Weldon Participates In 'Obsession' Panel

Ambler - U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon participated in a panel hosted Monday by Philadelphia talk show host Dom Giordano (an Evening Bulletin columnist) regarding the threat of radical Islamic terror and the release of the new documentary "Obsession." Special guests Michael Tremoglie, the author of A Sense of Duty (and an EB columnist too), and Hillel Zaremba, the vice president for strategic planning, Zionist Organizations of America, also participated in the discussion at Ambler Theatre.

"This is not a battle between Republicans and Democrats. There are good Democrats who understand what's at stake here. There are good Democrats who understand that this is not the time for political opportunism. This is not the time for sloganeering. This is not the time for backing away, thinking that some how this might help your election. If that's what your election needs, then you shouldn't be elected, or re-elected. It's about standing tall for what's right and just. It's about standing tall against what I perceive to be the greatest threat in the world to our security today," Rep. Weldon said.

The congressman recounted how he was part of a delegation to England to show American sympathy and support to the country after four suicide bombings in London last year. They met with Prime Minister Tony Blair who told them that he underestimated the danger of Islamic extremists and thought he could tolerate their extremism in his country.

"The more we talk about terrorism, the more we understand that it's not the innocent people who are causing the problem; it's a radical, Islamic-fascist, extremist group that wants to bring down our way of life. It's not just about Israel now, and Jews, it's about anyone who supports Israel and Jews' right to exist. I'm not Jewish, but I understand the battle," Rep. Weldon said.

The screening of the documentary "Obsession," features an insider's view on how anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism is propagated in Islamic television and media, similarities and ties between Islamic extremism and Nazism, and how groups organize in Western countries.

One popular Arab television show reviewed in the film depicts Jews kidnapping a Muslim child and slitting his throat before the Passover festival. The documentary also explores how extremist groups recruit and train at an early age.

As Mike Tremoglie said, "While American kids went to Boy Scouts, the Iraqi kids were joining something called the 'Ashbal Saddam,' which ... translates into 'Saddam's Lion Cubs." They're taken from their home while they were 6, they're indoctrinated into manhood, they are taught to kill animals, they're beaten ... . They later graduate and become Fedayeen militia; these are the people who are now the insurgency. These are the people who are killing American soldiers, the Iraqi civilians in force." Tremoglie believes that Americans, and especially the justice system, are not adequately addressing the growing threat of Islamic extremism. He cited a recent decision by District Judge John Koeltl, who sentenced Lynne Stewart to 28 months in prison, instead of the federal probation recommendation of 30 years.

Stewart was convicted for passing information from her client, 1993 World Trade Center bombing planner Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, to terrorist groups in Egypt. She previously represented drug-dealers and mobsters, but Judge Koeltl, who was appointed by President Clinton in 1994, reduced her sentence because he considered her an important advocate for the poor.

Tremoglie quoted a statement Stewart made in a 1995 interview with The New York Times, "I don't believe in anarchistic violence, but in directed violence. That would be violence directed at institutions which perpetrate capitalism, racism and sexism, and the people who are appointed as guardians of those institutions, and accompanied by popular support."

"How comforting it is to know that this person was well liked by a judge and considered a champion of the poor," Tremoglie said sarcastically. He added how dangerous it is to vote for candidates who oppose the Patriot Act or military tribunals for terrorists.

Zaremba introduced the audience to a popular saying in the Arab world, "First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people," which refers to dominance against Jews and Christians.

Zaremba asked the audience,"Why would a successful movement like Islam express such a thought?" By "successful," he meant how most of the world lives under a Muslim nation-state.

He said that a basic Islamic tenet is that the world is divided between the realm of Islam and the house of war. Whenever Muslims conquered an area, they give the people the options of conversion, death or subjugation. He referred to how the idea of forcing the Jews to wear yellow badges didn't originate in Germany, but in Baghdad in the ninth century.

Muslim nations, even in "moderate" countries like Egypt and Turkey, have laws that forbid Christians from rebuilding or refurbishing their churches. Other countries, like Indonesia, have special taxes against Christians.

"The Muslim world by its very nature believes that Islam must be triumphant," either through complete domination over non-believers or reducing them to second-class status as slaves. "This explains the continued hostility towards Israel," Zaremba said. Zaremba quoted the 14th-century Arab historian Ibn Khaldun, who asked a Muslim leader how Arab tribes managed to destroy Rome and Persian empires. The leader replied, "When a civilization becomes too decadent, too forgetful for the struggle for existence that originally put it on top, it becomes ripe for conquest by those who are still war-like and driven by a sense of ambition."

All three panelists related their ideas on why the media doesn't treat the terrorists' threat seriously and provide the public with better coverage. Weldon cited an unwillingness to properly research the danger. Zaremba believes the media is driven mostly be ratings, and therefore pursues stories less important, but more sensational. Tremoglie believes the media lives in a state of denial. "They don't perceive this to be a threat," he said.

On the Fox News Channel Saturday and Sunday (Nov 4 and 5), E.D. Hill will host "an edited version" of Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West, Best Feature Film winner at the 2005 Liberty Film Festival.

I have seen this documentary. In my opinion, this film should be seen by everyone in the western world. FNC is calling their special "Obsession: The Threat of Radical Islam".

Obsession: The Threat of Radical Islam Saturday, 8pm / 1am ET / Sunday, 4pm / 10pm ET

To learn more, visit ObsessionTheMovie.com where you can watch a 12 minute preview of the film.

FoxFan ping!

I have seen this documentary. In my opinion, this film should be seen by everyone in the western world. FNC is calling their special "Obsession: The Threat of Radical Islam".

Obsession: The Threat of Radical Islam Saturday, 8pm / 1am ET / Sunday, 4pm / 10pm ET

To learn more, visit ObsessionTheMovie.com where you can watch a 12 minute preview of the film.

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my FoxFan list. *Warning: This can be a high-volume ping list at times.

I watched James Zogby end a segment on either Cavuto or Gibson on 9-7-01 by saying that Israel had to face the fact that one day a Palestinian would be the mayor of Jerusalem. I have never seen a more hateful look than the one he had in his eyes when he said it.

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