In the news - muslims......

[Shammu]

Dubai is the 'hole in the net' of sanctions on Iran
Iran is evading United Nations sanctions by running a global network of merchants prepared to supply equipment that could be of military use.

By Damien McElroy in Dubai
Last Updated: 6:30PM BST 10 Oct 2008

Dubai, the home of the Gulf's largest port and Iran's crucial economic outlet, is central to this effort. A company indicted in America for allegedly exporting "dual-use" electronics to Iran remains open for business in Dubai. Meanwhile, people named in American courts for allegedly conspiring to deal in banned items are reported to be living normally in the city.

Last month, US prosecutors levelled these charges against eight businessmen, including one Briton. Some are believed to be at large in Dubai. Five companies all based here were also charged, including Mayrow General Trading, which was accused of selling Iran tiny computer chips, of a kind frequently recovered from sophisticated roadside bombs deployed to kill American and British forces in Iraq. But Mayrow is still trading in Dubai and its phone line is operating.

Iran relies on Dubai in the manner that Communist China once depended on Hong Kong: as a free port for an isolated regime.

America and her allies have responded with an extensive surveillance operation, with US officials monitoring shipments in and out of the city since 2002. HM Revenue & Customs has followed suit with an official post at Britain's Consulate in Dubai. But the warrens of glass-walled shops present inspectors with a maze of challenges.

Only about one per cent of Dubai's 10,800 registered merchants are thought to have ties to Iran. But there are tens of thousands of outlets and countless "businessmen" operating beneath the radar.

The spirit of the souks - where if a merchant cannot find a product it probably has not been made - defies the latest detective techniques.

Nasir Khan, a US Commerce Department official, claimed the situation was too sensitive to discuss in public. "If you see me quoted, I shouldn't have been talking," he said.

Port officials argue that safeguards are in place to prevent the shipment of banned technologies. "Dubai Customs has developed a programme for controlling export and materials of dual usages," said Mohammed Al-Mari, the cargo operations director. "The programme works on the control of products or materials contained in the international controlled lists."

But Dubai's Jebel Ali port is expanding so fast - with container volumes growing by 20 per cent in the first half of this year - that screening cargo properly is a mammoth undertaking.

There is no doubt that Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani scientist who helped build his country's nuclear arsenal and covertly aided Iran and Libya as well, channelled banned components through Dubai.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the city state's ruler, has managed to preserve friendly ties with both America and Iran. But experts believe that Dubai, one of seven autonomous enclaves making up the United Arab Emirates, remains a key weakness in the enforcement of sanctions on Iran.

"The UN sanctions and the US pressure to cut off the banks is hurting. But Iran's end runs, chiefly setting up shelf companies and so forth in Dubai, are a significant hole in the net," said Mark Fitzpatrick, an expert on Iran's nuclear programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "The Emirates has adopted an exports control law, but is only beginning to implement it."

Dubai pays a political price for its close ties to Iran. When its largest port operator bought P&O in 2005, there was a US Congressional revolt against Dubai's involvement in America's maritime security.

More recently, the city has joined an international effort to isolate Iran's main state-owned banks - Melli, Mellat and Saderat.

But these measures have inflicted indiscriminate pain on Dubai's Iranian business community, including those opposed to the regime.

Amin Hazaveh, who owns an internet cafe, has begun closing his shop because his line of credit has been withdrawn. With only Iranian assets, he cannot borrow from Dubai's banks. "The atmosphere has turned difficult," he said. "But this is Dubai - there are always options. It's just the straightforward choices are disappearing."

Dubai is the 'hole in the net' of sanctions on Iran

[Shammu]

Saudi Cleric Says Mickey Mouse 'Must Die'

Tuesday , September 16, 2008

FC1
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He may have survived the battle with the brooms in “Fantasia,” but now Mickey Mouse has to contend with Islam.

Calling the loveable Disney rodent “one of Satan’s soldiers,” Sheikh Muhammad Munajid said household mice and their animated counterparts must be rubbed out, the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

"Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases."

Munajid, a former diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington D.C., made the remarks on Arab television network al-Majd TV after he was asked to give Islam’s teaching on mice.

And Mickey wasn’t alone. Munajid also mentioned Jerry from “Tom and Jerry” fame is on his list of “impure” cartoon mice.

Saudi Cleric Says Mickey Mouse 'Must Die'
~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases."

Meaning...............  Waaa Waaaa we are going to bomb Mickey Mouse, if you don't give us attention!!

Islam is not only a religion of violence, it is also a religion of idiots!!   Tens of thousands have been killed by Muslim terrorists.

[Shammu]

OPEC Pushing to Cut Production, Drive Up Oil and Gasoline Prices

Tuesday , October 21, 2008

Just as Americans are finally beginning to reap the benefits of plunging gasoline prices — including more money in their pockets — OPEC is getting ready to squeeze them once again by cutting oil production and driving up prices to refineries.

The 13-nation global oil cartel — which includes Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Iran and Hugo Chavez's Venezuela — will hold an emergency meeting in Vienna Friday to discuss the steep and rapid decline in oil prices.

"The era of cheap oil is finished," Iran's Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari boasted on Tuesday.

When asked what price Iran would want for its oil, Nozari declared, "The more the better."

"A few member nations have voiced their intentions of pushing for a cut in production, including Qatar, Iran, as well as OPEC's president Chekib Khelil, who said that output could be slashed by as much as 2 million barrels a day," analysts for Raymond James & Associates told MarketWatch.com.

When oil peaked at more than $147 a barrel in July, gas prices soared to above $5 a gallon in some parts of the U.S., and Americans were forced to cut back on driving. With the price of oil at about $73 a barrel on Tuesday, pump prices have fallen to as low as $2.30 a gallon.

The price dip in oil — and gasoline — finally is working its way into the beleagured American economy, putting a few extra dollars in the hands of consumers just as the home heating and holiday shopping seasons begin.

Sam Gault, president of Gault Inc., a fifth-generation, family-owned oil business in Westport, Conn., said the drop in oil prices is helping his customers, his business and his community.

"Obviously a down market helps the consumer," Gault said. "When the price of oil is less, it’s a good thing for everyone. It's good for the consumer. It's good for us as an oil company. It just puts more disposable income back into the economy because it's not used for household expenses."

When oil costs more, Gault said, "people need to make different choices. But you have to heat your home."

OPEC, however, wants prices to climb — and quickly.

Khelil on Monday even urged non-OPEC oil producers, such as Russia, Mexico and Norway, to follow the cartel's lead and cut production, Reuters reported.

Such a coordinated move is sure to drive prices back up over $100 a barrel — and hit Americans where it hurts.

"OPEC doesn't care about anybody. They don't care about the United States. They don't care about our consumers," said Ross Dibono, executive director of the Pennsylvania Gasoline Retailers Association.

"They're very small countries that just happen to be sitting on an unlimited wealth of oil and they're going to extract as much out of the ground as they feel comfortable with," he said. "Why sell 200 gallons for $100 a barrel when you can sell 100 gallons for $200 a barrel?"

"Saudi Arabia doesn't care about you or me or anybody else," he said. "They've got a taste of the expensive barrel of oil."

Iran's oil minister told Reuters he would push to cut production by up to 2.5 million barrels per day.

Iran has taken a liking to astronomical oil prices, using its newfound wealth to fuel its nuclear program in defiance of the U.S. and the global community. But the country would need oil prices to stay above $85 per barrel to balance its books, according to a report released in August by the International Monetary Fund, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

Venezuela's capitalism-bashing Chavez has used his country's oil windfall to buy Russian weapons, going as far as to let the Russian navy practice in its waters. Russia reportedly is also helping Venezuela develop nuclear power.

Chavez said on Saturday that oil at $80 to $90 a barrel would be good enough to keep Venezuela going, Reuters reported, but analysts say the country has billions stashed away and will be able to withstand a price drop.

Gault, however, said the key to whether American consumers are once again going to have to worry about heating their homes and how far they drive is going to come down to one country.

"Its really going to come down to whether Saudi Arabia wants to cut production, because they're the ones that can afford to cut production," Gault said. "A lot of times the different members of OPEC wind up cheating on their quotas."

OPEC Pushing to Cut Production, Drive Up Oil and Gasoline Prices

[Shammu]

Triangle of Peace Initiative Launched
21-10-2008

Sheikh Al-Nahyan, Dhabian Holdings PLC, The World Trade Centers Association and The World Trade Centers Management Company launch $3.2billion ‘The Triangle of Peace’ a Global Economic Development & Stimulus Program
The Initiative is designed to promote new socio-economic programs to build and rejuvenate cities around the world – sent to world leaders – is a program to highlight the importance of developing local and sustainable Eco- Community Systems

-- A new millennium, the birth of Global Philanthropical Capitalism --

His Royal Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Dhabian Holdings PLC and The World Trade Centers Association and the World Trade Centers Management Company have announced today a joint $3.2billion initial capital proposal that has been sent to world leaders and will be known as ‘The Triangle of Peace’, which is described as ‘a global peace initiative’.

The initiative will involve more than one million corporations, these are global members of the World Trade Centers Association, in nearly one hundred countries and will ultimately be the ‘largest privately planned sustainable social economic stimulus and development program’ capitalizing the current global situation and outlining a framework, which will help provide long-term, social and ecological balance.

‘The Triangle of Peace’ Program is a blue-print for the development of sustainable communities, through construction, cultural interaction, sound financial planning, improving trade relationships and generating local and global interaction to promote a better global community.

“In light of the events surrounding the current global economic crisis that is affecting every citizen of the world it is clear that we need unified leadership and solidarity in order to bring lasting global solutions to communities,” says His Royal Highness.

‘The Triangle of Peace Initiatives’ are essentially three programs for building new and restoring and rejuvenating existing cities, which offer a ’higher quality of life, and social and economic benefits with a unified vision of ‘Peace and Stability Through Trade,” explains Guy Tozzoli, President of World Trade Centers Association.

Through ‘The Triangle of Peace’s mission; ‘a global bridge for trade’ a new and unique industrial and infrastructural platform will be built through sound governance and administrative programs which will be implemented throughout underdeveloped and developed areas. This program will create social inclusion for all communities.

On September 23rd of this year ‘The Triangle of Peace Initiative’ was officially announced in New York, and enrolled in the United Nations Global Partnerships Program - and within the UN Global Compact. The initiative is affiliated with the UN -Executive Director United Nations Office for Partnerships, Amir Dossal and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

“On November 9th, the ‘Triangle of Peace Initiative’; will be launched - in the United Arab Emirates. The morning of November 10th marks ‘the era of a new beginning and hopefully betterment for humanity’- hence begins the planning and construction of World Trade Cities; first in Abu Dhabi then around the globe,” adds His Royal Highness.

“Honorable and concerned business leaders from more than one hundred countries, have chosen to show their commitment; by being present in the United Arab Emirates, on November 9th, for this historical partnership,” says Tozzoli.

‘The Triangle of Peace’ welcomes the entire global community to share in the fundamental endeavor, in building a more secure and harmonious planet. One, where future economic crisis may be limited; through shared resources and increased connectivity creating ‘Peace and Stability Through Trade’,” concludes HE Khalfan Al Mazrouie, CEO Dhabian Holdings PLC.

Triangle of Peace Initiative Launched

[Shammu]

Money coupled with power... WOW!!
It makes you wonder, allliances alliances alliances Peace Peace Peace?? We will solve your problems, we will make you rich, then no matter what you try to do your people will worship us. Do what we say, or who ever represents us.

To our guests: are you wondering who they are setting the stage for??

If so, please become a member and ask us questions.

[Shammu]

UAE delegation meets pope
Mahmoud Habboush
October 23. 2008 12:11AM UAE / GMT

VATICAN CITY // A UAE delegation met Pope Benedict XVI yesterday in the highest-level visit to the Vatican by Emirati officials since the establishment of diplomatic relations with the city state last year.

Abdul Aziz al Ghurair, the speaker of the Federal National Council, who led the delegation, told Pope Benedict, leader of the world’s Roman Catholic Christians, the UAE was committed to religious freedom.

“I told His Holiness that the UAE is based on religious tolerance and that we pay great respect to all religious symbols and figures,” said Mr Ghurair. “People from more than 200 nationalities live in the UAE and I said that we don’t discriminate between religions.”

The Vatican and the UAE established diplomatic ties at ambassadorial level in June 2007. The Government is expected to appoint an ambassador soon.

Mr Ghurair told the pope the UAE embraced peace between all nations and religions and the two men discussed building churches in the country, and the UAE’s efforts to ensure this could be done.

When Mr Ghurair told Pope Benedict that Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, had given land this month for construction of a church for the Marthoma Christian community in Al Ain, the pope said he knew of the donation.

“I am aware of the construction of churches in the Emirates,” the pontiff said. “I respect the efforts of your leadership to promote tolerance.”

“I was surprised that he knew about everything I told him about the UAE,” Mr Ghurair said.

The few Roman Catholic churches in the UAE are often overcrowded. They have to hold many services in different languages to accommodate the large numbers of Catholic faithful, mainly from the Philippines, India, the Middle East and western Europe, who wish to attend weekly worship. On major Christian feast days, thousands of worshippers have to listen to services from outside.

Mr Ghurair said he told the pope the UAE wanted to establish a strong relationship with the Vatican and to enhance civil and religious contacts. “We expect this relationship to materialise soon,” he added.

At present, Archbishop Mounged el Hachem is the Vatican’s nuncio or envoy to the country. He resides in Kuwait where he also represents the Vatican.

The UAE delegation’s visit comes against the backdrop of a region-wide commitment to interfaith dialogue.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia last year became the first Saudi monarch to hold talks at the Vatican when he met Pope Benedict in a move criticised by some Saudis. Commentators said the meeting was hugely symbolic and particularly important to those who believed there should be greater dialogue between Islam and Christianity.

King Abdullah convened Muslim, Christian and Jewish clerics in Madrid in July for talks on reducing religious intolerance. The UAE was represented at the forum.

At an interfaith conference at Yale University in July, religious and political leaders warned that much needed to be done to reach accord between the two faiths. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan warned that Muslims and Christians often mistrusted, disrespected and disliked one another.

“Sixty per cent of Christians harbour prejudice against Muslims, and 30 per cent of Muslims reciprocate,” he said, citing an international Gallup survey.

The last UAE official to meet the pope was the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, the nation’s founder, who met Pope John Paul II unofficially nearly two decades ago, according to Italian officials.

Mr Ghurair also met Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, who welcomed the Emirati delegation to the Vatican.

Cardinal Bertone said the UAE was a model for co-existence among various religions, adding that dialogue between faiths was possible and that extremists only constituted a limited number of followers of religious faiths.

He also reiterated the importance of paying respect to religious figures and symbols, saying the action of a Danish cartoonist who portrayed the Prophet Mohammed in a manner that caused offence to Muslims could not be considered a case that should be protected by press freedoms.

Paolo Dionisi, Italy’s ambassador to the UAE, accompanied the UAE delegation, which also included Dr Mohammed al Mazrouei, the secretary general of the FNC.

Mr Ghurair is heading an FNC delegation to a number of European countries including Italy, Spain and Poland. He is scheduled to meet senior officials, including presidents and prime ministers.

The visit to Italy comes only a few days after Franco Frattini, the Italian foreign minister, visited Abu Dhabi and met his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

UAE delegation meets pope

[Shammu]

Kuntar: I won't rest until Israel destroyed
Oct. 23, 2008
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Three months after being released from an Israeli jail in a prisoner swap, Lebanese terrorist and child-killer Samir Kuntar said he was more than ever committed to working to wipe the Jewish state off the map, AFP reported on Thursday.

"As long as there is something called Israel in this region, the resistance must continue ... and I am totally committed to the resistance," Kuntar, 46, told AFP. "I am ready to take part in any resistance mission."

Described as a monster in Israel where he was convicted for killing Danny Haran, his four-year-old daughter Einat and an Israeli policeman in a notorious attack in Nahariya nearly three decades ago, Kuntar is considered a hero by many in Lebanon, where he was given a red carpet welcome upon his release in July.

He said he now spends his time mostly in meetings related to Hizbullah activity and was convinced that Israel was preparing a major attack against Lebanon.

"They don't realize what we have in store for them," he said, sitting in a seaside apartment on the outskirts of Beirut filled with medals, honorary plaques and pictures of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a man he says he idolizes.

"Israel is going to suffer great losses and they will lose for sure," he added. "The idea that Israel is an invincible, secure state has become a myth."

He said that even if Israel withdrew from the contested Shabaa Farms territory in south Lebanon captured in the Six Day War, Hizbullah would continue with its struggle to eliminate the Jewish state.

"The resistance will end only when the Zionist entity disappears," he vowed.

Recalling the cross-border raid that landed him in an Israeli jail in 1979, when he was just 16 years old and part of the Palestine Liberation Front, Kuntar said he had no regrets and denied killing Haran and his daughter.

"I remember every detail of that night," he said calmly, pulling on a cigarette. "The father kept insisting on taking his daughter with him and that delayed the operation for about 10 minutes.

"He refused to leave her behind and clutched on to her. He was like a madman," he added. "We were not interested in the girl."

He said both were killed by Israeli fire during a fierce battle that took place as Kuntar and his fellow terrorists tried to flee with the two Israeli hostages.

But according to forensic evidence and witness testimony during his trial, Kuntar and his co-terrorists killed Haran and then crushed the girl's skull with rifle butts.

"I just wish they would give as much importance to the children killed during the 2006 war with Israel and the Palestinian children dying every day," he told AFP.

Israeli security officials have vowed to hunt him down for his crime, but Kuntar said he was not especially concerned for his safety and realized he could never lead a "normal life" though he hoped to one day marry and have children.

He also brushed aside persistent rumors that he may stand in next year's parliamentary elections in Lebanon.

"I don't live with the obsession that I may get killed," he said, adding that he nonetheless had a security detail and took precautions.

As to his most searing memory of the time he spent in Israeli jails, Kuntar said it concerned a prison guard who spoke to him in Arabic.

"He told me 'listen Samir, you are a young man now but by the time you get out you will have become a burden on society,'" Kuntar said.

"I guess my message to the Israelis today is that they didn't manage to break me."

Kuntar: I won't rest until Israel destroyed

[Shammu]

Now I normally don't post about Jack Kelly but, I feel this is worth it............

The mullahs' plan for the world's economy?
Oct. 28, 2008 / 29 Tishrei 5769
By Jack Kelly

When the U.S. economy catches cold, the rest of the world gets pneumonia. That's because much of the wealth of the rest of the world depends on selling stuff to us, and/or on investing in our economy.

The cold we've caught from the subprime mortgage crisis is pretty serious. As of Oct. 22, our stock market was down 40 percent for the year.

But, as the erudite cynic who writes for the Asia Times under the pen name "Spengler" notes, it's a lot worse almost everywhere else. Brazil's stock market is down 59 percent; China's 62 percent, Russia's 72 percent. The Nikkei, the Japanese stock exchange, closed Monday at its lowest level in 26 years.

The purpose of the $700 billion bailout bill was not to prop up the stock market, but to thaw credit markets. The health of these are measured typically by the LIBOR, the London Interbank Offered Rate, the rate of interest at which banks loan money to each other. The LIBOR for three month loans fell last week to 3.535 percent, down from a peak of 4.819 percent on Oct. 10, but higher than the 2.816 percent it stood at before the stock market meltdown.

Americans have to pay more interest to borrow money now than we did before the crisis began, because lenders want more protection against possible defaults. But the price of default protection is much higher for what used to be called "emerging" economies, and what might more appropriately now be called "at risk" economies. With LIBOR at 3.5 percent, Turkey has to pay about 11 percent to borrow dollars; Russia 15 percent, Pakistan 30 percent, Spengler noted.

The schadenfreude (pleasure at the misfortune of others) our enemies in Russia, Iran and Venezuela experienced when our stock market melted down has been replaced with fear as the price of oil has sunk with it. Totalitarian regimes tend to mismanage their economies.

Iran and Venezuela have nothing going for them except for the sale of oil, and they need high prices for it to keep their troubled economies afloat.

According to Mohsin Khan, Director of Middle East and Central Asia at the International Monetary Fund, Iran's "break even price is $90 a barrel." Deutsche Bank estimated Venezuela needs an oil price of $95 a barrel to keep its budget in balance. Oil prices fell to near $60 a barrel Monday, with further declines considered likely. If they stay at this level for some months, the potential for civil unrest in Iran and Venezuela is high.

Desperate times can cause desperate men to do desperate things. The global economic crisis swiftly may become a national security crisis of a magnitude we haven't seen since World War II.

Spengler thinks the financial crisis will push already troubled — and nuclear armed — Pakistan further towards radical Islam. Turkey, heretofore the most peaceful, democratic and pro-Western of Islamic countries, also will drift towards the dark side.

By far the most dangerous wild card is Iran. The ethnic Persians from whom the rulers come are a minority in country where most of the other minorities would rather affiliate with some other country — the Azeris with Azerbaijan, the Kurds with Iraqi Kurdistan, the Ahwaz Arabs with the Iraqi Arabs on the other side of the Shatt al Arab. And the mullahs are unpopular with most of the ethnic Persians.

While those connected to the regime have siphoned off some $35 billion in oil revenues, most Iranians live at a subsistence level. They are able to make ends meet only because of massive subsidies for food and fuel — subsidies that will be trimmed or ended altogether if oil prices remain low. Unemployment and inflation exceeded 30 percent before oil prices plummeted.

The mullahs may conclude the only way to keep from being overthrown is to seize the oil resources of their neighbors in Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia (whose oilfields are in the predominantly Shia area along the coast).

If the mullahs regard the new U.S. President as weak and inexperienced, they may regard the rewards from such a reckless gamble to be worth the risk.

The mullahs' plan for the world's economy?

[Shammu]

Bin Laden writing his memoirs
25 Oct 2008, 1851 hrs IST,PTI

ISLAMABAD: World's most wanted fugitive, al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden is reportedly writing a book on the struggle of his terrorist network that dispenses money, logistical support and training to radical groups in over 50 countries.

The book, being written in Arabic, will later be translated into English. Bin Laden decided to write the book to counter "propaganda" against al-Qaida, Geo News channel reported.

Bin Laden is writing the book with the assistance of a "young man with a Middle Eastern background who will later translate the text into English", the channel reported. The book will reportedly highlight atrocities allegedly being committed on Muslims by the Western world.

Bin Laden will also discuss how the medieval Crusades greatly impacted the growth of Western influence in world affairs and ultimately helped the US to control the oil reserves of the Muslim states.

The book will shed light on the evolution of al-Qaida and 9/11 terror attacks on the US.

Bin Laden, who was born in Riyadh on March 10, 1957, is a member of the prominent bin Laden family of Saudi Arabia.

The al-Qaida leader has been indicted in a US federal court for his alleged involvement in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and is on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's list of 10 most wanted fugitives.

Though bin Laden has not been indicted for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, he has reportedly claimed responsibility for the strikes. Reports suggest he earned a degree in civil engineering in 1979, or a degree in public administration in 1981.

Bin Laden also operated from Pakistan for a brief while in the 1980s as part of the Mujahideen movement against the Soviet forces that had occupied Afghanistan.

Bin Laden writing his memoirs

[Shammu]

Dear Diary. Today I woke up in a cave. Again. But it's a nice cave...............

I'm sure it will get glowing reports from the media and enthusiast to inspire thousands of terrorists. This man gets to write books while those he MURDERED, didn't get the opportunity to even finish out their lives.

[Shammu]

Islamists stone 'adulterous' Somali woman to death
Hardline Somali Muslims have stoned to death a 23-year-old woman for adultery, the first such Sharia sentence carried out since the fall of the country's Islamist regime two years ago.
 
By Mike Pflanz in Nairobi
Last Updated: 3:38PM GMT 28 Oct 2008

During the stoning furious relatives surged forward to try to save the woman, prompting guards to open fire, killing a child.

Hundreds of people gathered in a square in the Islamist-held port town of Kismayo to watch the execution, which had been ordered by a council of hardline elders.

The woman, named as Asha Ibrahim Dhuhulow, was buried up to her neck in the ground and stones hurled at her head until she died, according to witnesses.

"A woman in green veil and black mask was brought in a car as we waited to watch the merciless act of stoning," one local resident, Abdullahi Aden, said.

"We were told she submitted herself to be punished, yet we could see her screaming as she was forcefully bound, legs and hands. A relative of hers ran towards her, but the Islamists opened fire and killed a child."

Such scenes have rarely been seen in Somalia since the fall of the Islamic Courts Union, the hardline Islamist council which overtook much of the country's south and ruled for the second half of 2006.

They were defeated by troops from Ethiopia, who invaded in support of Somalia's weak government.

However, the Islamists have again been gaining ground, capturing several southern towns including the strategically important port at Kismayo.

A ceasefire was agreed on Sunday between moderate Islamists and Somalia's government, paving the way for the Ethiopians to leave. However, there are fears that without Ethiopia's military muscle, hardline Islamists opposed to peace could once again launch an offensive.

This would further threaten the lives of almost half of the country's population, 3.25 million people, who are now in need of emergency aid after failed rains, drought and soaring food prices.

Islamists stone 'adulterous' Somali woman to death

[Shammu]

Arab League to attend Union for Mediterranean meeting
30 October 2008, 22:15 CET

(CAIRO) - The Arab League is to take part in next week's Union for the Mediterranean (UPM) meeting in Marseilles, France, despite Israel's objections, an official of the pan-Arab organisation said on Thursday.

Arab League secretary general Amr Mussa will leave on Sunday for Marseille to take part in the November 3-4 ministerial meeting of UPM member countries, the official said, asking not to be named.

The meeting aims to take key decisions on the location, makeup and powers of a general secretariat for the new organisation.

The League official said a preparatory meeting would be held on Saturday between the nine Arab countries which are members of the UPM to coordinate their position.

Israel has objected to the Arab League's participation, saying it would oppose the Jewish state's own presence in the UPM. When the UPM was launched on July 13, the League was granted observer status.

Arab League to attend Union for Mediterranean meeting

[Shammu]

Qaeda wants Republicans, Bush "humiliated"
Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:15pm EDT

DUBAI (Reuters) - An al Qaeda leader has called for President George W. Bush and the Republicans to be "humiliated," without endorsing a party in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, according to an Internet video posting.

"O God, humiliate Bush and his party, O Lord of the Worlds, degrade and defy him," Abu Yahya al-Libi said at the end of sermon marking the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr, in a video posted on the Internet.

Libi, a top al Qaeda commander believed to be living in Afghanistan or Pakistan, called for God's wrath to be brought against Bush equating him with past tyrants in history.

The remarks were the first from a leading al Qaeda figure referring, albeit indirectly, to the U.S. elections. Muslim clerics often end sermons by calling on God to guide and support Muslims and help defeat their enemies.

Terrorism monitor SITE Intelligence Group said in a report on Wednesday that militants on al Qaeda-linked websites have for months been debating the significance of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama or Republican John McCain.

Some posters have also argued over the merits of trying to attack the United States before the election or waiting until later, the report said.

But SITE said it did not expect al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden or deputy Ayman al-Zawahri to openly favor a candidate.

"To support a particular candidate would debase al-Qaeda's long-standing argument that the United States government is a corrupt institution no matter who is at the helm," SITE director Rita Katz said in the group's November newsletter.

In 2004 bin Laden issued his first video in more than a year just days before the U.S. elections. It derided Bush and warned of possible new September 11-style attacks.

Bin Laden made little mention of Bush's Democratic challenger, John Kerry, telling Americans: "Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al Qaeda. Your security is in your own hands and each state which does not harm our security will remain safe."

Kerry has attributed his loss in part to the video's high-profile reminder of the terrorism issue.

In 2006, after Democrats captured Congress, Zawahri issued an audio message saying all Americans remained al Qaeda's enemies regardless of party, SITE said.

SITE said militant postings on al Qaeda-linked websites typically discuss Obama in terms of his race, or his religion and foreign policy. Some forecast a racial crisis dividing the United States if he wins. Others say his planned phased withdrawal from Iraq would be a boon to al Qaeda's affiliate and give it a base for Middle East expansion.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain has been portrayed as likely to allow "the continuation of Republican control and aggressive policies toward the Islamic world."

Qaeda wants Republicans, Bush "humiliated"

[Shammu]

Jordan Islamists cautiously optimistic over Obama's election
Posted : Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:39:20 GMT
Author : DPA

Amman- The Islamic Action Front (IAF), Jordan's largest political party, on Wednesday expressed guarded optimism over the election of Barak Obama as the next US president and said they considered his win an "apology" from the American people to the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan. "We welcome Obama's election and believe that his win represents a clear message inside as well as outside America," IAF Secretary General Zaki Bani Ershaid told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"Obama's victory is also tantamount to an apology from the American people for the crimes committed by the outgoing Republican administration in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere," he added.

Bani Ershaid said that his party, the political arm of the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement, was "cautiously optimistic" over the change promised by Obama and believed that the "starting- point for this change should find expression in a correction of the US foreign policy on Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan."

"A real change in the US policies cannot materialize without rectifying the erroneous attitude considering Israel an ally, withdrawing troops from Iraq," he said.

Jordan Islamists cautiously optimistic over Obama's election
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This stuff makes me sick.

They know the Great Appeaser and Apologizer for America has been elected, and now they feel they own America.

Which they do now. Almost as much as Saudi Arabia does now. And it really didn't even cost them that much to buy America, after all, it was up for sale by the Demo-cats.

[Shammu]

Girl of 13 becomes youngest suicide bomber in day of carnage
James Hider, Middle East Correspondent
November 11, 2008

A 13-year-old girl became the youngest suicide bomber to wreak havoc in Iraq yesterday, killing five Iraqi guards in a town that has become notorious for deadly attacks by women bombers.

The girl blew herself up in Baquba, on the same day that a car bomb exploded in Baghdad, killing about 30 people and shattering a fragile sense of calm in the capital.

The carnage was compounded by a male suicide bomber who joined the crowd of rescue workers, bystanders and frantic relatives of victims before blowing himself up in a follow-up explosion.

Police and medics said the Baquba bomber was a girl of just 13 years old, making her the youngest person yet to blow themselves up in the conflict.

In the past militants have exploited women and youngsters for use as suicide bombers. In one case child passengers were used as decoys to enable a car bomb to be smuggled past unsuspecting US soldiers before it was detonated with the young boys still inside.

Insurgents have also used children to bury roadside bombs and even fire rocket-propelled grenades at US forces. This callous deployment of youngsters has helped to fuel a backlash against groups such as al-Qaeda within the Sunni community.

The target of the teenage bomber was a patrol by the Sons of Iraq, former Sunni insurgents who have turned on al-Qaeda.

Many of the victims of the car bombing in the Sunni area of Addumiyah in northern Baghdad were schoolgirls, travelling in a minibus.

“Innocent and simple people were gathering to have breakfast or shop in the nearby area. A minibus which was driving past was also hit and four or five of its passengers were killed,” said a bystander. “How can you explain this act? This is not a military unit, not a military barracks. There is nothing there.” Witnesses described the minibus torn apart by shrapnel, its bloody floor scattered with girls' shoes.

US military officials said the blast appeared to be the work of al-Qaeda, which, though on the wane, is still a potent and deadly force in Iraq.

A number of policemen and soldiers were killed when they rushed to help the wounded, only to be hit by the second bomb minutes later.

Hundreds of children have died in countless bombings, often when car bombers target US military vehicles in urban areas, as children gather around hoping for sweets or treats from the American soldiers.

Baquba has been struck by a wave of women suicide bombers in recent months, often the widows of al-Qaeda members or Islamist extremists who have themselves been killed fighting against the Americans or the Shia government forces. About 30 women have blown themselves up this year, compared with 8 in 2007.

The teenager's attack on the Sons of Iraq coincided with the first payment by the Government to the Sunni militias, who have until now been funded by the US military who helped to recruit and train them.

The Government has been highly suspicious of the parallel army that has emerged under American supervision, and consists largely of fighters the regime has long viewed as terrorists.

There had been speculation that the Government could refuse to pay them or to offer them jobs in the regular security services, risking a militia backlash.

As about 54,000 militiamen received their wages, US Brigadier-General Robin Swan said: “This is really a tremendously important day and a manifestation of the reconciliation process that is happening in Iraq. The real proof of the pudding is in the payday.”

Girl of 13 becomes youngest suicide bomber in day of carnage
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Has anyone else noticed that when Obama was in the news, nearly all coverage of the Iraq war stopped??