http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Radicalism%E2%80%9D Wed, 22 May 2013 18:56:08 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Radicalism%E2%80%9D Thu, 16 May 2013 12:34:26 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=266_1368718145 Inspecteur_LeMao Larry Wilkerson, Former chief of staff to Colin Powell, speaks on radical Christianity spreading in the US Army. One group in particular, called the Dominionist, believes that its mission is to take over the US military and go on a crusade against all those who don't believe in Christ in the world. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=266_1368718145 Inspecteur_LeMao Radical Christianity spreading in the US Army Radicalism, religion, military, US army, Larry Wilkerson, Sun, 19 May 2013 07:17:07 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d2e_1368962011 Zurm 5000 inmates in Belgian prisons are Muslim. That represents 45% of the prison population. A situation which impose constraints on the prison organisation. In Forest, the decision has been made to simply no longer serve pork in the meals. 80% of the inmates are Muslim and refuse to eat pork. It has become simpler to no longer provide it on the menu at all rather than create different dishes. But there are other inconveniences from this large population practising Islam. For example, some inmates refuse to obey female guards because they are women. Or they try and transform some communal areas into places of prayer. And then there are the dangers of radicalis in prison. The executive of the Muslims of Belgium itself warns about the risks of radicalism and asks that the practice of religion be formalised so that the extremists cannot take advantage of it to push towards a fundamentalist Islam. http://www.sudinfo.be/726092/article/actualite/belgique/2013-05-17/45-des-detenus-des-prisons-belges-sont-de-confession-musulmane http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d2e_1368962011 Zurm 45% of Belgian Prison Inmates Are Muslim Belgian,Prison,Inmates,Muslim,islam Thu, 25 Apr 2013 04:16:03 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8cc_1366877323 Richard_Dorkins shameful how those on the left still blame the victims for terrorism. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8cc_1366877323 Richard_Dorkins Douglas Murray: Fear of Radicalism is not Irrational douglas, murray Sun, 12 May 2013 05:45:02 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b95_1368351158 AntiPropagaanda Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism and the Spread of Sunni Theofascism Amb. Curtin Winsor, Ph.D. The United States has largely eliminated the infrastructure and operational leadership of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network over the past five years. However, its ideological offspring continue to proliferate across the globe. American efforts to combat this contagion are hamstrung by the fact that its ideological and financial epicenter is Saudi Arabia, where an ostensibly pro-Western royal family governs through a centuries-old alliance with the fanatical Wahhabi Islamic sect. In addition to indoctrinating its own citizens with this extremist creed, the Saudi government has lavishly financed the propagation of Wahhabism throughout the world, sweeping away moderate interpretations of Islam even within the borders of the United States itself. The Bush administration has done little to halt this ideological onslaught beyond quietly (and unsuccessfully) urging the Saudi royal family to desist. This lack of resolve is rooted in American dependence on Saudi oil production, fears of instability in the kingdom, wishful thinking about democracy promotion as an antidote to religious extremism, and preoccupation with confronting Iran. Background Wahhabism is derived from the teachings of Muhammad ibn abd al-Wahhab, an eighteenth century religious zealot from the Arabian interior. Like most Sunni Islamic fundamentalist movements, the Wahhabis advocated the fusion of state power and religion through the reestablishment of the Caliphate, the form of government adopted by the Prophet Muhammad's successors during the age of Muslim expansion. What sets Wahhabism apart from other Sunni Islamist movements is its historical obsession with purging Sufis, Shiites, and other Muslims who do not conform to its twisted interpretation of Islamic scripture. In 1744, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab forged an historic alliance with the Al-Saud clan and sanctified its drive to vanquish its rivals. In return, the Al-Saud supported campaigns by Wahhabi zealots to cleanse the land of "unbelievers." In 1801, Saudi-Wahhabi warriors crossed into present day Iraq and sacked the Shiite holy city of Karbala, killing over 4,000 people. After the Saudis conquered Mecca and Medina in the 1920s, they destroyed such "idolatrous" shrines as the Jannat al-Baqi cemetary, where four of the twelve Shiite imams were buried (on the grounds that grave markers are bida'a, or objectionable innovations). In return for endorsing the royal family's authority in political, security, and economic spheres after the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, Wahhabi clerics were granted control over state religious and educational institutions and allowed to enforce their rigid interpretation of sharia (Islamic law). Wahhabism was largely confined to the Arabian peninsula until the 1960s, when the Saudi monarchy gave refuge to radical members of the Muslim Brotherhood fleeing persecution in Nasser's Egypt. A cross-fertilization of sorts occurred between the atavistic but isolated Wahhabi creed of the Saudi religious establishment and the Salafi jihadist teachings of Sayyid Qutb, who denounced secular Arab rulers as unbelievers and legitimate targets of holy war ( jihad ). "It was the synthesis of the twain-Wahhabi social and cultural conservatism, and Qutbist political radicalism- that produced the militant variety of Wahhabist political Islam that eventually (produced) al-Qaeda." The terms Islamofascism and theofascism have been frequently misused by Westerners to refer to virtually all forms of radical Islamism, but they are fitting appellations for Wahhabism today. The sect's rejection of individual liberties, disparagement and reduction of women's rights and status, disregard for the intrinsic value of human life, and encouragement of violence against unbelievers, are unparalleled among Islamic fundamentalist movements. Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey has used the term "Sunni theocratic totalitarianism," a term that highlights both the movement's "will to power" over the most minute aspects of Muslim daily life and its global ambitions. He also notes that its adherents do not raise the banner of Islam in pursuit of specific national, political, or territorial gains. Al-Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri has sharply rebuked the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood for participating in national elections. During the 1970s, Wahhabi clerics encouraged the spread of this revolutionary and atavistic ideological synthesis into Saudi universities and mosques, because it was seen as a barrier to the threat of cultural Westernization and spread of corruption that accompanied the 1970s oil boom. Consequently, the royal family and their religious establishment looked for a cause with which to deflect the growing zealotry from Wahhabist theofascism, a danger highlighted by the seizure of the Grand Mosque at Mecca by heavily armed Islamic Studies students in 1979. The diversion that the royal family seized upon was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Saudis financed a large-scale program of assistance to the Afghan mujahideen , in coordination with the Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence agency (ISI) and the CIA, while funding radicalized madrassas to disseminate neo-Wahhabi ideology and literature in the sprawling Afghan refugee camps of Pakistan. They also dispatched thousands of volunteer jihadis from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to fight alongside the mujahideen. These so-called "Arab Afghans" dispersed to far-flung areas of the world after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1988. They pursued further victories against "unbelievers" in the name of Islam, and they were accompanied by militant Wahhabi preachers. These elements would form the backbone of al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda was initially headquartered in Sudan, but returned to Afghanistan in 1996, following the seizure of Kabul by the Taliban. This was a new Afghan force, recruited in Wahhabi madrassas and, trained by the Pakistanis. Its goal was the establishment of a model Wahhabi state in Afghanistan. The Saudi royal family revoked bin Laden's Saudi citizenship (in response to heavy American pressure), but did little to interfere with Wahhabi "charities" in the Kingdom and abroad. These entities raised money for al-Qaeda, while the religious onslaught of Wahhabism continued to receive government sponsorship and funding. Osama bin Laden is widely believed to have reached an agreement with Prince Turki al-Faisal, then-chief of Saudi National Security and Intelligence in the mid 1990s, whereby al-Qaeda would not target the Kingdom, and the Kingdom would not interfere with al-Qaeda's fundraising or seek bin Laden's extradition. In fact, Al-Qaeda abstained completely from attacks on Saudi targets within the Kingdom prior to 9/11. Terrorist attacks and clashes between Saudi police and Islamist militants have erupted erupting periodically since May 2003, after the Saudi Government began cracking down on underground cells in the Kingdom (under pressure from Washington). However, it appears that most Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups still respect this quid pro quo Hundreds of members of the Saudi royal family jet around the world without fear of assassination. The country's vulnerable petroleum industry has only once been targeted by terrorists, and then in a less that serious manner. In return, and notwithstanding its limited cooperation with Washington in restricting terrorist financing, the Saudi monarchy has maintained its commitment to propagating Wahhabism at home and abroad, providing the terrorist underground with a growing flood of eager recruits. Wahhabi Indoctrination "Man . . . requires proper instruction and a fortunate nature, and then of all animals he becomes the most divine and most civilized; but if he be insufficiently or ill educated, he is the most savage of earthly creatures." Plato It is estimated that well over one-third of Saudi Arabia's public school curriculum is devoted to Wahhabi teachings. Passages from Saudi textbooks quoted in the American media after 9/11 generated much controversy. One textbook, for example, informed ninth grade students that Judgment Day will not come "until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them," while another stated that it is "compulsory" for Muslims "to consider the infidels their enemy." Embarrassed by the revelations, the Saudi government purported to launch a comprehensive review of its educational curricula and pledged that all such references would be removed. Last year, however, Freedom House published an exhaustive report on the new curriculum, concluding that it "continues to propagate an ideology of hate toward the 'unbeliever,' which include Christians, Jews, Shiites, Sufis, Sunni Muslims who do not follow Wahhabi doctrine, Hindus, atheists and others." Some analysts dismiss the relevance of this indoctrination on the grounds that "conforming to an ultra-conservative, anti-pluralistic faith does not necessarily make you a violent individual," but this reasoning is fallacious. If only one percent of the 5 million Saudi students exposed to these teachings resort to violence, this would produce 50,000 jihadis. Not surprisingly, bin Laden himself denounced foreign interference in Saudi school curricula in an April 2006 audiotape. Moreover, these teachings are reinforced by Wahhabi clerics in Saudi Arabia, who advocate jihad against enemies of "true" Islam - outside the kingdom." Incitement to violence against Shiites is particularly common. In December 2006, a high-ranking cleric close to the Saudi royal family, Abdul Rahman al-Barak, denounced Shiites as an "evil sect . . . more dangerous than Jews and Christians." In November of 2004, twenty-six clerics, most of whom held positions as lecturers of Islamic studies at various Saudi state-funded universities, issued a call for jihad against American forces in Iraq. Two Saudi officials denounced the fatwa in interviews with the Western media, but no retraction was made in Arabic to local media outlets. Months later, a Saudi dissident group released a videotape showing the Chief Justice of Saudi Arabia's Supreme Judicial Council, Saleh bin Muhammad al-Luhaidan, advising young Saudis at a government mosque on how to infiltrate Iraq and fight US troops, as well as assuring them that Saudi security forces would not punish them after their return. While Luhaidan publicly retracted his statements, videotapes of prominent Saudi clerics exhorting the public to wage jihad in Iraq and elsewhere continue to surface. Exporting Hatred While Saudi citizens remain the vanguard of Islamic theofascism around the world, the growth potential for this ideology lies outside the Kingdom. The Saudis have spent at least $87 billion propagating Wahhabism abroad during the past two decades, and the scale of financing is believed to have increased in the past two years as oil prices have skyrocketed. The bulk of this funding goes to the construction and operating expenses of mosques, madrassas, and other religious institutions that preach Wahhabism. It also supports the training of imams; domination of mass media and publishing outlets; distribution of Wahhabi textbooks and other literature; and endowments to universities (in exchange for influence over the appointment of Islamic scholars). By comparison, the Communist Party of the USSR and its Comintern spent just over $7 billion propagating its ideology worldwide between 1921 and 1991. Wahhabism has made less headway in the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia, despite the fact that decades of Communist rule had weakened their traditional Islamic institutions. Several successor governments, especially the Uzbekis, have cracked down harshly on militant Islamist groups, while encouraging educational systems in the Hanafi tradition that promote tolerant and peaceful Islam. Africa is also a critical area of Wahhabi expansion, as it offers a multitude of "failed states" and communal cleavages ripe for exploitation, most notably in the Sudan and Nigeria. In all of these areas, the central dynamic is the same - it is the overwhelming wealth of Saudi Arabia that enables the Wahhabi sect to proselytize on a global scale, not the intrinsic appeal of its teachings. Throughout the world, moderates echo the assessment of Somali journalist Bashir Gothar, who writes that his country's tolerant Sufi-infused Islamic culture has been: "swept aside by a new brand of Islam that is being pushed down the throat of our people - Wahhabism. Anywhere one looks, one finds that alien, perverted version of Islam." Wahhabism in the West Wahhabi proselytizing is not limited to the Islamic world. The Saudis have financed the growth of thousands of Wahhabi mosques, madrassas, and other religious institutions in Western countries that have fast-growing Muslim minorities during the past three decades. Wahhabi penetration is deepest in the social welfare states of Western Europe, where chronically high unemployment has created large pools of able-bodied young Muslim men who have "become permanent wards of the state at the cost of their basic human dignity." This is a perfect storm of alienation and idleness, ripe for terrorist recruitment. The perpetrators of the 2005 London subway attacks were native-born Britons of Pakistani descent, recruited locally and trained in the use of explosives during visits to Pakistan. The Dutch Moroccan who murdered Dutch filmmaker Theodor Van Gogh in 2004 (for producing a film critical of Islam) was also a product of Wahhabi indoctrination. The Wahhabis have had less traction in the United States, which lacks the masses of unassimilated young people that exist in Europe. US welfare laws no longer allow able-bodied young men to have indefinite periods of government subsidized unemployment and immigrants (both Muslim and non-Muslim) tend to find a more stable niche in American society. Nevertheless, Wahhabi penetration of US mainstream Islamic institutions is substantial. A 2005 Freedom House Report examined over 200 books and other publications distributed in 15 prominent Saudi-funded American mosques. One such publication, bearing the imprint of the Saudi embassy and distributed by the King Fahd Mosque in Los Angeles, contained the following injunctions for Muslims living in America: Be dissociated from the infidels, hate them for their religion, leave them, never rely on them for support, do not admire them, and always oppose them in every way according to Islamic law. hoever helps unbelievers against Muslims, regardless of what type of support he lends to them, he is an unbeliever himself. Never greet the Christian or Jew first. Never congratulate the infidel on his holiday. Never befriend an infidel unless it is to convert him. Never imitate the infidel. Never work for an infidel. Do not wear a graduation gown because this imitates the infidel. Although Saudi-funded religious institutions have been careful not to incite or explicitly endorse violence since 9/11, they unapologetically promote distrust toward non-Muslims and self-segregation. In effect, they are trying to reproduce in America the kind of social conditions that have fueled radicalization and terrorist recruitment in Europe. While the Saudi ambassador in Washington said last year that his government was undertaking a "very intense review" of all missionary activities in the United States, it is clear that the Saudis are concerned primarily with avoiding bad publicity, not abandoning their drive to dominate Islamic institutions in America. Causes of American Inaction The Bush administration has been reluctant to put serious pressure on the Saudis to stop propagating Wahhabism, despite the enormous threat to American security posed by Sunni theofascism. There are several reasons for this. The first is American dependence on the kingdom's abundant oil reserves, which enable to the Saudis to maintain roughly 3 million b/d in spare production capacity. This spare capacity has been called the "energy equivalent of nuclear weapons," because it puts the Saudis in a unique position to compensate for disruptions in supplies from other producers and discourage price gouging - a service provided to the United States (and other industrialized nations) in exchange for protection. However, the argument that a firm public stance against Saudi propagation of religious hatred might lead the kingdom to retaliate economically is spurious. Saudi Arabia's use of the oil weapon would alienate the entire industrialized world, while threatening the relative economic prosperity that preserves stability in the kingdom. Some politicians and writers have voiced concern that pushing the Saudi royal family to curtail the Wahhabis could lead to terrorist attacks on the country's vulnerable petroleum infrastructure or lead to the collapse of the monarchy, which would produce an even worse outcome - a Saudi state controlled exclusively by religious fanatics. While these are serious risks, it must be borne in mind that most Wahhabi radicals view the monarchy (and its oil fields) as a golden goose. It is only by disguising Saudi Arabia as a 'friendly nation' that they have been able to go as far as they have in spreading their atavistic perversion of Islam. Such concerns reveal a tendency to imagine or spin the Saudi royal family as fundamentally pro-Western. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who served as ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005, has played an important role in masking Saudi - Wahhabi realities. His personal charm, Washington Post journalist David Ignatius writes, "many American leaders and even presidents to forget that he represented a secretive, repressive Muslim kingdom that survived because it had made a pact with 'puritanical' Wahhabi clerics who despised America." Bandar was also instrumental in the growth of what Daniel Pipes has called a "culture of corruption" that renders the executive branch of the American government "incapable of dealing with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the farsighted and disinterested manner that US foreign policy requires." Pipes points to a "revolving door syndrome" afflicting senior diplomats and policymakers who deal with the Saudis in their official capacities. Very often, they have enjoyed lucrative post-government careers working as consultants for Saudi businessmen and companies, or running Saudi-financed nongovernmental organizations. "If the reputation then builds that the Saudis take care of friends when they leave office," Bandar once reportedly told a close associate: "you'd be surprised how much better friends you have who are just coming into office." Unable or unwilling to combat the spread of Sunni theofascism at its main source (Saudi Arabia), the Bush administration launched a democracy promotion campaign intended to eradicate political conditions receptive to its global spread. However, rather than building stable and less oppressive systems resistant to religious extremism in Afghanistan and Iraq, the accumulating shortfalls of American intervention in both countries have made them magnets for jihadist recruitment. The Question of Iran The Bush Administration's reluctance to challenge the Saudis after 9/11 initially encountered impassioned objections from conservative and liberal commentators alike, but the outrage has tapered off as attention has became increasingly focused on Shiite Iran and its nuclear program which is hipped by Israel. In the view of the administration, the Iranian threat to American national security not only supercedes the threat of Sunni theofascism, but supercedes it to such a degree that a more accommodating policy toward Saudi Arabia is warranted. However, while the prospect of militant Shiite clerics in possession of nuclear weapons is understandably disconcerting to many Americans, the Iranian threat is mitigated by several important factors. For all of the shrill and unsettling words of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, his government's foreign policy is driven more by Iranian nationalism than Shiite Islamism (this is evident, for example, in Tehran's support for the predominantly Christian nation of Armenia in its dispute with Shiite Azerbaijan). This is not surprising, as Iran (known as Persia prior to the twentieth century) has existed in one form or another since biblical times, while it embraced Shiite Islam just 500 years ago. While Ahmadinejad exploits Iranian nationalism to win public support in his confrontation with the West, it can easily turn against him if he were to embark on a global adventure. Wahhabi clerics may support the Saudi royal family as a necessary evil in order to protect their global proselytizing mission, but they recognize no Saudi Arabian "nation" whose interests take precedence over their agenda. Such is not the case in Iran. Furthermore, Shiite Islamism does not exhibit theofascist tendencies. Radical clerics in Iran have been responsible for horrendous abuses of power, but they do not regard non-Shiite Muslims as "unbelievers" who must be systematically purged. Basically in Islam Christians and Jews are considered as belivers and in Quran are referred to as "the people of book". Even within the Shiite world, there is no prospect of a Wahhabi-style Iranian takeover of religious discourse because unlike the Sunnis, Shiite Islam is rigidly hierarchical. Iraqi and Lebanese Shiites gladly accept Iranian financial and military support, but they are fiercely loyal to their own clerical establishments. An even greater fallacy is the widespread belief in Washington that a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia is an asset in confronting Iran. On the contrary, coddling the Saudis makes it more difficult for the United States to deal with Iran. The Bush administration's refusal to hold Saudi leaders accountable for their incitement of Wahhabi jihadists (who have murdered far more Shiites than Americans, mostly in Iraq and Pakistan) is a source of deep resentment in the Shiite world. It is no surprise that the only two major public demonstrations against Al-Qaeda in the Islamic world after the 9/11 attacks were both organized by Shiites (in Tehran and Karachi, Pakistan). It is interesting to note that the recent escalation of US - Iranian tensions has made the Saudis less accommodating about Iraq than ever before. Reports that the Saudi Government is threatening to openly fund and arm Sunni insurgent groups if American forces withdraw from Iraq are a case in point. In effect, the Saudis are signaling to the Bush administration that they will thwart any American plan to cede control of Iraq to its Shiite-dominated, democratically-elected government, while signaling to the Sunni insurgents in Iraq that they can reject American efforts to broker a political settlement and not be left to face the consequences alone. Iran has no history of direct aggression against its neighbors, and unlike Saddam's Sunni-dominated Iraq, they have never used weapons of mass destruction during invasions of neighbors or against their own people. The strongest argument for this approach lies with the extent that Iran craves recognition of its actual status as the historically authentic nation state in the Middle East. Iran has long aspired to be and probably will be the region's predominant Islamic regional power. On the other hand Iranians are the most pro American and pro west people in the middle-east, although the recent Israeli pushed American forced sanctions are damaging this view. The Road Ahead Washington will eventually have to face the reality that derailing Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons (and, more broadly, its emergence as the predominant Islamic regional power) may be impossible over the long-term, and possible in the short term only at the expense of fatally undermining efforts to contain the spread of Sunni theofascism. The United States would do better to find a mutually acceptable means of working with this reality, rather sustaining a deadlocked confrontation by conditioning its willingness to normalize relations with Tehran on the abandonment of its nuclear aspirations. US - Iranian engagement will greatly enhance American leverage over the Saudis, as well as check the threat of Sunni theofascist terrorism in Iraq and, to a lesser extent, Afghanistan. Saudi officials have urged the Bush administration not to talk with Iran because they know that a reduction in US - Iranian tensions will draw more attention to their unbridled export of Wahhabism. Reducing American dependence on Saudi oil must also be part of any comprehensive strategy for addressing the threat of Sunni theofascism. Although President Bush has expressed commitment to developing alternative energy sources, the surplus production capacity of the Saudis enables them to lower prices as necessary to ensure that this will not be cost effective for a long time. Barring radical breakthroughs in fuel technologies, an optimistic forecast would have bio fuels (ethanol, synthetic diesel and bio oil) making up to 30% of US petroleum equivalent needs by 2030. For the short to medium term future, only conservation can significantly alter American petroleum dependency. Without the billions of dollars in Saudi funds, the ideological, political, and psychological edifice of Wahhabi theofascism will begin to crumble, particularly if a concerted effort is made by the Bush administration to promote moderate Islamic institutions (a recent study by the RAND Corporation offers some insightful recommendations). Ultimately, the devil is not in the details - it is the administration's broad lack of resolve in confronting the threat of theofascism, not the lack of viable methods of combating it, that imperils American security. REFERENCES See Mohammed Ayoob, "Political Islam: Image and Reality," World Policy Journal, Vol. 11, No. 3, Fall 2004. Fascism is "a form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victim-hood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy, and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion." See Robert Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004), p. 218. Saudi police 'stopped' fire rescue, BBC, 15 March 2002. Wahhabi religious police (mutaween) prevented Saudi schoolgirls from fleeing a burning school because they were not properly veiled, leaving fifteen of them to die inside in 2002, an outrage equaled only by the Taliban's rein of terror against women in Afghanistan. R. James Woolsey, "The Elephant in The Middle East Living Room: Watching Wahhabis," The National Review, 14 December 2005. Zawahiri declared in a December 2006 videotape, "How could they not demand an Islamic constitution before entering these elections? Are they not an Islamic movement?" See: "Al Qaeda Warns U.S. on Fighting in Muslim Lands," The New York Times, 21 December 2006. Zawahiri accused it of being "duped, provoked and used" by the United States after it participated in the 2005 legislative elections. See "Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader praises U.S. hints of troop reduction in Iraq," The Associated Press, 6 January 2006. In his 2003 book, Why America Slept, Gerald Posner cites two unidentified senior Bush administration officials as saying that captured Al-Qaeda leader Abu Zubaydah revealed details of a Saudi-Pakistani-Bin Laden triangle. See Gerald Posner, Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11, (New York: Random House, 2003). "Inside the Kingdom," Time, 7 September 2003. Nina Shea, Saudi Arabia's Curriculum of Intolerance, Freedom House, 2006. John Esposito, quoted in Gary Leupp, On Terrorism, Methodism, Saudi 'Wahhabism' and the Censored 9-11 Report, Counterpunch, 8 August 2003. Ali al-Ahmed of the Washington Institute for Gulf Affairs makes this point. See Saudi Arabia's Curriculum of Intolerance, CBN.org, 14 June 2006. "Top Saudi cleric issues religious edict declaring Shiites to be infidels," Associated Press, 29 December 2006. More Evidence of Saudi Double Talk?, MSNBC, 26 April 2005. In an April 2006 lecture, Saudi cleric Nasser bin Suleiman al-Omar cautioned his audience not to "get involved in things that are not jihad . . . divert the strife and calamity into the lands of the Muslims, instead of aiming them directly at the enemies." He continued, saying that: "there are places where jihad is proper - in Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Chechnya, Kashmir, and the Philippines." See Saudi Cleric Nasser bin Suleiman Al-'Omar: 'America is Now Disappearing From the Hearts Within America Itself . . . MEMRI Special Dispatch #1154, 4 May 2006. Alex Alexiev, "Terrorism: Growing Wahhabi Influence in the United States", Testimony before the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, 26 June 2003. Author interview with Evgueni Novokov, Ph.D., former colonel, senior staff officer for the Soviet Politburo and deputy director for Middle East Operations, in charge of Arabic Department, and relationships with CPSU Central Committee front organizations and friendly parties; advised Central Committee members on Islamic affairs, 1986 -1988. 22 October 2006. Author interview with Abdel Guzman, Grand Imam of Jolo, Jolo City, Sulu Province, The Philippines, 5 March 2004. Author's interview with Abdel Guzman, The Grand Imam of Jolo, Op. Cit. See Freedom House, The Talibanization of Nigeria: Radical Islam, Extremist Sharia Law, and Religious Freedom, March 2002. "Against the Saudization of Somaliland," Addis Tribune (Ethiopia), 21 November 2003. http://www.addistribune.com/Archives/2003/11/21-11-03/Against.htm In March 2002, the official Saudi magazine Ain al-Yaqeen estimated that the Saudi royal family in countries where Muslims were a minority has funded 210 Islamic centers, 1,500 mosques, 202 colleges, and 2,000 madrassas. The number of all Saudi Government and charitably funded institutions beyond Saudi Arabia is much higher. Cited in "Inside the Kingdom," Time, 7 September 2003. Alex Alexiev, "France at the Brink", The San Diego Union Tribune, 20 November 2005. See also: Alex Alexiev, Europe's Islamist Future is Now, The Center for Security Policy, 13 June 2005. Other publications examined include textbooks from the Saudi Ministry of Education and collections of religious edicts by state-sanctioned clerics in the kingdom. See Freedom House, Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosques, January 2005. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, "Wahhabism in the Big House: The Teaching of Jihad in American Penitentiaries," The Weekly Standard, 26 September 2005. "Terrorist Recruitment in Prisons and The Recent Arrests Related to Guantanamo Bay Detainees," Testimony of John S. Pistole, Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, FBI, before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security, 14 October 2003. Testimony of Dr. J. Michael Waller before the US Senate Judiciary Committee's Terrorism Subcommittee, 14 October 2003. Frank Gaffney, A Troubling Influence, Front Page Magazine.com, 9 December 2003. Glenn Simpson, "Suspect Lessons: A Muslim School Used by Military Has Troubling Ties," The Wall Street Journal, 3 December 2003. "For Conservative Muslims, Goal of Isolation a Challenge; 9/11 Put Strict Adherents on the Defensive," The Washington Post, 5 September 2006. Edward L. Morse and James Richard, "The Battle for Energy Dominance," Foreign Affairs, March/April 2002. David Ignatius, "The Operator," The Washington Post, 5 November 2006, p.7. Daniel Pipes, "The Scandal of U.S.-Saudi Relations," The National Interest, Winter 2002/2003. "Oil for Security Fueled Close Ties; But Major Differences Led to Tensions," The Washington Post, 11 February 2002. In November 2006, Nawaf Obaid, a close advisor to Prince Turki, warned in a Washington Post op-ed that a phased American withdrawal from Iraq will result in "massive Saudi intervention," with options including "funding, arms and logistical support" to Sunni insurgents. "As the economic powerhouse of the Middle East, the birthplace of Islam and the de facto leader of the world's Sunni community (which comprises 85 percent of all Muslims), Saudi Arabia has both the means and the religious responsibility to intervene." See Nawaf Obaid, "Stepping Into Iraq: Saudi Arabia Will Protect Sunnis if the U.S. Leaves," The Washington Post, 29 November 2006. Outlook on Renewable Energy in America, Volume II: Joint Summary Report, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), March 2007. The Rand Corporation, Building Moderate Muslim Networks, 2007. Curtin Winsor, Jr. is a former United States Ambassador to Costa Rica. He graduated from Brown University in 1961 with a degree in English literature, and then received a Masters in Latin American studies in 1964 and a Ph.D. in international studies in 1971 from the School of International Service at American University in Washington, D.C. He worked as an adviser to President Ronald Reagan and Sen. Robert Dole, as well as for the U.S. Foreign Service. * This article had previously been published in the Mideast Monitor. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b95_1368351158 AntiPropagaanda Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism "A Must Read" al-Qaeda, Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism, Terrorism, America, Israel, Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:46:42 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5fd_1367230851 MortenHj New York Times <--- Click here for source link This is a Wahhabi terrorist uprising and have always been that. only cheerleaders in the West with their house-arabs have defended this bullshit. The mass-media is fueled by emotions and the amount of emotions invested in fsa terrorist support is to high for it to be dropped by any negative information. April 27, 2013 Islamist Rebels Create Dilemma on Syria PolicyBy BEN HUBBARDCAIRO - In Syria's largest city, Aleppo, rebels aligned with Al Qaeda control the power plant, run the bakeries and head a court that applies Islamic law. Elsewhere, they have seized government oil fields, put employees back to work and now profit from the crude they produce. Across Syria, rebel-held areas are dotted with Islamic courts staffed by lawyers and clerics, and by fighting brigades led by extremists. Even the Supreme Military Council, the umbrella rebel organization whose formation the West had hoped would sideline radical groups, is stocked with commanders who want to infuse Islamic law into a future Syrian government. Nowhere in rebel-controlled Syria is there a secular fighting force to speak of. This is the landscape President Obama confronts as he considers how to respond to growing evidence that Syrian officials have used chemical weapons, crossing a "red line" he had set. More than two years of violence have radicalized the armed opposition fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, leaving few groups that both share the political vision of the United States and have the military might to push it forward. Among the most extreme groups is the notorious Al Nusra Front, the Qaeda-aligned force declared a terrorist organization by the United States, but other groups share aspects of its Islamist ideology in varying degrees. "Some of the more extremist opposition is very scary from an American perspective, and that presents us with all sorts of problems," said Ari Ratner, a fellow at the Truman National Security Project and former Middle East adviser in the Obama State Department. "We have no illusions about the prospect of engaging with the Assad regime - it must still go - but we are also very reticent to support the more hard-line rebels." Syrian officials recognize that the United States is worried that it has few natural allies in the armed opposition and have tried to exploit that with a public campaign to convince, or frighten, Washington into staying out of the fight. At every turn they promote the notion that the alternative to Mr. Assad is an extremist Islamic state. The Islamist character of the opposition reflects the main constituency of the rebellion, which has been led since its start by Syria's Sunni Muslim majority, mostly in conservative, marginalized areas. The descent into brutal civil war has hardened sectarian differences, and the failure of more mainstream rebel groups to secure regular arms supplies has allowed Islamists to fill the void and win supporters. The religious agenda of the combatants sets them apart from many civilian activists, protesters and aid workers who had hoped the uprising would create a civil, democratic Syria. When the armed rebellion began, defectors from the government's staunchly secular army formed the vanguard. The rebel movement has since grown to include fighters with a wide range of views, including Qaeda-aligned jihadis seeking to establish an Islamic emirate, political Islamists inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood and others who want an Islamic-influenced legal code like that found in many Arab states. "My sense is that there are no seculars," said Elizabeth O'Bagy, of the Institute for the Study of War, who has made numerous trips to Syria in recent months to interview rebel commanders. Of most concern to the United States is the Nusra Front, whose leader recently confirmed that the group cooperated with Al Qaeda in Iraq and pledged fealty to Al Qaeda's top leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden's longtime deputy. Nusra has claimed responsibility for a number of suicide bombings and is the group of choice for the foreign jihadis pouring into Syria. Another prominent group, Ahrar al-Sham, shares much of Nusra's extremist ideology but is made up mostly of Syrians. The two groups are most active in the north and east and are widely respected by other rebels for their fighting abilities and their ample arsenal, much of it given by sympathetic donors in the gulf. And both helped lead campaigns to seize military bases, dams on the Euphrates River and the provincial capital of Raqqa Province in March, the only regional capital entirely held by rebel forces. Nusra's hand is felt most strongly in Aleppo, where the group has set up camp in a former children's hospital and has worked with other rebel groups to establish a Shariah Commission in the eye hospital next door to govern the city's rebel-held neighborhoods. The commission runs a police force and an Islamic court that hands down sentences that have included lashings, though not amputations or executions as some Shariah courts in other countries have done. Nusra fighters also control the power plant and distribute flour to keep the city's bakeries running. While many residents initially feared them, some have come to respect them for providing basic services and working to fill the city's security vacuum. Secular activists, however, have chafed at their presence. At times, Nusra fighters have clashed with other rebels who reject their ideology. In the oil-rich provinces of Deir al-Zour and Hasaka, Nusra fighters have seized government oil fields, putting some under the control of tribal militias and running others themselves. "They are the strongest military force in the area," said the commander of a rebel brigade in Hasaka reached via Skype. "We can't deny it." But most of Nusra's fighters joined the group for the weapons, not the ideology, he said, and some left after discovering the Qaeda connection. "Most of the youth who joined them did so to topple the regime, not because they wanted to join Al Qaeda," he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. As extremists rose in the rebel ranks, the United States sought to limit their influence, first by designating Nusra a terrorist organization, and later by pushing for the formation of the Supreme Military Council, which is linked to the exile opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition. Although led by an army defector, Gen. Salim Idris, the council has taken in the leaders of many overtly Islamist battalions. One called the Syrian Liberation Front has been integrated nearly wholesale into the council; many of its members coordinate closely with the Syrian Islamic Front, a group that includes the extremist Ahrar al-Sham, according to a recent report by Ms. O'Bagy, of the Institute for the Study of War. A spokesman for the council, Louay Mekdad, said that its members reflected Syrian society and that it had no ties to Nusra or other radical groups. "The character of the Syrian people is Islamic, but it is stupid to think that Syria will turn into Afghanistan," he said. "That's just an excuse for those who don't want to help Syria." The Obama administration has said it needs more conclusive information before it acts on the Syrian government's reported use of chemical weapons. It remains unclear whether such action would translate to increased support for the rebels. In the past, United States officials saw the Islamist groups' abundant resources as the main draw for recruits, said Steven Heydemann, a senior adviser at the United States Institute of Peace, which works with the State Department. "The strategy is based on the current assessment that popular appeal of these groups is transactional, not ideological, and that opportunities exist to peel people away by providing alternative support and resources," he said. Mr. Heydemann acknowledged, however, that the current momentum toward radicalism could be hard to reverse. The challenge, he said, is to end the conflict before "the opportunity to create a system of governance not based on militant Islamic law is lost." Emile Hokayem, a Middle East analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, framed the rebels' dilemma another way: "How do you denounce the Nusra Front as extremists when they are playing such an important military role and when they look disciplined, resourceful and committed?" From the start, the Syrian government has sought to portray the rebels as terrorists carrying out an international plot to weaken the country, and the rise of extremist groups has strengthened its case and increased support among Syrians who fear that a rebel victory could mean the end of the secular Syrian state. Many rebels and opposition activists complain about the Western focus on Islamist groups, some even dismissing the opposition's ideological differences. "We all want an Islamic state and we want Shariah to be applied," said Maawiya Hassan Agha, a rebel activist reached by Skype in the northern village of Sarmeen. He said a country's laws should flow from its people's beliefs and compared Syrians calling for Islamic law with the French banning Muslim women from wearing face veils. "In France, people don't like face veils so they passed laws against them," he said. "It's the same thing here. It's our right to push for the laws we want." An employee of The New York Times contributed reporting from Aleppo, Syria. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5fd_1367230851 MortenHj Nowhere in rebel-controlled Syria is there a secular fighting force to speak of Syria, Aleppo, fsa, terrorism, al-qaeda, al-nusra, NY Times, extremism Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:15:32 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=03e_1367082651 cathy winslow Backslash on multiculturalism in Europe and easy access to global jihad info on the web prompts young Muslims from France and other EU states to join the Syrian rebels, Jean-Yves Camus, a specialist on extremism, told RT. The EU's anti-terror chief, Gilles de Kerchove, is sounding the alarm over the number of young Europeans going off to the Syrian war. Hundreds of volunteers are already fighting alongside rebels and could pose a serious security threat when they return home, according to the official. Specialist in extremism at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations, Jean-Yves Camus, shares those concerns, adding that the rise of radicalism in Europe can be also explained by the many conflicts in the Muslim world the West had a hand in. http://on.rt.com/1d9j2x http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=03e_1367082651 cathy winslow Multiculture Backlash in Europe drives young Muslims to Syrian war backlash,terrorism,terrorist,civilwar Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:19:58 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b2e_1366074992 USMC5816 There are some common patterns among Islamic terrorists. They tend to be the least educated (often illiterate), least employable, and the least intelligent members of their community (either in the old country or within immigrant communities in the West). While university educated terrorists get a lot of media attention, most ideologically motivated terrorists are poor and illiterate. These deficiencies provide a great motivator to do something desperate, in the off chance it might improve your lot. Thus, most of the violence in the world occurs in countries with low literacy rates. While the planetary literacy rate is 87 percent, it's only 29 percent in Afghanistan. It's even worse in the Pushtun tribal territories (about 15 percent on the Afghan side, 23 percent on the Pakistan side). The Taliban are a Pushtun movement and the Islamic radicals are determined to keep literacy low. They also believe in prohibitions on women working outside the home and the use of entertainment technology (music and videos, in particular, and don't even try to dance). Modern weapons and vehicles are another matter, as long as women are not operating these devices. This illiteracy is a key factor in keeping radical Islam going in places like Afghanistan, Somalia (24 percent literacy rate), Yemen (55 percent), and Mali (26 percent). Islamic radicals believe in education but a special kind of education, which is taught in a madrassa (Islamic school) and stresses memorizing scripture and learning how to hate non-Moslems more effectively. The majority of the Islamic terrorists (gunmen, suicide bombers, and helpers of all sorts) come from madrassas. Such schools are found all over the Islamic world, but the ones that produce the most terrorists are those that teach a conservative form of Islam, usually one that justifies militant Islam, hatred of non-Moslems and a favorable attitude towards Islamic radicalism. There are probably fewer than five million kids attending these conservative madrassas. But these schools turn out thousands of potential terrorists each year. An extensive study of the madrassas in Pakistan found that only about ten percent of all schoolchildren were attending the religious schools, and less than twenty percent of these schools taught militancy and hatred against non-Moslems. Most of these Islamic schools were concentrated in the Pushtun (tribal) areas. The most dangerous madrasses teach a conservative version of Islam and stress the need to fight infidels (non-Moslems), but they also teach basic literacy and some math. Since most Islamic states have terrible educations systems, parents see madrassas as a viable option. Even with the 20,000 or so madrassas in a place like Pakistan, you still have over a third of the children not in school. The national literacy rate is 56 percent in Pakistan. The Gulf States only developed high literacy rates in the last few generations, courtesy of all that oil money. Saudi Arabia and Iraq have achieved literacy rates close to 80 percent. But Pakistan and Afghanistan don't have that wealth. Then again, neither does China, which has a literacy rate of 90 percent (as do most of the East Asian nations). It's a culture thing, which is not politically correct to even mention. Even children going to state schools in Islamic nations will get a lot of religious instruction. Parents who can afford it send their kids to "Western" schools that teach subjects that will help the children get ahead in life. For Moslem nations students are encouraged to study religion, even in college. While many Moslem kids realize that studying technical subjects will do them more good, at least economically, the Islamic nations turn out fewer technically trained graduates, per capita, than in the West. This attitude towards secular education has left most Islamic nations illiterate, poor, and incubators of terrorism. Trying to change that brings out the wrath of the Islamic clergy, who insist that the best education is a religious one and no education at all is best for girls. A lot of Western economic aid to places like Afghanistan and Pakistan is for education. Most parents favor this. It's no secret that better educated kids grow up to be wealthier adults. And with an education, you can make it big in the West. But these "Western schools" are anathema to Islamic militants and in some parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, attending such schools, or teaching in them, can get you killed or maimed. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b2e_1366074992 USMC5816 Counter-Terrorism Article Counter-Terrorism, Islam Sat, 06 Apr 2013 09:45:26 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3a0_1365255679 bigmike77 Twenty prominent conservatives have joined Media Research Center (MRC) President Brent Bozell to demand broadcast networks, like ABC, NBC, and CBS cover the story of an abortion doctor on trial for murdering born-alive babies in Philadelphia. The group is asking that the testimony of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood in favor of killing babies who survived botched abortions be covered as well. The conservative leaders-like Bozell, Craig Shirley, Richard Viguerie, David Bossie, and Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the effective and influential Susan B. Anthony List-called the media's blackout "unprofessional," "disgusting," and "inhuman." Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortion doctor who made millions performing late-term abortions, has been accused of murdering seven born-alive babies in a run-down abortion clinic that has been described as a "house of horrors." He allegedly committed infanticide by plunging scissors into their necks and may face the death penalty. NBC, CBS, and ABC have devoted no time on their morning and evening broadcasts to the Gosnell case, according to the MRC's research. Gosnell's trial started three weeks ago. Video of the Planned Parenthood testimony surfaced on March 29. "If the pro-life movement were involved in this type of insanity, there would be wall-to-wall coverage from every major news outlet," they said. "This cover-up is a national disgrace." They noted the Gosnell case "could have been plucked from the fever dream of Hollywood's most depraved slasher film writer, and yet ABC, CBS, and NBC have completely censored it out of the news," while "the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates' on-the-record position in support of murdering living children is staggering in its radicalism." "Yet ABC, CBS, and NBC have completely censored it out of the news," they said. The conservative leaders noted the mainstream networks, in contrast, have critically covered pro-life laws in North Dakota and Arkansas. They said the "horrific excesses of the abortion industry-exemplified by Gosnell and Planned Parenthood-are major, national news stories any way you look at them," but the pro-abortion mainstream media "are determined to hide them from the public." "The media have a solemn duty to the American people to report the news, not just news that helps the positions they support," they wrote. "It's unprofessional, it's disgusting, and it's inhuman." The MRC's research discovered: Since the Gosnell trial began three weeks ago, ABC, CBS, and NBC have given the story zero seconds of coverage on either their morning or evening news shows. They have not covered Gosnell once since his arrest in January 2011, and even then, only CBS did so. After the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates' testimony in favor of post-birth abortions surfaced on March 29, ABC, CBS, and NBC have committed zero seconds of coverage on either of their morning or evening news shows. ABC, CBS, and NBC have each covered the new abortion laws in North Dakota and Arkansas, describing them as the "most restrictive" in the nation. The conservative leaders demanding the mainstream media end their blackout of these stories include: L. Brent Bozell, III, President and Founder, Media Research Center; Diana Banister, Vice President, Shirley & Bannister Public Affairs; Gary Bauer, President, American Values; David N. Bossie, President, Citizens United; Brian Burch, President, Catholic Vote; Susan Carleson, Chairman/CEO, American Civil Rights Union; Kellyanne Conway, President, The Polling Company, Inc./Woman Trend; Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony List; Mark Fitzgibbons, President of Corporate Affairs, American Target Advertising; Andrea Lafferty, Traditional Values Coalition; Mario Lopez, President, Hispanic Leadership Fund; Jim Martin, Chairman, 60 Plus Association; Gary Marx, Executive Director, Faith and Freedom Coalition; Jeanne Monahan, President of March for Life Education and Defense Fund; Penny Nance, President, Concerned Women for America; Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life; President, National Pro-life Religious Council. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3a0_1365255679 bigmike77 House of Horrors Horror, Abortion, Murder Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:12:00 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d85_1364497367 gemini Cyprus may have been saved, but monetary union is impossible to sustain in the absence of a political union across Europe Harold James Thursday 28 March 2013 16.14 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/economics-blog/2013/mar/28/cyprus-rescue-growing-rift-eu-integration Customers outside the Laiki Bank Limassol in Cyprus. The rescue package may have saved Cyprus for now, but European integration is in jeopardy. Europe can choose its own musical accompaniment to its latest crisis. In Berlin, 50 Cent's film All Things Fall Apart has just had its premiere, so that soundtrack might be appropriate. Or the continent can reach back to Giuseppe Verdi, born 200 years ago, whose penultimate, and probably greatest operatic achievement starts on the coast of Cyprus with a storm of fantastic violence and the opening words of its hero, Otello: Esultate, rejoice! The war has been won; but Otello's achievement is later destroyed by his jealousy. Cyprus now appears to have been rescued. But the rescue has fuelled a growing rift that jeopardises the future of European integration, partly owing to the way that the upheaval of the early 20th century - especially the Great Depression - has been re-enacted in the debates about the post-2008 financial meltdown and the subsequent euro crisis. The interwar economic slump became intractable because it was also a crisis of social stability, democracy, and the international political order. Widespread bankruptcy and unemployment increased social tension, ultimately making normal democratic politics impossible. In Germany, the epicentre of democracy's collapse, radicals on both the right and the left raged against the postwar peace settlement and the Versailles treaty. In the last years of the increasingly unstable Weimar Republic, as democracy was fraying, German governments started to use their opponents' radicalism in an effort to extract security concessions from western powers. Domestic political pressure became a source of heightened international tension. That is true in today's Europe as well. Democracy has become a central target of complaints by the European elite. Luxembourg's prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, a former chairman of the euro group, has lamented that European leaders know what the right policies are, but do not know how to be re-elected after implementing them. Similarly, after his recent crushing election defeat, Italian prime minister Mario Monti wistfully explained that Italy's voters were too impatient to bear reforms whose benefits would only become evident beyond the electoral cycle. Events in Cyprus have exposed two other dimensions to the clashes over Europe's dual sovereign debt and banking crisis. First, the discussion of a levy on bank deposits, and whether small customers should be exempted, put class conflict front and center. Second, the question of foreign, and especially Russian, depositors - along with proximity to Syria - has turned the rescue of the Cypriot banking sector into an international relations problem. The initial proposal to impose a one-time tax on accounts holding less than EUR100,000 came not from the European Union or from Germany, but from the Cypriot government, which must have known that it was likely to generate outrage, and that the Cypriot parliament would never vote for it. Perhaps the government believed that mass protests - with placards denouncing the EU as a fig leaf for revived German domination of Europe - would strengthen its hand. After all, even moderate Cypriots were outraged by the bullying of their small island by Germany and by Europe. The other side in the negotiations also played class politics. At one of the tensest moments, as Cyprus was seeking an alternative rescue package from Russia, the German Bundesbank announced the results of a new European Central Bank study indicating that average German wealth was lower than in the southern European states, largely because fewer Germans own houses. The message seemed clearly intended to influence the negotiations: why should poorer Germans be expected to sacrifice to support Mediterranean millionaires? In the aftermath of the financial crisis, income and wealth distribution have moved to the centre of political debate. Even the Catholic church seems to reflect the new mood. The election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis is a clear reference to St Francis of Assisi and the church's mission to stand up for the poor. On the international relations front, after 2010, as deposits from Europe left Cypriot banks, deposits from Russian businesses and individuals increased - and Russia has many reasons to use money as a way of buying political control. Cyprus is a crucial staging post for American security operations in the eastern Mediterranean, and the gas fields off the Cypriot coast might be developed as an energy source that would - at least after 2017 - reduce European dependence on Russian supplies. In an earlier phase of the crisis, Russia gave Cyprus a $3bn credit. Now, however, a new credit would serve only to make the burden of government debt unsustainable; what is needed is a purchase of all or some of the problematic Cypriot banks. In the aftermath of a crisis that has been intensified by the rhetoric of class conflict, Russia might be able to extend its control more significantly, and at a lower price. Deepening social polarisation, its use in financial negotiations, and the intrusion of a new security element provide further evidence of what most economists and commentators on Europe have long argued: a monetary union is impossible to sustain in the absence of a political union. A state, especially in the modern form of the European welfare state, depends on effective mechanisms for arbitrating and resolving social disputes - mechanisms that, as the turmoil surrounding Cyprus has shown, the EU lacks. As long as that remains true, European integration may be doomed by the time the music stops. Harold James is professor of history and international affairs at Princeton University and professor of history at the European University Institute, Florence. He is the author, most recently, of Making the European Monetary Union http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d85_1364497367 gemini Cyprus rescue fuels a growing rift that endangers EU integration eu integration Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:13:38 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d5b_1364400358 JMate Only beneficiaries of this illegal wars are : M.I.C. , Warmonger politicians associated with Weapons Factories owners, Banks and New Order lovers , using cheap American canon fodder meat to die or get wounded for ever. Remember all that talk about leaving Afghanistan in 2014? None of it was serious. A promise by the administration to leave Afghanistan came as recently as last October, in the vice presidential debate, when Vice President Joe Biden promised, "We are leaving... We are leaving in 2014." http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d5b_1364400358 JMate Condemned to Endless War: The Sisyphean US terror policy Condemned to Endless War: The Sisyphean US terror policy Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:40:20 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=243_1363188790 Nazel_Hut The government of the Netherlands raised its terror threat level to "substantial" today, amid fears that terrorists trained in Syria will try to disrupt the coronation of their new king. The head of Dutch counterterrorism says that as many as 100 Dutch citizens have traveled to Syria to join in the war there,and are returning angry, radicalized, and highly-trained to wreak havoc on Europe. He also cited an increased radicalization among Dutch youth in general, making them highly susceptible to recruitment by these returning jihadist fighters. The government also warned that the Netherlands is not the only country that has to worry about this problem. With the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on the wane, Syria has become perhaps the most active proving ground for new terrorists, who have found freedom of movement and a sympathetic population grateful for the help they've given to take down a brutal dictator. They also gain knowledge about things like weapons, bomb making, communications, and guerrilla fighting tactics. Thousands offoreign fighters have joined the anti-Assad cause, and when (or if) that war ever comes to a conclusion, many of them will look to join a new fight elsewhere. It could be Yemen or North Africa, but it could also be the cities of Europe that many of them used to call home. The Dutch have also had a fraught history with Islamic radicalism, and with the their large population of immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries. Several Dutch politicians have made names for themselves-and found surprising success at the polls-by criticizing Islam, and pushing anti-Immigration laws designed to keep Muslim populations from growing. (Two of them even made a list of al-Qaeda's "most wanted" blasphemers.) In 2004, Theo van Gogh, a prominent documentary filmmaker, was murdered in broad daylight for making a film that was critical of the religion. Earlier this year, the government moved to ban burqas and face veils and just this week a new controversy arose after video surfaced of young Muslim praising Hitler and saying he "should have killed all the Jews." Numerous studies have found that young Muslims feel alienated and resentful of the society that can't seem to accept them-which leads to distrust from their fellow citizens, more resentment, and a continuing the cycle of hatred. Adding the violent history of Syria to that mix could create a very dangerous situation. Obviously, any concerns about security are going to ratcheted up next month when the Netherlands installs its new monarch. Queen Beatrix announced in January that she would abdicate the throne on April 30, turning the crown over to her eldest son, Willem-Alexander. The upcoming royal celebration is sure to be wild and crazy time for Dutch citizens (Amsterdam's hotels are already sold out), but a particularly trying time for those trying to keep them safe.http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2013/03/dutch-are-worried-syrian-war-headed-their-way/63048/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=243_1363188790 Nazel_Hut The Dutch Are Worried the Syrian War Is Headed Their Way Dutch, terror, jihad Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:42:34 -0500 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=374_1361896475 aydeo Sinem Tezyapar Published: 02.26.13 I am a Turkish Muslim, and every time I have a conversation with an Israeli friend, they keep asking me why the relations between Israel and Turkey have reached such a nadir, why Turkey seemingly has an antagonistic stance against Israel. They are inclined to comment that Turkey is becoming more religious and that is the reason for the strained ties. First of all, Turkey is not completely against Israel. Turkey and Israel are two countries that have deep-rooted, solid relations, and this will not change. Although the rhetoric in the political arena may give a different impression, the bond between the Turkish and Israeli people remains unshaken. Yes, there has been tension between Turkey and Israel in the past couple of years, but this is temporary, and the Turkish public has never ceased to care for Israelis. The Mavi Marmara episode was an unnecessary incident and I do not believe that anyone predicted things would end the way they did. I am confident that if both sides had known the result ahead of time, they would have striven to handle things in an entirely different manner. The Israeli public has to decide how it wants to compensate, but we consider Israel as a friendly country in any event and we want to overcome this regrettable incident as soon as possible. Israel and Turkey have always had a longstanding friendship, ever since the time of the Ottomans. They have always loved and watched over each other. This has always been the case, and it will continue to be so. From time to time, we might have problems. This is inevitable in relations between sovereign nation states, but there will never be a complete termination of our friendship. Turkey occupies a unique position in the region as a majority Muslim state that is non-Arab, ethnically neutral. And Turkey, both historically and naturally, has been a melting pot that has brought people from rich and variegated cultures and backgrounds together, perhaps more than any other country in the Middle East. This unique situation gives Turkey the responsibility to be a natural peacemaker, moderator and protector of regional peace. And within this role, Turkey is Israel's natural ally and an assurance of the stability of the region and thus a safeguard to Israel's existence. Turkey and Israel share common features that deepen their alliance. Both states are officially secular while their people are predominantly religious. Since secularism is both a precaution and a blessing against hypocrisy, in both countries people who chose to be religious follow their free will and no one can compel anyone to practice any religion. That is to say, there is a firm stance against bigotry and in both countries people are respected and embraced regardless of their religion. Non-believers live as they choose as well. Israel and Turkey's secular nature prevents coercion, compulsion in the name of religion and hypocrisy. Their interpretation of secularism should not be confused with atheism; rather, it guarantees the freedom of the people to practice their religion as they see fit. In both Israel and Turkey, democratic awareness and democratic values are more firmly rooted than in any other country in the region. There is no room or tolerance for despotic regimes. The people of Turkey and Israel have known hardships and they have both been nurtured from their spirituality and conviction. They have been living under fire in a region that has never known stability and has always known conflict. The Turkish nation wants nothing more than Israel's continued existence in peace and tranquility. We are happy to see that it is prosperous and that all its citizens live in comfort and safety. When various public figures in the Middle East make threats and genocidal statements against Israel and its citizens, it disturbs us greatly and we would never let something like that happen. Just as we came to the aid of our Jewish brothers and sisters and sailed them in private ships to Turkey in 1492 during the period of the Spanish Inquisition and welcomed them in our country, we will be ready to rush to their help whenever they are in need. When Hitler targeted the Jews during the Nazis' genocidal "Final Solution," we struggled with all our might to protect them. This attitude stems from the morality that Islam requires. Turks and Jews have always helped each other in times of great crises, and they will continue to do so, no matter what happens. When we go a back a little further in history, it becomes even more evident that Jews and Muslims not only coexisted but also supported each other. After the Romans destroyed the Second Temple and took control of Jerusalem, they expelled Jews from the city. When Rome adopted Christianity, it maintained a strict ban on Jews coming near Jerusalem after 325 A.D. Jews were only allowed to enter once a year to pray on Tisha B'Av. The ban on Jews entering the city remained in force until the Muslim Caliph Umar took control of the city. Muslims then welcomed the Jews back to Jerusalem for the first time in about 600 years. During the Abbasid Caliphate, Muslims continued to welcome Jews to settle in the city, and this situation continued until the city was invaded by the Crusaders in 1099. Another point to be emphasized is that Muslims and Jews fought side-by-side to defend the city against the invading Crusaders. After the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem, Jews and Muslims alike were prohibited from entering Jerusalem. This prohibition continued till the Muslim leader Salah al-Din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub, known as Saladin, finally liberated the city in 1187 from the Crusaders and invited the Jews to return to Jerusalem with no restrictions and allowed them to take up residence. The core values of Israel are also sacred for Muslims. The word "Israel" is the name given by God to Jacob, who is praised in the Koran and is cited with respect by all Muslims. The synagogues are places of worship that Muslims must protect according to the Koran (Koran, 22:40). Just as Muslims are obliged to approach Jews in a friendly and brotherly manner, devout Jews are also obliged to approach Muslims amicably. According to the Jewish faith, righteous Muslims are B'nei Noah. Both Muslims and Jews believe in the One God, they both live by the revelations of God and they both obey the messengers sent by Him. Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Joseph, Jacob, David and Solomon are just as important for Muslims as they are for the Jews. The lands that these holy people lived on and served God on are as holy for Muslims as it is for the Jews. Therefore, it goes without saying that it is love and compassion that should rule in these holy lands. The existence of Turkey protects Israel. We will be the first ones to stand up to any kind of threat that might be aimed at Israel. Turkey will never aim to harm the Jewish people. As is the case in any society, there may be a few extremists who hold unreasonable or irrational opinions. But radical thought can never find a broad foundation in Turkey. What matters is that Turkey is not a state in search of hostility. It is a state that wants love, brotherhood and friendship. We aim to be a nation which doesn't do injustice to anyone; a nation that will stand at the side of those who are persecuted no matter what their faith is; a nation that will defend the truth until the end. This is a very important guarantee for Israel. For this reason, our brothers and sisters in Israel should not be concerned over what it is, at best, a transitory rough patch in relations between our two nations. We both want peace, friendship, democracy, human rights, goodness, compassion and love to be dominant in the region and we want to live a beautiful life together. Turkey and Israel working in unison can make the entire region prosperous and put an end to terror, radicalism and anarchy. Israel and Turkey will continue with their strong as steel alliance and bring peace, love and tranquility to the region. Sinem Tezyapar is an executive producer at A9 TV, broadcasting from Turkey, Istanbul. She is a political and religious commentator and a peace activist http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4349189,00.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=374_1361896475 aydeo Israel and Turkey friendship will remain - By a female Turkish Muslim.. Israel-Turkey,Friendship,Muslims,Jews