Tag: Islam

Uh-Oh! – Two ex-Guantanamo inmates appear in Al-Qaeda video

This cannot be good, at all.

via AFP: Two ex-Guantanamo inmates appear in Al-Qaeda video

Two men released from the US “war on terror” prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have appeared in a video posted on a jihadist website, the SITE monitoring service reported.

One of the two former inmates, a Saudi man identified as Abu Sufyan al-Azdi al-Shahri, or prisoner number 372, has been elevated to the senior ranks of Al-Qaeda in Yemen, a US counter-terrorism official told AFP.

Three other men appear in the video, including Abu al-Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi, identified as an Al-Qaeda field commander. SITE later said he was prisoner No. 333.

A Pentagon spokesman, Commander Jeffrey Gordon, on Saturday declined to confirm the SITE information.

“We remain concerned about ex-Guantanamo detainees who have re-affiliated with terrorist organizations after their departure,” said Gordon.

“We will continue to work with the international community to mitigate the threat they pose,” he said.

…and these guys aren’t exactly tickled pink about being imprisoned at Guantanamo either.

On the video, al-Shihri is seen sitting with three other men before a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq, the front for Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

“By Allah, imprisonment only increased our persistence in our principles for which we went out, did jihad for, and were imprisoned for,” al-Shihri was quoted as saying.

Something tells me that this is bring the releasing of these prisons to a screeching halt, or at least intensify the effort to screen them much better; before releasing them.

Al-Qaeda 1 – Obama 0

Of course my fellow Conservatives are all over it. The silence from the left is quite deafening.

Others: ParaPundit, Flopping Aces, Atlas Shrugs, Weekly Standard, MsUnderestimated, Gateway Pundit, RedState and Sweetness & Light

Freed from Gitmo, Saudi Becomes a Al-Qaeda Chief

This is not good at all, and timing could not be worse.

The emergence of a former Guantánamo Bay detainee as the deputy leader of Al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch has underscored the potential complications in carrying out the executive order President Obama signed Thursday that the detention center be shut down within a year.

The militant, Said Ali al-Shihri, is suspected of involvement in a deadly bombing of the United States Embassy in Yemen’s capital, Sana, in September. He was released to Saudi Arabia in 2007 and passed through a Saudi rehabilitation program for former jihadists before resurfacing with Al Qaeda in Yemen.

His status was announced in an Internet statement by the militant group and was confirmed by an American counterterrorism official.

“They’re one and the same guy,” said the official, who insisted on anonymity because he was discussing an intelligence analysis. “He returned to Saudi Arabia in 2007, but his movements to Yemen remain unclear.”

The development came as Republican legislators criticized the plan to close the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp in the absence of any measures for dealing with current detainees. But it also helps explain why the new administration wants to move cautiously, taking time to work out a plan to cope with the complications.

Almost half the camp’s remaining detainees are Yemenis, and efforts to repatriate them depend in part on the creation of a Yemeni rehabilitation program — partly financed by the United States — similar to the Saudi one. Saudi Arabia has claimed that no graduate of its program has returned to terrorism.

“The lesson here is, whoever receives former Guantánamo detainees needs to keep a close eye on them,” the American official said.

via Freed by the U.S., Saudi Becomes a Qaeda Chief – NYTimes.com.

I suppose you all think that I am going to point blame on Obama or Bush. Well, Surprise. I am not going to do either. Because, quite frankly, it is stupid to point fingers. The sobering truth is, that you take a horse to the water, but you cannot make them drink.

Put another way, you can send someone who’s convicted as a terrorist, to rehab and try to deprogram them, you can beat them over the head and tell them to stop; but they have to want to stop. Truth is, you cannot control people. If they’re going to be a terrorist, they’re going to do it, irregardless of what we or any other country does.

We troubles me is the fact that the far left is blaming Bush, and the far right is screaming that Obama is selling out America, or something like that. I think that want needs to happen is that there needs to be a independent review of each and every case, and the right thing done about it. This should not be a Political situation, but rather something that is right for the country.

I don’t claim to be an expert. So, take my opinion for what it is worth. There are a good number of opinions on this, and I encourage you to read them all.

Others: Washington Monthly, Room for Debate, Weekly Standard, Firedoglake, Balloon Juice, The Strata-Sphere, The Washington Independent, Hot Air, Newshoggers.com, FinkelBlog, Political Machine, A Blog For All, Gateway Pundit , The Huffington Post, Boston Globe, The Corner, Washington Times, The Plum Line, Little Green Footballs, Atlas Shrugs, Flopping Aces, Wizbang

My Opinion on the Geert Wilders Movie and charges being filed

First the Story via BBC NEWS:

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

“In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to… draw a clear line,” the court in Amsterdam said.

Mr Wilders said the judgement was an “attack on the freedom of expression”.

“Participation in the public debate has become a dangerous activity. If you give your opinion, you risk being prosecuted,” he said.

Not only he, but all Dutch citizens opposed to the “Islamisation” of their country would be on trial, Mr Wilders warned.

“Who will stand up for our culture if I am silenced?” he added.

The three judges said that they had weighed Mr Wilders’s “one-sided generalizations” against his right to free speech, and ruled that he had gone beyond the normal leeway granted to politicians.

“The Amsterdam appeals court has ordered the prosecution of member of parliament Geert Wilders for inciting hatred and discrimination, based on comments by him in various media on Muslims and their beliefs,” the court said in a statement.

“The court also considers appropriate criminal prosecution for insulting Muslim worshippers because of comparisons between Islam and Nazism made by Wilders,” it added.

The court’s ruling reverses a decision last year by the public prosecutor’s office, which said Mr Wilders’s comments had been made outside parliament as a contribution to the debate on Islam in Dutch society and that no criminal offense had been committed.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday that they could not appeal against the judgment and would open an investigation immediately.

Gerard Spong, a prominent lawyer who pushed for Mr Wilders’s prosecution, welcomed the court’s decision.

“This is a happy day for all followers of Islam who do not want to be tossed on the garbage dump of Nazism,” he told reporters.

Okay, here is my opinion on this situation.  Before I voice my opinion; let me say in the interest in full disclosure, that I fully believe that radical Islam is a threat to our way of life. Further more, I will be the first to say that it is very difficult to determine who among the Muslim community is radicalized and who is not. I also feel that if continue to allow Islam to be practiced in our country unchecked,  doing so could result in a major terrorist attack in our Country again.  I am, unashamedly an advocate of freedom of Religion; But when that Religion purposes to threaten the way of life of all Americans; it is no longer a Religion, but rather an instrument of terror.  Having said thus, I believe that the United States of America would be abdicating the responsibility of the well being of its citizens by allowing the practice of Islam in America to continue unchecked.

Having said all this, seeing that I am more of a Libertarian and a Moderate politically; I will be the first one concede the fact that Wilders my have brought this prosecution unto himself. Yes, I know, I posted the video here, on more than one occasion as a matter of fact. The reason I did, is because that most people are intellectually honest enough to know, that the video was about radicalized Islam and not Islam in General.  However, as well all know,  intellectual honesty does not usually extend to those of the Liberal mindset or those within the Islamic community, who have a agenda to paint those who are opposed to radical Islam as racists or hatemongers.

The reason I believe that Wilders might have brought this upon himself is because the video, if you watch it. Does send an unspoken message that all Muslims are terrorists. It is not spoken nor printed in the movie at all. However, it is the inferred message within the actual movie itself, that is the cause of the outrage among the Muslim community and is the reason for the conviction.

So, while I believe that the sounding of the alarm about radical Islam is legitimate pursuit, I also believe that framing of that pursuit is very important and will do more to bring light to that issue in a proper manner, without offending those in the Muslim community who do not subscribe to the radical mindset.

Update: Neo-Conservative Ed Morrissey shows his abject Hypocrisy:

Freedom of speech, in a democratic system or any other, requires tolerance by the populace of unpopular ideas and criticisms.  Popular speech requires no protection.  Imposing limits on what can and cannot be criticized and opposed through rhetoric and peaceful assembly ends freedom and starts totalitarianism. If Wilders cannot criticize Islam openly and freely without the government requiring permission, then the government can declare all dissent illegal through “hate crimes” legislation based on the whim of the government in question.  It won’t be long before the ruling class in Holland discover that they can protect their own status through such prosecution and attack dissent accordingly.

The reason I say this is the fact that, anytime someone says something unpopular over at HotAir.com, like dropping the “N Word”, when talking about a black person or possibly making a negative comments about Jews and Neo-Cons, they’re banned from commenting. In fact, I was banned from the chat room on his show, because I happened to speak my mind about Obama once there. So, that little song and dance is a crock of crap. Neo-Con’s are just as bad about censoring free speech as Liberals. Nice try Ed, but I know better. Identity Politics is just as bad in Neo-Con circles as it is in Liberal circles.  🙄

Others: Harry’s Place, Israpundit, Hot Air, Samizdata.net, Gateway Pundit, Gates of Vienna, QandO, Jihad Watch, Atlas Shrugs

Hamas taken off Guard.

This is what happens when you push Israel too far!  😀

via Israel National News:

Two captured terrorists interviewed by Maariv/NRG say that Hamas was not expecting Israel’s response to the escalation in missile attacks on Israeli targets that preceded Operation Cast Lead. One of them, a 52-year-old victim of a premature detonation who had already done time in an Israeli jail, said, “Hamas took a gamble. We thought, at worst Israel will come and do something from the air – something superficial. They’ll come in and go out. We never thought that we would reach the point where fear will swallow the heart and the feet will want to flee. You [Israel] are fighting like you fought in ’48. What got into you all of a sudden?“

The second terrorist, a 21-year-old, said Hamas brought order to Gaza, but also brought fear. He noted that it was dangerous in Gaza for non-Hamas members, citing an instance of his being beaten and another in which he saw a friend killed when he went to get gas. “Now they’re all gone,” he said. “There have been no Hamasniks in the streets since the start of the campaign.”

What got into Israel is that the fact that Israel got tired being poked with a stick, by a bunch of Arab thugs who are hell bent on war with Israel. Hamas wanted a fight and Israel brought it to them, and now they’re like “WTF?” Well, they found out “WTF!”

Something tells me that Hamas is going to be voted out in short order, in favor of fata or much less militant group.

Others: Weekly Standard, TigerHawk, Fausta’s Blog, protein wisdom and Weasel Zippers

(Via Memeorandum)

Israeli/Gaza Conflict: Monday Morning Quarterbacking

I must say this crap is most pathetic. 🙄

First off, we have terrorist supporter and America’s worst former President and Commie Liberal traitor, Jimmy Carter in the WaPo:

I know from personal involvement that the devastating invasion of Gaza by Israel could easily have been avoided.

After visiting Sderot last April and seeing the serious psychological damage caused by the rockets that had fallen in that area, my wife, Rosalynn, and I declared their launching from Gaza to be inexcusable and an act of terrorism. Although casualties were rare (three deaths in seven years), the town was traumatized by the unpredictable explosions. About 3,000 residents had moved to other communities, and the streets, playgrounds and shopping centers were almost empty. Mayor Eli Moyal assembled a group of citizens in his office to meet us and complained that the government of Israel was not stopping the rockets, either through diplomacy or military action.

Knowing that we would soon be seeing Hamas leaders from Gaza and also in Damascus, we promised to assess prospects for a cease-fire. From Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who was negotiating between the Israelis and Hamas, we learned that there was a fundamental difference between the two sides. Hamas wanted a comprehensive cease-fire in both the West Bank and Gaza, and the Israelis refused to discuss anything other than Gaza.

We knew that the 1.5 million inhabitants of Gaza were being starved, as the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food had found that acute malnutrition in Gaza was on the same scale as in the poorest nations in the southern Sahara, with more than half of all Palestinian families eating only one meal a day.

Palestinian leaders from Gaza were noncommittal on all issues, claiming that rockets were the only way to respond to their imprisonment and to dramatize their humanitarian plight. The top Hamas leaders in Damascus, however, agreed to consider a cease-fire in Gaza only, provided Israel would not attack Gaza and would permit normal humanitarian supplies to be delivered to Palestinian citizens.

After extended discussions with those from Gaza, these Hamas leaders also agreed to accept any peace agreement that might be negotiated between the Israelis and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who also heads the PLO, provided it was approved by a majority vote of Palestinians in a referendum or by an elected unity government.

Since we were only observers, and not negotiators, we relayed this information to the Egyptians, and they pursued the cease-fire proposal. After about a month, the Egyptians and Hamas informed us that all military action by both sides and all rocket firing would stop on June 19, for a period of six months, and that humanitarian supplies would be restored to the normal level that had existed before Israel’s withdrawal in 2005 (about 700 trucks daily).

We were unable to confirm this in Jerusalem because of Israel’s unwillingness to admit to any negotiations with Hamas, but rocket firing was soon stopped and there was an increase in supplies of food, water, medicine and fuel. Yet the increase was to an average of about 20 percent of normal levels. And this fragile truce was partially broken on Nov. 4, when Israel launched an attack in Gaza to destroy a defensive tunnel being dug by Hamas inside the wall that encloses Gaza.

On another visit to Syria in mid-December, I made an effort for the impending six-month deadline to be extended. It was clear that the preeminent issue was opening the crossings into Gaza. Representatives from the Carter Center visited Jerusalem, met with Israeli officials and asked if this was possible in exchange for a cessation of rocket fire. The Israeli government informally proposed that 15 percent of normal supplies might be possible if Hamas first stopped all rocket fire for 48 hours. This was unacceptable to Hamas, and hostilities erupted.

After 12 days of “combat,” the Israeli Defense Forces reported that more than 1,000 targets were shelled or bombed. During that time, Israel rejected international efforts to obtain a cease-fire, with full support from Washington. Seventeen mosques, the American International School, many private homes and much of the basic infrastructure of the small but heavily populated area have been destroyed. This includes the systems that provide water, electricity and sanitation. Heavy civilian casualties are being reported by courageous medical volunteers from many nations, as the fortunate ones operate on the wounded by light from diesel-powered generators.

The hope is that when further hostilities are no longer productive, Israel, Hamas and the United States will accept another cease-fire, at which time the rockets will again stop and an adequate level of humanitarian supplies will be permitted to the surviving Palestinians, with the publicized agreement monitored by the international community. The next possible step: a permanent and comprehensive peace.

Disgraceful. The old bastard ought to be charged for Treason and sent to a reeducation camp, along with the rest of Liberal America. 😡

I mean, just who the hell does that old duffer think he is?  This is the same damned President who economic policies were a complete disaster. If it had not been for Ronald Reagan this country would have went into a full scale depression back in the 1970’s. Luckily Reagan made some very much needed changes and rid the country of some of the waste, which in turned staved off a depression and thankfully, we only experienced a slight recession. Again that recession was due to the disastrous polices of Carter. Hell, even Bill Clinton could not stand the old man, Clinton refused to meet with Carter at all. Which caused a major problem during his administration.

On the other hand, Marvin Hier makes some very valid points in a Wall Street Journal in an opinion piece:

At the U.N., no surprise, this double-standard is in full force. In response to Israel’s attack on Hamas, the Security Council immediately pulled an all-night emergency meeting to consider yet another resolution condemning Israel. Have there been any all-night Security Council sessions held during the seven months when Hamas fired 3,000 rockets at half a million innocent civilians in southern Israel? You can be certain that during those seven months, no midnight oil was burning at the U.N. headquarters over resolutions condemning terrorist organizations like Hamas. But put condemnation of Israel on the agenda and, rain or shine, it’s sure to be a full house.

Red Cross officials are all over the Gaza crisis, describing it as a full-blown humanitarian nightmare. Where were they during the seven months when tens of thousands of Israeli families could not sleep for fear of a rocket attack? Where were their trauma experts to decry that humanitarian crisis?

There have been hundreds of articles and reports written from the Erez border crossing falsely accusing Israel of blocking humanitarian supplies from reaching beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza. (In fact, over 520 truck loads of humanitarian aid have been delivered through Israeli crossings since the beginning of the Israeli counterattack.) But how many news articles, NGO reports and special U.N. commissions have investigated Hamas’s policy of deliberately placing rocket launchers near schools, mosques and homes in order to use innocent Palestinians as human shields?

Many people ask why there are so few Israeli casualties in comparison with the Palestinian death toll. It’s because Israel’s first priority is the safety of its citizens, which is why there are shelters and warning systems in Israeli towns. If Hamas can dig tunnels, it can certainly build shelters. Instead, it prefers to use women and children as human shields while its leaders rush into hiding. – Read the Rest

I suggest you go read that entire piece. It is filled with truth. I mean, people sure have short memories when it comes to Israel, Gaza and Palestine. Some people must have forgotten that Israel totally pulled out of the Gaza Strip, gave the Palestinians that land, that was rightfully Israel’s and let them live there. So, what does Gaza do? Elects a terrorist organization to govern and then they whine and cry when Israel invades that land!   Fata was at least honorable enough to uphold a peace agreement, more than I can say for Hamas. The people in Gaza had better be glad I am not running that war campaign for Israel. They think the human toll is bad now? Ha! I’d bomb gaza into the damn stone age. Which is what Israel should rightly do, and take back their damn land from those arab scumbags.

Others on the right side of this conflict: QandO, , A Blog For All,protein wisdom, Don Surber, Little Green Footballs, Pirate’s Cove,  Macsmind, Gateway Pundit, Riehl World View, Yourish.com,Jules Crittenden, neo-neocon and Jihad Watch

(Via Memeorandum)

I must say that I agree

A writer over at the Infidel Bloggers Alliance says what I’ve been saying all along. That we should not allow Muslims in this country.

I’ll go a step further, that we should outlaw the practice of the islamic religion in this country and deport those who choose not to do so.

It is the only way we will ever be to ensure that radical muslims will not gain entry to this country.

Don’t believe me???  Then go to my bookstore and buy some books on this subject of islam.

Rep. Ron Paul on the Israeli Gaza Conflict

I must admit, the man speaks the truth. I don’t agree with one point however. To me, it does not matter how many missiles Hamas fired into Israel, one missile is one too many. But the rest, I pretty much agree with.

The Obligatory Muslims removed from Plane Posting

Yes, I know about it.

I have very mixed feelings. Part of me says, if they weren’t in this country, they would not have this problem. Seems that some of the Arabs have forgotten about September 11 and what some of their fellow Muslims did to this country on that horrible day.

On the other hand, I believe it is totally wrong to single out a particular minority, and treat them like second class citizens. I believe that when the FBI cleared them, they should have been allowed on the plane.

It is just one of them very complicated issues. I will not act like my fellow conservatives and pull out the “Identity Politics” line or do the pile on here.

There is no easy answer here, and knee jerk reactions and stupidity will not solve anything at all.

Update: Of course, the Liberal media does not report the whole Story…. (H/T Cold Fury)

Later in the day, six of the nine detained passengers approached the customer service counter and asked to be rebooked to Orlando. At the time, the airline had not been notified by the authorities that the passengers were cleared to fly and would not rebook them until receiving said clearance. One passenger in the party became irate and made inappropriate comments. The local law enforcement officials came over and escorted the passengers away from the gate podium

Update: (H/T Reason)

Terrorists or No? How would one tell?
Terrorists or No? How would one tell?

Seriously. If someone looking like this came onto a plane, making comments that sounded suspect. How would one know? Racial Profiling? Damn Straight. Some of us have not forgotten this:

Some of us, haven't forgotten who did this. It wasn't Americans
Some of us, haven't forgotten who did this. It wasn't Americans

‘Nuff Said. 😡

Others:  Jihad Watch, bastard.logic, Little Green Footballs, At-Largely, Preemptive Karma, Donklephant, Macsmind, JammieWearingFool, The Impolitic, Kevin Drum, Feministing, theheretik.us, PoliBlog, That Minority Thing, NO QUARTER and Connecting.the.Dots

A Religion of Peace?

In a so-called Religion of Peace, I would not expect to see this: (Thanks Debbie)

or This: (thanks to “Silent Majority No More!“)

Some peace eh? 🙄
For more info, See my Book Store on Islam.
However, I do kind see Megan’s point. This is why I tend to not try and monday morning quarterback that Situation over there.
I just hope the US stays out of it. We’ve got enough on our plate, let Israel deal with thier own, Please.