Muslim Brotherhood returning to Syria

creeping
Obama is working for regime change in Syria and the Muslim Brotherhood is creeping in. via Exiled Muslim Brotherhood plans return to Syria – FT.com.

The Muslim Brotherhood is set to open offices inside Syria for the first time since the organisation was crushed there decades ago, in an apparent effort to capitalise on the increasingly Islamised rebellion.Riad al-Shaqfa, the movement’s exiled leader, said in an interview with the Financial Times that a decision was recently taken to revive organisational structures inside Syria and followers have been asked to start opening party offices in rebel-held areas.

“In the beginning we said this is a time for revolution, not ideology. Now there are many groups inside so we feel we should reorganise,” he said, adding that the Brotherhood – a similar movement to its Egyptian counterpart – was hoping to promote a more moderate brand of Islamist thinking at a time of growing radicalisation.

So Where's the Money? By Moshe Feiglin

Translated from Makor Rishon

Finance Minister Yair Lapid asked, “Where’s the money?” The answer is that it is in the defense budget, the Israel Lands Authority and the printing presses of the Israel Bank.

The largest slice of Israel’s budget – before education and health – is mostly kept secret. But we all know that there is no such thing as big money left in the dark for years that does not trickle over to unworthy uses.

Britain's Sharia Courts: "You Cannot Go Against What Islam Says"

Soeren Kern

"There are some who are putting women at risk. And doing so for ridiculous reasons, namely that they are somehow responsible for the abuse they are suffering." — Nazir Afzal, head of the Crown Prosecution Service, northwest England.

A new documentary secretly filmed inside several of the 85 Islamic Sharia Law courts operating in Britain has exposed the systematic discrimination that many women are suffering at the hands of Muslim jurists.

The documentary, Secrets of Britain's Sharia Courts, was filmed by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and was first aired on BBC Panorama, a long-running current affairs program, on April 8.

Jordan Is Palestinian

by Mudar Zahran, ME FORUM
Thus far the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has weathered the storm that has swept across the Middle East since the beginning of the year. But the relative calm in Amman is an illusion. The unspoken truth is that the Palestinians, the country’s largest ethnic group, have developed a profound hatred of the regime and view the Hashemites as occupiers of eastern Palestine—intruders rather than legitimate rulers. This, in turn, makes a regime change in Jordan more likely than ever. Such a change, however, would not only be confined to the toppling of yet another Arab despot but would also open the door to the only viable peace solution—and one that has effectively existed for quite some time: a Palestinian state in Jordan.

Lapid's loud revolution

Dan Margalit

In the history of the pre-state yishuv and post-independence Israel, two instances of political gamesmanship stand out more than any other. One of them came courtesy of Dr. Moshe Sneh -- the father of future Labor Party veteran Ephraim Sneh -- who commanded the Haganah headquarters during the British Mandate period. Just before he was to give a speech, he wrote a note to himself saying, "The argument is weak, raise your voice."

The other instance was the handiwork of David Ben-Gurion. Whenever Israel’s first prime minister ran into difficulties within his party and coalition, he would always invoke the word "Altalena," swiftly causing the politicians who were angry with him to let him be and to come to his aid to fend off Opposition Leader Menachem Begin and his faction. The issue that emerged as a bone of contention was forgotten.

Richard Falk and radical Islam

 Ruthie Blum

U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories Richard Falk caused a major brouhaha over a piece he published in Foreign Policy Journal last week.

"A Commentary on the Marathon Murders," which appeared on April 19, suggested that the Boston bombings were linked to America’s Middle East policy, particularly as it relates to Israel.

"… [A]s long as Tel Aviv has the compliant ear of the American political establishment, those who wish for peace and justice in the world should not rest easy," he wrote, adding, "Some of us naively hoped that Obama’s Cairo speech of 2009 was to be the beginning of … a process of renewal… acknowledg[ing] that relations with the Islamic world needed fundamental moves by the U.S. government for the sake of reconciliation, including the adoption of a far more balanced approach to the Palestine/Israel impasse.

"On the Edge"

No one from the upper military echelon of Israel is whispering in my ear, but the signs seem fairly unmistakable. 

Yesterday, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor told the Security Council:

"The Iranian nuclear program continues to advance at the speed of an express train," Prosor said. "The international community's efforts to stop them are moving at the pace of the local train, pausing at every stop for some nations to get off and on."

An apt analogy, I thought.

While Secretary of Defense Moshe Ya'alon told Canadian Chief of Staff Gen. Thomas J. Lawson.:

Legislation calls for stable Palestinian Authority

WASHINGTON (JTA) – Two U.S. congressmen have introduced legislation calling on the Palestinian Authority to prevent a Hamas takeover of the West Bank.

Reps. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) and Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) introduced a resolution Tuesday urging the Palestinian Authority to work for political stability and calling on President Mahmoud Abbas to create a presidential succession plan.

The two politicians also spelled out the need for expanded political freedom in the West Bank.

Islam Coexists?

Bill Warner

There is an enormous irony contained in the Boston Marathon bombing. When the jihadi Tsarnaev brothers carjacked a Mercedes, it had a Coexist bumper sticker. 

The Coexist bumper sticker is the religious symbol of the multicultural crowd -- you know -- all religions are the same. Well, the leading symbol of those who want to Coexist is the star and crescent Islam. And exactly how well has Islam coexisted with all the others? What kind of neighbor has Islam been over history?

Abbas’s Bogus ICC Concession

His threat to challenge Israeli settlements in court is completely empty. 

    

By Eugene Kontorovich

 

During Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent trip to the Middle East, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas offered what he called a goodwill gesture — refraining from bringing Israeli officials before the International Criminal Court for charges related to housing construction in settlements. Much of the motivation behind Palestine’s successful effort to be dubbed a “state” by the United Nations General Assembly last fall was the desire to threaten Israel with the ICC, whose proceedings are open only to internationally recognized states.

The Muslims with No Name: Islamists Cover Up Their Existence in the Media

ANDREW E. HARROD, SAM NUNBERG April 24, 2013

As reported by U.S. News & World Report on April 4, 2013, the Associated Press (AP) has revised its definition of "Islamist" in the latest edition of the AP stylebook after the AP announced that it would likewise no longer approve of "illegal immigrant."  This move, advocated precisely by a troubling Muslim group justifiably called Islamist in the past, shows once again how difficult it is for modern free societies even to identify their Islamist foes in the face of politically correct pressures.

Added to the AP stylebook in 2012, Islamist initially had the following entry: "Supporter of government in accord with the laws of Islam.  Those who view the Quran as a political model encompass a wide range of Muslims, from mainstream politicians to militants known as jihadi."  The updated entry reads:

Susan Rice Says Defending Israel Key Part of U.N. Job

Related

Jewish State's Legitimacy on Line 'Every Day' at World Body

getty images

By JTA

• U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice Tells Jewish Teens To Be 'Impatient' for Change
• Susan Rice Wins Over Israel Supporters
• Susan Rice: 'No Shortcuts' to Mideast Peace

Susan Rice said a major part of her work as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is defending Israel’s legitimacy.

“It’s a huge part of my work to the United Nations,” Rice said Sunday evening, launching this year’s Consultation on Conscience, an event for Reform movement social activists organized by the Religious Action Center.

She likened the volume of work to her efforts to coordinate Syria’s isolation and to contain violence and abuses in Sudan.

She said she often works in “lockstep” with the Israeli delegation.

“We will not rest in the crucial work of defending Israel’s security and legitimacy every day at the United Nations,” Rice said.

"Muslims Not All the Same"

I had expected to move today to issues other than the Boston terror attack.  Barry Rubin, however, has written an excellent piece on this subject -- "Who Will Keep More Muslim Teenagers from Becoming the Next Boston Terrorists?" I begin with this.

 

Since writing last, I've had correspondence with a couple of my readers regarding the concept of Islamists, jidhadists, radical Muslims vs. Muslims.  They both objected, each in his own way, to my making a differentiation between the radicals and moderate Muslims, whom they claim do not exist, as Islam is a violent religion.  Period. 

 

Two readers out of thousands is a very small percentage. But it occurs to me that there may be other readers who did not write but entertain similar thoughts.  And so I think it important to visit the issue here.

Fatah continues to praise suicide bombers on Facebook

Murderers of 7 are Martyrs and heroes

 http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=8835

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

On the anniversary of their terror attacks, Fatah honored suicide bombers Andalib Takatka and Fadi Al-Amoudi as Martyrs and heroes.

Andalib Takatka killed 6 and wounded more than 80 when she blew herself up at the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem in 2002.

Fadi Al-Amoudi killed 1 and wounded 3 when he detonated a bomb he was carrying at the Erez crossing at the Israeli-Egyptian border in 2004.

Fatah's Facebook administrator called terrorist Al-Amoudi "a hero" and referred to both these murderous attacks as "Martyrdom-seeking operations" in which "Zionists" were killed.

Soldiers Must Know Who is the Enemy!

Ted Belman

by David J.Rusin

Denying Islam's role in terror is bad for army morale.

To win a war one must know the enemy!

As US service members risk their lives to combat violent jihadists abroad, military leaders, both uniformed and civilian, capitulate to stealth jihadists at home. By bending to Islamists' appeals for religious sensitivity, these leaders ignore the most crucial lesson of the Fort Hood massacre: Political correctness can kill.

The US Army seems to have succumbed to PC-Islamist sensitivities. It has issued a special handbook for soldiers that appears to justify jihad as "communal military defense... when (Muslims) are threatened or under attack." In addition, U.S. servicewomen have been urged to don head scarves when interacting with Afghan locals while all soldiers are warned to "respect Islam" in order to prevent violence there.

Boston Bombings And Mayor “Menino’s Mosque”

creeping
Radio talk show host, columnist for the Boston Herald Michael Graham via The Boston Bombings And “Menino’s Mosque” | The Natural Truth.

As soon as we learned the identity of the two Boston Marathon bombers, I wondered “Did they attend Menino’s Mosque?”
If you’ve never heard of it, “Menino’s Mosque” is the cultural center built by the Islamic Society of Boston using city/taxpayer resources–namely  $2 million of city land donated to the mosque for just $175,000. How does that happen? It doesn’t hurt when the representative of the city and taxpayers is also a board member of the Islamic Society of Boston.
I’ve been writing, talking and complaining about this taxpayer-funded violation of the First Amendment since 2006.  It was then that the ISB sent me a subpoena demanding my emails, phone records and show notes related to my on-air conversations about this scam.
I told them to “Kiss My Burkha,” and that was that.
Now we find out that, yes, the bombers did attend ISB services at their Cambridge location:

"The Boston Terror Lessons"

There is, of course, a lot of nonsense floating about with regard to terrorists Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev -- such as the claim by his mother that they're "innocent" and were "framed" by the FBI.

 

And there is a great deal that is still unknown.  It is being broadly assumed, for example, that these guys, who were involved in a shoot-out that left at least one dead are also the terrorists who set off the bombs at the Marathon, and yet I do not believe that this is known with any certainty. 

Thank you to Secretary John Kerry and Dr. Aaron Lerner (IMRA) for the best solution for a Palestinian State

http://israel-commentary.org
Weekly Commentary: Encouraging words from US Secretary of State, John Kerry, “… Two years left for Palestinian State.”
By Dr. Aaron Lerner
Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
18 April 2013
“I believe the window for a two-state solution is shutting. I think we have some period of time, a year, a year-and-a-half, or two years or it’s over.” US Secretary of State John Kerry to the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee 17 April 2013
Hope he is right that the window for a two-state solution is shutting. And the sooner the better.
Because having a sovereign Palestinian State in our living room is anything but the best option of a collection of bad options.
A truly sovereign Palestinian State is a terrible option.
It would be incredibly dangerous for Israel and a source of tremendous instability for the entire neighborhood.

Media Already in Full Airbrush Mode‏

[The White House-owned media have become a threat to our national security. Koshering the bombers: One step toward Jihadism, two steps back. df]

From TIME:

The Brothers Tsarnaev: Clues to the Motives of the Alleged Boston Bombers

As police continue to search Boston for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 19-year-old believed to be partly responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings along with his older brother Tamerlan, a key question remains unanswered: What motivated the brothers?

Each of them has left possible clues online.

Tamerlan, who was killed in a shootout earlier today, appears to have been sympathetic to Islamist radicalism. Five months ago he appears to have created a channel on YouTube called “Terrorists.” The channel features videos from the one of the leaders of the insurgency in Dagestan who goes by the name Amir Abu Dudzhan. YouTube appears to have removed two of the videos but in a third features Dudzhan calling for jihad. Holding a Kalashnikov rifle, he says, “Jihad is the duty of every able-bodied Muslim.” Among the other videos on his channel is one of Timur Mutsuraev, the bard of the Chechen resistance in the 1990s; it features his song, “We will devote our lives to jihad.”