EU proposes monitoring radical mosques

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/12/07 | Colleen Barry - ap

[NormsRevenge]

VENICE, Italy - Security officials from Europe's largest countries backed a plan Saturday to profile mosques on the continent and identify radical Islamic clerics who raise the threat of homegrown terrorism.

The project, to be finished by the fall, will focus on the roles of imams, their training, their ability to speak in the local language and their sources of funding, EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini told a news conference after a meeting on terrorism.

Italian Interior Minister Guiliano Amato said Europe had extensive experience with the "misuse of mosques, which instead of being places of worship are used for other ends.

"This is bringing about a situation that involves all of our countries and involves the possibility of attacks and developing of networks that use one country to prepare an attack in another," Amato said.

The transit attacks in Madrid and London — along with several thwarted terror plots — have raised concerns across Europe about the susceptibility of disaffected young Muslims to the messages of extremist clerics.

British police have said the bombers in the July 2005 London suicide attacks listened to the sermons of Abu Hamza al-Masri, a radical cleric who was sentenced last year to seven years in prison for inciting followers to kill non-Muslims.

Britain also recently ordered the deportation of a Jordanian-born cleric, Abu Qatada, accusing him of links to terrorism and being a threat to national security. Abu Qatada is appealing.

Adel Smith, a well-known Muslim activist in Italy, said mosques in Italy are already extensively monitored and called the EU plan discriminatory.

"I think this is nonsense, I think mosques have been well monitored for some years," he said in a telephone interview. "It is a form of religious discrimination."

Frattini emphasized the need of deeper dialogue with the Islamic communities "to avoid sending messages that incite hate and violence."

Separately, the security officials from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland also pledged to work with African nations to interrupt a new cocaine route from Colombia across Africa into Europe.

"They have created bases in Europe and we need to have our counter-bases," Amato said, noting that the Spaniards have seen an influx of cocaine in the south and east of their country coming from beyond the traditional Atlantic route.

The officials proposed setting up drug-fighting bases in Portugal to monitor smuggling by sea and in Gibraltar to watch land routes.

[NormsRevenge]

EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini , left, and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff look on during a break at a meeting between top security officials from Europe's six most populous countries and the U.S., in Venice, Northern Italy, Saturday, May 12, 2007. The Interior Ministers and top security officials of Germany, Spain, France, Italy ,Polond and Great Britain met with their U.S. counterparts to to work out the details of a new agreement to share airline passenger data for terrorism investigations. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

[SolidWood]

LOL. The shaved Chertoff looks like Mr Burns or Colonel Klink.

[Cicero]

Hmm. Italy and Spain both went soft on terrorism when they elected Socialists, but I wonder if the recent election in France may have put this one over the top.

How does it “incite hate and violence” if you agree to try to stop Muslim preachers from preaching hatred and violence in the mosques?

[Jason_b]

[skeeter]

Lip service for the multcultis.

I have a feeling the EU's domestic policies regarding militant Islam will soon make our's look pretty wimpy.

[don-o]

The pic is not showing in my Firefox broswer. In fact, I can’t load any pics on the Yahoo site unless I use IE. Any clue on what’s up with that? (I reinstalled my FF)

[Dr.Zoidberg]

If the Eu is involved, I suspect it will go something like this.

(phone rings)

You have reached the Ali ben Hassan ben Achmed Farouq ben Mohammed ben Ali Baba mosque. How can I direct your call?

This is Inspector Salaam ben Farouq Ali Mohammed ben Ali Baba of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Commission. I called to let you know we’re going to be in the area tomorrow around noonish and plan to drop in on the your mosque.

Oh I see. Well thank you Inspector Salaam ben Farouq Ali Mohammed ben Ali Baba, I appreciate your kindness in informing me of your impending visit. I’ll be certain to inform the Imam you’re coming.

Oh think nothing of it. Just doing my part to maintain security. And if you would be so kind please tell the Imam, I truly appreciate the donation your mosque made to the EU Justice and Home Affairs Commission retirement fund.

[SandRat]

EU proposes monitoring radical mosques. This is the wrong answer you have to actually do something about it.

What ever happened to the time honored punishment of life-time banishment to some desolate, God-Foresaken, Poisonous reptile infested, inhospitable Island?

[Cicero]

Devil’s Island was closed down in 1946. Hard to believe, I thought it was much more recent.

[SandRat]

How about where the Kimono Dragons live? Oh, and they are banished there buck naked, no tools or weapons, period.

[AlphaOneAlpha]

“What ever happened to the time honored punishment of life-time banishment to some desolate, God-Foresaken, Poisonous reptile infested, inhospitable Island?”

I assume you are referring to the DU web-site........

[Shots]

Where have these officials had their heads for the last 6 years, Up their butts? One would think they would already be watching them, but it is always better later then never.

[SandRat]

That’s what happens when you are banned from FR. I’ speaking of something a lot more real and physical for the radical Islamo-Imams

[surely_you_jest]

Kimono Dragons would be what, like Japanese working girls?

The big a$$ lizards are Komodo Dragons.

[SandRat]

sorry so I miss named them. You got the Idea though.

[razorback-bert]

Kimono Dragons

Kimono Dragons sounds like a gay Japanese biker gang.

[surely_you_jest]

Yeah. I wasn’t trying to bust your chops, just feeling a little punchy and thought it was funny. Like Hugh, and series.

[SandRat]

Would be a nice twist on the ending of the book RAINBOW-SIX as the punishment the bad guys got.

[surely_you_jest]

Kimono Dragons sounds like a gay Japanese biker gang.

Heh. That too.

[surely_you_jest]

Would be a nice twist on the ending of the book RAINBOW-SIX as the punishment the bad guys got.

Oh yeah.