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Stop the presses: Sharia law hinders Bahrain’s adherence to convention banning discrimination against women

And what is particularly useful and revealing in this article is the item-by-item description of the Sharia-based objections. "Call to review women's rights," by Rebecca Torr for Gulf Daily News, August 24:

Bahrain could be forced to pass a family law and other new regulations if the country lifts reservations it has to a UN convention on discrimination against women, say campaigners.

Bahrain joined the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 2002, but submitted several reservations due to conflict with Sharia law, traditions and Islamic principles.

Since then women's activists and human rights groups have been campaigning for Bahrain to lift these reservations, saying women were still getting a raw deal.

"The implementation of CEDAW in Bahrain is not at the level it should be," Awal Women's Society and Bahrain Human Rights Society member and former president Dr Sabika Al Najjar told the GDN.

"If CEDAW is implemented in the correct way it means the state should review all the laws and regulations regarding women's rights to see which points are discriminatory and then they should implement new regulations for women.

"It should reform justice in education, health, at work and in issuing the family law.

"It should also make sure people and society are aware and convinced of the treaties and any social discrimination should be removed.

"I believe any development of women and any change in their status will develop the whole of the society because women are vital - they are the centre of the family."

Bahrain has five reservations on the optional protocol of the CEDAW, which refer to articles two, nine, 15, 16 and 29.

- Article two, paragraph two, states that a country should condemn all types of discrimination against women

- Article nine, paragraph two, states that women should enjoy the same rights as men in terms of giving citizenship to their children

- Article 15, paragraph four, states that women should be given the same rights as men in choosing their homes

- Article 16 states the need to provide equal marital rights for females and males, particularly in marriage contracts, raising children and custody

- Article 29, paragraph one, relates to disputes between two state parties.

Lifting these reservations could mean Bahrain would have to finally introduce a family law, which would stipulate in writing how family issues such as divorces and child custody cases should be resolved.

Such cases are currently handled by the Sharia Court, in which Sharia judges reach decisions based on their own interpretation of Islam - with critics saying they often favour men over women.

Funny how that keeps happening.

Objections

A draft family law was supposed to be drawn up by parliament in 2006, but it never saw light after Islamic clergymen voiced their objections....

Senator Barack Obama and DNC called upon to ‘un-invite’ and denounce Ingrid Mattson

Update to this story. "DNC Invites Radical Islamic Speaker to 'Interfaith' Gathering," from CNW, August 24:

Contact: Meredith Turney, 208-659-1057; www.WatchObsession.org

DENVER, August 24 /Christian Newswire/ -- Kicking off their week of inclusion at the Democratic National Convention, the party will host its first-ever "interfaith gathering" on Sunday afternoon at the Colorado Convention Center. However, among its featured speakers will be Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

The ISNA is suspected of having ties to radical terrorism organizations worldwide. In fact, the ISNA is an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror funding case. ISNA is also supported by the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical organization that calls on Muslim organizations in America to dedicate themselves to "a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands ... so that ... God's religion [Islam] is made victorious over all other religions."

"National security is supposed to be a major theme for the Democratic National Convention-especially with Joe Biden now Obama's running mate," explained Tom Trento, director of the Watch Obsession Citizen Education Program. "Inviting a speaker with documented ties to extremist terrorists makes a complete mockery of this emphasis on national security."

"Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and the Democratic Party should not allow an individual who sympathizes with murderous terrorists to speak at a peaceful interfaith gathering," continued Trento. "It's shocking that leaders such as Colorado Governor Bill Ritter are willing to share the stage with someone who at best tolerates extremists who wan[t] to destroy his constituents."

“My dad said he’ll kill me for defying him”: Another child bride in Yemen

Speaking of child marriage, this article claims: "The ruling [in Yemen] abides by an interpretation of the Koran that claims there is no prescribed age for marriage."

We're told it's "an interpretation" of the Qur'an, but that wording stops deliberately short of evaluating the interpretation or even examining the text that is at issue. Qur'an 65:4 says, "Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period, if ye have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no courses (it is the same)..." Thus, the same waiting period allowed to establish possible pregnancy in the wake of divorce applies to those who have not yet menstruated. And of course, there is also the example of Muhammad himself, who consummated his marriage to Aisha when she was nine.

"Yemen confronts plight of child brides," by Ginny Hill for the Christian Science Monitor, August 22:

Sanaa, Yemen - Two months ago, at the start of the school vacation, 12-year-old Reem was forced to marry her 30-year-old cousin.

"While my hair was styled for the ceremony, I thought of ways to set fire to my wedding dress," she says. "When I protested, my dad gagged me and tied me up. After the wedding, I tried to kill myself twice."

Reem is the latest child bride to run from her husband's arms into the media spotlight. But she is not the youngest girl to escape from domestic violence and sexual abuse in recent months. This spring, 9-year-old Arwa and 10-year-old Nujood became the first "tiny voices" to alert the world to Yemen's widespread practice of child marriage.

The girls' stories have instigated a campaign against the practice, which is believed to be a consequence of widespread poverty as parents unable to provide for their children give, and in some cases sell, them into matrimony.

According to estimates based on surveys by university researchers and development agencies, half of all brides in Yemen are age 18 or younger. But there are no reliable national figures.

Child brides are prevalent in Yemen because the minimum marriage age of 15 was revoked a decade ago to allow parents to decide when their daughters should marry. The ruling abides by an interpretation of the Koran that claims there is no prescribed age for marriage.

Deep-rooted traditions also play a role. "Early marriages are universal in Yemen because of the cultural premium placed on shaping a young bride to meet the husband's needs," explains Naseem ur-Rehman, the chief of communications for the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Yemen.

Parliament is considering a proposal to re-instate a legal minimum, setting the age at 18. But some lawmakers remain opposed on religious grounds. "Yemenis follow established customs more closely than the law," says Ahmed al-Gorashi, chairman of the child-protection charity Seyaj. "Tribal leaders and imams have more influence than the state. But it's important to amend our marriage laws to create a benchmark. We need a new place to start from."

As reported here, the proposal to reinstate a minimum age has been awaiting debate in the Yemeni parliament since 2000. Meanwhile, how many more Yemeni girls born in 2000 are already married?

Yemeni women are the most vulnerable

UNICEF warns that soaring inflation rates and high food prices threaten to turn increasing numbers of young girls into child brides, as families struggle to survive.

"There's an avalanche of factors working against the girl child. We should be on a war footing ... to save young girls from the inferno of child marriage," says Mr. Rehman.

He explains that the phenomenon of child marriage transcends the urban-rural divide and cuts across economic categories. "Even powerful families arrange alliance marriages by bartering their daughters into the power structures at an early age, but girls from the poorest families are most at risk," he says. [...]

"The cards are stacked against the girl child, and those shuffling the cards don't even understand the risks to their sisters and daughters," adds Rehman.

Or perhaps they simply don't care.

Pregnant women in Yemen are at high risk of dying during childbirth. Early marriage contributes to this problem, as teenage mothers are five times more likely to die from complications during labor than women giving birth in their twenties, says Rehman.

No support after divorce

Reem, Arwa, and Nujood have broken free from unwanted marriages, but their lives have become a spectacle and they are still struggling to adjust. Front-page coverage has provoked a much-needed national debate about a taboo practice. But it has also left the girls exposed in a culture where women are veiled and marriage is treated as a private matter.

"They're all very confused," says Yemen Times editor Nadia Saqqaf, whose newspaper first reported the girls' stories. "They don't know if they are girls or women." [...]

Meanwhile, Reem is still waiting for a judge to grant her divorce. The judge claims that Reem, as a minor, is unable to decide what is best for herself and must wait until she is 15 to see if she still wants a divorce. Reem's lawyer is currently appealing the verdict.

For now, Reem is at her mother's apartment. Her parents are separated; her mother did not have prior knowledge of the arranged marriage. Reem's father has threatened to kidnap her. "My dad said he'll kill me for defying him, but I want to go back to school. I'm too young for the responsibility of marriage," she says.

Saudi Court will hear 8-year-old girl’s divorce case

Muhammad married Aisha when she was six and consummated the marriage when she was nine. His example in all things is considered normative in the Islamic world. Sharia Alert: "Court to consider divorce for 8-year-old girl," from Agence France-Presse, August 24 (thanks to all who sent this in):

A SAUDI court will next month hear a plea for divorce from an eight-year-old girl married off by her father to a man in his fifties, the Arabic-language daily Al-Watan reported today.

It said the girl's mother had filed the divorce case with the court at Unayzah 220km north of Riyadh, and cited lawyer Abdullah Jtili as saying the father had arranged the marriage without telling the girl....

But the daily also reported that the husband had refused to renounce the marriage, saying that he had not done anything illegal.

And of course, he hadn't.

Arranged marriages involving pre-adolescents are occasionally reported in the Arabian Peninsula, including in the ultra-conservative Saudi kingdom where the strict conservative Wahabi version of Sunni Islam holds sway and polygamy is common.

In Yemen in April, another girl aged eight was granted a divorce after her unemployed father forced her to marry a man of 28.

Bahrain: judge “powerless” to keep kidnapper father locked up

Since tribal loyalties are far more powerful than the rule of law. Not to mention, in Islam, the law often works in favor of the man, even in child custody cases. Hence, this "powerless judge" (another oxymoron made possible by Dar al-Islam). Update on this story. "Group to help custody mum," by Geoffrey Bew, for the Gulf Daily News, August, 23:

A SUPPORT group is to be set up to help a Filipino mother at the centre of a tug-of-love custody battle.

Suzanne Baldago, who is spearheading the initiative, said several parents had already promised to be part of the group, which aims to create a network of people sympathetic to Lecita Flores' cause.

They plan to provide her with financial and practical support such as donating funds towards her legal fees, providing transportation and translating documents from Arabic to English.

Ms Flores has been battling for custody of her daughter Sarah, now aged five, through the courts in Kuwait and Bahrain since 2004.

She was granted custody of the child during a Sharia Court hearing in March, but her ex-husband refused to hand the child over - despite four court orders obliging him to do so.

He eventually did and was granted visitation rights, but failed to return Sarah after taking her for a visit.

In June, the Execution Court also ordered Sarah be returned to her after the girl's father was arrested for breaching his visitation rights.

However, he was freed following a Sharia Court hearing at the Justice Ministry in Manama last month, despite refusing to reveal his daughter's whereabouts.

The judge said he was powerless to keep the father locked up and told the mother she would have to file another criminal case against him.

Ms Baldago, a Filipina married to a Bahraini with three children, said she was touched by the plight of Ms Flores and a sense of injustice in the case.

"I just feel this case has been dragging on for a long time and nothing has happened, even though the judgement was given in her favour," she told the GDN.[...]

Ms Flores, 42, first raised a case against her ex-husband in Kuwait, where the couple met and married.

The Kuwait Sharia Court granted her full custody of her daughter after he fled to Bahrain with Sarah, telling Ms Flores later that he had divorced her and was keeping Sarah.

When she followed him to Bahrain in November 2004, she was told she had to file a case here as the Kuwaiti ruling did not apply.

Ms Flores' ex-husband had also earlier broken a court order in 2005 and fled with the child to Qatar, where he has relatives.

But he was persuaded to return several months later after the intervention of Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS), which threatened him with a kidnapping charge.

Anyone interested in joining the support group can contact Ms Baldago on 36323020 or via e-mail at sanzue@hotmail.com.

Senior citizen to be put to death if he doesn’t divorce 76 of his 80 wives

Update to this story. "Death verdict for man with 80 wives," from SMH.com, August 23:

LAGOS: An Islamic body in Nigeria has issued a death sentence on a man who married 80 women against the maximum of four allowed by Islam, The Guardian reported yesterday.

Jamatu Nasril Islam said in a statement that Mohammadu Bello Masaba from the central Niger state stood condemned to death unless he divorced 76 of the women in four days.

"Unless Masaba repents within four days and take only four wives from the herd he remains condemned to death, according to sharia law," the statement said.

"Any Muslim who married more than the approved number of wives at a time either by mistake or out of ignorance is instructed to choose but only four and ask for Allah's forgiveness," Jamatu Nasril Islam said.

Indonesia warns about upcoming German conference, insisting that there must “be sensitivity because such an event will only worsen misunderstanding”

Not to mention lead to Muslim riots meant to demonstrate that Islam is a religion of peace. Update to this story. "Anti-Islam congress counterproductive to interfaith dialogs," from Antara News, August 22:

Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - Indonesia, the world`s largest Moslem country, considers the pro-Koln group`s plan to hold an anti-Islam congress in Cologne, Germany, on Sept 19-20 to be counterproductive to interfaith dialogs, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

"Any plan to organize an anti-Islam congress would be counter-productive to interfaith dialogs which also involve European nations," Teuku Faizasyah said on Thursday.

The Indonesian government, along with other ASEAN members and other countries through bilateral relations had been active in holding interfaith and cultural dialogs to solve differences and avoid misunderstanding, he said.

"We hope there will be sensitivity (on the part of the congress` organizing committee) because such an event will only worsen misunderstanding," he said.[...]

Last week, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) expressed deep concern about the plan to organize the anti-Islam congress.

In its written statement, the OIC said the aim of the congress is to raise anti-Muslim sentiments in Europe which will eventually threaten peace and harmony among the Europeans.

The OIC also expressed hope that all elements of the community in Germany and the rest of Europe would be strongly opposed to the planned congress and reject hatred and racism.

Italy’s former Prez admits they tried to bribe jihadists and buy safety

And it didn't work, of course. It never does. Aethelred the Unready Alert: "Italy's ex-president admits terror deal," from the Jerusalem Post, August 19 (thanks to all who sent this in):

A former Italian president says his country had allowed Palestinian terror groups to roam free in exchange for not attacking Italian targets.

Francesco Cossiga's admission confirmed claims of such a deal revealed last week in an interview in the Corriere della Sera newspaper with Bassam Abu Sharif, the former chief of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

In a letter published Aug. 15 in Corriere della Sera, Cossiga described a "secret 'non-belligerence pact' between the Italian state and Palestinian resistance organizations, including terrorist groups" such as the PFLP. The deal, he said, had been devised by Prime Minister Aldo Moro, who in 1978 was kidnapped and assassinated by the Italian terror group the Red Brigades.

Nonetheless, there were several major Palestinian terror attacks on Italian targets in the 1970s and 1980s. They included attacks on Rome's airport and main synagogue, and the hijacking of the cruise ship the Achille Lauro cruise ship....

Italy’s former Prez admits they tried to bribe jihadists and buy safety

And it didn't work, of course. It never does. Aethelred the Unready Alert: "Italy's ex-president admits terror deal," from the Jerusalem Post, August 19 (thanks to all who sent this in):

A former Italian president says his country had allowed Palestinian terror groups to roam free in exchange for not attacking Italian targets.

Francesco Cossiga's admission confirmed claims of such a deal revealed last week in an interview in the Corriere della Sera newspaper with Bassam Abu Sharif, the former chief of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

In a letter published Aug. 15 in Corriere della Sera, Cossiga described a "secret 'non-belligerence pact' between the Italian state and Palestinian resistance organizations, including terrorist groups" such as the PFLP. The deal, he said, had been devised by Prime Minister Aldo Moro, who in 1978 was kidnapped and assassinated by the Italian terror group the Red Brigades.

Nonetheless, there were several major Palestinian terror attacks on Italian targets in the 1970s and 1980s. They included attacks on Rome's airport and main synagogue, and the hijacking of the cruise ship the Achille Lauro cruise ship....

Italy’s former Prez admits they tried to bribe jihadists and buy safety

And it didn't work, of course. It never does. Aethelred the Unready Alert: "Italy's ex-president admits terror deal," from the Jerusalem Post, August 19 (thanks to all who sent this in):

A former Italian president says his country had allowed Palestinian terror groups to roam free in exchange for not attacking Italian targets.

Francesco Cossiga's admission confirmed claims of such a deal revealed last week in an interview in the Corriere della Sera newspaper with Bassam Abu Sharif, the former chief of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

In a letter published Aug. 15 in Corriere della Sera, Cossiga described a "secret 'non-belligerence pact' between the Italian state and Palestinian resistance organizations, including terrorist groups" such as the PFLP. The deal, he said, had been devised by Prime Minister Aldo Moro, who in 1978 was kidnapped and assassinated by the Italian terror group the Red Brigades.

Nonetheless, there were several major Palestinian terror attacks on Italian targets in the 1970s and 1980s. They included attacks on Rome's airport and main synagogue, and the hijacking of the cruise ship the Achille Lauro cruise ship....

Saudis: Jews give you cancer!

Our Friends and Allies the Saudis Update: "Saudis warn: Israeli products cancerous," by Rachelle Kliger for the Media Line News Agency, August 21 (thanks to Writer Mom):

Saudi trade officials are warning against what they claim to be cancerous products made in Israel and other countries that are allegedly being smuggled into the kingdom.

The Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry said smugglers are bringing in the products through Djibouti, Yemen and Somalia. The chamber was urging importers and traders to be watchful regarding this merchandise.

The products, said to be manufactured in Israel, China and Taiwan, include pesticides, agricultural fertilizers, children's toys, canned foods, perfumes, cigarettes, juices and candy.

Israel and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations.

Last month the Saudi Interior Ministry said it had information that smugglers on the coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula were bringing in illegal and fake products.

Saudi authorities were asking importers to take the necessary steps to stop Israeli products from entering the kingdom.

An unnamed official from the Israeli trade industry told The Media Line that the rumors of carcinogenic products being smuggled from Israel into Saudi Arabia were "improbable."

"Every so often we see reports of this kind in the Saudi media. I believe it's part of the Saudi demonization of relations with Israel," the source said....

Uh, yeah.

Nigerian Muslim boasts, “A man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them”

You know it's bad when, of all things, an Islamic authority asserts you have one too many wives. "Nigerian faces death for 86 wives," from the BBC, August 21:

Nigeria's Islamic authority has told the man who has 86 wives to choose only four and repent within three days or else he will be sentenced to death.

The Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI) passed their verdict on Mohammed Bello Abubakar, 84, according to Sharia law.

This comes two weeks after the Nigerian press and the BBC reported on the case.

Talking to the media then, Mr Abubakar challenged Muslim scholars, saying there is no punishment stated in the Koran for having more than four wives.

However, Mr Abubakar advised other men not to follow his example and marry 86 women.

No limit

The former teacher and Muslim preacher lives in Niger State with his wives and at least 170 children, and says he is able to cope only with the help of God.

"A man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them," he told the BBC.

Most Muslim scholars agree that a man is allowed to have four wives, as long as he can treat them equally.

But Mr Bello Abubakar told the BBC: "To my understanding the Koran does not place a limit and it is up to what your own power, your own endowment and ability allows.

"God did not say what the punishment should be for a man who has more than four wives, but he was specific about the punishment for fornication and adultery."

Niger is one of the Muslim majority states to have reintroduced Sharia punishments since 2000.

Several people have been sentenced to death for adultery by Sharia courts but none of these sentences have been carried out.

Osama loves “life, family, photography, friends, snow, skate, surf, music, art, ‘being me’ and flashing gangsta-gangsta peace signs”

No, not that Osama. According to Channel 4 News, 500 other Osamas love all those "sunny" things of life. The point? No clue; maybe to remind us that not everyone named Osama is an evil terrorist? Or perhaps it's simply meant to obfuscate what it is about the real Osama that makes him an "evil terrorist" -- Islamic teachings praising jihad and condemning infidels -- not his "foreign" name. "UK's Channel 4 Explores Sunnier Side of Islam," from AdRants, August, 20:

Channel 4 enlisted London-based doctor Farrah Jarral and filmmaker Masood Khan to discover what it calls "the sunnier side of Islam." (Not to be confused for the Sunnier Side of Truth, which is slightly more musical.) The pair went out to meet 500 men named Osama over the course of 50 days. Each was asked the question, "What do you love?"

This Osama loves freedom and that Osama loves life, family, photography, friends, snow, skate, surf, music, art, "being me" and flashing gangsta-gangsta peace signs.

See more at the Osama Loves website.

New York Times calls Brigitte Gabriel a “radical Islamophobe”

At first I thought it was an encouraging sign that Deborah Solomon interviewed Brigitte Gabriel in the New York Times Magazine: "The Crusader," August 15. After all, the Times has deigned to notice few anti-jihadists, and has never reviewed our books even when they appeared on their own bestseller lists. So for them to take notice of Brigitte Gabriel, even if the interview is as snide and uncomprehending as one might have expected, is all to the good.

But then I saw the introduction to the piece on this page (scroll down):

The best-selling author and radical Islamophobe talks about why moderate Muslims are irrelevant, the lessons we should have learned from Lebanon and dressing like a French woman.

"Radical Islamophobe"? I know it is very old news that the Times has abandoned all pretense of journalistic objectivity and has long since entered into full-bore (in all senses of the word) advocacy mode, but this is particularly egregious. "Islamophobia," as we have pointed out many, many times here, is a trumped-up, manipulative coinage designed to deflect attention away from the violence committed by Muslims and justified by those Muslims with reference to Islamic texts and teachings, and onto those who are trying to raise awareness of and encourage resistance to that violence (and the non-violent means by which Islamic supremacism advances as well).

The implication is that "Islamophobes" have some irrational prejudice against Muslims, a prejudice which is probably racially motivated -- so in other words, their resistance to Islamic jihad activity cannot be characterized as a legitimate stand in defense of human rights, but is rather simply an expression of "hate." Of course, if Muslims would stop committing violence and justifying it according to Islamic teachings, and stop pursuing a supremacist agenda to replace Western pluralistic systems with Sharia, "Islamophobia," both as an intellectual critique of and expression of resistance to that agenda, and also as any actual victimization of innocent Muslims, would melt away -- but the Times, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and CAIR, and the rest of them are not going to tell you that.

Maldives constitution “does not grant basic rights and freedoms to non-Muslims in the country”

The Maldives, long thought to be one of those non-Arab Muslim nations paradigmatic of "tolerance" continues down the road to "radicalization" "Rights of Non-Muslims restricted by new Maldives constitution," from ICFJ, August 15:

The new Maldives constitution does not grant basic rights and freedoms to non-Muslims in the country, according to the Institute on Religion and Public Policy.

The group condemns the constitution because it violates internationally accepted human rights and standards. For example, the document explicitly states that non-Muslims cannot be granted citizenship.

The Institute on Religion and Public Policy is currently working on a comprehensive analysis of the constitution that will be released in September.

For more information, click here.

India: Muslims decry democracy as being “unfair” to them

Wherever one turns, seems it's only Muslims who complain about democracy -- even if they immigrate in droves to infidel, democratic nations. "Indian democracy unfair to Muslims: Shabana Azmi," from the Times of India, August 17:

NEW DELHI: Although Muslims are safer in this country than in other parts of the world because they have a stake and space in Indian democracy, Indian democracy is unfair to Muslims, says Shabana Azmi, actor and former MP.

In an interview to a private TV channel, Azmi said, "I think there is not enough understanding of the fact that in a democracy how you treat the security of the minority must be a very important part for the success of a democracy. You can't only make token gestures and actually let them be in the state that they are as the Rajinder Sachar Committee report shows. So what happened is token gestures are made but real issues are never addressed."

Shabana Azmi said Indian politics has been unfair to Muslims and despite Indian secularism Muslims are discriminated against.

She said she couldn't buy a house in Mumbai because she was a Muslim. "I wanted to buy a flat in Bombay and it wasn't given to me because I was a Muslim and I read the same about Saif (Ali Khan).[...]

But she agreed that it was the responsibility of the Muslim leadership to change the image of their community. "I don't think that the Muslim leadership has bothered to clear the air about what Islam actually is."

20 Muslim nations ban U.S. religious workers; US lets in 100s of Islamic clerics annually

Reciprocity. "The Department of Homeland Security, in fact, considers visiting imams as nonthreatening as Buddhist monks."

"20 Muslim nations ban U.S. religious workers: Yet State Department allows entry to 100s of Muslim clerics each year," from WorldNetDaily, August 15, 2008 (thanks to Max):

A new congressional study has found that more than 20 Muslim nations deny entry to American and other foreign religious workers, WND has learned, even as the U.S. State Department grants entry to hundreds of clerics from their countries each year.

The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and most other Middle Eastern countries still refuse to offer religious visas, they and deny entry to U.S. clergy as official policy, according to a report by the Law Library of Congress, the foreign legal research arm of the U.S. Congress. In a shocker, U.S. allies Afghanistan and Iraq also made the list of religious refuseniks.

"Of this group, the vast majority constitute Arab or Muslim states," said Wendy Zeldin, senior legal research analyst for the Library of Congress.

"Since Islam prohibits proselytism by other religions, foreign religious workers will in effect be denied entry to conduct religious work," Zeldin wrote in the three-page report, a copy of which was obtained by WND.

At the same time, Washington routinely issues R-1 religious visas to clerics from the Middle East, including jihadi hotbeds Saudi Arabia and Egypt, even though an alarming number of foreign imams have been suspects in terrorism investigations since 9/11.

The Department of Homeland Security, in fact, considers visiting imams as nonthreatening as Buddhist monks. Screening procedures call for both visitors to be treated as the same level of security risk at the border....

One in five Tunisian women abused

And these are just the reported cases. "Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them." -- Qur'an 4:34.

Sharia Alert: "Tunisia: Home Violence, 1 of 5 Married Women Abused," from ANSAmed, August 12 (thanks to Insubria):

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, AUGUAT 12 - In Tunisia, which mostly takes into consideration the women's role in the active life among the Arab countries, it might seem controversial but the statistics are merciless: 20% of the married women are victims of violence on the part of their spouse. According to the statistics announced by daily Le Temps, many of them become disfigured, handicapped, receive psychological traumas and in various cases end up committing suicide. And all this, or almost all this, happens in silence between the home walls. For fear of further retaliation, and in order not to allow showing that the marriage has been ruined, due to a psychological and physical subjection which have lasted for centuries, such as that for example which requires that the wife should always walk two steps behind her husband. Feminist organisations have been leading for a long time a campaign to raise the awareness aimed at convincing the victims of this violence to at least trust them and the social workers. However, the fact that the first step has to be made by both spouses in the family remains unchanged. The law, obviously, also punishes this kind of violence. However, the feminists observe that the law is totally dissatisfying. Because if the victim intends to file a complaint, they must present a medical certificate issued by a public hospital certifying injures curable in 21 days. In case the prognosis results lower, the complaint will not be accepted. (ANSAmed).

Islamic leader declares swearing on Koran not legitimate in sodomy case

Yet other Muslims have been quite fond of swearing on Allah's book. Either way, seems a moot point since the Koran itself encourages deception (see 8:30 and 16:106). Then again, those verses deal primarily with legitimizing Muslim deceit vis-a-vis infidels, whereas in this case, both the defendant and accused are Muslim. Thus the latter's hesitancy to swear on the Koran makes the sodomy accusation all the more plausible. "Saiful's method of swearing on Quran against Islamic teachings, says Nik Aziz," from Malaysia News, August 16:

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- The method of swearing on the Quran used by Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan who has alleged that Parti Keadilan Advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sodomised him, is against the teachings of Islam, said PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Nik Aziz said the holding of a Quran to declare one was telling the truth was more an imitation of the Christian practice of swearing on the Bible.

"In Islam, anyone is free to declare that he or she is telling the truth in a matter, but not by holding the Quran as it is copying the practice of Christians," he told reporters[...]

The Kelantan Menteri Besar, however, said the "sumpah laknat' (swearing in the face of divine retribution) that was done by Saiful when he swore on the Quran was permitted by Islam and now it depended on the sincerity of his oath that he had been sodomised by Anwar.

On calls for Anwar to do likewise to proclaim his innocence, Nik Aziz said in Islam the one making the accusation should do it to declare he or she is telling the truth and later the accused must defend him or herself.

Yesterday, Saiful, 23, took the step of swearing on the Quran at the Federal Territory Mosque in Kuala Lumpur to declare that he was telling the truth that Anwar had sodomised him on June 26 at a condominium in Damansara in the federal capital.

Anwar has described the action as dirty political gimmick to try and cause his downfall in the by-election.

The Sun retracts story about Muslim bus driver

On March 29, I posted this story about a Muslim bus driver who allegedly halted his bus in the middle of his route so that he could pray.

The story came from the UK Sun, which today has retracted the story and apologized to the driver, who was on a completely licit work break when he prayed. (Thanks to Ascension for the heads-up.)

As the faithful reader of Jihad Watch will know, there is more than enough dhimmitude to go around in Britain without fabricating stories, and I am glad to pass on The Sun's retraction.