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Abu Qatada in protective custody?
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Bug fix...
I've gotten a few e-mails pointing out that comments on IE 5.2 on the Mac don't show as Postit Yellow. I don't have that browser/OS combination to test it on, so I didn't notice. I've used a different color and outlined the text. Hopefully that'll cure that problem without introducing any new ones.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 09:10 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Afghanistan
Afghans Seek Help Tracking VP’s Killers
President Hamid Karzai's government today asked international peacekeepers to help track down the killers of Vice President Abdul Qadir, gunned down over the weekend in the heart of the capital. Spokeman Sayed Fazel Akbar said this was done "to ensure impartial, just and professional investigation so that criminals can be brought to justice as soon as possible. Interior ministry and police have been ordered to fully cooperate with ISAF in the investigation."
Good idea. One politician gets assassinated, all of them can see the same thing happening to themselves...
The spokesman for the 19-nation peacekeeping force, Turkish Army Col. Samet Oz, said the Afghan government's request for assistance would be approved. Germany and the United States have also offered to help.
Gotta show these people that you can't just go around bumping people off. Well, you can't anymore, anyway...
Afghan state television said two people were detained Sunday at a checkpoint in southern Kabul while riding in the same type of car used by the assassins when they escaped.
It was red...
They were handed over to a state commission formed by Karzai to investigate the murder, Afghan television said. Ten guards on duty at the Ministry of Works, where Qadir was killed, were arrested Saturday for dereliction of duty, according to Kabul police chief Din Mohammed Jurat.
Each of them is now wishing he'd never thought about taking that twenty bucks.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 01:31 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front
Muslim propaganda tour targets Congress, major cities...
A group of Muslim scholars and jurists is visiting the United States to promote better understanding and cooperation with government officials and nongovernment organizations, its leader said Monday.
Ummm... Guys? I think the problem is that after having a pretty close look at Islam and its works for the past nine months we have too accurate an understanding of it...
Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsin al-Turki, secretary general of the Muslim World League, said the Sept. 11 attacks have aroused fear and mistrust between Muslim peoples and the West.
Only because Muslims — acting as Muslims, not as Agents of a Foreign Power — carried out a sneak attack that killed 3000 of our citizens...
Al-Turki said his 16-member group wants to convey "that we are keen on cooperation between the two sides in order to achieve world safety and peaceful coexistence" and that "religion has taken a back seat and has been accused of inciting violence and destruction. We need to promote a culture of dialogue, not confrontation and mistrust."
That establishes that there are two sides, rather than a single side, living in peace and harmony, the only differences being minor cultural things like religion. We tried "peaceful coexistence" with our last mortal adversary and it didn't work particularly well...
Speaking at the National Press Club, al-Turki said that as in other faiths, "There are extremists in Islam but it is unfair to take them as representative of all Muslims." He is a former minister of Islamic affairs in Saudi Arabia and for 16 years was a university rector.
As in no other religion as presently constituted, Islam has a sect or two that's determined to achieve world domination and the subjugation or elimination of entire peoples. Maybe Muslims should work correcting that, rather than paying for guns and ammunition...
Other members of his group include Sheikh Ahmed Lemo of Nigeria, a former judge; Jaafar Sheikh Idris of Sudan, an academic who serves as a consultant to many Islamic organizations; and Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former president of the Islamic Society of North America.
ISNA is a front organization of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islam, Qazi's organization that's working to make him caliph.
They are visiting Washington for talks with members of Congress, interfaith groups, nongovernment organizations and media editorial boards after stops in Chicago and New York. Their next destination is Los Angeles.
Hitting all the hot spots...
The Muslim World League, based in Saudi Arabia, is a nongovernmental organization that propagates Islam and tries to refute false allegations against the religion.
True ones, too...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 01:31 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
Imam, two others held for attacking American Muslim
Jaranwala police on Sunday arrested a Pesh Imam and two others for instigating villagers to kill an American Navy engineer on charges of blasphemy. Faraz Jawed, an American by birth whose parents are settled is the US, is here to see his in-laws in Jaranwala. On Friday last, he visited the village mosque to offer Juma prayers and objected to the Pesh Imam's political speech. At that time the Imam was cursing the Pakistan government and the Americans.
This is what imams do in Pakland, especially on Fridays...
"Instead of blaming America, you should better tell us Islamic teachings," Faraz reportedly asked the Imam. The Pesh Imam did not like it. He asked people sitting in the mosque to kill Faraz. "He is also an American and enemy of the Muslims."
So much for the idea of Islam transcending the petty bounds of nationality...
Faraz managed to escape from the mosque with his relative Mohammad Naeem.
... running for their lives with a mob of enraged Believers at their heels...
Imam Hafiz Abdul Latif called village elders and asked them to punish Faraz.
"An infidel! Kill him!"
"He ain't no infidel. He's a Muslim!"
"Well, kill him anyway!"

Over four dozen people reportedly attacked Naeem's house where Faraz was present. Some of the attackers were also carrying iron rods, sticks and lethal weapons. Naeem locked the doors and immediately informed the area police. A police party rushed to the scene and prevailed upon the mob on the assurance that Faraz would be proceeded against for committing blasphemy.
Blasphemy, in the Muslim religion, includes not only profaning God, but also pointing out the the local mullah's a cheap political stooge. For this, you can be, must be, killed...
The mob dispersed after pelting stones on the house which damaged windowpanes.
That's because they were angry, angry by God! 'Cause this here furriner, uh... told the mullah to try preaching instead of agitating...
In the meantime, Faraz Jawed reportedly contacted the US embassy in Islamabad. The embassy reportedly took immediate note and asked the government to save the life of its national.
"Uh, you guys better get somebody over here quick. This guy said something that made sense and it's caused a riot...!"
The Jaranwala police registered two cases against Imam of the mosque, Hafiz Abdul Latif, on charge of creating law and order problem in the area and instigating the religious feelings of the people and attacking the house of Faraz family. The cases against the Imam and a dozen villagers were registered under the Blasphemy Act.
Oh, it works both ways, does it?
The police arrested Hafiz Abdul Latif, Mohammad Asim, Zubair Usman and were making raids for the arrest of other accused involved in the incident.
Not that we expect to actually see anything come of the arrests.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 02:58 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Rapist landlord still at large
The Hyderabad police, during raids at different places, arrested six men suspected to be involved in the gang-rape of a peasant girl in Husri. The girl, belonging to the Kolhi community, was gang-raped by a landlord and his friends, while she was working in a field near the Zeal Pak Cement Factory on Wednesday. The landlord is stated to be a union councillor also. Taking notice of the incident, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Hyderabad, Abdur Rauf Yousufzai, ordered immediate arrest of the culprits involved in the heinous act. The police, during raids at different places, arrested six people but the main accused, landlord Yamin, is still at large.
The Kolhi community is made up of low-caste Hindus. Since they're not Muslims, they're fair game, natcherly. If they convert, they probably get to be members of a lower-class "tribe," like the girl who was ordered gang raped by her horny village elders. There was a similar story a few days ago — I forget who blogged it — about a Muslim landlord raping a Christian girl, whose family's complaints were ignored.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 02:07 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Here's the story: Police ignore rape of Christian girl. Another girl in the same area was gang-raped, forced to convert to Islam, and abducted/married despite being 14 and underage by Pakistani law -- all for the crime of talking about her faith at school.

I know it's not representative of all Pakistanis, but this is an all too familiar pattern.
Posted by: Dan Hartung || 07/08/2002 22:55 Comments || Top||

#2  Hyderabad is in India. The chances are very high that the landlord was Hindu. This tragic case proves nothing except that India is very big and the Third World is very corrupt.
Posted by: Emmanuel Goldstein || 07/09/2002 4:23 Comments || Top||

#3  Ummm... There's also a Hyderabad in Pakistan. That's where they're holding the Omar Sheikh trial in the Pearl killing. Since the article's in Dawn, I'd assume it's the one in Pakland, rather than in Andra Pradesh.
Posted by: Fred || 07/10/2002 8:09 Comments || Top||


Three More Thugs Arrested in Pakistan
Pakistani paramilitary forces raided houses in Karachi Monday and arrested three men suspected in recent deadly bombings at the U.S. Consulate and a hotel in which 11 French engineers were killed. One official said the three were members of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Pakistani officials working with the FBI have detained dozens of militant suspects in the past few weeks. No charges have been laid and it was not immediately clear whether those arrested Monday had been charged. Authorities are also searching for possible links between the bombings and the kidnap-slaying of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl earlier this year in Karachi.
Sounds like a joke, doesn't it? "How many Lashkar-i-Jhangvi thugs does it take to blow up a consulate?" It sounds like the Pak coppers carried out a throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks investigation, rounding up everybody and sight, and their wives, kids, and dogs, and something actually stuck, to whit, nabbing Akram Lahori, the Sipah-e-Sahaba supremo. Dismantling the entire Sipah-Jhangvi operation would be a major accomplishment and would do wonders for the peace and tranquility of the nation.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 05:37 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Three more held for maligning army
The local police arrested three more religious leaders during a hunt for the remaining 23 people charged in the FIR for maligning the role of Pakistan army in their public speeches and condemning the search-and-kill operations against Al-Qaeda men as angry mobs continued their protests on the fifth consecutive day here on Sunday. Meanwhile, the police shifted Javed Ibraheem Paracha, former PML MNA, to Dera Ismail Khan central prison on Saturday evening amid tight security. He had been charged with raising an objectionable slogan during the Thursday's protest meeting. The exact wording of the slogan had been mentioned in the FIR, which is now sealed on the instructions of the higher authorities. Jamaat-i-Islami's Dr Abdur Rabbi and Islamic Business Forum's Abid Paracha were sent to the Haripur central prison. The khateeb of Jarma Jamaa mosque was also arrested from a madrassah on Saturday night.
So they arrested a bunch of rabble rousers...
Later, the local people blocked the Indus Highway near the place of the encounter, where four Al-Qaeda men were killed by the police, for about three hours. They were demanding immediate release of their leaders and handing over of the bodies of Al-Qaeda men to them for burial.
And the aroused rabble turned out. It's almost neat, the way that works.
The police resorted to light baton charge and fired tear-gas shells to disperse the protesters.
Do I sense a loss of patience with the religious loons' foolishness? One can only hope...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 09:17 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Qazi vows to resist registration of Madaris
Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Qazi Hussein Ahmed Sunday vowed to resist the government move register Madaris [madrassahs], saying, "this vicious move is to put in chains the Madaris ... It is an American Agenda. Military ruler Musharraf is to implement and honour [American] whims and wishes."
Or he might be mad because the religious loons wanted to assassinate him...
He was talking to reporters at the residence of Qazi Sher Afzal of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Pakistan. Qazi said that "Musharraf has gone crazy in lust for power. That is why, he is trying to grab all the constitutional powers. Constitution is sacred document and one who flagrantly violates has to face the music as rulers in the past." Qazi said, "every sordid activity of the FBI and other American agencies and the institution is multiplying hatred and disgust for the armed forces. It is writing on the wall for the military."
That last statement could be the one that gets Qazi arrested for real, since the Pak military doesn't take lightly to people calling it names. That would normally be something I'd call a Bad Thing — a freedom of speech issue — but since Qazi's an out-and-out subversive, it'd be a good thing to see him jugged for a considerably period for something.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 06:47 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Middle East
Yasser may have fired Tirawi... or not.
Two senior Palestinian officials close to Arafat said he had signed a decree dismissing West Bank intelligence chief Tawfiq Tirawi, whom Israel accuses of masterminding terror attacks. But the news was immediately challenged by Amin al-Hindi, the intelligence chief for all the Palestinian territories, who vehemently denied it and denounced the information as a pack of lies. Hindi said in a statement that "This information is part of a propaganda campaign." Tirawi himself also slammed the report as "completely untrue". The reports said that Tirawi has been replaced by his assistant, Sami Abdul Majeed.
Sami's now wishing they hadn't put that part in. Tewfiq is said to be the head of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which makes him a dangerous man to fire; somebody could come to visit you and explode without warning.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 01:32 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Egyptian Official Holds Talks in Israel, Palestinian Territories
Egypt's intelligence chief has met separately with Israeli and Palestinians leaders in an effort revive Mideast peace talks. Omar Suliman held a series of meetings in Jerusalem Sunday with top Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. Mr. Peres said he told the Egyptian official that the Palestinian Authority had to combat terrorism and clamp down on militant groups, such as Hamas, which has carried out a wave of suicide bombings. Mr. Suliman said Egypt wants to help calm the 22-month-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but he said Israel must first take measures to give Palestinians some hope. The Egyptian official later went to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Those talks were expected to focus on reforms within the Palestinian Authority.
'Tisn't so much Israel as the U.S. who's holding out hope for the Paleostinians. Reforming their government, introducing some sort of coherent constitutional system, and dumping the thugs is their only "hope" of becoming a self-sufficient, prosperous people. But my guess is that when most of them think of "hope" they think in terms of ammunition supplies and high explosives...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 02:12 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Remember, the Palestinians have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Posted by: Denny Wilson || 07/09/2002 8:48 Comments || Top||


Yasser may fall without a push
The Israeli General Staff has reached the conclusion that Arafat's stature is dropping so precipitously that there is no need for Israel to push him out of the territories. This analysis, following President George W. Bush's speech, has been presented to the political echelon. It says Arafat's prestige has been so damaged that there is no need for action on Israel's part to expel him. A senior military source told Ha'aretz that "chances are increasing that within six months, Arafat's standing will have declined so much that he won't be able to prevent a new, pragmatic leadership from emerging, which will lead the Palestinians to a compromise with Israel."
I'm not positive about the "new, pragmatic leadership." I think they're going to end up with Rajoub or Dahlan or Barghouti, or someone along that line. I do think Whatsisname will go, through a combination of declining prestige — for instance, the guys he fires refusing to leave and the organizations (loosely defined) the nominees are supposed to take over refusing to accept them — and his advancing senility.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 02:23 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


France, Russia consider Arafat as legitimate Palestinian leader
France and Russia said that they still considered Yasser Arafat as the legitimate leader of the Palestinian Authority after talks between the French and Russian foreign ministers in Moscow. "Arafat is an elected representative and it is for the people themselves to decide who will represent them," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Monday. His Russian peer Igor Ivanov added that "it is necessary to pursue dialogue with the Israeli authorities as well as the Palestinian leadership. We will maintain our contacts with Arafat, who is the legitimate representative of the Palestinian Authority."
Well, that sounds fair. We'll just break our contacts with the Paleostinian Authority. When they're done exploding, they can let us know and then we'll see if we can't work something out. Meanwhile, the Paleostinians can remain under occupation until they all die of old age. Like Dad used to say when he took off his belt, "This is gonna hurt you more than it does me."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 02:55 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Israel, PA to resume political contacts
Israel's Foreign Minister Shimon Peres will meet Tuesday with the Palestinian Authority's newly-appointed Finance Minister Salam Fayed and Interior Minister Abdel Razaq Yehiyeh, in a meeting which has the blessing of both Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority Chairman-for-Life Yasser Arafat (1929-2002?). The three ministers will review means of easing conditions for the residents of the West Bank, currently under Israeli control, and the renewal of joint security arrangements. Sharon has not placed any restrictions on Peres' meetings with Palestinian ministers, with the exception of Arafat himself.
Interesting pair. I know nothing about Fayed and Google has a single entry; presumably he hasn't spent his career hopping around and waving guns. I gagged when Whatsisname appointed Yehiyeh, who's the same venerable age as Mr Chairman-for-Life, as interior minister, thinking he was going to be nothing more than a "second face" figurehead for Der Fuehrer. Then the old boy came out and said he wanted to 'put and end to' militias. Yet Yehiyeh is referred to as the "old guard" while the young fellows, who do hop around rolling their eyes and vowing revenge, are the "young guard," the hope for the post-Whatsisname era. Go figger.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 05:48 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Egyptian police clash with Palestinian arms smugglers
Egyptian border police clashed Sunday with four Palestinian arms smugglers and seized a shipment of weapons near the border with the Gaza Strip. Two of the smugglers fled after the firefight in and around the demolished houses of a former refugee camp. Police discovered 84 automatic rifles, 162 cartridges, 42,000 rounds of ammunition, and two rocket-propelled grenades in the area known as Canada Camp. In September 2001, Egypt demolished dozens of homes in the area, on suspicion they were linked to tunnels allegedly used for smuggling weapons to the Palestinian self-rule Gaza Strip.
Are the Egyptians getting tired of this nonsense, too? "I have a dream..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 06:30 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Israeli settler wounded in West Bank
An Israeli settler was lightly wounded when Palestinians opened fire on his vehicle as he traveled between the settlements of Sanur and Mevo Dotan near Nablus, Israel Radio reported Monday. The settler, a resident of Sanur was rushed to hospital. Earlier, Israel’s Border Police arrested four Palestinians in the village of Abu Dis near Jerusalem Sunday night. According to Israeli reports, security forces continued to search in the area. The searches are in response to warnings of a potential suicide attack in Jerusalem.
And they'll keep trying to explode. It's their "thang" — they literally don't know how to do anything else. It's amazing.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 07:12 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


World Officials To Meet On Mideast
Top officials from the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia will meet at the UN next week to discuss joint efforts to promote an end to the 21-month-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The meeting of the so-called Quartet will be attended by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and senior EU and Russian officials. The Quartet are expected to hold talks on July 15 and to be joined on July 16 by senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.
Maybe the air conditioning was turned up too high, but I got a chill when I read this...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 06:48 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Rajoub sees no rebellion over sacking
Jibril Rajoub spoke about his dismissal hours after about 1,000 Palestinians, most of them security men, rallied to protest at the president’s move. Rajoub said in an interview that he had met with Arafat after receiving notice last week of his dismissal as the powerful head of the Palestinian Preventive Security service and told him it was “a big mistake to appoint (this) new chief”. He was referring to Zuheir Manasrah, governor of the West Bank city of Jenin who Arafat named as Rajoub’s successor. “(But) I don’t think that there will be any rebellion or anything,” Rajoub, speaking English, said in the interview. “On the contrary, what happened today and yesterday was a normal reaction against this incorrect step which I hope will be corrected but I have no fears or concerns about the internal situation.”
"No rebellion"? Damn. How disappointing...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 07:04 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Yasser to step down soon?
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is expected to step down in the coming weeks through an agreement between the United States, Israel and certain Palestinian and Arab parties, a Jordanian magazine said Monday. The opposition periodical, Al-Majd, which is considered close to Syria, quoted unidentified high-ranking Palestinian sources as saying the president of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Ahmad Qurai, known as Abu Alaa, is Arafat's most likely successor. They said Abu Alaa has the upper hand over another favored candidate, Mahmud Abbas, who goes by the name of Abu Mazen and is secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

The sources said Arafat was almost acquiescent about stepping down willingly after being briefed about a U.S. and Israeli request to replace him as a condition for restarting peace negotiations and the creation of an independent Palestinian state. They said Arafat was granted a last chance to think about the best way to step down, and that if he did so, he would most likely choose to retire to a home in territories under the control of the Palestinian Authority, rather than go into exile in Egypt, Jordan or Tunisia.

The reports about Arafat's projected departure coincided with denials by Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt that they were involved in contacts aimed at ousting him.
It will be interesting to see if this actually comes to pass. On the one hand, Yasser has never been the kind to share power — one reason why the Paleostinian Authority is a Ba'athist-flavored dictatorship. On the other, he's getting old and, more importantly, his mind is going. His outburts are more frequent, especially when he's under pressure, and more incoherent. The Paleostinians are closer to it than we are, and his entourage must see it a lot more clearly than we make out through press reports. Plus there have been rumors of coalitions forming against him, usually when the going gets tough. Will they be able to bring it off? Or will the lemmings his supporters rally to keep him on the throne, getting older, wiping his chin with baby wipes, and gradually lapsing into incoherent cackling?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 08:22 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
PI armed forces expand Abu search
The military has expanded its search for remnants of the Abu Sayyaf from the hinterlands to the residential areas in Basilan. Col. Alexander Aleo said his troops are now scouring residential areas to check on the presence of Abu Sayyaf members who may be seeking refuge in relatives’ houses.
"Mom! They're after me! Y'gotta hide me!"
He said the Basilan-based Abu Sayyaf led by Khadaffy Janjalani has splintered into smaller groups and had gone into hiding owing to the relentless military offensive against them. Janjalani and Abu Sulayman, said to be the Abu Sayyaf treasurer, and several other followers have reportedly sought refuge in the hinterlands of Patikul in Sulu, the stronghold of one-armed Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron. The other Basilan-based Abu Sayyaf leaders, operations officer Isnilon Hapilon, Hamsiraji Sali, and other members are still in Basilan province. Sali and Hapilon are from Basilan and their families are there.
Now's the time for the PI troops to physically wipe these goobers out — they're on the run, and they're friendless, since everyone's convinced they're going down and no one wants to go down with them.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 02:34 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


ICMI Scorns IMF, Warns of Foreign Domination
The Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) warns that certain nations are trying to control Indonesia through “unscrupulous” aid programs and says the government must review its dealings with the International Monetary Fund.
"Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals" sounds like it should be a contradiction in terms, but that's probably just me...
ICMI, which was set up in 1990 to contain Islamic opposition to then president Suharto, issued the warning on Monday at the conclusion of its three-day national conference in Serang, West Java. ICMI chairman Adi Sasono, who has long been accused of corruption, expressed concern that Indonesia’s prolonged multi-dimensional crisis had brought the nation close to a complete loss of dignity. “This is evidenced by the decreasing respect of other nations and international institutions toward Indonesia of late," he was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara.
Poverty is not the antithesis of dignity. Difficulty is not the antithesis of dignity. Foolishness is...
Analysts say Indonesia’s image abroad is lousy simply because it has failed to curb rampant corruption and improve law enforcement. Sasono said fundamental changes must be made to improve the nation’s sense of dignity and free the Indonesian people from “foreign domination”.
"Foreign domination" isn't the antithesis of dignity, either. See above.
He said certain countries are trying to control the Indonesian state and system through their “unscrupulous” aid programs.
"Goddamn you! Take these groceries!"
From what I've seen of most NGOs, they manage to combine treacly good intentions with either outmoded Marxism or some other kind of agenda. Except for the ones who try to trade groceries for nubile young maidens or boys, of course.

"We start to realize ourselves that as a nation we are being led to what I would call Aboriginism, namely a new form of neocolonialism." He was referring to the fate of Australia’s indigenous Aborigines, whose primitive nomadic society underwent sweeping changes following the establishment of a British penal colony in 1788.
It was terrible. Infant mortality rates dropped, they started eating regularly, and everything. An entire culture — pffft!
Sasono said Indonesia had to a certain extent lost its freedom due to its “total dependence” on the IMF, so the government should weigh up the pros and cons of the financial assistance arrangement.
And the donors should weigh the pros and cons of actually sending cash, because he's right: it never seems to make a difference in the long run, does it? The only thing that really works is for-profit business and industry.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 03:00 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Jullabi faces kidnap, murder raps
Because he has “coddled” Abu Sayyaf members and has been “constantly in touch” with the bandit group’s leaders, the Southern Command is set to file kidnapping and murder charges against former Moro Islamic Liberation spokesman Ustadz Shariff Jullabi. “If we’re able to establish that he’s the spokesman of the Abu Sayyaf, then he is an accessory to the crimes of the Abu Sayyaf,” said Southcom chief Maj. Gen. Ernesto Carolina. Jullabi admitted having maintained “contacts” with Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron. Jullabi had facilitated the June 29 release of a fish trader kidnapped for nine months off the coast of Tawi-Tawi by the group of Radulan Sahiron. Carolina said Jullabi has misled them several times. “We are collecting evidence for appropriate charges,” he pointed out.
In other words, he's a lying sonofabitch who cuddles up with gun-totin' tough guys...
In an interview, Jullabi, however, said the military misinterpreted his actions. He said the military sought his assistance to influence the Abu Sayyaf to work for the release of some kidnap victims. Jullabi last week established the Maguindanao Islamic Li­beration Front after he was angered by a June 24 MILF central committee order to desist from holding media interviews. He accused the group’s Maguindanao leaders of monopolizing power. Jullabi, a classmate of MILF chairman Hashim Salamat du­ring university days in Cairo, bewailed that his former comrade was being “controlled by opportunists.”
Ah, yes. Their old college days in Cairo. They were obviously very well-educated there, by golly.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 06:56 pm || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Terror Networks
Abu Qatada in protective custody?
A suspected al-Qaeda leader and his family are living in a safe house in northern England where they are being looked after by British intelligence. Abu Qatada, said to be Osama bin Laden's ambassador in Europe, was sentenced to death in his absence in Jordan and is accused by the US, Spain, France and Algeria of being a key influence in the September 11 attacks. Also known as Omar Abu Omar, he has appeared on the list of suspected Islamic terrorists issued by the United Nations after September 11. Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker, is said to have attended prayers led by Abu Qatada at a community centre near Baker Street when they both lived in London.

Last December he disappeared from his home in Acton, west London, after the government introduced anti-terrorism laws that could have seen him interred. Now senior European intelligence officials have told Time magazine that he and his family are being lodged, fed and clothed by British intelligence services somewhere in northern England. "The deal is that Abu Qatada is deprived of contact with extremists in London and Europe but can't be arrested or expelled because no-one officially knows where he is," said the source. "The British win because the last thing they want is a hot potato they can't extradite for fear of al-Qaeda reprisals but whose presence contradicts London's support of the war on terror." In April, the Sunday Times speculated that Abu Qatada had turned "supergrass" for MI5, a theory fuelled by the arrests of several Muslim extremists in Germany who had met the Palestinian refugee and were said to be on the brink of an attack.
I don't buy the "we want to avoid reprisals" routine. There are too many other thugs, gunmen and "holy men" who've been rounded up. I think it's much more likely that Abu Qatada has been turned and that he's making a handy comparison point for those little chats the Merkins are having with Abu Zubaydah. Keeping him hidden away is more likely to keep goon squads from al Muhajiroun from hunting him down and killing him.

Thanks to Paul for the link!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt || 07/08/2002 01:34 pm || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:



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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2002-07-08
  Abu Qatada in protective custody?
Sun 2002-07-07
  11 Al Qaida suspects arrested with illegal arms
Sat 2002-07-06
  Haji Qadir assassinated
Fri 2002-07-05
  Taiwan intercepts North Korean drugs ship
Thu 2002-07-04
  Closed. Happy 4th of July
Wed 2002-07-03
  A dozen more Sipah thugs nabbed in Rawalpindi
Tue 2002-07-02
  Paks nab Akram Lahori
Mon 2002-07-01
  Yasser offers to meet Bush
Sun 2002-06-30
  27 gunnies nabbed in two PA ambos
Sat 2002-06-29
  North, South Korea ships exchange fire
Fri 2002-06-28
  10 Dead at Afghan Ammunition Depot
Thu 2002-06-27
  Total of 15 Saudi-controlled terrorists nabbed in Morocco so far...
Wed 2002-06-26
  10 Paks killed in shootout with Chechens in S. Waziristan
Tue 2002-06-25
  Qusay escapes assassination
Mon 2002-06-24
  Commander Robot sez he wants to surrender

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