Free Republic

Pope Leo just wrapped his tour of oppressed Christian communities in Islamist dominated nations like Turkey and Lebanon. Rather than directly address the persecution of Christians, he praised the local regimes, met with Muslim leaders, took off his shoes at a mosque and took refuge in vague generalities. In Lebanon, Pope Leo offered no direct criticism of Hezbollah or Islam. He visited and prayed at the Port of Beirut, where a Hezbollah weapons explosion killed over 200 people, many of them Christians, and the blast damaged churches and devastated families. Pope Leo avoided placing blame, claiming instead that it’s natural...

Police officers in Germany now have to fear if their collegaues have been bought and their lives are in danger.. Criminal organizations, drug trafficking, money laundering and corruption – a new documentary by German public broadcaster ZDF has revealed serious irregularities in the relationship between the German state and organized crime, writes Mandiner news portal. “Kriminelle Clans in Deutschland” shows that criminal networks not only control large cities, but have also established their influence nationwide, right up to state institutions. Accumulating huge wealth illegally, they have built a tight network that includes law enforcement agencies. “It is a murderous and...

1. Ahmad Abu Adass In 2005, the last year of his life, Ahmad Abu Adass was 22 and still living with his parents in Beirut, Lebanon. He was kind and liked people, his friends later told investigators, but none of them thought he was very sophisticated. The best way to describe him was simple, one said. He was generous and a little naïve. He was very weak, physically. A Sunni Muslim of Palestinian descent, Adass had become interested in religion and now spent many hours at the Arab University Mosque near his home. It was there, after a prayer session,...

WINSTON MID EAST ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY - December 9, 2003 THE FIRST PALESTINIAN STATE by Emanuel A. Winston, a Middle East analyst & commentatorOh. You didn’t know there was a First Palestinian State? It’s not necessary to go back to 1964 when, with Egypt’s help, Yassir Arafat formed up the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) - with the sole intent of engaging in Terror for the purpose of conquering the Jewish State, with the assistance of all the Arab/Muslim nations. Those goals of the PLO have NOT changed. (1) Arafat was elected Chairman of the PLO in 1969.But, Arafat and his...

Jihadi Journalist: The Real Peter Jennings By Debbie Schlussel While the rest of the world is blindly singing the praises of Peter Jennings, here's a reality check: Peter Jennings did more for the cause of Islamic terrorism than any media figure today. And that's nothing to celebrate, honor, or even memorialize. Before there was Al Jazeerah, there was Peter Jennings. From the beginning of Jennings career until his death, Jennings' biased coverage went beyond the pale, bending over backward in "understanding" the terrorists who hate us-- from seeing "their side" when he covered the seige and then murder of innocent...

Early on the morning of March 16th, 1984, William Buckley left for work at the American embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. Officially, Mr. Buckley, a decorated veteran of the Special Forces, served as the political officer at the embassy. In reality, however, Mr. Buckley was the embassy’s CIA station chief. On his way to the compound, Buckley’s car was stopped by a group of masked men, who forced him from his car at gunpoint. His assailants would later be identified as terrorists from the group Islamic Jihad, which served as an alias for the real perpetrators, Hezbollah. The circumstances surrounding the...