Saturday, April 14, 2012
Fly-in Pro-Palestinian activists instructed to protest at int'l airports, told not to start riots.
Fly-in Pro-Palestinian activists instructed to protest at int'l airports, told not to start riots.(YNet).The pro-Palestinian "flytilla" may well prove to be much smaller than planned, as many activists were banned from boarding flights to Israel on Saturday. The largest group of activists was meant to arrive from France. They were instructed to arrive at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris at 5 am on Sunday. Should they be barred from boarding the flights, the activists will express their protest in letters to the media.On Saturday, organizers briefed the activists on social media networks, calling them to challenge the airlines and show up at the airports with their tickets. The message stated that the blockade was a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and that Israel had turned Palestine into a huge prison. It was also noted that Israeli immigration inspectors from the Oz Unit have decided to stop their strike in wake of the fly-in. The activists were given specific instructions on how to act in case Israeli authorities refuse to allow them in. They were instructed to leave a copy of their passport with relatives and take the numbers of government officials from their countries of origin. They were also briefed on Israeli airport rules and guidelines. Organizers asked the activists to "stay calm but determined" in case they are denied entry and that there is a possibility they will eventually be allowed in. The activists were also instructed not to start riots or insult airport officials. They plan to appeal any decision barring them from Israel with the involvement of a lawyer. They were also told to contact the organizers in order to report to the media the developments at the airport. Organizers stressed the importance of the media in pressuring the Israeli authorities into changing their decision. Once in Israel, they will receive a letter from the Israeli government which reads: "You could have chosen to protest Syrian regime's daily savagery, but instead you chose to protest against Israel, the Middle East's sole democracy."See below.Read the full story here.
Flytilla Letter HT: IsraelMatzav.
Turkish Pianist Faces Prison For 'Blasphemous' Tweets.
Turkish Pianist Faces Prison For 'Blasphemous' Tweets.(WAS).Turkish pianist is facing prison time for anti-Muslim tweets, raising questions over the state of religious and Internet freedoms in less than secular countries. Fazil Say, a virtuoso pianist and composer, faces an investigation over tweeting remarks considered offensive to Muslims, Christians and Jews. Say used Twitter to question whether Islamic heaven is like a brothel or a pub, citing Qu'ranic verses that describe rivers of drinks and beautiful women for those admitted to paradise.
He also tweeted about a muezzin who recited the evening call to prayer in under 30 seconds, surmising the religious man was either impatient to see his lover or get drunk on a beverage called raki.
Say may have been joking about his disregard for religion, but Turkey's authorities are not laughing. As Turkish Penal Code specifies, "Anyone who openly denigrates the religious values of a part of the population shall be sentenced to imprisonment of from six months to one year, where the act is sufficient to breach public peace."
Say's case is still pending and he may escape with only fines, but other social media dissenters in countries with strict religious rules have not been so lucky. In Syria, Palestine and Jordan, for example, "Many cases of arrests are reported based on declarations on social media networks," according to Ayman Mhanna, director of the SKeyes center for media and cultural freedom in the Middle East. In such cases, Mhanna observes, "judicial authorities haven't shown much leniency to 'unorthodox' messages." This is true in Kuwait, where writer Mohammed Al-Mulaifi just sentenced to seven years' hard labor in prison for allegedly slandering Shi'ites on his Twitter account.
Two Tunisians face a similar sentence for posting "blasphemous" content online, while a 23-year-old in Jeddha endured death threats this February amid a public outcry over his tweets about the Prophet.
Hamza Kashgari, a Saudi citizen who fled to Malaysia after tweeting against religion, was recently extradited and awaits a possible death penalty for his actions.
And even Egyptian telecom magnate Naguib Sawiris faces a trial for tweeting a picture of Mickey and Minnie Mouse clad in Islamic garb. He intended to joke that even cartoon characters will have to wear the veil if Islamists take power.
Still, not all Islamic countries prohibit anti-religious remarks on social media sites, as Afghanis proved with their recent outcry against the country's top religious council. After authorities in that country suggested men and women remain separated at school and work for religious reasons, angry women took to Facebook and Twitter labeling the statement "outrageous" and demanding, "How dare the religious council decide about our faith?" But Afghanistan appears to be the exception among non-secular countries in allowing online opposition to religion. Most religiously-influenced governments appear to view social media posts against the establishment as utterly unacceptable.Read the full story here.
"The Never Ending Story".....The Talks With Iran.
"The Never Ending Story".....The Talks With Iran.(PP).By Elliott Abrams.Happy talk is one of the great concerns we should all have about the talks with Iran in Istanbul, which just concluded with an agreement to meet again on May 23 in Baghdad. What happened in Istanbul? Judging from the account in The New York Times, not much. The EU’s Lady Ashton says the talks were “useful and constructive,” but there is no real reason to believe this.
The Times continues: The decision to meet again appeared to reflect what European and American officials saw as a serious commitment from Iran to negotiate. However the initial statements from the delegates after the talks ended did not suggest that any concrete proposals or confidence-building measures had been made or agreed to. Right. In fact, the problem is made even more obvious in this comment: “I don’t think they would come if they weren’t serious,” one Western diplomat said.
Really? Looking back on all the negotiations with the North Koreans, including those of the Obama administration (and those led in the Clinton administration by Under Secretary of State Sherman, who also led the U.S. delegation in Istanbul), would we judge that the North Koreans “wouldn’t have come if they weren’t serious?” Serious about what, one might ask? About delaying a possible Israeli military strike, or about negotiating an end to their own nuclear program?
The fact that there appear to have been no concrete proposals discussed, yet the next meeting is delayed now for five weeks, suggests skepticism about Iranian “seriousness.”
The late May meeting will be in Baghdad, because that is where Iran wants it to take place. What will happen there?It is hard to know what the Iranians make of all this, except perhaps that diplomacy is fun.
Note that the head of the U.S. delegation, Wendy Sherman, requested a private one-on-one meeting with the head of the Iranian delegation. As I write this, there are conflicting reports as to whether her request was accepted or rejected, but all accounts are very clear on one point: she was the one asking, not Saeed Jalili. This action ensures that the United States appears to Iran as a suitor, anxious for these talks to succeed– and apparently more anxious than is Iran. It will take a few days and more leaks to find out what transpired in Istanbul. Perhaps there is reason to be hopeful, but from what we can see today that depends on what you are hoping for: stopping Israel, or stopping Iran’s nuclear program Hmmmm.........All this 'talk' is just a waste of time, obama has no intention of stopping Iran, it wouldn't surprise me if Erdogan told Mahmoud 'we' (The Obama admin) will in the end ask for the removal of all nuclear weapons in the Midle East, including the ones of Israel.......just wait till i'm more flexible!Read the full story here.
Did you hear the one of the hooker and the Secret Service man?
Did you hear the one of the hooker and the Secret Service man?(NYDN).The dozen Secret Service agents sent home after a prostitution scandal in Colombia were busted after at least one of them refused to pay one of the hookers, sources said. The scandal — a black eye for the United States’ reputation abroad — was revealed Friday just hours before President Obama arrived in Cartagena for the Summit of the Americas.
The 12 agents were part of an advance team assigned to secure a local hotel before the summit began, yet their attention apparently turned to taking advantage of Colombia’s policy of legal prostitution.Five American service members were also accused of misconduct stemming from the scandalous incident at the hotel, according to the U.S. military. “They had arranged to have a bunch of prostitutes come by and one of the agents refused to pay a prostitute,” said author Ronald Kessler, one of the leading experts on the Secret Service. “Yes, doubly good judgment there.” Kessler, who was briefed on the investigation by his sources within the agency, told the Daily News Saturday that the spurned hooker told police about the lack of payment. The 12 agents were immediately recalled to Washington. “Their careers are over,” said Kessler. “Number one, it is against basic ethics to go to a prostitute,” he continued. “Number two, it is incredibly embarrassing to the White House.” “And number three,” he continued. “It could leave them open to blackmail and a possible assassination attempt.”
Obama still has “full confidence” in the Secret Service, according to White House spokesman Jay Carney, who declared late Saturday that the incident “has been more of a distraction for the press” than the President. Kessler said two of the agents were supervisors who attempted to cover up the mortifying incident.Details of the incident remain murky, but U.S. officials believe one agent took a woman back to his room Wednesday night and threw her out in a dispute over money.
The woman caused a commotion in the hallway, getting the attention of local cops and other Secret Service agents, a senior official told The New York Times. During the initial investigation, it emerged that other agents also had women in their rooms. Rep. Peter King (R-LI), the head of the House Homeland Security committee, said they were all “presumed” to be prostitutes. Though it was known if all 12 member of the Secret Service team are suspected of wrongdoing, they were all recalled as part of the investigation. Several of the agents are married, according to reports.The President, who had a full day of summit events Saturday, has not addressed the Secret Service scandal. He is not staying at the Hotel Caribe. The Secret Service did not elaborate on the allegations Saturday. The night before, the agency — which is charged with protecting the President — simply confirmed that the officers were pulled back to Washington.Hmmmmm......."Let's Move together"?Read the full story here.More here.
Update: Military: Five U.S. service members in Colombia may have been involved in inappropriate conduct.(Pol).Five members of the U.S. military stationed in Colombia violated curfew and may have been involved in inappropriate conduct at the same hotel as the 12 Secret Service agents involved in the unfolding prostitution scandal, the United States Southern Command announced Saturday. USSOUTHCOM commander Gen. Douglas Fraser said that he is "disappointed by the entire incident and that this behavior is not in keeping with the professional standards expected of members of the United States military."Hmmmm.....Sounds more and more like a 'Group Activity' if you ask me.:)
Video - "Time is on my side" - Iran nuclear talks constructive, will meet end May: EU envoy
"Time is on my side" - Iran nuclear talks constructive, will meet end May: EU envoy.(HD).The EU foreign policy chief says the latest nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers have been constructive and that the two sides will meet again in Baghdad on May 23. Catherine Ashton says future talks will be guided by the "principle of a step-by-step approach and reciprocity." That indicates the international community is ready to reward Iran if it reduces fears that it may use its atomic program to make weapons. She also said after the talks in Istanbul on Saturday that Iran has a right to a peaceful nuclear program. At the same time, she says the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty must be the "key basis" for future talks.Hmmmm......"Time....is on my side, yes it is, so is Obama and Erdogan?"Read the full story here.
The watches for Today's Muslims - Traveling backwards in time has suddenly a 'whole new meaning'.
The watches for Today's Muslims - Traveling backwards in time has suddenly a 'whole new meaning'.(Tribune).ISLAMABAD: Wrist watches are all about making a statement. And a unique watch always catches the eye of those on the prowl for a new accessory. The makers of the Sa’at-a watch that looks like time is moving backward but is, in reality, moving forward-hope to provide enthusiasts with a new option. The watch works on an Islamic concept whereby it looks like a normal wrist watch but its arms move from right to left, with a corresponding dial. “It’s about wearing a concept and not just an accessory,” said Masood Khan, who is trying to make a market for the Sa’at Islamic Watch in Pakistan. Khan says the watch is a revolution in the industry, a technological breakthrough introduced by Palestinian scientist Yasin Al-Shouk who has been working on it for years. The “revolution” movement of the Sa’at Makkah watch offers a whole new perspective to its wearer, Khan added. The right to left movement mirrors the direction pilgrims move as they perambulate the Kaaba or Arabic text. “Your eye will get used to it in a few hours or a few minutes, if you already read Arabic from right to left,” he said of acclimatising to the functions of the watch. Khan said, all models of the Sa’at Makkah collection display a representation of the Kaaba. The watch had its official launch in Kuwait in November last year and was awarded a gold medal for the best innovation of 2011 at the International Watch Exhibition. After its successful launch in the Arab world, Khan said that the watch is now targeting the wider Muslim world. “This is not merely a piece of jewellery but marks one’s affinity towards a specific religion,” said Khan.Hmmmm.....Can't wait for CAIR to sue employers who fire Muslims who arrived late at work.Read the full story here.
Pal Legislative Council dep speaker Dr. A. Bahar Calls on Resistance Factions to Form 'Resistance Committee' for Kidnapping Israeli Soldiers for Palestinian Prisoner Swaps.
Pal Legislative Council dep speaker Dr. A. Bahar Calls on Resistance Factions to Form 'Resistance Committee' for Kidnapping Israeli Soldiers for Palestinian Prisoner Swaps.(TAZ).Hamas called Monday upon all Palestinian militant groups to form a joint committee to plan ways to kidnap Israeli soldiers who could then be exchanged for Palestinians held in Israeli jails DPA reported All militias should join this "factional resistance committee," said Ahmed Bahar, a senior leader of the Islamist group currently administering the Gaza Strip. He told reporters, at a news briefing to launch activities expressing solidarity with prisoners in Israeli jails, that kidnapping soldiers would "oblige the occupation (Israel) to release our prisoners." Bahar also called on security officials in the Palestinian Authority-run West Bank to stop releasing Israel soldiers and civilians who lose their way and stray into Palestinian areas by mistake. The West Bank sends them back to Israel. Israel currently holds more than 4,200 Palestinian prisoners in its jails, most of them incarcerated for "security offences" such as attacking Israel or plotting to do so. In October and December last year, Israel released a total of 1,027 prisoners from its jails in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been snatched in a Hamas-led cross-border raid in June 2006 and held in Gaza as a bargaining chip.Hmmmm......The people paid by the U.S taxpayers thanks to the Obama admin and Hilary Clinton.Read the full story here.
'Gulf states plan to meet over UAE-Iran of Abu Mousa island row'.
'Gulf states plan to meet over UAE-Iran of Abu Mousa island row'.(Jpost).DUBAI - Gulf Arab states plan to meet next week to discuss a dispute between the United Arab Emirates and Iran which broke out after the Iranian president visited a Gulf island claimed by both countries, a source familiar with the matter said on Saturday. Wednesday's meeting of foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council will be held in the Saudi capital Riyadh, the source told Reuters. "This will be an extraordinary meeting which was called for by the UAE following Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit," the source added.
The UAE has recalled its ambassador to Tehran for consultations after what it called a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty, the state news agency WAM reported. Iranian state media said Ahmadinejad visited Abu Musa island, some 60 km off the UAE, on Wednesday as part of a tour of Iran's Gulf coast. Both countries claim Abu Musa and two other small islands, located near key shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf. The islands have been held by Iran since 1971, shortly before the seven Gulf emirates gained full independence from Britain and formed the UAE. Ahmadinejad's visit "is a flagrant violation of the United Arab Emirates' sovereignty over its territory and a transgression of efforts to find a peaceful settlement to end Iranian occupation of the three UAE islands," UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan was quoted as saying by WAM on Wednesday. Abdullatif al-Zayani, head of the GCC - a regional bloc grouping the six Gulf Arab states - condemned the visit as "provocative" and a violation of UAE sovereignty.The UAE also cancelled a friendly match with Iran's national soccer team, due to be held on Tuesday in the Gulf Arab state. Iran rejected the protests and said Ahmadinejad's visit was an "internal Iranian matter". Tehran said it was determined to improve bilateral ties and was ready for a dialogue with the UAE to resolve "possible misunderstandings." The UAE has urged Tehran to agree to take the dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague or to hold direct negotiations. Iran says its sovereignty over the islands is not negotiable but has called for talks with the UAE to clear up "misunderstandings."Read the full story here.
The White House - Muslim Brotherhood "Tea Parties" meeting place?
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The White House - Muslim Brotherhood "Tea Parties" meeting place?(Investors) Via: DocsTalk.
Homeland Security: President Obama promised lobbyists wouldn't run his White House. They're just doing it from across the street — at a Shariah-compliant coffee chain tied to a radical jihadist group. That's right: According to the New York Times, prominent K Street lobbyists are buttonholing Obama officials at a Caribou Coffee shop on Pennsylvania Avenue, raising far more than just ethics questions. What the Times story neglects to mention is that Caribou Coffee is a Shariah-compliant firm owned by an Islamic bank based in Bahrain. One of its founders and a current adviser are leaders in the radical Muslim Brotherhood.
According to the FBI, the Egypt-based, Saudi-funded Brotherhood has a plan to infiltrate, "sabotage" and "destroy" the U.S. "from within."
And it's using American agents and front groups to carry out that espionage. The off-site White House meetings at Caribou also raise national security concerns. Because they're not taking place at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., they're not subject to disclosure on White House visitors logs. And there's no Secret Service present — at a shop owned and controlled by a foreign entity hostile to U.S. interests. A key principal in the 2000 deal by First Islamic Bank of Bahrain to buy Caribou Coffee was Yusuf al-Qaradawi — spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and a known jihadist and open supporter of suicide bombings, including some targeting Americans.
The Islamic cleric has been banned from entering the U.S. due to his fatwahs calling for the killing of American troops, and his leadership in a charity blacklisted by Treasury as a terror group. Al-Qaradawi has ruled that jihad can be an offensive means of expanding the Muslim state, plus a defensive response to attack. Referring to the infidel, he added, "If you kill him he will end up in hell, and if he kills you, you become a martyr." First Islamic Bank changed its name and removed al-Qaradawi's name from its Web site after anti-jihad watchdogs exposed the connection. But Caribou's parent still lists another major Brotherhood figure as a member of its Shariah Supervisory Board. It calls Muhammad Taqi Usmani a "prominent scholar" with a "proven track record in the practical implementation of Shariah law." Usmani also has a proven track record of advocating aggressive jihad against infidels. Fiercely anti-American, he has urged all Muslims to support the Taliban as they continue to ambush and kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Dow Jones recently dumped Usmani as an adviser to its Islamic index. News of these White House meetings at an Islamist-controlled chain comes as Obama has appointed a Muslim lawyer promoting Shariah finance as a White House fellow. We need more transparency regarding who's getting into the White House, who's lobbying it and who owns the off-site spots where they're conducting official White House business. The FBI should be there too.Hmmmm........Huma Abedin.....Hassan Abedin ....Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi.......Hillary Clinton........Taliban release from Guantanamo?Read the full story here.
South Sudan troops 'repel oil town attack'.
South Sudan troops 'repel oil town attack'.(AlJazeera).South Sudan says its soldiers have retained control of a key town in the oil-producing border region of Heglig despite clashes with Sudanese forces. Philip Aguer, a spokesman for South Sudan's military, known as the SPLA, said on Saturday there had been overnight clashes in Kelet, a village about 40kms from Heglig town. "Yesterday, there were clashes between their patrols and SPLA. ... SPLA has destroyed two tanks belonging to the SAF," Colonel Aguer said. South Sudanese forces seized control of Heglig town earlier in the week during the worst fighting in the region since the South seceded from Khartoum's rule last year. South Sudan's information minister also said Sudanese efforts to regain Heglig had been repelled. "They tried to attack our positions north of Heglig last night but it was contained," said Barnaba Marial Benjamin. "Heglig is (still) under our control." Aguer said Sudan's air force bombed the border areas of Jau and Panakuach, in northern South Sudan's Unity State, on Saturday, as well as Heglig, the main producer of Khartoum's oil.
No information was available early on Saturday on the positions of the two armies. A Unity State government spokesperson, reached by telephone in the state capital Bentiu, confirmed the aerial bombings near the border. "The areas in the north of Unity State are still subject to Antonovs (planes)," said the spokesperson, Gideon Gatfan. "We don't have the updates yet between Heglig and Kelet, but all those areas they are subjected to bombing."
On Friday, Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri, reporting from Juba, the capital of South Sudan, said a spokesperson there had told her Sudanese forces were about 30kms from Heglig and that South Sudanese would defend themselves if they attempted to take back the town. "This could end up becoming a full-blown conflict," our correspondent said. World powers and the United Nations have urged restraint after the latest round of heavy fighting that broke out on Tuesday.The African Union denounced the South's occupation of Heglig as illegal and urged the two sides to avert a "disastrous" war.Read and see (video) the full story here.
video "You got Skunked" - Israel fights Palestinian Protesters With Non Leathal Weapon "Skunk Water".
"You got Skunked" - It was not the most dramatic sight in the world. The water cannon first sent a few feeble streams of the green liquid into the air to test the wind direction. It looked like most went back towards the Israeli troops watching from the distance. Then it started sending the plumes of spray 45 degrees to the right of us, high into the air.
I watched it rain down on the protesters in front of me, took some pictures and stood back out of the way. Again and again it fired, but I was dry, safe and, I believed, smelling sweet.
And then it happened. It started with a drop of sweat on my nose, inside my tightly sealed gas mask. The sweat started a chain-reaction itch. I shook my head and even jumped up and down. This had to be dealt with, and quickly I thought. Walking away from the protesters, I gently slid my index finger through my mask’s seal in attempt to solve my dilemma by scratching my nose. Big mistake! It was, without doubt, one of the most horrible things I have ever smelled.
I can’t describe it without using expletives. But if you mixed dirty diapers with not so fresh road kill and left them all in the sun for a few days, you might get an idea. That half second scratch will last me a lifetime. And I wasn’t even hit with it. Despite changing my clothes by the car, and rinsing my exposed arms and face with water the stench was still there. It was on my boots, my cameras, my helmet and mask. I could smell it the whole ride home. I could think of nothing else. I thought about what I would say to the border police at the checkpoint if they searched my car. “No, I don’t have a rotting corpse in the trunk, I was just at a protest” Five days later, after countless washes and scrubs, I can still smell it. My cameras came out worst. I wanted to put them through the delicate cycle in my washing machine, but you just can’t do that. My gas mask went in the dishwasher, though, along with my helmet. Everything else that couldn’t be machine washed, has been coated over and over with disinfectant spray, to no avail. The trunk of my car still has a “serial killer” stench to it.Source.
Press TV - EU: Round one of Iran-P5+1 talks, constructive.
Press TV - EU: Round one of Iran-P5+1 talks, constructive.After the first round of comprehensive negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 - the US, Britain, France, China, Russia plus Germany - wrapped up in Istanbul, a European Union source says talks between the group and Iran were “constructive.”TEHRAN (FNA)- Negotiating teams from Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) wrapped up their first round of talks in Istanbul, Turkey Saturday afternoon. Delegations of Iran and the six world powers led by Iran's chief negotiator and Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Saeed Jalili and EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton ended their first round of talks at Istanbul's Lutfil Kirdar Hall at 13:30pm local time. According to FNA dispatches, the Iranian team will next have separate bilateral meetings with the delegations of the world powers and then attend the second round of multilateral negotiations in the evening. The two sides' negotiators started their talks at 11am local time. Jalili is leading the Iranian team of negotiators, while delegations of the six world powers are headed by Ashton. After a year of stalled talks, Iran and the G5+1 eventually accepted to resume their negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 14 and in case of good progress hold a second round of talks in Iraq's capital city, Baghdad. The last meeting between the two sides took place in Istanbul in January 2011. Iran and the G5+1 had also held two rounds of multifaceted talks in Geneva in December 2010. Member of the Iranian team of negotiators and Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Undersecretary Ali Baqeri informed yesterday that the talks between Tehran and the six world powers in Istanbul would last for one day. "The talks will be held in one day and will not continue for a second day," Baqeri told reporters in Istanbul Friday evening and after meeting the head of the Russian delegation to the talks Sergey Ryabkov at Iran's consulate office. Baqeri and the EU foreign policy deputy chief were in charge of discussions over the date and venue of the talks. On Friday and prior to his remarks to the reporters, Baqeri met with the heads of the Chinese and Russian delegations.Read the full story here and here.
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