Author Archives: Grace

The Stones.

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When I think of stones I think of The Rolling Stones. When these women think of stones, they think of death. In April of this year the United Nations elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women……

SkyNews

Iranian Stoning Film To Be Shown In London

11:44pm UK, Thursday October 14, 2010

Lisa Holland, World Affairs correspondent

A film portraying the real-life stoning of an Iranian woman is opening in London, but it’s a film the Iranian government does not want the world to see.

Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani is sentenced to be stoned for adulteryThe film is dedicated to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, facing execution in Iran.

It depicts a brutal form of punishment still sanctioned by Iran’s current hard-line regime.

The film’s director claims some European governments have been reluctant to support it – fearful of antagonising Iran’s regime, already at loggerheads with the west.

The film The Stoning Of Soraya M is based on the true story of a woman brutally killed after being falsely accused of adultery.

Soraya is stoned to death in her Iranian village under Islamic Sharia law.

The film’s director, Cyrus Nowrasteh, has dedicated the screening to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani currently facing execution by stoning or hanging in Iran for adultery.

Cyrus NowrastehThe film’s director Cyrus Nowrasteh

Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said: “The final scenes of The Stoning Of Soraya M are quite horrific and many viewers might want to turn away. I’d urge them not to.

“This is the cruel reality of execution by stoning; watch, be enraged, and take action to stop this inhumane practice.

“The case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has been taken up by people all over the world, who have protested and written letters to the Iranian authorities urging them to stop her execution by any method.

“We have to keep this pressure up and make it clear to Iran’s leaders that killing Sakineh would cause a global outrage.

“Stonings are thankfully rare in Iran but they represent the ugly tip of a very large iceberg.

“At least 190 people have already been executed this year in Iran, mostly by hanging and after unfair trials.

“Amnesty opposes the death penalty regardless of the method of execution.

“We are calling on the Iranian authorities to stop this execution, stop the use of stoning altogether and stop criminalising the sex lives of consenting adults.”

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the west of using the Ashtiani case to generate further opposition against it – at a time when Iran’s nuclear programme is drawing international condemnation and concern.

The Stoning Of Soraya M serves as a painful reminder of the ruthlesslness of the Iranian government – past and present.

Canada: Ottawa argues no to compensation for Abousfian Abdelrazik

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From The Globe and Mail

Abdelrazik deserves no compensation, Ottawa argues

Abousfian Abdelrazik deserves nothing, despite claims that he was tortured in Sudan’s notorious prisons after being targeted by Canadian counterterrorism agents, the government says in a sweeping repudiation of a $27-million lawsuit.

Mr. Abdelrazik, a Canadian citizen, was denied return to Canada for years until a federal court judge ruled the Harper government had violated his rights and ordered him flown home. He claims that Canadian agents arranged for his arrest in Khartoum, that they knew he would be tortured, and that government ministers, acting in bad faith, then willfully thwarted his return even after he was released from prison.

More related to this story

The government admits that Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon’s “denial of an emergency passport” violated Mr. Abdelrazik’s Charter right “to enter Canada,” but denies Mr. Cannon “breached the plaintiffs charter right knowingly and in bad faith.” Mr. Abdelrazik’s suit, if successful, would dwarf the $10-million Ottawa paid Maher Arar for its role in identifying him to U.S. agents who flew him to Syria, where he was imprisoned and tortured.

The government’s 34-page statement of defence in Mr. Abdelrazik’s case doesn’t explain how agents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service knew before anyone else in the Canadian government that Mr. Abdelrazik was in prison in Khartoum, or how CSIS agents came to interrogate him in a Sudanese jail while Canadian consular officers were denied access.

“Clearly, Mr. Abdelrazik was arrested in Sudan on the basis on information that came from Canada,” Paul Champ, his lawyer, said. Justice Department lawyers deny Canada “requested, suggested or prompted Sudanese officials to arrest,” Mr. Abdelrazik, who had been under CSIS surveillance in Montreal for years. The government, however, acknowledged that CSIS shares intelligence with other counterterrorist agencies. Nothing in the government statement precludes the kind of second-hand arrangement whereby French or American agencies could have alerted Sudan based on a CSIS tip. U.S. agents also interrogated Mr. Abdelrazik in Sudan, but Canadian diplomats rejected his pleas for them to attend.

The government concedes it knew that torture was rife in Sudan’s prisons, but claims Mr. Abdelrazik “was detained but not tortured.”

The case could take years to resolve. The government has already warned that it will redact hundreds of thousands of pages before making them available.

Among the thousands of pages already released are documents marked “CSIS,” though apparently originating from the Foreign Affairs Department, which state Mr. Abdelrazik was arrested “at our request.” Mr. Abdelrazik, meanwhile, remains the only Canadian on the United Nations Security Council’s 1267 terrorist watch list despite formal letters from both CSIS and the RCMP that neither agency has any current reason to warrant blacklisting him. He cannot work because Canadian law makes it a crime to employ anyone on the list.

Mr. Abdelrazik’s entry on the 1267 list, echoing his listing on U.S. watch lists, claims he was an al-Qaeda operative linked to an extremist cell in Montreal who travelled to Pakistan and Chechnya to participate in jihad – or holy war.

Mr. Abdelrazik flatly rejects any association with any extremist group and says his travel was solely connected with humanitarian relief in conflict zones.

He came to Canada in 1990, was granted refugee status, and became a Canadian citizen after marrying a Quebecker. He says his return to Sudan in 2003 was intended as a visit to his ailing mother.

As for the torture alleged by Mr. Abdelrazik, the government acknowledges that he showed abdominal scars to Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai in 2008. Subsequently, government lawyers cross-examining Mr. Abdelrazik alleged he had mutilated himself as part of an obscure religious rite.

Mr. Champ said Mr. Abdelrazik believes CSIS has resumed shadowing him. “He knows what it is like to be followed,” Mr. Champ said, adding that if CSIS agents were “following him again it would be really cruel,” especially after clearing him in writing. “They have persecuted him for more than a decade for living in the wrong apartment block and saying hello to the wrong people at the mosque.”

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Moonwalking terror suspect Khurram Syed Sher granted bail

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From The Ottawa Sun

News Ottawa and Region

Second terror suspect granted bail

By KENNETH JACKSON, Ottawa Sun

Last Updated: October 13, 2010 11:04pm

Terror suspect Dr. Khurram Syed Sher was released on bail in Ottawa on Wednesday. Errol McGihon, Ottawa Sun
Terror suspect Dr. Khurram Syed Sher was released on bail in Ottawa on Wednesday. Errol McGihon, Ottawa Sun

The alleged terrorist who once moonwalked across the stage auditioning for Canadian Idol was granted bail Wednesday.

Dr. Khurram Syed Sher didn’t dance out of the courthouse but did break out the robot in jail before attending the bail hearing, his lawyer Anser Farooq said.

Farooq said his client has a sense of humour and did the ’80s dance move at Ottawa’s provincial jail on Innes Rd. despite not knowing how Wednesday would turn out.

Sher stopped for a throng of media waiting for him outside the Elgin St. courthouse. Besides a “no comment” Sher didn’t respond to questions until a television reporter asked how the fresh air felt.

“It’s nice,” he replied with a small smirk.

Sher, 28, and co-accused Misbahuddin Ahmed, 26, and Hiva Mohammad Alizadeh, 31, are charged with conspiring with people in Canada, Iran, Afghanistan, Dubai and Pakistan to facilitate terrorism.

The reasons for Justice of the Peace Louisette Girault’s decision are covered by a standard publication ban.

Sher will reside at a family member’s home in Mississauga and have to report to the RCMP in Etobicoke once a week. He also can only use the Internet to continue his studies under supervision of a surety, as well as not communicate with the accused. His sureties posted a $183,000 bond.

Ahmed and Alizadeh are also charged with possessing explosives and Alizadeh with financing terrorism.

“It’s going to take some time to sink in,” said Farooq of his client being on bail.

Farooq said their goal is to get the case moving along so Sher can clear his name. Farooq said he’s going to push to the Crown to reassess their case against Sher because he feels there isn’t enough evidence that implicates him.

Ahmed has already been granted bail but the Crown is appealing it. Alizadeh has yet to have a bail hearing.

Investigators with Project Samossa allege a plot to build and detonate bombs in Canada and raise money to help Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

Soon after his arrest, a video of Sher showed his awkward 2008 appearance on the Canadian Idol reality talent show.

Sher, then a 25-year-old McGill medical student, drew laughs and ridicule from the panel for his butchered rendition of Avril Lavigne’s hit song Complicated.

Bearded and wearing traditional Pakistani clothing, Sher performed the moonwalk, kicked up his leg Michael Jackson-style and performed robotic breakdancing moves.

The young doctor had told the panel that he liked hockey, music and acting. He had been heavily involved in sporting events and student life as a medical student at McGill, where he graduated in 2005.

Sher left Montreal in June for a job as a pathologist in London, Ont.

Colleagues at St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital were shocked when they learned of his arrest.

— with QMI Agency files

ke*************@******ia.ca

More cultural enrichment in Canada: the importation of polygamy, child brides, forced marriages

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From The Ottawa Sun

Polygamy, child brides pose problems for immigration officials

By BRIAN LILLEY, Parliamentary Bureau

Last Updated: October 12, 2010 4:13pm

OTTAWA – Forced marriages, child brides, polygamy and arranged marriages between first cousins are some of the problems that Canadian immigration officials in Pakistan have to deal with.

The revelations are contained in a 26-page report prepared by Canadian officials working out of the immigration and visa office in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. The report was obtained by immigration lawyer Richard Kurland through access to information legislation and supplied to QMI Agency.

“With few exceptions, the Islamabad spousal reunification programme involves Muslim proxy marriages arranged by the families, the vast majority of which take place between first cousins,” reads the report.

According to Kurland, polygamy is most common among wealthy Pakistani families trying to immigrant to Canada. Canadian officials often won’t reject an application just because a man has more than one wife, Kurland said.

“They say we can’t do this because you are polygamists so you have to divorce some, keep one and work it out domestically,” Kurland said. Kurland told QMI that often second or third wives will be sponsored into Canada as skilled workers for a business or as a maid for the household.

As for first cousins marrying, while the practice is not common in Canada due to a higher risk of birth defects, marrying your cousin is legal in this country.

“Marriages that are legal in Canada are legal for the purposes of immigration and sponsorship,” said Alykhan Velshi, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

Tazeen Ahmad, a British woman of Pakistani descent, produced a documentary earlier this year for Channel 4 called Dispatches: When Cousins Marry.

Ahmad documented the cultural reasons for the practice among British Pakistanis as well as the problems, such as a high rate of recessive gene disorders.

Canadian Court of Appeal ‘decides’ on niqabs in courtrooms

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From The Ottawa Sun

Putting face on religion

By MICHELE MANDEL, QMI Agency

Last Updated: October 13, 2010 10:08pm

TORONTO – It is a typically Canadian solution.

The Ontario Court of Appeal won’t ban Muslim witnesses from wearing a face veil. Nor will the highest court in the province grant them an automatic right to do so.

Instead, in its highly anticipated decision, the appeal court has ruled right down the middle, saying “each case must turn on its own facts.”

As long as it doesn’t prejudice a fair trial, the court ruled, Muslim women should have the religious right to wear their niqab when testifying.

But if a judge is convinced by the accused that he can’t properly defend himself if she’s testifying against him behind a veil, the witness must remove her niqab and allow the face-to-face confrontation that is the norm in Canadian courts.

Justice system

“The criminal justice system as it presently operates, and as it has operated for centuries, places considerable value on the ability of lawyers and the trier of fact to see the full face of the witness as the witness testifies,” wrote Justice David Doherty in the ruling released Wednesday morning on behalf of the three-judge panel.

“There is no getting around the reality that in some cases, particularly those involving trial by jury where a witness’s credibility is central to the outcome, a judge will have a difficult decision to make.”

It was not a clear-cut victory for any side, but one cautiously applauded by all.

“It’s a real step forward,” said David Butt, lawyer for N.S., the Toronto woman who was ordered to remove her niqab at a preliminary hearing. “This walks a middle ground that balances two very important, competing rights.”

N.S. came forward in 2007 and accused her uncle and cousin of sexually abusing her as a child. When the case went to a preliminary hearing in 2008, she said she wanted to testify while wearing her niqab. When the judge ruled against her, she took her case to the Ontario Court of Appeal in June.

In its 54-page decision, the three-judge appeal panel ruled that there needs to be a “case by case assessment” and for the first time set out guidelines for judges in these previously “uncharted waters”.

For N.S., the appeal court overturned her niqab ban and said she must be given a proper hearing to show why her religion requires her to cover all but her eyes.

The defence must also be allowed to call evidence on the issue before the judge decides if she can testify wearing her veil or whether accommodations can be made for her testimony — such as an all-female court.

“The court did not decide the crux issue of whether the niqab comes off or stays on,” said N.S.’ lawyer.

“On the other hand, the court has given us a very firm set of factors to guide us.”

The Criminal Lawyers’ Association had argued that a witness can’t be properly cross-examined if their face is concealed but was satisfied with the ruling.

“It is a paradigmatic, Canadian decision insofar as it strikes a very workable compromise rather than making a choice between two important competing values,” noted association president Paul Burstein. “Time will tell.”

Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, was relieved the court of appeal did not grant an automatic right to give testimony behind the veil, which he insists is a political, not a religious, symbol. But he was troubled the appeal court seemed to bend over backwards to accommodate women wearing a face covering many in the west see as backward and misogynistic.

“They do not think that Muslim women are women per se, but some kind of exotic species that they have to nurture in the laboratory that’s called Canada,” Fatah complained.

For its part, the appeal court wisely shied away from making a definitive ruling on a piece of cloth that continues to divide.

“The wearing of a niqab in public places is controversial in many countries including Canada,” Doherty wrote.

“The controversy raises important public policy concerns that have generated heated debate. Those difficult and important questions are not the focus of this proceeding and cannot and should not be resolved in this forum.”

mi************@******ia.ca

“How to kill Americans” and other ‘tips’ published in al-Qaeda magazine.

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From The Telegraph U.K.

Al-Qaeda magazine published ‘tips on how to kill Americans’

A magazine run by the Yemeni group al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula has published a list of tips on how to kill Americans.

Published: 7:00AM BST 12 Oct 2010

Al-Qaeda magazine published 'tips on how to kill Americans'

Underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab at a desert camp in Yemen Photo: AP

“A random hit at a crowded restaurant in Washington, DC at lunch … might end up knocking out a few government employees,” one article reads, according to the private SITE Intelligence Group, which studies, tracks and analyses the global jihadist network and terrorism financing.

The edition also includes “The Ultimate Mowing Machine,” which describes how to use a pickup truck “as a mowing machine, not to mow grass, but mow down the enemies of Allah.” It says “to achieve maximum carnage, you need to pick up as much speed as you can while still retaining good control . . . to strike as many people as possible in your first run.”

The magazine includes two articles by renegade US cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is on a US government kill-or-capture list for his alleged roles in the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing, and inspiring the Fort Hood shooting of 13 troops. Army Major Nidal Hassan has been charged in the killings.

There’s also an article by the so-called American al-Qaeda, Adam Gadahn.

Another American, Samir Khan, describes how he went from online jihadist in North Carolina to full-time terrorist in Yemen. The article is entitled, “I Am Proud to be a Traitor to America.”

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has taken root in Yemen’s remote and mountainous Shabwa province, far from the reach of the country’s weak central government.

The group rose toward the top of the security agenda of the United States and other world powers after it was linked to the failed Christmas Day attempt to down a Detroit-bound US airliner. The would-be bomber had explosives sewn into his underwear.

The magazine’s content reveals the group’s evolving strategy of rejecting easier-to-stop spectacular attacks in favour of one-man operations, using everyday objects.

That shows the organisation is “increasingly agile, lethal and opportunistic,” according to Yemeni scholar Christopher Boucek from the Carnegie Endowment.

The first edition included an article called “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.”

In the introduction to the latest magazine, the editors boast of “recent US assessments” that declared al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula “one of the most dangerous branches of al-Qaeda.” It concludes, “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Aisha shows her new face to the world.

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From The Telegraph U.K.

Taliban oppression poster girl unveils new nose

A woman who became the poster girl of Taliban oppression in Afghanistan after being mutilated by her husband has unveiled her new face to the world.

By Toby Harnden in Washington
Published: 7:08PM BST 12 Oct 2010
Aisha

Aisha on the cover of TIME magazine before her surgery, left, and, right, after her prosthetic nose was fitted Photo: TIME/FILMMAGIC.

The image of Aisha, 19, without a nose, prompted a worldwide outpouring of sympathy after it appeared on the cover of Time Magazine accompanying an article highlighting the plight of women in Afghanistan.

She appeared before the cameras to receive an Enduring Heart award at a benefit for the Grossman Burn Foundation, which paid for her surgery, in Los Angeles.

Maria Shriver, wife of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s and California’s first lady, presented the award.

“This is the first Enduring Heart award given to a woman whose heart endures and who shows us all what it means to have love and to be the enduring heart,” Miss Shriver said.

Aisha, whose surname has never been disclosed, responded: “Thank you so much.”

When Aisha was 12, her father vowed to repay a debt by promising her in marriage to a Taliban fighter. She was handed over to the fighter’s family, abused and made to sleep in a stable with animals.

She was caught after trying to escape and her nose and ears were sliced off by her husband as a punishment.

“When they cut off my nose and ears, I passed out,” she told CNN. “In the middle of the night it felt like there was cold water in my nose. I opened my eyes and I couldn’t even see because of all the blood.”

After being left for dead in the mountains, she crawled to her grandfather’s house and was taken to an American medical facility.

Following time time at a shelter in Kabul, she was flown to the US by the Grossman Burn Foundation in August and stayed with an American family.

This month, she had a prosthetic nose fitted at the West Hills Hospital. Dr Peter H Grossman said they hoped to give Aisha a more “permanent solution”.

This might involve rebuilding her nose and ears using bone, tissue and cartilage from other parts of her body.

Niqabs in Canadian courts???

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From The National Post

Ontario court to rule if woman can wear niqab while testifying

The Ontario Court of Appeal is expected to rule if women can testify in court while wearing a niqab.

For the first time in Canada, an appellate level court is going to rule on whether a woman can testify in court while wearing a niqab.

The Ontario Court of Appeal is scheduled to release its ruling Wednesday in the case of a 32-year-old Muslim woman who says she was sexually abused as a child by two male relatives.

The decision will be issued just days after the constitutional council in France approved legislation that will ban the wearing of a burqa or a niqab in public places. Women who wear the face-covering clothing could face fines of nearly $200. Anyone in France who forces a woman to wear a burqa or niqab could be sentenced to a year in jail.

In the case before the Ontario Court of Appeal, the woman was originally ordered by a provincial court judge in October 2008 to remove the Muslim veil, which covers most of her face except for her eyes, while testifying at the preliminary hearing of the defendants.

The alleged sexual assault victim refused and the Ontario Court of Appeal heard arguments from the Crown and defence, as well as several other groups, during a two-day hearing in June.

The Ontario government urged the court not to issue a “blanket statement” and instead set out a legal framework for courts to decide the issue on a case-by-case basis. The appeal court could for example, allow limited questioning of a female Muslim witness, to ensure that her religious reasons for wearing the niqab are legitimate.

A lawyer for one of the two defendants argued that there is a long-standing right to assess the demeanor of witnesses when they testify and the woman should have to remove the niqab. The Muslim Canadian Congress sided with the defendants and its lawyer told the court that wearing the niqab is a political statement and the issue is not about religious freedoms.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) argued in favour of the woman’s right to testify while wearing the niqab. The lawyer representing LEAF suggested the woman should not have to “relive being forcibly uncovered,” if ordered to remove the niqab in court.

sk***@**********st.com

CIC’s Islamic History Month Canada? Not on my dime.

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Vlad Op-Ed

The affair concerning the barred Imam and DND is fast becoming even more mired in controversy and confusion. Imam Zijad Delic has remarked in a purely defensive move there is no truth to the allegation, adding it compromises Canada’s interests and the well being of our troops in Afghanistan. Mrs. Valiante, president of the CIC, called Mr. MacKay’s decision a crass attempt to pander to the far-right, evangelical base of the Conservative party by smearing the representatives of Muslim and Arab communities.

Meanwhile, Mr. MacKay defended his position in the House, reiterating that his decision was based on the fact that the Canadian Islamic Congress is deemed an extreme outfit whose sentiments are not welcome. Jason Kenney referenced the group in a 2009 speech in which he said it is part of an ongoing review. We are warned time and again by both security experts and moderate Muslim groups of the increasing infiltration of government departments by those actively seeking to impose Islamist standards. Yet despite this, celebrations of Islamic History Month went ahead at DND even without the Imam.

Those critical of MacKay’s decision are calling for an inquiry. I agree there should be one; but chances are not for the same reasons. I have no quarrel with this government’s approach to combating extremism as a matter of fact, I support the initiatives. But, I do want to know why Islamic History Month Canada, the creation of a publicly known extremist group, continues on it’s traveling road show every year.

I want to know why my tax dollars funded it’s launch with an appearance at the Ottawa Police Station last Friday and why Kingston became the first Ontarian city in 2007 to proclaim CIC’s Islamic History Month a yearly event, signed by proclamation by its mayor. I want to know why it would be seen as suitable, that last years IHMC’s theme revolved around ‘Islamic solutions to finance’; an introduction to sharia finance/banking alternatives in Canada. I want to know why on October 25, a portion of my taxes will fund a contest for Muslim school children to participate in a contest for this year’s theme ‘Islam and the Environment’ to be held at Dalton’s Queen’s Park while my family struggles to pay him more in increased taxes for his costly eco-initiatives.

But most of all I want to know this: why do our government officials (of all parties) continue to host the CIC’s advancement of Islamist standards through their creation of Islamic History Month to any degree while simultaneously denouncing extremism? We’re seeking outreach with the wrong folks and are mistaken if we believe such bridge building efforts are not in fact, sharia compliant.

Follow up: Canadian Islamic Congress’ “People’s Man” speech cancelled at Department of National Defence

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Three days ago, we posted the article, “What the Hell is going on at DND?” reporting on BlazingCatFur’s excellent exposure that the Canadian Islamic Congress’s Imam Zijad Delic would be delivering a scheduled speech at Ottawa’s Department of National Defence in celebration of Islamic History Month. Yesterday we followed up with another article, ” Balzingcatfur Gets Results! MacKay Cancels DND speech by Canadian Islamic Congress”. It appears that the CIC’s front and center Imam will not be permitted to deliver his speech after all, as the Defence Minister has cited the organization as an extremist one with sentiments that should neither be welcomed or shared as part of Islamic Heritage.

Good news travels fast as both the Ottawa Citizen and the National Post have today published the latest in the story. But others are not so thrilled and see little cause for celebration in what blazingcatfur aptly describes as ” a small victory in a long war”.

Typically when Islamist extremism is exposed, apologists on its behalf trip over themselves to “set the record straight”.  One such example comes to us through the Montreal Muslim News’s Ottawa based Yahya’s blog on life, politics, religion, culture, etc. The author of ” Peter MacKay’s Cancellation of Imam Zijad Delic’s Speech is Deplorable and Counter-Productive” seems to waver between predictable Muslim outrage and palsied victimization that such a decision would be made. He writes:

” We now live in an  age of collective punishment. One person holds an objectionable view or makes a controversial statement and anyone associated with that person in anyway is also found to be guilty. We call this guilt by association and most right thinking people consider it to be totally unfair….”

Of course he is referring to the public statement made in October of 2004 by then president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, Dr. Mohamed Elmasry in which he stated that all Israelis over the age of eighteen are legitimate targets for terrorism.

“Delic has totally distanced himself from Elmasry’s statements and has categorically declared that “Muslims totally forbid suicide bombing.”  Delic further stated that Elmasry was speaking on his own and not on behalf of CIC”. “Of course CIC doesn’t agree. There are many leaders who speak and they don’t speak on behalf of everybody. They just speak,” Delic said. “Muslims totally forbid suicide bombing.”

For guilt by association to be argued responsibly and with any measure of success, one would have to deliver the facts; that the organization in question has firmly and unequivocally denounced this infamous remark as extreme and non-representative of their position and does not consider Elmasry a beneficial ally in their bridge building efforts. Six years after the Coren event, I have yet to find any facts that bear this out, delivering without exception or conditions the separation between the CIC, it’s ‘People Man’ Delic and Elmasry.
It’s impossible to say whether the relationship remains up close and personal or whether he is viewed as the family’s creepy, weird, distant uncle to be invited to dinner only when the occasion suits, to be defended because he is part of the clan. But whether close or not, there is a continued alliance.
Shortly after the Coren affair, there was no CIC site denouncement of Elmasry’s statement to be found, instead a vehement defense on his behalf. “THIS IS TOTALLY FALSE! the site screeched in good measured denial of the doctor’s very public comment. They lambasted the media for reporting on it, and in response announced their initiation of a law suit against certain media organizations for defamation. Another article published on the site entitled ‘Defend Mohamed Elmasry” of November 10, 2004, opens with the charge that Dr. Elmasry has been “the target of an intense and unrelenting media campaign calling for his resignation as head of the CIC.. ” They further added:
“What exactly did Elmasry say and, even if he did say it, does it deserve this kind of response?”
followed by a link to a full transcript of the show available from…….. the Montreal Muslim News. Of course it deserved ‘that kind’ of response just as now, both the CIC and Imam Delic deserve the scrutiny they face. As a point man for an organization that has clearly been established as a supporter of Islamist standards in Canada, it should come as no surprise to anyone least of all Imam Delic that he should be held responsible for his organization’s views. If you’re going to sign up to be the guy that gives speeches then you have to be prepared to answer for what your group believes. Considering that Mohamed Elmasry continues to appear on the list of ‘who’s who at the CIC and his articles continue to be published on their site, this could quite possibly set a new record for the shortest distance measured.
Below is the video of Mohamed Elmasry on the Michael Coren show. Apparently we don’t need to be aided by the transcript from the Montreal Muslim News to hear what he said. As for my own view, this indeed is a small victory in a long war, one that is fought as bravely on the home front as it is overseas. Thank you to blazingcatfur for their northern exposure.

Surprise!! Muslims in New Zealand offended by joke demand apology.

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From AFP, courtesy TROP

Muslims demand apology for New Zealand minister’s joke

(AFP) – 12 hours ago

WELLINGTON — New Zealand’s Islamic community has written to Prime Minister John Key demanding an apology for a joke one of his ministers made about Muslims, the Dominion Post newspaper reported Saturday.

The president of the Federation of Islamic Associations New Zealand, Anwar Ghani, said Muslims were “very upset” about the remarks made in a speech by Building Minister Maurice Williamson.

“We brought it to the notice of the PM saying that what was said was highly inappropriate and the minister should be reprimanded and apologise,” Ghani told the newspaper.

Williamson cracked a joke about Muslims and the practice of stoning while giving a speech at a building industry awards ceremony last month.

Ghani said he did not think comments centred on religious intolerance were commonplace in New Zealand, but this issue was “a big problem because it was uttered by someone who is regarded as being responsible and a public figure”.

A spokesman for the prime minister confirmed the letter had arrived and was being considered.

*** UPDATE ***

The joke can be found here:

http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2010/09/an_mp_told_a_joke_-_shock_horror.html

2 Muslim Jokes from New Zealand Minister

1. What is the difference between Muslims and Kiwis? Muslims get to commit adultery and get stoned, Kiwis get stoned and commit adultery!

2. Mr Williamson also quipped about the weather being “Shi’ite in the morning and Sunni in the afternoon,”

Rioting in Pakistan over 86 year sentence of Aafia Siddiqui

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From The Guardian U.K.

Pakistan erupts after US jailing of ‘daughter of the nation’ Aafia Siddiqui

Thousands take to the streets to protest as scientist convicted of attempting to kill US soldiers gets 86 years.

Declan Walsh in Karachi

Pakistan protests Pakistani protesters burning tyres in Lahore. Photograph: Arif Ali/AFP/Getty ImagesPakistan‘s prime minister hailed a scientist convicted of attempting to kill American soldiers as the “daughter of the nation” today, and vowed to redouble efforts to secure her return to Pakistan.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets after a New York court sentenced Aafia Siddiqui, a US-educated neuroscientist and mother of three, to 86 years in jail.

Police fired teargas and scuffled with protesters surging towards the heavily fortified US consulate in her hometown, Karachi.

In Multan people burned posters of Barack Obama and the former ruler General Pervez Musharraf.

At least 5,000 people attended the largest, and most peaceful, rally in Peshawar, where a mostly male crowd cried anti-American and jihadi slogans.

The protests were led by activists from the religious party Jamaat e Islami and Imran Khan’s Justice party – minority political forces that have seized on Siddiqui’s case as a means of attacking President Asif Ali Zardari’s government.

But Siddiqui’s case has attracted deep support from across the political spectrum.

Her plight taps into deep anti-American hostility in a country where a recent survey found that just 17% of Pakistanis view Washington favourably.

The protesters’ shouts have been amplified by private television networks that have offered uncritical coverage of a murky case that, even after a lengthy trial, is dogged by as many questions as answers.

In an effort to quell criticism of the government’s failure to secure Siddiqui’s repatriation from the US, prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani told parliament today he had appealed to the US to release Siddiqui in order to “improve its image” in Pakistan.

“We all are united, and we want the daughter of the nation to come back to Pakistan,” he said. The government spent $2m hiring defence lawyers for Siddiqui; today Gilani said he was willing to negotiate an extradition treaty with the US to facilitate her early return.

In the trial Siddiqui, a diminutive 38-year-old, was accused of snatching a gun from an American soldier in an Afghan jail cell in July 2008 and opening fire.

Although she hit nobody, she herself was shot in the stomach by an American officer and, a month later, flown to America to face trial.

Many Pakistanis believed she could not receive a fair hearing – she was tried near the site of the World Trade Centre attacks – but she weakened her defence with frequent intemperate outbursts against the US government and speeches against Jewish conspiracies that caused her to be ejected from court several times.

Her case was also weakened by the Taliban leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, who issued a statement of support.

She was found guilty in February. But the trial, which concentrated on the events in Afghanistan, did little to illuminate the wider mysteries of Siddiqui’s story.

In March 2003 she disappeared from Karachi with her three children, one of whom was six months old, and only resurfaced in July 2008 when she was arrested in Ghazni.

US prosecutors said she was carrying details of prominent American monuments, bomb-making notes and a small amount of cyanide.

Siddiqui’s supporters insist she spent the missing five years at the US detention centre in Bagram, north of Kabul, and her youngest child may have died. US officials deny she was in their custody.

In 2003 US officials accused her of belonging to al-Qaida and being married to Ammar al Baluchi, a nephew of the 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Muhammad. Siddiqui’s relatives deny this is true.

Baluchi and Muhammad are currently imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay.

The case is likely to remain on the agenda between Pakistan and the US. Yvonne Ridley, a journalist and campaigner for Siddiqui, said supporters would step up pressure through a campaign of civil disobedience.

“It will involve blocking Nato supply lines into Afghanistan,” she said. “This is not going to go away.”

Lancashire: Catholic school may become mosque as number of Christian pupils plummets

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From The Daily Mail U.K.

Roman Catholic school could be handed over to a mosque after number of RC pupils falls to ‘five or six’

By Liz Hull
Last updated at 12:54 AM on 25th September 2010

A Roman Catholic primary school could become the first in the country to be run by a mosque after a dramatic rise in the number of Muslim pupils, it emerged today

Church bosses want to close Sacred Heart RC Primary School, in Blackburn, Lancashire, because the number of Catholic students has plummeted from 91 per cent to just three per cent in a decade.

In what would be the first case of its kind in Britain, the primary would be handed over to another organisation to run – most likely the local Tauheedul mosque – and re-opened with a new name.

Facing closure: The Sacred Heart Roman Catholic primary may be run by a mosque after the number of pupils following the Christian faith plummetedFacing closure: The Sacred Heart Roman Catholic primary may be run by a mosque after the number of pupils following the Christian faith plummeted.

Around 95 per cent of the school’s 200 pupils are of Asian origin. Many do not speak English as their first language and the majority follow the Islamic faith.

The Diocese of Salford has told Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council that it no longer believes it is “appropriate” for the church to be in charge. Continue Reading →

Niqabs banned at Burnley College, Lancashire

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From The Daily Mail, U.K.

UK sixth form college bans the veil ‘for security reasons’

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:13 PM on 24th September 2010

A college has drawn criticism after it banned any Muslims on its premises from wearing veils for ‘security reasons’.

Burnley College, in Lancashire, placed a notice from principal Hugh Bramwell at  reception informing all students, staff and visitors they must remove items which cover their face on arrival.

But while bosses claim the move was necessary for security, the University of Central Lancashire, which runs courses from the same building, has not implemented the policy.

Burnley College, in Lancashire, has placed a notice at reception informing all students, staff and visitors they must remove items which cover their faceBurnley College, in Lancashire, has placed a notice at reception informing all students, staff and visitors they must remove items which cover their face.

Critics have now hit out at the ban – which includes helmets – insisting it denies people the ‘freedom to wear what they want.’ Continue Reading →

“Spiritual” Muslim woman goes on killing rampage at Kraft Food plant

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From NBC Philadelphia

Co-Worker Calls Alleged Shooter: “Very Spiritual”

By KAREN ARAIZA
Updated 8:52 PM EDT, Fri, Sep 10, 2010

NBCPhiladelphia.com

“She’s not a loose cannon. She’s a hard worker, works very hard. She’s very spiritual.”

Kenneth Dorsey says the woman accused of killing two co-workers and critically injuring a third at the Kraft plant in Northeast Philly is a good person. And so were the two women she’s accused of gunning down with a .357 Magnum, just minutes after she’d been suspended and escorted from the building.

Dorsey’s been at the plant for 37 years and worked on the third floor with the three victims and the alleged shooter, Yvonne Hiller.

“They had argued, from what I was told, they argued,” Dorsey told NBC10’s Rosemary Connors after the shootings Thursday night.

I had just started my job, you know and I heard like bang, bang, but you hear noises everyday at a bakery so you don’t pay any mind.” Then a co-worker yelled, “Come on, you got to leave now! She’s shooting.”

After the shootings, Hiller holed up in an office on the second floor where the SWAT team found her after co-workers who were hiding in the office next door tipped off building security.

“I never thought in my deepest heart that it would come down to this,” Dorsey said.

Some co-workers said she had a history of run-ins with other workers and management, Dorsey said like anyone, they sometimes had their differences, but always got along.

“We talked about her Muslim faith and I wished her happy Ramadan,” Dorsey said. “I might be wrong, but my guess is she had some people that she had issues with and a personal agenda, a score she had to settle.”

Dorsey said the shooting was going to be hard on everyone. “We’re like family here.”

“Tell your audience to keep the families in your prayers, however you pray — whether you’re Jewish, Christian, Muslim — we’re all in shock…and I lost two of my closest friends. . .I’m gonna go home and take a shower and read the Bible and pray. Hopefully, I can get through this.