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The Christians of the Near East and Islamist ideology

09/15/2011 Leave a comment

Significant numbers of respondents in ‘moderate’ Islamic countries adhere to many not-so-moderate views …

By Bernardo Cervellera – “Radical Islam has always been present in Islam, but it has emerged in recent decades thanks to the Muslim Brotherhood (founded in Egypt in 1928) and with the support from the Saudi Wahhabi ideology. It supposes a literalist interpretation of Islam and a return to the origins of Islam – that of Mohammed and the four caliphs – as a way to reaffirm the dignity of the Muslim communities in the world.

Their enemies are the corrupt Islamic governments (almost all) the atheist and colonial West, the State of Israel, and finally Christians, often banded together with the West, although the Islamists often target the Christian communities who were present in the Middle East long before Muhammad.

The choice of violence and terrorism seen as a religious act in praise of Allah that purifies the world by destroying the enemies of Islam is linked to the Islamic world.

What weight does this interpretation of Islam have?

A survey by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion published by AsiaNews [1] March 4, 2009, showed that at least 30% of respondents in several Muslim countries – Egypt, Palestine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Jordan and Morocco – supported the use of bombs and murder to achieve political and religious purposes.

A large majority supported the goal of al Qaeda to ‘push the U.S. to remove its bases and its military forces from all Islamic countries’. These include 87% of Egyptians, 64% of Indonesians, 60% of Pakistanis.

Other aims of al Qaeda also received wide support. Among these, ‘the strict application of sharia law in all Islamic countries and the unification of all Islamic countries into a single Islamic state or Caliphate’ received the support of 65% of Egyptians and 48% of Indonesians, 76% Pakistanis and Moroccans. ‘Keeping Western values out of Islamic countries’, another of the organization’s goals gained the support of 88% in Egypt, 76% in Indonesia, 60% in Pakistan and by 64% in Morocco.” Read more.

New Libyan Leader Says Libya Will Be A ‘Moderate Islamic State’ … Based Upon Sharia Law

09/15/2011 8 comments

Western ears often hear the word ‘moderate’ and think ‘peaceful’ or ‘free’ or ‘democratic’, thus in the minds of the naive and the willingly ignorant there’s no need for worry.  Their logic dictates that although Libya’s new constitution and laws will be based upon Sharia, being ‘moderate’ will therefore mean that we’ll have a country that is kind, that is peaceful, that is full of happy-happy-joy-joy feelings where everyone can sit around a Saturday evening campfire and sing ‘Kumbaya’ holding hands and roasting Halal marshmallows.

When it comes to ‘non-moderate’ Islamic governments we think of the theocracy that rules Iran.  We think of the Taliban of Afghanistan.  We think of Hamas ruling in Gaza.  Or Hezbollah in Lebanon.  Yet for a ‘moderate’ Islamic government we’ll often envision Indiana Jones chasing after lost relics in a nation like Egypt.  We’ll think of a moderate country like Indonesia.  Or a moderate society in Malaysia.  Or a moderate state such as Turkey.  Yet Egypt is where Christians have been persecuted and killed for centuries, before and during Mubarak, and now at an increasing pace post-revolution.  In Indonesia Islamic teachers are attacked for speaking against violence, and a television station is forced to pull a film promoting religious tolerance because some Muslims were offended and threatened to riot.  In Malaysia the government can now charge non-Muslims with ‘blasphemy’ for simply quoting from the Qur’an ‘insincerely’, where at least one Muslim group has declared jihad against Christians simply for disagreeing with them.  Turkey is responsible for — and continues to deny — the genocide of over one million Armenian Christians.  And the examples don’t end there.

The fact of the matter is this: there will always be persecution of Jews and Christians in Muslim countries, regardless of any ‘moderate’ label, either directly from the government itself or from the local Muslim population.  And a ‘moderate’ Libya will be no different

The Mark of the 'Moderate Islamist'

“Libya will be a modern, democratic state founded on ‘moderate Islam’, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the prime minister of Libya’s interim National Transitional Council, has told a cheering crowd in Tripoli.

Joined in Martyr’s Square by several dozen revolutionary leaders, and backed by a firework display, Jalil told the thousands of flag-waving supporters that Libya would not be a secular state.

Jalil said: ‘We strive for a state of the law, for a state of prosperity, for a state that will have Islamic sharia law the basis of legislation.’

‘We are a Muslim nation, with a moderate Islam, and we will maintain that. You are with us and support us – you are our weapon against whoever tries to hijack the revolution.’

Urging the crowd not to take retribution against political opponents, Jalil said that ‘moderate’ Libyans should accept their differences without resorting to fighting.

‘Absolutely, there will be tensions. There will be different views. That’s the whole point of the revolution … The main thing now is how to solve these conflicts in a peaceful way, not resort to armed fighting.'” Read more.

Libya: Rebels ‘execute 85 mercenaries, including 12 Serbs’ – “Libyan rebels who control most of the country after defeating Muammar Gaddafi’s military, have executed 85 foreign mercenaries, including 12 Serbs, in the city of Misrata alone, Serbian media reported on Tuesday. Belgrade daily Press said the executions took place in the state insurance building in Misrata after it was taken by the forces loyal to rebels’ National Transitional Council (NTC). Among the killed mercenaries, who fought on Gaddafi’s side, were also nine Croats, 11 Ukrainians and ten Colombians, the paper said. The report was also confirmed by Zagreb daily Vecernji list whose correspondent in Misrata, Hasan Hajdar Dijab, said many mercenaries had been killed in fighting, but those arrested were shot in the head.” Read more.

Obama’s Libyan Rebel ‘Allies’ Are Rounding Up and Jailing Thousands of Black Africans – “Rebel forces and armed civilians are rounding up thousands of black Libyans and migrants from sub-Sahara Africa, accusing them of fighting for ousted strongman Moammar Gadhafi and holding them in makeshift jails across the capital. Virtually all of the detainees say they are innocent migrant workers, and in most cases there is no evidence that they are lying. But that is not stopping the rebels from placing the men in facilities like the Gate of the Sea sports club, where about 200 detainees — all black — clustered on a soccer field this week, bunching against a high wall to avoid the scorching sun.” Read more.

Sweden: Imam Calls to Kill Converts on Radio Sweden, ‘It is the Duty of Every Muslim to Kill Those Who Leave Islam’

09/15/2011 Leave a comment

“‘It is the duty of every Muslim to kill those who leave Islam.’ This statement was made on Radio Sweden recently when an Imam from Rinkeby (Stockholm) was allowed to speak about how people should act against Somalis who convert to Christianity.

The program with the death threats against converts was broadcast by the Somali department of Radio Sweden and was a follow-up on a previous segment about a group of Christian Somalis who came to Rinkeby Square to evangelize. They also got to talk about it in the radio report.

‘I was there when they preached about Christianity. I also spoke with the guys who converted,’ said Kenadid Mohamed, the reporter who did the segment.

Rinkeby is a suburb of Stockholm where many Somalis live, and the evangelizing Somalis got a crowd who understood the language.

‘Some saw it as a provocation that they came and preached about Christianity outside the [mosque] during Ramadan,’ says Kenadid Mohamed.” Read more.

Calling a Spade a Spade: Sun News Interviews Robert Spencer

09/15/2011 Leave a comment

Palestinians: We Will Seek Full UN Membership on September 23, Netanyahu to Address UN Before Vote

09/15/2011 4 comments

“Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Thursday that the Palestinians will submit a bid for full membership at the United Nations Security Council on September 23, but said that they would be open to other suggestions.

The remarks by Malki put an end to speculation that the Palestinians might avoid a showdown with the United States by sidestepping the Security Council and going directly to the UN General Assembly to seek a lesser status of a non-member observer.

Malki said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will personally submit the Palestinian request for membership to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after addressing the General Assembly on the afternoon of Sept. 23. In the meantime, he said the Palestinians would listen to suggested alternatives.

‘We will see if anyone carries with him or her any credible offer that will allow us to look into it seriously and to be discussed in the Palestinian leadership. Otherwise, on the 23rd at 12:30, the president will submit the application,’ Malki told foreign journalists in Ramallah.

The U.S. does not wield veto power in the General Assembly, and a Palestinian bid there would be expected to win majority approval.” Read more.

Netanyahu says he’ll address UN ahead of PA statehood vote – “After weeks of deliberation, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that he would go to a United Nations General Assembly meeting next week to discuss the Palestinian statehood bid. Speaking at a press conference with visiting Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas, Netanyahu said he will ‘speak the truth to those who want to hear it’ at the UN General Assembly. Netanyahu said that the General Assembly is not ‘the place where Israel generally gets reasonable hearing,’ but it was nonetheless important to present Israel’s position.” Read more.

Sudan: Muslims Text Death Threats to Christians, ‘We Must Kill the Infidels and Destroy Their Churches’

09/14/2011 Leave a comment

By Bob Unruh – “Muslim extremists are using a relatively new tool in their attempt to intimidate and bully Christians, with death threats sent by text-messaging to Christian church leaders, a new report confirms.

The report comes from Compass Direct, which monitors and reports on Christian issues around the globe. The situation has developed in Sudan.

‘We want this country to be purely an Islamic state, so we must kill the infidels and destroy their churches all over Sudan,’ Compass Direct sources in the African nation have reported that one text message said.

The texts were dispatched to leaders of at least 10 churches in the Khartoum area, and came in recent weeks, the report said.

Christian church leaders in the region have been at risk for years, even with the recent declaration of a new nation, South Sudan, which suggests some small level of separation from the Muslim-dominated north Sudan.

But sources for the ministry organization say that Islamists have continued to make targets out of Christians.

In fact, Muslim extremists from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh arrive every few weeks for training in secret camps before they are dispatched on various “missions” around Sudan to destroy Christians and their churches, according to sources inside Sudan.” Read more.

Islamists Emerge in Force in New Libya

09/14/2011 Leave a comment

By Leila Fadel – “TRIPOLI, Libya — For decades, bearded men in Libya were afraid to walk in the streets or go to the mosque, worried that to be seen as an Islamist would land them in prison, or worse.

As Libya’s leader, Moammar Gaddafi regarded Islamists as the greatest threat to his authority, and he ordered thousands of them detained, tortured and, in some cases, killed. The lucky ones fled the country in droves. But with Gaddafi now in hiding, Islamists are vying to have a say in a new Libya, one they say should be based on Islamic law.

Although it went largely unnoticed during the tumultuous civil war the regime lost last month, Islamists were at the heart of the fight, many as rebel commanders. Now some are clashing with secularists within the rebels’ Transitional National Council, prompting worries among some liberals that the Islamists — who still command the bulk of fighters and weapons — could use their strength to assert an even more dominant role.

‘We don’t want any vacuums or for those Islamists to steal the revolution,’ said a senior rebel leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the internal rifts.

Among the Islamists in the rebel ranks, a small fraction were militants who had previously waged war abroad. Some had fought Islamic wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechnya and Kosovo under a militant banner; some ended up in the arms of more extreme groups such as al-Qaeda. The city of Derna, a key bastion of resistance against Gaddafi in eastern Libya, was home to dozens of Libyan fighters who fought in Iraq after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.” Read more.

US Intelligence Report Says Libyan Jihadists Planning to Subvert Post-Gadhafi Gov’t and Create an Islamist State – “Jihadists among the Libyan rebels revealed plans last week on the Internet to subvert the post-Moammar Gadhafi government and create an Islamist state, according to U.S. intelligence agencies. U.S. officials said spy agencies are stepping up surveillance of Islamist-oriented elements among Libyan rebels. A government report circulated Tuesday said extremists were observed ‘strategizing’ on Internet forums about how to set up an Islamist state in Libya after the regime of Col. Gadhafi is defeated.” Read more.

Saudi Arabia: If the United States Vetoes Palestinian Membership, It Will Lose Saudi Arabia As An Ally

09/14/2011 Leave a comment

Will Obama placate yet again to ‘Muslim sensitivities’ and refrain from vetoing Palestinian membership on September 20th?  Contrary to what al-Faisal believes, there will be ‘another war in the region‘ regardless of whether or not the US exercises its veto power, and I think we all know what will happen to Saudi Arabia sooner rather than later if the ‘special relationship’ between the oppressive desert kingdom and the land of the free ceases to exist …

By Chris McGreal – “A FORMER head of Saudi Arabian intelligence and ex-ambassador to Washington, Turki al-Faisal, has warned that an American veto of Palestinian membership of the United Nations would end the ‘special relationship’ between the two countries, and make the US ‘toxic’ in the Arab world.

The warning comes as Washington is scrambling to avoid a scenario where it alone casts a veto in the UN Security Council against the Palestinian bid for recognition of statehood, which is expected to be formally requested next week.

The US is putting considerable pressure on the Palestinians not to submit the request, and on Britain – the only other permanent member of the Security Council that has not publicly supported the Palestinian request – to also exercise its veto if necessary.

Mr Faisal says in an article in The New York Times that the US will jeopardise its close ties with Saudi Arabia and further undermine its position in a changing Arab world if it again sides with Israel.

‘The United States must support the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations this month or risk losing the little credibility it has in the Arab world. If it does not, American influence will decline further, Israeli security will be undermined and Iran will be empowered, increasing the chances of another war in the region,’ Mr Faisal says.

‘Moreover, Saudi Arabia would no longer be able to co-operate with America in the same way it historically has. With most of the Arab world in upheaval, the ‘special relationship’ between Saudi Arabia and the United States would increasingly be seen as toxic by the vast majority of Arabs and Muslims, who demand justice for the Palestinian people.’ He adds: ‘Saudi leaders would be forced by domestic and regional pressures to adopt a far more independent and assertive foreign policy.’ Read more.

Obama Has Aggravated Muslim Extremism

09/13/2011 Leave a comment

By James Lewis – “We have the first administration in American history that’s both fabulously incompetent and anti-American to boot.

This weekend Charles Krauthammer said on Fox News that Obama is simply in over his head. But Rush Limbaugh thinks BHO is blowing up the economy on purpose.

Well, how about both? Maybe this is the Keystone Kops trying to commit national hara kiri?

Domestically, we’re in the longest recession in the last sixty years. And if that’s not enough, take our foreign policy. Please.

The howling fanatics who just stormed the Israeli Embassy in Cairo happen to be the same old Blind Sheikh gang that truck-bombed the Twin Towers in Manhattan in 1993. That was the first NYC attack by Radical Moos, remember? Eighteen years ago. Fortunately, that bomb didn’t do structural damage to the buildings, but it led straight to 9/11/01.

Bill Clinton managed to ignore the Blind Sheikh for two whole terms until ‘those chickens came home to roost’ on 9/11/01, to use Rev Wright lingo.

National Review’s Andy McCarthy was the federal prosecutor for the Blind Sheikh, and has spent years writing about all the chances we’ve blown against Jam’a al-Islamiya. Today they look stronger than ever, or they wouldn’t be storming the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, with Egypt’s boss General Tantawi refusing to answer the phone.

This attack represents the complete breakdown of the 30-year Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. It would never have happened if Obama had just left President Mubarak in peace. Mubarak kept the Moo Bros out of power.

But no…Obama’s Alinsky Reflex got triggered by those pictures of big crowds in Tahrir Square, and the New York Times told all the mediots that this had to be the ‘Arab Spring.’ CBS News promptly sent comely correspondent Lara Logan into Tahrir Square, where the Moo crowd turned on her and committed gang rape. Score another historic first for Obama and liberal insanity.

See, under Obama those peace-loving Muslims really like the United States of America. It’s because Obama shows respect.” Read more.

Israel Losing Its Grip on Old Regional Alliances, and the Worst Is Yet to Come

09/13/2011 Leave a comment

By Adrian Blomfield – “Since the tiny state was founded in 1948, Israel has always regarded itself as a vulnerable bastion of civilization in a hostile region bent on its destruction – ‘a villa in the jungle’, as Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, has put it. But in recent years, Barak’s crude metaphor had seemed less apposite, even as Israel’s interminable conflict with the Palestinians ground on unresolved. Indeed, the jungle seemed to be pushed back in places and tamed in others.

Israel has been at peace with Egypt, its oldest Arab ally, since Jimmy Carter’s triumphant summit at Camp David paved the way for a treaty that has been in many ways the bedrock of the country’s security, guaranteeing peace on its remote southern border. Jordan eventually followed suit, signing a peace treaty of its own, while Turkey strengthened another vital alliance, giving Israel the support of a heavy-hitting Muslim power in the region.

The rest of the Arab world still seemed implacable, but one by one its dictators, despite the anger of their populations, found it pragmatic to reach an accommodation of sorts with Israel, tolerating the interloper in their midst even if not accepting it. Even Syria, which technically remains at war with Israel, found it preferable to keep the peace despite the continued Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, captured during the Six Day War of 1967.

But, with alarming speed, all these gains now seem in jeopardy, leaving Israel terrified that the jungle is creeping back once more. This month has already proved one of the most nettlesome in Israel’s recent history – with worse to come before it is over, as the Palestinian leadership heads to the United Nations with a potentially explosive application for statehood.” Read more.

Turkey Installing New Military Tech That Will Allow Warplanes and Ships to Target Israel as the Enemy

09/13/2011 4 comments

We have not seen such drastic developments take place in the Muslim world in such a short period of time since the Six Day War.  Make no mistake about it: We are the generation that is again witnessing the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy unfold before our very eyes …

By Maayana Miskin – “In yet another sign of the deterioration in Israel-Turkish ties, Turkey’s Star Gazete reported Tuesday that the military is installing new technology that will allow warplanes and ships to target Israeli vessels. Previously, Turkish planes, ships and submarines used American technology, which automatically classified Israeli equipment as ‘friendly.’

The new system, developed in Turkey, will allow the Turkish military to decide which targets to label as friendly.

The switch was pioneered by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime. The system was declared ready just days after Erdogan suspended defense trade with Israel and termed Israel a ‘spoiled child.’

Among the planned deals canceled by Erdogan’s boycott of trade with the Israeli government may be a $141 million upgrade of Turkey’s F-16 fighter jets. The jets are to be one of the craft released from the automatic definition of Israel as friendly.” Read more.

Turkey Dispatches 3 Warships to Eastern Mediterranean – “Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dispatched 3 warships to the Eastern Mediterranean to ‘defend against Israeli vessels’ and ensure ‘freedom of navigation’ for his country’s ships, Today’s Zaman reported. The move, only the latest in Erdogan’s bellicose rhetorical assault on Israel, comes on the same day he called Israel’s boarding of the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara in 2010 ‘grounds for war’ adding only Turkey’s ‘greatness and patience’ had averted conflict.” Read more.

Turkish Prime Minister says recognizing Palestinian state is an obligation, ‘a symbol of peace’ and stability – “Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Edogan told a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo on Tuesday that the recognition of a Palestinian state was ‘not an option but an obligation.’ In a speech that will buttress his image as a regional leader, Erdogan also condemned Israel’s stance, saying the ‘aggressiveness’ of its policies ‘threaten the future of the Israeli people.”The recognition of a Palestinian state is the only right way. It’s not an option, but an obligation. God willing, by the end of this month, we will have the opportunity to see Palestine in a very different status at the United Nations,’ Erdogan said.” Read more.

Swiss Member of Parliament Has Had Enough!

09/12/2011 5 comments

“Excellent speech by Swiss member of Parliament Oskar Freysinger said with passion and truth that no politician in Washington is yet ready to speak from the floor of Congress. In order for us to beat back the Islamists we need some key leaders in Washington to make a similar speech and lead the nation against the Islamist threat head on.” Source.