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    <pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 09:05:47 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Does Islamic finance have a place in Canada?</title>
      <pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2013 21:21:53 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cab_1368666389</link>
      <dc:creator>MAKMAK</dc:creator>
      <description>
Around $900 billion in assets across the globe are managed by Islamic banks that operate according to sharia, an interpretation of Islamic law. In recent years, so-called Islamic finance has been growing at a rate of 15-20 per cent a year, and proved remarkably resilient to the financial crisis. Proponents of the relatively new sector point to its back-to-basics financial structures, which have made it popular with a number of non-Mulsim clients who have little appetite for risk. Critics, though, say the restrictions it comes with-prohibitions, for example, on paying interest and investing in anything that involves porn, pork or booze-are archaic and unworkable.

Canada, with its 1.3 million Muslims, has lagged behind countries like the U.K. and the U.S. in embracing sharia-compliant financial products. None of the country's big banks currently offer sharia-compliant services, though some smaller players do. Toronto-based UM Financial Inc., which issued home mortgages conforming to Islamic law, filed for bankruptcy last year, leaving 170 Muslim borrowers in limbo, and opening a legal can of worms. Is the firm's failure evidence that Canada should steer clear of Islamic finance; or proof that the country needs more of it-i.e. that the banks and policymakers need to bring the practice into the mainstream, with tighter rules and better oversight? We asked the experts to chime in. 

Tarek Fatah is the founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, a liberal-minded grassroots organization. He is also the author of Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic lllusion of an Islamic State, among other works. Walid Hejazi is associate professor of international business at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, where he is currently teaching an MBA course on Islamic finance.


What is Islamic finance?

Fatah: In the words of one New York Muslim banker, Islamic finance is little more than &quot;a $300 billion deception.&quot; According to Muhammad Saleem, former president and CEO of Park Avenue Bank, &quot;Islamic banks do not practise what they preach: they all charge interest, but disguised in Islamic garb.&quot; In fact, Islamic finance is just one more front in the worldwide Islamist movement's attempt to depict all things Western as essentially inimical to Islam.

Its foundational doctrine comes from the writings of two people: Abul Ala Maudoodi of the Jamaat-e-Islami movement in Pakistan and Hassan al-Banna of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. While these two pillars of the Pan-Islamist movement propagated jihad and war against the West, they also recognized the role international financial institutions could play in carrying out their political objectives. The theory was put into practice when the Islamist Pakistani military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq established sharia law in Pakistan, forcing the country's public-sector banks to run their operations based on Islamic principles and without the role of interest. As professor Timur Kuran, who taught Islamic thought at the University of Southern California, notes in his brilliant book Islam and Mammon: The Economic Predicaments of Islamism, &quot;There is no distinctly Islamic way to build a ship, or defend a territory, or cure an epidemic, or forecast the weather.&quot;

Hejazi: Islamic Finance allows individuals or companies to invest in conformity with the principles of Islam. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, though, Islamic finance has been extending its appeal to a wide range of clients-regardless of religion-because it relies on rather conservative and low-risk banking practices.

It is critical to emphasize that sharia-compliant or Islamic financial products can be made available to anyone-not just Muslims. There are five key elements that must be avoided in Islamic finance: interest (riba); speculation (maisir); uncertainty (gharar); unjust enrichment/unfair exploitation; and unethical purpose. I will focus on the most well-known-and, I would argue, the least understood-dimension of Islamic finance: the ban on interest.

Many interpret this ban to mean that money can be borrowed for free. This is not the case. Rather, it implies that the investor must have a stake in the underlying asset. What does this mean in practice? Here's an example (in which I am abstracting from differences that can arise in risk and administrative costs): Suppose you purchase a home for $300,000. Under a conventional mortgage, you may opt for a five-year, fixed-rate mortgage, say at five per cent, and amortized over 25 years. Your monthly payment would be about $1,745. Assuming that interest rates stay at five per cent, the amount that you would have to pay over the 25 year amortization period would be $1,744.81*300 months over 25 years = $523,443.00. In total, the homeowner will have repaid the $300,000 in principal plus $223,443.00 in interest. In reality, though, interest rates would vary and the mortgage would be renewed at whatever the prevailing rate is upon maturity of the mortgage.

With one form of sharia-compliant mortgage, the bank would buy the home on behalf of the customer for $300,000 and then sell it to the customer for $523,443.00. It means that over the 25-year period, the customer pays the fixed payment of $1,744.81, but unlike in the case of a conventional mortgage, there are no changes in these payments over the duration of the mortgage. A second difference is that late penalties are not allowed-the bank cannot charge punitive fees if a homeowner, for example, is laid off and has difficulty making some of the payments. It all goes back to the key principles above around partnership, fairness and eliminating uncertainty.

Should Canada embrace Islamic finance?

Hejazi: It is in the interest of Canadians to embrace Islamic finance, both on the retail and the commercial side. On the retail side, Statistics Canada estimates that Muslims will be about seven per cent of the Canadian population by 2031. A recent study prepared for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reported evidence indicating that the demand for sharia-compliant mortgages currently exceeds supply. This demand will only increase. We need to bring these Canadians into the financial mainstream and give them better access to a type of financing that is consistent with their religious principles. Doing so is entirely consistent with fundamental Canadian values and our proud history. These sharia-compliant mortgages would be profitable and self-financing-they would impose no extra cost to the institutions offering them or the Canadian government. In addition, these mortgages would be available to all Canadians, who feel that the structure of the mortgage better fits their personal risk and financial profile.

Perhaps more important, though, is the commercial side. As my research has documented, Canada needs more foreign investment and our country has been slipping behind in terms of its attractiveness to foreign investors. Now, the Gulf region has a tremendous amount of excess liquidity-upwards of a trillion dollars! However, investors from that region often require their investments be sharia-compliant. The Rotman School, in conjunction with Deloitte, Bennet Jones, Torys, and King and Spalding have developed case studies in which we looked at whether sharia-compliant financial structures would be more costly than conventional ones in the context of three major Canadian projects. Our analysis found that the costs associated with a sharia financing structure were similar to those of the conventional financing structure. Having a capability within Canada to undertake these transactions will make Canada more attractive to foreign investment, and this will help grow the economy and enhance the prosperity of all Canadians.

Fatah: Canadian banks and financial institutions are already flirting with the idea. Can we blame them? Who wouldn't want gullible consumers who demand zero interest on their deposits but are willing to pay more on their monthly mortgage payments, all in the name of Islam and avoiding eternal hellfire. Islamists are lining up with such icons of global capitalism as Citibank NA, HSBC Holdings PLC, and Barclays PLC, which have all endorsed sharia banking and started offering Islamic financing products to a vulnerable Muslim population.

Promoting these products, of course, are a number of prominent Muslim corporate lawyers and bankers. This push from Muslim banking executives working inside the corporate world has had some success. While the Royal Bank of Canada didn't find enough market interest for a sharia finance product it tested a few years ago, other Canadian banks are smelling easy pickings and lining up to wear the Islamic mantle. Scotiabank and Toronto-Dominion Bank have been quietly considering whether to start offering sharia-compliant products as part of the big banks' strategy to reach out to a growing &quot;immigrant population,&quot; a politically correct way of labeling Muslims. Canada should not permit this charade of lies and deception posing as multicultural banking to segregate its Muslim population from the rest of society. If it does, there will be a huge cost to our values and to our future as well as to vulnerable Muslim-Canadians who are being blackmailed into paying more and receiving less for their banking needs.

Suppose mainstream Canadian institutions started offering Islamic financial instruments, making them widely available throughout the country. How would this affect, if at all, the integration of Canada's Muslim minority?

Fatah: The question assumes there is one Muslim community. I suggest there are many and they will react in different manner. My cursory study of the clients of now-bankrupt mortgage lender UM Financial shows that the company appeals mostly to customers from the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent and Caucasian converts to Islam, with Arab-Canadians and Iranian-Canadians virtually absent. Thus the integration of Canada's Muslims into the rest of society has very little to do with the success or failure of Islamic banking; it has everything to do with the failed policies of multiculturalism that encourage segregation and make it difficult to propagate Canadian values that have crystallized over 400 years of Western civilization and are the core of who we are as a country. Charlatans attempting to squeeze money out of an already marginalized minority community should be an affront to all of us-Muslim and non-Muslim alike.

Hejazi: If the mainstream financial institutions offered sharia-compliant financial instruments, such as mortgages, savings accounts, mutual funds, and so on, this would go a long way towards integrating conservative Muslims into mainstream financial markets and keeping our financial system strong and sound. At present sharia-compliant financial securities are not available in the mainstream; hence conservative Muslims who feel they must use sharia-complaint financial instruments are forced to deal with smaller, less well-known, less well-funded, and likely less well-managed financial institutions. Providing these Muslim-Canadians with this option does not come with any negatives.

Who opts for sharia-based financial instruments? To whom does this model appeal?

Hejazi: The Financial Times reports that the assets within the Islamic finance sector have now reached US$900 billion, double what they amounted to in 2006. This growth is remarkable given that it occurred during the global financial crisis.

A recent report by the International Monetary Fund attributes the growth in Islamic finance to three factors: increasing demand from the growing number of Muslims living in Western countries; growing oil wealth among the Islamic members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; and the attractiveness of sharia-compliant financial products and services to non-Muslims seeking ethical investments or fair financial products, as well as lower-risk, back-to-basics banking.

Fatah: The primary movers and shakers of sharia-based financial instruments are the rulers of the petro-dollar states of the Persian Gulf. In the working class neighborhoods of Karachi, Jakarta, Cairo or Tehran, no one buys into this &quot;paying more and receiving less&quot; model. They may vote for Islamist parties, but when it comes to their hard-earned money, they trust their banks and credit unions, not the mullahs bearing tickets to paradise.

Even in Pakistan, which has played a pioneering role in Islamic finance, few have embraced the Islamic banking institutions. Even in Saudi Arabia, home of the Islamic Development Bank, no-interest sharia banks did not find favour with the country's monetary agency, SAMA. In fact, as pious a leader as the late King Faisal allowed SAMA to place its surplus funds in interest-bearing accounts during the country's cash-strapped years in the 1950s and 60s. One thing is for sure: Muslims have voted with their feet and their chequebooks.

UM Financial, a Canada-based Islamic financial institution, recently went belly up. What lessons does the bankruptcy hold for Islamic finance in Canada?

Hejazi:  At present, Canadians seeking sharia-compliant mortgages and other financial products are forced to turn to institutions which operate at the periphery of the financial system, such as UM Financial, because these services are not offered through mainstream financial institutions. As is now well known, Canada's financial markets are among the most stable and well-managed globally. A collapse such as that at UM Financial is not consistent with Canada's image, nor should such institutions be able to put so many Canadian homeowners at risk. Canada needs the financial mainstream to offer these products. It is mainstream institutions that should be reaping a profit from these instruments.

The demise of UM Financial makes the case for bringing Islamic finance into the mainstream even stronger. Besides, as more Canadian institutions enter the Islamic finance market, competition will force the cost of sharia-banking products down to the level of their conventional equivalents. As noted in a recent CMHC study, in Canada, sharia-compliant mortgages currently cost between one and three per cent more than comparable conventional mortgages due to their modest supply and firms' relative inexperience with these products, as well as a lack of access to funding. In contrast, sharia-compliant mortgages in the U.S. cost only 0.4 to one per cent more than their conventional counterparts.

Fatah: The bankruptcy of UM Financial tells a simple truth: most Muslims would not want anything to do with financial institutions that promise a path to Paradise while enriching the pockets of those who sell Islamic indulgences. Court documents reveal that, just a few days before UM Financial went into receivership, its Sharia Advisory Board invoiced it for $2.1 million. This amount was ostensibly the fee charged for providing advice to UM Financial on the compliance of its products and services to sharia law.

In a scene that could have come straight out of a Bollywood crime thriller, UM Financial CEO Omar Kalair made this payment in gold and silver bullion at a Rexdale Parking lot, late into the night. The recipient, Joseph Adam, the finance manager of Multicultural Consultancy Canada, is said to have later flown to Egypt and is now reported missing-along with the gold. Canada has no room for charlatans who bring the medieval values of the pre-industrial era into the twenty-first century. Enough of this please.

(original article by Erica Alini for Macleans magazine)

Here's an interesting website listing some of the institutions which fund terrorism:https://moneyjihad.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/sharia-banks-that-fund-terrorism/
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        <media:title>Does Islamic finance have a place in Canada?</media:title>
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                    <item>
      <title>Power struggle growing among Syria militants</title>
      <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2013 23:37:40 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fff_1367552052</link>
      <dc:creator>JMate</dc:creator>
      <description>Confrontations are growing among foreign-backed militant groups fighting to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 


Ideological differences have been emerging in the highly divided militants, who now turn their guns at their comrades over small personal disputes. 

The rise in violent and at times fatal skirmishes highlight the intense contest for power in the militant-controlled areas, fueling fears of another war should Assad step down. 

In April, a militant with the Liwa al-Tawhid group was killed while driving to the brigade headquarters, in an attack blamed on Sawt al-Haq Brigade of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA). 

More clashes are breaking out as mounting differences come into light between more secular FSA forces and extremist Salafi militants and al-Qaeda-linked terrorists from neighboring countries such as Libya and Iraq. 

The deadliest of such confrontations erupted in April between the Faruq Brigade and the al-Nusra Front in Tal Abiyad, on the border with Turkey. 

Experts believe a power struggle between rival militant groups in Syria is certain once Assad steps down and perhaps even sooner. 

Meanwhile, the non-Syrian militants' capture of key infrastructure in the north and east of the country - including oil and gas plants, a hydroelectric dam and grain silos - seems to upset the FSA more than ever as the al-Qaeda-linked rival shows off its military prowess. 


&quot;They (al-Nusra fighters and allies) have left their homes, their countries to come fight our war,&quot; said Abu Basir, an FSA brigade commander in Latakia. 

&quot;But this is our country and we don't want outsiders to come and rule over it. They must realize that they have to leave once the war ends,&quot; he insisted, warning that tensions could intensify otherwise.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of security forces and army personnel, have been killed in the violence. 

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, blaming the West and its regional allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey for supporting the armed groups.</description>
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        <media:title>Power struggle growing among Syria militants</media:title>
        <media:category label="Tags">Power struggle growing among Syria militants</media:category>
      </media:content>
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                    <item>
      <title>Counter-terrorist operations Syrian army for 28 april</title>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:35:29 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b5c_1367252957</link>
      <dc:creator>Alexander Nomerkov</dc:creator>
      <description>Armed Forces units on Monday destroyed a terrorist 
hideout and a workshop for manufacturing explosives along with the 
terrorists and equipment inside them near al-Abbas Mosque in Jouret 
al-Shiyah neighborhood in Homs city.Armed 
Forces units also inflicted heavy losses upon terrorists in al-Qusour, 
al-Khalidiye, al-Dar al-Kabireh, Tal Dahab, Teldo and Kafr Laha in 
al-Houleh area in Homs countryside.Earlier 
on Sunday night, an Armed Forces unit prevented terrorists from 
infiltrating the borders from Lebanon into Ein al-Sha'ra area in 
Talkalakh, inflicting heavy losses upon them.  Armed Forces Eliminate Terrorists, Destroy Weapons Warehouse in Damascus Countryside  

Armed
 Forces units carried out a series of operations targeting terrorist 
hideouts in Hujjeira and al-Husainiye in Damascus Countryside, resulting
 in the destruction of a weapons and munitions warehouse and the 
elimination of terrorists including Samir Qashash and Yasin al-Balkhi.An
 Army unit destroyed a gathering of terrorists near Harmala tunnel 
between Jobar and Zamalka, and at the same time a special operation was 
carried out near Samsam school in Harasta, resulting in the elimination 
of terrorists including Ala'a Othman.In 
Barzeh area, an Army unit carried out a series of precision operations 
which resulted in the elimination of a number of terrorists, while 
another operation in the northern part of Jobar area led to the 
elimination of terrorists including Bassel Yousef from a group called 
&quot;Al-Nasser Saladin&quot; battalion.In Rima farms
 west of al-Nabk area, an Army operation resulted in the destruction of a
 terrorist hideouts and weapons, in addition to the death of many 
terrorists including Mazen al-Derani.Army 
units clashed with terrorist groups in several areas of Daraya city, 
which led to the destruction of weapons cache and the elimination of 
terrorists including Ayman al-Hamrawi and Rawah al-Naddaf.In
 al-Ashrafiye area, an Army unit destroyed a hideout for a terrorist 
group calling itself &quot;The Umayyads,&quot; eliminating most of its members and
 injuring others including the group's leader Ziyad Mawazini.  Armed Forces Carry Out Operations against Terrorists in Deir Ezzor  

Armed
 Forces units carried out a series of special operations against 
gatherings of terrorists in al-Matar al-Qadim and al-Sina'a 
neighborhoods in Deir Ezzor city.These 
operations resulted in the elimination of a number of terrorists 
including Abdelmunem Mohammad al-Nasser, Abdullah al-Agha, Mohammad 
Hussein al-Nasser, Najm Abdullah al-Nasser, and Mahmoud Homsi 
al-Kardoush.  Terrorist Gatherings Destroyed in Idleb  

The
 Army destroyed gatherings of terrorists along with their weapons and 
munitions in the towns and villages of al-Nairab, Saraqeb, Maartamsrin, 
Bannesh, Taftanaz, Sermin, Zardaneh, Maardabseh, Beshlamoun, Ein 
al-Bardeh, Haj Hammoud farm, Darkoush and al-Sheghr in Idleb 
countryside.  Weapons and Ammo Confiscated in Hama Countryside  

An
 Armed Forces confiscated a large weapons cache during a raid of a 
terrorist hideouts in the village of Jnaineh in Hama's northern 
countryside, which resulted in the elimination of a number of terrorists
 and the injuring of others. The confiscated items include heat-seeking missiles, assorted machineguns, and munitions.  

Earlier
 on Sunday night, another unit seized a warehouse in the town of al-Fan 
al-Sharqi which contained missiles, machienguns, rifles, grenades and 
launchers, some of them of Israeli make.  Terrorists Eliminated in Lattakia Province  

A
 number of terrorists, some of them foreign snipers, were eliminated in 
Abu al-Rish farm and Jabal al-Kouz area in Lattakia province, including 
two Libyans named Abdelrahman al-Afsa and Shukri Jad al-Haq, a Jordanian
 named Ammar al-Eita, and a Yemeni named Omar al-Saleh who was the 
leader of a group from Jabhet al-Nusra.The 
Armed Forces carried out a series of operations against gatherings and 
hideouts of Jabhet al-Nusra terrorists in the villages and towns of 
al-Sukariya, al-Kendasiye, Kanasba, Berj al-Qasab and Atira.The
 operations, in which missile platforms and assorted weapons were 
destroyed, resulted in the elimination of a number of terrorists 
including a Chechen nicknamed Abu Othman, an Egyptian named Rabea 
al-Masri, and Abu Ahmad Yasin who led a group called &quot;Ahrar al-Islam.&quot;</description>
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        <media:player url="http://www.liveleak.com/e/b5c_1367252957" />        <media:credit role="author" scheme="http://www.liveleak.com">Alexander Nomerkov</media:credit>
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        <media:title>Counter-terrorist operations Syrian army for 28 april</media:title>
        <media:category label="Tags">syria saa syrian army counter-terrorist operation soldiers fsa terrorists militants wahhabi salafi</media:category>
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                    <item>
      <title>FSA sniper targets Assadi sniper- 3/4</title>
      <pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2013 04:24:34 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8b7_1362647676</link>
      <dc:creator>aja9910</dc:creator>
      <description>Katiba Nur al-Haq shooter kills Shabbiha sniper in Tishrin and Al-Hfyriyin neighbourhood who was targetting residents in the area.</description>
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                <media:thumbnail url="http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/mature_content.jpg" width="120" height="90" />
        <media:title>FSA sniper targets Assadi sniper- 3/4</media:title>
        <media:category label="Tags">Katiba Nur al-Haq shooter kills Shabbiha sniper Tishrin Al-Hfyriyin neighbourhood damascus residents snipes targets assadi syria syrian uprising fsa saa war revolution fsa mujahideen shabbiha terrorists battle shias 'alawis pigs scum conflict sunnis </media:category>
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                    <item>
      <title>Israeli Security Forces Spray 'Skunk' at Palestinia</title>
      <pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:59:33 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cf6_1364331050</link>
      <dc:creator>toiletrage</dc:creator>
      <description>(Reuters) - Imagine taking a chunk of rotting corpse from a stagnant sewer, placing it in a blender and spraying the filthy liquid in your face. Your gag reflex goes off the charts and you can't escape, because the nauseating stench persists for days.

This is &amp;quot;skunk&amp;quot;, a fearsome but non-lethal tool in Israel's arsenal of weapons for crowd control. It comes in armored tanker trucks fitted with a cannon that can spray a jet of stinking fluid over crowds who know how to cope with plain old tear gas.

While the army calls skunk an attempt to minimize casualties, rights groups dismiss it as a fig-leaf for the use of deadlier force against protesters in the occupied West Bank.

For although recent years have been among the quietest of the 45-year-old occupation, Israel has been unable to stop an epidemic of local grassroots demonstrations that often turn into clashes.

Skunk is certainly a repellent, but not a complete deterrent. The protesters are fouled but not foiled.

On a Friday in the West Bank's rugged hills, battle lines are drawn for another day of protest.

Gangly Palestinian youths in jeans are ready to let fly stones from homemade slings at Israeli soldiers down the main road of Nabi Saleh village, whose residents demand access to a local spring seized by Israeli settlers.

The soldiers form a phalanx around their curious weapon of war.

&amp;quot;We run away fast when it comes at us, but we don't quit,&amp;quot; said a local boy clutching a rock, his dark eyes framed by the oval opening of a black t-shirt wrapped around his face.

&amp;quot;They think they're pretty smart for inventing it, but they still move on to the tear gas, bullets, and breaking into our homes, just the same as usual,&amp;quot; he said.

The skunk truck makes its charge, scattering the youths up into the town, where the armed Israelis follow.

&amp;quot;SHIT&amp;quot;

Palestinians call it simply &amp;quot;shit.&amp;quot;

&amp;quot;How can you describe this stuff?&amp;quot; said Muad Tamimi, whose gas station on the front line of Nabi Saleh's standoffs is often bathed in it. &amp;quot;It's beyond foul water, like a dead body and rotting food together, which no soap or perfume can take off - I'm hit with it and nobody goes near me for days.&amp;quot;

Developed by a private Israeli company and first deployed by the army in 2008, skunk is an organic brew of baking powder, yeast, and some ingredients kept secret. It is harmless to health and designed to reduce casualties, the Israelis say.

&amp;quot;Every attempt is made to minimize the risk of casualties among the rioters, as well as minimizing the risk towards security forces,&amp;quot; the army said.

A skunk truck was spotted recently at a base high in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, ready to repel any assault on the fence along the disengagement line between Israel and Syria. A rush by Palestinians from Syria caught Israeli troops by surprise last year and they opened fire, killing a dozen people.

Withering Israeli military incursions into West Bank towns have become as much a memory as Palestinian suicide bombings in Israeli cities in recent years. But local protests have continued against land lost to Israel's separation barrier and Israeli settlements on land seized in a 1967 war.

Seventeen Palestinians have been killed in protests since 2004, according to Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem. Scores have been wounded.

CLOSED MILITARY ZONES

The demonstrations play out to a predictable choreography. Many of the young protesters and Israeli soldiers have even come to know each other by name. They use the knowledge mostly to sharpen the taunts they trade about each others' mothers.

Each village has its own script.

In Bil'in, where a court petition by locals reclaimed a portion of the village land from the wall, the fetid stream of skunk now sails at protesters from behind its concrete ramparts. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish settlers in black garb and curls watch the spectacle from atop their settlement homes.

For the army, skunk, and a less-used, focused noise beam called &amp;quot;scream&amp;quot;, are proof of defense minister's Ehud Barak's claim that Israel's is &amp;quot;the most moral army in the world&amp;quot;, pioneering non-lethal weapons.

&amp;quot;We don't have any intention of harming these civilians,&amp;quot; said the army's spokesperson Avital Leibovich. &amp;quot;However, the number of security personnel injured in these riots is actually increasing.&amp;quot;

Rights groups question the army's motives, dismissing the rhetoric and the inventions as a public relations ploy to conceal the harsh means used in what they say is a campaign to stamp out legitimate opposition to the occupation.

&amp;quot;Given the exaggerated, unlawful, and dangerous use of tear gas and bullets, we doubt the army's characterization of these events,&amp;quot; said Sarit Michaeli of B'Tselem.

Military &amp;quot;Order No. 101,&amp;quot; issued the same year Israel seized the West Bank, required political gatherings of more than 10 people to obtain an Israeli permit. It is used to prosecute organizers and proscribe protests before a stone is even thrown.

The legal leeway on the IDF's actions, and its ability to bar and detain activists, are reinforced by the declaration of weekly protest sites as &amp;quot;closed military zones.&amp;quot;

&amp;quot;The target is the right to protest, and not much attention is paid to what they're protesting about: the violation of their rights and the taking over of their land and livelihoods,&amp;quot; Michaeli said.

Better for the Israelis than using any degree of force would be talks that lead to Palestinian statehood, Palestinians say.

&amp;quot;They should look to granting us our rights, negotiating with us, and paving the way for two states for two peoples,&amp;quot; said Shaher Arouri, a lawyer from the al-Haq rights organization.

(Editing by Douglas Hamilton and Matthew Tostevin)</description>
      <guid>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cf6_1364331050</guid>
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                <media:thumbnail url="http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/thumbs/2013/Mar/26/e27052c2b3ce_thumb_10.jpg" width="120" height="90" />
        <media:title>Israeli Security Forces Spray 'Skunk' at Palestinia</media:title>
        <media:category label="Tags">israel,palestine</media:category>
      </media:content>
    </item>
                    <item>
      <title>New-Asai'b Ahl &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;Al-haq&lt;/span&gt;( (League of the Righteous) )New Release-2010 -&amp;quot;The Liberation Promise&amp;quot;(All parts in 1 link)</title>
      <pubDate>Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:52:52 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cfb_1289366586</link>
      <dc:creator>Al-Gladiator</dc:creator>
      <description>
They have posted it from few hours ,10 of the 14 attacks are un-seen 

Asa'ib ahl al-haq:IED vs American humviee in Basra-Baghdad street 07:50- 2/7/2010
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:cancelling an attack 2 times for the civilians existing in Basra-Tamim street 08:25 - 9/8/2010
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:Ied vs American humviee in Maysan province in 03/2010
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:Ied vs American vehicle in Baghdad-Karkh 
17/9/2010
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:Rockets vs American embassy in Baghdad-Rassafa in 08:00- 29/8/2010
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:Rockets vs The American base in Basra in 05:30- 24/3/2010
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:4 Grad rockets vs The American base in Maysan 24/3/2010
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:Ied vs American vehicle in Basra-Zobair 23/7/2010
Asa'ib ahl al-haq: Shelling US Spark Hawk camp with 10 Haidar-1 rockets in Amarah city 26/7/2010 (re-posted)
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:Ied vs American humviee in Basra-Arab sea 15/9/2010(re-posted)
Asa'ib ahl al-haq: IED on US security company vehicle in Noble Najaf city 23/8/2010(re-posted)
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:Ied vs American vehicle in Maysan province +Aftermah in 25/3/2010
Asa'ib ahl al-haq:Ied vs American humviee in Najaf Diwaniya street in wednesday 4/8/2010
Asa'ib ahl al-haq: Sniper attack vs American soldier in Amara city 13/9/2010

http://iraq-moqawama.com/
http://moqawomon.com/showthread.php?p=5355#post5355</description>
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        <media:category label="Tags">Asaib ahl al-haq League of the Righteous asaeb asa</media:category>
      </media:content>
    </item>
                    <item>
      <title> Ansar &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;al-Haq&lt;/span&gt; (The Houthis) Shooting Down a Hind  with AA</title>
      <pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:37:22 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=33e_1251772394</link>
      <dc:creator>pimpin87</dc:creator>
      <description>Ansar al-Haq shot down this Yemini Hind  with AA and the video shows direct hit and destruction of the plane.</description>
      <guid>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=33e_1251772394</guid>
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        <media:title> Ansar &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;al-Haq&lt;/span&gt; (The Houthis) Shooting Down a Hind  with AA</media:title>
        <media:category label="Tags">ansar al haq, yemen</media:category>
      </media:content>
    </item>
                    <item>
      <title>Unreleased:Asaib ahl &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;al-haq&lt;/span&gt;(AAH, or the League of the Righteous)-10 new attacks (2009)</title>
      <pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:53:27 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=59c_1239313341</link>
      <dc:creator>abooadal</dc:creator>
      <description>Asaib ahl al haq(AAH, or the League of the Righteous) Have posted from 2 days 10 new video attacks.

Asaib ahl al haq-Imam Kazim brigade: EFP vs american humviee in Baghdad
Asaib ahl al haq-Imam Hadi brigade: EFP vS american humviee in Baghdad
Asaib ahl al haq-Imam Askari brigade:EFP vs american vehicle in Dyala 
Asaib ahl al haq-Imam Kazem brigade: double EFPs attack vs american vehicles in Baghdad
Asaib ahl al haq-Imam Hadi brigade: RPG attack vs american gurading tower in Qanal street in Rosafa
Asaib ahl al haq-Imam Hadi brigade: EFP vs american Abramz in baghdad 
Asaib ahl al haq-Imam Ali brigade: EFP vs american vehicle in Waset
Asaib ahl al haq-Imam Kazem brigade:EFP vs american vehicle in Baghdad
Asaib ahl al haq-Imam Ali brigade: EFP vs Britsh vehicle in Basra
Asaib ahl al haq-Imam Hadi brigade: EFP vs american humviee in Babel

Note:this is the same group that they have the 5 Britsh hostages since 2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/22/iraq-british-hostages-video

more informations about them in this report for Marica Cochrane
http://www.understandingwar.org/report/fragmentation-sadrist-movement

</description>
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        <media:title>Unreleased:Asaib ahl &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;al-haq&lt;/span&gt;(AAH, or the League of the Righteous)-10 new attacks (2009)</media:title>
        <media:category label="Tags">Asaib ahl al-haq League of the Righteous asaeb asa</media:category>
      </media:content>
    </item>
                    <item>
      <title>Asa' ib Ahl &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;al-Haq&lt;/span&gt; :2 attacks from rai tv</title>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:22:32 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=883_1229478116</link>
      <dc:creator>abooadal</dc:creator>
      <description>from alrai tv they have showed from 3 days 2 attacks for Asa' ib Ahl al-Haq.

1:the first have been posted here before ,it is efp in baghdad -alkarekh 5/10/2008
2:  the second is when asaeb ahlu alhak have puted an ied in a britsh chinok in alomara aeroport -altayyeb area in southern of iraq and have detonate it and you can see the aftermah (2007)


</description>
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        <media:title>Asa' ib Ahl &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;al-Haq&lt;/span&gt; :2 attacks from rai tv</media:title>
        <media:category label="Tags">iraq shia islam war terrorist imad mognieh insurgent khomayni alssader nasrrallah ied efp grad katyusha moujahid mouj moj jihad cihad hizbolla hezballah hezbollah brigades Katai'b Hezbollah Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq asaeb ahlu alhak usa marins hummer bomb tnt r</media:category>
      </media:content>
    </item>
                    <item>
      <title>Asa' ib Ahl &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;al-Haq&lt;/span&gt;:7  new attacks from almanar tv</title>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:44:24 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8ea_1229362113</link>
      <dc:creator>abooadal</dc:creator>
      <description>

7 attacks for Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq video have been taken from almanar tv channel (only the first attack have been posting here before) .
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq :EFP vs american MaxxPro MPV in baghdad -alkarkh-albayyaa5/10/2008
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq :EFP vs american hummer  in  baghdad - alkarkh -almelhaniya 5/5/2008
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq :EFP vs american hummer in baghdad - alkarkh- abou bashir - 5/5/2008
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq  :EFP vs american vehicle in baghdad -alkarkh - alkazemiya   - 7/5/2008
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq  :EFP vs american cougar in baghdad -alkarkh - abou bashir  - 6/5/2008
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq  :EFP vs american truck  in  baghdad - alkarkh - almansour  - 11/5/2008
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq   :EFP vs american vehicle   in  baghdad - alkarkh  - alshoaala  1/5/2008
</description>
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        <media:title>Asa' ib Ahl &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;al-Haq&lt;/span&gt;:7  new attacks from almanar tv</media:title>
        <media:category label="Tags">iraq shia islam war terrorist imad mognieh insurgent khomayni alssader nasrrallah ied efp grad katyusha moujahid mouj moj jihad cihad hizbolla hezballah hezbollah brigades Katai'b Hezbollah Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq asaeb ahlu alhak usa marins hummer bomb tnt r</media:category>
      </media:content>
    </item>
                    <item>
      <title>New-Asai'b Ahl &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;Al-haq&lt;/span&gt;( (League of the Righteous-2) )New Release-2011 -&amp;quot;The Liberation Promise&amp;quot;-Part4</title>
      <pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:32:23 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=af9_1299603964</link>
      <dc:creator>Al-Gladiator</dc:creator>
      <description>-Rockets vs us Base in Baghdad-Boob AL Sham ,sunday  17/9/2010
-Rockets vs The us base in Basra airport ,Thursday 25/11/2010
-Rockets vs The US base in Baghdad - Al Taji on Tuesday 21/9/2010 
-Rockets vs The US base in Dyala -Ben Fernas Airport in Friday 24/12/2010
-Rockets vs The US base in AL Amara-Spar hook base ,Thursday 1/9/2010(u can see fire in the base)
-Rockets vs The us Base in AL Amara-Batira Base ,Saturday 3/9/2010
-Rockets vs The us base in Basra airport ,Tuesday 3/8/2010
-Rockets vs The us Base in AL Amara-Batira Base ,Friday 3/12/2010


http://iraq-moqawama.com/view.php?type=c_player&amp;id=107
</description>
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        <media:title>New-Asai'b Ahl &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;Al-haq&lt;/span&gt;( (League of the Righteous-2) )New Release-2011 -&amp;quot;The Liberation Promise&amp;quot;-Part4</media:title>
        <media:category label="Tags">Asaib ahl al-haq League of the Righteous asaeb asa'b ahl alhaq Khazali Special Groups Network kataib hezbollah hizbollah hezballah brigades mognieh shia islam resistance efp ied iram ashtar rockets mortars iran nasrallah nasrollah mahdi jihad moujahid ci</media:category>
      </media:content>
    </item>
                    <item>
      <title>New-Asai'b Ahl &lt;span class=&quot;highlight&quot;&gt;Al-haq&lt;/span&gt;( (League of the Righteous) )New Release-2011 -&amp;quot;The Liberation Promise&amp;quot;-Part2</title>
      <pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:54:12 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=98d_1299601327</link>
      <dc:creator>Al-Gladiator</dc:creator>
      <description>-EFP vs Stryker in Dyala province -Moqdadiya Street , Monday 3/1/2011
-IED vs Cougar in Baghdad - AL Huriya with Aftermah , Monday 27/12/2010 
-IED vs Cougar in Baghdad - Abou Dshair  , Monday 27/12/2010 
-Sniper attack vs American soldier in Maysan-AL Amara , Monday 27/9/2010
-IED vs Cougar in Babel-The International street , Tudesday 7/9/2010
-EFP vs American humviee in Maysan-Al Amara  Wednesday 10/11/2010
-IED vs American cougar in AL Basra-Safwan ,Saturday 4/12/2010
-Sniper attack vs American soldier in Maysan-AL Amara,Friday 1/10/2010
-Sniper attack vs American soldier in Maysan-AL Amara,Monday 1/11/2010
http://iraq-moqawama.com/view.php?type=c_art&amp;atid=357
</description>
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        <media:category label="Tags">Asaib ahl al-haq League of the Righteous asaeb asa'b ahl alhaq Khazali Special Groups Network kataib hezbollah hizbollah hezballah brigades mognieh shia islam resistance efp ied iram ashtar rockets mortars iran nasrallah nasrollah mahdi jihad moujahid ci</media:category>
      </media:content>
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