Friday, August 31, 2012

Muslim Persecution of Christians: July, 2012

By Findalis




Several reports appearing in July indicate that Christian minorities all around the Muslim world—especially women and children—are being abducted, tortured, raped, forced to convert to Islam, and/or enslaved. In Egypt, at least 550 such cases have been documented in the last five years, and have only increased since the revolution. Christians who manage to escape back to their families often find the government siding with the Muslim abductors. One young mother who recently testified before the Helsinki Commission explained how she was snatched in broad daylight, as her abductor shouted to bystanders while dragging her to a waiting taxi, "No one interfere! She is an enemy of Islam."

Identical reports are emerging from Pakistan, where "persecution, kidnapping and abduction of Christian women and girls," including many married women with children, are on the rise. Last year the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said that 1800 Christian and Hindu girls were forcibly converted to Islam. Most recently, the sister of a pastor was "kidnapped raped and forcibly converted to Islam." She "was kidnapped around a month ago by some Muslim men while returning home from college. She was held for days, suffered sexual abuse, threats and violence. In such a state of terror and exhaustion, first she was coerced into converting to Islam, and then marriage. Her family reported the incident to the police station in Chunian, but no investigations have been conducted and instead her abductors have presented a report to the court attesting to the girl now being Muslim and legally married. Among other things, the girl is a minor and, according to the law, marriage is not permitted to minors."

The tiny Palestinian Christian community in the Hamas-run Gaza strip is also under siege, and charges that five Christians were abducted and pressured into converting to Islam. Because they made this forced conversion charge known, "members of the Christian community now fear reprisal attacks by Muslim extremists." Some have appealed to the Vatican and Christian groups and churches in the West for help. Yet "we only hear voices telling us to stay where we are and to stop making too much noise," said a Christian man living in Gaza City. "If they continue to turn a blind eye to our tragedy, in a few months there will be no Christians left in Palestine. Today it's happening in the Gaza Strip, tomorrow it will take place in Bethlehem."

Categorized by theme, July's assemblage of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed in alphabetical order by country, not severity.

Church Attacks

Indonesia: Muslim protesters forced a church to shut down during a Sunday worship on claims that it was operating without a permit, and hung a banner on the church's gate reading "We the people … hardily reject the use of this building … for religious activities." The church's committee secretary said the church has the necessarily permits to hold services," yet "the majority of the people still reject the church's activity."

Iran: Both the Central Assembly of God Church in Tehran and its summer campsite—once a popular site for Christian gatherings and conferences—were closed by authorities of the Islamic Republic, who also posted a large notice on the gates "warning of severe consequences should anyone try to enter the premises." These latest closures follow the official termination of Friday Persian language services and the compulsory cancellation of all Bible classes and the distribution of Christian literature. Also, as part of the crackdown on house churches, plainclothes agents of the Ministry of Islamic Guidance continued raiding, arresting, and "aggressively interrogating" assembled worshipers.

Lebanon: Ahead of the Maronite Patriarch's visit to Akker, flyers signed by the "Soldiers of the Great Prophet" threatened the Christians and churches in what has traditionally been the safest Mideast country for Christians, calling "on the infidels to stop their blasphemy ... We will start from the infidel's church in Akker and we won't stop ... this is not the end but the beginning," read the flyer.

Kenya: Seven Islamic jihadis launched simultaneous grenade and gunfire attacks on two churches, while the congregations were at prayer. Five militants attacked the Africa Inland Church, killing 17 people and wounding approximately 60, including many women and children. The other two Muslim terrorists attacked the nearby Catholic Church, wounding three.

Kuwait: After approval was issued for the construction of a church, a group of Islamic preachers, echoing the words of the Saudi Grand Mufti, reasserted that churches are not permitted to be built in Muslim countries. One sheikh "expressed displeasure" against those approving the construction of the church, "stressing that it is not permissible as per the Sharia," adding that "excuses" such as saying that the building of a church "is a matter of human rights and international norms is not acceptable, as Islam comes first, and people should respect religion first before serving humanity or anything else."

Turkey: The existence of the oldest functioning Christian monastery in the world, 5th century Mor Gabriel Monastery near the Turkish-Syrian border is at risk after a ruling by Turkey's highest appeals court. Inhabited today by only a few dozen Christians dedicated to learning the monastery's teachings, the ancient Aramaic language spoken by Jesus and the Orthodox Syriac tradition, neighboring Muslims with the support of an MP member of the Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP) filed a lawsuit accusing the Christians of practicing "anti-Turkish activities" and of illegally occupying land which belongs to Muslim villages. The highest appeals court in Ankara, which is close to the government, ruled in favor of the Muslim villagers, saying the land that has been part of the monastery for 1,600 years is not its property, and even claimed that the monastery was built over the ruins of a mosque, forgetting that Mohammed was born 170 years after its foundation.

Apostasy and Blasphemy

Egypt: A Christian teacher was arrested and detained after being accused of posting cartoons insulting to Islam and its prophet on Facebook. The man faces up to five years in jail if convicted of blasphemy. While admitting he manages the site in question, he said the site was hacked. Earlier in April, a Christian teenager was sentenced to three years in prison for posting cartoons perceived to mock Islam's prophet on his Face book page. Likewise, Christian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris posted Disney's Mickey and Minnie Mouse dressed in Islamic attire, which landed him in court, though he was acquitted.

Iran: Pastor Youssef Nadarkhani, who has spent over 1,000 days in prison awaiting execution for refusing to recant Christianity, is only one of many persecuted in Iran for their faith. A six-year prison sentence for pastor Farshid Fathi Malayerianother Muslim convert to Christianity—was recently upheld following an unsuccessful appeal hearing. Also, another prominent house church pastor, Benham Irani, remains behind bars, even as his family expresses concerns that he may die from continued abuse and beatings, leading to internal bleeding and other ailments; authorities refuse to give him medical treatment. The verdict against him contains text that describes the pastor as an apostate, adding that apostates "can be killed."

Pakistan: A Christian couple have been on the run since they embraced Islam back in 2006, only to reconvert to Christianity. Upon learning that the couple returned to Christianity, neighboring Muslims attacked and persecuted them; one of the husband's best friends abducted and tortured him, while beating the wife. "[One] should have the freedom to choose the religion one wishes to follow," said the Christian husband. "They have subsequently been on the run."

Saudi Arabia: A court is looking into an apostasy case concerning a 28-year-old Muslim woman's conversion to Christianity. The father alleges that a Saudi and a Lebanese played a role in converting his daughter to Christianity and smuggling her to Lebanon, where she has received sanctuary in an anonymous church.

Jihad Death and Destruction

Nigeria: In what is described as an ongoing genocide of Christians over 65 people, including two politicians, were killed in a triple attacks on Christians. First, Muslims destroyed 43 Christian-owned farms. Nobody was arrested. Then they attacked nine Christian villages around the city of Jos, killing dozens of people. "They came in hundreds," said an official, "Some had police uniforms and some even had bulletproof vests." In one instance, Christians fleeing the violence took refuge in the house of a local church leader, which was bombed and more than 50 Christians were burned alive, including the pastor's wife and children. Then the Muslims attacked the funeral for the victims of the village raids, killing several more people. Security forces said Muslim Fulani herdsmen were responsible but Islamist militant group Boko Haram issued a statement saying: "We thank Allah for the successful attack." Separately, Islamic motorcycle assassins gunned down four Christians.

South Africa: The Islamic terror group Al Shabaab is accused of murdering 14 Christians, all Ethiopians, in the Western Cape. A Christian bishop, also a former police inspector, fears more of his flock will be targeted: "We want authorities to do something because we know this is the work of al-Shabaab. If nothing is done, the Ethiopian population will be depleted… [those who died are] holy martyrs who have died because they are Christians." Meanwhile, Father Mike Williams of the Anglican Catholic Church also revealed that members of his congregation have been targeted by gunmen "with connections to Muslim extremists," saying that "In July, we have lost seven members of our church."

Syria: Syrian "freedom fighters" continue showing their true colors as they destroy churches and kill Christians, which has resulted in the mass migration of tens of thousands of Christians, including practically the entire populations of Homs and Qusayr. Surrounding nations that once might have offered refuge—Iraq, Turkey, even now Lebanon—are also increasingly inhospitable to Christians. One Christian girl who escaped said: "They sermonized on Fridays in the mosques that it was a sacred duty to drive us [Christians] away…. Christians had to pay bribes to the jihadists repeatedly in order to avoid getting killed." After making the sign of the cross, her grandmother added: "Anyone who believes in this cross suffers."

Turkey: An article titled "Who Ordered the Murder of Christians?" asserts that a Muslim undercover agent who had worked for the government "penetrated the Christian community and gathered a lot of information, while he was pretending to be a missionary. He became a church leader, and upon receiving another order, he became 'Muslim' again and launched a campaign against missionaries across the country," which culminated in the massacre of Christians.

Dhimmitude
[General Abuse, Debasement, and Suppression of Non-Muslims as "Tolerated" Citizens]

Egypt: After a Christian laundry worker burned the shirt of a Muslim man, several quarrels ensued and culminated with the death of a Muslim. Accordingly, thousands of Muslims rampaged the village, causing 120 Christian families to flee. They looted Christian businesses and homes "despite hundreds of security forces being deployed in the village. Eyewitnesses reported that security forces did not protect most Coptic property." Family members of the deceased Muslim insist that the Christians must still pay with their lives. Also, during Ramadan, several Christians were attacked and beaten. Dr. Yassir al-Burhami, a prominent figure in Egypt's Salafi movement issued a fatwa forbidding Muslim taxi-drivers and bus-drivers from transporting Coptic Christian priests to their churches, which he depicted as "more forbidden than taking someone to a liquor bar." And a charitable medical center that performs free heart operations on both Muslim and Christian children is under threat from some Muslims, who want it closed down because it was founded by a Christian surgeon.

Pakistan: Days after a Muslim mob doused a man with gasoline and literally burned him alive for "blaspheming" the Koran (graphic picture here), a Pakistani Christian woman, now living in the U.S., explained how when she lived in Pakistan, Muslims disfigured her in an acid attack for being Christian: After one man noticed her wearing a crucifix, he "became abusive," telling her "that she was living in the gutter and would go to hell for shunning Islam. He left and returned half an hour later, clutching a bottle of battery acid which he savagely chucked over her head. As she ran screaming for the door a second man grabbed her by the hair and forced more of the liquid down her throat, searing her esophagus. Teeth fell from her mouth as she desperately called for help, stumbling down the street. A woman heard her cries and took her to her home, pouring water over her head and taking her to hospital. At first the doctors refused to treat her, because she was a Christian. 'They all turned against me… Even the people who took me to the hospital. They told the doctor they were going to set the hospital on fire if they treated me.' … 67 per cent of her esophagus was burned and she was missing an eye and both eyelids. What remained of her teeth could be seen through a gaping hole where her cheek had been. The doctors predicted she would die any day. Despite the odds she pulled through." Separately, Muslim landowners and their police accomplices continue annexing land owned by Christians. "The police pulled away our headscarves from heads and started hitting us with clubs and punches" reported Christian women, "after news spread that police is harassing and torturing Christian women and men … to grab their agricultural land."

About this Series

Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching epidemic proportions, "Muslim Persecution of Christians" was developed to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that surface each month. It serves two purposes:
  1. To document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.
  2. To show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.
Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; apostasy and blasphemy laws that criminalize and punish with death those who "offend" Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (financial tribute expected from non-Muslims); overall expectations for Christians to behave like dhimmis, or second-class, "tolerated" citizens; and simple violence and murder. Sometimes it is a combination.

Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the West, to India in the East, and throughout the West wherever there are Muslims—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

A Burnt Koran Worth $10,000

By Findalis

A Badly Beaten Jew Worth $0


This is the new reality in the Michigan.   A Koran was found on the steps of the Islamic Center of East Lansing burnt.  The police are offering a $10,000 reward on who burnt the Koran.  But Zachary Tennen was beaten, his jaw broken, mouth stapled shut by 2 goons who didn't like the fact he was a Jew.  The East Lansing Police Department don't even believe that a crime, let alone a hate crime, was committed.



Journalism sophomore Zachary Tennen said he was assaulted in what his family has described as an anti-Semitic hate crime on the 500 block of Spartan Avenue early Sunday morning.

After Zachary Tennen was knocked unconscious at about 1:30 a.m. early Sunday morning at a party, his mouth was stapled shut by an assailant while about 20 individuals watched, Zachary Tennen said in a statement to the East Lansing Police Department.

Zachary Tennen said two college-aged males asked if he was Jewish and when he answered yes, the two men assaulted him.

“They knocked me down really hard … and I assumed someone would help me,” Zachary Tennen said, before his surgery, despite the difficulties for him to talk. “But after some guys at the house basically kicked me out, I had to get a cab.”

His jaw was severely broken in two places during the assault. Zachary Tennen said he took a cab to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing on Sunday to receive immediate treatment for his injury.

“I’m really, really upset in a few ways; First of all it is a terrible experience, physically and also mentally to know someone would do something like this,” he said.

“It almost seemed like they tried to kill me, and to think about that in my brain, physically — it isn’t very pleasant.”

Police were not at the scene of the party, and no one at the party stopped the incident from occurring, he said.

No officers from the East Lansing Police Department would confirm the incident occurred, but Bruce Tennen said he contacted the police and filed a report.

In response to inquiries regarding the incident, MSU spokesperson Kent Cassella released a university statement relating to the assault.

“Michigan State University’s Student Affairs and Services office has reached out to the family of the student assaulted in East Lansing to provide the academic and other support the student needs,” Cassella said. “MSU will work with the student and his professors to ensure he can fulfill his academic requirements, as we would with any student in need.”

Bruce Tennen said his son is slated to have surgery on his jaw Monday evening near his home in Franklin, Mich., adding he is overwhelmed that this happened to his son. He said his family has never experienced a hate crime such as this.

Bruce Tennen said he plans to contact the Anti-Defamation League and the FBI regarding the incident.

“The whole thing is unbelievable; Clearly it was a hate crime,” he said. “I personally intend to do everything in my power to see that justice is served.”

Source
Somebody should explain to the East Lansing Police Department that burning a Koran is protected speech.  If burning the American Flag is NOT a crime, then burning ANY book is not a crime.  The real crime would be if you steal the book to burn it.  Then it is theft and destruction of personal property.

It is a shame that Zachery Tennen will not receive justice in Michigan.  I am supposing that the laws have been changed by the State of Michigan has passed a law allowing any person to assault, rape or even murder a Jew.

I suppose that California will be next to pass this law.




Wednesday, August 29, 2012

CAIR Comes Out Against California Assembly Resolution on Campus Anti-Semitism

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com

(You may have to highlight the text to read.)




The Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which advertises itself as the moderate voice of American Muslims and defender of their rights, is a creation of the Muslim Brotherhood going back to the 1990s. They are also an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation trial in Dallas involving Muslim charities funneling money to designated terrorist organizations in the Middle East.


Now they have joined the fray over the University of California report issued by the Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Exclusion, which outlines problems of anti-Semitism within the University campus system and makes specific recommendations to UC President Mark Yudof. Just this week, I posted a petition created by Stand With Us to  President  Yudof urging him to accept the report and implement the recommendations. This is in the face of a counter-petition by the anti-Israel Jewish Voice for Peace asking Yudof to deep-six the report.


At this point, the California State Assembly has just passed a resolution (Resolution 35), which refers to the report and calls on California campuses to address problems of anti-Semitism.


http://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/hr_35_bill_20120823_amended_asm_v98.pdf

Now CAIR has lent its voice against the resolution. Shameful. Below is CAIR's statement.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 


Subject: CAIR Says Assembly Resolution Stifles Discussion on California Campuses

Sent: Aug 29, 2012 12:47


Greater Los Angeles Area August 29, 2012  
CAIR Says Assembly Resolution Stifles Discussion on California Campuses

(SACRAMENTO, CA, 8/29/12) -- The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), along with nine community, legal, and student organizations, sent a letter to lawmakers in the state about House Resolution 35, which passed in the California Assembly yesterday, because it stifles robust political debate on university campuses. The letter urges lawmakers to reconsider the issue when they reconvene in January. 

CAIR: Calif Lawmakers Denounce Anti-Semitism in Colleges (AP)

HR 35 calls upon California college campuses to adopt the recommendations in the Report on Campus Climate for Jewish students, which has been subjected to widespread criticism for its potential threat to students' civil rights.

Text of HR 35
Letter to lawmakers 

The letter states in part: "Though cloaked as a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, the actual goal of HR 35 is to stifle geopolitical debates in academic and university settings. Nobody should hesitate to condemn anti-Jewish expression no matter the context in which it arises. But this resolution characterizes criticism of Israel generally as "cloaked" anti-Semitism. By HR 35's logic, Presidents Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, and George H. W. Bush, and organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are all anti-Semitic because they have at times criticized Israeli policies. This politically motivated definition of anti-Semitism lacks any basis and does a tremendous disservice to the fight against real anti-Semitism. It is no more anti-Semitic to criticize Israel than it is anti-Muslim to criticize Saudi Arabia."

SEE: Human Rights Advocacy is Not Hate Speech

U.C. report on Jewish campus climate: Results marginalize, misrepresent students critical of Israel 
  
UC report on anti-Semitism draws ire
  
CAIR-Sacramento's Civil Rights Coordinator Rachel Roberts said: "This resolution will do nothing to stop anti-Semitism, but it will stop the discussions college students must be allowed to have to analyze and form opinions on international issues."

HR 35 was passed in less than one month's time, while California students were out of session for the summer. "Lawmakers were not given a full picture of the complexities of this issue and voted thinking they were merely condemning anti-Semitism," said CAIR-LA Government Relations Coordinator Adel Syed. "Since the legislature is so busy, it is easy to miss the enormous constitutional problems with resolutions like HR 35."

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. 

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR-LA Government Relations Coordinator Adel Syed, 714.776.1847, E-Mail: asyed@cair.com; CAIR-Sacramento Civil Rights Coordinator Rachel Roberts, 916.441.6269408.986.9874, E-Mail: rroberts@cair.com;  CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,202.744.7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com


CAIR-LA  
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Asem Abusir, MBA  President 
Baraa Kahf, Esq   Vice President
Amana Siddiqi 
Secretary Yasir Mahar 
Treasurer Shamel Abd-Allah, MD
Hafez M. Hafez
Omar Jubran
Shereen Sabet, PhD
    Deeba Sultani  

          STAFF

Hussam Ayloush Executive Director 
Ameena Mirza Qazi  Deputy Executive Director/Staff Attorney

Adeeb Ahmad   Field Organizer      Atif Butt   Programs Coordinator 
Fatima Dadabhoy  Civil Rights Attorney      Sherrel Johnson  Community Relations Manager

Asim Khan   Multimedia Specialist 
Nour Kweider
Membership Specialist 

Cecilia Peralta  Membership & Administrative Coordinator
   Arefa Simjee
Membership Specialist
Adel Syed
Government Relations Coordinator    
Munira Syeda
Communications Manager
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How interesting that CAIR takes this position because it stifles the debate against Israel-even though neither the UC report nor the resolution mentions Muslims, Muslim students, or the Muslim Student Associations. One might surmise CAIR has a guilty conscience.


The fact of the matter is that there is no suppression of anti-Israel rhetoric on UC campuse. It is flourishing. On the contrary, it is  pro-Israel speech that is rarely heard. Therein lies the problem: Many Jewish students who have chosen to speak up for Israel have found themselves insulted, spat upon, had cameras shoved in their faces, loaded shopping carts rammed into them from behind, and been subject to intimidation. If it were Muslim students who were enduring this treatment (which they are not), CAIR would be filing lawsuits right and left.


The people at CAIR are not only blatant hypocrites, they are giving their blessing to anti-Jewish harassment on college campuses. 





Petition Against Anti-Semitism at Michigan State University

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com

(You may have to highlight the text to read.)


I am linking a petition (which I have signed) that concerns a recent attack (August 26) at a party near the Michigan State University campus. A Jewish student named Zach Tennen was approached by two males who asked if he was Jewish. When he answered affirmatively, he was beaten, and while he was on the ground, his assailants stapled his lips together. There were several witnesses, but nobody came to his rescue. Incredibly, the police are saying this was not a hate crime. The Blaze has a report below followed by the petition.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/shocking-report-mi-state-students-mouth-stapled-shut-during-horrific-anti-semitic-hate-crime/ 

https://www.change.org/petitions/michigan-state-university-condemn-hate-crime-assault-on-jewish-student?utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

This is a growing problem on university campuses, and if somebody doesn't address it, we are going to have a tragedy on our hands one day. I for one do not want to see one of our campuses become the next Toulouse. Please sign the petition.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Maher Hathout and Freedom Letter

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com



Maher Hathout


I have previously written about the Freedom Pledge letter, which had been sent in 2009 by Former Muslims United, an appeal addressed to one hundred of the most prominent Muslim leaders in America asking them to sign statement that American Muslim apostates should not be harmed. Only two of those leaders ever signed the letter or even replied. In April 2012, I met with Imam Muzammil Siddiqi (one of the recipients) at Loyola Marymount University and asked him about the letter. He stated he never received it.

On June 24, 2012, this writer attended a speaking appearance by one of the recipients, Maher Hathout, a high-ranking leader of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles. During the Q and A, another member of the audience asked him about the letter, which Hathout stated he never received. At that point, I handed him his copy of the letter addressed to him. When asked if he would sign it, Hathout replied that he would read it, and if it was serious and did not insult Islam, he would sign it. Below is the video of that event.

http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/maher-hathout-appearance-at-guibord.html

On July 4, 2012, FMU sent another round of the same letters to over 200 Muslim leaders including Hathout.

I have been informed by Nonie Darwish this evening that Hathout still has not signed the letter.

Reading the above links you can also access the lists of Muslim leaders who were sent letters in 2009 and 2012.

So the question must be asked as to why so many of our top Islamic leaders in the US have failed to sign a simple statement that former Muslims in America should not be harmed.

One thing is sure. Maher Hathout cannot claim he never received the letter.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

If We See Something, Are We Not Supposed to Say Something?


Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


The below article was written by my friend and colleague Karen Lugo, a Constitutional Law expert who teaches at Chapman University. As we know, Janet Napolitano has launched a call for American citizens, "If you see something, say something." That sounds reasonable, but when people do speak out about what they see happening, the administration is quick to try and shut them down. Rep. Michele Bachmann quickly comes to mind.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



See Something, Say Something, Run For Cover
Karen Lugo

The record of testimonies and statistics presented at Rep. Peter King's five hearings on Islamist radicalization demonstrated that America faces a serious problem; just thestory of Melvin Bledsoe, whose son was radicalized by the Nashville Muslim Students Association and a Tennessee mosque to eventually commit jihad murder at the Little Rock recruiting center was all that Americans really needed to hear.  This heartbreaking story alone highlights the systemic failings that still contribute to denial of this crisis.

In July, the House Appropriations subcommittee held a hearing on the FBI’s handling of the Fort Hood massacre.  Rep. John Carter who represents the district that includes Fort Hood was allowed to question the FBI official, although not a member of the subcommittee.  He was rightfully indignant at the level of political correctness that still hamstrings the very agencies established to monitor radicalism and thwart attacks: “If [Nidal Hasa] yelled out ‘Jesus Christ is God,’ would they have said Christians were involved? I mean, at what point does it get to be Islamic terrorism? That’s the simple question. Answer that one,” Carter said.

Rep. Michele Bachmann has attracted bolts of invective for raising legitimate, but inconvenient, concerns about high level Islamist infiltration of government.  If a member of the House Intelligence Committee who is charged with the essential duty to “say something” if she “sees something” is ridiculed by establishment politicians and left undefended when Islamist agitators blame her for inciting murderous hate, the average person takes away a powerful lesson: if you see something, whatever you do, don’t say anything.

Largely overlooked in this controversy is a fifteen-page letter from Bachmann to Muslim congressman Keith Ellison in which she chronicles the current administration’s blasé relationship with arguably dangerous Islamists; those with connections to expansionist wahhabist groups or terrorist inciters.  She explains that the congressional signatories to her request for an inquiry by the State Department’s inspector general are concerned with the positioning of Hillary Clinton’s top deputy, Huma Abedin (evidentiary record presented by Andrew McCarthy and Andrew Bostom here and here), and they question the administration’s outreach to court-noticed Muslim Brotherhood-associated groups as well as the decision to grant a visa to  Hani Nour ("did-no-one-google-him?") Eldin,a member of a U.S. designated terror organization.

Yet, in light of the published record of Abedin’s past connections to Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas activists, President Obama -- hosting a White House Iftar dinner -- went out of his way to honor Huma Abedin “for her patriotism, grace, and generosity of spirit and “extraordinary representation of our country.”

When government short-cuts important structural processes that serve the ends of security and safety, asking why is obligatory -- not scandalous.   According to Ambassador John Bolton “what these members of Congress have done is simply raise the question to a variety of inspectors general in key agencies — are your departments following their own security clearance guidelines?”

Related concerns over government streamlining of required process – one much closer to most American neighborhoods -- is growing alarm over the siting of mosques and whether prescribed regulatory scrutiny is given to the permitting process.  Very similar complaints of expedited process and short-circuited deliberations (two current examples herehere, and here), as compared to other religious land use applications, are being registered across the country.  Fueling community fears, the Department of Justice has been tipping the scales -- in what some communities are calling a precipitous fashion -- by weighing in on the side of the mosque proponents. A Wall Street Journal article shows the Justice Department is increasingly intervening on behalf of mosques with 16 of 26 probes in the past decade occurring in the 15 months preceding August 2011.

While some mosques are legitimate houses of worship, many have proven to be radicalization centers as an exhaustive empirical study presented on this quandary demonstrates.  The conclusions, based upon indicia of violent materials, promotion of jihadism, and adherence to strict sharia, reached in Shari'a and Violence in American Mosques indicate that “Islam -- as it is generally practiced in mosques across the United States -- continues to manifest a resistance to the kind of tolerant religious and legal framework that would allow its followers to make a sincere affirmation of liberal citizenship.”

As localities approve variances to allow siting of the mosques in residential areas, residents have registered frustration at what they see as a short-cutting of the statutory tests for how a particular use will impact traffic, parking, and other infrastructure concerns.  If zoning scrutiny has relaxed, as compared to the deliberative response that other-than-Muslim religious land use applications receive, the streamlining of process in such cases prompts serious questions as to why mosque treatment appears to be preferential.

The example provided by European Islamic enclaves that have locked down under sharia law systems, thus denying assimilation opportunities and defying civil authority, cannot be ignored.  There are no easy answers as the American guarantees of individual liberty, religion freedom, and expressive rights must not be compromised but we will not reach solutions by muzzling those courageous enough to begin the discussion.

Intimidation and cowardice have long been the enemies of liberty and security, especially when the exercise of liberty and the concerns of security have been in tension.  American voters are responsible for holding elected officials accountable for enforcing security standards and this includes demanding that candidates speak to these issues in an informed and specific manner.

For the sake of all Americans, including secular Muslims, the discussion on how we achieve security while protecting liberty deserves respect.  Much of the tone for this debate will be set by how we treat the serious questions posed by Bachmann’s “National Security Five.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What our leaders don't seem to understand is that it is not just seeing a suspicious person leaving a package unattended at an airport. There is cause for alarm going on all around us. There are citizens in this country who have taken the time to learn about the jihadist movement in America. Lugo is one of them. It is not a question of labeling all Muslims as threats. At the same time, however, the threats are out there. It seems that too many of our national leaders don't want to see anything.


Saturday, August 25, 2012

One Small Step For Mankind

By Findalis
http://findalismonkeyinthemiddle.blogspot.com




On July 21, 1969 at 02:56 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), Neil Armstrong stepped out of the LEM (Lunar Excursion Module) The Eagle and onto the surface of the moon with the words:
"This is one small step for man.  One giant leap for mankind."
He was followed a few seconds later by Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin Jr.  On that day, that time, they were written into the history books as the first Americans, the first men, the first humans to set first on any world, any moon, any place off of the Planet Earth.  With their courage, the Human Race started on its journey into the Final Frontier.

Neil Armstrong was born on Aug. 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  He attended Blume High School and was an Eagle Scout.  (He was awarded Distinguished Eagle Scout and the Silver Buffalo Award later in life.)  He attended Purdue University and entered the US Navy in 1949, became a pilot, earned a Master's Degree, then became a test pilot.  He was chosen for the Space Program in 1962 and first flew into space aboard Gemini 8 on September 20, 1965.

On July 16, 1969 at 13:32 UTC Apollo 11 lifted off the surly bonds of Earth and flew into history.





After his historic flight, the weeks of quarantine, the ticker tape parade, the adoration from the world, Neil Armstrong retired from NASA and Space Flight in 1971.  He taught Aerospace Engineering at University of Cincinnati.  He was asked to join the investigation committees for both Apollo 13 and the Challenger disaster.

Neil Armstrong died on August 25, 2012 due to complications from surgery.  He is survived by his wife Carol and 2 adult sons from a previous marriage.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

What to Look for at the DNC/Jumah Convention

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com






There is going to be an interesting sidelight to the upcoming DNC convention. A group of radical jihadists is coordinating with the DNC to hold public events including a Friday prayer, which will be held in an open space for the public to witness. Two very questionable characters are organizing these events, Sirah Wahhaj and Jibril Hough. They are well-described in the below article from Red State.

http://www.redstate.com/breeanneh/2012/08/21/radical-islam-joins-the-dnc/

As to that Friday prayer, if you don't know Arabic, it might be a good idea to check into the words of the Friday prayer itself. Islam Watch has a description below.

http://islam-watch.org/authors/139-louis-palme/1082-behind-the-muslim-prayers.html

So this is what we have here. The DNC is collaborating with this group called the Bureau of Indigenous Muslim Affairs, which will led by two questionable characters (Wahhaj and Hough). They will have a public Friday prayer in a public park probably consisting of hundreds if not thousands of people. The prayers, which are standard, contain negative references to non-Muslims, specifically Christians and Jews.

Wonderful.

I have no problem with Muslims praying to God, whether it is 5 times a day or fifty times  a day. I do think, however, that if we still believe in America that religion should be a private affair, these mass open prayers taking up streets, city blocks, or parks are inappropriate.  They belong in the mosques. It is no mistake that these events are usually-if not always- organized by people like Wahhaj and other Muslim supremacists. What is the message here? The message is one of in your face intimidation-a sign to the rest of us that Islam is coming. We see it in Europe, where Muslims take it as their right to take over city streets in Paris or cathedral squares in Milan to hold their daily prayers out in the open so others can see their force. They also do it in downtown Manhattan. They do not care if others are inconvenienced or offended. This is what gives Muslims a bad name in the US. All it does is harm Muslims who reject these aggressive acts, who just want to be a part of America and practice their faith freely and privately.

But it is not those latter Muslims who will be on display in Charlotte. It is the ones like Wahhaj and his ilk.

I can only hope that they get maximum TV exposure for the country to see who the Democratic party has aligned itself with.

University of California Takes a Positive Step Re: Anti-Semitism

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com


Hat tip to AMCHA Initiative.

I scoffed when University of California President Mark Yudof created his UC Advisory Committee on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion a couple of years back. Every time he gets a new complaint about anti-Semitism on UC campuses, he trots out this body to show he is dealing with the problem.

Finally, however, I have to compliment (with certain reservations) this body for the just-released study they have done on the problem facing Jewish students on campus whenever some group decides to hold an anti-Israel event.

Below is a letter from the AMCHA Initiative to the committee thanking them for their report but cautioning them about the attempts of groups like Jewish Voice for Peace to have Yudof table the report.
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Dear UC Advisory Committee on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion:
We are faculty at the University of California who, for the last several years, have been involved with efforts to document and address campus anti-Semitism in institutions of higher education in the United States. We are also co-founders of the AMCHA Initiative, an organization dedicated to informing the California Jewish community about manifestations of harassment and intimidation of Jewish students on California campuses.
We are writing to you today to concur with a crucial finding of your commttee's report, "Jewish Student Campus Climate Fact-Finding Team Report and Recommendations," written by Richard Barton and Alice Huffman:
As the report states:

“Jewish students are confronting significant and difficult climate issues as a result of activities on campus which focus specifically on Israel, its right to exist and its treatment of Palestinians. The anti-Zionism and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movements and other manifestations of anti-Israel sentiment and activity create significant issues through themes and language which portray Israel and, many times, Jews in ways which project hostility, engender a feeling of isolation, and undermine Jewish students’ sense of belonging and engagement with outside communities.”
Our own extensive experience confronting anti-Jewish bigotry at the University of California confirms this important finding. We have found that bigotry against Jewish students has occurred over many years and on many University of California campuses. For more than a decade, Jewish students have been subjected to: swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti; acts of physical and verbal aggression; speakers, films and exhibits that use anti-Semitic imagery and discourse; speakers that praise and encourage support for terrorist organizations that openly advocate murder against Israel and the Jewish people; the organized disruption of events sponsored by Jewish student groups; and the promotion of student senate resolutions for divestment that seek to demonize and delegitimize the Jewish State.
Over the last few years, Jewish members of the campus and California communities have expressed their distress at this long-standing and pervasive problem. For example:
  • In May 2010, 60 Jewish students on three UC campuses (UCB, UCI and UCSD) responded to an on-line questionnaire about campus climate that we posted. These students described feeling harassed and intimidated on their campuses: more than two-thirds felt that anti-Israel events and campaigns promoted hatred of the Jewish State and of Jews and even expressed the concern that such hatred might lead to violence against Jewish students on their campus, with some stating that it already had. Almost all the students felt that their administrators do not treat Jewish concerns as sensitively as they treat those of other minorities. (See Here for a selection of student responses to the questionnaire).
  • In May 2010, 70 UC Irvine faculty members signed an open letter stating that they were deeply disturbed about activities on their campus that fomented hatred against Jews and Israelis, and that many faculty and students felt intimidated, and even unsafe.
  • In June 2010, more than 700 Jewish UC students signed an on-line petition expressing outrage at anti-Jewish rhetoric and imagery on campus. They asserted that these events "are as offensive and hurtful to Jewish students as a “Compton cookout” or a noose are to African-American students."
  • In June 2010, the leadership of twelve national Jewish organizations -- including United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Orthodox Union, which represent two of the three major religious Jewish movements in America -- signed a letter to President Yudof asking him to acknowledge and address the problem of anti-Jewish bigotry at the University of California.
  • In September 2011, more than 5,000 members and supporters of the California Jewish community signed an AMCHA Initiative petition to President Yudof expressing their deep concern about the longstanding and pervasive harassment and intimidation of Jewish students on UC campuses and urging him to address the problem promptly and forcefully.
  • Earlier this month, the AMCHA Initiative sent to the UC Regents and President Yudof a letter signed by more than 1,000 members and supporters of the California Jewish community, that asked the Regents and President to carry out their legal and moral obligations to ensure that UC classrooms are not being used to promote anti-Semitism.

We are aware that there are individuals and organizations that dispute the Fact-Finding Team’s report and have asked President Yudof to table it. However, we question their motives and believe a review of their actions, as described below, indicates that the welfare of Jewish students is not their goal. Rather, their aim is to involve the University of California in enacting a political agenda that seeks to harm Israel and those who support it. Indeed, their extensive participation in events on UC campuses that demonize and delegitimize Israel is itself a significant part of the problem confronting Jewish students.
Prominent among those who are working to suppress the report’s findings is The Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), an anti-Zionist Jewish organization that is on the Anti-Defamation League's list of top ten anti-Israel groups in America. (See HERE for the JVP email campaign to force President Yudof to table the report). The JVP supports anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaigns and according to the Anti-Defamation League, "uses its Jewish identity to shield the anti-Israel movement from allegations of antisemitism and provide it with a greater degree of legitimacy and credibility."
The JVP and its chapters have: endorsed the campaign to force the two largest state pension funds to divest from Israel; endorsed the United Methodists divestment campaign; supported the anti-Israel divestment resolutions in the UC Berkeley and UC San Diego student senates; signed an open letter in support of the organizers of the National BDS (PennBDS) conference at the University of Pennsylvania February 3 - 5, 2012, whose goal was to promote international BDS campaigns; and is a member of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, whose campaigns include boycotting Israel and calling for a halt to all US aid to Israel.

We believe that the Jewish Voice for Peace, and other such organizations and individuals seeking to tarnish the findings of the report and to have it tabled, do so disingenuously, in order to continue to use the University of California to achieve their political agenda. That goal is unworthy of a great University and cynically ignores the welfare of many Jewish students.

We urge you to carefully consider this report and to address the serious campus climate issues facing Jewish students at the University of California.

Thank you,

Tammi Rossman-Benjamin
Lecturer, University of California at Santa Cruz
Co-founder the AMCHA Initiative

Leila Beckwith
Professor Emeritus, University of California at Los Angeles
Co-founder the AMCHA Initiative



Cc: UC Chancellors
UC Regents
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson

Bcc: Members and supporters of the Jewish community

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If I may engage in a little nit-picking. First of all, the report does not mention once the groups(s) responsible for hosting the specific events that feature extremist speakers, some of whom have engaged in anti-Jewish rhetoric. That would be the various Muslim Student Associations on UC campuses as well as the Students for Justice in Palestine. In that regard, the report is similar to how the Europeans report riots in their streets by young Muslim males. ^They are identified generally only as "youth". You cannot engage the problem if you don't name the parties involved.

There was also a reference to some Jewish students criticizing the involvement of the outside community in getting involved and portraying a negative image of UC Irvine. I have addressed that before and will do so again. The Jewish student community at UCI is like the Jewish community at large, quite diverse and differing in such things as religious outlook, political views, attitude towards Israel, or desire to be involved in the whole controversy on campus. It is quite true that if a Jewish student cares little for asserting his or her Jewish identity or support for Israel and just wants to get on with the business of getting an education, UCI is a pleasant environment. I would guess that most Jewish students choose not to get involved when the MSU brings their circus to town every May in the form of anti-Israel week. If they don't care what people like Amir Abdel Malik Ali or Mohammed al -Asi say about Jews in front of the microphone, they have no problem. However, the members of the local Jewish community and others (such as myself) have chosen to get involved and challenge the MSU and their hate merchants in a civil and legal manner in accordance with the rules of the university. We will also exercise our First Amendment rights within the law and within the bounds of civility. We will continue to do that whether certain students or the Orange County Jewish Federation and Hillel object or not.

Other than that, I am glad to see the report. I would like to see how the recommendations are acted upon. A good start would be to tell the MSAs to find speakers other than Malik Ali. He can take his soapbox to the nearest local park. In addition, it is time for US universities to recognize that the so-called "plight" of the Palestinians, which is largely of their own making, is hardly the number one issue of concern in US academia-notwithstanding the efforts of a small but very vocal minority.

Monday, August 20, 2012

She Sails Again!

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle



 It is written by sailors that all objects of beauty are called "she".  Especially sailing ships.  And the USS Constitution is no exception.
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat. Launched in 1797, Constitution was one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed. Joshua Humphreys designed the frigates to be the young Navy's capital ships, and so Constitution and her sisters were larger and more heavily armed and built than standard frigates of the period. Built in Boston, Massachusetts, at Edmund Hartt's shipyard, her first duties with the newly formed United States Navy were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War.

Constitution is most famous for her actions during the War of 1812 against Great Britain, when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships: HMS Guerriere, Java, Pictou, Cyane and Levant. The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname of "Old Ironsides" and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping. She continued to actively serve the nation as flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons, and circled the world in the 1840s. During the American Civil War she served as a training ship for the United States Naval Academy and carried artwork and industrial displays to the Paris Exposition of 1878. Retired from active service in 1881, she served as a receiving ship until designated a museum ship in 1907. In 1931 she started a three-year, 90-port tour of the nation, and in 1997 she finally sailed again under her own power for her 200th birthday. On August 19, 2012, she sailed again under her own power in Boston Harbor to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her defeat of the Guerriere.

Constitution's stated mission today is to promote understanding of the Navy’s role in war and peace through educational outreach, historic demonstration, and active participation in public events. As a fully commissioned US Navy ship, her crew of 60 officers and sailors participate in ceremonies, educational programs, and special events while keeping the ship open to visitors year round and providing free tours. The officers and crew are all active-duty US Navy personnel and the assignment is considered special duty in the Navy. Traditionally, command of the vessel is assigned to a Navy Commander. She is berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard, at one end of Boston's Freedom Trail.
She was berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard.  Now she is at sea once more.  Celebrating her victory over a British ship 200 years ago.
At 215 years old, the USS Constitution is the U.S. Navy's oldest commissioned warship afloat. But it's not too old to take a quick sail.

For 17 minutes on Sunday, the ship cruised west across Boston Harbor, reaching a maximum speed of 3.1 knots. It was its first sail under its own power since turning 200 in 1997.

The short trip -- a distance of 1,100 yards -- was to commemorate the Constitution's victory over a British warship of a similar size in a fierce battle during the War of 1812. The victory earned the ship its nickname, "Old Ironsides."

Chief Petty Officer Frank Neely, a Constitution spokesman and crew member, said he was among the 285 lucky people who were aboard on Sunday. It was a warn day with a few clouds, but still perfect for the sail, he said.

"This was really terrific," Neely said. "It couldn't have been more memorable."

The trip marked the day two centuries ago when the Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812. The Guerriere proved no match for the Constitution, which was heavier and longer. The vessels blasted away at each other at close range, even colliding at one point, during the 35-minute battle.

"I cannot think of a better way to honor those who fought in the war as well as celebrate Constitution's successes during the War of 1812 than for the ship to be under sail," Constitution Cmdr. Matt Bonner said in a statement.

Following the sail, tugs took the vessel to Fort Independence on nearby Castle Island where a huge crowd had gathered, and the Constitution fired a 21-gun salute, Neely said.

The ship, which was first launched in 1797, is stationed in Charlestown, and periodically is tugged into the harbor for historical display. Its primary mission today is to provide teach people about its history. Each year, about 500,000 people tour the ship, Neely said.

Source


She looks wonderful for a 215 year old lady.  Her guns are still workable and she is the oldest commissioned vessel in the world.  Wouldn't you want to be one of the lucky people aboard this wonderful ship?