Religion of Peace update

[Mornac]

Iran cleric: Killing Israeli children OK

Iranian Ayatollah endorses evil: Radical religious cleric known as President Ahmadinejad's spiritual mentor says attacks on Israeli civilians permissible, suicide bombings a Muslim duty

Dudi Cohen

Evil words in Islamic Republic: A senior Iranian cleric, who is known as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's spiritual mentor, urged followers to continue suicide attacks against Israelis, including children. 

Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah, considered one of the Islamic Republic's most radical clerics, issued a religious edict on his website whereby suicide attacks are not only legitimate but are a must for every Muslim, a special paper by the Middle East Media Research Institute shows.

The senior cleric was responding to a question from a follower regarding the difference between "martyr's death" and "suicide." The man, who wrote anonymously, noted that "some people say that martyrdom operations are considered suicide and that they are haram (forbidden) because they contradict Islam."

In response, Mesbah expressed his regret that his follower has fallen victim to "propaganda of the enemies of Islam." He added that the follower was wasting his time instead of focusing on "uprooting the Zionist regime."

"When protecting Islam, the Muslim people depend on martyrdom operations. It not only is allowed, but even is an obligation," Mesbah wrote.

The follower presented another question regarding Islam's position on harming Israelis, wondering whether Hamas and Jihad actions against Israeli civilians are forbidden. He also asked: "How about the Israeli children killed in such attacks?"
 
The Iranian Ayatollah did not see fit to forbid the killing of children, only noting that Israelis can be harmed unless they openly express their objection to their government's position. He added that even in such cases, harming civilians is permissible if "they are used as human shield and fighting the aggressors depends on attacking those civilians."

Beyond these insights, the cleric did not offer further instructions and failed to censure the killing of children.

Notably, for the followers of Mesbah, his words are considered as a binding religious edict. On several occasions in the past, Iranian President Ahmadinejad also spoke in favor of "martyrdom acts."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4076176,00.html

[Mornac]

New Al Qaeda Video: American Muslims Should Buy Guns, Start Shooting People

By MATTHEW COLE
June 3, 2011

In a new video message released on the internet Friday, American-born al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn calls on Muslims living in America to carry out deadly one-man terrorist acts using fully automatic weapons purchased at gun shows, and to target major institutions and public figures.

"What are you waiting for?" asks Gadahn in English, and then adds that jihadis shouldn't worry about getting caught, since so many have been released. "Over these past few years, I've seen the release of many, many Mujahideen whom I had never even dreamed would regain their freedom."

The two-part, two hour video appeared on jihadi websites Friday with images of jihadi leaders as well as snapshots of alleged underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan. Both Hasan and Abdulmutallab are charged with carrying out attacks inside the U.S.

Called "Do Not Rely on Others, Take the Task Upon Yourself" and produced by al Qaeda's media arm, as Sahab, the tape mixes Gadahn's new message with clips from old videos of Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other al Qaeda leaders praising one-man attacks. They call on jihadis in the West to carry out lone wolf operations.

Gadahn sounds the same theme in his message, a series of soundbites interspersed throughout the video and accompanied by images of U.S. airliners, bombmaking and the logos of U.S. companies. "Muslims in the West have to remember that they are perfectly placed to play an important and decisive part in the Jihad against the Zionists and crusaders, and to do major damage to the enemies of Islam, waging war on their religion, sacred places, and things, and brethren," says Gadahn. "This is a golden opportunity and a blessing."

He urges Muslims to pursue attacks with whatever is available. "Let's take America as an example. America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle, without a background check, and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?"

Gadahn suggests targeting major institutions -- after a clip showing the logos of such firms as Exxon, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America -- and "influential public figures." "Getting to these criminals isn't as hard as you might think," says Gadahn. "I mean we've seen how a woman knocked the Pope to the floor during Christmas mass, and how Italian leader Berlusconi's face was smashed during a public appearance. So it's just a matter of entrusting the matter to Allah and choosing the right place, the right time, and the right method."

He claims that many Western born or raised jihadis, the "brothers who came from abroad" are now thinking about returning to their "Crusader" countries to "discharge their duty of jihad." He also says not to worry about imprisonment, since so many have been jihadis have been set free. "If it's Allah's will that you be captured, then it's not the end the world, and it doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to spend the rest of your life in prison." Many mujahideen who were locked up "are now back home with their families, or back on the frontlines, fighting the enemies."

Gadahn, a 32-year-old California native, was born Adam Pearlman, the grandson of a Jewish urologist. His parents changed their name to Gadahn after becoming fundamentalist Christians. After converting to Islam, Gadahn moved to Pakistan in 1998 and then became a senior commander in al Qaeda.

Gadahn has appeared in numerous al Qaeda videos over the past seven years. In 2005, after terror attacks in Madrid and London, he said, "Yesterday, London and Madrid. Tomorrow, Los Angeles and Melbourne, God willing." He is currently considered al Qaeda's leading media strategist, and has been on the FBI's Most Wanted list for nearly 10 years. He has been reported dead or captured several times, only to reemerge alive.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-video-buy-automatic-weapons-start-shooting/story?id=13704264

[Mornac]

Eritrean Christians facing 'unimaginable suffering' in Egypt

by Amy Shank
June 10, 2011

Eritrean Christians fleeing persecution in their homeland are facing imprisonment, torture, beatings and sexual assault in Egypt, reports Barnabas Fund.

The charity, which supports the persecuted church worldwide, estimates that hundreds of Eritrean Christian refugees have been subjected to terrible abuse after arriving in Egypt.

Egypt is the most popular destination for Christians escaping from Eritrea, one of the most hostile countries in the world for followers of the faith.

In Eritrea, Christians and evangelicals in particular are viewed as a threat to national security because of their allegiance to God before the state.

As a result, many of them are tortured and imprisoned for their faith in conditions described by Barnabas Fund as "horrendous".

Persecution has intensified in recent months after an Eritrean governor ordered a purge against Christians at the end of 2010.

The charity said hundreds of Eritrean Christians were risking their lives each month to enter Egypt, where they go in the hope of eventually being able to cross the border into Israel.

A Channel 4 documentary, "Breaking into Israel", last week charted the harsh 900-mile journey made by Eritrean refugees, some of whom die before reaching their destination. Some are shot dead crossing the Egypt-Israel border and others are caught and returned to Eritrea where they face torture and even death.

According to Barnabas Fund, the majority of the Eritrean refugees are Christians.

It warned that many of them were ending up in Egyptian prisons or being held hostage for $20,000 ransoms in the deserts of Sinai by Bedouin Muslim nomads who work with human traffickers.

According to the charity's estimates, there are currently between 500 and 600 Eritrean prisoners in Egyptian custody and as many as 200 in the hands of traffickers.

Hostages whose relatives are not able to stump up the ransom are being killed.

There are also unconfirmed reports that the hostage-takers are harvesting the organs of hostages who have been unable to secure the ransom for their release.

Abuse at the hands of the Egyptian authorities or Bedouin gangs includes rape and sexual harrassment, torture, beatings and slavery.

In Sudan, there are also reports of Eritreans being kidnapped from UN refugee camps.

The extent of the suffering is so bad that some Christians in the prisons have been driven to adopting Muslim names, as Muslims receive better treatment than Christians.

Through its partners, Barnabas Fund is helping to relieve the suffering of Eritrean Christians in prison by funding medicine and basic necessities such as food, clothes and sanitary products.

It has helped to secure the release of three refugees and paid legal fees to one prison to enable another 23 to be seen and registered by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Its partners said the reason for the abuse was the refugees' Christian faith.

They said: "The situation on the ground is expected to keep on deteriorating while the number of refugees is increasing."

Barnabas Fund is appealing to Christians to pray for Eritrean Christians who have fled, as well as those who have stayed behind in Eritrea.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, said: "The suffering of our brothers and sisters from Eritrea is unimaginable.

"They are in great danger from their government, which is one of the most severe persecutors of Christians in the world, and if they flee in the hope of a better life elsewhere, they face imprisonment, kidnap, torture, rape, beatings and even death.

"They desperately need our help today."

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/eritrean.christians.facing.unimaginable.suffering.in.egypt/28138.htm

[ivanm]

I wonder, if Murabak was still in charge in Egypt would  these refugees be treated better?

[Mornac]

Ethiopia jails hundreds in Muslim attacks on Christians over Koran rumour

Jul 1, 2011

An Ethiopian court has sentenced 558 people to jail terms ranging from six months to 25 years for attacks on Christians that displaced thousands and led 69 churches to be burned to the ground. More than 4,000 members of local Protestant denominations were forced to flee near the town of Asendabo, some 300 kilometres (186 miles) west of the capital, in March during a rare bout of religious violence.

Mobs of Muslim youths carried out week-long attacks on Protestants after rumours that desecrated pages from the Koran had been found at a church construction site. Authorities reported a single death from the attacks.

“They were punished for their involvement in instigating and participating in religious disturbances in western Ethiopia,” government spokesman Shimelis Kemal said of the court cases. Forty-four people were acquitted.

Regional officials told Reuters almost all the displaced people have returned to their homes, some of which were repaired with support from local Muslims. Authorities, keen to avoid further fall-out between the two groups, have held several meetings in the area and claim normalcy has returned.

In March, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi blamed a little-known local Muslim group of preaching intolerance in the region, and warned of growing religious tensions in the Christian-dominated country. “We knew that they were peddling this ideology of intolerance, but it was not possible for us to stop them administratively because they are within their rights,” he said.

The Horn of Africa nation is 60 percent Christian, a majority being followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and 30 percent Muslim. March’s attacks came as a major surprise in a country where most take pride in centuries-old coexistence and intermarriage.

http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2011/07/01/ethiopia-jails-hundreds-in-muslim-attacks-on-christians-over-koran-rumour/

[Mornac]

U.S. Army's Muslim chaplains must be passed by this guy?
Gatekeeper for accreditation blasts Jews over 'trickery' to make world 'subservient'

July 08, 2011

By Bob Unruh

A man portrayed as a prominent Islamic scholar who has run a program to vet Muslim chaplains for the U.S. military has written an anti-Semitic column that condemns Jews for trying to make the rest of the world "subvervient" and explaining that he is able to see this "trickery" because of his understanding of the Quran, according to a translation.

The work is by Taha Jaber al-Alwani, who graduated from al-Azhar University in Cairo and later taught at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University in Saudi Arabia.

He moved to the United States in 1983 and has served as chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America and as part of the Islamic Cordova University and its Graduate School of Islamic and Society Sciences program, through which Muslims who want to be chaplains in the U.S. military are accredited.

He decried the "Great Haughtiness" of the Jews and accused them of using "an intellectual, psychological and mental ability, which they can employ with great efficiency to take advantage of real and objective situations … in accordance to their specific visions and goals in a meticulous fashion."

"We can express from the Glorious Quran and say that this is an ability to employ legal practices, social and cosmic laws and even individual trends as well to make others subservient in their hands in order to fulfill their goals. There is hardly any doubt that the Arabs own several folds in material resources than others, but they do not own this sense that we just mentioned," he wrote.

"The ancient Hebraic education, or what may be termed 'the jurisprudence of the cow' (termed for the cow [in Sinai]) that is; the thought and jurisprudence of the 'ox that bellows' really suits its ability to find exit holes as it is accustomed to trickery. Also suits it is its ability to 'endlessly pant and persist,'" al-Alwani wrote. "These things and many other things, which we find in the Torah, the Talmud and the Mishna and other religious sources from their religion which many modern thinkers see as an 'extinct national dream.'

"But I, through the light of the Quran see it resurrected in front of me; it still represents the central pillars for their education. Those who were led astray by a golden calf that is empty inside which only has its exterior golden brilliance with it bellowing in the wind at empty bodies," he wrote.

The writings were uncovered by Walid Shoebat, who describes himself on his own website as one who "used to be a radicalized Muslim willing to die for the cause of jihad."

Shoebat tells how he converted to Christianity in 1994 after he was a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization "involved in terror activity."


Walid Shoebat

Shoebat writes how he was recruited by the Islamic Association of Palestine, "a forerunner to today's Hamas terror organization and also to the terror front group CAIR (Council for American Islamic Relations)."

He told WND that as a former "insider" to the terror campaign that includes Israel as a target, he knows what to watch for. He found the writings, in Arabic, on al-Alwani's own website, where it was reported they also were published by the Islamic Umma Magazine.

The article, titled "The Great Haughtiness," was translated by Shoebat.

WND messages left at Cordoba University and at the Fiqh Council trying to reach al-Alwani for comment were not returned.

"Al-Alwani has compared America to the golden age of al-Andalus in Spain and has told Muslims in the mosques he visited that America is the best country in the world to live," said Shoebat. "He was even a signatory of the Muslim Statement Against Terror and even issued a fatwa (after consulting with Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi of course) urging Muslims to fight in the U.S. military in Afghanistan against terrorism. Qaradawi later reneged on his fatwa.

"But besides these glowing positions and seemingly acts of heroism, Alwani turns out to be an ardent anti-Semite. How could the U.S. military still employ this influential figurehead should not remain a mystery, especially after one runs into his writings – in Arabic, of course, which Alwani should not mind us translating and publishing it in full since he shouldn't mind us 'spreading the word!" Shoebat said.

Al-Alwani wrote, "Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He who is all knowing when it comes to his creation and their willingness to do good or evil; told us that, 'the children of Israel will do corruption in the land twice.' That is, two grand events since they have done mischief twice already in the past and many more after that. It is for this reason Allah said 'But if you return [to sin], We [Allah] will return [for punishment].'"

He continued, "So the Zionist leaders made this calf a model for today’s world so they can be able to control it. Today's world with its secularism and its phony democracy and alongside its free and controlled trade and national legitimacy and all these other subjects that bellows and never dialogues; all this is not far fetched to be an image of a calf that moos with an outward appearance that is beautiful, breathtaking and shiny that almost takes your breath away."

According to the translation, he wrote, "So the giant media takes on the part of mooing and bellowing that never ends which has an ability to transform humans into animals that the media consumes its energy. It [the media] empties him and fills him with whatever it wants. The nations were transformed under the shade of this calf-like image into herds composed of individuals that are unable to build relationships or identities.

"They [the Jews] were able to convert a negative incident [the Holocaust], which ended them up in a collective apostasy; to a model, which enabled them to make strategies, institutions and plans to ensure that the world – the whole world – remain beneath them."

Al-Alwani said Muslims need to get to the point of "imposing ourselves to be respected by the whole world."

"Only then will we be able to have a dialogue on an equal footage and not through all the bellowing," he wrote.

The Pentagon said it would be able to respond to WND inquiries about al-Alwani's links to accrediting Muslim chaplains next week.

According to Cordoba University, Al-Alwani serves as president and is active in publishing, authoring "The Contemporary Islamic Cultural Undertaking," "Horizons of Change and its Approaches," "The Islamization of Knowledge" and others.

According to a report from ABC, al-Alwani has been president of GSISS, which has been responsible for providing accreditation to Muslims who are chaplains in the military.

The report also noted that the GSISS "have been part of a federal investigation into possible financial ties to al-Qaida."

Shoebat told WND the writings reveal "an extremely dark soul" and Americans should be alarmed he would be in the loop of training or supervising of any military chaplains.

"This is how you get more Nidal Malik Hasans," he said, referencing the military officer who now is in jail, accused of shooting and killing some dozen fellow military members at Fort Hood in Texas. He's also accused of attempting to kill dozens more.

Evidence indicates Hasan is a devout Muslim.

At the Anti-Cair-Net organization, a report said the GSISS graduated its first class in 1999.

"The school is the first of its kind. It is the only school approved by the United States Department of Defense to both train and endorse U.S. Muslim military chaplains," the report said.

On Amazon.com, where al-Alwani sells his publications, he's described as "member of the Organization of Islamic States Fiqh Academy and former president of The International Institute of Islamic Thought."

His commentary continued, "So what can we do, and especially those of us who sit in positions of control over our great battle as we live alongside this calf? How can we first study deeply their psyche and minds? And how to know their inherited education with its influence as they manage the conflict with the rest of the nations on the earth? When will the Muslims get out of being a useless reeling multitude to gain the position of imposing ourselves to be respected by the whole world and to employ their [the Muslim] great abilities for benefiting this struggle with others? Only then will we be able to have dialogue on an equal footage and not through all the bellowing."

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=320161

[Mornac]

Churches in Nigeria Shuttered, Reduced with Uptick in Terrorism
Christians flee northern city as Boko Haram is said to be planning massive assault.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, July 13 (CDN) — Christians in northern Nigeria’s Borno state, already forced to abandon worship services due to attacks by Islamic sect Boko Haram, are bracing for a massive assault to commemorate the death of the extremists group’s leader at the end of the month.

Christians are streaming out of Maiduguri, about 540 miles northeast of the Nigerian capital of Abuja, where some of the worst-hit churches are located. Churches are shutting down as many of their members have lost their lives in attacks that have not ceased even after security agencies were enlisted to confront the assailants.

Compass witnessed most church buildings were shuttered and guarded by soldiers and police in the Maiduguri areas of Wulari-Jerusalem, Railway Station, Bulunkutu, Damboa Road, and Bayan NNPC. Some churches bold enough to open were compelled to reschedule their worship services in order to outmaneuver militants who knew that most services start at 10 a.m.

“As you can see, the town is unsafe, and it is just appropriate for any church leader to be reasonable and safe,” a pastor with The Apostolic Church who declined to give his name for fear of attack told Compass. “We took the decision to hold a one-and-a-half-hour service earlier than our usual time so that our people can return home in time because of the threat.”

Church leaders said The Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) in Maiduguri’s Bulunkuttu area and the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in the Gomari area have seen attendance at worship drastically reduced – from 2,250 to 759 for the Living Faith Church, and from 500 to 240 for the COCIN body.

In early June the Islamic sect attacked St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Maiduguri twice, killing a total of 10 people in bombings on June 1 and June 7.

“The Islamic bombers, driving in a Honda car, stormed the church in the afternoon of that fateful day and threw the bombs into the church premises,” said police spokesman Abdulahi Lawal of the June 7 incident.

A Catholic priest at the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church who requested anonymity told Compass that the attack of June 7 took place in mid-afternoon, with about 50 members gathered inside.

The Rev. Yuguda Mdurvwa, chairman of the Borno state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, told Compass that besides St. Patrick’s and the COCIN church, churches attacked in Maiduguri include a Church of the Brethren (EYN) and several others. He said CAN leadership has directed churches to either suspend or reschedule their church services due to the dangers.

On the afternoon of June 16, Boko Haram militants attacked a Church of the Brethren congregation in Damboa, about 87 kilometers (54 miles) from Maiduguri, killing four persons.

Declaring Jihad

Members of the Jama’atu ahlus Sunnah lid da’awati wal Jihad, popularly known as Boko Haram, have claimed responsibility for these church bombings and other attacks. Moreover, the Islamist sect that has declared jihad on the Nigerian government is reportedly expected to launch a terrorist offensive at the end of this month, the two-year anniversary of the death of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf.

Nigerian security forces captured Yusuf on July 30, 2009, and the next day he was dead under mysterious circumstances.

Religious freedom analyst Elizabeth Kendal writes in her Religious Liberty Monitoring blog that in June 2010, Boko Haram formalized its links with Al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Kendal notes that terrorism analyst Yossef Bodansky predicts this development could lead to the emergence of large-scale terrorism, including suicide bombings, unknown in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s Saturday Tribune reported on July 9, Kendal notes, that the government is expecting more than 100 jihadists trained in Sudan and Somalia to lead the terrorist assault planned for the end of the month. The jihadists, who reportedly received training from AQIM, would lead attacks planned for Borno as well as the northern states of Katsina, Kaduna and Yobe.

Boko Haram has issued statements to media organizations asserting the desire to impose its extremist version of sharia (Islamic law) on all of Nigeria. Sharia is already in force in 12 northern states, where Christians are supposed to be exempt but are often compelled to comply by various sectors of society. Borno state, where Boko Haram has its base, is one of the states implementing Islamic law.

After the death of Yusuf, the extremist Islamic sect has been led by Abu Zaid, who last October claimed responsibility for bombing churches in Borno state. Zaid told the Hausa-language service of the BBC and Voice of America at that time that the group attacks as a means of pressuring the government to allow Islamic law in Nigeria.

Dr. Abdulateef Adegbite, secretary-general of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, said Muslim leaders did not support the activities of Boko Haram, and that they were finding it difficult to reach out to the militant sect. He pleaded with members of Boko Haram to put an end to the senseless killings.

“Our plea is that you cease fire and embrace peace,” he said. “We can’t continue to go on like this.”

Nigeria’s population of more than 158.2 million is divided between Christians, who make up 51.3 percent of the population and live mainly in the south, and Muslims, who account for 45 percent of the population and live mainly in the north. The percentages may be less, however, as those practicing indigenous religions may be as high as 10 percent of the total population, according to Operation World.

Northern Nigeria climbed to 23rd place in 2010 from 27th in 2009 on Christian support organization Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations with the worst persecution.

Church Response

Ayo Oritsejafor, president of CAN, said he wondered how the militant sect could continue to carry out deadly attacks on churches in spite of the presence of security agencies. He said Christian leaders believe the sect has compromised or infiltrated security forces.

“The way and manner this is happening shows that some of our intelligence security operatives have either been compromised, or their rank-and-file are already infiltrated by members of this Islamic sect,” he said.

The Rev. Paul Emeka, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, Nigeria, lamented that the violence of Boko Haram has gone unchecked.

“They have burned churches and forced many Christians to run away from their homes,” he said.

He warned that the Muslim militants’ violence could divide the country along religious lines. Peter Okoduwa, a Pentecostal pastor, concurred, saying the Islamic sect has infiltrated the ranks of security agencies and warning that if the government does not take decisive action, the country’s Christian/Muslim divide will deepen.

Dr. David Oyedepo, bishop of Living Faith Church, said the government needs to step up its prosecution of the sect.

“This Boko Haram has to be frontally dealt with before they plunge the entire nation into a very serious crisis,” Oyedepo said. “The federal government should deal with the issue tactfully before the sect sets the entire nation ablaze. Those behind the crisis should be fished out and dealt with and there should be no sympathy for them.”

The Rev. Ladi Thompson, coordinator of the Macedonian Initiative, a ministry to Christians facing persecution, said Boko Haram has plans to attack more churches in the months ahead, putting Christians under more pressure, unless the government takes immediate steps to strengthen security.

Church leaders said they are aware that the Islamic sect could be an offshoot of Al Qaeda and are urging Nigerian security agencies to rise to the challenge.

President Goodluck Jonathan has admitted that the attacks were carried out by the Islamic terrorist group that has declared war on the nation.
 
“Everybody is a target when it comes to terrorist attacks,” Jonathan told media. “Terrorists will aim at the top. If they can bomb the president, they will do it.”

Nigeria has created a military task force headed by Maj.-Gen. Jack Okechukwu Nwaogbo to hunt down members of the Islamic sect. Nwaogbo told journalists in Maiduguri on June 27 that authorities had arrested two members of the sect carrying explosives to bomb a church in the city. He explained that these members of Boko Haram pretended they wanted to convert from Islam in order to gain access to the church building and bomb it.

http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/nigeria/article_115047.html

[Mornac]

Devout Muslim Soldier Hopes to Avoid Deployment to Afghanistan

By SARAH NETTER
Aug. 31, 2010

An Muslim soldier trying to avoid deployment to Afghanistan said his year in the Army has shown him that "no Muslim should serve in the U.S. military."

Pfc. Naser Abdo, 20, has filed for conscientious objector status, which would allow him to leave the Army without consequence, on the belief that his Muslim faith and one-time desire to serve his country can't be reconciled.

"A Muslim is not allowed to participate in an Islamicly unjust war," the Texan told ABCNews.com. "Any Muslim who knows his religion or maybe takes into account what his religion says can find out very clearly why he should not participate in the U.S. military."

Stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Abdo said he once believed strongly that joining the Army and fighting to protect Islamic freedoms in Iraq and Afghanistan would make him a good Muslim.

"I felt it would be challenge to my body and a challenge to my mind and I thought God would be proud of me," Abdo said. "I felt I was doing something good for the Muslim nation."

But in February, less than a year after joining and going through basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia, Abdo said he began to lose touch with the Islamic community that had become so important to him.

I started considering that, I'd had a problem maintaining my faith because I wasn't involved with the Islamic community as much as I should have been," he said. "I started questioning whether I was really ready to die.

"I came to the conclusion," he said, "that I wasn't ready to die and meet God."

Fort Campbell spokesman Rick Rzepka said his base is home to several Muslims who serve without issue. He pointed to a weekly Islamic prayer service and a recent memo that went out telling soldiers of accommodations that could be made for them to observe Ramadan.

Rzepka confirmed that Abdo's deployment had been deferred. It would take officials about six months to review his conscientious objection application, which was filed in June.

"He's not in trouble," Rzepka said, while noting that if Abdo were ordered to deploy and refused, he would face charges.

Abdo is hoping it doesn't come to that.

His website, which tells his story and includes a link to donate to his legal expenses, suggests that Abdo "will be at danger of harassment and even death from his fellow soldiers, many of whom will be resentful of PFC Abdo's religious beliefs and his desire to be discharged from the military."

His attorney, James Branum, said he has already planned for the worst-case scenario and is prepared to represent him in court should he be court-martialed. If Abdo's claim is denied, Branum said, they'd consider refiling the claim citing new evidence, asking a federal civilian court to intervene or trying to persuade Abdo's command to discharge him on other grounds.

"At all costs, though, I hope we can avoid a showdown," Branum wrote in an e-mail, "where Abdo's faith and conscience forces him to break the law and refuse to deploy."

Muzammil Siddiqi, chairman of Islamic Law Counsel of North America, said he sees no reason why a person can't be both a good Muslim and a dedicated soldier.

"I don't see that, from the Islamic point of view, there is any problem with that," he said, pointing out that there are many thousands of Muslims around the world serving in the militaries of non-Muslim countries, including his native India.

"There are a lot of good Muslims who are serving in the U.S. Army and a lot of other places."

But there have been significant hurdles along the way for some.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Fort Hood massacre in Texas last year at the hands of disgruntled Army Maj. Nidal Hasan have caused some Muslim soldiers to report everything from raised eyebrows to teasing to downright discrimination.

Earlier this year, Muslim Army Spc. Zachari Klawonn expressed his frustration at the Army's response to a growing pattern of what he considered harassment and threats by his fellow soldiers, alleged abuse that he said only worsened after the Fort Hood shooting.

And although he'd like to see the Army do more to prevent discrimination against Muslim soldiers, he has never regretted enlisting, he told ABC News in April .

he Army makes every effort to ensure that its soldiers are able to maintain their faith, but the guidelines specifically state that what the Army deems a "military necessity" must come before religious practices for all faiths.

The son of a Muslim father and a non-denominational Christian mother, Abdo was raised in both religions and decided to delve into his Muslim heritage as a teenager, identifying with how Islam advocated the idea of community.

But in the Army, Abdo said, he has found that his fellow soldiers look down on him when he makes time for his five-times-a-day prayer schedule and other Muslim traditions. Once he filed his claim, Abdo said, he was pulled out of a Pashto language class as retaliation. Pashto is spoken in Afghanistan.

Although Fort Campbell employs an imam on base, Abdo prefers instead to seek counsel from his personal circle of Islamic advisers, he said.

"In my experience, they don't know their religion," he said of base imams. "They don't know their faith."

Now, he said, he wants out of the Army so he can spend his life combating what he called Islamaphobia and advocating Islam as a peaceful religion.

"I want to use my experience to show Muslims how we can lead our lives," he said. "And to try and put a good positive spin out there that Islam is a good, peaceful religion. We're not all terrorists, you know?"

http://abcnews.go.com/US/muslim-soldier-hoping-avoid-deployment-faith-conflicts-service/story?id=11514381

[Sassy]

Speaking of "updates"...That is an old article.  THIS is the same guy...


US serviceman held amid 'plot' to attack Fort Hood

A US soldier who was absent without leave will face federal charges after guns and bomb-making materials were found in his motel room, the FBI says.

Pfc Naser Abdo, 21, was arrested in Killeen, Texas, near the Fort Hood US army base, and had been planning to target military personnel, police said.

The Muslim infantry soldier was granted conscientious objector status last year because of his religious beliefs.

...Mr Abdo, who is currently being held on an unrelated child pornography charge in Killeen, refused to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan from Fort Campbell military base in Kentucky before going missing, FBI agent Eric Vasys said.

The Texas native was granted conscientious objector status in May 2011 after he said his religious beliefs would prevent him fighting in any war.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14329643

[Mornac]

Weird, ain’t it?

[johnhp]

A McKinney, Texas, Planned Parenthood clinic that does not provide abortions was attacked with a Molotov cocktail late Tuesday night, causing a small fire at the entrance of the building.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/28/texas-planned-parenthood-_n_912710.html

[Mornac]

07/21/2011 13:46
PAKISTAN

Muslim woman forced to flee for marrying a Christian

Jibran Khan

A couple comprising a Christian and a Muslim is forced to live hiding: society condemns their love, for an Islamic scholar it "is punishable by death." The bishop of Islamabad: "The State must defend them, or it will soon disappear."

Islamabad (AsiaNews) - The religious intolerance that is destroying Pakistan continues unabated. The latest case in point is that of a couple comprising a Christian and a Muslim, who married without the consent of the families of origin and are now forced to live on the run from one place to another for fear of violence. The bishop of Islamabad has defended them: "Marriage should be free. The state must guarantee them freedom of choice. "

The pair is composed of Asthma Zubaida, a Muslim, and Basharat Masih, a Christian. Both lived in the town of Gujranwala, where they met and fell in love: the first was a teacher in the local government school, while Masih was an official of the Department of the school administration. Without parental consent, they were married in September 2010: since then have started to receive frequent death threats forcing them to flee.

The newlyweds have sought police help. Malik Arif, a police officer, said: "We have been contacted for assistance, they claimed the situation was life threatening. In fact, their complaint explains that her family attacked Masih a couple of months ago, when they discovered the marriage. The attacks also targeted the family of Christians. " "They too have been forced to flee."

One of Masih’s relatives, anonymous for security reasons, said: "We have been threatened, our home came under attack, they have even arrived at throwing stones at us from the street That Basharat is obviously more at risk: they want him dead. We asked for help, but nobody paid any attention to us: neither the police nor the local politicians. " Despite the fact she gave police a statement confirming that the marriage took place without any constraint.

Maulana Muhammad Sultan Haider, a Muslim scholar in Islamabad says that this "does not change anything. Only a Muslim man can marry a non-Muslim woman, because it would water down future generations. I condemn this marriage, I call it illegal, these two could be killed for what they did. "

Diametrically opposed to the opinion of Mgr. Rufin Anthony, bishop of Islamabad and Rawalpindi: "This is a case of intolerance. Marriage is a sacrament between two people, others have nothing to do with it. A state that fails to guarantee its citizens freedom of choice, religious or family, will not survive long. Why should a Muslim girl not marry a non Muslim? Why do marriages with non-Muslims aim to convert. They see it as a great victory, but is only coercion”.

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Muslim-woman-forced-to-flee-for-marrying-a-Christian-22162.html#

[ivanm]

New Al Qaeda Video: American Muslims Should Buy Guns, Start Shooting People

By MATTHEW COLE
June 3, 2011

In a new video message released on the internet Friday, American-born al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn calls on Muslims living in America to carry out deadly one-man terrorist acts using fully automatic weapons purchased at gun shows, and to target major institutions and public figures.

"What are you waiting for?" asks Gadahn in English, and then adds that jihadis shouldn't worry about getting caught, since so many have been released. "Over these past few years, I've seen the release of many, many Mujahideen whom I had never even dreamed would regain their freedom."

The two-part, two hour video appeared on jihadi websites Friday with images of jihadi leaders as well as snapshots of alleged underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan. Both Hasan and Abdulmutallab are charged with carrying out attacks inside the U.S.

Called "Do Not Rely on Others, Take the Task Upon Yourself" and produced by al Qaeda's media arm, as Sahab, the tape mixes Gadahn's new message with clips from old videos of Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other al Qaeda leaders praising one-man attacks. They call on jihadis in the West to carry out lone wolf operations.

Gadahn sounds the same theme in his message, a series of soundbites interspersed throughout the video and accompanied by images of U.S. airliners, bombmaking and the logos of U.S. companies. "Muslims in the West have to remember that they are perfectly placed to play an important and decisive part in the Jihad against the Zionists and crusaders, and to do major damage to the enemies of Islam, waging war on their religion, sacred places, and things, and brethren," says Gadahn. "This is a golden opportunity and a blessing."

He urges Muslims to pursue attacks with whatever is available. "Let's take America as an example. America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle, without a background check, and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?"

Gadahn suggests targeting major institutions -- after a clip showing the logos of such firms as Exxon, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America -- and "influential public figures." "Getting to these criminals isn't as hard as you might think," says Gadahn. "I mean we've seen how a woman knocked the Pope to the floor during Christmas mass, and how Italian leader Berlusconi's face was smashed during a public appearance. So it's just a matter of entrusting the matter to Allah and choosing the right place, the right time, and the right method."

He claims that many Western born or raised jihadis, the "brothers who came from abroad" are now thinking about returning to their "Crusader" countries to "discharge their duty of jihad." He also says not to worry about imprisonment, since so many have been jihadis have been set free. "If it's Allah's will that you be captured, then it's not the end the world, and it doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to spend the rest of your life in prison." Many mujahideen who were locked up "are now back home with their families, or back on the frontlines, fighting the enemies."

Gadahn, a 32-year-old California native, was born Adam Pearlman, the grandson of a Jewish urologist. His parents changed their name to Gadahn after becoming fundamentalist Christians. After converting to Islam, Gadahn moved to Pakistan in 1998 and then became a senior commander in al Qaeda.

Gadahn has appeared in numerous al Qaeda videos over the past seven years. In 2005, after terror attacks in Madrid and London, he said, "Yesterday, London and Madrid. Tomorrow, Los Angeles and Melbourne, God willing." He is currently considered al Qaeda's leading media strategist, and has been on the FBI's Most Wanted list for nearly 10 years. He has been reported dead or captured several times, only to reemerge alive.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-video-buy-automatic-weapons-start-shooting/story?id=13704264

Somebody needs to put that sucker out of business, permanently.

[ivanm]

A McKinney, Texas, Planned Parenthood clinic that does not provide abortions was attacked with a Molotov cocktail late Tuesday night, causing a small fire at the entrance of the building.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/28/texas-planned-parenthood-_n_912710.html

I used to live in McKinney, Texas. It is sad to see an organization that is providing value to women being attacked, and I suppose the association with abortions is the reason.

If PPH could somehow divorce itself from abortions then maybe the attacks would subside. 

[ivanm]

U.S. Army's Muslim chaplains must be passed by this guy?
Gatekeeper for accreditation blasts Jews over 'trickery' to make world 'subservient'

July 08, 2011

By Bob Unruh

A man portrayed as a prominent Islamic scholar who has run a program to vet Muslim chaplains for the U.S. military has written an anti-Semitic column that condemns Jews for trying to make the rest of the world "subvervient" and explaining that he is able to see this "trickery" because of his understanding of the Quran, according to a translation.

The work is by Taha Jaber al-Alwani, who graduated from al-Azhar University in Cairo and later taught at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University in Saudi Arabia.

He moved to the United States in 1983 and has served as chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America and as part of the Islamic Cordova University and its Graduate School of Islamic and Society Sciences program, through which Muslims who want to be chaplains in the U.S. military are accredited.

He decried the "Great Haughtiness" of the Jews and accused them of using "an intellectual, psychological and mental ability, which they can employ with great efficiency to take advantage of real and objective situations … in accordance to their specific visions and goals in a meticulous fashion."

"We can express from the Glorious Quran and say that this is an ability to employ legal practices, social and cosmic laws and even individual trends as well to make others subservient in their hands in order to fulfill their goals. There is hardly any doubt that the Arabs own several folds in material resources than others, but they do not own this sense that we just mentioned," he wrote.

"The ancient Hebraic education, or what may be termed 'the jurisprudence of the cow' (termed for the cow [in Sinai]) that is; the thought and jurisprudence of the 'ox that bellows' really suits its ability to find exit holes as it is accustomed to trickery. Also suits it is its ability to 'endlessly pant and persist,'" al-Alwani wrote. "These things and many other things, which we find in the Torah, the Talmud and the Mishna and other religious sources from their religion which many modern thinkers see as an 'extinct national dream.'

"But I, through the light of the Quran see it resurrected in front of me; it still represents the central pillars for their education. Those who were led astray by a golden calf that is empty inside which only has its exterior golden brilliance with it bellowing in the wind at empty bodies," he wrote.

The writings were uncovered by Walid Shoebat, who describes himself on his own website as one who "used to be a radicalized Muslim willing to die for the cause of jihad."

Shoebat tells how he converted to Christianity in 1994 after he was a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization "involved in terror activity."


Walid Shoebat

Shoebat writes how he was recruited by the Islamic Association of Palestine, "a forerunner to today's Hamas terror organization and also to the terror front group CAIR (Council for American Islamic Relations)."

He told WND that as a former "insider" to the terror campaign that includes Israel as a target, he knows what to watch for. He found the writings, in Arabic, on al-Alwani's own website, where it was reported they also were published by the Islamic Umma Magazine.

The article, titled "The Great Haughtiness," was translated by Shoebat.

WND messages left at Cordoba University and at the Fiqh Council trying to reach al-Alwani for comment were not returned.

"Al-Alwani has compared America to the golden age of al-Andalus in Spain and has told Muslims in the mosques he visited that America is the best country in the world to live," said Shoebat. "He was even a signatory of the Muslim Statement Against Terror and even issued a fatwa (after consulting with Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi of course) urging Muslims to fight in the U.S. military in Afghanistan against terrorism. Qaradawi later reneged on his fatwa.

"But besides these glowing positions and seemingly acts of heroism, Alwani turns out to be an ardent anti-Semite. How could the U.S. military still employ this influential figurehead should not remain a mystery, especially after one runs into his writings – in Arabic, of course, which Alwani should not mind us translating and publishing it in full since he shouldn't mind us 'spreading the word!" Shoebat said.

Al-Alwani wrote, "Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He who is all knowing when it comes to his creation and their willingness to do good or evil; told us that, 'the children of Israel will do corruption in the land twice.' That is, two grand events since they have done mischief twice already in the past and many more after that. It is for this reason Allah said 'But if you return [to sin], We [Allah] will return [for punishment].'"

He continued, "So the Zionist leaders made this calf a model for today’s world so they can be able to control it. Today's world with its secularism and its phony democracy and alongside its free and controlled trade and national legitimacy and all these other subjects that bellows and never dialogues; all this is not far fetched to be an image of a calf that moos with an outward appearance that is beautiful, breathtaking and shiny that almost takes your breath away."

According to the translation, he wrote, "So the giant media takes on the part of mooing and bellowing that never ends which has an ability to transform humans into animals that the media consumes its energy. It [the media] empties him and fills him with whatever it wants. The nations were transformed under the shade of this calf-like image into herds composed of individuals that are unable to build relationships or identities.

"They [the Jews] were able to convert a negative incident [the Holocaust], which ended them up in a collective apostasy; to a model, which enabled them to make strategies, institutions and plans to ensure that the world – the whole world – remain beneath them."

Al-Alwani said Muslims need to get to the point of "imposing ourselves to be respected by the whole world."

"Only then will we be able to have a dialogue on an equal footage and not through all the bellowing," he wrote.

The Pentagon said it would be able to respond to WND inquiries about al-Alwani's links to accrediting Muslim chaplains next week.

According to Cordoba University, Al-Alwani serves as president and is active in publishing, authoring "The Contemporary Islamic Cultural Undertaking," "Horizons of Change and its Approaches," "The Islamization of Knowledge" and others.

According to a report from ABC, al-Alwani has been president of GSISS, which has been responsible for providing accreditation to Muslims who are chaplains in the military.

The report also noted that the GSISS "have been part of a federal investigation into possible financial ties to al-Qaida."

Shoebat told WND the writings reveal "an extremely dark soul" and Americans should be alarmed he would be in the loop of training or supervising of any military chaplains.

"This is how you get more Nidal Malik Hasans," he said, referencing the military officer who now is in jail, accused of shooting and killing some dozen fellow military members at Fort Hood in Texas. He's also accused of attempting to kill dozens more.

Evidence indicates Hasan is a devout Muslim.

At the Anti-Cair-Net organization, a report said the GSISS graduated its first class in 1999.

"The school is the first of its kind. It is the only school approved by the United States Department of Defense to both train and endorse U.S. Muslim military chaplains," the report said.

On Amazon.com, where al-Alwani sells his publications, he's described as "member of the Organization of Islamic States Fiqh Academy and former president of The International Institute of Islamic Thought."

His commentary continued, "So what can we do, and especially those of us who sit in positions of control over our great battle as we live alongside this calf? How can we first study deeply their psyche and minds? And how to know their inherited education with its influence as they manage the conflict with the rest of the nations on the earth? When will the Muslims get out of being a useless reeling multitude to gain the position of imposing ourselves to be respected by the whole world and to employ their [the Muslim] great abilities for benefiting this struggle with others? Only then will we be able to have dialogue on an equal footage and not through all the bellowing."

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=320161

Doesn't al-Weenie know, people who live in glass houses should not throw stones?   Note the militant tone of his words.  Those freaks do not know what love is.