Yemen - Al Qaeda Stones Woman To Death For Adultery: Witnesses

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Al Qaeda In Yemen Stones Woman To Death For Adultery: Witnesses. (NDtv).

Al-Qaeda militants have stoned a woman to death in a southeastern Yemeni city they control after accusing her of adultery and prostitution, several witnesses said today.

The jihadists on Sunday "placed the woman in a hole in the middle of the courtyard of a military building and stoned her to death in the presence of dozens of residents" of Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, one witness said.

A copy of the purported verdict issued by the so-called Hadramawt court of Al-Qaeda’s Ansar al-Sharia in December said the married woman had “confessed in front of the judges to committing adultery.”

The verdict said the woman also admitted “without any coercion that she practiced prostitution, as a pimp ... and that she worked with a group of women in brothels.”

She also confessed to smoking hashish, it added.

The verdict said that the woman was sentenced to be stoned to death for “committing adultery as a married woman ... and eighty lashes for consuming hashish.”

A local journalist at the scene confirmed the rare stoning, saying that the gunmen prevented photography of the execution.

"This was the first time we have seen such a thing," another witness said.

A copy of the purported verdict issued by the so-called Hadramawt court of Al-Qaeda's Ansar al-Sharia in December said the married woman "confessed in front of the judges to committing adultery".

Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch is considered by Washington to be the most dangerous affiliate of the global network.

It has taken advantage of the state's weakness to expand its control in various areas, including the vast Hadramawt region.

Saudi religious police banned from spying.

Saudi religious police banned from spying. (Taz).

Members of the Saudi religious police, officially known as the Commission for Promotion of Virtues and Prevention of Vice, have been barred from spying on people or chasing suspects, Al Arabiya reported.

Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Asheikh, president of the commission, also warned the police members working in the field against displaying any signs of extremism or religious fanaticism. He was talking during a visit to the police headquarters here Sunday by Riyadh Emire Prince Turki Bin Abdullah.

According to local daily Al-Watan, al-Asheikh said there were six "nos" religious police members should stay away from: Spying, extremism, fanaticism, authoritarianism, harming people and chasing suspects. 

He said the force is applying rules and regulations equally among all citizens and residents without any distinction.

Al-Asheikh said the members have been instructed never to abuse any man or woman. They should always be lenient and nice to everyone. "No one should be falsely accused or deliberately harassed. The members should not resort to devious means just to incriminate the others," he said.

The religious police has 12 branch offices, 129 sub-commissions and 345 centers scattered all over the Kingdom.

Al-Asheikh noted a remarkable rise in blackmailing cases where some men threaten women to scandalize them using their photos if they did not acquiesce to their illegitimate desires. "We received 729 complaints from women accusing men of trying to blackmail them during the past two months including 120 in Riyadh alone," he said.

The religious police chief called for stringent laws to punish the blackmailers whom he described as "sick people" who are trying to dominate and enslave women.

He advised the families to take good care of their girls and not to leave them fall prey to "human wolves".
Al-Asheikh revealed that the force has established a special office to combat sorcery and talisman and said in a matter of few weeks the office received 586 complaints against sorcerers. "We have caught 51 of them and destroyed more than 2,200 talisman works," he said.

Al-Asheikh also said the force has dealt with 762 cases of pervert sexual behavior, 2,607 alcohol cases and shut down 750 alcohol breweries in the Southern Province.

He said on request by the force, the concerned security authorities have blocked 24,508 promiscuous Internet sites. "The religious police has recently confiscated a large quantity of alcohol worth more than SR15 million in Jeddah and dealt with 355 drug cases," he added.

Prince Turki warned young men harassing women in malls that they will be dealt with severely. Earlier, several malls banned the entry of singles in shopping centers and malls. This ban has been recently lifted.

Hans Swoboda: "Turkey has increasingly authoritarian way of government."

Hans Swoboda: "Turkey has increasingly authoritarian way of government."(TZ).

Hannes Swoboda, president of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, said on Friday in İstanbul that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has an ever more authoritarian way of governance as he argued that Turkey is moving away from EU values and principles.

Talking to Today’s Zaman following his address at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s (FES) panel discussion on Turkey, Swoboda said the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has made correct moves in the past, but that “it has become an Islamo-conservative movement with authoritarian leadership.”

Criticizing the ruling AK Party especially on its rhetoric on women and education, Swoboda asked Erdoğan not to tell women and young people how to live their lives. “These policies move Turkey away from Europe,” he said in reference to a recent remark from an AK Party deputy favoring separate education for girls and boys at schools.

“The government should build bridges rather than promote one side on moral issues,” Swoboda further said as he stated that few countries are as divided as Turkey on such basic issues as the constitution and the EU.

In a critical remark on the AK Party’s decision to join the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) as a full member after leaving Europe's largest political family, the European People's Party (EPP), Swoboda said that he considers it a “clear sign from Erdoğan that he wants to leave the EU not alone, but with all the others,” referring to the EU skeptics.

However, describing Turkey a strategic partner of Europe, he added, “We do not want to lose Turkey.”From the European perspective, he expressed support for the opening of new chapters in negotiations with the EU, in particular Chapters 23 and 24 focusing on fundamental rights and freedoms.'You cannot expel a member over difference of opinion'

In response to a question on a request to expel AK Party deputy İdris Bal from the party for expressing opposition to the government’s plan to shut down private prep schools, Swoboda said: “You do not expel someone for one different opinion. If it is a permanent revolt against the government, you can ask, but for me it is a sign of an authoritarian tendency.”

According to Swoboda, authoritarian parties and governments use economic instruments to punish opposition as he said that he observes such a pattern in the AK Party government.

Responding to a question on the prep school row, Swoboda said that as a social democrat he is a defender of public schools, but “in today’s society private institutions supporting public education systems are good in terms of competition.”

According to Swoboda, the future of the direction of Turkey depends on the upcoming presidential elections and whether the ruling party remains united.

“I do not think Erdoğan has no control of his party, but he lets people like the deputy express radical ideas to see what the reaction would be,” Swoboda said, commenting on the AK Party’s controversial policies.

Results must be seen in Kurdish issueSwoboda also argues that Turkey is suffering from ambiguous policies because policies change frequently, such as with the Syrian and Kurdish issues. “It must be a deliberate policy, a trial and error process,” he went on to say.

As far as the Kurdish issue is concerned, “we need results in the Kurdish issue, but I do not see too many results,” Swoboda states. While welcoming Erdoğan’s meeting with the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Massoud Barzani, Swoboda says that the meeting could have positive consequences “if it means moving forward for all Kurdish rights.”

Recommending a “viable regionalization and decentralization” for Turkey in local governments, Swoboda says big countries such as Turkey need a less centralized government. Why should the Kurdish party not be represented in the İstanbul local assembly, he asked.

Commenting on regional issues, Swoboda said peace in the region is possible if there is a balance between Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.“I am in favor of strengthening relations with all four of them to solve the crisis in Syria,” he commented, highlighting his desire for a political solution. “I do not want people to be killed by Assad or the jihadists,” Swoboda also pointed out.

Concern over Turkey’s direction among social democrats of Turkey Prior to Swoboda’s arrival, the panel on Turkey organized by FES witnessed a lively debate on the direction Turkey is heading in. The speakers expressed concern over Turkey’s direction as they argued that Turkey has been becoming more authoritarian.

CHP Deputy Chairwoman Şafak Pavey talked about “social division” in Turkey as she argued that nothing can stand in the way of “religious populism in Turkey.”

Addressing specifically the EP members in the room, she asked, “Can you imagine a Turkey without the secularists of this country,” after arguing that religion as an institution has begun to rule Turkey.

Professor Ahmet İnsel, on the other hand, said that authoritarianism in Turkey dates back to the establishment of modern Turkey as he said that Turkish democracy has the minimum elements of democracy despite a tendency towards authoritarianism. “Turkey is not Putinism, but we feel the necessity to make a comparison with Putin’s rule,” he commented.

An academic and a columnist for the Radikal daily, Koray Çalışkan argued that Turkey has one more year before it institutes a “soft Shariah.”

The Turkey director of FES, Michael Meier, who focused on Turkey’s relations with the EU in the opening remarks of the panel discussion, said Turkey is not high on the agenda in Germany’s coalition talks. Encouraged by the opening of Chapters 23 and 24, Meier said more positive signals from both sides are necessary. Listing the Kurdish issue, the writing of a new constitution and polarization as the main challenges in Turkey, Meier said compromise is not a typical Turkish trait.Hmmm....As i said before Turkey not entering Europe will make it mend closer ties with the Mullahs and Create an Islamist Turkey.

"You know you're in an Islamist Country" when......Ruling party proposes bill banning advertising of alcoholic drinks.

"You know you're in an Islamist Country" when......Ruling party proposes bill banning advertising of alcoholic drinks.(HD).

A legal proposal further restricting the sale and promotion of alcoholic drinks was submitted to Parliament May 10 by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), weeks after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's harsh statements on alcohol consumption.

The proposed bill bans all advertising of alcoholic drinks and enforces producers to put information on the risks of alcohol on every unit. Bottles or cans that do not carry such warnings will be banned from sale.

Alcohol producers, which used to sponsor many cultural festivals, will also be unable to continue doing so, as alcohol brands and logos of alcoholic drinks will be banned from being displayed at "any event, under no circumstances."

If the bill is approved, education, sports and health institutions, as well as establishments next to highways - such as markets and restaurants - will be prevented from selling alcoholic drinks. Sale via automatic vending machine, telephone, and the Internet will also be banned.

Erdoğan sparked the existing debate on alcohol consumption last month when he declared ayran, the humble salty yogurt-based refreshment that is mixed with water and traditionally sipped with kebabs, to be the "national drink." He had announced harsher measures on alcohol, referring to a provision in the Turkish Constitution encouraging the state to "protect its citizens from harm," including alcohol consumption.

However, the Rakı-Ayran debate took another twist after a group of entrepreneurs engaged in a tit-for-tat with the prime minister by applying to the European Commission Codex in order to patent the aniseed-flavored spirit, a fixture in the historically-rooted meyhanes, as Turkey's "official" national drink.Hmmmmm......“Thank God Almighty,” said Mr. Erdogan in 1994, when he was the mayor of Istanbul. “I am a servant of Shariah.” Read the full story here.

Talking Turkey!

Talking Turkey ! By Daniel Pipes.National Review Online.December 26, 2012.

The menu for meals on my Turkish Airlines flight earlier this month assured passengers that food selections "do not contain pork." The menu also offered a serious selection of alcoholic drinks, including champagne, whiskey, gin, vodka, rakı, wine, beer, liqueur, and cognac. This oddity of simultaneously adhering to and ignoring Islamic law, the Shari'a, symbolizes the uniquely complex public role of Islam in today's Turkey, as well as the challenge of understanding the Justice and Development Party (known by its Turkish abbreviation, AKP) which has dominated the country's national government since 2002.
Political discussions about Turkey tend to dwell on whether the AKP is Islamist or not: In 2007, for example, I asked "what are the AKP leadership's intentions? Did it ... retain a secret Islamist program and simply learn to disguise its Islamist goals? Or did it actually give up on those goals and accept secularism?"
During recent discussions in Istanbul, I learned that Turks of many viewpoints have reached a consensus about Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: they worry less about his Islamic aspirations than his nationalist and dictatorial tendencies.
Applying the Shari'a in full, they say, is not a feasible goal in Turkey because of the country's secular and democratic nature, something distinguishing it from other Muslim-majority countries (except Albania, Kosovo, and Kyrgyzia). Accepting this reality, the AKP wins ever-greater electoral support by softly coercing the population to be more virtuous, traditional, pious, religious, conservative, and moral. Thus, it encourages fasting during Ramadan and female modesty, discourages alcohol consumption, attempted to criminalize adultery, indicted an anti-Islamist artist, increased the number of religious schools, added Islam to the public school curriculum, and introduced questions about Islam to university entrance exams. Put in terms of Turkish Airlines, pork is already gone and it's a matter of time until the alcohol also disappears.

Turkish Airlines bans pork but serves alcohol. (View full size image)

Islamic practice, not Islamic law, is the goal, my interlocutors told me. Hand chopping, burqas, slavery, and jihad are not in the picture, and all the less so after the past decade's economic growth which empowered an Islamically-oriented middle class that rejects Saudi-style Islam. An opposition leader noted that five districts of Istanbul "look like Afghanistan," but these are the exception. I heard that the AKP seeks to reverse the anti-religiousness of Atatürk's state without undermining that state, aspiring to create a post-Atatürk order more than an anti-Atatürk order. It seeks, for example, to dominate the existing legal system rather than create an Islamic one. The columnist Mustafa Akyol even holds the AKP is not trying to abolish secularism but that it "argues for a more liberal interpretation of secularism." The AKP, they say, emulates the 623-year-old Ottoman state Atatürk terminated in 1922, admiring both its Islamic orientation and its dominance of the Balkans and the Middle East.

Mohamed Morsi could learn a thing or two from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

This neo-Ottoman orientation can be seen in the prime minister's aspiration to serve as informal caliph, by his change in emphasis from Europe to the Middle East (where he is an unlikely hero of the Arab street), and his offering the AKP's political and economic formula to other Muslim countries, notably Egypt. (Erdoğan staunchly argued for secularism during a visit there, to the Muslim Brotherhood's dismay, and looks askance at Mohamed Morsi's ramming Shari'a down Egyptians' throats.) In addition, Ankara helps the Iranian regime avoid sanctions, sponsors the Sunni opposition against Syria's Bashar al-Assad, picked a noisy, gratuitous fight with Israel, threatened Cyprus over its underwater gas finds, and even intervened in the trial of a Bangladeshi Islamist leader.

Like much else in Turkey, the headscarf can have subtle qualities.

Having outmaneuvered the "deep state," especially the military officer corps, in mid-2011, the AKP adopted an increasingly authoritarian cast, to the point that many Turks fear dictatorship more than Islamization. They watch as an Erdoğan, "intoxicated with power," imprisons opponents on the basis of conspiracy theories and wiretaps, stages show trials, threatens to suppress a costume television soap opera, seeks to impose his personal tastes on the country, fosters antisemitism, suppresses political criticism, justifies forceful measures against students protesting him, manipulates media companies, leans on the judiciary, and blasts the concept of the separation of powers. Columnist Burak Bekdil ridicules him as "Turkey's elected chief social engineer." More darkly, others see him becoming Turkey's answer to Vladimir Putin, an arrogant semi-democrat who remains in power for decades.
Freed of the military's oversight only in mid-2011, I see Erdoğan possibly winning enough dictatorial power for him (or a successor) to achieve his dream and fully implement the Shari'a.

Mr. Pipes (www.DanielPipes.org) is president of the Middle East Forum. © 2012 by Daniel Pipes. All rights reserved.

Dec. 26, 2012 update: Some extra facts about Turkish Airlines (abbreviation: THY):

• It offers kosher, Hindu, and Jain meals.
• It did not serve pork products even before the AKP era began.
• It takes pride in being "Europe's Best Airline" as judged by Skytrax, a British consultancy group.
• It boasts of a network that goes to more countries than any other airline, 91 countries vs. Air France's 88.
• Its main business class lounge, at Istanbul Atatürk Airport, is (in this traveler's view) by far the world's most outstanding, what with its innovative design, its children's play area, library, billiard table, television panel, movie theater, piano bar, mosque, showers, sleeping suites, and the range and quality of foods. It has a capacity of 2,000 guests.
• The Turkish government owns 49 percent of THY's stock and, according to Orçun Selçuk, writing in Today's Zaman, the airline "is openly used by the government as a tool to buttress the expansion of its foreign policy." In addition, he writes, it serves "as a tool of soft power aimed at increasing the attraction of Turkey among foreign publics."

Related Topics: Turkey and Turksreceive the latest by email: subscribe to daniel pipes' free mailing listThis text may be reposted or forwarded so long as it is presented as an integral whole with complete AND ACCURATE information provided about its author, date, place of publication, and original URL.

Saudi women get U.S. ‘victim visas’ following family disputes.

Saudi women get U.S. ‘victim visas’ following family disputes.(AA).Five Saudi women living in the United States replaced their student visas with “victim visas” following disputes with male members of their families. The women, whose change of status renders them ineligible for financial support from Saudi Cultural Bureau in Washington DC, were accompanying their families to the United States and went to court after they got into fights with their husbands or brothers, the Saudi edition of al-Hayat newspaper quoted a source from the bureau as saying.
One of those women, the source explained, is a student currently living with her children in an orphanage because of a dispute with her husband. After the American court with which she filed a complaint ruled in her favor, she was not able to go back to her husband and since there were no guarantees of her safety if she returns to Saudi Arabia, she preferred to stay in the United States. She is now financially supported by the American government. The source noted that the financial assistance granted to those girls, who are usually students themselves, varies from one case to another. It could come in the form of a job, an academic scholarship, or food and shelter as in the case of the orphanage. 
The source said the embassy and the cultural bureau do their best to reach a peaceful resolution, but these efforts do not usually bear fruit. “Many of the girls argue that they do not feel safe going back to their husbands or to their families in Saudi Arabia, so they opt for giving up their student visas and the financial assistance provided by the Saudi government and apply for the victim visa which allows them to stay in the U.S. and receive assistance,” the unnamed source said. Women and children living in the U.S. are eligible for a victim visa under certain conditions, the most important of which is having been victims of specific crimes and having those crimes proven and reported. The most common of the 26 crimes listed by the victim visa regulation are sexual harassment, rape, abduction, human trafficking, and torture.Read the full story here.

Video - Egyptian Jihadi Sheik Ahmad 'Ashoush: I Do Not Consider Morsi to be Legitimate Egyptian President

Egyptian Jihadi Sheik Ahmad 'Ashoush: I Do Not Consider Morsi to be Legitimate Egyptian President.Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian Jihadi Sheik Ahmad 'Ashoush, which aired on Al-Rahma TV on August 22, 2012.

Ahmad 'Ashoush: We are at odds with the current regime because it abides by man-made laws and by Western regulations, in general, with regard to people's lives: the legal, bureaucratic, economic, and political systems.

Since we don't have much time, I will focus on the man-made laws. As Muslims, you and I believe in the Koran and the Sunna, and in what is decreed permissible or prohibited.

If anybody – you, me, or anyone else – denies this, he becomes a heretic.

Interviewer: This is tantamount to renouncing one's religion.

Ahmad 'Ashoush: Right. Whoever denies what Allah decreed to be permissible or prohibited is a heretic. Therefore, we must accept the notions of halal and haram. We should allow what Allah decreed to be halal and forbid what Allah decreed to be haram.

This is the meaning of an Islamic state. An Islamic state is bound by the halal and the haram.

How can this unjust, promiscuous, atheist law be imposed upon me by force of arms, yet I am expected not to rebel against it? I can never obey this law. On the contrary, I must rebel against it, and call it haram and falsehood. This is heresy, because it permits that which is prohibited.

Do I consider Dr. Morsi to be a legitimate president and emir of this country? The answer is no. Dr. Morsi did not enter the presidency through the legitimate gate of the shari'a. He came to power through the democratic system. The democratic system, as they all say, means a civil state, not an Islamic one. We called upon them to make it an Islamic state. A legitimate ruler must come to power through a pledge of allegiance, and elections are not a pledge of allegiance.Source : Memri.

Another Shoebat Bombshell: Obama family's Wahhabist connections.

Another Shoebat Bombshell: Obama family's Wahhabist connections. HT: Shoebat.

The Obamas’ Kenyan Branch revealed in Shocking Video: Obama family member spills the beans about Barack’s Wahhabi connection

Mali - Islamists begin Timbuktu clampdown on women without veils

Mali - Islamists begin Timbuktu clampdown on women without veils.(RFI).Islamists controlling Mali's northern city of Timbuktu on Thursday began arresting women not wearing a veil and have ordered any women caught out in the street late at night jailed, residents reported. "The Islamists are today criss-crossing the town's market and arresting girls not wearing a veil," El Mehdi Cisse, a resident of the Djinguerey Ber neighbourhood, told AFP by phone. Any woman seen on the street after 11:00 pm would be taken to prison and must pay a fine, he added, citing an edict from the Ansar Dine Islamists, who have ties with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. "Since last night, they've visited imams to tell them that from now on all girls must be decently dressed," said another resident Boubacar Yattara. The imams were also told of the creation of a "women's prison" and different fines for contravening "Islamic law", one imam said.
The move is the latest in a series hardline rules imposed by jihadists and radical Islamists in Mali's north, where sharia law has been enforced. Amnesty International on Thursday decried what it said was an increase in violence and severe punishments in the north. They cited cases in which they had stoned to death an unwed couple, carried out amputations on suspected robbers and flogged cigarette smokers. A March 22 coup in the capital Bamako led to chaos in the north, with Tuareg rebels and Islamists quick to exploit the army's weakened hold on the expansive desert part of the west African country. Ansar Dine fighters have also destroyed several ancient Muslim sites and shrines in Timbuktu, declaring the relics "haram", or forbidden.Read the full story here.

Video - German Chairman Shultz's shameless 'submission' to Islam taken to task by Dutch TV.

 HT: TundraTabloids.

Some Saudi women turn to each other for sexual gratification

Some Saudi women turn to each other for sexual gratification.(BM).RIYADH: In a man’s world of domination and hegemony, some women in Saudi Arabia are turning to each other between the sheets in order to feel sexually gratified. A group of young university-age women in the ultra-conservative Gulf country, all married, told Bikyamasr.com that their husbands are rarely around and have found love in the arms of their female friends. “Our husbands are always traveling, going to Southeast Asia and other countries so we know what is going on with them and when they come back they abuse us, so we have kind of fallen in love with each other,” Sumaiya, a 23-year-old mother of a two-year-old little boy, told Bikyamasr.com in her upscale Riyadh flat.
She says that her “girlfriend,” also married and 24-year-old Razan will come around almost daily. They both blush as they give a few details of how their relationship began. “We both just started venting to each other about how horrible our husbands are and how they mistreat us,” began Razan. “After our friendship grew over the past few years, we began to watch movies together and have a few drinks while we did so.” They said one evening, with their children at Sumaira’s parents’ home, the two decided to watch a pornographic film together. They didn’t really know what to expect, they said. “We were just watching and the first scene we saw were two women having sex. They looked so into each other. That’s when it happened,” Razan admitted, turning her head slightly away in apparent embarrassment.
The two said that they decided to emulate the women on the film, stripping naked and indulging in each other. It was a spur of the moment act, they both admitted, but since then have been having sexual escapades together. “Just having someone who cares about each other, our bodies and what we want is loving enough. I couldn’t imagine living here and being treated the way I do without her,” Razan said, gripping her lover’s hand. Both admitted, however, that since an early age they had feelings toward other women, but in the ultra-conservative Saudi culture, where homosexuality is forbidden, they pushed their thoughts and emotions aside, marrying at a young age and starting a family. “We have so many female friends who are fed up with their husbands’ actions that are in similar relationships. Our husbands don’t know and probably don’t care, so it is okay for us,” Sumaira argued. They consider themselves lesbians and while they would never publicly state the fact, they hope that in the future, as Saudi society begins to open up, women in the country will have more rights and be able to feel loved, by whomever they desire.“I think this is an important time for Saudi. We are women who are suffering. We are lucky we found each other, but other girls are not in the same place and continue to suffer because of our society. This is un-Islamic,” Razan added.Read the full story here.

Four convicted Iranian rapists sentenced to 12 fold hanging execution.

Four convicted Iranian rapists sentenced to 12 fold hanging execution.(TI).Iran Supreme Court confirmed 12 fold hanging execution for four people accused of several women's rape and death of one of them. According to Mehr News Agency, each of them will be hanged 12 times. Four people- 27 years old Siyavash, accused of commiting rape, murder of a woman and a theft, 25 years old Mahmoud, 26 years old Ali and 31 years old Karim, all accused of commiting a rape, will be executed. The case was opened in Iran's Pakdasht city's attonery in September 2007, when a woman named Mahboubeh was brought to hospital, struck by knife. Mahboubeh died after 4 days, but another girl informed the police about criminal acts of four guys. Siyavash's leaded group members were arrested after police operation.Hmmm.....Why stop at 12?Why not make it an 'Unlucky Thirteen?"Read the full story here.

Video - Ezra Levant: "Does Innocence Of Muslims Pass The Free Speech Test?"

Ezra and Brooke Goldstein of The Lawfare Project agree: the Libyan attacks are not about some film. They were planned Al-Qaeda terrorism.

Video - Ezra Levant interviews Sam Nunberg about the outrageous judicial overthrow of free speech involving none other than Zombie Mohammed

Ezra interviews Sam Nunberg about the outrageous judicial overthrow of free speech involving none other than Zombie Mohammed.

Saudi Wife reports husband premarital 'sexcapades' to court, sentenced to nine months in jail and lashed 100 times in public.

Saudi Wife reports husband premarital 'sexcapades' to court, sentenced to nine months in jail and lashed 100 times in public.(E24/7).

When a Saudi woman threatened to report her husband’s pre-marriage affairs to stop him from having a second wife, he simply called her bluff, apparently not expecting punishment for teenage sexual adventures. 

He was wrong. After seeing tapes showing him in obscene acts with women in other countries before his marriage, a court sentenced him to nine months in jail and ordered him lashed 100 times in public. Instead of feeling triumphant, the wife regretted it. The unnamed husband was preparing to travel to another Arab country to get married again when his wife stumbled across photographs and films showing him in obscene acts with prostitutes outside Saudi Arabia. When he rebuffed her pleas not to travel and have a second wife, she handed the pictures and films to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Saudi Arabia’s feared Islamic police. “When the judge saw the pictures, he ordered the arrest of the man just before his travel…the man told court that those films were shot when he was young before his marriage,” the Arabic language daily Alsaudeh said. “But the judge sentenced him to nine months in prison and ordered him lashed 100 times…although she deprived him from his honey moon in a new marriage, his wife said she made a big mistake by reporting him as he has been nice to her…but she admitted that she did this to stop him from marrying again.” The paper said the court also fined the husband SR9,000 (Dh8,900) and ordered all the tapes destroyed. It did not say where the man lives in Saudi Arabia.Read the full story here.

Obama's BFF Erdogan: “We are observing that extreme rightist moves and racism target Muslims, this time Europe-wide; we are worried that it will escalate in Europe,”

Obama's BFF Erdogan: “We are observing that extreme rightist moves and racism target Muslims, this time Europe-wide; we are worried that it will escalate in Europe,”(HD).

President Barack Obama sent a personal message to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asking him to speak out against the violence.

A film mocking Islam that has sparked protests across the Muslim world is a provocation that cannot be justified as freedom of expression but should not be used as a pretext for violence, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Sept. 14. “I want to remind the Muslims of the world one more time. The film was a serious provocation. Those who are resorting to violence should know that this is a provocation of Muslims and we reject it,” Erdoğan said in a speech at a conference in the Ukrainian Black Sea resort of Yalta. Erdoğan’s comments came after the anti-Islamic movie “Innocence of Muslims” sparked global protests and outrage in the Muslim world. “Legal and peaceful protest by Muslims is a useful and correct thing. But a protest cannot envisage any kind of violence or terrorism,” he said. Insulting the Prophet cannot be justified as freedom of expression,” said Erdoğan, adding that leaders should take necessary measures against those actions which cause provocation within society. “It cannot be a reason for innocent people to be attacked or harmed,” he said.
“This is justified by nothing and, above all, not by Islam. No one can, in the name of Islam, carry out actions of the kind that happened in Libya with the attack on the U.S. mission [in Benghazi].” U.S. and Libyan officials are investigating an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed the ambassador and three other U.S. officials amid growing speculation that it was the work of militants rather than demonstrators.

The amateurish film denigrating the Prophet Muhammad has allegedly been linked to evangelical and Coptic Christians in the United States.

Erdoğan said he believed that it was not possible for U.S. President Barack Obama to approve of the film and added that the extremists who prepared the movie should be punished. Later on, Erdoğan met with the prime minister of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Anatoliy Mogilyov.

“We are observing that extreme rightist moves and racism target Muslims, this time Europe-wide; we are worried that it will escalate in Europe,” Erdoğan said. 

Erdoğan also spoke about his views on global values and racism and said people should continue living in “multifariousness and unity” and stated that in order to achieve this, discrimination based on culture, religion and ethnicity should be rejected. Hmmmmmm......“Thank God Almighty,” said Mr. Erdogan in 1994, when he was the mayor of Istanbul. “I am a servant of Shariah.” Read the full story here.

Couples sitting together is against the policy of McDonalds Pakistan.

Couples sitting together is against the policy of McDonalds Pakistan.(PT).By Noman Ansari. If you thought that of all the places to eat in Pakistan, McDonalds would be relatively safe from extreme behaviour, falsely made in the name of religion, sadly, you would be quite wrong. Unfortunately, I just found this out the hard way, and in an incident that left a worse taste in my mouth than the culinary abortions the burger joint had on offer.
Just yesterday, a little after midnight on Sunday, my wife and I, coming back from a friend’s birthday party, decided to stop at Karachi’s newest McDonald’s restaurant at Defence Phase 1 for some Diet Coke. Rather than go through the drive through, we decided to have our drinks inside, as I was a little curious having never been inside before.
After obtaining our order, we both decided to sit at the seating booth at the far end, located next to the TV.
My wife sat on her seat, and rather than sit on the parallel seat across the table from her, I am sorry to say that I made a terrible mistake.
Yes… I sat next to my wife. (Gasp!)
Not only that, but as we as we watched TV and sipped our sugar free soda, I did the unthinkable, and put my arm behind her shoulder. (Double Gasp!)
Yes, I know, I was but a fool to have decided to sit next to my wife publicly in a nation where sensibilities are so easily offended. Of course, having done so millions of times at other restaurants in Pakistan, and having grown up in Saudi Arabia, where I observed other men sitting with their wives without issue, I didn’t realise I was doing anything offensive.
But clearly, I was offending someone.
Not a few minutes had passed when a McDonald’s employee came up to us and very politely asked us to move. Initially, I thought we were blocking other patrons from viewing the television, and quietly informed the missus that we were being asked to shift because we were obstructing the TV.
Confused, she moved to the booth adjacent, and as I tried to sit in beside her, the same McDonald’s employee told me that I wasn’t allowed to sit next to her, but rather, should sit on the chair opposite to her, across the table.

“Why can’t I sit next to her?”

I asked when I finally grasped the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Sir, this is a family restaurant. Couples sitting together is against the policy of McDonalds Pakistan, as it goes against the family atmosphere of the restaurant.”
“What? But we are married (not that it is any of your business).”
“I am sorry sir, but you can’t sit side by side.”

When the employee nervously told me that he was acting on orders from management, I decided to talk to the manager of the restaurant, who was sitting with his co-manager at the other end, having a McDonald’s meal.Maybe that’s why he was in a foul mood.Maybe he just wanted Burger King.When I went up to them, the managers introduced themselves as Hammad and Amir. When asked for an explanation, they told me in exact words that this was a policy from upper management because couples, even married ones, sitting with each other, were a negative impact on the Islamic family atmosphere of McDonalds.

Yes, this is McDonalds Pakistan’s interpretation of ‘Islamic family atmosphere.’
The question is; who are they to judge us?
I am guessing that had I been sitting with a man, this would have been a non-issue.

They were only following orders. If anyone is at fault here, it is McDonalds Pakistan.

The franchise certainly needs to consult Islamic law, which doesn’t suggest something as ridiculous as forbidding couples to sit together.

I wouldn’t have expected this incident in Pakistan a decade ago, but our nation is being enveloped in the darkness of extremism very steadily. How far down this restrictive road is Pakistan going to go before the moderate Muslims of this nation stop living in fear and start standing up for their rights as free Muslims? How long must we walk on glass in order to avoid offending someone? The more we validate those who are not right, the more just will they feel.Read the full story here.

Interpol And Swedish Authorities Help Saudi Arabia Hunt Down Woman Who Converted From Islam To Christianity

Interpol And Swedish Authorities Help Saudi Arabia Hunt Down Woman Who Converted From Islam To Christianity.HT: InfidelBloggers.From Continental News: Since late July Saudi media have been buzzing with reports that a 28-year-old Saudi woman has embraced Christianity and fled the country, staying initially in a church in Lebanon before moving on to Sweden.
According to the Saudi Gazette, the woman, Maryam, appeared on an Arabic TV channel saying she was tired of performing prayers and fasting during Ramadan — rituals that never brought her any benefit.

She also criticised Saudi Arabia’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. She claimed to have been converted through a dream and said that though she was raised to hate Judaism and Christianity she has come to love those religions since finding peace in Christianity. 

 The woman’s father said his daughter was working in an insurance company in Al-Khobar (in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province) when her boss, a Lebanese Christian man, influenced her and ultimately encouraged her to leave Islam. According to Saudi investigators, a second man, a Saudi national, helped the woman obtain false documents and leave the country. The woman’s family have pressed charges against the two men because apostasy (leaving Islam) is an Islamic capital offence and a Saudi woman is not allowed to get a passport without the permission of her male guardian.
The men will face court on Saturday 15 September. Prosecuting lawyer, Humood Al-Khaldi, said that whilst the penalty in Islam of death for apostasy is clear, ‘the roles played by the two men, the Saudi and Lebanese, in making the girl become Christian should be taken into consideration’. He said ‘the court should make sure first that the girl was coerced into converting to Christianity and fleeing the country’. According to Gulf News, ‘Most Saudis reacting to the Khobar woman saga . . . have been calling for stringent action against the Lebanese and Saudi nationals for their alleged roles in the case, claiming that they were “well aware of the consequences of their act”.’ [...] On 2 September the Saudi Gazette reported that ‘Interpol is co-ordinating with the Saudi Embassy in Stockholm and Swedish authorities to return the girl to her homeland before her “kidnappers” move her to another country.’ The embassy reportedly has started a search for the woman, with the aid of Swedish authorities.Read the full story here.

Obama's BFF Erdogan : "US moves against Iran not binding for Turkey."

Obama's BFF Erdogan : "US moves against Iran not binding for Turkey."HT: IsraelMatzav.President Obama's Best Friend Forever, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is once again refusing to abide by American sanctions against Iran.

“There was no specific demand from the U.S. side,” a Turkish diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News Sept. 7, when asked about a Sept. 4 to 5 visit to Ankara by U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. For two days, Cohen met with officials across the Turkish government, as well as representatives of the Turkish financial sector. 

Cohen informed Turkish officials about his country’s Iran sanctions law and executive orders authorized under this law, the diplomat said. “Even if there had been a specific demand on the table, we would have reiterated our position clearly like we did several times in the past. We are legally bound only by the related U.N. Security Council resolution,” the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Resolution 1747 banned arms exports by Iran under Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter, which allows the Security Council to authorize actions ranging from diplomatic and economic sanctions to military intervention. “We are not legally bound to any unilateral decisions by the United States against Iran,” the diplomat said.

That's true. But there's also nothing that prevents the United States from banning every Turkish bank that clears transactions with Iran from participating in the US Federal Reserve system. Just sayin'....

Obama keeps bragging about how his administration has implemented the toughest sanctions evah against Iran (even though he opposed them), but what he doesn't mention - and he needs to be called on this again and again - is that his administration has also exempted every country that asked from participating in those sanctions. Including Turkey.Hmmmm................“Thank God Almighty,” said Mr. Erdogan in 1994, when he was the mayor of Istanbul. “I am a servant of Shariah.” Read the full story here.

Maldivian teen to get 100 lashes for sex with older man.

Maldivian teen to get 100 lashes for sex with older man.(DM).A Maldivian court has ordered 100 lashes and eight months' house arrest for a 16-year-old girl convicted of having sex with an older man, a report said Monday. She 'confessed' to having sex with the 29-year-old after her family pressed charges. The man was found guilty of having sex with a minor and sentenced on Sunday to 10 years in jail, the private Minivan News reported. The pair were found having intercourse in the Raa atoll, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital island Male, the report said, adding that the girl would be flogged when she reaches adulthood. 'As she is legally a minor, the court stated that the girl's sentence would be implemented when she turned 18,' Minivan News said. It was not immediately clear when the couple had sex. The court ruling came 10 months after UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay urged the Maldives to stop publicly flogging women for having extra-marital sex. Pillay noted during a visit to the country that the Maldives had progressed in safeguarding the rights of its 330,000 Sunni Muslims, but more needed to be done to protect women. Flogging is normally handed down as a punishment by village chiefs who also act as local judges. A cane is used. The Maldives, better known as a luxury tourist destination, adopted multi-party democracy in 2008, but faced political unrest leading to the resignation of the first elected president, Mohamed Nasheed, in February.Hmmmmm.........Obama says the Koran teaches that, "Be it man or woman, each of you is equal to the other."........only here it's the minor girl who gets 'lashed'.Read the full story here.