August 2008

Debate on Churches in Gulf States
In March 2008, the first Catholic church in Qatar – Our Lady of the Rosary – was inaugurated in the capital, Doha. Built on land donated by the Qatari Emir, it is meant to serve some 100,000 Catholics living in Qatar, nearly all of them foreign workers, who until then were forced to hold services in schools and private homes. Our Lady of the Rosary, which is affiliated with a mother church in Abu Dhabi, is one of five churches of various denominations whose construction was recently authorized by the Qatari government. The churches are prohibited from conducting missionary activity and from displaying external religious symbols.…….(MEMRI, 7 Aug 08)

Saudi Women's Rights Activist Wajeha Al-Huwaider's New YouTube Video: On the Saudi Ban of Women Competing in the Beijing Olympics

The following are screen shots from the new YouTube video by Saudi women's rights activist Wajeha Al-Huwaider [1] titled "No to Women’s Oppression," on the Saudi ban on women competing in the Beijing Olympics. In the video, Wajeha Al-Huwaider writes, "participating in the Olympics is the impossible dream for Saudi women, until they lift the ban on sports for women in public schools and government universities."…….(MEMRI, 6 Aug 08)

Ban on SIMI to continue: Supreme Court

The ban on SIMI will continue with the Supreme Court on Wednesday staying a special tribunal order lifting restrictions on its activities after the government warned of "serious consequences" if the outfit was allowed to operate. The government moved the petition challenging the tribunal's order delivered on Tuesday before a bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan which issued notice to SIMI and posted the matter for hearing after three weeks… The ASG said the tribunal set up under the Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act, in its 263-page order has not expressed anything on the merits of the case even when the government has provided Intelligence Bureau reports pointing towards members of SIMI indulging in terrorist activities.  "Being a group of students and youth, SIMI is easily influenced by hardcore Muslim terrorist organisations operating from Jammu and Kashmir. Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashker-e-Toiba have successfully penetrated into SIMI cadre to achieve their goals," the petition said…..(Times of India, 6 Aug 08)

Hudson Institute Report: Islam, Islamism and Jihadism in Italy    .pdf

Taleban 'burn Pakistan schools'

Suspected pro-Taleban militants have burnt down three more girls' high schools in the Swat valley of north-west Pakistan, officials say. Ten schools have been destroyed in the district in the last four days. Nearly 70 state-run schools have been burnt down in the area in recent months, affecting over 17,000 students. There has been no word from militant groups in relation to the latest arson attacks, but local militants group have admitted to such attacks in the past……(BBC, 6 Aug 08)

Malaysian court rejects woman's bid to leave Islam

A Malaysian court on Wednesday rejected a Muslim woman's appeal to convert back to Christianity, the latest case to test the limits of religious freedom in the country. The Court of Appeal threw out Noorashikin Lim Abdullah's bid to renounce Islam on technical grounds — that she used her original Chinese name in her suit, her lawyer Edmond Bon said. The court said the appellant was not legally recognized because her Chinese name — Lim Yoke Khoon — no longer existed following her conversion to Islam in 1994…..(AP, 6 Aug 08)

Islamic Superheroes Going Global

Like other kids the world over, Middle Eastern children have long fantasized about superheroes battling injustice in American cities or fighting beasts in Japan. Five years ago, they got some champions of their own to cheer on when Kuwait-born businessman Naif Al-Mutawa created a new breed of superheroes endowed with Muslim traits and virtues. Now Mutawa is on an even greater mission: taking those same Islamic characters around the world.

["The 99"], a comic-book series based on characters that each personify one of the 99 qualities that the Koran attributes to God, met early resistance in places like Saudi Arabia. Local authorities worried that the series might mock Islam. But after Mutawa guaranteed that he would remain respectful of religion and won backing from a major Islamic bank, the series took off around the Gulf. Initially given away for free with Arabic versions of Marvel comics (the license for which Mutawa owns in the region), The 99 is now a stand-alone success, with some 500,000 copies given away and sold across the region in the past two years……(Time Magazine, 5 Aug 08)

Members of the Egyptian Unique Moustache Association: We Respect the Moustache of Hitler Because He Humiliated the World's Most Despicable Sect

Following are excerpts from an interview with members of the Egyptian Unique Moustache Association, which aired on Egyptian TV on July 11, 2008……(MEMRI, 5 Aug 08)

Muslims blast Israel for reading kindness into the Koran

Arab media around the Middle East this week reacted hysterically after learning that a Jewish professor at Haifa University is using verses from the Koran to teach Arab Muslim psychology students how to treat their future Muslim patients. Professor Ofer Grosbard developed the Quranet course using specially chosen verses from the Muslim holy book to help students reinforce in their patients concepts like respect, responsibility, honesty, dignity and kindness. Grosbard realized the need for the special course after one of his Muslim students complained that traditional Western psychology would be ineffective on Muslim patients who hold tightly to superstitious beliefs……(Israel Today, 5 Aug 08)

Girls’ school set on fire in Quetta

Unidentified assailants set fire to furniture, records, a computer lab and other valuables at a private girls’ school in Khilji Colony, Sariab Road in the early hours of Sunday, police said. Assailants entered the school and used petrol to start fires inside the rooms, setting ablaze the furniture, computers, and other valuables. They also broke doors of the classrooms and threw several computers into a water tank on the school premises……(Daily Times, 4 Aug 08)

Debating About Islam - Part 2

THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF ISLAM - The differences in the different kinds of Islam are due to religion, not politics. Take the Sunni/Shia split, the largest division in Islam. Both Sunnis and Shias completely agree on how to treat kafirs and jihad. All Muslim subscribe to one of five schools of the Sharia and the Sharia’s position regarding kafirs and jihad is the nearly the same for all the schools. The only big difference is whether to use violent jihad or peaceful jihad against the kafirs…….(Political Islam, 1 Aug 08

Islamists threaten to murder lawyer defending Pervez

The Afghan lawyer defending a journalist on death row in Kabul has been bombarded with death threats urging him to drop the case. Islamic extremists repeatedly threatened to murder Afzal Nooristani after he agreed to defend Sayed Pervez Kambaksh in his high-profile appeal. The 23-year-old student writer was sentenced to death for circulating an article about women's rights. He was tried in a closed court, and denied a defense lawyer. His case has sparked worldwide protests. In Afghanistan, conservative clerics have led rallies endorsing his conviction, while others have marched for his release. Most lawyers were too afraid to take his case……(Independent, 1 Aug 08)

Turkish Rulers Backtrack on Head Scarves

Turkey's ruling party has dropped for now its attempts to lift a decades-old ban on wearing Islamic head scarves in universities, a campaign that infuriated defenders of the country's secular principles and nearly brought down the government. Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek signaled Thursday that the government would not push for a fresh round of legislation to lift the head scarf ban, a day after the country's top court narrowly decided not to shut down the ruling party on grounds that it was trying to impose an Islamic regime. "The head scarf issue is not on our agenda now,"…..(AP, 1 Aug 08)

July 2008

'Terror' school turns out to be moderate madrassa

It's a documentary with an alarming message: Two American boys are held captive in a madrassa, a Pakistani religious school, once visited by Osama bin Laden and with ties to the Taliban. The film, "Karachi Kids," describes threats to artistic freedom of expression from the teaching of conservative Islam. Early copies of the film prompted outrage after the story of the American boys appeared on Fox News, CBS and other news outlets. It also led to demands from Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, for the boys to be returned home. But the independent filmmaker may have confused the madrassa with one with a similar name tied to Islamic extremists. The madrassa the boys attended isn't linked to bin Laden or Muslim radicals; instead, it's one the U.S. State Department says is preferred by Pakistani-Americans for its moderate Islamic teachings and one recently visited by a top U.S. diplomat in Pakistan……(CNN, 31 Jul 08)

Afghan Koran distributor arrested

The distributor of a new translation of the Koran has been arrested after complaints from religious scholars that the new edition was un-Islamic.  Former journalist Ghows Zalmay is also the spokesman for Afghanistan's attorney general. He was arrested on the border on Sunday while trying to flee into Pakistan.

Demonstrators protested in two Afghan provinces against the new translation of the Koran into Dari, one of Afghanistan's two official languages. Religious scholars are outraged at the new edition of the Muslim holy book.

They say that it is un-Islamic, that it misinterprets verses about alcohol, begging, homosexuality and adultery……(BBC, 31 Jul 08)

Islamic terrorists kill four Christians in Philippines

Four Filipino Christians were killed, and another is missing after an apparent attack by Islamic terrorists, the AsiaNews service reports. The killings took place when an armed group hijacked a bus in the Mindanao region, where rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are active….(Asia News, 31 Jul 08)

Saudi arrested for having six wives

Police in Saudi Arabia have arrested a man working for the country's vice squad who is accused of having six wives, two more than allowed under Islamic law. The 56-year-old Saudi, detained in the south-western province of Jazan near the border with Yemen, is being questioned over charges that he is married to three Saudi and three Yemeni women, Al-Watan newspaper reported. The man is an employee with the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, or religious police commonly known as the Muttawa, which is in charge of enforcing a strict Islamic moral code in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia…..(Age, 31 Jul 08)

Pak Taliban warn women to wear ‘hijab’, else face acid burns

The Pakistan unit of the Taliban – the Tehreek-e-Islami Taliban Pakistan (TIP) has reportedly threatened the owners of CDs shops, Internet cafes and cable service providers to close down their activities, and warned the women to wear ‘hijab’ to ensure safety, else their face would be disfigured by acid. The Taliban gave a 15-day notice to several “un-Islamic” businesses like video parlours and CD shops, in Kot Addu to shut down or face dire consequences, reported the Daily Times. The computer typed letter had Baitullah Mehsud’s photograph on it along with two gunmen, and there were also Quranic verses about Jihad around the picture…..(ANI, 31 Jul 08)

The Jihad against Free Speech

In June, the US Treasury Department listed the entire the Saudi-run “charity”, the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, a specially designated global terrorist entity for its active and longstanding role in financing international terrorism. Between 2002-2004, thirteen different Al-Haramain branches had been individually designated, including the US branch based in Ashland, Oregon, charged with providing funds to Al-Qaeda. This new announcement applies now to the entire organization worldwide. One important element to note in connection with the recent Al-Haramain designation is that on at least two separate occasions it had used legal threats against US media organization to coerce retractions following reports of its ties to the international terror network – ties that are now considered well-established by both the US government and the media. These incidents are instructive on how Islamic extremists have previously used lawfare strategies to silence those asking questions about their activities, and give us insight into how these legal theats are being used today to scuttle media investigations…….(FrontPage, 31 Jul 08)

Hundreds of Islamic Scholars Discuss Global Muslim Conflicts in Jakarta

Around 350 Islamic scholars and observers from 64 countries have gathered in the Indonesian capital Jakarta to discuss ways to end conflict in the Muslim world. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins in Jakarta has more. The third annual International Conference of Islamic Scholars opened in Jakarta Wednesday with prayers from the Holy Koran and hopes aimed at finding solutions to a broad scope of conflicts plaguing the Islamic world. Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization the Nahdlatul Ulama, stressed the need for Muslims to unite against militants…..(VOA, 30 Jul 08)

Call to teach journalism students proper reporting of Islam

Reporting on Islam or religion should be developed as a compulsory subject by institutions of higher learning in light of Western media’s misrepresentation of Islam. University Technology Petronas lecturer Prof Dr Ahmad Murad Merican who proposed this idea, also suggested the setting up of a centre to look into news reports on Islam and other religions, and rectify misconceptions.  He said currently the method of reporting news on Islam and other religions, was too westernised in nature because contemporary media had its roots in the Industrial Revolution.  “News reports and media began during the Industrial Revolution. The revolution emphasised materialistic concerns. The values journalists hold in their profession today reflect on timeliness, the now, to sell news, and news must have conflict to make it interesting. “These are very capitalistic values….(NST, 30 Jul 08)

Muslim Mob Stones Christians in Eastern Ethiopia

A mob of Islamic extremists stoned Seid Ahmed and Musa Ibrahim [names changed for security reasons] in Jijiga, a city on border with Somalia. The attack is the latest attack against Christians in Ethiopia where the spread of radical Islam is fueling the persecution of Christians. ICC (International Christian Concern) www.persecution.org says that on July 19, 2008, Ahmed and Ibrahim were going to a church meeting when they were confronted by nine extremist Muslims yelling anti-Christian slogans. The extremists started hurling rocks at the two Christians.
Ahmed, who is a church leader, was hit by eight stones and suffered a severe concussion and injuries on his torso…..(ASSIST New Service, 30 Jul 08)

Turkey's ruling party to remain in office

Turkey's top court says the Islamic-oriented ruling party will not be banned. The head of the Constitutional Court says instead that the ruling Justice and Development Party will be deprived of financial assistance from the state.

Court chief Hasim Kilic made the announcement after three days of deliberations over whether the party had been trying to steer Turkey toward Islamic rule……(AP, 30 Jul 08)

Kuwait prepares web law

Kuwait's prosecutor general, Hamed al-Othman, has said that he has finalised a Bill that will criminalise the promotion of vice, incitement against the country's leadership and insulting Islam on the internet. In an interview with Al-Qabas newspaper he said that offenders would face up to a year in prison and/or a fine. If the victims are minors the prison term rises to seven years…..(AME Info, 29 Jul 08)

The Deobandi Fatwa Against Terrorism didn't treat the Jihadi root

Many in the West and in other regions of the world were impressed by the issuing of a fatwa (Islamic theological edict) condemning Terrorism by one of the leading religious centers in the Muslim world, the Darool-Uloom Deoband in India. An Islamic seminary said to have 'inspired' the Taliban has, according to the said document denounced "terrorism" as against Islam, calling it an "unpardonable sin."  Hoping for a major change in ideology, international counter terrorism authorities and policy makers have been asking experts to determine if the Deobandi declaration will help counter the calls for violent Jihad by al Qaeda and its ilk around the world. In the war of ideas with the Jihadists, many Western architects of strategic communications look for any sign that hearts and minds may be changing course and sympathies. From Washington DC to Brussels and beyond, bureaucrats tasked with exploring the Muslim world for new trends, shop around for what they call "counter-narrative against extremism."……..(CI Centre Professor Walid Phares, 28 Jul 08)

Jihad Economics and Islamic Banking

The United States and the West cannot win the war against radical Islam merely with the most sophisticated military strategies. Winning requires understanding the role of shari'a and the Muslim Brotherhood in developing a global ideological and political movement supported by a parallel "Islamic" financial system to exploit and undermine Western economies and markets.  This movement is the foundation and the major funding source for the political, economic, and military initiatives of the global Islamic movement.1  Shari'a finance is a new weapon in the arsenal of what might be termed fifth-generation warfare (5GW).2 The perpetrators include both states and organizations, advancing a global totalitarian ideology disguised as a religion. The end goal is to impose that ideology worldwide, making the Islamic "nation," or ummah, supreme.3…..(Right Side News, 28 Jul 08)

Muslims storm Protestant school in Jakarta, injuring 265 students

Police evacuated the Christian Theological Arastamar Institute (STT SETIA) which is located in an eastern district of the Indonesian capital after it suffered damages during clashes between Christians and Muslims over the week-end. At least 1,500 students were moved to nearby police headquarters and a local Christian-based political party. The situation remains critical and further violence between opposite factions cannot be ruled out.

“The school foundation urged us to intervene to protect people,” said East Jakarta District Police Chief Senior Superintendent. “For this reason we moved everyone out.”……(Asia News, 28 Jul 08)

Islamic Anti-Semitism: From Sacred Texts to Modern Textbooks

Palestinian cleric Wael Al-Zarad during a television program which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on February 28, 2008 intoned the following about the Jews of Israel: “By Allah, if each and every Arab spat on them, they would drown in Arab spit.” Wael Al-Zarad’s seemingly hallucinatory statement also included this allegation. From the dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, they proclaim that Ezra the Scribe is the son of God. The reference to Ezra is actually a false, intentionally defamatory Koranic accusation (Koran 9:30) against Jews, citing a claim which Jews, in fact, have never made.  But the crux of Al-Zarad’s remarks explained that the Muslims’ blood vengeance against the Jews, “will only subside with their [the Jews] annihilation, Allah willing, because they tried to kill our Prophet several times.”…..(FSM, 28 Jul 08)

A third of Muslim students back killings

Almost a third of British Muslim students believe killing in the name of Islam can be justified, according to a poll.

The study also found that two in five Muslims at university support the incorporation of Islamic Sharia codes into British law. The YouGov poll for the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC) will raise concerns about the extent of campus radicalism. “Significant numbers appear to hold beliefs which contravene democratic values,” said Han-nah Stuart, one of the report’s authors. “These results are deeply embarrassing for those who have said there is no extremism in British universities.” The report was criticized by the country’s largest Muslim student body, Fosis, but Anthony Glees, professor of security and intelligence studies at Buckingham University, said: “The finding that a large number of students think it is okay to kill in the name of religion is alarming……(Sunday Times, 27 Jul 08)

1 in 3 Muslim students approve killing for Islam

If ignorance and poverty are responsible for the growth of extremist views in the Islamic world, someone needs ask to Muslim students, privileged enough and bright enough to attend some of the United Kingdom's best universities, why one-in-three of them endorses killing in the name of Islam.  The report of this finding, based on a poll of 600 Muslim and 800 non-Muslim students at 12 universities in the UK, and conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Center for Social Cohesion, will be released tomorrow as "Islam on Campus." Among its findings of Muslim beliefs:

• 40 per cent support introduction of sharia into British law for Muslims

• One-third back the idea of a worldwide Islamic caliphate based on sharia law

• 40 per believe it is unacceptable for Muslim men and women to associate freely

• 24 per cent do not think men and women are equal in the eyes of Allah

• 25 percent have little or no respect for homosexuals.

• 53 per cent believe killing in the name of religion is never justified (compared with 94 per cent of non-Muslims), while 32 per cent say it is

• 57 percent believe Muslim soldiers serving in the UK military should be able to refuse duty in Muslim countries

• More than half favor an Islamic political party to support their views in parliament

One-third don't think or don't know if Islam is compatible with Western views of democracy. "Significant numbers appear to hold beliefs which contravene democratic values," Hannah Stuart, one of the report's authors, told the London Times. "These results are deeply embarrassing for those who have said there is no extremism in British universities."….(World Net Daily, 26 Jul 08)

Full Report:: Islam on Campus: A survey of UK student opinions

Death threat for editor Najam Sethi over Islamic cartoon

A newspaper editor has received death threats from militant groups for publishing a cartoon of a radical woman Islamic leader encouraging her pupils to wage holy war. Najam Sethi, chief editor of the Daily Times, one of Pakistan’s most respected English language newspapers and its sister paper Daily Aaj Kal, now moves under heavy security after ultra-conservative Islamic elements warned him of serious consequences if he did not repent. His house in Lahore is now guarded by six army commandos. The threats were provoked by the publication of a cartoon in Aaj Kal depicting Umme Hassan, principal of a radical women’s madrassa, in a veil “educating” female students to wage jihad and embrace martyrdom……(Times, 26 Jul 08)

Many Turks, Iranians, Egyptians link Sharia and justice

Gallup asked respondents who had an opinion about the role of Sharia as a source of legislation (those for whom Sharia should be the only source, one of the sources, or not a source) whether they associate certain attributes with Sharia compliance. Ninety percent of Iranians, 91% of Egyptians, and 74% of Turks expressed an opinion about the role of Sharia in national law. The following analysis focuses on the subgroups of individuals who say Sharia should be a source of legislation to better understand why they think Sharia should influence legislation. Overall, the poll results show that among those who think Sharia should be at least a source of legislation (either as the only source or as one of the sources), Egyptians are far more likely than Iranians and Turks to make positive associations with Sharia compliance. Although Sharia often connotes the image of a restrictive society, where residents are forced to comply with rules and obligations they would otherwise eschew, the Gallup Poll findings show that majorities of those who favor Sharia as a source of law associate it with many positive attributes. Ninety-seven percent of Egyptians, 76% of Iranians, and 69% of Turks in this group associate it with justice for women. Strong majorities in Iran (80%), Egypt (96%), and Turkey (63%) also think of Sharia as promoting a fair justice system. Additionally, majorities in Iran (77%) and Turkey (70%) associate Sharia with reducing corruption.......(Gallup, 25 July 08)

Top ten reasons why sharia is bad for all societies

Muslims Against Sharia website

Shari’ah law could have a ‘role in UK’

In a speech delivered at the East London Muslim Centre on July 3, Lord Chief Justice Nicholas Phillips of Worth Matravers, suggested that Shari’ah law could be used in “mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution” in the UK. The suggestion follows the outrage over Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams’ comments earlier this year about the adoption of some aspects of Shari’ah law being “unavoidable”. Lord Phillips defended Williams on the issue, who was faced with calls for his resignation at the time, saying his comments were “not very radical” and that the current system “goes a long way towards accommodating the Archbishop’s suggestion.” Lord Phillips noted the “widespread misunderstanding” of Shari’ah law in Britain adding that “part of the misconception about Sharia law is the belief that Sharia is only about mandating sanctions such as flogging, stoning, the cutting off of hands or death for those fail to comply with the law.” He added: “In some countries the courts interpret Sharia law as calling for severe physical punishment. There can be no question of such courts sitting in this country, or such sanctions being applied here” emphasising that “sanctions for a failure to comply with the agreed terms of the mediation would be drawn from the laws of England and Wales.” (Muslim News, 25 July 08)

Religious terrorism and Bangladesh

A Bangladeshi journalist working for a foreign radio station warned me recently against being complacent about Islamic fundamentalists in Bangladesh. I argued that despite its overwhelming Muslim population, Bangladesh has historically rejected political parties that have used Islam in elections. Jamaat-e-Islami, the best known among such parties, has never won even a handful of seats in elections, achieving the best of 14 seats in the 2001 elections as a result of its alliance with the BNP. I also argued that despite being predominantly Muslim, Bangladesh is the most liberal South Asian country where Islam has been influenced by Sufism with the least incidence of communal violence that are so endemic in other parts of this sub-continent. Its liberal traditions notwithstanding, the two mainstream political parties earned for Bangladesh the label of a country that supports Islamic terrorism during the last BNP term. The BNP played the major part by allowing Jamaat-e-Islami indulgence to put a terrorist infrastructure in place as a payback for its votes that helped it win a 2/3 majority in the 2001 elections. The Jamaatul Muhahadeen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorists, who earned the maximum notoriety, was nurtured by BNP top leadership to help its leaders in northern Bangladesh win territorial control over the extreme leftist elements there and also to please Jamaat-e-Islami. The Awami League did its part by publicising abroad this evil nexus, labeling Bangladesh as Taliban that countries and interested groups abroad used to identify Bangladesh as a supporter of Islamic terrorism. The Indian media also played a role in projecting Bangladesh in a bad light, identifying it as a “locus of Islamic terrorism”. (Daily Star, 26 July 08)

Islamic 'Bugs Bunny' programme 'spreads extremism'

An Islamic television station is using a Bugs Bunny lookalike in a programme for children, who vote whether to chop off his hands when he breaches Sharia law. Assud the rabbit vows to "kill and eat Jews" and glorifies the maiming of "infidels" on the Palestinian children's show Tomorrow's Pioneers. In one episode, Assud admits stealing money and is seen begging for mercy after young viewers and parents phone in demanding to cut off his hands as punishment. At that point, Saraa, the 11-year-old presenter, intervenes and rules that the bunny should only have his ears severed because he has repented. The rabbit, played by a costumed actor, is one of the main characters on the show broadcast in Gaza by the al-Aqsa channel, which is otherwise known as Hamas TV. Religious leaders in Britain, where the channel can be viewed via satellite, criticised the programme, amid fears British children could be affected by the radical Islamic message. (Telegraph, 23 July 08)

Philippine bishop reports receiving threat to convert to Islam

A bishop in the southern Philippines reported receiving a letter threatening him with harm if he does not convert to Islam or pay "Islamic taxes." Bishop Martin Jumoad of Isabela also told the Asian church news agency UCA News that he got text messages from Catholics saying they, too, had received threatening letters. Bishop Jumoad said a student of Claret College in Isabela, the capital of Basilan province, was told to give the school secretary the letter to pass to the bishop.The bishop sent a copy of the letter July 19 to church-run Radio Veritas in Quezon City, northeast of Manila. The letter had the names "Puruji Indama" and "Nur Hassan J. Kallitut" printed at the bottom and "mujahedin" under each name. The purported senders introduced themselves as "Muslim warriors" who "don't follow any laws other than the Quran," Islam's holy book. They said Bishop Jumoad should choose to convert to Islam or give "jizya," Islamic tax, to their group in exchange for protecting him in the "place of Muslims." If he refuses to convert or pay, the letter threatened "force, weapons or war may be used" against him. It warned him not to feel safe even if he is "surrounded by soldiers" and cited bombings in various cities. Bishop Jumoad was given 15 days to respond, with two mobile phone numbers to contact. (Catholic Explorer, 22 July 08)

UK Law Lords hear deportation appeal of woman fleeing Sharia law

A divorced Lebanese woman told the UK Law Lords [Parliament backgrounder] Monday that her human rights would be violated if she were deported to Lebanon, arguing that Lebanese Sharia law would put her and her son back under the control of her abusive ex-husband. Under Sharia law, a divorced mother loses custody of her children when they turn seven, at which point custody must be given to the father. The case could decide the extent to which the UK will grant asylum claims to people fleeing the implementation of Sharia law. The woman sought asylum in 2004 using fraudulent papers and her claim was rejected in 2005. (Jurist, 21 July 08)

Islam to become Russia’s predominant religion by 2050?

Islam is likely to become the primary religion in the Russian Federation by 2050 due to the high birth rate in Muslim republics.  The current Chinese-led conquest of Russia’s Far East already seems to be a matter of immediate concern for the Kremlin. The ethnic birth rate disproportion in different regions of the country is another problem. The Muslim community may become the largest community by the middle of the current century. Therefore, Islam has all chances to become the predominant religion in Russia.  Ukrainian scientists of politics, Valery Chaliy and Mikhail Pashkov, believe that this is not the only challenge, which Russia has to face nowadays……(Pravda, 21 Jul 08)

Iran's Aggressive Proselytizing Campaign

While Iran is flexing its muscles and looking to expand throughout the whole Middle East by way of military force, it is also orchestrating an insidious campaign to control the region's religion. In fact, Iran is spending money, energy and time to proselytize local populations and de facto trying to take over Islam. The success of this Iranian-sponsored operation has pushed Sunni states to react. Of all the Sunni countries, Saudi Arabia is the one feeling the most threatened by this new wave of Shiite proselytizing. "If it's not to export the revolution like in the time of the Khomeini regime, Shiism exportation – as we see it today – is still unacceptable," noted Saudi Social Affairs Minister Abdel Mohsen al-Hakas……(Middle East Times, 21 Jul 08)

Shi’ite Iran’s Genocidal Jew Hatred

Earlier this week Professors Moshe Sharon and Benny Morris both opined solemnly about an inevitable Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. These two respected Israeli academicians, despite holding very disparate political views, also concurred on the moral justification for such pre-emptive action-the annihilationist threat to Israel posed by a Shi'ite Iranian regime gripped with an apocalyptic, Jew-hating fervor. The pillars of this continuous modern campaign of annihilationist antisemitism are the motifs from traditional Islamic Jew hatred, including, most significantly, Islamic eschatology. These deep-seated Islamic theological motifs are further conjoined to Holocaust denial, and the development of a nuclear weapons program intended expressly for Israel's eradication…….(FSM, 21 Jul 08)

Russia bans Islamic books

Apparently relying on scant evidence, the Buguruslan City Court added 16 Islamic publications to the Federal List of Extremist Materials. The recently-released Buguruslan City Court decision banning 16 Islamic publications fails to identify which parts of the texts are extremist, Forum 18 News Service has found. The local ruling resulted in the titles being added to the national Federal List of Extremist Materials. Under the Extremism Law, anyone carrying out mass distribution, preparation or storage with the aim of mass distribution of the texts risks a four-year prison term.  Handed a list of the titles and asked if any support terrorism, leading Islam specialist Aleksei Malashenko told Forum 18…..(Spero News, 18 Jul 08)

Evicted Milan Muslims pray at stadium 'mosque'

Italian police were out in force Friday at a Milan stadium converted into a makeshift mosque by Muslims who were forced to abandon their previous place of worship, a downtown garage which has been linked to Islamist terrorism. Organizers of the Friday prayers, said they expected some 5,000 Muslims at the Vigorelli velodrome which also contains a disused cycling track. The decision by Milan's town hall to allow Muslims to use the facility on a temporary basis has triggered protests from local residents, raising concern of possible attempts to disrupt the prayer session. On Friday, around a several dozen protesters, including far-right political leader, Daniela Santanche, gathered near the stadium……(DPA, 18 Jul 08)

Saudi inter-faith conference urges global anti-terrorism pact

A Saudi-organized conference of the world's great religions Friday called for an international agreement to combat terrorism, "a universal phenomenon that requires unified international efforts."  "The conference has thoroughly reviewed the process of dialogue and its obstacles as well as the catastrophes that afflict humanity.., and noted that terrorism is one of the most serious obstacles confronting dialogue and coexistence," the World Conference on Dialogue said in a final statement.  "Terrorism is a universal phenomenon that requires unified international efforts to combat it in a serious, responsible and just way…….(AFP, 18 Jul 08)

Henrietta Muslim knifing called 'honor attack'

Infuriated because his younger sister was going to clubs, wearing immodest clothing and planning to leave her family for a new life in New York City, Waheed Allah Mohammad stabbed her outside their Henrietta home, prosecutors allege. Afterward, he told Monroe County sheriff's investigators that he attacked his sister because she had disgraced their family and was a "bad Muslim girl," according to court documents. Mohammad, 22, is scheduled to appear Friday in Monroe County Court on charges of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the May 8 attack on Fauzia A. Mohammad, 19…….(Democrat and Chronicle, 17 Jul 08)

Copenhagen District Court has determined that two Tunisian men charged with planning to kill Mohammed cartoonist Kurt Westergaard should remain in custody

Two Tunisian men who allegedly plotted to murder Mohammed cartoonist Kurt Westergaard are 'a danger to national security' according to the Copenhagen District Court, which on Tuesday upheld their continued imprisonment until 12 August. The court's decision was based on evidence presented by the National Police and national intelligence agency PET, which judge Marianne Madsen believed made it 'likely' that the two men were guilty of the charge of conspiracy to commit murder. Westergaard is the artist responsible for the Mohammed drawing depicting the prophet with a bomb in his turban…..(CPH Post, 16 Jul 08)

Taliban sets up Islamic courts in Pakistan

Pakistan's Taliban militants, asserting their control of the region, claim they have set up permanent Islamic courts in the northwest tribal areas. The militants, who had used mobile courts, told the BBC the Mohmand district has been divided into four judicial zones, each with two judges and a permanent court address. The BBC report said the militants control large areas of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas bordering Afghanistan. "There will be eight judges, two for each zonal court, and there will be a top judge to whom appeals can be made,"……(UPI, 16 Jul 08)

Last Call at the Hyatt

…a Saudi sheik bought the Grand Hyatt, one of the city's leading luxury hotels. On visiting his new holding in April, Abdel Aziz Ibrahim declared the hotel dry and ordered managers to destroy its alcohol. Hotel workers poured out the bottles into drains running into the Nile, according to news reports at the time. Ibrahim's imposition of prohibition reflects the disdain that some Muslims maintain for what they see as the libertine ways of Cairo… Detractors see the declaration of temperance at the Grand Hyatt as another instance of wealthy Saudis imposing their religious views on the rest of the Muslim world. The alcohol ban will only feed the perception of "terrorism and fanaticism," said Ahmed el-Nazer, secretary general of Egypt's Chamber of Tourist Establishments… The religious law is clear: The Koran says Muslims should neither drink alcohol nor associate themselves with it. While many of Egypt's Muslim majority are devout, the government and most Egyptians look the other way when it comes to foreigners -- 11 million of whom visited the country last year……..(Washington Post, 16 Jul 08)

Afghanistan: Taliban release photos of beheaded 'prostitutes' on Internet

The Taliban are believed to have released photos of two beheaded Afghan women on al-Qaeda-linked websites on the Internet on Tuesday. The women were allegedly decapitated two days ago in the Afghan province of Ghazni after the Taliban had accused them of being prostitutes whose clients included American soldiers and foreign contractors present in Afghanistan. In the photos the two women are wearing burqas or head-to-ankle veils which cover the entire face…..(AKI, 16 Jul 08)

Kidnapped Christian girls, judge ratifies marriage and conversion

The district of Muzaffargarh rules in favor of the Muslims, rejecting the request from the family that wants to bring home the two sisters - 13 and 10 years old - kidnapped last June 26. Christian associations charge that they could end up as prostitutes. Islamabad (AsiaNews) - District judge Mian Muhammad Naeem, of the section of Muzaffargarh, has ruled that the two Christian sisters "have converted in a legitimate manner to Islam", and for this reason they cannot be "restored to their family of origin". Setting aside the request from their father to regain custody of his daughters, the judge also admitted the "validity" of the marriage of the girls to two Muslims……(Asia News, 16 Jul 08)

Call them the Harry Potter books on Islam

Muslim parents are always trying to figure out how to raise their children in a multicultural society while maintaining their religious identity. In such struggles some parents either overdo their part, and make their child a total misfit for the outside world, or keep them totally ignorant about their faith and let them fall prey to the dominant social milieu… The journey for the inception of Goodword Books began with a humble attempt by the noted Indian Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan whose endeavor to present the peace-loving message of Islam has led to a widespread acceptance and popularity of his books. His son Saniyasnain Khan, carrying forward his message, has taken the initiative to release high quality children’s books on Islam and started Goodword Books in 1996 and Goodword Kidz in 1999. Currently there are 35 people working at its head office in New Delhi, India…..(Dinar Standard, 15 Jul 08)

National Geographic Channel Opens a Window into the Volatile Paradox of Islam’s Most Sacred Text

The Koran has become one of the most ideologically influential and controversial texts in the world. Muslims believe it to be the word of God, as first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad nearly 1,500 years ago. Yet within this single community of worshippers, there are profound differences in religious practices, the status of women, and attitudes toward peace, violence, punishment and forgiveness. But if the Koran is viewed as the irrefutable word of God, why do these differences exist? And how well do Muslims and non-Muslims alike really understand its key spiritual and ethical messages?.....(7th Space, 15 Jul 08)

Silence over 'honor killing' stuns Islam critic

A critic of Islam says feminists in the U.S. are more concerned about fundamentalist Christians taking away their right to abort babies than they are the outrageous "honor killing" of an Islamic woman by her own father.  Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, recently wrote an article in Frontpage Magazine about the honor killing in Clayton County, Georgia. Police said Chaudhry Rashid, a Pakistani immigrant, claimed he strangled his daughter, Sandeela Kanwal, in order to restore his family's honor. Rashid believed his daughter had sullied the family name by planning to divorce her husband to whom she had been given in an arranged marriage.   Spencer contends Americans must understand that this crime is the direct result of political correctness and a failure to confront the ugly realities of Islam……(One News Now, 15 Jul 08)

The Demise of Islam?

Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Abul Kasem, an ex-Muslim who is the author of hundreds of articles and several books on Islam including, Women in Islam. He was a contributor to the book Leaving Islam – Apostates Speak Out as well as to Beyond Jihad: Critical Views From Inside Islam…..(FrontPage, 15 Jul 08)

Organizer's Past Raises Questions About Madrid Interfaith Conference

In an ironic twist, an international interfaith conference set to start Wednesday in Madrid was organized by a man accused of working with a senior Al Qaeda financier and who unabashedly supports Palestinian suicide bombings.  Abdullah al-Turki is organizing the conference on behalf of the Muslim World League (MWL), where he is secretary general. The MWL was created by the Saudi royal family in 1962 to "promote Islamic unity" and spread Wahhabi doctrine. Wahhabism is an austere form of Islam that seeks to realize the faith as it was practiced by Muhammad and his Companions, barren of the innovations and traditions that arose in the centuries since.  The conference is expected to attract hundreds of people from more than 50 countries…But it is a previous Madrid venture by al-Turki that raises questions about the conference. In 1999, al-Turki was a partner in a Madrid construction project with a senior Al Qaeda financier, a pending lawsuit claims. Profits from that deal were routed to Al Qaeda cells, according to allegations in WTC Properties v. Al Baraka et. al.  The lawsuit argues that, without the financial support from the banks, charities and other entities targeted, the 9/11 attacks may not have taken place. Similar allegations were made in at least three other lawsuits. In court papers, Al Turki has disputed the lawsuit's allegations and has argued that none of his actions were intended to support terrorist activities.  Organizers of this week's gathering say it is expected to attract dozens of American-based Muslims, including Sayyed Syeed and Ingrid Mattson from the Islamic Society of North America, Ibrahim Hooper, Nihad Awad from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, as well as six U.S. rabbis, including Marc Schneier of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and Steven Jacobs of Los Angeles. In addition, John Esposito, director of Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding is among a few American academics invited to attend.…….(IPT, 15 Jul 08)

Punjab: Underage Christian sisters kidnapped and forced to marry Muslims

…Kidnapped by three Muslims, and forced to convert to Islam: this is what happened to two underage sisters in the district of Muzaffargarh, in the province of Punjab, last June 26. The charge is made to AsiaNews by a relative of the victims, providing further details about the affair involving, against their will, 13-year-old Saba Younas and her 10-year-old sister Anila. According to their uncle, Khalid Raheel, the kidnappers presented a statement to the local district court affirming that "both girls converted to Islam following their marriage with two Muslims". For Islam, if a woman marries a Muslim, she embraces the religious faith of her husband as a direct consequence……(Asia News, 14 Jul 08)

‘Lal Masjid clerics threatening newspaper’

The Human Rights Watch has urged an end to threats to the media by the Lal Masjid students and clerics. Previously, some students and clerics of the Lal Masjid had threatened the staff of a national Urdu daily of serious consequences during a protest on July 11. Addressing a demonstration after Friday prayers, Aamir Siddique, Lal Masjid's Muazzin, described the particular daily as "anti-Jihad" and vowed to teach its editor and publisher a lesson. According to reports, the paper's staff has also received threatening telephone calls from individuals allegedly connected to the Lal Masjid. A cartoon published in the paper depicting Umme Hassan asking female students to wage Jihad and embrace martyrdom had apparently provoked the Lal Masjid students and clerics. The paper had also published an editorial against religious terrorism and militancy in Pakistan…….(News, 14 Jul 08)

Islamic preachers to give moderate advice

A panel of Islamic scholars to give advice on modern living is to be introduced as part of a Government scheme to counter extremism. The Muslim clerics will give advice, particularly to women and young people, on how the Koran should be interpreted for life in the 21st century. The board is bound to be controversial among young Muslims partly because of its state backing but also because only certain scholars are qualified to give Islamic rulings or "fatwas" which normally emanate from Saudi Arabia…….(Telegraph, 13 Jul 08)

Mischief at mosques sparks protests

Violence broke out in two separate areas of the city when miscreants placed severed pig’s heads inside the compounds of two mosques in Jaya Chamarajendra (JC) Nagar and Hebbal on Friday. Four police personnel including a Central Armed Reserve Police Inspector, Dayanand, and a police constable of Regulated Market Committee (RMC) Yard police station, Venkatarama T, sustained injuries while on duty trying to bring the situation under control……(Express, 12 Jul 08)

Teens to return from immersion in radical Islam

Fazal Khan wanted his American-born sons to recite the Quran from memory. So he sent them to a religious school in his native Pakistan in 2004.  Noor, now 17, and Mahboob, 16, didn't like it at Jamia Binoria, a prominent madrassah in Karachi, describing it as a world of black and white compared to the color of Atlanta… After four years and publicity that focused on the boys' desire to go home and the madrassah's alleged connections to radical Islamic groups, the two boys returned to Atlanta late Thursday.  Their release from the madrassah was won with the help of documentary filmmaker Imran Raza, a Pakistani-American who discovered the boys in 2005…..(AJC, 11 Jul 08)

Iran detains 2 Christians who converted from Islam

Iranian authorities have held two converts to Christianity in the southern city of Shiraz for eight weeks on suspicion of "apostasy," or leaving Islam. In Iran, apostasy is a crime that can be punishable by death.  Compass Direct News, in a July 9 report, said Mahmood Matin, 52, and Arash Bandari, 44, have been imprisoned in a secret police detention center known by its address, Sepah Street 100, since their arrest May 15 in Shiraz, a city of more than 1.75 million people.  A draft penal code under discussion in Iran's parliament may make the death penalty obligatory for those who leave Islam or use the Internet to encourage others to do so…….(Compass Direct, 10 Jul 08)
 

The Fifth Generation Warfare

The United States and the West cannot win the war against radical Islam merely with the most sophisticated military strategies. Winning requires understanding the role of shari'a and the Muslim Brotherhood in developing a global ideological and political movement supported by a parallel "Islamic" financial system to exploit and undermine Western economies and markets. This movement is the foundation and the major funding source for the political, economic, and military initiatives of the global Islamic movement.1   Shari'a finance is a new weapon in the arsenal of what might be termed fifth-generation warfare (5GW).2 The perpetrators include both states and organizations, advancing a global totalitarian ideology disguised as a religion. The end goal is to impose that ideology worldwide, making the Islamic "nation," or ummah, supreme.3   Rising oil prices and the West's dependency on Middle East oil, combined with willful blindness and political correctness, provide a surge of petrodollars, making financial and economic jihad so much easier to carry out…….(Analyst-Network, 10 Jun 08)

Kuwaiti Columnist on Brainwashing in Religious Summer Camps

In an article in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Jarida, columnist Fatima Dashti denounced how religious summer camps subject children to religious brainwashing, including jihadist indoctrination, out of sight of parents and the authorities……(MEMRI, 10 Jul 08)

Pakistan's Christians Face Taliban Terror

The Pakistani military mobilized troops in around the city of Pershawar, launching attacks on Taliban hideouts.  The government acted in response to fears that the Taliban and other Islamic militants were moving in to control the city. The military offensive came just days after thousands of Taliban supporters cheered the public execution of two accused informants, and after militants in nearby south Wazirstan killed 28 members of a peace committee…….(CBN, 10 Jul 08)

Female students rally at Pakistan's Red Mosque

Several thousand female Islamic students rallied at the radical Red Mosque in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday, just days after a suicide bomber killed 19 people during a protest there. The blast on Sunday targeted policemen guarding the protest by thousands of Islamists who had gathered to mark the one year anniversary of a military raid on the Al-Qaeda linked mosque. Security was again tight for Wednesday's rally called to demand the reconstruction of a seminary destroyed in the controversial raid…..(AFP, 10 Jul 08)

Women in Pakistan mosque protest

Hundreds of Islamist women have held a protest outside the Red Mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, to demand the reconstruction of a seminary. It was destroyed in July 2007 when Pakistani troops stormed the building to evict armed militants. The protesters - some carrying babies - shouted slogans in support of jihad (holy war) and heard fiery speeches……(BBC, 10 Jul 08)

Red Tape Nearly Stops Testimony by Top Former Islamic Radical

It took last-minute arm-twisting by congressional offices and the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday to unravel State Department red tape that nearly prevented a top former Islamic radical from testifying to a Senate committee on the threat his former comrades present to the West.  Maajid Nawaz, 30, a former key member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a secretive Islamicist group that works to foment military coups d'etats in countries friendly to the West, is scheduled to testify on Islamicist terrorism Thursday at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs……(CQ Politics, 9 Jul 08)

Women at Pakistan's Red Mosque vow babies for jihad

About 2,000 Islamist women gathered at the radical Red Mosque in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday and vowed to raise their children for holy war, days after a suicide bomber killed 18 people after a similar rally. Chanting slogans of "jihad is our way", burqa-clad women, some with babies, listened to fiery speeches from the daughter of the mosque's jailed cleric on the eve of the anniversary of a commando raid on the complex in which more than 100 people died. (Reuters, 9 July 08)

Top British judge gives blessing to Sharia law

Britain's top judge obviously doesn't fully understand the tenants of Sharia law, says Islam critic Robert Spencer, or the judge wouldn't have given his blessing for the use of Sharia law in Britain to resolve disputes among Muslims. According to the Daily Mail, Lord Chief Justice Nicholas Phillips' endorsement has already created a huge controversy across Britain. In a speech at an East London mosque, he said that Islamic legal principles could be employed to deal with family and marital arguments and to regulate finance. Phillip's recommendations came just five months after Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams suggested that Islamic law could govern marital law, financial transactions, and arbitration in disputes. (OneNewsNow, 9 July 08)

Culture of fear fades as Shi'ite gunmen depart

Men and women can openly study and party together for the first time in years at Basra University, free from the threat of Shi'ite gunmen enforcing extreme Islamic views. From students to merchants, people here say they are happy and hopeful about their new freedoms three months after the Iraqi military wrested control of the country's second-largest city from Shi'ite militiamen. But frustration is rising over the failure of the Iraqi government to follow through on its promises to improve basic services, provide jobs and distribute enough food to citizens. (Washington Times, 9 July 08)

Lawmaker Expects American Teens to Be Released From Pakistani Madrassa

Two American teenage boys unable to leave the radical madrassa where they've been studying for the past four years in Karachi, Pakistan, should be released in the next week, a Texas congressman told FOX News on Tuesday… The boys, identified as Noor Elahi Khan, 17, and Mahboob Elahi Khan, 16, are from the Atlanta area; their parents are Pakistani. Noor and Mahboob were born in the U.S. and lived there until being sent to Karachi several years ago by their father. Their parents have been fighting over where the boys should be: Their mother wants them back in the United States, while their father wants them to stay in Pakistan……(Fox, 8 Jul 08)

Islam is religion and politics

Europe has been invaded by Muslim armies and Muslim civilians for hundreds of years.

Therefore it is not strange that there exists a great deal of mistrust towards Muslims. Muhammad created the doctrine of holy war, jihad, in 610. His successors succeeded with holy war. Ten years after the death of Muhammad in 632 the Muslim armies lead by Abu Bakr had conquered large parts of the old Roman Empire in North Africa and the Middle east. Islam became a world power…….(Europe News, 8 Jul 08)

Shari`ah Courts in UK: A Governmental Viewpoint

Lord Nicholas Phillips, Britain's most senior judge, has suggested on Friday July 4, that Islamic Shari`ah could play a role in the British legal system, echoing a similar stance by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. In his speech to the London Islamic Council, Phillips, the most senior judge in England and Wales, said parties to a dispute are free to agree to accept Shari`ah principles or other religious precepts if they decide to seek mediation.  IslamOnline.net(IOL)'s Euro-Muslims Page has taken the initiative and invited IOL audience to get engaged in a discussion with concerned parties from different backgrounds……(Islam Online, 7 Jul 08)

Taliban set up Sharia courts in Bajaur Agency

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has established Sharia courts in the Bajaur Agency and a large number of people are using them to get disputes resolved, instead of waiting for action by the tribal administration.The courts have been functioning in the Sewai area, about 20kms northwest of the agency headquarters of Khar, for a couple of weeks. About two dozen ulema have been designated as ‘Qazis’. “We have set up the courts in accordance with people’s wishes,” said Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar, adding that people were fed up with the previous legal system…..(Dawn, 7 Jul 08)

Rise of Islamic extremism erodes women's rights - Winning (and losing) in Iraq

Four gunshots through the kitchen window. Two to the leg, one to the stomach, one to the head. The woman, who will remain unnamed for her safety, survived the attack, but she is still in hiding. "For seven years, it was a secret place for housing women," said Kazhal Ali, the administrator of Asuda, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in northeastern Iraq that runs shelters for abused women, including the one who was attacked. "Now it is discovered," Ms. Ali said, "and we changed the shelter to another place."........(Washington Times, 6 Jul 08)

Pakistan Islamists vow jihad year after mosque siege

Thousands of Pakistani Islamists vowed support for jihad, or Muslim holy war, on Sunday as they gathered at a mosque in the capital, Islamabad, to mark the first anniversary of an army raid on the complex.  More than 100 people were killed when commandos stormed the Red Mosque complex, which included a madrasa or Islamic seminary, on July 10 last year, after a week-long siege that began when gunmen from the mosque clashed with police outside……(Reuters, 6 Jul 08)

Radical Islam stirs in China's remote west

In a backstreet of the old Silk Road city of Kashgar, the Chinese government has been spray-painting signs on dusty mud brick walls to warn against what it says is a new enemy -- the Islamic Liberation Party. Better known as Hizb ut-Tahrir, the group says its goal is to establish a pan-national Muslim state, or Caliphate.  China says Hizb ut-Tahrir are terrorists, and claim they operate in the far western region of Xinjiang, home to some 8 million Muslim, Turkic-speaking Uighurs, many of whom chafe under Chinese rule…….(Reuters, 6 Jul 08)

Sharia will 'inevitably' become part of British law, says barrister

Islamic law will "inevitably" become part of the British legal system and work should start immediately on specific changes, according to a leading barrister. The news comes after Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, the most senior judge in England and Wales, said Islamic or sharia could play a role in some parts of the legal system, such as family mediation. Stephen Hockman QC, a former chairman of the Bar Council, said: "It is vital and inevitable that sharia will become part of British law in some shape or form…….(Telegraph, 4 Jul 08)

Jihad by the Numbers

…It is no accident or fluke of history that Islamists - Hamas, Hezbollah, Ahmadinejad, Saudi Wahhabists, the whole ménage of Islamists and Jihadists -- admire both Hitler and Nazism. Their hatred of Jews and Israel is merely one facet of that pathology. As Nazism required the complete submission of the individual to Party ideology and an unthinking, unwavering deference to Hitler, Islam requires the complete submission of the individual to Islam and an unthinking, unwavering deference to Allah and Mohammed. Islamists have long recognized that both the method and the ends of Nazism were in complete agreement and practical accord with their own. The "mechanics" of a functioning Islam differ in no fundamental way from the "mechanics" of a functioning Nazism or any other brand of total collectivism, as described by Toohey above. (2)  (One historical note: Kershaw points out that Hitler once entertained the idea of solving the "Jewish Question" by helping to establish a Jewish state in Palestine, where all German and other European Jews would be forcibly "relocated" and presumably - hopefully - perish in a wasteland of desert and hostile Arabs. He dismissed the idea because he feared that such a state could possibly become a political adversary dedicated to destroying Germany. Historically, the ironic joke is on Hitler. He destroyed Germany and the Jews turned the wasteland into a productive, prosperous garden.)…..(FSM, 3 Jul 08)

Conversion for marriage is against Shariat