Richard Falk, anti-Israel UN investigator, 9/11 TROOFER
I can't believe I overlooked this--and that everyone else has, as well: Princeton prof Richard Falk, newly-appointed by the UN Human Rights Council as its "Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967," is also a devoted supporter of the crackpot "9/11 Truth" movement, which denies that Al-Qaeda attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
This is the man who will be reporting on Israel's human rights violations for the next several years. The U.S. should immediately demand the removal of this man from his post. Or, better yet--keep him there, the better to discredit every one of his bogus reports.
I hate these bastards. If you're a lurking Troofer, die a painful death and be buried in pig shit.
More than 2,000 mainly ethnic Hazaras, many of them livestock farmers, marched through the Afghan capital Kabul Sunday to demand authorities stop nomads from using their grazing lands.
The demonstrators, some of whom travelled to the city from poverty-hit central Afghanistan, alleged that ethnic Pashtun nomads, called Kuchi, are using their pastures for animals to graze on. Were demonstrating to demand our rights. We want the government to stop Kuchis grabbing our pastures, a protester named Ahmad Kamal Natiqi told AFP as others shouted Down with Kuchi.
The Kuchi, estimated to number 2.4 million, move around Afghanistan in search of pastures for the animals on which they depend. The nomads - leading caravans of camels, sheep and donkeys - are due to arrive in central Afghanistan in coming weeks, moving up from the warmer south in a centuries-old migration. They are mainly from Pashtun tribes that dominate southern and eastern Afghanistan and sometimes clash with other ethnic groups as they travel.
Armed clashes between the Kuchis and settled Hazaras reportedly left several people dead in central Wardak province last year. There are fears that low levels of rain and snow over winter will mean drought this year, which would put extra pressure on Afghanistans farmers.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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Turkey's top court decided Monday to put the Islamist-rooted ruling party on trial for alleged anti-secular activity, in a case that could threaten national stability and Ankara's bid to join the European Union.
The 11 judges of the Constitutional Court agreed unanimously to accept the indictment against the Justice and Development Party (AKP) filed by the country's top prosecutor on March 14, the court's deputy president Osman Paksut told reporters. The ruling formally launches the case against the AKP, which could result in the party being banned: a final verdict is expected to take up to six months.
A decision on whether President Abdullah Gul, who belonged to the AKP until he was elected head of state in August, should be included in the trial was taken by a majority vote, Paksut said.
The chief prosecutor of the Court of Appeals, Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya, accused the AKP of undermining Turkey's secular order as part of a plan to replace it with an Islamist system. He also asked the Constitutional Court to ban 71 party officials, including Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, from politics for five years.
The AKP now has one month to present its initial defence to the court, which has banned more than 20 parties since the 1960s.
The AKP, founded in 2002 as the moderate offshoot of a now-banned Islamist movement, has disawoved its religious roots, pledged commitment to the secular system and embraced Turkey's EU membership bid.
The prosecutor, however, argued that moves such as the abolition of a bar on the Islamic headscarf in universities last month and an alcohol ban in restaurants run by AKP municipalities indicate the party's aim to establish a state based on Sharia, or Islamic law. "All actions and rhetoric of the party are aimed at establishing an Islamist society in which Islamic rules and values have the priority... and then carrying out legal arrangements to move towards Sharia," the indictment said.
The AKP slammed the prosecutor's move as a blow to democracy and a fresh attempt by Turkey's hardline secularists to curb the party after its re-election in July to a second five-year term with almost 47 percent of the vote, a rare feat in Turkish politics.
The AKP announced last week that it is working on a constitutional amendment making it more difficult to ban political parties, drawing criticism that it is seeking to circumvent the system's safety mechanisms. Legal experts are divided on whether such an amendment would help the AKP fight an eventual ban, some saying the constitution forbids parliament from debating or ruling on issues under judicial process.
The EU has urged the Constitutional Court to take Turkey's interests into consideration when making its decision, warning that the case could hit Ankara's drive to join the bloc. "I hope the judges will consider Turkey's long-term interests... to be an important European democracy respecting all democratic principles of the EU," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said Saturday in Slovenia after a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
"The EU accession negotiation framework says that in case of a serious breach of democratic principles in Turkey, the Commission is obliged to look at what ramifications this could have for negotiations," he said.
#2
#1: interesting. It appears the civil war has begun.
Won't be much of a civil war. The Army is STRICTLY secular, and most of generals and other ranks believe that's best for Turkey. If Erdogan or Gul try anything, they'll be up against the fourth best military in NATO.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/31/2008 13:17 Comments ||
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#3
I hope that is still true. I know it was at one time but I keep thinking of how much change can occur in a military over the course of 10-20 years. Lots of generals move on and new ones replace them. They certainly did not step up to the plate as everyone expected when the 4th ID moved.
I think Bin Laden made the mistake of thinking America would always respond as it did with Carter or Clinton. Big mistake. Erdogan and other Islamists have had a long time for their influence to be felt.
I know little about the Turkish military, but I would suspect that despite the fact that it is grounded in a secular point of view, there are plenty of sympathizers within the military ranks who sympathize with the Islamist point of view. Since the ruling government is less than strictly secular I just hope you are right and that the Turkish military still has the metal it once had.
North Korea threatened to suspend dialogue with the South over comments made by a South Korean military official and said it was ready to attack its wealthy neighbor, the North's state media said at the weekend.
Over the past several days, the North has lashed out at the new conservative government in Seoul and its ally the United States by test-firing missiles, expelling South Korean officials at a joint factory park in the North and threatening to slow down a nuclear disarmament deal. "The Korean People's Army (KPA) will counter any slightest move of the south side for 'pre-emptive attack' with more rapid and more powerful pre-emptive attack of its own mode," the North's KCNA news agency quoted one of its military officials as saying.
North Korea, one of the world's most militarized states, has made similar statements for years threatening pre-emptive attacks, but those have almost always been in response to joint South Korean-U.S. military drills.
The new chairman of the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff last week said the South would hit North Korea's nuclear weapon base to disable it if the North attacks but had no plans for a pre-emptive strike, according to the Defence Ministry.
In the dispatch released late on Saturday, the North's military official demanded an apology for those comments. "If the south side does not retract the outbursts calling for 'pre-emptive attack' nor clarify its stand to apologize for them, the KPA will interpret this as the stand of the south side's authorities to suspend all inter-Korean dialogues and contacts."
The South's Defence Ministry said it would decide whether to respond in the next few days to a North Korean threat also made in the dispatch to cut back on inter-Korean military talks.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
FREEREPUBLIC > NK JETS > article also reports that NOKOR Mechanized units [armor?]were detected moving south???
#5
Could they have something planned to tie in with a big jihadi push elsewhere in the world?
Probably not. But that the action is located in territory on the east side of China might have something to with action happening in territory on the west side of China...
A car exploded Sunday evening while parked outside a block of flats in the Århus suburb of Åbyhøj, reports DR public broadcaster. The force of the explosion shattered six windows and one of the car doors was flung 15 metres from the car itself.
Police are at a loss as to the motive of the bombing but have issued a warrant for a 25-35-year-old man seen leaving the scene of the crime.
Two other cars were set on fire in the city of Århus, but police believe the episodes are unrelated. (LYT)
#1
Just the usual fireworks that comes with left wing open arms to "multi-culturalism". Now, anything you say, do, or think that might affend the one culture that the leader of the UN and the leader of the EU says is a peacefull culture, Islam, will get you the full brunt of what that culture will meet out to you.
The "Rock Star" photo is not a good sign.
An Oslo court started hearing arguments on Monday in the first trial ever held in Norway that involves terrorism charges. A 30-year-old man is charged, among other things, with firing shots at a synagogue in Oslo. Arfan Qadeer Bhatti, age 30, and another 28-year-old accomplice are also charged with planning terrorist attacks against the Israeli and American embassies in Oslo.
Bhatti is further charged with firing shots at the suburban Bærum home of one of the leaders of a failed pyramid scheme, and threatening his family because the man owned Bhatti money. There are several Pakistani crime syndicates in Norway.
Bhatti has been held in police custody since being arrested after the synagogue shooting in September 2006. Police maintain they have a strong case against him and another 29-year-old accomplice, including tapes of phone conversations in which Bhatti allegedly planned the attacks on the embassies and synagogue.
Bhatti, however, vehemently denies having anything to do with either the synagogue or Bærum shootings.
"Lies! All lies!"
He appeared in court on Monday smiling, and his defense attorney claimed he was ready for a fight. Aren't they always?
Bhatti admitted on the opening day of his trial that he "might" have sent some mobile phone text messages that "could" have been interpreted as "frightening."
If you read them the proper way, infidel ...
But he claimed no knowledge of or involvement in the shootings, and suggested the Bærum shooting stemmed from a conflict involving stolen property. "I don't want to speculate on who may be behind the shooting," he told judge Kim Heger.
Bhatti also claimed he was "glad" he'd been shadowed and had his phone tapped by Norway's special police force PST. "It will prove my innocence," he said.
"You believe that?" asked the prosecutor.
"Yes, I believe that," Bhatti replied.
The Oslo City Court (Tingrett) has allotted 40 days for the trial, during which around 50 witnesses will be heard.
Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany - A former member of the Palestinian Abu-Nidal terrorist group goes on trial in Germany on Tuesday for murdering a Lebanese car dealer and his wife for their money. A news magazine reported Monday that police also suspect Bassam A of murdering two German women in 1991 to silence them and doing a contract killing on a German businessman in 2001.
The trial, set to continue until September in Frankfurt an der Oder near the Polish border, involves the greed-driven November 2000 shooting of the car dealer and his German-born wife in a Berlin suburb.
The alleged killer and two Lebanese-born accomplices, who go on trial with him, obtained hundreds of thousands of Deutschmarks from the dead man, police say. The trio later moved to Sweden to live.
The magazine Focus said a male cousin of the Palestinian told police A had boasted of the other three murders, which police had never solved.
In 1991, a 45-year-old German nurse from the northern town of Bremerhaven was killed, along with a 40-year-old German woman from Bremen. A said he had killed them after telling a nurse to bomb a US base in Garlstedt, Germany. He killed her when she refused.
The other woman was killed the same night because she was aware of the plot, he allegedly said.
In the 2001 contract killing, a German builder was shot dead at the door of his home by A posing as a courier, Focus claimed.
#4
You think it might have dawned even on the Euros that a lot of 'fleeing Iraqis' are like '45 'fleeing Germans', they're fleeing the consequence of their actions to other people.
#5
Not necessarily, P2k. In many (not all, but many) cases these are translators, drivers etc. who aided the Coalition and faced reprisals from insurgents.
European Union foreign ministers condemned on Saturday a Dutch film that accuses the Koran of inciting violence, but said its author had a right to make it under the bloc's free speech principles.
Geert Wilders, a Dutch parliamentarian and leader of the anti-immigration Freedom Party, launched his short video on the Internet on Thursday, prompting an al Qaeda-linked website to call for his death and attacks on Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan.
The film "Fitna" -- an Arabic term sometimes translated as "strife" -- intersperses images of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and Islamist bombings with quotations from the Koran, Islam's holy book. "The film equates Islam with violence and this view is sharply rejected," the 27 ministers said in a statement after a two-day meeting in the Slovenian country resort of Brdo. "The vast majority of Muslims reject extremism and violence," they said, expressing support for the Dutch government, which has dismissed the film's view on Islam.
The film, which urges Muslims to tear out "hate-filled" verses from the Koran, has outraged Muslim nations in a similar way to a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb under his turban published in a Danish newspaper in 2005.
But the ministers said the film fell within the scope of the EU principle of freedom of expression and those offended by it should refrain from violence or threats. "Feeling offended is no excuse for aggression or threats," the ministers said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
It's a start. Maybe the eurines can get entirely over the hump and tell their immigrants "you must assimilate, and rule 1 of assimilation is - you have no right to never be offended."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/31/2008 7:53 Comments ||
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#2
The only thing the video does is present what Muslims have said and done in the name of Islam and present certain passages that are taken from the Koran.
They say it offends them but they don't deny the truth that the video presents. They can't.
It's like somebody holds a mirror up to their faces and then they say they are offended. Well, if my face looked like that I guess I'd be offended too.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
03/31/2008 12:47 Comments ||
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There has been a sharp fall in violence in Indian-administered Kashmir and at the same time the consumption of alcohol has started picking up fast. Liquor shops and cinemas were the first to close down on orders from separatist militant groups after the outbreak violence in the late 1980s aimed at driving India out of the region. But now the liquor traders are back in business.
Two and a half years ago, the Kashmir Valley's first liquor shop opened on the boulevard along Dal Lake in the summer capital, Srinagar. Last month, the Valley got its fifth shop in the southern district of Anantnag. When the first outlet opened, activists of a militant women's group, Dukhtaran-e-Millat (Daughters of Faith) ransacked it and local residents pledged support to their campaign. But a look at the sales suggest that support does not amount to much.
Between April 2007 and February 2008, more than 1.2 million bottles of IMFL (Indian-made foreign liquor) and beer were sold in the Valley. The deputy commissioner of the excise department, Pir Nizamuddin, says he is now processing many more applications for licenses to open liquor shops. At a liquor shop in Srinagar, I watched several people lining up to buy their daily tipple. But the shopkeeper and a dozen others, including some customers, wouldn't allow us to take their photos.
Traditionally the liquor trade was mostly in the hands of non-Muslims. But as most of them fled the Valley in the wake of the armed conflict, the shops that have now re-opened are being run mostly by Muslims. "It takes immense courage to run a liquor shop," one Muslim worker at the shop tells me. "Almost all the people who buy liquor from these shops are Kashmiris," local resident Gulzar Ahmed says. But the buyers are discreet and it's obvious they don't want to attract any attention.
Kashmiri society, being predominantly Muslim, has always frowned upon consumption of alcohol and the easy availability of alcohol has not gone down well with many. "Even schoolchildren have started coming to these shops," says Shabir Ahmed, who rows a shikara (pleasure boat) on Dal Lake. "It's causing havoc." Psychiatrist Dr Arshid says the easy availability of liquor could create a problem with alcoholism in a society where many people have been traumatised by violence and which is also undergoing the strains of urbanisation and growing materialism.
He says a survey conducted two years ago revealed that "about 17% of people, aged 18 to 35, had taken opiates at some point". He says such people could easily turn to alcohol. "They can straightaway step into a shop and buy a drink without any fear of the police. This will promote alcoholism." Dr Arshid wants the availability of liquor to be restricted.
The government of Jammu and Kashmir state has been keen to re-open the liquor shops for two reasons - one, they are considered a sign that normalcy is returning to the Valley. Second, the authorities say this will boost tourism. But a spokesman for the Houseboat Owners' Association, Tariq Ahmed, says tourism can do without liquor. "We used to tell the tourists that alcohol was banned in Kashmir. They did not make a fuss about it. They come to see the beauty of Kashmir, not to booze."
Posted by: john frum ||
03/31/2008 07:16 ||
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#1
liquor could create a problem with alcoholism in a society where many people have been traumatised by violence and which is also undergoing the strains of urbanisation and growing materialism.
Spun as only the BBC can. Thanks for turning normality into a dire problem.
Tariq Ahmed, says tourism can do without liquor. "We used to tell the tourists that alcohol was banned in Kashmir. They did not make a fuss about it. They come to see the beauty of Kashmir, not to booze."
Yeah, but if I lived there I would probably need a couple beers in order to put up with dumbasses like yourself.
#5
Last month, the Valley got its fifth shop in the southern district of Anantnag. When the first outlet opened, activists of a militant women's group, Dukhtaran-e-Millat (Daughters of Faith) ransacked it and local residents pledged support to their campaign.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said on Sunday that it was ready for talks with the government, provided that Islamabad reverses its pro-American policies. TTP leaders told a rally in the Inayat Kalay Bazaar of Bajaur Agency that they welcomed Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillanis announcement that the government would negotiate with the Taliban and end the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR).
Yousaf Raza Gillani said on Saturday that fighting terrorism would be his top priority and offered to hold talks with those militants who laid down their weapons. We are ready to talk to all those people who give up arms and are ready to embrace peace, Gillani told parliament, prompting loud support from lawmakers.
TTP leaders, including Maulvi Faqir Muhammad, Maulvi Sher Bahadar, Dr Muhammad Ismail, and party spokesman Maulvi Omar, also demanded the implementation of Sharia law and the jirga system according to tribal traditions.
They won't accept anything less than the ninth century ...
They said jihad against America would continue in Afghanistan. However, they added that they were ready to end their activities and improve law and order in Pakistan if the government showed flexibility.
Faqir said Islamabad should not cooperate with the United States, AP reported. Whenever Pakistan will work for American interests as its ally, we will oppose it, Faqir said, amid chants of death to America.
The TTP leaders said that the Taliban were defenders of the country and that Pakistans western border was safe because of them, according to a staff report.
They warned alleged kidnappers in the area that they would face consequences if they did not release all hostages within 24 hours. The TTP meeting also passed resolutions calling for the removal of unnecessary checkposts in the area and the lifting of a ban on vehicles on which customs had not been paid.
The TTP leaders said that they would not allow anyone to demand interest on loans; asked women to adopt the veil; and warned tribal elders not to meet American officials.
They reiterated that they were observing the ceasefire reached with the government, but said they would not surrender their weapons as long as America and its allies were present in Afghanistan. About 5,000 people, including hundreds of armed militants, attended the rally, according to AFP.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), said the new administration would try to prevent the US military from launching airstrikes inside Pakistan, AP reported. We will try our best to stop America from making any further attacks in our border areas, Rehman told reporters in Multan.
Good luck with that ...
This article starring:
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I hope the new govt. realizes that this is the same deal Mushy tried to make with them some time back.
Pakistan already has an army, they don't need another one roaming around up in the hills.
#2
The United States needs to go back to Teddy Roosevelt negotiating style. The US should state its minimum requirements for negotiations. When the taliban or other heavily-armed religious fruitcakes state their case, the US should follow up with about a dozen high-altitude bombers performing an ARCLIGHT strike down through some taliban-held countryside, then restate its minimum negotiating requirements. Eventually there won't be any enemy left, or they'll finally get the message they can be hurt, but can't hurt us, and negotiate in good faith, knowing that any breech would be responded to by another ARCLIGHT strike. Hard on "civilians", but that's life, and always has been.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/31/2008 14:44 Comments ||
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I DON'T SSEE HOW THE TALIBAN IN AFGHAN CAN RELLY DMNAD ANYTHING
Pakistan has stepped up security at the Dutch consulate and Dutch businesses in Karachi, fearing protests over the Internet-release of an anti-Islam film by a far-right Dutch MP, officials said on Sunday.
The Foreign Ministry summoned the Dutch ambassador to Pakistan on Friday and lodged a strong protest with him against Geert Wilders film, which defames Islam. We have stepped up security at the Dutch consulate and businesses in Karachi, Sindh Home Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan confirmed.
We have advised the consulate staff to keep a low profile and avoid unnecessary travel, he added. The officials said that telecommunications authorities have been asked to block all websites that carry the blasphemous film.
Meanwhile, at least three different protests were held outside the Karachi Press Club, where protesters burned an effigy of Wilders and a Dutch flag, witnesses said.
Wilders posted the 17-minute film entitled Fitna (discord) on the Internet on Thursday. It features violent imagery of the terrorist attacks in New York and Madrid intertwined with Quranic texts.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Whereas flag-burning in Pakistan does not "defame" the Netherlands.
#2
Dutch security raised in Pakistan after anti- honest Islam film.
Exposing the desert cult with its own words sure does get those peckers in a knot. We thought long and hard about putting the film up. When liveleak took it down due to Muslim terrorist threats, the consensus was that this film needed to "go viral". At that point it was a no brainer.
Cultural and political fault lines within the Frontier Corps (FC) and Pakistan itself could undo the United States plan to train and equip the 80,000-strong force, according to the Washington Post.
The newspaper quoted US officials as saying that 21 American advisers had been tasked with training a cadre of FC officers in counterinsurgency and intelligence-gathering tactics as early as this summer.
It said the bulk of the forces rank-and-file troops were ethnic Pashtuns, with many wary of going into battle against a Pashtun-dominated insurgent force. Commanders, meanwhile, were regular army officers who often had little in common with their subordinates, the Post added.
Major General Muhammad Alam Khattak, the FCs top commander, expressed frustration with a slow-moving military bureaucracy that has left his troops to fight an insurgency with World War II-era rifles. Its very difficult, but our force is an old force ... We are on a global geopolitical fault line, Khattak told the Post.
The newspaper said that FC units, which were poorly equipped and lacked support from the army, had suffered devastating defeats by the Taliban over the past six years. About 300 troops have been killed since 2001, it said.
Low salaries and inconsistent medical evacuation services for wounded troops have also dimmed morale, Khattak said. Many of our casualties were not warranted. If we had been better equipped, we would not have seen so many casualties, he added.
When you have a position that is only manned by five or six [FC] men and its confronted by a contingent of dozens of Taliban militants, theres not a lot of incentive to stay and fight, a Western military official said, adding, As far as some of these FC guys go, they think: Whats the point in resisting these guys? If I dont fight, I live to see another day.
These guys are Pashtuns, so they know the local areas. But there are problems. Theres been this kind of historical stepchild relationship with the army, said a Western diplomat.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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Madrassas are playing a role as the ideological fortresses of the country, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the president of the PML-Q, said on Sunday, adding that they would be protected at all costs.
He told reporters at his residence that madrassas were not involved in terrorism. He rejected the need for establishing an authority for monitoring madrassas, suggesting that a parliamentary committee, consisting of representatives of all political parties, should be set up to resolve the issue.
He said, The madrassa system in Pakistan is the worlds biggest non-government organisation which provides education to two million students. Shujaat said madrassas were given protection under the previous government, adding that the PML-Q would keep pressing the government not to change the madrassa policy.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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Sunni Tehreek (ST) workers will be given a free hand, which may result in violence and bloodshed, for which the government alone will be responsible, if Ejaz Qadris killers are not arrested soon and violent activities against the ST are not ended soon, warned ST Central leader Shahid Ghouri.
Ghouri made this statement while sitting with the body of Ejaz Qadri for over two hours outside the governor house, blocking roads leading to the governor house. Qadri, a sector in-charge, was killed on Friday in Korangi, within the limits of the Ibrahim Hyderi Police Station, and no arrests have been made despite the nomination of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers in the case.
Two hours after the protest started, the governors personal secretary, Wajahat, conveyed the governors message to Ghouri that the matter will be discussed in a meeting on Monday at the governor house, if the protest is ended immediately
Later Ghouri agreed to end the protest after announcing that the meeting will be held in front of the media. He said that the ST is working for peace, but conspiracies against the ST and violent activities, including targeted killings of ST workers, continue to take place. If this goes on and the murderers of Qadri are not arrested soon, we will give a free hand to our workers and this may result in violence, for which the government itself will be responsible, he warned. The police department is also involved in this and should be changed, he added.
Funeral prayers for the deceased were offered after Zuhr prayers at M.A. Jinnah Road, where combined funeral prayers were offered for the ST leadership killed in the Nishtar Park blast nearly two years ago. Hundreds of people, including ST leadership and the relatives of the deceased, were present at this funeral.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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Martyrs are crown of the Umaah and they restricted Russians in Afghanistan otherwise Pakistan was endangered; the movement for independence in Kashmir will be continued even though Musharraf has taken a U-turn, said supreme commander of the Muttahida Jihad Council wo Hizbul Mujahidin (HM), Syed Salahuddin, in An Evening with the heirs of Martyrs organized by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi at Idara-e-Noor Haq (INH) Sunday.
Today America, United Kingdom and Israel want to destroy Jihad and Muslim rulers support them but Jihad will be continued, said the Deputy Commander of the HM, Maulana Javed Qasoori, according to a press release issued by the INH. The program was also addressed by the general secretary of JI Pakistan, Syed Munawer Hasan, JI Pakistan Niab Amir Hafiz Muhammad Idrees and others. JI Balochistan Amir Maulana Abdul Haq Hashmi, JI Karachi general secretary Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, former MPA Nasarullah Khan Shajji and leaders of the HM were present. The relatives of the people who died also attended the program and were given shields.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
An Evening with the heirs of Martyrs
Supposed to be in Hi Light and should not be in the middle of a paragraph. Bad form, bad form all around.
#2
It's always best to check the original article before criticizing, Zebulon Angavick7428. The phrase you took exception to was actually written by the reporter, not an inserted comment by Fred.
The memo contains shocking revelations about conditions at the jail in downtown Fallujah, including a massive shortage of food and water. The prison is said to be run by Iraqi officials. US Marines oversee operation of the facility, says Jason Leopold.
A classified memo written by the top US military officer in western Iraq reveals that a prison in downtown Fallujah is so overcrowded and dirty that it does not even meet basic minimal levels of hygiene for human beings.
The conditions in these jails are so bad that I think we need to do the right thing in terms of caring for the prisoners even with our own dollars, or release them, says the memo, written in late February by Maj. Gen. John Kelly, commander of US forces in western Iraq.
The classified document, leaked to the Web site Wikileaks where whistleblowers can "reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations," was authenticated by the organization and has not been challenged by the US military when asked about it.
The memo contains other shocking revelations about conditions at the jail, including a massive shortage of food and water. The prison is said to be run by Iraqi officials. US Marines oversee operation of the facility.
I found the conditions there to be exactly (unbelivable [sic] over crowding, total lack of anything approaching even minimal levels of hygiene for human beings, no food, little water, no ventilation) to those described in the recent (18 February) FOX news artickle [sic] by Michael Totten entitled the Dungeon of Fallujah, says Kellys memo.
We need to go to general quarters on this issue right now... To state that the current system is broken would erroneously imply that there is a system in place to be broken."
Totten, an independent journalist, said the prison can house a maximum of 110 prisoners but he discovered that there were more then 900 crammed into the facility. US contractors built the prison in 2005 which is located next to the US Joint Communications Center.
It is unknown who received the memo from Kelly. A Pentagon spokesman did not return calls for comment late Wednesday.
Kelly wrote that when he inspected the prison iraqis [sic] and marines present throughout my inspection as to why these conditions existed, three conditions were universaly [sic] cited as problems in Fallujah as well as the rest of Anbar, the commanders memo says.
First, there is zero support from the government for any of the jails in Anbar. No funds, food or medical support has been provided from any ministry, Kelly said.
Second, the police that run Anbar's jails are the same personnel responsable [sic] for investigating crimes. These jailer/investigators are undermanned and more often than not spend most of their time out begging and scavenging for food than investigating crimes. (It is unlikely the prisoners will eat today)...
I believe the Iraqi police are doing the best they can, and they literally begged me on humanitarian, moral and religious grounds to help them help the prisoners by somehow moving the government to action.
In a report published earlier Wednesday, Lt. Col. Michael Callanan told United Press International that following an inspection of the prison by Kelly, US forces decided to advise and assist Iraqis managing the jail and are providing food to the prisoners.
"They are being fed now," Callanan told UPI.
In addition to the substandard conditions at the prison, Kellys memo describes how the US military, five years since invading the country, still cannot seem to find success training Iraq security forces.
The Iraqi police will ultimately be the ones whose shoulders the burden of winning or losing the fight will be carried, the classified memo says. To date, little attention has been paid to the Iraqi corrections system in Anbar and its current discrepancies will prevent the [Iraqi police] from becoming a professional law enforcement force unless immediate and significant support is provided.
#1
I wonder if any of these prisoners would be interested in being subjected to the infamous US abuses at Abu Graib? Or maybe at Saddam's version of Abu Graib? I wonder how the NYT would rank conditions at Fallujah jail, Hussein-era Abu Graib, & US-era Abu Graib?
Iraq has refused to endorse the final declaration of the Arab summit in Syria. Iraq's Shiite-dominated government has long accused Sunni-led Arab governments of not taking a strong enough stance against Sunni fighters who make up the backbone of Iraq's insurgency.
The "Damascus Declaration" calls for -- quote -- "Iraqi brothers to stop bloodshed immediately and preserve the lives of innocent citizens" and also for hastening the "end of the foreign presence" in Iraq.
Does that include the Libyans, Yemenis, Saoodis and Syrians?
Iraq's Shiite vice president objected that the text did not include the efforts of the Iraqi government for national reconciliation and did not condemn terrorism.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
the text did not include the efforts of the Iraqi government for national reconciliation and did not condemn terrorism
#6
I give the performance only one thumbs-up. The actor who played Bush seemed too predictable almost wooden. However the child actor delivered the Paleo passive/aggressive prose brilliantly by alternating between self-loathing pity and blood-thirsty revenge. But in the end, the White House/Mosque juxtaposition just seemed a bit too contrived leaving the viewer with too many unanswered questions.
I don't think they grasp the concept... On Friday afternoon, 28 March 2008, 3 Palestinians were killed and 10 others were wounded in Kufor Thuluth village, southeast of Qalilya, while a reconciliation meeting was being held. Really? How did it work out? Everybody friends now?
They have a town called "Kufr Chthulu"? Why isn't it their capital?
According to investigations conducted by PCHR and a statement issued by the public relations department at the police of Qalqilya, at approximately 14:00 on Friday, a reconciliation meeting was held between the clans of Shawahna and Maraba at a secondary school in Kufor Thuluth village, to end a dispute between the two clans, which had taken the life of Eyad Qassem Maraba on 24 October 2008. Eyad was probably...running with scissors? Fell in the shower maybe? After meeting the demands of the Marabas clan, including receiving an amount of 40,000 JD (approximately US$ 60,000), and signing an agreement between the two clans, a member of the Shawahna clan was fired at, which led to an exchange of fire between the two clans. Whaddya you lookin at! You wanna piece of me! OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH...Rosebud!
As a result, 3 persons were killed: Goddam it, Mahmoud! Now we owe the Mara'ba's another 120 grand!!
1. Kamal Qassem Awadh Maraba, 45, hit by 6 gunshots to the chest, the back and the limbs;
2. Mohammed Awadh Qassem Maraba, 22, hit by 4 gunshots to the chest, the side and the leg; and
3. Nour Said Ali Maraba, 13, hit by a gunshot to the head. Well, Biff, looks like another decisive Shawahna victory...
Additionally, another 10 persons were wounded. Probably all foot wounds, no doubt. They'll limp to the next reconciliation meeting. Gosh. I hope they got their money back.
PCHR is gravely concerned over the continuation of the use of weapons in personal and clan disputes, which is further aggravating the state of security chaos in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. PCHR calls upon the Palestinian National Authority, represented by the Attorney-General, to investigate these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice Yep, we'll add it to the "to do" list.
#1
As tu sez, I don't think they quite grasp the concept. But, they're trying, with their own limited means (automatic firearms and shame-based honor)!
#3
Go for it, Paleos! You're just warming up to "reconciliation." I'm sure you've got bigger and better "reconciliation" meetings in your future. You could start by having one in Gaza with EVERYONE invited, and if anyone doesn't bring their AK, make sure you have enough to issue them one. Plenty of ammo, too.
The U.S. says Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to "concrete steps" toward a peace deal.
Under the plan announced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israel is pledging to remove some West Bank roadblocks, to allow Palestinians to move more freely and to support economic projects in Palestinian towns. It's also promising to give Palestinians more security responsibility in Jenin .
In return, the Palestinians are promising to improve policing of the town "to provide law and order, and work to prevent terror." Jenin is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants and has been a frequent site of clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen.
Israel's defense minister and the Palestinian prime minister, who met with Rice, say they will pursue the measures with "special, immediate emphasis and work." Rice says she expects these things to happen "very, very soon" and that the U.S. will "be monitoring and verifying."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
In the Middle East "concrete steps" are only taken with concrete shoes.
If a Dutch lawmaker wanted to create a firestorm by producing an anti-Islamic film designed "to shake off the creeping tyranny of Islamicization," it appears he achieved his goal.
Geert Wilders' 15-minute film, "Fitna," hit the Internet by storm after it was posted online Friday but yanked from the UK-based site, LiveLeak.com, a day later due to security concerns. As of Monday, the film has been put back up on the site. "Fitna" "Ordeal" in Arabic features footage of terror strikes such as 9/11, the Madrid train bombings and the murder of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh, mixed with verses from the Koran. It was up long enough for other file-sharing sites to distribute the film to anyone with an Internet connection. Wilders turned to the Internet to release his film after he failed to find a television distributor.
The film's release has caused a ripple effect of negative responses. On Sunday, Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith called it "highly offensive." "It is an obvious attempt to generate discord between faith communities," Smith said. "I strongly reject the ideas contained in the film and deplore its release."
The European Union issued a statement Saturday saying the film serves no other purpose than to inflame hatred. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the film saying there is no justification for hate speech or the incitement of violence.
In the Middle East, Iran has summoned the Dutch ambassador to Tehran to discuss the film, Reuters reported. A senior diplomat from Slovenia, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, was also called to the ministry in Tehran over Wilders' film.
Jordanian lawmakers are taking more severe diplomatic measures and demanded their government cut ties with the Netherlands. Fifty-three lawmakers in the 110-seat parliament have also called for the government to dismiss the Dutch envoy.
Pakistan's foreign ministry on Friday summoned the ambassador of the Netherlands in Islamabad and lodged a "strong protest", according to AFP. It has stepped up the security of the Dutch consulate and businesses in Karachi fearing protests over the the release of the film.
And in Asia, hundreds of Indonesian students took to the streets Sunday, according to AFP, after a minister called for protests. The students carried posters demanding that authorities shut down websites carrying Wilders' film.
Some observers, however, supported the release of the film. "If Western institutions are not willing to take risks, then our lives as free societies are coming to an end," said Robert Spencer, the director of JihadWatch.org, a website critical of radical Islam.
Wilders, who told FOXNews.com in December that he believes Western culture is "better than the retarded Islamic cultures," contends that 99 percent of the world's intolerance is rooted in the Islamic religion and the Koran. "People who watch the movie will see that the Koran is very much alive today, leading to the destruction of everything we in the Western world stand for, which is respect and tolerance," Wilders, the 41-year-old leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom.
But many say the film manipulates elements and symbols of Islam and is a calculated attempt to offend Muslims. "It's a hatchet job," said Yvonne Haddad, a professor of Muslim-Christian relations at Georgetown University. "In the Koran there are verses that are very accomodating, very open, very pluralistic to other religions. . . . It was not a balanced representation," she said.
Wilders, raised Catholic but long an atheist, said he worked with professors who are experts on the Koran and Islamic culture, professional filmmakers and scriptwriters to complete his film.
Despite their condemnation, the European leaders defended the right to freedom of speech. An EU statement stressed that freedom of speech was "part of our values and traditions," and called on Muslims to react peacefully. Some Muslim leaders have also called for restraint.
Not all were reassured by the affirmation of free speech, and were instead troubled when LiveLeak initially pulled "Fitna" in response to threats. "If the price [for free speech] is ever too high, then thats the epitaph for freedom in the West," said Spencer.
#1
"It's a hatchet job," said Yvonne Haddad, a professor of Muslim-Christian relations at Georgetown University. "In the Koran there are verses that are very accomodating, very open, very pluralistic to other religions. . . . It was not a balanced representation," she said.
Sure. I mean he doesn't show them celebrating in the streets and passing out candy to the kiddos and all that good stuff. Of course they only do that when one of the chosen ones puts an airplane through a skyscraper or blows up a bus full of Joooos, but, hey, they're a complicated people...
#3
heh- couldn't help myself, I clicked. Most women covered but one photo of newlyweds with the female EXPOSING her hair. Maybe the purpose is to better educate her on how to be a good wife.
#4
"In the Koran there are verses that are very accomodating, very open, very pluralistic to other religions. . . . It was not a balanced representation," she said.
Mhw or an other Koran-savvy RBer will correct, but as far as I know the "tolerant/spiritual/religious" verses are from the mecca period, and the "intolerant/lawmaking/warmongering" ones from the medina one; and since the Koran is not a book as we western understand the word (rather, a support for something to be rote-learned in arabic, as arabic is the language spoken by allan), full of contradiction, with no logical order except the size of verses, muslim scholars had to determine which verse was appliable, and which was not.
And, basically, and this is islam 101, the earlier mecca verses are abrogated and replaced by the later medina ones. So, the "very accomodating, very open, very pluralistic to other religions" simply are not to be used, as allan changed his mind and the core of the Koran is those supremacist, bellicose, intolerant verses (plus all the silly stuff about heritage, wordly matters,...) straight from the mouth of a 7th century arab warlord/gangleader.
Either yvonne is naive and doesn't know the subject of her studies (unlikely), or she is just plain dishonest and/or self-deluded.
#6
Yvonne works for Georgetown's Alwaleed Center for Educating the Next Generation of Foreign Service Useful Idiots, so my vote is for dishonest/deluded, but mostly dishonest.
#7
Yvonne Haddad grew up in Syria. She knows about muslims, but I would guess she was raised in a Baath household. Her hatred for the west overrides her concerns, if any, about muslims. While she professes to Christianity, I would look to her husband to know what religion she really identifies with. What better revenge than to destroy the west from within and get paid very well doing it.
Posted by: ed ||
03/31/2008 16:27 Comments ||
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#8
Ok, here is what I noticed - these peaceful and toloerant verses and suras are never cited. Because, I couldn't find them - please point them out Yvonne. If it is so accomidating then why are there security concerns?
#9
For cryin' out loud--he film is no big deal after being here in Rantburg for the past several years. Bidness as usual in the fanatical world of jihad . . . I liked the short piece, and people really oughta wake up. When the Moslems say they're going to take over Western society--THEY MEAN IT. 20 years ago they were telling me they were going to destroy the World Trade Center, and had it in their minds that it was some cover or secrect base of of the US govt. I agree with Wilders--they are retarded.
#10
It would be interesting to make a film showign the beheadings and such and put peaceful slogans from the koran beside them. Nice juxtaposition, and fairly accurate to Islam.
Fact is a religion is what it's worshipers do. Islam is a violent religion accompanied by those that tacitly support that violence with their silence.
#11
No other major religion incites its people to blow themselves up in the midst of innocent crowds. That's not surprising coming from a religion started by a murdering, robbing, raping pedophile. Any Muslim who isn't condemning this stuff publicly is quietly in accord. The people who truly speak for Islam are the bombers and head-choppers; the rest are fellow-travelers.
I think payback is coming, and when it does, it's going to be really rough on them. They'll have no one but themselves to blame, either.
On the 28th of March LiveLeak.com was left with no other choice but to remove the film "fitna" from our servers following serious threats to our staff and their families. Since that time we have worked constantly on upgrading all security measures thus offering better protection for our staff and families. With these measures in place we have decided to once more make this video live on our site. We will not be pressured into censoring material which is legal and within our rules. We apologise for the removal and the delay in getting it back, but when you run a website you don't consider that some people would be insecure enough to threaten our lives simply because they do not like the content of a video we neither produced nor endorsed but merely hosted.
Video at link
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/31/2008 11:17 ||
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#4
Yes! Made my day.
(And I guess no-one threatened to kill them if they didn't show it),
Does leave a sour after-taste, however, having succumbed to threats which are there anyway, instead of just telling the tossers to take a long hike in the first place.
DAMASCUS - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Sunday that Damascus was prepared for all scenarios in its worsening relationship with Washington, including the use of US military force. A prudent person must make all his calculations, especially when we have to deal with an administration which knows how to strike but does not know how to withdraw, Muallem told reporters at the end of an Arab summit in Damascus.
What an interesting idea: we'd come to Syria and stay a while. Hmmmm ...
Muallem was responding to a question over whether Damascus feared a US strike against Syria or Iran if US diplomatic efforts fail to isolate Syria. We hope that this will not happen. We hope for dialogue and an accord in order to avoid more American destruction to our region, and more deaths to the Americans, he added.
The United States has been trying to isolate Syria which it correctly accuses of backing the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and radical Palestinian groups.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
So "Run like a scared coward" is part of their calculations, huh?
#7
If by "ready" he means the usual traitors are ready to start marching with "Hands Off Syria" signs then he is good to go. Though they are going to have some time with the rhyming slogans.
#11
I don't think buying an extra case or two of Charmin is much in the way of preparation of what the US COULD do if it would quit playing PC games and really SMASH Syria. The Muddled East really doesn't know what the US is capable of, thanks to whoever pulled the plug on "Total Destruction" during the Iraq war.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/31/2008 15:21 Comments ||
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#12
How'd those state-of-the-art air defense systems work out against the Israelis last year, Basher?
A two-day Arab summit, subdued in the absence of leaders critical of Damascus, ended in the Syrian capital on Sunday with a warning to Israel that an Arab peace offer depends on Israeli behaviour.
According to a statement, Arab governments will review their strategies on peace with Israel. It did not say what options were under consideration or when the review would take place. The continuation by the Arab side to present the Arab peace initiative is tied to Israel executing its commitments in the framework of international resolutions to achieve peace in the region, said a Damascus Declaration.
The Arab peace initiative of 2002 offers Israel peace and normal relations with all Arab countries in return for withdrawal from all territory captured in the 1967 war. Successive Israeli governments have either ignored or rejected the offer, which would require Israel to dismantle settlements which house hundreds of thousands of Jews.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
The losers don't get to dictate terms, idiots. I hope Israel crushes you so bad in the next war you won't even be able to find a camel to mount. I am so sick and tired of islamic "demands". It's about time to teach these idiots a monstrous lesson - they are NOT the rulers of the universe, and if they try to be, they will cease to exist.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/31/2008 15:23 Comments ||
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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.
Richard Falk, anti-Israel UN investigator, 9/11 TROOFER
North Korea threatened to suspend dialogue with the South over comments made by a South Korean military official and said it was ready to attack its wealthy neighbor, the North's state media said at the weekend.
A car exploded Sunday evening while parked outside a block of flats in the Århus suburb of Åbyhøj, reports DR public broadcaster. The force of the explosion shattered six windows and one of the car doors was flung 15 metres from the car itself.
The 
The memo contains shocking revelations about conditions at the jail in downtown Fallujah, including a massive shortage of food and water. The prison is said to be run by Iraqi officials. US Marines oversee operation of the facility, says Jason Leopold.
If a Dutch lawmaker wanted to create a firestorm by producing an anti-Islamic film designed "to shake off the creeping tyranny of Islamicization," it appears he achieved his goal.
DAMASCUS - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Sunday that Damascus was prepared for all scenarios in its worsening relationship with Washington, including the use of US military force. A prudent person must make all his calculations, especially when we have to deal with an administration which knows how to strike but does not know how to withdraw, Muallem told reporters at the end of an Arab summit in Damascus.
