July 2008

Crossroads in History: The Struggle against Jihad and Supremacist Ideologies

In fighting Islamic supremacism, instead of an approach only based on tactical measures and efforts at clever twists of terminology, what if America had a true strategy that was instead based on the defense of our values on human equality and liberty? The true challenge of Islamic supremacism to America and the free world is not about Islam, Islamism, or terrorism, but about us. It is a historic challenge to determine whether we truly have the courage of our convictions on equality and liberty and we are willing to fight for these ideals, or if we will instead accept the continuing growth of anti-freedom ideologies here and around the world. Islamic supremacists are counting on their belief that America is no longer willing to fight for such freedoms, that it has gotten too soft to do so, and that regardless of the success or failure of individual Jihadist tactics, eventually we will tolerate a continued growth of Islamic supremacism. The crossroads in history that we stand at remains whether or not we will prove Islamic supremacists correct, or if the idea defined in our very Declaration of Independence and chiseled in a marble memorial in America's capital - that "all men are created equal" - is an idea that America will once again sacrifice to defend……(Counterterrorism Blog, 3 Jul 08)

The Erosion of Free Speech

Although the headline of the June 8th article in the Daily Times of Pakistan read “Pakistan to ask EU to amend laws on freedom of expression,” the request from high-level government officials was in reality a threat. The six-person Pakistani delegation was set to deliver a warning that unless blasphemy against Islam stopped, terrorist attacks against European assets could escalate. Their cited example was the suicide bomb attack this June 2 on the Danish Embassy in Pakistan in which eight people died and 27 were injured as a result of possible renewed backlash to the 2005 publication of 12 editorial cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Mohammed. Islamabad informed the European Union countries that the backlash to perceived insults to the “religion of peace” could jeopardize “inter-religious harmony” and result in uncontrollable attacks on other diplomatic missions abroad.  A high-level delegation representing the Pakistani government was to travel to Brussels to further warn EU officials of the liabilities of free expression. This apocryphal grandstanding, in which Islamabad seeks to eradicate free speech and reclassify it as an offensive hate crime, is part and parcel of the insidious Islamic effort to establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate under shariah law.  Paradoxically, in most of the Muslim world, the right of free speech is nonexistent…Muslims feel free to use democratic precepts in the service of their own radical ideology to, ultimately, overthrow liberty, eliminate individual rights and destroy freedoms in Western societies.  They seek prohibitions on free expression to strengthen Islam, pave the way toward Islamization and keep the Western public ill informed and unaware of potential threats to the democratic way of life.  By couching this effort as merely the elimination of offensive speech, they conceal their true goal of undermining the laws of Western societies, specifically the very foundation of democracy – free speech……(FrontPage, 3 Jul 08)

Maryland historian links roots of radical Islam with Nazi propaganda

…"A confluence of Nazi anti-Semitism and Muslim fundamentalism did take place during the war which was a mixture of ideological affinity and shared political interests," said Prof. Jeffrey Herf of the University of Maryland during a recent lecture at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism.  "Though Nazi Germany failed in its military and propaganda advances in the Middle East, the ideas it conveyed to the Arabs found adherence," Herf said, pointing to the charter of Hamas, which was established in 1987 and grew out of the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeated calls for the destruction of Israel…..(Jerusalem Post, 3 Jul 08)

The Second Amendment and Islamic Law

The Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the Second Amendment comes just as it has been revealed that in Iraq, Islamic jihadists have been forcing the Christians remaining in the country to pay jizya -- the tax mandated in the Qur’an for non-Muslims who live under Islamic rule. And in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province, the Taliban has been enforcing Islamic Sharia law by waving automatic weapons, forcing music stores to close down at the point of a gun (music is forbidden in Islamic law). Maybe if Iraq and Afghanistan had the Second Amendment, these things wouldn’t be happening. But they are a bracing reminder of just how radically different are American republican pluralism and the Islamic law that jihadists worldwide are fighting in order to implement. In April 2008, the Pakistani jihadist group Lashkar-e-Islam offered a glimpse of their perfect society, as they set down a list of measures they planned to implement in the Khyber Agency, a Pakistani tribal area. Many of these would be features of any Sharia regime imposed upon a population that hitherto had not been governed by Islamic law……(Human Events, 3 Jul 08)

Truth About Islam in Academia?

While the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) has long dominated the field, its highly politicized leadership’s inability to withstand criticism, inattention to radical Islam, and apologetic approach towards the West’s foes has left many Middle East studies scholars feeling unwelcome by their umbrella professional organization. Enter the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA). Founded last year by Professors Bernard Lewis and Fouad Ajami, ASMEA offers an alternative to MESA’s post-colonialist biases and a venue for studying those elements of Islam and the Middle East that MESA’s leaders ignore or downplay. ASMEA’s emergence is cause for optimism……(FrontPage, 3 Jul 08)

Humanitarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali added to Vail Symposium

Author of best-selling book, ‘Infidel’ visits Beaver Creek on Sept. 8

Ayaan Hirsi Ali embodies the notion that freedom of discourse and expression is vital to the survival and vitality of liberal democracy. Ali’s 2007 internationally-bestselling memoir, “Infidel,” emerged as one of the most electrifying texts of the decade, detailing the violence and oppression she experienced as women growing up in a devout Muslim culture…The Vail Symposium is a non-profit organization dedicated to year-round lifelong learning, through diverse cultural and educational programs that are thought provoking, diverse and affordable. For more information, visit Daily, 3 www.vilarcenter.org   ………(Vail Daily, 3 Jul 08)

Jihad by the Numbers

…It is no accident or fluke of history that Islamists - Hamas, Hezbollah, Ahmadinejad, Saudi Wahhabists, the whole ménage of Islamists and Jihadists -- admire both Hitler and Nazism. Their hatred of Jews and Israel is merely one facet of that pathology. As Nazism required the complete submission of the individual to Party ideology and an unthinking, unwavering deference to Hitler, Islam requires the complete submission of the individual to Islam and an unthinking, unwavering deference to Allah and Mohammed. Islamists have long recognized that both the method and the ends of Nazism were in complete agreement and practical accord with their own. The "mechanics" of a functioning Islam differ in no fundamental way from the "mechanics" of a functioning Nazism or any other brand of total collectivism, as described by Toohey above. (2)  (One historical note: Kershaw points out that Hitler once entertained the idea of solving the "Jewish Question" by helping to establish a Jewish state in Palestine, where all German and other European Jews would be forcibly "relocated" and presumably - hopefully - perish in a wasteland of desert and hostile Arabs. He dismissed the idea because he feared that such a state could possibly become a political adversary dedicated to destroying Germany. Historically, the ironic joke is on Hitler. He destroyed Germany and the Jews turned the wasteland into a productive, prosperous garden.)…..(FSM, 3 Jul 08)

[The Islamist-Leftist] Allied Menace

"Here are two brother countries, united like a single fist," said socialist Hugo Chávez during a visit to Tehran last November, celebrating his alliance with Islamist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Che Guevara's son Camilo, who also visited Tehran last year, declared that his father would have "supported the country in its current struggle against the United States." They followed in the footsteps of Fidel Castro, who in a 2001 visit told his hosts that "Iran and Cuba, in cooperation with each other, can bring America to its knees." For his part, Ilich Ramírez Sánchez ("Carlos the Jackal") wrote in his book L'islam révolutionnaire ("Revolutionary Islam") that "only a coalition of Marxists and Islamists can destroy the United States."… And none of this is new. During the Cold War, Islamists favored the Soviet Union over the United States. As Ayatollah Khomeini put it in 1964, "America is worse than Britain, Britain is worse than America and the Soviet Union is worse than both of them. Each one is worse than the other, each one is more abominable than the other. But today we are concerned with this malicious entity which is America." In 1986, I wrote that "the U.S.S.R. receives but a small fraction of the hatred and venom directed at the United States."…..(National Review, Daniel Pipes article, 14 Jul 08)

'The Secret of Armageddon' – Iranian TV Series Affirms Protocols of Elders of Zion, Promotes Conspiracy Theories, Claims Jews Are Planning 'the Genocide of Humanity' and Iranian Jewish, Baha'i Communities are Plotting to Take Over Iran

Following are excerpts from "The Secret of Armageddon," an Iranian television series. In it, Iranian scholars, historians, researchers, academicians, and scholars criticize Christian Zionists, affirm the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, promote various conspiracy theories, discuss the Jews' "genocidal plan for the genocide of humanity," claim that Iranian Jewish and Baha'i communities are plotting to take over Iran, and more……(MEMRI, 2 Jul 08)

Why the Brits Are Setting Terrorists Free

…Many people here are rubbing their eyes at the fact that Britain is letting out of jail some of al Qaeda's most dangerous members. In June, a British court released the notorious Islamist preacher Abu Qatada, who had spent the previous three years in jail pending deportation to Jordan to stand trial on terrorism charges. Now there are media reports that the U.K. government is considering releasing an even more dangerous terrorist this week, rather than deporting him to his native Algeria. The man known only as "U" (to protect his identity) was a close contact of Abu Qatada and allegedly was involved in planning terror operations in Los Angeles and Strasbourg, France.  Neither Abu Qatada nor "U" has been prosecuted in Britain, because U.K. authorities possess no evidence to charge these men with plotting terrorist acts. Abu Qatada could have faced charges for lesser offenses under Britain's terrorism law……(Wall Street Journal, 2 Jul 08)

Good Jihad, Bad Jihad, and the Intelligence Community

When the Director of National Intelligence declares publicly that "We try not to refer to 'jihad' as something that's bad," even though he knows that the United States (U.S.) and all of civilized society is engaged in an existential struggle with the forces of Islamic Jihad, it is hard to fathom what he could possibly be thinking. Only a few short weeks ago, we were told that referring to jihad might somehow legitimize our enemies. Of all of our leaders charged with the defense and protection of our Constitution, DNI Michael McConnell bears a special responsibility to understand clearly the identity of the enemy and the nature of the threat he poses. He also has a professional responsibility to communicate that honestly to the American people……(Claire Lopez, CI Centre Professor, 2 Jul 08)

June 2008

Iranian TV Documentary Series Traces Zionist Themes in Western Movies: "Saving Private Ryan"

Following are excerpts from a segment of an Iranian documentary series on Hollywood cinema featuring the film Saving Private Ryan. The segment aired on the Iranian News Channel, IRINN, on May 27, 2008……(MEMRI, 30 Jun 08)

"Islamic Finance" a Hot Topic in Washington Seminars - But Beware

In the last two months, in two seminars aimed at developing future counterterrorism policy attended by senior-level representatives from the Administration, industry (e.g., financial institutions, tech companies, and defense-related consulting groups), and the military, the subject of "Islamic finance" (or "shariah finance," used interchangably by many) has been introduced and discussed in favorable terms. Financial institutions are especially keen on reaching new markets, and others in the audience foresee the opportunity to engage in outreach and peace-building efforts. But they should take a breath and first survey that subject more deeply before diving into it. Last November 14, Jeffrey Imm wrote, "Dow Jones, Wall Street Journal, and Islamist Financing," in which he exposed some of the players involved in setting up "The Wall Street Journal's Islamic and Ethical Finance Conference." As Jeff wrote then, it is painfully obvious that Wall Street mavens who lust for better connections and expanded markets in the islamic world often have no clue to the backgrounds, connections, ideologies, or ultimate goals of some of the central officials and organizations involved in many "Islamic finance" or "shariah finance" vehicles. Neither does Wall Street, nor K Street in Washington for that matter, realize that shariah finance vehicles are seen by Islamists as perfect indirect mechanisms for funding the implementation of extremist shariah law and/or violent jihad. Jeff's post is as informative today as when he wrote it……(Counterterrorism Blog, 30 Jun 08)

Two Interesting Trends

There are two stories today that point to ongoing problems and the future contours of the conflicts in which we will be emerged in coming years. The first is the extensive New York Times piece on who lack of resources, bureaucratic infighting and lack of unified vision (coupled with a high tolerance for Pakistan’s game-playing) has helped allow al Qaeda to regroup in the tribal regions. Perhaps the most disturbing item in the piece, which chronicles numerous disturbing elements that show how much the inter-agency process is returning to its pre-9/11 mindset the further the memories recede…A second story is of the Pentagon’s expanding reach into counter-drug activity in West Africa. The rationale given by Joseph A. Benkert, the nominee to become the first assistant secretary of defense for global security affairs is one that I have argued is valid in several previous writings on the criminal terrorist nexus…The contradiction I see is that while the Pentagon certainly can have a role to play, particularly in areas like West Africa, because ultimately these criminal activities tie back to terrorism. But that role should not be to the exclusion of other USG organizations, particularly the Drug Enforcement Administration….(Douglas Farah, 30 Jun 08)

Virginia’s Islamic Academy on Shaky Legal Ground

...As the academy has forfeited its Virginia incorporation and is now operating as a [13] d/b/a of the embassy, and considering that the school is funded by the embassy, operates on property owned and leased by the embassy, the embassy speaks publicly on its behalf, and it uses Saudi government curriculum, it seems impossible to conclude anything but that it is solely an entity of the Saudi government controlled entirely by the Saudi Embassy in Washington DC — a position directly in opposition to the present claims of the State Department. Our investigation also found that at no time has the Islamic Saudi Academy ever filed an IRS Form 990, which is required of every tax exempt organization, including private schools. And according to [14] IRS Publication 78, at no time has the school ever requested or received a tax exemption letter from the IRS. Nor, apparently, has it ever filed corporate taxes with the US government as would be required if it were an entity independent from the Saudi embassy, as it has no recognized tax exemption. If the school was a separate corporation as State Department officials have repeatedly claimed, it would have to have an active corporate charter (which it doesn’t appear to have since December 2004), and it would either have to file IRS Form 990s if it were operating as a tax exempt organization, or file tax returns if it were operating for-profit. That has not happened in either case according to our investigation. Rather, all evidence indicates that the Saudi Embassy is in full corporate control of the school, and it is operating entirely under its agency, which makes the school subject to the Foreign Missions Act and under the authority of the State Department….(Pajamas Media, 27 Jun 08)

Islamic Saudi Academy Latest Example of Saudis' Distribution of Propaganda

The controversy surrounding the Islamic Saudi Academy of Virginia continues to grow. Rep. Frank Wolf, the ranking Republican of the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the State Department, wrote Secretary of State Rice (Acrobat file of the letter) to express his serious concern. "It is well known that Saudi Arabia promotes the radical Wahhabi interpretation of Islam within its own borders and has financed radical clerics abroad. Lawrence Wright's Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Looming Tower, points out that "Saudi Arabia, which constitutes only 1 percent of the world's Muslim population...supports 90 percent of the expenses of the entire faith," including "thousands of religious schools around the globe, staffed with Wahhabi imams and teachers." The ISA is funded through the Saudi government, which also funds radical madrassas along the turbulent Pakistani borders." But the ISA is just the latest in a long line of examples of the Saudis' dissemination of Wahhabist propaganda in the United States, and Congress has already sharply criticized the Saudis for it. Almost three years ago, on November 8, 2005, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled, "Saudi Arabia: Friend or Foe in the War on Terror?" to review how the Saudis spread such literature in mosques and schools throughout the United States. You can read the testimony delivered at the hearing by Steven Emerson, Nina Shea, and others at this website and you can download the full transcript from here……..(Counterterrorism Blog, 26 Jun 08)

State Dept. Stands Alone on Virginia Saudi School

High school students in the Wahhabi-led school learn that "the Jews conspired against Islam" and Sunni Muslims should shun all Shia Muslims. They also are taught that killing an apostate or an adulterer is acceptable under Islamic law. And polytheists (defined elsewhere as Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and even Shia and Sufi Muslims) likewise can be subject to death for their transgressions. It is troubling enough to consider such lessons being ingrained in the minds of teenagers in Riyadh and throughout the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But the same textbooks are in use in Alexandria, Va., at the Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA), a report issued earlier in June by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) found. The school issued a statement disputing the findings as "erroneous," and claiming the commission used "mistranslated and misinterpreted texts, and references to textbooks that are no longer in use at the Academy."… "This is a private school," Thompson said. "It is not a part of the Saudi embassy. It is not part of a diplomatic mission."  That seems to be the crux of the dispute. The USCIRF notes that the Saudi ambassador to Washington leads the school's board of directors, the Saudi Embassy owns one of the school's two properties and leases the other from Fairfax County and the ISA receives funding from the embassy, while sharing the embassy's IRS employer identification number……(IPT, 26 Jun 08)

Rep. Wolf Wants State Department to Step Up in Saudi Academy Controversy

Virginia Republican Rep. Frank R. Wolf has weighed in on the controversy over the teachings of the Saudi government’s school in Northern Virginia, sending a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking for a complete translation and assessment of the school’s textbooks.  A federal commission’s independent investigation of the books found that they contained passages espousing religious hatred and giving permission to kill unbelievers, passages critics say are in violation of an agreement the Saudi government made with the United States in 2006 to clean up its textbooks… State Department Spokesman Rob McInturff said Tuesday that the responsibility for monitoring what was taught at the school belonged not to the State Department but to Fairfax County, the jurisdiction outside Washington where the school is located; McInturff also said the department was concerned about the Saudi government’s curriculum, both locally and abroad, and had received promises from the Saudis in 2006 that they would clean up the texts by the 2008-2009 academic year…..(CQ Politics, 25 Jun 08)

Al-Jazeera TV Reports on Fairfax, Virginia, Islamic Saudi Academy Controversy, Says U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Persecuting U.S. Muslims

Following are excerpts from a report on the Islamic SaudiAcademy in Fairfax, Virginia. The report aired on Al-Jazeera TV on June 17, 2008…..(MEMRI, 25 Jun 08)

Slain Hamas Militant Challenges Political Leadership Over Participation in Democratic Elections, "Supporting the Christians"

The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new video from dissident members of the Izzadeen al-Qassam Brigades – the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Palestinian territories – of their recently slain comrade Rami Abu Suweirah (a.k.a. Abu Huzaifah) condemning the political leadership of Hamas for their decision to participate in democratic elections in the Palestinian territories, and for various other "violations of Shariah." Abu Suweirah insisted, "I... pledge my innocence before Allah from having... participat[ed] in elections, entering polytheistic councils, making visits to infidel and apostate countries, congratulating and supporting the Christians… As for their supporters, policemen, intelligence agencies, and bodyguards—to all of you, we say: we wash our hands of you, and from what you worship in place of Allah. We wash our hands of your laws and courthouses, your methodology and constitutions. We wash our hands of your governments and courthouses, your slogans and foolish symbols. We have no faith in you, and hostility and permanent hatred have arisen between us forever."……(NEFA, Jun 08)

Free Speech Dies at the UN

The war against free speech is advancing rapidly: Associated Press reported Thursday that “Muslim countries have won a battle to prevent Islam from being criticised during debates by the UN Human Rights Council.” Council President Doru-Romulus Costea explained that religious issues can be “very complex, very sensitive and very intense…This council is not prepared to discuss religious matters in depth, consequently we should not do it.” Henceforth only religious scholars would be permitted to broach them. “While Costea’s ban applies to all religions,” AP explained, “it was prompted by Muslim countries complaining about references to Islam.” The ban came after a heated session on Monday, when the representative of the Association for World Education (AWE), in a joint statement with the International Humanist and Ethical Union, denounced female genital mutilation, the penalty of stoning for adultery and child marriage as sanctioned by Islamic law……(Analyst-Network, 26 Jun 08)

Fairfax County Supervisors Wimp Out on Islamic Saudi Academy Textbooks

An Al-Jazeera reporter commented on the issue on June 17, supporting the ISA and condemning certain unnamed Congressmen and the USCIRF. She also completely distorted the initial decision of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to extend the lease. You can see the report on MEMRI TV, and here are some of the most egregious excerpts from MEMRI's transcript: "This pressure is exerted by several Congressmen, known for their great hostility towards Arabs and Muslims... The local authority of Fairfax County, where the academy is located, has challenged the threats of closure. It determined that the allegations are invalid, and it approved the religious curricula after examining them... What should be said about a commission that some say is unconstitutional and contradicts the very meaning of its name? This commission calls upon all countries of the world to respect freedom of religion there, while the commission itself violates this freedom on its own land."]  Last night, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors decided to ask the State Department to "investigate" the textbooks in use at the Islamic Saudi Academy of Virginia before a final decision whether to continue leasing public land to the school. Some are celebrating that decision as a "reversal" and a "victory," but it is not. Actually, the Board cynically wimped out, refusing to accept the obvious evidence already presented by an independent commission of the federal government, and punted the whole issue away from that agency to the State Department. Surely the Board knew, as any of us who have followed this issue, that State will continue to do what it has done for years on this issue - nothing……(Counterterrorism Blog, 25 Jun 08)

George Orwell meets the OIC

“We sent a clear message to the West regarding the red lines that should not be crossed.”  That sounds like the statement of a victor in a war, dictating terms to the vanquished. And it may well be:  free speech is under attack in Canada -- the prosecution of Macleans Magazine and author Mark Steyn -- and in the United States as well by Islamic governments and groups whose goal is to end free speech when it is aimed at exposing the truth about Islamic terrorism and its roots.  Their goal is positively Orwellian.  Replace “Big Brother” with the “Organization of the Islamic Conference” and you have the world the OIC wants to impose on us all. Apparently Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, believes that his powerful, multinational Islamic organization has already won the battle over free speech……(Human Events, 25 Jun 08)

CAIR's Traitorous Cop Ally

If the Taliban catches an American spy, they slit the informer's throat. If we catch a pro-Taliban spy, he gets a slap on the wrist after getting a letter from a Muslim pressure group urging leniency. Who says we're winning this war? Last month, Taliban fighters claimed to have killed a "female U.S. spy" for helping American forces in Afghanistan. Once all the evidence against the alleged spy was gathered, they slit her throat with a knife. Compare that with the kid glove treatment of Sgt. Muhammad Weiss Rasool, a Muslim cop in the nation's capital who tipped off the target of an FBI terrorism investigation into a pro-Taliban mosque. Despite his arrest, confession and recent conviction in federal court, Rasool, an Afghan immigrant, will do no jail time and will continue to collect a paycheck from taxpayers pending the results of an internal-affairs probe by the Fairfax County Police Department outside Washington…..(FrontPage, 25 Jun 08)

Renewing Hezbollah's Jihad Genocide Against Jews Everywhere

According to US and Canadian intelligence agencies the Shi'ite jihad terror organization Hezb'allah, supported by its patron Iran, is poised, once again, to launch a lethal attack against "Jewish targets" far removed from the battlegrounds of the Middle East. Although no substantive evidence has emerged identifying a specific target, both Canada and Latin America have been suggested as possiblities, the latter being where, in Buenos Aires, Hezb'allah struck twice during the 1990s, killing 29 at the Israeli embassy in 1992, and murdering at least 85 more in a 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center. The ostensible reason given for this renewed jihad terror activity is "revenge" for the February (2008) assassination of Hezb'allah's murderous terror master Imad Mugniyah, killed by a car bomb in Damascus, Syria. Hezb'allah blames Israel for this assassination, an allegation rejected by Israeli officials. Ultimately, however, Hezb'allah's chronic, annihilationist jihad against Israel reflects a rigid adherence to both classical jihad theory, and the ugliest elements of Islamic theology regarding Jews……..(FrontPage, 25 Jun 08)

Board Seeks Input On Islamic School

Fairfax County leaders asked U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday to determine whether the county should continue leasing property to the Islamic Saudi Academy following controversy surrounding the school's teachings…"As a local governmental entity, Fairfax County is not capable of determining whether textbooks, written in Arabic, contain language that promotes violence or religious intolerance, or is otherwise offensive to the interests of the United States," Connolly wrote. "The county simply does not employ the linguists and scholars required to make such a determination, and more important, such an effort is well beyond the scope and responsibility of local government." At issue are recent reviews of teaching materials concluding that some textbooks used by the Islamic school in Fairfax contain language intolerant of Jews and other groups as well as passages that could be construed as advocating violence…….(Washington Post, 24 Jun 08)

Kuwaiti Columnist Denounces Anti-West Discourse in Middle East

In an article in the Kuwaiti English-language daily Arab Times, columnist Dr. Khaled Al-Janfawi denounced the anti-West discourse prevailing in the Middle East. He argued that this discourse, which promotes a distorted and biased image of the West, leads to hostility and extremism and is one of the roots of the culture of violence in the Middle East. He added that in order to promote tolerance and democracy in the Arab world, there was a need for school curricula that do not demonize the other but instead stress the importance of diversity and pluralism…….(MEMRI, 24 Jun 08)

Kristof: Never Mind the Terrorists

In his June 19th piece titled, "Strengthening Extremists," New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof lambastes the American and Israeli policy of isolating the terror group Hamas, alleging that Hamas' international isolation and resulting pressure have only managed to empower the so-called Islamic Resistance Movement. And to "prove" his point, Kristof interviews two Gazans who, unsurprisingly, hate Israel. In Kristof's world, the siege of Gaza has only made Hamas more popular. Never mind that Hamas won the Palestinian elections before the siege began and after the Israelis had unilaterally withdrawn from Gaza. A withdrawal, by the way, which Hamas seized upon as a "victory" which, in turn, made Hamas more popular – enough to defeat rival Fatah in the elections. So the Israelis give the Palestinians land for nothing in return, and Hamas gains popularity. According to Kristof, the Israelis isolate and attack Hamas in Gaza, and Hamas gains popularity……..(IPT, 24 Jun 08)

U.S. Network Falters in Mideast Mission

The Egyptian bureau of al-Hurra, an Arabic-language television network financed by the U.S. government, boasts a spectacular view of the Nile River and the capital's bustling streets. But inside, all is quiet. The bureau's satellite link was unplugged with little explanation a few weeks ago by a local company, making it impossible to broadcast live. Since then, staffers have had to use a studio controlled by the Egyptian secret police, who have warned guests not to say anything controversial on the air. Al-Hurra -- "The Free One" in Arabic -- is the centerpiece of a U.S. government campaign to spread democracy in the Middle East. Taxpayers have spent $350 million on the project. But more than four years after it began broadcasting, the station is widely regarded as a flop in the Arab world, where it has struggled to attract viewers and overcome skepticism about its mission……(Washington Post, 23 Jun 08)

WP Video:  A-Hurra in Middle East

Seventh Circuit Vacates Holy Land Foundation Opinion, Grants Rehearing

On June 16, the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the opinion of a three-judge panel, rendered December 28, 2007, which overturned the landmark $156 million judgment against the Holy Land Foundation (HLF), other Islamic charities in the U.S., and an alleged Hamas fundraiser. The case arose out of the 1996 murder of David Boim, a 17-year-old American citizen, who was killed in a Hamas terrorist attack in the West Bank. David’s parents sued men who were directly involved in the murder; the Holy Land Foundation (HLF); the American Muslim Society, also known as the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP); the Quranic Literacy Institute (QLI); the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR); Saleh, the alleged Hamas fundraiser; and others (see this summary judgement order from the first trial for the complete list). The June 16 decision will result in a rehearing of the case by the entire court in the near future, thus giving the Boim family a second chance at the appellate level. Download the December 28 decision here and the June 16 decision here……..(Counterterrorism Blog, 23 Jun 08)

'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

The novelist Ian McEwan has launched an astonishingly strong attack on Islamism, saying that he "despises" it and accusing it of "wanting to create a society that I detest". His words, in an interview with an Italian newspaper, could, in today's febrile legalistic climate, lay him open to being investigated for a "hate crime". In an interview with Guido Santevecchi, a London correspondent for Corriere della Sera, the Booker-winning novelist said he rarely grants interviews on controversial issues "because I have to be careful to protect my privacy". But he said that he was glad to leap to the defence of his old friend Martin Amis when the latter's attacks on Muslims brought down charges of racism on his head. He made an exception of the Islamic issue out of friendship to Amis, and because he shares the latter's strong opinions. "A dear friend had been called a racist," he said. "As soon as a writer expresses an opinion against Islamism, immediately someone on the left leaps to his feet and claims that because the majority of Muslims are dark-skinned, he who criticises it is racist…..(Independent, 22 Jun 08)

Islamophobia and CAIR

The primary goal of Islamic terrorists is to instill fear in people. People can be defined as a single individual, groups of people, or entire nations. On 11 Sept. 2001, Islamic terrorists attacked America. The terrorists achieved their number one and two goals. First they instilled fear in the lives of innocent people. Second they caused major economic losses and continue to do so to our country. Until 11 Sept. 2001, most non-Muslims had little opinion as to what religion people chose to be, nor did it concern most Americans that Islam in America and throughout the world is spreading. The murder of almost 3000 innocent lives by Al Qaeda and their supporters changed everything. The cheering by thousands of Muslims throughout the world after the attack left most Americans bewildered…….(Analyst Network, 22 Jun 08)

Islamic Saudi Hate Academy

In Saudi Arabia, teaching hatred for others is a normal everyday scholastic activity. But what happens when that teaching gets transferred to the United States? One children’s school with branches in Virginia, the Islamic Saudi Academy, has managed to accomplish this with hate-filled texts, a terror-linked website, and students and school personnel that have been involved in radical activity. The Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA), an institution run by the government of Saudi Arabia, has been occupying northern Virginia, since 1984. Within the state, it has two facilities, one in Fairfax (pre-K – first grade) and one in Alexandria (grades 2 – 12). The school offers all of the standard curriculum: Math, English, Social Studies, Science, etc. However, what has been of concern to many is the group’s religious studies… ISA is most certainly not the only Islamic facility to be teaching hatred and violence in America, but it is one that has been caught and exposed. Under pressure, the U.S. State Department has called on the school to reform its educational materials by August, but if history is any indicator, the school’s future will be no different than its past.……(FrontPage, 20 Jun 08)

ISNA, NAIT Seek to Edit History

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) want a Dallas federal judge to remove their names from a list of "unindicted co-conspirators and/or joint venturers" in the terror support trial of a charity accused of supporting Hamas. The petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of NAIT and ISNA states that the designation violates Fifth Amendment protections by casting a smear on the organizations without proof, and without the opportunity for a defense. This, they claim, has deeply tarnished the groups' reputations with government agencies and other religious organizations. But in making their case, the two groups ignore documented evidence that links them to the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) and to their support for Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook. They insist they are law-abiding organizations and say law enforcement officials have assured them they are not the target of any investigation……(IPT, 20 Jun 08)

Critics Demand Resignation of U.N. Official Who Wants Probe of 9/11 'Inside Job' Theories

Critics are calling for the resignation of a U.N. official who publicly supports investigating theories that the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were an "inside job." Richard Falk, the special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, investigates alleged Israeli violations of human rights law for the U.N.'s Human Rights Council. But the former Princeton professor would also like to investigate whether "some sort of controlled explosion from within" destroyed the Twin Towers….(Fox, 20 Jun 08)

Jihad Against Freedom of Speech at the United Nations

…On June 16, 2008, UNHRC president Doru Romulus Costea announced that criticism of Sharia law will not be tolerated by the UNHRC, based on the complaints and pressure by Islamist delegates to the UNHRC. In effect, the Islamist nations represented at the UNHRC have effected a Jihad against freedom of speech at the United Nations when it comes to criticizing Sharia or Islamic supremacist (aka Islamist) theocratic ideologies that threaten the freedom and lives of innocents around the world. This again demonstrates the key imperative of control for Islamists - in this case in terms of controlling ideas, thoughts, and words of an international organization intended to promote human rights. Outgoing UNHRC Commissioner Louise Arbour subsequently raised concerns about debates on Sharia becoming "taboo" within the United Nations group, stating that it "should be, among other things, the guardian of freedom of expression."… This is not the first time that efforts have been made by such pro-Islamist Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) member nations to influence the United Nations. In my article "Jihad, Islamism, and the United Nations," I addressed the efforts of OIC member nations to reword a UNHRC resolution on religious freedom so that it would not respect the right of individuals to change their religion, as this would be in conflict with Sharia law. The OIC continues global efforts to influence the United Nations and worldwide organization to silence any debate on Sharia by painting such debate as "Islamophobia."…..(Counterterrorism Blog, 19 Jun 08)

The Enemy Has a Name

If you cannot name your enemy, how can you defeat it? Just as a physician must identify a disease before curing a patient, so a strategist must identify the foe before winning a war. Yet Westerners have proven reluctant to identify the opponent in the conflict the U.S. government variously (and euphemistically) calls the "global war on terror," the "long war," the "global struggle against violent extremism," or even the "global struggle for security and progress."  This timidity translates into an inability to define war goals. Two high-level U.S. statements from late 2001 typify the vague and ineffective declarations issued by Western governments. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld defined victory as establishing "an environment where we can in fact fulfill and live [our] freedoms." In contrast, George W. Bush announced a narrower goal, "the defeat of the global terror network" – whatever that undefined network might be……(Jerusalem Post, 19 Jun 08)

Muslim creationist preaches Islam and awaits Christ

Harun Yahya is one of the most widely distributed authors in the Muslim world. He may also be among the most widely criticized Muslim authors in the Western world. His glossy books and DVDs on religion and science sell in Islamic bookshops around the globe. He gives away thousands of expensive volumes and lets readers download much of his work from his websites for free. The Council of Europe accuses him of trying to infiltrate schools with religious extremism and French teachers are told to keep his work from their students….(Reuters, 19 Jun 08)

An Ethical Basis for War Against Political Islam

…The news media is filled with misinformation about Islam. We must use letters-to-the-editor and guest columnists to correct and educate. The letters to the media are an opportunity to be clever and harness all of our energies. In any such project we are faced with two limitations. We are largely ignorant, that is, we don't have that many people who could be called warrior scholars. The second limitation is that we are not a community. Most people are isolated. We miss opportunities to use the force of numbers. Let's take an example: in 2006 in Minnesota Somali taxi cab drivers said that they did not want to carry passengers with bottles of alcohol from the air port. The airport authority was going to compromise with the Muslims, but they got over 400 e-mails from all over the nation protesting the creation of a separate level of laws for Islam. One e-mail, no matter how well written, does not have the influence of 400 e-mails…..(Political Islam Newsletter, #11, 19 Jun 08)

Strengthening Extremists

The yearlong siege of Gaza may soon end with the new cease-fire there, marking the eclipse of one more American-backed Israeli policy that backfired by strengthening extremists. Here in Gaza, sulfurous with fumes from cars burning cooking grease because the siege has made gasoline scarce, the entire last year of the blockade feels not only morally bankrupt — a case of collective punishment — but also counterproductive. The fragile new truce between Hamas and Israel just might create a new opportunity to stabilize the Palestinian territories, but only if we absorb the lessons of what has gone wrong……(New York Times, 19 Jun 08)

Islamic Academy Protested
More than a dozen people protested yesterday outside a private Islamic school in Fairfax County that critics say promotes religious intolerance and violence against people of other faiths. The demonstration at the Islamic Saudi Academy on Route 1 was coordinated by the Traditional Values Coalition, a church lobbying group that accuses the school of using textbooks that teach children to kill. A recent study by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom found that some of the school's textbooks say it is permissible for Muslims to kill adulterers and converts from Islam.  "These children are being taught to hate,"……(Washington Post, 18 Jun 08)

Islamic Saudi Academy Prepares 'Clean' Books for Fall

Religious textbooks at the Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) in Fairfax, Va., which have sparked controversy for content that allegedly promotes violence and hatred toward non-Muslims, will be rewritten and reissued by the time students return to school in the fall, said school officials. "We hope the books will be clean from any kind of misunderstanding that people think about," the head of Islamic teachings at the academy, who asked not to be named, told Cybercast News Service on Tuesday.  The ISA official, however, denied that the books used until now contain lessons that teach children to hate non-Muslims or incite violence against people outside the faith……(CNS, 18 Jun 08)

Report: Saudi Arabia: USCIRF Confirms Material Inciting Violence, Intolerance Remains in Textbooks Used at Saudi Government's Islamic Saudi Academy

Hamas Minister of Culture 'Atallah Abu Al-Subh: Condoleezza Rice Is a Black Scorpion with A Cobra's Head Who Has the Blood of Palestinian Children between Her Lips and on Her Fangs

Following are excerpts from an interview with Hamas Minister of Culture 'Atallah Abu Al-Subh, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on June 15, 2008……(MEMRI, 18 Jun 08)

Issue of Popular Weekly Banned in Algeria – Because of Article on 2001 Berber Revolt

On May 9, 2008, the Algerian e-journal Le Matin reproduced a press release by Reporters without Borders stating that the Algerian government had refused to allow the popular pan-African weekly magazine Jeune Afrique to sell its May 4, 2008 issue in Algeria. While the government offered no explanation for the move, Reporters without Borders said that the article the government found offensive was Farid Alilat's "Le grand malaise" ("The Great Malaise"), which dealt with the killing, by police, of 126 civilian Berber protesters in the Kabylia region in 2001 - events collectively known as the Black Spring. The Black Spring demonstrations were sparked by the police killing of high school student Massinissa Guermah; unrest quickly spread throughout Kabylia, with protesters demanding police accountability, official recognition of the Berber language (Tamazight), and civil rights……(17 Jun 08)

The Jihad Against Free Speech

Freedom of speech is in imminent danger. Concerted attacks on it by the jihadist movement are increasing in number here and in countries that share America’s dedication to free speech. Mark Steyn, the author of "America Alone," is on trial in Canada for inciting hatred against Muslims in an article adapted from that book. Pakistan just asked the European Union to restrict freedom of expression so as to curb “offenses to Islam.” Finland recently gave a blogger 2 1/2 years in prison for “insulting Islam.” When Dutch police arrested the cartoonist Gregorius Nekschot, Amsterdam’s public prosecutor explained: “We suspect him of insulting people on the basis of their race or belief, and possibly also of inciting hate.” Against Muslims, of course…..(Human Events, 17 Jun 08)

Guantánamo became a terror training ground

Mohammed Naim Farouq was a thug in the lawless Zormat district of eastern Afghanistan. He ran a kidnapping and extortion racket, and he controlled his turf with a band of gunmen who rode around in trucks with AK-47 rifles. U.S. troops detained him in 2002, although he had no clear ties to the Taliban or al Qaeda. By the time Farouq was released from Guantánamo the next year, however — after more than 12 months of what he described as abuse and humiliation at the hands of American soldiers — he'd made connections to high-level militants. In fact, he'd become a Taliban leader. When the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency released a stack of 20 "most wanted" playing cards in 2006 identifying militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan — with Osama bin Laden at the top — Farouq was 16 cards into the deck……(Miami Herald, 17 Jun 08)

'Islamophobia' used too often to stifle debate or criticism

There is one aspect of the prolonged human rights debacle involving Mark Steyn and Maclean's magazine that continues to trouble me. This concern goes far beyond the principals involved in a hearing before the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. My unease lies in the constant use of the term "Islamophobia." Since I don't want to spend an inordinate amount of time counting how many times the "I" word was used by the complainants in the Steyn case, all I can say is that it's one too many……(Vancouver Sun, 17 Jun 08)

A UN seat must be given to Islamic world

Islamic Revolution Leader, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei in a meeting with visiting Comoros President, Ahmad Abdullah Muhammad Sambi termed unity as the basic need of the Islamic world. Pointing to valuable resources of the Islamic countries, Ayatollah Khamenei said, "The Islamic world with rich, natural resources, strategic geographical position, vast lands and population as well as expert human sources can turn into a power but the traditional powers of the world oppose such a development."….(IRIB, 16 Jun 08)

Libyan Leader Qaddafi: People in Arab And Islamic World, Africa... May Have Been Involved In Legitimate Contribution Campaigns [To Obama]... Ben Gurion Gave Green Light for JFK Assassination

Following are excerpts from a public address by Libyan Leader Mu'ammar Al-Qaddafi marking the anniversary of the U.S. air raid on Libya. The address aired on Al-Jazeera TV on June 11, 2008….(MEMRI, 16 Jun 08)

Why Hezbollah's Victory may lead to peace in the Middle East

Question:  Between May 7 to May 10, Hezbollah took over Beirut, shut down the city's TV and communications facilities, blocked the main highways, closed the airport, and surrounded the homes of the leading political leaders with armed gunman. The action was taken in response to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's decision to outlaw Hezbollah's telecommunication network and sack the head of security at Beirut airport……(Global Research, 14 Jun 08)

Charter Schools Shouldn't Promote Islam

At what point does a publicly funded charter school with strong Islamic ties cross the line and inappropriately promote religion? That's a question now facing us in Minnesota. For the past five years, the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, in Inver Grove Heights, Minn., has operated in close connection with the Muslim American Society of Minnesota. The school accepts public funds, and thus the broader constitutional requirements placed on all public schools. Nonetheless, in many ways it behaves like a religious school. The school is named for the Muslim general who conquered Spain in the eighth century…..(Wall Street Journal, 14 Jun 08)

State Department: Saudis to scrub curriculum by school year start

The U.S. State Department expects the Saudi government to purge intolerant passages from its educational curricula by the beginning of next school year, a spokesman said Thursday, a day after a federal commission drew attention to texts condoning violence and martyrdom at a Fairfax County Saudi prep school. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on Wednesday issued a highly critical review of textbooks used by the Islamic Saudi Academy, which has two campuses in Fairfax, citing materials that demonized other religions and excused the killing of non-believers and adulterers. The school is tied to the Saudi government. The report comes two weeks after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ unanimous vote to extend the academy’s lease for a year, and eight months after the commission first recommended closing the school if it didn’t prove it wasn’t inciting religious hatred……(Examiner, 13 Jun 08)

U.N. Rapporteur Turns to Usual Suspects on "Islamophobia"

If one were to list the challenges and crises facing the United Nations, bigotry here in America wouldn't crack the top 100. The junta in Burma won't let international aid in to help its citizens in the wake of a devastating typhoon. Civilians continue to face massacres in Darfur. China harshly suppresses protests in Tibet and the diplomatic standoff with Iran over its nuclear program rages. In short, life and death are daily struggles throughout the world.  Yet a volunteer for the UN Commission on Human Rights met last month in southern California with a group of Islamists, well known for their habit of crying wolf about hate crimes, while at the same time offering more than a winking endorsement for acts of terrorism and broad support for terrorist groups……(IPT, 13 Jun 08)

Religious leaders, scholars and business people are meeting all over the world to argue about free speech and Islamic sensibilities

…“Common Word”, a letter sent last October to Christian leaders by 138 Muslim scholars.  On a note of gentle provocation, it asked whether the commandments of Jesus to love God and one another could be a basis for conversation between the two largest monotheistic faiths. That initiative was started by the royal house of Jordan, a dynasty that traces its descent to Muhammad yet enjoys close ties to the West. Jordan's royals have also been busy trying to reconcile different branches of Islam, bringing together Sunni and Shia scholars and nudging them to acknowledge one another as fellow Muslims (and hence isolate the ultra-militant types who dismiss as “infidels” any co-religionists with ideas more emollient than their own)……(Economist, 13 Jun 08)

The Delicacy of Correct Terminology

…Government employees are told to speak English and to limit their number of non-English terms. This statement I completely agree with. "Mispronunciation could make your statement incomprehensible and/or sound misinformed." I have been embarrassed by diplomats abroad when they have butchered terms or statements in Russian or Magyar or Armenian or the languages of many countries where I have attended official events. The authors of these guidelines don't want you to refer to al-Qaeda as a movement as that confers legitimacy on that terrorist organization as it is then compared to the labor movement, the women's movement or the civil rights movement. The conservative movement was not mentioned……..(CNS, 13 Jun 08)

Officials say Saudi institute will revise violent textbooks

State Department officials said Thursday they have no plans to close a Saudi-financed Islamic school in Northern Virginia that has failed to eliminate violent and intolerant language in textbooks. "They told us they would revise the textbooks by the 2008 school year," State Department spokesman Rob McInturff said. "We don't plan to take additional action apart from the discussions that have been going on with the Saudi government."…..(Washington Times, 13 Jun 08)

Islamic Saudi Academy in Virginia: Case Study in Homegrown Radicalization

The new report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom on textbooks in use at the Islamic Saudi Academy in northern Virginia leaves little doubt that the Saudi government, which owns the school, and school officials use the school as an incubator for their special brand of Islam among the students, to the rejection of moderate interpretations of the Koran which reject hate speech, polarization, and incitement. Yesterday's USCIRF report was actually the fourth since 2003 warning that various Tawhid editions of textbooks used by the Saudis in its schools include intolerant language which should be removed (see last year's USCIRF report, which refers to the other reports)……(Counterterrorism Blog, 12 Jun 08)

The Poland of Islam? Iraq's significance in the Middle East.

…Others have cautioned that newly-prolific proposals for negotiation with Islamist extremists--especially with the crazy Iranian regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad--could result in Iraq, while increasingly succumbing to Iranian intrigues, becoming a Czechoslovakia. That country was sacrificed like Spain to the appetites of the dictators at Munich in 1938 and, let us not forget, left to bleed again when Soviet tanks rolled into Prague 30 years later. And finally, some have seen in Iraq a potential Yugoslavia--collapsing into bloody partition--or even a Romania, with its leadership, like Nicolae Ceausescu and his feral wife Elena, massacred. There is, however, a more relevant and positive historical example evoked by the new Iraq, and it is that of Poland. Lest the metaphor be misunderstood, we must certainly guard against Iraq being divided between Saudi Wahhabis and Iranian radicals as the Polish Republic in 1939 was invaded and split by Hitler and Stalin……(Weekly Standard, 12 Jun 08)

Why We Left Islam

Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Joel Richardson, human rights activist and expert in Jewish and Islamic theology. He is the author of Antichrist: Islam's Awaited Messiah, a bestselling analysis of Islamic apocalyptic belief, the co-author with Walid Shoebat of the forthcoming God's War Against Terror and the co-editor of the new book, Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out.......(FrontPage, 12 Jun 08)

Unlike Others, U.S. Defends Freedom to Offend in Speech

A couple of years ago, a Canadian magazine published an article arguing that the rise of Islam threatened Western values. The article’s tone was mocking and biting, but it said nothing that conservative magazines and blogs in the United States do not say every day without fear of legal reprisal. Things are different here. The magazine is on trial. Two members of the Canadian Islamic Congress say the magazine, Maclean’s, Canada’s leading newsweekly, violated a provincial hate speech law by stirring up hatred against Muslims.…..(New York Times, 12 Jun 08)

Muslim Brotherhood: Friend or Foe – New IPT Profile

Is the Muslim Brotherhood friend or foe? This is a question that has constantly been debated since 9/11. The debate has been fierce, with one side claiming that the 80-year-old Islamic revivalist movement can serve as a bridge between the US and the Muslim world. Others dismiss this possibility based on the Brotherhood's history of violence and declared goal of establishing a worldwide Islamic Empire governed by strict Shari'ah, or Islamic law. The motto of the Muslim Brotherhood is, "God is our goal, the Quran is our Constitution, the Prophet is our leader, struggle is our way, and death in the service of God is the loftiest of our wishes. God is great. God is great." A recent episode epitomizes the problem with the premise of the Muslim Brotherhood as a friend to the United States and a bridge to the Muslim world……(IPT, 12 Jun 08)

IPT Profile: Muslim Brotherhood

How the Jihadi Propaganda Machine Will Win the Guantanamo Trials

Jihadism in the 21st century has plans for all types of situations, including Mujahada (Jihadi activity) in a courtroom when needed. This is now what the world will witness during the trials of the al Qaeda detainees in Guantanamo, Cuba. Both the inmates on the inside and the Jihadi-mates on the outside were waiting for this moment to strike, politically and psychologically, using the media as their weapon. To the well-trained and -indoctrinated five standing trial, the objective is not to gain as many rights and freedoms as possible under current U.S. and international law; rather it is to resume what they began before 9/11 which they deeply wish to fulfill - as they said in their own words - using the trial as a global media opportunity…….(CI Centre Professor Walid Phares,  12 Jun 08)

Al Qaeda: Weakened, Not Defeated

Is Al Qaeda in its death throes? Hardly, say terrorism experts: The Al Qaeda network has been temporarily weakened on a few fronts, to be sure, but it is far from defeated…Clare M. Lopez, a former CIA operations officer and the former executive director of the Iran Policy Committee, tells HUMAN EVENTS that -- because Al Qaeda has been largely defeated in Iraq -- the network is looking to shift its assets to greener fields like the more remote, lawless-regions of Africa and the increasingly diverse, poorly assimilated populations of western Europe to which Pham alludes. The network’s leadership and inner circle also will continue operating in the Pakistani-Afghan border regions, and perhaps even Iran. “Some say Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri cross the border upon occasion for a bit of falcon hunting and to convene the Al Qaeda shura in Iran,” says Lopez……(Human Events, 12 Jun 08)

Panel: Saudi-Run Va. School Promotes Hate

…Some examples cited include a 12th-grade textbook in Koranic interpretation that says it is "permissible to kill an apostate, an adulterer or someone who has murdered a believer intentionally." Such beliefs are hallmarks of the Salafi strain of Sunni Islam, which is Saudi Arabia's state religion. The religious interpretation that says it is permissible to steal from or kill apostates is part of the philosophy of Takfir, which distinguishes between true believers and non-believers and permits the believer to violate domestic laws in order to defend the faith. The textbooks in the 900-student, K-12 academy also contain bigotry against other religious faiths, the commission says. A textbook on administrative and social sciences, for example, says: "The cause of the discord: The Jews conspired against Islam and its people. A sly, wicked person who sinfully and deceitfully professed Islam infiltrated" the Muslims. The same textbook urges Sunni Muslims to shun Shiite Muslims. A textbook on "Aspects of Muslim Political and Cultural History" has this to say about the Baha'i faith: "It is one of the destructive esoteric sects in the modern age...It has become clear that Babism [the precursor to Baha'ism], Baha'ism, and Qadyanism [Ahmadism] represent wayward forces inside the Islamic world that seek to strike it from within and weaken it."….(New York Sun 12, Jun 08)

Teaching Hate

The locations of concern in a typical press release issued by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom are less than surprising…the release was describing the curriculum of the Islamic Saudi Academy, which, as the commission points out in its press release, "is unlike any conventional private or parochial school in the United States in that it is operated by a foreign government and uses that government's official texts." The full details of the Islamic Saudi Academy's curriculum are unknown because the school has not been particularly forthright about what it teaches. After the Commission raised the issue publicly last year, the academy turned its textbooks over to the State Department, which proceeded to treat the material like a state secret. According to the Commission's press release, the State Department has not made the textbooks available "either to the public or to the Commission, nor has it released any statement about the content of the books that it received." However, through independent sources, the Commission was able to obtain a small sampling of the textbooks used by the school. ….(New York Sun 12, Jun 08)

Report: Violence taught at Islamic school

Textbooks at a private Islamic school in northern Virginia teach students that it is permissible for Muslims to kill adulterers and converts from Islam, according to a federal investigation released Wednesday.… More generally, the panel found that the academy textbooks hold the view that the Muslim world was strong when united under a single caliph, the Arabic language and the Sunni creed, and that Muslims have grown weak because of foreign influence and internal divisions. The commission's findings issued come a month after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to extend the academy's lease for its main campus, which sits on county property……(AP, 12 Jun 08)