Miss Kelly

Beowulf and Hollywood's Depiction of Christians

Nifty essay by Raymond Ibrahim (translator and editor of the Al Qaeda Reader) over at Front Page, about the "negative portrayals of Christianity in major Hollywood movies."  He recounts the portrayal of Christians in movies such as Beowulf, The Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and King Arthur (2004).  These days, the Christians are typically depicted as weak, hypocritical drunkards, conniving, and skeptical at best  about their faith.  The blue-painted Druids, on the other hand, are portrayed as fun-loving "free spirits," the Muslims as pious and noble. 

"That pagan peoples habitually engaged in barbarous practices, such as human sacrifices, cannibalism, and slavery, or that Muslim law, then and now, is characterized by extremely draconian measures, such as stoning fornicators, subjugating non-Muslims and women, and, under certain circumstances, still sanctioning the institution of slavery is, of course, never mentioned. Nor is the fact that Christianity abolished things like human sacrifices, and its ultimate law is to love God and one’s fellow man (Mark 12:30-31)."

Ibrahim raises the question of masculinity and religion, the perception that Christianity is the religion of the weak.  It wasn't always so.  There are many warriors in the Catholic faith, such as St. Michael the Archangel who battled Lucifer and cast him out from Heaven, and St. George the dragon-slayer.  Christians have always had strong father figures as well, monogamous men who provide for and protect their families. It's getting harder to see that element today in the increasingly feminized, watered-down church.  But I digress - back to Ibrahim:

"At any rate, while Hollywood is on a crusade to defame Christianity, it would do well to remember that it is because of Christian civilization that they are even able to make movies in the first place. Not only is Christianity fundamentally responsible for what many a Western liberal takes for granted, that is, the freedoms and advancements of Western civilization, but much of the historical records that movie-makers are able to exploit, warp, and subsequently rake in millions with were compiled by Christians. No small irony is the fact that the one single solitary manuscript that contains the text of Beowulf was written by a monk and preserved in a monastery for centuries."

Special Panel on Holy Land Foundation & Muslim Brotherhood

Wish I could go to this panel discussion in D.C. on December 11, 2007!:

On behalf of the Counterterrorism Foundation, I [Andrew Cochran] will moderate a panel on the Holy Land Foundation and the Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday, December 11, from 12 noon to 1:30 pm, in 2168 Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. The panel, titled "Infiltration and Deception: The Holy Land Foundation and the Muslim Brotherhood in America," will include three experts representing the three groups which were responsible for much of the analysis of exhibits and the links from HLF to Hamas, the MB, and the extended MB network. Douglas Farah will represent the NEFA Foundation; Jeff Breinholt will represent the International Assessment & Strategy Center; and Michael Fechter will represent the Investigative Project on Terrorism. They will provide handouts of the most important exhibits to the attendees. To my knowledge, this will be the only live event in Washington bringing together all the best evidence for presentation and analysis. We wish to gauge interest for the event, so please e-mail me at ctbnews@gmail.com.

Given the many links between several Massachusetts Islamist organizations and the Muslim Brotherhood, I'd love to see the Governor's office or the City of Boston send someone to this.  Browse here for previous posts on the ties between MB and the ISB/MAS. 

Darfur Forum Tonight: "Who Will Be My Sister's Keeper?"

FYI, an important forum tonight in Jamaica Plain:

Bearing Witness in Darfur: Who Will Be My Sister's Keeper?" with Pastor Gloria White Hammond.

Thursday, November 29th, 7:00pm

First Church in Jamaica Plain, Unitarian Universalist, Sanctuary
6 Eliot St. (Across from the Monument)

http://www.jamaicaplainforum.org

Since her first visit to southern Sudan in 2001, Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, co-pastor of Jamaica Plain's Bethel AME Church, knew that she wanted to stand in solidarity with the women of that country. She had served as a medical missionary during several trips to Botswana, Cote d Ivore, and South Africa, but it was on delegation of several other African-American ministers to Sudan that, Rev. White-Hammond participated in the liberation of over 6,700 enslaved women and children. Bearing witness to the untenable realities of slavery taking place in the 21st century changed her life forever.

Upon her return to Boston, she co-founded My Sister's Keeper, a humanitarian women's group that partners with women in Sudan and their efforts toward reconciliation and reconstruction of their communities. Since its inception in 2002, My Sister's Keeper has listen closely to the concerns and opinions of the Sudanese women. It has assisted in community-initiated economic development, healthcare and education projects in Gogrial County, Sudan. Furthermore, by mobilizing resources in the United States on their behalf, My Sister's Keeper works to lift up the plight of Sudanese women to the World.

This event will be in honor of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Nov. 25th), World AIDS Day (Dec. 1st), and Human Rights Day (Dec. 10).

You can donate to My Sister's Keeper here. Why not forego some of the Xmas present money to a wonderful cause such as this?

Channel 5 Chronicle Show on Islamic Society of Boston

Last night's Chronicle Show on Boston's ABC TV featured a lengthy segment on the Islamic Society of Boston*.  From the Chronicle website:

"June 9, 2007 -- a day of triumph for Islam in Boston. More than 2,000 Muslims traveled to the city that day to witness the capping of the minaret at the new Islamic Center of Boston.  It was a joyous day that followed 20 years of struggle, and 2 years of bitter conflict that exposed religious tensions and post 9-11 fears. Tonight, Mary Richardson reports on the making of a mosque, and what it says about the state of Islam in 21st century America."

The Chronicle episode was reasonably balanced and didn't shy away from raising controversial issues (ISB lawsuits, Saudi funding, ties to terrorists).  Kudos to Channel 5, no other TV station has covered the Islamic Society of Boston and the Roxbury mosque as fully as Chronicle has. It wasn't a fluff piece like Emily Rooney's fawning show about the mosque on WGBH in June 2005, where she giggled along with ISB chairman Youseff Abou-Allaban about how lucky the women were to have such a great view from the second floor above the men.  Tee-hee.  Chronicle's Mary Richardson interviewed the usual people: ISB's Abou-Allaban, Bilal Kaleem of the Muslim American Society, Charles Jacobs of The David Project, and Jeff Robbins (attorney for TDP), and one not-so-usual person, Lorenzo Vidinho of Tufts University, Fletcher School.  There are links for these people and orgs at the Chronicle website. The show presented a number of issues and viewpoints, but it was rather short on details, and Richardson accepted what ISB spokesman said at face value.  A few cases in point:

• Richardson mentioned some of the ties reported in Boston newspapers between the ISB and terrorists or terrorist supporters, including ISB founder Abdurahman Alamoudi.  She accepts Abou-Allaban's smiling claim that the ISB has had nothing to do with Alamoudi for over 20 years, when this is flatly untrue, as was demonstrated in documents that became public during the lawsuit discovery process. 
• The issue of the BRA real estate deal came up, but Richardson incorrectly stated that the BRA transferred the property for half of its market value.  It was transferred for less than a tenth of the fair market value, $175K instead of $2 million. And no mention of the role of Mohammad Ali-Salaam, a BRA deputy director who was simultaneously a member of the ISB working on this project. Bit of a conflict of interest here.   
• Richardson also mentioned the controversy with Saudi doctor Walid Fitaihi (reportedly the son of one of the ISB's biggest funders), the former ISB treasurer.  Fitahi is infamous for his virulently anti-Semitic writings, which were made at the same time as he was participating in interfaith dialog in Boston.  She reports that Fitaihi apologized for his writings in April this year.  But she neglects to menton Fitaihi's other claims, that 9/11 has turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for Islam to spread in America (said a mere two weeks after 9/11), and that Boston is ripe for converting Christians to Islam.  (Hence the mega-mosque.) She neglects to mention that Walid Fitaihi resigned as an ISB trustee in March 2007 but was reappointed as a trustee in July 2007, not long after the ISB withdrew its lawsuit.  Funny timing, funny goings-on.
• Richardson doesn't mention the other folk that the ISB has ties to who are Islamists, members of the Muslim Brotherhood and proponents of suicide bombing, including Yusuf Al-Qaradawi (proposed ISB trustee) and Salah Soltan.
• Not a peep about Jamal Badawi, the latest ISB trustee and a founder of several Muslim Brotherhood organizations in the United States, including the Muslim American Society and the Muslim Student Association.  Brother Badawi is specifically mentioned in the Muslim Brotherhood's guidance document for expansion in the U.S. as being a key person in "providing the seed of the comprehensive dawa organization."  The Muslim Brotherhood blueprint calls for the establishment of interconnected Islamic organizations and institutions in order to unify all Muslims, "present Islam as a civilizational alternative", and to "support the global Islamic state" wherever Muslims are.  Not to mention conducting a "grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western Civilization from within."  I don't make this stuff up, I just report it.  Anway, the Muslim Brotherhood's work is well underway.   
• No mention on Chronicle that the ISB is run by the Muslim American Society, a transition in leadership which officially took place days after the lawsuit was withdrawn, but which was in the works for several months before that.  
• Richardson discussed the differences between the situation of Muslims in Europe and in the U.S., noting that Muslim immigrants to the U.S. are more educated and affluent than European immigrants, so we don't have the troubles that England, France, Holland, Spain, Sweden and other countries have (train and subway bombings, riots, calls for beheading non-Muslims, rise in crime).  This is true, and it's also true that the U.S. has a long history of assimilating people from many different nations, which Europe does not.  We also lack the generous welfare benefits that Europe has, so people that come here have to work.  In Europe, there are thousands of angry, resentful young males collecting checks and living in subsidized housing.  Not so here. However, the U.S. has a far smaller Muslim population (roughly 1.5%) than European countries do (4% - 8%).  Given the disruptions to our society by a small number of radical Islamists with an agenda - the flying imams, CAIR and ISB lawsuits, Muslim cashiers refusing to scan bacon, Muslim cab drivers refusing to take people with dogs, demands for Islamic wash basins in airports and public schools -  I'm guessing things would be more problematic here as well if the Muslim population were higher. Which is, by the way, a clear goal of the Islamists.  I've seen the population goal stated as 25 million Muslims in America at a local Islamic website.  This website noted that immigration might be closed to Muslims in the future (what do they know that we don't?!), and so Muslims are pressured to marry young and have big families to reach that goal.   
• Chronicle also went to an Islamic School in Mansfield, MA, the Al-Noor Academy High School.  The young women were covered more fully than women in Iran are and the male teachers sported beards the length of one's fist (just like the prophet Muhammad), pretty good indicators of a conservative Islamic ideology.  The male students were shown bobbing their heads as they memorized the Koran, a scene that would be common in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, but one that ought to raise eyebrows here.  How much school time is spent on the Koran and how much on other subjects?
• Mary Richardons made no mention that numerous trustees and teachers of the Al-Noor Academy are also director and trustees of the ISB and the MAS.  As I said above, the Muslim Brotherhood is indeed busy establishing interconnected Islamic institutions. Islamists can create their own closed world here in our midst, and need not assimilate into the wider pluralistic, multi-religious society as equals to everybody else.
• The final visual image on the show was of a young family with two little children, pushing a stroller.  The father was dressed in casual Western clothes, the mother was dressed in a full-length abaya and niqab, her face completely covered except for a slit for her eyes.  Chronicle apparently doesn't see anything wrong about this image, it's exotic and multicultural and hence desirable to some.  But I see a problem here: sequestered women, unable to leave the house without their husband's permission, having to hide their faces.   This is so contrary to our egalitarian values of individualism and free thinking, one might say it's anti-American. If you hide your face, that's a clear statement of the intent NOT to integrate into our wider society.  Chronicle's portrayal of Muslims in Massachusetts was largely sympathetic.  But it's telling and problematic that this was the final image on the program.

*Curiously enough, Maggie Harper of the Chronicle show left me a message on the blog in June 2007, saying that Chronicle was doing a show on the new mosque, I represented a different perspective and would I be willing to speak with her?  I responded affirmatively to her on June 11 via e-mail, the same day that Congregation Kehillath Israel was hosting a forum on the ISB lawsuit (which was withdrawn by the ISB about a week or so before). I recommended that Ms. Harper attend the forum, where Ahmed Mansour, Charles Jacobs and Jeff Robbins were speaking.  She never did respond to either my e-mail or my follow-up phone call. Oh well! 

More on Islamic (Islamist?) Schools

I'm the product of six years of a Catholic parochial grammar school.  I was taught by the nuns during my formative years, where we said prayers several times a day, scooted over on our seats to make room for our guardian angels, and were publicly punished for throwing away any food at lunch ("There are children starving in Africa!").  We studied the Catholic catechism and the lives of the saints in addition to "regular" subjects.  We learned right from wrong, how to avoid sin, and to take good care of our eternal souls.  I'm a big fan of religious schools, they're needed more than ever in our materialistic, selfish, a-religous world.  Yet I'm concerned about what's being taught at some Islamic schools.  Are they educational institutions or are they madrassas?   

Last month I wrote about Al Hamra, an Islamic school in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts which recently received accreditation from the state.  Perusing their website (not available now, it's under reconstruction), I saw a few things which concerned me, including numerous links to Islamic fundamentalists. There was also a Powerpoint presentation with a largely exaggerated (if not fabricated) history of Muslims in America, which won an award in the 8th-grader  religion fair.   One wonders if Al-Hamra teaches Arabic simply as a langauge or as Islamic ideology. A number of commenters accused me of being paranoid and "spreading hatred" to even bring up questions about Al-Hamra.  Well, I'm in excellent company there. Dr. Zhudi Jasser, a medical doctor and former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, published an article yesterday about how to distinguish Islamist schools from Islamic schools.  He's concerned about what impressionable young people are being taught, and he calls for public accountability for Islamic educational institutions.  Excerpts from Dr. Jasser's article:

"America's public attention to the curricula and texts of Islamic parochial schools should not only be limited to this single foreign school on our soil (Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia) but also more comprehensively to the curricula of all Islamic schools in the United States. This is not about profiling much as Islamists may try to say in their protestations to this debate. But rather it is about understanding the penetration of an ideology which consciously and subconsciously teaches the superiority of a political system of governance at odds with the American political and justice system. This is also centrally relevant in the conflict against militant Islamism. At odds with the American way of life is not only the more obvious militant ‘jihadist’ fringe component of political Islam but also the less obvious, more pervasive and more insidiously dangerous movement of political Islam as a way of life."

Support the Cambridge Boy Scouts Supporting the Troops

Maybe the Boy Scouts can use the ridiculous actions by the Cambridge Election Commission to their benefit. 

As you all know, Cambridge election officials made the Boy Scout Troop 45 remove boxes they had placed at 33 polling places, which the Scouts set up to collect supplies to send care packages to troops overseas.  One person complained about the "pro-war" sentiment of the collection, and that's all it took in Cambridge.  The supply boxes were immediately removed from all polling places.  The anti-war flyers remained.  It's OK to be "anti-war" but not "pro-war."  Only in Cambridge! Imagine if this was typical sentiment back in WWII. 

To help out the Boy Scouts and our troops overseas, please send a donation to BSA Troop 45 at  P.O. Box 381241, Cambridge, MA 02238.  I hope they make a killing.

Goings-on in Pakistan

Complicated situation, hard to follow what's going on, who's on first.  I recommend reading this article by Adrian Morgan, Pakistan: From Bad to Worse to Dangerous, first published at Family Security Matters.  Morgan provides a decent overview of the major players and what forces are at play.  Musharaff has played a balancing game for a long time, but I don't think he's going to be able to continue his Clintonesque triangulations between the military, the pro-Taliban extremists, and the U.S.   

I also like to check out what expatriot Pakistanis think about the ongoing turmoil in their country, so by all means please read Watandost (a Boston blogger) and Khalid Hasan (based in DC).  Harold Doornbos, a Dutch journalist who is frequently in Pakistan, is another good resource for what's happening in the street.  So much better than typical US-media info. Harry talks about the differing standards of judging Pakistan and Dubai here, and here he writes about what martial law actually looks like in Ialamabad.

Although Musharaff has been a disappointment, to say the least, I think the U.S. is better off with Pakistan as an deeply flawed ally, as opposed to being an ally of another major power.  "Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer" sort of thing.  Keep developing nations with nuclear weapons closer still. 

Has the U.S. simply been played by Musharaff? Has our support of Musharaff been beneficial in any way for our country's national interests?  Or for the interests of the Pakistani people, or for the safety of the rest of the world?   

Care Trial in Boston / Poor Legal Advice or Is Someone Lying?

There's a follow-up article in the Worcester Telegram about the federal trial in Boston against three former leaders of a defunct Islamic charity.  I blogged about this upcoming trial last week here.   According to the Boston Globe, this is "the first criminal trial in US District Court in Boston that will explore the role of US charities in financing terrorism."   The three men were accused of making false statements to the government to obtain tax-exempt status for their "charity," Care International.  They allegedly used the funds they collected to support Muslim militants in Chechnya and Bosnia and publish pro-jihad newsletters.   An important trial, I'd say! 

Worcester Telegram reporter Lee Hammel wrote about Khalid Naseem, the immigration lawyer who filed naturalization papers for Emadeddin Z. Muntasser, one of the three indicted men:

"BOSTON - A Central Massachusetts immigration lawyer who signed a naturalization application with substantial omissions came under fire yesterday in U.S. District Court."

"At issue was whether Khalid Naseem advised his client, Emadeddin Z. Muntasser, in 2002 that he did not need to list either travel outside the country or organizations with which he was associated beyond five years previously. Mr. Naseem denies he advised his client not to list information older than five years."

"....Mr. Muntasser, who lived in the Worcester area in the 1980s, is charged with making false statements to the FBI in 2003 when the Libyan native denied traveling to Afghanistan and Pakistan in 1994 and 1995 — travel that also was left off his original 2002 citizenship application."

"In addition, Mr. Muntasser, 42, who was president of the defunct Boston charity Care International, also is charged, along with Samir Al-Monla, 50, of Boston, a subsequent president of the charity, and Muhamed Mubayyid, 42, of Shrewsbury, a treasurer of Care, with conspiracy to defraud the United States, scheming to conceal material facts, and obstructing and impeding the Internal Revenue Service."

Here's why Khalid Naseem, Muntasser's lawyer, is in hot water now:

"The naturalization application of Mr. Muntasser, now of Braintree, is not one of the four charges on which he is being tried, but it is being used to try to convince the jury he is not truthful.

"Mr. Naseem told Assistant U.S. Attorney B. Stephanie Siegmann he did not advise Mr. Muntasser to limit answers to the question of whether he was ever associated with any organization or what trips he had taken outside the country since becoming a permanent resident. He said he did not check Mr. Muntasser’s immigration file, where such trips were listed on a previous application to become a permanent resident, because he relied on Mr. Muntasser’s answers."

"...But Mr. Zalkind (Muntasser's lawyer) was incredulous Mr. Naseem thought it was the truth that Mr. Muntasser belonged to no organizations. Mr. Zalkind noted Mr. Naseem had filled out Care International’s tax returns for several years at the request of Mr. Muntasser, who was listed as president of the group. Mr. Naseem, whose children were taught at religious school by Mr. Muntasser and has been a lawyer since 1995 and a certified public accountant for a decade before that, estimated he has filled out 50 to 100 immigration forms."

"Mr. Naseem, who said he filled out Care’s tax forms without pay as part of the charity dictated by Islam, said neither the Greater Worcester Islamic Society, to which they both belonged, nor Care International are membership organizations."

Really?  The Greater Worcester Islamic Society (GWIS) is not a membership organization?  People can belong to an organization, but they're not members?  This is mysterious to me!  This also seems like lying or deception, dunnit?

So who's lying here about 1) whether Muntasser was advised that he only had to report his overseas travel going back five years, and 2) whether Muntasser was advised that he didn't have to include his affiliation with GWIS or Care International on his naturalization application?   Lawyer Naseem or alleged Jihadi Supporter Muntasser?  Both?

I hope Lee Hammel stays on top of this trial.  It would be nice of the Boston Globe would assign someone too.   

"Come Back to Iraq, Come Home"

Follow-up to Michael Yon's iconic photograph from last week, showing Muslims and Christians rebuilding a church in Baghdad:

Sissie wrote eloquently about that image and Michael Yon here.  Yesterday, Mass was held at this church, St. John's, and both Muslims and Christians attended the mass.  Their message:

"Today, Muslims mostly filled the front pews of St John’s. Muslims who want their Christian friends and neighbors to come home. The Christians who might see these photos likely will recognize their friends here. The Muslims in this neighborhood worry that other people will take the homes of their Christian neighbors, and that the Christians will never come back. And so they came to St John’s today in force, and they showed their faces, and they said, 'Come back to Iraq. Come home.' They wanted the cameras to catch it. They wanted to spread the word: Come home. Muslims keep telling me to get it on the news. 'Tell the Christians to come home to their country Iraq.” "

H/T Solomonia

Vitriolic Reactions to O'Malley Preaching Catholic Doctrine

There he goes again, talking about the teachings of the Cathlic faith! How dare he? Who does he think he is?  Imagine telling Catholics how to think about a moral issue!

Only in Boston would you find this article, an interview with Cardinal Sean O'Malley, on the front page and above the fold:

"Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, saying the Democratic Party has been persistently hostile to opponents of abortion rights, asserted yesterday that the support of many Catholics for Democratic candidates 'borders on scandal.' "

Sigh.  An unfortunate choice of words for the scandal-plagued Archdiocese of Boston, which covered up and shuttled around pedophile priests for decades.  The coverup was worse than the crimes, which were abominable.  Nonetheless, O'Malley makes a valid point about the Democratic party and its stance on abortion:

Mohammed Al Durah Trial in France

Three good accounts of the trial in France this week on the Mohammed al Durah film footage: Richard Landes (of Boston) at Aegean Stables, Nidra Poller at Pajamas Media, and Melanie Phillips at the UK Spectator. From the Spectator:

"Suffice it to say here that the iconic image of the child Mohammed al Durah, pictured crouching with his father behind a barrel next to a concrete wall in an apparently vain attempt to shelter from the gun-battle between Israel and the Palestinians that was raging around them before he was allegedly shot dead by the Israelis, served to incite terrorist violence and atrocities around the world after it was transmitted by France 2 at the beginning of the second intifada. Yet it is clear to anyone looking at this in detail that the whole thing was staged, not least from the devastating evidence here which shows the boy raising his arm and peeping through his fingers seconds after the France 2 correspondent Charles Enderlin said he had been shot dead."

"After Philippe Karsenty, founder of the French online media watchdog, Media Ratings, accused France 2 of staging the al Durah ‘killing’ and called for the resignation of both Charles Enderlin and France 2’s News Director, Arlette Chabot, France 2 and Enderlin sued Karsenty for defamation, and won. In a disgraceful piece of judicial cronyism after the gratuitous intervention of the then French President Jacques Chirac, the court decided against Karsenty and in favour of France 2 and Enderlin. Karsenty appealed; the judge ordered France 2 to produce the unscreened footage of this incident; today it did so."

Almost, not quite. France 2 only managed to produce 18 out of 27 minutes of film footage.  The supposedly dead boy can be see raising himelf up, covering his eyes, and laying prone again. 

"...there is no evidence that anyone at all was killed or injured -- including Mohammed al Durah who by the end of the frames in which he figured seemed to be still very much alive and unmarked by any wound whatsoever."

What's more disturbing than the "Pallywood" fabrication of a fraudulent video is the readiness with which Western media accepts and disseminates it:

"The ‘killing’ of Mohammed al Durah was swallowed uncritically by the western media, despite the manifold unlikeliness and contradictions which were apparent from the start, because it accorded with the murderous prejudice against Israel which is the prism through which the Middle East conflict is habitually refracted. This scandal has the most profound implications not just for the media, not just for the Middle East conflict but for the western world’s relationship to reason, which seems to grow more tenuous by the day."

The next hearing is scheduled for February 27, 2008.

CAMERA has a timeline of the Al Durah affair here.

Thanksgiving Comes First!

Suldog's blog yesterday about the Christmas madness hitting the local stores earlier and earlier hit a nerve with me.  Costco had Xmas decorations up before Halloween.  It drives me nuts, I wear ear plugs when I go shopping now.  I told the local Paper Store manager that I wouldn't shop there anymore this season because of it. 

There are many things I love about Christmas, I look forward to Advent, I enjoy (most) Christmas music - BUT NOT BEFORE THANKSGIVING! 

There's a time and a place, and it's too damn early to hear the dreckky Xmas music everywhere. As Suldog wrote:

"I'm a Christian, so I have more than an annoyance factor at work here. I think that cheapening the holiday, by expanding it beyond reasonable bounds, does a world of disservice to my religion. It gives people a false view of it, by making it a greed-fest. However, if you aren’t a Christian, your take on matters is still important; maybe even more so than mine. If you're Jewish, for instance, I'm sure it makes you mad to see your religion's holy days buried beneath this overkill. If you're an atheist, it must truly make you seethe. Let it out. Tell the world that you've had enough."

Suldog has started the "Thanksgiving Comes First" campaign. If enough of us speak up, we can make those stores think again about their ridiculous practices to extend, cheapen, and make every one sick to death of the Christmas holiday.  Let the offending stores know that you won't shop there!   Stores to boycott are Target, Macy's, Lowe's, and the Paper Store.  Please post about this at your website too, spread the word!

Funny comment by Mark Krikorian: "Ah, remember the good old days, when the War on Christmas didn't start until after Thanksgiving?"

Federal Trial in Boston for 3 Former Leaders of Islamic Charity

Is the tide turning in Boston?  Are the feds starting to catch up with the Islamic radicals who have been operating without any hindrances for years in these parts? From today's Boston Globe:

"Three former leaders of a defunct Boston-based Islamic charity are scheduled to go on trial today in federal court, accused of lying to the government to win tax-exempt status for the charity and then using the nonprofit to distribute publications promoting jihad and to support Muslim militants overseas."

"In what is believed to be the first criminal trial in US District Court in Boston that will explore the role of US charities in financing terrorism, Emadeddin Muntasser, Muhamed Mubayyid, and Samir Al-Monla are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, tax violations, and making false statements."

Following up on the Holy Land Foundation trial in Dallas, TX (which ended up in a mistrial but which will be retried), this suggests that the federal government is really catching up to these groups.  Bravo!  Unfortunately, some PC thinking by the judge is present here:

"To try to prevent prejudice against the men, US District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV has barred prosecutors from referring to Osama bin Laden, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, or Al Qaeda."

"He has not decided whether references to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing will be allowed."

For heaven's sakes, if these men are connected to Al Quaeda or the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, why wouldn't that be allowed?  Is the judge tying the prosecutors hands before the trial has begun? 

"Potential jurors will be told that Muntasser, 42, of Braintree, was born in Libya; that Mubayyid, 42, of Shrewsbury, is a native of Lebanon; and that Monla, 50, of Boston, was born in Kuwait and is a US citizen."

"Three years ago, Muntasser sued the government for failing to act on his application for US citizenship. The following year, he was indicted with Mubayyid. They were charged with conspiring to conceal information from the government to win tax-exempt status for their charity, Massachusetts Care International Inc. They also were charged with making false statements. Earlier this year, Monla was added to the indictment."

"...The government alleges that in the early 1990s, the three men were involved in operating the Boston branch of Al-Kifah Refugee Center - which supported Muslims engaged in violent, religiously based military conflict overseas - and published a pro-jihad newsletter called Al-Hussam, Arabic for The Sword."

"After members of the New York office of Al-Kifah were linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York, the Boston branch of Al-Kifah was disbanded, and Muntasser founded its successor organization, Massachusetts Care International, the indictment alleges. The group is not affiliated with the global relief organization CARE International."

Hmm, Al-Kifah, where have I heard that before? Ahh yes, Aafia Siddiqi - former MIT trained biochemist, now wanted by the FBI - used to work for Al-Kifah in Brooklyn.  I'm only speculating here, but I bet there were ample ties between Al-Kifah Brooklyn and Al-Kifah Boston. 

Muntasser and Mubayyid were arrested back in May 2005. The original DOJ statement about Muntasser and Mubayyid can be found here.  In March 2007, Muntasser was reindicted, this time for lying to a federal grand jury (when will people learn not to lie to the feds?).   The fed's indictment for that can be read here.

The Investigative Project noted connections between Care International and Al Qaeda a year ago.   Care had a notable founder, Abdullah Azzam, bin Laden's mentor and godfather of the global jihad movement:

"....A publication of Al-Hussam claimed that Mr. Azzam himself founded the Boston-based Care International, according to the FBI. 'Care is a nonprofit organization founded by Imam Abdullah Azzam to provide services to war victims and refugees around the world,' according to a Care International pamphlet cited by the FBI in a court filing."

"....Court records in the Worcester case say checks deposited into Care International accounts had phrases such as "for jihad only" and "Bosnia Jihad fund" and "Chechen Muslim Fighters" handwritten on the memo lines of donors' personal checks."

Go get 'em, Feds!   

Attention, Rhode Island Attorney General

A correction to my post below about polygamy in Sharon, MA. 

Apparently (and reportedly), while the polygamous marriages were conducted by a Sharon imam and possibly at the Islamic Center of New England in Sharon, MA, the actual happy (?) couples (quadruple?) live in Rhode Island.  So instead of alerting the MA Attorney General about polygamy in MA, will someone please alert the Rhode Island Attorney General?  Thank you.   

"Conversation About Sex on Campus"

This sounds interesting, a forum on sexual activity at college campuses held at the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPCC) in DC tonight:

Modest Proposals - A  Conversation About Sex on Campus

Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 5 - 7 PM

Location: 

Ethics and Public Policy Center
1015 15th ST, NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005

"Many college campuses across the country report rising numbers of sexual assaults, date rapes, and sexually-transmitted infections. And there is reason to believe the "hook up" culture -- the prevalence of sexual activity with "no strings attached" -- is affecting students’ mental health."

"Are students today well-educated about healthy relationships? Are college administrators taking the right approach to reducing health risks? On November 13, five experts will come together to discuss the state of affairs on campus -- and some modest proposals."

Laura Sessions Stepp is a Washington Post writer and author of Unhooked (2007).  Dr. Miriam Grossman is a campus psychiatrist at UCLA and author of Unprotected (2006). Wendy Shalit is author of A Return to Modesty (1999) and Girls Gone Mild (2007). Cassandra DeBenedetto is a recent graduate of Princeton University and founder of Princeton's Anscombe Society.  Dawn Eden is director of the Cardinal Newman Society's Love and Responsibility Program and author of The Thrill of the Chaste (2007).

A book signing and wine-and-cheese reception will follow the discussion.

REGISTRATION: You must register to attend this event.
E-mail: send your name and affiliation to mrybak@eppc.org.
Fax: your name and affiliation to (202) 408-0632, with attention to Mary Rose Rybak.

Sponsored by the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the Cardinal Newman Society, with additional support from the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute.

* * * * *

This forum has some feminists up in arms, who think any questioning of "no strings attached" sex among college students is heresy.  God forbid there anyone should question the outcome of the so-called sexual revolution.  The outcome has been decidely mixed, and quite negative in some respects.  Feminists seem unable to admit it has created substantial problems for young women, while it has been a boon for men who want to sleep around with zero responsibility.  Hugh Hefner's dreams have come true.

The pressure for college students to have casual sex (the "zipless f*ck", in 70's parlance) is very strong.  If we truly value freedom of choice and having control over one's body,  then feminists and college administrators would support men and women who are chaste as much as they support those who are sexually active. But that isn't the case at all.  The status quo on many college campuses is that you're normal and healthy if you're screwing around, but you're repressed and inhibited if you're not. Let's bring that pendulum back to the middle, shall we? 

Veterans Day/ Remembrance Day

Apologies for not posting this yesterday.  I thank all the veterans for their military service and sacrifices during wartime, including my father and his four brothers. 

Kathy Shaidle wrote about the sacrifices of Canadian troops with her tribute to Remembrance Day here.  Omnia21 provided a link to the tribute below to our soldiers, as well as suggestions for honoring today's veterans:

Honoring those who serve and defend America is something we should do every day.

Veterans Day is a special time to reflect on the sacrifices that have been made and are being made by brave men and women to preserve Western civilization. 

Here is a short tribute to watch. 

But we can also do something tangible.

We can make a gift.

For example,

Operation Gratitude and Soldiers' Angels let those on active duty know we are thinking of them and appreciate the sacrifices they are making.

Help Hospitalized Veterans assists the seriously injured with motor skill recovery through creative arts and crafts.

Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund helps with the rehabilitation of some of our bravest.

There are many other worthy support groups from which to choose, almost all of which enable contributions, large and small, to be made online. 

Comments on Polygamy Post: "We Need an Unmanned Drone Over Sharon"

My posting from Friday on polygamy in Sharon, MA elicited two sets of additional questions in the comments, which I'm posting here.  I hope someone in authority (MA Attorney General? DOJ?) gets wind of this.  First, from Azzam, who has commented at Miss Kelly before:

1.A crime was reported to Mr.Rashid Noor. He has not informed the authorities till this time.
2.This is the same board of directors who was telling the members, even in court affidavits that "all was well with the immigration papers of Imam Masood"
3.Inspite of all that is going on, Imam Masood is still occupying the House at Sharon Center and about $900 a month utilities are being paid by this board.  He is actively working for the next election of the Board of Directors so that he is not evicted. Why can't the members take action? They have relatives in Pakistan. His brother Hafiz Saeed, even with all the farce of Emergency in Pakistan, is allowed to roam around in the heart of Lahore with gun wielding guards in jeeps, in front and back. You need a license to carry a gun in Lahore. Even the Government is afraid of this man. How are the members going to speak?
4. Under the old Religious Director there was a system. All marriage applications were filed and record kept. But one day a Lady Director( who is trying to become a Muslim Chaplain at Tufts University) picked up all the record (other than marriage record) and took it to Sharon. Got a P.O.Box in Sharon, never informing the Secretary of State of the change of address. It is alleged that under the old Religious Director "hanky panky" was not allowed.
5. It is alleged that a present Director even is remarried without producing a divorce certificate from a former wife. He is a big Houncho in other Islamic Organizations also. He was so mad at the Religious Director that he violated every rule to get rid of him and capture the official record of marriages.
6.We do not need an unmanned drone over North Waziristan. We need a drone over Sharon. What does the Attorney General have to say about this?
7.What do the ladies of the old Aafia Siddiqu halaqa group at Sharon have to say about this?
8.What does the Muslim Chaplain of Wellesley and her Hijab squad have to say about this? Silence?
9.And if it is the same beloved of the Interfaith group, then what does Rabbi Starr have to say about this?

You can click on the ICE Boston Case category to find information on two of the people mentioned above, the former Imam Masood and his brother Hafiz Saeed.

The second set of questions came from Lynne of Deafening Silence:

I have often wondered why the illegal aspects of polygamy aren't investigated more vigorously by authorities. When I read this story, some questions came to mind:
1. How many 'extra' wives are officially registered with the state- and how? As dependents? As children?
2. Are the wives of legal age?
3. Are they legal residents or citizens? Or are they in the country illegally?
4. If they have children, are they signing up for benefits like welfare and food stamps as 'single mothers'? (This is a common scam in Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) territory and regularly bilks taxpayers out of hundreds of thousands per poygamous family.)

Polygmay can never be self-supporting. No ordinary man can provide for the enormous families produced by multiple wives and children. Inevitably, the single and non-polygamous are exploited- usually by abuse of public monies. This is clearly seen in investigations of polygamous "mormon" cults in Utah and Arizona. (I did a piece on this recently. In-depth and well-researched - MK)
I wish all the handwringing over the damage polygamy inflicts on women and children would lead somewhere, but maybe the most effective approach will prove to be the public money angle. Polygamy is a financial sinkhole for the state.

I also have wondered why the U.S. authorities turn a blind eye to polygamy (with the exception of the recent case against FLDS leader Warren Jeffs Steed). It goes against the very foundation of Western society, monogamous marriage and family.  Deafening Silence is right, it's probably easier to prosecute polygamous men for welfare fraud than for polygamy.  But all we need is a few cases where these men go to jail to send the message that polygamy is against the law here. 

Phyllis Chesler over at Pajamas Media has been following this case too, you can read that here.

Polygamy in Sharon, MA!

Put down your cup of coffee for this one or you'll spew it all over the place. 

Miss Kelly was forwarded this letter, which was sent to the Islamic Center of New England (ICNE) Board of Directors last week.  I have of course removed all the names to protect peoples' privacy:   

Assallamu Alaykum Wa Rahmato Allahi Wa Barakatoh;

"My name is (Jane Doe).  I am a Muslim American Arab member of the community of New England, and I have contributed to the community in my ways in Sharon as well as  R.I."

"I believe its the duty of the Islamic center to watch out for their
community members and correct any misconduct  by the best available methods provided by the Imam of that center,I also strongly believe that as a Islamic Legitamate organization we as muslims have to bind by the rules and regulations of  the states of america."

"With that said I, (Jane Doe), report my complaint of the misconduct not only by my husband (John Doe) but also by Brother (Abdul Doe) reprensentative of Islamic center of Sharon,where through the authority given to brother (Abdul Doe) by the center of Sharon ,my husband (John Doe) was able to marry illegally and secretly and without my knowledge three american muslim women, and because of that my self and my children have suffered and still suffering tremendously,and because of the failure of the Islamic center as well the Imams to prevent such misconduct, I had no choice but to file for divorce, and demand through the court for my rights as well as my childrens,and for me to insure that, I will expose this misconduct to the court and media if I have to, I also hope through this letter that you will make sure that this victimizations doesn't happen to any other sisters."

"Thank you."

A Lazy, Simplistic Editorial

The Boston Globe wrote an editorial last Sunday entitled "A Lazy, Simplistic Analogy," criticizing the Islam-Fascism Week held at college campuses two weeks ago.   A proper rebuttal to the editorial can be found here.  The Globe editor doesn't like the term "Islamofascism."  He apparently doesn't know that the term was first coined by Algerian Muslims who were fighting against Islamic radicals trying to create an Islamic state in Algeria.   

If the Globe editor needs any proof that there are significant numbers of Islamic radicals in our midst, he might want to read this story, published last month in the parent company's paper, about a young Muslim man in North Carolina who posts gruesome multimedia productions of violent jihadi groups on his blog, Inshallahshaheed.  This young man, Samir Khan, recently posted death threats to another blogger and his family.  You may want to check out the site, it's a doozy, and there are thousands like it on the Web.

The Boston Globe thinks that this jihadi madness is limited to "fringe groups"?  Who's being lazy and simplistic here? 

Why Don't Catholic Churches Host Lectures Like These?

I was thinking recently about the many excellent lectures I've attended in the past three or four year in Boston.  I've heard Bat Ye'or, Robert Spencer, Caroline Glick, and now Wafa Sultan and Mark Steyn.  They have all given fascinating, provocative lectures on what's going on in the world, especially the rise in Islamic fundamentalism,  and the threats to Christians, Jews and Muslims by radical Islamists in the Middle East and now South East Asia. Where have I heard all of them speak?  In Jewish temples in the Boston area.   Why don't Catholic churches ever host speakers like these folks?

Where are the lectures about our history, about the persecution of Christians in the modern world, about modern day slavery?  Why do I have to look outside my own church to get information on the plight of the few remaining Christians in the Holy Land?  Instead, we're permanently sidetracked with pedophile priests and parish reorganizations, and now a priest who stalked Conan O'Brien!

Why is it that Pope Benedict and the Vatican cardinals can speak bluntly about the lack of religious freedom in the Middle East and call for freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia, but our Cardinal Sean O'Malley is silent on the subject? 

Why has the Archdiocese of Boston said not one peep about the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) lawsuit saga, about their new new mosque built with significant Saudi funding and with Saudi trustees?  Does the Archdiocese have any concern that the recent spokesman for the ISB is a former Catholic? Think of the symbolism of that.  Does the Archdiocese really want the only Catholic person seen in the media commenting on the ISB case to be the extravagantly liberal Fr. Raymond Helmick?