The Flying Imams

Jawa weighs in...

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:17:00 +0000

The American Krystalnacht has begun!

JYB scoop

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:15:00 +0000

Of course, if this was intended to injure or scare Muslims, then it was a moronic and evil thing to do. It ought to go without saying that I condemn that sort of thing, but in case it doesn't, I absolutely condemn that sort of thing and insist that Muslims and all religions should be free to practice their religion freely and without harassment. And I think this ought to be thoroughly and fairly investigated to see whether the perpetrators were politically motivated, or just regular garden variety moron/vandals. I'm sure CAIR's mind is already made up--they desperately need a new membership booster--but the rest of us might like to see what this investigation turns up. (Maybe it's Buddhist Vigilantes?)

Now, that said, the JYB News Bureau has actually obtained hideous, shocking footage of these devices--which CAIR dubbed "Acid Bombs"-- at work, and the horrible consequences of the unstable mixture. Our report is here.

Mentos and Coca Cola

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:09:00 +0000

An Arizona mosque frequented by an imam involved in a high-profile lawsuit against airline passengers was hit by vandals early Monday with what police describe as a "pop bottle bomb."

Imam Didmar Faja says he was standing outside of the Albanian American Islamic Center of Arizona, just west of Phoenix, when the incident occurred at 1 a.m.

The plastic bottle contained pool-cleaning fluid and strips of aluminum foil, and was thrown from a red car driven by two persons. It landed about 20-25 feet from the imam, police said.

In a 10-page press release issued by the Council on American Islamic Relations, Muslims were warned to review their personal security and to "develop a list of attorneys who are willing to be consulted by the Muslim community in response to backlash incidents."

"Ask Muslim attorneys to volunteer their services to community members during this time of crisis," said the "community safety kit" issued by CAIR.

CAIR called the device an "acid bomb" that targeted the imam specifically because of the lawsuit, and called on "local and national law enforcement authorities to investigate the incident as a possible bias-motivated attack."

Glendale police Officer Matt Barnett said at least six similar incidents were reported over the weekend but none was directed at religious targets.

"Calling it an 'acid bomb' is kind of misleading," Officer Barnett said. "It was a plastic bottle with pool cleaner that expands and pops and squirts the pool acid. It's kind of like the Menthos [mints] and Coca Cola thing you see [on YouTube] -- the pressure mounts and it pops. It's not like a stick of dynamite was placed there."

"We're not ruling anything out. We've had a few more pop bottle bombs in the area, and we're concerned and want to see if there is a motive against religion or just a bunch of yahoos driving around and tossing these out the window," Officer Barnett said.

A sergeant with the Glendale Police Department said the incident is under investigation. "We are treating it as a hate crime. We are taking it very seriously," Sgt. Jim Toomey told Reuters News Agency.

Mr. Faja and five other clerics are suing U.S. Airways and "John Doe" passengers claiming they were discriminated against when they were removed from a flight last year. The passengers are named in the suit for reporting suspicious behavior.

The imams' attorney has asked a federal court in Minneapolis to close the court proceedings to the public claiming the men have received death threats.

It was not clear what the imam was doing outside of the center at 1 a.m., as prayers were scheduled for 4:30 a.m.

Must Read

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:11:00 +0000

That is, unless Mr. Sandler tries to stop me beforehand.

Holy Land Foundation Trial

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:07:00 +0000

Dallas Morning News has a good round-up of the week's events:

A 1991 document the government entered into evidence this week from the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas' parent organization, outlines its goals in America as "a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions."

Hate crimes charged for Koran abuses

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:46:00 +0000

A former Pace University student faces hate-crime charges for taking paperback copies of the Koran from the campus library on two occasions last fall and disposing of the Muslim holy book in toilets.

Stanislav Shmulevich, a Ukrainian immigrant, was arraigned Sunday in New York Criminal Court on two charges of criminal mischief in the fourth degree as a hate crime.

"The defendant, as a hate crime, intentionally damaged property of another while having no right to do so nor any reasonable grounds to believe that he had such a right," said the complaint filed by the New York County District Attorney's Office.

University officials filed a vandalism complaint with police after the first incident on Oct. 12, when "a copy of the Koran was found in a public toilet" at the Manhattan campus that "was covered in feces." A second copy of the Koran was found in a toilet Nov. 21.

When questioned by police, Mr. Shmulevich, 23, "admitted to committing said acts" and "that he committed the acts out of anger toward a group of Muslim students with whom he had had a recent disagreement," the criminal complaint said.

"We reported it initially as an act of vandalism, then the police hate-crime unit came over and decided to pursue it as a hate crime," said Chris Corey, Pace University spokesman, adding that he was "not at liberty" to discuss the investigation or how Mr. Shmulevich was implicated.

Mr. Shmulevich was arrested Friday after police found a surveillance photograph of him leaving the reading room where the books are kept, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

He was released from jail after a Sunday arraignment in New York City Criminal Court. Mr. Shmulevich has no criminal record, and works for a European banking firm. Straley M. Thorpe, Mr. Shmulevich's attorney, declined to discuss the specifics of the case, but said the law his client is charged with violating was challenged in past lawsuits on constitutional grounds.

"This may very well be protected speech," Mr. Thorpe said. "The statute is way too vague and broad and includes that of simply annoying people. But this is a free country, and you can't run the risk of annoying people and be charged with a felony."

Asked whether someone was ever charged with a hate crime over the Bible, Mr. Thorpe said "that would take a paralegal a couple of days to research, but this whole situation is fraught with this kind of question."

A search of Lexis/Nexis did not disclose any hate-crime prosecutions for destroying a Bible.

Winfield Myers, director of Campus Watch for the Middle East Forum, called the arrest a step toward the implementation of Islamic law in America.

"One could take a copy of the Bible, the Torah ... abuse it in any way one liked, and never face a criminal penalty for the act of desecration," Mr. Myers said. "Anything goes — unless the keepers of Islam are offended, and then the power of the state must be brought to bear and the offender punished in a criminal court of law."

"The Supreme Court has ruled that Americans can burn the flag and remain immune from prosecution because it is considered to be an act of protected speech. But turn your wrath on the Koran, and you risk arrest and criminal charges. This is Shariah, plain and simple," he said, referring to strict Islamic law.

Mr. Corey said university officials have not been contacted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations; however, the New York chapter released a statement commending the New York Police Department "for its appropriate handling of this case" and said the organization is working with the college's Muslim Student Association and the Association of Muslim American Lawyers "to promote tolerance on the Pace campus."

"JOHN DOE" SAVED

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 07:47:00 +0000

Congress yesterday sent President Bush legislation that heightens airport and seaport security and includes a "John Doe" provision to protect airline passengers from retaliatory lawsuits for reporting potential terror activity.

The measure that implements the remaining major September 11 commission recommendations passed the House yesterday 371-40. It had cleared the Senate 85-8 late Thursday night.

"It was our highest priority to make the American people safer and we passed it on our first day in our first legislative act," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat.

"With this bill we will be keeping our promise to the families of 911 victims," she said.

The homeland security bill requires 100 percent inspection of air cargo and maritime cargo within three years, and changes the formula for the distribution of grant money to ensure high-risk areas such as New York and Washington get a larger share of funding.

The White House said the president would sign the bill.

The John Doe provision was introduced by lawmakers in response to a suit filed by a group of Muslim imams who were removed from a November flight after the flight crew and passengers reported the men were behaving suspiciously.

The suspicious activity, first reported by The Washington Times, included changing seats, the pattern of their seating, moving about the cabin before takeoff, criticizing the Bush administration and the removal of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and asking for seat-belt extensions that flight attendants said were not needed.

Bus driver fired

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:29:00 +0000

The school bus driver arrested in May after he allegedly cursed and spit at Muslim children in a local fast-food restaurant has lost his job at Bay District Schools.

The School Board voted at Wednesday’s meeting to support Superintendent James McCalister‘s recommendation that Thomas Eugene Plaisted, 60, be suspended without pay and terminated. Plaisted did not attend the meeting.

“I talked to him and informed him, and he knows that I was going to make this recommendation,” McCalister told the board. “I told him he and his counsel could talk to the board, but he indicated to me that he would not be present and would not dispute it.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has deemed the alleged incident, which occurred at Taco Bell on State 77 in Lynn Haven, a hate crime. According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Plaisted was in the restaurant when 36-yearold Asma Sidani, wearing a traditional Muslim head scarf, entered with her two children. When she went to the counter to order, Plaisted cursed and made threatening gestures at the children, deputies reported. He also allegedly spit on one boy and shoved the other.

Plaisted is due back in court Aug. 22 to face two counts of evidencing prejudice while committing an offense. He has pleaded not guilty.

A win for John Doe

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:16:00 +0000

This week's "John Doe" episode in the House's "9/11 bill" conference negotiations ended well, thanks to a drumbeat of pro-tipster sentiment and an eleventh-hour cave-in by House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat. That it took House Democrats so long to come to reason says much about both the pressure groups in opposition and the difficulty Democrats have in saying no to the far left.

ho would have benefited? Aside from ending some inconveniences, the real beneficiaries would be trial lawyers and pressure groups like CAIR eager to pull down the nation's homeland-security procedures. Of course, trial lawyers and far-left anti-antiterrorism groups happen to be important sources of money and policy support for Democrats.

The frightening part is how close we came to open-season on citizen tipsters. As recently as Tuesday, the tipster-immunity language appeared to be dead.

Suing John Doe

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:14:00 +0000

The goal of the lawsuit is not just revenge for their experience, but to send a message to anyone who associates Muslims with terror -- no matter how reasonable their suspicions might be -- they should think twice before saying anything.
The possibility of such lawsuits, not to mention the certainty that Cair will label them as "racists," will deter those who report questionable activity to the authorities, and thus potentially make it easier for terrorists to operate in the open.

Giuliani v CAIR

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:41:00 +0000

The Washington Times had this:
Republican presidential hopeful Rudolph W. Giuliani yesterday endorsed a provision to protect citizens from being sued for reporting potential terrorism-related activity and criticized congressional Democrats for blocking the legislation.

"Congressional Democrats are once again showing they just don't get the terrorists' war on us, by attempting to strip important protections for those who report suspected terrorists on airlines," said Mr. Giuliani, who was mayor of New York City during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The provision is the sticking point in a conference committee between the House and Senate to settle differences in legislation that will enact the final recommendations of the September 11 commission. A final draft report could be released as early as tonight.

Primarily sponsored by Rep. Peter T. King, New York Republican and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, the provision would put an end to lawsuits such as the one currently filed by a group of Muslim imams who were removed from a US Airways flight in November. The Islamic scholars sued, among others, the "John Doe" passengers who reported the men were behaving suspiciously.

"Peter King is doing the right thing by putting our national security first and political correctness run amok second," said Mr. Giuliani, who also criticized Democratic presidential candidates for failing to acknowledge "Islamic terrorism" in public debates, including Monday night's YouTube gathering.

"The terrorists are at war with us — whether or not Democrats in Washington and on the campaign trail choose to acknowledge it. And we must stay on offense to prevail," Mr. Giuliani said.

The comments prompted the Council on American-Islamic Relations to issue an action alert to its members urging them to contact Mr. Giuliani's campaign "to express your concerns about his promotion of linking the faith of Islam to terrorism."

ACLU vs John Doe

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:36:00 +0000

ACLU weighs in, hat tip to Hot Air

“It certainly immunizes anybody who says, ‘I don’t want someone who looks Arab on my plane,’” said Caroline Frederickson, director of the Washington legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union. “It goes really, really far in legitimizing racial profiling.”

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the group has concerns with language encouraging citizens to target people who are Muslim or are perceived to be Muslim. But the group does not have a problem with the provision’s language that says it only affects those acting in “good faith,” he added.

The provision stems from a lawsuit lodged by several Muslim men who were removed from an airplane last year because a passenger complained about suspicious activity.

“Taking aim at one pending case is treacherous, since such measures can widely undermine or even eliminate the legal rights of ordinary Americans in ways that aren’t always easy to predict,” said the Leahy aide.

For their part, supporters have pointed to the foiled attack at Fort Dix, N.J., earlier this year, in which a citizen reported suspicious activity that eventually led to the arrests of suspected terrorists.

Go Rudy

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:29:00 +0000

From LGF

You had to know this was coming.

The Council on American Islamic Relations, the Saudi-funded radical Islamic front group named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation Hamas funding trial, has put out one of their infamous “Action Alerts” on Rudy Giuliani—because he used the words “Islamic terrorism:” Action: Contact the Giuliani Presidential Committee.

Saving John Doe

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:27:00 +0000

A late-night agreement Tuesday guaranteed that so-called "John Doe" protection — to prevent airline passengers from being sued for reporting suspicious behavior — will get a floor vote in the House and Senate.

"This is a huge win — a hard-fought victory for House Republicans and, more importantly, for the American people," said Peter T. King, New York Republican and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

The provision survived a contentious congressional process before a House-Senate conference committee agreed just before midnight to include the measure in the final draft of the September 11 commission bill.

The move ensures that the provision cannot be amended on the floor. It is expected to come to a vote in both houses of Congress before the August recess. If passed, the measure will nullify, in part, a lawsuit filed by six imams against US Airways and unnamed "John Doe" passengers. The legislation was initiated after the imams filed the suit in March, claiming that passengers and the airline violated their rights by removing them from the flight.

The suspicious activity included changing seats, moving about the cabin before takeoff, criticizing the Bush administration and the ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and asking for seat-belt extensions flight attendants said were not needed.

The lawsuit can still go forward against the airline under the proposed law, but the "John Doe" passengers cannot be sued for reporting their concerns to the flight crew.

"I'm pleased that Democratic leaders finally decided to do the right thing and agreed with Republicans that we should be encouraging Americans to report potential terrorist activity to the proper authorities," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican.

Democrats initially refused to vote on the language last week when congressional leaders met in the conference committee to draft the final recommendations of the September 11 commission. However, Mr. King pledged to work with leading conferee Sen. Joe Lieber

man, Connecticut independent, to insert the provision in the final written report.

DEMS BLOCK JOHN DOE BILL

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:06:00 +0000

Democrats are trying to pull a provision from a homeland security bill that will protect the public from being sued for reporting suspicious behavior that may lead to a terrorist attack, according to House Republican leadership aides.
The legislation, which moves to a House and Senate conference committee this afternoon, will implement final recommendations from the 911 Commission.
Rep. Pete King, New York Republican and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Steve Pearce, New Mexico Republican, sponsored the bill after a group of Muslim imams filed a lawsuit against U.S. Airways and unknown or “John Doe” passengers after they were removed for suspicious behavior aboard Flight 300 from Minneapolis to Phoenix on Nov. 20 before their removal.
“Democrats are trying to find any technical excuse to keep immunity out of the language of the bill to protect citizens, who in good faith, report suspicious activity to police or law enforcement,” Mr. King said in an interview last night.
“This is a slap in the face of good citizens who do their patriotic duty and come forward, and it caves in to radical Islamists,” Mr. King said.

It's all Bush's fault

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:35:00 +0000

A Muslim civil rights group today blamed Bush administration policies for promoting "Islamophobia" and said the "war on terror" won't stop terrorists.

"The new perception is that the United States has entered a war with Islam itself," said Parvez Ahmed, chairman of the national board of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

"Terrorism is a tactic. You cannot eradicate it by declaring a war against it. The war on terror is causing us infinitely more harm than the terrorists could have ever imagined."

Mr. Ahmed, who spoke at CAIR symposium at the National Press Club, said the war against terrorists is driven by an "irrational" fear that the Bush administration has inculcated in the American public. The chance of being killed in a terrorist attack, he said, is 1 in 80,000 over a lifetime.

"It is important to bear in mind that terrorists cannot destroy America," he said as a member of a panel discussing the symposium theme, "Attacking Islam: Implications for Social Cohesion and U.S. Relations with the Muslim World." The U.S., he said, is too powerful and too resourceful for terrorists to destroy.

The Bush Administration's policies in Iraq has driven a deep wedge between Muslim's and non-Muslim people in the United States, he said.

"Policies driven by fear will be naturally irrational. Thus in this state of irrationality the Bush administration often through their surrogates have resorted to fear-mongering. This has unleashed a vicious cycle, one in which fear leads to bad policies and bad policies lead to more fear.

"The popular discourse in America today remains mired in stereotypical denouncements about Islam. As a result Muslims and their faith remained misunderstood, feared and shunned."

CAIR's big day

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 10:26:00 +0000

It will be interesting to see what David Keene has to say today, stay tuned.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - On Tuesday, July 17, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will host a panel discussion at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., entitled "Attacking Islam: Implications for Social Cohesion and U.S. Relations with the Muslim World."

The panel will address the increasing anti-Muslim rhetoric within the conservative movement in the United States, focusing on the negative impact of such views on religious tolerance in America and on relations with the Muslim world.

Presenters:

* David Keene, President, American Conservative Union
* Parvez Ahmed, Chairman, Council on American-Islamic Relations

Plane diverted

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:32:00 +0000

(CNN) -- An American Airlines flight bound for London was diverted to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport early Thursday after a crew member uncovered a possible security breach, an airline spokeswoman said.
According to Sonja Whitemon, a crew member aboard Flight 136 -- scheduled to travel non-stop from Los Angeles International Airport to London Heathrow Airport -- questioned a passenger who the employee saw bypassing security by traveling on an employee-only bus from a parking lot to the LAX airport.
Following that conversation the decision to divert the Boeing 777 was made, Whitemon said.
The plane landed in New York at about 2:30 a.m. ET.
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told CNN's "American Morning" an initial report he received indicated the passenger in question was actually an employee traveling in a private capacity.
"I think they're still in the process of sorting this out," he said of airport officials. "It may very well turn out that this is nothing more than a misunderstanding with an employee who used an employee bus to get on a plane for a private flight." (Posted 7:02 a.m.)

CAIR and Cal

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:07:00 +0000

While the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has been busy attacking syndicated columnist Cal Thomas recently for supposedly "Islamophobic" comments, the media-hungry group did not condemn the foiled terrorist plots in London or the successful one in Glasgow, Scotland.

Though CAIR's Web site has a video clip of the Chicago chapter director lamenting the events in Britain and the group helped coordinate a St. Louis press conference of Muslim doctors who spoke out against the terrorists, CAIR itself did not condemn the actions of the Islamic terrorists in Britain.

Given that CAIR played a role in promoting its Chicago director and the Muslim doctors, some might wish to give the benefit of the doubt. The organization's history, however, shows that this artful dodge is simply part of its modus operandi.

CAIR has mastered the art of appearing to oppose terrorism, while at the same time leading the charge against those who seek to thwart it.

A case in point is its curiously neglecting to condemn Britain's Islamic terrorists, while during the same week blasting as "Islamophobic" Mr. Thomas' remarks on local radio station WTOP expressing concern about fundamentalists from the "Middle East and South Asia" who are integrating into the broader Muslim society.

In a story for WTOPnews.com, WTOP quoted CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper claiming, "We condemn extremism. We've condemned terrorism... We've issued dozens of condemnations on dozens of terrorism attacks."

CAIR has, in fact, condemned what it considers to be extremism and terrorism — when targeted at Muslims. If a Muslim is the victim of a possible hate crime or has been subjected to a religious slur, CAIR is there. There is nothing wrong with that, of course. And the group is well within its rights when it routinely rails against the United States and Israel.

What CAIR does not do, though, is denounce Islamic fundamentalists who promote a paranoid worldview in which America and Israel are the enemies of Islam, achieved by manufacturing mythical massacres that whip their followers into a lather.

The Courier

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:21:00 +0000

CAIR never fails. During the week following the foiling of a terrorist plot by 45 Muslim doctors, the Council on American-Islamic Relations e-mails us an op-ed column proclaiming that prejudice and fear toward Muslims is irrational."U.S. can ill afford the perception that we are at war with Islam," says Parvez Ahmed, chairman of the board of CAIR, citing a recent Pew poll that found most American Muslims are "decidedly American in their outlook, values and attitudes." He conveniently fails to mention the most significant finding of the poll, which is that 26 percent of American Muslims under age 30 think that suicide bombings are justifiable under some circumstances.
Ahmed also cites a Gallup poll from last August that found that four in 10 Americans admit feelings of prejudice toward Muslims.
"This irrational fear, or Islamophobia, leads to discrimination against Muslims, the exclusion of Muslims from the sociopolitical process, guilt by association and even hate crimes," he writes, noting a significant rise in acts of discrimination and hate crimes reported by Muslims to CAIR since the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
"Irrational" means senseless or contrary to reason. It's hardly irrational to believe the overwhelming evidence presented in the world's news media almost daily. The vast majority of conflicts in the world today are generated by Muslims.
The most recent terrorist plot, by the 45 doctors in Great Britain, is in some ways the most frightening. Despite everything, somehow we'd hoped that those who've sworn to "first, do no harm" would be trustworthy. But now our rational minds tell us that all Muslims must be suspect — even the hijab-wearing pediatrician in Columbus who eloquently denounced the doctors' plot on Fox News the other day.
Ahmed insists that throughout its history, Islam has flourished because it has "adapted to new realities," and that it "shares common values with other major faiths, favors peacemaking over violence and unequivocally rejects killing innocent people, even in warfare."
If that is true, why are Muslims worldwide plotting terrorism and killing innocent people? Why have Muslims historically spread their faith by the sword?
Since 9/11, CAIR's refrain has been that it's the Americans who need to adapt to Islam. This strikes us as a variation of the "dhimmi" status enforced on conquered nations by Muslim armies of the past. CAIR seems to be trying to force us into submission by browbeating us with our own values of peace and tolerance.
We truly sympathize with the many American Muslims who suffer because many Americans associate them with the extremists of their faith. But accusing Americans of Islamophobia and irrationality is not going to solve the problem. Neither will it help to ask us to believe that black is white.
Only when Muslim leaders worldwide honestly face the fact that their religion is being interpreted to justify terrorism and slaughter of the innocent, will it have a chance to change — to truly "adapt to new realities," as Ahmed writes.
Americans aren't at war with Islam — only with Islamofascism. We don't want to destroy Islam. What we really want is for Muslims to stop all the plotting, violence and killing — at which point, we will happily embrace them as our fellow Americans, in peace.

Shut-Out

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:17:00 +0000

Though Mr. Bush's remarks were intended for all American Muslims, the administration left the invitation list to Washington Islamic Center's authorities. Predictably, they excluded the truly moderate, who are not Saudi-founded or funded: the Islamic Supreme Council of America, the American Islamic Congress, the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, the Center for Eurasian Policy, the Center for Islamic Pluralism, the Islam and Democracy Project, the Institute for Gulf Affairs, the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia and many others.

These organizations are frequently shut out of U.S. government events and appointments on the basis that they are considered insignificant or "controversial" by the petro-dollar-funded groups. The administration makes a terrible mistake by making such Wahhabi-influenced institutions as the Washington Islamic Center the gate keepers for all American Muslims.

The actual substance of Mr. Bush's mosque speech -- particularly good on religious freedom -- was overshadowed by the announcement of its single initiative: America is to send an envoy to the Organization of Islamic Conference. Based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the OIC was created explicitly to promote hostility to Israel, and its meetings largely consist of ritualistic Israel-bashing. At one last year, Iran's president called for the "elimination of the Zionist regime." It has no mechanism for discussing the human rights of its member states, and thus has never spoken out against Sudan's genocide of Darfuri Muslims. It is advancing an effort to universalize Islamic blasphemy laws, which are applied as often against speech critical of the governments of OIC member states as against profanities. Last month the OIC council of foreign ministers termed Islamophobia "the worst form of terrorism." Currently no Western power holds either member or observer status at the OIC.

The Bush administration is now actively considering whether its public diplomacy should reach out to Muslim Brotherhood groups. While such groups may pay lip service to peace, they do not denounce terror by Hamas, a Brotherhood offshoot. It keeps as its motto: "Allah is our objective, the Prophet is our leader, the Koran is our law, jihad is our way, dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope." By choosing those whose definition of terror does not include the murder of Jews, honor killings and lethal fatwas against Muslim dissidents and reformers, the U.S. government makes them look strong -- particularly in the shame-and-honor culture of the Middle East -- and strengthens their hand against the real moderates and reformers.

Great Britain, as we were reminded over the past week, has much work ahead in defeating Muslim terror, as well as in overcoming the misguided form of multiculturalism of its recent past. Not all of Britain's measures will be right for America, with our First Amendment. But the British Labour Party socialists appear to have done one major thing right that this American Republican administration has not: Reach out to Muslim leaders who are demonstrably moderate and share our values, even though they may not have petrodollar-funded publicity machines.

While we don't have a Queen to dub knights, Americans do have distinct way of honoring our heroes. Mr. President, confer the Medal of Freedom on one of our own outstanding Muslim-American citizens. For a selection of honorees, look at who was not invited to your recent speech. If Islamists charge "Islamophobia," repeat after Tony: "Loopy loo. Loopy loo."

All in favor

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 10:38:00 +0000

An interesting bruhaha developed over the July 4th holiday when Cal Thomas, well known syndicated columnist and author, chose to speak out on WTOP FM Radio about CAIR (the Council on American Islamic Relations) and the other Muslim Brotherhood groups operating in the United States. CAIR cried foul, as it is wont to do, and demanded listener reactions.

A source at WTOP reports that they have moved beyond the brief tempest created, after determining that email generated in response to CAIR's caviling demands for an attack campaign ran 10-to-1 in favor of Cal Thomas. Perhaps CAIR underestimated Americans' commitment to free speech, or they overestimated the willingness of listeners to pay much attention to a group now formally outed as an un-indicted co-conspirator in yet another Federal terrorism trial and a U.S. body of the Muslim Brotherhood. Or both.

Curse crime

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 07:12:00 +0000

"Mommy this guy wants to break my neck;" that’s what a 5-year-old told his mother as they waited in line at a Lynn Haven Taco Bell back in May.

The words allegedly came from Thomas Plaisted.

The child says Olaisted spit food at him, pushed his 11-year-old brother and cursed at their mother.

"This man not only called the children names like Muslim bastards, he cursed at them using the F-word."

No threat

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 07:08:00 +0000

Computer files maintained by a "cyber-terrorist" gang in the United Kingdom included a threat by 45 Muslim doctors said to be planning an attack on the Mayport Naval Base in Jacksonville, Fla., and other U.S. sites using car bombs and rocket grenades.

U.S. officials, however, said they did not consider the group's plan to be a credible threat.

4th of July not about US?

noreply@blogger.com (Captain Jack) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 11:47:00 +0000

On this Fourth of July, Muslims should remind their fellow Americans that Islamic activists in America and across the globe have consistently condemned attacks on civilians -- most notably the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
To help reverse the growing trend toward Islamophobia and anti-Americanism, we must address legitimate grievances, whether by calling for stepped up condemnation of terrorism on the part of Muslims, or for justice-based solutions to international conflicts.
Equally important, our government should live up to American ideals in practice. Lofty Fourth of July rhetoric must be translated into actions worldwide that show people of all faiths that America is on their side, not against them.