In the news - muslims......

[Shammu]

Attack on US vehicle in Beirut kills 3

By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer 54 minutes ago

BEIRUT, Lebanon - An explosion targeted a U.S. Embassy vehicle Tuesday in northern Beirut, killing at least three Lebanese and injuring an American bystander and a local embassy employee, U.S. and Lebanese officials said.

The blast, which damaged the armored SUV and several other vehicles, took place just ahead of a farewell reception for the American ambassador at a hotel in central Beirut.

No Americans were in the car, which was carrying two Lebanese employees of the embassy, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington.

There were conflicting accounts of the death toll, with the State Department, from information provided by the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, saying four people had been killed and Lebanese authorities saying that only three had died.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the bombing a "terrorist attack."

"The United States will, of course, not be deterred in its efforts to help the Lebanese people, to help the democratic forces in Lebanon, to help Lebanon resist force and interference in their affairs," she told reporters in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

The bombing — which came as President Bush and Rice toured the Mideast — was the first attack on U.S. diplomatic interests in Lebanon since the 1980s, when the country saw some of the deadliest terror attacks against Americans in U.S. history.

A 1983 truck bombing killed 241 American service members at the U.S. Marine barracks at Beirut airport. The same year, a suicide bomber hit the U.S. Embassy there, killing at least 17 Americans, including top CIA officials.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora called an emergency Cabinet meeting after Tuesday's blast. The country has seen a series of bombings in the past three years targeting anti-Syrian figures, journalists and most recently, a top Lebanese army general.

The powerful blast could be heard across the Lebanese capital, sending gray smoke billowing over a Mediterranean coastal highway in the predominantly Christian Dora-Karantina neighborhood.

Two Lebanese employees of the embassy were in the vehicle, and the driver was lightly injured, McCormack said. He said four Beirut residents who do not work for the embassy were killed.

But Lebanese Red Cross Iyad al-Munzer said three people were killed. The figure was corroborated by two senior Lebanese security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military rules.

Five others were wounded, the officials said.

Among them was an American citizen, Minnesota native Mathew Clason, who was at the nearby National Evangelical Church near where the explosion took place.

"The windows blew in and I fell down — I was knocked out. I don't know exactly what happened," Clason, who had been in Lebanon for two weeks, told AP Television News while sitting in the emergency room corridor of Jeitawi Hospital in Beirut. His head and right leg were bandaged.

The U.S. Embassy immediately canceled a banquet for departing Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, scheduled for Tuesday evening at Beirut's seaside Phoenicia Hotel.

A senior Lebanese police official said the blast was caused by a bomb placed between two garbage containers on the side of a narrow road adjacent to the main highway, which detonated as the car passed.

McCormack could not offer specifics about the blast or whether the vehicle had been targeted, but said it was hit directly "by the explosion itself."

He said agents from the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security would work with Lebanese authorities to investigate the blast and that the U.S. Embassy in Beirut was reviewing security.

"We are going to take a look at what implications, if any, there are for our security posture in Beirut," McCormack said.

Beirut has had a long history of attacks against Americans since the turmoil of the 15-year civil war, which ended in 1990.

In 1976, the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, Francis E. Meloy Jr., and an aide, Robert O. Waring, were kidnapped and shot to death in Beirut. In 1984, William Buckley, CIA station chief in Beirut, was kidnapped and murdered by the Islamic Jihad group.

The U.S. withdrew all diplomats from Beirut in September 1989 and did not reopen its embassy until 1991.

Before Tuesday's bombing, the last American killed in Lebanon was a missionary gunned down in 2002 at a Christian center where she worked as a nurse. At the time, Bonnie Penner, 31, was the first U.S. citizen killed in the country in more than a decade.

Attack on US vehicle in Beirut kills 3

[Soldier4Christ]

Grand Mufti speeches at the EU, warns The Netherlands

In their infinite wisdom, the European Parliament invited the Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun, to deliver a speech. Supposedly, he's the first in a series of 'eminent religious and cultural leaders' to address the Toy Parliament in this, the EUnions 'Year of Intercultural Dialogue'. Naturally, the EP itself was gushing with praise and goodwill towards the Grand Mufti:

    In a speech to MEPs on Tuesday on the subject of intercultural dialogue, the Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun, stressed the value of culture as a unifying rather than a dividing force. Dr Hassoun was addressing a formal sitting of Parliament as the first speaker in a series of visits by eminent religious and cultural leaders in 2008, which has been designated European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.

    Opening his address, the Grand Mufti stressed that "there is one single culture" in the world, the culture of humankind. Indeed, he said, "we are all building one culture, so I do not believe in the conflict of cultures".

    If a clash did exist, this was "a conflict with ignorance, terrorism and backwardness". Stressing the universality of culture, he said that the Soviet and American space agencies, in sending men to the moon, had built on the civilisation founded by Europeans before them. In addition, "those who built the pyramids are among our grandfathers". These examples showed that "civilisation is one".

The Grand Mufti denied there is such a thing as "Holy war", telling the gathered MEPs that there is only "Holy Peace". However, completely missing from the EU's own reporting was the warning Dr. Hassoun has for the Netherlands (NL):

    Should it come to riots, bloodshed and violence after broadcating the Quran movie by PVV-leader Geert Wilders, then Wilders will be responsible.

    This was said by the Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun, Tuesday in teh European Parliament, where he gave a speech at the invitation of the fraction presidents.

    If Wilders tears up or burn a Quran in his film 'this will simply mean he is inciting wars and bloodshed. And he will be responsible', according to te Grand Mufti.

    Al Hassoun thinks it is 'the responsibility of the Dutch people to stop Wilders'.

Which comes down to a case of blackmail against the Netherlands, in direct contradiction to the 'peaceful' nature of the Grand Mufti's speech as reported by the EP's own site, doesn't?

Why was this primitive loudmouth allowed to address the EP in the first place? And why wasn't he taken to task anout the persecution of Christians and others of a faith not islam in Syria and the ME at large? It speaks volumes about the EUnions dedication to freedom (none) that the entire parliament enthusiatically applauded a speaker that made some not very veiled threats against one of the EU member states, one of the founding states, even. No protests, just a gushing report on the speech, glossing over the less refined passages in it. Mustn't offend the Mufti, you see. Appeasement, that is what matters.

It is only unity so long as it is unification with them and their beliefs, their agenda. Otherwise it is

VIOLENCE

KILLING

EMPIRE BUILDING

AND A VARIETY OF BARBARIC ACTS

(Sorry Brother Tom, I just had to borrow this factual truth from one of your posts.)

[nChrist]

Hello Pastor Roger,

Brother, you're quite welcome to use that any way that you wish. Sadly, it was the most gentle and nice way I could find to tell the truth.

I'm reminded with this article and many others why negotiations with terrorists and like barbarians is not very smart. It simply tells them what works and allows them to manipulate others. So, instead of having one incident to deal with, you'll have dozens to deal with. Conventional wisdom in the past indicated that the only way to deal with types such as these is to force unconditional surrender or annihilation. Otherwise, the only winners are the terrorists, and they are encouraged to commit more acts of barbarism.

I already know this isn't going to sound reasonable to many, but there's nothing reasonable about terrorists. They are simply looking for the right buttons to push to get what they want - TERROR! If there is any measure of success, one incident will multiply into 10, and the multiplication process will continue. The answer is that the terrorists get NOTHING - no bargaining - no negotiation - no prizes - no gains - just surrender or death and losses because of their actions. This is the only way to win against terrorists and slow down or stop their actions. Any sign of weakness by their adversary will be cause for growth and encouragement.

NOW - this is really going to sound unreasonable and crazy to many. There are no threats from terrorists because threats that work turn into many more and much larger threats. For the sake of illustration, let's call their threats "So what - do it". Threats are simply another method used to manipulate others into a much worse position than they were in at the start - so the terrorist wins. Meet the threats and make sure the terrorists got the opposite of what they wanted. There will be injuries and loss of life along the way, but they will be much less than what the terrorists would have gotten, and many of the losses will be the terrorists themselves. This is a mad dog fight, and that's all they really understand. This is what they really fear because they LOSE FACE AND INFLUENCE! So, what they fear the most is what must be done. Otherwise, they GAIN FACE AND INFLUENCE, their numbers soars, their popularity increases, and the violence and death escalates. If it becomes necessary to fight psychopaths and sociopaths, it also becomes necessary to learn how they think. They don't think like normal people do, and the first things to consider is that most of them:

1 - Are mentally unstable.

2 - Don't have a conscience.

3 - Have no value for human life.

4 - Are eager to die for their cause.

5 - Have no value system that limits what they do or don't do (i.e. killing babies is no problem).

So, warnings or threats from them of any kind are unacceptable. They should be given truthful warnings that are actually promises of consequences, and those promises must be kept. Bluntly, there should be one of ONLY three possible outcomes:  1) they are taught how to live in civilized societies, 2) they rot in prison, 3) they are buried. Sadly, this is the TRUTH for dealing with terrorists.

[Soldier4Christ]

You are completely correct, brother. It is sad but it is the only thing that they understand and the only thing that will stop them. Giving them anything they want only results in them wanting more and more until there is nothing left to give them including the lives of us all.

[Soldier4Christ]

Muslim groups sue counter-terror activist 
Claim they were threatened by his protest tying organization to Hamas

A counter-terrorism activist has been sued for protesting an amusement park event sponsored by a Muslim group accused of helping finance the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

Joe Kaufman of Florida-based Americans Against Hate says he was at the Six Flags Over Texas park in Arlington Oct. 14 to demonstrate against the Islamic Circle of North America, or ICNA.

Kaufman, writing in FrontPageMagazine, said his purpose was to expose ICNA's alleged ties to the financing of Hamas.

ICNA was the top donor to the Pakistan-based charity Al-Khidmat Foundation, Kaufman pointed out, which gave $99,000 to the head of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal.

"I believed that the public had a right to know about it," he explained.

Kaufman has been sued by the Dallas chapter of the Muslim American Society, three Islamic institutions owned by the North American Islamic Trust, the Dallas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Legal Fund of America.

Kaufman argues the Muslim American Society "uses the Internet to spread violent hatred against Jews and Christians" and notes the North American Islamic Trust was named an "unindicted co-conspirator" by the U.S. government for a Hamas financing trial that began in July in Dallas.

Kaufman plans to tell his story at a Feb. 1-2 conference in Dallas, "Exposing the Threat of Radical Islamist Terrorism," which is part of a continuing series organized by America's Truth Forum. Other speakers include experts on Islam and counter-terrorism such as Robert Spencer, Frank Gaffney, Caroline Glick and David Schippers. Talk hosts Roger Hedgecock and Mike Gallagher will serve as emcees.

WND reported in 2004 that ICNA and the Muslim American Society heled a "Great Muslim Adventure Day" giving Muslims exclusive use of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J.

The ICNA website boasted, "First Time Ever – All Day – Entire Park Exclusively for Muslims."

WND attended a conferene in Orlando, Fla., co-sponsored by ICNA featuring a speaker who voiced empathy and support for suicide bombers, denied Muslims were involved in 9-11, characterized the war on terror as a conspiratorial Zionist plot to destroy Islam and blamed attacks on affirmative action on "the rise of the Jewish cracker."

In his book, "American Jihad," terrorism expert Steve Emerson wrote ICNA "openly supports militant Islamic fundamentalist organizations, praises terror attacks, issues incendiary attacks on Western values and policies, and supports the imposition of Sharia," or Islamic law.

Muslim Family Day

Kaufman contended his protest was "a peaceful one that featured about 10 individuals holding signs and a speech given by me."

"While I was harassed by someone identifying himself as being from ICNA, who followed my every move with a video camera, no one on our side stepped out of line or did anything that would be seen as improper," he said. "No one shouted, and everyone acted in a courteous manner."

Prior to his October visit to Texas, Kaufman wrote a piece for FrontPage titled "Fanatic Muslim Family Day," which announced his planned protest.

He wrote the amusement park would "be invaded by a radical Muslim organization that has physical ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and financial ties to Hamas."

"While most patrons of the park come for the games and rides, those involved with this group's event, Muslim Family Day, may very well have found an original and appealing way to spread anti-Western hatred," Kaufman wrote.

In response to the article, the Islamic groups prepared a temporary restraining order. Kaufman said he knew the order was coming, because he had been notified by the police department.

"Regardless," Kaufman said, "I was in Texas to accomplish something, and I wanted to see it through, so I showed up, took the legal document from the server when it was presented to me, placed it in my pocket, and continued with the demonstration."

The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit – besides ICNA – who were not specifically named in the article, complained Kaufman meant to include them when he referred to "those involved" as "fanatics" and "radicals."

But Kaufman contends the article was only about ICNA, arguing he was unaware some of the groups even existed. He pointed out none of the names of the other organizations were found on the sponsor page for the event's website.

The plaintiffs, Kaufman said, "claim that the article and the protest are threats to them – that somehow me writing or demonstrating against 'them' could cause them physical harm."

He notes that during an Oct. 29 hearing, in which more than 70 members of the Muslim community packed the courtroom, "witnesses for the plaintiffs admitted that neither I nor any of the other protesters ever threatened them in any way, physical or otherwise."

Kaufman claims that, if anything, he and his colleagues were the ones who were threatened when an Internet poster warned "there better not be a protest or else."

"The suit against me is entirely a frivolous one, which attempts to deny my First Amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly," he said.

Kaufman's case is one of many in which Muslims or Muslim groups in North America have taken legal action against speech.

As WND reported, a Muslim analyst for the New York City Police Department is suing the city for workplace harassment, alleging he was subject to a regular stream of "anti-Islamic" messages from an e-mail list run by former counter-terrorism adviser Bruce Tefft.

Columnist and author Mark Steyn has been called to appear before two Canadian Human Rights Commissions for allegedly subjecting Canadian Muslims "to hatred and contempt" in a Maclean's magazine excerpt from his book "America Alone."

The complaint was filed by the Canadian Islamic Congress, led by Mohamed Elmasry, who has said all adult Jews in Israel are legitimate terrorist targets.

Along with citizens who want to be informed, the event will be attended by law enforcement officials and first responders – including from Canada – who will have the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas.

cont'd

[Soldier4Christ]

Schippers – the former federal prosecutor and 1998 impeachment chief counsel – investigated the Oklahoma City bombing along with reporter Jayna Davis. Other speakers include professor and FBI adviser Harvey Kushner, former CIA counter-terrorism agent Bruce Tefft and internationally known critic Wafa Sultan.

Their subjects will be:

    * Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, best-selling author and expert on radical Islam: "Sharia Law and the West," examining why the U.S. ignores the encroachment of Islamic law on Western civilization at its own peril.

    * Frank Gaffney, founder, president of Center for Security Policy: "The Infiltration of Middle Eastern Influence into Washington, D.C., Institutions."

    * Harvey Kushner, chairman of Criminal Justice Department of Long Island University, best-selling author, adviser to the FBI and FAA: "Radical Islam's Infiltration of America."

    * David Schippers, former chief investigative counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, author and noted counter-terrorism expert: The Islamic terror connection to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

    * Wafa Sultan, Syrian-American psychologist and internationally known critic of militant Islam: "America's Need to Be Educated About Islam," explaining why tough questions should be posed to Muslims about Islamic teachings; the need to monitor the Saudi money trail into American universities, mosques and maddrassas; and the need to effectively infiltrate Muslim communities to monitor and investigate radicalization.

    * Bruce Tefft, founding member of CIA's Counterterrorism Task Force: "The Islamist Ideological Conflict – Loyalty to Country vs. Loyalty to Religion," looking at complex issues surrounding Islam's ability to assimilate into host nations.

Spencer is the author of critically acclaimed books on Islam, including "Religion of Peace?: Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't," "The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion" and "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)."

Sultan seized attention worldwide in February 2006 when her electrifying interview on Al-Jazeera television spread across the Internet through a video clip produced by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

Named last year to Time Magazine's list of 100 influential people in the world, Sultan spoke with WND after addressing last years' America's Truth symposium in Las Vegas. She said she understood Bush's position as president and his need to be diplomatic, but insisted, nevertheless, his words have been "empowering" to Muslim leaders whose ultimate aim is for Islamic law to govern the world.

America's Truth Forum had planned a symposium this fall to be held in Dearborn, Mich., but the event had to be canceled after a last-minute complication with the venue.

Epstein suspects it was the result of "pressure applied on the location's management by special interest groups prone to supporting the advancement of Islam in the United States."

Also, America's Truth Forum invited leaders from the "pro-Islamist community" to engage in a discussion panel, but none responded.

The leaders included Siraj Wahhaj, imam of Al-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations; Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations; Malik Shabazz, Muslim spokesman for the New Black Panther Party; Jamal Badawi, professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Akbar S. Ahmed, professor of International Relations at American University in Washington, D.C.; and Omid Safi, associate professor of Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

"Not one of these Muslim leaders, who incessantly complain that there is no dialogue on the issue of Islam in America and the West, chose to take the dais in an effort to engage in an intellectual discussion," Epstein said.

[Shammu]

New jihadi software promises secure Web contacts
Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:53am IST

 DUBAI (Reuters) - An Islamist Web site often used by al Qaeda supporters carried updated encryption software on Friday which it said would help Islamic militants communicate with greater security on the Internet.

The Mujahideen Secrets 2 was promoted as "the first Islamic program for secure communications through networks with the highest technical level of encoding".

The software, available free on the password-protected Ekhlaas.org site which often carries al Qaeda messages, is a newer version of Mujahideen Secrets issued in early 2007 by the Global Islamic Media Front, an al Qaeda-linked Web-based group.

"This special edition of the software was developed and issued by ... Ekhlaas in order to support the mujahideen (holy war fighters) in general and the (al Qaeda-linked group) Islamic State in Iraq in particular," the site said.

The efficacy of the new Arabic-language software to ensure secure e-mail and other communications could not be immediately gauged. But some security experts had warned that the wide distribution of its earlier version among Islamists and Arabic-speaking hackers could prove significant.

Al Qaeda supporters widely use the Internet to spread the group's statements through hundreds of Islamist sites where anyone can post messages. Al Qaeda-linked groups also set up their own sites, which frequently have to move after being shut by Internet service providers.

Al Qaeda's own media arm, As-Sahab, has become increasingly sophisticated in recent years. It issued 97 audio and video Web messages in 2007 compared with just 6 in 2002, according to IntelCenter (intelcenter.com), a U.S.-based group that monitors Islamist sites.

Al Qaeda and other groups have increasingly turned to the Internet to win young Muslims over to their fight against Western countries and Western-backed governments.

New jihadi software promises secure Web contacts

[Shammu]

Pardoned terrorists planning suicide attacks
Gunmen granted amnesty by Israeli leader plotting wave of violence
Posted: January 19, 2008
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – The Israeli army has specific information that members of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization granted amnesty this summer by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are planning suicide bombings inside Israel, WND has learned.

Yesterday the Israel Defense Forces raided the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the stronghold of Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, in an attempt to arrest a Brigades cell there actively planning terror attacks, according to IDF sources.

Three of four members of a Brigades terror cell surrounded by the army yesterday were granted amnesty by Olmert last June as a gesture to bolster Abbas' Fatah organization. The cell, among other things, was planning suicide attacks and shootings against Israel, sources said.

A Brigades leader – Ahmed Senakre, the brother of the group's West Bank chief – was killed during yesterday's operation when he tried to escape the IDF siege. The three others were arrested.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's military wing, is listed by the State Department as a terror group. It took responsibility, along with the Islamic Jihad terror organization, for every suicide bombing in Israel in 2005 and 2006 and for thousands of shootings and rocket attacks.

(Story continues below)

Olmert granted amnesty to 178 Brigades members and was considering pardoning hundreds more on condition the terrorists disarm, refrain from terror activities and restrict their movements to the area in which they reside for three months. Many Brigades leaders openly defied the conditions of their amnesty by publicly retaining their weapons and committing scores of attacks.

Yesterday's IDF operation comes after WND reported the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades announced it will attempt a series of suicide bombings inside Israel.

"The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades calls on its members in the Gaza Strip and West Bank to launch a series of martyrdom bombing attacks, shooting attacks and rocket attacks in response to the Zionist escalation in Gaza," said an official Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades pamphlet distributed in the West Bank and obtained by WND.

"The military wing of Fatah stays loyal to Fatah strategy and the way of Abu Amar (Yasser Arafat). We call on our brothers to take their weapons and plan attacks and attack every Israeli target. ... Al Aqsa threatens our reaction will come very soon in the middle of your (Israeli) cities," stated the pamphlet.

In an interview, Abu Oudai, a chief of the Brigades in the northern West Bank, told WND the pamphlet addresses his group's objectives.

"The second intifada is entering a new cycle," said Abu Oudai. "We are proud to declare that on its 43rd anniversary Fatah is back to leading armed struggle. The Israelis will learn in the coming days what are our capabilities."

The terror leader claimed his group's planned attacks were in response to Israeli "atrocities" in the Gaza Strip, referring to Israeli anti-terror efforts the past few days to combat escalated rocket fire from Gaza into nearby Jewish communities.

Palestinian terrorists in Gaza yesterday fired some 30 rockets into Israel. On Thursday more than 40 rockets were fired, wounding four people, including two motorists hurt when a rocket slammed into a busy intersection.

In what would be considered a major escalation, Hamas Wednesday claimed to WND it fired Katyusha rockets from the Gaza Strip aimed at a strategic Israeli city. Katyusha rockets can travel farther and carry much larger payloads than Qassam rockets, the brand usually launched by Gaza-based terror groups.

The escalation in violence follows a visit to the region last week by President Bush in which the U.S. leader termed Abbas a "negotiating partner" and urged Israel to create a Palestinian state before the end of the year.

Bush aimed to inject momentum into negotiations started at November's Annapolis summit in which Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to commence talks leading to a Palestinian state. Israel is widely expected to withdraw from most of the West Bank and key eastern sections of Jerusalem.

Senior Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met the past few days, including yesterday. Also, according to top diplomatic sources in Jerusalem and Ramallah, Abbas and Olmert held a secret personal meeting in Jerusalem Wednesday to advance talks.

[Shammu]

Film could spark new wave of Muslim riots  (Here we go again.....    DW)
Authorities brace for new release said to show Quran being torn up
Posted: January 19, 2008
1:00 a.m. Eastern


© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com

Officials in the Netherlands, where tensions have been high since a Muslim murdered a filmmaker more than three years ago, are bracing for the release of a new movie by a controversial politician that aims to show Islam's holy book "is an inspiration for intolerance, murder and terror."

In 2004, filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim avenging his film critical of Islam. Two years later, riots protesting the publication of cartoons about Islam's prophet Muhammad left about 100 people dead.

Now, the Dutch government is warning of a 10-minute film to be released this month by parliament member Geert Wilders, who heads the right-wing Freedom Party, reports Agence France-Presse.

Yesterday, ahead of a news conference by Dutch officials, the country's media reported the government has put together a secret document on how to handle reactions to the film.

Last week, Wilders discussed banning the Quran after the head of a group of ex-Muslims compared Islam's prophet with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

One year ago, Wilders called on Muslims to "tear out half the pages of the Koran and throw them away."

Now, according to some observers, the new movie might feature Wilders burning or tearing up the Quran.

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende told reporters yesterday his government is prepared for any possible fallout, AFP reported. The Dutch leader said he couldn't comment on Wilders' film, because he had not seen it, but he emphasized his government would not censor it.

"The Netherlands has a tradition of freedom of expression and freedom of religion but also a tradition of mutual respect, and provocations do not fit into that. I call on everybody to take their individual responsibility," he said, according to AFP.

Dutch media reported the government is preparing for a possible evacuation of its embassies and citizens from the Middle East. But Foreign Ministry spokesman Bart Rijs told AFP there were no special emergency measures in place at the moment.

"We always have scenarios for possible calamities at our embassies, consulates and other Dutch representations abroad. They are regularly updated," he said.

Wilders told the Dutch magazine HP/De Tijd he's not turning back.

"Now that everybody is already in a state (over the film), I see it as a confirmation that I should go ahead. I would not be worth a button if I were to capitulate now," he said.

Wilders, who has received numerous death threats, has been under 24-hour protection since the murder of Van Gogh, who directed a controversial film written by Wilder's former political ally, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The film, "Submission," centered on violence against women in Islamic societies.

Since then, the government of a nation proud of its liberal social attitudes has cut back on generous welfare programs to immigrants and made Dutch-language classes mandatory for newcomers.

Last fall, Ali, whose life also has been threatened by Van Gogh's murderer, Mohammed Bouyeri, returned to the Netherlands after working at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, because the U.S. would no longer finance her personal security.

Ali, a native of Somalia, was granted asylum in the Netherlands in 1992 and became a legislator for the Liberal VVD party.

Her family moved to Saudi Arabia when she was 6 years old then went on to Ethiopia before settling in Kenya.

Ali told her story in the best-selling book "Infidel," published last year.

Her straightforward criticism of Islam and unabashed appreciation of America were on display in an interview with incredulous Canadian TV host Avi Lewis.

"Islam means submission to the will of Allah, a doctrine that requires from the individual to become a slave," Ali told Lewis.

Islam, she said, "keeps people backward" by limiting their imaginations to what can be found in the Quran and the example of Muhammad.

Lewis retorted: "Surely there are many versions of Islam, like there are may versions of Christianity or Judaism, of all major religions. You are presenting it as one thing, and it's just obviously not."

Ali replied: "Islam, as a faith, as a doctrine, defined by what's in the Quran and the example of the prophet Muhammad – unreformed, unchallenged – is a monolith.

[Soldier4Christ]

American Muslims vs. the U.S. Military     

Are American Muslims allowed to fight for the United States in a time of war? According to many Muslims within the Islamic world, the answer is emphatically “No.” While one can easily understand how this rhetoric can originate from our enemies overseas, it may come as a surprise to some that this line of thinking is found, as well, right here in America.

It is common knowledge that Muslim extremists use the religion of Islam to justify the unjustifiable. One of the ways they do this is through the use of what they call fatwas or legal rulings declared by Muslim “religious scholars.” These scholars dictate what Muslims are allowed to wear and how they are supposed to act, what they are permitted to look at and where they are allowed to go. No issue is off limits.

Recently the subject was broached on the Why Islam (WI) website, concerning the ramifications for an American Muslim who would enlist in the United States military. WI is a project of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), created to perform outreach (dawah) to non-Muslims (with the intent to convert). Many times, though, the site has been used to spread hatred against the very people it purports to reach out to.

In August of 2007, beginning a topic titled ‘Joining the US Army?,’ Naadir Muhammad posed the following query to the WI fatwa forum:

“I know a brother who is having a hard time. He is very adherent to the deen [Islam], but he is having marital issues. He has no money, and he is contemplating joining the Army. However, the crux of the matter is that he afraid of fighting against his Muslim brothers and sisters, and having to do immoral things. This dunya [world] isnt worth the loss of the next, but he is still tentative. What can be said to comfort him? Any fatwas in this area?”

Answering his question was WI forum moderator MARWAN. MARWAN, a staunch defender of Hamas who describes himself as a “virgin slayer,” in his response, provided a link to “an excellent fatwa” that he believed to be credible regarding the matter.

This had not been his first experience with this subject. Just five months earlier, in March, MARWAN stated his opinion to a WI member who said he was in the Army and was headed to Iraq. He told him: “I support you 100%. And since I’m far away, my support comes in the form of advice. If we were really good friends and trusted each other, my support would come in the form of breaking your limbs, including your trigger finger, before you made [sic] took regretable and unreversible actions.”

The link that he suggested to the WI member was to a page on Islam Online, one of the most popular sites in the American mainstream (i.e. radical) Muslim community. Islam Online has an extensive fatwa section (“Fatwa Bank”), headed by a team of respected scholars. Some of the group’s past rulings include support for: Palestinian suicide bombings, terrorist attacks against American troops, and the throwing of homosexuals from tall buildings (“Death Falls”).

The Islam Online page was actually a set of fatwas on the subject, titled “Ulama’s Fatwas on American Muslim Participating in US Military Campaign.” They were written by six top “scholars,” including the Chairman and co-founder of Islam Online, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.

Al-Qaradawi, referred to by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as “Theologian of Terror,” helped establish Islam Online in November of 1999. That is also the year he was banned from the United States for his extremist views and for having possible terror ties. He is a long-time member of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun, the organization that spawned the vast majority of terrorist groups around the globe. He was asked to head the organization, in January of 2004, but turned it down.

Additionally, Al-Qaradawi is involved in a number of other militant Islamic entities. They consist of: the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), the International Association of Muslim Scholars (IAMS), the Union of Islamic Organizations in France (UOIF), the Hamas-affiliated Union of Good (UG), and the Islamic American University (IAU), an educational facility based in Southfield, Michigan that was created by the Muslim American Society (MAS).

As an authority figure, the statements that Al-Qaradawi makes are given much reverence, including those he has made in support of Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and suicide bombings. One could only assume that his fatwa regarding Americans serving in the U.S. military would be granted at least the same respect.

Al-Qaradawi stated, “Islam has prohibited a Muslim to fight his fellow Muslim brother to the extent that indulging in such a fight is considered a form of disbelief or kufr... [A] Muslim recruited in the army of a non-Muslim country that is at war with Muslims... may justify his position by asking for a leave or (a temporary) exemption from the military... f a Muslim is forced to participate in fighting, he should avoid direct confrontation as possible as he can. Even while participating in such a war, a Muslim should have an innate feeling of resentment, as it is the case of the true believer who has no means to rectify the abominable by his hands or his tongue...”

Another of the scholars who participated in the U.S. military fatwa was Faysal Mawlawi. Mawlawi is the former Deputy Chairman of ECFR (serving under Al-Qaradawi). As well, he has been involved in UOIF, and he has served as the head of MB-Lebanon, a.k.a. Islamic Association (al-Jama’a al-Islamiya).

Much like Al-Qaradawi, Mawlawi’s words are greatly admired by those in the Muslim community. In a July 2007 fatwa on Islam Online, titled ‘Martyr Operations Carried Out by the Palestinians,’ he stated the following: “Martyr operations are not suicide and should not be deemed as unjustifiable means of endangering one’s life... n martyr operations, the Muslim sacrifices his own life for the sake of performing a religious duty, which is jihad against the enemy... [T]he Palestinians resort to martyr operations, in which the martyr blows himself/herself up, sacrificing his life for the sake of his country... I believe that those missions are a sacred duty carried out in form of self-defense... So whoever is killed in such missions is a martyr, may Allah bless him with high esteem.”

Concerning Muslims fighting in the U.S. military, he stated, “[T]he American Muslim soldier is by and large a Muslim, who is required to abide by the ordinances of his religion (i.e. not to fight against his fellow Muslim brothers.)... If he manages to shift from being indulged in a direct military confrontation against his fellow Muslim brothers; i.e. to carry out any other non-military act, then he is obliged to do so... However, if the American Muslim soldier has no choice but to take part in a direct military actions against his fellow Muslim brothers, then he is considered overwhelmed beyond limit, and he will bear the responsibility of his choice both in this world and in the Hereafter.”

Another participant in the military fatwa was Muhammad Ali Al-Hanooti. Al-Hanooti is the ex-President of the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), the former American propaganda wing of Hamas that was shut down after being found liable for the murder of an American teenager by the terrorist group. Al-Hanooti, himself, has been implicated in the financing of Hamas, to the tune of over six million dollars. Recently, he was named as an “unindicted co-conspirator” for the trial involving Hamas fundraising via the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF).

cont'd

[Soldier4Christ]

In the early ‘90s, Al-Hanooti was imam of the Islamic Center of New Jersey, located in Jersey City. There, he had contacts with a number of individuals involved in terror acts, including Mohammed Salemeh, who was convicted of renting and driving the bomb-laden Ryder van that blew up in a World Trade Center garage in February of 1993, and Sayyid Nosair, who was charged with the murder or Rabbi Meir Kahane. He has been named by the U.S. government an “unindicted co-conspirator” for the ‘93 bombing, as well.

Later, Al-Hanooti would become the imam of Dar Al-Hijra, located in Falls Church, Virginia – also a terrorist haven – where he said, “Dar Al-Hijra is the greatest example in sacrifice, execution and in carrying out the Jihad that Allah calls for. Allah will give us the victory over our tyrannical enemies in our country. Allah, the infidel Americans and British are fighting against you... [T]he curse of Allah will become true on the infidel Jews and on the tyrannical Americans.”

About Muslims in the U.S. military, Al-Hanooti stated, “Muslims can fight if they get legitimacy for what they are going to do, if a certain people... or country are judicially indicted. Up to this moment, I don't see any evidence or proof to tell me which is which, who is who, what is what... We cannot take action as we see without judicial indictment.”

Fatwa scholar number four is Taha Jabir al-Alwani. Al-Alwani is a founding member of the Muslim World League (MWL), an Al-Qaeda financier located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He is the former President of the International Institute for Islamic Thought (IIIT), whose Virginia offices were raided by the FBI in March of 2002, in connection to the funding of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) through Sami Al-Arian. Al-Alwani was named as an “unindicted co-conspirator” for the Al-Arian trial. He is also a member of the Fiqh Academy of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and he is the Chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), the religious body that produced a phony fatwa against terrorism in July of 2005.

Al-Alwani stated that “Muslim soldiers, like other American citizens, [sic] has the right to become conscientious objectors to a war if they feel it is unjust.”

Another “scholar” that is featured in the U.S. military fatwa is Ahmad Ar-Raysouni, a professor at Moroccan Universities dealing with Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). Like the others, he is part of a long list of Islam Online religious scholars – 180 to be exact – who all seem to have a marked antipathy towards America.

In his fatwa from March of 2003, part of Islam Online’s ‘War on Iraq: New Crusade or imperialism?,’ Ar-Raysouni called on Muslims to commit violence against American troops. He stated, “The US-led war against Iraq is, no doubt, a flagrant aggression... The US aims at dominating the whole Arab region, destroying the emerging Islamic revival, and indirectly supporting the Zionist entity due to certain religious beliefs. In all cases, this aggression must be resisted by all possible means. Almighty Allah says: ‘And one who attacks you, attack him in like manner as he attacked you...’”

Given Ar-Raysouni’s feelings, it’s no surprise then, when he clearly states, “It is not permissible to launch any attacks against Muslims, to fight them or to carry out any transgression against them... f Muslim American soldiers are called upon to participate in a war launched against their fellow Muslim brothers, then they should decline and apologize.”

The final participant in the military fatwa was Ali Ju’mah Muhammad, the Mufti of Egypt. Ju’mah Muhammad is a member of the Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, a member of the Fiqh Committee at the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA), an academic advisor for IIIT, and the Director of IIIT’s Cairo branch.

Ju’mah Muhammad is credited with writing the forward to a 2003 adaptation of a notorious anti-Semitic hate manual, titled ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and their Biblical and Talmudic Origins.’

About Muslims in the U.S. military, he stated, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So he should neither oppress him nor hand him over to an oppressor... Now, it is not allowed for a Muslim who is currently recruited in the American army to fight against Muslims neither in Afghanistan nor in anywhere else... If a Muslim is forced to participate in the military campaign, then he should take care not to kill a Muslim, under any circumstances, either by offering help or by giving clues that might help capture his fellow Muslim brothers or ease killing them.”

With all of the Islam Online religious scholars, from whom this subject was touched upon, the theme was basically the same, that, first and foremost, a Muslim soldier is to hold a fellow Muslim in higher regard than his fellow troops, whether that Muslim is friend or foe. If he is asked to participate in a war against an Islamic nation, he must decline. If he does go ahead and participate, he is not permitted to do harm to a Muslim, even during a life and death situation (“under any circumstance”). Essentially, he is not allowed to be a U.S. soldier.

The set of U.S. military fatwas discussed here were published by Islam Online on October 16, 2001, a little over a month after the worst attack to ever take place on American soil occurred, where 3000 innocent people perished. Anyone taking to heart what these so-called scholars have stated to the extent that they turn their backs on their fellow soldiers and their nation by refusing to serve properly would understandably be considered traitorous.

Unfortunately, there are many individuals inside the United States that do take what is said on Islam Online seriously. That is evidenced by the fact that the largest “mainstream” American Muslim organizations, such as CAIR, ICNA, ISNA and MAS, continue to publicize the website and continue to place individuals connected to the site on a pedestal.

This fifth column obviously has no place in our upstanding military, which serves to provide protection for even them – our in-house enemies.

In all actuality, they have no place in our country to begin with.

[Def]

In the early ‘90s, Al-Hanooti was imam of the Islamic Center of New Jersey, located in Jersey City. There, he had contacts with a number of individuals involved in terror acts, including Mohammed Salemeh, who was convicted of renting and driving the bomb-laden Ryder van that blew up in a World Trade Center garage in February of 1993, and Sayyid Nosair, who was charged with the murder or Rabbi Meir Kahane. He has been named by the U.S. government an “unindicted co-conspirator” for the ‘93 bombing, as well.

Later, Al-Hanooti would become the imam of Dar Al-Hijra, located in Falls Church, Virginia – also a terrorist haven – where he said, “Dar Al-Hijra is the greatest example in sacrifice, execution and in carrying out the Jihad that Allah calls for. Allah will give us the victory over our tyrannical enemies in our country. Allah, the infidel Americans and British are fighting against you... [T]he curse of Allah will become true on the infidel Jews and on the tyrannical Americans.”

About Muslims in the U.S. military, Al-Hanooti stated, “Muslims can fight if they get legitimacy for what they are going to do, if a certain people... or country are judicially indicted. Up to this moment, I don't see any evidence or proof to tell me which is which, who is who, what is what... We cannot take action as we see without judicial indictment.”

Fatwa scholar number four is Taha Jabir al-Alwani. Al-Alwani is a founding member of the Muslim World League (MWL), an Al-Qaeda financier located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He is the former President of the International Institute for Islamic Thought (IIIT), whose Virginia offices were raided by the FBI in March of 2002, in connection to the funding of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) through Sami Al-Arian. Al-Alwani was named as an “unindicted co-conspirator” for the Al-Arian trial. He is also a member of the Fiqh Academy of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and he is the Chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), the religious body that produced a phony fatwa against terrorism in July of 2005.

Al-Alwani stated that “Muslim soldiers, like other American citizens, [sic] has the right to become conscientious objectors to a war if they feel it is unjust.”

Another “scholar” that is featured in the U.S. military fatwa is Ahmad Ar-Raysouni, a professor at Moroccan Universities dealing with Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). Like the others, he is part of a long list of Islam Online religious scholars – 180 to be exact – who all seem to have a marked antipathy towards America.

In his fatwa from March of 2003, part of Islam Online’s ‘War on Iraq: New Crusade or imperialism?,’ Ar-Raysouni called on Muslims to commit violence against American troops. He stated, “The US-led war against Iraq is, no doubt, a flagrant aggression... The US aims at dominating the whole Arab region, destroying the emerging Islamic revival, and indirectly supporting the Zionist entity due to certain religious beliefs. In all cases, this aggression must be resisted by all possible means. Almighty Allah says: ‘And one who attacks you, attack him in like manner as he attacked you...’”

Given Ar-Raysouni’s feelings, it’s no surprise then, when he clearly states, “It is not permissible to launch any attacks against Muslims, to fight them or to carry out any transgression against them... f Muslim American soldiers are called upon to participate in a war launched against their fellow Muslim brothers, then they should decline and apologize.”

The final participant in the military fatwa was Ali Ju’mah Muhammad, the Mufti of Egypt. Ju’mah Muhammad is a member of the Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, a member of the Fiqh Committee at the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA), an academic advisor for IIIT, and the Director of IIIT’s Cairo branch.

Ju’mah Muhammad is credited with writing the forward to a 2003 adaptation of a notorious anti-Semitic hate manual, titled ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and their Biblical and Talmudic Origins.’

About Muslims in the U.S. military, he stated, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So he should neither oppress him nor hand him over to an oppressor... Now, it is not allowed for a Muslim who is currently recruited in the American army to fight against Muslims neither in Afghanistan nor in anywhere else... If a Muslim is forced to participate in the military campaign, then he should take care not to kill a Muslim, under any circumstances, either by offering help or by giving clues that might help capture his fellow Muslim brothers or ease killing them.”

With all of the Islam Online religious scholars, from whom this subject was touched upon, the theme was basically the same, that, first and foremost, a Muslim soldier is to hold a fellow Muslim in higher regard than his fellow troops, whether that Muslim is friend or foe. If he is asked to participate in a war against an Islamic nation, he must decline. If he does go ahead and participate, he is not permitted to do harm to a Muslim, even during a life and death situation (“under any circumstance”). Essentially, he is not allowed to be a U.S. soldier.

The set of U.S. military fatwas discussed here were published by Islam Online on October 16, 2001, a little over a month after the worst attack to ever take place on American soil occurred, where 3000 innocent people perished. Anyone taking to heart what these so-called scholars have stated to the extent that they turn their backs on their fellow soldiers and their nation by refusing to serve properly would understandably be considered traitorous.

Unfortunately, there are many individuals inside the United States that do take what is said on Islam Online seriously. That is evidenced by the fact that the largest “mainstream” American Muslim organizations, such as CAIR, ICNA, ISNA and MAS, continue to publicize the website and continue to place individuals connected to the site on a pedestal.

This fifth column obviously has no place in our upstanding military, which serves to provide protection for even them – our in-house enemies.

In all actuality, they have no place in our country to begin with.

The America are Christians This is God's country whether they like it or not we are the adopted children of The most High God.Bought by His Son Jesus Christ.and He will not let us without a defense.no enemies will win over us.CANADA-UNITED STATE OF AMERICA." ARE ONE UNDER GOD" CHRIST IS OUR KING

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

I find all of this to be the ultimate hypocrisy. The single largest cause of suffering and death in the Muslim world is what the Muslims themselves do to each other. Kuwait is just a small example. There are examples in a host of Muslim homes in what they do to members of their own families, not to mention what they do around the world against their so-called Muslim brothers and sisters. In short, they are their own worst enemy. If they wanted to conquer the direct cause of the vast majority of their suffering and death, they would have to conquer themselves. This is why there is no connection to a religion of peace for Muslims. Bluntly, this peaceful Muslim religion doesn't exist and never has. It has been one of hate, violence, and killing from the very beginning - STILL IS! The largest and still growing number of their victims are THEIR OWN - THEMSELVES!

[Shammu]

70 die in gunfights as messianic cult attacks Iraqi pilgrims
Members of the cult Soldiers of Heaven attacked troops in Basra and Nasiriya as pilgrims gathered in the holy city of Karhala
January 20, 2008
Marie Colvin

AT LEAST 70 people died and more than 100 were wounded this weekend as gunmen from a messianic cult known as the Soldiers of Heaven fought troops in the southern Iraqi cities of Basra and Nasiriya.

The street battles were the first serious test of security in Basra since Britain transferred its responsibilites to Iraqi police and soldiers last month.

The cult attacked as more than 2m Muslim pilgrims prepared to converge on the holy city of Karbala yesterday, many beating, whipping and cutting themselves in a ritualistic frenzy to mark Ashura, the most important Shi’ite religious ceremony of the year.

Cult members were said to have mingled with the crowds before opening fire on pilgrims and police.

During the worst of the clashes, the Soldiers of Heaven attacked government buildings and security forces on Friday in an attempt to disrupt the celebrations of their fellow Shi’ites. Sporadic fighting continued yesterday.

A statement from Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, said that a number of “heretics” from “this profane group, cloaking themselves in religion” had been detained after shooting at Ashura processions in Basra and trying to seize government premises.

Police said that Ahmed Hassan, the cult’s leader who called himself “the Yemeni”, had been killed alongside some of his followers. The cult’s members believe Hassan is a descendant of the 12th imam, who disappeared in 878 but will reappear when the world descends into chaos to restore peace on earth.

The Ashura ceremonies were banned under Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-dominated regime, which oppressed the Shi’ite majority in Iraq. They mark the slaying more than 13 centuries ago of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussein near Karbala.

Yesterday, the last of the 10-day festival, pilgrims from the largely Shi’ite population of southern Iraq and Iran marched through Karbala in white robes, weeping as they struck their heads with swords and flailed their backs with chains and whips to show their grief at the killing of Imam Hussein.

In one bizarre incident, an actor playing the role of the killer of Imam Hussein was attacked by a crowd.

He was so badly beaten that he returned with an assault rifle. A bystander was killed as Iraqi police tried to subdue the angry actor.

About 25,000 Iraqi police and soldiers were deployed across Karbala, 70 miles south of Baghdad, to protect the sometimes hysterical worshippers. Iraqi helicopters circled over the city, where all vehicles were banned after the violence on Friday.

British troops remain stationed at Basra airport under an agreement that if the government needs support they will be ready to assist.

Yesterday a spokesman for the British Army said that they had not been called in by the Iraqi authorities.

Iraqi forces appeared to have quelled the cult members, who take vows to fight to the death. Security forces in Basra said 60 militants had been arrested and stockpiles of their weapons, ranging from machineguns to mortars, had been seized from two mosques.

In Nasiriya, 20 Soldiers of Heaven were killed along with 20 special forces police, including their commander.

70 die in gunfights as messianic cult attacks Iraqi pilgrims

[Shammu]

Iran offers to help Egypt with Rafah
Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST    Jan. 28, 2008

Iran on Sunday offered to help Egypt deal with growing chaos on its breached border with Gaza, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said.

The offer came during a rare visit to Cairo by a top Iranian diplomat, Ali Asghar Mohammadi, who serves as the Iranian Foreign Ministry's director-general for Arab, Middle East and North African affairs. He met Sunday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Egypt and Iran have had no formal ties in nearly three decades, but government ministers from the two countries have met frequently in the past two months. Last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad telephoned his Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak, for the first time to discuss the Gaza border crisis.

Mohammadi offered Iran's "cooperation with Egypt to provide help to the Palestinians," said Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki. He did not give details of the Iranian offer, but said Egypt welcomes cooperation between the two countries through their Red Crescent branches.

Teheran cut diplomatic ties after Cairo signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1979 and provided asylum for the deposed Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Relations further deteriorated when Egypt backed Iraq during the 1980-1988 Gulf War. Since then, the two countries have had limited diplomatic contacts.

Aboul Gheit has said that a resumption of ties could only take place if Iran takes down a large mural of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's assassin, Khaled el-Islambouli, and changes the name of a street honoring him.

El-Islambouli was one of the army officers who killed Sadat during a military parade in 1981. Egypt executed him by firing squad soon thereafter.

Iran offers to help Egypt with Rafah