Due to computer hardware problems there have been no updates to this weblog. I am trying to resolve the problem as soon as possible.
For those wondering I am writing this post at an Internet cafe.
Thanks for your patience and understanding in this regard.
Expose Your Revulsion Of Islam
From: India
About me: Born in Kashmir, raised and educated in Western Europe. I presently live somewhere west of the Bosphorus and east of the Rocky Mountains.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
American neo-conservatism is a political ideology that was born in the 1970's. Essentially at its heart the movement consists of leftists who rejected liberalism and the New Left counter-culture of the 1960s.The movements proponents have been some of America's best known politicians and political pundits. Irving Kristol, William Kristol, John Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle are just to name a few. While the American Enterprise Institute, Bradley Foundation, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Henry Jackson Society, Hudson Institute, Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs and Project for the New American Century are all think tanks that promote neo-conservative thoughts and trends.
There has recently been much talk in the international media about an American strike against Iran. In this article Paul Craig Roberts a former assistant secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration looks at neo-conservatism, Iraq, Iran and the philosophy of preemptive nuclear strikes:
"The Bush/Cheney White House, which told the American people in 2003 that the Iraqi invasion would be a three-to-six-week affair, now tells us that the U.S. occupation is permanent. Forever.
Attentive Americans, of which, alas, there are so few, had already concluded that the occupation was permanent. Permanence is the obvious message from the massive and fortified U.S. embassy under construction in Iraq and from the large permanent military bases that the Bush regime is building in Iraq.
Bush regime propagandists have created a false analogy with "the Korean model" in their effort to sell the permanent occupation of Iraq as necessary for Iraq's security. More than one half century after the close of the Korean war, U.S. troops continue to be based in Korea, as they are in Germany more than six decades after the end of World War II.
The rationale for the U.S. troops in South Korea is to remind North Korea that an attack on South Korea is an attack on the U.S. itself. The rationale for U.S. troops in Germany disappeared when Reagan and Gorbachev brought the Cold War to an end.
There is, of course, no similarity between Iraq and Korea. There was no insurgency in Korea and no attacks on U.S. troops based in South Korea once the fighting stopped. The presence of U.S. troops in South Korea has produced many protest demonstrations by South Koreans, but the U.S. troops in South Korea have had no exposure to combat since the war ended in 1953.
In contrast, the insurgency in Iraq continues to rage and could expand dramatically if Shi'ites were to join the Sunnis in attacks on U.S. forces. Most American military leaders no longer believe the insurgency can be defeated. Permanent occupation means permanent insurgency. Indeed, an attempt at permanent occupation could possibly unify the Arabs in a joint effort to expel the Americans.
The absurd analogy with Korea is so far-fetched that it raises the question whether the Bush/Cheney regime has entered a new, higher level of delusion. Bush cannot keep troops in Iraq permanently unless he intends to remain permanently in the White House. Even some Republicans in Congress are talking about beginning withdrawals of U.S. troops in September. Republicans believe that if withdrawals do not begin, their party will be wiped out in the 2008 election.
The wild card is the neoconservatives' long-standing alliance with Israeli Zionists. The neoconservatives still have a death grip on the discredited Bush regime. Jim Lobe describes the extensive international organization that the neoconservatives have put into place for the purpose of orchestrating an attack on Iran.
A sane reader might wonder why neoconservatives would want to expand a conflict in which the U.S. has failed. Surely, even delusional "cakewalk" neoconservatives must realize that attacking Iran would greatly increase the threat to U.S. troops in Iraq and perhaps bring missile attacks on oil facilities and U.S. bases throughout the Middle East. An attack on Iran would further radicalize Muslims and further undermine U.S. puppets in the Middle East. It could bring war to the entire region.
The point is that the neoconservatives do realize this. Their defeat in Iraq and Israel's defeat in Lebanon have taught the neoconservatives that the U.S. cannot prevail in the Middle East by conventional military means. As I have previously explained, the neoconservatives' plan is to escape the failure of their Iraq plan by orchestrating a war with Iran in which the U.S. can prevail only by using nuclear weapons. As previously reported, the neoconservatives believe that the use of nuclear weapons against Iran will convince Muslims that they must accept U.S. hegemony.
The neoconservatives have put the elements of their plan in place. They have powerful naval forces on station off Iran's coast. They have convinced President Bush that only by attacking Iran can he prevail in Iraq.
The neoconservatives have rewritten U.S. war doctrine to permit preemptive U.S. nuclear attacks on non-nuclear countries. They have demonized Iran as the greatest threat since Hitler. Neoconservatives have invented "Islamofascism," something that exists only in the neoconservative propaganda used to instill in Americans hatred of Muslims. The neoconservatives have dehumanized Muslims as monsters who must be destroyed at all costs. Recent statements by neoconservative leaders such as Norman Podhoretz read like the ravings of ignorant lunatics. Podhoretz has written Muslims out of the human race. He demands that their culture be deracinated.
Neoconservatives, convinced that a nuclear attack will bring Muslims to heel, are ignoring the likely blowback and unintended consequences of an attack on Iran, just as they ignored the likely consequences of their attack on Iraq. If the neoconservatives are mistaken in their assumption that nuclear weapons will cause Muslims to submit to the U.S., the consequences will be unmanageable.
The neoconservative Bush regime has got away with more than I thought possible, perhaps because most of Congress and the American public cannot imagine the degree of insanity that lies behind the Bush administration. Most Americans who have turned against the regime think that the administration is incompetent, that it jumped to wrong conclusions about Iraq, and that it mismanaged the war and will not admit its mistakes. As every reason Bush gave for the war has proven to be false, people see no point in continuing the struggle.
If Americans understood the enormity of the deception behind the invasion of Iraq (and Afghanistan) and the pending attack on Iran, Bush and Cheney would be impeached and turned over to the War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague, and AIPAC would be forced to register as a foreign agent.
Just as Goebbels said, some lies are too big to be disbelieved. It is this disbelief that is so dangerous. The inability of Americans to see through the Big Lie to the secret agenda allows the neoconservatives to escape accountability and continue with their plot.
The neoconservatives also believe that nuclear attack on Iran will isolate America in the world and thereby give the government control over the American people. The denunciations that will be hurled at Americans from every quarter will force the country to wrap itself in the flag and treat domestic critics as foreign enemies. Not only free speech but also truth itself will disappear along with every civil liberty. " (Source: Baltimore Chronicle & Sentinel)
Image Source: Dick Clark Mises
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism Neocons Iraq Bush Project For A New American Century Military Dick Cheney Iraqi Freedom Iran
Monday, June 11, 2007
Osama Al-Najjar, aged 16 is of Jordanian heritage and a New York resident.
At the age of 15 Osama tried to kill himself because of the bullying he received from teachers at his school. His mother Suad Abuhasna recalls the torment of her innocent son:
"They destroyed everything nice in our life with what they did to him," said Suad Abuhasna, Osama's mother, referring to racist abuse she said was heaped on her son while he was a student at Tottenville High School in Staten Island.
Osama is now officially known as Sammy..... "I just wanted to make his life easier," said Suad, who immigrated from Jordan with her husband and four children in December 1999. Her eldest son has served in the US Navy in the Iraq war.....
....His mother says Osama became increasingly depressed under the incessant anti-Muslim jeering by teachers after entering Tottenville in the fall of 2004. The former junior high school honor student began to fail classes, got into fights, and ran away from home on a number of occasions.
"I didn't want to stay in school after that," Osama, a thin teenager with piercing green eyes, said while nervously chewing his thumb. He said his classmates were more tolerant than his teachers.
The school failed to halt the abuse despite repeated requests, his mother said. The school principal declined to comment.
"Harassment and bullying for any reason is not something we tolerate," said New York City Department of Education spokeswoman Dina Paul Parks. She declined to discuss specifics of the case because of a lawsuit filed by Osama's family.
The complaint filed in US District Court in New York charges the city and the school with racial and religious harassment, which it says led to the boy's suicide attempt.
Fearing for her son's wellbeing, Suad withdrew him from school in March 2006 and kept him home. Still, the problems didn't go away so easily, and on July 3, he tried to kill himself with an overdose of an anti-anxiety drug and later the same day tried to hang himself with a bathrobe sash.
"I was just sick. I wasn't thinking straight. I had nothing else to take the pain away," said Osama....
...He now attends a program for kids with school phobias at a high school in Brooklyn and tolerates, if not enjoys, school.
"What I wish is that the same experience doesn't happen to any other family," Suad said." (Source: Stuff)
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism Osama New York America Jordan Military Arab Dhimmitude Racism Islamophobia
At the age of 15 Osama tried to kill himself because of the bullying he received from teachers at his school. His mother Suad Abuhasna recalls the torment of her innocent son:
"They destroyed everything nice in our life with what they did to him," said Suad Abuhasna, Osama's mother, referring to racist abuse she said was heaped on her son while he was a student at Tottenville High School in Staten Island.
Osama is now officially known as Sammy..... "I just wanted to make his life easier," said Suad, who immigrated from Jordan with her husband and four children in December 1999. Her eldest son has served in the US Navy in the Iraq war.....
....His mother says Osama became increasingly depressed under the incessant anti-Muslim jeering by teachers after entering Tottenville in the fall of 2004. The former junior high school honor student began to fail classes, got into fights, and ran away from home on a number of occasions.
"I didn't want to stay in school after that," Osama, a thin teenager with piercing green eyes, said while nervously chewing his thumb. He said his classmates were more tolerant than his teachers.
The school failed to halt the abuse despite repeated requests, his mother said. The school principal declined to comment.
"Harassment and bullying for any reason is not something we tolerate," said New York City Department of Education spokeswoman Dina Paul Parks. She declined to discuss specifics of the case because of a lawsuit filed by Osama's family.
The complaint filed in US District Court in New York charges the city and the school with racial and religious harassment, which it says led to the boy's suicide attempt.
Fearing for her son's wellbeing, Suad withdrew him from school in March 2006 and kept him home. Still, the problems didn't go away so easily, and on July 3, he tried to kill himself with an overdose of an anti-anxiety drug and later the same day tried to hang himself with a bathrobe sash.
"I was just sick. I wasn't thinking straight. I had nothing else to take the pain away," said Osama....
...He now attends a program for kids with school phobias at a high school in Brooklyn and tolerates, if not enjoys, school.
"What I wish is that the same experience doesn't happen to any other family," Suad said." (Source: Stuff)
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism Osama New York America Jordan Military Arab Dhimmitude Racism Islamophobia
The American University of Cairo was founded in 1919 by Americans to "provide high quality educational opportunities to students from all segments of Egyptian society."The University is founded upon "the ideals of American liberal arts and professional education and of life-long learning. As freedom of academic expression is fundamental to this effort, AUC encourages the free exchange of ideas and promotes open and on-going interaction with scholarly institutions throughout Egypt and other parts of the world." (Source: AUC)
Recently the educational institution has been involved in a legal altercation with a female student.
Iman al-Zainy is a doctoral student at the Islamic University of Al-Azhar in Cairo. She was refused entry into the library complex at the AUC on account of her face veil. Since the incident Al-Zainy has taken the American institution to court and has has now won a landmark legal decision:
"A court in Egypt has ruled that the American University of Cairo cannot ban women from wearing the niqab - the full Islamic face covering - on campus.
The ruling comes after a lengthy legal battle between the university and a female student, who was told she had to remove the niqab for security reasons.
Supporters of the niqab greeted the ruling as a victory for freedom.
But officials at the university have said it indicates a drift towards Islamic extremism.
A committee of the High Administrative Court upheld a 2001 court ruling that the university could not ban Iman al-Zainy from wearing the niqab as it was a matter of personal and religious freedom under law.
The American University (AUC) said some of the principles in the court's ruling appeared to support its position and it was discussing this with lawyers.
It said it had sought the ban out of security concerns.
"While the American University in Cairo has a policy prohibiting face covering as an issue of personal safety and security, it also recognises the need for respect for the religious values and convictions of our students," the AUC said....
...Ms Zainy, who was a doctoral student at the Islamic Al-Azhar University, sued the AUC in 2001 after it banned her from entering its library wearing the niqab.
Hossam Bahgat, one of Ms Zainy's lawyers, told Reuters news agency the ruling was a victory for "women's autonomy over their body and dress code".
"The court said in the strongest of terms that it is up to women to decide about their clothing, and that women should not be discriminated against because of the clothes that they choose to wear," he said." (Source: BBC News)
Post Script: I wonder if the university authorities know that they should be trying to integrate more with the host Muslim population in Egypt rather than labelling them as Islamic extremists. Surely is not the "when in Rome do as the Romans do" adage rather apt in a situation such as this ?
Image Source: Steve Evans
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims AUC War Terrorism Islamofascism Niqab Hijab Iman Al-Zainy Islamophobia
Sunday, June 10, 2007
It should come as no surprise to even the most comatose of observers that there are people in this world who do not like Muslims or Islam. From even a cursory examination of the blogosphere using Technorati and Google Blog Search a plethora of weblogs can be found when one searches using terms like Islam or Muslims. The general thrust of these weblogs is to expose the "violent, terrorist, expansionist and imperial" nature of Islam and by extension Muslims.The fact that there are people in this world who hate Islam and Muslims should come as no surprise to anyone. The purpose of this post is not to look at in-depth the reasons or psychology behind the hate however it is to ask the question what do the anti-Islam bigots truly want ?
One of the primary foundations upon which anti-Islam bigots build their hatred of Muslims is that the fact that Muslims are engaged in struggle to destroy western civilisation. This civilisational conflict is being played out on two fronts. The first front is composed of Muslims trying to attack the west from outside. The second front is composed of Muslims resident in the west trying to destroy it from the inside. Is this representation true of all Muslims ? For the anti-Islam bigot it most certainly is an absolute truth.
A question that raises itself naturally at this point is how does the anti-Islam bigot account for all the Muslims in this world who have not killed an infidel nor have they ever beaten their wives or female relatives nor have they ever claimed welfare payments ?
Quite simply the anti-Islam bigot rationalises his hate in a truly paranoid fashion. He retorts that not all Muslims are actively trying to destroy western civilisation but those who are not active secretly support those who are. Apart from an acute sense of paranoia how does the anti-Islam bigot know this fact ? In his defence he will bring as evidence numerous Qur'anic quotations and evidence from Prophetic tradition taken out of context not only to fool others but most importantly to fool himself of his hypothesis.
The above paragraph is not to deny that there are Muslims who use both Qur'anic verses and Prophetic tradition in order to justify their actions of violence. But the notion that all the Muslims are violent or that they all secretly support the enemy is truly absurd and of paranoid proportions. Therefore if Islam does not lead the overwhelming majority of Muslims to perform acts of violence why does the anti-Islam bigot want to paint all the Muslims with the same brush ?
The answer to that question is simple. The primary problem for the anti-Islam bigot is not the murder of the infidel nor is it spousal abuse nor is it world domination because simple logic and observation shows that Muslims can believe in Islam as being the truth without committing any of the said actions listed above. The primary problem for the anti-Islam bigot is Islam itself. He will not be happy until Islam is finished off and until all the Muslims either become apostates or are killed. For this very reason you see anti-Islam bigots quite prominently advertising as people of truth and righteousness personalities such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Salman Rushdie. They are promoted as those who have "seen the light" and have left Islam in the rubbish heap of history. The assertion being that other Muslims should emulate and follow their path in apostasy or be warned of impending consequences.
From a personal perspective I have no problem with anti-Islam bigots wishing that Islam and Muslims be finished off once and for all. At the end of the day they are free to wish what they want but from a logical and rational perspective I believe this wish to be rather naive.
A cursory look at history will show that many races, religions and nations have wanted to finish off both Islam and Muslims. From the pagan Arabs to the Mongols to the Crusaders to the European missionary imperialists. Only history will be able to tell us if this new round of anti-Islam bigots will have any more success than those that went before them.
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism Christianity Christians Apostasy Ayaan Hirsi Ali Salman Rushdie
Dear reader it is that time of week again when we have a look at some of the interesting posts that can be found on weblogs in my blogroll. So without anymore ceremony here are my "accelerated links" for 06/10/2007:
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims Eurabia War Terrorism Islamofascism Dhimmitude Islamophobia Britain America Israel PNAC
- Kosher Eucharist on George W. Bush and Paris Hilton.
- Matthew Good on freedom, Iraq and forced labour.
- Majority Rights and their English lexicon for the not so politically correct.
- Haitham Sabbah on how Al-Jazeera is turning into the Fox News Channel.
- Atlas Shrugs on how Islamic law is conquering America.
- Craig Murray on European collusion and extraordinary rendition.
- Israpundit on how being Jewish is at the very heart of the survival of the state of Israel.
- Barry Lando on the "surge" in Iraq and a continued American military presence.
- Newshounds on how Ann Coulter is now a financial expert for the Fox News Channel.
- Areopagitica on calls to celebrate a British day and the advancement of fascism.
- Elder of Ziyon on Reuters anti-Israel bias.
- Indigo Jo on Muslims and cultural separatism.
- Lawrence of Cyberia on how Israelis use civilians as human shields.
- Qur'an-Bible on the CNN broadcast of the GOP presidential debate.
- The Truth Will Set You Free on claims that the Pentagon is developing weaponry that can turn Muslims into homosexuals.
- James H. Shott on the current spat between Russian President Vladamir Putin and the free world.
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims Eurabia War Terrorism Islamofascism Dhimmitude Islamophobia Britain America Israel PNAC
The following liveleak video is an example of how muzzie policeman are being civilised in today's Iraq:
Other examples of the "civilising" western effect in the Middle East can be accessed by clicking on the following links:
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism LiveLeak Video Iraq Bush Project For A New American Century Military Iraqi Police Dick Cheney Iraqi Freedom PNAC
Viewer Discretion Advised Video Contains Language Of A Sexual Nature
Other examples of the "civilising" western effect in the Middle East can be accessed by clicking on the following links:
- American Soldier Civilising An Uncouth Muzzie
- Civilising Muzzies One Condom At A Time
- How The West Civilises Muslim Savages
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism LiveLeak Video Iraq Bush Project For A New American Century Military Iraqi Police Dick Cheney Iraqi Freedom PNAC
Friday, June 08, 2007
A coalition of Israeli Knesset members and Muslims have signed a letter complaining to the French Ambassador in Israel about the manner in which "woman of faith" are treated at Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris.The main concern of signatories is the manner in which Jewish and Muslim women are treated at the airport. The letter was sparked off by the experience of one Jewish lady while passing through Charles De Gaulle airport:
"A diverse coalition of Knesset members - haredim, feminists and Muslims - protested on Thursday against French airport security personnel's treatment of women who cover their hair for religious reasons.
In a letter to French Ambassador Jean-Michel Casa, MK Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) joined forces with MK Shelly Yacimovich (Labor) and Science and Technology, Culture and Sport Minister Ghaleb Majadle (Labor) to complain that religious women are victims of humiliating and embarrassing treatment at the hands of security personnel in France's airports during routine security checks.
MK Ibrahim Sarsour (UAL-Tal), the head of the Islamic Movement's southern branch, said that he also opposed religious discrimination against Muslims and Jews and was willing to sign Porush's letter to Casa....
...An Orthodox Jewish couple who passed through Paris's Charles De Gaulle Airport on their way to Israel in April later complained to Porush that they were humiliated when, during a routine check, the woman was asked to remove her head covering.
The French authorities ignored her protests that "this is not accepted practice in any airport. We have never been faced with such a strange demand."
The security personnel insisted on removing her head covering in public, which, according to some, is forbidden by Jewish law.
Requests that the check be performed in private were rejected in a demeaning way, the woman told The Jerusalem Post in an interview. An attempt by an El Al crew to come to the defense of the couple was brutally rebuffed, she said.
"But in the end, I did not give in," the woman said. "I insisted on covering my head with something else while they checked me."
In the letter to Casa, signed by lawmakers from nearly every parties, Porush wrote, "The public debate in France over the right of Muslim women to cover their heads and faces in public schools and government offices has nothing to do with the strange method adopted by the French airport security."
A Casa representative said the ambassador had no comment." (Source: Jerusalem Post)
From a personal perspective I have been through Charles De Gaulle airport on numerous occasions. I can say that I have never expressed such behaviour. I have always found the staff at the airport and Air France to be polite and kind. Having said that I am not an orthodox Jewish lady nor am I a hijab wearing Muslim woman trying to get through airport security.
Image Source: NK Edie
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims Israel War Terrorism Islamofascism Palestine Travel Gaza Hijab France Israel
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Vogue is an internationally produced magazine focusing on luxury, celebrity and style. It originally began as an American publication but now over time has chapters in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Recently a proposal was placed before its owner Condé Nast asking for permission to produce and sell the magazine in the Middle East. Condé Nast gave the proposal a "cool response" citing the following as its reasons:
"A proposal to publish an Arabic edition of Vogue, the celebrated American fashion magazine, has had an unequivocal rejection from Conde Nast, the magazine’s American publishers.
Conde Nast international chairman Jonathan Newhouse has said the Middle East is too violent at the moment for such a move.
It is understood that a publishing company based in the United Arab Emirates was behind the proposal to produce a new franchised edition of the title.
Newhouse said in response: "Within the Arab world, or to be more accurate, the Muslim world, there is an element which accepts Western values. There is also a powerful fundamentalist religious element which rejects Western values. This element rejects freedom of expression, equality for women and expression of sexuality, to name three values associated with our publication".....
...Newhouse added that he believed there were lot of potential readers of Vogue in the Middle East, "but unfortunately they live in the same general region as some of the most militant and violent elements".(Source: Press Gazette)
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims America War Terrorism Islamofascism Fashion Imperialism Culture Vogue Middle East UAE
Recently a proposal was placed before its owner Condé Nast asking for permission to produce and sell the magazine in the Middle East. Condé Nast gave the proposal a "cool response" citing the following as its reasons:
"A proposal to publish an Arabic edition of Vogue, the celebrated American fashion magazine, has had an unequivocal rejection from Conde Nast, the magazine’s American publishers.
Conde Nast international chairman Jonathan Newhouse has said the Middle East is too violent at the moment for such a move.
It is understood that a publishing company based in the United Arab Emirates was behind the proposal to produce a new franchised edition of the title.
Newhouse said in response: "Within the Arab world, or to be more accurate, the Muslim world, there is an element which accepts Western values. There is also a powerful fundamentalist religious element which rejects Western values. This element rejects freedom of expression, equality for women and expression of sexuality, to name three values associated with our publication".....
...Newhouse added that he believed there were lot of potential readers of Vogue in the Middle East, "but unfortunately they live in the same general region as some of the most militant and violent elements".(Source: Press Gazette)
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims America War Terrorism Islamofascism Fashion Imperialism Culture Vogue Middle East UAE
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
The following Google video is a documentary charting the role of American corporations in post invasion Iraq.
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism Google Video Iraq Bush Project For A New American Century Military Dick Cheney Iraqi Freedom Halliburton
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism Google Video Iraq Bush Project For A New American Century Military Dick Cheney Iraqi Freedom Halliburton
Monday, June 04, 2007
The British Prime Minister Tony Blair made a call today for British universities to produce Islamic scholars who are able to steer the Muslim community away from extremism.Blair also refuted some of the lies that anti-Islam bigots regurgitate regularly about the religion and its followers:
"Imams should be trained at British universities to help Muslims integrate into mainstream society, Tony Blair said today.
The Prime Minister insisted that too many Islamic religious leaders were schooled overseas - entering Britain with little English language training and scant understanding of the country’s traditions.
Speaking at a conference on Islam in London, he warned that the move led to greater segregation between British Muslims and followers of other faiths. His comments came as the Government moved to designate university Islamic studies courses as “strategically important” to Britain’s national interests, allowing tighter official scrutiny of syllabuses.
Ministers are warning that the courses currently expose students to narrow interpretations of Islam and must be reformed to combat violent extremism. A £1 million project is to be launched to improve the quality of Islamic studies and academic research, following a report published today by leading scholar Dr Ataullah Siddiqui.
The Siddiqui Report, commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills, warns that many university courses in Islamic studies focus too narrowly on the Middle East. And it says they fail to reflect the modern “realities” of Muslim life in multicultural Britain.
It is hoped that training more imams and religious leaders in the UK will allow a shift away from ministers from overseas, who often struggle to engage effectively with young people born and brought up in Britain.
Mr Blair told the audience of academics, scholars and religious leaders at the event organised by Cambridge University that Islam was not a "monolithic faith", but one made up of a "rich pattern of diversity".
"Muslims overwhelmingly want to play a full part in the complex and diverse societies in which they find themselves - both contributing and shaping those societies," he said. "Most seek to play a part as loyal citizens of their countries and as loyal Muslims. This is of course contrary to the often crude portrayals in the media or by those who deal only in stereotypes and seek to whip up Islamophobic sentiment."
He added: "The voices of extremism are no more representative of Islam than the use, in times gone by, of torture to force conversion to Christianity, represents the true teaching of Christ." (Source: Daily Telegraph)
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims Eurabia War Terrorism Islamofascism Mosque Tony Blair Dhimmitude Islamophobia Britain
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Dear reader it is that time of week again when we have a look at some of the interesting posts that can be found on weblogs in my blogroll. So without anymore ceremony here are my "accelerated links" for 06/03/2007:
The links in this post are provided solely for informational purposes and inclusion should not be construed as endorsement or acceptance by the author of this weblog.
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims Eurabia War Terrorism Islamofascism Dhimmitude Islamophobia Britain America Israel PNAC
- James H. Shott gives analysis on news that Hugo Chavez in Venezuela has closed an anti-government television station.
- The Truth Will Set Your Free states the following "Israel: A country of Thieves".
- Dr. M has a video of an exchange between Wafa Sultan and an Arab academic.
- Hakawi opines on Bush, Iraq and Lieberman.
- Majority Rights look at how western civilisation is causing its own demise by out sourcing jobs to India.
- Jenn of the Jungle advocates "nuking" Norway for its support of the terrorist Palestinian authority.
- Haitham Sabbah reports on 2 Arab children aged 13 killed in the Gaza Strip.
- Craig Murray exposes Melanie Phillips and those now infamous Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
- Atlas Shrugs informs us on how Jews are fighting back by stopping grants to British educational institutions and this comes after a decision taken by the British University and College Union to launch an academic boycott of Israel.
- Yahya Birt discusses multiculturalism and globalisation.
- Lena Alhusseini on honour killings in the Muslim world.
- IsraPundit says "U.S. Needs To Bomb Iran Now To Prevent A Global Nuclear War".
- Newshounds report that Sean Hannity of Fox News fame advises his political opponents to leave the U.S. painting them as traitors.
- Darren Rowse has some beneficial information on extensions for bloggers who use Firefox.
- Elder of Ziyon asks: "Did the UN call on PalArabs to stop Qassams?"
- Indigo Jo reports on how Melanie Phillips proves its a Quranic injunction upon Muslims to respect the state of Israel.
- Matthew Good brings attention to an interview conducted with British General Michael Rose in which the General states that the war in Iraq is unwinnable.
- Kurt Nimmo has more on Daily Kos and the failure of Congressional Democrats to force President Bush into a timetable of withdrawal from Iraq.
- LFG Watch have their very own take on the Global Peace Index that ranked the USA as the 96th most peaceful nation of earth.
- Pim's Ghost is upset at seeing a picture of the Saudi national flag in an American public school.
The links in this post are provided solely for informational purposes and inclusion should not be construed as endorsement or acceptance by the author of this weblog.
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims Eurabia War Terrorism Islamofascism Dhimmitude Islamophobia Britain America Israel PNAC
Saturday, June 02, 2007
The Israeli town of Serdot near the Palestinian controlled Gaza Strip has been under a sustained series of rocket attacks for a number of months. As a result of this overwhelming onslaught Israeli life, limb, property and peace of mind have all been lost.
Ynetnews reports on the latest salvo of rockets to hit the town:
"A Qassam rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip landed in a residential neighborhood in Sderot Saturday morning.
Four people suffered shock and were treated at the city's post-traumatic stress center. Two buildings were damaged.....
.... Sderot's streets were empty when the rocket hit early Saturday due to fear of more attacks and because of the Sabbath.
The city's security chief, Eli Ben Maman, told Ynet, "This is a ritual that's been repeating itself for seven years now. The IDF strikes in Gaza, and we get hit by Qassams. It takes them some time to get organized, but they (the Palestinians) fire the Qassams when they can. If we're not hit today, we'll be hit tomorrow morning."
The region's police forces plan to meet Saturday evening to reevaluate the situation in the area." (Source: Ynet News)
Due to these constant attacks upon the Israeli population the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Mordechai Eliyahu has called for the carpet bombing of the Gaza Strip. The former Chief Rabbi believes that this action is sanctioned by sacred Jewish law and that all the residents of Gaza have the blood of Israeli citizens on their hands :
"All civilians living in Gaza are collectively guilty for Kassam attacks on Sderot, former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu has written in a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Eliyahu ruled that there was absolutely no moral prohibition against the indiscriminate killing of civilians during a potential massive military offensive on Gaza aimed at stopping the rocket launchings.
The letter, published in Olam Katan [Small World], a weekly pamphlet to be distributed in synagogues nationwide this Friday, cited the biblical story of the Shechem massacre (Genesis 34) and Maimonides' commentary (Laws of Kings 9, 14) on the story as proof texts for his legal decision.
According to Jewish war ethics, wrote Eliyahu, an entire city holds collective responsibility for the immoral behavior of individuals. In Gaza, the entire populace is responsible because they do nothing to stop the firing of Kassam rockets.
The former chief rabbi also said it was forbidden to risk the lives of Jews in Sderot or the lives of IDF soldiers for fear of injuring or killing Palestinian noncombatants living in Gaza.
Eliyahu could not be reached for an interview. However, Eliyahu's son, Shmuel Eliyahu, who is chief rabbi of Safed, said his father opposed a ground troop incursion into Gaza that would endanger IDF soldiers. Rather, he advocated carpet bombing the general area from which the Kassams were launched, regardless of the price in Palestinian life.
"If they don't stop after we kill 100, then we must kill a thousand," said Shmuel Eliyahu. "And if they do not stop after 1,000 then we must kill 10,000. If they still don't stop we must kill 100,000, even a million. Whatever it takes to make them stop."
In the letter, Eliyahu quoted from Psalms. "I will pursue my enemies and apprehend them and I will not desist until I have eradicated them."
Eliyahu wrote that "This is a message to all leaders of the Jewish people not to be compassionate with those who shoot [rockets] at civilians in their houses." (Source: Jerusalem Post)
How should the Rabbi's request be seen in the light of international law ? The fourth Geneva Convention which relates to the protection of civilian persons in time of war states the following:
"Article 1. The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances.
Art. 2. In addition to the provisions which shall be implemented in peace-time, the present Convention shall apply to all cases of declared war or of any other armed conflict which may arise between two or more of the High Contracting Parties, even if the state of war is not recognized by one of them.
The Convention shall also apply to all cases of partial or total occupation of the territory of a High Contracting Party, even if the said occupation meets with no armed resistance.
Although one of the Powers in conflict may not be a party to the present Convention, the Powers who are parties thereto shall remain bound by it in their mutual relations. They shall furthermore be bound by the Convention in relation to the said Power, if the latter accepts and applies the provisions thereof.
Art. 3. In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:
(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
(b) taking of hostages;
(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
(d) the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.
(2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for." (Source: Jewish Virtual Library)
After reading the above naturally one must ask is the Israeli state a signatory to the Geneva Conventions ? The answer can be found from the International Committee of the Red Cross which states that Israel signed up to the conventions on the 12th August 1949 with the following reservation:
"Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.
"Subject to the reservation that, while respecting the inviolability of the distinctive signs and emblems provided for in Article 38 of the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field of August 12, 1949, Israel will use the Red Shield of David as the emblem and distinctive sign provided for in this Convention." (Source: ICRC)
The likelihood of Gaza being carpet bombed is small however what is interesting is that in the 21st century there are a group of people in this world who want to kill others using a book written thousands of years ago as justification and they are not Muslim. I wonder will you be seeing that on your nightly news report tonight, probably not.
Image source: Dead Gaza mother and her children
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims Israel War Terrorism Islamofascism Palestine IDF Gaza Sderot Mordechai Eliyahu Israel
In tribute to Nicloas Sarkozy winning the French Presidential election I present this rendition of the French national anthem by Mireille Mathieu :
For those who are unable to understand French here is a translation of the words of the anthem:
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism Youtube Video France Nicolas Sarkozy La Marseillaise
For those who are unable to understand French here is a translation of the words of the anthem:
"Arise children of the fatherland
The day of glory has arrived
Against us tyranny's
Bloody standard is raised
Listen to the sound in the fields
The howling of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts
To arms citizens Form your battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows
What do they want this horde of slaves
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings?
For whom these vile chains
These long-prepared irons?
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What methods must be taken?
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!
What! These foreign cohorts!
They would make laws in our courts!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brow would yield under the yoke
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny
Tremble, tyrants and traitors
The shame of all good men
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward
Against you we are all soldiers
If they fall, our young heros
France will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you
Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your blows
Spare these sad victims
That they regret taking up arms against us
But not these bloody despots
These accomplices of Bouillé
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers' wombs
We too shall enlist
When our elders' time has come
To add to the list of deeds
Inscribed upon their tombs
We are much less jealous of surviving them
Than of sharing their coffins
We shall have the sublime pride
Of avenging or joining them
Drive on sacred patriotism
Support our avenging arms
Liberty, cherished liberty
Join the struggle with your defenders
Under our flags, let victory
Hurry to your manly tone
So that in death your enemies
See your triumph and our glory!"
(Source: La Marseillaise)
Not very loving is it ? Rather inflammatory and blood curdling if you ask me. A history of imperial conquest and sentiments such as these have made western civilisation what it is today, God's greatest gift to mankind.
The day of glory has arrived
Against us tyranny's
Bloody standard is raised
Listen to the sound in the fields
The howling of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts
To arms citizens Form your battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows
What do they want this horde of slaves
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings?
For whom these vile chains
These long-prepared irons?
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What methods must be taken?
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!
What! These foreign cohorts!
They would make laws in our courts!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brow would yield under the yoke
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny
Tremble, tyrants and traitors
The shame of all good men
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward
Against you we are all soldiers
If they fall, our young heros
France will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you
Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your blows
Spare these sad victims
That they regret taking up arms against us
But not these bloody despots
These accomplices of Bouillé
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers' wombs
We too shall enlist
When our elders' time has come
To add to the list of deeds
Inscribed upon their tombs
We are much less jealous of surviving them
Than of sharing their coffins
We shall have the sublime pride
Of avenging or joining them
Drive on sacred patriotism
Support our avenging arms
Liberty, cherished liberty
Join the struggle with your defenders
Under our flags, let victory
Hurry to your manly tone
So that in death your enemies
See your triumph and our glory!"
(Source: La Marseillaise)
Not very loving is it ? Rather inflammatory and blood curdling if you ask me. A history of imperial conquest and sentiments such as these have made western civilisation what it is today, God's greatest gift to mankind.
Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism Youtube Video France Nicolas Sarkozy La Marseillaise