Thanks to Andy Bostom, C. Cantoni, Insubria, LN, Steen, TB, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Details are below the fold.
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Phyllis Chesler: A Modest Proposal. Let the Brave Danes Speak at Both Conventions
Denmark’s Free Speech Library has offered to publish Sherry Jones’ The Jewel of Medina—the very book that Random House just canceled.The Free Speech Library is an independent company under its own management but with close ties to Denmark’s Free Press Society.
Both Salman Rushdie and Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, who penned the drawing of a prophet with a bomb in his turban, criticized Random House for their decision.
Westergaard expressed his dismay that “one of the large publishers is now bowing to intimidation. That is not a good omen for free speech. If the major publishers lose their nerve then I’m afraid that others will follow suit. The big publishers ought to set a good example. The fanatics have won.” […] I would like to thank my esteemed colleague, Carol Gould for bringing the Denmark Free Speech Library to my attention. Pajamas Media
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
Gordon Brown Terror Threat: Three Arrested
Three suspected terrorists have been arrested over internet threats to kill the Prime Minister.
Two men were arrested at Manchester airport last week as they prepared to leave the country and a third, the brother of one of the other men, was detained in Accrington, Lancashire where he worked as a security guard.
Counter-terrorism sources said the arrests related to a statement which appeared on an Arabic language website called al-ekhlaas.net, which often carries messages from senior members of al-Qaeda.
The message, written in English, appeared only briefly on January 24, and claimed to be from Shaykh Umar Rabie al-Khalaila, “The leader of al-Qaeda in Britain.”
In it, he demanded the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and the release of prisoners from Belmarsh high security jail in south east London including the radical clerics Abu Hamza al-Masri and Abu Qatada.
Qatada was later released after an Appeal Court ruling and put under house arrest.
It is understood the men had been under surveillance by police and two were arrested as they prepared to leave the country for Finland.
The message demanded: “We, the organization of Al-Qaeda in Britain, offer a truce to the British government.
“Our demands are as follows:
“I. A complete withdrawal of the British troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.
“II. To free all Muslim captives from Belmarsh prison, and the foremost of them Shaykh Abu Qatada al-Filistini and Shaykh Abu Hamza al-Misri [sic].”
Referring to the leader of al-Qaeda and a man said to be the leader of the “Islamic state of Iraq” the statement went on: “If the British government fails to respond to our demands by the last day of March 2008 as they fail to answer to the truce of our Shaykh Usama bin Laden and to the truce of the Emir of Believers Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, then the Martyrdom seekers of the organisation of al-Qaeda in Britain will target all the political leaders especially Tony Blair and Gordan Brown [sic], and we will also target all Embassies, Crusaders Centers and their Interests through out the country, with the help of Allah.”
It signed off: “Finally, all praise is to Allah. “
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Gordon Brown Terror Threat: Full Text
Text of the threat to Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister
Statement of the Leader of al-Qaeda in Britain, Shaykh Umar Rabie al-Khalaila:
We, the organization of Al-Qaeda in Britain, offer a truce to the British government.
Our demands are as follows:
I. A complete withdrawal of the British troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.
II. To free all Muslim captives from Belmarsh prison, and the foremost of them Shaykh Abu Qatada al-Filistini and Shaykh Abu Hamza al-Misri.
If the British government fails to respond to our demands by the last day of March 2008 as they fail to answer to the truce of our Shaykh Usama bin Laden and to the truce of the Emir of Believers Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, then the Martyrdom seekers of the organisation of al-Qaeda in Britain will target all the political leaders especially Tony Blair and Gordan Brown, and we will also target all Embassies, Crusaders Centers and their Interests through out the country, with the help of Allah.
Finally, all praise is to Allah.
Umar Rabie al-Khalaila The leader of Al-Qaeda in Britain
The organisation of Al-Qaeda in Britain
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Grenade Attack as Malmö Gang Violence Escalates
A hand grenade exploded against the wall of an apartment block in Malmö early on Saturday morning. No one was hurt in the attack which has been linked to a recent spate of gang violence.
The explosive which was thrown at the block just after midnight on Saturday was powerful and damaged a large area of the building’s façade and smashed a couple of windows.
The apartment that was the probably target for the attack was empty at the time, according to Hans Nilsson at Skåne police.
Mikael Persson at Skåne police confirmed that the attack has been linked to recent violence between two organized gang factions in the Malmö area.
No one had been arrested for the grenade attack by midday Saturday. A 23-year-old man, who is familiar to the police and resident in an apartment in the block, has been taken in for police questioning.
According to witnesses a loud blast and then something sounding like a gun shot was heard. Police found empty shells at the scene.
Recent weeks have seen a series of clashes between different gang factions in Skåne. On Wednesday night windows were smashed in a bomb attack against a restaurant in Lund. The restaurant was closed for the summer and no one was hurt when the bomb exploded by the entrance.
Police consider the Lund bomb attack to be part of an escalation of the ongoing gang war between two criminal groups in Malmö.
Only 24 hours prior a 22-year-old man was shot at on Tornfalksgatan in Malmö. Several shots were fired at his car but he escaped injury.
Since mid-summer at the end of June, when a 20-year-old man was serious injured in a shooting in Malmö suburb Persborg, a further seven or eight serious incidents have occurred in and around the southern Swedish city.
No one has yet been arrested for either of the two shootings or Thursday’s bomb attack.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Morocco: MP Arrested in Rome Granted Home Arrest
(ANSAmed) — ROME, AUGUST 22 — Moroccan Senator Yahya Yahya, detained in Rome since August 4 for sexual assault (he touched a tourist), riot and resisting a public officer, was granted home arrest, it was decided by the Court chaired by Bruno Schicchitano. The MP will be place in the volunteer structure Isola dell’Amore Fraterno in via Ardeatina. Yahyàs lawyer Domenico Naccari, said to be satisfied with the decision: “It is the first step to re-establish the truth in the trial”, he said. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Egyptian Actor Khaled Saleh Refuses to Fall in Love With American Women
Sees Positive Aspects in 9/11
[Memri Video]
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
On the Occasion of the Heinous Arson of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque
This year’s 39th painful anniversary of the heinous attempt to burn the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque comes while Israel conducts new and dangerous violations, threatening the Mosque’s buildings and sanctities due to the excavation works carried out by the Israeli occupation authorities underneath the mosque’s foundations and allowing Israeli extremists to access the mosque and violate the sanctity of the destination of the Prophet’s (PBUH) Night Journey [Israa], the first of two Qiblahs [Direction of Prayer in Islam] and the Third Holy Sanctuary.
This year’s anniversary comes at a time Israel continues its aggression against the Palestinian people, affecting different walks of life in the Palestinian occupied territories. Israel indeed carries on killing Palestinian civilians and imposes a siege on the Palestinian people while construction of settlements goes unabated and so does the construction of the Apartheid wall.
Similarly, this painful anniversary occurs while the city of Al-Quds al-Sharif lives under difficult conditions as a result of the stifling siege imposed by Israel through military checkpoints and the Apartheid wall that chokes the holy city, denying worshippers access to their religious sites. Besides, Israel makes zealous attempts to judaize Al Quds by conducting aggressive acts against religious sites and national institutions, as well as seizing Palestinian homes in a bid to deplete the city of its indigenous population and supplant them with aliens.
On the occasion of this anniversary, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) reaffirms that Al Quds and the safety of sacred sites in the city carry vital importance for Muslims throughout the world and is intimately associated with the security and peace not just in the region, but in the whole world.
Israel should assume the entire responsible towards the Muslim world in particular and the international community in general by ensuring that all holy sites under its occupation are protected and freedom of worship in the city is secured. Likewise, Israel should abide by international treaties and agreements, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits any aggression on the part of the occupying state against holy places or denying worshippers access to worship sites.
The OIC, for which the Palestinian cause and Al Quds issue were its raison d’être, and as Israel persists in its aggressions against the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque, appeals to the international community to prompt Israel to protect and respect the Islamic holy sites. The OIC warns that any damage to the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and the other holy places will bear dire consequences for Muslims and believers around the world, which might yield unpredictable dangers for international peace and security.
On this anniversary, the OIC emphatically affirms the unwavering position held by the Muslim Ummah [Nation] toward the Arabo-Islamic character of the city of Al Quds. It renews its appeal to the Member States to continue to provide all forms of support and assistance to the Palestinian people in their just struggle for freedom and independence.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Indonesia: Country Needs Muslim Leader, Says Student Group
Jakarta, 22 August (AKI/The Jakarta Post) — Indonesia needs a Muslim statesman to lead the nation, rather than just political parties, according to a hard-line Muslim student group.
Executives from the Indonesian Muslim Student Movement (KAMMI) made their call for a Muslim leader during a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the State Palace.
“It is important to have a Muslim statesman as the country’s national leader. We will promote this idea not only to the President, but also to anyone willing to offer himself as the future leader,” KAMMI chairman Taufiq Amrullah said at a media conference after the meeting.
“The country is in need of a leader who is not just a politician, or the chairman of a political party. We need a statesman who can take on great responsibility for the sake of the country’s development.”
Taufiq insisted the leadership concept does not offend the constitutional rights of non-Muslims to contest the presidential election.
“Our idea is purely a suggestion. We think all future leader hopefuls will accept this idea because Islam is a ‘rahmatan lil alamin’ (blessing for the universe),” he said.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has always been led by a Muslim president. Religion is theoretically not an issue in the presidential election, with the Constitution restricting candidates only to native Indonesians.
KAMMI was established by Muslim students from various universities across the country as an alternative group to mushrooming student movements calling for sweeping reforms in 1998.
Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said Yudhoyono welcomed their viewpoint.
“For the president, having Muslim statesmen is good for the country. Good manners and ethics in politics and statesmanship should be upheld by whoever leads the country,” Andi said.
KAMMI dismissed speculation the meeting was related to the presidential election, in which Yudhoyono is seeking a second mandate.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Manila Drops Muslim Peace Deal
MANILA: The Philippines government will not sign a peace deal with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, irrespective of a Supreme Court ruling on its legality, the chief government spokesman said yesterday.
The comments from Jesus Dureza signal the end of a territorial agreement reached last month between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is fighting for partial self-rule in the mineral-rich Mindanao region.
Analysts said while the deal was hastily drawn-up, its scrapping would delay resolving by months, and possibly years, the decades-long conflict in the south of the Christian-majority nation.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
No Nigerian Death Verdict for 86 Wives
CAIRO — A Nigerian Muslim group has denied media reports about issuing a death sentence on a man who married 86 wives against the maximum of four allowed by Islam.
“No, we did not issue a death verdict against him,” Abdul-Karim Mowaz, acting secretary general of Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI), told IslamOnline.net over the phone from Nigeria on Friday, August 22.
“These reports are media exaggeration.”
The BBC said Thursday that the JNI has issued a death verdict under Shari’ah law on Mohammed Bello Abubakar, 84, from the central Niger state for taking 86 wives.
It said the man was given three days to repent and choose only four wives or be sentenced to death.
Having 86 wives: Un-Islamic
Polygamy: Norm or Exception?
Polygamy: Why Is It Permitted in Islam?
Does Inability to Treat Wives Equally Prohibit Polygamy?
“The JNI has never issued this verdict,” said justice Abdul Qadir Orire, former JNI secretary general.
“The group has no authority to issue this verdict.”
Orire said the media reports about the death verdict were misinformed.
He said the BBC has asked an imam in the group about the man who married 86 wives.
“He (imam) explained that the man would be asked to choose four and release the rest,” Orire said.
“If he refused, he would be taken to court and according to the evidence the court will issue its verdict on him.”
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Immigration:700 Eritreans Detained in Libya on Hunger Strike
(ANSAmed) — PALERMO, AUGUST 22 — Some 700 Eritreans, including 30 children, held in the Libyan jail Misurata for some two years, are on a hunger strike to call for an intervention of the European Union and find a solution to their problems, Mussie Zerai, president of the Eritrean association Habeshia which works to help co-nationals in difficulty, said. The immigrants call upon the EU to obtain regular access in Europe to be able to submit political asylum request and live in safety. Some countries have actually joined the programme for re-settlement of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which envisages the transfer from a country of first asylum to a safe third country. The community of Eritrean refugees appeal to the Italian government to work to find a solution which would not put them at risk of a forced repatriation to the country of origin from which the migrants have fled. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Immigration: New Maxi Landing on Lampedusa
(ANSAmed) — LAMPEDUSA (AGRIGENTO), AUGUST 22 — A new maxi landing was registered in Lampedusa this morning: a boat with 300-400 immigrants (the authorities are still counting) landed around 7,30 at the port of the island. These illegal immigrants were also taken to the first reception centre where there are some 1,200 people at the moment. Yesterday a total 455 immigrants landed in Lampedusa, including three Ethiopian sisters who came alone to hug their mother and two brothers who were already in Italy. The immigrants are a total 349, including 42 women (one pregnant) and 3 minors. All have already been transferred in the first reception centre of the island. Meanwhile a landing of immigrants also occurred in Locride, in Calabria, on the beach between Riace and Caulonia, among the bathers and tourists. Some fifty people have been traced down so far after having arrived on a motor fishing boat of some fifteen metres stranded on the beach. Police, carabinieri, finance guard and harbour office of Roccella Ionica are operating on the site. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Jihad, Conflict, and Culture
By Andrew G. Bostom
A review of Culture and Conflict in the Middle East, Prometheus Books, Amherst, N.Y. 224 pp., by Philip Carl Salzman
Prevailing academic pedagogy on Islam is epitomized, luridly, by Dr. Denise Spellman, the faux scholar whose recent unhinged behavior “persuaded” craven Random House to quash publication of Sherry Jones’ “biographic novel” about Muhammad’s child-bride Aisha, “The Jewel of Medina” — this, despite the fact that the book is a celebration of Islamic pedophilia and polygamy (albeit, as excerpts reveal, “The Jewel of Medina” is a distressingly stupid apologetic).
Operating within this warped milieu, McGill University Anthropology Professor Philip Carl Salzman is a truly intrepid man. With Promethean boldness (pun intended), Salzman’s pellucid, remarkably compendious, and brilliantly argued “Culture and Conflict in the Middle East,” defies academia’s pervasive, stultifying Islamo-sycophantism.
Professor Salzman, the founding chair of the Commission on Nomadic Peoples, who served in that position for 15 years (1978-1993), previously conducted fieldwork among nomadic, pastoral tribes in Iranian Baluchistan in 1967-68, 1972-73, and 1976. He is the author of the earlier anthropological studies, Black Tents of Baluchistan; Pastoralism: Equality, Hierarchy, and the State; and Understanding Culture. Central to understanding Salzman’s conception of Middle Eastern Arab culture is the form of social control he denotes as “balanced opposition.” His operational definition of this “ingenious” system for providing security, in particular, is as follows…
| — Hat tip: Andy Bostom | [Return to headlines] |
The Last Samurai and Europe’s First Suicide
Between Roppongi and Akasaka — the two fanciest precints in Tokyo — there lies a somnolent spot, curiously underutilized for this, among the most expensive acres of land anywhere in the world. It’s the residence of a long-dead Japanese soldier, crouching under a shroud of weeping cherry trees in the shadow of Japan’s tallest and most fabulous building, the Midtown Project.
The opulent Midtown Project has a motto: “Introducing Japan’s newest significance to the world.” But right next to it, in this austere, smallish house built in 1902 with a red-brick stable and a compact garden, Japan’s oldest significance to the world may be found.
For Tom Cruise was not the last samurai. General Maresuke Nogi was.
Born to a samurai family in 1849, at the age of twenty Nogi embarked on a military career. Being of the first generation to come of age during the Meiji Restoration, he trained according to Prussian infantry procedures. In 1871, he was commissioned as a major in the unseasoned Imperial Japanese Army, with which he would fight in 1877 in a civil war, the Satsuma Rebellion…
| — Hat tip: LN | [Return to headlines] |
6 comments:
Egyptian Actor Khaled Saleh Refuses to Fall in Love With American Women
So do a lot of American men: There is a marriage strike occurring.
As a complement reading to "The Last Samurai and Europe’s First Suicide" I would like to suggest the essay "If only" by Dymphna from june 2005 -- to which "The Engineer" had the following unerring comment:
"The great powers of Europe had not been involved in a major war in over 100 years (the Napoleonic Wars). They all had very unrealistic views of what such a war would be like. Most of the upper class Europeans at that time glorified war and many believed that it would "improve" their civilization by adding a little discipline.
SO, they made very little effort to avoid a war that was clearly very avoidable and in fact seemed to almost relish the opportunity to fight. Add that to the fact that there had been a major revolution in weaponry that none of them had considered in their tactics, and everything was set for a disaster."
6/24/2005 2:34 PM
http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2005/06/if-only.html
Manila Drops Muslim Peace Deal
Analysts said while the deal was hastily drawn-up, its scrapping would delay resolving by months, and possibly years, the decades-long conflict in the south of the Christian-majority nation. [emphasis added]
While no stupendous feat, this is exactly as I predicted. No way are any land-owners in the Philippines going to give up their territory. Real estate is the cornerstone of the Philippine elite and will not be surrendered without a protracted legal fight.
"A hand grenade exploded against the wall of an apartment block in Malmo early on Saturay morning."
Ya know, for as long as I can remember, we've been told that this kind of violence not only didn't happen in "civilized" Europe, but that it COULDN'T happen
in Europe. Such a thing was impossible in Europe because the all-wise political leaders had banned the civilian ownership of weapons ( unlike in the crude and uncivilized United States. )
Hhhmmmm....... so maybe we've been spoon fed a load of horse$#!+ all these years?
"A 23-year-old man, who is familiar to the police.......has bee taken in for police questioning."
Gee, I wonder....... could this 23-year-old man possibly be a M...Mmm...Mus...Musl....... well, you know!?
Of course, we shouldn't jump to conclusions. Why, I remember when I was 23 years old. Yup, every Friday night when I got my paycheck, I'd go out and have a few drinks... and start throwing grenades...
Grenade Attack as Malmö Gang Violence Escalates
"linked to a recent spate of gang violence."
Replace "gang violence" with "small scale jihad" and you have your answer.
I like how the story on Malmo mentions a gang war several times, but never 'who' is in the gangs, I'll guess that's because diversity is an issue.
darn those swedish youth.
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