News, Prophecy and other

[Shammu]

Libyan Leader Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi: Europe and the U.S. Should Agree to Become Islamic or Declare War on the Muslims

Following are excerpts from a speech given by Libyan leader Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on April 10, 2006.

Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi: Some people believe that Muhammad is the prophet of the Arabs or Muslims alone. This is a mistake. Muhammad is the Prophet of all people. He superseded all previous religions. If Jesus were alive when Muhammad was sent, he would have followed him. All people must be Muslims.

[...]

The Muslims were enraged by the defamation of their Prophet. But the people who defamed Muhammad were defaming their own prophet, because Muhammad is the prophet of the people in Scandinavia, in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. But since the holy texts that they read in Scandinavia are forged and call for hatred, they believe Muhammad is not their prophet.

[...]

We expect to see a picture of Jesus with nuclear bombs over his head, because the nuclear bomb was developed by the followers of Jesus.

[...]

They drew Muhammad surrounded by veiled women, because of the veil worn by Muslim women. We expect them to draw Jesus surrounded by naked women, because the followers... because Christian women are naked. In Scandinavia women are naked.

[...]

In any case, the holy texts of the West, of Europe and America, call for hatred, there is no doubt about it. This text is corrupt and inhumane.

[...]

The so-called Old Testament and New Testament are neither Old Testament nor New Testament - because both testaments were superseded, and they are forged. They were written by hand hundreds of years after Jesus.

In the Bible there are things that are inappropriate for both Jesus and Moses. If we want to mend the state of humanity, and live in a global village, because of the globalization, we must search for the true Bible, because the Bible that exists today is a forgery. Today's Bible does not mention Muhammad, whereas our Lord's Bible mentions Muhammad repeatedly.

We must search for the Gospel of Barnabas, of St. Barnabas, because this is the true gospel. This gospel explicitly mentions that Muhammad would come after Jesus.

[...]

Today, we are correcting human history from here, in Timbuktu.

We have fifty million Muslims in Europe. There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe - without swords, without guns, without conquests. The fifty million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades.

Allah mobilizes the Muslim nation of Turkey, and adds it to the European Union. That's another 50 million Muslims. There will be 100 million Muslims in Europe. Albania, which is a Muslim country, has already entered the EU. Bosnia, which is a Muslim country, has already entered the EU. 50 percent of its citizens are Muslims.

[...]

Europe is in a predicament, and so is America. They should agree to become Islamic in the course of time, or else declare war on the Muslims.

[...]

All people have the right to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, and to circle the Ka'ba.

[...]

The verse says that polytheists are impure, hence they are forbidden from coming near the Haram.

[...]

If the American president comes to make a pilgrimage, they will say to him: You are impure, a polytheist. But he will reply: I am not a polytheist. Nor am I impure. How can you make such serious allegations against me? If I am impure, how come you shake my hand and break bread with me?

[...]

He will pull out the one dollar bill that we use, and he will say: Go ahead, read what's written on it.

Translator: "In God we trust."

Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi: It says what the translator said: "In God we trust." Here, we have a dollar. Where is it? Read it... "In God we trust."

Libyan Leader Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi: Europe and the U.S. Should Agree to Become Islamic or Declare War on the Muslims

[Shammu]

Iran claims more progress in controversial nuclear drive
Stefan Smith
AFP
May 4, 2006

TEHRAN --  Iran claimed on Thursday that it had made more progress in ultra-sensitive nuclear work, showing yet more defiance in the face of Western lobbying for tough Security Council action.

"Iran can now mass-produce centrifuges. This is an important success, because no other country was willing to sell us this technology," a deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Hossein Faghihian, was quoted as saying in Iranian media.

Centrifuges are used to enrich uranium for either nuclear reactor fuel or atomic bomb material. They work in cascades of hundreds, or thousands, spinning at high speed to refine out the uranium U-235 isotope.

Enrichment is seen as a "breakout capacity", because once mastered the manufacturing of nuclear weapons becomes possible. Iran says that such work is legal, but Western powers argue that the clerical regime cannot be trusted with it.

France and Britain on Wednesday circulated a draft resolution in the Security Council that would legally oblige Iran to comply with UN demands that it freeze uranium enrichment.

The text, worked out in close consultations with Germany and the United States, invokes Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which can authorize economic sanctions or even as a last resort the use of force in cases of threats to international peace and security.

For the time being, Russia and China - who both have veto powers on the Council - appear to be opposed to such a text.

Thursday's news on centrifuge development follows a string of other claims of nuclear progress.

Earlier this week Iran's vice-president and Atomic Energy Organization director Gholam Reza Aghazadeh said that new uranium deposits had been found close to the southern Gulf port of Bandar Abbas and in the northeast of the country.

He said that the discoveries would be more economical to exploit than an existing mine at Saghand in the central province of Yazd.

On Tuesday Aghazadeh also said that Iran has managed to enrich uranium up to 4.8 percent purity, around the level needed to make reactor fuel. That announcement came just weeks after Iran declared that it had joined the "world atomic club" by enriching to 3.5 percent.

This is still way below the levels of purity of more than 90 percent needed to produce the fissile core of an atom bomb, and Aghazadeh insisted that "enrichment of more than 5 percent is not on Iran's agenda".

"Construction work and preparation of centrifuge machines are being done to create a 3,000-centrifuge cascade," he also said.

At present Iran is using a cascade of 164 centrifuges installed at a pilot plant in Natanz. Although Iran is so far only using less advanced P-1 centrifuges, a week ago another nuclear official said that Iran was working on far more advanced designs.

"We have told the [International Atomic Energy] Agency that we are studying and conducting research on different types of machines. We cannot limit ourselves when we have an enrichment program," Mohammad Saidi, also a senior official in Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said on April 29.

"But when it comes to which type we will use, we are still examining this. It isn't the P-2 [centrifuge]. There are other devices that are more advanced and that are a part of our work," he added.

The more advanced P-2 centrifuge can enrich at a much faster rate and is considered far more effective than the P-1 in the production of weapons-grade material.

Iran is suspected of acquiring P-2 devices on the black market network of disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of the country's atom bomb.

Iran claims more progress in controversial nuclear drive

[Soldier4Christ]

Europe and the U.S. Should Agree to Become Islamic or Declare War on the Muslims

It was only a matter of time for this statement to come out. We all knew it was coming.

[Shammu]

The Muslim world's new martyrs

By Richard Z. Chesnoff

   
It briefly made headlines last month when machete-armed Egyptian fanatics attacked worshipers in three Coptic churches in Alexandria and murdered one aged man at prayer. Then of course, there was March — when an Afghan man escaped a death sentence for the "crime" of converting to Christianity. But how many people heard about the recent arrest and jailing in Saudi Arabia of a group of Filipino guest workers for holding Christian prayer services in the privacy of their home? Or who knows about the three Sunday School teachers charged in Indonesia last year with the crime of "Christianization" and summarily sentenced to three years in prison?


The story is similar wherever Sharia — orthodox Islamic law — reigns supreme. From Pakistan to Darfur, Christians have become regular targets for Islamic gangs who shoot at worshipers, then torch their houses of worship.


Even in Islamic countries not strictly run by Sharia law, pressures mount on local Christians to leave the homes they've known for centuries. Iraq's Christian sects, among the oldest Christian communities anywhere in the world, have been directly targeted by terrorist bombs, and Christians are now high on the list of those fleeing Iraq's sectarian strife. Thirty years ago, Lebanon was 60% Christian. Since then, an estimated 3.5 million Christians have emigrated, reducing the country's Christian population percentage to barely 25%. And in the Palestinian territories, direct and indirect pressures have also led to an increasing Christian exodus. One striking result: Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus and once a predominantly Christian Arab community now has an overwhelming Muslim majority.


Few people seem prepared to connect the dots. Some American evangelical groups like the Washington-based International Christian Concern try to raise the alarm. And America's Copts, especially those based in the New York area, actively lobby against the legal and social discrimination that face their Egyptian co-religionists. Yet most mainstream church groups seem to ignore the threat.


During certain periods, Islamic countries did allow "the peoples of the book" to live in relative peace among them. But the rise of Islamic extremism is silencing even voices of limited tolerance. More than 800,000 Jews were forced to flee the Islamic world between 1948 and 1955. Unless there is an outcry against the new wave of discrimination now facing Christians, these ancient communities are also doomed to disappear.

The Muslim world's new martyrs

[Shammu]

Racism in Russia is out of control: Amnesty

By Meg Clothier Thu May 4, 10:29 AM ET

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Racist attacks happen with shocking regularity in Russia and the government is shirking its responsibilities and failing to confront the problem, Amnesty International said in a report on Thursday.

Anyone who does not look ethnically Russian is at risk, the report said, be they an African studying in St Petersburg or somebody from the Caucasus trying to earn a living in Moscow.

Young Tajik children have also been targeted by gangs of young men -- and women -- with neo-fascist beliefs. Attacks on Jews also seem to be on the rise, it said.

Anti-racism campaigners and even fans of rap or reggae music have also suffered, Amnesty said, because the "skinheads," as those with racist views are called in Russia, think they are "traitors."

The report may make uncomfortable reading for President Vladimir Putin as he prepares to host leaders of Group of Eight rich nations in St Petersburg this July to showcase Russia's credentials as a responsible, modern state.

"Russia's record on racism is incompatible with the country's place on the international stage and undermines its standing in the world," Irene Khan, Amnesty International's Secretary General, said in a statement.

UNCERTAINTY AND ANGER

The chaos that followed the fall of the Soviet Union bred uncertainty about Russia's place in the world and anger at the perceived threat from immigration. Racist groups sprang up.

Russia's northern city of St Petersburg is especially notorious for attacks. Last month a Senegalese student, coming out of a night club with a group of friends, was killed with a shotgun emblazoned with a Nazi swastika.

Barely a week goes by without news of another act of racist violence. This week in Moscow teenagers wielding chains beat a Russian man as he tried to protect his half-African nephews.

The report said that the authorities had failed, until recently, to publicly recognize the attacks as a problem, with politicians ignoring the issue and the police either failing to investigate attacks at all, or investigating them inadequately.

People are starting to fight back, holding peaceful demonstrations to condemn racists and commemorate the dead.

"These violent attacks are one of the most visible manifestations of deep-seated intolerance and xenophobia in many parts of Russian society," Khan added.

"Yet turning a blind eye to race hate crimes has encouraged the growth of extreme xenophobia and neo-fascism in the country."

Racism in Russia is out of control: Amnesty

[Shammu]

Iran's U.N. Envoy Criticizes Resolution

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer Thu May 4, 6:33 PM ET

UNITED NATIONS - Iran's top U.N. envoy criticized a proposed resolution on its nuclear program that carried a threat of further action which could include sanctions, charging Thursday that it's aimed at provoking confrontation rather than resolving the dispute.

Ambassador Javad Zarif said it was regrettable the United States, Britain and France were taking a confrontational approach because "there are a multitude of possibilities for finding a peaceful resolution."

"If anything, the draft indicates the intention of those who drafted it to create a crisis where a crisis is not needed, to create an atmosphere of tension which our region does not need, and which can be avoided simply by allowing serious, reasonable, sober discussion," he said.

Under the proposed draft, the Security Council's demand in late March for Iran to stop enrichment would be made mandatory, and Tehran would be given a short period to comply. If it refuses, the resolution says the council intends to consider "further measures" to ensure compliance.

The sponsors want the resolution adopted under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter which can be enforced by sanctions — or if necessary — military action. The draft also includes a declaration that the "proliferation risk" posed by Iran constitutes a threat to international peace and security.

The resolution, which was introduced Wednesday by Britain and France and was strongly supported by the U.S., put the three Western allies at odds with Russia and China, the two other veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council who adamantly oppose strong council action and sanctions.

The five permanent members met Thursday afternoon to discuss the text and agreed to meet again Friday morning.

China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya said there was a better understanding of each other's views but "we have some different views about Chapter 7."

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said the United States is trying to achieve unanimity among the five permanent members and the major issues are putting the resolution under Chapter 7 and calling Iran a threat to international peace and security.

"I believe the resolution does not serve any purpose other than pushing the issue into a confrontation," Zarif said. "There are possibilities for cooperation but this resolution ... indicates the intention of the drafters of the resolution to prevent cooperation and to move into confrontation."

Zarif reiterated that Iran "does not respond well to threat and intimidation."

"I think Iran has made it very clear that we are prepared to move forward with transparency measures. Iran is prepared to a negotiated solution," he told reporters.

Bolton countered that "the only confrontation here is provided by the Iranians. ... If they'd give up the pursuit of nuclear weapons, all kinds of things would be possible."

Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium for a peaceful nuclear energy program under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Iranian authorities say the country is trying to achieve self-sufficiency in the technology despite growing international pressure to stop enrichment because of concerns that Iran's real goal is to produce nuclear weapons.

Zarif said the real issue is not suspending enrichment — which Iran did for two years with no results — but to find a way to implement two pillars of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, guaranteeing Iran's rights and guaranteeing nonproliferation.

"Iran is certainly ready for both these elements and we will do everything possible in order to guarantee them both," he said.

Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said the supporters of the resolution prefer cooperation but the report by Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said Iran had refused the council's demand to halt enrichment.

"We've been on this case for 2 1/2 years," he said. "All the time we were talking, Iran was developing enrichment capability and research and development capability."

Iran's U.N. Envoy Criticizes Resolution

[Shammu]

2 Darfur Rebel Groups Refuse Peace Plan

By MICHELLE FAUL, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 17 minutes ago

ABUJA, Nigeria - Two of the three rebel groups battling in Sudan's troubled Darfur region refused early Friday to sign a peace plan, jeopardizing the accord aimed at resolving a crisis that has cost at least 180,000 lives.

Abdelwahid Muhamed El Nur of the main rebel Sudan Liberation Army walked out of the meeting with negotiators, saying: "We are not going to sign."

The action came shortly after the leader of a smaller group issued a similar declaration, while a splinter rebel faction said it needed time to consult with colleagues in Sudan and would return later in the morning.

The decisions culminated days of intense talks that involved the African Union, rebels and envoys from the United States, the European Union and Britain. Deadlines for an accord were extended twice and Thursday's session went several hours beyond the midnight time limit.

"These are all opportunities, but it requires leadership on the part of the movement that frankly is in question," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told reporters.

He said the meeting would resume at 9 a.m. (4 a.m. EDT) with at least one of the rebel movements. He didn't name the group but it will likely be the splinter faction.

Denis Sassou-Nguesso — president of the Republic of Congo and current head of the 53-nation African Union, said "it has not yet ended."

Earlier, as the talks approached the Thursday midnight deadline, the Sudanese rebels had cautiously welcomed U.S.-backed proposals to salvage the peace agreement for Darfur at the urging of the international community.

Four pages of last-ditch revisions to the 85-page peace plan drawn up by African Union mediators offered concessions to the rebels on integrating fighters into the Sudan armed forces, compensation for war victims and power-sharing. They were presented to the warring parties Thursday afternoon.

But as the session went well beyond the deadline, it became clear the rebels were unhappy with the plan.

El Nur didn't elaborate on the Sudan Liberation Army's position as he walked out.

The other rebel faction rejecting the plan, the smaller Justice and Equality Movement, said that the main sticking point was its demand for the post of second vice president.

"We decided not to sign it unless changes are made," said Justice chief negotiator Ahmed Tugod.

Decades of low-level tribal clashes over land and water in Darfur, a vast region about the size of France, erupted into large-scale violence in early 2003 with rebels demanding regional autonomy. The central government is accused of responding by unleashing Janjaweed militias upon civilians, a charge Sudan denies.

At least 180,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million forced to flee their homes in what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The conflict also has spilled into Chad and the Central African Republic.

The Sudanese government agreed to the initial proposal and has shown increasing flexibility since the United States and Britain sent top envoys to join the talks in Nigeria's capital. A spokesman indicated Wednesday that it could accept the U.S.-drafted changes as well.

"We hope that the Americans' suggestion will be agreed upon," Sudanese government spokesman Abdulrahman Zuma told AP.

The European Union called on the rebels to come to a "definitive agreement," and said failure would be "irresponsible considering the enormous human suffering."

British Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Pearson warned: "The international community will not understand if they (the rebels) fail to take this opportunity to bring peace to Darfur and security to its people."

Revisions to the peace plan made available to AP called for 4,000 rebels to be integrated into Sudan's armed forces and another 1,000 into the police force. In addition, 3,000 rebels would be given training and education at military colleges. The initial proposal mentioned no figures.

The new deal also would provide for rebels to comprise 33 percent of all newly integrated battalions nationwide, and 50 percent in areas to be agreed, notably Darfur.

Zuma said Wednesday his government had considered integrating no more than 100 rebels into the armed forces, and he expected a final agreement to rest somewhere between that figure and the proposed 4,000.

"Through this so-called American initiative, it seems that the government is going to make some concessions, especially about reintegration and disarmament," he said.

The disarmament refers to the Janjaweed Arab militia that is accused of some of the worst atrocities in Darfur. Zuma said Khartoum was willing to agree to the new proposal for a speedy disarmament. The initial proposal was for them to be confined to barracks for an unspecified transitional period.

Other significant changes included giving the rebels 70 percent of all legislators' seats in the three Darfurian provinces. It would be a major concession from Sudan's government but still does not meet rebel demands for the position of second vice president in the central government instead of the proposed special adviser to the president, which would be the No. 4 instead of No. 3 position in the Khartoum government hierarchy.

Rebel negotiators said they remained concerned about security arrangements. The agreement calls for a protection force for civilians but does not detail its composition. They want a joint protection force including rebels and government, African Union and U.N. forces.

2 Darfur Rebel Groups Refuse Peace Plan

[Shammu]

Bush Calls U.S. a Nation of Prayer

Thu May 4, 7:39 PM ET

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Thursday that America's history is inexorably tied to prayer.

"America is a nation of prayer. It's impossible to tell the story of our nation without telling the story of people who pray," Bush said during a White House celebration of the National Day of Prayer. "At decisive moments in our history and in quiet times around family tables, we are a people humbled and strengthened and blessed by prayer."

Bowing his head many times as Christian and Jewish leaders offered prayers, the president thanked those who pray for him, calling it the greatest gift a citizen can offer him.

"In my travels across the great land, a comment that I hear often from our fellow citizens is, `Mr. President, I pray for you and your family.' It's amazing how many times a total stranger walks up and says that to me," Bush said. "You'd think they'd say, `How about the bridge?' Or, `How about filling the potholes?' No, they say, `I've come to tell you I pray for you, Mr. President'."

Bush was careful to also honor those who choose not to pray, or join any religion.

"We are a people united by our love for freedom, even when we differ in our personal beliefs," the president said. "In America, we are free to profess any faith we choose, or no faith at all."

Bush Calls U.S. a Nation of Prayer

[Shammu]

NYC borrows from Israelis to protect airports
1-of-a-kind high-tech system by firm that 'arose from the ashes of 9-11'
Posted: May 5, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern


© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com


LaGuardia International Airport in New York
Nearly five years after the 9-11 attacks, New York City-area authorities are turning to terrorist-tested Israeli technology to protect the region's four major airports.

The new system – to be implemented for the first time in the U.S. – employs a sophisticated "brain" that fuses data from cameras, sensors and radars into one display, enabling security personnel to make quick decisions amid a potential threat.

The small American company providing major elements of the system, 4D Security Solutions, "arose from the ashes of 9-11," said its chairman, Mati Kochavi, an Israeli citizen.

"Our company is waking up talking about homeland security and going to bed thinking about homeland security," Kochavi told WorldNetDaily.

Just two years old, the New York City-based firm is built on the assumption that big defense companies are not as well equipped to react to the new realities since 9-11 – a world of state-backed professional terrorists with more advanced methods, he said.

The Perimeter Intrusion Detection System, or PIDS, is expected to be fully in place within two years at four major airports run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey – John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty and Teterboro.

A spokesman for the Port Authority did not respond to WND's request for comment.

Mati Kochavi

4D Security Solutions will be the major subsystem provider in a team led by Raytheon. Other companies involved are Intergraph Corporation, Mass Electric Construction Company, AMSEC, Louis Berger and Goshow Architects.

About 90 percent of the technology for 4D's system is from Israel, said Kochavi, noting that where terrorist threats are the highest around the world, authorities come to the Israelis for ideas.

"What is special is we have a field-proven technology," he said. "You can find it working in Israel at borders, airports and military installations."

Kochavi explained the system, which enables cameras and various sensors to "talk to each other" and form one readable picture for security personnel, creates a virtual fence.

With "smart sensors" buried underground or underwater, the system can immediately alert security at an onsite command center with audio and visual alarms. The smart sensors direct a host of cameras to focus on the intruder's location so security personnel can identify it on a display.

Kochavi said he could not talk about the cost of the system, but, according to Aviation Today, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey awarded the Raytheon-led team a two-year, $102 million contract to design, develop and deploy the system at the four airports.

[Shammu]

Is coming national ID 'mark of the beast'?
Opposition grows to federal law requiring data-filled card in 2008
Posted: May 5, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Ron Strom
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com


Shirt offered at NO2ID.net.

Is the national ID card the next step toward the imposition of the biblical "mark of the beast" Christians believe will be required to buy and sell during the Last Days?

That's the contention of a growing group of believers who are working to turn back the approval of the Real ID Act by Congress last year. Public Law 109-13 requires the national ID portion of the plan go into effect by May 2008.

"There is a prophecy in the Bible that foretells a time when every person will be required to have a mark or a number, without which he or she will not be able to participate in the economy," states the Christian website NoNationalID.com. "The prophecy is 2,000 years old, but it has been impossible for it to come to pass until now. With the invention of the computer and the Internet, this prophecy of buying and selling, using a number, can now be implemented at any time. Has the time for the fulfillment of this prophecy arrived?"

The site asks visitors to sign an online petition vowing not to vote for any candidate who does not commit to repealing the Real ID Act.

The goal, states the site, which is sponsored by Endtime Ministries, is to get 100,000 signatures on the petition.

On the site is a link to purchase a DVD entitled "666 – How Close? Will the National ID Become the Mark of the Beast?"

Americans choosing not to carry a national ID, the site warns, will be prohibited from driving a car, boarding a plane, train or bus, entering any federal building, opening a bank account, or possibly from holding a job.

"This is probably our last chance to head off the mechanism before it is actually implemented as the mark," states the site in the FAQ section. "It truly may be now or never."

The Real ID Act requires states to participate in a federal data-sharing program when issuing driver's licenses, making those licenses de facto national ID cards.

Touted as a tool of the war on terrorism, the ID card provision of the law, which also includes border-security measures, has attracted the most negative attention.

After May 11, 2008, "a federal agency may not accept, for any official purpose, a driver's license or identification card issued by a State to any person unless the State is meeting the requirements" specified in the Real ID Act. While states can issue non-federal ID cards, they would not be accepted by the Transportation Security Administration for travel purposes, grounding those who don't carry federally approved cards.

The data required to be included in each card are, among other things, the person's full legal name, date of birth, gender, driver's license number, a digital photo, the person's address and machine-readable technology so the information can be ready easily by government or banking personnel.

Each state must agree to share the data on the cards with every other state.

Supporters of the law say it does not require a "national" ID card because each state issues its own cards, not the federal government. But detractors note the cards are virtual national IDs since the federal law has dictated what data must be included and that each state must share its database with the others.

The New Hampshire Senate yesterday voted to reject a bill to rebel against the Real ID system and not participate in a pilot program for which the state had been tapped. The state House of Representatives passed the measure last month, but the Senate instead voted to study the driver's license requirements.

U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., is urging his home state to give Real ID a try, saying it's needed to keep terrorists and illegal aliens from entering the country.

According to the Manchester Union Leader, Gregg argues that New Hampshire residents will find it difficult to get on airplanes or enter federal buildings if New Hampshire doesn't embrace Real ID.

Groups opposed to the Real ID Act are making strange bedfellows, with Christians like those running NoNationalID.com fighting on the same side with the American Civil Liberties Union, which sponsors the website RealNightmare.org.

The ACLU site decries the fact that a motor vehicles department staff person will be required to ask for immigration-status papers from those applying for driver's licenses.

"REAL ID will inevitably cause discrimination against U.S. citizens who may 'look' or 'sound' foreign to a DMV bureaucrat," states the site. "REAL ID requires DMV employees to decide whether someone is a citizen or foreigner before issuing a driver's license. The law demands that DMV bureaucrats distinguish among citizens, permanent resident immigrants and other non-citizens in deciding who is eligible for a license and what type of license may be issued.

"Based on past experience when similar requirements were imposed on employers, widespread discrimination resulted against citizens who 'looked' or 'sounded' foreign."

The civil-liberties group also slams a requirement of the law that some immigrants be issued a temporary "tier-two" license that has a prominent expiration date.

U.S. governors also have come out against the law, saying it is a huge unfunded mandate imposed on the nation's states.

The National Conference of State Legislatures is equally opposed to the Real ID Act, saying, "Federal legislators and rule makers are negating state driver's license security efforts, imposing difficult-to-comply-with mandates and limiting their flexibility to address new concerns as they arise. In other words, decades of state experience is being substituted for a 'command and control regime' from a level of government that has no driver's license regulatory experience."

Endtime Ministries' Irvin Baxter, a radio host, believes the national ID is a precursor to the forced embedding of radio-frequency chips under the skin.

Baxter told the Concorde, N.H., Monitor: "That's where we are headed right now. The prophecy states that you will have to receive a mark on your hand or in your forehead."

[Shammu]

Video Shows Al-Zarqawi Fumbling With Rifle

By TAREK EL-TABLAWY, Associated Press Writer 8 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is shown wearing American tennis shoes and unable to operate his automatic rifle in video released by the U.S. military as part of a propaganda war aimed at undercutting the image of the terror leader.

The U.S. command showed the footage to reporters at a time when it is stepping up operations against al-Qaida in
Iraq and making overtures to other Sunni groups. The Americans hope to isolate religious extremists from insurgents they believe are more likely to cut a deal to end the war.

The clips shown Thursday were part of a longer video that U.S. troops seized in a raid last month. Al-Qaida in Iraq militants posted an edited version of the same video on the Internet April 25 — but without the embarrassing segments.

Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, spokesman for the U.S. command, mocked al-Zarqawi as the previously unseen footage showed a smiling al-Qaida leader first firing single shots from a U.S.-made M-249 light machine gun. A frown creeps across al-Zarqawi's face as the weapon jams. He looks at it, confused, then summons another fighter.

"It's supposed to be automatic fire. He's shooting single shots," Lynch said. "Something is wrong with his machine gun. He looks down, can't figure out, calls his friend to come unblock the stoppage and get the weapon firing again."

By contrast, the edited version which the militants posted on the Web showed what happened only after the fighter fixed the weapon — a fierce-looking al-Zarqawi confidently blasting away with bursts of automatic gunfire.

His fellow fighters and associates appear similarly inept in the newly released footage. One reaches out to grab a just-fired weapon by the barrel, apparently unaware that it would burn his hand. The camera quickly pans to the ground and then away.

"His close associates around him ... do things like grab the hot barrel of the machine gun and burn themselves," Lynch said. "Makes you wonder" about their military skills.

Another clip showed the Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi — who has derided everything Western — dressed in a black uniform but wearing New Balance tennis shoes as he walked to a white pickup.

Lynch said the full video was discovered during one of several raids against al-Qaida in Iraq safe houses in the Baghdad area starting with an operation last month near Youssifiyah, 12 miles southwest of the capital. U.S. forces have killed 31 "foreign fighters" since April and have captured 161 al-Qaida in Iraq officials since the beginning of the year, Lynch said.

He said al-Zarqawi was focusing operations on the Baghdad area, a religiously mixed city where more than 20 percent of Iraq's 27 million people live. Planning documents also seized in the Youssifiyah raids spelled out this strategy, which also involves fewer attacks in Sunni areas.

"Zarqawi is zooming in on Baghdad, and we are zooming in on Zarqawi," Lynch said.

At least 20 people were killed across the country Thursday, including two American soldiers who died in a roadside bombing in Baghdad. Ten people were killed in a suicide attack at a court building in eastern Baghdad, police said, and the military said U.S. troops killed eight insurgents in a gunfight in Ramadi.

It was unclear at first whether the newly released outtakes would reach a broad Arab audience after Iraqi state television didn't begin airing some of them until 1 a.m. Friday. But the station continued to show portions of the video during the day Friday, and it also turned up on pan-Arab satellite TV Al-Arabiya.

The previously posted al-Qaida footage, in which al-Zarqawi pledged his allegiance to Osama bin Laden and mocked the U.S., was widely transmitted by Arab satellite stations.

American military officials said the new clips were released to Arab media but too late for many evening newscasts. By late Thursday evening, the stations had yet to air the material.

U.S. authorities have used selective leaks in the past to discredit al-Zarqawi but with uncertain success. The Pentagon was embarrassed in December when reports surfaced that it had paid Iraqi newspapers to publish propaganda stories.

In October, the U.S. released a letter purportedly from bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, urging al-Zarqawi to expand his operations into neighboring Muslim countries. Al-Qaida claimed the letter was fake.

The Army Times newspaper reported this week that American special operations troops "came within a couple of city blocks" of capturing al-Zarqawi in a raid in Youssifiyah in mid-April.

The raid was carried out by the secret Task Force 145, made up of Army Delta Force, Rangers, Navy SEALs and British Special Air Service paratroopers, the newspaper said.

While the military steps up its hunt for al-Zarqawi, U.S. diplomats are making overtures to other Sunni insurgent groups. They hope to persuade those groups to lay down their arms and support the new national unity government, which Washington believes has the best chance of calming sectarian tensions, weakening the insurgency and allowing U.S. and other international troops to leave.

The Americans have made no overtures to Islamic extremists such as al-Qaida in Iraq and
Saddam Hussein loyalists, U.S. diplomats have said.

In a bid to counter the U.S. efforts, Sunni militants have targeted Sunnis who cooperate with the government, including Iraqi army and police. A suicide bomber killed two policemen and 13 police recruits Wednesday in the Sunni city of Fallujah.

The day before, 10 people died when a suicide driver detonated his vehicle alongside the convoy of the Sunni governor of Anbar province, although the official escaped serious injury.

On Thursday, 10 people were killed and 52 injured in the suicide bombing at a court in a mixed Shiite-Sunni area of eastern Baghdad, police said.

Lynch cited such attacks as part of al-Zarqawi's campaign of triggering full-scale civil war between Shiites and Sunnis: "He's been told by his leadership that democracy equals failure for Zarqawi in Iraq."

Video Shows Al-Zarqawi Fumbling With Rifle

[Shammu]

Saudi cleric sees U.S. collapsing, Muslim victory
Al-Jazeera broadcasts remarks on upcoming 'battle' with 'enemies of Allah'
Posted: May 5, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern


© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com


Sheik Nasser Al-Omar (photo: PBS.org)
In a lecture that touched on the meaning of jihad, a leading Saudi cleric declared the United States is collapsing and Muslims must patiently await their ultimate victory.

Sheik Nasser bin Suleiman Al-Omar said in remarks broadcast on the Arab satellite network Al-Jazeera April 19, "The Islamic nation now faces a great phase of jihad," according to the Middle East Media Research Institute.

Referring to sacred Muslim writings that accompany the Quran, the sheik said, "Whoever is familiar with the Sunna and the Hadith knows that a battle against the enemies of Allah awaits on the horizon, in which the Muslims will be victorious. This is confirmed by the reliable hadiths, as well as by reality."

Jihad is now taking place in Afghanistan, "Palestine," Iraq, Chechnya, Kashmir and the Philippines, he said.

Meanwhile, the sheik asserted to his audience, love for America is "now disappearing from the hearts, within America itself and elsewhere, whereas Islam is growing even within America, my brothers."

"Islam is making steady progress in America," Al-Omar said. "Twenty-five thousand people have converted to Islam every year since 9-11, and an even larger figure was mentioned in the New York Times."

The sheik cited a report "submitted by the American intelligence to the American officials, regarding the religion of Islam, which some think is defeated or weak today," saying Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and Muslims soon will become one-third of the world's population.

He quoted a "U.S. Congressman John Morlan" – there is no representative by that name – who supposedly said: "The 21st century is the century of Islam, which will offer an opportunity for peace in the world."

The sheik added: "There is no doubt that it is Islam that will bring peace, and not the U.N., America, Russia, or anyone else."

Interviewed for a PBS "Frontline" documentary on the House of Saud in December 2004, Al-Omar opposed the rewriting of Saudi religious textbooks to eliminate anti-Western, anti-Jewish teachings, and he was one of 26 prominent Saudi clerics who signed a fatwa saying Iraqis should rise up and oppose the Americans in Iraq.

In the Al Jazeera lecture, turning to Iraq, Al-Omar said that with its casualties, "America is now in a predicament."

"You follow the media. America is looking for a way out," he said. "Yes, I am aware of the harsh reality. I am aware of what is happening to our Muslim brothers in Iraq, and I'm referring especially to the Sunni Arabs, against whom all have conspired and who have been deserted by their closest friends."

The sheik claimed American reports of the number of casualties in Iraq, about 2,000, are false. He cited "one of the news agencies" and "several of Iraq's religious scholars" who claim there have been more than 40,000 American and Western casualties in three years.

Al-Omar said Americans are dumping their casualties in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, prompting Iraqi scholars to ask him for a fatwa.

The sheik explained: "Because there were so many casualties, the Americans began to throw them into the Tigris and the Euphrates. The fish have eaten from the flesh of the American and have gotten fat. Are we permitted to eat these fish or not?' Yes. This is the truth, brothers."

Al-Omar said the "Islamic nation now faces a great phase of jihad, unlike anything we knew 50 years ago."

Fifty years ago, jihad was attributed only to a few individuals in Palestine, and in some other Muslims areas, he said, but "following the events of Afghanistan, the nation has embraced jihad. Young and old, men and women - everyone is talking about jihad."

Some young Muslims today, however, because of their "love for jihad," are getting involved in conflicts that are not properly jihad, he said, adding "all these minor battles, which took place in certain Muslim countries, only delay the victory."

"This diverts the strife and calamity into the lands of the Muslims, instead of aiming them directly at the enemies," he said.

In a June 13, 2004, interview with Al-Majd television, Al-'Omar said "America is collapsing from within."

"Where are America's principles of justice and democracy?" he asked. " … Is America now, with its reputation and status, the same America of 30 years ago – the source of hope for many people?"

Islam is "advancing according to a steady plan," the sheik said, "to the point that tens of thousands of Muslims have joined the American army and Islam is the second largest religion in America."

"Today," he said, "America is defeated. I have no doubt, not even for a minute, that America is on its way to destruction."

But the United States "will be destroyed gradually," he said, requiring Muslims to be "patient."

MEMRI recently reported Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi declared in a speech aired on Al Jazeera that Islam will take over Europe without violent force within a few decades.

"We have 50 million Muslims in Europe," Gadhafi said. "There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe – without swords, without guns, without conquests. The 50 million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades."

[Shammu]

EU Nations Outline U.N. Iran Resolution
EU Nations, Backed by U.S., Outline Security Council Resolution on Iran Nuclear Program
By ANGELA CHARLTON
The Associated Press

PARIS - European nations, backed by the United States, outlined Tuesday a planned U.N. Security Council resolution to give "mandatory force" to the atomic watchdog agency's demands that Iran halt uranium enrichment, officials said.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns dismissed any possibility of direct talks with Iran but said he had not "given up hope on diplomacy." He also predicted Europe would agree within three months to support sanctions against Iran over its nuclear activities, which Washington suspects are aimed at manufacturing atomic weapons.

"Diplomacy has to be hard-edged. Isolation is what we believe will work best," Burns said Tuesday.

"Within a month or two or three, you are going to see international support for sanctions," he added.

Burns was speaking at the start of talks in Paris by envoys from six nations in Paris. They discussed the possibility of a resolution under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which makes any demands mandatory and allows for the use of sanctions and possibly force if they are not obeyed.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the focus of the resolution being prepared was to compel Iran to suspend enrichment activity and submit to negotiations, but it would not seek to impose sanctions.

"We'll see how the Iranians react once there is a Chapter 7 resolution with these demands on them," he said. "Certainly, the issue of sanctions and other diplomatic levers are out there," either through the Security Council, individual states or like-minded states acting together, he added.

The Security Council is scheduled to discuss the Iran nuclear issue on Wednesday.

While the resolution does not call for sanctions, that is likely to be the next step sought by the United States, Britain and France if Iran refuses to stop enriching uranium.

Enriched uranium can be used in the production of both nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is aimed only at producing electricity.

Tuesday's talks were the first since the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, confirmed Friday that Iran has continued its enrichment of uranium. The IAEA has demanded Iran halt uranium enrichment and reprocessing.

The resolution was outlined at a closed-door meeting in Paris of political directors of the foreign ministries of France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China. The meeting ended Tuesday night.

Russia and China, veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, remained firmly opposed to a resolution that could pave the way for sanctions if Tehran refuses to end uranium enrichment.

Talks will continue ahead of a May 8 meeting of foreign ministers at U.N. headquarters, aimed at "reaching a firm decision of the Security Council, addressing a clear message to Iran," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said.

Mattei said the Europeans "would hope to give mandatory force to the resolution, which could suppose recourse to Chapter 7." But he said there was no decision on this point.

Iran dismissed the latest talks and accused the Europeans of bowing to U.S. pressure.

"We expect nothing specific from these meetings. We have already made our decision," said Seyyed Ali Moujani, a top official at the Iranian Embassy in Paris.

He accused Iran's European negotiating partners of "losing their capacities for independence."

The United States favors economic sanctions against Iran and countries that sell it weapons or so-called dual-use technology. Russia, which has arms and technology deals with Iran, and China oppose sanctions or military force and want to focus on diplomatic means.

China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya said he had seen the draft resolution expected to be circulated to Security Council members, and confirmed that it calls Iran a threat to international peace and security and is under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter.

"I think there are some elements that might cause difficulty," he told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. "I think we have to handle ... the Iranian nuclear issue with great care."

A senior Russian lawmaker said Tuesday Moscow will not agree to impose sanctions at this stage, and will reject a Security Council resolution proposed by the United States and its European allies.

Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the lower house of parliament's foreign affairs committee, told Ekho Moskvy radio that he expected agreement on a milder resolution at foreign ministers' meeting.

This could give Iran a deadline of up to three months to meet demands to stop uranium enrichment. If that deadline expires without result, Kosachev said, a new Security Council resolution would be required to impose sanctions on Iran.

EU Nations Outline U.N. Iran Resolution

[Shammu]

What is Jesus doing at a Buddhist-Muslim gathering in San Francisco?

By Michael Buskey, CEO—DM Sourcing
Special to ASSIST News Service

SAN FRANCISCO, CA   (ANS) -- The Dalai Lama took center stage at an unprecedented anti-terror summit with Muslim clerics and other religious leaders from around the world. Tibet's spiritual leader came in response to a prominent California imam's invitation to help form a “United Nations of Religion” devoted to countering extremist violence. Imam Seyed Mehdi Khorasani said the idea came after he met Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso in the US state of Idaho late last year.

Event organizers say the Dalai Lama interrupted his schedule to fly to San Francisco and meet Islamic scholars and leaders from other faiths to discuss reducing violence and extremism. Security was tight at the invitation-only event, which drew about 500 religious leaders and scholars. The conference included speakers and presenters from numerous faiths and roughly 30 countries.

The Dalai Lama defended Islam at this historic religious gathering in San Francisco, saying suicide bombings were tragic “mischief” that could plague any religion. Organizers heralded the assembly as the establishment of a multi-religious body that will work to quell violence and promote harmony between people of different faiths.

After several panel sessions between leaders from all faiths had convened to share their views on faith and compassion, the main event was set for Saturday afternoon. The Dalai Lama and Imam Khorisani hosted the afternoon session where several leaders were given a few minutes to speak before an audience that had grown from the invited 500 to 750.

The audience was primarily Muslim and Buddhist with a few Hindu, Jewish and Christian attendees.

The Dalai Lama opened the session with words of gratefulness to the various faiths and cultures gathered together, noting that this conference was only the beginning of many more gatherings “where we may find a gathering of hearts to bring peace to our world.” After his words of greeting, we heard from a variety of speakers (Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Christian and Buddhist) beginning with the well-known author of world religions, Huston Smith.

“I bring you greetings in the name of Jesus”

The last speaker summed up the day with “I bring you greetings in the name of Jesus.” It was the first time I had heard Jesus mentioned by the speakers and it was sort of a shock. Tim Timmons, a self-proclaimed “stubborn follower of Jesus plus nothing”, said “Since Jesus is not owned by Christians or Christianity, not bound by any system of do’s and don’ts, and not exclusive but all-inclusive in his approach to people everywhere, then it is appropriate to bring greetings in his name at this event.”

Timmons shocked the assembly with “In following Jesus I have come to realize that what the world needs now is not more love.” After a pregnant pause, he continues, “…but more lovers—love in action.” He brought greetings from Senator Pell and Doug Coe to the Dalai Lama, telling of a massive housing project that was built in the Dalai Lama’s community, housing over 1200 of the poorest of the poor in northern India. Timmons points out, “This was a project of love in action—a project with no strings attached—working hand-in-hand with the Buddhist community, all in the name of Jesus.”

Timmons spoke with great clarity in challenging the conference participants to be contagious in spreading peace, love and compassion. He affirmed the Dalai Lama and the Imam for their courage in forging a personal relationship of peace and understanding and challenged the audience to follow this example. He said, “If there are five birds sitting on a log and three decide to fly away, how many birds are left? There are still five! Just because you decide to fly away, doesn’t mean that you will.”

Then Timmons ended his words with a most unusual blessing, “May Jesus fill your hearts and minds with His peace, His joy, His love and His compassion…and may He bind us together in such a way that we might be contagious.”

When asked after the session was over, “Isn’t it a bit unusual to bring Jesus into an ecumenical setting such as this? Don’t you run the risk of offending other religions?” Timmons replied, “Jesus isn’t the head of any religious system or in competition with any of these cultures or faiths. Jesus is far above all that! Jesus stands uniquely in history as the only one to perfectly walk the walk that he talked. Even the Dalai Lama said that he is not worthy to be compared with Jesus…what causes all the problems within the religious systems of the world is the religious extremists, whether they be Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Christian.”

The summit is the first assembly of a “religious parliament” that will meet once or twice annually in countries throughout the world, according to Khorasani. The intent is for religious leaders to unite in dispelling misunderstanding and injustice that breed extremism, Khorasani said.

What is Jesus doing at a Buddhist-Muslim gathering in San Francisco?

[Soldier4Christ]

US football team must keep God off the pitch

An American football team from the bible belt has been prevented from spreading the word of God during a game on Friday.

The Birmingham Steeldogs, based in Alabama, had been planning to carry biblical texts on the back of their jerseys for their home game against Louisville Fire, a first in US sports history.

The Steeldogs' name would be replaced on the jerseys by the Old Testament strongman Samson, the name of a book in the bible would replace the player's name and the number would refer to the chapter and the text. Jersey number 12 would become James, chapter 1, verse 2: "I consider it pure joy, my brother, whenever you face trials of many kinds."

But league officials, based in New York, invoked a rule preventing teams from making arbitrary changes and threatened a $1 000 fine per jersey, and a further $50 000 for conduct detrimental to the game.

Chris McCloskey, of the Arena Football League, which includes the Steeldogs, said on Wednesday: "Teams can't simply modify their jerseys on a whim in any way they want." He added: "This has nothing to do, frankly, with religion. Promotions can't spill on to the field of play."

A compromise has been reached in which the Steeldogs, who play in the minor indoor league, will wear the jerseys in the pre-match warm-up and after-match autograph signing and not during the game. Matt Hooper, a spokesperson for the team, said: "The players had a meeting about it and there were no objections. They were all fired up to do it."

The jerseys have been made by the Christian Throwback Jersey Company, which says it "specialises in outfitting today's Christian with a wide array of religious sports and athletic attire". - Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006