Video - Marked for Death: Geert Wilder's 10-Year War with Islam.

Pakistan - ‘Blasphemous’ Muslim Assassinated.

Pakistan - ‘Blasphemous’ Muslim Assassinated.(NYT).

Muhammad Shakil Auj, a liberal Muslim scholar accused of blasphemy, was shot dead in Karachi on Thursday. 

Auj was accused of the crime by four other professors after giving a speech in the U.S. in 2012 as well as for his liberal views, such as the idea that Muslim women should be allowed to marry non-Muslim men. He was shot in the head and neck by gunmen on a motorbike. Auj had previously complained to police about death threats.

Nasir Lodhi, a senior police official, said that Dr. Auj told the police that four professors at the University of Karachi had accused him of blasphemy for comments he made during that speech. Mr. Lodhi said he could not say where the speech was made, or the nature of the offending comments.

Dr. Auj lodged a criminal complaint against the four professors, who were later arrested by the police. One of them, Dr. Abdul Rasheed, had previously held Dr. Auj’s position as dean of Islamic studies at the university. The four men face trial but are currently free on bail, the police said.

Around the same time, a religious seminary in Karachi issued a fatwa against Dr. Auj, accusing him of blasphemy and calling for his death.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan, and in recent years there has been an uptick in vigilante killings related to accusations. Auj had written 15 books about Islam and last month was awarded the presidential medal of distinction in Pakistan for education and research. Read more at New York Times

Film Director of "King of Sands' responds to 'Death Fatwa': "Saudi authorities is responsible of any attack against me"

Film Director of "The King of the Sands' responds to 'Death Fatwa': "Saudi authorities is responsible of any attack against me".(BN).

Najdat Anzor , the director of the shocking film “the King of the Sand”, responds on the fatwa of a Saudi preacher that permits killing him under the charge of directing the film that talks about the biography of Abd al-Aziz Al Saud the founder of the Saudi Arabia Kingdom.

The director Anzor has issued a statement, obtained by Breaking News Network, in which he says that “a Saudi preacher called by Adnan al-Ayed has issued a fatwa that considers murdering him a necessary and lawful.

Anzor said the Saudi authorities bears the responsibility of any attack against him or against the cast of his film.
Anzor says that the Saudi authorities are responsible before the Syrian and the international courts for any action that affects his personal safety or the safety of a member of his family or his team.

The Saudi preacher “Adnan al-Ayed” has issued through “Safa” a fatwa of killing the director Najdat Anzor.
The preacher has justified his fatwa claiming that Najdat Anzor insults the Islamic religion by attacking Al-Saud through his film.

Iranian regime claims prisoner who survived hanging is in coma.

Iranian regime claims prisoner who survived hanging is in coma. (NCRI).

An Iranian prisoner who survived a botched hanging has fallen into a coma, the state-run IRNA news agency reported today.

"His level of consciousness is around six per cent and the possibility of brain death will increase if the situation does not improve," IRNA quoted what it called an informed source as saying.

"The doctors cannot perform any surgery or other treatment while he is in a coma," said the source.

The prisoner, identified only as Alireza M, 37, was pronounced dead earlier this month by the attending doctor after hanging for 12 minutes from a noose suspended from a crane at a jail in northeastern Iran.

But the next day, staff at the mortuary in the city of Bojnourd where his shrouded body was taken discovered he was still breathing.

Many judiciary officials immediately called for his execution once he gets well.

Amnesty International called for an immediate stay of execution Alireza M and for all other death row prisoners in Iran.

Since beginning of this year at least 470 prisoners have been hanged with over 240 execution since sham presidential election in June.

 Related: Ayatollah: Iranian man who survived execution should not be hanged again.

" An Iranian grand ayatollah who issued a fatwa ordering the re-execution of convicts who come back to life has said his religious ruling should not be applied in the case of the man who revived in the morgue earlier this month."

" According to the semi-official Mehr news agency, Golpaygani has a fatwa in the second volume of his religious rulings, which says: "After the execution and before the burial, if the convict comes back to life while in the morgue or at the coroner's office and recovers after treatment, the verdict for Qisas (retribution) or Had (punishment) remains viable."

The references to Qisas and Had in Golpaygani's fatwa mean it only applies to sentences for certain crimes, called Hodud in the Islamic terminology, that are not at the discretion of the judge but are defined by sharia law.

Under Iranian sharia law, certain crimes such as sodomy, rape, theft, fornication, apostasy and consumption of alcohol for the third time are considered to be "claims of God" and therefore have a mandatory death sentence. Alireza is instead condemned to Tazir, a punishment that can be administered at the discretion of the judge, raising hopes that the judiciary might be able to change its mind over his case. .

Shiite ayatollah launches fatwa: Iraqi Christians, conversion to Islam or death.

Shiite ayatollah launches fatwa: Iraqi Christians, conversion to Islam or death.(AN).By Joseph Mahmoud.An Advent of light and shadow for Iraq's Christians, who are celebrating the reopening of the cathedral of Baghdad but at the same time subjected to new - and heavy - threats from a radical Shiite Muslim leader. From studies of a television broadcaster based in Egypt, an Iraqi Ayatollah launches a fatwa against the religious minority on the eve of Christmas: "Conversion to Islam or death." However, strength of faith overcomes the fear of violence as witnessed by celebrations for the "rebirth" of the Syrian Catholic cathedral in the capital, the scene of a bloody attack at the end of October 2010 (see AsiaNews 31/10/2010 Al Qaeda attack on Baghdad church ends in massacre)
In an interview last December 13 on Egyptian television Al Baghdadia, the Shiite ayatollah Ahmad Al Hassani Al Baghdadi issued a fatwa against Christians in Iraq. Labeling them as "polytheists" and "friends of the Zionists", the extremist leader stressed that they must choose "or Islam or death," while "their women and girls may legitimately be regarded wives of Muslims."
Al Baghdadi is known for his "jihad" positions and for attacking Americans in the past during their presence in the country, and today he lives in Syria, supporting the armed opposition.
Catholic sources in the capital tell AsiaNews that it is "a very serious fatwa," but "it is unlikely that people will be upset too much." The government pays "attention" to these proclamations by extremists, however it is possible that such words could "create panic in some areas of the capital," where there are now "very few" Christians.
This morning meanwhile Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, presided over the rededication ceremony of the restored Syrian Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The place which reopened yesterday to worship and to the faithful, was the scene October 31, 2010 of a massacre carried out by a group of al Qaeda, which killed about 50 faithful and two priests.Read the full story here.

Canadian Coptic Christian linked to anti-Islam film seeks protection.

                                                 Jacques Attalla, left, and Nader Fawzy, right

Canadian Coptic Christian linked to anti-Islam film seeks protection.(Yahoo).A Coptic Christian activist say he fears for his family's safety after being accused of playing a role in the notorious anti-Islam film that has sparked violence throughout the Muslim world. Nader Fawzy, speaking at a news conference in Toronto on Saturday, said he has been the target of threats emanating from Egypt over the Innocence of Muslims trailer released on the internet over the summer. Fawzy has long been an activist for Egypt's Coptic Christian community, which makes up one-tenth of that country's population.
Fawzy said his name appeared in a published list of people involved in the film, an action he says amounts to a fatwa, or religious edict. He told reporters on Saturday he believes the Egyptian government put his name on the list out of revenge for his work as a Coptic activist. 

“Once there is a fatwa, you don’t know who is coming to kill you, to shoot you," he said. "It’s not just about the Egyptian government anymore. There is no safety at all. Once the fatwa is published, anyone can come to kill me or my kids or my family in Egypt.” 

 The Egyptian government has issued arrest warrants for both Fawzy and another Egyptian-born Canadian, Jacques Attalla of Montreal, claiming they were involved in the film. Both Coptic Christians deny having anything to do with it. But the men fear that being named in the warrants has made them targets for Muslim extremists, who've been encouraged by senior clerics to kill all those connected to the film. Egypt's prosecutor general has issued arrest warrants for a number of Coptic Christians, primarily living in the United States, for alleged involvement with the controversial film, made in California. Fawzy said he can't let death threats by extremists intimidate him into silence about the treatment of Coptic Christians in Egypt or about the arrest warrant against him. "I have to say it and say it loud," Fawzy told The Canadian Press on Friday.
"If they start with [silencing] me today, they will continue with everyone in western world. Maybe you tomorrow, maybe after tomorrow someone else." Following Saturday’s news conference, Fawzy went inside 42 Division headquarters of the Toronto Police Service. The CBC’s Natalie Kalata reported that Fawzy intends to ask police for special protection in light of the potential threat to his life.Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis, who stood by Fawzy's side during the news conference, has also been critical of the Harper government’s response to the situation, saying Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird should have spoken publicly about it.Hmmmm......"Fawzy said he can't let death threats by extremists intimidate him into silence about the treatment of Coptic Christians in Egypt."The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. Read the full story here.

Iranian game encourages execution of Salman Rushdie fatwa

Iranian game encourages execution of Salman Rushdie fatwa.(TD).By Brendan Kelly.First-person shooters have been asking gamers to gun down Middle Eastern ‘terrorists’ for some time, but now an Iranian video game under development is taking the opposite approach.

As reported by The Guardian, a video game, entitled The Stressful Life of Salman Rushdie and Implementation of his Verdict, is being developed by the Islamic Association of Students and was announced yesterday at Iran’s International Computer Games Expo.Details about the game are sketchy, but the title seems pretty self-explanatory – implement the fatwa.Salman Rushdie was targeted by Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic republic of Iran, who issued a fatwa against the writer in 1989 after the publication of his novel the Satanic Verses.Director of the Students Association Ahmad Khalili says that video game development in Iran is often difficult, but coming up with ideas such as this was the easy part.

"We don’t usually have any problems with initial thoughts and ideas but when it comes to the actual point of production we experience delays,” he told a local news agency.

Iranian officials have worried in the past that their country has been the target of a cultural war through western novels, films, television and video games.Another Students Association member, Mohammad-Taqi Fakhrian, says producing Iranian-made video games is one way to help ensure that cultural saturation does not take place.

"We felt we should find a way to introduce our third and fourth generation to the fatwa against Salman Rushdie and its importance,” he told another local agency.Hmmmm.....To be found in Which Canadian Embassy?See earlier post today.Read the full story here.

Iranian Rapper Najafi on the death Fatwa on him: 'Fundamentalists Can't Take a Joke'.

Iranian Rapper Najafi on the death Fatwa on him: 'Fundamentalists Can't Take a Joke'.(Spiegel).Iranian rapper Shahin Najafi has been in hiding in Germany since a fatwa was pronounced against him three weeks ago. In an interview with SPIEGEL, he discusses the fear Iranian leaders have of young people and his conviction that change will come to his country sooner or later.So this is what exile in exile looks like. Fleeing the threats of Iranian ayatollahs, Iranian rapper Shahin Najafi, 31, has taken refuge in a garden house near Cologne, surrounded by chirping birds and a fig tree. Although he's under police protection, the four fatwas that have by now been launched against him by leading religious clerics in Iran over the past few weeks seem incredibly far away. Najafi released a song in which he implored the 10th imam, Ali al-Hadi al-Naqi, to return to the Earth to sort out modern-day Iran's problems. Shiites venerate al-Naqi, who died 1,143 years ago and was a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. The song has been downloaded over 500,000 times in Iran alone, and has received over half a million views on YouTube. The musician appeared to be in a good spirits. The interview was conducted in German, although Najafi often switched to Persian and his manager, a German-Iranian, translated for him whenever necessary. German author Günter Wallraff, who is supporting Najafi, was also there. Children's voices could be heard in the distance.


SPIEGEL: Mr. Najafi, you've been hiding for nearly three weeks now. What's your everyday life like?
Najafi: I read, I write, I have my guitar with me. I'm trying not to think about the threat.
SPIEGEL: Does anyone visit you?
Najafi: No, nobody. Only my manager and Mr. Wallraff.
SPIEGEL: You are married here in Germany. How is your family dealing with the situation?
Najafi: It's difficult; I'd rather not say anything more about it.

SPIEGEL: There's something satirical about the lyrics of your songs.

Najafi: Yes, I'm a satirist. The powerful don't like satirists.
SPIEGEL: Salman Rushdie could also be called a satirist.
Najafi: Fundamentalists can't take a joke. Ever. They want us to blindly obey, parrot everything they do, and believe in their dogmas.

SPIEGEL: Can a fatwa be revised?
Najafi: That's never happened before. The grand ayatollahs believe that they are in possession of the absolute truth and thus are infallible.
Najafi: Last night I saw a video on the Internet. Two masked men are threatening me, in Persian with an Afghan accent. They ask: Why do you insult our faith? We will find you, no matter where you hide; you're not safe anywhere. And they also speak German. Perhaps they live in Germany or grew up here. What should I do? Give in? Show regret? I won't do that. I believe in history. We need time. It will take time before something changes. But it will happen.Read the full story here.