Author Archives: Grace

Glover, Klein and Fonda on Israel at TIFF; Carter sells peanuts. Such creativity.

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From The National Post.

Artists, authors sign letter protesting Israeli spotlight at TIFF

Mark Medley, National Post Published: Thursday, September 03, 2009

Actor Danny Glover is one of more than 50 people have added their name to what’s being called The Toronto Declaration, a letter condemning the Toronto Film Festival's complicity in "the Israeli propaganda machine.” ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images Actor Danny Glover is one of more than 50 people have added their name to what’s being called The Toronto Declaration, a letter condemning the Toronto Film Festival’s complicity in “the Israeli …

TORONTO — The signatories of a new letter accusing the Toronto International Film Festival of becoming “complicit in the Israeli propaganda machine” run the gamut from an Oscar-winning actress to a rabble-rousing author to a Talking Head.

More than 50 people have added their name to what’s being called The Toronto Declaration, including musician David Byrne, actors Danny Glover and Jane Fonda, and author Alice Walker.

The letter, drafted by a committee that includes Canadian writer Naomi Klein and Israeli filmmaker Udi Aloni, is the latest move in a controversy that began when Canadian director John Greyson withdrew his short documentary, Covered, from the festival last week. The veteran filmmaker is protesting the festival’s inaugural City to City Spotlight on Tel Aviv, a 10-movie program that TIFF’s website promises will “explore the evolving urban experience while presenting the best documentary and fiction films from and about a selected city.” This year is Tel Aviv’s 100th anniversary.

Greyson penned an open letter to festival co-directors Piers Handling and Cameron Bailey, as well as to Noah Cowan, artistic director of the under-construction Bell Lightbox, blasting the initiative.

The declaration states that while the signatories are not protesting the individual filmmakers participating in the program and do not seek to exclude Israeli films from the festival, “in the wake of this year’s brutal assault on Gaza, we object to the use of such an important international festival in staging a propaganda campaign on behalf of what South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and UN General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann have all characterized as an apartheid regime.” Continue Reading →

International terrorist stench lingers beyond Toronto 18

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From The National Post

International links linger after ‘Toronto 18’ member imprisoned

‘A worldwide battle’

Stewart Bell, National Post Published: Thursday, September 03, 2009

BRAMPTON — He has been called the Terrorist Mr. Fix-It. Aabid Hussein Khan was an avid al-Qaeda supporter who recruited young Muslims and arranged their passage to Pakistan for terrorist training.

Although he lived in central England, Khan travelled often, including to Toronto, where he intended to rent an apartment for recruits on their way to Pakistan’s network of weapons training camps.

“He was always spoken of in the sense of one who could facilitate travel to places for training and was particularly hopeful of having a place near Toronto, where his wife lived,” said Mubin Shaikh, who informed on Khan’s associates in Toronto for the RCMP.

Now in a British prison, Khan is considered a key figure in a terrorist network that spanned a half-dozen countries, including Canada. He is also one of a growing number of friends, associates and co-conspirators within that network who have been convicted of terrorist crimes following a series of overlapping investigations. Continue Reading →

Toronto 18 terrorist Khalid nets fourteen years in the clink

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“Rome has to be defeated” “God is great”.

Electronic detonators, ammonium nitrate, rental trucks and cellphone-activated triggers. The Book of Jihad. The Virtues of Jihad.

” To begin with, I would like to make it clear I was not motivated by a hate of Canada, Canadians, democracy or Canadian values of freedom, civil liberties and women’s rights. I was instead motivated by issues of disagreement on Canadian foreign policy, specifically Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan and I thought I could make a difference”. Saad Khalid, convicted terrorist.

From The Ottawa Citizen.

‘Toronto 18’ terror suspect gets 14 years in prison

By Stewart Bell, National Post September 3, 2009 10:32 PM
Saad Khalid pleaded guilty to aiding the plot to detonate bombs in Toronto's bustling downtown core last May.

Saad Khalid pleaded guilty to aiding the plot to detonate bombs in Toronto’s bustling downtown core last May.

Photograph by: Reuters, np

BRAMPTON, Ont. — A man, 23, who admitted he was part of a plot to detonate truck bombs in downtown Toronto to protest Canada’s military involvement in Afghanistan, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Thursday.

Justice Bruce Durno called terrorism “the most vile form of criminal conduct” and said while Saad Khalid was not the prime mover behind the bomb plot, he had nonetheless, played a significant role.

“He was not just a gopher,” the judge said, adding Khalid had bought electrical components and recruited another person into the group. “He was not someone who just sat waiting for his next assignment without providing input.”

But Khalid could be released on parole in a little more than two years, since the judge gave him seven years credit for the time he has already served since his arrest on June 2, 2006. He was banned for life from possessing firearms or explosives.

“He’s perfectly happy with the outcome,” his lawyer Russell Silverstein told reporters outside the Brampton courthouse. “It could have been a lot worse.” The Crown had been seeking a term of 18 to 20 years. Continue Reading →

Bombing mastermind appointed to Iran’s parliament

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From The Guardian U.K.

Iran appoints bombing suspect as defence minister

General Ahmad Vahidi wanted by Interpol in connection with attack on Jewish centre in Argentina that killed 85

General Ahmad Vahidi delivers a speech to the Iranian parliament.General Ahmad Vahidi delivers a speech to the Iranian parliament after being nominated as defence minister. Photograph: Vahid Salemi/AP

The Iranian parliament has approved the controversial nomination for defence secretary of a man wanted in connection with the murder of 85 people at a Jewish centre in Argentina. Continue Reading →

Christian minister sacked from radio gig; hurts delicate Muslim sensitivities

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From the Telegraph U.K.

From the I’m sorry, so sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, please forgive me file.

Case of Christian minister dismissed from radio station over alleged ‘Muslim insults’ to go to European Court of Justice

A Christian radio presenter who claims he was sacked for offending Muslims is to have his case considered by the European Court of Justice.

By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent
Published: 6:15PM BST 01 Sep 2009The Rev Mahboob Masih, a minister in the Church of Scotland, says he was dismissed from his position as a volunteer on Awaz FM after a “lively” debate about differences between Christianity and Islam.

He took the case to an employment tribunal, arguing that he was unfairly dismissed and discriminated against on the grounds of his religion.

The Asian community station in Glasgow, which receives public money, denied discrimination and claimed the tribunal could not hear the case as Mr Masih was not a paid employee.

Now the case has been passed to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg for judges to make an important ruling on whether volunteers are protected by anti-discrimination legislation.

Raymond Williamson, an employment judge, said: “I ask myself the question, ‘can it be right that the respondent, a creature of statute, partly funded out of public funds and set up with the aim of promoting social cohesion, should be able to discriminate on religious grounds against the volunteer staff it is obliged to engage as a condition of its licence?'”

Andrea Minichiello Williams, a barrister and founder of the Christian Legal Centre, which backs alleged victims of religion discrimination, said: “We are grateful for the brave decision of Employment Judge Williamson.

“Rev Masih looks forward greatly to the European Court case as this will give Christians throughout Europe a unique opportunity to have their rights confirmed in law.”

As The Sunday Telegraph reported in January, Mr Masih had hosted a Saturday morning show on Awaz FM for six years before he fell out with management in July 2008.

An on-air discussion with his co-host and a guest about a prominent Muslim speaker, Zakir Naik, led to accusations that they were trying to “create friction”.

Mr Masih later said sorry to listeners and claims he was asked to make another apology at a local mosque, which the station denies.

He says he was sent a letter terminating his contract and telling him that he had “failed to remain neutral” and had allowed his guest to “make comments which led to offending various members of the community”.

A spokesman for Awaz FM said: “We are deeply disappointed that it has come this far. We don’t judge people on creed, colour or religion.”

Naked in Iraq

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From The Telegraph.co.uk.

''The Naked Woman'' by Picasso

”The Naked Woman” by Picasso Photo: AP

Stolen Picasso painting ‘The Naked Woman’ found in Iraq

A Picasso painting stolen from Kuwait during Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion has been discovered in southern Iraq.

Iraqi police arrested a man who was planning to sell “The Naked Woman” during a raid on his house in southern Iraq, officials said on Wednesday.

The painting was apparently among the artwork looted from Kuwait by Iraqi forces, said police spokesman Maj. Muthana Khalid.

It was seized on Tuesday during a raid near the mainly Shia city of Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad.

Mr Khalid said the man was trying to sell the painting for $450,000 (£275,000), but some Iraqi experts who saw the painting said it was worth as much as $10 million.

The painting, which was signed by Pablo Picasso and bore inscriptions from “The Museum of Kuwait”, was being held as evidence while the suspected was interrogated, Mr Khalid said.

Goods and artwork from the neighbouring country’s wealthy homes and its national museum were hauled back to Iraq after the invasion, which led to the 1991 Gulf War.

Kingston court denies Shafias right to communicate with their remaining children

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From the National Post.

A Kingston court rescinded Tuesday Mohammed Shafia and his second wife Tooba  Mohammed Yayha’s previous grant to communicate with their surviving children. Their son Hamed has also been denied the privilege of communicating with his siblings. All three have been formally charged with four counts of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of their three teenage daughters, (Hamid’s sisters) and Mohammed’s first wife. The bodies of Zianab, Sahari and Geeti Shafia and Rona Amir Mohammed were pulled from a submerged car at the Kingston Locks in late June. It is suspected that the murders may be honour killings. The three surviving children are in the care of Montreal child protective services.

——–

KINGSTON, Ont. — A Montreal couple accused in the death of their three daughters and the husband’s first wife in June have been denied the right to speak to their remaining children, a judge has ruled.

Mohammad Shafia, 56, and Tooba Mohammed Yahya, 39, are charged with four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the deaths of four women.

According to the Kingston Whig-Standard, the couple was ordered to cease communication shortly after their arrest. A court order allowing the couple to communicate with their children was brought into effect three weeks ago.

The exemption was rescinded Tuesday in a Kingston, Ont., court.

The couple’s 18-year-old son, Hamid Mohammed Shafia, who is facing the same charges, was also denied the right to speak to his remaining three siblings.

The bodies of the Shafia sisters Zainab, 19; Sahari, 17; and Geeti, 13 along with the 50-year-old Rona Amir Mohammad were pulled out a car submerged in the Rideau Canal near Kingston on June 30.

The family had originally told police investigators that their eldest daughter Zainab had taken the family vehicle for a joyride the night before the bodies were found. It was later reported that the daughter had been rebellious and that the killings may have been linked to “honour.”

Montreal Gazette

Terrorist cries regret for involvement in Toronto 18 bomb plot

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From the Toronto Star.

Terrorist ‘filled with regret’ for bomb plot

Aug 26, 2009 04:30 AM

Isabel Teotonio

Staff reporter

ALEX TAVSHUNSKY FOR THE TORONTO STAR
Saad Khalid, 22, on first day of his sentencing hearing June 22, 2009.

A Mississauga man who pleaded guilty to belonging to a homegrown terror cell plotting to detonate truck bombs in downtown Toronto told a court yesterday he is “not a lunatic who is hell bent on the destruction of western civilization.”

Saad Khalid, a member of the so-called Toronto 18, said he made a “huge mistake and not a day passes by that I am not filled with regret for my role in this despicable crime.”

“I never wanted to hurt anybody,” said Khalid, 23, while reading a prepared statement at the start of his sentencing hearing.

Khalid, who has been in jail since his arrest in June 2006, told the Brampton court he was motivated to get involved with the group because he disagreed with Canada’s military presence in Afghanistan.

He asked Superior Court Justice Bruce Durno for a “second chance,” explaining that while in jail he has studied Islam and consulted with imams and now understands the errors of his way.

Defence lawyer Russell Silverstein suggested Khalid be given a 10-year sentence and extra credit for time served, including 15 months in solitary confinement.

Crown prosecutor Croft Michaelson said a more appropriate sentence is 18 to 20 years, with eligibility for parole after serving half of his sentence.

Khalid is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 3.

Historical fantasies: Elmasry on Islamic slavery

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From the National Post.

Historical fantasies

Jonathan Kay, National Post Published: Monday, August 24, 2009

This just in from former Canadian Islamic Congress chief Mohamed Elmasry: Islamic slavery wasn’t all that bad.

Writing in The Canadian Charger — a newly formed internet-based grab bag of anti-Western articles published by hard-left Canadian activists — Elmasry works hard to distinguish the evils of Christian slavery from the purportedly enlightened race-mixing that resulted from its Islamic equivalent.

Some snippets: “Islam, with no church, teaches that all humans, irrespective of their gender, skin col-our and ethnic origin are capable of doing good; there is no original sin. The One God is the Lord of all, not of special people or tribe[s] … Islam and Africa have made something of each other that is quite extraordinary … Islam teaches that slaves, who were then the result of wars, Africans or not, should be treated well and set free as soon as possible … Islam also teaches that slaves can buy their freedom in-kind. Thus many of them excelled to be teachers and even scholars … Islam teaches a slave is a victim of circumstances who should be helped to be free and treated fairly in the mean time. Trading in slaves is a sin. This is in contrast to the teachings of the Bible, ‘Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling.'” … The Arab Muslims called Africans Zanji (hence the island of Zanjibar or Zanzibar), Habashi (from Habasha, Arabic for Ethiopian) or Sudani (Arabic for black). Such

Elmasry’s theme is that Islamic slavery was an enlightened exercise in regional

multiculturalism

names “were not derogatory but simply ethnographic … Some [slaves] achieved high rank and status …” And so on.

The basic theme is that Islamic slavery — to the extent it was bad at all (and it’s not really clear that Elmasry thinks it was) — was an enlightened, almost consensual, win-win exercise in regional multiculturalism. In his characteristically absurd elevation of Islam over Christianity, he makes no mention of the fact that religious Christians led the abolition movement in the West — while slavery persisted wholesale in the Arab world until late in the 20th century, and still survives in parts of Islamic Africa, including Sudan. Indeed, one wonders what the Christian tribes-people from southern Sudan who have been abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and enslaved by Arab Muslims in recent years would make of Elmasry’s historical fantasies.

It’s amazing, isn’t it? Our Christian leaders seem to do nothing but apologize these days — for every historical sin under the sun. But here you have a man who recently led the most prominent Muslim activist group in Canada, and he thinks it’s just dandy that his Arab forebears colonized and enslaved great swathes of Africa over the course of many centuries — a colonial situation that essentially persists in Sudan and regions of the Maghreb.

Remember this the next time Elmasry or one of his fellow travelers denounces Western “imperialism.”

jk**@**********st.com

Top 10 reasons why sharia law is not good for any society, anywhere

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The following article is from American Thinker. Though written in 2005, it’s message is still relevant and poignant, perhaps even more so today. It is lengthy, but well worth reading.

As I write this, England has 85 active sharia courts with more promised to come. Canada faces a lively and unapologetic sharia underground and has seen a disproportionate share of recent, suspected honour killings. Italy and France struggle with near impossible sharia demands as does Australia, Belgium, Holland, Ireland, Scotland, Spain and the United States, to name a scant few. Christians world-wide are being persecuted in the name of Islamic law along with thousands of Muslims with a particular cruel bent toward women and children. Muslim gays are being tracked, tormented, ridiculed, beaten, jailed and murdered.  Anti-Semitism, anti-Western and anti-Israeli rhetoric have all increased.

James Arlandson writes a thoroughly researched and thoughtful article complete with abundant source material on whether Islam is just in it’s laws that Muhammed himself invented, practiced and introduced to the world. The article in short, says NO to the query for 10 verifiable reasons.

ten reasons why sharia is bad for all societies

By James Arlandson

Traditional Muslims who understand the Quran and the hadith believe that sharia (Islamic law) expresses the highest and best goals for all societies. It is the will of Allah.
But is Islam just in its laws that Muhammad himself practiced and invented?

This article says no for ten verifiable reasons.

Here are four points you must read, before reading this article:

First, sometimes these ten points quote the Quran or omit it; sometimes they quote the hadith (reports of Muhammad’s words and actions outside of the Quran) or omit it. This is done only to keep down the length of the article. No one should be fooled into believing that these harsh and excessive laws were invented in the fevered imagination of extremists who came long after Muhammad. These harsh and excessive laws come directly from the founder of Islam in his Quran and in his example in the hadith. Continue Reading →

Varallo Sesia, Italy says no to burqini, loves bikini

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Italian city bans burqini

“We don’t have to be tolerant all the time”. “Imagine a western woman bathing in a bikini in a Muslim country. The consequences could be decapitation, prison or deportation. We are merely prohibiting the use of the burqini”. Mayor Gianluca Buonanno, of Varallo Sesia, Italy.

http://www.whydemocracy.net/house/news/files/imagecache/weblog/files/images/Burqini.gif http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wW9TmD1IBxc/SiBV1zF_X9I/AAAAAAAAA1I/rrWgKWT_3Fc/s400/sabina+gadecki+bikini1.JPG

THE anti-immigration mayor of a northern Italian city has barred Muslim women from wearing the controversial body-concealing swimsuit known as a burqini, it was reported.

Women wearing the garment made up of a veil, a tunic and loose leggings face a fine of 500 euros ($850) if spotted at swimming pools or riversides in the northern Piedmont town of Varallo Sesia, said the ANSA news agency today.

“The sight of a ‘masked woman’ could disturb small children not to mention problems of hygiene,” mayor Gianluca Buonanno was quoted as saying.

“We don’t have to be tolerant all the time,” he said.

Justifying the move, Mr Buonanno said: “Imagine a Western woman bathing in a bikini in a Muslim country. The consequences could be decapitation, prison or deportation. We are merely prohibiting the use of the burqini.”

Last week a swimming pool in Paris refused entry to a burqini-clad Muslim on similar grounds, adding to tensions over Muslim dress in France.

The incident came as French MPs conducted hearings on whether to ban the burqa after President Nicolas Sarkozy said the head-to-toe body covering and veil was “not welcome” in France, home to Europe’s biggest Muslim minority.

Mr Buonanno belongs to Italy’s Northern League, a party allied with the centre-right People of Freedom led by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. It has backed several initiatives hostile to Muslims.

Taliban cuts off voters fingers

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Taliban ‘cut off fingers of two Afghan voters’

Afghanistan election monitors are reporting irregularities and violence – including an attack on voters with ink-stained fingers.

Taliban militants cut off the ink-stained fingers of two Afghan voters in the militant south during the presidential election, the country’s top election monitoring group said today.

Two voters who had dipped their index fingers in purple ink – a fraud prevention measure – were attacked in Kandahar province shortly after voting on Thursday, according to Nader Nadery, the head of the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan.

Rumours that militants would cut off voters’ ink-stained fingers spread before the vote following threats from the Taliban.

Nadery said his group also saw widespread problems with election officials pressuring people to vote for certain candidates. Election monitors also saw voters carrying boxes of voter cards to polling sites, he said, allowing them to vote multiple times. There were also problems with underage voting and election officials being ejected from polling stations by representatives of candidates. Continue Reading →

Ramadan and the surge of violent jihad

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From The National Post.

Muslim world braces for Ramadan violence

Peter Goodspeed, National Post Published: Friday, August 21, 2009

Muslims in Turkey attend Friday prayers during the first day of Ramadan. The Muslim holy month often coincides with a spike in violence.

Umit Bektas/Reuters Muslims in Turkey attend Friday prayers during the first day of Ramadan.

The Muslim holy month often coincides with a spike in violence.

—————-

More than one billion Muslims mark the start of Ramadan on Friday – their holiest month of the year, devoted to prayer, fasting and charity.

But for a small minority, it is also regarded as an auspicious time to escalate violence in the name of jihad.

As a result, experts expect a surge in terrorism attacks during Ramadan, when most Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset in a spiritual exercise that teaches discipline, self-restraint and generosity.

This week, in the run-up to Ramadan, hundreds of Muslims were murdered in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Yemen and Somalia.

Seven massive car bombs exploded in Iraq on Wednesday, killing 96 people and injuring 536; yesterday four suicide bombers attacked police posts in Chechnya, just days after a bomb outside a police station in neighbouring Ingushetia killed 25 people and injured 160. Fierce fighting also exploded in Somalia on Friday, killing 22 people, as Islamist rebels launched a Ramadan offensive against African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu. Continue Reading →

Islamic ‘scholar’ sacked in the Netherlands, blames Islamophobia

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From The Independent.

Islamic scholar hits out over sacking

Dutch authorities fire Swiss intellectual and TV anchor over links to Iran

By John Lichfield

Thursday, 20 August 2009

Tariq Ramadan claims Islamophobia is behind the decision to fire him
AP

Tariq Ramadan claims Islamophobia is behind the decision to fire him

The controversial Islamic theologian Tariq Ramadan has been fired from two jobs in the Netherlands for allegedly endorsing the Iranian regime by hosting a chat show on a Tehran-backed TV channel.

Mr Ramadan, already persona non grata in the United States, has dismissed the decisions as “simplistic” and driven by the “Islamophobia” generated in Dutch politics by the populist campaigner Geert Wilders.

The Swiss writer, lecturer and theologian, 46, has been frequently accused of preaching a moderate “European” Islam to Western audiences and taking a more extreme line when talking to fellow Muslims. He has been hailed by his admirers as an “Islamic Martin Luther”, capable of reconciling the Koran with democracy and Western modernity, and attacked by critics as an anti-Semite and terrorist fellow traveller.

Mr Ramadan has, nonetheless, become one of the most influential Islamic voices in the world. He has been given a series of high-profile jobs by European institutions and governments, including a place on a task force set up by Tony Blair in 2005 to combat Islamic extremism in Britain.

The city of Rotterdam and the Erasmus University based in the city have jointly decided to dismiss him from his posts as community adviser and visiting lecturer on religion. This follows several days of heated debate in the Netherlands about Mr Ramadan’s position as a presenter of a political chat show on Press TV, a London-based, Iranian-backed satellite TV channel.

In a joint statement, the city and the university criticised Mr Ramadan for remaining host of Islam and Life despite the “hard-handed stifling” of opposition to the results of the July elections. They said that he had “failed sufficiently to realise the feelings that participation in this television program… might provoke in Rotterdam and beyond”.

In an open letter on his website, Mr Ramadan has dismissed the allegations as driven by Dutch politics rather than a TV programme devoted to “critical debate” on Islam.

“Should we be surprised that this latest accusation has surfaced only in the Netherlands?” he wrote.

“It is as if I in particular, and Islam in general, were being used to promote certain political agendas in the upcoming Dutch elections. Geert Wilders, who wins votes while comparing the Koran to Hitler’s Mein Kampf, casts a long shadow.”

Mr Ramadan said that he had publicly criticised the repression of opposition in Iran and supported the country’s “long march… toward transparency and respect for human rights”.

His TV show was committed to “critical debate”. His guests had included “atheists, rabbis, priests, women with and without headscarves”. They had debated issues such as “freedom, reason, interfaith dialogue, Sunni versus Shia Islam, violence, jihad, love and art”.

“I challenge my critics to scrutinise these programmes and in them to find the slightest evidence of support for the Iranian regime.”

Mr Ramadan is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, one of the founders of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, while his great uncle, Gamal al-Banna, was a prominent liberal Islamic reformer.

Critics point to a puzzling ambivalence in some of Mr Ramadan’s teachings and writings, reflecting the influence of both his grandfather and his great uncle.

He argues for a “European Islam” which will respect European traditions and laws but he also speaks of the supremacy over secular law of the Koran and sharia. In 2003 he refused, during a TV debate with the future president Nicolas Sarkozy, to condemn the use of stoning as capital punishment but called for a “moratorium” on it.