The Blears Fallacy
Soumaya Ghannoushi, Guardian CiF
One of the most frequent criticisms of Islam is that it institutes no distinction between the secular and the sacred. "State and religion should never be mixed," Muslims are often reprimanded. "You need only look at the Arab region, with its miserable breed of religion-manipulating despots to see that." So, when you hear that Hazel Blears is creating a made-to-measure committee of Islamic theologians, a sort of church for Muslims, the irony becomes too striking for words.

British opposition leader eyes 'Sharia law for bike theft'
AFP
LONDON (AFP) — The man who could become Britain's next prime minister joked Thursday that he was thinking about bringing in Sharia law for bicycle thieves after having his own bike stolen outside a London supermarket. "I'm contemplating introducing Sharia law for bicycle theft," said the leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, David Cameron, referring to the Islamic law code, after thieves took his bike as he stopped to pick up groceries near his west London home.
[Hug a hoodie? Or kill a bike thief?? -Sam Leith, Telegraph]

Muslim schools fuel segregation, say teachers
Graeme Paton, Telegraph
Speaking at the conference, Wesley Paxton, a further education lecturer from Hull, will say: "More faith schools in 2008 is probably going to mean more Islamic schools." He adds: "As is often pointed out, there are already many schools with more than a 50 per cent non-white enrolment. "What benefit will there be by emphasising difference, by removing what non-Islamic influences these people will have, and reduce their chances of having a balanced upbringing?"
Muslim schools fuel segregation, say teachers (well, one right-wing teacher) (Islamophobia Watch)

Mel P: Is it Islam or Islamism? (Bradford Muslim)
Ed stifling debate again (Indigo Jo Blogs)
France: Interviews with woman who was refused citizenship (Islam in Europe)
Two Muslim women file suit, say McDonald's banned headscarves (Islamophobia Watch)
Little Solace for Srebrenica Muslims (IslamOnline.net & Newspapers)
Revenge (Jonathan Freedland, Guardian)

The above should be the story.  The one-line statement should ring loud to those not in the know in the West.

This will be the first Shari'ah compliant multi-asset class fund to gain admission to the AIM and will provide investors with a diversified pool of Shari'ah compliant assets including Shari'ah compliant hedge fund offerings, real estate, private equity and Sukuk options.  <<<<<<

It would be nice to have this kind of financial news in the U.S. for a change.  Americans don't seem to realize that there is strength in Islamic principles.  When the word shariah is mentioned, one actually gets more of a sense of justice.  Just try and use the Treasury Department, or Dept. of Justice in place of shariah.  You just don't get that sense that your money will be as secure, do you?

Thinking of borrowing money? Have a hard time not engaging in gheebah (backbiting, slander)Maybe, you should think again!

Here is a fatwaa on the seriousness of being in debt:

The fuqaha’ (Islamic scholars) define dayn (debt) as an obligation to be fulfilled, as it says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (21/102). The linguistic meaning of the word dayn (debt) in Arabic has to do with submission and humiliation. The connection between the shar’i meaning and the linguistic meaning is clear. The debtor is a prisoner, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Your companion is being detained by his debt.”

Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3341; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

Islam takes the matter of debt very seriously and warns against it and urges the Muslim to avoid it as much as possible.

It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say in his prayer: “Allaahumma inni a’oodhi bika min al-ma’tham wa’l-maghram (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from sin and heavy debt).” Someone said to him: “How often you seek refuge from heavy debt!” He said: “When a man gets into debt, he speak and tells lies, and he makes a promise and breaks it.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (832) and Muslim (589).

Al-Nasaa’i (4605) narrated that Muhammad ibn Jahsh (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
We were sitting with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he raised his head towards the sky, then he put his palm on his forehead and said: “Subhaan-Allaah! What a strict issue has been revealed to me!” We remained silent and were afraid. The following morning I asked him, “O Messenger of Allaah, what is this strict issue that has been revealed?” He said, “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if a man were killed in battle for the sake of Allaah, then brought back to life, then killed and brought back to life again, then killed, and he owed a debt, he would not enter Paradise until his debt was paid off.”

Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i, 4367.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) refrained from offering the funeral prayer for one who had died owing two dinars, until Abu Qataadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) promised to pay it off for him. When he saw him the following day and said, I have paid it off, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Now his skin has become cool for him.”

Musnad Ahmad (3/629); classed as hasan by al-Nawawi in al-Khalaasah (2/931) and by Ibn Muflih in al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah (1/104).

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Fath al-Baari (4/547):
This hadeeth indicates how difficult the issue of debt is, and that it should not be undertaken except in cases of necessity. End quote.

It was narrated from Thawbaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever dies free from three things – arrogance, cheating and debt – will enter Paradise.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1572); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The soul of the believer is suspended because of his debt until it is paid off.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1078).

Al-Mubaarakfoori said in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi (4/164):
The words “the soul of the believer is suspended” – al-Suyooti said: i.e., it is detained and kept from reaching its noble destination. Al-‘Iraaqi said: i.e., no judgement is passed as to whether it will be saved or doomed until it is determined whether his debt will be paid off or not. End quote.

It was also narrated that many of the salaf warned against debt:
It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
Beware of debt, for it starts with worry and it ends with war.
Narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta’ (2/770).

In Musannaf ‘Abd al-Razzaaq (3/57) it says:
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
O Humraan, fear Allaah and do not die in debt, lest it be taken from your good deeds when there will be no dinars and no dirhams.

Thirdly:
These stern warnings about debt only came because of the negative consequences to which it leads both on an individual level and on a community level.
With regard to the personal level, al-Qurtubi said in al-Jaami’ li Ahkaam al-Qur’aan (3/417):
Our scholars said: It is a disgrace and a humiliation because it preoccupies the mind and makes one worried about paying it off, and makes one feel humiliated before the lender when meeting him, and feeling that he is doing one a favour when accepting a delay in payment. Perhaps he may promise himself that he will pay it off then break that promise, or speak to the lender and lie to him, or swear an oath to him then break it, and so on. Moreover, he may die without having paid off the debt so he will be held hostage because of it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The soul of the believer is held hostage by his debt in his grave until it is paid off.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1078.

All of that undermines one’s religious commitment.

With regard to the community level, specialists have described the negative consequences and the danger it poses to the economy, for example:
1- Desire for immediate gratification with no thought of the future
2- Lack of responsibility and self-reliance
3- Poor distribution of wealth
In order to understand these negative consequences better, please see the study by Shaykh Saami al-Suwaylim entitled Mawqif al-Sharee’ah al-Islamiyyah min al-Dayn (6-11).
Fourthly:
Based on the above, the scholars have stipulated three conditions for debt to be permissible:
1- The borrower should be determined to repay it.
2- It should be known or thought most likely that he is able to repay it,
3- It should be for something that is permissible according to sharee’ah.
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed (23/238):
The debt for which a person will be kept out of Paradise – and Allaah knows best – is that for which he left behind enough to pay it off but he did not leave instructions to that effect, or he was able to pay it off but did not do so, or he took the loan for some unlawful or extravagant matter and died without having paid it off.
As for the one who took a loan for something lawful because he was poor, and he died without leaving behind anything to pay it off, Allaah will not keep him from Paradise because of it, in sha Allaah. End quote.
Fifthly:
So long as you have taken on a debt so that you can fulfil the duty of helping your husband and family to pay for living expenses, you will be rewarded by Allaah for this good deed. I ask Allaah to reward you greatly for that. Remember that He will help you to pay off this debt. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who takes people’s wealth intending to pay it back, Allaah will pay it back for him, and the one who takes it intending to destroy it, Allaah will destroy him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2387).Seek help with that by working and striving hard to pay off the debt, and by putting your trust in Allaah, and praying to Him to make it easy for you to pay off your debt.
In the Sunnah there are a number of du’aa’s which specifically seek the help of Allaah in praying off debts. They are:
1 – It was narrated that Suhayl said: Abu Saalih used to tell us, when one of us wanted to sleep, to lie down on his right side and say:
“Allaahumma Rabb al-samawaati wa’l-ard wa Rabb al-‘arsh il-‘azeem, Rabbaanaa wa Rabba kulli shay’in, Faaliq al-habb wa’l-nawa wa munzil al-Tawraati wa’l-Injeeli wa’l-Furqaan, a’oodhu bika min sharri kulli shay’in anta aakhidhun bi naasiyatihi. Allaahumma anta al-awwal fa laysa qablaka shay’un, wa anta al-aakhir fa laysa ba’daka shay’un, wa anta al-zaahir fa laysa fawqaka shay’un wa anta al-baatin fa laysa doonaka shay’un. Iqdi ‘annaa al-dayna wa aghninaa min al-faqri (O Allaah, Lord of the seven heavens and the exalted Throne, our Lord and Lord of all things, splitter of the seed and the date-stone, Revealer of the Tawraat and the Injeel and the Furqaan [Qur’aan], I seek refuge in You from the evil of all things You shall seize by the forelock [have total mastery over]. O Allaah, You are the First so there is nothing before You, and You are the Last so there is nothing after You. You are al-Zaahir [the greatest and highest] so there is nothing above You, and You are al-Baatin [aware of the subtlest secrets] so there is nothing closer than You. Settle our debt for us and spare us from poverty).”
He narrated that from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Narrated by Muslim (2713).
2 – It was narrated from ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) that a mukaatib (slave who had entered into a contract of manumission) came to him and said: “I am unable to pay off my manumission; help me.” He said: “Shall I not tell you some words which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught me? And if you have debt like the mountain of Seer, Allaah will pay it off for you. He said: ‘Say: Allaahumma akfini bi halaalika ‘an haraamika wa aghnini bi fadlika ‘amman siwaaka (O Allaah, suffice me with what You have permitted so that that I have no need of that which You have forbidden, and make me independent of means by Your bounty so that I have no need of anyone besides You).’”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2563) who said: This is a hasan ghareeb hadeeth. It was also classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
3 – It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered the mosque and saw an Ansaari man whose name was Abu Umaamah. He said: “O Abu Umaamah, why do I see you sitting in the mosque when it is not the time for prayer? He said: Worries and debts, O Messenger of Allaah. He said: “Shall I not teach you some words which, if you say them, Allaah will take away your worries and pay off your debts?” He said: Yes, O Messenger of Allaah. He said:
“Say, morning and evening, ‘“Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min al-hammi wa’l-hazani, wa a’oodhi bika min al-‘ajzi wa’l-kasali, wa a’oodhu bika min al-jubni wa’l-bukhli, wa a’oodhi bika min ghalabat il-dayn wa qahri al-rijaal (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, and I seek refuge with You from incapacity and laziness, and I seek refuge with You from cowardice and miserliness, and I seek refuge with You from being heavily in debt and from being overcome by men).”
He said; I did that, and Allaah took away my worry and paid off my debt.
Narrated by Abu Dawood (1555). Its isnaad includes Ghassaan ibn ‘Awf; al-Dhahabi said: he is not strong. Hence Shaykh al-Albaani classed the hadeeth as weak in Da’eef Abi Dawood. But the du’aa’ mentioned – “Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min al-hammi wa’l-hazani…” – is proven in al-Saheehayn in a report other than this story of Abu Umaamah.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam-qa

This post has been brought to you by: TnT Islamic Books and SurvivorsAreUs.com

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/2447895/Islamic-Bugs-Bunny-programme-spreads-extremism.html

More top-notch comedy from The Religion of Peace!

So he hopes all Americans will be persuaded to become Muslim and he is starring in a subway ad series and video to persuade us all to convert. Creeping sharia has once again burst into a full sprint.

By AUSTIN FENNER and JEREMY OLSHAN
July 25, 2008

I'm no Osama. Just ask my mama.

That's the argument Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj made yesterday in an effort to prove that neither he nor the controversial Islamic subway-ad campaign he's promoting has anything to do with terrorism.

"If she says I'm a terrorist, I am a terrorist," Wahhaj said, calling his mother up to the microphone at a press conference at his Bedford-Stuyvesant mosque. "What do you say, Mom?"

Gloria Sage looked at her son, who was born Jeffrey Kearse, and dutifully said, "No way."

Wahhaj blasted the Post for Monday's front-page story about the ads, set to appear in 1,000 subway cars come September.

He conceded that his name appeared on a list of unindicted co-conspirators linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, that he has called the FBI and the CIA "the real terrorists," and that he hopes all Americans will eventually be "persuaded" to become Muslim.

But, he added, he opposes killing innocent people and was never charged with a crime.

He also amended one remark.

"All FBI are not terrorists," he said, adding, "I'm human. Criticize me, not Islam."

austin.fenner@nypost.com

What more do you need to know about CAIR? Well, if you want more read this expose.

21 mennesker blev kvæstet, da en gruppe bevæbnet med jernstænger sent i aftes ankom til en transitmodtagelse i Østfold i Norge og begyndte at slå løs på asylansøgere.

I alt måtte otte personer køres væk i ambulancer, mens yderligere 13 var lettere kvæstet og blev tilset af lægevagten, siger Ole Morten Lyng, der er leder af transitmodtagelsen. En person er indlagt på Ullevål universitetshospital og er ifølge de foreløbige oplysninger alvorligt kvæstet.

- Gerningsmændene var væk, da vi kom til modtagelsen. Men vi har beslaglagt nogle våben, som de har kastet fra sig, inden de stak af. Vi ved ikke hvem angriberne er, men de er ikke etnisk norske, oplyser Alf Solstad fra Østfold politi.

Norske Aftenposten:

- Det så ut som en slagmark da vi kom dit. Det lå blødende folk rundt omkring på hele området, det så ut som en krigssone, sier operasjonsleder Alf Solstad i Østfold politidistrikt til VG Nett.

- I alt ble 21 personer skadet i ulykken. 13 av disse er sendt til legevakten, syv er sendt til Sykehuset Østfold i Fredrikstad, og én person er sendt til Ullevål Universitetssykehus, sier Solstad til Aftenposten.no.

Etter det Aftenposten.no erfarer, skal flere av beboerne ha fått alvorlige skader, blant annet hodeskader.

Ifølge NRK Dagsnytt skal bakgrunnen for konflikten være en vendetta mellom kurdere og tsjetsjenere på mottaket.

Også tidligere har det vært problemer på mottaket. I 2005 hadde politiet en rekke uttrykninger til Nordbybråten på grunn av bråk. Da var det en gruppe tsjetsjenske beboere som ville innføre sharia-lover på mottaket.

Nåååh.

Læs mere her (fra Verdens Gang og DR)

Asylbråket i Våler:
Banket opp barn - 11-åring på sykehus

Av Marianne Vikås, Eva-Therese Grøttum, Bjørnar Tommelstad og Lars Akerhaug 25.07.2008 kl. 11:36 Kilde: VG NETT

VÅLER/OSLO(VG Nett) Angriperne hentet ut kurdere og arabere for å banke dem opp, ifølge flere av de involverte i masseslagsmålet på Nordbybråten i går. Den yngste av ofrene er bare 11 år.
SLÅTT: En kurder som bor på mottaket viser hvor han ble slått med balltre under slagsmålet på Nordbygård i går kveld.
22 personer ble sendt til sykehus etter et stort masseslagsmål på Nordbybråten transittmottak i Våler i går kveld. Nå er syv personer igjen på sykehuset med alvorlige skader. Blant dem er et barn på elleve år.
Flere av kurderene VG Nett har snakket med i dag, forteller at angrepet var direkte rettet mot arabere og kurdere.
- 50 stykker brøt seg inn, og folk på mottaket begynte å peke ut hvem som var fra hvor. Vi som var kurdere og arabere ble slått. De slo både kvinner og barn, forteller en kurdisk mann til VG Nett.
Han hadde bare vært i Norge i ni dager da det dramatiske angrepet fant sted. Han forteller at asylsøkerne satt og så på tv da angriperne tok seg inn og slo med balltrær og macheter. Flere beboere hevder også at de hadde med seg skytevåpen.
- Rullet inn i teppe og slått
Flere av beboerne VG Nett har snakket med bekrefter at kurdere ble plukket ut i det voldelige angrepet:
- De gikk fra rom til og rom og spurte «Er du kurder?», og dro kurdere ut fra rommene sine, sier en av dem til VG Nett.
- Jeg ble slått i brystet og hodet. Det var minst 50 stykker her. Jeg så en mann bli rullet inn i et teppe og slått. Kvinner og barn ble også angrepet, hevder en annen, som kaller seg Pavian.
Politiet fikk melding om hendelsen klokken 22.43 i går kveld. 23.01 var åtte politibetjenter på stedet, men da var angriperne allerede forsvunnet fra stedet.
Politiet har i morgentimene i dag pågrepet fem tsjetsjenske menn fra østlandsområdet, alle mellom 25 og 35 år. To av dem kom ut av skogen i nærheten av asylmottaket, sa politiet på en pressekonferanse i formiddag. De pågrepne er nå inne til avhør, men ifølge politiet vil ingen bli fengslet før mandag.
En av beboerne synes politiet brukte for lang tid på å komme dem til unnsetning.
- Vi kom til Norge fordi det skal være et fredelig land. Vi føler ikke at det norske politiet tar oss alvorlig når sånne ting skjer, sier den 20 år gamle irakeren, som kaller seg Adam.
- Etter i går fremstår Norge som en delstat i Irak, sier han.
Barn kranglet
Flere av beboerne forteller til VG Nett at angrepet kom som en hevnaksjon etter en krangel som begynte mellom flere av barna på mottaket. Flere av kvinnene ble så involvert i krangelen, før også flere av mennene på mottaket begynte å krangle. En av dem skal så ha tilkalt bekjente utenfra.
Mottaksleder Ole Morten Lyng bekrefter at det i går var en uoverensstemmelse på mottaket:
- Sannsynligvis har den ene av de to som kranglet ringt en haug med personer utenfra, sier han.
Politiet jobber med å få oversikt over situasjonen, og vil ennå ikke konkludere om hva som var motivasjonen for angrepet. De ser svært alvorlig på saken, og har bedt om assistanse fra Kripos.
- Sjokkerende
Ordfører i Våler Kjersti Wøyen Sundrud er sjokkert over hendelsen.
- Det er en veldig sjokkerende og dramatisk hendelse, det er rett og slett ufattelig, sier hun til VG Nett.
Hun mener ikke mottaket kan klandres for det som har skjedd.
- Vi i kommunen er først og fremst i en mottaksrolle. Sikkerheten var god her i går kveld, sier hun.
Også Utlendingsdirektoratet (UDI) er tar hendelsen svært alvorlig.
- Vi har aldri opplevd noe lignende. Dette er ikke hverdagskost i norske asylmottak, sier kommunikasjonsdirektør Agnar Kaarbø i UDI til VG Nett.
UDI skal sammen med politi og mottaksledelsen nå diskutere hvordan sikkerheten ved mottaket kan bedres.
- I første rekke må vi vurdere å styrke bemanningen på mottaket. Vi vil også vurdere om det er behov for politivakter, sier Kaarbø.

===========================

Sharia-lover på asylmottak

Av Camilla Ryste 27.09.2005 kl. 11:30 Kilde: VG NETT
(VG Nett)

En gruppe tsjetsjenske asylsøkere skal ha pålagt livredde beboere ved et asylmottak i Østfold å følge muslimske regler.
MYE BRÅK: Det har vært mye bråk på Nordbybråten asylmottak i Våler. Dette bildet er fra da politi måtte forhandle med en asylsøker som truet med å hoppe fra en mobilmast. Foto: OLE KRISTIAN STRØM
Ingen på mottaket får gå i kortbukser, alle skal be til Allah og tsjetsjenerne skal alltid selv gå først i matkøen. Det går frem av en rapport fra det lokale politiet, som har snakket med ansatte på mottaket.
- Rundt 10 tsjetsjenske menn, som venter på at de skal utvises fra Norge, har forsøkt å tvinge andre beboere med på bønnemøter og pålagt dem å kle seg etter strenge ortodokse regler, sier lensmannen i Våler, Per Tore Fremstad til VG Nett.
Siden slutten av juli har politiet hatt en lang rekke ressurskrevende utrykninger til asylmottaket på Nordbybråten i Våler.
Fra og med 28. juli har vi hatt åtte svært ressurskrevende utrykninger til Nordbybråten. Det hele skjer gjerne i forbindelse med helgene. Nå har vi fått et nytt "høydepunkt", der en gruppe tsjetsjenere har innført Sharia-lover på stedet, sier lensmannen til Moss Avis.
Sharia er muslimenes religiøse lov, som står beskrevet i Koranen.
- Mistet kontrollen
For en måned siden truet to av beboerne ved mottaket med å hoppe fra en 25 meter høy mobilmast, dersom de ikke fikk bli i Norge. Asylsøkerne kom til slutt frivillig ned fra masten. Tidligere på dagen hadde flere titalls beboere sperret av en trafikkert bilvei i en støtteaksjon. Det har også vært flere store slåsskamper ved mottaket.
Nå er det lokale politiet engstelig for at mottaksledelsen har mistet styringen på asylmottaket.
- Det er bebudet hastemøte med Utlendingsdirektoratet (UDI) og mottaksledelsen, og politiet har også synspunkter i denne saken. Vi har nå tilstander som gjør at det kan stilles spørsmål ved om mottaksledelsen har mistet styringen, sier lensmannen til Moss Avis.
Hyret inn vaktselskap
Avisen har snakket med flere polititjenestemenn. De karakteriserer tilstandene på asylmottaket som skandaløse, kritiske og lovløse.
Da en ansatt på lørdag ettermiddag ba en av beboerne vise frem legitimasjon, ble han slått ned og politiet tilkalt igjen.
UDI skal ha hyret inn et vekterselskap i går, som nå utfører vakthold i mottaket.
(VG NETT 27.09.2005 kl. 11:30, Sist oppdatert 27.09.2005 kl. 11:58)

Here's an example of a recent Al Jazeera 'news' piece:

Title of Video: Al-Jazeera TV Throws a Birthday Party for Released Lebanese Terrorist Samir Al-Quntar

Who is Samir Al-Quntar? Kuntar was tried and convicted of murdering five people by an Israeli court in 1980. Kuntar shot Danny at close range in the back, in front of his daughter, and drowned him in the sea to ensure he was dead. Next, eyewitnesses said he smashed the head of 4 year-old Einat on beach rocks and crushed her skull with the butt of his rifle.

It is this man, Samir Kuntar, the sole surviving member of the cell, that Hizballah leader Hasan Nasrallah promised to liberate this year from an Israeli prison by kidnapping Israeli soldiers to hold as a bargaining chip, an act Hizballah pulled off two weeks ago, precipitating the current fighting across the Israel-Lebanon border. (TIME)

It is that same man that Al Jazeera threw a birthday party for on their station just last week where he vowed to kill more Jews.

By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 7/23/2008 4:33:00 PM

The municipally owned cable system in Burlington, Vt., has reached an agreement to continue to carry the controversial service Al Jazeera English, the city said Wednesday.

In a press release, Burlington Telecom said it was not disclosing the terms of its newly forged carriage deal with Al Jazeera English, the international channel based in Doha, Qatar.

The cable system has been offering the network since January 2007 on its “second-level tiers of channels,” not basic service, the statement said.

“We very much appreciate the support of our small but very significant audience in Burlington, Vt.,” said Will Stebbins, Washington bureau chief for Al Jazeera English. “It’s a testament to the fact that if you actually see our channel, it’s impossible to have any of the misunderstandings,” he said.

“All the misunderstandings and the mystery and the mischaracterizations about who we are disappear the moment that you see our channel,” he added. “We are a very valuable international news source, and that was clearly recognized in Burlington, Vt., by those who have actually had the chance to see us.”

The Burlington Telecom Advisory Committee and the local Cable Advisory Committee have both recently reviewed whether or not the cable system should continue to carry Al Jazeera English, with at least one meeting in May.

As it turns out, both committees jointly and unanimously recommended that Burlington Telecom keep the channel. That recommendation was forwarded to the cable system, Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss and the city council.

Al Jazeera English has struggled to secure distribution in the United States, only getting carried in a handful of systems, including Buckeye CableSystem in Toledo, Ohio.

An American lawyer has offered to represent Iran in an international lawsuit against Israel and his own government in an effort to stop Washington and Tel Aviv from initiating further sanctions against Tehran.

Francis A. Boyle says following Washington's latest ultimatum to Tehran to freeze uranium enrichment within two weeks or face further isolation, Iran needs to act quickly.

At weekend talks in Geneva, the United States delivered what it describes as a “clear and simple message” that Iran must choose between cooperation or confrontation.

In an email interview with Press TV, Boyle urged Iran to begin drafting lawsuits for presentation to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague before the two-week ultimatum expires.

Q. Precisely what would the charges against the US and Israel be? What are you hoping to achieve?

A. About two years ago Iran contacted me about a proposal I had made to sue the United States, Israel and the EU-3 (Britain, France and Germany) at the International Court of Justice in The Hague for their repeated and public threats to launch a military attack upon Iran over its undoubted right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to engage in nuclear reprocessing.

My proposal was that Iran should sue these states immediately, convene an Emergency Hearing by the World Court, and ask the Court to indicate provisional measures of protection on behalf of Iran against the United States, Israel and the EU-3 -- basically a temporary restraining order.

I felt that these lawsuits would be able to prevent a military attack against Iran and also prevent the imposition of sanctions against Iran by the United Nations Security Council. In addition, by Iran submitting this entire matter to the World Court, it would make it clear to the entire world who the real culprits are here.

The threat and use of military force clearly violates Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter. The Charter also mandates the peaceful resolution of international disputes. By filing these lawsuits Iran would prove to the entire world that it intends to resolve this matter peacefully and in accordance with international law.

I notice that just this week Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei publicly stated that he would sue the United States if it attacked Iran. I am proposing that we sue the United States immediately in order to prevent any attack upon or blockade of Iran, which would be an act of war.

Q. Why are you seeing to bring this action in an international court, rather than a domestic US court?

A. This would be a total waste of time. Based upon my prior experience, there is no way a United States court would rule against the United States government on a matter like this.

Q. You are proposing to represent Iran in a court action against the US and Israel - what are you seeking from Tehran - what mandate would they need to give you. Basically, how would this work?

A. Of course if Iran wants me to represent Iran in these lawsuits I would be happy to do so. But given the fact that I am a US national, Iran might prefer to have its own lawyers file these lawsuits. Iran already has a detailed Memorandum of Law from me on these lawsuits. The Iranian lawyers can simply use my Memorandum as they see fit. I would be happy to assist them in whatever way they desire.

Q. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been in the news recently regarding a prosecution against Sudan's leader, Omar al-Bashir. Explain the difference between the ICJ and the ICC.

A. The International Court of Justice deals with disputes between states, which the nuclear reprocessing dispute is all about. The International Criminal Court deals with the personal criminal responsibility of individuals. It has no authority to rule upon or settle disputes between states, which the ICJ can do.

Q. The US does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC - what is its relationship with the ICJ?

A. The ICJ would have jurisdiction to hear lawsuits by Iran against the United States, Israel and the EU-3 irrespective of the ICC.

Q. Israel regularly disregards international court verdicts and UN resolutions (the Separation Wall, settlement expansion etc.) What makes you believe there is value in another court action?

A. Israel has never been sued at the International Court of Justice -- the Wall was only an Advisory Opinion. By suing the United States and Israel together, Iran would make it very clear to the entire world what is really going on here by putting them in cahoots together. As of now the EU-3 are no longer threatening Iran with military force, so I would hold off from suing them at this time. But if they threaten Iran with military force, or support the United States and Israel with their threats, then of course they should be sued too.

Q. Assuming a mandate or commission is given by Tehran for you to represent them, what sort of timeline are we looking at before this goes before a judge, and then a verdict?

A. Based upon my prior experience at the World Court, it would take a few days to put the papers together and file them. We could get an Emergency Hearing by the Court within 2 weeks and an Order of Provisional Measures of Protection on behalf of Iran -- a temporary restraining order against the US and Israel -- within a week thereafter.

I filed the World Court lawsuit for Bosnia against Serbia over genocide on March 19, 1993, had the emergency hearing by the Court on April 1-2, and won the Order for Bosnia on 8 April 1993.

Given the inconclusive results at weekend talks in Geneva and the decision that Iran will be given another two weeks for its final answer, I respectfully submit that Iran should start moving on this process now. The Wall Street Journal has already reported moves for more unilateral, multilateral, and Security Council sanctions against Iran, including a blockade of Iran, which would be an act of war.

At a minimum, Iran should draft the Court documents now, then see what happens after Iran presents its "final offer" in two weeks.

Q. If you achieve positive verdict, how would you expect the verdict to be worded? Are there any sanctions against a state that does not abide by the ruling?

A. I would ask for Iran to be protected from a military attack by the United States and Israel in the most comprehensive language possible, including a blockade of Iran by the United States, a termination of all threats and use of military force, and of all measures of political, diplomatic and economic coercion against Iran.

The Order would go to the Security Council for enforcement.

If the US should exercise its veto, then we could try to take it to the United Nations General Assembly under the Uniting for Peace Resolution, where we would only need a two-thirds vote. In any event, this World Court Order would make it clear to the entire world who is right and who is wrong in this dispute.

Q. You have commented on the levels of rhetoric, what influence could this have on any court action?

A. I fully stand for a peaceful resolution of this dispute by means of diplomacy. But if the United States will not engage in good faith negotiations with Iran, then their and Israel's escalating threat and use of military force against Iran will only make it easier for me to win an Order from the World Court protecting Iran from the United States and Israel and, if necessary, the EU-3

Q. Another timeline question. Assuming this court action is aimed at preventing armed conflict, how urgent is it to commence the proceedings?

A. Apparently, according to CNN today, Iran has two weeks to prepare its final answer. That would be enough time to prepare all these documents. If the talks break down after Iran submits its "final offer," then we could immediately file the lawsuits, ask for an Emergency Hearing by the World Court, and request the Orders protecting Iran.

Back in early 1992, President Bush Snr. had the Sixth Fleet on military maneuvers off the coast of Libya planning for an attack and had US jet fighters penetrating Libyan airspace to provoke an attack over the Lockerbie matter.

We filed similar papers with the World Court on behalf of Libya against the United States and the United Kingdom, asking for an Emergency Hearing by the Court. President Bush Snr. then ordered the Sixth Fleet to stand down. There was no military attack against Libya then or later. Those World Court lawsuits eventually led to a peaceful resolution of the Lockerbie dispute between Libya, the United States and the United Kingdom, which now have normal diplomatic relations. Hopefully the same can be done here by means of these World Court lawsuits.

Q. During an appearance on Press TV's Middle East Today program in April this year you requested backing from Tehran for a court action against Israel on charges of genocide against Israel. Has there been any movement, any response? What is the current status?

A. This proposal is currently pending in the Office of President Ahmadinejad. The suffering of the Palestinians constitutes genocide. I am still willing to file that lawsuit if the President so desires. But given the urgency of the situation, and the threat of a terrible war, it might be best to get these nuclear-related lawsuits against the United States and Israel underway at this time, then act to protect the Palestinians from Israel later. Of course all this is for President Ahmadinejad to decide, not me.

Q. You successfully sued Serbia - but in the political atmosphere at the time, Serbia was widely perceived as the "bad guy" and frankly, the pro-Serbia lobby in the United States is insignificant. These cases are rather different, given popular support for Israel in the US. You will be representing what is widely regarded in the US as an unpopular or even hostile government against your own country and Washington's main ally in the Middle East.

How concerned are you regarding your professional reputation at home? Potentially, how damaging could this be for you - even with a successful outcome?

A. Back in 2004, the FBI/CIA put me on all the US government's so-called "terrorist watch lists" because I refused to become an informant for them on my Arab and Muslim clients, which would have violated their rights under the US Constitution and my ethical obligations as an attorney.

So I am sure there will be further repercussions. But under no circumstance do I want to see a war between Iran and the United States, which could readily degenerate into World War III.

With all due respect to Iran's leaders, they must not underestimate the ruthlessness and cruelty of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and their Straussian Neo-Conservative advisors when it comes to their willingness to use military force against Iran.

We must do everything in our power to prevent a war and obtain a peaceful resolution of this dispute over nuclear reprocessing that in my opinion can be resolved satisfactorily. These World Court lawsuits will contribute towards a peaceful resolution of this dispute between Iran and the United States, which will then order Israel to stand down. (Source)

A advogada Shadi Sadr, porta-voz da Rede de Advogados Voluntários, disse em Teerã que essas pessoas foram condenadas ao apedrejamento em julgamentos sem advogados ou testemunhas.

Shadi Sadr destacou que as sentenças "podem ser cumpridas a qualquer momento" e também expressou a preocupação por parte de sua organização pelo fato de que "não existem garantias de que as penas serão comutadas".

Aplicação da sharia

O Irã faz uma leitura bastante rígida da lei islâmica (sharia) e condena à morte traficantes de drogas, homossexuais e estupradores, enquanto as mulheres e os homens casados considerados adúlteros são condenados ao apedrejamento.

Acompanhe aqui o testemunho de um iraniano que hoje vive nos Estados Unidos e conta sobre as mortes por apedrejamento que assistiu.

Código Penal

Está em debate a mudança do Código Penal Iraniano, prevendo penas mais duras para aqueles que mudarem de religião, o que pode levar muitos cristãos à morte por apedrejamento.

A proposta de lei estipula um "sofrimento" a ser exercitado para o "apóstata". "O tipo de sofrimento seria determinado de acordo com as leis religiosas e o apedrejamento seria uma destas formas de "fazer sofrer".

O Irã tem usado a lei de "apostasia" contra ex- muçulmanos convertidos ao cristianismo, pensadores liberais e membros da minoria bahai. "Isso não é novidade, mas agora o objetivo é tornar a lei mais severa para essas pessoas que estão deixando o islã", contou um pastor iraniano ao Compass (leia mais).

A apostasia sempre foi ilegal, mas o tribunal pode determinar um termo de prisão, trabalhos forçados e em último caso, a pena de morte.

(Com informações acrescidas do Compass Direct)

:: Fonte: Portas Abertas

Even though the legal marriage age in Pakistan is 16 for females, this was negated by a fatwa - a decree issued by religious leaders - which justified it. It was worth it to them that the girls be kidnapped, sold as property, and then sexually abused in order to effect their conversion to Islam.

Reports indicate exactly what has happened to Saba Younis, the elder sister. After Muhammad Arif Bajwa kidnapped the girls at gunpoint, he sold them to Falak Sher Gill. Gill then gave Saba to his son, Muhammad Amjid. To whom Anila has been given seems to be unknown at this point.

In contravention of the statutory law, a Pakistani court has previously approved of the marriage of a 12-year-old because it ruled that Islam allows a female to marry if she has reached puberty. However, in that case it appears that the girl wanted to marry. Of course in that case, both parties were Muslim.

It now appears that special rules apply if the girl is a Christian and doesn't consent. Puberty need not be an issue.

Remember to file this under "All religions and cultures are equal."

Asked about the possibility that Israel would take military action against Iran on its own, McCain replied:

"Well I hope that that would never happen. I hope that Israel would not feel that threatened. That's why I think that we, Americans, joining with our European allies can impose significant and very impactful sanctions on Iran, which I think could modify their behavior. They've got a lousy economy because they've got a lousy government. So, I would hope that we could succeed in that direction and I have some optimism we can. But I have to look you in the eye and tell you that the United States of America can never allow a second Holocaust."

Pressed regarding using the military to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Senator McCain said, "All I can tell you is that I think we have a lot of options to explore before we seriously explore the military option, and I don't think we have exercised those enough."

How long have the IAEA & EU been negotiating with Iran,  how long has the UN been applying sanctions and what results have they produced?  What hope is there that Russia & China will  subordinate their economic interests to global security?  Their votes are required for Security Council action; they have veto power. They will prevent the application of effective sanctions.Iran will have enough highly enriched uranium to make a bomb long before any sanctions could possibly impede their progress.

What magic wand will McCain wave over Ahmadinejad's head to compel him to completely & permanently terminate Iran's quest for nuclear weaponry?  Did sanctions work on North Korea?  Did sanctions work on Iraq?  What is different in the case of Iran that makes it a special case which only McCain's magical spell can solve?

Islam operates under a demonic imperative to conquer the world and a demonic promise of eventual success.  Only an ignorant or corrupt damn fool makes promises of magic solutions to insoluble problems.

• The Order to fight until there is no more Fitnah
• The Order to fight People of the Scriptures until They give the Jizyah
• The Good News that Muslims will conquer the Known World, and ultimately the Entire World
• The Good News that Muslims will Dominate the People of the Book
• The Good News that Islam shall prevail

Those topics from Ibn Kathir's Tafsir include the relevant ayat and ahadith which form the nucleus of Islamic law on the subject. Will you read them and curse Islam or will you remain willfully ignorant of the grave danger we face?    Islam's Sharia ~ Islamic law mandates  annual attacks upon us. What part of this does Senator McCain not comprehend?

The Reliance of the Traveller. Version 1.06 - By Ahmad Ibn Naqib Al-Misri
BOOK O: JUSTICE >> Chapter O-9.0: Jihad

O-9.8: The Objectives of Jihad
The caliph (o-25) makes war upon Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians (N: provided he has first invited them to enter Islam in faith and practice, and if they will not, then invited them to enter the social order of Islam by paying the non-Muslim poll tax (jizya, def: o-11.4) -which is the significance of their paying it, not the money itself-while remaining in their ancestral religions) (O: and the war continues) until they become Muslim or else pay the non-Muslim poll tax (O: in accordance with the word of Allah Most High,
"Fight those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day and who forbid not what Allah and His messenger have forbidden-who do not practice the religion of truth, being of those who have been given the Book-until they pay the poll tax out of hand and are humbled" (Koran 9.29),
the time and place for which is before the final descent of Jesus (upon whom be peace). After his final coming, nothing but Islam will be accepted from them, for taking the poll tax is only effective until Jesus' descent (upon him and our Prophet be peace), which is the divinely revealed law of Muhammad. The coming of Jesus does not entail a separate divinely revealed law, for he will rule by the law of Muhammad. As for the Prophet's saying (Allah bless him and give him peace),
"I am the last, there will be no prophet after me,"
this does not contradict the final coming of Jesus (upon whom be peace), since he will not rule according to the Evangel, but as a follower of our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) ).

BOOK O: JUSTICE >> Chapter O-9.0: Jihad

O-9.9
The caliph fights all other peoples until they become Muslim (O: because they are not a people with a Book, nor honored as such, and are not permitted to settle with paying the poll tax (jizya) ) (n: though according to the Hanafi school, peoples of all other religions, even idol worshippers, are permitted to live under the protection of the Islamic state if they either become Muslim or agree to pay the poll tax, the sole exceptions to which are apostates from Islam and idol worshippers who are Arabs, neither of whom has any choice but becoming Muslim (al-Hidaya sharh Bidaya al-mubtadi' (y-21), 6.48-49) ).

Near the end of Book O9.1, we find this informative gem:

If none of those concerned perform jihad, and it does not happen at all, then everyone who is aware that it is obligatory is guilty of sin, if there was a possibility of having performed it. In the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) jihad was a communal obligation after his emigration (hijra) to Medina. As for subsequent times, there are two possible states in respect to non-Muslims.

The first is when they are in their own countries, in which case jihad (def: o9.8) is a communal obligation, and this is what our author is speaking of when he says, "Jihad is a communal obligation," meaning upon the Muslims each year.

Islamic law requires Muslims to attack Kuffar every year until the entire globe is conquered.  What magic wand is Senator McCain going to wave; what magic words will put a permanent end to Jihad?

Hitler advertised his intentions. Our grandparents ignored his warning; 60 million died.  Muhammad advertised his intentions in the Koran. Why in the Goddamn Hell are you ignoring his warning? What intellectual and moral defects motivate our elected leaders? 270,000,000 have already fallen victim to Islam over the last 1385 years. How many more must suffer and die before you will get off your dead ass and disrespectfully demand effective action?

Pull your head out of your rectum, wipe the feces from your eyes, and take a clear, cold look at  objective factual reality. Only the complete elimination of Islam from the face of the earth will end Jihad.  McCain does not comprehend this fatal fact and lacks the requisite spinal fortitude to commence the effort.

Author: Aaron

Nine Iranians are set to be stoned to death in the upcoming days. This is because eight women and one man were convicted of being adulterous, a capital offense in Iran. And just to explain how a stoning takes place, the convicted adulterers are buried to their waist or neck in sand and then are stoned until death. Oh Iran, the country is just filled with incompetent fanatics and a leader with a severe Napoleonic complex. Here are some other capital offenses in the belligerent country of Iran.

Adultery – just imagine if Bill Clinton lived in Iran

Blasphemy – and their law says just the word, Blasphemy. I wonder who decides what is and is not Blasphemous. No wonder there are no gay people in Iran.

Drug Trafficking – No wonder why there is no NFL, NBA or MLB in Iran.

Prostitution – OK OK, prostitution is wrong, but how can you kill a man for being lonely, let him suffer with an STD instead.

Rape – They kill the man and punish the woman, I mean it was obviously her fault.

Treason and Espionage – in other words, “Not hating the United States and Israel.”

Armed Robbery – But terrorists holding up a civilian village, totally OK.

Apostasy – I mean who wouldn’t want to be Muslim after reading these crazy laws.

Murder – quite ironic isn’t it.

Well, that's all the news from lovely Iran for today. As you can see; justice was served once again in the land where the Religion of Peace is paramount, and human rights is something to ignore and trample on.

Church of England unrest threatens to harm links with Vatican
Riazat Butt, guardian.co.uk
One of the highest ranking officials in the Vatican has warned that problems plaguing the Anglican Communion pose a 'further and grave challenge for full and visible' unity with Rome. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of state and second in command at the Holy See, made the comments in a previously unpublished letter that was issued yesterday to delegates attending the Lambeth conference, a once-a-decade summit of the world's Anglican bishops.

South Korea: Moonies leader hurt in helicopter crash
Associated Press, The Observer
The Reverend Sun Myung Moon, 88, founder of the Unification Church, and 13 others were injured yesterday when their helicopter crashed into a mountain in South Korea. Moon was slightly injured, a hospital official said. Members of his family, including his wife, were also hurt, and one person suffered a serious back injury. The Seoul-based Unification Church was founded in the 1950s and now owns hundreds of companies. Church members are known as Moonies.

Researchers have no 'right' to study terrorist materials
Melanie Newman, THES
Academics have no "right" to research terrorist materials and they risk being prosecuted for doing so, the vice-chancellor of the University of Nottingham has told his staff. In a statement issued to the university last week, Sir Colin Campbell says: "There is no 'right' to access and research terrorist materials. Those who do so run the risk of being investigated and prosecuted on terrorism charges. Equally, there is no 'prohibition' on accessing terrorist materials for the purpose of research. Those who do so are likely to be able to offer a defence to charges (although they may be held in custody for some time while the matter is investigated). This is the law and applies to all universities."

How to win the war within Islam
Economist Leader
AMERICA’S “global war on terrorism”, now in its seventh year, has gone on longer than the second world war. Will it ever end? Optimists believe some kind of victory is in sight: Iraq is improving; al-Qaeda has been unable to stage a big attack in the West in three years; and terrorists have shown little sign of using weapons of mass destruction. Jihadists face an ideological backlash, even from radical “brothers” who support jihad but disagree with killing Muslims. 

Move Over, You Tube (Tabsir)
Douglas Murray on opportunism (Bradford Muslim)
Jewish example shows there is plenty of room for sharia in English law (Islamophobia Watch)
'You're having a mosque whether you want one or not' (Islamophobia Watch)
Theology takes centuries to evolve (Asim Siddiqui, Guardian CiF)
Young Muslims to get citizenship lessons in bid to combat extremism (Lee Glendinning, guardian.co.uk)
Al-Azhar’s modern twist on book burning (Aziz El-Kaissouni, FaithWorld)

Mosques increasingly not welcome in Europe

July 19, 2008

Sanaa, 18 July (AKI) - Yemeni religious and tribal leaders planning to create self-styled 'moral police' have launched a vitriolic attack against a move to reserve quotas for women in the parliament.

Shekih Abdul Majid al-Zindani described Yemeni president Abdullah Saleh's proposal to allocate 15 percent of parliamentary seats to women as "against the principles of Islamic (Sharia) law."

Because every one knows women shouldn't be allowed to vote, they might be hallucinating.  But what to do if you can't force the government to do your bidding...

Al-Zindani announced on Tuesday he had founded the Authority for Protecting Virtue and Fighting Vice in Yemen.

...

The new body has said it plans to comb the country's streets and 'root out' anything it deems to be vice, including coeducation in schools and universities and TV series played during the month of Ramadan.

The Authority for Protecting Virtue and Fighting Vice's central committee will contain 42 clerics from the Yemeni Clerics Association.

The 42 clerics released a statement expressing shock at the "spread of vices in the country". They said these vices included bringing Arab and foreign female singers and dancers to Yemen, opening nightclubs, broadcasting or holding fashion shows, mixed-sex dancing and pornographic channels, according to the Yemen Times.

The statement is reported to have censured families that send unaccompanied female student to study abroad and accused Yemen's press of encouraging the building of churches and and a rising tide of 'Christianisation' in the country.

It also reportedly accused the media of insulting and satirising verses from the Holy Muslim book, the Koran, the Prophet Mohammed and Islamic clerics generally.

Seriously.  You pull a stunt like this and have the nerve to get all insulted when the media points out how inane you are?

BTW, kudos to Yemen's government (this once) for essentially telling al-Zindani to buzz off.

Title

...it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant people that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last... This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings.

The second novel by Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns is both complimentary and contrasting to The Kite Runner. The first novel, masculine and brutal, while the second feminine with the underlining current of endurance and sacrifice. Both books are about Kabul, Afghanistan, where Hosseini is from, and both books are tales of survival. While The Kite Runner is a book about a family who left Afghanistan after the soviet invasion and takeover, A Thousand Splendid Suns is about a family who stayed in Kabul throughout nearly all the almost thirty years of the city's turbulence and war. Both have messages of love and sacrifice.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is an emotional story of two women, Mariam and Laila, who are married to a violent and malicious man. Their husband, Rasheed, reminded me of a concept I had read in Harlan Coben's Hold Tight: Evil people are always evil, and when they are given the approval to be cruel they will do so with great relish. Rasheed had been a wicked, controlling violent man before the Taliban, but with the absolute freedom of men to do whatever they want to their female family members, Rasheed's true abusive nature becomes his unabashed identity. He can do whatever, whenever, he wants to the women, and no police will save them because it's a family matter, no court would believe them because he's a man and they are women, a class of people who are "only slightly less contemptable than a communist."

...you'll learn nothing of value in those schools. There is only one... skill a woman like you and me needs in life, and they don't teach it in school... Only one skill. And it's this: tahamul. Endure.

This book is a beautiful story of a deep love and companionship of two women, of their ability to endure beyond their imaginations, of survival, and of the ultimate sacrifice love can make: The laying down of one's life for another. It is the story of redemption and reunion, Mariam's illegitimate and loveless life being redeem by the love Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai give her and the reunion of the star-crossed lovers.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a visceral account of life in a war zone, the horror, the sounds and the bodies. It is beautiful at times with poetic passages and loving moments between characters, while revealing the life of oppression women were forced to endure during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. It is haunting, depressing, joyful, and hopeful.

... like a rock in a riverbed, enduring without complaint, her grace not sullied but shaped by the turbulence that washes over her.

For me, whenever the events were stamped with the date, winter of 1993, Summer of 1994, Fall of 1999, etc, I thought of what was going on in my life at the same time, birth of my daughters in clean hospitals, having water that poured from my tap, using an indoor flushing toilet and bathroom with a shower. Not to mention I could walk my kids to the park and not worry about them getting killed by sniper fire and taking it for granted my daughter wouldn't be raped by soldiers passing by. Never once fearing we'd take a trip out of town and returned to find our house now the possession of the government.

Because this book is graphic and shows the reality of war and domestic violence, this book is not for people who are sensitive to such things. There are several passages that will rip your heart out, and several that makes your stomach sink with dread and worry for Mariam and Laila. I am sure there are people who find the story too depressing to finish.

I didn't think it was possible that I could like this better than The Kite Runner, but I do. The focus on the women, their struggles, their endurance, their support of one another, and their ability to dream and hope for escape and freedom despite all they go through is humbling and encouraging. I feel a sense of kinship to them, a sense of shared suffering and not giving up, fighting back in the face of hopeless odds. It has a softer and steadier voice than The Kite Runner, as if told by a female narrator instead of a man. It is an incredible journey of forgiveness and redemption.

McGINLEY: A look to the future

Will Islamist supremacy rein supreme?

David P. McGinley
Thursday, July 3, 2008

OP-ED:

Washington, D.C., June 26, 2017: The Supreme Court today, in a 6-3 decision, found that government funding of an "Islamic studies" charter school not only was not unconstitutional but was well within the scope of the state's authority to promote the compelling public purpose of diversity.

The school in question is the Sabri Khalil al-Banna Academy, named for the Palestinian freedom fighter. The school is housed in the former Dupont Circle Episcopal Church building adjacent to the Muslim Brotherhood's D.C. headquarters and across the street from the National Mosque. The school's daily program includes Salah (prayer facing toward Mecca), ritual washing in specially designed bathrooms, halal food preparation, intense Arabic study, Koran memorization and recitation, Middle East history, as well as other basic staples of U.N.-sanctioned education.

The suit was brought by a group of citizens who had sought to open a "Christian studies" charter school but were denied a permit to do so. And, although it was not at issue in the case, the court's majority decision opined that government funding for a "Christian studies" school would be unconstitutional.

In crafting its decision, the court's majority introduced the concept of "religious and cultural inextricability" when determining the proper interrelationship between government and religion. The court stated that "the more intertwined a discrete minority group's culture is with its religious adherence, the greater the need for government support and protection." Additionally, the court went on to further establish that "through the natural evolution of our multicultural society, it is the state's compelling interest to promote diversity by ensuring additional protections and freedoms to those disfavored religious groups, whose faith is defined by their cultural norms."

In applying its new "religious and cultural inextricability" doctrine to the case at bar, the court focused its attention on the myriad of customs attendant to daily Muslim life. Dress, diet, rules of gender interaction, prayer five times daily, patriarchal familial structure, pronounced gender roles, lending and usury rules, spousal discipline, and other routine mandates of Shariah were cited by the court in making its determination that "Islam is a religion with an utmost cultural underpinning," thereby finding that "its religious and cultural aspects were inextricable." The court therefore held that "the Constitution's fundamental basis that all cultures are inherently valuable and the authentic preservation of such is paramount to a truly egalitarian society, funding of an Islamic studies school is well within the scope of the state's authority to promote the compelling public purpose of diversity."

In what analysts have said was an attempt by the court to stem the filing of future church-and-state claims, it sua sponte applied its analysis to government funding for schools with primarily Christian and Jewish curriculums. It stated that religious and cultural inextricability of Christianity was minimal at best and pointed to the mass secularization of Western Europe to bolster its claim. The court also stated "the absence of dietary standards, dress codes, and routine forms of comprehensive daily worship evinced a personal belief system, separate from cultural constructs." And, although the court did find these factors present in certain sects of Orthodox Judaism, nevertheless, it held that Judaic law "in its totality," as evidenced by the vast majority of Jewish-Americans, was not strictly adhered to and that the "impact of Jewish-Americans was felt more in secularized pursuits, than in that of the sacred."

The court's decision further removes its "Equal Protection Clause" jurisprudence from the anachronistic interpretation of government neutrality and now incorporates the "Establishment Clause" within the confines of its newly revealed "discrete cultural preservation doctrine." That doctrine is based on the 14th Amendment's clear intimation of the inherent equality of all cultures and the compelling state interest to ensure the survival of each.

The ACLU and People United for the Separation of Church and State, two organizations that fought for years against government entanglement with religion, stayed on the sidelines for this case. When asked to comment on the case, ACLU President Muhammad Smyth said, "The ACLU respects the Supreme Court's wisdom in this complicated matter and agrees that Muslim culture warrants government support and protection."

The response of Christian organizations has been muted as most are reticent to comment on anything concerning Islam since the court recently narrowed free speech rights to exclude "speech that subjects identifiable minority groups to hatred and contempt." One Christian leader speaking on the condition of anonymity said, "I do not recognize my country anymore."

Justice Thomas, writing for the minority, inappropriately excoriated the court's decision with this one-word dissent, "Nuts!"

David P. McGinley is a Virginia trial lawyer and graduate of Regent University.

Hat tip The Oath

Prophet of Doom has a history lesson on Sabri Khalil al-Banna (aka Abu Nidal) for whom the charter school in this look into the future is named. An excellent lesson on the 'Father of Jihad' and Islamic terrorism.

Update: 2017 is already here in the UK - All state pupils may be taught Islamic traditions as part of compulsory citizenship lessons

Former Islamic extremist renounces ideology
Jul. 13, 2008
HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, WASHINGTON , THE JERUSALEM POST

Even justified grievances are not sufficient cause to turn Muslims into Islamic extremists, a former radical told the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in an address Friday.

Maajid Nawaz, a British national who in 2007 announced he had left the extremist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir after imprisonment in Egypt, discussed how he had become radicalized and now hoped to use his experience to prevent the further spread of the ideology to which he once adhered.

In this ideology, he said, Israel is a "cancer" that needs to be destroyed on the way to re-establishing the caliphate not just in the Middle East but around the world.

Nawaz said his group would exploit grievances "which would vary from alienation in Western countries to frustration with dictatorships in Arab states to corruption in poor nations" to persuade disaffected Muslims to support Islamic extremism. But Nawaz said it was only after a process of indoctrination, when the goal of worldwide caliphate was presented as the solution to every problem, that radicals were created.

"We do not believe that grievances are sufficient enough to explain radicalization," he said, pointing to poor and oppressed non-Muslims around the world who haven't resorted to terrorism. "Why don't other aggrieved communities act in this way?"

Nawaz gave his own story as an example of how the process works. He said that he faced discrimination, harassment and even false arrest in his native Essex as a youth, despite being a third-generation British citizen. "I didn't feel like I belonged and it lead to a crisis in my identity."

But it was only once he was connected with Hizb-ut-Tahrir's program and ideological indoctrination that he became radicalized, in turn traveling the world to indoctrinate others. He served as a long-time member of the British leadership committee of the group, which is an international Islamist political party.

Nawaz's travels took him to Egypt, where he was arrested in 2002 because of his participation in the organization. It was there that he first began to question what he himself had been preaching.

What first "opened [his] heart," Nawaz said, were the dogged efforts of an Amnesty International worker who was pushing for his release since he hadn't been involved in any violent acts.

Nawaz initially rejected his help because he was "the enemy," a Westerner, but still the Amnesty worker persisted in sending him letters every week and supporting him.

"It led me to the thought that there are good non-Muslims out there," he explained. "That led me to question the ideology."

With that opening, he was more receptive to the ideas of Western-oriented reformers and democracy advocates who were also imprisoned with him. And he had time to read the classical texts of Islam and see where they differ from what the Islamic extremist groups were teaching.

[which texts are those? can we have names please]

Nawaz said that this extremist view of Islam "in which governments can be overthrown and civilians killed in pursuit of worldwide Islamic domination" is a modern ideology rather than a traditional religious teaching. "It's an abuse of theology for political ends," he told the Washington Institute.

[is it really modern? didn't Mohammid do just that long ago]

Nawaz has now joined with others who have left Hizb-ut-Tahrir to form the Quilliam Foundation, "Britain's first Muslim counter-extremism think tank," as it describes itself.

As part of that work, he now talks to alienated Muslims and shows them how Islamic extremism doesn't adhere to Islam's own teachings and history. To that end, he also works with imams in Britain so that they can identify potential radicals and try to deconstruct their arguments.

Nawaz indicated that he was opposed to countries being held "hostage" to the demands of a minority population who would like to see certain policies changed just so the government can avoid providing the initial trigger of grievance. But he added that "bad policies" such as excluding immigrants from society should be changed for everyone's benefit.

[what policies exclude immigrants from society?]

He rejected the label of "the War on Terror" in approaching the problem. "It's insufficient to think of the problem as just with terrorism," he said. "The problem is with the ideology."

[point taken, but what ideology is it, and why is everyone afraid to name this ideology?]