Westerners obsess over destruction of one book, ignore destruction of many human lives

Posted on April 10, 2011 by creeping

 

Raymond Ibrahim, associate director of the Middle East Forum, nails it: Destroying One Koran vs. Destroying Many Christians Which is Worse?

 

The now infamous Koran burning by Florida pastor Terry Jones has created hysteria in the Muslim world. In Afghanistan alone, some twenty people, including U.N. workers, have been killed and beheaded to screams of “Allahu Akbar!” Western leaders around the globe—including Obama and members of Congress—have unequivocally condemned Jones’ actions (without bothering to point out that freedom of expression is a prized American liberty). Many are even blaming the deaths in Afghanistan directly on Jones; Bill O’Reilley says he has “blood on his hands.”

Yet, as Western leaders rush to profess their abhorrence at what one American did to one inanimate book, let’s take a quick look at what many Muslims are doing to many living and breathing Christians around the Islamic world—to virtually no media coverage or Western condemnation:

• Afghanistan: A Muslim convert to Christianity was seized and, according to sharia’s apostasy laws, awaits execution.
• Bangladesh: A Christian man was arrested for distributing Bibles near Muslims. Since Wednesday, thousands of Muslims have been rioting, injuring dozens—not because of Jones, but in protestation of women’s rights.
• Egypt: A Muslim mob burned down another Coptic church and dozens of Christian homes; when Christians protested, the military opened fire on them while crying “Allahu Akbar,” killing nine. Another mob cut a Christian man’s ear off “according to sharia.”
• Ethiopia: Muslims went on a rampage burning down nearly 70 churches, killing at least one Christian, and dislocating as many as 10,000. Christians living in Muslim majority regions are being warned to either convert to Islam, abandon their homes, or die.
• Malaysia: Authorities detained and desecrated thousands of Bibles.
• Pakistan: Two Christians were shot to death as they exited church; a Christian serving life in prison for “blasphemy” died in his cell under suspicions of murder.
• Saudi Arabia: An Eritrean Christian has been arrested for sharing his faith with Muslims and is facing the death penalty; other missionaries continue to languish in Saudi prisons.
• Somalia and Sudan: Christian girls—including a mother of four—were recently abducted, raped, and killed for embracing Christianity.

It should be borne in mind that none of these atrocities were performed in retaliation to Jones’ Koran burning; they’re just business as usual in the Muslim world. Moreover, the above list is but a quick and cursory sampling of the very latest in Christian suffering under Islam. Were one to include persecution from just a few months back, one could also mention the jihadist attack on a Baghdad church, killing 52 Christians; the New Year’s eve Coptic church explosion, killing 21; Muslim rampages that destroyed several churches in Indonesia, Nigeria, and the Philippines; Iran’s “round up” of some 70 home-worshipping Christians; and Kuwait’s—a nation that owes its very existence to U.S. war sacrifices—rejection to build a church.

Then there are the countless atrocities that never make it to any media—the stories of persistent, quiet misery that only the victims and local Christians know.

One would have thought that all this was at least equally deserving of media attention and Western condemnation as the burning of a Koran. Worse, whereas only Jones is responsible for his actions, many of the aforementioned savageries—arresting and executing Christian missionaries and Muslim apostates, destroying or outlawing churches, seizing and desecrating not one but thousands of Bibles—are carried out at the hands of Muslim authorities and governments deemed U.S. “friends-and-allies.”

Such is the surreal

Kansas Univ salon complies with sharia for a day, bans men for Muslim women

Posted on April 10, 2011 by creeping

Salon Hawk to be Sharia Hawk for a day. via Salon Hawk caters to Muslim women with day of modesty | Kansan.com.

Girl talk and pampering of a day at the salon is an experience many Muslim women don’t get. Those who wear a hijab, the traditional headscarf, adhere to a code of modesty that does not allow them to show their hair in public, but Salon Hawk, located on the third floor of the Kansas Union, is sponsoring a special event to allow these women the complete salon experience.

Translated: “code of modesty” = sharia law.

A Day of Modesty will take place this Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., when Salon Hawk will black out their windows to allow the needed privacy.

Many times, Muslim women are treated in back rooms of a salons or go months between hair appointments.

Salon Hawk owner and operator Emily Willis said her experiences hearing stories from clients and friends — who would ask her for at-home haircuts — prompted her to create the event.

“Basically every experience I’ve heard from the girls has been a horror experience,” Willis said. “They can’t just go somewhere and get their hair cut because they require privacy.”

Her vision for the event is to support women whose religion and culture doesn’t fit into mainstream culture.

“Our goal being in the Union is to reach out to every student and give them every opportunity hair care-wise,” Willis said.

The opportunity is there for those who choose it. If the opportunity is only there when it complies with Islamic sharia law, then what you are supporting and enabling is Islamic sharia law.

Salon Hawk is the only provider in Lawrence that offers full privacy curtain services, Willis said. Because of the lack of privacy opportunities, women from as far away as Kansas City are scheduled to attend the event, which will benefit the Lawrence Islamic Center.

The salon always offers privacy curtains by appointment, which Willis says happens about twice per week.

A Day of Modesty will be open to all clients — though no men will be admitted during the event — Muslim or otherwise.

“We don’t care where they come from. We don’t care if they wear the scarf. We don’t care if they don’t wear the scarf,” Willis said. “We cater to the needs of all students.”

All students except men, when Muslim women are present.

By blacking out the windows to comply with Islamic sharia law and protect Muslim women from the wrath of their husbands, Salon Hawk certainly isn’t catering to the needs of all students but to Muslim women specifically. Discriminating against men in the process – clearly they don’t care about that either.

Submitting to sharia law doesn’t help Muslim women integrate into an open, secular society, it further segregates and stigmatizes them. It perpetuates certain beliefs that if they don’t behave and dress “modestly” then other Muslims won’t consider them good Muslims. When that happens it can turn deadly – particularly if the family believes they have been shamed and honor need be restored.
Creating parallel societies, be it for a day or for a buck or for some illogical sense of morality does no one any good. Particularly not Muslim women who enjoy their freedom and don’t want to be forced into a sharia-adherent lifestyle.

Saudi Minister: Oil Could Spike to $300 a Barrel

Former Saudi oil minister Sheikh Zaki Yamani says oil prices could soar to at least $200 or even to $300 a barrel if Saudi Arabia suffers serious political unrest.

Following protests last month calling for political reforms in the kingdom, Yamani told Reuters that underlying discontent remains unresolved.

“If something happens in Saudi Arabia, [oil] will go to $200 to $300,” he declared. “I don’t expect this for the time being, but who would have expected Tunisia?
“I think there are some surprises on the horizon.”

Yamani, who was responsible for Saudi oil policy from 1962 to 1986, spoke at a London conference of the Centre for Global Energy Studies, which he chairs.

In March, King Abdullah offered $93 billion in handouts to Saudis in an effort to avert the domestic turmoil seen in much of the Arab world.

But Jaafar Al Taie, managing director of Manaar Energy Consulting — which advises foreign oil firms operating in the region — said: “I don’t think that what the king is doing now is sufficient to prevent an uprising. Saudi Arabia is a time bomb, but one that is constantly being reset.”
A headline in The Daily Mail last week disclosed: “Oil prices hit all-time high in Britain,” reaching the equivalent of $121 a barrel.

Obama’s Muslim envoy: Islam is the Solution not the Problem

Posted on April 10, 2011 by creeping

 

via American Thinker Blog: Obama envoy: Islam is the Solution not the Problem.

---

Obama’s envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference and advisor on Islamic “affairs” (I didn’t know bombings and beheadings were affairs) Rashad Hussain is maintaining that Islam itself is the “antidote” to Islamic extremism.

“I am of the opinion that one of the strongest tools that you can use to counter radicalization and violent extremism is Islam itself, because Islam rejects violent extremism,” Hussain said during a speech in Kabul.

Islam is the religion of peace as long as we all accept Allah and Sharia. If we all become Muslims there will be peace. How hard is that? As Hussain further explains, “When it comes to the problem of violent extremism, Islam is not the problem.” Which means that it is all of us who fail to accept Islam and are too dense to see that living under Sharia law is vastly preferable to living under the Constitution.

I can’t wait to see how Obama will pitch this. No doubt all the Obama hope-a-dopes will be tingling in awe as we learn we are the problem. We all just need to be more respectful and deferential to Islam.

---

What Hussain nor anyone in the White House will tell you, directly from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jihad in the Qur’an and Sunnah:

And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you… (V.2:I9O).
Then Allah (swt) revealed in Sarah Tauba (Bara ‘a) (Repentance, IX) the order to discard (all) the obligations (covenants, etc.) and commanded the Muslims to fight against all the Mushrikun as well as against the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) if they do not embrace Islam, till they pay the Jizya (a tax levied on the nonMuslims who do not embrace Islam and are under the protectionofanlslamicgovernment) with willing submission and feel themselves subdued (as it is revealed in the Verse 9:29). So they (Muslims) were not permitted to abandon “the fighting” against them (Pagans, Jews and Christians) and to reconcile with them and to suspend hostilities against them for an unlimited period while they are strong and are able to fight against them (non Muslims).

As it is now obvious, at first “the fighting” was forbidden, then it was permitted and after that it was made obligatory- ( I ) against them who start “the fighting” against you (Muslims)… (2) and against all those who worship others along with Allah… as mentioned in SurahAIBaqaraSl (II), Allmran (III) and Tauba (IX)… and other Sarah (Chapters of the Qur’an). Allah (swt) made “the fighting’ (Jihad) obligatory for the Muslims and gave importance to the subjectmatter of Jihad in all the Sarah (Chapters of the Qur’an) which were revealed (at AlMadina) as in Allah’s Statement:
March forth whether you are light (being healthy, young and wealthy) or heavy (being ill, old and poor), strive [ hard with your wealth and your lives in the Cause of Allah. This is better for you if you but knew. (V.9:41).
And He (Allah) said:

Jihad (holy fighting in Allah’s Cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know. (V.2:216)
“The fighting”, even though by its nature is disliked by the human soul because of the liability, of being killed, orbeing taken as a captive, or being injured, with the wasting ofthe wealth, the damaging of the industries, the destruction ofthe country, the spreading of fear and awe in the souls and the (possibility) of being exiled from one’s homeland, Allah had made ready an immensely good reward that cannot be imagined by a human soul.
‘Ikrima (a religious scholar) said: At first Muslims disliked it (Jihad), but later they loved it and said: “We listen and obey.” And that is because the submission to the order to fight means hardship, but if the reward is made known it becomes to compare the hardship involved and its reward.

The Verses of the Qur’an and the Sunna (the Prophet’s legal ways, orders etc.) have exhorted greatly for Jihad and have made quite clear its rewards, and praised greatly thosewhoperform Jihad (the holy fighting in Allah’s Cause) and explained to them various kinds of honours which they will receive from their Lord (Allah swt). This is because they-Mudahidin are Allah’s troops. Allah (swt) will establish His religion (Islam), with them (Mujahidin). He will repel the might of His enemies, and with them He will protect Islam and guard the religion safely.

More on Rashad Hussain, appointed twice by Barack Hussain Obama:

An Unusual Birthday Party

Thursday

WHAT DO WE hope to achieve eventually? What would it look like? This is worth thinking about because it can inform and direct our actions now. The following story was written by one of our many incredibly talented readers, and explores one possible future...

~~~~~

It was Ali Qureshi's ninetieth birthday today. That evening, as always, after his afternoon's work, he sat down for an early meal at the Mecca Mosque Resort cafe and waited for the waitress to approach; a young smiling blonde woman with notepad ready.
"The usual felafel with a glass of beer, thank you," Ali said, taking off his hat and sitting back in the chair. The wait staff in Mecca were always changing as backpackers and university students stopped for a while to earn some money to continue their travels around Saudi Arabia, but Ali didn't mind as he knew how important it was for young people to understand history. He was thankful for the air conditioning in the outdoor seating area, where he and the many other diners could enjoy the scenery in front of him; the ancient Sacred Mosque, the park around it where people walked their dogs, or jogged, the new Zamzam swimming lagoon that was built on an old spring, and made to look like an oasis, and the Kibla Disco that opened each night. The superimposed new-over-old made sure that history could be enjoyed in a comfortable and fun atmosphere. Turning ninety, he had not slowed down one bit. In fact, he was still just as fit as he was when he was thirty. If anything, he felt younger today than he did when he was thirty years old; back in the olden days, when the world was a very different place to how it was now ... the year 2090 ...
Ali loved his job as historian and museum curator, especially this time of year when groups of school children flew in from all around the world to see the old mosque and the Museum of Islam. He loved their wide-eyed looks as he described how the region used to look, and their infectious laughter as they tried on old burkas and played at ghosts, scaring each other.
That afternoon he had been tour guide to two groups of 15 year olds from Israel and Yemen who were bubbling over with energy, most of them already dressed in their swimming gear so they could jump into the Zamzam lagoon straight afterwards. He had made them circumnavigate the kaaba so they could get a taste of what the ancients used to do, and burn off a bit of energy at the same time. He told them how the pilgrims used to kiss the Black Stone on the kaaba, and how archaeologists have proven it to be a Hindu Yoni stone. They had all crowded around the stone, out of breath after the laps around the mosque's interior. Once the Black Stone silver casing was observed more closely, there was the usual sniggering and elbowing amongst the male portions of this age group, and the eye-rolls from the girls. It was always the same; no matter which country they came from, confirming that we were all brothers and sisters the whole world over.
As usual, there had been the tour of the old mosque, that had been converted into a museum. Ali had begun telling the teenagers the same story that he had been telling for the past twenty five years, to thousands of youth and tourists who came through this way, from every country on earth. He never got tired of it.
"It all began here in the 630AD when a leader named Muhammad captured Mecca," said Ali.
"These conquered people here were my ancestors ..." Ali guided the children past the life size hologram reconstructions, thanks to late 21st century technology, showing how Muhammad and his gang made the siege, captured and killed dissenters. The children moved past the images cringing, as if they expected them to come to life at any time. A boy boxed the hologram of Muhammad brandishing a sword, his fists going right through the image. He glanced at his friends for approval, laughing.
"These ancestors you see cowering here," said Ali, pointing to the holograms of ancient people holding up their arms, pleading, "... were Jews and Hindus. But were forced to follow Islam or die."
They filed past another hologram of stone idols being smashed.
"The kaaba was a Hindu Temple and they used to worship Brahma here," Ali told them.
"Wasn't that Abraham?" a boy interrupted.
"Same thing," Ali said, as he waved the children through the walkway of history.
"Then we move through the centuries ... "
Ali led the now subdued teenagers through the Museum of Islam as it was set out to show the development of Islam through history, leading to its final demise. There were cases showing old artifacts from archaeological digs in the area, maps and photos of Islamic conquests and developments through the centuries.
They stopped at a large century-old aerial video of millions of people circumnavigating the kaaba. Some of the children laughed.
"Hey, it looks just like one of those black-holes in space!" exclaimed an Israeli girl.
As usual the children were especially in awe at the hundreds of photos of terror attacks.
"They used to actually strap bombs to themselves, stand in a crowd and blow up themselves and everyone in range, as they thought they would go to paradise afterwards," Ali told them.
The children laughed uproariously.
"Here we arrive at the year 2030, children, long before you were born ... " Ali said, pointing to the colourful timeline along the wall. They were getting more restless, so he knew he had to make the finale a good one. One that they would remember and tell to their own children.
"Islamic law, which was known as Sharia, took over the state governments of all Islamic countries once their dictators were removed. This was democratically elected by the people."
Some of the children laughed, some rolled their eyes. On the walls were old photos of protest demonstrations in Europe. There was a photo of a man holding up a sign that said: 'Behead those who insult Islam' to which the children pointed and laughed.
"Sharia laws courts in Europe had expanded in number and power and the population of Muslims and their converts had grown to nearly 30%, mostly because millions of Islamics went to Europe and the US claiming they were refugees. Europe was poised to become Islamic as more imams became emboldened to encourage a revolution against the non-Muslim government institutions which they had already infiltrated, while governments could do nothing to stop them, since they still fitted in the box of "freedom of religion", and the UN had passed laws making criticism of religion illegal. Intelligence suggested that there was also an enormous stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction throughout the world," Ali pointed to the grainy pictures that were supposed to be old satellite photos.
He was familiar with the usual teenage "I'm-too-cool-for-this" attitude, so he made his conclusion short.
He pointed to a document locked in a glass case, lit up from behind.
"This did it," said Ali more dramatically, "a piece of paper saved the world."
The children peered over each other to get a closer look at the artifact — a signed document.
"A brave move by the United States that officially reclassified Islam as a political organisation, and no longer a religion, had a snowball effect. Europe followed suit, and within a space of five years all non-Muslim countries had reclassified Islam as a political organisation, like the old communism. They arrested those same imams for sedition and stopped funding their organisations."
An Israeli teen had raised his hand: "Why didn't the Islamics bomb us then?"
Ali smiled; "It had the opposite effect. It weakened the organisation since it had no more psychological pull on anyone. It was named as the thing it was — a totalitarian ideology. We in the then-Muslim countries began to question this whole thing our parents and their parents had passed down to us. We rebelled against our parents, especially when we learnt that our ancestors had been forcibly converted."
The teens brightened up and there were some sounds of approval.
"And, as you already know, many took on the religion of their ancient ancestors, before they had been forced to submit to Islam ... like Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism ... Or they simply became agnostic."
"Excuse me, sir!" a Yemenite girl put her hand up, "but what's this black stuff in the jar?"
She pointed to an exhibit in a glass box.
"Oh! That's oil," said Ali, knowingly. But the children's eyes glazed over. 'Oil' made no sense to them as they'd never seen it in their lifetime.
"Yes, the whole world depended on this black stuff from the Middle East, would you believe! And Islamic countries refused to sell any more oil to any country that had reclassified Islam, and it seemed as though the entire world might come to a stand still! But," Ali smiled warmly, "in times of chaos like that, great discoveries are made ..."
How their lives had improved since then. No more need for oil or coal, no more wars or terror. No more "ozone" problems. But all this the children already knew. They were restless now and jostling towards the door, anticipating their much awaited time in the Zamzam pool.
"Islam collapsed almost overnight, and now we all live in secular nations ..." Ali concluded, smiling, but the children were already out of the door and running for the water.

~~~~~

Ali finished his felafel and beer. They'd tasted great. He watched as the children swam in the turquoise waters in front of the cafe, and heard muffled sounds of splashing, shrieks of excitement. This was the new generation of an era that had not known fascism of any kind. This part of the world was now called the "Tourist Mecca", and it opened up a new and innovative tourism economy after the oil trade collapsed. Noone followed Islam any more. In fact, the Koran had even gone out of print. It was such a boring thing to read!
After he paid and tipped the backpacker waitress generously, Ali set off towards the kaaba, as he did every evening. He wanted to make sure it was swept and clean, just as 1400 years of his Bani Shaiba ancestors had done before him. He reached the stone monument and stepped up inside.
"Surprise!!!!" Ali almost jumped out of his skin. Suddenly he found he was surrounded by family and friends, streamers and balloons, a birthday cake and bottles of champagne, right inside the kaaba!
"Open the champagne!" said cousin Samira, who was already opening it. The cork popped and hit the roof.
"Hey, careful of the marble and ancient writings on the wall!" cautioned Ali, "it is our family honor to preserve this amazing history."
Cousin Samira clumsily jumped outside onto the wooden step, and a large splash of champagne accidentally landed on the Black Stone.
"Oh well, it could do with a good wash ... and a Christening!" she laughed.
The birthday cake was brought out with candles lit.
"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you! ... " they all sang.
"Here, cut the cake grandpa!" shouted six year old Saeed, "and make a wish!". Ali cut the cake, closed his eyes tightly and made a secret wish: that the world will never be pulled into any 'black-hole' of fascism, ever again.
The End

Organizers move their protest to Dearborn City Hall (The Arab American News)

DEARBORN – About 100 interfaith leaders, community leaders and center members came together at the Islamic Center of America (ICA) on Wednesday, April 6, to discuss a proper response to the planned visit by extremist pastor Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida to the city later this month.

Jones has said he will likely join a small group called "Order of the Dragon" from Port Huron in their protest planned for April 22 in front of City Hall. The city of Dearborn has not granted a permit to the group to demonstrate anywhere outside city-designated free speech zones.

Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly (speaking) joined religious and community.

The pastor backed down from burning a copy of the Qur'an last year but then went through with his plan on March 20.  The incident has sparked ongoing protests in Afghanistan, killing two dozen people last week.

In an interview with The Arab American News this week, a spokesperson for the group distanced  the group from Jones and said its members last week discussed canceling the protest because of the tension surrounding it.

"We never intended to create controversy," said Nicole Fiorello, whose husband Frank is a leader in the group. Fiorello said the group has no association with Jones, and her husband communicated with him through email. Jones contacted the group asking to join the protest and was authorized to do so before he burned the Qur'an.  Some members have refused to join the protest because of Jones' decision to burn the holy book.

"We are not racist by any means," Fiorello said. "We respect freedom of religion. That's one of the great things about this country," she told The Arab American News by telephone Tuesday. The protest, Fiorello said, is being held to voice the opinions of a few Americans who are concerned about the use of shari'a law in the United States. Fiorello said shari'a law was recently used by a Florida judge instead of state or federal statutes in a dispute at a mosque. (That incident occurred on March 22, after the protest was planned.) Dearborn was chosen as the site of the protest because it is the home of the Islamic Center of America, one of the largest Muslim facilities in the U.S.

Fiorello admitted that she had no idea if shari'a law was being applied in Dearborn. She claimed women are deprived of equal rights under shari'a law, and that's her personal reason for speaking out against it.  According to Fiorello, the protest will no longer take place at the ICA but in front of Dearborn City Hall, which has been declared a free speech zone by the city. 

About 100 leaders and members of churches, mosques and community organizations showed up to discuss how best to respond to a planned visit from extremist pastor Terry Jones.

Fiorello told The Arab American News that she's uncertain whether or not Muslims in Dearborn support shari'a law. When asked if she ever met a Muslim her response was, "I know some Arabs. I don't know if they're Muslim. That's because it doesn't matter."

Nassib Fawaz, chairman of the ICA's PR committee, talked about the congregation's feelings on the topic.

"The word shari'a in Arabic does not mean a special law, it means 'the Islamic law,'" he said.  "But American Muslims here follow the U.S. Constitution, the law of the land. I invite the protesters to have an indoor dialogue with us, not on the sidewalk, so we can all sit down together and discuss and clarify these issues. Then we can all work together as a community to serve our great nation." Fawaz added.

Leaders plan response at ICA

With the final details of Jones' visit still in a state of flux, leaders at the ICA meeting stressed the importance of staying flexible with their plans, which tentatively include interfaith gatherings, press conferences, prayers and candlelight vigils. Several Christian leaders including Reverend Charles Williams II, Pastor Bill Wylie-Kellerman, and Father Edwin Rowe pledged that they would show support at a Friday interfaith event if needed according to Williams, even though it could conflict with Good Friday services, which are among the most important events on the Christian religious calendar.

Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly spoke about the false perceptions of shari'a in Dearborn coming into play, saying he got more than 6,000 emails from a YouTube video filmed by two Christian missionaries at the Arab International Festival in the city in 2009 titled "Shari'a in the U.S."

He said he responded to every one of them, explaining that the city follows the law of the U.S. Constitution and that there is no movement to change the system in any way. O'Reilly, along with others, suggested that the event could be seen as an opportunity to show the religious harmony and understanding on display in Dearborn.

"The response needs to be peaceful and instructive because the media is looking for (controversial) images and that wouldn't be good for our community," he said.

Others also expressed their hope that those who do show up to counter-demonstrate against Jones will keep things civil and focus on informing rather than letting their emotions take over.

Imam Hasan Al-Qazwini of the ICA shared his perspective on Jones' protest.

"We see this not just as an insult against Muslims but also as an insult to Christians...Mr. Jones has burned a book which mentions Jesus, peace be upon him, 124 times and also has a chapter devoted to Jesus' great mother Mary," he said, emphasizing the need to speak in "one voice" against Jones' actions, which he said were appalling for a religious leader.

O'Reilly said that various religious leaders in Dearborn, including numerous evangelical churches, all came together to condemn Jones' acts recently.

He said that because Dearborn has been the site of numerous political demonstrations, "free speech zones" were created at City Hall and at the corner of Michigan Ave. and Greenfield and that Jones is not allowed to go on private property, which includes churches and mosques. Some community members expressed hope that Jones would not be arrested if he were to trespass on private property, however, because it would give him more attention than he deserves.

Ecumenical Interfaith Adviser of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, Father Jeffrey Day, spoke on behalf of the Archbishop of Detroit, Allen Vigneron.

"He is mortified that Terry Jones decided to take this (Easter) holiday (for the protest against) our Muslim neighbors with whom we have warm relations," he said, adding that Vigneron would like to appear in support with the Muslim community at one of the events in response to Jones' visit. "The Catholic community stands with you in solidarity," he said, with numerous other Christian representatives offering similar sentiments during the meeting, including Father Bob Bruttell, chair of the Interfaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit. The IFLC represents members of various backgrounds including Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

 "The interfaith leadership should use this attention to educate on all the laws of God," he said. "We need to link spirits and form a chain in the spirit of Allah and show that we will protect this mosque and to say that this will be the model for others on how it should be done."

Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid noted the misconceptions of shari'a, pointing out that the term can refer to a set of personal guidelines within Islam, such as how to help and/or treat neighbors with love and respect and saying he would not back down from using it in such a way. He also noted that Michigan's highly controversial Arizona style bill is another example that the battle against xenophobia could be ongoing and that the community should be ready to respond to continued public relations challenges including a possible anti-shari'a bill in Michigan like the one introduced in Oklahoma. Many view anti-shari'a bills as examples of political grandstanding and fear-mongering.

Most of those in attendance agreed that Jones' extremist ideologies should not be given much attention, however. The theme of any demonstration should be unity, they agreed.

"I've been here for over 10 years and Dearborn is an example for other communities," said Father Rani Abdulmasih of the Mother of the Savior Lutheran Church.

"We want to make sure we're not giving him too much respect; his church members have left him...he is simply a radical and a lunatic really and I always say I don't believe there are radical Christians or Muslims because they can't be true Christians or Muslims."

Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, said that Jones' visit presents an opportunity to correct false negative images that have been spreading about Dearborn and its diverse community. "We need to respond with one voice, officials, community and interfaith leaders. We owe that to our community and to our country."

The group tentatively scheduled an interfaith vigil on Thursday, April 21 at the ICA along with a morning press conference on Friday, April 22 and a community gathering afterward. A planning committee will also meet on Tuesday, April 12  to decide on further action.

The true meaning of shari'a and proposed laws against it

In a newsletter from the Islamic House of Wisdom this week, Imam Mohammed Elahi explained that shari'a literally means "path leading to the water (source of life)." He said different scholars have different definitions of shari'a based on their traditional backgrounds. It can be defined as a way of life, to include a foundation of faith, the rules related to spiritual obligations, and code of conduct.    Muslims in America follow the shari'a in "ibadat" or religious rituals, but they follow the law of the land in "mu'amelat," or issues related to man's relationship to society, such as contracts, the penal code, etc.

And in an article on salon.com, writer Justin Elliott revealed that state legislators who introduce anti-shari'a bills usually can't answer basic questions about shari'a or why they see it as a threat.  And the reason why? "... many of the anti-shari'a bills being considered around the country are either based on or directly copied from model legislation created by an obscure far-right Arizona attorney and activist named David Yerushalmi,"

Elliott continued: "...the Nebraska case is instructive. State Sen. Mark Christensen introduced a bill in January to bar the use of any foreign law in Nebraska courts. When I spoke to Christensen on Wednesday, he acknowledged he did not have a deep understanding of the issue, referring me back to his office when I asked him what cases involving sharia or foreign law were troubling to him.

"He summed up his reason for sponsoring the bill: 'This is America. We use America's law.'

"It turns out Christensen introduced the bill after his office was approached by the head of the local chapter of the anti-Muslim group ACT! for America, Christensen aide Dan Wiles told me. ACT! for America is a Florida-based group led by Brigitte Gabriel. In a profile last month, the New York Times detailed Gabriel's strategy of selectively quoting the Qur'an to paint most or all Muslims as violent extremists.

"'They came and talked to several different senators, and Sen. Christensen decided to introduce the bill,' Wiles said, adding that he was presented with model legislation. 'It pretty much was exactly what was drafted and introduced,' he said. 'Everything substantive was the same.'

"The model legislation in question originates with Yerushalmi, the Arizona lawyer who is associated with several organizations including the American Public Policy Alliance. The model anti-foreign law bill on the Public Policy Alliance's website has been used in states including Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri and South Dakota. It is called 'American Laws for American Courts.'

"Who is Yerushalmi? His background leaves little doubt that these anti-'foreign law' bills are designed to target shari'a.

"He has written, for example, that 'The Muslim peoples, those committed to Islam as we know it today, are "our enemies." A group he founded, the Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE), has reportedly advocated for a law making it a felony 'punishable by 20 years in prison to knowingly act in furtherance of, or to support the adherence to, Islam.'  The Anti-Defamation League has also called out Yerushalmi for his 'anti-black bigotry.'"

Americans among Libyan rebel fighters

Posted on April 8, 2011 by creeping

 

Following up on this piece – Libyan Rebel General Is From Fairfax, Virginia – again we ask: Is it legal for an American citizen to go and join a foreign war for a non-U.S. military or government? Are these people permitted to return to the U.S.? Clearly their loyalty is elsewhere – particularly when fighting to implement governments based on Islamic law. Hat tip to Prairie Pundit via Libya’s uprising attracts participants worldwide – The Washington Post.

BENGHAZI, Libya — Growing up in Fairfax as the son of Libyan dissidents, Hesham Mansur was well aware of the horrors of Col. Moammar Gaddafi’s government.

But when the U.S.-born computer networking student registered for classes this semester at George Mason University, he had no idea that he would soon be in Libya, trying to overthrow that government himself.

“One of the Facebook comments was, ‘If you’re so brave, go do it yourself,’ ” Mansur, 27, said, recalling the flurry of Internet messages between Libyans abroad as the uprising gained steam. So on Feb. 28, less than two weeks after the protests began, he packed up medical supplies donated from Libyans in the United States, flew to Cairo and crossed into Libya by land.

He was not alone. For Libyans living in the United States, Germany, Sweden, Britain and elsewhere, the sight of their countrymen rising against Gaddafi’s 41-year rule inspired them to put their own lives on hold and race out to help.

“I felt like I’d done all the Twittering I could do,” said Ahmed Hnesh, 29, a management consultant from Falls Church who is friends with Mansur and arrived here a few days before him.

The returnees number in the hundreds, if not more. Many were dissidents or are the children of dissidents. They came back to provide humanitarian aid, moral support, expertise and front-line muscle.

The rebels’ provisional government includes a number of returnees from abroad, their cosmopolitanism and fluency in European languages helping them build diplomatic relationships. For those who choose to fight, overseas experience tends to be less helpful, though the self-proclaimed rebel army commander, Gen. Khalifa Haftr, spent years living in Fairfax.

Hnesh left the United States without telling his parents. Others living abroad have received tentative blessings from parents torn between fear for their safety and pride at their actions.

Somali’s and Pakistani’s have left the U.S. to go wage jihad and fight against governments. They’ve also been arrested. What will happen to American citizens, presuming they are, fighting alongside al Qaeda?

 No coincidence that many of those leaving to go fight Islamic wars are from Virginiastan – where some celebrated 9/11.