Reminder: Islam is not a race. Being a Muslim is a choice; being the member of a particular race is not a choice but rather a genetic fact.
The Last English Princetells us about the erroneous knee jerk reaction of the the Salt Grass Restaurant:
...Problematic is that once Khalil put up his Facebook post exposing anti-Muslim sentiment, Salt Grass management was thrust into the spotlight.
They made an unbelievable error in judgment.
The employee should have been suspended with pay pending the outcome of an investigation. Instead, management banned a customer.
Management should have vigorously noted the unverified nature of the hatefest and welcomed all customers to experience the warmth of their dine-in restaurant culture....
Confirmed now by two sources, Imam Zia ul-Haque of the Islamic Center of Irving has managed to send into disarray an inter-faith city effort of which he is a part. Join and destroy appears to be the model of business.
Great Days of Service is a long time mission outreach with origins in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. With two decades of community involvement in play, Great Days of Service is a coalition of thirteen religious organizations with community and business sponsorship which provide for two full weekends of housing rehabilitation for homeowners in Irving, Texas. Twelve churches are now joined (attacked?) by one mosque.
The demand by Imam Zia that the Christians may not pray in Jesus name has caused one church to pull completely out of the this year's event (April 17,18 and 24,25 respectively) and other church leadership are examining their options. Muslims are "offended". But rather than Muslims removing themselves from the event, the dynamic is one which strips Christians of their own Constitutional right to freedom of religion. This is a Shari'ah application.
Churches provided finances, professional expertise and grunt labor in this venture to rehabiliate dozens of homes per yearly cycle. Businesses also contribute and local eateries are involved in providing on-site meals for the grueling workdays sustained by the labor force.
Islamic Center of Irving has been a part of this effort. But adversarial faith is now the order of the day in Irving, Texas.
Asking Christians not to pray in Jesus name is like asking a man to not give his child his name. The name of Christ is embedded within our very being. And prayers in Jesus name are offered for the safety and blessing of the Christian workforce involved in Great Days of Service.
Islam can never be interfaith in the truest sense. Islam is at odds with Christianity.
One of the suspects in the shooting in Garland, Texas, late Sunday has been identified as Elton Simpson, an Arizona man who was previously the subject of a terror investigation, according to a senior FBI official.
Overnight and today FBI agents and a bomb squad were at Simpson's home in an apartment complex in north Phoenix where a robot is believed to be conducting an initial search of the apartment.
Officials believe Simpson is the person who sent out several Twitter messages prior to the attack on Sunday, in the last one using the hashtag #TexasAttack about half an hour before the shooting....
URGENT! BREAKING! Shooting At AFDI/Jihad Watch Event In Garland, Texas
IS THIS PARIS/CHARLIE HEBDO HAPPENING IN TEXAS???
Tammy Swofford is at the scene, contacted AoW. Has since been forced (by authorities?) to hang up. AOW here...I am updating as I am able to do so at the bottom of this blog post.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION EVENT APPARENTLY UNDER ATTACK IN TEXAS
Dallas Morning News: Breaking: Gunfire reported at anti-Islam event at Garland ISD facility
A spokesman for Garland ISD has confirmed that gunfire was reported at an anti-Islam event at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland ISD.
Initial reports indicated that shots were heard outside the facility where an art show devoted to caricatures of Muhammad was being held.
WFAA-TV (Channel 8) has said an officer was involved in the shooting, and there are reports that SWAT officers had responded to the incident.
KXAS-TV (NBC5) says Garland police were still working to secure the area, and there were reports that officers had sealed the doors to the center.
Opponents had said the American Freedom Defense Initiative's Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest on Sunday would be an attack on Islam. But its organizers said they were simply exercising their right of expression.
The contest, which was offering a top prize of $10,000, has received about 350 entries depicting Muhammad. Caricatures of the Islamic prophet are considered offensive by many Muslims.
In January, a French newspaper that published such cartoons was attacked by terrorists and 12 people died.
As part of its contract with the district, the American Freedom Defense Initiative has paid $10,000 for extra security - nearly $50 for each of about 200 tickets that have been purchased so far. That cost doesn't include private security the group is employing.
AOW cutting in here: The bomb disposal unit has arrived; apparently, two devices were found. Those attending the event have been moved to a safe place and are under armed guard.
The explosive devices are believed to be in the parking lot where those attending the event are parked. Attendees are not allowed to go to their vehicles; buses are being brought in to take the attendees away from Curtis Culwell Center.
While waiting, the attendees are singing "God Bless America," "The Star-Spangled Banner," and other patriotic songs.
I got this information from Tammy Swofford, who is on the ground there and is attending the event. AOW again...Heavy.com has this information. midnight rider: per Pam Geller:
AOW here...The lights have now gone off in the safe room. This information via Tammy Swofford, who is on the ground there. She sent this picture
UPDATE - For some reason blogger is not posting our updates.
UPDATE FROM PASTORIUS - I have to wonder if the Police/authorities are trying to send this story down the rabbit hole by forcing our correspondent Tammy Swofford to turn off her phone and then corraling all attendees into a safe room, AND THEN TURNING OFF THE LIGHTS!
ANOTHER UPDATE - Jihad Watch's site is now inaccessible. It could be that there are too many people attempting to get their news there and the site crashed.
OR IT COULD BE THAT SOMEONE HAS ATTACKED THE SITE AND TAKEN IT DOWN - IF THAT IS THE CASE, THE QUESTION IS, IS THIS A COORDINATED ATTACK?!?!?!? UPDATE - GOOD NEWS - JIHAD WATCH IS BACK UP - PAMELA GELLER IS POSTING AT JIHAD WATCH BECAUSE ROBERT IS IN LOCKDOWN AT THE CARTOON CONTEST FACILITY. UPDATE - At Fox News, commentator Harris Faulkner is getting worked up about this story. She is a conservative black lady, and she's hot, and she seems to cognizant that this is a big, big story. MY QUESTION IS, HOW DO WE AS FREE PEOPLE LIVE WITH MUSLIMS WHEN THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE CRITICIZE THEIR RELIGION? In a free society, all loci of power need to be criticized. It is part of our system of checks and balances. It is absolutely necessary that we be free to criticize all religions, businesses, academic insitutions and government officials. That is a necessary part of freedom. If we are importing Muslims by the tens and hundreds of thousands, granting them political asylum, this is what we are going to get. It is not that all Muslims are Jihadists. But a percentage of them are. Look in our sidebar under "Game Over". There are 10 posts there featuring statistics that will show you what percentage of Muslims in various countries around the world, including the West, hold anti-Freedom ideas. That is the percentage we are dealing with. and that is why this is happening. We can not live with this. We can not abide it for one second.
midnight rider: Fox TV reporting a local Walmart has now been evacuated UPDATE - This appears to be a Tweet from one of the attackers -
Voluntary sharia law tribunal begins in Texas Breitbart Texas confirmed Tuesday that “an Islamic Tribunal using Sharia law” is indeed operating in Texas. But not to worry: an attorney for the tribunal assures us that participation is “voluntary,” and one of the Sharia judges,Dr. Taher El-badawi, says it’s devoted only to “non-binding dispute resolution.”
This is how it starts. This is how it started in the United Kingdom. When Sharia courts were instituted there, Muslim and non-Muslim officials alike all assured the British public and the world that they would be voluntary, restricted to matters involving non-criminal matters, and subject to the British courts. Any areas in which British law and Sharia law conflicted would be referred not to the Sharia courts, but to the British courts.
That is not how it worked out. The Telegraph reported in August 2011 that “there are growing concerns” that the Sharia courts “are creating a parallel legal system — and one that is developing completely unchecked.” The Independent stated in April 2012 “some Sharia law bodies have been misrepresented by the media as being transparent, voluntary and operating in accordance with human rights and equality legislation. This is not the case. Many Sharia law bodies rule on a range of disputes from domestic violence to child residence all of which should be dealt with by UK courts of law.” Instead, “they operate within a misogynist and patriarchal framework which is incompatible with UK legislation.”
And in July 2013, the BBC (of all places) announced a video expose of the Sharia courts:
A BBC Panorama Documentary goes undercover in one of the 85 sharia courts operating as a parallel legal system in the UK, uncovering the extensive abuse of women, refusal to grant divorces, charging of the woman but not the man for divorce proceedings, and even the taking away of the woman’s children, and rulings contrary to British law.
Now this is coming to Texas. Sharia judge El-badawi said this about the Islamic divorces his tribunal would be dealing with: “While participation in the tribunal is voluntary, a married couple cannot be considered divorced by the Islamic community unless it is granted by the tribunal.” He readily owned up to how sexist the process is: “The husband can request the divorce directly from the tribunal. The wife must go to an Imam who will request the divorce for her.”
Update/Comment from Anonymous:
About that claim that Texas' shariah courts are simply "voluntary"...take a brief walk down the memory lane of shariah-creep in the UK:
February 7, 2008, Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams:Sharia law in UK is “unavoidable” Dr. Rowan Williams told Radio 4’s World at One that the UK has to “face up to the fact” that some of its citizens do not relate to the British legal system. Dr. Williams argues that adopting some aspects of Sharia law would help maintain social cohesion.
Another Confirmed Ebola Case In Dallas, Texas! (UPDATED)
One of the Texas Presbyterian Hospital nurses who took care of Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan, Patient Zero here in the United States, has tested positive on a preliminary test and is in isolation.
Thomas Eric Duncan died of Ebola on October 8.
UPDATE: From today's press conference at Texas Presbyterian Hospital: Texas Presbyterian, a 900-bed hospital, will no longer accept any patients into the ER now, and ER arrivals will be diverted to other hospitals in Dallas. Reason given for closing the ER? Understaffed.
UPDATE II --- The Nurse, now Ebola patient - according to Fox News -WAS WEARING PROPER PROTECTIVE CLOTHING WHEN SHE TREATED DUNCAN.
Texas 6th graders design flags for a new socialist nation
AUSTIN – You know America is changing when leftists have even infiltrated Texas schools.
According to the website txcscopereview.com, a lesson plan for 6th graders in government schools reads as follows:
Notice socialist/communist nations use symbolism on their flags representing various aspects of their economic system. Imagine a new socialist nation is creating a flag and you have been put in charge of creating a flag. Use symbolism to represent aspects of socialism/communism on your flag. What kind of symbolism/colors would you use?
As my regular readers (both of ‘em) know, I’m taking a “summer vacation” away from my blog (I think it has something to do with my girlfriend’s desire that I occupy my time with things that actually produce an income). As I technically still consider myself “on vacation,” this post will be a bit looser and more informal than my other pieces (as evidenced by the fact that I’m breaking my rule of never writing in the first-person). Hell, I might not even spell-check it as rigorously as I usually do. Sue me; I’m on vacation.
Also, as my regular readers know, there is no single subject to which I have devoted more time than Muslim terror. I take pride in having had my stories carried on pretty much every anti-Islamist website around, from FrontPageMag and Atlas Shrugs, to Steven Emerson’s Investigative Project on Terrorism, Jerusalem Pulse Radio, Moonbattery, WorldNetDaily, NewsReal Blog, Islamist Watch, Daniel Pipes’ Middle East Forum, The Blaze, HotAir.com, Right Pundits, Creeping Sharia, Bare Naked Islam, Michelle Malkin’s site, etc., etc., etc.
Nevertheless, I still fully expect to be called a “dhimmi” by one or two of you after you read this post.
Salon.com recently pulled a neat little trick, one that is currently paying great dividends The liberal mega-site recently ran a piece that essentially accuses Governor Rick Perry of being a “pro-Sharia candidate” (complete with a ridiculously crude photoshopped image of Perry standing next to a Muslim crescent). Of course, the title of the piece, “Rick Perry: The Pro-Sharia Candidate?” ends with a question mark. Ha ha! It’s not an accusation – it’s just a question! Aren’t we clever, Salon.com.
And, of course, the author presents nothing to suggest that the answer to that question is yes.
Unless, of course, you read the following paragraph uncritically:
Perry is a friend of the Aga Khan, the religious leader of the Ismailis, a sect of Shia Islam that claims a reported 15 to 20 million adherents worldwide. Sprouting from that friendship are at least two cooperation agreements between the state of Texas and Ismaili institutions, including a far-reaching program to educate Texas schoolchildren about Islam. That’s a partnership that has already prompted a bit of grumbling in far-right corners of the blogosphere and could conceivably become a primary issue if, as expected, Perry enters the presidential race.
And grumbling there has been! This, from Pamela Geller:
Perry has been sucked into the propaganda vortex, and is now wielding his enormous power to influence changes in the schoolrooms and in the curricula to reflect a sharia compliant version of Islam. He is a friend of the Aga Khan, the multimillionaire head of the Ismailis, a Shi’ite sect of Islam that today proclaims its nonviolence but in ages past was the sect that gave rise to the Assassins. Perry has concluded at least two cooperation agreements between the state of Texas and the Ismailis, including a comprehensive program to feed children in Texas public schools and taqiyya nonsense about how Islam is a religion of peace.
And where does Ms. Geller link to back up her claim? Salon! Okay, do you see the humor here? Pamela Geller is relying on SALON! Salon – one of the most Islam-friendly, Muslim-huggin’, “Ground Zero Mosque”-embracing sites on the ‘net – a site that DETESTS Pamela Geller and rips her at every opportunity – has now become Ms. Geller’s source for the “truth” about Rick Perry.
A word of advice, just between me and my two readers: Salon.com NEVER has the best interests of conservatives at heart. If they’re warning us about a “pro-Sharia” Republican, it’s not because they actually want to warn us about a pro-Sharia Republican. More likely, they want to damage a man who has a decent chance of beating Obama.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it only a year-and-a-half ago that we conservatives were shouting “Read the bill! Read the bill!” in the faces of Democrat lawmakers who brazenly admitted that they hadn’t actually bothered to read the Obamacare bill they were passing?
Uh…just a though:How about READING the curriculum that resulted from the Perry/Khan partnership? And read it I did. In fact, I did more than that. I tracked down the guy who wrote it and interviewed him.
More on that in a moment.
First, who IS this “Aga Khan” fellow? The worst that Geller can say is that, in the past (the very distant past, by the way – the 11th Century, to be exact), the Ismaili Muslims (the sect led by Aga Khan) “gave rise to the Assassins!” Yep, and in the 14th Century the Vatican was forcing Jews to convert or flee Spain.
But back to the present, ‘kay?
These days, Aga Khan and the Ismailis are seen by other Muslims as friends of the U.S. and Israel, and they are often persecuted. They reject burqas and gender apartheid, as well.
David Horowitz and FrontPageMag held a symposium in 2010 on whether there is such a thing as “moderate Islam.” Read the following exchange between Dr. Timothy Furnish (mahdiwatch.org), and the eminent Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch:
Furnish: I find myself in the curious (and somewhat uncomfortable) position of disagreeing with my friend Robert Spencer, for whom I have the utmost respect and with whom I almost always totally agree. However, on this issue of whether moderate Islam exists, I think Robert may be missing something. He is exactly right that Sunni Islam–whence comes directly Salafism, Wahhabism and jihadism–promotes violence against non-Muslims in order to make Islam paramount over the entire planet. I have no quarrel with that stance. But I would argue that this is largely because within this majority branch of Islam the only acceptable exegetical paradigm regarding the Qur’an is a literalist one: and of course when passages such as “behead the unbeliever” [Suras 47:3 and 8:12] are read literally the good Muslim had better reach for his sword–or be rightly accused of infidelity to Allah’s Word.
However, perhaps because Robert is so well-versed in the theology of Islam, as opposed to the historical record of how that religious theory has been acted out on the stage of history, he seems to overlook the key fact on the ground that certain minorities within Islam have developed a non-literalist, even allegorical, approach to reading the Qur’an. Foremost among these moderates are the Isma`ilis, the Sevener Shi`is, whose global head is the philanthropical Aga Khan. Isma’ilis may number only in the tens of millions (out of the total Muslim community of some 1.3 billion, second only to Christianity’s 2+ billion), but they do exist and they define, for example, jihad not as killing or conquering unbelievers, but as economic development and charity work.
Spencer: In all this my friend Timothy Furnish, whose work I admire, is entirely correct.
With all great respect to Pamela Geller, I consider Robert Spencer to be THE foremost authority on who is, and who isn’t, a terrorist or a sponsor and supporter of terrorism. If Spencer agrees that the Ismailis are philanthropical and nonviolent, I’ll take his word for it.
Although maybe I’m just blind to Mr. Spencer’s “dhimmitude.”
It should be noted that Perry’s friendship with Khan did not deter the Israelis from presenting him with the Defender of Jerusalem Award.
Yes, yes, that’s all well and good. But I can hear my two readers saying, “what about that PRO-SHARIA CURRICULUM?” (and I literally CAN hear them saying that, as my girlfriend and my mom are here in the room with me). After all, the Aga Khan may be as nonviolent as Gandhi on valium, but if he and Governor Perry (or the people who work for Perry) DID collaborate on a pro-Sharia propaganda curriculum, that’s an indelible black mark on the governor’s record.
Here is an overview of the curriculum, as presented on the website of the Muslim Histories and Culture Project (this is the site to which Salon links):
What is the Muslim Histories and Culture Project (MHCP)?
The Muslim Histories and Cultures Project was born out of discussions between His Highness The Aga Khan and Texas Governor Rick Perry during the Summer 2002, when The Aga Khan was in Houston for the dedication of a new Ismaili Center. Both His Highness and Governor Perry agreed on the need for Texans to have a greater understanding of Islamic culture, and subsequently brought UT-Austin President Larry Faulkner into the discussions. Located in the state capital, Faulkner’s campus is well positioned to accomplish these goals. A series of meetings followed, with the project ultimately finding a home in UT-Austin’s College of Liberal Arts, under the guidance of Dean Richard W. Lariviere, in association with UT Liberal Arts (UT-LA), the college’s teacher preparation program.
In April 2004, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and UT-Austin finalized a grant proposal that created the partnership that became known as the Muslim Histories and Cultures Program (MHC). Much has happened since the inception of the partnership. Creation and implementation of a model was of prime importance. MHC recruited and directly trained 80 teachers affecting approximately 15,150 students of World History and World Geography in ten key Texas districts during the two sessions conducted in 2005 and 2006. The purpose is two-fold 1) to fulfill Governor Rick Perry’s desire to better educate Texas teachers on Muslim topics and 2) to train teachers to use a cultural lens approach to understanding other cultures. Governor Perry was instrumental in getting this program off the ground.
In other words, if there is anything foul in this program, we have every right to place the blame squarely on Governor Perry; his hands were all over this thing.
Much of the curriculum centers on very dry materials, presented with no editorializing – historical timelines, glossaries, the basic tenets of Islam (presented without either endorsement and praise, or denunciation and criticism), etc. Of interest to us, however, is the lesson plan that deals with Islam and the West, past and present. This is the lesson plan that mentions Sharia, al-Qaeda, Israel, Hamas, etc.
The lesson plan was written by Ronald Wiltse. Mr. Wiltse is a retired history teacher in San Antonio. He graduated from Pepperdine University in 1966, and received his MA from Middlebury College in 1982. For several decades, he taught world history at Edison High School, in San Antonio.
He is a Christian, and an ardent and vocal supporter of Israel.
Mr. Wiltse’s passion is world history. He has his own website, worldhistoryslideshows.com, where he creates customized lesson plans, covering ALL aspects of world history, for home schoolers and other educators.
Mr. Wiltse takes his profession very seriously. He explained to me that in 2009, when he heard that the Muslim Histories and Culture Project (MHCP) was looking for teachers, he applied, and he submitted his lesson plan about Islam and the West for consideration for official use in the program. He was accepted, as was his lesson plan.
As he explained to me in our telephone interview, even though the Aga Khan foundation was essentially paying for everything, they never attempted to exert any influence over the materials used in the curriculum. The fact that Wiltse’s lesson plan was blatantly pro-Israel was NEVER a concern. It was accepted and used exactly as it was submitted, with no changes.
Wiltse told me that, if anything, his main problem (when initially writing the lesson plan) was to try to scale back his pro-Zionism, so that the lesson would not come off as preachy or propagandistic (as I said, he takes his job as a teacher very seriously, and, as a fellow historian, I agree that the classroom is no place for propaganda, from any perspective).
I had the benefit of listening to the audio of a speech about Islam that Mr. Wiltse gave at his church retreat in 2009. This man is a huge supporter of the Jewish state, and a huge foe of Islamist terror and hate. And this is, I believe, reflected in his lesson plan.
As he told me in a follow-up email after our talk, “I consider myself a non-Jewish Zionist (not the kind motivated by some interpretation of the Book of Revelation). It seems to me that Zionists are wise not to trust Christian/Islamic/secular governments. You never know when anti-Semitism in some form or other will raise its ugly head. Perhaps sometime in the (distant?) future that danger will disappear, but probably not anytime soon. Until at least then, Jews need a trustworthy place to live in or turn to when needed.”
The entire lesson plan can be read here. I believe Mr. Wiltse went out of his way to be balanced, but (and this is a big but) without EVER, not even once, advocating Sharia, denigrating Israel, or describing Islam as a “religion of peace.” I’m sorry, Ms. Geller, but he just didn’t do that.
Here are some choice excerpts (I have chosen to highlight several of his words and sentences in bold. The all-caps in parentheses are mine):
–
(START OF EXCERPTS)
Because Islamic society is in a different state of development than Western society, conflicts naturally arise.
1. Countries of Western Civilization have secular governments, which means great toleration of cultural and religious differences.
2. Countries of Islamic Civilization for the most part either have religiously dominated governments or demands to make them more religious, which mean less toleration of cultural and religious differences.
3. Muslims often lack respect for Western traditions and points of view. The Muslim relationship to the West is colored by the belief that Western beliefs [whether Christian or atheist] are defective and therefore inferior to Islam.
From its early days, Islam reacted aggressively toward its civilized neighbors the Byzantines and the West. Muslim attacks against the West can be viewed as occurring in three waves:
1. The earliest wave broke against the Iberian Peninsula and across the Mediterranean. That finally ended in 1492 with the expulsion of the last Muslim power from the Iberian Peninsula.
2. The second wave occurred when Mongols attacked eastern Europe in the mid-1200s and converted to Islam ca. 1292. This wave ended in the 1500s with the reassertion of Russian rule.
3. The third wave built up when the Ottoman Turks, converted earlier to Islam, began to spread into southeast Europe.
a. Ottoman armies threatened Vienna in 1529 and 1683.
Modernity developed in the West and made the West so powerful that any civilization that did not imitate the West in this regard was at a extreme disadvantage. Modernism featured three characteristics:
1. High levels of technology, integrated into society, along with modern science.
2. The creation of much wealth, which, with technology, makes the state more powerful militarily.
3. An openness (in its most developed form called the Open Society by Karl Popper), which features tolerance, pluralism, and has a secular governance.
The failure of Islam to adopt modern ways and adapt them to Islamic values, put Islam at a great disadvantage when dealing with the West.
While Westerners studied Islamic culture, Muslims showed almost no interest in Western culture, remaining ignorant of modernity and its impact. Muslims distinguish between modernization and Westernization primarily in that Westernization adds equal status for women.
Wiltse approvingly quotes from a Wall Street Journal op-ed, “Speaking Truth to Muslim Power,” by former CIA officer Reuel Marc Gerecht: “The Egyptian press has never been as free as when the British ruled over the Nile valley.”
(WILTSE’S ENTIRE SEGMENT ON ISRAEL):
The conflict continues because the West, and the United States specifically, support Israel (an outpost of Western Civilization surrounded by Islamic Civilization), which Muslims generally dislike or hate. Islamic enmity toward Israel is complicated, but hatred of Jews and Israel can be traced at least to the success of Nazi anti-Jewish propaganda starting in 1933.
A small 1800s movement, Zionism, began seeking a Jewish-controlled state. After rejecting the island of Madagascar, Zionists settled on Palestine, the historic homeland of Jews until they were chased away by the Roman government in AD 70. At the time, Palestine was in the (Turkish Islamic) Ottoman Empire. The movement was not popular among European Jews, who had in the 1800s became increasingly accepted by fellow Europeans.
Since the end of World War One Palestine had been under the control of Great Britain, who at first welcomed the hardworking Jewish settlers. They made the most of the harsh conditions, bringing economic success to an area that had for a very long time been poor. Arab natives also welcomed the newcomers. But as the number of Jewish settlers increased and their economic success contrasted sharply with the economic backwardness of the Palestinian Arabs, the Arab attitude began to change. The Holocaust convinced the survivors that they couldn’t trust non-Jews of Europe and more Jewish refugees began to flow into Palestine. The Arabs became alarmed (the arrival of many newcomers often upsets oldtimers). The British tried to block the new immigrants, but gave up in 1948. At that point Jewish leaders declared the creation of the state of Israel, a democratic state (in a region without democratic states). It was also a Western society in an Islamic region. Jewish citizens formed the majority, with a large minority of Muslims.
Immediately, all its Arab neighbors declared war on Israel. As a result of this war, the territory of Israel expanded somewhat, and many Arab citizens of Israel fled to a small corner of Israel called the Gaza Strip. The Arab states refused to admit these refugees, preferring them to stay there as a testimony to the evil of the Jewish state. They are still there. These Arabs began calling themselves Palestinians and demanding a state of their own.
Widespread Arab hatred of Jews (not just Israeli Jews) is fueled by lies spread by Arab media. An example is the belief that 9/11 was caused by Jews, who supposedly even warned fellow Jews working in the twin towers not to go to work that day.
Some Middle Eastern Islamic organizations are devoted to destroying Israel. a. Al Fatah and Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
b. Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Hezbollah (Arabic: ‘party of God’) was founded in Lebanon in 1982, when Israel, for security purposes, occupied southern Lebanon. It wanted Israel out of Lebanon, a goal accomplished. It became powerful in the government of Lebanon. One of its goals is the destruction of Israel. Fatah is a Palestinian Sunni secular political movement that lost control of the Gaza Strip due to its corruption. Its major enemy is Israel. It currently controls the West Bank.
Hamas is a radical Palestinian Sunni religious terrorist movement, opposed to the corruption within Fatah. Its major enemy is Israel. It currently controls the Gaza Strip.
Al-Qaeda represents both an internal and an external danger. Under the leadership of Osama bin Laden, it seeks to change the government of Saudi Arabia to a more conservative one and engage in violent activities against the United States and other countries.
The Taliban represents perhaps the first significant danger to the West, as they move into Pakistan and threaten the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. This could far surpass any threat presented so far by Al-Qaeda.
(IN THE KIND OF PARAGRAPH ONE WOULD NEVER EXPECT TO FIND IN A MUSLIM-FINANCED CURRICULUM, WILTSE SOMEWHAT GENTLY SUGGESTS THAT JUST BECAUSE THE PALESTINIANS GAVE THEMSELVES A NAME AND DECLARED THEMSELVES A “PEOPLE,” THEY’RE NOT NECESSARILY ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN STATE):
There are two issues here. First, creating a concept that gives a group of people a name: every named group represents such a construct. It’s interesting, for instance, to see how the British colonists in North America (excluding those that came later to be called Canadians) came to see themselves as a group and therefore needing a name–Americans. “Palestinian” is merely one of the newest such conceptualizations. Second, the idea that every group that so identifies itself with a name should have its own government if it wants, can be at least partly traced back to Woodrow Wilson’s pernicious idea of “self-determination” that has encouraged so much divisiveness since (his Secretary of State warned him against announcing support for this concept). Of course that is not necessarily an argument against the formation of a Palestinian state, only that one should not assume that every named group should have its own government.
Wiltse condemns “the present regime in Iran, with its ruling clerics, its executions for blasphemy, its consecrated assassins,” adding “the theocracy (religious government) of Iran wants to export its ideas….Wahabbi influence fires terrorist acts against the United States and Europe. Shiite-controlled Iran finances and enervates many actions against Israel.”
In the eyes of Muslims, various explanations have been put forward for the decline of Islamic power relative to other, especially Western, power:
1. The Mongol incursions
2. Turkish Muslims weakening Arab Muslims.
3. Arab Muslims weakening Turkish Muslims.
4. Western Imperialism
5. The United States
6. The Jews
a. Nazi dissemination of anti-Semitic ideas influenced and continues to influence Middle-Eastern Muslims. b. The victory of young Israel over five Arab states in 1948 stunned Arabs.
7. Islamic conservatives, who impede the move to modernity.
8. Islamic liberals, who impede the move back to the past.
a. The arch-enemy is the Turkish secularizer Kemal Atatürk, the Father of modern Turkey, who secularized the remains of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, eliminating Shari‘a law from the Turkish constitution and secularizing the new Turkish government.
Wahhabis such as al Qaeda are enemies not only of Western nations. The USA looms so large in their eyes because of its power. Even Muslim-friendly governments such as France and Britain are targets of Wahhabi hatred. They hate all forms of Islam that deviate from their beliefs.
(WILTSE CONCLUDES):
It is the position in this outline that the problems Islamic Civilization has vis-a-vis the West is due to its failure to adopt modernity with its secular, tolerant, and pluralistic stance….Hatred of Israel and the West (especially the USA) colors Middle-Eastern Islamic views of conflict and incites conflict. Islamic Civilization faced a new challenge with the arrival of Western explorers and expansionists with little success. At about the same time the West began to generate great power vis-a-vis other civilizations of the world because of the Western Renaissance and the subsequent development of modernization. To this increased power Islamic Civilization has so far failed to find an adequate response. Its challenge today remains the same (this is typical of civilizations in decline–they face the same challenges over and over): meet the power of the West by secularizing and modernizing, or by finding some other successful response to Western influence. (Empirically, a study of history shows that trying to return to a previously successful past has never before worked.)
It is difficult to separate Islam the religion from Islam the civilization, but those parts of Islam (the civilization) that have achieved a measure of success–such as Turkey and Indonesia–are exactly those regions where modernization has been to a degree accomplished–whatever the cost to the religion (none, little, or great, depending on one’s point of view). Whatever disruption the conservative terrorists accomplish, their ultimate goals, if the past is any guide, will not be achieved by such activities.
(WILTSE THEN POSES THESE VERY REASONABLE STUDY QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS):
Would secularization and modernization solve Islam’s problems without damage to the Islamic faith?
Did secularization and modernization in the West damage Christianity?
How does fantasy in Muslims’ beliefs about the causes of their problems hurt Islam?
Does understanding Islam’s dilemma help in evaluating and reacting to Islamic terrorism?
(AND FINALLY, HE CLOSES BY QUOTING AT LENGTH THE PREVIOUSLY CITED WALL STREET JOURNAL OP-ED):
Al Qaeda is certainly not a mainstream Muslim group — if it were, we would have had far more terrorist attacks since 9/11. But the ideology that produced al Qaeda isn’t a rivulet in contemporary Muslim thought. It is a wide and deep river. The Obama administration does both Muslims and non-Muslims an enormous disservice by pretending otherwise. Theologically, Muslims are neither fragile nor frivolous. They have not become suicide bombers because non-Muslims have said something unkind; they have not refrained from becoming holy warriors because Westerners avoided the word ‘Islamic’ in describing Osama bin Laden and his allies. Having an American president who had a Muslim father, carries the name of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, and wants to engage the Muslim world in a spirit of ‘mutual respect’ isn’t a ‘game changer.’ This hypothesis trivializes Islamic history and the continuing appeal of religious militancy. To not talk about Islam when analyzing al Qaeda is like talking about the Crusades without mentioning Christianity. (END OF EXCERPTS)
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And we’re upset that students in Texas are reading this…uh…why?
I’m not claiming that Mr. Wiltse’s lesson plan is perfect. Nor am I saying that Governor Perry doesn’t have legitimate problems that reasonable people will argue about in the months to come.
I came back from my blog-vacation for one reason, and one reason only: to kill the “Aga Khan/Rick Perry pro-Sharia school curriculum” myth.
You may leave your comments calling me a “dhimmi” in the comments section below.
Main Street Bank lends most of its money to small businesses and is earning decent profits. But the Kingwood, Texas, bank is about to get out of the banking business.
In an extreme example of the frustration felt by many bankers as regulators toughen their oversight of the nation’s financial institutions, Main Street’s chairman, Thomas Depping, is expected to announce Wednesday that the 27-year-old bank will surrender its banking charter and sell its four branches to a nearby bank.
Mr. Depping plans to set up a new lender that will operate beyond the reach of banking regulators—and the deposit-insurance safety net. Backed by the private investment firm of Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, the company won’t be able to call itself a bank, but it will be able to do business the way Mr. Depping wants.
“The regulatory environment makes it very difficult to do what we do,” says Mr. Depping, who last summer saw his bank hit with an enforcement order from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
A spokesman for the FDIC declined to comment on Main Street, a unit of closely held MS Financial Inc
“Sharia’a means highway (Shahrah) and in the religious sense, it is the path that takes one towards the right direction in this world, bringing tranquility in this life and will bring much joy in the life hereafter. The basic principle of Sharia’a is establishment of justice based on the universal accepted values of virtues, to keep the balance in the world.”
These were the approximate words used to put forth some of the ideas by former Supreme Court Justice of Pakistan Honorable Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday, as he spoke for over an hour at an Open Public Forum at Shahnai Restaurant Banquet Hall in Houston, on the topic of “The Role of Sharia’a Law in Modern Legal World – Useful toll or a liability?”
He was on a private trip to Houston, where on the insistence of his friends, he agreed to speak. More than 350 persons attended the program, including some elected County Judges, prominent attorney, lawyers, persons from Republican Party, some people from the Churches, and many expatriate Pakistanis & Muslims from various countries.
Program was emceed by Ms. Sobia Izfaz, while opening address was done by the head of three members host committee Dr. Mohammad Afsar, while another member Tahir Bhatty gave the vote of thanks. The third host committee person was Zafar Kureshi. The Q-&-A session was conducted by well-known Attorney Syed Izfar.
Famous Community Attorney Anwar-e-Qadeer, who used to be Honorable Ramday’s student, introduced the Honorable Judge.
“Sharia’a is kind of boogeyman in the western society. I do not know from where such fear is coming because the principles of justice and all the universal good values are part of the basics of laws made within Sharia’a. These are the same as the Ten Commandments given to Hadhrat Moses (Peace be Upon him – PBUh). There are no systems of criminal procedure courts, etc. prescribed by Quran, etc. So the systems of corpus duress get evolved by societies according to their set-ups and environment. There are certain commandments given by Allah SWT through Quran and life of Messenger Muhammad PBUh, which cannot be violated. Other than that Sharia’a and municipal laws can exist together.
I was part of a Judiciary Review Board of Pakistan Sharia’a Court, where three court judges & two established scholars did an extensive assessment for almost five years of all the British & other manmade laws in subcontinent since 1841: They all were studied word to word and nothing of substance was found in them that was unIslamic, since the values are universal. No faith will ask people to commit crimes.
Few things where the spirit of Islam was missing was for instance in the punishment of the crime of murder. What was missing is now part of Pakistan’s law and that is if the people of the deceased pardon the murderer with or without compensation, the court has to nullify the punishment of death or life imprisonment penalty,” added Honorable Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday.
The Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers.
America has Laws and a Constitution. There is no need for Sharia law!
Read the full assault here.
UPDATED BY AVENGING APOSTATE:
"Shari'ah means path or way, not highway. (Shahrah is a different word than shari'ah). And the only accepted way or path according to the Quran, from which Shari'ah is derived (alongwith the Hadiths)is Islam, not universally accepted norms. There is no doubt that Shari'ah is nothing but 7th century regulations as written in the Quran and as practiced by the murderous and infamous Mohammed.
This guy is lying, or worse telling half truths here like Muslims so often do.
[J]oin with the majority of the population, which stands in opposition to the present course taken by the President, and reaffirm our Democratic Party tradition; or continue the course imposed by the British Empire, and embraced by the present administration, which bails out speculators, rewards corrupt bankers, insurance companies, and BP, but turns its back on the tens of millions of Americans in despair, due to the breakdown of the economy and our financial system.
And this:
The urgency of forcing Barack Obama’s early resignation
There is much to disagree with Kesha Rogers on, of course. Still, it is interesting to note her lack of support for Obama.
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - A contract employee who worked at Preston Smith International Airport was arrested by FBI agents late Wednesday at his home on charges in a federal indictment alleging he threatened to bomb an airplane.
20-year-old Johnathan Ivins cleaned airplanes for one of the airlines operating out of the airport.
The indictment states that on April 1st, Ivins posted a YouTube comment stating that he intended to place a "destructive device" on an airplane. According to a news release from United States Attorney James T. Jacks, his comment was:
"I'm building a bomb as you speak. I work at the airport as a Technician. I go inspect planes and get paid $20 an Hour. You think you won. Well I got plans for implanting a 10 hour bomb in one of the vents. Hahahahaha when that plane goes boom you'll know what I'm talking about. I don't care if I get caught. They call me the hero. Your asses is going down I'm just waiting for the right time. I'm also implanting an another bomb somewhere in a big city. Plus there's muslim country's who want to destroy the American satellites. I look too much of american but I have a quarter of a muslim in me plus 1/16 of a jew in me so. Don't worry you'll go your turn f...... Yankee doodle dandy."
Ivins is charged with one count of imparting and conveying false information regarding the destruction of an aircraft, one count of making a bomb threat and one count of false information and hoaxes.
If convicted, the bomb threat count carries a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each of the other two counts carries a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, upon conviction.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dick Baker of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Lubbock, Texas.
Ivins will make his first appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy M. Koenig Friday morning at 9:00 a.m.
I hit 50, and suddenly I took an interest in death, figuring I should start reading up on it to make as sure as I can that I'm good at it. I'm a bookish kind of guy, in spite of spending most of my life in Third World shit-holes as a lingering war tourist. Books, libraries, museums, art galleries, fields of corpses, burnt cities, fleeting relationships, emotional distance and an ingrained suspicion of strangers. The usual stuff of long-term travellers. So, engrossed in a book on death, sitting quietly alone in soft and clean, sweet-smelling surroundings of Modernity, a fabric chair without a hint of blood-stains, painted walls with no papered-over bullet holes, electric lights that shone continuously and bright, I sat turning pages, turning ideas over in mind, turning like the unhappy deceased in their ditches. Life is so good.
And then, cutting through it all, came the invasion a reader so much hates: the sense of People Around Me. Tense, ready if need to lunge, to plunge, to stab with pen in hand the nostril, the ear, the eye of a foe who could well have come to kill, I raised up my eyes from the page and saw-- a half dozen wide-eyed teens, kids baring their teeth at me, skinny, scruffy boys and girls, the leader of whom, the druggiest looking of all, lilted and wafted a question at me that to this day has my mind agog: "Do you know J'EEE-zuz?"
As Governor Perry said in response to the tragedy at Ft. Hood, "the Texas family suffered a significant loss with the tragedy at Fort Hood. Along with all Texans, Anita and I are keeping those affected by today’s incidents in our thoughts and prayers.
We are deeply saddened by these events, but resolve to continue supporting our troops and protecting our citizens.
To honor those who lost their lives Thursday, I have ordered that all Texas flags be lowered to half-staff until Sunday, and ask all Texans to pray for the victims, their families and the extended Fort Hood community."
Soldiers and their families will receive 100% of all funds. Please write "Community Response to 11/5" on the memo line of your checks and mail them to this address:
The Central Texas- Fort Hood ChapterAssociation of the US Army Attn: Community Response to 11/5 PO Box 10700 Killeen, TX 76547-0700
For additional updates on the situation, please visit the Governor's official state website.
JERUSALEM – Gov. Rick Perry has received the Defender of Jerusalem Award, which is given to public figures who have demonstrated support and commitment to the state of Israel and its capitol, Jerusalem. The governor accepted the award while on his trip to Israel, where he also met with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and business and academic leaders.
“I have long supported the right of a Jewish state to exist in the Middle East and firmly believe in the protection and preservation of democratic states in that part of the world,” Gov. Perry said. “After visiting several sacred and historic sites, meeting with business, civic and government leaders and seeing the day-to-day lives of the people on my trips to Israel, I am even more convinced that a safe, secure Israel is an essential part of stability in this part of the world.”
The Defender of Jerusalem Award was created in 2008 by Guma Aguiar, head of the Lillian Jean Kaplan Foundation, as a tribute to dignitaries within Israel and around the world who have demonstrated strong support for the people of Jerusalem and Israel. The first award was presented to Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Gov. Perry continues to be a staunch supporter of Israel. After a trip to the area in 2007, the governor supported Texas’ divestment from companies that do business with Iran, a main opponent of Israeli freedom.
Additionally, as a result of meetings with Israeli leadership during the governor and first lady’s visit to Israel in 2007, the Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce was created to help launch future commercial interests and solidify the strong business and cultural connections between the two states.
Texas is Israel’s fourth largest American trading partner. Texas and Israel’s commercial relationship began with agriculture and natural resources, and has grown in recent years to include a variety of major business sectors, including information and communication technologies, aerospace and defense, medical technologies, homeland security initiatives and renewable energies.
The governor is scheduled to return to Texas on Saturday.
For those so inclined, like me, you can support the good Governor's re-election bid in 2010 by clicking here.
Senator "DC" Kay "Bailout"Hutchison is challenging him in the Republican primary.
All of us, every single man, woman, and child on the face of the Earth were born with the same unalienable rights; to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And, if the governments of the world can't get that through their thick skulls, then, regime change will be necessary.
The Untold Story of Muslim Opinions & Demographics
Infidel Babe Of The Week
Moran Atias - TYRANT
IBA Quote of the Week.
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
--- Hebrews 4:12
"An Islamic regime must be serious in every field," explained Ayatollah Khomeini. "There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humour in Islam. There is no fun in Islam."
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"I want to be very, very clear, however: I understand and agree with the analysis of the problem. There is an imminent threat. It manifested itself on 9/11. It's real and grave. It is as serious a threat as Stalinism and National Socialism were. Let's not pretend it isn't." ~~~~~Bono~~~~~
Main Street Bank lends most of its money to small businesses and is earning decent profits. But the Kingwood, Texas, bank is about to get out of the banking business.
