New York PD's Investigation of Muslim Student Associations

Hat tip to Campus Watch and Frontpage Magazine

It seems the West Coast is not the only area where university-based Muslim Student Associations have come under law enforcement scrutiny. Ryan Mauro has written a report which appears in Frontpage Magazine and Campus Watch. It concerns the controversy over the NYPD's investigations into MSA chapters on several university campuses in the city.

http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/11825

Not surprisingly, Islamic organizations are trying to iintimidate the NYPD into ceasing their investigations notwithstanding the list of examples of MSA alumni who have gone into the jihad against this country. This also ties into that 1960s thinking that university campuses are some sort of sanctuaries from law enforcement, which they clearly are not.

The point is not that every member of a Muslim Student Association chapter on any university campus is a jihadist. I don't believe that for a minute. Many join simply because they see it as a social support group when they begin their university careers. Yet, the list of radical speakers that regularly appear at MSA-sponsored events is a matter for concern and signals a radical bent among the leadership that is worthy of scrutiny.

Having suffered two major terror attacks and a couple of other thwarted attempts, New York has the right and the responsibility to take necessary measures to prevent another. I fail to note any unjustified arrests of innocent people being carried out here. Hopefully, the city will stick by its police.

More Muslim Brotherhood Take on the Coptic Christian Situation

The below article is dated October 20, 2011 and is posted on Ikhwan Web, the English-language site of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. It concerns the recent killings during a Coptic Christian demonstration. Again, while seemingly calling for peace between Copts and Muslims, the article again accuses certain Copts of collaborating with Western and Israeli governments in an attempt to de-stabilize the country and the revolution.


http://www.ikhwanweb.com/iweb/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32587:sawasya-ambiguity-surrounds-masperos-bloody-sunday-as-eyewitness-accounts-conflict&catid=10412:egypt&Itemid=692

I don't claim to be an expert on the situation in Egypt, but it seems clear that implicating Coptic Christians with Israel and other Western governmemts in an alleged attempt to harm the revolution in Egypt can only lead to more violence and persecution against an already persecuted minority.

1NewHeart Loses a Child

Sadly, in the past few days, one of 1NewHeart's sponsored children in Israel/Palestinian territories did not survive surgery. His name was Ybada.

http://www.1newheart.org/Current_Sponsored_Child.html

Many of the children born in this region are afflicted with congenital heart defects. Hank Dannecker's 1NewHeart charity has saved the lives of several children in collaboration with Israeli hospitals and surgeons working pro bono. Please visit their site, which is linked on this blog.

Kent State University Professor Shouts, "Death to Israel"

Julio Pino (l) 
(Photo by Fox News)


Professor Julio Pino, of whom I have written before, has once again brought embarrassment to Kent State University.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/28/professors-death-to-israel-rant-sparks-controversy-at-kent-state-university/?test=latestnews

At least the president of the university, Lester Lefton, condemned the behavior of Pino.

Of course, Pino will not be fired over this incident because of his free speech rights. What is appropriate, however, is that all universities do some self-reflection on the kind of radical, left-wing activists they have hired to teach our children in the classroom. Professors like Pino and so many others around the country have brought so much disrepute to higher education that a diploma (at least in the humanities)  has become something of a joke.

The White House is Going to Investigate Solyndra??

"Investigation? We got it covered, right boys?"


No need to investigate Solyndra, Congress. The White House has it covered.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/28/white-house-to-review-energy-department-loans-in-wake-solyndra-scandal/

Of course, this is the same tom-foolery that DOJ is doing with their Inspector General investigating Fast and Furious.

Kind of reminds me of OJ Simpson out looking for the "real killer". His "search" consisted of looking through the roughs of golf courses (no real killers there) before he took up permanent residence in Nevada.

How about Bernie Madoff investigating fraud on Wall Street?

How about ACORN investigating voter fraud?

How about Nixon investigating Watergate?

"I tried that."

How about Bill Clinton assigning the White House staff to investigate the Monica Lewinsky rumors? That actually happened.

How about Clinton investigating sold pardons? He can even use the current attorney general as his lead investigator. Eric Holder is...er...quite familiar with the facts of that case.

How about Barney Frank and Chris Dodd investigating the mortgage meltdown?

At least one aspect of this latest announcement makes perfect sense. In a way, it is only fitting that the White House should conduct this investigation. After all, that is where the crime was committed. Thus, I guess they have jurisdiction.

DOJ Asked to Criminalize Criticism of Islam?

Eric Holder and Thomas Perez *(the eminance gris of DOJ)

It seems that our embattled attorney general, Eric Holder and his top radical deputy Thomas Perez are at it again this week. Creeping Sharia reports that they have been asked by Muslim-American "leaders" to find a way to criminalize any critical discussion of Islam. It seems they may be taking the idea under consideration.

http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/muslims-tell-doj-to-find-a-way-to-crimalize-criticism-of-islam/

It is bad enough that DOJ has allowed itself to be pressured to get rid of training manuals that mention Islamic terrorism. It is bad enough that they would allow themselves to be pressured to cut back on support to state and local police when it comes to terror investigations. But to seriously discuss ways to stop any public discussion of this issue is incredible.

Strike that. Not with this Justice Department and with this attorney general.

Remember the words last week of Hedieh Mirahmadi at UC-Irvine, when she told us how she cannot use the word, "Islamist" when she is working with government. It has to be "radical extremism."

Did nobody at DOJ inform Ms Aziz that we have something called the First Amendment in this country? It may not exist in Egypt, but it still exists here. One can only wonder why she wasn't escorted out of the building when she made this request.

Al Azhar Grand Mufti: Is He a Radical Extremist?

Hat tip to PJ Media

Al Azhar University in Cairo is considered the world's leading Islamic theological center. Therefore, when its grand mufti, Sheikh Ali Gomaa, makes a proclamation declaring Christians to be infidels-in a society wracked by violence, death and church destruction aimed at Coptic Christians, the world needs to sit up and take notice.


http://pjmedia.com/blog/top-muslim-institution-declares-all-christians-%e2%80%98infidels%e2%80%99/

These are not the ravings of say, Abdul Alim Musa, Anjem Choudary, or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This is a man whose words carry great worth in the Muslim world. This is considered top shelf Islamic scholarship here. It also must be taken within the context of the on-going persecution against Christians being carried out in Egypt, as well as Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and other countries.

Several days ago, Hedieh Mirahmadi spoke at UC Irvine. She is an American Muslim who has dared speak out against Islamic extremism, as well as the phony moderate organizations in America like CAIR. Yet, she is a Muslim who will defend her faith when questioners ask her about disturbing passages in the Koran and hadith. With all due respect to Ms. Mirahmadi, she needs to consider the words of the grand mufti. It is not so easy to lump him in with the Salafist hate-mongers she courageously criticizes.

Is it?

Several months ago, I heard Imam Faisal Rauf speak at UCLA, he of the Ground Zero mosque. He spoke of the need for Muslims, Christians and Jews to join together against the radicals and extremists of all our faiths. My question then was, "Where are the radicals and extremists within Christianity and Judaism who are committing acts of terror world-wide?" My question now is what Rauf has to say to the grand mufti of Al Azhar University?

Then there is Muzammil Siddiqi, the so-called "bridge-builder" in Orange County, who spoke of extremists who were protesting his award from the Orange County Human Relations Commission a few months ago (a protest in which I took part). Siddiqi is most recently on tape proclaiming that Islam is "a religion of peace". A couple of weeks back, his mosque in Garden Grove was one of many that held an open mosque day for non-Muslims to visit and learn more about Islam. I wonder what Mr Siddiqi has to say about the words of the grand mufti of Al Azhar-especially given the events in Egypt. Keep in mind that the bookstore in Siddiqi's mosque features the works of such "moderates" and "bridge-builders" as Abul Ala Maumudi and Sayyid Qutb, of which I will have more to say later. I invite the reader to Google those names. They were hardly bridge-builders.

It is also relevant to bring up Yusuf al Qaradawi, the leading spiritual voice of the Muslim Brotherhood. His taped sermons reek of references to his desire to die in battle fighting the infidels and references to the Holocaust being God's punishment to Jews. Are we to consider him as one who is twisting the truth?

It is easy to dismiss people like Ahmadinejad, Choudary, Musa, and others as nuts. It is not so easy to say that people like the grand mufti of Al Azhar, and Qaradawi are outside the mainstream.

Fast and Furious: Is This the Motive?

Hat tip to PJ Media


A few months ago, following a DEA funeral, I was having lunch with a group of DEA retirees with whom I had worked. The topic of Fast and Furious came up. During the conversation, one of my colleagues mentioned that there was a "conspiracy theory" going around that the motive for this operation was the desire of the administration to cut back on the 2nd Amendment and gun ownership rights. Yet, there is reason to believe that this may be more than just a wild conspiracy theory. PJ Media has another in a series of reports on this scandal.

http://pjmedia.com/blog/smoking-gun-most-gunwalker-guns-targets-of-ban-efforts-but-not-wanted-by-cartels/

Interesting theory, is it not? (Conspiracy theory, I mean.)

Why You Don't See Many Conservative Speakers on College Campuses-UC Santa Barbara

If you ever wonder why you don't see many conservative speakers on college campuses, the recent example of David Horowitz and UC Santa Barbara is illustrative. Frontpage Magazine has an update on the hassles Horowitz faced trying to speak at UCSB.

http://frontpagemag.com/2011/10/27/san-francisco-chronicle-reprints-ucsbs-lies-about-viewpoint-discrimination-against-horowitz-event/

UC Santa Barbara, you may recall, is where professor William Robinson, a radical guy, stirred a fuss by e-mailing his students material that reflected his own hatred of Israel. Some students complained about the indoctrination*, but the university eventually ruled that he was exercising his freedom of speech. Meanwhile, students who want to hear people like David Horowitz have to fight to have the right to hear him speak while radical students and university officials haggle about diversity, inclusiveness and all that other rot.

* Don't think I am talking about Robinson behind his back when I talk about his indoctrination. I have told him to his face.

Catholic University Told to Remove Crosses by Muslim Students

This story will leave you shaking your head. Catholic University in Washington DC, a private school, is being sued. Muslim students who are attending Catholic University are demanding a prayer room not adorned with crosses.

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/muslims-want-catholic-school-to-provide-room-without-crosses.html

Let me make sure I get this straight. Muslim students choosing to attend Catholic University are offended because of crosses on the walls. They want Catholic University to provide them with a room free from crosses. They say that Catholic University is not respecting their religion. The crosses at Catholic University are offensive

What is Catholic University to do?

Another Stunner From Janet Napolitano

Here is the feckless Janet Napolitano testifying before Congress on Fast and Furious. What is shocking here is that she says she and her department have not been in communication with Eric Holder and the Justice Department over Fast and Furious-the botched operation that is connected to the deaths of two of her employees.

Where does one start? She refers to the referral of the investigation to the Inspector General of the Justice Department, a woman with a long association with Holder and one who has already compromised herself in this very matter by turning over taped conversations to the officials involved in the scandal. Not only is Napolitano not bracing Holder against the wall by the scruff of his neck demanding answers, she is not even talking to him!






Pass the Propofol. 

Olive Tree Initiative Sticks it to Israel

As my readers know, I have written many critical articles about the UC-Irvine-based Olive Tree Initiative. This year, another OTI trip was conducted to Israel and the West Bank. Last night, there was a welcome home event held at UC-Irvine for the students to report on the latest trip. I went to the event to listen and to learn. Since it was their event, I had no intention of being the skunk at the garden party especially since it was centered around the students, Jewish, Muslim and other who went on the trip and were presenting their views and experiences. I went as one who is critical of the OTI. I left even more cemented in my views. This was another diatribe against Israel disguised as a striving for peace.

After introductory speeches by OTI founder Daniel Wehrenfennig and UCI Vice Chancellor Thomas Parham, there were a series of presentations by pairs of participating students. There was also an introductory video. When I saw the Al Jazeera logo on the screen, I should have been able to predict the content. This was not going to be fair and even-handed no matter how they might try and present it as such.

What followed the video was an historical recount by a Muslim and Jewish student of the series of meetings and agreements that had fueled an expectation of a final peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians  that never panned out. There were images of Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, Yassir Arafat, Yizhak Rabin, and other leaders who had entered into negotiations. There were few if any words of praise for Israel, but there were plenty of criticisms.

There were images of Jordan's King Hussein and his son, the current king,  representing a nation that has no proud history of how it has treated Palestinians living in its territory. (Remember Black September?)

We were told how the OTI trip had started with a stop in Washington where the students and organizers were briefed by Dennis Ross, the chief US negotiator between the Israelis and Palestinians. That is how far this venture has succeeded in gaining official support.

There was a scripted debate between two student-participants who argued the point about whether the UN should grant nationhood-recognition to Palestine or whether that should be accomplished by negotiation between the Palestinians and the Israelis. (That was the strongest support of Israel I heard last night.)

The principle theme last night was a message of peace, reconciliation and the hope that Israelis and Palestinians would live in peace. A wonderful ideal, indeed. Yet, there was another theme that cropped up from time to time. Israeli intransigence and Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. One student speaker introduced an account from an Arab of Israeli citizenship who stated that while he was glad to have Israeli citizenship, he was not proud of his nationality. There were a couple of negative references to Bibi Netanyahu and his followers who "were not interested in peace." There was a reference to the First Intifada, which was "peaceful".

About two-thirds of the way into the program, there was an emergency alert and we were instructed to leave the room and go to the nearest exit. Was it a bomb threat? A fire? We proceeded outside and waited for about 20 minutes. A fire truck passed by. Finally, we were informed that it was a false alarm and people proceeded back inside. I and three like-minded friends decided we had heard enough. We left.

This was not a balanced presentation. I have come to my final decision on the Olive Tree Initiative.

I offer this for consideration. One of the contacts of OTI, which was described is an group called Parents' Circle Family Forum. This is a group founded by one Yitzhak Frankenthal, an Israeli whose son was shot and killed by Palestinians while serving with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). The group consists of families of Palestinians and Israelis who have died in the conflict including families of suicide bombers and their victims. We learned how they have come together and exchanged accounts of their grief and desire for peace. On the surface, it sounds wonderful. What could be better than reconciliation and a desire for peace between those who have lost family members on both sides? Indeed, this group has been recognized by meany international bodies including the EU.

When you look deeper, it gets murky. Mr Frankenthal also blames his nation's policies for the death of his son. Below is an article he wrote in the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/aug/07/comment

So just what is the principle guiding the Parents' Circle? Below is an article written by Lee Kaplan in Frontpage Magazine. It concerns two of their activists who have spoken in the US:

http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=8376

Here is what was not discussed last night (at least before we left in disgust):

There was no mention of Palestinian terrorism other than oblique references to the suicide bombings in connection with the Parents Circle Family Forum.

There was no reference to the Itimar Massacre of the Fogel family.

There was no reference to the issue of Jew hatred among the Palestinian population, the Hamas charter that quotes the hadith of hate, whereupon on the Day of Judgement, the Jews will hide behind trees, which will call out to the Muslims to "kill, the Jew hiding behind me". Indeed, the word Hamas was barely mentioned.

Here is the key, which all of us need to understand. There are now hundreds of organizations out there all over the world that proclaim that they are dedicated to bringing peace to the Middle East. They talk about reconciliation between Palestinians and Jews and the desire that they will learn to live in peace. Yet, the overwhelming majority of these so-called peace organizations  are solidly on the Palestinian  side of the issue. They believe that Israel is an occupying power and that the Palestinians are victims-no matter how many terrorist acts against innocent civilians the Palestinian  terrorists of Hizbollah and Hamas commit. They believe that Israel is a human-rights violator. In fact, many of them believe that Israel has no legitimacy as a sovereign state. Israel must eventually cease to exist. They may or may not state it, but that is what they want.

That is the desire of the International Solidarity Movement, founded by Palestinian activists and now international in scope. They declare that they are for peace, but they have links to Hamas. Their mission is to work toward the dissolution of Israel by deligitimization of her in the eyes of the world. They are tied into the world-wide movement of Boycot, Divest and Sanctions, which is active in the US and Europe-especially on university campuses.

The International Solidarity Movement has also wrapped its tentacles around the Olive Tree Initiative. How else does one explain the involvement of George S Rishmawi, a co-founder and his cousin George N Rishmawi?

There are also links between the ISM and the Parents' Circle Family Forum. They are all birds of a feather flying together. You will find their names both linked on various sites dedicated to "peace in the Middle East." For example, let's look at the Holy Land Task Force:

https://www.umhltf.org/Useful_Links.html

Note the following links:

Friends of Sabeel
The Electric Intifada
Stop the Wall
Breaking the Silence
Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
If Americans Knew
Israel Committee Against House Demolitions
Website of Norman Finkelstein
Boycott Israel
Muzzle Watch-From Jewish Voice for Peace
Global BDS Movement
International Solidarity Movement
Parents Circle

Get the message?

Below is the link for the Michigan Peace Team:

http://michiganpeaceteam.org/RESOURCES.htm

Recommended resources:

US Campaign to end the Israeli occupation
Jewish Voice for Peace
International Solidarity Movement
Parents Circle

Now let's go to the webpages of the Parents Circle itself:

http://www.theparentscircle.com/ActivitiesMain.asp?id=180&sivug_id=3

"Yehuda Shaul, "Breaking the Silence"


Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran Israeli soldiers that collects testimonies of soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories during the Second Intifada.

Until today, Yehuda Shaul and" Breaking the Silence" interviewed hundreds of soldiers who served in the territories, and they continue to interview soldiers daily. The organization also has lectures and tours to Hebron. The testimonies are published with minimal editing and with complete confidentiality, in order to protect the soldiers and to encourage them to speak."

Ayed Ahmad Morar –


"Ayed, a father of six from the village Budrus near Ramallah, is an enthusiastic supporter of nonviolence resistance in Palestine. Ayed Ahmad Morar established the first popular committee against the wall in 2003 and led over 60 non violent demonstrations together with the residents of Budrus. Ayed Ahmad Morar advises on non-violence in Palestine and is a member of the International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian movement for non violence."

Also note on the right margin the list of activities and events in which they include a Mavi Marmara event and a meeting with Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht. Below is the Wikipedia entry for Mr De Gucht.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_De_Gucht

Get the message?

The Parents Circle Family Forum is one of the planned activities of the Olive Tree Initiative. They were also on the 2010 itinerary. They are a pro-Palestinian organization that believes Israel is an occupying power. Their program was part of last night's presentation.

Here is a salient point: For those of you old enough to remember the Cold War with the Soviet Union, you may recall that a major part of the Soviets' propaganda revolved around the international peace movement, which argued that only the US was a war-like, imperialistic  country that should dissarm. The USSR stood for peace. Never mind their invasions of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan.

That tired old tactic is at work again when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel is the aggressor and peace means that Israel must make all the concessions, give up land and ultimately give up its very existence. That is the tactic, and many of the old Soviet-sympathizers of the Cold War in the West are using the same tactics today to destroy Israel.

And today, I firmly believe this is what is happening with the Olive Tree Initiative. It is all in the name of peace. Young students are being manipulated by older, experienced left-wing activists in and out of academia along with some misguided life-long peace activists (who do more harm than good) and led to believe that they can help bring peace to the Middle East. It is an illusion. In this spirit, dozens of college students are being led over to the Middle East. There they meet with a few Israeli officials and many Palestinian activists, combined with selected Israeli peace activists who are hostile to their own country.

What transpired last night (in the time I was there) was a pathetic travesty when it came to being even-handed in this complex issue. We heard a lot of pompous talk about the need for young people to have the courage to open their minds to both sides. Yet, it was not a balanced event. That's because this is not a balanced venture. This is part and parcel of the International Solidarity Movement's effort to bring about the dissolution of Israel by convincing the international community that Israel is a racist, occupying state that has no legitimacy.

My anger is not toward the students. Most genuinely believe they are advancing peace. My anger is to the adults who are manipulating them.

Shame on the University of California system for advancing this cynical and fraudulent program.

Shame on the UCI Department of Social Sciences and the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies for spearheading this program.

And more than that, shame on the Jewish Federation of Orange County and their suspicious financial operation called the Rose Project for supporting the anti-Israel indoctrination of Jewish students with their funding. It is beyond disgrace.