Symposium Report: Part One

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

The information below was the first item on the schedule at today's America's Truth Forum. Excerpt from World Net Daily's article "'American Hiroshima' Linked with Iran Attack: Pakistani journalist who met bin Laden confirms al-Qaida nukes, says they may already be in U.S.":

"Al-Qaida has already obtained nuclear suitcase weapons from the Russian black market, weapons tested in Afghanistan in 2000, and they may have already been forward-deployed inside the U.S., according to the only journalist to interview Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri in the wake of Sept. 11.

"Last week, Hamid Mir's credibility skyrocketed when he accurately predicted in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin and later in WND the imminent release of a new recorded communiqué from bin Laden through al-Jazeera, the Arabic TV network. Two days later, bin Laden's tape was the focus of international news coverage.

"'If you think that my information and analysis about bin Laden's location is correct,' said Hamid Mir, 'then please don't underestimate my analysis about his nuclear threat also.'...

"Mir also maintains that numerous sleeper agents are in place in major cities throughout the United States to prepare for the nuclear holocaust...."

Read the rest here. Mir has already proved himself as a reliable source.

Ahmadinejad of Iran continues his brazen defiance, of which various news reports inform us on a daily basis. And according to this article in the Washington Post,

"PARIS, April 26 -- Escalating the threats between Washington and Tehran, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei [who was exiled as a readical a by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of Iran's revolution in the 1970's!] , warned Wednesday that his country would strike U.S. targets around the world in the event it is attacked over its refusals to curb its nuclear program.

"'If the U.S. ventured into any aggression on Iran, Iran will retaliate by damaging U.S. interests worldwide twice as much as the U.S. may inflict on Iran,' Khamenei said in a speech to a workers' assembly, according to the official news agency IRNA.

"His statement adds to a campaign of defiance by senior Iranian officials in advance of a report expected Friday by the U.N. atomic watchdog agency, which analysts predict will cite Iran for defying U.N. Security Council demands to halt its uranium enrichment program...."

Also mentioned at the symposium were two specific individuals who might have a connection to the above information from World Net Daily. Go here and here to see FBI posters of two men who might be sleeper agents to carry out attacks in the United States; the first man, Adnan el-Shukrijumah, has been termed by the FBI as "the next Mohammed Atta"; the second man, Amer el-Maati, may be one of his cohorts. Whether or not el-Shukrijumah and el-Maati are part of the plot to which World Net Daily alludes, these are dangerous men and need to be taken into custody as soon as possible. Contact America's Most Wanted by emailing to amwcontact@amw.com or by phoning 1-800-CRIMETV, and urge John Walsh to put the pictures of these two men on television so that all of us can watch for them.

The Kennedy Center's planned festival of Arab culture

Always on Watch is more courageous than I - AOW is attending America's Truth Forum, which is being held today in the DC metro area, while I'm too chicken, on account of wanting to hold on to my Federal government job.

I was at Starbuck's this morning (never Caribou Coffee, which is expanding its presence here, including an outlet at Fair Oaks Mall), where I happened to come across a copy of the WaPo's Style section. There was a review of Flight 93 as the major story on the front page of the Style section, and I couldn't help notice the juxtaposition of that with an article on the Kennedy Center's plan to host a festival of Arab Culture in 2009, with assistance from the Arab League, with the vaunted goal of promoting "understanding." Kennedy Center President Michael J. Kaiser said that "the idea starts from my rather naive belief that arts create peace."

Oh brother. Give me a break. On 9/11, nineteen Arab men killed nearly 3,000 people as they went about their business to provide for their families, with the intent of killing thousands more. The passengers of Flight 93 went to their certain deaths, but might have saved many others, by disrupting the plans of Ziad Jarrah and his companions.

Moreover, there is at least ambivalence about the performing arts in the Muslim world (to say nothing about the visual arts), which is why I find the concept of a festival of Arab culture strange. I happen to like "world music" (but not at the expense of dead white man's culture) and have gone to concerts of music from India and Iran. I had gone to a performance on Strings Across Asia at the Smithsonian, featuring music ians from China and Mongolia and Ali Jihad Racy, an Arab musicologist based at UCLA - at one point, he even demonstrated how the Bedouins turned a device used to smash coffee beans (it looked like a butter churn) into a rhythm instrument! One thing that didn't escape my notice is that while the Chinese community was well represented in the audience, there were few Arabs there.

This is one cultural festival we don't need. There have been news reports that terrorists have investigated the use of visas granted for cultural exchange for infiltration. Rather than all these efforts at "understanding", let's stop the jeziya called foreign aid to Arab countries, limit Arab investment in the U.S., limit Arab and Muslim migration to the U.S., and wean ourselves off dependence on Arab oil. The type of outreach that I'd like to see is forceful and effective articulation of our values to the Arab world.

The Moussaoui Trial

Excerpt from Peter Porcupine's blog-article "NOW Do You Believe It?" :

"...The religious zeal of Moussaoui is real, sincere and deadly. If we fail to execute him, it will be percieved [sic] as a signal of our inherent weakness in the Muslim [world], and will ultimately cause the death and destruction of millions...."

Read the full article here.

CAIR And Litigation

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

One of my previous articles reported on the mutually agreeable dismissal of CAIR’s lawsuit against Andrew Whitehead of Anti-Cair. In the April 21, 2006 edition of Front Page Magazine, Daniel Pipes gives additional details as to the sequence leading to the dismissal of CAIR’s case. Excerpt:

"In anticipation of a court hearing regarding discovery, Rubinstein [attorney for Andrew Whitehead of Anti-CAIR] filed papers in the Virginia Circuit Court in October 2005 and December 2005 alleging extensive links between CAIR’s organizers and control group with Hamas and other foreign and domestic Islamists. Among other things, these papers alleged:

• CAIR’s lineage goes back to a key Hamas leader (Musa Abu Marzook), and that CAIR has long been connected with, and 'exploited' the 9/11 attacks to raise money for the Holy Land Foundation, a Hamas front group.

• CAIR is heavily supported, financially and otherwise, by suspect Saudi and UAE-based individuals and groups.

• CAIR states that the U.S. judicial system has been 'kidnapped by Israeli interests,' and claims that anti-terror law enforcement action against the Holy Land Foundation was 'an anti-Muslim witch hunt' promoted by 'the pro-Israel lobby in America.'

"CAIR refused to respond to Anti-CAIR’s discovery requests in its November 2005 response to Rubinstein. For example, it did not admit that Hamas murders innocent civilians, it refused to disclose the identities of its Saudi donors, it declined to answer whether it aims to convert American Christians to Islam, and it avoided questions about the anti-Semitic and anti-American activities of its founder and executive director, Nihad Awad, including his communications with Hamas terrorists, speeches supporting suicide bombings, and advocacy of violence against Jews.

"In March 2006, shortly before a scheduled court hearing to decide on several of Whitehead’s requests (compelling CAIR to disclose its financial data, to answer questions about its relationship with Hamas and other Islamists, and to provide information regarding its leaders’ activities and intentions), the case was settled and then dismissed with prejudice by stipulation (meaning, the plaintiff has agreed to forever drop all of the claims that were in, or could have been in, the complaint).

Here is a list of other litigations initiated by CAIR. The following cases were also dismissed recently — not in the favor of CAIR:

(1) "CAIR vs. Cass Ballenger. Ballenger, a North Carolina Republican congressman, called CAIR 'the fund-raising arm for Hezbollah' and raised the possibility that it would try to blow up the Capitol Building. CAIR responded with a $2 million defamation suit.

"[On April 11, 2006, a] three-judge federal appeals court panel in Washington (made up of David Sentelle, Judith Rogers, and Thomas Griffith) ruled unanimously to uphold Leon's March 2005 decision to dismiss CAIR's case.

(2) "CAIR-Canada vs. CFRA and David Harris. Harris, a former Canadian Security and Intelligence Service agent, mentioned on April 1, 2004, on radio station CFRA's morning show, Madeley in the Morning, that 'there are a number of officials and former officials of CAIR-USA who are now in custody and who are serving sentences on terrorist-related offences, to which. I might add, they have pleased guilty.' Harris called on the Globe and Mail, where Sheema Khan of CAIR's Canadian office writes regular column, 'to at least clarify where exactly CAIR-Canada fits in this larger picture.' On June 24, 2004 CAIR in Canada sued Harris and CFRA for libel.

"[On April 12, 2006 this] case was dismissed…by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice without costs. Harris commented to me that 'CAIR-CAN got no apology, no 'clarification,' and, most certainly, no money.

"He also pointed out that 'CAIR-CAN's rather exaggerated claims of what I said make a nice juxtaposition with its cold dropping of the case. It quite obviously didn't fancy a messy court episode. I asked an important question of public interest, and got a law suit in response. Now, it's time for some answers.'"

These cases — the law suits targeting Andrew Whitehead, Cass Ballenger, and David Harris — seem to indicate that CAIR cannot stand up to scrutiny of its financial ties. Isn’t it time to more fully investigate ties which CAIR appears to desire to avoid discussion of?

Additional information--CAIR's ties to our government--is available here.

Journalistic Standards At Arab Newspapers

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

Recently Fawaz Turki, formerly the senior op-ed columnist for Arab News, an English-language newspaper in Saudi Arabia, was fired from his job because he had criticized various Islamic rulers. His commentary, "How to Lose Your Job at a Saudi Newspaper," appeared in the April 15, 2006 edition of the Washington Post. Fawaz Turki explains why he lost his job:

“…I had committed one of the three cardinal sins an Arab journalist must avoid when working for the Arab press: I criticized the government.

“The other two? Bringing up Islam as an issue and criticizing, by name, political leaders in the Arab or Islamic world for their brazen excesses, dismal failures and blatant abuses.”

As one might expect, much of Fawaz Turki’s commentary chronicles the sequence of stories which led to his dismissal But he also goes a bit deeper to share the underlying causes and the implications of his dismissal:

“...[T]his is not just the story of an Arab journalist losing his job. It is a story with implications for the current American administration's efforts to ‘introduce’ the Arab countries to democracy, of which independent, free media are a major building block….

“Democracy may be a political system, but it is also a social ethos. How responsive can a country be to such an ethos when its people have, for generations, existed with an ethic of fear—fear of originality, fear of innovation, fear of spontaneity, fear of life itself—and have had instilled in them the need to accept orthodoxy, dependence and submission?"

Fawaz Turki’s article concludes with the following two paragraphs:

“In this atmosphere, it is regarded as an example of reportorial acumen to write on the op-ed pages of prominent Arab journals about how the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were the work of Israeli agents, how the death of Princess Diana was the result of some diabolical plot by British intelligence to end her life rather than see her married to an Arab Muslim, how Monica Lewinsky was an agent-in-place, put in the White House by the 'Jewish lobby'—and so on with other infantile whimsies.

“For Arabs, there is still a great divide between word and world. You can embrace conspiracy theories with impressive ease, and be accorded by your editors the right to pontificate about any foolish thing you want, but don't dare write about the malfeasance of political leaders in Egypt and Palestine, or the atrocities of a fellow-Muslim government in East Timor.”

The Arab concept of journalism is far removed from what we Westerners take for granted—logical conclusions based on facts. Under the conditions which Fawaz Turki describes, the proposed propaganda war with the aim of convincing Muslim nations of joining the Twenty-first Century might be a foregone failure—at least in the short term. Even modern Arab newspapers such as Arab News operate on a different journalistic level.

CAIR, Immigration Policy, And Humanitarian Aid

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

The following is from CAIR's web site:

"Action: Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform

"(WASHINGTON, DC, 4/4/2006) - CAIR today called on American Muslims and other people of conscience to urge their elected officials to support humane and comprehensive immigration reform.

"Last year, the U.S. House passed legislation addressing security concerns only. The Senate will be voting on its own version of immigration legislation this week.

"Effective reform will address security concerns while simultaneously reforming our nation's broken immigration system.

"The following reforms should be included in any comprehensive immigration reform legislation:

* A path to citizenship for immigrants earned through working, paying taxes and learning English
* Measures that regulate wages and working conditions to protect workers from being exploited
* A way to keep families intact.
* Security measures that detect and exclude terrorists while respecting basic legal protections such as judicial review and uniform enforcement of laws

"Any measures punishing religious leaders for humanitarian acts toward undocumented workers, such as providing food and water, should be excluded.

"'Anti-immigrant bigotry and xenophobia should not be allowed to dominate this debate,' said CAIR Government Affairs Director Corey Saylor. 'America's laws should reflect our nation's humanitarian ideals and immigrant origins.'"

Contrast the above-bolded text with the following:

"...This approach [relating to Christian missionary work in Muslim nations], even if led by Latinos, still draws skepticism from some Muslims who have seen a variety of methods by Christians seeking the same objective of conversion, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group in Washington.

Men growing beards. Women wearing head coverings. Bibles placed on wooden stands like Korans. Churches built to resemble mosques.

"'It's a new twist on an old approach,' Hooper said. 'They want to appear as Muslim as possible to kind of blur the lines.'

"Hooper said he doesn't believe humanitarian help from evangelical mission groups is unconditional.

"'If the Bible is handed out with a sack of rice, they're going to take the sack of rice and the Bible if their kids are starving,' he said. 'We have no problem with someone coming to a Muslim and saying, "I think Christianity is better." But we object to going into a vulnerable population with a disproportionate power relationship.'"...

Can Christians in an Islamic country openly go up to Muslims and say that Christianity is better? Might want to check with Saudi Arabia on that last one—just for starters. Abdul Rahman also discovered just how free Afghanistan is under shari'ah law; just having a Bible almost cost him his life. See "Shari'ah Law As Civil Law" for a few details on the Rahman case, which had a good outcome only because of pressure from Western nations.

Fox Guarding The Henhouse?

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

The following information comes from the April 6, 2006 edition of the Washingon Times:

"An Iraqi-born U.S. citizen suspected of being a foreign intelligence agent was employed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to rule on asylum applications, including those from unfriendly Middle Eastern nations, according to documents obtained from Congress by The Washington Times.

"Michael J. Maxwell, the former head of the Office of Security and Investigations at USCIS, is expected to testify about the Iraqi case and other breakdowns at the agency to a House subcommittee today.

" Mr. Maxwell will tell legislators that the immigration system is being used by enemy governments to place agents in the United States.

"The suspected agent, whose name has not been released, judged 180 asylum applications while at USCIS, the agency that also rules on green cards, citizenship and employment authorization. ...

"'The immigration system as a whole is so broken that our adversaries can game it,' Mr. Maxwell told The Times when asked about the documents this week. 'I can assure you they're using it against us; they can with impunity.'

"His testimony comes as the Senate debates whether to enact a guest-worker program that would allow current illegal aliens and future foreign workers a new path to citizenship....

"The man has since left USCIS and the United States so Mr. Maxwell closed his investigation. But Mr. Maxwell said that despite his findings, USCIS doesn't even have the ability to go back and see whether any of the 180 cases the former employee approved should be revoked.

"'With no internal audit function at CIS, we don't know who he let into this country,' Mr. Maxwell said.

Doesn't the above make you feel secure?

Allah Snackbar!

As many commentators have noted, the recent Cartoon Rage has pointed out Islam's main weakness: the total inability of Muslims to tolerate any ridicule of their prophet. That's why I like this cartoon so much: it uses the image of Muhammad with the bomb in his turban from the Danish cartoon and it mocks a cartoon of Ariel Sharon eating babies that was printed in the The Independent (UK), the notorious leftist UK newspaper for which Robert ("Hit Me Again! I Deserve It!") Fisk writes.

I dedicate this cartoon to Rocky Omary, Zaki Al Barzinji, Uzma Unus, Imam Sheikh Rashid Lamptey, Robert Marro, Imam Mohamed Magid, Majdi Omouri, and the Muslims in the DC metro area who were hurt and offended by the Danish cartoons.

BTW The original inspiration was Goya's painting Saturn Devouring His Son:

The Islamist Challenge to the U.S. Constitution - Self-governing enclaves

Courtesy of Jihad Watch, this article The Islamist Challenge to the U.S. Constitution from the spring 2006 issue of Middle East Quarterly focuses on the issue of self-governing Islamic enclaves in the U.S. While I quickly got lost in the discussion of law applying to this issue, I noted this detail in the second paragraph:

The Gwynnoaks Muslim Residential Development group, for example, has established an informal enclave in Baltimore because, according to John Yahya Cason, director of the Islamic Education and Community Development Initiative, a Baltimore-based Muslim advocacy group, "there was no community in the U.S. that showed the totality of the essential components of Muslim social, economic, and political structure."

Are there similar efforts in the Washington, DC metro area?

Update: Borders Books & Music caves into Muslims

Update to Northern Virginiastan: Borders Books & Music caves into Muslims:

LGF notes that its readers have received identical replies from "Dan" or "Chris" or "Scott." I couldn't resist replying with some of the details I mentioned in my previous post.

Nonsense from the WaPo

From Dhimmi Watch, Bruce Bawer fisks the Bandar Beacon aka the Washington Post in a review of his book While Europe Slept on the Islamicization of Europe.

More of the WaPo's nonsense can be found in this article A Historian's Faithful Account about Karen Armstrong, who surely ranks alongside Georgetown's John Esposito as an abject Islamic apologist. No surprise, Armstrong has been a featured speaker at Esposito's so-called Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (now officially called the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, although I'd rather call it Weedy's Dawa-ganda Center :-). The article is by Sally Quinn, Ben Bradlee's squeeze at the WaPo.


Abject apologist for Islam Karen Armstrong (Photo Credit: By Helayne Seidman For The Washington Post)

Armstrong reasserts her claim that Islam is not a violent religion, sweeping aside 9/11, Bali, Madrid, the London Undergrouond bomb blasts, and the most recent spectacle of Cartoon Rage. On the other hand, here is what she says about the religious right in America:

Like most fundamentalists, they have a pernicious, horrible, paranoid view of the 'other' ... It used to be that the Soviet Union was the enemy described in the book of Revelation that would bring about the last days. Now, they've switched to Islam. They had to regroup. But you can't equate true religion with hatred.

Here is what Armstrong says about those who follow the "Left Behind" series:

It's a strange thing in this country that people have this view of the world. If these people went to a psychiatrist, they would be diagnosed with a psychological disorder.

I don't believe in the Rapture (and it's disputed among Christain believers), but that characterization could be better applied to Muslims. Unfortunately, too many people have fallen for Karen Armstrong's dreck, including my own father. He's probably watched too many of her appearances on Bill Moyers's TV shows on PBS.

Borders Books & Music caves into Muslims

Those of our readers who follow the blogosphere know that Borders has refused to stock the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine. I was among probably the thousands who wrote to complain to Borders. I did get a response, mimicking the line from its spokesperson:

Thank you for your expression of concern about our decision not to carry the issue of Free Inquiry magazine featuring cartoons depicting Muhammad.

Borders is committed to our customers' right to choose what to read and what to buy and to the First Amendment right of Free Inquiry to publish the cartoons. In this particular case, we decided not to stock this issue in our stores because we place a priority on the safety and security of our customers and our employees. We believe that carrying this issue presented a challenge to that priority.

We value your thoughts and sincerely appreciate that you invested your time to tell us how you feel about the issue. I can assure you that our management team gave careful deliberation to this decision and considered all sides of the issue before reaching this conclusion. As always, we are interested in customer feedback about our choices and while we know you do not agree with our position, we hope you can understand the challenge of balancing the needs of our customers, employees and our communities.

We appreciate the time you have taken to bring your concerns to our attention. If you should have any other questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Best,

Dan
Customer Resolution Specialist
www.BordersStores.com

Borders is clearly concerned about reprisals. That's rather telling, as its headquarters is in Ann Arbor, Michigan, close to Detroit, which has the biggest concentration of Muslims in the US (the DC area might come in as a close second).

Many might have read the email sent by a Borders employee to LGF stating that it is Borders policy to stack copies of the Qur'an on the top shelf in deference to Muslim sensitivities. Meanwhile, our compatriot Dymphna at Gates of Vienna dug this interesting item in her article Borders Pays the Infidel Jizya:

Borders Inc., a subsidiary of global book, music and movie retailer Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE:BGP), announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Al Maya Group, a diversified corporation headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, to establish a franchise arrangement under which Al Maya will operate Borders stores in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries ... Terms and conditions of the anticipated agreement will not be disclosed [emphasis mine].

Mohammed's Believe It Or Else!

Note: If PhotoBucket decides to remove the above image, you can view it here.
To read the introduction to the comic book, go here, and scroll to the bottom of the page.

The author of the above comic book had to go into hiding. From Infidel Bloggers Alliance:

"Greetings,

"It is with great regret that I must go into hiding.

"This is a result of the multiple death threats I have received for my comic book, which depicts the truth about the teachings of the prophet Mohammed. I am earnestly confused about this matter. I have spoken honestly and truthfully about Islam and its teachings. All quotes in the comic book are directly from the Qu'ran and the agreed Hadiths.

"Why does a religion of peace seek to kill me for being honest? What do they have to hide?

"I hope to return when I am free to speak once again.

"Abdullah Aziz (Author or the World Renowned Comic Book, 'Mohammed's Believe It or Else!'"

Three things I've learned from Mohammed's Believe It or Else, according to the author's citations from the Hadith:

1. Once a tribe of Israelites became lost. The Jews were transformed into rats.
Proof: rats drink milk from sheep but not from camels.
(Burkhari, vol. IV, no 524)

2. The majority of the population of hell is female. Also, nobody is more deficient in intelligence and religion than a woman.
(Burkhari, vol. I, no. 28; Burkhari, vol. I, no. 301; Burkahari, vol. I, no. 161)

3. Muslims have one intestine, but those who are not Muslims have seven intestines.
(Muslim, Vol. III, nos. 5113, Chapter DCCCLXII)

Does this comic book mock Islam? Before you condemn the author of this book, read the following words by Ali Sina, apostate:

"Why Mock Islam? Because it is therapeutic! Mocking is a very powerful way to convince those who are unwilling to think to do it. Shame is a great motivator....

"Do not underestimate the power of ridicule. This is not a laughing matter. Mock Muhammad and Islam as this will eventually help the Muslims get rid of their cult. They must feel embarrassed for calling themselves Muslim.

"This therapy works. I have seen it work many times....

"Today Muslims become angry if you ridicule their faith, but once they are free from this bondage of the mind they will thank you for it.... "

Mohammed's Believe It or Else is beautifully illustrated and printed on glossy paper. Get your own copy, digital download or hard copy, and feel free to read it while eating a ham sandwich.

lgf: Abu Ali Gets 30 Years

From Little Green Footballs, lgf: Abu Ali Gets 30 Years, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali is sentenced to 30 years for his role in a plot to assassinate President Bush.

Thirty years is too short. When he's eligible to leave prison, he'll be a relatively robust man in his 50s. Also, if the example of Zacharias Moussaoui is any indicator, there is no effort to disabuse them of their jihadist ideology in prison.

D.C. Sniper Makes A Request

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

When the D.C. Snipers were arrested, mention was made of a "personal jihad." The media hushed that one up pretty quickly.

But in this article from Gates of Vienna, we have the following information:

"During the Beltway Sniper crisis, back in the fall of 2002, a series of articles in The Washington Times described John Allen Muhammad’s conversion to Islam, and his later break with the Nation of Islam (the articles are no longer available, but extracts have been preserved here). Apparently the NOI was not militant enough for Mr. Muhammad, and he left it to become involved with a group called Jamaat ul-Fuqra (Arabic for 'community of the impoverished'), a terrorist organization founded by a notorious Pakistani cleric, Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani."

From today's Washington Post, here is an excerpt from an article entitled "Muhammad Asks to Defend Himself":

"Sniper John Allen Muhammad has written a letter to a Maryland judge saying he wishes to represent himself during his first-degree murder trial because he has "no confidence or trust" in the two public defenders assigned to the case.

"'I'm very patience, now I have no more patience with Paul and/or Brian,' Muhammad wrote in a three-page letter, referring to Montgomery County public defender Paul DeWolfe and Brian Shefferman, two well-respected lawyers. 'All they have done is "lied" to me over and over Can you help me, I knew that I would need to fight in the court room but I didn't know that I would need to do that out side of the court room.'

"Montgomery Circuit Court Judge James L. Ryan filed Muhammad's handwritten letter as a motion and scheduled a hearing for tomorrow to discuss its merits.

"'We expect to fully address the issues Mr. Muhammad addressed in his letter before Judge Ryan,' DeWolfe said yesterday. He declined to respond in greater detail to the letter.

"Muhammad wrote that he would appreciate 'stand-by' attorneys 'to assistance me in mine defence. Not to defend me in mine defence.'

"Muhammad said he has tried unsuccessfully to get his attorneys to tell the court that he wants to represent himself because 'I don't want what happened in Va. on the first day of the trial.'

"Muhammad, 45, fired and re-retained his attorneys during his Virginia murder trial in the fall of 2003. He was sentenced to death in March 2004 after being convicted of killing one of 10 people slain during the sniper shootings that terrified the Washington area in October 2002.

"He is scheduled to go on trial May 1 on charges that he randomly killed six people in Maryland with a high-powered rifle in the 2002 slayings. Lee Boyd Malvo, 20, who is alleged to be his accomplice and who also has been convicted of murder in Virginia, is scheduled to be tried in October...."

Perhaps Muhammad wants to live after all. Or perhaps he's looking for a forum in which to explain his commitment to Islam. Perhaps Moussaoui's model in court has inspired Muhammad:

"Moussaoui Says He Was to Hijack 5th Plane"

"ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified Monday that he and would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid were supposed to hijack a fifth airplane and fly it into the White House as part of the attack that unfolded Sept. 11, 2001.

"Moussaoui's testimony on his own behalf stunned the courtroom....

"Before Moussaoui took the stand, his lawyers made a last attempt to stop him from testifying, but failed. Defense attorney Gerald Zerkin argued that his client would not be a competent witness because he has contempt for the court, only recognizes Islamic law and therefore 'the affirmation he undertakes would be meaningless.'..."

Does a Muslim's taking the oath in a courtroom now mean that his testimony is automatically subject to suspicion? That idea certainly opens a new can of worms!

"Operation First Responder" Needs Your Help

I have previously posted on the topic of the upcoming symposium, The Underlying Roots of Terrorism, to be held in Arlington, Virginia. Find a detailed explanation here, and read about who is not sponsoring Operation First Responder, a recent initiative:

"America's Truth Forum has received a multitude of inquiries from first responder organizations across the country asking if there is a discounted rate for symposium tickets for their first responder personnel....

"Whether you intend to join us on April 29th, 2006 in Arlington, Virginia for the symposium or not, you can help underwrite the admission of a first responder with your generous donation...."

Go here for additional information. Consider a donation even if you cannot attend the symposium.

I will give a full report on the symposium. I will be attending.

CAIR Didn't Win This One

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

Exciting news! CAIR's lawsuit against Anti-CAIR has been dismissed. Below is the announcement by Andrew Whitehead:

Statement By Anti-CAIR’s Andrew Whitehead Regarding Dismissal of CAIR Libel Suit

As you know, the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a $1.35 million libel suit against me because I made the following statements:

• “Let there be no doubt that CAIR is a terrorist supporting front organization that is partially funded by terrorists, and that CAIR wishes nothing more than the implementation of Sharia law in America.”

• CAIR is an “organization founded by Hamas supporters which seeks to overthrow Constitutional government in the United States and replace it with an Islamist theocracy using our own Constitution as protection.”

• “ACAIR reminds our readers that CAIR was started by Hamas members and is supported by terrorist supporting individuals, groups and countries.”

• “Why oppose CAIR? CAIR has proven links to, and was founded by, Islamic terrorists. CAIR is not in the United States to promote the civil rights of Muslims. CAIR is here to make radical Islam the dominant religion in the United States and convert our country into an Islamic theocracy along the lines of Iran. In addition, CAIR has managed, through the adroit manipulation of the popular media, to present itself as the ‘moderate' face of Islam in the United States. CAIR succeeded to the point that the majority of its members are not aware that CAIR actively supports terrorists and terrorist supporting groups and nations. In addition, CAIR receives direct funding from Islamic terrorists supporting countries.”

• “CAIR is a fundamentalist organization dedicated to the overthrow of the United States Constitution and the installation of an Islamic theocracy in America.”...

The parties in CAIR's lawsuit have settled. And check this out:

"The policies and procedures of Anti-CAIR (ACAIR) have not changed in any way as a result of the CAIR lawsuit settlement. ACAIR, and ACAIR’s founder, Andrew Whitehead, will continue to work to expose and present to interested parties any information regarding CAIR that they feel is of importance."

I have previously written about CAIR, here and here.

Work Starts on Islamic High School

Work Starts on Islamic High School

Work Starts on Islamic High School
Nation's Reaction to 9/11 Spurred Annapolis Group's Idea for Expanded Mission

By Daniel de Vise
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 20, 2006; B02

Construction has begun on a 20-acre campus near Annapolis that will house an Islamic high school, a television station, athletic facilities and eventually a college, according to project directors.

Mohammad Arafa, executive director of the Islamic Society of Annapolis, said the Mekkah Learning Center will be the first Islamic high school in the region. Work will progress on the $8 million project only as fast as donations permit; religious law forbids the society to take out a loan with interest.

The school will complement two established Islamic schools in the region, Al-Huda School in College Park and Al-Rahmah School in Baltimore, each serving a few hundred students up to the middle-school grades. Arafa said he has the support of 22 Muslim leaders across Maryland.

He envisions the campus as a means "to help our children to be Americans and Muslims without having to compromise their identity" and as a place where Muslims and non-Muslims can gather to bridge their differences.

He hopes there will not be a fight. Islamic schools and mosques have engendered fear and suspicion across the Washington region, both before and since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, whose creators purported to be acting in Allah's name.

Perhaps the most explosive case, which preceded the 2001 attacks, was a proposed $80 million complex for the Islamic Saudi Academy in Ashburn. Partly financed by the government of Saudi Arabia, the project thoroughly divided the community in 1998. Some residents said the school, given its backing, might pose a security risk.

Protest later subsided, but in 2004, academy officials decided not to pursue the project, according to Dave Kovalik, school spokesman. The academy serves 1,000 students in preschool through grade 12 at campuses in Burke and Alexandria. It is the only accredited Islamic high school program in the Washington-Baltimore region, Kovalik said. Some students travel from as far as Waldorf.

Arafa said the idea for the Mekkah school took root in the 2001 attacks and the resulting need for Muslims in Maryland to express the peaceful nature of their faith. A release for the new school states that "it is imperative that area Muslims get the message out as to the true peaceful nature of Islam."

He recalls fielding 106 telephone calls after Sept. 11; 104 were supportive, and two were not.

But when he learned last year that the Islamic Society's lease in a strip mall on Forest Drive would not be renewed because of parking concerns, Arafa found the search for a new home to be an exercise in rejection. Arafa said at least eight prospective landlords turned him away after learning the identity of the tenant. Mosques and Islamic schools nationwide have been victims of anti-Muslim vandalism and other hate crimes, as well as allegations that their facilities are harboring terrorists.

"They turn around, as soon as they find out who it is, and say, 'Sorry, we don't want you,' " said Martha Scott, a spokeswoman for the society, which offers prayer services for a congregation of about 250 families.

The nascent school garnered its first publicity early this month, in a write-up in the Annapolis newspaper. Afterward, neither the county nor the society received any complaints, officials said, an encouraging sign. Scott said the news coverage even improved the group's reception as a prospective tenant, with some landlords indicating that they wanted to reconsider the society's application. The society will maintain its headquarters at a separate location.

When Arafa first saw the Millersville property and learned that the asking price for the prospective campus was $550,000, he told the real estate agent that the society could never afford it: "First of all, we don't deal with interest. Second of all, we are broke. Third of all, we don't have assets."

Much to his surprise, the seller agreed to an interest-free installment plan. About two-thirds of the purchase price has been paid, he said.

Arafa cannot predict when classes will begin on the site, southwest of where Crain Highway meets Interstate 97. The next wave of fundraising will pay for grading work and a septic system. School organizers hope they can offer classes in fall.

The first building will house a prayer hall, assembly rooms and space for two ninth-grade classes, one for boys and one for girls. Arafa hopes to add one grade each year, eventually serving 250 to 300 students. Plans call for 171,000 square feet of building space.

If all goes as planned, he said, the school will be a place "where you can give me the child at 3 years old and he can finish with a PhD."

Shama Farooq, civil rights director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for Maryland and Virginia, said Arafa is probably correct in predicting that the school will draw students from the broader Baltimore-Washington region.

"Obviously, people are sending their children to Islamic middle schools, and they're trying to find Islamic high schools as well," she said. "I know of people who drive their children 30, 40 miles to private schools."

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

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