2012년 5월에 세계도처에서 자행되고 있는, 무슬림들에 의한 기독교 핍박들

Over at Gatestone Institute (via RaymondIbrahim.com), I chronicle the many abuses Christians suffered under Islam in the month of April -- several occurring on Easter Sunday. Some "highlights" follow:

India: Muslims stormed and terrorized a home where a Christian prayer meeting was being held, beating the Christians, including a 65-year-old widow. The Muslims "called them pagans as they kicked, slapped and pushed the Christians…. The Christians were running in all directions for their lives, including the children who were crying in fear," even as one Muslim, "brandishing a sickle, chased many of them, hurling all kinds of insults and attempting to murder them all…. 500 Muslims had gathered and were watching in amusement as the extremists chased and harassed the Christians for about 90 minutes."

Philippines: Two pastors were slaughtered by Muslim assailants: 1) A former Muslim who became a Christian pastor was murdered in front of his wife in his home: "My husband staggered into our bedroom and I was shocked because he was full of blood," she recalled. "I brought him to the hospital right away. He was operated on for eight bullet wounds, but did not survive." The Philippines is a mostly Christian nation, but in the south, "Muslim fundamentalists are trying to build an Islamic state. Christians there face persecution and even death…. This year, at least four house churches closed down after their pastors and lay leaders were killed by Muslim extremists." 2) Another pastor was shot in the head five times and killed by two "unknown gunmen" in front of his teenage daughter.

Sudan: A Christian compound in Khartoum was stormed by a throng of Muslims "armed with clubs, iron rods, a bulldozer and fire," the day after a Muslim leader called on Muslims to destroy "the infidels' church." Shouting "Allahu Akbar [God is greater]" and "No more Christianity from today on—no more church from today on," the jihadis stormed the Bible school bookstore, burning Bibles and threatening to kill anyone resisting them. "What happened could not be imagined—it was terrible," said an eyewitness. "They burned all furniture of the school and the church as well." As usual, "Police at the compound stood back and did nothing to prevent the mob from vandalizing the compound."

But some are concerned that such slogans reveal too much to the stupid Infidels in the West who are so eager to believe their pipe dreams about "Arab Spring" democracy. "Syria - Islamist slogans under criticism," by Khaled Soubeihi for Sapa-AFP, May 18 (thanks to Twostellas):

The use of Islamist slogans by protesters during weekly on Friday demonstrations against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has triggered criticism among an already-fractured opposition.

Activists have been organising online polls on “The Syrian Revolution 2011” Facebook page since the beginning of the uprisings in March last year to pick slogans for demonstrations that usually take place after Friday prayers.

But slogans like “victory from God,” “God's Victory is near” and “armies of Islam, set us free,” have provoked criticism from many in the fragmented opposition, which includes the Muslim Brotherhood, nationalists, liberals and independents.

Syrian activist and journalist Kinan Ali said the use of religious slogans “shows that the opposition is bankrupt of political ideas.”

Abdul Karim Karman, a Hama-based activist, agreed.

“I am a committed Muslim but Islamist slogans do not benefit (the revolt) and do not represent everyone,” Abdul Karim Karman, a Hama-based activist, told AFP though Skype.

“We need slogans that have political content for the Syrian public and for the international community.”...

Yes, we especially need to tone down the Islamic supremacism for the silly West.

Here is an interesting anecdote of taqiyya—the Islamic doctrine that permits lies and hypocrisy whenever Muslims fear their stronger adversaries, including fellow Muslims: Soon after the clash between Egypt’s military and Islamists at al-Abbassia, Sheikh Hassan Abu al-Ashbal, one of the leaders of the Salafi party, declared a full-blown jihad against the military—only to retract it, once the Egyptian media exposed it. Backing down, al-Ashbal said that he was “angry at the spilling of innocent blood by the military,” and so he “spoke words he did not mean,” including his “declaration of war and the raising of the banner of jihad in Egypt.”

Instead, the sheikh redirected his rage at those who exposed him—the “rabid media,” which he proceeded to blame for the chaos in Egypt. This, of course, is reminiscent of the recent threats Egypt’s On TV received from the “Jihad Group to Cleanse the Country,” which blamed the media station of "seeking to destroy the nation and create chaos to implement the American and Zionist agenda.” Apparently, some Egyptian media are not as sympathetic or apathetic to the Islamist agenda as are their media counterparts in the West, no doubt because the threat is much closer to home.

Over at FrontPage Mag (via RaymondIbrahim.com), I discuss Muslim reactions to Coptic Pope Shenouda's recent death, and show how they, once again, expose Islam's hate for all things non-Muslim. Snippets follow:

...While Ghoneim engaged in the usual lies and projections—saying the Pope wanted to create a Coptic state and "set Egypt ablaze"—there is no denying that Ghoneim's position on condemning dead infidels is grounded in Islam: the remainder of the cleric's "eulogy" is riddled with quotes from Islam's core texts, the Koran, Hadith, and scholarly [ulema] consensus.

For instance, he quoted Caliph Omar's famous ejaculation upon learning that a Muslim had hired a Christian scribe: "What is wrong with you—may Allah curse you?! Have you not heard Allah's words: 'O you who believe: do not take the Jews and the Christians as friends and allies; they are friends and allies of each other' [Koran 5:51]? Why did you not employ a hanif [a Muslim]? The man replied, "I profit from his [the Christian's] writing, and his religion is his own affair," to which the pious Omar rebounded, "I will not honor them, when Allah has humiliated them, nor will I be close to them, when Allah has cast them away."

Incidentally, Omar is the same "righteous caliph" who gave the contradictory commandment to "Humiliate them [Christians] but do not wrong them"—as if humiliating people does not amount to "wronging" them. (For more Islamic quotes, see this fatwa.)

[...]

Which leads to the great irony of Islam: while it boasts that it is the religion of fitra, the religion of "nature," which is why all humans are supposedly born Muslims, its teachings—from "adult breastfeeding" to "death-sex"—often contradict the most natural human impulses. Worse, while many religions try to ennoble humanity, by making them strive to a higher level, here is yet another example of Islam forcing people downwards, to tribalism and egoism, to rancor and hatred.

He dared to insult Muhammad, and you know, that's illegal. What's that? The First Amendment? Pah! Eisenstein has violated multiculturalist sensibilities (and Islam's blasphemy laws, which coincide neatly with those sensibilities). Sharia Alert from Purdue University: "Prof sues over Muslim tiff," by Charles Wilson for the Associated Press, May 18 (thanks to Twostellas):

INDIANAPOLIS – A Purdue University political science professor has sued officials and other professors at the school’s campus in northwest Indiana for the treatment he received after he posted criticism of Muslims on Facebook.

Maurice Eisenstein claims in the suit that Purdue-Calumet officials violated his rights of freedom of speech and religion by subjecting him to a disciplinary investigation which eventually yielded mixed results.

The lawsuit filed May 10 in a Lake County court says Eisenstein was cleared of the initial allegation that he had violated the school’s policy against discrimination and harassment, but officials reprimanded him for what they considered retaliation against the two professors who filed the complaints.

“This is not the first time and it won’t be the last time we will see a university punish a student or professor for constitutionally protected speech on Facebook. Professors at public universities should not have to go to court to defend their free speech rights,” Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said in a statement Wednesday.

FIRE, a non-profit educational foundation devoted to free speech, has sent letters to Chancellor Thomas Keon advocating Eisenstein’s position and tried to raise public awareness, but is not involved in the suit, said Adam Kissel, the group’s vice president.

The complaints were filed last fall amid student protests on the Hammond campus, citing comments Eisenstein, a 64-year-old Orthodox Jew, made inside and outside his classroom.

The complaints followed posts on his personal Facebook page questioning the response of moderate Muslims to other Muslims killing Christians in Nigeria, and insulting the prophet Muhammed....

The suit alleges that officials and professors conspired to smear Eisenstein’s reputation. It says officials violated Eisenstein’s rights of free speech and religion under the Indiana Constitution....

Swedish State TV (SVT) has made its own Undercover Mosque as part of the investigative series call Uppdrag. Translated from Swedish by Nicolai Sennels, Sydsvenskan, May 16: "Women advised not to report to the police":

With hidden cameras and secret telephone recording equipment, two women went to the country's ten largest mosques to ask for advice regarding polygamy, abuse and sex without consent. Tonight's Uppdrag, broadcast on SVT, documents that the advice of the mosque's representatives are often contradictory to Swedish law. ... Six out of ten mosques advised the woman not to report the beatings to the police. At one mosque different answers were given, and another mosque gave an unclear answer. Only at two mosques were the woman advised to contact the police. Nine out of ten said that under certain conditions men are allowed to marry several women. Only one said that man cannot do so and that he must comply with Swedish law. The illegal advice to the women was given by imams or Muslim family counselors.

When Uppdrag's journalist Janne Josefsson asked two of the largest mosques about their official position, the answers were different from what they had given the undercover journalist. In front of Josefsson, the Chairman of the Islamic Uppsala Association said that people should act in accordance with Swedish law. Confronted with what the imam at the mosque said to the women, the chairman said that the imam's personal opinion was that the woman should forgive the man rather than report the abuse. But what the imam actually said to the woman was to defend polygamy, and he advised the woman not to report the abuse to the police and instead give her husband more love. "Do not refuse to give love to him, maybe he will change," said the imam.

After the confrontation with Josefsson, the Islamic Association of Stockholm has suspended the imam and started an investigation.

"This is a case of clear violation of Swedish law and misconduct by the imams and the organisations," says Mohammad Fazlhashemi, professor and author of books on Muslim history of philosophy. Fazlhashemi involved himself in the program and has received a written presentation of the advice given to women. "What these men say to the women violates their human rights. These men humiliate and violate women when they say 'you have to put up with this man's beatings,'" says Mohammad Fazlhashemi. He is highly critical of the fact that the imams do not comply with Swedish law.

"Since the mosques receive government grants, they must agree to follow Swedish law and fundamental democratic principles." ... Mohammad Fazlhashemi, himself a Muslim, believe that the outdated mosque representatives benefit Muslim-haters and the Sweden Democrats (Sweden's only Islam-critical party).

"The imams confirm the caricature of Muslims. It is deeply regrettable that they live up to all the prejudices of the Islamophobes."

JihadWatch on the Swedish Democrats: "Nicolai Sennels interviews politician Kent Ekeroth, Swedish Democrats: no more mosques, no more Muslim schools"

Since the Muhammad cartoons, one of Denmark's best-known export products is criticism of Islam. This drawing was recently printed in one of the biggest national newspapers, Ekstrabladet:

Dane: Remember, that free speech allows us to criticise our press, our leaders and even our religion...

Muslim: It is the same in Islam... We too have the right to criticise your press, your leaders and your religion...

Sweden's population grew from 9 million to 9.5 million in the years 2004-2012, mainly due to immigration from "countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia". 16 percent of all newborns have mothers born in non-Western countries. Employment rate among immigrants: 54 percent. Price per young unaccompanied asylum seeker: up to 2,300 USD per day. 175,000 new asylum seekers and family reunifications are expected in 2012-2013, which is an extremely high number when compared to the size of the country's population. Magazines and newspapers remove the ability to comment on internet articles related to immigration.

This groundbreaking article was published in the national Danish newspaper Weekendavisen. Read it in order to see why Sweden is of utmost importance in understanding the present and increasing ethnic conflicts in Europe. Due to EU laws on open borders, Sweden - "Europe's sick man" - is a significant security risk to the rest of the union.

Translated by Nicolai Sennels from Danish: "Sweden is Changing", Weekendavisen May 5th 2012 (not online). The perfect storm:

Immigration. Sweden's population now numbers 9.5 million people. It was only eight years ago that the figure reached 9 million. Much of the population growth is due to family reunification for refugees who have obtained asylum. The population in Sweden has skyrocketed in recent years. Last week the Swedish population topped 9.5 million. Since August 2004, the population increased by 500,000. At the same time there has been a drastic demographic change in the composition of the population. The birth surplus for the period 2004-11 was, according National Swedish bureau of Statistics, Statistika Centralbyrån, approx. 137,000, of which mothers born in non-Western countries accounted for about 22,000 births. The rest of the increase in population is mainly due to immigration from non-Western countries, asylum seekers and family reunification from countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. Labour migration represents only a small part of the increase in this period. Working immigrants from around the world apart from the north were about 50,000 from 2004-2011. The number of permits to one of three forms of refugee status from 2004-11 amounted to almost 50,000, while the number of family reunifications was around 250,000. And the growth continues, especially from Somalia. This is because of a ruling in January from the Swedish Migration Court. The ruling means that it has become much easier for family members who find it difficult to prove their identity to be reunited with someone who is already in Sweden and has been granted asylum.

The decision affects not only Somalis, but in Somalia thousands of family members are already waiting to travel to Sweden, an article published by the Parliament states. The ruling thus annulled a decision a few years ago that put an end to family reunification for people whose identity could not be documented.

A passport can be difficult to obtain in the collapsed state of Somalia, and therefore the Migration Court reversed its decision in January. (Incidentally, according to the immigration authorities, Migrationsverket, in 2009 only 16 percent of asylum seekers carried any identity papers, and in only five percent of the cases was it a passport).

The expected large number of family reunifications has made the Swedish Migration Board apply for additional funding for administration, etc. This year it is applying for an additional 170 million Swedish kroner (24 million USD). It has applied for 341 million dollars for 2013-2014 (49 million USD). Migrationsverket total costs in 2012, including accommodation and food in the pre-asylum phase, is approx. 9 billion Swedish kroner (1.4 billion USD). In its latest Migrationsverket estimates, due to the new ruling of the Migration Court the number of family reunions in 2012 will increase by 18,500 and by 12,000 in 2013.

The total estimate for 2012 is 59,500 family reunions and 53,000 in 2013, which amounts to 112,500 family reunions 2012-2013.

Migrationsverket also expects, moreover, that the number of asylum seekers will increase as a consequence of the new rules. Migrationsverket expects that the milder requirements for identity papers will motivate more asylum seekers to go to Sweden because they know that it is possible for the rest of the family to follow if they are granted permanent residency.

Migrationsverket has increased its estimate of expected asylum seekers by 2,000. It now forecasts that 31,000 people will seek asylum in Sweden, both in 2012 and 2013, which amounts to 62,000 in two years. In 2011 29,600 people applied for asylum in Sweden, which makes Sweden (with its relatively small population) the fifth most popular country in the world among asylum seekers.

Altogether Migrationsverket expects approx. 175,000 new asylum seekers and family reunifications in the years 2012-2013. It is only a small proportion who are granted asylum.

A special phenomenon is the large number of unaccompanied refugee children travelling to Sweden. In 2010 and 2011 Sweden received a total of 5,050 young people who came to Europe. The largest group came from Afghanistan, followed by Somalia and Iraq. Britain, which receives the second largest number of unaccompanied refugee children, had 2,641 applicants, while Belgium had 1,941.

The figure last year was 2,657 in Sweden, of whom most were granted asylum. Subsequently they will be able to get family members to Sweden by using the family reunification rules.

In Denmark, approx. 160 unaccompanied children and adolescents under 18 years old were granted residence in 2011. In Finland, 150 unaccompanied children applied for asylum, which was half as many as in 2010.

Migrationsverket's expectation is that in 2012, 3,200 unaccompanied children and adolescents will arrive in Sweden, compared to, as mentioned, 2,657 in 2011.

The many unaccompanied children, mostly boys aged 15 to - allegedly - 17 years old, are causing problems for the Minister of Migration Tobias Billström (Conservative), because some municipalities have begun to refuse to receive more, although they are quite well paid from the state for each child they receive. The Minister of Migration therefore threatens to force municipalities to accept the young asylum seekers.

If they are under 18 years old, they have the right to live in a special home for young people, and they are entitled to a guardian. Many, however, seem to be over 18 years old, but Migrationverket's employees more or less have to take at face value what the unaccompanied children and young people themselves are saying.

Tobias Billström is now investigating how Denmark, Norway and Finland handle the problems with determining asylum seekers' age. He is quoted as saying that he would like to have joint Nordic procedures to determine the age of young asylum seekers. Denmark uses X-ray photos of the wrist and control of dental status. In 2009, 120 such studies were conducted in Denmark, and in 73 percent of the cases, the conclusion was that the person were older than 17 years. About the same figure is found in Norway and Finland in the cases where there has been age-studies.

According to a recent report by National Audit Office, Migrationsverket pays up to 16,000 Swedish kroner (2,300 USD) per person for each day an unaccompanied child asylum seeker lives in Sweden, including food and staffing, to municipalities that accept children.

The normal price is between 3,000 and 6,000 kroner (440 - 880 USD) per day, but last year Sigtuna municipality sent a bill for an average of 15,800 dollars per person per day. The high figure is partly because the municipality had committed to rental housing that was not used.

As mentioned, Billström has announced that he will force municipalities that refuse to take any more unaccompanied children and adolescents. Even if they are unaccompanied, a significant proportion also have friends or families in Sweden.

General Sören Häggroth from the Government Offices in Stockholm wrote last year in Dagens Nyheter that 55 percent of unaccompanied children who came sought residence in Malmö, and that the total cost is around two billion kroner per year (291 million USD).

In the previously mentioned report by the National Audit Office, it was also alleged that two thirds of all cases of citizenship administered by Migrationsverket department in Norrköping are decided by a single caseworker. The National Audit Office believes that this practice creates a risk of "undue influence and criminal act", meaning that the decisions can be influenced by threats to the individual employee or bribes. This must be taken into account, since it is not possible to revoke a granted citizenship.

The report therefore recommends that there be quality control of the cases.

Immigration puts a lot of financial pressure on the Swedish welfare model. It takes several years before the immigrants who are granted asylum or family reunification to become employed and self-supporting. The employment rate for persons born in Sweden is 68%, while it is 54% for people born outside Europe.

Employment rates are lowest for women, and Minister of Integration Erik Ullenhaug from the liberal People's Party announced last month that he plans to change the rules for maternity leave, the so-called parental insurance entitling to a total of 480 days leave during the child's first eight years of life.

These rules are enforced in a way that allows families coming to Sweden bringing children to be entitled to 480 days leave per child under eight years. Since the families often have several children, it may take several years before these women go to a language school, let alone take a job. Erik Ullenhaug believe that this is part of the cause of women's poor integration. Yet he has not made any specific proposal, but he's already been accused of discrimination for introducing special rules for immigrants.

It is remarkable that the great migration - more than any other Western country, measured in relation to its population - does not provoke a debate in Sweden about how much the country can accept and support, while ensuring a proper integration. Overall, Migrationsverket expects approx. 175,000 new asylum seekers and family reunifications in the two years 2012-13. Although not all are granted asylum, it will not take many years before Sweden has a population of more than 10 million people.

But even weak attempts to discuss these developments could easily cause the author to be called 'xenophobic' or 'racist '. Even though the immigration critical party, The Sweden Democrats, came into parliament in 2010, this tendency has not changed, although they try to raise the issue. Quite the contrary. Recently, the party was not allowed to have a debate in parliament about the large influx of unaccompanied asylum seekers.

In April 2012, a member of parliament from the Center Party, Staffan Danielsson, spoke out in Svenska Dagbladet:

'This issue is seldom discussed by the established parties. Of course I am for an open and generous immigration and refugee policy in Sweden, but I think it is legitimate to discuss why unaccompanied refugees into Europe so often choose to come to Sweden. We know that our resources for receiving them are constrained, and if developments in Afghanistan or Somalia go in the wrong direction, the influx could rise significantly.

I am convinced that it is important to have a calm and objective dialogue on the questions that I ask, and it will ultimately benefit the continued commitment to a high acceptance of refugee reception, rather than the opposite,' said Staffan Danielsson.

Last week also, the newspaper Dagens Nyheter gave space for a debate article by Danielsson.

The result was that Danielson was heavily criticized, including by his own party's spokesman in migration issues, Fredrik Federley. Federley said that if you had to discuss unaccompanied children, it should not include a discussion why there are so many who come to Sweden, but why there are not even more coming to other countries in Europe.

The Swedish media treats the issue very discreetly. The media are eager to avoid negative publicity on refugee / immigrant issues, according to the latest issue of the Swedish Journalists Federation magazine.

In this particular issue, several articles discuss how to avoid so-called net-hatred on media websites. If there is a possibility to comment on articles, there is a widespread tendency for people to discuss immigration issues. Therefore, many magazines and newspapers remove the ability to comment on stories related to the topic.

They say that Iran is under financial and economic sanctions, but is that true?

The longer these imaginary sanctions continue, along with talks and political games revolving around Iran's Islamic nuclear capability, the more muffled the voice of freedom and free speech and human rights are by the cries of the muezzin, and by every Friday's reading of the verses of the Koran over loudspeakers in the minarets. Every day it gets harder to deal with the regime of the ayatollahs. And the alien laws of Sharia are steadily imposed upon free societies.

I remember one day in Grozny, Chechnya, after she learned that I was a journalist from Georgia, a woman dressed in traditional Islamic clothing for the Caucasus approached me. A long dress covered her arms and legs, and she wore the required head scarf. She looked at me and asked, "Why haven't you Georgians embraced Islam, since the word of Allah and the prophet have come to you? If you were Muslims, the Caucasus would be free."

She meant that if the Georgians embraced Islam, then Russia could not occupy the North Caucasus and Georgia. And she was right. Imam Shamil in the 18th century was arrested by a Georgian general who served in the Russian army. A 25-year-old Russian could not defeat Shamil, and only the Georgian generals Orbeliani and Chavchavadze were able to defeat him.

Yes, it's an interesting idea. Exchange physical slavery for the oppression of spiritual slavery. The Georgians did not agree to this.

Yet this question has always stayed with me.

During the four years that I worked on the North Caucasus, I saw that the local Muslims who had lived an ordinary life, did not pray, did not read the Koran, and were drinking alcohol and eating pork, after a few years of Islamic propaganda began to become very different people.

I remember the number one terrorist in Russia, Shamil Basayev, made fun of the Arabs: "They come to us in the Caucasus, sit in the snow a couple of weeks, eat cold eggs. Then they go back to the desert to receive pensions from the rich old Sheikhs. And they want to buy a ticket to Allah for having supported the jihad." But after a while Shamil spoke very respectfully of them. It happened after Amir ibn al-Khattab put him on the Arab payroll.

The transformation of an ordinary man into a jihadist can take place so rapidly that it is hard to imagine.

First, there is the construction of mosques and madrasas. Then the students are trained, reading the Koran and studying it, receiving combat training, and making provision for their family finances and war for 6 months or preparing to become a Mujahid Shaheed. The latter becomes a killing machine who has no doubt he is right, because the acts of God control him (so he believers). Now imagine a Mujahid with a nuclear bomb. Do we worry unnecessarily?

If we need economic prosperity in order to develop freedom, the Islamic nation seeks to prove its superiority, to buy space in the Garden by means of someone else's grief. You can get closer to Allah if you pay the murderers of infidels.

To enhance their economic strength, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey have launched several new transportation projects. The Islamic Republic of Iran has begun a railway line to the Chinese city of Kashgar, through Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

The Minister for Roads and Urban Development, Ali Nikzad said that the railway line length of 392 km., linking Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China, and will serve the development and growth of trade between these countries and reduce transportation costs.

This railway line may also be the main route for drug trafficking, particularly opium, in Asia, given the fact that Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and China are among the major producers and handlers of opium.

The second project is the railway linking Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is in accordance with an Azerbaijani-Georgian-Turkish intergovernmental agreement. Azerbaijan has loaned Georgia $775 million for the construction of its section of this line. Funding for this project comes from the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at a meeting with Chinese businessmen, proposed the creation of the "Silk Road" rail line which would connect Turkey and China, according to the newspaper Hurriyet reported Thursday. "It is necessary to transform the historic Silk Road into the railway 'Silk Road ,' which will unite the peoples who live from Turkey to China," Erdogan said.

According to the Prime Minister, the necessary funding for this project is available. The "Silk Road" rail line will promote trade between the countries, which will be included in this project. "It will be an important regional project that will revitalize the economy," said Erdogan.

Erdogan's proposal is aimed at creating a developed and extensive network of trade and transit relations between South and Central Asia and Europe. In sum, the project will include 28 countries. The total length of the new transportation arteries, often called the "Silk Road by rail," should reach 81,000 kilometers.

And also meanwhile: "Azerbaijan will not ask anyone's permission for relations with Iran," said Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi at a meeting with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov.

During the meeting, the Iranian minister said that Iran is "a true friend of Azerbaijan," and expressed hope that relations between the two neighboring countries would develop.

But the most important thing was that nobody talked about the prospect of the unification of the Iranian and Turkish railway projects. In 2005 there was talk about it openly. Back tTen "The Time" published an article about the railway project linking China to Turkey via Iran ("From camel train to freight train," by Jeremy Page, published on December 5, 2005).

It is also important because it shows who the partner of Iran is. And Iran could and would share nuclear technology with its partners.

And for those who still do not believe in Islamic supremacism and how badly it affects a person, remember the sheikhs who spoke on television asserting that Islam will conquer the world. God forbid that any free person will have to see and experience what my brother and I experienced before and during our captivity by Islamic supremacists. Do not believe the TV sheikhs, because in fact they are liars. They have a goal - Jerusalem, and then the whole world: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3431.htm

Will the Islamophobia never end? Islamic Tolerance Alert from modern, moderate Indonesia: "Hardliners in Bekasi Throw Stones at Ascension Day Service," by Camelia Pasandaran for the Jakarta Globe, May 17 (thanks to Twostellas):

A mob of Islamic hard-liners threw stones and bags of urine at the HKBP Filadelphia congreagation of the Batak Christian Protestant Church in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, at an Ascension Day service on Thursday. Police tried to stop the mob of some 300 people, but were also attacked, according to reports.

“They assaulted the congregation members,” Rev. Palti Panjaitan told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday. “Police tried to talk to them, but the mob passed through police and showered us with urine and dirty water. Others threw stones at us.”

The mob reportedly attacked the congregation as the service started, and also shouted profanity and threats.

“Even after the service, which lasted one-and-a-half hours, the mob chased after us,” Rev. Palti said. “Thank God the police escorted us to a safe area.

HKBP Filadelphia submitted an application for a building permit in 2007, but church leaders say that despite meeting all the requirements, including the agreement of their neighbors, a permit was never issued.

On Dec. 31, 2009, the Bekasi district head issued a letter banning the members of the congregation from worshiping on the land, forcing the 560 members to hold services along the side of the road fronting the property.

In July 2011, the Supreme Court overruled the Bekasi administration’s decision, saying the church was eligible for a building permit. The court ordered Bekasi to issue one — but the district government ignored the ruling.

Members of the congregation say that Islamic hard-liners have been intimidating and threatening them at their services since January.

But of course he doesn't mean it -- we all know that. We know the Israel/Palestinian conflict has nothing to do with Islam. It has to do with land, and a negotiated settlement will soon save the day. Everyone in Washington tells us so, so it must be true, right?

"Iranian Calls for 'Islamic Awakening' to Destroy Israel," by Elad Benari for Israel National News, May 17 (thanks to Voice of the Copts):

An Iranian official called this week for an ‘Islamic Awakening’ movement to help Palestinian Authority Arabs “demolish the Zionist regime”, the IRNA news agency reported.

The comments were made at a conference in Tehran in honor of Nakba Day – the day of catastrophe – which is what the Arabs call the English date of May 15, when the State of Israel was re-established with a declaration of independence in 1948.

In a brief address at the end of the conference, the official, Hossein Shiekholeslam said, “In success of a revolution three major factors need to play effective roles, and they are the people, the leadership, and the school of thought, or ideology.”

He added, “If we wish success for the Palestinians, the existence of these three factors is necessary, as they did exist in the case of the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.”

Sheikholeslam said that “In near future the Islamic Awakening movement would also swallow the Zionist regime.”...

These crimes are not race-based, as Hindu and Sikh girls were victimized along with "white" girls. They were religion-based: preying on non-Muslim girls as sex slaves is in accord with Islamic law. But the British press, like the American press completely unwilling to examine the root causes of this kind of behavior within Islam and to challenge the Muslim community about it, fastidiously and inaccurately terms the perpetrators "Asian" rather than "Muslim." And now, finally, non-Muslim Asians have had enough of this defamation.

"Complaints over use of 'Asian' label in grooming cases," from the BBC, May 16 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

Groups representing Sikh and Hindu communities have complained about the term "Asian" being used to describe the men involved in grooming trials.

Earlier this month, nine men were jailed for being part of a sex ring in Rochdale which groomed girls for sex.

The groups said the men involved were "almost always of Pakistani origin" and the term "Asian" was inaccurate.

The Ramadan Foundation has said grooming is "a significant problem for the British Pakistani community".

The joint statement was released by the Network of Sikh Organisations UK, The Hindu Forum of Britain, and The Sikh Media Monitoring Group UK.

It says the reluctance of the media and the government to discuss the "disproportionate representation of Muslims in such cases" and the fact victims are "almost always non-Muslim girls" is adding to the cause of far-right groups such as the BNP.

Yes, let's all agree not to tell the truth so that the wrong people don't capitalize upon it.

It said blanket use of the word "Asian" was "unfair to other communities of Asian origin".

"We believe that in this case the government itself is sanctioning the use of term Asian as a way of clouding responsibility," the groups say.

The groups say sex gangs have targeted Hindu and Sikh girls but the cases are rarely reported as they seldom reach the courts.

The statement says: "We believe that political correctness stifles debate and will not facilitate a frank and mature discussion or solutions to get to the root of why the above pattern is emerging in these crimes and how to help find a solution to the problem.

"We will not be able to do that if we mask the identity of those involved based on misguided views of 'protecting a vulnerable community' of the perpetrators and not looking at the vulnerable community of victims."

I tried to tell you. More Arab Spring Democracy On the March in Egypt:

"Israel becomes a target in Egypt's presidential vote," by Edmund Blair for Reuters, May 17 (thanks to Voice of the Copts):

(Reuters) - Israel has become a punchbag for politicians vying for votes in Egypt's presidential race, playing on popular antipathy in Egypt towards its neighbor, but the realities of office are likely to ensure a 33-year-old peace treaty is not jeopardized.

We'll see.

An ex-air force commander in the race boasts of bringing down Israeli aircraft in 1973, the last of Egypt's four wars with Israel. One Islamist often refers to Israel as the "Zionist entity", rather than by name, and describes it as an "enemy".

A leftist candidate pledges to support the Palestinian resistance against Israel, where officials have watched Egypt's political turmoil with increasing wariness after the downfall of Mubarak who oversaw a cold yet stable peace.

None of the candidates want to tear up the document signed in 1979 but they repeatedly warn in rallies and debates it should be reviewed. Many of them grumble at provisions in the U.S.-brokered deal they say are biased in Israel's favor....

The Melkite Greek Patriarch Gregory III denounces the silence of the Western press on the escalating persecution of Christians in Syria. "Christians are under pressure in Syria, the patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church Gregorios III denounces the silence of the Western Press," from MFS - The Other News, May 16 (thanks to Willy):

Christians are under pressure in Syria, the patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church Gregorios III denounces the silence of the Western Press.(Agoravox)."There is no more Revolution, there are no more demonstrations.There are only banditry and the world refuses to acknowledge. "These words are not those of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, nor those of his ministers, or those of a member of any Arab government support the plan, but those of the Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, whose home is in Damascus. The prelate did not use vague terms to describe the current state of crisis which is immersed in Syria, "foreign elements have entered the country and have even started beating the Christians, who had to leave Homs given the dangerousness of the situation, "said the patriarch who did not hide some dissatisfaction vis-à-vis the situation considered too soft Vatican towards him.Gregory III then lashed to the European press with which he dealt during recent visits to the Old World to tell precisely what was happening in Syria. "I do not condone the regime as i have been heard in France, but I support a reality. The newspapers are stereotyped, have unique sources and are not ready to listen to anyone, not even me, "the prelate suggested that currently we do not hesitate to speak of a true" dictatorship of the press service of the United States. " The patriarch has even told a story came to the nephew of a bishop working in Dubai (UAE), who, on his way to work one day, heard a man behind him announce on the phone that he was in Homs, while government troops were an assault on the city, killing women and children."We talked about the plot, but it is far worse than that: there is an international will to harm Syria," said Gregory III yet but wondered how some states could change in a few months' regime who did so much for its people. Finally, responding to a question from journalists on the actions of the Syrian army vis-à-vis the population, the patriarch did not hesitate to assert that military intervention was "too late and light" for hoped to end the violence of rebel bands.Important evidence on the actual situation of Syria which contrasts sharply with what we find in the mainstream media, which does not concern decidedly clear and objective information.Read the full story here.(GoogleTranslate).

A turbulent ascension

Wishing all the Christians around the world who are celebrating the Ascension today a moment of peace in these times of strife and persecution.

First there was a push to legalize “death-sex,” now there is a push to ban offensive children's toys, including a toy gun that reportedly “when you shoot, it says ‘shoot Sayyida Aisha,' wife of Islam’s prophet Muhammad.” Egypt’s new Islamist-dominated parliament continues exposing its priorities for the world to see.

"Egypt parliament to discuss Chinese toys that 'humiliate Islam,'" by Eslam Omar for Al Ahram, May 7:

Saad El-Katatni speaker of the People's Assembly referred to the economics committee the issue of Chinese-made children's toys that "humiliate Islam and its figures."

Parliament member Mustafa Morsy made a speech during Monday’s session about how imported games and toys can be harmful to Egyptian and Muslim culture.

“Our kids play with computer games in which you shoot the holy Quran and Islamic symbols,” Morsy said in his speech.

“This toy gun for example costs only five pounds and when you shoot, it says ‘shoot Sayyida Aisha,' wife of Islam’s prophet Muhammad,” Morsy claimed while showing a colourful toy gun during the session.

“Kuwaiti law punishes anyone who humiliates Muslim figures like prophets and their families,” he added.

There was a recent debate in Saudi Arabia about a similar toy gun that, when the trigger is pulled, says “Go go go, pull over and save the hostages". Some claimed that it says “shoot Sayyida Aisha.”

In Saudi Arabia, it was recently revealed that a 5-year-old boy was "severely beaten" and whipped by his teacher, with "wounds appearing on various parts of his body." According to Garaa News, it is unknown why the teacher scourged the child, and the teacher's identity has been withheld to protect him from the boy's father who is attempting to press charges.

What is known, however, is that the man was a teacher of Koran studies and memorization, and the location of the school is Mecca, the holiest city of Islam—two facts that speak for themselves, and Islam, much more honestly than the ongoing depictions of Islam as the "religion of peace" championed by Muslim apologists in the West.

From Yahoo News:

NEW YORK, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The prominent human rights organization American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and its Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) program, along with Former Muslims United (FMU) will be hosting the first-ever "Summer Night for Human Rights" Town Hall dedicated to defending the freedom of conscience. Dedicated to Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who has been sentenced to death in Iran for leaving Islam, the Summer Night for Human Rights will feature Muslim apostates from around the world, and call upon Muslims in the U.S. and the world human rights community to defend their right to change their religion or have no religion at all, and to denounce the Sharia that mandates such punishment.

The AFDI/SIOA Summer Night for Human Rights Town Hall will be held at the Marriott Hotel in Manhattan Beach, California. AFDI/SIOA Executive Director Pamela Geller chose that location because of its proximity to the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations' "Summer Night for Civil Rights" event being held at the same time down the block in Redondo Beach. The Summer Night for Human Rights will call upon the CAIR spokesmen to renounce Islam's death penalty for apostasy and defend the human rights of those who choose to leave Islam. It will ask CAIR leaders to stop creating roadblocks to Sharia prohibitions in the U.S., pointing up CAIR's hypocrisy in sponsoring a "civil rights" night while supporting a system of governance that denies the freedom of conscience, as well as the freedom of speech and equality of rights of all before the law.

Hamas-linked CAIR is selling tickets for its "Summer Night for Civil Rights" for as much as $100; admission to the AFDI/SIOA Summer Night for Human Rights is free. Register to attend by writing afdisioa@aol.com.

Geller said in a statement: "All the schools of Islamic law, without exception, mandate death for those who leave Islam. We've dedicated the Town Hall to Pastor Youcef because he is in imminent danger of being murdered for his beliefs, and we've invited numerous apostates from Islam to speak about the death sentence they must live under every moment because they have dared to leave Islam. We're calling upon Hamas-tied CAIR to stand up for Pastor Youcef and other victims of Islam's apostasy law at their so-called 'Civil Rights' conference so-called 'Civil Rights' conference and to stand for human rights for all. Under the guise of 'civil rights,' these subversive groups seek to undermine the unalienable rights guaranteed to every individual under the Constitution. Their ruse must be exposed, their Sharia agenda renounced. What Islamic supremacist groups in the U.S. speak for Pastor Youcef?"

Geller added: "Apostates from Islam have rights, too. The freedom of conscience is specifically protected in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet apostates are completely forgotten in our politically correct culture, in which speech that is offensive to Islam is increasingly forbidden. We're standing for the human rights of people like Youcef Nadarkhani. While CAIR officials Zead Ramadan and Cyrus McGoldrick are appearing on Iranian government TV complaining about resistance to Sharia in America, Youcef is languishing in an Iranian prison for exercising his freedom of conscience. Who speaks for him? They should be on Iranian television calling for the release of the pastor, not denouncing America. Our Human Rights Town Hall calls out Islamic supremacist groups in America to cease and desist their subversive activity under the guise of 'civil rights' or 'Shariaphobia.'"

Hosting the Summer Night for Human Rights Town Hall are Pamela Geller, publisher of the acclaimed AtlasShrugs.com blog, executive director of AFDI and SIOA, and author of Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance (WND Books); and AFDI/SIOA associate director Robert Spencer, the bestselling author and director of Jihad Watch, whose most recent book is Did Muhammad Exist? An Inquiry Into Islam's Obscure Origins.

The confirmed list of speakers also includes some of the nation's most prominent ex-Muslims: the human rights activist Nonie Darwish of Former Muslims United, author of Now They Call Me Infidel; the psychologist and freedom fighter Wafa Sultan, author of A God Who Hates; and the Islamic scholar Ibn Warraq, author of Why I Am Not A Muslim; former Palestinian terrorist Walid Shoebat; and Moroccan ex-Muslim Ismail Zarouali.

AFDI/SIOA is one of America's foremost organizations defending human rights, religious liberty, and the freedom of speech against Islamic supremacist intimidation and attempts to bring elements of Sharia to the United States.

Dr. Hatem Elhagaly, aka Dr. Hatem al-Haj, is a Muslim jurist who has stated this:

The ruling on circumcision: Scholars have differed on the ruling on circumcision. They have agreed on its legitimacy for both sexes, but beyond that they have differed. Some--most famously the Shafi’ites--believe that it is obligatory for both sexes. Some believe it is obligatory for men only, and some believe it is recommended for both. At the very least it can be said that for women it is an honor, and for men it is sunnah [i.e. it is in accord with the tradition of Muhammad].

Longtime Jihad Watch reader CGW saw that report on Jihad Watch and sprang into action, contacting the Mayo Clinic, where Elhagaly was employed, and starting a petition. The Mayo Clinic sent this email out yesterday:

From: Public Affairs
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 2:16 PM
Subject: RE: Dr. Hatem Elhagaly

Dr. Elhagaly is no longer employed or caring for patients at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. We are working with his patients to transition their care to another physician. Because this is a personnel issue, we cannot comment further on Dr. Elhagaly's employment status.

Female circumcision in children, referred to as female genital mutilation in U.S. legal statutes, is a felony-level child abuse crime. Mayo Clinic strongly opposes the procedure and it has never been performed at any Mayo Clinic facility.

This is a huge victory for human rights and women's rights. Huge kudos and thanks to CGW, who spearheaded this effort single-handedly and is not stopping with this: see the latest petition here.

What? Don't they know that Sharia is benign and completely compatible with humane values such as those enshrined in the U.S. Constitution? Have they been listening to greasy Islamophobes? Imam Rauf, you're needed in Mali! These benighted folks need to learn to love Sharia -- or else!

"Malians riot as rebels impose Sharia law," from the Mail & Guardian, May 16 (thanks to Twostellas):

Amnesty International says Islamist groups and insurgents are 'running riot' after a military coup deposed the Bamako government in March.

Attempts by Malian insurgents to impose Sharia law in the north of the country have sparked protests against rebel control.

Witnesses say Ansar Dine – the Islamic sect that controls much of northern Mali, together with Tuareg separatists the MNLA and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – fired into the air injuring five people during protests in the northern city of Gao, including one by a stray bullet.

“We received five wounded, including one by a bullet. They are all civilians,” a source at the hospital in Gao told the South African Press Association.

The protests come amid reports that rebels were intensifying attempts to impose sharia law in northern Mali, smashing TV sets claiming they were being used to play video games or watch content considered un-Islamic.

Ansar Dine blocked an aid convoy with tonnes of food and medical supplies for the northern city of Timbuktu on Tuesday, objecting to the presence of women in a reception committee set up for the aid....

Ah, the glories of Sharia.

These Infidels are great. Shoot a few of their soldiers, and they'll give you money. "Australia pledges $300 million to Afghan forces," by Rod McGuirk for the Associated Press, May 16 (thanks to Maxwell):

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia will contribute $100 million annually for three years beginning in 2015 toward the $4 billion a year cost of running the Afghan National Security Forces after they take responsibility for their country's security.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Defense Minister Stephen Smith said in a statement Wednesday they will take this commitment to the NATO and U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force summit in Chicago on Sunday and Monday.

This follows Australia's commitment to the Afghan National Army Trust Fund of $200 million over five years beginning in 2009-10.

Afghanistan will have responsibility for its own security by the end of 2014.

Gillard said she spoke by telephone to President Barack Obama late Tuesday about the size of the Australian financial contribution to the costs of the Afghan forces.

"That's going to cost some money to sustain those forces, just over $4 billion," Gillard told reporters. "Australia is prepared to play its part in meeting those costs for Afghan forces."

"As a nation, we have invested a lot in Afghanistan. We have been there to make sure that it is never again a safe haven for terrorists," she added.

Yes, your millions will certainly accomplish that.

This just in: FDR, Churchill invite Hitler to the Atlantic Conference. "NATO invites Pakistan to summit in Chicago," by Chris Brummitt and Slobodan Lekic for the Associated Press, May 16 (thanks to Maxwell):

ISLAMABAD (AP) — NATO has invited Pakistan's president to the upcoming Chicago summit on Afghanistan, the strongest sign yet that Islamabad is ready to reopen its western border to U.S. and NATO military supplies heading to the war in the neighboring country.

President Asif Ali Zardari was expected to accept the invitation, a Pakistani official in Washington said Tuesday.

Pakistan blocked the routes in November after American airstrikes killed 24 of its troops on the Afghan border. The attack sent ties between Washington and Islamabad to new lows, threatening regional cooperation needed for negotiating an end to the Afghan war.

The developments signal something of a rapprochement between the two countries, but tensions are likely to bedevil what has long been a brittle relationship, scarred by mistrust on both sides. Many in Washington believe Pakistan is supporting the Taliban, making the Afghanistan war unwinnable....

Many are right. But of course the Afghan war is unwinnable anyway, because Washington doesn't want to win, and doesn't know what winning would look like.

In "Uncovering Early Islam" in National Review today, Daniel Pipes discusses my new book Did Muhammad Exist?:

...In a well-written, sober, and clear account, [Spencer] begins by demonstrating the inconsistencies and mysteries in the conventional account concerning Mohammed’s life, the Koran, and early Islam. For example, whereas the Koran insists that Mohammed did not perform miracles, the hadith ascribes him thaumaturgic powers — multiplying food, healing the injured, drawing water from the ground and sky, and even sending lightning from his pickax. Which is it? Hadith claim Mecca was a great trading city but, strangely, the historical record reveals it as no such thing.

The Christian quality of early Islam is no less strange, specifically “traces of a Christian text underlying the [Koran].” Properly understood, these traces elucidate otherwise incomprehensible passages. Conventionally read, verse 19:24 has Mary nonsensically hearing, as she gives birth to Jesus, “Do not be sad, your Lord has placed a rivulet beneath you.” Revisionists transform this into the sensible (and piously Christian) “Do not be sad, your Lord has made your delivery legitimate.” Puzzling verses about the “Night of Power” commemorating Mohammed’s first revelation make sense when understood as describing Christmas. Chapter 96 of the Koran, astonishingly, invites readers to a Eucharist.

Building on this Christian base, revisionists postulate a radically new account of early Islam. Noting that coins and inscriptions from the seventh century mention neither Mohammed, the Koran, nor Islam, they conclude that the new religion did not appear until about 70 years after Mohammed’s supposed death. Spencer finds that “the first decades of the Arab conquest show the conquerors holding not to Islam as we know it but to a vague creed [Hagarism, focused on Abraham and Ishmael] with ties to some form of Christianity and Judaism.” In very brief: “The Muhammad of Islamic tradition did not exist, or if he did, he was substantially different from how that tradition portrays him” — namely, as an anti-Trinitarian Christian rebel leader in Arabia.

It was only around 700, when the rulers of a now-vast Arabian empire felt the need for a unifying political theology, that they cobbled together the Islamic religion. The key figure in this enterprise appears to have been the brutal governor of Iraq, Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. No wonder, writes Spencer, that Islam is “such a profoundly political religion” with uniquely prominent martial and imperial qualities. No wonder it conflicts with modern mores.

The revisionist account is no idle academic exercise but, as when Judaism and Christianity encountered the Higher Criticism 150 years ago, a deep, unsettling challenge to faith. It will likely leave Islam a less literal and doctrinaire religion with particularly beneficial implications in the case of doctrines of supremacism and misogyny. Applause, then, for plans to translate Did Muhammad Exist? into major Muslim languages and to make it available gratis on the Internet. May the revolution begin.

Read it all.

Zead Ramadan is thoroughly trained in Hamas-linked CAIR's manipulative victimhood posturing and smearing of freedom fighters, as you can see here. He is by no stretch of the imagination an original thinker. As I have noted many times here, Leftists and Islamic supremacists tend to parrot the same talking points, as if they were all reading from the same script. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a database somewhere of themes to sound and stock answers to questions, since they repeat themselves with such dreary regularity. Ramadan is repeating talking points that we have heard before from the likes of dhimmi Jeffrey Goldberg, Islamic supremacist pseudo-moderate Reza Aslan, Muslim Brotherhood-linked Congressman Keith Ellison, Canadian Muslim leader Syed Soharwardy, and Nicholas Kristof, among many others. "CAIR-NY President Zead Ramadan: Anti-Muslim Rhetoric in the US Echoes Nazi Rhetoric against the Jews," from MEMRI, May 13 (thanks to David):

Following are excerpts from an interview with Zead Ramadan, President of CAIR-NY, which aired on Press TV on May 13, 2012.

Zead Ramadan: I think that the United States and Americans need to realize that we have extremist elements in America, who are not Muslim, and who believe that America should only be one color, one way of living, and that is not what America is all about. America has invited immigrants from around the world to build its country, over its history.

[…]

Whenever you think that America, the “land of the free,” is going to grow up and go beyond it [bigotry], more intolerant, extremist voices come out. It seems that they come out in times of elections, because some groups think that they can get large groups of religious followers to side with them if they say negative things about other people. The easiest target… the minority… The easiest target has been the Muslim people.

In Nazi Germany, they targeted the minority, the Jewish minority, and unfortunately, it went from only philosophy, to rhetoric, to action. That is not where we want to go in America.

I don’t think we will ever get there, but I don’t think we should allow the road to continue to be built towards that direction, because the comments that are being made against Muslims are very eerily echoing the comments that were made against Jews by Nazis. A lot of people say they want Muslims to be taken out of the country, that they should have different citizenship status, and all of this stuff is an insult to the Constitution of the US....

Actually no one of any significance in this debate is saying that Muslims should be " taken out of the country" or "that they should have different citizenship status." In mischaracterizing the positions of anti-Sharia forces, Ramadan is trying to demonize resistance to jihad and Islamic supremacism, and deflect attention away from the real agenda of the counter-jihad movement, which is to defend freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and equality of rights for all people before the law.

Ramadan is doing the same thing with his comparison of counter-jihad rhetoric to Nazi rhetoric about the Jews. The late Christopher Hitchens ably took apart the central claim being made here when writing about the Islamic supremacist mega-mosque at Ground Zero: "'Some of what people are saying in this mosque controversy is very similar to what German media was saying about Jews in the 1920s and 1930s,' Imam Abdullah Antepli, Muslim chaplain at Duke University, told the New York Times. Yes, we all recall the Jewish suicide bombers of that period, as we recall the Jewish yells for holy war, the Jewish demands for the veiling of women and the stoning of homosexuals, and the Jewish burning of newspapers that published cartoons they did not like."

Ramadan's aim (and the aim of all the others who have repeated this) is to intimidate his hearers into thinking that criticism of Islamic supremacism leads to the gas chambers, and thus there must be no criticism of Islamic supremacism. The unstated assumption is that if one group was unjustly accused of plotting subversion and violence, and was viciously persecuted and massacred on the basis of those false accusations, then any group accused of plotting subversion and violence must be innocent, and any such accusation must be in service of preparing for their internment and massacre.

The key difference is not only that Muslim leaders worldwide have made their intention to conquer and subjugate non-Muslims very clear, in a way that Jews never did in the run-up to the Holocaust; it is also that anti-jihadists nowhere advocate a "final solution" for Muslims, and never will -- we are merely calling upon them to drop the authoritarian and repressive aspects of Sharia and obey the laws of the Western societies in which they live. This is a movement in defense of freedom and equality of rights before the law. Ramadan is lying about the alleged similarity of counter-jihad rhetoric to Nazi rhetoric about the Jews, which in reality was frankly and openly exterminationist from the beginning, while counter-jihadists have never advocated anything but the ideals enshrined in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and have explicitly denounced violence and vigilantism.

But Zead Ramadan wants to advance his repressive and authoritarian model for society, and in order to do so he has to smear those who are resisting the imposition of that societal model. And on a TV network controlled by the Iranian mullahs, no less.

From CBN:

Stakelbeck on Terror Show: Islamization in America

On this week's edition of the Stakelbeck on Terror show, Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller--two leading voices in the fight against the Islamization of the West--join me to discuss Islamic honor killings in America, sharia law in your backyard, and the latest on the Ground Zero mega-mosque. Plus, we go inside Spencer's eye-opening new book, "Did Muhammed Exist?"

Why not? We've already seen Zionist squirrels, and Zionist pigeons, and Zionist rats, and Zionist sharks, Zionist vultures, and even sexually predatory Zionist cats.

A clear sign that Islamic supremacist paranoia is taking hold in Turkey: "Turkey suspects bird of being Israeli spy," by Amir Ben-David for Ynet News, May 15 (thanks to Joshua):

Turkish authorities believe that they have found a bird used for espionage purposes by Israel, the country's media reported.

According to a Tuesday report in Yedioth Ahronoth, an investigation to that effect was launched in Ankara several days ago, after a farmer discovered a dead Merops Apiaster, commonly known as the European Bee-Eater, in his field. The bird had a ring reading "Israel" on one of its legs.

Bird-banding is a common practice in ornithology, meant to help scientists track bird migration routes.

The band, however, was not the most damning piece of evidence against the bee-eater: Its nostrils were.

The bird-beak in question reportedly sported "unusually large nostrils," which – combined with the identification ring – raised suspicions that the bird was "implanted with a surveillance device" and that it arrived in Turkey as part of an espionage mission.

The bird's remains were originally handed over to the Turkish Agriculture Ministry, which then turned in over to Ankara's security services.....

Nightclubs: haram. Murdering people who go to nightclubs: halal. Sharia Alert from Kenya: "Gunmen attack night club Mombasa," from the Telegraph, May 15 (thanks to David):

Gunmen detonated grenades outside a night club in the Kenyan city of Mombasa on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding several others in the latest attack since Kenya sent troops into Somalia to crush Islamist militants.

Nairobi has said al-Shabaab militants, who merged with al-Qaeda earlier this year, are behind a surge in violence and kidnappings threatening tourism in east Africa's biggest economy.

Police said the target of the attack was Bella Vista sports bar in a street known for its nightlife in Mombasa, a popular holiday destination for Kenyans and foreigners.

A pool of blood marked the entrance to the club, and spent cartridges and grenade shells were strewn near its gate. Some cars nearby were riddled with shrapnel marks.

Police said the attackers tried to force their way into the club, but were barred at the gate by guards. They then shot at random and hurled the explosive devices....

"Sometimes you gotta do like Elvis did and shoot the damn thing out." -- Bob Dylan

But there is nothing to be concerned about here. Sharia is completely benign and compatible with the U.S. Constitution. How could it not be? Imam Rauf said so!

"Islamists in northern Mali smash TVs," by Martin Vogl for the Associated Press, May 14 (thanks to David):

BAMAKO, Mali -- A resident in the northern Malian city of Gao says Islamists smashed TV sets that were being used to play video games or watch programs considered un-Islamic, in a further attempt to impose Shariah law there.

The resident who asked for anonymity because he feared reprisal said that residents took to the street in protest after the incident Sunday. The witness said the Islamist fighters fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd....

Clearly he was a true believer writing for true believers -- believers in the Qur'an's promise of virgins in Paradise. Yet that is the one aspect of the jihadis' motives and goals that our Government and military are now forbidden to explore, on pain of charges of "Islamophobia."

"English language al-Qaeda training manual revealed," by Duncan Gardham for the Telegraph, May 14 (thanks to all who sent this in):

An English language guide for Westerners seeking to join al-Qaeda has been published, with recommendations on how to cope with the hardships and dangers of life as a jihadist.

The first section is titled "cleanliness" and says; "As for yourself, a daily shower is ideal but not possible in many cases."

The guide includes rules such as keeping clean, not using mobile phones and thinking of virgins in paradise when bomber-drones are overhead.

Described as a “must-read” source, it has emerged on the internet shortly after it was leaked that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular had been penetrated by a British spy who managed to smuggle out the latest version of their “underpants bomb”.

The guide was written by Samir Khan, an American who served as the top propagandist for the Yemen-based branch of the terrorist movement, which is considered the most dangerous to the West. He was killed by a drone attack in September, alongside AQAP’s chief ideologue, Anwar al-Awlaki,

Khan writes that he had been under the impression that he would be fighting most of the time after joining. “The reality is not quite like that,” he said.

The first section is titled “cleanliness” and says: “In some cases, you will be staying with a few brothers in a tight room or house”. “In order to avoid unnecessary problems, encourage yourself and your brothers to clean the room(s) on a regular basis. As for yourself, a daily shower is ideal but not possible in many cases.”

He describes the “bee-like sound” of the unmanned aerial vehicles in a section headed: “aerial bombardment.”

“If you feel terrified,” he says. “Close your eyes and imagine yourself inside paradise. Think of your hoor [virgins] that are awaiting you as well as meeting the prophets.”...

The al-Qaeda fighters seem to believe in black magic, with Khan writing that the “apostate” government of Saudi Arabia has individuals that “work alongside evil jinns [spirits] that spy on the mujahidin and give away their position.”

This is not black magic. This is straight Islam -- cf. this page from Islam Awareness: "Maybe there is a Jinn sitting in the corner of your room right now, or even one behind you."