The director of a Saudi government-funded Islamic school has been arrested and charged with failing to report a child abuse allegation, adding to scrutiny of the northern Virginia academy as protesters came out Tuesday to call for a federal investigation of its teachings.
Abdalla I. Al-Shabnan, director of the Islamic Saudi Academy, was also charged with obstruction of justice, according to a police report about the June 9 arrest. The misdemeanor counts come at a time when the private school is under heavy criticism from a federal commission and others over textbooks that allegedly teach violence and hate.
More than a dozen protesters lined up outside the school Tuesday, waving signs that read "Saudi hate is not an American family value" and "Islamic Shariah teaches violence and hate."
The protesters, including the conservative Traditional Values Coalition, want the Justice and State departments to investigate the school. The State Department last year obtained copies of the school's textbooks but has so far refused to make them public.
Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, said the arrest of al-Shabnan is just further evidence of problems at the school.
"The academy is a virtual one-stop shopping center for law enforcement," she said, citing the case of a former school valedictorian, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who was convicted of joining al-Qaida after leaving the school and plotting to assassinate President Bush.
Al-Shabnan's arrest came after police alleged he covered up an incident in which a 5-year-old girl attending the school reported that she was being sexually abused by her father.
According to court papers, Al-Shabnan, 52, of McLean, told police that he didn't believe the girl, and advised the girl's parents to put her into counseling.
But state law requires school authorities to report alleged child abuse within 72 hours of learning of the allegation. Al-Shabnan is free pending trial.
Police said in court papers that Al-Shabnan ordered a written report about the girl's complaint, which had been prepared by other school officials, to be deleted from a school computer.
#2
The money quote: "The academy is a virtual one-stop shopping center for law enforcement," she said, citing the case of a former school valedictorian, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who was convicted of joining al-Qaida after leaving the school and plotting to assassinate President Bush.
A twelfth-grade Tawhid (monotheism) textbook states that [m]ajor polytheism makes blood and wealth permissible, which in Islamic legal terms means that a Muslim can take the life and property of someone believed to be guilty of this alleged transgression with impunity.
In these verses is a call for jihad, which is the pinnacle of Islam. In (jihad) is life for the body; thus it is one of the most important causes of outward life. Only through force and victory over the enemies is there security and repose.
and more
Posted by: ed ||
06/17/2008 21:17 Comments ||
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#4
This will ahve an impact - and may cost the Dems a seat in Congress.
I'm C-Thug!
No! I'm C-Thug!
No! I'm C-Thug!
An argument over a nickname reportedly led Wichita police to a residence where they say a 44-year-old woman stabbed a 19-year-old with a butcher knife Friday. Shut da fuck up dammit!
Sgt. Lem Moore said in a police briefing this afternoon that nine people were gathering in the 3000 block of Old Lawrence Road, when two young men began arguing who should be able to use the nickname "C-Thug." I guess A-Thug and B-Thug were taken?
The woman, who was a resident of the house, intervened and stabbed the 19-year-old in the back, Moore said. Ha! Let a old bitch stab you in the back! You ain't no C-Thug!
The man was treated for minor injuries at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus. The woman was arrested. Looks like she's C-Thug...
METRO VANCOUVER - A human left foot was found Monday on Westham Island in Ladner - the fifth disarticulated foot discovered since August on B.C.'s south coast. Delta Police and the B.C. Coroners Service are trying to establish the identity of the remains and determine whether they can be linked to the recovery of four other feet. The last one found before this was located just upriver last month.
'At this point we really don't know what we're dealing with,' said Const. Sharlene Brooks Monday evening. 'Without the forensic side of it established, it's too early to say there are linkages.' But, she said, the discovery is being treated as a criminal investigation.
Monday's discovery was a left foot, while the other four were right feet. All five had been submerged in water. Three feet were discovered on Gulf Islands beaches: Jedediah Island (Aug. 20), Gabriola Island (Aug. 26) and Valdes Island (Feb. 8). A fourth was found encased in a running shoe on Kirkland Island, near the Massey Tunnel, on May 22.
Brooks said that at this time of year, it's not unusual to find human remains washed up on shore. 'It's just unique that this is another foot. That's for certain,' she said.
A passerby noticed the foot floating in a shoe, and pulled it to shore before calling police, Brooks said.
She said it could be some time before police are able to say whether the foot's DNA matches a known missing person, or any of the right feet found previously. 'When you're trying to confirm identity, you need to be able to compare it with something,' she said. 'And when you don't have that, you might have DNA, but you don't know to whom it belongs.'
A Seattle oceanographer who has been following the mystery said Monday that the latest discovery bolsters his 'working hypothesis' that the feet came down the Fraser River. 'If they all washed down the river and got dispersed, then you could explain all the patterns together,' said Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who is working on a book about flotsam.
Ebbesmeyer said this is 'probably one of the more unique cases' he's heard of in his career, and has become 'worldwide news.' Statistically, he compared the finding of five human feet with no corresponding body parts to 'drawing a royal flush a couple of times.'
But he said the case is no laughing matter. 'The rate at which the body parts is washing up is starting to be alarming,' he said. 'It's very serious. I mean you're talking potentially five different people, potentially a serial killer, so there's something going on here that's beyond our imagination right now.'
#7
'At this point we really don't know what we're dealing with,' said Const. Sharlene Brooks Monday evening. 'Without the forensic side of it established, it's too early to say there are linkages.'
"could just be seasonal shedding"
/F'n brilliant policework
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/17/2008 20:37 Comments ||
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#8
'Without the forensic side of it established, it's too early to say there are linkages.' But, she said, the discovery is being treated as a criminal investigation as something is definately afoot.
Sayonara, scumbags:
TOKYO (AFP) Japan on Tuesday executed three people including notorious serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki, a fetishist convicted of murdering four little girls and eating some of their bodies, officials said. Miyazaki, 45, was nicknamed the "killer nerd" for his obsession with sexual cartoons and pornography. But defence lawyers contended he was mentally ill and could not be held fully responsible for his actions.
Japan is the only major industrialised nation other than the United States to apply the death penalty and has been stepping up the pace of executions, which enjoy wide public support. "We are carrying out executions by selecting the people whom we can execute with a feeling of confidence and responsibility," Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama told a news conference.
Miyazaki was arrested in July 1989 while trying to take naked pictures of a girl outdoors and the details that emerged from his case stunned Japan. He confessed to having killed four girls, aged between four and seven, in Tokyo and its suburbs and eating some of the remains of two of them.
Miyazaki mutilated the bodies of the victims, slept next to the corpses and drank their blood. He sent letters to the media under a woman's name claiming responsibility for the crimes and sent a box containing the remains of a slaughtered girl to her family.
"The atrocious murder of four girls to satisfy his sexual desire leaves no room for leniency," Chief Justice Tokiyasu Fujita said in January 2006 when he upheld his death sentence.
#2
"We are carrying out executions by selecting the people whom we can execute with a feeling of confidence and responsibility," Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama told a news conference.
#3
"The atrocious murder of four girls to satisfy his sexual desire leaves no room for leniency," Chief Justice Tokiyasu Fujita said
Some judges know their duty to society
Posted by: john frum ||
06/17/2008 9:10 Comments ||
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#4
"killer nerdws" OH NO!they are here..
Government Worshipping Liberals Love the Slogan "the United States is the only major industrialised nation to apply the death penalty." [Liberals usually leave out Nations like Japan from their expression.]
I wholeheartedly agree with john's idea, "Some judges know their duty to society."
It's a crying shame more "Western?" Judges don't rule the same and then have LAWS that compel their courts to carry out such executions in a timely fashion. USA, India, New Zealand, Olde EYurp etc.
VIENNA (Reuters) - Whether it has any bearing on Monday's crunch Euro 2008 match between the two countries is debatable but Austria drew first blood on Sunday when their topless women's soccer team beat Germany 10-5. Anybody accused of double dribbling?
The traditional swapping of shirts afterwards was not an option as the six-a-side teams wore nothing but thongs, with the national colors painted on to their bare skin.
The football may not have been of the highest quality but that did not temper the enthusiasm of a mostly male crowd boosted by a sizeable media presence only too happy to desert Euro 2008 training for an hour or two. The match was organized by a chat room website.
Austrians were delighted with a victory they hoped would be a morale-booster for their male counterparts but was not without its serious side. 'I hope our men will take heart from that tomorrow. We played pretty hard, we even had some injuries, like I for example broke my toe nail,' 29-year-old bank employee Doris Fastenmeir told Reuters.
The Germans took defeat sportingly and joined their opponents for alcopops and dancing at a beach club alongside the Danube. 'I was supposed to hold the balls but I really have no idea how to do that,' said German keeper Jana Bach. I ain't saying nuthin' to that remark.
'Maybe it is because I am not all that much into soccer. I am more into shoes to be honest.'
The verdict of the onlookers? They were playing soccer? Jeebus, will ya look at all the Hooters!
'They might have to work on their technique a bit but it was definitely a rather pleasant game to watch and a very nice version of the 'beautiful game',' said Rolf Hansen from Berlin. Sorry, no pictures.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
06/17/2008 15:12 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
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#1
Sorry, no pictures.
So what, you're just teasing us? What's the point!
Posted by: Jonathan ||
06/17/2008 17:55 Comments ||
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#2
"Double dribbling" > Aaaaawww, I wanted to say it!
In the immortal words of BUGS BUNNY, or FARK.com > Of course you know this thread is useless without pics.
#8
They definitely have different standards of beauty, though. I looked at the pictures, and the Damascene breed is to my eye the ugliest I've ever seen, although the samples clearly conformed to type.
#9
The Damascene goats are not goats, they're mutants of some sort, possibly due to radioactive leaks from nearby iranian nuke program. Last time I looked, goats didn't look THAT way! (But mutants can, hence my point).
A tire on a Southwest Airlines 737 jet caught fire Monday morning at Sky Harbor Airport at about 11 a.m., officials said. No injuries were reported on the plane, which was carrying 127 passengers and five crew members.
As flames came from the right rear wheel, the flight landed as scheduled in Phoenix. There were no injuries. Passengers were bused to the terminal. Incoming and outgoing flights were using the south runways.
Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger said the company would ensure all passengers would get to their next destination. The plane will be repaired at the airport, which is a maintenance base for Southwest Airlines.
#1
Normally pilots love Sky Harbor, but this year, I bet the airlines hate it. With summer temperatures, planes have a lot less lift taking off, so really burn up the fuel. The very expensive fuel.
#3
You should know, you work in the underground base under the Denver airport, where the baggage are processed by the hybrids... isn't there a gateway to Hell, there, I'm told?
#1
While I refrained from commenting on LL, my observations:
Lack of adult males.
The emphasis on 'children playing'.
Lack of adult males.
Children missed school before to fetch water?
Lack of adult males.
Women tending fields.
Lack of adult males.
Oh...and I wonder if 'play-time' on the 'merry-go-round' is now mandatory?
The hypocrisy in using children as laborers, wrapped in a 'feel-good'/liberal blanket astonishes me.
Posted by: Ike ||
06/17/2008 10:28 Comments ||
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#2
Tending the fields has always been women's work in sub-Saharan Africa, Ike, according to the anthropology texts I read as a child. Girls missing school, likewise, school being a luxury while water is a necessity. I even know of a corporate charity project that simply provides sanitary napkins to adolescent girls in that part of the world because otherwise they aren't permitted in school while menstruating. The lack of adult males is a cogent point, though -- one would think they'd be involved in things large, mechanical, and important to the community.
As for the mandatory play time, I don't doubt it is mandatory, at least in the sense that no play equals no water. But that's still less time consuming, less physically laborious, and more fun than trekking down to the river and back, a jerry can at a time. The children were already labourers, as they are in all non-First World economies. There is no hypocrisy in making that labour a bit easier.
#3
"The work that is really a man's own work is play and not work at all."
Mark Twain
Genious. Looks like their lifestyle is not so dissimilar from this area's Little House on the Prarie years. You get 4 kids who liked a merry-go-round like I did and the adults would have to worry about too much water!
#4
While I had no sound on my computer, I believe I get the gist of this.
As someone currently living is Sub-Saharan Africa, I do not exactly understand this emphasis on children playing. They do play. They make their own play and to be sure it is more intellectually stimulating than the merry-go-round.
All the same, I am glad to see a labor saving device. They are sorely needed here for both the women and the children.
And Ike, perhaps I missed something without the audio, but yes, children likely missed a lot of school fetching water. Boys and girls alike -boys for the animals and fields when they are small and the girls for the cooking, babysitting and feilds until whenever the family decided (if ever) they can go to school.
Oh, and the lack of adult males? They are all in the city. Much of the rural and/or farming population in my region is comprised of women and children and younger males who have not yet gone to the cities to try and earn money. Or old men who either are too old to work with the women or see it as womens work and therefore won't do it.
#5
Thank you for the local perspective, sjb. That is one of the things that makes Rantburg so valuable. The charity lady in the video did go on a bit about girls now no longer having to miss part of the school day because they were fetching water, unlike the boys... however realistic, or unrealistic, her comment might be.
#1
Well the photo isn't of a British or French or Dutch-Belgium flag. The centric double eagle would be reflective of the Prussian-Russian-Austrian lot. The field of the flag is not standard Prussian for the period. However, between the first abdication of Napoleon and the 100 Days, a good number of ad hoc landwehr and freikorps German units were consolidated on enrolled into Prussian formations on paper but had yet to receive new uniforms and equipment. Possibly the source or maybe its someone's early 19th century concept of 'creative' attachment to one of their major events of the era, sorta like a 'magic hat'.
Wichita residents may soon be asked to gas up their cars at night and use electric lawn mowers to reduce smog levels. The Wichita City Council will be asked Tuesday to endorse a plan that would encourage area residents to clean up their air before the Environmental Protection Agency steps in and does it for them.
Kay Johnson, the city's director of Environmental Services, said she hopes the proposed resolution will result in a public education program that cuts significantly into the city's ozone levels. If the city fails to comply with recently tightened EPA ozone standards, she said, every resident and business in Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey and Sumner counties could be forced to live with new pollution-control measures.
The estimated cost of not complying, she said, is $10 million a year.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has scheduled a June 26 meeting in Wichita to brief local officials and other interested parties about how they can develop a plan to improve the city's air quality. If the City Council agrees, Johnson said, the public education campaign will include public service announcements that encourage residents to make modest lifestyle changes -- such as mowing lawns and gassing up cars after 6 p.m., when ozone levels are lowest.
'The easy things have already been done,' she said.
Johnson also said residents can help keep ozone levels in check by tuning up their cars and turning them off while waiting for passing trains. They also can help by using electric lawn mowers and trimmers instead of gas-powered equipment. I was just joking with a friend of mine about how personal water features could be considered bird sanctuaries up north, and then this comes out in the news this morning and follows a decision by Wichita to not switch to hybrid city vehicles because 'by the time they would start to pay off the city would be forced to get rid of them' -EPA gone wild- Wichita is not one of those places where you see the skyline from 60 miles out, also notice that it is not increased pollution but a decrease in the EPA standard.
With the right wind especially in summer the winds would carry air from OKC and Dallas. Also there is a rather large AFB and aircraft manufacturing base - I guess those could be shut down and then they really would not have to worry about pollution from Wichita. As one commenter put it, 'I can't afford my government helping me!'
The Pentagon misled Congress about security issues at Peterson Air Force Base, vastly understating the threat an attack would pose to NORAD, before the nation's air and space defense command moved there in May from Cheyenne Mountain, a classified document suggests.
Military leaders reported to Congress on March 3 that a Systems Effectiveness Assessment of Peterson's Building 2, where the nation's homeland security nerve center is located, identified 'several physical security problems.'
The assessment actually was more pointed and pessimistic, saying that 'the existing security system at Peterson AFB supporting Building 2 would fail if attacked by even a low-level threat.' Building 2 is right next to the northern fence. You can literally hit it with a rock.
He was especially troubled by the failure to assess risk associated with the NORAD command center being next to an airport. 'There's going to be lots of air traffic and that's going to make it difficult to identify whether there's hostile aircraft until the last minute, if at all,' he said. 'You won't know it's intention until it's too late.' Rest at link. Pretty damning about our security there.
#1
...Part of the problem is that the ADMIRAL who ordered the move essentially told NORAD that there were NO problems, that everything was fine, and by God he wanted that move accomplished. Instead of somebody calling BS, everybody saluted and made it happen.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
06/17/2008 17:56 Comments ||
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Police closed 32 clothes shops and hairdressers and stopped cars and pedestrians in the street in an intensified crackdown on women who do not abide by Iran's strict Islamic dress code and on men who take up fashions seen as too Western, Iranian media reported Monday.
The sweep, which was launched Saturday in some neighborhoods of Teheran, is part of an annual campaign aimed at enforcing dress codes, which require women to wear long loose robes or coats and cover their hair in public. Many women, particularly in Teheran, push the boundaries of the code, wearing short, colorful coats that show the shape of the body and letting their headscarves slip to show much of their hair.
In past years, the government of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has launched the sweeps at the start of summer, when warmer temperatures bring more people into the streets of the capital and women dress lighter. During the crackdown, police stop women in the streets, issuing them warnings or even arresting them if their garb is deemed unsuitable. Men are also targeted for having long hair and other styles deemed too Western.
But the shutting of shops appeared to be a new step, aimed at stopping the selling of shorter coats and lighter headscarves. The pro-reform daily Kargozaran reported Monday that police were questioning women and men where they bought their clothes or had their hair done, then targeting the shops.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[2 views]
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#1
Did anyone tell them that lots of westerners like to grow beards and moustaches?
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.
METRO VANCOUVER - A human left foot was found Monday on Westham Island in Ladner - the fifth disarticulated foot discovered since August on B.C.'s south coast. Delta Police and the B.C. Coroners Service are trying to establish the identity of the remains and determine whether they can be linked to the recovery of four other feet. The last one found before this was located just upriver last month.
A tire on a Southwest Airlines 737 jet caught fire Monday morning at Sky Harbor Airport at about 11 a.m., officials said. No injuries were reported on the plane, which was carrying 127 passengers and five crew members.
