Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
After Saddam's execution: Battle for new leader likely
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1980915,00.html
Battle for new leader likely
Michael Howard
Monday January 1, 2007
The Guardian
The execution of Saddam Hussein could force the Ba'ath party to choose
a new leader, sparking an internal battle that could weaken its
activities just as it was beginning to re-emerge as a serious force in
the Sunni insurgency, a senior Iraqi intelligence official predicted
yesterday.
"With Saddam gone and the two leading figures fighting over control of
Ba'ath party funds, they may tear themselves apart," the official said
in Baghdad.
Other Iraqi and western analysts warned that the death of its leader
would push the organisation further into the hands of Syria - where
key figures in the Iraqi Ba'athist leadership are thought to be hiding
- increasing the leverage the Damascus government is able to wield
over Iraq's internal affairs.
In what appeared to be the opening shots of a leadership contest, a
statement signed by a previously unknown group calling itself the
Baghdad Citizens Gathering and handed out at the party's offices in
Amman and Damascus yesterday, pledged loyalty to Izzat Ibrahim
al-Douri, a long-time Saddam confidant who escaped capture after the
US-led invasion and is believed to be in Syria.
But the Iraqi intelligence official said it was likely al-Douri would
face a challenge from younger Ba'athist figures such as Mohammed
Younis al-Ahmed, a former Ba'ath party member accused of funding and
leading insurgency operations.
Mon 1 Jan 2007
Veil-wearing Muslim women are part of our fight - al-Qaeda chief
MARGARET NEIGHBOUR
AL-QAEDA'S deputy leader said yesterday that any Muslim woman who wears the veil in Western countries is a supporter in what he described as a fight between Islam and "Zionist Crusaders".
Ayman al-Zawahri issued what amounted to an al-Qaeda New Year message to the world in an audio tape posted on the internet , calling on militant groups in Iraq to unite and urging Palestinians not to co-operate with the Palestinian Authority.
The authenticity of the tape could not be verified, but it was posted on websites used by al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups in Iraq and the voice of speaker sounded like Zawahri's. The statement - said to have been issued by al-Qaeda's "media arm" al-Sahab - praised Muslim women who insist on wearing the Islamic veil despite pressures not to in some Western lands.
He described anyone doing that as "a soldier in the battle of Islam against the Zionist- Crusader attack".
Al-Zawahri also said Palestinians should stop co-operating with their democratically elected government.
He declared: "O mujahideen brothers in Palestine ... the traitor secularists cannot be your brothers, do not give them legitimacy or take part in their assemblies, which are opposed to Islamic principles.
"How can [Palestinian President] Mahmoud Abbas... or [his aide] Mohammed Dahlan be our brothers when they have grown fat on the Jews' bribes and the Americans' gifts."
On Iraq, he added: "I send congratulations to the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq, the mujahid sheikh Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, and all the brave jihadi groups... invite them to unite."
Baghdadi heads the so-called Islamic state announced by al-Qaeda and other Sunni militant groups in Iraq in October.
Al-Zawahri has often criticised Hamas for taking part in elections, saying this would lead to the recognition of Israel. Palestinian officials rejected his most recent comments as "interference... a gift to the Zionist occupation...We call on Zawahri not to intervene in Palestinian internal affairs," said Abu Qusai, spokesman of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, part of Mr Abbas's Fatah movement.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said: "We think differently from Zawahri. We adopt the moderate Islamic attitude."
• The killing of a Texan soldier, in Baghdad last Thursday, brings the number of US military deaths in Iraq to at least 3,000, it emerged yesterday.
This article: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=5742007
Last updated: 01-Jan-07 00:23 GMT
http://dangermanagement.typepad.com/danger_management/2006/12/from_threats_wa.html
Iran’s Somali ‘Ore for Arms’ Uranium Deal
In newly exposed developments disturbing to the West, a United Nations report on arms proliferation into Somalia implicated Iran among six other Middle Eastern and African nations. The report details how Iran has been seeking to trade arms shipments to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in return for raw uranium ore in abundance in Islamist-controlled southern Somalia. In the UK’s Telegraph reporting, it is unclear whether Iran has successfully extracted any shipments of uranium to date.
The report detailed three inbound Iranian arms shipments, one by plane in which the Shi’a theocracy supplied the Sunni ICU, an al-Qaeda branch, “1,000 machineguns, 45 surface-to-air missiles, M-79 rocket launchers and land mines.” This shipment was promised to be the first of many if the ICU agreed to exchange return shipments of its uranium ore. Presumably, the Iranians would send freighters by sea loaded with weapons and, after unloading them, the cargo holds would be filled with raw uranium ore bound for Iran for enrichment. Two Iranians were reported as being sent to the Somali town of Dhusa Mareb to negotiate the detail of the Arms for Ore deal.
Somalia: An Iran-al-Qaeda Convergence Zone
While Iran has been sending weapons shipments into Somalia for the ICU to wage war with, al-Qaeda been pouring hundreds of trained terrorists into Somalia to use those weapons and tighten the grip bin Laden’s ICU ‘franchise’ has on Somalia. The terrorists are sent from Pakistan via nearby Yemen, taking a relatively short boat trip from the Yemeni coastline to Somali ports.
With the Iranian efforts to extract Somali ore in exchange for arms and the al-Qaeda trafficking of trained terrorist fighters, it was no coincidence that among the ICU’s first objectives in taking Somalia was to seize and secure the coastal port cities and their port facilities.
The Telegraph report indicates that the first Iranian arms shipment - sorely needed by the lightly armed Islamists - was brought in by plane. That the UN report explicitly indicates the first shipment by plane suggests that subsequent shipments were by another means: by ship. If freighters are arriving in Somali ports, they are unlikely to leave empty. It is reasonable to conclude that Iran has received at least two freighter loads of unknown tons of uranium ore, material that the IAEA will have no accounting for in Iran’s growing enrichment operations.
In the Somali Convergence Zone, Iran gets what it wants as does al-Qaeda. Iran gets nuclear material in a clandestine manner while al-Qaeda sends in hundreds of men to use the Iranian weapons and secure Somalia for both a future base of terrorist operations (Afghanistan II) as well as incrementally expand the reach of the desired Islamist Caliphate.
Iran’s Nuclear Program Still A Clandestine Operation
Most importantly going forward is the little recognized factor that the once-secret Somali ore transfers would provide Iran untraceable uranium stores in amounts unknown to the IAEA. While the Iranian nuclear program was exposed in 2003, much of its extent and facilities remain outside the scope of observation. The still-clandestine nuclear program remains under direct military control, not within the ‘civilian’ Iranian nuclear agency.
With a store of uranium unknown to the IAEA, Iran could produce enriched uranium that would not need to be accounted for during IAEA inspections. This would give Iran in the future a plausible appearance of producing only what it needed to fuel reactors while creating weapons in parallel. Indeed, yesterday chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani suggested that Iran would welcome renewed IAEA inspections if the Security Council dropped its drive for sanctions and returned the Iranian dossier to the IAEA, a monitoring agency without an enforcement mechanism beyond reference to the Security Council.
What remains clear is the Iranian desire to still work beyond the observation range of the IAEA and outside the scope of the NPT, just as it did for decades prior to the 2003 exposure of its clandestine nuclear program. That clandestine nature continues to this day, with or without IAEA inspections.
Shi’a Iran’s Support of Sunni Terrorists
The Iranian dealings in Somalia further indicate a willingness and track record of working with Sunni terrorists and, in particular, al-Qaeda. Just as some incorrectly held the belief that theologically driven al-Qaeda would never cooperate with a secular and thus apostate Saddam Hussein, it is becoming undeniably clearer that the Shi’a Islamists of Iran will cooperate and assist terrorists from the bitter rival Sunni sects of the Muslim faith just as readily.
The Islamic Courts Union in Somalia is an al-Qaeda ‘franchise’ organization tasked with expanding jihad in Africa and setting up a base from which to operate similar to Afghanistan prior to 2001.
The arms shipments to the ICU in Somalia are clear indications of Iranian support for terrorists that they disagree with theologically. Both sides in a cooperation of convenience and/or necessity, engaging a common enemy, shelve those differences. Unlike the American body politic, they have largely agreed to fight their battles among each other at a later time.
Iran’s Newly-Purchased Hamas Ally Against Israel
This is a good blog, I took the above from the middle of it.
granny
ASIO 'tricked on Hawke plot'By Peter Veness
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,20997822-1702,00.html?from=public_rss
ASIO 'tricked on Hawke plot'By Peter Veness
January 01, 2007 02:02pm
AUSTRALIA'S spy agency was tricked by Israel into believing Bob Hawke
was the target of a Palestinian assassination plot, the former
Palestinian ambassador to Australia said today.
Cabinet documents from 30 years ago released today, Bob Hawke, then
Labor Party and ACTU President, faced the possibility of assassination
at the hands of Palestinian militants for his strong pro-Israel views.
But former Palestinian ambassador for Australia and the South Pacific
Ali Kazak says the whole plot was designed by the Israeli spy agency
Mossad and accepted without investigation by the Australian Security
Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
"It has never been the intention of Palestine to bring this (Middle
East) conflict to Australia and we made this clear to ASIO," Mr Kazak
said today.
"This was part of Mossad's campaign against Palestine."
Mr Hawke has not returned calls today.
While Mr Kazak agreed ASIO had to take every possible threat seriously
he accused the spy agency of never questioning the details of Mossad's
information.
"ASIO have a job to do, it's got to take everything seriously but they
were taken for a ride and accepted because that allowed them a bigger
budget and more power."
The cabinet papers also show that ASIO believed pro-Palestinian
terrorists had a clear operational interest in Australia and that had
been demonstrated by visits from militants.
In September 1973, Abdulhamid Abdulla Azzam, a member of the military
wing of Al Fatah – then the principal Palestinian terrorist group –
visited Melbourne. He was arrested on his way out, charged with
immigration offences and subsequently deported.
Mr Kazak said the arrest of Azzam could be explained easily.
"Because Palestinians don't have their own passports we have to travel
on other passports ... it was not a false passport, it was a real
passport ... there was nothing secret about his visit."
Mossad, Mr Kazak said, had had a foothold in Australia since then.
"We all know that Mossad is operating in Australia.
"They have been operating out of Sydney for more than 10 years."
The last public noise made by Mossad in the south Pacific was when New Zealand jailed two alleged Israeli spies for falsely trying to obtain
New Zealand passports.
Breaking on 850koa.com
A few minutes ago, a man phoned and asked if it was true a pro football player had been shot.
The news team went to work, about 2 hours ago, shots were fired into a limosene on a Denver street, killing a man, a pro football player.
I didn't catch the name, she was talking fast, but something like sher____.
There have been many driveby shootings in the last day or so, I think they said 10 in the last week, in Las Vegas.
The dead football man is:
Darrant Williams, of Denver Broncos, a quarter back, 24 years old.
I do not know how much longer the station will come in.
He was shot at 11th and Spear in Denver.
Progress achieved in prisoners' swap deal: Hamas spokesman
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200701/01/eng20070101_337466.html
Progress achieved in prisoners' swap deal: Hamas spokesman
A spokesman for armed wing of Hamas movement revealed on Sunday that
the
prisoners' swap talks between Israel and the Palestinians achieved "a
clear progress."
"There is an obvious openness regarding the prisoner exchange issue,"
Abu Obaida, spokesman for Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, was quoted by
Ramattan independent news agency as saying.
Meanwhile, he expressed hopes of "a strong and swift swap" between the
two sides.
However, the spokesman reiterated captors' demand for 1,000 Palestinian
prisoners and 400 of women and youngsters in exchange for Shalit.
Abu Obaida's remarks followed news that the family of captured Israeli
soldier, Gilad Shalit, has received a video tape showing their son
alive.
Shalit was seized by three Palestinian militant groups led by Izz
el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades in a cross-border raid on June 25 and has
been held hostage since then. .
Source: Xinhua
Meeting fails to establish culprits of Bangkok bomb attacks: spokesman
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30023028
Meeting fails to establish culprits of Bangkok bomb attacks: spokesman
Government Spokesman Yongyuth Maiyalarp said the meeting of security
and intelligence agencies at the Internal Security Operations Command
head office late Sunday night failed to establish culprits behind the
bomb attacks.
The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Surahyud Chulanont and ws
participated by the chief of the National Intelligence Agency.
Yongyuth said the agencies needed more evidence to analyse the
information.
The Nation
Fatah Calls on Arabs to Ignore Al Qaeda Incitement
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=118453
Fatah Calls on Arabs to Ignore Al Qaeda Incitement
19:38 Dec 31, '06 / 10 Tevet 5767
(IsraelNN.com) Fatah spokesman Jamal Nazal has asked Palestinian
Authority (PA) Arabs to ignore a call by an Al Qaeda terrorists leader
to distance themselves from Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud
Abbas. Ayman al-Zawahri, deputy leader of Al Qaeda, condemned Abbas and
Fatah, saying "they cannot be brothers to the Muslims, but they are
their enemies."
The PA spokesman said that Al Qaeda is trying to drive a wedge between
the Fatah and Hamas factions, whose militias fought each other with
heavy arms earlier this month.
"Those who had sold Palestine, the secular traitors, cannot be your
brothers," said al-Zawahri in an audiotape. "Do not recognize their
legitimacy. ... And don't sit with them ... and do not sign with them
the documents that will make you lose Palestine."
Fatah Leads Hamas
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=118458
Poll: Fatah Leads Hamas
20:22 Dec 31, '06 / 10 Tevet 5767
(IsraelNN.com) The Fatah faction, headed by Palestinian Authority (PA)
chairman Mahmoud Abbas, would win 43.3 percent of the vote as opposed
to
29.4 percent for Hamas, according to a new poll published by the
Birzeit
University in Ramallah.
Abbas has called for elections following the failure to reach a unity
government agreement with Hamas, which won the legislative elections
almost a year ago. Abbas was elected chairman in 2005, following the
death of Yasser Arafat.
The survey also shows Abbas has a 7.9 point edge over PA prime minister
Ismail Haniyeh.
Specter, colleagues travel abroad, but bid for dialogue yields little
by Michael Rubin
The Philadelphia Inquirer
December 28, 2006
http://www.meforum.org/article/1076
On Christmas Day, Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.) arrived in Damascus for
meetings
with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior regime
officials. He
becomes the fourth senator in recent weeks to break an informal travel
embargo
and visit the Syrian capital, following visits this month by Sens. Bill
Nelson
(D., Fla.), John Kerry (D., Mass.), and Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.).
When Specter announced his intention to visit, Secretary of State
Condoleezza
Rice telephoned to ask him not to go, but the senator refused.
"I deferred to them a year ago, and I deferred to them last August,"
Specter
told the Associated Press. "If there were any signs the administration
policy
[in the Middle East] was working, I'd defer to them again."
But is blind engagement any better? Specter's trip was his 16th
taxpayer-funded
visit to Syria since 1984. While he may relish the image of statesman,
Specter
has little but failure to show for his efforts.
On each trip, Syria's state-controlled television broadcast Specter's
meeting
with the Syrian president. Specter may believe his words are tough, but
the
Syrian government twists them to imply endorsement. On Jan. 5, 2003,
for
example, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported that "the U.S. Senator...
voiced
the United States' appreciation for Syria's positions and efforts aimed
at
making the Middle East more secure and stable, adding that his country
views
Syria's positions as principled and rational."
On Dec. 26, 2006, Syrian television reported that Specter "stressed...
Syria's
pivotal role in the region." Bolstering the sense of importance and
confidence
of state sponsors of terrorism does not help regional diplomacy.
For all their travels, the senators who visited Damascus would be
hard-pressed
to name any Arab dissidents whose freedom they won. When Specter met
Assad in
January 2003, he did not raise the case of Ibrahim Hamidi, the Damascus
correspondent for the London-based al-Hayat daily, whom the Syrian
regime had
ordered imprisoned just two weeks before for publishing material not
cleared by
state censors. Today, prominent dissidents such as Aref Dalila, Michel
Kilo,
Anwar al-Bunni, Mahmoud Issa, and Kamal Labwani remain imprisoned.
While Specter and Assad spoke of the importance of dialogue, blind
engagement
can endanger U.S. national security. In January 1990, Specter traveled
to
Baghdad to meet then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. For Hussein,
Specter was
useful. He believed the Iraqi leader's talk of peace. Over the next few
months,
Specter resisted proposals by Senate colleague John McCain (R., Ariz.)
for
sanctions on the Iraqi leader and instead called for dialogue. Hussein
used the
delay to rebuild his military and, on Aug. 2, 1990, ordered his tanks
into
Kuwait.
Specter's engagement with Iran was as poorly conceived. On Capitol Hill, he has
been a leading voice for rapprochement with the Islamic republic. On
Aug. 30,
2000, he accepted Iranian president Mohammad Khatami's call for a
dialogue of
civilizations and met with the speaker of the Iranian parliament at a
New York
reception. How sincere was the dialogue? While Specter and his
colleagues helped
legitimize Iran's image, interaction with the Islamic republic lost its
taint.
As European trade with Iran tripled, Khatami pumped 70 percent of the
hard
currency windfall into Iran's nuclear and military programs. Nor did
Specter's
dialogue stop the terror threat. The 9/11 Commission report shows that
during
this period, the Iranian government was granting free passage to and
from
terrorist training camps for the 9/11 hijackers.
Specter and his colleagues' latest engagement will hurt U.S. national
interests
as much. Syria remains a state sponsor of terrorism. Despite Specter's
16 trips,
not only is Assad widely reported to be continuing to finance and offer
safe
haven for terrorists responsible for the deaths of Americans, but also
he now
reportedly facilitates their passage into Iraq. By legitimizing Assad,
the
freelancing senators undercut pressure from the United Nations for the
Syrian
ruler to accept responsibility for the Syrian role in the assassination
of
former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. By conditioning Assad
to expect
reward for noncompliance, such engagement not only undercuts prospects
for
peace, but also may actually increase the likelihood of further
bloodshed.
Statesmanship should involve more than accruing passport stamps and
photo-ops
with foreign leaders. Senators should not be dupes for dictators. Not
every
regime is sincere when it extends an olive branch. Diplomacy is not
only about
talk, but also about judgment and strategy. If Specter's strategy were
so wise,
his track record of engagement might not be so dismal.
http://www.meforum.org/pf.php?id=1076
Printer-friendly version
Muslims shout at Jesus' home: 'Islam will dominate the world'
March through town of Nazareth 'meant to intimidate Christians'
Posted: January 1, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
WorldNetDaily.com
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53574
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.
Ahmed Zohbi, a member of Nazareth's municipal council and the leader of
an umbrella group consisting of the city's Islamic parties, denied
Saleem's accusations, claiming there is "no problem" between Christians and
Muslims in Nazareth.
"We just want to celebrate. The Muslims have nothing against our
Christian brothers. Our communities may have differences but we live a
peaceful coexistence," Zohbi told WND.
But Christians interviewed here said otherwise. Like Bethlehem's
Christians, those in Nazareth spoke of attacks against Christian-owned shops
and told stories of Christian women being raped by Muslim men. They
noted several instances of interreligious violence and Muslim riots they
said began when Muslims attacked Christian worshippers. The Muslims
claimed Christians started the violence.
Israeli security officials say the majority of anti-Christian violence
in Nazareth goes unreported because local Christians are too afraid to
report crimes.
One Christian resident said violence and intimidation tend to increase
around the time of local elections. The Islamic parties, once in the
minority, are now one seat away from dominating Nazareth's city council.
"During the last elections, Muslims on the streets were openly
threatening the Christians. They tried to stop some of the Christian cars from
voting," said Saleem.
In October 2000, the Arab Christian mayor of Nazareth, Ramiz Jaraisy,
was reportedly beaten by members of the opposing Islamist party.
Nazareth's Christian population, at times the majority during the
city's long history, is now at about 37 percent, according to the Israeli
Bureau of Statistics, which notes a regular downward trend.
The situation mirrors similar trends in West Bank and Gaza cities
controlled or dominated by Muslim Arabs.
Siham el-Fahum, a Muslim Nazareth municipality member and a local
historian, admits Christians are fleeing her city because of
Christian-Muslim tension.
"There is no doubt the situation for Christians in Nazareth is bad,"
el-Fahum told WND.
"Christians like to live where life can be good for them, whereas
Muslims are more attached to the community and will stay through tough
times. Muslims in the city want more dominance and the only way to achieve
that, logically, is at the expense of Christians. It's a delicate
balancing act that is having negative consequences for Christians."
Like many Muslims here, el-Fahum claimed Christians several times
"instigated" Muslim riots. But she said in the struggle for power, "the
Muslims are definitely on the rise."
She said the core of the conflict began in 1998, when Israel approved a
local Muslim request to build a mosque in front of the Church of the
Annunciation.
Muslims wanted to build the mosque at an adjacent, 6,500-square-foot
site, which they say is the burial place of a nephew of Saladin, the
Muslim commander who led the army that defeated the Crusaders in 1187. The
site previously housed a public school.
Christians charge the site was not previously considered holy by
Muslims and that the planned mosque is meant to overwhelm the church.
Dave Parsons, a spokesman for the International Christian Embassy, said
the proposed mosque might contain multiple spires that would tower over
the Annunciation Church's large, black-coned dome.
In 2002, Israel rescinded permission to construct the mosque following
worldwide outcry and protests from the Vatican and White House.
Nazareth Muslims temporarily occupied the site and erected a tent
mosque. Islamic Movement leaders demanded Nazareth officials deed the
property over to local Muslim authorities.
Muslims hold regular prayer services at the site neighboring the
Annunciation church throughout the week, usually drawing large numbers of
worshippers on Fridays.
Yesterday's afternoon service, attended by WND, was preceded by a
sermon delivered by a prominent local sheik, who shouted into a loudspeaker,
"Islam will dominate the world."
The sermon could be heard by clergy inside the Annunciation church.
The Islamic Movement's Zohbi told WND he is "optimistic" the mosque
will eventually be built.
"It's just a matter of time before we (the Islamic parties) dominate
the city council and then the situation will be different," he said.
Zohbi claimed the Muslim stake to the Nazareth site predates
Christianity's. He said the Church of the Annunciation "was built in the 1950s."
While the church structure was indeed completely rebuilt in 1955,
several previous churches there date back to the 5th century, about the same
time the original Church of the Nativity was constructed in Bethlehem.
The original Annunciation church was destroyed during Muslim conquests.
Reconstructed versions were burned during Crusader losses in the
region. The church was rebuilt again in 1730, then later enlarged in 1877.
Archeologists say the first shrine at the church site was constructed
in the middle of the 4th century, comprising an altar in the cave in
which Mary is said to had lived.
Zohbi said he would only lead "peaceful" protests to built the mosque.
Muslims in Nazareth have "no interest" in tensions or further violence
with local Christians, he claimed.
But El-Fahum said it was only a matter of time before another round of
anti-Christian riots were sparked.
"The tension is very palatable. The Christians know it. The situation
is a powderkeg that can explode again at any time."
January 1, 2007 Anti-Terrorism News
Happy New Year!
Al-Qaida's No. 2 criticizes Arab leaders - new Internet Zawahiri
message criticizes Egyptian, Saudi Arabian, Yemeni, and Palestinian leaders
and governments of serving the interests of the United States
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070101/ap_on_re_mi_ea/al_qaida_message
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/01/africa/ME_GEN_Al_Qaida_Al_Zawahri_Statement.php
(Thailand) Death Toll Rises From Multiple Bombings in Thailand During
New Year's Celebrations
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,240418,00.html
New Year bombs shake Bangkok
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070101/wl_nm/thailand_bombs_dc_14
Indian police thwart Delhi bombings - Bombs found hidden in toys -
police Samimullah and Ali Mohammad arrested on suspicion of belonging to
pro-Pakistan militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061231/wl_sthasia_afp/indiaattackssecurity_061231201531
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,20997042-1702,00.html
(India) LeT alert in Delhi on New Year eve - two Lashkar-e-Toiba
terrorists were arrested outside the New Delhi Railway Station with explosive
devices
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/delhi-gets-terror-scare-on-new-year-eve/top/29943-3.html
(India) LeT district commander among 3 terrorist killed - in a joint
operation conducted by Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1885091,000900010002.htm
Indian Kashmir rocked by protests over Saddam hanging
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070101/wl_sthasia_afp/indiakashmireidunrest_070101100738
(India) "Terror may erupt behind bars"
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1072161
Jihad Video Encourages Bombings - Internet Islamic Web Site
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=129&view=item&idx=1201
(Pakistan) Al Qaeda-Laskhar-e-Jhangvi link in terror attacks
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\01\01\story_1-1-2007_pg1_1
(Pakistan) Karachi suicide bombings have Al Qaeda links
http://www.teluguportal.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=26967
(Afghanistan) Major contribution in campaign for hearts and minds and
Doubts grow as sprayers target Afghan poppies
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/article2115011.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2524274,00.html
(Afghanistan) Pak tells US "no military operation in Waziristan" -
1,373 miles into the heart of Afghanistan - LA Times reporter survives ride
on famous Ring Road
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=345205&sid=SAS
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-ringroad31dec31,0,4775217.story?coll=la-home-world
(Nepal) US Not to Drop Terror Tag from Maoists Soon
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=6a8Ta6ua.9amal&folder=aHaoamW&Name=Home&dtSiteDate=20061231
(UK Telegraph) Report: US 'licence to snoop' on British air travelers -
EU/USA deal allows US govt to inspect credit card and email accounts of
Britons/Europeans flying to US
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/01/nusnoop01.xml
Indonesia frees wife of fugitive terrorist Noordin Top
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/250135/1/.html
Somalia's Islamists desert last stronghold
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070101/wl_nm/somalia_conflict_dc_28
Somali Troops Close In on 3 Wanted for U.S. Embassy Bombings
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,240281,00.html
Will Islamists now turn to terror attacks in Kenya and Ethiopia?
http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/News/Regional0101200711.htm
American death toll in Iraq hits 3,000
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070101/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq
(Nazareth) Islamic March through town of Nazareth 'meant to intimidate
Christians': 'Islam will dominate the world'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53574
Iran website heralding 'Mahdi' by springtime
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53577
(Spain) ETA talks suspended after bomb kills two in car park
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2525860,00.html
(USA) Cities, states pool terror data
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20061231-090719-3087r
Mary, ´Palestinian refugee´
Mary, ´Palestinian refugee´
(WND) WORLD NET DAILY COMMENTARY
By JOSEPH FARAH 12/30/06 1:00 a.m. Eastern)
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53560
When it comes to the politicization of the Christmas story, I thought I had seen it all.
But the London Independent´s shameless mischaracterization of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as "a Palestinian refugee" takes the proverbial cake.
The story by Johann Hari published Dec. 23 begins: "In two days, a third of humanity will gather to celebrate the birth pains of a Palestinian refugee in Bethlehem – but two millennia later, another mother in another glorified stable in this rubble-strewn, locked down town is trying not to howl."
It goes on to describe a 5-year-old tale of an Arab woman who claims she was stopped from entering Israel to deliver her twins and forced to go 20 minutes in another direction to an Arab hospital.
It´s amazing. It´s bizarre. It´s breathtaking at what passes for Western journalism in the Middle East today.
First of all, was Mary "a Palestinian refugee"? No, Mary was a Jew, living in the occupied territory of Israel. She wasn´t trying to get to a Roman hospital to have her child. She was traveling with her husband from her home in Nazareth to Bethlehem, where the Roman authorities decreed those from the House of David would pay their taxes.
By the way, neither the area of Bethlehem nor Nazareth had ever been considered Palestine or, more appropriately, Philistia, up through the time of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. In fact, it was not for another 100 years that the Romans would think about renaming Israel as Palestine in an effort to make the world forget about the Jews who had been slaughtered and dispersed.
There were no Philistines or Palestinians around. They hadn´t been heard from for over 500 years.
It´s beyond silliness.
Who are these anti-Israel activists the Western press dispatches to cover the Middle East? Where do they come from? Where are they trained? Where are they educated? How is it possible that such drivel is actually published?
What is it exactly that the so-called Palestinians want? Do they want their own homeland or not? It seems to me they´ve got it. But now they want to be able to travel into Israel for medical care? What´s wrong with their own hospitals? Why is it that they don´t decide to buy more medicine and fewer guns?
Don´t get me wrong. I don´t blame "the modern-day Mary" in this fable for wanting first-class medical care in Israel. And had Bethlehem remained under Israeli governance, that´s exactly what the people of Bethlehem would have received. But the so-called Palestinians demanded their own country. Unfortunately for them, that means Palestinian hospitals, too.
The Palestinian authorities are also demanding that no Jews be permitted to live in their territories. Yet, there is shock that Arab Palestinians should not be able to cross into Israel at all hours of the day and night without facing checkpoints and security.
Is this a tragedy?
Yes, it is. I would much prefer to see these poor Arabs live freely, as they did under Israeli governance. But, for heaven´s sake, they rejected that option with extreme violence and terrorism.
Is that context not important for people unfamiliar with the region to understand? Is it not important for reporters covering the region to understand?
Let´s call this what it is: Deliberate deception. It is the worst form of propaganda. In another time, we labeled it agit-prop. What is the purpose? Is it to stir up more hate and violence? Is the purpose of such lies to immunize those serving them up from terrorist attacks? Paragraph-17 Contains
One can only speculate. But one thing is certain: This is not journalism. Paragraph-18 Contains
On a side note, as one of those Christians referred to in the reporter´s lead paragraph, I wasn´t aware that one-third of humanity celebrated Mary´s birth pains on Christmas. Silly me. I was under the impression we celebrated the birth of the Savior. (© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc 12/30/06)
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53577
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Iran website heralding 'Mahdi' by springtime
State media: Shiite messiah to kill archenemy in Jerusalem, may arrive during next equinox
Posted: December 31, 2006
6:04 p.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
An official state media website in Iran has posted a message heralding the coming of the Shiite messianic figure, Imam Mahdi, noting he could arrive with Jesus by the spring equinox.
"Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) will appear all of a sudden on the world scene with a voice from the skies announcing his reappearance at the holy Ka'ba in Mecca," the message says.
The Islamic Republic of Iran broadcasting website said in a program called "The World toward Illumination," that the Mahdi will form an army to defeat the enemies of Islam in a series of apocalyptic battles, in which the Mahdi will overcome his archvillain in Jerusalem.
The Mahdi's far sightedness and firmness in the face of mischievous elements will strike awe. After his uprising from Mecca all of Arabia will be submit to him and then other parts of the world as he marches upon Iraq and established his seat of global government in the city of Kufa.
Then the Imam will send 10 thousand of his forces to the east and west to uproot the oppressors. At this time God will facilitate things for him and lands will come under his control one after the other. ...
After his appearance the Imam would remain in Mecca for some time, and then go to Medina. ... a descendant of the Prophet's archenemy Abu Sofyan will seize Syria and attack Iraq and the Hejaz with the ferocity of a beast ... finally Imam Mahdi sends troops who kill the Sofyani in Beit ol-Moqaddas (Jerusalem), the Islamic holy city in Palestine that is currently under occupation of the Zionists.
(Story continues below)
The Iranian series also claims the Mahdi will reappear on Earth with Jesus: "We read in the book Tazkarat ol-Olia, 'the Mahdi will come with Jesus son of Mary accompanying him.' ... Imam Mahdi will be the leader while Prophet Jesus will act as his lieutenant in the struggle against oppression and establishment of justice in the world. Jesus had himself given the tidings of the coming of God's last messenger and will see Mohammad's ideals materialize in the time of the Mahdi."
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appearing at "The World Without Zionism" conference Oct. 26, 2005
As WND reported this month, in a greeting to the world's Christians for the coming new year, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he expects both Jesus and the Mahdi, to return and "wipe away oppression."
"I wish all the Christians a very happy new year and I wish to ask them a question as well," said Ahmadinejad, according to an Iranian Student News Agency report cited by YnetNews.com
"My one question from the Christians is: What would Jesus do if he were present in the world today? What would he do before some of the oppressive powers of the world who are in fact residing in Christian countries? Which powers would he revive and which of them would he destroy?" asked the Iranian leader.
"If Jesus were present today, who would be facing him and who would be following him?"
Ahmadinejad's mystical pre-occupation with the coming of the Mahdi is raising concerns that a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic could trigger the kind of global conflagration he envisions will set the stage for the end of the world.
In a videotaped meeting with Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli in Tehran, Ahmadinejad discussed candidly a strange, paranormal experience he had while addressing the United Nations in New York last September.
He recounts how he found himself bathed in light throughout the speech. But this wasn't the light directed at the podium by the U.N. and television cameras. It was, he said, a light from heaven.
According to a transcript of his comments, obtained and translated by Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, Ahmadinejad wasn't the only one who noticed the unearthly light. One of his aides brought it to his attention.
The Iranian president recalled being told about it by one of his delegation: "When you began with the words 'in the name of Allah,' I saw a light coming, surrounding you and protecting you to the end."
Ahmadinejad agreed that he sensed the same thing.
"On the last day when I was speaking, one of our group told me that when I started to say 'Bismillah Muhammad,' he saw a green light come from around me, and I was placed inside this aura," he says. "I felt it myself. I felt that the atmosphere suddenly changed, and for those 27 or 28 minutes, all the leaders of the world did not blink. When I say they didn't move an eyelid, I'm not exaggerating. They were looking as if a hand was holding them there, and had just opened their eyes – Alhamdulillah!"
Ahmadinejad's "vision" at the U.N. is strangely reminiscent and alarmingly similar to statements he has made about his personal role in ushering in the return of the Shiite Muslim messiah.
He sees his main mission, as he recounted in a Nov. 16 speech in Tehran, as to "pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance."
According to Shiites, the 12th imam disappeared as a child in the year 941. When he returns, they believe, he will reign on earth for seven years, before bringing about a final judgment and the end of the world.
Ahmadinejad is urging Iranians to prepare for the coming of the Mahdi by turning the country into a mighty and advanced Islamic society and by avoiding the corruption and excesses of the West.
All Iran is buzzing about the Mahdi, the 12th imam and the role Iran and Ahmadinejad are playing in his anticipated return. There's a new messiah hotline. There are news agencies especially devoted to the latest developments.
"People are anxious to know when and how will He rise; what they must do to receive this worldwide salvation," says Ali Lari, a cleric at the Bright Future Institute in Iran's religious center of Qom. "The timing is not clear, but the conditions are more specific," he adds. "There is a saying: 'When the students are ready, the teacher will come.'"
[photos on site]
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53586
Sunday, December 31, 2006
INVASION USA
Illegals kill deputy in New Year's Eve hit and run
Immigration puts hold on aliens after officer's car flips off road
Posted: December 31, 2006
9:47 p.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Deputy Loren Lilly
A sheriff's deputy in Georgia was killed on his way to work this morning in a traffic crash with two suspected illegal aliens.
Deputy Loren Lilly, who had been with the Cobb County Sheriff's Office for 18 years, was pronounced dead at the scene after his Honda Accord flipped several times after being struck by a Ford Taurus.
"No one ever likes to roll up on an accident with anyone deceased on scene, or serious injuries," Marietta police officer Casey Camp told WXIA-TV. "Obviously, being in law enforcement, none of us wants to roll up and see one of our fellow officers or deputies on the scene as well."
Witnesses say the driver and passenger in the Taurus ran from the scene. Police later arrested the two, 27-year-old Joel Perea, and 23-year-old Maurilio Herrera.
Perea is charged with felony vehicular homicide, hit and run, failure to maintain a lane, and driving without a license. Herrera is charged with false report of a crime.
They're being held at the Cobb County Jail, and police say federal immigration officials have placed a hold on both.
(Story continues below)
WND has reported on the growing list of illegal immigrants who have not only ignored U.S. immigration laws, but state laws against drinking and driving as well, killing innocents on the highways in the process, including:
Carlos Prieto
Carlos Prieto: Suspected illegal alien from Mexico was held in the Salt Lake County jail after running a red light and broadsiding a family of six, killing three, on Christmas Eve 2006. The charging documents say his blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit. The Ceran family, active in local theater and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were returning home after attending a performance of Dicken's "The Christmas Carol," which featured several family members, when their car was struck by a truck driven by Carlos Prieto. The crash killed Cheryl Ceran, 47, and two of her children, 15-year-old Ian and 7-year-old Julinna. Cheryl Ceran's husband, Gary Ceran, 45, and their 19-year-old daughter, Clarissa, and 12-year-old son, Caleb, were injured.
Marine Cpl. Brian Mathews
Eduardo Raul Morales-Soriano: When this illegal alien, working as a landscaper in Maryland, killed Marine Cpl. Brian Mathews, 21, and his date, Jennifer Bower, 24, on Thanksgiving night, 2006, it wasn't his first accident where alcohol was apparently involved. Nine months before, he was issued four citations and sent home with a friend after a single-car accident when he refused a Breathalyzer test. A policeman's error resulted in Morales-Soriano – who took advantage of North Carolina's easy rules to obtain his driver's license in 2004 – getting his license returned. On the night he killed the young couple, police say his blood alcohol level was measured at .32 – four times the legal level in Maryland for intoxication. Mathews had served 8 months in Iraq and completed another tour of duty in the Pacific.
Jorge Humberto Hernandez-Soto
Jorge Humberto Hernandez-Soto: Police say was driving more than 100 mph on the wrong side of Interstate 485 when he collided head-on with the car of 18-year-old Min Soon Chang, a freshman from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, killing him. According to authorities, the illegal alien had already been sent back to Mexico 17 times and convicted of impaired driving at least a couple of times before the November 2005 crash.
Jose Trejo Encino
Jose Trejo Encino: The 27-year-old illegal alien from Mexico admitted to deputies, at the scene of the November 2006 single car accident that killed one of his passengers and injured another, "to drinking a 12-pack of beer earlier in the night," but not before first trying to throw the cans of beer he still had in his car into the woods before police arrived.
Luis Oscar Garcia: Police said Garcia had a strong odor of alcohol on his person and that his pants were soaked with a liquid that indicated the presence of alcohol when he ran a red light and killed 18-year-old James F. Rogers Jr. of North Jackson, Tenn., in August 2006. The 24-year-old Mexican had been living in the U.S. without a green card for three years.
Marcos Ramos Medina. Courtesy Yakima Herald Republic
Marcos Ramos Medina: The 35-year-old Mexican had twice been deported when, on Aug. 4, 2005, his car swerved several times across the center line, causing a tractor-trailer rig to jackknife in Yakima, Wash. His car then plowed head-on into the 2000 Lexus driven by Peggy Keller, 53, dean of distance education at Yakima Valley Community College, killing her at the scene. Medina, who was found to have at least eight aliases and falsely identified himself at his first court appearance, escaped serious injury. The case against the Mexican national was declared a mistrial in August 2006 because his constitutional right to remain silent had been violated. It took a second jury only 30 minutes to find Medina guilty three months later.
Pastor Rios Sanchez
Pastor Rios Sanchez: Despite having pleaded guilty to driving without a license in 2005, and similar counts in March and April of 2006, Sanchez was still on the road on Oct. 27, 2006, when he crossed the yellow line near Sanford, N.C., and collided head-on with a stationwagon carrying Helen Meghan Hughes, 22, of Summerville, S.C., Jennifer Carter, 18, of Jacksonville, N.C., and Hughes' stepbrother, 16-year-old Ben Leonard. All three were killed. The 55-year-old illegal alien was allegedly drunk and carrying a forged residency card.
Ramiro Gallegos
Ramiro Gallegos: In July 2005, Gallegos had already been charged on three separate occasions with drunk driving. His fourth offence caused the death of Scott Gardiner of Mount Holly, N.C., a father of two young children, when the Mexican citizen's truck struck Gardner's station wagon as he drove his family to the coast for vacation.
Vitalina Bautista Vargas bids farewell to husband in court (courtesy Chattanoogan)
Vitalina Bautista Vargas: Neighbors of Louella Winton said the van driven by Vargas, an illegal alien from Mexico, never slowed down before plowing through Winton's home, knocking the 91-year-old woman, who had been asleep in bed, against the wall of the house next door and leaving her under the vehicle outside the house. Winton died of complications from her injuries.
As WND has reported, the mayhem on America's highways isn't limited to illegals who drive only while intoxicated.
Little caution, critics say, is being exercised when it comes to preventing mayhem on America's highways as the country witnesses record high numbers of unlicensed, unregistered, uninsured drivers – millions of whom are illegal aliens.
While no one – in or out of government – tracks traffic accidents caused by illegal aliens, the statistical and anecdotal evidence suggests many of last year's 42,636 road deaths involved illegal aliens.
A report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Study found 20 percent of fatal accidents involve at least one driver who lacks a valid license. In California, another study showed that those who have never held a valid license are about five times more likely to be involved in a fatal road accident than licensed drivers.
Statistically, that makes them an even greater danger on the road than drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked – and nearly as dangerous as drunk drivers.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2007/01/014643print.html
January 01, 2007
Jihad Video Encourages Bombings
Blow yourself up for the new year. From Israel Today, with thanks to James:
An Islamic website featured a three-minute video entitled, “Blow Yourself Up.”
The video shows a bomber reading his suicide note, vowing “that you [the Israeli ‘occupiers’] will not live in peace and that martyrdom [operations] will continue until you return to your homes, defeated and humiliated.”
The bomber then blows himself up as images of mangled bodies lay all around. “We have watered the soil with the blood of the martyrs, we have not withheld [our] blood from the soil,” the video reads. It closes with footage of the 9/11 attacks.
Posted at January 1, 2007 12:26 AM
Thousands of Saudi students returning to U.S. colleges, many in Illinois
http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2006/12/31/news/local_news/1020167.txt
Thousands of Saudi students returning to U.S. colleges, many in
Illinois
By HUEY FREEMAN - H&R Staff Writer
After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the number of students from Saudi Arabia dwindled in the United States.
In the wake of the revelation that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi
nationals, the number of new students arriving in the United States
plummeted from more than 4,000 in 2001 to 1,008 in 2005, according to
the U.S. State Department.
But a program initiated by President Bush and Saudi King Abdullah has
brought about 10,000 new students to U.S. colleges during the current
academic year, bringing the number of Saudi students for the fall
semester of 2006 to 10,936.
The previous high mark for Saudis studying in the United States was
10,440, in the 1980-'81 school year, according to the International
Institute of Education, a New York-based nonprofit group.
An additional 3,000 Saudi students are expected for the semester
beginning in January. Most of the Saudi students are fully funded by
scholarships from their government.
Nail Al-Jubeir, spokesman for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in
Washington, D.C., said the leaders of the two nations are committed to
reversing the recent trend of Saudi students staying out of the United States.
"Hopefully, the goal is to get something like 20,000 in the United States in all fields," Al-Jubeir said.
In August 2006, 283 Saudi students were enrolled in Illinois
institutions of higher learning, Al-Jubeir said. Southern Illinois
University at Carbondale had the most with 56, followed by Western
Illinois University with 45. Figures on other Illinois universities
were
not available.
University of Illinois officials declined to comment on the number of
students at the Champaign-Urbana campus; a Saudi graduate student at
the
U of I estimated there are about 33 Saudi students there.
Al-Jubeir, who came to the United States with his family in the 1970s,
said the Saudi students throughout the United States have been received
very warmly.
"From all the 10,000-plus students, we have not received any
complaints," said Al-Jubeir, 43, who calls himself a product of the
Saudi scholarship program of the 1980s. He earned bachelor's and
master's degrees at American University in Washington, D.C.
Enjoying student life
Ahmed Alabbadi, 27, a native of "the holy city of Mecca," recently
completed two years of studies at the U of I, where he is completing
his
master's in economics.
Alabaddi said he has wanted to come to the United States since he
watched American movies and TV shows as a child, learning some English
watching "Sesame Street." More recently, he decided to come to improve
his English skills and obtain a first-rate education.
Alabaddi had first planned to come to America in 2001, but when "this
horrible incident happened" on 9/11, it halted his plans. He and his
family agreed that he should not go because of safety considerations.
One Saudi student returned home and told Saudi TV viewers he had been
arrested in the United States and imprisoned, stripped, sprayed with
water and denied legal counsel.
"That scared everybody," Alabaddi recalled, adding that other students
said nothing bad happened to them.
Alabaddi, a thoughtful young man, said the interesting thing about
America is you get to see people from everywhere.
"I've got the chance to appreciate everybody, their skills, their
contributions, I mean as a peer, as a colleague and as fellow
students,"
he said. "It's quite interesting to see friendships evolve between
someone from the Phillipines and China and another one from Algeria.
This exposure to an international community is so overwhelming."
Alabaddi's friend, Salah Alsayaary, 27, said when his employer, Central
Bank of Saudi Arabia, offered to send him to America to study, his
parents were concerned for his safety. But he prevailed, coming first
to
Oregon for a year to study English. He will complete a two-year
master's
program in economics next semester.
Alsayaary, a warm, cheerful man, said many Saudis were shocked when
they
heard their countrymen were involved in 9/11.
"A lot of people didn't believe this for a long time," Alsayaary said.
"I was shocked, but then I realized these terrorists want to divide the
East from the West. If they involved some Saudis in this, it will cause
problems between Saudi Arabia and the United States. They could use any
guys from any country, but they wanted to make a bad relationship
between Saudi Arabia and the United States."
Alsayaary said he appreciates the opportunity for Saudi students to
study in America.
"I feel that I have to act as an ambassador of my country, my people,"
he said.
He believes just a minority of Saudis are opposed to the United States
and the West, and very few support al-Qaida.
'Too paranoid'
Terry McDermott, a Los Angeles Times reporter, had to wait two years to
receive a visa to Saudi Arabia after 9/11, to gather information for
his
book on the hijackers, "Perfect Soldiers." He eventually spent six
weeks
in the country but obtained little information from the Saudi
government. His critically acclaimed book focuses mostly on non-Saudis,
the exception being Osama Bin Laden.
McDermott said Americans should not be concerned about the influx of
Saudi students.
"None of the Saudi hijackers who came in here were students," McDermott
said. "It is much harder to get visas now than it was then."
In his book, McDermott quotes a Saudi political scientist who said that
the teachings of sheikhs and imams transform some people into human
bombs, killing machines. But despite the teachings in some mosques,
McDermott said he does not believe that necessitates keeping students
from American universities.
"There were more Saudis in America before and none of them turned out
to
be terrorists," he said. "I don't think closing down the borders of the
country is the way to combat terrorism. If people meet the
requirements,
they should be allowed in. I welcome having more Saudis coming here."
Of the 15 Saudi hijackers, 14 were in the United States for just months
before 9/11.
"They were from the hinterlands of Saudi Arabia," McDermott said.
McDermott believes Americans should welcome cultural exchanges such as
the Saudi educational program.
"I think we've been too paranoid to a great extent," he said. "I think
we need to re-engage the world. There is no such thing as 100 percent
security."
Huey Freeman can be reached at hfreeman@herald-review.com or 421-6985.
http://saddamhusseinblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/open-letter-from-saddam-hussein-to_7486.html
This blog is intended for educational purposes. I have created this blog with the intention of making available comprehensive and truthful information regarding Iraq's former President, Saddam Hussein. The first installments will be of open letters written by Saddam Hussein, most of which written during his incarceration at Camp Cropper. Opinions will be left for the comments section, myself included. Posts will be made strictly for the sharing of information, and not opinionated.
Iran-India-Pakistan Talks on Gas Pipeline in Offing
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/01/01/top12.htm
Iran-India-Pakistan Talks on Gas Pipeline in Offing
'Pakistan Times' Wire Service
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources
Amanullah Khan Jadoon has said that talks on Iran-India-Pakistan (IPI)
gas pipeline project are near to be finalized
Talking to Irans ambassador to Pakistan MashaAllah Shakiri here, he
said
that the completion of IPI project would prove fruitful not only for
Pakistan but also for the whole region.
Amanullah Khan Jadoon urged Iranian companies to invest in oil
refinery,
LPG, LNG and coal-oriented projects in Pakistan, adding that Pakistan
render equal opportunities for the foreign investors.
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