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Geert Wilders: Prisoner of Islam

The brilliantly insightful and fearless Diana West speaks with the equally fearless hero of free speech and of the defense of the West against Islamic supremacism, Geert Wilders:

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands -- Having run the polite-but-grim gauntlet of Dutch government security to gain access to Geert Wilders, I finally understood what the 24-hour security requirements of the man's continued existence really mean: To make the survival of Western-style liberty in the Netherlands his political cause, this Dutch parliamentarian has to live under high-tech lock and key.

This stunning paradox, with no end in sight, illustrates how far political freedom in the West has already eroded. Think of it: For writing about the repressive ideology of Islam, for arguing against the inequities of Sharia (Islamic law), for making a video ("Fitna") to warn about Islamic jihad, Wilders lives in his own non-Islamic country under a specifically Islamic death threat.

If it is politically incorrect to notice this, it is also indisputably true. True, too, is that, sans state security, this death threat could conceivably be carried out anytime, anywhere -- from the picturesque streets outside the Dutch parliament, to the house Wilders hasn't slept in since 2004. That, of course, was when, on an Amsterdam street, a Muslim assassin plunged a knife into Theo van Gogh's corpse, thus attaching the Islamic manifesto threatening both Wilders and his then-parliamentary colleague, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, with death.

Not long ago, political debate in the Netherlands met with, well, more political debate. Now, however, with a growing Muslim minority -- and it's politically incorrect to notice this, too -- political debate sometimes meets with Islam-inspired political assassination. At least it has, traumatically, twice in recent years: once, with the 2002 murder of the anti-Islamic-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn by an animal rights activist who claimed Fortuyn was scapegoating Muslims; and the following year with the ritualistic Islamic murder of Van Gogh, director of "Submission," a short video made with Hirsi Ali about Islamic mistreatment of women. In all, such Islam-inspired violence has been enough to chill Islam-inspired debate.

And that's just the situation at home. This week, even as Amsterdam's chief public prosecutor, Leo de Wit, announced that no charges would be brought against Wilders for "discrimination" or "incitement to hatred" related to Wilders' writings or video ("We find Mr. Wilders' remarks were limited to Islam as a religious movement," De Wit said), Jordan announced it is bringing a "Fitna"-related criminal case against the Dutch parliamentarian.

In other words, Jordan will indict a Dutch politician according to Jordanian (read: Islam-inspired) law. "Jordanian authorities are not aiming to arrest" the Dutch leader of the Freedom Party, Radio Netherlands Online reports. "They say the decision to prosecute was taken in order to send a signal to the Netherlands."

A "signal"? How about a gag? Of course, like other Western peoples, the Dutch seem content to censor themselves, happily mouthing multicultural platitudes that effectively rationalize their own culture's Islamization. Not Wilders.

I recently asked the 44-year-old Dutchman what was stronger in his country: Islam or multiculturalism.

"Unfortunately, they are both strong," he replied, seated in his lightly furnished but heavily guarded office. "But cultural relativism is the biggest problem." He went on to explain: "Multicultural society would not be that bad -- I don't really believe in it -- but it would not be that bad if, at least, we would be strong enough to say that our culture is better and dominant. But when you combine multicultural society with a dominant sense of cultural relativism, you are heading in the wrong direction. You are committing suicide when it comes to your own culture."

He continued: "I am not advocating a monocultural society. I just want what the Germans call leitkultur (leading culture). I want our own culture to be dominant -- not the only one, but to be dominant. I have a big problem with the cultural relativists who say every culture is equal. I don't believe every culture is equal."

Hoping to preserve the primacy of Western culture in this Dutch corner of the West, Wilders advocates a halt to Islamic immigration. "I'm not saying that every Muslim in the Netherlands is a criminal or a terrorist," he explains. "We know the majority is not. Still," he continues, "there is good reason to stop the immigration, because the more we have an influx of Muslims in the Netherlands, the strength of the (Islamic) culture will grow, and the change of our societies will increase." He sees his efforts as "a fight against an ideology that I believe at the end of the day will kill our freedom, kill our societies and change everything we stand for."

He's right -- and, yes, it's politically incorrect to say that, too. Everything the West stands for, starting with freedom of speech, is already changing as our institutions, up to and including, for example, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, increasingly proscribe critical references, or indeed, any references to Islam. While it's clear that the European manifestation of Islamic ideology has already killed Wilders' personal freedom in the Netherlands, the general impact on freedom throughout the West has yet to be fully appreciated.

"I have a mission," Wilders said. "I believe very strongly in what I say, and my party fortunately shares this view. And nobody in the Netherlands is doing (what I do). And somebody should. And I pay a high price for it."

What is the expression -- freedom isn't free? This is literally and acutely the case when it comes to this heroic and dedicated Dutchman.

Prisoner Rehabilitated; Fifty Million Die

Barry Rubin of the Gloria Center discusses the Fantasy-Based Policymaking of which so many in Washington are so very fond:

Each day we're told that radical Islamists, terrorists, and assorted extremists are going to moderate, so why not negotiate with them, appease them, defuse their grievances, have dialogue, and then everything will be okay.

But, those who are doubtful, argue, shouldn't we have learned from history that militant ideologies are not prone to compromise and ruthless dictators don't change their stripes. You cannot appease them, they don't go away; displays of weakness make them more aggressive.

Oh, no! Not the Nazi analogy again!

And yet what can you say when confronted with this New York Times headline of December 21, 1924:

"Hitler Tamed By Prison; Released on Parole, He Is Expected to Return to Austria."

[This is not a satire. See for yourself at: http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70A17F73F5B12738DDDA80A94DA415B848EF1D3&scp=1&sq=Hitler+tamed+by+prison+article&st=p]

The correspondent explains that Hitler, once a demigod for the extreme right, was released on parole from the Landsberg fortress where he had been sent for trying to overthrow the democratic German government in what has come to be known as the Beerhouse Putsch.

Prison, the article continues, seems to have moderated him. The authorities were convinced that he presented no further danger to the existing society. In fact, it was expected that he would abandon public life and return to his native land, Austria.

Well, that problem was certainly solved easily.

And also the Times learned its lesson, hasn't it?

As the newspaper explained in a June 30 editorial:

"Few countries can afford the luxury of limiting their diplomacy to friendly countries and peace-loving parties. National security often requires negotiating with dangerous enemies."

Right. And believing their protestations of moderation, making concessions to them, ending sanctions, blaming ourselves for problems, and never using force is the actual content of such negotiations.

Then the leaders of Hamas, Hizballah, Syria, Iran, the Muslim Brotherhoods, al-Qaida, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Sudan, etc., will no doubt be tamed, abandon public life, and go back to their homes.

Henry Kissinger once told the joke--or at least is credited for doing so--that it is very easy to have the lion lay down with the lamb, as long as you put in a new lamb every day. Kissinger no doubt little expected at the time that this would become the democratic world's favored strategy. No surprise that the main villain for the politically correct West is Israel, the lamb that refuses the honor.

35 suspected al-Qaeda recruiters arrested in Morocco

Whole lotta "misunderstanding" of Islam going on there. And the story supports yesterday's report of al-Qaeda's increasing use of North Africa as a base of operations (along with Pakistan and Somalia). "35 suspected Al-Qaeda recruiters arrested in Morocco: agency," from Agence France-Presse, July 2:

RABAT (AFP) - Thirty-five alleged recruiters for Al-Qaeda operations in Algeria and Iraq were arrested by police in Morocco, where they are also accused of planning attacks, the Moroccan news agency said Wednesday.

"This network recruited and sent around 30 candidates for suicide operations in Iraq and three volunteers to fight alongside members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb," police told Map.

The suspects allegedly belong to a Salafist group, Salafiya Jihadiya -- a security source told AFP -- and have links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, as well as Al-Qaeda movements in Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.

"The suspects were also planning acts of terror in Morocco," Map's source said.

This is the third such group Morocco has said to have broken up since the beginning of the year.

The latest arrests took place in Tangiers, Larache, Oujda, Tetouan, Rabat, Khouribga and Fes, a security official told AFP.

Moroccan police in February announced the arrest of 36 people alleged to have been part of an Islamist network led by Belgian-Moroccan Abdelkader Belliraj.

Chadian sheik declares jihad on Christians and atheists “as far as Denmark”; 70 followers killed in clash with government forces

Motoons Rage comes to Chad, and meets up with an ingrained, general hatred of unbelievers. "Chad halts 'holy war' by Muslim leader, 70 killed," from Reuters, July 3:

Chad says its security forces have killed 66 followers of an Islamic spiritual leader who was threatening to launch a holy war against Christians and atheists from Africa to Europe.

The 28-year-old Muslim holy man, or sheikh Ahmat Ismael Bichara, was arrested after hundreds of his disciples armed with swords, spears, bows and clubs fought gendarmes armed with automatic rifles at a south-eastern village on Sunday and Monday.

Four members of the Chadian security forces were also killed and six wounded in the one-sided battles at Kouno, 300 kilometres south-east of the Chadian capital N'Djamena.

Bichara, his lip bloodied, wearing a white robe and reciting verses from the Koran, was presented by the authorities to journalists in N'Djamena overnight along with seven of his captured followers.

Ministers in the landlocked ethnically mixed African country, where just over the half the population is Muslim, said the Government had been obliged to act against the Islamic holy man to stop him triggering a religious war in the country.

"Since June 3, he has been calling on all Muslims to prepare to engage in a holy war against Christians and atheists, saying that the war would be launched from Chad to as far as Denmark," Security Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir said....

Cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad published by newspapers in Denmark in 2006 touched off a wave of violent protests in Islamic countries.

Largely arid Chad has suffered waves of violence over the last few years, including not just raids over the eastern border from Sudan by Janjaweed militia and attacks by anti-government rebels, but also bloody clashes between Arab and non-Arab communities.

Conviction of New York missile plot jihadists upheld on appeal

Predictable arguments -- profiling, not knowing what was going on -- didn't work this time. An update on this story. " U.S. conviction upheld in FBI sting of NY Muslims," by Christine Kearney for Reuters, July 2:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An Iraqi Kurdish imam and a Bangladeshi-American pizzeria owner on Wednesday lost an appeal of their convictions for plotting to kill a Pakistani diplomat in what turned out to be an FBI sting operation.

The U.S Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the convictions of Yassin Aref, 37, and Mohammed Hossain, 53, who were sentenced last year to 15 years each in prison for their roles in a fake plot to attack the Pakistani ambassador to the United Nations in New York with a missile.

Both appealed their convictions of money-laundering and conspiring to provide material support to the Pakistan-based Islamic militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

The federal appeals court rejected all the defense's arguments, including that the men did not know missiles were involved.

"The evidence sufficed for a jury to conclude that Aref intended to aid in preparing a missile attack on American soil," the ruling said, concluding the same for Hossain.

During the 2006 trial, the two were found to have laundered $50,000 from an FBI informant who said he worked for the militant group.

Aref, who came to the United States as a refugee, was the imam of an Albany mosque when he was arrested in August 2004. Hossain is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

In a separate ruling, the appeals court dismissed arguments from defense lawyers and the New York Civil Liberties Union that the lower court had improperly denied it access to classified information and sealed court papers and orders.

The NYCLU's request for the wiretapping evidence followed a New York Times report citing the case as an example of the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program.

During the trial, Aref alleged Muslims were unfairly branded as terrorists in the United States. Defense lawyers argued the men were victims of post-September 11 racial profiling.

Jerusalem: At least 4 killed, 44 injured as Palestinian goes on rampage with bulldozer

Watch this space for updates. "Bulldozer driver shot dead after going on rampage in capital," from the Jerusalem Post, July 2:

At least four people were killed and 44 were wounded - one seriously, one moderately and 42 lightly - on Wednesday afternoon when a bulldozer driver went on a rampage in downtown Jerusalem.

Police said that the driver plowed his vehicle into two public buses, toppling them over, and slammed into several cars.

A off-duty soldier took the gun from an elite policeman at the scene and shot the terrorist dead. The soldier, Moshe Klessner, 18, is the brother-in-law of IDF officer David Shapira, who killed the terrorist in the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva attack, Channel 2 reported.

Klessner was assisted in neutralizing the attacker by another elite policeman.

Another elite policeman was lightly wounded, apparently by gunfire, indicating that the terrorist was armed.

Police said the incident was definitely a terror attack, emphasizing that the terrorist, Jabr Duwait, a 32-year-old father of two from Jebl Mukaber, was carrying an Israeli identity card. The Mercaz Harav attacker was from the very same east Jerusalem town....

UPDATE: The Jerusalem Post now reports 3 killed, and 57 injured.

Geert Wilders plans sequel to Fitna

Unbowed. "Dutch politician to make another anti-Muslim film," from Reuters / Hollywood Reporter, July 1:

AMSTERDAM (Hollywood Reporter) - Right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders is planning a sequel to his anti-Muslim film "Fitna," the local daily De Telegraaf reported Tuesday. The move comes after the Dutch Ministry of Justice on Monday decided not to prosecute him for inciting hatred of Muslims with his film denouncing the Koran.

Not to mention the ridiculous charges filed in Jordan.

About 40 complaints were filed against Wilders by both Muslim and non-Muslim organizations in the Netherlands after "Fitna" was released on the Internet. A number of those groups are thought to be considering appeals against the Dutch Prosecutors decision.

Wilders also was investigated for remarks published in the newspaper De Volkskrant calling the Koran fascist and calling for it to be banned.

Jordan charges Geert Wilders with “blasphemy and contempt of Muslims”; OIC “deeply annoyed” at Dutch decision not to prosecute him

An update on the litigation jihad against Geert Wilders. "Jordan charges Dutch politician with blasphemy," from Reuters, July 1:

AMMAN (Reuters) - A Jordanian prosecutor on Tuesday charged Dutch politician Geert Wilders with blasphemy and contempt of Muslims for making an anti-Koran film and ordered him to stand trial in the kingdom, judicial sources said.

In Riyadh, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), a league of 56 Muslim nations, said it was "deeply annoyed" after Dutch prosecutors said on Monday they would not take action against Wilders as he was protected by the right to free speech.

"The decision ... encourages and supports the irresponsible defamatory style followed by some media outlets and instigates feelings of hatred, animosity and antipathy towards Muslims," the Saudi Arabia-based OIC, said in a statement.

The film produced by Wilders, "Fitna," a Koranic term sometimes translated as "strife," accused the Muslim holy book of inciting violence and prompted protests and condemnation in many Muslim countries.

Dutch prosecutors also received complaints about comments Wilders made in newspaper interviews including one in which he compared Islam's holy book to Hitler's Mein Kampf.

The OIC said the prosecutors' decision showed they ignored the "thin line separating freedom of speech and the instigation of hatred, animosity and discrimination."

Judicial sources in Amman said Jordanian prosecutor Judge Abdallat had charged Wilders after a legal complaint by a coalition of Jordanian activists and community leaders.

An order was issued through the Dutch embassy in Amman to bring Wilders to stand trial. The charges carry a maximum sentence of three years in prison, lawyers said.

Wilders, whose right-wing, anti-immigration Freedom Party has nine of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament, welcomed the Dutch prosecutors' ruling and said he had been careful to limit his criticism to the religion of Islam and not Muslims.

But he said he was concerned about the Jordanian case against him which could limit his freedom to travel.

Dutch prosecutors said Wilders was not inciting hatred of Muslims as he did not call for acts of violence against them.

A Dutch anti-discrimination group, The Netherlands Shows its Colours, said it would appeal the prosecutors' decision....

Spain: Police break up suspected al-Qaeda cell with connections to U.K. jihadists

Eurabia Alert. "Spanish police arrest Islamic terror suspect in Azkoitia," from EiTB24, July 1:

The Interior Ministry says the three men arrested, one in the Basque Country and other two in Huelva, are of Algerian origin and are accused of fundraising for Islamic terrorist activities.

Spanish police say they have broken up an al-Qaida-linked cell and arrested three people, including one person in the Basque town of Azkoitia.

The Interior Ministry says the three men of Algerian origin are accused of fundraising for Islamic terrorist activities.

The ministry says in a statement the suspects were arrested Tuesday in southern Huelva province and in the Basque country. It says there is no evidence the suspects were preparing an imminent attack.

The statement says the arrests were made in collaboration with British authorities. It says these officials knew of the suspects because they had links with other suspected extremists in Britain.

Spain says that since the March 11, 2004 terror attacks in Madrid police have arrested more than 300 Islamic terror suspects.

Pentagon charges mastermind of USS Cole mass murder

The perpetrator of a pre-9/11 jihad attack is charged. "Alleged USS Cole Mastermind Charged: Pentagon Says Guantanamo Detainee Met With Bin Laden, Purchased Boat and Explosives," by Luis Martinez and Theresa Cook for ABC News, June 30 (thanks to JMB):

The Pentagon has charged a Guantanamo Bay detainee with planning and participating in the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole.

The Pentagon has charged Saudi 'Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri with planning the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in the Port of Aden, Yemen. Al-Nashiri is in custody at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

The U.S. military claims that Saudi 'Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri masterminded the plot in which two men appearing to be civilians piloted their small boat toward the Cole in the Port of Aden, Yemen, and detonated explosives hidden inside the vessel.

The attack killed 17 sailors, wounded another 47 and left a 40-foot hole in the side of the ship.

The charges say al-Nashiri met with Osama bin Laden to reorganize and plot the Cole attack after a similar plot against the USS the Sullivans failed in January 2000....

UK: Convert and misunderstander of Islam left fake nailbomb on bus

"There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah. God is great, god is great, god is great. Britain must be punished." Another convert to Islam doesn't get the memo about how Islam is really a Religion of Peace.

"Muslim convert left fake nailbomb on bus, court told," from the Yorkshire Post, June 30 (thanks to Twostellas):

A WHITE Muslim convert planted a hoax bomb on a bus full of people with a note saying that 'Britain must be punished', a court was told today.

Nicholas Roddis, 22, is thought to have disguised himself with a long black beard before planting the fake home-made nailbomb on a crowded bus in Rotherham, in May last year.

Leeds Crown Court was told Roddis, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, had recently learnt the teachings of Islam in a move to convert over to the religion and had even recorded the preachings of disgraced cleric Abu Hamza.

Prosecutor Edward Brown QC told Leeds Crown Court Roddis's conversion had been noted by work colleagues and he had alienated a childhood friend by talking about bomb-making.

On May 8 last year, a man disguised with a long black beard boarded a bus with two carrier bags, he told the jury.

Not long after he disembarked, leaving one bag behind. A passenger checked inside and saw three packages with nails, wire, a working clock and a note with foreign writing on it.

"Obviously this man was convinced he was looking straight at a bomb and shouted to the driver and the police were called," Mr Brown said.

Fifty homes were evacuated and a 100 metre cordon was thrown up around the bus, while the bomb was detonated in a controlled explosion and found to be a hoax.

"That was to be no consolation to the passengers at the time, to those on the bus looking at what they thought was a bomb," he added.

The writing on the piece of paper was in Arabic and read "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah. God is great, god is great, god is great. Britain must be punished." It was signed Al Qaeda Organisation of Iraq....

Iran digs thousands of graves for its enemies

But who will lie in them?

"Iran digs thousands of graves ready for enemies," from Agence France-Presse, June 30 (thanks to all who sent this in):

IRAN is to dig 320,000 graves in border districts to allow for the burial of enemy soldiers in the event of any attack on its territory, a top commander said today. "In implementation of the Geneva Conventions ... the necessary measures are being taken to provide for the burial of enemy soldiers,'' the Mehr news agency quoted General Mir-Faisal Bagherzadeh as saying.

"We have plans to dig 15,000 to 20,000 graves in each of the border provinces or a total of 320,000,'' the general said, adding that some of them would be mass graves if necessary.

Mr Bagherzadeh said Iran was keen to "reduce the suffering of the families of the fallen in any attack against our country ... and prevent any repetition of the long and bitter experience of the Vietnam War''....

Palestinian jihadists encouraged in use of violence, kidnappings by Israeli prisoner swap plan, but miffed that Hizballah struck a deal without them

It is unclear what concrete gains the Olmert government expects to secure by returning a live jihadist convicted of murder as part of an exchange for two Israeli soldiers who are now presumed dead. They may seek some sense of political closure on the 2006 war in order to move forward in its dealings with Syria and Lebanon, regardless of how fruitful those may or may not be. Or, perhaps they may hold onto the hope, official positions notwithstanding, that Goldwasser and Regev are still alive. But the willingness to swap Samir Kuntar for their remains will be interpreted by Israel's enemies as a sign of weakness; indeed, obtaining Kuntar's freedom constitutes a net gain for Hizballah's kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers and the ensuing war. It is a clear signal to jihadist groups that kidnappings are effective, and, worse yet, it may encourage Hamas to increase its demands in exchange for the release of Gilad Schalit.

"Palestinians disappointed PA prisoners won't be included in swap for Regev, Goldwasser," by Khaled Abu Toameh for the Jerusalem Post, June 30:

Palestinians on Sunday reacted with mixed feelings to the news about the Israel-Hizbullah prisoner exchange agreement.

While many Palestinians expressed joy over the decision to release Lebanese prisoner Samir Kuntar, they also voiced disappointment because the deal did not include Palestinian inmates.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum hailed the agreement as a "victory" for Hizbullah. "This is an achievement for the will and steadfastness of the Lebanese resistance," he said. "This also proves that rights can only be restored by force." However, Fatah and Hamas representatives criticized Hizbullah for failing to demand the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. They said Hizbullah could have easily secured the release of several hundred Palestinians in return for IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.

"This is a very bad deal as far as the Palestinians are concerned," said a top Fatah operative in Ramallah. "Hassan Nasrallah has betrayed the Palestinians by signing a separate deal with Israel." A senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip also expressed disappointment with Nasrallah, saying the majority of the Palestinians couldn't understand why he "turned his back on us." He said that following the kidnapping of the two soldiers, many Palestinian factions and families sent Hizbullah lists with the names of Palestinian prisoners whom they wished to be included in a future prisoner swap with Israel.

"Nasrallah has shown that he does not really care about the Palestinians," the Hamas official said. "There is no doubt he could have got much more from Israel in return for the two soldiers. But we don't understand why he chose to act in this way." The Palestinians have long referred to Kuntar as a "hero." According to Palestinian Media Watch, the Palestinian Authority regarded Kuntar as an "ideal" prisoner.

"On the one hand, Kuntar embodies what the PA considers the 'heroism' of terrorists fighting Israel," the group said. "On the other hand, he's the ultimate symbol of all terrorist prisoners who have murdered Israelis and will eventually be freed as a result of future kidnappings or through some other means." PA Television, controlled by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, recently broadcast a picture honoring Kuntar, who is depicted beside a map of Israel completely covered by the Palestinian flag.

In Beirut, Hizbullah said the Israeli approval of the deal was a reflection of the Islamist group's strength.

Geert Wilders fears arrest if he travels abroad

Anyone who values freedom of expression should support Wilders as vocally as possible against this threat to his freedom of speech and movement. Otherwise, they may later note with regret: "First they came for Geert..."

From Gates of Vienna, via Atlas Shrugs:

Geert Wilders fears he will be arrested soon when traveling abroad, due to his movie Fitna. Jordan is working on an international warrant for the arrest of the PVV leader in order to prosecute him. Last Monday the court in Amman found the complaint filed to be acceptable. Wilders expects that the court will soon appeal for an international warrant for his arrest, reports De Volkskrant. Jordan can possibly make a request through Interpol. Such an appeal can be fought by the Dutch government. It is also possible Jordan will ask individual nations visited by Wilders to extradite him. In any case, the Wilders' freedom of movement will be severely restricted. Wilders complains about the uncertainty.

"One never knows when it will happen. My freedom of movement will be enormously limited and I cannot operate as a politician," according to Wilders in De Volkskrant. The risks are being mapped by the ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pakistan deports 8 foreigners studying at Islamic seminary, including Americans

Now, let me get this straight: these men were studying at an Islamic seminary in Pakistan, and they're being deported. Pakistan's Islamic educational institutions have been called factories for jihad, and these guys were apparently too extreme even for them, and are being deported in accord with Pakistan's recent attempts to show that its alliance with the United States actually has some reality (unless, on the other hand, these guys are being deported for being too moderate and peaceful!).

Anyway, who are these Americans? Where will they go now? What will they do? Is anyone paying attention? "Pakistan orders deportation of 8 foreigners studying at Islamic seminary," from The Associated Press, June 28 (thanks to Twostellas):

KARACHI, Pakistan: An Islamic seminary says the Pakistani government is deporting eight foreign students.

Mufti Naeem Ahmed, head of the Jamia Binuria seminary, says the Interior Ministry is ordering the students to leave the country within 15 days. The students are from the United States, Thailand and Fiji.

Ahmed says the government gave no reason for the order and the seminary will appeal to have it rescinded. About 500 of the seminary's 5,000 students are foreign....

An informed citizen fights back

My friend Doc Washburn is a former talk radio host whose show I had the honor of appearing on numerous times. He recently got into a Letter-to-the-Editor dustup with Dr. Hashem Mubarak of Florida's Bay County Islamic Society, in which Dr. Mubarak repeated some soothing half-truths and untruths with which regular Jihad Watch readers will be quite familiar.

It happened awhile ago, but I just happened upon it and believe it is illuminating: Doc's reply shows how valuable it is to be informed about the true nature of the jihad threat, so as to be able to keep from falling for the smooth deceptions that are so commonly retailed by those who would prefer that we remain ignorant and complacent in the face of the advancing jihad threat. He also, at the end, refuses to accept the tired "bigotry" charge that jihadists and their allies and dupes always make whenever anyone points out the violence and supremacism jihadists retail on a daily basis.

"Positive proof of terror links exist," from the Panama City News Herald, May 22:

Dr. Hashem Mubarak recently responded to my letter in the 42-cent Forum criticizing the Bay County Islamic Society for bringing in a speaker who is a member of two organizations (Fiqh Council of North America and the European Council for Fatwa and Research) with ties to terrorism ("Suspicious links," letters, April 30). I had also criticized the society for earlier hosting a talk by a representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. In his letter, "Muslims maligned," Dr. Mubarak stated that the Fiqh Council had "issued a religious fatwa explicitly prohibiting all acts of terrorism" and that "none of these organization's members have ever spoken favorably of terrorism" (May 6). He issued a challenge for me or anyone else "to bring a single piece of evidence proving otherwise."

I hereby accept his challenge.

First, the following link is all the evidence anyone would need to establish CAIR's ties to terrorism. It is a 10-part series devoted to CAIR that includes great detail on its origins, funding, ties to Hamas, terrorismrelated indictments of their officials, etc. (www.investigativeproject. org/profile/172).

Second, the fatwa issued by the Fiqh Council (and publicized by CAIR) was anything but explicit. It has been criticized roundly as a bogus document "designed merely to deceive the American public into believing that these groups are moderate." It does not condemn, renounce or even mention the jihad ideology behind Islamic terrorist attacks. It does not condemn by name any person or group responsible for jihad attacks. Although it condemns violence against "innocent men and women," it conveniently ignores what the jihadists keep saying: There is no such thing as an "innocent" non-Muslim (www. jihadwatch. org/archives/ 018961.php).
The fatwa condemns going after "civilians," but again ignores the fact that (as far as jihadists are concerned), the concept of "civilians" does not exist in Islamic law (www.jihadwatch.org/archiv es/007125.php).

The fatwa is so vague that even jihadists could agree with it!

The Fiqh Council's chairman, Taha Jaber Al-Alwani, was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case against Sami Al-Arian, who pleaded guilty to the federal felony violation of providing assistance and support to members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist organization. Evidence in Al-Arian's trial showed that Alwani-funded Islamic Jihad front groups in Florida.

Also, Abdurrahman Alamode (a past trustee of the Fiqh Council) is serving a 23-year prison sentence for immigration fraud and illegal financial dealings with Libya. He has been named by the U.S. Treasury Department as having been a financier of al-Qaida. For good measure, he also admitted being a part of a plot to assassinate the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and has expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah (counter terror.typepad.com/ the_counterterrorism_blog/ 2005/07/the_american_is. html).

As I mentioned in my previous letter, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, has been vocal in his support of "suicide bombings." Here is more proof: www.experience festival.com/a/Yusuf_al-Qaradawi_-_Qaradawis _opinion_on_the_Israeli-Palestinian_conflict/id/19555 01 and http://news.bbc. co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3874893. stm.

In his letter, Dr. Mubarak accused me of "ugly bigotry and racism." I did not realize that Islam is a race. He also claimed that I "deliberately lied" and that when I did my radio talk show in Panama City, I "repeatedly incited hatred against the Muslim community and made false, libelous, and defamatory statements." So in closing, I have a challenge for him: Prove it.

Bravo.

Russia: Nine dead, four injured in clashes with Caucasus jihadists

Though not often reported on in the mainstream press, the jihad in and around Chechnya has not gone away. "Nine dead, four injured in North Caucasus clashes," from Deutsche Presse Agentur, June 28:

MOSCOW - Nine people have been killed and four injured in several exchanges of gunfire in the disputed Russian North Caucasus region, Interfax news agency and regional authorities said Saturday.

Four police officers and two rebels were killed and four police officers injured in a gun battle near the village of Dargo in the semi-autonomous Russian republic of Chechnya, Interfax and the authorities reported.

In mid-June, Islamist rebels shot dead three villagers in Benoy- Vedeno and set several houses alight.

In the semi-autonomous republic of Dagestan, three members of a rebel gang were killed in the capital Makhachkala during a police raid.

The heavily armed members of a terrorist group, which included a woman, had holed up on the fourth [floor] of a high-rise building, a spokesman for the authorities said.

After they refused to respond to requests to give themselves up, a special unit stormed the flat and killed the three of them, the spokesman said.

The four police officers in Chechnya were killed Friday evening during a operation by the security forces, the spokesman added.

Grenade launchers were found with the two rebels who were shot dead during that operation.

The rebels managed to hit an armoured personnel carrier during the clashes.

The troubled North Caucasus region has remained restive even under new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The situation in Chechnya has improved greatly since two wars were fought there in the 1990s, but there are still frequent skirmishes.

Islamist groups in neighbouring Dagestan and Ingushetia also clash frequently with the pro-Russian authorities.

Somali jihadists kidnap Danish, Swedish U.N. aid workers

A case study in why Somalia is a mess, and has been for years. "Somali Islamists snatch Danish, Swedish aid workers: UN," from Agence France-Presse:

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Islamist militants kidnapped a Dane and a Swede working for the United Nations and a Somali aid worker when the fighters seized control of a town Saturday, several sources told AFP.

Local residents and aid workers said the insurgents attacked the town of Hodur, 370 kilometres (235 miles) west of the Somali capital Mogadishu, around 4:30 am (0130 GMT) but then withdrew.

"The two UN mine action workers were taken from the IMC (International Medical Corps) compound. We don't know their whereabouts and they were taken after Islamists took control of the town," a UN official told AFP.

First reports said the two foreigners abducted were Swedes, but it later emerged that one was Danish and the other Swedish.

"According to our sources on the ground, they are a Dane and a Swede working for our organisation, carrying out a demining training assignment on behalf of the United Nations," said Aake Svensson, a spokesman for the Raddningsverket, the Swedish government's risk assessment and emergency management agency.

A UN security official in Nairobi said: "Local authorities in the zone are negotiating with the kidnappers and calling for their immediate and unconditional release. [...]

The latest abductions take the number of humanitarian workers kidnapped recently in this Horn of Africa country to nine: two Swedes, two Italians, one British national, one Kenyan and three Somalis.

Clearing up misconceptions about Islam

There are so very many stories like this -- most of them I don't post here. But as our new Jihad Watch contributor Raymond Ibrahim noted the other day, "Why are we not constantly exhorted, day after day, that Christianity, or Judaism, or Hinduism, or Buddhism, or Scientology are 'misunderstood'? Why only Islam?"

Why indeed? Why is there a concerted effort all over the Western world to clear up "misconceptions" of Islam for well-meaning unbelievers, but no effort anywhere to clear up the "misconceptions" of Islam that jihad terrorists have -- the ones who, we're constantly told, are twisting and hijacking the religion? Where do the "misconceptions" that Westerners constantly seem to fall prey to come from? Could they possibly come from those jihad terrorists, committing acts of violence and justifying them by referring to Islamic texts and teachings? Will a pleasant evening (over chicken and pita, as Hugh would point out) assuring non-Muslims that those people aren't true Muslims clear up that problem?

Or are these evenings, carried on more or less daily all over the West, more likely to make their bemused audiences less likely to understand what is happening in the world, and to respond to it appropriately?

"Get the lowdown on Islam, Northern Territory style," by Daniel Bourchier for the Northern Territory News, June 29 (thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist):

RELIGIOUS and cultural understanding and tolerance will be debated as part of Islamic Awareness Week today.

The celebration aims to explain what the religion is all about and its role in the Northern Territory.

As part of the week, the Darwin Islamic Centre was officially opened by Chief Minister Paul Henderson last night.

Organiser Ishfaq Haider said the idea of this third Islamic Awareness Week is getting to know each other.

"We invite all local people to come and see what we do,'' he said.

"With so many misconceptions about Islam, this is a good chance to ask questions.''

Highlights today include lectures about Muslim youth in Australia -- and the question of female oppression under Islam....

Hamas slams Fatah for violating the truce

In case you've left your scorecard at home, the State Deprartment's version is that Hamas are the bloodthirsty jihad terrorists, while Fatah are the peaceful, pragmatic moderates. Of course, Fatah has never actually been that, and here is yet more proof.

"Hamas slams Fatah for shelling," from JTA, June 27 (thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist):

Hamas criticized Fatah militants for undermining the Palestinian national interest by firing rockets into Israel.

In a statement carried by the official Palestinian news agency, Maa, Hamas leaders warned other militant factions against taking actions that threaten Hamas' cease-fire with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Fatah's armed wing, the Al-Aksa Brigade, has fired several shells into Israel from Gaza since the June 19 cease-fire went into effect, and Islamic Jihad has fired rockets into Israel. Israel's military has not responded, but Israel has delayed reopening border crossings along the Gaza-Israel line.

After firing its rockets into Israel, Islamic Jihad reportedly said it will adhere to the truce terms.

After breaking the truce, Islamic Jihad reportedly said it will adhere to the truce terms.