Posts for Oct 20th: Evo Morales, Iranian universities, Taliban in South Korea, Saudi schoolgirls, Bomb in Pakistan, Hector Aleem, Indonesian Churches Attacked, Egyptian fundamentalism, Islam & Catalonia, Gadaffi in Europe

Latest posts on T&P:

1. Iran: Bolivian President Evo Morales on trade visit to "boost trade ties". Morales, who arrived on Sunday night, is to discuss an earlier agreement on projects worth 1.1 billion dollars over the next five years, and another 287-million-dollar investment by Iran in Bolivia.
   Morales’ second visit to Iran in two years was scheduled to last three days, the news network Press TV reported.
2. Iran: Govt forbids Universities from offering "Western subjects".“Expansion of 12 disciplines in the social sciences like law, women’s studies, human rights, management, sociology, philosophy….psychology and political sciences will be reviewed,” said Abolfazl Hassani, from the education ministry. These sciences’ contents are based on Western culture. The review will be the intention of making them compatible with Islamic teachings.”
3. South Korea: Govt fears Taliban are gaining foothold in the country. A man who was arrested when entering the country, said, during an interrogation that he was there to bomb US bases. But the problem is that the man had been entering 17 times during 5 years with a fake passport! They ask some pertinent questions, like if North Korea helped him in any stage of his endeavours.
4. Saudi Arabia: Schoolgirls warned against wearing "tight clothes". "”The schoolgirl’s dress must be in line with Islamic tenets…it must not be transparent or sticking to the body in a way that will highlight her organs…there should not be any resemblance to the boy’s dress as our prophet (peace be upon him) had cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men.”
5. Spain: Conference on "Islamic feminism". "There are currents within Islamic feminism. Moderate and radical, but they all flatly refused to talk about the veil, hijab-(and banning) because, they say, “is an excuse to distract from other substantive issues.” Some carry it always, some never, some “sometimes, because it is a symbol of submission,” argues Marie Laure. But most Muslims believe that Islamic feminism is “a threat” to their traditions and religion. Women as Masuma Assad (Union of Muslim Argentinian Women) for whom Islamic feminism “is aimed at the destruction of Islam to uphold the principles of secularism in Islamic societies".”
6. Pakistan: Bomb blast at Sufi shrine killls four. The actual death toll is 8. "Sufi worshippers, who follow a mystical strain of Islam, have increasingly been the target of bloody attacks by Islamist militants in Pakistan".
7. Hector Aleem's trial for blasphemy: Mullahs gather outside the court. Hector Aleem is being tried in Pakistan for blasphemy against Mohammed, Islam’s prophet. On October 21st and 25th, the days of the hearings, some Mullahs were assembled in the main entrance of the court at Rawalpindi to chant slogans calling for his death and against Christianity and to shout “Allah Akbar“. His family has made some videos from a mobile phone.
8. Indonesia: 700 churches attacked in past decade. "The violence also increases the indifference of the civil authorities and police, who shrug off the violence".
9. Egypt: Islamic fundamentalism rising, govt suspends 12 TV channels. They were promoting religious hatred, violence and quack medicine.
10. Spain: pro-independency Catalonian entity wants to show the "bonds that historically have existed between Islam and Catalonia". "Muslims should vote for pro-independency parties, as they rely on us to get votes. But what they do not know is that, when they let us vote, we’ll all vote for Islamic parties because we do not believe in left and right. This will make us win local councils and from there with the great powers of Catalan autonomy, Islam will begin to be implemented" (Abdelwahab Houzi, Salafist Imam, Lérida, Catalonia).
11. Europe should convert to Islam, Gadaffi says.MUAMMAR Gaddafi sparked a backlash yesterday after calling on Europeans to convert to Islam, and demanding billions of euros to stop migration leading to a “black Europe”.

Brazil: Lula's new position towards Iran

Image via Wikipedia

Business Week:

When Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva defends Iran’s right to a nuclear program and makes plans to visit Tehran in May, he is following the path of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The similarities only go so far.
Chavez, who has visited Iran eight times, is supporting the Islamic Republic and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because he views the Iranian leader as a fellow “gladiator of the anti- imperialist battle” against the U.S.
Lula’s motivation is less ideological than strategic, say analysts in Brazil and the U.S. His policy is aimed at converting Brazil’s economic muscle into global clout by pushing “south-south” trade and political ties with developing countries, they say. Iran’s 74 million consumers make it an attractive market, and Lula’s resistance to Iran sanctions helps safeguard Brazil’s civilian nuclear program from outside interference.

This is not a surprise coming from the same man who has actually supported Castro's "justice system" after the murder of opposition activist Orlando Zapata Tamayo.

The ALBA People

This Venezuelan, opposition created video is a pun on the Village People, performed by actors imitating the following ALBA-Legion of Doom members:

Raul Castro-Cuba
Mel Zelaya-Honduras
Rafael Correa-Ecuador
Daniel Ortega-Nicaragua
Evo Morales-Bolivia

Basically, the theme is that as Venezuela is going they way of Cuba internally, Hugo Chavez continues to send funds, aid and assistance to his lackeys & servants in the region, in order to carry out his particular brand of 21st Century socialism......(wait doesn't this sound eerily familiar? )

To learn more about the Legion of Doom's leadership, nation states, fellow travelers and hand maidens, go here and here.

As an aside, and please indulge since it's Friday, these two, female Venezuelan back-up singers gives you a a pretty good indication of why the current Miss Universe is Venezuelan & why that nation has won 5 titles!!!