< Islam & The West - Opinions Of A Kashmiri Nomad
Your Ad Here

Eye Witness: I Watched Saddam Die
Sunday, December 31, 2006
UPDATE

It seems that the description that is attributed to the Iraqi National Security advisor in this post may not have been a completely representative account of what happened to Saddam Hussein before his death. This has come to light after an unauthorized recording of the execution found its way onto the Internet. It is however the "official" version and I doubt they will change it.


There are video copies of Saddam Hussein's execution "doing the rounds" on the Internet. The video is most probably filmed from a mobile phone camera and the images are of a low quality, unofficial and uncensored.

I have refrained from either embedding the video or providing a link to it on this weblog. However I present this article from the Sunday Times of London and an interview that they did with an eye witness to the execution.

"We took him to the gallows room and he looked like he wondered what was going on," said Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the Iraqi government’s national security adviser, who saw him die. "He looked at the gallows not believing what was going to happen."

"Rubaie was among the 15 people in the ill-lit room that was Saddam’s last sight on earth. The former Iraqi dictator showed no remorse, said Rubaie, speaking by telephone from Baghdad."

"He was respected throughout before and after the execution. We followed rigorously international and Islamic standards."

"The American jailers who had custody of Saddam were ordered to surrender him to the Iraqi government. They offered him tranquillisers but Saddam refused. “We received physical custody of Saddam Hussein around 5.30am from the coalition forces, and we took over and he became ours,” said Rubaie."

"As US troops stood guard outside, Saddam was first led to a sparse and unheated holding room in the bowels of the headquarters of Iraqi military intelligence. It would not have been lost on him that his own security forces had tortured and killed many people in the same grim building. Saddam was left for about half an hour to contemplate his fate. Iraqi law provides that a condemned man be allowed a final cigarette and a meal before his execution."

“He was handcuffed and we took him and sat him down,” said Rubaie. “There was a judge, a deputy general, deputy minister of justice, deputy minister of interior, a couple of other ministers, myself and a doctor.” After formalities they took him through “a huge file” of documents detailing his trial for crimes against humanity.

“The judge took him through the conviction. He was silent until he saw a video camera, and then began shouting slogans such as ‘God is great’. He started his rhetoric: ‘Long live Islam, down with Persia’, down with this and that. He started shouting his head off.” Rubaie made a last gesture of mercy. “His handcuffs were a little bit tight, and hurt him, and I instructed the guards to loosen them.”

"The formalities over, the four masked executioners stepped forward. Short, tubby and dressed in leather jackets, they looked more like Al-Qaeda killers in an amateur terrorist video than those responsible for carrying out the sentence of death on a former head of state. Even though Saddam had shrunk in stature since the days of his pomp, he towered over them. "

"He was standing with the rope round his neck," said Rubaie. “The executioner started reading verses from the Koran, 'There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger'. He repeated it twice and [Saddam] went down in no time." The hangman pulled a lever, and Saddam dropped silently about 3ft through a metal trapdoor. It was 6.10am. Rubaie said he died instantly. "It was so, so quick, totally painless and there was no movement after that." (Source: The Sunday Times)

Another report from the scene of the execution can be found on the English website of Al-Jazeera.net

Some of the reasons as to why the execution took place so quickly can be accessed by clicking on the following link: Saddam Hussein is dead

Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 13:35:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Video: The Art Of Islamic Scientific Invention
The following video documents the contribution that Islamic civilisation has made to the fields of learning and invention:




Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 02:13:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Saddam Hussein Is Dead
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Saddam Hussein is dead. He was hung today at dawn in a prison complex situated at Kadimiyah , Baghdad Iraq. According to media reports American personal handed the former dictator over to the custody of Iraqi authorities recently who waisted no time in executing him.

At his trial Saddam Hussein the former President of Iraq was found guilty of crimes against humanity. The charges related to an attempted coup in the town of Al-Dujayl in the early 1980's. Where he ordered in revenge the killing of around 150 people

I wish now to have a look at some of the probable reasons as to why the execution took place so quickly:

(i) The most obvious reason is for the execution taking place is that Saddam is guilty and was found guilty by an independent court and was thus hung.

(ii) Saddam posed a very real security threat the longer he stayed alive. Authorities in Iraq feared that the longer Saddam stayed alive the more the likelihood of an attempt to release him by force through a jail break. Which in turn would have energised and boosted parts of the Sunni insurgency. Therefore it was an imperative that Saddam be "removed from the scene" as quickly as possible.

(iii) There are allegations that the sectarian and ethnic nature of the Iraqi government and the court process which found Saddam guilty played an important part in the decision to execute quickly. Historically Saddam Hussein had systematically oppressed and repressed the political ambitions of the both the Kurdish and Shi'ite populations of Iraq. Therefore his quick demise was seen not only as a just end for a vicious dictator but a form of revenge for all those that had suffered during his reign.

(iv) The current news coming out from "Operation Iraqi Freedom" does not reflect well on the politicians who originally advocated in favour of the invasion of Iraq. Both President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair are under tremendous political pressure at home over the current security situation in Iraq. Each new month is seen as the deadliest for American troops and Iraqi civilians. The recent Baker report on the way forward in Iraq has increased the pressure. Recommendations such as reducing the number of American armed forces in Iraq and talking to Iraq's neighbours Syria and Iran have been publicly rubbished by administration officials.

With "good news" so little on the ground the quick and speedy execution of Saddam Hussein comes a ray of sunshine in very dark skies. It points to a very tangible success against the backdrop of an increasing number of military and civilian deaths. Therefore the quicker events such as the execution of Saddam take place the better for all those politically concerned.

Moving on I now wish to have a look at some of the media coverage of Saddam's execution.

Back in October 2006 the American news network CNN aired a video by the Iraqi insurgent group Jaish Al-Islami Fil Iraq (Islamic Army In Iraq). The video showed an Iraqi sniper shooting at American soldiers. CNN was universally panned by conservative blogs and commentators for broadcasting snuff films. I wonder how many of those blogs and commentators will be using images such as this one of Saddam.

Obviously there can never be a moral equivalence between what Saddam Hussein did to his people and what an American solider does. But I am sure the principle is the same. Neither Americans being shot at should be used for propaganda purposes nor pictures of Saddam with a noose around his neck.

Does all of today's news change the situation is Iraq ? For a certainty the death of Saddam Hussein signifies the end of a very brutal dictator's life. However he has for the most part been inconsequential to the every day lives of Iraqis since his capture. Will his death stop the cycle of violence most certainly not. This is witnessed by the raised levels of security both in Iraq and American installations around the world.

When coalition forces invaded Iraq the world was told it was to remove the threat of weapons of mass destruction, liberate the Iraqi people from the worst dictator since Hitler and to spread democracy in the Middle East. If we are now to give marks for achievement in terms of those aims the coalition would score 1/3.

Will the coalition be able to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq ? Will democracy spread around the Middle East because of Operation Iraqi Freedom? At this present moment in time it seems that only G-d knows the answer to these questions. What is certain though is that a lot more lives will be lost.


Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 18:35:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

A Message For Eid:





Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 03:58:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Video: The Psychosis That Is Islam
The speech recorded in this video is supposed to increase the love between people of the Jewish and Christian faiths. They only way the speaker could find do this is to demonize Muslims. Its one of the oldest tricks in the "western" book.

Anyway every time you read or hear a someone taking about hate propaganda and demonization of the "infidels" by Muslims just remember the speaker in this video. He is low on scriptural evidence but high on fear and playing to the audience's anxieties.

The speakers name is Avi Lipkin and the video is produced by an organisation called The Cross Over.




Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 03:23:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Homophobia Western Style
Friday, December 29, 2006
Have you ever thought that the discourse between the west and theMuslims is conducted in an atmosphere of superiority and hypocrisy ? Many in the west believe that they are personally by genetic disposition or birth superior to any other race or creed. This hypocrisy manifests itself most clearly when the discussion turns to Islam and the "clash of civilisations" with the west.

One topic that is used to illustrate the point that western societies are superior to Muslim societies centers around attitudes to homosexuality. On the whole the image portrayed of western societies and their populace is one of a fondness and tolerance to homosexuality. Whereas the opposite is true of Muslim societies where homosexuality is not only considered a religious abomination but is also considered a social crime.

This purpose of the this post is not to advocate nor deny gay rights. I believe whether one wishes to be a homosexual is matter of personal choice. The purpose of this post however is to show the glaring hypocrisy when it comes to the relationship between the "western", advanced and secular world and the backward, religious Muslim world.

I believe it advantageous at this point to examine the following news piece from the United Kingdom where the government is guiding schools to raise awareness amongst children about "gay rights":


"Anger at gay school week plans"

SCHOOLS could stage "gay weeks" under Home Office plans to tackle homophobia.

New guidelines suggest classes in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual awareness may cut hate crime.

Discussions on anti-gay attitudes could be included in citizenship lessons or anti-bullying weeks.

Pupils and parents should also be encouraged to report schools which fail to take homophobia seriously, according to ministers.

And complaints on playground name-calling could be made direct to police via the Internet.

But the plans drew strong criticism. Tory MP Philip Davies said: "It's barmy, politically correct nonsense to brainwash kids. Schools should concentrate on teaching children the 3Rs." ( Source: The Sun)

What has been the reaction to this news from some readers of the English daily ? Do the sentiments recorded evoke the type of attitudes that Muslims should be emulating ? Lets have a look The Sun again:

"I think it's outrageous that the government wants to teach children how to be gay, but on the plus side I've amused myself for the last few minutes thinking up gay reworkings of the three Rs, and they're all absolutely filthy."

"I am not homophobic or xenphobic but I would prefer weeks where my sons are taught to read and write English.

More politically correct nonsense "

"And do I take it, in order to have totally equality in this so called political correctness state, that the government will be proposing also to have Straight Weeks where schoolkids of a homosexual nature must be ordered to see how hetrosexuals feel about having Gay Weeks where hetrosexuals must be ordered to see what homosexuals feel about living in a hetro world ??...Yes, well..why don't we all have a nice cup of tea and a rich tea biscuit and think this one out before making such stupid decisions... "

What is the likelihood that those who express such views also view Muslims as being backward and unable to stand minorities amongst their midst. How many of these "westerners" believe in teaching Muslims a lesson or two about living with minorities and human rights. How many of them wish to remove rights from gays ? How many of them oppose gay marriage or civil unions ?

It is very easy and rich wishing to lecture others about this, that and the other but a lot harder to accept that "all is not well at home". If one is hell bent on lecturing others let it not be a case of the pot calling the kettle black.


Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 17:24:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

"Muslims Are So Evil They Are Taking Over The World"
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
West Point"Run for the hills Jimmy them Mozlimz are a comin"

The Christian Science Monitor reports that the Pentagon is on a "recruitment" drive aimed at increasing the intake of Muslims into the U.S. armed forces.

New measures have been introduced in order to help in the recruiting of Muslims they include the following:

"West Point and the other service academies have opened Muslim prayer rooms, as have military installations.

Imams serve full- and part-time as chaplains at the academies and some bases.

Top non-Muslim officers and Pentagon officials have taken to celebrating religious events with Muslims overseas and here in the US." (Source: Christian Science Monitor)

The message is quite clear from the administration and as Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England stated in an interview:

"There is a message here, and that is that Muslims and the Islamic religion are totally compatible with Western values,"

Has the move to increase the number of Muslim personal been welcomed by everyone ? Does the average "concerned Joe" welcome Muslims dieing for him, his freedoms and rights ? The Christian Science Monitor again :

Col. John Cook, the senior chaplain at West Point, says that after media reports about the academy's new Muslim prayer room, he got a call from a self-described "concerned citizen" who fretted that "the Muslims are taking over the world."

"I told him, 'I'm a Christian chaplain, but I have the responsibility to provide for other faith groups,' " Colonel Cook says. Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish cadets all have their own chapels at West Point"

There is no pleasing some people. If Muslims do not "integrate" they are hated and if they "integrate" too much well then they are still hated. It seems which ever way it is in the final analysis Muslims will be hated.

Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 21:44:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Animation: 231 Years Of Bloody American Military History
Maps Of War have another excellent animation chronicling 231 years of American military campaigns.

You might just be surprised how many wars America has fought in its relatively short history:





Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 18:20:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Animation: 5000 Years Of Religious History In 90 Seconds
Maps of War have created a new animation. The last one dealt with the history of the Middle East in 90 seconds this one deals with 5000 thousands years worth of religious history in 90 seconds:





Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 18:08:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Video: Muslims Never Condemn Violence In The Name Of Islam (3)
Carrying on with our series exposing the lies of the "western Islamophobes" I present the latest installment. This is a video produced by an organisation called FreeMuslims.Org.

The video speaks for itself and puts a further nail into the claim that Muslims do not condemn violence in the name of Islam:




The other posts in this series can be found by clicking the following links:

(i) Those Evil Muslims They Never Condemn Violence In the Name of Islam (1)

(ii) Muslims Never Condemn Violence Committed In The Name Of Islam

(iii) Those Evil Muslims They Never Condemn Violence In The Name Of Islam (2)

(iv) Muslims Never Condemn Radical Islam

Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 15:51:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Israel And Her Christian Zionist Supporters
Monday, December 25, 2006
IsraPundit is a blog that presents a Jewish perspective on the situation in the Middle East has a very interesting post dealing with the support for the state of Israel amongst American Christians.

The post deals with the manner in which up to date Israel has dealt with the pro-Israeli Christian movement in the United States. The author laments at about the fact that American Jewry is in demographic decline and Israel must use the unwavering support of Evangelical Christians for the future survival of the Jewish state.

The post also deals with a concern amongst many in the Jewish faith that evangelical Christian support for Israel is a backdoor through which Christians wish to convert Jews to Christianity.

The most interesting point about the post was a comment from one of the weblog's American Christian contributors. Who asked forgiveness for the manner in which successive American administrations have dealt with the Jewish state:

"On behalf of all of Israel’s supporters in the US I would like to say to Israelis that we know that the American government has often times treated you rather badly and American policy has, on balance, been much more favorable to your enemies than it has been to you. We humbly ask for your forgiveness and we ask for you to pray for us and we shall pray for you. If God be willing, he can bring our countries close together and He can bless and protect both of our nations." (Source: IsraPundit)

My views on the situation in Israel are well known to anyone who reads this weblog regularly. I support the expansion of the state of Israel to encompass all of Eretz Israel (Greater Israel) as define by the Old Testament. A nation that will stretch from the Nile to the Euphrates. Having said that even I found these comments surprising. I am sure that the average Palestinian or Arab or Muslim will be astonished to find out that American policy has been more favorable to Israel's enemies than to her.

Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 15:45:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Video: Muslims Get What They Deserve And They Deserve Abu Gharib
Sunday, December 24, 2006
ADULT CONTENT- THIS POST CONTAINS SEXUALLY EXPLICIT AND VIOLENT MATERIAL

Most of us by now will have seen some of the images from the Abu Ghraib prision scandal in Iraq. Just to jog your memory the incident came to light in August 2004 when CBS's 60 Minutes aired allegations that U.S. armed forces personal were involved in torture and the unlawful killing of Iraqi detainees. Much of the content of what actually transpired in Abu Ghraib is considered still to this day by U.S. authorities as being too explicit for public consumption. Probably because a great deal of it was of torture and sexual in nature.

In the final outcome after investigations and court trails a number of low ranking forces personal were punished for what happened in Abu Ghraib. The U.S. government maintains that the scandal represented the actions of a "few bad apples in the barrel". However critics of the administration claim that those in the chain of command running all the way up to the then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should be held accountable. They claim that it was the Defense Department and the upper echelons of the political establishment that created the ambiguity in the rules of interrogation that lead to the crimes at Abu Ghraib. How much of this is true only time will tell. These matters have a habit of coming to light at some point most usually after all the participants have long since died.

The reason why I brought up this topic today was because I saw the following video. It is produced by an Australian who views the actions of those forces personal in Abu Ghraib as being entirely justified. A justification he bases on the fact that the United States was attacked in 2001.

It will come as no surprise that such people exist. The point of this post is not to draw attention to that. It is however to ask the question where is the outrage from the west against people who think in such a manner ? Why are they allowed to hide behind the mantra of freedom of speech/ expression in order to spread their venomous hate. The producer of this clip gave life to his fantasies, he is after all only one person but dare I say there are many others who think and feel like him. What is the west doing to combat the cancer of hate that is in its midst ?





Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 21:28:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Video: The History Of The Original Dracula

The following is a History Channel documentary about a Romanian Prince. The film records the life of the Vlad Dracula who was famous for waging war in eastern Europe against the Ottoman Caliphate.

The video is a historical record of a man who was nick named "Vlad the Impaler". It sheds some light on the mindset behind Europeans who firstly became Christians and then later spread Christianity around the globe. For those who think that it was by medieval Christians attending Bible study groups, drinking afternoon tea and eating cucumber sandwiches well just remember the name of Vlad the Impaler




Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 02:12:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Muslims And Their Suspicious Actions
Saturday, December 23, 2006
What constitutes a suspicious action ? I suppose if one thinks about it anything can in the "right" context be considered suspicious. How about prayer ? If a Christian or a Jewish person prays is that considered suspicious ? If a Muslim prays is that considered suspicious ?

Nawal Ebrahim is a Saudi women who has been building awareness amongst the F.B.I and Ohio police about Islam and Muslims.

During one of her sessions she narrates of an incident when three Muslim youths were "caught" praying:

The youths were watching a basketball match and cheering their team in a US stadium.

"When the time for prayer approached, one of them asked the employee, who was in charge of the stadium, about a vacant place where they could per form the prayers."

"When the three started praying, "one of the security guards noticed them and thought that they were engaged in some [suspicious] activities".

The frightened guard informed the FBI and the officials "whisked them away for interrogation" soon after. (Source: Gulf News)

The incident is anecdotal, did it actually happen who knows for certain. What I do know is that it would not be considered out of the ordinary if it did happen.

For Muslims prayer is an act of worship through which one humbles himself before God. For some non-Muslims it seems that it is some type of satanic and evil pre-cursor to a murderous event. Maybe therein lies the problem.

Image: Ali Imran

Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 16:56:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Your Child And The Threat That Is Islam
Friday, December 22, 2006
Have you ever considered what would happen if your child or children converted to Islam ? How would you react ? What would you do or say ?

It appears that precisely the thought of "Islamic indoctrination and brainwashing" has caused a group of parents in an English town to remove their children from religious classes where Islam is taught. Islam is so dangerous that it cannot even be taught to children!

As one who has gone through a Christian education I can say that I did not turn out in later life to be a Bible thumping member of the "Jesus Squad". Therefore may I be so bold as to claim that these particular parents are being a little over sensitive. Learning about different religions, languages and cultures can only help a child to appreciate and interact with the world around him or her.

This story proves the point against those that wish to have us believe that the populace of the west just "love" Islam and all the hate, prejudice and bigotry is from the Muslims.

"PARENTS in Swindon want their children pulled from religious education classes that teach them about Islam, town headteachers have warned.

According to the annual report of the Standing Advisory Council On Religious Education - the thinktank of religious leaders, teachers, councillors and community members that meets four times a year to devise the religious education agenda in Swindon's schools - headteachers are looking for advice after being approached by parents who don't want their children to learn about Islam.

Ridgeway School headteacher Steven Colledge said parents at his school had not asked for children to be removed from classes dealing with Islam but he was shocked to hear that it had happened elsewhere.

"It's hard to understand why a parent wouldn't want their child educated about the world," he said.

"Religious education is not about converting anybody to Islam or any other religion."

Drove Primary School headteacher Nick Capstick said any parent that wanted their child out of classes covering Islam was very shortsighted.

He said no parent at his school - which has pupils from the most ethnically diverse backgrounds in Swindon - had asked that their child be removed from any classes on religion.

His school recently held Christmas carols that involved children of all faiths, including Muslims.

"We would be reluctant to support any child being withdrawn from a class," Mr Capstick said.

He said the key to a happy school and community was understanding and respect of other cultures and beliefs.

"If you take your child away from that, you are being divisive," he said." (Source: This Is Wiltshire)


Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 16:17:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

I Am A U.S Congressman And All Iraqi Muslims Should Convert
Robin HayesThe public has already been treated to one Republican Congressman's thoughts on Islam. Now comes news of another Republican Congressman who thinks he knows how to solve all the problems that is modern day Iraq.

Robin Hayes is the Congressman for the state of North Carolina. He is reported to have said that the solution to gaining stability in Iraq is through conversion to Christianity.

"Stability in Iraq ultimately depends on spreading the message of Jesus Christ, the message of peace on earth, good will towards men. Everything depends on everyone learning about the birth of the Savior." (Source: BlueNC)

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought the crusades had ended long ago.

Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 04:15:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

A Woman, A Beating And A Lack Of Segregation



This is an audio post in order to listen please click play:





powered by ODEO



Links to the post and article mentioned in the audio can be accessed by clicking below:

Buses Stoned Due To Lack Of Segregation

Haaretz: Woman beaten on Jerusalem bus for refusing to move to rear seat.

Technorati Tags:

 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 02:52:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Video: Is Bill O'Reilly A Liar ?
Thursday, December 21, 2006




Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 00:41:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

I Am A U.S. Congressman And I Hate Islam
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Virgil GoodeHave you ever wondered what a wonderful place the world would be if only we could all get rid of Islam ? Normal human beings would be able to create a Judeo-Christian utopia where all would live in love and peace. Where murder, rape, theft, hate and bigotry would come to an end. Where all right minded white, European, Christian, Anglo-Saxons and Jews could come together to establish God's kingdom on earth.

It may seem like a fantasy to many but to others it is a reality in the waiting and worth fostering. Enter the Republican Congressman for the 5th Congressional district of Virginia Mr. Virgil Goode.

It seems that Mr.Goode has been rather busy of late in writing letters to a select group of his supporters. Unfortunately for our hapless hero one such letter and its contents were not only sent to his supporters but also to the chairman of the local chapter of the Sierra Club, a certain John Cruickshank. The said chairman then proceeded to bring the world's attention to Mr. Goode's correspondence and its content.

I shall reproduce the letter here in its entirety:

"Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515-4605

December 7, 2006

Mr. John Cruickshank
7--------S------------ Dr.
Earlysville, VA 22936

Dear Mr. Cruickshank:

Thank you for your recent communication. When I raise my hand to take the oath on Swearing In Day, I will have the Bible in my other hand. I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way. The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don’t wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran. We need to stop illegal immigration totally and reduce legal immigration and end the diversity visas policy pushed hard by President Clinton and allowing many persons from the Middle East to come to this country. I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped.

The Ten Commandments and "In God We Trust" are on the wall in my office. A Muslim student came by the office and asked why I did not have anything on my wall about the Koran. My response was clear, "As long as I have the honor of representing the citizens of the 5th District of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives, The Koran is not going to be on the wall of my office." Thank you again for your email and thoughts.

Sincerely yours,
Virgil H. Goode, Jr.
70 East Court Street
Suite 215
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151"

(Source: C-Ville, Charlottesville's Newsweekly)

For a Muslim to be hateful, prejudiced, bigoted and intolerant is not to be condoned but is rather understandable. After all we are black/brown skinned, illiterate, poor, savage, uncivilised and from the third world. Our religion has made us stagnate in a 6th century Arabian society whose foundation was hate and violence.

Having said all that what excuse does Congressman Virgil Goode have for being hateful, prejudiced, bigoted and intolerant ? He does not seem to me to be very black/brown skinned, illiterate, poor, savage, uncivilised and from the third world.

If the most advanced nation on earth elects such people as him to high office is there any wonder why the world is in such chaos. What hope is there for the rest of mere mortals ?

Technorati Tags:
 
posted by Kashmiri Nomad at 00:11:00 |

Kashmiri Nomad

Mr. Blair Goes To The Middle East
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
The British Prime Minister Mr.Tony Blair is on the lastest of his foreign missions. Having recently returned from Washington after talks with the American President, where the main area of discussion centred around Iraq and possible future strategies.

In the latest development Mr.Blair is travelling through the Middle East with stops in Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Palestinian Territories and Israel. The purpose of this latest round of shuttle diplomacy is to revitalise the sagging Middle East peace process which has at its heart a resolution of the Israel/Palestine dispute.

Tony Blair vowed on Monday "not to rest for a single moment" until he had achieved progress in the Middle East.

Speaking after talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, the Prime Minister said the next few weeks would be critical for the peace process.

He urged the international community to stand behind Mr Abbas.

In front of television cameras, Mr Blair told Mr Abbas: "Now is the time for the international community to respond to the vision you have set out and I intend to do everything I can to make sure we deliver that support." (Source:Metro News)

This trip comes while Mr.Blair faces "trouble" at home. The Prime Ministers' governing Labour Party is currently under investigation by Scotland Yard. The enquiry centres around allegations that senior Labour Party officials gave political patronage and honours to wealthy members of the public in exchange for "loans". The Prime Minister has already been personally questioned although there are no allegations against him at this time. However a senior Labour Party official Lord Levy who has in the past been Mr.Blair's personal envoy to the Middle East is under close scrutiny by the London Metropolitan Police. Lord Levy has already once been arrested and questioned over the allegations and may face further legal action.

This now brings me to the matter of the Palestine/Israel dispute. I found the image of Mr.Blair and Mr.Olmert the Israeli Prime Minister very interesting. It symbolises the close relationship that the two countries share but it also points in another direction. When brokering a peace between any two parties an essential for the peace-maker is to be seen to be impartial treating both sides fairly. Unfortunately this image does not denote that for me. I have never seen Mr.Blair go off to the Muslim world and put on his robes in order to pray to Allah. But as you can see he is lighting a candle to the God of Israel. It is only symbolic at the end of the day but it speaks volumes.

As I have written many times before on this weblog and readers believe that I am being sarcastic. I personally think that the only way for a lasting peace in the Middle East is for the Biblical land of Israel to be established. A country that will span from the Nile to the Euphrates.

The west whether it be the United States or Britain has always seen itself as an honest broker between the warring Arabs and Israelis. However this not the image that the Middle East sees be they Arab Muslim or Arab Christian. They believe that western strategic interests are skewed in the favour of one party in the conflict. A conflict that will