U.S. 'Muslim media network' conveniently forgets to mention U.S. (Jewish) gold medal winner.

U.S. 'Muslim media network' conveniently forgets to mention U.S. (Jewish) gold medal winner.

Source.

London Olympics: Saudi Judo player allowed to compete wearing hijab.

London Olympics: Saudi Judo player allowed to compete wearing hijab.(AA).A female Saudi fighter will take part in the Olympic judo competition after being allowed to wear an Islamic headscarf, or hijab, of a specific design, officials said on Monday. Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani is one of only two Saudi women to travel to London after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) lobbied the conservative Islamic kingdom to end its refusal to send women to the Games. But she had said she would only compete if she was allowed to wear the hijab, and judo officials refused, saying it would be dangerous.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Shaherkani and her father attended the judo action on Monday at at London's Excel Centre. The father said his daughter does not speak English and kept his arm tightly wrapped around her shoulders. He was still not sure if she would be allowed to compete or not. “I need my daughter to play,” he told the Journal. “We are hoping to make new history for Saudi's women.” But a Saudi National Olympic Committee spokeswoman said the committee, the IOC and the International Judo Federation (IJF) had now agreed on an acceptable form for the headscarf. “They agreed on a design and she will compete wearing this design,” Razan Baker said, adding that she did not know how this design looked. IJF spokesman Nicolas Messner confirmed that Shaherkani would compete, but declined to give further details. The IJF’s regulations for the Olympic Games state that no headgear can be worn, and the federation says there could be a danger to fighters if a hijab is inadvertently used for an otherwise legal strangulation grip.Hmmm....."Religion does not require women to veil their hands, feet and faces or enjoin any special type of veil. Tribal custom must not impose itself on the free will of the individual." ~ Amanullah Khan - King of Afghanistan (1919-1929).Read the full story here.

The Ramadan Olympics and Islam's "Law of Necessity".

The Ramadan Olympics and Islam's "Law of Necessity".(MiddleEastForum).
By Mark Durie.
Gatestone Institute.

Islam Is a flexible religion: religious obligations allow exceptions, subject to circumstances. Muslim religious scholars balance countervailing obligations to determine when exceptions apply. Understanding such balancing of necessities in Islam is not only important for public policy, but also for understanding how an identical set of religious beliefs can be used to justify war or peace, terrorism or peaceful coexistence.

Fasting During a Ramadan Olympics

As the London Olympics are underway, London organizers of the Olympics, according to a report in the New York Times, are supporting the needs of Muslims athletes, "with more than 150 Muslim clerics on hand to assist athletes, as well as fast-breaking packs including dates and other traditional foods."
As it is also the month of Ramadan, during which Muslims are obligated not to eat or drink, even their own saliva, from sunrise to sunset, spare a thought for the more than 3,500 Muslim competitors, who, if they strictly observed Ramadan, would be abstaining from food and drink from the first prayer of the day (Fajr) at 2.44 am through to the dusk prayer (Maghrib) at 8.53 pm (as at July 29, 2012, see Islamicfinder.org).
Optimum sporting performance cannot be expected from athletes who go without food or drink for over 18 hours -- a circumstance which would not be fair to them.
Many Muslim Olympians now in London will therefore not be fasting. Some may rely on religious rulings (fatwas) which exempt sportspeople from the Ramadan fast, such as a ruling issued in 2010 by the German Central Council of Muslims, that Muslim professional footballers, because they depend upon football for their living, need not fast during Ramadan.
The United Emirates, using a different approach stated that players may omit the fast as long as they do not stay in one place for more than four days. This is based upon a standard exemption for travelers during Ramadan (Sahih Bukhari, 3:31:167). Another exemption, following advice from imams in Morocco, is being used by English Olympic rower Moe Sbihi, who announced that he will donate 60 meals to poor people in Morocco for each missed fast day. Many Olympic athletes are postponing their fasts until their sporting commitments are completed. However, the Moroccan football team are fasting and trusting that Allah will help them to victory. All Muslims agree that fasting is obligatory during Ramadan; they differ in the exceptions they make.

"Necessity": Balancing What Is Forbidden with What Is Permitted

There is a powerful principle in Islamic jurisprudence, the "Law of Necessity," that permits what is forbidden -- the end justifying the means. If a goal is obligatory, then the means can also be obligatory, even if otherwise they might be forbidden.
In Islam the universe of possible human deeds is divided into what is obligatory, permitted neutral, disliked, or forbidden. Then there is the need to balance the pros and cons of every act. This is a world of choice which can embrace a necessary evil, or take a pass on a good deed for the sake of a greater good.
Some "Law of Necessity" exceptions go back to Muhammad; they are hard-wired into Islamic law. A case in point is the exemption for travelers during Ramadan, which some athletes rely on. Another exemption for travelers, which also comes straight from Muhammad, allows Muslims to catch up on prayer times later than the correct hour.
Life raises many complex challenges, and the balancing of obligations and prohibitions may require more subtle reasoning, dependent on context. The renowned medieval Muslim scholar al-Ghazali explained how the principle of balancing necessities can be used to make lying permitted or even compulsory, according to the circumstances:

"Speaking is a means to achieve objectives. If a praiseworthy aim is attainable through both telling the truth and lying, it is unlawful to accomplish it through lying because there is no need for it. When it is possible to achieve such an aim by lying but not by telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible … and obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory . …" (The Reliance of the Traveller, p.745-46, paragraph r8.2)

Yusuf al-Qaradawy has written extensively about the jurisprudence of "balancing necessities." He explains that interests and pros and cons of any deed must be balanced, one against each other and weighed carefully.
Al-Qaradawy's focus was politics, not sport. He cited an example of the support given by the Islamist political leader Maulana Maududi to Fatima Jinnah in the 1965 presidential elections in Pakistan. Previously Maududi had declared that it was not permissible in Islam for a woman to govern (based on the teachings of Muhammad). He came, however, to regard Jinnah as the lesser of two evils, so he commanded his followers to vote for the female candidate, and against General Ayub Khan.
Understanding such balancing of necessities in Islam is important for public policy -- to grasp how an identical set of religious beliefs can be used to justify war or peace, terrorism or peaceful coexistence -- or any other decision, based solely on the circumstances at the time.

Balancing Necessities and Public Policy

Consider the issue of the timing of the Olympics: Was Juan Cole correct to suggest that the Olympic Games should be rescheduled so they did not fall in Ramadan?
The fact that the "Law of Necessity" allows Muslims to get around restrictions suggests that although it might certainly have been thoughtful or considerate, it would not in any way necessary to reschedule the Olympics for the sake of Muslim religious sensitivities.
The possibility of balancing necessities needs to be taken into account when organizations and governments are faced with demands that they make concessions for the sake of complying with Islamic Sharia Law. Because the Islamic "Law of Necessity" fully permits Muslims to find creative ways to adapt when Sharia law conflicts with practical life, the argument that societies are obliged to make concessions to privilege all the strict demands of Sharia Law is considerably weakened.
Non-Muslims in particular need to take balancing necessities into account. Consider Sheikh Ahmed al-Mahlawi of Egypt who accepts that it is not a sin for Muslim religious scholars to see women in the streets with unveiled faces: the need for Muslim scholars to get around in public places outweighs the prohibition against men seeing women's unveiled faces. He boasted, all the same, that he had compelled a US consular official to wear the hijab [headscarf] when she met with him. If the U.S. official had been better informed, she might have asked that Sheikh al-Mahlawi take a more moderate, balanced approach. She might have refused to submit to the hijab, pointing out that the Sheikh copes very well with looking at the unveiled faces of women whenever he goes into the street.

Balancing Necessity and Terrorism

Al-Qaradawi concluded that although it is wrong in general for Muslims to participate in non-Islamic governments or to make alliances with non-Muslim nations, compromises may be made when such lesser evils are 'balanced' against the greater good of the Muslim cause.
He also made the observation that many of the conflicts between different factions working for the success of Islam exist because of different interpretations about how to "balance" the different necessities and interests in Islam. Of course, Muslims who agree on their fundamental principles of faith can have very different views on how to balance these beliefs in any given situation.
Jihadi [holy war] martyrs make use of theological balancing necessities when they justify their methods for killing enemies. In Islam, for example, it is forbidden to kill oneself, but suicide, if it can be justified in the cause of Allah or furthering Islam, is not only permissible but heroic. Jihadi clerics are more than willing to write fatwas which ensure that a would-be martyr goes to his death with a clear conscience.In Islam, it is forbidden to kill women and children, but "collateral damage" is acceptable if a greater end is in sight. It is also forbidden in Islam to lie, but it is recommended that a pious jihadi using taqiyya [dissimulation] if necessary to achieve, say, a "martyrdom operation." The Al-Qaeda manual, for instsnce, appeals to the principle that "necessity permits the forbidden" to justify criminal acts; and the Indonesian jihad cleric Abu Bakar Bashir argued that jihadis were entitled to hack foreigner's bank accounts to obtain funds (see The Crime-Terror Nexus, New York State Office of Homeland Security). (For a bizarre example of the extremes to which jihad fatwas can go, see this report by Raymond Ibrahim.)
The ramifications can be momentous for Muslims and non-Muslims alike: consider the difference in opinion between the Saudi leaders and Usama Bin Ladin concerning the presence of American soldiers in the Kingdom after the invasion of Kuwait. Bin Ladin opposed this infidel 'occupation'. In his 1996 fatwa declaring war on America he counted the presence of US soldiers as "one of the worst catastrophes to befall the Muslims" since the death of Muhammad.
Saudia Arabia's Grand Mufti and supreme religious authority Sheikh Ibn Baz, however, allowed American troops into Saudi Arabia, although in another fatwa he had stated that Christian servants could not be employed in Arabia:

"It is not allowed to have a non-Muslim maid. It is not allowed to have a non-Muslim male or a non-Muslim female servant, or a worker who is a non-Muslim for anyone living in the Arabian peninsula. This is because the Prophet Muhammad ordered the Jews and Christians to be expelled from that land. He ordered that only Muslims should be left there. He decreed upon his death that all polytheists must be expelled from this Peninsula. (Islamic Fatawa Regarding Women, p. 36 compiled by Abdul Malik Mujahid).

Both Usama Bin Ladin and the Saudi authorities agreed on the principle that infidels could not be permitted to live in Saudi Arabia. What they disagreed on was how to balance this against other requirements, such as the need to safeguard the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This difference was enough to trigger Bin Ladin's war on America.
What distinguishes a jihadi terrorist from a more peaceful Muslim, therefore, may not be any fundamental difference in belief, but, as in the West, merely in a given instance, how the religious legal principles of his faith should be applied.

Mark Durie is an Anglican vicar in Melbourne, Australia, and an Associate Fellow at the Middle Eastern Forum.

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NBC Edits Out Tribute To Victims Of Islamic Terrorism.

NBC Edits Out Tribute To Victims Of Islamic Terrorism.(InfidelBloggers).If you are watching the Olympics in the States, there's a part of the opening ceremony NBC chose to leave out. While the Olympic Committee opted not to have a moment of silence for the Israeli athletes murdered in 1972, they did have a tribute for the victims of the 7/7 Islamic terrorist attacks.

The tribute included the Christian hymn, "Abide With Me" performed by Scottish singer Emeli Sandé. NBC opted not to air it.

From Deadspin via Pat Dollard:

The major transitional element of today’s London Olympics opening ceremony was a downtempo performance of adoptive sporting anthem “Abide With Me” by Scottish singer Emeli Sandé. The song and accompanying dance were a tribute to the victims of the 7/7 terror attacks in London that claimed 52 victims days after the 2012 Summer Olympic hosts were named. (It’s also been suggested the performance was a memorial to the war dead.)Regardless, it was a rather significant and emotional moment in the opening ceremony, coming just before the parade of nations—and it wasn’t aired in the United States. Instead, viewers were treated to a lengthy and meaningless Ryan Seacrest interview of Michael Phelps.

Here's the tribute NBC didn't want you to see:

Go read the whole thing at Jawa Report.

Video - Call Me Maybe - 2012 USA Olympic Swimming Team.

HT: BarracudaBrigade.

Palestinians Thank International Olympic Committee for Refusing Munich Victims Memorial.

Palestinians Thank International Olympic Committee for Refusing Munich Victims Memorial.(JPost).The Palestinian Authority has thanked the International Olympic Committee for refusing to hold a minute of silence at Friday’s opening ceremony in London to mark the 40th anniversary of the murder of 11 Israeli sportsmen at the 1972 Munich Games. Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Football Federation, sent a letter to IOC chairman Jacques Rogge thanking him for his position, the PA’s official news agency, Wafa, reported.“Sports is a bridge for love, connection and relaying peace between peoples. It should not be a factor for separation and spreading racism between peoples,” Rajoub, a former PA security commander, wrote in his letter. Wafa said that he sent the letter to the IOC chairman on Tuesday. A senior PA official in Ramallah confirmed that Rajoub had sent the letter and said that the Palestinians were opposed to “Israel’s attempts to exploit the Olympic Games for propaganda purposes.” 
A senior government official responded to the Palestinian letter by saying that “if the leadership of the PA is not willing to disassociate itself from its terrorist past, and is unwilling to see the Munich massacre as a brutal act of terrorism, then in Israeli eyes there will be big questions regarding their true commitment to peace and reconciliation.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon condemned the PA for terming as “racist” a moment of silence for the Israeli victims. “No, the murder of Israelis because they are Israelis is racist, not the request to dignify and honor them,” Ayalon wrote on Facebook. “On the other hand, Palestinian Authority media refer to Munich terrorists as ‘stars’ whose path should be followed.” “Now, more than ever, there needs to be a minute silence, not just to honor the eleven slain Israeli athletes but also to demonstrate opposition to those who laud murderers as heroes and call on others to follow suit.”Hmmm...... Glorification of terrorists, bashing of their victims where has the real Olympic spirit gone?Read the full story here.

"Jews that Stare at Lebanese?" - Lebanese Olympic Team Demands Barrier Separation From Israel Squad.

"Jews that Stare at Lebanese?" - Lebanese Olympic Team Demands Barrier Separation From Israel Squad.(DT).The Lebanese judo team forced International Olympic Committee officials to erect a barrier between themselves and the Israeli judo squad, Friday afternoon in London, just hours before the Games’ opening ceremony, reports Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot. Both teams were scheduled to train inside London’s ExCeL center but Lebanon’s team did not want to be seen by the Israeli one, and IOC officials heeded to the Lebanese’s demand after the team’s coach demanded separation. This is not the first time Middle Eastern judo teams have caused a political stir. In February, Egypt’s Ramadan Dawris defeated Arik Zeevi of Israel, but afterwards, Dawris refused to shake the hand of his competitor. The opening ceremony will air on NBC at 7:30 pm ET. Comment: The more amusing part of this story is that the Western world accepts this request, makes no mention of it, has no difficulty-BUT were the roles reversed we all know the outrage they would have if we "dared to display such anti...behavior toward the Lebanese"-it is an upside-down world we live in and one I might add I find personally repugnant.Read the full story here.

Video - Michelle Obama tells US Olympic team: have fun, but win.

Saudi judoka banned from wearing the hijab headscarf at the Olympic Games tournaments.

Saudi judoka banned from wearing the hijab headscarf at the Olympic Games tournaments.(HD).Saudi judoka Wojdan Shaherkani was yesterday banned from wearing the hijab head scarf when she is fighting at the Olympic Games. The 18-year-old, part of a two-woman team sent from the conservative kingdom to an Olympics for the first time, was ordered by International Judo Federation chief Marius Vizer to step onto the mat with her head uncovered. “The Saudi Arabian athlete will take part in judo and she will fight according to the principle and spirit of judo, so without a hijab,” said Vizer following yesterday’s draw. Judo applies strict safety rules and any covering on the head is deemed to present a risk to the fighter’s health. Shaherkani is due to take part in the women’s judo competition on August 3. Saudi Arabia only agreed to send a women’s team to London on condition that their two athletes respect a strict dress code. The country’s most senior sports official Prince Nawaf bin Faisal had told local daily Al-Jazirah the two athletes would be allowed to compete as long as they will be “wearing suitable clothing that complies with sharia.” He added other stipulations that: “the athlete’s guardian agrees and attends with her,” and “there must also be no mixing with men during the Games”. Men and women share the judo training venue, warm-up area in the competition hall and fight side-by-side on the various mat areas inside the competition arena. Shaherkani has been involved in the sport for two years and is not even a black belt, meaning she is unlikely to be near the level of the fighters she will be coming up against.Hmmm....At least the food is 'Halal'.Read the full story here.

London Olympics- Michelle to Host Massive “Let’s Move” Bash, co-sponsored by Nickelodeon and the State Department.

London Olympics- Michelle to Host Massive “Let’s Move” Bash, co-sponsored by Nickelodeon and the State Department.(OFO).Before the historic Let's Move! event on Friday, Mrs. Obama and the Delegation will have breakfast at 9:00 AM to honor members of Team USA. The informal event will be at the U.S. Olympic training facility at the University of East London. Mrs. Obama's "brief remarks" will be televised. First Lady Michelle Obama will stage a gigantic “Let’s Move” bonanza at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Great Britain Friday, hosting 1,000 American military children and American and British students as well as a brigade of sports and music stars to get kids into the “spirit of the Olympic games,” according to the White House. The massive event, which is being co-sponsored by Nickelodeon and the State Department, will feature past and current Olympians, including David Beckham, Bart Conner, Nadia Comaneci, Teresa Edwards, Emily Hughes, Sarah Hughes, Shawn Johnson, Carl Lewis, Dikembe Mutombo, Dara Torres, members of the 2012 US Track and Field Team and Manchester United legends, among others. “Nickelodeon, The NBA and USA Basketball, U.S. Tennis Association, USA Field Hockey, USA Track and Field, Manchester United and Right to Play will provide sports stations for kids to get into the Olympic spirit by getting active,” the White House said in a statement. The Wanted, the University of Florida Gator Marching Band, Mark Ronson, Katy B., Nickelodeon’s DJ J Boogie and Jeff Sutphen, the Power Rangers and SpongeBob SquarePants will entertain.
There will be performances by Nick TV stars and characters, and the chance for the kids to meet Olympic and Paralympic legends, including Bart Conner, Nadia Comaneci, Teresa Edwards, Emily Hughes, Sarah Hughes, Shawn Johnson, Carl Lewis, Dikembe Mutombo, Dara Torres, members of the 2012 US Track and Field Team and Manchester United, among others. "That is going to be a ball," Mrs. Obama said. "Even SpongeBob will be there," said Kass.
Things will be far more formal on Friday evening. Ahead of attending the Opening Ceremony, the First Lady will be at Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by The Queen, where she will rub elbows with Heads of State leading the other Delegations. They first met Her Majesty in 2009 during the London G20, and Mrs. Obama later returned for a summer vacation to London with her daughters, which included another meeting with the monarch. The First Lady's trip is also a crucial diplomatic mission, said Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications. On Saturday, Mrs. Obama will have a closed-press meeting with Mrs. Samantha Cameron, wife of Prime Minister David Cameron. This year's Olympics, as in years past, are sponsored by McDonald's and Coca-Cola, and children watching the games will be treated to loads of advertising for junk food, with the anti Let's Move! message that this is the best diet for elite athletic performance. But when asked if there will be any effort to combat this, Kass merely said that healthier foods will be offered at the London Let's Move! event. "We’ll be having water and we’ll be having some healthy granola bars and we’ll be having some nuts and other very healthy treats," Kass said. On Sunday, Mrs. Obama will again be at Ambassador Susman's house, where she will attend a closed-press brunch for the U.S. Olympic Committee, U.S. Olympic alumni athletes and Team USA supporters; potential donors are expected to attend, according to reports from media in London. Susman was rewarded with his Ambassadorship after being a top-tier campaign bundler in 2008 (those who gather a minimum of $500,000; the campaign does not release figures above this amount). He was so successful that he was nicknamed "the vacuum cleaner." At 6:30 PM on Sunday Mrs. Obama will meet with US military and their families stationed at Mildenhall Air Force Base. That event is in service to her other signature initiative, the Joining Forces campaign to support and honor members of the US military. Who is traveling with her aboard her government-owned plane? The East Wing declined to provide details. Mrs. Obama's newly updated schedule, released today, makes no mention of her departure date from the UK.Hmmmm......Who's fitting the bill?Read the full story here.

American Olympic Team, Christian, Jewish and Hindu Athletes to be Fed with Halal Meat?

American Olympic Team, Christian, Jewish and Hindu Athletes to be Fed with Halal Meat?(AT).By Glen Jenvey.The 2012 Olympics is leaving a bad taste in many Athletes mouths since they found out the British assured food standard meat is 100% Halal! This is the deceit and hypocrisy of UK supermarket chains and slaughter houses which, whilst trumpeting the ‘Britishness’ of their products, surreptitiously purvey Halal meat to the general public and the Olympic teams. Halal is the Islamic method of religious slaughter whereby a live animal has its throat slit whilst being blessed in the name of Allah and it can take up to six minutes to die. In a investigation it was revealed that supermarkets, butchers and other retailers, restaurants, cafes and the food production and catering industry as a whole, all source from suppliers who serve Muslim as well as non-Muslim customers. Some of these suppliers process all their meat to Halal standards. For example, all New Zealand lamb meet’s Halal standards. And all British lamb and chicken is Halal. In these cases all processes still meet the same stringent animal welfare requirements it is claimed and some animals are stunned prior to slaughter whether the meat is sold as Halal or non-Halal but all is Islamically blessed so it can be used for both the Muslim and non-Muslim market. India whose Olympic team might also object under religious grounds being Hindus and Spain, Denmark and Russia are just a few who could ask London 2012 organizers what are we eating as British Red Tractor meat according to all major supermarkets is in fact now slaughtered islamically to save packaging costs.Hmmmm......Doesn't sound 'kosher' to me.Read the full story here.

Michelle Obama to promote 'Let's Move' in London.

Michelle Obama to promote 'Let's Move' in London.(TheHill).First Lady Michelle Obama will hold an anti-obesity event for 1,000 children in London, where she'll be leading a U.S. Olympic delegation. On a conference call with reporters Monday, Obama said she was "beyond proud" to lead the presidential delegation to the Olympic opening ceremony. "It's truly a dream come true," she said. Obama will host a event for her "Let's Move!" anti-obesity initiative on Friday afternoon after meeting with U.S. athletes in the morning. The games' opening ceremony will also take place Friday. The afternoon event will take place at the U.S. ambassador's residence in London and involve 1,000 young people — a mix of U.K. natives and the children of American servicemembers based in Britain. The Olympics "serve as a powerful opportunity to send another message to the kids in this country about the importance of staying fit," Obama said. According to a White House memo, the afternoon will feature U.S. Olympians and famous athletes such as soccer star David Beckham. Obama will also meet with Samantha Cameron, the British Prime Minister's wife, during her time in London, as well as attend a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. Read the full story here.

Iran says Olympians will compete against Israelis.

Iran says Olympians will compete against Israelis.(AA).In surprising move, Islamic Republic said it will allow its athletes to compete with Israeli counterparts during the London Games. Bahram Afsharzadeh, head of the Iranian Olympic Mission, said Monday that his country’s athletes will compete against Israelis at the London Games. Iran has been criticized in the past because some of its athletes withdrew from events against Israelis at the 2004 Athens Games and 2008 Beijing Games. Afsharzadeh said: “We will be truthful to sport.” Afsharzadeh also said that Iran would “respect” a minute of silence if it was held in the opening ceremony to remember the 11 Israelis murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The IOC, though, has rebuffed Israel’s plea for the commemoration. Afsharzadeh spoke in the athletes’ village after signing the “truce wall,” an initiative calling on warring parties around the world to end hostilities during the games. The statement was made on the backdrop of concerns raised by some Arab states that the meets’ lottery may pit their athletes against Israeli competitors or worse – that their representatives will have to stand next to Israelis on the podium if they win a medal. Arab nations traditionally refuse to compete with Isreali athletes.Read the full story here.

Israel fears Iranian terror attack at London 2012 Olympics.

Israel fears Iranian terror attack at London 2012 Olympics.(Haaretz).Israeli officials have warned that an Iranian terror squad in Europe may be planning to attack its athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games, sparking the largest security operation in peacetime Britain, The Sunday Times reported. According to a report by the Sunday Times, more than 17,000 troops and 7,000 private security guards will secure the Olympic Park and 26 other venues, and an additional 12,500 police will be deployed to patrol London's streets in a "series of 'rings of steel.'" The Sunday Times reports further that "panic rooms have been installed beneath the stadium as a haven for VIPs and spectators in the event of an attack." MI5 and New Scotland Yard are reportedly thought to have raised their threat assessment in light of the terrorist attack in Bulgaria on Wednesday that killed 5 Israelis, the bus driver and a suicide bomber. In addition, the Sunday Times reports, the Israeli government has dispatched agents from the Shin Bet and Mossad to protect its 38-strong delegation. The Mossad, says the Sunday Times, "is hunting a group of white Europeans who are thought to have converted to Islam and to be working with the Iranian Quds force and Hezbollah, the terrorist group backed by Tehran. "
One of the Israelis’ targets is thought to be a terrorist carrying a US passport under the name of David Jefferson, who is believed to have fled after the Burgas attack" and "is thought to have another powerful device" like that used in last week's bombing, said the report.
According to the Sunday Times, "Security experts say the Quds force — a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards — has recruited a number of white European Islamic converts, including two Germans, one from Sweden and a couple of Britons." New York police believe Iranian Revolutionary Guards or their proxies have been involved so far this year in nine plots against Israeli or Jewish targets around the world, according to restricted police documents.Read the full story here.

Video - Teenager shouts 'Allah is great' in Arabic as he tries to grab the Olympic flame from hands of torch bearer.

Video - Teenager shouts 'Allah is great' in Arabic as he tries to grab the Olympic flame from hands of torch bearer.(DM).A 17-year-old shouted 'Allahu Akbar' - Arabic for 'God is Great' - as he unsuccessfully tried to grab the Olympic torch during a stretch of the flame's route through Maidstone towards Redhill. Broadcast live on the BBC, the youth lunged from the crowd to try to take the torch from the hands of its bearer Anna Skora, but was swiftly bundled away by officers. In one video posted to YouTube he can be seen waiting behind a car and as Ms Skora gets closer he lunges towards the torch.Ms Skora was about to hand over the torch to Graham White, a Surrey charity worker, when the teenager burst out of the crowd and tried to grab it. He managed to get through the line of police officers escorting the torch as it headed through the town. One of the officers at the back of the group swiftly grabbed hold of Ms Skora and the torch, guiding them to the opposite side of the road.Four or five of the other torch guards then bundled the man to the side of the road where he was then arrested. Ms Skora managed to keep the torch upright throughout the ordeal and she continued to smile as she completed her stretch of the Olympic flame relay.The youth, from Gravesend, is currently being held in custody and the torch continued on its way without disruption, Kent Police said. Read the full story here.

Video - Girls: "Why Men love watching the olympics"

BBC Olympic Coverage Declares East Jerusalem as Palestinian Capital.

BBC Olympic Coverage Declares East Jerusalem as Palestinian Capital.(HR).By Simon Plosker.The BBC Sport website’s coverage of the forthcoming London Olympic games features country profiles of all of the competing nations. Every other country profile includes a listed capital city. All except for Israel This even includes Palestine” where the BBC takes enormous liberties with its list of facts.
UPDATE ON PAGE 2: BBC RESPONDS AND AMENDS ITS WEBSITE
According to the BBC, “East Jerusalem” is the capital of Palestine.The BBC’s Olympic country profile for Israel simply fails at all to include a listed capital city. This despite the inclusion of Jerusalem on the map of Israel. While the only partially-recognized entity of “Palestine” has a listed capital that isn’t even under its sovereign control, the very real and recognized state of Israel has no capital despite being sovereign over the entire city of Jerusalem.
“Palestine” has been recognized as a member of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) since 1986, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1995. That the BBC features Palestine is therefore legitimate within this context. However, while the BBC could argue that Jerusalem is not recognized as Israel’s capital by many in the international community, there is simply no excuse for distorting reality and appointing part of Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital city. Or is this just further evidence that the BBC shares the dreams of the Palestinians?
The omission of Israel’s capital has irked the Israeli government, prompting Mark Regev, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman, to write the following letter to the BBC’s Jerusalem bureau.Read the full story and letter here.

Video - London-Based Shiite Cleric Abdallah Al-Khilaf: Wahhabi Fatwa Permits Sodomy to Widen the Anus as a Means to Jihad.

London-Based Shiite Cleric Abdallah Al-Khilaf: Wahhabi Fatwa Permits Sodomy to Widen the Anus as a Means to Jihad

Following are excerpts from an address by London-based Shiite cleric Abdallah Al-Khilaf, which aired on Fadak TV and was posted on Youtube, on June 16, 2012. Abdallah Al-Khilaf: First, we'd like to show you a fatwa, which appeared on the Lions of Sunna Internet forum. One Wahhabi wrote: "Dear Sheik, may Allah grant you martyrdom and black-eyed virgins in Paradise, I wanted to commit a martyrdom operation. I turned to Sheik Abu Dimaa Al-Qassab, who told me that they had invented a new and unprecedented form of martyrdom operations – explosive capsules are inserted into your anus. "In order to train for this method of Jihad, you must consent to being sodomized for a period of time, so that your anus becomes wider, making room for the explosives. "My question is whether I am permitted to allow one of the mujahideen access to my anus, if my intentions are honorable, and the purpose is to train for Jihad by widening my anus." The sheik praised Allah and said: "In principle, sodomy is forbidden. However, Jihad is more important. It is the pinnacle of Islam. If sodomy is the only way to reach this pinnacle of Islam, then there is no harm in it."The rule is that necessity makes the forbidden permissible. Something that is required in order to perform a duty becomes a duty in and of itself. No duty takes precedence over Jihad. "Therefore, you must be sodomized... After you have been sodomized, you must ask Allah for forgiveness. "Know, my son, that Allah resurrects the mujahideen on Judgment Day on the basis of their intentions. Allah willing, your intention is to support Islam. May Allah include you among those who heed His call." This is the fatwa that led a man a while ago to carry out a bombing attack against then Interior Minister Naif bin Abd Al-Aziz [sic].Source: Memri.

More on this 'topic' here: Islamic Sodomy or 'Islamophobic Hoax'?

U.K Border staff 'let in three terror suspects' since the start of July.

U.K Border staff 'let in three terror suspects' since the start of July.(Telegraph). The new staff, who have been recruited to shorten queues at Britain's largest airport in the run up to the Games, are repeatedly "missing" passengers on the Home Office watch list who should be referred to counter-terrorism officers when they reach passport control, a senior border officer told the Observer. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the UK Border Agency official claimed three terror suspects had been waved through by staff on his shifts since the start of July. All were registered on the Home Office suspect index system. Another employee alleged that staff had missed five suspects in just one day earlier this month. The senior official told The Observer: "The missing of counter-terrorism 'hits' is a huge thing, but new recruits are not getting enough time to be taught. "It is vital these people do not get in without being noted and that the information is passed to the police or security services. Once they're in, you've no idea where they might be going." Border officials are instructed immediately to alert counter-terrorism police or MI5 if they suspect an "SX traveller" is attempting to enter the UK. But a large number of Home Office officials have been drafted in from different departments to help cope with border staffing shortages before the Olympics. Those working on passport desks have received just basic training with some only getting a day's tuition instead of the standard six to eight weeks, according to The Observer.Read the full story here.

Olympic security: British army reinforcements called in to fill G4S shortfall.

Olympic security: British army reinforcements called in to fill G4S shortfall.(Guardian).The military has been asked to provide up to 3,500 extra troops to guard the London Olympics, amid concerns that private security firm G4S will be unable to deliver the number of staff it promised. Ministers have been forced into the last-ditch move only a fortnight before the Games because they are concerned that G4S cannot guarantee it will be able to supply the 13,700 guards it was contracted to deliver. One Whitehall insider accused the Home Office of "sticking its head in the sand" over the need to deploy extra military personnel. "This has been an accident waiting to happen. The Home Office has waited to make a decision on this because G4S has been saying it is all in hand. But we've run out of time." The home secretary, Theresa May, has been pressing G4S to provide assurances over its commitments, but patience in Whitehall ran out last weekend and talks began over whether the Ministry of Defence could fill the gap. "The army will provide an insurance policy," said a Whitehall source. The armed forces are already providing up to 13,500 personnel for the Games – split between the venues and back-up for police. Under the contingency plans, this could reach 16,500 – 7,000 more than are being deployed in Afghanistan. The MoD has been seeking guarantees that any soldiers drafted in at the last moment will be properly compensated for cancelled leave. A defence source said that the army units that may be required had been identified and put at a state of shortened readiness. They will be deployed incrementally, as needed, and logistical and training hubs were already being set up to co-ordinate them. Another source on the London 2012 board has previously described the security operation as a "blind spot" in Locog's planning for the Games. It will spark fresh questions over the extent to which the Games will appear overly reliant on the armed forces – last week it was confirmed that surface-to-air missiles would be located at six sites around the capital, despite protests from residents and some MPs. The navy's biggest warship, HMS Ocean, will be stationed in the Thames and four Typhoon fighter jets will be on standby at RAF Northolt in Middlesex. Armed Puma helicopters will also be on standby.Hmmmm...........You know that the 'Illuminati conspiracy' freaks will jump on this. Read the full story here.