Free Republic

Hey, the Muslims hate me as well! Look at this:

http://www.as-sahwah.com/discus/messages/9/3865.html?1041763055

Regards

Jeremy Reynalds
www.joyjunction.org

The Hamas has never stopped acting up. What I have found on their web site(s) has appalled me. I filed the following report with the ASSIST News Svc

Subj: P.A. FINANCE MINISTER FORMER EMPLOYEE OF BANK ALLEGEDLY RECEIVING HAMAS FUNDS

Date: 7/1/2002 2:20:57 PM Mountain Daylight Time

From: ANS_Story@sheperd.com (ANS Story)

Sender: AssistUS-owner@thomas.sheperd.com

To: AssistUS@sheperd.com (AssistUS)

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 2126, Garden Grove, CA 92842-2126 USA

E-mail: assistcomm@cs.com, Web Site: http://www.assist-ministries.com/index.asp

Monday, July 1, 2002

P.A. FINANCE MINISTER FORMER EMPLOYEE OF BANK ALLEGEDLY RECEIVING HAMAS FUNDS

Sources Say It's Unlikely He Ever Knew

By Jeremy Reynalds

Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (ANS) -- A web site which includes an appeal for donations by the outlawed Hamas organization to buy guns and bullets, www.www.qassam.net/tabaro3.htm continues to remain on line.

The site was electronically traced as being hosted by servers in Houston, TX., belonging to Everyone’s Internet.

Jeff Lowenberg, vice- president of operations for Everyone’s Internet, said all he was able to say was the company does “cooperate to the best of our ability with all law enforcement requests.”

When asked if he could comment further, Lowenberg said he would not disagree with comments made by a company spokesman some weeks ago that appeared in the Houston Chronicle.

In that story, company officials said while they initially blocked the sites when they were brought to their attention, that they put them back on line when requested to do so by the U.S. Customs Service.

The on-line English appeal for donations on that site ends with this statement.

Donator brother, send us at the e-mail available at Martyr Izz el-Deen el-Qassam Phalanxes's web site and send us a fake name and the amount that you want to donate and we will secure handing this money to the mujahideen .. You can send any inquiries to support@qassam.org.

An e- mail sent in the middle of May to that address produced (in part) the following response. “Dear donor, We assure you that all the money will be given to no body but to all the Mujahideen in Palestine. This is the bank account : Name: Ayman ataya Mansoor. Bank account no.: 38924/2/510 Arab bank- Gaza branch- Palestine .”

An e- mail sent to the same address last week requesting information produced slightly different information to which money could be wired. “This is the bank account : Name: Ahmed Mohammed Ali Elbatech Bank account no.: 38926/9/510 Arab bank- Gaza branch- Palestine.”

E - mails sent to the Arab Bank seeking comment were not answered. Phone calls to both the Arab Bank Administration and its Gaza Branch asking if there was anyone available who could speak English and comment on the Bank’s alleged maintenance of terrorist bank account(s) were answered with a comment in broken English, “We don’t have anyone who speaks English..”

Interestingly, a former regional manager for the Arab Bank, Salam Fayaad (who is still listed on the Arab Bank’s web site as being the Regional Manager of the Arab Bank’s Palestine branches although he has not worked there for about a year) has now been appointed by Yasser Arafat as his new finance minister. Along with other ministers, Fayaad is charged with helping implement reform in the Palestine Authority, regarded by some as being both too large and corrupt.

According to a recent commentary in the Jerusalem Report on line, “As finance minister, Salam Fayyad will be responsible for instituting transparency and accountability, and for stopping money trickling into private pockets, or being used to fund terrorism.”

And in the May 31 edition of the Jerusalem Post, President Bush praised the appointment, saying “That is a positive development, because one of the things that worries us is spending any international aid on an authority that might not keep good books; that the money might not actually get to help the Palestinian people, but might end up in somebody’s pocket.”

I have to admit that after learning about Fayyad’s former position with the Arab Bank and the organization’s alleged dealings with terrorists that I initially wondered about the wisdom of Fayyad’s appointment and his mandate to, basically, root out corruption.

However, through a well-placed source with contacts in the region I was told it is very doubtful Fayyad ever knew the Arab Bank’s Gaza Branch was allegedly (and apparently continues to ) receive funds connected to the Hamas. In fact, Fayyad is regarded by a couple of individuals familiar with the Israeli and Palestinian situation as “clean” and “very well respected” by both Palestinians and Israelis. He was further described by one of the same people as a bright spot in the P.A. who doesn’t put up with any kind of corruption.”

While it looks like Fayyad’s in the clear, that still doesn’t answer the question why a Houston-based internet service provider continues to carry a clearly worded appeal from a terrorist group that is dedicated to the destruction of Israelis. Enquiring minds want to know.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and director of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.assist-ministries.com/ready2publish/www.joyjunction.org or http://www.assist-ministries.com/ready2publish/www.christianity.com/joyjunction. He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico and is pursuing his PhD in intercultural education at Biola University in Los Angeles. He is married with five children and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at reynalds@joyjunction.org. Tel: (505) 877-6967 or (505) 463-2873. Note: A black and white JPEG picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at http://www.assist-ministries.com/ready2publish/assistcomm@cs.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** You may use this story with proper attribution.

Al Neda Site Reappears

An Arabic web site recently known as alneeda.com and believed by U.S. officials to have been used by al-Qaeda to deliver messages possibly connected with further attacks, has resurfaced under the name www.drasat.com .

Cyberterrorism expert Ben Venzke told USA Today last week that alneda.com, of which this new site appears to be a duplicate, “is one of the only sites, if not the only site, for statements by al-qaeda and the Taliban.”

The original alneda.com site was pulled after the United States government requested its removal.<> www.drasat.com appears to be located on servers owned by www.liquidweb.com out of Lansing, Michigan. An electronic trace for www,drasat.com listed Ali Al-Ali as a technical contact for the site. Al-Ali did not respond to an e- mail seeking comment.

The site contains a variety of anti-American quasi news and commentaries, including approval of the fires ravaging many parts of America and a prayer that appears to read in part, “Oh god burn on them their houses and (set) their graves (on) fire .” The article continues by saying that there are fires in 19 American states and 1.84 million acres have been burned. Evacuation of cities is possible.”

Note that because this site is in Arabic, this report makes use of a poor but nonetheless still relatively helpful automated Arabic-English translation tool available on line at http://tarjim.ajeeb.com/ajeeb/default.asp?

Another article on the site deals with the background to the American-Muslim conflict and gives the site operators perspective how the conflict is viewed by some radical Muslims. It reads in part, “The crusade that America and the universe ... wage on the islam and the Muslim ... is not a military war ... ... an ... economic ... and political and cultural (war) ... The war is a comprehensive war on all ... levels ... she differs a plenty (from) the previous Moslems wars (such) as the first war of Afghanistan or the Bosnia - Herzegovina war or the war of the first Chechnia and the second or the Palestine war. This war is sensitive and dangerous on the fighters. (It) is a war the enemy entered (into) and consider ... a crucial war.

Another article is titled, “Under the shadow of the spears...” and concerned a paper written by “his eminence Suleiman Boghith and why we fight America.”

It continues (sic) “ the legitimate excuses that break her are in our jihad against the americans and who fill us a certainty and a reassurance in the support of our religion and our creed and we killed a many ... “

Another article contains the following ominous words, “ America against Islam and the Muslim ... the war between the Islam and the hamlet is an eternal war ... she erupted since the era of our father Adam is peace be upon him ... “

One commentary headlined “Testimony to the Taliban” complains about the media treatment of the Taliban. It reads in part, “The western ...and eastern .. media ... (have greatly) deformed and defamed (the) Taliban and described them (in a ) vulgar manner” as hostile and fanatical and people who insult women and humiliate minorities. “

The article continues that while the Taliban is being blamed for the events of 9/11 and that the Afghanistan government has demanded bin Laden so he can be tried in a neutral country there is another more sinister reason for what’s occurring. It’s so “this Islamic state” can be destroyed.

Another controversial site is one apparently operated by the Hamas site at www.qassam.net. One portion of the site at www.qassam.net/tabaro3.htm, contains an appeal for donations to be used for purchase of Kalashnikov guns and bullets “to assist the cause of Jihad and resistance until the occupation is eliminated and every span of the Muslim Palestine is liberated.”

The qassam.net site also contains a heavily trafficed chat room where at the time of a recent visit there were 5,051 members, with 54,403 posts.

Forum subjects available for discussion included the whereabouts of bin Laden, security and Jihad from the Islamic perspective, Palestine the case and the identity and military business. One writer commented that some people are saying bin Laden is in China, others say he is in Iran while others think elsewhere but one thing is certain, that if the American authorities catch up with bin Laden he will be punished.

“In case of bin Laden this punishment will be a certain thing . Then the according to of the American ministry of defence the last videotape offered a strong support to her directed previous accusation against bin Laden in an existence planned to attacks 11 september (sic: automated translation).

Another forum member opined that God helped bin Laden outsmart his enemies and guided his steps to do so, as if he feared death anyway. The comment was followed by some smiley faces.”

A scroll at the end of one area of the forums read (sic) “Their killers the god by your hands torture them and pricks them and supports you against them ... “

Someone else commented that bin Laden is still hiding out in the mountains in Afghanistan and will not surrender. The writer described bin Laden as a “warrior champion” who is just biding his time in the mountains until he gets the help he needs. “Their cunning will not harm him ... We ask god that he lengthens his life.”

The Albuquerque FBI was contacted concerning the discovery of the drasat site.

Does the Devil like Conservative Talk Radio?
Talk Radio, Muhammed and the Southern Baptist Convention by Jeremy Reynalds
www.christianity.com/joyjunction

Former Southern Baptist Convention President Jerry Vines has stirred up an interfaith hornets nest with his description of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, as being a "demon-possessed pedophile."

Vines made the comments at the Southern Baptist Pastors Conference in St. Louis as a criticism of the increase of religious pluralism.

Vines said, "Today, people are saying all religions are the same. They would have us believe Islam is just as good as Christianity. But I'm here to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that Islam is not as good as Christianity."

Vines continued, "Christianity was founded by the virgin-born Lord Jesus Christ. Islam was founded by Muhammad, a demon-possessed pedophile who had 12 wives, and his last one was a 9-year-old girl."

And there was more. Refuting the Muslim belief that they are descendants of Abraham and serve the same God as Jews and Christians, though they call him Allah, Vines said, "Allah is not Jehovah. Jehovah is not going to turn you into a terrorist that'll try to bomb people and take the lives of thousands and thousands of people."

Vines' strong but true remarks drew the expected denunciations from Muslims and liberal mainline denominational leaders but he drew some fire from some radio talk show hosts as well – traditionally regarded as a bastion of conservatism.

The remarks I heard from one talk show host about Vines comments greatly upset me, because I'm a fan of conservative talk radio. In fact, I'm more than a fan. I'm a talk radio addict, with my car radio buttons preset for the area news talk stations.

Not surprisingly, my "addiction" follows me nationwide. When I go out of town, I always look for the local talk station and Los Angeles, where I'm pursuing my Ph.D. is no exception.

But some of my listening habits are about to change. Lately, I've been getting increasingly upset about the direction some talk radio is heading and comments I heard on one talk station in Los Angeles this week served to reinforce those concerns.

For example. Commenting on Vines' statement that Jesus was born of a virgin, one Los Angeles talk show host fumed "They're (Christians) always pushing virginity. They're never going to back away from that. Why couldn't Jesus come from a loving sex act? That's the root of some of the Catholic weirdness."

He just didn't get it and comments that I've heard this guy make before make me think that he has no desire to understand why Jesus couldn't have been our Redeemer if He had been born as the result of a "loving sex act." It has nothing to do with Christian attitudes toward sex.

And it's more than some of these shows being unfriendly to religious conservatives. Some of them make no attempt to promote even basic family friendly values. Now I might expect worse behavior in Los Angeles than Albuquerque but the same thing's happening here too. Things have really taken a downward slide on our major conservative talk station..

Take a few days ago, for instance. This radio station's weather forecast is provided by the local ABC television affiliate. During some friendly chatter between the two, the television weathercaster told the substitute radio host that he was really tired. An innocent enough remark, wouldn't you think? Sadly, not any more. In a voice dripping with innuendo, the radio host asked the meteorologist, "Were you BUSY last night?" There was no mistaking what he meant.

The downward spiral continued the next day. The host and his producer were talking about getting their dogs groomed. The host said that after getting groomed his dog becomes very excited. A trivial but harmless enough story if it finished right there, but not a hope. The host said that when his dog gets excited he tells him, "Not on my leg, use hers!"

Haven't the sort of people who listen to conservative talk radio grown past that? Conservative talk radio grew because of its attraction to both Christian and family-minded conservatives. Hosts didn't hesitate to say what was right and what was wrong and their discussion was serious, intelligent and reflected traditional American morality.

I guess that's changed in Albuquerque. When the individual I talked about above substitute hosts, clean intelligent discussion goes out the window and morning shows are endless rounds of banal discussion routinely sprinkled with foul language and bathroom humor. Sadly, this is a station that for many years conservative Christians regularly tuned in to and one that was regarded as a family friendly.

Well, after this guy goes off the air there's relative safety and you can tune into Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura. However, the family friendly zone ends at 3 p.m. when the station's regular afternoon host hits the airwaves. While there's plenty of good discussion on this guy's show, it's also punctuated with profanity, bathroom humor and attacks against conservative Christians.

In a recent article on crosswalk.com (http://news.crosswalk.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID74088|CHID194343|CIID1139204,00.html) titled "Why aren't there any left wing talk show hosts?" author Kelly Boggs commented "When you tune into a conservative radio show, what you hear is what you get. There is no pretense of balance. The hosts are loud and proud of their conservatism. They offer no apology for the right-of-center views they express. You may not agree with the message but at least you know what to expect -- a conservative bias."

True, Kelly. But ultimately, is dirty, ignorant, foul-mouthed conservatism any better than mealy-mouthed liberalism? Some years ago I was interviewed on a Christian talk station whose motto was "talk radio hell hates." THAT'S the sort of radio I want to find and start listening to. Currently, I think that the devil loves much of conservative talk radio and that the Lord's not very pleased with it.

If your local talk station is pushing talk filth, tune out and let station officials know what you think. Today's handful of media conglomerates which own the majority of radio stations in the United States will do whatever works, i.e. brings in the ratings and makes money. Tell them that filth doesn't work for you!

I wrote this as a weekly op-ed. I wrote for a number of popular Internet e-zines that include www.americasvoices.org and www.opinionet.com. More of my work may also be found on www.christianity.net/joyjunction