MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• HT:Ahmadiyyatimes.Eye on common sense: The true blasphemers.It is not Aasia Bibi who deserves to die or Dr Valiyani who merits persecution; not only should there be a repeal of the blasphemy laws, Pakistan needs an ultra-rapid detoxification from its rabid mullahs that have hijacked Islam and misrepresented the Prophet (PBUH). They are the true blasphemersOne wonders what Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) would have thought of the clamour in the Muslim world to force respect for him, especially when it involves killing and brazen persecution of minorities. Muslims believe that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was sent “as a mercy to all mankind” (Quran, 21:07), and we are enjoined to study his life and model our character after him for he is described as such: “You, O Mohammad, are of most sublime and exalted character” (Quran, 68:4).Would Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) have looked kindly at the blasphemy laws enacted during the tenure of Pakistani dictator Ziaul Haq? The infamous blasphemy laws have been used to advance political agendas, continually endanger minorities, and even make Muslims more Muslim.Lower court judges, frequently fearful for their own safety, have pronounced death sentences on alleged blasphemers but higher courts have revoked them. Hopefully, this will be the case for Aasia Bibi, a 45-year old Christian mother of five, whose situation now represents the madness that has become Pakistan. While working in her village, she allegedly offered water to her Muslim co-workers who refused to accept it on the basis of her being ‘unclean’. Reports vary but the one used to pronounce her death sentence claims sworn statements by the other women that Aasia Bibi was disrespectful to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). She was arrested the next day and is in jail awaiting a decision by the Lahore High Court.The flames of fanaticism have put out a reward of $5,000 for anyone who is able to kill her while she is in jail! A few years ago, two Christian men charged with blasphemy were acquitted by a higher court but killed as they left the court. The disconnect between the spirit of Islam and this insanity leaves non-rabid Muslims incredulous and pained. “Let there be no compulsion in religion,” says the Quran (2:256). So why do Muslims feel they can force conversion or pressurise the observance of respect when none is felt?Islam literally means submission to the will of God and the Quran states clearly that He directs those to the light that He wills (26:35). Not only have Pakistanis become the judge and the jury, they have taken on the mantle of being God and the Prophet (PBUH)!Another current day ludicrous event is the arrest of Dr Naushad Valiyani, again on charges of blasphemy, this time for throwing the business card of a pharmaceutical representative named Muhammad Faizan in the trashcan. Dr Valiyani is an Ismaili, another minority Shia community in Pakistan. If this perverse logic is to be extrapolated, no one with the name of Muhammad, which happens to be the most common in the world, should be punished, reprimanded or questioned for it would activate the blasphemy laws.During the rule of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Ahmedis, a small community in Pakistan, were classified as being non-Muslim, with mention of this status on their passports. As though this travesty were not enough, Ahmedis are killed on a regular basis at the instigation of well-known, so-called ‘scholars’ of Islam.Pakistan is 96 percent Muslim, unlike secular Turkey, which is 99 percent so. Pakistan’s constitution protects minorities and the white strip at the edge of its flag represents minorities while the larger green area represents Muslims.In Pakistan’s educational system, the best and the brightest become doctors and lawyers. The orphaned and the disinterested become imams, mullahs and sheikhs. And they get captive audiences during the Friday sermon and prayer. There is a personal, national and international agenda at work with these blinkered mullahs and giving out of context hate-filled sermons is now national fare.It is not Aasia Bibi who deserves to die or Dr Valiyani who merits persecution; not only should there be a repeal of the blasphemy laws, Pakistan needs an ultra-rapid detoxification from its rabid mullahs that have hijacked Islam and misrepresented the Prophet (PBUH). They are the true blasphemers.
  Hmmmm......."With mention of this status on their passports"?Read the full story here.

• "DisHonor Killing" - Trial begins for Iraqi immigrant accused of killing his daughter in hit-run attack because she was 'too westernised'.Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 50, faces life in jail if convicted of so-called 'honour killing'.Prosecutors claim a history of violence and threats against pretty 20-year-old. An Iraqi immigrant accused of killing his daughter because he believed she was too Westernised goes on trial this month in Arizona in a case that raised awareness about incidents of so-called 'honour killings' in the U.S.Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 50, faces life in prison if convicted. In October 2009, he slammed his Jeep into his daughter, Noor Almaleki, 20, prosecutors said. The woman, who longed to live a normal American life, was in a coma for two weeks before succumbing to her injuries - in a case that caused outrage from people nationwide.Faleh Almaleki moved his family from Iraq to the Phoenix suburb of Glendale in the mid-1990s. He and Noor had a tumultuous relationship, according to police and court records and her close friends. At 17, she refused to enter into an arranged marriage in Iraq, enraging her father, according to a court document filed by prosecutors. At 19, Noor moved into her own apartment and began working at a fast food restaurant but quit and left her new place after her parents kept showing up at her work, insisting that she return home, the document said. Later in 2009, she moved into the home of her boyfriend and his parents, Reikan and Amal Khalaf.They say that she claimed her parents had beaten her.Almaleki is accused of regularly harassing his daughter and the Khalafs.Mr Khalaf said Almaleki told him that if Noor didn't move out of the Khalaf home 'something bad was going to happen'. On October 20, 2009, Noor spotted her father when she and Mrs Khalaf visited a Department of Economic Security office in Peoria. She is alleged to have sent text messages to friends, telling them that her father was at the office and expressing her fear.When the two women left the office, Faleh Almaleki allegedly hit them with his Jeep before speeding off and fleeing the country, prosecutors said. Law enforcement soon caught up with him and returned him to Phoenix. Noor underwent spinal surgery but died on November 2, 2009. Amal Khalaf survived.Hmmmmm......There's no honor in murder.Read the full story here.

• HT:Aina.Angry Copts Attack Vehicle Carrying Egypt's Top Muslim Clerics.Angry Coptic Christians pelted a vehicle carrying Egypt's top Muslim religious leaders shortly after they met with Coptic leader Pope Shenouda III. Mourners also gathered for mass inside the Saints Coptic Church in Alexandria to grieve for the victims of an explosion outside the church early Saturday.Egypt's top religious leaders met in a frantic attempt to prevent further sectarian violence, following an explosion Saturday outside a church in the port city of Alexandria.Eyewitnesses say tempers flared after the meeting when an angry crowd of Coptic men pelted a vehicle carrying top Muslim leaders. Reports say Egypt's grand mufti and the Sheikh of al Azhar were not hurt. A spokesman for the mufti indicated that he "understood the anger" of the crowd.A group of old women in black wailed and cried as they left a mass to mourn loved ones killed in the blast outside Saints Coptic Church. Egyptian TV showed workers cleaning blood stains and sandblasting the church to remove traces of Saturday's explosion.After the mass, a priest at the church, Father Maqar Fawzy, tried to put a damper on the angry pulse of worshipers and those outside the church.Read the full story here.

• HT:Aina.Christian Persecution in Iraq.When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, 1.4 million Christians lived there. Now there are about half a million, and that number is falling as persecution of them increases.Under Saddam Hussein, Iraq's Christians kept their heads down but basically lived in peace. Mostly members of sects that had been in the Middle East since the time of Christ, they were a minority among a largely Muslim population.Although Saddam's government was secular, the dictator maintained an aura of Islamic piety. But for the most part, that did not express itself in persecution of Iraq's Christians.The situation changed after the U.S. invasion. Intra-Muslim conflict between Shiites and Sunnis has often turned into anti-Christian violence.Iraq's Christians have not consciously allied with U.S. forces, but anti-American sentiment in Iraq has focused to some degree on the fact that most American troops consider themselves Christian. From there it is a small step for Muslim extremists to attack Iraq's indigenous Christians.The attacks have been intense in recent months. They made Iraqi Christians' observance of Christmas dangerous and thus restrained. With U.S. withdrawal from Iraq scheduled for this year, it might be time for President Obama to consider a program that would admit Iraqi Christians to the United States.
  Hmmmm....Don't they know that Obama doesn't care about Christian suffering?He even invents Muslim victims when they bomb christians.Read the full story here.

• Pope: The attacks in Egypt and Iraq are an offense against God and humanity.“An offense to God and humanity " is how Benedict XVI described the" serious attack against the Coptic Christian community in Alexandria and bombs against the homes of Christians in Iraq”."This cowardly act of death, - continued the Pope – like that of planting bombs close to the homes of Christians in Iraq to force them to leave, offends God and all humanity, who only yesterday prayed for peace and began the New Year with hope. "The Pope speaks of a real "strategy of violence that has targeted Christians." In fact in Iraq, after the massacre in the Syrian Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad, groups linked to al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack and declared that Christians in the Middle East are a "legitimate target" because "they pollute " the Arab world. Since then, armed groups have killed Christians, by breaking into their homes or, as happened last December 30, by putting bombs in front of their homes.This strategy, says Benedict XVI "has consequences for the whole population." In fact, the violence against Christians takes place in a climate of total insecurity and barbarism of coexistence.Hmmmmm.....It's about time that the Pope realises that a "War strategy " is being waged against Christianity.Read the full story here.

• Turkey - Legal personality problem persists for some non-Muslim groups.Obtaining a legal personality for some non-Muslim groups, including Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, various evangelical free churches and the Baha'I, still remains a problem in Turkey. The lack of legal personality, these groups claim, is preventing these sects and religious groups from accessing rights and protections afforded to minorities, particularly in the fields of education, charitable organizations and property ownership. Although there are ways to circumvent restrictions, such as organizing themselves as associations, they demand recognition in accordance with EU norms.Turkish authorities say that the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the main agreement regulating minorities in Turkey, recognized only Jews, Armenians and Greek Orthodox communities as minorities, meaning many others, including Roman Catholics, Syriacs and Protestants, were left out. The European Union Progress Report for Turkey this year also underlined the problem of the legal personalities and recalled that “in March, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe concluded that the fundamental right to freedom of religion, as protected by Article 9 read in conjunction with Article 11 of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), includes the possibility for religious communities to obtain a legal personality.”The progress report, while explaining the problems that religious minorities are facing due to their lack of legal personalities, mentioned that protestant and some other churches have not been able to obtain permission for places of worship.Hmmm...Enough Turkish shools present in America."Jehovah's Witnesses have had similar problems, as the courts found that their place of worship in Mersin violated the zoning law. This case has been taken to the ECtHR. They also have a similar case related to a worship place in İzmir,” the progress report pointed out.While receiving Kenan Gürsoy, the ambassador of Turkey to the Holy See, at the beginning of last year, Pope Benedict XVI said that the Catholic Church in Turkey is waiting for civil judicial recognition. Although diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Ankara were established more than 50 years ago, the Catholic community was not given an official status.“Due to fundamental changes in the laws governing associations and foundations, in accordance with efforts to harmonize these laws with European Commission guidelines, religious communities now have the option of establishing themselves as associations or foundations. Individual evangelical free churches have taken advantage of this possibility,” he wrote.But according to him, this problem can only be solved if Turkey continues to develop its understanding of what it means to be a secular state in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights.Hmmmmmm.....Complete Freedom of religion is still far away in "Man of the Year" Erdogan his Turkey.And in my opinion he's heading now in the other direction,joining more radical Islamic countries.Read the full story here.

• HT:Gadiadelman.Interview with Dr. Phares. Exclusive interview with Dr. Walid Phares from 'America Akbar' on 12-30-10. Dr Walid Phares is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and a professor of Global Strategies in Washington DC, he also advises theAnti-Terrorism Caucus at the US House of Representatives as well as members of the European Parliament. Dr. Phares discussed his new book “The Coming Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East”, he stayed for over an hour and answered questions from me and my co-hosts as well as callers and those from the chat room. This is A MUST listen!Read and hear the full story here.

• Obama adviser: Critics of raising debt ceiling ruled by 'insanity'.Top White House economic advisor Austan Goolsbee warned Sunday that a congressional failure to rise the nation's debt limit early this year would be "catastrophic.""It pains me that we would even be talking about this," Goolsbee told ABC's "This Week." "This is not a game. You know, the debt ceiling is not something to toy with. … If we hit the debt ceiling, that's essentially defaulting on our obligations, which is totally unprecedented in American history. The impact on the economy would be catastrophic. I mean, that would be a worse financial economic crisis than anything we saw in 2008."The current debt limit is $14.3 trillion, which Washington is expected to hit in February. A failure to raise the ceiling would prevent Congress from borrowing funds to pay the country's obligations. Some conservatives — notably many in the incoming class of Tea Party-backed Republicans — are threatening to vote against raising the cap, arguing that the U.S. simply can't afford to rely so heavily on borrowing.Goolsbee argued Sunday the country can't afford not to."If we get to the point where you've damaged the full faith and credit of the United States, that would be the first default in history caused purely by insanity," he said."We shouldn't even be discussing that. People will get the wrong idea. The United States is not in danger of default. … This would be lumping us in with a series of countries through history that I don't think we would want to be lumped in with."Hmmmm.....If you're practicing Third World policies then you can as well join the club?The US is broke and the sooner you accept it and start dealing with it the better!Read the full story here.

• Anarchists attack US envoy's home.Police say anarchists rallying in Herzliya over death of Bilin protester threw tear gas canisters into diplomat's yard;11 suspects arrested. Demonstrations continue following the death of protestor Jawaher Abu Rahma during a rally against the West Bank separation fence at Bilin. Eleven anarchists were arrested on Sunday morning in Herzliya on suspicion of protesting in front of the US ambassador's home and throwing tear gas canisters at his house.The anarchists arrived at the US diplomat's home overnight carrying posters. Police officials said the suspects were also carrying Palestinian flags, tear gas canisters and spray. According to online reports, the anarchists claimed they arrived at Ambassador James Cunningham's house in order to protest against US military aid to Israel, which they claimed was being put to use against Palestinians. The anarchists reportedly chanted, "One, two, three, four stop the occupation, stop the war. Five, six, seven, eight end the funding, end the hate." Occurring to suspicion, one of the anarchists threw hand grenades towards the house yard, and then the suspects fled the scene. The patrol police was called over, headed by Superintendent Avi Ohayon, and began combing the area in search of suspects.Police officials said the 11 anarchists, one of which is a German citizen, are expected to be brought before the Magistrate's Court in Tel Aviv in order to extend their arrest. Read the full story here.

• Ashkenazi I'm preparing the Israeli army in a major war.However, Ashkenazi says, Hamas and Hizbullah are the biggest threat, with over 40,000 rockets and an ability to attack any point in Israel. IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said that Iran has over 300 missiles that could reach Israel within 10-12 minutes, according to cables released by WikiLeaks on Sunday."I'm preparing the Israeli army in a major war, since it is easier to scale down to a smaller operation than to do the opposite," he said.Ashkenazi told the delegation that "rocket threat against Israel is more serious than ever. Therefore, Israel has a strong emphasis on missile defense.He added that although the Iranian threat is serious, the threat from Hamas and Hizbullah, which are funded by Iran, is most acute. Their rockets are more accurate than Iran's, due to their proximity to Israel."We therefore believe," Ashkenazi said, "that the next war will take place in the same areas where the previous wars occurred," Lebanon and Gaza.According to the cables, Ashkenazi said that Hizbullah has over 40,000 rockets, most of which can reach any point within Israel, and Hamas has the ability to strike Tel Aviv.Disruption of daily life in Tel Aviv is a major goal of Hizbullah and Hamas, and their weapons stockpiles indicated to the IDF that they are aiming for a lengthy conflict with Israel in which they plan to send a "massive number" of rockets into Israel daily.Ashkenazi said that during Operation Cast Lead the IDF made mistakes, but never deliberately attacked civilians. He added that in the next war, Israel can not be restricted in urban battles. In a related cable, from September 2009, Maj.- Gen. Yoav Galant told Senator Kirsten Gilibrand (D-NY) that had the IDF enterted main urban areas in Gaza, Operation Cast Lead would have lasted three days, not three weeks.Read the full story here.

• HT:BigPeace.Iran Primer: Take a Look.Very few Americans actually have been to Iran in the past three decades, since The 1979 Revolution. Within our diplomatic, military, and political bureaucracy there is little incentive to become an Iranian expert because that is an area in which the promotions will not be rapid. Our general public is relatively ignorant on issues related to Iran. Yet Iran is a key foreign policy issue. What is the best way to inform the US public on Iranian issues? It is an experiment now, but Robin Wright is editing an internet comprehensive data source on Iran. Something comparable in a restricted access internet data base has been done for years for the US academic community. Robin Wright envisions this open access Iran Primer to help inform the general public on Iran. The purpose of the Iran Primer is to provide context and analysis of what lies ahead regarding Iran.The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in early December announced the publishing of the Iran Primer, with Robin Wright as the editor. In addition to being a 300 page paperback text book, $16.00, it can be downloaded online. The Iran Primer deals with 62 subjects in10 categories. There is a PDF attachment available at the bottom of each chapter. Most important there is a weekly update author talk. Go to http://www.iranprimer.com/ or http://www.usip.org/ for the details.Hmmmm......Take a closer look at the "Evil" Djinn in the bottle?Read the full story here.

• Prominent Germans Appeal To Iran To Free Journalists.More than 100 high-profile figures in Germany, including Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, have signed an open letter to the Iranian government calling for the release of two German journalists involved in the case of an Iranian woman sentenced to death.The letter came one day after the woman, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, complained at a press conference assisted by Iranian authorities that the two Germans had "worsened her situation."Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, has been sentenced to death on charges of adultery, triggering an outcry in the West.The two German journalists were arrested October 10 after allegedly interviewing Ashtiani's son, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, who was arrested and released last month. Iran says the two Germans broke the law by not getting the proper visa to work in the country as journalists.Germany's finance minister, Wolfgang Schauble, Defence Minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg, tennis player Boris Becker, footballer Franz Beckenbauer, and Nobel literary laureate Herta Muller also signed the letter.Hmmmm....Ashtiani is being used as a pawn in this media war and we all know what happens to paws in the game.Read the full story here.

• HT:BluegrassPundit.President Obama regrets having to “spend almost every waking hour in Washington".(Washington Examiner) — On “Meet the Press” December 26, top White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said President Obama’s “biggest regret” is that the severity of the economic crisis forced him to “spend almost every waking hour in Washington focusing very hard on solving that crisis” and thus kept him from traveling the country to connect with the American people. According to Jarrett, Obama recently told aides, “I really want to figure out a way where I can spend more time outside of Washington listening and learning and engaging the American people.” Jarrett says that in 2011 the president’s schedule will “reflect that priority” — that is, include more time outside the nation’s capital.But is it true? Actually, President Obama spent only half his time in Washington. According to Knoller, Obama has spent 176 days on domestic trips, 70 days on foreign travel, 58 days on vacation, and 35 days at Camp David. (You can add a couple more vacation days to the total before the president returns from his break in Hawaii.)Hmmmm.....When is his next trip due again?Read the full story here.

• HT:IslaminOregon.Top American Islamic Cleric says, I Like Khamenei!Cognative dissonance on a grand scale from an American cleric. His stance should be a warning sign that there is something wrong within the American-Muslim community, yet there will be more yawning from those charged with our protection. Again I point out, when I say this man is dangerous and should be watched, I am called Islamophobe, bigot, racist(what race is Islam again?), anti-Muslim...well you know the drill.It does not matter what names are slung my way, when American-Muslim leaders say publically that they support the spiritual leader of the Islamic revolution, I will not remain the silent dhimmi. Neither should you.Famous American Muslim leader hails the measures taken by Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenie as the best in unifying world Muslims.Sheykh Abdul alim Musa, a Muslim American activist and the prayer leader of Al-Islam mosque in Washington DC hailed the measures by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and said," Ideas and fatwas issued by Ayatollah Khamenei play a major role in proximity of the Islamic Schools of Thought".The ayatollah also said "In Islam there is no humor".Sheykh Abdul alim Musa also said "...(the) Islamic Republic of Iran is a role model for many countries and the Iranian nation has played a major role in introducing the Islamic Revolution...to the world." Hmmmm....Is he one of the Muslims who leads the prayers at Capitol Hill?Read the full story here.

• HT:The Hindu.Five Israeli naval ships tracking Asian aid ship.Five Israeli naval vessels are tailing the ship carrying humanitarian supplies from Asia to the besieged residents of Gaza.Speaking via satellite phone, Shaheen Moidunny, who is on board the ship Salam, told The Hindu that Israeli ships had been tracking the movements of their vessel for the last six hours. Radio contact had been established with the Israeli navy. “We are only one hour away from the Egyptian port of Al-Arish, where the ship would be docked,” Mr. Moidunny said. He clarified that there were no plans to take the ship to Gaza. “All the humanitarian supplies would be taken overland from Al-Arish to the Rafa crossing on the Egyptian Gaza border,” he said. Mr. Moidunny said only eight persons were on board the aid ship, while the rest of the activists, from several Asian countries had been flown into Egypt from Syria.According to the Egyptian website Ahram Online, the “Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan” had remained stuck for nearly a week at the Syrian port of Latakia, before Egyptian authorities granted it permission to enter Al-Arish port. Activists from more than 15 countries, the majority of whom are Indians ,but also include nationals from Iran, Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Kuwait are participating in this initiative.Earlier, Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper quoted Palestinian sources as saying that the Egyptian embassy in Damascus had issued visas to 120 activists, but had denied entry to another 46 hailing from Jordan and Iran. Some of the aid material, including 10 generators donated by Iran, were not allowed on the ship, and the size of the cargo was kept below 300 tonnes.Hmmm......Feeding an extra 120 people won't be a problem with all this "aid"?Read the full story here.

• HT:Hindufocus.India and Israel: Diverse in a homogeneous world.In a recent book entitled The Hindus: Alternative History, Wendy Doniger claims that Hinduism was invented by the British. Doniger is a scholar of Indian religions at the University of Chicago. She argues that Hinduism’s unity and its holy Vedas are primarily a myth created by Protestants who sought a “unified Hinduism.”She further argues that upper-caste Brahmins and other elites in India collaborated with the British and invented a “British-Brahmin version of Hinduism – one of the many invented traditions born around the world in the 18th and 19th centuries.” These “bad Hindus” are accused of having an inferiority complex. She claims that the Hindu nationalism (Hindutva) of today thus uses a fake Hinduism for its own historiography and that she seeks to tell an “alternative to the narrative of Hindu history that they [the nationalists] tell.”When it comes to classic Hindu texts such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, she condemns them for their violence. The Mughal Muslim emperors who colonized India for Islam for 300 years were, according to a reviewer, “motivated by realpolitik rather than religious fundamentalism” when they destroyed thousands of Hindu temples and sold hundreds of thousands of Hindus into slavery.Hindu nationalism, like Zionism, is condemned for having a “nationalist archeology.” Critiquing Israeli archeology Nachman Ben-Yehuda has described the myth of Masada and Nadia Abu el-Haj has written on “reflections on archeology and Israeli settler-nationhood.” Ramachandra Guha in his India After Gandhi writes that the Hindu temple at Ayodha that was destroyed in the 16th century by the Mughal Emperor Babur to build the Babri Mosque was merely the site of “Hindu sentiment and myth” and not the historical birthplace of the Hindu god Ram.Hindu nationalism is not a result of a British imperialism anymore than Zionism is; both grew out of a long suppressed and colonized peoples’ dreams for their own country free from foreign rule.Read the full story here. HT:HIDF.

• Greece to build wall on Turkey border to stop immigrants.Greece is planning to build a 206-kilometer-long fence on its border with Turkey to keep out illegal immigrants trying to cross into Greek territory, a minister has said. “Greek society has reached its limits in taking in illegal immigrants,” Greece’s minister in charge of immigration affairs, Christos Papoutsis, told the Athens news agency on Saturday. “Greece can’t take it anymore. We plan to build a barrier on the land border to block unauthorized immigration.” Papoutsis did not give details as to when fence construction will begin. He said it will be similar to the wall between the US and the Mexico.The Turkish-Greek border is one of the most popular destinations for illegal immigrants from countries such as Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan who are trying to reach Europe. Nine out of 10 illegal immigrants now use Greece as their springboard into the EU, and the debt-choked country is struggling to cope with swelling numbers at its northern border. In November, the European Union’s border agency, Frontex, said arrivals of illegal migrants jumped by 369 percent to over 31,000 at Greece’s land border with Turkey in the nine months of 2010 through September. On all other European borders, illegal immigration dropped in the same period.In October Greece became the first country to request intervention by Frontex, which was created in 2007. Greece received 200 Frontex agents in November, driving the number of illegal immigrant arrests down from 250 to 140 daily.Greek officials say Turkey is not doing enough to stop people from crossing illegally to Greece, and Turkey’s refusal to take back immigrants who have crossed from its territory encourages would-be migrants to use that route.Hmmmm...Of course for Turkey it's easyer to let them "Flee" to Greece then to take care of the illegal immigrants.Perhaps Israel can give Greece some advice and expertise in the frame of mutual cooperation?Read the full story here.

• Iran shops banned from selling Valentine gifts.TEHRAN - Shops in Iran have been banned from selling Valentine cards and gifts as the traditional lovers' day gains increasing popularity in the Islamic republic, the ILNA news agency reported on Sunday."In the run-up to Valentine's Day on February 14 the printing works owners' union issued a directive banning the printing and distribution of any goods promoting this day," ILNA news agency reported."Printing and producing any goods related to this day including posters, boxes and cards emblazoned with hearts or half-hearts, red roses and any activities promoting this day are banned," the union said in the directive."Outlets that violate this will be legally dealt with," it warned.But Valentine's Day has become very popular in Iran over the past decade, with young men and women exchanging chocolate, flowers, perfume, teddy bears and other gifts on February 14.Every year gift shops in large cities are festooned with Valentine's Day paraphernalia and restaurants in Tehran are packed with young men and women out on a date.However, the trend has been harshly criticised by conservatives who see no room in Islamic culture for such celebrations.Some nationalist Iranians have also suggested replacing Valentine's Day with Mehregan -- a pre-Islamic but obsolete festival in early October -- marking the autumn equinox and honouring the ancient Persian angel of love, Mithra.Hmmmmm...... Typical Men ,another reason not to buy a present!Read the full story here.

• HT:NewsRealBlog.Top 10 Reasons to Hate Sarah Palin.Hatin’ Palin – Why Palin Provokes the Left’s Fury.When Sarah Palin first stepped onto the national stage (in the hottest red high heels anyone ever saw) this country was changed forever. It will be remembered in history as the moment conservative women stepped onto the grid in a meaningful way. In the same instant, the Left froze in terror and a seething hatred began to build until it could no longer be contained and was unleashed in the most brutal assault on a woman in politics this nation has ever seen. The most vile and disgusting remarks were made about her family, her baby’s paternity, her marriage and her motherhood. Late night comics made rape jokes about her minor daughter and degraded her by calling her a “stewardess” and “sexy secretary.”Leftist website the Daily Kos started the rumors about Trig not being Sarah’s child, but if you look for the story today you will find this message on the Kos, “I’m sorry, I can’t seem to find that story.” Typical. It went down the memory hole. But here’s one that didn’t go down the memory hole thanks to screen grabs and smart bloggers: Alan Colmes, creepy Ichabod Crane look-a-like, had the audacity to suggest Palin didn’t seek proper pre-natal care during her pregnancy. This is rich coming from a guy for whom “pre-natal care” includes visits to Planned Parenthood butchers. Colmes tried to delete the story when he realized what a jerk he was for posting it. That’s what leftists call “courage.”MSNBC used faked, highly sexualized photos of Sarah in a news broadcast which they later had to grovel over. But it didn’t stop them from flippantly arguing they were just having some “fun.” I’m curious as to what Newsweek‘s excuse was for allowing a Sarah Palin doll dressed up in a sexy school-girl outfit, shirt unbuttoned to show off a red bra to be featured in one of their stories about Palin. The hatred was (and still is) palpable. But why? The following are the top ten reasons leftist moonbats hate Sarah Palin.Hmmmm.....Why would i hate Palin?Read the full story here.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.Video: Jewish life in Holland.Here's a short report from French television with English subtitles about Jewish life in Holland.Hmmmm....."We Muslims and Jews have the same problems,we should work together"?Yeah whatevah!Read and see the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Palestinian Academic and Poet Tamim Al-Barghouthi of Georgetown University: Only Armed Struggle Will Make Israel Withdraw from Arab Lands.Read and see the full story here.

• And now for "Something Completely Different" ! HT:IsraelMatzav.Fiddler on the Roof - you got served trailer mashup !Someone posted this on Twitter and it's about the most bizarre thing I've seen in a while. But for today's comic relief.Hmmm...I don't know what to make of it?Read ,hear and see the full story here.