Free Republic

The following are excerpts from a press conference with Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, which aired on Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on August 6, 2006. (TO VIEW THIS CLIP) Ali Larijani: "Iran's nuclear technology is for peaceful purposes. We accept the inspection of the IAEA, and we are NPT members. We are committed to the NPT regulations. We are a country that acts responsibly within the world order. Therefore, we respect IAEA inspection, in accordance with the safeguard agreements. Therefore, we will develop our nuclear activity where necessary. We will develop all aspects of Iran's nuclear technology,...

Philly Cleric Sentenced for Corruption By JOANN LOVIGLIO, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 19, 2:12 PM ET A prominent Muslim cleric on Monday was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on racketeering and other charges, the latest in a string of convictions stemming from the FBI's sweeping probe of municipal corruption. Prosecutors said that Shamsud-din Ali, 67, used his political connections to obtain dubious loans, donations and city contracts. In addition to his 87-month sentence, Ali was ordered to pay restitution. He was released pending an appeal. The investigation of the so-called "pay to play" culture in Philadelphia's...

DUBAI (AFP) - Al-Qaeda's Iraq frontman Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi claimed 800 Israeli soldiers as well as Jordanian troops took part in the US-led assault on Fallujah in November, according to an audiotape posted on the Internet. "It is known that 800 Israeli soldiers ... participated in the battle; just like the participation by the Jordanian military, whose officers contributed to the planning and the military assault against the city," he said Thursday. The authenticity of the 75-minute tape, posted on the first day of the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Adha, could not be verified. US and Iraqi forces retook the...

When not in Iraq, Abdullah cuts meat for a living. He is a Syrian cook at the Kingdom of God restaurant in Damascus, in a bustling suburb dominated by Iraqi exiles. For the past year, Abdullah has also been on the payroll of Iraqi resistance forces fighting American troops. Like many Syrians, he is convinced that his country will be invaded next and that it is only by keeping the US bogged down in Iraq that Syria will be spared. "All we know is that Syria is the next station in the American plan. The Americans are all Jews and...

TORONTO (CP) - The president of the Canadian Islamic Congress says he personally does not believe that all Israelis over the age of 18 are legitimate targets of suicide bombers, despite saying so on television last week. But that has not satisfied critics who were infuriated by Mohamed Elmasry's comments last week. In a release issued Sunday by the CIC, Elmasry said he was trying to express the view of many Palestinians, not his personal opinion. "Dr. Elmasry did not, does not, and will not condone the widely-held Palestinian view that any form of armed resistance against civilians . ....

UK radical Muslims to mark 9/11 anniversary By Peter Graff LONDON (Reuters) - A British radical Muslim group that once described the September 11, 2001 hijackers as "The Magnificent 19" will hold a conference to mark the anniversary of the attacks this weekend, its leader says. The al Muhajiroun group led by Sheikh Omar Bakri says its long-term goal is to establish Islamic rule in Britain, but denies that it promotes violence at home. The group was widely denounced last year by mainstream Muslim organisations for advertising four conferences that seemed to praise the September 11 hijackers who killed nearly...