Muslim Lawmaker Cries Foul
Aides to the country’s first Muslim congressman say they were blindsided by a stinging condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League because it came after the lawmaker had told the ADL that he planned to recant his comparison of Bush administration policies to Nazi tactics.
U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) in a July 8 speech to an atheists’ group in Minnesota compared Bush administration policies after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to Adolf Hitler’s use of the burning of the Reichstag to consolidate his rule.
After Ellison defended his remarks in a subsequent interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the ADL reached out to him to discuss the issue and convinced him that it was inappropriate to use such an analogy.
Ellison aides and ADL staff in the ADL office here spent much of Tuesday negotiating the language of his recantation, both sides said. It was understood that Ellison would release a statement expressing regret over his earlier comparison and make his feelings known in an interview with The Associated Press.
So Ellison aides said they were shocked when, before the congressman released his statement and the AP article was distributed, journalists called asking about an ADL statement slamming his earlier remarks. The statement said Ellison demonstrated "a profound lack of understanding about the horrors that Hitler and his Nazi regime perpetrated."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim Lawmaker Cries Foul
Showing posts with label florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label florida. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: A DEPORTABLE IRANIAN & CAR BOMBS IN FLORIDA
Search for bomb in car driven by Iranian national in West Palm Beach comes up empty
By Leon Fooksman
Bomb technicians searched a car driven by an Iranian national Thursday west of West Palm Beach, but found no traces of a bomb or anything else suspicious, officials said.
Deputies closed a busy section of Military Trail between Summit and Forest Hill boulevards for about two hours so the Sheriff's Office bomb squad could search the four-door car in the parking lot of AutoZone.
The search was conducted as a result of a bomb-sniffing dog smelling something suspicious in a car driven by a man federal immigration officials took into custody.
Nassar David Ghelichkani, 44, was detained because his supervised release from a detention facility was withdrawn, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said.
An immigration judge ordered him to be deported but Iran refused to grant him traveling documents. So Ghelichkani remained in the United States until federal authorities were required to release him in 2004 and supervise his movements, Gonzalez said. A U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2001 requires ICE to release detainees after 180 days if deportation efforts are unsuccessful.
Federal agents received a recent tip that Ghelichkani was obtaining a Florida driver's license while claiming he was an American citizen. Agents tracked him down on Military Trail on Thursday afternoon and worked with a Sheriff's Office dog handler to search his car. Suspicions were set off when he lied to agents about his transportation, she said.
Officials are considering bringing criminal charges against him if they determine he fraudulently tried to obtain a driver's license, Gonzalez said.
Pertinent Links:
1) Search for bomb in car driven by Iranian national in West Palm Beach comes up empty
By Leon Fooksman
Bomb technicians searched a car driven by an Iranian national Thursday west of West Palm Beach, but found no traces of a bomb or anything else suspicious, officials said.
Deputies closed a busy section of Military Trail between Summit and Forest Hill boulevards for about two hours so the Sheriff's Office bomb squad could search the four-door car in the parking lot of AutoZone.
The search was conducted as a result of a bomb-sniffing dog smelling something suspicious in a car driven by a man federal immigration officials took into custody.
Nassar David Ghelichkani, 44, was detained because his supervised release from a detention facility was withdrawn, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said.
An immigration judge ordered him to be deported but Iran refused to grant him traveling documents. So Ghelichkani remained in the United States until federal authorities were required to release him in 2004 and supervise his movements, Gonzalez said. A U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2001 requires ICE to release detainees after 180 days if deportation efforts are unsuccessful.
Federal agents received a recent tip that Ghelichkani was obtaining a Florida driver's license while claiming he was an American citizen. Agents tracked him down on Military Trail on Thursday afternoon and worked with a Sheriff's Office dog handler to search his car. Suspicions were set off when he lied to agents about his transportation, she said.
Officials are considering bringing criminal charges against him if they determine he fraudulently tried to obtain a driver's license, Gonzalez said.
Pertinent Links:
1) Search for bomb in car driven by Iranian national in West Palm Beach comes up empty
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: "ALLAH, ALLAH, ALLAH, YOU WILL ALL DIE"
Man Accused Of Yelling Bomb Threats Held On $750,000 Bond
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The man accused of threatening to blow up a downtown building on Sunday was ordered held on $750,000 bond on charges of making a bomb threat and resisting arrest.
Police said Yousseff Bouchlarhem, 34, made threatening statements in both Arabic and English saying, "Allah is great," "I am going to blow this place up" and "Kill me," according to Micheal Edwards, director of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Department of Investigations and Homeland Security.
Authorities from Jacksonville's terrorism task force closed off a roughly 10-block downtown area around Hemming Plaza for nearly five hours on Sunday while they searched the area. No explosive device was found.
A witness called authorities around 11:45 a.m. to report a man who was behaving strangely in the middle of Laura Street.
When officers arrived and attempted to detain Bouchlarhem, he physically resisted and had to be restrained. According to the arrest report, as he was placed in the back of a patrol car, he continued to scream, "Allah, Allah, Allah, you will all die."
Police said a car nearby that turned out to be registered to Bouchlarhem was playing loud music in Arabic. The bomb squad investigated, but nothing was found, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman Lauri-Ellen Smith said.
Authorities searched Bouchlarhem's apartment on Bert Road in Arlington, but did not find any evidence of bomb making materials, Edwards said.
After bond was set, Bouchlarhem mumbled something to the judge that no one could make out, then was led from the courtroom. His arraignment was scheduled for July 24.
On the arrest report, Bouchlarhem was listed and white and his birthplace was Morocco.
Pertinent Links:
1) Man Accused Of Yelling Bomb Threats Held On $750,000 Bond
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The man accused of threatening to blow up a downtown building on Sunday was ordered held on $750,000 bond on charges of making a bomb threat and resisting arrest.
Police said Yousseff Bouchlarhem, 34, made threatening statements in both Arabic and English saying, "Allah is great," "I am going to blow this place up" and "Kill me," according to Micheal Edwards, director of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Department of Investigations and Homeland Security.
Authorities from Jacksonville's terrorism task force closed off a roughly 10-block downtown area around Hemming Plaza for nearly five hours on Sunday while they searched the area. No explosive device was found.
A witness called authorities around 11:45 a.m. to report a man who was behaving strangely in the middle of Laura Street.
When officers arrived and attempted to detain Bouchlarhem, he physically resisted and had to be restrained. According to the arrest report, as he was placed in the back of a patrol car, he continued to scream, "Allah, Allah, Allah, you will all die."
Police said a car nearby that turned out to be registered to Bouchlarhem was playing loud music in Arabic. The bomb squad investigated, but nothing was found, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman Lauri-Ellen Smith said.
Authorities searched Bouchlarhem's apartment on Bert Road in Arlington, but did not find any evidence of bomb making materials, Edwards said.
After bond was set, Bouchlarhem mumbled something to the judge that no one could make out, then was led from the courtroom. His arraignment was scheduled for July 24.
On the arrest report, Bouchlarhem was listed and white and his birthplace was Morocco.
Pertinent Links:
1) Man Accused Of Yelling Bomb Threats Held On $750,000 Bond
Monday, July 02, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: EXPLODING TRASH CANS @ WALT DISNEY WORLD
Pipe Bomb-Like Device Explodes at Disney
By TRAVIS REED
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A device similar to a pipe bomb exploded in a trash can early Monday at a remote parking lot at Walt Disney World, authorities said. No one was injured and no serious damage was reported in what officials called "an isolated incident."
Orange County sheriff's deputies responded to a 12:30 a.m. call from Disney. An employee heard a loud noise and saw white smoke coming from the can near the Downtown Disney shopping and entertainment district, Sheriff Kevin Beary said.
"We have recovered a very crude, homemade, low-level device," Beary said. "Because of the time and location of the event, we do not believe this incident was designed to cause significant property damage or injury. We also believe this is an isolated incident."
Beary said investigators were trying to determine what the device was made of, but "end caps" typical of pipe bombs were found.
Beary said federal authorities have also looked into the matter, but his office remained the lead agency. He said that was evidence that a widespread plot was not suspected.
Authorities were on high alert because of the airport attack in Scotland, and attempted car bombings in London, combined with America's upcoming July Fourth holiday, Beary said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Pipe Bomb-Like Device Explodes at Disney
By TRAVIS REED
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A device similar to a pipe bomb exploded in a trash can early Monday at a remote parking lot at Walt Disney World, authorities said. No one was injured and no serious damage was reported in what officials called "an isolated incident."
Orange County sheriff's deputies responded to a 12:30 a.m. call from Disney. An employee heard a loud noise and saw white smoke coming from the can near the Downtown Disney shopping and entertainment district, Sheriff Kevin Beary said.
"We have recovered a very crude, homemade, low-level device," Beary said. "Because of the time and location of the event, we do not believe this incident was designed to cause significant property damage or injury. We also believe this is an isolated incident."
Beary said investigators were trying to determine what the device was made of, but "end caps" typical of pipe bombs were found.
Beary said federal authorities have also looked into the matter, but his office remained the lead agency. He said that was evidence that a widespread plot was not suspected.
Authorities were on high alert because of the airport attack in Scotland, and attempted car bombings in London, combined with America's upcoming July Fourth holiday, Beary said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Pipe Bomb-Like Device Explodes at Disney
Monday, June 18, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A.: PADILLA & CO-DEFENDENTS WERE ONLY HELPING TO DEFEND MOSLEMS
Attorneys: Padilla, co-defendants merely aiding embattled Muslims
by Jay Weaver
MIAMI - Defense attorneys for a trio of men charged with backing Islamic extremism overseas are trying to recast an FBI agent's testimony in a Miami terror trial by stressing the defendants were merely providing humanitarian aid for persecuted Muslims.
On Monday, a lawyer for former school administrator Kifah Wael Jayyousi challenged the FBI agent's description of government-recorded phone conversations, which include references to both jihad and relief for Muslims in Bosnia, Chechnya and other countries.
''It's clear from Dr. Jayyousi's state of mind that he was concerned about getting relief to the (Chechens) in Russia,'' said defense lawyer William Swor, citing one FBI-intercepted phone call in March 1995.
''He made such statements,'' FBI Special Agent John T. Kavanaugh, Jr. acknowledged under cross examination.
Kavanaugh has been on the witness stand for the past two weeks in the terror trial against Jayyousi, Adham Amin Hassoun and Jose Padilla, asserting the three Muslim men used code words such as ''tourism'' for ''jihad'' to conceal their true militant mission.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Attorneys: Padilla, co-defendants merely aiding embattled Muslims
by Jay Weaver
MIAMI - Defense attorneys for a trio of men charged with backing Islamic extremism overseas are trying to recast an FBI agent's testimony in a Miami terror trial by stressing the defendants were merely providing humanitarian aid for persecuted Muslims.
On Monday, a lawyer for former school administrator Kifah Wael Jayyousi challenged the FBI agent's description of government-recorded phone conversations, which include references to both jihad and relief for Muslims in Bosnia, Chechnya and other countries.
''It's clear from Dr. Jayyousi's state of mind that he was concerned about getting relief to the (Chechens) in Russia,'' said defense lawyer William Swor, citing one FBI-intercepted phone call in March 1995.
''He made such statements,'' FBI Special Agent John T. Kavanaugh, Jr. acknowledged under cross examination.
Kavanaugh has been on the witness stand for the past two weeks in the terror trial against Jayyousi, Adham Amin Hassoun and Jose Padilla, asserting the three Muslim men used code words such as ''tourism'' for ''jihad'' to conceal their true militant mission.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Attorneys: Padilla, co-defendants merely aiding embattled Muslims
Friday, June 15, 2007
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - U.S.A./U.A.E.: SLAVERY IN DUBAI, YES IN 2007, LAWSUIT AGAINST THE MAKTOUM'S IN MIAMI
Local Lawsuit Reveals Darks Side of Camel Racing
by Rob Jordan
Camel racing doesn’t sound particulary insidious, but an unusual federal case pending in Miami is full of unthinkably dark details.
In a class action complaint filed against two sheik brothers from the United Arab Emirates, attorneys for thousands of young Asian and African boys allege boys from 2 to 4 years old were abducted from their families and enslaved as camel jockeys in the Emirates. The sheiks, Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum and Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, were “the most active participants” in the slave trade, according to the complaint.
The complaint, brought under a little-used tort law, was filed in Miami because the Maktoums own extensive properties in South Florida. Both men dispute the allegations and say their country is moving to ban the practice, replacing boy jockeys with lightweight robots.
This is the story of one boy, according to the complaint:
Hat Tip:
Ummah News Links
Pertinent Links:
1) Local Lawsuit Reveals Darks Side of Camel Racing
by Rob Jordan
Camel racing doesn’t sound particulary insidious, but an unusual federal case pending in Miami is full of unthinkably dark details.
In a class action complaint filed against two sheik brothers from the United Arab Emirates, attorneys for thousands of young Asian and African boys allege boys from 2 to 4 years old were abducted from their families and enslaved as camel jockeys in the Emirates. The sheiks, Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum and Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, were “the most active participants” in the slave trade, according to the complaint.
The complaint, brought under a little-used tort law, was filed in Miami because the Maktoums own extensive properties in South Florida. Both men dispute the allegations and say their country is moving to ban the practice, replacing boy jockeys with lightweight robots.
This is the story of one boy, according to the complaint:
R.M. was a two-year-old child, alone in his home. He had been left in the care of his older sister while his parents were at work. His sister had put him down for a nap and gone to a neighbor’s house. When she returned he was gone. For five years, his family had no idea what had happened to him. His parents tried frantically to look for him. They arranged for loudspeakers to be carreid throughout the neighborhoods and beyond calling out for their missing toddler. It was unbearable for R.M.’s mother. She finally got to see R.M. again when he turned up, as a seven-year-old, in a shelter home. When R.M. and his mother were finally reunited, they were unable to speak, as they did not speak the same language anymore. R.M. did not answer to the name his mother had given him. For, according to the practice of the slave owners of the United Arab Emirates, he had been given an Arabic slave name. While in Duba, R.M. lived at the camel camp of and worked for Sheikh Mohammed. He rode and cared for the camesl owned by Sheikh Mohammed. When the now-seven-year-old boy is asked what he did in Dubai for the past five years, he replies, “I worked.”
Hat Tip:
Ummah News Links
Pertinent Links:
1) Local Lawsuit Reveals Darks Side of Camel Racing
Monday, June 11, 2007
DAR AL HARB - ISLAM - FLORIDA: "WAS THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ONE BOMBING (IN 1993) A DEFENSIVE JIHAD?"
Meaning of 'jihad' focus of Fla. trial
By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press Writer
MIAMI—Defense attorneys in the Jose Padilla terrorism support trial are going to great lengths to suggest to jurors that jihad is not necessarily Muslim holy war and that mujahedeen could just as easily be freedom fighters as terrorists.
The meaning of words, especially Arabic words, is center stage as federal prosecutors play hours of FBI telephone intercepts involving Padilla and two other defendants charged with participating in an Islamic extremist support network.
Padilla, 36, is a U.S. citizen who was held for 3 1/2 years as an enemy combatant before he was added to the Miami terror support case in late 2005. U.S. officials initially accused Padilla in 2002 of plotting to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" for al-Qaida in a major city, but those allegations are not part of Miami case.
The legal battle about definitions goes to the heart of the defense argument that what Padilla, Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi were doing from 1994 to 2001 was not supporting terrorism, but providing humanitarian aid to oppressed and persecuted Muslims worldwide.
Prosecutors, however, must show the trio were involved in violence—that the "jihad" they were fighting involved killing and armed struggle. Defense attorneys won one legal skirmish last week when U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke agreed to limit an FBI agent's testimony to references about "jihad" but not "violent jihad."
"That's the term the government has to prove (beyond) a reasonable doubt," said Hassoun attorney Jeanne Baker.
Hassoun and Jayyousi, both 45, were two of the principals of the jihadist support network, according to federal prosecutors, and Padilla was supposedly one of the recruits. All three face life in prison if convicted.
In one example of the language battle, Jayyousi attorney William Swor recently asked a witness who had once worked with Jayyousi at a San Diego Islamic charity whether Muslims could perform jihad in many ways other than violent conflict.
"You can perform jihad in your heart. You can perform jihad with your tongue. You can perform jihad with your pen, or your computer. Right?" Swor asked Jeremy Collins, a Muslim convert.
"Correct," Collins answered.
Federal prosecutors, on the other hand, want to link for jurors these same words with acts of violence by al-Qaida and other Muslim extremist groups. For instance, Collins at one point testified that he thought of jihad as purely defensive in nature.
"Was the World Trade Center one bombing (in 1993) a defensive jihad?" asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Killinger.
"No," Collins answered.
FBI wiretaps played in court for jurors contain frequent references to "brothers," which prosecutors say means mujahedeen fighters looking for a battle. Defense lawyers contend the term is a common expression among male Muslims.
"There are mujahedeen brothers and brother brothers," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Frazier in one of many arguments about use of words. "There's more context to the word 'brother' than just a Muslim person."
Countered Swor: "They want to put in misleading evidence."
Defense lawyers also repeatedly jousted with FBI translators over how they converted the intercepted calls into English, suggesting that they used the most sinister language possible.
They also noticed that sometimes they translated the Arabic "Allah" as "God" in English and other times left it in the Arabic form.
"You have to understand, it's my personal choice. I chose to use Allah. I think it's a beautiful word," said FBI linguist Joyce Kandalaft. "Allah does not have a negative connotation in this sense."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Meaning of 'jihad' focus of Fla. trial
By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press Writer
MIAMI—Defense attorneys in the Jose Padilla terrorism support trial are going to great lengths to suggest to jurors that jihad is not necessarily Muslim holy war and that mujahedeen could just as easily be freedom fighters as terrorists.
The meaning of words, especially Arabic words, is center stage as federal prosecutors play hours of FBI telephone intercepts involving Padilla and two other defendants charged with participating in an Islamic extremist support network.
Padilla, 36, is a U.S. citizen who was held for 3 1/2 years as an enemy combatant before he was added to the Miami terror support case in late 2005. U.S. officials initially accused Padilla in 2002 of plotting to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" for al-Qaida in a major city, but those allegations are not part of Miami case.
The legal battle about definitions goes to the heart of the defense argument that what Padilla, Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi were doing from 1994 to 2001 was not supporting terrorism, but providing humanitarian aid to oppressed and persecuted Muslims worldwide.
Prosecutors, however, must show the trio were involved in violence—that the "jihad" they were fighting involved killing and armed struggle. Defense attorneys won one legal skirmish last week when U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke agreed to limit an FBI agent's testimony to references about "jihad" but not "violent jihad."
"That's the term the government has to prove (beyond) a reasonable doubt," said Hassoun attorney Jeanne Baker.
Hassoun and Jayyousi, both 45, were two of the principals of the jihadist support network, according to federal prosecutors, and Padilla was supposedly one of the recruits. All three face life in prison if convicted.
In one example of the language battle, Jayyousi attorney William Swor recently asked a witness who had once worked with Jayyousi at a San Diego Islamic charity whether Muslims could perform jihad in many ways other than violent conflict.
"You can perform jihad in your heart. You can perform jihad with your tongue. You can perform jihad with your pen, or your computer. Right?" Swor asked Jeremy Collins, a Muslim convert.
"Correct," Collins answered.
Federal prosecutors, on the other hand, want to link for jurors these same words with acts of violence by al-Qaida and other Muslim extremist groups. For instance, Collins at one point testified that he thought of jihad as purely defensive in nature.
"Was the World Trade Center one bombing (in 1993) a defensive jihad?" asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Killinger.
"No," Collins answered.
FBI wiretaps played in court for jurors contain frequent references to "brothers," which prosecutors say means mujahedeen fighters looking for a battle. Defense lawyers contend the term is a common expression among male Muslims.
"There are mujahedeen brothers and brother brothers," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Frazier in one of many arguments about use of words. "There's more context to the word 'brother' than just a Muslim person."
Countered Swor: "They want to put in misleading evidence."
Defense lawyers also repeatedly jousted with FBI translators over how they converted the intercepted calls into English, suggesting that they used the most sinister language possible.
They also noticed that sometimes they translated the Arabic "Allah" as "God" in English and other times left it in the Arabic form.
"You have to understand, it's my personal choice. I chose to use Allah. I think it's a beautiful word," said FBI linguist Joyce Kandalaft. "Allah does not have a negative connotation in this sense."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Meaning of 'jihad' focus of Fla. trial
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: AMERICAN WORLDWIDE RELIEF (MOSLEM CHARITY), THEATERS OF JIHAD & MISSING LIMBS
Witness tells of doubts about Islamic charity's real work
CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer
MIAMI (AP) - A Muslim convert testified Tuesday that he grew suspicious and distanced himself from the leader of an Islamic charity after an associate returned from war-torn Chechnya with part of a leg missing from a land mine explosion.
Jeremy Collins, 33, said he worked at American Worldwide Relief that was headed by Kifah Wael Jayyousi, who is on trial along with alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla and an another man on charges of contributing to Muslim extremist causes worldwide. All three face life in prison if convicted.
''It was just chaos. There was no relief work,'' Collins said he learned from his associate. ''There seemed to be more fighting than relief work.''
Collins' testimony focuses on Jayyousi's years in San Diego, well before Padilla, a U.S. citizen held for 3 years as an enemy combatant, came on the scene.
Questions about the organization also were raised when the group's $20,000 satellite telephone was shut down in early 1996 at the request of the Russian government, said Collins, who was the organization's then-vice president.
The Russians claimed it was being used by Chechen rebels, who are attempting to break free from Russian rule and set up an Islamic state.
''How did a phone get into rebel hands, and get shut off and not reinstated?'' Collins said he thought at the time.
Along with his relief organization, Jayyousi, 45, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Jordan, was head of another group that published a newsletter called the Islam Report. Prosecutors say the American Islamic Group's newsletter was a propaganda and fundraising tool for radical causes, which Jayyousi has denied.
Every issue included a ''theaters of jihad'' section recounting armed struggles around the world and usually had editorials written by Jayyousi on subjects such as a trial of blind Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, who is serving a life prison sentence for plotting to blow up New York City landmarks and assassinate Egypt's president.
But Jayyousi attorney William Swor sought to counter the supposed links to violence by asking Collins if it was not also possible to have ''jihad of the heart ... jihad with your checkbook, jihad with your pen?''
''Yes,'' he answered.
''In all the years that you knew Kifah Jayyousi, he always emphasized doing things legally, right?'' Swor asked.
''Correct,'' Collins answered.
Prosecutors are attempting to show that an organization that included Jayyousi and co-defendant Adham Amin Hassoun recruited Padilla as part of a global network to support violent Islamic causes.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Witness tells of doubts about Islamic charity's real work
CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer
MIAMI (AP) - A Muslim convert testified Tuesday that he grew suspicious and distanced himself from the leader of an Islamic charity after an associate returned from war-torn Chechnya with part of a leg missing from a land mine explosion.
Jeremy Collins, 33, said he worked at American Worldwide Relief that was headed by Kifah Wael Jayyousi, who is on trial along with alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla and an another man on charges of contributing to Muslim extremist causes worldwide. All three face life in prison if convicted.
''It was just chaos. There was no relief work,'' Collins said he learned from his associate. ''There seemed to be more fighting than relief work.''
Collins' testimony focuses on Jayyousi's years in San Diego, well before Padilla, a U.S. citizen held for 3 years as an enemy combatant, came on the scene.
Questions about the organization also were raised when the group's $20,000 satellite telephone was shut down in early 1996 at the request of the Russian government, said Collins, who was the organization's then-vice president.
The Russians claimed it was being used by Chechen rebels, who are attempting to break free from Russian rule and set up an Islamic state.
''How did a phone get into rebel hands, and get shut off and not reinstated?'' Collins said he thought at the time.
Along with his relief organization, Jayyousi, 45, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Jordan, was head of another group that published a newsletter called the Islam Report. Prosecutors say the American Islamic Group's newsletter was a propaganda and fundraising tool for radical causes, which Jayyousi has denied.
Every issue included a ''theaters of jihad'' section recounting armed struggles around the world and usually had editorials written by Jayyousi on subjects such as a trial of blind Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, who is serving a life prison sentence for plotting to blow up New York City landmarks and assassinate Egypt's president.
But Jayyousi attorney William Swor sought to counter the supposed links to violence by asking Collins if it was not also possible to have ''jihad of the heart ... jihad with your checkbook, jihad with your pen?''
''Yes,'' he answered.
''In all the years that you knew Kifah Jayyousi, he always emphasized doing things legally, right?'' Swor asked.
''Correct,'' Collins answered.
Prosecutors are attempting to show that an organization that included Jayyousi and co-defendant Adham Amin Hassoun recruited Padilla as part of a global network to support violent Islamic causes.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Witness tells of doubts about Islamic charity's real work
Thursday, May 31, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: PADILLA, HASSOUN, ATWELL & THE MUJAHEDEEN
Ex-con says he knew Padilla, Hassoun at Florida mosque
BY CURT ANDERSON
AP LEGAL AFFAIRS WRITER
MIAMI -- An ex-convict testified Thursday that he knew both alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla and purported terrorism supporter Adham Amin Hassoun while attending a Florida mosque, and even considered becoming a mujahedeen fighter himself for Islamic groups overseas.
Herbert Atwell, 38, said that Hassoun frequently gave speeches at the mosque about Muslim causes and sought to raise money and identify recruits. Hassoun also brought in mujahedeen fighters from Chechnya, Palestine and elsewhere in the world to talk to men at the mosque, Atwell said.
"He would talk about giving to mujahedeen fighters all the time," Atwell testified.
"At a certain point in time, the brothers didn't want him to get on the podium any more, because it was the same message over and over and over."
Atwell's testimony came at a hearing to determine what he will be permitted to say in front of the jury in the trial of Padilla, Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi on charges they were part of an Islamic extremist support cell. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke ruled that most of his testimony could be repeated for jurors, who will return Monday.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Ex-con says he knew Padilla, Hassoun at Florida mosque
BY CURT ANDERSON
AP LEGAL AFFAIRS WRITER
MIAMI -- An ex-convict testified Thursday that he knew both alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla and purported terrorism supporter Adham Amin Hassoun while attending a Florida mosque, and even considered becoming a mujahedeen fighter himself for Islamic groups overseas.
Herbert Atwell, 38, said that Hassoun frequently gave speeches at the mosque about Muslim causes and sought to raise money and identify recruits. Hassoun also brought in mujahedeen fighters from Chechnya, Palestine and elsewhere in the world to talk to men at the mosque, Atwell said.
"He would talk about giving to mujahedeen fighters all the time," Atwell testified.
"At a certain point in time, the brothers didn't want him to get on the podium any more, because it was the same message over and over and over."
Atwell's testimony came at a hearing to determine what he will be permitted to say in front of the jury in the trial of Padilla, Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi on charges they were part of an Islamic extremist support cell. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke ruled that most of his testimony could be repeated for jurors, who will return Monday.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Ex-con says he knew Padilla, Hassoun at Florida mosque
Thursday, May 17, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: POLITICIANS PANDERING TO MOSLEMS
Were our planners pandering to Muslims in approving mosque?
By JOHN HERBERT
The traffic and noise arguments that kept a Wal-Mart off Barclay Avenue were not enough to block the building of a big Muslim mosque north of Elgin-Powell Road.
The neighbors tried, but the net result of a Hernando County Planning and Zoning Board unanimous decision recently to green-light the mosque is that we could be breeding tiny terrorist cells right in our own back yards. The board was no doubt bending over backwards not to show any prejudice, even though the Tampa Bay area has sustained its share of Islamic-related grief. There are already two churches on Barclay, so what's another house of worship, for 400 Muslims?
Of course, there are good reasons to welcome a Muslim mosque to our neighborhood. Foremost, there's a 400 BC saying by Chinese military guru Sun-tzu: "keep you friends close and your enemies closer." There are two words why we shouldn't open the door to more potential Muslim terrorism: The attacks of 9/11.
Yes, I realize the excuse has probably worn thin by now. But so has Muslim barbarity. Our planners probably thought they were ringing one up for world peace as well as for anti-discrimination. But there are limits to political correctness. Our bureaucratic decision-makers must realize that Muslims just don't want any Western enlightenment.Name another world-class religion that has the abolition of Israel and the extermination of all Jews "by the end of time" on its to-do list. Not every move the Muslims make is Israeli- or American-targeted terrorism. The Muslims have commanded bloody headlines throughout Western Europe.
They've killed thousands of what they see as "infidels" in Africa, among Indian Hindus and Thai Buddhists. The Indonesians and Philippinos have their own sordid memories of Muslim terror. And we have the current wave of terror in Iraq where differing Muslim sects are pitted against each other.
As if those examples of Muslim "ideology" aren't enough, Anna-Liisa Covell, the woman on the planning board, wouldn't have the right to vote, to drive or even to work if Islam had its way here.
Mrs. Covell would also be subject to those "quaint" Muslim traditions of multilation, of being stoned to death and of watching her grandchildren grow up to be suicide bombers.
At least she doesn't have to worry about the standard Muslim treatment of gays: hang them from the nearest or highest tree. I assume Hernando County's planning board was well meaning enough to welcome the Muslim mosque. But the members have a lot left to learn about international relations. Not to mention Muslim ideology.
There are certainly many peace-loving Muslims in the Tampa Bay area. They enjoy a totally Western lifestyle, even jogging with their customary headgear still on. Why are they so silent, then, when we are up against radical Muslims who are hogging all the ink?
Pertinent Links:
1) Were our planners pandering to Muslims in approving mosque?
By JOHN HERBERT
The traffic and noise arguments that kept a Wal-Mart off Barclay Avenue were not enough to block the building of a big Muslim mosque north of Elgin-Powell Road.
The neighbors tried, but the net result of a Hernando County Planning and Zoning Board unanimous decision recently to green-light the mosque is that we could be breeding tiny terrorist cells right in our own back yards. The board was no doubt bending over backwards not to show any prejudice, even though the Tampa Bay area has sustained its share of Islamic-related grief. There are already two churches on Barclay, so what's another house of worship, for 400 Muslims?
Of course, there are good reasons to welcome a Muslim mosque to our neighborhood. Foremost, there's a 400 BC saying by Chinese military guru Sun-tzu: "keep you friends close and your enemies closer." There are two words why we shouldn't open the door to more potential Muslim terrorism: The attacks of 9/11.
Yes, I realize the excuse has probably worn thin by now. But so has Muslim barbarity. Our planners probably thought they were ringing one up for world peace as well as for anti-discrimination. But there are limits to political correctness. Our bureaucratic decision-makers must realize that Muslims just don't want any Western enlightenment.Name another world-class religion that has the abolition of Israel and the extermination of all Jews "by the end of time" on its to-do list. Not every move the Muslims make is Israeli- or American-targeted terrorism. The Muslims have commanded bloody headlines throughout Western Europe.
They've killed thousands of what they see as "infidels" in Africa, among Indian Hindus and Thai Buddhists. The Indonesians and Philippinos have their own sordid memories of Muslim terror. And we have the current wave of terror in Iraq where differing Muslim sects are pitted against each other.
As if those examples of Muslim "ideology" aren't enough, Anna-Liisa Covell, the woman on the planning board, wouldn't have the right to vote, to drive or even to work if Islam had its way here.
Mrs. Covell would also be subject to those "quaint" Muslim traditions of multilation, of being stoned to death and of watching her grandchildren grow up to be suicide bombers.
At least she doesn't have to worry about the standard Muslim treatment of gays: hang them from the nearest or highest tree. I assume Hernando County's planning board was well meaning enough to welcome the Muslim mosque. But the members have a lot left to learn about international relations. Not to mention Muslim ideology.
There are certainly many peace-loving Muslims in the Tampa Bay area. They enjoy a totally Western lifestyle, even jogging with their customary headgear still on. Why are they so silent, then, when we are up against radical Muslims who are hogging all the ink?
Pertinent Links:
1) Were our planners pandering to Muslims in approving mosque?
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: A LAWSUIT TO STOP THE BUILDING OF A MOSQUE
Suit filed to stop building of mosque
By Melissa Hoyos
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A Pompano Beach man who opposes a planned mosque in his neighborhood filed a lawsuit in state court Tuesday against three Islamic groups supporting the project.
Rodney Wright claims the mosque would bring an extremist form of Islam to his neighborhood. He wants a judge to order the Islamic Center of South Florida not to build it, saying the mosque would be a "nuisance" that would lower his property value, according to Broward Circuit Court records.
...
Wright's attorney, Larry Klayman, said his client "feels strongly that the mosque is a security threat and it's going to disrupt the entire neighborhood."
"It is the goal of the [Islamic Center] to spread radical Islam throughout the United States," the lawsuit says.
Wright is getting support from the Rev. O'Neal Dozier, the minister who spoke out against the project last year, calling Islam a "dangerous and evil cult." Dozier is not a party to the suit.
Pertinent Links:
1) Suit filed to stop building of mosque
By Melissa Hoyos
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A Pompano Beach man who opposes a planned mosque in his neighborhood filed a lawsuit in state court Tuesday against three Islamic groups supporting the project.
Rodney Wright claims the mosque would bring an extremist form of Islam to his neighborhood. He wants a judge to order the Islamic Center of South Florida not to build it, saying the mosque would be a "nuisance" that would lower his property value, according to Broward Circuit Court records.
...
Wright's attorney, Larry Klayman, said his client "feels strongly that the mosque is a security threat and it's going to disrupt the entire neighborhood."
"It is the goal of the [Islamic Center] to spread radical Islam throughout the United States," the lawsuit says.
Wright is getting support from the Rev. O'Neal Dozier, the minister who spoke out against the project last year, calling Islam a "dangerous and evil cult." Dozier is not a party to the suit.
Pertinent Links:
1) Suit filed to stop building of mosque
Friday, March 16, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: TELLING JOKES ABOUT MOSLEMS GETS YOU FIRED
Tour-bus driver fired for Muslim jokes
Babita Persaud
The Web site for I-Ride Trolley boasts comments from its riders:
"An efficient way to move around."
"Wonderful not to have to rent a car."
Here's one that is not listed:
"The bus driver called me a raghead."
Operators of the tourist bus on International Drive fired a driver Thursday after a Turkish-American couple who had visited Orlando complained about comments he made over the loudspeaker to his passengers.
...
Moslems can shout about how they intend on killing infidels, they can behead them while screaming allahu ackbar, they can torch people alive on buses, they can explode themselves on trains, they can explode bombs on planes, they can fly planes into highrises, they can blow up American warships, they can shoot people dead in malls, etc...
While infidels cannot even call them ragheads, sheetheads, towelheads or anything else for that matter...
Something is wrong with that picture..
Pertinent Links:
1) Tour-bus driver fired for Muslim jokes
Babita Persaud
The Web site for I-Ride Trolley boasts comments from its riders:
"An efficient way to move around."
"Wonderful not to have to rent a car."
Here's one that is not listed:
"The bus driver called me a raghead."
Operators of the tourist bus on International Drive fired a driver Thursday after a Turkish-American couple who had visited Orlando complained about comments he made over the loudspeaker to his passengers.
...
Moslems can shout about how they intend on killing infidels, they can behead them while screaming allahu ackbar, they can torch people alive on buses, they can explode themselves on trains, they can explode bombs on planes, they can fly planes into highrises, they can blow up American warships, they can shoot people dead in malls, etc...
While infidels cannot even call them ragheads, sheetheads, towelheads or anything else for that matter...
Something is wrong with that picture..
Pertinent Links:
1) Tour-bus driver fired for Muslim jokes
Sunday, February 25, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: HOMEMADE BOMBS & AL QUEDA NOTES IN KISSIMMEE
Homemade Bombs Found After 'Al Qaeda' Notes Threaten City
Report: 'Each Note Referenced al Qaeda'
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Notes threatening that Kissimmee, Fla., would be bombed by al-Qaeda recently found scattered through the city led to the discovery of homemade bombs inside a 20-year-old's home, police told Local 6 News.
"The exact message on one of the notes, we are told, (is) 'The city of Kissimmee is going to be bombed by al Qaeda, God willing,'" Local 6's Jamie Guriola said.
Some of the notes were found on vehicles parked at the Moose Lodge located on 1019 North Main Street and a vehicle parked at the First Christian Church located at 415 North Main Street.
"Each note referenced al Qaeda," the police report said.
During an investigation, investigators found explosives at the home of Juan Rafael Diaz, along with other notes threatening to detonate the devices, Local 6 reported.
On Jan. 23, detectives learned that a similar note was taped to the front door of the First Christian Church.
Local6.com has learned that Diaz was arrested in Dec. 2006 for placing a written note threatening to explode a bomb at SaveRite located at 1532 West Vine Street. He was out on bond for the December arrest.
Diaz has been charged with threatening to discharge a destructive device and making, possessing and using a destructive device.
He is being held at the Osceola County Jail.
HatTip: MilitantIslamMonitor.org
Pertinent Links:
1) Homemade Bombs Found After 'Al Qaeda' Notes Threaten City
Report: 'Each Note Referenced al Qaeda'
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Notes threatening that Kissimmee, Fla., would be bombed by al-Qaeda recently found scattered through the city led to the discovery of homemade bombs inside a 20-year-old's home, police told Local 6 News.
"The exact message on one of the notes, we are told, (is) 'The city of Kissimmee is going to be bombed by al Qaeda, God willing,'" Local 6's Jamie Guriola said.
Some of the notes were found on vehicles parked at the Moose Lodge located on 1019 North Main Street and a vehicle parked at the First Christian Church located at 415 North Main Street.
"Each note referenced al Qaeda," the police report said.
During an investigation, investigators found explosives at the home of Juan Rafael Diaz, along with other notes threatening to detonate the devices, Local 6 reported.
On Jan. 23, detectives learned that a similar note was taped to the front door of the First Christian Church.
Local6.com has learned that Diaz was arrested in Dec. 2006 for placing a written note threatening to explode a bomb at SaveRite located at 1532 West Vine Street. He was out on bond for the December arrest.
Diaz has been charged with threatening to discharge a destructive device and making, possessing and using a destructive device.
He is being held at the Osceola County Jail.
HatTip: MilitantIslamMonitor.org
Pertinent Links:
1) Homemade Bombs Found After 'Al Qaeda' Notes Threaten City
Saturday, February 10, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: 3 THINGS CHRISTIANS & JEWS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MOSLEMS
Rabbi Michael Birnholz: Three things Jews, Christians need to understand about Muslim peers
...
1. Islam does not have a concept of a separation of church and state. Politics and religion go hand and hand. Mohammed led a political movement as much as a religious community. His goals were a just and righteous society from top to bottom. [What I would add to that, is that mohammad wanted a just & righteous society for moslems, and Christians, Jews and other infidels were to be subdued, given in a best case scenario second class citizen status. Everyone would be subject to islamic law, no exceptions. Islamic law (shari'ah) is quite harsh for moslems and just as harsh or worse for anyone else...ed. A.I.] I watch Jews and Christians struggle with that boundary not sure of how to have the ethical values of our religion present with out a dictating a particular religious philosophy or ritual behavior. I am unsure if that schema, or pattern of thought, exists in the Muslim mind.
2. Congregational structure: From what the speaker, Altaf Ali, said, Muslims do not structure their community life in the ways Jews and Christians do. Mosques are not like churches and synagogues in terms of membership and giving and participation. I am not sure I can give you details of the differences, but I gathered that the Muslim community does not regularly create congregations like a Community Church or Temple Beth Shalom. This means finding like dialogue partners becomes more difficult.
3. The last observation I offer is that the Muslim community in America feels a lot of fear. It is fear of persecution and discrimination. I am not sure I can explain the source of this fear, but I certainly heard it in Mr. Ali's voice. I would think that the Muslim community is large enough in our country to not to feel threatened yet, within days of our session at Community Church, a report of an attack against two Palestinian students by football players at a Quaker college appeared in the media. Just as it was hard for me to dialogue from a place of fear and distrust, it would be for the Muslim community as well.
...
I would think point #1 is the most important, because all of the interactions all infidels have with moslems will be based on that model...
Pertinent Links:
1) Rabbi Michael Birnholz: Three things Jews, Christians need to understand about Muslim peers
...
1. Islam does not have a concept of a separation of church and state. Politics and religion go hand and hand. Mohammed led a political movement as much as a religious community. His goals were a just and righteous society from top to bottom. [What I would add to that, is that mohammad wanted a just & righteous society for moslems, and Christians, Jews and other infidels were to be subdued, given in a best case scenario second class citizen status. Everyone would be subject to islamic law, no exceptions. Islamic law (shari'ah) is quite harsh for moslems and just as harsh or worse for anyone else...ed. A.I.] I watch Jews and Christians struggle with that boundary not sure of how to have the ethical values of our religion present with out a dictating a particular religious philosophy or ritual behavior. I am unsure if that schema, or pattern of thought, exists in the Muslim mind.
2. Congregational structure: From what the speaker, Altaf Ali, said, Muslims do not structure their community life in the ways Jews and Christians do. Mosques are not like churches and synagogues in terms of membership and giving and participation. I am not sure I can give you details of the differences, but I gathered that the Muslim community does not regularly create congregations like a Community Church or Temple Beth Shalom. This means finding like dialogue partners becomes more difficult.
3. The last observation I offer is that the Muslim community in America feels a lot of fear. It is fear of persecution and discrimination. I am not sure I can explain the source of this fear, but I certainly heard it in Mr. Ali's voice. I would think that the Muslim community is large enough in our country to not to feel threatened yet, within days of our session at Community Church, a report of an attack against two Palestinian students by football players at a Quaker college appeared in the media. Just as it was hard for me to dialogue from a place of fear and distrust, it would be for the Muslim community as well.
...
I would think point #1 is the most important, because all of the interactions all infidels have with moslems will be based on that model...
Pertinent Links:
1) Rabbi Michael Birnholz: Three things Jews, Christians need to understand about Muslim peers
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: MOSLEM HEADS THE INTER-FAITH ALLIANCE
Muslim chosen to lead Interfaith Alliance
BY STEPHANIE MORRISSTAR-BANNER
OCALA - Larry Collins was installed recently as president of The Interfaith Alliance of Marion County. He is the first Muslim to hold the office.
Collins grew up an Army brat. He served in the Air Force and did a year in Vietnam. He has undergraduate degrees, in history and English, and a juris doctorate - all from the University of Florida. He worked on farms in college, so he decided to take up equine law. Collins is a devout Muslim and has been since 1966.
At a hefty 6 feet 3 inches, Collins is a formidable man, an intellectual who studies the Quran in Arabic and Max Weber's essays on the Protestant ethic in German.
His agenda is no secret."It's not just a question of tolerating people of other beliefs," Collins said of the alliance's mission. "It's more of an acceptance of people of different beliefs - and a recognition that if they hold those beliefs, we just have to give them that right, because they have a basis for what they believe, and I can't assume, being just a guy, that their basis is wrong."
The Rev. Dale Stewart is a founding member and former president of the Marion County chapter of the alliance. He believes Collins' dedication will be an asset to the organization.
"I've seen him outside painting a sign at the Islamic Center," Stewart said. "He is very dedicated in his faith. He does whatever is necessary."
...
He is dedicated to islam and does whatever is necessary?!? Would that include supporting terrorists and spreading their propaganda around?!?!?
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim chosen to lead Interfaith Alliance
BY STEPHANIE MORRISSTAR-BANNER
OCALA - Larry Collins was installed recently as president of The Interfaith Alliance of Marion County. He is the first Muslim to hold the office.
Collins grew up an Army brat. He served in the Air Force and did a year in Vietnam. He has undergraduate degrees, in history and English, and a juris doctorate - all from the University of Florida. He worked on farms in college, so he decided to take up equine law. Collins is a devout Muslim and has been since 1966.
At a hefty 6 feet 3 inches, Collins is a formidable man, an intellectual who studies the Quran in Arabic and Max Weber's essays on the Protestant ethic in German.
His agenda is no secret."It's not just a question of tolerating people of other beliefs," Collins said of the alliance's mission. "It's more of an acceptance of people of different beliefs - and a recognition that if they hold those beliefs, we just have to give them that right, because they have a basis for what they believe, and I can't assume, being just a guy, that their basis is wrong."
The Rev. Dale Stewart is a founding member and former president of the Marion County chapter of the alliance. He believes Collins' dedication will be an asset to the organization.
"I've seen him outside painting a sign at the Islamic Center," Stewart said. "He is very dedicated in his faith. He does whatever is necessary."
...
He is dedicated to islam and does whatever is necessary?!? Would that include supporting terrorists and spreading their propaganda around?!?!?
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim chosen to lead Interfaith Alliance
Sunday, February 04, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: MOSLEMS SHOULD COMPLAIN ABOUT MOSLEM TERRORISM NOT TELEVISION SHOWS
Muslims should decry terrorism, not TV show
According to numerous news reports, many Muslims in the United States are upset that they are being profiled as radicals along with the ones causing horrible problems in numerous countries around the world.
With the TV show "24" beginning its sixth season, the viewer sees the hero going after Muslim terrorists in the United States who are bombing shopping malls, subways, etc., and finally detonating a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles.
This fictional TV show has caused considerable outrage within the U.S. Muslim community, with many "talking heads" on cable channels complaining that Fox Broadcasting and the show "24" are being unfair and denigrating toward Muslims.
Let's set the record straight. Who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993? Muslims. Who bombed two U.S. embassies in the mid-1990s? Muslims. Who bombed and killed 17 Navy servicemen on the USS Cole? Muslims. Who was caught, tried and convicted of attempting to set off a bomb in Seattle over the millennium weekend? A Muslim.
Who were the 19 men who, on Sept. 11, 2001, killed more than 3,000 people in the United States? Muslims. Who was caught with a bomb in his shoe in an airliner headed for New York? A Muslim. Who bombed the trains in Spain and the subways in the United Kingdom? Muslims. Who was caught attempting to place bombs on U.S. planes traveling to New York from the U.K.? Muslims.
Who are the men who kidnap, torture and decapitate innocent men and women shown on Arab TV? Muslims. Who send out suicide bombers (some of them children) to blow up innocent people in Israel? Muslims. Who assassinates heads of state, as in Lebanon? Muslims. Who, on so-called holy days, preach death to the infidels and nonbelievers in their own houses of worship? Muslims.
There always are two sides to every question. However, I am waiting to hear Muslims on the other side condemn and work with their own to end these horrible acts against mankind. But it's strangely quiet out there.
A.L. "Tot" Morton
Gainesville
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslims should decry terrorism, not TV show
According to numerous news reports, many Muslims in the United States are upset that they are being profiled as radicals along with the ones causing horrible problems in numerous countries around the world.
With the TV show "24" beginning its sixth season, the viewer sees the hero going after Muslim terrorists in the United States who are bombing shopping malls, subways, etc., and finally detonating a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles.
This fictional TV show has caused considerable outrage within the U.S. Muslim community, with many "talking heads" on cable channels complaining that Fox Broadcasting and the show "24" are being unfair and denigrating toward Muslims.
Let's set the record straight. Who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993? Muslims. Who bombed two U.S. embassies in the mid-1990s? Muslims. Who bombed and killed 17 Navy servicemen on the USS Cole? Muslims. Who was caught, tried and convicted of attempting to set off a bomb in Seattle over the millennium weekend? A Muslim.
Who were the 19 men who, on Sept. 11, 2001, killed more than 3,000 people in the United States? Muslims. Who was caught with a bomb in his shoe in an airliner headed for New York? A Muslim. Who bombed the trains in Spain and the subways in the United Kingdom? Muslims. Who was caught attempting to place bombs on U.S. planes traveling to New York from the U.K.? Muslims.
Who are the men who kidnap, torture and decapitate innocent men and women shown on Arab TV? Muslims. Who send out suicide bombers (some of them children) to blow up innocent people in Israel? Muslims. Who assassinates heads of state, as in Lebanon? Muslims. Who, on so-called holy days, preach death to the infidels and nonbelievers in their own houses of worship? Muslims.
There always are two sides to every question. However, I am waiting to hear Muslims on the other side condemn and work with their own to end these horrible acts against mankind. But it's strangely quiet out there.
A.L. "Tot" Morton
Gainesville
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslims should decry terrorism, not TV show
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: MOSLEM SCHOOL IN ORANGE COUNTY FLORIDA
Muslim school at 'dead end' in code fight
Orange closes portables, so children must stay home until new building is ready
Babita Persaud Sentinel Staff Writer
A hundred Muslim students are out of school as their administrators squabble with Orange County code enforcement over staying in portables until their $2.3 million building is finished.
"We have 100 kids here with nowhere to go," said Imam Tariq Rasheed of the Islamic Center of Orlando.
Buena Vista Muslim Academy, on 7 acres owned by the Islamic Center, has until Monday to remove five portables on its property at 11543 Ruby Lake Road in the Lake Buena Vista area.
The elementary school has been operating out of portables for nearly seven years -- its whole existence.
It is opening a two-story, 27,000-square-foot facility, which is being renamed Muslim Academy of Greater Orlando. The building is nearly done, administrators say.
"We need four to eight more weeks," said Abrahim Mamsa, Buena Vista's director of administration.
But code-enforcement officials say they have given the school enough time to remove the portables, which never received permits.
"Time has run out," said Mitch Gordon, Orange County zoning manager.
Starting Monday, the school has to start paying $1,000 a day until the portables are gone.
The dispute has been ongoing for years.
...
Gordon said the portables were placed on the property without permits when the school started seven years ago.
...
If a "fundi" Christian school did that, the government of Orange County and Florida would have removed the "portables" with children still inside...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim school at 'dead end' in code fight
Orange closes portables, so children must stay home until new building is ready
Babita Persaud Sentinel Staff Writer
A hundred Muslim students are out of school as their administrators squabble with Orange County code enforcement over staying in portables until their $2.3 million building is finished.
"We have 100 kids here with nowhere to go," said Imam Tariq Rasheed of the Islamic Center of Orlando.
Buena Vista Muslim Academy, on 7 acres owned by the Islamic Center, has until Monday to remove five portables on its property at 11543 Ruby Lake Road in the Lake Buena Vista area.
The elementary school has been operating out of portables for nearly seven years -- its whole existence.
It is opening a two-story, 27,000-square-foot facility, which is being renamed Muslim Academy of Greater Orlando. The building is nearly done, administrators say.
"We need four to eight more weeks," said Abrahim Mamsa, Buena Vista's director of administration.
But code-enforcement officials say they have given the school enough time to remove the portables, which never received permits.
"Time has run out," said Mitch Gordon, Orange County zoning manager.
Starting Monday, the school has to start paying $1,000 a day until the portables are gone.
The dispute has been ongoing for years.
...
Gordon said the portables were placed on the property without permits when the school started seven years ago.
...
If a "fundi" Christian school did that, the government of Orange County and Florida would have removed the "portables" with children still inside...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim school at 'dead end' in code fight
Sunday, January 28, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - FLORIDA: DOES ISLAM HAVE SUCH A THING AS "THE GOLDEN RULE"?!?, IF NOT, HOW CAN THEY EMBRACE IT?!?
Islam needs to embrace Golden Rule
BY ROBERT L. EGOLF
SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BANNER
Never have the media embraced so mistaken an angle on a story as on Pope Benedict XVI's speech in Regensburg, Germany, and the aftermath in the Muslim world.
Every newspaper story I read has a doddering old pope blundering into an ill-conceived quotation from a Byzantine emperor, insulting Islam by connecting it with violence, and the Muslim world's eruption over his supposedly inappropriate choice of words.
Indeed, in some parts of the Islamic world the appropriate response was to run out and burn down a few Christian churches and even murder a nun to show the world Islam is not a violent religion. In other words, according to the media, shame on the pope for foolishly and thoughtlessly poking a stick in a hornet's nest.
The problem with this scenario is that, in fact, the pope knew exactly what he was saying, and he surely meant to say it. His words were carefully chosen. Their purpose was to call to account the Muslim world's willingness to license violence, to make excuses for violence in the name of their religion.
The pope apologized for being misunderstood and has expressed his desire for dialogue. He has not retracted the accusation. The pope's public declaration was exactly what much of the rest of the world beyond Islam believes in private, but is too cowardly or delicate to say out loud.
And who is more appropriate than the pope to state the Christian case? Secular Muslim governments are scared to death of their radical imams and mullahs. None of them have the guts to face down their own homegrown radical Islamic fundamentalists. And yet it is these same radical Islamists who are found at the root and fountainhead of nearly every terrorist act perpetrated in the world today.
It is not so much that Islam is a violent religion. Perhaps in the main it is not, any more than Christianity is violent in the light of its past atrocities.
It is more that the Muslim street, in country after country, is extraordinarily and notoriously thin-skinned about every real or imagined slight to Islamic religious sensibilities. In this rude and vulgar modern world such an antiquated attitude can only bring with it constant turmoil. And it does not help that this bellicose attitude is stoked and manipulated by the political and religious leadership in every Muslim nation.
So the pope has confronted the issue. Until Islam can find within itself the will to embrace the Golden Rule found in its own scripture, until it stops indoctrinating its children, and especially its young men, in hatred and intolerance, and I might add, finds them jobs, until it is willing to treat other religions in its own heartlands as it demands Islam be treated in its diaspora, until it can truly respect at home the diversity it hides behind in Western cultures, until it discovers its womenfolk are co-equally God's own creatures, and until it learns to ignore or laugh at what misinformed or ignorant men may say about Islam or Islam's prophet, until that day the violence will continue.God (or Allah or YHWH) help us all.
Pertinent Links:
1) Islam needs to embrace Golden Rule
BY ROBERT L. EGOLF
SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BANNER
Never have the media embraced so mistaken an angle on a story as on Pope Benedict XVI's speech in Regensburg, Germany, and the aftermath in the Muslim world.
Every newspaper story I read has a doddering old pope blundering into an ill-conceived quotation from a Byzantine emperor, insulting Islam by connecting it with violence, and the Muslim world's eruption over his supposedly inappropriate choice of words.
Indeed, in some parts of the Islamic world the appropriate response was to run out and burn down a few Christian churches and even murder a nun to show the world Islam is not a violent religion. In other words, according to the media, shame on the pope for foolishly and thoughtlessly poking a stick in a hornet's nest.
The problem with this scenario is that, in fact, the pope knew exactly what he was saying, and he surely meant to say it. His words were carefully chosen. Their purpose was to call to account the Muslim world's willingness to license violence, to make excuses for violence in the name of their religion.
The pope apologized for being misunderstood and has expressed his desire for dialogue. He has not retracted the accusation. The pope's public declaration was exactly what much of the rest of the world beyond Islam believes in private, but is too cowardly or delicate to say out loud.
And who is more appropriate than the pope to state the Christian case? Secular Muslim governments are scared to death of their radical imams and mullahs. None of them have the guts to face down their own homegrown radical Islamic fundamentalists. And yet it is these same radical Islamists who are found at the root and fountainhead of nearly every terrorist act perpetrated in the world today.
It is not so much that Islam is a violent religion. Perhaps in the main it is not, any more than Christianity is violent in the light of its past atrocities.
It is more that the Muslim street, in country after country, is extraordinarily and notoriously thin-skinned about every real or imagined slight to Islamic religious sensibilities. In this rude and vulgar modern world such an antiquated attitude can only bring with it constant turmoil. And it does not help that this bellicose attitude is stoked and manipulated by the political and religious leadership in every Muslim nation.
So the pope has confronted the issue. Until Islam can find within itself the will to embrace the Golden Rule found in its own scripture, until it stops indoctrinating its children, and especially its young men, in hatred and intolerance, and I might add, finds them jobs, until it is willing to treat other religions in its own heartlands as it demands Islam be treated in its diaspora, until it can truly respect at home the diversity it hides behind in Western cultures, until it discovers its womenfolk are co-equally God's own creatures, and until it learns to ignore or laugh at what misinformed or ignorant men may say about Islam or Islam's prophet, until that day the violence will continue.God (or Allah or YHWH) help us all.
Pertinent Links:
1) Islam needs to embrace Golden Rule
Monday, December 04, 2006
U.S.A.-FLORIDA: WHY MUST WE UNDERSTAND THEIR BELIEFS?!?!?
Why should I have to understand Islam?
By DON W. PLEZIA
Special to Hernando Today
The Muslim pronouncements that “we need to educate our youth and adults to understand the Koran ...” is the antithesis of our legislation requiring prospective citizens to understand our laws?
Our form of government and the Constitutional requirement that we are free to practice our religion, but not to slaughter those who believe in another! Are you suggesting we change the Constitution to accommodate Muslim religious beliefs that killing non-Muslims is OK? Why must we “understand” their beliefs?
I don’t understand the Jewish Tanakh or the Hindu Skrutts or the Analects of Confucianism. What I do understand is that they don’t want to kill me because of my beliefs as opposed to that of Muslims who would do so in a New York second.
How many more murderous Muslim activities will it take to show you the error of your ways? If converting Christians to Mohammedanism at the point of a sword or gun is OK for Arabs (In Verse 47:4 of the Koran — “Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), strike off their heads), why not reverse the procedure and convert them to Christianity using the same methods? Yes, beheading is, of course, Islamic justice to the infidels, criminals and sinners. This cruel way of killing infidels is sanctioned by Islamic Sharia laws.
Your Muslim buddies at CAIR are nothing but fifth columnists, that tried to subvert the country back during World War II. They use our laws to undermine our will and employ ways to undermine our choice to exist as a free and democratic country. After all, the Muslim goal is to substitute the Koran for our Constitution and make this a Muslim country.
Categorizing the Irish Molly Maguire movement, originally started by the Irish to protest the cruelty of their British landlords then expatriated to the Pennsylvania coal region to protest the cruelty of the mine owners is preposterous. Or projecting the Italian Mafia as the same as Mohammedanism miscasts the Muslim movement as a criminal organization. This is untrue as the Arabs just want to kill us in the name of their God.
As to Mr. and Mrs. Hogan, I’ll welcome them into my foxhole anytime. They’re patriots.
Pertinent Links:
1) Why should I have to understand Islam?
2) Prior post (one) concerning the Hogan's of Florida.
3) Prior post (two) concerning the Hogan's of Florida.
4) Congresswoman Ginny Browne-Waite responds to CAIRs demands for her to throw the Hogan's under the bus, just like Jeb Bush and the Republican Party did.
5) RightWingHowler has a great wrap up of the kerfuffle down in Florida, along with all of the politically correct BS from Jeb Bush and the Republican Party.
By DON W. PLEZIA
Special to Hernando Today
The Muslim pronouncements that “we need to educate our youth and adults to understand the Koran ...” is the antithesis of our legislation requiring prospective citizens to understand our laws?
Our form of government and the Constitutional requirement that we are free to practice our religion, but not to slaughter those who believe in another! Are you suggesting we change the Constitution to accommodate Muslim religious beliefs that killing non-Muslims is OK? Why must we “understand” their beliefs?
I don’t understand the Jewish Tanakh or the Hindu Skrutts or the Analects of Confucianism. What I do understand is that they don’t want to kill me because of my beliefs as opposed to that of Muslims who would do so in a New York second.
How many more murderous Muslim activities will it take to show you the error of your ways? If converting Christians to Mohammedanism at the point of a sword or gun is OK for Arabs (In Verse 47:4 of the Koran — “Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), strike off their heads), why not reverse the procedure and convert them to Christianity using the same methods? Yes, beheading is, of course, Islamic justice to the infidels, criminals and sinners. This cruel way of killing infidels is sanctioned by Islamic Sharia laws.
Your Muslim buddies at CAIR are nothing but fifth columnists, that tried to subvert the country back during World War II. They use our laws to undermine our will and employ ways to undermine our choice to exist as a free and democratic country. After all, the Muslim goal is to substitute the Koran for our Constitution and make this a Muslim country.
Categorizing the Irish Molly Maguire movement, originally started by the Irish to protest the cruelty of their British landlords then expatriated to the Pennsylvania coal region to protest the cruelty of the mine owners is preposterous. Or projecting the Italian Mafia as the same as Mohammedanism miscasts the Muslim movement as a criminal organization. This is untrue as the Arabs just want to kill us in the name of their God.
As to Mr. and Mrs. Hogan, I’ll welcome them into my foxhole anytime. They’re patriots.
Pertinent Links:
1) Why should I have to understand Islam?
2) Prior post (one) concerning the Hogan's of Florida.
3) Prior post (two) concerning the Hogan's of Florida.
4) Congresswoman Ginny Browne-Waite responds to CAIRs demands for her to throw the Hogan's under the bus, just like Jeb Bush and the Republican Party did.
5) RightWingHowler has a great wrap up of the kerfuffle down in Florida, along with all of the politically correct BS from Jeb Bush and the Republican Party.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
USA-MINNESOTA: ***UPDATE***ELLISON***UPDATE***
Minnesotan campaigns to be the first Muslim elected to Congress
By Rochelle Olson and Kevin Diaz
McClatchy Newspapers
MINNEAPOLIS - Before a recent University of Minnesota lunchtime candidate forum, Democratic state Rep. Keith Ellison did something unusual: He ate pizza.
For much of his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, Ellison was forced to go without food or water during daylight hours because of the Muslim observance of Ramadan. If he's successful on Nov. 7, Ellison, who converted to Islam while in college in his native Detroit, would become the first Muslim and the first African-American from Minnesota elected to Congress.
Ellison says he finds being a groundbreaking candidate because of his religion "not that interesting."
But Republican opponent Alan Fine has made Ellison's past and faith major issues in the campaign to succeed 28-year Rep. Martin Sabo in the 5th District.
Fine has repeatedly asked about Ellison's interest in the Nation of Islam and money he accepted from leaders of the Council on American-Islam Relations, or CAIR. Ellison also has come under criticism for failing to pay income taxes and parking tickets, which caused a license revocation, and for failing to file campaign-funding reports.
He admits his problems remain a concern for voters.
"They don't like it. It's bad. It's a personal failing," he said.
But of the religious attacks, "it's all smear stuff," Ellison said. "I must have taken hundreds of votes, introduced lots of bills, made comments in committees. You know how often I've been asked about my record in the legislature? It's almost completely ignored."
The religious attacks are coming into sharper focus this week as CAIR launches a TV ad in Minnesota disavowing any ties between Islam and terrorism.
The campaign, dubbed "Not in the Name of Islam," will air for a week on cable networks throughout the state, including during Monday night's Vikings football game. But rather than blunt the criticism of Ellison, the ad has added fuel to the fire over his ties to CAIR, as well as to his past ties to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
"CAIR is to Muslims as the Ku Klux Klan is to Christians," Fine said Tuesday. "I don't think that we can say that CAIR truly represents Muslims in America."
Bridget Cusick, a spokesman for Ellison, noted that Ellison hasn't received formal organizational support from CAIR, other than personal contributions from some of its leaders.
Ellison, 43, was elected to the legislature four years ago. He cites his work supporting the removal of lead-based paint in old housing, the conversion of a coal-fired electricity plant to gas and the repeal of vagrancy laws that criminalized homelessness.
In Washington, he says, his priorities would be getting U.S. troops out of Iraq, universal single-payer health care and the environment.
Republican bloggers raised his past ties to the controversial Farrakhan. Ellison said he helped organize the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., but never belonged to the Nation of Islam, and he's since told Jewish groups that he regretted not reacting more quickly to Farrakhan's anti-Semitic positions.
Regarding CAIR, Ellison has called founder Nihad Awad an acquaintance. The group is a prominent advocate for the interests of Muslims in the United States and has condemned terrorism. Some, however, have leveled criticism at the group for showing what they consider sympathy for terrorist groups.
The group's new ad campaign is designed to counter what it called "anti-Muslim stereotyping" in the race.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has been a solid supporter of Ellison throughout the campaign.
"He clearly understands what he has to do, including get an extremely strong staff around him," Rybak said. "He's a healer who can bring people together. He's one of the few people who can bring all the complicated parties of north Minneapolis together."
Parvez Ahmed, an associate finance professor at the University of North Florida and the national chairman of CAIR, said Ellison could give Muslims a voice in Congress that doesn't exist.
If he wins, "it will certainly be an inspirational moment," Ahmed said. "It would certainly encourage the younger generation and show them the system remains open."
All Muslims would see that "instead of complaining, that they could proactively engage in the system. That is something we are so proud of about America."
Previous posts concerning Ellison & his bid to become the first moslem in Congress:
1) Farrakhan's Candidate
2) American Muslims Rally Around Congressional Candidate Ellison
3) Islamic organization to host Florida fundraiser for Ellison
4) Keith Ellison, possible 1st Muslim in Congress, alleges blackmail
5) Muslim congressional candidate low-key about faith
Pertinent Links:
1) Minnesotan campaigns to be the first Muslim elected to Congress
By Rochelle Olson and Kevin Diaz
McClatchy Newspapers
MINNEAPOLIS - Before a recent University of Minnesota lunchtime candidate forum, Democratic state Rep. Keith Ellison did something unusual: He ate pizza.
For much of his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, Ellison was forced to go without food or water during daylight hours because of the Muslim observance of Ramadan. If he's successful on Nov. 7, Ellison, who converted to Islam while in college in his native Detroit, would become the first Muslim and the first African-American from Minnesota elected to Congress.
Ellison says he finds being a groundbreaking candidate because of his religion "not that interesting."
But Republican opponent Alan Fine has made Ellison's past and faith major issues in the campaign to succeed 28-year Rep. Martin Sabo in the 5th District.
Fine has repeatedly asked about Ellison's interest in the Nation of Islam and money he accepted from leaders of the Council on American-Islam Relations, or CAIR. Ellison also has come under criticism for failing to pay income taxes and parking tickets, which caused a license revocation, and for failing to file campaign-funding reports.
He admits his problems remain a concern for voters.
"They don't like it. It's bad. It's a personal failing," he said.
But of the religious attacks, "it's all smear stuff," Ellison said. "I must have taken hundreds of votes, introduced lots of bills, made comments in committees. You know how often I've been asked about my record in the legislature? It's almost completely ignored."
The religious attacks are coming into sharper focus this week as CAIR launches a TV ad in Minnesota disavowing any ties between Islam and terrorism.
The campaign, dubbed "Not in the Name of Islam," will air for a week on cable networks throughout the state, including during Monday night's Vikings football game. But rather than blunt the criticism of Ellison, the ad has added fuel to the fire over his ties to CAIR, as well as to his past ties to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
"CAIR is to Muslims as the Ku Klux Klan is to Christians," Fine said Tuesday. "I don't think that we can say that CAIR truly represents Muslims in America."
Bridget Cusick, a spokesman for Ellison, noted that Ellison hasn't received formal organizational support from CAIR, other than personal contributions from some of its leaders.
Ellison, 43, was elected to the legislature four years ago. He cites his work supporting the removal of lead-based paint in old housing, the conversion of a coal-fired electricity plant to gas and the repeal of vagrancy laws that criminalized homelessness.
In Washington, he says, his priorities would be getting U.S. troops out of Iraq, universal single-payer health care and the environment.
Republican bloggers raised his past ties to the controversial Farrakhan. Ellison said he helped organize the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., but never belonged to the Nation of Islam, and he's since told Jewish groups that he regretted not reacting more quickly to Farrakhan's anti-Semitic positions.
Regarding CAIR, Ellison has called founder Nihad Awad an acquaintance. The group is a prominent advocate for the interests of Muslims in the United States and has condemned terrorism. Some, however, have leveled criticism at the group for showing what they consider sympathy for terrorist groups.
The group's new ad campaign is designed to counter what it called "anti-Muslim stereotyping" in the race.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has been a solid supporter of Ellison throughout the campaign.
"He clearly understands what he has to do, including get an extremely strong staff around him," Rybak said. "He's a healer who can bring people together. He's one of the few people who can bring all the complicated parties of north Minneapolis together."
Parvez Ahmed, an associate finance professor at the University of North Florida and the national chairman of CAIR, said Ellison could give Muslims a voice in Congress that doesn't exist.
If he wins, "it will certainly be an inspirational moment," Ahmed said. "It would certainly encourage the younger generation and show them the system remains open."
All Muslims would see that "instead of complaining, that they could proactively engage in the system. That is something we are so proud of about America."
Previous posts concerning Ellison & his bid to become the first moslem in Congress:
1) Farrakhan's Candidate
2) American Muslims Rally Around Congressional Candidate Ellison
3) Islamic organization to host Florida fundraiser for Ellison
4) Keith Ellison, possible 1st Muslim in Congress, alleges blackmail
5) Muslim congressional candidate low-key about faith
Pertinent Links:
1) Minnesotan campaigns to be the first Muslim elected to Congress
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