Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Nigeria: Pastor killed in front of his church, other churches targeted in arson rampage
Nigeria: Pastor killed in front of his church, other churches targeted in arson rampage
Still more jihadist violence to report against Nigerian churches on Christmas Eve. "Christmas Eve tragedy: Serial blasts, arson in Jos, Borno," by Moses Gbande and Gbenga Akinkugbethe for the Nigerian Compass, December 25:
While the world prepared for the celebration of Christmas yesterday, the residents of Jos, in Plateau State, and Maiduguri, in Borno State were thrown into tears, blood and death .
At least four successive bomb explosions rocked Jos, killing no fewer than 30 people, while suspected members of the Boko Haram sect unleashed mayhem on Maiduguri.More recent reports indicated seven bombs.
No fewer than two people were feared killed in Maiduguri.
The explosions in Jos, which began around 7:30 pm, occurred at different intervals with the fourth one recorded some few minutes after 9pm.
The blasts sent many people scampering for safety. It occurred at a major area in the Jos metropolis but at different locations.
According to witnesses, the first blast was in front of a popular Catholic Church at Gada Biu which is barely a kilometre to the Plateau State Police Command's headquarters.
The other blasts sites are also within this vicinity but they were not concentrated. [...]
The situation was further aggravated by security agents who were shooting heavily and sporadically. This caused further tension and panic among the already shell-shocked and traumatised public who further took to their heels almost aimlessly.
There was no explanation for the shooting by the members of the security outfits.This would not be the first time government forces were caught underprepared by jihadists.
Distress calls to the four hot lines of the State Command Police were neither acknowledged nor answered.
In Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, pandemonium reigned as people suspected to be members of the Boko Haram religious group went on the rampage torching churches and structures believed to be owned by Christians.
A pastor of the Baptist Church , Rev. Bulus T. Narya, was confirmed killed at the front of his church at the Alamderi Dala area of the city and the place of worship was set ablaze.
Also, the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) was said to be on fire as at press time.
And like in Jos, security agents were also reportedly shooting sporadically, a situation which forced many of the residents to stay in-doors in self-imposed curfew.
Sources informed the Nigerian Compass on Saturday that the security agencies had a prior knowledge of yesterday's attack by the Boko Haram sect which necessitated the beefing up of security around all the churches in the city.
It was learnt that the intelligence report by the State Security Service (SSS) had it that the attack would take place on Christmas eve. However, despite the seeming preparedness of the security agencies, suspected members of the dreaded sect still struck.At least one local official questioned the level of preparedness, and how seriously security forces took the threats in Jos.
Meanwhile, the Plateau State government has called for calm.
Jesus was a Palestinian -- "no one denies that," says PA TV
Jesus was a Palestinian -- "no one denies that," says PA TV
Over here, sir! Me, sir! I do! I do, sir!
Islamic supremacism and appropriation of history, delegitimizing Christianity as well as Judaism, is rooted in the Qur'an; it goes all the way back to the declaration that Abraham was a Muslim (3:67).
Note also the fiendishly obscene Islamic antisemitism manifested here: Jesus was the "the first Palestinian Shahid," i.e., the Jews killed him. Arafat was trying to turn the Palestinian jihad against Israel into a perverse and evil Passion Play. "Jesus was a Palestinian- 'no one denies that,' says PA TV," by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik for Palestinian Media Watch, December 24:
One of the ways the Palestinian Authority attempts to create a Palestinian history is to deny the Judean/Jewish nationality of Jesus, and misrepresent him as a "Palestinian." Palestinian Media Watch has documented this ongoing Palestinian Authority historical revision. Recently on PA TV, the author Samih Ghanadreh from Nazareth was interviewed about his book "Christianity and Its Connection to Islam."Read it all.
The following is the transcript of the discussion describing Jesus as a Palestinian:
Religious program on PA TV: This is our religion
Author: "The Shahid (Martyr) President Yasser Arafat used to say: "Jesus was the first Palestinian Shahid (Martyr)." I heard him say that sentence many times."
PA TV Host: "He [Jesus] was a Palestinian; no one denies that."
Author: "He [Jesus] was the first Palestinian Shahid (Martyr). He (Arafat) attributed this Martyrdom to Palestine, as well."
[PA TV (Fatah), Dec. 3, 2010]...
Nigeria: At least 31 dead in Christmas Eve bombings
Nigeria: At least 31 dead in Christmas Eve bombings
Officials received threats from Muslim groups in recent weeks, but did not take them seriously. More on this story. "Death toll increases in Nigerian attacks," from CNN, December 25 (thanks to Zulu):
(CNN) -- The Christmas Eve attacks in the volatile Nigerian city of Jos have claimed at least 31 lives, a bloody aftermath in a region long torn by Christian and Muslim hostility.
Choji Gyang, a special adviser to the governor of the west African country's Plateau state, confirmed the death toll on Saturday, and said 74 others were wounded.
Most of the injured have serious wounds, and some of them suffered leg amputations.
Seven blasts rippled through the city as residents celebrated Chrismas Eve, four in the Kabong area and three in Angwa Rubuka. Gyang cited a "lapse in security" by a special task force not "doing what they were expected to do."
"Five different bombs blasts in the heart of Jos. This is the height of insecurity in this city," Gyang said.
Most of the injured have serious wounds; some of them got both legs amputated and the authorities are concerned about their conditions.
Gyang said no one has claimed responsibility but Islamic fundamentalists are suspected of carrying out the attacks. [...]
Gyang, who is special adviser on religious affairs to the governor, said it was unclear who set off the blasts or whether they were related. But the bombs detonated in the "same manner," Gyang said, and they "all went to where people were concentrated."
In recent weeks, the governor's office had received letters purported to be from some Muslim organizations threatening attacks against Christians, Gyang said.
"The security officials didn't take the threat letters seriously. They were thought of as gimmicks, and at the end of the day, they became reality."
A special task force sent to Plateau state by the federal government in the preceding two days had gone on radio telling residents to go about their business and not to worry about the security situation in the area, Gyang said....
Christmas jihad attacks on churches in Philippines, Nigeria
Christmas jihad attacks on churches in Philippines, Nigeria
Weirdly, this AFP story concludes with an account of a bus accident in Ecuador, as if jihad attacks against churches were just another variety of accident. "Fresh attacks mar Christmas celebrations," from AFP, December 25 (thanks to Sr. Soph):
Fresh attacks against Christians marred the Christmas festival as church leaders condemned religious persecution and called for peace and reconciliation. PhilippinesJihad attacks, accidents in overcrowded vehicles -- you know, these things happen...
A bomb in a church during Christmas mass in the southern Philippines wounded six people, including the priest, even as Christian leaders highlighted the plight of believers facing the threat of attacks around the world.
Military officials would not immediately name any suspects in the blast on Jolo island, but the island is a known bastion of the Abu Sayyaf, a group linked to the Al Qaeda network....
Nigeria
In the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Friday, suspected Islamist sect gunmen attacked a church during Christmas Eve services but were fought off by soldiers, a military spokesman said....
Ecuador
A coach journey by passengers heading home for family Christmas celebrations in Ecuador turned tragic Friday when the overcrowded vehicle plunged off the road, killing at least 41, officials said....
Dutch arrest 12 "men of Somali origin" thought to be ready to launch jihad attack
Dutch arrest 12 "men of Somali origin" thought to be ready to launch jihad attack
Merry Christmas, Infidel! Of course, there is no mention of the ideology driving the "terror" plot. "Dutch arrest 12 thought to be ready to launch terror attack," from CNN, December 25:
Dutch authorities have arrested 12 men of Somali origin they believe were about to carry out a terrorist attack, authorities said Saturday.
The country's intelligence service provided information that led to the arrests in Rotterdam, Public Prosecution Service spokesman Wim de Bruin told CNN.
No weapons or explosives were found and there has been no increase in the Netherlands' terror alert level, he said. The suspects are in police custody.
"The attack was said to be imminent so the national police started an investigation which led to the arrest of 12 Somalis later on Friday in Rotterdam," de Bruin said. "We are not sure about what the target was, how they were going to carry out the attack or when."
The men, between ages 19 and 48, were arrested in various locations. Police have searched a pawn shop, four homes and two hotel rooms, de Bruin said.
Six of the suspects live in Rotterdam and one is from Denmark. Some are Dutch citizens. They all are of Somali origin, de Bruin said.
Pakistan: Suicide bomber who struck refugees waiting for food was wearing burqa
Pakistan: Suicide bomber who struck refugees waiting for food was wearing burqa
Police said "the attacker was a woman, who resisted being searched and hurled a hand grenade at security guards at the checkpoint before triggering her bomb..."
Did they offer her the option of a self-administered pat-down and hand swab?
An update on this story, as recent reports point to a single attacker. "More than 80 dead in Pakistan bombing and raids," from Agence France-Presse, December 25 (thanks to Sr. Soph):
Did they offer her the option of a self-administered pat-down and hand swab?
An update on this story, as recent reports point to a single attacker. "More than 80 dead in Pakistan bombing and raids," from Agence France-Presse, December 25 (thanks to Sr. Soph):
More than 80 were killed in a suicide bombing on a World Food Programme project and a series of helicopter raids against militant camps in Pakistan, officials said.
A suicide bomber wearing a burqa, who some officials said was a woman, killed at least 41 people at a World Food Programme distribution point in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said.
The blast occurred in Khar, the main town of lawless Bajaur tribal district, once a stronghold of Taliban militants who have carried out several bombings and suicide attacks in the area.
"At least 41 people are dead and more than 60 wounded in the suicide bombing," tribal administration official Sohail Khan said.
Separately, 40 militants were killed in Mohmand, another lawless tribal district, in a series of military raids, officials said.It's not that Mohmand is lawless; the district is simply suffering the upheaval caused by the jihadist imperative to replace any other legal system with Sharia.
There were conflicting reports about the identity of the bomber in Khar with some officials saying the attacker was a woman, while others claimed a man disguised in a burqa was responsible.
The bomber was intercepted at a checkpoint outside the ration distribution centre and the blast occurred during a search, Sohail Khan said.
The deputy administrator of Khar, Tariq Khan, said that the bombing was carried out by a woman. "It was a female suicide bomber," he said.
Tribal police officials Mubashir Khan and Munasib Khan also said the attacker was a woman, who resisted being searched and hurled a hand grenade at security guards at the checkpoint before triggering her bomb....
"Your [Christmas] fireworks will act as an alarm for the time of our devices to blow up -- devices that we, not Santa Claus, are going to offer to you as gifts, to turn your night into day and your blood into rivers"
"Your [Christmas] fireworks will act as an alarm for the time of our devices to blow up -- devices that we, not Santa Claus, are going to offer to you as gifts, to turn your night into day and your blood into rivers"
For the Islamic jihadist, Christmas is evil, but mass murder isn't. "Yule ghouls' jingle bombs," from AFP, December 25:
WASHINGTON -- An Islamic extremist has threatened in an audiotaped message to set off bombs in countries celebrating Christmas. "Your [Christmas] fireworks will act as an alarm for the time of our devices to blow up -- devices that we, not Santa Claus, are going to offer to you as gifts, to turn your night into day and your blood into rivers," said a member of the Shumukh al-Islam forum.
Hours later, a bomb blast wounded six people today during Christmas Mass at a church in the Philippines.
And in northern Nigeria last night, Islamist sect members launched a failed attack on a church during Christmas Eve services.
Report: Karzai in favor of official Taliban presence in Turkey
Report: Karzai in favor of official Taliban presence in Turkey
You may want to read this one sitting down. "Report: Karzai open to Taliban setting up office in Turkey," from CNN, December 25:
(CNN) -- Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said Friday that he'd welcome a Taliban office opening in Turkey, that country's state-run news agency reported, adding that such a development could help peace talks in his war-torn nation.
Karzai made his remarks during a joint press conference with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, following a meeting of the three leaders at Istanbul's Ciragan Palace.
The Afghan president acknowledged that there have been discussions about Taliban officials setting up somewhere in Turkey "in order to facilitate reconciliation and integration," according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu.
"If Turkey can be kind to provide such a venue we, the government of Afghanistan will be pleased and happy to see that facilitation (in) Turkey," said Karzai.
The president referenced an article published earlier this week in the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, in which former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Zaeef said that having the Taliban set up an office in a neutral country may help bring about peace.
Zaeef -- who served time in the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and is now living openly in Kabul -- suggested that a country like the United Arab Emirates, "which is not interested in interfering in Afghanistan like Pakistan or China," would be a good option.
While not an official representative of the Taliban, the former ambassador did attend a meeting in October involving political figures from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Farouq Wardak, Afghanistan's education minister, then said that Kabul was ready to enter a "new phase" in building bridges and making peace with the Taliban.
Hamas says Israel has two options: leave or die
Hamas says Israel has two options: leave or die
At first, this statement may seem at odds with recent reports in which Hamas said it is committed to its current "truce" with Israel, but the hudna is never meant to last. It is a temporary cessation of hostilities, and only when it is in the interest of Islamic forces to re-arm and regroup -- not to mention the opportunity it provides for Hamas to deceive the credulous into thinking they could be sincere participants in a meaningful "peace process."
This report only serves to remind that Hamas' ultimate goal, the destruction of Israel, remains unchanged. "Hamas: Israel has two options - death or leaving Palestinian lands," from Haaretz, December 25 (thanks to Sr. Soph):
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This report only serves to remind that Hamas' ultimate goal, the destruction of Israel, remains unchanged. "Hamas: Israel has two options - death or leaving Palestinian lands," from Haaretz, December 25 (thanks to Sr. Soph):
The head of Hamas' armed wing warned Israel on Saturday against launching any new military action in the Gaza Strip, accusing Israel of attempting to escalate the situation. The statement came after days of renewed rocket fire on Israeli communities and Israel Defense Forces strikes in Gaza.
Hamas would not rest until Israel was ousted from Palestine, said Ahmed al-Jabari, leader of the Izz a-din al-Qassam Brigades, adding that Israel had two options - to leave Palestinian territories or face death. He said that Hamas resistance would continue as long as Zionists remained in Palestine.
Also Saturday, Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida warned Israel to refrain from any further aggression in the Gaza Strip, at a news conference in Gaza to mark the second anniversary of Operation Cast Lead, a three-week IDF incursion aimed at halting rocket fire on Israel's southern communities from the strip.Hudna's working:
"We are now stronger than before and during the war, and our silence over the past two years was only for evaluating the situation," Abu Obeida told the news conference. "We won't face the current attempts of the enemy to escalate the situation with silence."
Abu Obeida said that the news conference was being held to mark the second anniversary of the Gaza war, and the 23rd anniversary of the founding of Hamas.
Israel Air Force warplanes carried out three airstrikes late Friday against targets in the Gaza Strip. Israeli F-16s flying over the coastal enclave fired two missiles at suspected smuggling tunnels on the border between southern Gaza and Egypt. No injuries were reported, witnesses said.
An IDF spokesman confirmed the three air raids, saying the strikes were in response to a homemade rocket fired earlier Friday by Gaza militant groups at southern Israel.
Earlier Friday, a Hamas official said that the organization was committed to the unofficial ceasefire with Israel reached after Operation Cast Lead in 2008, despite the recent rise in violence.
But rocket and mortar fire from Gaza have increased in the run-up to the second anniversary of Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, which began on December 27, 2008 and lasted for three weeks.
Misunderstanders of Islam "call on our brothers to come to Somalia and to help us expand the East Africa jihad"
Misunderstanders of Islam "call on our brothers to come to Somalia and to help us expand the East Africa jihad"
It's funny how none of the Vast Majority of Peaceful Muslims seems interested in going to Mogadishu to explain to al-Shabaab how they're getting Islam and jihad all wrong, wrong, wrong. Honest Ibe? Brave Ahmed? Boy Reza? Anyone? Anyone? "Somalia: Al Shabaab calls for continuation of 'East Africa jihad,'" from Garowe Online, December 25:
Somali insurgents have called on Al Qaeda terrorist network to 'come to Somalia' and join what the insurgents called 'East Africa jihad', Radio Garowe reports. Al Shabaab insurgent spokesman, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage "Ali Dheere," told a press conference in Mogadishu on Friday that Al Qaeda fighters should come to Somalia to "expand the East Africa jihad."Sheikh Rage. What an apt name for an Islamic jihad leader.
"We call on our brothers [Al Qaeda] to come to Somalia and to help us expand the East Africa jihad," Ali Dheere said, who was sitting alongside former Hizbul Islam insurgent spokesman, Sheikh Abdifatah Mohamed Ali....
Saudi morality police ready to clamp down on New Year's celebrations
Saudi morality police ready to clamp down on New Year's celebrations
It isn't just Christmas they hate. There Is No Fun In Islam* Update: "Haia men ready to block New Year festivities," by MD Humaidan for Arab News, December 24 (thanks to all who sent this in):
JEDDAH: The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) has directed all its branch offices to be on the lookout for any year-end celebration, the director general of the Haia in Makkah province Sheikh Ahmad Al-Ghamdi said in a statement to Arab News on Friday. "The Haia will immediately dismantle any form of preparations for the celebrations but if these preparations are out of its jurisdiction, it will take up the matter with the authorities concerned," he said, pointing out such prohibitions apply to the celebration of the Hijra new year or the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).Which is doubletalk for, "Don't do it."
Sheikh Al-Ghamdi asked the parents to consolidate the Islamic identity of their children and said Saudi citizens and Muslim expatriates should stick to the calls of their Islamic identity.
"This, however, does not prevent Muslims from participating in the celebrations of the non-Muslims on condition that this participation should not touch the basics of the Islamic faith," he said.
The Haia representatives and other authorities concerned are checking markets these days to check for goods with a New Year theme and confiscate them.... The Saudi Permanent Committee for Ifta and Research has said in a fatwa attributed to its chairman Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh that it was against Islam to memorialize the births of prophets, the advent of new calendar years or other holidays.* The Ayatollah Khomeini said that.
Jihad attacks threatened against "the unbeliever and Christian countries celebrating Christmas"
Jihad attacks threatened against "the unbeliever and Christian countries celebrating Christmas"
"The Zero Hour has arrived" for the forces of rage and hate. More on this story. "'Jihadist' issues Christmas bombing threat," from AFP, December 24:
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A "jihadist" in an audiotaped threat said fireworks displays will set off terrorist bombs in countries celebrating Christmas, the SITE monitoring group said. The recording, titled "The Zero Hour has arrived" and directed to "the unbeliever and Christian countries celebrating Christmas," lasts one minute, three seconds and bears the voice of a member of the Shumukh al-Islam forum, said the US-based monitor.His "accidental death" came as he was trying to explode a jihad bomb in a crowded area.
The speaker, according to SITE, said that failure to heed warnings to cease bloodshed in Muslim countries would result in attacks....
It also comes amid Nigeria's warning that Al-Qaeda-linked militants were likely planning attacks during the Christmas holiday, and the accidental death of a suicide bomber in Stockholm two weeks ago who apparently intended to kill Christmas shoppers.
Modern, moderate Malaysia: 200 arrested for "deviating from Islam"
Modern, moderate Malaysia: 200 arrested for "deviating from Islam"
Isn't it great that Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange made sure that Oklahoma would be safe for Sharia? The people arrested seem to have committed the crime of being Shi'ites. Sharia Alert from modern, moderate Malaysia: "Malaysia may charge 200 for deviating from Islam," from the Associated Press, December 20 (thanks to all who sent this in):
A Malaysian official says more than 200 people, including Iranians, Indonesians and Pakistanis, detained last week may be charged with breaching Islamic laws.Nurhamizah Othman of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department says Islamic officials arrested the group, who were allegedly followers of the outlawed Shia sect, in central Selangor state.
Saudi King floats idea of moving Ground Zero mega-mosque to "less controversial Manhattan location"
Saudi King floats idea of moving Ground Zero mega-mosque to "less controversial Manhattan location"
Pamela Geller, who is quoted in this article, explains here why this is an offer free people should view with skepticism: "The Saudi offer rings hollow -- particularly after the Wikileak bombshell -- the Saudis are the 'chief funders of al-Qaeda.' And the Saudis are funding over 80% of the mosque building in America. And the Saudis have been spreading 'pure Islam' for decades. And the Saudis fund Hamas groups like CAIR."
"King mulls hospital site for mosque: Ground zero spurs protests," by David Eldridge for The Washington Times, December 19 (thanks to all who sent this in):
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, in an effort to quiet criticism of Muslims in the U.S., is quietly looking into moving the ground zero mosque to a less controversial Manhattan location, according to news reports Sunday.New York City attorney Dudley Gaffin has contacted officials about the Saudi royal family's interest in moving the mosque from its site, two blocks from the former World Trade Center and within the damage zone on Sept. 11, 2001, to the shuttered St. Vincent's hospital campus in the West Village, the New York Post and other news organizations reported Sunday. [...]The 87-year-old Abdullah has said previously he would not get involved with the ground zero mosque, but the project's biggest proponents, developer Sharif El-Gamal and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, are actively seeking funding for the project.The Post reported that the Saudis see funding and moving the mosque project as a way to address concerns and highlight Muslim philanthropy.The developers of Park51, the proposed Muslim community center and mosque, this month applied for $5 million in grants from a federal fund set up to aid redevelopment of the Sept. 11 attack area.Mr. El-Gamal has said fundraising for the project is in the initial phases and is on schedule and expects construction to begin within three years, but the developer has been fighting off lawsuits for nonpayment of debt.Pamela Geller, a blogger who has emerged as one of the leaders of the groups protesting the proposed Muslim mosque and community center, told The Washington Times that opposition to the project has not died down."The very idea that they would apply for $5 million from 9/11 funds is really outrageous," she said.If the project is completed at the Lower Manhattan site, two blocks from ground zero, the mosque will represent a victory for the terrorists, she said."They will have stolen something sacred from the American people. Whenever someone mentions 'ground zero,' it will mean the mosque, not the site where thousands of innocent people lost their lives," she said."If the mosque is about healing, if that is true, we implore the imam to move it," she said. "This issue is not going to go away."Mr. Rauf, who has been the target of some of the harshest criticism, announced last week a nationwide speaking tour on behalf of the project."We must retake the discourse among religions and cultures from the hands of the extremists around the world who benefit from hatred and violence," the imam said.The imam feels that "he is in a position where his voice is being heard," said spokesman Gene Grabowski, adding that Mr. Rauf has been invited to speak on several college campuses, including Harvard and Yale universities....
Of course. What would you expect?
UK: Muslim group launches "Christmas is evil" poster campaign
UK: Muslim group launches "Christmas is evil" poster campaign
Christmas: does it make you think of STD's, rape, teenage pregnancy, abortion? Me either. Islamic Tolerance Alert from Absurd Britannia: "'Christmas is evil': Muslim group launches poster campaign against festive period," from the Daily Mail, December 22 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):
Fanatics from a banned Islamic hate group have launched a nationwide poster campaign denouncing Christmas as evil. Organisers plan to put up thousands of placards around the UK claiming the season of goodwill is responsible for rape, teenage pregnancies, abortion, promiscuity, crime and paedophilia.Yes, dignity for women and non-Muslims, as long as they know their place.
They hope the campaign will help 'destroy Christmas' in this country and lead to Britons converting to Islam instead....
The placards, which have already appeared in parts of London, feature an apparently festive scene with an image of the Star of Bethlehem over a Christmas tree.
But under a banner announcing 'the evils of Christmas' it features a message mocking the song the 12 Days of Christmas.
It reads: 'On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me an STD (sexually transmitted disease).
'On the second day debt, on the third rape, the fourth teenage pregnancies and then there was abortion.'
According to the posters, Christmas is also to responsible for paganism, domestic violence, homelessness, vandalism, alcohol and drugs.
Another offence of Christmas, it proclaims, is 'claiming God has a son'.
The bottom of the poster declares: 'In Islam we are protected from all of these evils. We have marriage, family, honour, dignity, security, rights for man, woman and child.'...
"We are afraid for our sons and our children. There is no life in Baghdad for the Christians."
"We are afraid for our sons and our children. There is no life in Baghdad for the Christians."
The jihad persecution of Christians in Iraq continues to go largely unnoticed by human rights organizations and international bodies that are supposed to be trying to protect people who are threatened. "Iraqi Christians get set for a grim Christmas," by Rebecca Santana for the Associated Press, December 19 (thanks to all who sent this in):
IRBIL, Iraq-- They saw their brethren murdered during Mass and then were bombed in their homes as they mourned. Al-Qaida vowed to hunt them down. Now the Christian community of Iraq, almost as old as the religion itself, is sensing a clear message: It is time to leave.
And why? Because the international community has abandoned them. No one cares. To care about their predicament in Iraq would be "Islamophobic."
Since the Oct. 31 bloodbath in their Baghdad church, Iraqi Christians have been fleeing Sunni Muslim extremists who view them as nonbelievers and agents of the West. At a time when Christians in various parts of the Muslim world are feeling pressured, Iraqi Christians are approaching their grimmest Christmas since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 and wondering if they have any future in their native land. They have suffered repeated violence and harassment since 2003, when the interreligious peace rigidly enforced by Saddam Hussein fell apart. But the attack on Our Lady of Salvation in which 68 people died appears to have been a tipping point that has driven many to flee northward to the Kurdish enclave while seeking asylum in the U.S. and elsewhere.
'We are afraid'
What seemed different this time was the way the gunmen brazenly barged onto sacred ground, the subsequent targeting of homes by bombers who clearly knew every Christian address, and the Internet posting in which al-Qaida-linked militants took responsibility for the church attack and vowed a campaign of violence against Christians wherever they are.
Ban Daub, 51, narrowly survived the onslaught. She and her nephew were at prayer when they heard explosions. They escaped before five attackers stormed in, but many of their friends did not. A neighbor died clutching his son and daughter in his arms.
Days later a string of bombs went off outside Christian homes across Baghdad. Daub and her family packed a few belongings and headed to a Christian district called Ainkawa in this Kurdish city of Irbil.
"We are afraid for our sons and our children. There is no life in Baghdad for the Christians," she says....
In the Middle East and in Muslim countries beyond, Christians are finding themselves subject to violence and harassment. The Vatican is so worried that it hosted a two-week meeting of Mideast bishops this fall, dedicated to supporting Christian minorities....
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Protester killed as Egypt Christians clash with police
Protester killed as Egypt Christians clash with police
CAIRO — One demonstrator was killed and dozens injured on Wednesday as Christian protesters clashed with Egyptian police over the refusal of permission for a new church, a security official said.
The clashes came amid mounting sectarian tensions in the Arab world's most populous nation after Muslims set fire to homes owned by the family of a Christian man rumoured to have flirted with a Muslim girl in the south.
A security official told AFP that a young male demonstrator was killed during the protests over the church and that a senior police officer was among the injured.
A crowd of around 150 people had clashed sporadically with police through the morning in the Talibiya district of the capital Cairo, with demonstrators throwing stones and Molotov cocktails, and the police responding with tear gas.
Several police and 12 soldiers were injured in the clashes as well as around 15 demonstrators.
Some of the protesters were led away with blood on their faces, after police hurled rocks at them from a bridge, the security official said, adding that more than 20 people were arrested.
He identified the dead man as Makarios Jad Shukr, 19. Witnesses said he was shot at around 6:30 am (0430 GMT) as demonstrators tried to approach the proposed site of the new church.
"People here feel very discriminated against. We can't build the church -- why are they stopping us?" asked Samih Rashid.
"Every street has a mosque, every church has a mosque next to it," he complained.
More than 20 young Muslim men shouting anti-Coptic slogans threw rocks at the demonstrators under a bridge on the ringroad where some of the police fired tear gas at the Copts.
"This is the way the government starts sectarian strife," said one of the demonstrators, who were heard chanting: "With our blood and with our souls we will sacrifice our lives for you, oh Cross."
They were protesting against the government's decision not to allow the Copts to turn a community centre that they were building into a church, with witnesses saying construction workers had been arrested on their way to the site.
Copts account for between six and 10 percent of Egypt's 80 million population and complain of systematic discrimination and marginalisation.
Non-Muslims are required to obtain a presidential decree to construct new religious buildings and must satisfy numerous conditions before permission is granted, in contrast to the ease with which mosques can be built.
The clashes took place just days before Egypt is to go to the polls for a parliamentary election, which is expected to return the ruling National Democratic Party to power.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i8m4SrBZZ_k5oymqygfqDypiWaaQ?docId=CNG.38e1dc44f823cc3b1c8604ec5f26e3b0.2f1
Authorities Block Egypt Church Construction, Kill Protester...Pakistan Govt. Minister: Taliban are True Followers of Islam, USA ‘Biggest Terrorists’
Pakistan Govt. Minister: Taliban are True Followers of Islam, USA ‘Biggest Terrorists’
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| What They Say vs. What They Do: Pakistan's government are duplicitous and treacherous - although Tourism Minister ur-Rehman (second from left), appears to be 'off-message', as he tells us what they really think |
The Taliban are “the true followers of Islamic ideology”, says a Pakistan minister who also believes that “America is the biggest terrorist of the world”.
According to federal minister for tourism Maulana Attaur Rehman: “Ulema and Taliban are the true followers of Islamic ideology and America is the biggest terrorist of the world, which is creating hatred against them.”
Dawn quoted Rehman as saying at a public gathering in Allai area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Tuesday that terrorism could not be brought to an end until the US and the world gave equal rights and respect to the Muslims.
“It is a misconception that ulema and Taliban are against co-existence of people with different religions. In fact it is America which is against the interfaith harmony to maintain its hegemony on the world,” said Rehman.
The Pakistan army has been battling heavily armed Taliban guerrillas in the mountainous Waziristan region. The well-entrenched rebels put up a stiff resistance against the advancing soldiers.
The country has faced a string of terror strikes and the Taliban has been blamed for the Dec 27, 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi.
At last a little refreshing honesty breezes through from Islamabad. Mr ur-Rehman has obviously missed all the government media briefing meetings. Inexcusable really – as Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Tourism, he can’t be that busy.
[Source: Dawn/Times of India]
Jihad du Jour: Yemen Sunnis Take Out 17 Shias with Car Bomb
Yemen car bomb kills 17, rattling fragile truce
SANAA — A car bomb struck a religious procession in a Shiite rebel bastion of north Yemen on Wednesday, killing 17 people and rattling a fragile truce with the government, a rebel spokesman and a tribal chief said.
"Seventeen people were killed and 15 wounded in the car bombing that targeted a Shiite procession in Al-Jawf province," rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam told AFP by telephone.
Abdulsalam said the attack targeted the faithful who were preparing to mark Al-Ghadeer, the day on which Shiites commemorate the anointment of Ali, one of the key figures of their faith, as successor to the Prophet Mohammed.
The anniversary has long been a source of contention between the Sunni and Shiite branches of the faith and a tribal leader in the province told AFP that the bombing was the work of a Sunni militant loyal to Al-Qaeda.
"A suicide bomber driving a four-wheel drive vehicle blew himself up alongside the procession," the tribal chief said.
"Among the dead was provincial tribal chief Hussein bin Ahmed bin Hadhban and his son," he added.
Other tribal sources warned that the death toll was likely to rise. One told AFP it "could reach 30."
Yemen is the ancestral homeland of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and has been a growing focus for the operations of his worldwide jihadist network sparking a sharp increase in US military aid.
The mountains in the west of Al-Jawf province and neighbouring Saada have been a stronghold of Zaidi Shiite rebels in the uprising they have been waging against the Sanaa government on and off for the past six years.
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday that there had been an "alarming escalation" in fighting in the region, despite a truce signed between the rebels and Sanaa in February.
The agency said that aid agencies and witnesses had reported that clashes between the rebels and pro-government tribes had erupted in Saada province on November 13.
"At least 20 people have been killed reportedly and others wounded over the past 10 days in the worst violence in northern Yemen since the signing of the ceasefire in February," UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said, speaking before the latest unrest.
The Yemeni army launched a major offensive against the rebels in August last year sparking a new round of conflict that spilled over the border of the Arab world's poorest country with oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
That fighting ended with an uneasy truce in February mediated by gas-rich Qatar.
But it has been repeatedly shaken by clashes between the rebels and pro-government tribes, and Qatar has been forced to undertake a series of mediation missions in a bid to broker implementation of the peace deal.
Clashes late last month killed two rebel fighters and a pro-government tribesman, a tribal chief said.
The rebels draw their support from among followers of the Zaidi branch of Shiite Islam, who are in the minority in mainly Sunni Yemen but form the majority community in the north.
There have been six rounds of fighting between the rebels and government troops since the uprising first erupted in 2004.
The UNHCR says that more than 300,000 people have fled the fighting, of whom just 20,000 have so far returned to homes in Saada province.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gUx0NsKeW6A6ByEDVRMUVLpS281w?docId=CNG.bf34ffaff39d44f25f50a544bf627208.501
Two Christian Brothers Gunned Down...
Police: 2 Christian brothers shot, killed in Iraq
By HAMID AHMED
The Associated Press Monday, November 22, 2010; 8:41 AM
BAGHDAD -- Gunmen shot and killed two Christian brothers Monday in a northern Iraqi city in the latest in a spate of attacks targeting the religious minority, Iraqi police said.
Christians have been fleeing Iraq amid a series of attacks against them by militants who have vowed a campaign of violence against the country's Christian minority.
In the most serious attack, 68 people died after a group of militants with explosives strapped to their bodies held about 120 people hostage in a Baghdad church last month before Iraqi authorities stormed the building.
Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) north of Baghdad is home to a sizable Christian population that has repeatedly come under attack from Sunni militants who view Christians as nonbelievers.
Brothers Saad and Raad Hannah were working in their auto mechanic shop in Mosul when gunmen burst in and shot them dead before fleeing, police said. A local hospital worker confirmed the deaths. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Last week, two Christians in Mosul were sitting in their living room when gunmen burst into the house and shot them. That same night a house belonging to a Christian family in a different neighborhood of the city was also bombed, although no one was killed in that incident.
Earlier this month, five people were killed during a series of coordinated bombings targeting Christian homes and neighborhoods in Baghdad. Those attacks came after Iraqi authorities beefed up security at churches across Baghdad in response to the hostage crisis.
The attacks against Christians have drawn international condemnation, and some countries in Europe have flown Christians wounded in the church attack out of Iraq for medical treatment. But Iraqi church officials have also pleaded with the Christian minority to not be driven out of their homeland.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/22/AR2010112201948.html?nav=ft_world
Christian Faces Death Penalty for Leaving Islam...
From Matiullah Mati for CNN:
An Afghan Christian, detained for months for allegedly converting to Christianity from Islam, could face trial as early as next week - and could face a potential death penalty, officials said Sunday.
Said Musa was arrested by Afghan Interior Ministry intelligence authorities near the German Embassy in Kabul because of the allegations, said Qamaruddin Shenwari, director of the Kabul courts' north zone. The exact date of his arrest is not known.
The case against Musa has not yet been finalized, said Mohammad Najim Hamidi, director of public security at Zone 3 of the Kabul courts. He could face trial next week if the case is prepared by then, Hamidi said. It was earlier thought Musa's trial would begin on Sunday.
The Afghan Constitution does not mention converting from one religion to another, so the judge will take Islamic law into account, officials said.
"According to Afghanistan's constitution, if there is no clear verdict as to whether an act is criminal or not in the penal code of the Afghan Constitution, then it would be referred to sharia law where the judge has an open hand in reaching a verdict," Shenwari said.
Under sharia law, converting from Islam to Christianity is punishable by death.
It was not immediately clear where Musa was being held and whether he has access to his attorney or relatives.
The U.S. State Department said last week in its annual International Religious Freedom Report that "respect for religious freedom" decreased in Afghanistan in the last year, "particularly toward Christian groups and individuals."
Christians, Hindus and Sikhs - as well as Muslims whose practices don't satisfy the government or society - suffer "intolerance in the form of harassment, occasional violence, discrimination and inflammatory public statements," the report said. It estimated the Afghan Christian community ranges from 500 to 8,000 people.
Posted by: The Editors - CNN Belief BlogAn Afghan Christian, detained for months for allegedly converting to Christianity from Islam, could face trial as early as next week - and could face a potential death penalty, officials said Sunday.
Said Musa was arrested by Afghan Interior Ministry intelligence authorities near the German Embassy in Kabul because of the allegations, said Qamaruddin Shenwari, director of the Kabul courts' north zone. The exact date of his arrest is not known.
The case against Musa has not yet been finalized, said Mohammad Najim Hamidi, director of public security at Zone 3 of the Kabul courts. He could face trial next week if the case is prepared by then, Hamidi said. It was earlier thought Musa's trial would begin on Sunday.
The Afghan Constitution does not mention converting from one religion to another, so the judge will take Islamic law into account, officials said.
"According to Afghanistan's constitution, if there is no clear verdict as to whether an act is criminal or not in the penal code of the Afghan Constitution, then it would be referred to sharia law where the judge has an open hand in reaching a verdict," Shenwari said.
Under sharia law, converting from Islam to Christianity is punishable by death.
It was not immediately clear where Musa was being held and whether he has access to his attorney or relatives.
The U.S. State Department said last week in its annual International Religious Freedom Report that "respect for religious freedom" decreased in Afghanistan in the last year, "particularly toward Christian groups and individuals."
Christians, Hindus and Sikhs - as well as Muslims whose practices don't satisfy the government or society - suffer "intolerance in the form of harassment, occasional violence, discrimination and inflammatory public statements," the report said. It estimated the Afghan Christian community ranges from 500 to 8,000 people.
Filed under: Afghanistan • Christianity • Islam
Dutch Muslims Slaughter 100,000 Animals for Eid...Dutch Muslims Slaughter 100,000 Animals for Eid...
Netherland Muslims slaughtered 100,000 animals for Eid ul-Adha
Around 95,000 sheep and about 4,000 cows were slaughtered this year in the Netherlands (NL) in honor of Eid ul-Adha. |
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Around 95,000 sheep and about 4,000 cows were slaughtered this year in the Netherlands (NL) in honor of Eid ul-Adha. In general the rules for slaughtering and transporting the animals were observed, reports the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.Slaughterhouses had a veterinarian present during the Muslim holiday, to check for any violations of the law. In some slaughterhouses, people who nicked the neck before slaughter were sent away since they didn't seem to be skilled enough.
In some cattle slaughterhouses there were problems with the timing mechanism which ensures that the animals were fully dead. Those animals had been stunned. In some cases the animals weren't transported by the rules and the drivers were fined.
--------------
The Alderman for Diversity in Antwerp (Belgium), Monica De Coninck, reported that fewer sheep were slaughtered (NL) in the city this year. Muslims in the city could slaughter their sheep in three slaughterhouses, one which was set up for the occasion. Altogether, 3,670 were slaughtered, 334 fewer than last year. Abdellatif Akhandaf of the municipality says that it's possible that people slaughtered their sheep elsewhere, and that there are now more alternatives for slaughtering one's sheep. One such alternative is a gift. The city encourages this option in its contacts with the Muslim community.
Ghent also offered a regular slaughterhouse (150 sheep slaughtered) or a "do-it-yourself" area (1200 sheep slaughtered). Slightly more sheep were slaughtered in the city this year.
In Brussels, Perrine Marchal of the municipality, reports they see an increasing demand every year. Four years ago 300 sheep were slaughtered and this year there were 548. They think that it's because people don't slaughter at home as much.
End item/ 129
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=214020
Swedish Muslim Carries out Suicide Bombing in Iraq…
Posted by ZIP on Saturday, November 20, 2010, at 3:28 PM
http://weaselzippers.us/2010/11/20/swedish-muslim-carries-out-suicide-bombing-in-iraq/
Exploding with love for the “prophet”…
(Stockholm News)- The Swedish 36-year-old went to Iraq – to die as a martyr for the terrorist group The Islamic State of Iraq. In the city of Mosul, he blew himself up and killed several people. Back home in Sweden he left his wife and four children.
Information about the man was published on a Internet forum used by the terrorist network Al Qaeda, writes the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. Also on other forums there are details on the 36-year-old, a Swedish citizen written on an address in a Stockholm suburb.The man was born in 1974 in Tunisia and came to Sweden in 2000. The year before he married his Swedish wife abroad. In 2003 he became a Swedish citizen and started up a cleaning business which he ran until 2005.According to newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, in 2008, he enlisted for The Islamic State of Iraq, a terrorist group supported by Al-Qaeda in Iraq.In 2010, in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq, the father of four blew himself up in a suicide bomb attack which killed and injured several Iraqi policemen. The exact date is unclear.He is now hailed as a martyr and hero for this deed on Islamic websites.Back home in Sweden lives his wife and young children. His wife knew that her husband was in Iraq to fight in the war, she tells newspaper Expressen.She was told that her man had died over the telephone.“There was a man who called me. He said very short: ‘Your husband is dead. He has become a martyr.’ And hung up,” she told the newspaper.“What he has done is right. I’m proud of him.”
http://weaselzippers.us/2010/11/20/swedish-muslim-carries-out-suicide-bombing-in-iraq/
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