.
Islam is therefore, the greatest killer of muslims in history, because one mans salafi is another mans polytheist, or blasphemer, or infidel. That is, of course, proir to Saddam Hussein and his Islamic tribal Chieftain/totalitarian hybrid became the greatest single killer of muslims in history
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The trade minister in the Transitional Federal Government, Muse Sudi Yalahow, who is among the mutiny ministers in the anti terror alliance for the fight against Islamic courts, dismissed to comply with the call of Somali prime minister Ali Gedi on ministers in Mogadishu to arrive in Baidoa immediately to join the cabinet sessions. Mr Muse Sudi said his remarks in a press conference held in his headquarter in Mogadishu on Thursday and he noted that he will not give any consideration to the Gedis call on them to come at Baidoa town for seven days. 
SANAA, May 20 (Reuters) - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has pardoned a Muslim preacher sentenced to death and another who was jailed for backing a rebel movement and spying for Iran, a government official said on Saturday.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the strengthening of Turkey's secular system on Saturday after a religious fanatic assassinated a judge, sparking criticism of the Islamist-rooted government. "We should all make efforts to strengthen democracy, secularism... and the rule of law," Erdogan said in response to angry anti-Islamist and anti-government protests.
Senate Democrats asked President George W Bush on Friday to order a new US intelligence report on Iran to avoid the errors that plagued prewar assessments on Iraq. 
ARLINGTON, Va. An Air Force plan to eliminate 40,000 personnel over five years is driven by advances in technology and the need to cut personnel costs, said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Friday.
WASHINGTON: A new report released here quotes American officials as stating privately that parts of the Pakistani state may not be fully on board in the fight against the Taliban.
The prosecution in the Marina Club car-bomb blast case closed its side on Saturday and the anti-terrorism court trying the accused belonging to Jundullah (God's Brigade) fixed May 25 as the date when the statements of the accused will be recorded.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the hardline leader of Kashmir's main separatist alliance, said on Saturday he won't participate in next week's talks with India aimed at resolving the Kashmir dispute. Geelani, the leader of the pro-Pakistan separatist group Jamaat-e-Islami, said he declined an invitation from the Indian Home Ministry to participate in the talks scheduled for May 24-25 in Srinagar. 
Islamist militants threatened on Saturday to disrupt a Kashmir peace conference in the disputed Himalayan region next week that will be chaired by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The meeting is the second such gathering since February. It has been called by New Delhi to widen the dialogue process in Jammu and Kashmir, where a separatist revolt against Indian rule by Muslim militants since 1989 has killed more than 45,000 people. Singh is scheduled to attend the meeting in Srinagar, the summer capital of the region, on the opening day, May 24. 
A new report quotes American officials as stating privately that parts of the Pakistani state may not be fully on board in the fight against the Taliban. The report published by the 
LAS VEGAS (AP) - At 32, former Philippine Olympic boxer Emmanuel Manny Legaspi was older than the typical recruit when he signed up for the United States Army in 2000. He had lived in the United States for only a year, but wanted a chance to show he appreciated living in America, his wife said. "He didn't want anyone to question his patriotism," Shona Legaspi, said before a Thursday memorial service for her husband, who was shot and killed in combat on May 7 in Tal Afar, Iraq. Staff Sgt. Legaspi, 38, left behind his wife and a 6-month-old daughter.
Japan may begin withdrawing its non-combat troops from southern Iraq as early as next month, winding down the country's riskiest mission since World War Two, a newspaper reported on Saturday. No formal decision had been made on when to bring the roughly 600 troops home from the southern city of Samawa, where they have been engaged in reconstruction work. But some officials had said the unstable situation in Iraq might delay the withdrawal to as late as autumn.
Syrian foreign ministry summoned representative of the European Union on Saturday to protest against interference in its internal affairs after the EU criticized Syria's crackdown on dissidents, the official SANA news agency reported.
Iranian security forces claimed Friday to have seized documents proving that the militants behind deadly attacks last week in the southeast of the country had foreign links. Responsibility for the execution-style killings of 12 civilians was claimed by Jundullah, a group of hard-line Sunni militants. "We have seized a lot of military-grade weapons and documents that show the group's attachment to oppressors (foreign powers) aiming to create conflict," a local officer of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards told state television.
