Muslim Terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki Killed in Yemen

So here's the general strategy. The U.S. government will continue to kill people who take Muhammad's command to fight unbelievers seriously, but will also condemn anyone who objects to Muhammad's teachings. I'm still trying to figure this out.

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- American-born Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki -- whose fluency in English and technology made him one of the top terrorist recruiters in the world -- was killed Friday in an airstrike in Yemen, officials said.

Al-Awlaki's death, confirmed by U.S. and Yemeni officials, dealt yet another blow to the al Qaeda network, reeling from the killing and capture this year of several top leaders, most notably Osama bin Laden.

A "successful joint intelligence-sharing operation" between Yemen and the United States led to the attack that killed al-Awlaki, a Yemeni government official said Friday. The official asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the news media.

The United States regarded al-Awlaki, the public face of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), as a terrorist who posed a major threat to American homeland security. Western intelligence officials believe al-Awlaki was a senior leader of AQAP, one of the most active al Qaeda affiliates in the world. It has been linked to the attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit in December 2009 and a cargo plane plot last year.

"Anwar al-Awlaki didn't need subtitles to indoctrinate," said Sajjan Gohel of the Asia Pacific Foundation, who called al-Awlaki's death significant. "He spoke English, he understood how to impact the Muslim diaspora in the West."

Al-Awlaki was killed about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the Yemeni town of Khashef, east of the capital, Sanaa, said Mohammed Basha, a spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington. He said the operation was launched at 9:55 a.m.

The Yemeni government official said Yemeni intelligence recently located al-Awlaki's hideout in a house in Khashef, in Jawf province, which borders Saudi Arabia.

A senior U.S. administration official confirmed al-Awlaki's death. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to CNN because he is not authorized to release the information. The official did not provide any other information.

Three others, including Samir Khan, an American of Pakistani origin, were killed with al-Awlaki, reported Yemen's state-run Saba news agency, citing an official security source. Saba said Khan specialized in computer programming for al Qaeda.

Al-Awlaki was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and lived in the United States until the age of 7, when his family returned to Yemen. He returned to the United States in 1991 for college and remained until 2002.

It was during that time that as an imam in California and Virginia, al-Awlaki preached to and interacted with three of the September 11, 2001, hijackers, according to the 9/11 Commission Report. He publicly condemned the attack afterward. (Read more.)

Wait! Al-Awlaki supported the attacks behind closed doors, but condemned the attacks in public? How come Muslims like Kim and Mahdi keep telling us that there is no taqiyya in Islam? I feel like someone might be trying to trick me.

Rezwan Ferdaus Arrested for Plotting Jihad . . . in Massachusetts

Only one thing is clear at this point in the investigation: Ferdaus's decision to fight unbelievers had absolutely nothing to do with the Qur'an's clear commands to fight unbelievers (9:29, 9:73, 9:123). After all, as we all know, no Muslim in history has ever taken Muhammad's commands to fight and subjugate non-Muslims seriously. Hence, Ferdaus must have been influenced by violent video games or something.

BOSTON – A 26-year-old Massachusetts man has been arrested and accused of plotting to destroy the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol with large remote-controlled aircraft filled with explosives.

Rezwan Ferdaus of Ashland was arrested Wednesday in Framingham when undercover federal agents delivered materials he'd requested for his alleged plan, including grenades, six machine guns and what Ferdaus believed was C-4 explosive.

Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen and Northeastern University graduate, was scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester on Wednesday afternoon.

A message for comment was left for his attorney, Catherine Byrne.

According to the federal affidavit, Ferdaus began planning "jihad" against the U.S. in early 2010. He allegedly believed he would have a large psychological impact by killing Americans, who he described as "enemies of Allah." (Source)

Support Needed: Phoenix Outreach and Debate Series

Sam Shamoun and I will be heading to Phoenix next month, where we will be training Christians to respond to Muslim arguments. We have four debates lined up as well. Since we're poor and have families, we need help covering expenses.

Also, a few months ago, we had 30,000 tracts printed (10,000 copies of "Who Was Muhammad?", 10,000 copies of "Where Did Jesus Say, 'I Am God, Worship Me'?", and 10,000 copies of "Who Corrupted the Gospel?"). All of the Deity of Christ and Gospel reliability tracts have been distributed to Muslims in Dearborn, Canada, etc., and we're down to our last box of Muhammad tracts. We'd like to print more for Phoenix and other festivals, but we need funds to do it.

Iran Preparing to Execute Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani for Apostasy

I really don't get it. I say, "Sharia is bad. We need to guard against it." And people respond, "What? How dare you condemn Sharia? You racist, Islamophobic bigot!"

Then Iran sentences a man to death for leaving Islam, and people condemn the court's decision. But to condemn the killing of apostates is to condemn Sharia, so now I'm just confused. Is it okay to condemn Sharia or not?

FOXNEWS--An Iranian pastor who has refused to recant his Christian faith faces execution as early as Wednesday after his sentence was upheld by an Iranian court.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who maintains he has never been a Muslim as an adult, has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ, the 11th branch of Iran's Gilan Provincial Court ruled. Iran's Supreme Court had ordered the trial court to determine whether Nadarkhani had been a Muslim prior to converting to Christianity.

The judges, according to the American Center for Law & Justice, demanded that Nadarkhani, 34, recant his Christian faith before submission of evidence. Though the judgment runs against current Iranian and international laws and is not codified in Iranian penal code, the judge stated that the court must uphold the decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.

When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated: "Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

"To the religion of your ancestors, Islam," the judge replied, according to the American Center for Law & Justice.

"I cannot," Nadarkhani said.

Nadarkhani is the latest Christian cleric to be imprisoned in Iran for his religious beliefs. According to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based organization that serves Christian churches in Iran, there was a significant increase in the number of Christians arrested solely for practicing their faith between June 2010 and January. A total of 202 arrests occurred during that six-month period, including 33 people who remained in prison as of January, Elam reported.

An Assyrian evangelical pastor, Rev. Wilson Issavi, was imprisoned for 54 days for allegedly converting Muslims prior to his release in March 2010, Elam officials told FoxNews.com.
Nadarkhani, a pastor in the 400-member Church of Iran, has been held in that country's Gilan Province since October 2009, after he protested to local education authorities that his child was forced to read from the Koran at school. His wife, Fatemeh Pasandideh, was also arrested in June 2010 in an apparent attempt to pressure him to renounce his faith. She was released in October 2010, according to Amnesty International. (Read more.)

And for those who still don't believe that Islam calls for the killing of apostates, here's a blast from the past:

20,000 Heat-Seeking Missiles Feared Missing from Libyan Military Warehouse

But we have nothing to worry about. Muslims are always grateful for the help that we give them, and the U.S. government supported the Libyan rebels. Hence, they would never even dream of using them against the "Great Satan," or of giving them to terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. People probably just stole the missiles for safe-keeping. Sleep tight. Twenty thousand missiles can only bring down twenty thousand planes.

LIBYA--A recent secret White House meeting revealed that an estimated 20,000 portable, heat-seeking missiles appear to have vanished from an Army warehouse in Libya, ABCNews.com reported.

The new revelations stoke ongoing fears that such weapons, which are light, relatively easy to use and have the capacity to take down a commercial airplane, could end up in the wrong hands as the Libyan war that ousted Muammar Qaddafi winds down.

“Matching up a terrorist with a shoulder-fired missile, that's our worst nightmare,” Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., told ABCNews.com. (Read more.)

Pakistani Police Refuse to Arrest Gang-Rapists

Reports like these are endless. And yet Muslims keep telling us that Islam will solve all our problems in the West.

PAKISTAN--A woman who was abducted and gang raped for the second time by four armed accused two months ago is now pregnant. According to police officials, the accused had abducted the victim as punishment for her getting an annulment through a local court in Gopipur-Satrah, Daska. The victim has now complained that the men who raped her have still not been arrested and she has been receiving death threats.

According to police officials, Gopipur resident Tooba Shams had been kidnapped at gunpoint eleven months ago by four landlords and raped. “The men got her to sign blank papers and later tried to seize her property. The papers included a marriage contract and property transfer documents but she had the ‘marriage’ annulled,” said district police officer (DPO) Bilal Sadiq Kamiyana.

According to the original FIR lodged with the Satrah police station under Section 376-II, Tooba was abducted by four landlords Nadeem Mughal, Rana Bilal, Amir Shafi and Muhammad Sadiq while she was going to a local religious seminary in the village eleven months ago. “She recorded a statement saying that the accused took her to a warehouse and gang raped her for a month.

She finally managed to escape them one night and sought protection with a Darul Aman. Then she filed a case with the police and a case for the annulment of the marriage with the courts,” the DPO said.

Inspector Farooq Shah said that Tooba had also submitted a medical test proving that she had been gang raped. “She was also severely injured and malnourished,” he said.

The FIR stated that a local court in Daska had dissolved the ‘marriage’ with accused Nadeem Mughal on May 18, 2011. Tooba had said that she and her mother were standing on a local bus stop at village Gopipur headed for Gujranwala on July 6, 2011, when the accused kidnapped her again and took her to Pasrur, where they gang raped her for three days as punishment for annulling the marriage. “Nadeem told me that I was being punished again because I had thwarted his plans by annulling the marriage. Now I am pregnant with my rapist’s baby and he still hasn’t been arrested,” Tooba said. “The police have registered a case but the accused haven’t been arrested. The courts have granted my divorce but these men are still roaming free. What good is a divorce if they are free to kill me?” Tooba said.

Speaking to reporters, Tooba said that the accused were influential and were still at large in the village. She alleged that the Satrah police was reluctant to arrest the men because they had political backing. She appealed to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Inspector General of Police Punjab, Gujranwala Regional Police Officer Ahmed Mubarak Ahmed and DPO Sialkot Bilal Sadiq Kamiyana to provide her with justice.

All names have been changed to protect the identity of the victim. (Source)

Saudi Woman Shaima Jastaina Sentenced to Ten Lashes for Driving a Car

Ever notice that, the closer you get to Mecca, the fewer rights you have?

CAIRO (AP) — A Saudi woman was sentenced Tuesday to be lashed 10 times with a whip for defying the kingdom's prohibition on female drivers, the first time a legal punishment has been handed down for a violation of the longtime ban in the ultraconservative Muslim nation.

Normally, police just stop female drivers, question them and let them go after they sign a pledge not to drive again. But dozens of women have continued to take to the roads since June in a campaign to break the taboo.

Making Tuesday's sentence all the more upsetting to activists is that it came just two days after King Abdullah promised to protect women's rights and decreed that women would be allowed to participate in municipal elections in 2015. Abdullah also promised to appoint women to a currently all-male advisory body known as the Shura Council.

The mixed signals highlight the challenge for Abdullah, known as a reformer, in pushing gently for change without antagonizing the powerful clergy and a conservative segment of the population.

Abdullah said he had the backing of the official clerical council. But activists saw Tuesday's sentencing as a retaliation of sorts from the hard-line Saudi religious establishment that controls the courts and oversees the intrusive religious police.

"Our king doesn't deserve that," said Sohila Zein el-Abydeen, a prominent female member of the governmental National Society for Human Rights. She burst into tears in a phone interview and said, "The verdict is shocking to me, but we were expecting this kind of reaction."

The driver, Shaima Jastaina, in her 30s, was found guilty of driving without permission, activist Samar Badawi said. The punishment is usually carried out within a month. It was not possible to reach Jastaina, but Badawi, in touch with Jastaina's family, said she appealed the verdict.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women — both Saudi and foreign — from driving. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the $300 to $400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or the doctor.

There are no written laws that restrict women from driving. Rather, the ban is rooted in conservative traditions and religious views that hold giving freedom of movement to women would make them vulnerable to sins. (Read more.)

GreekAsianPanda coming to defend Islam in three . . . two . . .

Iraqi Immigrant Alaa Alsaegh Suffers Hate Crime in St. Louis

Of course, if this had been an anti-Muslim hate crime, you would have heard about it already.

Nonie Darwish--About a year ago, I posted an Arabic language poem titled “Tears at the Heart of the Holocaust” on my website, ArabsForIsrael.com. The poem expressed its Arab author’s love for the Jewish people and his mourning over what happened to them in the Holocaust. The brave poet, Mr. Alaa Alsaegh, is an immigrant to the US from Iraq, who now lives in Missouri. Such poems did not sit well with the Muslim community, which caused Mr. Alsaegh to be alienated from it. He received threats because of his support for the Jewish people, was called an infidel and a traitor to Islam, but he continued with his writing of poems and did not take the threats too seriously.

Mr. Alsaegh, as well as Muslim critics and former Muslims who are accused of apostasy, are living under threats, but, lo and behold, if we dare to speak about our fears, we are immediately silenced and accused of being Islamophobes. The mainstream media insist that there is no need to fear Sharia or its enforcers in America and that we are exaggerating our plight from Islam. We are told that what happens in the Arab streets can never happen in the streets of America.

Tell that to Alsaegh, after the unthinkable happened to him, when on August 14, 2011 and in broad daylight and heavy traffic, he was viciously attacked on the streets of St. Louis, Missouri. According to Mr. Alsaegh, as he was driving at 10:30 in the morning on Compton St. near Park Ave., a small white car cut him off and hit his car, while another car stopped behind him. The occupants of the cars, some of whom wore security guard-type uniforms, quickly entered Alsaegh’s car, pointing a gun at him. They pushed his upper body down against the steering wheel, stabbed him and pulled off his shirt to expose his back. Then, with a knife, they carved the Star of David on his back while laughing as they recited his pro-Jewish poem. Mr. Alsaegh believes that the attackers could be Somalis, but he was not sure. After the attackers fled the scene, Mr. Alsaegh was surrounded by witnesses to the crime and was taken to the hospital. The photo representing this story was taken at the hospital.

After I learned of the attack on Mr. Alsaegh, I did not want to rush to judgment and waited until he told me that the FBI concluded that this was a hate crime. I believe that my article on this incident is the first to be reported in the media. This incident has been totally ignored by the mainstream media.

Why is it that attacks perpetrated by Muslims against Muslim infidels or honor crimes are ignored? Crimes done by Muslims against other Muslims who are considered apostates should alert the American public of what is coming to American streets if Muslims start increasing in numbers. The dirty little secret of Islamic hate and intolerance is clear from this story, and no one in the media cares to expose it and alert the American public. (Read more.)

500,000 Muslims Praying in the Streets of Moscow

And people are worried about a few hundred Muslims blocking streets in Paris?



(Thanks to Luis for sending this in.)

Afghan "Ally" Opens Fire on CIA Office in Kabul

Some Muslims want to help U.S. forces. Other Muslims live by Muhammad's claim that "war is deceit." Can anyone tell me how to tell the difference between (1) a Muslim who is a genuine ally of the U.S., and (2) a Muslim who is only pretending to be friendly, while preparing to kill as many non-Muslims as possible? The U.S. government can't seem to spot the difference, and people keep getting killed because of it.

Kabul, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan employed by the U.S. government killed one American and wounded another in an attack on a CIA office in Kabul, officials said Monday.

The shooting Sunday evening is the most recent in a growing number of attacks this year by Afghans working with the country's international allies. Some assailants have turned out to be Taliban sleeper agents, while others have been motivated by personal grievances.

Gunfire was first heard sometime after 8 p.m. local time around the former Ariana Hotel, a building that ex-U.S. intelligence officials said is the CIA station in Kabul. The spy agency occupied the heavily secured building just blocks from the Afghan presidential palace in late 2001 after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban.

The U.S. Embassy said an Afghan employee of the complex shot dead an American citizen and wounded another before being killed.

"The motivation for the attack is still under investigation," the embassy said in a statement. (Read more.)

Can't figure out the motivation? Here are a few suggestions:

Qur’an 9:29—Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

Qur’an 9:73—O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them.

Qur’an 9:111—Surely Allah has bought of the believers their persons and their property for this, that they shall have the garden; they fight in Allah's way, so they slay and are slain.

Qur’an 9:123—O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness.

Qur’an 47:35—Be not weary and fainthearted, crying for peace, when ye should be uppermost.

Qur’an 48:29—Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves.

Sahih Muslim 33—It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. Umar that the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and they establish prayer, and pay Zakat and if they do it, their blood and property are guaranteed protection on my behalf except when justified by law, and their affairs rest with Allah.

Sahih al-Bukhari 2785—Narrated Abu Hurairah: A man came to Allah’s Messenger and said, “Guide me to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward).” He replied, “I do not find such a deed.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 2796—Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, “A single endeavor (of fighting) in Allah’s cause in the afternoon or in the forenoon is better than all the world and whatever is in it.”

David Wood vs. Nadir Ahmed: "Does Christianity Promote Violence Towards Non-Christians?"

Yes, it's kind of a ridiculous question. But whenever we point out the violent passages in the Qur'an, Muslims (and many non-Muslims) respond: "Well, the Bible says the same thing!" Hence, in order to show that Christianity and Islam don't actually teach the same thing, here goes. (If you missed our debate on whether Islam promotes violence towards non-Muslims, click here.)

OPENING STATEMENTS


REBUTTALS/CROSSFIRE


Q&A/CONCLUSIONS

British Military Commanders Ignored Warnings That Troops Were at Risk from Afghan "Allies"

SMART PEOPLE: "Hey, Commanders! You know, Islam allows deception. Muhammad himself said that 'War is deceit.' Just because some Afghan soldiers pledge loyalty to you doesn't mean they aren't planning to kill you."

BRITISH COMMANDERS: "Poppycock! A Muslim's word is as kosher as Christmas! Away with your Islamophobic bigotry! We'll not let your hate-mongering stand in the way of our diversity!"

United Kingdom--British troops face such danger from their allies in the Afghan army and police force that they should carry a loaded pistol whenever they are working alongside them, a secret Nato report has warned.

The report, ordered after a rogue Afghan policeman shot dead five British servicemen, recommended that British troops should be armed with 9mm pistols at all times - even when sleeping - because of the high risk of being attacked.

It also called for British soldiers to have separate sleeping and living quarters from Afghan troops, and for all British "administrative areas" to be covered by armed sentries, such were the fears of further incidents.

But the rulings were never implemented amid fears they would lead to a breakdown in trust between members of the Afghan security forces and the British troops who train them and fight alongside them.

Only eight months after the deaths of the five servicemen, three more British troops were killed when a member of the Afghan army ran amok in a rocket and machine gun attack at a patrol base in central Helmand.

Subsequent attacks by rogue Afghan soldiers and police have led to the deaths of 15 further members of Nato's International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF), including American and Spanish servicemen.

In November 2009, a group of British soldiers were relaxing after a patrol at a check point known as Blue 25 when an Afghan policeman known as Gulbuddin, who was working alongside them, opened fire at close range.

Three members of the Grenadier Guards and two Royal Military Policemen were killed, and a further six soldiers were injured. All were unarmed and none were wearing body armour.

Less than two weeks after the attack, a "Nato Secret" post-incident report was circulated to commanders recommending the extra arming of British troops.

In the second incident, in July 2010, three members of the 1st battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles were killed when a member of the Afghan Army ran amok at a base known as Patrol Base Three in the Nahr-e-Seraj area of central Helmand.

Talib Hussein, an Afghan soldier working alongside the Gurkhas, shot dead Major Josh James Bowman while he slept.

He then fired a rocket propelled grenade into the company operation's room killing Lieutenant Neal Turkington, 26 and Corporal Arjun Purja Pun, a senior Nepalese Gurkha soldier.

The MoD maintains that even if the Gurkhas had been issued with pistols, their deaths would not have been prevented.

However, at an inquest earlier this year, Lieutenant Colonel Roly Walker, who was the Commanding Officer of the Grenadier Guards in November 2009, said that following the five deaths at Blue 25 he had ordered that all of his soldiers working alongside the Afghan security forces should be armed at all times as a deterrent against future attacks.

This newspaper has also learnt that some British commanders have independently ordered that soldiers due to take over the mentoring of Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) troops should be trained in pistol "close quarter battle" techniques by members of the special forces in case they are attacked.

Troops are being tested in a variety of scenarios in which they have to respond to surprise attacks by members of the Afghan army and police within the confines of a secure compound.

Besides the victims from Nato countries, soldiers and police in the Afghan security forces have also been killed in attacks by rogue colleagues.

Although the Taliban have claimed that such assaults are part of a carefully orchestrated plan, there is no hard evidence to suggest high levels of inflitration by insurgents, and the attacks are thought largely to have been the work of individuals acting alone.

Despite the deaths, commanders maintain that there has been no breakdown in trust between British and Afghan troops. (Read more.)

British Government Funding Polygamous Muslim Marriages

I'm absolutely shocked that Muslims are taking advantage of the British government to further their Islamic agenda. Who could have imagined it?

So here's what's going on in the UK. Many British Muslims are importing numerous wives from Muslim countries. Muslims marry these women in Islamic ceremonies that are not reported to the British government. These women then start having children. Since the women aren't officially married and are regarded as single mothers with multiple children, the British government gives them housing benefits, money, food, etc. In other words, polygamy is being funded by the British government. And while a Muslim man is producing ten or fifteen children through his three or four government-funded wives, non-Muslim British parents are having one or two children. Do the math and tell me what the UK will be like in 50 years.

Of course, government officials are helpless to do anything about these polygamous marriages, because any action against Muslims will be regarded as hate-filled, anti-Islamic, racist bigotry.

United Kingdom--Ghulam is a taxi driver who lives in Blackburn, a once-booming textile town in Lancashire. He has a terrace house near his local mosque (one of 53 in the area), a silver Nissan car and a very complex private life.

For he has so many children that he struggles to remember their names, and five wives from various countries, including Yemen, Egypt, Turkey and his own birthplace, Pakistan.

Ghulam’s latest bride is a shy 20-year-old called Hafeza. He brought her to Britain from Morocco, soon after his 45th birthday earlier this year. They married in an Islamic wedding ceremony called ‘the Nikah’ in her village, with Hafeza’s pleased parents among the guests.

Thirty miles across the Pennines in Yorkshire, pizza delivery driver Wasim, 27, has an equally complicated domestic life.

He lives in a part of Dewsbury called Savile Town, a network of 11 terrace streets dominated by one of the biggest mosques in Europe, where most residents are Asian with origins in Pakistan or India.

Wasim has three wives, the first of whom lives with him and their three teenage sons. His other two wives have separate houses in Savile Town, one down the road and another round the corner. He visits each two nights a week.

The women have had several of Wasim’s children and he hopes the youngest bride (aged 19) will soon present him with another baby.

I learned of Ghulam and Wasim this week while investigating a subject that is taboo in politically correct Britain. It is the huge rise of bigamy (having two wives) and polygamy (more than two) in our Muslim communities.

The issue was recently bravely highlighted by Baroness Flather, a crossbench life peer who was herself born in Lahore, now part of Pakistan.

She warned the Lords (and also wrote an article for the Mail on the subject) about how our shambolic benefits system is being exploited by men hailing from Pakistan and other Muslim nations who indulge in multiple marriages — with taxpayers forced to foot the bill.

As Baroness Flather explained: ‘The wives are regarded by the welfare system as single mothers, and are therefore entitled to a full range of lone parent payments.

'As a result, several “families” fathered by the same man can all claim benefits, as they are provided for by the welfare state, which treats them as if they were not related.’

Lady Flather also lamented the reluctance of politicians to address the issue: ‘It is certainly difficult to discuss this phenomenon of serial marriage and exploitation of the benefits system, with few people in Britain seeming to want to confront the disturbing truth.’

Two years ago, another peer, Baroness Warsi, born in Dewsbury to Pakistani parents, and now a Coalition Cabinet Minister, also voiced her concerns. She said cultural sensitivity was stopping politicians addressing the problem.

Yet this week I found those — from within the heart of the Asian communities — who were prepared to speak out.

Although the Government says there are only 1,000 such bigamous or polygamous unions in the UK, two experienced Lancashire social workers — one of Indian-English heritage and the other with Pakistani origins — told me that, although it’s difficult to be precise, in their estimation the figure is closer to 20,000.

The social workers said the multiple marriages are encouraged by a welfare system which allows a second, third or fourth wife to be treated as a single mother who gets a house and an array of other state payments for herself and her children.

Controversially, it means that a man can take a new spouse (from anywhere in the world), sire any number of children with her, and yet have no responsibility for this family’s upkeep or care.

To avoid breaking Britain’s matrimony laws, the men marry their extra ‘wives’ in an Islamic Nikah ceremony, either in their own homes or a mosque.

These marriages are not recognised officially, so they do not appear in government statistics or have any status under the law. They also do not count when assessing welfare payments. (Read more.)

Muslim Convert Janice Brown Cries "Religious Discrimination" after Hospital Refuses to Engage in Gender Discrimination

Muslims are trying really, really hard to be the victims, and the media are trying really, really hard to make their wish come true.

Janice Brown is a convert to Islam. Based on her reading of the Qur'an, she believes that it would be a sin to take off her clothes in the presence of a male doctor. Hence, when she needed treatment for hemorrhoidal bleeding, she requested a female doctor. The hospital, however, refused to discriminate based on gender. That is, they refused to seek out a female doctor for Brown when a perfectly capable male doctor was available. The result? Brown is now claiming that, by refusing to discriminate against a doctor based on gender, the hospital discriminated against a Muslim based on religion. The media are supporting her, and the hospital is launching an investigation.

Now for the hilarious part. In the video below, Brown quotes from the Hilali-Khan translation of Surah 24:31 to explain why she can't take off her clothes in front of a male doctor. Apparently, no one over at Fox News bothered to read the entire verse when they decided to take Brown's discrimination claim seriously. The verse reads:

And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like palms of hands or one eye or both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer dress like veil, gloves, head-cover, apron, etc.), and to draw their veils all over Juyubihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms, etc.) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husband's sons, their brothers or their brother's sons, or their sister's sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islam), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.

Notice that this translation commands Brown to cover her face (except for one or both eyes). Yet when she's being interviewed for her anti-Muslim discrimination clip, she wears a simple hijab:

Notice also that the translation she quotes never says it's okay for female doctors to examine her. The Hilali-Khan translation only allows certain men, Muslim women, female slaves, and children to see Brown's "adornment." Hence, her request to the hospital should have gone something like this:

"I need to see a doctor. But I will only allow a doctor to examine me if the doctor is my husband, or my father, or my husband's father, or my son, or my husband's son, or my brother, or my brother's son, or my sister's son, or my sister in Islam, or my female slave, or an old male servant who lacks vigor, or a small child. And if you do not provide me with such a doctor, you are a hate-mongering, Islamophobic bigot who is discriminating against my religion!"

On a side note, I have to ask a question. What's more disturbing: (a) letting a trained male medical doctor treat your hemorrhoidal bleeding, or (b) letting your son, your stepson, your nephew, old men, and young children look at your vagina? According to Brown, (b) is perfectly acceptable, while (a) is an abomination.

Strange religion she converted to.

Muslim Woman: Hospital Mocked Her Faith: MyFoxPHILLY.com

FOXNEWS--A Muslim woman says she was forced to leave Abington Memorial Hospital without the care she needed, after a hospital staffer insulted her religion.

Janice Brown, 25, is a convert to the Islamic faith. And she suffers from periodic hemmoroidal bleeding, dating back to the birth of her daughter.

Late Thursday night, that bleeding led brown to the emergency room at Abington Memorial.

Brown says she'd called ahead, verifying that she'd be examined by a female doctor.

As a Muslim, it would be a sin for Janice to allow a non-related man to see her uncovered genital region.

But once inside the examination room, she was greeted by a man.

"The charge nurse came in- his name was James, though he went by Jim- and he told me that Abington Hospital does not discriminate and I'm not allowed to choose a preference whether i see a male doctor or a female doctor," says Brown.

The hospital's own web site includes a list of patients' rights that includes the right to medical and nursing services without discrimination based upon religion.

Janice's sister had joined her and confronted told the charge nurse.

"'You're asking her to go against her beliefs and commit sins because you don't want to find her a female doctor," she said.

And he said, 'I'm sure god will forgive her.'"

"I don't know if it was more of a mocking thing coming from the charge nurse- for him to tell me, 'oh, God's gonna forgive you.' You're not the one to make that decision in my life," says Janice Brown.

Brown says she stormed out and ultimately drove 45 minutes to another hospital, where she was treated without incident by a female physician.

She got home at 4 a.m.

"I think it's just a form of ignorance, basically. People not knowing or not taking the time to know or educate themselves about other religions so they can be sympathetic," said Brown.

Abington Memorial would not talk to us on camera.

In a written statement, the hospital promised a thorough investigation of Janice's claims.

They note that care providers may be assigned by gender if the request is based on religious beliefs but that the patient may have to wait for that gender-specific doctor.

Brown says she just wants an apology. (Source)

Ten Muslim Students Found Guilty of Disrupting Israeli Ambassador's Speech

I have some mixed feelings about the jury's verdict. On the one hand, this is the United States of America, where people are free to speak, defend their views, criticize others, etc. On the other hand, the Muslim students were attempting to shut down the free speech of someone else, and free speech protections do not apply uniformly in all locations. For instance, the government protects my right to preach on public sidewalks, but it doesn't protect my right to preach in your living room if you ask me to leave. Similarly, if the owners of an auditorium lay down rules for an event, that's their prerogative, and the rules must be respected. Those who don't want to follow the rules may go outside and enjoy their freedoms on the nearest public sidewalk.

While I think the students were clearly wrong for repeatedly disrupting a university event, the issue could have been handled through school discipline, rather than through criminal proceedings. It's tough to see young people get criminal records for doing what they believe is right, even if they're wrong. (And I say this as someone who was thrown in jail in Dearborn for doing much, much less than these students did.)

SANTA ANA, California (AP) — A California jury found 10 Muslim students guilty Friday of disrupting the Israeli ambassador's university speech about U.S.-Israel relations, a case that stoked a debate about free speech.

The jury also convicted the students of conspiring to disrupt Ambassador Michael Oren's speech in February 2010 at the University of California, Irvine. They were charged with misdemeanor counts after standing up, one by one, and shouting prepared statements such as "propagating murder is not an expression of free speech."

The students will return to court later Friday in Orange County where they could be sentenced, said defense attorney Dan Stormer. He declined to comment until after the afternoon hearing. Prosecutors said they will comment on the case later.

About 150 people, including relatives and supporters of the students and Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, attended the verdict. Some community members gasped and started crying when the verdict was read and about a dozen of them walked out.

The students showed little reaction but later huddled with their attorneys and shared hugs with family and friends.

Shakeel Syed of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California said he was shocked.

"This is yet another reaffirmation that Islamophobia is intensely and extensively alive and thriving in Orange County," he said. "I believe this will be used as precedent now to suppress speech and dissent throughout the country. This is the beginning of the death of democracy."
UC Irvine said in a statement that it supports free speech.

"We nurture a campus climate that promotes robust debate and welcomes different points of view," said Rex Bossert, a university spokesman.

Prosecutors said the students broke the law by interrupting Oren's speech on U.S.-Israel relations and cutting short the program, despite calls to behave from campus officials. Defense attorneys argued the students had a right to protest.

Nearly 200 people packed the courtroom to hear closing arguments at the trial that some community members called a waste of taxpayers' money and an effort to single out the defendants because they are Muslim.

Prosecutor Dan Wagner told jurors the students acted as censors to block the free flow of ideas and infringed upon the rights of 700 people who had gone to the Irvine campus to hear Oren.

Wagner showed video footage of university officials pleading with students to behave, but they kept interrupting the lecture. Wagner also showed emails sent among members of UC Irvine's Muslim Student Union planning the disruption and calculating who was willing to get arrested.

Defense attorneys countered there were no hard rules for the speech, and the students might have been discourteous but didn't break the law.

Lawyer Reem Salahi, who represents two of the defendants, said the demonstration was modeled after a series of protests at UC Irvine and elsewhere in which students shouted at lecturers but weren't arrested.

She said the students never intended to halt Oren's speech entirely but wanted to express their views on the Israeli government's actions in Gaza.

During the case, attorneys showed dueling pie charts breaking down how much time the students demonstrated, how long their supporters cheered and how much time Oren spoke. The evidence was intended to show whether the meeting suffered a significant disruption.

Attorneys for the students — who attended UC Irvine and nearby University of California, Riverside — argued before the trial that charges should never have been filed and that the issue was already handled on campus.

In 2010, the students were cited, released and disciplined at UC Irvine, which revoked the Muslim Student Union's charter for a quarter and placed it on two years of probation.

Earlier this year, Rackauckas filed criminal charges against 11 students, prompting an outcry from the American Civil Liberties Union and a host of Jewish, Muslim and campus groups. Charges against one defendant later were dropped. (Source)

Debunking the Palestine Lie

Muslims Gang-Rape Christian Mother of Five in Pakistan

LAHORE, Pakistan, September 21 (CDN) — A Christian mother of five was allegedly raped by two Muslim men last week, and area Islamists are threatening to harm her family if charges against the suspects are not dropped, the woman and her husband told Compass.

On Thursday (Sept. 15), the 32-year-old woman said, she was returning home to Mustafabad, in Punjab Province’s Kasur district, from a garment factory where she works. Two Muslims, identified only as 23-year-old Bhallu and 27-year-old Shera, along with an unidentified accomplice, allegedly abducted her at gunpoint, took her to an abandoned house in the area and raped her, she said.

Working late, she had reached the Mustafabad bus stop at 11:45 p.m. and had begun walking to her home five minutes away; the street was deserted, said the alleged victim, whose name is withheld.

“As soon as I entered our street, Bhallu appeared from the shadows and put his hand on my mouth,” she told Compass by phone. “A second person, who I later recognized as Bhallu’s friend Shera, came from behind and put a pistol on my temple. A third person also appeared on the scene, and together they first gagged me and then forcibly took me to an abandoned house. I tried my best to get free from their hold and save myself, but they were too powerful for me.”

Once inside, she said, they took off her gag, and she pleaded with them to leave her alone.

“I tried screaming, but they hit me,” she said, sobbing. “Not for a minute did they acknowledge that I was a mother to five children. Then they raped me, one after the other. Their third accomplice stood guard as they tore in on me like animals.”

She said that her tormentors let her go after more than an hour.

“They had torn my clothes, and I could barely step outside the house,” she said. “I don’t know how I managed to reach my home … Words fail me even now.”

Muslim criminals in Pakistan, where the population is more than 95 percent Muslim according to Operation World, tend to assume they will not be prosecuted if their victims are Christians. The accuser said Muslim men in the area have been harassing Christian women for some time.

“There are around 500 Christian houses in this area, which is predominantly inhabited by Muslims,” she said. “There have been several instances when they have publicly harassed us but have gotten away with it, because we keep silent to avoid a clash.”

A month ago, as she was returning home from work, she was near her house when she suddenly felt someone pulling her head scarf, she said. She turned and found one of Bhallu’s friends holding the head scarf.

“I started screaming, and my husband and a neighbor rushed out, but the boy walked away as if nothing had happened,” she said. “We did not say a word about this to anyone out of shame and fear of the Muslims.”

She said that after that incident, her husband, who works as a sweeper, began accompanying her to and from the bus stop.

“But there were days when he could not accompany me to the bus stop, and I used to walk alone,” she said.

Her husband, Mushtaq Masih, said that he was speechless after she told him about the ordeal.

“We have five children – three boys and two girls – with the oldest daughter studying in sixth grade – I cannot express the thoughts that filled my mind at that time,” Masih said. “The Muslims had ruined us completely, and I did not know what would happen to us if we reported the crime, but seeing my wife devastated, I decided to face the rapists.”

He called police, who visited the crime scene and took the woman to the hospital for a medical examination that proved she had been gang-raped, he said. Police filed a First Information Report (FIR No. 491/11) against Bhallu and his accomplices.

The woman said that she knew Bhallu only because he lived in her neighborhood, and that although she recognized Shera, she did not know his name until the FIR was filed.

Masih said that Shera’s name came up during the initial police investigation, and he was in custody when the investigating officer asked Masih to bring his wife to the police station to identify the suspects. Bhallu had fled the area.

His wife said that as they reached the police station, Muslims warned the family against pointing out Shera.

“They told us that they will kill my children and husband if I identify Shera,” she said. “They said that we should not forget that we are chooras [sweepers, a derogatory word for Christians] and can bring no harm to them. They also warned that our daughters would face a similar fate if we did not listen to them.”

She refused to identify Shera and returned home, she said.

“What happened to me should not happen to any of them,” she said. “My children are my world, how could I put their lives in danger? … Please pray that no woman suffers what I have been through.”

Area Christians were shocked. The family continues to receive threats to withdraw the case against the primary suspect, Bhallu, who has been seen in the area several times though police have yet to arrest him, Masih said.

“Our Muslim neighbors are pressuring us to withdraw the case,” he said. “They want us to reach an agreement with Bhallu and his friends. They want us to ‘pardon’ the criminals who have dishonored us.”

Police are using delay tactics in the pursuit of Bhallu, Masih said.

“We told the Mustafabad police in-charge that the Muslims are forcing us to withdraw the case, but he is not bothered,” Masih said. He added that some policemen had also asked him to withdraw the case, saying there was little chance his wife would get justice.

“They asked me to take money in return for withdrawing the case,” Masih said. “They want that I should sell my wife’s honor for money.”

Investigating Officer Muhammad Sharif dismissed the Christians’ accusations that police had sought money in exchange for dropping the case, and he refused to acknowledge that Muslims were threatening the woman’s family and needed police protection.

Sharif told Compass that police were trying to arrest Bhallu.

“We took his father into custody but released him after interrogation,” he said. “I will soon catch hold of Bhallu.”

Sharif said the investigation would accelerate after the primary suspect is arrested.

As Masih and the few Christians daring to support him ponder their next step, the woman maintains a faint hope of getting justice in a country where Christians have little legal or societal standing. Mukhtar Masih, an elder of the area Presbyterian church, said the Christians were helpless as the Muslims held sway over local police.

“Several Christian women have complained that the Muslims have harassed them, but this is something that we have to live with every day,” he said, adding that even though the community was shocked, no one was coming forward to help the family because “they are afraid of the Muslims.”

Area resident Arif Masih told Compass that the Christians’ fears were understandable.

“We don’t have anyone who can face the police and the Muslims,” he said. “What happened to Masih’s wife is very tragic and can happen to any one of us, but is there really anything we can do about it?” (Source)

No Taqiyya in Islam?

In the comments section of a recent post, Kim said: "There's no such thing as Taqiyya in Islam."

I find myself absolutely baffled that so many Muslims are willing to deny the clear teachings of Islam, and to go against Muhammad and his companions on so many issues.

Consider Qur'an 3:28, which reads:

Let not the believers take disbelievers for their friends in preference to believers. Whoso doeth that hath no connection with Allah unless (it be) that ye but guard yourselves against them, taking (as it were) security. Allah biddeth you beware (only) of Himself. Unto Allah is the journeying.

Here the Qur'an commands Muslims not to be friends with unbelievers instead of believers, unless Muslims need to guard themselves from the unbelievers. What does this mean? Obviously, it means that Muslims aren't supposed to be friendly towards non-Muslims, but if Muslims are outnumbered and need to guard themselves from non-Muslims, they may pretend to be friendly.

But don't take my infidelicious word for it. Muhammad's companions and Islam's greatest commentators interpreted Surah 3:28 in exactly the same way. Ibn Kathir writes:

Allah prohibited His believing servants from becoming supporters of the disbelievers, or to take them as comrades with whom they develop friendships, rather than the believers. Allah warned against such behavior when He said, "And whoever does that, will never be helped by Allah in any way," meaning, whoever commits this act that Allah has prohibited, then Allah will discard him. Similarly, Allah said, "O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies as friends, showing affection towards them," until, "And whosoever of you does that, then indeed he has gone astray from the straight path" ﴿60:1﴾. Allah said, "O you who believe! Take not for friends disbelievers instead of believers. Do you wish to offer Allah a manifest proof against yourselves" ﴿4:144﴾, and, "O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as friends, they are but friends of each other. And whoever befriends them, then surely, he is one of them" ﴿5:51﴾.

Allah said, after mentioning the fact that the faithful believers gave their support to the faithful believers among the Muhajirin, Ansar and Bedouins, "And those who disbelieve are allies of one another, (and) if you do not behave the same, there will be Fitnah and oppression on the earth, and a great mischief and corruption: ﴿8:73﴾.

Allah said next, "unless you indeed fear a danger from them" meaning, except those believers who in some areas or times fear for their safety from the disbelievers. In this case, such believers are allowed to show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly. For instance, Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Ad-Darda' said, "We smile in the face of some people although our hearts curse them." Al-Bukhari said that Al-Hasan said, "The Tuqyah is allowed until the Day of Resurrection." Allah said, "And Allah warns you against Himself," meaning, He warns you against His anger and the severe torment He prepared for those who give their support to His enemies, and those who have enmity with His friends, "And to Allah is the final return" meaning, the return is to Him and He will reward or punish each person according to their deeds.

So Muhammad's companions Abu ad-Darda and al-Hasan both disagree with Kim. Al-Hasan even says that Taqiyya is allowed until the Day of Resurrection! Didn't anyone bother to tell Muhammad's companions that there is no Taqiyya in Islam?

Perhaps we'll find a different interpretation in Tafsir Jalalayn:

Let not the believers take the disbelievers as patrons, rather than, that is, instead of, the believers — for whoever does that, that is, [whoever] takes them as patrons, does not belong to, the religion of, God in anyway — unless you protect yourselves against them, as a safeguard (tuqātan, ‘as a safeguard’, is the verbal noun from taqiyyatan), that is to say, [unless] you fear something, in which case you may show patronage to them through words, but not in your hearts: this was before the hegemony of Islam and [the dispensation] applies to any individual residing in a land with no say in it. God warns you, He instills fear in you, of His Self, [warning] that He may be wrathful with you if you take them as patrons; and to God is the journey’s end, the return, and He will requite you.

Hmmm. Here we have the same interpretation as that found in Tafsir Ibn Kathir. Jalal even points out that the word used is the verbal noun form of taqiyyatan (taqiyya!). This is quite strange, since there is no taqiyya in Islam.

Surely someone must agree with Westernized Muslims. Let's turn to Muhammad's companion Ibn Abbas to dispel the myths of Abu ad-Darda, al-Hasan, Ibn Kathir, and Jalal:

(Let not the believers take) the believers ought not to take [the hypocrites:] 'Abdullah Ibn Ubayy and his companions [and] (disbelievers) the Jews (for their friends) so as to become mighty and honourable (in preference to believers) who are sincere. (Whoso doeth that) seeking might and honour [by taking the hypocrites and disbelievers as friends] (hath no connection with Allah) has no honour, mercy or protection from Allah (unless (it be) that ye but guard yourselves against them) save yourselves from them, (taking (as it were) security) saving yourselves from them by speaking in a friendly way towards them with, while your hearts dislikes this. (Allah bideth you beware (only) of Himself) regarding the shunning of unlawful killing, unlawful sex, unlawful property, consuming intoxicants, false testimony and associating partners with Allah. (Unto Allah is the journeying) the return after death.

Darn! Ibn Abbas gives the same interpretation as everyone else. It seems that none of Muhammad's companions correctly understood the verse, and that Islam's greatest commentators couldn't understand it either. It's a good thing that we now have Westernized Muslims who know that when Allah allows Muslims to use taqiyya in 3:28, he really means, "There's no taqiyya in Islam." I feel much better knowing that after nearly 1400 years, someone finally understands Islam.

Congressman Mike Quigley: Apologizing for America

When equal treatment just isn't enough, call Congressman Quigley.

Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley Apologizes for Anti-Muslim Discrimination in America

Yes, Muslims have a tough time here in the U.S. American Muslims are protected by the same laws as anyone else, they get to work the same jobs as anyone else, and politicians and the media bend over backwards to defend Islam from anything remotely resembling criticism. Someone needs to apologize for such horrible discrimination against Muslims.

Thank you, Congressman Quigley, for issuing a heartfelt apology on behalf of our wicked, racist, bigoted country. With the help of Muslims, perhaps we can one reach the state of equality that is only found in the Muslim world. (Click here for my response video.)

Zakir Naik Practicing Taqiyya

Suppose you ask Islamic apologist Zakir Naik, "Why doesn't Islam allow Christians to freely preach the Gospel?"

You might get two different answers, depending on where you ask the question. If you ask the question in a Muslim country, Naik will tell you that other religions are false, that only Islam is acceptable by Allah, and that Islam therefore doesn't allow the preaching of the Gospel.

If you ask the question in a Western, non-Muslim country, Naik will say that Islam promotes equal rights for all people, and that prohibitions against free speech in Muslim countries are based, not on Islam, but on governments that have strayed from the wonderful principles of Islam.

Taqiyya at its finest.

Sharia Down Under: An Interview with Pastor Daniel Scot

Tony Costa on Toronto's Sharia School System

The Toronto School Board is sending a clear message to students: Muslims get special privileges, and girls are inferior to boys.

Ehteshaam Gulam on Farhan Qureshi's Apostasy

If you thought Ehteshaam's debates were bad, check out his YouTube videos!

Farhan Qureshi was raised as an Ahmadi Muslim. He later left this sect in favor of orthodox Islam. Muslims responded: "What a strong-minded individual! He was willing to go where the evidence pointed, even if it meant abandoning his community! Brave and noble man!"

Now Farhan has left Islam altogether. The Muslim response? "What a weak-minded fool! He must have been brainwashed by Islamophobic bigots like Nabeel Qureshi and David Wood! Sniveling coward!"

So if Farhan leaves a sect of Islam, it's a sign of strength. If he leaves the Islamic religion, it's a sign of weakness.

Here's the problem with these inconsistent Muslim responses. When Farhan left the Ahmadi sect, he explained his reasons for leaving. These reasons are either (a) good reasons, or (b) bad reasons. Similarly, when Farhan left Islam, he explained his reasons for leaving. These reasons are either (a) good reasons, or (b) bad reasons.

It's quite possible for someone to abandon one position for good reasons, and to leave another position for bad reasons. For instance, if an Ahmadi Muslim recognizes the clear inconsistencies between Muhammad's teachings and Mirza Gulam Ahmad's teachings, such a Muslim might leave the Ahmadi sect for good reasons. But a person can also leave a false position for bad reasons. For example, if someone says, "I left Islam because I wanted to eat pork," I wouldn't consider this a good reason for leaving Islam.

The question, then, is whether Farhan had good reasons for leaving Islam. If he didn't have good reasons, Muslims like Ehteshaam should be exposing Farhan in public debate. If, on the other hand, they can't refute Farhan's evidence, calling him "weak" in horrible YouTube videos just isn't going to cut it.

Nadir Ahmed vs. David Wood: "Does Islam Promote Violence Towards Non-Muslims?"

OPENING STATEMENTS


REBUTTALS/CROSSFIRE


Q&A/CONCLUSIONS

UK Muslims Burn US Flag Outside US Embassy at 9-11 Memorial Service

9-11 Documentary

Here's an excellent documentary on the 9-11 attacks:

9-11 Remembered

On September 11th, 2001, my dad woke me up to tell me that some idiot had crashed a plane into the World Trade Center. We assumed the pilot was drunk, and I went back to sleep. A little later, Dad woke me up again. Another plane had struck the towers. Obviously, this was no accident.

As I drove to Old Dominion University for a class, I listened to the radio as the first tower fell. When I got to school, I sat in the parking garage to hear the outcome. The second tower collapsed, and the reporter announced: "The World Trade Center is no more."

Apparently, few students listen to the news in the morning. In the class I was attending, only the professor and I knew what had happened. I said to the bewildered class, "Remember the World Trade Center? It's not there anymore. Terrorists crashed planes into it."

My professor replied, "Well, we don't know it was terrorists."

We didn't know it was terrorists? One plane could be an accident. Two planes were part of a plan. If the professor had said, "We don't know it was Muslim terrorists," she would have been correct. Although Muslims had attacked the World Trade Center previously, there are at least some non-Muslim terrorists in the world who could have been responsible. But to say we didn't even know that terrorism was a factor, that seemed like sheer nonsense.

As I looked around the classroom, I realized that most people had no clue what was going on, and that the woman who had all the same facts as I did was willfully ignoring the evidence.

Ten years later, I look around and see largely the same thing.

Final Schedule of California Series

Here's the final schedule of events in California. (For those who plan to attend, pay close attention to the various locations.)

Friday, September 9th, 7:00 P.M.
Calvary Chapel Chino Valley - 12205 Pipeline Ave., Chino, CA 91710
Sam Shamoun & David Wood: "The Islamic Dilemma"

Saturday, September 10th, 8:30 A.M.
Calvary Chapel Anaheim – 270 E. Palais Road, Anaheim, CA 92805
David Wood: "Facing the Islamic Challenge Biblically"

Saturday, September 10th, 8:30 A.M.
Calvary Chapel of the Harbour – 16450 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA, 92649
Sam Shamoun: "The Islamic Dilemma"

Saturday, September 10th, 12:30 P.M.
Calvary Chapel Downey - 12808 Woodruff Avenue, Downey, CA 90242
David Wood: "Exposing Muhammad and the Qur'an"

Saturday, September 10th, 2:45 P.M.
Calvary Chapel Downey - 12808 Woodruff Avenue, Downey, CA 90242
Sam Shamoun: "The Islamic Dilemma"

Sunday, September 11th, 8:30 A.M. & 10:45 A.M.
Calvary Chapel Pacific Coast - 6400 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, CA 92683
Sam Shamoun: "Facing the Islamic Challenge Biblically"

Sunday, September 11th, 8:30 A.M. & 10:30 A.M.
Calvary Chapel Downey - 12808 Woodruff Avenue, Downey, CA 90242
David Wood: "Facing the Islamic Challenge Biblically"

Sunday, September 11th, 6:00 P.M.
The White House - 1238 South Beach Boulevard, Anaheim, CA 92804
Sam Shamoun & David Wood: "Unveiling the Power Behind 9-11"

Monday, September 12th, 7:00 P.M.
Orangewood Avenue Baptist Church - 8421 Orangewood Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92841
Nadir Ahmed vs. David Wood: "Does Islam Promote Violence Towards Non-Believers"

Tuesday, September 13th, 7:00 P.M.
Orangewood Avenue Baptist Church - 8421 Orangewood Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92841
David Wood vs. Nadir Ahmed: "Does Christianity Promote Violence Towards Non-Believers"

Corpus Coranicum Project Will Examine Differences Among 35 Editions of the Qur'an

Practically every Muslim you'll ever meet will tell you that the Qur'an has been perfectly preserved. When we compare this widespread delusional thinking with the harsh reality of the history of the Qur'an, we should begin to realize (1) how far Muslims have strayed from facts and evidence, and (2) how deceptive Muslim leaders have been with the communities that trust them.

(ANSAMED) - ROME, SEPTEMBER 7 - Today it is believed that Islam's holy text was directly dictated by Allah to Mohammed and therefore it must be viewed as a body of strict rules. But there was a time when the wise Muslims talked in critical terms about the Koran. A German group of researchers - as reported by the 'Jesus' monthly in an article - has now decided to follow that path once again. We are talking about the Corpus Coranicum, a project by the Berlin and Brandenburg Academy of Sciences that aims to present, in an open and digital form, the different 'lessons' of the book of Koran referred by oral and written history, together with the most significant historical commentaries and the texts of the cultural environment in which Islam's holy book was formed.

The objective of Corpus Coranicum is not that of drawing up a 'critical edition' of the Koran as a whole - establishing a new text 'cleaned out' of historical encrustment, transcription and transmission errors that piled up during 1400 years of history.

Rather, as project director Michael Marx explained to Jesus, ''we are setting the foundations for a potential critical edition: what we are doing is taking 35 different editions into account, trying to insert certain data from our database to refresh memories that the history of Muslim culture has a critical approach to the text''.

The idea of comparing, from a synoptic standpoint, the various 'lessons' of the Koran is certainly controversial. In most contemporary Muslim societies the prevailing notion is that the text of the Koran was directly dictated by Allah to Mohammed, and that consequently any intervention on the text must be considered blasphemous. In reality, for centuries the Muslim researches looked into the variations to the text, debating, accepting or rejecting the various 'lessons' set forth by the different traditions. And it is this same heritage that the Corpus Coranicum aims to systematise, organising it according to the Western research methods. (Source)

And now for a blast from the past:

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Says "Islamicism" Is Biggest Threat to Country

Wait a minute. Isn't the real threat Islamophobia?

In an exclusive interview with CBC News, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the biggest security threat to Canada a decade after 9/11 is Islamic terrorism.

In a wide-ranging interview with CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge that will air in its entirety on The National Thursday night, Harper says Canada is safer than it was on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaeda attacked the U.S., but that "the major threat is still Islamicism."

"There are other threats out there, but that is the one that I can tell you occupies the security apparatus most regularly in terms of actual terrorist threats," Harper said.

Harper cautioned that terrorist threats can "come out of the blue" from a different source, such as the recent Norway attacks, where a lone gunman who hated Muslims killed 77 people.

But Harper said terrorism by Islamic radicals is still the top threat, though a "diffuse" one.

"When people think of Islamic terrorism, they think of Afghanistan, or maybe they think of someone in the Middle East, but the truth is that threat exists all over the world," he said, citing domestic terrorism in Nigeria.

The prime minister said home-grown Islamic radicals in Canada are "also something that we keep an eye on." (Read more.)

Michael Coren on Islam and Obama

US Muslims Admit That 9-11 Attacks Helped Their Communities

One of the first articles I ever wrote on Islam was titled "The Two Faces of Islam . . . Still Smiling." In the article, I argued that all Muslims actually benefit from terrorism. Violent Muslims benefit from terrorism because people start living in fear. Peaceful Muslims benefit from terrorism because non-Muslims, in an effort to protect peaceful Muslims from the fabled "anti-Muslim backlash," rush to their aid, giving Muslims multiple platforms to explain "real Islam" to us. Hence, after every terrorist attack, the West becomes a dawah paradise. The words I wrote on the day of the London subway bombing are just as relevant today as they were then:

Today’s terrorist attacks in London, strangely enough, will help Islam grow even stronger. There will be a brief period of outrage against Islam, but once the smoke has cleared (both literally and figuratively), the world will once again rush to defend Islam, and more bills will be passed, "protecting" Muslims from those who would speak out against Muhammad’s "religion of peace." No matter how violent Islam becomes, as long as people fail to recognize that its two faces are part of the same head (and that both faces are calmly smiling as new laws make Islam untouchable), Muhammad’s empire of faith will thrive in a world of false tolerance.

Interestingly, some Muslims in the West are admitting that terrorist attacks are helping the Muslim community:

If there are any silver linings to the tragedy of 9-11, First Coast Muslims say one of them may be that Northeast Florida's Islamic community has grown in its outward focus and accessibility, area religious leaders say.

Ministers and lay people, both inside and outside the faith, describe a transformation of what was before the attacks a largely reclusive community into one that is better educated about its own beliefs and practices, more nimble and savvy in engaging the wider culture and more involved in civic and inter-faith issues.

Thanks also in part to the coming of age of second- and third-generation children of immigrants, the region's Muslims have become more proactive and consistent in the past decade of projecting positive messages in response to, or ahead of, negative stereotypes of the faith.

"I think it's more positive than anything else," Imam Lateef Majeed, an American-born Muslim who converted to Islam 35 years ago. He's now part of the Islamic Center of Orange Park, which meets Fridays in a Presbyterian church. "I saw more Muslims become interested in explaining what Islam was all about and that they were not part of any terrorist or subversive groups."

Non-Muslims actively involved in city's interfaith community also have seen the change, said the Rev. Fred Woolsey, a retired Disciples of Christ pastor and long-time participant in the Interfaith Council of Jacksonville.

Before 9-11, he said, it was usually just the imam and a handful of members from the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida, the area's largest mosque, who were involved in the council's meetings and events. After the attacks, that involvement shot up and they've begun to forge working relationships with other faith groups in town, he said.

"The (Muslim) community is maturing and beginning to feel more comfortable in the (wider) community," Woolsey said. (Read more.)

Well, if the Muslim community is becoming more comfortable, I guess the attacks were worth it.

Zakir Naik Exposed on Water Evaporation

Zakir Naik has built his career using a simple tactic. When he's asked a question, he rattles off a ton of references, which rarely have anything to do with the question. The Muslims in the audience trust Naik, so they usually don't bother to look up his references. If they did, they might realize that Naik is the embodiment of Muhammad's claim that "War is deceit."

Virginia Resident Jubair Ahmad Charged with Providing Support to a Terrorist Organization

I'm confused. There's obviously no connection between Islam and terrorism (despite the fact that Islam promotes terrorism). Rather, a small handful of fanatics hijacked Islam for their own, non-Islamic agenda. But now that Osama bin Laden's been killed, there shouldn't be many terrorists left. And yet they keep springing up, even in Virginia. Go figure.

A Pakistani man who received commando training from Islamist militants before moving to a Washington suburb has been arrested and charged with providing support to a terror group, US officials said Friday.

Jubair Ahmad, 24, stands accused of providing material support to the powerful Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, designated by the US government as a foreign terrorist organization, and then lying about his involvement to investigators.

According to an unsealed affidavit by a Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent, Ahmad produced and posted a propaganda video for LeT "glorifying violent jihad" in 2010, some three years after he arrived in the United States with his parents and two younger brothers.

"Terrorist organizations such as LeT, and movements affiliated with them, use the Internet and other media as part of well orchestrated propaganda campaigns," the agent stated in the affidavit released by the US Justice Department.

"These campaigns seek to recruit individuals to participate in violent jihad and to promote the spread of terror."

Ahmad faces up to 23 years in prison if convicted on the two charges.

The department said the FBI had been investigating Ahmad, a legal permanent resident living in the state of Virginia, since 2009, after receiving information that the man might be linked to LeT. (Read more.)

California Events Schedule

We still have a few slots to schedule, but here's what we have so far in California. (For those who plan to attend, pay close attention to the various locations.)

Friday, September 9th, 7:00 P.M.
Calvary Chapel Chino Valley - 12205 Pipeline Ave., Chino, CA 91710
Sam Shamoun & David Wood: "The Islamic Dilemma"

Saturday, September 10th, 8:30 A.M.
Calvary Chapel Anaheim – 270 E. Palais Road, Anaheim, CA 92805
David Wood: "Facing the Islamic Challenge Biblically"

Saturday, September 10th, 12:30 P.M.
Calvary Chapel Downey - 12808 Woodruff Avenue, Downey, CA 90242
David Wood: "Exposing Muhammad and the Qur'an"

Saturday, September 10th, 2:45 P.M.
Calvary Chapel Downey - 12808 Woodruff Avenue, Downey, CA 90242
Sam Shamoun: "The Islamic Dilemma"

Sunday, September 11th, 8:30 A.M. & 10:30 A.M.
Calvary Chapel Downey - 12808 Woodruff Avenue, Downey, CA 90242
David Wood: "Facing the Islamic Challenge Biblically"

Sunday, September 11th, 6:00 P.M.
The White House - 1238 South Beach Boulevard, Anaheim, CA 92804
Sam Shamoun & David Wood: "Unveiling the Power Behind 9-11"

Monday, September 12th, 7:00 P.M.
Orangewood Avenue Baptist Church - 8421 Orangewood Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92841
Nadir Ahmed vs. David Wood: "Does Islam Promote Violence Towards Non-Believers"

Tuesday, September 13th, 7:00 P.M.
Orangewood Avenue Baptist Church - 8421 Orangewood Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92841
David Wood vs. Nadir Ahmed: "Does Christianity Promote Violence Towards Non-Believers"

We'll be sure to record everything and post it on YouTube (so long as they haven't closed my account). Indeed, if I can find a good internet connection, I'll try to post presentations right after we give them.

On a related note, I see that we've received more than a thousand dollars in donations for the series, which should be more than enough to cover our trip (and possibly groceries for our families while we're gone). I might even be able to get my laptop repaired so I can run PowerPoint during my presentations! Anyhow, since we've already received enough financial support for this trip, I'm closing the ChipIn. Please support us through your prayers.

Taliban Execute Afghan Police Commander and Desecrate Body

***WARNING*** The following video contains graphic footage of Muslims brutally killing a man and shouting "Allahu Akbar." Since you can get a description from the text below, you don't need to watch it. But for those who believe that the spread of Sharia is harmless, here you go . . .



From the Long War Journal . . .

A videotape of the the Taliban brutally executing an Afghan police commander has been released on the Internet. The Taliban used a heavy weapon to kill the Afghan commander, and then desecrated the man's remains.

The videotape, which was released on the LiveLeak website, is undated. According to the caption, the tape shows the Taliban executing "a police commander in Paktia province after kidnapping him." A US military intelligence official told The Long War Journal that the description accompanying the video "is accurate."

The video begins by showing a bound man standing in a field. The cameraman then pans to a large group of Taliban fighters standing along a road, with a 82mm recoilless rifle, a weapon designed to destroy armored vehicles, in the foreground. A Taliban fighter is seen sighting the weapon, then another fighter kneels and fires at the man, who then disappears in an explosion.

The Taliban fighters are then seen hugging and heard yelling "Allahu Akbar," or 'God is the greatest.'

The Taliban fighters then move to inspect the body. Fighters poke the mangled remains with a stick and throw rocks at the corpse. Scores of Taliban fighters are then seen walking away from the corpse and moving toward nearby Toyota pickup trucks and buildings.

Paktia province is a stronghold of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network, a Taliban subgroup whose leadership is based in Pakistan's tribal agency of North Waziristan. The Hizb-i-Islami Gulbuddin also has a strong presence in Paktia province.

Libyan Rebels Release Hundreds of al-Qaeda Supporters Imprisoned by Gaddafi

Am I the only one who doesn't see much benefit in replacing a dictator with a bunch of jihadists?