Iranian President Ahmadinejad Elaborates on His Plan for the Jews to Leave Israel and Return to Germany and Austria
U.S. Backs Israel's Defense, Urges CautionWed, 19 Apr 2006 04:11 am PDTAP - Israel has a right to defend itself but should consider the effect on peace prospects as it weighs a response to a deadly suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, the State Department said Tuesday. Full Story
Pentecostalism at 100: a major religious forceMon, 24 Apr 2006 01:00 am PDT The Christian Science Monitor - As the 1906 earthquake shook San Francisco, another quake of sorts was occurring in southern California - tremors that reconfigured the Christian world. Full Story
Iran Ready to Transfer Nuclear Know-HowTue, 25 Apr 2006 05:34 am PDT AP - Iran threatened on Tuesday to halt all cooperation with the U.N. atomic energy agency if the U.N. Security Council imposes sanctions, warning that Tehran might hide its nuclear program if the West takes any other "harsh measures." Full Story
THE "NEW" GERMANY AND ANTI-SEMITISM
Iran Leader: Israel Can't Contine to ExistMon, 24 Apr 2006 06:51 am PDT AP - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday renewed his criticism of Israel, calling it a "fake regime" that cannot continue to exist. Full Story
Pakistan Won't Speculate on Bin LadenMon, 24 Apr 2006 04:36 am PDT AP - Pakistan has no information on where Osama bin Laden could be hiding, a Cabinet minister said Monday, following the broadcast of a new audio tape purportedly from the al-Qaida chief. Full Story
Abbas Warns Hamas He Can Remove GovernmentMon, 24 Apr 2006 06:14 am PDT AP - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview broadcast Monday that he has the authority to remove the newly elected Hamas government from power, and he warned the government it had little choice but to negotiate with Israel. Full Story
Australian Terror Suspect Stands TrialMon, 24 Apr 2006 06:10 am PDTAP - An architect charged with plotting a terrorist attack once wrote a manual on homemade poisons and explosives and also tried to buy chemicals for bombs under a false name, a prosecutor alleged Monday. Full Story
Century-Old Nazi Propaganda Still in UseSat, 22 Apr 2006 01:13 am PDTAP - A century-old forgery used to justify ill-treatment of Jews in Czarist Russia and widely circulated by the Nazis is distributed even today in many languages to stoke hatred of Israel, an exhibit at the Holocaust Museum says. Full Story
Pope Reminds Jesuits of Vow of ObedienceSat, 22 Apr 2006 11:23 am PDT AP - Pope Benedict XVI reminded members of the Jesuit religious order Saturday of their vow of obedience to the pontiff and said their main job was to interact with modern culture. Full Story
CIA warned Bush of no WMD in Iraq: retired officialSat, 22 Apr 2006 06:52 pm PDT AFP - The Central Intelligence Agency warned US President George W. Bush before the Iraq war that it had reliable information the government of Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction, a retired CIA operative disclosed. Full Story
America's Rude Islamists
Steven Emerson reports on the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS) rally yesterday at the Israeli consulate in New York, celebrating the bombing in Tel Aviv on April 18, killing nine. The event featured such slogans as:
Israeli Zionists What do you say? The real Holocaust is on its way
The mushroom cloud is on its way! The real Holocaust is on its way!
Israel won't last long… Indeed, Allah will repeat the Holocaust right on the soil of Israel
No wonder they call you sons of apes and pigs because that's what you are.
May the FBI burn in HellCIA burn in HellMossad burn in HellHomeland Security burn in hell!!
Islam will dominate the world
This is potentially an important event, for until now, American Islamists have mostly been polite, pretending to be loyal, forging alliances, working the system. This approach sometimes wins them an earful from their more impatient colleagues (I noted one such missive at "Cut the Apologetics, a Muslima Advises CAIR"), but rarely and obscurely so.
The rally yesterday could mark a turning point, when U.S.-based Islamists begin to divide into two, the polite and the rude, those trying to curry favor and those not caring at all what non-Muslims think.
Were that they case, one could see this development as positive, in that it facilitates Americans' understanding the true nature of Islamism; or negative, in that it shows the burgeoning confidence of Islamists, who no longer think they must work within the system. I am inclined to see it the latter way. (April 21, 2006)
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Israeli Tactics My Critics Can Support
I recently wrote a pair of articles ("Israel Shuns Victory" and "How Israel Can Win") setting out what I think the U.S. government should be urging its Israeli ally to do – i.e., win its war against the Palestinians, causing them to give up on their goal of eliminating the Jewish state – and got my share of criticism for enunciating this goal. For example, between them, Israel's two English-language dailies ran three stories lambasting my ideas.
Well, for my critics, I have some good news: Kadima has no intention of listening to me or of winning. At least, that's how I respond to this news report from Arutz Sheva, "Israel Strips Hamas PA Officials of Jerusalem Residency."
Israel has revoked the Jerusalem residency status enjoyed by four members of the Hamas terror group serving in the Palestinian Authority's parliament and living in Israel's capital. Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered the revocation following the suicide bombing in Tel Aviv Monday, which Hamas – now ruling the PA – defended as a legitimate act in the struggle against Israel.
The loss of Jerusalem residency means the Hamas officials will no longer receive money from Israel's National Insurance (Bituach Leumi) and will not be afforded the freedom of movement throughout all of Israel accorded those Arabs holding Jerusalem residency cards. Jerusalem's Arabs enjoy the unique ability to travel freely to all areas of the greater Land of Israel.
Imagine that. Next, Hamas members might lose their bus passes in Jerusalem! Or maybe even lose their day-care center privileges.
The Hamas parliament members are reportedly considering bringing the case to Israel's Supreme Court, which has in the past been sympathetic to Arab wishes to retain Israeli citizenship.
Nice to know that when it comes to their own residency permits, Hamas leaders recognize the Israeli judicial system.
The Justice Ministry has said the government has a legal case but stopped short of recommending the sanctions. The Israeli television program, Mabat, pointed out that the courts might ask the government to explain how it can define the three as terrorists and strip them of residency, while choosing not to arrest them when they had the chance.
Good question. (April 20, 2006)
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Media Admit: No Cartoons Because Fearful of Islamists
When asked why they did not publish the Danish cartoons of Muhammad, American media offered many high-minded reasons about mutual respect and the like, all of which begged the question why many of the same editors and producers thought it just fine to insult Jesus. But two outlets have come clean, admitting their intimidation.
First, the Boston Phoenix, a weekly, on Feb. 10, 2006, which listed the following as the first of three reasons not to publish the cartoons:
fear of retaliation from the international brotherhood of radical and bloodthirsty Islamists who seek to impose their will on those who do not believe as they do. This is, frankly, our primary reason for not publishing any of the images in question. Simply stated, we are being terrorized, and as deeply as we believe in the principles of free speech and a free press, we could not in good conscience place the men and women who work at the Phoenix and its related companies in physical jeopardy. As we feel forced, literally, to bend to maniacal pressure, this may be the darkest moment in our 40-year publishing history.
And now, second, the Comedy Central channel, in a generic letter to watchers who complained that an image of the Muhammad cartoons had been deleted from "South Park" (to get the details on this complex episode, see Michelle Malkin's coverage):
Comedy Central's belief in the First Amendment has not wavered, despite our decision not to air an image of Muhammad. Our decision was made not to mute the voices of Trey and Matt or because we value one religion over any other. This decision was based solely on concern for public safety in light of recent world events.
For good measure, Borders Books also admitted its fears when it refused to sell an issue of the magazine Free Inquiry: "For us, the safety and security of our customers and employees is a top priority, and we believe that carrying this issue could challenge that priority," said Borders Group Inc. spokeswoman Beth Bingham.
Comment: Admitting to intimidation is not good, but it beats denial. (April 20, 2006)
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More Fulbrights for Islamists
In "Fulbright's Terrorist Tie," Asaf Romirowsky and I exposed in October 2003 that the J. William Fulbright Board of Foreign Scholarships had invited to the United States a Hamas figure, Mustafa Abu Sway, then arranged a teaching position for and paid his salary. (I then supplemented this with more information, including specifics from his classroom at Florida Atlantic University, at "Mustafa Abu-Sway, Islamist.") I did enjoy this task of exposure, having been some years back the vice-chairman of the Fulbright Board.
It gave me even less pleasure to read "Fulbright's Terror Supporter," where Olivier Guitta and Ilan Weinglass establish that the board has done it again, this time granting a scholarship and visa to a Moroccan Islamist:
A Moroccan Islamist and apparent terrorism supporter has been getting treatment in Washington D.C. that most graduate students can only dream of. Mustafa Khalfi, editor-in-chief of the Moroccan newspaper At-Tajdid (Renewal), is the recipient of a prestigious Fulbright/American Political Science Association (APSA) Congressional Fellowship. This honor has afforded him the honor of working for Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), taking a course at Johns Hopkins University, and receiving a visiting scholarship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Comment: This mistake fits into a much larger pattern, which I have documented at "The U.S. Government's Poor Record on Islamists." (April 20, 2006)
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Inadvertent Endorsements of Campus Watch
Just yesterday, I published "An Inadvertent Endorsement of Campus Watch," an exposé of Laura Bier, an assistant professor of Middle East studies, and how she pseudonymously bemoans the impact of Campus Watch on her and her colleagues' lives:
I think about the articles I won't write and the book I won't publish if I inadvertently take a wrong step and have to spend all of my time defending my integrity as a scholar and a teacher to the university administration. … I talk all the time with untenured friends and colleagues about how our attempts to be cautious in the classroom too often translate into self-censorship.
Two other inadvertent endorsements of Campus Watch quickly followed, spurring the idea of keeping an informal tab on these as they appear.
Hatem Bazian, University of California at Berkeley: A blog entry dated Apr. 17, "Aljazeera Hosts San Francisco Arab Americans," reports on an Al-Jazeera show:
Dr. Bazian spoke about the pressure faced by professors teaching Middle Eastern politics or history. He said he knew of students in his classroom who attended just so they could write down what he says, essentially spying on him, and transmitting that information to other private organizations. These include the infamous Campus Watch network which was founded by known Islamophobe Daniel Pipes as well as the likes of David Horowitz who recently authored a book entitled "The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America." Both the organization and the book are essentially are [sic] witch hunt against any academic that dares to provide a human side of the Middle East, more specifically the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They want to "black list" these professors, ruin their reputation, and eventually remove them from their positions in some of the most prestigious universities in America. Taking their statements out of context, these Islamophobic pop stars are attempting to muffle dialogue at the most important institutions of our time: universities. Dr. Bazian openly discusses this intimidation and the students also provide their own accounts of such abuse.
Beshara Doumani, University of California at Berkeley: They must really be feeling the heat at Berkeley. The following oped, dated today but reporting on a talk given April 5, comes from "Redefining Academic Freedom," in The Poly Post, the student paper at the California State Polytechnic, Pomona:
Beshara Doumani claimed that collegiate academic freedom is at risk. His point: politicians, not academics, are gaining the power to redefine academic freedom in universities. … politicians, using Web sites and coalition campaigns claiming to fight for academic freedom are actually targeting liberal professors who question and criticize mainstream viewpoints. …
Political organizations such as Campus Watch, an online project of the Middle East Forum, have also reverted to various methods of surveillance to keep tabs on "radical" professors. With a more defined agenda, specifically monitoring Middle Eastern studies, the group maintains and publishes dossiers on professors they feel are radical for providing dissenting opinions regarding our government's role in the Middle East.
Although Campus Watch claims its aim is to improve the state of Middle Eastern Studies, much of their research targets professors providing criticism of the Israeli movement in particular. Doumani is among those professors that Campus Watch is watching. …
In the recent article, "Policing Thought after 9/11," published by the campus newspaper at UC Berkeley, Doumani said efforts are being made to privatize Middle Eastern studies and "establish think tanks that will provide for the press and government a ready stable of ‘experts‚' who can shape knowledge about the Middle East." During the Campus Forum, Doumani made clear his thoughts that sites like Campus Watch are not really out to protect academic freedom at all but are instead "making charges of anti-Semitism when teachers criticize the Israeli movement. They're making it treasonous for professors to question the prevailing reasons."
For the record, I don't believe Campus Watch has called any professor antisemitic nor treasonous, though we do freely point out how many of them seek the destruction of Israel and are hostile to the United States.
These build on earlier endorsements, starting with a purple-prose statement of our acccomplishments:
Miriam Cooke, Duke University: In the conclusion to a lengthy August 2005 article mainly about Campus Watch, "Contesting campus watch: Middle East studies under fire," Cooke writes:
Campus Watch is the Trojan horse whose warriors are already changing the rules of the game not only in Middle East studies but also in the US University as a whole. They threaten to undermine the very foundations of American education. Their project must be challenged.
(April 18, 2006)
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Danish Cartoon Aftershocks
The Danish cartoon saga is not yet finished. Today comes news that the March issue of Studi Cattolici, an Italian magazine close to Opus Dei, published a cartoon showing Muhammad in hell. (The partial version below, without depicting Muhammad, is reproduced from Corriere della Sera). It shows Virgil and Dante Alighieri outside a circle of flames looking down on Muhammad, whose body is cut in half. "Isn't that Mohammed?" Dante asks Virgil, who replies, "Yes, and he's cut in two because he has brought division to society." Virgil then adds: "The one with the pants lowered is the Italian political world bowing to Islam."
The editor of Studi Cattolici, Cesare Cavalleri, said: "I hope the publication of this drawing won't lead to attacks, because if that happened it would only prove the idiotic positions of Islamic extremists. Sometimes a politically incorrect satirical cartoon can do some good. It's only a reference to a passage in the Divine Comedy. In any case, Muhammad was sent to hell by Dante."
What's so striking about this cartoon is its atavistic quality – reaching back to medieval references to make a medieval point. (April 15, 2006)
Apr. 16, 2006 update: Well, it did not take long: "Italian Editor Apologizes to Muslims," reads the Associated Press headline. Cavalleri said the vignette "was interpreted as being anti-Islam when, if anything, it was a denunciation of a cultural identity crisis in the West. In any case, if, contrary to my and the author's intentions, someone felt offended in his religious feelings, I willingly apologize as a Christian." News reports said Cavalleri is a member of the Catholic Opus Dei and Opus Dei on its Web site said it had no responsibility for the magazine and in any case, "we desire to apologize for any offense that was made."
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My FBI Bibliography
What happens when a wonderful and powerful institution is headed by numbskulls? That's been the dilemma of the Federal Bureau of Investigation since Robert S. Mueller III became its director in September 2001. I can't judge his record on other matters, but on radical Islam, the bureau's front office has been abysmal. Here, in honor of the heroically stupid comment by Paul M. Moskal, chief division counsel for the Buffalo bureau (and posted at "Idiots' File) is an annotated bibliography of my writings on this dismal subject, to be updated as needed.
"[The American Muslim Council:] ‘Mainstream' Muslims?" New York Post, June 18, 2002. My first and toughest piece, taking Mueller to task for breaking bread with the American Muslim Council.
"Director Mueller and Mr. Alamoudi." DanielPipes.org, September 29, 2003. With some asperity, I note that the head of the American Muslim Council has just been arrested. In another weblog entry, "United States of America vs. Abdurahman Muhammad Alamoudi," I detail this arrest and Alamoudi's eventual sentencing to twenty-three years in jail.
"The FBI Fumbles [on Gamal Abdel-Hafiz]." New York Post, March 14, 2003. The gross mistakes concerning a Muslim special agent.
"The Saga of FBI Special Agent Gamal Abdel-Hafiz." DanielPipes.org, January 18, 2004. Further information on that Muslim special agent.
"Arab/Muslim Lawsuits v. the FBI." DanielPipes.org, July 20, 2003. Information on lawsuits initiated by Bassem Youssef and Wilfred Samuel Rattigan.
"The FBI's Blindness to Radical Islam." DanielPipes.org, September 18, 2003. My central discussion of this topic, with multiple examples of the problem.
"The FBI Loses Its Way [with Marwan Kreidie]." New York Sun, July 6, 2004. How the FBI awards and flatters someone who would tie its hands.
"Another FBI Award for Marwan Kreidie?" DanielPipes.org, October 6, 2004. More bad news on the same subject.
"George Soros Teaches the FBI Tolerance" (with Sharon Chadha). FrontPageMag.com, July 22, 2004. Reveals the dubious guidance FBI leadership has endorsed.
"CAIR Accepted as ‘Mainstream'." DanielPipes.org, July 30, 2004.
"The U.S. Government's Poor Record on Islamists." DanielPipes.org, various dates. This entry notes several specific mistakes. How the Jacksonville, Fl. bureau received "sensitivity training" at the hands of CAIR. Daniel Roberts, special agent-in-charge of Detroit bureau, explains "Bridges," an FBI outreach program to Muslims. Director Mueller lauds MPAC.
And here are a pair where, concerning the Brandon Mayfield episode, I more happily defend the bureau:
"If You Are Muslim, You Are Suspect." New York Sun, June 1, 2004. Notes some of the circumstantial evidence that made Mayfield a reasonable suspect.
"More Reasons for Brandon Mayfield's Incarceration." DanielPipes.org, September 20, 2004. Provides more reasons why the FBI did the logical and reasonable thing in arresting Mayfield.
(April 14, 2006)
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Saudis Impose Their Way on Westerners
More than any other Muslim people or state, the Saudis insist and get their way when it comes to pushing their mores on the West. I documented many cases at "The Scandal of U.S.-Saudi Relations" and another one at "Saudis Import Slaves to America." Here are some other interesting examples as they pop up:
__________
"Hotel cleans up for Saudis": The Saudi World Cup team will be staying at the famed Hotel Dolce Bad Nauheim in the small resort town of Bad Nauheim, 30km north of Frankfurt, when they arrive on May 27 and take over 59 of the hotel's 159 rooms. So spring cleaning is underway, over a month ahead of time, according to Michel Prokop, 47, the hotel's general manager: "We do have a photo exhibition in the pool area which shows a lot of skin and it goes without saying that it will be removed by then. There are 20 tasteful portrait photos, but out of courtesy there will be no skin and no breasts." The five art nouveau paintings in a theatre by Wilhelm Kleukens feature naked boys wearing wings - and they too will come down. "To avoid all problems, all women staffers are going to wear trousers instead of dresses." The Dolce will make adjustments to the pay-television channels and the mini-bars: "the porn movie channels will of course be turned off," while the alcohol will be removed and replaced with soft drinks. The hotel will set up a separate prayer room and will remove the Bibles from rooms with Saudi occupants. "The whole staff is taking cross cultural training sessions to make them aware of the differences of Germany and Saudi Arabia." All 123 hotel staff members have taken eight-hour courses in sensitivity training and are learning some basic Arabic phrases such as "Hello", "Welcome" and "Have a nice day." Saudi flags will be hoisted atop about 30 public buildings in the town in honor of the visitors. (April 12, 2006)
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Hamas Speaks with a "Forked Tongue"
Count me wrong in one prediction about Hamas. I had figured, given its contempt for Yasir Arafat and his dishonorable ways, that Hamas would honorably stick by its ideology once it reached power, and not follow Arafat down the road of saying different things to different audiences. Yet, according to analyses by Palestinian Media Watch ("Hamas Duplicity: Talk Peace in English and deny it Arabic") and the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs ("The forked tongue of Hamas: How it speaks differently to Western and Arab media"), it is doing just that.
PMW presents a case of Hamas "presenting a conciliatory face to the Western media, while rejecting peace to its own people in Arabic, and even denying that the conciliatory statements were made." The MFA presents side-by-side extremist and moderate statements from Hamas leaders on such subjects as jihad, recognition of Israel, and applying the Shari‘a in the West Bank and Gaza.
Comment: This development is probably due to the quite significant resistance in the West to the Hamas victory, including the withholding of funds and other benefits. I am glad of it but expect this position to erode over time and the Hamas message eventually to return to its former consistency. (April 11, 2006)
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Preacher Zola Levitt dies
Islam is a religion of compassion: Dalai Lama
Iran President: Israel Will Be Annihilated
Some Jews see trespass in Christian Seders
JNW HEADLINE NEWS'Wake up, Israel, we are at war!'Senior MK slams attempts to whitewash 'Palestinians'Israel is at war with those who call themselves "Palestinians," and to attempt to sidestep that fact by pretending most Arabs in Judea, Samaria and Gaza desire peaceful coexistence with the Jewish state is a dangerous illusion that will continue to keep victory out of Israel's reach.
To read the full article, click here
JNW HEADLINE NEWSTerror finds representation in KnessetIsraeli-Arab MKs defiantly meet with HamasStrengthening views that they represent Israel's "enemy within," several Arab members of Israel's Knesset met openly Wednesday with top Hamas officials in a show of solidarity with the terrorists.
To read the full article, click here
JNW HEADLINE NEWSBacking terror is policy for HamasGroup demands Abbas apologize for straying from gov't lineFor the new Hamas leaders of the Palestinian Authority, supporting the terrorist murder of Israeli Jews is a matter of policy, and for PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas to stray from that policy is unacceptable and requires an official apology.
To read the full article, click here
JNW HEADLINE NEWSHamas whines over residency revocationTerror bosses want to have their cake and eat it tooIn lieu of a substantial military response to Monday's Tel Aviv "suicide" bombing and the Palestinian Authority's endorsement of it, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided to revoke the Israeli residency status held by four top Hamas officials.
To read the full article, click here
JNW HEADLINE NEWSLondon yearns to get in bed with HamasStraw softens conditions for official contactsCracks already present in the global anti-Hamas front threatened to become gaping crevices Thursday when British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw declared his government's deep desire for official relations with the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, and indicated London would be prepared to accept only token compliance by the terror group with international demands.
To read the full article, click here
'Fiddler' 9-11 spoof wins anti-Semitic cartoon contest
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