Note what Mehdi Hasan leaves out of his Qur'an quotation. "The Muslim faith does not turn men to terror: The two suspects in the Woolwich killing were violating the doctrine of their own holy book," by Mehdi Hasan in the Telegraph, May 23 (thanks to JH):

'Whosoever killeth a human being…” says the Koran, in the 32nd verse of its fifth chapter, “it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.”

Thus, the two supposedly Muslim men suspected of killing and mutilating an unarmed, off-duty soldier in the middle of a London street, while shouting “Allahu Akbar” (“God is Great”), were violating the injunction of their own holy book. Perversely, it was the non-Muslim Cub Scout leader who, in trying to save the soldier’s life, and standing up to his alleged attackers, was acting in accordance with Koranic principles. Let’s be clear: Islam doesn’t permit the killing of innocents. Jihad is permissible only in self-defence and if sanctioned by a legitimate government. To quote from our Prime Minister’s pitch-perfect statement outside No 10, Wednesday’s barbarism was “a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country”.

Yes, let's be clear. Qur'an 5:32 actually says this:

For that cause We decreed for the Children of Israel that whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. Our messengers came unto them of old with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), but afterwards lo! many of them became prodigals in the earth.

Hasan quoted it thusly: "Whosoever killeth a human being...it shall be as if he had killed all mankind." Notice what he left out: "for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth." So the Qur'an is saying only that killing a human being for something other than manslaughter or "corruption in the earth" is as if one had killed all mankind.

But what if someone does commit "corruption in the earth"? The Qur'an goes on: "The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom." (Qur'an 5:33)

Now we see why Mehdi Hasan left that part out of his Qur'an quote.

So it is permissible -- indeed, commanded -- to kill those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after "corruption in the land." Islam doesn't permit the killing of innocents, but this victim was a British soldier. He was, in the view of his killer, making war upon Allah and his messenger and spreading corruption in the land by fighting in Afghanistan. In that case, the killer's jihad was defensive, and Hasan's words about it being only permissible if sanctioned by a legitimate government are simply false in terms of Islamic law.

To be sure, only the state authority can declare offensive jihad. A Shafi'i manual of Islamic law that was certified in 1991 by the clerics at Al-Azhar University, one of the leading authorities in the Islamic world, as a reliable guide to Sunni orthodoxy, stipulates that “the caliph makes war upon Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians...until they become Muslim or pay the non-Muslim poll tax.” It adds a comment by Sheikh Nuh ‘Ali Salman, a Jordanian expert on Islamic jurisprudence: the caliph wages this war only “provided that he has first invited [Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians] to enter Islam in faith and practice, and if they will not, then invited them to enter the social order of Islam by paying the non-Muslim poll tax (jizya)...while remaining in their ancestral religions.” ('Umdat al-Salik, o9.8).

Of course, there is no caliph today, and upon this fact hinges the oft-repeated claim that people like the London murderer are waging jihad illegitimately, as no state authority has authorized their jihad. But he and others like him explain their actions in terms of defensive jihad, which needs no state authority to call it, and becomes "obligatory for everyone" ('Umdat al-Salik, o9.3) if a Muslim land is attacked. The end of the defensive jihad, however, is not peaceful coexistence with non-Muslims as equals: 'Umdat al-Salik specifies that the warfare against non-Muslims must continue until "the final descent of Jesus." After that, "nothing but Islam will be accepted from them, for taking the poll tax is only effective until Jesus' descent" (o9.8).

Surely Mehdi Hasan knows all this. So why is he misleading people in the pages of the Telegraph?

In the version of the video containing remarks from the jihad murderer in London today that can be found above, he clearly mentions Surat at-Tawba at the beginning. (Thanks to Kenneth.)

Why has this video been edited to remove his references to the Qur'an?

He says, "Surat at-Tawba through...many, many ayat throughout the Qur'an that...we must fight them as they fight us..."

Surat at-Tawba is the ninth chapter of the Qur'an, and according to Islamic scholars is the last one or one of the last ones to have been revealed that contain doctrinal content -- which means that it takes precedence over the others. Some highlights:

"And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." -- 9:5

"Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a believing people and remove the fury in the believers' hearts. And Allah turns in forgiveness to whom He wills; and Allah is Knowing and Wise." -- 9:14-15

"Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled." -- 9:29

"O Prophet, fight against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination." -- 9:73

"O you who have believed, fight those adjacent to you of the disbelievers and let them find in you harshness. And know that Allah is with the righteous." -- 9:123

PM says growing expenses scandal a distraction OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday dismissed a mushrooming expenses scandal as a distraction, but also said he was "very upset" that members of his Conservative Party had apparently tapped the public purse for personal gain. Harper, facing the biggest crisis since he won power in early 2006 with promises to clean up government, urged legislators to focus on the economy, which the Conservatives see as their strongest suit. ...

Rich on the kuffar dole

"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." -- Qur'an 9:29

As British jihadist Anjem Choudary said: "The normal situation is to take money from the kuffar. You work, give us the money, Allahu akbar."

"Accused Fort Hood Shooter Paid $278,000 While Awaiting Trial," by Scott Friedman for NBCDFW.com, May 21 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

The Department of Defense confirms to NBC 5 Investigates that accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan has been paid more than $278,000 since the Nov. 5, 2009 shooting that left 13 dead 32 injured.

The Department of Defense confirms to NBC 5 Investigates that accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan has been paid more than $278,000 since the Nov. 5, 2009 shooting that left 13 dead 32 injured.

The Department of Defense confirms to NBC 5 Investigates that accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan has now been paid more than $278,000 since the Nov. 5, 2009 shooting that left 13 dead 32 injured. The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan’s salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty.

If Hasan had been a civilian defense department employee, NBC 5 Investigates has learned, the Army could have suspended his pay after just seven days.

Personnel rules for most civilian government workers allow for "indefinite suspensions" in cases "when the agency has reasonable cause to believe that the employee has committed a crime for which a sentence of imprisonment may be imposed."

Meanwhile, more than three years later soldiers wounded in the mass shooting are fighting to receive the same pay and medical benefits given to those wounded in combat.

Retired Army Spc. Logan Burnett, a reservist who, in 2009, was soon to be deployed to Iraq, was shot three times when a gunman opened fire inside the Army Deployment Center.

“I honestly thought I was going to die in that building,” said Burnett. “Just blood everywhere and then the thought of -- that's my blood everywhere.”

Burnett nearly died. He's had more than a dozen surgeries since the shooting, and says post-traumatic stress still keeps him up at night.

Burnett is now fighting a new battle; only this one is against the U.S. Army.

The Army has not classified the wounds of the Ft. Hood victims as “combat related” and declines to label the shooting a “terrorist attack”, [sic]

The “combat related” designation is an important one, for without it Burnett and other shooting victims are not given combat-related pay, they are not eligible for Purple Heart retirement or medical benefits given to other soldiers wounded either at war or during the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon.

As a result, Burnett, his wife Torey, and the families of other Fort Hood victims miss out on thousands of dollars of potential benefits and pay every year.

To Burnett the shooting felt like combat.

“You take three rounds and lose five good friends and watch seven other people get killed in front of you. Do you have another term that we can classify that as?” asked Burnett.

The Army has categorized the shooting as a case of “workplace violence.”

“Sickens me. Absolutely sickens me. Workplace violence? I don't even know if I have the words to say,” said Burnett....

PM says growing expenses scandal a distraction OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday dismissed a mushrooming expenses scandal as a distraction, but also said he was "very upset" that members of his Conservative Party had apparently tapped the public purse for personal gain. Harper, facing the biggest crisis since he won power in early 2006 with promises to clean up government, urged legislators to focus on the economy, which the Conservatives see as their strongest suit. ...

Canadian PM says growing expenses scandal a distraction OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper dismissed a mushrooming expenses scandal in the Senate as a distraction on Tuesday and urged his Conservative legislators to focus on the economy. But Harper, facing the biggest crisis since he won power in early 2006 with promises to clean up government, also said he was "very upset" by the behavior of some parliamentarians and officials in his office. ...

One of the most troubling and controversial aspects of Shariah-Compliant Finance is the system of zakat that plays a key role for Shariah-compliance.

Zakat is a system of tithing in Islam, except that it goes way beyond what Westerners think of as “tithing” or “alms giving.”

While some in the Shariah Finance industry deny that there is any connection between Shariah-Compliant Finance and zakat or that there is anything to worry about in zakat, there is ample evidence that the Shariah Finance industry does promote and facilitate zakat and that there are troubling aspects of zakat in support of violent Jihad.

The latest evidence that the Shariah Finance industry promotes zakat comes to us from the Islamic Bank of Britain, which is putting on an event promoting zakat:

http://www.midlandsbusinessnews.co.uk/2013/05/islamic-bank-of-britain-birmingham-branch-to-host-zakat-information-evening/

As for evidence of the troubling aspects of zakat in support of Jihad, we call your attention to one of our earlier posts on the subject…

http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2012/08/28/how-zakat-funds-jihad/

 

 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed by bombs in markets in Baghdad and attacks in northern Iraq on Thursday, police said, adding to a surge of sectarian-tinged violence in the past four weeks. Attacks on Sunni and Shi'ite mosques, security forces and tribal leaders have mushroomed since security forces raided a Sunni protest camp near Kirkuk a month ago, igniting clashes and fuelling worries of a slide back into all-out sectarian war. Iraq has grown more volatile as the civil war in neighboring Syria strains fragile relations between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims. ...

An op-ed in Egypt's El Balad hits all of the antisemitic tropes in one convenient spot. No hiding behind "anti-Zionism" here, nosirree - this is Arab Jew-hatred in all its glory, with not a single person condemning or even questioning it.

Hassan Sadaany starts off by saying that Jews plan to topple the US the way that they toppled the UK as the leader of the world, after they got the British to help establish Israel, which the British agreed to because they  hated Jews so much and wanted to get rid of them. The Arab states allowed Israel to come into being and then the Jews turned against them.

Of course, the Jews colluded with Hitler in the Zionist project. He had no idea the Jews would end up extorting Germany with false claims of genocide, first claiming 40 million killed, then 24 million before they made up the six million number.

The Jews also were behind 9/11, of course, in order to provide a pretest for the US to invade Afghanistan, which must have been Zionists' number one priority in 2001.

Then we learn that the Boston bombings were done by Jews as well, as a warning to President Obama not to mess with Israel.

This is the hatred and bigotry that is typical in the Arab media. Outside of organizations like MEMRI, no one seems too upset over this, either within the Arab world or from without. Antisemitism is simply accepted as a given, and there are no negative social consequences for people like Hasan Sadaany spouting pure hate. On the contrary.

According to Alexa, El Balad's audience has mushroomed in the past year. It is one of the major news sites in Egypt, ranked in the top 3000 of all websites worldwide and in the top 40 of all destinations for Egyptian readers. It gets more readers than any Israeli newspaper. (Although it does get less traffic in Egypt than a well-known pornography site.)

Anti-Israel idiots are having a field day with the accusation that Israel bombed Syria with depleted uranium munitions. The Jerusalem Post did Israel no favors by quoting the original source of the report, the notoriously unreliable Russia Today,  without comment, and the JPost imprimatur allowed the rumor to worm its way to Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian.

So how did this rumor start? From Russia Today:
Israel used "a new type of weapon", a senior official at the Syrian military facility that came under attack from the Israeli Air Force told RT.

“When the explosion happened it felt like an earthquake,” said the source, who was present near the attack site on the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday morning.

“Then a giant golden mushroom of fire appeared. This tells us that Israel used depleted uranium shells.” Yes, this unnamed "senior official" said that based on the shape and color of the explosion, it must have been
depleted uranium!

He is clearly trying to say that DU, being somewhat radioactive, would have the same signature mushroom cloud as atomic weapons.

This is, of course, entirely nonsense. DU is not an explosive. It is used by the military only because it is dense and hard so it is ideal for munitions that need to penetrate deeply (like bunker busters or armor-penetrating shells.) It does not affect the explosion caused.

The color of the explosions comes simply from the stuff being blown up; in the case of the biggest fireball seen on video, it is probably showing that engine fuel was part of the explosion.

From the RT article, we see absolutely zero evidence that DU was used. It is the idle speculation (or accusation) of an anonymous "official" who apparently doesn't know anything about the chemistry behind explosions.

Publishing and republishing this information without context is irresponsible journalism on everyone's part.

(h/ t JE)

"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." -- Qur'an 9:29

We recently saw that a jihad-martyrdom suicide bomber lived off Swedish student aid. And as British jihadist Anjem Choudary said: "The normal situation is to take money from the kuffar. You work, give us the money, Allahu akbar." But those are just individuals. Karzai has them all beat: he is raking it in for his entire gang, a.k.a. the "Afghan government."

"Karzai: CIA promises to continue cash payments," by Qadir Sediqi and Chelsea J. Carter for CNN, May 5:

(CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he has received assurances from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's station chief in Kabul that it will continue delivering cash, as it has for the past decade, to his offices.

"Yes, we received cash from the CIA for the past 10 years. It was very useful, and we are very thankful for this aid," the president said during a news conference Saturday in Kabul.

"Yesterday, I thanked the CIA's chief in Kabul and I requested their continued help, and they promised that they will continue. "

Karzai's comments follow last week's report by The New York Times that the CIA has been dropping off shopping bags full of money every month or so for more than a decade to the offices of the Afghan president.

"This is not unusual," he told reporters, adding that the money was spent by his office and the national security office for a variety of purposes, including paying salaries, helping the war wounded and providing scholarships.

Karzai dismissed questions about why such money, not in state coffers, was needed for what he described as government expenses.

"This is the choice of the American government," he said....

How odd that so many Muslim countries would misunderstand Islam's teachings of tolerance! Could it have to do with the Qur'an's command to make the "People of the Book" "pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued" (9:29)?

"US report names ‘worst’ violators of religious freedom," from the Free Speech Blog, May 2:

An arm of the US government named 15 nations as the “worst violators of religious freedom”.

The Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent advisory body created by the International Religious Freedom Act to monitor religious freedom abuses internationally, released its 2013 report, which idenitifes “governments that are the most egregious violators.”

The 15 countries are Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam, all of which severely restrict independent religious activity and harass individuals and groups for religious activity or beliefs. These nations are classified as Tier 1 “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) in the report.

Despite its recent opening and political reforms, change in Burma have “yet to significantly improve the situation for freedom of religion and belief.” The report states that most violations occurred against minority Christian and Muslim adherents. China’s government is also cited for its ongoing severe abuses against its citizens’ freedom of thought.

The report said that Egypt’s transitional and elected governments have made progress toward religious freedom, it further highlighted the attacks that Coptic Christians have sustained in the period after the Arab Spring that brought down the Mubarak regime. “In many cases, the government failed or was slow to protect religious minorities from violence.”

The former Soviet states of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were included for pursuing state control over religion, targeting Muslims and minorities alike. Iraq was cited for, among other things, tolerating “violent religiously motivated attacks” and Iran for “prolonged detention, torture, and executions based primarily or entirely on the religion of the accused.”

Saudi Arabia continues to suppress religious practices outside of the officially-sanctioned Wahhabi interpretation of Islam, interferes with the faith of guest workers and prosecutes individuals for “apostasy, blasphemy and sorcery”, according to the report. Pakistan has a strict blasphemy law and failure to prosecute acts of religious violence, the report said.

The situation in Sudan has deteriorated since South Sudan gained its independence. Criminalization of apostasy, the imposition of the government’s strict interpretation of Shari’ah on both Muslims and non-Muslims and attacks against Christians, were cited in the report for the decline.

The report also identified Nigeria for continuing religious violence between Muslims and Christians compounded by the government’s toleration of the sectarian attacks....

They probably thought that this money was their due. The Infidels should pay the Muslims, as per this verse of the Qur'an: "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." -- Qur'an 9:29

We recently saw that a jihad-martyrdom suicide bomber lived off Swedish student aid. And as British jihadist Anjem Choudary just said: "The normal situation is to take money from the kuffar. You work, give us the money, Allahu akbar."

"Tsarnaev family received $100G in benefits," by Chris Cassidy in the Boston Globe, April 29 (thanks to Andrew Bostom):

The Tsarnaev family, including the suspected terrorists and their parents, benefited from more than $100,000 in taxpayer-funded assistance — a bonanza ranging from cash and food stamps to Section 8 housing from 2002 to 2012, the Herald has learned.

“The breadth of the benefits the family was receiving was stunning,” said a person with knowledge of documents handed over to a legislative committee today.

This is more indication that the Tsarnaev jihad brothers did not act alone. Who paid for the six-month trip to Russia? And why did Massachusetts authorities not consider it odd that the wife had to be on welfare while husband had the money for six months in Russia?

As for the welfare itself, as believers in the Qur'an, it is likely that they thought this money was their due. The Infidels should pay the Muslims, as per this verse: "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." -- Qur'an 9:29

We recently saw that a jihad-martyrdom suicide bomber lived off Swedish student aid. And as British jihadist Anjem Choudary just said: "The normal situation is to take money from the kuffar. You work, give us the money, Allahu akbar."

Video: Robert Spencer on why jihadis are so often on welfare

More on this story. "Bombing Suspect's Wife, Daughter on Welfare While He Traveled to Russia," by Michael Patrick Leahy for Breitbart, April 28 (thanks to CGW):

Deceased Boston bombing "Suspect 1" Tamerlan Tsarnaev's American born wife and young daughter were on food stamps and Aid to Families with Dependent Children in Massachusetts during the six months he traveled to and stayed in Russia in early 2012.

The Boston Herald reported on Saturday that Tsarnaev's wife, Katherine Russell Tsarnaeva, whom he married in June 2010, and their now 3 year old daughter received both food stamps and AFDC from September 2011 to November 2012. Food stamps are paid by federal taxpayers and AFDC is paid by both federal and state taxpayers.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev flew to Moscow on an Aeroflot flight in January 2012 and did not return to the United States until July 2012. During this six months trip to Russia, Tsarnaev stayed with his father in the Russian republic of Dagestan for three months, but also visited Chechnya. It is unclear if Tsarnaev met with Islamist radicals during this trip who may have trained him in preparation for the April 15, 2013 Boston bombings he and his brother Dzhokhar are alleged to have carried out.

This new information raised several questions about Tamerlan Tsarnaev's trip to Russia. First, if his wife and daughter were on aid, who paid for his ticket? Additionally, why did Massachusetts authorities fail to flag Tsarnaev's travel as a possible factor that would influence his wife and daughter's eligibility for aid?

Breitbart News attempted to reach officials at the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, the agency that administers food stamps and AFDC programs in the state, to determine if Tsarnaev's travel to a foreign country while his wife and child were receiving aid should have triggered an eligibility alarm. No one was available over the weekend for comment....

From Ian:
Obama understands that Abbas doesn't want peace deal
"U.S. President Barack Obama understands today that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is not interested in reaching an agreement with Israel," a senior Israeli diplomatic source has said.
According to the official, a regular participant in policy-making, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to make significant progress toward a peace deal, but "everybody knows" that Abbas will not allow this.Italian Jews irked by Abbas’s honor in Naples
PA president ‘denied the Holocaust… and never distanced himself from Palestinian terrorist attacks,’ says prominent rabbiPA’s ‘Moderate’ Fayyad Calls to Free All Terrorists
PA second-in-command says it is wrong to imprison Arabs for terrorism against Israel.
The Palestinian Authority’s outgoing Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, called Saturday to free all PA resident Arabs imprisoned in Israel. Many are serving time for terror-related offenses, including murder and attempted murder; some were imprisoned for other violent crimes including assault and rape.Marathon as political warfare
Palestinian Olympic committee member Itidal Abdul- Ghani told The Times of Israel on April 22, a day after the race, that “Israelis weren’t welcome to join the marathon while their military occupies Palestinian lands.” Haaretz reported that a number of Israeli runners were turned back and their registration fees returned.Connecting the dots: Hezbollah, Iran’s web of plots
As the European Union grapples with a ban of the Lebanese Shi’ite organization Hezbollah within its territory, reports emerged last week of foiled Iranian and Hezbollah terror and criminal plots against targets spanning Bulgaria, Nepal, Canada and the US.
Will the mushrooming patchwork of global terrorism push the EU to include Hezbollah in its terror list? An EU designation could deal a one-two punch to the Lebanese group and its chief proxy Iran.Bosnia expels two Iranian diplomats
Minister of security declares Iranian embassy secretaries "persona non grata"; unclear involvement in past terrorist plots. Richard Millett: Jon Snow lunges for my phone while I question him about his “Jewish lobby” comment.
Last night Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow was at the London School of Economics to chair a panel of hardcore anti-Israel polemicists but as I was questioning him face to face about his own use of the term “the Jewish lobby” (Clip 1 below) he violently grabbed my mobile phone attempting to dislodge it from my hand accusing me of trying to secretly record our conversation. He then repeatedly called me “a creep” and claimed a breach of his human rights.US, Israel plotting to oust Assad by June, Iranian official claims
Legislator in Tehran warns that American intervention would result in blowback against Jewish stateSyrian Army Ordered Chemical Weapons Use, Says Defected General
Syrian regime ordered use chemical weapons against the Free Syrian Army during select battles, a defected general told Al Arabiya. IDF: Preparing for the unthinkable
Although millions of Israelis who are busy with the routine of daily life don’t feel it, there are 200,000 rockets and missiles pointed at the country’s population, and any future war could involve an initial onslaught of enemy projectiles.
Additionally, while the probability of a missile or terrorist attack on Israel involving unconventional weapons is very low, the threat cannot be dismissed out of hand.This 1,000-Year-Old Minaret Was Destroyed in Aleppo Syria Last Week
With few signs of international action to stop the terrible harm to flesh and blood, we add another reminder here of the catastrophe: the great destruction to the mortar and stone of Syria's magnificent historical heritage. The minaret was built almost 1,000 years ago as part of Aleppo's Great Mosque. Beirut bans award-winning Lebanese film shot in Israel
Doueiri dismissed the ban as "foolish and unfair", and noted that several Palestinian films shot in Israel with Israeli actors "and even with Israeli financing.. were allowed to screen in Lebanon."
"Why them and not this film? Are the Lebanese supposed to carry the Palestinian flag higher than the Palestinians themselves?" Doueiri asked.Draining cash, Egypt on $30 billion search for aid
Egypt’s need for funds is dire. After the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak, foreign investment in Egypt shriveled and tourism — a top revenue source — took a heavy blow. Neither has recovered since, with investors and tourists still scared away by the country’s unrest and political uncertainty.Record attendance at J'lem ANZAC Day ceremony
Aussie ambassador at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery: Peace and goodwill can flow from even the fiercest of conflicts.
It is customary for Australian and New Zealand diplomats to hold commemorative services for the ANZACs in the countries in which they served, and to pay tribute not only to them but to Australian and New Zealand Forces wherever they have served and died since.Israel Daily Picture: Jews Celebrate Lag B'Omer This Week.
How was it commemorated 90 years ago?
Today Jews around the world are celebrating Lag B'Omer, the end of a month-long mourning period when traditional Jews refrain from weddings or joyous gatherings.

By Tim Cocks LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram was paid an equivalent of around $3.15 million by French and Cameroonian negotiators before freeing seven French hostages this month, a confidential Nigerian government report obtained by Reuters said. The memo does not say who paid the ransom for the family of seven, who were all released on April 19, although it says Cameroon ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Three British Islamists were jailed on Friday for planning mass suicide attacks that had the blessing of al Qaeda and which prosecutors said could have been as deadly as the 2005 London bombings. A fourth man, their associate, was sentenced for terrorist financing. With the help of others, the three plotters had intended to detonate eight rucksack bombs in a mass attack and possibly use timers to set off other devices in crowded places. They had also considered welding knife blades to a truck and ramming it into a crowd of people, prosecutors said. ...

They probably thought that this money was their due. The Infidels should pay the Muslims, as per this verse of the Qur'an: "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." -- Qur'an 9:29

We recently saw that a jihad-martyrdom suicide bomber lived off Swedish student aid. And as British jihadist Anjem Choudary just said: "The normal situation is to take money from the kuffar. You work, give us the money, Allahu akbar."

"Tamerlan Tsarnaev got Mass. welfare benefits," by Chris Cassidy in the Boston Herald, April 24 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

Marathon bombings mastermind Tamerlan Tsarnaev was living on taxpayer-funded state welfare benefits even as he was delving deep into the world of radical anti-American Islamism, the Herald has learned.

State officials confirmed last night that Tsarnaev, slain in a raging gun battle with police last Friday, was receiving benefits along with his wife, Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, and their 3-year-old daughter. The state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services said those benefits ended in 2012 when the couple stopped meeting income eligibility limits. Russell Tsarnaev’s attorney has claimed Katherine — who had converted to Islam — was working up to 80 hours a week as a home health aide while Tsarnaev stayed at home.

In addition, both of Tsarnaev’s parents received benefits, and accused brother bombers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan were recipients through their parents when they were younger, according to the state.

The news raises questions over whether Tsarnaev financed his radicalization on taxpayer money.

Relatives and news reports have indicated that Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s descent into extremist Islam began around 2008 or 2009, when the ethnic Chechen met a convert identified only as “Misha,” began to become more devout, and sought out jihadist and conspiracy theorist websites, and the rabidly anti-Semitic propaganda tract, “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”

In 2009, he was quoted in a photo essay as saying, “I don’t have a single American friend, I don’t understand them,” adding that he believed Americans had lost their “values.”

His uncle Ruslan Tsarnaev said it was around that time his nephew gave up drinking and was devoting himself to “God’s business,” while Tamerlan’s mother, now wearing a hijab — an Islamic headscarf — began relating conspiracy theories about the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks to her cosmetology clients that she said her son had told her.

This is what the American people are getting fed. "Bashir: Suspected Boston Bombers Hurt 'Peace-Loving Religion' Of Islam," from Real Clear Politics, April 22:

MSNBC's Martin Bashir explains how suspected Boston Marathon bombers, the Tsarnaev brothers, are the just the latest to use terror in the name of Islam – burying the "peace, compassion and kindness of the Koran."

Here's a small sampling of that peace, compassion and kindness:

"And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter..." -- 2:191

"They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them..." -- 4:89

"Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle - nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning)." -- 7:179

"Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies..." -- 8:60

"Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." -- 9:5

"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." -- 9:29

"Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens..." -- 47:4

"Those who reject (Truth), among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, will be in Hell-Fire, to dwell therein (for aye). They are the worst of creatures." -- 98:6

These are the people to whom Obama is sending millions of dollars of taxpayer money. "Islamist Ultimatum to Syrian Christians: Convert, Leave, or Die," by Matthew J. Thomas for AINA, April 18:

(AINA) -- Syria's Christians fear an Islamist takeover should the current government be overthrown. During the ongoing civil war there has been a well-documented rise in the number of salafi-jihadist groups operating in Syria that pose a direct threat to Syria's Christian community.1 These militant opposition forces espouse an Islamist ideology, which incorporates elements of Wahhabism2 and Salafism3 and whose stated goals and objectives are by definition hostile towards Christians. Firsthand accounts from Syrian Christian refugees in Lebanon reported by award winning investigative journalist Nuri Kino detail the horror in which they described kidnappings, rapes, harassment, theft and other violent reprisals at the hands of Islamist groups.

Those who survived reported "just being Christian is enough to be a target,"4 disproving theories that violence and kidnapping directed towards Syrian Christians is purely incidental or for economic reasons. One individual openly declared "We're not poor. We didn't run from poverty [...] we ran from fear."5

There are several dozens of armed Salafi-jihadist groups both foreign and domestic currently operating in Syria that explicitly advocate Islamist agendas and possess the intentions and capabilities to commit violent persecution towards Syria's Christians. Most notably from the global Sunni jihadist milieu is al-Jabhat al-Nusra lil-Ahl al-Sham min Mujahedin al-Sham fi Sahat al-Jihad (The Front for Supporting the People of Greater Syria by the Mujahedin of Syria on the Battlefields of Jihad) A.K.A. Jabhat al-Nusra, which in December 2012 the U.S. government officially listed as a terrorist organization.6 Also, on April 9 of this year the leader of Tanzim Qai'dat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (Organization of Jihad's Base in Mesopotamia) A.K.A. al-Qaeda in Iraq released an audio announcement that officially declared the unification of al-Qaeda in Iraq and Jabhat al-Nusra including the establishment of an Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, effectively expanding the threat to Syria's Christians.7 The other notable militant Islamist group is al-Jabhat al-Islamiya al-Suriya (Syrian Islamic Front), a large armed coalition force comprised of several interdependent blocs and alliances organized throughout Syria.8 Even the relatively less hardline al-Jaysh al-Suri al-Hurr (Free Syrian Army) and al-Majlis al-Watani al-Suri (Syrian National Council) are by no means monolithic entities, rather both exist as umbrella organizations comprised of several independent and competing ideological currents and sub-currents including Islamism.

Indeed, regardless of the means employed whether violent or non-violent to achieve the stated goals and objectives of these Islamist movements, the future is unfortunately no less hostile towards Christians. Within an Islamic State governed by Shari'a (Islamic Law), Jews and Christians, known colloquially as ahl al-Kitaab (People of the Book), are afforded a certain protected status called dhimmi, but only if they willingly submit to a tribute or coercive tax known as jizya.9 Based on Islamist interpretation, which is strictly literal and employs the "doctrine of abrogation" promulgated by the 13th century Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyyah,10 the later and more belligerent suras (chapters) of the Qur'an take precedence over the earlier and more tolerant suras.11 As a result, the salafi-jihadists frequently reference Sura al-Tawba (The Repentance) otherwise known as Sura al-Bara'a (The Ultimatum), which is the 9th chapter of the Qur'an, to justify their violent actions. Numerous internationally recognized translations of Verse 29 of Sura al-Tawba explicitly state,

Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.12

Ultimately, Syria's Christians as well as Jews will be forced to suffer persecution at the hands of Islamists unless they convert to Islam, submit to Shari'a and pay the jizya, emigrate or die.

Guilt by Association: Syria's Christians Labeled Pro-Assad

The question of who would protect the Syrian Christians after the fall of Assad has historically led many Christians to support the status quo out of fear.13 A Congressional Research Service report from August 2012 accurately portrays the dilemma of Syrian Christians who are "caught between their parallel fears of violent change and of being associated with Assad's crackdown."14 According to a September 2012 report by the Institute for the Study of War, President Assad has "used the threat of jihadists within the opposition to galvanize support for the regime among the Alawite and Christian communities."15 Similarly, the U.S. State Department's 2011 International Religious Freedom Report for Syria also recognizes the rising level of animosity towards Syria's Christians as well as Assad's attempts to translate their fears into political support by sponsoring pro-government demonstrations in predominantly Christian neighborhoods and violently rebuffing those viewed as undermining this effort.16 Consequently, even individual Christians who have neither professed nor shown any inclination of support for the regime may still be identified as pro-Assad and thereby targeted for violent persecution by the Islamists and other opposition forces, or by government security forces for being perceived as unsupportive.

"Arab Spring" is "Christian Winter" -- Persecution of Christians is a Regional Issue

Christian persecution is prevalent not only throughout Syria but also the entire region. Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Virginia) has consistently published reports testifying that Christians throughout the Middle East, specifically in Syria, Egypt and Iraq, have been suffering persecution at an alarming rate, including a sustained campaign of violence, discrimination, mass emigration and internal displacement -- all of which too often go unrecognized and unreported.17

In an urgent attempt to bring attention to and spur action from policymakers, Congressman Wolf recently traveled to the region and met firsthand with Christian refugees from several Arab nations, including Syria, and reported "In fact, it often appears that there is an anti-Christian bias at the State Department. For years the department refused to recognize that Iraqi Christians were being targeted, insisting instead that they were simply victims of generalized violence."18 Unfortunately, the same can now be said of Syria's Christians, as Western naivety falsely assumes that anti-Assad opposition forces are automatically pro-democracy, pro-secular, and pluralist and Christians are merely victims of incidental violence. However, a recent report from the British newspaper The Guardian reveals that until recently hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians sought refuge in neighboring countries like Syria, but now they are once again forced to flee due to rampant religious persecution. The report continues by stating the majority of Christians have been emptied from the broader Middle East, and while the "Arab Spring" may have sprung new life for Islamists in the region, it has most certainly brought death to Christianity in places like Syria.19

By Matthew J. Thomas

Matthew Thomas is a graduate from the M.A. program in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA. He previously worked as an intern with the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel, and as a research assistant with Naval Postgraduate School and Howard's Global Solutions. His primary research interests are on militant Islamic organizations and the Arab World. He possesses advanced foreign language proficiency in Arabic and Assyrian (neo-Aramaic), and holds a B.A. in International Relations with a Concentration in Muslim Studies from Michigan State University.

Notes

1 "Evidence of the Influx into Syria of Foreign Jihadist Fighters," Insights, Jihadist Website Monitoring Group, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, November 2012. Available online at: http://www.ict.org.il/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=55Of1Jrll6Q%3d&tabid=320. (Accessed 9 April 2013).

2 Wahhabism is the official religious doctrine of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a Salafist form of Sunni Islam founded by the 18th century cleric Mohammed Ibn Abd al-Wahhab that is based on an extremely strict and puritanical interpretation of the Qur'an and Ahadith (sayings, statements, acts of Prophet Mohammed), which it considers as the sole authoritative texts.

3 Salafism is a radical movement within Sunni Islam that seeks to restore the 7th century mode of Islamic governance, colloquially referred to as the pure or golden age of Islam, that existed during time of al-Salaf as-Salih (virtuous ancestors), specifically the Prophet Mohammed and al-Sahaba (companions) who include al-Muhajirun ("the emigrants" or initial followers of Islam who made the hijra or migration with Mohammed from Mecca to Medina) and al-Ansar ("the helpers" or Medinan followers of Islam), as well as al-Rashidun, known as the four "Rightously Guided Caliphs" namely Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, and Ali ibn Abi Talib.

4 Quote taken from p. 17 in Nuri Kino, "Between the Barbed Wire," UngdomsInitiativet, 11 January 2013. Available online at: http://www.betweenthebarbedwire.com. (Accessed 9 April 2013).

5 Quote taken from p. 11 in Ibid.

6 "Treasury Sanctions Al-Nusrah Front Leadership in Syria and Militias Supporting the Assad Regime," U.S. Department of Treasury, 11 December 2012. Available online at: http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/pages/tg1797.aspx, (Accessed 9 April 2013).

7 "Al-Qaida Iraq branch announces merger with Syrian militant group," The Washington Post, 9 April 2013. Available online at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/al-qaida-iraq-branch-announces-merger-with-syrias-militant-group-fighting-assad-regime/2013/04/09/1853cfc8-a0f4-11e2-bd52-614156372695_story.html. (Accessed 9 April 2013). For a safe copy of the original audio message in Arabic see, Aaron Y. Zelin, "al-Furqan Media presents a new audio message from the Islamic State of Iraq's Shaykh Abu Bakr Al-Hussayni al-Qurayshi al-Baghdadi: 'Announcement of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham," Jihadolgy.net, 9 April 2013. Available online at: http://jihadology.net/2013/04/09/al-furqan-media-presents-a-new-audio-message-from-the-islamic-state-of-iraqs-shaykh-abu-bakr-al-%E1%B8%A5ussayni-al-qurayshi-al-baghdadi-announcement-of-the-islamic-state-of-iraq-an. (Accessed 9 April 2013).

8 Aron Lund, "Syria's Salafi Insurgents: The Rise of The Syrian Islamic Front," Utrikespolitiska Institutet, Occasional Paper No. 17, March 2013. Available online at: http://www.ui.se/eng/upl/files/86861.pdf. (Accessed 9 April 2013).

9 See p. 22 in Ibid.

10 Ibn Taymiyyah is a 13th century Islamic scholar and theologian from the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence that is most famous for the fatwa (religious edict) that declared it permissible to wage militant jihad against the Mongols, who sacked the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate at Baghdad in 1258, because they were perceived as living in a state of jahiliyya (ignorance) and pre-Islamic paganism. The fatwa was controversial because previously it was considered forbidden to violently oppose the Caliphate, since such actions would constitute fitna (secession). Islamists use this fatwa and historical context to justify their extremist ideology by engaging in takfir (act of calling another Muslim an apostate) and denouncing the current Muslim regimes as un-Islamic and in a state of jahiliyya.

11 See p. 76 in Bale, "Islamism and Totalitarianism."

12 See translation by Yusuf Ali for Verse 29, Chapter 9 of the Qur'an taken from "Quran.Com." Available online at: http://quran.com/9/29. (Accessed 10 April 2013).

13 See p. 4 in Michael Singh, "Syria's Humanitarian Crisis," Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 19 March 2013. Available online at: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/testimony/SinghTestimony_20130319.pdf. (Accessed 9 April 2013).

14 Quote taken from p. 2 in Jeremy M. Sharp et al., "Armed Conflict in Syria: U.S. and International Response," Congressional Research Service, RL33487, 21 August 2012. Available online at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33487.pdf. (Accessed 9 April 2013).

15 Quote taken from p. 38 in Elizabeth O'Bagy, "Jihad in Syria," Middle East Security Report 6, September 2012, Institute for the Study of War. Available online at: http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Jihad-In-Syria-17SEPT.pdf. (Accessed 9 April 2013).

16 See p. 7 in "Syria: International Religious Freedom Report for 2011," U.S. State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Available online at: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/193119.pdf. (Accessed 10 April 2013).

17 "Wolf Calls on Religious Leaders in West to Speak Out on Behalf of Persecuted Church Globally," Congressman Frank Wolf, 9 January 2013. Available online at: http://wolf.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=34&itemid=2108. (Accessed 10 April 2013). See also, "Wolf Issues Report Following Trip to Middle East," 7 March 2013. Available online at: http://wolf.house.gov/press-releases/wolf-issues-report-following-trip-to-middle-east. (Accessed 10 April 2013).

18 Quote taken from p. 14 in "First the Saturday People, then the Sunday People: Report on a trip to Lebanon and Egypt," Congressman Frank Wolf, February 2013. Available online at: http://wolf.house.gov/uploads/lebanon_egypt_tripreport2.pdf. (Accessed 10 April 2013).

19 Rupert Shortt, "In the Middle East, the Arab spring has given way to a Christian winter," The Guardian, 2 January 2013. Available online at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2013/jan/02/middle-east-arab-spring-christian-winter. (Accessed 10 April 2013). See also, Sam Dagher, "An 'Arab Winter' Chills Christians," The Wall Street Journal, 5 December 2011. Available online at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203710704577053221510203422.html. (Accessed 10 April 2013).