MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

By Dan Calic – “For years we’ve heard Muslims commonly defined by a couple of different terms, ‘radical’ or ‘moderate.’

Yet what exactly do these terms mean?

Dr. Wafa Sultan, born and raised in the Muslim culture of Syria, who now resides in the US, and is a strong advocate of women’s rights, recently provided some interesting insight on this topic during an interview. What immediately caught my attention was her comment that the term ‘radical’ doesn’t exist in the Muslim world.

No ‘radicals?’ What is she talking about?

‘This is a term invented by the West,’ according to Dr. Sultan. She also indicated those who suggest Islam has been ‘hijacked by radicals’ were off base. Those whom the West calls ‘radicals’ are quite simply the ones who are adherents to the faith.

Dr. Sultan explained that while there no ‘radicals’ in the Muslim world, there are ‘moderates.’ However, one needs to take note this has nothing to do with Islam itself.

‘Islam is Islam,’ she explained. A ‘moderate’ Muslim is an individual who has made a personal choice not to be an adherent to the tenets of Islam. A typical way to describe such a person in the west is ‘secular.’

However, in the Muslim world a ‘secular’ or ‘moderate’ is considered a non-believer or infidel. Such people are routinely subjected to torture and according to Islamic law should be put to death. Islam is also the only religion that mandates the death of someone who decides to leave the faith.” Read more.

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK – “TRIPOLI, Libya — After six months battling a rebellion that his family portrayed as an Islamist conspiracy, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s son and one-time heir apparent said Wednesday that he was reversing course to forge a behind-the-scenes alliance with radical Islamist elements among the Libyan rebels to drive out their more liberal-minded confederates.

‘The liberals will escape or be killed,’ the son, Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, vowed in an hourlong interview that stretched past midnight. ‘We will do it together,’ he added, wearing a newly grown beard and fingering Islamic prayer beads as he reclined on a love seat in a spare office tucked in a nearly deserted downtown hotel. ‘Libya will look like Saudi Arabia, like Iran. So what?’

The leading Islamist whom Mr. Qaddafi identified as his main counterpart in the talks, Ali Sallabi, acknowledged their conversations but dismissed any suggestion of an alliance. He said the Libyan Islamists supported the rebel leaders’ calls for a pluralistic democracy without the Qaddafis.

But the interview nonetheless offered a rare glimpse into the defiant, some say delusional, mentality of the Qaddafi family at a time when they have all but completely retreated from public view under the threat of a NATO bombing campaign, now five months old, and a six-month rebellion.

On one level, Mr. Qaddafi’s avowed embrace of the Islamists represents a sharp personal reversal for a man who had long styled himself as a cosmopolitan, Anglophile advocate of Western-style liberal democracy. He continues to refer to the Islamists as ‘terrorists’ and ‘bloody men,’ and says, ‘We don’t trust them, but we have to deal with them.'” Read more.

Killers of Libyan rebels’ military chief were members of an Islamist-linked militia allied to the rebel campaign  – “The gunmen who shot dead the Libyan rebels’ military chief Abdul Fatah Younis were members of an Islamist-linked militia allied to the campaign to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi, according to a National Transitional Council minister. After 24 hours of confusion surrounding the death, the NTC’s oil minister, Ali Tarhouni, said Younis had been killed by members of the Obaida Ibn Jarrah Brigade, a militia named after one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, suggesting that Islamist elements were involved.” Read more.

By Greig Box-Turnbull – “GOVERNORS at Britain’s top terror jail believe al-Qaeda extremists are planning a major attack as payback for Osama bin Laden’s death.

Security has been stepped up to ‘unprecedented’ levels at Belmarsh prison after warnings that the Muslim Boys gang is plotting a revenge mission. A 15-strong riot squad in stab-proof vests has hidden around the jail’s chapel during Muslim prayers on Fridays in case of an attack.

Another team of officers has been on standby ready to assist.

Prisoners on House Block One, which includes 39 terror suspects, added to the tension by staging a mass show of defiance on Friday.

Inmates refused to return to their cells and a source says ‘staff very nearly lost control of the jail’.

The standoff was only ended when officers brandished batons and demanded a retreat as they marched towards the prisoners.

The source said: ‘It’s a powder keg waiting to go off.

‘There are concerns it will take an officer’s death before the Muslim Boys are tackled seriously.

‘The levels of security being employed are unprecedented.Management are worried the Muslim Boys are planning an incident in Bin Laden’s honour on a scale never seen before.'” Read more.

“Palestinian officials said Monday they plan to begin mass marches against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank on September 20, the eve of a largely symbolic UN vote expected to recognize their independence.

Palestinian official Yasser Abed Rabbo said leaders hope to attract millions, and the protest will be the first of a prolonged effort. He said the campaign would be called ‘Palestine 194,’ since the Palestinians hope to become the 194th member of the United Nations.

‘The appeal to the UN is a battle for all Palestinians, and in order to succeed, it needs millions to pour into streets,’ he said.

With peace talks stalled, the Palestinians have decided to ask the UN to endorse their independence. They plan to ask the powerful Security Council, whose decisions are legally binding, for approval as a full member of the world body.

The U.S. opposes the Palestinian initiative and has signaled it will use its veto power in the council to defeat the measure.

That would force the Palestinians to turn to the much larger General Assembly, where they enjoy widespread support. While a vote there would be symbolic, the Palestinians believe any international endorsement will isolate Israel and improve their position if negotiations resume.

Palestinian officials said Monday they plan to begin mass marches against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank on September 20, the eve of a largely symbolic UN vote expected to recognize their independence.

Palestinian official Yasser Abed Rabbo said leaders hope to attract millions, and the protest will be the first of a prolonged effort. He said the campaign would be called ‘Palestine 194,’ since the Palestinians hope to become the 194th member of the United Nations.” Read more.

“Beijing (CNN) — Weekend violence in northwest China left at least 14 people dead and more than 40 injured as authorities searched for additional suspects in a pair of attacks, a government official said Monday.

Local officials blamed the violence on an Islamic separatist group.

An explosion in the city of Kashi in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on Sunday killed six people, said Hou Hanmin, a regional government spokesman. The blast also injured 15 people, including three police, Hou said.

Kashi — as the city is called in Chinese — is also known as Kashgar in the Uyghur language.

On Saturday, a knifing spree in the same city started when two men stabbed a truck driver, took control of the vehicle and drove into pedestrians, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The men then hopped out of the truck and attacked bystanders before locals subdued them.

Eight people died in Saturday’s violence, Hou said. One suspect was killed in the fighting, and another was apprehended.” Read more.

July 21, 2011: China: Rioters Shout ‘Allah is the Only God’ While Hacking People to Death – “Police shot down 14 rioters who attacked a police station in Hotan city of Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Monday, a Communist Party official in Hotan said Wednesday. The official, who declined to be named, said the attack left four people dead, including an armed police officer, a security guard, a woman and a teenage girl. At least three others were injured.” Read more.