MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• HT:Physorg.US studying Australian Internet security program.The government is reviewing an Australian program that will allow Internet service providers to alert customers if their computers are taken over by hackers and could limit online access if people don't fix the problem.Obama administration officials have met with industry leaders and experts to find ways to increase online safety while trying to balance securing the Internet and guarding people's privacy and civil liberties.Experts and U.S. officials are interested in portions of the plan, set to go into effect in Australia in December. But any move toward Internet regulation or monitoring by the U.S. government or industry could trigger fierce opposition from the public.The discussions come as private, corporate and government computers across the U.S. are increasingly being taken over and exploited by hackers and other computer criminals.Read the full story here.This might be related to an earlier story we brought beginning last week.Click here for comments.

• Barack Obama's half brother in Kenya marries teenager.President Barack Obama's polygamist half brother in Kenya has married a woman who is more than 30 years younger than him.The 19-year-old's mother told The Associated Press on Friday she is furious that her daughter quit high school and married the 52-year-old.Mary Aoko Ouma says her daughter tried to marry Malik Obama two years ago, but the mother says she would not give permission.Read and see the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Student who found FBI tracking device stuck to his car sparks legal row on invasion of privacy.Yasir Afifi, a 20-year-old computer salesman and student took his car in for an oil change earlier this month and his mechanic spotted an odd wire hanging from the undercarriage.The wire was attached to a strange magnetic device that puzzled Mr Afifi and the mechanic.They freed it from the car and posted images of it online, asking for help in identifying it.Two days later, FBI agents arrived at Mr Afifi's Santa Clara apartment and demanded the return of their property - a global positioning system tracking device now at the center of a raging legal debate over privacy rights.That investigators don't need a warrant to use the devices in California troubles privacy advocates, technophiles, criminal defense attorneys and others.The federal appeals court based in Washington D.C. said in August that investigators must obtain a warrant for GPS tracking.The state high courts of New York, Washington and Oregon have ruled similarly.But the Obama administration last month asked the D.C. federal appeals court to change its ruling, calling the decision 'vague and unworkable' and arguing that investigators will lose access to a tool they now use 'with great frequency'.Legal scholars predict the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately resolve the issue since so many courts disagree.Mr Afifi is represented by Zahra Billoo of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country's largest Islamic civil rights group.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:BloggerBase.Free Speech vs Shielding Islam from Critics.The controversy over attempts to squelch "defamation of religions" is heating up. Individuals and organizations are speaking out. One of my Google Alerts brought my attention to UN to consider anti-blasphemy laws proposed by the Organization of Islamic Conference, would make criticism of Islam illegal in America.Several participants are not native speakers of English and some of the concepts under discussion are not easy to express, so much of the discussion is difficult to listen to. Half of one exchange has been covered by several blogs including Front Page Magazine. Pakistan's Ambassador let fly with some heated remarks and hauled tail when a Canadian human rights advocate responded forcefully. In my view, the Ambassador's rant deserves more scrutiny, which it will receive presently.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Kids run over by settler leader questioned.Police detain two of children caught on tape hurling stones at car of David Be'eri before being run over. Silwan man who threw stones in same incident indicted.The indictment added that "As David Be'eri increased the speed, in an attempt to avoid the stone throwers, the defendant threw a stone at the car, strongly." As a result, the car's rear and side windowpanes were smashed, the windshield was cracked and the car's hood and doors were damaged.According to the State Prosecutor's Office, Sharaf threw the stones with intention of hurting Be'eri and putting his life in danger. The court was asked to extend his remand until.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Muslim Hard-Liners in Central Java Attack Shadow Puppet Shows.Ki Slamet Gundono, a world-renowned dalang (puppet master) for the traditional Javanese shadow puppetry, on Wednesday said hard-liners in Sukoharjo, a town south of Solo, had broken up several performances in the area.“A bunch of youths calling themselves Laskar Jihad [warriors of jihad] attacked a wayang performance taking place in Sembung Wetan village in Sukoharjo on Saturday night,” he said.“They threatened members of the audience and forced them to disperse. “We strongly condemn this violence,” he added.Gundono said he only recently learned about the incident from fellow wayang practitioners who were afraid to report it to police.“We have decided to take a united stand to protect the arts and culture against violent acts by any group,” he said, adding people should not be afraid to hold future performances.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• At least 22 people killed in Pakistan's Karachi pre election violance.Voting in a by-election started in Pakistan's biggest city and commercial hub Karachi on Sunday after violence killed at least 22 people in several attacks.Mohammad Saghir, the provincial health minister, said gunmen in several parts of Karachi attacked people belonging to ethnic and political groups to "ruin the peace of this city." About 40 people were wounded, he said.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:TheEndoftheAmericanDream.16 New Records That The American Economy Has Set During The Past 12 Months – And They Are All Bad.Over the past twelve months, the U.S. economy has continued to come apart like a 20 dollar suit. During that time it seems like more bad economic news has been coming out nearly every single day. Instead of getting better, the problems facing the U.S. economy only seem to be multiplying. The U.S. government and the U.S. financial system continue to absolutely drown in debt. Factories, jobs and massive amounts of wealth continue to fly out of the United States every month at an astounding pace. Meanwhile, the number of Americans enrolled in anti-poverty programs continues to shatter records and the U.S. housing industry continues to set records for futility. The truth is that less Americans are living the American Dream today than were living it twelve months ago. The U.S. economy is in a serious state of decline, and it is time for all of us to wake up and admit the truth.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Anti-Obama billboard taken down.The owner of a Grand Junction company located beneath a controversial billboard of President Barack Obama is glad the sign is now gone.Doris Downey, owner of J&S Fence Co., 2886 Interstate 70 Business Loop, said she neither supported nor opposed the message the sign was intended to convey, but its presence was a major disruption to her business.“It was hard for my trucks to get out and hard for customers to come in,” Downey said hours after the sign was taken down Friday morning. “I defend the freedom of speech people have to put up the sign, but I have to say I’m thrilled it’s gone.”Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:TheJawaReport."Blogging The Qur'an" This is a must read for any person with a sincere interest in learning more about the Quran and how it inspires Islamic terrorists into committing atrocities against other human beings.Read what the Muslim holy book really says about women, non-Muslims, Jews, slavery, peace, war, and everything else our PC Government and Islamic apologists don't want you to know. For easy reference, you might want to have a Quran nearby to crosscheck. I recommend THIS one, which has three different popular translations. You can also download a Quran at Scribd.com.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Ht:Americanglob.Guess Who’s Behind Obama’s Attack On The Chamber Of Commerce.Nancy Pelosi? Nope.David Axelrod? Wrong.Unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers? You’re getting warmer…The latest assault on the Chamber has been spear-headed by none other than the President himself and picked up by David Axelrod, MoveOn.org and all the usual Astro-Turfers who receive marching orders from the DNC.But there's more, read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Rape Plot Claim Puts Jolie Film In Trouble.Angelina Jolie has said she would like to meet wartime rape victims and clarify "misunderstandings" that have led to her film permit in Bosnia being denied.The head of the association, Bakira Hasecic, said she has not read the script but "from what I heard, it is about a victim in a rape camp falling in love with her rapist, and that's not only impossible but the idea is insulting"."Hear & Say "forensic evidence?Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• French MP says UK is 'losing fight against Islamic extremists'. The architect of France's burka ban has accused Britain of "losing the battle against Islamic extremism" by failing to introduce one of its own.Jacques Myard, a senior member of President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling UMP party, said relaxed UK policies had "opened the door to terrorism".He added: "Allowing women to exclude themselves from society by wearing the full Islamic veil makes radicals extremely comfortable, and Britain should realise this."Asked if Britain should introduce its own burka ban, Mr Myard replied: "Of course – it is fundamental to ensuring that extremism is kept in check."There's a good reason why London was nicknamed Londonistan – it was full of Islamic extremists. People should be learning from these mistakes."Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:RightWingNews.New Taliban Terror Threat Concerns US Security and Law Enforcement.Senior U.S. intelligence, security and law enforcement officials are concerned over recent intelligence and "chatter" that strongly suugests the Pakistani Taliban may have already snuck another terrorist into the U.S. to launch an attack, according to Fox News Channel's National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin in her terrorism report yesterday.U.S. authorities believe the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, would have directed the individual to attempt another Times Square-style operation, but not necessarily in New York City, according to the Fox News report."The government has conducted numerous vulnerability tests and they all appear to highlight the fact that our borders are porous not only to illegal aliens but also to terrorists, weapons of mass destruction and other contraband. Maybe Secretary [Janet] Napolitano [of the Homeland Security Department] should worry more about that than about guns being smuggled into Mexico," said political strategist Mike Baker.In nearly every case, government inspectors accepted oral assertions and counterfeit identification provided by GAO undercover investigators as proof of U.S. citizenship and allowed them to enter the country. In total, undercover investigators made 42 crossings with a 93 percent success rate.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Merkel Says German Multiculturalism Has Failed."In Frankfurt on the Main, two out of three children under the age of five have an immigrant background,” Merkel said.“We are a country which, at the beginning of the 1960s, actually brought guest workers to Germany. Now they live with us and we lied to ourselves for a while, saying that they won't stay and that they will have disappeared again one day. That's not the reality. This [multicultural] approach -- saying that we simply live side by side and are happy about each other -- this approach has failed, utterly failed."Braveheart the movie.Longshanks:"If we can't get them out, we breed them out".Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:TeaandPolitics.Pakistan: violence against Christian girls "part of daily life".Violence against Christian girls is “unfortunately common” in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, according to Father Khalid Rashid Asi, vicar general of the Diocese of Faisalabad.“Episodes of violence and abuse of Christian girls are part of daily life,” a Fides source said. “Those that make the news are just the tip of the iceberg.”Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• U.S. backs off in currency dispute with China.The Obama administration backed away on Friday from a showdown with Beijing over the value of China's currency that would have caused new frictions between the world's only superpower and its largest creditor."The Chinese yuan should not be a scapegoat for the United States' domestic economic problems," Commerce Ministry spokesman Yao Jian said on Friday.The Treasury Department is mandated by law to issue a report every six months on whether any country is manipulating its currency for an unfair trade advantage.But the last time any administration -- Republican or Democrat -- has cited a country under the 1988 currency law was in July 1994, when China was put in the spotlight.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Iranian Official Calls for Trial of U.S. Hikers.TEHRAN — Iran’s intelligence minister on Friday insisted that two United States hikers who remain in custody more than a year after their capture near the Iraqi border must be tried in an Iranian court.“In the opinion of this ministry, the two detained Americans accused of spying must await trial by the judiciary,” the intelligence minister, Heydar Moslehi, told reporters from IRNA, Iran’s state-run news agency, on Friday in Lebanon, where he had gone on a state visit with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.Mr. Moslehi said Friday that Ms. Shourd had been freed “temporarily” and that she would have to return to Iran “when required” to stand trial.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:TheJawaReport.Debate: Is Islam The Religion of Peace?Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Douglas Murray destroy their opponents in a debate on whether or not Islam is the religion of peace.Read and see the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:Ruthfullyyours.Hey Ted...For the past several months I've been researching the voting records on Israel of the entire membership of 111th Congress as it pertained to Israel. Out of 436 members, I've picked out 139 members which have voted against Israel at least 1 out 5 times during this past 111th Congress. Of the 139, I expose the 60 worst which voted against the Jewish State between 2 and 5 times, where they're from, their districts, and who their opponents are.I've contacted their opponents requesting a position on Israel statement and have so far received 2 responses which I've included. I believe this information disseminated virally could potentially sway certain elections if enough Jewish people get the message. If one s.o.b. can be replaced with a friend of Israel, the effort is worth it....Jerry.Read and see the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:Memri.Former Saudi Navy Commodore and U.S. Liaison Officer Tells Of His 9/11 Experience In U.S., Speaks Out Against Cordoba House: New York's Muslim Community Lives in Peace and Prosperity... Let Us Avoid Unnecessary Confrontation."The U.S. Is the Most Tolerant Country Regarding Building An Islamic Center – But Why [Did] Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf Choose Ground Zero?"He concludes by saying, "We Muslims have to carefully consider the place where the mosque will be built... The Muslim community in New York is living in peace and prosperity and has a lot of places for worship. Let us not have them encounter unneeded confrontations with the people from the great and beautiful Big Apple City."Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Fort Hood soldier ordered to delete video of rampage.A US soldier who captured a deadly 2009 rampage at Fort Hood with his cell phone camera testified Friday that he was ordered to erase the video by his commanders.The video could have provided key evidence at the trial of Major Nidal Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist who faces 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• U.S. Had Warnings About Plotter of Mumbai Attack.Less than a year before terrorists killed at least 163 people in Mumbai, India, a young Moroccan woman went to American authorities in Pakistan to warn them that she believed her husband, David C. Headley, was plotting an attack.It was not the first time American law enforcement authorities were warned about Mr. Headley, a longtime informer in Pakistan for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration whose roots in Pakistan and the United States allowed him to move easily in both worlds.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:IMRA.ZOA Opposes Obama's Funding Palestinian Construction In Judea/Samaria - While Demanding Israel Stop Jewish Construction.This is despite the fact that Israel is only building within the boundaries of existing Jewish communities, which comprise only 4%-5% of the disputed areas of Judea and Samaria."The ZOA calls upon the Obama Administration to cease funding PA construction projects. We further call upon the U.S. Congress to investigate whether funding PA infrastructure developments in disputed territories is even a permissible use of U.S. funds, especially in light of continuing PA sponsorship of incitement to hatred and violence against Israel."Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:MuslimsAgainstSharia.Anti Islamist movie series by Shoaib Choudhury.Internationally acclaimed award winning Bangladeshi journalist, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and his film production company recently announced a project [named Learning Through Entertainment], under which seven movies will be made on Sharia law, Jihad, Burqa, Stoning, Beheading, Polygamy and Child Marriage in Muslim nations.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:Memri.Saudi Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Bin Abd Al-Latif Allows Prayers For The Annihilation Of Jews And Christians, Channel 1 (Saudi Arabia), March 15, 2007.Read and see the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:BigPeace.Xenophobia Grows in Germany Towards Turks, Arabs, and Jews.But xenophobia is not just a Christian versus Muslim thing. In fact, it’s far more often an immigration issue, often unrelated to religion.In Europe we see harsh immigration issues raised with the Roma Gypsies, who are mostly Christian, and in America, immigration has been a highly visceral topic with (Christian) immigrants from Mexico to Brazil. The issues are often remarkably similar from one case to the next: The immigrants complain of relentless discrimination, and the local population accuses the immigrants of taking jobs and causing crime.From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, unfortunately none of this is a surprise. The survivors of WW II saw how 1930s xenophobia led to wars of extermination, and as long as they were in charge, xenophobic tendencies have been kept to a minimum. That’s why we would have seen very few of these tendencies in the 1990s. What we’re seeing today is truly remarkable — the rapid growth of xenophobia around the world, in many different forms, for the first time since the 1930s. The path to world war is becoming clearer and clearer.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Jonathan Pollard's lawyers file clemency request with Obama. In light of new revelations of government malfeasance, Israeli agent's lawyers ask for his immediate release from prison.Eitan, who was Pollard’s handler, revealed on Thursday after press time that the US had violated an oral agreement with Israel to release Pollard after 10 years. In an interview with Israel Radio, Eitan also accused the US of deliberately perpetrating a travesty of justice by violating Pollard’s plea agreement and slapping him with what he called a grossly disproportionate life sentence.Eitan said the US steadfastly refused to release Pollard even after Ames was exposed and arrested in 1994, “for their own reasons.”Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Briton kidnapped in Somalia was trying to free yacht couple.The British man kidnapped at gunpoint in Somalia has been involved in trying to negotiate the release of Paul and Rachel Chandler, the retired couple snatched from their yacht in the Indian Ocean nearly a year ago, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.It is feared that the experienced foreign aid worker may have been taken at gunpoint by the same group holding the Chandlers.The Briton, who is married to a Canadian vet and has dual British and Zimbabwean citizenship, is well-connected in the NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) community in Kenya and has written extensively about humanitarian operations in Somalia. He has also worked in Chad, Indonesia and Cameroon.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.The usual condemnations?I noted in an earlier post that the Prime Minister's office approved the issuance of tenders for 238 apartments in Jerusalem outside the 1949 armistice lines. I was disappointed by the fact that the number of apartments was cut back to mollify the Obama administration.In the meantime, Israel was defended by a surprising source on Friday: Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY). “Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It is not a settlement," said Rep. Gary Ackerman Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. "As such, the resumption of construction in Jerusalem is not a justification for a crisis, a showdown, a meltdown or even a hissy fit. Ramot and Pisgat Zeev are going to be part of Israel in any conceivable final status deal and to pretend otherwise is pointless."Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Mgr Franceschini: ultranationalist and religious fanatics behind Bishop Padovese's murder.The successor to the bishop Anatolia demands an end to the "intolerable rumors circulated by the very instigators of the crime, alleging the homosexuality of the martyr”. An urgent request for pastors, missionary personnel and economic aid for the Church in Turkey.He affirms that it was a "premeditated murder, instigated by the same occult powers that poor Luigi had a few months earlier, indicated as responsible for the murder of Don Andrea Santoro and the Armenian journalist Hrant Dink as well as the four Protestants in Malatya, in short a dark web of complicity between ultra-nationalists and religious fanatics who are experts in strategies of tension".According to testimonies collected by AsiaNews, immediately after the murder he had shouted "Allah akbar! I killed the great Satan. "Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• ADL lists top 10 anti-Israel groups in U.S.Jewish Voice for Peace included on list, drafted based on groups' ability to organize events, attract supporters, form relationships with like-minded groups.The Anti-Defamation League on Thursday published its list of the 10 most influential and active anti-Israel groups in the United States, a compilation including one organization led by American Jews.“While there are hundreds of groups that organize and participate in various anti-Israel activities, we have identified the largest and most well-coordinated anti-Israel groups,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• 'Israel must apologize for Gaza flotilla or remain isolated in Mideast'. Turkish PM Erdogan slams U.S. for supporting 'state terrorism of Israel against Turkey,' says Turkey, Iran and Pakistan have a common future.Earlier this month the U.S. and Israeli expressed concern regarding Turkey's growing military ties with Iran and China, especially following a joint Turkish-Chinese air-force exercise.Why would Israel apoligise to a country who's having closer and closer Economic - Financial - (Military?) ties with a country determinated on destroying Israel and the Jewish people and contrary to the U.N. sanctions?Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:HIDF.Muslim Law Board is not going to Accept the Ayodhya Verdict.The All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Saturday unanimously decided to challenge the Allahabad high court’s verdict on the Ayodhya title suits in the Supreme Court.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:BacktoBasics.New President of OPEC is on United States Terrorist Watch List.“After 36 years Iran is set take over as the president of the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) as of 2011, Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Ali Khatibi told the Mehr News Agency.The decision was made by 12-member oil cartel in Vienna on Thursday.Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi confirmed to reporters that Iran was elected OPEC president for the next year.OPEC comprises of Algeria, Angola, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Venezuela.Currently Iran’s Oil Minister CV Dr. Seyed Masoud Mirkazemi is also a Zone 3 Commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard corps.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.Which lovely lady is Mrs. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?Read and see the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Impeachable offenses by the dozens.Is a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution an impeachable offense?This question goes to the heart of the Constitutionalist's contention that Barack Obama has committed impeachable offenses by the dozens. One article in particular places the count at 50.The President stated that America needs a 'bill of rights for the government.'Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Saudi prince accused of killing servant 'could face death penalty in home country over gay sex life'.A Saudi prince accused of murdering his servant could face the death penalty in his home country over his alleged gay sex life, a court heard today.Homosexuality is illegal under Saudi Arabia's sharia law code, an Old Bailey jury trying Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud was told.At times the families of defendants in such cases have pushed for the most severe penalty because of the perceived shame, the court heard.'Saudi Arabian nationals have in the past applied for and been granted asylum in the United Kingdom on the basis that they are homosexual and would be at risk of prosecution - and potentially the death penalty - or harm if they returned to Saudi Arabia.'Mr Kelsey-Fry said the Saudi law as described in the admissions to the court read out by Miss Cheema would only apply 'if it were the case that the defendant had engaged in homosexuality'.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:Bloggerbase.Geert Wilders on Trial: Prosecutors Dump Case So What?Reuters reports in a terse article that the Prosecution moved for dismissal on the remaining counts against Geert Wilders. It appears that they differentiate between Islam and Muslims. It is further suggested that Wilders, as a politician, has a right to discuss social problems.Hmmm....to let the U.N. come back with a vengeance once they passed a "Blasphemy"law?Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:IslaminEurope.Denmark: Foreign minister denies apologizing for cartoons.Arab media reported that Danish Foreign Minister, Lene Espersen, apologized for the Mohammed cartoons.Espersen denies she apologized.Speaking from Brussels where she is taking part in a NATO meeting, Espersen denies having apologised.“I fully refute having apologised... I am always very careful in explaining exactly what Denmark’s position is on this issue. So I can fully deny having apologised,” Espersen tells Politiken.Espersen suggests that the misunderstanding may have occurred as a result of her explanation of Danish law.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:DirectorBlue.The Declaration of Dependence.IN WASHINGTON DC, JANUARY 20, 2009.The unanimous Declaration of the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Executive Branch.When in the course of political expediency it becomes necessary for one party to ignore its country's Constitution and legal system which has guided it for 233 years......Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Chinese martial arts experts refuse to wed until men can beat them in a fight.Most couples wait until after they are married to start fighting.Confucius say "Yu So Phukt"!Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:BigPeace.Sharia-Sanctioned Marital Rape in Britain—And North America.As reported in the UK Independent (10/14/10), president of the Islamic Sharia Council in Britain, Sheikh Maulana Abu Sayeed, has reiterated alarming comments made during a March, 2010 interview, sanctioning marital rape.But for those who naively—and smugly—proclaim such phenomena are absent within the Muslim communities of North America, consider AMJA, the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America. AMJA’s mission statement claims the organization was, “…founded to provide guidance for Muslims living in North America…AMJA is a religious organization that does not exploit religion to achieve any political ends, but instead provides practical solutions within the guidelines of Islam and the nation’s laws to the various challenges experienced by Muslim communities.”In response to the specific query, “Is there a such thing as Marital Rape?,” the AMJA issued fatwa #2982.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:AmericanThinker.A Metric for Muslim Moderation.Islam is a total system for the supervision and governance of human affairs. It comprises religion, politics, jurisprudence, military affairs, economics, culture, domestic relations, and every other aspect of life. It is the answer to all questions, albeit from the perspective of a seventh-century revelation. Its fundamental tenets may not be altered, since it is taken to originate by Divine command.Reflexive appeal to the First Amendment clouds our thinking and serves to obscure this obvious incompatibility. In America, Muslims are free to embrace the theology of their choosing, but they are not free to justify political totalism as a religious tenet.We cannot avoid recognizing this incompatibility. However discomforting it may be, we must face the fact, sooner rather than later, that Muslims in America must choose between Sharia and liberty.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:BigPeace.Al-Qaeda STILL on Capitol Hill.Today I reported at Pajamas Media that an Al-Qaeda cleric, Anwar Hajjaj, had led Friday prayers for the Congressional Muslim Staff Association on Capitol Hill back in 2006 based on information included in a recent article in the New York Post. This news is a follow-up to my report last month that video taken after 9/11 showed Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki, currently subject to a kill-or-capture order signed by President Obama, had also led prayers for Capitol Hill Muslim staffers.But now I can exclusively report here at Big Peace that a video essay by Roll Call shows Hajjaj leading prayers on Capitol Hill as recently as April 2010.Read and see the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:GatewayPundit.Islamists murdered a pregnant woman and 3 children on Thursday for protesting the public beatings of the village’s teenagers.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• Favorite Son.Belarus embraces Chagall but leaves his Jewishness at the door.In Belarus, Europe’s last Communist-style dictatorship, tourism is not a big business. So I was intrigued to see busloads of sightseers roll through the city of Vitebsk during a recent visit there. Their destination, as it happened, was a trail paying homage to the country’s most famous native son, painter Marc Chagall. In a burst of nationalism, the country’s culture czars are eager to set the record straight that the 20th century’s most recognizable Jewish artist was not Russian, as commonly believed. They also realize that they can cash in on his name.The destruction of architectural heritage extends throughout Belarus, where only a few yeshivas and synagogues seized by the Soviets have been returned to Jewish hands. Most of these reclaimed buildings lie in such disrepair that handing them back is not exactly a generous act. It goes without saying that the tiny Jewish population lacks the money to restore most of the properties to functionality. The country’s first yeshiva, in Volozhin, has gaping holes in its floor. It, at least, has a roof and four walls, unlike the oriental synagogue in Bobruisk. While the government preserves historic churches in Grodno, the 16th-century Great Synagogue, a masterpiece of Italianate architecture, crumbles.As for Vitebsk, Chagall could never bring himself to return. In 1973, he traveled to Moscow and St. Petersburg but avoided Belarus. “He said that at his age it was dangerous to get too emotional,” said Khmelnitskaya, the museum director. “He was probably afraid to see how Vitebsk had changed from what he remembered.”More on Chagall here.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• 'Consolation prize' leaves Obama streaker speechless.The billionaire who promised $1 million to the first person to bare all in front of President Obama will give a payout to the unemployed painter who took up the challenge.Alki David, heir to a shipping fortune, is calling it a "generous consolation prize." Others might call it "shrinkage."When told of those reports, Rodriguez was dumbstruck.After a tortured silence, he said, "I don't know where that information is coming from." Then he hung up.Read the full story here.Click here for comments.

• HT:TeaandPolitics.Saudi Arabia: The results of photoshop in Mariah Carey's photos.Read and see the full story here.Click here for comments.