There's Something about Muhammed!It's no wonder that Britain has such a problem with homegrown terror. This joker, Omar Bakri Muhammed was given political asylum there in 1985 and for 18 years he repaid the British hospitality and welfare with hate. Now this member of the Muslim Brotherhood is being blamed for inspiring the recently foiled plot to kidnap and video tape the beheading of a British Muslim soldier.
From the Sunday Telegraph:
Ex-UK cleric 'inspired plot to kidnap soldier'Bakri Mohammed had previously told the Sunday Telegraph that British police officers, soldiers and civil servants would one day become radicalized.
Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:46am GMT 04/02/2007
A radical Islamist cleric banned from Britain has been secretly recorded in a series of rants in which he calls on Muslims to behead their enemies and kidnap Westerners.
The speeches of Omar Bakri Mohammed are suspected of inspiring the alleged plot, made public last week, to seize and kill a Muslim soldier serving in the Army.
Investigators have discovered that Bakri encouraged a kidnapping terrorist act just months before he was banned from the UK last year. On another occasion, he specifically mentioned capturing a British Muslim serving in the Army.
In one recording - obtained by The Sunday Telegraph - Bakri addresses Muslim followers in halting English in June last year from his new home in Beirut. He spoke shortly before he was excluded from the UK in August on the grounds that his presence was not conducive to the public good.
Bakri, who has frequently suggested that "the enemy" are Westerners, particularly Americans and the British, says: "When you meet the enemy, slice their own necks. And when you make the blood spill all over, and the enemy becomes so tired, now start to take from them prisoners. Then free them or exchange them until the war is finished.
"Verily they remind the sunnah (actions/sayings of the prophet Mohammed) of removing the head of the enemy. They remind the sunnah of slaughtering the enemy. They remind the sunnah of how to strike the neck of the enemy. We saw him in his brother's house. They removed the head of the enemy. Use the sword and remove the head of the enemy."
In a separate rallying call over the internet last summer, Bakri encouraged terrorists to kidnap a soldier serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. "I hope they capture British Muslims who are in the Army over there," he said.
Nine men were arrested on Wednesday as part of an alleged plot to kidnap a Muslim soldier, who was believed to have served in Afghanistan but who was back on home leave. The police think terrorists intended to torture and kill their victim before broadcasting their actions on the internet.
Security sources have revealed that they have been investigating the alleged plot for several months but their inquiry stepped up when it seemed the plan was coming to fruition.
Audio recordings of Bakri were obtained by Vigil, a privately funded investigative group, which believes that the police, security and intelligence services are so overstretched that they need help. The non-profit-making, London-based group seeks to disrupt and expose terrorist activity. Vigil has handed the tapes to anti-terrorist police and officers are believed to consider the evidence highly valuable. Detectives are expected to see whether they can prove that some of the alleged plotters used the same chat room as Bakri.
Vigil recorded rants by Bakri and others when it was monitoring a chat room used by radical Muslims. Bakri "entered" the chat room using his personal identification number. Voice recognition tests have proved it is the radical cleric who was speaking.
Bakri, 48, lived in Britain for 18 years. He praised the September 11 hijackers in the US as the "magnificent 19" and, while he was living in the UK, he blamed the British people and Government for the terrorist attacks in London in July 2005. He fled to Britain after being expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1988 and first came to public attention as the spiritual leader of al-Muhajiroun, a radical group connected to a number of militants in the UK.
Patrick Mercer, the Conservative spokesman on security, praised the work of Vigil: "Anybody who doubts the influence of these preachers of hate only has to see this evidence to understand how dangerous they are."
"When you start to ask Muslims to join your Army and your police you are making a grave mistake. That British Muslim who joins the police today will one day read the Koran and will have an awakening," he said.Please, Mr. Mohammed, how could you say such a thing? How insensitive. You should be ashamed!
"Those moderates are one day going to be practising Muslims. Now what happens if they are British police or in the Army and they have weapons? How much information do they have about you that they will use to serve the global struggle?
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"They will revolt against the system if they have been failed by your foreign policy which is oppressive against Islam, or have been contacted by people who believe Britain is a domain of war."
So, what is it about the name Mohammed or Muhammed? These Mohammedans are causing trouble everywhere. The Counterterroism Blog is reporting that another Mohammed, Jamal Jafaar Mohammed, a sitting member of the Iraqi Parliament might be a convicted and still-active terrorist wanted for the 1983 bombings of US and French Embassies. In 1984 he was sentenced to death in Kuwait.
Some day, we'll be reading about the exploits of a terrorist named Osama Muhammed.
"15 of the 19 terrorists were named Mohammed, Chief
ReplyDelete"Irrelevant you say?"
"We have to find the "root cause"?"
"Chief, 15 of the 19 were named Mohammed!"
"Irrelevant, right, root causes, I understand."
Your point?
ReplyDeleteIt's a Religion of Peace, unless it is not.
ReplyDeleteThat 15 of 19 were Saudi, discounted. Even in preflight security inspections, quotas to be met.
The Iranian Mullahs have become the current threat to America, not the Wahabbists of Saudi Arabia and their moneymen, the Golden Chain, that still finds santuary there.
If 15 of 19 were named Mohammed, it'd be discounted as well.
We're told not to worry about four dozen operational warheads in Wahabbist hands, in Pakistan. Worry instead about the Shia Mullahs and their effect in a democratic Iraq. Discount that in Basra, the heartland of Mr al-Hakim and the SCIRI's power, Iranian money holds dominion.
As trish related last thread.
Realities differ, depending on perception.
I know, I was just being a jerk. I thought your point was exactly right. Even now, some of these pc jackasses can't see the nose of their face.
ReplyDeleteOn Hannity and Colmes last night, Geraldine Ferraro and Alan Colmes saw nothing wrong with the Democrats Congressional Imam opening the session with a prayer that Allah "end the occupation."
That the people of Basra have more faith in the value of Iranian money, over their national Iraqi script, that is telling, and not in a positive way.
ReplyDeletePeople voting with their pocketbooks, the market choosing.
And choosing Iran as the percieved store of value and security in the Region.
Markets rule!
or so it's said.
Imagine if there were a German skin head cult that named all their children, hmmm, let me think...Adolph. Yes all the little Adolphs running around dressed in little waffen ss uniforms, preposterous? I wonder if that would affect their behavior?
ReplyDeleteIn a civil action, Muslim groups have taken a French satire magazine to court for reprinting the controversial Danish cartoons of the prophet Mohammad. They claim the cartoons are as offensive as Holocaust denial.
ReplyDeleteThis week in the land of Voltaire a civil court will debate where free speech and religious sensitivities overlap. The Grand Mosque of Paris and the Union of French Islamic Organisations are suing the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo over their reprinting of the Danish caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad which sparked violence in the Muslim world last year.
The weekly is also being sued for publishing a third drawing by French cartoonist Cabu that showed Mohammed sobbing, holding his head in his hands and saying: "It is hard to be loved by fools."
Paris Grand Mosque rector Dalil Boubakeur said the controversial cartoon showing Mohammad with a bomb in his turban was not simply satire, but an insult against all Muslims by suggesting they were all terrorists. Boubakeur said last week he wanted to show that reprinting the cartoons was a provocation equal to acts of anti-Semitism or Holocaust denial, which are both banned under French law.
You want to know why I NEVER believe anything a "talking" head says? There's a PhD, Prof of Environmental Sciences (Univ of Va) Patrick Michaels on Fox who just made the statement that if you used every kernel of corn in the Country you wouldn't replace 12% of our gasoline.
ReplyDeleteForgetting the fact that corn is just the first step, in a multi-step process, the fact is if you allow as how you will have to provide 22 Billion gallons of ethanol to replace 17 Billion gallons of gasoline it will require (once you've allowed for the substitution effect of the DDG's produced) approx 36% of the 100 Million acres we will plant this year.
Now, why in the name of Gertrude would I ever believe Anything anyone from the CATO Institute ever says about ANYTHING?
Turkey's going Shiite also:
ReplyDeleteEfforts of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) move closer to Alevis, the adherents of a Shiite branch of Islam, has led to discussion among Alevi organizations questioning the political party's intentions. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Alevi elders in İzmir over the weekend.
In another move by the AK Party to move closer to the Alevis, a Alevi elders were sent to Germany with gray passports, only issued to state officials, to serve in Cem houses -- the Alevi alternative to a mosque -- during the month of Muharram. Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar and contains some of the holiest days for Shiites and Alevis, as Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed was murdered in this month.
According to reports, the gray passports were demanded by the Cem Foundation, an umbrella organization of the Alevis in Turkey. There were some recent reports that the Cem Foundation also approached the state to organize Koran courses in Cem houses.
rapprochement with Alevis
October 19, 1993
ReplyDeleteThere is no reason for the United States of America to remain in Somalia. The American people want them home, I believe the majority of Congress wants them home, and to set an artificial date of March 31 or even February 1, in my view, is not acceptable. The criteria should be to bring them home as rapidly and safely as possible, an evolution which I think could be completed in a matter of weeks.
Our continued military presence in Somalia allows another situation to arise which could then lead to the wounding, killing or capture of American fighting men and women. We should do all in our power to avoid that.
I listened carefully to the President's remarks at a news conference that he held earlier today. I heard nothing in his discussion of the issue that would persuade me that further U.S. military involvement in the area is necessary. In fact, his remarks have persuaded me more profoundly that we should leave and leave soon.
Dates certain, Mr. President, are not the criteria here. What is the criteria and what should be the criteria is our immediate, orderly withdrawal from Somalia. And if we do not do that and other Americans die, other Americans are wounded, other Americans are captured because we stay too long--longer than necessary--then I would say that the responsibilities for that lie with the Congress of the United States who did not exercise their authority under the Constitution of the United States and mandate that they be brought home quickly and safely as possible. . . .
I know that this debate is going to go on this afternoon and I have a lot more to say, but the argument that somehow the United States would suffer a loss to our prestige and our viability, as far as the No. 1 superpower in the world, I think is baloney. The fact is, we won the cold war. The fact is, we won the Persian Gulf conflict. And the fact is that the United States is still the only major world superpower.
I can tell you what will erode our prestige. I can tell you what will hurt our viability as the world's superpower, and that is if we enmesh ourselves in a drawn-out situation which entails the loss of American lives, more debacles like the one we saw with the failed mission to capture Aideed's lieutenants, using American forces, and that then will be what hurts our prestige.
We suffered a terrible tragedy in Beirut, Mr. President; 240 young marines lost their lives, but we got out. Now is the time for us to get out of Somalia as rapidly and as promptly and as safely as possible.
I, along with many others, will have an amendment that says exactly that. It does not give any date certain. It does not say anything about any other missions that the United States may need or feels it needs to carry out. It will say that we should get out as rapidly and orderly as possible.
John McCain
I read that the other day, Trish and posted about it. The GOP flip-flop? What a difference 14 years makes.
ReplyDeleteHagel looked and sounded like the Old McCain straight talk, crisp cadence, comfortable confidence: "We can't change the outcome of Iraq by putting American troops in the middle of a civil war." He said the United States should pull its forces back to seal Iraq's borders and train Iraqis to police their civil war.
ReplyDeleteHagel spoke with the sort of un-hedged honesty rarely heard since McCain left the campaign trail. Unfortunately, that sort of candor won't get him far in the Republican race.
But that doesn't mean we've heard the last of Hagel in Campaign 2008.
Presidential Trail
Sorry, sam. I missed your own post of it. Be nice to find an article or two from wayback covering precisely that debate. It's been awhile and sometimes it's extremely helpful, or at least thought-provoking, to step out of our own moment.
ReplyDeleteLongish again, I do apologize. From Spencer Ackerman:
In Senate testimony yesterday, it was revealed that while the State Department is creating 350 new positions to support the Iraqi government during the surge, it has a manpower shortfall so severe that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is requesting the U.S. military -- already overburdened -- to fill up to a third of the civilian jobs. Defense Secretary Gates told Senators pronounced himself disappointed by Rice's request; be sure that Rice will have to answer for it in testimony tomorrow before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
And that's because of the broader logic of the surge. Both General David Petraeus and incoming Central Command chief Admiral Bill Fallon stated in their confirmation hearings last month that ultimate success in Iraq depends not on military victory, but on political and economic developments -- the idea that there's a better life for Iraqis who renounce violence. In other words, without sustained support from the State Department and other civilian agencies to improve the daily lives of Iraqis, arguably the most important aspect of the surge will never have a chance.
So why is State having such a hard time sending people to Iraq? I asked a State Department contact for a wingtips-on-the-ground perspective, and here's his candid, off-the-cuff response.
Here's the contact's reply:
There are a number of reasons why State folks are not chomping at the bit for those jobs.
1. 350 positions is A LOT. To put into perspective, some HR stats on State Department authorized total numbers at various embassies (these are just State Dept. staffing):
Emb. Cairo: 183
Emb. New Delhi: 203
Emb. Beijing: 249
Emb. Mexico City: 199
Emb. Moscow: 203
Emb. Pretoria: 124
Those are the authorized numbers. The actual staffing at those Embassies appears to be 10-15% less. And I've just given you the largest embassies in these regions -- the smaller ones would be even more severly impacted by officers moving out to go to Baghdad. And though the upper brass may disagree, I think that a lot of State folks realize that there are other important diplomatic priorities in addition to Iraq.
2. You ask about incentives. Sure, there are some. But at this point it seems that there's a strong sense that the benefit of serving in Iraq is being watered down. By benefit, I mean promotion, recognition, etc. State folks aren't in it for the money -- and that's the largest benefit of serving in Iraq. State is trying all kinds of other carrots in regards to future assignments & whatnot, but with so many folks serving or having served already, the likelihood of the benefits actually sticking? Seem slim.
3. Of course, there is the fact that State officers are political pragmatists as well. What happens when the administration changes? It may be that even the actual, promised benefits disappear.
4. Why would a seasoned Africa hand with fluent Swahili want to serve in Baghdad? Seems like a funny question, but given the stress context and regional knowhow is given in diplomacy, its important.
5. We all remember [this] moment. There may be some of us who don't want to be there if it happens again.
NYT 8th FEB :Several officials said it was unclear whether the attacks had succeeded because insurgents had adopted new tactics, but judging only by the number of successful attacks, it appeared to be part of a coordinated effort.
ReplyDelete...
An Internet message from an insurgent group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq took responsibility for shooting down the helicopter, the latest in a string of crashes that the group has claimed responsibility for. The message said that the group’s “antiaircraft” battalion downed the aircraft about 10:40 a.m. near Karma, and asserted that the crash was witnessed by hundreds of onlookers shouting “God is great,” according to the SITE Institute, which tracks Internet postings by insurgent groups.
Aha, remember you read it on EB first. Somebody has thrown a insurgent AD unit into the fight.
Missiles are suspected in the NYT report. I will hazard that the internet/news guesses as the the identity of the missles have revolved around sovietesque SA-7/14 Grail and SA-16/18 Grouse are quite wrong.
The Igla has a minumum range of 800 meters - think about trying to use that against helicopters in an urban environment
Iran operates the Bofors RBS-70 - a laser beam rider. The target gets maximum a couple seconds warning, flares are useless, infrared jammers useless. It is not quite man portable (tripod mounted) but is certainly pickup portable. Normal minimum range is 500m, but with safeties removed ... :). Figure the missile hitting directly will down a chopper even if the warhead fails.
Meanwhile Peackeeper, newsreports last night said the military didn't think the Sea Knight had been shot down. Confusion, misdirection?
ReplyDelete