U.S. "Chose to Stay Silent" on Muslim Persecution of Christians: November 2013

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

A Christian college professor in India was finally acquitted of all blasphemy charges, although is still missing an arm -- cut off by a group of men, following accusations that some of his exams contained offensive questions about Islam's prophet Muhammad.

According to the founder of the Maspero Union, an activist movement in Egypt, targeting Christians in the context of seizing their money and their property is seen "as a religious duty."

The rise of endemic Christian persecution in the Middle East was noted in November when Roman Catholic Pope Francis declared "We will not resign ourselves to imagining a Middle East without Christians" and stressed the importance of "the universal right to lead a dignified life and freely practice one's own faith" after meeting with patriarchs from Syria, Iran, and Iraq -- all countries where Christian minorities are under attack.
Powers best placed to do something about the plight of Mideast Christians, however —namely, the U.S. administration—made it clear that they would do nothing, even when well-leveraged to do so.
In November, the wife of American Pastor Saeed Abedini, who has been imprisoned in Iran for over a year for practicing Christianity, said she and her family were devastated after learning that the Obama administration did not even try to secure the release of her husband as part of the newly signed deal on Iran's nuclear program.

"The talks over Iran's nuclear program were seen by his [Abedini's] family and those representing them as one of the most promising avenues yet for securing his release," said Fox News. "But the White House confirmed over the weekend that Abedini's status was not on the table during those talks."
"I don't think we have any more leverage," said Abedini's wife. "We now have to consider other avenues and having other countries speak out because our country, when we could have used our leverage, chose to stay silent."

The rest of November's roundup of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed by theme and country in alphabetical order, not necessarily according to severity:

Islamic Attacks on Christian Places of Worship

Lebanon: An unidentified attacker firebombed the reception area of the newly built Christian cathedral of the town's patron Saint, Mar Zakhya. Despite the loud boom heard in the town's main square, there was limited damage; some building material used for the building process of the cathedral was destroyed. Although Lebanon was a Christian-majority country in the mid-20th century, today it is roughly 60% Muslim, 40% Christian.

Sudan: Police and security forces used a truck and two Land Cruisers to batter down the fence around Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church, before breaking into the church and beating and arresting the Christians present, as Muslim onlookers shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("Allah is Greater!"). The government, which has been destroying or taking over church buildings in retaliation to the secession of the mainly Christian South Sudan in July 2011, is believed to be behind the move, on the pretext that parts of the church's property actually belong to a Muslim business investor.

Syria: Nine children were killed and 27 people wounded after Islamic rebels targeted and fired mortar rounds at the St. John of Damascus Christian School and its school bus. Also, the aftermath of the rebel invasion and occupation of the city of Qamishli in the northeast near the Turkish border included, among other atrocities, such as beheadings, churches bombed, abductions and rapes, beheading Christians, and their clergy, as well as the destruction of all Christian icons in the local church and the theft of the church's most prized possession, a reportedly two-thousand year-old icon of the face of Christ.
Turkey: Historically the oldest Christian place of worship in Istanbul, the ancient monastery of San Giovanni in Studion founded in 462, currently classified as a museum, is now going to serve as a mosque. This would be the third ancient Christian building and heritage site set to be transformed into a mosque. Earlier it was announced that the ancient churches of Hagia Sophia (St. Sophia) in Trabzon and in Iznik would also be turned into mosques.

Islamic Attacks on Christian Freedom: Apostasy, Blasphemy, Proselytism

India: TJ Joseph, a Christian college professor, was finally acquitted of all blasphemy charges, although he is still missing an arm. Back in 2010 he had his right hand and part of his arm cut off by a group of men, following accusations that some of his exams contained offensive questions about Islam's prophet Muhammad. Although he had apologized, after he was mutilated, his college also fired him. According to one source: the most serious aspects of this episode "was the attitude of the police, who registered the complaint against him and also arrested him, and of the institution, which has suspended him from duty. Fortunately, the Mahatma Gandhi University, to which Newman College is affiliated, revoked the decision of the school authorities and has offered him his job back."

Iran: The fate of Hossein Saketi Aramsari, a Christian known as "Stephen" among his friends, remained unknown. Iran's secret police arrested him in July 2013, on suspicion that he was engaging in "evangelistic activities." According to sources, apparently to increase pressure on him, authorities transferred him from one jail to another; he has also been in solitary confinement. Then, in October, a judge of the local Revolutionary Court "officially charged him with doing evangelism." It is believed that he is currently held in the same prison where Benham Irani, another Christian "prisoner of conscience" is being held, abused, and refused medical treatment, also on the charge of proselytizing. Explaining this rise in crackdowns on evangelizing, Mohabat News said, "Conversion of youth and their families has become a major concern for the Iranian security authorities and Islamic leaders." Separately, a former Muslim and drug addict, Armin Davoodi -- who had twice attempted to commit suicide before he converted to Christianity at a rehabilitation center (at the hands of another former Muslim and formerly drug-addicted woman, who had earlier become Christian) -- was, according to those close to him, falsely convicted of selling drugs in the facility, severely beaten, and sentenced to prison, after authorities learned that he had begun to proselytize in the rehabilitation center. Police also temporarily arrested his parents at their home and confiscated his personal belongings, including the Bibles he used to take to the rehabilitation center. Relatives with strong government connections were able to get him released under many conditions, including the requirement that he state in writing that Christians had misled him into the faith and that he would never again go to a church or talk to other Muslims about the Gospel, and that if he did, he would be executed by the state. He agreed to their proposal and has since fled.

Pakistan: Blasphemy cases against Christians have reached an all-time high. Four such cases were reported in November; a number, according to activists, four times higher than the monthly average recorded over the past two years. Activists and clergy further stressed that the overwhelming majority of blasphemy accusations are being used as "instruments of revenge" against Christians, as a sure way to see them get punished for whatever real or imagined grievance the accusing Muslims might have. Separately, Younis Masih, a 35-year-old Christian who had been imprisoned and sentenced to death on blasphemy charges since 2005, was finally released after judges decreed he did not blaspheme Islam. He and his family are still in hiding, as some Muslims are still seeking to kill him despite his being cleared of the blasphemy charge. According to Masih: "I have four children and I have no job, no one is helping me. I live with the fear of being killed." In the words of his lawyer: "Christians in Pakistan fear threats, attacks, violence, discrimination and hatred. The law of blasphemy is always a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads: Their life is not safe even after their release from prison."

Somalia: A Muslim convert to Christianity living in Mogadishu was killed by Islamic gunmen accusing him of spreading the faith. Two men armed with pistols shot Abdikhani Hassan, 35, seven times as he approached his home, after he closed his pharmacy. He is survived by his wife, who is pregnant, and five children ranging in age from 3 to 12. He and his wife converted to Christianity in 2000. Before killing him, one of the assailants told a neighbor, "We have information that Hassan is spreading wrong religion to our people, and we are looking for him." According to a source, "The men who murdered Abdikhani [Hassan] are suspected to be Al Shabaab militia," the Somali wing of al-Qaeda which has vowed to "cleanse" the country of any Christian presence.

Turkey: A Christian pastor was reportedly arrested on charges of organizing human trafficking and prostitution. The Christian community of Agape (or "Brotherly Love") Church, where Orhan Picaklar, 42, is pastor, insists that he is innocent, and that "the allegations are entirely instrumental, as the Pastor was under observation for suspected 'illegal missionary activity.'" Later, the church where the Agape community meets was damaged by vandals, even though the congregation had obtained the formal status of "association" in 2005: as with other Christian communities in Turkey, the government does not grant official recognition of "church" to new communities.

Dhimmitude

Central African Republic: At least 450,000 Christians have fled their homes in the 80% Christian-majority nation since the Islamic takeover in March 2013. Then, Seleka—a coalition of local and foreign Arabic-speaking Islamic militias—seized control of the capital, Bangui, in an orgy of violence, bloodshed, and rape, against Christians. As one analyst put it, "But Seleka does not rape, loot and kill indiscriminately. Rather, Seleka attacks Christians and spares Muslims, causing traditional community trust to evaporate, and creating a sectarian tinderbox." Christians, however, who make the majority of the African nation, are fighting back, leading to an extremely volatile situation. Christian Bishop Albert Vanbuel stated, "a rebellion of religious extremism with evil intentions, characterized by profanation and planned destruction of religious buildings, especially Catholic and Protestant churches" is now in power.

Egypt: Three months after the Egyptian military liberated Delga from Muslim Brotherhood supporters and sympathizers—who were forcing Christians to pay jizya, or tribute [tax], to stay alive—they continued to terrorize Christians in other towns across Egypt. Especially throughout regions in Upper Egypt, such as Minya, extortionists using the threat of kidnap, torture and murder seized money, land and other property from Christians. One Copt was tied by his kidnappers as they repeatedly shot an automatic rifle next to his ear. According to the Morning Star News, "Besides the emotional damage he suffered, the shockwaves exiting the rifle combined with the muzzle blast shattered the Christian's eardrums and burned his face. The Copt begged his family to gather the ransom money, and eventually they paid the kidnappers some 50,000 Egyptian pounds (US$7,260). He returned to his family shattered and unable to speak of the ordeal until recently." According to the founder of the Maspero Union, an activist movement that played an important role in mobilizing the June 30 Revolution, targeting Christians in the context of seizing their money and property is seen "as a religious duty." The director of a human rights organization in Upper Egypt said, "This past month alone, we had nine cases of kidnapping in Minya, and they all paid their ransom, which was between 100,000 and 250,000 Egyptian pounds [US$14,500 to $36,300] for each case." Separately in Minya, after a Coptic boy was accused of being in a relationship with a Muslim girl, "Muslims burnt down the house of the boy's father and an adjacent house."

Nigeria: After kidnapping a teenage Christian girl named Hajja, members of the Boko Haram terrorist organization kept her as a slave, eventually putting a knife to her throat and offering her one of two choices: convert to Islam or die. "If I cried, they beat me. If I spoke, they beat me. They told me I must become a Muslim but I refused again and again… They were about to slaughter me and one of them begged me not to resist and just before I had my throat slit I relented. They put a veil on me and made me read from the Koran." According to Reuters, "She ceremonially converted to Islam, cooked for the men, carried ammunition during an attack on a police outpost and was about to be married to one of the insurgents before she managed to engineer a dramatic escape. She says she was not raped." Recounting how her captors used her to lure people into traps, the 19-year-old told Reuters, and "They took them back to a cave and tied them up. They cut their throats, one at a time. I thought my heart would burst out of my chest, because I was the bait." Among those who did the slaughtering was the Muslim wife of a leader, the only other woman in the band of jihadi terrorists. Separately, a Baptist high school principal and some teachers were beaten to a "pulp" and "state of coma" at the hands of "unknown persons," who used axes, among other weapons. The reason was that the school had earlier sent home a female student for wearing a veil, or Islamic hijab, while on school premises. Finally, over 70 Christians were killed by what were described as "Islamic extremists": Boko Haram terrorists killed 34 Christians in Borno State, while "Muslim herdsmen" slaughtered 37 Christians, injured dozens, and looted and destroyed their homes, in coordinated attacks on four Plateau State villages.

Pakistan: An entire Christian community has been forced to flee a Lyarni neighborhood known as the "slaughter house," due to the endemic killings, rapes of young girls, thefts, drug dealing, and extortions. Before surrounding Muslims began their incursions, the residential area was 90% Christian, 10% Hindu, with four churches and three temples. "It is almost empty now," said an elder of a Christian family. "We all are separated now. We won't be reunited again." "A lot of the families have left the compound since 2008, after their daughters were kidnapped and raped," said another community elder. "No one knows where they have gone." He recalled an incident when a teenage girl, who was dancing at her brother's wedding, was kidnapped. "Her parents, brother and relatives cried and appealed to the kidnappers but they didn't listen," he narrated. "She was dishonoured and was left outside the compound the next morning. That family was never seen in the city again."

About this Series

While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching pandemic 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 often seems to fail to report.
2. To suggest that such persecution is not random but systematic.

These accounts span different ethnicities, languages, and locations.

Nonie Darwish Speaks Out on our Troubling Immigration Policy

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


 
"Approved"


                                
"Denied"

Nonie Darwish, an Egyptian-American apostate from Islam, has written the below article for Frontpage Magazine, in which she criticizes President Obama's policies toward the Middle East and, in particular, our immigration policy. She points out that Egyptian Christians are having problems getting their applications approved at the same time that a new policy has been issued that loosens restrictions for those found to have "provided limited material support" to terrorists.

Amazing.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/nonie-darwish/jihad-migrating-to-red-states-with-obamas-blessing/

What I miss here is the reference in the title of bringing immigrants into red  (Republican) states, but it could very well be the case. Refugee groups like Somalis have been settled in places like Minneapolis, Denver, and other cities. If Obama wants to change the demographics in red states, what easier way to do it?  

"What is also strange is the US State Department is not welcoming fleeing Christians in the Middle East as they should. Most of the visa applications submitted by the desperate and oppressed Egyptian Christians are denied. It was reported that only about 800 to 900 applications were approved by the US for Christian Egyptian immigrants out of 20,000 applications."

Outrageous. Can we expect the same hurdles for Jews trying to immigrate from Europe? It simply defies common sense. The administration  is trying to open the floodgates for Muslims from terror-spawning nations even in the wake of 9-11 and the Boston Marathon attack while neglecting the persecuted Christians. What's more, we are also increasing the numbers of people who will become agitators for groups like CAIR, more radical Middle East Studies professors, more imams to preach Wahhabi Islam in our mosques and more agitators against our ally Israel on college campuses.

Downright stupefying.

Make no mistake. This policy will result in the deaths of more innocent Americans down the road when one (or more) of these favored immigrants will carry out an act of Jihad on our streets. It borders on criminal negligence.

The Islamic Terror Threat Against the Winter Olympics

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


Hat tip Frontpage Magazine


Muslim apostate Nonie Darwish has written an interesting and provocative article on the Islamic terror threat against the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/nonie-darwish/the-islamic-grinch-who-stole-the-olympics/

Darwish, who was born in Egypt and is now an American citizen, left her religion of birth when she could not reconcile the fact that she was expected to hate Christians and Jews. It just didn't measure up to what she had been experiencing in the US where she was making friends with people of different religions.

It is outrageous that the athletes and other visitors to Russia have to go through these Olympics in such a climate of fear. Of course, we remember the last Olympics that was victim of Islamic terrorism (Munich 1972). So why should we not talk about it? Why don't the so-called moderate Muslims who run all these so-called mainstream organizations in the US like CAIR and MPAC speak out forcefully against these terror threats instead of endlessly complaining about Islamophobia? They cannot even define the term lest any serious discussion of it make it clear why so many have to live their daily lives in fear, such as Christians in the Middle East or Olympic athletes in Russia. Are they afraid? Yes. What are they afraid of? Being killed by some fanatical Muslim suicide bomber or having their churches burned down with them inside.

Irrational fear? Hardly. It is quite real, and it is all very simple. Who needs a center for research and documentation of Islamophobia at UC Berkeley to figure it all out?

Of course, we all concede that there are millions of innocent Muslims living in the US and the West who wish us no harm. The term Islamophobia should not mean a hatred for all Muslims, rather a rational fear of a supremacist, totalitarian and violent ideology that must never be allowed to gain a foothold in the free West. Unfortunately, until decent Muslims can manage to seize control of their religion from the Ayman al Zawahiris, Yusuf al Qaradawis, Hamas, the religious bigots, and the black widows of the world, suspicion is a fact of life they will unfortunately have to live with. In fact, they are irrelevant to the discussion.

As long as Christians, Baha'i, Jews, and gays have to live in fear of persecution in Muslim majority lands, as long as Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims kill each other, as long as the civilized world has to live under the threat of Islamic terror, as long as mosques and madrassahs are used to spread hatred of others, as long as loudmouths like Anjem Choudary promise an Islamic takover of the West and installation of Sharia law, and as long as events like the Boston Marathon and the Olympics cannot be held free of the threat of bombs going off, there will be Islamophobia. And it is we who will define it-not CAIR and not some professors in Berkeley or any other university.

New Court Documents Reveal Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry's Final Moments

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


A firefight in which Border Patrol agents were firing bean bags at drug traffickers using weapons from Operation Fast and Furious

Thanks to newly-released court documents, we now have an account from Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry's fellow agents of the firefight in the Arizona desert that took Terry's life. The mainstream news media will surely ignore it, but this story should never be allowed to die.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/05/new-court-documents-reveal-final-moments-border-agent-brian-terrys-life/


"Among other details, they reveal two of four federal agents at the scene that day actually fired bean bags -- not bullets -- at a violent drug gang carrying assault rifles. Weapons from the botched anti-gun trafficking program were found at Terry's murder scene."

Bean bags. 

"Those agents, members of BORTAC, an elite unit within the Border Patrol, had deployed in the desert to locate a drug gang, known as a rip crew, that had terrorized the Nogales, Ariz., area for months."

Dear Reader. In law enforcement talk, the word, "rip" is one of the most frightening terms in our jargon. It means a "rip-off". In DEA undercover work, a rip-off was when the undercover agent becomes the victim of a robbery, in which the seller of the drugs would rob and kill the purported buyer rather than make a drug for money exchange. There have been several undercover DEA agents who have been killed in these rip-offs over the years. So when I hear that the target of Agent Terry's group was a "rip crew", the immediate question in my mind is....

What the Hell is this talk about using bean bags??

What kind of sick mentality is it in Washington that sends agents like Brian Terry off to fight violent drug gangs on the border with bean bags??

And to this day, the Justice Department under that crook Eric Holder is withholding thousands of documents requested by the Congressional committee investigating Fast and Furious. Those documents have now been put under the protection of President Obama with his claim of executive privilege. Richard Nixon would be proud because unlike him, Obama is getting away with it.

Has anybody ever asked Janet Napolitano (now the president of the University of California and heading the US delegation to the Winter Olympics) why she allowed her Border Patrol agents to fight drug traffickers on the border with bean bags? No. I asked her when she spoke at UCLA a couple of years back why she wasn't pounding on Eric Holder's desk demanding to know why one or even two of her agents were dead because of  Fast and Furious. Answer? She preferred to allow the "investigation" to play out. Well, it seems it has "played out", just as Holder, Obama and Napolitano wanted. Nobody has ever been held accountable for one of the most boneheaded ventures in the history of law enforcement, one that has resulted in the deaths of one, possibly two US agents and hundreds of Mexicans.

Bean bags.

Another Muslim Brotherhood Member Welcomed in the White House

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




Anas Altikriti shaking hands with Obama


President Obama's relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood is downright troubling to put it mildly. It is pretty clear by now that the MB is the entity in Egypt that he favors. When he made that trip to Cairo early in his first term, he made sure that the MB was included in the audience at Al Azhar University. He supported the regime of Mohammed Morsi and was not happy when the Egyptian military removed him from power. His own half-brother, Malik Obama, is now suspected by Egyptian authorities to be connected to the MB. We have recently seen how a group of MB figures from Egypt were able to come to Washington and slip through normal security and immigration checks thanks to the State Department. Now comes this latest report from the Washington Free Beacon, which says that a Muslim Brotherhood figure in the UK was present at a  meeting in the White House with the President and an Iraqi member of parliament. Why was this man, Anas Altikriti, present? He was acting as an interpreter according to the White House.

http://freebeacon.com/muslim-brotherhood-leader-meets-obama-in-white-house/

I am not buying this interpreter excuse. Are you telling me that the White House and the US Government cannot come up with an Arabic language interpreter? The State Department and Foreign Service Institute can come up with one in 5 minutes.

Let us be clear: The MB is the umbrella organization from which were spawned most if not all of the worldwide terror organizations including Al Qaeda-to say nothing of the many so-called moderate Islamic organizations in the US today. The current Egyptian government is doing the world a tremendous favor by clamping down on this insidious organization that seeks to establish a world-wide Islamic caliphate. No respectable American administration should be associating with this group in any manner. Yet, that is precisely what the Obama administration is doing.That begs the question as to why? Is it because Obama favors Islamist rule in the Middle East?

St Marks Episcopal Church in Seattle: Marching Against Israel

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


Hat tip The Mike Report

In December 2012, we reported on the annual Muslim Public Affairs Council conference, which was held at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. It was there that head pastor, Ed Bacon, wailed on about the history of Christianity being littered with acts of evil listing the Crusades, Holocaust, and-get this- "evangelical Zionism".

Of course, not a word was said about Muslim persecution of Christians in virtually every Islamic land on the planet. Not a word was said about the 600,000-700,000 Jews driven out of Arab lands from 1948-1950. Nor were many words wasted on the human rights records of Israel's neighbors.

Now comes this report from The Mike Report on St Mark's Cathedral in Seattle, another Episcopal church that marches against Israel on behalf of the Palestinian activists. It is noted that some of the same speakers at St Marks have spoken down here at UC Irvine (Omar Barghouti, Cindie Corrie and Miko Peled).

http://mikereport.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/st-marks-cathedral-hatred-in-the-center-of-seattle/

At a time when Christians and Jews should be standing together, it pains me to see organized churches and entire religious denominations (Presbyterian Church USA) trying to destroy the Jewish state. Though mere criticism of Israel is not necessarily anti-Semitic, when you ignore the transgressions of Israel's neighbors while harping on Israel's faults, there is only one conclusion to draw.

Carl Goldberg's Speech at Restoration Weekend

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


I have been sent the below video of a speech by Carl Goldberg (Act for America, Arizona) at David Horowitz's Restoration Weekend event at West Palm Beach on November 16, 2013. In the below speech, Goldberg talks about political Islam, its threats and what we can do to counter it in the US. It is well worth a view.

http://vimeo.com/84935244

Jeanine Pirro on Benghazi

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


Hat tip Frontpage Magazine


The below video from Jeanine Pirro's Fox News show is 9 minutes long, but worth the viewing. In fact, every American who plans to vote in 2016 should see this. In this video, in the wake of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on Benghazi, Pirro takes Hillary Clinton apart over her handling of Benghazi, before, during and after the attack of September 11, 2012.



To you defenders of Clinton (and Obama), I say this: You may not like Pirro. You may not like her politics. You may not like her style. But I challenge you to find one word in the video that is not true.

Then tell me why you think Hillary Clinton deserves to be president.

Mohammad Rateb Alnabulsi: Why Is This Man in the US?

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


Hat tip Investigative Project on Terrorism





Mohammad Rateb Alnabulsi is a Syrian sheikh who is touring the US and being co-sponsored by the Syrian American Council. Given his past history of statements especially in regards to Jews and homosexuals, one wonders why we gave him a visa. Here is a report from the Investigative Project on Terrorism.

http://www.investigativeproject.org/4265/ipt-exclusive-radical-syrian-cleric-secures-us

"All the Jewish people are combatants" acceptable as targets for attacks in Israel, al-Nabulsi wrote in his "ruling on martyrdom operations in Palestine."

"The second fatwa. The author of this fatwa says: the wicked Jews are a collection of defects and 
imperfections, and a hotbed of vices and evils. They are the worst enemies of God, against Islam and its  people, The Almighty says: Certainly you will find the most violent of people in enmity for those who believe (to be) the Jews and  those who are polytheists. [Quran 5:82] 

God has made it a duty to fight them and wage Jihad against them so that the word of God will be 
supreme, and the word of those who disbelieve be low. This will be when the enemies of God crouch in 
their homes, and do not break the Covenant and the Charter, do nor plunder the wealth of the Muslims, and usurp their homes. He says: "

"Homosexuality offers a filthy place and does not generate offsprings. Homosexuality leads to the destruction of the homosexual," Al-Nabulsi said. "That's why homosexuality carries the death penalty."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How ironic that at a time when our government is sending a US delegation to the Winter Olympics in Russia that includes gays in response to recent anti-gay remarks by Vladimir Putin, they allow a man like this to come to this country and spout his poison.

Here is his remaining schedule:


Saturday, Jan 18, 2014: ICA Franklin, MI 

Sunday, Jan 19, 2014: Orland Chateau Banquets, Orland Park, IL 

Saturday, Jan 25, 2014: DoubleTree by Hilton Dallas, TX 

Saturday, Feb 1, 2014: Los Angeles*

* The February 1 event is actually at the Hilton Hotel in Irvine (18800 MacArthur Blvd. from 6-9 pm.)

You will note that CAIR's Southern California director, Hussam Ayloush, who is mentioned in the IPT article, is also on the LA board of the Syrian-American Council, which promotes US assistance to the rebels fighting against the Assad government in Syria.

Was Adam Lanza one of Breivik's ideological recruits?

Further reading: Breivik cracks and confesses?

The Anti-Israel Movement in American Academia

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


I would like to add a postscript to the two articles I have put up in the past 24 hours about the appearance of Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti's appearance at the University of California at Riverside yesterday. This is the second time I have heard Barghouti speak. Today he is making two appearances at UCLA, both under the sponsorship of activist anti-Israel professors just as at Riverside.

I have written so many articles about the anti-Israel speakers who come to speak on university campuses, so I run the risk of repeating myself here. Omar Barghouti is a professional activist who travels the world giving lectures condemning Israel for being a "racist, apartheid state that is violating the human rights of Palestinians". As one of the other members of the audience so eloquently pointed out during the q and a yesterday, Barghouti is an expert in using emotionally-charged terms throughout his speech that are designed to inflame passions.

In addition, and arguably worse, Barghouti is sponsored from university to university by radical leftist faculty members who consider themselves to be fighters for justice and human rights, themselves two terms that have been hijacked by the left in academia. We heard it yesterday with English professor David Lloyd, the man who invited Barghouti to speak at UCR.

Justice. Human rights.

But when you hear Barghouti and his adoring sponsors in academia speak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, here are some things they don't talk about as they drone on about justice and human rights.

They will not talk about the 600-700,000 Jews who were driven out of Arab lands in 1948 as a result of the first Israeli-Arab war. They will only talk about the Palestinians who became refugees-many of whom left of their own accord upon the urging of the Arab armies who promised them  quick return once "Palestine" was conquered.

They will not dwell on the countless acts of Palestinian terrorism against innocent Israeli civilians. In my lifetime, I can recall the hijackings of airplanes by Palestinians, many of which resulted in loss of innocent life-of various nationalities. I also vividly recall the murder of the entire Israeli Olympic team in the 1972 Olympics by Palestinian terrorists. I also recall the Achille Lauro ship incident in the 1980s when Palestinian terrorists commandeered an Italian ship and murdered an American Jew named Leon Klinghofer, who was thrown overboard in his wheelchair. That has been followed by suicide bombings including buses in Israel blown up by bombers. To be sure, Barghouti said yesterday that he condemns killing of civilians though he thinks that attacks against Israeli soldiers are a form of "legitimate resistance" against what he calls "occupation".

In that vein, if you go to one of these university events on Israel, don't expect for anyone to mention the infamous massacre of the Fogel family a couple of years ago, in which Palestinians crept into a Jewish family's home in the settlement of Itamar and murdered practically the entire family by slitting their throats including a months-old baby asleep in a crib. That was greeted by dancing in the streets by the noble Palestinians.

Where were the great American academic human rights activists and fighters for "justice" when that happened? Forget about Palestinian activists like Barghouti. Where were the American academics who profess to be defenders of justice and human rights? I will tell you. They ignored it and ignore it to this day.

Let's take this a step further. Look at what is happening in Egypt to the Christians. Look at what is happening in Syria to the Christians while Sunnis fight against the forces of Assad and the Alawites (Shia). Look at what is happening in Sudan. Look at what is happening to gays and Baha'i in Iran. Look at what is happening to Christians and animists in Sudan. Look at what is happening to Christians in Pakistan. Look at what is happening to European Jews in the streets of European cities at the hands of Muslim immigrants. In fact, look at what is happening to religious minorities in virtually every Muslim nation on the planet. Persecution.

Where are the fighters for justice and human rights in American academia?

I will tell you. They are busy bringing in speakers like Omar Barghouti to condemn Israel for what they term "apartheid" against the Palestinian people. Never mind that Arabs, Muslims, and Christians, as well as gays, enjoy more freedom and human rights in Israel than in any of the surrounding countries.

It matters not. In fact, the Palestinian lobby, aided by American academics like Judith Butler, call the latter, "pink-washing" using the tolerance of homosexuality in Israel as unfair propaganda against its neighbors because in those lands, gays are likely to be killed.

"It's just not fair", say these learned academics who are teaching our children in our universities.

And what happens when someone is invited by a Jewish group on campus or the College Republicans to speak in favor of Israel? They are jeered, disrupted, and have to be escorted by security for their own safety. I was present at UC Irvine in 2010 when the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Michael Oren, came to speak. He was repeatedly disrupted by the Muslim Student Union, and it was only after they marched chanting out of the hall, that Oren was able to finish his speech. Yet, this English professor, David Lloyd, implied yesterday at UC Riverside that the Israeli side pretty much controls the dialogue. Not on a university campus, Dr Lloyd. He also said that when Oren came to UCI, nobody asked him to debate the Palestinian side. Considering that Oren was loudly disrupted and his own freedom of speech was attacked, I consider that a preposterous statement. The fact is that speakers like Barghouti, Amir Abdel Malik Ali, Jewish Voice for Peace, and others are a dime-a-dozen on any university campus. It is the pro-Israel people who are subject to intimidation within academia. This intimidation and yes-anti-Semitism could not exist without the collusion of these bozo professors and the cowardice of our university administrators.

Which leads me to my final point. No matter how much the Barghoutis of the world will deny it, the central point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not about who owned what land back in 1948. It is about religion. The Arab states and the people who since the 1960s have called themselves "Palestinians", as if such a nation ever existed, will never except a Jewish state in the region. The Palestinian leadership both in the West Bank (Palestinian Authority) and Gaza are very clear that in a future Palestinian nation, there will be no Jews. The ultimate goal is the total elimination of the Jewish state of Israel and the elimination of Jews from the entire region.

If you are a college student attending these events, this is what they will never tell you because if they did, they know they would not gain the support of young American people. They are liars. They are propagandists. They could care less about human rights because they don't observe them in their own societies, and because if Israel is ever overrun, these same forces will slaughter every Jew they can get their hands on.

And shame on these bozo professors in our universities who use their positions in academia to indoctrinate our young people to support. Not only are they supporting the wrong side, they are enabling a resurgence in anti-Semitism.

Is Norways Anders Breivik an ideological neo-nazi and not anti-jihad as claimed?

(Picture - The 69 victims of the Utoya island slaughter)

There is an obscure post claiming that Breivik has admitted that in truth he is a neo-nazi who in reality despises Jews contrary to the "2830"manifesto, and that the manifesto was tailored specifically to damage the 'counter-jihad' movement.

I do not believe he wrote the manifesto and whoever did write the manifesto knew how to write it from an inside view in an attempt to cause the most damage.  Wolves in sheeps clothing.

Thank God Breivik was not shot dead that day in July 2011 because the truth may never (have) come to light.

It is a major development in the on-going case if this turns out to be true and there are other blogs out there stating this is now fact.

I'll reserve comment until confirmed to be true by the media.

Norway interview 2011 - Paul Ray

Lionheart

How to Fight Back Against Campus Anti-Semitism

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


The latest FBI statistics (2012) once again show that when it comes to religious hate crimes, the biggest victim group is Jews. Contrary to the claims of the Muslim activist groups like the Council on American Relations (CAIR), offenses against Jews dwarf those against Muslims and have done so every year going back all the way to 2001, the year of  9-11 and beyond. Over history, there have been many reasons for Jew hatred. Today, the prime cause is the Israel-Palestinian conflict, which has created a world-wide pro-Palestinian movement that seeks to deligitimize the Jewish state. The result has been a worldwide resurgence in anti-Semitism.

The focal point in the United States is on our university campuses, led by anti-Israel professors and student groups like the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). As an adjunct teacher at the University of California at Irvine Extension, I have been witnessing this phenomenon since 2006. I have also come to the conclusion that the universities will not confront this hate on our campuses when it comes to Jews as they would vis-a-vis other groups, such as African-Americans, Hispanics or Muslims. The reason is simple: The prime movers behind this drive are Muslims, and universities do not want to arouse their ire.

In addition, with rare exceptions, the established national Jewish organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Federation chapters and Hillel have failed to confront the universities and demand an end to a climate of intimidation on campuses. Nowhere is this more evident than within the University of California system. The previous president, Mark Yudof, himself Jewish, refused to take any concrete steps, calling it all free speech. In the past year, he sent a commission out to study the problem then refused to act on their recommendations when pro-Palestinian groups pushed back. He also refused to accept recommendations from the California Assembly, when they crafted Assembly Resolution 35 in response to complaints of anti-Semitism on California campuses.

So we are left with the dilemma of what to do. In my view, it comes down to taking a pro-active approach as opposed to merely reacting to the continuing outrages. Not that the latter is not worthwhile. It is important to attend the anti-Israel events, document what is said, and report it in order to educate the community as to what is happening on our campuses-especially as it impacts Jewish students, who, for a variety of reasons, may not want to speak out about the issue. However, there is more that can be done.

First of all, it is high time that those directly impacted by a hostile campus environment in which they are insulted, assaulted, or otherwise intimidated, not only speak out, but take legal action. It is up to Jewish organizations who supposedly care about anti-Semitism to assist them legally, provide legal counsel, and hold the universities to account in the pocketbook, as well as in damage to their national reputations. National organizations could make public statements encouraging Jewish students not to attend certain universities where this environment for Jews exists.

In the past several years, three complaints about anti-Semitism on campus were filed with the US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights against the University of California system. They have all been dismissed. Further action with DOE is pointless, in my view.

Secondly, it is time to bring our own speakers to campus, not just to advocate for Israel, rather to educate the student body at large as to what is happening in regards to anti-Semitism on campus as a result of this anti-Israel campaign, which is well-organized and funded nationally and internationally. Most students on campus are not anti-Jewish-certainly not those at UC Irvine- but they need to be aware that Jew hatred is on the march. Sadly, they also need to be fully educated about the historical precedent for this kind of hatred and where it leads.

In recent years at UC San Diego and UC Irvine, we have seen the campuses turned upside down over complaints of anti-black speech or actions. That is well and good. Unfortunately, when Jews are insulted as a people by radical speakers or swastikas appear on walls, we don't see the same reaction. One reason is that certain Jewish organizations don't want to make waves with the university when the source of the Jew hatred is from Islamic quarters. This has to change.

The situation is getting worse, and Jews need to take a strong, pro-active stand-aided by people of other faiths who see the problem for what it is. If this trend is allowed to continue, we are going to see a tragedy on one of our university campuses one day. When that happens, a lot of responsible people who should have spoken out will have to hang their heads in shame.

A Lion Of Judah Has Passed!

Ariel "Arik" Sharon (1928-2014)

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the death of former Prime Minister Ariel "Arik" Sharon.

He was born on 26 February 1928 in Kfar Malal. At age 10, Sharon entered the Zionist youth movement Hassadeh.

As a young teenager, he first began to take part in the armed night-patrols of his moshav. In 1942 at the age of 14, Sharon joined the Gadna, a paramilitary youth battalion, and later the Haganah, the underground paramilitary force and the Jewish military precursor to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Sharon's unit of the Haganah became engaged in serious and continuous combat from the autumn of 1947, with the onset of the Battle for Jerusalem. Without the manpower to hold the roads, his unit took to making offensive hit-and-run raids on Arab forces in the vicinity of Kfar Malal. In units of thirty men, they would hit constantly at Arab villages, bridges and bases, as well as ambush the traffic between Arab villages and bases.

From the Jewish Virtual Library:

In 1953, he founded and led the “101” special commando unit which carried out retaliatory operations against Palestinian fedayeen. Sharon was appointed commander of a Paratroop Corps in 1956 and fought in the Sinai Campaign. In 1957, he attended the Camberley Staff College in Great Britain.

Between 1958 and 1962, Sharon served as Infantry Brigade Commander and then Infantry School Commander, and then attended Law School at Tel Aviv University. He was appointed Head of the Northern Command Staff in 1964 and Head of the Army Training Department in 1966. He participated in the 1967 Six Day War as commander of an armored division. In 1969 he was appointed Head of the Southern Command Staff.

Sharon resigned from the army in June 1972, but was recalled to active military service in the 1973 Yom Kippur War to command an armored division. He led the crossing of the Suez Canal which helped secure an Israeli victory in the war and eventual peace with Egypt.

Ariel Sharon was elected to the Knesset in December 1973, but resigned a year later, serving as Security Adviser to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (1975). He was elected to the Knesset in 1977 on the Shlomzion ticket. Following the elections, he joined the Herut party and was appointed Minister of Agriculture in Menachem Begin's first government (1977-81). One of his priorities was to pursue agricultural cooperation with Egypt.

In 1981, Ariel Sharon was appointed Defense Minister, serving in this post during the Lebanon War, which brought about the destruction of the PLO terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon. In the realm of international relations, he was instrumental in renewing diplomatic relations with the African nations which had broken off ties with Israel during the Yom Kippur War. In November 1981, he brought about the first strategic cooperation agreement with the U.S. and widened defense ties between Israel and many nations. He also helped bring thousands of Jews from Ethiopia through Sudan.

In 1983, Sharon resigned as Defense Minister after a government commission found him indirectly responsible for the September 1982 massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps by Lebanese Phalangists.

Sharon remained in the government as a minister without portfolio and then served as Minister of Industry and Trade from 1984-90. In this capacity, he concluded the Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. in 1985.

In 1998, Ariel Sharon was appointed Foreign Minister and headed the permanent status negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.

While serving as Foreign Minister, Sharon met with U.S., European, Palestinian and Arab leaders to advance the peace process. He worked mostly to create and advance projects such as the Flagship Water Project funded by the international community to find a long-term solution to the region's water crisis and a basis to peaceful relations between Israel, Jordan, the Palestinians and other Middle Eastern countries.

Following the election of Ehud Barak as Prime Minister in May 1999, Ariel Sharon was called upon to become interim Likud party leader following the resignation of Benjamin Netanyahu. In September 1999, he was elected Chairman of the Likud. He also served as a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset.

On September 28, 2000, Sharon made a visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the holiest place in Judaism to emphasize Israel's claim to sovereignty over the Temple Mount. Palestinians maintained that Sharon came with “thousands of Israeli soldiers” and defiled a Muslim holy place, when in fact, Israel's Internal Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami permitted Sharon to visit the Temple Mount only after calling Palestinian security chief Jabril Rajoub and receiving his assurance that if Sharon did not enter the mosques, no problems would arise. Sharon did not attempt to enter any mosques and his 34 minute visit was conducted during normal hours when the area is open to tourists. Palestinian youths — eventually numbering around 1,500 — shouted slogans in an attempt to inflame the situation. Some 1,500 Israeli police were present at the scene to forestall violence.

Following Sharon's Temple Mount visit, the Palestinians, under the direction of Yasser Arafat, launched an unprecendented wave of violence and terror against Israelis, dubbed the “al-Aksa Intifada” by the Palestinians for its association with the al-Aksa Mosque located on the Temple Mount. Palestinian leaders claim that Sharon's visit sparked the violence, but on November 7, 2000, an investigatory committee led by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell was established to determine the causes of the violence and to make recommendations for calming the situation. The Mitchell Report issued in April 30, 2001, concluded “the Sharon visit did not cuase the “al-Aksa intifada.”

In a special election held February 6, 2001, Ariel Sharon was elected Prime Minister. He presented his government to the Knesset on March 7, 2001. After calling early elections to the 16th Knesset, which were held on January 28, 2003, Ariel Sharon was charged by the president with the task of forming a government and presented his new government to the Knesset on February 27, 2003.

After several years of bloodshed, terror, and stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, Sharon devised a bold plan that would ensure a higher degree of security for Israelis, and improve the lives of Palestinians. While Palestinian terrorism against Israelis was at its peak, and going virtually unchecked by Arafat and other Palestinian leaders, Sharon decided that Israel should act unilaterally to improve its security situation and reduce bloodshed. This plan, known as the disengagement plan, called for the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers in the Gaza Strip, as well as the dismantlement of all settlements in the area, including four settlements in northen Samaria. Between August 16 and August 30, 2005, Israel safely evacuated more than 8,500 Israeli settlers and, on September 11, 2005, Israeli soldiers left Gaza, ending Israel's 38-year presence in the area.

The implementation of the disengagement plan was viewed as a success by most of the Israeli public, although it sparked bitter protests from ministers of Sharon's Likud Party, causing a party schism. Facing bitter infighting in Likud, Sharon formally resigned from the party to form a new centrist party, “Kadima,” or “Forward” on November 21, 2005.

Following the Likud Party spilt, Sharon outlined the goals of his new party. One, he said, is to closely follow the United States-backed road map plan for peace with the Palestinians. Sharon declared that there will be no more unilateral withdrawals from the West Bank, and insisted that Palestinian terrorist groups be disarmed and dismantled. The Kadima party platform calls for “maximum security and assuring that Israel be a Jewish national home and that another state that shall arise be demilitarized, with terrorists disarmed.”

In mid-December, 2005, Sharon spent two days in a hospital after suffering a minor stroke, which doctors said caused no irreparable brain damage. However, on January 4, 2006, Sharon was rushed to the hospital following another, more serious stroke. Sharon suffered a massive brain hemorrhage, which caused extensive cerebral bleeding.

Prime Minsterial duties were turned over to Ehud Olmert, who held a cabinet meeting on January 5, 2006, to signal the transfer of power. Olmert was subsequently elected Prime Minister until elections on March 28, 2006.

President George W. Bush said that Sharon was “a man of courage and peace,” and that “on behalf of all Americans, we send our best wishes and hopes to the prime minister and his family.”

“Arik was a brave soldier and a daring leader who loved his nation and his nation loved him. He was one of Israel’s great protectors and most important architects, who knew no fear and certainly never feared vision, He knew how to take difficult decisions and implement them. We all loved him and he will be greatly missed,” Simon Perez.

“The State of Israel bows its head over the passing of former prime minister Ariel Sharon.  His memory will forever be held in the heart of the nation. Sharon played a central role in the struggle for Israel’s security throughout its existence. He was, first and foremost, a courageous fighter and a distinguished general, one of the greatest commanders the IDF has ever known. When he left the military, he continued to act on behalf of the people of Israel, both in the capacity of the many roles he filled in Israel’s successive governments and as the country’s eleventh prime minister,” continued the prime minister. “He will forever be remembered.” Benjamin Netanyahu.

"One of the state of Israel’s greatest soldiers and warriors before and since it was founded. He was directly in the line of fire throughout his entire life” – first on the frontlines of battle, then on the political frontlines.

“Arik’s life story is fascinating, extraordinary and unique, imbued with courage, human kindness, vision, and leadership,”- Ehud Olmert

Ariel Sharon's family was by his side when he passed. He nursed remarked that he was fighting for life until the end.

Except for the disastrous pull out from Gaza, Ariel Sharon was an exceptional leader of the nation of Israel.  If he hadn't had the stroke that felled him, I do believe that Israel would have taken a different direction in policy.

Today a Lion of Judah has gone.  His like will not return for a long time!

Genocide is Returning-and We Are Silent

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


Hat tip Act for America and Debra


The below article is from Act for America. It is written by Guy Bechor and describes what is happening to the dwindling Christian communities in Muslim lands.

Genocide: The Vanishing Christian Communities of the Middle East

By Dr. Guy Bechor
(Translation from Hebrew: Avishai Zonnenberg, Arik Klein)
The numbers are truly staggering: In Iraq of 2003, until the fall of Sadam Hussein, there were 1.5 million Christians, but today there are only 250,000, that means that 1.25 million have migrated, killed or been forced to become Muslims. In Syria of just three years ago there were 1.75 million Christians, out of whom 450,000 have already left, and the rate of the ethnic cleansing is only growing.

This means that by the end of this decade there will be no more Christian Arabs in the Levant meaning the northern east of the Middle East. In the space that is becoming “Salafi” and violent, there is no place for the Christian Arabs, and they are being forcedly exiled.

This phenomenon is happening in full force at the Palestinian Authority, and if in Bethlehem there where once 90% Christians, today it is already 65% Muslims. The tradition is that the mayor is Christian despite the Muslim majority, but the female mayor is facing harsh persecution, including by the “Fatah” movement.

The day in which there will be no more Christian Arabs in the Palestinian authority is getting close, and according to estimates there are only a few tens of thousands left. In the day to day of the Hamas, Salafis and the Jihad, they have no existence, and they migrate, many to South America, where they already have large communities.

In Hamas's Gaza, out of 2,500 Christians there are only few hundreds left, the rest have escaped or have been forced to become Muslims. If one day there will be an independent “Palestinian” territory, the Christians will be the first to pay the price, especially after the Salafis will start to take over the control there, and it is only a matter of time, as it is in the entire Middle East.

The Christian were promoted at the National Arab Movement, they were the leaders of the Pan-Arab movement; with the Hamas they were tolerated, but the Salafis are brutally exterminating them. In the Shari'a ruled state, the Christians have no place.

In Egypt nearly nine million are Coptic Christians (one tenth), and the estimate is that a quarter of a million have already migrated since the fall of Mubarak, and the rest are suffering persecutions, murders, violence, robbery and looting. They are in grave condition, and the reality is that there are no consequences for hurting them.

In Lebanon there are still about one million Christians (according to a survey published this year), but they are in deep despair, some of them are under the protection of the Shiite Hezbollah state. Do they really have any hope?

Oddly, in a year when the Pope is elected “Man of the Year,” there is no cry about the amazing ethnic cleansing being done to his flock, as well as nothing from the west. United State has murmured something, and that was it.

As for Israel this silence has few conclusions: while the new anti-Semites are busy condemning Israel, proposing resolutions and banning Israel, they are saying nothing about the real massacre and the forced exile taking place here, there is no limit for the hypocrisy. Where are the human rights movements, in the face of this Christians free Middle East being created here?

The second conclusion is for us in Israel: this silence is a warning that if G-d forbids Israel will one day be weakened, the extremists will do us much worse, and no one in the world would really help. In the violent and Salafi Middle East, there is no place for Christians, which did not know how to prepare on time, or the Jews.

Luckily for the latter in the Jewish state they are strong and deterring, now it is clear how important it is to have a Jewish state, as the only place in the Middle East left, that is not Muslim.

Now a word for the Christian communities around the world: if one day the sovereignty over the holy places in Jerusalem will be held solely by the Palestinian Authority, in a short time the religious war that is taking place in the entire Arab world will erupt here as well, and neither Jews nor Christians will be allowed access anymore to their holly sites, as it is happening in Syria, in the places sacred for the Christians.

Only under Jewish sovereignty the freedom of religion will be kept, and the proof is – only in one place in the entire Middle East do the Christian Arabs get freedom of religion as well as equality, and that is in Israel, and so for the first time, we see young Christian Arab citizens, wanting to join in alliance with the Jewish State. They already know that no one will be waiting for them out there, in the cold Christian winter. 

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Fousesquawk comment: As we speak President Obama's Middle East policy is in shambles. Yet we have a secretary of State, John Kerry, running around the Middle East trying desperately to accomplish three things:

1 Get Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program. (His recent "agreement" indicates he is not succeeding.)

2 Get the Israelis and Palestinians to sign a peace treaty. (Not likely)

3. Get the various factions in Syria to stop fighting. (No end in sight).

Yet, one thing Kerry is not doing is trying to ameliorate the desperate situation for Arab Christians. I should concede that perhaps, behind the scenes, he is raising the issue with Arab leaders. If that is the case, it is not good enough. 

For this is not an issue to discuss behind closed doors. Obama, Kerry, and our UN ambassador should be screaming to high heavens about this issue, as should the UN,  EU, the Pope, and everybody else. Instead, we have silence. Not only that, we have Christian leadership, such as the Presbyterian Church USA aligning itself with the Palestinians against Israel. This is beyond shameful.

I have said over and over that for Jews in Europe, it is the 1930s all over again. What shall we say about Christians in virtually iany Islamic land on the planet? If you want to make a corollary, let us take Nazi Germany once again. In  November 1938, the Nazi leaders unleashed their goons (the SA) upon the Jews of Germany in what we called Kristallnacht. From then on, it was open season on the Jews. How many years before the Nazis began murdering Jews? Less than 7 years after Kristallnacht, it was all over. Six million Jews dead.

In Egypt, over 80 churches have been burned since Mohammed Morsi was overthrown. It has been done in retaliation by the followers of the Muslim Brotherhood, the very people our administration wants returned to power. In Syria, the rebels whom we support, are attacking Christians when they are not fighting Assad's troops. It is happening in Libya, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria, and on and on.

We are facing the prospect of a genocide of Christians in the Middle East and other Muslim countries, and we say nothing because we don't want to offend the Muslim world and be called, "Islamophobic"? Meanwhile, here at home, we allow ourselves to be intimidated by the likes of CAIR as they cry about "Islamophobia". They should be thankful that they live in a civilized country where we don't persecute religious minorities as their brethren do back in the old countries. CAIR and all the other so-called mainstream organizations should start speaking out as Americans against the horrors that are happening in the Middle  East, Pakistan, Iran etc.

But I digress. It has to start with our political and religious leaders, and it must be done publicly, loud and clear.

Who Will Speak for Asia Bibi in Pakistan?

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


Hat tip Jihad Watch


I am cross-posting a current article by Robert Spencer in Jihad Watch. It is a two-faceted article that begins with the dilemma of a young Pakistani Christian girl in prison and facing execution on charges of blasphemy. She has written a letter to Pope Francis in the Vatican.

At the same time, Spencer is embroiled in a dispute with Worcester, Massachusetts Bishop Robert McManus, who has canceled a Spencer speaking appearance. By his own admission, he feels that speaking out on Islamic persecution of Christians would hurt the inter-faith dialogue and the "special relationship Christianity has with Islam".

Really?

Here is the article with a  link to statements by Bishop McManus.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/01/imprisoned-pakistani-catholic-asia-bibi-writes-to-pope-francis-saying-only-god-can-free-her.html

"Talk about extreme, militant Islamists and the atrocities that they have perpetrated globally might undercut the positive achievements that we Catholics have attained in our inter-religious dialogue with devout Muslims." 

"The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), specifically on paragraph 16 of Chapter 2 which speaks about the special relationship that Christianity has to Islam."

Spencer has adequately described the present-day relationship that Christians have with Muslims in Islamic nations. I need not add anything here. My point is that we as Christians are being ill-served by clerics such as McManus, who want to ignore the atrocities that are being carried out around the world including atrocities against Christians, not to mention Jews, Baha'i, Hindus, and even internecine killing between Islamic sects. We mustn't say anything because it might endanger our relationships with Muslims.

What relationships? McManus (and his Jewish clerical counterparts) allow themselves to be charmed by sweet-talking Islamic leaders in America who are speaking from a position of being about 1% of our population. Were Muslims a majority in this country, all these inter-faith activities would not exist. 

One Jewish figure who knows better is Charles Jacobs of the Boston-based Americans for Peace and Tolerance (mentioned in the article by Spencer). He has been trying for years to educate the Jewish community about the radical and extremist connections of the Islamic Cultural Center of Boston in Roxbury, only to be excoriated by the Jewish leadership that is so invested in inter-faith activities with that mosque.

People like McManus should be using their positions to publicly call out the American Muslim leadership on the horrors that are occurring in the Middle East and other Islamic nations against Christians and other religious minorities. Instead, McManus heeds the call of some figure in the local community who is linked to a convicted terrorist, Tarek Mehanna, to cancel a speaking appearance by Robert Spencer.

We need to go back in history. During the Third Reich, Jewish communities were led by so-called Judenrats (Jewish Councils), which tried to cooperate with the Nazi leaders in a vain effort to ameliorate the situation for Jews. We know where that led.

This should not be a call to treat innocent Muslims in the US like their co-religionists treat other religions in other lands. We don't need to do that, and we must not. Yet, we must speak out about the  persecution of Christians and other religious minorities. Why is it that our own religious and political leaders right up to President Obama are silent?

If the Barack Obamas and John Kerrys are silent, we can still insist that our religious leaders speak out instead of misleading their flocks. Too many of our religious leaders, both Christian and Jewish, are conducting themselves like modern-day Judenrats.

Lynne Stewart: Another Shameful Act by the Justice Department

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


Radical New York attorney Lynne Stewart did much more more than represent the Blind Sheikh, Omar Abdel Rahman; she became his accomplice. The below puff piece by CNN does not do justice to her shameful actions. Stewart went way over the line of legal defense when she put herself at the service of a man who was behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in 1993 that killed 6 people. Now, once again, Eric Holder and his gang at DOJ have sprung someone from prison who should have served her full sentence.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/31/justice/lynne-stewart-compassionate-release/

For a more sober assessment of what Stewart has done, watch last night's interview of Debra Burlingame, widow of the murdered pilot of the plane flown into the Pentagon on 9-11. She was interviewed by Fox's Megyn Kelly.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/3003945826001/exclusive-debra-burlingame-blasts-lynne-stewarts-release-/

Dying or not, this woman is undeserving of compassion. This is a woman who knowingly facilitated communication between her "hero of the mujihadeen" and his terrorist accomplices in the Middle East. This is a woman who is unremorseful for what she has done.

Given this outrage, we can only thank God that the Egyptian military stepped in to remove Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood from power in Egypt. Don't forget that Morsi was scheduled to visit the US this year, where he had vowed to lobby for the release of Abdel Rahman.  Is there much doubt now that his efforts would have been rewarded by this president and this attorney general?