In the news - muslims......

[Soldier4Christ]

American Islamic Hamas Relief

Last month, this author exposed how the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), a group tied to the financing of Hamas, has been “partnering” with the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), a branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), claiming to be providing aid to those affected by Hurricane Katrina and the California wildfires. It has now been learned that another group said to be linked to Hamas, Islamic Relief, also has a working relationship with FEMA. Question: Has our government placed American disaster assistance into the hands of an overseas terrorist group?

Islamic Relief (IR) was founded in Birmingham, England in 1984. Since then, it has opened up offices around the world; hence its UK headquarters designation, Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW). Today, it has subsidiaries located in over 30 countries, including the United States.

According to the group’s website, IR “seeks to promote sustainable economic and social development by working with local communities through relief and development programmes.” As noble as that sounds, the group has had a checkered past. In 1999, it was reported that IR had collected and sent over $6 million to Chechen rebels with ties to Al-Qaeda. The same year, IR received $50,000 from Human Concern International (HCI), a “charity” that the U.S. Department of Treasury described as a “Bin Laden front.” Shortly after the September 11th attacks, IR, itself, would be investigated by the Treasury Department, as a “possible source of funding for Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.”

In May of 2006, Israel labeled IR a Hamas front, after Israeli security services arrested the organization’s Program Manager for Gaza, Ayaz Ali, for providing assistance to the terror group. According to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (IMFA): “[Ali] admitted to being a member of the UK-based Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), which is suspected of supporting Hamas... [H]e worked to transfer funds and assistance to various Hamas institutions and organizations, including the Al Wafa and Al Tzalah associations, which have been outlawed in Israel. He also admitted that he worked in Jordan and cooperated with local Hamas operatives.”

The founder and President of IR is Hani Al-Banna, a former trustee of Muslim Aid, a global “charity” based in London, England. While Al-Banna was associated with MA, the group was a “partner organization” to the Al-Salah Islamic Association, a Gaza-based entity that the U.S. Treasury Department designated a “Key Support Node for Hamas,” along with its Director, Ahmed Al-Kurd, who the U.S. government also designated a “terrorist.” As well, while Al-Banna was involved with MA, the group was a partner to organizations directly related to the Muslim Brotherhood of Pakistan, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), including the Al-Khidmat Hospital based in Karachi.

Despite the group’s storied connections to entities found on the U.S. State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), IR has been allowed to operate within the United States.

Islamic Relief USA (IR-USA) is located in Buena Park, California, though it has regional offices based in Totowa, New Jersey, Washington, D.C. and Plano, Texas. The corporate address of IR-USA is in Burbank, California. It was incorporated in October of 1993, and the Registered Agent for the incorporation is listed as Kazbek Soobzokov, the former attorney for terror operative Wagdy Ghoneim. Ghoneim, who has just last year called for violence against Jews, was deported from the United States and refused entry into Canada after it was discovered that he was a member of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Not only is IR permitted to operate inside the United States, but the U.S. government is actually involved with the organization.

IR-USA has devoted an entire page on its website to discussing its dealings with Hurricane Katrina, the natural disaster that ravaged large parts of numerous states throughout the South. Under the header ‘Louisiana,’ it is written, “Islamic Relief is working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (our team has secured a desk at their headquarters in Baton Rouge), and now has access to all of its resources, including use of their inter-agency warehouse.”

In IR-USA’s 2006 “Special Edition” newsletter commemorating the 43rd Annual Convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) – an umbrella organization for mosques that was named by the U.S. government an “Unindicted Co-conspirator” for the 2007 Holy Land Foundation (HLF) trial dealing with millions of dollars in Hamas fundraising – IR refers to FEMA as a “partner.” The newsletter states: “Working with partners such as the Second Harvest Food Bank and FEMA’s Voluntary Agency Warehouse, Islamic Relief has distributed essential goods such as food supplies, water, and other household items to hurricane victims.”

For its efforts, IR-USA has gained the praise of such noteworthy political figures as Senator Ted Kennedy and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, but by overlooking IR’s extremism, FEMA and the politicians are playing a dangerous game with the American public. And not only are these relationships problematic, but the “partnerships” that IR has with other militant Islamist groups has made the problem that much worse.

In September of 2005, in response to Hurricane Katrina, a coalition of major Islamist groups formed the Muslim Hurricane Relief Task Force (MHRTF). In addition to IR, the task force involved, amongst others, CAIR, which was created by Hamas; ICNA, which was involved in Hamas financing; and KindHearts, which was shut down for being a Hamas front.

The North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) controls the finances of hundreds of mosques throughout the United States and Canada, including some of the most radical Muslim institutions. NAIT, like its sister organization ISNA, was named as an “Unindicted Co-conspirator” for the HLF trial that began this past July. At the same time NAIT was designated as such, the organization had on its website the following: “At the end of August 2005, NAIT organized a project aimed at restoration of Katrina-affected Islamic centers & schools in Louisiana and Mississippi... Islamic Relief USA joined NAIT in providing financial assistance to the affected centers.”

The above information is still found on NAIT’s site, which further states, “As of fall 2006, NAIT has conveyed formal approval of four grants for a total of $175,000 for the repair of three masajid [mosques] and one Islamic school.” Question: Where did these grants come from? Our government?

On October 11, 2001, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani refused a check for $10 million from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal that bin Talal had handed him for “disaster relief,” following the 9/11 attacks. The reason given for the refusal was that bin Talal had appended to the money statements that attempted to equate terrorists, such as the ones that attacked us, with how the Israeli government fights terrorism. Essentially the check came with a price that was completely unacceptable.

What price is our government paying for allowing Islamic Relief, a Muslim extremist group, to get involved as a “partner” to the government, when it comes to natural disasters, be it Katrina, California wildfires or anything else? And what price are we as Americans going to pay in the end? The American public must demand answers from FEMA, because it is obvious that FEMA, a division of Homeland Security, will not seek them on its own.

[Soldier4Christ]

I found this article very informative and well worth the reading.


The Sunni-Shia War in America

Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Dave Gaubatz, the first Federal Agent (civilian) to enter Iraq in 2003. Currently the Director of the Mapping Shari'a Project and owner of Wahhabi Counter-terrorism publications, both of which provide first-hand intelligence for law enforcement and Counter-Terrorism professionals.

FP: I want to talk to you today, among other things, about the Sunni-Shia conflict that is now breaking out on our shores, but first let’s talk a about the Mapping Shari’a Project that you direct. What is it about?

Gaubatz: There are many organizations doing outstanding work helping our country in regards to counter-terrorism issues. Almost a year ago I was contacted by a man who had put the various strategies together and structured a project which may be our country’s last hope for saving America as we know/knew it. David Yerushalmi, an attorney involved in policy work for 25 years and president of the Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE), is the person credited with the idea and methodological design of “Mapping Shari’a”. I am the Director of Field Operations and Intelligence for the Mapping Shari’a project.

The Mapping Shari’a project is not complicated and can really be summarized in a few sentences. It is both a law enforcement tool and a policy initiative. The project’s objective is to identify all 2300 plus Islamic Centers in the U.S. and determine through first-hand field research which centers advocate strict adherence to Shari’a Law (laws based on the interpretations of Allah and no other) and which centers advocate violent Jihad and the destruction of the West. The data is then be analyzed and put into a matrix. The project is a rigorously objective empirical investigation to test the thesis: That the driving doctrinal force behind Jihad is Shari’a. Indeed, if the thesis is validated, we expect to see a rigid one-to-one correlation between Shari’a adherence and the promotion of Jihad.

If strict Shari’a adherence is shown to be related (as many counter-terrorism believe) to a Jihadi threat, then it would be a violation of current US law, notably 18 U.S.C. 2385. For a more thorough understanding readers should refer to www.mappingsharia.com.

The Mapping Shari’a project is in full swing and we can report that after the first 100 mosques and day schools, the correlation between Shari’a adherence and the promotion of violence and Jihad against the West is exactly what one would expect.

It is important for people to understand that the Mapping Shari’a project is comprised of many professionals from various backgrounds and religions. The team had a former member of Jamaat Islamia (JI) assist in producing a rigorous objective matrix in regards to Shari’a adherence and the promotion of Jihad; we have former U.S. and Iraqi law enforcement, U.S., and Israeli military personnel. We are comprised of Christians, Muslim, and Jews. The team is working together to protect our country for our children and their children. The Mapping Shari’a project is designed to protect innocent people from ‘all religions’ from the violence driven by a legal code that is fixated on world domination and whose advocates, terrorists such as Osama Bin Laden and Abul Ala Maududi (founder of JI), have disciples spread throughout the world, including right here in the U.S.

FP: Ok, let’s discuss the Sunni versus Shia conflict in the U.S. – as there is all over the world on different levels. What significance and threat does this pose to us here?

Gaubatz: Jamie this question indicates FPM is light years ahead of most simply by asking this question. The majority of people do not even understand the significant differences between Sunni and Shia. Sadly, most of our Presidential candidates could not define them. Most Americans can’t identify which countries are predominately Sunni or which are Shia. Politicians, our military leaders, and every American should understand the majority of Sunni Muslims following ‘Pure Islam’ do not recognize the Shia people as being Muslim. They consider them to have departed from Islam and are considered apostates. The penalty for such apostasy as any Islamic scholar will expand and as the Sunni literature clearly states is death (i.e., abandoning the true religion of Islam). With an ideology such as this no one should be surprised of the fighting between the Sunni and Shia sects in Iraq. Nor should anyone be surprised we have obtained evidence indicating the same rift in the U.S. Keep in mind also that most Muslims are Sunni – about 80%. And while most Jihadists appear to be Sunni, we must keep in mind that one of the most extreme and violent renditions of Shari’a is the one currently promoted by the ruling Imams of Tehran.

In the U.S., the preliminary evidence of this internecine war is from direct conversations with Islamic leaders and the materials they are distributing, which is a by-product of our Mapping Shari’a project. Never in ‘Pure Islam’ will an apostate be accepted, trusted, or allowed to lead Muslims without it subsequently leading to violence. In Islam it is well understood that ‘all people’ were born Muslim, but due to problems in the “families”, many have not accepted Islam. The word ‘convert’ is used by many Islamic scholars as a political tool. In Islam the correct word is ‘revert’ – as in a reversion to one’s original faith.

FP: And the violence in this conflict has already started here hasn’t it?

Gaubatz: Yes. There are signs there has already been violence between Sunni and Shia people living in the U.S. Sunni and Shia sources developed by the Mapping Shari’a project have informed our team that there are many unsolved homicides in the U.S. and other violence that was related to the infighting between Sunni and Shia people. Michigan is an area ripe for violence between the two sects. The ramifications will be for the fighting to become more open and involve anyone considered to be an apostate from Islam.

I will use one example of the many we have found. Within approximately ten miles in a specific region in Utah, there are three Islamic centers which I personally researched. Two are Sunni and one was Shia.

* Khadeela Mosque, West Valley, UT (Sunni)

* Al-Rasool Mosque, SLC, UT (Shia)

* Masjid Noor , SLC, UT (Sunni)

The Sunni leaders in this area do not recognize the Shia people as being Muslim nor as representing Islam. They are considered apostates. As a result, the two Sunni mosques do not recognize the Shia people only a few blocks from them as Muslims. Printed material I obtained proves this, as well as conversations I had with Islamic leaders and members.

Note: On 12 Feb 2007, the Trolley Square shooting tragedy took place. The killer was identified as Sulejman Talovic. He had attended ‘Masjid Noor’. I spent several hours at Masjid Noor speaking with people, attending the prayer, and reviewing the material provided by the mosque leadership. Masjid Noor is Sunni, and the mosque and its leadership promote and distribute violent material. Just one of many examples is the following quote from literature provided at the mosque:

“The Wisdom in killing the Apostate. Islam is a complete methodology for life. It is a religion, and a government, a worship, a leadership, a Holy Book, a sword, a soul, a material, a world, and a hereafter. It is built on the reason and the logic.”

FP: Shed some light for us on U.S. Islamic scholars that are advocating violence in U.S. What can we do about this?

Gaubatz: I will limit this to two Islamic scholars in the U.S. since the research is still ongoing.

cont'd

[Soldier4Christ]

* Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Brooklyn, NY. He lectures throughout the U.S., has been invited by police organizations to speak, by Congress, and travels throughout the Middle East.

* Wahhaj has lectured during his prayers that America is the worst country in the world. He followed up with a statement informing his audience to begin recruiting gang members from the streets, bring them inside the mosque and give them Islam, then send them back on the streets with Uzis.

* Wahhaj has been invited to speak to law enforcement groups. Afterwards in his lectures he mocks them and tells his members the police are non-believers and should never be trusted.

* Step by step guide books are provided to Muslims pertaining on what to do if ever interviewed by the police, FBI, or other U.S. agencies. The title is “What should you do if you are arrested or framed by the racist, fascist, criminal police? Or the racist, fascist, criminal FBI.” The guide refers to our law enforcement as terrorists. The guide is 80 pages and subsequently informs Muslims to go ‘underground’ if suspected of a crime.

I visited this mosque and obtained the material as evidence. Researchers spoke to leaders of this mosque. Wahhaj is an un-indicted coconspirator of the 1993 WTC bombings.

* Ahmad Sakr: He lectures throughout the U.S. in large part on Shari’a for Muslims in the U.S. He has tapes of his speeches distributed to Islamic day schools throughout the U.S., the audience of which is elementary, middle, and high school age Muslim students. One of his many messages is “Do not follow the U.S. Constitution or the laws of Congress. Only follow Shari’a law. If you follow the US law you will go to ‘hell’ because you will be guilty of “shirk” or polytheism. In Saudi Arabia, the application of the Shari’a criminal code has led to at least one accused “polytheist” to be executed. Specifically, Sakr tells his young American Muslim listeners that members of Congress will go to hell because they have man-made laws which are meant to override Allah’s laws. Sakr’s tapes are still being sold and provided to Muslims. I have one as evidence as well that our Mapping Shari’a project found at an Islamic day school in Atlanta.

FP: What kind of trouble are the Saudis up to here in the U.S. lately?

Gaubatz: The Saudis are providing material to Islamic scholars that advocate violence against non-Muslims. We have been provided (by Islamic scholars) material stamped by the Saudi Ministry which calls for an Islamic nation worldwide under Shari’a law.

It is the objective of the Mapping Shari’a team to only obtain first-hand evidence. In late Oct 2007, I contacted the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Islamic Affairs section, Washington, DC. I requested specific material, one of which was a booklet which was edited by a convicted terrorist who now sits in federal prison. The book is used by most Sunni mosques as recommended reading for one to understand Islam. Again the editor is a person who was convicted in U.S. Federal court of advocating terrorism against the U.S. He is serving 70 years plus life. Why would the Saudi Government distribute this book as an example of Islam? I have additional information that the Saudi Government is actively distributing this book to all public libraries and universities throughout the U.S.

On 1 Nov 2007, I received a package from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia. The guide book by the convicted terrorist was inside.

FP: Is our law enforcement prepared to protect America?

Gaubatz: We have the best and most courageous law enforcement in the world, but sadly they are neither trained nor prepared to proactively fight terrorism. Responding to a terrorist event (being reactive) is not fighting terrorism. Once you respond, you have lost. It does not matter how many people get in front of the television (politicians, law enforcement, firefighters, and military leaders) and shake each others hands and congratulate each other on how well the response was carried out. When we are terrorized we have accepted an assault on our liberty and have destroyed the future for our children. We should all hang our heads at this time and be very humble. We lost the fight, and the terrorists beat us. I do not exclude myself. I was a Federal Agent (1811) CT specialist on 1 Sept. 2001. In 2001 I knew little about what I really had to know about CT and how to be proactive. I dedicated my life to insure I would do everything I could to prevent our children from having to suffer another attack.

This meant an enormous amount of hard work, but I did it and continue to do so. I have studied more than 1000 books published by Islamic scholars, listened to hundreds of hours of their lectures and prayers. I have visited mosques in most major cites so I can understand more. I understand not all Muslims embrace Shari’a as so many U.S. Islamic scholars have. One example of this is the fact that we employ highly trained Muslims as field researchers. The Muslims on our team do not want to live in an Islamic nation under Shari’a law. They recognize the sanctity of this nation as a constitutional republic.

During our visits to several law enforcement departments it has become very evident they are not prepared to, nor are they allowed to proactively fight terrorism. Our law enforcement need to be inside the Islamic Centers obtaining first-hand intelligence and they need to study the same manuals (I am not referring to the Quran) the terrorists utilize. They are readily available in the U.S.

But the problem is that law enforcement cannot get into the mosques without probable cause. Further, when even the highly advanced New York Police Department conducts an exhaustive study on homegrown Jihadist recruitment and publishes a 90-page study, the NYPD simply ignores the role of Shari’a and the importance of Shari’a adherence in what it calls “the radicalization” process. The NYPD ignores Shari’a not because it is not obviously a threat to US national security, but because political correctness forbids them from saying what they all know to be true.

I will end by stressing one point. Our government intelligence agencies are recruiting for Arabic/Farsi translators from the same centers that put out the book informing their members never to follow U.S. laws over Shari’a law, and call our FBI and police officers terrorists. One piece of evidence I obtained in NY was a U.S. government brochure recruiting translators; next to this brochure was the guide book calling the FBI racist and fascist. There is little doubt (per direct information to me by people working on translations for our government) that US federal agencies have hired translators that are not loyal to America, and are providing false translations or are collecting intel for their Jihadist brethren.

[nChrist]

Overall, it doesn't sound like there's any common sense left in our government. There are very strict laws on the books about subversive organizations that wish to overthrow our government. These laws need to be enforced, but I guess this is much like saying that our immigration laws need to be enforced. It doesn't take a genius to figure these things out, but it appears that we are lacking the common sense to do many things! The terrorists and illegals among us need to be DEPORTED RIGHT NOW! Nobody needs to study this problem or debate what needs to be done. The existing laws need to be enforced, and it really is just this simple.

Those at the highest levels responsible for law enforcement are guilty of dereliction of duty, and they should be charged. Please don't try to place the blame on the officers at the street level. The system ABOVE and BEHIND the lower level law enforcement officers MUST WORK, and this is BROKEN! It would be more accurate to say that the system has been ignored and neglected! Lower levels can't make the system work. The system MUST WORK before the lower levels can use it, so the blame is at THE TOP!

[Shammu]

Egypt, Saudi Arabia Attempt Another Fatah-Hamas Unity Government
2 Tevet 5768, December 11, '07
by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) For the second time in less than a year, leaders of two major Arab nations are working hard to bring the Fatah and Hamas terrorist factions together in a new unity Palestinian Authority unity government.

Officials in Saudi Arabia and Egypt are again attempting to convince leaders of both PA factions to reconcile their differences, according to a report published Sunday in Haaretz.

Hamas politburo chief and arch-terrorist Khaled Mashaal recently traveled to Saudi Arabia to discuss the breakdown in talks between his faction and that of PA chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Egyptian officials are doing their part by trying to arrange a meeting between Hamas and Fatah factions to be held later this month, according to senior PA sources in Judea and Samaria.

Various PA sources have said quietly for weeks that efforts were being made on both sides to reconcile differences between Fatah and Hamas to bring the two rival factions together again.

The last PA unity government, established in March after weeks of cajoling by Arab leaders that ended with outright arm-twisting by Saudi Arabian King Adbullah, lasted less than a day before loyalists of both factions were back at each other's throats.

That deal came after more than a year of internecine bloodshed that followed a landslide victory by the Islamist Hamas terrorist group, who ousted the ruling Fatah faction in PA elections January 2006.  International leaders refused to recognize the Hamas-ruled government, and froze funding to the PA until Hamas would renounce terrorism, formally acknowledge the State of Israel's right to exist, and agree to uphold deals previously negotiated by rival factions within the PA.

Hamas has not fulfilled these conditions, and has staunchly remained true to its vow never to recognize Israel.  Gaza descended into total anarchy, and was eventually taken over by Hamas. Fatah retained control of Judea and Samaria.

In response, Abbas declared an emergency PA government, ousting Hamas. Millions of dollars that were frozen when Hamas took over the PA suddenly flowed in from the USA, Israel and other Western nations.  Millions more dollars, hundreds of thousands of new weapons and more than a year of training for PA security forces by senior American military officials have been provided by the Bush administration to prop up the Abbas government as well.

Abbas vowed, in return, to keep Hamas out of the government.

Hamas is now trying to establish its own relationship with the USA.  Haniyeh advisor Ahmed Yousef has reportedly sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking for talks. "We are not anti-American, anti-European or anti-anyone," claimed Yousef in his letter.  "Our party is the legitimately elected party. You owe it to your sense of fairness to engage meaningfully with all relevant parties to the conflict."

Yousef said it was "amusing" that USA Secretary of State Rice had expressed sympathy for Israeli victims of Hamas bombings, arguing that Israel was to blame for the violence.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia Attempt Another Fatah-Hamas Unity Government

[Soldier4Christ]

Algeria bombers were two freed but convicted terrorists

TWO convicted terrorists who had been freed in an amnesty carried out the suicide bombings in Algeria that killed 37 people, a security official said.

One was a 64-year-old man in the advanced stages of cancer.

The other was a 32-year-old from a poor suburb that has produced many Islamic militants.

The security official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak.

The Government has offered amnesties to try to end a 15-year Islamic insurgency, resulting in thousands of militants turning themselves in but sparking fierce criticism from victims' families.

Al-Qaida's self-styled North African branch has claimed responsibility for the twin truck bombings on Tuesday, which came 10 minutes apart.

Victims included United Nations staff from around the world, police officers and law students.

US President George W. Bush called Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to discuss the attacks and offer his condolences, press secretary Dana Perino said.

"President Bush reiterated his commitment to continuing US counter-terrorism co-operation in North Africa to bring the perpetrators to justice," Ms Perino said.

The Interior Ministry raised the death toll to 37, saying six more bodies had been found in the rubble of the UN offices.

In a posting on a militant website, al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa said the UN offices were "the headquarters of the international infidels' den".

The Algerian security official identified the older bomber, who struck the UN offices, as Chebli Brahim, who was suffering from cancer and had lost two sons to army crackdowns on militants.

Brahim was a member of the Muslim fundamentalist party Islamic Salvation Front, arrested after the Government banned the party, the official said.

The younger bomber, who blew up the Constitutional Council building, was identified as Charef Larbi, from a poor Algiers suburb.

He had been arrested for "supporting terrorist groups" and imprisoned in 2004.

Upon release last year, he went into hiding with militants.

Insurgents have largely focused on symbols of the military-backed Government. The strike against the UN signalled a change in tactics.

Marie Heuze, chief spokeswoman for UN offices in Geneva, said 11 UN staffers died and five were missing.

It was the deadliest single attack against the UN since August 2003, when its Baghdad headquarters was hit by a truck laden with explosives, killing 22 including the top UN envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

It was blamed on a group that later affiliated with al-Qaida.

Seven survivors have been pulled from beneath concrete chunks. One woman's legs were amputated.

Algeria's insurgency broke out in the early 1990s, when the army cancelled the second round of the country's first multi-party elections to prevent likely victory by an Islamic fundamentalist party.

Islamist armed groups then turned to force to overthrow the Government. Up to 200,000 people were killed in the ensuing violence.

Until recently the insurgency had been dying out, as militant ranks dwindled after military crackdowns and amnesty offers.

However late last year, the main Algerian militant group changed its name to al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa and began waging larger-scale bombings.

[Soldier4Christ]

These people are cruel, ruthless killers and this is just one more of many examples that it does no good to give them anything, that they are going to continue in their killing no matter what is given them.

[Soldier4Christ]

'Mosque' uncovered on college campus
'For all practical purposes, this is essentially a Muslim prayer room'

A Minnesota community college has "a Muslim place of worship" featuring "a schedule for Islam's five daily prayers," according to a local newspaper columnist who visited the campus.

Tax-supported Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minn., also has a "sign requesting that shoes be removed" and a barrier that divides men's and women's "prayer spaces," writes Katherine Kersten of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

College officials denied it was anything more than a "meditation" room available for "all faiths."

The description of the facility, however, led one faculty member to tell Kersten the room is "unprecedented" and "goes beyond religious toleration."

"For all practical purposes, this meditation room is essentially a Muslim prayer room," said Chuck Chalberg of Normandale's history faculty.

WND has reported on "accommodations" for Muslims in public institutions, such as schools and airports, and the outrage triggered by the expenditure of public funds on a religion-specific facility.

At Normandale, Kersten reported, an "arrow informed worshippers of the direction of Mecca, and literature urged women to cover their faces."

She reported college officials converted a racquetball court into a "meditation" room during remodeling of some school facilities, which held another "meditation" room for students' use.

Her description continues:

    A row of chest-high barriers splits the room into sex-segregated sections. In the smaller, enclosed area for women sits a pile of shawls and head-coverings. Literature titled "Hijaab [covering] and Modesty" was prominently placed there, instructing women on proper Islamic behavior.

    They should cover their faces and stay at home, it said, and their speech should not "be such that it is heard."

    "Enter into Islaam completely and accept all the rulings of Islaam," the tract read in part. "It should not be that you accept what entertains your desires and leave what opposes your desires; this is from the manners of the Jews."

    "[T]he Jews and the Christians" are described as "the enemies of Allaah's religion."

    The document adds: "Remember that you will never succeed while you follow these people."

    A poster on the room's door advertised a local lecture on "marriage from an Islamic perspective," with "useful tips for marital harmony from the Prophet's ... life." Other fliers invited students to join the Normandale Islamic Forum, or participate in Ramadan celebrations.

    One thing was missing from the meditation room: evidence of any faith but Islam. No Bible, no crucifix, no Torah.

Normandale President Joe Opatz did not take a reporter's call with questions, instead deferring to college spokesman Geoff Jones, who said the article is "not accurate."

Jones said the school is open to "diversity in terms of beliefs, values and cultural backgrounds."

The room, he said, was "created for use by any person for meditation purposes."

Jones confirmed it does have a partition that partially divides the room "that is something that was placed there."

But he denied there are any brochures, information or religious symbols or representations in the room.

"When I visited the room … there were no postings other than announcing it was a meditation room," Jones said.

"We've always sought to have persons of all cultures and backgrounds welcome here. As such we have student clubs and speakers from the community … that promote the dialogue and the discourse," he said.

"As a public institution, we have a responsibility to allow freedom of speech and freedom of religion. This is America," said Jones.

But he also confirmed there is no set schedule for the various groups to use the room.

"It's just been the ebb and flow [of meetings]," he said.

Opatz, on his website welcome to the school, called Normandale the "crown jewel" of the community college system.

He suggested the "clubs, student government, recreational sports and other organizations" provide "a winning combination for a lasting success."

The school website lists the Baha'I Club, Campus Crusade for Christ, College Democrats, Dental Hygiene, Ethiopian Student Union, Gay & Straight Student Alliance, Latter-day Saint Student Association, Muslim Student Association, Oromo Student Union, Somali Student Association and other special interest groups active on campus.

Kersten wrote that her visit to the meditation room revealed literature titled, "Hijaab [covering] and modesty,]" and instructions that women's "speech should not 'be such that it is heard.'"

"Enter into Islaam completely and accept all the rulings of Islaam," said a tract she said. "It should not be that you accept what entertains your desires and leave what opposes your desires; this is from the manners of the Jews."

She noted the document said, "Jews and the Christians" are "the enemies of Allaah's religion. … Remember that you will never succeed while you follow these people."

Ralph Anderson, dean of student affairs, told Kersten the college not only prepared the room but also posted signs at the room's entrance asking students to remove their shoes, which is a Muslim custom.

Anderson called it, "basically a courtesy to Muslim students."

He also told her the room is divided by sex, because "Muslim students prefer that. …"

Anderson refused to respond to questions about such segregation in a public facility.

"I don't want to comment on that," he said.

Chad Lunaas, a former student at the school, told Kersten he frequently on Fridays would discover that "every sink and toilet stall had someone washing his feet."

He said he was intimidated by Muslims who "seemed to be in charge."

The student also said Muslims took over the meditation room.

"They made people who are not of the Muslim religion feel very uncomfortable, especially if they were female," he said.

Comments on Kersten's column blog were vehement.

"Each and every time this topic comes up I see my former Liberal friends compromising their principles of 'Separation of Church and State' by supporting the open display of religion in public places when it concerns any religion other the Christianity," said on. "Again, if you are against the public display of religion you are against ALL public displays of religion, PERIOD."

Another poster asked, "Why is a publicly funded instituion (sic) providing any accomodation (sic) for any religion on its campus? If you want religious accommodation (sic), go to a private educational institution that will accomodate (sic) this religion."

WND also has reported on a decision by officials at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., to appoint a practicing Hindu to head the college's religion department.

The issue of Muslim accommodations in public facilities such as airports already has attracted attention in Indianapolis, Phoenix and several other locations.

In a letter to Indianapolis officials, Rev. Jerry Hillenberg of Hope Baptist Church asked for a meeting over plans being developed by the airport authority to install footbaths on the airport property.

"I still desire to speak personally with you about this issue. It cannot go unchallenged and unattended to," he wrote. "It remains a concern of the public at large, and certainly is a concern of this pastor and our congregation.

"All of the input that we have received from the citizens of this city, county, surrounding counties, across the country, and around the world; has run 10 to one against the installation of these religious implements," he said.

"Most realize that public property, owned by the taxpayers, cannot be used by Christians for religious displays or implements of their religiosity. Then, the question amongst them becomes: Why can it be used for Muslims?"

[HisDaughter]

More proof that we are not living in the United States of AMERICA anymore.
How can our government and our own citizens be so foolish as to give away our own country to who ever wants it.  They are letting our country slip through our own fingers.
Our own Christian beliefs and Bible are not allowed in our schools, but any other religion is welcome to it.
Excuse me while I step outside to spit.

[HisDaughter]

In the past we have already seen our own countrymen burning our flag in some protest or another.  I suppose next that will become legal and even futher we will be raising up Muslim, Islam, etc flags around the white house!!

Boy, has this article got my dander up this morning!

Next it will be illegal to speak English here!

[Soldier4Christ]

Next it will be illegal to speak English here!

That time is coming soon.

[Soldier4Christ]

Al-Qaida targets
Pakistan nukes 
Bin Laden eyes his best shot at seizing power,
grabbing weapons, says West Point publication

Osama bin Laden's quest for a nuclear weapons arsenal now focuses on al-Qaida efforts to destabilizing Pakistan, plunging the nation into civil war, seizing power in conjunction with other radical jihadists and grabbing control of the world's first Islamic bombs, according to a report in a West Point anti-terrorism journal.

Writing in the Combating Terrorism Center's Sentinel, a new publication of the U.S. military academy, Bruce Riedel, a former senior U.S. official now with the Brookings Institution, says Pakistan represents the "real front line in the war against al-Qaida."

The most frightening part of advances by Islamists confronting the government of Perves Musharraf is the determination of al-Qaida to obtain nuclear weapons.

Al-Qaida has been pursuing nuclear weapons for more than a decade, according to former CIA Director George Tenet.

"Today, [al-Qaida] has a secure operating base in the country, its leadership is issuing constant guidance to its global supporters, it is threatening NATO's position in Afghanistan through its Taliban allies, and it is now a growing force in Pakistan itself," writes Riedel. "The current political crisis in Pakistan is endangering the secular democratic forces in the country, polarizing the debate about the country's future and strengthening al-Qaida's Islamist partners."

Riedel reports both bin Laden and his No. 2 commander, Ayman al-Zawahiri, could well be in any of Pakistan's remote areas, out of control of government forces.

"From Baluchistan to Kashmir, much of western Pakistan is sympathetic to al-Qaida's message and remains an open field where they can operate," wrote Riedel. "Even in the urban areas, al-Qaida operatives have been able to attack key targets, including military posts, with increasingly deadly results."

Al-Qaida, Riedel writes, "seeks to destroy the secular political leadership and civil society that offers an alternative to its extremist Salafist Islamic preaching. Al-Qaida's goal in Pakistan is to polarize the country into warring factions, break the back of civil and secular society and ultimately see its allies in the Pakistani Islamist movement seize power."

[Shammu]

Muslim pilgrims stone wall, cut hair at haj
Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:06pm IST
By Jonathan Wright

MINA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Muslim pilgrims threw pebbles at a stone wall outside Mecca, shaved their heads and bought sacrificial animals on Wednesday, the third day of the annual haj pilgrimage to the Mecca area.

Many arrived for the pebble-throwing ritual with swollen feet and sore legs after walking about 20 km during the night, stopping for a few hours of sleep in the rough in the Muzdalifa area, where they collected at least 49 small stones.

They were coming from the plain of Arafat, where the haj reached its climax on Tuesday afternoon, a period of waiting and private prayer.

On Wednesday most settled in for a two-night stay in the Mina area and the atmosphere was more festive than devotional. The day is the first day of Eid al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice.

The Saudi government has built a vast tent city on every available piece of flat land around Mina but some pilgrims prefer to camp in the rocky hills or by the side of the road.

After the three main duties, many male pilgrims took off the two pieces of white cloth they put on when they entered a state of ritual purity on Monday morning.

The stone-throwing ritual has been the most dangerous stage in an event which has seen a series of tragic accidents in recent years, as easy air travel and increasing prosperity add to the pressure on Saudi Arabia to grant more pilgrim visas.

More than 1.6 million people entered Saudi Arabia for the event this year, about the same as last year. With pilgrims from inside the country -- Saudi and foreign workers -- the total number is well over 2 million; some Saudi media said 3 million.

On Wednesday pilgrims had the choice of three walkways to approach the stone and concrete wall, a modernised version of what used to be a stone pillar. The ritual represents defiance of the devil and commitment to resisting his temptations.

The Saudi authorities have added the two upper levels to relieve crowding on the ground level, where 362 pilgrims died in the crush in January 2006, the worst haj tragedy in 16 years.

In previous years the haj has seen fires, hotel collapses, police clashes with protesters trying to politicise the event and deadly stampedes caused by overcrowding.

VEHCILES AND PEDESTRIANS

Saudi media said hundreds of thousands of people had moved smoothly across the Jamarat Bridge throughout the day on Wednesday without incident. But not all the pilgrims were happy.

Fadel Marhoon, an Islamic studies teacher from Bahrain, said the new walls or pillars, known in Arabic as the jamarat, were so big that pilgrims often threw their stones from afar, endangering those in front of them.

"If you go close and then turn back when you're finished, you might get hit in the face," he said.

Abbas Mubarak, a Shi'ite Muslim from Ahsa in eastern Saudi Arabia, said Shi'ites had to cope with the most severe crowding at the lower level because their clerics have decreed that throwing pebbles from the upper levels does not count.

The two pilgrims criticised the crowding of vehicles in the Muzdalifa area overnight, which made it hard for pedestrians to walk towards Mecca. Drivers had trouble too, some spending 12 hours between Arafat and Mina.

At Mina, barbers set up shop in the street to shave the heads of the most enthusiastic pilgrims. Other pilgrims made do with a severe haircut.

Most pilgrims do not see the animals they buy for slaughter. They buy a coupon from a kiosk and trust that the Saudi authorities will oversee the process of killing the beast and shipping it abroad for distribution to the poor. Sheep, cows and camels are the usual choices.

This year the jamarat opened at midnight and some pilgrims reached Mecca in the early hours of the morning. There they carried out the same rituals they performed earlier in the process -- walking seven times around the stone shrine called the Kaaba and seven times along a nearby walkway.

They have to go back to the jamarat on Thursday and Friday for further stoning ceremonies.

Muslim pilgrims stone wall, cut hair at haj

[Shammu]

Disavowal of Pagans ceremony in Arafat Desert
Arafat Desert, Saudi Arabia, Dec 18, IRNA

Iran-ubgone86-Ceremony
Disavowal of Pagans ritual started in this sacred desert on Tuesday attended by a huge group of Iranian pilgrims.

The pilgrims chanted anti-US and anti-Zionist slogans during the ceremony also attended by the Supreme Leader's representative for ubgone86 affairs, Hojatoleslam Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri.

"God is Great," "There is no Deity but Allah," "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" were among the slogans chanted by the masses in unison as they gathered in the Desert of Arafat, 20 km (12 miles) from Mecca, for a day of prayer and meditation.

The faithful -- men clad in two-piece seamless white shrouds and women all covered except for their hands and faces to symbolize equality -- converged on Arafat by bus and on foot from the tent city of Mina, where they spent the night.

The Supreme Leader's message for the Haj pilgrims is to be read by Reyshahri during the ceremony.

A resolution will be issued by the pilgrims at the end of the ceremony.

Disavowal of Pagans ceremony in Arafat Desert

[Shammu]

Philosophy of Haj based on global government - Ahmadinejad
Mena, Saudi Arabia, Dec 20, IRNA

Ahmadinejad-ubgone86-Address
IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Wednesday on Al-Adha Eid Day in Saudi Arabia philosophy of Haj can be defined merely through considering Islam's aim at establishment of a global government.

President Ahmadinejad who had attended the gathering of Iranian Haj pilgrims at the Supreme Leader's Mecca Headquarter focused in his address over the significance of major Haj rituals, the philosophy behind them, and their ultimate objectives.

He said, "If we would delete the ultimate objective of establishing a global system from the Haj rituals, the remainder would be deeds devoid of a soul."
Upon President Ahmadinejad's arrival in Mena, he was received by the Emir al-Haaj of the Iranian Haj pilgrims Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri and members of the Supreme Leader's Mecca Headquarters.

Philosophy of Haj based on global government - Ahmadinejad