Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams on Monday called off a trip to New York after the United States refused to lift restrictions barring him from raising money there. Adams, who has spent the past two decades guiding his IRA-allied party into Ireland's political mainstream, had been granted a visa allowing him to travel to the United States on Tuesday to receive a peace award. But the State Department refused a request for him to speak at a $500-a-plate dinner benefiting his party's U.S. organization, Friends of Sinn Fein. Adams said he would speak at a similar dinner in Canada on Saturday.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Good. That murdering bastard has no business on US soil. Pity the Loyalists didn't finish the job they started on him years ago. I can think of few terrorist MFs who need killing more than him. When he and the bearded scumbag of Havana bite the dust the world will be a lot better off.
Posted by: mac ||
11/08/2005 6:29 Comments ||
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Adams said he would speak at a similar dinner in Canada on Saturday.
My take on that would be.... raising money in Kanada to support Friends of Sinn Fein (terrorist organization) in the States?
The government of Prime Minister Tony Blair refused Monday to back down on plans to detain terror suspects for up to 90 days without charge. After talks with lawmakers, Home Secretary Charles Clarke said Monday night that the government stands by the 90-day limit in the proposed Terrorism Bill, despite the bill's near defeat at an early reading in Parliament last week. But Clarke said the government will amend the bill to include a clause allowing for review in a year to see if it is appropriate.
Britain's main opposition parties and many of Blair's own lawmakers oppose the plan and almost defeated the Terrorism Bill in Parliament last week. It passed by one vote. Dissent over the legislation is posing a huge challenge to Blair's authority and some question whether he is losing his grip on power. "People want to make this a question of my authority," Blair said Monday. "This is a far more fundamental question than that. It is a question about the nation's security." He insisted the 90-day plan was in the country's best interests and appealed to opponents not to scuttle the measure in a key vote Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Dissent over the legislation is posing a huge challenge to Blair's authority and some question whether he is losing his grip on power.
gosh. You says you can't paint a poop? You'd almost think that the measure didn't pass.
Security officials here in Karachayevo-Cherkessiya, a restive republic on Russia's mountainous southern border, have a secret list of people who are kept under scrutiny. Those on it have committed no crime, but are considered suspect because they are Muslims who practice Islam outside of the state's sanctioned mosques. "We know who they are," the republic's president, Mustafa Batdiyev, said in an interview. He declined to elaborate, but said the list included about 150 people. A former member of a committee that compiled it, Murat Kkahtukayev, said the list was far longer.
Ovod Golayev is on it. He lives in Karachayevsk, a city nestled in the foothills of the Caucasus, where he works for a tourist company that organizes skiing and hiking excursions. He wears his hair and beard long. He prays five times a day. He fasts during Ramadan. In the past month, he said, the police have detained him four times, twice in one day. The last time was on Oct. 28, after two days of violence that killed at least 138 people two weeks earlier in Nalchik, the capital of the neighboring republic, Kabardino-Balkariya. Golayev, 36, said the Islam he observes was opposed to violence, but he warned that the mistreatment of believers was driving to desperation men like those who took up arms and attacked police and security outposts in Nalchik, men like him. "They will pressure me enough," he said, "and then I will blow somebody's head off."
Here in the Northern Caucasus, like across all of Russia, Islamic faith is on the rise. So is Islamic militancy and official fear. The result has been tensions like those felt in Europe, where a flow of immigrants from the Muslim world is straining relations with liberal, secular societies. Only the Muslims of Russia are not immigrants and outsiders, but the indigenous people of the region. "These are Russian citizens, and they have no other motherland," President Vladimir Putin said in August, when he met with King Abdullah of Jordan.
In Russia, the struggle over Islam's place is not seen as a question of whether to integrate Muslims into society, but whether the country itself can remain whole. The separatist conflict in Chechnya, more than a decade old, has taken on the hue of an Islamic one. And it is spilling beyond Chechnya's borders into neighboring republics of the Caucasus, where Islam has become a rallying force against corruption, brutality and poverty.
On the morning of Oct. 13, scores of men took up arms in Nalchik - driven mostly, relatives of some said, by harassment against men with beards and women with head scarves and by the closing of six mosques in the city. In Dagestan and Ingushetia, militants have been blamed for an unending series of bombings and killings. Followers of the Chechen terrorist leader, Shamil Basayev, have claimed responsibility for the deadliest attacks, including the one in Nalchik and before that a similar raid in Ingushetia and the school siege in Beslan in September 2004, which culminated in the deaths of 331 people, 186 of them children. All have been part of Basayev's declared goal to create an Islamic caliphate, uniting the Northern Caucasus in secession from Russia.
That goal has little popular support in the region's other predominantly Muslim republics, but discontent is spreading as the government cracks down. Not all involved in the attacks are hardened fighters of Chechnya's wars. More and more oppose the hard-line policies the Kremlin takes against anyone who challenges its central authority. The government has re-created the Soviet-era system of control over religion with the Muslim Spiritual Departments, a sanctioned group that oversees the appointment of Islamic leaders. In places like Nalchik and here in Karacheyevo-Cherkessia, the "official" muftis and imams have themselves been accused of acting to preserve their own status by tolerating the Kremlin's efforts to repress anyone practicing a "purer" form of Islam.
Larisa Dorogova, a lawyer in Nalchik, whose nephew Musa was among those killed in the fighting last month, said Muslims had appealed to the authorities, both religious and secular, to end the abuse, only to be ignored. "If they had listened to the letters we wrote - from 400 people, from 1,000 - maybe this would not have happened," she said.
Officials have denounced those who took up arms in Nalchik with the same broad brush they have used to describe Basayev's troops. On Wednesday, Putin linked the Nalchik uprising to international terrorists, whom he called "animals in human guise." But in the Caucasus, where Islamic-inspired violence has killed far more people than terrorism has in Western Europe, the prevailing view is quite different. "They were all good guys," Dorogova said of Nalchik's fighters.
The paradox of Islam in Russia today is that Muslims have never been freer. The collapse of the Soviet Union and its repression of all faiths led to an Islamic revival over the past 14 years. Islam is officially recognized as one of Russia's four principal religions, along with Orthodox Christianity, Buddhism and Judaism. Russia has applied to join the Organization of Islamic States. There are no official statistics, but the number of Muslims is estimated at 14 million to 23 million - 10 percent to 16 percent of Russia's population. The Muslims are spread across the country, but congregate in several Muslim-majority republics. Thousands of mosques have been rebuilt and reopened, as have madrasas, including one here in Cherkessk, where 66 young men and women learn the fundamentals of the faith. Among their teachers are four Egyptians. "We could pray on Red Square and no one would care," the imam of Cherkessk's mosque, Kazim Katchiyev, said after evening prayers.
This tolerance of Islam, however, has been strained. Believers outside of the state's official Muslim departments are increasingly viewed with suspicion because of the radicalization of Chechnya and other republics. They are denounced as Wahhabis, followers of the puritanical sect from Saudi Arabia and a word that has become Russian shorthand for any Islamic militant.
There has also been a violent backlash. On Oct. 14, for example, a group of young men ransacked a prayer house in Sergiyev Posad, near Moscow, badly beating an imam. They shouted, "There is no place for Muslims in Russia," according to Russia's Council of Muftis, which represents the spiritual departments. Mufti Ravil Gainutdin, the council's chairman, said that the government needed to do more, complaining that state television routinely depicts Muslims collectively as radicals waging holy war against Russia, rather than as members of Russian society. "If we educate Muslim children to be rebel fighters, ready to do battle, and meanwhile teach Russians to be against Muslims, then we do not have the right policy," he said. "And so the leadership of this country, the government, must see this and respond to this."
He warned that government policy in the Caucasus - and its failure to overcome deep social and economic problems - was pushing some to seek refuge in what he considers improperly radicalized forms of Islam. "If people see social injustice, corruption in the authorities, the unfair assumption of wealth among some and the impoverishment of others," Gainutdin said, "then that is a cause of unhappiness, of a radicalization of moods, of something that leads to conflict and revolution."
In Nalchik, many Muslims blamed the republic's former president, Valery Kokov, for the seething tensions that exploded in violence last month. His Interior Ministry had responded harshly against those who observed Islamic rituals. Arbitrary arrests and beatings were common. Many among those killed in Nalchik were not hardened fighters, but local residents acting out of what appeared to be desperation. Many were not yet armed, according to officials, but were hoping to seize weapons from police stations.
Among the dead was Kazbulat Kerefov, 25, a lawyer and former police officer. His parents, Betal and Fatima, refused to believe he was a militant, but like many there understood what sparked the attack. "It was not a terrorist act," Betal Kerefov said in an interview in the family's apartment. "It was a revolt."
Ali Pshigotyzhev, 55, worked as an announcer on state radio for 30 years until he was dismissed, he said, for praying. His son, Zaur, was arrested on Oct. 29 in a wave of detentions that followed the fighting. Pshigotyzhev accused the local imams of, in effect, endorsing the repressions, for fear of losing their status. "People were patient in this republic, but patience has its limits," he said in Nalchik's only mosque. "And a tragedy occurred. And it is only the beginning of the tragedy."
Such sentiments are what the authorities fear most. Batdiyev, the president of Karachayevo-Cherkessiya, said his region openly supported Islam. A businessman, he paid for the construction of a mosque in his native village. The republic pays for people to make pilgrimages to Mecca. The last day of Ramadan - which this year was on Thursday - is a holiday in the state. But Chechnya's separatists, he said, had hijacked Islam to wrest control of the Caucasus from Russia, instilling an insidious version that is not widely accepted among the region's comparatively secular Muslims. Leaders like Basayev, he added, were actively recruiting militants across the region, including in his republic, justifying the compilation of the list of suspects.
The separatists "have not yet broken any Russian laws, so no measures - no force - have been used against them," Batdiyev said. "But we have and are talking to the population and explaining about them, so as to warn any of their possible supporters and to deny them the opportunity to attract more of our young people to their ranks." He added, "We cannot accept and cannot agree with the way these people worship."
In May, security officials raided an apartment here in Cherkessk, killing six people accused of terrorism. Five were local residents. Among the dead were two women, one eight months pregnant, according to Mukhammat Budai, a neighbor of the woman's mother. Batdiyev said the raid disrupted a plan to seize a school, as happened in Beslan, but evidence was never detailed.
A similar case happened in February, in Karachayevsk, the city in the foothills where Golayev lives under scrutiny and suspicion. He adopted Islam after serving in the Soviet Army in the former East Germany. The authorities, he said, feared Islam because they feared the discipline it demands, the defiance it offers in a corrupted society. "Who needs a person who does not drink, who does not smoke, who has freedom?" he said of the official attitude. "If I am lying drunk on the ground, I am easier to control."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/08/2005 00:58 ||
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Role? Islam? IHT is playing classic apologist rag. Islam has no "role" in the civilized world. It is the most obvious relic of barbarism imaginable.
#2
Presuming that America loses the WOT for any reason, and is either subjugated or destroyed under OWG and SWO/CWO, it still comes down as to what form of SOCIALIST TOTALITARIANISM/ABSOLUTISM inherent to America's all-conquering enemies will induce the same to war wid each other for what remains of the world. The Paris Riots should tell the Commies that their Spetzlamist Moslem dupes aren't gonna go to the gulags/death camps that easily.
Other than murdering everyone they don't like and imposing their 7th Century "vision" on everyone they don't kill.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/08/2005 13:56 Comments ||
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Ever since the New York Times bought out the Washington Times' share of the International Herald Tribune a few years ago, it's become nothing more than day old, warmed over, Gray Lady pap.
#7
I hate to say it, but Russia needs to decide what property they can live with and build a fence, and then in one move get ethnic Russians to move into that area, and push Muslims out of that area.
They also need some kind of promotion to have kids for the future of the Motherland.
#1
Yaaasss... the infamous "Skyblogs", hosted freely by the rap radio Skyrock; cultural level about as high as what you would expect if mtv hosted free blogs for its viewers, with the added gangsta twist for quite a few (IIRC there are about 3 millions+ skyblogs).
Rumsfeld: All of us have to be concerned when a country that important, large and wealthy is disconnected from the normal interactions with the rest of the world. They obviously have certain ambitions, powers and military capabilities ...
SPIEGEL: ...and nuclear ambitions...
Rumsfeld: That's apparently what France, Germany, the UK and the International Atomic Energy Agency have concluded. Everyone wants to have the Iranians as part of the world community, but they aren't yet. Therefore there's less predictability and more danger.
SPIEGEL: The US is trying to make the case in the United Nations Security Council.
Rumsfeld: I would not say that. I thought France, Germany and the UK were working on that problem.
SPIEGEL: What kind of sanctions are we talking about?
Rumsfeld: I'm not talking about sanctions. I thought you, and the U.K. and France were.
SPIEGEL: You aren't?
Rumsfeld: I'm not talking about sanctions. You've got the lead. Well, lead! [emphasis added]
SPIEGEL: You mean the Europeans.
Rumsfeld: Sure. My Goodness, Iran is your neighbour. We don't have to do everything! [emphasis added again] That'll scare the Germans worse than demanding that they lead!
SPIEGEL: We are in the middle of regime change in Germany...
Rumsfeld: ... that's hardly the phrase I would have selected.
Ouch! And another "reporter" is smacked in the face by Rummy! :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/08/2005 14:11 ||
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SPIEGEL: We are in the middle of regime change in Germany...
Rumsfeld: ... that's hardly the phrase I would have selected.
Rome, 8 Nov. (AKI) - A three-day visit to Italy by Iraq's president Jalal Talabani has inevitably turned the spotlight on the presence of Italian troops there, particularly after Talabani - in a letter in the daily La Stampa - said their premature withdrawal would be "a catastrophe" for his country. Talabani on Tuesday met prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and foreign minister Gianfranco Fin,i and was slated to meet the leaders of the opposition, separately, later in the day. The Italian media has emphasised how the centre-left opposition's stated stance on withdrawal seems to be undergoing modification.
In another interview, Talabani said that Italians troops had done a good job in Iraq, and were free to leave whenever the country's leaders saw fit. "But deciding suddenly to pull out would only help the terrorists," he told daily La Repubblica. "Such a withdrawal would do nothing for the morale of Iraqis," he added.
Italy did not take part in the US-led invasion of Iraq because of strong anti-war feeling at home, but Berlusconi sent troops after Saddam Hussein was toppled. It recently pulled out 300 of its soldiers, bringing the contingent down to just under 3,000. Italy's opposition - a fragmented coalition embracing moderate centrist as well as left wing forces - is united in wanting a troop withdrawal, but split over how and when.
Last week, the secretary of the biggest opposition party, Left Democrats (DS), Massimo D'Alema, said in a radio interview: "I believe that our troops should come back home before the Italian general elections, because the Iraqi people need a different kind of input, based on solidarity and economic aid for the reconstruction." Others on the far left want that to be earlier still, while the moderates want a pull-out immediately, if they are to win next April's general election.
However, the DS party leader, Piero Fassino, appears to be at the vanguard of a subtle change. Speaking on Monday at a defence seminar, he said: "If we win the elections, we will put forward a calendar for withdrawal which certainly will not happen within 24 hours". Fassino noted that 2006 will be "the year in which the passage of powers to Iraq's authorities will be speeded up. This will allow the planning of the withdrawal of troops to be discussed with the Iraqi authorities and the other countries with a military presence there. This was met with certain grumblings from the centrist Margherita (Daisy) party, whose spokesman said the opposition Union alliance had agreed to a pull-out immediately if they come to power.
However, Romano Prodi, recently endorsed in US-style primaries as the leader of the opposition Union alliance, responded with assurances that there will be no repeat of the abrupt withdrawal of Spanish troops after Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero won elections in March 2004. "I will certainly not make any dramatic moves as Spain did," he said late on Monday. "If we win, we will decide a calendar for the withdrawal," he added.
Another side-effect of the Talabani visit could be some form of agreement between government and the opposition on bringing troops home. "Government and opposition can converge on a plan of phased withdrawal," the defence minister Antonio Martino argued.
Such a bipartisan approach would be outstanding, and some analysts say improbable, given the over-heated political climate in Italy, where the unofficial campaign for next April's polls is already in full swing.
President Talabani's visit coincides with a two-day strike by Italian journalists, limiting coverage of the event.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/08/2005 09:55 ||
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Talabani should go even further, using the argument that "Italians arrived as soldiers, and performed that task nobly and well. We do not wish them to leave, we wish them to stay as our friends, and the vanguard of other Italians who are not soldiers.
That is, proposing very close relations between Iraq and Italy, with Italians visiting Iraq in large numbers, both for trade and for tourism.
This changes the whole situation from one of war, to one of profitable peace, trade and amity. By changing the debate, Talabani could subtly make those who want to withdraw Italian soldiers look like they are made with Iraq, or do not wish to be friends. Like they are calling for the withdrawl of their ambassador or something.
Unrest was witnessed in various cities across Belgium on Monday night as fears grew that 12 nights of successive rioting in France might jump the border. In total, seven cars were torched across Belgium, six in Brussels and one in the Flemish city of Sint-Niklaas. In Brussels South, police were pelted with stones.
A Molotov cocktail was also thrown at the office of extreme right party Flemish Interest on the Canada Square in Brugge at about midnight. No injuries or damage was reported, but three suspects were arrested after a witness noted the number plate of their car, newspaper 'Het Laatste Nieuws' reported on Tuesday. Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
11/08/2005 08:37 ||
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I don't know what's the "normal" belgian situation, from what I understand it is very similar to France (Brussel is a very islamized city, for example, with "Mohamed" being the most common name for newborns), but I read reports of a surge in violent acts, including torched cars, by belgian forum posters already a few days ago.
#3
Well, it certainly doesn't please me, I often buy in the USA using ebay or online shops, and this is putting a cramp on my coming Xmas buys.
Damn, this whole rioting stuff must be a conspiracy, a conspiracy purposefully targeting my interests. Dark forces are at work against me, I can feel it in my bones. Now, if only my ennemies could come out in the open. Did they bug my phone, too?
#7
Damn, this whole rioting stuff must be a conspiracy, a conspiracy purposefully targeting my interests. Dark forces are at work against me, I can feel it in my bones. Now, if only my ennemies could come out in the open. Did they bug my phone, too?
Posted by: anonymous5089 2005-11-08 09:03
Right you are Mous... it's alien plunder. They are oozing out of the Kaaba during the hours of darkness.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway reduced a bet against the US dollar after losing more than $US900 million ($1.23 billion) from foreign currency investments this year.
Mr Buffett, who has said the US trade deficit would weaken the US dollar, cut his foreign-currency forward contracts to $US16.5 billion in September from $US21.5 billion in June, Berkshire said in a statement. The US dollar in July reached a 13-month high against a basket of six major currencies.
"To his credit, he reduced his exposure before the recent run-up of the dollar cost him more," said Tom Russo, a partner at Gardner Russo & Gardner in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
LONDON - From his current vantage point at Oxford University, Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan cautions against putting an Islamic spin to the unrest that has swept Franceâs downtrodden surburbs.
"No, no, certainly not!"
In an interview with AFP, Ramadan said the French authorities will need to embrace a more sophisticated approach if they want to respond effectively to the rioting that has run for a dozen nights straight. âIn all that is happening, there are of course groups who are in it for pure vandalism, for wild violence,â said the scholar, named by Time magazine as one of the leading thinkers of the 21st century but barred from the United States.
âBut the phenomenon doesnât stop there,â he added, citing âobjective eventsâ involving the relationship between those living in the grim suburban housing projects and French society as a whole. âPeople (in the suburbs) have the impression that they count for nothing, that they can be looked down upon and insulted in any way.â
That's true.
He added: âWeâre in the process of losing a footing in the suburbs. Even so-called Muslim associations are more and more disconnected. The fracture is profound... We are seeing an Americanisation in terms of violence.â
No, you're seeing something that is typically European. America didn't invent the ghetto.
âAbove all, one must not Islamisize the question of the suburbs,â Ramadan stressed. âThe question that France must answer is absolutely not a question of religion.â
Thumping a few moose-limbs, however, might calm things down a bit.
Asked where the roots of the malaise lie, Ramadan said the entire political class in France has been âblindâ to what has been happening in the suburbs, with their unemployed youth of Arab and African origin and bleak high-rises. âThereâs an obsession about a religious divide, but no one sees the socio-economic divide in France, with places in the process of becoming ghettos with the suburbs on one side, the better-off areas on the other.â
âThere must be a struggle against this institutionalised racism. There are second-class citizens in France. That is the reality.â
Ramadan, the grandson of Hassan al-Bana, founder of the influentual Muslim Brotherhood movement in the 1920s, said there needs to be a return to order: âViolence is not a solution and sanctions must be taken against gangs.â But he said that security measures can only be part of a broader policy, one that addresses the core of social problems. âWe need a modern-day Jaures,â he said, referring to Jean Jaures, the pioneering French socialist politician at the turn of the 20th century.
âIt was Jaures who said that the religious question must be filed away so that one can focus on the social question. The unity of France is a myth in socio-economic terms, and the question of faith is not the problem.â
But filing away the religious question allowed the French to stuff the Berbers and Arabs into ghettoes without any qualms.
It would also help to keep a lid on âcounterproductiveâ speech, said Ramadan, who recalled Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozyâs description of the rioters as âscumâ. âItâs not by insulting one part of France that you can protect the other.â
Which is why the French are doomed not to fix the problem, since they can't talk about it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Class a horse crap. Religion is part of the picture. Ignoring that is pointless. This fellow isn't worth listening to.
#3
He's right. They shouldn't be second-class citizens in France. They should be second-class (or worse) citizens in ALGERIA!!! Ship these rioting Muzzy bastards back, all of them, and the sooner the better. And send their families with them. When the last mosque in France is dynamited and the rubble cleared away for something useful to be built, France can begin to breath easily again. Not until.
Posted by: mac ||
11/08/2005 6:35 Comments ||
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#5
I am glad they denied him a VISA. Hearing Ramadan potificate this type of hooey 24-7 on CNN and MSMBC would dramatically increase the chances of me shorting out my television by projectile vomitting across the family room. How nightmarish is the idea of a panel including Ramadan, Ward Churchill and Al Sharpton?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/08/2005 8:00 Comments ||
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#6
Actually, SH, it sounds to me like a great target of opportunity for an air strike...
Posted by: mac ||
11/08/2005 8:23 Comments ||
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Oh come on now. The poor upset rioting buggers are trying to integrate in as much as large scale civil strife, riots and strikes are a somewhat common thing for alot of Frenchmen. They are just trying to fit in.
#8
The economic divide might narrow some if the car-torching Muslim youth focused on getting western education and mastering the local language and etiquette. Colin Powell, Condi Rice, and Clarence Thomas didn't get to where they are in life by joining the Black Panthers or the Nation of Islam.
Next year these Muslim youth will be angered that the local shopkeepers have moved away. Cause and effect are not in the basics of Muslim education.
#9
I sincerely hope that in the not too distant future the French teach them something about cause and effect, to wit: cause: rioting; effect, 7.62 bullet to center of mass, followed by 7.62 bullet to head from close range, delivered by French paratrooper. Repeat example as needed.
Posted by: mac ||
11/08/2005 9:31 Comments ||
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named by Time magazine as one of the leading thinkers of the 21st century but barred from the United States.
#12
"We are seeing an Americanisation in terms of violence."
He'd better hope they don't see Frenchification in terms of violence.
Guess this so-called "scholar" doesn't know anything about the French Revolution (or labor unions, for that matter). Violence extraordinaire - and l'guillotine, too. Bet there are more than a few Frenchies around who know how to use both.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/08/2005 14:03 Comments ||
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#13
Unfortunately, he is in many ways correct. The underlying problem in France is it's economic model. A statist socialistic economy cannot produce the jobs necessary to employ its people, regardless of race or religion. Chirac can make all the pleasant noises he wants, but France cannot deliver real jobs.
For Time magazine to name Mr. Ramadan a leading thinker he must also be leftist. He therefore would not bring up this unpleasant economic fact in his analysis.
#14
"We are seeing an Americanisation in terms of violence.â Oh right. Blame America. But what did we expect from a Moslem "scholar?"
DoDo's right--not enough jobs for the Frenchies. No one is allowed to work more than 30 or 35 hours per week according to their laws (think that's right). Anyway, their failing economy can't accomodate a bunch of spoiled brat young men who feel sorry for themselves, even if there were jobs.
All this can be traced to a failure in parenting--especially in connection with the fathers. Same problems exist in black America, with largely the same results, except that our law enforcement is better.
#16
The underlying problem in France is it's economic model.
While that certainly doesn't help the situation I'd argue that the last 14 centuries have shown us that the main underlying problem is Islam's utter inability to peacefully coexist with other cultures.
"Gee, honey! I can't decide! Where should we go on vacation this year? The Caymans? Or Gay Paree?"
"Oh, Bob! The exploding cars are so picturesque in Paris this time of year! Let's go there!"
"I'll pick up an Arabic phrase book!"
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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LOL, Fred! Who cares about the French tourism, lol?
#2
But,Honey the"City of Lights"is so much more romantic now that they sre using the light from burning cars.Don't worry about lung damage from the toxic smoke it will pass when we get back to Los Angles.
#5
Tourism receipts of $37 billion in 2003 are nothing to sneeze at. It is may be France's first or second largest earner of foreign currency. Also interesting is that in 2003 Spain surpassed France as the largest foreign tourism expenditure country in the world.
With its wine industry hitting the skids, France can ill afford to have tourism crash. And it couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of schmucks (A5089 and JFM excepted).
#6
I remember traveling on the TGV on my last trip to Paris, sitting in first class, when an immigrant teen came through the cabin demanding -- asking is simply not the right word -- money. It was stunning to watch as everyone opened their wallets.
Posted by: Curt Simon ||
11/08/2005 9:25 Comments ||
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#7
Paris. Pfaugh.
The Parisians even spit on other Frenchmen. Easily the most obnoxious folks in Europe, and that's no easy trick.
Stay in the south, or go to Italy, or the Spanish Riviera...
#9
The Smithsonian - Air and Space Museum. Ignore the revisionist stuff they might have lying about. This place can keep most historically aware folks occupied at least a week. Awesome place.
#10
I reccomend the San Juan islands and North Cascade National Park.
Posted by: bk ||
11/08/2005 11:22 Comments ||
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#11
Chamonix doesnt get good snow until Spring.
Posted by: bk ||
11/08/2005 11:22 Comments ||
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#12
Ditto Regnad. The only cost at Dulles is for parking, $ 12. The Enola Gay's engines have just undergone a 1000 hour overhaul, and she's got news tires as well! Just an update bit for the Iranicals.
#13
If it's a European vacation you're looking for, try Poland or the Czech Republic.
Or Austria and Hungary.
Switzerland doesn't have a riot problem, either. Of course, every able-bodied Swiss man has a rifle.... :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/08/2005 14:07 Comments ||
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#14
Poland and the Czech Republic (Amadeus was filmed in the Prague city center). The Hungarians have the odd idea that they can charge Paris prices for things... or at least they used to. Austria is lovely, although their German was impossible for me to understand in the villages, and it is only 50 km from Vienna to the Czech border towns.
#15
There's also a shuttle bus from the Mall to the Air & Space Annex at Dulles, Regnad and Besoeker. Frankly, I think the SR-71 Blackbird is more impressive than the Enola Gay.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
11/08/2005 21:34 Comments ||
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BEARDED Muslim activists have been wading into the night-time mayhem of the housing estates, megaphone in hand, and addressing the rioters âin the name of Allahâ. Far from inciting the violence, they have been urging the rioting teenagers to stop destroying property and go home. For the Government, the Muslim mediators have been playing a useful role calming youngsters from the mainly Arab estates who respect their authority far more than that of the police and local officials.
However, the Muslim mentors, who style themselves âbig brothersâ, are also causing unease in France because they symbolise what many see as a root of the unrest: the isolation of the ethnic Arab and black minorities into ghettos where Muslim law and outlook prevails. There is also a widespread belief â denied by the authorities â that the unrest is being fostered by the Islamists. The mediators were bolstered yesterday by a fatwa issued by one of the main Muslim organisations, the Union of Islamic Organisations of France, quoting the Koran as saying that âGod abhors destruction and disorder and rejects those who inflict itâ. The fatwa sparked a dispute with the mainstream Muslim Council, which said that the edict equated Islam with the current vandalism.
Some on Left and Right were angered when police withdrew one evening last week from Clichy-sous-Bois, where the rioting started, in order to let Muslims keep the peace. âThe supposed mediation of big brothers crying out Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest) is one sign among many of the capitulation of the legitimate authorities,â said Bruno Gollnisch, a senior figure in Jean-Marie Le Penâs National Front party.
A street version of radical Islam permeates the youth culture of the estates, where Osama bin Laden is a hero, George Bush and Israel are evil and President Chiracâs State wants to stifle their religion and identity by banning Muslim headscarves in schools. The young wreckers refer to one another as brothers and they cite the âdisrespectâ of the State for their religion as part of the origin of their revolt.
The Muslim mediators are exploiting the unrest to enhance their authority among the alienated youths who go out to smash at night, say the police. âThey are playing a clever game,â one police officer said. âThey are preaching peace but profiting out of the mess to promote their ideology.â
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Go home in the name of Allah, order imams with megaphones
SandLand?
Posted by: Red Dog ||
11/08/2005 0:20 Comments ||
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#2
The Muslim mediators are exploiting the unrest to enhance their authority among the alienated youths who go out to smash at night, say the police. âThey are playing a clever game,â one police officer said. âThey are preaching peace but profiting out of the mess to promote their ideology.â
Once more, the police on the ground, unblinded by the demands of a scholarly theory, see the issue most clearly.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
11/08/2005 7:51 Comments ||
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#3
I don't have a handle on whether the destruction has been uniform or mostly confined to non moslem property.
Are cars with arabic bumper stickers getting torched? Are hallal shops getting windows broken and meat stolen?
I suspect the Imans are ticked because they get a cut of various businesses in the moslem districts and the riot is bad for business. Otherwise they'd be encouraging the riot.
#4
I suspect the Imams figure they have gotten all the benefit they will out of Car-B-Q and are ready to switch tactics to playing the victim card and gaining political power; mohammedan Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons. Sort of turns the stomach. Makes you wish when they said "Go home" they meant al-Geria instead of Paris.
#5
Articles are saying muslim owned businesses are being bypassed. In addition to French business and government facilities being torched, several churches and synagogues have been attacked.
Posted by: ed ||
11/08/2005 9:09 Comments ||
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#7
Two totally different cultures cannot coexist in the same location,it's not possible.
They are fine coexisting as long as they are in seperate locations, thats what one of the defining characteristics of "culture" is.
Posted by: bk ||
11/08/2005 10:56 Comments ||
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#8
And the dominant and defining culture in Europe is Christianity, period, end of story... with a little Jewish thrown in. They handle the money.
Posted by: bk ||
11/08/2005 10:58 Comments ||
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#9
what many see as a root of the unrest: the isolation of the ethnic Arab and black minorities into ghettos where Muslim law and outlook prevails
There's your problem right there. Phrance should have seen to it that Phrench law prevailed everywhere in Phrance from the beginning.
But, bigots that they are, they didn't think their dark-skinned former colonists could live under the same laws as white Westerners. Not up to Western standards and all that, doncha know.
Pfui.
As ye sow, so shall ye reap. Looks like the Phrogs are getting reaped, but good.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/08/2005 12:43 Comments ||
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#10
Two totally different cultures cannot coexist in the same location,it's not possible. They are fine coexisting as long as they are in seperate locations, thats what one of the defining characteristics of "culture" is.
Posted by: bk 2005-11-08 10:56
Bk: Does this explain the Dutch farmer migration from Zim? Or apartheid, or neither?
#12
The point is, the values and morals of the foundations of these two groups are diametrically opposed. Guess that kind of accounts for all the trouble, huh?
" . . . what many see as a root of the unrest: . . . the ghettos where Muslim law and outlook prevails " Whoa. You mean that has something the do with it?
#13
#11 "And the dominant and defining culture in Europe is Christianity, period, end of story... with a little Jewish thrown in. They handle the money." ROFL! bk ... thanks. You made my day with that one! Posted by: ex-lib 2005-11-08 16:52
But of course Christians, somebody has to pay retail!
TORONTO (CP) - The mother of a Canadian teenager charged with murder and held at Guantanamo Bay accused Americans of acting like gods Tuesday and slammed Ottawa for doing nothing to help her son. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Maha Elsamnah lashed out at both Washington and Canada's federal government over the detention and treatment of her Toronto-born son, Omar Khadr, 19, who faces the death penalty if convicted by a special U.S. military tribunal.
"The Americans are gods now," Elsamnah said from her east-end Toronto home. "The Americans can do anything. They make the law. Nobody can tell them anything. Nobody can disagree with them."
Funny, I thought pretty much everyone was disagreeing with us
Khadr was just 15 when he allegedly threw a hand grenade that killed an American soldier and wounded another during a firefight with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan in July 2002. He arrived in Guantanamo Bay as a 16-year-old, the youngest enemy combatant detained there, and has been held at the base on Cuba amid accusations from supporters that he has been tortured.
"The Canadians have not been trying anything," said Elsamnah. "Ottawa is allied to the Americans, so what do you expect?"
One of Khadr's Canadian lawyers, Dennis Edney, accused the federal government of abandoning the teenager and hiding behind a veil of "silent diplomacy." That sends a loud message to the Americans that Ottawa won't stand up for Canadian citizens, Edney said Tuesday from Edmonton. Canadian consular officials have never been allowed to visit the teen. The Americans have refused to rule out the death penalty if Khadr is convicted as they have done for British and Australian suspects.
"The Canadian government has not been able to extract the most meagre concessions regarding this Canadian youth - there's not one single thing," said Edney, who's never been able to visit his client. "When they stand up and say, 'We're making our representations,' it gets to a point with your so-called silent diplomacy that it can be construed as being complicit." The lawyer said the federal government has to make clear whether it believes the military tribunal is legal under international law and complies with human-rights standards.
The only Canadian contact Khadr has had so far has been with intelligence officials, who shared the information they gleaned in interrogating the teen with his American captors, the lawyer added.
"Canada has done nothing for Mr. Khadr."
On Monday, Canadian government officials, who have frequently been at odds with the Khadr family, said they will take unspecified legal steps to make sure the teenager's rights are upheld. "Foreign Affairs Canada is aware of the charges laid against Khadr and we'll be closely examining this new development," said Dan McTeague, parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs. Given that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a constitutional challenge to the military councils, it's unlikely Khadr will stand trial anytime soon.
Elsamnah said she receives fairly regular letters from her son, the last about two weeks ago. "He's fine," she said. "(But) I can't be of any help. Believe me, if I could, I would help my son."
The Khadrs, all of whom are Canadian citizens, have had an uneasy relationship with Canada since it emerged that the family patriarch, Ahmed Said, was a close associate of Osama bin Laden.
That does tend to lower their credibility rating
He was killed in a gun battle with U.S.-led coalition forces in Pakistan in October 2003.
One son, Abdurahman, was previously detained on Guantanamo as an American agent but later returned to Canada. "He's a lost person," said Elsamnah, who has previously expressed sympathy for al-Qaida. "He's a production of the CIA, what do you expect?"
Another brother, Karim, was paralyzed during the incident in which his father was killed, and returned to Canada after a high profile campaign by his family in April 2004. "He's OK, he's picking up. He's in school," his mother said, adding he spends more time playing computer games than anything else.
Fond of "Flight Simulator", is he?
The family's oldest brother, Abdullah, is believed to have been detained in Pakistan more than a year ago.
Nice to know the whole family is accounted for.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/08/2005 14:02 ||
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He arrived in Guantanamo Bay as a 16-year-old, the youngest enemy combatant detained there, and has been held at the base on Cuba amid accusations from supporters that he has been tortured.
KEY WORDS: ENEMY COMBATANT
#3
Khadr was just 15 when he allegedly threw a hand grenade that killed an American soldier and wounded another during a firefight with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan in July 2002.
Too bad you didn't actually get to meet GOD over that act of friendliness you piece of Kanadian kak!
#6
Speaking as an American, someday I hope to be promoted to "god of non-dairy whipped topping". But there are thousands of more qualified American candidates ahead of me, so for the time being I guess that being the god of page 27 of the Readers' Digest, August 1987 issue will have to do.
#11
Come to think of it, I distinctly recall that the wife of the KIA soldier and one other soldier, possibly the WIA, successfully won a lawsuit against the family. :D
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
11/08/2005 18:03 Comments ||
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Ex-president Bill Clinton is arguing that tighter immigration laws are hurting America, saying the new restrictions aren't worth it even if they stop the "one out of a zillion [foreigners] who might have a bomb."
Attaboy, Bill. Keep talking.
"I'm very worried that one of the consequences of our tightness on immigration and visas as a result of 9/11 and terror, has led to a drop in many places of the number of foreign students coming to the United States to study and be graduate students," Clinton told an audience at the University of Minnesota on Saturday. He said the U.S. needed foreign students because "we are nowhere near graduating enough scientists and engineers to maintain, given the size of our economy, a leadership role in the global economy."
Clinton said the terror trade-off wasn't worth it. "When we got real tough on visas - because one out of a zillion of them might have a bomb - we lost a lot of brains. We might have dodged a bomb but we lost a lot of brains."
showing again his lack of a brain
On another subject, the former president also praised actress Geena Davis, star of the new ABC Show "Hillary 2008" "Commander in Chief." "I did see one episode of 'Commander in Chief'," Clinton told the crowd. "Geena Davis is good for two reasons. She looked tough but not macho. She didn't look lion-tough. And she spoke Spanish. So I thought those two things were good."
Posted by: Steve ||
11/08/2005 09:44 ||
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"I did see one episode of 'Commander in Chief'," Clinton told the crowd. "Geena Davis is good for.....
Go ahead Slick, tell us what you're really thinking.
#2
"When we got real tough on visas - because one out of a zillion of them might have a bomb - we lost a lot of brains. We might have dodged a bomb but we lost a lot of brains."
Just want to get this straight, a couple smart foreigners are better then a undetermined number of dead Americans. Did I miss anything?
#3
sounds like you got to the meat of the argument, BrerRabbit.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/08/2005 10:18 Comments ||
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#4
More on the University of MN speach.
MINNEAPOLIS Former President Bill Clinton says America's future safety and security hinges on its current behavior as the only global superpower. Clinton told an audience at the University of Minnesota Saturday night that it's time to build the kind of world we want when, in his words, "we're not the only big dog on the block." He says recent actions by the United States have undermined that goal. He cites a unilateral foreign policy that alienates allies and large tax cuts that create an economic mess.
The former president believes it was a mistake by the Bush administration to withdraw from numerous global treaties and pursue unilateral military action around the world. In Clinton's view, that fosters resentment in countries that threaten to be future breeding grounds for terrorism.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Tell me again what the Slickter knows about "behavior, alination, resentment, and undermining US goals?" Absolutely unbelievable.
#5
We aren't the only big dog anymore because of America's past actions. Right, that homo sold rocketry secrets to the Chicoms for lunch money.
Now, those arrogant twits are selling lots on the moon. Pie in the sky comes to mind.
They need to test run the new MRI lie detector on him.
Bill, is there anything you would die for ?
(needle at zero)
"Sure,
(needle in red total lie zone)
my family,
(needle pegged)
my God,
(needle bending)
and my country."
(gauge explodes)
#6
He said the U.S. needed foreign students because "we are nowhere near graduating enough scientists and engineers to maintain, given the size of our economy, a leadership role in the global economy."
Maybe if careers in science and engineering were valued in this country instead of being a lawyer we might not need to bring in foreign grad students.
#7
Bill, you are a fucking idiot. Go back to fondeling interns. We get a whole bunch of brains fleeing the EU and other parts of the world on a daily basis. So much so, the EU is starting to pass laws to keep their brains from running away.
Sit down and STFU, you are an stain on the dress of our country.
#8
How many of those foreign students stay in the US and how many return to their nation of origin to compete against the USA?
Seems to me the Saudi's have proved the old they'll get to know and love America if the come here as students meme, so there is no other rational for the student visas beyond (a) helping the US to compete (b) enriching universities with high tuition at the expense of US safety.
#9
But Cheaderhead....careers in science and engineering careers are valued in this country.
The Immigration and Naturalization service (INS) and our very own accedamia have partnered to permit tens of thousands of eager Chinese students to come to the US each year to train, and prepare themselves to ACCEPT those careers!
#10
Blah, blah. Dems are really out of touch and getting more so by the day. You had a good run for the times, Bill. Now your're just a fossil, trying to get new converts to attend your traveling circus show where you make your money by selling them Mr. Peabody's Weight Loss and Baldness Cure - which, by the way also cures gout, heartburn, impotence and makes women's breasts larger.
What he really means is: "Immigration Crackdown Hurting Dems' Chances for More Illegal Voters"
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/08/2005 12:34 Comments ||
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#12
Besoeker ,
Science and engineering careers are not as valued as you think. There arent many incentives to go into a career as an engineer, the horrible cost of schooling, then you get to make less money than the pipefitters on the job (know this from experience, not just talking shit). Science careers are even worse, you end up in a ratty lab testing leach water samples from the local landfill, or of course teaching science and making even less. Appealing isn't it. Guess you should go into IT or some other bullshit trendy career if you want to make a buck.
Posted by: BA ||
11/08/2005 13:21 Comments ||
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#15
Well "BJ" Clinton, you are an idiot. You were getting a blowjob in the whitehouse when some crisis in the world was going on--which one was it you smuck?
I saw a movie with Commander-in-cheat Geena Davis one time--maybe it was Thelma and Louise. Seems like she said "Well suck my dick." Definite case of penis envy. Hollywood--land of make believe. Wish it so and it becomes true. None of these folks are connected to reality.
#16
Hupavirt Wholunter8378 is correct. Americans study the hard sciences and engineering because of internal need, not to make lots of money. If you want to earn the big bucks here, get a degree in Finance, or an MBA. Fortunately, there are enough Americans who do have that internal drive, and who trust that they can earn enough to live a comfortable life, that the creativity of this country is still unsurpassed, even before taking in all those ambitious foreigners.
#17
Er.... we have a few engineers on the site. None got in for the money (although it's not bad). I think you're wired differently to be an engineer... (and you probably rewired it yourself at one time or another). Too many schools sell the Sci and Eng spots to foreigners for the coin (out of country/out-of-state/live on campus) and turn down equally qualified citizens
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/08/2005 18:15 Comments ||
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#18
I am so sick of this dope-smoking, philandering, draft-dodging coward. I keep hoping that I'll wake up some morning to read that he and that dyke bitch of a wife he's got have either cancer or fast-acting AIDS. We haven't had such an embarrassment in the White House since Harding. Clinton and wife deserve a painful, humiliating and protracted death.
Posted by: mac ||
11/08/2005 18:52 Comments ||
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#19
Ditto MAC. Thank GOD there are presidential term limits, he'd still be in the Whitehouse. Eight yeas of Slick, seemed like an eternity. HIV is not out of the question by the way, he's looking rather frail of late.
Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee want the right to interview top policymakers or speechwriters as part of the inquiry into whether the Bush administration exaggerated or misused intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), the panel's vice chairman, said yesterday.
Rockefeller raised the possibility of issuing subpoenas, and outlined a more wide-ranging approach than the one described by Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who said the work would center on comparing public statements by administration officials to intelligence reports circulating at the time. Rockefeller, Roberts and four other senators are to meet today to work out a schedule and process for the committee's review.
"Comparing public statements with what the intelligence community published does not alone tell the story," Rockefeller said in a statement yesterday. "If necessary, we may need to conduct interviews and request supporting documents." Rockefeller warned that "if the committee is denied testimony or documentation, we must be prepared to issue subpoenas."
Rockefeller's recommended approach also appears tougher than the one reflected in an agreement he and Roberts reached last year. At that time, they agreed to schedule the "Phase Two" of their inquiry into prewar intelligence, which would include some of the most sensitive issues, including whether the administration mischaracterized intelligence in public. That inquiry would review public statements, reports and testimony by U.S. government officials and determine whether they "were substantiated by intelligence information," according to a committee statement in February 2004.
It was to be a relatively simple process, as Roberts described it Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." "You have the statements over here," he said. "Then you have the intelligence over here. And I want members to roll up their sleeves . . . and say, 'Okay, here's the statement, here's the intelligence. Is it credible?' "
Under last year's agreement, it was unclear whether the committee would consider whether there were contradictory or competing intelligence reports circulating at the time public statements were made that could call them into question, or whether the panel would simply check to see whether each statement could be backed up by at least one piece of intelligence.
For example, in a Sept. 8, 2002, appearance on CNN, Condoleezza Rice said Iraq was receiving "high-quality aluminum tubes that are only really suited for nuclear weapons programs, centrifuge programs." At the time, there were serious disagreements within the intelligence community over whether those tubes were meant for centrifuges -- which can be used to extract weapons-grade uranium -- or whether they were meant for anti-aircraft rockets, which proved to be the case. If it could be shown that there was at least one intelligence report that substantiated Rice's statement, that might be enough to justify her statement under terms of the panel's earlier agreement.
As one senior committee staff member put it, "This study will not punish 'cherry-picking' intelligence, whether by the administration or by Democrats."
Under Rockefeller's desired approach, Rice could be interviewed to ask her what intelligence she based her statements on, and whether she was aware of the contrary views.
Yesterday, a Senate staff member familiar with Roberts's views said he thinks it may not be necessary to interview anyone. "But if the committee members decide they need to speak to those involved, they can agree to do that," he added.
Rockefeller said that several new intelligence items need to be included in the Phase Two review that were not known when the committee released the first phase of its review more than a year ago. That phase centered on the quality of prewar intelligence, not on how the administration presented it publicly.
Rockefeller cited the Defense Intelligence Agency's report in 2002 that questioned the reliability of an al Qaeda captive whose information later became the foundation for allegations that Iraq was training Osama bin Laden operatives. Although the analysis of how the administration used intelligence has gotten the most publicity, it is only part of the committee's Phase Two study. Among other things, the panel also will compare prewar assessments on what would happen in postwar Iraq with what has occurred there, and it will examine how information provided by Iraqi defectors and exiles, including Ahmed Chalabi, were incorporated into intelligence analyses.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/08/2005 00:47 ||
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There is nothing constructive or positive in the Dhimmidonk agenda - the so-called "phase two". It's merely game-time, again.
The gutless turds want to disavow everything they said and did and cover their asses from the shitstorm they're trying to invent creating this witch hunt. The irony is that they were absolutely right to support Afghanistan and Iraq - and dead wrong now. Political advantage is their goal and the bodies of dead Americans who've sacrificed for honorable reasons are dishonored by these cowards using them for a platform for their partisan demagoguery.
These cretins are lower than snakes. And they come out after every war. They deserve no quarter.
#2
This bullshit game needs to end. Almost every last one of these bastards was behind this going in, they knew the facts, now they seem to have unlearned them. Their smelly fat bastard faces need to be rubbing in the facts they were spouting going in with no let up.
The Dhimmicraps are so eaten up with BDS that are heading off a cliff. We need to get behind them and push. They are on their last legs as a nationl party.
#3
I actually think this is the right method to flesh things out. If Bush or his cabinet misrepresented let it be known. If their claims were supported by intelligence reports (which I strongly suspect) it should put this BS to bed for once and for all. But the Republicans have to be on top of and in front of the story. They need to be seen more and be heard more because Reid and Co. are sucking up a lot of publicity by attacking the administration. They should call him out on it and make him provide proof, when he canât then maybe he will shut up.
#5
Yeah, I'm guessing that whole "workers of the world unite" message ain't working. Add to that the collectivism BS they're pushing ain't so successful, I guess this is all they've got.
#6
The Dhimis are counting on the âHe Liedâ campaign to somehow propel one of them into the White House and maybe grab a few congressional seats. If Bush gets out in front of this and connects the dots (Democrats and Republican) then their argument will fall apart. He needs to be on offense and not defense. Defense makes you look guilty and I know that isnât the case.
#9
What's weird, I think, was that Schumer had a chance to tow that Bush Lied line, yet he went the other way, stating that Bush believed the intel.
I'm sure he did. But "Bush acted in good faith on the best information available [especially in an atmosphere where the NYPost had printed a headline stating Bush Knew]" isn't nearly as pithy as "Bush Lied". Hard to fit on a bumper sticker, too, let alone rhyme.
#10
Phase Two study. Among other things, the panel also will compare prewar assessments on what would happen in postwar Iraq with what has occurred there, and it will examine how information provided by Iraqi defectors and exiles, including Ahmed Chalabi, were incorporated into intelligence analyses.
Oh thats rich, the Dems are going to conduct a post-event intelligence fusion analysis. That should keep them occupied for at least 2-3 years.
The Defense Department has a new policy in regard to detainee interrogations. DoD Directive 3115.09, "DoD Intelligence Interrogations, Detainee Debriefings, and Tactical Questioning," takes the lessons learned in the global war on terrorism and consolidates them into one overarching document, officials said. The bottom line, according to the document, is that "all intelligence interrogations, debriefings, or tactical questioning to gain intelligence from captured or detained personnel shall be conducted humanely."
"Acts of physical or mental torture are prohibited," the directive states. The directive lays out a number of specifics learned through experience. DoD personnel responsible for detainee operations -- military police and their counterparts - are responsible for the health and safety of those they guard. "They shall not directly participate in the conduct of interrogations," the directive states. The directive also forbids the use of dogs in any interrogation.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 13:25 ||
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This is BULLSH*T!!! Waddaya wanna do give a FREAKIN' LOLLIPOP when they arrive?????
Keep the FREAKIN' WaPo out of are business and we'll get shit done!!!!!
The Indian government stripped its foreign minister of his responsibilities Monday over accusations he profited from corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq, making him the first political casualty of a report accusing thousands of colluding with Saddam Hussein's regime to bilk the humanitarian effort. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday summoned Natwar Singh for an hourlong meeting at his residence and demoted him to minister without portfolio, the government said in a statement.
The accusation that the ousted foreign minister was among more than 2,200 prominent companies and politicians worldwide to illegally benefit from the program has roiled India for days and led to widespread calls that he step down. The independent inquiry, headed by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, named Natwar Singh and the ruling Congress party as a "non-contractual beneficiary" of the $64 billion oil-for-food program in a report released two weeks ago.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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It took a whole hour, and he was only demoted? Where's Donald Trump when you need him...
A series of online statements posted by the mujahideen increasingly downplay the issue of foreign invasion as a factor in the rise of jihad. One of the more recent of these was a posting on October 18 by the Organization of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Referring to the upcoming visit by Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, who was heading a delegation aimed at convincing the Sunnis to engage with the political process, the statement dismissed the link between political rights for the Sunnis in Iraq and jihad. âWe are not fighting to chase the occupier out or preserve national unity or keep borders delineated by the infidel intact. We are fighting,â it explained, âbecause it is a religious duty, just as it is a duty to take Shariâah law to the government and create an Islamic stateâ (al-bawaba.com).
The posting is the second conspicuous statement defining the aims of al-Zarqawiâs group and reprises an earlier, detailed presentation of the stages, policy and purpose of the jihadi campaign in Iraq under al-Zarqawiâs direction. This statement, authored by Abu Abd Allah Ahmad al-Umran âfrom the Land of Najdâ (the area of central Saudi Arabia) and posted by the official mouthpiece for al-Qaeda, was issued through the Global Islamist Media Front, posted on the al-Farouq Islamist forum on October 9 (www.al-farouq.com). The al-Umran statement is a descriptive paean to the achievements of al-Zarqawi, and appears intended to counter mounting flak at his policies in Iraq, coming three days after the controversial intercepted letter from al-Zawahiri addressed to al-Zarqawi.
At the beginning of the three-page analysis, entitled âThe Fighting Policy for Qaedat al-Jihad in the Land of the Two Rivers,â al-Umran details how al-Zarqawi and the mujahideen made preparations for fighting the Americans in Iraq more than a year before the invasion of the country. Al-Zarqawi âwith his penetrating insightâ had planned the systematic transferal to Kurdistan, to âprepare for the fight through establishing training camps and weapons depots all over Iraq.â Attracted to al-Zarqawi, who was known [from his time] in Afghanistan, were âmany brothers from the Land of the Two Shrines [Saudi Arabia].â The author takes care to counter doubts on al-Zarqawiâs activity by carefully stressing that the continuous acceleration of operations is on âlegitimate targets selected with care, against specific categories [of target].â
Each category of targeting, or âpolitical axis,â forms part of a coherent whole. Al-Umran enumerates three of them, and details them as follows:
The first axisâto âisolate the American armyâ
This goal is made up of two clear elements. The first is to target the Arab translators cooperating with the military, since these are viewed as the link between the U.S. army and the Iraqi people. By targeting these, the army becomes isolated and any burgeoning understanding between the military and the Iraqis is cut. By rendering the army âdeaf,â they are denied up-to-date information from the field. The second element is to target the police and the National Guard, as they play the role of shields to the U.S. military. This element, al-Umran states, is the most conspicuous at the present time, and is now âreaching the stage of targeting the military bases. The shield, the author states, is falling away âand the Americans have no alternative but to withdraw, given the number of casualties, notwithstanding the falsifications of the U.S. media.â
The second axisâthe targeting of Arab and foreign ambassadors.
âAn indication,â al-Umran asserts, âof the long-term political vision the Organization [of al-Qaeda] maintains.â The aim here is to âisolate the Iraqi government from the international community, and from neighboring countries,â so that the government becomes nothing but a âmediaâ government, reduced to the Green Zone and eventually disappearing altogether. âIllustrations of this axis,â he explains, âare the killing of the Egyptian and Algerian ambassadors and the targeting of those from Pakistan, Bahrain and others.â The author takes issue with objections made on the propriety of killing messengers, arguing that âthe prohibition is incumbent only on those who receive the envoys. Since the envoy was not sent to al-Qaeda but to the apostate Iraqi state, they have no immunity.â In addition, the author states, the mujahideen made repeated warnings against the dispatching of envoys, âso there can be no blame on the mujahideen who are fighting a holy war against the Crusader alliance.â
The third axisâthe targeting of infidel militias, and the symbols of Unbelief and atheism the Shiâites.
Al-Umran does not wish to understate the danger posed by the al-Badr Brigades, âwho are supported in the first place by Iran, the filthy Shiâite state and in the second place by Syria.â Underestimating this danger, the author continues âand if no efforts are made to put an end to this organization and liquidate its leadership, operatives and their religious figures, the Mullas and âAyatolkufrsâ such as al-Hakim and al-Sistani, will have evil consequences for the Sunnis and for Islam.â Al-Umran enumerates their crimes: targeting Sunni religious scholars, appropriating Sunni mosques, forming the large part of the National Guard and the Iraqi Army. âThe arena must be cleared, now, of any rival,â the author insists, âbefore the American army withdraws from Iraq, so that the long war can begin against this Shiâa Ghadr (âTreacheryâ) Brigade [substituting the word âTreacheryâ for âBadrâ].â Once this is achieved, and Sunnis take their revenge on the Shiâa, âthe Mujahideen will gain mastery over Iraq, set up Shariâa courts, suppress heresy and the things that are repudiated [by Islam].â
This, al-Umran explains, is the policy of Qaedat al-Jihad in the Land of the Two Rivers, for which he claims a resounding success. âAll the Arab and Western powers,â he asserts, âare gambling on the Iraqi war, wishing to destroy the mujahideen there, since they know that victory for the mujahideen means that jihadi operations will spill over the Sykes Picot borders [the 1916 redrawing of the Middle East map by France and Great Britain] to reach the Arab states bordering Iraq, then the nearest enemies, and thence onto the other western states in a worldwide jihadist movement.â
Throughout the analysis, which carries the tone of a public relations presentation (âThis, Gentlemen, is the great Organization of Qaedat al-Jihad!â), al-Umran is at pains to establish the idea of an ordered, well thought-out plan behind the actions of al-Zarqawi, who âpossesses unimaginable capabilities.â It appears to be a bid to magnify al-Zarqawiâs individual prestige and genius as a strategist independent of bin Laden and al-Zawahiriâand one worthy of a world leader of jihadâone who âhas become the leader of the Organization of al-Qaeda in the Land of the Two Rivers, indeed perhaps of the Organization in the Middle East and North Africa!â Al-Umran supports this claim by building up the historical pedigree, and extending the origins of his fully-formed project back to Afghanistan. The author carefully lays stress on the long preparation for the conflict with the United States. The message of a âglobalâ organization, and not one that represents a minor regional formation, is reinforced by the emphasis on al-Zarqawi, at the earliest stage, having ârecruited followers, in particular from the [Saudi] lands of Najd and Hijaz and from Yemenâ and from the presence of recruiting agents âin every country in these regions.â Any perception that al-Zarqawi is late on the scene is also countered by the interpretation of his delayed appearance in Iraq as a deliberate policy to wait for the fall of the Baâathist regime, âso that al-Zarqawi could make a clean start far from any charge that he was supporting or aiding the Baâathist party personified by Saddam.â
The final paragraph carries the crux of the statement: âal-Qaeda in Iraq is re-establishing other al-Qaedas spreading the jihad in all parts of the globe just as the mother al-Qaeda organization did from Afghanistan.â That is, that al-Zarqawi is now the true heir to the mother of modern jihad.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/08/2005 10:55 ||
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#1
Zark's reinvention as master strategist of global jihad
I would have used the word reincarnation, myself. But I suppose reinvention works too.
Don't hear much from the Sparky Zarky anymore. Here we have a letter from al-Zawahiri addressed to al-Zarqawi. but alas, Zarqawi is late on the scene is also countered by the interpretation of his delayed appearance in Iraq as a deliberate policy to wait for the fall of the Baâathist regime, âso that al-Zarqawi could make a clean start far from any charge that he was supporting or aiding the Baâathist party personified by Saddam.â
What comes through on this article is that it appears that AQ is filing for divorce from the Ba'athist Sunnis. Apparently they were just in it together for the gun sex.
The latest offensive against terrorist bases along the Syrian border has gotten results. After four days of operations, 3,500 American and Iraqi troops have killed at least 36 terrorists and arrested 200 suspects. So far, one American marine was killed, and several U.S. and Iraqi troops have been wounded. The raids were based on intelligence information (informers and electronic eavesdropping.) Much of the action currently revolves around the border town of Husaybah, where al Qaeda has been quite active. The town was surrounded pretty effectively, forcing the terrorists to fight. The battle has been street to street, with the poorly trained enemy gunmen being taken down one by one. Many of the 30,000 civilians in the town have fled, with some terrorists getting caught as they tried to pass as civilians. The terrorists were easy to identify, at least for Iraqi soldiers doing the screening, because most of the al Qaeda fighters are foreigners. The different dialects of Arabic are quite distinctive.
Husaybah has long been a major transit point for terrorists coming in from Syria. For the last month, American smart bombs have acted on intelligence information to destroy safe houses and bomb workshops. The current offensive is to clean out the remaining terrorists, and turn the town over to the Iraqi police and civil authorities. Previously, there had been enough al Qaeda terrorists in the town to dominate the local government. The Sunni Arab population has been, over the last year, moving from pro-terrorist to pro-government. The foreign terrorists were cruel and arbitrary, insisting that civilians adhere to a strict version of Islam. The terrorists also became increasingly paranoid as they became aware of growing pro-government attitudes. This led to some violence against some local civilians. All this was a replay of the rise and fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan. There, the al Qaeda arrogance, and cruelty towards who were not Islamic enough, made the terrorists unpopular with civilians, and contributed to the rapid collapse of the Taliban government in October, 2001.
Al Qaeda has responded by issuing a vague threat of more terror attacks if the offensive in Husaybah was not halted. Some Sunni Arab leaders have asked that the military operations stop, and negotiations be used as well. These demands are mainly to keep the terrorists happy, and less inclined to assassinate the Sunni Arab politicians involved. Everyone knows that the negotiation tactic is a loser. If a Sunni Arab tribe wants to avoid a war in their backyard, they have to gather their own militiamen together and toss the local terrorists out. American and Iraqi troops can be made available to assist in these operations, and often do. But if the terrorists dominate a town or neighborhood, and the locals will not, or cannot, deal with the situation, then the troops come in. The al Qaeda groups have not got many places left to run, at least in Iraq. What makes the Syrians nervous is the possibility that al Qaeda will be driven out of Iraq, and will then try to operate from Syria. This could lead to American and Iraqi raids against these bases.
Posted by: ed ||
11/08/2005 06:54 ||
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#1
Aren't they more worried about the Al-Qaeda fighters settling in Syria?
Posted by: Curt Simon ||
11/08/2005 9:22 Comments ||
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(Clarifying comment to the comment) The Syrians, that is.
Posted by: Curt Simon ||
11/08/2005 9:23 Comments ||
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#3
"The current offensive is to clean out the remaining terrorists, and turn the town over to the Iraqi police and civil authorities."
See Britain in Malaysia 46-60. This strategy works, but it takes a while to accomplish it.
Cordon, Clear, Control, Change = How To Conduct Counterinsurgency the right way.
JERUSALEM â The Palestinian cleric from one of the most popular mosques in the Gaza Strip this weekend asked his congregation to pray for al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and his deputy Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, explaining the global terror leaders share the Palestinian goals of destroying Israel and ending "American world domination," WND has learned.
The reports are the latest evidence of ideological links between Palestinian groups and al-Qaida, with Israeli security officials saying bin Laden's network infiltrated Gaza last month and is currently operating from the territory.
"May Allah guard and bless Sheikh Osama bin Laden and Sheikh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who are both leading the jihad against the Zionist entity and against American domination of the world. Pray for Sheikh bin Laden and Sheikh Zarqawi," said Dr. Jamil Mutaweh, a leader of the large Abu Dur Mosque in Khan Yunis, Palestinian sources in Gaza told WND.
Khan Yunis, a southern Gaza city, is one of the most populated Palestinian towns.
Mutaweh made the comments during his Friday sermon at the mosque, which was particularly crowded this past Friday, Palestinian sources say, because it was the second day of Eid al-Fitr, a three day Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
Sources close to the Palestinian Authority told WND the PA has been made aware of Mutaweh's comments and is deciding whether to investigate.
Mutaweh's sermon seems to stress an ideological link between al-Qaida and Palestinian groups.
Reuven Erlich, director of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at Israel's Center for Special Studies, previously told WND the link can be emphasized through Palestinian cleric Dr. Abdullah Azzam, who was al-Qaida's ideologue and, until Azzam's death, Osama bin Laden's spiritual mentor.
"We found Azzam's picture on Hamas posters from Gaza and a lot of Hamas' material," said Erlich. "Azzam's portrait in materials reveal that he is perceived by Hamas as one of the four 'outstanding figures' of the Islamic 'struggle' in Palestine and around the world."
Mutaweh's speech also comes as Israeli security officials tell WND al-Qaida is present in the Gaza Strip and is seeking to attack the Jewish state.
"Al-Qaida operatives took advantage of the opened Rafah border [with Egypt immediately following Israel's withdrawal from the area last month] and entered Gaza," said Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi Farkash, chief of intelligence for the Israeli Defense Forces.
Following Israel's troop withdrawal Sept. 12, Gaza's border with Egypt was wide open, with thousands of Palestinians â including known terrorissts â passing freely from one side to the other for a period of at least six days.
Egyptian officials attempted to close the border several times, but Hamas and other terror groups managed to reopen the crossing, once using a controlled explosion along the border fence and another time ramming a dump truck through the border wall.
Palestinian officials admitted to reporters terror groups were able to smuggle tons of weapons into Gaza, including explosives, ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades that had long been stockpiled in Sinai, but denied al-Qaida was present.
"These reports are baseless," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told WND. "Egypt did a good job in cracking down on cells in their country, and they wouldn't have allowed any al-Qaida people to get into Gaza."
An aide to Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei told WND on condition of anonymity, "It would certainly be against our interests to say al-Qaida was in our territory."
Hamas chief Mahmoud al-Zohar went so far as to accuse Israel of sending fake al-Qaida agents into Gaza so it can claim the global jihad group was liaising with Palestinian organizations.
"All these talks about the presence of al-Qaida is Israeli talks and propaganda," said al-Zahar in an exclusive WND interview.
"We know that Israel tried through its agents to have contacts with marginal activists in the Palestinian resistance. The agents represented themselves as al-Qaida members and tried to tempt these people with money and weapons. This is part of the Israeli effort to represent things even though they are not that way in order to say that al-Qaida exists in the Gaza Strip," al-Zahar said.
But WND reported last week some members of al-Zarah's Hamas have become disillusioned with the terror group, renouncing their membership and instead trying to form their own al-Qaida network.
Israeli prison officials said nine jailed Hamas terrorists "with blood on their hands," including two militants trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan, tried to set up the al-Qaida cell last month. Officials said the cell planned to direct attacks on behalf of al-Qaida by sending messages to terrorists outside the Israeli prison.
Said a prison official, "The jailed terrorists renounced their membership in Hamas. They didn't think Hamas was carrying out enough attacks. ... They thought Hamas was too focused on trying to join upcoming Palestinian legislative elections. So they joined with al-Qaida."
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday that if Hamas participate in Palestinian legislative elections, then Israel would not hold joint meetings with Palestinians, and would make it difficult for Hamas to campaign freely. Sharon made the comments before the Israeli parliament's Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, his spokesman, Asaf Shariv, said.
In the past, the two sides have met to negotiate Palestinian prisoner releases, the handover of West Bank towns to Palestinian control, and a variety of other issues. The Palestinians say that Israeli roadblocks throughout the West Bank must be lifted ahead of the Jan. 25 election to allow candidates to campaign freely and to permit voters to travel to rallies and the polls, according to a report of the Associated Press.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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On October 11, 2005, the website of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence posted a letter believed to be from al-Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri to Iraqi insurgent leader and commander of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Dated July 9, 2005, this letter provided not only a window into al-Qaedaâs strategic outlook, but also showed the significance it places on the outcome of the war in Iraq and obtaining popular support within the larger context of global jihad [1]. Assuming the letter is genuine, a re-examination of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) as a node within this wider movement is necessary. The central question, to which no definitive answer is yet available, is: to what degree and in what manner does al-Qaeda factor Southeast AsiaâJI in particularâinto its strategic outlook? Furthermore, what might this mean for the future of JI in Southeast Asia? While it is beyond the scope of this article to comprehensively engage these questions, it hopes to raise timely questions and posit general conclusions regarding the current trajectory of JI in the context of the wider jihadi movement.
One theme resonating out of the Zawahiri letter is the changing focus and narrowing scope of al-Qaedaâs agenda. While âal-Qaedaâs strategic Arab ideologuesâ [2] still pay homage to the concept of the global ummah, endogenous and exogenous forces now direct al-Qaedaâs resources and energies to key battlefields in the heart of the Islamic world, seemingly moving it back from peripheral conflicts to a struggle for the heartland. Pre-eminent among these battlefields is Iraq. This is not to imply that al-Qaeda has abandoned the end-state of a global caliphate; however, the leadership understands that in its decentralized if not weakened state, al-Qaeda must leverage its resources and attention against the most important and geographically central conflict. Furthermore, Abu Musab al-Zarqawiâs elevation, arguably as the dominant Salafi-jihadi figure, has forced a shift in al-Qaedaâs focus.
Zawahiri emphasized Iraqâs centrality to the Salafi-jihadi cause in his letter to Zarqawi. He stated, âI want to congratulate you for what God has blessed you with in terms of fighting battle in the heart of the Islamic world⊠what is not the place for the greatest battle of Islam in this era⊠It has always been my belief that the victory of Islam will never take place until a Muslim state is established in the manner of the Prophet in the heart of the Islamic world, specifically in the Levant, Egypt, and the neighboring states of the Peninsula and Iraqâ [3].
Zawahiri raises doubts with regard to JIâs strategic importance to the global jihad by analyzing what he determined to be the supporting battles ongoing in the Islamic world, âAs for the battles that are going on in the far-flung regions of the Islamic world, such as Chechnya, Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Bosnia, they are just the groundwork and the vanguard for the major battles which have begun in the heart of the Islamic worldâ [4]. Perhaps a simple oversight on the part of Zawahiri, his failure to include jihadist campaigns in regions such as Pattani, Sulawesi and Mindanao could be evidence that Southeast Asiaâs battlegrounds are no longer of primary importance. This is a more reasonable assertion considering that al-Qaeda first regarded Southeast Asia as an excellent logistical âback-officeâ as opposed to a primary battle space [5]. The fact that decentralization, grassroots ideology and leaderless resistance are all dominant themes of al-Qaedaâs warfare may mean that the region, which once served as an exceptional logistical base, may no longer be needed.
In the face of al-Qaedaâs seeming disengagement from Southeast Asiaâs jihadist activities, JI would need strong central leadership and ideological continuity in order to maintain its pre-2002 structure and agenda. Neither of these prerequisites have materialized. In fact, JI has become even more decentralized, and perhaps even ideologically splintered. According to analysts such as Sydney Jones, JIâs current members are divided between those who seek to continue al-Qaedaâs strategy of attacking the âfar enemyâ through large-scale bombings and suicide tactics, and those who wish to pursue a comparatively local agenda of Islamization through participation in dawa and sectarian violence [6]. Although such a dichotomy is an obvious oversimplification, it suggests that JI is less unified at a time when al-Qaeda increasingly sees its near-term interests lying elsewhere. This juxtaposition will undoubtedly widen the gap between Southeast Asiaâs jihadists and the Arab leadership of the global jihad.
Evidently, al-Qaeda no longer maintains the overarching global jihadist shura (council) and networked coordination it once did. As in Iraq, its concurrent physical isolation from JI affects its level of coordination and involvement in Southeast Asian jihadist activity. Osama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri no longer appear to have the ability to provide tactical guidance, directly transfer logistical resources or forge strategic alliances through inter-personal contacts and marriage. Also critical vis-Ã -vis al-Qaedaâs downsized presence is that key JI deputies probably no longer have direct access to al-Qaedaâs upper cadres, as was the case with Hambali who was both JIâs operations chief and al-Qaedaâs most senior operative in East Asia [7]. Since 2002, tactical and strategic linkages between the al-Qaeda core and JI have markedly deteriorated. The social networks and communication infrastructures connecting the two entities were severed as a result of U.S. operations in Afghanistan and an increasingly stringent security environment in Southeast Asia following the 2002 Bali bombings.
It can be argued that within the context of al-Qaedaâs new structure, the movement can operate without these linkages; however, the same may not be true for JI. Abdullah Sungkar, the key ideological force behind JIâs vision of a regional caliphate, pledged bayat (allegiance) to Osama bin Laden in 1993. Sungkar accrued legitimacy for his vision in part from his personal associations with the Afghan jihad and his contacts within the global jihadist leadershipâlegitimacy and strength that helped consolidate local jihadist movements under a more unified vision. JIâs current structural composition, a blend of ad-hoc networks and decentralized sectarian jihadists, is no longer conducive to ensuring dissemination of the Arab ideologuesâ vision.
JIâs isolation from al-Qaeda is not limited to the physical realm, nor is it solely a function of al-Qaedaâs changing structure and refined interests. The organizational cultures differentiating al-Qaeda and JI in the wake of current internal splits are accentuated by Zawahiriâs statements. Zawahiriâs calls for the secession of current tactics demonstrate that Zawahiri and Zarqawi do not share the same interpretation of the doctrine of takfir (excommunication or accusation of apostasy). Similarly, ideological and strategic fragmentation within JI is a function of differing perceptions regarding the utility and morality of Muslim collateral damage in attacks against Western targets, which has been significant in attacks such as the 2002 Bali bombings. These divisions over takfir not only demonstrate further JI fragmentation, but also raise questions as to the true acceptance of the Zarqawi-style jihadist warfare in Southeast Asia.
Even on the subject of martyrdom, JI is not as virulent in its rhetoric, nor is it as tactically committed to that mode of conflict. In a recent interview with Dr. Scott Atran, Abu Bakar Baâasyir (JIâs spiritual leader) appears more tempered on the cathartic nature of suicide attacks (perhaps a function of his incarceration). While condoning their use, and emphasizing the honor of dying as a shaheed, he also points out that if alternative means are available, then suicide terrorism is not justified [8].
At one level, potential strategic disconnects between al-Qaeda and JI may be a net positive for Southeast Asian security. As this region declines in importance to an otherwise pre-occupied al-Qaeda, the ideological and logistic support for the âpro-bombingâ faction within JI will eventually erode [9]. As other commentators have observed, JIâs ability to commit large-scale, coordinated bombings against Western targets will dissipateâevidence of which may be the differences in scale and methodology between the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings.
An al-Qaeda that is more focused on the center of the Islamic world than its periphery, in addition to being decentralized and disconnected from Southeast Asian jihadist leaders, may be an al-Qaeda incapable of sustaining JIâs once unified and centralized goals of transforming the region into a caliphate. The demands and interests of local jihadist movements will likely resurface. Unlike the al-Qaeda-inspired bombers in Madrid or London, jihadists in Southeast Asia are not immigrants or converts isolated in Western communities. Southeast Asian societies have a myriad insurgents, Islamist organizations (and reformist Salafi movements), and civil society organizations through which to voice their grievances. Yet, the exception to these trends may be Thailand. Here, the rapidly deteriorating security situation coupled with Thailandâs political and ideological investment in the Western model and the current Bush administration may serve to keep the global jihad agenda alive.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/08/2005 10:49 ||
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In a special session, the Syrian parliament discussed U.N. Chief Investigator Detlev Mehlis's report on the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. The session was aired by Syrian TV on October 31, 2005. The following are excerpts. TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: http://memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=910.
Syrian MP: "You should look for the murderers of Al-Hariri in Tel Aviv and Washington. You should look for the perpetrators of this crime and for those who stood to gain from it.
"The Syrians will never forgive those who have made it their business to harm Syria."
[...]
Khalil Musa: "This report is political and politicized, and is far from being reasonable or just. The Mehlis report should have cleared Syria, if it had been professional and objective.
"It is invalid for the following reasons: First, it lacks even a modicum of justice and reason. Second, it contains grave professional errors, as my colleagues, who are also lawyers, have mentioned. Third, it is based on witnesses known for their lack of credibility, and for their hostility towards Syria. Fourth, there is no evidence in support of this report. Fifth, the report refrains from accusing, or even mentioning, Israel, although it is the only one to benefit from Al-Hariri's murder."
[...]
Huneim Namar: "The greatest thing that the Americans and Israelis achieved from this Mehlis report is to divert attention away from any possible role played by the Israeli Mossad, the American CIA, or any other party who may have been responsible for this crime, as well as to direct the spotlight exclusively on Syria."
[...]
Hassan Taleb: "The Syrian masses stress their loyalty to the homeland, and to the leader, Bashar Al-Assad. They say, and I say on their behalf: My soul I will sacrifice for you, Syria, and I will give everything for you. I have planted my heart and all I have in its soil. May Allah protect Assad, you are my sword. You are the mighty leader. You are my eyes. They chanted your name, Bashar, and I say: I will sacrifice my eyes for you. "
[...]
Anwar 'Ubeid: "What is happening today is an indication that America and Bush are coveting this nation's resources. Syria is the only thorn to remain in the eye of Zionism and its collaborators. Hence, the Mehlis report is a clear attempt to pressure and harm Syria, the Syrian people, and their leaders.
"We are all familiar with Lebanon and with the intrigues of its leaders. Collaboration flows in their veins, and treachery thrives in their midst. Today they repay Syria's loyalty to them with treachery. They repay the attempts to help them with an effort to destroy Syria, and to put pressure on us."
[...]
Syrian MP: "Syria in its entirety went [to battle] when some people wanted to attack it â the entire Syrian people, the young and the old, said: 'We will dig their graves with our bare hands.'
"Today, too, we say: With our hands, with our fingernails, with our children and our elderly, with our women and with our youth, we will dig their graves, if they think of attacking the capital of the Umayyad. Thank you."
TEHRAN, Nov. 6 (MNA) -- Iranâs Association of Muslim Journalists (AMJ) issued a statement on Sunday condemning the violation of Muslimsâ civil rights in France and calling on the French government to cooperate with them in establishing a fact-finding commission in order to investigate the conditions of French Muslims.
The AMJ said that the mistreatment of Black French Muslims over the past two weeks has deeply influenced Iranian public opinion.
âWe suppose that the French government has carried out the recent discriminatory and anti-human rights acts under the influence of the Zionist lobby in France to limit the social and personal freedoms of the Muslims residing in the country, which is quite unacceptable on the part of a country that claims to be democratic,â part of the statement read.
âThe rough treatment of Black people whose countries were colonized by France for decades shows that colonialism is still dominant in the policies and the thoughts of the officials of France, who claim to uphold freedom and patience.
âThe Association of Muslim Journalists wishes to express its protest about the organized suppression of poor Muslims residing in the suburbs of Paris, who have been living as second-class citizens and deprived of social and political rights for many years.
âTherefore, the Association of Muslim Journalists, as a non-governmental organization, seeks to establish a fact-finding commission to study the situation of Black Muslims in France and hopes that the French government will cooperate by granting them visas.â "fact-finding" commission.
*snicker*
Shouldn't take too long, since the report seems to be written already.
#1
Yeah, fuck the rest of those frogs! But make sure the kikes arent out there rioting and blaming it on the towelheads. You have to spoil your towelhead a little more guys, they're feeling a little neglected.
What will they think of next? Never can a muslim take responsibility for his actions. Never does he get an even break.
Two articles, Iran Says one thing, SA says another
Iran looks to SA to help process uranium
November 8, 2005
Tehran: Iran is talking to South Africa about assistance with its nuclear programme in an attempt to solve a prolonged international dispute over its atomic ambitions.
"We are in the process of negotiating on the modalities of this participation," Javad Vaidi, an official from Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told state television yesterday.
He said South Africa had suggested supplying Iran with uranium oxide concentrate - known as yellowcake - that the Islamic republic would convert into uranium hexafluoride gas at its plant in Isfahan.
In the nuclear fuel cycle, uranium hexafluoride is injected into centrifuges to produce the enriched uranium that can be used both as the fuel for nuclear power stations and the explosive core of a nuclear bomb.
South Africa had also proposed taking part in the enrichment process, which is now suspended. Iran is refusing to give in to European demands that it renounce enrichment-related activities as a guarantee it is not seeking a nuclear weapon.
South Africa is one of a number of third parties trying to broker a compromise between the West and Iran.
South African Govt denies helping Iran with nukes
November 8, 2005
By Shaun Smillie
Johannesburg: The Department of Foreign Affairs has dismissed as "erroneous" and "without any foundation" a report that South Africa has proposed to assist Iran in obtaining the raw material for nuclear weapons.
According to an AFP news report Javad Vaidi, an official from Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told Iranian state television that Iran was talking to South Africa about assistance with its nuclear programme in an attempt to solve a prolonged international dispute over its atomic ambitions.
"We are in the process of negotiating on the modalities of this participation," Vaidi said. He said South Africa had suggested supplying Iran with raw materials, and had proposed taking part in the country's uranium enrichment process, which is currently suspended.
The South African government insists its involvement with Iran is above board.
"The report that South Africa had proposed taking part in the enrichment process in Iran is erroneous and without any foundation," the department said last night.
Iran is busy with propoganda this week. Just one day before the EU meets, they allow access to IAEA and written to the EU to resume talks, a day before E.U. Foreign Ministers were meeting to review their policy of engaging Iran.
This is the strategy, threaten and distract from their activities, until we are about to react, then back down at the last minute with meaningless, worthless "rewards" that they should of been doing anyways, talking and giving access.
They just don't understand that we live by principals and don't mess around with fear and baiting. Iran is ruled by a tribe.
And what's good old Javad Vaidi, from the Supreme National Security Council say on Iranian State TV yesterday? That their getting unranium enrichment from SA? Hmmmm...I believe State TV over letters to Infidels and I believe SA govt wouldn't give a damn, because "we invented AIDS."
The plot thickens, something is brewing in Tehran.
#1
The South African government insists its involvement with Iran is above board.
No denying 'involvement.' Ok then, please define 'above board.' Congratulations wonks and liberal, equal rights appeasers. Neither Piet Botha and F.W. DeClerk would have ever sanctioned such kak. The hens have come home to roost. You're now dealing with ANC (African National Congress) lads educated in the Soviet Union and Cuba. "Shoot straight you bastards" and have a nice day!
#2
This is all part of the dance of a thousand veils.
Posted by: Captain America ||
11/08/2005 8:50 Comments ||
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tehrantimes.com New Sunday November 6, 2005
S. Africa to launch its big eye on the sky
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa will launch the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere next week and aims to put itself on the map as a destination for star-gazing tourists, the country's science minister said. President Thabo Mbeki will formally initiate the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) at an observatory near the town of Sutherland in the remote and arid Karoo region, famed for its big skies. "This puts us on the map as an astronomy destination. We are able to use our geographic advantage as the Karoo is very dry and clear and good for observing the universe," said Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena. "There are also certain areas of the universe that are better viewed from the southern hemisphere," he told Reuters in a telephone interview. The large and small Magellanic clouds, galaxies which orbit our own Milky way, can be seen from the southern hemisphere but not the northern and are close enough for detailed study. "We see a lot of scientists coming this way but also ordinary people who are coming to Sutherland to see our telescopes," Mangena said. "So science tourism is likely to be boosted from the launch of SALT," he said. SALT is a massive hexagon 12 meters in diameter which is comprised of many smaller mirrored hexagons. SALT will enable scientists to view stars and galaxies a billion times too faint to be visible to the naked eye. It will also probe quasars, which resemble bright stars but are in fact black holes at the center of galaxies and are some of the most distant objects in the universe. The light reaching us now was emitted billions of years ago when they were young and so such observation sheds clues on the evolution of the universe. Mangena also said that South Africa was bidding for an even bigger astronomical prize -- to build and host the square kilometre array (SKA), an international project that will be the largest telescope ever built and is estimated to cost in the region of $1 billion. "We are bidding to host the SKA and are building a smaller version of it in the Karoo to show that we have the capability to build the big one," he said. He said the winning country was expected to be announced in 2008. The SKA will consist of many small antennas, with a dense inner core. Scientists hope it will help them trace the origin of the stars and galaxies and understand how planets are formed.
"Origins of the stars and galaxies" .... yes of course.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has named another candidate for oil minister. Ahmadinejad has named Sadeq Mahsoul as oil minister in a move that has sparked parliamentary opposition. Mahsou, an officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was not said to have experience in managing the oil sector.
In August 2005, parliament rejected Ahmadinejad's first appointment, Ali Saeedlou, to the Oil Ministry, Middle East Newsline reported. Since July, Iran has not had an oil minister.
Ahmadinejad has ordered a shakeup of the military, security and energy sectors and has replaced professionals with former cronies colleagues from the IRGC. During the presidential campaign, Ahmadinejad was highly critical of Iran's policy of offering energy concessions to Western companies.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/08/2005 00:01 ||
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A Syrian committee probing the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri announced yesterday that it had conducted interviews with a number of witnesses and started analyzing the flood of mails and e-mails it has received on the case. The newly set up Special Judicial Committee, or SJC, also pledged full cooperation with the UN inquiry into the assassination of Hariri and the Lebanese judicial authorities concerned to find out the truth behind the murder. âThe SJC has already interviewed several witnesses who voluntarily showed up at the committeeâs premises in Mazza District since we actually began our round-the-clock meetings on Nov. 6. We have also started analyzing the various kinds of data sent to us by witnesses either by post or by e-mail,â Judge Ghada Murad, public prosecutor and head of the SJC, said at a news conference.
Murad said her committee would cooperate fully with the UN inquiry. However, the investigation was based on âthe rules of justice and the fact that all suspects are innocent until proven otherwise,â she stressed. Foreign Minister Farouk Shara earlier said his country would cooperate fully with the UN investigating team even though Damascus has branded the UN report released on the killing last month as âpolitically motivated.â âSyria is quite keen on cooperating fully with the UN inquiry and creating the necessary and appropriate mechanisms and procedures to achieve this,â Shara was quoted by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency as saying. However, neither Shara nor Murad said whether Damascus would comply with a request by the head of the UN investigation team, Detlev Mehlis, earlier this week to interview six Syrian officials in Lebanon, including Maj. Gen. Asef Shawkat, bother-in-law of President Bashar Assad.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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As Europeans mull an Iranian offer to resume negotiations, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Monday that his inspectors were making progress in their effort to probe the country's nuclear weapons intentions. "We are moving in the right direction," Mohamed ElBaradei, winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, said at a conference sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. However, he said his inspectors were eager to take a look at the Lavizan facility, where Iran conducts high-explosive tests that could have a bearing on developing weapons. Overall, he said, "we are making good progress with Iran."
"You just can't see it because you're not a trained observer like me! It's there, take my word for it!"
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Lol, of course he does. That's what he's paid to do, he thinks.
Posted by: Albert Armchair ||
11/08/2005 4:27 Comments ||
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"We are moving in the right direction," Mohamed ElBaradei, winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, said at a conference sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Point a snail where you want it to go, and it'll be "moving in the right direction" too.
Overall, he said, "we are making good progress with Iran."
The European Union is studying a call by Iran to resume negotiations over the country's nuclear program but still insists it must suspend uranium processing, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Monday. "We have looked at the letter very carefully. The Iranians are under an obligation to respond positively to the resolution of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency ... and we look to them to do that," Straw told reporters before a meeting of EU foreign ministers. Separately, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana added of the letter from Tehran received by EU officials on Sunday: "We will respond ... We don't want to go any further at this point."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Lol. What was that quote about repeating the same behavior and expecting different results?
Syria is considering a U.N. request to question six Syrian officials in its investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a Foreign Ministry official said Monday. The official declined to disclose the identities of the people that the U.N. investigators want to question, or say whether the United Nations wanted to question them in Syria or outside, according to a report of the Associated Press.
Last week the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution that upgraded the powers of commission, giving Mehlis the right to question anybody at any location and under conditions of his choice. The resolution demanded that Syria cooperate fully with the commission.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Clerics issue fatwa against coming down from hilltops
* State minister says 50,000 Allai survivors could freeze to death
By Iqbal Khattak
BALAKOT: Clerics in Allai area of Battagram have reportedly issued a fatwa forbidding people from descending the hilltop and a federal minister on Tuesday warned that 50,000 people or more in the Allai area could die if they do not come down.
The people of Allai have so far not descended from the hilltop and their reluctance largely stems from a reported fatwa by some local clerics that it was un-Islamic to flee from a disaster zone. Another reason for people refusing to come down to live in the tent villages in the valley was the fear of local politicians that they might lose potential voters if the people decided to quit the area for good.
âThe lives of 40,000 to 50,000 people are at stake. They will freeze to death if they continue to stay on the hilltop,â said Engineer Amir Muqqam, the state minister for water and power, while talking to Daily Times after visiting the earthquake areas to review the ongoing relief operations in Balakot. Bad weather interrupted the helicopter visit of the minister, where he was scheduled to meet the quake survivors in order to persuade them to descend.
âWhat makes me worry most is that the Allai people are still reluctant to come down,â he said. âThey cannot live through the harsh cold weather in the donated tents,â the minister said.
âThere is a lot of negative propaganda in the area,â Muqqam said. The minister said that he had made all efforts to allay the fears of the people but he was only partially successful in his efforts.
Posted by: john ||
11/08/2005 20:14 ||
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Someone needs to issue a fatwa against clerics...
Posted by: john ||
11/08/2005 20:40 Comments ||
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John - would that be a .45 caliber fatwa?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/08/2005 22:21 Comments ||
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I prefer RPG fatwa , delivered via any available orifice...
Posted by: john ||
11/08/2005 22:23 Comments ||
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That is one to savor- "a reported fatwa by some local clerics that it was un-Islamic to flee from a disaster zone"
On November 7, 2001, exactly four years ago today, I began archiving uncensored daily news on the Internet that would soon transform into Jihad Unspun. It would become the largest English daily news portal covering events in the "war on terror" from the Muslim viewpoint.
"Just ahead of the New york Times and our friends at the BBC"
During the 1,460 days that we have published daily news, we have seen a dramatic change in the landscape. In the early days of the invasion of Afghanistan, when communications were in a total lock down and with many Muslim sites shut down, JUS was able to provide valuable information including some of the first casualty reports and photographs made public. Similarly, in the invasion of Iraq, JUS was able to provide the first glimpses inside the Iraqi Resistance, uncover early evidence of detainee abuse, unfold the discovery of mass graves and on a daily basis, we've been a thorn in the side of the US State Department bringing the English speaking world news on the Mujahideen and uncut reports that told the other side of the story. And so it has been as we have strived to bring you the best uncut news possible.
In recent months we have seen our information scope narrow due to several factors, including a decline in credible third party information sources and a lack of translation resources that leaves 80% of our direct news from the Mujahideen unpublished. As most direct information comes to us in Arabic, we are constantly strained for translators and subsequently a narrower view of the other side of this conflict is within our pages.
"We simply can't offer the same benefits package as 7-11"
At JUS we will never be content to publish "information" for informationâs sake. We live in an information glut and not all information is useful. We maintain that readers have brains and that there is a responsibility in reporting to the public. A standard must be maintained.
Wow, they have standards? When did that happen?
Therefore, the coverage that we are able to provide, based on our current resources, must be deemed inadequate in representing the Muslim mandate. Considering all factors, a decision has been made to suspend our publishing operations, effective immediately.
Of course, there are many reasons guiding this decision. While America continues its reign of terror on the Muslim world, mainstream press is now beginning to address some of the core lies and fabrications on which this war has been waged.
"We just can't match the B-S coming out of the mainstream press."
There is indeed a stirring inside the Beast.
Must have seen Hillary's last press conference.
For the Muslims, the Mujahideen are much more organized and able to dessiminate their information on a broader scale, thanks to the Internet, however there are few voices within the Ummah that are speaking and these are overshadowed for the most part.
Never in history has a resistance movement succeeded on military strikes alone. Even Nelson Mandela's success ultimately came through the voice of citizens who spoke out and organized for change in collaboration with the resistance effort. With such a lack of unity, to the point of corruption, inside the Muslim Ummah, there is a serious lack of voices able to articulate Muslim viewpoints. The Ummah is scattered and fragmented and while the Mujahideen are gaining ground, there is little support from the Muslims and in particular the Ulema. At JUS we see this every day on a grand scale. Four years on, what the world sees is violence, not solutions and in fact, we as Muslims are letting America and the West determine the future because of the quarrels and conflicts that are rife within the Ummah. There is little intrinsic value in reporting deaths when the very core reason that this war is being waged is omitted from the tongues of Muslims.
Our immediate plan for this space has not been determined. In the short term, we will reflect on how we can best assist the Ummah after some much needed rest and without the pressure of daily news, which on any given day requires a great deal of attention. JUS has a significant audience, a complete publishing and e-commerce system, a revenue stream, a substantial news and photo archive, a valuable library of uncut footage and we are indexed daily by Google. If there are those in our audience who would like to carry on our work, please contact us at info@jihadunspun.com.
I consider myself privileged to have been able to be participate in reporting news in such a tumultuous time in history, particularly representing the voices that are not heard. It was JUS that forced me to look at my religion, to venture out of my element to the Middle East and to delve deeply inside what has now become a Global Jihad and for this I will be forever grateful. Over the years, we have become battle-hardened soldiers; we have weathered good times and bad; we've won, we've lost, we've goofed, we fumbled, we've broken the story, we've had firsts and lasts, we've laughed and cried, there have been births and deaths, but most importantly, we stayed standing, testifying that the truth can and will be told.
In closing, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to all those who helped make JUS possible, for it has been your support that gave us recognition and reach. To our writers and reporters, translators and editors, contributors and donors, artists and technicians, we can take solace in the knowledge that we have accomplished a work of which we can be proud without compromising our principles. We have fought the good fight on our own terms, magnifying the fact that free voices need not be silent.
At this time we wish to thank you, our viewers, for your loyalty, encouragement and patronage that allowed us the privilege of serving you for it is your quest for truth that gave breath to our voices.
As we leave this arena we do so without regret, knowing that in some small way we have endeavored to make a difference. On behalf of all of us JUS, we bid you Aleikum Assalam Wa Rahmatulahi Wa Barakatu and goodnight.
Khadija Abdul Qahaar,
Publisher
5 Shawwal 1426 A.H.
November 7, 2005
Posted by: Steve ||
11/08/2005 11:37 ||
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The British governmentâs decision in October 2005 to designate the al-Jama'a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah fi-Libya (Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, LIFG) as a terrorist organization must have come as welcome news to Colonel Qadhafi, given that at its peak the group represented the strongest challenge the Libyan regime has ever faced. Indeed, Qadhafi had long been complaining that the British were hosting Libyan nationals intent on overthrowing his regime. While the U.S. government placed the LIFG on its list of designated terrorist organizations back in 2004, it appears to have taken the London bombings to push the British to follow suit.
Following this designation the British authorities arrested five members of the LIFG and, despite the protestations of human rights organizations, also signed an agreement with the Qadhafi regime that would enable the men to be deported to Libya. The deal marks a major success for the Libyan regime in its victory over the Islamists and, if the men are returned, it is likely to be the final nail in the coffin of what, for all intents and purposes, is a dying organization.
The LIFG was set up in Afghanistan in 1990 by a group of jihadists who had travelled to fight the Soviets during the 1980s. After the Soviet withdrawal the Libyans, like many other Arab mujahideen, turned their attention to establishing an Islamic state in their own country. Some of the groupâs members returned to Libya in the early 1990s and began preparing themselves to launch an armed struggle against the Qadhafi regime. They took a long-term view, drawing new recruits to their cause and collecting sufficient weaponry and ammunition to enable them to mount a real challenge to the authorities. However, their cover was blown in 1995 after a bungled operation to rescue one of their members, Khalid Bekkish from hospital where he was under armed guard, led the authorities to discover a farm in the Benghazi area that was acting as a base for the group. This armed cell was run by Saleh al-Shaheibi who had deserted the Libyan army and who upon being discovered blew himself up to avoid capture.
The regimeâs response upon discovering the existence of the LIFG was to embark upon a large-scale liquidation campaign. The group was able to put up enough of a fight to enter into a series of clashes with the security services and to launch an assassination attempt against Qadhafi, but the regime ultimately succeeded in killing or arresting a large number of the groupâs members or sympathizers. Indeed, according to figures released this summer by the Qadhafi International Foundation for Charitable Associations that is run by Qadhafiâs son Sayf al-Islam, the regime is still holding 182 members of the LIFG in prison. Others fled the country, and by the end of the 1990s, the LIFG had been more or less eliminated within Libya.
Following this crushing defeat, the LIFG existed primarily as a movement in exile. As such, their abilities have always been limited and their members scattered across a range of countries. Some who fled Libya returned to Afghanistan where the Taliban were happy to provide them with refuge and from where they hoped to regroup and focus their attention on taking the jihad to Libya. However, after the bombing of Afghanistan in November 2001 they were once again on the run. Many went to Iran and others fled further a-field to Europe or to Asia but this did not enable them to evade capture. Indeed, one of the biggest blows to the organization came in 2004 when two of its key members were handed over to the Libyan authorities. The groupâs spiritual leader, Abu Munder al-Saidi was arrested in Hong Kong and its Emir, Abdullah Sadeq in Thailand. Both men were returned to Libya where they are reportedly under house arrest although their whereabouts have yet to be publicly confirmed by the regime.
Likewise, those who settled in Britain have also been limited in what they have been able to achieve. According to one Libyan Islamist, the organizationâs members in the UK only number in the dozens. It appears that these individuals abandoned the armed struggle long ago and were reduced to focusing their efforts on producing anti-regime propaganda and assisting other members of the organization based abroad by providing money and fake documents to help them settle in Europe. Indeed, according to the wife of one of the men arrested in the UK, her husband was engaged in âpassport fraud to help his friends come to Britain to escape Qadhafiâ. The wife of another claimed her husband spent all his time on the Internet. Accordingly, the arrests of the five men in Birmingham, Cardiff and London in October look more like a symbolic defeat for the remnants of a fading organization.
The Arabic media named the arrested men as Bashir el Fakhi, Ziyad Hashem al-Ruqaii, Khalid Buslama al-Ilaqi, Nasir Buruaq and Ismail Kamoka, who spent a period in Belmarsh prison in relation to his alleged connections to Abu Qatada. It seems that they were on a list of 25 members of the LIFG provided by the Libyan authorities to the UK in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The importance of these particular figures within the organization is not known, although Ziyad Hashem, also known as Shakir al-Ghaznawi and Imad al-Libi, is thought to be a member of the groupâs media committee. In fact, allegations appeared in the Spanish media in August 2005 linking Hashem, as well as the imprisoned Emir Abdullah Sadeq, with the Tunisian Islamist Serhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, the suspected ringleader in the Madrid attacks. The article, which cited a leaked Spanish police report, also claimed that Hashem was linked by marriage to the Moroccan Mustapha Maimouni, who is currently in detention in Morocco in connection with the Casablanca bombings. These allegations, however, do not appear to be substantiated.
The arrests have fuelled further speculation in the international media that the LIFGâs members were linked to international terrorism through al-Qaeda. This is a picture the Libyan regime is keen to promote. Indeed, the Libyan ambassador to the UK, Mohamed Belqasim Zwai, reportedly told the press this month that âwe believe that all the LIFG members should be handed over to the Libyan authorities and not just a number of them because their presence will sooner or later pose a danger to Britain's security due to their connections with the al-Qaeda organizationâ.
While the LIFG, like many other jihadist groups, may share the same aspirations and ideology as al-Qaeda, it has for the most part maintained a fairly consistent nationalistic approach. Although a number of Libyan individuals, such as Abu al-Faraj al-Libi who was arrested in Pakistan in 2005, appear to have thrown in their lot with bin Laden, the LIFG has focused its attention primarily on the situation inside Libya and its key objective continues to be removing Qadhafi from power.
The group has in fact been careful over the years to distance itself from bin Laden. Indeed, while they were in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, the LIFGâs members preferred to ally themselves with Mullah Omar and the Taliban who were giving them protection rather than with bin Laden and Zawahiri, whom they accused of trying to create a state within a state in Afghanistan. They also chose not to join al-Qaeda when they, like many other jihadists, moved to Sudan to take refuge in the early 1990s before being ejected a few years later at the request of the Libyan regime. While in Khartoum the groupâs members fiercely retained their independence and, according to one Libyan Afghan veteran, Noman Benotmanâcurrently one of the few sources of information on the groupâtheir focus remained on fighting the ânear enemy,â i.e., on overthrowing Qadhafi.
Following the Afghanistan experience, the LIFG maintained a localized and nationalist perspective in the context of the wider global jihad. In the early 1990s, the LIFG decided to join the struggle in Algeria by fighting alongside the GIA with whom they had built up close contacts in Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to Noman Benotman, one of the reasons for going to fight in Algeria was to prevent the erosion of their membersâ fighting skills after the war in Afghanistan. The other more important reason, however, was because the LIFG viewed Algeria as a âspace behindâ Libya that would act as a stepping stone for them to go on to fight in their own country.
With this in mind, in 1993 a number of LIFG members went to Algeria to survey the scene and to consult with the GIA. The following year, in collaboration with the GIA leadership, they sent a group of approximately 15 fighters into Algeria. Yet, this was to have disastrous consequences. After Djamal Zeitouni took over the GIAâs Emirship in September 1994 and the groupâs tactics became increasingly brutal with Zeitouni advocating the indiscriminate killing of civilians, the Libyans began to object to the GIAâs stance. In a series of letters to the LIFG leadership that were written in secret ink and smuggled out of Algeria, the Libyan faction opposed to Zeitouni complained that certain elements of the GIA had deviated and that they had âno religion or mannersâ. It seems that in response, the Libyans sided with a faction opposed to Zeitouni and as a result, a number of them were killed by the GIA, including one of the LIFGâs main military figures, Abu Sakhar al-Libi. Others managed to escape and fled Algeria leaving the LIFG to regret the whole venture that had left some of their best fighters dead and had not enabled them to take the jihad back to Libya.
In fact, the LIFG was never able to rebuild any real strength inside Libya. Although Libyan radicals attempted to give a propaganda boost to their capabilities inside the country in 2005 by posting a series of warnings on Islamist websites claiming that Libya would be hit, this appears to be little more than fear mongering. Moreover reports that there are a few pockets of militants still fighting in the mountainous area around Derna are unconfirmed and it seems that those fighting may simply be small cells of individuals rather than any organized group. In any case, their strength is minimal.
It seems therefore that the LIFGâs decision to concentrate on national goals and to distance itself from al-Qaeda did little to help them in its struggle against the Qadhafi regime and was not sufficient either to prevent it from coming up against the wrath of Western governments in the war against terrorism.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/08/2005 10:56 ||
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Serious pirate attacks off the Somali coast have jumped dramatically after a two-year lull, says a report. The problem was highlighted over the weekend, when a luxury cruise liner was attacked and pursued by pirates. The greatest number of attacks overall were off Indonesia, with 61 of a total of 205 attacks reported worldwide. Gloabally, though, attacks fell 18% in the first nine months of 2005 on the same period of 2004, said the report from the International Maritime Bureau.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) says in the nine-month period of 2005, 141 ships were boarded, 15 fired upon and 11 were hijacked. Of the 259 crewmembers taken hostage, 12 are still missing. The most alarming rise in attacks was off the eastern and north-eastern coast of Somalia, where attacks shot up from one in 2004 to 19 in 2005. In one incident, the report says, a vessel was lured closer to the shore by pirates who set off distress flares.
Attacks have continued apace since the end of the period in question, the IMB told the BBC News website, with an additional nine attacks since 1 October. The IMB was "still trying to figure out" the reasons for the dramatic increase, a spokesman said. In the last five years, the number of attacks has never exceeded six. The report says daily warnings are transmitted to ships sailing close to Somalia advising them to keep as far away as possible. Once inside the waters, ships targeted by pirates have very little chance of a redress to the law, because, as the report points out, "there is no national law enforcement infrastructure in Somalia".
Indonesian waters remain far and away the most vulnerable to pirate attacks. This is mainly attributed to the high level of commercial maritime activity in the area, along with high levels of lawlessness and organised crime. Other piracy hotspots include Bangladesh and Nigeria, both with 14 attacks, India with 12 and Jamaica with seven.
Ten separate attacks were recorded in the Malacca Straits - which divide Malaysia and the large Indonesian island of Sumatra - despite a period of relative quiet following December's tsunami. Seven took place in the Singapore Straits. And an additional eight attacks were reported in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. The report flags up a "new and worrying trend" off Iraq. Six attacks have been reported off the Basra oil terminal since 22 April, despite the close proximity of coalition naval ships.
Pirates never now attempt attacks unarmed, the report says. Guns and knives are pirates' weapons of choice, with roughly equal usage of both.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/08/2005 09:00 ||
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#1
Maybe what is needed is the modern day equivilant of the "Q-Ship". Those wolves in sheep's clothing that preyed of U-Boats. Of course that helped lead to the unrestricted submarine warfare on Germany's part. But I digress. Equip a couple of modern large yachts (or more) with concealed automatic cannon (20, 25 or 40MM) and set them trolling in the high risk areas. It won't stop all of the problem but it will certainly make the assholes more careful
#2
Lloyds has the right idea. By declaring the Malacca Strait a war zone and jacking up the insurance rates, they've managed to get most of the littoral nations to focus on the problem. Something 'international organisations' have not.
Do the same thing for Somalia. Declare the territorial waters a war zone. Deny insurance or jack the rates so high it isn't worth sailing a ship through there. Give a nudge and wink to private armed maritime escorting.
A failed assassination attack on the Prime Minister of Somalia and an attempt to hijack a luxury American cruise ship off the coast has reinforced fears that the country is spiralling out of control as a centre of al Qaeda terrorism.
"Inspector! How do you do it?"
The unsuccessful attack by pirates at the weekend was the first on a luxury cruise liner in the area.
But just one in an apparently unending series of attacks on shipping of all sorts...
Three people were killed in the attack on the Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, as he visited the chaotic capital Mogadishu. He was unharmed in the explosion set off near his convoy, witnesses said. Gedi was visiting from Jowhar, where his Government is based. Officials said he was travelling from the airport into the centre of the city when his convoy was attacked by gunmen, who hurled grenades and detonated a landmine. At least one of Gedi's bodyguards was reported to be among the dead.
On the other hand, it could be typical warlord-generated festivities.
Political collapse in this failed state has created a power vacuum that is posing a danger to Somalis and the outside world. Since 2003, Somalia has witnessed the rise of a new, ruthless, independent jihadi network with links to al Qaeda. The former Italian colony has been without a functioning national Government for 14 years and a transitional Parliament, sworn in last year, has failed to end the anarchy.
Any government rules with the consent of the governed, at least until they get the governed by the snarglies...
In the rubble-strewn streets of the ruined capital of Mogadishu, al Qaeda operatives, jihadi extremists, Ethiopian security services and Western-backed counter-terrorism agents are engaged in a shadowy and complex contest of intimidation, abduction and assassination.
I'd just stick with the assassinations. The arguments are shorter and they don't recur.
Somali pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades launched an attack on Seabourn Spirit as it rounded the Horn of Africa. They were repelled by the ship's crew who set off electronic countermeasures, described as a "huge bang" by passengers. Seabourn Spirit was carrying 302 passengers and crew, most of them Americans as well as some Britons and Australians.
Aaaarrrr! A tasty prize fer them sailin' under the Jolly Roger!
Yesterday there were calls for a naval taskforce to try to stop attacks in Somali waters - among the most dangerous in the world, with 27 cases of hijackings since March. But it is unlikely such a force would quell the lawlessness which has racked the country for decades.
Perhaps not, but I'll bet they could burn or sink all the boats in sight. Then the pirates could stand on the shore and hurl imprecations at passing ships.
During the 1990s, extremism in Somalia was centred on the al-Ittihaad al-Islaami, a band of Wahhabi militants bent on establishing an Islamic emirate. Al Qaeda also became established and attacked US and UN peacekeepers, using the country as a transit zone for terrorism in neighbouring Kenya. Leading members of al Qaeda's East African network still hide in Somalia, according to the International Crisis Group.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
11/08/2005 00:33 ||
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MOGADISHU â Somaliaâs Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Gedi said yesterday an assassination attempt against him was an act of âsabotageâ designed to undermine his lawless countryâs fledgling government.
Is that 'fledgling' or 'taken flight'?
The United Nations and African Union also condemned the attack that killed six people on Sunday in what diplomats say was an effort to wreck the countryâs fragile peace process. âYesterdayâs action was sabotage aimed at blocking the activity of the transitional federal government,â Gedi said in a statement read for reporters after a ministerial meeting in the capital Mogadishu.
Gedi was not hurt by the blast that tore through his convoy shortly after he arrived in the anarchic city, which is largely controlled by his foes. Government aides said a landmine caused the explosion.
There's a safe guess.
A committee chaired by Interior Minister Hussein Farah Aideed will be set up to investigate the blast, Gedi said.
The deputy to the UN Secretary-Generalâs Special Representative for Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall, denounced the assassination attempt. âThese continued acts of violence are ... an assault on the peace process and on the hopes of the Somali people for an end to 1400 14 years of insecurity,â Babafemi Badejo said in a statement released in Nairobi.
And the Somalis are so hopeful ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/08/2005 00:00 ||
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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.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams on Monday called off a trip to New York after the United States refused to lift restrictions barring him from raising money there. Adams, who has spent the past two decades guiding his IRA-allied party into Ireland's political mainstream, had been granted a visa allowing him to travel to the United States on Tuesday to receive a peace award. But the State Department refused a request for him to speak at a $500-a-plate dinner benefiting his party's U.S. organization, Friends of Sinn Fein. Adams said he would speak at a similar dinner in Canada on Saturday.
The government of Prime Minister Tony Blair refused Monday to back down on plans to detain terror suspects for up to 90 days without charge. After talks with lawmakers, Home Secretary Charles Clarke said Monday night that the government stands by the 90-day limit in the proposed Terrorism Bill, despite the bill's near defeat at an early reading in Parliament last week. But Clarke said the government will amend the bill to include a clause allowing for review in a year to see if it is appropriate.
In Russia, the struggle over Islam's place is not seen as a question of whether to integrate Muslims into society, but whether the country itself can remain whole. The separatist conflict in Chechnya, more than a decade old, has taken on the hue of an Islamic one. And it is spilling beyond Chechnya's borders into neighboring republics of the Caucasus, where Islam has become a rallying force against corruption, brutality and poverty.
BEARDED Muslim activists have been wading into the night-time mayhem of the housing estates, megaphone in hand, and addressing the rioters âin the name of Allahâ. Far from inciting the violence, they have been urging the rioting teenagers to stop destroying property and go home. For the Government, the Muslim mediators have been playing a useful role calming youngsters from the mainly Arab estates who respect their authority far more than that of the police and local officials. 
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday that if Hamas participate in Palestinian legislative elections, then Israel would not hold joint meetings with Palestinians, and would make it difficult for Hamas to campaign freely. Sharon made the comments before the Israeli parliament's Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, his spokesman, Asaf Shariv, said.
A Syrian committee probing the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri announced yesterday that it had conducted interviews with a number of witnesses and started analyzing the flood of mails and e-mails it has received on the case. The newly set up Special Judicial Committee, or SJC, also pledged full cooperation with the UN inquiry into the assassination of Hariri and the Lebanese judicial authorities concerned to find out the truth behind the murder. âThe SJC has already interviewed several witnesses who voluntarily showed up at the committeeâs premises in Mazza District since we actually began our round-the-clock meetings on Nov. 6. We have also started analyzing the various kinds of data sent to us by witnesses either by post or by e-mail,â Judge Ghada Murad, public prosecutor and head of the SJC, said at a news conference.
As Europeans mull an Iranian offer to resume negotiations, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Monday that his inspectors were making progress in their effort to probe the country's nuclear weapons intentions. "We are moving in the right direction," Mohamed ElBaradei, winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, said at a conference sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. However, he said his inspectors were eager to take a look at the Lavizan facility, where Iran conducts high-explosive tests that could have a bearing on developing weapons. Overall, he said, "we are making good progress with Iran."
The European Union is studying a call by Iran to resume negotiations over the country's nuclear program but still insists it must suspend uranium processing, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Monday. "We have looked at the letter very carefully. The Iranians are under an obligation to respond positively to the resolution of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency ... and we look to them to do that," Straw told reporters before a meeting of EU foreign ministers. Separately, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana added of the letter from Tehran received by EU officials on Sunday: "We will respond ... We don't want to go any further at this point."
Syria is considering a U.N. request to question six Syrian officials in its investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister 
The British governmentâs decision in October 2005 to designate the al-Jama'a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah fi-Libya (
Serious pirate attacks off the Somali coast have jumped dramatically after a two-year lull, says a report. The problem was highlighted over the weekend, when a luxury cruise liner was attacked and pursued by pirates. The greatest number of attacks overall were off Indonesia, with 61 of a total of 205 attacks reported worldwide. Gloabally, though, attacks fell 18% in the first nine months of 2005 on the same period of 2004, said the report from the International Maritime Bureau. 
A failed assassination attack on the Prime Minister of Somalia and an attempt to hijack a luxury American cruise ship off the coast has reinforced fears that the country is spiralling out of control as a centre of al Qaeda terrorism.
MOGADISHU â Somaliaâs Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Gedi said yesterday an assassination attempt against him was an act of âsabotageâ designed to undermine his lawless countryâs fledgling government.
