Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - September 2006

[nwctwx]

Five Years Later, We're Still Not Safe
-Full Story-

In the five years since terrorists flew hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Americans have accepted inconvenience, sacrificed personal liberties and paid billions of dollars for a security clampdown that touches virtually every aspect of their lives.

And we're still not safe.

A close examination of the federal government's homeland security effort shows that there have been major accomplishments since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. But it also reveals how vulnerable the nation remains to catastrophe.

	Hunt for bin Laden Is Chasing Shadows and Raising Tensions
	Homegrown Terror Suspects Raise Concern
	New Video Coming from al Zawahri and American al Qa'ida
	> Adam Yahiye Gadahn

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[Cindy]

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=22586_Mahathir-_Muslims_Should_Have_Nukes&only
Friday, September 15, 2006
"Mahathir: Muslims Should Have Nukes"
(DailyTimes.com.pk)

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http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2006/09/013118print.html
September 15, 2006
"Mahathir: No such thing as a moderate Muslim"
(Reuters)

[MamaDearest]

US politicians want CANADA border fence

Snip: "The fence initiative is meant to stem the tide of illegal immigrants,'' said Scotty Greenwood, executive director of the Canadian American Business Council. "Last time I checked, that wasn't a problem at the northern border.''

Dover man found guilty of defrauding US Air Force

Snip: He was accused of submitting false paperwork to the government showing he had delivered 20 sensitive communication encryption devices to Dover Air Force Base when he had not. According to testimony, they were never purchased.

Howe is a retired U.S. Air Force contract officer who left the service to start his own business working with the military. At trial, his attorneys blamed Howe's Saudi Arabian business partner for the fraud.

Movie mentioned on Fox News (not shown in American theaters) regarding Islam and the West

Snip: Let me go to Wayne, because I want to talk specifically about the movie. Wayne, you have image after image, example after example. It is shocking beyond belief of just how radical, and how extensive, and how deep this enemy is in this battle against the West. Why does everybody seem to be asleep? Why is there not a world called to arms against this?

Annan hails anti-US forum in Cuba

Snip: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Friday hailed the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) as a symbol of a "new South," while anti-US rhetoric dominated the comments of other leaders during their two-day gathering.

Mimos gets Cuban PC deal

Snip: Mimos Smart Computing Sdn Bhd has secured a deal worth US$10mil to supply 30,000 personal computers (PCs) to Cuba's Electronics Group for the computerisation programme in this Caribbean island nation.

A little more investigation about Mimos: Where did they learn this technology?????

Snippets: I looked around and saw that the mob was clustered around the other exit. I worked my way through the crowd into the middle, then turned around and walked back out. Sure enough, I soon saw a sign with my name on it and introduced myself to Rafee Yusoff from the Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems (MIMOS). Rafee spoke perfect English, not surprising since he went to school in Iowa.

I noticed that everywhere we went, people always spoke to Rafee in English, even though I stood in the background. Even parking lot attendants would break into English, asking Rafee how long he intended to stay, as if he had turned into a foreigner by being with me.

Bill Gates interested in Mimos Maxis product

Snip: Meanwhile, rumors have it that Bill Gates has shown interest in Maxis, which is run by Binariang, a company which has its own satellite. He is said to be interested in the telecommunication process and the Internet sector. This would be an interesting development for the efforts to compete with other major IT firms

[Cindy]

That's an interesting assortment of articles, MamaDearest.
I'm going to peruse them after dinner.

[Revel]

The Path to 9/11 and Beyond
by J. R. Nyquist

ABC’s miniseries on The Path to 9/11 revealed the weaknesses of American intelligence, the indifference of elected officials and the petty infighting of bureaucrats. If we honestly look at the situation we will be forced to admit that America’s vulnerability to terrorist attack is due to national psychology. The business of America is business; this means the freedom to buy and sell, the freedom to get rich, the freedom to move about and speak your mind, and the freedom to advance political correctness. Restrictions on trade, on the border, on personal movement, on hostile resident aliens or Muslims would be unthinkable. Already, the government’s extra-Constitutional methods (such as they are) have not resulted in the breakup of the main al Qaeda task force hiding in the United States, led by Adnan Shukrijumah. It is this force that has been preparing to carry out an attack “more devastating that 9/11,” designed to collapse the U.S. economy.

Five years after 9/11, the U.S. government has not captured Shukrijumah even as reports surface that Osama bin Laden has returned to Afghanistan. NATO commanders in Afghanistan report equipment shortages, anarchy and corruption among local constituencies as democracy has clearly failed in a country that lacks the necessary democratic prerequisites. The situation in Iraq isn’t much better, because Muslims have interpreted the coalition mission as an attempt to steal natural resources (i.e., oil) and to help Israel. The American strategy in the War on Terror did not account for Muslim attitudes. One may make martyrs until Judgment Day, or until the Democrats win back the presidency and begin the process of withdrawing from the Middle East altogether. This is how the situation reads at the moment.

Meanwhile, a credible journalist with sources inside al Qaeda, has begun to describe an impending mega-attack on America by offering details. Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir says that al Qaeda has smuggled three nuclear weapons out of Russia. In a recent interview with al-Arabiya television, Mir reported that al Qaeda’s “nuclear wizard” (Shukrijumah) has successfully moved radioactive materials across the U.S.-Mexico border. In a recent interview with Ryan Mauro, Mir repeated his claim that al Qaeda has nuclear devices. “I came up with this conclusion after eight years of investigation and research,” he explained.

The details given in Mauro’s interview are alarming, to be sure. An attack “bigger than 9/11” is being set up, and the attack will involve six nuclear dirty bombs as well as two or three suitcase nukes acquired in Chechnya. Hamid Mir told Mauro that he is almost finished with a book about bin Laden, who remains popular in the Muslim world. “I am going to reveal facts that nobody can deny,” said Mir, who touched on the weakness of America’s FBI and CIA.

When asked about the timing of a future al Qaeda nuclear attack on America, Mir said: “They want the U.S. to be involved in a mass killing of Muslims, so that they will have some justification. That is what I was told by a top al Qaeda leader in the Kunar Mountains of Afghanistan.”

Former FBI and CIA experts think bin Laden’s promised strike against America is close at hand. Dan Coleman was the FBI’s top expert on bin Laden until his retirement in 2004. He believes the U.S. is vulnerable, even when it comes to airline hijackings. Former CIA counter-terrorism expert Michael Scheuer believes that al Qaeda’s Sept. 2 videotape is a red flag. Warning Americans to “convert or die,” the video follows the Koran’s fair warning policy in advance of a serious attack. In an article published on the Jamestown Foundation’s Web site, Scheuer says the Western media has misread al Qaeda’s intentions.

There is no doubt at all that the United States remains vulnerable to a massive terrorist assault. Bound by political correctness, the FBI is afraid to offend Muslim sensibilities. Furthermore, recent administration violations of the Constitution are wearing thin. The public is tired of the Republicans and Congress may be about to change hands. All that is required for a devastating result is a little ingenuity on the part of an attacker. Everything may be chalked up to the openness of U.S. society. The free market is the most efficient economy; but it is not the most efficient security state. In the present situation, freedom and security are not compatible. If forced to choose, Americans will choose freedom over security; and that is what they’ve done. Throw in a willingness to trust old enemies for the sake of peace and commerce, and the outcome is foreordained. The rights of various sub-groups and political dissidents trump national security at every turn. America’s self-conception has been supplanted by “multiculturalism” which amounts to the denial of any specific national culture. American dogma now says that all religions and races can live in peace together, that there is nothing to fear from an influx of Muslims into the United States. And so, as one might expect, the FBI has not located al Qaeda’s “nuclear wizard.”

© 2006 Jeffrey R. Nyquist

http://www.financialsense.com/stormwatch/geo/pastanalysis/2006/0915.html

[Cindy]

Thank you Revel for the post.

[Smartass]

Dhimmitude

The Status of Non-Muslim Minorities Under Islamic Rule.
Read the "History" link to thoroughly understand the author's points.

 

[bitt]

shudder ping.

[Cindy]

Thank you Smartass.

A link you might also of interest:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/

[Cindy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ5JE4w02Y8
QUOTE:

Added September 15, 2006
From TheIPT
On Sept 9th 2001 Dr. Maher Hathout participated in a benefit in support of Jamil Al-Amin held in Irvine California. al-Amin had been arrested for killing an Atlanta law enforcement officer and wounding a second in March of 2000.

For more info see the following article: http://counterterrorismblog...

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http://counterterrorismblog.org/2006/09/speech_tape_compounds_question.php

"Speech Tape Compounds Questions on Hathout’s Human Relations Award"
By Steven Emerson
(September 15, 2006)

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Add one more item to the list that makes Maher Hathout’s selection for a major human relations award so mind-boggling: His spirited defense of an accused -- and later convicted -- cop-killer.

Hathout, president of the Islamic Center of Southern California and a senior advisor to the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), already has a lengthy record of hate speech to his credit. He has called Israel a nation of butchers and accused the United States of state terrorism; he has justified the actions of Hizbollah and defended terrorist financiers.

Despite these seeming disqualifiers, the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations announced recently that the Muslim activist would receive its prestigious John Allen Buggs Award in ceremonies next month. The award is given annually for what the commission describes as “outstanding human relations work.” I wrote about the award on "New Republic Online" on August 31 (reprinted with permission) and will discuss the issue again on the Fox News Network.

And despite his long record of vitriolic statements, he has maintained -- as recently as a September 7 appearance on the Fox News Network, in which he tried to refute documentation of his extremism presented by the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) -- that he is a moderate who condemns both Hizbollah and Hamas. More about that record below.

But now IPT has uncovered the tape of a speech that Hathout gave at a benefit dinner held to raise defense funds for Jamil Al-Amin at his trial on charges of shooting one Georgia sheriff’s deputy to death and seriously wounding another.

No fewer than a half-dozen times in the speech Hathout referred to Al-Amin as “our brother.” He said he would always take Al-Amin’s word over that of supposedly untrustworthy police. And he veered off into generalized charges of racism against the United States, and even piggybacked on the Al-Amin case his standard charges of “apartheid racial slaughtering” of Palestinians by Israel.

The man now known as Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin first came to public attention as the 1960s black militant H. Rap Brown, serving then as so-called Justice Minister of the Black Panther Party. Among his best-known statements from that period: “Violence is as American as cherry pie,” and “If America don’t come around, we’re going to burn America down.” Brown converted to Islam while imprisoned on a robbery conviction in the early 1970s, later adopting his Islamic name.

In the case in which Hathout defended him, he was charged with shooting two Fulton County, Georgia, sheriff’s deputies who had sought to arrest him in connection with earlier charges of impersonating a police officer and accepting stolen property. One of the two officers -- both of them African-Americans -- died within hours.

A jury found Al-Amin guilty after only brief deliberations. He was sentenced to life imprisonment."

[Cindy]

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2006/08/steven_emerson_hezbollah_apolo.php

"Steven Emerson: Hezbollah Apologist Wins "Human Relations" Award... in the U.S. (updated)"
By Andrew Cochran
(August 31, 2006)

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6_LwJ4Dd_o

QUOTE:

Added August 31, 2006
From TheIPT
Maher Hathout, MPAC - is to receive the "John Allen Buggs Award" for Human Relations from the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations. The Human Relations Awards Luncheon is being held on Thursday, October 5, 2006 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Listen to what he had to say at a rally in Oct, 2000 - and you can decide if he should receive the award.

IPT Video -

Jerusalem Day Rally
LaFayette Park, DC
October 28, 2000

"We did not come here to condemn the condemned atrocities committed by the apartheid brutal state of Israel because butchers do what butchers do and because what is expected from a racist apartheid is what is happening now." - Dr. Maher Hathout
http://counterterrorismblog... (less)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=MEXICO

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Note: The following text is a quote:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Fri Sep 15 2006 21:55:13 GMT-0700.

Mexico

September 15, 2006


This Public Announcement alerts U.S. citizens to the rising level of brutal violence in areas of Mexico. This violence has occurred throughout Mexico, but has been particularly persistent in the city of Nuevo Laredo within the state of Tamaulipas. This Public Announcement expires on March 15, 2007.

U.S. citizens residing and traveling in Mexico should exercise extreme caution when in unfamiliar areas and be aware of their surroundings at all times. Public sources suggest that narcotics-related violence has claimed 1,500 lives in Mexico this year. In recent months there have been execution-style murders of Mexican and U.S. citizens in Tamaulipas (particularly Nuevo Laredo), Michoacan, Baja California, Guerrero, and other states.

U.S. citizens have also been victims of random shootings on major highways outside of Mexico City, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana, and other areas throughout Mexico. In recent years, dozens of U.S. citizens have been kidnapped in Nuevo Laredo, with more than two dozen cases still unresolved; recent incidents indicate a possible resurgence of kidnappings for ransom. Mexican police and other government figures have been murdered in Guerrero, Nuevo Leon, the Federal District, Tamaulipas, and other states. Drug cartel members have been known to follow and harass U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles, particularly in border areas including Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros.

Though there is no evidence that U.S. citizens are targeted, criminals look for every opportunity to take advantage of unwary travelers. U.S. citizens who believe they are being followed should notify officials as soon as possible. U.S. citizens should make every attempt to travel on main roads during daylight hours, particularly the toll (“cuota”) roads, which are generally more secure. It is preferable for U.S. citizens to stay in well-known tourist destinations and tourist areas of the cities with more adequate security, and provide an itinerary to a friend or family member not traveling with them. U.S. citizens should refrain from displaying expensive-looking jewelry, large amounts of money, or other valuable items.

For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers from Mexico, a regular toll line at 001-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). American citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the State Department's travel registration website at https://travelregistration.state.gov.

For any emergencies involving American citizens in Mexico, please contact the closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The U.S. Embassy is located in Mexico City at Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, telephone from the United States: 011-52-55-5080-2000; telephone within Mexico City: 5080-2000; telephone long distance within Mexico 01-55-5080-2000. You may also contact the Embassy by e-mail at: ccs@usembassy.net.mx. The Embassy's Internet address is http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/.

Consulates:

Ciudad Juarez: Avenida Lopez Mateos 924-N, telephone (52)(656) 611-3000.
Guadalajara: Progreso 175, telephone (52)(333) 268-2100.
Monterrey: Avenida Constitucion 411 Poniente, telephone (52)(818) 345-2120.
Tijuana: Tapachula 96, telephone (52)(664) 622-7400.
Hermosillo: Avenida Monterrey 141, telephone (52)(662) 289-3500.
Matamoros: Avenida Primera 2002, telephone (52)(868) 812-4402.
Merida: Paseo Montejo 453, telephone (52)(999) 925-5011.
Nogales: Calle San Jose, Nogales, Sonora, telephone (52)(631) 313-4820.
Nuevo Laredo: Calle Allende 3330, Col. Jardin, telephone (52)(867) 714-0512.

[Cindy]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3038.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Fri Sep 15 2006 21:57:25 GMT-0700.

Mexico (Hurricane Lane)

September 15, 2006

[callmejoe]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/763217.html

Last update - 23:48 15/09/2006

Islamic Movement head: J'lem destined capital of caliphate

By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service

Islamic Movement leader Sheik Ra'ad Salah said that Jerusalem will soon become the capital of an Islamic nation and that Israel's occupation of the Temple Mount is nearing its end, Israel Radio reported on Friday.

Salah told a crowd of 50,000 people in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm that comatose former-prime minister Ariel Sharon and President Moshe Katsav, who is currently under investigation for alleged sex crimes, were "paying the price" for damaging Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque.

In his speech, the Sheik responded to Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Mohammed, saying he hoped they were an accidental slip of tongue.

He also addressed the issue of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, urging Hamas not to agree to a prisoner exchange with the Israeli government which will not include the release of jailed Israeli Arabs.

Salah and three other Islamic Movement officials were held by police in detention for 21 months under suspicion of contacting militant Palestinian groups.

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=library
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=saltlake
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=utah

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,214099,00.html

AP

"Explosion at Salt Lake City Library Forces Evacuation"
Friday, September 15, 2006

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "SALT LAKE CITY — A small explosion in a lounge area of the downtown public library Friday afternoon blew out a window on the third floor, and forced 400 people inside the building to evacuate, police said. No injuries were reported.

The remnants of a bag believed to have held the explosive were found on the third floor, near some desks and tables, police Detective Kevin Joiner said.

There were no reports of threatening phone calls to the library and "nobody has taken any responsibility at this point," Joiner said."

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=IRAN
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=PAKISTAN

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Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1702523/posts


Iranian President invites Musharraf to visit Tehran for discussion on gas pipeline project
APP ^ | Sept 15, 2006

Posted on 09/15/2006 11:29:12 PM PDT by jdm

HAVANA, Sept. 15 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf and his Iranian counterpart met Friday on the sidelines of the NAM summit to discuss bilateral and regional issues as President Ahmedinajad invited the Pakistani leader to visit Tehran to discuss the progress on the proposed multi-billion dollar gas pipeline project.

The two leaders during their meeting discussed the pricing issue for the gas to be supplied from Iran to Pakistan and possibly to India.

Both the leaders expressed satisfaction over the appointment of consultant on the issue of gas pricing.

"The Iranian President has invited President Musharraf on this (gas) issue," Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri told reporters after the meeting.

However, he said President Musharraf suggested that it would be a better idea if he were invited after the consultant had submitted the report on the gas pricing.

Kasuri said, the Iranian leader also indicated he would like to invite the Indian Prime Minister Manmonhan Sing at that stage for discussion on the gas pricing issue.

President Musharraf and the Iranian leader also discussed the ongoing talks on Iran's nuclear programme as President Musharraf noted with satisfaction the progress on the issue.

Referring to his recent visit to Brussels, President Musharraf said during his meetings with the leaders of the European Union, they expressed satisfaction that the dialogue with Iran seemed to be making progress.

President Musharraf said Pakistan was very happy with it as Iran was a brotherly country and Islamabad had always tried, during its talks with the US, the European Union and Iran, to see a peaceful resolution to the issue.

The President said Pakistan has always opposed the use of force and supports the negotiated settlement of the issue as it is also in the interest of the region.

In the field of economic cooperation, the two leaders agreed on the need for further expansion of economic and trade ties between their countries.

The Pakistan-Iran Joint Economic Commission which met in Islamabad in May this year had discussed various proposals to promote trade and commercial ties.

[Cindy]

http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=104&sid=914635
"Charges Dropped in Wis. Necrophilia Case"
Sep 15th - 10:09pm

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "LANCASTER, Wis. (AP) - A judge on Friday dismissed charges of attempted sexual assault against three men accused of trying to dig up a woman's body to have sex with the corpse, noting that Wisconsin has no law against necrophilia. The men still face lesser charges."

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=GLOBALJIHAD

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=Jihad

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http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&q=%22al+qaeda%22&btnG=Search+News

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&q=%22al+qaida%22&btnG=Search+News

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http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&q=%22white+al+qaeda%22&btnG=Search+News

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&q=%22white+al+qaida%22&btnG=Search+News

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP105405

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1054
December 22, 2005 No.1054

"New Al-Qaeda Film With Sermon by Escaped Sheikh & Footage of Children's Weapons Training – Now on Islamist Websites"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "In an Al-Qaeda sermon marking the recent 'Id Al-Fitr holiday, Sheikh Abu Yahya Al-Libbi, who escaped Bagram prison earlier this year [1], told his audience that "America's nose will be rubbed in the mud" and "Palestine is occupied by the offspring of apes and pigs." The film was posted on Islamist websites in December 2005.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=970 "

The film also includes footage of young boys, one appearing to be as young as eight, training with weapons.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=971 "

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http://www.memri.org/bin/search/search.cgi?nocpp=1&p%3Ats_udav=0&sort-method=3&Match=1&Terms=yahya+al+libbi&Realm=All

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http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Yahya+al-Libbi%22&btnG=Google+Search

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Other links On The Net...

http://www.clandestineradio.com
http://www.globalcrisiswatch.com

http://www.jihadwatch.org

[Cindy]

stepping back in time...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1702541/posts

"Islamic Terrorism and the Balkans"
Navy Military History ^ | Updated July 26, 2005 | Steven Woehrel

Posted on 09/16/2006 1:36:28 AM PDT by ma bell

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=GLOBALJIHAD
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=jihad

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=Somalia

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Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06090070.htm

Friday, September 15, 2006

"Convert from Islam to Christianity killed in Somalia"

By Michael Ireland
Special Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (ANS) -- Somali Christian sources report that Ali Mustaf Maka'il, a 22-year-old college student and cloth merchant, who converted from Islam to Christianity eleven months ago, was shot and killed in the Manabolyo quarter of Mogadishu on September 7.

According to a report from The Barnabas Fund, quoting a Christian source inside Somalia, the gunman was loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts (ICU), the Islamist organization that took power in Mogadishu in early June 2006 and now controls much of southern Somalia.

The report states: "The gunman shot Ali in the back after he refused to join a crowd chanting Qur'an verses in honor of the lunar eclipse. (Solar and lunar eclipses are significant in Islam and are accompanied by special congregational prayers.) The ICU confiscated his body for 24 hours before delivering it to the grieving family."

The Barnabas Fund says: "It seems that under the new Islamist rulers, who include hard-line jihadi elements, the tragic history of persecution and martyrdom for Somalia's tiny Christian community is set to continue and most likely to worsen."

The group reports that in July 2006 there were unconfirmed reports that three Christians had been shot and killed by Islamists as they returned home from a prayer meeting.

It adds: "In October 2005 an evangelist and house church leader, Osman Sheik Ahmed, was shot dead by Islamist radicals. Children of Christian Somali refugees in Kenya have been kidnapped by Muslim relatives and taken to Islamic institutions in Somalia for 'rehabilitation.' "

The Barnabas Fund explains that the leader of the ICU, Hassan Dahir Aweys, promised to implement shari'a in all areas he controls.

"According to shari'a, apostates (those who leave Islam for another religion), must be killed. ICU leaders have even threatened to kill as apostates Muslims who are lax in their prayers, claiming this is commanded by shari'a. Several Muslims have been publicly flogged for drug related offences since the ICU took control."

The Barnabas Fund report states that more then 99.5 percent of Somalis are Muslims and regard Christianity as a foreign religion of their historic enemies in Ethiopia and of their former colonial masters the Italians and the British.

It adds: "There is a long history of conflict between Muslim Somalis and Christian Ethiopians, so anti-Christian sentiment runs deep. Most Somalis take it for granted that a true Somali is a Muslim and converts to Christianity must be traitors. These prejudices, widely held by Muslim Somalis, seem to used to justify violence against Christians, both indigenous and expatriate.

"The US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and the recent Israeli campaign against Hizbullah in Lebanon have fuelled and inflamed the inherent hostility to the West and to Christians."

** Michael Ireland is an international British freelance journalist. A former reporter with a London newspaper, Michael is Media Director for Strategic World Impact of Bartlesville, Oklahoma and a Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service of Lake Forest, California. Michael immigrated to the United States in 1982 and became a US citizen in September, 1995. He is married with two children. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station.
** You may republish this story with proper attribution.