Islamism & Islamophobia Abroad - News & Analysis (9-8-2014)

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Nov 2015 15:18

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0ce_1447571170

terrorists could be using online gaming chat rooms to discuss matters.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 15 Nov 2015 18:12

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 15 Nov 2015 20:00

X posted

Surasena wrote:.... you mean the most well known living French author, ex agnostic, and ex Islam hater Michel Houellebecq who just set off a firestorm with his new novel, then yes.

From his earlier novels "Whatever" & "Platform":
THE SUICIDE OF THE WEST:
The Novels Of Michel Houellebecq

Alan Dent

Major writers provoke controversy. Not everything controversial is major, but everything major is controversial. Literature, to paraphrase Pound, is controversy that stays controversial. Michel Houellebecq has internalised the condition of modern Europe more fully and sensitively than any other writer. His capacity to recreate that condition through fiction has the quality of apparent ease characteristic of genius. Houellebecq's shorthand for our plight is, the suicide of the West. The following passage from his latest novel Plateforme (not yet available in English) might be taken as an indication of what that shorthand means:

My European ancestors had worked hard for several centuries; they had undertaken to dominate and then to transform the world, and to a certain extent they had succeeded. They had done so out of economic interest, a taste for work, but also because they believed in the superiority of their civilization: they had invented the dream , progress, Utopia, the future. This consciousness of a civilizing mission had evaporated during the course of the twentieth century. Europeans, at least some of them, went on working, and sometimes working hard, but they did so for gain or out of a neurotic attachment to their task; the innocent consciousness of their natural right to dominate the world, and to direct its future, had disappeared. Due to accumulated effort Europe remained a rich continent; those qualities of intelligence and relentlessness that my ancestors had shown, I had clearly lost A well-heeled European, I could obtain at trifling cost, jn other countries, food, services and women; a decadent European conscious of my approaching death and having subscribed utterly to egocentrism, I saw no reason to do without them. I was aware, however, that such a situation was hardly tenable, that people like me were incapable of ensuring the survival of a society, or were even unworthy to live. Changes would come, were already coming, but I couldn't feel myself genuinely concerned; my only genuine motivation was to get myself out of this shitheap as quickly as possible.

It’s a fact, I mused to myself, that in societies like ours sex truly represents a second system of differentiation, completely independent of money; and as a system of differentiation it functions just as mercilessly. The effects of these two systems are, furthermore, strictly equivalent. Just like unrestrained economic liberalism, and for similar reasons, sexual liberalism produces phenomena of absolute pauperization. Some men make love every day; others five or six times in their life, or never. Some make love with dozens of women, others with none. It’s what’s known as ” the law of the market”. In an economic system where unfair dismissal is prohibited, every person more or less manages to find their place. In a sexual system where adultery is prohibited, every person more or less manages to find their bed mate. In a totally liberal economic system certain people accumulate considerable fortunes; others stagnate in unemployment and misery. In a totally liberal sexual system certain people have a varied and exciting erotic life; others are reduced to masturbation and solitude…………

Love as a kind of innocence and as a capacity for illusion, as an aptitude for epitomizing the whole of the other sex in a single loved being rarely resists a year of sexual immorality, and never two. In reality the successive sexual experiences accumulated during adolescence undermine and rapidly destroy all possibility of projection of an emotional and romantic sort; progressively, and in fact extremely quickly, one becomes as capable of love as an old slag.

The fact that women are forced either to become more meretricious in order to attract men or to face withdrawal into loneliness leads to the deflating conclusion elaborated in Platforme that the progressive professionalization of sexual relations is inevitable...

http://www.pennilesspress.co.uk/prose/s ... e_west.htm
Other earlier novels:

An interview about his latest novel Soumission (Submission in English) which has been wrongly called "Islamophobic" when it really is a scathing indictment of contemporary France (including the sexual revolution) & its Enlightenment inheritance:
That hypothesis is central to the book, but we know that it has been discredited for many years by numerous researchers, who have shown that we are actually witnessing a progressive secularization of Islam, and that violence and radicalism should be understood as the death throes of Islamism. That is the argument made by Olivier Roy, and many other people who have worked on this question for more than twenty years.

This is not what I have observed, although in North and South America, Islam has benefited less than the evangelicals. This is not a French phenomenon, it’s almost global. I don’t know about Asia, but the case of Africa is interesting because there you have the two great religious powers on the rise—evangelical Christianity and Islam. I remain in many ways a Comtean, and I don’t believe that a society can survive without religion...

It’s not necessarily racial, it can be religious. In this case, your book describes the replacement of the Catholic religion by Islam.

No. My book describes the destruction of the philosophy handed down by the Enlightenment, which no longer makes sense to anyone, or to very few people. Catholicism, by contrast, is doing rather well. I would maintain that an alliance between Catholics and Muslims is possible. We’ve seen it happen before, it could happen again.

You who have become an agnostic, you can look on cheerfully and watch the destruction of Enlightenment philosophy?

Yes. It has to happen sometime and it might as well be now. In this sense, too, I am a Comtean. We are in what he calls the metaphysical stage, which began in the Middle Ages and whose whole point was to destroy the phase that preceded it. In itself, it can produce nothing, just emptiness and unhappiness. So yes, I am hostile to Enlightenment philosophy, I need to make that perfectly clear...

We haven’t spoken much about women. Once again you will attract criticism on that front.

Certainly a feminist is not likely to love this book. But I can’t do anything about that.

And yet you were shocked when people described Whatever as misogynistic. This book won’t help your case.

I still don’t think I’m a misogynist, really. I would say that this isn’t the crucial thing, in any case. The thing that may rub people the wrong way is that I show how feminism is demographically doomed. So the underlying idea, which may really upset people in the end, is that ideology doesn’t matter much compared to demographics...

Isn’t there something despairing about this gesture, which you didn’t really choose?

The despair comes from saying good-bye to a civilization, however ancient. But in the end the Koran turns out to be much better than I thought, now that I’ve reread it—or rather, read it. The most obvious conclusion is that the jihadists are bad Muslims. Obviously, as with all religious texts, there is room for interpretation, but an honest reading will conclude that a holy war of aggression is not generally sanctioned, prayer alone is valid. So you might say I’ve changed my opinion. That’s why I don’t feel that I’m writing out of fear. I feel, rather, that we can make arrangements. The feminists will not be able to, if we’re being completely honest. But I and lots of other people will.

You could replace the word feminists with women, no?

No, you can’t replace the word feminists with women. Really you can’t. I make it clear that women can be converts, too.

http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015 ... -new-book/

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Nov 2015 21:08

A letter to moderate Muslims:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-a-riz ... 30764.html

You condemn all kinds of terrible things being done in the name of your religion, but when the same things appear as verses in your book, you use all your faculties to defend them. This comes across as either denial or disingenuousness, both of which make an honest conversation impossible.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 15 Nov 2015 21:49

The award-winning French novelist Michel Houellebecq was sued by Islamists, here is what happened:
link

In an 2001 interview with the review Lire he attacked Islam describing it as “the most stupid religion”.

“I say to myself that the fact of believing in a single god is the behaviour of a cretin, I can’t find another word. And the stupidest religion is, let’s face it, Islam … the Bible, at least, is beautiful because the Jews have a huge literary talent … and for that they can be forgiven much.”

Afterwards, four Muslim organisations took legal action against him claiming he was “insulting a group of people because of their religious beliefs” and was “complicit in inciting racial hatred”.

Houellebecq told the court he did not despise Muslims, but held contempt for their religion adding that like Christianity and Judaism it was based on “texts of hate”. The court dismissed the case against him.

Here is another interview about his book:
link

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 15 Nov 2015 22:28

That Italian paper is called Libero. What does it mean? Freedom, Free, or liberal?

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Nov 2015 23:32

Means "Free" per google translate.

More about the paper: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libero_%28newspaper%29

PS: there was reaction to the headline. A reply is here:
http://www.liberoquotidiano.it/news/opi ... ardi-.html

Google translate renders it as:

Yesterday on the title of Free "Muslim b-a-s-t-a-r-d-s" sparked a series of controversies and accusations. Today, in its editorial director Maurizio Belpietro defends the choice and defends himself against accusations by relying mainly Italian. "It's like a Catholic to kill people and someone wrote ******** Catholics, there was objected. Not all Muslims are terrorists, not all Catholics are peaceful people. True. But we have not written that all Muslims are terrorists nor we thought (...) We have not insulted Muslims in general, "writes Belpietro. And again: "We have written: ******** (noun) Islamic (adjective). The Italian language is clear, it is not only for those who are in bad faith and does not want to see reality."

Here's what's outside the paywall of the original:
http://www.liberoquotidiano.it/news/edi ... amici.html

Interestingly, google translates for this link "B-a-s-t-a-r-d-i Islamici" as "Inglorious Islamics".
Separately, it translates it as you might expect.

Others that we are all Charlie Hebdo: we are all in danger, because Islamic terrorism does not distinguish between men and women, between combatants and innocents. Islamic terrorism not only wants to kill, terrorize, hitting anyone considered an infidel. 2015 began in Paris under the auspices of the worst, with the eruption of two brothers padded arms and religious hatred. And at a distance of less than a year 2015 it ends the same way: with a break-in at a restaurant, in a concert hall and even the stadium, with the hostages and other deaths. The accounts of the victims at night is not yet known, but there is talk of dozens of dead bodies, nor is it known clearly the dynamics, how many terrorists in the field, of which you profess militant factions, where they come from and how they could escape controls of counterterrorism. But basically you need to know everything? The only thing you need to know and that is good for something is that the West has it all wrong and continues to go wrong

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 16 Nov 2015 05:32

Defending Islam has started.

This Muhammad dude seems to have been afflicted with bipolar disorder or something

Anindya · Post by **Anindya** » 16 Nov 2015 06:34

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 16 Nov 2015 08:08

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 16 Nov 2015 08:35

A_Gupta wrote:Interestingly, google translates for this link "B-a-s-t-a-r-d-i Islamici" as "Inglorious Islamics".

the wonders of big data mining based m/c learning.

isn't there a box-office hit movie called "Inglorious boss3rds"?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 16 Nov 2015 09:03

all root causes must be examined except the real root cause.

BRao · Post by **BRao** » 16 Nov 2015 15:40

How can you miss the key word in all their defence of Islam? The key word is 'innocent'. They always say - I condemn the killing of innocent women & children; or I condemn the killing of innocent people. What is innocent? So they condone the brutal killing of non-innocent people? Nobody asks them this question. In any case, non-Muslims are not innocent as per Shariah & Quran.

Nick_S · Post by **Nick_S** » 16 Nov 2015 17:07

Jhujar wrote:http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/b788 ... ?width=650

That Australian National Muslims Council letter sounds more like a threat.

"Hey, dont treat us poorly and give us special privileges or else.... "

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 16 Nov 2015 18:36

Muslims On The Hot Seat- Again !
Toronto couple asks Muslims if they're sorry for Paris attacks

As fear of backlash and anti-Muslim sentiment grows in the wake of deadly Paris attacks, a couple in Toronto irked many after placing a board outside their house asking Muslims if they were sorry for the attacks.
“I have one question members of the Muslim community, are you sorry for the slaughter of innocent people by whom represent your religious beliefs?” the sign read.

Expect the usual platitudes

from the defenders of the faith.

“I’m open to someone saying how dare you write that but I’m only asking are you sorry for your brothers,” the woman who had put up the sign said.
“I don’t think it’s hateful, I don’t think it’s racist,” she added.

arun · Post by **arun** » 16 Nov 2015 20:48

BRao wrote:How can you miss the key word in all their defence of Islam? The key word is 'innocent'. They always say - I condemn the killing of innocent women & children; or I condemn the killing of innocent people. What is innocent? So they condone the brutal killing of non-innocent people? Nobody asks them this question. In any case, non-Muslims are not innocent as per Shariah & Quran.

From India a Mohammadden reaction to the Mohammadden Terrorist attack in Paris is to shift the blame from the Momin to the Kaafirs. Samajwadi Party Azam Khan blames France and Russia for the Paris attack. Seems there are never any Non-Mohammadden Kaafir “ innocents”, innocents number only among the Mohammadden Momin:

Azam Khan blames US and Russia for Paris terror attacks

The BJP and French Ambassador to India condemn Azam Khan’s comment:

BJP demands action against Azam Khan for 'Paris' remark

French Ambassador condemns Azam Khan’s remark

Surprisingly the Nehru-Gandhi Family led Congress Party also condemns Azam Khan’s comment:

Azam Khan sparks fresh row, now on Paris attack, Congress demands sacking

arun · Post by **arun** » 16 Nov 2015 21:01

X Posted from the Terrorist attack In Paris thread.

A_Gupta wrote:Here is current MSA:
http://www.catchnews.com/world-news/ant ... 88023.html

Reacting to the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Saturday said that a possible solution against the growing surge can be the change in the 'Anti-Islam' attitude that exists in western countries.

"The Anti-Islam phobia that is being carried out in the western countries should be stopped immediately. The Muslims living in France should be provided with the assurance that they are also citizens of the country," Aiyar told ANI.

"In addition to expressing remorse, we should also think that why this situation has raised? Whatever the ISIS has done is extremely condemnable and by claiming the responsibility for the attacks, they have shown their ego which will not be accepted by anyone," he added.

He also said that only condemning the incident would not be sufficient.

"We strongly condemn this as but we cannot overlook it by just condemning it. There is need to examine this on fundamental ground, why this happened," said Aiyar.

Nehru-Gandhi family led Congress Party disapproves comment on Paris Mohammadden Terrorist attack by their own party member, Mani Shankar Aiyar aka MSA:

Cong disapproves Mani Shankar Aiyar remarks on Paris attacks

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 16 Nov 2015 21:09

Singha wrote:all root causes must be examined except the real root cause.

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 17 Nov 2015 04:50

Nick_S wrote:That Australian National Muslims Council letter sounds more like a threat.

"Hey, dont treat us poorly and give us special privileges or else.... "

+108

Precisely..they are saying that these things will happen and there's nothing you can do about it or rather you better not do anything about it.

Not a word against the terrorists..

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 17 Nov 2015 09:35

I believe I just had an epiphany about the mode of spread of Islamist ideology. The idea came to me on seeing a cartoon on Twitter which shows IS refugees stuck between IS knife and EU hand stopping them. I created and image using that cartoon and a map of Europe.

I will explain the image and post it below.

Islamists spread by persecuting their own people first. Thise who go out as refugees are accepted in outside lands out of compassion. One they are accepted the form little Islamic oil droplet communities where radicalism sprouts and they repeat the process - pushing out still more people even further - who are then accepted out of compassion. And the process repeats till oil droplets are everywhere and there is no one to accept the original locals out of compassion

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 17 Nov 2015 10:23

Doc Ji agree and this is probably what is happening in India as well for a 1000 years, already the Ahmediyyas many have settled in India, next Shia, similarly people from Bangladesh in other parts of India. The Sikhs probably got wiped out in West Pakistan in 1947 after years of accepting refugees from Afganistan. Probably Kashmir suffered a similar fate rather than a mass conversion. Vijaynagar empire also didnt realize this and learnt at Talikota.

ashvin · Post by **ashvin** » 17 Nov 2015 16:56

Docji,
This is my understanding of the phenomenon.....
Those that are not green enough in the Levant are surely green enough in Europe and so the cycle continues. The objective function is to maximize one's green caliber! I think this was discussed in the "Understanding Malsi" thread. So, the ones that are persecuted by IS are not green enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with their peers, but once they are in Europe they soon realize that relative to the locals they are pretty green. In Europe, with enough breathing room and space they have opportunity to strive to be more green -- with the ultimate aim of being accepted by the uber-greens. My 2 cents.....

arun · Post by **arun** » 18 Nov 2015 05:34

Reuters reports that Mohammadden Terrorism kills 32 in Yola in Nigeria:

Boko Haram believed behind blast in Nigeria that killed 32

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 18 Nov 2015 06:35

US footballer hits out at fan who yelled ‘Muslims suck!’

In a shocking incident, a football fan in the US who attended the National Football League (NFL) game on Sunday yelled out ‘Muslims suck!’ during a moment of silence for the victims of the deadly Paris attacks.
Ahead of Sunday’s Lions–Packers game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Packers held a moment of silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris.

However, one fan yelled out ‘Muslims suck!’ and it echoed through the stadium. Following this, footballer Aaron Rodgers took severe exception to this and could be seen glaring in the direction of where the comment came from.

After the game, the Green Bay Packers team member spoke out against the fan, “I must admit though I was very disappointed with whoever the fan was that made a comment that I thought was really inappropriate during the moment of silence.”

“It’s that kind of prejudicial ideology(Moolah worship and political correctness go together ) that puts us in the position that we’re in today as a world,” he added.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 19 Nov 2015 02:52

I understand that liberals want to keep safe the Muslims not involved with ISIS and such -- but they try to do so by insisting that ISIS is not Islamic. They then have incoherent arguments such as, if we mistreat Muslims they will join ISIS - but why would they join ISIS if ISIS had nothing to do with Islam?

Further, IMO, it is a mistake to encourage takfiri practice.

Dailykos.com is slow to load, but if any of you could comment (here, not there) on the accuracy of this comment of mine, I'd appreciate it.

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/11 ... t_58326845

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 20 Nov 2015 05:02

The Regressive Left:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/11 ... trocities/

A satire:

It began with the Islamic terrorist’s declaration that “we did this because our holy texts exhort us to …”

The liberal is having none of that: “No, you didn’t.”

And then things get really interesting:

“Wait, what? Yes we did…”

“No, this has nothing to do with religion. You guys are just using religion as a front for social and geopolitical reasons.”

“WHAT!? Did you even read our official statement? We give explicit Quranic justification. This is jihad, a holy crusade against pagans, blasphemers, and disbelievers.”

“No, this is definitely not a Muslim thing. You guys are not true Muslims, and you defame a great religion by saying so.”

“Huh!? Who are you to tell us we’re not true Muslims!? Islam is literally at the core of everything we do, and we have implemented the truest most literal and honest interpretation of its founding texts. It is our very reason for being.”

“Nope. We created you. We installed a social and economic system that alienates and disenfranchises you, and that’s why you did this. We’re sorry.”

“What? Why are you apologizing? We just slaughtered you mercilessly in the streets. We targeted unwitting civilians — disenfranchisement doesn’t even enter into it!”

“Listen, it’s our fault. We don’t blame you for feeling unwelcome and lashing out.”

“Seriously, stop taking credit for this! We worked really hard to pull this off, and we’re not going to let you take it away from us.”

“No, we nourished your extremism. We accept full blame.”

“OMG, how many people do we have to kill around here to finally get our message across?”

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 20 Nov 2015 05:42

Falijee wrote:US footballer hits out at fan who yelled ‘Muslims suck!’
In a shocking incident, a football fan in the US who attended the National Football League (NFL) game on Sunday yelled out ‘Muslims suck!’ during a moment of silence for the victims of the deadly Paris attacks.
Ahead of Sunday’s Lions–Packers game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Packers held a moment of silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris.
However, one fan yelled out ‘Muslims suck!’ and it echoed through the stadium. Following this, footballer Aaron Rodgers took severe exception to this and could be seen glaring in the direction of where the comment came from.
After the game, the Green Bay Packers team member spoke out against the fan, “I must admit though I was very disappointed with whoever the fan was that made a comment that I thought was really inappropriate during the moment of silence.”
“It’s that kind of prejudicial ideology(Moolah worship and political correctness go together ) that puts us in the position that we’re in today as a world,” he added.

My female Afghan Muslim friend who is connected to me on FB posted this on FB saying "and this is why I love this man".

You say nice things about Islam and all the mullahs love you.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/watch/aa ... vp-BBnbGiA

Focus on Aaron Rodgers, boys

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 20 Nov 2015 09:46

My Muslim friends on FB are in full taqleef mode

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... story.html
Trump says he would 'absolutely' implement Muslim database

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Nov 2015 09:58

people who obtain foreign citizenships , sit on their perches outside india (uk/aus/canada/usa) to take a crap on india daily all deserve fully to be brought back to earth.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 20 Nov 2015 10:35

Two pieces.
Britain:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... alism.html
Islam is still rooted in the values of the dark ages – and until we accept that, we will never get rid of radicalism
Sadiq Khan is right – Muslims must integrate – but we must accept the truth about their faith

For too many decades, Britain's Muslims have lived as a separate community Photo: ALAMY
By Julia Hartley-Brewer

19 Nov 2015

British Muslims must “tackle extremism”.
We must stop tolerating “social segregation”.

“For too long we have buried our heads in the sand” about the growth of extremism among young Muslims in our country.

No, not the words of Ukip's Nigel Farage but of Labour’s London Mayoral candidate, Sadiq Khan, speaking today at a Westminster lunch.

Mr Khan, a Muslim born in London to Pakistani immigrants, is one of the very few politicians in mainstream politics who is brave enough to speak the truth about the ever growing issues facing Britain’s Muslim population.

Sadiq Khan is a Muslim born in London to Pakistani parents Photo: REX

Of course, being a Muslim himself, Mr Khan is automatically exempt from the usual barrage of cries of “racist” and “Islamophobe” from the liberal thought police.

Yet it is nevertheless a courageous politician who dares to point out what is blatantly obvious to the rest of us – but which our elected representatives are mostly too timid to admit.

Yes, as Mr Khan said, British Muslims “have a special role to play in tackling extremism”. As he says, that’s not because they – simply by virtue of sharing the same religion as the terrorists – are any more responsible for terror attacks than non-Muslims, but because they can be “more effective” at tackling that extremism.

Britain’s extremist Islamists, after all, are not coming from ordinary Christian, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish or atheist backgrounds. They are coming from ordinary Muslim families, they have Muslim friends and they live in largely Muslim neighbourhoods.

Most British Muslims live in largely British neighbourhoods Photo: Jeff Gilbert

It is therefore those families, friends and neighbours who are likely to be the first to hear those extremist views and thus be in the position to challenge them at the earliest opportunity and, we hope, stem their growth into full-bodied Islamist violence.

And that is crucial to Sadiq Khan’s other key point: it is time the social segregation of Muslims came to an end.

For too many decades, many of Britain’s 2.7 million Muslims have lived here as a separate, co-existing community, right at the heart of our great cities but at the fringes of our society.

As Mr Khan said: “Too many British Muslims grow up without really knowing anyone from a different background. We’ve protected people’s right to live their cultural life at the expense of creating a common life.”

Huge numbers of British Muslims are concentrated in distinct neighbourhoods, often living with, going to school with, working with, befriending and marrying only other Muslims. “This,” as Mr Khan so rightly pointed out, “creates the conditions for extremism and radicalisation to take hold.”

Happy families? The Men with Many Wives, Channel 4
Huge numbers of British Muslims are concentrated in distinct neighbourhoods Photo: Channel 4

Is it really any wonder then that so many young British Muslims feel they are not really British when they have grown up isolated and alienated from the rest of the population?

British Muslims need to face up to some home truths. But so too does Sadiq Khan.

Because, despite talking so much sense about integration and tackling extremism, the Labour MP still wasn’t brave enough to tell the one truth that really does need to be faced if we are going to end this deadly threat.

"It is ludicrous to pretend that Islamism has nothing to do with Islam. It has everything to do with Islam."

In the very same speech, Mr Khan said the Paris terror attacks were carried out “in the name of a sick and evil ideology, a grotesque and perverse worldview which has nothing to do with the Islam that I know.”

That is nonsense. It is ludicrous to pretend that Islamism has nothing to do with Islam. It has everything to do with Islam and that is precisely why it has such a potent appeal to so many young Muslim men and women.

As any scholar of Islam will tell you, the ideology behind Isil and al-Qaeda is as rooted in the Koran as are daily prayers and eating halal meat. Like Christianity, it just depends which verses you care to read and how literal an interpretation you choose to give them.

Muslim men pray at the East London Mosque on the last day of Ramadan on August 7, 2013
The ideology behind Isil is as rooted in the Koran as are daily prayers Photo: Getty

While Christianity has certainly been the cause of more than its fair share of violent bloodshed over the centuries, it has now evolved into a religion that is largely a force for peace. *(What about the Crusader wars of BLiar,Bush Sr. and Jr.?)

Islam, though, has never been through an enlightenment or a reformation and is still rooted in the values of the dark ages. That is why Islamic extremism has boomed at a time when the rest of the world is embracing the liberal, democratic values of the 21st century.

Sadiq Khan should be applauded for his courage in speaking the truth about segregation and radicalisation.

But until we all accept the truth about the roots of Islamic extremism, we won’t win the battle for hearts and minds – let alone the bloody war that awaits.

America:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015 ... n-refugees
Muslim databases and 'rabid dogs': GOP in explosion of rhetoric over Syrians
Trump suggests tracking all Muslims in the US, while Carson’s comments mark further low point after House vote singles out people fleeing Middle East conflict

Tom McCarthy in New York and Ben Jacobs in Washington
Friday 20 November 2015

The race for the Republican nomination for the White House took a new turn in the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks on Thursday as the front-runner, Donald Trump, called for a database to track Muslims living in the United States, while his closest rival, Ben Carson, suggested refugees of the Syrian conflict should be screened as they might be “rabid dogs”.

CNN suspends journalist over tweet disapproving of bill to keep out Syrian refugees

As the rhetoric exploded, the House of Representatives voted by an overwhelming majority to stiffen requirements to vet Syrian refugees seeking to enter the United States, and CNN, the cable news network, suspended a reporter for two weeks for reporting the news on Twitter with the comment: “Statue of Liberty bows head in anguish”.

A week after attackers linked with the Islamic State group killed 132 people in Paris, the simmering political debate in the United States rose to a boil, with Trump, Carson, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, former Florida governor Jeb Bush and others floating new proposals they said would protect the United States from such an event.

Earlier in the week Cruz and Bush proposed a religious test for refugees from Syria – only about 2,200 of whom have entered the United States in the last four years after extensive security vetting – saying that Christian applicants should be prioritized.

By Thursday a religious test for refugees had become a religious test for all Americans for one Republican candidate, with Trump telling reporters he would “absolutely” implement a database of American Muslims and unspecified other measures.

Trump won't rule out special ID for Muslim Americans noting their religion

“I would certainly implement that. Absolutely,” Trump told NBC between town hall appearances in Iowa. “There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases,” he added. “We should have a lot of systems. And today you can do it.”

Asked whether there would be a sign-up at mosques, Trump said: “Different places.”
“You sign them up at different places. It’s all about management.”

Asked how the practice of registering Muslims would be different from registering Jews in Nazi Germany, Trump said: “You tell me.”

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum was moved to join the debate on Thursday with an extraordinary statement.

“Acutely aware of the consequences to Jews who were unable to flee Nazism, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum looks with concern upon the current refugee crisis,” the statement began. “While recognizing that security concerns must be fully addressed, we should not turn our backs on the thousands of legitimate refugees.”

A spokesperson for the museum said the statement was not released based on any one statement from a presidential candidate or on the House vote.

“We have been evaluating the situation over the past days and weeks,” said museum spokesman Andrew Hollinger in an email to the Guardian. “The statement was not timed with a specific announcement. It was released when we evaluated the situation and felt that we needed to contribute to the conversations.”

On Thursday, Carson, who has opposed all new entries for Syrian refugees, sought to explain his position at a campaign stop in Alabama with an analogy about rabid dogs.

“If there’s a rabid dog running around in your neighborhood, you’re probably not going to assume something good about that dog,” Carson said. “And you’re probably going to put your children out of the way. That doesn’t mean that you hate all dogs.” The retired neurosurgeon later insisted that his statement only referred to terrorists.

*(One wonders how ordinary Muslims will react to being labeled as "dogs",as in Islam,the word is an epithet,unlike in the West where dogs are "man's best friend!" It shows how US politicos and Yanquis in general have little clue as to cultural differences around the world.Carson's statement will surely inflame Muslims in the street and aid in ISIS recruitment. )

The clamor stateside followed sharp criticism of the Republican position on Tuesday from Barack Obama, speaking in the Philippines where he was attending a regional summit.

“We are not well served when, in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic,” Obama said. “We don’t make good decisions if it’s based on hysteria or an exaggeration of risks.”

The House vote was widely seen as a symbolic acknowledgment of national angst in the wake of the latest brazen terror attack on a world capital.

Democrat Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, who opposed the House bill, told reporters: “People are scared – it has nothing to do with party affiliation, but people in this country right now are frightened over what they see as a flawed immigration system.”

He said any politician who disregarded “the legitimate and very real fear that’s out there, we’re going to get slapped around”. However he insisted the bill was simply designed to make people “feel better” about a vetting process that was already very rigorous and would never become law.

Cleaver echoed the thoughts of Bob Corker, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Tennessee senator told reporters that he thought the administration was undermining its own attempts to convince the American public that Syrian refugees should continue to be admitted.

“Someone needs to explain clearly to American people the processes that we go through before we admit refugees,” Corker said. “To browbeat someone because they are concerned about their kids is not a productive process.”

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 20 Nov 2015 15:10

Gunmen seize 170 hostages at Radisson Blu hotel in Mali capital

Nov 20, 2015 15:44 IST

Bamako, Mali: Gunmen went on a shooting rampage at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital Bamako on Friday, seizing 170 guests and staff in an ongoing hostage-taking, the hotel chain said.
Automatic weapons fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel in the city-centre, where security forces have set up a security cordon, an AFP journalist said.
Security sources said the gunmen were "jihadists" who had entered the hotel compound in a car that had diplomatic plates.
"It's all happening on the seventh floor, jihadists are firing in the corridor," one security source told AFP.
Malian soldiers, police and special forces were on the scene as a security perimeter was set up, along with members of the UN's MINUSMA peacekeeping force in Mali and the French troops fighting jihadists in west Africa under Operation Barkhane.
Malian security forces take position near the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako. AFPMalian security forces take position near the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako. AFP
The Rezidor Hotel Group, the US-based parent company of Radisson Blu, said two people were holding 170 people hostage.
The company said it was "aware of the hostage-taking that is ongoing at the property today, 20th November 2015. As per our information two persons have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees".
It added in a statement: "Our safety and security teams and our corporate team are in constant contact with the local authorities in order offer any support possible to reinstate safety and security at the hotel."
Attacks despite peace deal
The shooting at the Radisson follows a nearly 24-hour siege and hostage-taking at another hotel in August in the central Malian town of Sevare in which five UN workers were killed, along with four soldiers and four attackers.
Five people, including a French citizen and a Belgian, were also killed in an attack at a restaurant in Bamako in March in the first such incident in the capital.
Islamist groups have continued to wage attacks in Mali despite a June peace deal between former Tuareg rebels in the north of the country and rival pro-government armed groups.
Northern Mali fell in March-April 2012 to Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist groups long concentrated in the area before being ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013.
Despite the peace deal, large swathes of Mali remain beyond the control of government and foreign forces.
The website of the Radisson Blu in Bamako says it offers "upscale lodging close to many government offices and business sites", serving as "one of the city's most popular conference venues" with "a stunning 508-square-metre ballroom and meeting rooms".
Radisson Blu, an upscale brand of the Radisson hotel chain, has more than 230 luxury hotels and resorts worldwide.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Nov 2015 16:22

Mali roads kind of look like bengaluru - thats the radisson blu in background

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Nov 2015 16:25

They have reportedly released at least 20 people including those who could cite Quran verses.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/africa/20151120/ ... z3s22SKjJG

BREAKING: #MALI SPECIAL FORCES AT SCENE OF HOTEL SIEGE, FRANCE PROVIDING LOGISTICS AND INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT-FRENCH DIP SOURCE

Belgian and French citizens, including military and aviation employees, are among the hostages, the media reported. Six staff employees of the Turkish Airlines are being held in the hotel, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Ten Chinese guests are among the hostages, according to Chinese media. At least 15 Indians were taken hostages as well, NDTV reported citing governmental sources.

Later reports cited senior security sources as saying the 190-room hotel was held up by 10 assailants shouting the Arabic phrase "Allahu Akbar".

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Nov 2015 16:26

the french will likely insist their GIGN be allowed to handle this as their people are hostage. they are close to mali and chad. team must be airborne already.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Nov 2015 16:31

RT

A leaked Malaysian police report alleges there could be at least ten Islamic State suicide bombers in Kuala Lumpur, where leaders from 18 countries, including the US, Russia, Japan and China, are set to gather this weekend for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

Malaysia's police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, has responded in a statement to the disclosure of an internal police circular that warned of the possible presence of suicide bombers in Kuala Lumpur and Borneo.

According to the Malaysiakini online news daily, Khalid has confirmed a leaked police circular on a meeting between members of Abu Sayyaf, a Philippines-based terrorist group, and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). The circular allegedly reports that IS have dispatched suicide bombers to Sabah (one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia's capital and most populous city).

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Nov 2015 16:41

According to Le Monde, 40 men and 10 men of the GIGN of the Institute of Criminal Research of the National Gendarmerie, are about to leave Paris to Bamako.

En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/live/2015 ... TmyKXmw.99

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Nov 2015 16:43

According to a contributor of the World Africa present on site, special forces continue their assault Malian, started around 9 am 45. The Malian forces backed by French gendarmes and members of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali ( Minusma).

En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/live/2015 ... TmyKXmw.99

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Nov 2015 16:56

"Our special forces have freed thirty hostages, and others were able to escape on their own", told Agence France-Presse Colonel Salif Traoré, Minister of Security, without giving further details.

En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/live/2015 ... VbGe2tv.99

Air France confirms that its 12 crew members were exfiltrated and are safe.
En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/live/2015 ... VbGe2tv.99

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Nov 2015 17:24

[To read] Fears of a new front opened in the south of Libya
At the moment, be the French military intelligence, "the threat has not been proven". But it is a movement of the State organization Islamic (EI) to the south of Libya, and thus a possible contagion of the whole Sahel region by the murderous dynamics of jihadist movement that fear the French defense services. "Daech [Arabic acronym for EI] seeks new troops to go to the South. This is what they will do if we do not stop them ", said a French source high-level, on the sidelines of the second Forum for Security in Africa held in Dakar on 9 and 10 November.

En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/live/2015 ... cBgWhfa.99

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Nov 2015 18:19

[8:32 a.m. ET] U.S. special operations forces are assisting with Friday's hostage situation at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali's capital, a U.S. military spokesman said. "U.S. forces have helped move civilians to secured locations as Malian forces clear the hotel of hostile gunmen," said Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Falvo, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command.

• [8:01 a.m. ET] A French gendarmerie tactical unit and a 10-member gendarmerie forensic team are heading to Mali to support Malian authorities, France's Gendarmerie Nationale said Friday via Twitter. The tactical group is part of the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, also known as the GIGN, an elite paramilitary group trained in hostage rescue and counterterrorism operations.