Pamela Geller's Blog, page 2

Egypt's Christians celebrate Christmas amid tight security

Wishing Atlas Coptic Christian readers a safe and merry Christmas.

"Egypt's Christians celebrate Christmas amid tight security, but in upbeat mood," Fox News, January 6, 2014 (thanks to Christian)

 Millions of Egyptian Christians thronged churches across this mainly Muslim nation for Christmas Mass, held Monday amid unusually tight security but with congregations filled with hope ahead of a key vote on a new constitution that enshrines equality and criminalizes discrimination.

The stepped up security was in response to fears that Islamic militants loyal to ousted President Mohammed Morsi would target churches. Islamists claim that Egypt's Christians played a disproportionately large role in the mass protests that preceded Morsi's ouster in a July 3 coup.

Many churches, especially in southern Egyptian strongholds of radical Muslims, held Midnight Mass several hours early so that worshippers could avoid returning home after midnight when streets are empty, raising the possibility of attacks.

A wave of attacks blamed on Islamists in August left dozens of churches destroyed, burned or looted. Christian homes and businesses were also targeted.

"We will pray under the night sky," said Adel Shafiq, a Christian from the town of Dalga south of Cairo, who was attending Mass in a church looted and burned in August. "There is no roof and no windows. People are here wearing scarves and hats to fend off the night cold."

At Cairo's St. Mark's Cathedral, seat of the Coptic Orthodox pope, police armed with machine-guns manned sandbag positions outside the towering structure. Hours before Mass, sniffing dogs were deployed to ensure there were no explosives planted inside.

During the service, plainclothes security men stood guard just yards (meters) from the altar to keep an eye on the congregation as Coptic Pope Tawadros II led the prayers. Cabinet ministers, army generals and politicians, mostly Muslims, attended the service.

"We pray for the safety, peace and calm of Egypt and we pray for every man on its kind land," Pope Tawadros said in a brief sermon. "We have total confidence that God is watching over our nation even at the time of crisis."

Elsewhere in Cairo and other main cities, streets leading to large churches were sealed off and checkpoints were set up in areas with sizable Christian communities as armored army and police vehicles roamed the streets.

Metal detectors were placed at the entrances of many churches, where volunteers searched bags and demanded to see IDs, leading to the formation of long lines outside churches.

The tight security appeared to do little to dampen spirits, however.

"People are happy and the barrier of fear has been breached. We have seen the worst already, it's over," said Evon Lutfi, a Christian from the southern city of Assiut, a stronghold of radical Islamists and home to a large Christian community.

Egypt's Christians account for some 10 percent of the nation's 90 million people. Mostly members of the Orthodox church, one of Christendom's oldest, they long have complained of discrimination by the nation's Muslim majority. They have heavily invested in the anti-Morsi movement in the hope of gaining equal rights with their Muslim compatriots after his removal.

The amended constitution Egyptians will vote on later this month in a nationwide referendum enshrines equality between all Egyptians and instructs the next parliament to legislate a new law that will facilitate the construction and maintenance of churches. It also removes language in the 2012 constitution that critics feared could pave the way to the creation of a purist Islamic state, something that gravely alarmed Christians.

"We will vote 'yes' in the referendum so we can have a nation free of discrimination," said Fawzy Habib, a Christian accountant from Assiut.

The post-Morsi administration hopes the draft, a heavily amended version of an Islamist-tilted charter adopted under Morsi in 2012, will receive a comfortable "yes" majority in the Jan. 14-15 referendum to enshrine the legitimacy of the regime and allow it to move confidently to the next step of its political transition plan: presidential and parliamentary elections. Morsi's supporters are boycotting the vote, which they label as a sham along with the charter itself.

Christians received a huge morale boost Sunday when the country's interim leader, President Adly Masnour, made a rare visit to St. Mark's Cathedral and met with the Coptic pontiff. His visit underlined efforts by the military-backed government to project an image of inclusion ahead of the referendum.

The highly symbolic visit was the first of its kind since socialist leader Gamal Abdel-Nasser attended the cathedral's consecration ceremony more than 40 years ago.

St. Mark's Cathedral was attacked by a mob last April, heightening Christians' concern over Morsi's rule and laying bare their vulnerability. Morsi quickly condemned the violence, but in an unprecedented direct criticism, Pope Tawadros accused him of failing to protect the cathedral.

Israel arrests 14 in plot to blow up bus, Iran-backed Islamic Jihad planned a mass-casualty attack in Israel.

Why is the West funding these savages?

"Israel arrests 14 in plot to blow up bus, credits alert passenger," Special to WorldTribune.com, January 6, 2014

TEL AVIV — Israel has charged the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad with planning a mass-casualty attack in Israel.

Officials said Jihad recruited both Palestinians and Israelis for a series of major strikes in Israel. They said the first attack, the bombing of a bus in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam last month, was foiled by an alert passenger.

The attempted bus bombing in Bat Yam on Dec. 22 was narrowly averted due to alert passengers and prompt action on the part of the bus driver, Israeli officials said.

“The incident in Bat Yam shows the threat of terror is always in the background, and in particular, in times like now, when there is an attempt to advance the peace process,” Israeli police commander Inspector General Yohanan Danino said.

So far, the Israel Security Agency has reported the arrest of 14 Jihad operatives and suspected collaborators. They said four of the detainees were deemed senior members of Jihad and residents of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, one of whom worked in a restaurant in Tel Aviv. The others included Israeli Arabs suspected of helping smuggle weapons and equipment as well as Jihad operatives into Israel.

“The investigation continues,” ISA said. “Additional arrests are expected.”

One of the Jihad detainees was identified as a police officer of the Palestinian Authority. The officer, Hamdi Tamari, has been accused of helping assemble the cellular phone-activated bomb for the Bat Yam bus attack.

Officials said PA officers were recruited to acquire weapons and collect
intelligence for operations against Israel. They said Tamari had been
accepted into the PA force despite a previous jail term in Israel.

“This is additional proof of the direct involvement of Palestinian
Authority personnel in terrorism,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said. “The time has come for Abu Mazen [PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas] to stop
celebrating with released murderers, and to lead his people toward peace.”

The Bat Yam bombing on Dec. 22 did not incur casualties. A passenger
spotted the bomb and the bus was evacuated.

“We found 25 kilograms of explosives meant for additional attacks,” an
official said. “This group knew how to prepare explosive devices.”

Neither Hamas and Jihad, which welcomed the bombing, claimed
responsibility. Officials said the bombing could reflect efforts by Iran to
sponsor mass-casualty strikes in the Jewish state.

“All of these issues raised many eyebrows, including the possibility
that the suspects had outside connections, from the Gaza Strip or from other
places,” Israeli defense analyst Ron Ben-Yishai said. “The Palestinian
Islamic Jihad receives logistics, inspiration and funding from Iran.”

 

Italy: 'Muslim arrested for threatening to behead ex-girlfriend': "I'll kill you, I am an Arab, you don't know me. I'll cut off your head!"

We don't know you? No, dear, we know you only too well.

Love Islamic style.

 Italy: 'Tunisian arrested for threatening to behead ex-girlfriend' ADNKronos, Janauary 6, 2014 (thanks to Religion of Peace)
 


Cagliari, 3 January (AKI) - Police on Friday arrested an unemployed Tunisian immigrant on suspicion of stalking his Italian ex-girlfriend for nearly two years and threatening to cut off her head, reports said.
 
Police arrested 36-year-old Valid Smiri, as he tried to climb over a gate and enter his ex-girlfriend's apartment building in the town of Quartu, near Cagliari, the Unione Sarda newspaper reported.

Witnesses said Smiri was shouting: "I'll kill you, I am an Arab, you don't know me. Even if they arrest me, I'll come back and kill you. I'll cut off your head!"As police led him away, Smiri also railed against the Italian government.

 The 47-year-old woman ended a three-month relationship with Smiri in 2012, a decision he had refused to accept.

She reported Smiri to police three times after he kept bombarding her with phone-calls and text messages begging her to get back together with him or else, investigators said.

He also hung around outside the woman's apartment building and hurled insults at her and threatened to kill her each time he saw her go in or out, saying she was "his", according to investigators.

Libya's predictable lurch toward Shariah strikes terror through Christian community

Yes, another ghastly outcome of Obama's grotesque support for jihadists and their brutal system of oppression, the sharia. What's just as striking as the bloody ouster of long time secular rulers who are violently replaced with these seventh century neanderthals, is the media's utter silence and complicity on this catastrophic gamechanger. This is a huge story as is Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, the whole of Africa and the Middle East -- seismic historical changes and the media is talking about .....Hillary 2016. Hillary 2016? She should serve time for her treachery in Libya. Obama and Hillary aided and abetted al Qaeda in Libya. In a rational world, Hillary couldn't get elected to the dog catcher (and if she did, she'd be spending her entire day chasing that hound dog of a husband).

Where is the Congressman or woman, Senator or other elected official calling for emergency asylum to non-Muslims living in newly minted sharia states?

I warned as early as March 2011, that Obama was backing al Qaeda in Libya.

"Libya's lurch toward Shariah sends chill through Christian community," By Perry Chiaramonte PFOX news, January 6, 2014

December 27, 2013: In Benghazi, people hold signs during a demonstration against what the protesters said was the decision of the National Congress to extend the period of their stay in power. The temporary government recently passed legislation that make Sharia Law the dominate governing body. (REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori)

American chemistry teacher Ronald Smith was shot and killed wile jogging in Benghazi last month. Some have speculated that he was murdered by Islamic militants for his Christian faith. (AP)

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Libya's recent edict that its coming constitution will be based on Shariah law has sent a chill through the North African nation's small Christian community.

Libya's Coptic Christians, who number about 300,000, or 5 percent of the population, were allowed to practice their faith under dictator Muammar Qaddafi. But since the strongman was ousted from power, and ultimately killed, Muslim fundamentalists have increasingly filled the power void. Last month, the national assembly voted in favor of making Koranic law, or Shariah, the basis of all legislative decisions, meaning Islam will shape all future banking, criminal and financial cases.

"... Christians and others in the Middle East have every right to want a free, autocratic society.”

- Patrick Sookhdeo, The Barnabus Fund

“Islamic law is the source of legislation in Libya,” stated the General National Congress in a statement released shortly after the vote was held. “All state institutions need to comply with this.”

A special committee has begun reviewing existing laws to ensure that they comply with Shariah, according to a recent report.

The emerging political and legal system's orientation, combined with the rise of militants in the oil-rich nation, has left Christians feeling like the promise of democracy in the wake of Qaddafi's fall has been broken.

“NATO went to war in Libya on the basis of a full democracy,” Patrick Sookhdeo, international director for human rights group The Barnabus Fund, told FoxNews.com. “But what we have ended up with is a fractured government in which religious extremism of the worst kind has now taken over the government.”

“The concern is that this conflict has produced the exact opposite of a democratic government,” he added.

Sookhdeo adds that the recent legislation will have a serious effect on those in Libya who desire a fair and just society --especially those in the country who are not of the Muslim faith. The status and rights of women will have to be addressed in Libya's future constitution, analysts say.

Sookhdeo likened Libya's situation to what happened in Egypt after longtime leader Hosni Mubarak was replaced by Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood-backed president who in turn was ousted by the military after he was seen as pushing the nation toward Islamic rule.

“They [Christians] will not have full citizenship,” he said, referring to the recent ouster of Muslim Brotherhood backed President Morsi when his administration attempted to implement similar legislation.

Christian workers, including Copts who come from Egypt in search of work, have been targeted since Qaddafi's ouster in October 2011. Earlier this year, Libyan authorities reportedly released four Egyptian missionaries who had been arrested for proselytizing. A fifth Egyptian Christian, Ezzat Atallah, died while in prison. Their supporters say all they did was possess images of the cross for their own spiritual reflection.

The danger for Christians and other non-Muslims in Libya was underscored again last month when an American teacher was murdered. Ronnie Smith, 33, of Texas, who was teaching chemistry at Benghazi’s International School, was shot to death on Dec. 5 while jogging. The killing highlighted persistently tenuous security in the eastern Libyan city where U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens was killed during an attack on the embassy Sept. 11, 2012.

There were no credible claims of responsibility, but it is believed that Islamic militants active in Benghazi were responsible for Smith’s murder. It came after an Al Qaeda spokesman publicly called upon Libyans to attack U.S. interests everywhere as revenge for Special Forces snatching an Al Qaeda suspect off the streets of Tripoli last October.

Many have speculated that Smith may have been killed because of his Christian faith and how he spoke about it with Muslims and his students in Libya.

Sookhdeo said that the recent legislation could have a severe effect not only within Libya, but beyond its borders as well. He noted that Sookhdeo says that Libya’s southern border is under Al Qaeda control and arms are being filtered into Syria at an alarming rate.

“We have a potential regional problem," Sookhdeo said. "And Christians and others in the Middle East have every right to want a free, autocratic society.”

Persecution, violence, and even the murdering of Christians have been on the rise in the Middle East as of late.

In March 2012, Jeremiah Small, a resident of Washington state who was working as a teacher in Iraq, was shot by one of his students. The motive was not clear, but the pupil had threatened to kill him for his religious views a day earlier after a heated discussion broke out in the class. Just a few days later an another American teacher was killed in Yemen after being shot eight times by Islamic militants.

Joel Shrum, 29, was killed by members of the Supporters of Sharia -- which also operates in Libya -- who issued a message saying that the murder occurred, “as a response to the campaign of Christian proselytizing that the West has launched against Muslims.”

Iranian Majlis Representative: Iran Needs A Nuclear Bomb 'To Put Israel In Its Place'; White House Pleaded For Meeting With Rohani

Obama released upwards of 20 million dollars to these genocidal jihadists, with more jizya on the way.

And even now, Obama is writhing on his belly for a meeting with Iran's chief executioner.

Obama thinks his toothy grin and calypso walk can charm the birds right out of the trees. But the reality is half the world is laughing at him and the other half is eating him for lunch.

"Iranian Majlis Representative: Iran Needs A Nuclear Bomb 'To Put Israel In Its Place'; White House Pleaded For Meeting With Rohani," MEMRI

In a speech that he delivered at a January 3, 2014 political activists' conference in Mashhad (northeastern Iran), Majlis representative Mohammad Nabavian, a member of Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi's radical faction, said that despite its disinterest in a bomb Iran in fact does need one, in order to create a balance of terror vis-a-vis Israel.

In his address, Nabavian cited statements made by members of Iran's negotiating team – President Hassan Rohani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and his deputy Abbas Araqchi – to the Majlis on the course of the three rounds of the Geneva talks in October-November 2013. According to him, they said that during Rohani's September 2013 visit to New York, the White House had pleaded with him to meet with President Obama or at least talk with him by telephone. They also stated that Secretary of State John Kerry told the Iranian team about the vigorous protests that he had heard from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu before arriving in Geneva for the talks.

It should be noted that the Tasnim website, which was the first to quote Nabavian's statements, removed the part about the nuclear bomb, but it was published on other sites as well.

Mohammad Nabavian (Image: Baharnews.ir, January 3, 2014)

Below are the main points of Nabavian's speech, as quoted by the moderate conservative website Asr-e Iran:[1] 

"We had a few sessions on the nuclear issue at the Majlis with [Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad] Zarif, [Deputy Foreign Minister, Abbas] Araqchi, [Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht] Ravanchi and [Foreign Ministry spokeswoman] Marzieh Afkham, and one session in which President [Hassan Rohani] personally participated…

"...The [nuclear] agreement [with the P5+1] contains five clauses: a preamble, first step, interim step, final step and final conclusion. The first part determined from the outset that the objective of the negotiations was to reach a plan that would guarantee to both sides that Iran's nuclear program is purely civilian… The U.S. says: 'Never before did we succeed in ensuring Israel's security like we did today [by means of the agreement]. If a certain country has 270 kg [of enriched uranium at a level of] 20% and 10 tons [of enriched uranium at a level of] 5%, and 20,000 centrifuges, it will be in a breakout position and could manufacture a nuclear bomb on the uranium [track] within two weeks.' We don't aspire to obtain a nuclear bomb, but it is necessary so we can put Israel in its place…"

The Americans Courted Rohani And Sought A Meeting

"At the meeting we had with the president, Rohani said: 'After I won the elections, Obama relayed a message to me, [even] before [my September 2013] visit to New York. The White House contacted me five times seeking a meeting.' Now the question must be asked: Why does this superpower insist on meeting Iran's president… while calling us a third-world [country]?

"Rohani said: During my journey to New York, I arrived at the hotel on Monday night and again they contacted me from the White House. I assembled the delegation accompanying me and we decided not to meet [with Obama]. On Tuesday afternoon after the press conference, they said to me, 'why did you humiliate Obama and America?', and I said there was no humiliation. Here I recalled the words of the Imam [Khomeini] who said that one must humiliate the infidel leaders.

"The next part comes from [Foreign Minister] Zarif, who said: 'Wednesday and Thursday passed, and on Friday they contacted me five times from the White House and said that there should at least be a courtesy telephone conversation.' I asked why a superpower needs to meet or ask us how we are.

"If Obama asked for a meeting five times before the visit to New York and several times during the visit, it's because over these eight years measures were taken [by Iran] and, as a result, the United States [now] needs Iran. In Syria, the U.S. did not manage to attack and was humiliated. In practice, Obama was humiliated because he did not stand up to Iran, and hence it is necessary to meet with Iran's president to show that he is a strong man and tell the world: I brought Iran to the negotiating table after 30 years. That's why following the telephone call, this message ­– 'we negotiated with Iran' – was reported to the world..."

Iran Signed The Agreement To Free Itself Of The Oil And Banking Sanctions

"Forty-nine percent of our budget depends on oil [revenue]. This is a very high figure. This means that half our budget comes from oil money. In [March 2012-March 2013,] we had to sell 2,700,000 barrels of oil daily to supply the budget. Now take into account banking sanctions [even] more severe than the oil sanctions. Since June 2012 all the world's banks have been barred to us and we don't have permission to exchange even a dollar. Think of it, even if we sold 2,700,000 barrels of oil [a day], how could we have conducted the financial transactions? Finally, Putin sent the governor of his central bank directly [to Tehran] to secure alleviations in the field of money transfers and barter trade. Likewise, China transferred to our account 10 billion toman from the blocked funds."

The Negotiations With The Americans Progressed Rapidly, But Ran Into Problems With The Europeans

"At a Foreign Ministry meeting... Araqchi said that at Geneva 2 [i.e., the second round of the Geneva talks that took place on November 7-10, 2013], the head [of the Iranian negotiating team] had a working breakfast with his counterpart [on the other side, Catherine] Ashton. She placed a text on the table and said: 'This is the E.U. draft; agree to it'. Zarif was displeased with this and persuaded her that this was not what we had agreed upon.

"Araqchi added: 'The [general] negotiations began and the [bilateral] negotiations with the Americans progressed rapidly, and in this manner we obtained 90% agreement and 10% disagreement [with the Americans]. Finally, [the head of the American negotiating team] Wendy Sherman contacted [Secretary of State] John Kerry [asking him] to come. Kerry arrived on Friday afternoon [from Israel] and said that in the morning he had met with [Prime Minister] Netanyahu and his ears were [still] ringing from his [Netanyahu's] screams.' Later on Araqchi referred to the presence of [French Foreign Minister Laurent] Fabius [at the negotiations], saying: 'Fabius arrived and looked at the text that was the agreement with the Americans. He drew a line through three of its issues and finally a third text was created that was unacceptable to us and we returned to Iran.'"

Zarif And Araqchi Refused To Disclose The Contents Of The Negotiations With The Majlis

Nabavian continued: "The chairman of the Majlis National Security [and Foreign Policy] Committee, [Alaeddin] Boroujerdi, said to deputy Foreign Minister Araqchi: What were those 90% agreement and 10% disagreement [about], and what were the three issues that Fabius scratched out?' Araqchi responded that this was classified. [And I ask:] Does this [information] not concern the Majlis members? The negotiating team made this remark [about the information being classified] at the Majlis not once, not twice, but on several occasions. The Iranian nation has the right to know [the content of the negotiations] and the Majlis representatives are part of this nation. Zarif said: even if you summoned me to an impeachment vote I still wouldn't say anything. I told Zarif that, according to the Majlis' internal bylaws it is our right to know. I added: Allow us to be cautious with you. [We remember] who imposed resolution 598 [i.e., the decision to end the 1980-1988 war with Iraq] upon the Imam [Khomeini] – these were people like [Ali Akbar Hashemi] Rafsanjani and his deputy Rohani, who were on the negotiating team in 2003 that caused the freeze [on enrichment]. Let me say explicitly that I told Zarif and Araqchi 1,000 times that they should tell the people sincerely what [they] gave in the [Geneva] agreement and what [they] did not get. The agreement is called a Joint Plan of Action, and this means that it is no agreement but [merely] a declaration…"

 

Imam Beats His Wife to Death wife

The righteous and devout imam murdered her in front of their four year old son. The lessons begin early in Islam.

Note the lashes on her back ...... love, Islamic style.

"Imam allegedly murders wife" E-Pao, Janaury 6, 2014 (thanks to Religion of Peace)

Imphal, January 05 2014: One Imam of a Masjid of Kyamgei Muslim has allegdly murdered his own wife, according to Barauddin, elder brother of the victim.

Speaking to media persons at his Paobitek office in presence of WAD secretary Sobita Mangshatabam, Barauddin said that his brother-in-law MV Siraj has confessed to murdering his sister Farida by strangulating her.

Farida's four year and a half old son too stated that his mother was strangulated by his father.

Parental family members of Farida were informed that she expired inside their Masjid quarters at around 3.30 am today.

When Barauddin and his family members went to Kyamgei Muslim, Siraj told them that Farida was found dead on her bed this morning.

To perform the last rites, Farida's body was taken to Siraj's home at Santhel.

On the way, as the shroud covering the corpse was opened, strangulation mark was seen on Farida's neck.

Moreover, marks may slashing with a rope were seen on the back.

On being asked about these marks, Siraj at first maintained that he had no idea.

But when people suggested to conduct post mortem, Siraj confessed that Farida due to a 'fatal mistake' on his part, Barauddin said.

Their son, on being enquired, said that her mother requested to spare her repeatedly but Siraj did not pay any heed and continued beating his wife.

After it was learnt that Farida was murdered by his husband, the corpse was taken to her parental home at Paobitek for the last rites, said the elder brother.

At their parental home, people of the neighbourhood held a meeting together with family members of Siraj, Pradhan of Santhel Hayel Hangul Gram Panchayat and Paobitek Councillors.

The meeting decided to transfer all the properties of Siraj to the two surviving sons of Farida and also to expel Siraj and his family from Santhel.

Judge: ‘Let’s Burn the Jew’ not Racism, Even if you Burn a Jew while screaming it

The Toronto Board of Rabbis are too busy condemning my my fight against antisemitism and jihad bloodshed  to make a fuss about ths. Where's their statement? Where's are those craven cowards?

they couldn'rt possible be bothered with this. Not to mention the Yorkshire police, who threaten and intimdate a Rabbi at his synagogue demanding that he cancel an event I was speaking at because it's hate speech. Telling the truth is hate speech but setting Jewish girls' hair on fire while screaming "Let's burn the Jew" isn't.

"Judge: ‘Let’s Burn the Jew’ not Racism, Even if you Burn a Jew,"  By Lori Lowenthal Marcus, The Jewish Press, January 6, 2014

Grabbing a Jewish girl, flicking a lighter next to her hair and saying "let's burn the Jew" is apparently not a racially motivated act in Winnipeg.

Canadian judge ruled flicking a lighter in Jewish girl's hair while saying "let's burn the Jew" not racially motivated 

A high school student grabbed a Jewish female classmate, held a lighter to her hair and said out loud, “let’s burn the Jew,” but a Canadian judge concluded that the incident was “not racially motivated.

” The incident between two 15 year old Winnipeg, Canada high school students took place in 2011. The lawyer for the defendant claimed, essentially, it was the girl’s fault her hair caught on fire.

He said his client grabbed the girl, lit the lighter and made the comments, but her hair caught fire when she pulled away. He also said that referring to the girl as “the Jew” was simply the way people interacted at the school, and the defendant was not the only one who called her that. He referred to his client as “a jerk and a bully,” but said the incident was “impulsive and unplanned.”

The defendant’s therapist claimed the incident was an “impulsive teenage action.” Winnipeg’s Provincial Court Judge Robert Finlayson, before whom the trial was held, agreed with the defense.

While he called the act “totally vulgar and inappropriate,” Finlayson said he was satisfied it was not racially motivated.

Given the judge was unwilling to classify saying “let’s burn the Jew” and then actually grabbing a Jew and burning her hair as anti-Semitic, perhaps he should be praised for also stating that the school culture in which this kind of incident was commonplace was was “unhealthy and dark and there’s no place for it in society.”

The victim claimed the incident “changed her world upside down.” She needed therapy to deal with her fears.

She also believes that the people in the school blamed her for making a big deal of the incident. The now-17 year old defendant was not given any prison time. Instead, the court ordered him to serve 18 months of supervised probation.

He also has to seek out counseling, write a letter of apology to the victim and perform 75 hours of community service work, according to the Winnipeg Free Press. In an earlier stage of the prosecution, the defendant pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon.

This story was corrected to reflect that the incident itself occurred in 2011, not 2010, as originally reported. The sentencing and judgment about racial motivation was entered on January 2, 2014.

"Moderate" Tunisian Constitution: Only a Muslim Can be President

More interfaith dialgoue and tolerence from the moderates. We have so much to learn from them!

Tunisia: 'Only a Muslim Can Be President', By Israel National News, January 6, 2013

Tunisian Parliament passes law stating that Islam is state religion - and as such, President can only be Muslim as a 'good citizen.'

The Tunisian Parliament approved a new constitution Monday. Despite reports that the constitution guarantees both separation of powers and civil rights, it lacks one crucial clause: absolute freedom of religion - for its politicians. 

The new constitution names Islam as the official religion. While RT reported Sunday that Sharia Law will not be the basis of the constitution, Article 73 of the new plan does demand that the President be exclusively Muslim - as a model of being a good Tunisian citizen.

Other edicts enacted by the charter include a landmark move granting equal rights to both genders. "All male and female citizens have the same rights and duties. They are equal before the law without discrimination," states article 20 of the text, which was approved by 159 lawmakers out of the 169 who voted, according to AFP. Human rights groups have lauded the move. 

Two years ago, Tunisians elected the moderate Islamist Ennahda party in the country's first free and competitive elections. It formed a government in alliance with two secular parties.

Tunisia has been roiled by social unrest and political crises ever since, the latest sparked by the murder in July of another opposition politician, Mohamed Brahmi, which triggered calls for the resignation of the coalition government.

In October, Tunisian parties agreed to sign a roadmap enabling a new government, and to draft a new constitution in 2014 to keep the country stable and under freer leadership.

 

Jihad Jane gets 10 years in Prison for assassination plot and terror activity

Not enough. Not nearly enough. Acts of war should be given the harshest sentences. The devout convert should have gotten life. Period.

"Jihad Jane' gets 10-year sentence for terror plot against cartoonist," By Mike Brunker, NBC News, January 6, 2014

Reuters file

A Pennsylvania woman known as “Jihad Jane” who became a follower of radical Islam and sought to kill a Swedish cartoonist was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison.

Colleen LaRose, 50, had faced a potential life term. But U.S. District Judge Petrese Tucker accepted a government request to reduce the sentence, because of her extensive cooperation with investigators. Prosecutors still sought decades in prison, fearing she remains dangerous.

"This case clearly underscores the evolving nature of the terrorist threat we now face in this country," said Zane David Memeger, U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. "The internet has made it easier for those who want to attack the American way of life to identify like-minded individuals to carry out their terroristic plans."

LaRose, who called herself Jihad Jane in a video she posted online, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder a foreign target and support terrorists and lying to the FBI in connection with a failed 2009 plot to kill Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who offended many Muslims by drawing the Prophet Mohammed's head on a dog's body. Two other Americans -- Mohammad Hassas Khalid and Jamie Paulin Ramirez – also participated in the plot.

LaRose faced life in prison, but at her sentencing hearing in Philadelphia Monday morning Judge Petrese Tucker granted a government request for a lesser term. Prosecutors agreed with the defense that LaRose suffered abuse during her life. LaRose wore a prison jumpsuit and a head scarf to the hearing.

LaRose was cooperative following her arrest in 2009,  meeting more than 20 times with U.S. authorities, and providing information about multiple targets, Reuters quoted U.S. officials as saying last week. Prosecutors said her story also has helped law enforcement better understand the roots of homegrown extremism, the officials said.  

A 2012 Reuters investigative report described LaRose's troubled life before she converted to Islam: childhood rapes by her biological father, teenage prostitution, heavy drug abuse and failed marriages. LaRose said that her father's sexual assaults, confirmed by confidential court records, began in second grade. 

LaRose was living with an oft-travelling boyfriend in 2007 when a romantic encounter with a Muslim man sparked an interest in Islam. After months of learning online, LaRose said, she converted to Islam and later watched videos of alleged U.S. and Israeli atrocities against Palestinian children that radicalized her.

By 2008, prosecutors said, "she had managed to align herself with violent terrorists who valued her ability and persistence as their online predator, or ‘hunter,'" recruiting new fighters.

Following instructions from an al Qaeda operative in Pakistan, LaRose later flew to Europe for the plot to kill the Swedish artist. But after six weeks, largely in Ireland, LaRose became frustrated with the mission's pace and returned to Philadelphia, where she was arrested.

One of her co-conspirators, Mohammad Hassas Khalid, 20, of Ellicott City, Md., is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday. Khalid, who was a teenager when the plot was hatched, is the youngest person ever charged with terrorism charges in the United States. Prosecutors have recommended a sentence of “less than 10 years” for Khalid.

Prosecutors said Khalid, who grew up in Pakistan, lived a double-life after moving to Maryland -- as "a polite and studious 15-year-old" and "a tireless soldier for violent jihad." He helped al Qaeda by translating videos from Urdu to English, inciting others, and aided LaRose as she smuggled a stolen U.S. passport to a terrorist, they said.

Ali Damache, LaRose’s alleged handler in Ireland, remains jailed there, fighting extradition to the United States on terrorism charges. The third U.S. co-conspirator, Ramirez, who flew from Colorado to marry Damache in Ireland, has pleaded guilty to related terrorism charges. She may be sentenced on Wednesday.

 

Muslim Girl, 8, wearing homicide vest held by Afghan cops

Obama has turned Afghanistan over to this little girl's "mentors." Her brother is the leader of Obama's peace partner, The Taliban.

This is a file photo (not the girl in the story)

"Girl, 8, wearing suicide vest held by Afghan cops," The NY Post, January 5, 2015 (thanks to Brad)

An 8-year-old Afghan girl wearing a suicide vest has been detained by police in Afghanistan.

She was detained on Sunday night in Helmand province, as she tried to carry out an attack against border police wearing a suicide jacket, a spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry told the BBC.

Police believe she was encouraged to carry out the attack by her brother. She is believed to be the sister of a prominent Taliban leader.

She could not operate the button to detonate the suicide vest or she was arrested before she could carry the attack, the BBC’s Bilal Sarwary said.

The girl has now been transferred to the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah.

This article originally appeared on News.com.au.