Recently in Islam Category
Just in case you haven't seen it and don't want to mess around with torrent, I've decided to host a copy here:
If you have any doubts about what kind of people our troops face in Iraq and elsewhere.
If you have any doubts about why we have to stay and finish the job.
If you have any doubts about why it's so important to help the middle east join the 21st century.
Don't go unless you can handle extremely graphic images. There are plenty of warnings, please read and heed.
Although if it were up to me I'd make this required watching for nearly every adult in the U.S.
in that it was much more busy than most.
Protests from the left that there is too much war in Iraq, followed by protests from the left that there isn't enough in Darfur.
Colin Powell confirms that different folks have different ideas, and the left goes nuts because the President followed the Pentagon's plan instead of the State department's.
Bush gets lots of laughs from the press, and a lefty comedian's jokes are answered with the sound of chirping crickets.
Iran is starting to fear the UN Security Council, so they're now sqirming to avoid them.
And we've still got tomorrow's May Day to get through as the illegals and their supporters protest for something they had a better chance of getting if they hadn't.
And in spite of all the negativity from the press and the left, we're still winning in Iraq. The goal of having the Iraqis take over their own security isn't yet achieved, but is in sight. And Al Qaeda in Iraq is running out of nutcases willing to blow themselves up.
Next week will have to be busy indeed to top it.
Via AP/Yahoo:
An Afghan court has dismissed the case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity for lack of evidence, an official said Sunday.
The court, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, had been under intense international pressure to drop the case against Abdul Rahman, who faced a possible death sentence for his conversion.
No mention in the article about when and where he's to be released - in the meantime, they moved him to another prison:
On Sunday, he was moved to a notorious maximum-security prison outside Kabul that is also home to hundreds of Taliban and al-Qaida militants. The move to Policharki Prison came after detainees threatened his life at an overcrowded police holding facility in central Kabul, a court official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
But this isn't over yet.
Obviously, this fellow isn't safe in Afghanistan - in or out of prison. If they just shove him out the door into the bloodthirsty mob that clerics have pledged would be waiting for him, then the Afghan gov't has acted in no less a barbarous fashion than if they had carried out their original plan to execute him.
Someone needs to be giving Rahman safe passage to a country where he can be free from religious persecution.
Update: AP reports that others are concerned too:
A Western diplomat, also declining to be identified because of the sensitivity of the case, said questions were being raised as to whether Rahman would stay in Afghanistan or go into exile in a foreign country.
Additionally, it appears that they are using the insanity argument to smooth over the bloodthirsty clerics:
An official closely involved with the case told The Associated Press that it had been returned to the prosecutors for more investigation, but that in the meantime, Rahman would be released.
"The court dismissed today the case against Abdul Rahman for a lack of information and a lot of legal gaps in the case," the official said Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
"The decision about his release will be taken possibly tomorrow," the official added. "They don't have to keep him in jail while the attorney general is looking into the case."
Abdul Wakil Omeri, a spokesman for the Supreme Court, confirmed that the case had been dismissed because of "problems with the prosecutors' evidence."
He said several of Rahman's family members have testified that the 41-year-old has mental problems. "It is the job of the attorney general's office to decide if he is mentally fit to stand trial," he told AP.
On a side note, consider the outrage it would have sparked had this been a muslim prisoner in a western country and the book in the following quote had been the Koran:
He said Rahman had been asking guards for a Bible but that they did not have any to give him.
Update 2: Michelle Malkin has more here.
Via Reuters/Yahoo, here's a story about kites. Apparently, kite battles using metal and glass-coated kite string have caused injury and death in Pakistan.
Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Elahi has upped the ante on the use of banned doctored kite string, reclassifying the act as terrorism:
"Action under the Anti-Terrorism Act would be taken in case of deaths due to ... dangerous kite-flying string," he was quoted as saying.
Since it is now terrorism, some groups have rushed to distance themselves from the practice:
Some Islamist groups have staged protests in the past week after newspapers reported several deaths caused by kite-flying, denouncing the activity as un-Islamic.
Would that they were so quick to protest other less serious acts of terrorism, such as beheadings and suicide bombings. And it's an especially good thing that no one published a cartoon of a kite...
with apologies to Natalie Dee.
Update: Gateway Pundit on other banned activities.
Many in the Muslim world continue to validate the stereotypes depicted in the forbidden cartoons today. Yesterday it was embassies in Syria, today the Danish Embassy in Lebanon gets treated to modern Islam's version of peaceful protest:
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Muslims protesting caricatures of Islam's prophet set fire Sunday to a building housing the Danish Embassy in Lebanon as security forces fired tear gas in an attempt to stop the protesters.
Thousands of protesters took part in the protest but only a small group of Islamic extremists tried to break the security barrier, prompting troops to fire tear gas and water cannons to disperse them, said the official.
Troops also fired bullets into the air and over the protesters' heads. Demonstrators attacked policemen with stones and set fire to several fire engines, witnesses said. Black smoke was seen billowing from the area. They also burned Danish flags.
Here's some pics of folks peacefully expressing their disagreement with some editorial cartoons:
To be fair, there are a few voices urging calm:
Lebanese Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Kabbani denounced the violence, saying there were infiltrators among the protesters trying to "harm the stability of Lebanon." Speaking on Future TV, he appealed for calm and said there were some who were trying to exploit the protests to cause trouble and "distort the image of Islam."
One can only hope that he's referring to the unpublished images widely distributed in Muslim countries for the express purpose of getting just the reaction we're seeing today.
Others in the region engage in denial as to the nature and scope of the protests. For instance, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Saniora:
"Those who are committing these acts have nothing to do with Islam or with Lebanon," said Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. "This is absolutely not the way we express our opinions."
He probably doesn't have cable TV, which has been showing massive crowds engaged in "committing these acts". As for his view that it has nothing with Islam, I suggest he take a closer look at the sign, flags, and garments in the news coverage. Here's a photo of one of the protesters. Three guesses what he's holding, and the first two don't count:
Here's another from other protests in Lebanon today:
Lebanon isn't the only location for protests today. This is the scene in Turkey - the first photo shows Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen being burned in effigy, the second shows a sign that reads "May the hands that reach out against our Prophet be destroyed", the third is a separate effigy burning:
And more burning in effigy in Pakistan - check the size of the crowds:
But of course, it's only a handful of folks who have nothing to do with Islam.
The shameful and inevitable capitulation of governments in Europe to this kind of behavior will serve to spur even more violence in the future - because it works.
For those that dismiss these events as just childish emotional venting, I remind them that the above photos aren't of a kindergarden class - these are large numbers of adults who take to the streets and cheer every time some brainwashed robot takes his own life (along with women and children's lives) in the name of Allah. These are adults who encourage their children to violently hate the part of the world that does not follow Islam. These are the same adults who would welcome the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of each and every one of it's citizens.
Yes, these are sweeping generalizations. But in the absence of proof to the contrary being offered by Muslim leaders, how do they expect the world to see them?
When I see a protest of this size denouncing Islamic violence, I'll change my tune.
When the Palestinian's elected leaders changes it's charter, I'll change my tune.
When Iran's leaders, blessed by high-level Islamic clergy, stops calling for genocide, I'll change my tune.
No matter how offensive the cartoon are (and I agree that they are) nothing excuses the tidal wave of violent behavior we're witnessing today. And you can't blame Europe, either. This is the fault of Islam in general.
Time and time again since 9/11 there have calls to the Muslim community to police it's own. The response has never been more than tepid at best. It's time for the call to go out yet again - can Muslim leaders actually lead?
It's time for the Muslim leaders to show the world what Islam really stands for - are the cartoonists right?
The protest will probably die down in the next week or so. But it should serve as an eye-opener to a Europe that desperately needs it. Are they going to pay attention?
