"...From the Buddhist Point of View Islam is Demonic and Perverse, A Perfect Anti-Religion..."

Those are the words of Professor John R. Newman, a historian of religions at the New College of Florida who specializes in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. His words are taken from the Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, and summarizes the Kalacakra tantra's perception of Islamic beliefs.

His words may sound harsh to you, but they are nothing when compared to what Buddhist scripture actually has to say on Muhammad and Islam. You can read the paper here (Vol. 21, No. 2, 1998), and below is WikiIslam's page on the subject (visit the original page for references):

"The Kālachakra Tantra is a 9th century Tibetan Buddhist text that contains passages which discuss the religion of Islam in a negative manner and refer to a man named Madhumati (i.e. Prophet Muhammad) who would be a "false impostor, wreaking havoc" on the Buddhist world.[1][2]

Like the Hindu Bhavishya Purana, it describes Muslims as invading "barbarians" (Skt. mleccha, from two words "Malina" meaning lowly, dirty, filthy, impure, wretched, unchaste, unclean, admixed, adulterated, contaminated, corrupt, immoral, decadent, infected, obscene, tainted and "CCha/CCheetkara" meaning abhorrence, loathing, disgust, abomination, repugnance)[3] and contains the prophecy of a holy war between the followers of Islam and Buddhism.

It refers to Islam as "mleccha-dharma", the barbarian religion, describing it as a religion of violence ("himsa-dharma") that advocates savage behavior ("raudra-karman"), and characterizes Allah as a barbarian god, who is a merciless deity of death ("mara-devata"), a god of darkness comparable to Rahu, the demon who devours the sun and the moon.[4]

One passage of the Kalachakra states that the powerful, merciless idol of the barbarians, the demonic incarnation (i.e. Muhammad) lives in Mecca.[5] Another reads, "The Chakravartin (i.e. universal ruler) shall come out at the end of the age, from the city the gods fashioned on Mount Kailasa. He shall smite the barbarians in battle with his own four-division army, on the entire surface of the earth."[6]

According to Professor John R. Newman, a historian of religions who specializes in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism,[7] "We may summarize the Kalacakra tantra's perception of Islamic beliefs and practices as follows: from the Buddhist point of view Islam is demonic and perverse, a perfect anti-religion which is the antithesis of Buddhism".[4]

Similarly, the late 14th century Uighur Insadi-Sutr also contains Buddhist denunciations of Islam, describing Muhammad as evil, and expressing messianic hopes that Maitreya the future Buddha would soon return and even win over the kingdom of Baghdad.[2][8]"

A Time for Reflection: My Disappointment With "Anti-Islamist" Right-Wingers and Their Racist Hypocrisy

Over the past few years since my apostasy, I have written a lot about Islam. Much of it has been very popular among "anti-Islamists" on the Internet and what you see on this blog is only a tiny fraction of the sum total. Throughout this time, I've been on a roller-coaster of a ride. Starting off as a staunch theist and ending up as an agnostic who just couldn't give a damn about whether God exists or not. But two thing that have been a constant is my dedication to speaking the truth unclouded by any sectarian biases, and the belief that we as human beings are all born equal, separated only by our adherence to unequal ideologies.

Naturally, I was aware that things I write may be used by individuals who I do not necessarily agree with. For example, something I wrote was once used by a Zionist Israeli politician. I wouldn't of minded this so much if they hadn't plagiarized my words without attribution. But, politicians, what else can you expect from them? What eventually did prompt some "soul searching" was when I noticed my work being linked to and used by white supremacists on stormfront.org and other similar sites. The reason I started writing about Islam was in solidarity for the millions of voiceless individuals who are relentlessly persecuted by its adherents. It was certainly not to be in league with right-wing white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

Partly in response to this soul searching, I created this blog. Keeping it within the framework of a site critical of Islam, I have used it at times as a platform to denounce the BNP (something that hasn't stopped their moronic supporters from linking to it), voice my disapproval of the EDL and to cover the media's slandering of Asians. All the while hoping that there will eventually appear a notable critic of Islam who does not carry the baggage and bigotry that accompanies almost every notable, and unfortunately very right-wing, critic of Islam. Then along came Eric Allen Bell.

Him being a critic of Islam from the left of the political spectrum, made me quite excited at the prospect of this new voice. Unfortunately, there seems to be an unwritten rule that every critic of Islam must be an intolerant right-wing Zionist, something that Eric is beginning to imitate frighteningly well. An ex-Muslim and close friend of mine who goes by the pseudonym, "Issy Jones", posted a couple of anti-Zionist comments denouncing the Israeli media's vilification of the Arab race/ethnicity (something similar to the UK media's vilification of Asians) on Eric's Facebook page. What do you think happened to them? Yes, you've guessed it. Even the uniquely American worship of freedom of speech didn't save it or him from the ban-hammer. So an anti-Zionist and anti-racist comment is not welcome, but the countless racist/bigoted comments from his followers are? One example of this hypocrisy would be the user Cindy Krobe, who refers to American Muslims on Eric's Facebook page as "turbine[sic] wearing, smelly people!" Someone seriously needs to tell this women that it is the Sikhs who wear turbans in America, not the Muslims. And considering it's the Muslims, not Western whites, who actually clean their backsides properly after defecation, it's hardly Muslims who are the "smelly" ones.

When it's pointed out that Asians are being maligned by the mainstream media by having religiously motivated hate-crimes attributed to their race, there is no objection from the "anti-Islamists". Unfortunately, this is not the case when the same is pointed out for the Arabs. The message I'm getting is that bigotry and racism is fine, so long as the source of this hatred is Jewish or Israeli. Today, when people kidnap and rape children as part of their "Eid celebrations", they are not "Asians". Today, when people riot on the Temple Mount to screams of "Allahu Akbar", they are equally not "Arabs". The use of their race to describe the perpetrators behind these crimes is inaccurate because their race, something that they cannot change, was irrelevant to their motivations. It is also a display of utter hypocrisy when critics of Islam who happen to be Christian are up in arms if a Muslim desecrates a Bible, attacks a fellow Christian or kills homosexuals, but remain silent when a Jew desecrates a copy of the New Testament, attacks a fellow Christian or kills homosexuals.

And then there is the issue of President Barack Obama (oops! Sorry right-wingers. I meant President Barack HUSSEIN Osama). As I noted previously, Muslims aren't alone when it comes to ridiculing Obama's race by referring to him as an "ape" (right-wing US loons and even the left-leaning New York Magazine have had their turn), but what also worries me is the use of "anti-Islamism" as one of the reasons to justify their hatred. I rarely participate in discussions on blogs or forums, but did start one on an obscure Wordpress blog when I took offense at a racist video about Obama. Ironically the video was produced by a Jewish white supremacist. You've probably also guessed that, being ignorant of the fact that I have spoken out against anti-Semitism on this blog, they tried to smear me (through my supposed silence) as a hypocrite.

Don't get me wrong, I have no particular love for President Obama. In my humble opinion (as someone who has little interest or knowledge of American politics), his love affair with genuine Islamists and his "radical" policies have set American race-relations back a hundred years. That is not to say that I think all of his policies and stances are necessarily bad, I just wish this "change" hadn't come to America from its first ever black president. If there is anything positive to come out of Obama's victory in securing a second term in office, it is the knowledge that millions of white supremacists are now wallowing in self-pity.

In summation, I think it's about time that many in the "anti-Islamist" movement took part in some thorough soul-searching and spoke out against the never-ending conflation of race with religion, and religion with politics. Criticism of Islam is more important now than it has ever been, and the need to be responsible in our critique is even greater. We need to be aware that every action has a reaction and act accordingly. As good a place to start as any would be getting rid of our racist cheerleaders, and the Robert Spencers of this world finally washing there hands of organizations such as the EDL who may come across as "freedom-fighters" on paper but in practice are nothing more than violent, drunken, racist football hooligans.


Additional Notes

1. Issy Jones' comments were posted on an Eric Allen Bell's Facebook photo page (the picture in question was of Pam Geller's controversial "Support Israel, Defeat Jihad" ad http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=383203221757672&set=a.279367345474594.64794.173682399376423&type=1)

The exchange in full:

Issy Jones:

"I'll start supporting Israel when they stop labeling Palestinian/Muslim terrorists “Arabs” and stop treating Christians like shit." 

Erick Morgan:

"Issy Jones, thank you, Israel doesn't need the support of misinformed idiots. You can continue following Pallywood and Arab propaganda.

And speaking of people who treat Christians like shit...

http://www.sodahead.com/living/christianity-is-now-the-target-of-persecution/question-2868235/?link=ibaf&q=&imgurl=http://www.pittsreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/205112_149906428408139_100001663472455_32097 "

Issy Jones:

"Misinformed idiot? I'm not some American idiot that cares more for Israel than my own country and ignores Israel's treatment of non-Jews. They are savages in their own country, just like Muslims, and liberal, terrorist sympathizers in America.  http://realchristianity.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/christian-persecution-in-israel/ " 

2. My comments concerning President Obama were posted on a Wordpress blog (the post in question has now been deleted, but the original URL was http://coffeeandsleeplessnights.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/the-mad-jewess-confronts-barack-hussein-osama/#comment-4675 ) 

Islamo-Criticism :

"0:31 …I hate your PURPLE LIPS…

1:03 …talking MONKEY boy…

Considering the fact that Jews are probably more hated than blacks, you’d think the “Mad Jewess” would choose her words more carefully. In another of her videos, Obama tells his wife she looks like a “GORILLA” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWMzC2mozXU). You should add an extra tag to this video: RACIST"

coffeeandsleeplessnights :

"If you’ve got a problem with the video feel free to take your offended liberal sensitivity issues up with her."

Islamo-Criticism:

"LOL. No, I have issues with racism, not an “offended liberal sensitivity issue”."

coffeeandsleeplessnights: 

"LOL Afraid of confronting the Mad Jewess?

And I don’t like racism either but race has been made into this huge fucking issue since Obama became president – all I have fucking heard the past 4 years is a bunch of stupid bullshit from fucking narrow-minded Democrats pertaining to race instead of addressing IMPORTANT characteristics like ethics, morals, and values.

Oh, and I’m not so sensitive that I can’t take a fucking joke or find humor in something like this video."

Islamo-Criticism :

"Afraid of confronting the Mad Jewess? Hardly. I watched that video HERE, not on YouTube. Also, my YouTube account has been suspended because I didn’t provide Google with my real name (I’m an ex-Muslim whose work is pretty well known among anti-Islamists, i.e. I don’t have a death wish).

I’m glad you “don’t like racism either”, but that’s hardly reflected by your comments to me. The bottom line is that video refers to Obama as a “talking MONKEY boy (1:03)”, a “GORILLA (0:54)” from Kenya, who has ugly “PURPLE LIPS”. If you are not racist, you would never refer to a black/brown person as any of those things (or at least I hope you wouldn’t). If you would never refer to a black/brown person as any of those things, why propagate this shite racist video?

Additionally, why brush off my legitimate objections with ad-hominem? So when I criticize Islam, I’m a “raving fundie”, and when I point out racism, I’m an “offended liberal” with sensitivity issues?. LOL I’m not a Democrat, I’m not an American. I’m not even “Western”. I can take a joke, but there’s nothing funny about a Jew referring to a black guy as a talking monkey. If you can’t see that, then it’s not me with the issues."

Redneck Dixie Warrior: 

"If it offends you then don’t watch it! If it offends you…suck it up and move on…..nobody has a gun to your head making you watch it over and over!

BTW…..when Michelle Obama wears a t-shirt with “Get Whitey” on it then it’s about race isn’t it? Why don’t you write her and tell her she’s being racist!

Since you are not Western, not American and not a democrat ….what business is it of yours if someone is voicing their frustration over their President? Jews have been called many names lately by Muslims and others alike. Anti-semitism is on the rise! Do you call people out over that also?

Take your issues with the video up with the Mad Jewess…..let her know what you think of her video. You don’t have to go to youTube to do it….You just have to go to her Blog! Google it!"

Islamo-Criticism:

""If it offends you then don’t watch it!"

I watched it because I thought it would be funny. I see no warning on the title saying: Dont watch this video if you're offended by overt racism towards black people.

"If it offends you…suck it up and move on…..nobody has a gun to your head making you watch it over and over!"

This blog states, 'Comments Are Appreciated'. If it offends me, and if the blog owner allows me to, I will voice my thoughts. Rather than tell me to not 'watch it' or 'suck it up and move on', maybe you should listen to some of your own advise?

"BTW…..when Michelle Obama wears a t-shirt with “Get Whitey” on it then it’s about race isn’t it?"

Yes, that sounds racist to me. American politics is not a subject I'm well versed in or overly interested in, hence I had no idea she done that. But how is that relevant to this racist video? If you don't know what a "Tu quoque" argument is, you should read my blog. I cover that a lot.

"Why don’t you write her and tell her she’s being racist!"

Because I don't read her blog. That's why. Again, how is any of this relevant to this racist video? And just so your Royal Ignorance is aware, I also object to racism against whites on my blog (see here: http://islamo-criticism.blogspot.com/2012/03/muslimwiki-narsaksaslee-and-jagged-85.html )

"Since you are not Western, not American and not a democrat ….what business is it of yours if someone is voicing their frustration over their President?"

It's my "business" because this blog supposedly allows and appreciates comments. And it's not simply "voicing their frustrations", it's overtly racist. Do you now understand, or do I have to spell it out to you in some other language?

"Jews have been called many names lately by Muslims and others alike. Anti-semitism is on the rise! Do you call people out over that also?"

Your ignorance is sickening. Read my blog before making your self look like an ignorant fool (e.g. see here: http://islamo-criticism.blogspot.com/2012/03/jew-quoque-truth-about-infidels-lying.html.)

"Take your issues with the video up with the Mad Jewess…..let her know what you think of her video. You don’t have to go to youTube to do it….You just have to go to her Blog! Google it!"

Thanks."

The following comment was something I was going to post the next day but the blog post in question was deleted before I could:

"Well, I found the right page on her site after you (coffeeandsleeplessnights) edited your post to include a link to it. My comments would obviously not be welcome. In fact it would be against the the site's policies (See: "RULES FOR LEFT WING LUNATICS" http://themadjewess.com/2009/06/08/muslim-woman-punches-street-preacher-in-the-face/), so why is everyone telling me to post there?

I also notice you posted on her blog about her "unhappy fan" (i.e. me), but considering she has no problem openly referring to black people as "N!GGERS" ( http://themadjewess.com/2010/04/27/message-to-people-that-read-my-site-the-mad-jewess/ ) I highly doubt she gives a crap about someone calling her video racist....

Anyway, what a waste of time it would be to tell a racist what she obviously already knows (that her video is racist)."

3. "Inside the Christians United for Israel rally: Unconditional support for Israel" & "Settler admits to murder, series of bomb attacks"

4. "Arabs Riot for Third Day on Temple Mount" & "Five men jailed for sex attacks on two teenage girls in Birmingham"

Britain's Sikhs Reeling from Wisconsin Attack (& Personal Update from Me)

Lately, as you have all probably noticed, I have not been posting regularly. This is because I am working on a new project with some fellow South Asians. We are a varied bunch --Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and freethinkers-- but we all share some common values and goals. I will still make a few posts here and there, maybe respond to some Muslim apologetics, but not very often at all. This is a big project that will take up a lot of my spare time, but I thought I'd make this final post before I say goodbye.

When I first heard of the Wisconsin terrorist attack, I thought (like millions of others, I'm sure) this is either the work of a white, far-right, convert to Islam nut-job or a white, far-right, Neo-Nazi nut-job. Both have a lot in common, but it is mainstream Sunni Muslims (especially the converts) who far outperform their Neo-Nazi counterparts in violence (Sunni Muslim terrorists committed 8,886 [more than 70% of the total] terrorist murders in the world last year. Neo-Nazi/Fascist/White Supremacist groups committed 77 murders). Attacks on South Asian minorities living in the West by  far-right Muslims is also not uncommon (e.g. there are many examples in the UK, Australia's oldest Hindu temple [situated in a "Muslim area"] was also sprayed with bullets, an armed group of Muslims in Denmark attacked a Hare Krishna temple, and there was also a massive terror plot targeting 4,500 Hindus and Sikhs in Toronto), so there is little wonder that I assumed the former and was surprised that it turned out to be the latter. Nevertheless, acts of terrorism  committed by anyone, for any purpose, is as worthy of condemnation as the next. As always, regardless of their beliefs, my thoughts go out to the victims and their loved-ones.

From Reuters:

Devastated by the massacre of their brethren across the Atlantic, Britain's vast Sikh community blamed ignorance and racism for a rise in attacks on members of their religion since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

Sikhs say they have been singled out increasingly for harassment around the world since September 11, with attackers believing incorrectly that they are Muslim extremists because of their turbans and beards.

In the paranoid environment just after the 2005 London suicide bombings, many Sikhs were spotted wearing badges and stickers saying 'Don't freak, I'm a Sikh'.

Sunday's attack - in which a gunman killed six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin - has only confirmed their worst fears.

"It's just devastating," Ranjit Kaur, a Sikh mother of four, said as she reclined on the floor of one of Europe's biggest Sikh temples, known as Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, located in the ethnically mixed suburb of Southall in west London.

"Since 9/11 there is just no awareness as to who we are. Somehow people categorize us as Muslims, or radical Muslims. (My neighbors) here are a bit confused. A lot of them would come up and ask: 'Are you Muslim?'"

The confusion itself does not bother Kaur and other community members in Southall, where many spoke warmly about their Muslim neighbors and emphasized that a similar attack against a mosque would have been equally devastating.

But the Wisconsin massacre still sent a chill through the community where exactly a year ago a wave of violent riots in London prompted Sikh men to grab their ceremonial swords to protect their property and temples.

In Southall, one of Britain's most densely populated Sikh areas, Sikhs have lived peacefully for generations alongside other South Asian diasporas, Muslim and Hindu.

Sikh cafes and sari parlors stand next to Muslim butchers and kebab shops.

The Sikh temple's white and gold domes glitter in the sun above the bustling street, with white-bearded Sikh men in black turbans, women in pink and orange saris and Muslim men in flowing white robes rushing about on daily errands.

VULNERABLE

Indarjit Singh, a lawmaker in Britain's House of Lords who was the first Sikh to wear a turban in the upper house, said it was ignorance about their religion that worried him most.

"What concerns Sikhs is that, because (Osama) bin Laden wore a turban where most Muslims don't, people assume that Sikhs and Muslims are all the same," said Singh.

He said the Sikh community - which numbers about 330,000 people in Britain - has felt much more vulnerable since September 11, adding that he and many others had been taunted by people, while temples have been defaced and people threatened.

Some Sikhs in Southall said they tried not to venture out outside their community because the reaction of other Londoners was more unpredictable.

"In Southall, yes, it's all good, but in other places it's different," said Sukhraj Singh, a lanky teenager of 15, his head wrapped tightly in a black turban.

"Some friends of mine had a bad experience. In central London, if you walk with the turban, you might get discriminated, like, people would say something rude, young kids. But here it's all fine, people get along."

His mother, Binder Singh, standing next to him, looked worried as she listened to her son and shook her head. Asked about her view, she just said: "If it happened in America, it could happen in London.

But many community members emphasized that the long-standing presence of Sikhs in Britain meant the average British person knew more about them.

Sikh bikers in turbans are exempted from wearing crash helmets in Britain. Sikhs, whose religion was founded by Guru Nanak Dev in Punjab in the 15th century, also fought alongside British troops in the Burma campaign of World War Two.

Those warm memories are still intact, and many Sikhs said a Wisconsin-style attack could not happen in Britain.

"Britain and Sikhs have a long history stretching back over 200 years, so there is a far better understanding of Sikhs in the UK, but when you go across to Europe confusion persists, while in the US it is the worst," said Gurmel Singh, Secretary General of Sikh Council UK.

In Southall, the idea of unity among religions and ethnic groups runs deep among community members.

A giant colorful mural depicting communal scenes from mosques, Sikh temples, churches and libraries dominates one of the central streets, and members of various religious groups could be seen shopping in local stored together.

"There is freedom here. Sikhs, Muslims, Hindu, we are all fine," said Adnan Sayed, who runs a Muslim halal meat shop. "After the night service at the mosque, people go home and there is never a problem. In this area there will never be a problem like that."

Licia Corbella: Pro-Gay-Murdering Cleric Bilal Philips Prompts Feelings of Gratitude for Canada

 Licia Corbella is a columnist and the Calgary Herald editorial page editor. lcorbella@calgaryherald.com

From Calgary Herald:

I did everything right, or so I thought. After walking through the big main doors of the Akram Jomaa Islamic Centre in northeast Calgary on Friday it became obvious I was in the wrong place, as I was the only woman in sight.

So I walked back outside a little further south and followed some women into another door. Like everyone else, I took off my shoes, placed them neatly on the shelf and climbed the stairs. I sat down on the carpeted floor with convenient stripes that make it easy to ensure those in attendance sit facing Mecca, where I could watch through a glass balcony the men and boys gather below for prayers and to listen to controversial Muslim cleric, Bilal Philips of Toronto.

A kindly older woman offered me a head scarf. I respectfully put it on, despite the heat. A few minutes later, however, an angry greyhaired man in a plaid shirt walked into the women's area, came up to me and another female reporter from a different Calgary paper and insisted we leave. "No media allowed," he barked.

"You don't support us, we won't support you," said the man in plaid.

It was a strange occurrence, particularly since I had been invited to attend the event by both Bilal Philips himself, who sent me two complimentary tickets to the conference called: Power of Unity - Islam in a Multicultural Canada, taking place this entire weekend, as well as by Abraham Ayache, chairman of the Muslim Council of Calgary, who was putting on the event.

 Bilal Philips who supports executing homosexuals 

During an interview on June 6, Ayache told me no one had ever been kicked out any of the Sunni mosques run by the Muslim Council of Calgary. I guess I very nearly became the first.

Eventually Nagah Hage, the conference committee chair, was summoned and he granted us permission to stay just in time for prayers to start.

Philips, a Saudi-educated cleric, was born in Jamaica and raised in Ontario, where he converted to Islam. He is considered controversial because he is on the record saying that all male homosexuals should be killed for their deviant behaviour.

He is not the only contentious speaker on the agenda. Munir El-Kassem, a dentist from London, Ont., wrote a column back in 2001 that criticized the West as hypocritical and defended the medieval and murderous Taliban for destroying the sixth-century Buddha statues in Bamiyan. Shaykh Hatem Alhaj lost his job recently at the Mayo Clinic because he wrote papers in support of female genital circumcision, which is illegal in North America. He later clarified his position by saying he only supports nicking the clitoris, not cutting it right off.

Shortly after his sermon about the importance of gratitude, Philips clarified his views on homosexuality in a one-on-one interview.

In short, he only thinks homosexuals should be executed in Muslim countries and only after four people have witnessed the homosexual act.

"The media tends to take my words out of context," Philips said. "If you go back and view the lectures in which I spoke about this, those lectures were basically in defence of the sharia - the Islamic law.

"So, in explaining there that homosexuality, adultery, these are both punishable by execution where there is incontrovertible evidence, they have to have been witnessed by four trusted people in society. That is sufficient then to bring that punishment on them in a Muslim country where the sharia is applied," he explained.

"This is not a controversial thing for me," he added. "No Muslim who knows Islam would say otherwise," he said.

When it was pointed out that the Qur'an was written 1,400 years ago and things have changed, Philips said this judgment against homosexuals would "remain the law until the end of this world according to our belief. It will never change."

Nevertheless, that evening, Philips intended to lecture about how while the "Muslim identity has to be preserved. . . . Muslims have to respect the laws of their host countries they live in."

That's why, he said, "I would never advocate here in Canada the execution death penalty for homosexuals. I would never do so," Philips added.

It's a small mercy but a mercy nonetheless.

While Philips wouldn't shake my hand for religious reasons - he was charming, open and warm. When asked if he hoped that Canada would one day be governed by sharia, he said yes.

"If the majority of people become Muslims that is our hope," but he said it was highly unlikely.

When asked why if Islamic law is the ideal, why do so many people who live in Muslim countries want to move to Canada, the U.S. and other western democracies, Philips said most Muslim countries do not operate under sharia.

He named Saudi Arabia, Iran and Sudan as good examples of where sharia is "applied to a large degree."

Hardly bastions of equality, fairness, freedom, enlightenment, education and prosperity. Frankly, Philips made my point for me.

We were sitting in the large gym that was filling up. The session called "Justice for All - Why Muslims are always profiled" was ready to start. Aman Elvi, a Canadian Security Intelligence Service agent and Raj Sharma, a Calgary immigration lawyer were going to speak and I was asked to leave - again. I was told CSIS didn't want me to be present, but when I called CSIS communications in Ottawa I was told that it was the event organizers who established the parameters and "closed this event to the media."

And so, this time I really was kicked out of the event I was told was open to all.

And so I reflected on Philips' sermon on gratitude as I left. I was grateful for the sunshine, for the Tim Hortons across the road, for the kind women I met and on this Canada Day weekend, I was grateful most of all for Canada - for our parliamentary democracy and the rule of law that protects us all. I will forever stand on guard for thee.

John R Bradley: So-Called Arab Spring a Sick Joke, Has Proved a Dismal Failure on Every Level

John R Bradley is the author of After the Arab Spring: How Islamists Hijacked The Middle East Revolts.

From the Mail Online:

Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s deposed dictator, is reportedly still in a coma after being handed a life sentence earlier this month for complicity in the deaths of almost 1,000 protesters during last year’s mass uprising against his tyrannical rule.

He is a man utterly lacking in charisma, who has only ever been interested in enriching his family and the corrupt tycoons who surrounded him. Few will shed any tears when he dies.

However, while Mubarak was no better known for his political acumen than for his benevolent rule, he has been proven right about one thing at least.

Sweeping to power: Muslim Brotherhood supporters
in Cairo's Tahrir Square at the weekend

A few days before he was forced to step down in February last year, he warned that sudden, dramatic change in the land of the pharaohs would lead only to anarchy, followed by a takeover by the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood party and the imposition of strict Islamic law.

Gradual political reform, in other words, was preferable to revolutionary upheaval that had no agenda other than ousting the current leader.

That advice, at the time mocked as the self-serving twaddle it partly was, now seems strikingly prescient. Indeed, Mubarak could have been talking about the consequences of revolutionary chaos not just for Egypt, but the Arab region as a whole.

On Monday, Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, warned that the mayhem caused by the so-called Arab Spring has resulted in the creation of new Al Qaeda training camps throughout the Middle East, especially in Syria and Libya, where British jihadis are receiving training in terrorist tactics. They are intent, he added, on returning to Britain to launch attacks here.

The terrifying reality is indeed that Islamists of various factions are taking advantage of the febrile volatility in the regime to flex their muscles.

Egypt’s new president has just been announced. He is Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. His victory ends a year of political transition in the country during which the Muslim Brotherhood have thrashed their liberal opponents in every election that’s been held.

A wolf in sheep's clothing: The Muslim Brotherhood's
Mohammed Morsi has won the Egyptian Presidency

On Sunday, Morsi called for national unity. That will be a tall order. Like other so-called ‘moderate’ Islamist leaders throughout the region, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The truth is that the Muslim Brotherhood will now set about implementing their real agenda: imposing Sharia law and encouraging the growth of extreme Islam.

Still championed by over-excited, ill-informed pundits in the West, and kept alive on the ground by a gaggle of equally naive, out-of-touch and mostly English-speaking local activists, the bitter truth is that the so-called Arab Spring has proved a dismal failure on every level.

Nothing good has come of it at all, if judged by the classic Western values of liberty, freedom of expression and democratic accountability.

Hijacked: Syria's initially moderate and peaceful
uprising has been taken over by Islamist fighters

From Egypt to Tunisia, Yemen to Libya, shockingly high crime rates, economies in free-fall and decimated tourism industries are the terrifying new realities Arabs must now confront.

And in each of those countries, radical Islamists have moved quickly to fill the social and political vacuum. They have used a simple strategy: relying on gaining a majority from the minority who vote, and blatantly disregarding rules that ban foreign campaign donations from neighbouring states, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, looking to extend their influence in the region.

Both these countries, although Western allies, also subscribe to Wahhabism — the strictest and most austere interpretation of Islam that even bans contact between unrelated men and women. They also consider it their God-given duty to promote this ‘pure’ version of Islam whenever the opportunity arises, thus their attempts to exploit the Middle East’s disarray.

In Morocco, Kuwait and Algeria — the only Arab countries that have held parliamentary elections during the past year — affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood have swept to power.

Now the Muslim Brotherhood itself has also triumphed in both Egypt’s parliamentary and presidential elections. Meanwhile, Syria’s initially popular and peaceful uprising is in the midst of being hijacked by a band of fanatical international jihadists also intent on imposing Sharia law.

These more extremist Syrian insurgents, who employ classic terrorist tactics such as suicide bombings and kidnappings, are being funded by the most repressive, undemocratic Islamist theocracy in the region: Saudi Arabia.

Ironically, because of the grip of its leaders, the repressive Saudi kingdom itself has witnessed no major uprising, apart from sporadic demonstrations among its repressed Shia minority.

Meanwhile, in Libya — despite Britain and France’s intervention — Islamist militias now rule the streets. The country is at serious risk of being torn apart along tribal and regional lines.

Just last week, more than 100 people were killed in clashes between rival tribes in Libya’s south, and a band of armed Islamists occupied the capital’s airport in protest at the arrest of one of their members. The Libyan transitional government exists only in name.

In neighbouring Tunisia, the birthplace of this Arabian nightmare, thousands of zealots last week rioted throughout the country — the latest violent agitations against artworks deemed insulting to Islam. What was once the most socially liberal and progressive Arab country has, like Egypt, in a year become yet another backwater for extreme Islam.

Tunisia, too, is now governed by a Muslim Brotherhood offshoot called Ennahda. Its electoral success, like that of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, is widely reported to have been achieved in part by substantial funding from the states of the Persian Gulf — Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Thus we are witnessing a ruthlessly successful counter-revolution led by these two countries. For both nations, secularism and democracy are anathema, as they are using their immense wealth to successfully install their extremist Islamist proxies.

The terrifying reality is that we are seeing once secular, tolerant cultures being dragged back to the Middle Ages — and with the implicit blessing of the West. Indeed, Saudi Arabia’s continued status as a vital Western ally holds up a mirror to the rank hypocrisy of the pro-democracy rhetoric we hear from the likes of Barack Obama and David Cameron.

How extraordinary it was to hear last week, for example, Western leaders’ gushing praise on the occasion of the death of Saudi interior minister Prince Naif. This was a man who, for decades, was at the helm of a vast army of internal security forces that had a repugnant record for crushing all political dissent.

The truth is from the outset of the Arab Spring, realpolitik dictated the Western powers’ determination to contain Iran and ultimately trumped any concerns about human rights and democracy. Sunni Saudi Arabia is Shia-dominated Iran’s arch-enemy. Saudi Arabia is Britain’s biggest trading partner and a reliable source of affordable oil.

Yet, despite all this, liberals in the West continue to call for more uprisings in the Arab world, more bravery from the protesters, more upheavals, more violence and chaos — all in the name of a democracy in which most Arabs have no interest in partaking, and which is being shamelessly manipulated by outside powers.

THE ARAB SPRING SO FAR

TUNISIA

The ousting of staunchly secular Tunisian dictator Ben Ali in January 2011 marked the birth of the Arab Spring.

The country’s subsequent descent into religious extremism, lawlessness and economic ruin is a microcosm of what has happened throughout the region in all the countries caught up in the ongoing turmoil.

Elections last October brought to power Ennahda, the self-professed ‘moderate’ Islamist political party that is affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood and which was banned under Ben Ali. However, tens of thousands of more radical Salafi Muslims have been causing constant mayhem on the streets of Tunis and throughout the country, attacking liberal artists and filmmakers, firebombing shops that sell alcohol, and assaulting women who refuse to wear the veil.

In recent weeks, rumours have been rife in the country that the Salafis may be about to launch an armed insurrection. Their goal: creating a hardline Islamist state.

LIBYA

The National Transitional Council, which has ruled since last year’s Nato-led uprising in Libya, governs in name only. Since the fall of Tripoli in August 2011, Libya has been in turmoil.

Officials openly admit billions of dollars have been smuggled out of the country by corrupt officials and businessmen, while the country’s infrastructure is disintegrating.

Just this month, the British ambassador’s vehicle was attacked by rocket-propelled grenades, and the U.S. Consulate was bombed. The latter attack was claimed by a local Islamist group, which said it was angered by assassinations of suspected Al Qaeda members in Pakistan.

Parliamentary elections slated for this month have been postponed until July  7, with officials citing ‘logistical and technical’ reasons for the delay. Not that most people in this most tribal of Arab countries, as elsewhere in the region, are likely to care.

EGYPT

Since Mubarak was ousted, the Muslim Brotherhood has repeatedly shown it is willing — indeed eager — to reach compromises with the elite group of generals overseeing the messy transition to democracy.

That co-operation will continue now that Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi is president.

The Muslim Brotherhood will leave policy decisions concerning the defence budget and foreign relations to the generals.

Instead, it will concentrate on radicalising Egyptian society through parliament — with devastating consequences for the liberal elite and religious minorities.

SYRIA

Exaggerated reports of the imminent overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad’s authoritarian regime have been a staple of the Western media for more than a year.

However, the initially peaceful street demonstrations have been hijacked by armed gangs of radical Islamists, whose members are drawn from both inside and outside the country. For the time being, the majority of the Syrian people are therefore sticking with the devil they know.

Still, with the Syrian regime’s crackdown on all dissent as ruthless as ever, the country could quickly descend into bloody civil war.

A Trend Away from Islam in Indonesia; 2 Million Indonesian Muslim Apostates Every Year

It is now no secret that "moderate" Indonesia is not quite so moderate. But as the so-called "extremists" get louder and more violent, the tide seems to be turning. There is taking place a quiet trend away from Islam. Apparently 2 Million Indonesian Muslims are leaving Islam for Christianity every year. This isn't Christian missionary propaganda. These figures are from an Islamic organization (see video below).

From the FFI Forum:

It has been obvious for quite some time that Islam in Indonesia is somewhat on the decline...

In a country where some 90% of the population is Muslim, only 15% vote for the main Islamic parties, that is down from 29% in 2009.

It is obvious that political Islam in Indonesia is rapidly becoming a marginal issue in local politics. The Bali bombings had something to do with this effect, as did various political scandals involving Muslim ministers.

details here

So the vast majority of Indonesian Muslims want a secular government, one where religion and government are kept apart.

On a personal level, we read that there are also each year about 2 million Indonesians who leave Islam, some for other religions, often Christianity, others for none. If this trend continues, then Islam as a "religion" will also decline over the years, though the figure given on the article on the main site, 2030, may be a little premature.

http://www.faithfreedom.org/features/letters/indonesia-set-to-leave-islam-in-about-two-decades/

The Islam in everyday Indonesia is quite different from that found in Arabic countries. People quite deliberately nurture a culture of "not knowing" about Islam, and to most folk it is a case of fasting and saying prayers, not eating pork, and not asking questions. Very few will even know the Qur'an. Increasingly, amongst the young, with the Internet, this blissful ignorance gets destroyed. While Malaysia bans a lot of sites about Islam, Indonesia does not.

So, is the writing on the wall?

Why is Indonesia bucking the trend?

The Massacre of 1.5 Million Armenian Christians by Muslim Turks that Inspired Hitler's Holocaust

You can read more about the genocide here, and view more shocking images here.

From the Mail Online:

When the Turkish gendarmes came for Mugrditch Nazarian, they did not give him time to dress, but took him from his home in the dead of night in his pyjamas.

The year was 1915, and his wife, Varter, knew that she was unlikely to see her husband alive again. Armenian men like him were being rounded up and taken away. In the words of their persecutors, they were being "deported" - but not to an earthly place.

Varter never found out what fate her husband suffered. Some said he was shot, others that he was among the men held in jail, who suffered torture so unbearable that they poured the kerosene from prison lamps over their heads and turned themselves into human pyres as a release from the agony.

Heavily pregnant, Varter was ordered to join a death convoy marching women and children to desert concentration camps.

Genocide:The Ottoman Turks murdered more than
1.5million Armenians between 1915 and 1917

She survived the journey alone - her six children died along the way. The two youngest were thrown to their deaths down a mountainside by Turkish guards; the other four starved to death at the bottom of a well where they had hidden to escape.

Varter herself was abducted by a man who promised to save her - but raped her instead. Eventually, she was released to mourn her lost family, the victims of Europe's forgotten holocaust.

The killing of 1.5m Armenians by the Ottoman Turks during World War I remains one of the bloodiest and most contentious events of the 20th century, and has been called the first modern genocide.

In all, 25 concentration camps were set up in a systematic slaughter aimed at eradicating the Armenian people - classed as "vermin" by the Turks.

Winston Churchill described the massacres as an "administrative holocaust" and noted: "This crime was planned and executed for political reasons. The opportunity presented itself for clearing Turkish soil of a Christian race."

Chillingly, Adolf Hitler used the episode to justify the Nazi murder of six million Jews, saying in 1939: "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"

Yet, carried out under the cover of war, the Armenian genocide remains shrouded in mystery - not least because modern-day Turkey refuses to acknowledge the existence of its killing fields.

Now, new photographs of the horror have come to light. They come from the archives of the German Deutsche Bank, which was working in the region financing a railway network when the killing began.

Unearthed by award-winning war correspondent Robert Fisk, they were taken by employees of the bank to document the terror unfolding before them.

They show young men, crammed into cattle trucks, waiting to travel to their deaths. The Turks crowded 90 starving and terrified Armenians into each wagon, the same number the Nazis averaged in their transports to the death camps of Eastern Europe during the Jewish Holocaust.

Behind each grainy image lies a human tragedy. Destitute women and children stare past the camera, witness to untold savagery.

Almost all young women were raped according to Fisk, while older women were beaten to death - they did not merit the expense of a bullet. Babies were left by the side of the road to die.

Often, attractive young Armenian girls were sent to Turkish harems, where some lived in enforced prostitution until the mid-1920s.

Many other archive photographs testify to the sheer brutality suffered by the Armenians: children whose knee tendons were severed, a young woman who starved to death beside her two small children, and a Turkish official taunting starving Armenian children with a loaf of bread.

Eyewitness accounts are even more graphic. Foreign diplomats posted in the Ottoman Empire at the time told of the atrocities, but were powerless to act.

One described the concentration camps, saying: "As on the gates of Dante's Hell, the following should be written at the entrance of these accursed encampments: 'You who enter, leave all hopes.'"

So how exactly did the events of 1915-17 unfold? Just as Hitler wanted a Nazi-dominated world that would be Judenrein - cleansed of its Jews - so in 1914 the Ottoman Empire wanted to construct a Muslim empire that would stretch from Istanbul to Manchuria.

Armenia, an ancient Christian civilisation spreading out from the eastern end of the Black Sea, stood in its way.

At the turn of the 20th century, there were two million Christian Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. Already, 200,000 had been killed in a series of pogroms - most of them brutally between 1894 and 1896.

In November 1914, the Ottoman Empire entered World War I against the Allies and launched a disastrous military campaign against Russian forces in the Caucasus. It blamed defeat on the Armenians, claiming they had colluded with the Russians.

A prominent Turkish writer at the time described the war as "the awaited day" when the Turks would exact "revenge, the horrors of which have not yet been recorded in history".

Through the final months of 1914, the Ottoman government put together a number of "Special Organisation" units, armed gangs consisting of thousands of convicts specifically released from prison for the purpose.

These killing squads of murderers and thieves were to perpetrate the greatest crimes in the genocide. They were the first state bureaucracy to implement mass killings for the purpose of race extermination. One army commander described them at the time as the "butchers of the human species".

On the night of April 24, 1915 - the anniversary of which is marked by Armenians around the world - the Ottoman government moved decisively, arresting 250 Armenian intellectuals. This was followed by the arrest of a further 2,000.

Turkey refuses to acknowledge the killing fields

Some died from torture in custody, while many were executed in public places. The resistance poet, Daniel Varoujan, was found disembowelled, with his eyes gouged out.

One university professor was made to watch his colleagues have their fingernails and toenails pulled out, before being blinded. He eventually lost his mind, and was let loose naked into the streets.

There were reports of crucifixions, at which the Turks would torment their victims: "Now let your Christ come and help you!"

Johannes Lepsius, a German pastor who tried to protect the Armenians, said: "The armed gangs saw their main task as raiding and looting Armenian villages. If the men escaped their grasp, they would rape the women."

So began a carefully orchestrated campaign to eradicate the Armenians. Throughout this period, Ottoman leaders deceived the world, orchestrating the slaughter using code words in official telegrams.

At later war crimes trials, several military officers testified that the word "deportation" was used to mean "massacre" or "annihilation".

Between May and August 1915, the Armenian population of the eastern provinces was deported and murdered en masse.

The American ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, said: "Squads of 50 or 100 men would be taken, bound together in groups of four, and marched to a secluded spot.

"Suddenly the sound of rifle shots would fill the air. Those sent to bury the bodies would find them almost invariably stark naked, for, as usual, the Turks had stolen all their clothes."

In urban areas, a town crier was used to deliver the deportation order, and the entire male population would be taken outside the city limits and killed - "slaughtered like sheep".

Women and children would then be executed, deported to concentration camps or simply turned out into the deserts and left to starve to death.

An American diplomat described the deportations or death marches: "A massacre, however horrible the word may sound, would be humane in comparison with it."

An eyewitness who came upon a convoy of deportees reported that the women implored him: "Save us! We will become Muslims! We will become Germans! We will become anything you want, just save us! They are going to cut our throats!"

Walking skeletons begged for food, and women threw their babies into lakes rather than hand them over to the Turks.

There was mass looting and pillaging of Armenian goods. It is reported that civilians burned bodies to find the gold coins the Armenians swallowed for safekeeping.

Conditions in the concentration camps were appalling. The majority were located near the modern Iraqi and Syrian frontiers, in the desert between Jerablus and Deir ez-Zor - described as "the epicentre of death". Up to 70,000 Armenians were herded into each camp, where dysentery and typhus were rife.

There, they were left to starve or die of thirst in the burning sun, with no shelter. In some cases, the living were forced to eat the dead. Few survived.

In four days alone, from 10-14 June 1915, the gangs 'eliminated' some 25,000 people in the Kemah Erzincan area alone.

In September 1915, the American consul in Kharput, Leslie A. Davis, reported discovering the bodies of nearly 10,000 Armenians dumped into several ravines near beautiful Lake Goeljuk, calling it the "slaughterhouse province".

Tales of atrocity abound. Historians report that the killing squads dashed infants on rocks in front of their mothers.

One young boy remembered his grandfather, the village priest, kneeling down to pray for mercy before the Turks. Soldiers beheaded him, and played football with the old man's decapitated head before his devastated family.

At the horrific Ras-ul-Ain camp near Urfa, two German railway engineers reported seeing three to four hundred women arrive in one day, completely naked. One witness told how Sergeant Nuri, the overseer of the camp, bragged about raping children.

An American, Mrs Anna Harlowe Birge, who was travelling from Smyrna to Constantinople, wrote in November 1915: "At every station where we stopped, we came side by side with one of these trains. It was made up of cattle trucks, and the faces of little children were looking out from behind the tiny barred windows of each truck."

In her memoir, Ravished Armenia, Aurora Mardiganian described being raped and thrown into a harem. From a wealthy banking family, she was just one of thousands of Armenian girls to suffer a similar fate. Many were eventually killed and discarded.

In the city of Malatia, she saw 16 girls crucified, vultures eating their corpses. "Each girl had been nailed alive upon her cross, spikes through her feet and hands," Mardiganian wrote. "Only their hair blown by the wind covered their bodies."

In another town, she reports that the killing squads played "the game of swords" with young Armenian girls, planting their weapons in the ground and throwing their victims onto the protruding blade in sport.

Elsewhere, bodies tied to each other drifted down the Euphrates. And in the Black Sea region, the Armenians were herded onto boats and then thrown overboard.

In the desert regions, the Turks set up primitive gas chambers, stuffing Armenians into caves and asphyxiating them with brush fires.

Everywhere, there were Armenian corpses: in lakes and rivers, in empty desert cisterns and village wells. Travellers reported that the stench of death pervaded the landscape.

One Turkish gendarme told a Norwegian nurse serving in Erzincan that he had accompanied a convoy of 3,000 people. Some were summarily executed in groups along the way; those too sick or exhausted to march were killed where they fell. He concluded: "They're all gone, finished."

By 1917, the Armenian 'problem', as it was described by Ottoman leaders, had been thoroughly "resolved". Muslim families were brought in to occupy empty villages.

Even after the war, the Ottoman ministers were not repentant. In 1920, they praised those responsible for the genocide, saying: "These things were done to secure the future of our homeland, which we know is greater and holier than even our own lives."

The British government pushed for those responsible for the killing to be punished, and in 1919 a war crimes tribunal was set up.

The use of the word "genocide" in describing the massacre of Armenians has been hotly contested by Turkey. Ahead of the nation's accession to the EU, it is even more politically inflammatory.

The official Turkish position remains that 600,000 or so Armenians died as a result of war. They deny any state intention to wipe out Armenians and the killings remain taboo in the country, where it is illegal to use the term genocide to describe the events of those bloody years.

Internationally, 21 countries have recognised the killings as genocide under the UN 1948 definition. Armenian campaigners believe Turkey should be denied EU membership until it admits responsibility for the massacres.

Just as in the Nazi Holocaust, there were many tales of individual acts of great courage by Armenians and Turks alike.

Haji Halil, a Muslim Turk, kept eight members of his mother's Armenian family safely hidden in his home, risking death.

In some areas, groups of Kurds followed the deportation convoys and saved as many people as they could. Many mothers gave their children to Turkish and Kurdish families to save them from death.

The Governor-General of Aleppo stood up to Ottoman officials and tried to prevent deportations from his region, but failed.

He later recalled: "I was like a man standing by a river without any means of rescue. But instead of water, the river flowed with blood and thousands of innocent children, blameless old men, helpless women and strong young people all on their way to destruction.

"Those I could seize with my hands I saved. The others, I assume, floated downstream, never to return."

Haram Pop Stars

This is a very short list, but I'll expand it as I find more of them. Feel free to email me with any more examples of haram pop stars.

Lady Gaga

It is funny how the media like to make a big deal of a few Christians and Buddhists in the Philippines and Thailand protesting her concert. Unlike her planned performance in Indonesia, she didn't receive threats of violence and her concert was not banned. Over in neighboring Malaysia, Lady GaGa's lyrics in 'Born This Way' were censored due to its "offensive" pro-gay message. In addition to all that, Christians in Indonesia actually supported Lady Gaga's visit. 

A high-ranking member of Indonesia’s highest Islamic authority has urged Muslims not to attend Lady Gaga’s upcoming concert in Jakarta, declaring that the pop star known for her sexy and controversial outfits was forbidden under Islamic law.

“[The concert is] intended to destroy the nation’s morality,” said Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) chairman Cholil Ridwan, who added that he had never watched the singer perform and only heard of her “reputation” second-hand.

He urged Lady Gaga fans to return their tickets for the June 3 concert at Gelora Bung Karno and ask for a refund.

More than 25,000 tickets to the Jakarta leg of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way Ball” tour were sold in less than two hours on March 10, the first day the tickets were available.

Cholil took exception with Lady Gaga’s revealing outfits and sexualized dance moves, claiming that a female dangdut singer who wore similar costumes would also be haram.

But he claimed Lady Gaga was worse. "She is from the West, and she often shows her aurat [private parts of the body] when performing," Cholil said.

While he was aware that many Western singers have already performed in Indonesia, Cholil said maybe it was time to put an end to these "cultural attacks."

He worried that this kind of performance would only encourage young Muslims in the country to do the same. But he added that watching the concert was still the call of Indonesia's Muslim youth.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/lady-gagas-jakarta-concert-is-haram-declares-mui-chairman/505557

Adam Lambert

Malaysia's Islamist opposition party on Monday demanded that authorities cancel a planned concert by U.S. glam rocker Adam Lambert that they say is promoting "gay culture" in the mainly Muslim country.

The Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) has also threatened to call "as many of its members and supporters" to proselytize to concert-goers if the performance by the former "American Idol" runner-up goes ahead on Thursday, a party official said.

"Adam Lambert's shows... are outrageous, with lewd dancing and a gay performance that includes kissing male dancers, this is not good for people in our country," said PAS Youth leader Nasrudin Hasan. Homosexual sex is a criminal offence in Malaysia.

PAS is Malaysia's second-largest political party with close to a million members and is a partner in a rainbow opposition grouping led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/10/11/us-malaysia-protest-idUSTRE69A1LE20101011

Elton John

Shahril Azman Abdul Halim Al-Hafiz, an official with the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), said the concert by singer Elton John at the Genting Highlands resort on Nov. 22 would corrupt young Muslims because of John's homosexuality.

"It's not good. In Islam homosexuality is forbidden," he told AFP. "What he is doing is hedonism. Hedonism is not good in Islam."

The British singer is openly gay, marrying his partner in 2005 after same-sex unions were legalised in Britain.

Shahril is the chairman of the PAS youth wing of eastern Pahang state. The casino resort lies on the border of the state, about an hour's drive from the capital Kuala Lumpur.

An official from concert promoter Tune Live declined to comment.

But the show, part of John's "Greatest Hits Tour," is expected to go ahead in the resort. John will be singing in Singapore before he comes to Malaysia and then go on to Jakarta.

PAS often protests concert by Western acts, saying the artists promote a promiscuous lifestyle and corrupt youngsters' minds.

But despite protest threats, most concerts have gone ahead without incidents though performers had to abide by strict rules, barring them from bearing too much skin and kissing on stage.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/25054/World/International/Malaysian-Islamic-party-protests-Elton-John-show.aspx

Freddie Mercury

Launch Radio Networks reports: A celebration planned for this weekend in Zanzibar to honor native son Freddie Mercury has been called off due to religious protests. The population of the Tanzanian islands off the East Coast of Africa is primarily Islamic, and conservative Muslims threatened to disrupt the event, which would have marked the 60th anniversary of the late QUEEN singer's birth, according to the AFP news agency. Sheikh Azzan Hamdani of the local Association For Islamic Mobilization And Propagation said, "We were ready to join forces against the party because we had information that a number of gays from abroad had come to take part."

Organizer Simai Mohamed Saidi said, "We have decided to cancel the party after misleading and erroneous information was spread about it. I urge Muslim groups in the future to seek correct information from us instead of relying on rumors." Saidi, who owns the "Mercury's" theme restaurant in Zanzibar, had also intended to use the party to raise money for people with HIV/AIDS.

Local religious leaders felt that honoring Mercury, who was gay and who died of AIDS in 1991, would have gone against their faith, and that it would have brought shame to Zanzibar, where Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946.

The local government had been asked to close the party down before it started. Officials, who never formally responded to the request, are said to walk a fine line between the needs of people who lead a secular lifestyle, a busy tourist industry, and religious conservatives. However, media outlets that are overseen by the government were told by the information ministry not to cover Saidi's Mercury event.

http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=57586

Others

Foreign acts often draw protests from PAS, which since 2007 has campaigned against performances by singers including Beyonce, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne and Mariah Carey.

Police in May broke up a demonstration by Islamists including PAS supporters protesting against a concert by U.S. rapper Pitbull, underscoring a deepening tide of Islamic conservatism in the country.

An official from Malaysia's Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry was reported saying that the singer, had signed a contract agreeing to abide by the Ministry's rules on performances, which can require foreign performers to tone down their acts to suit local sensibilities.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/10/11/us-malaysia-protest-idUSTRE69A1LE20101011

1400 Years of Islamic-Muslim Plunder and Brutality Against India

Video Description:

India is the birth place of the oldest & still living religion & culture in the world - Hinduism. Hindu religious scriptures date back up to 10,000 years. Buddhism & Sikhism were also born in India, Buddhism is over 2,500 years old and Sikhism is over 500 years old. These 3 religions are peaceful religions, they believe their is more than one path to God. Buddhists don't deal with the concept of God, but share the same views with Hindus and Sikhs(laws of Karma and trying to break the continuous cycle of life and death, reincarnation). In other words they respect & acknowledge other faiths. Hinduism, Buddhism & Sikhism are not one dimensional religious ideologies like Islam. Muslims have for centuries to present day tried & are trying to take over the world, with their religious ideology. They are still trying to wipe out other religions around the world. They only want their religion to rain supreme. Islam, therefore Muslims do not respect & acknowledge other faiths.

"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." Quran 9:29

"Have no unbelieving friends. Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them" Quran 4:89

"Fight them and Allah will punish them by your hands, lay them low, and cover them with shame. He will help you over them" Quran 9:14

"Slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them" Quran 9:5

"Fight the unbelievers around you, and let them find harshness in you" Quran 9:123

"O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people." Quran 5:51

"I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them." Quran 8:12

"Muslims that make friends with disbelievers will face a doom prepared for them by Allah." Quran 5:80

"Don't let the disbelievers think they can escape. They are your enemy and the enemy of Allah." Quran 8:59-60

"Fight the disbelievers and hypocrites. Be harsh with them. They are all going to hell anyway." Quran 9:73

"Scourge adulterers and adulteresses with 100 stripes. Do not show them any pity. Have a party of believers watch the punishment." Quran 24:2

"As to the thief, Male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is Exalted in power." Quran 5:38

"Those with Muhammad are ruthless toward disbelievers and merciful toward themselves." Quran 48:29

"Fight them until all opposition ends and all submit to Allah" Quran 8:39

http://www.prophetofdoom.net

http://www.muhammadtube.com/

http://www.faithfreedom.org

http://www.truthtube.tv

http://www.jihadwatch.org

http://www.investigateislam.com/

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com

Hardeep Singh from The Telegraph: It's Time to Stop Using the Word 'Asians' to Describe Muslim Groomers

From The Telegraph:

In the wake of the Rochdale grooming convictions, it's time to stop lumping Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus together as 'Asians', argues Hardeep Singh.

Is it time to stop using the word "Asian"? In recent weeks Britain's Sikh and Hindu communities have complained angrily about the use of the misleading term in reporting of the Rochdale grooming convictions of men of Muslim Pakistani descent. Headlines like “Asian grooming – why we need to talk about sex crime”, “Child sex grooming: the Asian question”, and “Grooming offences committed mostly by Asian men, says ex-Barnardo's chief” show the problem.

Obviously Sikhs and Hindus and other "Asian" non-Muslims, including Jains, Zoroastrians, Christians and Buddhists, don’t want to be associated with sexual grooming of vulnerable white girls. The vast majority of Muslims don’t want to either. The girls targeted in Rochdale, Derby and now in Luton are all non-Muslim. This is nothing new for British Hindus and Sikhs, who have complained about targeting of their girls for decades; Indians refer to the practice as "love-jihad".

Judge Gerald Clifton, who sentenced the men in Rochdale, indicated they thought the victims were “worthless” and “beyond any respect”. He asserted that one of the motivations behind this was “they were not part of your community or religion”. This is not the first time that this has been suggested: at a Hindu Forum conference in 2007, the then Metropolitan Police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, revealed how the police were working to clamp down on “aggressive conversions” of vulnerable girls. The following year, a blog site called "Sikh4aweek" which called on Muslim "soldiers" to "hunt" down Sikh university students during freshers week was forced to close following complaints to the police and Google. The common denominator: targeting of non-Muslim girls.

It is for the Muslim community and its leaders to decide what is behind the trend, and what to do about it; but it is time for politicians and the press to bear in mind that in the context of these sex crimes, as with violent extremism, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and honour killings, the vague term "Asian" serves no purpose. Worse, it besmirches entire swathes of Britons with roots in the Indian subcontinent. It’s encouraging to hear some brave voices filtering through the political minefield: Baroness Warsi recently hit out at the “small minority” of Pakistani men who see white girls as “fair game”; last year, Jack Straw braved criticism for his claim that some Pakistani men see white girls as “easy meat.” But the problem continues: commentators are unwilling to label the perpetrators "Muslim", opting instead to hide behind the fudge of "Asian".

Lessons can be learned from Britain's own colonial history. The Empire's attitudes towards natives may have been problematic from a modern perspective, but it was careful to distinguish between the different inhabitants of the subcontinent. In Charles Allen’s book Soldier Sahibs: The Men who made the North West Frontier, the Indian-born historian quotes the soldier Herbert Edwardes, who was dispatched to a distant corner of the Sikh Empire in the mid-18th century. He describes four main groups in a mountainous district called Banu:

"The mongrel and vicious Bunnoochee peasantry, ill-ruled by Mullicks, and ill-righted by factions; the greedy Syuds and other religious mendicants, sucking the blood of the superstitious people; the mean Hindoo traders, enduring a life of degradation, that they may cheat their Muhommudan employers; and the Vizeree [Waziri] interlopers, half pastoral, half agricultural, wholly without law, but neither destitute of honour or virtue."

As Edwardes discovered, people of the Indian subcontinent have various cultural, traditional and religious affiliations: identities are both convoluted and complex. They shouldn’t be oversimplified for the sake of political expediency. Of course we have to be careful not to label all Muslims sex offenders: but it is simple cowardice to pretend that grooming is not a problem for the Muslim community, but Asians in general.

Article Update: 43.5 Percent of "Moderate" Indonesian Muslims Ready to Wage War for Islam

Just thought I'd let readers know that I have updated my article, "Are the "Overwhelming Majority" of the World's 1.5 Billion Muslims Peace Loving Moderates?", with the following information on Indonesia:

Over in "moderate" Indonesia, a survey conducted from 2001 to March 2006 found 43.5 percent of Muslim respondents were "ready to wage war for their faith" and 40 percent would use violence against those blaspheming Islam. 85 percent, or 200 million, of the country's 230 million population are Muslims. This means approximately 87 million Indonesians, or more than 4 out of every 10 Muslim there, is a violent Islamic "extremist".  

Note that this massive figure is not for those Indonesian Muslims who simply support a violent interpretation of Islam, but for those Muslims who are actually prepared to act on them by committing violence against others.  If we were to know the number of those who simply support jihad but are not prepared to join in themselves, like in Pakistan, the "extremists" would most certainly be in the majority. And again, this is without taking into consideration that many of the Indonesians who support stoning adulterers to death [42%] or killing apostates [30%] may not support jihad at all, but would also clearly have to be labeled as "extremists" for holding such barbaric views. 

‘I Am a Modern-Day Slave’: Sub-Saharan Black Africans in Post-Arab Spring Libya

This is written by Amnesty International’s Libya researcher. It is rather telling, and quite sickening, that the Muslim apologists who try to fool Westerners with the "A White has No Superiority Over a Black" fabrication, remain silent. Why not spew the same lies to fellow Libyan Muslims?

Could it be that these apologists don't really care about the misery devout Muslims are heaping on minorities all around the world, and that most Muslims (unlike most Westerners) are fully aware that this piece of Islamic propaganda is fabricated?

That would certainly explain why thousands of devout Muslims saw nothing wrong with chanting "Allahu Akbar", so "Obama the ape" could hear them.

From Bikya Masr:

In Libya, undocumented Sub-Saharan Africans have never had it easy.

During Colonel Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi’s rule, they were at risk of arrest, indefinite detention, torture or other ill-treatment and exploitation.

Far from changing their fate, last year’s “17 February Revolution” left Sub-Saharan Africans vulnerable to similar abuses. In fact, their situation is arguably even more precarious now in light of the prevailing security vacuum, the widespread availability of weapons, and the proliferation of armed militias acting with impunity and outside the framework of the law. Foreign nationals are now at the mercy of whichever militia hold them and have no access to justice and redress for abuses.

David (not his real name), a 42-year-old Nigerian man, told Amnesty International how one night in August 2011 a group of armed men in military dress entered his home without a warrant and beat him with sticks and gun-butts. He was then shot in the leg.

He was beaten again in detention. He recalled how one night in December 2011, he was dragged out of his cell by a group of guards, handcuffed, suspended from a metal gate and beaten with a water pipe.

David is still languishing in jail with no contact with his family. “I have lived and worked in many countries, but Libya now is the worst,” he said. “Here, you don’t know who is police, who are armed gangs, and there is no-one to help you.”

In another detention centre, a Chadian national showed the scars on his back, which he said were from beatings with wooden sticks and metal rods in March 2012. He explained that he was punished for trying to escape. His cellmates also complained that the guards occasionally beat them for “mistakes” such as requesting medical treatment, complaining about lack of hygiene or inquiring about their fate.

A group of detainees recounted how a Nigerian man was beaten to death in the centre in early May 2012.

Even though the violence and abuses faced by foreign nationals in Libya have been well documented, people are still driven there out of desperation and a desire to escape persecution or poverty.

In southern Libya, local officials and residents said that new arrivals enter the country’s porous and largely uncontrolled southern borders every day. They mainly use two routes: through Sabha for those coming from western Africa, or through Kufra for those arriving from Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan.

Migrants have spoken to Amnesty International of their long and dangerous journeys.

Some said that they had been abandoned in the middle of the desert by smugglers. Left without a compass and kilometres away from the nearest city, they were forced to finish their trip on foot, under the scorching sun.

A 24-year-old man from Cameroon, who has been in Libya for three months, said that as his family’s sole breadwinner, he was forced to leave home due to the lack of job opportunities there.

Two weeks after his arrival in Libya, a group of armed men in plain clothes arrested him for entering the country without a visa, and he has been held ever since. He complained about being forced into labour while in detention. Every day he is forced to do odd jobs, including offloading munitions.

A Malian man held at the same detention centre described being “a modern-day slave” – forced to work, subjected to racist insults and beaten for “disobeying” his captors.

In other detention centres, foreign nationals described being offered labour schemes, which pay wages for their work. In other cases, detainees are released into the custody of a Libyan employer. Some complained about not being paid or being paid lower rates than originally promised. A senior official in Benghazi admitted that detention centres for irregular migrants were becoming a “business”.

Libya’s detention centres for foreign nationals remain outside government control.

One such centre in Gharyan is run by a local militia. It holds more than 1,000 foreign nationals from Sub-Saharan African countries including Niger, Nigeria, Sudan and Chad.

Most of the detainees were arrested at nearby checkpoints as they were making their way to the capital Tripoli, some 100 kilometres to the north.

At Gharyan, men, women and children are held in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.

In fact, at all the detention centres Amnesty International visited – in Tripoli, Ganfouda and Kufra – administrators and guards complained about limited resources. Several were not paid salaries and relied on the work of “volunteers”.

Libya does not recognize the right to seek asylum, and has yet to sign the UN Convention on Refugees. This means that in practice asylum-seekers and refugees are treated like irregular migrants.

Detention centre officials do acknowledge that nationals from Eritrea and Somalia cannot be forcibly returned to their home countries. However, no uniform approach exists for addressing the situation of individuals in need of international protection.

In Gharyan detention centre, Somalis and Eritreans are released once their embassies confirm their nationality and sign “attestations” – a highly problematic practice for those fleeing persecution in their home country. The prison director told us that if these detainees are re-arrested they are “fined” 1,000 dinars (around US$780). No money, no freedom.

Just like during Colonel al-Gaddafi’s rule, European countries continue to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in Libya when they help to stem the flow of migrants to their shores.

In the meantime, asylum-seekers and migrants are left to languish indefinitely in Libyan detention centres, where they remain vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.