Court-Martialed for Praying in Jesus Name

Come on America, Wake Up! This is what our "so-called brother", President Bush has given us? Alert Focus: Persecution / The Dragon and the Serpent Matthew 24:9 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. Mark 13:9 "But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. Navy dismisses chaplain who prayed 'in Jesus' name' 'We are homeless, jobless,and we are in God's hands' WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - January 12, 2007 -- A U.S. Navy chaplain who prayed "in Jesus' name" as his conscience dictated is being ejected from the military service "in retaliation" for his victorious battle to change Navy policy that required religious rites be "non-sectarian." "This fight cost me everything. My career is over, my family is now homeless, we've lost a million dollar pension, but Congress agreed with me and rescinded the Navy policy, so chaplains are free again to pray in Jesus' name," Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt told WND. "My sacrifice purchased their freedom. My conscience is clear, the fight was worth it, and I'd do it all again." Klingenschmitt, as WND has reported, has fought an extended battle with the Navy over its restrictions on religious expression by its chaplains. He appeared and delivered a public prayer "in Jesus' name" at a White House rally last winter and was court-martialed for that. The Navy convicted him of failing to follow a lawful order because his superior didn't want him praying "in Jesus' name." He's also launched a legal battle that he said he hopes eventually will result in his reinstatement, alleging the Navy assembled a "civic religion" by ordering its chaplains to pray in a certain way. "There's a Unitarian system of religion that's aimed at Christians," John Whitehead, founder of the The Rutherford Institute, told WND. "It boils down to that. We're seeing it all across the country, with council prayers, kids wanting to mention Jesus. What's going on here is it's generally a move in our government and military to set up a civic religion." "I think the Supreme Court's going to have to look at the idea of can the government in any of its forms tell people how to pray, set up a basic religion and say you can only do it this way," he said. Klingenschmitt told WND he'd been delivered a formal letter of reprimand for his appearance at a White House function in March 2006 at which he wore his uniform and prayed "in Jesus' name." For that he was convicted at a special court-martial of violating a lawful order from his commanding officer not to do that. His appearance was with former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice and WND columnist Judge Roy Moore, who was removed from his office when he refused to follow a federal court order he considered unlawful: to remove a Ten Commandments monument from public property. Klingenschmitt's $3,000 fine was suspended and because of the issues, Congress got involved and ordered the Navy to rescind that particular policy, and allow chaplains to pray as their "conscience dictates." In a Congressional report on the situation, members of a conference committee noted, "The House bill contained a provision … to prescribe that military chaplains shall have the prerogative to pray according to the dictates of their conscience, except as must be limited by military necessity, with any such limitation being imposed in the least restrictive manner feasible." That position was adopted with orders that the "Secretary of the Navy rescind Secretary of the Navy Instruction 1730.7C dated February 21, 2006, titled 'Religious Ministry within the Department of the Navy'" and replace it with a policy allowing such freedoms. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld also then promised Congress that no chaplain would be punished under the now-cancelled policy, but the Navy's plans to get rid of Klingenschmitt moved forward anyway. A federal judge in Klingenschmitt's lawsuit also concluded that his termination from the service and the damage that would result would not be "irreparable," so he would not step in at this point, and Klingenschmitt was delivered a Navy letter this week ordering him to move out of his home in conjunction with his removal from the service. "Access onto all military installations within Navy Region Mid-Atlantic for Lieutenant Gordon J. Klingenschmitt, CHC, USNR, will terminate on January 31, 2007," said the letter from S.W. Wong, who is with the Judge Advocate General's Corp. While he's battling for reinstatement, Klingenschmitt said, he'll be accepting speaking invitations and can be contacted through his website, and working with supporters Alan Keyes and Rick Scarborough who have assembled an online petition that calls on new Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to honor Rumsfeld's promise that no chaplain would be punished under the old policy. "U.S. Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt is being unjustly punished for praying in Jesus' name, for quoting Scripture passages in a military chapel, for voicing evangelical messages about Christ while in uniform," the petition says. "Chaplain Klingenschmitt courageously stood for what is right, and his stand was completely vindicated by Congress. I am calling on you to immediately exonerate him and allow him to continue his outstanding service as a Navy chaplain. Mr. Secretary, you must act! And fast! Otherwise Chaplain Klingenschmitt will be kicked out of the service by Jan. 31, ending an award-winning 15.5-year career. He will lose his pension, health care benefits and be evicted from military housing – and our sailors will lose this faithful vicar of Christ." "I think the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, should keep the promise of his predecessor," the chaplain told WND. "We are homeless, jobless and we are in God's hands." "My separation is in direct retaliation for my victory on Capitol Hill. This is how the Navy treats whistleblowers," he added. In the lawsuit filed by the Rutherford Institute, the authors noted that courts in the District of Columbia already have concluded: "What we have here is the government's attempt to override the Constitution and the laws of the land by a directive that clearly interferes with military chaplains' free exercise and free speech rights, as well as those of their congregants." The case developed when "one Navy Captain decided that he did not like the content of the Chaplain's religious speech during an optionally attended sermon in the chapel," the lawsuit said. Then a Navy investigation showed Klingenschmitt had prayed "in Jesus' name" and had even prayed in public in uniform. For that, the court-martial was held, "ignoring Naval Uniform Regulations that permit chaplains to wear the uniform during public worship." The lawsuit notes that the Navy is using the chaplain's resignation from one "ecclesiastical endorsement" and acceptance of another from a different church group as its reason for terminating him. However, the lawsuit notes that the Navy's own regulations state that a chaplain "shall" be recertified on request. In apparent conflict, a letter from J.C. Harvey Jr., a vice-admiral, ordering Klingenschmitt's removal from the Navy, opined that "presentation of a new ecclesiastical endorsement from a qualified Religious Organization does not automatically mandate recertification." The district court judge also found, in ruling against the chaplain, that in the military "public worship" is different from "worshipping in public," so that the Navy's punishment could move forward. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53731 Sudan: Police Deny New Year’s Church Attack COMPASSDIRECT - January 10, 2007 -= ISTANBUL -- Sudanese police have denied attacking 800 Christians at a New Year’s Eve service at Khartoum’s Anglican cathedral and injuring six members of the congregation, the church priest said. Canon Sylvester Thomas of All Saints Cathedral told Compass that officers firing tear gas into the church claimed they were trying to apprehend a man involved in a stabbing. “The police were trying to claim, ‘This group doesn’t belong to us and we don’t know where they came from,’” Thomas said. “But they were all in uniform and using guns and [police] cars.” A 19-year-old man was badly injured in the leg and stomach when the chair he was sitting on went up in flames, Thomas said, and the sound system, pews, chairs and windows were damaged. A police spokesman in Khartoum contacted by Compass refused to comment on the attack. http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=lead&lang=en&length=long&idelement=4730&backpage= Boy slave 'crucified' by Sudanese Muslim Now a youth, he tells Voice of the Martyrs he's forgiven attacker WORLDNETDAILY - September 28, 2006 -- A Sudanese slave who was assigned to watch his Muslim master's camels was "crucified" when he was caught sneaking out to attend a Christian church, according to reports from Voice of the Martyrs. The aid organization that helps persecuted Christians worldwide said the reports come from witnesses in the Sudan who were in contact with the youth, now about 15. Damare Garang was seven when the attack happened, officials said. He had been captured by Islamic soldiers when his Sudanese village was attacked, and then sold as a slave to a Muslim family in Tuobon, Bahr el Gazel. His duties were to tend the master's camels, but one day one fled. "How could you do this? You will surely have to pay! You stupid slave, I should just kill you now," he was told. However, the child escaped any injuries at that point. Then the following day Damare, who had been raised in a Christian family, sneaked away for a time to a small church service across the village. His master was waiting when he returned. "Where have you been?" he was asked, and partly from fear and partly from not having another answer, he said, "to church." "You have made two grave mistakes," the slave master said. "Yesterday you lost one of my camels, and today you worship with infidels!" The master went to a barn and returned with a large board, some rusty spikes and a hammer, the report said. "Frozen in fear, Damare was dragged out to the edge of his master's compound where he was forced to the ground with his legs over the board," the VOM report said. "The savage brutality of the master was unleashed as he proceeded to drive the long nails through Damare's knees and then nail his feet securely onto the board." While Damare was screaming in agony, the slave master simply walked away. The boy's help arrived in the form of a Good Samaritan who happened by, and saw the small boy. The man sneaked into the compound and carried the boy to a hospital where the board and nails were removed. Damare later was released to the custody of his helper, with whom he lived for the next 18 months. Once again, then, there was a militia attack on his village, and he was separated from his protector. When the Islamic army soldiers were driven off, a commander of village forces recognized Damare's speech as being of the Dinka tribe, and took charge of him. That commander eventually adopted Damare, who now lives in Mario Kong. He remains disappointed he is unable to run quickly like other boys, but he says he's forgiven his attacker, because Jesus was nailed to a cross to forgive all sins... "Please tell the Christian children in America to remember to pray for the children of Sudan," Damare told his visitors. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52181 Christian teen recovering from attack by Islamists Voice of Martyrs helping with medical, emotional cataclysm WORLDNETDAILY - December 21, 2006 -- In many ways Noviana Malewa is like any other teen-aged Christian girl in Indonesia. But it is her eyes – which reveal a sadness and strength far beyond her years – that are different, and give evidence of the emotional and mental trauma of her own experience with radical Islam, a new report concludes. That, and the machete chop scar that runs from her cheek bone across her face down onto her neck, says the report from Voice of the Martyrs. As WND has reported, Noviana and three of her friends were walking on a school path Oct 29, 2005, when they were assaulted by radical Islamic jihadists wielding machetes. Noviana was the only survivor, and suffered the massive slash across her face and neck; the other three girls were decapitated. VOMedical, a division of the outreach to persecuted Christians worldwide that deals with medical issues, eventually was able to arrange transportation for Noviana to a hospital in Surabaya, and officials are planning to continue follow-up physical treatment. "Though Noviana's physical scars are beginning to heal, she still struggles with the emotional and mental scars from witnessing the brutal murder of her three friends. Yet, she remains steadfast in her faith," the group confirmed in its report. Noviana and her friends had been taking a small footpath on their way to their Christian high school in Poso, Indonesia, when radical Islamists dressed all in black jumped suddenly from the jungle and began slashing the girls with machetes. VOM reports that Noviana fought back as she was struck, then fell to the ground and rolled down into a ravine. Above, she heard her friends screaming. Just as she was about to lose hope, a van of soldiers appeared and the attackers fled. The soldiers then took her to a hospital. But she had to be hidden in a Christian village and guarded by police because her testimony was needed in court, and the radical Muslims who had killed her friends still were hunting her. At that point it was too dangerous even to leave her in a hospital, but after months of negotiations to guarantee her safety, arrangements were made for her to be in the Surabaya hospital, VOM said. She's had successful surgery and VOM is working on continuing care, officials said. She suffered from an involuntary tick in her eye and another near her mouth because of the nerve damage from the slash, and she also suffered other nerve damage and a dislocated jaw. Earlier reports said daily massages are being used to stimulate nerve repair and skin salves must be given daily. Plastic surgery also was obtained to reduce the scarring. Authorities said Theresia Morangke, 15, Yarni Sambue, 15, and Alfita Poliwo, 17, were killed in the attack. Their heads were found in bags on the steps of a church and along a road, carrying a message, "We will murder 100 more Christian teenagers and their heads will be presented as presents." The Pakistan Christian Post reported that Noviana recalled streaming with blood. "All I could do was pray to Jesus for his help,' she said. According to a subsequent report in The Jakarta Post, the Islamic suspects in the deaths have confessed to the fatal attack. Authorities reported that the suspects have ties to Noordin Top, who is considered a key leader of the Al-Qaida-linked group Jamaah Islamiyah. There also have been reports that the defendants told authorities they planned the murders as a "gift" to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. ... [More] http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53450 Ambush by 'radicals' leaves pastor in hospital Church leader en route to worship when youths lure him to beating WORLDNETDAILY - October 19, 2006 - A Christian pastor in India is being treated for injuries following an ambush into which he was lured by several Hindu youths, according to officials with The Voice of the Martyrs, the Christian aid organization that reaches out to persecuted Christians worldwide. The report said Pastor Bhadikar Barshi was on his way to a regular service at his home in the Barshi region of Maharashta state when two youths approached him recently. "Asking him to join them in a prayer for a friend who had been suffering from a sickness over the past 15 years, the young men walked alongside the pastor for some time," the report said. The attackers used wooden clubs to beat the pastor, 48, all over his body, including his head where he suffered a severe gash on his right eye, officials reported. "His chest and back sustained most of his injuries," VOM said. He was hospitalized for treatment, as well as stitches to close a cut on the left side of his forehead. VOMedical covered the expenses for his eight-day hospitalization, officials said. Local sources told VOM that the minister was targeted by the violent Hindu faction because of his missionary work. Police reports said officers were looking into the "radical" group whose members attacked Pastor Bhadikar in the region where there is a high level of Hindu opposition to any teaching of the Christian faith. However, VOM said the pastor "remains faithful in continuing his ministry." ... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52497 Pastors' convictions for quoting Quran overturned WORLDNETDAILY - December 28, 2006 -- Two Australian pastors who were convicted of "vilifying" Muslims when they quoted from the Quran during a seminar on jihad have had their appeals upheld by the Victorian Supreme Court. And while that means they will return to a lower court for another trial, that actually is a good result, according to a new report from Voice of the Martyrs. "In a sense we are happy with this decision… It means this case will be kept alive in the public consciousness," Pastor Danny Nalliah said in a VOM report. "There's a need to keep these vilification laws in sharp focus to reveal the problems this law is creating." The Australian law was imposed in order to prevent the denigration of people based on their race or religion, and similar laws also have been approved in Canada, where critics of the law say they include sexual orientation and forbid pastors from condemning homosexuality as a sin. Many of the "hate crimes" proposals in the United States are based on a similar concept: designating as "crimes" the statements people make about their own beliefs or convictions. In a statement released through Catch the Fire Ministries, where Nalliah serves as president, he thanked his friends for their moral, prayer and financial support during the trial and appeal process to date. "The battle for Freedom to express Truth is far from over, as a retrial at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (with a different Judge) is expected sometime next year… I believe the Lord will continue to use this case to further awaken His Church, our nation of Australia, the nations of the world, and to discredit the vilification laws in Victoria," he wrote. Nalliah and Pastor Daniel Scot were charged following a complaint filed by The Islamic Council of Victoria, and were the first people found guilty of religious vilification under the Victorian Religious and Racial Tolerance Act of 2002. They were accused of vilifying Muslims at a seminar on jihad on March 9, 2002. VOM said the two were lecturing on the differences between Christianity and Islam, and quoted directly from the Quran. After his conviction, Nalliah had refused to apologize. "Right from the inception, we have said that this law is a foul law, this law is not a law that brings unity. It causes disunity and as far as we are concerned right from the beginning we have stated that we will not apologize. We will go to prison for standing for the truth and not sacrifice our freedom and freedom to speak," he told VOM. In a commentary in the Herald Sun, Andrew Bolt noted the travesty of the case, and that besides the death threats to the pastors and their families, they still must pay an estimated $150,000 for the court proceedings against them. ... [More] http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53526 See Also: Catch the Fire Appeal: Media Reports and Comment from Ros Phillips Christian preacher injured when bus rams SUV But he says Muslim militants' reports of his death premature WORLDNETDAILY - September 21, 2006 -- A Christian man whose witnessing enraged Muslims is recovering from his injuries after a bus driver rammed into his SUV, driving shards of broken glass into his arms, according to a new report from Voice of the Martyrs. Because of death threats against the man, as well as the potential for danger to other Christians, relatives and acquaintances, many of the details of the recent attack in Bangladesh on the minister known as Andrew were being withheld by Voice of the Martyrs. But the report said he was en route to visit a group of 17 families whose members have converted from Islam to Christianity when his vehicle was rammed by a bus. "His left elbow was broken from the impact, and his right forearm was embedded with glass and severely lacerated in five places," the VOM report said, so the group is working to provide continuing medical care for him. The ministry, which was launched by Rev. Richard Wurmbrand, author of "Tortured for Christ" relating his experiences representing Christ in war-torn Europe, focuses on getting help, support, and the Gospel to persecuted Christians worldwide. The group said drivers of four buses had been hired by a militant Muslim group to crash into Andrew's SUV, and one succeeded. Immediately after the crash, the bus driver ran from the scene and reported that he had "killed the targeted Christian preacher." However, while two others from the militant group were racing to the scene to confirm the fatality, Andrew's driver drove the smashed SUV to a nearby hospital, where the unconscious Andrew was admitted. ... Ominously, during that trip, Andrew took four calls on his mobile phone, where callers told him, "Now you are going to heaven with your Isa (Christ)." A pin was installed in his elbow to hold together a broken chip, and further surgery and physical therapy may be needed, officials said. "Despite all of this hostility and opposition, Andrew remains determined to continue his ministry to Muslim-background believers," the VOM said. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52065 German homeschool advocate says Nazis have returned Reports of government persecution vastly under-reported, he tells WND WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - December 23, 2006 -- For parents who wish to teach their own children in the Judeo-Christian tradition, Germany today is not much better than it was under Nazi party control in the 1930s and 1940s, according to a man who lives there and is pleading for international help for his country. "We are not far away from an intolerant dictatorship in our country," the man wrote WND. "Parental rights are more and more abolished. If you do not the way the state wants, to so-called Jugendamt (youth welfare office) is quickly to check out if they can take away the custody of your children." He said for homeschoolers, the crackdown is getting so "draconian" they are fleeing to other countries, leaving homes and sometimes jobs behind, in order to protect their children from the anti-Christian teachings of the secular school system. The man identifies himself as being part of the German homeschool support organization Netz-Bildung Freiheit (Net-Education Freedom). He contacted WND after the news website broke the story that a German government official had warned that families' religious beliefs will have to be brought into alignment with required school attendance laws. His name is being withheld by WND so that he is not targeted for speaking out, because he is pleading with those outside of Germany to launch a campaign to focus international attention on their actions. "We hope that it will have an impact on the persons in responsibility that the international publicity is looking on them," the homeschool leader wrote to WND. "Express your protest against the violation of parental rights and the right of the free choice of education." "The situation for families is depressing, all the lawsuits have been lost in the past, judges are not ready to acknowledge the conflict in conscience of the Christian homeschoolers," he wrote. "Freedom of faith and conscience is a matter which is officially a basic right granted in the constitution, but practically it isn't worth the paper it is written on. "As long as you practice your faith in a church building you have no problems, but as soon as you act in accordance to your faith, for example, in the education of your children, the freedom ends rapidly," he said. He likened the situation to that of families under the Nazi regime, or "like in the former Soviet Union under the Communists." "For that reason many homeschool families have left the country and emigrated to Norway, Ireland, Canada, USA, Great Britain and others. The families who remained are in a desperate situation. So every help from America or other countries is welcomed and may help us. "So my urgent appeal to you: Don't forget us. [Tell people] the government harasses homeschooling parents who do the best for their children and who are in most of the cases Bible-believe Christians." The Home School Legal Defense Association, at the same time, was issuing a plea for help for German homeschoolers: "We have sent out information periodically on Germany. The situation, unfortunately, is not getting any better, and they need your prayers and support," the organization said. "Most recently, a decision was handed down by the European Court of Human rights (which) … completely turned the European Union Constitution's Article 14, the section on parent's rights to control the education of their children, completely upside down." That decision will allow any nation in the EU, should it choose, to outlaw homeschooling. "Meanwhile, the German homeschoolers continue to be unmercifully persecuted. In our last report, we explained that there were approximately 40 families in court at one stage or the other. Families are fleeing regularly to other foreign countries in order to continue homeschooling…" One lawyer who worked on the German case said what is "stunning" is the state's aggression against homeschoolers, while it ignores "the hundred thousand students who do not go to school at all, where the parents do not even care about their children." The HSLDA noted that one homeschool mother recently was interviewed by the Christian Broadcasting Network, and two days later was jailed. In one of the German states, the the Romeike family had their grade-school children forcibly hauled to the public school by police until they moved. Another homeschool family was ordered to have their children in school, even though a doctor provided a medical reason for one child to be at home, "so they have fled outside of Germany and are in the underground." The HSLDA said tax-deductible donations could be made to its Foundation to help those families. The German homeschool father said public comments would be very helpful, and should be directed first to several state education administrators, because they are the ones in whom Germany has invested the power to make such decisions: - Mr. Steffen Flath, The Free State of Saxony, via e-mail at: Steffen.Flath@smk.sachsen.de or by mail at: Saechsisches Staatsministerium für Kultus, Carolaplatz 1, 01097 Dresden, Letter post: Postfach 100 910 01079 Dresden or via telephone at: +49 351-564-0. - Helmut Rau, Baden-Württemberg, via e-mail at: Helmut.Rau@km.kv.bwl.de or by mail at: Ministerium für Kultus, Jugend und Sport Schlossplatz 4 70173 Stuttgart or via telephone at: +49 711/279-2531. - Barbara Sommer, North Rhine-Westphalia, via e-mail at: barbara.sommer@msw.nrw.de or by mail at: Ministerium für Schule und Weiterbildung, des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, 40190 Düsseldorf or via telephone at: +49 211/5867-3535 or 3536. The earlier threat from a state education official was reported in an English translation at the Homeschoolblogger.com website. "The Minister of Education does not share your attitudes toward so-called homeschooling and is not prepared to approve a corresponding pilot project," said a government letter in response to a request for consideration for a family whose children were taken to school by police. "You complain about the forced school escort of primary school children by the responsible local police officers on the basis of paragraph 86 of the education law as a measure of the execution of authority. It is known to the ministry of education that primary school students can be particularly burdened by the related contradiction between the norms of the parent-house and that of the public school through such forced escorts." The government letter continued with a solution: "In order to avoid this in future, the education authority is in conversation with the affected family in order to look for possibilities to bring the religious convictions of the family into line with the unalterable school attendance requirement," the government said. U.S. homeschool leaders are very worried. Michael Farris, cofounder of the HSLDA, has called for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to protect the right of parents to educate their children at home, in light of what is developing in Europe, and the growing influence of international court conclusions in the U.S. His concern is that if the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child were ratified by the Senate or adopted by the federal courts as enforceable international law, American homeschooling could be banned. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53450 Homeschoolers say 'so long' to eBay Internet giant's ban on homeschool texts triggers alternatives WORLDNETDAILY - October 6, 2006 -- Members of the biggest homeschool group in the United States, with more than 80,000 families, are telling eBay, the Internet trading giant, "so long" with the launch of a new auction website for them to exchange books and supplies. The new site was begun only about a week ago by the Home School Legal Defense Association, and already there are more than 1,500 registered users signed up. It's meant to serve as many people as are interested who are part of the estimated $1 billion annual homeschooling supplies business. It was triggered by eBay's recent announcement that it was banning all teachers' textbooks of any sort, including all such homeschool supplies. "HSLDA created this site in response to our members' concerns about the policies of other auction sites that do not allow the sale of teacher or instructor materials," said a statement from HSLDA President J. Michael Smith. "Anyone can sell materials on this site. You can sell through auctions, multiple item auctions, bartering, and fixed price sales. And if you have a lot to sell, you can upload the auction listings in bulk," he said. He said since the project is being offered as a member benefit, only HSLDA members will be allowed to buy. "This also helps ensure that teacher materials are being sold only to teachers," he said. There are no fees for the use of the site, he said, with all profits going directly to sellers. But much the same as other sites, sellers will have profiles and buyers will rate their services. "Our hope is that this service will be a blessing to you, allowing you to save money on curriculum purchases and recoup some of your costs by selling used curriculum," Smith said. A homeschooling supporter named Joan said HSLDA is widely known for its services to and support of homeschool families. "I personally trust this organization and can't express sufficiently the joy I have over this," she wrote. The new policy from eBay was made known as people who were auctioning various books watched as their postings were deleted. The company said it was just policy. "As you may know, eBay does not permit items that are illegal, dangerous, offensive, or potentially infringing. Additionally, eBay has just recently made the decision to prohibit the sale of Teacher's Editions of textbooks and solutions manuals that are intended solely for use by teachers. Since eBay strives to be a level-playing field, all Teacher's Edition textbooks, manuals and guides will be covered under this policy. Unfortunately, home schooling Teacher's Editions are not exempt from this policy and this policy will apply to all grade levels." ... [More] http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52309 British stewardess challenges airline's Bible ban WORLDNETDAILY - By Dan Wooding, ASSIST News Service - December 30, 2006 -- LONDON – A Christian airline stewardess is planning to challenge a ruling by a British airline that prohibits staff from traveling to Saudi Arabia with a Bible. Journalist Claire Bergen, writing for the Independent Catholic News website, said, "BMI, formerly British Midland Airways, confirmed that the matter is now subject to an industrial tribunal due to take place in the New Year." She went on to say, "The stewardess, a committed Christian, likes to take her Bible, which was once her mother's, with her when she travels. "But BMI says it has banned her from taking the Bible with her in accordance with Foreign Office advice that no non-Islamic materials or artifacts are allowed in Saudi Arabia." On its website, the British Foreign Office says of Saudi Arabia: "The importation and use of narcotics, alcohol, pork products and religious books, apart from the Quran (Koran), and artifacts are forbidden.".... Now a Christian councilor from East London has entered the fray. Councilor Alan Craig, leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance group on Newham Council, is calling for Christians and Muslims to work together in support of the BMI air stewardess. "It is ludicrous for BMI to take this stand and to condone Saudi religious intolerance," he said, speaking from Newham in East London, where Christians and Muslims comprise respectively 47 percent and 25 percent of the population (2001 UK census). "British Christians and Muslims know the value of religious freedom as in the UK we have the right to openly carry our Bibles and Qurans and worship at our churches and mosques whenever we want." Craig also called on Dr. Muhammed Abdul Bari, Secretary General of Newham-based Muslim Council of Britain, to speak out publicly in favor of the BMI stewardess, to express his support for her to BMI directors, to work with church leaders on her behalf and to use his contacts with Saudi Arabia to get their strict policy changed. "Dr. Bari and other Muslims benefit from Britain's religious freedoms and the London Muslim Center even received significant British government subsidy," said Craig. "He should welcome this opportunity to use his significant influence in senior Saudi circles to benefit this Christian woman in that Muslim country." The case follows that of British Airways worker Nadia Eweida, also a committed Christian, whose objection to BA rules which forbade her visibly wearing a cross led to a review by BA of its uniform policy. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53571 Christian landscaper won't soilhands with work for 'gay' clients WORLDNETDAILY - October 21, 2006 -- A Houston landscaping company is under fire for turning down a job because its Christian owners have a policy of not working for homosexual customers – a decision that has spurred calls for a boycott and an anti-discrimination ordinance that would prevent them from selecting clients based on sexual orientation. Todd and Sabrina Farber have owned and operated The Garden Guy since 1991 and, like other landscape contractors, use the Internet to show the quality of their past work and to solicit future business. The Garden Guy was just one of the landscaping businesses Michael Lord and Gary Lackey, a homosexual couple who has been together for nine years, requested bids from earlier this week for the new home they're building in Houston Heights. Lord said he found The Garden Guy through an Internet search and liked the "before and after" pictures on the website. "We sent e-mails to several local landscaping companies asking for quotes. Garden Guy called Michael back saying they would like to bid," Lackey told the Houston Voice. Lord called the company Wednesday morning to set up an appointment. "Michael was asked if 'his wife would be home' when the consultation would take place. He brushed it off, but when he was asked again if his wife would be joining, Michael said, "No, but my partner Gary will be.' "Michael set up the appointment, but a few minutes later we got the e-mail." That e-mail has now become the subject of a nationwide online debate. Subject: Cancel Appt – Garden Guy Dear Mr. Lord, I am appreciative of your time on the phone today and glad you contacted us. I need to tell you that we cannot meet with you because we choose not to work for homosexuals. Best of luck in finding someone else to fill your landscaping needs. All my best, Sabrina Todd and Sabrina Farber Owners, Garden Guy, Inc. After receiving the e-mail, Lord called Lackey. "He was in shock," Lackey said. "We just couldn't believe that had happened." Lackey forwarded the e-mail to about 200 of his friends, asking that they not patronize Garden Guy in the future. Had Lord looked more closely he would have seen that the Farbers were very upfront with their faith. Beneath a photo of the couple and their four children, the Farbers wrote: The God-ordained institution of marriage is under attack in courts across the nation, and your help is needed. Go to: www.nogaymarriage.com to take action. Ephesians 5:8 (Amplified Bible) ... For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light and lead the lives of those native-born to the Light. That stance shortly became the topic of discussion online and in the homosexual press. The Farbers quickly set up a forum on their website but it was taken down Thursday, possible because of the crude language of some posters. "I am embarrassed for you and your husband," wrote "Chris." "Just as you choose not to do business with us, I, my friends, my family, my co-workers and everyone I meet, will not do business with you! I have sent your e-mail to over 50 people I know and work with. These people know 50 others each ... was your bigotry worth it?" Some critics noted that the Garden Guy website stated that the business was a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, a claim disputed by the trade organization's president in a statement criticizing the Farbers. Amid the threats of boycotts and criticism of the Farber's faith, one poster found the angry messages to be the problem: "There is more hate in these posts than in the original e-mail," wrote "Dave." "Why do you feel that we Christians MUST accept you? Don't you find it ironic that while you demand in one breath that we give up our position that homosexuality is a sin worthy of hell, that you condemn us to that very place in your next?" A copy of the temporary forum site can be viewed here. And while they've refused to talk with the media, the Farbers issued a public explanation for their decision: To the Houston media We did not refuse service with malicious intent. We do not hate homosexuals and we are sorry that we hurt Michael Lord and Gary Lackey. We meant to uphold our right as a small business owner to choose who our clients are. We are humbly sorry for the hurt that it has caused. Respectfully, Todd and Sabrina Farber That may not be enough, though. Some in the homosexual community are angry that what the Farbers did was not illegal. "That's the biggest issue. This is not against the law and that is a travesty," Jerry Simoneaux, an attorney who specializes in homosexual issues told Houston's KHOU-TV. He noted other cities like Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and El Paso have adopted ordinances that would prohibit similar discrimination. "We need something like that in Houston, but we don't have it," said Simoneaux. The response to the Farber's decision has not been universally negative. The American Family Association issued a statement defending their business decision, saying, "Todd, like millions of Americans, obviously has a moral conviction based on his religious beliefs against homosexual behavior and that lifestyle. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that." Lord and Lackey say they have received "lots of offers and recommendations" for a new landscaper. Both men are listed as "hosts" for the homosexual group Bunnies on the Bayou, a Texas 501(c)3 charity that raises money for AIDS-related organizations and art groups. Bunnies was selected to serve as organization grand marshal for the 2006 Houston Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Pride Parade. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52554 Another college drops cross emblem Official: It sent 'wrong message,' created 'confusion' WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - December 30, 200 -- Another university is dropping a cross from its historic imagery, saying it creates confusion and sends the wrong message. The announcement from Simon Fraser University near Vancouver, B.C., about the school's Coat of Arms brings it in alignment with a precedent set earlier by the College of William and Mary, which said in a story WND broke that a historic cross in a structure built as a Christian chapel hundreds of years ago would have to go because it offended some people. A spokesman for Simon Fraser said the two crosses on the 40-year-old emblem are a problem. Warren Gill, the school's vice-president of university relations, said the school doesn't want people to think the wrong thing. "For some people, particularly internationally, the crosses were seen to identify us as a private religious institution as opposed to a secular public one, and a lot of our international folks were getting that back," he said. "If our name was the University of Burnaby, it probably wouldn't have conveyed the same thing, but named for a person it caused some confusion internationally," he told the CBC. The school is named for Canadian explorer Simon Fraser, who lived from 1776-1862 and owes his fame to his expeditions through Canada in 1805 and 1808. He spent many years in the fur trade and took part in the conflict between the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company, but in 1818 he was acquitted of treason, conspiracy and being an accessory to murder. He established several trading posts and explored the river that now bears his name. "We had to pass where no human being should venture," Fraser later concluded. Gill said a new coat of arms will replace the crosses with emblems of books, although the old coat of arms, which has been used since 1965, will remain on university buildings. It was approved by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the custodian of and the authority for Scottish Heraldry, and was based on the personal coat of arms of the clan chief, Simon Fraser Lord Lovat. ... [More] http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53568 'Pro-marriage' sign leads to firing WORLDNETDAILY - October 21, 2006 -- A Virginia man claims he was fired from his job because a message on the window of his pickup truck supported a proposed state constitutional amendment on marriage. Luis Padilla, who worked in the human resources office at Cargill, the international provider of food and agricultural products and services, wrote on his vehicle's rear window, "Please, vote for marriage on Nov. 7." Virginia's proposed amendment would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. An attorney for Cargill, Al Sufka, says Padilla was dismissed for insubordination, because he did not remove the message, which company officials say could be considered harassment, the Harrisonburg Daily News Record in Virginia reported. The 40-year-old's actions, Sufka said, created an environment inconsistent with his role in human relations. "Although Mr. Padilla is clearly entitled to believe whatever he wants, he has no legal right to act in a manner that violates our company policies of equal employment opportunity, non-harassment and tolerance of differences." Cargill spokesman Mark Klein explained the message was considered harassment because people who complained about it said it offended them. As WND reported, Cargill is among the companies given a perfect score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign's 2006 Corporate Equality Index, with policies beneficial toward homosexuals. ... [More] http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52549 Irony of ironies Rome's Colosseum lights up in death penalty protest AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE - January 6, 2007 -- The Colosseum in Rome was illuminated evening as part of Italy's campaign for a global moratorium on the death penalty following the bungled hanging of Saddam Hussein. Following an initiative by the Italian capital's left-wing mayor Walter Veltroni, the arches of the world-famous 2,000-year-old Roman era stadium were lit up as night fell.In attendance were members of Italy's libertarian Radical Party, whose 76-year-old leader Marco Pannella began a hunger strike on December 26 in support of the moratorium. Italian politicians were unanimous in their revulsion over Saddam's execution, with former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi calling it a "political and historic error." Rome's initiative will involve 85 UN member states that signed a non-binding declaration in December against capital punishment, Prime Minister Romano Prodi has said. http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/06/070106220015.scoe89pg.html FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

"No-Holds-Barred Military Operation All The Way To Victory In Iraq"

Alert Focus: Wars and rumors of wars / The Iron and the Clay / The prince of the kingdom of Persia / Ezekiel 38 & 39 / The Second Seal / The Kings of the East

Revelation 6:3-4

When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. Matthew 24:6a

"You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars.

Daniel 7:4 "The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.

Daniel 2:41-43

"In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. "As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. "And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery. Daniel 7:7

"After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

Three large explosions reported in the S. Iranian town of Khorramshahr Thursday DEBKAfile - January 11, 2007 -- Khorramshahr, which faces the Iraqi town of Basra across the Shatt al Arb waterway, is one of the main towns from which Iran smuggles fighters, weapons and explosives into Iraq, for delivery to Iraqi Shiite supporters. http://www.debka.com/ http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=3721 U.S. Troops Raid Iranian Consulate In Iraq RADIO FREE EUROPE – Source: IRNA, Reuters, AFP - January 11, 2007 -- Iraq state television reported today that U.S. troops raided the Iranian Consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil and arrested several Iranian officials. The Iranian news agency IRNA confirmed the raid, saying U.S. troops arrested five Iranian officials at the consulate in the Kurdish region and confiscated documents and computers. IRNA also reported that the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad has handed over a note of protest to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry criticizing what Iran is calling the "illegal move" and demanding the immediate release of the arrested consulate staff. http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/01/98d94516-bcca-4c33-9289-c7550ef83a34.html DEBKAfile Exclusive: Three US Norfolk-based amphibious assault ships set out for Persian Gulf Saturday DEBKAfile - January 7, 2007 -- They are part of the USS Bataan Strike group carrying 2,000 Marines and equipped to insert forces ashore by helicopter, landing craft and amphibious vehicles. The Baatan is equipped with helicopters and fast hovercraft capable of landing thousands of Marines on beaches and providing the landing with cover. The Shreveport, known as the Super Gator, combines the logistical-intelligence support of a command ship with the assault capabilities of combat loaded marines. It is designed for extended amphibious operations. The USS Oak Hill is designed to assist distressed vessels. DEBKAfile’s military sources add that another three warships are due to sail out of Norfolk for the Gulf this week with marine personnel aboard. This will bring to more than 20,000 the complement of sailors, marines and pilots either heading for the Gulf region like the USS John C. Stennis strike group, or already present like the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS Boxer. The deployment of the USS John C. Stennis strike group, announced last week, was billed as “a warning to Syria and Iran.” http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=3705

Bush Poised to Stake His All on Iraq Victory DEBKAfile Exclusive Report DEBKAfile - January 6, 2007 -- President George W. Bush is poised to stake every US resource to hand on a no-holds-barred military operation all the way to victory in Iraq, after first bringing Baghdad under control. The chips should all be lined up by the time he goes public next week on his new strategy for Iraq and the Middle East at large. DEBKAfile’s military and Washington sources report that the new Bush policy will brook no look-in for Iran, Syria or Hizballah in Iraq’s affairs. Exceptionally offensive US military resources have been marshaled to bar any interference with the White House’s plans for Iraq. They will under the hand of the military command for instantaneous responses. To this end, the shakeup of military leaders the US president set in motion over the weekend moves into forward position one of the toughest and most hawkish US military leaders. Adm. William J. Fallon (picture), 62, hitherto supreme commander in the Pacific theater, takes over from Gen. John Abizaid as commander of the US central command which is in charge of the US fronts in Iraq, Afghanistan and against global terrorism. The admiral specializes in deploying large-scale navy, air and Marines forces simultaneously in different arenas. And the White House is making sure that Adm. Fallon has plenty of resources to deploy, a veritable buildup, the second in four months, in the Persian Gulf and other waters opposite Iran. The USS John C. Stennis strike group is heading for the Persian Gulf with a mighty air arm of 9-10 fighter-bomber squadrons. Saturday, some sources reported that another task force, the USS Ronald Reagan Strike Group, had been ordered out of Sand Diego on Jan. 4 and was heading in the same direction. Military observers in the US and Middle East noted that the group’s commander, Rear Adm. Michael H. Miller, reiterated: “When we deploy for real-world operations, Carrier Strike Group 7 will be an example of how the Navy is able to carry out our mission any time, anywhere in the world.” The original announcement that the Stennis strike group will this month join the USS Dwight Eisenhower aircraft carrier group and USS Boxer strike force in the Persian Gulf described the deployment “as a warning to Syria and Iran” in face of acts seen as provocative, and to give commanders more flexibility in the region. Deployment of the Stennis group puts a total of 16,000 US sailors in the region as well as another nuclear carrier and 7 escort warships, 10 air squadrons, 2 submarines and helicopters to support amphibious landings on enemy soil. This massed naval, air and marine forces assembled should provide credible evidence of the lengths the United States is prepared to go to keep Iran, Syria or Hizballah from interfering with the all-out American attempt to stabilize Iraq. While the Stennis group has a high capability for sowing sea mines across broad stretches of water, thus threatening to disable the Iranian army and corking up its oil export outlets, the Ronald Reagan has the opposite and supplementary operational capability of sweeping up marine mines and explosive charges should Tehran blockade the Persian Gulf and Hormuz Strait against American warships and outgoing oil shipping from Iraq and Arabian oil centers. DEBKAfile’s military sources foresee these frenzied preparations as spelling a turbulent winter and spring for the region - critical for Iraq and fraught with tension for the rest of the Middle East. Israel might face extreme danger should Tehran and Damascus target the Jewish state in retaliation for US strikes. Israel is ruled by a volatile, shaky government; its military command under fire for its Lebanon War mistakes. Both may decided to take advantage of Israel’s low state. In fact US and Israeli military leaders do not rule out possible Iranian, Syrian or Hizballah assaults on the pretext that they are really aiming for US military installations in Israel. They may also direct their fire on American locations in Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and its fleet in the eastern Mediterranean. President Bush’s willingness to go all the way in Iraq, say DEBKAfile sources in Washington, is prompted by a simple line of reasoning. If it ends in victory, he will end his presidency on a high note and be able to boast that American doggedness and courage prevailed over the enemy in the long haul. If the US armed forces fail to deliver, Bush will be in exactly the same position as he is today, namely, heading for the history books as the American president who lost the Iraq war and the struggle against terror. He therefore has nothing to lose and everything to gain by staking his all on victory. In pushing ahead in Iraq, the Gulf and the Middle East, Bush faces intense opposition from the Democratic majority which rules both houses of congress since they were lost to the Republicans last year over Iraq. Democratic leaders Senate leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi are urging the US president to reject US troop increases in Iraq and opt for redeployment. Turning them down would also reject the bipartisan spirit embodied in the Baker-Hamilton Iraqi Study Group report. Using his powers as commander in chief, he continues to bolster the Iraqi front with another key appointment: Lt. Gen. David Petraeus will succeed Gen. George Casey in command of American forces in Iraq. Petraeus commanded the 101st Airborne, the Screaming Eagles, in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Its motto, Rendezvous with Destiny, fits the US president’s present frame of mind. The appointment of Ryan Crocker to replace Zamay Khalilzad as US ambassador to Baghdad further supplements the all-or-nothing scenario. Crocker led the US campaign in the Indian subcontinent against al Qaeda and Taliban. Khalilzad moves over to head the US mission at the United Nations. http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1247

US Marines build sand walls in latest Iraq tactic

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE - January 11, 2007 -- Adapting ideas tracing back from ancient history to modern Israel, US Marines have sealed off flashpoint towns with sand walls in a new counter-insurgency tactic to quell the wilds of western Iraq. Driving across the desert to Haditha, one of the war's deadliest and most infamous battlefields, the grey plain suddenly collapses into a ditch and rises into an intimidating 12-foot (around four-metre) bank of bulldozed sand. ... [More]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/11/070111141318.rm71vcto.html

Troop Surge Already Under Way

90 Advance Troops from 82nd Airborne Arrive in Baghdad

ABC NEWS [America] - By Jonathan Karl - January 10, 2007 -- BAGHDAD, Iraq -- President Bush's speech may be scheduled for tonight, but the troop surge in Iraq is already under way. ABC News has learned that the "surge" Bush is expected to announce in a prime time speech tonight has already begun. Ninety advance troops from the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in Baghdad Wednesday. An additional battalion of roughly 800 troops from the same division are expected to arrive in Baghdad Thursday. Eighty percent of the sectarian violence occurs within a 30-mile radius of Baghdad, so that is where most of the additional troops will be concentrated. It is the first small wave of troops in a new White House strategy that is expected to put more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq and likely require new call-ups of the National Guard....

Split Troops to Secure City Military commanders say there is more to this plan than boots on the ground — it's also how the troops will be used. The idea is for U.S. and Iraqi forces to become a more integral part of Baghdad neighborhoods such as Dora, which was secured in August 2006 only to see violence spike when U.S. forces left. Under the new plan, the city of Baghdad will be divided into nine separate sections at the request of Iraqis, who want one army and police battalion devoted to each section. The additional U.S. troops being sent to Baghdad will be divided among the nine sections of the city, nearly doubling U.S. combat power in the region. In a switch from the current course of action, these U.S. forces will be housed in the very neighborhoods they patrol. Military planners tell ABC News there will eventually be about 30 mini bases, called joint security stations, scattered around Baghdad, housing both U.S. and Iraqi troops. The plan also includes an emphasis on performance from the Iraqis. White House officials said they have put tremendous pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to crack down on Shiite militias, especially radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is thought to be responsible for most of the sectarian violence. A senior White House official said that Maliki told the president, "I swear to God, I'm not going to let Sadr run this country." Maliki must also provide Iraqi troops on schedule and give Sunnis a larger role in the government. ... [More]

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/IraqCoverage/story?id=2785532

Bush to Add 21,500 Troops to Iraq Force

ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Terence Hunt - January 11, 2007 -- WASHINGTON -- Unswayed by anti-war passions, President Bush to say Wednesday he will send 21,500 additional U.S. forces to Iraq to break the cycle of violence and "hasten the day our troops begin coming home." He acknowledged making mistakes in earlier security efforts in Baghdad. The troop buildup will push the American presence in Iraq toward its highest level and put Bush on a collision course with the new Democratic Congress. It also runs counter to advice from some generals. ...

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/10/D8MIMM7G0.html

Fact Sheet: The New Way Forward in Iraq

THE WHITE HOUSE - For Immediate Release -- Office of the Press Secretary - January 10, 2007

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070110-3.html

Text of Bush's speech on Iraq plan Complete transcript of president's remarks in address to nation WORLDNETDAILY - January 10, 2007 http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53725

Blair refuses to match US troop 'surge' in Iraq

THE DAILY MAIL [LONDON] - January 8, 2007 -- Tony Blair will make clear this week that Britain is not going to send more troops to Iraq even if the US pushes ahead with a "surge" of 20,000 extra soldiers. The Prime Minister will insist that the UK will stick to its own strategy of gradually handing over to the Iraqi army, as it has been doing with success in Basra and the south. ... [More]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=427298&in_page_id=1770

Asian allies offer support for Bush

ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Joseph Coleman - January 11, 2007 -- TOKYO -- President Bush's decision to boost American troops in Iraq won support Thursday from U.S. allies as a step toward stabilizing the country, but the move was angrily condemned by opponents of the war. The leaders of South Korea, Australia and Japan - all longtime supporters of the U.S.-led mission in Iraq - pledged continued political backing and material help to the beleaguered war effort. "If America retreats in Iraq, then that has enormous consequences for the stability of the Middle East and it will also be an enormous boost to terrorism in our part of the world," Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in Sydney. Howard, whose country has 1,300 troops in and around Iraq, called Bush's plan to increase the U.S. presence by more than 20,000 troops "very clear, calm and above all, realistic." However, in Pakistan a coalition of hardline anti-U.S. religious groups on Thursday rejected the troop boost, demanding instead that Washington withdraw its forces from Iraq....

The alliance opposes President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's close cooperation with the United States in the war on terrorism. Bush talked to allies Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun by telephone before his announcement, officials said. Both countries host large numbers of American troops and have contributed forces to Iraq. ... [More]

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/16430843.htm

Democrats Plan to Fight Expansion of Troops

NEW YORK TIMES - By Jeff Zeleny - January 11, 2007 -- WASHINGTON -- The new Democratic leaders of Congress on Wednesday accused President Bush of ignoring strong American sentiment against the war in Iraq and said they would build a bipartisan campaign against his proposed military expansion. ... [More]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/washington/11reaction.html?ei=5090&en=657c42260078ee79&ex=1326171600&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

President of Iran woos allies in Latin America

LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH - By Jeremy McDermott, Latin America Correspondent - January 11, 2007 -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, is to fly to Latin America this weekend in search of new international allies as three of the region's most anti-American leaders are sworn into power.On a four-day trip, Mr Ahmadinejad will be calling on the presidents of Venezuela, Ecuador and Nicaragua – who are being sworn into power within days of each other after election victories in recent months.He will also meet the Left-wing president of Bolivia who took office a year ago.The visit is certain to alarm the Bush administration, which will look on as one of its biggest global foes – who is suspected of wishing to acquire nuclear weapons – courts Washington's regional opponents in its own backyard.President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, the region's most outspoken Left-wing leader, was inaugurated for a third term yesterday and promised Cuban-style reforms to complete his socialist revolution.The former Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega was inaugurated in Nicaragua yesterday, returning to power after 16 years in the cold.Rafael Correa, an unabashed fan of Mr Chavez and his fierce anti-Americanism, assumes the presidency of Ecuador on Monday. … [More]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/11/wiran11.xml

Iran reformists slam government's nuclear policy

REUTERS - By Alireza Ronaghi - January 11, 2007 -- TEHRAN -- Iranian reformist parliamentarians on Saturday blamed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government for failing to prevent United Nations sanctions. The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on December 23 to impose sanctions on Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology in an attempt to stop uranium enrichment work that could produce material that could be used in bombs. Iran says it wants nuclear power to generate electricity.

Reformist former President Mohammad Khatami suspended Iran's nuclear work for more than two years in an effort to build confidence and avoid confrontation with the West, but resumed uranium enrichment in February last year. "The only way to pass the crisis is to build confidence ... but a holding Holocaust conference and financing the Hamas government creates mistrust and tension," Noureddin Pirmoazzen, the spokesman of parliament's reformist faction, told Reuters. Ahmadinejad's government hosted a conference in Tehran in December, where participants questioned the Holocaust. It also granted $250 million in aid to the Palestinian Hamas government after Western donors withheld funds. ... [More]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-01-06T145030Z_01_RON648403_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAN-REFORMERS.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

U.S. Hunts for Key Terrorists in Somalia

ASSOCIATED PRESS - January 11, 2007 -- NAIROBI, Kenya -- None of the top three suspected terrorists in Somalia were killed in a U.S. airstrike this week, but Somalis with close ties to al-Qaida were slain, a senior U.S. official in the region said Thursday. A day earlier, a Somali official had said a U.S. intelligence report had referred to the death of Fazul Abdullah Mohammed _ one of the three senior al-Qaida members believed responsible for bombing U.S. embassies in East Africa. But U.S. and Ethiopian troops in southern Somalia were still pursuing the three, the U.S. official said Thursday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record to the media.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/11/D8MJ3RE80.html

NATO: 150 Fighters Killed in Afghanistan

ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Jason Straziuso - January 11, 2007 -- KABUL, Afghanistan -- NATO forces fought two large groups of militants crossing the border from Pakistan, and as many as 150 insurgents were killed, the alliance said Thursday. A Taliban spokesman called the report "a complete lie." The fighters were attacked with ground fire and airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, NATO said. Gen. Murad Ali, the Afghan army regional deputy corps commander, said the insurgents had traveled into Paktika province with several trucks of ammunition. ... [More]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070111/D8MJ3RO80.html

North Korea Prepping Nuclear Weapons Test ABC NEWS [America] - By Jonathan Karl - January 4, 2007 -- WASHINGTON -- North Korea appears to have made preparations for another nuclear test, according to U.S. defense officials. "We think they've put everything in place to conduct a test without any notice or warning," a senior U.S. defense official told ABC News. The official cautions that the intelligence is inconclusive as to whether North Korea will actually go ahead with another test but said the preparations are similar to the steps taken by Pyongyang before it shocked the world by conducting its first nuclear test last Oct. 9. … [More] http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2771492&page=1

Homeland Security turns to media for nuke intel

WORLDNETDAILY - October 10, 2006 -- The Department of Homeland Security is relying on the Washington Post for intelligence regarding the nuclear, biological and chemical threat from al-Qaida, reveals an internal department memo obtained by WND. The revelation calls into question the credibility, reliability and overall quality of the intelligence that U.S. security officials are receiving in the field.

"Our world-class law enforcement is getting intelligence from the Washington Post," complained a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official, who received the memo from headquarters. "Next, the CIA will be reading the National Enquirer." The memo, distributed last year to field directors, attached a three-part series published by the Post, and required officials to read the articles and incorporate them into daily musters and training modules as "first steps in protecting our borders against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats." ... [More]

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52320

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Muhammad, Madness and Mayhem

Alert Focus: The Fruit of Islam / A Horde of Judgment / Deception / Antichrist This is that.... Habakkuk 1:2-3 How long, O LORD, will I call for help,And You will not hear?I cry out to You, "Violence!"Yet You do not save.Why do You make me see iniquity,And cause me to look on wickedness?Yes, destruction and violence are before me;Strife exists and contention arises. Joel 2:3 A fire consumes before them and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them but a desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing at all escapes them. 1 John 2:22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Airport Screeners Get Lessons On Islam As Pilgrims Return From The Hajj, TSA Teaches Workers How To Treat Muslims CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR - by Alexandra Marks - January 11, 2007 -- Say you're a security screener at the airport. You notice a large group of people wearing white robes, speaking a strange language. The women have head scarves and the men long beards. They look nervous. One of them is holding a Koran. Another appears to be praying. What do you do? According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), simply assume they're devout Muslims returning from the annual hajj in Mecca. During the next few weeks, as many as 20,000 American Muslims will be returning to the United States from their pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The TSA has ramped up cultural-awareness training for all 43,000 of its screeners. The goal: to remind screeners what to expect from devout Muslims and how to go about screening them so it's in concert with their religious beliefs. Arab-American and Muslim-American leaders are applauding the effort. But they say it's part of a much-needed larger cultural and political conversation about Islam and Arab culture that can help the nation as it heals from the aftereffects of 9/11. ... [More] http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/09/national/main2340632.shtml Muslim sensitivity training for 45,000 airport workers Security officials told 'to be aware that they may also be praying' WORLDNETDAILY - December 28, 2006 -- The Transportation Security Administration – created after 9/11 to safeguard America's airports – is providing Islamic sensitivity training to 45,000 airport security officers so they'll know what to expect when Muslims fly from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia to participate in the annual "hajj," or pilgrimage to Mecca. "We put out information telling everyone that hajj is coming; this is the time frame; individuals are going to be traveling with these types of items," TSA spokesman Darrin Kayser told the State Department's USINFO Web site Tuesday. Calling it "cultural sensitivity training," Kayser added that airport security officials need "just to be aware that they may also be praying." Ironically, just last month six Muslim imams were ejected by federal authorities from a US Airways flight in Minneapolis because they were deemed a potential security threat. Among the various behaviors that unnerved fellow passengers was the group's prayers in the airport prior to their flight. Welcoming TSA's Islamic sensitivity training is the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, which describes itself as "America's largest Islamic civil liberties group." In a press release praising the program yesterday, CAIR noted that it distributes a pocket guide titled "Your Rights and Responsibilities as an American Muslim." "As an airline passenger," the CAIR guide states, "you are entitled to courteous, respectful and non-stigmatizing treatment by airline and security personnel. You have the right to complain about treatment that you believe is discriminatory." The press release also quoted the group's communications director, Ibrahim Hooper, as saying CAIR representatives nationwide have met with not only the TSA, but also from Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection officials on "issues related to cultural sensitivity and national security." Indeed, CAIR has developed a wide-ranging advisory and teaching relationship with government on the subject of protecting Muslim interests. As WND reported previously, last June a senior Department of Homeland Security official from Washington personally guided CAIR officials on a behind-the-scenes tour of Customs screening operations at O'Hare International Airport in response to CAIR complaints that Muslim travelers were being unfairly delayed as they entered the U.S. from abroad. However, CAIR itself is a controversial organization. It is a spin-off of the Islamic Association for Palestine, identified by two former FBI counterterrorism chiefs as a "front group" for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Moreover, several CAIR leaders have been convicted on terror-related charges. During the June airport tour, CAIR was taken on a walk through the point-of-entry, Customs stations, secondary screening and interview rooms. In addition, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents were asked to describe for CAIR representatives various features of the high-risk passenger lookout system. Brian Humphrey, Customs and Border Patrol's executive director of field operations, assured CAIR officials that agents do not single out Muslim passengers for special screening and that they must undergo a mandatory course in Muslim sensitivity training. The course teaches agents that Muslims believe jihad is an "internal struggle against sin" and not holy warfare. Customs agents involved in the CAIR tour at O'Hare told WorldNetDaily they were outraged that headquarters would reveal sensitive counterterrorism procedures to an organization that has seen several of its own officials convicted of terror-related charges since 9-11. CAIR says the June tour allayed its concerns about profiling and that it "looks forward to continuing the relationship with U.S. Customs and Border Protection offices in the region, and to furthering understanding between the organizations as well as facilitating future communication in order to eliminate problems for Muslim travelers before they even arise." As WND reported, the Department of Homeland Security invites CAIR itself to conduct sensitivity training for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and supervisors (CBP's counterparts) in Chicago. The course is taught by local CAIR officials Christina Abraham and Mariyam Hussain. More than 30 ICE staffers have gone through the CAIR awareness program so far. CAIR – which is bankrolled by the Saudis and the United Arab Emirates, two countries that formally recognized the Taliban – also offers religious and cultural sensitivity training about Islam and Muslims to the military. In June, for example, CAIR trained more than 300 military personnel at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz. Also in June, CAIR was invited by the Pentagon to a ceremony dedicating the first Islamic center in Marine Corps history at Quantico headquarters outside of Washington. Washington-based CAIR also has regular meetings with the FBI and Justice Department. In fact, FBI case agents complain the bureau rarely can make a move in the Muslim community without first consulting with CAIR, which sits on its advisory board. CAIR in the past has cried racism and bigotry when the bureau has moved unilaterally with investigations and raids in the community. CAIR has also been dogged by the statements of Omar Ahmad, as reported by a California newspaper, that "Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant," and, "The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth." Although the newspaper's publisher and the reporter stand by the quotes, Ahmad and CAIR dispute their accuracy. The pilgrimage to Mecca is a religious duty for Muslims, which attracts about 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims very year, according to Saudi officials. The Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., reports that about 15,000 American Muslims made the pilgrimage in 2005. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53543 Muslims shout at Jesus' home: 'Islam will dominate the world' March through town of Nazareth 'meant to intimidate Christians' WORLDNETDAILY - By Aaron Klein - January 1, 2007 -- NAZARETH – Islamic groups held a large militant march down the main streets of Nazareth this weekend, highlighting for some here the plight of Christians in this ancient city where Muslims have become a majority and members of the dwindling Christian population say they suffer regular intimidation. Nazareth, considered one of the holiest cities for Christians, is described in the New Testament as the childhood home of Jesus. It contains multiple important shrines and churches, including the famous Church of the Basilica of the Annunciation, the site at which many Christians believe the Virgin Mary was visited by the Archangel Gabriel and told that she had been selected as the mother of Jesus. The Islamic Movement, the main Muslim political party in Nazareth, said it organized yesterday's march to celebrate Eid ul-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, which commemorates the Muslim belief Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah. Christian and Jewish faith dictates it was Isaac, not Ishmael, whom Abraham almost sacrificed. Islamic Movement leaders paraded down Nazareth's main thoroughfare brandishing their party's green flag. Young Muslim men in battle gear marched and beat drums as a man on loudspeaker repeatedly exclaimed in Arabic, "Allah is great." Hundreds of activists strutted screaming Islamist epithets, including "Islam is the only truth" and "Islam shall rule all." Tens of thousands of Nazareth residents, seemingly mostly Muslim, congregated on the streets as the march passed by. Muslim children launched firecrackers into the sky, occasionally misfiring, with the small explosives landing dangerously close to the crowds. Many of the town's Christian residents stayed away from the event, with the exception of Christian shopkeepers who worked in the area. WND observed as several Muslim youth marching in the parade started to charge at three local Christian shopkeepers but the youth stopped short. While the march was billed as a celebration, it's militant virtues were clearly visible. The event seemed more a show of force than a street party. "The march is meant to intimidate Christians," said Saleem, a Nazareth Christian resident who asked that his last name be withheld for fear of what he said was "Muslim retaliation" for speaking out. "It's part of the methods used by the Muslims in very obvious ways to create an atmosphere where the Christians should know the Muslims are the main power and we are not welcome anymore," Saleem said. ... [More] http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53574 Australia: Suspect 'spoke of rocket attack ideas' THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD - By AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS - January 11, 2007 -- A terror suspect who allegedly bought five stolen army rocket launchers said he would use them to blow up "the nuclear place" and Parliament House, a Sydney court has been told. It is alleged the man, Mohammad Ali Elomar, was later seen near Sydney's Lucas Heights nuclear reactor, where an access lock for a gate to a nearby reservoir had recently been cut. The claims were contained in a police statement tendered to Central Local Court, where Taha Abdul Rahman - the man accused of selling the rocket launchers - was refused bail. Abdul Rahman, 28, from Leumeah, in Sydney's south-west, faces 17 charges related to the possession and supply of seven rocket launchers allegedly stolen from the Australian Defence Force. ... [More] http://www.smh.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Suspect-spoke-of-rocket-attack-ideas/2007/01/10/1168105030674.html Spanish bishops fear rebirth of Islamic kingdom THE INDEPENDENT - By Elizabeth Nash in Madrid - January 5, 2007 -- Spain's bishops are alarmed by ambitious plans to recreate the city of Cordoba - once the heart of the ancient Islamic kingdom of al-Andalus - as a pilgrimage site for Muslims throughout Europe. Plans include the construction of a half-size replica of Cordoba's eighth century great mosque, according to the head of Cordoba's Muslim Association. Funds for the project are being sought from the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and Muslim organisations in Morocco and Egypt.Other big mosques are reportedly planned for Medina Azahara near Cordoba, Seville and Granada. The bishops of those cities are alarmed at the construction of ostentatious mosques, fearing that the church's waning influence may be further eclipsed by resurgent Islam financed from abroad. Up to one million Muslims are estimated to live in Spain. Many are drawn by a romantic nostalgia for the lost paradise of Al-Andalus, the caliphate that ruled Spain for more than five centuries. ... [More] http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2125423.ece Airport Battles Some Muslim Cabbies ASSOCIATED PRESS - January 4, 2007 -- MINNEAPOLIS -- Officials at Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport are proposing stiffer penalties - including suspension of an airport taxi license - to Muslim cab drivers who refuse service to passengers toting alcohol or service dogs. Officials on Wednesday asked the Metropolitan Airport Commission for permission to hold public hearings on a proposal that would suspend the airport licenses of cab drivers who refuse service for reasons other than safety concerns. The penalties would also apply to drivers who refuse a fare because a trip is too short…. "Our expectation is that if you're going to be driving a taxi at the airport, you need to provide service to anybody who wants it," commission spokesman Patrick Hogan said…. Airports Commissioner Bert McKasy said the issue raised by Muslim cab drivers who say that carrying alcohol or dogs, including those that help people with disabilities, violates religious beliefs is "unfortunate."…. Each month, about 100 people are denied cab service at the airport. Airport officials say that in recent months, the problem of service refusals for religious reasons has grown. About three-quarters of the 900 taxi drivers at the airport are Somali, many of them Muslim…. Last year, the airports commission received a fatwa, or religious edict, from the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society. The fatwa said "Islamic jurisprudence" prohibits taxi drivers from carrying passengers with alcohol, "because it involves cooperating in sin according to Islam."…. But Hassan Mohamud, imam at Al-Taqwa Mosque of St. Paul and director of the Islamic Law Institute at the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, one of the largest Islamic organizations in the state, said asking Muslims to transport alcohol "is a violation of their faith. Muslims do not consume, carry, sell or buy alcohol, and Islam also considers the saliva of dogs to be unclean, he said. Mohamud said he would ask airport officials to reconsider. But many Somali taxi drivers don't have a problem transporting passengers with alcohol and are worried about a backlash, said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center. Jamal said he supports the tougher penalties. …[More]http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070104/D8MEJEU00.html Ellison Uses Thomas Jefferson's Quran ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Frederic J. Frommer - January 4, 2007 -- WASHINGTON -- Keith Ellison made history Thursday, becoming the first Muslim member of Congress and punctuating the occasion by taking a ceremonial oath with a Quran once owned by Thomas Jefferson. "Look at that. That's something else," Ellison, D-Minn., said as officials from the Library of Congress showed him the two-volume Quran, which was published in London in 1764. A few minutes later, Ellison took the ceremonial oath with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., at his side. So many of Ellison's family members attended the ceremony that it was done in two takes. Ellison had already planned to be sworn in using a Quran, rather than a Bible. He learned last month about Jefferson's Quran, with its multicolored cover and brown leather binding, and arranged to borrow it. …[More] http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/04/D8MEPKIG0.html Muslims warn of 'problems' in shared prayer room Somali leader says Islam, Christianity incompatible WORLDNETDAILY - January 4, 2007 -- Muslims are demanding a private room to pray at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, saying there will be problems if they have to share an existing "quiet room" with people of other religions. "Where you have Christians and Muslims praying at the same time, it will create a problem," said Fuad Ali, a Somali leader who spoke at a meeting with airport officials, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The meeting was a followup to an incident Nov. 20 when ticket agents and other passengers noticed six Muslim imams who had attended a conference in the area praying loudly before their flight, and shouting "Allah, Allah" when their flight was called. Officials said then they also asked to be scattered throughout the plane, rather than sitting together as they had been assigned. And some of the imams, although they did not need them, asked for seat-belt extenders. ... [More] http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53621 Judgement UK: Sharia law is spreading as authority wanes Islamic sharia law is gaining an increasing foothold in parts of Britain, a report claims. LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH - By Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Editor – November 29, 2006 -- Sharia, derived from several sources including the Koran, is applied to varying degrees in predominantly Muslim countries but it has no binding status in Britain. However, the BBC Radio 4 programme Law in Action produced evidence yesterday that it was being used by some Muslims as an alternative to English criminal law. Aydarus Yusuf, 29, a youth worker from Somalia, recalled a stabbing case that was decided by an unofficial Somali "court" sitting in Woolwich, south-east London. Mr Yusuf said a group of Somali youths were arrested on suspicion of stabbing another Somali teenager. The victim's family told the police it would be settled out of court and the suspects were released on bail. A hearing was convened and elders ordered the assailants to compensate their victim. "All their uncles and their fathers were there," said Mr Yusuf. "So they all put something towards that and apologised for the wrongdoing." Although Scotland Yard had no information about that case yesterday, a spokesman said it was common for the police not to proceed with assault cases if the victims decided not to press charges. However, the spokesman said cases of domestic violence, including rape, might go to trial regardless of the victim's wishes. Mr Yusuf told the programme he felt more bound by the traditional law of his birth than by the laws of his adopted country. "Us Somalis, wherever we are in the world, we have our own law," he said. "It's not sharia, it's not religious — it's just a cultural thing." Sharia's great strength was the effectiveness of its penalties, he said. Those who appeared before religious courts would avoid re-offending so as not to bring shame on their families. Some lawyers welcomed the advance of what has become known as "legal pluralism". Dr Prakash Shah, a senior lecturer in law at Queen Mary University of London, said such tribunals "could be more effective than the formal legal system". In his book Islam in Britain, Patrick Sookhdeo, director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity, says there is an "alternative parallel unofficial legal system" that operates in the Muslim community on a voluntary basis. "Sharia courts now operate in most larger cities, with different sectarian and ethnic groups operating their own courts that cater to their specific needs according to their traditions," he says. These are based on sharia councils, set up in Britain to help Muslims solve family and personal problems. Sharia councils may grant divorces under religious law to a woman whose husband refuses to complete a civil divorce by declaring his marriage over. There is evidence that these councils are evolving into courts of arbitration. Faizul Aqtab Siddiqi, a barrister and principal of Hijaz College Islamic University, near Nuneaton, Warwicks, said this type of court had advantages for Muslims. "It operates on a low budget, it operates on very small timescales and the process and the laws of evidence are far more lenient and it's less awesome an environment than the English courts," he said. Mr Siddiqi predicted that there would be a formal network of Muslim courts within a decade. "I was speaking to a police officer who said we no longer have the bobby on the beat who will give somebody a slap on the wrist. "So I think there is a case to be made under which the elders sit together and reprimand people, trying to get them to change." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=Y3UZA1RZGTHK5QFIQMFSFGGAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2006/11/29/nsharia29.xml CNN Should've Seen Osama-Obama Flub Coming The confusion between Osama Bin Laden and Barack Obama MEDIABISTRO.com - January 2, 2007 -- Considering their lighthearted report on people who confuse "Osama" with "Obama" aired less than a month ago ... CNN airs video of Osama Bin Laden with the question superimposed on the screen “Where’s Obama?” http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/tv/cnn_shouldve_seen_osamaobama_flub_coming_50370.asp CNN Apologizes for Mistaken Headline ASSOCIATED PRESS - January 2, 2007 -- NEW YORK -- CNN apologized Tuesday for mistakenly promoting a story on the search for Osama bin Laden with the headline "Where's Obama?" A spokesman for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said the apology was accepted. The blunder came Monday evening on Wolf Blitzer's news show "The Situation Room." Both Soledad O'Brien and Blitzer offered separate apologies during CNN's morning show Tuesday. CNN called it a "bad typographical error" by its graphics department. … [More] http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/02/D8MDBBEG0.html Muslims demand pope convert to Islam WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - September 19, 2006 -- Christian churches in the Middle East are vandalized, a Catholic nun in Africa is killed and Muslims have demanded that the pope convert to Islam – all because he read a quote from a medieval text that described Islam as "evil and inhuman." The pope has issued an apology for even referencing the historic text, emphasized that those views are not his, but still many in the Islamic world are demanding blood.... And now, a report in the Jerusalem Post said that Muslim religious leaders in the Gaza Strip are warning the pope that he must "accept" Islam if he wanted to live in peace. One Muslim cleric, Imad Hamto, said the pope must "repent and ask for forgiveness" and Hamto referred to a phrase taken from letters sent by the founder of Islam to the chiefs of tribes in his times – when he reportedly urged them to convert to Islam in order to keep their lives. ... [More] http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52057 Salman Rushdie says Muslim veils 'suck' THE EVENING STANDARD of LONDON – October 10, 2006 - The row over Muslim women's dress codes reignited today after author Salman Rushdie declared that "veils suck". Rushdie, whose book The Satanic Verses triggered death threats from Islamic clerics, gave his full backing to Leader of the Commons Jack Straw for raising the issue. Rushdie was forced into hiding for 10 years after Iranian cleric Ayatollah Khomeini served a "fatwah" on him over his book's alleged slight on the prophet Mohammed. …. [More] http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23370188-details/Salman+Rushdie+says+Muslim+veils+'suck'/article.do Seeker Sensitive Islam? Discover Islam Wetpaint.com - By Kamala - The Florida-based Web site DiscoverIslam.com sells ornate posters and brochures covering a range of topics about Islam. In their own words, Each poster masterfully integrates traditional Islamic art and calligraphy with modern computer graphics... They powerfully communicate the beauty of Islam, and yet are gentle enough to sway any heart, Muslim and non-Muslim. According to the Web site, over 10,000 sets of posters and more than 2.7 million Readers (brochures) have been distributed worldwide:The Discover Islam series of products have become the mainstay of outreach materials here in the United States and in many parts of the world... Post 9-11 America, wars against terror, war with Afghanistan and Iraq, and Islam taking center stage in world affairs mean that the onslaught of attacks on Islam and Muslim ideologies will continue and will intensify. Simply put, we cannot afford to sit back and let this ideological attack continue. We have to respond, we have to reply in a better, kinder, gentler manner. We have to invite and educate non-Muslims about Islam. Our outreach efforts have to be greater in quantity and quality. ... [More] http://revuse.wetpaint.com/page/Discover%20Islam More Articles: Man convicted for anti Muslim banner FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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