World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #6 Disinformation, Inc.

Jihad Recruiters Stay in Custody (back)

February 22, 2007

A Rotterdam court ruled on Wednesday that the terrorist suspects in a new recruiting case must stay in jail for at least three more months, De Volkskrant writes. The attorneys’ appeal to transfer the detainees from the special penitentiary for terrorists in Vught to a more humane institution was dismissed.

According to the court, the terrorist wing at the prison is not 'barbarian and inhumane' but 'strict and restrictive'. The attorneys have claimed that their clients were subject to a rigid and unhealthy regime.

The public prosecutor said he could do nothing about the prison conditions since the ministry of justice has determined that persons with a terrorist background must be kept in the special wing at Vught.

All the defence lawyers said that the prosecution had little evidence against their clients.

The suspects in the case are five men and a woman who were arrested in Amsterdam and The Hague in November. Two of the detainees are Moroccans, one is Turkish, one is Tunisian and two are Dutch nationals of immigrant background. The men are being kept at the prison in Vught, the woman in the De Schie prison in Rotterdam .

Source: http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchann el_id=19&story_id=36844

Madrid Terror Bombers Possessed an Important al-Qaeda Manual (back)

February 21, 2007

by Emerson Vermaat

A number of terrorists involved in the terrorist attacks on commuter trains in Madrid on March 11, 2004, possessed an important manual on rules of behavior during interrogations. The same manual has been widely distributed among jihadists belonging to the Al-Qaeda network. The Spanish newspaper El País recently reported that this manual had been found in an apartment in the Madrid suburb of Leganés where seven terrorists blew themselves up on april 2, 2004, just as members of an anti-terrorist unit were about to enter their apartment. As a result of the explosion the apartment was completely destroyed and one member of the anti-terorrist unit was killed instantaneously.

This is highly topical in view of the major terrorism trial against the March 11 ('11-M') terrorists which began in Madrid on February 15, 2007. On that fatal day of March 11, 2004, nearly 200 people were killed when ten bombs exploded in four commuter trains in or near Madrid . The organizers used the apartment in Leganés as their base and they were planning new terrorist attacks on Spanish soil. The instruction manual Security lessons for the Mujahideen told jihadists what to do in case of an arrest and subsequent interrogations and how to conduct themselves in court. ' Den y all the facts, state that you are innocent and follow the strategy of concealment,' is one of the lessons from this manual. Other interesting instructions say: 'You must convince your interrogators that all the information they possess is wrong.' 'And should you confess something to the security services, do not dare to confirm this when you talk to the public prosecutor.' 'Insist that you do not have anything to do with this group or that person.' 'Your confession in the courtroom will be the major piece of evidence against you, so never let yourself be lured into making a confession. You must always keep in mind that interrogations and torture will end and that it depends on you if you will become a collapsed wretch and traitor or a hero. The mujahideen are not allowed to deceive and betray their brothers. A partial confession is the beginning of a total confession, leading into the abyss. Resistance must be total, you must obsure (ocultar) everything.' 'You must deny everything.'

This strategy was clearly followed by the accused in the first week of the trial in Madrid . An Egyptian named Rabei Osman Sayed and a Moroccan immigrant named Jamal Zougam told the court that they had nothing to do with the attacks in Madrid . On the contrary, they were peaceful and moderate Muslims opposed to violence. Zougam said he was vast asleep at home when the bombs exploded in the four commuter trains. But several witnesses that were on one of those trains actually saw him there. Zougam left a bag with explosives and later got off the train. Rabei Osman Sayed solemnly stated: 'Mr. President, I never had any relation with these events which occured in Madrid .' But in May 2004, the Italian anti-terrorist police DIGOS tapped a highly interesting telephone conversation between Rabei Osman Sayed and his friend Yahia, a Palestinian. Osman informed Yahia that he was the mastermind behind the Madrid attacks. 'The Madrid attack was my project... I am the thread of Madrid . At the time of the event I was not there, but I tell you the truth, before the operation, on the 4th, I had contacts with them.' He also told Yahia: 'This project took me a lot of studying and lot of patience. It took me two and a half years.'

Another important suspect in the trial in Madrid is a Moroccan man named Youssef Belhadj. Belhadj previously lived in Molenbeek , Belgium . ( Belgium is a hotbed of Moroccan and Algerian extremists.) Calling himself 'Abu Dujana Al-Afghani, the spokesman of Al-Qaeda in Europe ,' Belhadj claimed responsibility for the March 11 attacks in a video message. Yet, in the courtroom he pretended he knew nothing, he denied being a radical Muslim. 'I am a normal Muslim,' he said. He had nothing to do with Al-Qaeda, nor had he been in any training camp in Afghanistan . He claimed he had condemned the Madrid attacks in a conversation with his nephew Mohammed Moussaten. The president of the court confronted Belhadj with a statement from his nephew saying that Belhadj had told him that the attacks on the trains were only a small matter. No condemnation at all, on the contrary. Belhadj then lamely claimed that his nephew had accused him because he had been afraid of his family. 'I am opposed to all forms of violence,' he told the court on February 16, 2007.

Another interesting figure is Mr. Hassan el Haski, the European leader of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group. This group was founded in an Afghan training camp in 1998 with the personal blessing of Osama bin Laden and was held responsible for the terrorist attacks in Casablanca in May 2003. El Haski, too, assured the court he had nothing to do with the attacks in Madrid . He did not approve of them, of course. He knew none of the accused, nor was he a terrorist, he claimed. He even denied an organization called the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group existed. 'It is a fiction, they speak about a group that does not exist,' he said. He had come to Spain (Lanzarote) in 2000 hoping to profit from the 'regularization' of illegal immigrants. (This is what tens of thousands of African and North African illegal immigrants do.) But the prosecution believes el Haski was in fact one of the ideologues of the March 11 terrorists, a real hardliner. He was trained in Pakistan and Syria . The Spanish newspaper El País mentioned a secret report drawn up in 2003 by a number of intelligence service saying that the GICM does exist and that el Haski was one of its integrants.

Monday February 19, 2007, was another interesting day in court. A Syrian man named Basel Ghalyoun and a Moroccan man named Abdelmajid Bouchar denied ever having been in the apartment in Leganés. Yet, traces of their DNA had been found in that same apartment. Ghalyoun also stated that Serhane Abdelmajid Fakhet, known as 'the Tunisian,' wanted to attack Spain because of that country's role in Iraq . Fakhet was one of the terrorists who blew themselves up in Leganés. He is seen as the leader of the whole March 11 operation. Ghalyoun at least frankly admitted he knew Fakhet as well as some of the others who committed suicide in Leganés.

Another interesting manual on jihadist tactics was found in Leganés: How to confront the interrogation by the intelligence services. Again, a lot of lessons on avoiding straight answers: 'If they find some evidence against you which you cannot deny, you must find a pretext. Never mention the source or the purpose of that evidence.' 'You must be obstinate and resisting.'

The latter instruction manual is particularly interesting since it was also found on the computers of some members of the Hofstad Group, a terrorist network in the Netherlands .

There are more and more indications that the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005, were an Al-Qaeda operation. This is also the view expressed by CNN's Peter Bergen (see the interview with him on CNN Europe on Monday 19, 2007). Al-Qaeda is not dead at all, quite the contrary is the case: this terrorist octopus is quickly recovering and regaining strength. I stated already in October 2005 (in my book on the Hofstad Group) that Al-Qaeda was most likely behind those attacks. I would not be surprised either if Al-Qaeda also played an important role in the Madrid attacks. (This is, at least, what they themselves claim and I do not think they are lying when they issue such statements.) In my book ' Al-Qaeda's Deadly Planning' (2005) I also discussed Al-Qaeda's possible role in the Madrid attacks.

A new Al-Qaeda vehicle is the resurgent Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). This Algerian group is now active in the whole of North Africa as well as in Mauritania , Mali , Somalia , Nigeria and other African countries. They are also successful in recruiting frustrated young North Africans among the immigrant communities of multicultural Western Europe . The GSPC leadership pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden and they are extremely violent. They see crime as a means to achieve their ends. They now pose a serious threat to the security of Europe .

Source: http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=vermaat22107.htm

Aviation Terrorism: From Bargaining Chip to Strategic Agent (back)

February 20, 2007

by Dr. Hillel Avihai

Analyzing the general characteristics of aviation terrorism from the late 1960’s to the 1980’s shows that the major role of the aircraft was emphasized by a combination of two main elements. The first is the rationality factor, which was expressed in the release of prisoners resulting from a terrorist attack aimed at achieving politically-orientated objectives, such the El-Al hijacking of July 1968. The second element is publicity, which was the hallmark of the TWA hijacking on August 1969 by Leila Khaled and, perhaps the most significant event that establishes this proposed assumption, the Dawson Field incident of September 1970.

This assumption is based on the 'hijacking for negotiation' tactic, which was the most common tactic of aviation terrorism during the late 1960’s and until the late 1970’s. Except for a few cases (mainly aerial terrorist acts of the early 1970’s conducted by Jibril's PFLP-GC), the terrorists' main demand was to exchange prisoners as well as attracting worldwide attention. Following a question addressed to Leila Khaled during an interview for the Washington Times as to the purpose of the hijacking, she was quoted as saying:

'The objective was to free prisoners, and to bring the world's attention to the Palestinian cause…Look, I had orders to seize the plane, not to blow it up. I am no Kamikaze pilot. I care about people. If I had wanted to blow up the plane, no one could have prevented me'. [i] '

However, this 'gentle' mode of hijacking seems to have become an archaic tactic, converting the hostages from being pawns on the terrorism chess board to dispensable targets. This is emphasized by the transition from 'rolling action' to 'immediate action'. 'Immediate action', which includes ground attack, ground or air sabotage, MANPADS attack and suicide attacks, is characterized by the fact that no negotiation takes place within the latter mode of air terrorism, unlike 'rolling terrorism', which refers to a negotiation process in which hostages are released after the release of jailed terrorists.

The practice of abandoning the hostage exchange tactic and moving to an 'immediate action' tactic is indicated by the following figure:

Distribution of 'immediate action' incidents 1968-2004:

'Fundamentalist period' 'Moderate period'

Despite the dramatic increase of 'immediate action' incidents, as indicated in the figure above (left side), the number of casualties has not increased dramatically, except for in the 11 September attacks. This evidence can be explained by the fact that some of the counted 'immediate action' casualties are not known, such as in the case of the Georgian Airways TU-134 MANPADS attack (20 September 1993).

Another explanation is that the figure above includes failed attempts, such as the Nezar Hindawi case (17 April 1986), the Air-India flight 301 sabotage attempt where the bomb exploded at Narita airport and the TWA mid-air sabotage (2 April 1986) with only four casualties. Should the aircraft have exploded, the number of casualties would have reached more than a hundred. The same is true of Richard Reid's attempt to blow up the American Airlines Boeing 767 in mid-air (22 December 2001). In other words, the figure above indicates the unquestionable dramatic rise of 'immediate action' incidents.

Regarding the number of casualties, the figure indicates actual casualties rather than potential casualties. It is obvious that the terrorists who committed the 'immediate action' attacks were aiming at causing mass casualties, otherwise they would have chosen a 'softer' tactic, such as hijacking. As indicated, the impact of ‘immediate action’ and adopting the aerial suicide mission represents the mass-casualty potential of such a tactic, as demonstrated by Al-Qaeda on September 11th, 2001.

From this point of view, it would be worthwhile dividing the term 'immediate action' into two. The first is sabotaging the aircraft or downing it with MANPADS and the second is using the aircraft as a guided missile to be crashed into selected targets. As to the former tactic, it is a practice that was generally linked to secular terrorist organizations, such as the PFLP-GC, UNITA, Sikh terrorists (who are not defined as 'fundamentally religious'), North Korean terrorists (who are definitely not 'fundamentalist religious terrorists') and state-involvement such as in the cases of Libya (the Pan-Am sabotage) and Syria (the 'Nezar Hindawi' case, April 1986). Regarding the PFLP-GC, one may argue that Jibril's cooperation with the Iranians in the late 1980s may represent a fundamentalist affiliation. This argument has no solid ground, since Jibril was the first Palestinian to adopt the sabotage tactic using barometric triggers, in which he specialized. In that period, (early 1970’s), there was no fundamentalist Islamic influence since the Iranian revolution took place only in 1979, so the general affiliation of the PFLP-GC was secular and Marxist-Leninist orientated.

Focusing on MANPADS, this tactic was adopted by fundamentalist religious terrorists such as Al-Qaeda only in the third millennium, first in the Mombassa incident (2002) and later in Iraq (DHL cargo Airbus in 2003). From this point of view, one may find reinforcement to Wilkinson's (2001) argument as to the role of secular terrorism in terrorist activities. Yet, as these tactics were adopted by fundamentalist religious terrorist organizations, such as the Ramzi Yousef's 'Bojinka' plot to use a dozen US airliners and blow them up in mid-air (Bergman, 2006), one has to consider the magnitude of the plan regarding the potential number of casualties that could have resulted should this plan have been carried out.[ii]

As emphasized by the latest events, religious terrorist attacks constitute a far greater casualty potential than secular terrorism due to the spiritual fundamentalist ideology, which is characterized by far greater objectives than national liberation. In addition, fundamentalist ideology contains a philosophy that deals with culture clash and therefore it is more global rather than a fight for the liberation of a specific territory. Therefore, the combination of spiritual belief and global philosophy makes religious terrorism far more dangerous than a national liberation struggle. This fact was emphasized by Hoffman (1998) arguing that in 1995, for example, 25 per cent of total international terrorist attacks were conducted by religious fundamentalist terrorist groups and caused 58 per cent of all casualties that same year.[iii]

On the other hand, it is worthwhile mentioning that fundamentalist religious terrorist organizations also used 'traditional tactics' such as hijacking, as in the case of TWA’s flight 847 hijacking to Beirut (June 1985) or HUM’s (Harakat Ul-Mujahidin) hijacking of the Air-India Airbus (24 December 1999). These organizations are Islamic orientated fundamentalists and HUM is a member of Osama Bin Laden's international Islamic front. Despite this fact, HUM used 'rolling action' (hijacking) rather than 'immediate action' (total destruction by using the aircraft as a flying missile).[iv] Still, actual evidence shows that the practice of using the aircraft as a flying missile is exclusively affiliated with fundamentalist religious terrorism frameworks.

Despite the fact that the first to crash an aircraft into a strategic target were the Japanese Kamikaze ('Divine Wind') during the Second World War, it was not considered terrorism since it was aimed at military targets. Another incident was an attempt rather than an actual suicide mission - in 1972, in what is considered a criminally-orientated hijacking of the Southern Airways jet en route from Birmingham , Alabama ( USA ) to Montgomery, hijackers threatened to crash a Boeing 727 into the Oak Ridge nuclear reactor. Yet, these incidents were not terrorist-orientated events, so Bin-Laden’s 2001 attack is the first ever example of using an aircraft as a flying missile.

Regarding aerial terrorism per-se, previous incidents showed some evidence as to terrorists' intentions to use the aircraft as a flying missile. For example, in the TWA Boeing 727 hijacking to Beirut by Amal/Hezbollah (June 1985) there were rumors that the terrorists had plans to crash the jet following Beirut airport's refusal to permit the jet to land and that the terrorists announced that they were 'suicide terrorists' and would crash the jet into the Ba'abda presidential palace. The same is true of the Pan-Am hijacking by Abu Nidal on 5 September 1986 where it was believed that the terrorists intended to crash the Jumbo jet into the center of Tel-Aviv. There was also the attempted El-Al hijacking by college student Taufik Fukra (18 November 2002) who told Turkish interrogators he had planned to divert the jet back to Tel-Aviv and crash it into a building, in imitation of the attacks on the World Trade Centre.[v]

Since these cases are more likely to be regarded as a possibility since it is difficult to determine the terrorists' real intentions, the aforementioned threats may be categorized more as theoretical rather than substantial. As to the latter case of Taufik Fukra, the theoretical assumption as to his intention to crash the jet into a building in Tel-Aviv seems to be 'wishful thinking' rather than a solid intention since the hijacking attempt occurred as the aircraft was approaching Istanbul. Should he have had the intention of crashing the aircraft into Tel-Aviv, he could have tried to do so after take off from Tel-Aviv. It seems that the incident and its consequences are more likely to be related to the imitation/inspiration element rather than an actual suicide mission.

The first solid evidence of terrorists planning to crash a hijacked jet into a strategic target was the Air-France hijacking by the GIA (December 1994). It was discovered that the terrorists had intentions to crash the jet into the Eiffel Tower after having first landed in Marseilles . This argument is based on the fact that the terrorists demanded the refueling of the Airbus jet with 27 tons of fuel when only a third of this amount was needed for the short flight from Marseilles to Paris . In addition, one of the terrorist leaders later admitted that, indeed, the intention had been to crash the jet into the Eiffel Tower . But, as previously emphasized, the first actual occurrence of using an aircraft as a guided missile was the September 11th, 2001 attack conducted by nineteen suicide terrorists.

Relying on solid evidence, it is possible to assume that this new type of operation using the aircraft as a guided missile alongside a deliberate intention of suicide is connected exclusively to fundamentalist religious terrorists, in this case Al-Qaeda. Deliberate suicide involving the deaths of many others was first demonstrated in ancient times following Samson's last statement: 'Let me die with the Philistines'.[vi] Ironically, Samson’s act was replaced by those of the terrorists and the Philistines replaced by Western citizens. In fact, religious terrorism may offer justification for mass murder as well as self-sacrifice (in Arabic -'Istishad' ) while the use of aerial terrorism during the 1960’s and 1970’s was characterized by the absence of terrorists' self- sacrifice. The latest evidence of abandoning the traditional tactic and adopting the tactic of using the aircraft as a guided missile became a potential threat in the 1990s, but with actual implementation only in the third millennium (i.e. the September 2001 attack). This may be related to the fact that terrorists' are more and more willing to blow-up the aircraft over a strategic target in a deliberate suicide operation.

Al-Qaeda has not neglected its efforts to view the civilian aircraft as an immediate target. The willingness to commit suicide emphasizes the idea that the 'immediate action' will be characterized by using the aircraft as a flying missile. An Islamic Internet site related to Al-Qaeda published (June 2004) a threat to target American and Western aircraft following the message that anything related to the Crusaders' infrastructure, bases and transportation facilities will be the main focus [of Al-Qaeda] for the next operations '…with the help of Allah'.[vii]

This threat received supporting evidence in October 2005 when the White House published a list of foiled plots, such as 'the West Coast Airliner Plot' intended to attack targets on the US West Coast in mid 2002 using hijacked aircraft. One of the plotters was involved in planning the September 11th attacks, 'the East Coast Airliner Plot' intended to attack targets on the East Coast in mid 2003 using hijacked commercial aircraft and 'The Heathrow plot'' intended to attack Heathrow Airport in 2003 for the purpose of hijacking an aircraft and crashing it into one of London's sky-scrapers.[viii]

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that ‘immediate action’ attacks characterized by the use of the aircraft as a strategic agent together with deliberate suicide will be the monopoly of fundamentalist religious terrorists. If Chechen terrorists, Tamil Tigers and the Kurdish PKK adopt the culture of suicide, one may see that once fundamentalist religious terrorist groups have proved to have no limits in their activities, it is more likely that other terrorist groups, secular as well as religious, will adopt the 'suicide culture'. If Chechens and Tamil Tigers use men and women as suicide bombers, why not transfer this tactic to the aviation field? Hence, imitation and escalation are integral elements within terrorism in general and aviation terrorism in particular.

The presence of fundamentalist religious terrorism regarding aviation terrorism, as argued previously, became evident on September 11th, 2001 and was followed by Al-Qaeda activist Richard Reid who attempted to blow up an American Airlines jet in mid-air (December 2001) as well as a series of plots in 2002 and 2003 to use an aircraft for the purpose of causing mass-murder resulting in total destruction of the aircraft. These facts clearly answer the research question as to the shifting perception of the civilian aircraft from an objective to a strategic tool, inferring that the purpose is not just to sabotage or down the aircraft, but to increase casualty potential by using the jet as a guided missile in a deliberate suicide mission, a practice that is currently exclusive to fundamentalist religious terrorism.

This issue may be transferred to another aircraft aspect, which is the future role of cargo aircraft. Regarding Al-Qaeda's mode of using the aircraft as a strategic tool, an interesting issue was pointed out by Norman Rabkin (2004), managing Director of the Homeland Security and Justice Issues, in his testimony before the US Senate, claiming that the September 11th terrorists were studying the possible use of crop dusters to spread biological or chemical agents [ix]. This means, first used by the Aum Shinrikyo (20 March 1995) highlights the possibility of shifting terrorism from the traditional role of the aircraft to a new degree of atrocity by using the aircraft as an agent for the distribution of WMD. The adoption of 'immediate mega action' rather than 'rolling action' reinforces the understanding that the traditional terrorist method of using the passengers as a bargaining chip or using negotiation tactics in order to achieve goals is becoming less and less a common practice.

By shifting to 'immediate action', neither negotiations nor the passengers as a bargaining chip have a role within this new action. Following the suggested assumption that involves abandoning hostage taking as a bargaining chip in order to use the aircraft as a target (bombing) or as a strategic agent (guided missile), a hijacked cargo jet may be used as a means for spreading WMD.

This point of view as to the likelihood of terrorists focusing on cargo aircraft in the sense of hijacking a cargo jet not for the purpose of bargaining but rather as a platform to cause tremendous potential destruction is reinforced by the 'disappearance' of an old Boeing 727 jet from Luanda airport in Angola on May 25th, 2003, raising concerns as to the possibility that the jet would find its way to a fanatical terrorist organization that could easily convert the jet into a guided biological missile.[x]

The possibility of using the aircraft as a guided missile (or using it as an agent for spreading WMD) may be implemented through the use of private airplanes rather than large commercial jets where terrorists will seek to use private airplanes, where security measures are loose. Since security measures after the September 11th attacks were extensively strengthened, terrorists might seek the weak link and private airplanes, which may be capable of spreading WMD or may be loaded with explosives to be crashed into selected targets, may become a possible scenario, thus leaving large commercial jets for different and known tactics such as sabotage or MANPADS attack.

Recent evidence shows that the LTTE have managed to acquire an aircraft from East Europe and bring it to Sri-Lanka after preparing a landing field. This fact was noted by Bahkutumbi Raman, director of the Institute for Topical Studies in India , in ICT's 2005 conference on counter-terrorism. This aircraft may well be used as a flying missile controlled by a suicide bomber. In addition, one may see that terrorists started focusing on other types of aircraft: small, or even Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). According to Israeli officials, some UAV's ('Ultra-Lights) were captured in Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah ('The Muqatah') by Israeli forces during the 'Al-Aqsa Intifadah' (ICT, 2005). In other words, the aircraft, although not necessarily a commercial passenger jet, may be used as a tool for a mega attack. If one accepts the assumption that terrorists will shift their tactics and may use a [cargo] aircraft as an agent by hijacking it, then Hoffman's argument indeed plays a significant role regarding the threat potential to cargo aircraft.

Summary:

This article referrers to a possible shifting of modes from 'hijacking for bargaining' towards a 'strategic tool' mode, which was first carried out on September 11th, 2001, where the main aim of the terrorists was to use the hijacked aircraft as a guided missile and cause mass-murder. As argued, aircraft remain a high priority target for terrorists. Unlike terrorist attacks on commercial passenger aircraft, recent threats extended terrorists' focus to private aircraft because it may be a useful tool for dispersing WMD or loading it with explosives and crashing it into selected targets, alongside with its tremendous impact on various fields of social order.

[i] Leila Khaled, The Washington Times, July 21, 2003 Available in: http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20030721-082110-7107r.htm{August 22, 2003]

[ii] Paul Wilkinson,(2001) 'Terrorism Versus Democracy', London : Frank-Cass.

[iii] Hoffman, B. (1998) Inside Terrorism, New York : Columbia University Press.

[iv] http://www.ict.org.il, 23 August 2003

[v] 'Hijacker wanted a re-run of Sept 11 aimed to fly into Israel ' in: The Guardian Unlimited, Nov. 19, 2002; Ben David, A. (2005) 'The Aircraft hijacker landed in Israel and arrested' Yedioth Ahronoth , 22 September:27

[vi] Holy Bible, Judges, Chapter 16, Sentence 30

[vii] Yedioth Ahronoth , June 9, 2004, p. 4

[viii] http://www.whitehouse.gov,7 October 2005; Associated Press, 2006.

[ix] US General Accounting Office (GAO), 'Aviation Security: Improvement Still Needed in Federal Aviation Security Efforts': Statement of Norman J.Rabkin, Managing Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues (GAO-04-592T),March 30, 2004. p.18

[x] G.L. Dillinghton ,United States General Accounting Office(GAO-03-1150T), 'Aviation Security: Progress Since September 11, 2002, and the Challenges Ahead', September 2003, Introduction page. (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d031150t.pdf); Susanna Dokupil, 'Rethinking the Airline Bailout'(National Security White Papers, 2004) available in: http://www.fed-soc.org/Publications/Terrorism/airlinebailout.htm; Arie Egozi, 'The Fear: Flying Atomic Bomb(Hebrew), Yedioth Ahronoth , July 21, 2003, p. 6

Source: http://www.ict.org.il/apage/10305.php

Cockroaches, Rats Ran over My Body (back)

February 22, 2007

An Egyptian cleric allegedly kidnapped by the US Central Intelligence Agency in Milan and sent to Egypt said on Thursday he was tortured in his home country and demanded his return to Italy .

'I was subjected to horrific kinds of torture in Egyptian prisons,' said Osama Mustafa Hassan, who made a surprise appearance at the trial of a dissident blogger in the second city of Alexandria .

Witnesses told AFP that the 44-year-old imam, better known as Abu Omar, showed scars and bruises on his arms and said he had more wounds all over his body. 'See what they did to me,' he said.

The cleric expressed fear of being arrested and tortured again if a travel ban against him was not lifted and demanded he be given the right to return to Italy and prove his innocence.

'I call on George Bush and the Italian prime minister to intervene and help me return to Italy ,' he said on his first public appearance since being released from Egyptian custody last week.

Earlier this month, Italian prosecutors ordered 26 Americans to stand trial for kidnapping Abu Omar on a Milan street on February 17, 2003 and taking him to a high-security prison outside Cairo .

The criminal case is the first involving the CIA's extraordinary rendition programme, whereby terror suspects were seized in one country and taken to another to be interrogated.

The tactic has been among the most controversial used in the US 'war on terror' declared after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Italy 's intelligence chief, his deputy and five other Italian agents were also indicted for assisting the CIA in the operation.

In a document recently obtained by the Italian press, Abu Omar said he was on his way to his mosque in Milan when he was abducted. He is presumed to have been taken to the US air base in Aviano, northern Italy .

Once in Cairo , Hassan said he was held in a secret service facility.

'They made me walk with my feet tied together. I was falling, and they were laughing. Then there were electric charges, punches, slaps.'

Hassan said his interrogation lasted six months until September 14, 2003.

At another cell, 'cockroaches and rats ran over my body,' he said. 'When the guard came in, I had to get on my knees or he would beat me with a baton that dealt electric shocks.'

Italian prosecutors suspect the cleric of having fought in Afghanistan and being involved in recruiting fighters for jihad, or holy war. Abu Omar has denied the allegations through his lawyer.

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=85&art_id=nw2 0070222141417949C641577

Egyptian in Alleged CIA Abduction Case Seeks Return to Italy (back)

February 22, 2007

An Egyptian cleric allegedly kidnapped by CIA agents off the streets of an Italian city and taken to Egypt said Thursday he was tortured in an Egyptian prison and that he wants to return to Italy .

Osama Hassan Mustafa Nasr, known as Abu Omar, made his first public appearance since he was released from Egyptian custody last week.

His torture allegations could fuel the controversy over the first criminal case involving the CIA's extraordinary rendition program, in which U.S. authorities secretly transferred terror suspects for interrogation to Third World countries where critics say they faced torture.

'I was subjected to the worst kind of torture in Egyptian prisons. I have scars of torture all over my body,' Nasr told journalists after he made a surprise appearance at the trial of an Egyptian blogger accused of insulting Islam.

He also expressed fears that Egyptian security services would arrest him for speaking out. 'I could be arrested the moment I leave here,' he said at the court in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria .

Italian prosecutors say Nasr was kidnapped from the streets of Milan in February 2003 by CIA agents with help from Italian agents.

Italy indicted 26 Americans

Last week, Italy indicted 25 American CIA agents and a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel for the alleged kidnapping.

The Italian government has signalled it will not press Washington for the extradition of the 26 Americans despite demands by the Milan prosecutors. The government is trying to avoid further souring Italian-U.S. relations over the case. The Americans have all left Italy , and it is unlikely the U.S. would turn them over for prosecution even if Italy sought extradition.

After his abduction, Nasr allegedly was taken to Aviano Air Base near Venice , Ramstein Air Base in southern Germany and then to Egypt for interrogation. He was held for four years, until he was freed by an Egyptian court that ruled his detention was 'unfounded.'

An Egyptian cleric allegedly kidnapped by CIA agents off the streets of an Italian city and taken to Egypt said Thursday he was tortured in an Egyptian prison and that he wants to return to Italy .

Osama Hassan Mustafa Nasr, known as Abu Omar, made his first public appearance since he was released from Egyptian custody last week.

His torture allegations could fuel the controversy over the first criminal case involving the CIA's extraordinary rendition program, in which U.S. authorities secretly transferred terror suspects for interrogation to Third World countries where critics say they faced torture.

'I was subjected to the worst kind of torture in Egyptian prisons. I have scars of torture all over my body,' Nasr told journalists after he made a surprise appearance at the trial of an Egyptian blogger accused of insulting Islam.

He also expressed fears that Egyptian security services would arrest him for speaking out. 'I could be arrested the moment I leave here,' he said at the court in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria .

Italian prosecutors say Nasr was kidnapped from the streets of Milan in February 2003 by CIA agents with help from Italian agents.

Italy indicted 26 Americans

Last week, Italy indicted 25 American CIA agents and a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel for the alleged kidnapping.

The Italian government has signalled it will not press Washington for the extradition of the 26 Americans despite demands by the Milan prosecutors. The government is trying to avoid further souring Italian-U.S. relations over the case. The Americans have all left Italy , and it is unlikely the U.S. would turn them over for prosecution even if Italy sought extradition.

After his abduction, Nasr allegedly was taken to Aviano Air Base near Venice , Ramstein Air Base in southern Germany and then to Egypt for interrogation. He was held for four years, until he was freed by an Egyptian court that ruled his detention was 'unfounded.'

Egyptian officials never publicly acknowledged Nasr's abduction or his detention in Egypt . They also have not publicly confirmed his country took part in renditions. But Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif told NBC's Meet the Press in 2005 that 'people have been sent' to Egypt but would not say how many or discuss their cases.

Suspected of recruiting radical Islamic fighters

According to Italian officials, the cleric fought in Afghanistan and Bosnia and was suspected of recruiting fighters for radical Islamic causes. But Nasr's Egyptian lawyer, Montasser al-Zayat, has said Nasr had only travelled to Jordan , Yemen , Albania and Germany before entering Italy illegally in 1997.

A prosecutor in Milan , Guido Salvini, issued an arrest warrant for him in April 2005 as part of a terrorism investigation.

In Alexandria on Thursday, Nasr said he was innocent and wanted to return to Italy , where he was granted political asylum in 2001.

'I appeal to the Italians not to give up on me in the predicament I'm going through,' he said. 'I want to go back to Italy , but I'm banned from leaving Egypt . I want to go back and stand in front of the Italian judiciary and prove my innocence.'

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/02/22/egypt-kidnappi ng-070222.html

Comparing and Contrasting Hizballah and Iraq 's Militias (back)

February 14, 2007

by Andrew Exum

Recently, U.S. military officers and strategic planners have begun comparing Iraq 's Shiite militias -- especially the Mahdi Army -- with Hizballah, the dominant Shiite militia and political party in Lebanon . Analysts hope to both understand these militias today and predict how they will evolve in the near future.

This is not a bad comparison to make. Today's political environment in Iraq has important similarities to that of Lebanon during the 1980s, when Hizballah came into its own as a national military and political force. As the Iraq war is now, the Lebanese civil war was a militia war -- one in which various armed factions struggled to protect their territory, expel external forces, and provide basic services to their constituencies. Besides environmental similarities between Lebanon then and Iraq now, another factor is that after the 2006 summer war with Israel, Hizballah has become a model of resistance and military prowess that the Shiite militias in Iraq may well strive to imitate.

Differences among Lebanon , Iraq , and Their Respective Militias

There are, however, several problems with comparing the militias in Iraq to Hizballah. First off, the environment that allowed Hizballah to develop into a 'state within a state' and an effective military force had been in place for over three decades prior to the summer 2006 war between Hizballah and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Lebanon is a historically weak state in which seventeen different religious communities are often administered by sectarian leaders and community organizations rather than by the federal government. This has largely been the case since Lebanon 's independence in 1943, and has become even more characteristic since a series of sectarian massacres kicked off the nation's bloody fifteen-year civil war in 1975.

Iraq , in contrast, was administered by a totalitarian dictatorship until 2003, and has only devolved into its current state since the U.S.-led invasion of that year toppled Saddam Hussein and left a power vacuum in his place.

Furthermore, Hizballah is a much more mature and disciplined organization than any of Iraq 's Shiite militias. As previously stated, Hizballah's evolution into a mature political force -- which effectively acts as a mini-state in South Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley , and Beirut 's southern suburbs -- took place over decades. What began as loosely organized bands of Shiite gunmen developed over time into a network providing educational, medical, and other community services. The organization has also enjoyed strong financial and material support from Iran on a scale that may be much greater than anything available to Iraqi groups. None of Iraq 's militias -- with the notable exception of the Peshmerga in the Kurdish regions -- should be expected to operate with the levels of discipline and organization that are characteristic of Hizballah in Lebanon .

It is also worth noting the way in which the IDF long held the upper hand over Hizballah on the battlefield. Hizballah did not begin to enjoy significant battlefield success against Israeli forces in South Lebanon until the 1990s. In this decade, Hizballah evolved tactically, gradually becoming both more proficient in the use of its weapons systems -- so impressive to observers of last summer's war -- and more difficult for Israeli intelligence to infiltrate. Hizballah's summer 2006 successes were the result of steady support from external sponsors such as Syria and Iran , intense preparation following Israel 's withdrawal from South Lebanon in 2000, and a political and military evolution that has been taking place since 1982.

Iraq 's Militias in the Path of Hizballah

Although militias in Iraq may not yet be able to fight as effectively as Hizballah, U.S. planners are correct in looking at Hizballah's successes in Lebanon as a model of what Iraq's militias may aspire to achieve. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr publicly declared his support for and unity with Hizballah during the summer war, and his militia has -- according to recently released U.S. intelligence -- accepted training from Hizballah fighters in both Lebanon and Iraq .

Iraq 's militias have a long way to go before they even begin to rival Hizballah in tactics and battlefield performance. However, several disturbing trends suggest that militias and insurgent groups in Iraq have advanced with frightening speed in their acquisition and use of both basic and advanced weapons systems. In the past several weeks, six U.S. helicopters have gone down in Iraq . Sources disagree on whether these helicopters were brought down by conventional small arms fire or by more advanced weaponry such as shoulder-fired missiles. If conventional small arms were used, observers must conclude that Iraqi militias and insurgent groups have grown more proficient in the employment of small arms against U.S. helicopters -- a worrying sign for a U.S. military grown accustomed to the advantage that helicopters have provided in the counterinsurgency fight.

If shoulder-fired missiles were used, then the U.S. military has an altogether different cause for concern -- that Iraqi militias targeting U.S. military units are not just being funded, but also equipped and trained by external sponsors such as Iran . This worry has increased with published reports that Iran is responsible for introducing the most powerful roadside bomb used in Shiite militia attacks on U.S. armored columns, as well as a recent Department of Defense briefing detailing Iranian military support for the militias.

Conclusion

Hizballah -- like the militias of Iraq -- is the product of a unique political and social environment. As such, U.S. planners should be careful before drawing broad comparisons between Hizballah and Iraqi Shiite militias. Some characteristics of one may not apply to the other. At the same time, U.S. military officers and planners are correct in assuming that Iraq 's militias will seek to emulate Hizballah's battlefield prowess, tactics, and successes. For that reason, U.S. planners must be wary of any new weapons and tactics introduced by outside sponsors that would enable this emulation. Continued external support for the militias in the form of weapons and training will make the U.S. military presence in Iraq more and more dangerous in the same way it did for the IDF in South Lebanon .

As such, determining what kind of game the Iranians are playing in Iraq is especially important. Perhaps Iran is waiting to see which Shiite militia emerges as the strongest before backing one faction wholeheartedly. Or perhaps it will attempt to support a loyal splinter militia in the same way it broke Islamic Amal -- later Hizballah -- off from Lebanon 's Amal militia in the early 1980s.

All this remains to be seen. For now, planners should draw lessons from the Hizballah phenomenon while paying close attention to Iraq 's ever-complex political and military environment.

Andrew Exum is the Soref Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and, most recently, the author of Hizballah at War: A Military Assessment. He led a platoon of Army Rangers in Iraq in 2003.

Source: http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2566

Iran Strengthening Syrian Military (back)

February 22, 2007

by Julie Stahl

Iran is providing 'generous' funding to help Syria beef up its forces, and those troops seem to be moving closer to the Israeli border, an Israeli daily reported on Thursday.

Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian leaders reaffirmed their close ties at top-level meetings in Tehran earlier this week.

Washington has accused both Syria and Iran of aiding -- or turning a blind eye -- to insurgents making their way into Iraq to fight U.S. and other Western troops.

The U.S. also charges that the Syria and Iran are supplying weapons to Hizballah and helping the radical Islamic terrorist organization in its attempts to topple the pro-Democracy Lebanese government.

The Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported on Thursday that the Syrian military was strengthening its forces in an 'unprecedented way' with the aid of 'generous funding' from Iran .

The Syrians are concentrating on building up their missile arsenal and long-range rockets to compensate for a weak air force, the paper said.

Syria also is redeploying its troops closer to the Israeli-Syrian border on the Golan Heights , it said. ( Israel shares a 45-mile border with Syria that runs through the Golan Heights .)

Reacting to the report, Syrian parliamentarian Mohammed Habash said there is nothing new along the Israeli-Syrian border but that Syria is ready for every eventuality.

In an interview with the Arabic television station Al-Arabiyah, Habash reportedly said if Israel is thinking about doing something stupid, it would pay a heavy price.

Reserve Maj. General Amos Gilad of Israel 's Ministry of Defense said Israel has no intelligence information indicating that Syria intends to launch an attack against Israel 'in the coming months.'

Nevertheless, that assessment could certainly change 'at any moment,' Gilad said in a radio interview on Thursday.

Syrian missile threat

Reserve Major General Jacob Amidror, the former commander of Israel 's National Defense College who is now with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, noted that Israel has been attacked by rockets manufactured by Syria and used by Hizballah during the summertime war in southern Lebanon .

If reports are true that Syria is boosting its rocket arsenal, it will be an 'important factor' in any future war, Amidror told Cybercast News Service.

Israel saw what enemy rockets could do to the northern part of the country last summer, he said.

Hizballah launched more than 4,000 rockets and missiles aimed mostly at civilians during the 34-day war. The incessant attacks killed 43 people, displaced some 300,000 Israelis and forced many others to live in bomb shelters

But according to Amidror, the war with Hizballah would pale in comparison with a war in which Syria launched its more numerous rockets at Israel .

A war between Israel and Syria would be a 'full scale' war, Amridor predicted. He said he would expect Syria to launch Scud missiles against Israel . Although the advanced Scuds have a range that would threaten all of Israel , the result would not be 'so severe,' given Israel 's greater defensive capabilities, said Amidror.

Israel 's Arrow anti-ballistic missile system has proven itself to be up to 95 percent effective in intercepting such missiles in tests, he said. (The rockets that Hizballah fired at Israel last summer flew too low to be intercepted by the system.)

Israel cannot judge whether the Syrians intend to use the missiles, Amidror said, and therefore it must be prepared to defend itself against the capabilities that Syria is building.

No wishful thinking

For years, some military experts have said that changing realities in the Middle East greatly diminished the possibility that Israel would face the threat of conventional war with its neighbors.

But this line of thought is 'nonsense' -- as was clearly proved by the Israeli-Hizballah war last summer, said Amidror.

Hizballah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah actually did Israel a favor by provoking the war because it exposed Israel 's 'weak points' said Amidror. That has forced Israelis to return to a more realistic way of thinking, he added.

Source: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ ForeignBureaus/archive/200702/INT20070222b.html

Group Decries Classroom Distribution of Anti-Islam Materials (back)

February 22, 2007

Teacher allowed anti-Islam handouts, activists say

A high school teacher allowed a group whose declared mission is to 'raise an awareness of the danger of Islam' to distribute literature in his class, including a handout titled 'Do Not Marry a Muslim Man,' according to an advocacy group.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations says a representative from the Kamil International Ministries Organization, based in Raleigh , spoke to a ninth-grade world history class at Enloe High School and distributed the literature, which also discussed Jesus.

The father of a Muslim student reported the incident, said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper. The council wrote to Wake County schools Superintendent Del Burns asking that the incident be investigated and that the teacher be disciplined.

Burns had not received the letter, but an investigation is under way and officials will take appropriate disciplinary action, district spokeswoman Kristin Flenniken said.

The teacher has not been named. A call by The Associated Press to the high school's principal, Beth Cochran, was not immediately returned Wednesday.

On its Web site, Kamil describes itself as a Christian group 'dedicated to teaching the truth about Islam' and says its mission 'is to raise an awareness of the danger of Islam.'

A phone number for the organization could not be found. An e-mail to the group wasn't immediately returned Wednesday.

Source: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070222/25963_Group_ Decries_Classroom_Distribution_of_Anti-Islam_Materials.htm

America's Slickest Hatemonger (back)

February 22, 2007

by Stephen Schwartz

Notice: This is an opinion column, not a news story. I include this statement because its main topic, the despicable James Zogby, apparently does not know the difference, and has a history of trying to 'correct' the opinions of others as if, when they disagreed with him, it could only be a matter of others’ 'inaccuracies' versus his 'facts.'

I have written extensively on two of the worst aspects of life in the American Muslim community: the incapacity to create a new, sophisticated and truly American leadership and the absence of credible intellectuals.

Another curse that has befallen the American Muslims is the inability to produce trustworthy advocates for peace. Moderate Muslims working sincerely in cooperation with Jews to gain a Middle East solution are few in number; some are no more than ambitious individuals seeking publicity and status as community leaders. Much of my work has, unfortunately, had to deal with the mendacious claims of fake peace emissaries.

It is notable that only the Muslims, among all the American religious communities, lack a substantial number of prominent apostles for peace. The Christian churches are dedicated to peace first and foremost; the Jewish community includes a large peace camp, with some confused members willing to march alongside Arab extremists and neo-Nazis in anti-Israel demonstrations.

Instead, the American Muslim leadership is filled with hatemongers. And, since Arab oil money and American obliviousness have allowed Islam to be considered an Arab religion only, unethical and ill-intentioned Arab American Christians with no standing as Muslims or even a basic knowledge of Islam regularly appear in media as representatives of the Muslim community. The roster of such bogus gatekeepers for Islam in America is long and includes such obnoxious characters as the academics Fawaz Gerges and Shibley Telhami, both Arab Christians and both adept at giving American non-Muslims the false impression they speak for Islam, just because they are Arabs.

By far the slickest hatemonger in America is an Arab American Christian named James Zogby, who directs something called the Arab American Institute. His brother John Zogby runs a polling organization that, in a curious pattern, repeatedly generates poll data discrediting the Bush administration, the war in Iraq , Israel , and other favorite targets of the Arab hate lobby.

Of course, I would never suggest that the Zogby polls are skewed, or represent mere propaganda. Coincidences do exist. It might very well be that polling samples confirm the prejudices for which James Zogby is such a loud and crass apologist.

James Zogby has, admittedly, a way with words. He went on television to demand that Americans – citizens of a country proud to have freed our nation from the British monarchs – show respect for a princess married to the reptilian former Saudi ambassador to the U.S., Prince Bandar bin Sultan. Zogby has denounced democracy, the foundation of America , as a juvenile fantasy in the Middle East . He apparently considers his own Lebanese forebears and relatives too stupid or backward for democratic governance, although they are now fighting hard for it.

In 2003, Zogby went to Saudi Arabia and, although a Christian, stood up at a press conference held by the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), an official Saudi agency group identified with global terror financing. WAMY’s U.S. representative, located uncomfortably close to the national capital in Annandale , Va. , was none other than Abdulah bin Laden, brother of Osama. Zogby had been provided with generous funds by WAMY to try to clean up the Saudi image in the U.S. after the horror of September 11, 2001, in which 15 out of 19 suicide pilots were Saudi subjects.

The bag of swag for Zogby provoked irritation among the American Muslims in the Wahhabi lobby, long faithful to the fundamentalist cult that remains the state sect in the Saudi kingdom. But the Saudis Wahhabis are evil, not stupid, and realized they had more to gain by working with a Christian than a Muslim front-man in America .

Zogby squealed that his WAMY adventure in Saudi Arabia had been arranged by the U.S. State Department, but the time is long past when a State Department seal of approval inspired confidence.

Zogby and his AAI have now come out with a new blast of hate. In a statement dated February 14, 2007, titled 'Orientalism 101,' and accessible here [www.aaiusa.org/countdown/2762/orientalism-101], Zogby’s band of haters protests indignantly because the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee took testimony from David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Martin Indyk of the Brookings Institution, and Daniel Pipes of the Middle East Forum.

Zogby’s smear machine ignores the standing of Ambassador Indyk as a notable moderate, and even a defender of Arab grievances, in Israel , and refers to Pipes as a 'demagogue.' According to the minions of James Zogby, 'nobody who is serious about peace would entertain the likes of Pipes.' But Zogby calling the sophisticated Pipes a demagogue is simply another among many examples of psychological projection by anti-Israel fanatics.

Thus, according to Zogby Pasha, commander of the Christian legion of Saudi servants, he and his group have right of censorship over the actions of the U.S. Congress, at the same time as they demand obeisance to Saudi aristocrats and jeer at democracy.

The AAI statement went on to condemn a Washington think-tank for hosting talks by The New York Times writer Thomas Friedman and Brandeis University professor Yitzhak Nakash. I am no fan of the glib Friedman, but as usual with AAI and Zogby, they show no awareness that Professor Nakash is an outstanding expert on Shia Islam and a respected, even beloved figure among Iraqi and other Shias. Zogby should be careful when he treads in this territory – I have already demonstrated to him the extent and significance of my own support by American Iraqi Shia Muslim leaders, after Zogby attacked me. He is better off leaving Professor Nakash alone. Nothing burns worse than playing with Shia fire.

But coincidences haunt Zogby. Professor Nakash is Jewish, along with others on his roster. How convenient that AAI's complaint should be hurled at the same ethnic group their Saudi-Wahhabi and other foreign patrons so detest.

Zogby’s team finally demands that the Congress and other institutions hear more Arab and Muslim representatives – as if media and academia were not replete with such the distorting claims of such figures. Once again, Zogby Pasha cannot impose his twisted form of Islamist domination on U.S. opinion. Zogby may be adept at hate, but he is a disgrace to America and especially to the Democrat party in which he holds a high post. Zogby’s role as a token Arab American for the Democrats may be nothing more than another coincidence, considering how many Democrats seem to agree with him about Iraq . Still, as some Democrats try to shift gears to adapt to mainstream America ’s commitment to the war on terror, I predict that a crude demagogue like Zogby will prove a liability, not an asset.

Maybe the column on his website was not written by him and does not represent his views. Maybe its appearance there is yet another coincidence. God knows best, as pious Muslims say.

Source: http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/challenges.php?id=753989

Minister's Murderer Believes Women Can't Rule Men (back)

February 22, 2007

* Sarwar says he believed Zil-e-Huma was spreading evil influence on other women

* Zil-e-Huma’s funeral held at Gujranwala

Muhammad Sarwar, the killer of Punjab minister Zil-e-Huma, believes that women cannot rule over men and he shot the young woman minister due to her increasing popularity among the people, sources in the Punjab Police told Daily Times on Wednesday.

The sources said that Sarwar belonged to the Ahle Hadith sect and had 'his own interpretation of Islam'.

Sarwar told interrogators he was fired by a passion to purge society of women who defy Islamic customs, police sources told AFP. 'I have no regrets. I killed her out of the conviction that she was leading an un-Islamic life and spreading an evil influence on other women,' Sarwar told interrogators in custody, according to a police source.

The sources said that Sarwar owned a hardware shop in Gujranwala and has nine children – four sons and five daughters. They said that Sarwar had ordered his wife and daughters to stay at home and veil their faces. They added that Sarwar was previously arrested in 2002 for murdering four prostitutes, but had been acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Punjab Law Minister Basharat Raja has directed the prosecution secretary and the prosecutor general to assign a special prosecutor with the police team investigating Huma’s muder for technical assistance.

Raja said that a joint investigation team of the Intelligence Bureau and Crime Investigation Department led by the Gujranwala Investigation SP was interrogating Sarwar, adding that the challan of the case would be submitted to an anti-terrorism court for hearing and the court would be requested to hear the case on a daily basis so that the murderer is punished as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Zil-e-Huma’s funeral was held at Rahwali Cantt on Wednesday afternoon.

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi termed Huma’s killing an irreparable loss to the Pakistan Muslim League. He lauded Huma’s services for people’s welfare and said that her efforts for women’s emancipation would always be remembered.

Punjab Governor Lt Gen (r) Khalid Maqbool, Gujranwala Corps Commander Lt Gen Anees Abbasi, Punjab Assembly Speaker Afzal Sahi, Law Minister Basharat Raja and several cabinet members attended Huma’s funeral.

Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\02\22\story_ 22-2-2007_pg7_21

German Broadcaster Plans Online Muslim Friday Sermon From Summer

http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_15776-German-Broadcaster-Plans-Online-Muslim-Friday-Sermon-From-Summer.html

German Broadcaster Plans Online Muslim Friday Sermon From Summer

ZDF, one of Germany's big four television broadcasters, confirmed
Friday
plans to commission and publish online sermons by Islamic clergy every
Friday from this summer.

ZDF said it would choose preachers in conjunction with German Muslim
organizations and retain final editorial responsibility over the
content.

The "Friday Forum" project is a modelled on a weekly Christian
television address which is aired every Sunday by another public
broadcaster, ARD, but ZDF said it would initially put the Muslim
address
on the internet only and see how many people read it.

Markus Schaechter, director general of ZDF, said in Mainz it was not
planned to proselytize, but to offer opinions and talks from a Muslim
point of view on ethical topics, spirituality and current events.

The articles in German will be available to anyone with a web
connection. ZDF normally pays a fee to all its contributors.

He said the deputy chairman of the German council of Jews, Salomon
Korn,
who is also on the ZDF board, had welcomed the plan. Korn this month
criticized the project, saying a multi-faith programme would be better.

Schaechter said it had been agreed in talks with the council of Jews to
discuss creating a similar online space for the Jewish faith.

Ruprecht Polenz, chairman of the ZDF Council, said the broadcaster had
a
responsibility to help integrate the 3.5 million Muslims of Germany
into
society.

Friday is the holy day in Islam, Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath and
Sunday is the Christian day of worship.

© 2007 DPA

Suicides Among Migrant Workers In Bahrain Are Highlighted

http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_15777-Suicides-Among-Migrant-Workers-In-Bahrain-Are-Highlighted.html

Suicides Among Migrant Workers In Bahrain Are Highlighted

A human rights agency in Bahrain on Friday expressed extreme concern
over reports of high numbers of attempted suicides among migrant
workers
- mostly from the Indian subcontinent - since the beginning of the
year.

The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), in a statement, urged that
serious and decisive measures be taken to establish the causes behind
such actions and prevent further incidents.

Two Indians, and a third unidentified Asian man had committed suicide
last January, according to the BCHR.

A 49-year-old Bangladeshi man was meanwhile reported to have committed
suicide this month.

These tragic events should be heard as an alarm sounding in Bahrain and
the reasons the men took their lives should be investigated, BCHR vice
president Nabeel Rajab said.

He added that the authorities need to examine the terrible conditions
in
which migrant workers live in.

It was often the case that financial difficulties, compounded by
loneliness, alienation and miserable living conditions had a very
negative psychological effect on migrant workers, said Rajab.

© 2007 DPA

Subject: Call for Papers: "Intelligence Failures and Cultural Misperceptions..."

# # #

Call for papers: 'Intelligence failures and cultural misperceptions: Asia, 1945 till the present', The Netherlands, September 2008

In September 2008 the Netherlands Intelligence Studies Association (NISA) will hold its tri-annual two days conference. This time the theme of the conference will be: 'Intelligence failures and cultural misperceptions: Asia, 1945 till the present'. The conference will take place in Amsterdam/The Hague in late September 2008.

The current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have shown the limitations of intelligence gathering caused by cultural barriers. Although these kinds of failures abound in every non-western setting where western intelligence services operate, Asia has been in the forefront of this type of cultural rifts. Immediately after the Second World War this became apparent during the processes of decolonization. The colonial security apparatus was no longer able to control the indigenous political aspirations and new western foreign intelligence organizations had to be erected that would be adapted to the new international scene after independence. Nevertheless, there were elements of continuity in which many of the former colonial powers maintained expertise in the former colonies, according to the expectations of their allies.

Already in the final stages of colonialism and during the allied occupation of Japan the Cold War was felt strongly within Asia with major repercussions in the Western world. E.g. the communist power grip in China contributed to the emergence of McCarthyism in the United States. Intelligence and intelligence failures played a major role in the wars in Korea and Vietnam. The emergence of new industrialized countries in Asia posed both a threat and a challenge to the West. Suspicions of economic espionage arose leading to new targets for intelligence services.

Especially after the disintegration of the Soviet Union national governments charged intelligence organizations with the collection of information concerning their energy needs. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 the so-called war on terror focused mainly, though not exclusively, on the Middle East and Western Asia. This new type of conflict was conducted on an overt as well as a covert level. Intelligence services were supposed to contribute both to the military and political warfare, which also had implications in the West itself.

The NISA would like to invite both academic and (former) practitioners of intelligence to submit proposals for papers that entail a theoretical approach to the intelligence failures and cultural misperceptions against the backdrop of the situation in Asia since 1945. The intention of the conference organizers is to develop a more analytical perspective on the above mentioned events, rather than adding to existing descriptive narratives.

Submitters are requested to send in proposals of approximately 400 words pertaining to the following subjects:
- the Cold War in Asia
- economic espionage in and from Asia
- intelligence cultures
- UKUSA cooperation in Asia
- the 'war on terror'
Proposals should be submitted no later than 1 May, 2007 and can be sent to: Beatrice.deGraaf@let.uu.nl or bobdegraaff@yahoo.com.
The Netherlands Intelligence Studies Association NISA is a non-partisan, voluntary association established in 1991. Its principal purpose is to provide informed debate in the Netherlands on intelligence and security issues and to support historical research. Membership is by invitation and currently includes academics, government officials, writers, journalists, lawyers and active and former intelligence officers.
For more information about the NISA you may have a look at: http://www.nisa-intelligence.nl/about.htm

SPIEGEL ONLINE - February 23, 2007, 12:42 PM
URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,467489,00.html
FOLLOWING DIVINE ORDERS
Violence in the Name of God

By Erich Follath, Manfred Müller, Ulrich Schwarz and Stefan Simons

Murder and terror do not figure in the teachings of the monotheist
world
religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Yet time and again, their
fanatical followers embark on bloody rampages, their rage fired up by
zealous priests and religious scholars.

The orders handed to the suicide killers are brutally clear: "This is
the hour in which you will meet God. Pray to God and ask him to help
you
carry out this act. Once you are on the plane, you should pray to God
because you are doing this for God. As the almighty Prophet says, a
deed
for God is something better than the whole world."

Again and again: Pray, pray, pray so your faith doesn't waver and you
don't abandon your mission out of fear. "Open your heart. Welcome death
in the name of God." And, finally, when the deed is done, "angels will
call your name and put on their most beautiful dresses just for you."

Considering that nearly 3,000 people perished in the events of
September
11, 2001, the "spiritual guide" for the attack on the World Trade
Center, retrieved by FBI agents from terrorist Mohammed Atta's luggage,
reads like a document born of religious paranoia. Allah is portrayed as
providing the moral justification for the most horrific terror attack
in
history, one in which many fellow Muslims were also killed.

This document may seem macabre, but it reflects a breed of fanaticism
that infuses numerous faiths, certainly not just Islam. The Jewish
extremist Jigal Amir, who assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak
Rabin in 1995, also claimed he was merely carrying out God's will. And
strict tutors at Jesuit colleges might use the same language as the
"guide's" Islamic author when demanding absolute obedience to superiors
and total dedication to God: witness the teachings of Ignatius of
Loyola, the order's founder: "I believe that the white that I see is
black if the hierarchical church so defines it."

continues...............

She was never able to create anything, to become complete, to fall in love – she was only getting ready. It is possible that her talents might not have found fertile ground, might not have blossomed. But we are certain of this: she would have been a TRUE PERSON and a GOOD MOTHER.

Is that not really a lot?

PS: While the representatives of the operational headquarters were talking about the absence of children among the dead, our daughter’s body had been hidden in a bus that never left the square. From their report: “on 26.10.2002 at 13:00 at the theatrical center on Dubrovka, the body was removed for examination from the #11 bus license #R980TO99RUS”.

Written by her parents, Olga Milovidova and Dmitry Milovidov.<<<

This leaves me, sad and angry.

The Nord Ost plan was brilliant, they killed the finest that Russia has, I stay amazed at the fine qualities of those who are educated enough to go and enjoy ballet.

To understand it, and be paid back by a killer.

My heart breaks for the family and indeed the world's loss.

That damned bus again.

But people died there, our loved ones, and their memory should always live, and so therefore when I hear ‘Nord-Ost’, I shudder, and my memory returns to there, where we sat waiting for rescue, hoping for the best, and that moment that I still remember - when all were still alive…
Zhanna Volodina <<<

She is correct, we need to remember, there is much that we must not forget.

About 75 years, after our civil war ended, I decided that i would stop fighting it.

It was still a living thing for us in the south.

Today, if it happened yesterday, forget it.

You will have Freeper nmail in 10 minutes.

Just there to do the jobs Mexicans won'tTM!<<<

Well said............LOL

10 meters is only about 30 ', a real invasion.

Cheers to you.

Thanks to Milford421 for this report:

Mainstream Muslims to Join Farrakhan

Mainstream? Siraj Wahhaj of the Islamic Society of North America is
one of the un-indicted co-conspirators of the first World Trade
Center Bombings.

AP National NewsMainstream Muslims to Join Farrakhan
By Associated Press

February 22, 2007, 6:20 PM EST

PLAINFIELD, Ind. -- The Islamic Society of North America, which
represents orthodox, mostly immigrant Muslims, will join ailing
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan this weekend in Detroit at
what is billed as his final major address.

Imam Siraj Wahhaj, a longtime member of the Islamic Society, said he
has accepted Farrakhan's invitation to give a sermon at Friday
prayers ahead of the minister's speech on Sunday at Ford Field, the
Plainfield-based Islamic Society said.

The Islamic Society's participation is significant because
mainstream Muslims have considered the Nation heretical. Among their
many differences, the Nation has promoted black supremacy, while
mainstream Islam teaches racial unity. However, in recent years
Farrakhan has adopted more orthodox teachings and has tried to build
ties with other Muslims.

The 73-year-old Farrakhan was released last month from a hospital
after a 12-hour abdominal operation to correct damage caused by
treatment for prostate cancer.

* __http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-
farewell-farrakhan,0,4393774.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines_

On the Net:

Islamic Society: http://www.isna.net/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070224/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/colombia_collateral_killings

Botched assassination caught on camera

45 minutes ago

BOGOTA, Colombia - It was like a macabre twist in a film noir: Confused hit men on the lookout for two men in a white sedan gun down the wrong people. Then they spot their intended targets, in the same traffic jam 20 yards away. And kill them, too. And it was all caught on a traffic camera.
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It happened midday Thursday in the southwestern city of Cali.

The assassins struck as lunchtime traffic congealed.

Running up alongside the car, they blasted through the windows of the white Mazda. Trapped in traffic, trapped in their car, the passengers never had a chance.

Only after the shooting was over did the gunmen realize their intended targets were in another white sedan stuck in the same traffic jam.

continues...............

For those of you interested check out the live view of the LA Basin tonight as seen from Mount Wilson:

http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop

Oh, be sure to bookmark this link as you might wish to view the cam during a major fire or after a signifcant earthquake in the LA Basin assuming the cam was still working and connected to the 'net.