In the news - muslims......

[Shammu]

Disavowal of Pagans ceremony in Arafat Desert

I think somewhere deep down a lot of muslims know that their religion is empty. They follow it because that's all they are surrounded with and they don't have anything else to cling to, hoping it will all make sense one day or they will feel close to God one day if they just do everything right. The religious leaders fill this emptiness with hatred to divert people from questioning their faith, learning the truth of their "holy" books, and educating themselves on Jesus. If they do overcome their hate, religious leaders keep dangling a carrot, that if they just keep doing what they are doing their void will be filled and they will know peace. They just have to hang on a little longer.

Sadly, they never find peace and carry that emptiness their whole lives, as long as they deny Jesus Christ.

[Shammu]

Hamas aired radio broadcast from the Temple Mount
December 19, 2007

Hamas aired its radio broadcast from the Temple Mount Wednesday while Jews and Christians were banned by the Israeli government from ascending the Mount for fear of offending Muslims on the holiday of Ein ul-Adhaa.

The day was also the Jewish fast day of the Tenth of Tevet, which commemorates the start of the siege of Jerusalem that led to the destruction of the First Temple during the reign of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar.

Jewish organizations and Temple Mount activist groups were planning mass visits to the Temple Mount Wednesday morning during the fast, but they were informed by the Israeli police that the Mount would be closed to non-Muslims that day.

Due to Israeli restrictions at Judaism’s holiest site, the Temple Mount is open to non-Muslims only Sundays through Thursdays for a few hours in the morning and afternoon, and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Wakf, the Mount’s Islamic custodians. Non-Muslims are banned by Israeli law from praying at the site.

Meanwhile, the Hamas broadcast of morning prayers and sermons from the Mount’s Al Aksa Mosque was aired on Al Aksa radio, Hamas’s official radio network. The network routinely broadcasts sermons and speeches from Hamas leaders and Hamas-affiliated sheiks calling for the destruction of Israel and murder of Jews.

Asked if the police approved the Hamas broadcast, Jerusalem Police spokesman Shmulik Ben Ruby told WorldNetDaily, "As far as I know, the Israeli police is not engaged with this issue."

According to Palestinian security sources speaking to WND, Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds radio used technicians from the Voice of Palestine, the official radio network of the Palestinian Authority, to facilitate the Temple Mount broadcasts, even though the program is not aired on PA radio. The Voice of Palestine has a permit to broadcast from the Mount.

More Temple Mount News

In spite of long-standing denials by top officials, the Israeli government in 2000 agreed to relinquish the Temple Mount – Judaism’s holiest site – to the Palestinians during U.S.-backed negotiations, according to declassified documents made public last week.

The  Israeli government documents, first published by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, stated that during U.S.-led negotiations in 2000 at Camp David, then-prime minister Ehud Barak agreed sovereignty over the Temple Mount would be either "ambiguous" or that control would be determined based on the bond of each party to the site. The Palestinians would therefore control the upper sections of the Mount, which houses the Al Aksa Mosque and also is the site of the First and Second Jewish Temples.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert earlier this month denied that talks started at November’s Annapolis summit would lead to Israel giving up its sovereignty over the Temple Mount – although a chief Palestinian negotiator told WND that the Jewish state had already agreed to forfeit Judaism’s holiest site to a coalition of Arab countries.

"What Olmert said [regarding the Mount] is absolutely false. I think he’s not yet ready to tell the Israeli public and is waiting for the right time, and he fears his coalition with religious extremists will fall apart if he announces it now," said the negotiator.

In Exchange For Funding...

The Palestinian Authority has concocted a scheme to fool international donors who pledged $7.4 billion at a funding conference yesterday into believing the PA is carrying out required security reforms, according to security sources and information obtained by WND.

Global donors pledged the massive sum at a conference in Paris this week to bolster Abbas following last month’s U.S.-sponsored Annapolis summit.

A statement from the European Union noted that a large portion of international aid was specifically conditioned to fund Abbas’s implementation of a Palestinian Reform and Development Plan, which primarily calls for PA security forces to be unified under one command instead of functioning as a series of militias, and for the PA to trim its overall forces on the payroll by 30,000 gunmen.

But according to security and political sources speaking to WND, the PA has put into place a series of moves designed to make it appear that it was trimming its security forces while in some cases actually enlarging its militias.

The sources said the PA will transfer about 10,000 gunmen to the payroll of other Palestinian ministries. The estimated 10,000 gunmen will remain in the PA security forces but will simply collect a paycheck from a different ministry instead of the internal security ministry.

The PA, meanwhile, is planning to expand its security forces by hiring about 15,000 more Palestinian gunmen, including thousands of members of Fatah’s Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades terror group, according to security sources.

Targeting Christians in Lebanon

Last week’s deadly bombing targeting a top Lebanese army general was a bid by anti-government elements to destabilize the country and delay presidential elections, and may be part of a general campaign to intimidate Lebanon’s Christian population, former Lebanese president Amin Gemayel told this column during an exclusive interview.

The blast, the latest in a string of political assassinations to rock Lebanon, killed a top Lebanese Army general. Gemayel noted that it was "very strange" that almost all recent bombings occurred in Christian neighborhoods.

"Maybe this could lead to a situation where Christians feel threatened. There are some Islamist groups here that would like to target Christians," he said.

A recent study in Lebanon found 30 percent of the country’s Christian population is working actively to emigrate. And according to several reports, nearly 600,000 Christians departed Lebanon the past 16 years.

Christians previously made up the majority of Lebanon’s population, but recent surveys indicate that Muslims now constitute a solid majority, with 60 percent. The Shia sect, represented by the Hizbullah militia, is Lebanon’s largest Muslim community.

Hamas aired radio broadcast from the Temple Mount

[Shammu]

Turkish Muslim Columnist: The Jew is a Curse, Runs US

(IsraelNN.com) Fahri Guven of the Islamist Turkish daily Milli Gazete quoted in his column the following excerpts from a recently published book by M. Ertugrul Duzdag and Ali Ulvi Kurucu presenting them as historical truths that every Muslim must take into account (translated by MEMRI):

“The Jew is a curse. If you enter a war against the Jew you end up fighting powerful nations behind him. If you try to make peace, years pass with no result. He lies 70 lies. It is not surprising that America supports Israel. It is because America is a province of Israel! Last century it was god-damned Britain that was under [Jew’s] command, this century they made the U.S. their servant…Don’t forget the Russian revolution. The only non-Jew was Stalin but his wife was Jewish. Karl Marks was a Jewish psychopath. Behind the Free Mason’s that played a role in every revolution is Jewish power and intelligence. The Jew wants to rule the world, and step by step, he is advancing towards his goal of destroying faith, respect, love, honor, family values in the world.

“The Zionist organization, exaggerated what was done to the Jews at the time of Hitler; created a genocide balloon; blew into it hard enough so it could fly. He blew it to ten, fifty, hundred times more than what it really was. Then they [Jews] made this the subject of thousands of novels, plays and films. Who would have believed a hundred years ago? But here it is now; a Jewish state in the midst of Muslims like an abscess."

"Look at Armenia. This too will become tomorrow’s Israel. It was built by Christians to severe the ties between Turkey and the Muslim Turkish world and it will grow. It will be the roadblock between Turkey and Azarbaycan and the rest of the Turkic world."

Turkish Muslim Columnist: The Jew is a Curse, Runs US

[Shammu]

King Abdullah invites President Ahmadinejad for Haj

CNN-IBN
Wed, Dec 19, 2007

New Delhi: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the first President of Shia-dominated Iran to make the expedition to Sunni-governed Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian President is in Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdelaziz, a close ally of the US.

Over 17 lakh pilgrims from 181 different countries have travelled to Saudi Arabia for the Haj this year, according to official reports, an increase of 3 per cent from 2006.

Ahmadinejad had said at a press conference a few weeks ago that he would go to the Haj if invited.

“It is only respectful to respond positively to an invitation from a brother,'' he had said.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries – incidentally, all Sunni nations and all US allies – had expressed some worries over Shia-dominated Iran’s increasing influence in the region.

According to news agency The Associated Press, King Abdullah’s invitation reflected a readiness on the part of Saudi Arabia to reach out to its prickly neighbour.

King Abdullah invites President Ahmadinejad for Haj

[Shammu]

Abu Yahya Al-Libi Calls on Muslim Youth to Join the Jihad

On December 19, 2007, the Islamist forum Al-Ekhlaas, hosted by NOC4Hosts Inc. in Florida, USA, posted a 41-minute video address by Al-Qaeda Shari'a Council head Abu Yahya Al-Libi. The video, produced by the Al-Qaeda media company Al-Sahab, apparently comes in response to the growing hostility in Iraq towards foreign jihad fighters, and the rising tension between these fighters and the local mujahideen. Al-Libi explains that when an enemy invades an Islamic country and its people are unable to repel it, it is the duty of Muslims from neighboring countries to come to their aid. He also warns the Muslims not to heed apostates, misguided clerics and other "allies of Satan" who try to discourage them from joining the jihad.

"Were our Muslim brothers in Iraq able to drive out the occupier?... Were our brother mujahideen in Afghanistan able to repel their enemy? For the past six years, they have been fighting and struggling with mixed success, and how many martyrs have fallen?...

"Oh youth of the [Islamic] ummah, rush to the aid of your brothers in Iraq, Somalia, Algeria and Chechnya! Pay no heed to the dubious claims that Satan puts in the mouths of his allies…"

Abu Yahya Al-Libi Calls on Muslim Youth to Join the Jihad

[Shammu]

No Country can Pressure Iran

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- India voiced support for Iran's right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, and said "no country can put pressure" on Tehran in that respect.
   

India's Foreign secretary Mr. Shivshankar Menon, whose country seeks establishment of strategic partnership with the oil-rich Iran, said following his talks in Tehran on expansion of ties in energy and other fields that the issue of Iran's nuclear program should be investigated "only" by the IAEA.

Seeking upgradation of Indo-Iranian ties, which have not been "satisfactory" over the past two years, Tehran said that the two countries should not allow "any foreign powers" to harm their bilateral relations, in an apparent reference to the USA.

"India supports Iran's right to use peaceful nuclear energy," Mr. Menon said.

"No country can put pressure on Tehran in that respect," said the foreign secretary, who was here on a three-day visit for Foreign Office consultations.

Amid threats against Iran by the US, India has been voicing its opposition to use of "coercive" means and maintained that the nuclear row should be resolved through dialogue under the IAEA framework.

Mr. Menon, who held talks with foreign minister Mr. Manouchehr Mottaki and deputy foreign minister Mr. Mahdi Safari during his visit, described Iran as a "factor of stability and security in the region".

He said India and Iran were "important and stable governments" which can help increase stability in the region by establishing strong ties.

"India is interested in establishing a strategic partnership with Iran in the areas of energy and transport," Mr. Menon said, adding New Delhi wants to use the country's high economic, political and cultural potentials to expand ties.

No Country can Pressure Iran

[Shammu]

Full Text of Supreme Leader's Message to ubgone86 Pilgrims

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- The following is the detailed text of the message of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, to the most important Muslim congregation, ubgone86, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
   
The message of H. E. Ayatollah Khamenei to the ubgone86 pilgrims from the whole world 18/12/2007.

In the Name of God the Beneficent the Merciful

Praise be unto God, the Lord of all the world and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his pure Household and his companions,

Greetings to the pilgrims of the House of God, the guests of the Almighty's abode and those who have answered His Divine call… and hail to hearts freshened by the remembrance of God and opened to His unsparing blessings and bounties. In these elixir-like days, nights and hours, many a man who gratefully consigned themselves to the Divine attraction, illuminated their hearts through penitence and repentance and cleansed themselves of the darkness of sin and idolatry in the waves of Divine mercifulness coming constantly one after another in this holy land. May God's peace be upon these hearts and these virtuous and self-purified people.

It would be most appropriate if all my brothers and sisters did think deeply over such a blessing and avail themselves of this great opportunity. They should not allow the worldly preoccupations which are our habitual engagements to occupy their hearts as usual. In this atmosphere of monotheism and unadulterated divinity, they should let their craving hearts soar and collect the necessary provisions to persevere on the path of God and the right path by the remembrance of God, penitence and supplication, a resolute will of truthfulness, good thinking and rectitude and seeking the help of God.

Here is the center of true and pure monotheism. Here is the place where Abraham (A.S), The Friend of God, left as a memorial for all the true believers of the world throughout history a symbol of monotheism which is the subjugation of one's carnal desires and complete submission before the Divine command by bringing his beloved to the altar. Here is the place where Muhammad Mustafa (S.A) raised the flag of monotheism against the wishes of the arrogant and bullying elements and the wealthy of his time and deemed aversion to Taghoot along with belief in God as the condition for salvation: "Therefore whoever forsakes Taghoot and does believe in Allah, he shall grasp a most secure handle that never breaks" (2-256).

ubgone86 is the opportunity to review and revisit these great lessons. Disavowal from the infidels and aversion to idols and idolaters is the prevailing spirit of the believers' ubgone86. Each and every corner of ubgone86 is a manifestation of devoting one's heart to God, striving in His name and path, disavowing from Satan, stoning and rejecting and standing against him. Each and every corner of ubgone86 is the embodiment of unity and solidarity among the believers where natural and contractual differences fade away and the significance of the true and monotheistic unity and brotherhood is upheld.
These are the lessons that we, the Muslims, from all parts of the world, have to learn; lessons on which bases we have to plan our lives and futures.

The Holy Koran refers to the strong stand against the enemies, compassion and kindness among the believers as well as courtesy and obedience to God as the three indications of an Islamic society.

"Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and his followers should be solid of heart against the disbelievers, but most compassionate amongst themselves; you see them bowing down, prostrating, imploring Grace from God" (48-29)

These are the three basic pillars necessary for the establishment of the glorious and dignified body of the Muslim Ummah.

Bearing in mind this fact, all the Muslim people can appropriately identify the ailments of the present Muslim world.

Today, the treacherous enemies of the Muslim Ummah are the organizers of the hegemonic centers and expansionist and aggressive powers which consider the Islamic awakening as a great threat to their illegitimate interests and their oppressive domination over the Muslim world. All the Muslim nations led by their political and religious authorities, intellectuals and national leaders need to form a united Islamic front against this invading enemy with full strength. They need to muster all the elements of power within themselves and properly strengthen the Muslim Ummah. Knowledge and insight, resourcefulness and vigilance, responsibility and commitment, confidence and hope in Divine promises, refraining from petty and trivial wants in order to attain the consent of God and abiding by the duties… are all the basic elements contributing to the sovereignty of the Islamic Ummah leading it to dignity, independence and material and spiritual progress and preventing the enemies from the attainment of their unlawful wishes.

Compassion among the believers is the second pillar and another indication for the desired status of the Muslim Ummah. Disunity and conflict among the parts of the Muslim Ummah are dangerous diseases which must be treated with all might. Our enemies have long been making great efforts in this area. Today, those who have become terrified due to the Islamic awakening have intensified their efforts. All that the caring people are saying is that the differences must not turn into conflicts and that plurality should not lead to belligerence.

The Iranian nation has named this year as the year of Islamic solidarity. This naming was used due to the awareness of the intensified plots hatched in order to sow the seeds of discord among our brothers. These plots proved to be effective in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and some people in these Islamic countries were instigated to oppose some of their own countrymen and to spill their blood. The traces of this conspiracy were visible in all these bitter and tragic incidents and people with keen sights noticed the hands of the enemy in them.

The command of "being compassionate amongst themselves" in the Holy Koran is tantamount to the extirpation of such pugnacities. In these glorious days and during the various rituals of ubgone86, one may see Muslims from all over the world and from various faiths going around one single house, praying in the direction of one Qibla, stoning in unison the symbol of the rejected Satan, acting in the same way to sacrifice the carnal desires and passions and, in unison, practicing supplication during the Arafat and Mashar gathering places. The same closeness and togetherness is also visible among all the Islamic faiths in terms of the most basic religious percepts, regulations and beliefs. Therefore, why should the prejudices and prejudgments be allowed to kindle fire among them and why should the treacherous hands of enemies be allowed to stoke this ravaging fire?

cont'd next post

[Shammu]

Today there are some who, under false pretexts and due to their narrow-mindedness and lack of prudence, consider a great number of Muslims as infidels and even consider spilling their blood as lawful. Whether they are aware of it or not, they are in the servitude of idolatry, unbelief and arrogance. Many a person who used the term of infidelity for the reverence of the holy shrines of Muhammad the Great Prophet of Islam (S.A), the Pious and the Imams (PBUH) which is actually honoring religion and religiousness, became the servants of infields and oppressors and collaborated with them in attaining their wicked goals.

The real religious figures and scholars, committed intellectuals and sincere authorities must combat such perilous phenomena.

Today, Islamic unity and solidarity are definite religious duties which may be materialized and practiced through cooperation among the wise and caring people.

Formation of a fortified front against the Arrogant powers on one hand and compassion and convergence on the other are the two pillars of dignity. Accompanied by the third pillar which is comprised of the courtesy and obedience to God, these pillars enable the Muslim Ummah to tread steadfastly on the same path which led to the pinnacle of glory and dignity for Muslims during the very outset of Islam. Consequently, the Muslim Ummah will be saved from the humiliating backwardness which has been imposed on it in recent centuries. The precursor of this great move has emerged and the awakening waves are more or less on the move in the Muslim world. The media and propaganda belonging to the enemies try to attribute any freedom and justice seeking movement in any part of the world to Iran or Shiism. They try to hold Iran, which was the first flagbearer of the victory of the Islamic awakening, responsible for the blows dealt to them by the zealots in the Muslim countries in the areas of politics or culture. The peerless epic of Hezbollah created in the 33-Day War, the prudent resistance of the Iraqi nation which led to the formation of a parliament and a government not favored by the occupiers, the astonishing patience and perseverance of the legal government of Palestine and its self-sacrificing people and many other signs of the revival of Islam in Muslim countries are all accused of being linked to Iranism or Shiism in order to impede the unanimous support of the Muslim world. However, such a ruse will not be able to withstand the Divine tradition which heralds the victory for the strugglers in the cause of God and the victory-bearers of the religion of God. The future belongs to the Muslim Ummah and each and every one of us may contribute to the nearness of that future proportionate to the amount of responsibility or capability we have.

ubgone86 rituals are a great opportunity for you fortunate ubgone86is to prepare yourselves for this cause more than before.

I hope the Divine aid and the blessing of Hazrat Al-Mahdi, May God hasten His arrival, will be with you in this great aim.

Greeting to you

Peace of God and his blessings and bounties upon you

Sayyed Ali Al-Hosseini Al-Khamenei

Full Text of Supreme Leader's Message to ubgone86 Pilgrims
~~~~~~~~

Did you read what I did?? WOW!!

[Shammu]

Senior Qaeda Theologian Urges His Followers To End Their Jihad

BY ELI LAKE - Staff Reporter of the Sun
December 20, 2007

WASHINGTON — One of Al Qaeda's senior theologians is calling on his followers to end their military jihad and saying the attacks of September 11, 2001, were a "catastrophe for all Muslims."

In a serialized manifesto written from prison in Egypt, Sayyed Imam al-Sharif is blasting Osama bin Laden for deceiving the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, and for insulting the Prophet Muhammad by comparing the September 11 attacks to the early raids of the Ansar warriors. The lapsed jihadist even calls for the formation of a special Islamic court to try Osama bin Laden and his old comrade Ayman al-Zawahri.

The disclosures from Mr. Sharif, also known as Dr. Fadl and Abd al-Qadir ibn Abd al-Aziz, have already opened a rift at the highest levels of Al Qaeda. The group's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, a former associate of the defecting theologian in Egypt, personally mocked him last month in a video, remarking that he was unaware Egyptian prisons had fax machines. Meanwhile, leading Western analysts are saying the defection of Mr. Sharif indicates the beginning of the end for Al Qaeda.

The author of "Inside Al Qaeda," Rohan Gunaratna said in an interview this week, "There is nothing more important than a former jihadist as important as Dr. Fadl criticizing the jihadist vanguard." Mr. Gunaratna, who acts at times as a consultant for American and Western intelligence, described the reformed theologian as "both an ideologue and operational leader, but he was primarily an ideologue."

An expert on Islamic terrorism with the Jamestown Foundation, Steven Ulph, also said the defection of Mr. Sharif could hemorrhage support for Al Qaeda. "The important point to make, when you have the combination of a respected ideologue, plus someone who was in the field, say these things it is more important than having a Saudi sheik that moderates his message," he said.

The director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University, Frank Cilluffo, said, "Here you have someone with the stature and credibility, who more or less wrote the book on jihadism and is oft cited by other jihadists, making the case against it. This is someone with the heft on legal and religious grounds to make the counter argument that we can't."

Mr. Sharif, currently serving a life sentence in an undisclosed Egyptian prison, wrote in the 1980s two of the modern seminal texts for Sunni jihadism and in particular Al Qaeda, in "Fundamental Concepts Regarding Jihad" and "The Five Ground Rules for the Achieving of Victory or Its Absence." Those books are scholarly justifications, citing the Koran and Hadiths, for joining a war against Muslim apostates such as the Egyptian ruling class and for a broader jihad against the far enemy of America.

Originally rounded up in the arrests following the 1981 assassination of Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat, Mr. Sharif served in an Egyptian jail with Ayman al-Zawahri, who would later go on to be the deputy to Mr. bin Laden. In 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks, Mr. Sharif was arrested in Yemen and was later sent to Egypt in 2003 or 2004.

His latest texts are a renunciation of his earlier work, saying the military jihad or war against apostate states and America is futile. But the ex-jihadist also calls into question the virtue of Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahri. In some ways the manifesto reads in parts like a spicy Washington memoir by an embittered former official.

Of his old associates he writes, "Bin Laden, al-Zawahri, and others fled at the beginning of the American bombing [in Afghanistan], to the point of abandoning their wives and families to be killed along with other innocent people," according to a translation provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute. It goes on, "I think that a sharia court should be established, composed of reliable scholars, to hold these people accountable for their crimes — even if in absentia — so that those who are ignorant in their religion do not repeat this futility."

Mr. Sharif also says Mr. Zawahri informed on his friends after he was arrested following the Sadat assassination in 1981. "I don't know of anyone in Islamic history having committed such deceit, fraud, falsification, and betrayal of trust with such hostility to someone else's book, and perverted it - no one before Ayman al-Zawahri," he wrote.

Last month, in a video produced by Al Qaeda's production company, Mr. Zawahri said the latest recantations from his one time friend were the result of torture, asking if the electrical current for the fax machine he used to serialize his new book in the Arabic press also powered the prison's electric chair. Egypt has been singled out by Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups for the practice of torture in its prisons, particularly the use of electric shocks. In February, a man named Abu Omar who claimed to be kidnapped by the CIA and transported to an Egyptian prison described in detail how he was tortured during his interrogations by Egypt's security services.

On Monday, an American intelligence official familiar with the interrogation of Mr. Sharif said that in 2004 the Al Qaeda cleric was tortured. "All I am saying is that screw drivers were involved," this official, who asked to be anonymous, said. When asked if Mr. Sharif was tortured, Mr. Gunaratna responded by saying, "He spent time in an Egyptian prison."

But Mr. Gunaratna also said he believed Mr. Sharif's conversion was genuine. "He has had a genuine change of heart because we are seeing a trend today in Egypt where the original members of both of the major jihadist organizations are turning, the senior members of these groups, many have gone back and been remorseful," he said. "He is not an exception because there is a trend. . . The traditional jihad movement is almost coming to an end. What has it accomplished in more than 25 years?"

Two spokesmen for American government agencies yesterday declined to comment on this story.

Senior Qaeda Theologian Urges His Followers To End Their Jihad

[Shammu]

Qassam lands near Sderot schoolyard

Three rockets land near Sderot, another hits south of Ashkelon despite Haniyeh's statement regarding possible 'hudna' with Israel; One Qassam lands near a Sderot schoolyard, 10 people suffer shock

Shmulik Hadad
12.20.07, 12:16
Israel News

The Qassam attacks emanating from north Gaza are continuing despite talks of a possible hudna (ceasefire) with Israel. Three rockets fired Thursday morning from the Strip landed in open fields near the western Negev city of Sderot, while another Qassam landed earlier just south of Ashkelon.

One of the Qassams landed near a schoolyard in Sderot, causing several people to suffer shock and slightly damaging the surrounding buildings.

"We heard the 'Color Red' alert and then there was a loud boom. We figured a rocket landed close by. A lot of the kids were frightened," Ofek Vaknin, a sixth grader at Sderot's Gil Elementary School, told Ynet.

Landing site near Sderot schoolyard (Photo: Ze'ev Tarchtman)

Soon after, many parents arrived at the school and took their children home. The Sderot Municipality is currently assessing the damage caused to the school's building in order to determine whether or not the school day will go on as scheduled.

The Popular Resistance Committees' (PRC) Salah a-Din Brigades, have claimed responsibility for the shooting.

The rocket fire on Israel has decreased in the past few days due to multiple IDF attacks against Islamic Jihad terror leaders. On Wednesday Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh suggested the possibility of declaring a ceasefire with Israel, but the proposal was rejected by his government.

President Shimon Peres said Haniyeh's suggestion was "a pathetic attempt at diverting attention from Hamas and Islamic Jihad's crimes."

On Tuesday Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, "All those responsible for the firing (of Qassams and mortar shells) on our communities – we will reach them.

"The actions will speak for themselves, and the heads of the terror groups will feel them," he told fellow Kadima party members at his official residence in Jerusalem.

Qassam lands near Sderot schoolyard
~~~~~~~~

My definition of islam: Shake hands with the right hand, stab with the left.

[Soldier4Christ]

Pakistan Police Helped British Terror Suspect Escape

A government inquiry into the escape of a British terror plot suspect who escaped in Pakistan has determined his police escorts helped him flee, a local newspaper reported on Thursday.

The Dawn newspaper said the probe had found “criminal collusion” in the escape of Rashid Rauf, who disappeared last Saturday while in police custody after an appearance in an Islamabad court.

It said the report into the incident, due to be formally handed to the government later in the day, also blamed Islamabad police officials for not taking extra measures to secure a man known to be a “dangerous person.”

The two police officers who escorted him, who have since been formally charged, went with Rauf and his uncle to a fast-food restaurant and a mosque while they were taking him back to jail. At some point, he disappeared.

The paper said that on previous court hearings, the same two police escorts had illegally let Rauf visit his uncle’s home.

Rauf was arrested in 2006 and is suspected in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners with liquid explosives. Reports of the plot led airlines to limit the amount of liquids passengers may carry on board.

Britain has been seeking the extradition of Rauf in a 2002 murder case unrelated to the alleged plane plot.

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is a key ally in the US-led ”war on terror” but critics say the country could do more to cooperate in tracking and detaining militant suspects.

[Shammu]

'Allah Willing, America Will Soon Be Annihilated… We Will Reach America… The Eyes of the Nation of Muhammad are set on Washington, London, Moscow, Paris, Delhi, Beijing'

Following are excerpts from a speech by Muhammad Taher Al-Farouq, leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which was posted on December 3, 2007 at http://editedout.org, (you don't want to read the garbage here D.W.) a website hosted in Tampa, FL, and owned by NOC4 Hosts Inc.

Muhammad Taher Al-Farouq: "I would like to congratulate the nation of Muhammad, and especially the mujahideen. In this holy month of Ramadhan, we ask them that, as part of their resistance to the enemies of God, His Prophet, the enemies of the Koran, Islam, and the Muslims, they increase their martyrdom and jihad operations, and fight the sworn enemies of Islam - the Jews, the Christians, and the hypocrites - and carry out the best jihad operations.

[...]

"The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is part of the nation of Muhammad, and it is known by this name to friends and foes alike. The enemies of Islam know this movement by this name. This movement is connected to the Islamic Emirate we had in Afghanistan, under the leadership of the Emir of the Believers, Mullah Muhammad Omar.

[...]

"Our goal is to implement Islamic law, the law of the Koran, in God's kingdom. In other words, this kingdom, which belongs to God, should be ruled by the laws of God alone.

[...]

"Today, the enemies of Islam object to this goal, just like they did during the time of Muhammad, but let me announce to the believers, to the nation of Muhammad, that in the very near future, thanks to the sacrifices made by the nation of Muhammad, we will regain our glory of past times.

[...]

"As long as there are infidels and enemies of God in His kingdom, this movement will continue its jihad. Today, the nation of Muhammad has everything but an Islamic caliphate. We have clerics, mujahideen, and fedayeen, but not a caliphate. One of the most important goals of the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan is to establish an Islamic caliphate at any price.

[...]

"We take pride in the brothers in all the countries of Islam - in Iraq, Somalia, Lebanon, Palestine, Chechnya, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Africa, and Asia, and in all the countries of the world. We take pride in their jihad to elevate the word of Allah. We have good relations with them. As I've said, their joy is our joy, and their sorrow is our sorrow. We all constitute one body. We all have a common goal against the infidels. When mujahideen are taken by the enemy - whether the Americans or other infidels - to Guantanamo or other prisons, it does not ask them to which nation or community they belong. It treats them all the same way, and tortures all of them the same way."

[...]

Interviewer: "Which countries help you?"

[...]

Al-Farouq: "The countries that supported and helped God's Messenger help us.

[...]

"The money in the infidel banks is the daily bread of the mujahideen. The convoys come from Pakistan, through Torkhan or Karachi, are the daily bread of the mujahideen. The money in the banks in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere is the daily bread of the mujahideen. The governments that use this money against the Muslims and Islam acquire bombs and airplanes with it, in order to bomb the Muslims. Therefore, this money is the [legitimate] booty of the Muslims.

[...]

"I always tell the mujahideen that if they want to get money, they should beat the infidels and take their money. You must hit them on the head and take their money. You should rob their banks and take the money. You should take their people prisoner, just like the Prophet did. Don't think this is a sin, because the Prophet Muhammad himself exchanged prisoners for ransom. There's nothing wrong with collecting money in exchange for prisoners.

[...]

"Allah willing, America will soon be annihilated, just like the USSR was annihilated. We are convinced of this.

[...]

"The people who made our nation proud by carrying out the 9/11 martyrdom operations in Washington and New York were the 19 best people of our nation. All the martyrs in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq, Palestine, and elsewhere should be seen as role models.

[...]

"Allah willing, we will reach America. The men of this nation will reach America. The goal of this campaign is not only Kabul, Kandahar, or Baghdad. The eyes of the nation of Muhammad are set on Washington, London, Moscow, Paris, Delhi, Beijing, and other countries. This is our goal and, Allah willing, we will get there."

[Shammu]

I, for one, hope that if they ever do seriously strike us, we will immediately hit Mecca with a nuke. Yes I know thats now a very Christian attitude but..................

[Shammu]

ubgone86 Pilgrims Call for Unity Against U.S.

Thursday , December 20, 2007

AP
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MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia  —
Millions of Muslims marked the zenith of the annual ubgone86, praying for God's forgiveness on a rocky desert hill here where in Muslim tradition Adam and Eve were reunited after leaving Eden.

The ritual of standing at Mount Rahma is the most spiritual moment of the pilgrimage, when Muslims believe God will grant whatever prayers they make.

Among the faithful this year is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who on Tuesday stopped by the vast tent city where pilgrims are housed on the plateau called Mount Arafat to visit with Iranians there, Tehran's state broadcasting company.

However, Ahmadinejad stayed away from a brief rally held by several hundred Iranian pilgrims, calling on Muslims to unite against the U.S. and Israel, which they said "dominate the Muslim world."

The rally is an annual occurrence at ubgone86, arranged by the Iranian government. An envoy read a statement from Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to the faithful, telling them that ubgone86 requires them to show love for God and to "expel, fight and stand up to Satan" — lessons Muslims "have to learn all over the world."

"They are hatching plots in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan and pitting one section of Muslims against the other," Ayatollah Mohammadi Reyshahri said, reading the statement.

A few at the gathering shouted "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!" and called the two nations the enemies of God. But there was none of the fist shaking that marks such chants at rallies back home in Iran — a nod to the ubgone86's traditional lack of aggressiveness, arguments and disputes.

The protest, directed by Iranian security officers, stayed strictly inside the encampment, following Saudi rules. In the fervent early years after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, Iranian pilgrims held public protests outside their camps during ubgone86 rituals, leading to friction with Saudi authorities that climaxed in 1987 when a protest in Mecca turned into a clash with Saudi police that killed several hundred Iranians, Saudi and others. In recent years, Iran has put less effort into the small yearly rally inside the camp.

On Tuesday, most of the Iranians paid little attention to the envoy's speech.

Azam Rahimi, 44, a teacher, said she didn't listen.

"We've heard these slogans for so many years that we know them by heart," she said. But she added, "Of course we don't want America to impose its culture on us. It's the duty of all Muslims to stop this from happening."

Saudi pilgrim Ali Saadi and his friends sat on a plastic mat on a sidewalk nearby.

"This is not the place for politics," said Saadi, a 58-year-old businessman. "ubgone86 is when you get close to God. I guess they have their own justification. As their hosts, we can't stop them."

Mainly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and mainly Shiite Iran are regional rivals, with Saudis concerned over the increasing influence of Iran in the Middle East. The two countries back opposing camps in the crises in Iraq and Lebanon.

Around 3 million Muslims from around the world are attending this year's ubgone86. They flooded into Arafat late Monday and early Tuesday. Lines of buses with pilgrims on the roofs packed highways leading into the site, while others on foot swarmed between the vehicles.

They climbed Mount Rahma, the rocky hill on Arafat where it's believed Adam and Eve were reunited after leaving Eden, and sought God's forgiveness of their sins. They performed noon prayers at the Namira Mosque, where the Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon.

Young children and old women begged for money as the crush of people pressed ahead on their way to Mount Rahma. Some spread out prayer beads, bags, umbrellas, and cookies on the pavement for sale.

Most pilgrims stay in the sprawling tent city, which is divided by country. But thousands of others slept in the open on blankets, in small makeshift plastic tents.

The Arafat rituals end at sunset Tuesday, after which the faithful move to the nearby Muzdalifah and spend the night there. They collect stones that they will take with them to Mina the next day with which to pelt the devil. This ritual commemorates Abraham's stoning of Satan when he tried to tempt him to disobey God.

[Shammu]

For Muslims, the ubgone86 is ultimate dream

By SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI, Associated Press Writer Thu Dec 20, 2:18 PM ET

MINA, Saudi Arabia _ - The 60-year-old Egyptian farmer spent years scraping together $11,000 to bring his wife and son here to perform Islam's ubgone86 pilgrimage.

They have slept for days in tiny one-person tents near the ubgone86's sacred sites and walked for miles from ritual to ritual — despite his wife's bad knees.

But Mohammed Abdel-Salam Ali said they were not going to let the hardship ruin their journey to answer God's calling.

"It's hard, but it's also beautiful," Ali said Thursday, sitting in his small plastic tent on the roadside at Mina, the ancient spot in the desert outside Mecca where for the second day more than 3 million pilgrims stoned symbols of the devil.

For many Muslims, performing the ubgone86 is a lifelong dream, a chance to fulfill a requirement of their faith and win forgiveness for their sins.

The rituals at Mina commemorate Abraham's stoning of Satan, who is said to have appeared three times to the prophet to tempt him. It is symbolized by three "pillars" — long stone walls called the Jamarat — which pilgrims pelt with pebbles.

On Wednesday, the ritual's first day, pilgrims threw seven stones at the largest one. On Thursday and again on Friday, they pelt all three with seven stones each.

Millions filed past the walls Thursday along a huge platform built so that pilgrims on the ground floor and above can perform the ritual at once. They vigorously hurled pebbles at the pillars, chanting "God is Great" with each throw — and sometimes hitting the pilgrims in front of them.

Afterward, most walked away quietly — a far cry from their aggressive approach to the pillars. They had the look of conquest, having crushed the devil and his temptations with pebbles the size of chickpeas.

Nizar Mohammed, an Afghan bent with age and wearing a turban and shelwar kamiz — loose pants and a tunic — rested on the side of the ramp after hurling his stones.

"I feel very good. I am in good hands," he said.

Over the years, the stoning ritual has been one of the most dangerous of the ubgone86, with stampedes that have killed scores. A crush of pilgrims in 2004 killed 244 people, and the following year more than 360 were killed when several pilgrims tripped over baggage while others behind them kept pushing ahead.

After that accident, Saudi authorities tore down the platform around the Jamarat and built a new one with more entrances and exits, and they plan to expand it to a total of five levels in coming years.

Saudi King Abdullah held his traditional banquet reception Thursday for Muslim leaders performing the ubgone86, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

"If we strive in this direction, our differences will diminish, the distances between us will shrink and together we will make a world full of understanding and peace, where progress will be a fruit for all of us to enjoy," he said.

Friday is the last day of the three-day Muslim Eid al-Adha, ending five days of ubgone86 rituals.

Pilgrims return to Mecca to perform the "farewell" circling of the Kaaba — a cube-shaped stone structure draped in black cloth that Muslims around the world face during the five daily prayers. Tradition says the Kaaba, known as God's House, was built by Adam and rebuilt by Abraham and the descendants of Noah.

The pilgrims also walk back and forth seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa, re-enacting the search by Abraham's wife Hagar for water for her infant son Ishmael in the desert. After her seventh run, the spring known as Zamzam sprang miraculously under Ishmael'sfeet.

The majority of pilgrims come to the ubgone86 on organized tours, staying in large, relatively well-kept tent compounds organized by the Saudi government.

But hundreds of thousands of poorer pilgrims, like Ali, come on their own, sleeping in the open or in makeshift tents.

Having saved every penny to make the journey, they are intent to fight all odds to complete the rituals. Ali, a farmer from Egypt's impoverished Fayoum province, said he saved for four years to make the trip.

His wife, Nada, 50, has bad knees, so she gave her son, 30-year-old Ashraf, her pebbles to throw at the Jamarat in her place.

But despite her knees, she didn't want to pass up the seven-time circling of the Kaaba and running to and from Safa and Marwa. She also walked the three miles between Mina and Mecca.

"Look how we are sitting here in the heat of the sun. But we are happy," she said, rubbing her knees.

"The hardship is worth it because we are carrying out a duty toward God," Ashraf said.

His father said that, once back in Egypt, he will have to start from scratch because he has no money left. But it's worth it, he said.

"ubgone86's reward is heaven," he said. "God is generous."

Then he added with a smile: "God gave us kids to take care of us."

For Muslims, the ubgone86 is ultimate dream