Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
US News and World Report "Best Blogs of '06" Lists Counterterrorism
Blog
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/badguys/061228/best_blogs_of_06.htm#more
US News and World Report listed the Counterterrorism Blog as one of the
"Best Blogs of '06" for best "investigative reporting" and "jihadist"
research information. As cited by David E. Kaplan, while there are many
web sites with "instant experts in counterterrorism", on the
Counterterrorism Blog - "here's the real deal: some two dozen analysts, scholars,
and investigators who have tracked terrorism around the world for
years."
[Do you have all the links in the article?]
[Yes, I am aware that he is a liberal, but in the end he tells the truth, in 2 years, President Bush will be out of the picture and the terrorists, will have a free path to march down...granny]
Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_walter_b_061229_making_the_world_saf.htm
December 29, 2006
Making the World Safer for Terrorism
By Brasch
Deep in a cave or high on a mountain, in Pakistan or Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or, maybe, sunning on the French Riviera, is a furious Osama bin Laden.
"Infidels!" he screamed to his aide.
"Yes," said the Aide reassuringly, "that is truly what the Great Satan is."
"How dare them!" stammered the financier and leader of al-Qaeda.
"What is it this time?" asked the Aide. "Did they capture one of our thousand great and glorious deputy leaders? Did they reduce the violence outside of Baghdad?"
"Worse! They made Bush Number 1!" He looked directly at his Aide. "Do you know how disgraceful that is?!"
"I do not understand, Oh Great and Wonderful Courier of Absolute Wisdom."
"Bush!" said bin Laden, sputtering out the word. "He's the most despised man in America." The Aide tried his best to suppress a laugh, but a giggle left his dried lips. "Do not mock me, you son of a camel driver," said bin Laden who turned his computer screen to his Aide. "There!" he commanded. "Seek wisdom through your own eyes." And there, before the Aide was the latest AP–AOL poll. One-fourth of all Americans declared that George W. Bush is the Biggest Villain of 2006. Osama bin Laden was far behind, with only 8 percent of the vote. "Four times worse than me!" said bin Laden, almost choking on his words.
"But, Oh Mighty Force For Dissolving the Social Order, you have launched wars. You have brought about terror. You have disregarded human rights and shredded the written laws of more than two centuries. You alone have given new interpretations to our Holy Book."
"And so has that Sand Flea Upon a Camel's Ass," said bin Laden, "and he's done it four times better."
"But you have been able to do it without a press corps regurgitating your propaganda. You know how the media always inflate someone's worth." It didn't help.
"I was once the most wanted man in the world," said bin Laden. That Dung Beetle on the Droppings from a Bloated Goat put 10,000 of his troops into Afghanistan. He said he'd hunt me down and bring me before his witch trials." Bin Laden wiped a small tear. "But then he changed his mind, put his own weapons of mass destruction into Iraq and forgot about me. It's as if I don't matter."
"Please do not cry," said the Aide, "by invading Iraq, he opened a new land where you could unleash your terror!"
"Bush! It's always Bush! You don't think I could have gone into Iraq if I wanted to, killed Saddam, and made the world safe for terrorism without Bush?! Is that what you think?"
"Never in a thousand years, Almighty Benefactor of the Weak and Poor. I would never criticize you. Please don't kill me. Saddam kept you out, but only because you allowed it. If you wanted to go to Iraq, you would have gone there long before the Great Satan invited our glorious revolution to do battle, and we would have been the first to destroy the 3,000 year civilization of that country."
"Praise Allah! Allah is with us! Allah Bless al-Qaeda!"
"That's the spirit," said the Aide. Here's even better news. The American With the Constant Smirk is also the most praised American."
"Do you take me for a fool!?" thundered bin Laden. "I can read and analyze statistics better than that Fool of a Mixed Malaprop. Only 13 percent of Americans say he's the Biggest Hero of 2006. That's only half of all who say he's the Biggest Villain."
"That shows you how foolish those Americans are," said the Aide. "He creates a war-and that is good-but he stays behind the battle, like he always has done, and while his troops are sweating and dying, while they're eating condensed sand, he's in an air-conditioned villa in Texas and eating barbequed mourning doves, which he just killed."
"He's even better than me at killing birds of peace," said a lugubrious bin Laden.
"Mighty one, you have shown your power to spare the smallest of sparrows, as Allah has so ordered, while launching a jihad against the heretics."
"That is true. And I should not forget that those foolish Americans not only made their workers, the soldiers of the desert, only the Number 2 Heroes, they . placed Oprah as the third Biggest Hero!"
"That's the spirit, oh Wise and Noble Warrior. The Americans are nothing if not shallow."
Bin Laden again looked at his Aide, a smile emerging. "Bush may have helped make the world safe for terrorism, but in two years, he will no longer be President, and I will again regain the honor of being the Worst Villain. Prepare for my coronation."
Authors Website: www.walterbrasch.com
Authors Bio: Walter Brasch is an award-winning journalist and university professor. His current books are America's Unpatriotic Acts: The Federal Government's Violation of Constitutional and Civil Rights, and 'Unacceptable': The Federal response to Hurricane Katrina, both available at amazon.com, borders.com and most major on-line bookstores.
This page may interest you, it is the money page of articles:
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/showsubjects.php?tid=63394
http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/018917.html
2006 Thursday 28 December
“Those who obstinately refuse to accept religion will have the sword of the 12th imam will decisively come down on their neck”
Iran Press News: One of the many regime-run news agencies Ayandeh’yeh Roshan reported:
Moussa Salemi, the Friday prayer leader of Asadabad, in an interview with the news agency said: “By the grace of God, the administration of Mr. Ahmadinejad, has been inspired by and received revelations from the command of 12th Imam. The closer we get to “the end of days”, the closer we get to hope. Just as God almighty has promised, soon poverty, discrimination and oppression of people and the real justice will spread on earth. The administration of Mr. Ahmadinejad has also brought these good tiding to people and we are trying to solve those problems; that way we can secure the axis of justice. This is what the 12th Imam wants. Of course we do not expect that this event would happen all that soon. Discussing justice is also good news for the masses. The Revolution happened so that people can attain their desires and as such, today one can smell Imam Mahdi’s justice. The Qur’an has commanded that Muslims do not oppress anyone and that they do not put up with oppression either. This is compatible with logic too. The real Muslim is a person who does not lash out at people. Devotion is also an element of faith and this means that people are safe in his hand. A real Muslim should also stand up to oppression because one of the principles of our religion is jihad. If our foreign policy is to be successful, it should be on this basis. The rule of the 12th Imam – the Mahdi – is also on this basis; it will confront tyrants forcefully and his justice will be very real. Of course we should be aware of the fact that the Imam’s sword will not fall on everyone’s neck. The sword is neither for Muslims or Jews or even infidels, but for tyrants as it is tyrants who stop people’s growth and progress. When the Imam emerges he will enlighten people by discussing religion and when people become totally aware of the nature of religion, their conscience would not permit them to reject what is right. Those who obstinately refuse to accept religion will have the sword of the Imam will decisively come down on their neck.”
Previous News : 3 years after the Bam earthquake, the disaster-stricken people are still homeless
Next news : The Islamic regime’s oil minister: “Many companies refuse to work with us”
http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/018915.html
2006 Thursday 28 December
More than 25 people executed within a week, in Iran
Iran Press News: The Islamic regime executed 6 people, on Saturday, December 24th, in Evin prison; on Sunday 3 others in the south eastern city of Zahedan (province of Sistan-Baluchestan) were also executed. All those executed were charged with “combating against god”.
Another 6 individuals who were publicly executed in the south western city of Ahvaz were charged with "action against the country’s security".
On Tuesday, December 26th, the regime-run news agency ISNA reported that 2 other individuals were executed in small towns in the province of Sistan-Baluchestan. The charges against these 2 individuals, Youssef H. and Pardel B. were also “combating against god” and “armed offenses”.
During this same period the Islamic regime has issued the execution sentence for 13 others in the cities of Tehran and Zahedan.
This brings the total number of people executed to more than 25, within a week.
Previous News : Islamic regime official confesses to 100 illegal detention centers in Iran
Next news : 3 years after the Bam earthquake, the disaster-stricken people are still homeless
http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/018914.html
Islamic regime official confesses to 100 illegal detention centers in Iran
Iran Press News: The Amir Kabir university newsletter reported: Ali-Akbar Yasaghi, the head of the prisons & corrections organization of Iran, admitted to the existence of detention centers that were not controlled by his organization. He said: “There are many such realities in our country and one should not be surprised. It is true that according to the law there should not be detention centers that are not under the supervision of the prisons & corrections organizations but whether the law is in fact and actually implemented…leaves room for pause. Establishing detention centers, is a matter of taste (!); on the one hand the law clearly states that the detention centers should not be run by intelligence & security forces and on the other hand there were contracts that had been signed [by intelligence & security agents] in the past that put them in charge of administration of such centers."
Recently in an interview with several of the Islamic regime’s news agencies the head of the prisons & corrections organization said that are as many as 100 detention centers that are out of the control and supervision of this organization. He added that there has to be specific security measures implemented in the detention centers and prisons for those who have committed crimes against the national rule and jeopardized our security system and foreign relations. Yasaghi said: "After all there should be specific actions taken against those who put the domestic security of the Islamic Republic in danger.”
The admission of the existence of these detention centers over the recent weeks has raised serious concerns among human rights activists and groups. Members of the minority faction of the Islamic parliament were not even allowed to visit the infamous ward 209 of Evin prison which is run by the ministry of intelligence & security [and out of the control of the prisons & corrections organization]. According to a member of this faction of the Islamic parliament: "There are reports [that raises great concern] about the violation of the human rights that has been brought to our attention."
Yasaghi however refused to address or comment on the issue of ward 209 and its’ methods of supervision. According to Yasaghi, the only measure that officials from the prisons & corrections organization are able to take when observing human rights violation cases is to report it to higher authorities which ultimately means that nothing will in fact ever be done to investigate or rectify the situation. In this case Yasaghi said: "At this juncture, I prefer not to respond to questions or comment on this matter."
The first official reports of the existence of such detention centers that came out in 2002 and 2003 was written and published by the representative of the sixth parliament, Ali-Akbar Moussavi-Khoini and after that Abass-Ali Alizadeh, the director general of Tehran’s Judiciary at the time handed excerpts of the report of the committee of supervision of citizens rights of the Judiciary to various members of the Islamic regime’s press in the summer of 2005.
In that report, there are cases of human rights violations, description of solitary cells, torture, assault and battery; there are also mention of cases where interrogators refused to permit detainees to retain legal counsel, the lack of judges and superintendents in the prison or two superintendents of prisons as well as clear and highly illegal cases of discrimination between prisoners.
Previous News : Eight student activists from Mazandaran university summoned to the disciplinary committee
Next news : More than 25 people executed within a week, in Iran
http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/018913.html
http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/018913.html
2006 Thursday 28 December
Eight student activists from Mazandaran university summoned to the disciplinary committee
Iran Press News: The Amir Kabir university newsletter reported: During the current academic term, 8 of the student activists from Mazandaran university were summoned to the university disciplinary committee. Gita Azari, former secretary of the center for girls was charged with publishing leftist opinion. Bijan Sabagh, editor-in-chief of the suspended publication TOOFAN was charged with printing communist ideology and distributing leftist students’ periodicals on campus. Arash Pakzad and Saeed Yaghoubinejad were accused of “insulting the leadership and the Basij forces” during the December 7th student protests. Some also were summoned to the disciplinary committee simply because they accompanied members of the student union of the technical college for the sales and distribution of Toofan.
The technical college is swarming with security and disciplinary guards; it appears that the continuation of the force of the December 7th student protest will certainly push the university officials to retreat.
Previous News : Showdown
http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/018856.html
2006 Tuesday 26 December
Islamic regime prohobits Christmas mass in church in the city of Rasht
Iran Press News: Human rights activists in Iran reported that the ministry of intelligence and security (MOIS) officials prohibited the Christmas mass ceremonies in the Church in the northern city of Rasht.
Following the extensive arrest of Christians in cities across Iran by MOIS officials religious ceremonies are prohibited via pressure and threats. Due to the threats and pressure, after the arrest of the leaders of their church in recent weeks, the parishioners of the church have been unable to hold mass.
Three years ago, the church in Rasht was also stormed by MOIS agents during a religious ceremony; the agents then confiscated all of the church’s belongings, never to return them. The parishioners once again refurnished their church and due to the continued threats by MOIS, they changed the days of their worship and mass from Sundays to Tuesdays.
The church leaders remain in MOIS custody. Between Wednesday, December 13th to Tuesday, December 19th the church leaders were taken 3 times from prison to the Rasht revolutionary court where they were illegally tried. Their families are extremely concerned about the status of their loved ones. MOIS agents prevented their families from seeing them in front of courthouse.
Previous News : According to statistics attacks on female students increase
Next news : Iran MPs oblige government to revise IAEA cooperation
http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/009114.html
2005 Tuesday 06 December
Letter from imprisoned political activist, Arjang Davoodi from the medieval prison of Bandar Abbass
With warmest regards to all those who lost their lives for the freedom of Iran and the rekindling of vows with all Iranian Democratic-minded lovers of freedom and secularism.
With hopes of good health for all those who cherish humanity, who promote the rights of every single member of the human race and who endeavor to stamp out barbarism against various Iranian tribes and nations, and finally especially the politically persecuted.
Enlightened citizens of the world, Fellow Iranians,
Against all current universal precepts of human rights and despite the explicit text of the constitutional law of the Islamic regime which has specifically ruled against the contradiction of the statutes, on September 20th, 2005, I was exiled to the central prison of Bandar Abbass
(http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/007596.html) which is a penitentiary for deadly felons and knife-wielding killers from across the country. I am currently being held in ward 3 of this medieval and horrifying prison and am wanting for all intended rights, in addition to being deprived of reading books, watching television or listening to the radio and in the communication age have absolutely no means of receiving news; this leads to the bankruptcy of ones mind-set which goes to show the ignorance of the Philistine authorities and their sycophants.
In all phases of the investigation and the judicial hearing, the magistrate of branch 12 of the injudicious revolutionary court, the Mullah judge decreed my case to be confidential, so much so that neither my lawyers nor myself were permitted to peruse my file; I was only permitted to scrutinize my 36 page incidental penalty decree in two sessions which totaled no more than 3 hours at which time I was entirely handcuffed, to my assigned guard.
In this vindictive penalty decree, it is stated that a video tape of a meeting that took place in the office of the revolutionary court judge, during my days in solitary at Evin prisonâ?Ts security ward 2 is at hand and in that, I have apparently hollered: â?oThis is not supreme leadership, it is villainous guardianship and a rule of bumsâ? and though even bums have a sense of courage, I will now expressly declare that this is not only not the guardianship of bums but far worse, it is the guardianship of the gutless, meaning a bunch of vermin who know nothing of humanity and put animals in the jungles to shame.
I therefore seek the assistance of all humanitarians and freedom-lovers around the world, especially the international human rights organizations in supporting and promoting the Iranian peopleâ?Ts freedom movement and the establishment of a civil society in Iran, which will uphold:
1. Freedom of Speech
2. Freedom of the press
3. Freedom to inform
4. Free elections
5. Freedom to assemble and to peacefully protest
6. Freedom of political parties and groups.
Thank you for your kind attention.
Iran will never die.
Arjang Davoodi
Previous News : The Peculiar Alliance
Next news : Angry Iranians clash with regimes security forces following south Tehran plane crash
http://faultlineusa.blogspot.com/2006/12/americas-leftist-marxist-islamic.html
Meanwhile the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline will be launched in March of 2007.
On Tuesday, the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, predicted that Britain, Israel and the US would eventually disappear, like the Egyptian pharaohs.
"Any power that is close to God will survive while the powers who are far from God will disappear like the pharaohs," he was quoted as saying.
Ahmadinejad on Thursday once again proclaimed that the Iranian nation will celebrate the international acknowledgement of its nuclear programmes on the 28 anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution next February. . .
Iran plans to make operational 3000 centrifuges until the end of the Iranian year (20 March 2007) but so far only two cascades of each 164 centrifuges have officially been completed.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday:
He said the Iranian nation will soon reach the zenith of nuclear success and will celebrate a nuclear victory during the `Ten-Day Dawn' ceremonies (Feb 11-20) marking the anniversary of the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Iranian nation will resist bullying powers and will change its approach towards them if they continue in their wrong policies toward the Islamic Republic of Iran, the president said.
Another good read is “Analysis: Three crises pileup?”
Here are some excerpts:
America's enemies took advantage of a quagmired U.S. in Iraq to advance their quest for membership in the nuclear club. North Korea blasted its way into the club to become its ninth member and Iran was well on its way to becoming number ten. Both North Korea and Iran long ago concluded that nuclear power was the only credible deterrent against a U.S. attack. The U.S. predicament also gave Iran a rare opportunity to push its radical Shiite pawns forward in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. . .
Clearly, whatever watered down compromise the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members plus Germany can agree to, Iran won't be deterred. Much has been made of Iran's Achilles' heel, e.g., its limited refining capacity for gasoline to keep almost five million vehicles on the road. Three out of four cars are more than 30 years old or have logged 120,000 miles (President Ahmadinejad drives a battered 20-year-old Peugeot). Even though it pumps 10 percent of the world's oil, Iran still has to import 43 percent of its gasoline, . . .
Iran's staunch ally Venezuela has pledged to make up whatever shortfall occurs. Cars and trucks are being converted to run on natural gas at over 100 conversion centers. The government believes this will save $5 billion a year on gasoline imports. Iran has the world's second largest natural gas reserve after Russia -- 16 percent of the world's total. . .
Baiting the U.S. and its allies, Ahmadinejad announced Iran "is now a nuclear power" and added the United States and Britain to Israel on the list of countries doomed to disappear. "The Iranian nation will continue on its nuclear path powerfully and will celebrate a nuclear victory soon," said the diminutive president.
Radical Islam is not confined to Iraq and Iran. It is spreading among Europe's 20 million Muslims from Sweden to Spain. Militant minorities reject multiculturalism. And non-Muslim Europeans are beginning to reassess their pre-World War II and post-Cold War doctrine that appeasement is the better part of valor.
Read more about Venezuela’s illegal alien smuggling to America racket
This article linked to:
Woman Honor Thyself, Gates of Vienna, Independent Conservative, Discerning Texan
Posted by Faultline USA at 5:57 AM
[This is an interesting blog....granny]
No pings sent tonight, but there are posts, please come and find those that meet your needs.
Sorry the hands are frozen tonight.
This site is interesting and has an invite out to quality blogs and webpages to link with them.
If it interests you:
http://faultlineusa.blogspot.com/2006/12/americas-leftist-marxist-islamic.html
Laura, my alert made me think they had a link for your small town reports, but I did not see it, missed it somehow.
http://www.makingsenseofjihad.com/
Travel Routes to Somalia
Forum Participants Suggest Travel Routes to Somalia
Jihadist Websites -- OSC Report
Thursday , December 28, 2006
Document Type: OSC Report
Text:
Terrorism: Forum Participants Suggest Travel Routes to Somalia On 27 December, forum participants posted to a jihadist website messages regarding travel routes to Somalia. One participant posted a message entitled "In Support of Our People in Somalia . . . Flight Times to Mogadishu."
A translation of the message follows:
"Company name: Jubaa
http://www.jubba-airways.com/message.asp
Routes: Dubai-Mogadishu, Jeddah-Mogadishu
Important note: In the schedule, there is a flight from Bossaso, which is a city in Puntland in Somalia. It is an area which is not under the control of the Courts, so be careful. God bless you.
http://www.jubba-airways.com/flightschedule.asp
The other company is called Daalo.
http://www.daallo.com
http://www.daallo.com/route.htm
There are no direct flights from Jeddah and Dubai to Mogadishu, but you can take an airplane from Jeddah and Dubai to Djibouti and from there take another airplane to Mogadishu.
http://www.daallo.com/schedule.asp?t2=9
http://www.daallo.com/schedule.asp?t2=7
There is also a direct flight from Nairobi, Kenya to Mogadishu, Somalia.
http://www.daallo.com/schedule.asp?t2=11
Note: Hergeysa is not controlled by the courts. It is in northern Somalia and is under the control of the Somali Republic."
The message also included the following map:
In response, another forum participant said: "Ethiopia shelled the airport," to which anotehr poster said "As far as I know, the courts did not close the airport and the flights were not affected by the shelling.
The airport is therefore open for aviation. Also, the two airlines, Jubaa and Daalo, have enough information about this so they should be asked. Anyway, the land route from Kenya to Somalia is open, but the trip is long so it is best to divide it into stages and stop for a day or two at every stage to get some rest. I do not have any information about travel by sea from Yemen. May God reward you. There may be ships from the Aden Port or Roadstead directly to Mogadishu or Kismayu in Somalia. In truth, I am not
sure. The Yemeni brothers should provide us with confirmed information and facts."
Still another member said: "I inquired about the situation. There are no flights to Somalia from any country because of the war. Only the land route remains, and it is difficult. The best place, as far as I know, from Kenya or Eritrea is the land route but it is difficult and dangerous. God knows best."
Also on 27 December, a forum member posted a message entitled "Here is the Path to Somalia to Stop the Advance of Abraha Junior."
A translation of the message follows:
"Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you.
Here is the path of Islam's Birds of Ababil to the land of Somalia in order to stop the advance of Abraha Junior.
Jubba Air from the Dubai Airport - transit in Nairobi, Kenya - Somalia (Mogadishu)
Daallo Air from the Dubai Airport - direct (to) Somalia.
Air Africa from the Dubai Airport - Kenya - Somalia (Mogadishu)
Note that the courts have announced that they have not closed the airport at all and are receiving the soldiers of God who are coming from the lands of Islam to attack Abraha Junior. This is your chance, my brother (in) Islam. Do not tarry or be tardy, as Zenawi has thrown his weight around and tyrannized.
Do you know, my brother in God, that Meles Zenawi is the descendent of Abraha al-Habashi and belongs to the Tigre tribe, which is the tribe of Abraha al-Habashi who wanted to violate sanctity of The Sacred House (The Ka'bah).?
Oh knights of God, ride (to battle)."
Compiled and distributed by NTIS, US Dept. of Commerce. All rights reserved.
December 29, 2006 at 03:07 PM in Jihad Media, Jihad Strategy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0
http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003511.html
December 27, 2006
Spain: Third Attempt By Muslims To Commandeer Cathedral
Cordoba 1Cordoba cathedral is situated inside a complex that used to be a mosque. The mosque itself was built upon the remains of a church which had been destroyed by the invading Moors. It is currently the subject of a third attempt by Muslims to allow it to be used as an Islamic place of worship.
History
The Christian church of St Vicente was built by the Visigoths in the 5th century. The church was built upon the site of a pagan temple to the Roman god Janus, the deity of past and present, whose two faces simultaneously looked back and forward. In 711, the church of St Vicente became used as a mosque. The church was finally demolished in 786 by Abd al-Rahman 1, who used much of the church's materials in constructing a new mosque. The mosque built by Rahman was expanded three times, with the final enlargement made in 988 by Al-Mansur.
Al-Mansur was a despoiler of Christian places of worship. He went to Santiago de Compostela, and had his horse drink from the Cathedral there. He had the massive bells of its Cathedral dragged from Santiago 500 miles to Cordoba. Here the bells of Santiago were melted down to be made into oil lamps for his pet project, the Cordoba mosque.
In 1236, Cordoba was conquered by Ferdinand of Castile and was re-consecrated as a Christian site of worship. Ferdinand III ordered that the oil lamps be transported back to the shrine of St James at Santiago, where they were melted down to become made into bells again.
Alfonso X built the Villaviciosa Chapel inside the mosque complex using Moorish craftsmen, and the Royal Chapel was built. In the 14th century, Enrique II had the Royal Chapel (Capilla Real) rebuilt.
In 1523, it was decided by the Catholic Church, supported by King Carlos V, to erect a cathedral inside the center of the Cordoba mosque complex. An area of the mosque was hollowed out and a cathedral nave was erected. This became continually expanded with more elaborate features. Choir stalls, built with mahogany from the New World, were carved by Duque Correjo in the 18th century.
The Cathedral inside the mosque complex (known as the Mezquita) is comparatively small, with only places for 1,000 worshippers inside.
Muslim demands
There are only 500 to 1,000 Muslims in Cordoba, but the Mezquita has become a focus for political Islam to force itself into a battle with the Catholic church. In 2002, Muslim women who tried to pray in the mosque complex were thrown out. These were the first foot-soldiers in the political battle.
In 2004, Muslim terrorists set off bombs on trains in Madrid on March 11, killing 191 and injuring 1,700. Despite national revulsion at Islamic terrorism, the political Muslims in Cordoba still made requests for their own "space" at the Mezquita. In the same month that the mainly Moroccan (Moorish) terrorists showed their contempt for Spanish culture, a group calling itself Junta Islamica petitioned Pope John Paul for permission to be given to Muslims to pray in the complex.
At the time, Mansur Escudero, the secretary-general of the Spanish Islamic Commission stated that allowing Muslims to pray at the Mezquita would be an important gesture. He said: "In these difficult times, it could be an important symbol for both Catholics and Muslims, an expression of willingness to enter into dialogue. We're not trying to take the Mezquita away from anyone, but simply open it up."
In April 2004, before the decision by the Vatican was made, Zakarias Maza, director of the Taqwa mosque in Granada said: "We hope the Vatican will give a signal that it has a vision of openness and dialogue. It would be good if there were a gesture of tolerance on their part. Cordoba has been a symbol of the union of three cultures for centuries. Even now, Jews and Muslims live together with Christians in the neighbourhood around the mosque. The church council doesn't seem to be open to dialogue."
The March 2004 request was not greeted positively by the Catholic Church. Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, the Vatican's president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, said that the issue should be decided by Cordoba's bishop. He added: "Muslims must accept history."
Archbishop Fitzgerald made some interesting observations. He said: "A general reflection is needed here. As there are monumental buildings in Cordoba, there are also others around the world which currently have a use different from that of the original - like the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, now an Islamic museum, despite pressure put on by some Muslims to use it again as a mosque."
He mentioned that Pope John Paul had visited the Umayad Mosque in Damascus and had prayed at the tomb of John the Baptist. He noted that the then-Pope "did not ask to celebrate Mass in the mosque."
He said: "It is difficult to have Christians and Muslims mixing and sharing a common life. The shared use of a building by various churches is problematic. There are spaces dedicated to this purpose, for example, in airports. But they are not churches or mosques. They are interfaith spaces, capable of being used by Jews, Christians, Muslims and persons of other faiths alike."
"But this is based on a type of agreement to allow for their shared use. Yet this is not the reality in Cordoba, where the building belongs to a specific community. We want to live in peace with persons of other religions. However, we don't want to be pushed, manipulated and go against the very rules of our faith. If it is a Catholic chapel with the Blessed Sacrament inside. It should not be used for prayer services of another religious tradition."
One local priest, who did not wish to be named, said: "It's a reconquest. Through force, through geography, through culture, they [the Muslims] are trying to take over."
The Madrid train bombings brought a new consciousness to Spain's political life. Osama bin Laden, in a message made five months before the Madrid atrocities, stated that Muslims must reform Al-Andalus. This was the name given to the Moorish kingdom of which Cordoba was the capital. Its name survives in the title of the province, Andalusia. Three days after the Madrid bombs, a general election was held. The government of Spain was replaced by the left-wing PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) of José Luis Rodríguez Zapotero.
In May of 2004, the bishop of Santiago de Compostela removed from his cathedral a statue of St James the "Moorslayer". In a climate of sudden appeasement, created by Muslim terrorists, the bishop announced that he removed the statue to avoid "offending the sensibilities of some visitors."
Isabel Romero, a Spanish convert to Islam, directs the Halal Institute near Cordoba and is a member of the Islamic Council of Spain. In 2004, she said: "We don't recognize that the Muslims were from here, that they were Andalusians too, that they are our roots. What remains from Al Andalus are not just the Mezquita's stones, but our culture itself. We have to reconcile ourselves with our history."
On the March request for Muslims to be allowed prayer rights in the Mezquita, she said: "In no way is this request about reclaiming our rights - far less any kind of reconquest. Instead, we want to give our support to the universal character of this building."
The issue of Cordoba's Mezquita has become a political issue as much as a religious issue. Antonio Hurtado, a spokesman for Andalusian socialists, said: "We hope to see Cordoba become a place for the meeting of faiths."
Rosa Aguilar, mayor of Cordoba (from the United Left - IU - party) was said to approve the Muslim prayers being permitted in the Mezquita, but said that the time (a month after the Madrid attacks) was not right for the council to debate the issue.
Her deputy, Andres Ocoa said: "There has been a series of meetings between the IU and the Islamic Council to open up a dialogue between religions. In today's world, we have to make every effort to maximise our knowledge of different cultures to help us live together better."
Such attempts to impose socialist idealism upon political Islam, which has no plans to allow any mosques to be given over to Christian worship, were symptomatic of the political correctness which overtook Spain in the aftermath of Madrid.
Spain's premier, José Luis Rodríguez Zapotero, has tried to be at the forefront of a "dialoque of cultures" between Islam and the West since 2005. His government in March 2006, after the Danish cartoon protests, even collaborated in a move to petition the United Nations to make blasphemy against Islam a "crime", with no corresponding attempt to make blasphemy against Christianity a "crime".
Since the Reconquest of Spain from the 800-year rule of the Moors, there have been traditions of celebrating the departure of Muslim imperialists from the land. These pageants are called Moros y Cristianos festivals. Yet across Spain, the traditional spectacles of these pageants are being deliberately altered, so as not to offend Spain's new Muslim immigrants.
The Current Petitions
Cordoba 2And now, once more, political Islam in Spain is trying to assert itself. The trial of the Moorish terrorists and their accomplices who attacked Madrid is due to start in the New Year. On Tuesday December 26, only a day after Spain celebrated Christmas, the birth of Christ, Spain's Islamic Commission announced that it had decided to petition the new Pope, Benedict XVI, to allow Muslim worship at the Mezquita.
In December, a conference of Spain's Catholic Bishops released a statement in which it said it "did not recommend Muslims to pray in any way inside the Cathedral."
Mansur Escudero, secretary-general of the Spanish Islamic Commission, complained that Muslim worshippers at the Mezquita are still being prevented from praying. He said: "There are reactionary elements within the Catholic Church, and when they hear about the construction of a mosque, or Muslim teachings in state schools, or about veils, they see it as a sign we are growing and they oppose it."
The same group of Muslims led by Mansur Escudero had written a letter to the socialist premier of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapotero. In that letter, they stated: "What we wanted was not to take over that holy place, but to create in it, together with you and other faiths, an ecumenical space unique in the world which would have been of great significance in bringing peace to humanity. We (Spanish Muslims) would like to share it with you (the Catholic community) a prayer, that could serve to awake the conscience of Christians and Muslims and prove that it is possible to bury past confrontations."
The letter made reference to Pope Benedict's recent visit to Turkey, and how the Pope had prayed in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
While Muslims are seeking to exploit the issue of the Mezquita to their own political advantage, there are also plans to build a giant mosque in Cordoba, plans announced earlier in December. The proposal has been backed by Saudi Arabia and other countries. First put forward in 2003 and again in 2005, the request was turned down by Cordoba City Council.
The group behind this proposal is the same Islamic Commission which is trying to undermine the Catholicism being practiced at the Mezquita in Cordoba. As well as planning to build a giant mosque, it also wants to erect a "multi-purpose center" in the city, near its headquarters and also the al-Morabito mosque.
With all the complaints by Cordoba's Muslims (who number no more than 1,000) that there are not enough places where they can worship, Andalusia already has 100 mosques.
Morenews.jpg
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 27, 2006 10:57 PM
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http://www.makingsenseofjihad.com/
Dr. Z's New Book
Al Qaeda's media wing has published Ayman al-Zawahiri's latest "book." It's in Arabic. I have no idea what it's about. According to the title translation at the Clearinghouse, it's called "Loyalty and Friendship."
Whatever.
The design is quite pretty. They must have an artist working for them, an evil artist.
Zawahiribookcover1206
http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?id=4049014
Gazans fear influential radios will lead them to civil war
The Associated Press
Friday, December 29, 2006
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip
The recent fighting between Hamas and Fatah militants did not just play out in the streets of the Gaza Strip. The rival groups also pummeled each other over the airwaves, calling each other's fighters "mercenary death squads," "child killers" and even "Zionists."
The harsh rhetoric, coupled with the stations' ability to quickly rally their armed supporters in the streets, has led to fears that the local disc jockeys could fan the flames of the recent violence into a full-blown of civil war.
"If we wanted, we could burn down Gaza," said a smiling Ibrahim Daher, director of Aqsa Radio, the voice in Gaza of the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Hamas and Fatah have been locked in a power struggle since the Islamic group won legislative elections last January, gaining control of most of the Palestinian government from the long-ruling Fatah. The tensions have routinely erupted into fighting, most recently earlier this month after a drive-by shooting killed the children of a senior security official loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah. That round of fighting killed 17 people.
During two weeks of violence, Hamas' Aqsa Radio and Fatah's Radio Shabab enraptured listeners as they reported fierce clashes and angry marches, and gave air time for their respective leaders to abuse their opponents. Callers routinely incited loyalists against rivals.
On Radio Shabab, callers described Hamas gunmen as "child killers" — a reference to the drive-by shooting — or as "the mullahs" — a barbed jab at the Islamic group's close ties to Shiite Iran.
Hamas' Aqsa Radio rarely reported aggression by Hamas gunmen, despite deadly assaults on Fatah targets. The broadcasts regularly labeled opponents as "mercenary death squads" and "coup plotters."
One senior Hamas official called his rivals "Zionists" — a virtual death sentence in Gaza's militantly anti-Israel society. In another report, an Aqsa correspondent reported — falsely — that Fatah gunmen were firing at their own supporters in the southern town of Khan Younis.
"Radios play at incitement," said Daher. "There's no neutral radio in Gaza, it's all factional."
Even so, Daher and all the other stations said they tried not to incite people against each other.
Ibrahim Abu Naja, head of a mediation committee that got Hamas and Fatah to halt fighting, saw things differently, saying radio was capable of inflaming passions to the point of civil war. Many times, Abu Naja said, he demanded that radio stations tone down their rhetoric.
"We are aware of how major a role radio plays in creating tensions and provoking fighting," he said.
The medium had traditionally played a far different role in radio-crazy Gaza, where 15 stations vie for the ears of 1.4 million Palestinians living on a narrow strip of Mediterranean coastline. The programs go beyond the traditional music and news shows, providing crucial services in Palestinian society.
One of the most popular shows is a call-in program for families of the thousands of Palestinians in Israeli jails. The programs link families with their imprisoned relatives, and the conversations are often heart-wrenching. Children tell their imprisoned fathers they're behaving well. Tearful mothers remind their sons to dress warmly, while gravelly voiced fathers send greetings. The conversations often bring the radio hosts to tears.
More recently, radio has also become an effective weapon in the battle against Israel. In November, after Israel ordered a Hamas commander to evacuate his house, saying it would be bombed in 15 minutes, Aqsa Radio came to the rescue.
It called on people to flock to the house to prevent the bombing. Crowds gathered on the roof, and the house was saved. The tactic was used to save four other targeted houses.
With a lull in the recent infighting, the radio stations have toned down as well. But with no political solution in sight, the radios may yet wage another battle.
"Radio is in every house, every car and every street. It can cause a revolution or quell one. That's a dangerous role," said Salah al-Masri, director of Al-Quds Radio, funded by the radical Islamic Jihad militant group.
"I bet you, in a few hours, I can orchestrate a protest. The question is what kind. We can launch a protest against the Israeli occupation, or at (Abbas), or fire rockets," he said.
Indonesian ship 'sinks in storm'
A ferry carrying around 850 passengers has sunk in a storm off the Indonesian coast, according to reports.
A naval official told local radio the ship was travelling from Semarang in Central Java to the port of Kumai in Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
He said storms and high winds were hampering the rescue effort, and only nine survivors had been found.
Ships and ferries are a cheap and popular means of transport between the 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia.
Correspondents say safety standards are not always enforced, however, and vessels frequently carry more passengers then they are meant to.
The boat is thought to have sunk about 40 km (24 miles) off Mandalika island, about 300 km (190 miles) north-east of the capital, Jakarta.
A helicopter, three naval vessels and a police ship were taking part in the rescue effort, Central Java's Navy commander, Col Yan Simamora, told Elshinta radio.
He said only nine survivors had been found.
"I'm afraid many have died," he said, adding that heavy rain and waves up to 5 metres (16 ft) high were making rescue work difficult. Have you been affected by this incident?
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6218651.stm
Published: 2006/12/30 07:05:37 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Man charged over hijack attempt
Czech authorities have charged a Russian man with endangering an aircraft after he allegedly tried to hijack an Aeroflot flight on Thursday.
The plane made an emergency landing in the Czech capital, Prague, after a man tried to enter the cockpit claiming he had a bomb, police said.
The Airbus A320 had been flying from Moscow to Geneva in Switzerland.
The man - who witnesses said appeared to be drunk - was overpowered by passengers and crew.
Aeroflot identified the passenger as Yevgeny Dagayev, from Russia, thought to be 32 years old, but Czech authorities would not confirm his name.
"He could face a jail sentence of from eight to 15 years," police spokesman Ladislav Bernasek told the AFP news agency.
It was planned to try the suspect in the Czech Republic, rather than to extradite him to Russia, another spokesman said.
The airline said the incident appeared to be "hooliganism", rather than to have any terrorist motive.
Two Czech fighter jets had been put on alert during the incident, the defence ministry said.
The plane, with more than 170 passengers and crew aboard, was checked at Prague airport, but no explosives were found.
It resumed its journey to Geneva after 11 hours in Prague.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6217269.stm
Published: 2006/12/29 15:05:00 GMT
© BBC MMVI
N Korea 'serious threat' to South
South Korea has described its northern neighbour as a "serious threat", in the wake of its nuclear test in October.
A defence white paper said North Korea's nuclear capability along with its land army and conventional weapons had raised the threat to the South.
The assessment uses the strongest wording since Seoul began a policy of engaging with Pyongyang in 2000.
Talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear programme ended in deadlock in Beijing earlier this month.
In its biennial white paper, South Korea's ministry of defence said the threat from the North had risen, although the country was not yet a full-fledged nuclear power.
"North Korea's conventional forces, its nuclear test, weapons of mass destruction and the forward deployment of troops are a serious threat to our security," the report said.
The North had obtained an estimated 30kg of plutonium - enough for five nuclear bombs - in the past three years, while its total stockpile now stood at 50kg, the paper said.
N KOREA NUCLEAR PROGRAMME
Believed to have 'handful' of nuclear weapons
But not thought to have any small enough to put in a missile
Could try dropping from plane, though world watching closely
More than 70% of the North's ground troops and some 40% of its 820 fighter jets were deployed close to its southern border, it added.
Two years ago, the defence ministry called the North a "direct military threat".
North Korea triggered international alarm - and ensuing UN sanctions - as well as stoking regional tensions when it tested a nuclear weapon on 9 October.
Following its test, Pyongyang agreed to return to long-running multi-national talks, after walking out more than a year ago.
But despite five days of intense negotiations, the talks, hosted by China, ended without agreement just before Christmas.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6216385.stm
Published: 2006/12/29 10:57:10 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Garda received JFK death threats
Several death threats were made against President John F Kennedy ahead of his official visit to Ireland in 1963, Irish government papers have revealed.
Gardai were alerted to two telephone messages alleging that the US leader would be assassinated during his three-day trip and a third was phoned to the newsdesk at Independent Newspapers.
One threat claimed a sniper armed with a rifle would be waiting on a roof near the president's route from Dublin Airport to the Irish president's residence, Aras an Uachtarain, and would be ready to open fire as the motorcade passed.
The second involved a claim that a bomb would be planted on board an aircraft at Shannon Airport as Mr Kennedy prepared to return to the United States.
The classified files from the Department of Justice in 1963, just released, revealed a threat phoned to Independent Newspapers with a man claiming that an attempt would be made on the president's life at Dublin Airport.
It was treated as a hoax.
A letter was also sent to the American embassy, claiming that a bag of flour would be dropped on Mr Kennedy's head during his trip, but senior gardai assured authorities there was little chance of it happening.
Briefing notes from the garda commissioner's office about security for the president's historic visit said that, although the threats were thought to be bogus, extra security precautions were taken.
Officers were also armed with rifles, Thompson guns and revolvers to use if a sniper was spotted
Some of the measures included gardai travelling ahead of the motorcade and using binoculars to check all roofs near the route from Dublin Airport.
Officers were also armed with rifles, Thompson guns and revolvers to use if a sniper was spotted.
US Secret Service agents were also allowed to carry side-arms. Permission was granted even though it had been against the law for foreign security personnel to be armed.
As final security arrangements were put together, 10-14 days ahead of the visit, garda commissioner Daniel Costigan warned that "the eyes of the world would be on Ireland".
In a letter the commissioner stated: "(The visit is the) most important visit to this country since the establishment of the state, with worldwide publicity and British journalists are likely to be ready to criticise any fault in arrangements.
"While any attempt on the life of the president is most unlikely, we cannot overlook the possibility of some lunatic, fanatical, communist, Puerto Rican, or some other suchlike person, coming here to try to assassinate the president."
Mr Kennedy's three-day whistle-stop tour of the country ran from 26 June until 29 June 1963, with visits to Dublin, Wexford, Cork and Galway.
The US Secret Service praised the gardai for their efforts to protect the president.
On the night of JFK's arrival in Ireland almost half (42%) of the country's gardai were deployed on duty between the airport and the Irish presidential residence
One note stated that Mr Kennedy told assistant commissioner Michael Wymes immediately before boarding his plane in Shannon: "The police did a mighty fine job, thanks very much.
"I would like you to thank them all for me."
And a letter from Commissioner Costigan to the Department of Justice noted: "Mr Jim Rowley, head of the US Secret Service, said to me that in all his experience of presidential journeys, his staff never received from any other police force as much co-operation in planning the security arrangements or as much help in carrying them out as they did here."
The letter added that it was Mr Rowley's considered opinion that An Garda Siochana was the most efficient police force at crowd control, acting on the force of personality and self-confidence.
The papers also revealed that on the night of JFK's arrival in Ireland almost half (42%) of the country's gardai were deployed on duty between the airport and the Irish presidential residence.
Over each day of the visit, an average of 2,969 gardai were deployed. The documents noted that Mr Kennedy was mobbed on three occasions by massive crowds, but on each occasion it was his eagerness to great well-wishers in person rather than the fault of the gardai.
But in a letter from JFK's secretary, he expresses sincere appreciation and gratitude for the many splendid public receptions.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6216973.stm
Published: 2006/12/29 13:04:36 GMT
© BBC MMVI
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